Closed | Give 'Em A Show

[helpdesk_hero]

Who: David Alleyne helpdesk_hero and Balthier portolan
What: A Staged Alliance versus Society fight to help some kids
When: February 6th [Backdated]
Where: Excelsior
Content Warnings: Implications of Police threatening excessive force

Investigations were something David was good at, but that didn't mean this wasn't going really well so far. Figuring out the motivations behind what had happened to Balthier's late boss's passing was getting nowhere rather quickly, and in the moment David desperately missed Trevor. He could really use some Eyeboy abilities right now, and instead they just had to keep going with their work as it was.

So they'd agreed to take a minor break, having cups of coffee and tea while they took a breather, only for David to jerk up a bit straighter suddenly as he picked up something with his technopathy. Damn.

"Babe, you're not going to believe this. Just got something over police systems," he said as he straightened up, reaching for the duffel bag he kept behind the counter of the shop, just in case he needed to be Prodigy out in this part of town. "Pretty sure we've got something to do. Just caught a police record search from a unit nearby, for a local teen. Guy's name triggered my alerts because the records say the kid is related to Pike Grace. I can squelch the records for the search, but it looks like the kid is getting stopped for tagging."

And David didn't think kids should be arrested for street art, thanks.

"Wanna see if we can't get ourselves a conversation with the kid? We will need to scare the cops off to let him get away first, and then one of us corner him to talk."

Comments

[helpdesk_hero]

With different magic.

David doesn't like the bullets either, or that they're flying wildly, but there isn't much he can do just yet. The kid, meanwhile, looks at Balthier in shock, then to the other version of the 'villain' being shot at, and nods.

As for David, he thinks it might be time to make an entrance, just to stop the shooting.

Keep your head down. And his.

Then he quickly 'rises' on the roof, acting like he's just arrived.

"Stand down, Society scum," he says, his voice coming from the helmet altered through the speakers.

[portolan]

Balthier rolls his eyes affectionately. David must be feeling confident if he's splitting hairs in the middle of this.

Will do. If David tells him to be cautious, he listens.

At the other's entrance, all of his doubles point toward Prodigy. "The spoils are ours," the echoing voices say. "You can't manage us all." Bullets hit at least two doubles. One acts like it's been hit, the other stays stoic. Both are disquieting.

But there's a shield over him and the kid. "You want to get out of this quiet, come with me," he says.

[helpdesk_hero]

Of course he's splitting hairs. It's fun and in his nature.

"Why are you helping me?" the kid asks, even as elsewhere David is absolutely moving. Prodigy jumps to a lower roof closer to one of the Anathema visions.

"All you Society folks are about spoils and power," Prodigy says as if he is just bored with the idea. Meanwhile he forms a whip of glowing light in his hand. "Well I'm here to spoil your fun!"

[portolan]

Balthier sends one of the decoys to rise in a set of shadowy tendrils, lunging at Prodigy then circling him.

"We are the honest ones," his echoing voices say. "You are just as hungry for spoils, power, adoration." If David sends the whip at the apparition, it will make a show of fireworks and sparkles, hissing and sizzling.

With the cops distracted, Balthier turns his attention to the kid again. "We all know these jerks are after their own promotions, not justice. I was your age once. And maybe you can help me with something, hmm? I can even scrub the records you were ever in trouble." But there's another shot, and he doesn't like that. "Come on. This way."

Tendrils sneak near the kid though, a silent reminder that Anathema's a lot more capable than the cops.

[helpdesk_hero]

The kid is definitely more afraid of the display than he was of the cops, and considered that briefly until the stray shot went out again.

"Fine," he says, because he just wants out of there.

Meanwhile David was making sure eyes were on the distraction.

"If I wanted adoration, you'd think I'd take the helmet off," Prodigy said as the whip lashed out. And hey, for more show he even made sure to create a circling wall of shields. The idea was to look good, and he could look so much stronger with his projection powers because the lack of actual risk of damage meant the created shields could be paper thin, unable to turn away anything more than a look, and still be enough. Which meant he could make more of them for a greater show for the cops.

No one would expect them to have good eye witness information anyway, they'd talk it up. ANd Prodigy was prone to being secretive about what he could get up to.

[portolan]

Good lad. Safety is always a good choice, and Balthier has to remind himself not to be too gentle with him and give away the act.

He doesn't have ears from his doubles, though, so switches to an audio feed in his ear from David's suit, along with a video feed of the area as he leads the kid around a corner.

"We all know why you hide your face," his doubles say ominously. Let the rumor mill run with that one. But as the shields go up -- great touch -- he lets the doubles start to squirm a bit, the shadows targeting their central bubble. Let them think he's sweating, really watch the show. "If you truly didn't care for glory, you wouldn't be so flashy."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Can't help my powers, and then look at you," Prodigy said, generating a second whip in the other hand. Yeah, he's got to make this all look good. And that involves lashing out.

"I'm not Fantastic," he said, just to take a pot shot there too.