8030/What we leave behind

What we leave behind
Date of Scene:	28 September 2021
Location:	Queens
Synopsis:	Ben was definitely not spying on Aunt May and June can say whatever she wants, but if she says he was she's lying because he definitely wasnt and he's not going to text her.
Cast of Characters:	Ben Reilly, June Connor

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Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben really can't remember the last time he came home to Queens and he isn't even sure if it's fair to call Queens home at all. The line between where Peter stops and he begins is so blurred sometimes, it would be difficult to sort through and impossible to forget. 'Who am I?' takes on a whole deeper meaning, beyond what any 19 yo boy is asking himself at that age.

Sitting in his favorite tree in an empty lot next to Aunt May's apartment, where he'd grown up, he rest his head back against the wood behind him. The red hood up over his blonde hair with thin legs pulled up to his chest as he watched her inside through the window. Laughing at something she's watching on television. Eating her dinner. Unaware that he exists.

It's not necessarily meant to be a sad thing though. How could she? Why would she?

So why would he be upset?

Taking small pleasure out of just seeing her face, Ben smiled to himself through the gloom of his inner monologue as he huddled beneath the shadow of a tree he'd climb a dozen or so times over the last few months to watch a woman who he remembers raising him, but who has never actually met him.

June Connor has posed:
    It's the house behind hers that June is exiting, muttering with less peaceful remorse than Ben. A stream of cuss words fly from her mouth as she kicks the siding. It's not here. This was the address for the pickup. She's been played. Whoever lives in this house likely has nothing to do with the deal she was supposed to close.

    June's shredded black tee reveals more of her than it covers, and her blue jeans have received similar treatment. Her piercings indicate that she's not the most cuddly of characters to begin with, lip, nose, eyebrow, ears.

    She runs her hand through her dyed purple hair, and kicks the window unit in the house for good measure, setting it a little askew in its mount. There, she feels better now. In the little back yard she puts her hands on her hips, and lets out a sigh, glancing up...and...is that Spider-Man? The scrawny young woman curls a lip as she stares, and then looks at the house he is spying on. Is that her target? Why is he staring in that window?

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ahhh the familiar sounds of the Queens borough.

Window units being rattled, car alarms, and the slamming of doors! It's almost as familiar to Ben as the memories of when he was a kid.. You weren't ever a kid, he says to himself. Which is besides the point, brain, why are we bringing up painful details? Can't we get through one single thing without mentioning we have traumatic past? Is that too much to ask for?

The masked hero glances over in the direction he'd heard the sounds of someone doing a kick suey, but pays it very little mind when he spies someone coming out of said house. They fit the bill for living in this neighborhood. Aunt May, you really need to get out of this neighborhood. She never does though. Too many memories.

With another sigh, he lays his head back against the tree and loosens his grip on one leg so it can straighten out in front of him. "My empire for some of her cobbler though." Murmured to himself. "I'm so freakin hungry."

June Connor has posed:
    June just stands for several seconds, glancing between Ben and the house he oversees. Is he overseeing that, or is he just...watching someone. Which means work. He has to be watching for something. She slides out of view, very thankful for the training she received from the Hand for the moment. Over one fence, and soon behind him, she quietly creeps up behind him, silently gripping the tree beneath him, and she ascends ever so slightly, just enough so that she could see in the window he's peering. An old lady? "What the fuck?" she says aloud. So much for stealth.

Ben Reilly has posed:
While his spidey senses would probably go nuts if she'd intended him any harm, just casually climbing a tree really wasn't a threatening act. So Scarlet Spider remains blissfully unaware of the ninja in his midst until right about the time she speaks behind him, "Holy carpentry chair, where the heck did you even-" See this is a very awkward moment for him okay. He was just... causally spying on someone...

This could be considered very creepy under any other circumstances if he weren't able to completely logically explain that he's actually a clone of this woman's nephew who is jus- okay... okay so he can't explain it.

But he can put the blame on her. Which he will do.... now: "Who climbs strange trees and sneaks up on completely normal people sitting in them?" So weak. So fragile. So awkward.

June Connor has posed:
    June eyes him, her green eyes peering up with a lack of concern for his argument. This isn't Spider-man. Costume doesn't look right. "Oh, good question," she says, holding with one hand a branch, and swinging out like an ape before dropping to the ground. She walks to the fence of Aunt May's house, and folds her arms across her chest. "Who does that? Saw you and I was like 'oh, he's watching some porn level action in there. Or some busty blonde stripping," she casually comments. "But nope!" She gives a condescending grin. "We got us a Spider-Man wannabe who is creepin' on old ladies."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"I don't think it's fair to cast judgemental overtones on things you don't understand..." Scarlet Spider says to the dangling, then dropping, June. He reaches down to grab the branch, rolls off the side, and hangles off the edge. Lowering himself down into a crouch in front of her by a string of web slowly extending from his wrist. "Also kind of assumptive. Maybe I'm watching whatever she's watching, have you considered that? Hm? Maybe I'm trying to catch up on the Voice.. or Metropolis' got Talent. You know they had that Hypotico guy on there who called Wonder Woman the C word last week.."

Wigggle point in her direction.

"It could be completely casual, if slightly unethical, case of stealing television."

That makes perfect sense.

June Connor has posed:
    "Yeah, well, everybody judges everybody, I like bein' part of the group." She watches as he strings down with a web. It unsettles her, clearly. "Holy shit, you really are one of the spiderkids," she says. "Look, I ain't surprised to find out a hero is really a perv," she says, holding up her hands. "Not like I haven't dealt with my share of creepy old guys. You wanna pretend you're watchin' TV, fuck, who am I to be able to stop you? But let's not pretend, okay? Heroes are supposed to be honest and shit."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Can you please keep your voice down?" Ben urges in a strained, but still marginally quiet tone, patting the air towards the ground, "Be cool. This isn't as weird as it seems okay? I just know her. I use to.. I use to help her out a lot when I was younger and then my family moved and-" He's about as bad at lying as Peter is. Which is to say very very bad at it.

But some of it is true?

"Listen, I'm not a perv. I'm just checking on her. Don't make it weird, and please stop making a scene... I'm not suppose to be here." Because he made promises that he wouldn't make things awkward for Peter or something, who even knows, there's no logs about that to read.

But it certainly makes THIS sound pretty weird!

June Connor has posed:
    It brings a smile to June's face. It's not a nice smile. "Oh shit!" She laughs, though she does bring her voice down a little as she covers her mouth. "She's got an EPO out on you, doesn't she?" It's the most delightful thing yet. "Okay okay," she holds out one hand, "So you aren't supposed to be here, you used to help her out with stuff. You probably fucked something up major league and pissed her off, she's like, 'da fuck outta my house and never come back!'" There's a mock old lady voice she uses, though again, keeping her voice down. The tension is way too good to ruin. She takes a second to laugh and breathe. Breath June, it's the best laugh you've had in a while.

    "Okay and you," she points back at you, "You are like, 'if only I could do it again, I wouldn't be a shit head and she'd think I'm a nice guy and make me cookies.'" She arches that pierced brow. "Am I gettin' warm?" she asks.

Ben Reilly has posed:
If Ben's masks eyes could talk, they would be saying something like what the actual heck is this woman talking about, but his mask cannot talk. So he must let the silent stare of his big bug eyes on the red mask do all the talking for him. "Are you a crazy person?" He wonders out loud, "Did you just come up with that whole thing on the spot from... no. No that is... are you high?"

He actually leans forward to sniff her, "You've been smoking weed right? You're high on weed and PCP, aren't you. God, no. I just use to help her out and then I told someone I'd stop coming around. We'll call it a breakup or something I guess, if you want, but it wasn't because it's a lot more complicated than that. Suffice that it's none of your business. And has nothing to do with me creeping on some nice old lady." Which is true, but also not true because he kind of was, but it wasn't in a creepy way.

"Can we just rewind back a little bit to reality some? Like two or three steps back into not a crazy person. And look at this objectively?" Objectively, she's actually kind of got a lot of evidence pointing to her being absolutely right in her assessment.... a fact he seems to come to as well. Which is why he sucks his teeth. "It's not what it looks like."

So awkward.

June Connor has posed:
    There is the smell of weed on her, but nothing else. She just grins like a cheshire cat as Ben squirms under that accusation, and leans back against the fence again. "Okay okay, sure babe," she says teasingly. "This I gotta hear. So promised-" she holds her fingers up in quotes-"Someone. Ex girlfriend? Ex...boyfriend?" she provides the alternate. You never know. "Objectively you just told me that you're not supposed to be here, but you are. Meaning you're breaking whatever that is about. Does Mrs. Robinson here know about this agreement?" she asks, prying further. Is it her business? Nope. But she's clearly enjoying the art of making it her business.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Boyfriend.. Wait-" Ben says off handedly, "He's a friend who is a boy, but we- no. We're kind of more like brothers than- why am I telling you anything at all!" Waving his hands in frustration, "I'm humoring this and shouldn't." Those same hands cross over his chest... foot tapping, looking around. Feeling and looking awkward.

"No she doesn't know about it. That would be too confusing." Said in a much quieter voice. "She'd probably think I was someone else anyways, so it's just better if we stop talking about it. And we never mention it again. Actually, since I have no idea who you even are, that shouldn't be hard at all!" Back to waving his hands in frustration.

"Has anyone ever told you you're super irritating?"

June Connor has posed:
    "Yeah, I get that a lot," June admits, refusing to wipe that grin off her face. "Okay, so your 'not boyfriend' said you can't come around, even though you're like brothers. That sounds like it doesn't add up. You have to understand that mostly I'm doing this not because I care, but because I'm a bitch, and I love the fact that I just got to see one of you holier-than-though bastards stepping on the wrong side of the fence. I ain't gonna rat you out, man. I'm just gettin' a rise out of ya."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"I said it was complicated!" Ben shouts. He doesn't yell, but he definitely shouts. Loud enough that a neighbor dog starts barking... his shoulders slump forward, head hanging. In a quieter voice, "I said it was complicated.. I did not say it made sense. It is true though." His hands move, once again talking with them, but it seems like all the energy for defending himself has been sapped out of him.

Now it's all autopilot.

"Even if you did, all it would do is make things weird, but it's nothing illegal. Just weird. Because my existance is super weird. So if you're done-, and even if you're not done, I'm done." Hands moving. Very slow. Not as frustrated. "I'm going to go now before we circle back around again because this is exhausting and you're exhausting."

June Connor has posed:
    The deflation of Ben does strike a nerve, not a mean one this time. June's smile fades, seeing the serious tone of his defeat. "Shit. I'm sorry," she apologizes. "This really has your dick bent, doesn't it?" she asks, even if she's serious, she seems to maintain a rather crass tenor.

    "Look, I didn't mean any real harm, okay? I get what it's like havin' a sucky life," she pockets the accusing hands that pointed so mirthlessly a moment ago. "Sometimes stuff just is broke, and it won't fix."

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben sighs and bounces his shoulder in a moody teenager shrug, "It's fine." Not so much dismissive as kind of dismissive, but he is still a kid. "You really need to work on your communication skills though. You sound like an extra from The Wire. The high acclaimed HBO program. I'm kind of use to people not getting my references."

His palm slides across his masked face, "Aint that the truth. You don't know the half of it... Well maybe you do, I guess, I don't know you. You smell like Snoop Doggs fingers, though, so maybe you've got your own problems."

June Connor has posed:
    June arches her brow, "Like Snoop Dogg's...oh," she laughs, "I mean, it's just pot," she justifies. "You should try it, take the edge off. Probably not smiled upon for you guys," she smirks. "But, I was an ass, so if you ever need a little, I'll share a blunt with ya," she says. "I don't know your shit, your shit is yours, mine is mine, whatever. I don't gotta see who's got it worse, dun matter. If it hurts ya, it hurts ya. And I'm probably the last girl you should ask advice from, but you probably aren't gonna do yourself any favors lingerin' on it. Before long you end up with the wrong people, and you forget what you were about to begin with."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Stop being motivational it's weirding me out." Ben groans, but it's clearly said with humor rather than dismissal. "I really should get going though. I've got a thing- and no it's not a weird thing, it's a job. Because wearing this costume doesn't pay any bills." neither does his job, if he's honest, but that's besides the point. "You have a phone number or something?" From the pocket of his hoodie, he retrieves a very old model, pay by the minute, flip phone.

June Connor has posed:
    June laughs, "Yeah, it's weirdin' me out, too," she admits. "I should stick to bein' an asshole. She's expecting him to do the spidey swing off, but instead...he asks her number. She quirks a grin. "Never had PJ ask my number before," she confesses. "But since I've got you pegged at perv I guess it fits," she comments, returning to the first accusation. "June." She pauses a few seconds, narrowing her eyes as if trying to decide if this is a good idea. Then spits out her number.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say perv is your type." Ben fires back, some of the awkward fading, which means his wit is returning. "Unless you were offering the blunt-" A word which he says a lot quieter than the rest of the words he said, "- as lark. Which would be really rude and right on brand for you, so not super surprising." Then she gives her name, "June. Huh.. I pictured you more as an autumn... heeeeey..." Eyes flick back and forth behind his mask. "Nevermind."

"Scarlet Spider. Or Scarlet... or Spider.. Spidey? Is it weird if there's two of us. Don't put that if you've already got Spider-Man under Spidey. Then it's Spidey 1 and Spidey 2 and I don't think I can handle being second fiddle to him-" Again, shut up sorry, "-..." Mouth opens beneath his mask... then closes.

"I made it weird."

June Connor has posed:
    June rolls her eyes at the dad joke, but smiles. "Yeah, ok," she says with a shake of her head. "Scarlet Spider. Don't worry, I think makin' things weird is pretty on brand for you," she comments. "Have fun at your 9-5."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"You're ... not... wrong." Ben admits, self analyzing his entire personality in the span of all them dots. "But it's charming. It's not... it's really not." Awkwardly just standing there, he points off to the side with both hands. Nods... then nods again. His hand comes up and to fire a webline, which yanks him easily into the air with a little jerk of his wrist. It's released, another is fired, and he swings away down the street.

"Well that was pleasantly unpleasant, let's not do that again huh?"

THWIP SWING!

"How long should I wait to text her?"

THWIP SWING!

"Right, she's infuriating!"

THWIP SWING!

"Tomorrow. I'll text her tomorrow."