6761/Not a Team-Up

Not a Team-Up
Date of Scene:	01 July 2021
Location:	Jersey City, New Jersey
Synopsis:	June Connor bites off more than she can chew in Jersey City but Ms. Marvel is around to lend a (larger than normal) hand. The two work together to fend off some thugs but it is absolutely, positively, undeniably NOT a team-up. Not a team-up.
Cast of Characters:	June Connor, Kamala Khan

---

June Connor has posed:
    After the recent close shave that June had with Ms. Marvel, you'd think that she'd hesitate to show her face in Jersey City. Nope, that'd be smart, not her style. Everett did have a record, and while sexual assault and rape were not among his offenses, the police did keep him for a few hours to ask him questions about potential involvements with some other below the law behaviors.

    This means June's job is a little more urgent than it was before, and so she's had to risk discovery in order to find out where he is quicker. That was sloppy, and it means that she has run into trouble. Even bad guys have people who care about them. The bar she was hitting up information at is seedy at best. After all, they let an 18 year old girl into it without checking her ID.

    The heavy steel door that connects to the alley bursts open with the announcement of a rolling thunderclap that announces an impending storm. It isn't as cramped as a New York alley, and the cars of the bar employees are in back, and old rust bucket pickup, and a brand new honda civic. A large man comes out first, he's built like a mountain, a good 6'5" tall, and has to weigh triple what June does. She's being dragged by her short hair, her teeth clenched as he walks her to the small dumpster, and slams her roughly against it, most of her face covered by his arm. She wears a black sports bra and a deep cut tank top with The Strokes advertised on the front, and a pair of shredded black jeans.
    The two are followed by three more men, one heavyset, another scrawny, and the third only a couple of inchest taller than June herself.
    "Why you askin' so much about him?" The big man demands. "I known Everett for years, and I know you ain't his type," he says. "So don't give me that trash about a date."

Kamala Khan has posed:
    Alright, Ms. Marvel isn't the World's Greatest Detective or anything -- in fact, mental note, see if you can meet him at some point! -- but she has been keeping tabs on the situation. She's friendly with more than a couple police officers, dispatchers, etc., (actually, she's friendly with most everyone) so she had heard that the man brought in for questioning was innocent of sexual assault.

    This curiosity would lead Ms. Marvel to Greenville -- one of Jersey City's less-than-savory neighborhoods, on the Bayonne side of town, and a rooftop overlooking the back alley of a seedy bar. She sits with her legs dangling over the side, her hair matted to her head by the heavy rain. She looks displeased.

    "I really need to talk to Bruno about some kind of collapsible umbrella or something to go into the bracelets," Ms. Marvel mutters before closing her eyes, a sudden scowl forming on her face. "I am such an idiot! I /am/ a collapsible umbrella!" She reaches up and stretches her hand out to an umbrella-like shape so it can block the rain from hitting her. Too little, too late, but...

    The sudden commotion down in the alley draws her attention. As soon as she hears the Big Man, Ms. Marvel retracts her hand and lowers herself behind the half-wall that circles the roof. She peeks over it and watches.

June Connor has posed:
    "Why, you lookin' for action?" comes June's smart alec response. Given that her current position could end badly in a number of ways, most people wouldn't make that comment. The large man's other fist comes to deliver a powerful blow, but she manages to elbow check it to the side, and his fists rings the dumpster next to her, he recoils, not having expected the pain, and while not letting her hair go, he pulls her head and slams it against the dumpster. That probably didn't feel good.

    "Oh, you like it rough? I can do rough," she laughs through the wince.

    "Girly, you don't want as rough as we're gonna be," says the fat one, grabbing her arm. "We're gonna make you really wish you never came out here. The skinny one moves to the other side to grab her other arm, stretching her out against the dumpster. This looks really bad.

    It appears the little firecracker is not about to go down without a fight, and she suddenly rears up and kicks the big guy where it hurts, causing him to double over, though he manages to tear a few strands of the bottle blonde hair with him. Her hair in front of her face, the girl takes the same foot and snaps it up at an impressive angle to strike the skinny man in the side of the head, knocking him free with the surprise. The small man jumps in, grabbing her around the waist to slam her back against the dumpster, and despite that he's the smallest of the group, he shows he knows at least a little of what he's doing as he swings her to the ground on the wet concrete, face down, sitting on her back as the heavy guy still holds the right arm, now turned at a submission hold.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    That's her, Ms. Marvel thinks to herself. Her scowl deepens, connecting the memory of that voice with the memory of the pepper egg striking her face. As she continues to watch, Ms. Marvel's expression softens, her eyebrows rising and her eyes widen. This doesn't seem right. The conflict is short lived, however, once June is thrown to the concrete. Ms. Marvel's mouth curls back, exposing her teeth as she winces as a reaction. She begins the mental math.

    Four guys. That's four versus one. But, they don't seem to be supers, right? So, piece of cake! But, then again, there's June -- another person lacking super powers, apparently, but she did get the best of Ms. Marvel once before. And, if Ms. Marvel gets involved, which side of the fight would June be on, anyway? Ms. Marvel squints one eye, growing tired of her own hemming and hawing. The decision is obvious.

    Suddenly, the taller onlooker cries out in surprise as he flies through the air and slams into one of the brick walls that make up the alley. "I can do rough, too!" a voice announces. It belongs to Ms. Marvel, who stands in a heroic sort of pose, her right hand at her hip and her left one... well, it's a giant fist. A smarter hero would've stuck to the shadows and picked these guys off one by one. But, Ms. Marvel is new to this! And she can't resist.

June Connor has posed:
    It definitely was the case that June needed help. The big guy is tossed back, still a little off his guard by the earlier strike. The skinny man is coming back, and isn't looking as he pins June's legs down so that she can't use them. The heavy one, still holding down one arm, punches her in the face. And again. and... all four of those still engaged in the fight look over as Ms. Marvel announces herself, and it catches all of them off guard.
    June realizes quickly who it is. "Damnit," she grunts. Just what she needed to see. She lets her head drop down to the wet ground, and lets out a sigh. Nothing like being appreciated, right? The skinny guy moves first, leaping up and charging Ms. Marvel. "None of your business, get lost!"

Kamala Khan has posed:
    Skinny's charge is easy -- telegraphed, obvious. Her oversized fist shrinks down and flings upward to grab hold of an fire escape. She uses that to pull herself up into the air, delivering a swift boot to the face to Skinny. The motion is constant, fluid, and sends Ms. Marvel on an arc towards June and her captors. At the apex of her leap, Ms. Marvel's body twists so that she'll land on her stomach...except...

    Ms. Marvel does land on her stomach, but on the Fat Guy's head. She becomes as rigid as an empty balloon, almost goop-like, as she engulfs the man in her body. He can be seen struggling, swinging at nothing as he tries to break free from this weird cocoon. Ms. Marvel, meanwhile, looks over at June. It's some crazy David Cronenberg body horror in the alleyways of Jersey City. "Little help?" she requests with a grin.

June Connor has posed:
    The skinny man stumbles back, falling to the ground on his rear in a puddle from the kick, and rubs his jaw, scrambling to get back to his feet.
    June makes a face at Kamala, a little weirded out by the maneuver as she encompasses the fat man. "Well that's all kindsa weird kinky," she gives the rather offhand comment. The cocoon over the fat guy caused the little one to turn to swing a fist at Kamala, but hit or miss, June takes the chance to twist around, and wraps her arm around the small guy's neck, trying to put him in a sleeper hold.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    In this form, Ms. Marvel's dexterity is severely limited -- she's basically just lying on her belly, arms and legs akimbo, with a person inside her... like a tent that has started to collapse with a person inside her. She pins the Fat Man down as best she can, but it's clear that there's some effort required here. The punch from Skinny makes contact, easily, and Ms. Marvel yelps in pain.

    "Okay, I deserved that!" she hisses, one eye closing as she struggles to contain Fat Man. The punch is enough to weaken her resolve, distract her, and Fat Man gains some ground -- one arm manages to worm its way out of the Ms. Marvel Cocoon.

    "Hurry...up!" Ms. Marvel grunts. "I can't hold him like this for much longer!"

June Connor has posed:
    June is suddenly punched, though it appears she had almost put the small man down, as he rolls on the ground, clutching his throat. She's knocked back, then grabbed by the front of her tank top as the skinny man delivers another punch to her face. It dazes her a little. "Trying!" she sputters out around a now busted lip, and takes advantage of the poor choice of handholds. She ducks into her own shirt, and with a remarkably deft maneuver, she sheds the tank top and flings it around the wrist of the skinny man who holds it. He has just a moment of confusion before she takes hole of the wet shirt and wrenches his arm, clearly pulling it out of socket by using the shirt as a handle, and she kicks the recovering small man in the face. Still, she didn't do anything about the fat man at all.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    "Nice one... " Ms. Marvel calls out, grinning a little at the tank top improvisation. The grin fades into a look of worry as she feels her strength begin to slip. Without a doubt, the Fat Man can feel Ms. Marvel's stranglehold weakening, because as soon as she snaps back into her traditional form, he's ready with both hands to throw her across the alley and into a metal dumpster. She slams against the inside of the lid and falls into the darkness of the garbage. "Ugghh... GROSS!" Ms. Marvel shouts from inside.

    The young heroine climbs out of the dumpster and picks a banana peel out of her hair. She gives it a toss to the side and moves to position herself between Fat Man and June. With both hands out, Ms. Marvel gives a warning. "This ends right now. Or else!" She gives herself a nod, as if to say 'good one, Kamala!'

June Connor has posed:
    The Fat man, suddenly faced with June who...has no shirt, glances down. Not that she's horribly indecent, she's still wearing a sports bra, but it's long enough for him to be caught off guard, the rain pouring down around them, getting to the point that it makes regular clothes a minor impediment to movement. June starts to rush forward, stopped by Kamala's planting herself between her and the fat man. June is caught off guard by that, and it's long enough for the skinny man to recover to throw a kidney shot to her from the rear. Ooh, that looks like it hurt, and June stumbles forward to crash into Kamala.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    Oof! Wide-eyed, Ms. Marvel is shoved forward by June. Before she has a chance to react, Fat Man reaches his arms around her in a tight squeeze. He's big, he's strong. Ms. Marvel wiggles against this bear hug, her arms and legs flailing in the air as she's lifted off the ground. "Hey!" she shouts. "Get! Offa! Me!"

June Connor has posed:
    June recoils and turns, bumping into the Fat man as she spins to see the skinny one coming at her. It's just in time to take a right cross, and she falls backward on her rear into the rain soaked concrete. One of her size might be expected by some to be out of the fight from such a blow, but this young woman is not about to give up so easily. She shifts to see Kamala struggling with the Fat man, and quickly gives a kick tot he back of his knee to drop him backward onto the ground, then shifts into a scissor lock around the advancing skinny man, rotating to make sure that all four of the remaining combatants are prone.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    As Fat Man starts going down, Ms. Marvel suddenly shrinks down to just a couple of inches -- small enough to easily slip through his fingers. She immediately grows back to normal size and then grows...and grows...and grows... until she's about twenty feet tall. Both hands are held out so that all four men are sandwiched between Ms. Marvel's palms and the ground. She presses down with enough strength to keep them held down but not so much to cause injury.

    "Thanks for the assist," she says, tilting her head to the side. "I wouldn't call this an official team-up, but..."

June Connor has posed:
    June scampers back on her hands and feet as Kamala encompasses the two unconscious and the two still conscious bullies. "Holy hell," she stares wide-eyed. Does she deal with supers? Yes. It's still a pretty terrifying thing when you don't have any powers of your own. She's tired, though, and she feels the need to get out. Just...just a moment. She just watches as the two remaining give their futile attempt to escape.
    "Uh...yeah, no problem," she says, still a little distracted by the incredible physical feat.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    From Ms. Marvel's expression, it's not trivial for her to keep these four guys pinned down, but she seems to be handling it just fine. "Can you do me a favor and give the police a call? Tell them we're in the alley behind the Garside Bar, off of Lackawanna Ave," she adds, grinning a little. "Tell them Ms. Marvel needs to hand off some dopes." She looks down at the struggle happening underneath her hands and shakes her head.

    "Play stupid games in Jersey, win stupid prizes..." Ms. Marvel warns. It's unclear whether this is directed to the guys, to June, or to all of them.

June Connor has posed:
    "Uh..." June hesitates. Call the police? That looks like something not in her nature to begin with. "You know, if you just...cut off their blood to the brain they'll pass out," she suggests. Instead of pulling out a phone, she gets up, and grabs the fat guy by the head, and applies pressure to his artery. He struggles a second, and then just falls asleep. Once he does, she lets him go. "Like that. Wait, why am I giving you tips? I'm dumb as shit." she runs a hand through her wet hair, the rain mixing with the blood that's still running down her nose. She's made no attempt to stop it, or the busted lip, and it's pretty certain that she has a black eye. She definitely didn't come out of this unscathed.

Kamala Khan has posed:
    "Hey! Woah!" Ms. Marvel shifts her hands so that June can't do the same to the last guy. "We don't need to do that! They're harmless." Despite her complaint, there's only one guy still awake, so she shrinks down her other hand so she can call the police herself. In fact, her entire body shrinks down to normal size except for that one hand keeping the last guy pinned down. "Hello, Ms. Marvel here," she says into the phone. "We've got ---" A glance in June's direction. ".../I've/ got four guys. Sending my location now." She taptaptaps on her screen and then puts it away.

    "I don't suppose I have to do the whole 'stay out of Jersey' thing, right? I mean, we'd love to have you, but you seem to bring New York problems with you whenever you're here...so....."

June Connor has posed:
    "Not gonna kill him," June clarifies, "Just knocks him out a while." She holds up her hands in a surrender pose as she backs away from the last guy. "Yeah, I get it, a piece of shit you don't want in your city," June says, vocalizing the sentiment a little more extremely. "Not the first person to tell me that." She back pedals another step or so. "So uh, about last time, nothing personal, right? Just had to do what I had to do."

Kamala Khan has posed:
    Ms. Marvel's face sours. "I didn't say that!" she protests. "Just, you bring trouble with you, that's all." She looks down and gives her hand a little bit of a shake -- a silent gesture meant to tell the last remaining guy to be quiet. Ms. Marvel tilts her head to the side and studies June for a few moments. "...So, what grade are you in?" she wonders. It's a guess, but June looks to be about her age. "I mean, I know it's summer, but..." It seems to be an obvious check to see if she goes to school at all. Or did. Or will.

June Connor has posed:
    There's a slightly amused smile from June. "Uhhh, heh, I haven't been in school for a few years," she says. She certainly doesn't look old enough to have been out for that long. "Life happens, shit happens. You know how it is."

Kamala Khan has posed:
    "Stop. Squirming!" Ms. Marvel gives the man a shove with her giant hand, throttling him a little against the concrete. She blows an errant lock of brown hair from her eyes and takes a breath. "Well, it's not too late to go back," Ms. Marvel reminds gently. A mock shrug. "Unless you're happy with things the way they are." By now, the red and blue lights of nearby police cars can be seen reflecting off of the buildings across the street, signaling that they are nearly upon the scene.

June Connor has posed:
    "Yeah it is," June answers, as if there's no room for argument in the matter. "Second chances aren't that easy to come by when you're like me," she says, and glances in the direction of the sirens. "I am not gonna be here when the pigs show up," she says, "So Imma make like a baby and head out."

    She gives a rather sober look, quirking her mouth to one side as if considering something, a nervous edge with the approaching cops. "Thanks," she decides to offer the gratitude. "Not too many people stand up for me."

Kamala Khan has posed:
    "It's called a G.E.D. You can probably do it online now," Ms. Marvel reminds. "If you want, I mean." She shrugs her shoulders again and lifts her gaze to watch the red and blue lights that are getting brighter and brighter. Her mouth opens to say something else but the sudden thank-you catches her off guard. Ms. Marvel's expression softens and she nods in return. "No problem," she replies. "I'm sure you could've handled it, but, I needed the exercise!" An obvious lie, but something for June to use if she wants to save face.

    "Alright, I'll deal with this," Ms. Marvel adds. "If you stay, they might be curious about what happened the other day..." That's all she says about it.

June Connor has posed:
    "Yeah, I bet they would," June agrees. She looks like she's about to say something else, but that's when the lights come into view. She wipes the blood and rain from her nose, and then backs up quietly, disappearing into the shadows as if she was never there. There's a certain casualness to the way she fades away, like something that's been so practiced she doesn't even have to think about it.

    And she's gone.