12900/Rocks and Roll

Rocks and Roll
Date of Scene:	27 March 2021
Location:	North Shore, Staten Island
Synopsis:	Faith teaches Spider-Man about vampires.
Cast of Characters:	Spider-Man, Faith Lehane

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Spider-Man has posed:
New York's Chinese Scholar's Garden features magnificent rocks resembling mountains that inspired the poetry and paintings of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist monks, as well as other scholars. Visitors can explore a bamboo forest path, Chinese calligraphy, Koi-filled pond, a variety of Ghongshi scholar's rocks including a 15-foot formation that towers over the central courtyard, and waterfalls. Of course, all of that is meant for normal visiting hours.

Spider-Man was currently sitting atop one of the one-storey roofs, a pizza box beside him that said 'Antonio's Pizza', with his mask half pulled up as he enjoyed the serenity and a late night meal. He didn't get out to Staten Island as often as he would like, but when he did, he tried to see the sights while looking for criminals.

Just as he was finishing up his third slice, he got that little tingle in the back of his head. But it was a very mild one, suggesting that he wasn't in any real threat. That was the problem with the spider-sense. It was great for direct issues, but not nearly as good for indirect ones.

Elsewhere in the Garden, a couple of men dressed like it was the 80's had jumped the fence, and smashed a glass window, hoping to not set off any alarms.

Faith Lehane has posed:
She'd gotten her tracking spell after a bit of work. It had led her to their nest. Only, she wasn't going to go for a direct assault considering how many were in it. Thus, Faith was being more tactical. She was going to work on taking out a few at a time to lessen their numbers before the final assault.

Giles would be so proud. Not that she cared what he thought!

She had made her entry over a rooftop and was now in the central garden area. "Breaking and entering is illegal," she calls out cheerfully.

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man looked down at the young woman from his perch atop one of the low hanging roofs, "hey, I didn't break anything, unless you mean the bank for this delicious Antonio's Pizza. Sometimes you've just gotta treat yourself." He takes a bite and pulls his mask back down over his face, "oh wait," and he scurries to hang his head down below, opposite Faith, and looking left, then right, and he sees the men down the way, near the broken glass, "oh, hey, are you guys Midnight Glaziers? Boy, you guys must work fast. I only heard the glass break a few seconds ago." They then vamp up, and he says, "is that like a facial tick or something?"

Faith Lehane has posed:
That brings Faith's attention up. Alright, she had completely missed Spider-Man in her focus on the pair of vampires. "No, that's their working face," she says as she reached into her denim jacket and palmed a stake. "Now sit back and enjoy the show. But save me a slice for when I'm done here."

He's the one that mentioned pizza!

Then she moves forward but remains in that open area. Easier for fighting with more room to move after all. "Come 'n' get some, boys."

Spider-Man has posed:
Leaving his pizza up there, Spider-Man does have the presence of mind to close the lid with his foot, showing surprising dexterity, as he somersaults back down to the ground, "guys, if that's your work face, you got to start looking. Have you tried Indeed, Glassdoor, or LinkedIn?" He's not sure what kind of a show she was talking about, but the young woman didn't seem to be afraid of them.

Three of the guys go after Faith, while one continues to try and get into the Garden's office, perhaps trying to rob its safe or cash register? The last one goes for Spider-Man, which surprises him no doubt.

Even as he thwips the face of the vampire who came at him, "settle down, Fedor Jeftichew", reaching for that joke as he references the Dog Faced Boy, he'll send another line catching the rear foot of one of the three, and yanks. "Guys, guys, guys, one at time. Don't you have any game?"

Faith Lehane has posed:
"You don't listen well," Faith points out. Then she grins, a sort of feral expression on her considering their situation. "Neither do I. It's one of my more charming attributes."

She didn't get the first joke but she certainly gets the last. "C'mon, they're more fun in groups!" And that is when she moves. Fast, graceful, deadly. A spinning kick to the head of one, a punch to another and then bringing forward that stake with deadly accuracy for the heart of the one she had punched.

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man employed non-lethal measures. He had fought a vampire, but Michael Morbius was more of a science experiment gone wrong than what Bram Stroker wrote about. He was doing his best to subdue them, webbing up one to a wall, another near a statue. She on the other hand turned one to dust, exploding in a cloud of smoke, except it wasn't like normal smoke, as no one seemed to cough. "What... you just disintegrated him!" Spider-Man was concerned and ready to tie up the girl, concerned he has some freaks and a killer on his hands.

Faith Lehane has posed:
"And this is why I suggested you stay out of it," Faith tells him simply. "Way above your paygrade. Go back up there, Tights. I'll deal with the dirty work."

The one she had kicked was coming back in and she had to dodge a few attempts from it before stabbing it in the chest with that wooden stake. It turned to dust as she looked to see he had a few in hand. She could take them out at her leisure since they wouldn't be fighting back. That left...

She dashed for the office where the one had disappeared

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man was still trying to process this. He had heard through the grapevine that vampires actually existed, was it Wolverine, Daredevil, or Nightwing, somebody in the community had told him, not that he believed them. Seeing it for yourself was quite different. He would try and incapacitate the vampires, webbing them up securely, and follow after her, arriving in time to see her dust the last one that wasn't tied up or already staked. "So... vampires are a real, and high school girls kill them. What is this, Lollipop Chainsaw?" Referring to a game where a cheerleader with a chainsaw deals with zombies.

Faith Lehane has posed:
"First, vampires are real. Second, they have no souls so there is no rehabilitation. Kill them or they kill other people. Third, I have no idea what a Lollipop Chainsaw is but I feel like I should be offended. And fourth," Faith goes through that window, trying to see if the one that was after--whatever it was after, was still in there. If it wasn't, she'd look around to try and spot what it took. Was this just a robbery or something more.

"I'm not in high school."

Spider-Man has posed:
"First, I didn't know that, I mean, I had heard stories, but I thought they were just that, stories. Then again, Blade kept saying vampires were real, I just thought he was trying to be dark and edgy. Second, are you sure about that? Not that I'm pro vampire, but I'm pretty sure everyone can be rehabilitated. I happen to know something that used to eat brains, but now just has chocolate. I think. Been a while since I checked in. He keeps reverting to type. Third, a game where a high school cheerleader uses a chainsaw to mess up Zombies. She also likes to eat lollipops. Four, okay."

Faith Lehane has posed:
Seeing the last vampire is long gone, Faith lets out a curse that would make a sailor blush. Looks like just a regular robbery. Cash box open under the counter and the register raided.

She turns and walks back out of the office. "If he reverts, to type, sounds like he isn't rehabilitated either. But vampires literally don't have souls. Without it, they have no morals and don't care about what is right or wrong. There is one with a soul I know of. Some big prophecy thing." She waves her hand in the air cause really, there's a prophecy or chosen one every ten feet these days. "One other I know has a chip in his head and can't hurt people. Only other monsters. And he can kill vampires so guess what category they fall in?"

She headed for one of the webbed up vampires, prepared to eliminate it permanently. "Lollipop Chainsaw huh? I may have to check that one out."

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man didn't feel too comfortable with this, but was taking the lead of a woman who seemed to know what she was talking about. "And how do you know so much about vampires?" She has heightened speed and strength, he'd seen examples of both. Pressing a piece of wood into a human chest was not easy, even with extensive training. Flesh, bones, and other internal organs just don't penetrate that easily. "And how do you tell which one has a soul, which one has a chip? Did you put a bell on them?" Even if he wasn't comfortable, he would allow her to do what she wanted with the webbed up vampires.

Faith Lehane has posed:
"This particular group happen to have a history of kidnapping women, torturing them then killing them." Faith tells him as she eyes the webbing. Never know unless she tried. The vampire laughed when she pointed out what they liked to do for their version of fun. A bit of super strength and she slammed the stake home. "Who's laughing now?" she hissed as it turned to dust.

Then she moved toward the last one, glancing over at Spidey. "The one with a chip is a bleached blond English asshole who has an even bigger chip on his shoulder than the one in his head. The other one is mopey and broody and..." She pauses. "It's kind of pitiful really. But I promised not to stake him." And back to what she was doing.

"As for me. I'm one of those chosen one people. Although I'm sort of an accidental chosen one so not sure what you would call that. I have certain gifts that help me hunt for stuff that goes bump in the night."

Spider-Man has posed:
"Accidentally chosen? I've never heard that particular oxymoron before. If someone or something chose you, it was deliberate. Unless you got accidentally chosen by Wheel of Fortune. But Pat Sajak wouldn't do that to you. Vanna would never let him." He listens to the descriptions of Spike and Angel. Spike was easy to figure out. But Angel, that definition fit a lot of people Spider-Man new. "Mine was an accident. A spider bit me. I don't think it was a normal spider. Way better than being bitten by one of these guys."

Faith Lehane has posed:
The last one he had webbed was quickly dusted then Faith put the stake back inside her jacket out of sight. She gives her full attention to Spider-Man. "Get bitten by one of them, you go all soulless bloodsucking dickhead and I'd have to stake you too."

She flicks her gaze over him. "You don't look like a spider. Unless you do under there. Is that why you wear the mask? You fuzzy and have like eight eyes or something?"

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man shook his head, "no, not all fuzzy," and to prove it, since she made a habit of staking people who were vampires, he rolled up a little of his glove, enough to show some skin, without showing the mechanism underneath. He was just showing the top of his wrist, pale and decidedly human looking. "see." And from what she could see, probably not hairy at all. What little body hairs he did have were fairly light and difficult to make out against his skin. Rolling it back up, "proportional strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, etc. of a spider. The usual. Way better than getting bitten by a radioactive Rhino, like the brilliantly named Rhino." Dropping his voice to a whisper, he added, "I think he got held back in school."

Faith Lehane has posed:
Faith takes a glance at his wrist and finds it seems pretty normal. She gives a little nod then listens to his list of things but the radioactive rhino comment has her frowning a little. "Are there a lot of radioactive animals running around that I should be aware of? Spiders, rhinos. I didn't even know this was a thing."

She shrugs. "Since you showed me yours, I'll show you mine." She grins wickedly. "I'm a Slayer. Enhanced pretty much everything and some vague memories of the ones that lived before me to draw on their combat skills. One of two Slayers. There's supposed to be only one but some weirdness with the magic that created us sort of got fucked up with the original died but was brought back through the wonders of CPR. Guess they didn't have that back in the day to think about. So when the Slayer dies, the next one is awakened and suddenly you have powers and shit and are supposed to fight monsters. First Slayer died, but got better, but the next was already activated. And when the second died, I got the luck of the draw and here I am."

Spider-Man has posed:
"I wouldn't worry about it. It's the exception that proves the rule. They aren't ready to start mentioning it on the weather network. 20% chance of radioactive rats." He laughs at her wonders of CPR remark. "So, does this mean whenever the one that got CPR actually dies, in the words of the Princess Bride, all dead, does that mean another Slayer will be called, or is that one just a bonus, and you're continuing the line of Slayers?"

Faith Lehane has posed:
"Pretty sure when she dies, we'll get another one thanks to the cheat code being used and breaking the game. Not really sure. I mean if either of us dies, technically it should activate the next Slayer. I admit I don't understand most of it. Way above my skill levels. I just stab bad things and make them go poof."

Faith seems completely at ease with being what she is, carrying a confidence about her. "So obviously you are Spider-Man. Seen the papers."

Spider-Man has posed:
"Pleased to meet you." He offered a gloved hand. "What do they call you? I don't read the papers. They keep saying bad things about me. A guy can only take so much." And she does seem to have way more confidence than he has. He hides his insecurities behind humor. She just is who she is, does what she wants to do, and doesn't give a rat's behind what people think or say about it.

Faith Lehane has posed:
"Name's Faith. And don't worry, I don't care what papers say. Reports slant stuff how they want. Anyone that doesn't know that has their head up their ass," she says, taking his hand for a shake. Her grip is firm but not uncomfortable. None of those wimpy limp wristed hand shakes from her.

"I mean you helped me out here, so that doesn't seem like the actions of a villain."

Spider-Man has posed:
He gave her a firm shake, surprised by her strength. He pulled back quite a bit, but he was used to it. Early on he had learned that when somebody, most people, tried to punch him, if he didn't roll with it, they'd break their hand on him. It was quite the responsibility for a crime-fighter. He not only had to pull his punches, but make them feel like they were doing better to save them from further pain and suffering. "Faith, that's a pretty name. Still not sure one hundred percent that I did the right thing. Even if they are vampires, feels weird... just new to it, I guess."

Faith Lehane has posed:
"I'd say trust me but you don't know me from Adam so that'd be kind of stupid," Faith says with a shrug. "But this was the right thing to do. Considering there's been like one or two good ones out of thousands of years? Trust me, this is like pest control. Just more fun."

Which may be the big difference between them. For him this is a responsibility. For her? This is just a damn good time!

Spider-Man has posed:
Yeah, they operate from very different mindsets. He's all about what's the right thing to do, regardless of laws. He is trying to be moral, ethical, and in the right. She plays fast and loose with the laws too, but seems to get a kick out of it, whereas whenever he does things for the greater good, it makes him a little squeamish about the consequences. "In for a penny... still want some of that pizza?" Might be cold by now, but he does a standing leap, yeah, from standing beside her to jumping up to the roof, not squatting, no running jump, he just does the faintest bend of his knees and springs up there, doing a somersault to the right, picking up the pizza box as he does, keeping it level the whole time, and is on his feet up there.

Faith Lehane has posed:
Now that was a neat trick. While she could jump up a story, it took some effort on her part. Not that she's going to be outdone here. For her it was a running start and she leapt at the last moment. She managed to catch the edge of the roof and pulled herself up pretty easily.

Then she closed the distance to him, eyeing the pizza box. "Got to admit I've worked up an appetite." Killing things does that to her. "You don't mind?"

Spider-Man has posed:
\Spider-Man took a seat, pretty much right back where he was at the start of the festivities, except he sets the pizza box down on the opposite side, as that's where Faith was, and leaves it open, "It's pretty good. Have a slice." He would take one, though having to roll up his mask to expose his mouth so he could eat. He did keep the mask over his nose though.

Faith Lehane has posed:
Faith picked up a slice out of the box, examining the toppings then taking a bit off the end. She settled down cross-legged, looking his way when he rolled up the mask a bit.

Still no fuzzy. No mandibles or fangs. Pretty normal looking, what little she could see.

"Can't stay but a minute. Got a few more of them to track tonight. Glad you were understanding about it all. Hate to have had to fight you too. I mean, I would've beat your ass but better this way."

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man laughed, not mockingly, but just a laugh at her saying she'd beat his ass if they fought, in that friendly banter kind of way. "Don't worry about it Faith." Though he had rested here long enough, and his sense of duty was kicking in. Standing up, he would take another slice of pizza, "nice meeting you. You can finish the rest." It wasn't that big of a pizza. "Maybe offer it to one of those vampires, if you can find another. Try and make peace. Or just enjoy it as a celebration. Whatever floats your boat." And with another bite, he was off, running silently across the rooftops, moving as if he were on rails, until he got towards the end, where he could shoot out a webline towards a building, and he was off into the wild black yonder.

Faith Lehane has posed:
As he ran off, she continued to quietly eat her piece of pizza. Her eyes tracked him as he moved across the roof the twip and he was off into the sky.

"Neat trick," she muttered to herself. Then she grinned. "Damn, didn't know spiders had asses like that."