Owner	Pose
Miguel O'Hara	Wow. Gotham City. It looked like where Victorian England went to die. A mix of Transylvania, 19th-century Whitechapel, and nameless Dark City. So why was he here, webslinging around like he was looking for Dracula hobnobbing with Jack the Ripper? He was looking for an acquaintance. A girl who liked pretzels. It was a goose's chase. A fool's errand. But he was still out here, in a place where there were far too many great places to fire a webline, hoping to find...or be found.
River Banks	A wild goose chase. A needle in a haystack.     But her last phone message had come across the Gotham exchange. She had mentioned she'd run into a little trouble and was staying with a friend. And hadn't answered anything since.     And of course, being Gotham City, it was drizzling a little bit as River came out of a corner bodega in China Basin, the 'Asian-town' part of Gotham City, passing by tagging for the Steel Cobras and Triads with a paper sack held protectively in her arms.     She didn't know that a Spider was on the hunt for her.
Miguel O'Hara	Lyla said helpfully, "She was working off a cell tower near here." Miguel grumped, but headed north. He caught a whiff of those singular smells, like the ones that came from Little Chiba. He looked down, and... His eyes went wide. No CHIP, is that her?! Miguel swung to a nearby ledge to get a better look.
River Banks	Well spotted, Miguel!     It was indeed river, her blonde hair damp and pulled back in a limp ponytail. She's walking a little slow, favoring her right leg as she guards her packages. Carton of milk. Sugary breakfast cereal. A couple of candy bars.     But it was in fact the water wielding woman who had helped him against Audry II's knock off and consumed an inhuman amount of pretzels.     She pauses under an overhang to get out of the rain a moment, looking both ways before preparing to cross the street to Cyber Spider's side of the road.
Miguel O'Hara	And he doesn't have any pretzels. He does have something, though. As River passes under the lightpole, she hears a quiet, familiar voice from above. "Hey, there...ya hungry?" If she looks up, she'll see Cyber-Spider with a plastic food bag from Grimaldi's.
River Banks	He'd see her left hand go down, the shudder of the puddle beneath her hand rippling as she draws her eyes up to Miguel, and she takes a deep breath.     "/What are you doing here/?!" she questions in a soft hiss, blinking into the rain before she looks around, and she tilts her head towards a handy alleyway, her pace picking up.
Miguel O'Hara	He nods. "Apparently, it's Halloween all year here." In the next moment, he fires a webline and swings through the prevailing darkness to the alley, landing on the wall about 20 feet up, descending so River would get a crick in her neck talking to him.
River Banks	"Look just because the main vigilante team has a flying animal motif..." she trails off, looking up to Cyber-Spider as he drops down a little.     "But more importantly -- what are you doing here? Ah'm fine, got stitched up an' all." she states quietly.
Miguel O'Hara	Cyber-Spider looked at her for a moment, then said, "...I hadn't heard from you in awhile. I got worried, thought I'd come down here - I've been meaning to scope out this city, now I have a valid reason - and just say hi, how've you been holding up." He holds out the bag. "Sausage and pepperoni calzones. I was hoping you like that combination."
River Banks	The young woman looks up to Miguel, and she reaches up to accept the bag, feeling the warmth still through the plastic.     "It's a good combo." she agrees quietly, and then rubs the back of her neck again.     "Look... Mi-Cyber-Spider... there's somethin' you gotta know about me." she states quietly. "Ah ain't a hero. Ah ain't even a particularly nice person."
Miguel O'Hara	Cy-Spi tilted his head, peering at River. "You jumped in to help when people needed it. That has to count for something, right?" He paused, then continued, "Look...I don't know what you are doing. But I know that trying to be a better person...that is something to shoot for. Forget the word 'hero.' Forget 'courageous.' Forget 'valorous.' Just...shoot for 'DECENT.' It's a lot better than the others, in the long run." He looked around. "There is a person out there, right now...being a decent person. And where...and WHEN...I come from...he's a LEGEND. Just for being a decent person."
River Banks	"Ah killed someone, Miguel!" she states, over the word legend, talking over him. She's actually more than a little angry. She goes to run her hands over her hair, and ends up smacking herself in the face with both bags. The milk tumbles out and she unleashes a litany of horrible cursewords. "Ah'm in Gotham 'cause I owe someone a lotta money, an' haven't been makin' my payments. So he sent a big fella with teeth bigger than yours. He cut me up. I damn near died." she states quietly, regaining her composure.     "I don't get to be the better person in this chip."
Miguel O'Hara	Cy-Spi drops to the street, looking at River for a long moment. He then kneels to pick up the milk carton. A little muddy on the outside...but intact. He begins to wipe off the dirty water with one gloved hand, then hands it back to River. "Still good." He sighs. Some hero HE is. "Uhm...how much do you owe, exactly?" He can't do anything with the confession, or how he was unable to protect her. He can try to do something to fix it, to try and put the pieces back together...
River Banks	"Ain't your problem. Already got someone else involved in this mess. An' he's not exactly happy 'bout it either."     And she reaches for the milk carton, and accepts it back as she looks up to Miguel.     "You shoulda never introduced yourself ta me, Cyber-Spider. I ain't nothin' but a load of trouble an' woe." she mutters, though the milk being still good after a tumble? That's not lost on her. In spite of how much she proports to be a idiot with no book learnin', she's pretty good on the pickup. She stands in the drizzling rain.     "I ain't your problem, Miguel. Ah ain't no one's problem but my own. It's my fault. I deal. Any means required." she breathes out.     "I'm takin' a job. It's gonna be the last one I ever do maybe." she whispers, and then wipes a hand across her eyes.     "No idea why I'm tellin' you this."
Miguel O'Hara	And there it is. She's just committed to planning a crime. By all rights, he should make a citizen's arrest, bring her in to the police. And if he did, she'd be dead or in prison for much worse by week's end. Someone would come for her. If they were successful, no more River. If they weren't, she might be forced to kill someone. Someone else. *Is there no other way?* he was about to ask, but one look in her eyes, and he knew in his gut that she didn't have the luxury of other options. After a few moments of thought, he chuckled. "You might have noticed the costume. I tend to get involved in other people's problems. It's kinda my batchfile."
River Banks	"You and every freaking one else." River replies, and she looks at Miguel, at his mask.     "I ain't a nice person, Miguel. You should... I dunno. I jus' dunno anymore. And I dunno what a 'batchfile' is but I'm guessin' it's your 'thing'." she states quietly, and she looks to the slightly soggy paper bag, and then draws her eyes back up to Miguel.     "Well, it's rude ta keep you standin' in the frickin' rain. That suit even waterproof?" she questions, digging a set of keys out of her pocket.
Miguel O'Hara	Cy-Spi nods. "Yes. Even has a self-repair option. Standard for unstable-molecule fabric." He looked up, then to River. "But smart people know when it's time to get out of the rain."
River Banks	"Kinda wish I had a sweatshirt that could do all that. Must be pretty smart, whoever made it." she states tiredly as she unlocks a back door to an apartment building. "I'm sorry." she states quietly.     "Didn't mean ta unload all that on you. Jus'... not used to people goin' outta their way to help me. Feels weird." she states.
Miguel O'Hara	Cy-Spi followed River inside, waiting for the door to close before pulling off the mask to reveal a sheepish-looking Miguel. "Well, it's as ubiquitous in 2099 as denim is now." He looks around. "Are there others living here?"
River Banks	"Yeah, but this is Gotham. They don't open their doors for nobody. Smart people." she states, and she climbs up the stairs three stories of walk-up. "Best we could do in temporary digs. "Ubiquitous. Big word." she remarks "That mean 'it's everywhere'?" she asks as she comes to another door, and uses two keys: one for the deadbolt, one for the doorknob. Real old tech, everything looks pretty worn.     Inside the apartment there's a very worn, small couch and a coffee table with action figures set up like they're in some sort of pitched battle. Most are Ninja Wolf and Batburger Batmite meal toys. There's a couple of pizza boxes stacked on a trash can, and a couple of backpacks by the door.     "But if you mean 'if someone lives with me' -- yeah."     And that's when a dark-haired boy of about eight pokes his head out from behind the couch.     "... if he doesn't have an action figure he can't have any cake." he decides, automatically.
Miguel O'Hara	"Yeah, I get wordy when I'm nervous or off-center. Which happens a lot..." Miguel's voice trailed off as they enter the apartment. He can sense another person in the place, so he doesn't jump when the young boy appears. He holds up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Uhm, I'm not going to take anyone's cake." He tries to talk without too much lip movement - fangs and claws can be deal-breakers to a lot of people. "I...come in peace."
River Banks	"Come in Peace? Are you an ALIEN?" the boy asks, hopping over the couch wearing a Wonder Woman branded T-shirt. "You look really human to be an alien!" he chirps, and the boy, who looks a fair bit like River herself, looks between River and Miguel, and then straightens up.     "You're not Red Hood without a Hood are you? If so, totally disappointed. I thought you'd be less skin-tight costume an' more leather jackets and jeans!" he complains, throwing his hands up in the air.     "Rio -- you're supposed to be in bed, Squirt. I went out to get breakfast for you an' you didn't even wash your face yet?" River comments, squishing the kid's face before he laughs, and points at Miguel, then points at his own eyes, and then points at Miguel, before turning to scamper off in direction of the bathroom presumably to wash up.     River sets everything she was carrying on the tiny counter space, and puts the recovered milk into the fridge.     "Honestly, your teeth wouldn't bother him none. He'd just ask you a million questions about 'em."
Miguel O'Hara	Miguel relaxes slightly, letting his face settle naturally. The crimson eyes and fangs do say vampire an AWFUL lot. "I'm...I was a regular person, until someone played Mix-It with a spider's DNA and mine. As a prank, it was a pretty shocking serious one." He shrugged. "Right now, I'm kinda lost."
River Banks	"... ssooooooooo you're a genetic mutate 'cause some bad guys an' now you have weird quirks? Did the suit come with it?" Rio asks, sticking his head out of the bathroom, toothbrush hanging out from it.     "Rio!"     "WHAT he said he was!"     River gives an exasperated sigh, and then shakes her head.     "Rio's got a fascination with superheroes."     "My sister's gonna join the Justice League. She says she's not, an' that's prolly what they told her to say!" Rio calls back, and then after a stern look from River, he ducks back in to finish brushing his teeth.     River purses her lips a moment.     "He doesn't know." she states softly, "'bout the trouble I was in. Jus' that Red Hood showed up to the apartment in Clinton an' brought me to Gotham. He's been helpin' us out."
Miguel O'Hara	Red Hood? Great. ANOTHER name he has never heard before. This is DEFINITELY not his universe. "Well, I'm glad SOMEONE is helping you. I just wish I could." He looked around. "Do you...need anything? I mean...SHOCK." His shoulders slump. "There's gotta be SOMETHING I can help with..."
River Banks	"Well my options were 'let him help me' or 'get shot with a taser round again' so..." River shrugs, and she grabs a paper plate from on top of the fridge, and there's a little sound of plastic crinkling before Miguel is handed a piece of chocolate cake, which has chocolate frosting, and rainbow sprinkles on it.     "Help me get rid of the cake, because Ah made way too much of it."
Miguel O'Hara	Miguel blinks. It seems a paltry way to help, but she DID offer... ...and it IS cake. When was the last time he'd had cake? He looks for a fork. "I'm...last time I had cake, I was 14 years old." He finds a fork, then takes a bite. "Wow. Uhm...SHOCK. This tastes...great. Really."
River Banks	"In the basket right there -- forks an' spoons. Dunno which is the preferred one in the future." River states, and she looks over as he curses again, and shakes her head "You always have such responses ta people givin' you things? Just cursin' willy-nilly?" she asks, leaning against the counter that separates the kitchen area from the livingroom, where Miguel stands on the other side.     "... there's jes no way for you ta help without puttin' you in a bad spot. I'll handle it. I'll come through. Always do."     And then she wrinkles her forehead "... so how long has it been since you've had cake?"
Miguel O'Hara	"I...shock, this time-travel messes up my head. Personally...six years. Thereabouts. I started college at 15, and never went back home on break. Couldn't afford to go home on breaks. Too much...too much ram-drive in my mindspace. I'm..." He takes another big bite. "I dunno what it is about the food in this time period..."
River Banks	"Heh, probably all the chemical preservatives." River replies quietly, worrying at her shirt a bit; it's still damp. And she's tryingto dry out form the rain.     "So you're twenty then? Minus a thousand or so years?" she jokes.
Miguel O'Hara	Miguel smiles a little sheepishly. "Just turned 21 last week. Happy Time-Twisted Birthday to me. Madre de Dios..." He took another bite. "...at least I got cake." He hmmed, then looked to where Rio had gone. "Younger brother...I've got one, as well. Gabriel...nothing but trouble, but he might as well be blood to me." He pauses. "I was an affair kid. And mi familia padre was strict enough with his own son..."
River Banks	"Oh hey, I turned twenty-one a couple weeks back. Feliz cupleanos." River gives a small crack of a smile, and she looks as Rio scampers off into the lone bedroom of the apartment.     "My dad joined the military 'fore I was born and decided he liked takin' orders from the Government better than livin' with my mama. So never met him. Rio's got a diff'rent dad, but he's in prison."
Miguel O'Hara	Miguel finishes his cake, then looks for a trashcan for the disposables. "This is going to sound weird, but I enjoyed that cake more than I did every birthday I can remember." He chuckles. "None of us are going to qualify as having normal childhoods. Or adulthoods, so far."
River Banks	"Yeah well, I don't think anyone's who's a super hero has had a good child hood. Happy people don't do the types of things y'all do." River replies, and holds up the little trashbin for Miguel.     "Sad that you enjoyed leftover cake more than your birthday... doesn't sound like fun."
Miguel O'Hara	Miguel tossed the plate and fork into the bin, then sighs. "I remembered asking a friend why his game characters had tragic backstories. He told me, 'No well-adjusted person goes into dungeons and fights dragons.' I guess he was right, there. People get shook up, have their priorities changed. I used to think corporations looked out for their employees. Now, I hate nearly all of those psychopathic businesses. One shocking goal, no shocking soul."
River Banks	"Yeah, guess that doesn't change in the future either. Everyone's out for themselves except those who have a *Tragic* case of Altruism." she replies, and she gives a snort. "'Specially those of us who just take from others, Ah guess."
Miguel O'Hara	Miguel looks to River. She's planning a crime. He can tell even without telepathy. But...she's not evil, just desperate. "River...look. I can't condone what you are planning. But...I'm also not going to stop you. Just promise me you're going to try to make this your last...job. Caper. Whatever you call it. After this...if you need help, call me. Maybe I can do something..."
River Banks	Crime's already planned. She's just waiting on a time to get to the airport.     "Not gonna lie, this one's dangerous, but if I pull it off? I own't hafta rob another bank or run another con so long as I live." and she motions with her head towards the bedroom door. "An' Rio can put down roots. Get friends. He's only eight; he's got his whole life ahead of 'im."
Miguel O'Hara	He can't believe this. He can't commit any more crimes that he'd already committed, and here he is, washing his hands of her like Pontius Shocking Pilate. He can't help her...but he can stay out of her way. As long as she doesn't leave Rio without a sister. Chip. Chip, chip, CHIP!