9223/It's all down to Tonya

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It's all down to Tonya
Date of Scene: 16 September 2019
Location: Blink Fitness, Morrisania
Synopsis: Eddie, Natalie, and Carl, work out at Blink Fitness
Cast of Characters: Venom, Black Widow (Romanoff)




Venom has posed:
It was a quiet evening. Even though Eddie Brock did his best hunting at night, gyms were far too crowded during the day. So he had developed a routine. He would work on his back and biceps on day one; chest and triceps on day two; he would hunt on day three; work on his quads, hamstrings, and calves on day four; shoulders, traps, and forearms on day five; and hunt on day six and seven. Sometimes he'd do a super two-a-day by hunting before, after, or before and after a workout.

This was a back and biceps day. There were some people in the gym. A man and woman at the counter, who alternated counter duty with helping anyone in need. There was an old man, a patron, had to be about 70, scrawny, but getting there. He was doing his best. There were a couple of men in their late 30's, early 40's, who had to be on something. Their proportions were all wrong. You just couldn't get that big of an upper body without some kind of pharmaceutical assistance. And there were a couple of young women working out instead of heading out to a club.

Eddie was currently wearing a yellow muscle shirt, not one that had been stretched, but instead one that actually fit. He wasn't here to show off. He also wore sensible shorts, unlike one of the roided up guys who wore glasses was some incredibly tight clothing. He seemed to be trying to attract attention. For now, Eddie was content to lean chest down on a bench, swinging some hefty weights in each hand, extending them out, and then bringing them back together. The bench he was on was elevated at a 45 degree angle. So if he looked forward, he could see what was going on.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The little bell at the door chimed, letting the employees know someone was entering or exiting. In this case, it was the former. The woman who entered was short and petite, her red hair pulled up into a high ponytail. It probably would fall to about shoulder length if it was down. She was wearing a designer set of active wear. The pants were form fitting, a tank top underneath and a jacket that matched the pants, all in a cute shade of pink. The Designer's name was emblazoned down the side of the left leg and right arm of the costume. After all, they would want it seen from all angles.
    The woman moved to the counter, a little duffle bag slung over her shoulder. "I was hoping to join. I work late nights and most places I've gone too aren't available when I get off work," she complained although she had a smile on her face as she thought she was being friendly but instead was probably oversharing.

Venom has posed:
When the woman in pink arrived, there was a girl in similar attire, though hers consisted of black form fitting active wear pants, a green and white top, something reminiscent of the Green Lantern Corps, though unintended. She was leaning with her backside against the far wall's countertops. The man was sat at the desk, watching some YouTube video on silent with automatic subtitles playing.

The girl leaned off against the counter to greet her, "hello, welcome to Blink Fitness. My name's Lindsey. We can do that. Are you sure you wouldn't like a tour first?" It was odd for someone to want membership immediately, but either way, they'd sort it out, and the paperwork, getting her whatever she needed.

Meanwhile, in the gym, the old man had found himself in something of a gym war. He and one of the younger roided up guys were working on identical machines, and while the older man wasn't going to same level, every time he'd up efforts, the roided up guy would.

Eddie moved on from the machine he had been on, wiping down the station, and putting his weights away. Next, he was heading over towards the dead lift area.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I've heard nothing but good but okay, we'll do the whole show and tell," the woman says with a girlish giggle. "I'm Natalie. Nice to meet you, Lindsey." She offers a hand, more like she is presenting it to be kissed than a proper handshake. With her perfectly manicured nails, she certainly didn't seem to fit the part. Other than the outfit, which probably had never seen her sweat once while wearing it. It was one of those that was more show than substance.

She turned to look at the room proper, taking a look at all the machines but more importantly, at the people in the room. Her eyes lingered a few moments on the juiced guys then stopped on Eddie. He got a huge smile before she turned her attention back to her tour guide.

Venom has posed:
Since Natalie was presenting herself as someone new to such things, Lindsey treated her with kid gloves. She walked through the gym, stopping at a machine, explaining how and suggesting that Natalie give it a try.

The old man, getting off his station, wiped it down, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Natalie's smile. It was directed at Eddie, but the old man was in the vicinity, and hoped to incur such a reaction himself. Turning to one of the roided up guys, not the one he had been competing with, he said, "excuse me, but what machine would you recommend that I use to impress that sweet lady over there?"

Without batting an eye, the roided up guy said, "the ATM." At first, the old man looked aghast, insulted, but he got the joke, and smiled, shaking a finger at him, "I've got my eye on you." But having heard the conversation, and moved on from the dead lifts, Eddie approached the man. "Oh, you've got to try the bench. Here, I'll spot you."

And as he made sure that the old man was ready, putting on a fair bit of weight, not so much that the old man couldn't do it, but that it'd be pretty tough for him, Eddie began to spot him. The thing is, Eddie grabbed onto the bar, pretending not to take any of the weight, while secretly he was employing his symbiote enhanced strength to make it look easy for the balding senior citizen.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As she was given the tour, Natalie paid very close attention. She even asked a question here or there about how a machine worked specifically, getting her hands on to learn how to move the pin to change the weights for some of them.

As they reached the bench where Eddie was now working with the older man, Natalie stopped to watch. "That is a lot of weight," she said, giving them both that smile again. "Don't pull anything!" Very helpful advice from someone who may or may not have a clue. It sure didn't seem like she did.

Inside, Natasha felt a moment of pride in the man on the bench. After all, she was older than he was. So seeing him out here doing this? It made her want to tell him to keep kicking ass.

She turned her attention to the man that was spotting then back to the man on the bench. "You two related?"

Venom has posed:
Eddie didn't actually need to focus on the weight he was helping the old man to lift. But he did so as it was part of the role he was playing. In truth, the symbiote could lift it effortlessly and toss it across the room. But Eddie, the host, still needed exercise, and more importantly, the symbiote amplified him. It gave him some strength, but mostly, it amplified him. It was part of why he was so much stronger than previous hosts. Eddie had a better base.

When the old man had finished his sets, the weight was let back down, and it was wiped down. Now the old man could talk too, as he had been doing his utmost to lift as much as it as Eddie would allow. "A new personal best," he said proudly. Then, at the girl's attention and question, "uh, no, I... don't even know your name? Hello, I'm Carl Ericsson." He'd reach out to shake Natalie's hand, and if offered, instead, he'd lean down to kiss it.

Despite the age, the old man was a charmer. Eddie was far more hesitant. He usually only gave out his first name. Most people didn't seem to recognise his face, or name, but there was always the chance. "I'm Eddie," and he shook the hand of the old man, a nice firm one, then offered to Natalie, and he'd do the same as Carl had if she'd allow it.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As Carl offered his hand, Natalie was already doing the same. Hers was aimed for a real handshake though but Carl was having none of that as he caught her fingers and turned her hand gently to give the old fashioned kiss on her hand. He even did it properly, not letting his lips touch her skin. "You're going to make me blush, Carl, "she teased. "I'm Natalie. It's nice to meet you."

Then she turned to Eddie as he made his one name introduction. He might notice she did the same. Last names were for losers. Or something. As he turned her hand to give the kiss, she arched a perfect auburn brow. "I dunno, guys your age don't usually do that. I'm feeling like the apple didn't fall far from the tree her. Or did it just look cool?" she teases Eddie.

Venom has posed:
Carl was an innocent. He was just flirting. The man was married, or at least had been, for a serious length of time. He might not have been wearing it in the gym, but his ring finger bore the outline of a ring that had rested there for decades. "Would that be so bad, Natalie," he asked about making her blush. "The pleasure is all mine."

Eddie could learn a thing or three from Carl. Lindsey quietly excused herself from them, telling Natalie to check with the front desk if she needed any help. Eddie didn't actually touch her wrist with his lips, though the symbiote thought he was chickening out by not doing it. It was reather unnerving to hear the deep voice of the symbiote in one's head making clucking noises.

"We're not related. We just met. But," nodding his head, "there are far worse things that could be said than to be a chip off Carl's block." At which point Carl leaned in to whisper something in Eddie's ear, but not quietly enough that Natalie missed it, "Later on, ask her if you can put her hand in yours to see if it fits properly."

And then he bowed his head to Natalie, saying, "one day, someone will walk into your life and make you see why it never worked out with anyone else. And on that note, I best be off to tell her how much I love her." That said, he began walking towards the men's locker room and showers.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
In a way, Natasha envied Carl. He had found a thing that had managed to evade her after all these decades. There had been loves. There had been losses. There had been betrayal. She'd gone through all of those things. Yet, she hadn't found the one yet. She was quite sure she never would. The darkness that was part of her made it difficult for such things.

As Carl wandered off, Natalie gave him a little wave then looked at Eddie. "Can you show me the proper way to use this?" One would think she'd never seen a weight bench before. Maybe she hasn't. She still hasn't actually done any excercise since coming in the building.

Venom has posed:
Any chance that Eddie Brock would find such happiness had long since disappeared. He wasn't single, or taken. He had a parasite. After all, who could ever love a monster like Venom. And with the healing factor granted by the symbiote, for all he knew, he'd be destined to walk the world, alone, save for his symbiote companion. But that was altogether a different situation.

Turning towards the weight bench, he began to explain it too. "One thing to remember is to start small, make sure you can do it, and progressively increase the weight. You don't want too much, or too little. You've got to be Red Riding Hood. It has to be just right. Here, I'll start you off easy, and be your spotter. Oh, and you might want to take off the jacket. Once your blood gets going, your body temperature is going to rise, and you'll want to remove layers."


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I paid too much money for this to not use it. It's active wear. You are supposed to keep it in," Natalie points out as she gives a little roll of her eyes, obviously thinking he must be pretty silly for thinking she should take off her designer jacket.

"The spotter is important to not have it fall and kill me, right? So I shouldn't do this by myself ever." She frowns a little as she moves to the bench, settling into place and taking a proper position. "What if there is no one around when I work out?"

Venom has posed:
Eddie just gave her a smile. He thought to himself, 'it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile'. And the symbiote asked, 'who is this Sting? I like him.' Eddie had played part of one of Sting's songs in his head. "That's up to you on the jacket. If you change your mind, let me know." As in, let him know and he'll take the weight off of her.

"Yeah, the spotter is incredibly important. If you're lifting on a bench without a spotter, you could end up with it on your neck. That's a bad thing. If no one's around, use some other station. It's not worth the risk. Besides, I don't want to lose a new friend. And Carl would kick my butt if I let that happen to you."


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Maybe I should get your number so that I can call you when I need to work out," Natalie suggests as she reaches up her hands, placing them on the bar and gauging the spacing. Not happy, she shifts her left hand a half inch further to the left. Better. That'll feel right when she is doing the reps.

She carefully pushes up on the bar, taking her time and not trying to do anything super fast. Slow and easy, more burn that way. Not that she had enough weight on their to notice unless she went to super high reps but thus was the role she was having to play.

"I would want to watch Carl teaching you that lesson. I think it would be funny."

Venom has posed:
Earlier, she gave him a bright smile. She flirted with him. And now she's asked for his number. Yeah, as if he had a chance. "Sure, it's always good to have another gym buddy." He was watching her form, helping, but she didn't need help, except the points where she purposefully messed up, giving him a reason to suggest something. "Yeah, you're doing well. Perhaps it's a bit too light. Let me add some more weight." He waited for her to set it back down, as he was spotting her. "It would be funny. I'd like to see it too, if not, you know, that you wouldn't be here, and I couldn't really watch my own ass kicking. Unless somebody recorded it. Say... would you like to get a bite to eat afterwards?"


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natalie pushes the bar back up into place, letting the weight settle onto the stands to either side then folding her hands over her stomach as she watched him add weights to either end. "I could record the ass kicking for posterity. And YouTube." She follows that with a laugh, showing she is only kidding.

As he works, she considers the offer. "Sure, why not. I'm gonna be up front though. Not looking for anything right now relationship-wise. Just got over a break up and rebounds are destined to always fail so as long as it's just as friends, all good."

Venom has posed:
The look he gave her as she talked about recording the ass kicking for posterity suggested that she was good, really good. She could likely get anything out of him that she wanted. There was a reason she was the best intelligence agent that S.H.I.E.L.D. ever had, Fury included. And able to kick some serious ass herself too.

Her later wounds wounded him more than he cared to admit to, but it was there, to someone who knew how to read people. He quickly covered it up, hands coming to his chest, as if she had just shot him with an arrow, or a gun, "ooh, you got me, right there." His voice crackled, as if he was pretending to gasp for life, falling to one knee, an arm outstretched theatrically, before he got up, laughing, "I get that. Kind of on one of those myself. Besides, my life is... complicated."


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Yeah, that's a good word for it," Natalie agrees, realizing that she's telling the truth there and not just playing a role. She did see that her words stung which was strange. Why would they? They only just met. But it was something to do with him and his internal thoughts, things she had no way to learn. Well, she had ways but it wasn't that important. Her purpose was to be certain he was not doing anything bad.

SHIELD often knew where bad and wanted people were. A system of checks and balances, threat assessments and all sorts of bits and pieces were fed into some algorithm somewhere and it determined if they should go after those people. Venom was on questionable list. They weren't sure that he wasn't doing more good than bad out here thus they assigned an agent to find out.

Venom has posed:
Even Eddie wasn't certain if he was doing more good than harm. He, or they as Venom, were acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Eating a person, even if a bad guy, well, on a certain level, it was no different than eating meat, seafood, and poultry. But on so many other levels, it was not. Eddie still hadn't gotten used to it. But at least he seemed able to control the symbiote, allowing it, if that was the word, to eat people who by all appearances, deserved it.

As for why Natalie's rejection had stung so much, well, Eddie lived a somewhat lonely existence. He had an apartment, registered in another name, but curiously he didn't commit fully to it. He still referred to himself as Eddie when introducing himself. Hell, he didn't even make it hard for the authorities. His apartment was listed under the name Edwin Brock rather than Edward Brock. But he had paid someone to get Edwin Brock into the system, so that it'd pass through the usual checks for credit score and such.

His life largely consisted of going out as Venom, working out as Eddie, and doing the odd bit of reporting through a YouTube channel, where he no longer showed his face, but instead used clips and voiceovers. He didn't really have friends, and had virtually no chance at a love life. So when someone did make friends, of the opposite sex, and then immediately shut him down, well, it stung.

"So, what do you do for a living, Natalie?" He asked, trying to make small talk.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I'm a legal assistant at Stark Industries," she answered without hesitation as she reached up for the bar once he was done adding weight. Admittedly, it was a bit heavier now. She still could handle it but it wasn't the pushover level it had been previously. "Been there about three years now." Despite no longer being there, the identity was established and still on the books in case it was needed. She had quite a few of those she could step into at a moment's notice.

"It's not nearly as glamorous as is sounds. Like of filing and reading boring brief. What about you?"

Venom has posed:
"Oh, I know a bit about the law. Back at university, I was friends," he used that word, being careful, "with someone who was working on a law degree. Works for Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg, and Holliway now, I think." He was still spotting her, and she could only talk between sets, so he did most of it. "Read a few of those boring briefs myself. They're more interesting than you make them out to be. At least to me. See, I have what you call an inquisitive mind. I'm a journalist. Worked for a few of the big conglomerates in the past, but now mostly freelance. Some of that's on me. Some of it is how much control Jameson and Murdoch have on the news."


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Once she was done with her rep, she pushed the bar back into place then reached up an arm to wipe her brow. On her designer jacket. It had a purpose after all. She sat up though, turning so she could look at him and the conversation could be a little easier.

"I know Jameson owns most everything out there these days. Can't really get an unbiased report anywhere in New York." She considers him curiously. "Not familiar with Murdoch but if he's in the same sentence as Jameson, he isn't one I would like either. Inquisitive is good. Exccept for when it isn't. Like the curiosity and cats. Is that the part that wasn't under your control?"

Venom has posed:
Talking about something he had a real passion for, he took a seat on the bench beside her, so he wasn't towering over her. "Okay, there are seven people who control most of the media, and by that, I mean every bit of a news we consume. Internet searches, social media, television, it's so pervasive. Everywhere you look you're seeing some news, and more importantly, an agenda. You might not even know about it. But everything was written by somebody for some reason."

He was gesturing with his hands as he spoke, and smiling throughout. "Sumner Redstone, Bob Iger, Jeff Bewkes, Brian L. Roberts, Rupert Murdoch, Kazuo Hirai, and J. Jonah Jameson. They run National Amusements, Disney, Time Warner, Comcast, News Corp, Sony, and the DBC. If you see or hear something, chances are they were involved somehow. It's scary how even people who protest them, have to do it using their platforms."


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"So..how do we get the real information and not something that is their agenda? If even protesting against their monopoly over the industry has to be done using their platforms, it will still be biased and skewed to their favor." Natalie seemed genuinely interested.

It's good to see him excited over something. A lof her surveillance up to this point consisted of him at his apartment or out patrolling as Venom. She was very careful to stay a good distance from him at those times. Considering that she meant him no harm, it wouldn't have set off any of his danger senses either. Besides, she worked better at a distance with a scope, not attached to a rifle.

Venom has posed:
"That's the billion dollar question. There's the dark web, though... that has issues itself. And just because they control things, doesn't mean good can't come of it. Those platforms helped and harmed things like the Arab Spring, the issues with Iraq and the Levant, Mazikhandar, Qumar, and so many others. There isn't an easy solution that can be implemented. Not without... a pretty violent revolution of some kind. We didn't get into this mess over night, and we're not going to get out of that way either. Sadly, most people don't even understand that there is a mess."

Eddie was still in there. He was showing fully right now. The man who had a passion for uncovering issues and bringing attention to them. Under the right circumstances, he could be invaluable. But was he worth it? He had a lot of baggage. Though that too, came with some advantages. And he didn't have a spider-sense. Instead, the symbiote was just omnidirectional. It could 'see' in all directions. But it had no danger sense. No forewarning. It just... didn't have a traditional six in military jargon. Everything was at twelve o'clock.

"But what about you? What gets you excited? What are your passions? Your hopes? Your dreams? I could talk about any subject you name, there's always a story there, buried somewhere. What brings you here so late? I mean, it's not like you need to get in shape, so is it just strength? You didn't sign up for a self-defence course, so I'm guessing it wasn't a recent attack. Health scare?" He asked, lowering his tone, genuine concern on his lips.


Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Oh, I'm doing this becuase my friend is. She joined here and I don't want her showing me up. I don't really need it. I do stuff at home to keep in shape. But can't go having Tonya outdoing me," Natalie admits with a wry laugh. She gives a shrug. "So here I sit and I'll be having to spend more time here, sweating and probably focusing on just toning up. Not sure I need more strength."
Herst that moment, her phone makes a sound from the pocket of her jacket. She pulls it out, flicking the screen to life. She has a Hello Kitty background picture and a text from someone named Tonya before she turns the phone so he can't quite see it.

"Speak of the devil herself. Damn. She's having boyfriend problems." Her thumbs were flying on the face of her phone then she paused long enough to look at him. "Can I get a rain check on food? Here." She tapped some more on her phone. "Number is ready for you to pick up if you want." Just a tap of his Bluetooth receive and he should have her digits and it will capture his as well.

Venom has posed:
"It's good," that she does stuff at home, he said with a nod, "it's important to lead an active life style." So, she and this Tanya were competitive toners. At least it wasn't competitive weight loss, especially with how little she weighed. Competition was good, as long as it was healthy, and near as Eddie could tell, there was nothing wrong with what she was doing.

And then her phone went. It was a Hello Kitty one. Her cover was always fantastic. Little did he know that it was a cover. Unable to see what she was typing, and not one to try and pry, he accepted it at face value. Boyfriend troubles could refer to all manner of issues, so he didn't comment with more than an "oh," before she asks for the rain check, "of course," and he'll exchange the tap for numbers. For all he knows there's some code she put in there too. He is not one to know a great deal about such things, even if he knows they exist. He just never had the mind for that kind of detail.

"It was great meeting you, Natalie. I hope everything works out with Tanya and her boyfriend." And as he watched Natalie pack up and head away, the symbiote spoke to him, 'look at her. She has no idea we are going to win her over', to which Eddie says aloud, hesitantly, "I don't... think so."