19918/Looking for love in Alderaan Places

Looking for love in Alderaan Places
Date of Scene:	23 January 2025
Location:	Wetworks Bar and Distillery
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Carol Ferris, Eddie Brock

---

Carol Ferris has posed:
A Star Sapphire's purpose isn't the same as a Green Lantern's. They aren't the 'space cops' of the universe. Their mission isn't to go from sector to sector keeping the peace. In fact, there aren't all that many Star Sapphires in existence, and they haven't been around for nearly as long.

The Zamarons, of course, have been around for as long as the Guardians -- essentially forever, as far as mortal perception is concerned. Billions of years. But it wasn't until the Star Sapphire gem tragically possessed Carol Ferris that a cascading series of events led to the creation of the Star Sapphire Corps. Most people, even those familiar with the Green Lanterns, have never even heard of the Star Sapphires.

Yet, they do their work diligently, traveling from system to system where they hear the call of fear or heartbreak, bolstering and reinforcing the power of Love -- which they view as more powerful than Will -- throughout the universe.

It's only with this bit of exposition that we could understand at all why a dark-haired woman in an expensive skirt suit steps through the door of Gotham's Wetworks bar.

She's not from Gotham. In fact, she's a recognizable face to anyone who follows business -- the billionaire CEO of Ferris Aircraft, who last year threw a huge party at a rooftop bar in New York City for Independence Day. Among other notable things.

Over the years since her father, Carl Ferris, died, Ferris Aircraft has alternately flourished and struggled. Carol inherited a mess of debt and questionable management decisions that she'd been forced to sort out. The company had nearly tanked. But after a couple of years, it leveled out. Its contracts stabilized. And, as an accomplished pilot herself, rumor has it she's still heavily involved in some contracts her company fulfills for the government.

A few years ago, the company's headquarters re-located from Coast City, California, to Metropolis. There were a lot of rumors about why -- better access to emerging technologies, better tax breaks, shorter supply chains, the list goes on.

One can only guess what she's doing in Gotham, but it almost assuredly has something to do with Wayne Enterprises.

Not at the moment, though. In this exact moment, after she slips off her heavy winter coat and shakes the snow off of it just outside the door, she hovers and takes a moment to look around.

In this exact moment, it's almost like she's looking for something.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock is still in Gotham. The town car driven by Ted had taken him from the Wayne estate to the hyperloop, but Eddie hadn't boarded it. Not yet. He'd left Gwen and Dick on well enough terms, at least outwardly, but as the distance between him and them increased, and Eddie was left alone, asterisk, with his thoughts. Which is not a good thing normally, but -now-, seeing his ex-girlfriend so happy and snuggled up with another man, added to the realization that both of them were living double lives unaware of the other one, just amplifies and compounds the negativity inside.

Everyone gets to feel that way sometimes, asking themselves 'what if I just came clean at the time?'. Not everyone gets to have these feelings exacerbated by a space alien sharing a body with them, engrained into their every thought. To that end, Eddie finds himself at the Wetworks bar, alone-ish, a cocktail in hand that's mainly whiskey. Fittingly, it's called 'The Malt Is Not Enough', and it's been shaken with a measure of amaretto. After serving him, the bartender had immediately moved on to other patrons, leaving Eddie with his thoughts, his drink, and his symbiote. At least one of those will help pacify another.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Everyone does get to feel that way, sometimes. In fact, a lot of people feel that way all across the universe, all the time.

Regret. Loss. What if? What if things had been different? What if another path had been chosen?

It isn't quite the typical heartbreak that draws a Star Sapphire half-way across the galaxy. It isn't the tragic death of one's soul mate, the gut-wrenching fear of a loved one on the brink of death, or the utter hopelessness that comes from being powerless in the face of overwhelming force.

In fact, just on Earth, bars like this across the world are filled at all hours with men and women alike that are nursing wounds from relationships that didn't work out. A Star Sapphire can't possibly go around fixing each one.

It's a special kind of connection that a Star Sapphire is meant to fix -- true love, the kind of irrefutable bond that poets write sonnets about.

But that doesn't mean that the Star Sapphire ring isn't drawn to heartbreak. Those deep wounds create ripples of darkness like thick, suffocating shadows that stretch out and threaten to strangle, to drag a soul down into a pit of despair.

So, perhaps that's how Carol finds herself striding towards the bar, draping her jacket over the back of the stool, and sliding up onto it.

Right beside Eddie.

She doesn't say anything at first. She simply gives him a small, pleasant smile as she settles in, legs crossing, one boot hooking a chunky heel into the stool's footrest as she leans forward to get the bartender's attention.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie adjusts himself as he's joined by some woman, even though she's not exactly close enough that any of her actions touch him. Her coat doesn't even brush on his leg when she drapes it over her bar stool. Still, the big individual shifts in his seat and makes a little more space between the two of them.

Figuring just a lean forward isn't enough to get this particular bartender's attention, Eddie finishes what's left of his drink and taps the sturdy glass against the bar top with a touch more force than strictly necessary, only to produce a loud knock against the wood. It works for him, and he quickly orders "Another one of these." rolling the glass in his hand before setting it down. "And the lady wants to order as well." His voice is gruff, like he's in no mood to be argued with. Impatient. Just go do what he wants.

He turns to somewhat face the lady. That's the old photographer in him, always looking for a good angle. Which is also what he did as a reporter, incidentally. "You look familiar." he offers, simply.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Blue eyes frames by dark hair glance to the side, an amused smile tugging at one corner of Carol's mouth when Eddie's insistence for the barkeep's attention comes quite a bit more forcefully than her own.

"Thanks," she says wryly when the metaphorical microphone is passed to her. "Vodka martini."

"Shaken, not stirred?" comes the bartender's reply.

"Got it in one," Carol answers with a warm smile. And then she turns towards Eddie again, settling back a bit on her stool as she waits for the drink to be made.

"Carol Ferris," she says, offering her hand to shake. There's nothing dainty or delicate about the gesture, but it's not exactly abrupt or aggressive, either. In fact, she seems pretty practiced at maintaining the demeanor of confident business woman-slash-pilot while also retaining the femininity that's very much core to her.

She's confident, but there's something very warm and soft, instead of the icy exterior that so many women in power seem to affect.

"Drinking alone? Or waiting for someone?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
"Don't mention it." Eddie replies, pausing to let Carol order her James Bond drink. With not a pun in sight, at that. He shakes the woman's hand, like a normal person, squeezing only so she's not holding a limp hand. "Eddie Brock." he offers in turn. His voice is less gruff now, but it's still obvious he's not in the best mood. "Carol Ferris, of Ferris Aircraft." he notes. Of all the bars in all the world.. "Business with WayneTech, right?" he guesses.

She asks him another question, and Eddie considers it. "In a way, both. Or neither." He doesn't elaborate, but also doesn't shut down the conversation. Like he needs to get some things off his chest, but at the same time doesn't want to burden yet another woman with his ever-lasting bullshit.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol studies Eddie for a moment, not in a way that feels invasive, but with the quiet assessment of someone used to reading people. A bartender, a pilot, a CEO -- there's a certain skill in knowing how to gauge the temperature of a room, and right now, Eddie Brock is simmering.

She doesn't pry. Not yet.

Instead, she reaches for the martini that's set down in front of her, lifting it just slightly in a casual toast before taking a sip. The crisp bite of vodka and vermouth settles against her tongue, smooth and familiar.

"WayneTech," she confirms with a slight tilt of her head. "Among other things. Government contracts. Aerospace research. The usual dance."

Her smile lingers, but there's something knowing in her eyes.

"Eddie Brock... I've seen your blog," she adds, shifting gears, making it less about her and more about him. "What brings you here?"

There's no pressure in the question. Just an easy, open-ended invitation for him to answer -- or not. Carol's good at letting people set their own pace.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie nods at 'the usual dance'. Like he's been anywhere even brushing against that sphere of influence. His own drink is set in front of him, and he raises it quickly to the bartender, a wordless thankful gesture for the service, and returns Carol's toast before taking a slow drink. The amaretto softens the burn of the whiskey as it goes down. "The usual dance." he repeats with a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth for a moment. What a toast.

I've seen your blog

"You haven't, but I appreciate the sentiment." Eddie replies. There's just no way in hell a CEO reads his blog. She asks what he's doing here. "Meeting a friend." he replies. Which is true. "Not here, but I came from there and didn't get on the hyperloop to New York just yet."

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol exhales a quiet chuckle at his response, a knowing little smirk touching her lips as she swirls her martini idly in its glass. "Tough crowd," she admits, her voice easy, amused.

She takes another sip, savoring the crispness before setting the glass down lightly against the bar. "I keep an eye on people who stir things up. And you? You had a reputation for that." Her gaze flickers over him, taking in the weight in his shoulders, the way he carries himself like a man who's seen too much and can't quite put it down.

"But now you're in Gotham, not writing, not reporting -- " she tilts her head slightly. "And hesitating to leave. That friend of yours say something to make you rethink getting on that hyperloop?"

She keeps her tone light, nonchalant, like it doesn't matter if he answers or not. But there's something else beneath it, something quiet and perceptive, the way a Star Sapphire picks up on heartbreak like a bloodhound on a scent.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie tilts his head, and in true New York fashion replies, "Eh, well, whatcha gonna do, right?". He's not the type to be impressed by dropped names, or the type to fake interest in such things. However, the aerospace research does tickle him. "Can you talk about the aerospace research?" he asks, leaning slightly towards Carol, though mostly on the bar. Diagonal interest.

His brow furrows when Eddie is accused of 'stirring things up'. "Got any specific stirrings like that lately?" he asks. "Reputation's no good. You do one thing for good reason, you end up jobless and deeper in the trash than you were before. Best to be judged on whatever you did last." He takes a sip from his cocktail and sets the glass down.

"I was visiting a friend." he repeats firmly. But he softens as he goes on. "I don't go down this way much. I could've gone back to New York and had this drink there." he pauses to glance at the bartender, in case he has to add a 'no offense'. "But why put off what I can do while I'm here, right?" He smirks at Carol. "If you must know, if you'd heard what my friend had to say you'd probably have run out and gone further away than New York. West coast, maybe. But I'm done running."

His voice sounds determined, but what he tells Carol sounds like a lot of stuff he might've not wanted to know. Which would explain the drinking, if pressed.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol watches Eddie as he speaks, the way his words dance between deflection and reluctant honesty. She takes a measured sip of her martini, considering his words before answering.

"You're not wrong. Reputation's just a shadow cast by whatever light's hitting you at the moment." Her lips press into a faint, knowing smile. "But some shadows stretch further than others."

She doesn't push on what he's running from -- or, rather, what he's done running from. Not yet. Instead, she shifts, mirroring his slight lean toward the bar as she pivots back to the safer ground of aerospace.

"As for the research," she muses, amusement flickering in her expression. "Depends on what you mean. There's the stuff we put in press releases, the things we let investors hear." A slight smirk. "And then there's the work behind the curtain. Experimental propulsion, next-gen flight tech, things that might change how we think about travel -- not just across the planet, but beyond it."

She lifts a brow at him, just enough to invite curiosity without outright offering more. "You just a fan of fast things, or does the science side of it interest you?"

Then, almost as an afterthought -- but the kind that's been sitting on the surface, waiting to be voiced -- she adds, "I've been shifting some of my focus toward philanthropic work, too. Supporting resettlement efforts on New Themyscira, giving refugees a fresh start. There's only so much one company can do, but it's something." A pause, and a small, almost self-deprecating smile. "You start flying high enough, long enough, and eventually, you look down and realize just how much work needs to be done on the ground."

Carol's fingers tap idly against the stem of her glass before she glances at Eddie again, tone shifting, gentler now -- but still direct. "So, you didn't go back to New York because here felt like the right place to sit with it for a minute. Trust me, though. I'm from Coast City. It's not as far away as it seems." She tilts her head slightly, studying him. "Why did you feel like you needed to run in the first place?"

There's no real push, no demand for an answer. Just the steady, patient warmth of someone who knows the difference between sitting in silence and actually listening.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie smirks at Carol's wording. "You never thought of getting into journalism, with phrasing like that?" he asks. He reaches for his glass again and leans back when she starts talking about the stuff investors don't want or need to hear, and his brows arc up with interest. "Sounds like you're growing beyond Ferris -Air-." he comments. "Or at least, you're trying to. How much of it has been succesful, and what do you need WayneTech for, at this point?" he asks. He's not taking notes, but it -does- sound suspiciously like Carol is being interviewed.

"Bit of both." Eddie replies to her question regarding his own interests. "I have a motorcycle in NYC. Ducati. Of course, with the weather the way it's been, I wasn't going to take it on the highway today." he notes with a wry grin. "So I guess you could say I do like fast things."

Back to the Carol Ferris Interview! Eddie listens intently to the efforts Carol has been making for New Themyscirans, displaced as they have been. "You can't solve problems like this from a jet plane, I suppose." he replies. It's like a platitude, but he's listening and allowing her to finish her thought. "What kind of work are you doing on the ground? Are you putting it on Wayne's desk too?" he asks, hand reaching for his drink again. Just to grease his vocal cords again. Promise.

"Not specifically here." Eddie tells Carol, gesturing around. "I just didn't want to go to a dive bar where I'd be the only one in, having to talk about my feelings with the bartender." he adds with a grin. "And look at me now." Shrugging at her, he retorts. "Maybe Coast City isn't that far away for you, but I'd have to fly coach, I'd take up more space in seat D5 than most, and I just kinda don't want the hassle of air travel." he explains carefully. "The friend I visited is an ex-girlfriend." Why is he telling a stranger this? "And.. I don't think I'm mature enough to see her love someone else the way I saw today." Or that she's Ghost-Spider, but that's neither here nor there. "It was rough. I wanted to leave before I even walked through her door."

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol listens, fingers resting lightly against the stem of her martini glass, eyes sharp but not unkind. There's something about Eddie -- gruff, unpolished, and yet keenly observant.

"I'll leave the journalism to the professionals," she replies, amusement laced in her tone. "Besides, if I ever needed a career change, I think I'd have a hard time convincing people I'd be unbiased."

She takes a sip of her drink before continuing, nodding at his observation about Ferris 'Air.' "We're expanding," she admits. "Beyond just aircraft, yes. Propulsion, energy sustainability, off-world logistics. WayneTech has resources and infrastructure that can accelerate some of our research. So does Stark. And we all have an interest in making sure certain technologies don't end up in the wrong hands." She lifts a brow. "I doubt you'd be surprised just how many governments, corporations, and well-funded hobbyists would kill for bleeding-edge aerospace advancements."

Carol lets that thought hang for a moment, but pivots back with a sly grin. "A Ducati?" A small, approving nod. "Good choice. Fast, sleek, more power than you should probably put on city streets. You _definitely_ made the right call leaving it in New York with this weather."

New Themyscira. "We started the HEARTS foundation back in... September? We're providing funding and logistics for people displaced by Galactus here and on New Themyscira. Shipping resources -- equipment, people -- to other planets can be problematic, even now, but we have several partners aligned to help. The Justice League among them. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern have both been heavily involved."

She lets him talk, lets him get around to what he doesn't want to say. The weight behind his words shifts when he talks about Gwen. About watching someone he cared about move on.

Carol exhales softly, rolling the base of her glass between her fingers. "There are worse things than talking about your feelings with a bartender," she says, voice quieter but still light. "Though I won't tell if you want to pretend I just happen to be sitting here while you work through it."

She doesn't prod, doesn't try to make it something bigger than it is, but she doesn't dismiss it either. Instead, she leans forward just a little, elbow resting against the bar.

"I know what it's like to walk into a room and realize someone you love has built a life without you in it. And no matter how much time has passed, no matter how much you tell yourself you're over it -- seeing it in real time?" She shakes her head. "That's a different kind of hit."

She pauses, letting the words settle. "But you walked through the door, anyway." A small, knowing smile. "So, what stopped you from leaving?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie gives a bemused smile as Carol declines his suggestion. "Oh well, more for the rest of us, I suppose." he muses, turning his eyes to the swirl inside Carol's glass before remembering he has his own to get through. "I'm sure they'd come around in time." he adds quickly. Like they came around on him. Heh.

Eddie listens intently to Carol's explanation of how her company plans to expand, touching on everything he'd asked and more. "I wouldn't be surprised at all. Are you going to Stark after this? Will he be upset you've gone to Gotham first?" That last question is asked with a slight grin. Tony can be a diva like that on occasion.

"It's the only expensive thing I own." Eddie admits, though he notices her approval and goes on. "Yeah, I didn't want to have to explain showing up with torn clothes and road scratches." he points out.

"It makes sense for those two to be involved, given one's a space cop and the other is Miss Themyscira for.. three thousand years running?" He ponders, stroking the very recent stubble on his cheek for a moment. "So what can us mere mortals do to help, exactly?" he asks then.

Drinking up what remains of his cocktail, he pushes the glass away. "It's not that I wasn't getting over it. The reason she asked me there wasn't just to show off her new boyfriend, as barely-there as he was. She had something important to tell me, and when she did, I realized we might've never broken up if she'd told me before." Eddie clears his throat, pushing down the raw feelings as he's used to doing, then continues. "But what was I gonna do, say that in front of her new man? I'm unhappy, I'm not an asshole."

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's lips curl into a slow, amused smirk, and she lifts her martini glass slightly, swirling the liquid inside before taking a sip. When she sets it down again, she levels Eddie with a look -- playful, but sharp.

"_He_?" she echoes, feigning mock surprise. "Eddie, are you telling me you're one of those people who still thinks Stark Industries is a one-man show?" She places a hand over her chest, like she's been deeply wounded by the suggestion, but the glint in her eye betrays the act.

She leans in slightly, lowering her voice just enough to feign conspiracy. "I hate to break it to you, but I've _already_ been talking to Pepper." Her smirk deepens, like she's enjoying the idea of the infamous Tony Stark playing second fiddle in his own company.

"Mere mortals," she adds with a soft laugh. "All kinds of things, depending on your level of interest and ability. I'd say the first, most important, and easiest thing, is just to be kind. Understanding. Sympathetic to people other than ourselves. Embrace differences for how they make us stronger, rather than spurn people for them. Honestly, if we could get over all the hate we have in our hearts, a lot of these fundraising programs wouldn't even be necessary. But aside from that, time... there are places to donate your time to help people and families in need. Building, teaching, supporting. Money, if you have that instead of free time. Fuel and resources aren't free. Honestly, just reaching out to the foundation and saying you want to help will put you in touch without someone that can help you get involved."

The humor fades slightly as she listens to him, letting him get through the raw, tangled mess of words that follow. She doesn't interrupt, doesn't try to smooth over the weight of it with platitudes. Instead, she gives him space to say what he needs to say.

Finally, she exhales softly, rolling the stem of her glass between her fingers. "That's rough," she acknowledges simply. Because it is. No need to dress it up like anything else.

She lifts her gaze, holding his. "But you didn't say it. You let her have her moment. That says something." A slight tilt of her head. "And there's always the chance it wasn't meant to be. If there was some big secret that the two of you couldn't share, maybe there's someone else out there for you. Someone things will come easier with."

She pauses with just a slight incline of her head.

"So what now? You planning to just pack that revelation away and hope it stops stinging, or you thinking about what to do with it?"

Her voice isn't prying, but there's something about it that invites honesty. Like she's not the type to pretend things don't matter when they do.