6864/Don't mug a talon!

Don't mug a talon!
Date of Scene:	10 July 2021
Location:	The Narrows - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	Strix gets mugged! Poor muggers. Then Satana comes by for a snack.
Cast of Characters:	Strix, Satana Hellstrom

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Strix has posed:
Wandering around at night in The Narrows is generally considered a bad idea, unless you're out looking for trouble. Or, as in Strix's case, there's a certain bodega that happens to be the only one who carries a flavor of chips that's anywhere close to where she lives. And besides, Strix can handle trouble.

The young woman is walking home with a grocery bag stuffed full of her brand of chips in her arms. She's wearing jeans and a long sleeved tee despite the summer heat, and her head has been wrapped haphazardly with bandages to help hide the myriad of scars that line her brown skin.

She doesn't seem to notice the two men trailing her, but she does notice one dangerous looking individual blocking her path. So, like what anybody else would do, she turns into the neighboring alley to skirt around him. The three thugs quickly hurry to the alley to join her. Clearly nothing good is going to come of this.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
?Got to get some food
?I'm so hungry all the time
?I don't know how to stop
?I don't know how to stop

Old song. Same modern sentiments. It's been a while since Satana has truly fed, and while Catman's soul is delicious enough to sip from, it's not as satisfying as taking in the whole soul of someone truly vile and excreting what's left straight into Hell for all eternity. And where do you find the truest of the true in bastards? Gotham. Sure, a lot of the crime is desperation and poverty blending in an unholy way while a bat-themed billionaire beats on the poor instead of effecting genuine change, but that's what makes it too the haven for the truly vile. Those who torture and kill for sport, the weaker and more helpless the target the better.

There's real satisfaction in sending those souls to Hell, and their flavour! Sublime.

Satana is on the prowl, underdressed, heels clacking on the pavement unsteadily as she affects intoxication, humming loudly, and giggling idiotically to herself.

And there it is. They're not even going after her. They found a genuine target. Hoo boy are they in for it when Satana, steps now steady and solid and secure--one could say dominant--walks into the alley behind them, arms akimbo, fists planted on wide hips.

"Is this a private party or can anybody ... come?"

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
    Got to get some food
    I'm so hungry all the time
    I don't know how to stop
    I don't know how to stop

Old song. Same modern sentiments. It's been a while since Satana has truly fed, and while Catman's soul is delicious enough to sip from, it's not as satisfying as taking in the whole soul of someone truly vile and excreting what's left straight into Hell for all eternity. And where do you find the truest of the true in bastards? Gotham. Sure, a lot of the crime is desperation and poverty blending in an unholy way while a bat-themed billionaire beats on the poor instead of effecting genuine change, but that's what makes it too the haven for the truly vile. Those who torture and kill for sport, the weaker and more helpless the target the better.

There's real satisfaction in sending those souls to Hell, and their flavour! Sublime.

Satana is on the prowl, underdressed, heels clacking on the pavement unsteadily as she affects intoxication, humming loudly, and giggling idiotically to herself.

And there it is. They're not even going after her. They found a genuine target. Hoo boy are they in for it when Satana, steps now steady and solid and secure--one could say dominant--walks into the alley behind them, arms akimbo, fists planted on wide hips.

"Is this a private party or can anybody ... come?"

Strix has posed:
There's a fourth hoodlum at the end of the alleyway blocking any kind of escape. He's a big guy with a heavy looking pipe wrench that he's smacking into his hand threateningly. The other three quickly move into position surrounding Strix, each drawing various weapons. One's got a particularly nasty looking knife, one actually pulls out a sword and stands as if he knows how to use it, and the last draws a pistol and aims it at the woman.

"Heeeey there," drawls the one smacking the pipe wrench. "Whatcha doin in my alleyway? Don't you know there's a fee? Give us your cash and your phone and maybe we'll let you go on your way."

Strix looks up at the man, then at each of the other three assailants, and nods, holding up a finger instructing them to wait. She bends down slowly, making no sudden movements and sets aside her bag and raises back up with her hands in the air. "Yeah, that's it. Nice and slow," Pipe Wrech says.

And then all hell breaks loose. Strix takes a quick step backwards grabbing gun guy by the hand and pulling him towards her until his arm is over her shoulder. Gun guy reflexively pulls the trigger but Strix has aimed the gun squarely at Knife's shoulder causing him to drop the knife. Then, lifting up with her shoulder at the elbow, she brings the arm down and a *crack* is heard and the arm is now bending in ways that isn't humanly possible. Strix catches the gun as Gun Guy drops it, whirls around and pistol whips him into unconsciousness.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
"Whoah whoah whoah!" Satana calls out as she steps deeper into the alleyway. Her hands clap slowly. "Bravo, little one. That was well done. But please, don't hurt them too badly. Keep them alive. They're no use to me dead."

Sword, surprised at the sudden explosion of violence, on edge now, whirls to face Satana, sword held before him like a defensive weapon, edging away from Strix as he does so.

Satana looks around at the two standing thugs, then Strix, then back at the two standing ones.

"Listen," she says to Strix. "I know this is a weird request, given that we've only just met and all that, but if you're planning on killing these guys, would you mind terribly much if I painted you with a bit of my blood first?" She holds up both her hands, palms out, shaking her head. "I know, I know. Weird request. I must be some kind of a freak, but there's method to the madness and it saves me a lot of work."

Sword takes the opportunity of Satana being 'distracted' to lunge for her with the sword. Her eyes glow baleful red around the blue core and she points at her assailant. "Wrong direction darling, go deal with him." The finger shifts to Pipe Wrench. The glow strengthens briefly and, as if on puppet strings, Sword jerks around and starts lunging at Pipe Wrench instead, forcing that worthy to defend himself to avoid being sliced into sushi.

"So, blood symbols, or could you leave them alive for me?" she asks Strix again.

Strix has posed:
As soon as Satana enters into the fray, the gun in Strix's hand is turned around and aimed squarely at her head. While her back is turned Knife scrambles to pick up his weapon and lunge at the assassin. Deciding that Satana isn't a threat she nods at the request to keep them alive for her and neatly dodges an awkward thrust from Knife.

She drops the gun in distaste. Firearms were never Talon weapons. Sure she knew how to use them, the assassins of the Court of Owls always preferred more subtler means. Not that there's anything subtle about what she's doing with Knife. She casually sidesteps another awkward thrust from the thug, and disarms him, taking the knife as her own. She quickly plunges the knife into the other shoulder, cutting tendons until that should goes limp as well. She then lowers herself to swipe at the back of the knee, bringing the number of functioning limbs down to exactly one.

"Oh God," knife blubbers as he uses his good leg to try to scooch away from Strix as fast as possible. "Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, Leo!" Pipe Wrench calls out to the swordsman. "Get the chick! She's over there!" He looks over at where Strix is standing, spattered in the blood of his compatriots and his eyes go wide. "Go get 'er Leo! She's just one chick!"

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Satana watches with casual interest as Strix goes medieval on Knife. Poor Pipe Wrench, however, finds his orders to "Leo" getting ignored as the swordman starts maniacally and mechanically attacking him. Steel bludgeon meets steel blade as Satana saunters up, looking down at Knife, crouching next to him, her too-tight leathers squealing under the strain.

"Yes. The light of life still flickers within him," she says, nodding approvingly. "Well done. Thank you."

Reaching down she casually picks Knife up at the shoulders, ignoring his screams of pain as her hand closes, hard, on his wounds. "Sh sh sh!" she says soothingly, looking down at the man's face. "It will be over soon."

Her lips lower onto his and, on contact, he stiffens in surprised shock. A purple aura forms around him and between him and her. His face transforms into a face of purest, sensual pleasure as the aura starts to pool in between, eyes rolling back in his skull, body going limp in profound relaxation.

All the while pipe wrench and sword meet in a comical duel as Sword's skills, apparently vanished, consist of hammering at Pipe Wrench mechanically and the later, not wanting to hurt his friend desperately parries and steps back with each stroke.

Then Knife begins to convulse, eyes opening and staring into nothingness in raw terror.

And the purple aura pools, starting to shape into a butterfly between the pair.

Strix has posed:
Strix takes a moment to watch the exchange between Knife and Santana. Something tells her that she should, perhaps, be bothered by this, but she spent her whole life as an assassin, so the deaths of a few thugs don't weigh heavily on her conscience. Anyway, there are more pressing concerns.

She moves quickly, taking up position behind Pipe Wrench. With a series of practiced moves, she positions him so that on the next downswing of Leo's attack, it bites into his arm. "AUGH!" he yells, "You crazy bitch! Leo! Snap out of it!" The next mechanical attack from Leo would probably split Pipe Wrench's cranium if Strix didn't move him out of the way. She, instead, leaps onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist, and getting her arms under Pipe Wrench's chin for a choke hold. It doesn't take long for the big man to go down.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
The convulsions don't last long, and what's left after them is ... disturbing to look at. Like a mummy: aged and dried, yet still fresh, not rotted. Knife's body, now apparently very low mass, gets dropped to the ground with a light hiss, almost, as it half collapses in on itself. And on Satana's outstretched hand is a colourful, glowing butterfly that she regards with a joyful smile.

And the hungriest eyes ever seen.

Her hand crushes the butterfly and all of its glow flows toward her, up her arm to her face, filling her mouth and nostrils as she throws back her head in ecstasy, making noises that would not be out of place in a seedy basement 'movie studio' as she twitches briefly in time to the strands of energy.

At the same time "Leo" stops trying to slice anybody with anything, looking around, eyes blinking like he's just woken from a long slumber, staring in bewilderment.

"What the fuck, man!?" he asks plaintively. "What the fuck is going on?!"

Ludicrously Sword looks to Strix, of all people, for help. For answers. As his brain tries to decipher the blood on his sword, the cut in the unconscious Pipe Wrench's arm, the unconscious Gun and the husk left behind of Knife.

"What the fuck, man!?" he repeats in a panic.

Strix has posed:
It doesn't take long for Strix to finish off Leo. Fist to the solar plexus to double him over. Uppercut underneath his chin to knock his head up just in time for a spinning kick to the head to render him unconscious as well.

She looks down at the sword and picks it up to examine it. When she sees how poorly made it is she makes a face like she had smelled something truly disgusting and holds the sword out at arms length between two fingers, dropping it unceremoniously to the ground.

Looking around the sheer carnage around her with some amount of distaste she heaves a sigh and walks back to the grocery bag full of chips, and picks it up, cocking out a hip so she can carry it one handed. She looks over at Satana and quirks an eyebrow in a silent question, are we done?

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
"I'd like to thank you for the lovely meal," Satana says as she watches Strix take down the last one, leaving a husk and three still-living bodies on the ground. "I was getting a little peckish, and these ones ... they're so wonderfully corrupt. Lovely flavours and essences. A rare treat for me."

She smiles as she walks up to Strix, looking her up and down brazenly. "Yours wouldn't be quite so delicious, but I suspect very powerful. Let me know if you get tired of life." From her halter top she pulls out a suspiciously stained card, just marked "The Griffin, NYC" and under it the name Satana Hellstrom. A phone number is attached as well, as is a list of social media accounts.

Because a demon will undoubtedly be active on social media, seeing as it would feel just like home.

Facebook, of course, and Twitter, but also Instagram. And OnlyFans. Tinder. Grindr, for some reason. And a plethora of others. Even a Friendster and an Orkut.

"Or if you just want to go hunting again, naturally." Her eyes travel up and down Strix again. With a hunger in them that's still plain to see. "Or other reasons. I'm easy."

Then, spell breaking, she looks around at the three living, unconscious people.

"I'd suggest you leave if this disturbs you. I'm about to gorge myself. But you can stay and ... watch ... if you like. I can maybe even give you a taste..."

Strix has posed:
All the while Strix was fighting it didn't really seem like she had been enjoying herself. Just.... doing what you had to do, you know? She eyes the sucked out husk of a man and turns her gaze back to Satana and when the demon looks at her hungrily she lets out a visible shiver. Brr.

Batman would probably fight this woman to prevent her from murdering the other three thugs. She's not Batman, though, and she has the impression that fighting this woman would end up being a deadly confrontation. Not something she's willing to do especially since she has snacks to get home to.

She nods, when it's suggested that she leaves, and turns to walk away, heading back home. And the offer to take a taste? Brr.

Satana Hellstrom has posed:
Behind the departing Strix, the feeding starts anew, with even the unconscious making the noises of ecstasy as she begins. It's probably best to be out of earshot before the suffering, brief as it is, but making up for it with its intensity, begins.

Left behind is a mystery that would baffle the cops. If cops ever came to this part of Gotham. If they ever investigated deaths here.

She chose her hunting grounds well, this one did.