Sanity is NEVER included {Rev & OPEN!}

[Regina Mills]

Regina couldn't say she was at all pleased with the ridiculous series of unfortunate events that had recently played out. Making deals with Mr. Gold was never something that she particularly wanted to do, but she couldn't deny that it was a useful option at times - like when you very badly needed to get rid of someone, but couldn't afford to sully your own reputation. Gold had ways of...handling those sorts of things, and he'd promised Regina he would - if she agreed to help him retrieve a very particular dagger. She could see why he wanted the weapon back, of course - it was a dark, powerful object, and even a means of controlling him - she could see why he wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands. The thing was, she wasn't sure she wanted it falling into his hands...but a deal was a deal, and right now she had little choice but to abide by it.

Irritating as that was, it wasn't what had exasperated the former queen so much at the moment. It was more the...wild goose chase they'd been taken on since then. Upon doing a bit of digging, word had reached her of a shop in a city called 'New York' - a shop rumored to carry very powerful cursed artifacts. Not too many places like this one existed in this world, Regina knew - so it seemed an excellent place to start. Interrogating the shopkeeper (once they'd actually managed to find the illusive little weasel) had been quite tiresome, however. Playing it nice and professional at first had seemed worth a shot, but the man had told them on no uncertain terms to screw off...and, well...things had gotten a little messy. Regina herself had nearly ended up telekinetically choking him to death amidst all the other chaos that had gone down - it really was so frustrating when she lost her temper.

Ultimately, however, it had done the trick. Though she doubted the shop owner had even the slightest clue of who he was dealing with, he clearly wanted to get away from the villainous pair as quickly as possible - even if it meant feeding them complete bs giving them the answers they wanted. Apparently someone else was already on their way to the shop...or, more specifically, some sort of super-powered girl and a..similarly super-powered bird? Regina wasn't even going to bother trying to work that one out; all she cared about was the fact that the owner said they'd been sent to retrieve some sort of extremely powerful dark artifact! But who, she had to wonder, could possibly know about the dagger? And more importantly...why did they want it for themselves? Having that sort of power would make anyone near-unstoppable, and only the most ambitious and malevolent of souls would even attempt to harvest it.

Clearly, what they were dealing with here were an extremely cunning and devious set of foes. Regina wasn't sure what they had planned, but she most certainly would not allow them to get away with it. She'd been very reluctant to...revert to what she once was. Here in this world, she was Regina Mills, esteemed mayor of Storybrooke, devoted mother, and perfectly normal human - but going up against this sort of threat...well. She wasn't going to risk anything, and if that meant taking on the role of the Evil Queen again today? Then that was what she was obligated to do. Oh, wouldn't Henry just love to see this?

There weren't exactly an abundance of elaborate medieval dresses available in New York, and even if there were Regina wouldn't have been quite dramatic enough to adorn one here - but she wasn't exactly going into this all 'Madame Mayor' either. That would have been a reckless move for her integrity. So what she had here was a sort of toned down, modern 'Evil Queen' look: long black evening gown, hair pinned in a regal sort of bun back behind her head, and make-up darker and and more intense than she'd ever wear it back in Storybrooke. It was effective, for the most part. Without being too completely over the top, it still gave out the 'whoa, wtf? evil sorceress' vibe that she was so very good at giving - and more importantly, of the many things that'd probably come to mind when someone encountered her, 'Oh look! She must be a mayor of some teeny tiny town up in New England!' was...most likely not one of them.

...Now. To get this over with. Perhaps it was just slipping into this Evil Queen thing again, but Regina was really beginning to show a bit of a flair for the dramatic today - and she offered no hesitation when, in a whirl of black wind, she teleported both Mr. Gold (or, as he'd most likely decided to go as at this point, Rumpelstiltskin) and herself into the shop without much of a care as to who spotted them. The first thing Regina noticed as her eyes darted to the door: it was unlocked. They hadn't been quick enough. Which meant...whichever strangers were looking to get their hands on the dagger were in the shop with them at this very moment. "...They're here." she murmured quietly to her companion, tensing slightly as her dark gaze swept the room. A noise from the back section of the store suddenly caught her attention, and she whirled around toward it...but didn't move just yet. This was Gold's mission in the end, after all, and she didn't want to jump to any conclusions. If the dagger was here...he'd most likely be able to sense it. Or so she imagined, at least.

[Mr. Gold]

When the Dark Curse was cast, Mr. Gold {or rather Rumpelstiltskin, since he'd taken that guise for this little outing} hadn't expected to be making this sort of deal. While he did still have his own little ways of... 'getting rid of people', he understood what Regina had wanted. Emma was the one thing that could keep her from gaining victory over Mary Margaret {Snow White, if this were Rumpelstiltskin's former world} and earning whatever happy ending she could scrounge up. Here he'd thought he'd destroyed her chances at a happy ending since he'd forced her to kill her own father. But, she apparently either didn't care about him at all or hated Snow White enough to end her own father's life. He wouldn't doubt it of Regina. She truly hated Snow White enough to do that, from what Mr. Gold had seen. Though he wasn't exactly clear on the details of what had made her fate Snow so much...

What he could say was that he was happy he didn't end up taking Regina from Cora in their first deal. If he had, things would have turned out so much differently than they did.... Probably for the worse, too. While he wouldn't be wrapped up in this Dark Curse mess, he now held more power than any of the others he'd once known. Not that he didn't already in there former world, it was just obvious he did now. For obvious reasons he wasn't about to go around flaunting his magical ability - that would have the entire town of Storybrooke in a fuss. Rumpelstiltskin didn't want that; not at all. After all, he practically owned Storybrooke. Regina may have been the mayor, but he could make her do anything he wanted as long as he said please. If that wasn't complete power over Storybrooke, he had no idea what was.

But, that was beside the point. The point was, he was about to get his dagger back - the oh-so important dagger that allowed the wielder to control him. That was essentially why Rumpelstiltskin was simply sitting down in the background while Regina interrogated the shop owner. From what he gathered of their rather violent conversation, a duo of superpowered people were already on their way to the shop looking for a dark, magical artifact of their own. They must be a cunning pair, to go after his dagger like that. Rumpelstiltskin could only hope they didn't get their hands on it. If they did, his days were numbered at best. With a devious pair of foes like this, he could only assume that he would be dead in moments if they got a hold of of his dagger. Thankfully, his allegiance with one of the most powerful magic users in his old world had to offer would likely bring an end to the other two as quickly as possible.

As soon as Regina was finished interrogating the shop owner, Rumpelstiltskin put a hand on his head and wiped any memories the man had of their visit. Couldn't have anyone even suspecting they were anything but what they were supposed to be in Storybrooke. And, with a bit of black wind, the two were suddenly in the store. It was Rumpelstiltskin's first impulse to begin looking for his dagger until he heard his ally speak. The two were already there and had either found the dagger or were searching for it. A soft noise from the store's back room caught Mr. Gold's attention. He whirled around and telekinetically opened the door. "Come out, come out wherever you are...."

[revrunner]

With a wave of his hand, Rev dismissed Popsicle's apology. "Oh,-don't-worry-about-it!-There's-no-such-thing-as-running-late-when-you're-the-speed-demon-of-Acmetropolis!-And-THANKS!-You'd-really-buy-something-for-me?-Of-course,-I-brought-my-own-currency." Rev Runner pulled out an odd little coin with a strange figure on it. Engraved on it's edge were the words 'One Quarllinian Dollar.' It hardly modern currency, but it was made of an ore almost as precious as gold, so he should have enough money to buy whatever it was he found. With a smile, Rev zoomed through the corridors and paths of the pawn shop in an effort to find some of the things left on his list.

And so, it was while the road runner was checking the contents of a used refrigerator that Rev's attention was pulled to the front of the store. Rev watched as two figures emerged, looking very menacing indeed. Luckily, Rev was in a position and also fast enough that he managed to duck inside the fridge he'd been inspecting. Peeking around the machine's door, Rev peered hesitantly at the shop's new visitors. Making up his mind quickly, the anthropomorphic bird sped around the back of the shop, searching for Agent Popsicle. However, the space he was in was quite cluttered and Rev ended up knocking down a whole tower of objects. Fearing catching the attention of the newcomers, Rev increased his speed; he nearly flew through the building before finding his ice-powered friend and halting immediately.

"Uh,-Miss-Popsicle,-I-think-we-might-have-some-company.-And-I-don't-think-it's-the-good-kind...-Y'know-party-crashers,-party-poopers,-the-fuzz,-the-coppers,-so-to-speak...-After-all,-aren't-we-the-only-ones-with-the-keys-to-this-place?-And-the-shop's-supposed-to-be-closed-and-they-just-kind-of-appeared-there." Though Rev spoke relatively low, that didn't slow down his speech. In fact, his nervousness could account for why it seemed to slightly increase in speed. He did not like the man's tone or voice or his taunting. Fearing the worst, Rev prepared an S.O.S. message to be sent to Loonatics H.Q.

[Agent Popsicle]

Did people not get him things often or something? It really was the least she could offer for him since she messed up his time schedule! Though...that coin he held up looked quite interesting...when she wasn't so busy and focused on her SUPER EASY job, the Agent who made ice do her bidding would have to ask to see it again for sure. HOWEVER! She had a mission so all she could do for now is respond with a smile and slight nod before continuing on her merry way of GET WORK DONE path. Ms. Chao told her where she needed to go in the shop and the objective was simple enough so she could go on and ask Rev a few questions before they depart! Though the two cursed artifacts she had to get weren't related in any way, the person who sold them to the store over here thought it was curious that the objects looked the same and sold them off as a pair. Couple of daggers, if you will.

One of those little blades could drive a normal human to absolute madness, the other was rumored to be something rather powerful and if it was in the wrong hands....well...the boss lady didn't even want to get into that. They could easily purify one with enough effort, the other had to be kept away from the world. Coming up to a dusty old looking box, she did the strange little puzzle on the box and then came a click...and....other sounds? Now wait...this was almost reminding her of a crazy video game Gary played....do a puzzle and then monsters appear! Making quick work to open up the box and retrieve the daggers, they seemed to be concealed in cloth. A little blood stained too...but she could feel that they had sheaths. Hmmm...WELP!

Being on the tall side had its ups as did wearing a skirt that went down close to her knees! Scrounging around for some straps, the sounds going on actually made her want to investigate...but she had to focus. Oh! There we go! Moving a couple things careful as could be, some belts she could fit around her thighs revealed themselves! While listening to everything, leaving some of the noises to be explained by ``OH IT'S JUST REV`` and ``TEE HEE SILLY GHOSTS``. Finishing up with the strapping thing...she...heard...something that didn't quite sound like Rev. Ghosts were so silly at times! Tugging her skirt into place, that's when the anthropomorphic hero rushed over and actually seemed concerned.

About to give him some thought about poltergeists having the strangest sense of humor and haunted trinkets being even stranger...he mentioned how people just sort of....APPEARED there. SOUNDED LIKE GHOSTS TO HER! Or maybe phantoms? Definitely not cops though! Regardless...she felt like maybe she should take a different approach than the `Blah blah ghosts` route this time around. "Don't worry, Rev, if it's the cops then all I have to do is tell them who I work for and we'll be alright...however if we're dealing with intruders, I believe our talents properly utilized will make everything be alright. In fact, I'll go ahead and investigate..."

Offering a reassuring smile before adjusting her shades, JUST KEEPING CALM 'BOUT IT ALL. The tone she used what kept to a whisper just in case they actually had intruders like he insisted. This fellow seemed to be the sort to keep everyone's safety in mind like a hero should so it wasn't as if she'd shrug off his concern or anything. ....and well, you could say she'd give him the benefit of a doubt and truly check it out since they were both in different areas of the store. So cautiously, she began making her way toward the back where Rev previously was while...removing from the holster...woooo an intimidating squirt bottle that looked like it could be used to discipline naughty animals! SO SCARY OH MY GOODNESS. Well she noticed the door was left ajar, silly people!

BUT OF COURSE...she saw a woman who looked JUST A LITTLE DRAMATIC in a bunch of black...like a dress....she figured maybe this lady got lost or something! Like on her way to a party and OH WHOOPS! Into this pawn shop! Then seeing what appeared to be the woman's compadre who she couldn't quite see too well all the way at the door looking in the backroom, she figured that maybe they were traveling together. So quietly, she made her way up from behind the elegant looking woman in black with quite a bit of stealth due to how those steps of hers couldn't really be heard and lightly tapped on her shoulder from behind. All while using a very polite and calm tone to be as non-threatening as possible.

"Um, miss? Please excuse me, but are you two lost?" With a squirt bottle in hand at her side, she offered up a slight smile as to seem sincere as could be. Seeing how the store was set up, it was easy enough just to waltz on over from behind the way Agent Popsicle did. For now, she wasn't about to take Bao Yu's approach and be all ``DA FUQ U DOIN' HERE?!``. Or...you know...Trish's route which was ``HEY. SUP. THE SHOP'S CLOSED AND THIS PIG AIN'T RETARDED.`` At least for now, she didn't feel any need to start getting all combative with people based on a hunch! Sure, this lady looked a little questionable!

Maybe even a bit evil or something like a villain SHOULD look like, but that didn't necessarily mean she and her pal were like some evil duo here to be awful to humanity or something like that! However, she wouldn't hesitate to squeeze the trigger and get on the offensive if it called for it. There was a reason why combat was her strength, after all! ...even if she was a bit stupid on nearly everything else. What about the daggers she had? Those were concealed well enough that if she was given a once over or something, there was nothing off about her outfit that called for suspicion. Aside from why in the world did the young lady have a squirt bottle and her skin, eyes, as well as hair wasn't what one may shrug off as normal. Plus, her touch was quite cold...

[Regina Mills]

As Rumpelstiltskin moved forward to investigate the clattering noise from the back of the shop, Regina remained in place and watched him carefully. If their 'company' hadn't known they were there already, they certainly would now - and as her companion magically eased open the door, she had to wonder just what he'd find back there. A powerful foe who might spring out at them without any pretense, quite possibly - and Regina didn't have any desire to go poking around should that be the case. Not until they knew exactly who they were dealing with here. So she allowed Rumpelstiltskin to conduct his own little investigation while she waited silently to provide back-up if necessary. Though...with how evidently clever the duo they were facing were, there was every possibility that the commotion that had come from the back was simply a means of distracting them. The real threat could be lurking out here, hiding behind shelves, waiting to take them by surprise...her dark gaze flitted suspiciously around the shop at the thought.

And suddenly, there was a brief touch of something ice cold on her shoulder. Tense as she was already, the surprise of someone actually managing to sneak up on her nearly made the sorceress telekinetically knock over half of the shelves in the shop on reflex. Instead, however, she whipped around to face...a...girl. Who was asking her - quite politely - whether or not they were lost. It was actually enough to make Regina pause, the hand she'd instinctively raised in the air to strike lowering a little as she regarded this stranger with a suspicious glare. The former queen wasn't sure which was more baffling; the manner in which this girl had approached her, or her appearance itself. Unusually pale skin, blueish translucent hair, blue lips...had Regina been back in her world, perhaps it wouldn't have seemed all that unusual - but in this world, it was just about as far away from normal as she'd seen anyone look. And to top it off, she noted as she automatically looked this potential adversary over for weapons...she was holding a squirt bottle. Like. The kind Regina might have used to mist her plants. At home. What...in the world?

Perhaps was some elaborate attempt at deception planned by one of the very devious foes she'd been looking for. It had to be...though the girl looked and sounded far from malicious, Regina knew better than to be deceived. Looks meant nothing about how tremendously poisonous a person might be - Snow White had taught her that much. Yet...if this WAS a set-up, then it was a very bizarre one. Why would this stranger approach her and speak to her civilly when she could have just as easily snuck past and made for the door? Or attack Regina from behind without warning? Why was she asking her if she was lost? Why was she carrying a squirt bottle? This unexpected turn of events was enough to make the brunette pause, wondering what the best course of action to take would be. Her gaze darted briefly over to Rumpelstiltskin, who still stood ready to confront whoever was still lurking in the back of the shop (probably someone toting a can of silly string, if this this weapon trend was anything to go by). Briefly, Regina wondered what her ally was making of all of this - whether or not he was as completely baffled as she was - but there was no time to discuss it with him.

"Lost?" she repeated blankly, returning her gaze to the girl with the blue-hued hair. Answering the question, however strange it seemed, didn't seem unreasonable. Two could play at this little game of manipulation this girl was obviously so slyly weaving. "...Hardly. My associate and I are here on...very important business." Regina lifted one eyebrow slightly, offering no further explanation than that. Though her expression was a mask of nonchalance, it wasn't difficult to spot the tension that still made her shoulders rigid as she waited to see how all of this was going to play out. "And what might you be doing here? A dreary old pawn shop is an odd choice of places to spend such a lovely day..." A small, forced smile crossed her features at this, her tone lightening to a manipulatively casual and mildly curious one.

Her gaze never left the girl, but even as she spoke she moved backward just a fraction, subtly extending her peripheral vision to the part of the shop where Rumpelstiltskin still lurked. If this was the girl the shop owner had referred to, then she was most certainly not alone...and while she doubted whoever was back there would be able to get past Rumpelstiltskin with any ease, she wasn't going to take her chances with being snuck up on again.

[Mr. Gold]

Staring into the area where the noises had come from, Rumpelstiltskin decided there was nothing there; and if there was it was of no importance to him. Even if there was something, if it came out and tried to get to the door with his dagger he'd be able to quickly stop him with magic - unless he was as crafty as the two had assumed. What could be searching for a magical dagger that should be unknown to almost anyone than someone with great skill or great knowledge. In that very moment, something - Rumpelstiltskin had no idea what - practically flew out of the area into another, leaving only a bright blur behind it. It seemed this was one of his opponents. However, he was gone before Rumpelstiltskin could cast any kind of spell on him. It was a shame; this could've been over much quicker if he could have.

From far away, the sound of very distant and very soft whispering could only barely be heard by Rumpelstiltskin. Slowly walking through the shop, he began to advance on the area... until he heard speaking behind him. It was a new voice and Regina's. Turning around, he spotted a girl with a strange appearance. Her skin was pale as snow itself and her hair and lips an icy blue. {HUR HUR C WAT I DID THAR?} ....and she was holding a squirt bottle as though it were a weapon. Was she intending on doing battle with kittens who needed behavior training? Rumpelstiltskin stepped towards the two, using his magic to keep the shadows on him. Couldn't reveal too much about himself just yet, could he? "And who is this~?" He asked, looking the girl over once again.

From her behavior, Rumpelstiltskin could figure that she wasn't against them. But, if he looked into it a bit deeper he realized that she had to have been in the store before to think they were lost. Rumpelstiltskin was immediately suspicious. Though her usage of the water bottle was... strange, to say the least, it could be a trick. There was also the blur he'd seen before. Perhaps she was a distraction so he could ambush them. With what seemed to be an average wave of his hand, Rumpelstiltskin created an invisible force field around the three.

[revrunner]

Rev Runner had followed Agent Popsicle as she'd retraced his steps back to the intruding duo only to find one of them still in the open, which meant that creepy-sounding man was lurking somewhere. Rev waited behind the fridge from before as Popsicle walked up to the woman and addressed her. This lady reminded him of Weather Vane and that set him slightly on edge. He readied himself; planning to zip through to Popsicle and grab her if her attempt at friendliness failed.

He couldn't help but analyze her water gun. It seemed like a very curious device. For all intents and purposes, it seemed like an ordinary squirt gun modeled into the shape of an actual gun, but the speed-demon had a feeling there was more to the weapon than just that. He'd have to ask Popsicle if he could take a look at it after this whole mess; maybe he could "borrow" Tech's lab and see about possibly modifying it, even. Quite a few possibilities ran through his mind before his attention returned to the situation at hand.

His new friend had just addressed the scary-looking woman. 'Very important business' in a pawn shop? There was something definitely off about that answer. Was it possible she was after the same things Popsicle was? Speaking of, what exactly was Popsicle after, here? He'd seen her stash away something, but hadn't caught what it was.

Keeping his attention on the confrontation feet away from him, Rev carefully and quietly started rifling through the refrigerator and various other knick-knacks in arms reach. He was assistant to the greatest super-genius of all time, goshdarnnit! And he'd sooner fall to his doom before admitting he couldn't invent some quick-thinking for an emergency situation. There had to be something he could use to help them through this encounter, whether it was a good or bad one...

[Agent Popsicle]

Moving one hand off of her handy dandy squirt gun, she lightly clenched her hand into a fist letting herself get a tad bit deep in in the see of thoughts upon hearing her words. Lightly lifting up her index finger to barely cover her frosty lips as those icy optics narrowed ever so slightly. How strange this was that such a nicely dressed woman was here on business! The bitchy boss lady numero uno was a nitpick on mission details when it came to anyone else possibly being involved. Especially considering all those connections...it was rare for people who might get involved in the cross fire wouldn't get so much as honorable mention. Curiouser and curiouser....this was fishy, even to a derpy young lady such as herself. "...Hm..."

Muttering that little sound soon after the woman spoke...as though taking a moment to register it all before actually speaking up. All quite thoughtfully too! Though, someone, a male...seemed to chime in on the conversation...but when she glanced around with a SERIOUSLY CALM exposure, despite her heart jumping an itty bitty bit, nothing was there! "This is...um....well...a very strange coincidence, miss...I'm also here on business." Side glancing toward the shadows where the voice came form while keeping the nicely dressed woman in her peripherals. "Hm...right. ...introductions would be...um..good, I'm Agent Popsicle...but...miss...who are you and your...uh...ghost friend? Or is it just a disembodied voice in the shadows that wanted to know who I am?" With a look of slight confusion gracing her features, she hadn't a clue about whether or not there was a force field, however the moisture in the air felt a little more contained than usual.

So it definitely made her somewhat suspicious. THOUGH...the curious thing she was being obvious about is the fact she was dealing with two people and one MIGHT be a ghost of some kind! "...unless your friend isn't a ghost and just hiding in the...um...shadows somewhere..." Hm...that was likely but not as likely as having a ghost friend....maybe! Welp, it was better to clear that little thing up first before prying for information, right? Huh...but what about Rev...maybe...just maybe...she should point out that she wasn't alone? Nah! They might take it the wrong way at this very moment AND she could play it off as a sort of `WHOOPSIE! FORGOT TO MENTION I HAD A BUDDY TOO!` kinda thing!

[Regina Mills]

The girl was suspicious - or if not suspicious, then she was at least beginning to find all of this odd. Regina fixed her with a newly calculating stare, wondering just what would happen if this stranger decided to intervene in their plans. If she figured out who they were, that it was Rumpelstiltskin's knife they were after, well...things most likely wouldn't end nicely. That was, if this potential enemy didn't already have some devious plot to do them in brewing. Which was entirely possible, Regina thought as she eyed the girl uncertainly.

As Rumpelstiltskin spoke up, inquiring about the girl's identity, Regina allowed her gaze to flit over to him briefly. Her expression, if he managed to spot it, was dark. Pensive. A fleeting, momentary communication of 'exactly what are we going to do about this?' If conflict could be avoided, it would save them a whole lot of trouble - but if this girl and whoever was with her intended to stand between them and the dagger, then...well, the tension was only going to rise from here. Agent Popsicle might very well - wait, Agent Popsicle? Regina turned back to her sharply, trying to discern whether or not she'd heard her introduce herself correctly. ...Not that the name wasn't fitting, but...she'd been expecting something a little more intimidating. Welp. Perhaps she was serious, or perhaps this was all some trick - either way, Regina decided that the next best move would be to attempt to disarm her with false warmth and civil conversation.

And the first step of that, of course, was to introduce herself in turn. Only Regina most certainly wasn't going to give out her name - not her full name, anyway - and risk being traced back to Storybrooke should this end badly? Hardly. With a slightly wider but still just as forced smile, she responded. "My name is Regina. My associate..." Her gaze trailed over to Rumpelstiltskin again. "...is very much alive...I assure you. The slightest bit of confusion edged her voice now. Rumpelstiltskin had been accused of being many things, she was sure...but she was equally sure that until now, ghost had not been one of them. She caught herself staring at Agent Popsicle sort of...blankly, and then shook it off, he smile returning again. She'd offer little more explanation than that. She'd even leave Rumpelstiltskin's introduction up to him - if he even wished to give one.

Glancing up at him then, noting that his form was still concealed in shadow, Regina blinked. "Did you find what you were looking for?" The question was asked as casually as possible, her gaze flickering idly to the back room. It was becoming more and more obvious that they'd need to make this little visit as quick as possible - especially with their...company involved. Turning back to Popsicle with a thin (and this time, almost slightly foreboding) smile, she added, "Whatever your...business is, I do hope we'll be able to get out of your way as soon as possible, dear. Shouldn't be too much longer now...isn't that right?" Her head tipped slightly toward Rumpelstiltskin to indicate that this last question was directed at him.

[Mr. Gold]

Watching the oddly colored girl carefully, Rumpelstiltskin began to wonder if she was the one who'd taken his dagger. How she'd found where it was so she could dig it up. She didn't seem to be the smartest person ever - far from it actually. Carrying a spray bottle into battle against two of the most powerful people in the Enchanted Forest? Probably not the best choice, unless the bottle was filled with some sort of deadly acid. But, at the moment, he assumed it was water. Likely because it looked like water. With a crazed grin, Rumpelstiltskin stepped out of the shadows, made a dramatic hand gesture and spoke. "I'm no ghost, dearie." Closing the invisible barrier around the area he'd stepped into, Rumpelstiltskin got a better look at the girl. There was no way this was the one who'd took his dagger.

Who he'd thought was an intelligent foe simply trying to trick the two was... clearly not. She was, however, obsessed with ghosts for some reason. Why Regina would ever hire a ghost of all things to work with her was beyond Rumpelstiltskin. It wasn't like the girl knew Regina, though. As he heard the sound of someone rooting around, Rumpelstiltskin stepped out of his magical shield and glanced around the room. "It seems we have a guest!" he shouted, suddenly appearing right next to the refrigerator. Looking at the other person there he found... Some sort of bird rifling through the fridge. Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow, staring down at he bird. What was he even supposed to make of that. In that world he may have been a character in stories, but what was a team of anthropomorphic road runner and a girl armed to do battle with an army of untrained kittens doing rooting through a store like this.

Rumpelstiltskin teleported both himself and the road runner over to Regina and Popsicle so he could ask the girl about him. "Is this..." Rumpelstiltskin paused, not sure how to describe the road runner. "...man working with you?" This was certainly not a situation Mr. Gold had expected to get into when he and Regina had made a deal to get his dagger back.

[revrunner]

Perfect~! Things were coming along very nicely! As he continued building his newest invention, Rev began formulating a plan in his head. Surely, whatever Agent Popsicle had stashed away was whatever it was she had come here for and Rev had a sneaking suspicion that these other two visitors were here for the same thing. However, Rev seriously doubted the authenticity of the regal-looking woman's words after he'd nearly had a run-in with her creepy friend just moments ago. So, his plan for action turned into an escape plan. Once he was sure his device would work, he'd speed through the shop, grab Miss Popsicle, strap the handmade rocket pack on her back, rush them out of the store, and activate his invention so that it would blast her off to Loonatics HQ and safety and fly there, himself.

Being the only member of his team with semi-natural flight abilities, Rev most often assumed most of the people he met couldn't fly. So, naturally, he proposed Agent Popsicle, likewise, had no such ability. And now, here he was, designing a rudimentary jetpack for her use in case things didn't work out. She already had what she'd come for, so it should be easy to finish up his tweaking and then get them both out of here, right?

Wrong. It was as he was once again rummaging through the refrigerator for just one more thing that the creepy man had somehow managed to just appear next to him. Rev spun around in a blur to face the man; so much for his plan, it seemed. As he had turned, the back of his foot had smacked against the rocket pack. He'd paid it no heed, but, unbeknownst to the hero, he'd accidentally kick-started an activation process for the device. Staring warily at the man, Rev blinked... and was somewhere else.

What had happened? One second he was next to his invention, and the next thing he knew, he was standing with Agent Popsicle and the newcomers. "Uh..." Quick as a whip, Rev scratched his head feathers in thought before returning his hand to his side, wondering just how the man had gotten them both here. And then a blast sounded from his previous location. Turning to the noise, Rev watched in horror as his device revved up and shot into the air, heading further back into the shop. As it took off, there was a string of rope that flew after it. Rev's eyes followed the rope straight to his foot, where it was tied in a knot around his ankle. He couldn't recall why it was tied there, perhaps to make sure he didn't lose it during the execution of his plan, but he certainly knew what was coming next.

The road runner released a sigh as the thread was pulled taut. "I-should-really-slow-down,-sometimes..." With a yelp, he left the ground, following the rope and the pack as they flew through and around the shop's interior. It was a miracle the jetpack didn't hit anything, but Rev certainly did. "WHOA!-Whoa-whoa-WHOA!-Not-good,-not-good,-not-good!" It was quite a comical sight, were there to have been much of an audience besides the three people there. He even swooped between the group as the pack dragged him through the air; and Rev could've sworn he made a Figure-8...

[Agent Popsicle]

Was this woman alright? The corners of her mouth almost looked strained! Oh well, she didn't want to seem rude by asking a bunch of questions that may very well make the elegant lady uncomfortable! This whole thing was already awkward enough as is, really. Oh! So her name was Regina? That didn't sound ominous at all! Lightly bowing her head in response to her introduction, she offered up a sigh of relief upon hearing that her pal wasn't a dead fellow leaving behind a soul in the business of haunting.

Phew! There were things she didn't want to deal with and a ghost was one of them since she didn't have a whole bunch of supplies if a restless spirit decided to cause some havoc! Maintaining her cool, she blinked behind those sapphire lenses at the sight of a peculiar man revealing himself from the veil of shadows, his voice finally getting a face. One that wore a crazed grin as he gazed in her direction...he could REALLY use a toothbrush with how his teeth had a slightly yellow tinge to it...it'd be awful if the rotted right on out! "That's a relief...that you're not a ghost..." Ah! Right! The woman had inquired about whether or not she'd gotten what she was looking for! "Well, um..I.." Bringing the tips of her pale digits up to the rim of her shades, she was quickly cut off be the mention that they had a guest.

...oh geeze, maybe NOW would be a good time to pull the right card in her current hand of WTF TO DO. Before she could so much as START to answer the strange, giddy fellow, it seemed like he POOFED! "...Miss Regina, is this normal for him? The...um...vanishing act...that is...." Sounding almost curious about this little teleportation occurrence, it wasn't exactly a common thing for her to deal with. Lowering her fingers toward her cheek, she was a little surprised at the sight of her buddy AND mister poofer! For now she'd label him that in her head since the chilly young agent would rather not keep thinking about him as some guy who could really use a tooth brush to prevent cavities.

SO! Mister Poofer was asking if she knew her surprised buddy...more specifically if he was working with her, "Oh! Why yes, I do know him. He was kind enough to accompany me today...though I believe he was just browsing about the store," Though the blast sounding off caused her eyes to slightly widen and she actually looked a bit surprised about all that racket. "Huh...that doesn't...um...sound good..." Lightly gripping her chin, she glanced toward the sound and back toward Rev. About to take the liberty of inquiring on whether or not he had a clue what was going on with that, she listened to his quickly spoken words.

Quirking a brow ever so slightly, he pretty much answered that inquiry inadvertently then visibly cringed as he went on a magical adventure through the store. Knocking things over while the jet pack seemed to be cruising along without bringing harm to anything. The feathered hero passenger on the other hand? He was causing all the damage, ALL OF IT. Sliding her hand on her cheek, calmly batting her lashes while concocting a plan in the ice rink of her mind. "..oh..um...that looks very uncomfortable. I'll help him...um...or try...." AND AS IF SHE WAS DEALING WITH INVISIBLE KITTENS WHO WERE DISOBEDIENT....she began spraying at the air for a moment then flipped her shades upon her head with a with a sigh revealing her translucent baby blue optics.

It was about time she actually did something a little more helpful, now wasn't it? Once the non-existent kittens were sufficiently dealt with, she brought her hand off her chin and into a circular motion while watching the mist fall. Droplets of water shifted into snow flakes and began collecting up together like a snowball and forming a bubble shape. Snapping her fingers followed by the a blink of her eyes, the snowy exterior shifted to a clear, thick shell of ice. Flicking those shades over her eyes to conceal them once more, the bubble shot toward the cord and thought of it shifting into a buzz saw like shape. Keeping her focus on the ice orb, it did just as her thoughts requested and chased for the cord to try and free her new found pal! Whether or not she succeeded with that endeavor was a whole 'nother story though.

In fact, she was so focused on keeping control on her icy weapon buddy that she failed to notice some of the cursed artifacts were getting disrupted and anyone with a spiritual sort of sixth sense could tell they were getting more and more peeved with each bit of disruption. This place was not only becoming quite a disaster zone, but on top of that they were going to feel like a bundle of ghost busters soon. Normally, she had a little more mental slack...but the area was confined in comparison to an open location so she had to maintain her focus...perhaps some of the others would notice the horrible vibes starting to bubble up in this place?

[Regina Mills]

At Rumpelstiltskin's words announcing the presence of yet another stranger, Regina tensed and immediately turned towards him. It seemed that Agent Popsicle hadn't missed his little show of teleportation, but Regina was less concerned about concealment and more concerned about who or whatever was hiding in the shadows right at that moment. "I think you'll find there's not very much about him that is normal." she muttered in response, her eyes remaining trained on the fridge her companion had appeared near. The same could have been said for her, of course - but no need to go showing all her cards at once. Even if she'd wanted to explain further, she was very abruptly distracted by the sight of the...large...talking...bird who'd been the source of the disturbance.

In a moment of complete, immobilizing 'WTF', Regina could only tilt her head to one side and stare. ...This was Agent Popsicle's companion? How...? What...? Even Rumpelstiltskin, who usually took a bit more pleasure in madness than Regina did, looked completely thrown off by this sudden discovery. As she mutely listened to Popsicle explain, she reflected that an explanation probably should have helped the situation make more sense. Instead...it was very, very quickly making less. Perhaps she'd simply been caught up in the normality of Storybrooke for far too long - yes, that was it. There'd been a time when a giant blue caterpillar blowing smoke into her face hadn't done much to faze her, but now the sight of an anthropomorphic road-runner had her more or less speechless.

There was a moment's pause before she finally prompted herself to speak. "And...who..." But before she could get more than two words out, a sudden roar of sound jolted Regina out of her puzzled haze. In the utterly chaotic scene that followed, the brunette could only watch with wide, uncertain eyes - whatever that device was, and wherever it'd come from, it was going to make a complete mess of the store and make it even more difficult for them to obtain what they'd been looking for. ...Oh, and, she supposed the bird's safety should have been a slight concern as well. Regina blinked in irritation; he was certainly making enough racket as he was dragged throughout the shop. And then Agent Popsicle offered to help - and the Evil Queen's initial reaction was a faint, dubious snort. But as she turned and took in the calmly determined look on the girl's face, curiosity made her pause and actually...find out just what she had up her sleeve.

It turned out that those spray bottles weren't quite as humorously useless as Regina had initially believed. Her eyes widened slightly as Popsicle conjured up the ice - elemental magic? At least, that was the closest thing Regina could compare it to, but...she honestly hadn't expected something that complex out of the girl. As the ice ball proceeded to chase after the roadrunner and his predicament, there was nothing more she could do than turn slowly to Rumpelstiltskin and shoot him a sarcastic look that communicated nothing short of 'welp, this is dumb'. And she would have been more than happy to continue right on in her role as an exasperated onlooker, too - if it hadn't been for the sudden, familiar sort of cold prickling that shot down her spine. What had once been a icy feeling of dread when her mother had employed use of the dark arts against her had now dulled to a sort of slight buzz as a result of her expose to - and use of - it. There was dark magic present here. And it didn't take a genius to to figure out where it was coming from in a shop like this.

"Rumpel," she tried to draw his attention with his nickname sharply, both because she knew it'd annoy him, and because she was well-aware that revealing his full name to those who didn't know it was sort of a... 'thing' for him. "I think now would be a good time to try and locate the...object you were looking for." With all of the shop's cursed artifacts becoming increasingly agitated and emitting dark energy, perhaps Rumpelstiltskin would be able to sense the dagger's. In the meanwhile, Regina stepped back - well out of the way of the shenanigans going on, or so she hoped - and perched herself on the edge of a nearby table. Closing her eyes, she began to chant under her breath - a spell that would produce a calming, almost numbing aura that would hopefully both ease the restless artifacts and do something to calm everything down.

[Mr. Gold]

Just as Rumpelstiltskin was about to say something, the road runner went flying on what appeared to be a makeshift jetpack. All he could do was stare in shock and... disbelief that he'd been caught in such an odd situation. Even in the Fairy Tale Land this wouldn't have been fully normal. ...At least it was somewhat amusing, if cartoonish. Whenever Rev hit something, Rumpelstiltskin would wince, though it was clearly over-exaggerated to mock the road runner. "That looks like it hurt." Rumpel said, chuckling slightly afterwards. It was good to get back into the old dancing mad persona of Rumpelstiltskin after a while, even a tad relieving after living in the bland normality of Storybrooke as a lawyer for long enough.

Another surprise came soon afterward as the girl sprayed her bottle and... used some sort of magic to freeze the moisture solid in an attempt to save the road-runner. So it wasn't for dealing with disobedient kittens after all. Hearing Regina's voice {saying a nickname for whatever reason}, Rumpelstiltskin turned to look at her. "That's a new name for me, now isn't it?" He said, his voice easily disguising his confusion at the use of such a nickname. At least she hadn't given away his full name. Names had power, even in a land without magic {hurr hurr hurr, geddit meekz?} such was this one. Though, after seeing Agent Popsicle's display, Rumpelstiltskin began to wonder if there truly wasn't magic in this world. Would that ruin his plan?

"Remarkable idea, dearie~" Rumpelstiltskin said, beginning to use his magic to sort through the dark energy of each artifact. None of them seemed like the one... and Regina's apparent calming spell wasn't helping at all. Suddenly, he found it! The dagger's aura was coming from a small box on a shelf set on the wall. Rumpelstiltskin took hold of the box and carefully opened it, revealing the dagger inside. "I've found it. Now... Perhaps we should do away with these witnesses?" No matter how much they disguised themselves, it was possible to see the two as Mr. Gold and Mayor Regina Mills from Storybrooke, Maine... and Mr. Gold did not want the curse being noticed before his plan started.

[revrunner]

All in all, the fast-paced trip throughout the store was not a fun one for the poor bird; truly not fun at all. He was used to flying, indeed even at high speeds, however what he was not used to was arcing precariously through a building and crashing into quite a great many of things. In fact, truth be told, Rev was beginning to feel just a bit sick to his stomach. There had been a point where Rev had tried to untie himself, but, because of his position, there was little leverage and he could barely even touch the rope tied to his foot-claw.

"Not-to-BOTHER-anyone,-but-I'd-really-APRECIATE-a-LITTLE-bit-of-HELP!" As he pleaded with anyone who would listen, Rev's statement was emphasized every time the jetpack pulled a sharp turn or slammed him into another something-or-other. And, though he wasn't able to see it, his prayers were indeed answered when his new best buddy came to his rescue with her buzz saw of ice.

Unfortunately, her timing couldn't be any worse. The rocket pack took another sharp turn and Rev was just about to go along for the ride when the icily buzz saw cut cleanly through the rope. And so, instead of taking a less-than-sharp turn to follow his device through the air, Rev continued in the same direction he was going. Turning to look in the direction he was speeding through the air, Rev saw he was right on course with the man who had caught him earlier. "Oh,-this-is-gonna-HURT!" The poor road runner closed his eyes and braced for impact.