12529/You Meet the Most Interesting People When Shopping

You Meet the Most Interesting People When Shopping
Date of Scene:	21 August 2022
Location:	A fashionable shopping mall
Synopsis:	Fade to black with visit to chocolatier!
Cast of Characters:	Greer Grant, Felicia Hardy, Jennifer Walters, Andi Benton

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Greer Grant has posed:
Well, it has been an...interesting few days for a certain were-woman since returning from Tartarus. That alone is enough to give someone pause to contemplate life, and afterwards, but Tigra came away from it with a new...outlook on life, so to speak. He'd hoped the situation would resolve itself through the helpful mechanism known as "wearing of" but that doesn't seem to be the case so far. Steps will obviously have to be taken to restore him to herself, but on the way towards that end, well, he can't really go around wearing the classic bikini. And so it is he's made his way to the mall, wearing loose tee, shorts and a pair of sandals. He's in feline form, the better to find things that, well, fit, and of course, does draw a bit of attention, even in New York. At the moment, he heads for a casual clothing store, a couple shopping bags already in hand.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "That is too cute for you!" Felicia says, her hand waving towards Jennifer with a playfulness she hasn't been able to show or feel in a long time. The girl is coming out of her shell again, or at least being in a fun shell for now. She has a sun dress in her off hand, curled over her wrist and she's holding up her cell phone to turn around and put Jennifer behind her over her shoulder in the picture and she smiles, "CHEESE!"

    The newest Avenger has her hair tied up in a tight pony tail with it swishing against her back. The tank top/camisole tops she wears keeps her modest and light, but she is cursed to only ever be SO modest it seems. "Do we need to be buying you stretchy shit or can we be humans and not have to worry about the damages?" She asks Jen with a smirk and a shove of her small fist against Jen's bicep.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "You think so?" Jennifer asks, swishing the light dress she's trying on this way and that. "It isn't too... /country/ for me?" When Felicia turns around to take a selfie, Jen automatically gives the camera a grin and fingers up in a V. It's just an autonomic response at this point.

    She waves a hand dismissively at the mention of stretchy shit. "I've got plenty of spandex at home, and I've got Reed making me an unstable molecule business suit. You have /no idea/ how many of those I ruin in a week."

Andi Benton has posed:
Even punk/goth girls with symbiote friends still shop. There isn't a specific /need/ to with what the symbiote is capable of, but there's still the ritual of seeing something you're interested in, trying it on, and possibly buying it.

Andi Benton is out in her usual set of purples, blacks, and a little pink, doing a little window shopping. A bit of leather, some mesh, a good pair of boots that don't look too fancy...

<<Mania>> Andi, look.
<<Andi>> Yes, I see the belt. It's close to ours.
<<Mania>> No, the /kitty/.
<<Andi>> What..oh.

Attention shifts away from the store's exterior to see a furry-looking thing walking around with some shopping bags of his own, and the young woman's brows slide upward. The internal conversation is enough to pull her out of her thoughts, and she says under her breath, "Before you ask, no, you can't pet him. Not unless he allows it. We've talked about this before." Subtly, a toonish version of a small head pops up from over Andi's shoulder, the facial expression shaped into a pout before it disappears again, all in the span of a few seconds.

Greer Grant has posed:
The furry looking thing doesn't see the small head on Andi's shoulder, and from where he's walking out in the mall proper, rather than in a store, he doesn't immediately see Jen or Felicia either. He pauses for a moment, though, head tilting slightly, tail giving just a slight twitch as he catches familiar scents, examines them, and places their origin. Hrm. He's not sure he wants to see anyone like this, or rather, be seen like this. Well, by someone he knows, that is, because it's a wee bit late to not be seen at all. He stays standing, feeling unusually indecisive, and winds up being bumped into by a young couple talking to each other rather than watching, not expecting a feline Fabio to be in their way. "Oh, sorry," he murmurs to them, stepping to the side to get out of the flow of traffic as they stare at him.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "As long as it's not that hideous blue or have the big dumb '4' on it, I bet you'd pull any thing off." Felicia says, complimenting her friend with a big smile as she pulls the phone back down and looks closer at the picture, but frowning at it. No she's not going to upload that picture even though she and Jen look GREAT in it. No, the thing that has her attention is, "Does Greer have a brother, or cousins, or are there more people that look like her?"

    Felicia turns her head to look out of the store and points over the racks of clothes, but somehow in the middle of the mall is a man who looks a lot like Tigra. "We should hook them up. They'd be so cute!" Felicia tells Jen. "Come on." She urges, tossing the sun dress onto the nearest surface as she tries to drag Jen by the arm out to find this Tiger Man. Her head turning to the shop owner, "We'll be right back to pay for her dress. Promise but it's an emergency."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Hey!" Jennifer says, putting her hands on her hips. "Wearing that four was a badge of honor! I'd proudly wear that again!" Quieter, she mumbles, "even if it /was/ the wrong color for me."

    When Felicia points out the Greer-looking man, she scowls. "He /does/ look an awful like Greer. Like if she had a twin brother. She never told me she had one, if she did, and besides, I doubt that there are /two/ of what made Greer Tigra." She scowls. "I sense shenanigans."

    Still wearing the dress from the shop, she lets herself be dragged away and shouts at the clerk, "You know who I am! If I don't make it back bill my law firm!" When they finally catch up to Greer she offers a friendly grin. "Hi," she says. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Greer, would you?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Since nobody appears to have noticed the very abnormal little head, no harm done. But how many times does Andi have to remind Mania about that in public? They /are/ still trying to keep /some/ secrets! At least, one of them is!

"I didn't think that would make me feel anything, but damn," she mutters at the sight of the, dare she admit it, hunky-looking tiger man. It's true - Tigra is fairly well-known in the hero community, especially through the game show she's hosted. Tigra, however, is distinctly female compared to this guy.

From her vantage point, she gets a clear view of Felicia and Jen piling out of a nearby store to go introduce themselves. A step closer was taken, then paused. Felicia gets a longer look, but the very green Jen does as well. For the moment, Andi becomes one of quite a few beginning to stare. She rubs the side of her face with one hand, thinking. Should just go on about her business. That would be sensible.

<<Mania>> He is a handsome kitty, Andi.
<<Andi>> Do you ever stop thinking about cats?
<<Mania>> ...maybe when we are thinking about chocolate. We should get some!

There is a visible sagging of the shoulders, eyes shutting with one of those 'so help me' expressions passing over.

Greer Grant has posed:
    Well, the decision's been taken from him, and it's probably for the best. It would happen sooner or later, after all, and this way, at least first meetings are over with. He sighs softly and turns towards Jennifer as she and Felicia approach, running a hand through his hair in a bit of a fidget. The resemblance to Greer is very noticeable. Similar facial structure, though with features a bit more square than before. He certainly is handsome, and there's also something about him that could be said to be pretty.
    "Know her? She's me," Greer says when being asked if he's related to her, shoehorning in the Obi-Wan quote. "Hey Jen, Felicia. Fancy meeting you two here," he says, pretending to act as if nothing's amiss. He rests a hand on a hip and shifts his weight to that side self-consciously, a a pose that show off a feminine hip nicely, but on him is, well, less manly than his appearance. His tail continues in motion and he glances over in time to see Andi's expression turn somewhat displeased. Hopefully not someone disapproving of the non-human, he thinks.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia pauses, balks, and outright stops in motion, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor. "G-Greer?" She asks in a whisper as she recovers her motor functions slightly and reaches a hand out to try and brush against Greer's face. Curious as the creatures she's modeled her alter ego on.

    A glance to Jen, and then back to Greer. "Fancy indeed." The thief agrees, and suddenly wishes she had made better friends with Greer, the man is ... incredibly attractive in both masculine and feminine traits and Felicia needs to clear her throat and give Jen time to speak. Her green eyes follow Tigra's to Andi and squints softly, but she doesn't approach or call out, worried the young woman who seems a BIT familiar might be judging Tigra negatively, as often happens in this city. "You should come shopping with us, we don't mind helping out in the men's area too, right Jen? It'll be fun!"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Blink. Blinkblink. "Greer?" she echoes Felicia. "You're.... you're /handsome/!" She winces a little bit and flushes as she tries to backtrack, "I mean. A man. A handsome man." She nudges Felicia and whispers, "I /knew/ shenanigans were afoot."

    "What the heck happened to you? I mean you're all..." she waves a hand up and down at the man, "/covered./" She nods her head in agreement with Felicia, "Right. we need to get you into some speedos. You just don't look right all covered up like that."

Andi Benton has posed:
Yep, the three over there definitely know each other. That much is clear, and there's surprise on display.

For a moment, Andi tracks the motion of Greer's tail. More like Mania is, but that difference isn't clear right now. When they pick up on her staring she pauses and moves that hand into a brief wave, adjusted into shifting some of her purple hair around.

"We weren't staring!" She calls over, forgetting for a moment about how she just referred to herself. That's certainly odd, though perhaps secondary to the scene ahead of her. "Just shopping!" The bag is held up, and even sensitive noses can pick out some of the contents, the materials.

Greer Grant has posed:
They're taking things rather well. Perhaps too well, though Greer knows he's good looking like this. It's easy to be objective about one's reflection when one is used to looking out with different eyes. An eyebrow goes up slightly as Felicia reaches out to his face, but he doesn't pull away from it. "Uhm, yeah, handsome man," he murmurs, his voice his definitely deeper than before but not extremely so. "And I wouldn't want to get in the way," he adds, on being invited to join them. A slight, amused chuckle at being 'covered,' and then a sound that's a mix of a snort and a choke at talk of speedos. "It's been a long time since I had modesty issues. Kinda forgot what they were like."
    For someone who knows cats, Tigra's tail speaks to mild tension at first, and then being more comfortable as he talks with the other two women. The two women. He returns Andi's wave with a polite one, and the eyebrow goes back up at the 'we.' "More royalty?" he murmurs.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    He didn't pull back so she doesn't either and gives Greer's cheek a soft brush and an almost petting motion, the fur soft and regal almost. "You're softer than I expected." Felicia says, forgetting where she is for a moment before a green elbow finds her side and she yelps.

    Rubbing at her rib and frowning back to Jen and taking a deep breath, "You did." And without a thought, Felicia pulls out a twenty dollar bill, as if it was a long standing bet and puts it in Jen's hand.

    Felicia turns back to Greer, "About that modesty, yeah, you don't look comfortable, but you're not used to your skin, as they say, but you can certainly join us, and we'll help get you back to your old bikini wearing self." Felicia grins wildly, and sending a wave to Andi like the others do. "Y'all have any idea who she is?" Felicia whispers.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen smoothly takes the twenty and deposits it in her purse. "So what happened?" she asks Greer. "And how do we get you back to yourself? I mean... unless this is what you want? No judgement! I just want to be supportive in any way I can."

    When her attention is directed to the goth girl she shakes her head. "Not really. We /do/ kind of stand out however. Maybe she wants a selfie?" She shoots Andi a grin and waves her over. "Hey, kid! C'mon over!"

Andi Benton has posed:
If they only knew. The problem is, just going Mania in the middle of the whole mall might be a bad way to keep things calm. No telling how reactions might go with that, whether from the trio there or any bystanders.

And yet, Mania is /extremely/ curious about this. Shifting the pair of bags along one arm, she approaches casually, trying to give off an attitude of general disinterest. Those goth punks anyway, right?

"I just want to say you all look..good." Can't be just calling them cool. Nope. "Didn't expect to see something like this today, but we're..I mean, I'm familiar with supers. And..royalty? No..?" This causes her to appear confused.

Greer Grant has posed:
    "Thank you" Greer says at being said he's soft. It's interesting, this attention from the two of them. "Yeah, not exactly comfortable in my skin right now," he says wryly, glancing down at himself, and his broad but flat chest. "Dunno if I'll get used to that," he says absently before looking up and seeing the money change hands. "Do I want to know?" he asks, tail giving a brisk flick to underline the question. "And no clue," he whispers quietly when Felicia asks about Andi.
    "The short version is a sorceress in the Greek underworld did this as way of showing off. And no, not my choice, though I appreciate the non-judgmental. Ness," she grins. "Supporting, like a speedo?" A tease, and then a bit of a thoughtful look as he actually considers that before Andi joins them. "I certainly appreciate being said I look good, when I'm in the company of these two," he says with a nod towards the lovely Felicia and She-Hulk. "Hm? Oh, royalty. You said 'we' weren't staring. Was wondering if it was like a royal we."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "Of course you want to know." Felicia begins filling Greer in on the cause of the financial gains of the She-Hulk. "She said that she had sensed shenanigans. And apparently it was more than shenanigans that brought you here all, sculpted and chisled." Felicia says, gestureing towards Greer's new bod. "Ooh! Yeah, speedo would TOTALLY be your style, but we're not gonna rush you." Felicia smirks and giggles even.

    "Now I'm wondering what she and myself would look like as dudes." Felicia says, looking over to Greer, then Jennifer and a single eyebrow goes up when glancing at the green woman, "Guess we don't really have to guess for you do we?" She teases and then leans to spy Andi on her approach. "Thanks! But it is New York, you aught to expect to see SOMETHING out of the ordinary every day by now, no?" Felicia asks, looking to Greer and Jennifer for confirmation on her statement. A bit needy still the blonde one is, but she's still coming out of her mental injury shell.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Sorceress? Hrm," Jen says thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "We should hunt down Strange and see what he says about reverting you back." She shakes her head, "I'm no good with this magic stuff, but they're all over the place in New York. She pats Greer's shoulder sympathetically. "Well get you all sorted out."

    Felicia gets an exasperated roll of the eyes. "Will you /please/ stop flirting with Greer. I get a sense that things are awkward enough with him that you constantly reminding him how /handsome/ he is might be getting to be more awkward."

    "Thank you," she says to Andi. "We /do/ make an amazing looking bunch. You'd fit right in."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton squints at talk of magic, the Greek underworld, and gender changing. All things considered, that's a bit outside the norm. "Uh, yeah. Anything magical, don't look at me." Both hands go up, and the sound of a tongue piercing is briefly heard, clicking against a few teeth. She certainly has her share of piercings in more than just the earlobes.

"Oh, you caught that," she says of the 'we' part. "It's..a little complicated, but you don't have anything to worry about. /I/ think you all look just fine. And I've seen some shit. Trust me on that. I'm Andi."

Clearing her throat, she adds, "And your colors look..nice, yeah. A little bright for me, but you rock it. All of you do." There is definitely an awkward aloofness thing going on, balanced against trying to be sociable.

Greer Grant has posed:
    "Ahh, that would do it. Glad my...sculpted and chiseled self served to make you some cash, Jen," Tigra says with a quick grin. A glance at Jen at talk of her being a him. Felicia has a point there, but who knows, might manifest differently. A look at Felicia now, imagining her as a Felix. "Frankly, I think I like both of you the way you are right now better than you'd be, well, on this side of the street." A nod to Jen. "I appreciate knowing you guys have my back. I'm optimistic this can be sorted out, one way or another." Another grin, this one rather crooked. "I dunno. This sort of flirting is...interesting."
    Attention shifts to Andi. "I'm Greer, and thank you. You've got some good coloring going on there yourself. And I have to wonder," he says, looking back to the cat-thief, "if everything is out of the ordinary, at what point does -that- become ordinary?" A beat. "That's too deep for me right now, actually."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "Sorry, sorry." Felicia says, turning her head sheepishly, "You're right." She notes in a mousy tone. "Sorry Greer." Felicia say, recollecting herself and her mood first.

    Turning back to Jen, Felicia twists her tongue in her mouth and purses her lips in a show of 'Thank you.' without saying it, but there's that cat like hint from Greer, and Felicia's mind is spinning and turning. Feeling things she hasn't felt since her break up.

    But as Andi approaches, the conversation switches to her fully and that mousy part remains in Felicia's tone. "Thanks, it's kind of nice not being the one that stands out in the crowd now and then." The thief says, chuckling inwardly at her own attempt at humor and then with a pair of duck lips towards Greer, "Certainly too deep for me. And I'm tired of looking like a bum. Come on you two." Felicia says, hand back out and grabbing Jen by the wrist again to take her back into the store. "CLOTHES AWAIT!"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen chuckles at Andi. "Believe me. I know complicated. You should try having a work/life balance when part of that work... or life, depending on how you see it... is punching bad guys. I'm Jen, by the way. She-Hulk. A pleasure to meet you."

    She shrugs at both Greer and Felicia. "It's kinda already become ordinary. When you're a Hulk you've got to accept that these things are going to happen to you no matter way and just kind of..." She makes a wave motion with her hand, "go with the flow. It's very zen."

    Then she's being tugged by Felicia, so she in turn grabs Greer to drag him along with them. "Yes! Clothes! I've got to get back to the dressing room and actually /pay/ for this dress."

Andi Benton has posed:
"I'm friends with Spider-Man," Andi inserts like it's just a sort of casual thing. For all they may know, she could just be someone who he said hello to once, and now she thinks that means there's a connection.

She adds, "The more you see things that aren't normal, the more they become normal. And I..ahh, yeah." She stops herself while looking at Greer again, briefly setting her jaw at something.

<<Andi>> You stay where you are! Not in front of everyone!
<<Mania>> But we want to ask him if he would--
<<Andi>> Do /not/ cause a scene here!

A faint sound, almost like a cross between a purr or a chrr and a rumble surfaces for a moment, but Andi passes it off by clearing her throat before motioning to the shop they're already headed back toward. "Sorry. Stomach's growling." Blatant lie. "Could do some more, uh, shopping. Yeah. You like the darker colors..Greer?"

Greer Grant has posed:
    Greer can relate to complicated, and that was even before it was easier to look at his feet, though that is rather an outlier. A look at Andi when she mentions Spidey. "He's a good guy," she mentions, then acks slightly as he gets tugged on by Jen. He actually stumbles, just a step, but for the feline that's unheard of. He recovers almost instantly, though, then looks back to Andi dubiously at talk of her stomach. "I like lots of colors," he mentions, following in Jennifer's wake. "some combinations work better than others, of course but there's no color that's bad on its own." He gets himself oriented towards the store in time to surprise himself by appreciating Jen and Felicia's hips.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia's feet nearly dig into the ground as she pauses herself, but no- that's her past. That's when she was a thief and living life for herself. Not that she isn't now, but she doesn't live ONLY for herself. She's bettering herself, she's being a better person in general. She still has a flash of that stupid kid in that stupid suit and her heart flutters briefly. She clenches her fingers briefly tightly around Jen's wrist and needs to feel that there's another person there with her, even if Jen's not there *for* Felicia, she's there WITH Felicia.

    She's *not* alone.

    "You tell the webhead he has a major wedgie next time you see him." Felicia notes and then continues back into the store with a whisper to Greer and Jen. "S-sorry about that." She stammers, and frowns at herself and her sudden vulnerability.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer's eyebrows raise at the mention of Spider-Man. "Oh? Well, if you're good enough for Spider-Man, then you're good enough for me. He's a good egg, despite what the Daily Bugle will have you believe. I've met the man. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

    "Though," she says to Greer, "Some colors look better on some people than others. But you're right. None of them are inherently bad." She makes a face. "Well, except neon colors. There's a reason they haven't had a resurgence since the 80s."

    Jen gives Felicia a concerned look, and slips her wrist free to catch her hand, and giving it a squeeze. "Don't worry about it," she tells her. "I know you've got history."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton raises a brow at Felicia's reaction. There /is/ something tugging at the back of her head about the woman, but it isn't immediately coming to the fore. "Well, he's..helped us before, and helped my dad, but..haha. Maybe we'll give him that wedgie ourselves." She slips back into that way of referring to herself again without catching it, distracted by how Felicia is handling it along with Jen's response as well along with her support.

It ends up with her closer to Greer based on how the file into the shop, and by the time they're getting closer to where Felicia and Jen had been, a few fingers pass about where the tail does, a brief bit of contact made, to slide along unless it waves its way free in time.

Greer Grant has posed:
    A quick squeeze of Felicia's shoulder from Greer as she picks up the emotions from her. A snort-chuckle at talk of wedgies, and another quick squeeze at the apology. His tail is in motion, but doesn't deliberately pull away from being touched. The tail's owner doesn't seem to react to it, though he does look over at the pronounce usage. "We?" he asks. "Going to get your dad to help you with the wedgieing? Is that the right verb?" he asks absently.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    Felicia's quick to respond to the positive feedback from both Jen and Greer, a mouthed thank you is directed at the two proper avengers, while the newbie leads the foursome back to where Jen was picking out dresses minutes ago.

    Once in a more stationary location, with a bit less of a crowd around, Felicia's mind puts the pieces together fairly easily, "We, dad, spider... You're a symbiote aren't you? Look, we're not looking for trouble, and I don't think you are either, are you?" Felicia asks, but not really asks, she's playing nice, hoping Andi will continue to play nice.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen can't help but notice Andi reaching out and touching Greer's tail. How many times has she done that herself? Enough that she's lost count. "She- He's pretty fuzzy," she says. "There are no hugs quite like fuzzy hugs. If you get to know him better, he might give you one."

    "Symbiote?" Jen asks, tilting her head. "What kind of symbiote are we talking about here?" She eyes Andi warily, "Should I be worried?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton flashes Greer a brief smile, one that doesn't look too forced. Is it enough for Mania? Time will tell, perhaps sooner rather than later. "We had a cat when I was a kid," she says, before grimacing again at Greer's question about her father. "What? No! We..that wasn't what.."

It's Felicia who gets more to the point, whether by luck or something else. "Dad's not a--" Mania chooses this moment to more or less materialize over Andi's shoulder again, that alien visage on a trail of tendrils that shapes into a pair of solid white eyes and a mouth with toonish teeth. "You are talking about our sire? That is different from what Andi is saying. The Spider helped save us from the Octopus doctor. That is where we became one."

It nudges up against Andi's cheek, a sort of nuzzle, and she just stands there looking a little more pale than usual. "Uh. I guess the cat's out of the bag." She rubs her face as the visage of Mania looks smug and content. The young woman adds, "We've been bonded a couple years now. If you've heard anything about Mania..that's us."

The symbiote looks proud of this, adding, "We are Mania!" in its more alien voice. "And you are a pretty kitty," it adds to Greer. "And you are very green," follows to Jen. "And you are much larger than Andi," finishes to Felicia.

"Oh, God," Andi rubs her temples.

Greer Grant has posed:
    Greer absently looks over the dresses as they pass along, starts to pick one out for a closer look and then glances down at the hand doing the picking up and moves on. "I just might at that," he says about fuzzy hugs, flashing a quick grin at Jen. Haven't hugged anyone like this yet, so he should rectify that sometime. His attention shifts to Felicia as she puts the pieces together, and then looks to Andi for her reaction to the question. "Well, huh," she says seeing the creature. "Hello Mania, and you're right, I am very pretty, and my friends are quite green and...large," he says with a half grin, half smirk as he looks at Felicia.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "No, we don't need to worry. She seems in control of herself and nice enough as it is." Felicia says looking from Jen to Andi and then, down at her shirt and frowns, "Thanks for the adjective." She says, crossing her arms *over* her chest and frowning away as she starts to turn away but spies Greer admiring her this time.

    A sublte hit of blush washes across Felicia's features, but she does lower her arms again and puts her hands on her hips. "As long as you behave and help pick out Jen and Greer here some outfits, this trip is on me, and I'll let you get yourself something nice too." Felicia says, sharing her wallet with the group today.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Oh!" Jen looks surprised when Mania pops up. "Well, hello, Mania. I am very green, indeed." She seems proud of that fact. "So you were a victim of Octavius? He's a nasty piece of work at that."

    Greer gets a chuckle. "Don't worry. When we get you back to normal, we'll do a celebratory clothes shopping, and then I'll take you to a lady I know for a mani-pedi. She's got adamantium files for my nails, and she knows how to work with claws."

    She shakes her head at Felicia. "If you got 'em, flaunt 'em. When I'm plain old Jennifer Walters I'm not this big. Or this sexy. I find it empowering to turn heads like that."

Andi Benton has posed:
For a number of seconds, Andi doesn't know whether or not this revelation will lead to trouble. Not everyone knows about symbiotes, but for those who do? Opinions can vary depending on experiences. "We are safe now," Mania tells Jen. "Andi is our good friend. We have purpose."

For her part, Andi lets Mania get the words out. Clearly, nothing she said internally helped keep them from seeing this. So, she digs into a pocket for her phone, pulling up the social media account set up for Mania. "That's..us," she explains. "Better to show you a picture than go all the way in here. Now will you get?" She makes a shooing motion toward the disembodied head, and it gives them all a grin before disappearing again. Where it went? Just..inside. Away.

Crossing her arms after setting the bags she's already got down, she clears her throat. "I'm trying not to just let the whole world know..you understand? It's been like two years and I still don't know how to tell my father." Shooting Felicia a quick look, she adds, "And I mean /my/ dad. Mania says what it's thinking, too. So..sorry if any of that was inappropriate. Let's, uh, help with all this." A hand indicates the clothing. "And Mania would love some chocolate later. I guess I could get something else, too."

That's right. This is normal. Completely normal.

Greer Grant has posed:
A lifted eyebrow at Felicia's blush and lowering of her hands. "Thought you two were set on my having speedos," Greer says at talk of outfits. Jen's suggestion gets an pleased flick of Tigra's tail. "Oh that does sound marvelous to me," he murmurs. "Something to look forward to." He looks from Jen to Felicia and back again. "I obviously never had a problem 'flaunting' it before. It's a little more interesting from here though, I have to admit."
    He nods to Mania. "A purpose is important to have, something to be treasured for those who find one." He looks over the social media account curiously, and then grins again. "Anyone or anything that likes chocolate can't be -all- bad."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "Oh, I certainly want to see you in a speedo, but what I want and what you need don't have to line up." Felicia says, cocking her hip out to the side before she turns a deeper shade of red, from her face down her neck and even her chest blushes, but it doesn't seem to stop her from flirting as much as Jen did moments ago. She's a bold one, the thief, and with abandon and a coy smile, the thief leans forwards closer to Greer and up on her tippy toes as she sends her arms out but under his and presses herself into him. "Glad you're back." She whispers against his ear.

    Letting go after the hug and carefully NOT making eye contact with Jen, Felicia smiles as she leans in towards Mania's phone. "Oh, you do good works. Keep it up, and please, only chocolate. I know about the other part." She says with a tap of her nose to the smaller woman. "But sure, we'll get you chocolate and some clothes. Now!" She says turning to face Jen finally, "You like that dress, or not feeling it?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Of course," Jen says. "Secret identities and all that. I won't say a thing." She peers over and checks out Mania's website and she snaps her fingers. "Venom! I guess that explains him." She gives the troupe a nod. "Going to the chocolatier sounds like a good plan after we've loaded up on clothes."

    "Pecs and abs," she tells Felicia. "That's what men flaunt, unless they're wearing /really/ tight pants." She gives him a sly wink. "You've got pecs and abs for days, so there wouldn't be any complaints if you show them off. I mean, look at Hercules. He's shameless about it."

    "Now that's not fair! I haven't hugged her- him yet!" She goes up to him and gives her a big ole Hulk Hug. "Yup. Fuzzy hugs are still the best."

    "I'll take the dress," she says. "I should go and get my regular clothes on." With that she disappears in to the changing room. It takes her a few minutes to get her normal clothes on. When she comes out she's wearing white shorts and a purple crop-top that leaves *nothing* to the imagination. Talk about being shameless.

Andi Benton has posed:
"He isn't our..well, I mean, we don't really have a connection to him," Andi says of Venom. "Except for that whole thing," she clarifies, gesturing at the general look. Mania's, from the photo or two they see, is much more in line with Andi's proportions, not bulky at all. Rather, nimble and fast-looking.

She's quick to add, "We try to help others like we were helped." So, that would put her on the general 'good guy' side. At least, there have been no reports of anyone fitting Mania's description leaving mutilated bodies behind.

A snap of the fingers at Greer, and she explains, "Chocolate helps, uh, keep some other urges down. It tastes good, and it doesn't make me put on any weight either. That's a win." She's opening up a little more now that they're all apparently in acceptance of the situation. "I can't imagine what it's like to suddenly be a guy, though."

The hugging gets her watching again, a fidget of sorts caused by her other half, but she occupies herself instead by sifting through a few garments. Much of it here looks pretty tame, normal. While this is happening, Jen changes and by the time she returns, Andi (and Mania) can't decide which of the three to look at the most. Just a low whistle follows.

Greer Grant has posed:
    Greer laughs lightly at Felicia's come back, and tilts his head down for the whisper, even as he gives the woman one of those aforementioned fuzzy hugs with a brief purr. "I have to admit, I am kind of...excited at the thought of being able to go around topless," he says to Jen at talk of his pecs and abs. And then it's time for a gamma hug, which he returns firmly, tail sweeping about merrily. He steps back for Jen to go change into her 'regular' clothes. "My, oh, my," he murmurs. "It's hard to put in words," he says to Andi, about being a guy. "I can say this, though. It's somewhat confusing, and surprising. And...educational."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
    "God I have so many questions about that but, public isn't the place to ask." Felicia notes as she watches Jen return and frowns deeply, "You have T and A and P and A." Felicia says, reaching a hand out to rake her fingers across Jen's abs. "I could grind meat on those. Good lord." She murmurs and then smirks with a wink to the green friend.

    "Anyways, you got a nice dress, not purple!" Felicia says, as if it was something they had agreed upon earlier, in jest or not, Felicia gives a stern look. "My clothes will be ready next week." Felicia says, as if checking off a checklist in her mind, then she turns to Andi and then Greer, "Okay, your turns." Felicia says, hands back on hips, "Who's first?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen nods in understanding to Andi. "Say no more. We'll hit the chocolatier after the shopping trip to give Mania a little treat." She, then, chuckles, "I only put on weight when I'm Jennifer Walters, and when I'm a lazy butt and don't work out. Fortunately, the Amazons keep me busy in that department."

    She grins at Greer and cocks her hip out, resting a hand on it and leans forward a little bit to flaunt her stuff. Totally shameless, indeed. "I bet it is," she says to her. "There are times when I've idly wondered what it would be like, like just for a day. But I have too much fun being a woman to really stay that way, you know?"

    Jen laughs when Felicia rubs her abs. "You should see my biceps," she says, demonstrating exactly why.