ArchivedLogs:Crowd Control

Crowd Control
Dramatis Personae Anette, Ion, Isra, Jared, Monsterling
In Absentia	2016-07-20 "Though my /sanity/ might be debatable, all the same."
Location <NYC> Lower East Side
Historically characterized by crime and immigrant families crammed into cramped tenement buildings, the Lower East Side is often identified with its working-class roots. Today, it plays host to many of New York's mutant poor, although even here they are still often forced into hiding. The end of a planned protest has turned into a march through the impoverished mutant neighborhoods of the Lower East Side, gathering residents as it goes. By rush hour the semi-impromptu protest is at least two hundred strong, and beginning to attract counter-protesters. At first the anti-mutant picket signs show up in threes and fours, but soon they form angry knots on all sides of the march. Chants of "muties go home" and "keep New York human" rise, louder and louder. One particularly belligerent group of counter-protestors has situated itself in the path of the march and is attempting to halt its forward progress, forming a picket line. The police dispatched to regulate traffic around the march do not pay them any mind at all. Isra has been marching on foot, for the most part. She carries no sign, but stands out quite nicely without one, towering above most of the crowd. Her skin is a pearly iridescent gray beneath her loose white wrap dress, save for her wings, which resemble a night sky full of dazzling stars. Now she spreads those immense wings and, with a low growl, launches herself into the air and circles above the crowd once before heading toward the front of the column. "Stand aside!" her voice rings out, sounding unearthly in its dual tones, high and low. Her horns and talons flash bright silver in the slanting light as she hovers above the crowd. Jared marches forward with the marchers, but is looking back and forth more frequently as his body starts to tense and his heart starts to race. This isn't good - police knocking heads is one thing, but this? Organized mob violence? There's no restraint on that. He marches forward, but hesitantly, and prepares himself to take off if things turn bad. Though, with how densely packed the crowd is, he probably won't get far if running becomes necessary.... "Believe me, that's exactly what I'm trying to do," Anette grumbles under her breath at the 'muties go home' chants. Not that anyone would direct the chants towards her. Despite the warmth, Anette wears a long coat, albeit one of her lighter ones, hiding her wings from view. Matching gloves, also on the thinner side, cover her talons though really she just tries to avoid using them. She's never been one for protests, let alone participating, but knowing several of the mutants taking part, Anette decided to tag along in a more passive role. As Isra rises into the air, Anette's face falls a bit, taking on an even crankier mood. Must be the heat. Still, she remains close to Isra, keeping her eyes on her though she doesn't take to the air just yet. There's a thrumming from somewhere behind the line of counter-protesters that eventually resolves itself more clearly into the low rumble of a heavily modified black-and-chrome motorcycle. Its rider wears a bright grin together with his heavy boots, dark jeans, white tee, leather cut (much-abused, singe marks and teeth marks and carefully-repaired tears alike decorating it together with a glittery rhinestone pair of lightning bolts on its shoulders, a huge MUTANT MONGRELS MC patch on its back with jagged crossed lightning bolts under its horned-fanged skull, SERGEANT AT ARMS patch on its front breast.) Attached to the motorcycle is a small sidecar -- with a booster seat inside, a small winged creature carefully strapped in. Ungainly clawed limbs, bulging eyes hidden behind an equally bulging set of dark-tinted goggles./They/ also wear a tiny cut, though their patch reads: MONGREL PUP. Ion and his attached monsterling pull up sharp behind the line of counter-protesters; he tips his head back to turn his grin up-up-up at Isra. "Eyyyy, pretty lady, these people they making a /trouble/?" He sounds -- kind of excited about this prospect. At least some of the counter-protesters look faintly intimidated by the large gargoyle woman hovering before them, but as a group they do not back down. "We ain't afraid of you" one of them yells, "get down here if you're so tough!" Meanwhile another is (more quietly) exhorting the nearest police officer to arrest the flying mutant. The cop does not immediately take action, but turns aside to confer with his colleagues and his radio. Isra growls louder, and does not cease growling when Ion arrives, though she does break into a (fangy) smile. "As far as I can gather," she says over her own growl, only her alto voice engaging this time, "these flatscans will not permit us to march on our own streets." The man who had shouted at Isra shakes his sign at her, but certainly cannot reach her. Her turning to address someone /else/ in the meantime seems to infuriate him, and he takes out his aggression on a target he actually can reach now, reaching out to shove the nearest marcher, a skinny young man with long antennae poking out of his curly black hair and slightly iridescent skin. The young mutant loses his balance and stumbles back. Other picketers nearby take his example and surge forward against the protesters. Jared and Anette suddenly find themselves shoved back as well, crowded in with friend and foe alike. It all happens so fast. One second, she's keeping a protective eye on Isra and Ion, the next second she's being thrown back. Anette stumbles, landing on the ground with a very loud, very owl-like screech. Without thinking or pause, she yanks the gloves off her hands, revealing the razor sharp talons she had hidden beneath. As the counter protestor's crowd around her, she swipes at anyone who gets too close, taking the free second to get back up on her feet, though she doesn't remove her coat just yet. "Back, the fuck, OFF!" Anette yells, yellow eyes blazing as she twists her head unnaturally about, quickly assessing the situation. In the sidecar, the smaller gargoyle is wriggling up straighter, clawed wings twitching behind them as their head turns -- quickly one way, quickly the other, a small bounce in their posture as the line of counter-protesters rushes the march. They lift spindly arms up towards Ion a moment later, dropping them again only to sign enthusiastically: 'Fight!' Ion is hopping off his bike right quick -- its quiet purr cuts off shortly after his hands leave its handlebars. "{What, you gonna take them all on yourself tinymonster?}" Maybe he should be alarmed at the violence but there's only rich amusement in his gravelly bass voice. He leans down to unhook Egg's harness, scooping the smallthing into one arm to hold them against his hip, Egg's sharp claws hooking into the leather of his vest. He is eager as he lopes forward -- towards the line of counter-protesters, /through/ the line of counter-protesters -- at least, he doesn't seem to have any problem at all inserting himself into the crowd, clapping a hand on one man's shoulder and shifting easily past the throng to appear by Anette's side (though the man, wide-eyed, stumbles back with a small hitch of gasp as though struck.) "Anette, pajarita, making friends again huh?" He's dodging /her/ claw-swiping, too, hitching Egg further up on his hip and reaching out toward the young antenna-bearing man. "Who here want to get out this mess?" Jared is shoved violently backward, his heart starting to beat wildly as everyone starts to happen fast, way way too fast. His head snaps around frantically and he notices a woman near him, a mutant, with talons screaming and swiping at the counter-protestors swarming toward her. As he sees this, anger starts to rise in him, the same kind that he experienced all those years ago in high school, when he watched Malina, her skin flickering in and out of translucence, being violently beaten by their classmates. Before he knows what he's doing, he's angrily pushing and shoving his way between the clawed mutant woman and her assailants. "Hey, HEY! /BACK OFF/!" he screams, his hands balling into fists, ready to put what boxing skills he has to use if he has to. The line of counter-protesters is beginning to fragment as they surge and break against the much larger body of the march. But it's when Anette strikes back at her attackers and when Ion pushes his way through to her that the police finally stir to motion, though initially they just fall back. More patrol cars are converging on the now-halted march. The helicopter that had been following far overhead descends far enough to engage its loudspeaker: "By order of the NYPD, disperse and return to your homes." Isra tucks her wings in and wheels sharply toward one man raising his sign to strike at Jared. She smacks him with a stroke of his tail, sending him skidding across the pavement, then lands in the space that he vacated. She spreads her wings wide, menacing the other counter-protesters nearby. "I would recommend that anyone who does not wish to end up injured or arrested take Ion up on his offer." Even while she speaks, police in riot gear are beginning to close in. "We're TRYING to but they WON'T GET OUT OF OUR WAY!" Anette yells up to the helicopter. Never mind it can't hear her. She glances towards Ion and grins at the sight of him. "You know it," she says, though her smile falls when she sees Egg bouncing on Ion's hip. "He really shouldn't be here..." she says, her voice suddeny taking on a very serious, dark tone, eyes flitting back to Egg with...is that worry? Her concern is cut off as she's distracted again by Jared barreling past her. "EASY now killer," she says, calling after him though she doesn't chase after him. If he wants to get himself killed. She keeps her attention on the ground, content to keep them at a distance, though she stands ready to attack if anyone approaches her. "Why the fuck they shouldn't be here?" Ion sounds a little incredulous at this, looking own at the (excitedly bouncing) gargoyle clinging to him. "Shiiiit yo this motherfucker crazy. -- Hold onto me eyy?" This is to the still slightly-dazed youth he grabbed at first -- though now he's reaching for Jared, clapping a hand on the other man's shoulder as Jared's fists ball up. In the next instant there's a jolt -- sharp and sudden, an electrified tensing kick of muscles as the world briefly (very briefly) vanishes. Reappears, on the other side of the crowd, the other side of Ion's still-parked bike. Ion releases his pair of charges, leaving Jared and the antennaed youth on the emptier section of street. "You gonna help people clear out now, yeah? Good." Egg still held on his hip, he's charging back towards the turbulent crowd. Jared trips and stumbles over his own momentum, and the massive shift in where he is. He straightens up immediately, looking around frantically. He looks over at Ion, hears what he says to him, and before he can respond, Ion is charging back toward the crowd. He just stares, in shock and surprise for a couple brief moments, then thinks "Okay, time to get everyone out, I guess." And he gets to it. Waving his arms and shouting, "HEY, EVERYONE, OVER HERE, LET'S MOVE, WE GOTTA MOVE!" and moving and motioning in the direction away from the crowd, he notices some people - then more - start to surge, jogging and running, toward him, then past him, as he tries to get people away from the conflagaration happening. Isra lifts off again as Ion begins the evacuation, the claws of her wings raking across the counter-protesters not smart enough to get clear of her. More blood is pouring as they stagger back--and into the police as they close in. At least now most of them are steering well clear of both Anette and Isra, their mass and fear slowing down the advance of the police. Many of the protesters who had been milling around in panicked confusion are rallying toward Jared now, but not all! Some are buoyed up by the retreat of the counter-protesters and /pursuing/ them. The helicopter continues urging people to leave, descending far enough that its downdraft makes Isra's flight erratic. She struggles to stay airborne, and with the crowd so chaotic and mobile below, she cannot find a space to land again. "Ion!" she calls, her voice equable even as she looks like she might tumble out of the sky any moment. As a fellow flier, Anette is quick to pick up on Isra's difficulties. With a quick glance upwards the out of control gargoyle, Anette does the only thing she can think of. Slipping her coat off her shoulders, she quickly spreads her wings to full span, pushing people away if need be, friend or foe. She begins beating them though she doesn't become airborne herself. Instead, the idea is to area around her. People have two choices, get out of the way or get knocked to the ground. Anette doesn't particularly care which one, only in clearing a semi-safe area for Isra to crash if it comes to that. "-- You fucking crazy too? Ffffs." Ion sounds a little clipped, voice a little broken up. Where he moves through the crowd, it /parts/ -- at least in effect it seems to, a ripple of people shifted backwards, displaced a few feet away from him. With the path through the counter-protesters cleared it leaves space for the march's remnants to pour out, following Jared's motions to get out of the street. Anette is subject to the same treatment -- Ion doesn't seem to care, particularly, about flailing wings; shielding egg with his body and reaching a hand to intercept the path of one. Anette, too, gets the same electric /jolt/, zapped hard as she is also moved to the far outside of the crowd, leaving a wide swath in the middle for Isra's tumbling descent. "You seen the cops fucking everywhere, yo? How's'it /I'm/ the crazy one." He's keeping a wary eye on the sky even as he heads back toward his bike. Around Jared's location, Jared is moving semi-quickly semi-slowly in the direction of the crowd getting away, while still motioning for people to move, to get away from what appears to be a riot starting. As he does this, he can't help but strain his neck trying to get a glance at the mutants he noticed - the one he tried to help, and the one who saved his ass from getting beat down to a pulp. He *thinks* he can see them, and a thought enters his mind, "They really could use some help." But he's not stupid. There's not a damned thing he can do for them now, and he's smart enough to know that they can help themselves way better than anything he could do for them. So, he does the smart thing - he turns around and keeps at helping people get away from the disturbance. "The /cops/ aren't my problem--the /helicopter/ is." Isra flails her wings desperately even as she descends, finally touching down in Ion's wake and following him out. Then, quieter, perhaps only audible to Ion, "Though my /sanity/ might be debatable, all the same." When her wings stretch out now it is not to menace, but usher along others who are vacating the area. The police advance now, batons out and shields pushing steadily, scattering those who remains, protesters and counter-protesters alike.