http://bigreveal.livejournal.com/ (
bigreveal.livejournal.com) wrote in
capeandcowllogs2011-08-07 04:14 pm
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Entry tags:
(no subject)
WHO: Spider-Man and Amanda Waller
WHERE: At a greasy spoon diner in-town
WHEN: Sometime after the Vulcanus mission
WARNINGS: Nothin'!
SUMMARY: Spidey has noticed that Jessica and Amanda talk a lot. Spidey would like to know what that is all about!
FORMAT: Whateverrrr
So he wanted to talk, apparently.
Fine with her. So long as it was downtime from all that Vulcanus, Metamen, DeConnick is a pain in the ass crap. As much as she liked the familiarity of being in that kind of work again, she did not like dealing with stupid assholes once more. Wanted to spend time with Hank, or just get some relaxing in.
She supposed talking with Spider-Man over lunch counted as relaxation.
Amanda sat in the booth, having already ordered, waiting for her sandwich and salad to turn up. Would've liked a cold beer, though.
WHERE: At a greasy spoon diner in-town
WHEN: Sometime after the Vulcanus mission
WARNINGS: Nothin'!
SUMMARY: Spidey has noticed that Jessica and Amanda talk a lot. Spidey would like to know what that is all about!
FORMAT: Whateverrrr
So he wanted to talk, apparently.
Fine with her. So long as it was downtime from all that Vulcanus, Metamen, DeConnick is a pain in the ass crap. As much as she liked the familiarity of being in that kind of work again, she did not like dealing with stupid assholes once more. Wanted to spend time with Hank, or just get some relaxing in.
She supposed talking with Spider-Man over lunch counted as relaxation.
Amanda sat in the booth, having already ordered, waiting for her sandwich and salad to turn up. Would've liked a cold beer, though.
no subject
But then, if anyone here in the City has both the resources and smarts to figuring out his psychic blindspot protection exists and how to circumvent it, it's definitely Waller.
In any case, if he wants to find out what's going on with Jess, he has to take a risk. The double-takes and murmurs start as soon as Spidey walks through the door, but he ignores it all as he strides over to her booth at the back, steps more casual and bouncy than he really feels. He slides onto the opposite bench, leaning back against the overstuffed fake leather.]
Ms. Waller. Thanks for meeting with me, I appreciate it.
no subject
That said, he still looked kind of goofy in here, especially in broad daylight.]
Not a problem. I didn't want to eat at work anyway.
[A peppy young blonde girl comes up, sliding right up to Spider-Man, not missing a beat - already asking him what he wanted to order, start him off with a drink, so on and so forth.
Amanda finished off her water and just asked for more.]
Recuperating alright from that little mission?
no subject
Yeah, I took the afternoon after we got back off, and now I'm back on the usual schedule. All in a day's work, eh?
[He drums his fingers on the plastic tabletop, just the once.]
Would've been nice to catch the top dogs, though. As it is they'll have another scheme soon enough, if it's not running already.
no subject
Yeah, but we'll get them. Dealing with people - not even just secret organizations, but entire governments - trying to create a metahuman super soldier force is not a new thing.
[A little pause, now - enough time to let the topic change.]
So, Spider-Man. What do you need from me? Or need to talk about with me.
no subject
[And now he starts looking visibly uncomfortable -- not so much nervous as wary.]
I've noticed you've been talking to Spider-Woman a lot, lately.
no subject
[Blunt, honest. No reason to deny anything. She didn't have any ulterior motives.]
She's a young superhero, and she's had my attention. Especially when she was a damn fool and used the network to publicly take her stress out on some random thug. We wouldn't tolerate that from cops, so I'm not gonna tolerate it from her.
no subject
I didn't want to let on at the time, but that -- yeah, that worried me. She's been better lately, but --
[Refocusing, redirecting the conversation back where he wants.]
So you're looking out for everyone's best interests. Including hers?
no subject
[Tapped her finger on the table.]
I'm assuming what you really want to get at is knowing what my exact relationship concerning her is. What I'm doing.
no subject
[Leaning back again. Seemingly at ease, but poised.]
That's the Cliff's Notes version, yeah.
no subject
[Her plate finally arrived. Thanked the waitress, waited for her to walk off, and then -]
I've been training her in what I know about the business. Minus any kill tactics.
no subject
So you're mentoring her. How's she taking to that?
no subject
I think she was excited to learn the techniques I was going to teach, but mellowed out on that once I started explaining what they were. I don't know crazy martial arts crap - I just know how to effectively, practically systematically disable and detain someone, superpowered or no. And how to cheat smartly in a fight. I've been encouraging her to train with her webbing to get better at fighting at a distance, like webbing up objects and using them as a distance weapon.
Not all positive, not all negative. She respects my experience, but she's nervous about how well what I'm teaching meshes with how she thinks a superhero 'should' be.
no subject
[He sounds a little wistful. She's doing a lot of the things he wants to be teaching Jess right now, and would be if he weren't trying so hard to navigate all the emotional pitfalls that come from being a surrogate big brother to your opposite gender clone.]
no subject
She didn't even know that if you take a clip out of a gun, there's still a bullet in the chamber. Not only that, but she's just new to the ins and outs of being a superhero in general. Proved that when it took almost no time at all for me to figure out her real identity. [Said just as casually as anything else she had put out so far, topping it off with just taking some bites out of her salad]
no subject
D-did you now?
no subject
I told her that her hair was trouble.
[Keeping her voice low enough to keep this conversation just between them.]
There are only so many people on the network, heroes or otherwise. There are only so many people on the network posting in civilian identities. This limits the pool of who might be who significantly.
Spider-Woman has striking, long brunette hair, is a teenage girl, with a very set height and body shape.
So when I see a teenage girl at a prom filled with people from the network, with striking long brunette hair, with the same height, and the same body shape, and has also shown up on the network...
[She crossed her hands together and rested her chin on them. She dealt with secret identities all day, back home. This was nothing new.]
no subject
Oy, I knew I should've talked to her about the hair thing...
[Just then Spidey's reuben arrives, which gives him a few moments' delay as he thanks the waitress, arranges his food just so, and eats a fry.]
So you know her name is Julia Carpenter.
no subject
[Another big bite of her sandwich. Amanda Waller ain't nothing to fuck with.]
That kid, Johnny Storm - Human Torch? He did the big romance movie thing, and asked a girl out to prom by writing her name in the sky.
Guess who showed up at the prom as Johnny's date, and guess what name Johnny wrote.
no subject
no subject
But long story short, I care about the kid. I don't want her - or some bystander - getting hurt.
And I keep telling her to get out of the business, but she just won't listen, so...
I do the next best thing, and prepare her for everything I can. It strikes a bit of a chord with me.
[Breathing in. Breathing out. Thinking.]
Let me ask you a personal question, Spider-Man.
Have you ever wanted to be a father?
no subject
I haven't ... I mean, it's not really on the table back home.
Here...
[A short laugh.]
Well, with all the mini-Spider-People around I can't exactly not think about it, can I?
no subject
Now. Me?
I'm a mother. I have four children. Fully grown. Old enough that I even have a son in law I don't like.
His name's Bubba.
[Waller's tone shows that she's not making one bit of this up.
Not even 'Bubba'.]
no subject
[Give him a minute he's still processing the whole "Amanda Waller is a mother of four" thing.]
no subject
I used to have six.
[A pause, but not long enough to give him time to respond before she can continue.]
I don't want to hear any 'I'm sorry's, because it was a damn long time ago, and I got all my other kids out of Cabrini-Green and gave them good lives.
I just want you to completely understand the perspective I'm coming from when I start training a teenage girl how to handle being a superhero.
You got any further concerns about what I'm doing with her?
no subject
I think you're doing a better job with this than I am, whatever that says about me.
[As fast as that he's already leaned forwards again, but he's not quite meeting her gaze as he picks up another fry.]
no subject
[Big bite of her sandwich. Almost done.]
Now, my turn.
What exactly is the deal between you and Parker?
no subject
[But now she's brought up the other point of contention. He takes a fortifying sip of coffee and a couple bites of his reuben, keeping her at bay that much longer.]
We're acquainted. Have been, for a while back home.
no subject
The way it comes off as is you've either been best friends for years, or you're dating each other.
That would explain a lot, actually.
no subject
That -- wha -- it's not like that!
no subject
Just going with what the evidence presents me. You two mention each other all the time, which means you're on each other's minds. But he's always careful to distance himself a bit after the fact - after all, if somebody found that he knew Spider-Man's secret identity because he was dating him, that would make him a target, right?
Meanwhile, you joke about it, through some mix of care and trying to downplay the connection.
Superheroes, and their significant others, care deeply about their secret identities being kept that way - and with good reason. But they still have slip-ups. Which is what a lot of this looks like.
no subject
[He polishes off the last of his reuben, then wipes his hands and clasps them loosely on the table.]
Back when he did photography, he was my official unofficial news photographer. I let him know where I'd be, he'd take the shots, we'd split the proceeds. He's been out of that for a while now, but you know a guy for ten years, you stay in touch, you know how it is.
no subject
[The only way that dissuades the 'Spider-Man is dating Parker' idea in her head is that Parker would obviously have a boyfriend after that long.]
Yeah, I see.
The only other potential explanation is that you are Peter Parker... and I'm just not seeing it there.
Same kind of sense of humor, though. [Which was weird all on its own, but.]
no subject
Well, he wasn't much more than a kid when I went him -- I've been told I'm a bad influence.
no subject
Well, I believe that addresses pretty much both of our mutual concerns. You could always ask Jess what she thinks of me, though.
Speaking of - have you been able to help her out? She's not about to accept outright money for me, and she's working two jobs, going to school, and is a superhero. I admire the drive, but she's going to burn herself out at this rate.
no subject
[He chomps on a fry irritably.]
She's actually moved in with me as of a week ago. She's welcome to stay as long as she likes -- if it becomes permanent we'll find a bigger apartment outside the MAC, no problem. I've also gotten an account set up for her paid from my own funds, so she has a nest egg if I get ported out. Though I haven't told her that, yet. Given the ... particular situation, I'm trying not to push. She's not used to -- well, to people looking out for her.
[He shrugs a little, polishes off the last of his slaw.]
I'm sure you've figured that out, too. With us it's -- well, there's another layer. So I've been trying to balance looking out for her well-being and giving her the space to set her own boundaries --
[He makes an exasperated noise.]
Obviously, I could be doing a better job of that.
[Just then, the waitress arrives to clear their dishes, and after a bit of banter Spidey orders himself another coffee and a slice of cheesecake.]
no subject
You'll do fine. It takes some getting used to the role. Plus, you're both superheroes, which complicates things on a whole other level.
[Tapped her finger to the table. A thought crossing her mind.]
... I just thought of a way to maybe deal with her hair without her having to change her costume or get a cut. But I'll have to talk to a friend of mine, see if he's willing to share.
no subject
[Spidey cocks his head, watching her think.]
I'm assuming you mean something a little more complicated than a ponytail. She's got way too much hair to manage a wig comfortably ... what, are you talking about some kind of color-changing solution? Not a permanent dye, but one activated and deactivated on a trigger, something like that?
no subject
[Has a think on it.]
Wait, no it wouldn't, that would make for an incredibly popular product. Highly effective, easy to wash out temporary hair dye.
yeah this is not un-convincing Waller about the boyfriends thing, Peter
Bet you Parker could reverse-engineer that in a jiffy. He does like his tinkering.
no subject
If I wanted to know your ID, I'd just have to have Parker's brain scanned, wouldn't I.
Good thing for you that that's not particularly important to me right now, eh?
I'll hit him up about it, see what he can do. Give Global Dynamics a boost, the kid a way to disguise her identity, and maybe throw a raise Parker's way if the thing does well on the market.
no subject
First of all, I don't think you'll do that as long as the benefits of Parker's trust and my goodwill outweigh the value of yet another secret. Second, I think you'll find it won't be quite as easy as you think it'll be.
I'm sure he'll appreciate the consideration, though.