15476/Thesis Interruptus

Thesis Interruptus
Date of Scene:	14 August 2023
Location:	Gwen Stacy's Apartment, Wavecrest Gardens
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Ghost Spider, Black Cat

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Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen perches on her old, slightly lumpy couch, the muted noises of New York City drifting through her open window. The room is cast in the gentle blue glow of her laptop screen, and the faint hum of a distant siren serves as an oddly comforting backdrop. Papers, sticky notes, and textbooks sprawl out around her, a testament to the hours she's sunk into her thesis research.

She's wearing an oversized Spider-Man t-shirt, a cheeky nod to her alter ego (and perhaps growing interest in her fellow wall-crawler), and the fabric billows around her like a makeshift cocoon. Paired with simple shorts, it's her go-to attire for long study nights -- comfortable and vaguely ironic. Every so often, she tucks a stray strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear, her fingers lightly tapping the plastic case of her laptop.

Her feet, wrapped in mismatched socks - one with a pizza slice pattern and the other a cartoon ghost - tap rhythmically against the wooden floor. Her focus flits between scribbled notes on a notepad beside her and the demanding cursor on her screen. Each keystroke sounds firm and purposeful as she crafts, revises, and refines her arguments.

The title of the document? 'Applications and Ethical Implications of Animal Cell Utilization in Advanced Biochemical Research.'

A large mug sits precariously on a stack of books, steam lazily curling up from the rim. The strong aroma of coffee fills the room, fighting off the tendrils of fatigue that threaten to pull her under.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia heard, of course, about the incident at the Astral Vinyl. It took her no time at all to register who was in the Mary Janes and to immediately start heading over to Gwen's apartment.

Of course she knows where Gwen lives - she's the Black Cat. She always knows where people she finds interesting live.

After parking her motorcycle on the street, she heads up to Gwen's apartment, taking the elevator up and stopping at the front door. She announces her presence with three sharp raps against the door with her gloved knuckles.

The white-haired thief rode her motorcycle over, so she wears a black leather jacket that's been unzipped over a white, lacy crop top and dark, loose mom jeans. That long white hair of hers is pulled back in a messy bun, with various strands falling out and framing her face.

Ghost Spider has posed:
The sound of the knock jolts Gwen out of her focused haze, causing her to close her laptop and move the clutter of papers to the side. For a moment she just stared at the door, wondering who it could be at this hour. She wasn't expecting anyone, and given the recent events, unexpected visitors were not usually good news.

As she approaches the door, Gwen peers through the peephole, and the sight of Felicia Hardy immediately raises her guard. She takes a brief moment to adjust her Spider-Man shirt self-consciously, though she wonders why she bothers. Felicia always had a way of making her feel like she was under a magnifying glass no matter what she was wearing.

Then, taking a deep breath, she opens the door and regards Felicia with a mix of surprise and wariness. Notably, she doesn't simply immediately step back to invite her in, but the door opens wide enough that one could conceivably just slip through if that was their intention. Behind her, there's music playing at a reasonable volume. Currently up is 'Lifted' by Otherwise.

"Felicia?" Gwen asks, her tone guarded. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia had been expecting a reaction something along these lines. She flashes a wide, sweet smile as Gwen opens the door. "Gwennie! Thank God, you look okay."

It should come as no surprise that Felicia slips through the gap made by the opening of the door, easily getting past Gwen in the blink of an eye. She pulls the blonde into a hug whether she reciprocates or not.

"I heard about that horrible thing at the club where your band was playing and I //had// to come make sure you were okay," she says, squeezing Gwen before finally letting go. "Are you okay? I was so worried."

Ghost Spider has posed:
The heavy rock beat behind Gwen continues with the male vocalist screaming into the mic...

I can't believe, I'm still standing here alive
'Cause I'm so twisted, Goddamn, I'm lifted
(I) seek sanctuary, From your ordinary life
I said goddamn, I.. I'm lifted
I'm not stopping, I'ma keep going, keep dropping and rolling
I'm on some next level shit but you wouldn't even know it
Mix me up another batch, lock it and load it
Smells like poison in here, line 'em up, have no fear, oh no
It's my blessing, it's my curse, let it hurt...


And then, right in front of her, is Felicia... saying, if all things, 'You look okay.'

/Okay/?! What sort of a compliment is that?!

"Thanks?"

Gwen blinks, confused. It's definitely a question. And then Felicia's slipping in and... hugging her!

"Oh!"

She lets out a nervous little laugh as she gently (tentatively) squeezes Felicia back and then steps back farther, returning her hand to the door to close it. Because apparently she had company, now!

"I am," she assures, that smile softening as she steps over to the living area and gestures to the couch. "It's sweet of you to worry, though. They.. didn't really want anything with the band. I guess it was one of the VIPs at the club.. something to do with the city council. You're welcome to have a seat. Do you want anything to drink? I've got water.. juice.."

Black Cat has posed:
"Oh, please, Gwennie. I'm here to take care of you, not for you to take care of me," Felicia tells Gwen sternly, shaking her head. "I don't need anything to drink, but yes, let's sit down."

She pulls her jacket off and strides over to the couch before sitting down. From there, Felicia looks Gwen over again, her lips curving upwards. "You look positively //adorable//, Gwennie. Are you a big Spider-Man fan, then?" she asks, gesturing to the oversized shirt.

Ghost Spider has posed:
"Oh, but I don't need..."

But Felicia was already sitting, so Gwen just smiled a little and seemed to give up on the idea of trying to fight it. She made her way over to the couch as well and stooped a little to shift a small pile of research papers over onto the table, clearing out a spot for herself that she sat on and folded up her legs crisscross/lotus style so she could face Felicia and rest her hands in the little 'pocket' made by her shirt in the fold of her legs.

The mention of being adorable gets another little laugh from her -- a nervous edge suggesting that she was anything but comfortable, even if she was being polite... friendly, even.

"Thanks," she says, giving a kind of shy little shrug and looking down at her shirt. "Unless by adorable you mean homeless." But there's a glint of humor in her eyes. She didn't /really/ think Felicia meant that... unless she did. Why was she always SO on edge around Felicia? There was hardly anyone else she was this on her guard around that she'd still let in to her apartment at night to come sit on her couch with her.

"And.. yeah, I guess I am." It seems almost embarrassing for her to admit. "Is that stupid? I've always been a fan, and.. he's having a hard time in the media right now. I don't think he actually tried to kill the mayor. I mean.. come on. With a /rifle/? But.. yeah."