8053/Rain drops

Rain drops
Date of Scene:	29 September 2021
Location:	Alley
Synopsis:	Ben is kind of a creeper, unintentionally, but it works out in the end. Stephanie humors him.
Cast of Characters:	Ben Reilly, Stephanie Brown

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Ben Reilly has posed:
It hasn't been long enough for Ben to really come to terms with his loss. Truth be told, he's only in the beginning stages of grief... Sitting on the side of a wall wearing a light blue hoodie, blue jeans, and sneakers. His blonde hair is all a mess from the drizzling rain coming down through the buildings... He sighs softly looking down at the only picture he has of her... a printed out cellphone picture actually.

With a sigh, he lays his head back against the bricks and closes his eyes. Rain gently beating down on his face. Beside him, webbed into a little hammock, is a brown paper back with a glass bottles lip coming out the top. He reaches for it and takes a long drink... coughing at the burn running down his throat.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
In the distance, the red and blue lights of police cars cast their strobe effect up on some of the gothic buildings that are so common in Gotham. It looks several blocks away. Miserable night for the police to have to deal with something.

On the other hand, the dark and gloom make it an excellent night for others who are dealing with those same problems the police do. In fact that gloom helped a certain Batgirl extract one by one the trio of thugs threatening a guy in a different back alley.

Now she is riding her line-launcher, the motor pulling her along a horizontal line up in the air above Ben Reilly. A flash of lightning crosses through the clouds above, lighting up the city briefly without striking the ground. But it does give someone looking up a chance to spot the vigilante as she heads towards an intended landing on the rooftop above Ben's alley.

Ben Reilly has posed:
*WEEEEEEEEE* Ben crinkles his nose as the sirens break up the pitter patter of rain on the asphalt beneath him. "Lord of Gotham, why have you forsaken me.." He laments in a sing-songy voice, eyes still closed until the lights and sounds pass beyond his hearing. When he opens his eyes, it's to the shadowy figure crossing the alley above him. "Oh, that's nice."

A Ghost? Nah... Is it? Could be... hope not. "not sure I can deal with a ghost right now."

He finishes his drink, which is not booze by the way, it's a sarsaparilla and tosses it into a garbage bin with relative ease. His hands go behind his head, under his hood, and pull a mask over his face. Just a cloth thing for now, until he gets into storage and pulls out his old costume. Ugh, so ghetto. "It smells like old socks." Then launches a webline up, yanks, and sends himself careening over the edge of the same building where Stephani- er- Batgirl has landed.

It's not until he's landed that he tucks the picture of ... himself... in his old costume... in his hoodie pocket.

That was going to be a really funny joke.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl is just noting how much more rainy weather friendly her Batgirl suit is than, well, any version of her Spoiler costume ever. They were all just clothes, perhaps with a bit of leather sewn in. Even near the end where she had some old body armor from Barbara, she still just had regular fabric overtop.

But her Batsuit is pretty darn water tight, and-

She whirls around, cape swirling behind her as the sound of feet landing in the water on the roof draws her attention behind her. She looks the masked figure up and down as if trying to place him. "Well. Busy rooftop," she decides. "Especially with lightning." She glances up towards the clouds. It's not the tallest building. But it's sure taller than being down on the street.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Scarlet Spider, which doesn't really work right now because he predominately wearing blue...

Okay hold on.

light Blue colored Spider crouches as he lands. His body bending down low against the rough until his chest is nearly touching the puddle. Which was instinctive because if he'd really thought this through he definitely wouldn't have done that. He definitely wouldn't have landed in the puddle at all. His sneakers are soaked. Which means his socks are soaked.

Which means his feet are going to smell like old cabbage.

"This is really not a great day for me." Asked nobody.

He stands up and sighs, glancing over the edge and back at Batgirl. "That suit looks wicked awesome, by the way. I just lost mine last night... Want to see a picture?" Because why not just jump right into the awkwardness.

"That probably sounds super creepy from a stranger in a hoodie. Forget I said anything-.. Imma go..." Pointing over the edge. "Yeah.... yeeeeah..."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Most villains aren't quite so easy going. Especially in Gotham around one of the Bats. Which doesn't mean Stephanie lets her guard down, but in her mind it does increase the chances this guy is ok.

"Ah, homemade costume," she says in a kind of knowing tone. She takes a step or two forward, eyes going over the costume. "Tough to find something that lasts, isn't it? And yes," the blond says, "I would like to see it."

That might help give her an idea of just who this is she's dealing with. Unfortunately she missed out on seeing any of the webs that might have helped clue her in. Or at least read in the right direction but wrong hero.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Really?" Ben perks up as she agrees to see his costume picture. Honestly, he thought he'd dove a little deep into the creeper pool with that quesiton, which was wholly unintentional and a result of too much sugar drink over. I mean, do you know how hard it is to find a sarsaparilla? If you find one, buy a couple... and he doesn't have a place to store them, so he just drank them all.

He's kind of hopped up on sugar right now.

The folded picture comes out of the front pocket of his hoodie as he takes a step towards her. The costume he's current wearing is very bad. And by that it, it's just a mask. And regular clothes. "Don't worry, it's not weird-" It's 100% weird to ask strangers to look at your costume, Ben. Nobody ask you. "-Okay it's a little weird... I'm not having a good day."

suffice that the picture is of Spider-Man. Kind of. It's someone who looks like Spider-Man, but wearing a completely different costume. "Nanites that eat inorganic material." Tapping a gloved finger on the picture, "Took her away from me... it's a very sad day."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl still keeps a bit of an eye on the figure wearing normal clothes and a mask, but she comes over to take a look at the picture. "Oh, hey. You're Spider-Man?" she asks. "I'm familiar with Ghost Spider," she tells him.

A visible wince is given at the mention of the nanites. "Yeah, microscopic things that eat... things. Glad they just had a taste for costumes and not organics," she tells him.

Batgirl looks at him more closely, tilting her head. "Granted, you are on the roof of a building from out of nowhere. But mind, you know... showing me some of your Spider-Man awesomeness so I know it's you?" she asks. And bouncing on her feet a little bit, like maybe it's just an excuse to get to see him do 'things'.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Noo... no not spider-man... Okay kind of? It's complicated." Ben scratches his head, atop his mask, and shrugs. He'll just go with it, "I'm the Scarlet Spider. You know how Walmart has off brand versions of popular clothes? Well, I'd be the K-mart version of Spider-Man. The white trash version."

Self depricating humor is sort of his thing.

"But I still have all the cool tricks." If not the cool suit, name, family, and friends. Because what's worse than Peter Parker? A clone of Peter Parker.

"Ugh... okay, but I don't do autographs, actually I do, but they're five bucks." That's probably a joke. Said a second before he jumps into a side flip, landing on the very tippity toppity edge of a railing with his foot in a dancers position so he's actually standing on his down turned toes through the sneakers.

His other foot is up, against the inside of his thigh. Hands together in a prayer position in front of him. Another jump and he fires a webline that catches a standing antenna, pulls him in a short swing to land against the side of a tall brick barrier upon which the antenna is errect.

Standing horizontally facing Batgirl with his arms crossed.

As if gravity don't matter to him.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Not that she hasn't been around people with powers. But seeing Ben putting on his moves just tickles Stephanie. How could someone not be excited seeing that!?

"Wow. Well I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me. Sure do seem to have the same skills," she agrees. Batgirl tilts her head a little bit. "So, ah, and you can tell me if I'm prying here. But, are you a mutant or something else? And... well I realize the Alanis Morissette irony of me asking about the whole spider thing. Actually? Yeah, never mind on the latter question," she says with a grin. She exhales on her glove as if to get a little moisture on it and polishes the Bat logo on her chest.

Hey, she -worked- for that.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben plants a hand on the roof and cartwheels over it into crouch. Arms rest on his bent knees, still wishing it didn't rain so much so he didn't feel like he was being waterboarded every time he went out on patrol. "It's a really long story and kind of a sad one for me. Just... yeah, we've got the same powers and all that." He shrugs, not dismissively, but agreeing. Maybe best not to get into it.

"I'm not a mutant, no. A metahuman? I guess that's accurate. I mean... let's be honest, the whole classification of mutant/metahuman is kind of redundent since what Mutants are is an evolutionary expansion and not a mutation at all. See a mutation is an immediate response that changes the structure of a given specimen. Like if I were to poor radiactive material on a plant, it would mutate (hypothetically, anyways. It'd actually probably just die... but for the purpose of my explanation..). So, in the most specific definition of the word, yes I'm a mutant."

He stares at her brushing off her symbol. "Yeah girl, you earned it, dust it off." Maybe he can read minds.

"But social classification, I'm a metahuman. Or a demi-human... Or homo sapians Arachnae. If you want to get very scientific." Or clone. Let's not lead with the crazy huh? too late boss.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Well, nice to meet you, Scarlet Spider. And yeah, I'm not particularly judgy about such things. Was more curious than anything. The whole spider motif is definitely the right thing for you," she says, probably not really thinking there was an actual spider connected to all of it. "Coming up with a theme, not the easiest thing usually, I know."

Overhead, another crackle of lightning lights up the inside of the storm cloud. "But to avoid both of us being named Lightning Boy and Lightning Girl, maybe we should get down off of the roof now?" she suggests. She walks over to the roof's edge where Ben is at. "This the express route down?" she asks as she reaches for something on her utility belt.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"You ever feel like you're a slave to other peoples creative whims? I can throw a buick if I really wanted to- which isn't a flex, just saying - I don't know what that has to do with spiders." Ben wonders out loud, "I think it's because a spider was involved so... whatever, it's a lot to unpack." He shrugs and steps up on the ledge with Stephanie, staring down into the empty alley beneath them.

"How express?"

He's not one of those weirdos that randomly grabs up strangers and jumps off roofs. Especially not one of the bat clan. She'd probably break his arm and make him suck his own thumb or something super demoralizing.

Instead he steps off the edge and just falls.

He doesn't even try to slow down.

Not until the last possible second, when he grabs the railing of the fire escape, until just as his arm would fully extend. His feet rock forward, back curves, and hooks him over into a flip that lands him in a sitting position on the lid of a garbage can staring up at her.

Dramatically, he cups his hands around his mouth, "You coming?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl lets out a laugh as she then steps into s pace too. Though she's already shooting a bat-shaped grappling hook at a sturdy part of the roof even as she starts to fall. The grapple gun serves as a brake apparently as she slows herself rapidly as she nears the ground. "You shan't have me today, my old nemesis," she says as she lands gently on the pavement of the alley. The blond heroine looks over to Ben then and clarifies for him, "Gravity," lest he think she was talking about him somehow.

The grapple gun goes back on her utility belt and she looks around the alley. "Well, it's kind of..." she says, before pausing to find a word. Then she seems to find it, saying in a musing tone, "It's really Gotham, in a way. Isn't it?" She doesn't clarify if she's talking about the dirt or the grime of the smell. Or that two heroes are stuck in the middle of it. But all of that probably applies on some level.

Down at the end of the alley, a single headlight pulls in. There's no real sound of an engine though as the two-wheeled vehicle rolls down the alley at a sedate pace, still some distance away.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Ahhh yes... Gravity. I remember Gravity." Ben sighs dreamily, wistfully, and shakes his head. "How I miss you so.. alas, I have forgone your hold upon me to such degree I shant remember forth with any element of your dominion upon my persons." It's pretty clear he's grinning behind his mask, probably because he wishes he hadn't said any of that. Which is true. He wishes he hadn't.

"I don't know, it kind of grows on you." The red mask glances around, then looks at the sludge on the outside of his show... which smeared from the trashcan, "rather quite literally, in some cases." Nose wrinkling, "But the smell isn't so bad if you're okay with body oder and garbage." After a slow blink. "I'm not saying I'm okay with those smells, I'm just pointing out that there's a charm. Like I imagine Progue during the Black Plague was probably charming."

The two wheeled vehicle lazily making its way into the alley draws some attention. Thumb jerking over his shoulder, "This you?" Since he'd probably see a rider or something. Maybe. Probably? He doesn't feel any malice from it, but he's not /sure/ Gotham is haunted. Yet.

It probably is.

"Is Gotham haunted?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Yep, either that's me, or there is a Body-less Horse- er... Motorcycle-man now," Batgirl tells him. The Batcycle gets nearer and easy enough to identify once the headlight isn't shining on them. The bike turns itself off and a kickstand lowers on its own, the light going off.

"Better than Uber," she tells him with a grin. She glances back to the alley. "So, ah, are you good and all? I mean, without costume for the moment but, you're in an ok way otherwise?" she asks. Tone just a slight bit awkward as if she is afraid he might take offense if he thinks she's implying otherwise. But then he was talking about the alley in a way that could make one think he'd been staying there or something.

Plus the whole web hammock she spotted.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Huh. Horseless carrages are becoming pretty common place in this strange new world." Ben says with a bouncing nod, an awkward nod, because all the rumors say that Bat people don't to that smiling thing she's doing which is making him feel kind of like maybe he's stumbled into a trap. Which isn't bad, just butterflies. You know how it is, when you're 18.

"Uber, the chariot of the intoxicated and economically downtroddin'. Which is a misnomer because honestly... how expensive would it even be to trake Uber everywhere? You'd be better off just buying a car." Observations from a Spider, leading right into observations of a Bat.

"Sure, yeah. I'm good." He's picking up what she's putting down. "I don't sleep in the alley.. most of the time. If I'm in Metropolis I have a room at Titan Towers, but I live here... and if you can believe it, this alleyway is nicer than my apartment." Motioning around at casa de Scarlet.

He leans back against the wall and crosses his legs stretched out across the garbage bins lid.

"I'll be fine."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Ah! Nightwing brought me by the Tower one time to see the place. Met a bunch of your team, but obviously you weren't one of them," Batgirl says with a nod. "And, ah, yeah, I've seen a few places in town this probably is nicer than," she agrees with a quick nod of her head.

"Alright, well, hope you're able to get your costume squared away soon. It looked like a really nice one," she says. Wanting to get into her own costuming history there. But she's just too cautious about what she says, what might be a clue that leads someone into learning identities of others. It's a different matter if it's someone else whose secret is at risk.

"If you need a hand, well you can probably get ahold of Nightwing easily enough then I'd guess," she says. She walks over to the Batcycle, one leg sliding astride it as she takes a seat, the kickstand retracting itself. "And watch out for that lightning," she says with a grin. "I don't imagine spiders handle it any better than bats."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"It's swell." The tower, but it's too big and it still makes Ben uncomfortable staying there. Gwen being there isn't terrible, at least when she's there, but he's not sure how to even approach that headache just yet. He smiles behind his mask as she mounts her bike and starts to make good an escape.

"Good meeting you Bat...girl? Batwoman? What's PC? I don't want to get caught up in cancel culture... I've barely got anything going for me, I definitely don't need my mask plastered on social media flaming me for being insensitive."

He doesn't move from his perch ontop of the garbage can. Snort laughing, "Yeah, electricity sucks. I don't really think it matters much who you are... except Electro. He's probably good with it." Two fingers touch his brow and chop out in a salute.

"I'll be around if you need help or whatever, you probably don't though. You guys got your crap together."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl lets out a warm laugh at the question and the social media flaming that Ben wants to avoid. "Batgirl," she confirms. "There's actually a separate Batwoman too, at that," she tells him.

"Nice to meet you as well, Scarlet Spider. Take care of yourself. Which I'm sure you are more than capable of doing. We have our own brand of crazy here though that can be surprising to people, I know," she says.

She gives him a little salute and then the bike starts up, no real engine sound. Most likely electric. She makes a deft 180 on it to turn back down the alley towards the street. A gloved hand raises in a wave as she takes off then down the alley. Just as another peel of thunder comes, and the rain starts up again.

What a night.