18392/Hanging from the Heights

Hanging from the Heights
Date of Scene:	22 June 2024
Location:	Harlem
Synopsis:	Spider-Man, Mary Jane, and Squirrel Girl hang out.
Cast of Characters:	Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker, Doreen Green

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Mary Jane Watson has posed:
It's lunchtime. Mary Jane has coordinated ahead of time, and is setup over waiting for her friend. The redhea'ds just bought some things from food vendors along the way, and is getting them setup. Slung over her shoulder is a small bag, which as she goes to sit over the roof wtih her legs hanging over the side, she moves to slip off over to drop and settle down. She's kicking her legs back and forth and fairly relaxed, enjoying a clear day. It's very hot and humid, and she's using one of her phones with a small fan plugged into it to keep a nice breeze going. It's a day when everything is calm, and just due to the way life works it probably won't last very long. It's just one of those unofficial rules. Whether it will be Stilt Man, some guy on a rocket powered pogo stick, or a brawl over the proper use of semicolons and how ellipses rae overused in modern communications by a cotre of grammar themed bad guys. You just have to take those moments and enjoy them while they last.

Peter Parker has posed:
It has been an... interesting couple of weeks.

Between the fight with Kraven and his stay at a SHIELD medical safehouse. To a variety of personal issues. And of course the latest -- and perhaps greatest -- assignment from the Bugle. To put it mildly Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man has had a heck of a time of it.

Not the least of it is the fact that since being poisoned by Kraven, since having whatever mystical influence those pounding tribal drums asseted on him at the Central Park Zoo, he just hasn't quite been himself. A little slower, a little more sluggish then he's used to.

But it's his malfunctioning Spider-Sense that really has him on edge, especially after he was nearly shot in the face, that customary tiggle in the back of his skull only kicking in when the bullet was already past. Had that low level hood before just a slightly better shot, Spidey wouldn't be swinging through Harlem on this particular day, weblines flowing out, one after another as he lets himself get lost in the simple joy of that motion.

And to try and forget his troubles. While he still can.

Each swing takes him on a high arc, carrying him high into the sky, above the rooftops of the nearby buildings before he dives back down, unleashing another sticky strand. Until he finally spots her, just up ahead, giving that next swing just enough of a twist that his momentum carries him smoothly over the edge of the roof, landing in a crouch.

"Does my nose deceive me or do I smell the intoxicating scent of free food?" he asks, voice chipper, the unseen grin beneath that mask nonetheless reflected in those words.

Doreen Green has posed:
There's not many kinds of people who actually popular the rooftops of the city. Typically it's heroes, the villains they fight, or the occasional parkour freerunner that really wants to push their luck this far up from the pavent. Fortunately, as accurate as MJ's concern of eventuality is, it is not yet that moment of interruption as across the rooftops and power lines is just your friendly neighborhood Squirrel Girl!... Not that Doreen would ever refer to herself in that manner, that would be potential infringment, and she's already got 'Unstoppable' and 'Unbeatable' earmarked.

She drops onto the roof and as she sprinting along notices the two gathering, one in the familiar colored web-patterned outfit. She raises a gloved hand to wave in their direction. "Hi Spider-Man! Hi--ACK!" Doreen is cut off by having to drop back into a slide to avoid getting clotheslined by a low standing aerial antenna.

She springs to her feet afterwards. "I'm okay, I'm okay!" Squints at the aerial. "Wow, guess someone really wants to stick it to the cable costs."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson isn't quite fully caught up in the loop of Peter post Dinosauria. All she knows is that Jameson did something that was for once something possibly awesome that Peter might have actually enjoyed happening. She's well behind on her gossip. "Hey there, got your favorite." She would wave a hand over at Peter as he would sling on by.

"How you holding up with things?" she would offer to her best friend, moving to offer him over a rather large hoagie and salted pretzel that would probably drive most people to have a heart attack. MJ looks fairly relaxed as she would take a bite o fher own sandwich, the type that you might have to distend your jaw to take a bite out of.

"Everything's been.. Fairly routine on this end." Secret terrorist organizations determined to rule the world, aliens, monsters.. Just the normal facts of life.

"Figured I had a bit so we could just hang out." They don't get to do that as often as they used to. College and life both move on constantly.

then as Squirrel girl comes up to join them, Mary Jane goes to laugh, "Hey there." She would wave to the protector of Central Park. "I'm MJ." The two might not have met at length before or had the chance to talk face to face without the normal weirdness that came from the city. "We're just having some lunch up here, feel free to join us. Nothing up."

Peter Parker has posed:
Given the warmer, longer summer days the fact there might be a few more people populating the rooftops of New York City isn't really a surprise. While most people might be happy to seek a little shelter from the oppressive humidity, others are far too big of worshippers of the sun to be put off by a little oppressive heat.

But it does indeed seem that one can still count on running into a few familair faces when taking to the rooftop. In truth, that's a reassuring for Spider-Man. These days he could use a few familiar faces about.

Rolling up the bottom half of that mask to reveal that grinning visage, Pete actually looks far more comfortable then he should. No doubt thanks to the high-tech gadget giving over to him by the interstellar archaeologist lady. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and all it takes is a little clip on his belt. Hardly enough to disturb the line of his costume.

Thank you technology.

"It's been... interesting. Some good, some bad. Some same old, same old. I'm sure you know the drill," he says drily, straightening from that crouch, starting over to where she has laid out the food. Part of that same old, same old would appear to be his appetite. THat hasn't changed. "You rock MJ. Seriously," he pronounces with mock gravity.

Though before he can look to claim a bite to eat, that familiar figure appears on that nearby rooftop, that grin on Spidey's face growing just a little. "Well if it isn't my favorite bgiht-eyed, bushy-tailed hero!" he calls back, giving a little wave, motioning her to join.

"If you've got a few you should come join us."

Doreen Green has posed:
"Hey, any friend of the Spider-Man... especially when they've got food!" Doreen replies as she ambles over. Not face-to-face is a good way to sum it up, it's hard to miss the people that are regularly around the webslinger, and fortunately they're not all bad guys.

"Yeah, routine is a good way of putting it. There's always stuff going on, but nothing has crossed over into disaster territory." She sits herself down crosslegged, tail curling off to the side to keep out of the way. Tippy-Toe briefly peaks her head out, sees it's just friends that Doreen has stopped for, and curls back up in the fluff with a little yawn. "Patrol's been quiet so I was practicing some parkour as I went." She makes little curled finger motions with her hands. "Squirrel-like agility is more than just climbing."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would laugh, "Sorry I don't have anything for you, but please do join us." She would gesture over at Doreen and sit back. "Just enjoy the view while we have a bit. I figure we might even have an hour before someone robs a bank or an armored car. Maybe even long enough to finish lunch." She's used to the pace of the world and how it all goes. Glancing over at Doreen. "Good to have you wtih us. Hopefully nothing really chaotic going on." Her last -thing- with Kraven and the woman that used some kind of magic around the area still has her on edge.

"I also come bearing some other things. Saw some things over at a flea market that totally make me think of you. They might be a bit big to take back with you though so you might have to stash 'em." She gestures over to the large sack she had with her that she had dropped to the side of her. "You don't have to worry that much really with them. I think they could be smashed by a bulldozer and not notice it." She would quip over and rest her hands together on her lap.

Presuming that Peter does in fact check said duffel bag, in it is a hideously bulky camera that looks like it came from the nineteen sixties or seventies and could be thrown into an explosion and survive, just some few chips along it and the lens. The other thing is a very, very ancient looking microscope that probably used to be in some high school lab class that a camera phone can probably get a better quality zoom in with.

Peter Parker has posed:
"Ugh. Don't even joke about trouble. It is far too hot for the petty criminals to be out and about if they have an ounce of sense in their heads," Spidey complains wryly. Though that doesn't necessarily hold, all things considered. If they had any sense in the first place they probably wouldn't have become criminals at all. It doesn't generally insure a long and happy future.

He is almost getting to the point that Pete is pretty sure that he can identify some of the individual squirrels that travel with Doreen and he wiggles a gloved finger at Tippy-Toe, turning that grin over towards them. "You picked a heck of a day for it. Though I guess at least it isn't raining, so it has that going on for you!" he agrees, sinking down onto the rooftop ledge, facing inward for the moment though legs will almost surely be dangling over the side before long. "I didn't see much on my way uptown either. I'm like, ninety-six percent sure that all the baddies are hiding inside where the air conditioning is," he asserts confidently.

Then he is retrieving that duffle bag, peeking into it curiously before he lets out an actual laugh, shaking his head. "Wow. I can't believe you actually found these," he says wryly, pulling out the camera first, and then the microscope, turning each over and giving them a thorough once over before carefully setting them back into the bag. "Thanks, seriously. These are classics. They don't make them like this anymore," he says ruefully.

Doreen Green has posed:
"Oh, that's fine! I have snacks, not gonna pass up a chance to hang out while none of us are running off to save the day or whatever." Doreen retrieves a ziplock of trail mix from a pouch. Utility belts are good for more than crime fighting gadgets! She opens it, scooping a handful out and stuffing it in her mouth while watching Spidey investigate the duffel. Chewing thoughtfully before she comments "Flea market? Those look like they belong in a museum. And I don't mean that as an insult! Old tech is neat to see... Just kinda glad to not have to -use- it."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would smile over, "Yeah, I'd joke about it but I"m pretty sure since it's inevitable I'm not tempting it. I mean, we have it down to virtually a timetable so we're not calling it down on ourselves. That happens if we think everything is okay or it's quiet and nothing's up." She would quip. That was just the way it is.

"And hot, muggy.. But at least it's not Florida. Down there we'd probably be melting over." Said the girl who'd at least partially gorwn up there - even if for not very long. But MJ didn't exactly talk about things a lot. "And we're at the point where we're going to have some ice themed bad guy ending up having every bank he robs just asking him to stay in awhile to help cool everyone off the streets? I'm pretty sure there's definitely a job in that."

She would smile, "Just saw 'em at a flea market and thought of you. They were like five bucks each and I figured you would enjoy them. I mean, even /you/ would have to try to break them and you might have a hard time." She would glance over at.. Tippy Toe? "So who are your friends?" She would smile to Doreen.

Peter Parker has posed:
From flea markets to dumpster diving, Pete has done more then his fair share of searching for tech -- both new and old -- that is still usable. Or at least might still have parts that can be used in other examples of the breed. Though he's be unlikely to cannibalize these, especially given the fact that MJ found them for him. "They're definitely pretty nifty," he agrees as he carefully packs them away again. "Though I won't lie, I'm not exactly going to complain about modern tech. The microscopes that I sometimes get to use..." he says before shaking his head. "And I really can't see spending all that time in a dark room when you can just print photos off."

They might not have their flying cars and houses on the moon yet, but technology hasn't been a complete dead end. "Thanks again. I really appreciate it!"

"And I don't mind sharing some of mine. It's the least I can do, given the number of times you've popped up to lend a helping hand," Spidey says with a smile towards Doreen before planting hands at his side and leaning back slowly, out over that long drop to the sidewalk below. It's a little less risky for him, admittedly, given that he can just stick to the ledge.

"You're right, you're right. I won't tempt fate. No mention of things being quiet or how good things are going so far," he promises, though the corners of his mouth twitch slightly as he goes ahead and does just that anyway. Someone clearly hasn't learned his lesson when it comes to the ol' Parker luck!

Doreen Green has posed:
Doreen Green glances over her shoulder at the bit of pink bow still visible. "That's Tippy-Toe. She decided it was time for a midday nap." She talks about squirrels sleeping in her tail with the same casuality as someone talking about their cat napping in their lap. Then grins a big bucktoothed grin at Peter. "Just doing my part to help friends and the city, it's no big." She fishes some more trail mix out of the ziplock. "And I'm fine just having my break with some friends other than the squirrels."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would smile, "Glad you like them. Figured you'd get a kick out of them at least." That's the whole point of it for her. Finding something a friend would like and sharing it with them. It's nothing particularly exotic, but fun. And it's a joy. "And I think that modern tech is a bit better in most cases. I mean, I can barely imagine having to use a flip phone as a cell. Imagine life limited to a landline. Or an old modem." That she's probably only seen in Youtube videos given her age.

"And you're welcome. Have fun with them. And I'm reasonably sure the camera won't swallow the souls of anyone that it takes a picture of." Note the 'reasonably' and the fact they lived in a life where that was a possibility that had to be warned of.. And yes, now she just did her own share of tempting fate with that.

Giving a salute down to Tippy Toe, "Pleasure. Does one of them happen to be a MOose or is that another guy out there that you don't run with?" She would quip with the joke that Doreen probably got all the time.

Peter Parker has posed:
While that high-tech cooling unit might keep him more comfortable then might otherwise be the case on a day like this, the heat is still the heat and Pete reaches for a drink, taking a long drink from it before setting it down at this side. "You were definitely not wrong. At the very least I'll enjoy poking about them, seeing if I can get them to work before the corners of his mouth turn even further upward. "The next time I see a big ol' broadsword in a pile at a garage sale, or sitting abandonned atop some crate, consider it yours," he teases lightly.

Glancing back towards Doreen, he holds out the drink to offer her some too, flashing that easy smile towards the napping squirrel. "Hard to blame her really. Spend enough time out here and anyone would want to find some place shady to curl up and nap for a bit," he admits wryly, giving his head a litlte shake. "And I'm glad you happened to be passing by. So often whenever we all run into each other it's because something pretty awful is, or about to happen."

Which again, might not be something he should be pointing out.

Doreen Green has posed:
"Like I said," Doreen accepts the drink, mock toasting it lightly against Peter's own, "I am not objecting to get the chance to just chill together. They're too few and far between." Pause. "Or easily interrupted."

Pause again. But nothing comes up yet.

Doreen shrugs, pops drink open and takes a draw from it. "Yeah, she's got the right idea. Probably do the same myself when we eventually return home." Which could be soon or could be hours away depending on when something finally comes up.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would let out an exaggerated sigh over at Peter, "There you go. I already have one person sharing a body with me, so what's a second? Or will it be antoher zombie uprising?" She would quip, "But you normally don't see broadswords in flea markets. Though I suspect that given this city they're probably legal carries." She would deadpan. "And who would want to throw a poor blade away? To let it rust and wither and be chipped at." She would turn over to glance along the skyline.

"Yeah, really pretty. I hope the weather cools down but a nice breeze makes all the difference." She would let out a sigh and keep looking to appreciate the view, turning her head to glance in another direction.

Peter Parker has posed:
Digging up a sword might prove to be a tall order. at least a real one at any rate. Maybe he'll have to settle for something a little more conventional to express his thanks. He'll just have to see.

"Sounds like it's getting a little crowded up there. Maybe I'll see if I can find you something else fitting," Pete allows wryly, hmmming thoughtfully. "At least it should break a little bit when the rain rolls in. I can't believe I'm wishing for rain," Spidey says with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Sipping that drink slowly to draw it out, those oddly expressive eyelets of his twitch as he bows his head towards Doreen way. "You're not wrong," he agrees wryly. "It's remarkable just how often the city finds a distraction to throw at you."

Doreen Green has posed:
"Considering the world we live in I wouldn't put it past swords or anything things being found in a garage sale. Probably should just be glad we don't have supervillains trying to sell off their old contraptions that way." Doreen pauses. "... At least that we know of... Maybe I should take Greg rummaging to dismantle any awkward looking devices..." But that's a problem for another day.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
It's about this time that Mary Jane's watch beeps. "Guess that's my lunch break over. Gotta catch the subway. Thanks for hanging with me both of you. Nice to be able to relax with friends for awhile." Peter is given a quick hug, and Doreen is given a thumbs up as Mary Jane goes to head towards the fire escape to clamber on down it to start heading out.