Summary:There's a small but growing problem of a demonic persuasion. And food! Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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It's movement. Movement is good and better when it's away from the Hotel of Healing where a certain Spider was also being treated. Still, Domino's preference would be to take off on her own and go somewhere quiet and well stocked with drinks. Instead Hank gives them a lift back to Thea's place. Conversation is on the horizon but at least the trip should be a little more educational. The albino has no idea how the biokinetic lives.
Then again it could just be a 'burner' place decorated in IKEA and leftovers. That would have been how Neena would have played this out.
With the two meta assassins left outside of the building Dom makes an 'after you' motion, thoughts being entirely kept to herself. Thoughts such as 'is this what it's like when someone is called on their drinking problem?'
She doesn't have a problem. Her aim's way too on point to have any trouble killing people!
*
Well, from the look of it, this is not a 'burner' residence. The man holding down the desk in the lobby nods to Thea who waves. Thea acts like she belongs, so she does. She'll hustle Dom into the elevator, and go up several floors. She'll head down the hall to the last door on the right, and undo the locks - of which there are several, though they are set flush into the door to minimize the look of them.
She'll usher Dom in first, shutting the door behind her to lock it up tight. It's clearly a habit. "Food first. Then we drink. What do you want to eat?"
The kitchen is a bright space, white and green, everything in its place and a place for every thing. Tidy is the byword for little NYC apartment kitchens. There's a small, square table for dining with matching chairs in a simple gray wood look with black metal. Beyond that is the living room, the couch with built in chaise and the oversized recliner are done in a dove gray microfiber. There's a lot of windows, most of which show locks and alarms if one knows where to look. The door to the bathroom shows it having shades of turquoise and aqua, with a deep old fashioned clawfoot tub. There's a lot of organization involved there too, for all the makeup and other things Thea uses for the tricks of her appearance shifting. The door to the bedroom is closed, denying an easy peek.
Thea will go to the fridge, extracting two bottles of juice, showing that there is plenty of juice, soda, and bottled water, but not so much in the way of food. "Catch." Thea will toss a bottle of juice at Domino, fully believing she'll catch it.
*
Is Thea in some sort of hurry? Her actions are noted without being questioned, maybe she doesn't want attention drawn their way considering Neena's not exactly 'normal' looking. The last door on the right is given an imaginary nod of approval, already noting where the stairs are on the floor and what the exit strategies are. No surprises here, everything seems reasonable and practical.
Food? "Anything," she mutters while leaning back against the first open patch of wall or counter she comes across. With a slight frown she soon corrects the answer to "Anything containing meat." She's still feeling the urge to sink her teeth into something and the pizza, while good and covered with meat toppings, hadn't quite sated the craving.
The interior is given a quick looking over, notably it's the mix of green in the kitchen which gives her pause. The nearby table earns her approval with the color scheme alone. It's a nicely appointed dwelling overall, simple and efficient. Again no surprises here. This is the space of an operator who plans on coming back and staying for a while.
The tossed juice is caught without trouble, Neena's recovery had gotten a hell of a lot of help from Thea over the last few days. No thought is given toward cracking it open and taking a long drink, she doesn't even care what's inside of the container.
Ideas flick through her mind of things to say but everything remains held back. Small talk never suited her and the business now waiting for them is nothing she fancies talking about. All she knows is that Thea still has the amulet. The subject will be fresh in her mind.
Ultimately what she comes back to is the kitchen, upticking her head toward it with "Green's a bold choice."
*
There are takeout menus being pulled out and set on the counter for Neena's review. She will glance over at the albino, those eyes curious for a moment. "I'll tell my stepmother you approve." There's a hint of a smirk. "She's an interior designer. I just told her colors that were acceptable. I like nice, bold greens. I didn't want just white." There's a shrug. "Bathroom and bedroom are the spaces that are mine. But she did the rest while I was still overseas." Overseas, making sure she wasn't being tracked, followed, or hunted. "What do you want to eat?"
*
"A whole galaxy of choice" Neena mutters as all of the menus are laid out. A similar smirk follows about the interior designer being related to Thea. "And here I thought this was all your artistic expression." Although she didn't know about Thea's appreciation for green… Interesting.
Not wanting to give a whole lot of thought to eating, particularly with her stomach still feeling a bit off after Hank damn near drop-kicked her through a second floor window, she keeps it simple and singles out a meatball grinder. A little something for the carnivore all neatly wrapped up in something a little easier to hold onto, hopefully without leading to a colossal mess. Some of those grinders can be a little questionable.
With the juice in hand she starts wandering toward the comfier looking seats in the place but stops herself short..and starts unbuckling her tall boots.
"Is it just me or does this feel weird? I'm familiar enough with hanging out with work buddies but this feels different." Probably because she's not used to having actual friends.
*
Thea whips out her phone, using an app to order. The meatball grinder is ordered - and enough other food for a small army. Chicken parm and pasta, eggplant, fried calamari, some bolognese, and sides. Thea does not do things like this by half.
"My artistic expression is in the other rooms, the more personal space. I didn't care much when I was coming back stateside, and it was going to make her happy. Her happy means less bullshit, so I made her happy." There's a shrug, before Thea's slipping her phone into a pocket and moving to flop down on her couch.
"It's because we're not work buddies, Neena. Time to admit that. We spent years in literal hell together, that sort of shit certainly puts us way above work buddies." She will sip her juice, watching the albino. "I'd even call you a friend. Which is weird for me, too, you know. Sometimes friends just happen. Hell happened with you, and we needed each other to survive. That's bonding crap, by anyone's standards."
*
Neena gently bobs her head to the part of Thea keeping her stepmother happy. "Less bullshit is worth striving for." But to think that Thea has family who knows where she's living..? The concept easily fills Whitey's mind with additional thoughts. Most of them also falling under the 'do not want to think about' category.
When Thea calls it for what it is a hand comes up to lightly massage Dom's forehead, now settled in one of the seats not far from the fellow mutant. "Yeah, I'd say it 'just happened.' We both like to keep our secrets and neither of us enjoy having them brought out without our express permission."
Down comes the hand then she slowly flumps back into the seat, eyeing Thea with a tired look. "I didn't think there was any need to talk about this. Whatever's going on had helped me with my work. Hell, a lot of the time it makes me -feel- better. These solo hunts are kind of a new development—god this feels like talking to a shrink."
*
"When it comes to my parents, less bullshit means less contact - always worth striving for." There may be a bitter note in her words, before the biokinetic is drinking more juice almost as if there was alcohol mixed. "I've have other friends just happen. You're different. But you.. you just take me as what I am. You don't see just the healer in me. You know I can kill, and do it without hesitation. Other people who know me… they shy away from that part of me. They want to leave it in the shadows and not talked about. Hell, you /appreciated/ that part of who I am, more than once."
Thea's silent a moment, watching Neena with her own tired looking eyes. There's a hint of sadness there, too. "Neena, that thing - It helps you so it can feed off you. It's a parasite, plain and simple. Just like a tapeworm, only this one isn't helping you lose weight, it's making you think it's helping you in your work, makes you feel better. But if you got rid of it, you could /be/ better - all the time. I know - you think it's helpful, and maybe it is at times. But it's not natural. It's not part of you, and it needs to go."
*
"Every skill is useful at some point, Thea. Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of fond of your magic healy trick as well but you're smart and efficient. Being able to put someone down without any contact or mess is something fucking beautiful and denying what you are only leads to madness. I'd say something like you need better friends but I'm not a model bestie," Domino suggests with a thin smirk.
The moment of silence holds between them both until Thea speaks. She's allowed to continue without interruption. The next black-lined smirk comes without any sign of amusement. Another drink is had before Neena quietly sets the juice aside, arms loosely flopped together across her lap.
"It's a little more complicated than that. It isn't feeding off of me. I'm ..kind of more like a roomie with access to a car. This thing is feeding off of others. First ordinary Joe's. Then it got a taste for metahumans. Ever since we got back it felt like it cared less about the necklace, like it's looking for something else. Like a ..fuck, like a hermit crab looking for a bigger shell," she struggles with a shrug.
"I've got plenty of skeletons in my closet but lately I'm -enjoying- adding to the collection."
*
"I have few enough friends. You don't have to be perfect." Thea stats flatly, looking at Neena. "You just said it. It's looking for a new home. It's not… it's not really part of you. But it affects you, and not always in positive ways. Spider Woman is my friend too, and I really would prefer to not have to referee again between the two of you. Selfish of me, I know."
She's silent a moment. "How does it feed off others?" It's a blunt question, and the curious scientist is the facet Domino will see now from the biokinetic.
*
Another nod comes to the idea of having few friends, soon followed by a sheepish look when Neena hears that Gwen is -also- Thea's friend. "My bad." Because THAT'll make everything okay.
Oof. And here's where it gets particularly awkward. "Aside from going for the throat I don't really know. It isn't blood or tissue, it's ..something else. Every kill somehow gives -it- strength but not me. I'm still the Neena you know and roll your eyes at."
*
"You couldn't have known she was my friend as well. It's not like I've got a spider-friends badge or anything I show off." Thea snorts lightly, before she's checking her phone. Food needs to hurry, she's getting hungry and that's never good.
"So it goes for the throat, but it's not blood or tissue it's looking for. So more of a chi thing? Life energy?" Thea doesn't seem at all disturbed or put off by this, more… well, she's approaching it like a job. Clear, logical thinking, finding strengths, weaknesses, and turning it over and over in her mind to find the path.
*
"That's cute," Neena thinks with a partial grin. "Aren't there several 'Spiders' in the neighborhood? You guys could start your own little crime-fighting group complete with secret decoder rings."
To the next two questions all Neena can do is shrug. "Must be? I don't know. When I think about the concept of Hell it brings to mind torture, damnation, and people selling their souls. We've gone through enough of the first two but if you ask me there wasn't a lot of 'soul' in that place."
"All of the nasties back there seemed like empty husks driven to madness. Not very tasty. -Something- around here must seem like gourmet dining to it. I don't know, maybe because we aren't 'tainted' or whatever."
*
Thea is watching Neena with a vaguely unfocused look for a moment. Her mind is spinning, working, even as her powers stare at the albino, seeking, searching. Thea does not not normally try to deep scan anyone she isn't healing, but.. curiousity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back.
"They're good kids." Some of them are her age.. well, her legal age - most don't know about the four years in hell. "Souls. Hmm. Soul vampire, energy vampire.. I've heard of such things, but never /seen/ it."
*
There's an energy to the albino which Thea knows shouldn't be there. It's a thin trace at the moment, like the 'hellcat' is sleeping in the shadows somewhere within the darker recesses of her psyche. If it is feeding off of souls then trying to figure out where they've disappeared to might be difficult.
"The last one I nearly fragged offered to -help- me hours later. Either she's a good kid or she's fucking mental. I'd give it a fifty-fifty split."
Blink. "Oh you have gotta be kidding me. A -vampire?- I'm gothy enough without having -that- label slapped onto my identity! Oh my god" she groans while hiding her face in a palm.
*
"They're all… incredibly good people. The offering to help you is pretty standard in the Spider circle. They're too nice. They probably need me around to balance that shit out." There's a hint of a smile, as she blinks, and her gaze is focused again
She'll laugh, the sound full and unfettered as her head tips back. "Not the gothy, want to suck your blood type. There are people who are energy vampires. They can't help it. They touch people, hang around people, to feed that need. "
*
Neena pinches the bridge of her nose with a sigh then switches to drink the last of her juice. She could really go for a distraction about now… As she stands up to initiate some nervous pacing there's a knock on the door with her already being halfway to it.
The locks are undone in the same order she had seen Thea set them to permit their well-rounded order into the kitchen. If it needs to be paid for she's got it covered. The exchange goes smoothly aside from the peculiar looks she gets from the delivery person.
Barely a word is uttered then the door is pushed closed with a foot. "Well rest assured, I'm only sucking marinara sauce today. Wait—back up. 'They can't help it?' So what's specific treatment for them? I'm betting it isn't 'termination.'"
*
She rises to help with the food - it's already paid for, of course, due to the app. She starts unpacking the food, opening the fried calamari to start snacking - dipping it into the marinara sauce or the lemony tarter sauce, in turn. She will move to get a soda for herself, a lift of a brow to ask Neena what she wants.
"The thing is, they're not killing their source, Nee. Yours seems to need that. The ones I've heard of, they pull a little here, a little there, leave people feeling tired - but most people write that off from socializing, or whatever."
*
"The kinder, friendlier vampires" Neena jokes while holding up a hand to the offer of another drink. She's good. "So unless I can figure out a way for my pal here to only take -part- of a soul or give the vegan option a try then I'm hazardous to everyone's health. Go me."
Despite the myriad of edible options the albino goes right for her sandwich, pointed teeth easily slaying the first of the meatballs and leaving a bright red smear across a pale-skinned face. The mighty huntress scores her next kill.
"This leaves a somewhat important question unanswered. What do we do with it? I can keep it leashed most of the time but..for as damn -good- as it makes me feel, I don't appreciate the leash switching necks. Losing control isn't the best look for me. Besides, it's really more of a Summer statement."
*
"Well, that's all metaphysical stuff. I've barely looked into any of that. You know my world is all about the physical health." She shrugs, continuing on her calamari, though it is nudged so Neena knows she's welcome to some if she wants it.
"That's the million dollar question. I know you like how it makes you feel. But it's like an addiction, Neena. You don't /need/ that thing. We need to find a way to purge it, before things get way out of control, and it is in charge, and not you."
*
Thea hits the crux of the situation. If it didn't include the occasional loss of control Neena might have invited the demon in with open arms. She can see in the dark, hunt and kill in exciting new ways, sense things she could never sense before, even connect with other feline-based powersets! It..just happens to cost a lot of other people their life energy or whatever the heck. And, perhaps more importantly, it means she's -not- always in control of herself.
Only alcohol gets to have that level of control over her. And maybe sometimes Thea because Dom can't stop her power.
"Or it decides to step up to bigger better digs" Dom mutters while reaching for some of the calamari.
Silence follows for a few seconds before she frowns and rubs at her temple with the heel of a hand.
"Mallovoy" she says out of the blue. "I don't get it. For -four fucking years- all I could think about was tying him to a stake and the hitch of a deuce and a half then popping the clutch but ever since we got back it's like..I don't care..? He should have been priority one. It's been -months- ..it -has- been months, right? Since we got back and that greasy little dungball is still running around. I haven't lost my edge on holding a grudge but something isn't right."
*
"And we don't know that it won't set its old digs on fire, metaphorically speaking. We need to evict it before it trashes the joint." Thea sips her soda, before she's opening a box to get out a garlic knot. She's clearly not worried about carbs.
"I've been keeping him in mind. I've been feeling some things out, finding a path. It's better if we let things cool, like we have been doing. He'll never see us coming. We can just show up and destroy him and get out of dodge with no one the wiser."
*
"Oh shit, I hadn't thought of that…" Domino admits in a more subdued voice. If anything could put the situation into perspective it's the idea of being 'trashed' when the demon decides to upscale.
"Okay, that is so not cool." … "-Fuck-" she seethes under her breath. "This round's yours. Time to call the Demon Hotline. Eugh, why couldn't I have gotten a rash or some food poisoning or something like a normal malnourished person. Too many damn mouths to feed."
Back to the subject of Mallovoy Dom shakes her head. "That's just it, though. It's not my style to let hot-blooded revenge simmer. We had only been gone -hours- on this end, he wouldn't have seen it coming if we reappeared behind his sorry ass. The problem is that my desire to carve into him is -gone.- Like..I think of his name then feel an overwhelming sense of 'whatever.' This isn't coming from me, Thea. It -can't- be. This is not my M.O."
*
Thea sips from her soda primly, like it's a wine glass holding something pricey and older than she is. "That's why you have me around. I /did/ think of it. These are the things that have been cycloning around in my head since it was obvious something wasn't right with you." There's actual concern there, a vulnerability Thea does not often allow herself.
"Well, when I get the number for the demon hotline, I'll dial it up. You know I won't stop until we figure it out." That is one thing Dom knows from their time in hell.
There's a tip of her head, and a cold blooded smile. "Neena, darling, don't you know revenge is best served cold? Ice cold. Just leave it to me, I'll make sure he gets what is coming to him." It will likely be long, drawn out, and bloody as hell. "I'll be sure to give him your regards…after I find out why he sent us over there, and if he knows what the fuck is going on inside you. I have enhanced interrogation techniques, after all."
*
For the first time since things had begun to spiral out of control in the streets and several of those involved probably should have been hospitalized, Neena smiles. "It's nice to think your life's so settled that you have the time to think about my dumb ass."
There's more that she wants to say in regards to the hellcat but the opportunity is skipped when Thea speaks of revenge. Dom quickly shakes her head. "No, this isn't going down without me. Iit's justrrgh!" she grits her teeth and lightly thumps a fist onto the counter.
Take two. "You know that feeling when there's a chocolate sitting out in the open and you know you shouldn't have it? That feeling in the back of your mind that tells you to walk away? Normally it's easy to go 'yeah whatever, shut the fuck up' and eat the damn chocolate. I…" she trails off with a light sigh before shaking her head again. "Forget it. Just..don't make a move on that bastard without me. I need to figure this out."
*
Thea lifts her eyebrows at Dom, a look the albino knows well as 'Are you fucking kidding me'. "It's not that I'm so settled. There's still a lot of things in the air. I've got multiple jobs in a holding pattern, a pretty rich boy who intrigues even as he annoys, and other bothersome petty details. But you rank higher than a lot of things, Neena. I wouldn't have gotten out of there without you." Maybe she would have. A very, very slim maybe. "You helped me stay focused. I didn't have to do everything alone." That's definitely true.
"I promise when I can find a way to herd him somewhere that he can't be heard while I find out what we needed to know, I will make sure you're in on the game play."
"I'm pretty sure I leave the chocolate alone more often than you do." Willpower is definitely one of Thea's virtues, but it would have to be, with her powers. "I won't leave you out, murder cookie." There's a quick grin as she uses Gwen's name for the albino.
*
"Ouch. Guess I had that one coming" Domino chuckles at the resurfacing of the nickname. "All things considered I'm getting off light, and dammit Thea you know I'm just giving you a hard time. You let your stepmother paint your damn kitchen, -clearly- you're in a deep dark place" she teases.
"Sometimes we both need to lighten up a little. But hey, tell me about this pretty rich boy of annoying intrigue!" she swiftly does a one-eighty and leans on the counter with a toothy grin. "It's the guy who owns the bar, right? I could see the line to his door halfway down the block."
*
"I let her decorate. I rented the place sight unseen from … I think it was France. That was one of my last world jaunt stops before I came home after… training." That's just not something she talks much about. "If you think she picked up a paintbrush, you're out of your cookie monster mind. She hires people for that shit." There's a snort.
Thea stares at Dom, blinking blankly. "Which bar?"
*
Neena squints at Thea a little with mention of 'training' but doesn't pursue it. It's spoken like a codeword and a part of her immediately gets it. The other part is immediately intrigued but she stops short of asking. Instead she turns around and mutters "Cookies..chocolates..all of this food and no one thought to order dessert."
Which bar? "Touche" she states with a fingersnap. "The place we met up that one night around the end of the year. Luke's, I think? You were dressed to the nines and in a gift-giving mood, kinda left an impression with a few people that night."
*
Thea moves, flipping open a white styrofoam style container. Two cannolis - chocolate chip. "Of course I ordered dessert. What sort of dumbass do you take me for?" There's a snrk of amusement, before Thea picks up the poor remains of what is left of the calamari to toss it in the trash. She'll move on then to the chicken parm. Protein and carbs galore.
"Luke is not pretty, and I have no idea if he's rich. Luke is.. Luke." There's a shrug. "He's not into me, I don't think, and he's more a hit and quit it type. I don't know that I am." She will chew thoughtfully a moment. "But I can't talk about this pretty boy. Secrets to be kept."
*
Domino watches as Thea goes for one of the other containers then quickly barks out a laugh! "Truly, whatever would I do without you."
It's perfectly reasonable to think that Thea goes to other bars and that it happens without the albino being around. Of course, that means she doesn't have as much intel to harass Thea with and that's the part that bugs her! Darnit. She'll have to abort.
"Well, best of luck to you. It's a tough addition to balance but you're a smart pastry. And hey, if he ever does you wrong you can literally break his heart" she suggests with a grin. "With a powerset like yours these jokes practically write themselves."
*
"Wither and die without cannoli?" Thea flippantly offers in rejoinder, content on her chicken parmesean smothered in sauce. The biokinetic does in fact go to other bars and clubs without Domino - or anyone else for that matter.
"There is nothing to balance. I just need him to keep my secret. He saw me out at it one day, somewhere he shouldn't have been. So.. " She shrugs. "He's not that important."
*
"Hey, it was nice having a conversation that didn't revolve around me for a while," Neena suggests. "Let me have my little moment. And half of the cannoli."
*
Thea laughs. "You can have all of it, if you want. I have ice cream stashed away, for when I really need a sugar fix." She looks at Neena with a long glance. "We can talk about a lot of other things. How about we pig out, and then we watch something on tv that we'll never admit we watched in public? Then we can order all the snack foods later, get them delivered. Including sweets, murder cookie." There's a grin. It'll be fun.. sort of. It won't be dangerous, at least!
*