Summary:Spidey drops by to check up on Laynia in her new digs which he helped arrange some weeks back, they're joined by a certain biokinetic for a nice quiet evening of dinner and good company. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It has been a few weeks since Spider-Man met the Spy That Came In From the Dark. He has been meaning to check in with her. He doesn't know how she is doing, but elected to give her her space.
However, curiosity is one of those things he has in spades. So, he goes ahead, choosing curiosity over circumspection, and dials the number of the smartphone he gave her. He hopes it still has plenty of minutes.
In fact the phone DOES have plenty of minutes, she used some of the money from the cache to load a few hundred dollars worth onto the thing, so it should be good for a while. She was amused by the reaction to the clerk to have her count out five one-hundred dollar bills for that purpose. That's a lot of minutes!
The phone rings twice, then a third time - and then Laynia answers, or else some OTHER woman with a deeper voice and a Russian accent! "Da, hello?"
Spidey grins. "Hey there. Just your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, calling to see how you were doing. I'm in Brooklyn right now. Someone was thinking about trashing a local high school and I…put them in detention for the cops to pick up. So, I was wondering if you'd like me to swing by with anything you might need>"
People don't realize it, but you actuall -can- 'hear' a grin on the phone, or a frown. In this case grin begets grin. "Ah! Spiderman, how nice to hear from you, as it happens I could use some bread to go with dinner tonight, perhaps you might pick up some sourdough? I am making chicken and dumplings." Okay, could anything sound -less- ex-spy?
Spider-Man chuckles. "You got it. I know a bakery that makes the best in Brooklyn. I'll be there in about…say 10, 15 minutes? I'll also get you a loaf of crusty Italian bread, as well. Great for toast or sandwiches. In fact, if I didn't know you were already making food, I was going to ask if you wanted me to make you grilled cheese sandwiches with the sourdough bread."
"Oh, sounds lovely, Spider-Man…but I will make you counter offer, if you bring bread, you may share the chicken and dumplings, da?" She is still grinning by the by, and he can probably here her moving about as they talk. "Oh, do you prefer wine, or iced tea with your dinner?"
Spidey chuckles. "I'll bring lemonade. I'll show you how to make an Arnold Palmer. Talk to you soon."
A click, and he is off.
Fourteen minutes later, there is a knock at Laynia's door, a couple of plastic grocery bags in hand. He raps twice, then stands back, allowing her to see him through the peephole. True, he's wearing a mask, but it's not like she would have to be worried about imposters.
She opens the door after checking through the spy-hole. "Hello Spider-Man, welcome to my humble abode." Laynia says. She holds the door, curving it wide as she steps back to permit him ingress. "I would say you are looking well, but…" Costumed hero is in costume! The place smells of spices and the cooking chicken and dumplings. "So what is this 'Arnold Palmer' you speak of?" She will close the door after he enters, and then takes the bags to explore their contents on the coffee table.
He brought a few things. Spices, two types of bread, soda, juice, and a bottle of lemonade. Plus some sausages fresh from the butcher, some nice andouille sausages.
"Well, I don't know if you've heard of him, but Arnold Palmer is a great golfer. His favorite drink is simple. Half lemonade, half iced tea. He said it was the most refreshing drink he'd ever had, and it soon became known by its biggest fan. I'll make us two glasses, and then you can be the judge."
She actually takes out one of the spices, and smiles. "There is iced tea in the refridgerator, glasses in cabinet above and to right." She then takes the bounty into the kitchen, putting it away, and fastidiously saving the plastic bags. Waste not want not! The lid to the pot simmering on the stove is lifte, a puff of steam adding savory smells to the air, and then Laynia takes some of the spice and finger sprinkles it, and then stirs the pot. "I warn I am /Russian/ judge." She quips.
Spider-Man chuckles as he takes out two glasses, fills each half-full with lemonade, then takes Laynia's iced tea and fills them both. The mixture is nicely chilled, and Spidey adds a few ice cubes to each. He places a glass near Laynia, then says, "Then you be the judge." He lifts his mask up to just above his nose and then takes a long, slow drink.
"Is blackberry tea, makes a difference?" She leans over the pot, tasting with a long handled spoon, then rinses the spoon and covers the pot. "About twenty minutes more, sorry for slow." Laynia takes the tea then and sips, blinking at first, then taking a longer sip. "Oh, is very nice, I can see why this famous golfer likes. It IS most refresshing." She motions towards the living area. "So, other than high school trashers, has Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man gotten into trouble lately?"
Spidey leans against the counter. "Well…apart from the usual ne'er-do'wells, I ran afoul of…jeez, it sould crazy when I say it out loud…a demon driver driving the Dodge Challenger from Hell. Flaming tires. The driver doesn't even have a head, just a skull with flames coming off of it."
"Really…flaming skull head and he drives a Challenger?" Laynia thinks about it a moment. And then she laughs, it has a nice, dusky quality to it. "Actually a muscle car /fits/." Laynia hops up to start setting the 'table', first cleaning off the cooking supplies. "Cut some bread, da?" She asks of Spidey as she works on the counter, the kitchen is not big, but there's room to work on opposite sides of the counter.
Spider-Man nods, plucking a saw-toothed blade from the wooden stand. "Anyway, I needed some help from a friend. A woman who calls herself a biokinetic. One of her powers is speeding up healing. I just call her Angel." He unwraps the loaf, then pauses. "Slices or cubes?" he asks politely.
"Slices, if you please." Laynia answers just as politely. "Oh? This man hurt you?" No, Laynia Doth Not Approve, that frown is quite formidable! She relaxes then, and starts setting out the plates and silver. "Angel? Is good name for healer." She shakes her head. "Bio-kinetic, is most intersting sounding, I merely control Darkforce." She looks a bit rueful. "Pity /I/ do not know your friend, I had bit of 'kerfuffle' a few days ago, bank robbery. Still healing, but well on way to recover."
Spider-Man nods, then says, "Text, Angel. I know someone who could use your help is it okay if I give her your number? Send."
There is a quick beep, and a dulcet female voice says, "Sent."
The text draws a blink from Laynia. "Did you just have phone /text/ message by your words?" She pauses, then takes out a third place setting, setting out one more for dinner. And then she takes a head of lettuce and some veggies, and prepares a salad initially in a collander in the sink, and then transfering it to a large wooden bowl.
Spider-man smiled wryly. "The suit is a wearable computer. It even has its own virtual assistant, named Felicia." He paused. "Say hello to Miss Petrovna, Felicia."
A pause. "Hello to Miss Petrovna."
Spidey frowned. "You are adopting a certain level of snark I was not aware you possessed."
"You have most impressive technology, Spider-Man." Laynia finds it impossible not to laugh at the suit giving Spidey some 'tude. "Very nice to meet you too, Felicia." Content for the moment, she sets the salad out on the counter, and then heads out to the living room. "Just need to wait for dinner to finish cooking." She smiles. "Myself, I have been reunited with old friend, and might soon be no longer between jobs. Had most hopeful interview."
Spidey nods. "That sounds great. I…hang on. Just got a reply. 'Tell her I don't care about her past, so much as I do what she does from here on out, and I'll meet with her for healing.'" Spidey points to Laynia phone, and a new notification appears. NEW CONTACT: ANGEL.
"Call her up and she can help you. She helps me all the time. She's like the non-bratty older sister I never had."
"It was most exciting." Laynia agrees with a bright and genuinely happy smile. "Is very strange to hold conversations by text and speaking to you, I am still not used to ubiquity of tech in this modern age. And it IMPOSSIBLE to go anywhere and not be camera-d!" She's a little outraged by this fact it would seem. "Anyway, may soon be working with SHIELD, and my past might lend me use in SWORD, division, was Soviet Envoy to ACT-F Taskforce." She smiles then. "Please invite her to join us for dinner? I have set place, if she can attend."
Spidey sighed. "She's in the middle of something right now. But she trusts my judgment, and I have a good feeling about you. I think you're on the level, and that you should get a chance." He smiled. "She's one of the best friends I've ever had." He takes another sip, hmming softly. "Now…I'm sure I could be coaxed into bringing her a container if you wanted to make a meal I can take with me."
Another soft laugh. "I can arrange 'dog bag'?" Laynia looks a bit sad, putting away the third setting, before returning to the living room. "You have shown me much faith, Spider-Man, I am curious - why?" She strokes some wayward strands of hair behind her shoulder adding. "I should cut short, many girls wear short hair, is not like it would not grow back in year or so if I do not like."
Spidey looked at her, then sat down on the table. "I chose not to help someone once. It came back to destroy my life. I was only interested in what I could get…and I lost so much as a result." He looked down at his hands. "Now…if there is anything I can do to help someone…in ANY way…then I do it. Because it is wrong to watch something happen, knowing you could do something…and simply stand by and watch. I think that it could even be called a sin."
Laynia just rests a hand briefly on Spidey's shoulder. "Is difficult to atone for past errors or misdeeds, but I think that it is /best/ person who tries." She's very serious about this. "You have been good friend to this 'Stranger in a Strange Land', Spider-Man. I will not forget, and I want you to know that Laynia Petrovna, that the Darkstar, she is YOUR friend too, okay? You need my help, it is yours, for whatever task or tasks." A sweet smile. "Is understood?"
Spider-Man looks up to her, and smiles. It is a small smile, but it is honest. "…Thanks, Miss Petrovna. And I hope that, when you find someone else is trouble and that you are able to help…that you will react the same way. Paying it forward."
"Did you read about the attempted bank robbery the other day? I am not one to stand idly by when ill is afoot." Laynia says, and then she smiles. "And it is Laynia, Spider-Man, you need not be so formal with me." She rises then, and dishes up salads for both of them. "Do you prefer lemons, or if you want dressing I have a raspberry vinagrette…"
Spidey chuckles. "I'll take lemons, thank you. Now, how's that laptop I gave you? Run into any issues, or is it working out well for you?"
She squeezes fresh lemon on the salad, adds a few croutons, and then returns with bread and salads, setting Spider-Man's down first. "The laptop is quite nice! I have much to learn, but modern Windows OS is quite easy to figure out. I -do- have much to learn, however." She smiles. "I was thinking of getting a TV, perhaps to mount on wall. Depends on job, though."
Spidey hmms. "All right. I'm sure a local pawnshop could help out with that. Oh! That reminds me." He takes an envelops out of his backpack. "I sold the firearms after making sure they weren't connected to anything." He hands the envelope to Laynia. "A collector bought them both for $1,000."
"I was thinking that very thing, actually." Laynia says about the pawnshop. Another long sip of her Arnold Palmer, and then she blinks about the gun sale. "Seriously? That's very kind, but surely you should keep the money…at least take finder's fee, da? Ten percent if you do not keep. You give me so much already, even call in favor to get me this apartment…it is least I can do."
Spidey places the envelope on the table. "Technically, *you* found them. Not me, And this is after all the fees and such." He shrugs. "If you can help, help. Just take it. Legally, it's yours anyway, and I know you can use it more than me."
"Nonsense, I knew where they were supposed to be, but very well, I will not press you." Laynia takes the envelope, and sets it aside for now. It /will/ come in handy, but she has a guest. "So…what does a Spider-Man do for fun?"
Spider-Man smiles. "Traveling around the city. Feeling the wind on my face, feeling everything just…humming along." He pauses, then looks to Laynia. "Have you ever been on a rollercoaster?"
"I have been on a roller-coaster, yes. They had those during cold war, though they were smaller then, I have not since my return, no." Laynia grins. "I /do/ fly, however, you know this, right?" She sighs. "Alas, takes too much concentration for me to bring others along. Is soft of pushme-pullyou effect, I create micro-portals to Darkforce dimension along invisible plane of my body, then adjust to have its pull on me counter that of gravity, angling to steer, many small adjustments, very conentration intense, da?"
Spider-Man nods thoughtfully. "Navigating an extra-dimensional environment must take a lot of mental focus and discipline," he says almost sagely, as if he understands what Laynia is talking about. "Webslinging is almost pure intuition and instinct. I have what I call my Spider-Sense. It helps me detect imminent threats. But it also helps me purely through enhancing my overall intuition. Suggest to an Olympic gymnast the idea of a gymnastic routine tens to hundreds of feet off the ground, lasting five or six hours, and they would think you were insane. For me…It's Wednesday. It's actually relaxing."
"I can show you, if you like? Darkforce is not comfortable place but is safe enough if I am there with you. But da, is very difficult place to navigate, when I jaunt I create portal into it, then have to move a small distance inside, is very hard to track movements…can only travel a few miles in real world, beyond that is impossible for me to navigate, at least to date."
Laynia seems very interested in the webslinging. "Sounds fun, actually. Though I do lack the sheer physicality to manage for hours, probably not even for minutes." She admits with a smile.
Having finished her salad Laynia rises, and if Spidey's is also done, she'll take it too. a moment to check on dinner, and she nods. "Is ready." Two bowls of chicken and dumplings are served! The gravy is fairly thick, with large chunks of chicken in it, along with peas, sliced carrots, and onions. The dumplings are fairly dense, cut into small squares, and have a rich, almost peppery taste.
Spidey smirks. "Smells delicious." He stands up. "You know, I've taken a few people with me on my webslinging. If you ever want to know what it's like, I have a harness that some use so that they can ride on my back and remain close enough to not throw off my center of gravity. Try traveling like that…" He pauses, then says, "Just got a text from Angel. Is there enough for three?"
"I would like to try at least once, honestly. It does sound fun." Laynia grins thanks at the compliment about dinner, and then smiles. "By all means, can easily feed one more." She ponders, then will take the two bowls that she had about served and empties them back into the pot, so they can all eat together. A moment to rinse the bowls, and then she sets out a third place setting. "There. Please to invite this 'Angel'."
Spidey nods, then sends a reply text with Laynia's address. "Okay…you'll like her. She's awesome."
The biokinetic has stopped fighting the Angel moniker Peter has given her, despite that she knows someone it would fit much, much better. Strawberry blonde is loose in waves over her shoulders, her summery outfit of a teal blouse and a pair of gray shorts with teal sneakers. She's got a gray mini backpack instead of a purse, so it's easier to run along to get where she's going that way. She will reach the address, texting back to Peter : Come meet me.
Spider-Man looked up. "She's here. I'll go get her." He bowed to Laynia, then stepped outside. He is soon at the stairwell, looking down into the pool area and the parking lot, and spots Thea. He waves, then says, "Hey, Angel. Up here. You want to take the stairs or the express route?"
She will look up, seeing that familiar biosignature. "Express route sounds more fun!" She calls up, laughing, a hand running through her hair.
Spider-Man nods. "Brace yourself!"
In the next moment, a webline hits her in the center of her chest, spreading over her upper torso. Then he pulls, and Thea is propelled upward in a high arc and then Spider-Man catches her almost effortlessly, one of the webshooters issuing a lightly-scented vapor that disintegrates the web in seconds. He smiles and leads her to Laynia's apartment. "She's made chicken and dumplings." He grinned, then held the door open wide for Thea.
"Angel…meet Laynia Petrovna."
Laynia is dressed in a long t-shirt that hangs to mid thigh, the material a soft blue — and it has been tie-dyed with a madcap circular, vaguely, pattern with a bunch of other colors. Her hair is presently worn in a simple french braid that hangs to her waist, and jeans, bare feet have painted nails on the toes. Definitely a comfortable look.
When Thea arrives, she holds the door, and will close it once Spider-Man and she enter. "Hello 'Angel', I am Laynia, da, as Spider-Man has said. Welcome! Would you care for some 'Arnold-Palmer' with blackberry tea, or just tea, water, lemonade or wine?" She grins.
The apartment is redolent with the scent of the chicken and dumplings, the scent rather savory. "There is also salad if you would like."
"Spidey didn't tell me there was dinner. I would have brought wine." Thea is rarely without a hostess gift, but she didn't know she was coming to be fed. There's a sharp look at Peter, before Laynia will receive her warmest smile befitting a politician's daughter. "Pleasure to meet you, Laynia.Blackberry tea sounds fantastic, actually, if it wouldn't put you out." She will move to slip out of her backpack. "It smells delicious in here."
Spider-Man looked a little sheepish at the look. "Sorry. Things were a little rushed, and I forgot to mention that she was making dinner." He's still a goober, after all.
"Is alright, Angel, you were invited as guest and friend, no wine was needful." Laynia will take down a glass, add several ice cubes and then add the tea. "Honey, sugar, sweetener, or plain?" She asks with a smile, and prepares it to taste and brings the other woman her drink. "Also, would like salad, da? Lemons or raspberry vinagrette?"
She grins at the sheepish look, amazing how expressive that mask of his can be! Though the bottom portion is surely raised as he'd been eating some salad.
To Thea's biokinetic senses, Laynia's lifeforce is /weird/, she has an extension that goes…somewhere else, really bizarre. She's otherwise in good physical condition save for a healing hairline fracture of her left ulna, and three mostly healed ribs on the same side, also hairline fractures.
Either way, however she wants her salad, it will be prepared and brought to her guest. Laynia takes hostessing very seriously it seems.
And yes, Spidey IS a goober, but it works for him!
"It's always been polite to bring a hostess gift. I will have to make it up to you. " Thea smiles. "Plain is fine. I like strong tea all on its own." If the biokinetic is confused by the extension or unusual nature of Laynia's life force, it doesn't show. "Salad too? Oh my." There's a quick grin, a flash of the real woman behind the nearly always present facade. "Lemon vinagrette sounds so refreshing."
She will glance at Peter, one brow slightly raised, before she's looking back at Laynia again. "Would you prefer I help your fractures now, or after we eat?"
Spidey pulls out chairs for Laynia and Thea, then ponders entering the kitchen. "Uhm, do we serve ourselves, or will plates be made? I have learned never to intrude on the kitchen if I am not invited."
Aunt May could certainly channel her inner Amazon if Peter ever invaded their kitchen.
"Too kind, but I will not deny you, one must do as they feel right." Laynia says with a genuinely friendly smile. "Salad too, and no, not a lemon vinagrette, just lemons…" A pause, "…however…I can make some right, but a moment." She takes out some red-wine vinager, various spices, adds them to a small bowl and then mixes in some fresh squeezed lemon. As she works on that with a pleased air, Laynia answers Thea's question. "After is fine, has been almost a week, a fee minutes more is not problem." Her voice is fairly deep for a woman, and the accent is noticable but not 80's movie bad, at least.
A grin to Peter. "Plates will be made, of course. Never let it be said that Laynia Sereievna Petrovna is not good hostess." A wink. "But at least I am not twinkie, da?"
"Oh, no you don't…" But Thea's too late. There is already another vinagrette made. She will just arch an eyebrow. "I just didn't want to do it without talking you through it. It can be a little startling, the first time. Ask Spidey. "
Laynia will be quite happily engaged with seeing to her guests, her friend and perhaps a new friend in 'Angel'. The evening is quite convivial, and Laynia much relieved to have Thea take care of the lingering injuries from her misadvanture with a few rockets, a bank heist, and the KGBeast. All in all, a good time is had.