4270/Park Interlude With Spiders

Park Interlude With Spiders
Date of Scene:	01 December 2020
Location:	Alley Pond Park
Synopsis:	Silk, Mania, and Spidey meet for catch-up on their burgers and hot dogs.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Cindy Moon, Andi Benton

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Peter Parker has posed:
Well, it's another cold day in New York City, but criminals tend to enjoy suiting up in identity-obscuring clothing.

Spider-Man had sent out a message through Spider-Comm to see who else was available, and Silk had responded. The bad news was, Aunt May was out for the day, and he wasn't sure he wanted to risk being with Cindy in a warm house without Aunt May to bolster his resolve.
And it may be cold, but it's also a little breezy, which should help.

He made a note to ask Silk how warm her suit was. It was only going to get colder...

Cindy Moon has posed:
    Silk is...less than thrilled with winter in New York City. Her costume is a skin-tight bodysuit, and her face is semi-exposed. She swings in, before flipping to land on the side of a tree. <I'm here...> She sends on the comm. The park is a big place. <Where are you?>

Peter Parker has posed:
A pause. <Near the picnic area. I commandeered one of the park's BBQ grills. I'll set a waypoint.>
A moment later, the red pointer with the cartoon Spider-Mask pops up about fifty yards away.

<It seemed like it was going to be cold, so I'm making hot food.>

Cindy Moon has posed:
<Oh, thank god.> Silk thwips again, swinging over that way. This weekend's weather has not been to her liking. Then, pausing, she sends as she moves <Wait. You're grilling in your costume?>

Peter Parker has posed:
<Well, yeah. It's kinda warm, and no one else is out here at the mo'. I did get you something for Christmas, though, to deal with the weather.>

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk flips in the last of the way, landing lightly on the edge of one of the tables. "You got me a present?" She sounds surprised, but also pleased, by that. She looks over to see what's there.

Peter Parker has posed:
Yessir, you'll believe a Spider-Man can cook.

It's not haute cuisine, though. Beer brats, hot dogs, and burgers, but the wood is mesquite and the smell is resonant. He does have his mask down, though.

He points to the picnic table, where a red clothing box sits. "I was able to get in touch with someone with your measurements."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk smiles beneath her mask. "That smells really good." She moves to pick up the box, and then blinks. "Wait!" She blushes. "WHO had my measurements?!"

Andi Benton has posed:
Sometimes, patience is a virtue.

Sometimes, a surprise is a good way to show up.

Sometimes, the symbiote just gets an idea and Andi goes along with it, or maybe it's Andi with the idea and Mania helping make it work.

Whatever the case, there had been no further response to Spider-Man's question of who was around and available. Instead, she found the location herself. Or they did. It is what it is.

While Spider-Man and Silk converse, Mania waits from a convenient spot she's taken up behind a tree. When he checks on what's cooking, that's when she acts. Tendrils appear from off to one side, wrapping quickly around a couple hot dogs, and they're drawn back rapidly with a hissed breath of sorts. If they look over at that point, they might just catch a tooth-filled mouth of alien origin chomping down on the hot dogs in one bite, followed by shaking out the hand and rubbing it a few times.

There's Mania.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey blinks as Mania makes her presence known. There are suddenly two less hot dogs (Hebrew Nationals, the only kind Aunt May gets) and he looks over his shoulder to see them...devoured.
Well, since the Spider-Sense didn't kick in during the...Chtonian consumption, it's gotta be Mania.
"Come on over, Mania..." he says with a sigh, then looks back to Silk. "Relax, I didn't peek at any shirt tags or the like. Aunt May's bridge opponent has someone roughly your size and build. Open it."

Cindy Moon has posed:
    Silk comes straight up off the table as she sees the tendrils and then looks over. "What. The. Hell?!" She looks over to Mania, eyes wide, and then back to Spidey. "It's not my /shirt/ I'm worried about you seeing tags for..." she mutters. As she lands, she opens the box.

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania is still shaking that hand a few more times as she slowly comes around further from the treeline, hopping a low wooden fence nearby before she stops far enough apart from Spider-Man and Silk so as to make it look like she just happened to be in the area. The mouth has disappeared, leaving her usual faceless appearance with the strange white eyes angled the way they are.

"Not bad," is declared, hands resting at hips afterward.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man shook his head as Silk opened it.

The colors are familiar - it is the design of her costume. However, it is also a set of winter boots - calf-high, fur trim, leather, and with thin soles so the clinging isn't disrupted. The gloves are the same way - fingerless to keep from blocking her spinnerets, leather, covering most of the forearm.
And then there is the coat and pants. Similar to the suit he wears, loose enough to fit over Silk's costume. Pants and coat, with a hood. And matching the design and coloration of her costume underneath.

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk smiles, as she looks over at it. "Hey! Thanks, Spidey!" Silk says, appreciatively. "Now I can stop freezing my butt off." Mania is ONLY getting a calm reaction because her Silk Sense isn't tripping yet. She looks back over. "Come on up and get some more, if you like. With less creepy."

Andi Benton has posed:
It's difficult to tell someone's expression without certain features. This gives Mania a leg up on things, since she can literally mask it. A fabric mask still contours to the nose, the mouth.

Attention shifts toward what Silk pulls up, causing her head to tilt in Spider-Man's direction. It's the sort of thing an animal might do in questioning what it sees.

"Oh, did we surprise you?" /they/ ask, that voice being the combined one of female and..more.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man chuckles. "Put it on over your costume. That was the goal anyway, an over-layer for you in winter." He looks to Mania. "Silk and I have similar powersets. Including the Spider-Sense. Which, as you know, *you* do not set off in any way for some reason. Still trying to figure THAT out." He steps to one side, pointing to the picnic table with the buns and condiments. "There's soda in the cooler."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Yeah." Silk frowns a little, though only the hints of movement behind the mask can show that. "All one, big, happy, spidery family." Her voice is a little cynical. She moves over to the grill, and starts to make a dog herself. The normal way. No thwipping, tentacles, or anything of the sort.

Andi Benton has posed:
If Mania is feeling any effects of the weather, it isn't showing. She nears the BBQ then moves a few steps away from it, instead taking a position at the edge of the picnic table nearby, perched atop it and balancing with her hands between the clunky footwear she's commonly found in, even like this.

Notably, nothing is said of the lack of any Spidey-Sense pinging with her around. In fact, nothing is made of it at all beyond a dip of the head.

"We have something to warn you about," she says when she finally does speak. "We have told you about Venom before, Spider-Man. Venom is like us, with a host, but is.." The eyes reflect some sort of discomfort, perhaps a reluctance to have to deal with this, but she goes on. They go on. "..dangerous. Wild. Willing to kill to satisfy any urges. Venom brags of controlling its host."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man sighs. "MORE good news. Well, we're going to have to FIND that guy and have a serious chat with him. Does he hang around any areas in particular?"
He produces a freshly-cooked all-beef hot dog for Silk, resting it lightly in her bun. "No chili, though. Big Jake's wife stands alone when it comes to chili greatness."
The breeze is kinda nice, really. And it's diffusing that...field of whatever around Silk, so it is barely a tickle in his mind.
"Anything else going on, Mania?"

Cindy Moon has posed:
"And so you're not controlling your...host?" Silk asks Mania, still frowning a little. She considers. Screw it. If it were dangerous, her Silk Sense would trip. She tugs down the mask, baring her face, so she can eat her hot dog. "Chili can be messy anyhow."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania shrugs at Spider-Man's question. "We have not seen Venom much. We did the other night. We thought we could talk some sense into them."

From the sudden silence after what's been said, it is not difficult to imagine how it went. And, Mania appears uncomfortable in general. It's been that way ever since the Cordova incident, including the conversation with just Andi over in Happy Harbor.

Then, a further warning. "If we do not register to that sense of yours, Venom might not either. You will have to be careful if they are.." The sentence does not get completed for one reason or another, attention instead shifting toward Silk to say, "We cooperate together. Venom thinks that makes us weak."

Instead of digging into more food, Mania hops back off the table and begins to walk somewhat aimlessly away from them. "We will leave you to eat and talk. We wish to be alone."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man opens his mouth, then stops. A brief pause, then he says, "Well...take care of yourself. And thank you for the heads-up on Venom. We'll keep an eye peeled for him. And cooperation makes you strong...not weak."

He looks to Silk, then back to Mania. "You need us, just call."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk watches. It's hard to look stoic and impassive when one is eating a hot dog. But she's trying. She'll have some questions for Spidey. It's not until Mania's out of earshot (or at least, she thinks she is), that she looks over to him. "That is creepy as hell."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania nods once to Spider-Man, and a glance over a shoulder toward both of them reveals a somewhat apologetic and troubled look to her eyes. "We are sorry if we ruined your meal." In the park, there aren't many good spots to just swing away from with weblines, so they will see her black and white form rounding a bend before enough trees and other plantlife obscures her from view.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods, flipping two burgers and adding slices of cheddar cheese. As he puts on two buns to toast, he says, "Yeah. Alien symbiote crashes on earth. Gets the Mad Scientist Treatment from Doc Ock, and bonded with someone else. It's been...a rough spot for both parties involved, but they seem to be working stuff out for themselves. And they seem to think enough of me to wear the Spider as part of their look. But the symbiote...it's not the only one. And this other one, this...Venom...is all appetites and hungers."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"But...I dunno. The whole "referring to yourself in plural"...creepy. And that's from a girl who's basically part spider." Silk looks uncertain. "Do they want it removed?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey shook his head. "No...and I don't think they should try. I think the symbiote can't last long without a host. Also...I think the host is a positive influence on the symbiote. The intellect that guides it. In any case, I trust them because I trust her."

He grabs a plate, sets the bottom buns on it, spritzes some mustard and mayo on them, then puts down the burgers on each before topping them with the top bun.
"I think the best we can do is be supportive when they need it. We have to be...role models."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk nods. She starts in on her food. "Thanks for doing this, by the way...the food, the uniform, the briefing...all of it. I really appreciate it."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man chuckles. "I also wanted to ask if you had fun. You know, when we met...out of uniform." He rubs the back of his neck, classic sheepish Peter Parker under the mask.

Cindy Moon has posed:
Silk blushes just a bit. "I did. It was a lot of fun." She smiles. "Though I gotta say, this is a weird first outfit to get for your...girlfriend?" she suggests, looking to the uniform.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man blinks twice. "Oh! Well, I was a little concerned about how winter was going to affect you. But...well, I was hoping we could get to know each other a little better before we took that step. You know...to eliminate uncertainty."

Because pheremones can account for a fair amount of uncertainty.
"Why not call it a gift for a friend, with a promise to find more opportunities to hang out, get to know each other?"

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Sounds good. We're coming up to the holidays...do you have any plans? I mean, I don't. But maybe we could figure out something to maybe spend some of it together?" She's a little awkward there. But living alone means no real plan. "Anyhow...think about it!" she says, hurriedly, as the blushing is getting to her. After all, he did kind of just refuse her. She leaps up, gets a good elevation, and then thwips her way away, into the wintery weather.