1965-07-19 - Down at the Eight Ball
Summary: Dead Girl, Ben Grimm, and Dizzy talk at the bar. Featuring Kevin the dog!
Related: None
Theme Song: None
ben-grimm dead-girl julie 


Dead Girl arrives wearing big aviator style glasses, carrying a big bag with somewhat ragged, ugly dog peeking he's head out of it. Kevin! Kevin's been recently washed and groomed. He seems pretty chill, snuggling up close to Dead Girl as she steps into the bar. "See, Kevin! Mutants are nice!" she assures the poochy as she gives him a hug! "Anyways, we're just going to get a drink and hang out, it'll be fine. You just trust Auntie Dead Girl."


Ben makes his way into the bar as unobtrusively as he can, which isn't much because he's still a friggin' huge guy made out of rock. But he's got on a trenchcoat and a fedora, so, y'know, power o' disguise and all that. He at least relaxes a little bit among the mutants, setting his hat down on the table and nodding to the waitress, "Gimme a pitcher o' Pilsner. Hey there, little doggie."


Julie is sitting there at one end of the bar, sipping on a pale beer of her own, though not in a pitcher, wearing a work shirt and shoes to match, and smoking a cigarette over the remains of a basket of fries, seeming at home enough in the place despite looking, well, quite ordinary apart from a stray smudge of grease on her forehead she may have missed.


At least in Mutant Town Ben can pass as 'normal'. There are a bunch of so-called 'freaks' here. Dead Girl included! And Kevin, to a lesser degree. "Hey, wait, I know you! You're Ben Grimm!" she says, gasping! "Oh my gosh! You're a hero! Like a real hero! A big real hero- I mean, a Real Big Hero!" she grins wide, "Kevin! This is "The Thing!" He's a hero!" she assures the pooch who takes one look at Ben and then immediately hides inside the voluminous bag. "Make it two pitchers!" she says, beaming bright! "Wow. Woooow…" she's clearly star struck.


He waves a hand dismissively, "Naw. I mean, yeah, I am, but I mean, it ain't that big a deal, just a regular joe, I really don't need nothin' special. Just my beer an' a little company that treats me like a person fer a little bit," he says.


Dead Girl blinks, "Why would someone not treat you like a person?" She seems completely confused by the concept. "I mean, you're clearly a person." she notes, even as Kevin peeks out of the bag, "Oh, you scaredy pooch." she teases the dog, "He won't hurt you, he's nice."

Kevin boofs quietly from within the bag. "No, really, he's nice, I promise." Dead Girl assures Kevin, she looks to Ben. "But, that doesn't change the facts, Kevin. He's a good guy, really!" she assures the dog. Kevin just boofs again and disappears into the bag. "Okay, fine!"

"I'm going to need a hotdog!" Dead Girl exclaims, "Do you want a hot dog, Mr. Grimm?" She wonders of the man near by. "Kevin will be nicer once he's got a hotdog. Just a plain hotdog, no bun. Bread gives him gas." Dead Girl offers to the bar keeper. She slaps a few dollars onto the bar, "I'm buying for Mr. Grimm, too!"


Ben Grimm grins a bit, his massive jaw crooking to one side, "Gotta say, I wouldn't turn down a wiener right 'bout now. I like a bit o' mustard on mine, though, maybe some kraut or relish if they got it, but long as it's a proper New York dawg, it's gonna be pretty good," he says.

"An' ain't no need t'buy for me, I got plenty o' bread an' not the kind what gives yer dog the rumble. I barely need any o' the money I got, so I's might as well puts it to good use, huh?"


"Oh, all the food here is top notch. As long as you don't mind it being made by a guy with a lobster claw. He's a good cook, though." Dead Girl assures Ben, "And really, it's a thank you pitcher of beer." she notes, "So, you can't refuse it. Also, a thank you hotdog. Kosher, of course." she says with a grin.

"I don't eat or drink anything, so you know, I usually just spend my money on friends and stuff. Sometimes on clothes. Cover charges, you know, having fun!"

Dead Girl just grins wide, "Oh! I'm Dead Girl, by the way. It's supper spiffy to meet you, by the way." she beams wide. "Oh! Maybe you can sign something for me, or something, I mean- it's not everyday you meet a big honking hero like you!" Kevin boofs from within the bag when the bar man goes to get the beer and hot dogs.


Julie glances up at the announcement, having perhaps been distracted by some involved thought, but glances up from some books and papers that look to be, rather like kids' school homework. Smiles broadly, though, "Hey, Mr. Grimm, glad ya made it down." She raises the glass, and glancing over, waves to the little doggie first, then says, "Hey, DG, who's your friend, there?"


Ben Grimm raises an eyebrow, "Dead Girl? That like how Stretch calls himself Mr. Fantastic, all ironic an' stuff? Cause you seem awful lively t'me. Maybe a little pale, but ain't like I can criticize," he says.

To Julie, he raises a hand, remembering her from Kai's gatherin', "Yo, nice t'see ya again. Awright, long as it don't put ya out none, but next round's on me fer sure."


"Oh, this is Kai's dog, his name is Kevin." Kevin appears from within the bag, holding a plush frog in his mouth. Just a peek at the new person before he disappears again into the bag. Cowardly little dog. "And hii Diz!" she beams bright and goes to give her friend a nice, cold-as-death hug. Assuming Julie allows it. "You know Mr. Grimm?" she asks, "How come you didn't tell me?! I'm a huge fan, I mean! Look at him!" She beams, "You've got the most pretty blue eyes, Mr. Grimm." she says to her fellow Freak- her own eyes, glowing red in the hollow of her head. The angry, baleful red light from beyond the grave.

"Okay, it's a deal! But, I can't get drunk." Dead Girl warns Ben. "And it's not ironic, I'm actually dead."


Julie adds, hastily, to DG's statement there. "Not like that Central Park kind from last year, though." Shakes a few partway out of a pack of cigarettes, offering them around. "Well, at least the beer don't make you see fatas or nothing here, bit more casual." she half-winks.


Ben Grimm shakes his head, ""Yeah, I dunno what that stuff at that guy's restaurant was, but it weren't no booze I ever seen before," he says.

The compliment to his eyes makes him dug his head, running a hand over his rocky scalp, "Aw, I…I…dey's just eyes," he says. He waves off the cigarette and gets his own cigar, lighting it carefully. "An' it ain't dat easy fer me to get drunk no more neither. But lordy knows I try."


Beer and Hot dogs arrive! One loose without any kind of anything on it and one just the way Ben requested it. Two pitchers of beer. Everything nice and ready to go.

"But yeah, I'm dead." Dead Girl says as she takes the still hot hotdog and begins to cut it up into little pieces- Kevin peeking out of the bag just a little to watch, he gives a little 'boof'.

"Yes, it is for you, don't tell Kai. I'm not supposed to give you all these treats, I don't think." Dead Girl says to the dog as she waits for the hot dog to cool a bit. "It's got to get cold, otherwise you'll burn your tongue." Just talking to the dog like he would understand. Kevin continues to watch the food.

Dead Girl then begins to roll her own cigarette, just beaming still. She pours herself a beer in a glass and takes a sip. "I still like the taste, though."


Julie smirks a bit, glancing back to the papers, a moment, marking something in red felt pen before flipping to the next, and scanning over it, marking occasionally with a tsk. Nods, though. "Eh, I gotta take it easy, generally. Never know when I might really have to drive."


He looks at Dead Girl, "I dunno how dat works. Whatever you is, you don't seem dead t'me, but ain't my place. You call yerself what you want, toots, long as you happy an' ain't hurtin' nobody else, you could call yerself the Purple People Eater far as I give a scratch," he says.

He takes a long drag on his stogie and then quickly wolfs down the hot dog, his massive jaw only requiring a couple of bites to finish it off, "Pretty tasty, not bad. Ain't as good as the dogs down at Yankee Stadium, but nothin' is," he says.


"Well, I think it might be a mutation." Dead Girl explains, "Anyways, I'm completely and totally dead. No heartbeat or anything." she continues, "I mean, it's kind of wild. Wait! Watch this. It's really creepy, but sort of cool." She reaches across the bar to grab a rather large knife one one hand, puts the other on the bar and *THWACK!* her hand comes right off, "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt."

And then her hand pops up on it's fingers and goes skittering around the bartop. "It's like Thing from the Addams Family!" She giggles, as her hand goes skittering back to her. She just puts it b ack on the stump of her arm and it's good as new, almost instantly healing back into place.


Julie does seem a bit slack-jawed a moment at *that* display. Finally lights a smoke of her own. "And people was trying to eat," she teases. "I know someone that could probably tell if that's what it is, the not-dying, that is." Adds to Ben, "My folks was always Dodgers fans. Felt funny going to games on the other coast when I was out ther, though."


Ben watches the hand trick for a moment and, luckily, his face doesn't show much in the way of expression, although those blue eyes definitely get wider. "Huh. Yeah, dat's a new one on me, toots. Don't get me wrong, I seen some crazy stuff in my day, but ain't never quite nothin' like that," he says. "You must be awful popular 'round Halloween times."

To Julie, he nods, "Yeah, me, too, but the Yankees is worth seein'. Plus, they got a fancier grade o' frankfurter.


"Please, Coney Island, Nathan's famous hotdogs. Enough said." Dead Girl says next, with a little grin as she wiggles her fingers and picks up some hot dog to feed Kevin. "Here you go, sweetheart. That's a good little poochy, who love you! Kevin, I love you!" Kevin ventures out of the bag to peek quietly at the hotdog. "You've got to say hi sometime, these are nice people." she assures the pooch, who snatches the hotdog and disappears a moment later into his bag of safety +1.

"Anyways, yeah, this will be my first Halloween since I died." She admits, "I think I'm going to do my disembodied head thing."


Julie awws and laughs a bit at the doggie's brief appearance, considers. "You know, we been working on a project car could be right up your alley. We been calling it the Phantom Woodie. Was a bit bashed together, but real nice paint and body, so, needed some things. Black where it ain't, well, wood. I wouldn'ta gone that color, but there it was."


He arches a massive eyebrow, "Nothin' wrong wit' a bit o' wood. Old fashioned like,' He says. He shakes his head a bit at Dead Girl's attentiveness to the pooch. "Coney Island's pretty nice, but I can't ride the rides much anymore. An' it ain't fair fer me to go to the strongman competition," he says.


"Yeah, I like the car- I was watching you build it, Diz." Dead Girl offers as she continues to finger feed Kevin pieces of hot dog. The dog's snout appearing for a moment to take one before he hides away in the bag of safety. "Kevin, these are nice people." She assures the dog again. Who clearly isn't having any of that. He's got hotdogs and a safe bag to hide in.

"It's a really pretty car. I'm not great behind the wheel, though." She admits, "A little wild." she says with a little grin. " I mean, you know, I'm not really afraid of getting hurt or anything anymore."


Julie ehs, "Eh, good place to go for hot dogs, though. Kinda close to a lotta parts places, the scrapyards, too, and all. " She adds to DG, "Eh, that thing's safer than most '38 Studeys, got late model brakes all around, dual master cylinder, power ain't crazy considering what it is."


Ben Grimm shrugs, "Ain't like I do much drivin' anymore myself, 'cept the Fantasticar an' that ain't exactly yer standard issue automobile. I used t'like drivin'. I was a pilot, if ya didn't know, so flying, piloting, bein' behind the stick or the wheel, that's always kinda where I felt at home. Now I don't even fit in the seats," he says, but then shakes it off. He tries not to get bound down in self-pity and, most of the time, he succeeds. "An' I ain't much afraid o' nothin' anymore neither. Cept accidentally hurtin' somebody."


"That's kind of sad." Dead Girl says, "Hey! Diz is a really great lady mechanic!" she suddenly enthuses, "I bet she could make a car for you! Like a proper car that you could just drive around, you know, for fun!" She suggests with a wide grin, clapping her hands after feeding KEvin the last bit of hotdog. "She could reinforce it all right and make it fast and all the rest- and for sure, it would work!" Dead Girl assures Ben, "And then we can go on a road trip!" she claps her hands, "This is a great idea!"

Dead Girl lifts her rolled cigarette, lights it up and begins to smoke quietly. Kevin chuffs inside the bag. "Quiet, you. It won't hurt me, I told you. You're such a worry-wart."


Julie laughs, and smirks to DG. "Well, sure. I just did over a big old Power Wagon from like National Guard service. Probably a good kinda frame and stuff to start with. Maybe strip out some of the extra drivetrain in one, put a big gas engine in there, I dunno, something different for a body if you don't like the military truck look, cut off weight we don't need, could maybe get a good head of steam up and fit better in traffic."


Julie dunnoes how much Ben actually weighs. :)


Ben grins, "I might take ya up on that. Wouldn't mind bein' able to get behind the wheel again. Maybe we could head down to Atlantic City, hit the strip an' the beach. See Sammy Davis," he says. He takes a long drink from his beer pitcher, going directly from it and setting it down.

"I don't mind military, I was in Korea. Long as it drives, I ain't gonna squawk."


"Yeah! That be awesome!" Dead Girl says, "We could go to the casinos! I mean, I'm not good at gambling or anything, but it sounds like a good time!" she grins wide, clapping a bit. "Diz! We've got to make this happen!" she's excited, clearly.

Dead Girl drinks her beer, and Kevin gives a little yip from within the bag, "What's that?" She wonders, opening the bag just a little to look at Kevin. "Oh. Bed time, huh? Yeah, it is getting a little late, and I did promise we'd go for a walk before bed." she says quietly.

"Okay, I gotta do the thing I promised to the pooch. Promises are important to keep, especially to dogs." Dead Girl says.


Julie nods to Ben, and smiles, "Well, that probably helps. I done some custom work for folks with different shapes and stuff before. You know, seats for folks with wings or tails, hand-clutches in case someone's got a feet issue, that sorta thing. I just tell the upholsterers they're for crazy show cars or that kinda thing." She glances up at DG and her doggie, and smiles there. "Well, hey, a doggie's got needs," she says.


"Ain't we all," he says. "Nice to meetya, Dead Girl. Keep yer nose clean an' yer head attached, huh?" he says.

To Julie, he leans forward a bit at the table, "The main problem I got, besides the seats, is my hands. I got big ol' paws, see, an' they ain't exactly suited fer a gearshift, know what I'm sayin'?"


Julie nods, puffing and thinking a bit. "Probably gotta fabricate something, I kinda figured on that. If it's on a big enough lever, can you move it in a regular kinda floor shifter pattern?" She air-mimics a four-speed. "Or…" She eyes Ben's hands, then across shoulders, considering for size. "Or, maybe, we go sequential, nice big lever maybe even outside the cockpit, like those real old-time cars. I think I know some drag race parts that we could work with."


Ben Grimm ponders and nods, "Seems like it might work. Figured I might end up havin' to run along like one o' them cars on the Flintstones," he chuckles. "If you need material or anything, the Future Foundation's got plenty o' stuff you could use. I got some pull with the place," he says with a wink.


Julie nods, and smirks there. "That could help. They make any materials that's hard for you to bend accidentally? I can do a lot with bending brakes and presses and torches, but there could be a few things better off that way, so you don't have to baby em too much."


Ben Grimm nods, "Yeah, Stretcho's been experimentin' wit' a few alloys and whatnot. I mean, I can't do much to vibranium or adamantium, but they're really hard t'work with AND they cost a pretty penny. Plus, if you get the Vibranium stuff, I heard some African dudes might sneak into your house and put a ghost panther curse on you or somethin'.""


Julie hrms, there. "Yeah, sure wouldn't mind some of that stuff in my differential and pressure plate. But I guess we just do the best we can and, ah, Stretcho can maybe duplicate some parts with the stuff he's got. We'll just make it a good setup." She ohs and offers a business cards. "Oh, if you call here and ask for Dizzy, I'll get the message. Also, usually there Thursdays, but I come here to help some of the kids learn some math and stuff before they gotta go to supper and the evening crowd comes in."


Ben Grimm nods, "Sounds like you do some good work 'round here, 'tween the cars and the kids. Regular Good Samaritan," he says, taking another long sip of his beer. "I been tryin' a little bit. I'm coachin' a basketball team down on Yancy Street. Good kids. I just gotta make sure I don't pop all the balls," he says.


Julie nods, and smiles a bit. "Well, some of these kids are hard to fit for school desks, too, the way the world is, pretty smart, mostly, though. I dunno, maybe the community center's got a team going, if they don't mind folks that look different." She adds, "People around here gotta do for each other. Turns out I had it pretty easy."


Ben Grimm nods, "I got lucky, too, in my own way. Freak I might be, but at least I got people what give a damn. Family. Although…" he says and then shrugs it off. He'll never be quite as much family as the other three. He'll always be a little bit outside. That's okay. He's used to it. Mostly.

"Yeah, I like this neighborhood. S'rough, but folks look out for each other. Reminds me o' where I grew up."


Julie nods, "Oh, yeah, you don't really need to go to mentioning any of this stuff around that shop. Speaking of family, I could hear the arguments already." Waves her hands by her head a bit, …it's a big Italian family to go with the accent, presumably. "But, you know, almost everyone in New York had something like this to go through, mutants hopefully won't be too different, maybe people'll start learning something from that Dr King and the rest, I dunno. What you guys do sure don't hurt."


Ben Grimm nods, "That's kinda the point sometimes. We ain't mutants, but how you got different don't really matter. Folks just get scared o' different. I get it. I get scared every time I look at my ugly mug in the mirror. But then I remember it's just me an' I get over it. S'why we decided against havin' masks or hidin' who we really were. We needed to show people it was okay."


Julie nods, and says, "Well, you'd be surprised what you can get kinda used to, too. Hang around here long enough, anyway. They got a bouncer here might even want to try arm-wrestling you in off hours. Bob. He don't say much, but he's all right." She adds, "And, well, I dunno, DG maybe shouldn't do that cutting hands off bit, but I guess it's kind of her thing right now."


Ben Grimm nods, "She said she's still new to it. When ya first get powers, ya kinda…wanna do tricks, I think. Kinda becomes a game. I must've bent an awful lot of bumpers down at the junkyard the first few months. Good way to get out the ol' aggression, too. I had, uh, some adjustment issues."


Julie smirks, "Maybe we could use that before we're done with this project: you probably got no idea what all the superheroing kinda does for the towing and salvage business. Only the city might call youse up to work holidays." She nods, sips her beer. "I guess so, though. Some stuff takes some getting used to, I guess. But, hey, once everyone's settled in behind a couple beers I'll introduce you around, evening crowd ought to be filling in soon. Ah, just don't get too offended if you got called what the newspapers do. Nicknames are kind of standard around here, kind of an acceptance thing with a lot of the younger folks especially."


Ben Grimm shrugs, "It's fine. I picked Thing for myself. Hated myself at first, but now I kinda like it. I ain't just a thing. I'm THE Thing," he says. "But you can just call me Ben, honest. Ain't no point in bein' formal I ain't nobody fancy."


Julie nods. "Dizzy just kinda works for everything, really. Happens to fit, kinda. It's sorta from… Adjustments."


Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License