8411/Wild Night is Calling

Wild Night is Calling
Date of Scene:	24 October 2021
Location:	Carl Shurz Park
Synopsis:	Spidey meets up with Lesion...and finds himself in the presence of the Merc With a Mouth.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Keith Brooks, Wade Wilson

---

Peter Parker has posed:
It is supposed to be a relatively-quiet night. Sunday night being what it is, most people are staying in to prepare for the work week.

But Spidey is not like most people, and that doesn't even take the spider-powers into account.
It has been a few days since their return from the Mojave Desert, care of Osborn Air, and Spidey had left a message for Keith Brooks...and his passenger...to meet at a picnic table at the north end of the park. He even brought food, just in case he...sorry, THEY were hungry.

He set up the thermos and paper bag on the table then looked at the text he sent to Mr. Brooks.

<Spider-Man here. Want to talk about the next steps to take? Schurz Park, north side, picnic area. You shouldn't have trouble finding me.>

Keith Brooks has posed:
It seemed like a nice enough offer. Neither Keith nor Lesion really knew ANYTHING about New York. They had managed to secure an apartment and some basic furnishings, but for the most part had been doing their best to figure their way around in the city. It was better than staying back in Vegas and dealing with the aftermath though.

Upon reciving the message there was a bit of a discussion however, "We should definitely go." Keith said, looking at the phone, <Disagree. While he may have helped before this is his territory. It could be a trap. He'll probably have a web set up to capture us in.> "He doesn't..Well I mean he might be able to spit webs I don't actually know but if he wanted to kill us he would have done it in the desert."

It's a few minutes after the time indicated in the text that Spider-Man manages to spot the blond guy with his hands in his jacket pocket wandering towards the picnic area. He seems for the most part to be alone, though Spidey would know better of course. He hopes it isn't gonna look weird, with him meeting with a costumed vigilante in a park. Then again he's not the one with a website and a major Twitter following, so it's not like Keith has to worry about that part. One hand comes up in greeting and he says, although not loud enough for Spider-Man to hear it, "See? No webs."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade Wilson is strolling through the park in his red and black outfit complete with mask. Schurz Park has one of the *best* taco stands in New York City. Or well... one that he is mostly sure doesn't try to serve him ground and seasoned rat meat, at the very least. Mostly. It wasn't too far from the picnic areas and DP spots a pair of men. One he doesn't recognzie--which he is becoming more and more accustomed to these days--and another that he recognizes *all too* well.

    He turns to regard his invisible secret audience and says, "Oh. Of all the people to run into? The day after I get a new girlfriend fate decides that an old fling should fall into my lap. Awkward much. This should be peachy."

    He shakes his head and continues, detouring toward the pair and muttering to himself. "Best to let him down easy... just tell them that you have both grown apart and that being friends can still be on the table. Maybe even some late night cuddle sessions just for old time's sake... if he wants." It's pretty clear to both parties that the costumed man--who *is* openly armed (one katana, one high caliber pistol) is heading straight for their table.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man doesn't show any alarm, or give any signal. He does stand at ease, though.

"Good to see you could make it." He reached into the bag and took out four oblong objects wrapped in foil. "I didn't know if you were hungry, so I picked up some chili dogs from Big Jake's food truck. Best in town."
He takes out a couple of water bottles from the bag and puts them on the table as well. Right as he does, so, though, he gets that little tingle, and his head snaps up, looking directly at...

No.
It couldn't be.
On the HUD of his rig, a box pops up:

Codename: DEADPOOL
Real Name: Unknown
Occupation: Mercenary

...oh, boy.

Keith Brooks has posed:
Now of course Keith is hungry. And so is Lesion, so naturally they take one of the offered chilidogs and pull the foil open, "We are hungry but you didn't need to. Thanks." Comes the reply, as he bites into the dog. One can't help but notice his sudden turn of the head and his look at the guy in the red suit...Well the other guy in the red suit.

"Friend of your's?" Keith asks, despite the fact that Lesion seems to be bristling at the approaching man as well. It's probably all the weapons, but either way it definitely has the symbiote on edge, <On your guard.> Keith acknowledges Lesion's concern, but keeps eating anyway. He is still hungry after all.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Deadpool moves to the table and sits down next to Spider-Man. His demeanor is relaxed and nothing aside from a low level threat of violence that always hangs around him seems to indicate tht he is a threat to anyone at the table.

    "Hey P--Spiderman. It's... been a while, hasn't it?" he says, giving the man a look over. "You've done well for yourself. I like the new suit. Very... 21st century."

    He glances at the other man at the table, the one eating chili dogs. "Good food there. Are you and him..." he gestures between the pair, leaving the question open before continuing without an answer. "If you are... you don't have to worry. This shouldn't take too long."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man eyes Deadpool for a long moment, but there's no feeling of imminent threat. Just that...potential.
And an ironic handle, considering that it is apparently almost impossible to kill the guy.

"This gentleman and I met a few days ago...outside of Las Vegas. I was checking something out, and I invited him to talk if he decided to come to the Big Apple. Figured I'd pull the Welcome Wagon duty."

And then, because manners, he turned to Keith. "I'd like you to meet a guy who goes by the name of Deadpool. Mercenary by trade...and since he's apparently off the clock right now, this is a public park and he has a right to be here, like any other citizen."

Spidey talks about Deadpool like a guy talks about a rogue shark while in a small boat off Amity Island.
He looked back to DP, then says, "Well...if you're hungry, grab a Big Jake's chili dog. Doesn't seem neighborly to not offer you anything..."

Keith Brooks has posed:
Deadpool gets a good long look from Keith, before he realizes, or at least thinks he realizes, "What? Oh man, nah." He takes a second, to swallow the rest of the hot dog he was eating, "Nah he just wanted to I guess show us some good food around here. New to town, like he said." Mercenary? That's certainly a very specific profession.

Also since apparently we're doing superhero names...And costumes..Keith feels a little underdressed. Still, like Spidey said: It's a public park. Keith would rather not go full Lesion until he needs to, "You can call us Lesion." He does finally reply to Deadpool. Best to stick with the codenames for now.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    DP smiles. Or at least it might be a smile. The mask hids his mouth as well so it's hard to tell what the strange stretch around the mouth area of the mask could be. "'Lesion'..." he mutters, "'We'..." and his eyes widen. "Well, set me on a pole and call me a Maple Leaf, you're a sym--"

    He cuts off and looks around, noting the number of passers by. There weren't many. Apparently Spider-Man and Deadpool meeting wtih a random person indicated danger to the common folk.

    He lowers his voice and says again. "You're a symbiote?!" Looking to Spidey with alarm he asks, "Are you sure that's... I mean... Venom can be okay... sometimes, but Carnage... those guys typically don't play well with humanity at large... and usually not at all with you. Unless they're trying to remove your head from your shoulders."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man quirks an eyebrow. How well-informed IS this guy?

"I've heard of Venom...but not Carnage. Hope I never do. But...I've had some experience. This is not the first symbiote of this kind that I've met, Deadpool. And although he's no pushover, he's not hostile." He looks back to Keith. "Hope so, anyway. But all signs point to Not Hostile so far. You are a little new to this...Lesion...but there's another who works with me, goes by the name of Mania. A tough lady, but she's on the side of the angels."

He looks back to Deadpool. "YOUR rep, on the other hand, suggests you handle a lot of stuff that would be criminal behavior...but you're not doing it NOW, so I've giving you some leeway."

Keith Brooks has posed:
"Yeah.." Comes the reply, "We are. It's a..Recent development."

A small, bird-like head appears peeking over Keith's shoulder and looking at Deadpool with those big eyes symbiotes tend to be known for, "You know of others? We have only met Mania so far." Keith takes a look around to make sure nobody is snapping any photos of him or anything weird like that, "Spidey here is just trying to help us out, make sure we're not, you know, going crazy and eating people."

Lesion does seem to consider the idea though, "I have agreed to not eat people unless it is necessary." Keith reaches a hand up and pushes the symbiote down a bit, though it shifts to the other side, "Spider-Man has been nothing but helpful so far. We have no reason to eat his head yet."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Deadpool nods to Spider-Man. "Hey if you think he--they can be out and about, I'm not going to argue with you." At the comment about his criminal activity he shrugs. "I only slice and dice the bad guys though. So... that's only murder if you consider those lowlifes to be human. Which... more often than not, I don't."

    At the emergence of the symbiote's head he jerks back. "Gah... that's... alarming." He listens to it though and nods. "Yeah. I know of a few others. They're not the best of guys though."

    "Venom is a monster of creature--collective? Which is the right term--" he brushes it aside and continues, "and almost as crazy as I am. Carnage is not as monstrous in size but they more than make up for it with crazy than and their host is a serial killer so..." He smacks his lips underneath the mask making a popping sound. "Not good people by any stretch."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man was already adding to the database as he listened to Deadpool. Venom he'd seen twice. Carnage...well, he better learn what he could about THAT one. Sounded nuttier than trail mix.
But this was more information than he had had before, so this was a productive night on that area.

"I'll...have to keep a lookout for them both." He paused, then looked back to Keith. "Have you thought about what you're going to do with your...room-mate, Lesion? Because you're going to have to make a choice about it. And it's a choice you should make yourself, than to have other people...or circumstance...choose for you. You can help people. If you learn how to control your gifts, harness them...train yourself to use them effectively..."

Keith Brooks has posed:
Keith once again tries to push Lesion back into hiding, and this time the symbiote seems to go with it as it vanishes back into the host, "Part of the reason I left Vegas was so I could have a fresh start. Last thing I need to do is start falling back into some of my old habbits." He replies to Spider-Man, "So training and making myself better, and using this for..Well, for as good as we can do anyway, that's the goal I think."

He actually then laughs for a second, "Besides, last thing we wanna do right now is draw the attention of the cops or a bunch of metas." Because yeah, going to prison with a symbiote probably doesn't seem like the best idea, "Who let a serial killer have a symbiote anyway? That sounds like a terrible idea.."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Deadpool listens at the talk between Spider-Man and Lesion and then Lesion asks him a question. "Well. The depends on what story you believe" he says.

    "Me? I like the one where Venom's host was interviewing Carnage's host, he's a reporter see--before he was Carnage of course--and the killer bites Venom's host and drinks a bit of his blood. Guy's a nut job, not completely out of his wheel house to do that, right?" He continues. "So Venom's host had so deeply integrated into his system than the blood had some of the symbiote in it, see?" He leans in as if he's telling a spooky story around a campfire. "That little bit of blood-symbiote mixture grew and eventurally spawned a new entity. That entity was Carnage."

    He leans back. "Now the science in that one sounds like a bunch of bullshit if you ask me, but I like the violence and the horror aspect. Especially around this time of year."

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man finds himself working to keep up with Deadpool. Conversing with him is slightly...ELLIPTICAL. A little off-center, but when you think about it, it isn't as mad as it initially sounds.

WORRYING, yes, but not necessarily mad.

"Might be something to remember, if a biological sample shows up. But it is what it is sometimes."

He looks to Keith. "Give me a few days, and I'll work up something for you. We have a little cell-phone network we use to stay in touch. I also might know of a good place to train."

Keith Brooks has posed:
Keith listens to Deadpool's story, which he narrates like he was there the whole time even though there's no way that could have been possible. He shakes his head for a second, <That's not how it works.> Lesion says inside of Keith's head, <At least I do not believe so. I have never tried it.> Keith shushes the symbiote for a second, and then looks back at Spider-Man, "I'll definitely keep an eye out for it." He replies, though a look back at Deadpool for a moment, "To be honest, we were not counting on the amount of horror involved with this. But it is the right time of year for it." He then laughs, "Besides it's better than making Lesion show up with a Santa hat in October."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Deadpool laughs. "That would be something to see..." he says. "I mean, I've done the whole Christmas special myself... but I'm already wearing a lot of red so the stretch isn't hard. You symbiotes... you guys come in a variety of colors so it'd definitely be harder to pull off."

    He looks to Spider-Man. "If you want live training, there's a couple of warehouses in the Tenderloin District that could use some clearing out... just... try and leave the boss alive if you could. There's a bounty on him that I'm still trying to collect. Just the twenty of so regulars and I think 5 metas he has on his crew." Wade was not above outsourcing his marks... if it meant he could more easily get to the money piece at the center of the proverbial tootsie pop.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey eyes Deadpool with a critical eye.

On the one hand, he has a pretty good idea why Deadpool is so upfront with this information.

"No one gets killed, and you bring them in alive...and I'll handle it like I do and see about gift-wrapping the guy you're after."

On the other hand, it could fool with the Kingpin's plans there, and if no one gets killed...maybe he can manage it with a clear conscience. Or, at least, a mildly-muddled one.

He looks back to Keith. "I'll be in touch. There's a few more chili dogs in the bag, if you're hungry. Deadpool...I want as much info as you can provide...as long as you stick to the deal."

Keith Brooks has posed:
"That sounds like a good place to start." Keith replies as he listens to the two of them banter about the potential target, "And no killing, for sure." Lesion makes an annoyed sound inside of Keith's head but he ignores it, "We'll be looking out for your text." Any info that Spidey can gather would be super helpful, though Lesion is sure he could get more information himself, once they at least know the basics.

He snatches up a couple of the chili dogs and a bottle of water, "Thanks again for the food. We'll be seeing you." And with that, best to head out before people start to get too curious about Spider-Man and Deadpool and some random guy sitting around having a picnic.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Deadpool gives Spider-Man a long suffering look before he rolls his eyes. "Fine. Fine. We'll do it your way... I'll get you a dossier on the boss and his coterie if you want..." He shakes his head.

    "Oh and... Spider-Man. I... I really came to tell you that, I've moved on. I found someone else. She's a great girl and gets me almost as well as you do." He stands. "What we had was great and passionate and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but we're just... too far apart to really make it work out." He place a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder a bit too affectionately for comfort and says. "We can still be friends. Allies even. But the romance we had before... I don't know if we can ever get that back."

    With that drop of insanity in the mix, he turns and heads off without a further word on *how* he'd get the information to Spider-Man.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spidey gives Deadpool a very odd look as he leaves, taking a few seconds to figure out what to say that isn't a lie...

"I'll...try to contain my disappointment."

Nailed it.