Fast Food and Whack-A-Thug (Open)

It was a bright, decent day in Jump City, or so said the thoughts of a food cart worker in Midtown.Business was good, and he waved goodbye to his latest costumer. Sighing, he settled into a relaxed stance and gave a contented smile...only to see a blurred figure racing it's way down the sidewalk.* "...Oh no...Nonono, not again. Don't you dare, you little..." The figure, unheeding, rushes past. As he steadied his cart, he stares down at the tray of food, sighing in a markedly less contented manner. Yep, one food pack missing....just like yesterday. Another cart owner a bit of the way down the road chuckles and tosses a bottle of water upwards. As the figure darts upwards, catching the bottle, before continuing on it's way, the first stall owner grumps at his associate. "Don't encourage them!"  His friend shrugs. "Eh, not like it's much out of my budget. Besides, maybe they need it."  Blinking, the figure then sighs once again and echoes the shrug, turning his attention to the next customer.

Meanwhile, the figure gives a grin and continues running. It was lunchtime! However, the sound of a threatening voice from a alley up ahead caused his pace to slow, as if hesitating. Adjusting his gait, he blurs into the alley...

Meanwhile, your typical group of thugs and muggers are intimidating someone. "C'mon, already. Hand over all you got and you won't get hurt." One of the other thugs laughs, clicking open a knife. "Heheheh, yeah. Won't get hu-ughk!" The main spokesman blinks, glancing over. "Ughk? What...woah!" The first thing he saw was his friend, groaning and laying in a pile of trashbags, and the next was a blue, blurring ball arcing upwards. It unfolds into a small figure, then pushes off from a wall, cannonballing into another thug. As said thug slams into one of his nearby friends, the figure bounces off of the wall behind  him, slamming into yet another thug with a kick before landing.

Rolling upright, the figure reveals itself to be a young, blue-haired boy clad in worn looking and slightly ragged clothing, who lashes out towards the last upright mugger with a hand covered in electricity, sending a small bolt streaking out. Not noticing that said thug had dodged with a curse, he glanced over at the victim. Smiling as they took the chance to run away, he tenses up as he hears a menacing hum, spinning around. The first thug snarls as he aims a energy pistol at the boy. "You're gonna regret acting the hero, kid. Move, or sling lightning, or whatever little tricks you got, and I'm blasting you. You all alright?!" His friends stand up, grunting in pain. "Ugh...Will be soon as I stomp that little freak." "Yeah...Let's mess him up!"

There was probably one person even less thrilled by the bright and sunny day in Jump- they'd assume that it was actually WORSE. Diana after working at Sconehenge in Steel City, had been let in on a little "trade secret." Sconehenge existed in both Steel, AND Jump which normally would just mean that there were two separate cafes- that was not exactly the case here. They were connected, and after alittle elaboration that meant that she could go from one end of the country, to the other in no time at all- just think of all the money saved on plane tickets! But it wasn't just that moot point of saving money on travel- though traveling could be very expensive. It was more the fact that things you could get in Steel, wouldn't be found in Jump and vice versa. There was also the clear and obvious thing where she could steal things from Jump, and take them back to Steel none the wiser!

So that is what she was preparing to do- in the near future. But first, she had to get a lay of the land by stopping by Jump City and seeing what kinds of things could get her the most profit- through totally legal means of course. Unfortunately, the soonest she could do this was when the sun was still out. But she was just having a look around, so she should hopefully be alright- even if she was super groggy. Atleast in her current state, she didn't have to consciously keep from hearing stray thoughts- which she would soon and quickly regret as she was walking by an alley and suddenly pulled into it. Panic was mostly subdued by... tiredness, it actually took her a moment or two to even process what had just happened before panic and adrenaline started to force her more awake. Now she was starting to get irritated...

When suddenly... Sonic The Hedgehog suddenly Homing Attacked into most of the thugs- wait no, it was just some kid with electricity. She really wasn't awake enough for this as her body moved on its own and she ran, for a moment. Wait, someone just helped her out- which was a new thing that made her uncomfortable. So she came back, more silently as attention on was on him, and noticed that the gunman that had a bead on the spikey haired kid had his legs open alittle too widely. So when she got close enough, Diana pulled a steel toed boot back- and you can use your imagination as to how painful it was.

The gunner sneered as the strange boy froze in place and glanced around. Laughing at his buddies' responses,he gives a nod. "Yeah, I hear ya. Go ahead and whale on hi-" He was interrupted as the girl they had been attempted to mug stepped in. As he topples over, his voice trails off into a wheeze that rapidly rises into a whistling squeak.Considering her steel toes, he was, suffice to say, quite happy to call today quits. Taz gives an instinctively sympathetic wince, then smiles at the girl and gives her a grateful nod. One of the thugs hisses between his teeth, crossing his legs. "Oh, ouch." "Mik! Oooh, you're both going to regret that! Get them, boys!"

As the remaining thugs run forward, Taz dodges a wild bat swing and stomps at the thug's shin. The batter jumps back, hopping on one leg and hissing curses under his breath, before charging back in. Instead of swinging, he uses the bat like a bar, trying to crush the young would-be hero underneath it. Taz gives a pained wheeze, trying to push the weapon off as the thug grins. "Oh, I'm going to hurt you, you little fre-eeeeeeeeegh!"

As Taz followed the girl's example, the thug's grin rapidly fades to be replaced with a look of shock and agony, and he teeters over with a wheeze remarkedly similar to his buddy's. Taking in a relieved breath, Taz glowers at the curled up thug and delivers a swift kick to his hindquarters for good measure before spinning around and releasing another small bolt. The thug it impacted staggers back and falls over, small strands of electricity tracing over him for a second. "Th-that hu-hu-hurt!"

Spoiler:

A fourteen year old boy in a wheelchair with a brace on his left leg and long hair styled in a braided ponytail was rolling along on his way back from school. He veered off course and approached the line of the previous aforementioned vendors with a large cello case strapped to the back of his chair.

Why are we here?

"Because I am hungry, Cal," The boy in the wheelchair spoke aloud seemingly to himself as he rolled his way up to the vendor and asked for a hotdog.

I've told you to stop referring to me by this moniker, I am Excalibur, the sword of Kin----

"Yes, yes exalted one. I know, you remind me hourly but I am just a poor cripple boy with a weakness for street food," the boy said as he exchanged money and directed the vendor on what condiments he would like on the street dog.

Hmph. You are my heir and should nourish your body with better sustenance. Why I'll have you know the Sakai clan shogun ordained to eat the same roots as his horses after seeing how strong their stride was in comparison to horses who did not.

"Uhhh one, ewwww..." Joshua said as he paid for the vendor's food. "And two, I thought you were an English sword how did you---"

I have had many an heir young Joshua, you have quite a reputation to live up to now that you bare my grace.

"Geez, no pressure right?" Joshua said as he took his hand off of the wheel of his wheel chair to take a bite of his hot dog and forgot he was rested upon a slight slant and began to roll backwards. "Whoaaaa whoaaaa WHOA!"

As Joshua skidded uncontrollably down the small slope towards an alleyway Excalibur spoke to his mind. *Sigh* I worry about this one, he's much more clumsy than previous heirs.

Joshua crashed into the side of a dumpster leading to an alleyway entrance and rubbed the back of his head while brushing hot dog condiments off of his pants. "I heard all of that, Cal. I'm fine by the way, thank you for asking."

Young Joshua, I knew you were in no real danger. I hope you are aware of that much. Being defeated by such trivial trials would make you a less than worthy heir.

"Yeah well --- " That's when a spark caught the cripple boy's peripheral vision. Deeper in the alleyway bodies of groaning thugs seemed to be strewn about and at the center of the pile of men was a short boy and a goth girl? "Uhhhh hello?" Joshua said sheepishly while clutching the strap across his chest belonging to the long cello case that held Excalibur.

Diana normally didn't have a natural inclination to being violent, but she allowed herself to enjoy indulging in it given how they had planned to do perhaps worse if she hadn't been saved- not that she would let it get that far. But was this same line of thinking that now forced her to maybe have to do more for herself- until Sonic the Shockhog cleaned the rest up. Well, that was easy. Diana didn't let her guard down though, and noticed that the gunner she had downed a moment ago was trying to feebly muster up some determination to grab her ankle. He then IMMEDIATELY pulled it away as if his hand had just touched something hot, or it had been shocked. Diana took one step around, and kicked him right in the gut to knock the air out of him. She then readjusted her hoodie which looked more appropriate for coldier weather, trying to block out what light was creeping into the alley- infernal sun. "Thanks," she said to Taz simply, taking her gloved hands out of her pockets (did she always have gloves on?) and... took whatever valuables they had on them- and the energy pistol. She always thought she'd need something to use in lieu of her powers as she tallied the spoils.

Looked like they'd done this more than once recently, but she was only interested in the cash exclusively. What few bits of jewelry were shiny and all... but she was too tired to try and appraise them- was probably fake anyways. Before she could really think about MAYBE sharing some of it with Taz for his help, some kid in a wheelchair banged his head into a dumpster nearby. Diana on reflex pocketed the cash and pistol, blinked but said nothing. Had he been talking to someone else? She distinctly thought she heard two sets of voices, but only saw him. The only thing visible with her hood up was her eyes and upper part of her face- which probably looked all kinds of bad or weird here. But it was kind of normal for back in Steel City- plus it helped keep people from acting too weird around her. Then she took a couple casual and sluggish steps forward as her adrenaline started to wear off- ugh now she was starting to feel sick. "You should call the cops, muggers," she said pointing at the downed thugs before dry heaving a couple times into one arm; this was why she hated being awake during the day...

Taz lowered the hand that had flung the last lightning bolt, glancing around hesitantly. Wait, it was already over? ...Well, he supposed that if they were actually good fighters, they wouldn't be ganging up on people in alleyways. Relaxing and giving a sigh of relief, Taz glanced over at Diana. As she thanked him, he blinked, then gave a happy grin. Nodding, he responded, though in hesitantly, as if he was a little rusty at speaking English. "Thank..you...for returning."

He tried not to think about the beating he nearly received. As she started filching the thugs' things, he blinked, then took a step forward before pausing and shifting uncertainly. It wasn't quite right to steal from them, was it? Though they did try to hurt the both of them...And maybe he didn't have any room to talk, considering that he filched food. ...Speaking of which! He checked in the pocket of the raggedy hoodie he was wearing, giving a relieved sigh. Still there, still edible. Good.

Then a new person showed up. Giving a startled jump as something crashed into a dumpster, Taz spun around and started to raise his hand, electricity starting to spark around his fingers...only to blink and tilt his head as a boy around his age gave them a sheepish greeting. Giving a sheepish, somewhat hesitant smile of his own as the sparking around his hand faded, he raised his hand all the way and gave the other boy a friendly wave in greeting. Glancing at the dumpster he had crashed into, Taz furrowed his brows. That must've stung a little. Glancing at the boy again, he tapped the back of his head, looking a little concerned. "You...well?"

As Daina spoke up, he blinked and tilted his head again. Call...the cops? What did she mean...Oh! Oh, yeah, with a phone! And a cop must be a guard. As she dry heaved into one of her arms, he gave a concerned frown and took a hesitant step forward. "You well?"

The female was taking things from the unconscious men on the ground and Joshua didn't miss the electricity arching out of the small guys palm when he greeted him. He was a meta-human or other which meant....

Joshua, arm yourself. Excalibur said into the handicapped boy's mind.

No, No, NO! Were not doing this. We don't even know what happened here.

Human bodies strewn around the area with a lightning demon and a thief ravaging their persons for their belongings, something wicked is afoot and I would see an end to it.

Cal, we cannot just go around killing everything you think is evil without asking any questions.

I forget you are young and naïve, fine ask your questions but I want your word that if these two are demon spawn you will work with me to slay them.

Joshua scratched his head. "Uh erm, yeah, I can't complain too much," Joshua said. Excalibur had a point what if they were villains pretending to be nice to him right now and if he let them go two evil beings escape to wreak havoc later. Joshua sighed. "What, what happened here anyway?" Joshua said as he wheeled towards them. He wreaked of fear but at the moment probably seemed harmless to them since after all was just a normal cripple. The female seemed to not be well. "Sorry, I thought you guys were demons or something based on how beat up these guys look." If they weren't evil creatures that meant Joshua really could just call the cops and leave.

Diana's tolerance for being out during the day was already spent, and with the adrenaline wearing out, she REALLY just wanted to go home and go to sleep- or get some water. Fortunately her coughing into her arm gave her an unexpected cover for when she... thought she heard voices again. No, she did hear another voice. "Water... would be nice," Diana replied to the blue haired kid, even covered up, her body language made it apparent she was not having a good time. She tried not to let the not veiled threat of... whoever or whatever was mentally talking with the kid change how she acted. The kid wasn't convinced of anything yet, and she wanted to keep it that way. Diana found herself a wall to lean against, sliding down to her feet to keep from getting any more nauseous. She had also been right to assume that the elekid wasn't a good choice to call anyone, he didn't seem to have a strong grasp on english- much less looked like he even had a phone.

"They dragged me in, he came to the rescue- I came back to help, and it's only fair when they could've done worse with me..." Diana added with the longest sentence she had spoken for days- followed by less severe dry heaving into one of her arms again. "Just a meta," Diana finished off-offhandedly, dismissing the claim of demons; which even without her hearing thoughts, was an odd and strange thing to admit without context. Hopefully neither of them started to get weird around her... people usually did and that was the only reason she didn't take the little face covering over her mouth down- despite how it'd probably be better without it.

Taz relaxed as the other boy responded, giving a relieved smile and nodding. As Diana asked for water Taz's hand went to the water bottle in his hoodie pocket. He bit his lip, then pulled it out and handed it over with a reassuring smile. She needed it more then him right now anyway. He'd just have to find something to drink later. Maybe he could figure out a way to ask for another from that one nice stall owner or something.

As she responded to the other boy's question, he nodded. That was what happened! As the older girl broke out into, thankfully less intense dry heaving, he gave her a concerned look before smiling reassuringly at the other boy. He seemed kind of scared, though that was reasonable. This wasn't exactly a reassuring scene, after all. If he had come across it, he'd be pretty hesitant as well. As the other boy had apologized and mentioned that he had thought them demons, Taz blinked then gave a slightly offended headshake. He wasn't really angry, of course, but he did have a certain amount of pride in his family and what they did."Not demon."

Joshua sighed. That was a relief. Neither of these 2 seemed to be evil creatures or anything like that. This entire circumstance seemed to be one huge misunderstanding. Joshua reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. "Ok, just give me a moment and I'll call the police. I'm glad neither of you were hurt." Joshua actively ignored the sentient sword bombarding his mind. These were not foes, Excalibur was just out of touch with the way today's world worked. He was sure of it.

Joshua she still admits to being of the unnatural. She MUST be purged for the safety of others!

And then well get thrown in jail Excalibur. There's a time and a place, ya know? But if it satisfies you...

"Oh uh, miss what kind of meta are you? I need to know for my police report." Joshua said.

Diana adjusted her hood to keep the sun out of her eyes, only to widen and blink as not-sonic offered her his water bottle. That was unexpected, but she wasn't going to turn down something free- well, not in this case. "Thanks," Diana said simply once again, sliding her mouth cover off and greedily downed it. While the sword wasn't exactly wrong, she actually never did say she was- that would have been stupid. But she did look unnaturally attractive now that her face was actually visible. "Was talking about him," Diana corrected Josh- referring to Taz, and this was actually true. She never once admitted that she personally was a meta, and she had no plans on doing that if she could avoid it. The longer people assumed she was normal, the better.

"Great start to a vacation..." Diana took the pause to finish off the water and give her a moment to think. She did feel alittle better. Being awake during the day was still a huge drag, but now with the impending danger passed, she could think alittle more clearly. That other voice had a one track mind, and she didn't see anyone else around them. "What's in the case?" She deftly changed the subject as she got back to her feet, sliding up her mouth cover once again.

As Joshua said that he was glad that they weren't hurt, Taz gave a happy grin and nodded before giving a thumbs up.  Giving a smile as Diana accepted the water bottle with a thanks, he nodded and hummed  happily. He hoped she'd feel better after that. Blinking as she told the other boy that she had been talking about him, Taz blinked and tilted his head. She had meant him? But he was...Well, actually, maybe he did count? It wasn't like he was entirely sure what exactly being a meta completely meant, even if he had a feeling for the general basics of the term.

As she muttered about it being a great start to a vacation, his brows furrowed sympathetically. Hopefully things would go a little better with her... When she changed the subject and asked what was in the other boy's case, he perked up, his usual curiosity coming forward. He did wonder was in there...It looked like an instrument case! Did that mean the other boy was a musician?

Why? Why did this guy just have to be a meta-human?! Excalibur would not rest until Joshua had killed him now. Joshua paused the phone call and pressed the end button on his phone. A bead of sweat dripped down his chin. If the police came now it would complicate what he might have to do. But these people seemed...nice. Were all superhuman's really evil?

JOSHUAAAA!

Shutup,shutip,shutup!

"Oh this," Joshua awkwardly chuckled. "I mean it's just uh..."

Joshua, it's an unnatural creature. I must cleanse him of this Earth. Brandish your weapon and be the hero you're meant to be.

"Shut up Cal I won't kill him!" Joshua said sternly and then turned bright red as he realized he had said that thought out loud instead of in his head. The flustered boy dropped his phone and then fell out of his chair as he leaned too far forward in an attempt to catch it.

Diana had been watching him very alertly, and concluded that he was far from some kind of cold blooded killer or assassin of what the other voice considered "unnatural." Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. But she did notice how her answer seemed to make him start sweating, and he had even hung up before actually getting into contact with the cops. This followed by the arguing, made her very wary as she was about to move from the wall- when he blurted out what he was thinking. Then when he realized his mistake, he fumbled his phone and went tumbling out of his chair with it. "He's not talking about me... you should probably go," Diana suggested to Taz quietly, using this moment to offer Joshua a hand up into his chair- she was only doing this to properly repay Taz for saving her own skin. As far as Joshua or this... Cal was concerned, she was totally normal and could buy Taz a moment to get out of sight.

As the other boy gave a awkward, nervous seeming chuckle, Taz blinked and tilted his head to the side. Had they been too prying? Then Joshua says something that causes the young hero to react. Kill...kill him? Did he mean...Taz takes a wary step back, eyes fixed on Joshua. It was clear that he was getting ready to bolt. He glanced at Diana, as if to check on her, then jumped as he heard a clatter.

Seeing Joshua lying on the ground, Taz pauses, brows furrowing. After a second, the young speedster takes a couple of steps forward despite himself, as if getting ready to help Joshua back up into his chair. However, Diana goes to help him instead. As she gives him a quiet recommendation, Taz blinks, then gives a quiet nod of gratitude before turning around. He starts running down through the alley, gaining momentum, and turns around a nearby corner.