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It was your average day in New York. Thus far, nothing interesting has happened today, which may be a nice change of pace for some, but not all. Birds were chirping and the average person had a smile on their face, and for once, that?s a relaxing sight.
With a loud purr of his engine that Harlem could probably hear, Robbie Reyes arrives in his '63 Dodge Charger. He wears his signature leather jacket, though this time with a grey hoodie underneath to stay nice and warm. He also appeared to look a little nicer today, having grown out a beard only a little, and his hair having grown long enough to be manscaped. Lookin? good, Reyes.
he parks on the side of the street for those wanting to enjoy the park to simply chill in the car seat, just looking around the place with nothing in particular to get done.
For reasons unto herself, Scarlett stands in a tree. Quite literally in a tree, a spyglass in her hand, the honest to God bronze and glass construct peering up at the city skyline rather than something in the grass or among the park's finer corners. The street swings around not far from her, though she has yet to really stand out unless someone regularly looks for redheads wearing green of a forest shade standing about ten feet off the ground. Her swinging passage eventually arcs to ground level, but she's not moving fast or particularly urgently.
Mind, being perched on a branch that probably shouldn't support even her lithe weight has something to do with this risk. And there's too the probability that matters might be complicated by the way she rotates, not even using her hands to balance herself. It's all in those fantastic boots.
One might even gain the impression that Scarlett is fairly detached from the rest of the world because it takes an angry raven shouting at her and possibly a honk of Robbie's horn for her to cease what she's doing and blink. Sadly, no ring of oxidized goo around her eye socket appears; this is not something she's scrounged from a pirate wreck in a pond on Long Island.
Time to check on the wards. A weekly excursion, it's one Strange doesn't mind terribly overmuch this morning. Crisp but not too cold, the leaves are a beauty to behold in the trees about the park. One by one, they fall, diadems shed for the changing of the seasons, and he makes a point to scuff through a small patch simply…because he can.
He's easy enough to spot, at 6'2" and wearing a bright crimson scarf along with his black Belstaff jacket. Black gloves cover scarred hands, though do nothing to impede any sort of casting that needs be done. His attention is turned inwardly and he walks with a sense of direction — towards the suturation of the Hellmouth in the Park as the eventual goal. The sound of a car pulling up brings his attention there and a little smile of recognition tugs at his lips.
"Reyes," he calls, lifting a hand as he angles his path towards the vehicle parked alongside the path. Another sound garners his attention, that of the raven, and a quick glance upwards into the trees satisfies both curiosity and entertainment tally for the morning. Is that…? It is. In Scarlett's direction, the projection of unspoken words should float by on the morning breeze, warm with amusement: «Sighted anything on the horizon, milady?»
Back to Reyes, and the Sorcerer whistles low as he pauses by the car, hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat. "That is quite the ride."
Robbie would still be resting a little, you know, just casually enjoying a good morni- wait, is that Scarlett up in that tree? Why was she in a tree. Leaning forward only a little, his attention is stolen by a more casual looking Sorcerer Supreme when he calls his name and compliments his ride.
?Strange.? He greets in return, giving him an upnod in greeting. ?Thanks for the compliment. It?s a ?63, but I may or may not have done some custom work on it. Enjoying the day or here on business?? He asks curiously. Before looking back to Rogue…
…and honks his horn as if to try to get her attention to himself and Strange like ?Yo! We?re here?
"The hard path known by the Wolf-Prince doesn't seem to be open. There is a blessing for that." Whatever words Scarlett speaks come at the lowest of volumes, cast by sister wind to brother earth, in melodies rapturous. Not even the blaring squawk of a supercar's horn quite disrupts the progress she seeks to make.
A shrill trump of a demanding angel fallen, the visceral quality resonates along the bones and rattles thoughts directly from her head. Imagine someone sloughing off their skin along with their attention, and the frisson racing down the bohemienne's spine holds gathering force enough to knock free a few of the clinging brown leaves adorning that maple. Its slipshod grandeur has all the threadbare quality of a thrift shop find, hinting at long ago finery shed as the year advances on. One spot of foliage spins round and round, alighting finally on an entirely forgettable rock.
The spyglass smartly stashed at her belt, for there is indeed a cinnamon span double-wrapped around the narrow nip described by her waist, and she leaps down. The mere flaming trail of her braids catches the air, a sultry pennant that falls to the wayside with a double thump of her boots impacting. "I should know better than to disrupt two men talking about business, money, or cars. Somehow this seems the lesser sin. Lovely ride, of course, and probably full of stories to tell," she murmurs. In a mood fey and bright, this one.
Reyes gets a nod for the information given up in regards to the car. It's a fine specimen indeed and for a fleeting second, the Sorcerer wonders at owning such a vehicle. It's a passing fancy; who needs a car when one can open a Gate to other places on the planet, much less other dimensions entirely? A redhead's reply floats on the breeze and gives him something new for his busy subconscious to mull over, to roll about like a small ball of yarn fit for unraveling at his dextrous paws.
Scarlett's soft words reach him and he glances over in time to see her stick the landing with a gymnast's grace. His smile towards her is markedly more friendly, implying past acquaintanceship at minimum, and he adds his own thoughts to the matter.
"How could we take insult from such an interruption? You bring the hues of autumn in your wake, Scarlett." A faint twinkle in his eyes to be found. "I figured Reyes for a motorcyclist at heart, however. Left the bike at home then?" he asks the young man.
Robbie watches with a little nod as Scarlett dismounts her tree branch with a finesse, and when she finally approaches with her personality and appearance of the Fall season, Reyes nods in agreement with Strange ?I?d have to agree with the doctor. It?s pretty hard to say ?run along? to a friendly face chica. By all means, join.?
then the great Sorcerer asks his question, and Robbie recalls personally delivering a demon to hell…but had to deal with the stragglers who attempted with a futile boldness to follow his blazing path. While clearly all was well in the end, Reyes shrugged a little.
?You?re not wrong, I just like vehicles in general. Bit of a Motorhead for lack of a better word. The bikes at home, giving it a tune up.? He nods to Strange.
"You could certainly say move along, and simply to be polite, I should have to do the very thing," Scarlett answers, a touch dreamy as her tone slips further into the spectrum of English, all clotted cream, strawberry preserves, and lavender tea. Her fingers stray to the braids confined in their thin lattice, teasing down the length of each as though the ophidian locks were loose. She gives a toss of her head instead, knocking away some sleepless revelation.
"Though I might be sad." An admission of the greatest threat of all, the danger of a woman's disappointment. A weapon sharper than any dagger, when wielded properly. Her smile hangs faintly in the balance, all the same, taking the sting of the winter frost for something kinder. Such as 'kind' might be considered of anything from the Soul-Thief. "Motorcyclist for him, pilot for you, and falling star for me. I'm trying not to feel troubled with the state of the world, but boldly here, there is trouble."
"Perhaps you'll need to bring out the bike again, Reyes," Strange murmurs just loudly enough to include all present, looking with moderate significance at the young man briefly, sitting so contentedly in his ride. Those sharp eyes flick back to Scarlett now and what brevity lightened them melts away for the assuming of the power of his mantle. It's unseen, but yet still palpable, granting him a vaguely militaristic air. Or maybe it's simply how he holds himself, unquestionably self-confident as base state.
"What's on your mind, Miss Scarlett?" he asks in a prompting tone.
Robbie definitely would prefer not to make Scarlett sad, because that?s just rude. He does smile to her warmly ?Don?t worry, I wouldn?t do that Scarlett.? After all, woman?s scorn and all that. He takes a moment to run a hand through his hair, afterwards reaching into the glove compartment to snag his pair of gloves, slipping them on…though when Scarlett mentions trouble..consider Robbie?s interest peaked.
Reyes glances to Strange with a tilt of his head, eventually shrugging a bit. ?Maybe.? Though he does look to Scarlett as the Sorcerer Supreme asks his question.
God's Punisher, the Vishanti's vessel, and Scarlett: the triumvirate is a rather peculiar one, but usually at the bottom of the ladder is that redheaded student. "Have you not felt the fluctuations and the general sense of impending trouble? So many people like to say the world hangs by a thread, but I think we might as well accept forces seek to slice through the remaining frayed string and bounce us around like a poorly played game of tetherball." Pity, there won't be so many children whipping themselves in the face or clotheslining one another accidentally in a game of harmless fun. Lawn darts, sure to be all the rage.
Once more her fingers trace the crescent curve over her ear and settle at the hollow of her throat, languishing the lightest of touches. "I am not gifted with foresight other than what I can piece together from what I know. Times are always turbulent, always, but this has the cast of so many pieces on the board tipped from a good shake. Forgive all the metaphor."
The Conduit to the godly triumvate thins his lips as he listens. For all that he prides himself the cosmic chess master, he does find distaste in a board half-shrouded by the vagueries of Fate.
"Yes. The skein of this reality has been trembling as of late. I spoke to an acquaintance not a day earlier as to the premonition that not all is as it seems." Half-hooded eyes find some distant point beyond the trees of the Park and the rise of the buildings in steel and glass. A breath of pause and Strange sighs, the air briefly misting before his face. "I wait on tenterhooks and feel none the better for it. It will be a relief to finally suss out what teases at my veils and to deal with it."
His attention shifts to the Ghost Rider incognito. "Have you noticed anything odd lately, Reyes? Moreso than usual," he amends, remembering when they tag-teamed Imps and Hellhounds in the late night hours.
the Sin-hunter in human form looks around a little bit, nodding to the exchange between Strange and Scarlett. When Scarlett apologizes for her metaphors, Robbie waves it off. ?Don?t worry about it.?
He looks then to Doctor Strange, a grim nod given to him. ?Demons have been getting bolder as of late, and a seemingly benevolent amulet has bonded with a friend of mine.? Though the latter is more of a matter of circumstance, Robbie says it anyway. ?Haven?t ran into any more imps thankfully…but somethings coming. Dunno what.?
The Soul-Thief flexes her gloved hands, trusting not in the agility of those blithe fingers. her Articulated statements come with a certain distraction that remains yet, the tug of her thoughts swirling around a drain and netting possibilities wherever they might happened to be caught out of a mellow dross. If only the libations or the concoctions of the various chemists around the city might do a damn thing to release her from that sense of foreboding, but for naught.
"Truly, I need to expand my horizons more than they already are. Others might be suffering problems and I am ignorant of such, since communication in these matters never comes very easily. We hide our stories too well." Shrugging her shoulders, the bohemienne actually frowns, a rare expression for her. "You have the wherewithal to lay in your defenses, at least, which is a positive thing. I don't think the rest of us do reactive terribly well."
"Still, defenses are best well-kept," Strange replies quietly, his attention shifting towards the last-known place of the Hellmouth. The terrible incursion upon reality here in the Park remains dormant, sealed away per his powers, but the nightmares — they seem to have become more vivid lately. How many times has he awoken with a gasp, bathed in a cold sweat and realizing that he hasn't been snuffed from the face of the earth by a Fae Witch's spell? …too many times.
"I intend to attend upon them today. Proactive is the far better approach, in my experience. Reactivity comes with its own boons and pitfalls." Such as wanton destruction. And explosions. And wefts upon reality. He looks to the Ghost Rider again. "I doubt you need my assistance in keeping these demons in check, Reyes, but I welcome a chance to remind the myriad Hells that their presence is not appreciated here. Call upon me as need comes." His smile has an edge to it. Maybe it would be good to trounce a demon or two these days.
Reyes would put a hand on his steering wheel just to rest it on something, but he gives Rogue a small frown at her words, before nodding to Stephen ?he?s right. Better to have some than none. Don?t worry, we?ll ensure the realm is well defended in that regard.?
but at Stranges words, Reyes cracks an almost devilish smile. ?I can police the demons well enough on my own. But if you want to tag along, I won?t stop you. As I recall, we made a good team.? He nods with a small smirk, ?any encouragement to keep off our world is very welcome.? He grins.
"I intend to take a walk around and see whether I can feel out the holes that used to be here, though the park is probably riddled like Swiss cheese. Deeply do I miss Hrimhari, whose keen nose and wise eyes would make very good assets for us right now. Pray that he finds his way." Scarlett waves a hand and she smiles at the pair of them. "Go forth in your search and should you see anything nice, give me a call. I might even be able to talk nicely to it before you leave it a pile of ashes."
Scarlett gets an idle wave as she walks away. The Sorcerer's eyes linger upon her for a time, enough to imbue the pensive look with a sense of purpose, before he sighs again.
"If there's anything I've learned over the last year, it's that she's generally right about feeling discord here in this reality. You'd like Hrimhari, I think, Reyes," he adds, glancing back to the young man. "He's a vital being, full of vim and vigor, and always with some surprising wisdom up his hairy sleeves. Still…the wards do need tending. If you'll excuse me in the meantime, evil never sleeps and apparently, neither should I." Strange stifles a yawn as is even as he begins to walk on again. "Enjoy your day, Rider. I look forwards to reminding the demon-kin that they aren't welcome in the future."
A final half-smile and a nod to Reyes and he continues on before turning to walk deeper into the Park, tall and composed motion in his black Belstaff.
Robbie chuckled a little before watching Scarlett walk off with a wave.
a look then to Strange ?Hrimhari huh? I?ll consider finding this guy and saying hello.? He nods ?likewise Strange. Let?s send a good message ese.? And when he walks off? Reyes drives off, back on his hunt for the demonically inclined.
Strange goes home.
Robbie goes home.