Summary:Mera finds a group of land lubbers - well, mostly land lubbers and questions them. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Not all handiman jobs are indoors. Some of them are definitely outside jobs and the one that Keiko got today is one of them. There's some sprinkler heads that need to be replaced in a park on the riverfront near Soho and the city also needs her to lay down some gravel. Apparently SOMEONE thought it would be hilarious to snap off a few and then make off with a bunch of the rocks. Where exactly all that gravel went is not clear but they left behind a statue. Just, random statue in the middle of the park.
People can be so weird.
Of course Keiko's life is full of weird. One of those 'weird' points is a man named Koa Turner. Who is doing… well, if he were a cat this would be called the zoomies. He is booking around the ocean at about a hundred miles an hour. SWIMMING that quickly. It makes an almighty racket if your hearing is sensitive enough. Then, zip! Up the river he goes and then into the air in a spray of Hudson river water and down onto the grass in the park. Ahhh.
"So refreshing…" He mutters to himself as water rains down around him from his rather impressive river exit.
Slowly, while people may have been busy watching the weird man in the ocean, the Statue has come to life with a slow stretch and then yawn. After blinking a few times, her skin loses all resemblence to stone and she shrinks to solid six feet in stead of seven and a half and becomes an other wise normal looking red haired green eyed woman in a linen shift and brown hoodie. She watches what Keiko is doing with puzzled interest for a minute before starting to look… welll, guitly might be an apt expression for the look on her face.
Does the odd young woman know what happened to the gravel and sprinkler heads? It kinda looks that way. She starts sort of attempting to backwards stroll out of the area in a very slow manner, hoping not to be noticed.
Such frantic swimming is going to attract the attention of other things in the sea. Most will swim far, far away. But one is approaching at an even greater speed - albeit underwater. As she approaches the shore, Mera comes to a halt, rising up do that the surface of the water is now just under her bright blue eyes. She watches those on land with a curious gaze. It is obvious which of them was in the ocean - he's dripping everywhere - but he certainly doesn't look Atlantean. The other redhead, trying to steal away, gets a curious look from Mera too before she disappears back under the waves to come a little closer without, hopefully, being discovered.
Normal work! Keiko thanks … Plokta … that she has some. Not investigating a mark on the ground, dealing with kidnappings or worrying about ectoplasm landing on her. And after Agent Turners revelation yesterday, she's needed this. Just a good, honest jo——
Water sprays her as Koa exits the water. She sighs and then glares at Koa "I'm sure you are following me, Agent Turner. What is it you're going to accuse me of doing this time?" There's a slight amount of teasing in the tone.
And then there's the statue that just came to life. "You!" She point to Esme. "Esme, isn't it?" beat "Agent Turner, were you swimming with a friend?"
There's definitely something moving in the water.
@emit
Koa freezes when he sees Keiko. No he isn't following her but this is the second time he's sprayed her with the Hudson as he's made an exit. At least this time he isn't holding a magical statuette. "Um no. I suppose you're not tracking me in the water somehow. With that hell hound of yours perhaps?" In Koa's world there really aren't coincidences.
But this might be one.
When Keiko spots Esme Koa does too. Watching from the water Mera will see him reach back and make a gesture. A gallon of water leaps out of the river and splays onto a tree behind Esme (Walking backwards has it's perils) Which will spray her all over. But… also tell her that there's a tree behind her.
"Going somewhere miss?" He's dressed, well he's dressed for swimming which means he's in neoprene. He DOESN'T look OR sound like an Atlantean but human's just don't swim that quickly.
"Huh? Swimming with a friend?" Koa looks back but by the time he does he doesn't see anything. "Um… no?"
Esme freezes in place for a few seconds. Oh. Oh. They remember her! Uhoh. "H-hilo." She tries a combination of the words she's been hearing people use to greet each other. How did they find her?! Magic? Happenstance? Or Divine Providence? Interesting whatever the case and she doesn't see the Threatening Man, so. Esme decides not to flee. She moves forward and smiles sunnily. "Esme. Tis I." She settles into a crosslegged position on the grass.
One might notice her bare feet and lack of pants. At least she aquired a hoodie somewhere to help cover that threadbare shift. Green eyes widen at the mention of a hell hound. "Where!? Esme fights!" She leaps up and takes a boxer's stance, moving to protect Koa at the same time and eyeing Keiko suspiciously. After a moment when she spies no hell hound nor sign of one, she turns her head to look back at the water like Koa. "?"
Controlling water like Koa just did? Mera does NOT want to see mortals being able to do that. Imagine the damage they could do…beyond what they already do with their chemical dumping and leaking tankers. And if she has to untangle one more plastic bag from a distressed animal…
Mera rises from the water, clad in her green scaled bodysuit that is more armor than decoration. Wet red hair plastered to her pale skin as she strides forward, raising her arm to point at Koa in a not overly friendly way. "You. Who are you?" Over one shoulder she has what looks to be a sealskin bag, closed tight against the water - probably where she carries her 'human' clothes. But Koa has her too intrigued, and concerned, to stop and change first.
"I don't have a spirit bound to me that could you, or anyone, in water." Keiko sighs, shaking her arms to get the foul smelling water from her. "And it's a Barghest, anyway." That's a really fine hair she's splitting.
"There's no hell hound, now, Esme." The woman sighs. "And I wouldn't recommend fighting my hound. It won't go well for either of us." She admits that she has a hell hound. Interesting. "Why are you here?"
When Mera comes out of the water and gets accusing, the tattooed woman steps forward, putting herself between Koa and the green skin woman.
Tattooes? Her arms are covered in them, disappearing under her collar at least. Animals. Really lifelike ones.
Koa MIGHT be a little amused that Keiko puts herself in front of him. She's seen Koa take a knife and not even bleed before. Granted this is not a thing that Koa can do all the time or, even really that often. But hey, SHE doesn't know that. He does put a hand on her shoulder though and step out from behind her.
"It's okay, Keiko. It's okay. No need to call the hellhound." Yes she just said Barghest. He's teasing her.
rThe rather accusing finger though does have him gulping. He can tell - because it's a bit obvious - that he's not dealing with a human.
"Um, I'm Koa Turner." This may or may not tell Mera much. Probably more toward the 'not'.
"Oh, and this is Keiko and Esme. Something I can help you with, miss…?"
Esme stares at Mera. Then at Koa. She knows almost nothing of this new time she has woken up in but she does not remember humans spending so much time in the water. Or with such speed and ease. Strange, so strange, but so is everything else she's seen since that night in the park a few days ago.
Buildings taller than she'd ever imagined possible. Wagons moving without horses. More people in a single one of those buildings than she's seen in her six hundred years of life. She has *so* many questions. However she isn't sure who to ask or who to trust. It had long ago been drilled into her to stay away from people when possible and never inter into their affairs unless there were demons to fight or a proper witch, wizard or Priest to serve.
Maybe…maybe Koa is a wizard! Esme edges protectively back in front him subtly at Keiko's words. Or at least her version of subtle which really isn't at all since she's so big and fit even in her human guise. She appears to be confused that Keiko is moving to protect Koa too. "Uhm." Oh she wishes one of the monks were here to tell her what to do. Or that kindly old Scholar-Priest she'd last served. When Koa gulps Esme decides hell hound mentions aside, the other red head woman is maybe the danger at the moment. "Esme protect this man."
Mera wasn't expecting the other women to come to the male's aid. Usually they would run away after all that water magic from Koa. She missed Esme turning from stone to flesh; that would have helped understand. The Atlantean stops, studying the women who protect a water manipulator. His bodyguards? His servants? At least Mera is not so arrogant to think they would be no danger whatsoever.
"Koa Turner?" Her gaze turns to the man at last. It is not a familiar name. It is not Atlantean. "Tell me how you control the water like you did. You are human?" A gesture to the women. "Like them." She really needs to stop judging books by covers, or creatures by flesh.
"I'd call Bella or Glydril, not Conner." Keiko murmurs as Koa teases. Has she even realised what she did? Probably not. The tattooed woman seems to have some very deep conditioning. "Conner tracks. Not fights."
Keiko seems as confused by Esme as Esme is by … everything. "Will you now?" She answers Esme, dark eyes not moving Mera. "Who are you? Your name? You … are from the sea?" That's to Mera.
"Our Magi speak of the people of the water. Is this one of yours, Agent Turner?"
"Noooo… no I don't think so, Keiko." Koa answers to the Keiko. If by 'one of yours' she means 'part of SHIELD'. Mera might very well be that but Koa's never seen or heard of her and he rather suspects someone like her might be well known. Keiko is asking all the right questions though.
Since Esme seems well disposed toward him - and because he still really wants to question her a bit later - Koa makes a sort of downward gesture with his open palm. Calm… calm Esme. Stand down.
"Human? More or less. Human-ish anyway. I'm told I am a bit unusual in the ancestry department. And I sort of like the water. And it likes me."
Human… ish. Atlantean blooded? Probably not. He doesn't look it and he shouldn't have that kind of water control if he were that dilute. But clearly SOMETHING is odd with the man.
It may get a bit more clear as Koa, hoping to avoid a conflict but preparing for the worst, cups one hand at his side. Several shining motes of blue light rise up from the water and flow into him.
Power? Or… energy of some kind?
For a moment Esme's old instruction wars with her own desire to act. Something that has happened with increasing frequency each time she awakens. Whether she was meant to grow and learn to think for herself or not, once begun the process hasn't stopped. "Not human, Esme." She might not so easily reveal if she didn't now know for sure that Mera is no human either.
Esme steps forward and unzips her hoodie letting it fall to the ground. She grows a foot and a half, her hair darkens and her skin changes, taking on a hue very similar to the gravel she ate last night. Probably answering that little mystery for Keiko. Dark, clawed wings burst from Esme's back. The living gargoyle stretches and mantles her wings, staring at Mera through now grey eyes. "Protector."
At Koa's gesture the living gargoyle takes a step back and relaxes her stance with an expression of sheer and visible relief. She still does best with direction. "Oooh. Wizard. If not evil. Esme serves!" She bows deeply before Koa. He might have just ended up with a new pet. At least it will be easy to question her?
It's just as well that Mera is growing used to the rudeness of the landwalkers. As a noblewoman, she expects a little respect, yet all she gets are common, everyday humans asking her questions. The redhead takes a deep breath to remember diplomacy before standing straight and proud. "I am Mera, Noble of Atlantis, Protector of the Seas, Emissary to the Kingdom of New York." Not that she's met the King of New York yet - though it is possibly Helena Wayne's father, Bruce.
"I am not one of Agent Turner's" Mera adds with some indignation at the very thought. Koa's answers bring a troubled expression to the redhead's face. "Ancestry?" Mera doesn't look Atlantean either with her pale pink skin, but she is also a first generation mixed breed…and her mother was a mutant. If Koa only has diluted blood after centuries, there must be another reason. "Who were your parents?" She has to duck a little as the energy rushes past to join Koa. Curiouser and curiouser.
Speaking of curious, Esme's gargoyle trick has Mera staring a little, until she remembers that is a rude thing to do. The gargoyle seems keen to become the servant of anyone powerful. Mera considers this a moment before deciding that a creature of stone may not be well adapted to ocean work; particularly if she needs to breathe.
Keiko hadn't meant SHIELD. She knows a little, a very little, about Koa's heritage but it's not her place to say.
"Atlantis? That place they made a cartoon movie about? It's real? Or … Atlantis, as in Stargate:Atlantis? Do you have a Rowan there?" Poor, poor Koa. Keiko's knowledge of the West seems to be informed by pop culture. "Esme! Agent Turner said to calm." There's something in Keiko's voice - a way of commanding. It's very reproving.
"I am not I wizard and I don't especially need serving… oy…" Koa pinches the bridge of his nose. "Though we both want to talk to you about that graveyard mess." We meaning he and Keiko.
Some of the story that Mera is asking about Keiko knows already of course. Though when Mera introduces herself as a Noble Koa bows and motions for Keiko (and Esme if she gets the hint) to do the same. He's really keen to avoid a fight. Especially with someone who might be Atlantean. Those he knows little of but… enough to be careful it seems.
"Uh, no that movie was awful, Keiko. The series was a bit better." Why is she asking about trees? He'll find out later. "Make sure the gargoyle doesn't start anything…" He sotto's to the tatted up woman.
"My father was Aiden Turner, my mother was Kalani Ka'aha'aina. Not names you have heard I'm sure. Family legend says we have a sea goddess in the tree somewhere but, you know how legends are."
And yet… Keiko has seen him zip about in the water at frankly impossible speeds. The question is, was it really a sea goddess? And does Mera believe in sea goddesses at all?
The gargoyle gives Keiko a look and her skin flushes a mottled red for a moment before fading back to the gravel color. Then she appears to be confused again because she was calm, or at least mostly so. Just excited at possibly having a purpose again and who wouldn't be excited by that? Then again humans are different and Esme just shrugs a bit and bends to fish around in the pocket of her her hoodie.
Another mystery solved as the gargoyle pulls out a pair of sprinkler heads and starts munching on one as if it were a piece of candy. It isn't very nutritious but it is tasty! Hastily she stuffs the rest in her mouth and bows to Mera at Koa's gesture to do so. "M'Lady. Esme sorry." She knows what nobles are at least! Or she had. The human version of them. Are they still a thing?! Until now she hadn't seen such.
Cartoons and movies? Mera stares in confusion at Keiko. "Of course Atlantis is real. I do not know a Rowan." Which is not to say there isn't one. If there is one thing that will get Mera onside is the proper deference. So Koa does himself no end of good when he bows to her title. A slight nod of appreciation and acknowledgement in return.
Koa's parents do not mean much to Mera, though the sea goddess part causes her to quirk an eyebrow. "Legends are facts from long ago" she notes; at least they are in her world. Why would anyone lie about their lineage? "Do you know which sea goddess?" His mother's name suggests one of the Hawaiian ones and they are an ocean away from Mera. Still, they drop by every now and then.
"It is alright, Esme" Mera says to the gargoyle, raising her hand to further enhance her words. Wait, is she eating metal? "What race are you, Esme? I have not seen the likes of your before."
Bow? Keiko looks blankly at Koa. "We only show abeyance to Lord Plokta, to do otherwise is consid—-" she says before catching herself and dipping her head. Oy vey, the conditioning runs very deep. "I liked the movie. It was cute."
Back to Mera, the dark skinned woman considers her. "Do you have all the neat sort of vehicles that cartoon showed? Or is it more like the Wraiths that went hunting? If you find a Rowan, I'd like to meet him." Not a tree, clearly.
As Esme starts to munch on the sprinkler head, Keiko's eyes narrow. "Do you eat everything you find?"
At least the tattoo'd woman bowed. The running commentary on things that have little to do with Atlantis will hopefully not be noticed… much. Koa coughs anyway and slightly kicks Keiko in the ankle.
"You need a new god." He mutters to her.
Why Esme is eating sprinkler heads is another question he'll ask later. WAND has a group of people dedicated to helping beings like Esme fit in better. And he's going to sic them on her. Or her on them. He's not sure who is the sic-er and who is the sic-ee here. But someone is getting sicced on someone.
"Namaka." The Hawaiian sea goddess then. Sister to Pele, the Volcano Goddess and Hiiaka, the goddess of… dance and sorcery. Curious family if that is indeed more than simply legend.
"I must confess to being slightly curious what brings you so close to the surface, Lady Mera."
Not that he's going to ask because that may very well be impolite. But if she felt like mentioning, well, that's another matter. Koa DOES do protocol relatively well when he knows he needs to. He spends his time dealing with spirits and eldritch beings after all.
"The only, is Esme. Created to serve and protect. No race, no people. No..lineage. Just one Esme given form and life a long time ago." The Gargoyle answers before allowing her defensive or protective form melt away and reappearing as human again. She puts her hoodie back on and kneels in the grass to watch the others and see what else she can learn. She seems fascinated by the ocean and the way the water moves. Perhaps she hasn't seen it or much of it before.
Esme turns her head to smile sunnily at Keiko. "Yes. Everything not living." She seems to consider a moment before going into her pockets again and tossing something small and roundish at Keiko. A chunk of uncut amethyst. "Made this after eating something really yummy. You can have. No good to eat again." Then she quiets to listen to the others and try to figure out what they are actually talking about.
Mera's mouth assumes a form that will one day grow up to be a smile with Keiko's abeyance. The redhead relaxing a little now. "I do not know what was in the…cartoon…but we have vehicles. Wraiths? If I meet Rowan, I shall let him know that you are looking for him."
The names that Koa offers her get slow nods of recognition. Not that she's met them, but she has heard of them. "There have been attacks on this city by aberrant sea creatures. A nine legged squid for example. There are also ships without crews and lost ships. I have come here to find out what is happening since we are not behind these assaults on the landwalkers. The humans have a history of blaming us for anything to do with the sea. I am trying to prevent a war." Her eyes narrow a little. "Do any of you know of the attacks? Captain Rogers told me to get in contact with a group called WAND."
"I am sorry that you are alone, Esme" offers Mera. She is starting to feel that way herself while mixing with the mortals. She watches the amethyst fly through the air before Esme's description of how it came to be makes her look rather concerned.
"Ow, what did you kick me for?" Keiko glares at Koa, flushing a bit at the mention of her god. Or her ex god? It's sort of like muscle memory for the the woman at the moment. It's all she's known for most of her life. "I hope you have somewhere to put her…" she nods to Esme "Perhaps in the same place as the cat?"
Deftly she catches the amethyst only to drop it quickly when Esme explains how it came to be. "Uh, I see …" It's Mera's words that have her frowning "Were they glowing, like spirits, Lady Mera? Or beings of flesh and blood? I don't know of any Nightfall that could summon any creature like that but I don't know them all."
At least she's not asking about some guy named Rowan, right?
"We've got people to handle her." Koa murmurs. "And yes a place to put her." Whether that place is an apartment or a warded vault depends rather on Esme but the most likely scenario is that she will be caught up on the last hundred years, given some pants and released with some resources to make not being a homeless vagrant a bit easier.
"WAND? Captain Rogers. You've met Captain America?"
That's INTERESTING. "I'm an Agent of WAND and I am aware of the attacks though so far my division hasn't been handling them. Why did Captain Rogers direct you to us? Do you know, m'Lady?"
This might occasion a trip back to WAND. Fortunately, it's on Governor's Island, so there's lots of water about. Koa doesn't know if Mera NEEDS water but it's certainly convenient that it's there.
Then Koa realizes what Esme was eating. And looks at Keiko. "Let me guess. You were here to replace sprinkler heads."
Esme looks at Mera with a bemused expression. She doesn't understand why someone would apologize for her state of existence. She isn't sorry about it herself. It just is. Perhaps she needs to think of a better way to explain. Her eyes widen at the mention of attacks though. "Esme only been awake a few days so far. Saw dead waking in place of rest. Squished one. Saw humans attacking each other a lot at night times. That is all." She shrugs. She has no idea that Koa and Keiko are discussing what to do with her and probably wouldn't have much of an opinion on it either way. One day she might but she hasn't grown that much yet and has decided to follow Koa for now so if he decides to stick her in a vault she'll probably just go back to sleep and wait til another century passes to see how things are.
…Actually maybe she really would rather not go back to sleep just yet. Things are more interesting, albeit confusing, than ever before. There is a lot she can learn. The gargoyle turned human does suddenly seem to catch on to the last bit of conversation. "Oh. Not to be ate? Sorry." She looks rather sheepish. She had not realized they had a purpose. They hadn't been on when she picked them after all. It had looked like some kind of strange new metal flower growing from the ground to her.
"I did not see the creatures myself. We intercepted reports about the attack and some of our Watchers felt the disturbances in the water. I thought they would be of flesh and blood. Genetically manufactured mutations. Someone disturbing the purity of the sea." Mera frowns about such things. "Captain Rogers…Captain America if you prefer…thought that the reason they were unnatural was more to do with supernatural reasons. The disappearance of the sailors he also thought was supernatural…but Atlanteans have been able to do that without magic." A purse of her lips as she may have said too much. "Not for centuries of course."
"You are with this WAND, Koa Turner? And you know nothing further of the attacks either?" Mera sighs. Has she been getting the runaround? Maybe all the humans are behind this and it is all a ploy to make Atlantis look bad and cause a war?
"Humans often attack each other" Mera nods to Esme. "Dead waking?" Could it all be related. Having all the dead lying at the bottom of the ocean walking around again would not be good for Atlantis.
Keiko at least seems to know who Captain America is and she looks at Koa slightly stunned. "You know him?" Why on earth she hasn't made that connection is anyones guess. Might have something to do with the magic mojo they've been dealing with. "You've met him?" That's to Mera.
"Perhaps, Agent Turner, you, Lady Mera and Esme should return to your office and discuss this?" Keiko murmurs to Koa. "I have … sprinkler heads to replace, yes." She's drawn the conclusion about what happened to them.
"I'm afraid I know nothing, Lady Mera. If they had been constructs of spirit, I might have … done." For now though, Keiko is focussed on the Nightfall.
"I will join you in your office, should you wish, when I am finished here."
"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." Koa murmurs. "Lady Mera do you know the three-pronged tower on the Island up the river? I work there and if you arrive there and ask for Koa Turner, you and I will work to get to the bottom of this. It's possible that I don't know simply because someone else is working on it. But if not…" As to the dead walking…
"Yes. We've had some issues with necromancy recently. Drop by any time during the day to talk and I will help you or if I cannot, find someone who CAN help you." At least Koa does not seem like he wants to shuffle Mera off.
"Esme if you wouldn't mind coming with me, there's some things we need to discuss. Starting with… pants." He gestures for the gargoyle to follow.
"Drop by Keiko, there's some other things we need to talk about." Like getting her a new god. And stopping her present one from taking any more kids.
And thus, with people in tow or not, Koa heads to the nearby lot to get to his truck. Looks like he's going into work today.