8945/When Shopping Lists Collide

When Shopping Lists Collide
Date of Scene:	04 December 2021
Location:	Nucci's, Farmer's Market, Gotham City
Synopsis:	May Parker shops at the farmer's market in Gotham City...and meets a true gentleman.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Alfred Pennyworth

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Peter Parker has posed:
If you want to get the best of anything in Gotham, it's all in who you know. The best gin? The Spirits Lounge, with everything from Bombay to Tanqueray. The best women? Check the Iceberg Lounge, where the designation of "entertainment provider" instead of "waitress" means only the most beautiful birds for Cobblepot's aviary.

And if it's the best vegetables in the city? You'd better believe it is NUCCI'S, the largest farmer's market in the city, with a well-earned reputation of the freshest foodstuffs and foliage. William Nucci set up the place and engineered its growth by luck, skill, and a little subterfuge, letting various power groups in Gotham think he was connected to or working for other just-as-powerful groups. But Bruce Wayne knew that Willy Nucci was completely and thoroughly legitimate, and owned the most points in the business.

Well....MAYBE the IRS knows.

One person who only knows to come here based on hearsay is one "Aunt" May Parker, here because her best friend Ophelia Kamazov was dealing with a rather nasty form of the flu, and Aunt May resolved to make a batch of her Irish Stew to restore health to her friend.

She stepped out of the Uber and entered the market, checking her list. "Now then..."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Cooking for Bruce Wayne - and his extended family - is something of a double edged sword. While nobody complains about the quality or types of meals that are made, they often go largely uneaten in one form or another due to the eccentric hours and bizarre comings of goings in the manor proper. Such is life when the figurative birds begin to leave the nest but often have excuses to be about. Despite the fact, Alfred Pennyworth is hardly one to skimp on ingredients and thus he finds himself here at NUCCI'S.

It's something of an ordeal for the man, requiring multiple trips between the car in order to stock the Wayne Manor's kitchens, but he presently finds himself sorting through leeks and onions with a practiced eye while a number of bags sit about his ankles. He stands in stark contrast to most there - impeccably dressed in a simple black suit that sets him apart in a manner that somehow looks humble and unassuming at the same time. Not that he's a completely unfamiliar sight of course.

Lifting a leek up to examine like a carpenter checking a 4x4 board for bends, he shakes his head and sets it down before picking out another more likely looking candidate.

Peter Parker has posed:
May Parker nodded to herself. She had resolved to make her "special" Irish Stew, the one using Guinness as an ingredient. She was carrying a plastic basket, hanging from one thin arm by the wire handles, with a fair amount of vegetables already. She had to admit, this place had everything.

She reached for the celery when her hand brushed the hand of another, and she immediately drew her hand back out of propriety. "Oh...!" She said in surprise, then looked to the quite proper man who she had nearly held hands with over a bundle of celery. (Granted, it was very good celery, but still...)
"Pardon me...didn't mean to get handsy, sir."
The woman was in her sixties, but displayed the energy of someone one or two decades younger. Silvered short hair, thin, angular face, the piercing eyes of a hawk, but the sudden blush of proper embarrassment in her cheek.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
The hands separated as quickly as they touched and Alfred took a sharp step to the side as a smile creased his features - selecting vegetables is dour and serious business. Shaking his head emphatically and waving the hand, he gallantly gestured the 'right of way' to the woman. "Oh, no, pardon -me- ma'am. I fear I often end up with tunnel vision doing the shopping these days. It's a burden, knowing most of this will end up being eaten by one of the dogs," he quipped dryly, his eyes flashing with small mirth to make it seem like less of a lament.

Regarding her perusal of celery for a moment, and then allowing his gaze to dart to the basket with practiced scrutiny. "Some kind of stew? Or a stir fry? Have you tried a black garlic with it?" he offered in a conversational fashion as he stuffed his most recent target into one of the bags, seemingly satisfied. "I find the sweetness rather pleasing on things that might otherwise be more tart."

Peter Parker has posed:
The elderly lady smiled warmly, the hawklike features softening as she did. Her blue eyes were bright with intelligence and interest.
"Well, my Irish Stew has a little bit of everything. Thyme and garlic, brought together with some chicken broth, with a little edge courtesy of a generous dollop of dark beer. Guinness, if you wish to do it right."

She turned to face Alfred, extending her hand in the manner of an Irish lady. "May Parker, of Queens, New York. Pleased to meet a fellow soldier of the kitchen."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Chuckling quietly at the last ingredient, Alfred inclined his head politely and returned the gesture in kind with a respectful firmness. "Alfred Pennyworth, a Gothamite, nominally, though originally from Cowes - across the pond, as they say," he offered in turn. "It's a selective fraternity, isn't it? One you must be a veteran of, if you're willing to make the trip out here to Gotham" he joked.

"Was there anything else you were looking for?" he asked, casting a conspiratorially glance about as if about to share some grim secret. "Some of the stands here are markedly better than others, even amongst the realm of Mr. Nucci's keen eye for quality produce."

Peter Parker has posed:
May chuckled. "My, yes. I have a friend, Ophelia. Friends since we were children. She's come down ill, the poor dear, so I felt I should come down to help stock the larder and put together some good foods guaranteed to warm the bones on a cold night." She smiles, a soft, easy smile. "Normally, I would fret more, but my nephew, he told me to look after Ophelia as long as I needed to. 'Good friends are as rare as diamonds.' I was a little surprised when he turned my own words back on me, but I'm also rather proud he did. He's practically a man already."
She looked wistful, thoughtful, then blinked and returned to the here-and-now. "Would you be so kind as to accompany a lady? I would welcome the company of such a steadfast English gentleman."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"It would be a pleasure, Mrs. Parker - it's always rather vexing when the youth manage that feat, isn't it?" Alfred remarked with another dry laugh as he shifted some of his bags about and glanced back at the woman's basket. "May I?" he offered in that same unassuming politeness while inverting his palm and opening it up to take the basket in his newly freed hand.

"I have a number of nephews of a sort that manage to surprise me at how much their father and I have said that manages to stick in their heads when I least expect it," he continued with a wry shake of his head regardless of the response. "For the time though, i'd be more than happy to accompany you about."

Peter Parker has posed:
May's blush deepens a little, as is proper, and she hands over the basket. "A gentleman and a scholar, I am sure," she says pleasantly. "I need to find some truly excellent Roma tomatoes. Shall we begin the foray?"

As she walks next to the stately Mr. Pennyworth. "I would ask a favor of you. I would like to call you Alfred, as 'Mr. Pennyworth' seems a bit staid. However, in return I only ask that you call me what my nephew, friends, and other honored persons call me." She smirks. "AUNT May. It is a title I feel I have earned, and it pleases me to be honored as such."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Nodding decisively, Alfred clasped the basket and in lieu of waving a hand about shook his head in a dismissive fashion. "I know just the woman to see about tomatoes - and it's hardly an imposition. Most -do- call me Alfred because you're absolutely right about 'Mr. Pennyworth.'" he remarked, keeping a leisurely pace as he led the way through the markets stalls.

"Aunt May works just fine for me, and by the brief sound of it, the honor would be all mine to be counted amongst those worthy of using the form of address. What does your nephew do, if you don't mind me asking?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May smiles, And Alfred knows he has touched upon her favorite subject.
"Oh, you should meet Peter. He's a genius." She chuckles. "Oh, I know, proud parents throw that word around all the time, but we actually had him tested twice. Once at six, again at thirteen. The results were the same."
She looked around, then said conspiratorily, "Two hundred and fifty." She beams. "And what's even better, he doesn't have a similarly-sized ego. Quiet, calm, respectful to his elders, reserved around his peers...really, it's quite amazing. Benjy and I..."

She paused. Just for a moment. Enough for Alfred to guess Benjy was no longer among the living.
"...we did our best to raise that boy, ever since his parents gave him to us to care for when he was four."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
There's an 'Ah' moment, and a nod. Their stroll brought them to one of the smaller local stands amongst the farmer's market where a range of tomatoes and other fruits. Alfred's squint belied some thought as he mulled the conversation over for a moment while offering a smile to the woman overseeing her produce. "I'm all too familiar. It's rather no secret and so i'm not one to try and conceal the fact - Master Bruce has been something of a son to me since his parents passed and they charged me with his care..." he commiserated as the smile evaporated for a moment, before looking up from the produce and reclaiming a more sombre smile.

"He sounds like a most commendable young man. It's certainaly difficult, having to stand in for parents. I trust he's putting the brain to good use though, hm? I can't say i'm disappointed at all with Master Wayne's course in life."

Peter Parker has posed:
May nodded sagely, then paused. "Wait..." She turned to look at Alfred, one eyebrow raised. "Are you saying that you work for the CEO of Wayne Enterprises?" She asked, but this was also in a conspiratorial whisper.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Chortling in laughter, Alfred nodded. "I'm not nearly as famous as Master Bruce, thankfully. I've had the honor of being the Wayne family butler since he was just a very young boy. I'm not nearly as photogenic or exciting as he is for all the reporters," he quipped. "It was something of an inherited position though. My father served his parents for some time before I came to supplant him when he fell ill."

Peter Parker has posed:
May digests this for a moment. "Clearly, you are made of sterner stuff than I originally thought," she eventually says, with a note of admiration. "I am sure it must be a herculean task, especially if you are the only..."

She paused. "Forgive me. 'Manservant' seems rather ill-suited to your station. Perhaps 'support' is more true to form." She looks a little chastened at that. "Well, you seem to be doing an excellent job."

The man Alfred is helping still seems a little vivacious and irresponsible at times, but he does fund a number of philanthropic organizations, and this gentlemen serves his needs, so it seems uncouth to disparage the man.

"We do not come from such auspicious beginnings, but Peter seems to flourish in spite of that. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in...neuroscience, I believe he called it. Sophomore year and he is already in the end-degree classes. He also works for Mr. Ted Kord, for KordCo, and I must say he and Mr. Wayne seem to be cut from similar bolts of cloth. A bit wayward, but conscientious."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Alfred is full of laughter today - the epithet of 'Manservant' breaking his normally rigid bearing quite soundly. "'Manservant' isn't too far off I suppose - and I appreciate the praise. It's hardly my doing though, Master Thomas was an admirable man, and while Master Bruce is certainly his own man..." he trailed off, his head listing to the side, "It's uncanny - how similar they are. I'm sure you know what I mean in regards to Mr. Parker and young Peter," he finished after collecting himself.

"Neuroscience is a bit beyond the scope of my intellect, but between that and 'Ph.D' I think I can pick up on the gravity of it. The extent of my medical knowledge came in service to Her Majesty in her Armed Forces. It helps being handy with a needle and thread though in the day to day these days," he joked. "I will have to keep an eye on my medical journals though to see if I have the pleasure of recognizing a name from what i'm sure is a rising star in the field, Aunt May." The moniker is only slightly stilted, the informality obviously something an anomaly to his normal nature.

Peter Parker has posed:
May chuckles. "You might find his hand in the areas of prosthetics, orthopedics, even cybernetics." She lowered one hand to lightly tap her right leg. "Hip replacement. Developed by Stark Enterprises. Designed by my nephew. Before this, it was merry Hell even getting out of bed. Now, even a jaunt into Gotham City is not out of the question. Peter got himself into some trouble, though. Poor boy, promising the world to too many people and it got him into trouble. But he's learned his lesson, and he's doing much better now."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Nodding in approval, Alfred digested the information. "I'm fortunate enough to have avoided the need just yet but... old age makes fools of us all, hm?" he observed with that dry, self-deprecation. "I think you're absolutely right about the same cloth though. Master Bruce suffered from the idea that he needed to spread himself far too thin when he took over all of his family affairs. It -must- just be what young men do, hm?"

"He -should- be careful though. Master Bruce's role in Wayne Enterprises is largely nominal these days - I think? - but Mister Fox is sharp. Young Mister Parker may find him headhunting him. I'll do my part to prevent it though by not bringing it up next time we speak," he finished with a wink and a laugh.

Peter Parker has posed:
May nodded. "Please do. Mr. Kord, bless the man, is funding tuition and books and other school fees. Otherwise, Peter would never be able to afford college in any capacity." She sighs. "Poor boy's had to be the breadwinner from when he was 16. I think they call it 'parentification,' but there wasn't much choice. Affer Benjy died, I couldn't afford to keep the house we lived in since we got married. Peter worked himself to the bone, in addition to school, taking pictures of that fellow Spider-Man."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Continuing to pad about the market, Alfred's brow furrowed in a solemn and resigned fashion. "Well, it seems that you did remarkably with him. It's not often you hear such success stories faced with such loss and misfortunate. Especially when natural brilliance plays a part in it - i've found that many of the most intelligent men and women I meet are plagued with -too- keen an eye for the nature of..." he trailed off, straining only slightly to wave a bag laden hand about, "Well, reality, I think."

Abandoning the grim direction of conversation, Alfred's smile returned with a simple nod as he commented, "I've seen some of those, I think. The Spider-Man pictures, that is. We receive the Bugle at home. Photography something of a passion of his?"

Peter Parker has posed:
May smiled. "Benjy taught him the basics, but if anything made him excel at it, it was Necessity, that old taskmistress. But he found so many INTERESTING ways to make it work. Almost all of his pictures these days are taken by this little flying camera. Gets angles he could never get from the street. Uses the cell-phone network so he can run it from anywhere." She paused, then continued, "He even got it to work in Gotham City, even though he's in New York. I asked him how we was able to do it, and he told me he 'figured some things out.' I can read the poor bot like a book, though. What he means is that he somehow got around the security so he doesn't have to pay roaming charges. I'm not as smart as him, but I saw a few of his notes. Stuff about how amazed at the security of the Gotham cell network and how long it took to 'crack' it. I hope your Mr. Fox won't be too put out by this...it's not like he's using it to commit crimes."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Rolling his eyes with another wry laugh, Alfred shakes his head. "Oh, no - if nothing else, and knowing Mister Fox as I do, if he's noticed the 'crack' it's done nothing but pique his curiosity. They can afford to let Mister Parker have his fun. It just might spark a more fervent effort to recruit the boy from KordCo. Businessmen, hm?" he remarked with a knowing confidence.

"I'm absolutely certain you don't have to worry about any trouble coming from that particular angle, Aunt May. Mister Parker may end up having to come up with some solutions for new obstacles in the network though if they catch wind of it." Alfred didn't seem too particularly concerned with securing additional produce during the course of their conversation as he glanced around and offered nods to some of the vendors he was more familiar with while continuing, "I -think- men like Master Bruce, Mister Fox, and seemingly Mister Parker, take a certain pleasure in overcoming new hurdles. Thank God for them - they keep the lights on, as the saying goes. I tend to enjoy when things are just nice and simple however. I've had my fill of conflict, these days."

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May nodded, then stopped at the cabbages. "My word, look at the size of these..."
As she sorts through them, she continues, "I can most heartily agree with you. I am sure you have seen plenty, but being the mother of a genius has its own battlefields...especially when the boy you think of as your son is bullied and used for the amusement of others. And some of them..."
She closes her eyes for a moment. "Few can be as cruel as children can."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"Too true. I imagine Mister Parker dealt with some of the same torment Master Bruce did - I can't fathom it, honestly..." Alfred agreed, his brow furrowing in distaste. "Picking on someone because of the circumstances of their home life? It never even crossed my mind when I was a boy. There are just some things you -don't- comment on," he acknowledged with a shake of his head. "I like to tell myself they mostly grow out of it, but who's to say? The state of the world these days makes me leery to assume anything. Speaking of Mrs - Aunt May, not to impose but... Gotham can be a rather rough town. Would you mind terribly if I walked you to your car when we were done? I can help load these groceries for you before we send you on your way."

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May chuckled. "I had to call one of those Uber vehicles to get down here. I was going to call another one to get back to Ophelia's home."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
There was a nod of understanding and then a polite inclination of his head as Alfred responded, "Ah, yes - if you'd prefer, I could save you the fee that company charges and drop you off myself. I fear I couldn't facilitate a ride elsewhere. I fear I -do- need to return to the manor at some point tonight to see to my duties, but i'd be more than happy to help if I may." If there was any embarrassment or trepidation in the suggestion Alfred hid it remarkably well, playing into the notion of a 'gallant' Englishman. "It might be a tad cleaner and safer as well. Some of these reports I hear about their 'vetting' process leaves me suspect at times."

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May gives Alfred a coy look, which seems somehow natural on her face, and Alfred gets a glimpse of the young Irish lass May used to be.
"Well, my knight in elegant armor, how could I refuse such a gallant overture from such a handsome man?" She looks over to the cashier at the entrance. "I think I have everything. If you need to keep shopping, I would be pleased to accompany you."
May winks, the warm smile still on her face.