4117/Ghost Story

Ghost Story
Date of Scene:	13 November 2020
Location:	Haunted Brownstone - NYC
Synopsis:	Questions remain as those drawn to the mysterious haunted brownstone do their separate ways
Cast of Characters:	Kurt Wagner, Doreen Green, Alanis Bezanero, Kate Bishop, Amanda Sefton

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Kurt Wagner has posed:
In a city the size of New York one is bound to come across some strange, unexplainable things. It happens to all manner of people, from those perfectly normal to others hwo might have a bit of sensitivity to the irregular. To the unnatural. Even to the supernatural. Sometimes those moments, those places or things are big and obvious. But sometimes they really aren't. Sometimes they are more subtle, enough so that one might pass it off at first.

Certainly it took Kurt Wagner a little bit of time to notice, or at least acknowledge that something just didn't feel quite right. Even being located out in Westchester, New York is really just a hop, skip and a jump away for him given his mutant powers and he frequently wanders the city, poking his nose here and there, looking for new and interesting places. Or visiting some old, favored haunts. Certainly he has walked through this neighborhood numerous times before, the old, increasingly refurbished brownstones making it an interesting street to poke about.

But his last walk through the neighborhood was a little different. Something... was just off. It was hard to put a finger on it, at least at first. Indeed, the fuzzy blue elf stood there for a good half-hour until he finally noticed just how many people seemed to be crossing to the other side of the street, just for this one stretch before returning back down at the corner. They didn't even seem to notice that they were doing it for the most part, though certainly some people seemed to pick up the pace a little, stepping briskly as if feeling something a little out of place.

Walking down the street it still took him a half dozen passes to finally notice it, that odd chill that seemed to permeate through even the warmest clothing, the not quite recognizable sound, a discordant note on an otherwise typical city street. But he finally noticed it. That one brownstone. He had to have walked past it dozens of times without ever really seeing it. The fact that it is so much more rundown then the other buildings in the neighborhood. The haggard appearance, the cracked windows, all the little signs of neglect that make it look out of place in this neighboorhood.

While Kurt's curiousity might have been piqued he resisted the urge to simply poke his nose inside. The advantage of having friends is the fact that one not go into spooky houses that don't seem to want to be noticed alone. It's certainly not a job for the X-Men. But that doesn't mean he can't ask just a few people to check it out with him.

Of course, chances are in a city this big he is not the only one who has picked up on a sense of... 'wrongness' that lingers in this particular neighborhood...

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green is making her way down the sidewalk, past this house, past that one, block after block. It's not long before she starts to lifestream, she's pretty close to the supposedly haunted house now, "It's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl in a special livestream event! Subscribers.. are you ready to see a ghost? Or to MAYBE see a ghost? The Nuts and Boots Army never crosses the streams when it comes to quality butt kicking! If the ghosts want to get nuts then we will be happy to oblige!"

"No one scares the good people of New York with their spookiness.. not even the dead! Being dead doesn't mean that the law does not apply to you! And trespassing, harassment, assault, and disturbing the peace were still illegal the last time I checked!"

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Wandering the streets looking for interesting stories is what she does. It's how she's making a living, barely scraping by. Capitalism is not her friend. Neither is this whole 'interconnectedness of all things' cult she's somehow joined. Branches. Marigold was a pleasant sort, really grated on her the wrong way. But she was also _just like her_ - politically motivated and active and weird powers over plants.

And then there's the tree. That weird tree that the cult is based around. The garden it sits in and the symbols that tell them when and where they should be. Frankly, Alanis hated it. Too much grass, too many plants. They all felt like they wanted her attention. But then some of them don't want her attention and those are the ones she pays attention to. They're hiding something.. they're _up_ to something.

Walking down the street she pauses and turns to stare at the rundown brownstone. "Fuck," she says not even yet noticing the mutant teleporter next to her. "Oh fuck no..," she repeats and takes out her phone and starts flicking through photos of things from the garden and the tree... and there it is, the branch covered in green flowers and one thorn amidst them. She holds it up and true to the nature of the interconnectedness of all things, the skyline kind of matches, "Fuuuuck you tree."

It's then that she looks around and notices she's not the only one staring at this place. A blue mutant is there. "Okay then, you're doing that thing again aren't you tree," she says to no one in particular. Joining a cult really does make you sound like a crazy person. She turns on her camera phone and holds it up for the perfect angle and says, "So here we are again. Last time the water mains tried to kill me, this time.. a creepy house. Look here," she says and turns the camera around to film the exterior.

There is a long pause as she hears the words of 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl' and she turns to see her live streaming.. "Hang on I'm filming this creepy house. Who even are you?," says the energetic young woman who otherwise looks perfectly normal. "What kind of a name for a channel is the unbeatable squirrel girl?," she asks.. though deep in her heart of hearts she knows.. it is an _awesome_ name. Way better than @MRHR - Mutant Rights are Human Rights.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Honestly Kate is of mixed opinions of having to visit New York these days.

Yeah sure she grew up here and knows some of the neighborhoods like the back of her hand. That said her chosen family is in Metropolis these days with the Titans. Still she has to come into the city for school during the day, which isn't a big deal thanks to the Hyperloop and first class seats. Also at least once a month she has to come in for Sunday Brunch or Dinner with the Patriarch of the Bishop family and her sister (and her husband).

Dinner with her dad is probably why she doesn't like coming to New York on Sundays at least. It is getting increasingly difficult to dodge questions about what she does in all of her free time and why is she staying down in Metropolis at the condo she got there so much. The sooner she graduates from Hawthorne Academy the better and she can go to University in Metropolis.

As it is though she is walking, for the excercise after eating too much family dinner in the vague direction of the hyperloop. A duffle bag over one shoulder that osentiably has Hawthorne Prep Fencing Team on the side of it, even if it really contains her bow and a set of her gear for emergencies. One too may of those have happened while visiting for Sunday Dinner for her not to be prepared and just leave it all at the tower.

Honestly it is hard to say if Squirrel Girl or Kurt are why she stops on her walk, or if it is the creepy avoid me perhaps mystical house. She just stops down a ways from all of them now and stares or a very long silent moment, then looks at the house and stares at it for an equally long moment.

"God it is like Raven's room." is all she mutters to herself as she loiters and stares curious what the two hero looking types are going to do about the spooky house.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda stands on the sidewalk outside the Brownstone, looking up at it. Her hood is up to conceal eyes that glow faintly with magic as she examines the structure. She's steadfastly ignoring the others that arrive -- at least those with cameras. A muttered incantation makes her face terribly hard to identify on camera. That's the problem with today's media saturated society. It makes quietly practicing the mystic arts a serious challenge.

"Yep," she says finally, glancing Kurt's way. "Pretty sure it's haunted." She glances over toward the others and arches a brow at her foster brother as if to say 'really?' He must know something about them she doesn't. "If you'd like to poke around, I'm game. But I suggest we 'port in. I'd rather not be on film casting 'alohamora' on someone's front door."

Yeah, go figure that.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Aside from it's rundown state, the house does not look out of place compared to the others in the neighborhood. While they have all clearly undergone the process of gentrification, have been restored to something resembling their original appearance, this one simply has not. Indeed, even standing right in front of it there is just something about it that seems to make one's gaze slide to either side, to ignore it and seek out more pleasant sights.

And seemingly the vast majority of the locals are quite happy to do just that. A few people certainly shot glances at the increasingly odd collection of people that seem to have gathered on their street, but none of them seem to take the slightest bit of interest in the house that rests just beyond them. Muttered comments about 'weirdos' and 'there oughta be a law' might be overheard, but no one else seems eager to linger.

While Kurt might be a little surprised, even slightly bemused to see a few others drawn to this place, it doesn't last very long. Not Alanis' colorful commentary or Doreen's chipper defiance can quite hold up to the sensation of cold fingers crawling up one's spine. This is not a happy place.

He is tempted to ask about this 'tree', but now seems like a poor time and instead the fuzzy blue elf turns back to Amanda, his expression going grave as she confirms that the uncomfortable sensations are not just in his head. "I, ummm, did check the front door before I came to look for you," he admits to the blonde woman. "The door is unlocked. But you might be right," he admits, draping an arm about Amanda's shoulders. Glancing briefly at the others who have gathered nearby, we winks, wiggles those fingers of his oddly shaped hand in their direction and suddenly vanishes alongside Amanda, a cloud of inky black mist appearing in his place along with that customary *bamf* sound, rapidly dissipating along with the hint of brimstone in the air.

But if the pair expected to reappear inside they might be in for a bit of a shock. Instead of reappearing in the front hall, or anywhere else in the rundown brownstone, Kurt and Amanda simply reappearing on the front step, right outside the door. For a moment the fuzzy blue elf looks confused, brow furrowing. "I... I don't remember the last time that happened..."

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green peers at Alanis when the other woman calls out to her, rather rudely, but Squirrel Girl doesn't miss a beat. Still livestreaming she returns with, "Huh? Hey there's enough house for us both! This is all about exploration and holding the crooks accountable! Even the dead ones! Why don't we just work together?"

She looks back into her phone's camera, "What do you say Nuts and Boots Army?" Monkey-Joe is suddenly resting on her right shoulder, a squeak of solidarity indicating HIS vote. Doreen looks back at Alanis.

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
"Hey fuck you man," Alanis says in response to a slighted comment toward the group of 'weirdos'. He wanted to mutter under his breath ..not have a full on confrontation. His foot falls fasten and she glares after him, living her phone up to record his retreat, "That right there ladies and gentlemen is what a bigot looks like."

"This is the thorn between leaves. That means according to fucked up tree rules I'm needed here. Annnd like last fucked up time there's a bunch of raaando people here - what the fuck...," she stops in response to Squirrel Girl and stares at the puff of black in the air and the *bamf* sound. "Shit I missed that. Hey, come back and let me film that again," she calls over to the pair at the steps of the building. "Actually nevermind, the moment has passed. Cool trick."

Her head swivels back to Squirrel Girl, "Yeah why the fuck not. You're clearly special. Are you a mutant? I'm Alanis," she says and offers her hand, "From Mutant Rights are Human Rights. @MRHR. Subscribe. Sup USG viewers," she flashes a peace sign at the camera.

She shrugs her shoulders and holds up her phone to herself, "Collabing with USG army peeps. Be cool. Time for a spooky house that might be haunted apparently." She turns the phone back around to film the building and walks up to the door and nudges, "Snoozers are losers." The tone of her voice is teasing as she opens the door and steps inside.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate crouches down and unzips her fencing bag, making sure when she unsling it that the Hawthorne Prep name is on the pavement. First she pulls out her sunglasses first, which aren't really sunglasses. Sliding them on does wonders for making her look like Hawkeye and not just some dark haired New York girl. They are also loaded with technology. Next out she drops her expensive jacket into the bag leaving just her blouse despite the chill fall weather, out cmes a purple leather top that is shrugged into and then cinched and zipped into place. She won't be ditching her expensive jeans and pulling on the armored pants though on a rando street in New York. Hopefully she doesn't regret that bit.

Last she snags out a couple quivers, attaching them with speed and efficiency, then the batons onto her hip and affixed to the jacket/top business. Next a sword that is not a fencing sword. Finally the bow is pulled out and she slides it over her shoulder before ripping the Hawthorne Prep patch off the bag and stuffing it into her pocket. It is on velcro like military bags or uniforms unsurprisingly.

The whole routine was very efficient, one of those drilled for things which is almost muscle memory really.

She also ignored the oddness while she did all that.

Straightening up she walks over bow in one hand, bag in the other now. "I wish Raven was here." she asides mostly to herself but loud enough that Doreen can hear her as Alanis has already walked into the creepy house. "Is this a critical problem creepy house or just a mysterious creepy house?"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda is more accustomed than most to *bamfing*. But even she is startled when it becomes evident the 'port has failed. "Hmf," she grunts thoughtfully. "Well. If the door's open, I don't suppose they'll mind if we drop in, yes?" She raises a hand, as if to knock... or maybe just grab the doorknob. And then she pauses, head canting.

"The place is covered in wards," she tells the fuzzy blue elf. "They don't allow unnatural entry. I don't know if they'll let you teleport once we're inside." Just so he knows.

That said, however, she raises her hand to knock before opening the door -- just to say they did -- only to be pushed aside by one of the women with the cameras. The looks she gives Kurt suggests her patience is being tested, but not unduly stressed. She steps aside and lets the whole lot of them troop in first.

"New plan," she tells Kurt dryly. "We can play clean up crew once the kids are finished running amok." Another gesture and soft incantation later, her appearance shifts again. This time, the air around her shimmers into a sort cloak that lets her blend into the shadows and the wallpaper as easily -- if not more easily -- as Kurt might. Now you see her, now you don't.

Giving him a shrug, she steps inside.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The door is indeed unlocked, and it swings open with an almost disconcerting ease, as if their presence -- any presence -- is welcome indeed. Of course the door still creaks, a jarring sound that seems to draw no more notice then any of the other irregularities have done thus far.

Of course no one else seems to be walking down this side of the street any longer. Though whether that is because of the creep feel of the house that doesn't seem to want to be noticed or because of Alanis' spirited discussion with the judgemental passerby is up for interpretation.

The entranceway is pretty much what one would expect. It is unlit and on the dark side though there is enough light coming in through the now open front door and the cracked windows that sit on either side of the door that the room isn't simply plunged into darkness. Little motes of dust seem to hang in the air, disturbed perhaps by the door being opened, and a fine lair seem to coat the floor, the bannister of the stairway leading up, and every other available surface. Little cobwebs hang in the corners, dangling, wafting in the faint, cool breeze that billows in through the now open entryway.

The supernatural is a subject more in Amanda's wheelhouse then his own. Kurt appreciates that -- more then ever given recent events. Still, he smiles ever so slightly at that frustrated tone. "Well, it certainly looks empty enough. I'm sure it's safe," the fuzzy blue elf says confidently. Of course it's easy enough to say. He's not the expert here.

The news that house actually seems to have wards that are blocking his teleportation wipe that smile right off his face however. That's... disconcerting. And he hardly even notices as Alanis brushes past them in her eagerness to get inside. "Understood," he says softly. "Maybe... we can keep an eye on them?" he suggests. his own patience level considerably higher.

Of course, shooting a look back towards Doreen and especially the surprisingly armed Kate, it might be that they don't really need anyone to keep an eye on them.

While Kurt's attention might be more on those following them into the house, those already inside might notice a flicker of motion from down the hall that leads towards the back of the house, the sound of scampering small feet echoing in the room for just a moment before fading away.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen is ecstatic when Alanis decides to colaborate! "You got it! Nuts and Bolts Army we have a fellow doer of good on our side tonight!" She looks back at Alanis, "Yeah.. technically I am a mutant. But specifically I am called a muTATE. What that means is that I was somehow.. altered. I was born like this but when my parents had me tested, the mutant gene wasn't found, but somehow my DNA was altered and no one knows how.. or why. But I wouldn't trade who I am for anything? Am I right or am I RIGHT?!" Monkey-Joe gives a high pitched squeak in agreement!

As Doreen enters the haunted house with Alanis, it definitely grows colder, with Monkey-Joe wrapping a blanket around him. Who knows where he got it or where he was keeping the tiny fabric? And then that laughter.. a child? Doreen blinks rapidly, "Subscribers did you hear that?! It's also getting colder in here.." She taps a button so that she can film what's ahead of her, and then taps another button for nightsight, "We're black and white now guys..."

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Right in to a spooky house. "The fuck are you doing Alanis," she mutters to herself and then her senses snap to attention as she young boy, just down past the stairs, disappearing in to the back of the house. "Heeey...," she says and looks around. Didn't the lady who teleported with Kurt just enter too? she could have sworn...

"Heeey," she tries again to Doreen. "I think people live here. Or a ghost. Probably a ghost." She takes in a deep breath and glances down at her hand, noticing it is shaking a little. Not just from the cold of the house. "This was a bad idea. Fuck the tree. This is the last one. No more weird holistic bullshit." She waggles a finger to Squirrel Girl, "No more."

She turns to look back at blue and notices Kate has a bow.. and a sword.. and a quiver, "What in the actual fuck. Rambo much? You look like that Avenger .. Hawkguy or whatever." There's a pause and then she elaborates her position on how well armoured Kate is, "Badass. Who is Raven?," she asks but turns back to pan her camera around the entry hall. "Shall we do the dumb thing and delve deeper in to the haunted mansion yonder to where the young boy ran off? The 7th guest or whatever."

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate notes with a bit of amusement. "Well at least our branding is still on point." she shakes her head a bit. "I am Hawkeye. The other Hawkeye. I'm a member of the Titans. Raven is ...our spellcasting team member." honestly this is the best way to explain it. "Honestly this place feels a bit like her room in the Tower."

She glances past Alanis further inside now. "Mmn. I definitely heard a child laugh and then go all poltergiest..." she gestures towards everyone else. "This is not my forte but I am game to help..." she does shift the bag slung over her shoulder with the sword, then pulls out a phone and types quietly fora moment. /Exploring Haunted House in New York, if I don't come home send Raven to find me/.

"Sure lets .. carefully look around. It wouldn't be good to leave something like this unresolved.. it might hurt people in the neighborhood."

She isn't out to get clicks or become famous, she is worried about regular folks.

With that she looks to Kurt and Amanda but steps inside "Hope you two are coming." she notes. She caught the bit about wards from Amanda. Good to have some expertise.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Now, the archer is someone Amanda might be able to work with. She gives her a tight smile and nod of assurance. They're coming. Then, she glances to Kurt. "Without question," she tells him. *Of course*, they'll keep an eye on them. Somone obviously needs to.

She gestures in the direction the ghost went. "They're right though. Poltergeist activity. A boy, heading towards the back."

Even shadowcloaked as she is, Kurt is familiar enough with her to be able to see her. She lifts a hand and whispers a spell. Her magic ripples out, a seeking spell to illuminate whatever other spells and wards may be hiding in the dark. It's not meant to trigger, just to illuminate. She hates walking into a trap if she can avoid it.

"We should check it out. But carefully. Racing through places like this gets people killed." Heeding her own words, she moves cautiously after the others, magic sight making her eyes glow.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
As the rest of those gathered begin to enter the house the motes of dust in the air grow thicker, each footfall stirring up the detrius of what looks to be decades of abandonment and neglect. Those hanging webs shift and move and even when that cool breeze shifts or dies away, even when it is not coming through the open threshold, those little creepers continue to wave as if caught in some unfelt wind that circles the room.

Of course the narrow stairway straight ahead stretches upward before curling around out of sight, presumably going up to the second floor. Picture frames dangle along the wall, also rising with the progression of the stairs, each one tilted at a slight angle, dust hanging heavily on them, particularly the glass that conceals the images below.

Down the hallway where those first in might have caught that hint of movement, the gloom increases, no windows present to offer any relief from the thickening shadows that lay heavily on that passage to the rear of the house. Archways open on both sides of the entry hall, each one leading into a separate chamber to either side, both seemingly similar. Dust appears to be the only inhabitant here as well, those motes occasionally caught in what little light filters in through past those dirty, broken windows. The furniture -- couches, chairs, tables and what might be a curio cabinet -- are all covered by white sheets that appear to have gone to grey with time and neglect.

"Of course," Kurt agrees lowly. "Wouldn't miss it," he assures Kate, flickering a tight smile in the direction of Amanda's camoflauged self. Of course it helps that those glinting yellow eyes can pierce the darkness with such ease. But it is practice and familiarity as much as anything.

Of course the issue of light becomes significantly less of a concern when Amanda murmurs that incantation. All around them, on every surface -- every wall, every floorboard, across the entire ceiling -- a host of strange and sometimes bizarre symbols appear and begin to glow with a soft, golden luminescence. It lights up the house, banishing shadows for a moment. The two side rooms come into better view though looking unchanged except for all those glowing symbols. The hallway leading to the back of the house is also lit up, appearing to lead to the kitchen by the looks of the tiled floor.

Just as suddenly as they appeared those golden symbols shift, the light from them dimming, shifting and while it does not entirely go out the pulsing light is no longer a soft, warm diffuse glow but instead those symbols pulse a dull, blood red. The illumination no longer pushes that shadows back, but instead seems to welcome it.

Suddenly, behind them the door closes shut -- this time with no squeak or squeal of rusted hinges to warn them. Because of course it does. A child-like voice suddenly pipes up from all around them. "Ooooooh, you shouldn't have done that. She doesn't like people playing with magic in her home. But I am glad you're here. It gets so lonely." As the voice speaks, those child-like tones slowly deepen, a faint hiss seeming to sound, as if spoken by a mouth not properly shaped for human speech, growing deeper, lower and distinctly inhuman.

"Mmmmm, if we are going to go any further I think we should definitely stick together," Kurt chimes in helpfully.

Doreen Green has posed:
And Doreen catches ALL of that weird glowy stuff on camera, "Guys.. you are seeing what could very well be this criminal ghost's secret CODE! Sure he takes the form of a little boy but trust me.. ghosts are tricky. There's no telling what robberies, heists, or stealthy j walking this spirit has been able to pull off."

She looks back at Alanis, "I'm sure there's nohing to worry about! We'll bring this fiend to justice the same as any crook!" Of course there's no proof yet that the ghost has done anything illegal..

Doreen thinks though as she walks, "One small problem... how do we tie up a ghost for the police to take into custody??" Monkey-Joe offers no solution. The squirrel simply shrugs and squeaks a "I dunno" toned sound.

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
"I didn't know there were two Hawkeyes.. or that the Titans had an archer too. Wait that means the Justice League has an archer, the Avengers have an archer, and the Titans have an archer. Whaaat. Weird," she comments and her phone camera on Kate for a moment. She raises an eyebrow and peers at Doreen.

"Yeah, you know we're in for a bad time when a dead child warns us about 'she'. Mummy issues may be. Sticking together," she says in responds to Kurt's suggestion, "is a fanfuckingtastic idea. I also think may be we should upstairs instead of following the boy. He may want to 'play' with us, but it sounds more like he's gunna be the archetypical trope victim of this place..... what? I watch Supernatural. We need salt."

She shrugs and walks up the narrow stairs to the second floor.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate glances down at the bow in her hand as it actually has a light glow to it for a moment when the spell passes over it. It isn't a normal bow made of normal materials. "Uh." she notes then glances at all the glyphs and arcane symbols. "Well. Crap."

At which point she pauses walking further and looks over her towards the door out of this creepy house, which as just closed, and likely locked. "Of course it did..." she mutters to herself then cocks her head to the side. "This is going so swell...." and it wasn't even one of the youtube wanna be streaming famous folk who managed to set off the house's ire either.

"No one is allowed to have a superhero team without an archer." she notes softly to Alanis "It is a D.E.O. rule." she tries for the joke, but it may be too inside baseball. Regardless.

"Sticking together check. Salt... mmm no salt arrows .. sorry." she looks around slowly. "Upstairs does seem likely instead of with hell child .."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Well," Amanda says, looking to Kurt with a wry smile. "Looks like I just made things more interesting." Whatcha gonna do? It certainly doesn't frighten her off. It merely makes her a little more ready for a fight. "We need to catch up." Because she really can't leave the others to deal with her mistake. Not, mind, that she considers it a 'mistake'. More a failed gambit.

She lets out a sigh and looks around. "Or we could stand here and see if I can lure them to us." Magic magnet and all that. Probably wouldn't take much.

Before she actually casts the spell to do so, however, magic swirls around her, shattering the shadowcloak spell and turning into a dark vortex that envelops her. "Stay with them!" she yells to Kurt, twisting and flinging a magic bolt into the vortex, even as it swells up around her. In a heartbeat... she's gone.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
That dull, pulsing red glow does nothing to improve the ambience of the rundown brownstone. And while that glow provides enough light to see by, each time that dull, blood red light throbs it sends shadows skittering wildly all around the room as if countless creatures were moving about, just out of sight. But no matter how much one might crane their head or peer around, the only signs of life that are apparent are the five, far too curious individuals.

Of course, it might be that the issue here is looking for living creatures in this house.

Should one try the door it does not appear to be locked per se. Instead it is more like it is stuck. Not even a hint of light can be seen filtering in at the cracks around it. Indeed, there no longer appear to be cracks, as if the wood has become waterlogged and swollen, pressing out to fill all available space.

But at least it is not locked.

The stairs stretch upward and they are just a little unnerving too. It's hard to tell why, at least at first. Not that there aren't a whole lot of reasons to be unnerved by the entire house mind. But as they start to ascend, it becomes clear. Again, everything is just slightly off. Some of the steps are not perfectly flat, angled just slightly upward to encourage one's foot to slide off. Others sag, sinking just a little under foot falls. The steps also seem to have no uniform height, all slightly different as if urging one to catch their toes and trip.

The pictures that line the stairwell, all hanging askew, also display that oddness. Particularly if the dust is rubbed away. Each black and white photo looks like something out of the history books, harkening back decades, to the first half of the previous century. Dour-faced men, women and children, all with a faintly haunted look in their eyes, all looking a little too... lean to be entirely healthy. Not quite skeletal, but as if on the verge.

The stairs curl, the landing in the middle a short one though each step makes the floorboards creak loudly as if they are about to collapse. They do not fortunately, ascending higher until finally broaching the next floor. A narrow hallway leads across the width of the brownstone, lit only by those same glowing sigils on the floor. A handful of closed doors line the hallway, blotting out any trace of outside light.

But it is the scent that is most notable perhaps. Something disturbing, something that hangs tantilizing out of reach. Like rotting leaves, but somehow dry. It grows more pungent the further they climb.

"I am afraid that I did not bring salt either. But in my defense I was the one who brought a sorceress so I feel like my preparations were quite adequate," Kurt says, just a hint of humor in his tone to keep any anxiety at bay. Not that there is any reason to be anxious. Or he didn't at least.

Even as he hops up onto that dusty bannister and begins to crawl up beside those already on their way to the second floor, he glances back towards the front hall, eyes widening as Amanda suddenly cries out. And then she's gone, whisked away in front of his widened eyes.

Well... maybe there is something be anxious about afterall.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green tries to be quiet as she goes up the stairs, the smell of rotting leaves growing stronger with every step it seems, "Nuts and Boots Army we are still live! Our new Mutant friends and their leader Alanis are still on board too! This ghost will not escape!"

She rubs the dust off of a few of the pictures, making sure to record the images, "Old.. really old. I wonder who they were? What their lives were like? They don't.. look really happy though."

Squirrel Girl hears a rush of energy and some other strange sounds, Amanda being sucked down.. somewhere. But Doreen didn't see it happen so it's all just more strange noise in this haunted place! Monkey-Joe pulls the tiny blanket tighter and his teeth start to chatter in the cold.

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Alanis stumbles on those uneven stairs. One hand grabs on to the bannister while the other scraps across a dusty old wall photo. She rises back up and stares at the creepy old portrait of emotionless skinny folk. "Sad," she says and shrugs her shoulders, "They were probably horrible people by todays standards."

She grins a Kurt joins on the bannister and then frowns when she sees Amanda disappearing in some sort of vortex.. "Nice sorceress, same if something happened to her?" She looks dourly to Kurt, wondering if that means they're actually in trouble now.

"May be someone should go check the kitchen slash pantry for some salt, just in case. Because the only other thing I know about ghosts is also from a TV show and is probably wrong - we find and destroy a personal item the ghost is connected to."

She lifts up her hands in the air in a much bigger shrug, "Fuuck me if I'm the leader we're all fucked." She smirks and gives the finger to Squirrel's audience, but is also suddenly grinning. "You ghostly," she says loudly and thumps her hand against the wall as she steps down the hallway, "We know you're here, come out come out where ever you are." She looks back at the group and whispers, "This is what they do in ghost hunter youtube videos." As she comes up on the first door, she suddenly opens it and peers inside. "BOO!," she says to ... probably no one in the room at all.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Honestly Kate had been keeping near Amanda, the Sorceress as Kurt put it that he brought to help deal with the haunted house right. This should be a good thing and lead to extra security. I mean yesshe did piss the house off but what is the worst that could happen.

Of course then something bad happens right after Kate thinks that, jinxing them aas far as she is concerned "Damnit." she winces and looks around a little frantic.

"Well... at least I sent my team a message and there is a nonzero chance Raven will show up eventually and crack open this house like an egg..." she sounds a bit folorn at this point though. Like she is regretting her decision to follow these people in here. Hopefully they can figure this out and Raven won't need to rescue them. She wouldn't hear the end of it.

Kate steps closer, wanting to keep up with the others and not be left alone with the devil ghost boy on the first floor. "Hopefully we can find your sorceress... I imagine the evil in the house either whisked her away to it.. or ejected her for doing too much magic..." theory and strategy. Not really pointing out they lost their main weapon against the supernatural.

"The kitchen idea may be killer... but we are already headed upstairs so lets see this through.."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The pulsing red runes mainly appear on the ceiling and floor here, lighting the way with that disturbing glow. Along the walls of the hall the ancient wallpaper there is peeling, in some places just curling at the edges, faintly yellowed with age. But in other places in hangs in strips, dangling and wafting very much like those cobwebs, swaying to some unflet breeze. Where it dangles, the red runes shine through.

As they step off the stairs and into that hall there the quiet of the house is broken once more. It is subtle at first, like whispers that can't quite be made out. Tricks the mind play when one is all alone. But sound it is more like two or three seperate voices whispering. Then a dozen. "This way." "No, this way!" "I'm in here!" "Don't listen to them. It's through this door!" Just a cascade of voices, some very much sounding like that young, piping child. Others very much more like that low, inhuman growl.

The house seems abandonned. Abandonned for decades. Kurt is not exactly confident that there will be anything in the pantry. Then again, however lived here does not seem to have removed the furniture or even personal affects like pictures so perhaps. He does nod at Kate's words in apparent agreement but adds, "I can be quick," he promises He shimmers for a moment, little tendrils of inky darkness seeming to rise from him along with that hint of brimstone. But this time there is no *bamf* sound, this time he does not vanish, does not shift. Even a few inches. A pained look crosses his face. "Or not," the fuzzy blue elf admits. It would appear that Amanda had good cause to warn him. No teleporting for him, at least not in here.

At least he doesn't seem concerned concerned about the documentary being filmed. Hopefully it doesn't become the last sighting of any of them.

At the end of the hall the red glow around the door there seems to grow brighter, more intense, pouring out around the doorframe, no longer dull and throbbing but fiercely bright and piercing.

"This way, this way! Come and play!"

"Mmmm," Kurt says, squinting a little at that glow. "If we are going to continue, perhaps I or Hawkeye should take point afterall." He might not have his powers, but he isn't going to push anyone else into danger. That would hardly be chivalrous!

Doreen Green has posed:
And as Doreen begins to turn while going up the stairs? That tail of hers, bushy and rather large as it is, starts to knock pictures off the wall! Doreen didn't mean to but it happens nevertheless! The shattering of glass and the cracking sound of wood as the frames and their glass coverings break when they fall is hard to miss.. and there is no telling how the ghost will feel about it..

Doreen winces with every crack and crash.. there's no more pictures on the wall because for some reason it didn't occur to her that she should stop and like.. move her tail a bit?

Squirrel Girl and Monkey-Joe both sigh with relief as they reach the top of the stairs and onto the second floor. But the cold and creepy are not limited to the bottom floor. Monkey-Joe's cold chattering continues and the whispering and gutteral sounds are continuously caught on her phone, "And guys the ghost is trying to be scary.. I know it must sound really creepy to you all but it's all going to be okay! The ghost will not stop the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and her new friends!" Luckily she didn't trip on the steps. She can thank her dexterity for that!

And then there is the door.. Alanis probably sees it first since she is in front, "To open.. or not to open?"

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Yeah, that IS a good idea. Teleporting blue guy can just teleport to the kitchen and get the salt. Perfect! ... if only it had worked. She frowns and raises an eyebrow. "I have to admit, all the creepy voices are starting to get to me. I'm mentally back at the door where this entire thing is a bad idea."

She motions to Kate, "Then again, if this is just some jerk wearing a ghost mask and not actually a ghost, when you shoot them with an arrow it'll all be over." She nods to Kurt, "You're right, the Titan should definitely lead the way."

...but then there's that door and there's Squirrel Girl. "Open obviously. I mean, if it's a trap, we have to spring it otherwise how will we get the antagonist to reveal themselves." She crackes her knuckles and walks down the hall after Dorreen, then opens the door and steps through.

Kate Bishop has posed:
"This whole thing is definitely a bad idea...." she notes in agreement with Alanis and then takes a deep breath. "First arrow will be a tazer just in case then..." she notes helpfully about the accidently shooting old man smithers in the face with a broadside arrow. Pure Scooby Doo.

Kate was about to offer to go in first after all, the blue teleporting guy didn't have a bad idea.... but there goes Alanis and Doreen. Opening and going through the doors.

"Fuck." she says eloquently and thne hustles down the way towards them and the door, arrow already notched. Though honestly hitting the ghost with the Wonderbow and not any of her arrows would be likely a hundred times more effective. Ever hit a ghost with a bow made, in part, from unicorn horn. Kate hasn't either.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The tickling of all that glass is hard to miss, little shards spreading out all across the stair. Frames twist and break and those unhappy photos crumple in the wake of the rampaging tail of Squirrel Girl. For good or ill, no unearthly wail goes up at the devestation to the family history that has been wrought by the tailed young woman. But they do say that revenge is a dish best served cold so perhaps Doreen has made a whole host full of new enemies today.

They really are kind of committed here now, aren't they? Kurt would admitted be happier if Amanda was still here. This is really more her thing. But he has taken an interest over the years. And really, at this point he just has to know. HIs sense of adventure demands as much. Magic or no, powers or no, there's no turning back!

And there's no stopping Alanis or Doreen either. Suggestion or no, good idea or no, they are clearly just as committed now. Though perhaps for different reasons. Either way, the door is open. The way is clear.

As the door finally opens, the sheer intensity of the light seems to thankfully dim, no longer filling the hallway with it's piercing light, no longer forcing one to squint just to see. The room is fairly small and square shaped. Clearly a bedroom, and probably a child's bed chamber at that. Though no furniture remains in any kind of shape to give clues to who might have once inhabitted the room. Splinters of smashed, rotting wood fill the room -- presumably the remains of the furnishings and they add to that now almost overwhelming scent, that not quite identifiable smell that still tickles the hind-brain of any humanoid urging them to run, to flee. Something... vaguely reptilian.

The windows are covered in heavy, dark drapes, blotting at light from the outside, leaving the only source of illumination the dull, throbbing red glow given off by the sigils that cover every surface of this room as well..

Well, that and the figure that sits in the middle of the floor. It appears to be a ten-year old boy, dressed like something out of a historical drama, clothing one might expect from the first half of the twentieth century. Indeed, he looks very much like he could have been ripped out of those same pictures that Doreen smashed. Which is odd certainly, perhaps. But the more disturbing thing is that he glows. That same, throbbing, dull red glow of the runes, sitting in the middle of the room with his back to the door.

The only other thing in the room? A strange tubular looking object that curls around the outside of the room. It is dark, brown perhaps, and paper-thin, the pulsing lights muted only slightly as the pulse beneath and beside it, reflected off it's surface, lighting it up as if it were made of thousands upon thousands of different segments. Or scales.

The glowing child suddenly glances back over his shoulder, his head seeming to twist just a little too far, turning in a way no human actually could. "Oh good, you came to play," it says brightly, the rest of it's body beginning to turn as well. And as it starts to move to all fours, and then to stand that ghostly body seems to grow, to expand. Those boyish features shift, twist. Skin grows darker, flesh turning a mix of blood red and the darkest of blacks. Horns begin to pierce that skull, expanding outward. The body shifts, beginning to bulge unnaturally, to swell.

Those demonic features smile, for just a moment as the now burning gaze fixed on Kurt. "We've been waiting so long for you. Brother," it says as it charges the quartet in the doorway.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green holds the camera up briefly, just so that her viewers can know that she was right, "I was right! That wasn't a little boy! It's... I don't know what it is but it's a villain! Don't have much time.. it's attacking. You kids don't need to see this!" She taps a button and shuts off the livestream. She has a responsibility not to show such things to young audiences!

With the demon charging it's time to get nuts! Doreen dives to the left, catching Monkey-Joe as the momentum threatens to send him careening to the right!

Squirrel Girl blinks rapidly, "How do we fight a spirit again?! Alanis didn't you say something about salt? I don't think we found any!"

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Alanis holds up her camera, focused on the boy.. head turning unnaturally... transforming in to what looks stereotypically like a demon. Alanis doesn't want to be one to jump to assumptions about whether someone is 'evil' or 'good' just because of how they look.. but this really seems evil. Also it's attacking.

"Sus, emergency meeting!," she says with wide concerned eyes. It is at this moment that she realises she never even got the sorceress's name, nor Kurt's for that matter. She has Hawkeye and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. These are the people she's going to die with.. for a tree. "I fucking hate that tree!," she says with annoyance.

It is customary to attempt to get out of the way when someone is charging at you. But that's never stopped her before. Granted, she is used to street fights against thugs and learnt to scrap in the schoolyard against racist fellow students. But she's never backed down from a fight and she's not going to start now.

Phone goes away, with fists up she squares her jaw and charges back at the demon. No time to respond to Doreen's question about salt now... as if she knew what she was doing anyway. She swings a punch following by an uppercut and a knee to the groin. Always fight dirty.. even if you're fighting what looks like a demon and you have no idea how to actually hurt it.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Well Kate wishes this was the first demon she had ever fought...

It isn't.

Also she stands her ground, stepping in front of Kurt even as Alanis goes charging to meet the charging demon. "Fuck I hope she knows what she is doing..." pause "We have no salt.. it looks pretty copereal to me though so hit it...!"

On that note she thumbs an arrow and fires it right past the charging Alanis towards the demon, narrowly, but perfectly, missing her. The archer is aiming at one of the demon boys legs, and if it hits it will explode with 'glue' of a sort. Kate is trying to stick it to the floor by engulfing it's leg or legs with the goop and set it up perfectly for Alanis...

If the plan comes together.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Maybe it is a demon. Maybe it is a ghost. Maybe it is a demon ghost? Either way, it clearly is not friendly and it clearly does not mean them any good. The charging at them certainly seems to suggest hostile intent. It's certainly not the sort of thing that anyone reasonable should probably give it the benefit of the doubt on.

How do you fight a demon, or ghost, or demon ghost? Or whatever this might be. The expert amongst them is gone -- Kurt just hopes that she is alright. As it lunges for them, he does try to intercept it, to break it's momentum. But really, he doesn't have to worry.

If it's a ghost, it's awfully tangible. If it's a demon, well, maybe even demons have nards. Certainly Alanis' blows make really, physical contact with their attacker, thumping solidly into the creature. That disturbing laughter continues to ring out from it, one moment a child's gleeful squeal, the next something inhuman, almost painfully cutting in it's sadistic joy. "Boo." it whispers, that mouth parting to bare teeth -- so many, too many, teeth -- that glisten wetly, tendrils of thick saliva dribbling from that fearsome maw.

Then it begins to swell some more even as Kate's arrow flies true, striking it on the leg, glue exploding out in a sticky mess and coats it's lower limbs and drizzles across the floor.

Is it stuck? It definitely looks stuck. Does it care? It does not. For a moment it continues to swell and then that inhuman laughter sounds again, filling the room. And it simply explodes.

It is not flesh or bone, not blood or viscera that splatters across the room. Instead that body seems to dissolve into thousands upon thousands of creepy crawlies. Centipedes, beetles and all manner or squirmy, slimy insects that begin to bubble out like a living, moving carpet of disgusting. Coming right for them.

At the same moment the house seems to... wobble. As if they were standing on an unsteady surface. The red rune lights wink out, plunging the room into darkness. But only for a second. A crack of light appears above them. Then another. And another as plaster begins to fall from the ceiling, gaping holes starting to form in the roof as it almost seems to dissolve away.

"I think, perhaps, it is time to run," Kurt suggests, ignoring how the demon-thing referred to him for the moment, more intent on seeing to the safety of the other three. He pauses, for just an instant before he darts a few steps into the room, grimacing as he feels bugs crunch underfoot in unsettling fashion. He snatches up a length of the dark, scaly skin fragment, tugging it free before turning back for the door.

"Run," that voice says, bouncing back and forth between child and demon. "Run. She has other dens. Other lairs. She feeds well in this city. But oh, she will be so angered, so angered with you all..."

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green widens her eyes as the demon.. is not intangible! "Why didn't anyone tell me that thing could feel pain??!" And that's when she steps on a bug! She looks down, widens her eyes again, and keeps stomping.. and stomping.. and stomping... "Okay should we run or should I get out my claws?!"

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Punching a demon and kicking it in demonic nads, perhaps, is without a doubt the bravest and stupidest thing she has ever done. She realises this about the moment the endless rows of teeth make themselves known to her amidst cackles of strange laughter. A punch, an uppercut, a knee between the legs... and that's the response she gets.

The wind is swept away from her sails, she is officially concerned. She should have brought a stun gun.. next time she'll bring a stun gun. It starts to swell.. and that arrow goes *thwak* past her to pin it. She steps away from it and it cannot pursue, but it swells still until it explodes in grubs everywhere.

Thank goodness it wasn't vines.

Still, her eyes are wide as saucers as she brushes the squirmies off of her.. as best she can. She takes a step backward, squelch, more squirmies... then the building is unsteady, or is that just her.. her heart is racing. Kurts suggestion of running is met with a decisive nod and with one more wipe over her face she braves to open her mouth, "Agreed. Run."

Fear, her fight or flight response is flipped and she is running. She is not the deer in headlights type luckily. She is quite the sprinter now that everything she knows about reality is falling apart around her. Parkour is a thing she likes to do and she sees no reason not to kick off walls for this escape.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate notes "He is going to blow!" trying to get the warning out, but perhaps too late. "Oh... that... that is even worse..." she notes with just utter sadness in her voice.

Then she blinks behind those high tech glasses. "We run!" to Doreen. She is pretty sure the integrity of whatever this place is.. is collapsing.. and she for one does not want to be stuck here when it does.

She pivots around glancing towards the snake coil and then well.. it seems like it was all just a shed from a snake not the actual snake. Thank fuck.

She runs... leaving the room and heading like an athlete for the stairs down. "Please open..." about the door at the base, not there yet though to find out.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Run. Run!" Kurt says, agreeing with Kate and Alanis, urging Doreen into similar motion as the ceiling in the bedroom simply collapses. Those insects continue to skitter after them, all those tiny feet making disturbing sounds against the floor -- and each other as they simply crawl over one another.

Even as they start down the hall way and race to the stairs the floor of the bedroom seems to be following the lead of the roof, opening up like a sinkhole and simply melting away, pouring down to the ground floor, the sound of crashes, of the house quite literally falling apart around them filling their ears.

They do seem to be an agile bunch fortunately and they certainly have plenty of reason to be at their speedy best. Kurt does put his agility to good work. Unlike the others, no shoes for his unique feet and the stairs are now filled with glass shards. Leaping from the top of the stairwell, he pushes himself off the wall and onto the bannister, sliding the rest of the way down.

It also keeps the stairway clear for the rest.

Fortunately Kate will find that whatever was holding the door shut is gone as well. Perhaps because it too is crumbling right before their eyes. As the stairway simply collapses behind them, falling into that deep, dark pit that suddenly seems quite alarming, the door knob simply comes off in her hands, rusting away in her grip. The remaining frame of the brownstone starts to sway, falling inward as Kurt leaps after the others, out into the street.

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Alanis practically dive rolls out that door once it's opened. She scrambles back to her feet and half hop dances out on to the street and leans against a parked car for support. She gasps for air and shudders from head to toe. "That was..." she gasps between words, "..horrifying."

She looks up and stares at the others who made it out with them. She's no expert, but that seemed like some kind of demonic trap. She looks paler than normal and rests a hand to her chest to calm herself. She's still shaking and mentally is shaken too.

"You three got some moves," she says.. more appreciative that the experience was shared and therefore she isn't going insane. "That wasn't normal. Nothing about that was normal. No one can convince me that was normal. Even for the weird stuff I've seen my fellow mutants do, that was _not_ normal." Ah, so it seems she is a mutant after all. Hard to tell, she doesn't have a bushy tail or fuzzy blue exterior.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green ZOOMS.. see usually she is the bravest person in the group.. or seems to be. Always looking at the bright side of things.. never admitting defeat. The world could be ending and she would still try to inspire everyone to keep fighting!

But there is just.. something about this house starting to warp and fall into a literal hell.. and the bugs crawling.. and everyone telling her to run that makes Doreen go into overdrive FLEE mode.

Doreen is fast, agile, dextrous, in fact her greatest physical feats involve speed and agility. As such it doesn't take much for her to be able to make her way across the hall and down the stairs. She's a blur of fur! Monkey-Joe of course was placed into a coat pocket for safety since it's doubtful that he would be able to hang on!

Kate Bishop has posed:
"That... was not normal."

Also Kate isn't at all out of breath from the flight to freedom. Breathing heavier sure but the brat runs like a track star and trains constantly for this. No powers means in excellent shape or dead as hell.

"Also.. that was the second worst hell realm I have ever been in." the teenager turns and looks at the brownstone, or really to see what is left of the brownstone as it felt like it was basically being gutted and liable to implode in on itself.

"So uh.. not to be insensitive or veer to stereotypes... but why did that thing call you it's brother and say it was waiting for you... Mr..." looks back to Kurt.

Kate didn't miss a beat there.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Horrifying. That's a pretty good description. At least in Kurt's mind. As he flings himself through that open threshold, as he tucks himself and rolls to a stop at the sidewalks edge the sound crashing brick and masonry fills the air along this New York street. A plume of dust rises up and billows out and where a dilapidated brownstone stood moments before there is a gaping hole in the ground, the occasional piece of ruined house poking out above street level but nothing else.

It would also seem that whatever was keeping people from noticing the presence of that brownstone is no longer in effect either as dozens of passersby have gathered on the other side of the street, all pointing towards them and the wreckage, all murmuring amongst themselves. Hoodlums and vandals might be the nicest thing they end up being called, but they probably have other things to worry about.

"Wagner. Kurt Wagner," he says with a little cough as he stands up. In truth he doesn't look anything like wahtever that thing was, though certainly his face has a certain caste to it that might be called demonic. "Or you may call me Nightcrawler. As to why that... thing referred to me as brother I wish I knew. I certainly intend to find out though" he freely confesses. "I trust that you are all unhurt?" he says, glancing at the other three as he does so.

Even as he makes sure that those who went through the unpleasantness of the strange, haunted house are okay, his gaze continually drops to that wisp of strange, dried snake skin that he clutches in one hand. Perhaps it is connected to the mysterious 'she'? Questions, questions. And all too few answers.

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green is unharmed as she rolls like a ball out of the house, yes like a ball of fur, like something you would see in a Sonic the Hedgehog game.. and you selected Tails! Doreen flips up and lands on her feet once she is safe.

Letting Monkey-Joe out of her pocket, she turns back to the house to make sure that everyone else got out too. At Kurt's many revelations she doesn't seem phased, "Nah.. that's kind of your business. I knew we'd get out! But.. that villain back in there.. still on the loose! It's not the first time this has happened. But it's one battle in what looks to be a longer war right?! We'll get him!"

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Alanis shakes her head and pushes off the car. She frowns and says, "Nice to meet you Unbeatable, Kurt, Hawkeye. Never follow the breadcrumbs of a tree. Just sayin'" A bit cryptic but she checks over herself. A few minor scrapes, she'll be fine. She narrows her eyes as she notices the optics of the situation.

"So.. just saying, I've seen how angry crowds gather and police get called and right now it looks like two mutants, a human, and a rambo just demolished a brownstone in a quiet neighbourhood... we should all get the fuck outta here or else we're going to have to hope Titan over here has pull with the local leo."

Kate Bishop has posed:
"I have pull... god knows I've helped save the planet twice this year. Also worst case I can call the Avengers or Supergirl..." she just squints and waves to some of the people staring. "Yo. Superhero business." is shouted at them then she turns back to Kurt and the others.

"I have no idea what you mean by breadcumbs from a tree... that said I would love if ..." she narrows her focus on Kurt. "You could let me know when you find your friend or if you need help finding her what she has to say about all this. I don't like leaving things ..... especially demon things... unresolved."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While Kurt is not opposed to lingering to answer the questions of the authorities as needed -- he can pretty much leave whenever he chooses afterall, if worse comes to worst -- he kind of has a lot of other things on his mind. He glances at the crowd across the street -- which seems to be growing as the now not-invisible house's collapse draws the attention of the neighbors, many of whom are also pouring out onto the street. "You do make a compelling argument," he says to Alanis with a little nod.

Questions. Question like what happened to Amanda, and if his oldest, dearest friend is alright. Questions about why that... thing called him brother. Questions about why that house suddenly appeared now. Questions about the mysterious 'she'. Questions about what would leave this large of a shed snake skin. Yes, under the circumstances he certainly has places to be.

"If there is anywhere that you would like to be dropped off, I am more then happy to do so for anyone who would like to be elsewhere in a hurry," Kurt says, pausing for just a moment before he suddenly vanishes with that customary *bamf* sound, reappearing almost instantly just two feet to the side of where he had been standing. "Ahhh, much better. Yes, more then happy to drop off any of you off, anywhere you want to go," he says, that brash smile returning to his features even as he dips his head towards Kate. "I will be sure to do so," he promises.

And then, waiting only for anyone who wishes to take him up on his offer, the fuzzy blue elf is gone, a rapidly dissipating cloud of inky darkness and the scent of brimstone all that is left in his wake. Off, if he is fortunate, to get a few answers to some of those questions...

Alanis Bezanero has posed:
Alanis's eyes go wide again, though this time in utter respect and props game.

"You know Supergirl?!," she says in awe.

"Er, ah.. Bushwick, thanks."

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green for one doesn't mind speaking to police.. although she won't be of much help. She decides to leave, "I guess that's all we can do tonight! Don't worry! This was just a setback and we know that next time we... need a wizard or something!"

She takes her phone out again and begins to livestream, assuring her fans that she's okay, "...the villain is still loose but you all know that the Nuts and Boots Army never gives up! This villain's days are numbered.." She trails off as she heads down the blocks.