2014.10.28 - More than Just Jewelry

New York is, right now, fairly quiet, except for one incident that, per the city, is being taken care of. Which means the citywalker has a chance to relax. His chosen relaxation this evening? Irish pub. Complete with a pint of stout settled in front of him. Perhaps because of the way he carries himself, nobody said anything about the lack of shoes...and right now, those are tucked under the table he's sitting at. He probably doesn't stand out that much, except to people who happen to know him, of course.
It's been a long month for Tiffany Wilson. She's been through so much with the passing of her Grandfather. She was thrilled by the things she had been willed by him, in fact even now she was wearing those bracelets that just stood out from everything. At this moment though, she wanted to drown her mourning in some good Irish stout. Idly she sets down some cash as a pint is poured and given to her. She finds a small table and gets comfortable.
A somewhat nondescript brown haired man enters the bar as well, looking equally appreciative at the prospect of an evening with nothing going wrong and a nice drink. His ancestry tends more towards the Germanic, but he never was very good at familial loyalty. Besides the Irish Pub in this case was chosen by someone else, and he could do with getting to know some allies. He goes and buys himself a drink and casts about, raising a hand when he spots Jack, since the man likely won't recognize him as he's currently dressed. It might at first look like he's waving to Tiffany in the dim lighting.
Jack Hawksmoor lifts a hand in return salute. He himself, easily recognizable. Does he ever wear anything other than a rumpled black suit? Certainly, Moon Knight has yet to see him dressed any other way. His eyes slide to the young woman at the next table, but only for a moment. Of course, yes, it could easily look like the signal is for her.
A long sip of the cold brew sloshes over her tongue and down her throat. Her head hangs as she looks down into the beer. Tears fill her eyes as she lets her mind wonder. This doesn't last long as she takes another long sip.
The new arrival doesn't notice the morose girl, and sits across from Jack. "Looks like you got here early." he notes, nodding to the level in Jack's glass.
"Slightly." He glances over at the girl and tries a smile in her direction. It might not work or help as he is, after all, a strange man. And there might be a certain wariness to it. Then his gaze flicks back to his colleague. "Things are quiet, for once, so I'm taking advantage."
The young woman glances over at the men talking and gives a little smile back but is then right back to drinking. A few pretzels are nibbled at if only to pad her stomach from the inbound alcohol. She glances at a waitress, "Could you please bring me an order of fish and chips please?"
The brown haired man spreads his hands. "You have to take the quiet times when they come, that's for certain." he takes a drink from his own glass, suiting action to words, though he glances at the young lady as well. "A friend of yours?" he wonders in the general direction of her and Jack.
Jack Hawksmoor shakes his head. "No, but she looks like she's drowning her sorrows. I'm getting a lifeline ready, just in case." He's been there, he's done that...despite everything, he *can* get drunk. Ish.
"I am right here boys. Please don't talk about me like I don't exist!" Tiffany comments. She is looking at the two as they comment about her. "My grandfather passed away this month. I am tryin to get through the mourning. I really miss him." She takes yet another long sip of the brew.
the brown haired man ohs.. "That's rough." he says, not without sympathy.
"That'll do it. Sorry. My name's Jack." He doesn't introduce his companion, not entirely sure what name the other wants used in this context. "Family's important," he adds. "At least it should be."
The new arrival looks back to Jack, eyebrows raising slightly. He's not sure if Jack wanted to talk about work or just socialize, and so isn't sure if engaging the young lady in conversation is a problem or not. When Jack introduces himself, he nods, taking that as an answer. "Marc." he offers as well.
Tiffany nods, "Yes I agree. Ummm. Tiffany." She states as her fish and chips are brought around. She takes a bite and uses a little Roumalade sauce on it. "Ahh this is good. I needed something good to eat."
Janet van Dyne ambles into the pub, taking a brief glance around to see if she recognizes anyone.
Marc nods. "Eating can be a good way to focus on the here and now." he agrees. He double takes when Janet walks in, with an 'uggh' sort of expression.
Jack Hawksmoor glances towards the door, but doesn't see what induces the reaction. Reasonably attractive woman just walked in, but... Notably, Jack has no food of any kind in front of him, and as he turns back to Tiffany, "I suppose."
Janet van Dyne takes a seat at the bar near the two tables. She asks Tiffany with an upward quirk of her lips, "Are these fellows bothering you, miss?"
Tiffany glances over to Janet and shakes her head, "Now that they are speaking as though I am actually here, not at all." She turns her attention to hte other to. "Things have just been really messed up lately." Idly she slides the bizarre bracelets on her wrists up so they are flopping around.
This gets a roll of the eyes from Marc, and he goes back to his drink. His eye catches on the bracelets jangling though, and he blinks a bit, rubbing the side of his head with forehead furrowed.
Jack Hawksmoor doesn't blink at the bracelets. He regards them, then he tilts his head, then tilts it again, leaning forward slightly, gaze quite intent. "From the...sky to the earth...and..." A pause. "smithed by human hands." Apparently, somebody reads Russian.
Janet van Dyne orders herself a drink, and while she waits for it to be mixed, gives Marc and Jack about the same amount of scrutiny that they're giving Tiffany's bracelets. At least they don't look like they're being hostile - but she still watches for to see if she gets a cue from Tiffany that she's uncomfortable.
The brown haired man actually leans forward, staring at them and oblivious to Jack's reading as if it was irrelevant. But then, it's the heiroglypic-looking characters that seem to have his attention, not the Cyrillic.
Tiffany glances at Jack curiously. "What are you talking about? My grandfather found these during World War II. I think he stole them from the nazis because the box these were in is marked with a swastika." The bracelets are definitely nice looking, the work done to them was done with care to look very expensive. They are a darkish metal, almost reminiscent of obsidian, or hematite. 
"You don't read Russian, right?" Jack stretches a bit. "That's what part of the writing says, it's all I can see from this angle, but my guess is that "From the sky to the earth" refers to them having been forged from a meteorite. Some of them are pretty metallic."
Janet van Dyne mentions, "Usually they're iron and nickel though, I thought. ...If that's Russian, maybe the original owner had it stolen by German forces..?"
The brown haired man mutters, his voice notably sharper, "Why are you wearing something like that like a common bauble?"
"They are bracelets. You know? Jewelry? You wear it. Leaving it in a box isn't exactly what jewelry is for right?" Tiff comments in a smartass tone. She looks at Janet. "That could be but why would the nazis give a crap about a pair of bracelets?"
"Marc. She inherited them and I don't think she's exactly treating them as "common baubles," Jack points out. "Let me see them and maybe read the rest? And...hrm. They don't look like iron. Heck, maybe they're a bit of the hull of a crashed starship. Anything's possible."
Janet van Dyne says, lips quirked again, "I know a couple people who'd love to have a look at them who might be able to tell you." She sticks out a hand towards Tiffany. "I'm Janet van Dyne, by the way."
The brown haired man is tense, still leaning across the space between tables intently. "Those aren't jewelry." he says flatly. "They're--" though he cuts off abruptly.
Tiffany looks at the brown haired man and frowns, "They were left to me by my Grandfather. I am going to wear them because they remind me of him! I miss him and If these make me feel close to his memory then dammit I am going to wear them however I want!" She snaps back. Then to mark she turns her wrist showing the rest of the bracelet closest to him. At Janet's words her jaw drops, "Like THE Janet van Dyne? The fashion designer? What are you doing in a place like this!"
Jack Hawksmoor spends a couple of moments studying it, then. "From the sky to the earth and smithed by human hands. May God guide these light bracelets to their final destination." A pause. "Poetic."
Janet van Dyne picks up the drink that was just delivered. "Drinking cocktails," she says, though she is watching Marc like a hawk. "Do you know something we don't about those bracelets, mister...?"
Marc finally snaps his attention off the bracelets, and rubs at his head again. "..Sorry, what?" he mutters to Janet.
Tiffany thinks a moment. "I guess this means I am their final destination?" She comments with a little smirk as she looks over the bracelets fondly before she takes another bite of her dinner. "That is a good reason as any to be in a place like this then."
"The cocktails here are quite good, so I can see why Ms. Van Dyne would be here." Jack smiles at the designer. Not his kind of celebrity, but he knows her work has a very good reputation. "Marc. You seem to know something. Spill it."
Marc blinks at Jack with a long suffering expression. "..About the bracelets? ..Sorry, I don't read Cyrillic." Marc says this without apparent irony, despite Jack just reading it aloud himself.
"Maybe. Or maybe they'll be passed down for a few more generations. Either way, be careful with them." He smiles. "They're the kind of thing somebody might try to steal." Marc's sitting on something, but Jack knows better than to try and push it out of him, especially here.
Janet van Dyne hasn't kept her 'secret' identity very secret either, so it may depend on what one reads as to whether she's more known as a clothes designer or as a member of the Avengers. "They are very good," she says, sipping at this one. "And Tiffany, if you -do- want to find out more about their origin, since this fellow is being rather tight-lipped on the matter, you could pay a visit to one of the SHIELD offices. Extrasolar objects are always of interest, and I promise we wouldn't take them from you."
Tiffany does not know better. "How did you know what it is if you don't read it. I think you know more. But since you don't want to fill me in and just be all ominous I will just continue to wear my bracelets and go about my business." She turns to Janet. "That sounds like a good idea." She begins looking over the bracelets and the shimmer despite there not being much light in this pub. "What is that..."
Jack Hawksmoor narrows his eyes. "They're glowing," he points out, rather unnecessarily. Then his head tilts to one side. "Marc, Janet...can you please talk to her? I'm needed." The citywalker is already on his feet and dumping payment for his drink on the table.
Marc raises an eyebrow. "It's a pretty distinctive letter set, even if I can't read it.." he mutters uncomfortably. He glances to Jack, but doesn't say anything further on the subject. "..City calls? Good luck."
Janet van Dyne looks nervous. "Generally speaking, I try to be very careful with things that start glowing for no known reason. If you know anything, mister what's-your-face, you might want to say it now."She does spare a brief wave for Jack though.
Tiffany hmms, "That is wierd. I didn't notice that before. It's like they are supposed to be together..." She's lost in the curiosity of it all. It's not every day jewelry starts glowing. Slowly she begins bringing the two bracelets together.
Marc looks put upon. "I don't know, and I don't think you want to know." he says, nonsensical as that answer seems. He frowns at the shimmer. "..Though maybe that's not going to end up being an option."
"Yeah. Nothing I can't handle on my own." The citywalker doesn't leave by the door. Instead, he stops, waves to them and then melts into the pub floor. Or slides. It's a really QUITE disconcerting effect, especially if you aren't used to it.
Janet van Dyne is about to say something to Tiffany, but then Jack goes through the floor. She takes a few moments to pick her jaw up off the floor - and so she doesn't have an opportunity to try and stop Tiffany from bringing the bracelets together.
As soon as the bracelets touch, Tiffany is wrapped in light. Her clothes change into a tight black and purple number, her hair style changes. Even her appearance in genral changes, looking much more intense then she used to. Finally the light fades and she is left sitting at the table still. "What a rush! Wow, I feel really good right now!"
Marc ends up grabbing at the bracelets once they start getting very near, though not in time to prevent anything.
Janet van Dyne attempts to unwedge herself from where she fell between the barstool and the bar, rapidly shrinking in size both as a conditioned reaction to the surprise and to help extricate herself. "What in the nine hells is going on??" she says, just a hair quieter than a shout.
"First off, pretty boy, Didn't anyone ever tell you to not touch a ladies jewelry? It's not a good idea." She looks at the bracelets and then at Janet. "Wow you got small quick. I didn't grow did I? I feel really weird."
Moon Knight snaps, "You're wielding a weapon you haven't the least understanding of!" despite what he just said moments ago.
Janet van Dyne makes annoyed sounds as she tosses her now-much-smaller sweatshirt to the side, letting her wings unfurl. At four inches tall now, she buzzes into the air, much to the continued surprise of any regular patrons of the pub - and the bartender, who is now hiding behind the bar. "Cool it, boyo," she says to Marc. "Don't get the little lady riled up, alright?" And then to Tiffany, "Is this the first time this has happened to you..?"
The moment Moon Knight snaps Tiffany responds out of pure instinct. Her hands go up to block and protect herself. The problem is. Light begins building at her hands. Glowing brilliantly like that of a small sun. Pure solar energy. It isn't unleased but she is threatening. "You could have prevented this from happening in the first place but rather then talk like someone who is looking out for the better of others, you freak out when stuff actually happens!? Don't even talk to me!" When the Wasp woman speaks up she nods. "Sorry I didn't try this. I don't know what is happening. I just feel really strange and where is this light coming from!?"
Moon Knight scoots back slightly, assessing, and says tersely, "I -tried- to; I was overruled. And if you can't control that, then this building is in danger."
Janet van Dyne tries to speak calmly. "Miss, can you step outside and try to launch that directly upwards? If it's light, it's not going to fall back down." She flits towards the door, trying to guide Tiffany towards the door. And resolves to pay the bartender -such- a tip.
Tiffany nods to Janet. She is at least treating her like an adult over this. Carefully she moves the rather intimidating ball of light out of the building then she releases it. What comes loose is blast of pure light energy which fries a few power cabled and knocks out the power for several buildings. "Umm... Oops." She then looks back to Moon Knight. "Of course I can't control it. I don't even know what it is. How can I control something without ever having done it before?! Also all you said was it's not jewelry. You could have said. "Those things are dangerous. Those are a weapon. Be careful with those till you know what they are! Take them off, keep them in your pockets until you understand what they are." Any of those would have worked wonderfully."
Janet van Dyne rubs her face. She's rather inclined to agree with Tiffany, but she doesn't say it to the stranger's face. "Maybe you should come have a talk with a friend of mine... sooner rather than later."
A glowering Moon Knight follows her out. "I was about to say they were a weapon! I didn't get to bef--never mind. The point is, they -are- dangerous." he glances to Janet. "And who would you take something otherworldly to, to learn of it?"
Janet van Dyne says simply, "Hank Pym. To start with, at least. And there's plenty of SHIELD facilities for testing potentially dangerous weapons where it should be a bit more difficult to cause property damage."
"I am game. I need to know what in the world just happened to me!" She begins moving much faster then she should be able to. "Tiffany what did you get yourself into!?"
If she goes too far, Moon Knight heads after her, saying, "..I know another who might be familiar with those weapons. Can you take them off?"
Janet van Dyne doesn't have any trouble keeping up with Tiffany, buzzing through the air and matching her movement. "Who would that be, mister ..?" she asks.
"Khonshu." Moon Knight says simply. 
Tiffany blinks, "No. No! I am not taking them off. They came to me for a reason. I am not going to remove them." She looks a little worried about it.
Janet van Dyne 's brow furrows. "That name's vaguely familiar. What's he do?"
Moon Knight frowns. "I know another with an item of jewelry that gave her power.. it was addictive, she said. You should think twice about why you don't want to remove them." he glances sidelong at Janet. "He's a god."
Janet van Dyne blinks.
Tiffany looka at Moon Knight with a sharp glare. "I am not removing them because I do not want anyone taking them away from me! I know how some people are. They see things like this, take it, and use them to control or hurt people. I won't allow that to happen!"
Janet van Dyne says, arms crossed, "And that's why I'm thinking Pym might be a good choice. We have a lot of lab equipment at our disposal, and he's fairly non-threatening."
Moon Knight responds sharply, "I serve justice. Stopping those things from hurting innocents is my concern in this as well. Right now we only know what was written on them, the hieroglyphs that say that they're a weapon from the stars, and the Cyrillic that other man read, that human hands foraged them. It's not much."
Tiffany sighs, "I am not exactly comfortable with going to see some god. Lets go see this Pym guy and see what he says."
Janet van Dyne nods. "We'll, ah, take my car, as long as you think you can keep a lid on any more lasers." She glances to Marc. "And if you want to follow along to make sure nothing horrible happens, be my guest - though I can't promise you'll be granted clearance to SHIELD facilities. Especially since I have no clue who you are."
Janet van Dyne flits towards the parking lot for the pub, lighting on the ground and growing back to normal size.
Tiffany takes a look at the bracelets again and brings them together again. The lightshow begins again. This time it acts in reverse, bringing Tiffany back to her normal self. "Oh wow. Okay I am normal again I think!"
"..." Moon Knight looks down at himself as if surprised it's not obvious, then makes an almost betrayed face at the jacket and jeans, as if it wasn't his own fault how he dressed before he got here. "..Fine. Take them to SHIELD. But I am going to speak to my patron."
Janet van Dyne watches more carefully this time as she transforms. "Those are some cool bracelets, I have to admit." She gives a somewhat dismissive wave to Marc. "Whatever makes you happy, mister." She fishes out her keys and chirps a car. "Hop in, Tiffany. Let's go see the good doctor."
Tiffany hops into the car and takes a deep breath. "Sorry. I didn't mean to do anything. I like these bracelets though.
Moon Knight rubs the back of his neck in annoyance, and starts muttering to himself as he walks off. Not exactly reassuring for his reliability.
Janet van Dyne chats amiably with Tiffany as she starts the car and drives away. "Did you know that the Nazis were looking for all sorts of supernatural things back in the day..?" There's certainly a lot to talk about. 
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