6521/Mads About Town

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Mads About Town
Date of Scene: 10 June 2021
Location: Brooklyn
Synopsis: Spider-Man crosses Madison's avenue, and they go to White Castle.
Cast of Characters: Peter Parker, Madison Evans




Peter Parker has posed:
Brooklyn has a serious reputation, but it also has a few things that the other boroughs don't have. Like the picturesque Brighton Beach, or the colorful shops along the boardwalk.

Or, oddly enough, the large purple van. The intricately-painted side panel displays Gandalf (the Ian McKellan version) pointing his white staff ahead of him while astride a large Kodiak bear instead of the more-suitable Shadowfax. The fact the bear is wearing Ray-Bans does not normalize the image. Nor does the fact that they are coming in on some kind of tidal wave, and using a great white shark as a surfboard.

Somewhere, many miles away, both Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg shudder uncontrollably and have no idea why.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison is supposed to meet her mother at the pizza place for lunch - and she has every intention of doing so, but a sight like this is worthy of some consideration. So as the teen approaches the van, her steps slow and then come to a stop as she stares at the image, tilting her head first to one side, then the other. "Huh," she remarks articulately. I mean, what else are you supposed to stay with faced with such a spectacle? And then the girl pulls up her cellphone, snapping a few quick photos of the vehicle.
    Someday - she will own such a van. But she has a different image in mind for hers...

Peter Parker has posed:
There is a slight thrumm as something lands on the street lamp above Madison's head. Following that is the voice.

Which is also odd because that ALSO comes from overhead.
"Uhm...miss? You might want to give that van a wide berth."

Madison Evans has posed:
    The girl's gaze goes up - and with that, her phone, conveniently bringing Spiderman into frame.
    Click.
    "Oh. Wow. Oh, hi!" Madison says brightly - as it seems to take her a moment to process what was just said. After all, she's suddenly faced with the image of a superbeing perched above her head. But it sinks in, after a moment, and the girl starts to back. "Umm - why, though?" she asks. "Is it- is the van gonna explode or something?" But the ART! It'll get ruined!

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man smiles pleasantly under the mask, but he points down the street. "What say we head over to the White Castle down the street, and I'll let you in on the secret?"
He hops down to the street, landing almost without a sound. "I'll even buy, okay?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Well- yeah. Sure. I mean, I'm good with secrets. I can keep secrets - if you like." The fact that she's never eaten at White Castle before is even a bonus. Something to cross off on her 'new to the East Coast' bingo card. Which she may have... literally made.
    "You're the real Spiderman?" she asks as she approaches - quickly adding, "I mean, of course you are, because otherwise you wouldn't-" she gestures up towards the street lamp before quickly adding, "I'm Madison."
    Yup. Smooth, Maddie. Real smooth.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckles. "Okay...we're going to do a lot better if you remember...there's a *hyphen.* Just the tiniest pause between the two words."
He begins walking toward the telltale white building with the squared parapets, seeming not to mind the occasional stare. But then again, the suit is a serious upgrade from the long underwear design.
"Nice to meet you, Madison." They walk a few steps more before he says, his voice a little quieter, "It's a surveillance van for the NYPD."

Madison Evans has posed:
    Honestly - there isn't a lot of space between words when you're talking to Madison. The girl seems a bit excitable. "Oh. Right, sorry. I- uh, I'll remember that." It occurs to her now that 'meet Spider-man' was nowhere on her 'New to the East Coast' bingo card. Suddenly that seems like an oversight. "Nice to meet you too, umm, sir." She walks alongside the man, glancing back towards the van as its 'secret identity' is revealed to her. "Whoa - it is? But- ...why make it so obvious and memorable then?" she asks. Doesn't that work against them?
    And then her gaze going uuuup towards the facade of White Castle - amusement pulling at her lips. "It's kinda like Citadel Outlet," she muses. "Only not as impressive."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckles. "There's a little psychology to it, though. And you can just call me Spidey."
He opens the door for Madison, following her inside.

The interior is all white, from the tiled floor to the ceiling. The servers and cashiers, composed of Repperton family members (family franchise) spot Spider-Man, and a couple even wave.
"My adoring public. Have you ever had sliders? They're like tiny hamburgers."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Spidey?" Madison repeats. "Well - sure, sir. I mean, Spidey." She walks up towards the counter - staring up at the menu as she adds, "I had sliders once as an appetiser at a restaurant. I've never had White Castle's sliders before, though. We just moved out here from California. Have you ever had In-n-Out?" She asks - glancing towards the man beside her.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey hmmed. "Liked the burgers. Fries not no much so. Best fries are from the Dairy Queen in Queens, near Forest Hills." He winks, then looks to his left as the cashier steps up. "Ten sliders, fries, and a tall cherry Coke."

Madison Evans has posed:
    Pointing at the menu Madison adds, "Can I try one of the crab cake sliders, too? I've never had a crab cake at a fast food place before. Ooo! And the chicken and waffles slider! And a root beer and fries." She reaches into her pocket, pulling out her wallet so she can get her credit card.
    "Their shakes were good, too. At In-n-Out," she clarifies - just in case there were any doubts on the matter. Then suddenly she blinks and asks, "Can you even eat when you're in the Spidey suit thing? I mean - I thought the whole point was... was to stay secret."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey grins, then lifts up the mask to nose-level. Caucasian lower face, white teeth, but average for the most part. "This works for me."
The cashier points to an empty table. "That one's clear."
Spidey nods, then walks over to the table, pulling a chair out for Madison.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison hands over her card to pay for the food - before joining Spider-man at the booth, a huge grin on her features. "I'm not, umm, keeping you from like... saving lives or anything, am I?" she girl asks, swinging her leg idly. "I mean- I wouldn't want to do nothing like that. And how come you," she leans in closer so she can lower her voice, "how come you know about the van? Were you watching the same thing they were? What're they watching, anyways? It's safe around here - isn't it?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man takes a deep breath. "Relax, Madison. Truth is, I was near the end of my patrol when I spotted you down the street. As for the van, I'd seen it before. Different color paint job, with a large roach on the roof. And they were watching the same place I was, so I saw the 'workmen' step in and out. If workmen are wearing body armor, it's not drywall they're after. I suspect they are providing surveillance for a recent crime scene, to see if the one responsible returns to grab anything he left behind that could be construed as evidence of his involvement. I don't think you should have to worry, though. It's when you see the police in body armor that you might want to make yourself scarce."

Madison Evans has posed:
    The girl's expression turns a bit sheepish as she's told to 'relax.' Odds are - that's the sort of admonishment she's heard more than a few times in her life. "Sorry," the girl replies. "I get... ummm, a bit excited sometimes." She shifts in her seat before asking curiously, "It must be pretty exciting, though - helping people like you do. Do you, umm, have like a favorite rescue you were part of? I mean - we see some of it- err, saw some of it in Caifornia, but we just don't seem to have as many superheroes out there as folks do around here. ...I've wondered why a lot, actually."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man chuckles, but in a genial way, not a mean way. "it's a bit of a mystery for some. New York City seems to be a kind of nexus. Maybe it's all the people, maybe it's something else. But it is what it is. I mean, there's also Metropolis...and Gotham City. Both cities with their own...intense histories. I've actually tracked down a few criminal enterprises that connect New York to both of those places."

He looks up as the food arrives, giving the waitress a wry smile before looking back to Madison. "Well...I have one story. From the early part of my career. Do you have any issues with the concepts of bombs, though?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Yeah, but - LA and San Francisco," Madison points out.
    "Thank you!" Madison adds brightly to the girl who brings the food - flashing a bright smile, before returning her attention to the man across from her. "Issues with the concepts of bombs? I mean - I don't really understand them more than, you know, anyone else. I don't have any particular 'issues' with them, though, other'n thinking that they're pretty bad. On the scale of bad things - really high up. You know?" Clearly this is a highly scientific scale.
    She looks at the different sliders, and finds the crab cake one - nibbling at it curiously.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man nods. "Well, the thing is, some people find certain concepts...unsettling. There is a guy I saved from a car bomb who used to live in Tel Aviv, and the idea of a bomb scared him so much he'd become a recluse afterward. His family's taking care of him, at least."

He ponders. "Okay...someone set up a bomb near a fashion show. I'd heard about potential trouble but I wasn't expecting fifteen pounds of C-4 plastic explosive. Forget the nails and such he put in it, the C-4 alone was enough to turn the building into a parking lot. Just add asphalt."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Nails? Ugh. What a //jerk//," Madison opines. "I hope this story ends with him getting tossed in the-" there's a pause to think. "Hudson?" That's one of the rivers around Manhatten, right? "And getting fished out by the NYPD." She takes another bite of her slider while she waits for Spider-man to continue.

Peter Parker has posed:
"I had him webbed up, but there was the matter of the bomb. And he wasn't very forthcoming about how to disarm it." He took a bite of a slider, then a sip of cherry Coke. "I do have one ability. I can sense danger before it happens. Maybe a half-second, maybe a second more, but it's there, and it helps keep me alive. It was when I got close to the bomb that I felt it buzzing in my head."

He takes another deep breath. "And I had a crazy idea. It was as good as any I could suddenly come up with. So, I started grabbing wires. Not pulling them, just...holding on to them. And every time I grasped a wire, I felt that Spider-Sense going like a five-alarm fire in my head..."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Like Jedi! In some of the books - they can sense danger," Madison asserts - a broad smile breaking across her features. I mean - the comment makes sense, especially when paired with her 'Han Shot First' shirt.
    "Oooohhhh. So that's how you knew which wires were bad?" she asks - a thoughtful look on her features. "You can really defuse bombs like that? Huh!" She takes another bite of her slider, chewing thoughtfully.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckled. "I'd read about bombs, but had never taken any training in defusing them. I was working off of instinct and nothing else. And I had hoped that my special instinct would work in this case."
He finished his slider, then sipped.

"I was almost out of wires, when I took one in my hand...and it was like my Spider-Sense shut off completely. Not so much as a tiny tingle. Holding onto that wire was not dangerous in ANY WAY..."

"He smiled wryly. "So THAT ONE was the one I yanked. And when I did, the bomb shut down completely."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "And //then// you dumped that asshole in the Hudson. I mean, really, he'd deserve it." Madison sips at her soda before asking in a baffled voice, "Why blow up a fashion show anyways? I mean - I don't like fashion shows, but I don't kill people to express my opinion."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey shrugged. "No idea. The guy who set it up didn't have any rational reason, but that didn't stop him from wanting to do it anyway. Something about how all the models looked like hookers was what he was braying about when the cops put him in the squad car." He sighs. "People are weird. Some are just weirder than others."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Oh, great. Puritanical body shaming as an excuse for murder. Talk about //issues//." Madison rolls her eyes broadly - before picking up her chicken and waffles slider. She takes a cautious bite - before offering the man across from her a broad smile. "This is fun. I've never seen any fast food places on the West Coast with food quite like this."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey shrugs. "Well, different cuisines are born in different cultures, and sometimes something is so universally accepted, it is successful almost without deserving it." He sits a little straighter. "But I do have something to confess to you about that caper...and a lot of others like it."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "To confess?" Madison asks. Her eyes go to one side, then the other, as if checking for evesdroppers - before she leans in closer towards Spider-man. "...like what?" she asks in a dramatic whisper. It's a little unclear if she's hamming it up - or being serious.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey leans forward a little more. "...I was scared the whole time. I didn't want to look it. The mask hides it well enough, but I find myself in over my head a lot. And I get scared. But sometimes you have to do what's right...what's *good*...even when you're scared."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Oh," Madison replies - giving a little nod of her head, before she leans back into her seat. "So do you, umm, do you think that like //everyone// with superpowers shoulder be, you know, trying to help people? Even if they're scared?" she asks a little uncertainly, picking up her root beer to take a drinnk.
    You know. Asking for no reason at all. Asking for... a friend. Sure.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man smiles. It is a warm, friendly smile.
"I think that everyone who has gifts should use them to help others. It doesn't even have to be a superpower. It can be a talent, an affinity, an interest, something that is yours that you can do. The best thing you can do with it is to help someone, or enrich their lives, or create something. To think beyond yourself. And the greater the gift...the great the responsibility for it. And to misuse it...is the worst thing you can do with it."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I don't think my mom would like it very much - if I was doing anything dangerous, though," Madison confides. In fact, she's pretty sure she'd ge one of those 'talking to's that all kids try to avoid. "But Jedi try to help people. That's what they //do//." She lets out a quiet, somewhat frustrated sigh before taking another bite from her slider.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nodded. "No one said it was easy. But it helps to find someone willing to help. I had to do my training all by myself. On-The-Job Superhero Training. I am actually kinda piecing together a book, How to Superhero on $5 a Day. Think that's a good title?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madeline can't help but let out a little giggle. "It's not bad," she agrees. "But then - you're going to publish it under the name of Spider-man? How does the publisher pay you, then? They're gonna write checks to 'Spider-man,' and you're gonna show up at the bank in costume and try to cash them?"

Peter Parker has posed:
"Hmmm...good point. Maybe I can give it to the guy who takes all my pictures, and he can publish it for me." Spider-Man chuckles. "Might actually sell a hundred, maybe two hundred...COPIES." He looked to Madison, then to the sight of flickering red-and-blue lights in the distance. "Looks like they heard something worth calling in backup for. I should probably head over and see what's what..."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I mean - I'd buy one," Madison offers. Her phone is buzzing - but she's ignoring it for a moment as she peeks out at the flashing lights. "...oh. More lives to save, huh?"
    She looks back at the man across from her as she adds, "Well - goodluck. Stay safe, okay? And, ummm, thanks for introducing me to White Castle, Spidey." She flashes him a broad smile.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey smiled, then extended a hand for a handshake as he stood. "Nice to meet you, Madison. Stay safe."