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A nice day, slightly overcast, a hint of chill, if just below 60 is considered chilly that is. Its NYC, some think that's perfectly warm weather, others have a jacket or sweater, still some have a little more heavier burden in their clothes. It takes all walks in the Big Apple. Though that's not for everyone, it being so nice of a day. A man runs out of an alley, "Stay away from me," he indicates to someone there. And runs out into the street. Unexpected, this causes a car to swerve. It careens a little into a parked car.
Now, here is James Proudstar on the side of the street. This may happen from time to time, a little fender bumper, but the parked car sort of pops on the curb and nearly hits a bystandar turning towards the sound. James leaps a little as if to push the person aside. The car hits him, dents the car. He buckles a little but is unharmed. Hopefully the focus remains on the running man.
He, still in the street, lifts up his hands, "No no, stop." Not quite to his knees, he is holding hands up in front of his face against who knows what. Horns are starting to sound, the driver may be injured, and others are commenting vocally, "Get out of the street kid." As if they just assume he is on some drug and acting mad.
Gidget was making her way out of her apartment building right there and sighed softly. Off to work she goes but man was she dreading it. Looking to her watch she would cringe then smiled softly as she shook her head. "….Gabriella is going to kill me…." Oh well. Not like she needed to be around anyone in her previous state. That feisty Italian would just have to get over it.
Looking up at the yelling she would see someone running, a car going to another man near her and she just jumped back to lean against the building. Dressed in a black pantsuit, a scarf on her head to cover that short dark hair, and oversized sunglass she would seem to be incognito. The man that was almost hit she thinks….she runs over in those heels. "Hey! Are you okay?!" Looking up to the one in the street she'd frown. "Hey!" Standing up she'd look back to the other man. "Let me see if I can get him…." And with that she'd pull her handbag on her shoulder and towards the street. "Come over here!"
The scene unfolds: a man has run out from an alley trying to tell someone to stay away. He ran into the street which caused one car to swerve into a parked vehicle. It hopped the curb and almost hurt bystanders but James jumped in the way to move the bystander along, so to speak.
A turn to look, and James gives a pause, wondering what may have been seen by the closest individual, Gidget. The initial man is in the street dropping to knees and holding hands up saying, "No, No". Gidget is heading towards the man in the street, trying to get him out of the way by calling him over while she walks to him.
Before she goes, James he nods to her, "I'm good yeah." Unscathed except maybe his jeans that have a hint of a cut to them. As she moves to that man, he nods, "Yeah, he's making a scene." James moves towards the car that collided with the parked vehicle, asking, "You allright," of the driver. Looks like the bumped their head and are sitting in silence a moment.
The figure on his knees, "No no, stay away." Not a scream, but rather loudly. Then he sort of cringes, like something hit him. Nothing is scene, but there is a cut on his forearm now. "Stay away," he calls louder, trying to buckle into a ball now it seems as Gidget approaches him.
On her way to school, Kamala Khan was just coming out of the subway, gripping her books tightly. With a long flowing skirt and cable-knit sweater, her scarf flutters in the breeze as she's practically clutching her books to her chest. "Not going to be late for class today.." the young woman made a promise, and as near as NYU is, she should have plenty of time to spare, as long as there were no..
..oh hey, a distraction! As the horns sound and the accident happens, it's not the man in the street that has Kamala's attention - it's the man that the car hit. And dented. And still standing there. The young woman was just about to ask James if he was okay, but there's that arch of a dark brow as she turns her attention to the man in the street as Kamala frowns a little. "Hey, it's okay.." she offers the man as she starts to follow slightly after Gidget. "We're here to help. It's a thing, you know, man helping man?"
She would nod a bit to James and then finally made her way closer to the man. Licking her lips she would then see the man still freaking about but….scratches? Frowning, she would look around and then looked to the stopped traffic. So much for being to work on time. Slowly she would kneel down and reached out a hand. "….sir….calm down…..we're here to help…."
Hearing a voice behind her she would turn and see Kamala. Now whether the girl recognized her all incognito or not, who knows. "Hey….stay back….more than one person might freak him…." Turning her attention back to the man she frowned. "Hey…." Finally her hand would touch is shoulder. She'd seen people act like this….like her father….but the scratches was new. "Let's get you out of the road, hm?"
As the two give a focus towards the man in the street for the moment, James focuses on the person in the car. They seem unresponsive or in shock, they are sitting there dazed. He reaches a hand to jimmy the handle. By jimmy, James merely pulls it till it opens, no one looks his way with focus on crazy guy, he takes a knee a moment, "Are you okay?" He asks, then the woman driver looks at him, "I think my water broke?" And she's uncertain what to do. James looks around too, maybe in need of an assist, somehow.
As for the man in the street, he's still trying to cover his face and body with his arms. "Get them off, they're trying to kill me!" That could start a panic, just maybe, he flinches again and another gash appears on his shoulder. Gidget being the closest feels a woosh of air right before that happens. Maybe there is something to his hysteria that no on else is seeing.
For James, he stands up, "Is there a Doctor … or nearest hospital." No takers on that front either. He might be less heard with hysteria in the street.
There's a moment's pause. Kamala is somewhere in the middle as she stands there - on one side is Gidget telling her to stay back, and a guy screaming about being covered in bees or something. On the other side is James and the woman about to give birth.
Carol told her there would be days like this.
She needs to get attention, and she needs to get it now.
She concentrates for a moment, and suddenly five foot nothing Kamala is growing up fast. Her clothes fade into the more familiar dark blue burkini with lightning bolt and red undertights as she grows to her full nine foot height.
"Noone panic, but this an (un)official Avengers call out!" she yells, carrying her voice a lot louder than James, "I need medical personnel and a traffic cop!" She points down the street where a meter maid is at work. "You! I need you over here directing traffic." Making her way over to the car in two loping steps, she looks down at James and blinks a few times behind her domino mask. "I'm not a doctor, but I can carry her to the NYU hospital really quick." She hopes.
She looks down at the woman, and the Pakistani woman smiles. "I'm Ms. Marvel. I'm here to help!"
She'd blink a few times as she watched Kamala and then….what the? Well seems like this is….interesting. Ms. Marvel seemed to have the issue with the pregnant woman under control. Heck she took charge and started ordering about. That wasn't exactly Gidget's thing but she figured she couldn't just stand back and do nothing.
Her attention turning back to the man she'd just step close and pull him to her. She had felt that whoosh of air and knew something was up and making this man lose it. As soon as she touched him and had him close, there was a soft hum and there the man would hear silence around them. Barely visible was a small shield surrounding the two on the ground. Looking down at him she'd smile. "….you're going to be okay…."
From James, he looks around, then up. Not certain of Avengers himself, he might not be the paper reading, TV viewing sort in general. Heard enough certainly, but up to date on affairs, not quite so much. Still, she seems official as it is. "Good, she's about to .." Well, no need to say it so much. Now that Ms. Marvel is bigger than him, he nods, "I'll undo her." But not move her, he's uncertain of that in her condition. He does, however, bend over, "I'm just getting your lap belt." And a nod to her, a slight reach over, the woman cringes just a little, uncertain about .. well, a man like James, his skin tone at least. He only reaches over and undoes the buckle, then steps back, to let Ms. Marvel get in. "Thank you," he says, glad for her presense it would seem and giving room for her to get to the woman and help her get where she needs to go too.
Meanwhile, in the street. "I can't stop it," he says, aloud, but that soft hum into silence, gives him pause. Gidget can feel it, around that shield perhaps, a soft vibration a breeze, something out there. Then one bound off the shield, and a second. Its sporadic, animal like even. "Help me," he says, inside the shield, if she can hear him. He mouthes it at least. The unseen figures bound a couple of more times, but its slowly disappating, as if whatever creature may be causing this to the man is giving up now that it can't get at him directly.
"Good. Can you please help the young woman in the street after you've freed her?" Kamala asks polietly, the young woman looking to James with those really big brown eyes of hers. "I'm glad you're okay." she adds quickly before kneeling down, the dark skinned woman is clearly of middle-eastern descent as she offers her hands and expands them out until they are roughly the size of a bed. "You can put her down here. It's soft, I promise." Her hands glow a little with biolumescent energy as the heroine frowns over her shoulder at Gidget. "You alright over there, Miss? Help's coming…!" she promises. "Sooner or later."
She'd hear the pounding and frowned a bit then. Taking a deep breath she would look around and shook her head a bit. Looking to the man whom she could definitely hear in there with her she would nod slowly. "What is it? What are they….?" Her voice was soft as she watched him then. Looking back out to her shield she'd close her eyes then. Though she couldn't see them….she'd twitch as anything with in five feet of that force field would feel a shove. Now let's see if that makes them show themselves.
Hearing Ms. Marvel speaking up she'd look up and nodded but turned her attention back to the man with her. "….they can't get in here…..alright?"
Carefully, James responds to Ms. Marvel, "I'll try." And he moves in to lift the woman, "I've had worse, but thank you," he says about being okay. Ms. Marvel would notice the rip in his pants is pretty, well tramatic looking enough. The car definitely hit him, but James isn't the worse for wear at all, just those jeans of his. He turns back to her and sees the big hands. A slight brow raise, but then he is gently setting her down. She looks alittle more comfortable in the hands of a capable Avenger, "Thank you, my baby," she sort of yammers, still slight shock from the accident and the events unfolding.
The man in the shield with Gidget, breathes a little, getting his bearing. "I don't know, its not them, its him." His breath in gasps, "I .. took a loan, he wants it back. He sent them, he found me, at the bagel shop." Because its easy to know which bagel shop in NYC. "When you're gone, he'll find me." Sounds like the man got himself in a pickle.
James nods to Ms. Marvel, "Glad you were near," cause he has no clue where the neares hospital is, or the procedures for dealing with an incident like this. But he nods, doing the same as Msd. Marvel suggested, moving to the street, asking the same, "Things okay here?" He's uncertain, the man isn't making noise for now. He looks around too for the moment.
Literally cupping the woman in labor in her large hands, Ms Marvel is not going to think about why her hands are getting wet. Nope nope. That'll come later. "Okay." she moves her fingers to keep the woman close. "Hold on. It's just a short walk." Kamala offers. There's one last worried glance towards the pair in the street and she takes her first elongated stride that carries her halfway down the block towards NYU, her eyes constantly on the lookout for an ambulance. Just in case.
She'd look up to see Ms. Marvel just….walking away…all 9 feet of her. Well this was still a bit to take in but screw it. When she saw James she would look up from the grown and called out so he could hear through that barrier. "Something….is…." Trailing off she didn't know how to respond. "Something not visible…is attacking him. If I take this barrier down….I don't know….." Looking back to the man she would frown. "….who is he then?" Slowly she'd let go and stand, but as she did so that barrier would grow with her. If James was too close, he'd get a nudge back for sure.
"Come, maybe we should follow," James is approaching, and pondering. He doesn't know her name, "The tall woman." A slight nod, "Invisible or not, her friends will come to help with this." The cars left in the street, the wreck of the woman in Ms. Marvel's hands. He does reach to help when near and his hand gets that nudge back, and a nod from him. He turns to look about. "It is not a spirit." A clue perhaps, not mystical in nature, James doesn't know how that could help, but he says it, at least for Gidget to hear. He's still looking like they should go, "We can figure out help for him?" But moving, maybe he doesn't want to be around when authorities arrive. A scene, an accident, him of a darker skin tone and all.
The man does look up at Gidget, "Mr. Walker, that's all I know. Plays pool sometimes in the Kitchen, that's where I met him." Another clue even. He will stick near Gidget for sure, he's not being attacked. The pregnant woman settles into the hands of Ms. Marvel, comfort at least. She was probably going to said hospital, where the strides of Ms. Marvel are quickly carrying her even now. James can still see her down the street, thank goodness for tall, "The hospital can help him?" He's more asking Gidget.
Ms. Marvel's internal thoughts are all 'please don't have a baby in my hands, please please'. As she continues to walk down the street at a quick pace, she steps in front of a bus. "Sorry! Emergency!" She offers in quick apology as she continues to make those long legged strides, enhanced by the stretch of her legs further as she steps across the campus of NYU to the teaching hospital. Peeking in on the third floor, she lifts her hands. "I have a woman about to give birth, can I get a little help.. please?"
Looking at the man on the ground, Gidget would nod. "Got it….." Keeping that in her rolodex of her mind she would thent urn to look at James. "I…I can't pick him up. I think he's in shock but…..I can't carry him." AS she watched Ms. Marvel take off she would then look back to the tall man before her. However she wasn't far off from his height….she standing at almost six feet herself she would then smile. "I can….drop this but we need to be quick. Something is after him but it can't be seen….." Sighing she would then tilt her head a bit before closing her eyes and adjusting that handbag. That hum would happen again as it dropped from around her and the man. Looking to him she would offer a hand. "Let's see if we can get you checked out, hm?"
In the words of Ravi, one could thank the gods. The hospital is reached, even though the bus honked out of response, he seems to apologize a little realizing its Ms. Marvel maybe. The third floor attendents blink. Window opened, a few staff on a smoke break it would seem, they give a pause there, some ashes fall. Then the react, using the ash tray. "On our way!" They react quickly. One goes to the nearest station to alert emergency personal. The other is already going to an elevator, snatching an unused wheelchair on the way.
James nods, "I can carry him if need be, just." Yeah the shielding. And the need to be quick. He stands a moment. "Yes, someplace safe." The man is calming down without the barrage of whatever it was. Waiting where he stands, once Gidget is dropping things and then reaching with an offered hand, James tries again. Moving in to lift him at least, in case he's in shock, then nods. "You know where the tall woman went, yeah? We can take him there." He'll start moving, hopefully Gidget can guide or follow ready in case it attacks again. It doesn't seem to come as (if) they move off, there is a pause. "The attacker, they are giving up for now?" Directed at Gidget, she seems metropolitan enough, and savy in the way of these things. By proxy, James is new in the city and this is just out of his realm of experience, by only a little bit.
Gidget would watch him and then nodded. "Yes…the hospital is not far but…will take a longer walk." Chuckling softly she would then look around and then motioned for him to follow her. "Stay close…." She would adjust her shades and scarf so that her face was still a bit obscured as she continued to speak. "I don't know. I suppose when they realized they couldn't get through my shield….." Trailing off she would smile over at him and chuckled. "I'm still getting used to these….things I can do….." Gidget would look to the young man being carried then. "Let me know if you see anything…or feel it. I just need a slight heads up is all…okay?" Her voice was calm…soft then. "Walker, huh? Hell's Kitchen….." She has friends down there….she can ask around. Though she may not look it….she does hang in that part of town from time to time.
"If there is a closer place, this is good," James indicates, moving along with Gidget as they go. He doesn't think to cover his face, then again, he's just a man helping, no one saw him he thinks. "It is good you were here then, to stop whatever it was." And seeing the marks on the man's hands, James is sure something more than him being crazy was the culprit. Even as the man explains about Mr. Walker. "If I feel or see anything. I'm getting used to it too, but its been a few years." Its offhanded, but acknowledgement, so the woman doesn't feel alone with expressing some level of ability, to let her know he may be similar in some ways at least. The man moves or is carried along by James, and nods, "Yeah, that's him. I'm sure, if you ask around." Because, now that she's interested in looking, the loan shark could be less of a threat. Whether or not he actually owes money, he could use that monkey off his back most likely, so he readily agrees as she makes mental note of who and where.
She would sigh a bit and then nodded. "I suppose. I live right here so…..I think it was more….timing." Chuckling she would then shrug her shoulders a bit as she seemed deep in thought. "I think….a clinic isn't a block over but….hospital may be best…." That tall young woman would up her pace then as she nodded. "Let's just….walk faster….." Now she was on a mission as she seemed to try and get them there so well….she can get to work. Exhaling she would then look to James with a smile. "New to town?"
Picking up the pace, james moves along with the man, who's more huddling a bit and looking around with bits of paranoia in his eyes. With good reason certainly, and yet, its a situation he got himself into by welching on some gambling and dealing with a loan shark it might seem. "Circumstance," nods James about her living her, "Its a nice area, I do not live her but, it is more open." Accepting of other individuals than other parts of the city he means. Then another nod, "I am, just a few days. I am hoping to find some old acquaintainces. It is a long shot into the dark, but the only thing I could think of, coming here to the city." And to keep the conversation going, he half looks over, "You have been here a while then?" In the city, but more weight given there, as if there could be follow up questions based on that.
She'd look around and then cross the street to the next block now as she looked over to him. "It is a nice area. Though I kind of like hanging out in Harlem to be honest. I have friends there…they're fun." Taking a deep breath she would seem to be on edget with whatever was following the guys. "A few days? Then you've just begun…." Chuckling she'd look to him with a smile. "You may be looking for a bit unless you know where they are. And as for me….I've been in this city for….um….." Tapping her chin she would seem to be in thought then smiled. "Eight or so years I think now….."
For his part, he's uncertain about what followed or was after the man, but James is confident in that shielding thing that put them off the trail of wanting to get the man, for now at least. "Harlem you say, I should visit?" He had an idea where that was at least. Any glance at a subway map would probably help for certain, even if only in Manhattan for a couple of days so far. Finally, a hint of a grin to her most recent chuckle, there is a person behind the mask James wears. By mask, its more just his stoic face, always looking or thinking, or just not amused. "Just begun. Seems I was in the right place at the right time," he intones as they cross up a block and near the hospital now. "You know where my kind usually hangs out? They tend to congregate in cities, closer to the Office of Indian Wellfare, if there is one here." Not a popular thing, but some cities have them, New York probably does too. "Or wellfare in general, if anyone from my home made it here, that's their likely spot I imagine."
"Yeah! My friend runs a bar out there! I love it." She'd smile as she then took a deep breath then calmed herself. Getting worked up would only have her lose control and no one needed that. As they neared the hospital shewould smile and then tilted her head. "Your….kind?" Blinking she would then hear the office he meant. "Oh! Not sure. I mean….I just kind of hang out with people…." There was a nod as she pointed to the hospital. "There it is! And I'm not sure. I've only met one other beautiful Native woman but that was a while back and very brief…."
A slight pause, he realizes there might be some confusion. If she noticed the car, maybe. ANd what kind he might be talking about. "Sorry, I meant Apache. Specifically from Camp Verde." There some clarification, "But it yes, Native Americans. Some seem to congregate in cities too not just by nation or tribe, so I was wondering if you might know where that is here." His eyes look up One at least as she points to the hospital. "I can get him inside. Maybe we can talk about this later?" He pauses with the man, offering a hand over, "I'm James." A pause, that's too formal mabye, he amends a surname, "Proudstar." A point back down the street, "If you live near where this happened, we could meet there, or at your friends bar even?" To exchange notes, talk, figure it out. Then if she's agreeable, and gives him the yes on meeting in the Village or the name of the bar, he'll nod, "Thanks, glad you were there." He'll escort the man in for some attention just the same.
She would nod a bit and smiled. "Oh! Yeah I never assume ethnicities. I hang out with a lot of different people so….I never really pay attention to that…." Smiling she would look at that hand and then shook it. "Hi, James….I'm…." Aw crap. She had been hiding her face for a reason and dang it now she was here. She didn't even have a codename so oh well. "Gidget…." Leaving it at that she would smile then. "The name of the place is the Cigar Factory. Ran by an awesome guy name Luke. If you want to meet me there…." She'd then dig in her purse for a business card. Pink and simple: Gidget Boileau…Apprentice Designer…Casa di Pucci….complete with office number. "Just call my receptionist and say you want to set up an appointment. Leave your name and I'll know it's not measurement but for the bar." With that she'd leave it at that and watched him escort the man into the hospital before ducking off down the next block. Boy was she late.