4238/Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Tourist

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Tourist
Date of Scene:	28 November 2020
Location:	Old Gotham - Founders Island
Synopsis:	Spider-Man webslings through Gotham City and finds a healing Balm.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Peter Parker

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Gotham City was not ordinarily a place for tourism, in spite of the fact that there was, in fact, a tourism board.

    It's also not a place where most teenagers would be hanging out by themselves, and in fact there was one younger heroine of the city who was, in fact, doing just that.

    Balm, wearing a dark gray hood and domino, her costume baring the armoring similar to other heroes in the city -- enough to turn a knife or tank small arms fire -- sets aside her dark colored pack, breathing out quietly as she looks out over old town, adjsting her gloves. It was slightly quiet.

    "... did they already make their way through tonight?" she questions out loud, looking over the lights and threatening rain of the city.

Peter Parker has posed:
Gotham is dark almost all the time, a little on the dreary side, lots of old stone buildings...

"...Oh, she was an acrobat's daughter..."

On the upside, LOTS of old-school banisters, ledges, gargoyles, and rooftops...so, plenty to work with.

"...she swung by her teeth on a NOOSE..."

The little assignment that had him taking pictures of Commissioner Jim Gordon during the press conference left him with a night to sleep in before heading back, only he couldn't sleep.

"...but one fateful day, her bridgework gave way..."

So he did what he usually did when he couldn't sleep.

"...and she flew through the air like a GOOSE!"

Yes sir, ladies and gentleman, a splash of red-and-blue adds some unexpected color to the Gotham night as Spider-Man puts a few ledges and gargoyles to good use...

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Reds and blues typically meant something was wrong in the city; most of the caped crusaders were more demure in their colors. Unless, of course, they were acrobats.

    That's a pun, ladies and gents.

    The younger heroine caught the red and blue in her peripheral vision, and she turns to watch as someone slings their way through the old town. Beneath the domino, her eyes widen in surprise. She leans over the side of the building, her fingers gripping against the stonework...

    ... until there is no stonework to hold onto. The figure in the dark hood tumbles down the stormy gray slate shingles of some official building or another, the steep pitch not offering much of a handhold, though she manages to catch herself on the ledge, dangling over the streets below with one hand, the other swinging down to try and grab for a grapple!

Peter Parker has posed:
And there goes the Spider-Sense.

By this time, he can tell if the danger is happening to him or to someone else. This feels like someone else, and he does get a direction on where it's coming from.
There they are...and hanging from a ledge. Never a good thing.

He jumps to his right, and then he is on an intercept course towards Phoebe. "Here I come to save the DAYYYYY!" he calls out.

Does Mighty Mouse know someone is cribbing his material?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... oh my god..." comes a quiet response from the Gotham Pancea, and she swings her other hand up, trying to grasp the slick slate. Her eyes narrow, and she *heard* that very happy announcement that she'll soon be saved by Mighty Mou-- ... Spider-Man!

    She keeps her grip with one hand, dangling a moment out of mixed curiosity and fear of actually becoming street pizza.

Peter Parker has posed:
And then he lands on the side of the wall next to her. Without hanging on to anything but the brick wall, because Spider-Man.
He extends one arm out to Phoebe. "Jeez, you really shouldn't be hanging around here. Want a lift?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The hooded Balm purses her lips slightly, the gray-clad hero's lips twist into a slight curl as she gives a wave to the webslinger.

    "You seem like you're pretty lost there, aren't you tyically tying up traffic in Manhattan?" she questions, and offers her free hand to grab a hold of the extended arm.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs. "Everyone's a comedian these days." He grasps Balm's hand, and then lifts her, holding her close. "Hang on."
He pulls himself up to vault them both over onto the roof, landing lightly before releasing her. "So, since you seem to have the advantage of me...what should I call you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It's difficult trying to get a laugh out of the local heroes. Too many clowns in town." Balm replies to Spider-Man, and she loops one arm over his shoulder as if he would have needed the help to hoist her.

    They vault, and as she's released she checks her armor, brshing some dirt off the shoulder of it as she trns her domino-clad face to Spidey, and her lips part into a smile.

    "Balm. The pleasure's mine, and I owe you one."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Aw shucks, ma'am, t'weren't nothin'," Spider-Man says in an exaggerated Texas drawl. He chuckles. "Nice to meet you, Balm. I'm visiting Gotham City and decided to do a little sightseeing, and the Uber guy was taking FOREVER..."

He tilts his head. "You one of the local heroes? I thought the Batman had this town kinda sewn up..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "In... a manner of speaking." the armored young woman replies, bringing her gloved hands down, her shoulders rising up. The white film covering her eyes doens't let mch expression show there, and she moves to retreive her backpack.

    "I'm more of a... 'supporting role' type. The Batman is aware I exist and I'm allowed to contine to help where I can, provided I stay out of the way." she replies gently.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man hmms. "Well, there are no small roles when if comes to this particular calling. I tend to take supporting roles when the heavy hitters show up to whatever donnybrook I'm involved in. But doing crowd control and medical help is no small task. So, if it's not too personal a question, what's your powerset?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Team mom." Balm jokes as she hefts her pack again, adjusting a moment, and she looks to Spider-Man.

    "I have restorative powers, reversing wounds and the like. Mostly I help the homless population, down there." she motions with her chin in the direction of the poorest, most crime-ridden sections of Gotham -- the Narrows -- and then turns back to Spidey.

    "... and sometimes the actual local heroes. Hence the armor. Honorary member of the club."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods thoughtfully. "You can heal other people? Wow, that's pretty amazing as special gifts go."
He pauses slightly as if thinking of all the times that would have come in handy.
"It's a pretty prestigious club, though. I'm a little envious, really."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm gives a quiet smile, looking to Spider-Man, and che turns her gaze up, as if there was someone watching from higher.

    "Trust me, if it wasn't for the power, I would probably be just another Gotham person." she replies, and she looks to Parker.

    "New York is literally crawling -- no pun intended -- with all manner of heroes. Gotham tends to be...."

    She pauses, and leans over the parapet of the building.

    "You have to be a particular glutton for punsihment to operate here."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looks to Balm for a long moment. "New York has its own problems, Balm. And not all of them come from supervillains or gangsters."

He walks over to look out at the city. "I mean it. We have alien incursions, magical threats...I'm on terminal watch duty for a 12,000-year-old sorcerer...and then there's the regular people who need help...and you never find out until it's too late."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "No, no I know. I mean, I volunteered in Bushwick for a while to try and sort some things out. I love New York. It's so cheery compared to Gotham." Balm gives a wry smile. "Here, though, like you said. You operate in Gotham knowing that there is someone over your shoulder." she comments quietly.

    "A 12-thousand-year-old sorcerer, huh?" she questions curiously, "... that's a heck of a birthday cake."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Yeah, especially when they use human sacrifice to call ancient alien gods. Long story." He looks to Balm. "But you keep going. Because you have to. I believe that if you have gifts like this, you have to use them to help other people. Because it's wrong NOT to use them. And the bigger the gift, the bigger the responsibility."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Eesh. And I thought the fallout from the housing comission budget cuts were bad." Balm clearly makes a face of distaste as she turns back to Peter.

    "Because we have a responsibility, collectively, to use our abilities to help others." she pauses a moment, and Balm turns to Spider-Man.

    "... you sound a lot like my dad.He felt we should leave the world better than how it was when we came into it.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey smiles slightly. Not visible under the mask, but it can be heard in his voice.

"My uncle raised me for most of my life. I think he and your dad would get along great. Does your father know you have these gifts?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm stiffens a moment, her shoulders drawing up, and she trns back ot to the city.
R    "No. He passed before I got a handle on them. I wouldn't have... I couldn't have told him anyway. Knowing what I am and what I do would have put my parents in danger. Your uncle sounds like a heck of a guy, though."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "Yeah...except he was killed two years ago. Because I was selfish...and weak...and immature. I could have done something to stop it, and I didn't...so I promised myself I'd never make that mistake again."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I am so sorry." Balm states quietly. "... Superheroism is a pretty shit way to deal with depression and post-trauma, you know. If I had money, I bet my therapist would be rolling in it."

    And she offers a fist to Spider-Man, presumably for a fist bump of understanding.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey solemnly fist-bumps Balm's fist lightly.

"But when that happens, you have a choice. Run...or stand and fight. And I chose not to run. And I haven't done it since, not even when I'm punching above my weight class. And I'm ALWAYS punching above my weight class."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Stand. Every time." Balm reflects quietly. She gives a smile, though.

    "Nothing wrong with punching up. If you start punching down, that might be bullying." she offers as a levity moment between them.

    "When you put yourself between, do you ever find yourself freezing up? Not sure where to go?" she questions, her gaze qietly retrning to the mask of Spidey.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man looks out to the city, then back to Balm.
"I'll tell you a secret. The most useful part of this mask?" He leans forward and says in almost a whisper, "...because then the bad guys can't tell how scared I am."
He straightens, then takes a deep breath. "I may not always know where to go, but I tend to know where the danger is. It's something I call the Spider-Sense. It was how I was able to tell you were in trouble. At its most intense, it's practically precognition. So if I know where the danger is...then I know where to go."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm is quiet, listening to the secret of the mask, and she gives an nderstanding nod. "Not just the sense of mystery, huh?" she gives a slight grin. She's very smiley, for a Gothamite.

    "... that sounds like a pretty awesome power. Once I actually get to patrolling like the 'big kids'," she jokes, "I'll have to rely on tech for a similar thing. You'd be a useful ally to have around Gotham more often, you can even swing like they do." she points out, and Balm looks out, she seems distracted for a moment.

    "Where do you usually patrol in NYC? Maybe I'll add it to my once-weekly routes. In case you need a hand with a bruised ego or something. I can hype."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Usually patrol? Balm, I'm like Elvis, I'm EVERYWHERE. From the Bowery to Brighton Beach, from Forest Hills to the Financial District. All the five boroughs, that's me all over." He winks.

"Listen...if you want to work in New York, how would you feel about being connected to a private network I put together? Augmented reality lenses for the mask, comm system, private database, practically invisible. Heck, if it continues to go well, I was even wondering if I could set up similar networks in Gotham City and Metropolis. Give me a week, I could put together a complete rig for you."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah..." Balm looks surprised, and then hesitantly admits: "You would have to talk to Batman about setting anything up in Gotham, I think. He's kinda..." she trails off, but she gives a slight smile.

    "I wouldn't be opposed to helping you out any time, though. I occasionally do the rounds in NYC if needed or asked. There's a couple of other people who I've helped." she trails a moment, and she looks out over the red and blue clad arachnid kid.

    "... if you're like Elvis, how's your 'All Shook Up'?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man snickers. "That would be 40 percent of my week. Seriously, if I'm humming or singing to myself, it's okay. If I'm singing aloud, even karaoke, it's like...well, like the dulcet sounds of a walrus giving birth to farm equipment. Although most of my opponents do a pretty good 'Jailhouse Rock.'"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm, in site of herself, gives a laugh. It's a very honest and real laugh.

    "That is... a very, very clear sort of sound type." Balm laughs, "Well, if there's ever a masked vigilante karaoke night, I'll nominate you for judge or something." she replies, "Glad that we've come into some sort of understanding early on about vocal expectations."

Peter Parker has posed:
"It's always best to be aware of your limitations." Spider-Man chuckles. "I was curious how you usually get around. Is it all grapple gun stuff, or do you have some some of flight capability?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Me? Oh, no, I do the freerunning thing, mostly. I have a single grapple, but it's not meant for swinging like the Batman and the others do. Mostly because I'm not typically up on rooftops. I'm more down to the ground, two story maximum." she gives a smile to Spidey.

    "Like I said, I'm not... kinda just an honorary part of the group." she explains, struggling a slight moment.

    "... that wold be so awesome if I *could* fly. Or swing."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man regards Balm for a moment, then smirks. This look CAN be seen under the mask.

"Balm...if there's any place ya need to get to in a hurry tonight...want to ride along with me? I've got a harness I use to carry people with me. Usually for rescue, but sometimes I do it for people who want to know what it's like. Webslinging around, I mean."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Wouldn't... wouldn't that throw off your center of balance and make it hard for those acrobatics?" Balm questions, clearly sonding surprised. She shifts her weight a moment, looking to her own backpack, then to Spider-Man, and she appears to be considering it very, very carefully.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey grins. "I can adjust for it. We start slow, no roller-coaster stuff. If you want it to get a little LIVELY, we can try that as long as you don't get nauseous."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Tch. I can handle a little bit lively." she replies in challenge to Spider-Man, and she gives a little laugh, and she looks arond, as if expecting someone to be over her shoulder, and she steps a bit closer to Spider-Man, and her head tilts a moment.

    "Challenge accepted."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey grins. "All right, then."

He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a red-colored harness. He attaches it himself, around the body, securing the strapes with steel snap-hooks.
"Okay, step up in front of me, then secure the latches at waist and shoulders. Don't worry about obscuring my view."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "This suddenly seems like this is going to end up in a safety meeting." the girl replies, and she gives a bit of a laugh as she hesitantly steps up a bit closer, eyeballing the harness with concern.

    "This is the same kind of harness used for skydiving, right? Is it re-enforced for this purpose?" she questions.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nods. "Yep. Rated for up to 1,000 pounds, and a double-strand webline can support two tons." He grins. "So I think we'll be fine."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "All right, so won't have to worry about ejecting." Balm states cautiously. "How.... how often do you end up taking others for rides that you happen to have a harness?" she asks, and she begins to strap in, checking the clips, and double-checking. She also makes sure her hood isnt about to fly off into the sunset, checking it's securely tethered.

    "... and I jst want you to know that I don't typically go out swinging on a first meeting."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "Duly noted. Deep breath."

Then he walks over to the edge of the roof, raises one arm...

THWIPP!
A thin line shoots out, hits the ledge of a building across the street, and only THEN does he jump off.

There is the feeling of swinging, like the world's biggest schoolyard swing, then on the upswing, slowing, a moment of weightlessness, and then the THWIPP! sound again, and they are swinging between the tall buildings. Like a sideways parachute jump and a rollercoaster combined.

"Let's see..." he says conversationally, seemingly unaware he is beating anything done in the Olympics, "...there are kids who like the ride. Some people I had to rescue from an apartment fire...one guy I had to get to the hospital and was easier to manage ABOVE rush hour traffic than THROUGH it...hang on..."

He swings in a wide arc around one building, centrifugal force pulling at then releasing them and then they head east.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe Beacon rarely did things on whims. There was always a method behind the madness, and when she trusts Spider-Man to not turn her into pavement goo, that is a big step. Trust doesn't typically come easy in Gotham.

    The THWIP, and the jmp. The moment of freefall and then the upswing. She does not, to her credit, scream, bt the swing does initially take her breath away as the dizzying amount of Gotham traffic and lights pass by. Her domino attempts to leave her face, but she brings a gloved hand up to make sre it's secured,

    "This is pretty amazing!" she replies, "Awkward, a little, but amazing! Do you get to interact with kids often, then? Do you get to participate in charity events? Do they reach out to you?" she questions, "I know the League does some things, but outside of a very select group in Gotham, not many people know I even exist."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Welp, I tend to look out for a lot of people, and...whoops, flag pole!...someone's looking out for the little guy or girl means looking out for the LITLLE guy or girl. So, yeah, I do meet a lot of teenagers and younger children. There's a family in Chinatown whose daughter, Lin Mei, calls me 'Honorable Spider,' so that's...hang on..."

He fires a quick webline, lifting up only to drop about a hundred feet, letting gravity speed them up before he fires another webline and goes int a DEEP swing, descending to a few feet above the street lights, and then up, and up, and up...and UP into a wide, long arc as he releases the webline and they sail over a church steeple.

"...Well, I don't get invited to do charity work, because the Daily Bugle's chief editor, J. Jonah Jameson, doesn't like me all that much. I'd do one if they asked me, though..."

And then he fires another webline and they are back to a healthy crusing speed of 70 MPH.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm is glad for the domino. It acts as a pair of flight goggles.

    Her stomach gets left behind on the deep dive, and she gives a soft 'eeeeeeeeee' noise as they draw to the ground, and then gravity attempts its hold on them, and they sail right over the steeple of the church.

    "Ha, knew it, Nacho owes me six bucks." she comments, slightly under her breath as they cruise around the city, the hooded crime fighter just seems to have that aura of Good vibes about her as they talk, and she listens intently to Spider-Man.

    "I wouldn't mind doing charities, but I'm more concerned once someone with less morals found out about my powers, I'd be figuratively chained to hospitals."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "I get flack from JJJ all the time." He does a fairly good impression of the Editor From Hell: "If he was REALLY interested in catching bad guys why doesn't he take off that mask and join the NYPD?"

He sighs. "It's the risk you run, not being a recognized professional in your field of expertise. Next thing you know, they'll be telling you to finish med school..."

One webline catches the corner of one building (and it is unsettling how he can place these weblines exactly where he wants to put them every time) and they pass over some night club at high speed.

"Not much activity tonight...guess the Bat has a lot of crooks scared..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It gets less as it gets colder, sometimes. This isn't the bad part of town. I was discouraged from going to visit the worse parts." Phoebe explains, and the hooded fighter grabs onto the harness on one tight corner, and tenses against Spider-Man for the briefest moment.

    "Caped crusader and free medical technician is much easier than Med School, not to mention sooo much less expensive. Four hundred bucks for the A&P book!" she protests, "robbery in the finest! -- Hey, do you have like, algorithmic processing in the lenses? That help with high-speed swings?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man holds onto the webline for half a second longer and suddenly they are rising up to the roof of one of the taller buildings, and then he lands on it with the same speed and ease as stepping through a door. He steps to the middle of the roof as he talks.
"Let me try to illustrate what I see." He extends a hand outward. "You're familiar with probability and that sort of thing? Well, if you've ever played a video game, if you have to get from point a to point be, you'll see checkpoints, moving from 1 to 2 to 3 etc., until you arrive. With me so far?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm with you so far, like a distance program calculating for the easiest way to get from A to B? in a head's up?" she questions with curiosity, looking as the holds his hand outward. "Which shows you where you have to aim for the web ropes for the swings?" she asks.

    Balm is momentarily distracted that she's half dangling from a harness.

    She's certain she would never hear the end of it.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nods. "Okay. Now...Imagine all the possible destinations I could go to from here, and how to get there. Me at the center, and all the potential choices, spreading out...like a web, actually. And in some level...I am aware of EVERY one of them. So I know where to go, where to aim, how much force to use or spend, at a subconscious level."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... so instinctal navigation to go with the spider-sense of knowing where to go to help?" she questions. Balm considers a moment as she puzzles it out. "Spacial awareness pushed to superhuman levels?"
    The hooded girl tries to look over her shoulder at Spidey, her eyebrows visibly rising up.

    "Sounds like a pretty intense process to go through."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "It was a little overwhelming the first few weeks. Like being able to suddenly see EVERYTHING. But I was able to mentally train it. At first, it just went off when I was in trouble. It's...evolving, almost. There are levels of awareness, some more intense than others. Like the first time someone tried to hit me, my perception of time slowed down. Like everything slowed down and I was running at normal speed."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That -- is absolutely amazing." Balm replies, "You must have a lot of mental discipline in order to tame something like that within a couple of years. It took almost two years of concious training to get to where I am now." she sonds incredulous, and she gives a very warm smile to Spider-Man. "Thank you for sharing that with me. Gotham's not a place where you get a whole lot out of people."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Men smirks, then says, "Listen, is there any place you'd like me to drop you off, or would you prefer I just brought you down to street-level? We're close to the city town center, and I should probably head home." Another pause. "Do you have your phone with you? I could add myself as a contact..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It would be handy if I ever find myself sans uber in NYC." Balm replies, and she looks around, and then unlatches herself. She's a little jelly-kneed momentarily, but he straightens up and turns back to face Spidey.

    "Here's fine, I can make my way down a couple rooftops until I hit the alleys and I'll see myself home. Not much in the city scares me." she states, and she takes out, from her backpack, a very battered Nokia phone. Long battery life, good for texts and quick phonecalls -- as long as you're not roaming. This she tosses over to Spider-Man.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man smiled, then pointed a finger at the phone.
There is a beep, and then the message 1 NEW CONTACT appears on the screen, then changing to NEW CONTACT: SPIDER-MAN.

"Dial that and it should access the network. If you need any help or just want to talk, I'm available."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... okay, that's cool. Just saying." Balm replies, taking the phone back and looking at the screen before she slips it back into her backpack.

    "Well. This is the first meeting where I did not get shot, bt hey, night is young, and so am I." Balm gives a smile, and a nod to Spider-Man. "Should you find yourself needing help, please let me know. I'm at your service, and way, way cheaper than an urgent care." she offers a smile.

    "I'll give you a ring the next time I'm in New York and need a hand getting around, or a really knowledgable tour guide."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey walks to the edge of the roof, turning to face Balm. "And if you want a full Spider-Comm rig, let me know. Until then...TTFN, ta ta for now!"

And with that, he fell backward off the roof. A split-second later, there was a THWIPP! and then he was swinging away.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... Mighty Mouse, video games, and Tigger quotes -- oh my god, he's a nerd." Phoebe whispers to herself as Spidey dips, and she watches until he's far down the way, before she turns, drawing to the other end of the rooftop, and giving a hop off, begins her long trek back to the Robin's Roost.

    After all, if Spidey wanted to network technological in Gotham, Red Robin would be the man to chat with.