18803/When Worlds Collide Redux

When Worlds Collide Redux
Date of Scene:	10 August 2024
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Another encounter between Rien and Venom, and it seems that Venom's made a friend!
Cast of Characters:	Eddie Brock, Rien D'Arqueness

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Eddie Brock has posed:
There's a rustle in the trees. Leaves falling suddenly. It's hard to see above the lamp posts, with all the light they provide in the thick of night. A pair of mercenaries, armed with assault rifles, sidearms, the whole nine yards, are patrolling around a small setup in a parking lot by the park. Three cars are parked in a triangular position, one of which is a larger type van, likely to carry more mercs. In the center of the triangle, some sort of deal is being made, or a trade.

Venom is up above the lamp posts, zipping from one to the other. This is almost literally happening in Eddie Brock's back yard, after all. As Eddie reaches the last lamp post in the park, he attaches a tight web line to a wall overlooking the parking lot, grabbing the near end of the line to attach it to his lamp post. The muscle-bound Spider-Poser then tip-toes across the web-line to perch by the wall. Out of sight, but within hearing distance.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
She gave them a chance, she really did. Rien has been slowly stalking the head of the Chilean La Guajira Cartel, Federico Rastrojos. Slowly cutting off his supply lines, taking out his men, shutting down his gun-running and drug businesses. It was going to be time to go after the man himself, soon. But first... he'd hired mercenaries to try and stop her. It was almost sad, really. They had no idea what they were getting into, he didn't know enough to warn them. He'd just arm them to the teeth and send them out to 'hunt' her.

Rien rolls her eyes as she watches from the comfort of her lazy perch in the trees. These poor bastards. She always gave them the chance to save themsleves. Sent offers to let them walk away clean. None of them ever took her up on it, so she'll just have to keep killing them until the mercenaries knew better than to work for Rastrojos. For now, she's watching them as they 'gear up' and try to get a bead on her location. She'd lead them a merrcy chase across the city, appearing just enough to get them to follow her until they'd reached the parking lot here. It's a terrible ambush spot under normal circumstances. But she wanted to teach them a lesson, send a message to the others that might think to take Federico up on his offer.

Then she notices a shift in the shadows across the way and her lips curve into a smile. Could it be her Friendly Neighborhood Symbiote has taken an interest in her would-be assassins? Well then. This could prove even more interesting. She whispers into the palm of her hand and sets the sending spell aloft with a quick puff of breath. It carries far across the lot, to the building, to whisper to Venom. "Fancy meeting you here, big guy.. feel like helping me send a message to a cartel boss?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Voices out of the darkness! Venom jumps, managing to grab onto his webline and sling himself back into a sitting position. << What was that? >> the symbiote's voice whispers, though it carries that bass-like quality, sounding like it's said through clenched teeth. Quick glance downwards shows that the mercenaries still are quite unaware of his presence. Makes sense, his black uniform pretty much invisible against the night's sky.

If that voice's source can hear him, it'll hear << We are here to clean up the streets, you are welcome to join. >> As the symbiote replies, it's again fastening a web to the original line, going upside-down underneath it and lowering himself slowly to catch one of the mercs unaware, webbing his mouth up before encasing his body in webs and pulling him back up. Like a neat little package, assault rifle included.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien chuckles to herself at Venom's reaction, those sharp ears of hers catching the whispers even if the mercs are too dull to pick up on it. Using the same spell, she whispers once more, blowing it off towards him before disappearing from the trees. "We've met before. In the alley, with the brunette in the red beret?>>

Rien appears next to the mercenary still on alert, literally just appearing in front of him. THe man panics, firing rounds directly into the woman that has her reaching out to grip the heated barrel of the gun with a growl as the metal sears her skin. She yanks the gun from him and shakes her head, "You know, normally I would just twist your head 180 degrees and carve my message to Rostrojos into your belly. But I think this calls for something a little more... interesting."

Reaching out with her free hand, she uses telekinesis to lift the man by the throat, leaving him to dangle, slowly choking as the 'grip' on his throat tightens. Not quite letting him die, or even lose consciousness, as she turns to face the direction Venom was last seen in. He can see the bloodied holes of the gunfire that punched through her... but no bullet wounds. Her skin as smooth and unbroken under the ragged mess of her shirt as ever.

She waves and smiles at him, calling out, "Yours still alive?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Venom recognizes the voice. << Reine de Rien. >> he replies in that same hushed tone, like it's almost impossible for the symbiote to whisper. << We remember. >> When he sees what Rien does next, he's dumbstruck. Here he is, doing his best Spider-Man impression (that he doesn't need to do, honestly) and she just goes and aggros the gang. << This one is still alive.. >> he informs Rien, but not without checking first. Because who knows, really.

It's the frightened eyes looking back that confirm something else. << Conscious, even. >> If he wasn't gagged at the moment, the merc would be screaming and waking everybody up. Venom pats the merc on the head. << We will save you for later.. >> he informs the merc gleefully, before dropping down and announcing his presence to the rest of the gang, standing back to back with Rien. << We weren't going to eat anyone but that one up there. >> he admits.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien chuckles and gives a nod, a magical chain appearing to wrap itself around her held mercenary, squeezing around him like a python before she drops him to the pavement to face the rest of the mercenaries. "Just as a note, I wouldn't suggest bullets. They only piss me off. And that's when I get *really* vicious. Unless you want to see some blood rains or blood eagles or the like... you might just want to accept your fates." She smirks a little, clearly not expecting them to comply.

When Venom joins her, she can't help but chuckle at his comment before asking, "Do you eat the whole body or just certain parts?" Apparently cannibalism isn't some new thing to her. Looking at the mercenaries, she chuckles, "Ahhh, the stench of fear. It's a wonder they aren't pissing themselves yet." Touching Venom's arm lightly, she murmurs, "You might want to stay a foot or so away from me for this next part.."

Pacing out towards those that she's near, Rien calls upon a power that's just plain creepy to watch. The sclera of her eyes fill in black, that blonde hair seems to turn almost bone white as her hands are surrounded by a shadowy darkness that just FEELS wrong. Alien. BAD. Flinging both hands out, she sends out shadowy tendrils that whip fourth, grabbing a pair of mercenaries, wrapping around them and drawing them in towards her.

They struggle and cry out... at first. But it's a sight to see. For each moment they spend wrapped in those tendrils, they seem to grow... less. Less vital, less alive. ALmost as if they were being drained of any measure of life or energy inside them. Consumed, but in a manner that leaves the hollow shell of a corpse behind. She doesn't 'eat' them in any traditional sense. Oh no, that might be more acceptable. Instead, she seems to devour their very essence. To the more religious, one might wonder if she eats their very *souls*.

The voice that hisses out from her lips is both hers, and not. It's backed by a deeper, huskier, more sibilant voice that rumbles out. "I warned you all to walk away. Now you all get to become a message for your boss. Maybe the next group will be smarter..."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Venom perks up at the disturbing display. << We are not so different, Reine de Rien. >> It's said almost with an admiration, when Venom interrupts this broadcast to grab at the soulless corpse, growing three times in size into the Venom we all know and love(?) and tearing the fresh corpse's head from its body. << Brains. >> he offers when he's done and shrinking back into Spider-Shape. He can get away with one head, nobody's going to notice one missing head in a pile of telekinetically drained corpses.

Venom lets four tendrils grow out of his back, using the top two to push a couple of mercs roughly into the wall. He uses the bottom two to rise slowly into the air, as if he's on tall legs. Remind you of anyone? He makes sure the two in the walls aren't going anywhere, securing them with a fine but impenetrable web of symbiote matter, black as his suit. << What are they to you, Rien? >> he asks, when the door flings open and several more goons rush out, armed to the teeth. One of them, larger than the rest, carries what looks like a minigun.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Happy enough to release one of the drained corpses to Venom, Rien drops the other and instead goes for a third that's frantically trying to run. She snags him by the ankle, a tendril wrapping around his mouth to prevent him from screaming as she slowly drags him back in closer. All the while, draining him of his very life force as she does so.

By the time he's near the others, he's as drained as the last two. Dropping the corpse with the others, she looks to Venom and smiles, "No, not so different." Watching him with the two he has plastered against the wall, Rien cants her head and chuckles, "Mercenaries hired by a drug cartel leader in an attempt to get me to stop destroying his cartel before I come for him. You can see how effective it's been. Normally I just filet them and send them back in pieces. But I think this time I'll be a bit more creative and send a *real* message." She glances to Venom and winks, "If you want to eat their brains, go ahead, I'm going to be teleporting the bodies back to Senor Rastrojos, so there won't be anything left here to worry about."

Pausing, she adds, "Though, if you want ONLY the brain, I can make that a little easier. I understand bone can be difficult to digest. And the extra calcium probably isn't doing your host's digestive tract any favors." She motions to the men and smiles at him, "May I?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Venom shrugs. << One brain is enough to satisfy our hunger. >> he speaks, no longer needing to keep his voice down, and maybe even enhancing it to scare the ones that are left. Who, as it seems, are spooked enough to let Venom simply yank the minigun away with one tendril, gather a bunch of them together with the other, and then throw that minigun at them to put them back on the bus.

As a finishing touch, Venom absolutely covers the bus in webbing, making sure no door opens anymore. << A nice present for your Senor Rastrojos, is it not? >> he quips. It's not -that- funny, but he's TRYING.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"As you like," Rien says with a nod, then chuckles as he throws the remaining mercenaries back into the bus and webs it closed. "Oh, it will be. One moment..."

She paces away from Venom briefly, reaching out towards the buss, or perhaps... within the bus. Straining, her focus is entirely on the bus of mercs for a long moment before a few muffled 'POP' sounds can be heard... then the splatter of gore and viscera against the windows as those within are randomly chosen if they will explode or not. Some are left alive and covered in the viscera of their conrades. She teleports the drained corpses into the bus with them and turns back to Venom with a smile.

"There. If you want to toss them into the buss as well, or the one you webbed up earlier, I can get them back to Senor Rastrojos. Out of curiosity... do you like Italian food? I know this *great* place in Midtown... excellent food. If you're not full, that is." She offers a smile once more, then glances to the mercenaries, "If you are, of course, I'd be glad to take a raincheck."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Venom makes a sound that almost could pass for a chuckle. << We are full on brains. Our host will have enough trouble with that as it is. >> he speaks, before pausing in mid-step as if he remembered something. << We have one more for you. >> He zips up to the webline he originally hung a merc on, tossing it down. Webs, weapons and all. << We might take a raincheck, when we're hungry again. >> he speaks, jumping off the line and shooting a web up, swinging back down to Rien again.

<< Our patrol limits us to this district, tonight. >> Fair's fair, Eddie didn't even really feel like going out, but these goons were making a ruckus RIGHT outside his apartment. Venom's only slinging away to throw onlookers off the trail. << We will see you again, Reine de Rien. >> And with that, and another web-swing, he's off.