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If someone can web-sling angrily, Spider-Man is doing so now. He's a dark blur against the nighttime skyline, invisible to the people far below even as he keeps an eye on them himself. For now there's no tell-tall jangle on his spider-sense, and nothing seemingly untoward going on in the ebb and flow of the crowd of people upon the sidewalks. And, for once, he finds himself wishing for some action.
Landing with a light thap-thap of feet upon the edge of an old apartment building, Spider-Man's black silhouette is limned faintly by the humming neon sign behind him that casts him in a faint greenish glow. His fingers tense for a moment on the brick wall he's settled on, causing it to crunch into a faint powder. He shakes his head, sighs to himself… and then abruptly there's a scream.
Like a shot he's off, a blur of movement as a webline fires from the back of his hand. He leaps off the side of the building, swinging smoothly as he fires another line that angles him around the corner. In a smooth arc he comes upon the side-street scene which is a pair of women in a sports car each screaming as a man hangs onto the purse of one of them. She's still got a grip on the strap and is pulling even as the man growls. "Leggo, lady!"
*
Anya is out on patrol tonight too. Spider-Girl has been in the news sporadically over the last year, but nothing like the last few weeks. She's been seen all over the place, helping out fellow heroes whenever she can.
In the alley with the sports car, her mostly black suit barely registers in the night sky, even with city lights everywhere. In fact, when she drops on the man, it's almost like she's peeling herself right out of the shadow itself.
Unfortunately Spider-Girl didn't see Spidey swinging her way. She drops into freefall, perfectly timed and aimed to pounce on the purse snatcher. But her drop also puts her right in Peter's path, depending on how things work out.
*
The elder Spider hadn't leapt to the attack quite yet, but his charge is checked when the other dark silhouette darts in. He straightens up, surprise widening the eyelets of his mask as he loop-de-loops around a street lamp, perching there like some slim gargoyle. "Oh c'mon,"
The words might draw attention even as Spider-Girl deals with that one guy, but it definitely catches the attention of the other guy who had been on the sidewalk. In fact it does so enough that the thug draws a gun and starts to take bead as he shouts. "Look out, mutants!"
"Not quite, but close." Spider-Man's voice lifts as he extends an arm splay-fingered as a webline darts out with a /thwip/ at the man as he draws his gun. Suddenly his arm is covered in a viscous black goo that covers it almost entirely. And then the next thing he knows there's a set of knuckles in his face.
/WHAM!/
Against the wall the guy hits and then slowly slides down.
*
Spider-Girl's awareness fires off with the near miss, but she's not new at this, and she remains laser focused on the snatcher. Her feet hit his shoulders and the man collapses under her attack, cracking his skull on the sidewalk, down for the count. Anya scoops up the purse and hands it to the woman in the car, who grabs it, looking equally terrified of Spider-Girl as she did of the mugger. They slam on the gas and peel out. "Well, you're /welcome/," Anya shouts after them.
She turns then, smiles at the man in black. "Hey, it's…" she hesitates, suddenly not sure with the strange outfit. "Uh, you /are/ him, right? Spider-Man? Looks like you got a suit upgrade. I've been dying to meet you." She steps forward and offers her hand. "Spider-Girl. Nice to finally see you in person."
*
%R%RCracking his knuckles a bit, Spider-Man points at the downed thug for a moment and murmurs a low, 'heh'. But then he turns and rounds on Anya, cocking his head to the side as those white eyelets lift then narrow. "Oh? Yeah it's me. I guess. Sorta. My costume got torched when I…" He glances up and then looks back to her. "Nevermind."%R%RHe tilts his head the other way, "So. Spider-Girl? Hnh." The corner of his mask tilts up, perhaps a smile as he looks at her. "Nice choice in costume." He takes her hand and gives it a companionable squeeze before he steps past her, probably making sure the other thug is out for the count.%R%RTurning back towards her he fires a bit of web-goo almost negligibly onto the man to make sure he stays put. "Sorry. I'm normally more… friendly. I'm just not used to having a groupie? A fan?"
*
Cracking his knuckles a bit, Spider-Man points at the downed thug for a moment and murmurs a low, 'heh'. But then he turns and rounds on Anya, cocking his head to the side as those white eyelets lift then narrow. "Oh? Yeah it's me. I guess. Sorta. My costume got torched when I…" He glances up and then looks back to her. "Nevermind."
He tilts his head the other way, "So. Spider-Girl? Hnh." The corner of his mask tilts up, perhaps a smile as he looks at her. "Nice choice in costume." He takes her hand and gives it a companionable squeeze before he steps past her, probably making sure the other thug is out for the count.
Turning back towards her he fires a bit of web-goo almost negligibly onto the man to make sure he stays put. "Sorry. I'm normally more… friendly. I'm just not used to having a groupie? A fan?"
*
Peter has partially disconnected.
*
Anya follows the conversation, lets the 'torching' go by, and smiles when they shake hands, although she's openly curious about his suit. "What material is this…?" she starts to ask, but lets it go. With only a half mask, Anya's expressions are usually quite readable. Luckily for both of them her mask is at least enough to hide the epic eyeroll at Peter's 'groupie' comment.
"I'm not a /fan/, Spider-Man," she says, quirking a wry smile. "I'm a… like you. And part rival. Competitor? Maybe teammate some time. But right now? I'm just faster." And with a flourish she fires a spread of white webbing at Spider-Man's feet, trying to slow him down. She's already in the air, before she fires a webline high to get altitude. "Last one to Empire State has to share sewing tips!" It's only two miles away. Can't take either of these two very long to get there.
*
"The heck…" Spider-Man looks down at the webs on his feet, no spider-sense jangle since well… the girl has no malice. But maaaan. Then it might surprise her, however, as he reaches down and grabs a handful of the webbing and suddenly it all /snaps/ and tears as his arm tenses. Wow, definitely stronger than he's ever given the impression before.
And suddenly he's after her like a shot, the line firing out of his finger slashing out into the night's sky and catching the corner of a building, then drawing taut with a snap and launching him into the air. It doesn't take long for him to catch up with her, close enough as he swings for her to hear his voice.
"So what's your story? Alien parents? Caught in a spider-bomb explosion? Ancient Spider worshipper trapped in an iceberg?"
*
"Que…?" Spider-Girl is surprised that he can catch up so quickly. He's moving way faster than anyone's ever talked about. Coming around a corner, Spider-Girl fires a lead and an anchor line, using the pair to accelerate herself through an eye-watering arc, fabric snapping in the wind, soaring out the other end at top speed. "Sorcerery! You?"
*
An almost too casual flip has him vaulting upwards over her as she makes that curving arc. It's enough for his shadow to pass over her for a moment, or silhouette him against the moon for an instant oh so cinematically before he twists smoothly and lashes an arm out, webbing goo launching forth to snare an anchor point near hers and combine with a short tensing snap forward, drawing him at speed.
Once they reach a point that's sufficient he'll perch against the wall, splay-fingered hand holding him up and with one foot for balance, he tilts his head towards her, white eyelets widening. "Oh, you know. Put a nickel in the magic gypsy machine and made a wish."
*
Losing the race to reach the Empire State Building first, Anya is beside herself at how flat-out /fast/ this spider guy has turned out to be. "That was one helluva a gypsy," she says, sticking to the wall near Spider-Man to catch her breath. "I've been keeping an eye out for you," she says after a bit. "Didn't realize you got a new suit. Did you make it yourself?"
*
"This? Nah." Spidey sticks a thumb into the curious fabric and brandishes it towards her, then lets it snap back into place. "A friend made it for me after my other one got burnt to a crisp." He plants his other foot next to the first and turns around to lean back against the building, even as the wind picks up and swirls around them, causing him to raise his voice as he speaks. Though, hey, it's private at least no chance of eavesdroppers.
"Not sure if I like the whole monochromatic thing. Does help me sneak up on people though, so there's that." Tilting his head towards Anya those eyelets narrow reflexively and he embarks on another thread of conversation. "So, you're not the first other sort of Spider person I've met. I was thinking it might be maybe… a mutation?"
*
"Well, yeah," Anya says, curious, following his line of reasoning. She maneuvers to get her favorite wall-sit, feet flat against the wall behind her, hands free, with her butt resting on her heels. "I've heard there's a few of us around, yeah. I don't actually know how my abilities came about, to be honest. There was some magic, but then they said it wasn't supposed to work this way," Anya says with a shrug and a smile.
Then she tilts her head to peer at Spider-Man more closely. "How do you get your mask's eyes to move like that?"
*
"Like what?" He asks as he cocks his head towards her, then Spider-Man turns to catch his reflection in the window they're perched beside. He leans forwards and proceeds to mug for the reflection, turning his head one side, then the other, then back. And each time he shifts his face the eyelets seem to flow within the fabric like liquid just beneath the surface. "Oh wow, didn't know it did that."
He starts to lightly poke and prod each little bit of white, then hnhs. "Well, could explain a few things. My eyesight is a bit sharper… I wouldn't put it past Reed to…" But then he stops himself and looks at her sharply, and clears his throat. "I mean, uhm. Maybe it's a feature?"
*
Anya gasps quietly, and leans forward, almost perpendicular to the wall. "Reed? Do you mean Dr. /Richards/?" She's a nerd too, and there's no more famous 'Reed' in the nerd world. "Mi Dios, are you two collaborating on materials research? This is incredible!"
Anya loses track of social acceptability (perhaps excusable 40 stories up on the side of a building), but she scoots across to peer more closely at Peter, even reaching out, only pausing when she realizes she's about to pinch his fabric. "Uh, can I?"
*
And yes those eyes even convey when he looks askance all shifty while he says, "Umm, I shouldn't have said anything." For yes he does indeed believe Reed Richards may have made this suit. He's wrong, of course, but still. "I clearly meant to say, 'I wouldn't put it past trees to… help create such a brilliant fabric?"
But then she's leaning closer to poke and prod and he offers his arm, "Yeah, sure knock yourself out." And when she does pinch it it seems rather warm, perhaps latex-ish but with a variable consistency that shifts with the amount of tension placed on it.
*
Anya gives him a knowing nod at the secrecy backpedaling and holds up a hand, which then mimes zipping her mouth shut. "I didn't hear a thing," she says with a grin. "I know all about keeping secrets." Reaching out, she rolls the 'fabric' between her own spandex'd fingers, though doing so makes the gap in her costume at the wrists very obvious, revealing the spinnerets there. "This is amazing. Spandex is such a mess in the sewing machine…"
*
A tilt of his head the other way, "You have organic spinnerets?" Spider-Man shakes his head, "See… I keep thinking that in some way this might be something connected to ambient radiation or extra exposure to radiation hitting people with possibly similar genetic backgrounds. Triggering these similar mutations. Maybe. Haven't really talked about it with anyone, but it's been niggling at the back of my head."
He then draws back and starts to climb up the side of the building, talking over his shoulder as he does so. "I suppose I'm lucky I didn't develop mandibles or giant fangs or something."
*
"Yeah," Anya says, moving to ascend with him. "There are at least a few of us around New York. It might be good to have a meeting or something." At the mention of her spinerets, Anya laughs and says without thinking, "Yeah! I'm just glad they didn't show up on my-"
She squeaks and slaps a hand over her mouth, the parts of her tan cheeks that show growing darker with her embarrassment. She barely know this guy and she's making dirty jokes already! Her abuela would be mortified, and so is Anya.
*
Flipping forward over the lip of the rooftop, Spider-Man lands and twists himself upright, then flips back to light on a perch upon the local air conditioning unit for the building. Arms resting on his knees, he looks across the way at her. "Well if you're trying to make a difference out here and all, I can't really fault you for trying to do this whole gig. But I don't really give out my number to people. Though…"
He looks to the side thoughtfully, those white eyelets narrowing in consideration. Turning back, Spider-Man meets her gaze and says, "I tend to patrol around here about once a week. I usually stick to midtown. But we could meet here now and again about this time. Compare notes, share spider-hygiene tips."
*
Barney arrives from Midtown.
*
Barney has arrived.
*
Barney leaves, heading towards Chinatown [SW].
*
Barney has left.
*
"Well yeah," Anya says with a smile that says she's grateful the Spider-Man didn't say anything about her gaffe. "I /am/ trying to make a difference, like you. But we can't really give out numbers, like you said. But what if we have a hypothetical meeting each week? Empire State Building. Midnight on Sundays? Then if need to meet up, we have an idea where to be. Or if we can't be there, no big deal too." She shrugs, peering out across the city lights.
*
"Well," Spidey looks around, "If I can't make it I'll leave a note. And then you can save me from the evil aliens or whatever that obviously must have captured me." He says this lightly, though considering the revelations of a week ago might make it a smidge less funny.
He straightens up and lightly drums his fingertips against his thigh for a moment, almost nervously. "But you seem kinda young, which considering when I started doing this whole gig… just you should be careful. It's not a game and all. People get hurt, and worse."
*
"I am young, I guess," Anya admits without any self-consciousness. "But I'm older than my years. And I am careful." She's not offended or anything, but she seems thoughtful all the same. "Besides, that's why I wanted to make contact with the other spiders in New York. So we can look out for each other," Anya takes a deep breath and leans back against the wall, looking up at the sky for a moment.
*
"See," Spider-Man lifts a finger and waggles it at her, "When someone says they're older beyond their years, that makes me worry even more." He steps back and towards the opposite edge of the building. "But you gotta be yourself I guess." He's not exactly one to tell people what to do… unless they're a purse snatcher, of course.
But alright, next week I'll make a little with my secretary that I'll swing by here."
*
Anya laughs and grins. "You do that," she says, chuckling. "I'll see if I can round up that other chica I've heard about too. Spider-/Woman/ apparently." Still amused, Anya crawls up to perch on the ledge of the Empire State building. She takes a deep breath, eyes her options, and says, "Catch you later, Spider-Man." And she swan dives off the building. Head first, straight down, picking up speed for thirty stories before she fires off a thwip and accelerates off in the direction of Brooklyn.