4994/Lending A Hand

Lending A Hand
Date of Scene:	02 February 2021
Location:	Wong's Corner Store
Synopsis:	Gwen tries to hide her strength as Eddie volunteers to help her bring in crates of food into the store. The furnace is noisy, and Eddie went to ESU too? Things to discuss later.
Cast of Characters:	Gwen Stacy, Eddie Brock

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Gwen Stacy has posed:
Getting back to New York was hard enough ..., Getting back AND reconnecting with old friends? Specially those you had a hand in killing where you come from? That was harder.. But that had to be done and so Gwen had reconnected with Spiderman again. She could still see it though .... the empty glass eyes, the lifeless form. It was all still too vivid in her mind whenever she looked at Peter ...

It was late afternoon at the corner store and considering it's winter it was getting dark already.. Not that it stopped deliveries from happening. Late ones, but still.., it meant crates had to be unloaded, stored down in the space the Wong's had for it. And who was to do that job? Gwen.. Not that she minded it too much, it was real easy with the strength she had yet today she just .., wasn't there..

She had spent quite a bit thinking on the talk with Spidey, just stopped there with the truck open and a crate in hand...

A car running by honks twice, bringing her back to reality and having her let go of the box she was holding, it falling on her foot.

"Ow, f-- heck.."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Someone was getting more irritable the hungrier he got. Tater tots only went so far. Eddie had spent the night before, heading to three different locations that had reports of violent activity on the police scanner. None of them had panned out.

"I know, we'll find something," Eddie comments even without anything said to him. He's walking down the sidewalk, hands stuffed in his pockets, and thinking he needs to find a heavier jacket somewhere. That thrift store down two blocks might have something. "Shit I hate shopping there," he says of the place he used to donate his old and unwanted clothing to. Like many places, it was a reminder of certain things.

The man turns the corner. He's tall but not huge. Large but not immense. Bulky is a good word. Solid is another. Just enough that people tend to give him an easier time navigating sidewalks on days like today. Someone steps aside out of his way, just in time to give him a glimpse of a girl up ahead dropping a box on her foot.

He jogs forward, sliding once on the ice but just working with the slide to carry him forward until he hits solid footing again. "Hey are you ok?" he asks, arriving from behind the young woman, stepping around her and seeing her face.

Brief surprise passes his face, turning into a hint of a smile on his scruffy face. "Hey, it's you," he says, followed quickly by, "I mean, are you ok?" a hand moving to touch her elbow as if to offer support. Not that she looks like she's going to fall over.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Well, if something can be said about Gwen is that she is not solid, or bulky. It's all slenderness and curves, today she dressed in a pair of black leggings, fur boots and a warm jacket about her form. She even got her old beanie hat out she had found in one of her drawers when she had went to visit her father. Yea .., that's another thing she didn't want to remember.. Just like she didn't want to be remembering this pain! Not that her regenerative factor wouldn't get through it real soon but ...

The shadow falling on her at the approaching Eddie has her pause on feeling the tip of her boot. Was there a blip on her danger sense just now? Nah, her imagination...

Yea, definitely her imagination when she spots who it is. "Yeaaa, Gwen in the flesh." she says, her smile bright despite the pain she is feeling, the cold making her breathing puff in front of her. She smiles at the offer for support, hand up to rest against Eddie and she sits up on the truck. "I am okay, was just .., distracted. And how are you doing..." a pause and then she adds, " .. Eddie, right?" hey, she remembers the name!

"Couldn't get enough of those Hersheys and going back for some more..?" She asks with a grin.

Eddie Brock has posed:
As Eddie sees she's going to hop onto the back of the truck to sit, he reaches out and takes gentle hold of her hips, helping her up. Only after he's done that does he wonder if maybe that was something he shouldn't have done. Would he have wondered that if she was closer to his age, he wonders. She did rest her hand on him. Hopefully it was ok.

"Yeah," he says in his slightly drawling voice. "You remembered. Gwen. I'm touched," he says.

   «Venom» "Yes. More chocolate would be good."

"Nah, though now you bring it up, might have to see if the special is still going on," he says of the chocolate. He looks at the box then and her foot. "I'd say Mr. Wong should be out here helping you, but I don't doubt you're more the more capable of the two of you," he says. Eddie glances at the boxes remaining on the truck. "Is your foot ok? Nothing broke I hope? Broken toe just seems to hurt no matter what you do," he says. "How about if I give you a hand with these though?" he offers.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
It doesn't seem as if Gwen minded it, mind certainly not being there. In fact she appears to be glad to be able to take her mind out of things and have someone to talk to. So after she settles down on the truck her eyes are fully on Eddie, "Don't be *that* touched. I always remember customers names. It's good for business, or so Mrs. Wong says." She laughing easily at that.

"I can put in a good word for you in case it isn't anymore." Gwen says, following it with a wink and then glancing over her shoulder at the rest of the crates. Still a few to go. "Uh, sure." she then testing her foot, "The crate didn't fully fall on it so nothing broken, just a touch sore. It will be fine, I can just walk it off." literally so!

And to prove just that she slides out of her seat and to the ground, leaning over to pick up the fallen crate. She *almost* does it with one hand but then thinks better of it. Witnesses. Right. So she uses both hands to get it up.

"If you want to help out I would appreciate it. Go ahead, help yourself." she nods to one of the crates. "Crate of oranges, if you are feeling daring." then another, "Or cabbages on that one if you want something lighter."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie watches Gwen testing her weight on her foot. That's where he's focused. On her foot.

"Sure," he says, quickly pulling his gaze up. "I'd be happy to help," he tells her, moving over to eye the crates. "I'll try the oranges one. Supposed to be good for you, vitamin C and all," he jokes, expression showing he knows it's a bad joke.

He slides the heavy crate over, trying to make sure to make it look like it's a bit heavier for him than it really is. Well, not too much heavier. He doesn't want her to think he can't handle it.

   «Venom» "Why does it matter what she thinks, Eddie?"}

He doesn't answer that, just carrying the crate towards the store. "And hey, if you want to put in a good word, I won't stop you," Eddie tells her.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
With the choice of crate being done Gwen bobs her head a couple of times, watching Eddie pick up the crate. She lets her gaze linger a moment and then starts leading the way across to the store. Not exactly through the front door but the staff door on the side. No disturbing the clients with crates! The Wongs do think of their clientele! "If that's your way of saying you want an orange for your effort I am sure we can arrange something.." she teases good-naturedly.

The 'make it look heavier than it is' seems to be a game that the two of them are playing as they walk into the store through the back door, a large space revealed to them. Within are various crates of the most varied types, clearly the storage area. She chinjerks to a place in the corner. "Lets put them there."

She then glances over her shoulder to Eddie and asks. "Are you new around here? I hadn't seen you much in the neighborhood before we met at the shop." her tone rather casual.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie follows along, saying, "Well, I suppose I would turn down an orange. But was just wanting to be helpful, mind you," he says in that drawling, slightly raspy voice of his.

The large crate is set where Gwen directed, and Eddie privately wonders how regular people unload these things. That must be pretty heavy for Mr. Wong at his age.

Eddie pauses and turns back towards her, leaning back against the crate. "Only a little new. Moved into a place down the street a couple of months back," he tells her. Enough time he's gotten to know a lot of the people up and down the street, in part for the amount of free time has with not having steady work.

Eddie's eyes stay mostly on Gwen as they talk in the back of the store. The store's ancient heater starts up. It clangs a few times as it has been doing lately when starting or stopping, causing Eddie to glance over it, slight look of concern before he refocuses on Gwen.

"Mostly stopped in kind of late," he tells her, the store being open overnight but the Wongs tending to take those shifts themselves. Probably not wanting to subject Gwen to the kind of people who come in. "I know Mr. and Mrs. Wong pretty well," he says with a little nod.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Once that crate is properly placed by the corner, with she dragging a couple of others to make space for those still in the truck Gwen then dusts her hands before sliding them to rest on her hips, exhaling slowly. "Couple of months is a bit. I have been on and off. Spent a while in .., another city. But returning now, enrolling again on ESU." she then gesturing around, "Hence why I am here. Well, not here in Wong's corner store, but here in the Village." she explains, another cintillating laughter leaving ruby lips.

"Lots of memories of this place though ..." And not all of them from this universe. But that is details.. She shakes her head at something but then her attention goes to the heater. She adjusts her beanie. "Darn it." she 'curses', wandering over to give the heater a little 'love tap' on the side. Well, a couple of them. "It needs some incentive sometimes. Might have to get a look at it one of these days.. But can't really make an omelette without eggs.."

"They are good people." She then says of the Wongs. "They are getting a bit old now too, and they deserve all the help they can get."

She nods to the outside, starting to wander back out to fetch another crate.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie nods and follows her outside. "They are good folks. Lots of good folks around here. Times are kind of hard though," he says, tugging his jacket further closed. It's not quite heavy enough for the current weather. But carrying crates doesn't hurt, a little physical activity to warm the blood.

He climbs up in the truck, getting a crate and sliding it to the back to where Gwen can get it more easily. Then sets the create of cabbages there and steps off, dropping to the ground without using a hand to lower himself like most people would. He turns back and picks up the crate, being careful to not just snatch it up easily.

"So ESU you say? Good school," Eddie tells her. "Of course, they made us sign a paper when we graduated that we'll tell the current students that," he jokes. But seeming to imply he graduated from there as well.