313/A Monumental Meeting

A Monumental Meeting
Date of Scene:	06 March 2020
Location:	Midtown
Synopsis:	Peter Parker comes face-to-face with Supergirl.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Kara Danvers

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Peter Parker has posed:
The building of the DAILY BUGLE is located at the corner of 39th Street and 2nd Avenue in Midtown, in the Murray Hill area. The lunchtime crowd is somewhat sparse today, but Big Jake's Chili Dawgs food truck is settled in, and doing a lively business.
As well he should. He serves the best street meat in Manhattan.

Peter Parker is settled in with a few of the fashion reporters at the break area, and they are discussing recent events.
"...And I am telling you, Pete, I think Wang would pay stupid money to get to feature any of those designs. But the Wakandans aren't budging. They have their own people spearheading this. You would know this stuff if you spent more time on your own look. I mean, this whole baggy clothing thing...really? I swear, Peter, you are so unhip I'm expecting your pants to drop any second."

Peter rolls his eyes. "Look, I move around pretty good in this so don't worry about me."
Tasha chuckled. "I'm beginning to see wmy that redhead of yours dumped you. She's hot, and you're not. Simple as that."

Kara Danvers has posed:
It's been a slow day on Supergirl's beat. One purse snatcher on 27th street, and a domestic disturbance on 39th. They were both handled easily enough. The attacker in the domestic scuffle had a gun, but she gave it up quickly enough in the face of the blue and red. Costume, not police lights. Those came later.

And it is with little fanfare that Supergirl thinks to fly the few blocks toward the Daily Bugle, just to peek in. If she's lucky, nobody will notice. If she's luckier, there won't be a line at Jake's.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter said sourly, "When you're done with the cheap shots, I'm going to finish by chili dog and fries in peace? I am trying to gear myself up before going inside. I've got fifty Spider-Man pics and I need to sell at least fifteen of them."
"I dunno how you get those pics, seriously."
"Not a big secret. Drones. He carries one around for me, gives me a heads-up, and I pick the angles."
Tasha shakes her head. She could tell you the singular styles of fifty different designers, but her oven clock was still blinking 12:00. She looks skyward as a shadow passes overhead. "Izzat a bird?"
Lionel looked up. "Can't tell for sure, it's in the sun. I think it might be a plane..."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl sighs, as she realizes she has been spotted. Apparently, this is one of those places where people DO look up. But no matter. Maybe she can stop and get a chili dog without having to change clothes, and all that jazz. It'll mean a few handshakes, a few stares. But it'll also mean the best case-packed meat product in Manhattan. On a bun, with chili, cheese, and mustard. And dill relish, and celery seeds, and...Oh, look, hardly a line at all! Supergirl touches down lightly nearby the end of the line, and nonchalantly brushes her red cape back off her shoulder.

Peter Parker has posed:
All three blink as Supergirl lands near the food truck.

"...Wow." That was Peter.
Tasha nodded. "Yeah. I hear there is a line of people asking HER to represent them. She's got that Wow Factor in spades."
Lionel nods. "Yeah, she's DEFINITELY a Free-Pass."
Peter blinks, then looks at Lionel. "Really?"
Lionel shrugs. "If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'." He looks to Peter, grinning. "She could make a burlap bag look good."
"If you're done being creepy, just leave her be. She's entitled to a chili dog like the rest of us."
Tasha smirked. "Aw, do we have a white knight? That's adorbs. Really."
Peter reddened, looking back to his chili dog. "...Just sayin'." And with that, he takes another bite.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Super hearing is a pretty fantastic ability to have sometimes. And then, sometimes you just find out whose free pass you are. Kara lost count a long time ago how many times she's heard that. She glances over and furrows her brow, looking over the group, then her gaze rests on Peter for a moment. She steps to the front of the line and gets her dog, fixed up JUST the way she likes it. She adds a soda, and thanks Jake, who flatly refuses her money, and that of three others who wanted to be the one who bought Supergirl's lunch today. She turns and moves back toward where Peter is sitting and tilts her head. "I know that face. Aren't you Peter Parker?" She takes another sip of her soda. Nothing to see here. Just a caped superhero with a hot dog.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter's head looks up from his chili dog and...pow. As much as Tasha and Lionel talk, they are right about one thing. She has an undeniable presence.
Well...that, the long blonde hair that looks like it is made of spun gold, the eyes the coloe of star sapphires, the symmetrical face, the flawless skin...
Yeah, he should stop now. But then there is the fact that she knows him. By his face, and by his name. Him. Peter the Schmuck.

Peter blinks, then says, "Uhmmm...buh." Yep, network's down, try again. He coughs, then puts down his chili dog. Try, try again.

"Uhm...yes. I'm Parker Peter. Uh, Peter Porker." A quick breath. "PETER PARKER." He looks sheepish. "Sorry...my tang got toungled up."

He should probably quit while he's behind.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl laughs, like shining bubbles of sound. "Happens to me all the time." Not HER her. But her KARA her. "You're the one that gets all those pictures of Spider-Man. I've seen them. They're really great! I'm sure your colleagues are all jealous." She looks around at the other faces for a moment, then back to Peter. The free pass comment was not the only thing she heard on her way onto the scene. "I was wanting to get ahold of you sometime, and here you are!"

Peter Parker has posed:
"You...wanted to get a hold of me?" That was Peter.

"YOU...wanted to talk to HIM?" That was Lionel, and not very polite of him, either - the disbelief was plain on his face.
Tasha immediately grabbed him, saying quickly to Peter, "We'll...see you inside."

Because when you play the Game of Rumors, you are either the primary source, or you're a failure.

Peter blinks at them leaving, then stands up quickly. "Uhm...why don't you have a seat...Supergirl?" Gad, it soulds so weird to say that out loud.

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Sure!" Supergirl has a seat, careful to sweep her cape to a graceful drape on one side, rather than sitting on it. Her fluttery skirt lays on her thighs as she crosses her legs, and lays down a napkin on her lap. "So, do you get a fee from Spidey for his PR? You should, you're great for him. All those great shots, and always at the perfect angle."

Peter Parker has posed:
Okay, here's where we go with the almost-truth. He feels a little bad about lying to Supergirl. Well, it's a massaging of the facts kind of lie.

"Well...the truth is..." Technically, true. He leans forward. "I kinda have something of an arrangement with him. He carries around a camera drone I built. He let's me know when something is happening, I take control of the drone, and I take the shots while working remotely. That way, you don't have Peter Parker and Spider-Man in the same place."

So this is what it's like to turn the truth into origami.

"And I try to cast him in the light of truth, and the sale of the pictures keep the lights on and the water running at our house. Me and Aunt May."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl's mind works at the speed of light, it seems, and she tilts her head thoughtfully before taking a bite and chewing it slowly, and carefully. She mulls over whatever the gears are cranking out in that brain of hers as she chews, and finally swallows. "So what you're saying is....You and Spidey have never been seen in the same place at the same time..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter feels a little tingle in the back of the Spider-Sense. Easy, there...

Peter smiles sheepishly. "I have no interest of becoming the World's Smartest Hostage. Spider-Man can handle fighting with the likes of Vulture, Rhino, Shocker, Electro. Peter Parker is a schmuck who would be a red smear in no time." He shrugs. "So, I stay out of the way so no one worries about Peter Parker."

And next...an ELEPHANT, in ten simple folds...

Kara Danvers has posed:
One. "Ohhh, right. Well that makes sense."

Two. "Besides, it'd make you a valuable target if you were in position to get incriminating evidence on whoever's the villain du jour. They aren't gonna let you leave with that evidence."

Three. "Plus, it's not like you can swing from a web to keep up with him, so even if you were there at the start, the chase would take off and leave you holding the camera bag, so to speak."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter sighs. "Yeah. Better to stay outside of the super-powered donnybrook and just take the pictures. At least I can prove I never edit my pictures before sending them out."

Time for a quick-change of subject.
5r"So, Supergirl...are you in New York a lot, or do you spend most of your time in Metropolis? I know Superman called that city home." He has other questions, but best not to inundate her with them.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl is mid-bite when Peter poses the question. She chews, then swallows and dabs her mouth with the napkin from her lap. "I split my time between both. I could never replace him. But I try to show up in enough places to give them some hope. Something to hold onto. That was something he was good at - instilling hope in the masses. I can only hope to fan the sparks he ignited, so that they don't go out."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks a little wistful at that. "Yeah. You want to show people that they aren't alone, or that there is hope. Because Hope survives. You want to carry on the legacy. And...well, there are a lot worse legacies than that one. My Uncle...he died two years ago. But I still like to think that what I am doing is making him proud."

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Yeah. Nothing can ever replace them, but you can carry forward what they believed in." Supergirl looks over at Peter and reaches to place a reassuring hand on his arm, if he allows her to. "I'm sorry. I know it is hard to lose someone. But what you're doing? You're certainly making him proud. You're giving hope to all those people out there who may not have any hope left."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter doesn't pull away. He gives the blonde superheroine a wry smile. "I think you have bigger shoes to fill than I do. It takes a lot to meet that standard, but I hear you're doing a good job. I'm probably telling you something you've heard a thousand times, but that doesn't make it any less true."
Peter takes a deep breath. "Besides, you're in the World-Saving Department, which is a Very Big Deal. Spidey's a little more..."
...bargain basement.
"...blue-collar, I guess?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
"I think that's hardly true. And a little unfair. What I have, and what my cousin had...well that is a gift from the universe. It was simply a matter of making the right choices with it. What Spiderman has...well, he has to work much harder for everything he does. AND he has to do it with a newspaper editor trying to sabotage him at every conceivable turn." Supergirl shakes her head, trying not to notice the crowds who have begun to encroach, taking pictures of the two with everything from Polaroid instant cameras to phones, to professional cameras. Hey, doesn't she know that guy from TMZ?

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter sighs. "I guess it looks different when you have to negotiate with his most vocal antagonist." He smirks. "I can't argue the point. But I'll be sure to pass it along to him. I think he would appreciate the support."
And, because the Parker Luck doesn't mess around when screwing up his life, Supergirl's hand is still on his arm unless she removes it.

"Unless you'd like to tell him in person. I'm pretty sure your reputation is above reproach."

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Oh...really? I'd love the chance to meet him face to--mask." Supergirl blinks wide-eyed for a moment at that thought. She can learn a lot about someone by looking into their eyes. She guesses she would have to learn a lot from his voice. "I mean, if you think he would be up for a meeting, of course. I bet he is terribly busy, I mean...aren't we all, these days?" She remembers suddenly that her hand is still on his arm, and she releases it and picks up her hot dog again, to take another bite.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckles. "I'm pretty sure it'd be a big deal for him to meet you. I know he does these patrols. He tends to cover the entire city. I could let him know and he...hmm. How would I...or he...contact you? I mean, you could be saving the planet for the jillionth time."

Does she have an email address? Would she even tell him what it was? She probably has some high-tech something he'd give his eyeteeth to study for two hours...

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl laughs again. "Nowhere near a jillion," she replies. "How about this?" She takes her unused napkin and grabs a pen that's lying on the table. "Tell you what...I'll give this to you, and you can take it down and give it to him." She shields her writing, because telephoto lenses are a thing. "You can give it to him to meet up if he likes. But keep it in case y'know....you ever want to add a few photos of another cape in action to your repertoire. Fair?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Wait...did he just get an offer to get pics of Supergirl in action to sell the pics to the Bugle. Holy Toledo, he DID.
"Uhm...uhm...yea-sure-of-course," he said quickly, so fast the words seem to run together. He doesn't say anything more. This is...he can't share this with ANYONE. She is TRUSTING him. He takes a deep breath, then says, "That's...more than fair. I'll try to get your best side."

Who is he kidding? She doesn't have a worst side by any stretch of the imagination.

So, slide the number into the pocket, scan is ASAP, then destroy it like a message from the Allied High Command to blow up to Nazi ammo dump.

"I just hope Spidey can keep up."