724/Mugger Population Control

Mugger Population Control
Date of Scene:	24 March 2020
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Spidey stops Joey and his carjacker pals, and makes a Friend.
Cast of Characters:	Kurt Wagner, Peter Parker

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Kurt Wagner has posed:
While the weather might still be on the cold side at least the day was bright and sunny and while Kurt Wagner does love his job and extended family... sometimes you just have to get away. Fortunately the city is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Mansion, especially when one can teleport so it was no hassle at all to sneak out for the day. While he certainly does not blend in to the crowd he has grown increasingly comfortable with that fact so while he almost certainly got more then his fair share of stares and murmured comments, he ignored it completely as he hit a double feature of classic swashbuckling action movies and grabbed a meal. And though the sun is increasingly falling under the western horizon, bathing the world in an indigo hue that is not that different then the color of his fur, he's not quite ready to call it a day.

It might not be the wisest course of action to wander Central Park after dark -- at least not off the beaten path -- but he isn't exactly the ordinary sort of tourist. He has indeed left the path, skirting his way to the edge of the treeline where, with a little *bamf* and a swiftly dissipating cloud of brimstone he finds himself up, perched on the limb of a tree between one step and the next. The perfect perch to just watch, to relax and enjoy the solitude for at least a little while longer before making the trek home...

Peter Parker has posed:
Those BASTARDS!
Joey had thought his friends Aaron and Jack were going to back him up when robbing that Beemer and the driver, but then a particularly-annoying wall-crawling FREAK showed up and things went sideways in a hurry.

One chaotic minute later, the BMW is webbed to an alley wall, Aaron is webbed to it, the lady has her purse back, and Jack ran off to the north.

Joey THOUGHT he was home free because the Webhead had chased after Jack, but he heard someone calling after him, "You're next, Chuckles!" and he knew he was hip-deep in sheep dip.

He had ducked into the park, hoping to lose him in the trees. He tossed the pistol in the shrubbery as he ran through the forest in the northern edge of the park.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Of course it is not all that unusual to see people running in the park. Indeed, during the daylight hours it is probably impossible to go more then a few minutes without passing someone jogging on one of the paths. But it is getting a little late for that sort of thing and again, as the hour presses onward it is increasingly rare to find anyone who will veer off the well lit paths onto the open fields or sprawling stands of trees. At least no one with any sort of legitimate business at any rate.

The growing dark doesn't really bother Kurt. If anything it does make those yellow eyes of his almost seem luminous as they take in all available light -- something no city every truly lacks, even in a park this size. So it is the motion that catches his attention first, that draws his eyes, still plenty early enough in the year that few of the trees have begun to bloom. He watches with interest as something is hurled away -- too far to be sure what it is but experienced enough to know what the likely possibilities are and as the shadowed figure first ducks into the trees, the darkly-furred figure of Nightcrawler begins to shadow him up in the branches above, moving with practiced ease, hands, feet and tail all letting him move swiftly across the tree limbs as others might run across pavement.

Peter Parker has posed:
Joey is breathing hard as he runs along the path. He thinks he lost him. He's pretty sure...

And then Kurt sees someone else moving along the treetops, only he's jumping from trunk to trunk. He's coming from the opposite direction, seeming to herd Jack towards the intersection which is also an intercept point.
"Joey...you have no Friends now. Not even Monica or Phoebe can help ya."

The voice came from overhead and Joey whirls around, panicked.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Looks like it is a bad night to be Joey.

The little forest might not be as overgrown as it will be in another couple of months and without the canopy of leaves it is not completely cut off from the night sky overhead. Still, it is considerably darker then it would be out by the path, or even in the open field. And good old Joey plainly does not see in the dark like Kurt does, his stumbling steps and muttered curses giving good evidence of that. Nor does he seem to react well to that taunting from overhead -- or straight ahead as far as Kurt is concerned -- as his panicked flight looks mostly likely to send him head first into a tree... or perhaps the gully that Nightcrawler can clearly see about thirty feet ahead but which Joey seems completely unaware of.

While not losing track of the fleeing man on the ground, the darkly-furred mutant turns a little more of his attention to the young man's pursuer, watching as he moves through the trees with the same ease as himself, the colorful costume making it fairly plain just who he is, if the acrobatic abilities left any doubt. How very interesting.

Peter Parker has posed:
Joey looked around. "Listen, you freak. Enough playing games!"

"Fine."
Spider-Man drops out of the trees twenty feet behind Joey, who hears the sound and turns around, and then, oh, hey, a little .380.
He pulls the trigger and Spidey's head jinks to the right, the bullet whizzing past his ear. He raises an arm, there is a quiet THWIP! and the gun is not covered in webbing.

"Now, Joey...I'd advise you not to try that again. The barrel's covered, and you'd blow your hand off, even with that pop-gun. Now, do we have to go through the whole punching and weaving part, or do you want to skip a step and just lay down on the ground now?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
There are so many protocols to this sort of thing and he certainly doesn't want to step on anyone's toes. His understanding is that some in the costumed community get very put out if their work is interfered with and he is not really looking for trouble. He was just out to enjoy the lights of the city before heading home really and while he has found watching this whole thing very informative and interesting, maybe there is no harm in lending his own voice to this? Surely that won't cause any sort of misunderstanding or trouble. With a little *bamf* Kurt is suddenly about twenty feet on the other side of the unfortunate Joey, still perched in the tree, but on a much lower-hanging branch, only eight feet or so off the ground. "You should consider doing as he suggests, yes? Much less painful and you surely know how this will end otherwise," he says, his words faintly accented. Even on that lower branch though he is still all but invisible in the night, a disembodied voice out of the shadows. Except for those yellow eyes and oh so white teeth curled into a smile, a hint of fang showing.

Peter Parker has posed:
Joey turned, and Spider-Man knows he is going to try to fire the pistol again. Fear trumps common sense for some people.
Joey raises the hand with the webbed pistol, and then Spider-Man lunges forward, a right cross putting all Joey's hopes and fears on hold. Joey drops, out cold.

Spider-Man takes out a small atomizer bottle from the backpack, looking over to Kurt. "Hey, there...hope we didn't interrupt your calm reverie." He sprays the webbed hand, then pulls the pistol free and tosses it aside before webbing Joey to the brick path.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
And scratch one Joey. Some people just are not that bright.

With the burgeoning young convict to be now out cold, Kurt allows himself to slip from the tree limb, starting to fall towards the ground before his tail lashes out, wrapping around the branch and slowing his descent so that the last few feet are an easy descent. He watches as the webbing is dissolved then reapplied to bind the troublesome young man in place before he lifts his own three-fingered hand and waves aside Spider-Man's apology. "Not at all. Had I wished to be entirely on my own I am quite certain I could have found a more isolated spot closer to home. My apologizes for involving myself in a matter that you quite clearly had under control," he offers up in return.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man shakes his head. "No one got shot. You did distract him, which allowed me to get in close so I could cold-cock him. So, Team Tree-Dwellers." He raises a fist for Kurt to bump.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Well, he was looking for a suitable ending to his evening away from the Mansion, right? If this is not exactly the quite, peaceful survey of Manhatten lit up by night, it is perhaps more appropriate in it's own way. A sly smile slides over his face and he dips his head. "So it would seem. It is rare that I see others as able as myself to move along tree limbs like that," he says, balling up those fingers and bumping the costume mand's clenched fist.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckles...then extends a hand. "You can call me Spider-Man...or Spidey...or even Webhead. There are others, but I won't dirty the air with them." He doesn't seem to mind the blue coloring, or the eyes, or the ears, or the tail, or even the hands.

Someone who approaches the unknown with interest instead of dread.

"So, what should I call you, he of the tail-friendly knickerboxers?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Mmmm, yes I have read of some of your exploits. It is a pleasure to meet you Spider-Man," the darkly-furred mutant says with a smile, dipping his head as he gives the costumed hero's hand a shake. "I suppose in some sense it would be most appropriate to introduce myself as Nightcrawler. That is how I am known when I am up to things beyond the day to day," he says with a florid sweep of his hand, waving it across his body in a half bow.

Straightening, he grins once more. "Or you may call me Kurt if you would rather. No colorful name -- or mask for that matter -- would truly hide me if someone was actually interested. I do rather stand out in most crowds afterall," he conceeds without apparent concern.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey chuckles. "Yes, you do have a particular sense of style, I must admit. Helps you stand out in any crowd. And by the fact you're actually shaking my hand suggest you're not one of the Straight Talkers that idolize J. Jonah Jameson."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It does seem unlikely that he would fall into J. Jonah Jameson's target demographic. Certainly his smile takes on a wry caste at that possibility and he gives a small shake of his head. "I am certain he is a good man in his own way but my experience suggests that things are rarely so black and white as he might wish to present them," he says before giving a small shrug. "I obviously do not know why you do what you do. But the man that Mr. Jameson writes about would not care if some ignorant young thug blew his own hand off while trying to do grevious harm to him. If nothing else, that alone says a great deal about you Spider-Man. Something that few might appreciate perhaps, but not unnoticed by all of us," he points out with a smile. "So long as you know that many of us understand that you are a good man at heart."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey's blushing under the mask. "Aw, shucks, man, t'weren't nothin'." He chuckles. "Well, I actually think that his only flaw is with me. I hear he's a staunch supporter of mutant rights. And I have it on good authority that he's an old-school newspaper man. So I'm willing to forgive him for his opinion." He tilts his head. "Are you in the superheroing biz? I think I'd remember if you were, but you got some moves there."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
More proof that almost no one is truly all bad. Kurt dips his head in acknowledgement of the points. "And you would defend the man who would demonize you in turn. Striving to understand our neighbors does much to make our world a better place," he agrees simply before he smiles once more and gives a self-depricating smile. "Mutants, even those who would help are not always beloved. Sometimes we can help more by doing our best work unseen," he says simply. "For my part as well I have been overseas for the past couple of years and am only recently returned to your country," he offers up by way of explanation.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey blinks. The lenses actually close and open again, like a cartoon character. "Oh. Well, welcome to New York. Ya hungry? Big Jake's chili dog cart is not far away, and his wife makes the chili fresh every night. I'm a little flush, so I'll buy."

The extra $40 tip from the guy with the hyperactive and poorly-trained Pomeranian does help.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
How interesting. That is quite the mask, isn't it? He might not have the science bent that someone like Hank McCoy might have, but even he finds the little touches of Spider-Man's costume curious. "My thanks. While I do not reside here -- I actually work upstate -- but it is always nice to visit," he says. "And that is a most generous offer. I must be heading back soon but when else am I likely to get the chance to say that I had a chilli dog with Spider-Man?" he says slyly, giving a quiet laugh. "Please, by all means lead the way."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey nods, then takes out a rather old smartphone and taps an application. He taps a few keys, then says, "Okay, we're good. Told the cops about Joey back there, he's going to get a visit soon. I think this is Captain Stacy's precinct so he won't..."

Spider-Man stops, putting a hand to his head. He shakes it, then says, "...Sorry. I thought I had to avoid Captain Stacy, but I don't. I wonder why I thought I did."

He shrugs. "Too many late nights. I'll be fine."

A few seconds later, he spots the cart that Big Jake runs 14 hours a day, six days a week. "There he is."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It has been awhile since he had to push himself. Life these days is... well, not simplier. Teaching will never be simple. Teaching young mutants even less so. But certainly a big change from those days recovering from his injuries in trying to protect the Morlocks from those intent on slaughtering them, or the long months of recovery from those same injuries in London. But he remembers exhaustion well.

Watching curiously as the costumed hero taps at his phone and seems to struggle for a moment, Kurt keeps up with ease as they approach that little stand. "No apologies necessary. But perhaps I should not be the only one to consider going home after grabbing a bite to eat," he suggests with a gentle smile.