9303/The China Question

The China Question
Date of Scene:	24 September 2019
Location:	Chinese Food Restaurant - Two Bridges
Synopsis:	Information gathering with gangsters, spies, and symbiotes
Cast of Characters:	Venom, Black Widow (Romanoff), Hammerhead

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Venom has posed:
Ever the intrepid reporter at heart, Eddie Brock was on the trail of a story. He wasn't getting paid what he used to, certainly not the fame, but his old instincts were hard to ignore, and he had heard about some shady dealings being run out of a simple, ordinary looking Chinese restaurant. Approaching the stand, he said, "table for one, please." It wasn't hard to get a table. Despite the place having a thriving take out business, very few people were actually in the restaurant.

He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt, tight across his chest, brown leather jacket, and light blue jeans. He was dressed for comfort. Little did he know that there was a casino operating beneath the place, through a door near the restrooms. In his efforts to case the joint, he was pretty sure something was up. Way more people seemed to enter than leave, but as yet, he couldn't account for it. Either they left through some other exit, or he was missing something.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Sitting on a nearby rooftop is the Black Widow. She's in her working gear, the black bodysuit blending well with the shadows of the night skyline. She made sure to keep low, not silhouetting herself.

Sitting below the stone ledge that was a protective barrier for the rooftop, she looked through her binocs at the restaurant below where Eddie Brock had just disappeared.

Great. No angle from up here. She didn't want to just show up randomly so instead she reached into her duffle that was laying nearby. A quick shuffle through the interior, flipping aside three cellphones until she found the right one. Then she opened Natalie's screen and pulled up the name Eddie. She fired off a quick text message.

<<Got the munchies. You happen to be up for that meal now?>>

Venom has posed:
Eddie was escorted to a table, a two-seater. There was no such thing as a one seat table in a restaurant, except perhaps the bar, but that could hardly be considered a table. He was given a menu, and time to look over it. His waitress was a young Chinese American man, with glasses, very thin, and polite.

Eddie ordered a soft drink, and as he was looking through the menu, his mobile phone went off. It was Natalie. With the waiter having left him, and few people around, Eddie whispered quietly to himself, i.e., the symbiote. "Oh, no, not now!"

To which the symbiote spoke in his head, 'you should invite her. She likes you, and you need to make some friends.' And Eddie replied, anxiously, "look, we've had this discussion. Besides, this is work." He looked around nervously, hoping no one caught that.

And then the symbiote sprouted a thin tendril, which danced across the mobile phone, typing out 'sure, New Wong, E Broadway,' and then send. Alarmed, Eddie said a bit louder than he intended, "hey!"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
<<Chinese? Sounds great. Be there soon!>>

Then it was a waiting game. She couldn't show up too fast or she would have obviously been nearby. So she had to time it as though she went out and caught a cab. She reached into the duffle, pulling out a change of clothes. Not like she wasn't already concealed so she took a moment to change.

When the time came, she used her Widow's line to drop down to ground level a block over. Then she hailed a cab and was given a ride around the block.

When Natalie entered, she was wearing jeans with a green t-shirt that matched her eyes. No graphic images or designs. Trainers were on her feet. A light denim jacket was over the top of it all.

"Eddie! Hi!" she headed his direction, her red hair down and about shoulder length.

Venom has posed:
With a date, Eddie decided not to order any food, well, except for a couple of appetisers. He ordered deep fried wantons with sweet and sour sauce, sliced BBQ pork, and crispy egg rolls. Eddie had the appetite of two, plus he needed a lot of calories without the symbiote due to his size.

And as luck would have it, just as she arrived, Eddie had pulled open his phone, using it on video selfie mode, so that he could check his hair, and make sure that he looked all right. She most definitely caught him trying to make himself look presentable.

He got only the briefest of warnings from the symbiote, 'behind you'. Then Eddie stood up, "oh, hello Natalie. You look great. I ordered a couple of appetisers." He moved to pull out a chair for her, trying to be a gentleman, even if it had been some time since he had been on a date of any kind. Well, other than a court date, but that was an altogether different matter.

The symbiote said to him, 'you should compliment her perfume.' The funny thing is the symbiote knew she wasn't wearing any, but with its sense of smell, it found her nice, and so Eddie said, "you smell nice."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Considering she has on no perfume, that statement has Natalie's brow furrowing as she tilts her head to the side. "Maybe my bodywash? Or shampoo? You have a good nose there if you can smell it though. I sure can't." Neither of those either. It was apparently just her.

Not at all weird and creepy, knowing he had a people eating carnivore bound to him.

She takes the seat he held out for her, settling in and reaching out to grab one of the wontons without any sense of shyness. "I love these things. So how've you been?" she asked.

Venom has posed:
"I guess, I don't know. A lot of people put on really strong stuff. Never been much of a fan of that myself. So it's nice to meet someone else who's lower key, easy going." He offers, as he heads round the table to take his own seat. A moment later, the waiter will come to take her drink order.

Once he's gone to fetch it, Eddie will go back to small talk, "oh, surviving. There's a lot of misplaced anger out there. Earlier, two people were fighting over a cab. Some guy grabbed another guy's briefcase out of his hand and flung it into the street. I just don't get it. Life's way too short for that sort of thing. What's the world coming to, am I right?"

Digging in, he loved the wantons too, and when the waiter came back with her drink, he asked, "can we get another of the wantons?" Yeah, they weren't terribly healthy, but oh so good. "What about you? What's the most interesting thing that happened in your day before now?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I got my nails done?" is the immediate answer from Natalie as she holds up a perfectly manicured hand. The nails are painted a lovely shade of pink with the nail of the ring finger having a white daisy added over the pink gloss. "Not that exciting, I know." She drops her hand back to the table.

Picking up her glass of water, with lemon, she takes a sip before continuing the conversation. Even as she reaches for another wonton. "Life is too short for people to act stupid, yes. What did they hope to gain by acting like a petulant four year old?"

Venom has posed:
"I think they wanted the cab, and to save 30 seconds before the next one comes along." Eddie used to fight for cabs, never to that extent, but as a resident of New York, you kind of have to get used to cabs, subways, and working the system to get from one area to another. Ever since he was bonded to the symbiote, that's been far less of an issue; he can web sling.

Looking at her perfectly manicured hand, he nodded in appreciation, "nice. I like pink, I always have. I have this vague memory of being in school; I don't know what age, and liking the combination of black with pink highlights. Did you know that pink used to be a masculine colour, and blue was feminine. Up until the 1950's or so, pink, because it's a shade of red, used to be associated with manliness, aggression, while blue was the calming colour. But then when stores started to separate their toys into boy and girl sections, some random place went with blue for boys, pink for girls, and it went from there."

"Same thing happened with electoral maps. Before the 2000 election, blue was a conservative colour all over the world, and red a liberal one. Over the years, the TV stations alternated which would be blue, and which red on their broadcasts. In 2000, all the major channels had red for republican, and blue for democrat, and ever since, those colours have been cemented for their parties."

Yeah, he wasn't always a great date. And even was he was speaking, he had noticed out of the corner of his eye, three men, dressed pretty well for a Chinese restaurant, head towards the bathroom hallway, and not come out. "Huh." He said, thinking about it, "you don't see a lot of guys going to the bathroom together." Yet girls do it all the time.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The sad thing? Everything he mentioned, she'd been alive for. Natasha hadn't really paid much attention to the electoral maps. It wasn't something she'd cared about until much more recent history. The colors for boys and girls? She's lived through that. She was actually aware of it from her training in the Red Room. WHen the changes came about, she was still learning her trait and things had changed, things she would have to know should she ever become an operative in the United States.

Not that she could share that information with him. Instead, Natalie just smiled and listened, feigning complete interest until he let out that little huh. She turned her head, looking around and completey missing seeing the men in question. Or at least pretending she had. "No, guys don't usually. It's like a big no no. Girls do it all the time. We feel safer in numbers." Doesn't really make sense but that seems to be Natalie's view on it.

Venom has posed:
Eddie was really enjoying Natalie's company, and she was naturally, or at least appeared to him, to be naturally charming. Still, he wanted to investigate the situation with whatever was going on in, around, above, or underneath the restaurant. He let it go, but did try and keep an eye out to see if they came back. And then the symbiote said to him, 'you're embarrassing us. Open up to her. It's a public place. Tell her about us.' And then Eddie got a bit nervous, his eyes looking left, right, and centre, whispering, "I... can't... do that." Though was he saying he can't go to the bathroom with another guy?

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
His voice was a whisper but Natalie heard him. It was strange. What in the world was he talking about. "Go to the bathroom with a group of guys? What is the big deal? Go to your own stalls, do your thing. I mean, I get that guys don't go in and check their hair and makeup like women do. Maybe hair," she says as she tilts her head, considering Eddie's hair as she makes the statement.

If she is noticing anything off on his behavior or comments, it doesn't seem apparent. But she is very aware those men have not come back out.

Venom has posed:
And just as luck would have it, their actual food arrived now. So, any discussion was tabled as the waiter set their food down on the table, asked if there was anything else that he could get them, and then thankfully, mercifully, buggered off. It was terrible timing from Eddie's point of view, but what would he do. With their food on the table, he began to fill up his plate from the communal offerings.

Taking a glance around, he was thankful that it was quiet tonight and there was no one immediately adjacent to them, though there were a few people at tables scattered throughout. "No, not about the bathroom." The symbiote then said to him, 'don't be a pussy. Women like strong men. Trust me, I know.' And then Eddie blurted out, "how would you know?" Before covering his mouth, "sorry, sorry, I can explain."

He was really looking pathetic right now, something the symbiote reminded him of, 'stop being a loser and tell her already'. "You see," his voice cracked a little, stammered a little, "I have a parasite." And the symbiote shouted in his head, 'parasite!' It hated being called that, even if it was technically true. He slowly but surly said, "My name is Eddie Brock, and I am Venom. If you want to talk more, that's fine. If you want to leave now, that's fine too."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As Natalie was piling her plate with fried rice and some Sweet & Sour Chicken, she almost jumped out of her skin when he blurted out the question "how would you know". That had her sitting back abruplty in her chair, putting down her utensils. One hand ended up in her lap.

She stared at him with those wide green eyes as he promised he could explain. Watching his body language, the discomfort at the conversation and how it had gone, she read him expertly while maintaining her silence.

Until his confession.

For long moments, she sat there staring at him in stunned silence. That is the last thing she expected him to do. To admit who and what he was. To tell a person that he was a known killer monster, or so the stories went. SHIELD knew he was focusing on the bad people and not the good, this her assignment to watch and report but not interfere.

Now she was at a crossroads. Continue her charade? Run away for the hills as Natalie would do? Or follow the example of the ex con?

Something shifted. Her posture changed, as she sat up more, shoulders back instead of slouching. She held out a hand as though they had never met, for a handshake. "Natasha Romanoff, or Romanova if you prefer. Also known as the Black Widow. A pleasure to meet you both."

Venom has posed:
"...." Eddie was speechless, and the symbiote in his head was utterly silent. He blinked several times. He didn't even realise it, but his mouth was still hanging a little open. It had just relaxed, not hanging totally open, but to have held it in that position made it look a bit amusing.

Snapped from his stunned silence, the symbiote said to him, 'take her hand. NOW'. The second part louder in his head, as he hadn't seemed to register the first part. He then did, and greeted her, much as he had the first time. He kissed her wrist, except his lips didn't touch her skin.

Then he looked around, "so, is the S.W.A.T. team outside, or in the kitchen? Is everyone here an Agent?" As if Venom were that important. He certainly had an inflated opinion of himself.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Nothing of the sort. Everyone here is what they seem," Natasha responds with a tight smile as he gives her the kiss to the wrist then releases his hold on her hand. "Just me. I'm more than enough, after all." Not really bragging when it's the truth. She's very good at what she does.

Course, he has a parasite which gives him superhuman powers. So maybe it wouldn't be so easy. But if her confidence helped sell it, so be it.

"Or should I say everyone is what they seem except those men who went into the bathroom. Is that what brought you here?" She picks up her fork, opting to use it for the fried rice instead of chopsticks. Sure, she could use them but why bother? Fork was just as effective.

Venom has posed:
Venom had heard about the Black Widow, mostly through Eddie's own research. It was the kind of thing that chilled him to the bone. And yet, she looked so young. Reports of the Black Widow had been around far longer than that. Maybe a succession of Black Widows. His mind contemplated the possibilities.

He tried to calm himself, taking a bite to eat since no one was attacking him right now. Though he was a little worried about the food. Then again, she ate from it, and it was communal. "Yeah, I've heard some bad things going down here. Was trying to look into it when you texted me. So..." he had explained who he was. She knew. She hadn't run away. She was... different, too. "I guess you're like, my handler?" He had liked Natalie too. She seemed to like him. She had caught him so far off guard. He was hoping, if were agreeable, that he could explain things from his perspective, but now, she probably knew it all, from the official stance, and had made up her mind. So much for that plan.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I guess you could call it that," Natasha said with a faint shrug as she continued to eat. She still looked like the Natalie he had met, in her jeans and t-shirt. Yet now he knew the truth. Shouldn't judge a book by its cover. "I'm supposed to make sure that what you are doing is not against SHIELD interests. Thus far, it hasn't been. I've been tracking you all week." She points at him with her fork, moving it from side to side as though pointing at two different things though it was still pointed at him. "Both of you. Thus far, nothing to report." Yet he has eaten people. She's witnessed it. He knows he has so what does all that possibly mean.

"So while we wait to see if the guys come back or if we are going down looking for them, tell me about yourself, Eddie. Or if Venom wants a turn, he can relay through you."

Venom has posed:
"Okay..." yeah, he was still trying to think about all this. She had known who he was, all along, and he just thought she was a nice young woman, who seemed to show an interest in him. Also was getting over a breakup. He wondered if that was true, or part of the story. The most infuriating thing was that the symbiote, finally speaking to him after all this, said to him, 'I like her.'

Rolling his eyes, the jig up, he figured he might as well explain, "my other just said he likes you. He liked Natalie too. You've got gumption." It was a little easier, now that he knew he couldn't confuse or scare her. She dealt with odd things all the time. "So, um, as I was saying. I guess. Where to start? We fought" and he lowered his voice, "Spider-Man... a lot. We... have bad blood with him," and raises his voice a little bit, "but made our peace. He stays away from us, and we'll stay away from him. "

"We've done some bad things, you know that, but they all deserved it. My other, it... I don't know. There's something it likes. It's... I haven't... it takes some getting used to. But I only let it do that to people who are really bad" Like that's a defence. He was dealing with an alien parasite as best he could. "When you look like we do, a lot of people judge us. It's not good to judge a book by its cover. Did you know my other was an award winning poet on its world? Okay, it's not, but it could have been. Think about that."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Same problem," Natasha says as she sets down her fork to pick up her glass of water. She takes a sip through the straw, still keeping in eye on him as she did so. It didn't come across as a being sure he didn't try to eat her way but more a that's interesting, tell me more. "Flip side of the coin," she continues as she puts her glass down. "People see this, assume I'm a frail little flower that has to be protected. Or ignored. They don't take me seriously, unless my reputation precedes me. Makes it easy to pull out Natalie when I need to."

She caught a glimpse of her nails and made a little face. So not her. Then back to him. "Why does the symbiote like to eat people? Is it an actual nutritional need, a normal instinct for getting rid of enemies or do they just taste good?" How's that for an uncomfortable question.

Venom has posed:
"More nutritional, I think. I mean, it... it gets a kick out of it. You know what I mean. Combat, it's fun having power, doing things. It's exhilarating. But no, I'm no biologist, but there's something in uh, a... a bad guy's... you know, head." Yeah, easy to talk about there, "that it likes; a lot. Second favourite food is chocolate. Go figure. It's not like I can just go up to a chemist and say, why does my other like that's in... there."

  "I took you seriously." Though he also did try to protect her. He liked protecting people. His other liked it too. "It was nice getting to know you..." he said, a little wistfully. He figured now that he knew, and she knew, that assuming she didn't take him back, that this would be the last time they'd be out together, especially having dinner. Was she to become like a super parole officer for him? He had so many questions. But none of it mattered. The only thing was that he was now sad that he had lost a friend.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Second favorite is chocolate? I can agree with that. Though I'm not sure I actually have a favorite food. I just enjoy food in general. Which leads to extra workouts or I wouldn't fit into my uniform."

Another wonton is picked up, some of the edges picked off and left on her plate before she goes for the yummy center portion. "Wait, was nice getting to know me? You are still getting to know me. Right now. The real me this time. Or would you prefer I go back to using binoculars and leave you alone with your meal and surveillance?"

Venom has posed:
"Oh yeah, especially European chocolate, Cadbury, Toblerone, Ghiradelli, Mars? it can tell the difference in the last one. I can't, but it tells me that the American one sucks." At which point the symbiote says in his head, 'It is! But at least it's not as bad as American Cadbury. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, well, maybe my worst enemy.'

Eddie nods his head when she mentions her love of food in general, and the extra workouts, and fitting into her uniform. He hadn't seen her in her uniform, but laughed all the same. Her picking up on his past tense gets him a little on edge.

He's uncertain on how to proceed. "I am? Er, yeah, wait, no, uh, definitely no. Are we," and he uses a hand to gesture towards her and then to himself, "are we still friends? I just figured, you, government agent, me," voice lowering to a whisper, "escaped convict? with a friend."

And then he noticed yet more people heading into the restaurant, straight past the seating area, and towards the hallway and the restrooms. Quite a few people had entered, but none had left, and many were overdressed. "Want to check it out? Work off some of the calories. You have a uniform, right?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The restaurant is pretty quiet, at least in the dining area. There are only two people preset at a table enjoying a dinner. Eddie Brock and a young woman he knew as Natalie. Just a few minutes ago, he learned Natalie was instead Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow of the Avengers, agent of SHIELD. She had been sent to keep an eye on Mr. Brock and his other half. Not his wife or girlfriend. The symbiote that shared his form. She was dressed in civilian clothes.

The reason for their presence here was all Eddie. He was following a lead. Seemed there might be a gambling den beneath the restaurant. Lots of people entered, went into the hallway with the bathrooms, then never came back out.

At Eddie's question, she smiled. "I always have a uniform. Just take me a minute to go change if you want to go down there in an official capacity. Or should we try to go down as players?"

Venom has posed:
'That's a good idea,' the symbiote said in Eddie's head, and Eddie spoke aloud, "that's a good idea," which made the symbiote say to him, 'I just said that'. Eddie, trying his best to have a conversation with his other, while also having Natasha there, hesitantly said, 'I'm agreeing with you'. It was nice that he could do that and not have to worry about seeming like a lunatic, well, too much like a lunatic, around someone.

"We should go as players. While you change, I'll get the cheque." He could change at a moment's notice. Trying to flag the waiter, he made the universal hand gesture of signing for the cheque.

Hammerhead has posed:
As Eddie suspected there was indeed a casino hidden within the restaurant. Within the hallway entrance was a set of other doors, which were guarded by men wearing pinstripped-suits, the familiar look of Hammherhead's goons. Within those doors was a crowded casino with people crowded arounf gambling tables, playing card games dealed by men dressed up as old-timey poker dealers. Five slot machines were lined up along the walls and were constanly manned by gamblers hoping to win it big. In the far corner was a small bar attentended by a man wearing a tuxedo.
    
     The room was filled with the smells of cigar smoke, cheap cologne, and expensive perfume. The room had 7 pinstripped-suit clad gangsters in it. all of them heavily armed, for both cheaters and rival crews. In the back of the bar is a room where the pit boss, a man wearing a candy-cane stripped suit, spent most of his time.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Once Eddie has paid for the check, Natalie makes a departure and promises to return in just a moment. When she does, it was hopefully worth the wait.

Her hair is down, falling to her shoulders in auburn waves. She is dressed in a formal gown now, one befitting decades before in style. It falls to the floor but hugs her form, the neckline a little daring.

Hopefully Eddie has exited and changed to something more formal. After all, everyone they saw going down was dressed in formal attire so it was only fitting.

Venom has posed:
After having paid for their meal, Eddie followed Natasha towards the restrooms, where he would make use of the men's room. He didn't need to. He could have changed his 'clothes' in the dining room and unless anyone was looking at him during the momentary change, they wouldn't have noticed. The symbiote was able to make a near instantaneous change. It could also choose its colours, though black and white were the easiest for it to change to, and maintain.

It starts with a silk, turn back cuff, something he drew inspiration from Sir Ian Fleming's spy novels and films. Brock's size and shape is a problem for this environment. He doesn't look particularly sophisticated or elegant, being a bodybuilder, but the symbiote's tailoring managed to soften the lines a little bit, giving him a more sophisticated look. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a comb, which was actually part of the symbiote, and styled his hair as he gazed upon himself in the mirror.

When he emerges from the men's room, he immediately tugs at his cuffs. He didn't need to, but it was all about maintaining the look. He wore a gentleman's evening suit, circa the early 1960's, black, with a white shirt underneath, or so it appeared. In actuality, it was all part of the symbiote. When he saw Natasha, he nodded his head in the affirmative, "you look stunning."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That earned a bright smile from Natasha, or Natalie for this outing. She slipped her arm through his and moved toward the door flanked by the pair of guards.

There she turned that brilliant smile on the pair as she gave them a nod. Unfortunately, she had no idea what their entrance procedures were. Maybe Eddie had picked something up during his observations before her arrival.

For now, her part was to be the lovely lady on the arm of her man. Cliche but it was what many people expected and thus, she was less interesting to most.

Hammerhead has posed:
The two suited guards glance at the couple coming their way. One of the men, a tall, burly fellow with a beard and sunglasees cross his arms and says to them with a deed, bellowing voice," What brings ya here tonight?" The second guard then walks over to a table and starts to rummage through it, looking for something.

Venom has posed:
"You know how it goes; you've got to show the lady a good time," and he reached out to take Natasha's free hand in his, giving it a gentle and affectionate squeeze, "and this place comes highly recommended. Any suggestions on where we start?" He was no spy, but he was trying his best, and as a reporter, he did have to lie to try and get in the door once or twice. Of course, with the symbiote, doors aren't as much of an issue as they used to be. Though this one gave few other options.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I hope they have slot machines!" comes the response of Natalie as she leans a little more against her escort. Then she looks to the two guards with another of those smiles. "They're my favorite. Roulette is fun sometimes. Always bet on black and you can't go wrong."

Vapid. Inane. Nothing unusual here other than a young couple wanting to go lose money. Because that is what happened in casinos, underground or professional.

Hammerhead has posed:
The goon questioning the couple grins at the young woman's response. He then says while nodding," Yep, we have all of dat inside. But, before i let ya folks in, my partner is gonna have to search ya. Can't have you bringing in weapons ya know." The second man then walks up to the two, a magnetic wand in hand. He then says in a thick, Southern accent," Please spread out ya arms so i can searc h ya."

Venom has posed:
Eddie smiled, not a fake one, but a genuine one as Natasha or Natalie as she was going by today, leaned in a little closer. She was good at hiding in plain sight. He almost forgot who she was for a moment there. "Good, good, sounds like it'll be loads of fun," he said in response to the goon who said they had everything that Natasha wanted. "Don't worry sweetie, we'll get to it all."

And then at the suggestion of being checked, he stepped forward and spread his legs and arms, "you best be careful when checking my lady. No wandering hands. Do you understand?" He was playing the role, deepening his voice a little and suggesting there was a serious threat behind it, but it was also in concern that Natasha might have something on her that would set off the metal detector.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natalie giggled, a girlish sound coming from her as she hears the threat from Eddie. "Aw, Baby, you take such good care o' me." She gives a look to the pair of guards. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

When it came to her turn, she moved to the place and spread out her arms as well. The skirt didn't really allow for her to spread her feet too far apart but hopefully it would be enough for their search. She had nothing metal on her to cause any issues with a wand. Not to say she had nothing on her, but nothing that would be caught by a metal detector.

Hammerhead has posed:
The guard nods and starts swiping the wand over Eddie, and nothing goes off. He grunts and nods at Eddie and walks over to do it to Natasha, with the same results. The guard then looks at his partner and gives him a thumbs up. The first guy nods and says," Alright, you can come in. Don't cause any trouble though." He then opens up the door and the smell of cigar smoke and the sounds of Jazz music and chatting fill the air.

Venom has posed:
"You make it really easy, Nat," he said with an affectionate tone. He watched, ever ready to Venom-up if need be. But when she passes through the security check with flying colours, he reaches around, holding her in close and heads through the door. Once inside, he began leading towards the bar, which gave them a chance to take in the surroundings, "can I get you a drink, maybe some chocolate?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Once they were inside, her head was on a swivel. It was easily attributed to a young woman being brought into an illegal gambling den and being overwhelemed by the experience. But as a young woman gawking was outward, an established espionage expert was spotting the various guards, weapons, exits and other tidbits of information that would be good to know if things went south.

"Oh! I want an apple-tini. I've never had one. Can I have one?" she asks of her date as they move toward the bar. She lowers her voice a bit as she leans in close to him, an intimate shared moment to those that might be watching. "More security than I expected. This is just info gathering and go?" She was letting him take the lead. This was his show.

Hammerhead has posed:
The casino was busy with the sounds of dice rolling, slot machines making their assorted noises, and people chatting. There was a jazz band near the center of the room playing their instraments. The bar tender, a old, balding man dressed up as a 20s speak-easy bartender looks up at you and says," How may I help you tonight?"

Venom has posed:
"Then we'll get you an apple-tini. Not to worry, darling." He replied as they headed to the bar, having done a nice job of circumnavigating the casino on their way there. He was observant, but not trained like her. So she had a better idea of what was going on. Leaning down to listen to her hushed tones, he quietly replied, "Considering you're not wearing any Kevlar, or whatever it is your uniform is comprised of, sounds like a plan."

"We can always come back." Also, a casino, on the grand scheme of things, was pretty mild. People voluntarily gave their money away. It was a way to launder money for criminals, but no one got hurt who didn't put themselves in harm's way. Once at the bar, he'd order, "one apple-tini for the lady, I'll have a chocolate mudslide, extra chocolate, and who do I see about getting into the high rollers room?" He didn't know there was one, but was playing a hunch.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As he asks that question, Natalie gasps softly then looks up at her date as though he walked on water suddenly. "Oh Baby, I already hit the jackpot with you!" she says with another giggle, giving him a quick hug.

Which gave her the chance to whisper again so he could hear. "They'll want to see the money." And he might feel her hand slip into his jacket, depositing some there just in case he didn't already have it covered.

Hammerhead has posed:
The old man nods and starts to make the drinks. As he makes Eddie's rather sweet beverage, he said to him," The High-Roller's table eh? That's for people that really love to throw their money, and for the "Big Boss'" friends to gamble. I heard he is here himself tonight. Beacuse of that, it might be harder to get in. If ya really want to though, talk to the pit boss, he is the guy sucking on the peppermint. You can usually find him around here." He then slides the drink to Eddie and starts to make Natasha's. Meanwhile, Eddie sees a man in a peppermint-striped suit chatting up some ladies at the roulette table.

Venom has posed:
The hug was appreciated, and reciprocated, though he was getting a little hesitant, wondering just what boundaries to observe here. It didn't help that the symbiote was 'helpfully giving him suggestions like 'kiss her' or 'grab her ass, it'll help our cover'.

Thus far, Eddie had managed to remain a gentleman, letting her decide on the boundaries. He had some money, stolen from drug lords he dealt with the other day, but the extra cash is appreciated. He uses that in the rare case that it'll help as her bills are likely marked or known in some government system. If he was going to help her out, might as well do it right.

Eddie pays for the drinks from his own money, giving a generous tip. He planned to use the money she had given him at the table. "With our compliments." Then he reached his arm around Natasha, and the symbiote controlled one arm to go to Natasha's behind, not squeezing, but resting on it, "hey," he said in a hushed whisper, disagreeing, and whispered a soft 'sorry' to her. The symbiote said, 'stop embarrassing us!' They headed over towards the pit boss.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Thankfully, Natasha would not break cover. Even for an univited hand on her backside. After all, the couple they were representing would think nothing of the motion. She walked along with him, arm around his waist as they moved toward the pit boss. Her apple-tini was in her hand and she sipped at it happily as she looked around at the various games, as though distracted by all the money and excitement.

"Didn't know your friend was into humans," she whispered ever so softly, catching on by his few verbal queues that it was the symbiote who put the hand there. "Might want to move it before I have this place hit with a few decibels in the wrong frequency." She sips her drink and smiles at Eddie.

Hammerhead has posed:
The pit boss at this point, gave up flirting with the ladies and was on the phoen talking to someone. He sounded very angry as he suddenly shouted over the phone," I don't care what ya have to do! Collect the debt from that bum now Lenny! Ya know how much he owes me!" He then hangs up on whoever he was talking to and shoves the phone back in his suit pocket. He then huffs in anger, not noticing the couple coming towards him.

Venom has posed:
"I... didn't... either..." Eddie admittedly quietly, as he managed to wrest control of the hand, moving it a little higher up, but the threat of the decibels was more than enough to get the symbiote to back down. The admission that he didn't know was kind of profound to him, as he had never really thought of it. But since he had broken it off with his fiancé, he hadn't really been this close to a woman in several years. Though to be fair, some of them were spent behind bars.

Approaching the pit boss, who sounded rather angry, Eddie carefully pulled out some cash, making sure that the pit boss had seen the roll, while not being terribly obvious to those around. "Heard that you're the one to talk to about the high rollers table, isn't that right honey?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As they stopped in front of the pit boss, Natalie looked at him with wide green eyes. "Maybe we should wait. He seems mad," she stage whispered, making sure it was loud enough to be heard by the pit boss as she tugged on Eddie as though to get him to walk away.

Hammerhead has posed:
The Pit Boss turns around suddenly, his attitude quickly changing from angry to calm. He pops another peppermint in his mouth as he says," Yeah, i'm the guy to talk to about the high-rollers table. Your in luck, there is a blackjack game tonight and there is one seat left. Normally, you have to be a top class gambler to get in. However, i am feeling gnerous and i will let you in. If you pay a 1,000 bid in price."

Venom has posed:
Natasha was very good at her disguise. She was acting scared, so good at acting it that Eddie was convinced that she wanted to leave, perhaps to tell him something, though he wasn't sure. "But sweetie, you wanted this," and he reaches up to stroke her hair, brushing some of the locks that had fallen in front of her eyes, a tender gesture. The symbiote said, 'I'm confused. Is this real or not?' And Eddie said aloud, "I? don't know, uh, maybe."

And then to the pit boss, "a grand?" He tried to act like it was nothing, "I think I can manage that." Reaching in for the money Nat had given him, he counted out ten hundred dollar bills, and offered it to the pit boss. "That is if you're okay with it, honey?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
For a moment, Natalie seems certain but then the pit boss' demeanor changes. Suddenly. he's not yelling and is almost polite. She considers him then looks up at Eddie. "It's okay. I think it's okay now. I just don't like yelling," she admits, ever playing her role.

When asked about the money, she gives a nod. "Of course. You'll win back even more, I just know it." The confidence of youth. Or at least the appearance of such.

Hammerhead has posed:
The Pit Boss takes the money and insepcts it closely, as if looking for any signs of it being fake. He then grunts and stuffs it in his pocket while saying," Alright, follow me. Yer gal can too to watch if ya don't mind. The Big Boss dosen't mind audience members. Before you go in, i gotta tell him that two outsiders are coming in. The High-Rollers usually don't get new people that often. I should warn you, these guys take their gambling seriously, and will kill you if they catch you cheating."
    
     You get lead to a red, fancy looking door in the very back of the room with a sign over it that say High-Rollers Room. The Pit-Boss walks in and closes the door. You hear what sounds like muffled conversation for a minute or two. The pit boss then opens the door and says to you," They are ready for you. Please remember to mind your Ps and Qs with these guys, they are not to be taken lightly." The man then opens the door and lets you in.
    
     In the room, whic also smells heavily of cigar smoke, you see a round table with 7 chairs, seven of them are occupied by the supposed high-rollers.
    
     The first chair is occupied by a man in his early 20s wearing a blue sweater with a Tornado emblem and blue jeans. He is brown, neatly combed hair and he is grinning as he is looking at his cards. He is obviously a lieutenant of the Tornadoes, a gang based in the more well-off areas of NYC and in Nassau County.
    
     The next chair is occupied by a man dressed up in a olive green tank-top and cargo shorts with some decorative tears on them. On his arm you see a snarling wolf, a sign he is a member of the Pack of Fenrir, a Metropolis-based gang.
    
     The third chair has a man wearing a white t-shirt and black pants, he seems to be barely paying attention to the game, which is about to start, but is more focused on what looks like a fantasy football app. He is obviously a member of the Comets, a sports-obsessed gang based in Gotham.
    
     Table number 4 has a man wearing a red aviator jacket and blue jeans. His head is adorned with an red sweatband. The most curious feature however, is the evil sorceror on the back of the jacket, showing off his membership to the Warlockz, another gang based in Gotham. Table number 5 has the freakeist looking member of the group. He is a man with black, slicked back hair, a black t-shirt and pants, with rips on them, and, most shockingly, black and white face paint. He was a member of Charon's Bastards, a gang named after the Greek Ferryman of Hades. He looks up and stares at you blankly.
    
     Chair number 6 contained the big boss himself, Hammerhead. He was wearing his normall blue pinstripped suit and a blue fedora. He was grinning to himself as he put his feet up on the table and was apprently smoking a cigar. He looks up and suddenly sees you. He then says," Ahh, yah be da new high roller. Take a seat and we will start." He then motions you to a seat that was between the Warlockz lieutenant and the Comet.
    
     Besides yours, there was one more chair, and it was occupied by, to your surprise, a member of the Wailing Banshees MC. It was quite obvious by both his clothing and by the tatto of a wailing woman in robes on his chest.

Venom has posed:
Eddie eyed the Pit Boss as he counted the money, as if he thought it might be fake or something. When he allowed 'Natalie' to come along, Eddie thanked him, "thanks," and gave her a gentle hug, "all right, time to make some money, honey." He was pretending to be as enthusiastic as her, well, maybe not quite, but he was still acting as if he were far more naive than he really was. "Gotcha," he said in response to the cheating remark. If you're going to cheat, don't get caught. Easy enough when you have a symbiote.

Entering the room, Eddie coughed at the cigar smoke. A bit more than he was used to, like, a lot more. He then took his seat, playing with the chair a few times, moving it a little to the left, a little to the right, trying to get comfortable, "evening, name's Eddie." He didn't know any of them, but had heard of Hammerhead, and frankly, he was hard to miss. "This is Natalie," and he gestured to his stunning girlfriend.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As the entered, it was like the Who's Who of the criminal underworld. Natasha recognized their various emblems and such from files kept by SHIELD. But Natalie was not as adept so she came into the room all smiles and settled in a chair where she could lean over Eddie's shoulder to watch. This put her closest to the Warlockz lieutenant by position but she tried to be sure she stayed closer to her man and didn't look like she was trying to card peek, when the time came.

Hammerhead has posed:
Hammerhead grunts in acknoledgement as Eddie sits down. The rest of the gang members just stare at him blankly, who just keeps staring at his app. The Warlockz lieutenants to the left justs nods polietly at Natasha while the Comet just looks more closely at the screen. If you were to take a closer look, you can see that he is doing a pretty poor job with his choices and he is looking more visably angry. Suddenly, you hear a faux Transatlantic-Accented voice," So, that Pit-Boss is just letting anyone in these days? I remeber when this room let in familiar faces. You jst got here. It took me months to get in here." This voice came from the Tornadoes lieutenat, who had a snobby, but smug look on his voice.
    
     Suddenly, you hear the biker say," Ah, shut the fuck up Lawrence. Da only reason you are here instead of Billingsly is because he had ta go to Costa Rica with his Pa." If you are familiar with the NYC court system, you would know that Billingsly is the name of a dostrict Judge. Apprently, Judge Billingsly somehow had a connection to the Tornadoes. The biker then turns to Eddie and says," Sorry bout the Youngsta here. His head is to far up his ass, names Buford."

Venom has posed:
Eddie offered a friendly hand to Buford, before setting it back down. "I'm not worried. Lawrence will soon be parted from his money, and then maybe someone else can take his seat." This was said in an entirely matter of fact tone of voice, as if he were describing the drapes. Meanwhile, the symbiote, which comprised his suit, made a point of checking out under the table, 'looking' through its senses to see if there was anything there that would prevent it from extending to peek at some cards. The idea being that it could become part of the table, expanding, and could then see everyone's cards. He then took a long sip of his chocolate mudslide. 'Smooth Eddie, really smooth' the symbiote said sarcastically in Eddie's head.

Hammerhead has posed:
Buford shakes Eddie's hand as the Tornado scoffs at Eddie's statement and said," Don't be so sure of yourself. Slick. I may not be Chad, but I have won the last five games here. You don't stand a chance." Suddenly, a sereis of swears in Spanish echo through the room as the Comet suddenly stands up and throws his phone at the wall, apprently he lost. He then yells, "Fucking Meteors just cost me $50" The Warlockz member just stands up and starts to yell at the Comet in Spanish. The two eventually devolve into an argument, which looks like is about to turn violent when The Pack of Fenrir member slams his fist on the table and says in a thick, cockeny accent," Hey Lopez, Gonzalez! If yew two don't stop arguing, I'll kick yaaahr asses!
    
     The two lieutenants stop arguing and sit down. Suddenly, the Charon member says in a monotone, emotionless voice," Start. Game. Now." The rest of the lieutenats mumur in agreement and Hammerhead grunts as he hands the cards over to the dealer, who starts to shuffle them and hand them out to the players.

Venom has posed:
Eddie raised a single eyebrow upon hearing about the five game winning streak. Meanwhile, the symbiote continued to stretch out under the table, remaining firmly in contact with him through the clothes, which he had perfectly positioned so that he would remain in constant contact with the table, and the tendrils took on the appearance and texture of the table, adding slowly but surely to the rim. Just enough that it could 'see' the expected cards. In effect, he had added around a millimetre to the circumference of the table. Of course, you can only play the hand you're dealt, so Eddie doesn't bet much, folding easily.

Hammerhead has posed:
The game went on for awhile, and besides Brock's cheating, he ended up losing. The winner was Lawrence, the smug Tornado from earlier. He laughs smugly and starts to gather up the chips and says," And my winning streak continues. See you next week gentlemen?" The rest of the mem mumble to themselves in annoyance. As the Tornado leaves the room, you can see him wink to the dealer, perhaps he bribed the delar to help him win?

Venom has posed:
With the game lost, the symbiote retracts. Knowing what other people had really helped Eddie, but in the end, it's the cards you're dealt, not the skill. Skill can go a long way, not that Eddie has significant skill with the cards, but it wasn't his day. As he gets up, to theoretically take 'Natalie' home, at one point he cuddles in to her, whispering, "can my other eat him?" Though it's said in a joking tone, and as he pulls back a little, she can see the smile and wink, "can't win them all, Natalie. Come on, let's go home. Just, don't play any Abba on the drive." As in, the winner takes it all.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Her pout is adorable. Natalie is so disappointed for Eddie as she cuddles him close and they head for the door, much poorer than when they entered.

She does catch the wink at the dealer and that makes her frown a little.

Of course, it was for information gathering and they did that in spades. Just getting in but then all the chatter at the table during the gameplay. She had a lot of report writing in her future.

"Who?" she asks as they disappear out the door, moving through the casino and exiting while managing to not blow their cover.