[center][u][b]March 25th 10:05 P.M. New York City[/b][/u] Arcana's attention was pulled from the conversation when a masculine voice addressed her, the heroine's gaze rising to meet that of a man dressed in cat-themed costume. He was either another vigilante, or Broadway had gotten a lot more militant. "Elysium...?" Well, while she couldn't claim to be an expert in the field by any means, she [i]had[/i] put in quite a lot of research into Greek Mythology in these past few months. When your talking cat explains that you've got the power of six Gods in you, you naturally want to be as informed as you possibly can about their origins and history. "That's where the righteous dead and worthy heroes would go in Greek Mythology," she explained, wondering if the term "Mythology" was really accurate anymore. Unfortunately, she didn't have much in the way of time to consider this, as on cue at least a hundred rioters began flooding towards them down the street. Turning to face them fully, Arcana calmly stepped towards them with a sigh. Well, when they were all clustered together like this, things were actually a lot more simple. "I'll deal with them. Get down and cover your ears." Drawing her hands apart as the rioters closed in on her, she brought her open palms together in a titanic thunderclap that shattered the sound barrier several times over, windows shattering as the mob was collectively blown off their feet. There was one thing she remembered seeing on the Discovery Channel: it was a documentary on the disorienting effects that sound could have. Even though they felt no pain, if she threw off their equilibrium, they wouldn't be able to properly move, much less fight. "Aren't you glad you listened to the nice lady?" Grim muttered behind Arcana, though her gaze was directed to Blackstar. More accurately, where she had grabbed onto the front of his armor to pull him down with her. Teenagers had a tendency to think they were invincible. Her other hand was actually a little warm, considering the fact she had caught the flaming bottle arcing through the air. Her gaze flicked to Harris. "Don't worry, I don't like being set on fire either." Seeing as her gloves wouldn't react to the fire the vigilante just grabbed onto the soaked cloth sticking from the mouth of the bottle, dropping it to the ground to stomp the fire out. Grim's eyes drifted to the bottle. Budweiser? What the hell was Budweiser? Cheap alcohol probably. "Good work, Arcana," Grim finally added on, tipping the bottle over near the ambulance so it couldn't be used again. Not that the horde looked particularly capable of it after that. Still, she turned to the new arrival and his perch on the nearby building, hovering over them. At least he had a lead for stopping this, even if it was more magic. Seriously. It was always magic. "Don't suppose any of you know how to tear a magic portal open to another dimension, huh? I [i]might[/i] be able to rig something up in my lab but it would take time we don't have." Marvin had covered his ears, but having superhuman hearing was (in this instance) also a negative. His ears still rung and caused him some brief disorientation. Once he recovered and gathered his wit, he issued a reply, "Magic is to magic as nature is to nature. A simple logical deduction; we would need a conduit of magic energy of some kind for transportation to a magical dimension, but teleportation is too risky." Arcana turned to look at Tiger, smiling. "Well, I basically [i]am[/i] a conduit of magical energy! I'm connected directly to the Rock of Eternity, which is apparently the source of all magic!" Reaching down to her chest, she pointed to the thunderbolt on her chest, an effervescent maelstrom of magical energy perpetually churning within it. "According to Sam, that is [i]literally[/i] a conduit to it." "I also know a spell for creating a portal, now that I think about. I saw someone named Clayton Toombs create it, so I should be able to duplicate that..but there's no telling if it would lead us to the right--" She paused for a second, yet another thought entering her mind. "The pill! Maybe if I used the spell in conjunction with the pill, we could lock on to this 'Elysium'?" "The pill, from what I can tell, [i]is[/i] the gateway and the [i]only[/i] gateway." Marvin added. "Interesting," Grim rumbled, and in a smooth motion flipped open the compartment on her gauntlet once more to retrieve the pill. She rolled it across her palm for one last inspection before offering it to Lady Arcana, a smirk tugging at her lips beneath the mask. "Asking for a gift back after giving it is bad manners, you know." Though it was interesting she had also run into Clayton Toombs, she might have to inquire about that later. Harris was slow to react to... well, everything, the arrival of the cat-costumed vigilante and his countdown only met with mild confusion from Harris, and when the black-cloaked man grabbed the Molotov cocktail out of the air, he barely had enough time to flinch. He moved so fast, it was unreal. Harris simply watched as Arcana single-handedly defeated the assembled mob and barely heard the rest of the techno-babbly conversation He had begun to think he was a little too slow to react. Harris watched the rest as they began to experiment, knock-kneed and slouching. "Hey... uh, I share my body with a questionably magic creature, maybe it could help here, not that I'm really helping... just ignore me, I'll be over here if you want a tree or something." "What are we waiting for? The longer we wait the more permanent these effects might be." Marvin hopped off the hood the car and his tan army boots touched the gravel soft. Lady Arcana smiled lightly to Grim as she accepted the pill. "Thanks. If it's not intact after the spell, then we'll find you another. Shouldn't be [i]too[/i] hard, considering." Nodding to Tiger when he pushed her to hurry it up, she drew a deep breath. Mr. Toombs had used chalk to draw the arcane circle, but she didn't have any chalk. Besides, while her knowledge of magic was obviously lacking, she [i]did[/i] have a feeling that a stream of her mystical Zeus-powered electricity would do the job just as well, if not a whole lot better! Extending a finger, a stream of lightning shot forth into the ground, and using the perfect photo-recall of Mnemosyne, she quickly etched a circle into the concrete, which continued to emit a luminous glow even after the arc was broken. Arcana then fired a second bolt inside the circle, drawing a square, then a circle, a triangle, yet another square and finally a second triangle. "Whew, okay...now, hopefully this won't kill us all," Arcana mused, placing the pill in the middle of the inner triangle. Pressing a pair of fingers lightly against the pill, the circle began to glow even more brightly, casting away the night in that brief moment. The circle vanished, replaced by what looked almost like a mirror, except rather than their reflection, it showed a grassy field against a crystal blue sky. It was a bit different from how Clayton's had looked, but then, their [i]destination[/i] was different. Arcana looked up at the group, "Uh, guess we can call it a success?" "Well, it didn't kill us, so I suppose so," Harris responded, staring intently at the... portal? Gateway? He hadn't been paying attention honestly. "I'm just still hung up on the talking cat, now there's a... whatever the hell this thing is," Harris said, almost sounding defeated. [i]Get it away! It's unnatural! Protect us![/i] Apparently The Green was not a fan. "Whatever that thing is it's making my body-mate very uncomfortable, so that's a good sign." "How confident are you about getting us back out when we're thro- talking cat?" Grim glanced up at Harris, brows furrowing. She shook her head. Not the time to get distracted, even if it [i]was[/i] weird. "We might want to grab another pill in case you need to make another portal to get back here, if you're not sure if it'll stay open." As she was talking Grim was also moving to repeat one of her tried and true tricks, retrieving a lock pick and tossing it to the mirror-like hole to make sure it was safe to go through. Seemed fine enough with metal. Human flesh probably wasn't [i]that[/i] different for a magical portal. Marvin turned his attention to Grim; of those who were present, she and the younger one beside her were the only ones who resembled himself in any fashion. A quick examination of her attire and her gadgets told him much of what he needed to know: she was rich, she was good with tech, though most of her equipment looked like early builds. Marvin thought it a shame someone such as her would come so ill prepared; in this new world of magic and mighty men, regular folk like her and himself needed to have [i]several[/i] failsafes and back up plans. He reached into his vest and tossed the Elysium pill--which he had stored away for his own research--to Grim, "Always keep a spare," he kept his tone serious. Then he leapt into the portal. Arcana's heart skipped a beat when The Tiger leaped in before her. She was actually going to test it out for them, since she was pretty much indestructible, but it seems like [i]fear[/i] wasn't a part of his hero portfolio. Raising a hand to pinch her nose, she glanced to the others and offered them a final smile. "Guess that's our cue as well." Leaping through the portal, she vanished just as the Tiger had before her. "Huf!" Well, it wasn't so much of a leap as a light hop forward, as her feet landed on solid grass right on the other side. That's right, going through the portal wasn't like being whisked away somewhere...it was more like stepping into another room. She was now standing in the same field they had all witnessed from the other side, and beside her was the Tiger. "...Told ya it'd work." "I had no doubt it would." Tiger swirled his visage about; for this dimension to be 'magic' it felt more kin to the natural world. The world about had its own color palette; reds, oranges, greens, deep blues, and each combined well. He had to pause and admire. Harris cringed as both Arcana and the cat-guy jumped into the portal, thankfully there weren't any bits flying back out, a good sign. Harris took a deep breath and followed after them, sticking a foot in first to make sure it was safe, then creeping in slowly. Immediately he felt the effects of being cut off from The Green. The voices that were always present in his head went silent, and his body felt weaker, ill even. He could no longer feel a connection to the grass beneath them, something which felt very strange after so long. He was still a giant plant monster, but he felt like a normal person once more. "Woah, that's weird, I can't feel The Green anymore." He tried to cause a tree to grow in front of him, but nothing happened. "Okay, so my abilities are completely gone," he informed the other two, not that they would care. Grim huffed lightly, eyes narrowing after the catman as he fearlessly jumped into the portal. Absolutely no sense of self preservation - and not the first vigilante she ran into with that problem. Honestly she's surprised she hadn't heard of more people being killed trying heroics the past couple months. Luck preserved them however, and Grim took a moment to replace the pill in the compartment on her gauntlet before stepping through after them. She caught the last bit of bug-tree's words, and gestured back towards Blackstar. "Stay back with Blackstar to watch our flank." Beneath the mask Grim gave Blackstar a pointed look. That meant stay behind them, dammit. Turning her gaze back to Ear Points and Arcana Grim took a moment to swap through her lens functions. All operational. Keeping the left lens on the heat sensor she began to scan their surroundings. "Right then, let's find the source of this. Take point, indestructible one?" Arcana gave Grim a reassuring 'thumbs up', before walking north from the portal. She honestly had no idea where she was going....everything looked more or less the same: a vast, seemingly endless field. The air was temperate and sweet-smelling, and if their situation were any less dire, she would dare call it a paradise. She also wanted to complain about how she [i]always[/i] seemed to end up walking aimlessly for prolonged periods of time. First the Rock of Eternity, then the sewers beneath Hub City, now this place. No, screw that. She was effin' [i]Lady Arcana[/i], why did [i]she[/i] need to slowly stroll through the fields? "...I'm going to go do some [i]real[/i] scouting," she muttered, lifting off the ground. Flying high up, she shot forward, leaving a sonic boom in her wake. It took her only about ten seconds to return, as she descended into a jog towards Grim. "Hey! I think I found them!" "Direction?" Grim tilted her head the way Arcana gestured, the lens currently not on heat optics in her goggles immediately swapping to the zoom function to get a look herself - if it was possible, anyway, Arcana was [i]fast[/i]. She really hoped their normal human feet wouldn't have to walk for an hour or something ridiculous. At the same time without looking she added on. "What did you see?" "People," she clarified. "More specifically, a whole [i]lot[/i] of people. They were all kneeling, and they...well, they looked to be in [i]pain.[/i] Like they were in a trance, but it was hurting them at the same time." She had to fly pretty far to find them, though. This place was [i]way[/i] bigger than she had first suspected. Having the lot of them walk would be unacceptable. Looking to Grim and the Tiger, she extended her hands towards them. "Come on, I'll take you there." "Hm," Grim's lens returned to normal zoom and she turned back to Arcana. "Since the people who took part of Elysium couldn't [i]physically[/i] travel here as we did that might somehow be their consciences. Actually, it seems more than likely." The vigilante glanced down to Arcana's hand, humming thoughtfully. Between that gesture and the zoom function on her goggles not picking up anything it was clear what she was saying. Grim turned to Blackstar and Harris. "Stay with him. Yes, I know you don't like it, we'll argue about it later." A slight sigh escaped her. "Stay [i]safe[/i] Blackstar." Grim intoned finally to her sidekick, stressing the word, before finally reaching out to firmly grasp Arcana's hand. Marvin had briefly lapsed into a daydream before Grim's words, which were aimed at her sidekick, floated toward his ears. He turned those deep yellow eyes pervading the front of the white mask to where she stood and then up at the portal, then back down to the vigilante in question; from what Marvin observed, the two treated one another like mother and son. While Marvin thought the dynamic a little unprofessional--if vigilantism could be called a profession--he made note. Whatever was to happen here, he would make sure she got home to him. Fixing his gaze on Arcana once more, he clasped her hand within his. As soon as she had both of their hands, both costumed vigilantes would feel themselves become lighter, their bodies enveloped by an invisible aura. Like before, Lady Arcana rocketed forth, and from their perspective they would see the world racing past beneath them, although perhaps not as quickly as their speed might imply: time was relative for both Arcana and her passengers. Glancing over to Grim for a brief moment, Arcana gently flexed the fingers grasping the other woman's hand. She really did look like a man in that armor, and she couldn't help being curious if she could tell the difference between her hand and Tiger's. When they at last arrived, Lady Arcana offered the pair a soft landing before what could only be described as nearly endless rows of kneeling people, their low-pitched groans of pain coalescing into a chorus of sorrow. "...See? They're like, in some sort of horrible trance." "... That was both weird, a little disorientating, and rather interesting," Grim muttered under her breath, but quickly shook the experience off. There was time to reflect later. Instead she turned her goggled gaze to the people, approaching the closest one cautiously. It would be a mistake to rile them up, but to be honest she doubted they'd react much. She waved a hand in front of the woman and hummed thoughtfully before straightening up and turning in the direction they were all kneeling, her goggles resuming the zoom function once more to see over the endless rows of people. "We'll have to break the trance then. Preferably by finding the one who put them in it." "Disembodied consciences." Marvin walked up to one of them; a firm slap on the back of the being appeared futile for it arose no sensation. "There has to be something around here which keeps them connected; a tether of some kind." He could smell nothing distinct in the distance, nor could he see anything far off. "If every universe has a core, so do its dimensions; what is the core of a dimension which traps one's conscious? What keeps it stable?" Marvin posed the questions to either of his compatriots. Lady Arcana threw her hands up in a shrug. "With magic? If I've read enough fiction either some sort of magic artifact or a wizard." Grim glanced to Arcana. "Or ... witch?" She shrugged as well, turning back to the woman before her. Retrieving a swab from her gauntlet she cautiously stuck the end in the corner of the woman's mouth, rubbing it against the inside of her cheek before withdrawing it to check with the on board computer. Her computer just gave back an error. Should've been expected. She put the swab in a small plastic container specifically for them to save for later. She'd examine it with the pill back in her lab. "Our best bet right now is to go to the front of them I'd think. If there's nothing up there we're going to have to start experimenting on waking them up." Grim turned her gaze to the front of the congregation once more, starting off in that direction. Marvin followed close behind, he thought to himself, [i]Certainly need to get one of those wrist computers.[/i] Marvin began a sprint, walking was obviously the slower alternative--he snatched Grim by the hand as he passed her and not long after he began to pick up speed; 10 miles per hour, 20, 25, 35; then he got a real head of steam: 40, 45? 60? 70? He had never gone this fast in 'the real world'; either he was still changing or he needed a little more magic in his life. Maybe he would borrow some of this universe's energy for further experimentation. Once he reached top speed, he skid to a stop at the front of the mass crowd of tranced Elysium addicts. Once he had done his part, he had himself a nice seat on the grass for respite. After her second time being pulled along at inhuman speeds, Grim was feeling mildly sick. Actually, mostly she was feeling sick of literally [i]everyone[/i] she ran into having these extraordinary powers. [i]Seriously?![/i] Next thing she knew Blackstar was going to start sprouting wings or something! Alright, calm down, focus on the task... Grim lifted her head to slowly look around the front of the crowd, lenses rapidly swapping between normal, night vision, and heat sensor to check on everything. As Grim shifted between the visual spectrum, she would notice [i]something[/i] with her heat sensor: a tether, barely visible, connected each of the people to some indeterminate source. It seemed to attach to them at the crown of their skulls, before flowing high into the sky above. The vigilante slowly tilted her head back, following the line of tethers into the sky. either the person controlling them all was up there, or... "I think they're connected to their real selves through the sky. At least, they're connected to something up there," She raised a hand to tap against her goggles without turning to Tiger, the right lens swapping back to normal but the left staying on the heat sensors. "We could try severing the ... I'd call it a tether, but to be honest if we're not sure where it connects we could end up putting someone in a coma or killing them." Marvin rose from his seated position, his vision shot up to the sky. "Well, I guess the only question left is: are we dealing with a something or a someone? If we go up there and we happen to be dealing with the latter, it would probably mean these people's conscious' turn into bargaining chips. I don't know about either of you, but I don't want to take chances with an overlord of a mystical dimension. And, well, if it [i]is[/i] a someone this someone will probably have powers beyond anything either one of us can handle." His attention briefly shifted to Arcana, then back to the sky. Lady Arcana had remained silent, hoping the two of them would hopefully come up with some plan of action because, frankly, she had no idea what to do at this point. Floating down to Tiger's side, she scratched the back of her hood with a gentle sigh. "Um, so do you think I should try flying up there, then? Or maybe just try and carry them out of the portal?" She really was at a loss, and made her stomach hurt, just a little bit. The unfeeling yellow eyes of his mask fell on Arcana; his voice betray a shred of worry in its tone, "Anything tethered to something else can't be forcefully torn from its source; the consequences are always bad. The only way is up. There is no real way to know what our next steps are until we know what we are up against. Worst case scenario? You hold off whoever or whatever is up there long enough for us to find out what's going on. I have a hunch that either way we'll be in for a fight." he stamped. "Right," Grim huffed, her eyes sliding over the chorus of people. "I'm going to do something unpleasant." She stated in a calm voice, denying the hint of unease that settled in her chest. This could end up seriously hurting or killing someone, but to be honest they didn't have many options. The more time they spent in here the more people were likely getting infected or hurt outside. With that in mind she had picked out the oldest of the people there, an almost frail looking homeless man in filthy clothes. Drug addict or not, he was a person, and as Grim stepped before him she reached out to check his neck. Finding a grimy chain she pulled it out, noting the cross. Despite her own acknowledgement of them lacking time she respectfully put her hands together and said a quiet prayer, should something go wrong. And with that done, Grim promptly slapped him right across the face. In response to the slap, the hobo's eyes shot open and he released an ear-piercing scream that threatened to rupture any unprotected ears. Arcana herself quickly covered hers, wincing in pain. The screaming lasted for several moments, before the man calmed, his face seeming to regain composure as he glanced about in confusion. Before he could say anything, he quickly faded out of existence, at least in this strange world. Lowering her hands, Arcana tilted her head. "Uh...did it work?" Grim winced as she slipped her own hands from where they had slammed over her ears, the speaker in her left ear crackling lightly from the noise. Ow. She couldn't imagine what that'd be like for someone with supernatural hearing. "I... didn't get a look at the tether," Grim finally admitted, a touch sheepishly. The vigilante reached up and removed the ear piece, but then moved on to another person. "He seemed almost... calm when the screaming ended. Cover your ears, I'm going to watch what happens to their tether this time." Moving to another older person she repeated the process of checking for any religious paraphernalia, but finding none repeated the process of slapping them across the face, immediately slamming her hands over her ears. This time she kept her heat sensor firmly on the energy connected to their head. Arcana followed Grim's instructions and covered her ears. Watching the other woman slam her hand into another vagrant, she watched him once again scream out with enough force that make her blood chill. When he too calmed, the tether seemed to begin retreating into the sky as his body faded. Grim very slowly lowered her hands, head tilted up into the sky as she watched after the tether. Finally she turned to the other two and commented in the flattest voice she ever had. "We have to slap them awake." Marvin squinted beneath the mask. This was going to be painful. He was less hesitant to slap the tranced conscious'. The scream emitted from the dissolving conscious was too great for his ears to sustain up close. Marvin was going to burst both eardrums if he kept this up. He distanced himself from the group and let them handle this. Grim watched the Catarang back up, guessing that his appearance also told a story of some more of his powers. His ears must be ringing. Her own weren't much better. She glanced down the line of people even as she reached for the first aid kit hidden under her jacket, intending to craft together some make shift ear plugs just to pause. Grim suddenly turned to Arcana. "Can you make a smaller version of that thunderclap from earlier? It might stop the screaming when they awaken, and do all of them at once if we can test it out first." "Actually, if you two put some distance between you and these people, I should be able to take care of this pretty quickly," Arcana noted. If it was [i]just[/i] slapping people upside the head en mass, then she could handle that. "Just one thing...do you happen to have any cotton?" "Yes, actually," Grim gave Arcana an approving glance, though of course it wasn't seen. The vigilante reached behind her jacket, skillfully unhooking the first aid kit that rested against her lower back. She flipped it open with practiced ease, retrieving a package of gauze and ripping the top off, only to split it in two. Handing over the cotton gauze Grim quickly packed up the first aid kit once more. "Make sure you stuff them in far enough, but not so far you can't pull them out again - I can get them out if you do, though." With her last warnings given Grim waited for Arcana to do so before retreating, replacing the first aid kit in its holder before grabbing Tiger's arm and pulling him further away. Smiling in gratitude when Grim offered her the gauze, she couldn't help but admit that it was pretty obvious she was a woman now, even with her voice alteration. It was likely that most people didn't get to spend a protracted amount of time with her, so they would never figure such a thing out. Stuffing the gauze well into her ears, Arcana released a sigh. She would need to do this carefully...the right balance of speed and force. Turning to the numerous men, women, and tragically, children in the line, Arcana drew back her hand and brought it across the face of the first victim of Elysium..and she did the same to a second, a third, and a fourth. One after another, at about three hundred miles per hour, she issued slaps that were just hard enough to jar them awake without inflicting any kind of injury. While she could go ridiculously fast, she was not at all confident she could move more quickly than this while keeping a relative "feather touch". And so she crisscrossed the line at her subsonic speed, issuing out reddening slaps like majorly PO'd Mother Superior. The screams began to pile onto one another, a chorus of sorrow and pain washing over the field, a cacophony of wailing threatening to pierce even the gauze that Arcana had stuff her ears with. It was honestly the loudest sound she'd ever heard, and it was only growing in intensity as she continued to smack more and more of the unfortunate souls trapped here. It took roughly ten minutes for her to make it through all the people who had been infected by the drug, and by that time her head was seriously [i]throbbing[/i]. Rubbing at her temples, she flew back a few dozen meters to observe as the voices gradually began to quieten, the last of the many thousands of people finally vanishing. Exhaling sharply, she drifted to the ground and fell back into a sitting position. While she wasn't [i]physically[/i] exhausted, [i]mentally[/i] was another question. "Well, that was easy enough." Marvin gained some slight enjoyment out of watching her smack people's conscious' to life. Secretly, he was hoping the climax to the ordeal was a little less mundane; all the same, he was unsure of how much he wanted to fight mysterious magical beings. He turned to Grim, "What do you think the chances are of this soil actually being magic?" "Considering it took us a magic portal to even get here? Pretty high." The gauntlet compartment opened once more, and she retrieved two of the cotton swabs - but more importantly the plastic cylinders used to house them after use. She tossed them to the Big Paw. "If you're collecting grab me one too, will you? And an extra cylinder if you need one." Honestly she'd prefer he not get a sample at all if it meant more vigilante work, but she had to pick her battles for right now and fighting in a magical realm was not the place. Instead Grim moved to the front of Lady Arcana, retrieving the first aid kit and kneeling before her. Flipping it open once more she dug through it, finding what she was looking for in a corner and pulling out a bottle of extra strength Tylenol. Honestly she didn't even know if it would work for Lady Arcana, but she looked pretty stressed. Since she still didn't have the gauze out of her ears Grim just held up the bottle to her in question. Marvin got to work collecting several samples of the soil to stow away in the cylinders; he filled both to the brim and stored them safely in his vest. Arcana looked up to see a gloved hand holding a pill bottle. The label said it was Tylenol, which she honestly felt like she could use at the moment. Offering Grim a weary smile, reached out and took it, popping it open. Dropping a few pills down her throat, she swallowed. "Thanks..." Reaching down to the grassy fields, she pushed herself up. "That [i]should[/i] be the end of the riot, right?" If it wasn't, then she truly was out of ideas. She couldn't imagine any other way to bring an end to things at this point. More than anything, she hated the thought that she just spent the last ten minutes bitch slapping over ten thousand people for no reason. "Well done," a voice suddenly echoed throughout the field, it's source not easily discernible. "You've successfully brought an end to the carnage...for now." Arcana blinked at this, frantically glancing about the area for any sign of whomever was speaking to them, but to no avail. "Who...? Where are--" "I hope you've been enjoying my little experiments as much as I have, Zoey, Karen...and Marvin too, now, along with all your other delightful little friends," a low rumbling chuckle caused the grass to sway slightly. "Benjamin and New York were just a sample of all the [i]fun[/i] we'll be having together in the coming months. I look forward to it!" Lady Arcana felt her heart practically start trying to pound its way out her chest when he called her name, as well as the names of her companions. "How about you grow a pair and come down here so I can slap your spoopy-sounding ass too?" "Oh, little Wizardess, I'm not so foolish as to face you directly...yet. But rest assured, the day we meet [i]will[/i] come. Until then, I bid you all a good day." Marvin rose to his feet and strolled over. Ominous voice and threat of equal chill aside, he was ready to get back to New York. He had some experimenting to do. "Karen and Zoey, huh? I always thought the black one was a man." Marvin dug into his vest and tossed Zoey one of the cylinders filled with the magic soil before he spoke again, "I'll find you and get this back to you tomorrow." he was, above all else, blatant and lacked a sense of cordiality--as if that was not evident already. "Let's get out of here." he ended. "... It's unisex." Grim finally offered, and though the modulator hid most of it even to her ears the response sounded weak. Which it was. She hadn't met any man named either Karen or Zoey, and though it was interesting to know the other two's name Grim had frozen at her own. Her identity was a well protected secret for twenty years, only two people knowing who she was. Now that number potentially doubled if these two could put the clues together of who she was. All because of some magical nerd and his 'experiments'. At least for all the trouble it added [i]some[/i] clue to the box currently in her lab, but still... "I hate magic a little," The vigilante muttered under her breath, placing the soil sample beside the other two field samples she had collected this day. Giving a glance around the area and sky once more with her heat sensors but finding nothing that could help she closed the compartment on her gauntlet, commenting gruffly to the other two. "Don't suppose either of you have an idea to track a magical being huh? I don't like leaving the job half-done." "Unisex? Right. I'll run it through Kitty and see what comes back. And I suppose tracking a magic being isn't all that hard. All you would need is an energy signature from them and you could probably integrate it into some tracking tech synthesized to locate that specific energy type on the energy spectrum. Granted, not all of the energies are the same and some might be [i]untraceable[/i] by measures not magical in and of themselves." Lady Arcana noted the other woman's discomfort at having her name revealed. It seemed just as important to "Zoey" as it was to herself. She likely had enemies, after all, and didn't want that getting around. She understood that feeling well enough, and so, despite also being shaken up by the whole experience, she put on her best smile. "I don't mind my name being revealed," Arcana chuckled. "I'm more or less invincible, after all...but I can understand why you both would feel the need to preserve such a thing." Extending a warm hand out to both of them, her smile only broadened. "It's nice to meet you, Karen, Marvin. You can just call me 'Zo', if you like." To say that Grim was stunned was a bit of an understatement, her gaze turning to Lady Arcana. Behind her mask her eyebrows had furrowed in confusion before widening slightly, all hidden. Masks were so useful. A tendril of warmth built up inside her chest. It may have just been a ploy to keep Arcana's own identity secret, selfish in desire, but it helped her either way - and to be honest she didn't think Miss Sunshine had a bad bone in her. Finally, Grim sighed. "I prefer Grim," The masked vigilante responded, keeping in character. Owing Lady Arcana a favor was far preferable to the alternative. Still, she clapped her hand to the other woman's, squeezing her fingers lightly to show her thanks. "The part where we introduce ourselves. Name's Tiger. Some call me Karen." In contrast, Marvin only offered a gentleman's nod. He was far too embarrassed to let a woman and a woman-who-was-pretending-she-was-not-a-woman to feel the scars and callouses on his hands. Lady Arcana smirked at the both of them. "Great. Then let's get back to the city. Hopefully things should be a lot quieter now." --- New York was indeed far more silent than it had been before they left. The constant echos of violence that permeated the city when they left were thankfully gone now. The hundred or so people they had left near the portal were now stumbling about in a daze, trying to figure out what had happened to them. Presumably, all the victims of Elysium throughout the city were in much the same boat. There were still numerous fires, and police and ambulance sirens could be heard all around them as they strived to restore order and give aid to the injured. While there had been much pain this day, it appeared that the violence was at least over. It had been a rather stressful day, at that. Grim was currently looking over Blackstar, hands on his shoulders making sure he didn't squirm away. The mysterious 'voice' had left them alone, much to her relief. She even glanced over Harris, seeing as he was with Blackstar, nodding in approval seeing they were both alright now that they were out of the portal. Inspection done she turned to the group as a whole, humming thoughtfully. "... Eventful day," She finally commented, just to sigh lightly. "Blackstar and I are going to see if we can help with the fires and rescues before returning home. It was a pleasure as always Lady Arcana, and the pleasure was mine, you two." She nodded to the bug man and the pointed ears one, not wanting to admit she had never asked the former for his name and had already forgotten the latter's code name. Catman? Mister Paws? It didn't matter. Speaking of which... "You should think about your career decisions," Grim intoned, focused on Marvin. "You seem like an intelligent man. It'd be a shame for New York to lose that." Marvin pinned his visage on Grim, specifically, "My guess is you've had it pretty easy, huh, Grim? You have nice gadgets--they lack refinement, but they are still better than much of what I have seen. I'm also willing to bet you have a bit of money, [i]lots[/i] of it even, from the design of all those nice gadgets you've got. Probably have yourself a nice place to hide all of that fancy stuff too, huh?" he paused for a brief moment to roll his neck around and relieve some tension in the muscle before continuing, "you're a vigilante like me. But I know for sure you haven't been fighting for this city as long as I have. Don't lecture me. Worry about those close to you--you let that one," he nodded to Blackstripe, "stray too far from the dog house and you might get him eaten. You don't know me, but I know more about you than you think." Marvin began to make his exit; first atop the roof of a car, then a second leap to the roof of a storefront. He was soon shrouded by the black of night. He was still close enough to hear her response. "...Easy?" The sound came out as a low hiss, sliding through the voice modulator like steam. "Easy?!" The vigilante almost bristled like the dog she was named after, her jaw tense and teeth clenched. When her voice came again even through the modulator it came out snarled, calling after Mister Paws' retreating back. "Arrogance like that will get you killed. Killed like every other over-confident jackass with [i]good intentions[/i]! You're not the first person wanting to help your city - Vanessa Copper, Syracuse New York, killed in 2005 after trying to stop a mugging! She died bleeding out in an alleyway! Roger Tucker, Buffalo New York, died in 2013 wearing a homemade mask - [i]get back here you son of a bitch[/i]!" Abruptly Grim's hand shot up, her hookshot activating and slamming into the building that Jackass Paws had escaped up to go after him. Lady Arcana had busied herself after returning to New York by seeking out anyone nearby that might still be trapped under rubble or in hiding, not yet aware that the riot had ended. This place would need a lot of clean up, and she would help throughout the night if she could. Meanwhile, Tiger knew the blocks in and around the Marcy Housing Projects all too well to engage in a [i]mere[/i] goose chase. If she wanted to chase him through [i]his[/i] jungle, he would let her. Across several the roofs of several buildings Tiger went with a calm fluidity and transitional prowess. He knew all along she had her thermo-goggles and could easily track the residue from the warmth of his feet even though she couldn't track the sounds themselves. He stopped his 'evasion' near an empty side street where much of the light was smoke from buildings and dim lit streetlights. The rest was black abyss. He would await her imminent arrival. Across Grim's goggles the text in the upper right signaled the approach she had called for using the gauntlet computer, and in fact she didn't even get a half dozen buildings over before a shadow fell over the one she was currently on. Above her hovered a black jet, no doubt some of the most advanced tech available just from how it hovered. The only distinctive marking on it was on the left hand side - a grey etching of a canine's head, and Grim's unmistakable icon. Most things Grim did were at least [i]attempted[/i] to be subtle, but not this, and not what dropped from it a moment later. Even the low height should've damaged the equally black motorcycle that dropped from the underside of the hovering jet, yet not only did this one not damage, it landed perfectly, the front lighting up as it activated and moved right to Grim's side. Without a hint of hesitation she threw her leg over the beast of a machine, feeling the thrum of the powerful engine beneath her. The left lens of Grim's goggles were already on heat optics, but the right one quickly switched to night vision as she took off after the Pussycat, leaving the jet behind for Blackstar. It wasn't Gotham, but the motorcycle beneath her had no concept of the change of cities anyway. Whatever didn't have something to ramp off of was hopped using the machine's rather impressive propulsion system, Grim tracking after the prints Marvin had left behind akin to her namesake. It didn't take long to catch up to him. With another small 'hop' the tires of the motorcycle skidded along the wall of one of the buildings before pushing off of it, landing with a heavy thud on the concrete floor. The light at the front of the motorcycle lit up the street, and Marvin. Atop it Grim gripped the handlebars with an iron fist, teeth still grit and nearly seeing red. "You always brush off others, thinking you know better?" Marvin stood with both arms calm at his side; beneath the mask, one could feel the look of detachment dancing across Grim's body; his words did not portray the same sentiments, "Do you always let someone who supposedly 'brushes people off' get under your skin? I never claimed to know more or less than you. You did when you presumed I could be lumped together with all the 'others' you so affectionately listed off. My guess is you only really remember things when they are convenient, hm? Defense mechanism, right? I know. Same situation as the ring; the person in front of you doesn't matter until after you can use them as an example or a cautionary tale of why someone [i]shouldn't[/i] think they can do things any differently or better than you." He folded his arms across his chest before he continued. "You're a vigilante who has become a mother. You're wiser, older, and yet and still--you let someone you hardly know incite you to rage. My suggestion? Ask yourself why you're really here before you do something you don't want to and have to add it to the already long list of regrets you have." His tone was filled with energy and cadence, and his words were equally observational as they were intentional. "Let me ask you: what do you think I fight for? Since you know me, of course." A barking laugh escaped Grim's voice modulator, crackling with the noise. Beneath the the engine that quietly purred thrummed with energy as her hands gripped the bars tighter, the noise quickly dying down once more. "I don't give a single fuck what you fight for." Sparks lit up under her right glove briefly, dying down in a moment. "You know what I care about? The fact you could [i]die tomorrow[/i]. So could every other asshole that's putting on a mask right now, running around trying to play hero. Trying to make the world a [i]better place[/i], or to get famous, to get revenge - I really don't care. For all I know you could become the best fucking vigilante the world has ever seen, but you know what the odds say? The odds say you'll die. Alone. Leaving family behind wondering what happened to little Marvin - maybe you don't even have family to mourn you but you'll [i]still be missing from the world[/i]." Another low hiss escaped Grim's lips, and her head dipped slightly to glare at the ground in front of her bike. "So go ahead, analyze me with that smart little brain of yours. Pick apart every detail. Analyze every single person you come across, too! But people can't be fit into boxes, they're animals. Panicky, scared animals that don't always react the way you [i]think[/i] they will! Eventually you'll get hurt, it's inevitable, and it may not be something you can recover from! This isn't some... [i]ring[/i] with rules to abide by. It isn't some equation to be solved. Every single time you put on that mask it's a [i]death match[/i]. But maybe you know that too, huh?" Grim laughed again, it weaker this time, not as harsh. "And maybe I'm just talking to a brick wall but god fucking damnit man, have some self preservation instinct! Maybe you think dying for whatever cause you believe in is worth it but I don't! I've seen just from being with you today you're smart, you're [i]really[/i] smart, and you're fast and you're strong - but it won't always be enough. No, I don't know what you fight for, but I know I don't want to see you or anyone else as just another tragic tale in the obituaries, skinned and flayed and broken." The white cloth mask visibly creased as Marvin smiled wide beneath it. He let out a soft chuckle of his own that was drawn up by the frigid night air, "All your talk about anti-vigilantism and yet you have an apprentice, wear a mask, and chase people down in the dead of night. For all your experience in this business, it seems like you have forgotten some things yourself, hm? I know well what the 'odds' are, Grim. The odds are we all die, it doesn't matter if we choose to sacrifice for ideals or wallow and let other people suffer while we lament the cruelty of the world from our secret lairs; we all die. But, but you know what? Maybe you forgot why you begun your fight in the first place. Someone wronged you, someone wronged someone [i]you loved[/i] and you vowed to protect as many people as you could, without regards to your health. Tell me, Grim, if what we do was [i]really[/i] about arbitrary 'self-preservation', would their [i]be[/i] any justice? For anyone? No. Powered or not, badge or no badge--we all risk our lives because we owe someone we wished we could have helped. We owe him our words and our lives to do right by one another." Marvin breathed in some of the cold night air. "I wager you weren't the first person to put on the mask and make it your life's work to clean up the streets--and you won't be the last. Everyone who follows in your supposed 'footsteps' lived and died standing for something so that [i]you[/i] could sit across from me on your billion-dollar bike with all of your advanced technology and tell me I should find a new path in life. How much do you [i]actually[/i] know about those who are close to you? Do you project your inadequacies on [i]everyone[/i] you meet? Or just those whose names you care to remember outside of the obituary? But then again, the last I checked, the moment a so-called 'vigilante' begins to relegate the names of the human beings she is supposed to serve to being mere cutouts she can hang up on her wall to tell herself she has the moral high ground to lecture another about the rights and wrongs of serving others--that vigilante has lost her right to put on the mask to begin with." There was a brief pause as more thoughts ran through his head, "I've been poor, I've fought--I've lost, I've gotten back up. I was "broken, flayed, skinned" by life with no greater intensity than any person is. The day I don't get back up because I was making sure someone else had safer streets to walk than I did is the day my job is done--and its the day [i]all[/i]vigilante's jobs are done. Deep down, [i]you[/i] know that's the case, too." "I do know that's the case," Grim's voice was softer now, almost defeated from behind the mechanical crack of mask. Her posture remained rigid, and finally she raised her gaze from the ground to look back to Marvin. Any expression on her face was lost. "But what I don't think you understand is I know I can't stop people from doing what I do, what you seem intent on doing, but I will [i]never[/i] stop trying. And yes, maybe that's hypocritical as me, but it's not something that can be explained or analyzed away. Maybe someday you'll be the best vigilante the world has ever seen and you'll know what I mean, but to be honest I hope you never do. Because there's something different in it - I've seen death, I've been a part of it even, but it's never the same as looking at the broken body of someone who was inspired by [i]us[/i] to go right into the maws of death themselves and never went back home to their families. Somehow I doubt you were inspired by me, but this?" Grim reached up, tapping on the mask on her face. "It [i]was[/i] inspired. In you, in me, in everyone who wants to protect the world before and after us. I know the name of [i]every[/i] single person who died trying to be like me, or the Impossibles, not as examples but because the world won't remember them. We lost them all, and everything they could do, before the world could ever know them. So I will." Sirens sounded in the distance, prompting Grim to tilt her head. There were sirens all over the city, but these ones were closer, close enough to ring. The city was still in turmoil. Abruptly the engine on her bike roared to life and the light on Kitten was depleted as the bike turned around. "I can see you won't be convinced. To be honest people rarely are. At least I know you're not taking it lightly." Another rumble from the engine as she revved it, only to pause. "And Marvin, the life of a vigilante is [i]never[/i] easy, even with the fanciest gadgets in the world. Goodbye, Marvin." Kicking off from street the tires didn't so much as squeal before the motorcycle took off, chasing after those sirens in the distance. There was always work to do. Grim could only hope Marvin saw her obituary long before she saw his. 'Goodbye,' Marvin grinned. He wiggled the cylinder he still had from earlier in the clutch of his left hand. 'I'll see you sooner than you think." it was time to see how the dogs lived for once. -- Harris was the last to leave the portal and was the last to leave the spot where they had gathered, he had spent the rest of the time either waddling around confused and attempting to calm The Green down once it had begun to scream at him for leaving. He hadn't understood how they had stopped the riot, but he knew that they'd succeeded somehow. Arcana left first, seemingly to help those who hadn't been in a good way due to the riot. He supposed that was a good idea, so he smashed the concrete beneath him and sank into the ground beneath. A girl cried as the flames continued to rage, her breaths turning into coughs and her body aching as the tiny space around her contorted her form. It was agony, her chest ached, her body stung, and her eyes burned. The car continued to burn far too bright for her eyes, seemingly unable to run out of fuel. Then it began to shake, she felt herself begin to move upwards, then the metal above here let out a creak, then a screech, and then it tore open, revealing a horrible creature, skin made of interlocking plates of plant-matter, themselves constructed of coiling vines or shattered wood. He reached for her slowly, gently, but she recoiled, which drew a similar reaction from the creature. "I don't want to scare you, I'm here to help, I promise," he spoke in a voice gentle as silk, but strong like stone. His arm seemed to grow longer and longer, deftly moving its way through the shattered remnants of the car, then wrapping itself around her, and pulling her out. Harris pulled the girl into a one-armed bridal carry, holding the small child tightly against his chest. He jumped off the car and made his way towards the nearest hospital. Lady Arcana had to admit that it would take a fair amount of time for New York to fully recover from the riots. Weeks, maybe months, despite the conflict only lasting for a few hours at most. That was the terrible thing about violence: it was so much more easy to destroy than it was to build and create. All she could try to do right now was help with the fires and with anyone trapped or unaware the fighting was over. It wasn't difficult to find a place where her help was needed, at least. Descending from the skies above into an apartment complex that had been partially engulfed in flames, she remained floating just outside of the section that was currently burning. She then began to spin in midair, the speed of her rotation rapidly accelerating until a violet cyclone formed around her that drew out the smoke and fire, extinguishing it. Now that the immediate threat to the structure itself was taken care of, she immediately flew inside to look for anyone that had possibly been trapped inside. She started, naturally, with a section that had collapsed due to the fire. It didn't take long for her to hear a woman screaming as she drew closer, Arcana quickly following the sound of her voice to a partially caved-in apartment. "Ma'am?" Lady Arcana spoke softly, seeing that the woman appeared to be unharmed, but was desperately pushing against a sizable piece of debris. Staring down at it, she could see a small arm sticking out from it. At the sound of her voice, the woman turned, tears clearly visible in her eyes. "My son...he's trapped...I can't...he..." Feeling her heart skip a beat at this, Arcana bit her lips and quickly moved to place her hands against the fallen floor from the level above. Lifting it slowly, she saw that the boy had thankfully not been crushed. His mother, her face lighting up in that moment, rushed to pull him out from under it, embracing him tightly. He still seemed to be breathing! Arcana smiled at this, lowering the debris back to where it had fallen once they were safely out of harms way. It was only one life she had saved, but every little bit made a difference. [/center]