8050/Taxi rides and awkward discussions

Taxi rides and awkward discussions
Date of Scene:	29 September 2021
Location:	In the back of an unremarkable cab driving down the streets of Gotham.
Synopsis:	June gets a cab ride back to New York, and some awkward conversation is had about her latest job and the various ways she messed up. Oh, and she owes Elektra 50 bucks now.
Cast of Characters:	Natasha Cranston, Gwen Stacy, June Connor

---

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Stop me if you've heard this one: A vigilante, a spider and a ninja all take a cab...

    The driver -- a grizzled looking man that looks so much like the stereotypical Brooklyn cabbie that you'd think he should receive royalties -- doesn't bat an eye as his three passengers pack into the back seat; he simply nods once when the Shadow says "Go," and pulls away from the curb as soon as the doors close.

    Awkward silence reigns for the first minute, with June wedged between the Shadow on one side and the Ghost Spider on the other, until the Shadow breaks it. "You appear to have come down in the world," the figure remarks almost conversationally, blazing blue eyes meeting June's via the rear view mirror. "And it would appear that your most recent employer has decided to dispense with the inconvenience of paying you for your services. I don't suppose you managed to learn their name?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Riding cabs isn't something that happens too often in Gwen's life. Out of costume she normally just takes the bus, or her bike (No, not motorized). And when she is in costume? Pretty much unheard of. Unless she's riding *atop* the cab. Usually fighting a villain or three. And never paying the repairs of fixing those car roofs after all the action happening there! But in? All new.

Still, Ghost Spider looks at the driver, then at the masked June with a sigh. Her hands go to rest on her knees and she looks at the cramped space. "One would think they would be making them a bit larger now..." She mutters. She doesn't light tight spaces!

Her hood turns over to the driver, "Don't worry, we are just cosplaying and going to be participating in a LARP kind of thing. Acting! We need to train our lines.."

Perfect cover story!

June Connor has posed:
    "Shit if I know," June answers, her shoulders hunched together in the middle seat so that she doesn't touch the others more than necessary. "He wanted to pay me in pirate money, though," she comments. "Which is admittedly weird, but you know how weirdos in costumes can be." She glances at Ghost Spider, and Shadow. Maybe not the best time to take that shot. "Seemed to think he ran Gotham, wants to scare the competition, pretty typical, actually," she gives a shrug. "Can I go now?"

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    The driver snorts derisively at Gwen's comment, although there's little actual heat in it. "The Narrows aren't exactly a safe place for cosplayin' like that," he points out almost cheerfully. "'sides, the Boss doesn't usually bring along passengers."

    The Shadow chuckles. "And where would you gol, little kunoichi?" they ask, eyes once again meeting June's. "But that is the wrong question, isn't it? You rarely concern yourself with where you're running to - only what you run from."

    She -- and this up close, there's no mistaking her gender even underneath the bulky greatcoat -- leans back slightly. "You rebel for the sake of rebelling, whether good or ill. How long do you think you'll be able to keep doing it before you run out of people who'll even bother?"

    "... But I suppose that isn't my business. What is my business is this man who apparently wishes to lay claim to Gotham. Do you still have some of his 'pirate money' ? And would you be able to describe his costume with more detail?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Really? This is your cab..?" Ghost Spider casts a look over at Natasha and hmphs. So much for her perfect cover story! So instead she leans back on her seat, listening to the talk between them for a bit. She hasn't exactly been that involved in what they are speaking about. In fact, she hadn't been in Gotham since ..., forever?

Yea, lets call it forever. It does bring back certain memories though, which means she goes quiet for a time, glancing out the window briefly.

Eventually thouogh her voice is heard again, "You should really let us help you in this. No matter how tough you may think you are. You do remember that explosion which was meant for you, right?"

Gwen certainly does. She still has soot on her suit. So much for wearing white...

June Connor has posed:
    June sighs. "Everybody thinks they a shrink," she grumbles. "I am pretty damn good at fucking things up, so what do you care?" she asks. "I mean, you guys got money, so don't pretend like you get all this," she says. "We got Spider-girl here who makes sure she's got the fashionable sexy spandex on, and you..." She narrows her eyes, examining Shadow for a moment.
    "Son of a bitch!" She punches the back of the passenger's seat. "She was right. Dammit! There goes fifty bucks. Was so sure on that one, too." Does she need a moment? Maybe. Maybe she should be more concerned with the fact she was almost blown up than the fact that she just apparently lost a bet. Huff.

    She flops back into the seat, and reaches up to scratch her face under the mask. "Anyway, yeah, I'll sell him out to you, no problem," June declares. "He had like a symbol of an owl on his chest," she says, casually circling he spot on her own. "Not the most intimidating of monikers, but who am I to judge, right? But you two wanna make him regret his life choices? Hell, I'll even help you." She points at Gwen, "As long as I'm not gettin' pinched at the end of this."

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    "Do you commonly make a habit out of insulting the parentage of those who choose to help you?" the Shadow asks casually, as if June's outburst is of no more concern than a juvenile telling a fart joke in class. "In any event, I don't think sending you to prison is going to solve anyone's problems, except perhaps those of whoever would have to arrest you after your next misadventure."

    "On the other hand," the Shadow continues, "Left entirely to your own devices it's fairly obvious to anyone with a hint of the ability to recognize a pattern that you'll simply run yourself into more trouble. Not, I'm sure, that you believe anyone would care because clearly no one else could possibly be in a position to understand how poorly life has treated you so far, especially not such well adjusted members of society and privilege as ourselves who clearly have nothing more interesting to do with our lives than to dress up in 'fashionable sexy spandex' costumes and pick fights with heavily armed criminals. Perish the thought."

    Sarcasm delivered, the Shadow leans back again for a moment, pondering June's answer. "And do you still have any of his money?" she asks. "'Pirate money' -- I take it you're referring to dubloons of some sort?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Fashionable sexy spandex?! "I will let you know this is a JVD design..." Is Ghost Spider perhaps a bit defensive? Hey, you don't diss a JVD-designed suit! Sexy or not.. I mean, it does favor her curves. Somewhat..

"And yes, what the Shadow said. Don't assume you know us, or what we are about. You though? It's not like you seem to be making any effort to hide." a beat, "Except for that ninja mask. Which heh, could be better.."

"And the decision on whether you get pinched or not is up to the Shadow, not me. This isn't even my usual hood. I barely know about the criminal activities around the place."

As June then speaks about someone with an owl for symbol she looks towards the Shadow. "Rings a bell?"

June Connor has posed:
    "Fine, let's take'm off," June challenges Gwen, and she reaches up, tugging her ski mask from her face. The face beneath is a bit younger than her attitude might have suggested, and the purple half-shaved hair is a bit disorderly, after having been contained in such a manner. Of course, she fully expects that neither of her captors plan to unmask in like. All the same, she gives a challenging arch of her pierced eyebrows at Gwen, as if she expects her to. She glances over the suit again. JVD? Of course it would be. June's attire probably came from second-hand shops.

    "It was COD, so nope, tonight's a bust," she admits. "Don't know why the hell he would have hired me if he could've just blown it up, though. He didn't know me from Adam. Which is a pretty dick thing to do, really?" She seems annoyed at the near death event. "I mean, there's people who wanna kill me, but I don't think I'm probably worth this kind of stunt to any of them. I'm usually in the Apple. I headed over here to see if I could /avoid/ this bullshit."

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    The Shadow shakes her head at Gwen's question. "Sadly no," she replies. "My sources in Gotham are somewhat more sparse than elsewhere. But I'll pass the information on to those who would know." No need to spell out who those might be - not in Gotham.

    June's complaint gets her an eyebrow raised in surprise. "You came to Gotham to avoid getting involved in problems with costumed criminals?" she asks. "As to why... Perhaps to send an additional message. Or to make it seem like an open and shut case - the explosion written off as caused by you, in the event that someone were inclined to investigate deeper after all. Or perhaps it was simply a backup measure in case you proved yourself to be unreliable and attempted to steal the car rather than destroy it as ordered."

    A shrug. "It matters little. That's two mistakes. He'll make more -- and I'll find him."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Nope. Gwen doesn't take off her own mask. Good try, though! Still, her own mask stays fixed on June, watching her face. "I think it's more that she wanted to avoid people being after her to kill her. Which leads right back to what the Shadow said about you running into trouble naturally. And yes, seems to me like you were the bait on this operation, and a loose end that knew a bit too much, like the whole owl outfit thing." she points out.

"Do you have a place to stay at though? Or anyone looking after you?" She then asks. "Staying here in Gotham doesn't sound like a good bet if you want to avoid it being known that you actually survived that explosion."

A nod is then given to what Natasha said. "Criminals always make mistakes."

June Connor has posed:
    June frowns, "He wanted them to know who was responsible," she comments. "He said he was sending them a message," she recalls. "And I dunno what was happening with that ambulance, but the fuckin' cop just ignored what was going down completely. I heard they don't come out here in the Narrows, but..." She raises a hand and waves it back and forth, "I'd think at least if they were standing there when a carjacking is happening, they'd...you know, do /something/. Unless they are paid for." She tilts her head at the thought of that possibility. "In which case, I should just get my happy little ass back to New York." She points at Gwen, "Yeah, got it in one. I got a little more heat than I like there right now," she admits. "But honestly, it's kinda pre-emptive to just blow it up if I failed right on the spot. I mean, hell, I coulda circled back later to take it. Wish he had said it was a stick. THAT would have been helpful. Could've been over so fast you two wouldn't have even known." She rubs her face.

    "Bein' a crook sucks," she says, "I mean, I can always find somewhere. I got a place that's pretty secure back in New York. Why, you offerin'?" she says with a smirk.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    The Shadow makes a sound that probably was a derisive snort before whatever she uses to mask her voice distorted it. "Hardly," she replies. "Not that I'd expect you to trust an offer either of us made."

    A glance is shared with the driver, who turns the wheel and accelerates, having apparently understood a destination. "Besides, you currently have another problem. Several of those crooks saw you, saw us -- and saw you walk off with us. How long do you think it'll take for word to get around? What conclusions will they draw when they see you walk away unmolested and unarrested?"

    There's very little warmth in that chuckle. "Were I you, I'd spend the immediate future lying very low indeed and doing my best to stay out of trouble rather than start any more..."

June Connor has posed:
    June shrugs, holding up the ski mask. "Why I wear this, right?" she comments. "And I don't got a brand to uphold," she adds. Was that a stab at Gwen's designer suit? Or just heroes in general? Maybe a two pronged poke.
    "Hey, when you're someone like me, you can't be picky on where you get help from all the time. I'm not all that bad ass, despite my-" she makes a two handed gesture at her rather not-super garb "-intimidating appearance."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"No brand, but you got your life to protect." A chinjerk towards the Shadow, "And if the Shadow there could spot who you were...." a shrug, "... that means those thugs will know too, including your owl-buddy. So yes, you'd better find a place to lay low. And no, I am not offering a place for you to stay. I don't exactly live in a mansion."

As for the intimidation factor? She only lifts a brow under her mask at that. "Intimidating appearance isn't what I would call it but ..." not that she clarifies what she'd call June!

"The Shadow seems to have a plan on where to drive you though."

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    "Back to New York, where else?" the Shadow replies, with another chuckle. "And the Spider is correct -- You aren't as anonymous as you fondly believe yourself to be. Word gets around -- especially when your most recent employer realizes that his attempt to sweep you under the rug has failed. He'll want to rectify that -- or at the very least, ensure that you haven't discussed the particulars of the job with anyone who could become a problem for him."

    "If his reach is limited to Gotham, moving you back to New York should keep you safe. If it is not... I have more agents in New York than in Gotham. Should he move against you there, I'll likely Know of it."

June Connor has posed:
    "Right, the Shadow knows," she's heard it somewhere. June shrugs. She sighs, surrendering to the fact that she isn't going to have much say in the rest of her evening. "Fine by me, just drop me off in Manhattan, or near a subway or something. And you're welcome," she adds. After all, she did give something for the heroes to work with.