#Spiderverse AU2

[therapardalis]

"Last time, yeah ..." A quick exhale, because it wasn't Spidey's fault, either that it was here or his skepticism about the whole deal; if their places had been reversed, she would have had doubts as well. "It's not so much losing it as having it found. And then stolen, because who doesn't like the fame and fortune of discovering buried treasure?"

And though it was once again not his fault, the same skepticism and doubt that often led to people not realising what they had.

Another deep breath, another self-reminder in the line of them that had started the instant he grabbed hold of her arm. Very very nearly a step too far, as the tension like whipcord might have shown. Eyes narrowed and figurative ears pinned back, but what she'd been going to say paused, and faded into something else.

"Yes, that'll be it."

She didn't share that particular extrasensory tick - wasn't fully aware that he did beyond anecdotes here and there. But what she could sense at close enough range was ... well, call it magic. Call it something not right, a whisper along her spine. The strength depended on the item and the proximity, and this one was just beginning to creep under her skin.

"OK, listen ..." Whatever had changed his mind she didn't know a lot about, but Thera was not going to look it in the mouth, "First thing is, I need to get that fucker out of here. Are you gonna help me, or keep pecking away while I'm trying to work?"

That made him pause half a step. "Last time? Last time? You mean your Aztec god has lost this thing multiple times?!" Now wasn't that horrific to think about. Peter stepped it up, moving to intercept this turkey burglar before she could avoid any more of his questions or concerns about a pestilence causing bird. "Listen, Mary Poppins," he grumbled, reaching to grab her arm. "I've been at this game a long time. I've heard it all, seen it all. Just 'cause your story sounds ridiculous doesn't automatically make it more--" He stopped in his tracks, fingers tightening around the woman's bicep. That familiar buzz was creeping up the back of his neck, the one that told him to be cautious. "Wait. Wait--" Wide lenses scoured the crates in front of them until it landed on the one closest to the rolling door. That was it. That was the cause. "...That's your turkey?" he asked, gaze narrowing. There was a moment of doubt, of whether he should really be trusting this stranger on nothing but her word, but on the very off chance this was all real and it was certainly starting to feel real, it was hard to fool his Spider Sense... Peter let her arm go. "I must be nuts. Have to be...," he gave a heavy sigh. "You better know what you're doing, lady."

[therapardalis]

[Comedic Relief Meme from @peterbsideparker ]

“How can I live, laugh, love in these conditions?” ------------

"Well, you'll just have to push through like always."

No-one was going to claim that being Spider-Man didn't require sacrifices, or that he shouldn't complain about it along the way. But considering he was currently a snotty mess on her couch, Thera had been listening to the complaints for a while.

"Here," She set a bundle of fabric down beside him, a collection of slightly gothic-looking blacks and greys, "I found you something to wear. Go get cleaned up, and I'll throw your ... actually, is the Suit washable? Before I end up shrinking it in the drier or something?"

[therapardalis]

[New Year's Meme from @peterbsideparker.]

"I don't care if it IS tradition, I'm not eating that." ------------

" ... Who are you, and what have you done with Peter?"

Really, what was this? Spider-Foodie turning down a snack? Thera held onto her 'shocked' expression a few seconds more before breaking into a grin. "Honestly," She admitted, wrinkling her nose, "I don't blame you. Black pudding is definitely an acquired taste."

[therapardalis]

[Music Meme for @peterbsideparker, who is not gonna believe what I got for this XD!]

Before this night is done, their plan will be unfurled By the dawning of the sun, they'll take over the world ...

------------

... Somebody please tell her these guys were kidding? That this was some sort of prank, or an ad for a Christmas movie?

Thera had already felt a bit retro, seeing a shop window full of screens that reminded her of TV stores from decades ago, but that had abruptly ceased to be the point.

What was ... well, her head was still ringing from the burst of static that had sent people shrieking and covering their ears, as every screen in the vicinity and the mall's public address system were suddenly taken over - all now with the same image. Same transmission, to be more exact, of a smaller man in a large chair, and a taller one standing beside him, like a Gomez Addams and his attendant Lurch.

The seated man leaned back, steepled his fingers (maybe playing the super-villain cliche a little too much) and smiled at the camera.

"Season's Greetings, citizens of New York ..."

[Song - Theme from Pinky and the Brain.]

[therapardalis]

[Holiday Meme from @peterbsideparker.]

[ 🥛🍪 ] catch my muse eating the goodies left for “Santa” ------------

" ... What?"

Thera asked the question around a mouthful of cookie, munching steadily. "They were still there this morning ... don't want anyone thinking their cookies weren't good enough for the old gent."

She swallowed, took another bite, "Did you have dibs on these or something?"

[therapardalis]

[Pet Name Meme from @peterbsideparker.]

"Your Majesty. Or Menace. Depends on the day." ------------

Your Majesty. He'd dropped that on her the second he'd heard her accent, and if she hadn't had a pretty big load of something else to worry about that evening, Thera might have rolled her eyes.

Because of course the only things your average American knew about the British was they'd been kicked out in 1770-something, and they had royals (though mind you, those two things had been pretty closely related at the time).

Since then ... well, she was pretty sure Peter wasn't trying to be condescending with it, and the name had stuck. But on the other hand, she preferred the second option.

"What do I have to do to make it a 'Menace' kind of day?"

[therapardalis]

[Doctor Who Meme from @xenjoyedthat.]

"You know, this isn’t nearly as bad as it looks." [human!lyla shenanigans perhaps? owo ] ------------

"Yes it bloody well is!" Thera held up a jacket in blazing fuschia pink, most of the lines smooth and borderline formal - except for the huge shoulder pads bulking it up at the top. It had been hanging on a rack beside an assortment of clothes in equally vibrant colours, each item stirring up memories that flapped around like long-ago butterflies of cringe.

" ... I don't mind the shirt," She admitted, eyeing the overdone ruffles on the neckline, "I've been wearing those kind since the 1600s. But the rest ... I realise I'm the only one here who lived through the 1980s, but it's kinda embarrassing to go back ..."

[therapardalis]

@spiderbyhalf therapardalis sent: ❛ if i have to think about one more thing today, my head will explode. ❜ ------------ Parked at his console, Miguel lent an attentive pause as he strained to peer over the crown of his shoulder. An eyebrow sprang into a quizzical shape. "It's painful when you're starting out," he assured her politely. "Just take it one step at a time." He turned back and his fingers flowed with swift precision over the holo-keyboard. One after the other, the words stamped across the page with smooth, deadline speed, framing the top of a thumbnail then hugging its side. Miguel's brow pressed over his eyes. "Okay, I need to finish this debriefing—hey, did you check on those accession records like I asked? Have you made any progress toward locating the watch?"

.

"Oh, don't worry ..." She didn't go thinking he actually was, except perhaps about the work being delayed - or because she kept annoying the computer with habits learned seventy years before it had even been built. "It's always rough learning a new system."

Although as someone who had started writing when paper was still a rarity, she usually adapted a bit faster than this. It wasn't like she hadn't ever used a touch-screen, after all.

Glancing up, her brow creased a little once again, "I thought I sent you those -" A huff of a sigh, as most likely either she or the computer had messed that up as well. "Do you want me to try sending them again, or just come over and look at them here? When you're done with the debriefing, I mean. And as far as progress ... I've got some possibles, and I think I have an idea on how to narrow it down."

[therapardalis]

[ITSV Meme from @spiderbyhalf.]

"Thera, you’re gonna get yourself killed." ------------

"So people tell me often enough." Unspoken, but still very plain, was the follow-on that she hadn't listened any of those times, either. Arms folded over her chest she moved around the strategy table, studying the map she already had memorised and shuffling pieces into place behind her eyes.

Also unspoken was the idea that it didn't seem like Miguel to actually voice that sort of concern out loud; he was much more likely just to grunt and insist in doing it himself. That thought rattled itself around past the others, nudged her as something she should address.

"I appreciate it, Miguel, truly - but I've been doing this sort of thing for a very long time. And I promise I'm not intending to be stupid about it." On that score, how much she seemed to be and how much she actually was were often very different creatures.

"You have the Big Picture to worry about, let me sweat the small stuff. Unless ..." Her eyebrows lifted curiously, "You know something else about this job that you don't want to tell me?"

[therapardalis]

Cullman Hall, Rose Center for Earth and Space, AMNH, New York ...

One thing Thera had always found amusing were 'fund-raising' events that seemed to cost more than they might make. Mind you, this one was shooting very, very high, as a glance at the guest list gave away; Stark, Pym, Alchemax ... even Hammer, still trying to pick their shit up and catch the others. All potential corporate sponsors on a massive scale.

Add in some assorted socialites, Wall Street millionaires and the occasional politician, and the Museum might come out of this extremely well indeed. There were also at least three people she strongly suspected of being SHIELD agents, mingling just a little too deliberately with the crowd.

Well ... she couldn't really fault that, given she wasn't there purely for the champagne herself. She just hoped they weren't looking for the same thing she was.

She strolled across the richly decorated hall, dress moving smoothly with her hips and legs, helped herself to another glass of red wine and turned, back not too far from the wall, and took another casual survey of the room ...

[ @spiderbyhalf ]

[therapardalis]

"Yours was bad, I can just never step back from a challenge!" Also, 'retro' and vintage bands? Sign her the heck up! "Is that your speed of music?"

"Oh man and I thought mine was bad!" He was only teasing, he knew it was about an equal level of bad.

[therapardalis]

[Starter for @peterbsideparker.]

Port of New York, warehouse district ... evening ...

Thank goodness for cooler weather. Not that Thera was a fan of the cold, leaning more toward the opposite, but it made being dressed head to toe in black, with a bike jacket over the top, more bearable.

You could hardly go clandestinely lurking about the docks in a summer frock, after all.

A forklift was rolling along the carriageway between the buildings, an innocent looking crate on the pallet hoisted on its jaws. Hmm ... Thera watched it from above, lifting dark-tinted thermos to her lips. The Port itself rarely ever slept, but it was less common for cargo to be ferried about after dark. Especially one single crate rather than a bunch all at once. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe ... She settled back, waiting, but she was already fairly sure which door was going to be 'moe'.

Container Warehouse 333, one of the older section with a suspiciously new-looking office space added up above. It had taken a bit of detective work to find the location (some of it the more ruthless kind), and she felt her pulse speed up a little as the forklift driver stopped and climbed down to open the rollerdoor.

Thera used the metallic clatter of the ascending roller as distraction and cover, darting to the nearest overhead crossway and skipping to the other side. Everything pointed to that lonely singular crate holding what she was here to find, and the new pre-fab office section was going to be her way in ...

[therapardalis]

Miguel ... well, that didn't immediately click with anything or anyone - not even one of those annoying feelings that there was a connection somewhere in her memory, and she just had to pin it down. That could have been good or bad, but neutral was, at least, exactly that.

He was also not being openly aggressive. Suspicious, for sure, and definitely leaning to the irritated side, but Thera couldn't blame him for those. She was, after all, very much leaning to the first one herself. "Let's just say I've seen a lot of shit." Seen it, met it, dealt with it ... had it thrown at her, much like this guy popping up in the middle of her afternoon run.

But he was talking rather than attacking, seemed just as confused as she was, and ... she exhaled through her teeth, tossed a quick glance over her shoulder, "My name is Thera, and ... well, you're the weirdest thing today, but I haven't read the news yet." A second's pause, making up her mind, "We should get out of here before someone else comes to look."

Miguel stood where he had landed, not letting her movements bother him but he did notice how she didn't freak out about his arrival and most people did. He stared at her a moment, realizing he didn't know who she might be, sometimes he did with briefings on the world before but nothing rang a bell.

"Miguel, but that doesn't matter, I'm here to look for someone or to help in case things have been weird around here... Does this world have lots of visitors? You don't seem surprised that someone just appeared from a portal before you." He muttered quietly. "I gave you my name, how about you give me yours." He said simply, not being so forthcoming. She looked normal and was very pretty if he was looking more into that yet he wasn't for now. He didn't want to chance losing anyone else close to him...

[therapardalis]

" ... Yeah alright, geese I can go along with. But they have to start it." Admittedly that was not always a difficult thing - it depended on the time of day year, or whether you had something they wanted. Or, just possibly, were a confirmed city-boy in a mask who somehow ended up landing in their sights.

That was a question she was going to have to check into!

"I think it would be most effective if you sent a flock of pigeons over first, let them poop on the enemy. Then they see the Duck."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never wanted to fight a duck!" Peter teased, chin resting in his hand. "Or at least a very angry goose. Those things are menacing, demon spawn." He shuddered. "The mental image of riding a giant duck into battle, though, now that'd be worth the fight. Imagine the cold terror hearing those honks would bring to your enemies!"

[therapardalis]

Monsters, villains, falling buildings, Spiderman could handle. Pesky reporters? Those were like flies you couldn't swat, especially when cameras were rolling, taking in your every move. Thera didn't really have any direct reason to help out, but she could see him starting to cringe (dare she say cower?) and would feel kinda bad if she didn't.

She kept pointing in the direction she'd chosen for the supposed 'robbery', long enough for the news team to catch on and start jogging back to their car - then she just turned on her heel and walked away, not giving anyone else a chance to ask questions, or even get a proper look at her face.

Especially not get a proper look at her face.

Making it around the next corner she paused long enough to push her hood back from her hair, exhaled and couldn't help a quiet laugh. Oh, the joys of living in NYC!

Shaking out the hood so that it didn't bunch up behind she continued along the street - still amused by her good deed for the day.

The whole whether or not Vigilantes were GOOD guys or BAD guys had been a debate for longer than even Peter had been swinging around the streets of New York City, and it was often one he tried to avoid in his old age because no matter how much GOOD he did for the city there was always someone saying that he was a MENACE and nothing more.

That of course didn't mean he couldn't handle it when he did get TRAPPED up in a conversation with some reporter who was DETERMINED to get their big story or a paparazzi trying to get their next paycheck... it just got FRUSTRATING since they were just normal humans and it wasn't exactly like he could web their mouths shut when they finally went a step to far. (And they almost always did)

He did try to keep up appearances though, never TOO rude whenever he was caught by one who was just honestly (albeit too EAGERLY) trying to do their job. But he had just about had enough, and was debating on climbing the DAMN WALLS to get away. Just before he could however though he was saved by a SHOUT!

Peter's head snapped up in the general direction, squinting to see if he could find the source. His SPIDEY SENSES told him there wasn't actually any robbery happening the next block up, but he was smart enough to see an out being given to him.

"WELP you know how it goes! DUTY CALLS!!!" he gave a half wave to the reporter before shooting his webs to a nearby rough so he could make a HASTY exit. Though once free he didn't go far, instead choosing to find a nearby alley, hanging back just enough to see if he would get a chance to THANK his rescuer.

[therapardalis]

"Then keep up!" She was mixed with the shadows now, cast between the crates by the barely-OHS-compliant lighting along the walls. Her acceptance of Spider-Man having shown up in the middle of her job remained, but was beginning to shift toward hoping - really hoping - he wasn't going to try and stop her doing what she needed to do.

That hope tucked away in the back of her mind, getting in line behind the notion of time ticking away and the fact that she was on the clock. If she found the artifact she was going to have to get it out of there and away, all before dawn and the early shift starting at the docks.

"That's the point. Getting it back to him so he doesn't have reason to throw a fit. Or, so that nobody fucks with this thing and accidentally sets it off. I mean," Tongue touched lips that in turn gave a wry tug, "it worked last time."

She had a rough idea of the size of the crate she was looking for, scouting around those nearest the door - gave a quiet sigh of relief when she spotted the almost-dry forklift tracks on the floor.

"But - yes. Magic turkeys, Aztec gods. If I was gonna lie, I'd say something more believable, don't you think? And as for breaking and entering," Was she side-stepping the 'who are you'? Yeah, just for the moment, though she was sure it'd come back, "What's your excuse? I don't see you having signed up for a private security gig."

"Mythology?" Peter echoed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm friends with the God of Thunder--" he stopped himself. "--Well, I say friends, more like close acquaintances. He never accepted my Facebook friend request. Guy's not great with technology, which is ironic considering all the electricity--" The woman cuts him off, talking about the artifact she was after. A lens of his mask raised. "The Jade Turkey...? How could I not laugh at that? And an Aztec god? Your asking a lot of me here, lady." Peter followed her to the railing, looking down over the sea of crates, picking out the one the forklift had dropped off in the dark. Her plea of how important this all was made him stand a little straighter, shoulders pulling back. "Look, I appreciate you being honest with me--I think--but I'm gonna need a little more to go on than-- Hey!" The woman swung her legs over the railing and dropped down, disappearing to the bottom floor. Peter stood over the railing, watching her for a moment, before heaving a great sigh. "Typical... Just typical." With barely an effort he hopped the railing and joined her down below, landing with a soft huff. "Hey, don't avoid this conversation," he padded after her through the aisles of boxes. "Okay, yeah, you wanna get the disease god back his green turkey, but how do I know he won't use it to, like, curse the city with the Black Plague or something? Or that you won't use it for the same thing?" Peter shook his head at the absurdity of what he was saying. What she had gotten him to say. "Aztec gods, magic turkeys... Breaking and entering. Just who are you, lady?"