Owner	Pose
Nettie Crowe	Father Campbell Reed was a zealot. He was convinced that the End of Days was already passed and that the world itself was living in an era of sin that it could not be saved from.     That's probably why he had been talking with some impersonal types who seemed intent on proving just how horrible the world was to him.     You know how these things go, one thing leads to another, the whole of the storyline composed of the minutae of bad decisions gone horribly wrong, and now in Midtown there's going to be an incident.     The business heart of Manhattan, the city that never sleeps, is a concrete brutalist and art deco and modern glass jungle of towering buildings and noise, Noise, NOISE. People, cars, the rumble of the subway beneath the city streets, a busker playing La Vida Loca on an acoustic guitar that's just slightly out of tune, and a frantic looking man with dark hair, sunken eyes and severely sunburnt skin, wearing a black cassock, his white collar in his hand, desperately trying to pry open the access pannel on a fire supression system on a building, fingernails cracked as he gasps for breath.
Nessa Donovan	Having finished a delivery order that she ended up taking due to a staff shortage, Nessa was on her way back to work. Given she had organized it so her break was immediately afterwards, it gave her the leeway of taking her time to head back. The bustle of Manhattan was an entirely different sort of bustle than the kitchen, and she was more than happy to switch up one for the other. As she heads down the sidewalk, dressed in her usual long-sleeved shirt and gloves, a zip up hoodie on over that, she slows as she notes the man. It's the sunburnt skin that gets her the most, something she seriously empathizes with--sunburn is the worst. Especially when you have a bit of discomfort when it comes to being in the sun for too long. She doesn't move to intercept him, but her pace slows, taking a moment to fish out a couple of dollars to toss in the guitar's hat to give her a vantage point to try and figure out what the man's doing.
Daniel Ketch	Daniel knows a bit about the issue of bad decisions gone worse. Most days he just keeps his head above water and many days only coffee keeps him going. He needs vacations, but not from his job, but from his other occupation, the one that gives him (and many others) nightmares. So, he is walking down the street, trying to ignore the bad music and generally noisy streets. Just your average New Yorker being a New Yorker, wearing an old coat and probably grumbling about the rent. It is not the franticism that draws his attention. It is the white collar and sunburnt skin. Something doesn't fit with the image. Oh, and fire suppression? That is probably bad news. He will have a closer look.
Nettie Crowe	A lone crow soars overhead and lands itself on a street light, ruffling its wings as it turns crimson eyes this way and that over the setting.     "Water... water...need water..." the man keeps repeating, frenzied, and he drops the white collar. It rolls past his feet and lands at Daniel's.     "Grazzy-azz, Goregeous." the definitely-not-knowing-Spanish guitarist states in his Bronx accent. "Looks like someone's thirsty for more than a water fountain, don't it?" he reflects, and gives a frown.     Reed, his sunburnt skin, chapped lips and dark, sunken eyes desperately claws at the fire supression system, and then with an unusual feat of strength manages to simply snarl, and pull the door right off.     He turns, slamming it to the ground with enough force to bend and wrinkle the metal, causing some of the people to turn and jump.     "Water -- water -- water--" the priest chants, and he begins to claw at the plumbing pieces, the scarlet cast iron rings twisting, pressure building as he cuts off the flow into the building, but not to the transfer.     A minute or so and that's going to bust right open. There's already water springing leaks from it.     There's laughing ringing in Reed's ears, and anyone who can sense the infernal?     Your alarms should be ringing right about now as another rumble shakes the street directly below the very thristy priest!
Nessa Donovan	Nessa flashes a smile to the guitarist, looking from him to the priest, the smile fading quickly. "Yeah, the stuff people are taking these days," she says, not looking back at the guitarist. "Thanks for the music." With that said, she takes her leave, moving in the direction of the desperate priest. It's in her pace in that direction that she winces, the idea of something infernal being nearby increasing her frown. "Well, I don't think I'm getting to have much of a lunch break," she mutters before she hurries in that direction. "Hey bud," she calls, "Why don't you calm down and step away from there and we'll get you all the water you need?"
Daniel Ketch	Daniel sighs as his intuition proves correct. It usually is when something wicked is coming. He attempts to push the priest aside, to prevent the pipes bursting, first, enough of that in the city. "I'll get you some water and ice at the corner store, man," he comments. "Although I think we could go straight for holy water. St. Francis is just a couple city blocks from here, right?" He clenches his jaw, trying to keep his 'partner' out of this for a minute. Maybe they are still in time for a nice exorcism or something not involving hellfire and chains.
Nettie Crowe	The crow gives a warning caw, harsh to the ear.     The guitarist makes himself scarce, La Vida Loca ending midway as he decides being this close to a fight with a water-mad priest is probably not healthy for him.     Campbell Reed gives a gasp as he's pulled away from the water connection to the sprinkler system, dark eyes sunken deep as if he hasn't had any sleep for weeks. His jaw is tight, his brows plucked nearly bald but furrowed as he looks between Nessa and Daniel, and gasps out.     The smell of burning teeth enamel accompanies his breath.     "No, no, need... need water... Saint Francis can't help -- Aquinas can't help -- it's all destroyed. We're all that's left. This world, its people, meaningless..." he breathes out. "Need... need water... water..." his hand reaches out for the plumbing again, and this time the area heats up, the temperature rising tens of degrees in an instant as flame begins to lick at the priest's bare feet.     The ground rumbles again, and with a CRACK the sidewalk splits, steam rising out from underneath it as Campbell reaches for Daniel's jacket to try and lift him up and cast him aside -- towards a taxi cab -- ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!
Nessa Donovan	Fire. Of course it had to be heat. Nessa backs up a few steps, wincing simply at the presence of the fire's heat. The pure amount of heat means that her ice won't freeze over the way she'd like, but it certainly means she can cool the temperature and the pipes, and maybe distract the priest with some kind of refreshing relief. Lifting a gloved hand up, a cloud of icy frost forms in the vicinity of Campbell, centering mostly around the pipes and lingering in the air around him, but doing her best to literally cool him down. "Don't worry, water's coming." She's aware someone else is trying to help, but given the situation, she's focusing on Campbell.
Daniel Ketch	"I think it is a bit too late for water," starts Daniel, trying to be reasonable. A second glance to the priest, however, makes him wander if 'reasonable' was two weeks ago. Maybe two months ago. Then the sidewalk cracks and there is steam and fire coming. Daniel goes grimfaced, "too late..." he murmurs, letting his own fire free. Which is a good thing, since last thing he knows is he is flying OVER the street, and crashing against the taxi cab. He left a good dent on the side door, too. Well, he would, if he were there. But Danny is not home anymore, and the cab has a caved door side. The leather-clad skeleton pulling himself off the car is not really hurt. Just angry and on fire. Just like any other Thursday in the past few centuries.
Nettie Crowe	Thursdays are apparently a very dangerous day for the leather-clad skeleton and water-mage demographics.     The priest himself doesn't seem too bothered by the fact that his legs are on fire, the cassock burning away and leaving singed muscle in its wake as he hunches over, his arms wrapping around himself before he turns, his eyes burning like molten onyx as he glowers at Nessa before turning, reaching up and unleashing a torrent of water at her by simply ripping the cast iron fixture out of the wall of the building, his voice echoing in laughter.     Spilling water is drawn down beneath the cracks in the sidewalk, creating steam that clouds up the immediate area.     "WATER - WATER! AH HA HA HA! This world was drowned ONCE and didn't fix all the issues, time to do it our way!" a higher-pitched voice screams as it picks up the ripped-off access door with its bends and folds and lobs it at the skeleton!
Nessa Donovan	"Oh hell," Nessa swears, appropriately. She catches a /skeleton/ out of the corner of her eye, briefly wonders if he's part of the priest's chaos, then decides he's not once she sees Campbell lobbing the door. While it's not the best that water's coming at her, it's not /boiling/ hot, so her hands raise up to shield herself from it as she literally tries to form it into ice, knowing it won't ice over. Instead, the water cools and slows some, proceeding to hit her with an unpleasant splash of water. Not painful, but it's certainly like someone dumped a bucket of water over her head. "Alright, we do this your way." Since she can't combat the fire quite as directly, she's going to try and stop that steam from having a source. She seeks along the pipes, frosting over bits of it to test the temperature. She's trying to find the closest place she can ice over the pipe to stop the water before it's even heated. "Seriously? Calm the fuck down!"
Daniel Ketch	The Ghost Rider steps forward, causing the traffic on the street to... stop. Tires screech, horns yell, and then screaming starts. Halfway there, a metal door flies toward the Rider, but he catches it with a hand, slamming it down on the pavement. "The world was drowned, but a Covenant was forged afterwards," replies the skeleton, his voice grave and eerie at the same time. "You have no right to be here!" He adds, moving faster towards the priest.
Nettie Crowe	"I have *Every* right to be here!" the voice screeches like the tires. "I was INVITED!" it cackles through the priest's throat.     "Calm down? CALM DOWN? Pretty little magi, pretty little thing, I am calm!" the wicked creature inside the injured priest giggles maniacally, the water beginning to freeze up, the source of the steam drying even if she was all wet.     So the demon just does what comes natural, reaching out to grab a chunk of the sidewalk and throw it at Nessa as he bull rushes at Daniel.     "The new Covenant isn't worth shit when no one believes in it! Join US. Join us join Us Join US JOIN US!" it cackles, "We'll rest souls deep deep in the below and drag our hooked claws through the soft bellies!"
Nessa Donovan	"If this is your calm, I'd hate to see your angry!" Nessa, in fact, would hate to see his angry. Too much heat already in this situation. While she might have been somewhat prepared for steam or fire, the sight of a chunk of sidewalk coming at her is much more alarming. Given she's not supernaturally durable, it poses a real threat. While she tries to dodge out of the way, a several inch thick wall of ice forms in front of her to at least try and slow it down. It cracks through the ice, shattering it, but slows it significantly before it clips Nessa's lower half and sends her sprawling on the sidewalk against a parking meter. "This is the part where I'd yell something profane at you, but I think I need a second to think of something!"
Daniel Ketch	"You can't be here," insists the Rider. Wait, why is he discussing theology with a demon. He will blame it to Daniel's influence; he is always trying to talk down lunatics. No, less talking and more hellfire. That is the Ghost Rider's way. However, he becomes distracted when the possessed priest attacks Nessa, who apparently is one of New York's countless powered humans. He can't keep track of them anymore. There is a chunk of sidewalk going for her and the Rider hurries to intercept, only to be tackled down by the priest. The might crack some bone. But also allows him to burn brighter, setting the priest alight with hellfire. No, water is not going to help much against that.
Nettie Crowe	"I assure you I CAN." the demon snarls at the Ghost Rider as he abuses the priest's body to tackle down the Hellfire-using supernatural punisher, raising up both arms like something feral and trying to bring down its fists, two creatures of flame battling it out on the streets, the asphault beginning to bubble around them from the heat!     The crow that was up on the lamp post flits down, hopping close to Nessa.     "Get *up* lass, you stay down here too long they might boil you 'way to naught." the bird states, hopping to try to encourage her up from being parked.     "Or the meter maid will bill you. Whichever is more 'oreibble."
Nessa Donovan	Theology is not exactly Nessa's cup of tea. Despite Irish Catholic relatives, they're also steeped in magic which sort of makes religion a much more complicated thing and something Nessa herself tends to stay away from. Between that and the concrete, she's not wanting to be quite so talkative. The sight of a talking bird is not an unfamiliar sight to her, and she visibly relaxes when the voice that comes out doesn't sound like Loki. "Yep, planning on it," she replies quickly to the crow. "Probably the meter maid, though, they always try to get you five minutes before your time's up." She does get up despite clearly having taken a blow to her legs, bracing herself on the ground to get some better footing. Since skeleton man seems to be doing a great job of battling religious threats, so she instead focuses on damage control. Pipes are iced where possible, slabs of textured ice (so it's actually walkable) are put over holes in sidewalks, and she's doing her best to make sure that there's no chance of any civilians still being in the area after she's done. There are /plenty/ of avenues of escape.
Daniel Ketch	Hellfire is not working. But some demons are immune, so that checks. Getting punched in the skull is painful, but the Ghost Rider is used to pain, and since the priest doesn't seem able to break his bones with the punches, he doesn't feel in serious danger. But two demons fighting in a New York street is dangerous for the rest of the city. The demon is using real fire in a street full of fuel-propelled vehicles. Surprisingly, the Ghost Rider is showing some restraint this time, mostly blocking the other flaming menace's punches and giving time for the humans to clear the area. But give him a minute and he will lose what little patience he has.
Nettie Crowe	No, unfortunately this bird sounds way more like Harry Potter with a blow to the head than Loki. Or luckily. Lokily.     Either way he gives an approving nod of his head "The lawkeepers never change through centuries. Fuck 'em. Good lass. Get to it!" he crows, and then takes back to flight, wings outstretching as he goes to keep a bird's eye view of the situation.     The ice walkways provide people who were trapped nearby with ways of escape, the fire causing some melt, but Nessa is clearly doing an 'ice' job of keeping things together for the others.     The skeleton and the demon fight, the Demon showing considerably less restraint than the Ghost Rider before he turns, and tries to slam the GHost Rider into the bubbling asphalt below them, heat coming off him in waves.     "Just remember, I gave you the chance to surrender! I'm going to ENJOY using your skull-head to bash that pretty girl's in and spread her pretty little brains all over the pavement!" he gloats!
Nessa Donovan	As the crow flies to a new perch, Nessa's able to refocus her attention on the fight and the escape of those who might not have much of a defense. At the melting ice, she grits her teeth and does her best to reinforce it so that no one's going to fall. "Go! Get the fuck out!" She yells at them, and once she's sure at the very least anyone nearby is far enough away not to become collateral damage, she looks back in the direction of the fight. "Pretty sure brains are gray and kinda sloppy, so I'm not sure it'll be that interesting," she yells at the demon. "I like them where they're at." Her eyes scan the heat nearby, backing away a few steps as she grits her teeth. Of course it had to be shit she was weak against. She quickly tries to assess what's /not/ bubbling and hot to use as some kind of force against the demon.
Daniel Ketch	"That," grunts the Rider, "is not going to happen." Now most civilians with common sense are some distance from him, the chains around his torso unwrap, coming alive. "You are weak, you should have run away when you could," he adds, the chains wrapping around the demon-priest form to try to pull him away. If he succeeds, he grabs the possessed man by the neck. "Show me what happened here," demands the flaming skeleton, his hollow eye-sockets flaring with fire, as he attempts the Penance Stare on the possessed man.
Nettie Crowe	"All over the street all over the street all over the SsstrreeeEEEEEEET!" the demon cries out with glee, attempting to wrap its hands around the Ghost Rider's neck to wring it, pull the head off.     And then the chains come alive. The demon screams, screeching metallically as the chains wrap around it, and the Ghost Rider grabs the possessed man by the neck.     And stares.     Campbell Reed wasn't his real name. He was younger than he looked (normally, when not on fire and possessed), and before that he was a man who lost faith, got too far into alcohol and nearly beat his young wife to death. It was a shotgun marriage. They were better off without him. He joined the Church. Pursued Priesthood. Became a Priest to try and find that Faith again, but all he ever found was reflections of his own sin.     He was convinced that this demon was an angel who was going to sound the trumpet and try again to cleanse the world of its remaining sin, so that it could be reborn. He wanted to be a better man, for his church. For his past. For the ten-year-old that shared his dark eyes.     His family would have been spared the wrath.     "NnnNNNNO. NO. HE'S MINE! HE IS MINE!" the demon screeches, and it turns, reaching out for Nessa as if pleading for help.     The crow returns to a different perch, where a very different Crowe was watching the goings on below, smoke wreathed around her unbrushed hair.     "Think they need any help?" Corvax asks.     Nettie just waves. "They've got it handled well."
Nessa Donovan	While the Ghost Rider does his thing, Nessa is there as backup. Well, she's there to keep an eye on the situation and not get close enough to let the heat overwhelm her. That parking meter has become her friend as she holds it to make sure she's got a good support. Watching the demon as it reaches out towards her, she twists up her face in a displeased look, even taking a step back. "Pretty sure he's not, asshole," she replies, the rare hint of an Irish accent coming out in her anger.
Daniel Ketch	The Ghost Rider stare digs deep into Campbell Reed's soul, reminding him every sin of his life, forcing him to feel the pain he inflicted on others. Those beatings he delivered, now he feels them on his bones. All the lies, all the self-deception, all is laid bare in merciless judgement. GUILTY. Too much for the possessed demon, it seems. When he turns to beg Nessa, of all people. The Ghost Rider pounces, grabbing the reaching hand and PULLING. Pulling, the chains holding the priest in place. The Rider releases his throat and places a foot in the man's chest, as he tears his arm off... no, not the arm, just the demon inside them man. Well, and that is a dislocated arm for sure. But Cambell Reed has other pains that will keep him screaming for a few days.
Nettie Crowe	Campbell Reed is going to spend more than a couple of days in the hospital. And the psyche ward.     It'll be a long road to Calvary for the priest, but for the demon? There's an express.     The demon is able to be seen, plainly, by anyone in the street. It has curved, low horns, thin and black and the color of pencil lead. Its eyes are sunken in and glow dully, its body long and sinewous and boney, almost fish-like scaley skin that doesn't so much glow as it does burn.     And as it's pulled out, it screeches in its metallic, grating voice, weakened by the stare, and then pulled entirely out of Campbell Reed.     The man collapses to the ground, alive, but scarred and screaming.     The cracks in the pavement stop steaming, and some of the smaller ones even knit back together, leaving just pale scars in the concrete.
Nessa Donovan	The parking meter is still a useful support for Nessa, whose legs ache from the impact of the concrete, but she'll worry about that later. With the recovery of some of the pavement, she relaxes her hold on any residual ice on the area, letting it all knit itself back as it can. She lets out a heavy breath, her eyes staring in that direction. She's not /surprised/ but the sight of the demon, uncomfortable perhaps, but she's sure glaring at it. "You're not supposed to be here," she states, her tone serious.
Daniel Ketch	"Damn. Right." Confirms the Ghost Rider, delivering a couple devastating punches to the demon's face, tossing him to the ground and finishing off with a vicious curb stomp. "Return to your prison, renegade. Should you be tempted to return, remember I will be here. Waiting. And I will take VENGEANCE." That should be enough to kick him back to whatever hell the creature was hiding. Which leaves the screaming ex-priest. Does he deserve further punishment? Trying to destroy the world is a pretty big sin, even if he was probably crazy before the demon tempted him.
Nettie Crowe	No, the demon supposes, he is not. With hissing, slinking, scratching sounds, the demon returns to its prison, disappearing into the crack in the pavement and pretending like It never Was.     The good father has screamed himself hoarse, and other than hiccupping sobs, between the pain and the visions of those he has hurt, he appears to have largely lost conciousness, lost in the visions of his sins.     And that's when the crow re-appears. Corvax gives a caw, unafraid of the Spirit of Vengence and more intent on putting himself between it and Nessa... more to look heroic than any altruistic matters.     "Boss Lady says that there's paramedics an' fire rescue making their way into the area. You may want to be... somewhat less on fire once they arrive." he states, coming to land on the parking meeter, flapping a bit.     "Our Father Reed here will be taken in by the good sisters of mercy in New York. They'll care for him as he recovers, mate."     He turns to Nessa.     "You good?"
Nessa Donovan	Nessa looks to the crow. She nods in his direction, both at the mention of paramedics and at the question as to how she is. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Hurts, but I'm pretty sure nothing's broken. I'll walk it off." That last part's a joke--walking it off would be pretty stupid.
Daniel Ketch	"I wish no conflict with the lawmen," replies the Ghost Rider. Of course he is among the most wanted of New York already, because many brutalized criminals in psychic wards and more than a few police cruises being run over by a motorcycle and totalled when he was in a hurry. And today it might be another useless chase, because the Rider gestures and summons a motorcycle with tires of fire, riding into the closest alleyway and then up the wall. Not even a Ghost Rider wants to deal with the Thursday traffic jams of Manhattan.
Nettie Crowe	In the infamous words of the internet, regarding Thursday post-work traffic -- ain't nobody got time for that.     "Travel well then mate." The bird states with a little respect to the Ghost Rider. Somewhat because he dwelled in Hell and has zero desire to return there, and he's a bird.     The crow turns a gaze back to Nessa, and gives a nod.     "Well then. Nice work, lass, though I hope to not cross paths in such a dire moment again." the crow seems to crack a smile, the rough of feathers on his neck puffing up. "Should you need a lift somewhere, give us a whistle."     And then he flits off, back up to the rooftops of the nearby buildings, where a figure in gray stands.     Paramedics and firetrucks arrive on the scene, their tires sinking into the still-soft roadside as they come out to focus on the good Father Reed first.     After all, he's still missing the skin on his legs. That could be a hazard.
Nessa Donovan	There's a small nod towards the crow. "Always meet the most interesting people in dire moments," Nessa replies. "Or interesting crows." She glances towards the figure and the crow, giving a polite nod to the both of them before she looks at her watch. "Crap. I need to tell my work I'm taking the rest of the day off." She watches the paramedics, then moves to head off. Being checked would be good, but she's not particularly feeling like accidently freezing anyone today.