Logs:Twin Currents
Twin Currents | |
---|---|
Dramatis Personae | |
In Absentia | 2024-11-14 "We're heroes!" |
Location
<NYC> The Bazaar - Flushing | |
This was once a Flushing office building that rented to startups, rapid growth industries, and fly-by-night operations who don't want any questions asked. After a change of ownership and abandoned plans to convert it into luxury condos, it has lain largely empty, and as of late the local community has reclaimed the space to convert it into an immense indoor marketplace. The lobbies are packed with food vendors and the hallways lined with kiosks selling a dizzying variety of goods, flea-market fashion. Various offices are given over to groups of merchants selling similar wares: one dedicated to books, another to computer components, and a rather popular one selling (perfectly legal) weapons...at least during the day. Rumor has it that the Bazaar's night market is becoming the go-to place for trade in illicit goods. But night or day, the place is bustling with activity, noisy and raucous commerce in many languages (though predominantly Mandarin and Spanish). Chances are, you can find anything your heart desires here...if you're willing to pay the price. Evening is coming on and the night market is springing up across the ground floor as the regular vendors depart. There's a great deal of moving things around on pushcarts and scooters and overloaded dollies, and surprisingly little squabbling over prime kiosk locations. On the mezzanine, the more specialized night vendor are setting up in somewhat more orderly fashion, guarding their expensive wares against opportunistic thieves. Perhaps the Tessiers are up here in search of Specialized Wares, or perhaps they are just getting away from the bustle while the night market gets into gear, but either way they stand out here even more than they would down in the crowd, looking extraordinary white and well-heeled. Sera is wearing a vermilion swing dress with a black fabric, black dress boots, and black cropped jacket. She definitely is not dressed warmly enough for the chill evening outside -- even the purple silk scarf draped about her shoulders looks more decorative than functional. Her outfit picks out the red in her intricately braided auburn hair, lends a luminous quality to her pale skin, and sets off her vivid green eyes to dramatic effect even against very minimal makeup. "I would love to stay at your place tonight, but it'll be a long trudge in the morning," she's telling her companion with an air of tremendous forbearance toward the geographical inconvenience of the city. At the end of the row they are strolling past, there's an as-yet unoccupied kiosk and a blind corner beyond that isn't quite so unoccupied. "Sure, yeah, like Spence or Sriyani wouldn't have you back in a second if you wanted. You should get a license." Gaétan is looking considerably more drab, beside his sister, though what he lacks in color he makes up for in the very fine tailoring of his grey slacks and black-and-grey button-down. He's checking the time on his phone and then looking down over the balcony -- "Oh, the pani poori vendor is back, c'mon, lets get down there before she vanishes for another month." He's peering one direction past the long row of vendors between them and the escalator and then the shorter direction, to a door leading to a smaller side staircase. He's leading the way towards the stairs when, abruptly, he's yanked over around the corner -- the two figures there are considerably taller and considerably broader and considerably more holding-guns-right-at-him. His eyes have gone wide and what flashes through his mind is more annoyance than fear (though the fear is there, a smaller duller twinge beneath). "Sera --" is starting, but cutting off sharp with an ominous click of the gun's safety. "Your wallet," says one of the figures, "and nobody has to get hurt." For just a second Gaétan's eyes narrow, his shoulders tensing like he is strongly considering doing Something Dumb. But instead, he digs into his pocket, hands over the wallet. A flurry of emotions, thoughts, and even some fantasies are running through the twins' mind. The brand spanking new set of sparky spunky superheroines had heard word of a black market existing right under the nose of the regular cool market, they simply HAD to check it out. So they made a night out of it, having set up in a rather empty hallway to stake out since a bit deep into the afternoon, and while Ikini, the younger of the two Twins by about a minute, was insistent that a "Black Market" was more metaphorical than literal, both twins were rather pleasantly surprised to find that it was all too real as they observed the slow setup of the market, they were quickly distracted by the sudden disappearance of those gaudy looking white people. "Niki" "What is it? I'm trying to figure out which booth looks the most suspicious." "I think that couple we were making fun of is getting robbed or something." "Really!? That's even better! We can go save them!" And in a flurry of leaps and bounds, the two girls made their way over to that very alleyway! Vaulting over strangers and sliding underneath carts. If they were being stealthy before, they certainly weren't anymore. Upon arrival, one twin performs an impressive leap, bounding off the wall of the alleyway to land on the opposite side of the thugs as the other points a finger at the two men, making a powerful and heroic declaration with a noticeable Japanese accent* "Surrender now, villain!" "Your mugging attempts are thwarted by Twin Currents!" Sera starts but also is not exceptionally afraid beneath her simmering anger. "Please don't hurt him," she pleads, her power tugging carefully at their assailants, "take whatever you want, only --" Whatever dramatic overture she was going to make, it's interrupted by the arrival of the... Sera blinks and mouths 'Twin Currents' at her brother, her perplexity spilling over. The mugger with the gun presses it harder against the side of Gaétan's head and backs away from the other teenagers. Sera's eyes cut aside at the nearer twin. "Perhaps we should let these gentlemen get on their way," she suggests timidly, desperately trying to calm the muggers. Gaétan takes a step back once he's relinquished his wallet, but that's before he and the muggers both are startled by the sudden arrival of -- -- Twin Currents? he's mouthing back to his sister, a bewilderment eclipsing both his annoyance and his fear. He's looking, brows furrowed, from one girl to the other. The spare mugger has whirled, gun pointing back at the twin who is pointing a finger at him. "What the fuck?" He seems to direct this question at the Tessiers, as if they might have a clue. Gaétan just shrugs. "The Bazaar, man," like, this kinda shit just par for the course at the chaotic night market. "Ikini, they aren't relieved. Why aren't they relieved?" One twin asks, tilting her head at other. Partially frustrated, but mostly annoyed that Gaetan and Sera were more confused than cheerful. "I don't know, we're saving them!" The other replies, looking over at the Tessiers with her one visible eyebrow raised in concern. "Oh!" The finger gun suddenly disappears in favor of a snap. A clear cut sign that she had come to an undeniably correct realization "We have not finished saving them! The criminals still have the wallet!" And with that, Both twins strike a pose, a shimmering sparking blue energy bouncing over their skin as suddenly a bolt of lightning flings itself from one to the other, catching both muggers in a sudden shock and... well. Causing them to collapse out cold. "Uh... Niki, I think we overdid it." "Maybe, but they're not dead and we saved the innocents!" The first twin replies as the second bends down to grab the stolen wallet, offering it to Gaetan with a small smile "Sorry about that, we're still new. You're not hurt, are you?" "Perhaps it's community theatre," Sera suggests lightly. She has raised both hands to cover her mouth, her bright eyes darting between the twins and the mugger and returning to Gaétan. The twins do discern a wave of relief as the muggers collapse unconscious. "Goodness!" She lowers her hands. "What are you new to, exactly?" Gaétan's hand raises in front of his face, almost defensively, at the bright spark of energy. He's taking a reflexive step in front of his sister -- she can feel the increasing bewilderment twined together with a distant and surreal humor. His hand falls, then, cautious, extends out to take his wallet back. "Uh -- thanks," sounds very uncertain at first, but more confident on a second repetition: "Thanks! That was, uh -- very." A beat. "Unexpected. Did you -- just -- lightning those guys?" He's inching a little closer to peer down at the fallen muggers, then stoop to take one of their pulses, relaxing when he finds it. "We're heroes!" Niki shouts, striking a pose as Ikini scrambles up to follow alongside, the both of them clearly having practiced this several times before. Seems they were rather proud of themselves, and with fairly good reason. After all, they just took down a pair of muggers! "Are you ok by the way? We didn't zap you, did we?" "Thank you ever so much for rescuing my brother from those scoundrels." Sera tilts her head and regards the twins with a faint but pleasant smile, her power spilling quiet insistent geniality at them. "But we had best move along before they wake up, no?" She tips a hand gracefully at the unconscious men, and moves to leave without quite waiting for an answer. "So, Twin Current. Do you belong to a team...crew...league?" "Nah, I think I'm good. Weirdly pretty used to some casual zapping." Gaétan is checking himself over all the same, but then nodding to confirm this. His brows have pulled just a little higher, and he's working very hard to restrain an amused smile at the posing. He's gone over to check the second of the muggers and only after finding a pulse on that one, too, does he get up again. When he moves to drift after his sister, it's with an easier smile. "Thanks for the save, uh, Twin... Current? Do you -- do this kind of thing a lot? Looks like you've been practicing." He's gesturing to where the girls were posing to indicate practicing, and nooot so much the muggers. "No!" One replies, confidently placing her hands on her hips as the other adds on, "We're independent. We don't actually know of any superhero groups." The two girls shrug in synch with each other before Gaetan asks his question "Oh, we've been doing hero stuff for a week or two!" "And we've been practicing even longer! But enough about us, what about you two?" "Do you need help getting back home?" "Any other people get mugged here?" "Is there really a Black Market set up here?" The twins rapidly interchanging their questions back and forth as they lean in closer and closer with each query. This may have been the first time someone was actually kind of interested in their hero work. Sera's eyebrows shoot up, and her expression could be interpreted as some species of impressed. "What about us?" This doesn't sound like a challenge. "We're here for the night market. I don't think there are a lot of muggings in the market proper, though I don't think amateur heroics are much encouraged, either. The shade of the market is somewhat subjective." She slants a conspiratorial smile at the twins. "There's criminally delicious pani poori to be had down there tonight. Where are you based out of?" (Done, it makes more sense now!)) "A week or two." Gaétan's brows stay hiked. "This is the first time I've been mugged here. I think we'll be good to get home, and thanks to your help I can even afford the pani poori still. Uh --" He's studying the twins uncertainly. "Do you need help getting back home, I've got a car." “A criminal pani you say?” “We have to investigate!” The twins declare, looking over at each other as they fundamentally misunderstand the expression, only to get distracted by Gaetan’s question. “No! We’re perfectly capable of returning home!” “Niki, we don’t know how to get home.” “…” Niki sighs, slumping over in defeat as the unfortunate reality of FACTS and LOGIC, “Yes we need help getting home…” "Mm, we should definitely investigate the pani poori situation," Sera replies, very seriously, though this doesn't seem terribly contrary to the quiet riffle of amusement she exudes. "No zapping, though. You must be incognito." The quick bright flash of her smile invites the twins to be in on the joke if they like. Or if they notice. "What shall we call your civilian personas, then?" Gaétan is tucking his stolen-unstolen wallet back into a pocket. His own riffle of amusement echoes Sera's, though it doesn't make it into the earnest seriousness of his expression. "The real crime would be letting you leave here without finding out how delicious pani poori is, and since I'm not in the market for getting zapped tonight --" He's gesturing to the stairwell door leading them back downstairs. "One snack, my treat. Then you can let us know where you need a ride to. Probably worth getting an OMNY card if you're gonna be playing hero lots of nights." "Civilian names, of course! That's a secret, so we must give you fake ones." Twin one (Niki) declares, crossing her arms in a bout of seriousness, either completely oblivious to or ignoring the fact that the twins have been referring to each other by name this entire time. "Yes. If our secret identities got exposed it would be dangerous..." Twin two (Ikini) adds It appears it hasn't occured to either of them that their costumes incorperate no form of masks, hoods, or other obfuscating elements to hide their faces. "For now you can call me Plusle and my sister Minun. What might your names be, civilians? If you're buying us dinner, we'll have to thank you properly." Sera stops in the doorway and turns around to study the twins again, positively radiating delight. "Plusle and Minun," she repeats solemnly, as if she has definitely not heard anything of the like and must commit them to memory. "Charmed. You may call me Sera, and my brother Gaé." "Hhh," says Gaétan, whose quick bright smile is not bothering to feign any ignorance of the chosen "code"names, "you combine and everything. Kinda funny, I know a couple sisters who also --" The sort of outflung hand gesture he is making might noe be immediately identifiable as Palpatine Zapping, but the "bzzt" noise he makes to accompany it is. "Pretty sure the save was thanks enough. And don't worry --" He makes a zipping motion across his lips. "We'll keep your secret." |