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Hell's Kitchen. Not the nicest neighborhood in New York, but lately 'not nice' hasn't really been the whole of it. Vampires, demons, and darkness have been added to the usual gangs, drugs, and poverty that wrack the area.
The vampires and demons at least haven't been unopposed. Some heroic sorts have been fighting when they can. Some have been fighting themselves into the hospital, or they would if they dared go to the hospital. Danny knows a few of the latter sorts. So rather than watch them fight until they couldn't, she started putting out feelers.
A call here, a call there. Someone who knows someone. An ad in the local flyer. People interested in taking a stand alongside others can meet at the church, 8 pm. She's been waiting for a little bit, sitting on the back of a pew in the front row in a green silk gi with the gold mask tied over her features, hair braided down her back.
Please, lord, let someone show up.
*
It's been a busy week for Luke Cage. He's been getting his bar up and running — a hobby, really, more than anything, but it's had a good few customers coming through. And he's talked to a few about the planned gym. Super powered drunks duking it out. What can go wrong?
But Danny's call — fielded by his bartender, perhaps, or else the girl crashing on the couch in his office, redirects his efforts. He's known that things have been going down in Hell's Kitchen, but he didn't know just what — aside from giant cockroaches and the like. Danny's meeting is one he feels he should attend. He arrives at the church, but doesn't sit, finding a place to stand, leaning against a wall. It's not his sort of place, a church.
*
A few minutes before eight, the low rumble of an approaching car comes from outside. The engine noise stops, two doors open, close. Well. Someone has come to the church.
When the door opens, a fairly mismatched pair make their way in. Holding the door is a six-foot tall blonde woman who looks a bit like she got lost on the way to a time machine, judging by the armor she wears and the sword at her hip. Liv's expression is a very grim one, subdued. She tips her chin to usher Duke in ahead of herself.
*
Duke wanders in as Liv directs, looking a little lost. He seems less out of place, though. Mechanic's jumpsuit. Work boots. The bow and arrows, though. Those don't belong in this century — unless you have something you need to shoot with a piece of wood.
*
Well, Longshot did say he'd show up when Danny broke ground. This isn't exactly what he meant, but hey, whatever works. He's been around in Hell's Kitchen long enough now that he can't really help but call it home, so when the word of this little shindig reached his ear, he decided to put his money where his mouth was, so to speak. He's never really had much use for churches, so the location doesn't exactly thrill him; some not so great memories growing up in a nominally Catholic household. He slips in quietly, his blue eyes taking in the iconography around with some bitterness, and moves to near the front of the room to find a seat in a pew, making sure not to sit too close to anyone else so far gathered.
*
Normally Domino wouldn't bother with something like this. 'The town's in sad shape, let's round the people together to make a difference!' It's all her luck that there's something of a personal investment in this situation. Hell, if -Fred- can go out of his way to do some recon then she could, too. And do it much better.
Which is why she's here now. She parked further away and walked the rest of the distance, entering the church from a back entrance rather than the front. Wearing nothing but black she at first looks like a floating head appearing from the shadows. The long coat's probably still hiding plenty about her, hands tucked into broad pockets as she comes to lean back against a carved stone pillar.
*
"The year was 1963. The streets of New York were crawling with nasties. And I ain't even talkin' 'bout the demons. I heard rumors that there was somethin' goin' down in Worship Town. And that all hands needed to be on deck. So I got a few hundred drinks in me, smoked my last stogie an' headed straight for the only thing I know better than myself. Dramatic Pause. Trouble."
Um. Wade? What're you doing?
"Outer Monologuing."
… That's not a thing. You can't make that a thing.
"Well, you typed it."
…
"BAM! IN YO' MONITOR!"
The weirdo standing across the street from the Church of Ladder Day Santas is none other than the Merc With A Mouth: DEADPOOL. He's decked out in his usual attire but has decided to dress more for the occasion by throwing on a yellow fedora and a loud yellow trenchcoat. There's even an old timey speaker watch on his wrist. He stares at the church long enough to notice others enter and make sure that he's at the right place. Not to mention start one more Outer Monologue.
"Detective Dick Pool is on the case." Detective Dick Pool strides across the street with his trenchcoat blowing in the wind that's coming from the huge fan on the other side of the street. The slow motion walking gets backed up by some epic music that hasn't been invented yet and eventually Detective Dick Pool reaches the other side. "Thanks Wease."
"No problem, Loser."
"Asshole!"
"Slap Your Mother With That Mouth!"
The insults are traded just long enough for Detective Dick Pool to pull open the door to the church and walk inside.
"Alright Youse Dons and Dames and Drapers. Let's show these demonic bastards how we do things downtown." Detective Dick Pool holds up a Tommy Gun and grins beneath his mask. "… wait, are we even downtown? I got turned around a few blocks back. Who has a map?"
Sorry, Danny.
*
"Okay, so, if everyone's gonna stand in the back, then we could move this to the side room they use for AA." Danny winks over at Longshot, hopping lightly down from the back of the pew and looking the room over more carefully, including the rafters. "We're short a couple people I was really expecting to show. Which probably means things are at least as bad as I was worried they might be."
With that introduction, she starts toward the back where it seems people are inclined to gather, settling about two-thirds of the way don the aisle. "You've probably at least heard that there's been some weird shit going on in this part of town. Vampires. Demons. Things that make the usual gang activity here look-"
Which is right about when Deadpool walks in with his trench coat and his tommy gun, bringing her to a pause.
"Hi, this is the good guys meeting, so let's point the guns at the ground until it's time to use them, thanks. Things are bad and I know at least two people who've been trying to fight it non-stop and are going to get themselves killed that way," she picks up her previous train of thought, looking around. "Seems to me this is a whole neighborhood. We want to keep it safe and keep ourselves alive to keep keeping it safe, we'd be better off working together."
*
Luke nods at Liv from his place by the wall as she enters. Dick's antics make him watch the man warily — but he doesn't pull himself away from his position. He may not know many of the people here, but if Danny's called them in they can probably handle themselves.
He listens to Danny's words, but doesn't comment. He's worked on his own for quite awhile. He certainly won't say no if people want to team up and clean out the Kitchen, but he doesn't need to say that aloud.
Luke Cage is frequently a man of few words.
*
Liv has been around a long time. She has some practice ignoring crazy. Wade still gets a very healthy dose of the old Asgardian Side-Eye as she lingers next to Duke, her hands clasped loosely behind her back. Surely, this is fine. Surely.
She returns Luke's nod with a quick smile before her attention is on Danny, and she finds herself straightening in place. "Well. You're not wrong," Liv says slowly. "Things are… well. Lone wolfing it doesn't appear to be working out," she grunts, giving the man she came in with a somewhat guilty look.
*
"Yes, well. It's a mess," Duke offers helpfully. "Could add some profanity to that, in case it helps. Something's settled in here." He shrugs, looks thoughtful. "Harder to get rid of than roaches, undead. Takes a lot of work. And experience." It seems he might have some of that to offer.
*
Longshot has had only a few tussles with the invading forces from the Hellmouth; he's had the good sense to steer as clear as he can from trouble, for the most part. Or he's just been lucky. But at the end of the day, the fewer demons troubling everyone the better, am I right? He gives Danny a smile when she acknowledges him, and gives her his attention when she starts the meeting properly, though he does take the requisite time to make note of the others who have gathered. He nods along as she speaks, and when Wade makes his entrance, he can't help but chuckle audibly. The guy's got a way about him, that's for sure.
*
One nice thing about being an unknown entity, people don't yet know if you aren't one of the 'good' guys. It's not the sort of label Domino would ever use for herself, but with extenuating circumstances and all…
Besides, someone needs to try and keep Wade in check.
With a silent sigh she pushes away from the pillar and walks right on over to where Wade is hanging around. She'll even 'help' relocate the business end of the Tommy gun toward the floor, if he doesn't take care of that on his own.
"Look, I know you're used to being on your own side but you might end up being the wildcard this lot needs to come through," she tells him on the down-low. "I don't care what you're fighting for but there'll be plenty of chances to go get your murder on once we've got a plan."
Sooner or later it'll catch up to her that she's trying to talk some sense into the looniest nut in the bin.
Then for the benefit of everyone in the area, she calls out to Danny "And do we have the slightest idea what's keeping this portal open, or how to shut it down?"
*
"Right. Good Guys. I'm one of those. See the coat? And the fedora? This means I'm a Detective." Deadpool makes it very clear that he's not here to cause trouble or anything. Which is why the Tommy Gun just gets propped up on his shoulder for the time being. "Don't worry. Me and Tammy here are gunnin' for demonic creatures only. The last time I tangled with 'em, they stole one of my favorite guns. I aim to get it back. IN SPADES!" Deadpool isn't even sure he's said the right thing but whatever. He's pretty much all in.
He doesn't really seem to be listening to anyone's actual good ideas. It's about this time that Deadpool realizes that Domino has been talking to him. Probably because his Tammy Gun has been pointed to the floor. "Huh?" If he heard her, he isn't showing any signs of agreement or anything. "Y'know, for a stalker, you sure are pretty. Do restraining orders work in reverse? Just a thought." is tossed at Domino.
ADD Attack! Deadpool is focused on the others again. "… that goes for the rest of you too. All of you." Deadpool waggles his eyebrows from beneath his mask. So weird. But at least he's not interrupting the planning, right?
*
"Not a goddamn clue," Danny shakes her head to Domino. "I'm not even sure if closing that thing in Central Park will solve the problem here or if it'd be like taking out an ant's nest when you've already got roaches in the house," she gestures toward Duke's analogy. "One of the guys who was supposed to be here has the information for some guy who's some sort of wizard. He might know better about that. But in the mean time?"
Danny turns a circle, gesturing toward the doors. "This neighborhood's already got it rough. Now the people who have jobs have to choose between losing them, or trying to get to work around vampires. I'm not okay with that."
Duke's the first who's spoken of experience, so she looks to him next. "I can do work. I can fight. Seems like undead things don't do great against chi. But I can't do it alone. And I really don't know much of anything about these things."
*
Luke squints in Deadpool's direction. Is this guy for real? His rapid conclusion is that the man is insane, but probably harmless. For the moment. The albino chick seems to know him, and is likely more dangerous.
"I'm here, Danny," he says, voice a deep rumble. "I don't know these vampires. I don't think they gonna break through my skin, though, so shouldn't be much problem for me, takin' 'em down."
*
"Anything that can be opened can be closed again, but that is a matter for… spells, for sorcery. Not at all my skill set, I'm afraid," Liv calls towards Domino, offering her a very wry smile. She nods towards Danny when she mentions a wizard. Yes, that does sound more suitable.
Liv runs a hand back over her hair, lips pursed in thought. "Whatever's already spilled out will need to be dealt with, even if the portal is closed. There's at least one ancient vampire that's set up shop here, and I owe him a visit. But given how much trouble I had with one of his lieutenants…" She trails off, her expression growing troubled. She is clearly not someone who is accustomed to asking for help in a fight.
It does remind her, though. Liv looks towards Luke, frowning. "Don't take that for granted. Their teeth have cut me. I hope you won't have a problem, but. Be careful."
*
"Assume nothing," Duke says neutrally. "Even if the teeth don't break skin, they have other means — the fog affects the nerves. Few things are immune to that except for them." He gives Danny a little nod. "Chi." It takes him a moment to find the term, during which he looks at Liv with some confusion, then his expression clears. "Prana. Ruah. Yes. They don't know life, it's anathema. Like sun."
*
Longshot is a little bit out of his element here, but his hearts are in the right place for once. He isn't the world's greatest fighter, nor is he particularly strong. He's fast, and he's limber, and he can.. throw pointy objects at things? Magical portals and spells are a little bit above his paygrade. "I don't know much about portals, or spells, or fuckin' mystical creatures from beyond, but for those of us who can't offer much help with the larger problem, maybe setting up some kind of organized patrol would be a good place to start. Keep the folks who live 'round here from getting eaten on their way to the market," he suggests.
*
Honestly, Domino expected a lot of what she said to go right over Wade's head. The fact that -all- of it had been completely ignored…
The fact that he's so distracted does work in her favor, however. She just reaches out and removes the magazine from the Tommy gun in his hand, then makes a point of holding it up for everyone else to see before tucking it out of sight under her coat.
"Do your thoughts have a kill switch?" she asks back, all smiles and pleasant tone of voice.
Back to Danny and the others, and perhaps stating the obvious here, she says "Fighting them's not going to do us any good without that intel. Without a direct objective we're just wasting resources and making ourselves easier targets. Our first step should be tracking down this wizard and whomever has the relevant info."
Just two weeks ago this whole situation would have been laughably crazy to her. What the Hell happened..?
"If immediate containment is too big of a concern then divide and conquer, keep the heavy-hitters in the streets and send out some trackers."
*
"What the crabapples is Chi?" Deadpool does not understand half of what is being talked about but he's pretty sure he's getting the other half. "Oooh! Ooooh!" Deadpool waves his hand like he's been studying with Hermione Granger for the past six years. "OOOOOOOOOOOH!" He doesn't think he's going to get called on so he just decides to move right into saying his suggestion. Besides, it'd be dumb to wait a whole round of poses just to get called on! "Sooooo. Watch and be amazed!" Deadpool turns his body and swipes up with his pistol, puts it to his head and pulls the trigger. Blood splatters (along with some other stuff) and while he may be in pain, that's pretty much all that happens besides the loud sound of a gun going off. He may be crazy but he's not that crazy because he made sure to turn just enough to make sure the bullet doesn't head for anyone else in the church and even makes /that/ look like an accident. BECAUSE HE DOESN'T CARE, GUYS.
"… Ow." Deadpool shakes his head and shrugs, putting his gun back where it belongs. "I'm pretty much unkillable? So if you guys write me a check, I can go take care of your vampire problem for you. I'll even give you guys the Too Hot To Trot discount!"
Deadpool doesn't even notice that his Tammy Gun isn't full of bullets anymore. He was too busy shooting himself in the head to prove his usefulness. Also, if anyone looks at the hole in his head, they'll get to see that it's already healing. Suck it, Logan.
Deadpool leans over to whisper something to Domino about her being able to kill his switch anytime, baby. Maskbrow Waggle.
*
"That…is an excellent point," Danny points at Luke when he mentions his skin. "See? I knew you were perfect for this." Because she totally thought about that and wasn't just calling anyone she could reach. Totally. Longshot's suggestion gets a nod. "That's what I was thinking," she agrees.
"The big stuff is going to take more time and more power. But the other night I watched a cop car drive away from an attack. Drive away. I mean, I get it, the cops turn more blind eyes here than anywhere other than Mutant Town, but these are people's lives."
Which is when Deadpool shoots himself in the head, giving her another long moment of pause. Keeping an eye on the lunatic, Danny hops up to sit on the back of a pew again. "Maybe we should have a little AA share before we make plans, so we know what we're working with."
"Hi, I'm the Iron Fist, and I'm the Immortal Weapon of the celestial city of K'un Lun. I do martial arts and focused chi. Which…" She looks to Deadpool again. "It's basically life energy." Lifting a hand, she focuses her chi until it glows golden around the fist. "Very shiny. And apparently anathema to vampires, which is good to know," she smirks over at Duke. "Already learned something."
*
Liv's hand is on the hilt of her sword as soon as Deadpool's pistol comes out, and then he… does that. She blinks owlishly, head cocking to one side as she casts a very slow, uncertain look at Domino. Sorry, Dom — she's associating you with the crazy man. "…that will probably be beneficial," she allows, forcing herself to release her sword. Calm. At least the crazy seems to be well-intentioned.
She gives Danny a puzzled look at 'AA share' before it becomes more apparent what she means. Oh. Liv manages not to look too anxious about this notion. "I don't know that I've ever tried to summarize all of this before," she admits, running a hand over her face. "Ah… Liv. Just Liv. Strong, sturdy, good with a sword… I guess?" Why is she looking to Duke for help. He's even less sociable than she is.
*
"Raphael Duke." Duke shrugs a little helplessly. He doesn't remember so how's he going to say more than that? "I run Dio's Scrap Yard most of the time, but I can patch you up if you get in a scrape as well. I also…" He gestures toward the bow. "They're not that much of a problem, not the average ones. The vampires. Like Liv, I fight, when I have to. Well."
*
Sure, Longshot will play along with this little 'tell us about yourself' game. Of course, he's not all that inclined to give up his every secret. And he doesn't really have a secret identity, at least not in the 'superhero' sense of the word. Before he starts, he stands up. Has he perhaps done this before? "I'm Longshot. I'm not a great fighter, I'm not very strong, and I don't know shit all about magic," he says. Great start! "But I'll lend a hand where I can. I'm.. lucky," he says in closing, and sits back down.
*
"JEE-Zus!" Domino yelps and jumps in defense as Wade just up and puts a bullet through his brainpan, right here in the church. In front of everyone. With no disregard to making noise and drawing attention to them all.
Unfortunately she didn't manage to take the mags out of -all- of his weapons. Ugh..god, standing too close, she's got blood on her face. Maybe she should try to take his pistol as well, but he's probably got a backup gun to his backup gun somewhere nearby.
Rubbing at her ringing ear with the Mother of all Scowls etched upon her features she's momentarily distracted by Danny's show of power. Without the demonstration the introduction she just gave herself sounds like the sort of thing a child's imagination would come up with. Celestial City..? Immortal Weapon? For real? People actually -call- things like that?
And -that's- Liv?? The one that put the ad in the paper? Oh—crud, it's her turn for introductions.
Sloooowly thumbing some of the blood specks off of her cheek, she cryptically says "I'm just here to bring someone home."
*
"HI! I'm Deadpool!" Wade is waving like he's the next contestant on the price is wrong or something. He might as well be looking into a movie camera or something. It's all about the making himself known enough to be paid attention to and such foolishness as that. "Let's see. Since you guys can't read my info, I'll just give you the cliff notes. I can't die. I'm a kick ass super killer destroyer of all that I survey. Also? I really, really want some tacos. Are we going to order in or…?" Deadpool has forgotten all about what they were here for in the first place. Deadpool then realizes he hasn't been completely giving with the knowledge, he moves a step away from Domino and thumbs at her over his shoulder, "She's my stalker. Don't worry. She's harmless. Unless you count those huge boo—" WADE! Stop talking about boobs for /one/ second! Jesus! This is serious! "Right. Vampires. And stuff. Go ahead. I'm listening." He's not.
*
"Okay, then." Danny gives her hand a shake, like putting out a match, before she summarizes back around the group. "Two invulnerable," she points at Luke and Deadpool. "Brawler," she points at Liv, "Shooter," at Domino. "Shooter and…healer?" at Duke. "Lucky," at Longshot. "And finesse," she points a thumb at herself.
"I'm starting to think I might be missing one or two people as well," she grimaces to Domino. "Daredevil's not much of a joiner, he could just be out fighting. But my friend Marcus, the one who knows the wizard? He'd been having some trouble with all this magic screwing with his powers. And I haven't seen him in almost a week now. So."
"Step one is something to keep the people around here safe. Step two is figuring out what's going on with the rest. Is everyone willing to take some shifts for a patrol?"
*
Liv's eyes go from person to person as they introduce themselves, then again as Danny summarizes. "I've been patrolling already, so I have no problem continuing to do so… although. There is an actual target that needs to be addressed," she says, loosely folding her arms over her chest. She eyes Deadpool thoughtfully, fingers drumming against her arms. "He's too much for me to go after myself, but with help, maybe — "
She pauses as someone Danny said registers and looks her way again, blinking once. "Marcus… dark hair, yea tall?" Liv asks, holding up a hand. "Glowing runes on his skin?"
*
Duke gives Wade a narrow look at last, then leans over to whisper in Liv's ear. When she answers him in kind, he looks surprised, takes another look at Wade.
"Oh," Duke says mildly. "Thought I might have fucked up the last batch of LSD." Okay then. He looks relieved.
"I can do patrol in the off hours," Duke tells Danny. "But they'll come for me. Never worked out why. Undead. Demons. I'm…bait. It's inconvenient but might be put to use here."
*
"Like I said, happy to lend a hand where I can. I'm not heading out there to face these things on my own, but I'll play backup for anyone who wants it," Longshot states. If nothing else, having a lucky charm around can't hurt matters, right? "Just let me know when and where, I'll show up," he says.
*
Here comes the rolling of the eyes! To the mouthy merc's 'stalker' comment Domino dismisses the whole matter with a "Whatever," then takes the opportunity to go stand ..somewhere else. By herself. Away from him. It's probably much safer that way.
The group speaker successfully pegs Domino's skillset. Point to Danny. Yet, it's another name she drops which has the albino's thoughts leaping back into motion. 'Daredevil'… The guy's costume matches the name. His area of operation is in the right spot. And he's caught up in this whole business. Dollars to donuts the guy that's been a thorn in her side, among others, is the same one Iron Fist just mentioned.
"I don't think you'll be getting much help from Daredevil on this side of the fence, unless he recently found a way back. As for the community watch, I'm rounding up some extra support. Or..I don't know, Luckster over there and I could pick some off from a distance," she aimlessly shrugs while motioning toward Longshot. Sniping some demons might boost her mood, who knows.
*
"I'll take all the shifts. Did I mention that I don't get tired either? Stamina of a GOD and all that." Deadpool doesn't mind bragging about his powers and abilities because there are some fine ass people in this church and the more they know about him the better. He waggles his maskbrows at each and every other person at this meeting. So weird.
"Soooooo. I noticed you keep skipping over it whenever I bring up money. And I'm all for saving puppies and homeless and all but they call me the /Merc/ with a Mouth for a reason." Deadpool waits for someone to pick up that ball. Or he's just doing a comedic pause. Either way he brings up the punchline. "… that reason being that I'm a mercenary? As in I get paid? For my services?" Deadpool looks around and then over to Domino. "… I'm speaking English, right? I didn't slip into Cantonese again, did I?"
*
"I would have noticed if you'd slipped into Cantonese," Danny replies to Deadpool in that language. Of course the kung fu master speaks Cantonese. It's Liv and Domino's comments about the people not present that have most of her attention, though. "Yeah, that's Marcus. And what do you mean, back?" She looks between the two, straightening up a little bit. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like those answers. Hold that thought."
"All right. So bait. You can draw these things out, which helps the rest of us keep them off of normal people's backs. It also gives us a chance to take some in for questioning and figure out how to get to the big guy." A glance to Domino. "You seem like the questioning type, yeah?"
*
Longshot gives a nod to Domino when she mentions the prospect of working with him, "Sounds good, Spots," he replies to her. Hey, if he gets a cutesy nickname, she does too. Maybe Deadpool's irreverence is having an effect on him. The Merc's question about money gets a bit of a laugh, and his attention turns back to Iron Fist, Domino, and the others gathered. He'll keep quiet again, until something demands his more immediate attention.
*
"The demons have the money, Wade," Domino almost groans while pinching the bridge of her nose. Maybe he'll actually believe her and go on a demonic murder rampage trying to find the one with the nonexistant cash? The guy can't die anyway, so her conscience stays clear!
The glance the albino passes back to Iron Fist should answer the first question well enough. No, Danny probably isn't going to like the answer for Daredevil's whereabouts. Though the next question..that actually leaves her tilting her head slightly, like 'how did you guess that one?'
"Are you asking me to interrogate a demon..?" Just so they're on the same page, and all! She looks confused, though once again rolls her shoulders. "Yeah. Why not." It might prove to be one heck of a sanity check for her, too.
*
"I know — " Liv has to stop herself two words in because they come out in flawless Cantonese, nose wrinkling in annoyance. Deep breath. Try that again, Liv, in english this time. "…I know that Marcus was feeling drawn to the portal in Central Park. If he's missing, I would expect he's there. Near it, or through it." There. That's better.
As for the question of finding 'the big guy'… Liv leans over to murmur quietly to Duke, raising her eyebrows at him. "So… do you want to tell them about Dracula, or should I?"
*
"AHHHHH! FREAKY LANGUAGE POWERS!" Deadpool points with fear at Danny and leaps high enough to backflip towards Domino's arms. Scooby Pool moment!
Whether she actually catches him or lets him smack into the church floor is irrelevant because Wade can't find the energy to shut up. He never shuts up. He's just not wired that way. "Wait a second. You're telling me that vampires, demons, wolfmen and politicians have come to our world… TO TAKE OUR MONEY?!" Deadpool's anger is rising. "… I'll kill 'em. I'll kill 'em all."
*
"Dracula." Duke looks frustrated, shakes his head at Liv. "I should remember. He must have been gone a long time. Longer than you." Wade's outburst draws his attention back to the monetary issue.
"They like money," he confirms, sounding thoroughly baffled by that, maybe even a little disgusted. "They live a long time, there was…" He fumbles around in his bag, pulls out what's probably a priceless gold and ruby pin, and flips it to Deadpool. "I took that from his study place where he was making a new vampire. He wasn't in, obviously. Wait, I think there were some coins…" He seems indifferent, himself.
*
Danny can, theoretically, pay. There's just a question of just how much she wants to be connected to the crazy person. "Could be a demon, could be a vampire. I mean, depends on what we catch on our little fishing trip," she smiles crookedly back at Domino. "But if-"
She stops, looking back to Duke and Liv. "Sorry, did you say Dracula? Like…black and white movie, Bram Stoker, I vant to suck your blood?" As if that's weirder than just acknowledging vampires in general. "Not like a title, but the guy himself?"
*
"I'm afraid so." From Liv's tone, she knows precisely how absurd it sounds and is very much resigned to being the bearer of ridiculous news. She focuses on Danny, though after Duke has tossed Wade the pin, she does blindly reach over to hold the bag closed with one hand. That's plenty, partner. "All stories come from somewhere. I'm fairly sure he's just one of the delightful horrors that came up out of that thing in the park."
*
THIS time Domino sees it coming. (Deadpool's really kinda hard to miss.) Just how he manages to spring up and over to her like that is beyond her, but the notion of her actually catching the guy..is beyond him. She just takes a step back and lets gravity do its thing. Clearly the landing doesn't knock the stupid out of him, either.
-Holy HELL!- Dom can't help but stare with rather huge eyes as Duke just up and tosses what has to be a very valuable item toward Wade. So..yeah..! Maybe she's got more reason to be here than pulling ol' Raven out of Hell, after all!
Back to Danny, Dom tries to write off the bizarre nature of the op by being really casual about the whole thing. "So wooden stakes and holy water. Sounds fun."
*
From the floor, Deadpool's hand shoots up to catch the expensive pin and he brings it down to peer at through the eyes of his mask. His breathing gets all heavy and he cradles the priceless gem with all the love and care of something that's actually precious. He even starts rocking back and forth and for the first time since he's been here, Deadpool shuts up. There's some drool leaking out of his mask as he has been completely hypnotized by the just-as-good-as-cash in his hands right now.
Deadpool Will Be Right Back After These Messages…
*
Duke looks at Liv's hand on his bag, shrugs. "Dog's gonna be mad about that, isn't he?" he asks Liv. He still doesn't get this stuff. "Anyway, since the immortal is getting paid and we know who we're after — " He stops, thinks for a moment.
"We have to consider why he's limiting himself." He frowns at Liv, then looks around to see if anyone else has an answer. "He should have a larger territory. He could have a larger territory. The only reason an apex predator would limit themselves like that is, well." He gestures vaguely. "Other predators. But that shouldn't stop us from cleaning out the area. Just know something else might be waiting to move in."
*
"There's always something waiting to move in here," Danny grimaces to Duke. "Part of why I was hoping Daredevil'd be here, he knows this neighborhood. If he's out of the picture, though, we're going to have to work with what we've got. Luke's been looking into some things here, he'll have information." She looks to Liv and Duke then, since they seem to have the low-down on the vampires. "What are we looking at now, though?"
*
"Goodie," Domino flatly responds to Duke's observation. "So we're all comfortably residing in 'awful' with 'even worse' right around the corner. Sounds like the average Monday around the Kitchen." So, vampires! "And how do we kill the bastards? Does wood through the heart actually work? They've made military training rounds with wooden slugs, not accurate at any distance but for up close work they could fit the bill." They're cheap, too!
*
Deadpool has finally managed to put his precious away into one of his pouches and pops up from the floor. He even salutes. "Alright! You can all relax now! I've been paid in full! I'll take care of this demon problem!" He starts pretending to roll the sleeves of his costume up. He can't. There's a trenchcoat over them and the suit is on way too tight. It's so awkward. "Let me at 'em! Put me in coach! I'm ready to slay!" Deadpool doesn't seem like the type to plan, huh? He's also not really been listening to the actual intel that's being tossed back and forth between people. He'll just read the log later.
*
"Wood through the heart." Duke pulls out an arrow, spins it, tucks it back into his quiver. "Sunlight, except on the few daywalkers. Those, most of you should run from anyway. Silver helps. Decapitation kills them temporarily and then a stake through the heart. Holy water and crosses seem to work at least to run them off — especially if you're a believer. Don't work for me. Garlic weakens them, especially if you get it in them. But they're not dead until they're dust. Even then, some can come back. Unless you leave a pile of ashes, you might just have a pissed off vampire."
He turns his attention to Wade. "Stick 'em through the heart with a stick. Poetic justice. Or, we'll make some wooden bullets. I can get some proper wood and treat it." He looks baffled as knowledge unconnected to any memory bubbles up to the surface. "Magic can do some damage. And fire. Fire's always good."
*
"I've left a few piles of dust," Danny nods to Duke. "Chi through the heart seems to be pretty effective. It means getting a lot closer than I want to be on my own, but with some help to hold them down? Would be a hell of a lot easier." She hops back down from the pew, pacing a few steps. "Okay. So. Patrols. Catch one of them and see what we can find out about home base. Track down the wizard. Close the thing in the park. After we get our friends out of it. And kill the big bad vampire."
*
"Well, he's angry at me — or will be," Liv says thoughtfully, her arms still folded over her chest. "I stole from him twice over. Do you suppose he'll know my scent?" she asks Duke, raising her eyebrows at him. "I know Jack told him what part of town we live in, so when he realizes she's gone, he may come looking around the Village. Unless someone else has set up shop there and it's why he's sticking to this neighborhood."
*
Here's something the albino knows! "And incendiary munitions," Domino adds without another thought about it. She nods once to Duke and offers "If you can make the bullets I can load the brass. Let's focus on thirty cal, NATO-spec. Toss a few M-14's into the hands of the resistance and we should put a real dent in their operations."
*
Deadpool has wandered off to look at some of the things in this church. He's currently sprawled out on the altar (if there is one?) with a bible in his hands. It looks like he's reading it from the end to the beginning. "Has anybody else read this?" He holds the bible up for a second. "Spoiler alert? The world ends!" Deadpool pauses before his masked eyes get back into the holy text. "Holy Hackman. THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW!" Deadpool points off in Duke's direction because he totally cheated and read his wiki page. "You! Call this God person up! Let's kick some ass! I want a chance to pawn this jewel!"
*
Not that God and Duke are on speaking terms and, on top of that, it's hard to work things out with a guy you don't believe in anymore. On the other hand, chronic amnesia means there are no hard feelings.
"The end of the world doesn't look like this." Duke has no idea how he knows that, he just does. "The thing in the park is close, though. Did someone say they had a friend in there?" Wait. He tracks to Danny. "I might be able to drive. But first." Domino. Duke points at her.
"I have a workshop at the scrap yard. And there's beds if someone needs one. I don't — " Duke gestures vaguely. "I understand shotguns, the new guns are…irrelevant. But show me what you want, we can probably make it. I have silver. I melt it down, store it." He pauses. "I don't know why. Maybe for this?" He looks over at Liv. "I think he'll know us when he sees us. Dracula. We…stand out."
*
"It's not the end of the world," Danny rolls her eyes at Deadpool. "And anyhow, if it is, I'm going down fighting the good fight. But yeah, it sounds like from what these two said," she points a thumb at Liv and Domino, "I've got a couple of missing friends who might've gone missing in that area. The wizard might be able to help with that, though."
*
Liv just smiles to herself as the end of the world is brought up and dismissed, staying quiet. At least, on that topic. "Enough things have been coming out of the portal that I'd be shocked if nothing had gone through the other way. I'd been planning on taking a look, but — frankly, I have no idea how to get back out again once I'm in." She shrugs helplessly. Apparently she'd just been planning to cross that bridge when she came to it. What could go wrong?
*
Is the guy with gold trinkets to spare really offering Domino somewhere to crash..that's also full of precious metals? Heck, the guy had her at 'scrap yard!' It's the kind of place she could do some serious damage, but factor in all of this other wonderful news…
She's still not buying all of the other stuff that Duke has been talking about during the meeting, but she does know he's good for the payout. Besides, where else can she find silver bullets made to order on such short notice?
"Alright, you're on. I'll round up some kit and head on out there. Just tell me where to go. End of the world or not, let's go have some fun."
*
Duke looks at Liv, then shrugs. "Tex," he says simply. "You know the streets where the scrap yard is. You tell them." He still doesn't have the hang of streets. "The dog will let you in," he says to Domino. "Any one else, just tell him I'm expecting you."
*
"Sounds like we've got the beginning of a plan, then," Danny nods. "I'm going to see if I can find the wizard, find out for sure about the missing people. Then I'll meet you guys back at the scrap yard and we can start out with some patrols." She grins, lopsided, as she looks around the group. "Thanks for coming out, people. Means a lot to know none of us are doing this alone."