Private Finished Can I Paint Your Picture?

Pietro had put the meat back into the refrigerator to let it chill again and was at the task of washing his hands and the knife when Natasha came back. He frowned when he saw the look on her face and the change in her posture.

"Of course, Natasha. You take whatever time you need." Glancing out the window and down to his watch, he made a quick mental note of the time. Then he stepped closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Pietro's frown deepened and his brow furrowed in a distinctly inhuman anger. His pupils narrowed to cat-like slit and he tightened his grip on her shoulder. "I'm going. I am sorry Natasha but I am not giving you a say in this. This is an attack on you, on our people, and on me as well."

He didn't give her a chance to argue with him, picking her up bridal style and giving her a quick command of, "hold onto my neck. We're about to go very fast."

And then he was out the door, like a stag leaping effortlessly over hedges and fences out to the road towards the MCSS building. A growl was rumbling in his throat, making his chest vibrate with an old, poisonous anger.

Pietro growled into Natasha's ear as he set her down on the street near the MCSS building, "Call the police and do try to keep the crowd in check, love."

And then he was a blur. He could smell the wood of the crosses. Pine. Cheap. The work of amateurs. He might have been worried if they had been Hawthorne or Ash, but no.

He snatched each of the crosses up, carrying them effortlessly under his arm as he took them one by one. He counted them under his breath - thankfully there weren't that many. Only half a dozen in all.

And when he was done he grabbed each of them both hands and raised them up where all of the assembled vampires could see. "This! Is unacceptable! Bigotry! Intolerance! I know you are watching, cowards that you are! Gawking at the panic you've sown with sadistic glee! But let me make this clear to you -"

Pietro brought the crosses down hard, lifting his leg to meet them so that the entire stack of wood broke like nothing against his knee. " I am not afraid! We are not afraid! We will not be cowed and made to feel like lesser men than you! Do you hear me, cowards?!"

MCPD Officer Vaughan happened to be the nearest officer to the call. But also with secondary calls coming in for the ensuing, and growing, disturbance in the area her particular skillset made her essential to a rapid response. Given the nature of the call she opted to stop displaying her halo so as to avoid provoking any unneeded distress or distrust. Her horns would be hidden by the uniform hat anyway.

She pulled up a few minutes after the splintering of the crosses with her light flashing. It wasnt easy with the crowd. Immediately she radioed for backup for crowd control and as she stepped out of the patrol car she opened a portal for several officers to step through to start helping with that end of things.

"Alright, I understand you're all very upset right now but we need you all to try to remain calm and give us the space to investigate. We're here to help you." She announced loudly over the PA before handing it off to another officer.

She was the primary for this call so she looked around for the reporting party. And noted the angry former minister causing a scene in the sky. Of course.

She made her way towards the group near the former church as they seemed to be the actual victims rather than the growing crowd. "Excuse me, I need to speak with Ms Natasha Lockwood," she requested loudly as she approached. And then opened a small portal near mouth, with the other side near Pietro. "Mr Popov, this is MCPD Officer Vaughan could you please join me on the ground. I'm the one with a glowing green portal by her." She spoke into the portal to try getting his attention directly.

Pietro hissed at the sudden portal near head, but listened to the woman on the other side and took a deep breath. Cool night air filled his lungs and reinvigorated him a bit.

Exploding into a swarm of bats, he moved effortlessly through and over the crowd and pulled himself back together next to Natasha and the officer. He smoothed his hair back, seemingly entirely calm despite his aggressive outburst when he had broken the crosses.

"Yes, ah, sorry about that Officer. I knew that those crosses were an immediate threat to a good many people here, and so I had to deal with them as quickly as possible."

Turning to look at Natasha, he gave her a worried smile. "Is everyone alright, Miss Lockwood?"