5385/A Strix and Balm

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
A Strix and Balm
Date of Scene: 28 February 2021
Location: Old Gotham - Founders Island
Synopsis: Ordinarily you don't have to protect the muggers from their victim...
Cast of Characters: Strix, Phoebe Beacon




Strix has posed:
Today Strix is being brave! She's actually out shopping in her civilian guise, such as it is. She's wearing a pair of overalls over a fuzzy pink unicorn sweatshirt that still has some bullet holes in it. A warm overcoat is thrown over the whole thing and a pink beanie with a bobblydeal on top to keep her head warm. Not that it really needs it since it's wrapped up haphazardly in gauze, covering up the myriad of scars that adorn her face.

This is the first time she's ever actually gone shopping, and is using the cash that Scott and Spiderman gave her to accomplish this task. Her shopping bags are filled with a seemingly random assortment of items, anything from colored pencils to poptarts to even a hideously looking stuffed bear.

She navigates the narrow twisty turny streets without much of a care of the world, seemingly not noticing the two men that are following her. She turns sharply down an alley where she's cut off by two more men.

"Hey, sweetcheeks," one of the men says, pulling out a switchblade, popping it open. "What's under those bandages? I bet it's something real sweet."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Today, Phoebe was also being brave! Of course, this means that she's going out on her usual rounds, making visits on an alternate route to her Usual Haunts in Gotham, slipping around back alleys and rooftops, hopping off from roof top to fire escape, clad in her hood and her armor, getting used to the weight of it again as she moves around.

    She slides down a bit of slick, icy rooftop, pausing a moment as she ends up being in the right place, right time.

    The Outsider narrows her eyes a moment, lips pursing as she crouches. One on four is hardly a fair fight.

    She pauses, counting heartbeats as she draws out a flashbang from her pack.

Strix has posed:
Strix blinks at the man, surprised that anybody would even consider attacking her. She looks at him, looks at his three companions and tilts her head curiously. "Now put those bags down and let me see your face." Switchblade man leers approaching. Strix just stands there, silently watching him.

When he gets close enough, Strix strikes, fast as a cobra. Without dropping her bags, she pivots on one foot, the other snapping out catching the man's hand, sending the switchblade flying. "Ow, you bi-" Her foot snaps back and strikes the man's jaw with enough force to knock some teeth loose, cutting his curse short.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
     ... well, it's not often that Balm has to set about saving the muggers.

    She throws the flashbang, a brilliant light and a loud sound filling the alleyway with smoke before she drops down, a gray shadow moving through the smoke. There are two more flashes of light as she works quickly, disabling the two men who had come behind Strix.

    "I think the lady's given you an answer." she states to the Switchblade and the Last Man Standing, and as she stands at the ready, there is a pole that spins to life, sweeping through the thinning smoke in the alleyway.

    She's wearing gray armor, like one of the Bats might. She has a hood pulled over her head, and a pack on her back, along with a domino on her face that helps to obscure her identity.

    Of course, anyone with intel in Gotham may recognize the one called 'Balm'.

Strix has posed:
Strix doesn't really give the men time to react, swiftly moving to Last Man Standing. She strikes out with the other foot, hitting the knee with a *crack* causing it to bend in places that it shouldn't. It's only when all the targets are disabled, does she back off, not even out of breath.

She turns casually to Balm, and tilts her head at her. Her only expression is one of curiosity, no distress that one might find in somebody who had just been through an attempted mugging.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm looks at Strix. The healer and heroine seems unsure, her weight subtlely switching from foot to foot as she regards the bandaged woman, the shadowed face beneath the hood expressing mixed curiosity and caution.

    "Not often I have to save the attackers." she compliments to Strix, her staff held at the ready as she relaxes just a hair. "Need help with your bags?"

Strix has posed:
Strix has already relaxed her stance into something more non-threatening. She considers the question and nods, handing the bag that has that ugly teddy bear sticking out of it over to Balm. She, then, carefully steps over one of the muggers who are groaning on the ground to pick up the switchblade, pocketing it. She comes back with a grin and holds out a hand so she can take her bag again.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Silent and deadly. Reminds Balm of someone else. The gray-clad heroine accepts the bag with the teddy, and holds it, carefully to keep any rain out of it as Strix claims the switchblade, and then she gives a wry smile, and returns the bag.

    "Cute bear."

Strix has posed:
Strix's grin only gets bigger at the compliment. She looks so childlike from the sheer joy that she derives from the stuffed toy. She pauses, and this time hands *both* bags to Balm so she can fish a notepad and felt tip pen from inside her overalls. She flips through the notebook until she finds a page and then holds it up for Balm to read.

THANK YOU

it says in big, blocky letters.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm gives another sidelong smile at the grin of joy, and she holds the bags, her eyebrows rising up as the note is held up, and she gives a bright smile, and she gives a nod, still holding the bags.

    "You're welcome. You've got good taste." she replies. "Should I be on the lookout for injured assailiants in GOtham often?" she asks -- silly question. She's worked with the Bats.

Strix has posed:
Strix shrugs. She flips to a blank page of the notebook and scribbles,

ONLY IF
THEY ATTAK
ME

and holds it up to Balm to read. She flips to a new blank page and writes,

I DON'T
KILL PEEPLE
NOW

Another blank page and

BATMAN
SAYS NO

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That is very fair." Balm replies to Strix, and then at the last blank page, she gives a wry little smile.

    "No, he wouldn't approve. He's pretty intimidating, isn't he?" Balm inquires, still holding the bags as she motions. "I'll walk with you, if you like."

Strix has posed:
Strix nods agreeably, nimbly stepping over the unconscious bodies of the would be muggers to continue her path down the alley. As they walk, she flips through her little notebook until she finds the right page.

I'M MARY

She holds it up and gives Balm a questioning glance.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Hello Mary." she smiles, holding the bags so that Strix can keep walking. "I'm called Balm. I'm... not allowed to use my real name." she replies with slight embarrassment and a slight laugh. "My private life isn't entirely private, I'm afraid." she explains, and then warmly adds "But it's nice to meet you, Mary."

Strix has posed:
Strix nods in understanding when Balm explains she cannot use her real name. After all, most of the people she's met in her life who weren't the targets of her assassinations (and even then some who were) were all costumed heroes of one sort or another who kept their private lives private.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    And the nod does leave Balm with so many questions... like why are there so many silent assassiny types?

    "Well, it is quite fortunate I came along, otherwise you would have had to give those guys a beating on their own, and they might not have learned their lesson so quick. One of the many failures of the Gotham Education System." she jokes, uncharacteristically chatty for a Gothamite.

Strix has posed:
Strix turns around to give Balm a toothy grin, showing that she finds humor in her jest. For the first time in a while, she misses the ability to speak. To just chat with somebody for a while. This is what being normal is like and it's.... nice.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Normal is entirely overrated. As they walk, Balm does give off a certain energy, radiant and warm. She seems cheery as she gives a smile back to Strix.

    "I see you're familiar with the many ways the Gotham Education system has failed our city. Really, something ought to be done about that. I mean, we pay ridiculous taxes already, right?" she continues on the joke, doing the chatting for the both of them as she walks with Mary, carrying her bags like some kind of girlscout instead of an extension of the Good Guys.

Strix has posed:
Strix nods enthusiastically, agreeing with her. Not that she ever grew up in the Gotham educational system. Last time she went to school was back in the 40s in Portland. Before the bomb. Before everything changed. She gets a little sullen at these thoughts, not really having reflected on her lost childhood until recently.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a soft 'mm' as Strix goes silent..er. And she tilts her head back a moment. The hood pulls back, and shows her dark skin, her hair carefully tied into little bantu knots that were hidden by the hood.

    "So, seeing as you know the Batman, and the way you pretty well snapped the patella of the second guy, you probably didn't need my help back there, but I'm glad you let me. Good way to meet new people."

Strix has posed:
Strix nods enthusiastically in agreement. She pulls out the pad and pen and scribbles something on the paper.

I LIEK YOU

she writes, showing it to Balm.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm hears the scribbling, and she turns a moment, looking to Strix and then gives a smile back at her.

    "Thank you very much. I like you too, Mary. Especially if it means not getting my knee snapped in half." she jokes with a genuine warmness so often missing from the city.

Strix has posed:
Strix leads Balm through the windy streets of old Gotham until they face a low brownstone apartment building. Instead of walking through the front door, however, Strix leads her back behind the building where the fire escapes are and starts clambering up them, beckoning the vigilante to follow. She climbs up a few flights before she reaches a certain window where she stops and waits for Balm to catch up to her.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm follows Strix in mixed curiosity and general jovialness as they come to the brownstones. She draws her gaze up, and then as she's lead around back there is a thought of 'this could be a trap, and Tim will kill her if she dies in a trap, in Gotham'-- but it was a little late now. The Vigilante is pretty spry, drawing herself up the fire escape while carrying Strix's bags, and Balm is soon on the escape behind Strix.

    "Fourth floor, teddy bears and vigilante justice."

Strix has posed:
Strix waits patiently until Balm is up here with her, and then opens the window to the safe house that Batman has provided. She slips inside the apartment, padding across it to turn on the lights. Once Balm is inside she takes the bags and brings them over to the kitchen and starts pulling stuff out. First the teddy bear, which she hugs before setting it aside, and then various foodstuffs that only an eight year old would consider getting for food. Pop tarts, sugary cereals, even a bag of marshmallows.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Admittedly, all that junkfood is hurting Balm's better sensibilities. The teenager looks at the Pop tarts, the sugary cereal (it is not a good source of vitamins and minerals in spite of the advertising), and she purses her lips a moment, looking to Strix before she looks up a moment, then looks around the apartment from what she can see in curiosity, and eyeballs those marshmallows with an almost accusationary glare.

    She's already deciding that she's going to make food for poor Mary.

Strix has posed:
The apartment is tastefully put together, but hardly looks like anybody has been living here. Sure it's got all the furnishings, but it just doesn't have the kidn of clutter that a lived in space has. Of course, if one were to venture into the bedroom, one would find all sorts of odd knicknacks that Strix has collected.

Back in the kitchen, Strix puts away the rest of the groceries, leaving only a letter sized notepad and the set of colored pencils, which she takes over to the dining room table, and plops down into a chair.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Well, Balm was not going to wander about the safehouse on her own. That would be rude. She does watch a moment as Mary sorts out the groceries, and she gives a wry smile as the other girl plops down at the table.

    "Anything else I can help with then, Mary?" she asks quietly, making sure she makes enough noise to not take anyone by surprise as she pulls out a chair and seats herself, giving the other woman a small smile.

Strix has posed:
Strix shakes her head, and pulls out her old notebook, and flips through the pages until she finds the one that reads

THANK YOU

She pulls out a pencil and when it's revealed that it's not sharpened she scowls. She brightens when she remembers the switchblade in her pocket and pulls it out to sharpen the pencil.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You are very welcome." she states, and she gives a little smile at the serendippity of the switchbblade.

    "I'll see myself out. It was good to meet you, Mary." Balm states gently, and she stands up in the armor -- thankfully, she does not have an awkward cape -- and she pushes her chair in before heading for the kitchen window again.

Strix has posed:
Strix gives Balm a jaunty wave as she departs, and then gets to an activity she hasn't engaged in since she was a child: Drawing.