2020-11-11: Bloody Spider - Gogh and Parker Meet
| Bloody Spider[1] - Gogh and Parker Meet | |
|---|---|
| Gogh and Parker meet in an alley, some non-combat challenges are exchanged | |
| IC Date | November 11th, 2020 |
| IC Time | early morning, shortly after sunrise but before business hours |
| Players | Gogh and Parker |
| Location | An alley off of Comet Street adjacent to Prospect Roasters |
| Spheres | Ananasi & Ratkin |
The alley behind a row of shops, and there are video cameras everywhere. Gogh finds this unacceptable. A dumpster has been tossed open, and the fresh-ish smell from it indicates she may have been rummaging there, but for now, she's swarmed up a drainpipe, balancing easily as she ever so casually adjusts the video camera to face upwards. Right at a nest of birds, in fact, nesting a few floors up!
Parker, continuing her exploration of the city, is in her crawlerling form examining the area around "her" shop - Velvet Dreams. The noise of the dumpster being tossed open registers to all of her parts, all relatively small as spiders are measured, at varying levels of sound determined by the distance between them and the alley. She begins to shift her locations from where they were towards the source of the sound.
Gogh grins, clambering along the wall. She balances with utter adroitness, smooth and neat as she shimmies across thin ledges to the next video camera. It doesn't seem ... damaging? Just shifting all the videos, one by one, staying out of the sight lines. For ... the hell of it, it seems
The spiders that are Parker, or Eyes-in-the-Dark as she is more correctly referred to when not in homid form, begin to concentrate on the walls and the edges of the rooftops around the alley without being so close as to be any more noticeable than the spiders that are always present in the world except to an extremely perceptive person. The young girl climbing along the walls is noticed and avoided by the spiders which are of a mix of species.
One final camera is adjusted, and Gogh sights along it. She gives an approving little grin, about to drop down; then pauses. She looks aback along it, spying a couple of Eyes in the Dark's form, and then a glance around spots ... more of them. Her breathing quickens, and she begins to clamber up, pulling herself up the wall towards the flatter roofs and fire escapes!
As Gogh pulls herself up towards a rooftop she finds herself eye to eye with a slightly larger spider, a tarantula of some species with a tan colored exoskeletal tegument, which scurries away from her hand as it comes down next to where it had been standing. There are other spiders near by and they seem to be getting closer to each other, the "population density" of arachnids in this local proximity is intensifying to the point where any person would notice it although not quite to the point where it would be said that they are carpeting the plain of the rooftop.
There is a hiss, from Gogh, as she flails a hand at the spider, pulling herself up to dart along the rooftop. Or try. She tries to dancer around the spiders, snapping her teeth and flailing at them as she yelps "Fuck off! Ugly buggers!"
The spiders have no difficulty avoiding the flailing hand. The larger one hisses back at Gogh by rubbing two of its legs against each other. The density of spiders increases at the same time as more and more of Eyes' components join the growing mass on the rooftop as she observes this unusual girl who does not have the typical squeamish reaction to arachnids that her "breed" of humans (young women) typically show.
There's a firm hiss as Gogh retreats, but it's with a deliberation, staring at this and that spider wildly. Her movements are sweeping and quick - making sure none of them get the chance to drop on her as she moves along slender ledges without so much as a thought, practically scampering as she's slowly corralled and backed away from the masses of arachnids
The mass of spiders pulls away from the edge of the roof out of the light of sight of Gogh. While unsure about the strange girl, Eyes is fairly confident in the near universal truism that people just don't tend to look up and burns some of her store of blood to instantly shift the strongly concentrated mass of spiders into her Hamid form. Naked at first, ghostly spiders pull themselves out of the torc around her neck and weave an outfit consisting of black Capri pants and a transparent black dress shirt with a black bandeau bra beneath it.
Now actually being Parker, she steps toward the roof edge and says, "You're quite agile," to Gogh without any preamble or warning.
"And you're wearing fucking expensive shit" Gogh hisses, balancing on the edge of the roof without a care in the world as to a misstep. But she continues staring at the woman, shivering and blinking and her hands closing and opening frantically, her breathing quick and her hackles raised "Despite having flashed your tits like a second or two ago"
Parker shrugs. "So I'm a quick change artist," she says dismissively as she crouches down at the edge of the roof supporting herself there on the tips of her toes as she looks down from there towards the mouthy girl. "You're quite perceptive along with that agility you're showing off," she adds.
"Says the woman who's up on the top just as much as I am" The young woman says, rankling a touch at the little patronizing tone "And don't fucking talk down to me!" A foot is stamped. She doesn't seem to worry she might fall. Her eyes keep flicking around, wary and on edge "Who the hell are you? Where did the bugs go?"
Parker nods and hand stands on the edge of the roof then flips down and lands on the ledge Gogh occupies about a foot away from the other young woman. "Geographically accurate, incorrectly assessed for intent," she says, "But fine." Looking at Gogh eye-to-eye as they are the same height, she asks, "Is this any better?" before answering the questions with, "Parker" and "Spiders are not bugs."
Gogh backs up, ratty old sneakers finding purchase easily "Gogh" She mutters "And they're close enough" She says with a sniff "Small, squishy, scuttly. Hide everywhere" SHe shivers a very little "Ain't a fan of webbing. Or of wearing it" She smirks, a finger flashing to point at Parker's silks "I wasn't fucking hurtign anyone. What are you after?"
"Defensive," Parker says with an entirely not unkind laugh. "They went away," she states with candor and then asks, "Who said you were?" She glances around the alley for a moment, her eyes alighting on the cameras in the order Gogh messed with them before saying, "Exploring," and asks, "You?" bluntly turning the inquiry back on Gogh.
"... letting the cameras see something better than the doors" Gogh shrugs "Figured whoever watched 'em would get bored of seeing the same stuff. Have to be better looking at everything else, right?" She glances back, and then drops a floor, grabbing onto the ledge below and keeping her balance - grinning up a challenge to parker
Grinning at the unspoken challenge perceived in the other's actions, Parker hops off the ledge Gogh vacated and catches herself on the next level with her heels after which she relaxes by leaning back against the wall as she crosses her arms beneath her breasts. "They were positioned for a reason," she says without any emotional attachment to Gogh's actions. She then asks, "So... secret, urban gymnast...?" leaving the 'or' unspoken as she lets her question trail off.
"So? They don't need a reason to be shifted. And if people cared, they can set them back" Gogh makes a little face as Parker follows her "Yeah, I'm a fucking ninja. How about you?" She asks tartly, taking a moment and then scrabbling across to the other side of the alleyway, across a slack telephone wire, scampering over it smoothly "You hiring secret urban gymnasts?" And then a soft snicker "Or are you just trying to see them in those sparkly clothes?" A sly smirk and a kick of a scrap of rubble that glances off the wall near Parker
The rubble causes a small shower of brick dust to fall into Parker's hair and across her shoulders. Somehow this does nothing to mar her appearance. She follows Gogh across the slack wire, skipping as a little school girl on her way to an anticipated event. "So you're a ninja," the barefoot brunette says before asking, "Where's your tabi boots? Need a new pair?"
"My what?" Gogh asks, making another face as the spider continues to pursue her. She drops again - just one above street level, now! - catching herself and taking a moment to balance and recover, smirking up again "And you clearly don't have any boots at all. I figured someone like you for cute spike heels. Not good for climbing?"
Parker hops off the ledge and drops to land next to Gogh again, laughing with pleasure at the cat and mouse game the pair are playing at. "I have boots," she says, "Just not with me." She then explains, "Tabi boots and socks... functional Japanese fashion with an intentional split for the hallux. Good for wearing with sandals... or by ninja so they have both foot coverings and access to toe movement." She then looks over Gogh's outfit and asks, "Someone like me?"
"Y'know. Rich. Showy." Gogh says with a grunt. She drops - landing on the edge of the open dumpster in a smooth motion Spider-Gwen would be proud of, perfectly poised as she does "Smug and full of it"
Following Gogh move for move, possibly with a little extra flair tossed iin to put potential truth to the words, Parker lands next to the other woman and says, "Not rich, not poor," and adds, "'Takes one to know one' perhaps," about the smug and showy comments obviously repeating a heard quote rather than saying something truly in character for her to normally say.
And Gogh reaches out to brush her fingers across Parker's clothes, and she raises an eyebrow "Uh huh" She notes, dropping down to floor level and brushing herself down "Notice you dodged half my questions. Anyway, to answer, I'm a ninja for hire" Cheerful "You needing to hire someone, missy?"
Parker jumps down to the ground also and shakes the last of the dust out of her hair which, as it is obviously not spayed in place, some how manages to fall into a new arrangement that looks as if it was styled into that position. "Not right now, Goth," she says, getting the name wrong, and then asks, "But if I did would I contact you?"
Gogh's lip notably curls when Parker gets her name wrong. It's a flash of anger on her face, before her eyebrows raise "Gogh. Not Goth. You're the Goth. I'm not a goth" She says with a wider smirk, verbally pushing and poking "You gotta have style and money for that"
Parker nods at the correction and then shakes her head at the rest of the the statement. "I'm Parker," she says in correction only to then state, "And... yeah, I have style," and asks, "Did you want help in that?" with another glance at Gogh's attire.
Gogh sniffs "I wear what I can, thank you" She notes tartly, adjusting the neat, but rather threadbare clothing. The blouse washed to almost sheer. "Why, what're you offering?" That glowering little suspicion a moment
"Sure," Parker replies off-handedly. Returning to an earlier comment she asks, "Have you been totally honest and forthright with me, Ninja Girl?"
"Sure" Gogh says cheerfully "Never anything but, Bug-out" She says with a little shrug, leaning against the wall "Why? What're you after?"
Parker frowns and shrugs. "Nothing," (right now), she says and thinks to herself. "You're the one with the hangup about attire and being judgemental," she states as she starts to walk down the alley towards the street. She then stops and says, "Oh right, Jordan wouldn't even be there yet so no point going there." She glances back at Gogh and shrugs. "Well, won't be able to get you anything at Velvet Dreams right now," she says.
"Hey, I'm the one who just got *chased by a horde of fucking spiders*" Gogh points out "Something you've *still* not said a goddamn word about, Miss Far-Too-Fucking-Comfortable" She notes with a little huff, folding her arms under her modest breasts
Parker stares at Gogh incredulously and laughs for a few moments. "The spiders were not fornicating nor were they pursuing you, scared little ninja girl," she says snarkily before asking, "Why not be comfortable?"
"Don't call me scared" The little street rat puffs herself up, snarling. "I'll bounce your ass around this alleyway and leave you hanging by your underwear from a fire escape" She blusters, that cute little button nose twitching "And sure they weren't. Just converging on me"
Parker laughs again at the last and addresses it first by saying, "I think you might have misunderstood." She then says, "Alright, I won't call you scared again," (even when justified). She tilts her head again and says, "My only undergarment is the bra... people tend to feel it inappropriate to not cover the breasts."
"Well, that won't be as painful as it could be, then" Gogh grins, bouncing from her heels to tiptoes. Full of energy. Never quite still. Her shoulders are stiff and tense. "So explain it! What did I misunderstand? do I need to bite you to get you to answer?" She asks, tart and sharp
Parker looks surprised at the suggestion of biting and says, "They were converging on a common spot. Your presence triggered this behavior but they were not converging on you," without any other explanation. She then asks, "Other than a ninja, tell me something about yourself, Gagh," again mispronouncing the name due to her inability to retain names properly - but hey, she's trying. "Something that would be worth knowing."
"It's Gogh. *Gogh*" She says with a frustrated little rat-at-at of a foot tapping the ground "Uh, let's see." She shrugs "I'm sociable?" She says with a bright smile. Despite threats to bite someone a moment before "And I'm And I like seeing what people can do. Your turn."
Parker nods again about the name. "I make fabric and clothing, people pay me for them," she says and then waves her hand at Gogh to indicate a passing of the metaphorical baton.
"Huh." Gogh muses, slouching against the opposing wall, lowering her head and looking through her lashes at Parker "New in town. Came in from the east. Just seeing what I can make of myself here" A diffident, wary shrug, but there's a definite, piqued interest
"Relatively new myself," Parker says, "Less than a month. I too am from east of here originally." She pauses at that and steps a bit farther back into the alley, crouching down to support her weight on her toes again about a yard away from Gogh.
"Huh." Gogh drums her fingers on the wall, sullen and thoughtful. Her moods are mercurial, worn openly "Like I said. Looking for work. If you end up knowing anyone who needs it, let me know" A shrug "Don't care about the money. Looking for stuff I can trade or give to people. That sort of thing"
Looking over Gogh appraisingly, Parker says, "I will do so," and then asks, "What are your skills beyond biting, climbing, slack-wire work and tactical taunts?"
"Depends what you need" Gogh says with a little shrug "I'm nice and versitile. I can get most places, watch, or take care of shit that needs it" With a certain utter disregard for what she's actually saying "That sort of thing." A flashed, neat smile
"Infiltration, espionage and... janitorial efforts then," Parker says, obviously adding that last to call out the degree of ambiguity in Gogh's description of her skills. "And... are there any 'caveats and addendums' to your contract employment?" she asks impersonating a certain comedian's well known cartoon character for the quoted phrase and unintentionally using a keyword by chance at the end.
"To be arranged at the time. I do like things written down neatly" Gogh says, preening as she smooths and flicks imaginary dust off her clothes "All above board and correct. Solid and proper agreements. But that makes it hard to hide things from both ends"
Parker makes eye contact with Gogh and, without breaking it, traces out a symbol that looks like a stylized B tilted toward the left with a slash though the smaller portion of the symbol.
No mark is left behind by the tracing which is repeated for a total of three motions but for anyone who might know what it means the traced shape is obvious and blatant. Her face has a questioning expression on it but she says nothing while wordlessly asking Gogh if that means anything to her... and possibly means 'her' directly.
Gogh is less discrete. She just makes a face "Christ, you're a fucking spider" She groans "That explains all of it." And a little sigh, relaxing, just a touch "I warn you, I taste like shit and you'll regret it if those teeth come anywhere near me" She notes
Parker smiles. "I was," she says, "I am more now as you well know." She stands and takes a single, non-threatening step towards Gogh. "I have no plans to bite you," she adds, "Unlike your threats to do the same to me I'll note." She then adds, "As you have concluded I have a unique perspective backing up my statement that the spiders were not stalking you."
"Uh huh." Gogh nods with a little smirk and shiver "I'm sure. Still. Now you know" She shrugs "I mean it on the contracts. I take proper payment, but I'm worth it. Especially if you need shit doing you can't risk doing yourself" She notes with a wry smile "For your 'good name'" With inverted quotes. With her fingers.
Parker nods. "I understand," she says simply appearing to take note of the shiver but not commenting on it directly. "Again I ask you, how would I get in touch with you?" referencing the previously asked and as yet unanswered question.
"Look around for me, I guess. Or put the word out" Gogh notes "Not like I use the ways of contacting most people do. I don't want to be known by a frickin' *number*" She says pretty vehemently
Parker nods. "So, luck," she says expressing her opinion of it. "Wouldn't even accept a burner phone then?" she asks with a tone that shows she has an assumed answer already in mind.
"... What's a burner phone?" Gogh asks with a confused look. And a little shrug "If it helps people get in touch, and I can stash it somewhere, sure"
Parker nods. "Its a cheap and disposable phone. Has a number but not really traced back to a person," she explains over simplifying it and possibly misrepresnting it a bit all at the same time, but speaking truthfullly from her perspective.
"Doesn't sound terrible" Gogh agrees with a grudging tone "How do I get one? OR you want to get me one as part of whatever deal you're after?" She asks with a flashed grin, sliding her thumbs into her pockets
Parker nods. "We'll have to walk back to my motorcycle but yeah, I could get you one," she says and then explains, "You'll answer calls from me unless in the middle of a job, you'll meet with me to hear what I'm asking and you'll let me know how to get in touch with you if you get rid of it," after a brief pause she says, "I'll send people your way that I think will work honorably with you, I'll listen to your requests and assist you if possible, and I'll keep in touch with you as well." She then asks, "Is a verbal contract sufficient?"
"I prefer written. I'll write something up properly and then when you have specific jobs, we can negotiate those, as well" Gogh trots along. And at negotiating? She's better "I also want a retainer each month from you of some sort. If I'm going to be hanging on your calls and such"
"Hanging on them... no, I disagree with that degree of it," Parker says with a laugh at the possibly unintentional pun. Continuing however, she says, "I can help provide you an article of clothing each month. Chosen by me unless you ask for something specific. Acceptable?"
"Full set of clothes" Gogh bargains "If you design, that's no real hardship. And I can always pass them on to family. It'll be your good deed" She notes with a chuckle, glancing over and studying Parker again
Parker nods in agreement to this. "I don't do shoes," she explains. "Favorite colors?" she then asks as if that is a crucial piece of information to have.
"Dark greys and greens. Black shows up more than people think" Gogh notes with a little sniff "But it's smart. And white is too hard to keep clean" She pauses, and offers her hand warily
"Dark red is good at night also," Parker says, acknowledging the comment. As she says this the spiritual spiders come out of the torc again in waves, her shirt becomes opaque behind the first wave which also changes it and the pants to dark gray, the second wave changes the color to a dark forest green while the next is dark red. Before the first wave finishes the pants a fourth and final wave restores the clothings original appearance. "I can provide undergarments as well, already been working on a line of boxers if you are interested."
Gogh watches with fascination at the change in clothing, and then she shrugs "Whatever you think for those. All your call, remember?" She says with a little smirk "So when are we starting this?" She asks, wrinkling her nose "Not that I'm eager. But I need to figure out how to allot my time"!
"Getting a burner phone for you won't be hard," Parker says. "It won't take that much of your time really, not without a separate contract," she explains and then, with a knowing smile, asks, "Can it even start without your written contract?"
"Sure can. But the written one is better" Gogh notes wryly "I'll see about getting something up that's equitable." A content nod "And yeah, it'll be fine. I look forward to seein' what work you'll have" She notes with a little smirk "And what sort of payment you'll go with"
- ↑ Quote from the song "Bloody Spider's Breath
