3594/I ain't comin back unless it's tha end uv tha world

I ain't comin back unless it's tha end uv tha world
Date of Scene:	08 January 2018
Location:	Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Spider-Man, Thing

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Spider-Man has posed:
"This place is nice, I have to say, I like that Medieval Castle meets the Ghetto look they've got going around here. If it's not already a thing, I'm sure it'll be one soon. I do think they overdid it on the number of cemeteries though. Maybe they should start numbering them and naming the streets." Spider-Man was giving a bit of a running commentary as he swung through Bludhaven, expanding his regular patrol route and trying to work off the turkey and sweets he'd been eating over Christmas and New Year's.

Thing has posed:
Far below the amazing arachnid is someone who is much less enthused about where he currently is. "Dis places sucks.." grumbles Benjamin J Grimm, aka The Thing, as he looks down at the peice of paper in his hand. The orange, rocky superheroe is dressed in a hat and a brown trenchcoat over his bulky frame and sighs again as he comes to a stop at a corner. Passers by give him a wide berth, not that he notices, as he lifts the hat and scratches his head. "Why da heck would a toy store that has tha ONLY Laser-Man action figure left in da tri-state area be in this dump?!?" he asks himself.

HE looks around again at the rather grim (no pun intended) urban landscape and then frowns more.

"Okay.. dumb question.. yeesh. I knew I shouldna gotten Franklin an IOU for dis thing. next year I'm orderin six months early on Rainforest.com so I don't hafta look fer it AFTER christmas..."

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man swung by Thing, not having noticed him on the first go, but he would end up going to something of a dead end, with no real building he could use to swing through, so took a u-turn, and this time he noted the large man in the trench coat. He wasn't sure who or what the guy was, but Ben was a big guy. There was every chance he could be up to no good. Sadly, yes, Spider-Man was profiling. But it had been a quiet so far, so he decided to observe a little, dropping down onto an awning, which shuffles a bit under his weight, but not enough for most people to notice. Spider-Man was good, but he wasn't terribly sneaky in the bright red and blue pyjamas.

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm Swears he heard a familiar *wiff* sound, like someone was swingig past behind him but when he looked back over his shoudler he saw nothing... So he shrugs. "I swear I heard sumthin.. Must be this daarned town. Place gives me tha heebie jeebies.." he says, shudding and then looking around for the proper direction to go.. and for any moving shadiows.. because he has heard /rumours/ about this place.

*WHIFF* *CREEEEAK*

Ben quickly swings around again, looking for the source of the sound he KNOWS he heard (And not looking up at it's spider-themed source. "Okay, whoose dere?!?" he calls out. "This ain't funny."

Spider-Man has posed:
Quickly shooting a web line with a notable 'thwip' sound, Spider-Man uses the slack to dangle from the awning, upside down, peeking his head down. "I just swung in from New York and I think I'm lost. All your roads go in weird, wavy, bendy spirals, and none of them are numbered. I'm trying to see the sights. Can you direct me to the nearest Neo Gothic Cemetery? I've been looking and looking, and I just can't seem to find one." Of course, he recognised Ben Grimm's voice even before he did that. "Say," his eyes peer at Ben's rocky face, "is it okay to drink the water here?"

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm looks up at Spider-Man for a long moment, then his rocky brows narrow slightly and he crosses his massive arms. "Oh hah-fricken-hah.." he mutters, then shakes his head. "Yer a /riot/, Web-head. A real Jerry Lewis." he gripes, then sighs. "Whut are ya doin here, Bug-brain? This ain't yer usual haunt..." he then looks around and notices that the few people who were around earlier are no where in sight, just adding to the creepiness. "Emphasis on 'Haunt'. And I thought Gotham wuz creepy."

Spider-Man has posed:
Yeah, with the sun going down, people in Bludhaven have been making a point of getting inside. Spider-Man hadn't really noticed it, except that the place had a much sparser population than New York, but everywhere did. "Bludhaven needs patrolling too. I mean, yes, the decor is something of an acquired taste, and they really didn't give the name much of a run through in the marketing department, but that doesn't mean super villains don't need to be stopped here. The rent is so affordable, it's almost a crime not to come out this way. Although it is in Jersey," and as every New Yorker knows, Jersey is Jersey. "Besides, what's brought you over here?" He does a mid air somersault, letting go of his webbing so he can flip and land on a metal mail box in a crouched, and awkward looking, position. "You're not," overly dramatic gasp, "cheating on the Yancy Street Gang are ya?"

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm huff, puffing up his chest and trying to look insulted. "I ain't no cheater!" he states loudly. "II will have ya know I am here on /important/ Fantastic Four business! We're talking savin' bout world variety stuff! Deeds uv epic, near cosmic pr'portion...." he then sort of trails off and hangs his shoulders.

"I'm here gettin Franky a late christmas present..." he finally admits. "They ran outta Lazer-man before christmas and a friend found out someone /returned/ one to a store after new years and tha owner is offerin ta hold it fer me.. fer an autograph." he says.. "And.. mebbe a few hundred dollars..." Ahem.

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man was ready, willing, and able to help Ben Grimm with the world saving stuff, so when he learns the true purpose of Ben's mission, "they ran out of Lazer-Man? Not Lazer-Man, anything but Lazer-Man. Who's Lazer-Man? I really have to beef up on my pop culture references. I guess that's the new must have toy of the Christmas season." Hopping down from his perch, Spider-Man says, "well, if he wants an autograph with Big Ben Grimm, maybe he'll knock off some of that extra crash if I come along. I could take a picture of you and him with his phone. Just, you know, no promises on the quality. I don't take a lot of pictures with phones. I tried to get one, but they want a name, address, the whole works."

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm looks a bit skeptical. "I dunno, Spidey. I mean, no ofense and all, but do ya think they even know who ya are? I mean, yeah, They know ya downtown and all but beyond the borroughs I think yer name recognition drops off pretty darned quick.. I mean, ya ain't no Benjamin J Grimm, idol uv Millions." he says, almost apologetically.

He then squints down the street past Spider_man. "I swear.. did that shadow move?"

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man just depreciated his value, suggesting that he would take the photo, since nobody knew about him, but then Thing went and spelled it out. It was a bit sad, and Spider-Man's shoulders sunk a bit at that, "yeah, yeah, I mean, I was just going to hold the guy's phone for a photo of him and you." Looking behind him, Spider-Man does the silly thing of looking. Was he about to get hit? At least his spider-sense would help with that... probably. "Which shadow?"

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm doesn't mean to put down SPidey.. He adorwes the kid, really, but sometimes he doesn't think before he speaks. But thats not what is important right now. He quickly raises a hand and points. "Whut do ya mean 'Which Shadow'? That one.. No.. That one.." he points to another one.. but then frowns. "I could swear it wuz moving..." he says, confused..

Of course, this is when Spidey's spider-sense starts abuzzin.. Big time. It must be something of a more supernatural bent because Ben's necj hairs, if they had them, rise and he slowly looks up.. and the shadows above them are writhing like tendrils.

"Well my bad. I guess I shoulda said all uv em.." he tells him... As The shadows swell and drop like tears, splashing all around them into human-ish shapes.. all baring sharp fangs and red eyes... "Oi, whut a revoltin developement..."

Spider-Man has posed:
Twitching and then looking all around as the tingling in the back of his head warns him of the impending danger, Spider-Man then looked up to see he danger. "If they're anything like real shadows, we either need a really big light source, or to remove all light sources." On a hunch, he fires some webbing at one of them, testing to see if they're tangible, "see, this is why I never take you any place." They may not have come together, but they were in this fight, or whatever it was.

Thing has posed:
The Web splats against the shadow.. or more accurately it hits and is absorbed INTO the shadow with a wet sucking sound and the fanged shade grins at Spider-Man.

"Real shadows don't grin, Spidey." Benn says, doffing his hat as three of the five shades circle him and tossing his coat. He brings up his fists, ready and willing. "But if ya gots a plan, then go fer it, webs, because all I gots is my fists... So bring it on ya murky rejects it's CLOBBERIN T**OOMPH**"

Tehe three shades jumped him at once and merged in mid air, into one larger shadow THING that looks supiciously like a charcoal Ben Grimm, tackling hgim into the side of a bus stop.

Spider-Man has posed:
"Well, maybe they would if you told them a joke. I don't know, put on some Ricky Gervais, Matthew Broussard, Kevin Hart, or Naomi Ekperigin. You've got to make a move if you want to be happy in your relationships." Looking up at the big bad charcoal Ben Grimm, Spider-Man stopped babbling for a moment, and began looking at the surrounding area. He reached under his shirt, finding his utility belt and flashed a light, a weak one, at the creatures, trying to see how they reacted to light. There were ways to make a more powerful one, but he was looking for a solution. "Have... you know, we could try talking it out with them? Maybe they just want a hug."

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm fklails, not because he is being overpowered by the shadow-thing (though it is strong) but because the damned thing is almost amorphous, it's /seemingly/ solid body shifting like shadowy clay as he TRYES to grab hold off it. He pulls it from his head, with a sucking sound, and then tosses it away where it splats on a wall and oozes down the start coalescing again.

"Is dat a move enuff fer yam, Webs?" he asks, spitting out some shadow goop. "Gah, that tastes NASTY, like that goulash you brought over for dat football game potluck.." he says as he advances on his opponent(s) "Besides, talks cheap, and these guys need ta pay tha check." he says as he burries his fist deep ino the now reformed shadow thing.

The weak light plays across one of Peter's smaller apponents and it hisses, it's surface looking like rubber and bubbling for a moment. The other Opponent jumps at Spidey from behind.

Spider-Man has posed:
"So, light," and then he's jumped from behind, though he jumps too, turning his little light behind him, in the belief that it might convince the shadow to let him go. "Ben, stall them for as long as you can," Spider-Man says, his voice suggesting a question, almost an apologetic one, as he fires off another line of webbing. He needed to 'borrow' something he had noticed on his web swing in. He moves quickly, as quickly as he can, reaching a nearby roof. Reaching into his utility belt, which is nowhere near as advanced as a certain caped crusaders, but he finds a small tool kit, as in, a totally store bought version, a multi screwdriver set, and begins using it on a piece of equipment that looks very much like a satellite dish.

He does his best not to actually damage the dish, mindful of the fact he was 'borrowing' property without permission, and fully intended to return it, and in the same condition he found it. But he was trying to use some of the things in his belt, that little light, to create a cascading reflecting situation, with some very thin strands of webbing, turning his little light, into a big light. Once he's done, he jumps back down, carrying the small satellite dish / flash light, and turns the light on in mid air, "I hope this works," shining it down on the creatures.

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm growls as not only he is enrapped by his Shadow-Thing, but by the smaller Mini-Shadow-Things One and Two, flailing around and trying toe make SOLID contact with them.. "Stall them he says!" he grits out, his medicine ball sized fized splashing THROUGH his assailants with little to no effect. "FOr as long as I /can/ he says!" he complains as one of the smaller ones climbs UP his back and oozes OVER his eyes. "GET OFF, YA FILTHY.. WHUTEVER THa HECk YA ARE!" he cries out as he stumbles back, tryingto squish it, any of them, against a way.. which appears to have seen better days.

"I swear when I get my hands on thay six legged twerp I'm gonna throttle 'im!" he complains.. Until the creaturs start to SQUEEEAL like sausages on a skillet as Spidey lights them up quite literally. The smell is.. awful. And Ben almost gags as the creatures bubble and ooze down him like an oil slick to pool as a gelatinous, well, ooze at his feet.. A puddle if you will... and leaving icjy ichor-like slime down his usually bright orange dermis.

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man's eyes bug out when the creatures, whatever they were, begin to melt. He turns the device off, but already, it's too soon. "Are they... dead?" He's still not sure what they were, whether they were sentient, he has so many questions, but he looks motified that he might have killed some living beings. "Are you okay, Ben?" The smell was revolting, even through his mask, but he was far too alarmed at the fact he might have killed a living creature to crack jokes about it. He looked visibly shaken.

Thing has posed:
Ben Grimm gahs and tries wiping the gunk off his chest.. his arms.. his FACE.. and fails miserably. "No. I am /NOT/ alright." he fumes as he gives up and grabs his coat off the ground, trying to get it back on.. Apparently it landed in a puddle of REGULAR.. ooze. "I came ta this blighted town fer a freakin TOY, not ta get jumped by... shadow-pukes." he says as he finds his hat, dusts it off, and forces it on his head. It is bent up and lends him an Norton from the Honeymoons air. "Well I'm done wit' this hole. I'm headin back ta tha Buildin.. I'll order sum cheap chinese knock-off.. But I ain't comin back ta this mess unless it's tha end uv tha world.. and even THEN I skip it. I am /done/, good sir!" and with that he turns on a heel and storms off, towards New York.. Maybe he'll find a cab, an one thats not driven by a werewolf or a fish person or whatever.

Spider-Man has posed:
Spider-Man was upset, but Ben Grimm brought him out of it. Whatever they were, well, Peter will be dealing with it for a while, but there are other things to consider. Ben's still alive. He did something, and he was able to save a Ben. Not his Uncle Ben, but Franklin's Uncle Ben, and that really resonated with him. There didn't seem to be much he could do for the man now, but, after returning the satellite dish, some time would pass, and the following day there would be a klaxon sound as again, Spider-Man broke into Four Freedoms Plaza.

The funny thing is the automated response would welcome Spider-Man by name and turn off the alarm. But not until after he had managed to drop off a mint in box Lazer-Man. It seemed that the toy store owner was in fact a fan of Spider-Man, or a sob story, but the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man managed to get it with a signed autograph, a photo, and all the money he had on him, which wasn't much, but it was the thought that counted.