18845/In The Heart of the Concrete Jungle

In The Heart of the Concrete Jungle
Date of Scene:	15 August 2024
Location:	Times Square
Synopsis:	Eddie Brock stumbles upon Mantis about to fall victim to a street-level scammer and saves the day! Eddie is carrying a symbiote. Mantis is Mantis.
Cast of Characters:	Mantis, Eddie Brock

---

Mantis has posed:
If there's one thing that New York City has in abundance, it's tourists. People come from all over the world, near and far, to enjoy the City So Nice They Named it Twice. Some people cross state lines. Others cross oceans. Some people, though, come from much, much farther away. And they have antennae.

The alien known across the galaxy as Mantis normally rolls with a certain crew, but she's all by herself in the Big Apple today! Curiosity got the better of her, as it often does, and she had to find out. Is that apple really as big as they say it is?

Throngs of people hustle and bustle through the sidewalks underneath Time Square's mighty glow. Cars honk. Drivers yell. Tourists gawk, but none gawk quite as much as a woman with inky black eyes and a pair of antennae. She's walking down the sidewalk, head on a swivel, ooh-ing and ahhh-ing at every little thing.

"Hey, lady!" an angry voice shouts. "Watch where you're going! You broke my glasses!"

Mantis is stopped by a simple street con-artist. A pair of glasses is down by his feet. Both lenses are cracked. People have been pulling this one for ages.

"You're gonna pay for those, aren't ya!?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
"Hey mister! Find the ball, win 50 dollars!"

"Follow the queen, win prizes!"

Eddie Brock ignores all of these classic New York catchphrases. He's only ever fallen for them once, when he was -real- down. But the call of "You broke my glasses!" gets his attention, his neck turning to see who's trying to pull it. Coming up behind the 'victim', the imposing reporter puts a hand on the scam artist's shoulder. "Get a job. I hear the Bugle's hiring." he tells him, picking up the glasses and crushing the simple frame in his hand. The glass cuts him, but is easily healed again. Somehow.

Mantis has posed:
Mantis' antennae and eyebrows rise at the unexpected confrontation. Unlike the earlier misunderstandings involving the monks selling bracelets and the hopeful musicians hawking their blank CDs, this one might be her fault! She broke his glasses! She looks down at them, antennae drooping as she gets a good look at her apparent handiwork. She looks up at the man demanding payment and her face fills with worry.

"I do not have money," she tells him. Her voice is soothing, velvety, and about as quiet as it could be before it technically becomes a whisper. She doesn't have money. Simple as that.

"Well, you better get some!"

The shadow of Eddie Brock covers them both. The scammer looks up, past Mantis, and stares at Eddie. "Hey, pal, this don't concern you!" he barks. His edge disappears as the skin on Eddie's hand knits itself whole again. That's enough to settle this.

"Freak!" he shouts before turning to disappear into the thick crowd of people trying to get by.

Mantis turns to face Eddie, antennae rising as she takes him in with her large, inky black eyes. "I broke that man's glasses!" she tells him. "But you broke them worse." She's not getting it.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie watches the man run away. "Yeah, I did. Doesn't look like he really needs them though, does it? He glances at Mantis, at first definitely looking at the antennae, before realizing that her eyes are down there. "Look, that guy was trying to scam money out of you. It's an older con, but I guess it still works sometimes. Those glasses were broken before you ever showed up on Times Square." As he says that, he tosses the remains of said glasses in a trash can. Then he states the obvious. "You're not from around here, are you? You gotta watch out for people trying to make a quick buck off of you."

Mantis has posed:
Mantis turns to watch the man navigate the throngs of people without his corrective lenses. Eddie has a point.

"No..." she agrees softly, almost melodically. The scammer clearly doesn't need those glasses to see.

Mantis turns to face Eddie again, her antennae swaying gently as the emotional landscape of the moment passes through them. She listens to his explanation carefully, giving each word equal time in that brain of hers. Finally, she gets it.

"He was playing a trick on me," she realizes, lingering with that idea for a few moments before her expression shifts to one of endless joy that she must hold back a little so her mouth can form the shapes necessary to make words. She closes her eyes, touches her stomach, and begins to laugh. A lot.

"He was playing a trick on me!" she manages to get out again in between laughs. This is a joyous moment for her. So much humor!

It doesn't last. Mantis' joy fades. Wait.

"....He was playing a trick on me," she repeats a third time. Suddenly, her antennae stiffen, her brow lowers. "YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN!" she shouts, hands balled into fists down at her hips.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie nods at her realization, then nods again when she realizes it once more, then holds both arms out at her, with his palms open. "Easy, easy. He's gone now." And he is, because scammers don't stick around for fights. Not even fights with lithe weird-looking girls. "Yeah, definitely new here.." he mutters somewhat under his breath. "There's loads of people trying that, not everyone's kind enough to stand up for the common people, like me." Eddie says, like a liar.

Mantis has posed:
Eddie stands up for the common people. Mantis thinks about that for a few moments, perhaps inspecting the statement for truth. She stares forward, hesitates a beat, and then smiles up at Eddie. "Then I am glad to be a common person!" she decides, beaming at the stranger.

The silent smile last a little too long. Eventually, though, Mantis speaks again.

"I am not from around here," Mantis confirms, choosing to phrase her answer just as Eddie phrased the question.

"Are you?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie grins. "I.. yeah. I've been away for a while, on the West Coast, but I'm from here originally." He lowers his arms when Mantis has decided not to assault the scammer, who by now is long gone anyway, tilting his head. "So where are you from?" he asks, trying not to look pointedly at her antennae. He's also fully prepared not to know what her answer would mean. "And.. what brings you here?" Please don't say world domination or any sort of advance scout for an evil alien army.

Mantis has posed:
"The west coast?" Mantis repeats. She turns around, then to the left, then right, as though the west coast might be more obvious if she was looking in its direction. Eventually, she gives up and turns to face Eddie again. His question -- where are you from? -- causes Mantis' antennae to slowly droop, confirming that they're not part of a costume.

"I do not know," she answers softly, avoiding Eddie with her eyes after admitting this to him. Fortunately, another question is asked and Mantis perks up almost immediately.

"Oh, I wanted to see the apple," Mantis answers, smiling brightly again. "But, all of the apples are small." Her smile fades into a frown.

Eddie Brock has posed:
"The west coast of this country, it's.. several thousand miles to the west of here. And largely to the southwest." Eddie explains patiently. It's not often you have to explain Earth, and the USA, to a first time visitor from.. space? Probably? Could be a horrible dungeon in a desert, or Antarctica. "I didn't mean to ask something insensitive." he apologizes when he notices a clear example of sad body language. "My name is Eddie." he offers, with an outstretched hand towards Mantis. "And I think an apple only needs to fit in your hand to be big enough, for what it's worth."

Mantis has posed:
"It is not insensitive. But I do not know the answer," Mantis answers. Simple as that. Judging by the subtle relaxing of her antennae, it's clear she wishes this was not the case. But, there are apples to discuss.

Mantis frowns. "The Big Apple can fit in your hand?" she questions. That doesn't make sense to her. But, who is she to tell Eddie he's wrong?

When Eddie's hand extends towards her, Mantis does not take it. Her hands remain in front of her waist, each fingertip gently pressed against its counterpart on her other hand. Weird! She's weird.

"I am Mantis," she adds, falling silent again as she stares up at Eddie. Her inky black eyes dart up and down, taking all of him in. It's the sort of gesture that people on Earth can sometimes interpret as someone undressing them with their eyes. Mantis, however, is doing something else.

Since their conversation began, Eddie has felt funny to her. Mantis experiences the emotional landscape in its raw form, able to pick up on the feelings of others just as naturally as any of her other senses. There's just something odd about Eddie Brock, but she just can't place it. It's almost like he's not just one person, but he obviously /is/ just one person.

So, it looks like she's checking him out.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie is left hanging. Wow. He lowers his hand, figuring she's introducing herself regardless of accepting the handshake. "Oh, the BIG Apple!" Eddie exclaims. "Well, you know, that's just a nickname for New York." And because a newspaper guy was the one who came up with the term, Eddie can elaborate a little. "So about a hundred years ago, there was this guy who referred to New York as the Big Apple in a horse racing context.." he starts, scratching the back of his head to make sure he remembers it right. "..And it just stuck, you know? He kept using the phrase, and the newspaper was sold all over the city, so now it's just the Big Apple-- Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mantis has posed:
"Ohhhhhhh," Mantis quietly sings in response to Eddie's lesson on the Big Apple's name. "...That is a disappointing story."

It really is.

Uh oh. She's caught.

Mantis hesitates, giving herself a moment before proceeding forward into her lie. She opens her eyes a bit wider, eyebrows hiked, as though giving Eddie a better look at them might make her more trustworthy.

"No reason," she answers abruptly. Mantis opens her mouth and smiles awkwardly, showing both rows of teeth like she practiced. She holds that expression for several seconds before closing her mouth and tensing her shoulders a little.

For a moment, she considers touching Eddie with her hand and making him forget all about this, but it doesn't happen.

Eddie Brock has posed:
"No reason." Eddie repeats, looking as skeptical as he can, even raising one eyebrow at her. "Are you.. doing something? Do you have powers I should know about?" Because if there's anything known in New York, it's that weird folks have powers. You just sometimes can't tell what kind. Except maybe Mantis could tell his. Vaguely. "You gotta smile with your whole face if you want it to be believeable, Mantis." he tells her with a grin. That's the thing about wearing an alien symbiote all the time, it tends to make you -real- confident.

Mantis has posed:
The plan was for Mantis to learn more about Earth, not for Earth to learn more about her. But, it's not like she'd be in trouble if she told Eddie the truth. Plus, he's being nice to her and, and, and, and...

"I was lying," Mantis tells Eddie, saying it without any shame or embarrassment. She drags the word out a little too long, singing it slightly as she sometimes does.

"And lying is not a thing that makes people like you."

It's like she's reciting something she read covering the subject of friendship.

Mantis hesitates, briefly looks away, and returns her gaze to Eddie. "I am an empath. I feel the emotions of others. Their feelings. You feel..."

"...Different."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie makes a judgment call. If she can feel -his- emotions, she would be able to feel Venom's emotions as well, so she's likely already aware of him on some level. "I carry a symbiote from outer space in me. We've bonded to such a degree that it's barely even a drain on us anymore." He talks conversationally, counting on the hustle and bustle of Times Square, along with the general uncaring demeanor of the average New Yorker, to keep the conversation private between Mantis and himself. "You're feeling two consciousnesses, out of one body. I'm sure it's a shock to you, but you should see how people react if I spring it on them."

Mantis has posed:
Mantis lowers her eyes as Eddie explains, perhaps, just why he feels so unusual to her. A symbiote. That's a word she's heard before, she's sure of it, but its meaning alludes her. Fortunately, Eddie elaborates: two consciousness in one body.

But, is she shocked?

...Suddenly, Mantis reacts.

Laughter. Delighted by this, Mantis breaks into loud laughter. From its tone, it's clear Mantis isn't laughing at Eddie. She's relieved and happy. Moments ago, Eddie was an enigma, an aberration in the emotional landscape. But now? It all makes sense.

"I am glad I am not broken," she tells Eddie matter of factly.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie chuckles. "So am I." he tells Mantis, totally fine with her off-kilter reactions apparently. "So look, Mantis, I gotta get going, but if you're not busy, or leaving, or anything, I usually bring the other guy out after sunset. Because he's kind of.. intimidating-looking?" he points out, as if he has to. "So if you ever want to meet him and maybe knock over a drug dealing operation or something, look for Greenwich Village. Rooftops or alleys, mostly." He smiles and glances around, then gestures at Planet Herowood. "If you're hungry, get a cheeseburger there. Not any of the fancy ones, just the regular. Best burgers you can get in New York, trust me."

Mantis has posed:
Mantis raises both of her eyebrows and antennae. "Yes," she tells Eddie. "If this world is not consumed before that, I look forward to meeting your friend!"

That's ominous! It might not be common knowledge to Terrans, yet, but Mantis has seen who's coming. Galactus is coming to dinner.

"I will go there immediately," Mantis promises, looking across the street at Planet Herowood.

"Thank you for standing up for common people like me," she tells Eddie before smiling with both sets of teeth visible. After holding that expression for several seconds, she turns to head towards the celebrity restaurant for an entirely new adventure.