8932/Ballroom Blitz

Ballroom Blitz
Date of Scene:	04 December 2021
Location:	DNA Lounge - New Troy
Synopsis:	Kara and Peter try to have fun at a dance club, until Shocker and Parasite crash the party.
Cast of Characters:	Kara Danvers, Peter Parker

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Kara Danvers has posed:
For many couples, Friday night means 'Date Night'. But for Peter arker and Kara Danvers, aka Spider-Man and Supergirl, with their busy alternate lives, Friday Night means...'Date Night'? Surprisingly, Life is apparently giving the pair a pass for tonight. And just to add some insurance for a smooth evening, Kara recommends that they go to a club in Metropolis. You never know when a job for Supergirl might arise, and she can take care of most emergencies within a few minutes, if not seconds.

So, Kara is happily waiting with Peter in line to get into the dance club. Ge's wearing a white top, with a cobalt blue jacket and matching skirt, and a pair of black strappy pumps. With her disguise of the borwn wig and fake glasses, she looks just like every other girl out for a night on the town, snuggled up with her boyfriend for warmth. Wait...aren't Kryptonians immune to cold weather?

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter's breath comes out like fog in the cold weather. It's a balmy 40 degrees out tonight, and he is wearing the flannel shirt, denim jeans, hiking boots, a red-and-blue scarf...

And of course, something that is a lot LIKE thermal underwear, but isn't. Because The Parker Luck. Things were going too well, and he had to be ready. Maybe nothing would happen...maybe, but prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
He looked to Kara and smiled. He was still cold, but only slightly.
"Hey, honey, I heard the DJ tonight likes some 80's influences and has an 80's Hour. Do you dance much?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara smiles, snuggilng up closer to Peter. Maybe she's the one trying to keep*him* warm? "Well...I'm not much of a dancer," she confesses. "I mean, you know..." And she makes a little 'flying motion' with her free hand. "But, I'm anxious to give it a try with you. It might take me a while to figure out the dance moves, though.And...is there something special about 80's music? I mean, neither of us were around back then. So, I'm not sure of the attraction..."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter smiles wryly. "Well, I don't do much dancing, either." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two tickets. "But Harry gave me these so we could get in. Apparently, he was hoping to double-date with his current girlfriend, but her father put the kibosh on it, so it's just us. Don't worry about me, though. I tend to keep to the simpler dances. Acrobatic displays are a little off the table tonight."
The line begins moving forward, and Peter's arm around Kara squeezes just a little. "We could observe and see what they do on the dance floor first. Maybe get a couple of drinks. Have you ever have a vi-uh, non-alcoholic strawberry daquiri?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara smirks and gives Peter the side-eye. "You mean a *virgin* daquiri?" she asks coyly with a subtle emphasis on the 'forbidden' word. "I haven't, to be honest. I mean, even if I'm not affected by it, I don't drink. And I kinda...it's just sort of a bit beyond me to pretend to drink, even if it's non-acoholic."

Asthey enter the club, the pair is greeted by flashing, multicolored lights, and techno-remixes of songs with bass beats that they can feel the pressure wave of. "Remind me to thank Harry!" Kara shuts to Peter, trying to be heard over the ambient sounds. She's smiling, though;not at all upset or annoyed by the venue. In fact, the takes Peter by both hands and pulls him towards andempty booth. "Come on!" she giggles.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter follows, because why wouldn't he? He lets her pull him to the booth, and he waits for her to sit before sitting down.
He has made some progression, though. After she sits, he slides in next to her instead of sitting across from her like the last couple of dates."Right...uhm, well, it's the first drink I ever had that was close to a drink you get in a bar. Uncle Ben had to meet a friend in the Roasted Toaster pub a couple of blocks over, and I was with him. So, he suggested that drink and I liked it."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Once in the booth, Kara takes off her jacket, revealing the top as a sleeveless halter. "Then, I'll give it a try. So, we'll have another thing in common..." She smiles and gives Peter a gentle kiss on the lips, happy that he's sitting next to her instead of across from her. She does give him an amused, curious look, though. "So...what was with the reluctance with the word 'virgin'? I mean...I'm not going to get upset or offended by it, or anything." She holds Peter's hand, still smiling. "Something you want to talk about? Or avoid talking about?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter sighed, then looked up as a waitress stepped up to the booth. "Uhm...two virgin daquiris, please?"
The waitress nodded and moved away, walking the perimeter of the dance floor.
"Uhm...yeah. It's a word that has some negative connotations. Mostly because of how girls used it in high school." He looked to Kara. "Yeah...one of my many hangups."

Kara Danvers has posed:
And just like that, with Peter's explanation, Kara puts her hand on Peter's arm tocomfort him, and gives him another, more lingering kiss. "Peter...I know you were tormented when you were in high school. And even if I can't fully understand, I know how deeply it hurt you. I know that it's easy for me to say, but it's just a word. It's only going to have power over you if you let it. And I've never known you to let anything have power over you without a fight. Not the bad guys; certainly not a word. It might be a hangup, but one day it won't." She smiiles, her eyes getting that mischevious twinkle in them. "I mean...you think any of those girls are doing half as well as you are when it comes to having a romantic partner?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter hmms, giving Kara a thoughtful look. "Well...there WAS that one girl who started dating Jonah Hill..."
He winks, smiling roguishly. "Nah. But it's not a contest. You are pretty awesome. And for some reason, you think I'm cute. Not ruggedly-handsome...y'know, like half the supertypes you probably know...but I can deal with cute. Even if I pinch myself to make sure I'm awake every time I see you."

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Not 'ruggedly handsome'," Kara agrees with a smile. "More like...'comfortably handsome'. Like the difference between hot new designer shoes and a comfortable, reliable pair of sneakers you've had for a long time?" She smiles at him again. "Honestly, I couldn't want for anything more..." She's about to kiss him again, but their drinks arrive. After thanking the waitress, Kara takes a sip of her daquiri, nodding. "That is nice," she admits.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter grins, then sips. "I like this. There's what looks like strawberry pulp in the drink. Never seen that before but it tastes good. My first 'grownup' drink." He chuckles. "I order it when I'm at any bar. If anyone makes any noise, I tell them I'm a designated driver and they settle down...usually."

Peter looked over to the dance floor. "Well...we came here to dance. Shall we trip the light fantastic, only without any actual tripping?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara takes another, long sip of her drink. And she nods when the question of dancing is raised. "Absolutely!" She gently squeezes his hand in hers. "You take the lead. And while I may not know how to dance; you aready know how light on my feet I can be. So, promise...no tripping involved."

Once out on the dance floor, Kara takes a moment to look around and see how the other women are dancing. Then, she watches Peter. Her head bobs to the beat of the music as she feels the rhythm. Then, slowly, carefully, she starts to dance with Peter, smiling and giggling as she goes.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter sterts simply, the slight sway, arms held up as he shifts from side, but the music shifts to an energetic "Paralyzer" by Finger 11, and Peter gets the feet moving. He's not trained, per se, but his feet always seem to be in the right place, moving him around Kara without turning away from her.

Kara has a funny feeling that he didn't dance quite this well before the age of 16...

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara doesn't mind Peter using his agility nd Spider-Sense to make his dancing look easy; it's not like she's not using her powers to make dancing look effortless. She makes nearly impreceptable changes to her arm, leg, and body movements to be similar to the other women, but also match Peter's movement.And, Kara is smiling in enjoyment. "Okay...this is fun," she'll admit. "I kind of get why even folks like us enjoy it."

Kara continues her dancing through the current song and the next, with many onlookers admiring both her and Peter's moves. Then, the DJ announces over his microphone, "Okay...here's an oldie for all the couples out there..." And the opening chords of 'Eternal Flame' by The Bangles starts up...

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter slows down as the chiming notes begin, then steps closer to slide one arm around Kara's waist, the other hand resting on her shoulder. His face gazes into hers, his smile warm and slightly amused/amazed, as if there is a part that was still wondering how he got here. It wasn't as amazed at used to be. Maybe he was beginning to REALLY believe that she wanted to be with him...

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara isn't familiar with the song, but the pace and the change of dancing makes it obvious what it's suppoed to be. And as Peter assumes the slow dance position with her, Kraa smiles and brings her body in against Peter's. Her head gently comes to a rest on his shoulder. "Now I really understand why people enjoy dancing," she murmurs in a quiet, blissful voice. She's just enjoying the contact and this moment, closing her eyes and letting her body be lead by Peter as they move together.

Peter Parker has posed:
For one moment, it was perfect. Harmony in sound and motion, the closeness of each other, the warmth...

And then it ends.
For Peter, it's the tingling of his Spider-Sense, coming from the direction of the front office...which flares as a point-of-sale system smashes through the wall and into the DJ's station, the telltale squeal of the needle scratch silencing the music.
For Kara, it was the voices she could hear before the POS became an unguided breacher missile:
"...Come ON, 'Site, open the damn safe!"
"YOU do it, Shock!"
"I'll confetti the cash if I do! Just OPEN it, Gumby!"
"...GUMBY?!"
And then the POS system joined the party...

Kara Danvers has posed:
Even as she hears the voices, she can feel Peter's body tense up from the Spider-Sense. Just. Perfect. She gives an approprite scream of terror as the cash machine goes flying through the wall. "Get me to cover," she whispers to him, while looking panicked. "My town, my job. That's the agreement..." she reminds him. And looking around her while they move, Kara is glimpsing the office area with her x-ray vision, trying to see who's going to get a *major* beatdown for interrupting tonight...

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter's an old hand at looking scared and running away. Even if he faked it a lot more the last few years.
He spotted the left side of the backstage, along with an alcove surrounded by thick black curtains, and ran with Kara in that direction.

Kara could see...maybe TOO well. One of them was a guy in a yellow suit with brown patches, and a set of VERY mean-looking gauntlets. Peter had mentioned him before, the man with the unfortunate codename.
Then she saw the one the yellow man called "Gumby." Which was incorrect...this guy was purple, not green. But she understood in a Flash (tm) that "'Site" was short for PARASITE. They were currently arguing in front of a large wall safe while four scared people were huddled on the floor...one of them with an obviously-broken leg.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara tenses up at the sight of Parasite. Last thing she needs is to give him a jolt of Kyrptonian powers, leaving her drained. "Okay..." she says once she and Peter were under the cover of the backstage. "Remember when I said 'My town, my job'? Change of plans. Shocker and Parasite. I need you to web Parasite up completely; prevent him from touching either of us. I'll handle Shocker. Deal?" There's a blur of motion and suddenly, Kara Danvers is gone, replaced by Supergirl. Superspeed makes costume changing easy. "They're trying to figure out how to gt into the safe without Shocker blasting it. Parasite doesn't have superhuman strength unless he absorbs it from someone. So, he's the bgger threat and needs to be contained first."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter is about halfway to putting the gloves and webshooters on when Kara quick-changes to Supergirl.
Okay...ANOTHER reason he needs to find a quicker method than the Greatest-American-Hero thing.
He pulled the mask on, then said quietly, "Okay...this may not be very heroic, but HIDE until I go after Parasite." He pulls off his shirt, revealing the Spider-Suit underneath. "I've got a PLAN..."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara manages a quick kiss before his mask is pulled on. "Belive me," she smiles. "Parasite is all yours. I have no intention of lying helpless and watching him beat you up with my powers..." And just before Spider-Man is about to launch into whatever cunning plan he has devised that is more cunning than a fox that's been recently appointed to the Chair of Cunning Studies at Oxford University, she gives him a playful swat on the rear while there's still nobody to see them. "Go get 'em..." And Kara's smile is full of confidence for him.

Peter Parker has posed:
By this time, he is all suited up. He gives Supergirl a salute, then moved into position...

Shocker was beginning to regret working with parasite. The guy's elevator was DEFINITELY not reaching the top floor - it more or less stopped at Children's Toys, only for him, the toys were people. And he was the kind of person who liked breaking his toys.
It was all Shocker could do to keep him focused.
Okay, the Gumby comment might have been a touch much, but now all he had to do was wait for Parasite to calm down and...

"Hey, SHOCKER!"
*...NO! It CAN'T BE!*
He looked through the hole and saw Spider-Man waiting for him in the middle of the cleared dance floor, crooking a finger at him. "So, where's your date, Donkey Punch?" Spidey called out.
Shocker actually backed up. Parasite saw him and raised an eyebrow.
"It's SPIDER-MAN. What the Hell is the Webhead doing here in METROPOLIS??"
Parasite grinned in response. "Getting STEPPED ON!"
In the next moment, a relieved Shocker watched Parasite go after Spider-Man before turning to the safe, wondering how he was going to crack it...

Kara Danvers has posed:
As Peter engage Parasite, Kara takes the round-about way; going through the open backstage door, then back to whatever opening the un-dynamic duo used to get to the office. It's not like it takes a great deal of her time to circumvent the dancefloor and hear there directly. And, the last thing she wants to do is draw Parasite's attention to her. Peter can handle the villain on his own, especially at this early stage of the fight.

As Shocker ponders blunt-force safecracking, Supergirl appears, looking like she's just arrived to the party. "Here's a better question..." she says as she arrives. "You can barely handle Spider-Man on your best day. What do you think your chances against me are? So...cut to the chase, you surrender, and I transport you to Striker's Island nicely?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Shocker turns and looks at Supergirl.
No. No, it can't be her. His luck is bad, but it's not THAT bad...
He switched the gauntlet power level to MAX, raises his fists to aim at Supergirl's face, and lets her have it with a sonic blast that shreds the wall behind her...

Okay, the big purple guy is going to be a problem.
Spidey jumps up as Parasite lunges through the wall to get his hands on him. The Spider-Comm system pulls up Parasite's file in a microsecond, laying out everything the authorities had on him before he landed behind the big purple lug. He whirled around and coated Parasite's legs in webbing. "Hey! Scott Cawthon called! They're making another FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S GAME and they need someone to play the son of Purple Man!"
Parasite turned to face Spidey, trying hard to get himself free of the webbing. "When I get done with you, your own MOTHER won't recognize you!"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl leans into the sonic blast; the wall behind her mght be shredded, but her cape and hair just flutter back. She's wincing, but trying to not let on how much the blast affected her. "Really? Black Canary's cry hits me worse when we spar..." She knows that Shocker has a padded costume, specifically insulated against vibration. So, it's probably good for some thermal protection as well. Inhaling deeply, Supergirl left forth a chiling blast of Super Breath, causing ice to form up over Shocker's gauntlets and slowly creep up along his arms and over his body. She's trying to encase his body in ice, aside from the head. Even bad guys have to breathe, after all.

Peter Parker has posed:
Shocker is still wonder why the blonde wasn't acting like her skeleton had been pulverized to powder, and it suddenly got cold.

Very, VERY cold. In fact, it was so cold he could barely move.
Then he looked down and saw why. He was covered in a sheet of ice.
He tried to activate the shock gauntlets, but the cold had overwhelmed the electronics and they weren't working.

Speaking of what wasn't working...
Spider-Man jumped to the side as Parasite threw a table at him. The webbing hadn't held him as much as he'd hoped, and he seemed to be strong and quick enough to become a hard person to target.
And as soon as he saw Supergirl, he was going to go straight for her, grab her, and get all the powers a pissed-off Kryptonian could get...

And then he got an idea. It was a crazy, lunatic idea. But it could work...

Parasite glanced to the left, then looked back and saw Spider-Man going full tilt at him, fist raised to punch.
Parasite grinned, and simply CAUGHT the punch.

Spidey expected it to hurt, but not THAT much. It felt like his body was on fire. He convulsed as Parasite grinned at him. "Congrats, Spider-Man...I'm about to BE all YOU can BE...!"

Kara Danvers has posed:
"Stay there," Supergirl says to Shocker, pointing a finger at him. Then, she turns to check on Peter...

Oh. That's not good...

"Oh, no..." Kara gasps as she sees Spider-Man wilt under Parasite's grasp. Kara reaches down and flings a desk at Parasite. Please don't let him have Spider-Sense, she silently begs. Please don't let him have Spider-Sense...

Because Kara knows that if Parasite has Peter's Spider-Sense and agility, this is going to be a *very* long night...

Peter Parker has posed:
Parasite turned and looked at Supergirl...and grinned. He released Spider-Man, who dropped to the floor like a dirty shirt, breathing shallowly. Drained...but alive.
"Well, well, well...shoulda known YOU would show up. This bug may not have been as strong as you, but what he gave me is going to ensure I run rings around...around..."

The Spider-Sense is a very powerful thing. It warned of threats, but it also showed Peter all the potential choices he could make, along with levels of probability. Nodal points like tiny stars, colored in levels of danger - green for good, white for neutral, red for dangerous.

For Peter, who had a supremely-ordered mind, was trained in the scientific method and analysis, and with the mental fortitude to not only observe, but categorize, understand, and control his perceptions of it, he could handle the overwhelming flood of input easily.

Parasite, on the other hand, had no such training or understanding of this power, and IT ASSAULTED HIM. Later, he would describe it as trying to understand the dialogue and story of programs on a THOUSAND channels, all broadcasting at once, at verying volumes.

What Supergirl saw was his eyes go wide, and suddenly he was whirling around, staring in different directions, his hands rising to his skull to clutch at it as if he were trying to keep it from exploding.

"...knock his...block off..." Spider-Man moaned softly.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl didn't ned to be told twice. There's a *WOOOSH* of air and a streak of blue and red as the Girl of Steel accelerates almost intantly, slamming into Parasite just shy of the speed of sound. She also throws in a bit of Super Strength behind the blow; this isn't Darkseid she's trying to bring down, after all. She's never fought Peter before, and hopes she'll never have to, but she knows him well enough to judge how much force it will take to knock him out with one shot. She hopes...

Peter Parker has posed:
Parasite follows the laws of physics, at least. He is knocked back to slam into the wall near their booth, and the two barely-sipped strawberry daquiris are launched upward to crash-land on Parasite's chest. His entire body slumps and he is officially hors d'combat.

"Of...course..." Spidey says tiredly as he pushes himself to sit up against the overturned desk. "Nice shot...by the way."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl doesn't bask in the glory quite yet. Instead, she flies next to Parasite and wraps him up in stage scaffolding. The purple guy might be down and out, but no telling for how long. Prisoners secure, Kara returns to her downed partner, helping him to hs feet. "You okay, Spider-Man?" she asks with a certain amount of detachment in her tone. Just freinds, nothing more... "Parasite will keep you weak for a bit, but now that he's KO'd, your powers should start returning to you slowly." The patrons of the club are coming out now that the fight is over, applauding the pair. And, unnoticed by normal civilians, Kara is examining Peter with her x-ray vision, checking for any injuries he might have gotten.

Peter Parker has posed:
Not much, apart from the mild cellular decay that comes from one of Parasite's "hugs." His right hand has 13 broken bones, but they have been set and she can see the cells regenerating, knitting the bones together. Baring complications, he'll regain the full use of his hand in four hours.

A few people start shooting pictures with their smartphones. Maybe encouraging, uplifting posts to celebrate their victory?

He sighed. *All signs point to Spider-Fail.com. At least no one got seriously hurt.*

"Should probably...get outside. Get some air...disturb the crime scene as little as possible..."

Kara Danvers has posed:
"All right," Kara says. "Get some fresh air, that will help. I'll clean up in here..."

Rao, she wanted to kiss him so badly right now..."And don't worry. You did great. A lot better than I did my first time taking on Parasite." She may have said that a bit louder than she needed to. For the benefit of the lookie-loos muttering about Spider-Man getting his butt kicked.

Kara check on Shocker, picking up the villain-cicle and putting him out on the dance floor to make it easier for the police to cart him off. She's not totally worried about 'disturbing the crime scene', since Metropolis PD have a much better working relationship with the Supers than NYPD has with Spidey. But, Kara stays long enough to give a report as to what happened, and makes sure that Shocker and Parasite are secured, then she flies backstage to gather her and Peter's clothing, if they're still there, and flies out to check on Peter again, if he's still around.

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man is swigging from a water bottle, but the color is returning to his exposed cheeks in the chilly air.

"Ah well...so much for daquiris and dancing," he said with regret. "Maybe we should just try Netflix and home-popped popcorn..."