239/Catch as Cat Can

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Catch as Cat Can
Date of Scene: 02 March 2020
Location: SoHo
Synopsis: Spider-Man meets with the Black Cat, and there is something dangerous about every part of it.
Cast of Characters: Peter Parker, Felicia Hardy




Peter Parker has posed:
10 PM, Monday night, and it's Patrol Route Four.

"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand...walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain..."

It's not raining, but it is cloudy, and rain is expected tomorrow. It's been a good night - only two muggers, one attempted gas station robbery, and a successful test on the camouflaged 24-hour camera recorder. The backpack also has two roast beef sandwiches, apple cobbler, and two cans of soda. He's trying not to shake them up as he swings from point to point.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
It didn't take the Black Cat long to learn Spidey's rotation. Humans are creatures of habit, even humans with super powers. So at the appointed time, Cat is staked out in a darkened corner where she knows he will arrive next. She idly wonders what happened to that little bag of emeralds she gave up at their last meeting. She has watched Spider-Man ever since, waiting for the right moment. Hopefully, that moment will happen tonight.

Peter Parker has posed:
"I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's...and his hair was perfect!"
Okay, he doesn't have a great singing voice. Spiders aren't famous for singing. But the almost-spoken-word lyrics aren't too bad. Harry had heard him try karaoke and said he sounded "like a walrus giving birth to a combine."

He swung past the Trask Building, wheeling around to try a little hardcore parkour. He landed on the side of the skyscraper at an angle, and then commenced to run along the glass-windowed side of the structure. It was a matter of timing the clinging, after all...

Felicia Hardy has posed:
The Black Cat had been watching Spidey and his exploits from a rooftop, hopefully where he will intend to land. He's graceful. She has to hand him that. And always improving, it seems. Cat leans out from her vantage point to get a look at Spidey as he walks along the building. And she smiles to herself.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man jumped from the side of the building, landing on the apartment building 50 feet away, then slowed to a stop. He was getting hungry.
He sat down, took out one soda and one sandwich, pulling the mask up to just above his nose to chow down. He had to admit things were going pretty well.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"So there I was...just minding my own business on a rooftop, when out of nowhere a Spider hopped over beside me to eat a sandwich," Cat purrs from the shadow. She emerges slowly, stretches luxuriously, and approaches Spidey, looking him up and down as though he were a catnip mouse. "Hello, Spideypants. I missed you."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nearly jumps to his feet at the sound of her voice. It is satin and silk, and she slips out of the darkness with the ease of a mermaid slipping through the water.
Mermaid? How did he come up with THAT allegory?
"Ohh...Hello, Cat. I...didn't see you there." *STUPID MOUTH!* "Uhm...how are you doing?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"You weren't meant to seems. At least not until I was ready for you." Her eyes flit from Spidey down to his sandwich,then back up to Spidey again. "Is your sandwich delicious, Handsome?" she asks playfully, as she crouches by his side and looks dolefully toward him as he ate.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter Parker, a lady has joined you and you aren't being polite.
Gad, that even SOUNDED like Aunt May.

"Well, it's roast beef on sourdough." He opens his backpack, then takes out another sandwich container (no ziplock bags, because things can get mushed) and a can of generic soda. After a moment of hesitation, he offers them to the Cat. "Would you like some? I thought I'd need more, but it's been quiet and I think one sandwich will do it for me."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Aww, you're even adorable when you're eating," Cat replies, fanning herself as if to stave off tears. "I can't help myself, Spidey. There's just something...something in the air..." She sighs and seats herself beside Spider-Man. "No, no. I want you well-fed. Whatever you've been doing thus far? It's working. Don't change a thing. If you need two sandwiches, then eat two sandwiches. Because it's /definitely/ working..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey sighs. "I don't need two sandwiches. I'll be fine. Never let it be said I ate while someone just watched me do it."
He doesn't want to seem pushy, but there was a matter of principle here.

"So...have you been staying out of trouble? I've heard of a few burglaries, but they...didn't have your hallmark."
That's ONE way to put it. One who tried to rob a guy in the Upper East Side for money, and another who got off on sneaking around houses while the family was home. Both were occupying jail cells right now.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Cat sighs, a long and drawn out "Ohhhhh Spidey" kind of sigh.

"I'll tell ya what, Handsome. Halve that sandwich and I'll take half. You can have the other, while you tell me what you think my hallmarks are..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey shrugs, then takes out a small utility knife (1,001 uses) and cuts the sandwich at the diagonal, handing one slice to Cat, as well as the other soda.

"Care, attention to detail, subtlety, and a willingness to NOT hurt people. How am I doing so far?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Mmmm...pretty good, so far. You've forgotten "Voluptuous, Daring, and irresistible, but I'll give you props for remembering the others," she says with a wink as she bites into a delicate corner of the sanwich. "Mmm...did you make this roast beef all by yourself? I do ADORE a man who can cook. And a man who can do other things..." She arches a brow as she pops the top of the soda can. "And for the second stipulation, you have to let me take out to dinner sometime, so we can uh...get to know one another a little better. What do you say?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey looked to her. "There's a family member who's a very good cook. And I learned about grilling from my uncle." He refrains from delving into the science of it. A sure way to make her eyes cross in boredom.

"As for eating out...I'm not sure a good restaurant would hold off on calling the cops it I showed up. I've got a bit of a reputation problem."

Yes. Like saying the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger went a little bit wrong.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Ohhh fine." Cat sighs and rolls her eyes in mock-frustation, but she elbow-nudges Spidey with a wink. "That's okay, I have a nice, lovely, SPACIOUS kitchen at home. I'll have you over for drinks. Make a little dinner. And once we get the kitchen all heated up, we can see where the night takes us, hmm?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Drinks? Uhm, warning, warning, Peter Parker! Change of subject!

"Hey, I did want to update you on that guy I helped you with. Real name Cyril Rossovich. Russian Mob, educated at Princeton. You know, the higher-educated kind of murderous thug. Homeland was REALLY interested in those gemstones and analyzed them. They connected him to a theft in Europe, and he is currently in prison, charges of smuggling, grand theft, and a few other less-palatable charges. I think he's going into an American gulag for the next few decades."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Excellent...good to know," replies Cat, taking a moment to nibble off the corners of her roast beef sandwich. "Do you know whatever happened to the emeralds in that bag?" Her eyes sparkle with a hint of green. Not quite as much as when she's playing with Spidey, but it's beginning to stir within her. "I mean, just out of curiosity..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey gives Cat a look that could be considered sardonic, or just amused. Hard to tell with the mask.

"Homeland Security is currently analyzing them. They think it's connected to a few operations. Of course, they're not going to tell me if I ask. But, as of right now, they are in an evidence locker in the NY chapter of DHS. I hope you're not thinking of trying to get them back..."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Who, me? Ohhh, nonononono...no..." Cat protests, lifting a hand as if to Scout's Honor the situation. "Far be it from me to consider taking anything at all from the police...or thir questionable storage methods..." She trails off, clearly thinking about it. She takes a sip of soda and watches Spidey do what he does.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs. "There are a few articles about the 'Black Cat,' but there are no pictures. You're very careful, very precise. You leave very little to chance." He pauses, then takes another bit of his sandwich.

"Have you ever thought about giving up being a thief?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"What, give up being a cat, and all the freedom that comes with it? Work a job tethered to a desk, staring out a window and wishing to go out into the world? To do as I please and run free?" Black Cat arches a brow. "Eh, I do as I please now, and that doesn't necessarily mean theft. I could've taken those emeralds in a heartbeat, you know. I could have been gone by the time you hit the roof that night...If I was a thief at heart..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey looks at her. She is rumored to be involved in a number of thefts, she has a bad reputation. On the one hand, she could be playing him. Using his sympathies.

On the other hand, both Peter and Spider-Man have been witness to one man's irrational hatred and how it could try to influence a city. He knew who he was, but he had to keep proving it, over and over.

And when push came to shove, Cat had done the right thing. That was inarguable.

"Well, I'm not talking about becoming an office drone. I'm thinking security consultant, a white-hat operative, testing security. The money may not be as good, but it's legit, and you'd be helping people. You could even become a private investigator if you wanted..."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Ohh, Dear Spideypants. If it were only that simple. If I try to be a good girl, there are a lot of people just waiting for me to surface so they can shackle me to a ball and chain, and drop the ball. Watch me drown. It's a lot simpler if I just don't get caught," she says a little more softly, a little more sincerely, as she looks up to him and half-smiles at the lips that are exposed as he eats his sandwich. Transfixed for a moment, as it were.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs, finishing his sandwich. He sips his soda, then looks to her. "If I find you committing a crime, I'm going to come after you. If I catch you, you're going to the cops. You...understand that, right? If I find you telling that kind of story, I'm going to let you know how it ends." He closes the lid of the empty sandwich container. "But if you aren't doing anything wrong...then I don't have to catch you or turn you over to the police, do I?"

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Black Cat's gaze, now bereft of its mischievous sparkle, is settled on Spidey's face, and it's clear that she's grappling with questions and uncertainties that Spidey might never have imagined her second-guessing. Like...What does he /look/ like under there??

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm a big girl, and I know how to be good." She reaches out a fingertip and taps the tip of his nose, her eyes drawn to those lips. She touches his cheek and leans in, her lips a breath away from his. Those lips prove to her that he's real. That beneath the suit, and the mask and the lenses, there is a heartbeat and a body, and a man who does what is right, even when the world does not.

So what would he want with the world, who does as it wishes? She lowers her hand from his cheek and turns her gaze instead down to the streets below.

Peter Parker has posed:
NOW his Spider-Sense was tingling. She was so very, very close. And he knew so little about her. She was on a level he wasn't sure he would ever understand.
Spider-Man gulped air after those lips drew away. He'd been flirted with before, but this woman made those schoolgirl Delilahs look like children play-acting from a cartoon.
When her hand moved from his exposed cheek, he suppressed the sound from coming from deep in his throat.

"I....ahem...hope you will. The less I hear about any...burglaries attributed to you, the more I can feel I can...trust you. You've made some positive...steps in that regard..."

Jeez Louise, the temperature was just below 50 degrees, but he felt like he was baking in the desert sun.

And then, like a sign from God, his phone beeped. VULTURE SPOTTED IN CHELSEA. ARMED ROBBERY.
Spidey blinked, then packed up everything quickly. "Cat, I gotta go...the Vulture's causing trouble in Chelsea..."

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Oh...OH, yes. Of course!" Cat takes the last nibble of her half a sandwich in one bite and downs the last of her soda. "You want any help, Handsome? I might not be considered a good guy...yet. But I can help, if I can be /of/ help to you..." She's standing up and looking around to make sure nothing was left behind.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looked at her, and felt the first little unpleasant tingle of fear. "As long as you exercise your usual caution, care, and precision. I'll fill you in on him on the way there."
He fired a webline, glanced back once more to make sure the place was clean and she was ready before he launched from the roof to websling towards Chelsea.
...and apparently bringing bad luck for Vulture.