5245/Hooligans Just Not The Soccer Kind

Hooligans Just Not The Soccer Kind
Date of Scene:	18 February 2021
Location:	Wong's Corner Store
Synopsis:	Kids make a mess of Wong's Corner Store. Eddie and Gwen are in agreement about lentil beans.
Cast of Characters:	Eddie Brock, Gwen Stacy

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Eddie Brock has posed:
It's afternoon in the corner store. It's a sunny day, if still slightly below freezing. School has let out for the day, the sidewalk having occasional groups of kids wandering past, or stopping to tap out a reply on their phone. Or not stopping as they tap out a reply, nearly walking into other people.

Kids, amirite?

Eddie Brock dodges one such kid, face on his phone rather than where he's walking. "Lucky I'm not a bus," Eddie tells the him, "Buses can't get out of your way so easy."

The kid flips him the finger without even looking back, which makes Venom want to lash out. Ok it makes Eddie want to also, but he isn't as likely to actually act on that.

He stuffs his hands back into his jacket pocket and heads for the corner store. "We can't always count on getting extra chocolate. Might have to get the cheap kind," Eddie warns the symbiote as he heads inside.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Classes in the early morning. Lunch. A little study and then it's working at Wong's. Not even much of a chance to enjoy the sunny day as it is! But with how cold it is she is glad to be indoors, and now that the furnace has been fixed it's actually OKAY to work here. It also helped in having some more clientele around, some to dodge the cold and shop around a little, or just warming up. Gwen chats them up, either behind or in front of the counter, helping them with most their needs, many being already elderly.

Kids are around too. Taking advantage of the Hershey promotion? Or maybe just getting a coke to go. No hot cocoas here unfortunately.

Gwen has just finished helping Mr. Andrews in stocking up for the incoming cold, leading him out the door and then over to a shelf to get a few more itens on it, in the middle of it when there's that 'ding' of a new occupant in. She peeks over the shelves, blue eyes visible.

"Hey, Eddie. Stocking up?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
The little bell on the door chimes as Eddie steps inside. His eyes go right to the checkout stand to see who is working. But the lack of anyone there at all foils that attempt. But then he's being greeted, Eddie visually searching the rest of the small store and spotting that shock of blond hair visible over the one shelf.

His expression grows a bit warmer, though he affects a more nonchalant tone of voice as he says, "Oh, yeah you know me. Always seem to eat the stuff that's bad for me and leave the stuff that's good in the cabinet or fridge."

He moves further into the store, moving down an aisle, which puts him on the other side of the shelf from the shorter college coed. "How're things today? And did you still want that help with your one writing assignment?" he asks.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Yea? I don't recall you getting anything good that other time you were here." There. Judgement! But there's amusement sounding from behind that shelf, again the eyes visible for an instant when she does a small 'hop' before it's back to getting those cans in place. And a small grimace as she recalls all the assignments she will be having tonight. Great...

And to top it all off, if Gwen even goes out as Ghost Spider one wonders how many hours of sleep she will get.. Ah well, being young lets her do those things still. "I do." She then answers when Eddie comes around the shelf, her smile fully on him now. "Would tonight be a good time? Or tomorrow?" She asks. "The sooner the better, really."

She stops working now, rubbing her hands together and blowing on them to keep the cold away.

Another ding and a few more patrons come in, these time younger kids, one of them the one who flipped Eddie the finger.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie has a brief mental debate about if he should bring up the chemistry analysis of the bomb residue to Gwen. She is a sciency sort. But the questions it might lead to... oof. Maybe he'll ask that Parker kid from the Bugle. He was going to school for something science related, if Eddie remembers right.

He flashes Gwen a small, lopsided smile. "Can try for tonight, sure," he tells her. "Want me to come by or do you want to meet up somewhere?" he asks her.

Eddie looks at the goods on the shelf. Picks up a can of lentle beans. "Yep, this one would stay in the pantry," he says before replacing it. He turns to check the shelf behind him.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Tonight it is." Gwen then says as if that settled it, a grin and she wrapping her arms over her front, one hip jutting to the side. She watches Eddie pick up that can, making a face, "Yea.., not even I make those kind of sacrifices for my hips. No lentle beans.." apparently Gwen has limits! Beans? No.

Meanwhile the group of kids moves around the shop a bit, one laughing, another poking on his phone. One pushing another. They appear quite active. Gwen looks their way briefly but then her attention is back on Eddie, she considering..

"Lets make it my place? I wouldn't want to impose, and besides I am the one calling for help so might as well be the hostess too."

Another push, this time harder.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock hasn't really paid the kids too much mind, though his eyes had settled on the kid who flipped him off earlier. But just briefly. Not that Eddie was likely to escalate anything further, but present company would be the last person he'd want to witness something.

He does pay Gwen attention though. "Alright, your place it is," he agrees. "I'll bring my copy of Strunk and White," he says as a joke, before pausing. "I don't know if they still even teach about that," he says, considering. "Was sort of the Bible of writing. Not that, we need it to review a paper. Though if you don't have a copy, it's actually pretty handy and I really could bring it by. The Elements of Style," he says, finally giving the title of the book instead of just the authors.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Strunk and White?" That appears to be news to her, Gwen not exactly one that learned much about that field. But then she ahhs when Eddie explains further, "I don't have one." a playful expression then coming to her face, "Even if I do have plenty of style, mmm?" she opening her arms to the sides with a teasing grin. "Aim it for 7pm? So I can at least get you dinner. My treat." warm smile on the woman's features, she just about to turn when ...

One of the kids gets a bit more violent with another. In this case, the flipping bird kid pushing another away with a laugh. It's a stronger push though, one that makes the other young man tumble towards the shelf she had been arranging, hitting it with force.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie returns his hands to his jacket pockets, but has the jacket unzipped while he's inside the store. "Sure, 7pm works great," he tells her, giving Gwen a bit of a playful smile. "So much style, girl. So much I was afraid you wouldn't be here when I came. That you'd be off at fashion week in Paris or something," he tells her. His teasing expression isn't too far off of his regular one, though it shows in his eyes just a little bit.

Eddie turns and glances towards the front of the store. "Furnace seems to be working better," he comments. "Nice and warm in here. I bet Mrs. Wong-"

Whatever he's about to say is cut off as Eddie hears that thunk of the youth's body hitting the shelving so hard. He turns back around and sees the set of shelves rock over and hit their tipping point.

Items start falling off the shelves onto the floor, while the shelving itself starts to fall over. Not only will it hit them, but it'll probably take over the next shelf on the others die of the aisle as well.

Eddie ducks down, getting his body under the shelves so he can lift with his legs. He is on his own at the moment unless he wants to let the symbiote become visible. He straights, those metal shelves aren't light, and many of the items on the other side are still on the shelves there, just sliding toward the barrier in the middle.

He strains and pushes, rocking the shelving section back up towards that balance point, and then beyond it so it starts to fall back into place.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"A -lot- better, I-" A pause, a couple of seconds before the actual hit of the young man on the shelf. There's that warning from her senses that tells Gwen of imminent danger, just a tenuous feeling as it's quite the low kind of danger (unless someone gets trampled down by those shelves), but still there.

She reacts fast, almost by instinct, hands reaching as if she was of a mind to keep the shelf up too but ..., then she reminds herself. No suit. No good in looking like she has too much strength. The hesitation has it so Eddie takes the brunt of the weight on his back, a grimace on her expression. Perhaps regret? But what for though?

Not that she will let Eddie deal with the shelf all on his own. She places her hands on it and starts to help, applying just a tiny bit of her strength, sloooowly as they get it back in place.

"Slowly or we may just make it tumble the other way." she murmurs.

Meanwhile the kid that pushed the other is laughing out loud. Someone thinks this kind of stuff is funny!

Eddie Brock has posed:
As they pass that tipping point and the shelves start to fall back the other way, towards their normal upright position, Eddie reaches out to grab the top, using his weight pulling back to help balance them so they settle more gently onto the ground.

He lets go as they are back upright normally, though his attention quickly goes to Gwen. The older man moves to her, hand reaching out to take her arms gently near the elbow. "Are you ok?" he asks her, the man's attention completely on her.

The aisle they are in is just full of cans and boxes, and even the other side, a number fell off either at the ends or as the shelves were pushed back upright.

The other kids with the laughing one, don't seem like they want to stick around, in case anything to broke and they'll have to pay for it. They head for the door, one of them thwapping the laughing kid hard in the chest to snap him out of it.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Woah, just chill." The laughing kid says to the others, but eventually follows them out of the place too. Not even a check to see if anyone got hurt or not! Yet with the door opening they are soon trailing out the place, quick enough too.

Gwen lets out an exasperated sigh, looking a the line of boxes on the ground and all the .., confusion. "Great. Just--" a pause when the large man nears her, hands on her arms. Blue eyes turn up to look at him, perhaps surprised at the gesture. Though it's not as if she repels it, remaining there in place, smile warming when she notes the caring on his voice.

"I am, it's ok." She says, "You were the one taking most of the weight. Do you feel alright?" she questions.

And indeed she appears quite fine, no scratch or even a sprained hand or anything. Being young is good! (And having powers as well).

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie's hands drop from Gwen's arms as he realizes where they ended up in those moments he was concerned she could have been caught beneath one of the lower shelves and the floor or worse. "Alright, good," he says. "Yes, I'm fine. Just wish the little sh-... the guy had stuck around to help clean up his mess," Eddie says, turning to glare towards the door that the teens retreated through.

He crouches, bending at the knees to pick up some cans. "I'm not quite sure where all of these go," he says, looking from the can to the shelf, but apparently intending to help pick up the mess.

"Oh wait, this one I know," he says, picking up a can of lentle's and putting it back in its place.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Once Eddie drops his hands from Gwen's arms she brings them up a little to wrap them around her waist, shifting her weight from foot to foot and the smile still lingering for a bit on her lips. Focus then goes to the culprits, "The little shits come here sometimes. I should had paid more attention." yes, she said it. A look to the door, another sigh and she brings some wispy blonde hair back behind one ear, "I used to be just as obnoxious.." okay, maybe not *like* that. But close.

Her shoulders rise in a brief shrug, as if dispelling some old memories and she laughs when Eddie picks up the lentles can. "Look at that, learning your way around the store already. But no, leave them be." she assures the man. "I will handle it." she bending over to start picking up some items from the ground. This was going to delay her work day here but .., nothing that would matter.

"And remember, 7pm okay?"