6821/The Dark side of the Glades

The Dark side of the Glades
Date of Scene:	06 July 2021
Location:	The Glades
Synopsis:	Thea and Abcde follow the remnants of the malign spirit of the Idol back to Starling, all the way to the Glades. They face off against the remnants of the Idol's presence with some quick wit and magic! Next step? Egypt!
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Abcde Prescelta

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Thea Queen has posed:
With the witch and the archer having finally joined forces it was time to scour Starling for traces of the Idol's presence. And cleanse them if they so could..

It was a joint effort at that, Abcde providing the tracking through the city while Thea lead them through those places more likely to have been infected. And in this case, the Glades. Thea was currently squatting atop a building, forearms resting loosely on her knees and she eyeing the streets below...

A drug deal was going on, the passage of product one way, money another. Traffickers, but not exactly big fish. She was watching what was going on, features concealed under the hood and asking aside to Abcde.

"Do you detect anything here?" a beat, "This is the worst part of Starling.." she informs the blonde, "And also not far from where we first found the mutants that were being held captive." which made sense to Thea that the influence would be around here instead of other parts of town.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Even Abcde knows that if you wander around the streets carrying a beaker with a stopper on it people will jump to terrible conclusions such as 'poison' or 'biological weapon' or 'illegal blood sample'. She's being discrete and keeping it in her jacket. Though she does have to keep checking on it.

    Specially designed for the task.. the tell tale signs of the darkness infecting an area result in more violence and chaos and misery.. which is why Thea has ended up bringing them to the Glades which seems to have that in spaced. But once they get close enough to the source, the liquid in the vial will boil from the dark magical energy.

    The other reason to be discrete? this is by far the scariest part of any city Abcde has ever been to.. and she hunts monsters from time to time. Real monsters. This place is scarier than that.

    The sweep of the street did show her something. That people eye you funny when you wander around the glades carrying an old broom. Jokes on them, she can go in to an ally, hold tight, and have it hoist her up on to the roof top to rejoin Thea.

    "Darkness has definitely been here. The fluid got a few bubbles but it hasn't boiled. We must be getting close to where it is or where it was recently," she says crouching down next to the leather clad heroic type in red. Lethal Miss Red Riding Hood. "I feel like I should have a costume for this kind of thing. People might remember my face."

Thea Queen has posed:
While Gotham may take the 'prize' where it comes to the gloom and darkness in a city there are unspoken parts of in Starling that can often rival it. No coincidence that it had sprouted vigilantes of the likes of Green Arrow, or Arsenal, or even her now the ..., Red Arrow? Besides the drug dealing happened below them there were sounds that were a teltale to violence. A smashed window. Sometimes a scream.

Just on the room below their perch on the roof the sound of someone crying. Hopelessness was something that had been making it's way into the town. Whatever the Idol did it was mostly tipping it over to despair.

Thea frowns, shifting uncomfortably. "This all feels wrong.." she tells the other, getting back up to her full height.

It takes her a moment to acknowledge those last words, looking up at Abcde. A grim smile, "I really got you right onto the fire, didn't I?" maybe she hadn't realized how 'green' Abcde was. "We can work on one of those. But for now you could simply wrap an handkerchief around your face." she suggests.

"Because I left my extra domino mask on my other pants." A smirk.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    She nods her head and smirks, "I never said I was .. whatever ya'll call yourself." She fishes out a hankerchief and ties it on, "Now I look like a regular bandito." It's memorable, white with laced blue edging. Very nicely linen. She says, "If you can feel it feels wrong then there's hope a big bad wolf won't surprise you from the shadows. The 6th sense for mystical danger is in everyone, but usually under developed."

    She stares out over the grimy buildings around them and says, "Any thoughts which way we should go? it seemed to be getting stronger closer to the ground. May be it was kept in a basement somewhere on this block?"

    Complaining about not having a costume, but she legit flies around on a broom like a witch. She probably has a hat to match. Probably. On her back is her backpack of various bits and things for her magic. Sometimes she has what she needs, usually she doesn't. Usually it's a book she desperately needs - knowledge.

    "If you don't mind me asking -- I'm assuming you know Green Arrow? this is kind of a big deal. I think? to me it seems like a big deal. It's a big scary dark magical object being used by someone. Shouldn't he be told about ... all of this?"

Thea Queen has posed:
"What can I say...?" Thea opening her arms to the sides, "I have always had that sense for danger and trouble..." the young woman admits, "Even if a lot of the time I just jumped onto it with open arms.." a self-deprecating smile on her lips and she shaking her head briefly to herself. Not that she would openly admit her former drug problems. No need for that.

Instead she casts her gaze on the dark city below, watching, thoughtful. "Actually ..."

She had gone through some of the files she had retrieved from Al-Fidr and had noticed something. "There may be a place. We found some files about a few places that had been rented around town. I originally thought it was mainly for housing goons but ..." it may very well been for other things.

"Come on.." She starts running alongside the ledge of the building, impeccable balance too, bow being brought out and she shooting a grappling arrow to another building to get on travelling across to another part of the Glades. If Abcde follows she will tell her. "He has been informed." seems pretty much all she has to say about -that-.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    There's a small nod, "Trouble. That's a good word for you." She chuckles. Not that she's any better. People who hang around her inevitable end up fighting a rougarou eventually. Abcde isn't good at keeping friends. She lifts her chin a little as she listens to the other approach to figuring this out. Detective investigation type work. Not really her area of expertise.

    "Come on...," she says to herself as she watches Thea do incredible acrobatics as if it were nothing and taking a grappling arrow over to another building. "Well you heard her, she said come on." She runs to the edge of the building and jumps off. The broom she is traveling with swishes through the air as if it were alive and flies up for her hands to catch and then lifts her up and deposits her on the next roof top.

    "But instead of goons you think may be it's a ley line convergence and they are keeping unspeakable evil on a coffee table there giving each other cursed tattoos?" She has a way with words, it helps when she's writing. "But there's still going to be goons aren't there. I have a friend who calls them mooks."

Thea Queen has posed:
"In their case they were cultists, the bad kind too. But the more I think about it ..." And Thea is running while saying this, continuing to move alongside the buildings, now not having to shoot any grappling arrows as most buildings are adjacent. It's mostly parkouring! And she does seem to be in shape! Waking up every day at 5am for a grueling train with one of the deadliest assassins in the world seems to have paid of. Who would had known ...

She holds to the side of a fire escape, then up, over across the gravel of another rooftop, " ... the more I wonder if those goons or .." a smirk, ".. mooks.. could had been under control of the idol. Or by those spirits. They were ..., rather committed to the cause. And goons usually aren't." unless they are committed due to fear. But that wasn't the case.

As they continue to move alongside the buildings there's a palpable darkness felt here. Something truly wrong. The beaker will start signaling that indeed they may not be too far from it.

Violence is cheap currency, even Thea having to pause to exhale, looking down a long street. Dark figures roam the streets. Gangs. A shot is heard in the distance.

Yes, this should be the right place.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    It seems there's more than one roof top to traverse. She runs along trying to keep up, but after a while, a little hop and a jump and the broom slips underneath her butt. She rides it side saddle because she couldn't be bothered adjusting her position for this shortish trip. She really is a bit of a stereotype, or may be Bewitched had insider knowledge.

    "Well.. yeah. Anyone being riddle is compelled to do things that they wouldn't normal or even want to do, the spirit jockeys once they get their metaphorical claws in are hard to dislodge.. as you saw. And that wasn't one of the worse ones too. But inviting yourself to be taken over like that? ... it was probably tattoo'd against their wills."

    "But that also means whoever is behind this actually knows that. They know spirit magic, how possessions work, how weaknesses can be made on people. That's all really dark knowledge, dark magic. Really nasty evil stuff." She says no longer breathing quite as hard trying to keep up with the aid of her broom.

    She dismounts her broom as they come to a stop. The gun shot is a bit of a warning sign that things are pretty dismal in this part of town. "Charming neighbourhood."

    She opens up her coat pocket and pulls out the vial. It is bubbling. She holds it up so Thea can see the magic at work. "Seems we've found the right spot. If it's here... this vial will probably pop its top. If it's not here, it can't have been too long gone, not more than a week."

Thea Queen has posed:
"It sort of grows on you." Sorta. But Thea was trying to make a good thing out here in the Glades with her club! The Red Arrow puts a footstep on the edge of the building they are on, her breathing now heavier, both at the exertion but also at that feeling ever present in this area.

The anger.

It's something that's gone unchecked for a long while for Thea. And for sure she has had some closure on a few matters, namely with her brother. But with her father? The rage inside? That one is still boiling deep. And now growing here.

Masked face turns to look at the vial and she offers a brief nod. "There." She pointing to a large building on that street they are on. "It was the one I found rented by Al-Fidr." she explains.

Thea then finally tosses a grappling hook on the edge of the building and starts sliding down to the ground, going to street level and looking across the street. The figures are still moving about but Thea doesn't seem scared to step out in the open? Is she doing it on purpose? Looking for confrontation.

Maybe she is being affected by the rage as the others are.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Does Abcde have much to be angry about in life? Not really. But that's not how this works. The darkness, it gets everywhere. Like an oil slick suffocating nature. She frowns a moment, realising that anger inside of her is directed at the darkness itself that has spread here. At the people responsible.

    "What's the game pla...," she says as Thea heads down to the street and steps out. "Oh heck." Thea has never been in a street fight with humans before, only monsters riding humans or monsters themselves.. and never in a street. Usually some dark back alley or abandoned factory slash warehouse.

    She steps off the edge holding her broom and uses it to lower herself down. Sticking to the shadows she watches Thea looking for trouble. "I thought we were going to be sneaky," she says trying to be quiet yet also carry her voice across."

Thea Queen has posed:
There may be many reasons for Thea to be doing this. The rage is one of course. But she also seems to have spotted something, a trio of thugs currently kicking down on a fallen figure. Innocent? Maybe not. But Thea is a sucker for the 'little guy'. So she moves in, and granted she could just use her bow and take them out from afar.

Instead what she does is collapse her bow and separate it into two battle sticks. It's more her brother's ..., 'schtick', she prefers swords, but as it is now she just wants to beat someone down. "Hey.." she says in a casual greeting when she nears them, hitting one on a knee and then on the head that immediately sends him unto unconsciousness..

Of course it also means the other two look up, eyes reddened with blood, teeth gritted. They hold up their bats and approach.

It doesn't help that they are in a rather open area of the street too, which means spending too long here may attract attention from other groups.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    "Oh shit," she says to herself as Thea walks right up to one of the guys and clocks him on the head. She advances down the street, watching as Thea moves, also the way those thugs look seems wrong. Are they high on PCP or something? May be this whole area is seeped in anger.

    She cannot combat the darkness. She's unprepared for that. Rituals are necessary to cleanse it. She certainly isn't a super ninja like Thea either. But may be she can help. Her hand goes to her wand and she draws it out of its holster. Her hands begin to glow blue with magical energy.

    Abcde moves behind a newspaper stand for cover. She pops her wand and head out around the corner for the briefest of moments and says, "Et cum lubricus vestra arma sudore." Blue energy lances from the tip of her wand and strikes the nearest thugs bat. The jagged nails on the thing look deadly but the magic is complementary to reality.

    It becomes evident to Thea that that particular thug is having trouble keeping a good grip on his weapon. His hands, the weapon, too much heat - too much sweat.

Thea Queen has posed:
While Thea can at times pretend to be a super ninja it's mostly all willpower and tenacity. As for the skill itself? She is no master. So two on one? It wouldn't be a done deal, specially as she is a bit reckless right now.

But with one running towards her and the other fumbling with his stick like it was prom night it soon turns into a beating when Thea dodges the charge, hitting the man on the belly with a kick followed by a strike with her stick on his back that sends him running off. The other? He just looks at the red figure moving in, Abcde's magic doing it's work and the weapon slipping from his fingers. "Demon!" he calls to the approaching Thea before running away down the street. Will it alert others? Maybe. Which means they are on a time schedule now.

Their victim drags themselves up to their feet and runs away too, Thea moving into the building without a word, it opening to a lit up corridor.

Thea stops right as they go past the entrance, back against the wall and breathing hard, hand up to drag the hood out of her face, revealing the short-ish hair, the young features, even if her actual identity is still covered by the domino mask. "This place is getting to me." she admits over to Abcde.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde watches with a touch of amazement at the way Thea deals with those thugs. She makes it look effortless. The discarded bat on the ground is left where it lays because there's no way Abcde wants to touch what is probably a murder weapon. She sheaths her broom on to her back and then dashes across the street and in to the building too.

    She presses up against the wall like Thea does because you do what the older more experience one does. "I can.. I can tell," Abcde replies with concern for her may be slightly unhinged vigilante friend. You have to be a little nuts to take on crime lords and drug kingpins.

    "May be we should be quick about it then. Basement right?," she says and looks around the corner to the basement door. It's open. The lights are on but this place isn't exactly filled with life right now.

    She pauses a moment and says, "May be I can help...." Her wand is still out and she peers at Thea for a moment, "If that's okay with you... I can invoke upon the Goddess of Witchcraft and Protection. It might just give you the edge you need right now."

Thea Queen has posed:
"When in doubt. Basement." Thea confirms, her gaze following to that open door that leads towards darkness and .., most likely what they are after. She pushes herself off the wall, rolling her neck and getting the bow back to one piece, stringing it. She is still breathing hard but the offer of help is received with a small nod of her head, "Lets hope it does. What's the worse that can happen..?"

There's a bit of a pause and then she smirks, "We die?" so fatalistic. But there was a danger to what they were doing right now, it was no child's play and no matter how much Thea didn't want to admit it could also be just a touch above their paygrade.

Details! But she waits for Abcde's blessing before they move in.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    "The concept of Hecate will take offence at your person and smite you where you stand?" Abcde offers. Was that an attempt at humour or was she genuinely warning about 'what the worst that could happen' might be. She raises an eyebrow.. it seems it wasn't a joke.

    "Non omne malum est," she says and motions in a circle around the pair of them. The blue magical energy swirls about and the area seems, just a little, less messed up. Like, may be everything isn't so bad after all.

    Abcde nods her head, "Seems we're in luck." She nods her head and moves after Thea as they advance to the basement.

Thea Queen has posed:
"I can be a bit aggravating at times I suppose." Thea says in agreement about being smote by Hecate. And really, Gods are fickle and whimsy! She already knows this with the interactions she has with the Asgardians. But the raised eyebrow from Abcde is met with a raised eyebrow from the Red Arrow. "Besides ..." and a smirk appears on her lips. "... let her try.."

Ooo, daringly dangerous! But is it a surprise? Only someone who likes the thrills goes off with a tight red suit jumping around rooftops.

As the wave of peace and courage comes upon the area Thea then takes in a long breath, craning her head back as if to take in that feeling. A nod later and she brings the hood back up on her head, starting on her way towards the basement.

Step by step she begins to go down, the oppressiveness of the area poking and pressing at that blessing Abcde's did, almost as if offended. And it seems to have caught it's attention too, the feeling of whatever is waiting down there now closer.

"So, what do you think this is. And how do we fight it?"

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Whispering as she takes each step one at a time making sure to keep her eyes peeled. Thea she trusts, it's herself she's not sure about.. but as they get further down the stairs this situation is starting to feel more and more familiar.

    "I've been thinking about that. If it's the Idol we damage it. But this is a bit too dark for just residual from the Idol. May be some one was sacrificed here, or may be something worse crawled through the cracks." She knows Thea is fast. She's seen her move and fight. Abcde is not that fast, except when something supernatural is going on.

    "Tu es negavit!," she says loudly breaking any semblance of being sneaky as she lifts her wand and there is a suddenly flash of blue light in front of Thea. It becomes evident mere moments later that a dark tendril had shot out of the basement and attempted to skewer her. Not that it'd have wounded or killed.. no.. the thing, whatever it is, was trying to get its hooks in to her.

    "Okay," Abcde says, her breathing suddenly quite rapid. "Something worse crawled through the cracks. Anger.. Dread.. it's got to be a malice shade. Good news, they're partly physical. Bad news, they're supernaturally strong and fast and know some magic..."

Thea Queen has posed:
The sudden spellcasting out of Abcde has Thea tense up, bringing one arrow up to her bow in almost no time. She shoots at it even as it's trying to shriek away from the blue light, the arrow apparently finding it's target. It doesn't stop the creature from retreating though...

Thea frowns, "Do they have any particular senses they use? Maybe we can blind them of some.." She did have a few trick arrows for that effect. But without more knowledge on what they were facing it would be harder to formulate a good strategy.

Yet Thea does move fast to the end of the stairs, immediately trailing towards a large crate and behind it, gesturing for Abcde to join her. They would at least have some cover! "Strong and fast means we should keep our distance at all costs." she tells the other. "So make sure to not move too close.." she peers over a corner and into the darkness, eyes narrowing.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    "It sees what it feeds off of.. anger and dread. We must be like ghosts, but it obviously still knows we're here." Abcde says with a shudder as the thing starts to move in the shadows of the basement. With quick steps she follows after Thea and hides behind the crate.

    "Right. We need to confuse it, give you chances to shoot it. Anything explody would be good. Just.. remember to shoot at it for the right reasons. Don't shoot it out of anger, or dread. You'll only make it stronger."

    Her hands and arms begin to glow blue with her magical energies as she seems to be concentrating, doing some vulgar magic, she grips the wand with both hands and says, "Nos veluti lux repercussa."

    The world seems to frost over, sort of, like looking through an old mirror. The room feels colder too, like they are somehow disconnected from natural heat sources. A ghostly copy of Abcde runs out of cover and across the room. The shade slashes out its arms at it, but they pass right through.

    "Bad memories, they're going to spread out and act as diversions. Try not to stare at yourself too much, it'll give the game away. If the shade figures it out, it can probably dispel what I've made."

Thea Queen has posed:
Anger and dread? Well, Thea has a lot of that to spare. But no need to be sharing those details with Abcde just now. Instead she simply nods, blinking as she sees the afterimage of Abcde's memory running through. It's all rather surreal. But magic always is! And is she surprised at seeing herself too? But she is without her usual outfit, instead dressed in jeans and leather jacket, the face of someone fighting for her life in the middle of what seems to be frantic combat... The figure is armed with an improvised staff, swinging it about at something invisible until *something* seems to send her flying.

And as the shade moves to attack the figure there's the sound of an arrow whistling through the air, then another, the two of them lodging on the creature's flank. A little red light appears on the tip of the arrows and they explode. No, it isn't enough to throw the building down of course but it still packs a punch.

Did it work? Or is it just angrier now? "We got to hit it with all we've got." she is already drawing out another arrow.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    The shade is not happy to have been hit with exploding arrows or to swing and miss through ghostly images. It begins to speak in a gutteral language, something unheard by Thea's ears before. It sounds worse than death, like each word is a promise of horrible tortures unimagined. With a sweep of its arms purple runes begin to swirl around in front of it.

    Abcde nods her head, "Let's do it!" She moves out from behind the crate and immediately sees the magic being created by the shade. She thrusts out her wand and calls out, "Hoc est Errat" The purple energy shoots out toward Thea but the blue energy from Abcde's wand wraps around it and it hits the ceiling.

    That part of the ceiling starts to eat away as if entropy itself were decaying it in to dust. A chair falls down through the hole from upstairs followed by a dead body, flies buzzing about it - it looks like it might have been dead for several days at this point. A knife clangs to the ground next to it - a quick guess would suggest the man took his own life in utter despair.

Thea Queen has posed:
Not happy but still up! Oh no ... Thea nods at Abcde's excitement about taking on the creature though, moving to flank from the other side of the crate but only then spotting the magic. Well, that doesn't seem good. As it's deflected by Abcde she nods in her direction, "Thanks!", then starting to run parallel to the creature, keeping her distance and unloading a couple more arrows against it. Sharp ones. One lodges in a shoulder, the other being dodged by the illusively fast creature. Unlike her brother she *sometimes* misses!

The creatures growls in frustration at those spells being countered, moving fast and attempting to rip Thea's face out with it's claw. The woman rolls on the floor, away, shooting a point-blank explosive arrow at the creature's chest even as it's claws find her suit and make a rip there. She cries out in pain but doesn't fall, instead rolling to find cover, gaining distance again.

As the dust settles from the explosion the creature looks around again, finding Abcde and starting to walk towards her even as an arrow hits the floor right in front of it, glueing the creature, at least temporarily. It's strength appears like it will break through soon enough.

It growls towards Abcde, showing a row of teeth, eyes red with rage.

"Do your magic! I think I can keep it down for a bit longer!" she tells the other.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Another Abcde runs across the room and falls, stubbing her knee. She begins to cry. She looks young though and Abcde winces when she sees it. The creature is partly physical, bits of it phase through the glue, while others bit of it stick. It looks awkward and the creature is struggling with all its might.

    Abcde stares at those red eyes and gulps. "Nasty bugger, look how big he's gotten feeding on the remains." She lifts up her wand and points it to the beast. With it prone and captured, she can sense it starting to dread - to feed upon itself.

    "Solvite hoc viventem," she says and the blue energy shoots from the tip of her wand and lances through the heart of the creature. Veins of magic spread through it and it crumples in on itself, like a blackhole swallowing itself up.

    The wind begins to pick up and blow around them as the darkness that it was keeping alive in this neighbourhood starts to rush in to it. Hair and clothing whip about dramatically. And then, suddenly, it has stopped.

    A small black pebble *tinks* to the floor. Concentrated dread and anger. Abcde takes one boot and stomps on it. It crumbles like ash and then .. it is gone. The mood of the neighbourhood starts to lift back to normal states of suckage.

Thea Queen has posed:
The figures run about wildly, figments of memories, Thea also seen as a younger version, as an older one, with and without suit. Clearly she has a slew of bad memories. In a couple she even seems to be doped out of her mind and swinging ..., something. It's perhaps a good thing that it's all a blur, specially when that blue beam hits the creature and the energy starts being sucked in..

Thea places one arm in front of her eyes at the flash of light, re-opening them when she feels the energy drained out, her own anger sucked in. Not that it takes all of it. There's always lingering ones, memories. Those that bring her anger to the fore. But for now? She is appeased..

"Done?" She then finally asks as the mood seems to lift and she lets out a deep breath, now for the first time sensing the cut on her side and wincing at the pain. "Great ..." she puts one hand there, spotting a trickle of blood. It's not spurting out so .., good news! The armor appears to have taken most of it. But she still rests back against a crate and slides to sit down on the ground.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde lifts up her hand and closes her fist. The glassy world illusions snap away. Everything is clear again and the coldness disappears. She nods her head to Thea and then looks around the basement. There is an altar and stains of blood around it, but no Idol.

    She takes out the vial and approaches the altar. It bubbles hot enough that the stopper pops off and the contents spill over. She pours it out and frowns. "It was here. Right here. But now it's not." She wipes her hand up and down her jeans and then looks back to Thea.

    "One problem solved.. but not the root cause of it. Where ever it is now - it's likely doing even worse things," she says. The wand she twirls with her fingers and slides it smoothly back in to its holster. It was made for destroying monsters. Today it did its job well.

Thea Queen has posed:
Bringing one hand to the crate behind her Thea pushes herself up to her feet with a sigh, "Because things can't be simple enough..." she complains, pacing towards that altar and turning her nose at the stench of blood. Foul. "Need to find the place and then go end this once and for all." a beat, "Though I have an idea where it might be if not here anymore."

"Egypt."

Thea rests her hip against the wall, her hand resting atop her side where she was hurt and she smiles tentatively up at the witch, "You did well. Seems like we make a good team, Abcde."

She lets out a brief chuckle. "Hopefully you will be able to keep what you saw here tonight to yourself." is this about Abcde having seen her actual face? Maybe!

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    "Egypt!?," she says in surprise and then raises her eyebrows. "Wow are we ever going to be stopping on some powerful toes if we go hunt this thing in Egypt." She nibbles on her bottom lip a moment wondering if may be things are getting well beyond her control. May be she should talk to her aunts.

    A small smile, "Yeah.. we did didn't we. You worried me when you took on those guys outside. I hope .. they're going to be okay." She points to Thea's side, "Shouldn't we get you to a hospital or something?"

    There's a pause and she says, "You mean who you are? I hate to break it to you, but I'm not really a trainspotter. I didn't recognise a face to a name. I just know what you look like under that mask now." She smirks a moment and says, "I mean, sorry I don't mean to burst your bubble. I'm sure you're very famous in the right kinds of circles."

Thea Queen has posed:
"You will eventually if we continue to hang out." Thea replies with a lift of her shoulders as if that was a fact. One way or another most likely! "And even if you didn't actually answer my question I will take that as a yes." her own smirk coming out and she winking behind the domino mask. Though she does seem relieved about not being recognized.

"I will manage." This about the wound on her side, "It's not deep. Besides, can't really go to the hospital in this outfit, mmm?" but it does seem she has other ways to solve it. Dislodging herself from the wall she nods about Egypt and takes a step towards the exit, "Egypt." she confirms.

"That's where the group that was here came from. Al-Fidr, and the others. Egyptian nationals. They most likely fled back to their land now and if I had to guess they were able to get quite a few mutants for whatever their intent is."

"Just need to figure out *where* exactly they are at. How large can you make your detection spell?"

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    Abcde smiles, "Wouldn't it be easier to tell me who you are now then?" She's really not sure how this vigilante hidden identity thing works. In her line of work people who haven't seen the supernatural never believe what she has to say anyway - and those that have seen it thank her for her work. It's a simple arrangement. She sees no reason to hide who she is. Then again, she only does misdemeanor crimes like trespassing.

    "Al-Fidr... It's a scary thought that whatever it is they're up to they needed mutants for. Those poor people," she says with a sigh. Then she gulps down a laugh and chuckle, "Not THAT big. Gosh. I'm small fry in the magic world Thea. I'm afraid if we're going to find it - your snooping skills are our best bet."

    "Also, just turning up in Egypt may attract the wrong kind of attention my way. We're going to have to treat lightly. Not even my aunts can help me over there. I don't know.. may be I should try and talk to the sorcerer supreme before we go. Just in case things go horribly wrong...."

Thea Queen has posed:
"You know the sorcerer supreme? That doesn't sound like being a small fry, Abs." Yes, Abs. You got a diminutive now. She does sound faintly amused though but nods about getting backup. "I am getting a few friends to come with us too. They are ..., invested in getting through this to the end. Revenge.." not that she explains much about what that revenge is, but at least does say *who* they are. "A couple of Asgardians."

As Abcde then suggests she should introduce herself that makes her consider the blonde for a moment or two. Not exactly her usual MO, letting others know about her secret ID. But it's not as if her strongest allies didn't know who she was by now. And Abcde had proven herself. So Thea reaches up with both hands, drawing the hood back from her face and taking out her domino mask to reveal the face underneath. "Very well."

She extends one hand towards the other woman. "It's good to meet you, Abcde Prescelta. I am Thea Queen."

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    She lifts up her hands, "That's the thing Red. I don't know the sorcerer supreme. I don't even know how to get in contact with them. But my aunts might. And the idea of presenting the situation to the best sorcerer in the world is a liiiittle daunting. What if he says no? what if he's a she and she says yes? What if they just don't consider me worth talking to and then things do go bad and the world ends all because I'm just a nobody with a wand?"

    She takes in a breath and then peers, "Is it the two Asgardians I met before? They seemed a little craycray." She smirks though, because they also seemed awesome.

    Then there's a moment. The big reveal. A face she's already seen. A name to go with it. She offers her hand, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Thea Queen." The look of recognition is missing from her face, she really doesn't have any idea who Thea Queen is or who the Queen family is. She's from West Virginia after all. "I swear I'm not messing with you. Are you big in industry or something?"

Thea Queen has posed:
"Look, I don't think we are in a world ending kinda thing..." Or at least Thea hopes! But she reaches to tap Abcde's shoulder and shakes her head, "If there's something I have learned is that we can only really hope to do our best. If the sorcerer supreme doesn't hear you? Then we'll handle it ourselves." a bit of a grin on her expression. Bit spunky too!

After the reveal she gets the mask back on and offers a nod about the question on the Asgardians. "They are as badass as it comes." she says, "And they have saved my life before. They will come through." once the domino mask is secure again she laughs at not being recognized.

"Well, that's a breath of fresh air.. But trust me, hang around Starling long and you would figure it out soon enough. The family name is sort of big around here. But as for me? No, I am just trying to build up my own club and make my own name."

Away from the family name, that seems to imply.

Abcde Prescelta has posed:
    There's a nod and she tucks her hands behind her back. "Right.. so.. we should leave right? there's a corpse here with us now and I don't want to have to explain to the police what I was doing here and that I'm not a murderer.." She nudges her nose toward the stairs, "So.. let's just leave."

    "Also, how are we going to get to Egypt? ..."

Thea Queen has posed:
How are they going to get to Egypt indeed...

But Thea does appear to have the answer for that. Not that she actually reveals it! Or at least not verbally. Instead she looks at Abs and wiggles her nose right outta Bewitched at her. Magic? Maybe!

Perhaps this vigilante has some tricks under her sleeve too.