9619/Greetings from the Ghostly Goblin

Greetings from the Ghostly Goblin
Date of Scene:	17 October 2019
Location:	Kingsbridge, The Bronx
Synopsis:	Black Widow and Venom face the Ghostly Goblin
Cast of Characters:	Venom, Black Widow (Romanoff)

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Venom has posed:
The bursts of fire rose high into the air, their noise crackling against the night sky. Eddie Brock had been in Kingsbridge, up in the Bronx, and he knew nothing except to head towards the noise and lights. He had been browsing at the Fisk Plaza Shopping Centre, and had actually bought something, which he kept in a crimson red bag. He quickly webbed up the bag, so that its contents wouldn't fall out, and his clothing came to life, enveloping him until Eddie Brock was replaced with the sight of Venom. Because he was on the ground, and the noise had been coming from only a few blocks over, he ran. It would take too long to climb up the buildings and get into the air.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Her job was to keep an eye on Eddie, when she was able to do so. Natasha had other work but this seemed to be important for SHIELD at the moment. Thus, she was doing exactly that. She hadn't followed him into the shopping center, just remained out of the way, a little down the block, seated on the black motorcycle. Her costume and helmet blended in, making her just another rider on the street.

At the noise, her head snapped in that direction and she fired up the motor on her bike. A glance back to the shopping center just in time to see Eddie become the symbiote Venom. Then he was running past her in the direction of the noise. She wasn't as fast as he on foot, thus she slammed on the gas and quickly followed him.

Venom has posed:
When Venom arrived, there was panic in the street, with people running this way and that. A few were trapped by fire, huddling up against some rubble, nowhere to run, and too scared to stay. There was a man, on some kind of a contraption. It had bat-like wings, though the figure was dressed up more like a reject from a Renaissance Fair, though the oddest thing was that he was smoking. There wasn't fire emanating from him, but it was almost as if his clothes had some kind of built in fog machine. And if one were to take a good look at him, he would appear to be phasing, almost ethereal. He hurled another of his projectiles, this time against the cornered people.

"Nooooo!" Came a cry from Venom, as he leapt in front of it, taking the full brunt of the bomb. He screamed. Fire was particularly difficult for the symbiote, so much so that it seemed to ooze partially on him. He even looked like he had become burnt by it. Wincing, he tried to stand up again, but taking a pumpkin-like bomb chest on was a lot for anyone. Still, he managed to fire off a webline, which missed the glider.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As Venom protected the people, Natasha was focused on the hovering bad guy. Anyone throwing fire bombs had earned that title. Pumpkin fire bombs were particularly offensive since it was October.

She knew him being in the air gave him an advantage, one she was not comfortable with. She fired a line as she gunned the motor on the bike, allowing her to send the bike skidding away as the line caught and yanked her skywards due to the momentum.

The backswing was the important part. She twisted her body around, facing toward the hovering figure, and hoping to tackle him physically off the batwing contraption.

Venom has posed:
Some people, who had lacked the good sense to get out of there, caught the Black Widow doing her thing. She was impressive, though none of the few people doing the amateur paparazzing, got a good angle, none got her face, but still, that'd be appearing later tonight on the news, if S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't find some way of blocking it.

Venom coughed up some blood, and was already recovering. Not fully, but enough that he could get up, and try and direct the people who had been cornered to safety. The symbiote was screaming to him, 'it burns, it burns!' Fire was one of the two things he hated the most.

The thing about fighting someone who wasn't entirely there was that it was hard to tackle them. The Ghostly Goblin phased and the Black Widow went straight through him, leading to Venom leaping up into the air, to catch her.

He wasn't certain she needed it, but with her momentum, it was better to be safe than sorry. So Venom went up to catch her before she sailed towards the concrete brick wall, which bore a mural of some New York Yankees.

As he landed, he coughed some more, having breathed in a lot of smoke, "you're safe, now get out? you?" And he recognised her, letting her down.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Although she would've been able to make the save, Venom feeling she needed help was impressive for him not being a villain. As had been that dive to take the hit instead of innocent people. "I'm like a bad penny. Just keep showing up," she murmured to him as he held her easily. She eyed the bad guy.

"We need to time it when he solidifies to throw a pumpkin. That's the only chance we'll have to hit him. Which means one of us needs to draw his fire and I'm less succeptible to flames than you are, Venom."

Venom has posed:
"A lucky penny," he corrected, looking a bit better with every passing moment. He would still require time to recover, especially with what he was thinking of doing, but he disagreed with her not being susceptible to incendiaries. It wasn't just the fire, but also the explosion and shrapnel when the bombs went off. "Be ready," he said, and with that, he shot web line, getting up some height, "is that all you got?" He was making himself a target, purposefully moving slow enough to give it a better chance.

A chance that the Ghostly Goblin would take. Cackling as if part of some private joke, it turned on the glider, which seemed to have been stolen or reverse engineered from the Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Grey Goblin, or whatever other goblins there are about. From the pouch, he pulled out another pumpkin bomb, and flung it right at Venom, just as he swung in the direction of it. It didn't have to hit him. It exploded in the air, close enough to him, and once again, he took the brunt of an incendiary device.

He fell, awkwardly to the ground, liking breaking a bone or two, as the symbiote chided in his head, 'the things we do for you? and the innocent'. Both were willing to die to protect the innocent shoppers. In the chaos of it all, he had misplaced his bag, which was still wrapped in spider-like webbing. If he survived, he'd likely lock himself up in his apartment for a week after all this.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She fires her line to get to a better angle, a twist of the wrist having the line retract and draw her upwards. Mentally, she is cursing Venom. Outwardly, she'd cold as ice, not looking concerned or stressed by the fact they are fighting a phantom bad guy who could phase out and back into reality. Who was throwing bombs at people.

As Venom drew his attention, she waited for that moment when he draw the pumpkin and prepared to fire. He would need to go solid to fling it properly.

At the moment he did, she fired a double Widow's Bite at the Goblin.

Venom has posed:
Things were timed well, and the Ghostly Goblin took the double Widow's bites, being knocked back, though the glider was more like skies, in that his feet were locked in somehow. It sent him in an odd spiral. Either because of the bites, or because of the vertigo from that spiral, but the Ghostly Goblin seemed to black out. The really curious thing was that it must have had some sort of a heart rate monitor, as at a certain point, the glider changed path, seemingly without direction from the Goblin. It righted itself and began to rise up, before trying to make a hasty escape. It must have been programmed for if its rider was unconscious.

Meanwhile, Venom was doing his best to get his breath back, going into a bit of a fight with the symbiote. "We had to do it," he said aloud, and the symbiote, in his head, suggested, 'like hell. We could have burned alive. We should have wrapped a piece of ourselves around some debris like a scarecrow!' An incredulous tone in his voice, "we can do that?" 'Yes! We're bonded and you still never listen. No wonder things ended with Anne.' It just went on like that, all while Venom was coughing up blood and trying to rest up for a moment.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As the Goblin made his getaway, Natasha released her line so she fell rapidly to the ground below, having it pull up at the last second. A flick and it retracted again into her wrist bands as she moved over to Venom.

"That was stupid. Was that both of you or just one?" she demanded as she considered how to do field treatment on something she didn't understand. She should've taken some of Jemma's alien biology lessons or something. "From that height and the blood, guessing some broken bones at the least. Maybe a punctured lung? Can you tell me how to help?" Because otherwise she might be making a phone call for someone that can.

Venom has posed:
"It was him," Venom said, and the symbiote screamed in his head, 'liar', before Venom added, "or maybe it was me, us, I don't know anymore." It was then that a little girl, a redhead, like Black Widow, with her hair in braids, came up to them, "sir, you dropped this."

Only for her mother to scream, "Kelly!" And rush over to grab her back. But by then the little girl had handed the webbed up bag to Venom. Even as the mother was thanking them, she was chiding her daughter. Hoisting Kelly up into her arms and walking away, Kelly could see as the badly hurt Venom gave her a thumb's up.

"I heal, pretty quickly. Just need to get home. Order a pizza. Maybe Chinese. Do you like Chinese?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As the little girl was taken away by her mother, Natasha frowned a bit at the woman's back then focused again on Venom. He might look like a monster, had even done bad things in the past, but right now they were alive because of him. That had to count for something.

"Yeah, but not sure you are going to be getting back there easily. I can call for a transport. You sure you don't want me to take you to a medlab? Not SHIELD since I don't want you to feel like you are being taken into custody, although they would help you. Maybe Avengers Mansion."

Venom has posed:
"No, no Medlab!" He called out, concern. He didn't like to be locked up. Doctors always wanted to separate him from the symbiote, and they seemed to know how. "besides, I live in Morrisania." She likely knew that, since she had 'accidentally' ran into him at a gym only a block or two away from his home, while pretending to be Natalie. It was tough to trust S.H.I.E.L.D., especially while he was hurt. The Avengers, well, less worry, especially if she were vouching for him. His home was closer than Central Park, though how would he explain the transport to his neighbours? "M? maybe it's the fire," the symbiote says in his head, 'don't use that word!', "talking, but I trust you. I don't know why, but I do."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Because I'm not your enemy," Natasha points out. "Just because I work for SHIELD doesn't mean that we are after you. That should be obvious from my assignment to observe and report, not taken you down." Not like she probably could to be honest but that objective could've been on the table with the agency she worked for. Yet, it wasn't.

"I'll just get the transport so we can get you to your house instead. I don't want either of you feeling uncomfortable." She tapped her ear, activating the comm unit there. "Need a medical transport..." she started, giving her location and the need for a quiet transport. No lights and sirens. In fact when it showed up, it was a non descript flower delivery van. Until the back doors opened to a fully stocked emergency services vehicle with two paramedics in the back.

Venom has posed:
Eddie didn't do much to hide, so when the vehicle came, and once he was inside, he would revert back to his Eddie persona. And now that was a neat thing. His clothing changed to be bandages wrapped around his chest, and right shoulder. He also appeared to be wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt which had the picture of a tarantula, which was holding up a sign that read, 'free hugs'. "Thanks, Natasha."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Thank you, Eddie. And Venom." She made sure to acknowledge both, since they weren't even sure who was responsible here. "Those people would've died if not for you. That won't be forgotten."

Venom has posed:
Eddie nodded his head, carefully, as it kind of hurt. He was in a lot of pain, but he didn't wince. It was only that his body language explained it that she, and any paramedic who might be there, would notice it. "Don't worry about it," and then, he reached for the bag that he had webbed up. With his webbing, there was no easy way to get it open, so he had to grip it and rip it apart, the webbing that is. The crimson red bag was no visible, with the webbing falling to the ground. He held it out for her, "not how I planned, but, for you."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That earned an arch of a brow as Natasha took the package. She glanced at the paramedics, who were eyeing it like it might be a pumpkin bomb. "You didn't need to get me something, Eddie." Then she focused on the package to open the red bag carefully and see what was inside it.

Venom has posed:
Yeah, it wasn't how he planned, but in the state he was in, he was liable to forget it in the van, or not get another chance to give it to her. Strike while the iron's hot and all that. Inside the bag, there was a bubble bath set, salts, body butter, those sorts of things, as well as a small white fluffy teddy bear, wearing a red shirt, with white writing. It said 'I like you more than chocolate.' Alas, Eddie seemed to have passed out on the gurney, so he didn't get to see her reaction.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The contents bring a smile to her face. She was one of the many women who enjoyed a long, hot bath with bubbles or salts. Things to spoil herself. It helped with aches and pains too so there was a reason for it, or so she tried to tell herself. Other than it was just plain enjoyable.

The teddy was pulled out and she shook her head, turning to say something to him then realizing he had passed out. She eyed the shirt on the bear, touching the words as she frowned a bit. Then she looked back to Eddie. "Venom, are you still awake in there? If so, was this from you...or him?"

Venom has posed:
Eddie's eyes were shut, and he seemed to be laying there as the disguised ambulance drove them back towards his apartment in Morrisania. No siren was going as it was trying to keep things on the low down. Besides, he would heal, he just needed time and rest.

Her words made him stir a bit, moving on the gurney, not really hearing the first part, but maybe have heard the last part. Without even opening his eyes, he murmured, "both" in the way that people can sometimes answer questions while awake, but not really alert.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Rest. We'll have you home soon." Natasha brushes her hand over his hair to smooth it back, a reassuring gesture since he isn't really conscious, despite answering the question.

The rest of the trip is uneventful then they pull up at his apartment building. Once there, it is a quick matter of getting him into the building and up to his apartment without any witnesses. Thankfully easier than it seems when one of the paramedics is a low level telepath who just tells everyone nearby to not be looking their direction. SHIELD cheats.

Once in his apartment, she had the paramedics move Eddie to his own bed. Then she gave them a list of things to go get, to be sure that there was plenty of chocolate and other munchies on hand (though no human brains) for the man and symbiote when they awoke.

Venom has posed:
Eddie was one of those people who alternated between being a clean freak, and a slob. He liked when everything was in its place, and it was neat and tidy. But sometimes he'd just toss things onto a table, and leave it, only for more things to build up, until he had to spend some serious time sorting everything.

The net result is that his carpet is meticulously clean, recently vacuumed. His kitchen is spotless. Dishes are done, or a few in a dishwasher, not ready to start it until more dishes are used and loaded in. His laundry is done, or in a small basket.

And yet, there is a desk, where he's been researching some things that look like a total disaster, with papers half strewn over top of other papers, some memory cards still plugged into readers, which are plugged into his computer. There are receipts, kept in case he needs them.

His apartment was a duplex, entering onto the top level, but had a second lower level. The upper floor had the kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and master bedroom. The living room and bedroom both had a great view of the park below. The lower floor had a washer and dryer, stacked vertically, and two bedrooms, one which was being used as a home gym, and the other as an office. The office also has a door to a faux backyard, which had artificial grass, a couple of chairs, and a table.

All in all, it was a pretty good apartment for an escaped convict, even if it was in a poorer area of the Bronx. The complex was a new development, only a couple of years old. It even had the look of fresh paint. Everything was just too good. Clearly he cared about his place. It was also registered in the name of an Edmund Brockman. Clearly Eddie was in need of spycraft training. He might as well have registered in his own name.

While Eddie was still asleep, a timer in the kitchen dinged. He had been cooking something in the oven; double chocolate brownies. There was even a bowl of icing, seemingly handmade, in the fridge, ready to be applied.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha had made the rounds through the house. She considered the stuff on the desk, flipping through a few pages to try to figure out what he was working on. She managed to resist getting into his computer and drives, to see what was there. She was just supposed to be making sure he didn't eat the wrong people, not pry into every aspect of his life.

Back through the rest of the house and to the bedroom, checking him again. The paramedics had cleaned him up while in the ambulance. It was just a matter of time now, for the symbiote to do what it did for the man.

Back to the living room where she sat down, finding the remote and flicking on the tv. Thus began the channel surfing as she tried to find something on.

DING!

Her hand come up pointing at the kitchen, Glock at the ready. Wait, the oven probably didn't need to be shot. She rose to her feet, wandering that direction. It took a moment to find the oven mitt but she managed to take out the brownies and set them on the top of the stove to start cooling. A check of the fridge, she spotted the icing, then she head back to the living room for one of two things to happen: Brownies to cool or Eddie to wake up.

Venom has posed:
Stirring, Eddie found himself in bed. Someone had tucked him under the covers. It took him a moment to remember what had happened. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he wasn't sure how long he'd been out. As he re-made the bed, he winced as some movements hurt more than others. He instinctively changed his 'clothing' from what he had been wearing, blue jeans and a white t-shirt that had a brown tarantula holding up a sign that read 'free hugs', to making the shirt grey, but keeping the tarantula and its cute little sign.

He also switched the blue jeans to black sweat pants. They were more comfortable. His socks also changed colour, now becoming white. He still had a wardrobe, he still wore clothes, every once in a while, but with the symbiote, it was more habit than need.

Walking out of the bedroom, he was surprised to see the door closed. Still groggy, he hadn't even noticed the television was going. When he emerged, he was surprised to see the Black Widow sitting on his grey three seat couch, watching something or other. "Uh, thanks," he said, a little uncertain of what was going on. The symbiote added in his head, 'she watched over us. You should thank her for staying'. "I did," he repeated to himself, then explain, "I mean, thanks for coming back here, and watching."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Glancing up from the old black and white movie she had on, Natasha gave him a nod. "No problem. Just wanted to make sure that you woke up. I know you said you heal but wasn't sure how long and all that." She stood up, setting the remote on the table by the couch then walking over to look at him critically. "You sure you should be standing up yet? Go sit. I'll get you a hot brownie. Tell me you have some vanilla ice cream?" she asked as she headed to the kitchen. It took opening a few drawers and cabinets but she found two bowls and spoons, a knife and a scoop if there was ice cream. Then she started cutting the still warm brownies and put one in each bowl.

Venom has posed:
"I do, but it'll be a while yet before I'm back to?" and he inclined his head as he said "normal, or as normal as it gets for me." He moved further in, taking a seat on the three seat couch, the corner opposite of where she had been sitting. "The Maltese Falcon?" He said, recognising the film, "that's a great one." He liked film noir. "No vanilla, but some cookies and cream."

Everything seemed to have a bit of chocolate. Being bound to a being with a sweet tooth that could gobble up all those calories was a wonderful thing. Eddie could eat all the chocolate he wanted and never gain a pound. It was all going to the symbiote, and that energy would be quickly spent on other matters.

He paused the film for her while she was busy in the kitchen, uncertain whether or not she had seen it before. When she returned, he thanked her again as she handed him the bowl and their fingers met. "From both of us, thank you."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Thank you," Natasha responded as she felt their fingers brush while she handed over the bowl. The ice cream was scooped on top of the brownie, already melting from the heat of the fresh baked good. While it wouldn't be as good as vanilla, no doubt it would still be yummy.

"You saved people, helped me, may have even saved my skin out there. I won't forget that," Natasha says with a smile up at him before motioning to the couch. She settled back where she had been. It might seem a bit odd, a fully armed SHIELD agent sitting on a couch with an old movie on the screen and a bowl of brownie a la mode.

Venom has posed:
"It was the least I could do," he said, looking a little sheepish about it. "They were innocents. They didn't wake up today, is it still today?" He looked outside, it was dark. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep. "They didn't wake up thinking today I'm going to have some lunatic throw a grenade my way." He didn't seem to mention how he might have saved her life. He was pretty sure she could have taken care of herself. He had heard rumours about the Black Widow, or Black Widows. The rumours went back longer than she had been alive, as far as he knew, so it had to be a code name handed down or something. "Vanilla's your favourite, huh? I'll have to make sure that there's some in the freezer... for next time?" Maybe he was a little too hopeful there. And then he coughed, though was it intentional to save himself, or from the damage to his lungs from the fire?

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"My favorite ice cream is Rocky Road," Natasha admits as she digs into her bowl with the spoon. "Vanilla is just the best choice with a hot brownie or even apple pie. Though a good cinnamon works on apple pie too, but it is harder to find. Usually specialty shops, not grocery stores." She takes a bite and chews, swallowing before she continues speaking.

"So if you have hot brownies, have vanilla." SHe considered the tv then looked back over at him with another smile. "I have to admit the idea of you baking never crossed my mind."

Venom has posed:
Eddie was making mental notes of this. Rocky Road is her favourite ice cream. Vanilla is best for brownie and apple pie. Try and find some cinnamon ice cream from a specialty shop. He digs into his brownie and cookies and cream ice cream, enjoying it. He licks at his lips. "There's a lot about me that you don't know? no matter how detailed your files are." The symbiote, thinking that it is a safe environment, even produces a face, emerging from him. It does it slowly enough so as not to make her go for that glock. It even tries to give her a smile, though with the teeth it has, well, cute is not a word that comes to mind. It then adds in a gravelly voice, "I like Tripolitan Triple Chocolate ice cream. I also like to dip tater tots in chocolate fudge." At this, Eddie seems to shrug, "yeah, my life has been... different for a long time now."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Although she tries not to show it, Natasha finds herself a bit non plussed by the portion of symbiote separating from the man, turning into a second head on a black tendril. Okay, that's freaky. Completely and utterly freaky. When it tries to smile, it really only makes the freaky a bit worse.

"I...have never tried that," she says carefully, not sure what to make if it. "Though I have dipped french fries in a chocolate milkshake before so kind of the same thing in some ways."

She finds herself looking from symbiote to man and back. "How does it...feel? To be joined like that?" she asks curiously.

Venom has posed:
Whether Eddie or the symbiote noticed her reaction, neither one of them shows the slightest hint of change in their demeanour. The symbiote will retract back into him, disappearing. "Oh, you should. It's kind of like an easier version of a chocolate covered Mars bar," refrencing the Scottish ahem, delicacy. "You can coat almost anything in chocolate. Pineapple. Potato chips. Peanut butter. Things that start with letters other than P."

But he remembers her question about how it feels. Turning more serious, he said, "it took some getting used to. You reacted to seeing me, way better than I did. But it needs a host, and I want to live. I have cancer. Terminal. I should have died years ago. But something about its physiology can keep the cancer in check. It's not getting better, but it's not getting worse either. Every time... they separated us, it got worse. Last time it broke me out was to save me from dying in prison."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I have heard chocolate covered bacon is wonderful. Never been brave enough to try it though," Natasha admits. A strange thing to not be willing to try considering she's willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with gods and powered heroes despite being human. Well, human plus. She has a few goodies such as her lack of aging and peak physical conditioning. But in essence, she is still human.

As the symbiote withdraws, she focuses back on Eddie. "That's amazing really. That it can beat back cancer like that. I know that neither of you wants to be experimented on but if that could somehow be turned into a way to treat cancer for others, wouldn't that be amazing? No, I'm not suggesting either of you go turn yourselves in for such things. It's just a general thought on that aspect of it's powers."

Venom has posed:
The symbiote begins to speak to him, speaking faster than it usually does. "Hey, slow down," then looking to Natasha, "him, not you." He was listening to a multitude of reasons why that's a bad idea. "Wow, well, uh, I'm going to need him to say that back to me, slowly, so I can type it all out. But, the point is, it's not recommended." Then, he gets up, perhaps a little too fast, as he immediately seems a bit dizzy, "do you trust me?" He asks, offering a hand to her.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As he gets up too fast and wavers, she is on her feet ready to help try to catch him. Which would be quite a feat since he is much larger than she is, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't try.

Is that a trick question? Natasha considers a moment, tilting her head as she regarded him. She could tell he wasn't meaning her any harm. It was obvious in his posture, the body language giving away things that a voice might not. Yet, the other half of him was not so easy to read, even were it visible. It was alien, in such a way as to be inscrutible even to her highly trained skills.

"I trust you," she says finally, looking at that hand and reaching out to take it. She's not sure what trust has to do with it...

Venom has posed:
"All right then, I'll get the chocolate fondue going, if you can cook up the bacon. Afterwards, we could watch Kingsmen. Have you seen that? I'd love to know how close it is to your real work?" He began, carefully at first, but he really was in a bad way. Two grenades to the chest in one night would do that to you, even if you do have a symbiote working overtime to try and repair the damage. That might have been why the symbiote was quieter, for the most part.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"No," Natasha says as she grins a little at his sudden decision for their night. "You will sit back down and relax. Watch whatever you want. I just wanted to be sure you were going to be okay. However, another night we will do chocolate covered bacon and watch the movie, alright? I can give you the inside scoop," she says with another smile. She puts her hands gently on his shoulders, trying to urge him back down to a seated position.

"You need to recover first before we do anything else. There's time."

Venom has posed:
He could be impulsive, but now he wanted chocolate covered bacon. The symbiote even asked, 'so, we aren't getting chocolate covered bacon?' Which made it difficult for Eddie to answer that, "uh, I guess? so." But was that to her, or to the symbiote. Maybe he was going to make chocolate covered bacon after she left, if she were leaving. The smiles and the hands on his shoulders did not go unnoticed. He thought about asking about the gift, not even remembering if he gave it to her or not. He decides to be diplomatic, "all right, um, say, did you see a dark red shopping bag around here?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"It's on the counter over there," Natasha points out where she had left is sitting, closest to the door. "So I don't forget it on the way out. I really like it. Thank you though you didn't need to buy me a gift."

Hearing the answer, she wondered about the other question then waved him down. "I will take care of it all. Just talk me through where stuff is after I get the bacon cooked." Off to the kitchen she went, finding a pack of bacon in the fridge and then a pan. She began peeling off strips to add to the pan as she continued to speak to him. "I'm only doing this because you are injured. Don't get used to it. I asked the symbiote when you were unconscious if the shirt on the teddy was from you or it. It said both. Or you said both. One of you said it."

Venom has posed:
"I'm glad you like it,"he said a little too enthusiastically, and moved, wincing at probably a broken rib or two. Pausing a moment, he said, "I'm kind of out of practice. Just... wanted to... you know." He reached up, scratching the back of his head. Seemed that arm and side was fine. He took a seat on the couch, calling out to her as she did the same. "I picked the teddy bear, it chose the phrase we got stitched onto it. It was a group effort." Then in a quieter voice, he said to the symbiote, "seems we're getting chocolate covered bacon after all tonight." The symbiote added, 'and great company too.' Eddie repeated it, "and great company too, right."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Once the bacon was started, Natasha turned to the counter so she could look at him and speak more easily. The trick to bacon was low and slow so this could take a little bit. Some people liked to heat it up fast and with high fire but that just tended to end up with burned bacon or uneven cooking in her experience. Thus, she was doing it this way.

"The night at the Chinese restaurant, when we were playing a couple. you put your hand on my backside. Or he did from what I understood. You seemed surprised he liked humans. And now the phrase on the shirt has me wondering. Has he never expressed an attraction for humans before? Or was or is that attraction for him?"

Venom has posed:
"When we were playing a couple," he repeated, thinking about the night. It was a nice time. Even if she did reveal herself to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Avenger, spy, and all that it entailed. "Uh," he stammered, a little surprised by the line of questioning, and how to answer it.

"Well, I guess... how to explain this?" He was thinking aloud, even if to her it might have sounded like he was asking the symbiote. "Since we bonded, my other hasn't expressed an attraction for humans. Well, for me. He likes me. Not like that, I don't think. Uh... the way I think about it. It's like having a, well, you know how in movies, there's the guy in the chair?"

"Someone..." and then it dawns on him. "Forget I said that. You know how you have an organisation that can provide weapons, armour, intelligence, advice. I sort of have that. Except on a far more personal level. And he's always with me. The ultimate wingman, I guess. And... I've had a bit of experience with symbiotes. You probably know. They, I think, I mean, they seem to augment whatever's already there. Whatever you are, it just brings out the best of it. One turned Cletus Kasady into Carnage." He shrugged his shoulders. "Before all this, I was a reporter."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The fact he is babbling is a bit amusing to Natasha. She continues to lean on that counter so she can watch him during the conversation though. Probably the weirdest thing in the world, a fully armed Black Widow in the kitchen.

"So the hand was because of you, not the symbiote. You had been surprised when he did that. Does he do things often and surprise you? Without you being the one to make the decision?"

Like when the symbiote texted Natalie because he wouldn't. It may seem innocent questioning but it is information gathering at the same time. Intel on the symbiote and how 'controlled' it actually is. She turns back to the stove to flip the bacon.

Venom has posed:
Even if she was being really cool about all this, he was trying to be honest with her, even if it was really hard to explain. Well, it wasn't that hard to explain, but it felt hard, since it was anything but normal. He kept stuttering and stammering as he listened and talked to him. "I-I think the hand was because of my other, but it thought, I guess knew... sorry about that, but that I wanted to, you know, I wanted the hand. It was trying to help me. Plus, it did help our cover. I think. My other has a mind of its own, sometimes it's really talkative, other times it just likes to sit back and I don't know, enjoy the ride."

"It can fight with me for control, but we found a balance, and now work together; most of the time. It... it's from another world. It doesn't always get, or agree, with uh, social norms. It either didn't know, or didn't care, that it was inappropriate. Or it thought maybe you'd like it. I don't know. I can hear it, I can ask it, but I can't like, read it's mind. I only know what it says, in my head. But I don't think it can read my mind, just my words. Like, as if I were wearing an ear bud. Only I can hear it, but it can hear everything."

He really was rambling, but he liked her. "Bottom line, I'm its host. It wants me to be happy." At which point the symbiote finally pipes up, 'but not too happy.' And Eddie laughed at that, "uh, it told me not that happy."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Once the bacon was flipped, she went ahead and plugged in the fondue pot. Multiple chunks of chocolate were thrown in but she didnt' turn it on yet. It wouldnt' take long for the chocolate to melt but it would take a bit for the bacon to cool for them to be able to dip it properly.

She took a moment to get a plate, line it with paper towels, so she'd be able to place the bacon there to drain once it was ready. She turned back to the counter to continue their talk. "Had to take a lot of getting used to." Seems the hand on her butt was not something she really wanted to talk about as much as the motives. It did help sell the cover and that is what mattered. "Now that's an odd statement. Why not too happy? Is there a problem with too happy? Or should I speak to it directly? Should I say it or him? I want to be proper."

Venom has posed:
Eddie got up, he shouldn't have, but at least this time he didn't limp as much. Moving towards the kitchen, where he could take a seat at a counter. This way, he could look at her, though when she turned her back to him, he got a view of the thing she didn't want to talk about, and the weapons strapped to her body. She was a dangerous woman, in any situation, but far more so when heavily armed.

Then slowly, he became Venom. He remained seated there. "We were joking. We like Eddie. We want what's best for him. He needs a lot of work, but we will make something out of him. We are sorry if we upset you. What would you like to know?" It was an open invitation to get information from the source.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Turning around to find the hulking Venom sitting on that little barstool made her smirk a little bit. She couldn't help herself. It just seemed...precarious at best.

The most interesting secret one might learn about Natasha? It wasn't her past. It wasn't her age. It was that, no matter the situation, she was always armed.

"Well, first and foremost. You're Venom. You are what we call a symbiote, joined to a host to allow both of you to survive. Unlike a parasite that would only take but not give back." She doesn't realize the P word is bad but the fact she agrees he isn't one Might help matters. "Should I call you he or it? You have features we would consider masculine but is that because your host is?"

Venom has posed:
Some find Venom to be terrifying. But if he's not being attacked, not having people scream at him, try to set him on fire, use sonics against him, and not having anyone do anything bad around him, he's basically a pussycat. An incredibly large, imposing pussycat, but he is still a pussycat at heart. He is surprisingly amiable.

It was good at that she didn't call him a parasite, but she still brought it up. His body language suggested something had bothered him, even if he didn't react physically to it. "We do not like that word." It was pretty obvious that he meant parasite, as he twitched the moment she mentioned it, even if she said unlike before.

"Our species take on the features of our hosts, both past and present. They influence us. The longer we are bound to a single host, the more we become like them. We refer to ourselves in the plural. We have bonded to Eddie Brock. We are one. But we only do so when," and he gestured to his face, figure, in other words, when changed. "The rest of the time, Eddie refers to himself as he has taught us is human custom. He means no disrespect. If you must refer to us separate from Eddie, he, it, they, or Eddie's other are acceptable."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Alright. I may switch from he to it sometimes and I didn't want to cause offense. As I did with that word. I will try to refrain from using it around you again." Parasite was out of the Venom Dictionary. It was interesting that it didn't like the word though. Food for thought later.

Visually, he is pretty frightening. But Natasha knew there was more than meets the eye. She didn't judge books by their covers. She'd learned better a long time ago. "So you will become more like Eddie as time goes by. But if you had a female host, you would be exhibiting more feminine attributes. Interesting." She turned to take the bacon out of the pan onto the paper towels to dry. The pan was moved to a cool burner so the bacon fat would cool down. The burner was turned off. She flicked on the fondue pot where it sat on the counter, so the chocolate could start melting.

"So while speaking to you, technically both of you are there. I'm not just speaking to Venom but also to Eddie, though he may be letting you take the lead right now."

Venom has posed:
"You do not offend us, Natasha Romanova. We like you. We like you so much that we are going to tell you something that we had not even told Eddie Brock yet. We are technically... a parasite, according to your dictionaries. But we are so much more. We are a Viscous Ectosymbiotic Neuroactive Obligate Mutualist. We are Venom." Funny, so Venom was actually an acronym, who would have thought that?

"Had we bonded with you, or any other human woman, we would take on more feminine characteristics. Yes, you speak with both of us. But the other is... taking point, right now."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Well, between you and me? We'll stick with symbiote." Natasha decides. She brings over the plate of bacon. It'll still be too hot to dip in the chocolate, but it is munchable if he wanted a piece.

Another turn back to the cabinets to find two small plates which she pulled out before closing the door. Then a grab for two paper towels and she brought it all over to the counter. She did pick up a piece of bacon herself and took a bite of it. Chewing thoughtfully, she considered Venom a bit. "If..you are supplied enough chocolate, you would never need whatever it is in the human brain that is needed for your continued survival? Is there anything else that works as a substitute?"

Venom has posed:
The symbiote looked to the bacon, and the chocolate fondue fountain. Deciding to wait until he could coat it in chocolate, Venom watched her take a piece and begin chewing. "We... guess." The look on its face. It was like a child being told that they couldn't have their favourite meal every night. Those eyes, were rather expressive against the black of its face. And then he decided to revert back to Eddie, as watching Venom eat was not for the faint of heart.

"I think it's phenethylamine. It's in a lot of foods. Has something to do with the nervous system. Which makes sense when you think about what a symbiote is. Though," and he takes a piece of bacon sans chocolate, munching on it before adding, "um, it also likes... uh, chickens, as long as you know, they aren't dead." He had been living with the symbiote for some time now. And he still wasn't used to its dietary habits. "Look, I'm doing the best I can, okay?" He felt so sheepish right now. Even his cheeks were turning red. He was actually blushing.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That earnead a tilte of the head from Natasha. The shift back was watched without any sort of emotional reaction. She needed at the theory for what it might be then shook her head at his reaction. "I'm positive you are. I'm just curious if there is a way to curb that. If it can't be, it's good information to have and to be sure there is a steady diet of the bad ones only." She continued to nibble her bacon. Another five minutes and it should be cool enough for dipping.

Venom has posed:
"I'm... we're... willing to give it a try." He was still not certain of her motives, why was she being so nice to him, so understanding, so accepting. She had told him multiple times that she wasn't out to get him, to send him back to prison. She seemed to be genuinely trying to help him. He just, life had given him many reasons to be wary. He chewed another piece of bacon, but wanted the chocolate. He kept eyeing the fountain. "It's a weird situation to be in." He had... been partially responsible for so many deaths. And even if he was putting up a good face, it never got any easier for him. He was still struggling to cope with it.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Seeing his body language, the slightest of tension though he was hiding it well, Natasha picked up another piece of bacon. She considered a moment then just dunked it right into the melted chocolate. Pulling it out, she let the chocolate drip a moment before it stayed in place enough for her to bring it over to above her plate. Eyeing it curiously before looking Eddie in the eyes.

"I'm not going to give you all the details. But let me assure you. Not all good guys were always good guys. For example? Me."

She took a bite of the chocolate covered bacon and chewed thoughtfully. "Actually not bad at all. Huh." Another look at the treat in her hand like it was an alien. Then she focused on Eddie. "I was an operative for Russia for many years. Espionage, assassination. Still working on getting the red out of my ledger. Just telling you so you realize, you can make a choice. It's all up to you though."

Venom has posed:
Eddie watched her be the guinea pig. He had never tried chocolate covered bacon before, though he had tried a number of things covered in chocolate, just not bacon. He nodded along, his eyebrows rising when she admitted that she was not always a good guy. He understood what she was doing, and it helped, but the reporter in him knew to raise a point, "whatever you did, you did for your country, and to make the world a better place. It wasn't just you. You had superiors. I... we... what we did, do, is play judge, jury, and executioner." And did he just admit to crimes? He didn't care. He was getting emotional. It was quite the strain on him.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Calm down. You are making a lot of assumptions," Natasha points out as she takes another bite of the bacon. A quick chew and swallow. Then she continues. "I was given assignments. How I performed them? That was up to me. I didn't always choose the easy way either," she added since he seemed to be trying to paint her in a good light.

She sat down the last bite of bacon, which had barely any chocolate, and wiped her hands. Then she took a moment and closed her eyes. Venom might sense it. Somewhere inside something shifted. When Natasha, her eyes were as cold as a Siberian winter. "It didn't matter who they were. If they were in the way of my mission, they were eliminated. Soldiers. Civilians. People who just turned a corner at the wrong time and saw my face. No regrets and I slept like a baby every night."

Then she tilts her head and a blink of the eyes. The Widow was gone and Natasha was back. Not that they were two entities but she could compartmentalize if she needed to. "So." Her tone was conversational again as she picked up the last bit of her bacon. "Don't stress the past and instead focus on the future. You both get to decide what are you going to do and be. It's that simple, no matter how much guilt you feel. It's just more if you don't change it." She shrugs and pops that last bite in her mouth, wipes her hand again and takes her plate to the sink to rinse before loading it in the dishwasher.

Venom has posed:
Eddie had become so involved in the conversation that he had yet to try any bacon dipped in chocolate. He watched her, sensing a shift, subtle as it might be, before she turned back. He began to understand how scary she could be. He took in a deep breath, continuing to listen, nodding his head along the way. When she was done, and got up to clean the plate, it was only then that he tried to dip the bacon in the chocolate. The first bite, it was heaven. It was exquisite. The second was even better. Without making a pig out of himself, he would quickly work through the remaining bacon. He loved bacon, he loved chocolate, and he really loved bacon and chocolate together. It was if both Eddie and the symbiote were getting what they wanted.

When he had finished, he tried to get up, shifting his weight, he was still hurt. But he managed to walk it around to place it in the dishwasher. Locking eyes with her, he said, "we want to do better."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Then do it. It won't be easy. Old habits die hard. Sometimes you'll relapse." Which will likely have the reporter in him come up with a dozen follow up questions including had she done so. Natasha kept talking and didn't give him the chance.

"Right now you are being watched by SHIELD but, as long as you are not hurting innocents, they don't really care. They weigh levels on things. They are not above removing obstacles or people that are deemed a threat. So, we watch. Analyze. Decide. If you turn over that leaf? Who knows what doors might open."

She quickly cleaned up everything but the fondue pot. That she would leave in case Venom might want to finish it off like a drink later. Once it was all loaded in the dishwasher, she washed her hands and dried them on a dish towel that was nearby.

"Speaking of doors. Bedroom. Now." She pointed that direction. "You need to go rest. And I have other assignments to check in on and one long report to write about the Goblin situation."

Venom has posed:
The reporter in Eddie had so many questions, but she did not give him the chance. Eddie did take advantage of the opportunity of the chocolate, using a glass to drink it. He did have to reach up to a high cupboard, and winced in grabbing the glass, but he wasn't about to let good chocolate go to waste. It was funny seeing her give him orders like that. First she fed him, and then she marched him off to the bedroom. "Yes ma'am," he said with more of a smile than she probably cared from him right now. But before he headed through that door, he asked, "after I've healed up... could we... uh... you know... patrol... together?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That one caught her off guard. Natasha glanced back over her shoulder, already at the front door and about to open it. She regarded him long seconds then gave a nod. "Sure. You can show me what you can really do."

She unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway.