7/The Cat Came Back

The Cat Came Back
Date of Scene:	03 April 2017
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Felicia Hardy springs a surprise visit on Peter Parker.
Cast of Characters:	Black Cat, Spider-Man

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Black Cat has posed:
It's the middle of Sunday afternoon, as New York fitfully switches from winter to spring. Warmer, but still cold enough for Felicia Hardy to feel like needing a coat at she stands in front of an apartment building. And she's been standing in front of it, watching the door to the main lobby for over an hour now. "He's probably not even home," she mutters to herself. "Probably out saving the world." There's equal parts annoyance and admiration in her voice as she tries again to find the confidence that normally comes automatically to her, like breathing. Finally, she exhales sharply and chastises herself. "Stop acting some schoolgirl waiting by the phone for a boy to ask her to the dance..." And finding the fire inside herself again, Felicia walks into the apartment building, nodding to the doorman. Up the elevator then down the corridor that's familiar all over again. Finally, she's standing in front of the door to the apartment of a certain Peter Parker, her hand raises and stalling halfway to make the knock. Gritting her teeth, Felicia forces her hand to knock on the door, a bit more loudly than she had intended.

Spider-Man has posed:
Parker's spider-sense only worries him about danger. It does nothing for awkward conversations. Sadly, that wasn't included in his base package of powers. He really should have upgraded to the limited edition Spider-Man, but one can't change the past. He hears the knock, and immediately goes for it. He's been watching some old show on Netflix about Gladiators, and he currently has a slice of Chicago-style deep dish pizza in his hand. For shame Peter, for shame! He calls himself a New Yorker and he's actually eating Chicago-style?

Seeing Felicia, he suddenly feels underdressed, as he had on some navy blue sweat pants, with some stains that never washed out, and a black t-shirt that looks vaguely like the Punisher's logo, except this one is blue and is more like an ice hockey mask than a skull. There are also several horizontal lines breaking up the picture, making it look even weirder. His hair is a bit of a mess. And, worst of all, he could use a shower. He wasn't expecting guests. "Felicia, um, what's going on... come in, come in, please."

Black Cat has posed:
When the door opens and Felicia actually sees Peter, the confident smile wavers for a moment and her heart catches for several beats. "Peter..." She got that much out, and it takes a few more moments for her to add more words. "You look...you look really good." And then there's the invitation to come in, and Felicia scurried through the open door, to ensure any further awkwardness remains unsee to nosy neighbors. "Thanks," she says once she's inside and the door is shut. She takes off her long peacoat, folding it over her arm. And, true to Felicia's sense of style, she's wearing a black top with Punk-Goth Hello Kitty on the front, a short black plaid skirt, knee-high socks, and black booties with spike heels. "Thanks," she says again. She's still nervous for a few beats, but then her smile becomes calm and her eyes aren't darting around, looking for escape routes. "It's good to see you again. Thanks for not slamming the door in my face."

Spider-Man has posed:
That pea coat, so neatly folded over her arms, probably cost more than Parker's rent, and he had a roommate helping him to cover it. Blissfully, his roommate wasn't in. And of course, the outfit Felicia had on underneath it was... well, it was certainly flattering. He blushed a little, his cheeks taking on a rosy hue. "No, um, no, of course not. Why would I... nevermind. How are you? How've you been? What brings you to my place?" He was happy to see her. It was weird, but he did genuinely have a soft spot for her. Looking around his apartment, it could use a clean.

He moved over, trying to clean things up, turned the sound off on the show he was watching on Netflix. It's talking about glory to Capua and glory to Rome. Felicia would probably get a kick out of it, with all those fit young men, barely wearing anything. What is Peter into? Probably the history and the vernacular, as it's written in a old style of English. But at the same time, there is plenty of profanity and eye candy, mostly for women. He cleans up as best he can, picking up a dirty shirt, dirty jacket, cleaning up a plate, and sort of moving it, rather than cleaning. "Please, have a seat. What brings you here?" He already asked that. But he's notably surprised to see her again. And, she's pretty sure she caught him staring at her legs.

Black Cat has posed:
And just like that, Felicia feels completely at ease with Peter. How can he do that; just charm his way past all her walls and defenses? 'Becasue he's a real hero and a real gentleman', she reminds herself. No mention is made of the state of Peter's apartment or what he's wearing or watching. Instead, once there's a chair offered, Felicia sits down. In a slow way that's automatic for her, crossing and displaying her legs as she settles in. "Well..." she starts after Peter asks the question. "You do." She pauses to take a break, steadying herself in order to move forward. "I came back to appologize. To explain. And..." Now, she comes to the crossing point, and Felicia has to push herself forward. "And I need your help." She looks around the apartment a few times, asking, "Is it okay to talk about...stuff?"

Black Cat has posed:
And just like that, Felicia feels completely at ease with Peter. How can he do that; just charm his way past all her walls and defenses? 'Becasue he's a real hero and a real gentleman', she reminds herself. No mention is made of the state of Peter's apartment or what he's wearing or watching. Instead, once there's a chair offered, Felicia sits down. In a slow way that's automatic for her, crossing and displaying her legs as she settles in. "Well..." she starts after Peter asks the question. "You do." She pauses to take a break, steadying herself in order to move forward. "I came back to appologize. To explain. And..." Now, she comes to the crossing point, and Felicia has to push herself forward. "And I need your help." She looks around the apartment a few times, asking, "Is it okay to talk about...stuff?"

Spider-Man has posed:
She offered to apologise, but he's moved past that. He's healed. The wounds are little more open than they were a few minutes ago, but he's past that part of his life. He doesn't need the explanation. Instead, he focuses on the help. "what do you need?" He's already thinking about getting his web shooters. "But yeah, it's fine to talk about anything. Is this a Peter thing, or the other guy?" He can be quite focused when there's an emergency.

Black Cat has posed:
"A little of both?" she offers as an answer. "It's all tied together. Why I left. Why I'm here now." Felicia figits a bit and clasps her hands together. "I want you to know that things between us...I've never been more...content. At peace with life. So, I didn't leave because of you and me. And I'm sorry my leaving made you think you did something wrong. There was..." Felicia starts having a bit of trouble here, clenching her hands and her jaw. "You were having a run of bad luck, remember? Kraven nearly got you. Pictures you were takking ended up either deleted or wouldn't develop, or something was blocking the lens. It was like you couldn't catch a break, remember? And then...." Felicia closes her eyes, looking...ashamed? Guilty? "After I left, things went back to normal for you, didn't they?"

Spider-Man has posed:
Nodding, and remembering it, Peter didn't put two and two together, even if he was pretty smart. So he had a run of bad luck, and yeah, it seemed to end when she left. He looks confused at first, and finally takes a seat on the couch. "yes, I remember, and yes, it ended around the time you left, but can't equate a correlation with such a small sample size. That's a line on a graph, not a pattern." He would give her a hug, but she sat down in the chair while he was in the couch, and no one has ever figured out how to smoothly stand up, move across a room, and comfort someone. It can't be done, not even with the proportionate whatever of a spider. Maybe the Flash could do it, just maybe.

Black Cat has posed:
Amazing. Even now, there's no anger, no recrimination from Peter. Just concern and reassurances that it wasn't her fault. "It *was* me," Felicia quietly insists. "Not intentionally. Not even conciously. But things were adding up to me. So...I went back to the Power Broker. He confirmed it. I...'bleed', if that's the right word. I emit small amounts of bad luck. Negative probability. Whatever the scientific term is." Felicia straightens up and takes a deep breath. "So I left. I left before more time around me made things worse for you. I left to go find a cure. The Power Broker couldn't, or wouldn't, do anything. So I left to find someone who could. But there was nothing." Felicia hesitates a bit, knowing Peter's opinions about her 'activities'. "I made and spent fortunes in Europe and Asia. But no luck." The idea of the Black Cat getting a taste of a lack of luck causes a quick, bitter laugh from Felicia. "So I came back to Manhattan. To you. To see if you can help me. Or...any of the heroes you know that are scientists can help me." The request is made with her green eyes locked onto Peter's. Forlorn, defeted, with no options left.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter takes it in. He listens. He's not sure he's ready to believe in bad luck, but he's willing to investigate. There are people in this world who might be able to help, and if he doesn't know them, he might know some people who know some people. "Hey, I'm not exactly Rick Harrison, but I might know a guy. I'll have to, well I was going to say make some calls, but we're not really on an exchange of phone numbers basis. More, you know, I swing in, unannounced, beg for help, just like every other day that ends in a 'y'." He smiles, faintly, at her, "I'll do whatever I can Felicia, but this is way beyond me, and it sounds like you've been to some experts. Don't get your hopes up, but I'll try."

Black Cat has posed:
"Thank you..." And all the tension Felicia had been stuggling with throught this reunion just melts away. "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you in the beginning of all this. But..." She smiles, with a curl to her lips showing Felicia returning more or less back to her normal self. Whatever that might be. "Cats tend to run and hide when they're hurting. We don't like showing weakness."

Spider-Man has posed:
"Yeah, the same could be said for spiders. We bite, or scurry to some dark corner to hide in. But you've got to be brave, to stand in the light, and to be yourself. We'll get through this, if it can be done. I mean, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If someone can give you bad luck powers, it stands to reason someone can take it away. It's just a matter of finding the right person, the right combination of events. We have to be brave and see it through. Don't worry. So, other than that, how have you been?"

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia ponders the question for a while. "Mostly...I've been me. Up to things you really don't want to kow about to pay the bills and make life interesting." That's the brave front, but her posture says somethign different. "Lonely," she adds after a pause. "Missing you," she admits quietly. Felicia looks back at Peter, and notices that there's space on the couch next to him. She gets up, with a concious effort not to move in a provocative manner, and sits down next to Peter. It's almost against her instincts, but she puts her folded coat over her legs after she sits next to Peter; hopefully this will cut down on his blushing. "But...how about you?" She asks the question in a concerned tone that can't be faked. Or not faked easily. "What have you been up to? As Peter Parker as well as Spider-Man?"

Spider-Man has posed:
"Oh, the usual, taking photos for the Daily Bugle, some that don't even include Spider-Man, going to school, I've now got a part time teaching assistant job up north. The commute is a real killer, but they're good kids, and it pays better than the Bugle ever did, so, there's that. And, as the other guy," he still refuses to accept he is Spider-Man. You never know who's listening. If he admits it, trouble will find him. That's how it works. "I've beaten some people up, they've beaten me up, and many injuries were had by all. Thankfully they're usually kind enough to avoid the face. That'd be a harder one to cover up than you know a cracked rib or whatever."

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia tries to hold it in, but she can't help but laugh. That was always Peter's best quality: the ability to make her laugh. "Well...it's a crime to damage that face of yours," she replies with a smirk. "How about...personal-wise? Are you seeing anyone?" Almost as soon as she asks, Felicia closes her eyes and sighs. "Please tell me that didn't sound as desperate as I think it did..."

Spider-Man has posed:
Looking at the door towards his roommate, he remembers that the guy is out, "Yes, I mean no, it's... well, I'm actually interested in a girl at the school I work at. Turns out, she's my roommate's sister. Small world, I know. And Felicia," he places his hands on her shoulders, showing her has no problem invading her personal space for support reasons. "You are a wonderful person, as beautiful as they come, as smart, and funny, and great to be around as they come. You deserve someone who gets you, who you get, and," he makes this oohing and ahhing face, "maybe somebody who was a little more flexible with the law than I am. You're a criminal, but you're also a good person. And I don't want to completely steal that line from Breaking Bad," yes, Spider-Man has Netflix, and the few times he's not studying, or working, or being Spider-Man, he has to do something. With the amount he earns, he kind of has to have those Netflix nights. Everything else costs money that he doesn't have. "You're great. You really are."

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia supposes it was too much to ask for. "And you deserve no-one but the best, Peter." She smiles and pats his leg briefly. She rumages around in her coat for a bit, then pulls out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. "Here's my cell. Call me after you talk with your guy about my problem. Or...whenever." She feels slightly guilty about adding the open invitation to call her. Slightly. "Anyways, I should probably get going." Felicia stands up, and then there's that mischievous smile of hers. "Any old patrol routes I should be avoiding at night?" Her wink says that she might be joking. Might be.

Spider-Man has posed:
Taking the piece of paper, Peter immediately programs it into his phone. He then sends her a text message, so she has his. For everything they've been through, Peter does it without hesitation. As for the patrol routes, he grins, "and if there were, do you seriously think I'd tell you. Stealing is wrong, I'm sorry, that's just how I feel, even if it's from people who almost certainly deserve it. It's the almost modifier that really gets me. You never know. There's always a possibility." Plus, it's a slippery slope. He's made his peace that he won't change Felicia, except by example. Gradually, he's been a good influence on her. And that is something to be proud of. She's better than she was before.

Black Cat has posed:
She's not upset at the speech; she really isn't. It's that innate goodness in Peter that's part of his charm. Felicia smiles as she stands up. "Oh, Peter..." She leans forward to give him a chaste kiss on his cheek. Her walk to the door does have her instinctive shimmy and sway to her hips. Felicia looks back at him over her shoulder. "You know you wouldn't like me half as much if I weren't a bad girl." A teasing smile and a wink, and Felicia heads out of the apartment...