Summary:MJ offers Eddie Brock an unexpected opportunity Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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HELP WANTED: ASSISTANT NEEDED - FLEXIBLE HOURS:
Assistant needed for particular client. Low maintenance, room and board pay, travel pay and other sorts. Must come with credentials. Dial 555-867-5309.
Anyone worth a little something would know that there was something about that article that was off putting. It was a tiny blurb in the wanted section, if anyone decided to pick up the paper. It was something not posted online, tucked in the ass end of the newspaper that only a truly desperate or curious person would find.
Should that ad be answered, they would find themselves in a small, rental office space. One that's already filled with men and women, holding onto books and resumes of all sorts, dressed professionally who kept to themselves while spying the other candidates. The lobby they were in was overshadowed by a door. A door which remained closed with no way to peer inside. The woman who ushers in the next candidate keeps the door but at a crack, then closes it immediately as a person enters inside.
Venom needs money. He's not sure what 'assistant' means, but he figures he can check it out. THe articles have been drying up lately, in part because he can't write about all the things he does in the night. Some of them aren't suitable for sensitive eyes or ears.
He's probably a little sweaty, a little rough around the edges, even for this crowd, a t-shirt on under his suit jacket, sneakers instead of loafers. Truth is, this whole thing seemed a little shady, too. And shady means a story.
There was a story! For the woman who was called in left in a hurry, carrying a new set of papers on her person. She keeps her head down as she stalks out, and while some look to her as she leaves, others get up to follow. There were a few left, and those few looked towards Eddie with a shake of their heads, as the woman pokes herself out of the door, head only.
There was a cursory scan until those eyes land upon Eddie. She was considering him, probably thinking of shoo'ing him out. "You sir? You. Yes you. Greasy one. Come here, you're next."
Others look to each other and shrug, while another gets up and walks out. Yeah, shady business. Some people really don't want any parts of it.
Eddie stands up slowly, running a hand back through his hair, "That's me. Ed Greasy. I know, it's a terrible name, but family, whatcha gonna do?" he says, shrugging as he makes his way over to the door, stepping over a few outstretched limbs and finally making it up to the place.
"Hey, how you doin'? So, what's this thing all about, huh?" he says, trying to get his way into the office before the other folks throw a fit.
The woman says nothing to his remarks; the air of professionalism that one. As he moves closer to the door, she only opens it up so far so that only he could fit in, then closes it right behind him with a click..
The room wasn't sparse. It was just a basic office, a desk, a table, a phone. A laptop that was powered down, and a redhead sitting behind it. Where one probably thought it was shady? It wasn't! Cause the woman behind the desk immediately pops up and rounds the table, hands clapsed in front of her. "Hi!" She was bright, bubbily, cheery! "Um. That's different. Let me get a good look at you." The others were dressed for real office work. This guy came in off the streets.
"What's your name?" She asks, taking those steps closer to slowly pace around him, sizing him up. The woman that let him in? She just stood off to the side, trying her best not to laugh.
Venom is wary, of course, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes a bit, "Eddie Brock," he says. "I ain't got your names yet. Or the business. Or nothin'. It was all kinda vague, you know what I'm sayin'? Don't get me wrong, I ain't picky or squeamish or nothin'. But it makes anybody nervous, not …really knowing what's goin' on," he says, looking back and forth between the two women.
"Oh! Um.." Mary Jane steps in front of him now, then shakes her hair free of her ponytail. "You don't recognize me?" Well, it wouldn't be the first time. "I'm Mary Jane Watson. Um.. model, actress, social media influencer.. blah blah.." She waves her hand, then moves towards the door to usher her assistant out. "Can you send the rest of them away please? Thank you.."
She waits until the door is closed and the two were alone, Mary reaching up to lightly pat Eddie upon the shoulder. Usually, she's more bubbily, but once that business side kicks in, she's down with the sickness.
"So, even my assistant doesn't know why I am looking for someone else. I made sure to tell her she wasn't replaced." She gestures towards the chair, nearly smiles, then frowns. "Um.. you.. I don't know if you're the sort who likes to be a bodyguard, but I think I may need one."
Venom raises an eyebrow, "Yeah, I think…I may've seen yer face once or twice. Like, I don't always keep up with that sort of stuff, but you definitely look familiar. Model sounds about right, you're pretty enough."
<A tasty little morsel, yessssss>
(Hush)
"I can do that sort of thing, sure. You think you're in some sort of danger, Miss Watson?"
"Or if you like any of the cop shows, I'm usually a witness or a dead hooker." Everytime she says it, it makes her laugh. One would almost think she took the part just so she could tell everyone.
"But.. yeah.." She confesses. "Sometimes it's a feeling. You're walking down the street and someones following you. Sometimes.." She shakes her head a little, then leans back to produce a letter from the drawer. It's one of those typical, magazine letter cut out sort of letters. Ones that are completely annoying. "I.. you watch a lot of lifetime movies you kind of know how this is all going to shake loose." She slides the letter forward, so that he could read it. "That's just one of many. Usually follows me where ever I go. I don't know how. And when I do go somewhere, I barely post it on social media."
Eddie shakes his head, "I don't watch much TV. It's all kinda noisy and messy. I get enough of that in the real world," he says.
He takes the letter carefully, eyes running over the threatening message within, "Stalker or fan seems possible, although a lot of time, this sort of thing is personal. You have any angry ex-boyfriends? Or girlfriends for that matter? Sometimes the ladies can be just as vindictive as the men,' he says. He realizes he's giving her private eye patter out of a cheap dime novel but hey, as long as it works and it sounds like he knows what he's doing.
Thank god. Someone who doesn't watch TV much. They're almost in the same boat there.
"I.. really don't know." She does think back, and really can't even pinpoint when it started or if it's always been a thing. "No, no. None of that. I tried dating once but it really.." She wrinkles her nose. "It's a messy thing. I really want to avoid it until I find someone I truly just.." She looks wistful, like she was talking to a friend. "..fall in love with. Who gets my weird." She laughs, then ashakes her head. "Nevermind! But.. can I tell you about the job before you decide? I really don't need much, is all."
Eddie just kind of gives her a blank look at that one. "It's datin', kiddo, it don't gotta be that serious. But I see what you're saying. You're not the casual sort. Gotcha. Not real common anymore, good for you," he says.
"So, exes are out of the question. That leaves somebody who saw you on TV or some creeper who's been moonin' on ya in secret for years and finally snapped and went full bonkers. Any of those? Nerds who used to follow you home from class? Weird old men peepin' in your windows?"
Mary almost looks offended. "Well.. what's wrong with that though?" She stands from the desk, then begins to pace the room. All of the questions -are- making her nervous, but she did practically offer him a flat out job once she told her assistant to put everyone out.
"I.. no? I mean I went to school with a few of them but.." She shakes her head. "I think they're too nice and kind to do something like that." Now she was thinking. Weird old man? No… other nerds? No.. maybe.. gosh, she really doesn't know. Most of the time she was stuck in lala land until the latest letter that he holds woke her up.
Eddie wasn't a detective, but he -was- a reporter. Asking questions came with the territory. "Lots of people seem nice and kind on the outside that are anything but on the inside, Miss Watson. You never know where the monsters are lurking," he says.
<Yeah, gotta watch out for FREAKS like us, right, Eddie?>
(We're different.)
<Are you sure? Really, really sure? Cause I wouldn't mind getting a nibble on that. I bet you wouldn't either.>
(She's asking for our help.)
<She still smells like prey.>
He seems to shake off whatever internal dialogue he was having, "Then the best thing to do is to change up your routine. And to have someone follow you on your own behalf, so they can find out of if they're the only ones. We…I can do that."
Mary must have been lucky to run into mostly nice people. Because even though Eddie was a bit crass? It seemed like all of the questions he was asking felt like he cared. And that was really, really sweet of him!
"Oh. Pish posh." She says, rebuffing him lightly, and playfully! "I really do believe people have goodness inside of them. I know everyone tells me different but.." She shrugs. "I just have faith in people." Dumb girl, she was.
She moves towards him, then plops into the chair like the unruly teen she is, barely showing that side of herself, her hand smacking against her face to rub out the tiredness, due to the lack of coffee. "We?" She asks, picking up on that word. "I mean, I did just want one guard, but does that mean you're going to train me to look for that stuff? Like this is an 'us' type of thing?" She almost looks excited, then quickly shakes her head. Noooo, that would be dumb MJ, your self defense classes were great, but not -that- great!
"No nono.. I better leave all of the good stuff to you. You really look tough and I think with you around me for a while, I'll be safe." She smiles. "So. Need details or are you just -in- for the sake of being -in-?"
Eddie shakes his head, "No, no, you'll just…you'll just be dealing with me. Just a slip of the old tongue," he says. "BUt I can teach you some stuff. Don't get me wrong, I ain't…well, I'm not a professional, which isn't the same as saying I'm an amateur. The kind of stuff I can teach you is more…street smarts. Survivor's wisdom. Not the sort of thing you'd get in a self-defense class," he says.
"And yeah, I ain't got nothin' better to do. I can start whenever ya like. Oh, uh…you didn't happen to say how much the gig paid?"
"Yay!" Did she really say yay? Mary jumps up from her chair now, moving behind the desk to sit at the head, pulling the laptop over to power it on. "If I'm guessing right, I think I can afford a thousand a week? Food, clothing and everything else.. -should- be on me. And maybe an apartment close by? Temporary though."
She types in her password, and after a series of clicks and types, she was creating a budget. Something of her weekly expenses which really wasn't much. Mary Jane may be wealthy, but she was a serious penny pincher when it counts. "Uh. Equipment? Do you need that too?" She was just guessing. "Well.. I don't know what body guards need.. maybe.. a vest or something?" Yup, still typing and talking. "Its a good thing my diet is all coffee, sugar and marijuana.." Was that a joke? Probably, because she's grinning, proud of herself.
Eddie blinks. A thousand a week is…not bad. I mean, in New York, that doesn't go super far, but he's still able to pick up some writing on the side now and again, "I don't need any…equipment, really. I'm prepared for the job," he says.
He's a little overwhelmed now, unsure of how to react, but he's staying chill enough. He's learned not to overreact to things. When his heart races, so does Venom's and things tend to get a little messy if the symbiote gets too excited. Still, it would probably be right to warn her. After all, if things get messy, the teeth are bound to come out and then it would be a lot worse and a lot more explanation. Better she know about it all in advance.
"Doesn't sound that different from me," he says instead, "Why don't you let me walk you home and we can figure out the rest along the way, huh? That is…if you trust me."
"Oookay." So she finishes up the costs, nodding her head. "Thousand a week. Free food, room, board, clothing. Mostly clothing, you have to look your best if I'm going for auditions, shoots and other stuff." Yep, he'll clean up nicely, right!?
At the offer to leave, she nods, closing up her laptop, leaning to the side to get her bag from the floor. With it already being charged, she really didn't need any chords. So it was stuck right into her bag, zipped, picked up and hung upon her shoulder. "Yes, I trust you! Else I wouldn't have hired you!"
She was a quick little thing, bounding around the table, her hands lifting to snag the red thickness to tie back into a ponytail. "I don't stay too far. I'm at the hotel a few blocks away. If you want you can help me pack."
Eddie looks around for a minute. Is he on one of those prank shows? Because this feels like one of those prank shows? He's gotta keep braced for that, just so he doesn't end up biting off Bob Saget's head if he pops out of a wall or somethin', yukking it up like a boob at the funny joke.
<What's a Saget?>
(You don't wanna know.)
"Gee, can't imagine how anybody dangerous could've gotten close to this one," he mutters under his breath, "Sure, might as well. I can swing by and grab my stuff from my place some other time," he says. Not that he has very much he'd want from the rat's nest apartment in which he'd been living.
It totally wasn't a prank. Eddie just saddled himself with the happiest and probably street-wise-dumb person in the world. Goodness in everyone? Bet her dad is laughing at her right now!
As they head out onto the street, she waits to make sure that he catches up. "So, this is what I'm thinking." She starts. "When I do my live broadcasts, you won't be apart of it at all. I mean, unless you want to hold the camera and add in commentary, sure. In fact, nevermind. I usually do it where I live." She thinks. "Oh, so I have an audition at Julliard Friday. Do you think you can be free for that?"
Eddie puts his hands in his pockets. He actually is a qualified cameraman and could probably do that, but he sees no need to volunteer for it. He gets the feeling MJ's not exactly doing cutting edge investigative journalism. Probably nothing he'd want to put on his CV.
"If you want me to bodyguard you, probably not a good idea to put me on camera, no," he says. "Yeah, my schedule's…pretty free. I do have an occasional gig that might call on me now and again, but it's not steady and I haven't heard from them in a while…" he says.
Mary looks at Eddie as he walks. It was almost as if she were trying to figure out just what in the hell he did on his.. well, now off time. Instead, she just asks. "What job?" He seemed to ask a lot of questions. "Were you a former cop? You kind of look like one." She stops, reaching out to grab his arm to tug him back to let someone pass, someone who had a dog. And dogs were just the cutest thing, she had to make a few nummer-nummer baby noises, then continues on.
Eddie shakes his head, "Just some dumb government thing. Nah, I thought about it, once or twice, but I got in a bit too much trouble when I was young. THey don't like you in the academy if you got a record. Anyway, I liked to write, so I became a reporter for a while. Still am, I guess, but I don't have a steady gig, so I just kinda…take what comes my way, y'know?"
The dog gives a long, slow look to Eddie, unsure of what to make of his scent. Eddie just gives it a blank stare in return.
"I tried writing once.." Even though she just hired him, she was starting to get a little bit of kinship going with him. "..I really admire the people who do and can. Writing brings out baggage." She pauses, looking up towards the sky, and then towards Eddie. "Does that make any sense at all?" She huffs a little, then smiles. "Maybe one day, you can write about us." She wrinkles her face, then nudges him as she turns the corner, sort of guiding him, a force of habit. "Not like we're doing some buddy cop thing but, I do hope we can be friends someday." She likes making friends, it was clear!
Eddie can't help but half-grin, "Maybe, I guess. I ain't got a lotta friends anymore," he admits. "And yeah, I get what you're sayin'. That's what got me started, I guess. I had all this stuff in my head and at least if I wrote it, I got it out. I couldn't say any of it. Not to my mom, not to the guys at school. I had a close friend, for a while, but that got complicated, too, and I just…I dunno."
He shakes his head, as if tossing off the cobwebs of his past, "I guess I gotta do my job good and keep you safe if you're gonna be my friend, huh?"
Mary Jane frowns, now it was her turn to tuck her hands into her pockets. Yes. She wore jeans. She had pockets. "Weren't you afraid of people actually reading it though? Like.. reading how you really felt?" It was a general question. She was always afraid of her own thoughts, and if others could hear them.
She does grin too, her nose wrinkling rather cutely. "Right. And.. I guess you can call me MJ instead of Miss Watson and I call you Ed. Cool?" She holds up her hand to curl into a fist. She totally wants to dap.
Eddie smiles, "Nobody gave enough of a shit to read it. I knew that even then," he says. "Only reason to be afraid is if they read it and they were…" he starts to say afraid, but realizes how that might sound. Even if it's accurate. His mind had never been a pretty place, even before the symbiote.
"Concerned," he says. "People have expectations, for the way you're supposed to do and say things. I've never been…good at fitting in that way. And I usually go by Eddie," he says, offering the appropriate fist-bump.
"Eddie.." She returns the fist bump, blows it up, lalala's it right back into her pocket. "If you dig it all up right now? I'd totally read it, and I'd still consider you a bestie." She wrinkles her face. "Well.." She walks close and bumps into him playfully. "..I mean soon. We're not besties now, we just met like.. twenty minutes ago?" She laughs. "But I would consider you my bestie anyways and won't give a sugar splits about how terrible your thoughts are." She begins to bop now, unseen music. "Think of it.." She slides sideways, her arms stretched out in a dance. "..like drama!" Otherside now! Yeah!
Eddie rolls his tongue on the inside of his mouth and shakes his head. She's certainly not like the people he usually dealt with.
<She's fucking nuts>
(She's not that bad.)
<I didn't mean it as an insult, Eddie. We like nuts, you and me both.>
(…yeah. She's the kinda nuts that the world tends to run over though. Meat in the grinder.)
<Then we chew 'em up first, eh?>
And that does bring a smile to Eddie's face, "You're a good egg, MJ. Ain't really sure why anybody's wanna put a hurt on you. But if they try, we'll take care of it, just fine."
The dancing comes to an end, and now each step was filled with more bounce and pep. They were already at the hotel, but she felt compelled to keep walking and talking. "I don't know either but.. you're right. We're going to take care of it. We'll be like the best buddy so-called-raggedy cops that they'll have no choice but to write a movie about us." She grins. "No, you'll actually write a movie about us. Make us filthy rich, and we'll be eating prime rib until we get fat and die." Morbid much. Who cares! MJ goes for that dap again.
"Anyways, this is me. You don't have to come up but.." She glances around. "..don't tell anyone? I got some Jim Beam and pepsi upstairs."
Eddie smiles, "I can keep you company if you want. Or I can let you go. Either way. I work for you, remember," he says. "I ain't sure if I'm the movie kind of writer. I've always just written what I've seen, the way I see it. Got me in trouble a few times,' he says.
"And don't worry, kid, your secrets are safe with me. I ain't got anybody to tell anyways."
<Except me, right, Eddie?>