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The evening air is cool and crisp, summer not yet settled into itself in full. Calamity and Phaedra are standing together at a bus stop, and the streetlight nearest them keeps flickering on and off, but off more often than on. It's a crappy part of town; Calamity's outside their turf, and Phaedra doesn't have any turf to begin with. The small vampire is rocking forward on to the balls of her feet and back again repeatedly. She's dressed in a tie-dye shirt and yoga pants, her long blonde hair tied back with a scrap of leather shoelace, a small crossbody purse on her...body.
Calamity...kinda looks like shit, today. Pale, the shadows under their eyes and under their cheekbones deepening when they flick their lighter open to light the half cigarette they've got. After it's lit, they take a long drag, careful to blow the smoke away from Phaedra, and eye the flickering streetlight with annoyance. They've got their usual ratty gray sweatshirt and backpack, but has an actual clean, newish looking pair of black jeans on, instead of their usual denim with the holes in the knees. Their dark green bandanna's not tied proudly around their neck, instead hanging out of one of their back pockets.
"Wish it would make up it's fuckin' mind..." They growl, about the streetlight, and flick their lighter on and off absently.
She takes a small step to one side when they light the cigarette, huffing softly, but not commenting on it, right now. "Better flickery than not on at all, probably, though. I can see some in the dark, and the moon's a waning gibbous tonight, still most of the way full. But better a bit of light sometimes. Maybe it's a metaphor."
"I dunno, boys, I kinda like the flicker. Nobody with any sense stays near. Which means when we find people loitering, we already know that they're easy marks-" comes a voice from the alley that lets out near the streetlight, the tone rough and aggressive, amused.
"-or dumbass Baby-Fart B+F idjits in the wrong parta town." Another voice finishes- reedier, but much the same otherwise.
"Lads, let's be reasonable," comes a third voice, three at the head of a pack of perhaps a half dozen. "No reason they can't be both." The one in the lead has swagger the others don't- confidence and muscle to back it up. "Tough luck, kid. One bus sooner and you'da woke up at home instead of in the hospital." His eyes drop onto Phaedra. "Drop the purse and you can go. Our business is with Bristol Fuckhill over here." He nods towards Calamity and their handkerchief.
Phaedra blinks at the group, her eyes wide, playing up her baby blues as much as she can, while she quietly lets her Beast take stock of the situation. "I don't understand...?"
"...Don't want any trouble." Calamity puts their hands up, slowly, with a glance at Phaedra. "Just wanna get home."
The three in back break into open laughter. "Don't want any trouble, he says!" "He?" Another one blinks. "I thought they were both chicks."
"THE FUCK. Does it matter?" Interjects the honcho in the lead, turning to scowl at the two debating Calamity's gender and hitting all around the right answer like Elmer Fudd shooting at Bugs Bunny. "I don't care if there's cock or cunt between their legs, we're beating their ass. Now. Purse on the ground and get fucked, bitch, unless you want the same as-" He waves a hand vaguely towards Calamity. "-they're gonna get."
"Which is a beating." He deadpans, since she played dumb.
Phaedra glances at Calamity quietly. "I...oh. Well this is a predicament, huh?" She slides the purse off her shoulder...and then kicks it behind herself, away from the gang of ruffians.
"...Sure fuckin' is. Fuck." Calamity takes a step forward, in front of Phaedra, like their instinct is to protect her, and drops their cigarette, grinding it under their heel with a grimace. "Hurt me an' you've got the rest of B+F to deal with. They're not gonna be happy."
Another flick of their lighter, casually, and they pass their fingers through it, making a show of not caring as the fire touches their skin. Sure, their heart's racing, but it's only Phaedra who can hear it.
The guys in the back pause, one of them getting shoved forward by the other two. "Yeah, we're beating their ass. Get beating, Chuck."
"Ohfuckyouguys," hisses Chuck, who never the less squares up and move towards Phaedra and Calamity, the others moving to fan out and surround them. The display has the guys in the back a little uncomfortable, but... as imposing as a kid with a lighter can be, it's still one kid with a lighter against six "well trained", "battle hardened" thugs.
"Little surprised the chick stuck around. Oh, well. Not our fault if she breaks."
Phaedra lashes out with a fist against the wall of the bus stop, and it impacts with the full force of someone with Strength 5 hitting the bus stop, loudly sending cracks up the plastic (or is it glass? I don't get out to bus stops often). "I'm sorry, what was that about me breaking?"
Calamity jumps at the show of force, a little intimidated themself, and slides their backpack off their shoulders, kicking it in the direction of Phaedra's purse. They then square up too, lighter in the hand furthest from Phaedra.
Half a second later, Calamity surges forward, pulling a fist back as they go. It goes...nowhere, glancing harmlessly off the side of the tough in front of them, and they grimace, pulling back to assess the situation again.
The guy in charge leaps for Phaedra, leading his buddy in the charge to
to
to swing through empty air like Phaedra had never been there. He whirls, pivoting on his heel, seeking out where the FUCK she just went.
Her leg impacts one of the would-be attacker's shins, and she lets out a soft self-satisfied huff that's just short of a laugh.
The gangster Phaedra kicked winces and whips his foot back, hissing and cursing up a storm as another one ducks in to replace him. The new guy rears his fist back to attack, and-
"Scuse me~"
The plastic wall of the bus shelter abruptly buckles inwards with the same sort of disturbing THUMP as Phaedra's show of force earlier. The fight just- stops for a second, as the entire crowd of five remaining turns towards the back of their group, where there had previously been one of their own. Now, that gangbanger is slumped unconscious in the divot of the bus shelter's side, and in his place...
"Mind if I cut in?"
"Incoming!" Calamity yells, locking eyes with Phaedra and jerking their head at her.
And then the filthy yellow bandanna one of them's got tied around his arm explodes, a burst of flame illuminating the scene for just a moment. Bits of burning, half-melted cloth fly in all directions (because who gets 100% cotton bandanas, these days?) even Calamity takes a few steps backward, their eyes lit up with excitement.
Phaedra takes a hit and some bruises from that one lucky attack from Bob (who cheats), and then Calamity calls out, and she ducks and time seems to stop as she keeps her head low, bobbing out of the way in order to land beside Vorpal after the boom has happened and the Big Boi has attempted again to hit her. And her voice rings out over the fight. "Boys, boys. This, my dear idiots is why you don't pick a fight with a witch. We summon demons. Darling, would you take care of them for me, please?"
That last is addressed to Vorpal with a sharp little smile, hoping she'll back the play.
As The Interloper is wearing a mask, there's nobody to see the wicked grin that crops up after that all plays out.
Everyone sees the shadows rise up to rush the remaining four gangsters.
In a blitz, the figure engages with the crowd, all of whom screech and attempt to defend themselves. This, however, is the wrong move, as trying to strike is precisely what The Interloper was aiming for. They move with something beyond grace, something beyond elegance, something beyond... humanity. It's like fighting a shadow itself, only to get absolutely pummeled for trying. In one instant, it's four versus one- the next, only The Interloper is still standing, Phaedra's gambit leaving them off-kilter and unable to defend themselves between the combined trauma of Calamity's petty revenge, and the sheer fluid force that the vigilante brought to bear.
There's a shit-ton of groaning, but nobody- absolutely nobody- is getting back up.
It's hard to tell, but the figure seems almost disappointed...
Phaedra lets her fangs drop in and points to the pile of bodies. "Do you two mind if I, uh...?"
Calamity's jaw just kinda drops open at the display, eyes still shining with excitement.
"Holyshit," they breathe, looking from the bodies on the ground to the masked vigilante. "How'd you do that?"
Phaedra's question makes them shake their head. "I don't give a fuck."
There's a brief pause, and then a gesture towards the KO'd gangsters. "Snack away. Prefer if they lived."
"I don't kill when I feed, thank you." There's a definite indignation behind the words, hands on her hips for a moment before she bends over. She leans in and actually chooses two different bodies to nibble from, in order to be sure that they do survive.
"I wouldn't care..." Calamity mutters, and rolls their eyes as they stalk over to collect their bag and Phaedra's purse. Then they pull a battered pack of cigarettes from their pocket and light up, the stench of menthol drifting through the air even as they make sure to blow the smoke away from the two others still standing.
"Well, seeing as how I've not even heard your name, you'll have to forgive my unfamiliarity with your qualms regarding mealtime," quoth the figure, rolling both shoulders to show theres no offense intended. "And as for how- well," they say with a chuckle and a stretch. "Magic. That's the short answer for you."
"That and a FUCKton of practice."
"Phaedra Lamb. You're interesting, and I think I want to be your friend, if you aren't too eldritch and all to do friendship." Feeding done, she reclaims her purse from Calamity. "You move like the personifications of Obfuscate and Celerity had a baby."
"It's fuckin' sweet, dude." Calamity grins. "Like out of a fuckin' comic book."
"Well. That WAS the idea behind the mask and spooky coat," they admit, tilting their head towards Phaedra. "And i believe I will take that bastardization as a compliment. Thank you~." She's not wrong, either. Especially for Calamity, watching the figure move is... uncomfortable. Distinctly so. Nothing should be able to move like that.
"I do like to be interesting. And- well. There was a time you'd be on the money with that, actually. But I'm doing much better these days, holding down relationships, and I haven't hurled myself at some unknowable threat in years! So. I think friend is doable. You both alright, then?"
"Not a scratch left on me. They didn't taste good, though." She glances at Calamity. "Are you okay? I probably should have checked in better before starting that fight, but I was not about to leave you alone."
"I'm fine, I would'a booked it if we started losing. Assholes." Calamity tugs the cigarette from their mouth to spit on the ground near to one of the tough's heads.
"You okay with the explosion? It's...fire's most'a what I can do..."
"If you're all done," states the figure, "Then I'm gonna call 911 on one of their phones and ditch. I presume neither of you are particularly concerned with being associated with throwing fireballs and summoning shadow demons?"
"I know most of what you do is fire--that's why I moved away from you when I did that speedy thing, instead of sticking in close. I wanted them in between me and you so I wouldn't see the fire so good." She laughs. "I'm not much of a fighter, but sometimes I think okay, sometimes."
Then she turns to look at Vorpal. "I mean, I'm concerned about being associated with, like. Being a sucker, but I make my living as a witch. Summoning you is impossible, so I'm okay with that. I'm more worried about Calamity. They knew the gang they belonged to, and that's maybe a problem?"
"Yeah uh...I'm definitely gonna be laying low for the next few days. I don't care about the fire shit, but they'll be out for blood, once they realize what happened..." They stuff their bandanna down in their pocket until it's no longer visible.
"Probably shouldn't wait for the next bus..." They sling their backpack onto their back. "Not too far of a walk - Phae I can spot you for an Uber or some shit, so you can get home too?"
"Probably," confirms The Interloper, bending to fish a phone out of someone's pocket and dialing 911 before tossing it back down to broadcast the groans and location. "Miss Lamb- I'll reach out to your people and ask for a meeting, perhaps. Since you're intrigued. But for now, I think I'll be taking my leave before the police arrive." They snap off a snazzy little salute to Calamity and Phaedra, and as if to prove Phaedra's point?
They're just gone.
Because Light-Shy is awesome.
"I look forward to making your proper acquaintance." She bows are the darkness formally, before grinning at Calamity. "I've got money to get my own Uber. But let's get away from here, first."
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