6901/Weekly Weirdness: Well, this sucks.

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Weekly Weirdness: Well, this sucks.
Date of Scene: 29 July 2021
Location: Somewhere in Brooklyn
Synopsis: Infestation taken care of, Vampires evicted and nothing went south. Or did it?
Cast of Characters: John Constantine, Jubilation Lee, Zatanna Zatara, Meggan Puceanu, Morrigan MacIntyre, Frank Castle, Achilles




John Constantine has posed:
    There's vampire trouble in Brooklyn, it's highly unlikely to be as much fun as the movie based on it, really. It also must be Thursday. Once his spelled map pinged the location where the rumored nest must be holed up and clued him in that this was, potentially, bigger than just a vampire nest, well, John did a little mystical digging - that is to say he went on a walk about of the area that didn't include his body.

    ...and he found out a few things. Things he passed on to those that answered his call for backup. These particular blood suckers, well they fancy themselves a 'cult'. Eyeroll! Droll! Cliche'! One top of that utterly ridiculous notion, just last night they raised some old, ancient, left to wither in the ground for longer than John'll spend in hell when next they catch him, sorcerer vampire. They call him 'The Ancient One'. No, really. John could not keep a straight face when he told folks that one. He outright laughed.

    First thing's first, keep the mundane away. It's a common spell, every magician should have a version of it, John calls his 'nothing to see here, move along'. It's mostly based in illusion, maybe a little luck and some turn of will, but in the end, anyone nearing the area after the spell drops finds themselves turning right or left at the corner instead of going straight.

    What area? Corner of some random street in rundown Brooklyn where an abandoned apartment building stands waiting to be torn down to build a parking lot.

    It's about three in the afternoon because... hello, who hunts vampires after dark? Only fools and idiots.

    "You remember the jump bag, luv?" John asks of Meggan as they approach a building across the street, from behind.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Getting a ride from upstate is easy these days and even Jubilation Lee can afford it with the small amount of money she makes as a part-time fast food employee. All Xavier's students need to keep summer jobs -- it's part of the rules, after all. Her task today, however, is an unusual one -- deliver one extra box of the Secret Burger-Joint Sauce to a franchise location in Brooklyn. They ran out. Jubilation eagerly volunteered to do it since it meant getting paid to ride the train into the city instead of waiting on customers.

    Jubilee walks along the sidewalk holding the box with both hands while staring down at her smartphone, which is balanced perfectly between her chin and the top of the box. She watches the screen and the sidewalk, simultaneously as the little blue dot on her smartphone map slides along the yellow line. But then... BUMP.

    Cardboard canisters of Burger-Joint Secret Sauce fall out from a loose flap in the box as Jubilation stumbles forward. She caught a crack in the sidewalk and lost her balance, sending her arms flailing and Burger-Joint's corporate property flying. When the containers strike the sidewalk, the orange sauce splatters on Jubilation's shins as well as the man who had caused her to get distracted and lose her balance. Right on the toe of his shoe.

    "Would you believe that I didn't mean to do that?" she asks with a smirk as she stands up and adjusts her Ray Ban's.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Brooklyn, Thursday. John - underlined rolls up on Zatanna's magical calendar. Better than a phone, friends with the correct incantation can update it. Nothing else is on for the day, so vampires are on her to-do list. After a glance around her room in Batman's mansion, she disappears.

A plastic bag skitters down the sidewalk as a light wind displaces it. Zatanna walks through the 'move-along-folks-nothing-to see-here-zone' without trouble, recognizing Constantine's signature in the spell in time to see a messy accident. Just like John to have young women at his feet. Unfortunately, she doesn't know the one in question.

"Hello, John. Are we hunting vampires with," she squints, "special orange sauce?" A faint smile plays on her lips as she waits for his reply.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
No, Meggan did not forget the bag. The aforementioned carrier actually comes in two pieces, a crossbody pack slung over her shoulder to her hip in lieu of a purse and another that really resembles a university student prepared to go about her day. The bag clearly contains a hefty holy water bottle for an unbearable lecture, a secondhand dog-eared book on dull topics, and for no reason at all, a bouquet of bright stargazer and Asiatic lilies. Because someone insisted before the look-past-me spell descended.

For the record, she is rarely more than a few paces from the source of the spellcasting. John has a useful trenchcoat to keep him protected against most of life's nicks and bumps. For everything else, there's synchronicity and a distracting blonde in a proper bustier whose chilly features practically beckon to a certain archetype popularized since a certain Bram got his hands on the collective imagination of the British public.

"This it? Looks to be the sort of place under barrister's challenge. Probably contesting possession or sale." Everyone knows vampires are leeches, and therefore they might be lawyers. The sunny afternoon practically makes the situation laughable, that something could be wrong.

The loss of some secret sauce for an unnamed joint could be a problem! Bumping the contents out of the box send the aforementioned precious condiment flying. Woe to those with terrible diets, mourning the mighty sacrifice for a greater good. "Oh! That sidewalk absolutely launched up to get you," she cries, unable to console Jubilation but willing to try. Yup, there comes the sunshine; good try at being harsh. "The idea was a distraction, not him to be the snack." Also she wiggles her fingers in a wave to Zatanna. "Hopefully it'll be less messy this time."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Vampires and Brooklyn? Morrigan's not a stranger to either of these things really. And she's already seen John and Meggan once already today. So sure, why not more fun. She shows up with little fanfare, dressed in what she was earlier in the day. She's not wearing kevlar and carrying a lot of guns. She's just wearing sunglasses and might look a little out of place here really. "Everyone." the Irish woman greets quietly.

Frank Castle has posed:
Then, there's the Punisher, who by fickle fate was working on a mission next door. There's no sounds. There's no indication of any sort that the building opposite of the complex John is in front of has a mass murdering vigilante inside.

There is, however, a thug screaming for his life as he runs out of the front door, running towards the complex... and turning left down an alleyway, around the barrier.

It also means the Punisher -whom is still in the other building- only hears the scream... and doesn't see where it went. So, when a man wielding a SPAZ-12 in a trenchcoat and white skulled body suit dashes across the way over to the building, he starts running right for the barrier... slipping through it... and then, he sees John and stops dead in his tracks. "What. The. Fuck." Frank grates out, harshly. "Why am I running into you everywhere I go now?"

That auto-shotgun in his hands isn't aimed at anyone, but the cold, dead serious look at John says 'I need answers, now'. Then, he notices those around him... and an appraisal occurs. Threat assessment.

John Constantine has posed:
    Typically there's only one woman at John's feet these days. It's like than not even come to the point that whispers are happening in the mystical community about that pairing. Heaven and Hell together against the darkness or some such. John and Meg, they may even be shipping them by now. Mohn? Jeg? Jeggan?

    Bollocks... Thought, not uttered this time, but the day is young, innit? "All right there, luv?" he asks of Jubilee. Those shoes have seen a lot worse and it wasn't the coat, so no loss no foul, honest. Other than the fact that there's now a kid in the middle of his vampire hunt. "You should probably run along now, aye? Someplace ta be an all it?"

    One can hope right?

    He's about to address Zee when...

    The entire block they're about to rain Vampire Hell down upon goes dark as night at three in the afternoon.

    "Bollocks," he hisses quietly. There it is. "Seriously kid, go now..." To the Meggan and Zatanna, "Looks like element of surprise is blown."

    This has gone from stealth and destroy to 'go big or stay home' in about two point two, hasnit? A quick wink shot in Meggan's direction, a, "Go home, kid," for Jubilee and he's marching straight out into the street in front of that abandoned building, a four story, old office building from the looks of it.

    He raises his hands, hellfire burns in them. So not his style, but damn does he look good doing it. "Hullo in there!" he calls out, sure to be heard by sensitive blood sucker ears. "My name's John Constantine and I'm here ta serve your eviction notice!" How does that trench coat move as if blowing in the wind when he starts walking toward the building... when there is no wind?

    ...also, what the FUCK John?!

Jubilation Lee has posed:
        Significant days in life always leave behind a memory, something to treasure and take with you into your later years. Things always seemed brighter when we look back at them. Today is the day that Jubilation Lee first hears the words 'hunting vampires' said in her presence with total sincerity. Her first brush with the supernatural and she'll have to forever remember the polyester red and blue uniform that broadcasts that she works at Burger-Joint.

    "Hey, I'm really sorry about that -- kids these days, right?" She's sincere about the apology, and it shows, but she's just unable to resist an opportunity to add some of her sugar and spice. She bends forward and swipes her palm against her shins, which either rubs off the secret sauce or, perhaps, rub it deeper into her skin. Either way, problem solved! She seems relieved that John is taking it so well, even letting her off the hook, but then the comment about the jacket distracts her. "Wait, you're not one of those guys that has been wearing the same jacket for twenty years, right?"

    As the young woman stands back up, her attention first on the seemingly good-natured Meggan. "Oh, yeah, someone really ought to text the city planner!" she replies with a smirk and a shrug. Before she can continue being her usual snarky self, Jubiblation's head snaps to the left as she properly processes Zatanna's words. "...Hunting vampires?" she repeats. Another head turn, this time towards Meggan again. "...Less messy?" A turn towards Morrigan. Oh, nice, just a hello and nothing about vampires. And now here's the Punisher!

    "Woah... woah, hey..." she mutters at John. This guy is really going in there? Unarmed? This totally normal, regular, average human? Jubilee ditches the cleanup effort and takes a spot just behind John Constantine's shoulder. "You can't go in there if there are vampires. And if vampires exist!" Again, he's just an average human.

    "It's dark," Jubilee warns. She reaches out with an outstretched hand, just in front of John's face, and tiny explosions start firing off. Bright lights, none larger than a speck, explode to provide illumination in the form of a harmless, miniature firework show. Because Jubilation Lee has underestimated John Constantine through simply not knowing who he is, she has outed herself as a mutant in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna nods politely to Meggan about to speak to her before John begins to bellow. The scene populates fast, wiping any semblance of a smile from Zatanna's face. Instead, she tugs at her tailored black suit jacket, glad for her sensible, stylish boots, raising an eyebrow at the furious man that bursts across the magic line without a by your leave.

"Guns," she mutters. "Against vampires?" the comment directed to the man wearing a skull on the front of his suit.

"John, get the girl out of here. Vampires. You know?"

Then it goes black. Unthinking, Zatanna gestures, and a will o' wisp appears in the palm of her hand. She raises it like a candle, casting a faint glow over all the faces turned toward the building that John shouts at.

"Yes, unarmed in a manner of speaking. Armed with something better. Magic."

Achilles has posed:
    Vampire. More Vampires. These are not the first of those creatures that Angelo has faced in combat. His celestial bronze weapons seemed to have an effect on them similar to some of those more mythical vulnerabilities such creatures have. Also, the fact that they worked like that on -those- Vampy-variants doesn't mean they'll work the same on these.

    Ever since he fought zombehs with Constantine, he's been doing his best to back the guy up without Constantine being aware of it. For now, he's clad in what can only be SHIELD style field stealth armor. Matte black bodysuit with a black balaclava. I mean his bronze bracers are on his wrists. Duh.

    Either way, he's been skulking about in the background and observing. Now however... as the lights go out, he narrows his eyes. He was about to whip out a flashlight when Zatanna does her wisp thing. "Huh. Useful." he mutters before he summons his bow to hand along with an arrow... both made of celestial bronze. Those attuned to magick likely couldn't miss the tweak of power it takes for Hephaestus's creations to manifest themselves. He is maybe thirty meters (yards?) behind the group, and is searching for a fangy target to make grow fletching.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
The proper portmanteau will need some work, since Conan is taken. Meggan and John have some important marketing work to do after said vampire hunt or university lecture. The blonde girl gives the most apologetic of winces in Jubilee's direction after she's told to run right along. The universal expression for 'I know, right?' can be interpreted by everyone under 25, which she conspicuously resembles at the moment. "It's gone pear-shaped," she says far too brightly.

This probably cannot earn her points in front of a mass murdering vigilante, though the Punisher's absolutely stern, serious glare deflects off her. Falling darkness makes the matter all the more serious, not that anyone would know looking at her. Smiling blithely in the face of imminent danger is apparently an English thing. "A New York thing. Best to go with it and not see it as a greater sign matters are snarled, which they are. They're right about guns, by the by."

Meggan's eyes sweep over the abandoned building's unremarkable facade. Four floors of creaky windows scanned in three seconds lead her to say, "Targets all headed to ground. Let me go have a look around. You won't miss the signal if it's a problem."

With two mages and a mutant acting like the Ringbearers with their light, Meggan quite simply proves herself to *be* one of the vampires they're hunting. Her physical form starts to trail away into fog, bag and all coming undone into ephemeral mist that flows just about unseen through the dark to the doors in search of an open ventilation system or crack between the doors, a postal slot, whatever.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look over when Frank appears and there's a bit of a moment taken to look between the others and him. The last time she'd seen that profile was in Rome and he was working. Which he still was apparently. "Welcome Mister Castle." the woman states. Then there's a look UP when the lights go out, "How many of you can see in the dark, if not let me know and I can change that fairly quickly." she offers. With that said she lets others go first, because even if she was half vampire she had no idea what these others were capable of.

Frank Castle has posed:
Ignoring Zatanna, Frank looks at John. "Zombies, and now vampires? This week is getting annoying now." He grumbles, "I don't know what's going on here. I was chasing a target and suddenly this guy turns into an asshole I had to save from a horde of zombies the other day." Frank would be glaring daggers at John, except Frank is already looking up to the sky. "I swear to fuck my days just keep getting weirder."

Then, he brings up a finger and presses on the transmit on his commlink, "Micro, bring the van around to the end of the block and hit the hi-beams. Some asshole turned out the sun."

A few seconds later, a familiar white van comes up the street just enough to aim headlights their way... and hi-beam lights come on, more than enough to flood the entire area with light. "I don't know why I keep running into you, but I'm gonna need answers. What the fuck do I use if you're dragging me into another of your messes?" Frank barks in demand to John. "Guns are what I know."

On the other end of that commlink, 'Microchip' is listening, "Turned out the sun? How does that work?" For now, the Punisher ignores him.

John Constantine has posed:
    First fireball of the evening goes to John. As far fireballs go, it's ... well, it does its job. It blows the front door straight off that building. Hellfire's a funny thing, it sorta sticks like napalm. It clings to the door frame, to the sides of the building around it. ...and the Laughing Magician marches on forward, right toward that open door.

    C'mon, everyone look at ME. While everyone else gets in place, sneaks around, infiltrates the building or whatnot!

    "I have a court order! Your thirty second notice began sixty ago! Rent's over due! I'm here to collect the balance!"

    Whoosh! Another ball of flame slung as he continues and steps THROUGH the burning doorway.

    It's working, he's got their attention. Most of them aren't, however, coming near him. What vampire in their right mind would? Attention won, however, is attention won, it's attention on him rather than everyone else. Everyone else he really isn't paying much mind to, ain't the time for chitchat and gab.

    When it happens, it doesn't come from the office building, it comes from across the street in the form of a dagger thrown. It whizzes right past the others, right past Jubilee's ear in fact. She might not be able to get to John in time, but... she can maybe tell the daft bastard to get DOWN?

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee continues that little firework show at her fingertips for a few moments longer. She lets the last volley explode into nothingness and putter out once she catches sight of the bright light from Meggan. Jubilation's plasmoids would not be necessary. "Oh, look at that, you're also a..." A what, Jubilee?

    A light-bearer? Mutant? Or...

    "....Vampire?" she nearly screeches. A girl turning into myst is not something that should bring an Xavier's student to that conclusion immediately, but the ambiance, the discussions, and frankly... the arrivals...it all gets her to a point where she's thoroughly creeped out. And surrounded by a bunch of heavily armed strangers. And one of them might need staking. All in a day's work, right? Wait, what's that?

    Jubilee catches the motion at first -- the arm motion -- and has fractions of a moment to yell....

    "Get down!"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Pointedly snapping out the light in her hand, Zatanna ignores the macho man in turn.

"Morrigan," she says, putting herself next to the other mage just as a dagger whizzed past the young girl's ear. "We need to keep an eye on the girl in the fast-food uniform. Or not." The fireworks playing in the girl's hands bring a grin to her face that fades as quickly as Meggan turning to mist.

The flames from John's fireball light four, well three now, with magic and three without, Zatanna likes the odds. "We still don't know how many are waiting for us. Let's see where they are." The mage doesn't like vampires. ".srekcus doolb eht lla kraM" (Mark all the blood suckers.) The spell puts a flame over the top of each vampire's head, a sadistic joke on her part because she knows how they hate fire.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
Mist-gan vanishes through the postal slot and spools out through the lobby, swirling around to gain her whereabouts before *some* Hellblazer kicks down the door like Gothic Repo-Man. Even she isn't fool enough to take a gout of the eponymous infernally-infused fire when capable of avoiding it, so pouring along the ceiling tiles keeps her out of immediate line of sight. Spider-People and Russian arachnospies use conventional methods to wall-crawl but she too can silently thrill to a facsimile.

Rooms cleared of any cowering or snarling vampires brings the incohesive empath drawn through the darkened interior with its restless dreams of half-wall cubicles and blood-coffee breaks. Stairs present an open invitation, and the lower footprint exposes a variety of nasty options all hunkered down while fire whumps upstairs in a steady bombardment. Around twenty people in Burger-Joint's Secret Sauce-shaded togs give themselves pep-talks to get ready to speak to the manager about stamping their get-out-of-life coupons, if the manager happens to wear a tatty trenchcoat.

Fangs flash. Jowls quiver and drip. Bestial hisses render dubious complaints barely intelligible. Meggan surveys the nest for the most canny or any sort of ringleader, using artificial darkness to wind around. Should there be any interesting looting at hand, that's purely an incidental benefit. Nothing to see here, fellow vampires!

Achilles has posed:
    While Angelo has tons of experience, his reaction times are not superhuman. Sometimes they seem that way because he is prepared for things before most folks might be. But his bow looses its arrow before the arm finishes the throw.

    The gleaming bronze arrow streaks through the air. But let's be honest, it's not exactly as fast as a speeding bullet now, is it? Sure, the bow has a really good pull to it. So much that the average person might need to pin the string to the ground and lift with their whole body to make the bow flex at all. But the arrow -is- fast... it isn't really intended to interrupt the throw so much as to punish the thrower for making it. Even as the arrow flies along its parabolic arc, Angelo is running forward.. the bow itself dismissed back to whatever compressed space it resides in when not in use. "I am guessing you all know already that this is intended to be a trap." he says casually as he approaches.

    And then he notices the 'target designations' and he remarks in a strangely calm voice, "Now that is what I call tactical sorcery." towards Zatanna.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Miss Zatanna." Morrigan gives a nod to the younger woman. She then gives a bit of a sigh when the fast-food uniformed girl goes missing, "Ah...well, that's one way." she admits. When Zatanna casts her spell though there's a bit of a wince as a little flame lights up above her head, making her feel like an ill-fated NPC in a videogame. She however doesn't recoil, "If any of you shoot me I'm going to be really really upset." she points out before she conjurers up her own fire to use against the nest.

Frank Castle has posed:
With John ignoring him, Frank looks to Zatanna, "He's the common factor, but you seem to understand this. What am I using here? I have some specialty shells, but not much." There's a glance towards Morrigan as she recognizes him... Then the dagger comes out of nowhere, and Frank is ducking for cover. "The movies never tell the whole story... but I'm guessing fire."

As he goes, he starts to unload the shotgun... and reload it with the incendiary shells. One magazines worth. It'll have to due.

John Constantine has posed:
    There was a method to his madness. Vampires are incredibly base creatures when it comes down to it. They're not stupid, by any means, but when they're nesting together... well, they become more - they tend to act on impulse, even Ancient Ones - seriously, that name. John was expecting the attack to come from *inside* though, not out.

    One does not survive as long as John has without learning a thing or three and thing number three is: If someone screams 'get down', you... get down. Even if you're not sure it's aimed at you? Well, you do it. He drops immediately, almost flat, and that dagger goes sailing over top the prone magician harmlessly. Could be that anyone else wouldn't have noticed that motion in time? Could be a little 'luck' led Jubilee straight into the path of John Constantine today.

    It could also be that payment due Fate is paid immediately on this one. It comes from behind as well, across the street from the office building, but different direction and it's not a solid *thing*, it's a feeling that sinks into Jubilee from her left and flows right on through, a darkness, a cold thing that lingers and clings to bone and skin like a dousing in frigid, foul water. It's there for a moment, three, four and then it's just gone. Maybe it was just a feeling? Someone walked over her grave? It's easy enough to maybe shrug off as nothing honest.

    A method to his madness, really. One moment there's nothing there but his own flames and an open doorway. The next? The 'Ancient One' is behind him, that's where Angelo's target went! Strong... 'Ancient One' (really that name) arms snake around the seemingly hapless Magician, fangs sink into his neck.

    ...and John? He smiles. The battle's on, but likely not the one MOST here think. He's not fighting to get away, no, he's fighting to keep that sucker sucking, he's chanting softly under his breath, a spell weaving around the pair of them to keep them right where they are, both of them.

    Zee would know it, Meggan certainly would know it. John? His blood is toxic to those fuckers, it truly is. His madness? Force feed it enough to make it weak enough to defeat without a bloody magic showdown in the street, while everyone else cleans the nest infestation.

    Clearing the infestation, a task made so much easier by Zee's lighting them like old Yule Tide trees.

    He can't break the spell by yelling out to the others, so he's counting on Zatanna and Meg to warn them off the 'AO' - it's not less lame abbreviated, really - for the moment.

    It was a gamble, betting that the sorcerer wouldn't be able to utilize its magic while in the 'throes' of feeding. A BIG gamble on John's part, but then it seems the big ones are the ones that always pay off for him.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    This situation is truly weird, right? Is this what they meet up to do every Thursday? She'll really need to remember to ask one of these unusual strangers about this once it's all over. Get down! It was the tiniest moment in her life but it would set off a Rube Goldberg machine of horror and revenge, pushing her on a course that would change everything.

    She got down herself -- just one of those things that people do when they shout for someone else to. Jubilee drops into a crouched position, both arms held out at her sides. She screams and starts firing off blasts of plasmoids from her palms. It's her signature genetic gift -- tiny, molecular explosions of all colors -- that can be as harmless or as harmful as she likes. She's still learning to control them, though, and tends to command her full attention. This wouldn't be one of those times.

    Clouds of tiny explosions -- her fireworks -- shotgun blast against the closest vampire -- The Ancient One -- while Jubilation also starts blasting at encroaching vampires that pull free from the darkness at the edge of their light. Blam. Boom. UGH!

    Suddenly, Jubilation stops firing and looks down. Huh? Oh, nothing. Still, there's a feeling. It's sort of like that weird itch that comes from when you're driving down a highway and know that at any moment you could drive it into the oncoming lane. That weird tickle is called the Call of the Void and it tickles through the young mutant.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna eschews bad language. No one understood why she and Mr. John Potty Mouth had been an item. She was younger and liked the strength of his magic as black as it was. Bad boys have a certain appeal to the young. She also learned some of his twisted thinking and that he genuinely is bad blood. It runs in his veins.

"Incendiary works! John will take care of the Ancient One," she replies decisively to the man marked with a skull. "We are going into the nest!"

Gesturing to the man in the black tactical suit. "You look like a good shot with a blade. Think you can cut off heads, cut out hearts, and stuff them in mouths? Just a suggestion, it does wonders to vampires. Both of you, please keep an eye on our fireworks gal!"

A circle of her wrist produces a flame that burns hot without scorching her palm, "I will back you up. No fear. No vampire will touch you! Let's go!"

Achilles has posed:
    Well, given that he didn't have a weapon out at the moment, Angelo just nods his hooded head to Zatanna, "Not my first time dealing with Vampires." he states as his Xiphos sword is summoned to his hand.

    But then he looks to the fireworks shooting girl, "You sure we shouldn't let her cover -us-?" he asks with a smirk as his shield emerges on his left arm. A very specific shield... one well known to mythology buffs.

    But then he moves closer to Jubile... a rather odd looking man in modern tactical armor wielding ancient weapons. "You shoot... I'll provide cover." he says to her as he moves into position to support Jubilee.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
Zee taking care of the warning about bad blood, Swiftian style, saves Meggan from constituting something like a voice they can hear. Gratitude comes later over a bottle of wine or appropriate gift basket hand-picked to send the right message.

The shout to get down obviously happens to be lost on the ambient mist attenuated as far as someone can safely be while contained inside. Meggan can sense fear, hunger, and purpose out there. Doing much for their monster squad immediately is another story. Sentient vapor shifts to near total translucency, exactly like a poncy fangface lacking all sense of flash or style. The Ancient One is no Strahd von Zarovich or former Sorcerer Supreme.

For no apparent reason, a full bottle lands with a soft thump on its side. Water that should dribble slowly into a spreading puddle over discarded office furniture never gets there. It transmutes into vapor and disperses through the air around anyone but Morrigan identified by a flaming mark. Something a certain occultist priest at Grandenetti Cathedral happily supplies for acts done for the Church soon forms a thin beaded layer on this vampire and that vampire and one over there, painted by an elemental's whimsies.

It's holy watercolours! If it has no effect, then how about holy naphtha watercolours?

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Thank goodness no one was trying to murder Morrigan, not yet at least! The Irish woman takes aim at a few of the outlying blood drinkers and there's a bit of a look to see who all is where, so she's not lobbing random fireballs into groups of friendlies. She just goes about trying to clear the area and covering others backs before anyone gets bitten. Because she's not sure if the bites from these infect people.

John Constantine has posed:
    John's voice grows a little louder, a little more 'forceful'. Enochian that, ancient and powerful language. To those that speak it, well he's going on 'hold thee unto me...' blah blah... jist is, he's trying to just keep force feeding that sucker. It's a wax and wane, a back and forth.

    Jubilee's little pyrotechnic show doesn't hurt the Ancient One, but the surprise of it gives John the edge he needs to hold on in their battle of wills a little longer. That isn't to say they won't work with some of the less... Ancient Ones still inside.

    Who, by the way, with their Sacred, Beloved, lamely named Ancient One, in peril? Well, now they think it's a good idea to move on John.

    Why does every one of this situations seem to turn to a game of capture the flag with John as the flag, his friends and allies as his defenders and... the nasties the ones trying to do the capturing?! Because John Constantine is one ballsy bastard - or maybe he's just a fool with zero sense of self-preservation in these situations?

    Looking a little pale there, Johnny Boy, need some vitamin B in your diet?

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee pulls back her hands and rests them against her stomach. She leans forward, almost like she's going to be sick. It really doesn't matter, since most of those impressive looking plasmoid blasts were harmless duds. Most of them were for show, as Jubilation's mastery of her abilities is average at best. Her head lols back so she can nod appreciatively at Zatanna.

    "Thanks! I think that burrito I had earlier is coming back up... Gas station in a bad neighborhood. It had a lot of things wrong about it..."

    Angelo kneeling down earns a nod of Jubilation's head. Snap out of it, Jubes! She takes a breath and seems to shake off that moment of sickness. "Right, uh... So, what the hell is going on?" she manages to shout. She does deserve an explanation, perhaps. Like in school, Jubilation's attention to detail is not great. How many times was she told: vampires!

    Jubilee begins reaching out with her hands, sending blasts of exploding molecules that Doctor McCoy called plasmoids. She always preferred fireworks. In any case, some of them are harmless balls of showering lights and colors. Others seem to bring painful burning to the unfortunate vampire caught in it. Simply put, some of them are blanks and some aren't. She's not great.

    Another moment of tension. Jubilee stops shooting and bends forward again, her eyes closing. "Oh yeah... I'm thinking that Captain Crunch did not appreciate sharing space with my lunch." It might be the puddle of holy water flowing closer to her...

Achilles has posed:
    Of course, as he steps into position to guard Jubilee's flank, Angelo swaps his sword for an eight foot long spear. That shiny bronze tip can be lethal for sure. Its primary use is to keep enemies further away from himself and from his charge. So he begins stabbing with that spear even as targets present themselves.

    However, it should be noted that he is only attacking when an opportunity pops up... NOT whenever he can. His focus is blocking attacks meant for Jubilee.

    This happens when a couple of vampires remember that they have firearms. And two bullets spang off of his famous shield... okay so it's not as famous as a certain Star Spangled one in this day and age.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Are you alright?" Morrigan calls to Jubilee, it was concerning when folks started doubling over and well...she was the medic for so many at the moment. When a bullet grazes her shoulder she yelps as she wasn't paying too much attention. That what happened when Masters of magic felt complacent in a situation. She brings a shield up around herself. Not wanting to deal with more bullets. She'd been shot enough this year already. She fires off another ball of violet flame at one of the vampires who are going for John.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
Vampires do not like holy water, true fact. The actual substance blessed by an ordained person may end up being treated like finger bowls by some people, but it absolutely burns undead flesh in a spreading show of corruption. Patches of blackening mold or browning, leathery skin makes quite the fashion statement with disgusting orange robes that even a bagboy at Hardee's wouldn't be caught undead in.

Drops condensing out of thin air keep puddling on the really old but not totally ancient ones, and more specifically, the holy watercolouring gets into their eyes and mouths. Some of it crawls up their noses for their brain pan, like flesh-eating bugs out of an ancient Egyptian nightmare. Thin trickles run down their throats to scorch acidic paths right into their black, dessicated hearts.

While most of that -is- water, the wily Mistgan smartly winnows past slashing claws and spent ammunition. She might dodge around the plasmoids as a precaution. Claws passing through vapor end up helpfully blitzed by a thin sheen of holy water too, sucks to be them! A swirling halo closes in as a protective measure, a torus ringing whomever happens to be in need most at the moment.

John Constantine has posed:
    There's a fine line that John has to walk between too much blood loss and weakening the thing enough. His vision starts to swim, his voice starts to falter... and he knows if he doesn't let go now, it isn't going to go well for him. He really does not have a death wish, honest what man would when they get to go home with something as incredible as Meggan every night?

    He drops the spell, the Ancient One shoves the Laughing Magician away, really, that thing is GROSS, John that is. Actually, what John is? He's *caustic* to vampires. Old dude's face is a little melt-y around the mouth from the forced feeding.

    Free from being snacked on and shoved, John stumbles forward and just gets his hands out before he face plants. "NOW!" he croaks out... not quite as loud as he planned, but hopefully someone will hear him. Face melt-y or not, AO's pissed. From the long folds of his own robe - black not special-special-sauce orange, the AOs always get the cool robes - he pulls another dagger and advances on the fallen Constantine.

    Inside, the numbers are dwindling quickly amid the vaporized holy water, the hack and slash, the pyrotechnics, more down than up by now... but they aren't giving up, not without a fight to the bitter end. What's worse than blood suckers? Fanatic ones trying to protect their lame-o Ancient One. Who really looks like he's got eyes for nothing save stabbing John through that black heart of his.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    A number of things are not right with Jubilation Lee, but some could be explained away. "Yeah, I'm fine!" she calls back to Morrigan. "...I just ate something that didn't agree with me..." That's a reasonable explanation -- no problem. But, one thing that isn't quite right: how is she able to find her slot in this scenario so easily? Down in the trenches with these... monster hunters? Covering them. Getting covered. There's a certain... experience that only comes from the special P.E. classes at Xaviers: the Danger Room. She never ran through any simulations of a vampire fight, but there are some similarities to some of the programs.

    More plasmoid blasts shower against any of the vampires that manage to get in close. Some drop, seared in agony, while others press forward, inexplicably unharmed. Some of the explosions are simply appearing in the wrong spot, quite a ways away from their intended target, even.

    "Listen, I don't really want to join this little club of yours, so, and I'm sure no one wants to join /their/ club -- so can we get the hell out of here?" Jubilee calls out, wincing a little as her stomach gurgles again. She doesn't know how vampires work, but they can turn people, right? She didn't want to stick around for that.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Vampires in fast-food uniforms. There is an odd sense to it. Monsters, all of them, in Zatanna's reckoning, not that she will be the first to cast stones after some of the company she has kept in her life. She will throw fireballs instead.

The first vampire launches himself down the stairs at her. A flick of the wrist launches a flame at him. He catches in a glory of fire that impresses the mage. A closer look reveals something wet soaking the uniform. Ah, magical wet. Naptha wet. A sniff and holy, too. How odd but she recognizes another magic at work.

The pyrotechnic girl lights more up. Soon the building will be a fire hazard, driving more of the bloodsuckers out into the street.

"Out we go!" And, in the nick of time. The Master of Fast Food Vampires seems to be in the ascendancy. John is down on the ground, but she trusts in his powers of recovery. Angrily she turns on the gowned monster.

".traeh eht hguorht ekatS" (Stake through the heart) A black thorn forms out of thin air. With an overhand throw, Zatanna fastballs it at the King Vampire.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's bleeding, but that's okay. She gives a thumbsup to Jubilee though, since she didn't want to second guess anyone. John on the ground though gives her pause and there's a frown, "Looking strong, John." she mutters to herself as she heads that way to give him a boost. And by boost we mean a magical one. She's going to get another streak in her hair at this point, but they couldn't let folks stay down.

Achilles has posed:
    Focused entirely on defense, Angelo moves his shield and spear in the manner of someone who has literally -centuries- of practice using the two of them together. A stab here to throw a vamp off target... a bash in the face with the shield and a followup with a back strike from the butt of the spear. He's not killing any of these creatures right now. What he is doing is his absolute best to keep them off of Jubilee.. and anyone else nearby. When focused on defense, he moves like a whirlwind. In fact... just as one of the vampires is reaching past his shield... a growl of elation coming from its throat... the man's bronze helmet just appears on his head, and he leans his chin down so the claws scrape along the forehead... making the vamp hiss in frustration just before the spear changes to the sword.. and that vamp loses its head, literally...

    Then he steps back and resummons the spear. It's almost like a vicious dance for him.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
A wispy spiral throws off a hurled book from one angry neophyte stamping his feet at the sheer indignity of having his face half melted off. Screaming undead shrills demand, "Aye oon you uggh eye?" Yes, pot and kettle black, asking why they won't just die already. He too would like everyone to take Jubilee's advice.

The active use of conjured and natural elements sing in a complex polyphonic production to the unseen conductor rising and falling to the relentless beat. Fiery explosions register as the trumpet section, the light streaming from the quick-witted mutant surely the strings in the composition that stomps a nest of vampires. Bronze warbles as its constituent copper and tin. All very beautiful, and a bit distracting to Meggan, wherever she is?

Blackthorn stakes get points for style from the GB judge. How well the unstable demon-drenched blood or spiritual rot are doing when circulated through the Ancient One's body, he could still prove impervious to Zatanna's marvellous throw. That dagger might come down on John's bare chest before Morrigan gets there in time or Angelo's spear clears the distance. The whole effect might be too late on Meggan's part and hopefully unnecessary.

Vaporous tendrils trail up, initially invisible until caressing the Ancient One's face from the side where it's less likely to attract attention. If the mist can slide past the melted, ruined mouth, it coalesces quickly into an atmospheric distortion that whispers. High oxygen concentration, that.

"No flash, was it?" Wispy words that crackle with fire as the elements resume their partly humanoid form. Air to fire. "Darling, light me up." Burn, vampy, burn. Disco inferno!

John Constantine has posed:
    Melt-y face, stabbed through the heart and, then, with the heart that cast the spell pierced the sun shining again? Megan up his damned nose. Well, the 'Ancient One' is having one Bad Day, that'll end him for good this time. Can't raise a pile of smoldering ash. Of course any blood suckers that ran out, either fleeing flames growing in the building or coming for John, find themselves facing a bright and shiny day. More ash piles.

    John rolls over to his back just in time to see Lame-O Vampire Old Dude burst into flame and turn to ash and Morrigan approaching. "I'm fine, luv," he states simply as he waves her off. He means it, he will be after some OJ and a little rest, he'll be right as rain. Until that curse comes knocking again, bugger, they need to work on that, don't they? In all their spare time, right?

     He struggles himself to sitting amid waves of dizzy and blurred vision. A pack of Silks pulled from a pocket, one shaken and lit on the embers of the burning vampire. He surveys the damage, the burning building - abandoned, no big loss. Everyone in one piece. Vampires evicted, rent paid in full. All in all, not a bad day. "That's what they get for namin' their 'God' the Ancient One, aye?" he comments to anyone that's listening and no one.

    Synchronicity was on his side this day and... seems no immediate debt to be paid. Leaves a Thrice Damned Mage in a Laughing good mood, that.

    But the Fates, they've already collected their due. It's always the brightest, with names like Jubilee, that John drags down in the wake when he rides that Wave, innit?

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation steps out of the building and frowns immediately. Her brow wrinkles as a deep line goes across her forehead. Never before has she been so annoyed by the sun. She reaches up and pushes her Ray Ban's up the bridge of her nose and takes a breath.

    This would normally be when the cheery girl would make some kind of remark. Perhaps something about how all the people -- were they people? -- were dressed like Burger-Joint employees. Why was she chosen to be the one to deliver the extra box of secret sauce to this neighborhood? Why did she stumble on the sidewalk and into John Constantine? After all, she was once a hopeful for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. Jubilation doesn't bother to argue about any of that. Instead?

    Well, instead she's quiet. No quips. No sass. No silver linings. That was some awful stuff. Plus, this burrito. Her stomach is killing.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gets waved off by John and there's a nod to the man, "Suit yourself." she states quietly. Then there's a look around as she figures out that there is nothing else to do at the moment. "I've gotta go see someone about this bullet wound. You all be safe." she nods to them as she simply steps sideways and disappears.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
Back to the flesh takes time. Longer than it normally would, for the sudden state changes are expensive to sustain. Meggan lets go of the ashes and melts back into herself, or what passes for a blonde university student neither made of a high oxygen content or flames.

She yawns precisely once before stumbling heavily over to John. "Left the bag somewhat over that way, thereish." A gesture means somewhere not on fire thanks to the pyrotechnics hurled by the Ringbearers Three. Something else probably ticks to talk about later, but really, it's going to have to wait.

That patch of ground looks very comfortable, irresistibly tempting. Now would be a good time to ask where the Greek guy took the delivery girl, but it has to wait as she sinks down. First to her knees, a controlledish sort of slide leading her to sleep.

Right there.

John Constantine has posed:
    Well. It is what it is. John shoves himself to his feet and manages to stay on them. Doesn't he always, even when it seems he shouldn't? "You all right, kid?" he asks Jubilee. Right before he messes with her world a little more. A few mumbled words, just Latin this time and little whirlwinds pick up around those piles of ashes to scatter them about, clean up. "Need a ride somewhere? I can call you cab?" A ride home with the best damned mate and most awesome cabbie on earth and all that's in between Heaven and Hell, Chas Chandler!

    The bag'll be fetched, less they leave a bit of themselves behind. Jubilee will get that ride if she needs it, but no talking... this isn't the stuff of talking, it's the stuff of 'we don't mention it'.

    Meggan? She'll be lifted gently and, when she wakes, she'll find herself tucked away in bed at the Wretched House.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee nods her head slowly. "Yeah, I..." Wait. Normally, it would be fine, but she obviously demonstrated some pretty obvious mutant abilities. Is this a guy she wants knowing where she lives? While she could be the one mutant girl who attends that prestigious private school upstate, she couldn't risk drawing the attention. She's made this mistake before but she's getting older and doesn't have the same excuses she used to.

    "...Yeah, I gotta get back to work..." Jubilation finally answers, allowing the ride to go no further than the Salem Center. It's not a complete lie, though, if we're being honest...Jubes was planning on calling out sick for the rest of her shift.

John Constantine has posed:
    Don't mind the demon blood in the back seat. Price of doing business when you're best mate is John Constantine, innit? But Chas'll get her there safe, just like he always does John.