Steve's Little Burglars [Ryuu/Dart]

It was early afternoon in Jump City and snow was glistening in the first actual appearance of sunlight for some time. Ever since the mischief making "Steves" arrived with a powerful blizzard, California and Jump City in particular had been victims of constant snowstorms and blizzards. The Steves would then frolick and play about in the snow. They would be making Snow Steves IN the snow aswell as with the snow. Some would ice skate on the frozen waters beneath the bridge, play ice hockey- or randomly loot and pillage stores. And then when DOMA came to deal with them, The Steves would brutalize them with snowballs and snow shovels! Not to mention th Snow Steves vastly increased the Steve resistance. So it wasn't all cute and adorable tomfoolery.

Weaver at first enjoyed the fact the snow was making things more difficult for DOMA but had gotten to the point where it was even starting to affect her own business- both legal and illicit. Her only contact was no help- due solely to the fact it didn't speak any language she could understand. Plus she couldn't really look into it herself so that meant she needed to ask for help. So she went to some of her associates, Rapture and Pix- asking the former if she could look into it, and basically telling Pix to help. She implied she wanted the snow gone- or atleast the means of creating the snow taken over so that they could use it solely againt DOMA.

So now the motley crew would assemble. What would their plan to discover the origins of the snow be? Well if you read the title of this thread, you'd know that at least it involved Steves. One specifically that locals had been calling, "Santa" for the obvious reason that he looked like Santa... except wearing a mask and most likely just a tad shorter than how most people thought of Santa. He became known solely on the fact after the snow first covered the state, he went around at night delivering presents like Santa. Now you might think that's absurd- but actual Santa supposedly could deliver presents ALL OVER THE WORLD. Santa Steve only delivered presents to people of California- why should kids only enjoy getting presents? As long as you wrote to Santa Steve what you wanted, he could deliver it! Except DOMA- they seemed to be on Santa Steve's naughty list, as all agents of DOMA seemed to end up getting coal crashing through their celings.

So if it hadn't been completely obvious by this point, there's the way in! Steves dressed in green and red winter coats would be running about, diving into mailboxes for letters to Santa Steve that they would then take back to a Steve drawn sleigh. There were atleast two Steve Snowtroupers keeping watch, with a Steve Sleigh Driver reading a teen titans comic book. Fortunately they seemed to be parked nearby a bunch of Snow Steves (snowmen) which would offer some sneaky cover. The Steves pulling the sleigh were also the ones going around raiding the mail boxes, by the way- something they were finishing up.

Rapture had been none too pleased with Weaver’s first call being directed toward the weather. Sure, it was unseasonal and made no sense, but the fact it hadn’t been dealt at the hand of something more up her alley such as a yuki-onna left her uninterested in the prospect. However, she did know someone who could be of better help practically and ideas-wise, which was why the golden-eyed shapeshifter named Facade had been delegated to. More than happy to oblige, the tall German excitedly went about preparing for dealing with the caper, crafting new masks that would allow him to assume the form of more snow-savvy creatures and the like. Now he stood in front of a full-length mirror holding one of said special masks to his face, the visage of a chimera staring with blank eyes back at him. Created from the parts of a snow leopard, a winter hare, and a wyvern, the creature boasted formidable snowy weather capabilities and the ability to breathe fire. Surely, it would aid him in his pursuit of knowledge and results. For now, he would assume his human form in order to meet with the other designated helper; a strange young man with an even stranger ability to ‘pixelate’… or at least, that’s what Rapture had to say about the individual alongside a note that she didn’t want to bother with someone she knew so little about. Facade, on the other hand, loved to meet new people and could get along with just about anyone, as was his flexible nature. Add a bizarre case of coastal winter blues, and you had his full attention.

Facade stood beneath a lamppost, black umbrella shielding him from the falling snow. His deep golden eyes scanned the horizon casually as he hummed an original tune, just passing the time until his odd companion arrived. ‘Zhis is going to be fun!’ he told himself, still humming. ‘New people, new excursions… I simply cannot vait!’

His mistake had been to mention a passing interest. Pix had previously investigated the run of cold weather they'd been having. Once having gone above the cloud layer to see if there were any nefarious snow machines hovering about. Otherwise he'd done his homework. Walked over to the earth sciences block in his college and heard those majors out. Apparently it was a hot topic. California often got its snow storms from a factor of serendipity. When the storms from tropical Hawaii met cold dry winds from Alaska. The weather satellites were not corroborating this sequence of events. Only other way was if the coastal waters were not moderating the temperature to their usual degree. And it was hard to tell if water temperatures had dropped because of the weather, or vice versa.

There was never so much snow that they were in danger of becoming a new Canada. It seemed to peter out as it reached a certain level, and returned before it could evaporate. As such there were now several layers of hard compact ice beneath the snow cover. At least, in areas the authorities had not focused.

Weather models he didn't understand. And climate change his dad frequently argued against. Which made Pix bank on unnatural causes. Those he could do something about. And so he told Weaver as much. And then spent all night trying to figure out a method of approach.

The Steves (so named by the nebulous world of hearsay). It had to be linked to the Steves. Both phenomenon appeared simultaneously. And those munchkins, as Weaver had observed, were making out well of the fallout. The investigation should focus them.

A sprite appeared at the end of the street. It wasn't yet evening, but the cloud cover made it dark enough out that the street lighting had flared. Pix had brought along a padded coat to help him maintain warmth. He didn't lose it from this form very easily, but once it was gone, it was a pain to get back. Surrounding him in a sort of teepee-shaped dome was a mass of pixels, keeping the worst of the elements off of him. He looked out through the hole at his head and identified his contact.

"Not many people are up to getting snowed on this evening. I take it you're here for me." The teepee split in two halves, each one curling inward, losing cohesion, and becoming two swarming masses of pixels holding position a foot above and behind Hugh's head.

Facade watched with endless fascination at the strange being before him, delighted at the odd sight and excited to get to know this individual better. He instinctively held the umbrella over his new companion, the contraption large enough to envelop both characters, and held out his free hand. “Liev Aleksandr Ehrlichmann, at your service!” he beamed, flashing a pearly white grin and sporting a thick German accent. He had a million questions for the stranger, namely about his appearance, but politeness forbade him from entertaining those thoughts. In all his some-hundred-odd years living on this planet, Facade had never come across such an extraordinary being. Rapture really was missing out, and he guessed that even if he told her what he had seen, she wouldn’t believe him. A damn shame, but one that could not be helped.

“You must be Pix,” Facade observed, barely containing his delight. “A pleasure, alzhough I must admit your name is all I know of you. Zhat, und zhe fact ve haff qvite zhe assignment. Unfortunately, details vere not given to me. I understand you are zhe vone more savvy to zhis predicament.” His words were laden with his motherland’s peculiarities, and in truth the shapeshifter could easily speak in an American accent, but these days he preferred to appear and act as honestly as possible. Pretending to be someone he wasn’t had begun to take a toll on him. Looking into this cold caper could be a fresh start for the otherwise home-bodied young man.

Pix took the hand offered. If Façade was inclined to clutch his palms tight, he would feel Pix's own hand start to give in their handshake, suggesting it could be squeezed into pieces. Hugh took note of the name, realised he'd almost immediately forgotten the last two, and resolved to call him Liev for the immediate future. (￣︿￣)

"To put it succinctly, we've been asked to control the weather. If you think you've got that handled, I could always get a head start on the tides before she asks for that as well." It was a dry joke. Hugh didn't know this person he'd been asked to coordinate with. It was best to start probing his responses now. Liev gave the impression of being open, but covers were rarely a good read.

"More to the point - this snow is unnatural. Our... common interest seems to agree." He hesitated to use Weaver's name even in a private clandestine meeting between her employees. Just good habit to get into, "I have an educated hunch that its origins are tied to those destructive critters which have been running around. The Steves. Specifically I have encountered them before and observed cultural adoption in their behaviour. They ape human ideas and concepts. Like pantomime actors. Given that - if we see any of them dressed in anything which suggests a Winter theme - we should focus our investigation on those."

He'd come to the decision last night. Not that he could claim to understand their gremlin ways. Destruction for the sake of destruction served no one. But it sounded wise and informed. And if it turned out to be right - all the better. He'd be the first on the credit train. If it was wrong - their investigations would lead them to a better idea.

"Once we've ascertained the means of production, our associate wants us to stop or control it. No small ask." Pix had his misgivings. Had presented them to Weaver. But she'd used Liev's involvement as a catch-all brush off for his concerns.

The Steves continued about their rounds, the driver of the sleigh used to cart them around still reading his comic book. The pair of Troupers were inspite of their more... "disciplined" nature had nontheless gotten bored and were trying to amuse themselves while they waited for the others to load up the sleigh with letters. Said letters going into a bag that was conveniently in the back and away from where they were currently looking.

A few of the couriers made Steve noises at the driver. He made Steve noises back. If only universal translators were around to also fail in translating what they were saying. The driver pointed a nub toward a mailbox on the ground that had clearly been removed from where it had been. Oh, so that's what they were talking about. The Driver made annoyed Steve noises, the couriers made equally annoyed Steve noises. And he was promptly hit in the face by a basketball sized snowball.

The offending Trouper laughed Stevilly- that's a play on "evilly" by the way. The other two couriers honked angrily, which devolved in the lot of them making assorted Steve noises while the other couriers returning with letters watched on with amusement. The Driver had enough of this and pulled out a small bag and made the loudest Steve noise he could muster, which was comparative to that of an oil tanker horn. Not that either Pix or Facade would hear but it... jingled? Rattled? It roughly sounded like a series of marbles as The Driver tossed the bag down. One of the courier Steves looked inside and squealed happily, pulling out nubfulls of... Jelly Beans. The other couriers descended upon the bag like a bunch of animals- The Troupers too. The Driver made grumbling Steve noises that probably pertained to his frustration of forking over his snack... but he probably had some more hiding somewhere.

Facade was impressed by Pix’s intel; really, until now he hadn’t the faintest clue what they were meant to do. Rapture’s explanation had been extremely light and certainly did not include anything on beings called ‘Steve’. Little miscreants running amok, causing trouble wherever they went? It would be much easier to deal with a single entity, something in his realm of understanding like some type of snow witch or giant monster. So, he really did have to jump in the deep end for this one.

Shaking Pix’s hand proved delightfully strange, adding even more enigma to the individual. A wave of memories centered around odd first encounters flooded through Liev’s mind, opening a previously tightly-shut door on comrades of the past and eliciting a bit of melancholy to tango with the more upbeat emotions. Allowing those feelings to ride out, he listened intently as his new companion continued on before replying.

“Zhese ‘Steves’ as you call zhem… seems like zhey vould be easily spotted. Perhaps ve should ask around, see if anyone has seen zhem? Can’t imagine how else ve vould track zhem.” Still, going door to door seemed a little uncouth way to go about the investigation. “Never mind, zhat is a silly idea. Hmm…” Liev pondered. “Vhat about bait? Or some sort of trap? Vhat interests these creatures, I vonder.”