Log:Black Friday, Scene 2

Black Friday 2019/11/22  Amelia Artemis Connor Lien Mercury Union Zero Black Friday

2

Amelia and Artemis are facing off, under Black Friday's emotional control. Black Friday has been feeding off the emotions of the crowd and has been taking a more substantial form over Amelia's head - while gaining more power. Union and Connor have both attacked Friday.

Lien has sat down and pulled out a flask.

Zero continues her sprint to keep Amelia from getting hurt in the name of her fallen ex.

Lien has her flask, and her tablet. Brunch and a show. It's almost better than beer and a movie. Almost.

Zero breaks out her swingline once she's clear of the store and uses it to swing to a position between Amelia & Artemis. She's halfway there as she realizes Amelia might not /need/ her help, but she's certainly going to get it. She knows what 'William' would do- so that's what she does.

"Amelia! You should get out of here! I don't knwo what's happening but I've seen this one throw down before. We need to get you out of here!" She shouts before looking over her shoulder to say, "Its what Will would have wanted."

SHe clsoes her eyes so she can see behind her after making eye contact with Amelia.

Black Friday, having drunk deeply of the emotions of the crowd and the heroes, once again sends out waves of rage, to stir the crowd into a greater frenzy.

Zero is almost staggered by the wave of psionic energy that roils off of Black Friday. She grits her teeth through the maelstrom and is starting to see what's going on here. Well - suspect that this fight is exactly what someone wanted and the flames are being fanned by a power beyond most normal, generally moral people.

"That... thing is doing this. Whatever you're feeling- its not real!" She exclaims to everyone while pointing to Black Friday.

Connor feels another flash of induced anger...but this time he's able to focus it on Friday. But despite that, the rage disappears just as quickly while he's mid-strike toward the solid-ish ghost, attempting to connect with an elbow.

The ghost is still thin to the touch, and the blow just passes through it - though with some resistance. Clearly it at least felt it.

Artemis watches Zero get in the way. "My quarrel is not with you, mortal. I seek answers from the sorceress!" She leaps...well, flies, over and lands behind Amelia, trying to hook an arm around her neck to throw her onto the ground.

Artemis gets intercepted by Zero diving in the way. Her arm hooks around Zero's neck and she throws the heroine over her hip and into the ground. She looks surprised to see Zero on the ground instead of Amelia.

"You defend this vile fiend, woman?" Artemis asks of Zero. "Be you loyal or just a thrall? If you do not wish to face the wrath of the Godflora, I suggest you stay down."

Hearing over the current events that something is making everyone seem to go berserk at the mall, Mercury makes her way there in a hurry. Large population means a lot of potentially hurt people. The liquid metal heroine flows rapidly from outside to in, covering a rather impressive amount of ground because she can flow around obstacles instead of having to avoid them. When she sees who is involved, her hesitation is momentary.

Zero moves without thinking- so focused on keeping Hunter/William's legacy alive she forgets that it generally her primary objective to keep herself that way.

She sidesteps into Amelia's place right in time to be caught by the Godflora and her danger sense goes wild until everything flashes bright white and then black as she hits the ground & bounces off of it.

SHe lets out a pained groan as she looks up to Artemis from the ground. "Not a... fiend. Mind controlled." She says, clearly seeing spots.

Without her shield, Althea isn't able to protect herself. The fire dart strikes her in the back and burns her, leaving skin blackened and cracked as Althea roars in pain. Parts of her clothing are turned to ash as she tries patting herself out.

Union is filled with rage that this...this _thing_ would bring harm to the innocents here. She leaps again, bringing her knee up between shadowy legs.

Black Friday is sinking slowly to the ground as she becomes more solid. The blow, once again, mostly passes through her - but also budges her backward a little. Clearly there's some real substance there now!

Union lands lightly on her feet after her leap.

Lien was alrady annoyed. Then a passing shopper/brawler/flee-er spills her flask. Althea slams Zero. As easy on the eye as that wrestling match might turn out to be, Lien's finally had enough. Alas, her ire focuses upon Althea, as the one slamming Zero and left Lien with a horrendous hangover after they played one tequila, two tequila, eighteen tequila, floor. And she probably didn't even get a headache. Well, Lien can fix that. She steps up behind Althea and clenches her fist. Even ticked, Lien isn't a total B!. She'll wait a moment until she's ready to tap Althea on the shoulder so she can at least sock her in that pretty nose. It's a bar brawl, afterall (since Lien brought the booze with her).

Thinking the best she can do is some degree of crowd control, Mercury flows up onto the floor where all the rabid shoppers have decided to rabidify, not yet able to discern the exact nature of the trouble but at least able to quell some of the flow. She stretches herself out to cover a very long line in front of the rampagers, and makes herself an impassable figure. Anyone touching her, or part of her, faces some considerable difficulty leaving that touch.

"I am terribly sorry," Mercury offers. "But could someone please inform me about why everyone is so furious?"

After two waves of anger coming off Black Friday - and some of them already inclined to anger anyway - fully three quarters of the crowd are angry enough to break into fighting - and that's plenty to engage the remaining quarter as well. In moments, the whole area is an all-out brawl. A lot of people adjacent to Mercury strike at the obvious target trying to 'catch' them, and promptly get stuck.

Lien is hit hard by a handbag, but isn't budged.

Althea is more than shocked when Lien slugs her in the nose. The crackling, popping Godflora rubs her nose. She...FELT that. But the searing pain along her back is more pressing. "You..." she says with narrowed eyes as she recognizes Lien.

Black Friday eyes Zero, still descending. "Not real? What is more real than the incarnation of the ill-feeling of this day itself?"

Union is still angry that Black Friday would do this to innocent shoppers. She leaps up again, bringing her elbow down on the apparition's collarbone.

Black Friday glances at Union, like she's a bug which has reached the point of having become a serious annoyance.

Mercury has not much trouble holding back the crowd, but turns her voice up toward Black Friday. "Are you the cause of all of this then? Help me understand why as a new resident of your country, please?"

Black Friday laughs coldly. "The cause? No, I am the symptom! The malice and anger and avarice that lies in the hearts of the greedy!"

Zero looks up at Black Friday as she prepares to get up. She sneers. "Not real." The heroine repeats aloud, thinking she may have struck a nerve.

She kicks up and onto her feet. "Not real." She says a bit louder. Then she remembers why she's here- and why everyone is here. "We're not here for awful, angry & hollow feelings." She looks around.

"We're here for the people we love. The people who mean something more to us than your lies. You've just made them forget that... wore them down and primed them to act out. No. You're not real. You're just forgotten feelings." She says as she squares off with Black Friday- trying hard to stay positive when she was already primed to feel so low. She doesn't want to contribute to the mass of negativity around her.

Luckily she's had training in choosing what she allows to arise to the surface of her mind.

A serene state takes hold of her as she reaches out to Lien & Union with her mind.

She holds her ground but does not strike out - yet.

(I hope you guys aren't riding the awful vibes this thing is putting out because I'm definitely going to need help. Also looking good Lien. PG time- Union's a kid.)0o. She thinks to the other heroines.

Black Friday seems not to be much impressed. But maybe angered? "I am not forgotten - will not be forgotten!" she storms.

Connor shakes his head, "She's a ghost. She's not any representation of greed. She's just a ghost."

"And you choose the least capable of properly expressing greed among those who might be capable of it," Mercury observes. "Is it because there are so many here and you want to inflict the greatest possible amount of harm? Or because those here are easy victims to your machinations? Or are you held here by something that will not let you leave?"

Zero smirks and isn't cowed by Black Friday's ire. "Every year. Forgotten." She says, "Maybe we should call you Mayfly. Buzzkill? No one wants to remember either of those."

Zero turns towards Connor, hoping that he knows something about the being because she's just winging it and so far that hasn't worked out well for her.

Connor catches Zero's glance. "No idea who she is. I can't get more details without specific gear, but she's a ghost. No question. She wants to be remembered. It'd help if we knew her real name."

In pain and indignant at the punch to the face, Althea's rage is still stoked against Amelia. "I wish no harm to you, mortals, though you wish it upon me. Stay clear or I cannot promise you will be safe." She takes a deep breath to focus past the pain and flies towards Amelia, fist drawn back.

Amelia is only slightly hurt by the punch but is knocked over onto her butt.

Black Friday glares at Zero, her green eyes glowing so brightly now they approach white in her otherwise shadowy figure. "I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN!" And she drinks so deeply of the anger all about her that she become entirely solid, dropping to the ground, burning eyes fixed on Zero.

"Why do I get the feeling I just made things muuuuuuch worse?" Zero says, standing slightly more defensively.

Amelia shudders, then takes a deep breath. "No, you have made things far better," she tells Zero. "Your words were elegant and powerful." She transforms to Raven and turns to face Black Friday, "I am the Chosen One. Bane of darkness. You have one chance to leave of your own accord. Else I shall remove you. You will not like that alternate."

The butterflies land on those who are injured and seems to merge into their wounds, partially healing the injuries.

"You're in the wrong universe then lady." Zero replies. "Nothing is forever. No one is remembered for all eternity. That's the way it works for all of us." Though the fineprint would clearly exclude the Godflora- Zero is just unaware of such trivial revelations. "You live ... and then..." Her chin trembles and her serenity evaporates. "And if you're lucky... someone loves you through it all somewhere in between and then... then you die." Her shoulders sag a bit and her fists lower an inch as she tries to build herself back up. This took a weird turn she was not prepared for- luckily Amelia comes to just as he's feeling her lowest.

A trembling chin is replaced with a sad but relieved smile as the Chosen One steps forth being the Bane of Darkness. This kind of darkness is edging well into the madness of that other world she glimpsed.

She focuses on riding the adrenaline & protecting others knowing that if she dwells with that thought too long she'll falter.

She feels a bit more invigorated and the edges of her vision clear up after a magical butterfly becomes her.

Connor is mostly being ignored by the spirit. But perhaps he can help fight it in some small way. He tries to slip around behind her and apply a grappling technique and make her easier to deal with.

This time, Black Friday is quite solid. And seemingly unhurt by the squeeze.

Mercury works to keep everyone separated, "Artemis, you are aiming to inflict harm upon that mortal. Protected as she might be."

Union is still full of rage, still focussed on Black Friday. "Leave these innocents alone!" she crys, following the words with a punch.

Black Friday grunts a little: that was more than just the little stings she felt when less substantial.

Lien blinks and seems to lose most of her ire. Whether due to the satisfaction of socking Artemis, Zero standing tall and bold, soothing butterflies, or ghostie's threats, she seems more herself. That means less ire, not none, and it now has a more prudent target. She moves up towards the restrained Black Friday, offering one universal single-sigit hand sign and aims a kick for ghostly groin. Take that, commercialization of holiday cheer!

It's another solid hit, but still the spirit is not seriously harmed.

Zero sees the others have the ghost in hand and she would only confuse things & get int he way of the others. So she tries something else. "Maybe fighting isn't the answer. You've gotten what you wanted- you're 'real' now. Normal people are holding you." She doesn't mention the hitting. "You don't have to take any more... to cause any more pain. These people were just like you once." She says, trying to reclaim her serenity but failing. Still her words are earnest enough. "You can just be now..." She holds her hands up, trying ot show she doesn't mean any more harm.

Friday hesitates a moment, looking about at those holding her, and the crowds. "Normal people... just like me.... NO!!!" It's not clear what about that thought she rejects so abruptly, but with her cry she releases another wave of psychic energy....

The crowd, up to the barrier where Mercury is corralling them, is suddenly overwhelmed by a mental image... of their neighbours trampling them, crushing the life out of them, so they can't move, can't breathe....

Much of the crowd ends up thrashing about on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Oh God- you really are a ghost..." Zero says as she's washed over with terribly vivid understanding. She's forced to grit her teeth through it and her voice gets very somber but she speaks with conviction & compassion. "...I'm so sorry. But yes... now you are -just- like them. You're going to force them to doing the same thing to someone else... someone -just- like -YOU-." She doesn't think the raging normals will be bale to take much more of this- and she doesn't want to know what that Amazonian Redhead will do if this continues. She doesn't want to see anyone else here hurt but he's willing to throw it all on the line to stop this awful haunting.

The ghost's glowing eyes shimmer, as if refracted by invisible tears - and then the ghost fades again, becoming less dark, less solid - and soon like a translucent woman in old-fashioned clothes, weeping into her hands.

"Forgotten - I'd even forgotten myself...." says the ghost.

Mercury returns to her more natural shape, now that things have calmed down, her form becoming much more human-shaped and detailed, albeit very shiny, and hugs the ghostly woman.

Connor lets the ghost go once she's started to calm down.

Amelia reverts to Amelia and looks at Zero, "I need to talk to you in a moment," she says. Then goes to Althea, "I'm sorry. I won't say I don't know what came over me because I know full well. But I should not have allowed it to affect me. Will you allow me to heal the injury I caused?"

The ghost is no longer corporeal, and continues to pale.

Zero holds her hands up and continues moving towards the ghost. "Its ok... I've... I've seen something ... somewhere... some otherside before. Its easy to loose yourself. Harder to find your way back." She says as she approaches. She sounds appreciative.

She glances over to Amelia and nods a bit somberly.

"I am deeply sorry for what has happened to you," Mercury offers gently, sincerely, unable to make actual contact but the impression that she is doing so is all she can offer. "What is your name?"

Lien catches her breath, gives Zero a thumbs up, and looks around for her flask. In no particular order.

Althea breathes heavily as her mind clears. She's still eyeing Amelia. "You spoke words fouler than the Tyrant Porter. I shall keep my eye upon you, Sorceress," she declares as her anger starts to fade. She looks to the mortal Zero that she threw. "That spirit has bewitched my mind. I'd best leave so I cannot do harm to innocent mortals." She eyes Amelia suspiciously at the offer of healing. "I trust you not, but this is no place to battle." She turns and walks away, trying to put distance between her and the crowds of normal people.

"I'm Erin - Erin Tate Don't let me be forgotten - don't let me forget again!" pleas the ghost.

When Zero gets within reach of 'touching' the spirit she does just that- sitting her open hands before her as if to help hold her pain. Its something she learned from a Tibetian Doula she met years ago. They had retired and taken to helping people in hospices. Zero always secretly thought it was a silly thing to do but now she sees its purpose and tries to give herself to this spirit's pain, to help bear the load so to speak. She gets the feeling there will be a lot of that going around. She's needed plenty so the least she can do is offer it to another lost in pain.

"I won't forget you Erin Tate." Zero promises.

Zero turns and nods to Artemis too. She smiles gently at the Godflora as if to say 'No hard feelings'.

Wishing she could do more, Mercury produces a placard, embossed with Erin Tate's name and a profile of her likeness. "What do you want to tell all who see this, Erin Tate?" she asks softly.

Connor is feeling sad, rather than angry now. He finds the bag he had dropped. It had only been trampled a little bit. Thankfully it was just clothing. He sighs a bit but makes a note of the name she mentioned.

The ghost seems to think - though perhaps is having trouble with it now she no longer has the anger to give her strength. "That I am - I was - a person. That we are all people. That we shouldn't lose sight of each other in the crowds...." And then she becomes too faint for the eyes and ears except of the mystically attuned.

Zero 's chin trembles as she nods in agreement with those words. "She wasn't wrong." She says finally before turning her attention to Lien & Union to make sure they're ok while glancing at Amelia to tell her she's working her way over there too. She's clearly not looking forward to what's next.

Mercury arranges Erin's message upon a placard that has become larger than the initial dimensions, giving it some contrast from its background so make it easier to read, and adds more words to make it more like a memorial than a simple inspiring speech. Following the attending to of the injured, she goes to meet with the mall's administration.

Union is standing, fists clenched at her side, quivvering with rage. Zero can hear her thoughts through the link. o O (She was hurting innocents...but she was innocent, hurt by innocents...she was hurting innocents...etc.)

Amelia has watched Althea leave, looking regretful. But then turns and seeks out Zero. "You said... 'what Will would have wanted.' That seems to be a curious choice of words unless..."

Connor finds himself wandering away, looking to see if there's a plaque dedicated to what happened years ago. If there isn't one, there should be.

Zero can hear Union literally bubbling over in her mind. She looks to Amelia and says, "I'm not so sure ... here is the right place for this. Give me a moment to check in on my friend and we can go wherever you want." She doesn't implicitly answer the question.

She tries to calm Union via their link.

Amelia nods, "Of course."

Connor also doesn't want to field questions from Zero in regards to why he knew what he did. All the more reason to slip away. He doesn't find a plaque, so he checks the history. "The mall was revamped. I bet there was one, and it was lost."

While Union gets herself under control Zero reaches out to tap Lien too and make sure she's not still on the edge. She'll smile when eye contact is made.

Mercury in all likelihood finds Connor and consults him about what can be added to the placard she has molded. Her experience with such things is limited to this exact situation.

Zero is just about to check on that 'Ghost-Guy' but is a bit busy trying desparately to do right by Union, Lien & Amelia.

Zero's mental voice breaks Union loose from the induced rage. Her eyes fill with tears as she sinks to her knees, "She was an innocent...with noone to protect her. How could we let this happen? How?" (Completely ignoring the fact that most of those present hadn't even been born at the time)

Connor blinks as Mercury asks him about what happened with Miss Tate. He then reads off some details from what he found online about the incident in question for Mercury's benefit.

Althea gets clear of the mall and flies off in search of her Brother to have him attend her so she can heal.

Zero glances to Union and moves to rub her back and let her work it out. Death is hard. Even third hand. She will of course soothe the young heroine silently via Mind Link.

After a long moment she'll look back to make sure Amelia is still there.

"Would you be willing to help me give her memory a meaningful marker?" Mercury asks. "I do not know the right words. Simply listing a set of facts seems... insufficient."

Mercury created a plaque for Erin, using words from Connor: "Erin Tate, died on this spot at the age of 24, in November 2009, in a riot that broke out in the mall. Sixty years later, her spirit returned with a message. That we should not be forgotten. We are all people. And not just faces to be lost in time."