18395/An Appetizing Discussion

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An Appetizing Discussion
Date of Scene: 22 June 2024
Location: Diner Rooftop, NYC
Synopsis: Cloak and Venom convene on a diner rooftop in the boroughs of New York City. They talk about their philosophical similarities and differences when it comes to the consumption of society's worst. Or not so worst.
Cast of Characters: Tyrone Johnson, Eddie Brock




Tyrone Johnson has posed:
The moon hangs high and full in the sky and for once New York's not too sweltering in the evening. Which would be why Ty sat on top of the diner his lover/partner/bestie worked at. He'd stopped a mugging earlier in the evening, which gave him some life-force to keep him going. By no means was it satisfying or full, but there was also one less asshole out there using violence to rob people of their valuables. Ty just hoped the mugger would have something on him worth pawning or spending. Cash was getting a little tighter than he would have liked. Tandy needed some new things, he could use some new threads, the money was just never there.

Sighing, he stared out into the night, intangible, the breeze blowing through his incorporeal body.

Eddie Brock has posed:
While a far cry from a common hunting ground, the diner's neighborhood had been catching more and more glimpses of the symbiote known as Venom. Though rarely witnessed in truth, his presence had been felt by an individual of four over the last few weeks. Of course the weak needed protection and that is precisely what the Lethal Protector was there to do. The fact that he'd leave a headless corpse here or there in some railyard or seedy warehouse is simply a part of the job in the grand scheme of things. Further, Venom had made agreement to have a professional discussion at some point with a rather peculiar individual and it seems that tonight is that night.

From the gloom that lingers over the rear edge of the diner's rooftop, the inky darkness of Venom begins to climb noiselessly over the ledge. No doubt the monstrosity had spotted the presence of the intangible figure lurking upon the rooftop from some distance away; which then turned his approach into a bit of fun and training, seeing just how close that he could approach without drawing notice to himself. Moving slowly accounts for a great deal. Being Venom counts for even more.

The pebble is tossed at the intangible and incorporeal figure, which will likely sail right around or threw him. That tossed pebble may very well be a test, but also a notice of his arrival. The hellish voice that sounds like the hiss of an open sewer growls out into the darkness, the low purr of amusement heard within the deepest reaches of the towering black and white symbiote's seemingly oily body, "We are here," he proclaims with enough pride to inform Cloak that he should be honored by such a presence.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty didn't react to the pebble or the announcement. Not right away. His hunting strat was to draw his victim in close, shove them through the portal into the Black, then close it behind them. Their life-force would evaporate away and sustain him for a time longer. "Lethal Protector. Welcome." he said finally, not turning to face Venom but making to clear with his body-language that he was welcome to take a seat, or a perch, nearby.

Eddie Brock has posed:
The symbiote's whipping tongue slowly lashes at the air, even as a wicked grin spreads across the monster's horrifying visage. He begins to move forward first upright and upon heavy footfalls, but then quiet and crawling slowly toward the rooftop's edge from a distance. He does not approach too closely, but instead crawls onto the ledge that surrounds the rooftop's edge. He crawls along like some sort of demonic creature, clinging to it with the agility of some sort of hellish monkey. With a lot more teeth and potentially a worse attitude.

"Cloak," he rasps out with a smile that's no less horrifying as the first time that it was present. He doesn't move to seat himself. Not yet. For the moment he remains clinging to that little raised walk like some prowling predator while the pools of white that seem to constitute the monstrosity's eyes, watching toward Cloak's intangible form. "We are here to talk. Monster," he says with a brief tone that borders on the amused, "to monster."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
"Monster to monster." Cloak said agreeably. "Have you eaten yet today?" he asked. "Be rude to ask you to speak of monsterhood on an empty stomach. I found a mugger earlier tonight. He won't be bothering anyone else." he said. "If you need to dine before we talk, naturally you should feel free to do so." he added. "Just make sure to dispose of what remains completely. Human authorities should not take this place."

Eddie Brock has posed:
"We have eaten," the symbiote answers with a curious tilt of his head while he continues to watch the intangible form of Cloak. Though as Cloak's explanation treads into the matter of keeping the authorities distant from the neighborhood, Venom's hesitation is almost palpable. "We," he pauses for a moment as Venom's head turns, looking toward the south, and the railyard out of sight on account of the presence of civilization, "may need to see to something after we have spoken."

Venom's attention then shifts back and toward Tyrone. Now Venom's position upon the ledge shifts, adapting away from the prowling crawl and instead into a squat that would make the most slav of slavs double-take. The powerful arms of the monster drape themselves across his knees and Venom's attention turns away from Tyrone, finally, and toward the neighborhood itself, "We'll spare you the details of our hunt. Cloak and Dagger seem to have a higher bar for what constitutes the dregs of society". Which says more than enough. He doesn't necessarily have as many scruples as Tandy or Tyrone when it comes to his own consumption.

That explanation presented, Venom's head remains cast forward. Meanwhile a tendril of symbiotic flesh sprouts from the creature's left shoulder. It sports a smaller head, which now looks toward the intangible cloak and speaks with him directly from it's tiny mouth in a slightly higher pitch, "Monsters we may be; but to your kind, they would say that we were born a monster. You were made a monster," the small head addresses Cloak with its tiny fang-filled mouth and silver dollar-sized white pools parodying the eyes of humans.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
"Yes ... and no." he said. "It's true, I was not born like this." he admitted. "But Dagger and I were vulnerable, alone. Kidnapped by a dealer looking to test his new twist on heroin. Inject Dagger and I, along with others, with the drug. In us, it awoke something in our DNA." he said. "I'm not a science guy, but that's how it was explained to me. We were made into monsters, the both of us, but of the two I'm the worse off." he said. "My life naturally drains away. Requires replenishment from others, who must suffer or die to provide me with their life. My other choice is to take from Dagger's energies. Hence, monster." he said simply. "You are ... either a mutant or something not from this world." he hazarded a guess to Venom's Little Head. "Forgive me if I offend. It is from ignorance, not malice."

Eddie Brock has posed:
"We would say that all of our lives drain away if we do not eat," Venom's small head observes as it caps the slowly shifting, moving, and at times whipping tendril of inky darkness. Beyond that tether of flesh and the small head, Venom's attention remains cast outward at the surrounding neighborhood. It's as though the bulk of the symbiote remains vigilant, while that small head acts as the intermediary within the conversation.

"A human will nurture a life, just to consume it. They will cultivate crops, just to reap them for consumption. We must consume too," Venom's small head answers with a voice that has lost the guttural hisses and been replaced instead by something more akin to a wheezing buzz, "just as they do."

Venom's small head shifts forward and cranes about, allowing itself to look at Cloak from the front, as though trying to establish some face to face - albeit distant - position for a discussion, "We are not of this world, but we have accepted it as ours. We are not here to consume it all, but only what we need". The small head pauses for a moment before a small, yet no less menacing, smile flashes across its inky black face, "Thankfully this place is rife with crime and disorder. It makes finding sustenance far easier."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty frowned in furstration. "I'm explaining this badly. I don't know the full details, but I can't eat normal food anymore. I can, but I don't get anything from it. It's stolen lifeforce or nothing, and with nothing I'd be dead in days." he said. "So I don't get to have a choice. Either I take lives or I am utterly reliant on Dagger for my ability to live." he said. "One other thing, too." he said and then willed himself solid, tangible. And with solidity he gained an odor, the Dark faded away into the mundane night. "My n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-name is Ty." he stammered.

Eddie Brock has posed:
"We understand," Venom answers without confusion. "We are saying that you do what you must to survive. Just as we do," Venom's small head remarks even as the main body of him lifts a hand to gesture toward the center of his own broad chest. "Many would think us monsters, when all we do is seek to survive," the answer is stated with a bit of resolve pumping itself into that high pitched voice. The small head recoils a touch, likely to maintain a broader view of Tyrone. When the other monster suddenly becomes fully tangible, Venom's small head shifts back yet further to fully consider the other's presence.

The small head slips away however. It retreats back to the whole and soon melds into the left shoulder of Venom once again. Only then does the brutish creature shift within its squat and his thick arms remain draped across his knees, with long claw tipped fingers hanging loosely from their perch. The stammering is regard for a long moment and Venom's head tilts, seemingly considering this new factoid with a touch of curiosity and confusion. Though the confusion nor curiosity lasts for long before Venom's head offers a single firm nod. "We are Venom," he answers after a moment of consideration.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty chose to stay solid, even if it was going to make a conversation difficult. At least for this next little bit. "Had this st-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-utter my whole life." he finally managed to say. "I embrace the Dark, it stops." he managed to get out before he choked on a word. Again. Then he re-embraced the Dark, going intangible once again. "Welcome to my fucked-up life." he said with a laugh.

"I get you, man. You gotta do what you need to do to survive, and you've chosen to make your peace with taking out people you consider unworthy. Protecting the weak by being strong. Respect." he said smoothly, now that he was channeling the Dark into his body. "After what drug dealers did to me, did to Dagger, I choose to prey on them." he said. "Selling poison to adults? You do you. Selling poison to parents? To kids? Now we gotta problem."

Eddie Brock has posed:
The conversation may become a touch more difficult to maintain, but judging by the lack of any discernable change in the features of Venom; he doesn't seem to care or mind. The symbiote may be staring directly toward Tyrone, but the truth of the matter was that Venom watched everything around himself. Never mind the fact that the possibility of danger was something that his innate senses tended to keep him informed of his surroundings, just as much as his visual observations. Again Venom nods at Tyrone's explanation. Though when he shifts back into the state of intangibility, Venom's wicked grin grows all the broad.

"You embrace what makes you better. By need, yes, but also convenience," Venom observes with a sudden glance toward the west. "If only everyone could learn such lessons. You meet someone and they are a pitiful pile of meat. You make them better. And what are they? Unappreciative!" Venom cries out with the relaxed hands that cap his draped arms curl into large fists. Not with fury, but annoyance.

He watches the darkness for a moment, but gradually turns his attention toward Cloak once more, "There are some who think they are strong; who are weak. This world has created many tools to allow weak men to stand against the strong. For some it is a means of protection. For others it instills in them fake confidence."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty could have sprained his neck nodding in agreement, if he was solid. "Too true. Some have known strength all their lives, so they do not respect it for what it is. Some, like myself, came into strength when they were themselves weak. And some, through no fault of their own, are weak and will remain so. We do not pity the weak. Most people are. Our job, as people with gifts, is to protect those would be victims from those that would victimize them. Other than that, our job is to let them live as they see fit." he said smoothly. "Least that's what I think, and I'm pretty sure Dagger agrees with me."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Now it is Venom's turn to offer a mild correction, though his is delivered with much more amusement - even if it doesn't sound amused at all - as one large hand rises up and a lone finger extends upward, directing itself toward the sky as Venom seems to adapt the look of every human philosopher since forever. "We do what we do, because we are hungry," and that seems to be all that Venom has to say on the subject of weakness, strength, those who have, those who don't. The mortal power struggle of humanity means little...

Venom is hungry.

The broad shoulders of the brutish alien rise and fall with a mild shrug as his tooth grin directs itself toward the now intangible Ty again, "Some people," he japes, "think that only the worst of the worst should be plucked from your heard. That is not enough. We need more."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
"Bullshit." Ty said cheerfully. "If you did what you do because you were hungry, you'd just take it from anyone. You're strong. Fast. Capable. But you don't. Why? Because you can see how things are down here on the street. You see who's winning, who's losing, and who's getting screwed. And you _choose_ to stick up for the little guy. The weak. To be their Lethal Protector." he pointed out. "So yeah. You're hungry. I get that. Believe me, I do. We both need what we can only get from killing." he said. "So we _choose_ to make who we take out of this world matter."

Eddie Brock has posed:
A low hiss rises up from the depths of Venom as the alien's head cranes about to consider Tyrone and his rebuttal. The symbiote's attention remains fixed upon the intangible man for a moment and when normally one may be expected to offer a dispute to a claim, Venom remains quiet. Though the smile that gradually grows across the monster's dark features seems to indicate some unspoken amusement. Slowly his left hand rises up and slowly the inky flesh begins to peel backward with sticky, sickening sounds. The hand that is gradually revealed is a man's, though judging by the bend of the wrist and the way that it hangs there lifelessly: the owner of that hand is either dead or asleep.

The inky flesh begins to expand again, sheathing the hidden hand once more within its warm embrace as Venom's voice rises up upon the hand once again being concealed within the symbiote's own form, "There are other opinions with us. When I first came here?" The rhetorical question is left to hang for but a moment, "We would have consumed all of you. We would have turned this place into a desolate rock". There is a brief pause and Venom begins to shift, slowly rising up to his full height as he stands upon the ledge of the diner's rooftop, "Our view was changed though. You are all ssusstenance, but some of you must be protected from the worst. The worst can be eaten."

The smile grows once again, though there's nothing comforting about the expression. Then Venom begins to take a heavy step along the ledge, calling back to Cloak then, "We are monsters; whether born or created. We eat because we must. We'll eat a jaywalker if he's an asshole and he," he says with a gesture toward the hand that now lays sheathed within the oily blackness of Venom's flesh once more, "wouldn't notice". Venom elaborates, likely creating a distinction between his own scruples and those of Tyrone's.

"We will hunt together soon," Venom concludes before he leaps from the rooftop without warning. It's a startling display of strength and agility as he leaps from the rooftop and easily clears at least two or three other rooftops in that sound bound. Soon, Venom is gone.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty whistled at Venom's display of physicality. "Yeah. We will." he said to Venom's rapidly departing form. Boy, he hoped that the guy inside of Venom was asleep and the goo monster wasn't Weekend at Bernie's-ing some poor asshole.

Well, dead or asleep, at least he give Venom an ethical structure. Of sorts. But who was he to complain about odd ethics?

Shit. He was now having flashbacks to going to Church as a kid. Maybe he could wake Tandy up, share his quandry.