2019-05-25 - Sometimes the Guilty are Innocent

Summary:

Dead Girl feeds some folks, and later learns Peter PArker's secret!

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Sat May 25 21:05:09 2019
Location: The Store

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

None

jennifer-walterspeter-parkerdead-girl

Peter may get by with the heavily-modded S5 version, because it is what he can afford. With Deeg's budget, he is able to get her a S10+, an account for Cricket (she did have to sign up online) and a few other things she could use, like a protective case, insurance, mobile hotspot option, and the like.
Best to be careful.
He raps lightly on the door before entering. Because that is who he is. "Deeg? he called out as he stepped inside. "I've got all the stuff you asked for, and a few other things besides…"

"Hey there sweetheart!" Dead Girl calls over to Peter in a rather familial way, "Oh! Far out!" she almost cheers, grinning wide. "Did you get yourself a coffee or something?" she wonders, having handed Peter a load of cash- she has credit cards for paying the bills, but seems to prefer to do things in cash for things like this. Where she gets or keeps all this cash is hard to say. The Store doesn't exactly make a profit… it doesn't really even trade in money.

"Come on and set it all up on one of the coffee tables!" Dead Girl says as she hops up and begins towards one of the lounge areas.

Peter shook his head as he he walks towards the table, placing the white plastic bag on the table. He reaches into his pocket and takes out the wad of bills. It is a smaller wad than he left with, and there are a few coins to boot. It is wrapped up in the wide,, long slip of paper that is the receipt for the items he has purchased, and it accounts for every penny.

"I opted against. Not my money, after all."

"You should have gotten yourself a coffee or something!" Dead Girl says, "It's just money, Peter! Well, I'll make you a coffee or something here. Are you hungry? I baked some cookies if you want something sweet, and there's mac and cheese in the oven that should be ready, soon, if you're looking for something more real food." she says with a smile. "Or I can make you a sandwich."

She's heading towards the kitchen- as one might expect from a woman who seems to enjoy making sure everyone is well fed and comfortable in her 'home'. "You should keep the change, Peter. Just don't tell your Aunt May." she calls out, "I know the two of you need some money, and it just sits in my bank accounts making more money. Don't think about it like charity, or anything. That's your pay as far as I'm concerned, you've done good work around here and helped me with a lot of stuff." she starts to make up a plate for Peter, "Do you want green beans?"

The little tinkle of the door chime sounds as a certain green attorney wanders into The Store. Jennifer has been somewhat of a regular now that she's discovered the place (and has occasionally helped Dead Girl move a couch, or a car). She's dressed casually today, taking the weekend off, wearing a simple pair of purple blue jeans and a white T-Shirt emblazoned with Nirvana on the front, and dates of concerts from their last tour on the back.

"Hullo!" she calls out, waving to Peter when she sees him. "I brought some of the books I borrowed back."

Peter ponders it. One hour of shopping, for $600? Aunt May would never let him hear the end of it. After all, what did he do to warrant a paycheck like that?

"I'll take $40, Deeg. Anything more than that is too much." He slips two 20's out of the roll and pockets them, finding a box to put the rest in.

He looks over to Jennifer and whoa. She's imposing. Smart AND powerful. She'll go far.
He looks back to to Deeg and says, "Green beans sounds good. I also wanted to tell you about the large Ziploc bag on the shelf to the left. How do you feel about beef jerky?"

"Hey there, Jenny, darling!" Dead Girl calls out, "I'm making Peter a plate of something to eat- do you want a plate, too? I've got plenty here for everyone!" she continues with a smile. "I can get you a beer, too, if you want it." she continues as she starts to make another plate for Jennifer, too. Just making the assumption she'd be feeding her friend Jennifer as well.

"So, what do you want to drink, Peter! I have sweet tea, lemonaide, beer, mead, I think I have some cola somewhere…"

Jennifer Walters knows better than to refuse food from Dead Girl, so she just nods and says, "A plate sounds delicious. I'll have that beer, too!" She wanders over to where the bookshelf is and starts fishing out books from her attache case. She looks at what Peter is fussing with on the way there and asks, "Oooh, nice phone! Upgrading?"

Peter chuckles. "I wish. No, this is for Deeg." He begins removing the items from the bag. A brand-new Samsung Galaxy S10+. A protective case for the same, the same shade of red as her eyes. A set of wireless earbuds, with protective charging case. "I figured I'd get her about everything she might need."

Peter then looks to Deeg and says, "Can you make me an Arnold Palmer? Half tea, half lemonade, on ice?"

"Yeah! My block of minutes ran out from the old Motorola I was using!" Dead Girl calls out, as she goes to make Peter the drink he's requested. She grabs a beer for Jennifer and then makes sure everything is right with the pair of plates. Mac and Cheese with bacon and fried onions. Green beans, and fresh baked bread. She puts the plates on the table near Peter, and grins. "Wow! That thing looks super fancy." she says, as she sits down near the young man, watching as he goes to work.

Jennifer Walters happily accepts the plate once she's done putting all the books back, and takes it and her beer over to the counter. "Ooh! Welcome to the 21st century, Deeg. Peter went all out for you."

Peter smiled as he began opening the boxes. "If you're going to do something…do it right." He puts the tiny SIM card in the phone with very nimble fingers, then starts up the phone and does the basic setup. "Now, I'll show you the basics for calling, set up voicemail, and then we go on to the apps. Phones these days are like minature computers, and have scores of applications." He takes out a small paper notepad and opens it to a checklist he wrote out, with PHONE SETUP at the top of the list.

Dead Girl leans in close, watching as Peter does all these things. Her eyes barely glow right now- but its obvious they're still red. "Ooh! It's all so fancy." she comments, nodding, "Okay, right. Mini computer- we used to think about those back in the day. It's pretty fantastic. Wow, the future is *SO* neat!" Dead Girl continues.

"So, first thing's first- yeah, basics of calling. That's the most important thing about a phone, right? Will you put your number in it? Ooh! And Jenny, I'll need your number, too!" she says with a beaming smile.

Jen nods, wandering closer. "Of course! I'd be happy to give you my number," she says around a mouthful of mac & cheese.

Peter nods. He is in his element, and his hands move quickly to type in his number, showing Deeg how it is done, step by step. He finishes putting in his number, then hands the phone to Deeg. "Okay. Now, your turn. When Jen gives you her number, you'll set up the contact yourself. If you get hung up, stop and ask." He smiles, then picks up his drink and sips. It really is cold and refreshing.

Dead Girl beams brightly and nods. She takes the phone, looking at it with wide and curious eyes. "Wow, you know, when it was like in the sixties, I never thought there'd be a computer I could hold in my hands like this." She remarks as she starts to poke away at the screen carefully- as if she were afraid she'd break the thing. "Okay, what's your phone number, Jenny?" she asks, looking up to Jennifer with a smile, "Or should I use the one on your cards?" She asks, looking towards the cards that she's got set up on the counter- "Okay, so.. do they still all have the same area code? We used to all have the same area code. Do these cell phones work like that these days?"

Jen shakes her head and pulls one of her business cards from the dwindling stack. "No, that's my office number. If you call it you'll likely go to voicemail." She pulls out a pen from the attache case and scribbles down some numbers on the back. "That's my personal number. Call it any time."

Peter smiled wryly. "Some area codes were added. This is your new number." He points to the receipt, where the number is typed out clearly. "That is the number you give to others, if you wish. When you're done, we can set up your voicemail, and then you can choose the message you want to broadcast to people dialing you."

BeepBoopBeepBoop. Dead Girl starts to type the number in- taking her time as one might expect of an older woman, despite the fact she looks almost exactly like a woman in her twenties. Albeit a dead woman in her twenties.

"Okay, cool. That's pretty far-out." She says, "I can be on a recording anyone can call up and listen to any time! That's fun." She continues as she looks at the number she's put in the phone, "Okay, so. What do I do now?" She asks, angling the phone towards Peter, "Save it, right?" she wonders

Peter nods. "Press the SAVE option, and you'll have it saved to dial at the push of a button. You can also set it up so you can say, 'Call Jenn Walters,' and it will dial her up." He smiles wryly. "There's also an app there where you can read your voicemails instead of having to listen to them."

"Ooh. It's like getting a telegram!" Dead Girl says, "Man, I miss telegrams." she continues as she grins wide, "This is really neat stuff, Peter!" she says really floored by the technology. "This is really fantastic!" she grins.

"Okay, so I have you and Jenny in there." she continues, "Does it have a limit to the number of people I can put in it?" She wonders next as she saves the number as shown. She's very proud of herself- the beaming grin proves it.

Peter shakes his head. "Theoretically, if you got it up to 50,000 contacts, completely filled out, there might be concern. But that should not be an issue. If you have a computer, you can save all the information you store there, or in special storage called 'cloud' storage, accessible through the wireless data you have set up. Stores it in the internet. Something happens to the phone, you can get it all back."

"Well that is just super nifty." Dead Girl says, "Like way out there! Man, this is like the stuff the astronauts used!" she says with a beaming smile, "What else can I do with it, Peter?" she wonders next. She offers the phone back to him, "So, it'll always go to the clouds? How do they put the data up their? Is it in the satellites?"

Peter smiles. "There are special towers, all over the city. You will always be in range of one. These towers transmit voice communications, phone calls, as well as data transmissions—texts, application data, Internet. The signal usually goes from you, to the cell tower, to the satellite, then down to the receiver. And it's cloud. Singular. When people talk about stuff going to 'the cloud,' they are talking about this automatic Internet storage." He dials the number for voicemil, then hands the phone back to her. "Type in a six-digit code, one only you'll know. Then it will go to a menu where you can choose to set up the voicemail."

Dead Girl pokes around at the numbers and puts in a code. "It's the time I was murdered." she says with a little grin towards Peter. "I'm the only one who knows that." she says, "Very special day in my life, you know." she explains, "Well, my existence."

Dead Girl lifts the phone to her ear and follows the prompts. She then speaks, "FAR OUT!" she begins, "You've reached Dead Girl! Leave me some kinda fancy telegram message! I'll call you back!"

Peter is somewhat somber. It has always had a special significance to him, but hwe is remembers another date, another time—the moment he had been told his Uncle had been murdered. It is a quiet moment, and also one he would not forget.
But he smiles at the rather exuberant greeting Deeg gives, then gives her a second before making a 'push the button' motion with his index finger.

"Oh! Push the button!" Beep! Dead Girl pushes the button. Now, that is part of the message. She grins again, but her face falls a bit. She's seen that look. She knows that look intimately.

"Oh. Someone died close to you, didn't they?" Dead Girl asks suddenly, looking closely at Peter. Quietly. "Yes. Someone died… I'm sure of it… someone close to you?" Dead Girl wonders.

"Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I understand if you don't- but… I know Death better than anyone you'll ever meet." She says softly, "And one of my callings is to assist the living when someone dies. The living have trouble understanding death… it's antithetical to you. But me..well. It's kind of my bread and butter. It's part of what I am. I am a murder victim. I am a dead girl who was tossed in a river and dug herself out of her own grave."

Peter looks down. "My uncle. Almost two years ago." He takes a deep breath. "I'm not going to say it's nothing, but it does get better. But sometimes it blindsides you. When you're not paying attention." He smiles slightly. "It's okay. Aunt May is doing better. She's tougher than she looks. But they were together for a very long time." He looks to the phone, then says, "Okay, you can hang up now. Now we have to set up your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram apps. Let's get the important stuff taken care of, first and foremost."

Dead Girl has already hung up. She puts the phone down. She looks quietly to peter and then just quietly gives him a hug. "You can tell yourself that it gets easier- it doesn't get easier, it gets familiar." she says softly. "You don't get over the loss of someone important to you, someone you loved. That pain just becomes a part of you- it's woven into the tapestry of your being. Once it becomes a part of you it stops hurting so much." she says softly.

"But you never forget- and for what it's worth, if your Uncle is anything like you, I know exactly where he ended up. There is an afterlife, you know." she continues, "And good souls *are* rewarded."

Peter nods. "And punishment for evil is always certain." He looks to Deeg. "Deeg…can you keep a secret? It's a big secret. I won't force you to take it. You have to accept it willingly."

Dead Girl nods quietly, "I'll keep your secret, Peter." She assures her young friend. "If there is one thing the dead are good at, it's keeping secrets." she offers him gently- even as she holds him nice and close. She's just quietly snugging the young man up. She's cold to the touch, but… oddly comforting.

"I accept."

Peter nods. Then he reaches into his loose pocket and pulls out a clutch of red fabric, then unfolds it to reveal it.,
It is a balaclava mask, with stylized angled eye inserts. it is a mask she has seen before…adorning the head of Spider-Man.

Dead Girl looks at the mask. Quiet. Nodding slowly, she looks up- around. NO one is here, so only then she speaks. "Wonderful!" she says with a beaming smile, "I knew that Spider-man was a good egg! Now it's confirmed!" she says with a nod of her head, "I won't tell anyone." she says, "But I will be leaving you dinner in the garden if you need it." she continues with a quiet smile.

"I think your Uncle would be proud of you, Peter." Dead Girl says simply, "I'm sure your Aunt would be, once she got over the whole thing about you being Spider-Man." Dead Girl continues. "Spider-Man is a hero. You bring hope to people." she says, just beaming so wide- she looks like the most proud woman in the world- as if she were his aunt herself!

Peter folds the mask, gripping it tightly in his hands. "He told me once that having great power requires great responsibility. I learned that a little too late, Deeg." He looked up to her, the phone forgotten for the moment. "I had the chance to stop someone. A criminal, escaping the police. The TINIEST amount of effort would have been enough to stop him. But I let him get away. Why? Because I was, as I told the cop…'looking out for Number One.' Two weeks later, I am getting home from the advent of my new career as a wrestler. Yep. The kid with the 250 IQ, tossing around guys like the Rock, Triple-H, all that jazz. That was when I found out. A burglar had come, and had been armed. My uncle stood in front of Aunt May and…he shot my Uncle. He died within ten feet of the front door. So I went after the guy. And when I knock the guy cold…"

He stops for a few moments. Because you have to stop when something is killing you.

"…it was the same guy. The guy I let pass me because I was stupid and selfish."
He looks up to Deeg, and it is all he can do to keep from bursting into tears all over again. "I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM AND I DIDN'T…"

Dead Girl listens closely, nodding slowly. Silent the entire time as she pulls him close. She just holds the young man tightly in her arms- hugging him close, shushing him gently, "It's okay, Peter." she assures him. "It's okay." she assures him.

"You couldn't have known. You couldn't have saved him." Dead Girl is quiet as she says those things, and the words are said with all due kindness. "People die. We don't always get to choose how or when, and unless you pulled that trigger yourself, you're not responsible for his death." Dead Girl says, her voice quiet.

"But, I understand wholly while you might feel that way." Dead Girl admits softly, "You had a chance to stop the man who killed your Uncle- someone you loved. It's impossible to not to feel guilty, because an action you made came back to haunt you. I understand. But you didn't pull that trigger." she says simply. "You didn't murder your Uncle- and if you hadn't been there, he'd still have gone and showed up at your house."

Peter seems to shiver. "If I had done SOMETHING, Carradine would have been in Riker's Island that night. He had violated probation. If I had done something, my Uncle Ben would still be alive, Deeg. That is a FACT. But I did NOTHING…and because of that, Uncle Ben is dead. You CAN'T argue otherwise."

Dead Girl nods quietly, still holding Peter- rubbing his back gently. "I can't." she replies, "But it also doesn't change the fact that this Carradine pulled that trigger and murdered your Uncle." she says softly. Pausing and just holding him quiet. "I'm so sorry, Peter." she says gently, "If you want, I can bring him back for a moment… for you to speak to him yourself." She says looking at him. "If, that is, he's willing to step through the veil and leave his place to speak to you. I do not bring back the unwilling." she offers it quietly, "But, I want you to know that it might make your pain worse just as easily as it may be a balm and help you heal."

Peter shakes his head. "Please don't, Deeg. I couldn't look him in the eyes." He gave a soft, lost sound, both sigh and sob. "But what I do understand is ATONEMENT. I understand that I can't fail again. If there is something to be done, I have to do it. If I give up, or give in, then someone can die, and that will be my fault, too."

"It is often better not to." Dead Girl agrees quietly, "And Atonement is more than possible." she continues softly, still holding the young man ever so gently. "It is good to move forward with the abilities you have bringing hope to the people of this city- and to the people of the world. Helping however you can." she agrees softly, "And I'll help you." she assures him further, "However I can."

Peter looks to her. "Well, you can start by giving me realistic wages, Deeg. Because unless I'm building a rocket ship, nothing I am doing is worth $300 an hour."

Peter Parker smiles crookedly.

"Peter, I don't need money." Dead Girl says. "But you do. To eat. To live. TO help support your Aunt- and to get things you might need for that suit." she replies to him, "Consider it a donation to your atonement." She says next, grinning back just as crookedly.

"I have lots of it anyways. More than I'll ever need- this place is run from one shell company, and another holds my personal funds. I've had smart friends over the years invest and reinvest my funds. So, money isn't a problem for me. I could ask for donations from old friends and I'd be set up again all over… and I know where all the dead people leave their treasures."

She takes a moment, though, and nods, "But, if you'd rather just earn a standard paycheck, that's possible. Is cash still okay, or do you want like a check with taxes and all that paid?" Dead Girl wonders, "I can call my accountant and have that direct deposit stuff set up for you.

Peter nods. "Yes. Because there is something to be said when you can look the IRS in the eye and say, 'I never took a dime I didn't earn.'"

He smiles and she can see it. Why he does what he does, why he launches himself at rampaging Rhinos and runaway trains. His guilt. It drives him, it pushes him forward. It causes him to do great things, even heroic things. It might even make him one of the most conscientious heroes in New York City…

…or it will kill him in the process.

Dead Girl knows it- Guilt. She can see it, and she knows there's no cure she can give in this exact moment- no balm of Gilead for Guilt of this kind. This is something Peter- and Spider-Man- would have to work through on his own.

"Okay. I'll get it set up tomorrow. I need to see Sid anyways." she assures him.

"I'll bring you all the paperwork and the rest to fill out. W-9s and the like." Dead Girl says with an easy smile. "How much do you want to make per month? Salary is easier."

Peter looks thoughtful. "I figure about $20/hour would be sufficient. I also have to make time for my work-study job. I have a part-time job at Kane Industries as an assistant lab tech that I have to do well in. My scholarship to ESU depends on it." He smiles.

"We'll call it on call work for my company." Dead Girl explains, "That way you can choose your own hours." Dead Girl says, as she nods her head. "I'll trust you to fill out your own time cards. I have some somewhere- in storage, probably." she says with a smile.

"You can also come by and just sleep or something, all that work and your 'night job' well.. A nap isn't a bad thing. Just being here is enough for me- it's nice to have people here."

Peter smiles. "I've been working up some new ideas for the suit…with help, of course. A couple of people even donated money to help develop it. I have some next-level ideas…"

"Well, you should take the rest of that money from today for that express purpose, then. A Donation for your suit." Dead Girl notes, "You gotta let me do that, at least." she notes quietly. "I really don't want to see you get hurt or anything." she goes on to say. "And feel free to help yourself to anything in the supply room if you think it would help you help other people."

Peter blinked. Maybe he shouldn't have talked about donations. He felt weird about taking money he didn't earn…but as long as he JUST used it for the suit…

"…okay. I can do that. But expect an accounting. If you're going to donate, you deserve to know where the money goes." He sighs. "Getting hurt is guaranteed, Deeg. But I'm hoping the new designs to help limit the risks of injury."

"That's fine. I trust you, Peter." Dead Girl says, "Oh- and in private you can call me Moonbeam. That's my birth name." she says, "When I was in shows off broadway, though, I used my stage name- Molly Beam." she grins, "I thought it was pretty clever. Not sure I think that now, but at the time, I figured signing my name M. Beam was like playing both sides of the field." she shrugs.

"Anyways, thank you for your help with the phone, and like I said- there's lots of stuff in the storage room, help yourself if it goes towards keeping you safe and helping others." she stands up then, cleaning up the plates and glasses where things are done.

"Lord, I wish I could still drink regular beer. This was a heavy conversation!" Dead Girl says, still smiling. Sweet. "I think we can pick up the whole thing with apps another time. I'm going to go have a smoke on the roof."

Peter smiles wryly. "You should try my favorite drink. There's few drinks as refreshing, take my word for it. Can't go wrong with an Arnold Palmer." He stands up. "Thanks, Deeg…Moonbeam. Hmm. Deeg rolls off the tongue better, though." He winks.

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