Horace’s Wednesday afternoon odd encounter(Horace)
Date: 2026-01-28 15:54
(Horace’s Wednesday afternoon odd encounter(Horace):Horace)
[Wed Jan 28 2026]
On Mariner Avenue/span
It is afternoon, about 21F(-6C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. The mist is heaviest At Mayflower and Washington/span
Its a normal day in New Haven for Teagan, or is it? After what can only be described as a black out experience finds herself outside the New Haven Branch of Sovereign Bank, with a .45 Desert Eagle in one hand, a cell phone in the other hand, and an empty bag slung over her back. Whatever has happened in the last fifteen minutes has lead Teagan to very much look like she is about to rob a bank.
She had been about to head to Windermere for more last minute rehearsals and meetings for the Winter Symphony. First chair is basically the conductor’s assistant, after all. And she has a rather… large part to play in this particular production. But the last thing Teagan remembers? Locking the door to the loft after stepping outside. She blinks a few times, looking down at the items in her hands. Particularly the deagle: a big ass gun for her smol self. And one that without her mildly supernatural strength she’d probably struggle with.
Nor has she ever held a gun before, that she’s aware of.
“Uh.” A furrow of brow, eyes drifting upward as she tries her best to summon memories, but she can’t. Is the phone hers? A burner? Either way, some numbers she knows by memory and… Mercy’s happens to be one of them (many of the others people that… she wouldn’t contact or aren’t around, like Matias). So out goes the text: ‘truce on… whatever? think something weird happened to me but not like… just truce and come to the sovereign bank?’ And if not her phone, well, obviously she attaches a ‘this is teagan btw’
The phone is a burner but the text goes through. Whether Mercy responds or comes is up to her, however. The phone is cheap, there is only one number saved in it, labeled simply ‘Home Office’.
Around the front of the bank are a few people milling about. A couple of families, some people in heavy winter coats and hats walking on the sidewalk. Horace using the ATM. No one has noticed the would be bank robber and her automated door hole puncher.
Unfortunately for Teagan, her jacket is that cropped style that is styl*ish* but not really functional for hiding things. Especially something as big as that gun. Still, she tries her best. The bag over her shoulder is shuffled around, too: bundled up in front of her as added coverage for the gun. It’s not the best attempt to disguise it all, but it’s better than nothing and the average person tends to gloss over things anyway.
The burner is squinted at. More specifically, the one number saved in it. She hits the button to dial it, holding it up to her ear warily. And by warily we mean in that ‘holding it an inch or so away as if someone could stab a tiny needle through the earpiece into your eardrum’ kind of way. But Teagan has spotted Horace and, well, despite their uh… disagreement over who a package belonged to, he is the only person here she recognizes so she sidles that way while listening to the phone ring. “Hey,” she says once within talking (low talking) distance of him. “Did… you see me get here? Was I… with anyone?”
For the newly arrived Mercy’s benefit: A dazed Teagan is standing on the steps of Sovereign Bank with a big ass gun in her hand, a burner cellphone in the other, and a black duffel bag across her back. People are milling around, a few people using the ATM, etc, but no one has really put two and two together that the First Chair Violin of the Windmere Philharmonic is there to rob a bank.
Horace for my part is using the ATM muttering something about the price of ammo and looks up with Teagan approaches. “Hmm? You came in that White Van over there,” he says pointing to the white panel van before scanning around and muttering, “Mind the thumb safety on that thing.”
In all likeliness, Mercy only showed up to get a glimpse of the situation, maybe have a laugh at Teagan’s expense, then head right on back home. HOWEVER, to find the other woman standing outside a bank looking very much like she plans to rob it proves too intriguing to walk away from. Yet. A loud click of the tongue signals her arrival as she lumbers up closer to the ATM, hands in her coat pockets and eyes on the large gun Teagan holds. “Dang Lawson, you really slippin’ off the deep end lately ain’ you? Packin’ heat an’ everythin’.” She comments dryly, noting Jim is here too and flicking a stiff upnod his way.
“Buttercup,” comes the first word from the phone, instantly throwing Teagan into a trance which pulls the phone closer to her ear. There are whispered commands or messages to the young violinist as her eyes glaze over, putting her on some sort of autopilot to follow the commands.
Horace for his sake is perplexed but gives Mercy a nod, then goes back to trying to figure out the out of network ATM.
“I’ve never seen that van before,” Teagan says, consternation writ across pale features. She does try to shove the gun a bit more under that jacket of hers, hand entirely AWAY from the trigger but in a fumbling enough way that one could be forgiven for being concerned about the state of the safety. The duffel bag is dragged (awkwardly because deagle plus phone plus… where’s that telekinesis when you need it?!) as much as she can to try to cover it. “Was anyone else wi-”
And then Mercy speaks up and Teagan grimaces, clearly suffering a brief moment of regret for her Phone-a-Friend decision. She starts to say something back, but the world will never know if it was an attempt to bridge angry waters or quip back because that single word emanates from the phone and she brings it closer to listen to.
It also means all the… fussing with the bag and deagle stop, leaving the former to just flop against her back again and the latter to be held at her side in… a surprisingly proper grip. She just turns away from Horace and Mercy and starts walking toward the bank proper, the phone tucked into a pocket after the orders are issued.
Mercy tilts her head at the mention of the van and glances over to it with a sniff, squinting at it as if to try and see through its white panels that everyone was always telling her as a child was an immediate sign to run the opposite way, and determine if anyone is still inside. Sadly she lacks x-ray vision, and now she’s noticed Teagan’s strange behavior.
What kind of friend would she be if she allowed her fellow redhead to commit a violent felony.. without recording it? Out comes Mercy’s phone now and she holds it up, toggling the video recording, and starts to follow Teagan towards the bank from a comfortable distance while her other hand beckons Horace along like ‘this is gonna be so good bro’.
Horace gets his cash out from the ATM then looks around at the pair of gingers. “Right,” he says as he pulls out his pistol, checks that he has a full clip, and that the silencer is attached. “Guess we are committing felonies today,” he mutters falling half a step behind Mercy and her recording.
For Teagan, once she gets into the bank it is… just what you would think. Its the bank, with a teller’s window, some loan desks. A sign pointing upstairs says that is where the safety deposit boxes are. There are at least three armed guards, at least one has silver-grey eyes.
“Nah man we jus’ witnesses to this -heinous- crime against the citizens of New Haven. Mercy clarifies to Horace with a wolfish grin. Apparently it’s an open buffet out here today because she is eating this up.
“Nah man we jus’ witnesses to this -heinous- crime against the citizens of New Haven.” Mercy clarifies to Horace with a wolfish grin. Apparently it’s an open buffet out here today because she is eating this up. – FIX
“Right,” Horace repeats to Mercy. “Aren’t you her friend?” he posits while watching carefully the sidelines to make sure he doesn’t get hurt especially. “Or are you still iffy?” he doesn’t seem to bothered either way other than, you now, bullets flying.
Teagan, in sleeper agent mode, is able to level that deagle right at the first guard and make a solid, center mass, hit on the poor guy.
Any other day, Teagan would have something to say. Even if she were completely on board for robbing the Sovereign Bank in broad daylight (and who knows, under the right circumstances? she might be!). But on the list of ‘traits that define Teagan‘ one would certainly be ‘mouthy bitch.’
She is silent.
Once through the doors, the redhead lifts the deagle (the safety was, indeed, not on) and fires at the nearest guard. No warning. No shouts of ‘Everybody, get down!’ The gun is just lifted, the trigger squeezed. As if she does this everyday and not, in fact, for the first time ever. As she continues walking on by, a second bullet is put into the man: cold, casual.
One down, two to go.
“Iffy would be puttin’ it rather mildly.” Mercy states with a forced casual air as she and Horace pursue the violinist-turned-criminal. “M’jus’ here to document this momentous occasion fer a laugh later an’ in case anybody try to pretend she some sai-” BANG.
Mercy almost drops her phone in alarm with how sudden Teagan’s apparent need for violence is today, and then she almost bowls right into Horace side strafing to get the fuck away a bit further. “JESUS CHRIST.”
Horace doesn’t flinch at the blast, even though it is loud enough that everyone has turned to look at Teagan and he lets out a small huff. “Well. I don’t know who is going to be laughing tonight but it surely won’t be that guy.”
The super perceptive among the crowd will notice that one of the tellers dropped a hand and covertly tapped a button before raising her hands into the air. The other two guards have drawn down on Teagan but everyone else has their hands in the air.
You know how in those large, 1920s (or at least emulating the art deco era) banks, every step echoes? Everyone speaks in a whisper because even the sounds of a pen become scratching at the walls?
The repeat of a gun — particularly one the size of a Desert Eagle — is utterly deafening. And before most ears have stopped ringing from the first (and second, because double-tap)… there are two more in succession.
And just like before, Teagan moves with a strange, almost alien fluidity. The guard nearest gets it right in the temple even as her other hand is taking that skeleton key of hers from her pocket, illusory mirrors rippling down her left arm as she gestures with her left hand at the final guard and with a drawing of her hand in a fist towards herself… the air is drawn from his lungs and even while he’s gasping and choking for air… that hand opens again (the key tucked in against her palm with a thumb) and a downward motion is paired with a gust of wind that sends him slamming into the ground where he is held until he stops moving, unbreathing.
The shouts from Mercy and commentary from Horace are as ignored as any panic (or even the button, which she may have noticed were she not tranced) going on around her as Teagan simply continues for the stairs.
This started off fun when the assumption was Teagan was just going to do something dumb, make a fool of herself, maybe get arrested for tomfoolery. Now as the bodies begin to actually drop and Mercy is behind the culprit, recording this shit with her phone like she’s complicit, it’s probably time to alter the plan a little.
Pocketing the phone, Mercy has decided to take on the role of improvised hero instead and stop this violent madwoman’s killing spree while there are a lot of people to witness and talk about it. Hoping it looks like this was her intent in following Teagan all along, she breaks into a sprint straight towards the woman while her back is turned and attempts to full-body tackle her ass to the floor before she can get any farther.
Bodies have hit the floor, yes. Three of them. Those poor guards are going to be entitled to some sort of compensation from the Illusium Court or who ever is going to pay off the families, but that really isn’t Horace’s concern. Horace is edging his way back towards the door to get out of Dodge while Mercy plays part time hero. Which she is able to do with ease. “Mercy. I am sure the cops are well on their way, so whatever you are planning on doing, we better do it soon.”
A fourth one hits the floor. Teagan is in a trance. And that trance has all but ruined her usual sense of perception because it has made her utterly single-minded. She has a job to do. Task one, tick. Guards eliminated. Task two, find the manager. He was upstairs near the safety deposit room and will likely have to be hunted down. She gets a foot on the stairs and…
WHAM. Mercy is one of the few people in New Haven that is shorter than Teagan, but it’s not by much. And when tackling someone, that actually can be beneficial due to where the center of balance lies. In this case, it absolutely is. The (brighter) redhead goes down and her face hits the stairs first, bouncing off of them adding dazed onto Dazed(TM). The deagle falls from her hand, clattering across the floor in classic cinema style, sliding away several feet on the marble to become relevant again in Act 3.
And still, Teagan says nothing. All she does is try to get enough leverage to throw Mercy off of herself to get back to her feet and continue her ascent upstairs.
It’s the 2026 Battle of the Gingers and all that’s missing is a pool of jell-o and a couple of tiny string bikinis as Teagan and Mercy both go down. The former is too tranced out to care much, but the latter is determined to put on the theatrics even once the gun is out of reach just to make sure everyone WITNESSES HER. An arm wraps around Teagan’s neck in a not-so-gentle chokehold, mostly to not get bucked off, and there’s just a lot of flailing and yelling otherwise so it looks like a proper struggle even if one half of the party is phoning it in.
“GRAB THE GUN WHILE I HOLD HER! WE GOTTA SAVE THESE INNOCENT PEOPLE!!” She shrieks over to Horace while essentially just piggyback riding Teagan currently and killing time right before the authorities arrive. Have to make it convincing, after all.
Calmly Horace walks over to the gun, picks it up, and just like in the movies ejects the clip and slides that into a coat pocket then pulls the slide back to eject the one in the chamber, before flicking the safety on, securing the weapon. “I got it,” he says nonchalantly watching what will likely air on the news tonight as Mercy’s great heroic rescue. He pinches his nose then and then mutters something about previously being considered a professional and amateur hour at the Apollo before making sure he stays out of the cameras as much as possible. This is Mercy’s chance to be witnessed taking down the villain. “She’ll owe you, you know,” comments to Mercy, “Might even need your help, depending on who hypnotized her.”
Mercy hates when people ruin her fun. Doubly so when they make sense on top of it. She had been ready to leave Teagan behind to the proverbial wolves but, maybe there was a way to have her cake and eat it too.
Assuming she’s stronger than her checked out opponent, Mercy scrambles around a little until she finds her footing and tries to get up to a stand while keeping Teagan in the hold to drag her in tow, all while yelling, “AIGH’ SO LIKE EVERYBODY STAY CALM, THIS A CITIZEN’S ARREST!” It would never fly in court, but who in the ‘audience’ is going to try and stop them?
“Yeah,” Horace says unconvincingly as he moves towards the door, “We’ll take it from here.” He opens it for Mercy to drag Teagan bodily outside to do whatever the wolf is going to do with Teagan. He glances to Mercy then and just nods. Not his circus, not his monkey. “I am sure this is all just regular New Haven fuckery.”
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that even if Teagan was asked her opinion… she would be unable to give it at the moment.
We’re sorry, but the Teagan you have dialed is unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
While the whammied redhead is strong, she is not nearly as strong as Mercy. Especially this close to the full moon. And grappled as she is, she can’t get the right angles to use mancing on the other woman, either. There are certainly attempts and they both end up with very windblown hair for all the gusts of it around them. Mercy likely ends up with several kicks to her shins as well.
But it’s likely rather eerie because there’s no shouts, no threats, no ‘YOU BITCH,’ no hair pulling… just completely calm and focused attempts to get free with eyes — that lack their usual bright blue, pupils large and what color remains gone matte, muted — locked on that second floor and where the manager peeks down over the railing, talking rapidly into a phone. Likely to the bank’s damage control team.
OOC: Thank you both! This seems like a good stopping point, so I’ll give everyone one last pose and then we can go back to regularly scheduled programing.
Mercy is really carrying this team when it comes to the dramatic flair, and she shoots Horace a very, very brief and cutting look for his lackluster acting skills. No wonder he’s single.
Windblown, kicked, shoved around but still holding on tight she hauls Teagan right back out the way they came before the police can arrive and end up detaining all of them for questions they probably can’t answer convincingly.
The acting is all reliant on Mercy at this point. Unless people can tell that Teagan is heckin’ whammied.
There is one individual following them out, camera trained on the trio as they haul the would-be robber (and actual murderer) out of the bank. The sirens are very clearly audible now, which is shocking: since when does the New Haven PD care about anything more than nudity?!
Maybe someone called in a nudist colony gathering at the bank.
But how will it come out, as Teagan is hauled away by someone a bit smaller than her as if she weighed no more than a potato sack (still trying to claw her way back to her Task)… Murderer and bank robber stopped by courageous college student? Or simply another sad story of someone being controlled by powerful, mysterious forces into doing heinous acts?
Horace gives Mercy a half smile and nod, even if he has the acting skills of a rock, Mercy’s windblown auburn hair will play better on the evening news then his ugly as fuck face. Once the door is open though, he disappears into the crowds, far too adept at blending in to want to get caught up in this mess.
When the trio get back outside the white van is gone and outside is the phone that was used to call Teagan at the beginning of the heist. Was this a one time thing? Is she forever marked? We may never know but what is known is that Mercy saved innocent lives from being lost this day, or at least that is what the official record will show when instagram clips of WWE Ginga-Ninja start showing up.