ArchivedLogs:Protect Your Own

Protect Your Own
Dramatis Personae Munch, Kay, Kira	2013-04-24 Munch and Kay intercede on a fellow mutant's behalf.
Location <NYC> East Harlem
With the highest violent crime rate in Manhattan and a failing educational system, it is easy to overlook the charms of El Barrio. Amidst its problems, East Harlem is a place thriving with culture. Salsa dancing has a rich history in the neighborhood, and in the open-air markets a wide assortment of goods can be bought from the West African community there. One of the less savory bits of East Harlem, the weather is less than pleasant on this spring evening, as a cold drafty breeze whistles through the buildings. The sky has been drizzling on and off all day but no real soaking rain, just enough to add to the general unpleasantness. Kira has been doing her best to stay dry and out of trouble, but combining these two efforts has been hard today as everyone who is homeless or less than nice also wants to stay dry and warm. So after a day of dodging creeps and trying to keep herself in one piece she finally decided to spend a few of her precious remaining dollars at a corner convience store to buy some coffee and a microwaveable burrito that probably was fresh, a few years ago. Cardboard coffee cup in one hand and a re-heated burrito in the other she exited the shop only to almost run directly into three rather large thuggish guys who were heading /in/ to the corner store. While each of them probably would be considered a minor brute at best, to Kira they seem like a wall of folks. Worse, when bumping into them she spills her hot coffee right on the lead guy. The scalding hot coffee that is, right on his shirt. This results in a less than happy reaction from the leader of the thugs as he loudly proclaims his annoyance with a few choice four letter words and a back handed slap across Kira's face that is strong enough to knock her off her feet and worse knock her glasses off, exposing her glowing eyes. This results in the three man group apparently deciding it's mutant bashing time as the leader cracks his knuckles. "So, a little mutie, huh? Thinking she can do whatever she wants? On our turf?" He growls at Kira as he advances and she tries to back up, right into the brick wall behind her, trying to get to her feet as the other two start to close in the half circle so she has no where to run. There is a sudden sound, from behind the three would-be-thugs. It is... unusual. Like - aluminum, crinkling. But /different/. Deeper, more metallic. The best description might be... 'CRONCH'. It comes from a remarkably large person who /just so happens/ to have been walking by at the time. Jamal 'Munch' Daysdale is a big boy; though he's just a teenager, he /looks/ more like a brick wall that sprouted legs and a smile and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. The bald-headed boy's just over six feet; right now, he's clad in a black leather jacket - complete with studs, and an unusual metal biker logo - a white t-shirt underneath that, blue jeans, and a red bandana on his head. At a glance, you might think he's some sort of gangsta wannabe - until you notice his smile. It's the sort of blissful, clueless smile of someone who's got no worries in the world. He's just about always wearing it. Except - not at the moment. Right at this moment, he's wearing a curious little frown. Then, there's that sound. CRONCH. CRONCH. CRONCH. Oh, right. It's something Jamal is eating - licorice? Very /big/ licorice. CRONCH. He takes another bite, twisting off a chunk of it and gnawing. CRONCH. Jeez, it's /huge/! Two feet long! And... kind of greyish? Waitasecond... ...that's not licorice, that's a 2 foot long /bike chain/. And he's taking /bites/ out of it. And /chewing/ it. Like it was fucking /taffy/. While he /stares/ at these three thugs as they corner Kira. CRONCH. Ssssssssssssiizzle. "Well, well, well, Munchie. Y'seein' this?" Leaning against Munch with ankles casually crossed: Kay has long-since dragged off his helmet, his not-so-freshly shaved mohawk exhibiting a long curly-gnarled scar along the side of his head, the rest of his lank blond hair hair semi-drenched against his forehead. He's nearly tall as Munch, wearing a black vest with a matching logo - though there, the similarities end; he's beanpole lanky with /furious/-lean wiriness, a t-shirt with the sleeves torn off, long long legs and - a GRIN. Directed at the three thugs, /widely/. The wet air /steams/ off an infernal heat, radiating from his tattooed skin. "Think you boys better move along." He talks with an unlit cigarette bobbling from the corner of his mouth - until he lifts a fingerless glove and - FWOOM! A livid spiral of fire provides light enough to pull in a drag. "You don't want this." He says it /friendly/! His eyes lazily drop to Kira, "Y'alright, there, sister?" Well, some folks are slow to learn and others, well, they react faster. The 'leader' if he can be called that has his full attention on Kira at first, although the guys to his right and left both glance over at the sound of the 'Cronch', at first not quite understanding what they are seeing. The added 'sizzle' from the second guy and the one to the right of the leader starts to jab him, "Uh, boss? You think maybe we should make scarce?" Clearly one of the wiser of the three. The boss on the other hand, if he could even be called that as the leader of this sad trio, is still focused on Kira and even as the pair approach and make comments, he kicks at the girl on the ground, a rather sickening thud of his boot against her side as she holds her hands up to protect her face at least. That really didn't sound good as Kira gives a little squeak in pain and her attempt to get back to her feet ends with her slumping back to the ground, and falling to her side, clutching it. It's at this point the one of the left winces, "Uh, come on Frankie, let's move... now!" And with that the one on the left simply runs, not wanting to perhaps be associated with this sudden mess. The one on the right, the one who tried to warn the Boss or Frankie guy notices the other one exiting and after one more attempt of, "Hey, behind you!" He turns and runs the opposite direction. The Frankie character's smirk at the pain he's inflicted to Kira turns to a frown, as he notices his two friends leaving rather suddenly and only then turns around to face the pair behind him with a rather questioning look then lets out a small, "What the fuck are you two supposed to be?" He says as he foolishly stands his ground for the moment. As he says this he reaches into his pocket and slips on a pair of brass knuckles even as Kira gives a little groan of pain behind him on the ground. Looks like Frankie might be the 'leader' but not too bright it seems as he doesn't run, "You muties stick together, huh?" He sneers as he seemingly gets ready to take a swing at one of the two. CRONCH. CRONCH. CRONCH. Munch continues chewing on that bike-chain like it was just licorice, watching the events proceed with that curious frown. When Kira gets kicked, that frown elevates to a scowl; when the other two run away, the scowl softens up a bit. But then - when Frankie turns on him with a set of brass knuckles - and he asks about muties sticking together - Munch's expression reverts to one of neutrality. He shrugs, and - steps forward. Right toward Frankie and his brass knuckles. When Frankie takes a swing at Munch's face, Munch doesn't move. When the brass knuckles hit his jaw - there's an unusual *CLNKT* sound - and suddenly, Frankie's brass knuckles are /stuck/ to Munch's jaw. Munch proceeds to reach - very slowly - to clasp those brass knuckles. And, taking his time - and trying not to /hurt/ Frankie - attempts to extract Frankie's hands from said brass knuckles. Munch is remarkably strong - and patient! Should he succeed, he gives the brass knuckles a little wiggle - removing them from his jaw - and proceeds to toss them into his mouth. CRONCH. Kay lackadaisically hangs back, blowing smoke at the sky above with an arm crossed loosely over his abdomen - all the easier to prop up his cigarette to an elevation equal to his cheekbone. "Who're we?" Propping the butt of his coffin nail between his teeth, while Munch goes about extracting Frankie's fingers from his mid-day snack, he ambles forward with a loose jivey stride, snapping his fingers to either side like he's hearing /music/, "We're the guys /not/ shreddin' you like long-pork." As he nears, the hellish heat can be felt like a red nimbus, shimmering oily ripples in the air when - a rapid rustle of cloth - he raises his hand, palm hovering in front of Frankie's face. "Why. You wanna change our minds?" A low furnace glow has begun to lick to life in the spare inches between his hand and Frankie cheeks, heat-warping back his eyebrows like cringing spider legs. "'Cause we can do that, too. Well. Or /medium/ well. Your call." Even dullards like Frankie know when to call it quits. Hitting the one guy was like hitting a wall, and then he /eats/ the brass knuckles? That plus heat boy? Still irritated, Frankie backs up, glances at Kira then back to the two more threatening mutants and grumbles, "Mutie fuckin' freaks..." He says this as he starts to beat a hasty retreat though, perhaps overly eager to put additional space between himself and the metalic guy and the furnace guy. Even as he makes what later he will not call a retreat, the look he gives Kira makes it clear if it weren't for the two far more intimidating guys intervention, Kira would be in far worse shape than she is at the moment. Even so, Kira is laying on one side, clutching it and wincing in pain. Her hot drink and food lost, she does try to reach out and grab her sunglasses, to put them on, perhaps overly eager to conceal her glowing eyes, which at the moment are glowing a rather interesting shade of pale white, perhaps with a touch of blue making them seem kind of ghostly, until she manages to cover them up. Only then does she look up at the pair, trying to take in what is going on around her, wincing as she tries to sit up. She glances in the direction Frankie retreated in and then back to the two more... interesting guys before her, giving a questioning look but not saying anything yet, perhaps trying to catch her breath. When Munch walks forward, it carries a certain weight; each step is something you can /feel/ - his feet thunk like anvils on concrete. Despite looking pretty lean, the guy /moves/ like he weighs a ton. When he finally reaches Kira, he crouches - the gesture accompanied by what might be the tell-tale creak of... metal? Still frowning. Offering her a hand to help her up to her feet. It's a big one - and actually, on closer inspection, has an unusual pigmentation to it - not just a dark brown, but /greyish/ brown. Like the guy's covered in ash. Should she take the hand - it's warm, not /hard/, but not quite yielding either - it gives beneath pressure, but in a way that's reluctant and brings to mind suede wrapped around a really big rock. CRONCH, CRONCH. Also, he's still chewing on that set of brass knuckles, only finishing it as he offers his hand. *GULP*. Kay stays behind, half-tense, one hand /crackling/ with a miniature hurricane of heat cupped in one hand - not quite fire. But so /close/ that it licks and dances thicker, blister-warping his glove. His other hand... is, really, just idly smoking, head turned to speculatively watch Frankie's prudent retreat. Then? He flicks his cigarette to the ground and folds over his arms on /top/ of Munch's shoulder when he crouches down, grinning down at Kira, "Boy, you got some hard luck, sister. 'm Kay. This is Munch." He buffs his hand around on top of Munch's bald head like it'll give him GOOD LUCK. There's some hesittion from Kira before she takes the offered hand. She frowns and well, acts like she's not used to seeing mutants let alone touching one, even if she is one. She does reach out though, with her free hand, the other one holding her side as she tries to get to her feet, "Kira... I'm Kira... thanks... those guys were... ah..." She trails off as she peers at Munch and then Kay more closely, "Um.... I mean... I just... uh... thanks." She stammers out, looking more than a tad unsure of herself at the moment, then she winces in pain again. From the looks of it she might have a black eye too from where Frankie back handed her. After a second or two of standing she glances around at the ground then sighs, as she realizes the food she bought is effectively lost, the coffee spilled and the burrito got stomped on by one of the guys in retreat. She looks from the ground back up to Munch, "Are... are you made of metal?" She asks, as she tilts her head, studying him a bit more, then glancing over at Kay again. Even though it's evening and cloudy she's wearing those cheap sunglasses, but if one were to actually take time to look they could still see the faint glow around them, just not as noticable with the glasses in the way. The glow is still mostly white at the moment as she seems to be in 'situation evaluation' mode. She does seem more than a tad out of place for the area though, from her body language and all. If Munch minds having a Kay propped up on his shoulders, he doesn't show it; when Kay reaches over to polish that big, bald noggin, Munch smiles down to Kira. And when she asks about the metal - he gives a silent nod. Yup. Well, kind of. He follows the nod with a shrug, as if to say 'close enough'. Once she's on her feet, Munch looks down at the ruined coffee mug and burrito - then up to Kay - starting to rise up to his feet (slowly!) and give the other biker this big puppy-dog look. Like 'hey hey c'mon they ruined her stuff, /fix/ it'. Regrettably, burrito repair and coffee production may /not/ be among Kay's particular mutations. Scabby-scarred and tight-jawed even with his grins, Kay's genuine smile is nevertheless not a face you would turn to for sympathy. His ambery-bright eyes are quick, sharp, he evaluates her natural glow of eyes - bopping up onto his toes to peer down behind her glasses unapologetically - her visible injuries, then the surrounding area, they never really pause or hold still. It might look more twitchy if he wasn't slouch-loose through the shoulders, weight cocked off absently to one hip. All purposely /not/ looking at Munch. SCREW Munch. Munch can sit over there NOT being looked at, while Kay surveys the land - "He's usin' the /eyes/, isn't he." He is saying this with his head turned to look down the sidewalk, briskly sucking his teeth. Tssss. He considers Kira long and hard, eyes narrowed -- "God fuckin' dammit. I /hate/. When he uses the eyes." Abruptly, he smacks a palm down against the back of Munche's shoulder, "Fine. You win. Christ." He stalks forward, past Kira, hands absently fisted up as he shoulders his way back into the convenience store. He is notable muttering about 'punk-ass cockrags' and 'soft-hearted scrapheaps' while he fishes his wallet from a back pocket. But he's grinning, too. LIke he LOVES to be angry. Even though Kira is studying the pair herself something about being studied back makes her uneasy it appears. She lets go of Munche's hand and backs up a bit when Kay tries to look over her glasses at her eyes, the white with blue tint glow remaining as she frowns and tries to sort of block his view with the glasses, as if her obviously freaky eyes are something she is rather ashamed of. Still, when Kay goes into his 'eyes' bit, it is hard not to smirk, even for Kira as she glances over at Munch then back to Kay. "Ah, thanks for... the rescue." She says even as Kay heads into the corner store. She watches him head in then glances back to Munch, "You um, I mean... sorry... I guess? I... I'm not from around here..." Well that much was probably clear from her obvious midwestern accent. She's no New Yorker, that's for sure. She really does seem out of place at the moment, as she reaches up and gingerly touches the eye that is going to likely be rather blackened in an hour or two, and still winces as she touches her ribs, as if seeing how bad they are, but only wincing more as a result. "You guys saved me, I dunno what those creeps woulda done if you two hadn't have come along." She admits, softly, looking up at Munch then back into the store to see how Kay is faring inside. Munch's response to this proposed scenario wherein he and Kay did /not/ step in - and Kira's ensuing thank you - is to just shrug. As if to say, 'Just business'. But the shrug is followed by a smile, one of his fingers reaching up to tap at his eyes - an unusually sharp /steel/ blue - and then point back at her. Before making little circles with his hands and putting them around his own eyes. Simulating /eyeglasses/. Munch also throws a glance toward Kay as he moves toward the convenience store - Kira might catch a /brief/ frown flickering over his features. It's a very concerned frown. The kind you might put on your face if someone you cared about was venturing into the DANGER ZONE. The problem might be - judging by Kay's behavior - the guy is a /walking/ Danger Zone. So Munch's expression is likely one he's had a lot of practice giving. Kay has a certain type of lit-fuse manner that makes every establishment he walks into seem likely to explode outward in a rush of broken glass and fire at a countdown of five, four, three -- He doesn't erupt on a fiery cloud when he exists, but he does /kick/ the door open (to an annoyed shout from the manager inside), and /hop/ all three steps to the ground like he'd just made a getaway. All he's 'gotten away' with (or, in this case, bought and paid for) is a cold-wrapped turkey sandwich and a black coffee, which he unceremoniously unloads on Kira, "Would you quit makin' the face? It's fine. Don't make the /face/." Metal or not, the confidence of a flame set on heating a metal bar, Kay hooks an elbow around the back of Munch's head to enforce him with a noogie. Like maybe abuse can /break/ him of puppy eyes, jerking a chin at Kira, "Y'gonna be a'right?" He releases the other biker punk, and for all his open tactile habits, it might be this single moment of leaving a hand resting on Munch's shoulder that communicates more than he'd say. When he isn't smiling, there is only battleborn fire in his face, looking at and seemingly /through/ her sunglasses in grim eye contact, "We gotta stick t'gether, kid. These're ugly times. Munch. Y'wanna see she gets somewhere safe?" His hand slides off Munch's shoulder only after this, giving the material there a rough /shake/ first. "I gotta get back t'the garage. Briar'll have my balls if I don't show up to count through inventory." He's already long-legged striding away, turning to point back at /both/ comrade and stranger, "Don't go gettin' /pregnant/, hear?" He tosses a leg over a motorcycle parked alongside the curb, kickstarts it to life, and begins cautiously wheeling it backwards to join the New York traffic, fitting on his helmet as he does. As she watches Munch, Kira blinks a few times then states rather obviously, "You can't talk." Mistress of the obvious? Either that or Munch just doesn't like talking for some reason, but she apparently is assuming the first one, that he can't talk. Once she's sort of mentally established that fact for herself she tries to figure out what he's asking or doing with his fingers. "Um, I don't need the glasses to see or anything just... trying to avoid trouble, you know? Some folks don't like it when they see someone different." She says to the odd metal man, pausing as if she realizes how stupid it is for her to tell /him/ that. After a moment Kira gives a helpless shrug, "I just try to cover them up so no one notices. The other stuff that's wrong with me isn't so... obvious." She says softly, clearly seeing her eyes and whatever else she can do or is as something 'wrong'. Not a great mindset for a mutant but she's probably not the first mutant to treat her status as a curse more than a blessing. It is unclear what other abilities she might have as it is pretty obvious that self protection or instant regeneration are not among them based on her current state. She gives a small sigh and then winces as that hurts her side again. "You're Munch he said? Right? Is that cause you eat metal things?" She asks, clearly trying hard to make some kind of small talk or the like as she glances over her shoulder to see how Kay is getting along in the store. As Kay emerges from the store and hands her some new food she blinks then gives a sheepish smile, "Hey, thanks." She says to Kay, seriously meaning it from the looks of it, possibly exposing how much she really was looking forward to the limited meal that had been ruined previously. "Um, yeah, stick together...." She seems less sure on that bit but then she clearly is new to a lot at the moment. She watches the antics between Munch and Kay with some bemusement only the blink and suddenly flush when he calls back about getting pregnant! She glances between Kay and Munch then back to Kay as he motors away on the bike, "Um, yeah.... no, just... ah..." She stammers then resorts to taking a drink of the coffee and unwrapping the sandwich to start eating, this allowing her to refrain from further discussion and get something in her stomach at the same time, not a bad deal really. @emit At the mention of not speaking - Munch shoots a metallic eyebrow up - and grins. Before shaking his head, and then - he speaks! "Not talky." When he says these words, it becomes instantly obvious /why/ he doesn't speak - his voice is deep, reverbrating out from somewhere in his belly - it's got a metallic /rumble/ to it. A very 'Darth Vader' kind of vibe. Like his voice-box had been /roboticized/.%R%RWhen Kay returns - and nothing is on fire - he looks visibly relieved. The mention of not getting pregnant only manages to prompt a wave from Munch; nope, don't worry. Munch isn't gonna get preggers. And then he's looking back to Kira, half with concern, half with curiosity - watching her as she eats. Then, he speaks again: "You got somewhere to sleep?" That big, metallic hand is thrust out to her again - /slowly/, but in offer. His voice has a way of making /bones/ shake: "Know a place. S'quiet. Nobody'll bug you. Can only stay th'night, though," he adds, like he was warning a puppy that he couldn't /keep/ them.%R%RWhy is he offering Kira a place to stay? Maybe he can /detect/ the newness off of her. She doesn't look very street savvy, after all. And she also /probably/ doesn't look like she's got a place to sleep. At the mention of not speaking - Munch shoots a metallic eyebrow up - and grins. Before shaking his head, and then - he speaks! "Not talky." When he says these words, it becomes instantly obvious /why/ he doesn't speak - his voice is deep, reverbrating out from somewhere in his belly - it's got a metallic /rumble/ to it. A very 'Darth Vader' kind of vibe. Like his voice-box had been /roboticized/. When Kay returns - and nothing is on fire - he looks visibly relieved. The mention of not getting pregnant only manages to prompt a wave from Munch; nope, don't worry. Munch isn't gonna get preggers. And then he's looking back to Kira, half with concern, half with curiosity - watching her as she eats. Then, he speaks again: "You got somewhere to sleep?" That big, metallic hand is thrust out to her again - /slowly/, but in offer. His voice has a way of making /bones/ shake: "Know a place. S'quiet. Nobody'll bug you. Can only stay th'night, though," he adds, like he was warning a puppy that he couldn't /keep/ them. Why is he offering Kira a place to stay? Maybe he can /detect/ the newness off of her. She doesn't look very street savvy, after all. And she also /probably/ doesn't look like she's got a place to sleep. Kira nods but looks a bit surprised when Munch does speak. But her mouth is full of sandwich and she doesn't reply immediately. She chews a bit, takes a swig of coffee then shakes her head, "Naw, been trying to keep dry and warm but... don't have enough to pay for some place warm, and can't really go crash at one of the shelters..." She says softly. "But if you got a place, even if it's just for the night? That'd be great." She says trying not to sound /too/ eager to be honest but it is clear the mere offer from someone who just shortly ago saved her from some thugs? Well, she seems rather willing to trust this big mountain of metal man. "Lead the way?" Is all she can really manage as she goes back to finishing her sandwich and following Munch to wherever he might have in mind.