gwennie | closed action starters ][ deerington

So, that's a 'no' then?

[ Peter isn't too sure what he should be doing from here, because the webbing isn't working, and he's only (unsurprisingly) angering her further with his provocations, and he can't go on forever, but a room with her choice of weapons might not be working for him.

Of course, there's the town which is full of people so that's a no-go, but where else could he lead her to? The forest? There's a wooded area, he knows that from his time camping out there ... maybe he could make sure that they take this fight away from any possibility of anyone getting caught in the crossfire. And then he'll figure the rest out as he goes.

It's not a great plan, but he's never fought a friend possessed before, and he's never fought whatever the thing is possessing her either.

He flits and hops around her, shooting his webs, low-key herding her towards the exit doors without making it obvious. ]

You sure you don't wanna take a break? I'm feeling kinda thirsty, myself!

Already? Oh, we feel bad for the world you're from.

[ she's shooting webs of her own, but they're not so much at him as her just trying to predict where he might step next, trying to trip him up. they're getting close to the doors, which she only half realizes, but all she can think about is if they're outside and she needs to swing to get to him, she'll need both of her hands. so with another growl she throws her weapon at him, hard, ready to burst through those doors if that's where he leads her ]

C'mon, Spider-Man, fight us.

I'd really rather not.

[ Okay, to the doors they go -

He leaps up - back towards the ceiling - and dodges the very sharp, very deadly projectile coming straight for him, half-watching the way it pings off the wall, and falls away somewhere close by.

But as he dodges, he quickly shoots another line of webbing and catches it with the other hand like an acrobat. He bends his legs and then kicks at the exit doors with as much of his strength as he can muster, practically launching himself towards them like a cannon-ball. They practically explode open, allowing the cool winter air to quickly fill the space of the dance room.

Out he goes, not wasting any time. ]

Hey, you ever heard that really old nursery rhyme about the Gingerbread Man?

[ gwen doesn't think to use her webs like that, she's just sprinting, as fast as she can. her vision's red, at this point, the world askew in a way that's similar to when gwenom takes over, but not exactly. she doesn't realize this, though, there's really no part of her brain that's fighting against how she's behaving, like she can when the symbiote is getting the best of her. there's nothing there but rage, and something kind of like hate, too.

the cold air doesn't do anything for her, she's more focused on making sure both of her webshooters are fired up so that as soon as she gets out into the open space outside of the venue she can-

she...

can...

what was she doing? what is she doing?

the symbiote is still there, crawling dark over her features, but she more or less stumbles to a stop, tripping up. like she just walked through some kind of mist left as a trap by mysterio. or maybe like walking out of that kind of mist. she drops down to her knees, mostly because she can't breathe. she can't even really see straight.

oh, god. ]

Please, stop. Stop.

[ her eyes squeeze shut as she uses one hand to pat down her pockets, trying to remember where she put her phone. her headphones. she knows she has them, she always carries them, just in case. but her hands are shaking and she can't catch her breath and she can't really figure out how to calm down enough to just get her damn headphones on so she can play her music and shut gwenom out. it's the only way she knows how to control it.

but it's been so long since this has happened to her, over a year, and she's panicking, for sure. she can't even remember what happened, what she just did. all she knows is that there's still a cloud over her vision, making the world seem dark, and scary, and this isn't- her.

what happened? what did she do?

she hears footsteps, distant, but she knows her senses are all haywire if the symbiote is translating it all for her. she waves a hand out, voice trembling ]

--Get away, I'm fine, please don't-

[ His initial question had a great punchline, too, but the moment he manages to make some headway from the dancehall, Peter realizes that something isn't ... quite ... right.

It's got him dialing back towards the place he'd escaped from with cautious steps, his sleeve still torn, a stain of red speckled along the jagged hem of the fabric. The cut itself looks as though it's already begun to heal, skin stitching back together in an angry line, but otherwise he looks a little tired but not hurt.

He's careful not to make any sudden movements, and he's braced for another trick, in case this is a trick, approaching at a safe distance from where Gwen is collapsed to her knees. ]

Run, run as fast as you can. [ He says slowly, without too much feeling, like he's reciting a line from a paper. ] You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man.

[ He stops before he can get too close, fingers still at the ready of his webshooters. If she's still possessed, it's not safe to stay here. ]

That's how it goes.

[ this isn't happening. this isn't happening. this isn't happening.

except that it is happening, or it already happened, and this is her brain catching up in the aftermath. but the aftermath of what? she peeks back behind her, trying to see where she came from, and the way the doors behind her are burst open shows that yeah, okay. she just left there. but why can't she remember? usually, with gwenom, she remembers what she did, even if she was just there for the ride, watching in horror. but this is... different.

and that muffled voice is definitely peter's. which.. should be comforting. but it's not. at all. she doesn't scramble away, but she moves to sit on her butt, moving back away from him a bit, eyes squinted like she's relearning her spider-senses again ]

What? [ what. not just that she can't hear him clearly, but what the hell is he talking about? her head hurts. the reality of things will click, eventually. she's not really looking at him yet, doesn't notice his hands ready to shoot, how defensive he looks. she's still processing, still so damn mad, and she doesn't know why ] We- [ focus. her teeth are gritted tight. ] You need to get away from me, we're not- I'm not- [ the symbiote isn't reaching out, but it's still moving over her skin, like it's trying to figure out what to do. or trying to fight against gwen's determination to push it away. ]

You need to tell me what's going on.

[ Something about her voice sounds different, more Gwen than whatever it had morphed into before while spewing death threats in his direction. It doesn't have him releasing any of the tension keeping his shoulders taut, or his hands braced on his webshooters, but it's something.

He latches onto it. ]

Is this like, a Deerington thing?

[ It's a pretty valid question, on account of stranger, more nightmarish things happening in the past months. Maybe she ate something weird at the party, or she touched the wrong person, or she smelled the wrong flower. ]

Are we ready to stop the 'murder your friend Peter' train here?

It's nothing.

[ it was obviously not nothing.

when gwen finally looks up at him she's still squinting, a little, her eyes not as dark as before, but it's still there, just a touch. that red glow hasn't faded out. the inky black spiders are sliding out of view though, clearing her face, making her clothes look normal again.

murder your friend peter makes her look more than a little horrified, though ]

No. [ she already did that once. oh, god. stop, brain. stop. c'mon. focus. peter's right there in front of her. not- not that peter, her mind isn't playing tricks. but. ] I mean, yes. No. I'm not- Did I hurt you? [ she tries to get to her feet but it's slow going, even as her heart hammers in her chest. ] Tell me we didn't- I didn't hurt you, I'm-

[ she's having a this moment, her peaked emotions giving gwenom something to feed on even while she tries to gain back control. it's a mess. oh, god, peter wasn't supposed to ever, ever see this side of her ]

It's not a Deerington thing, Peter, I'm so sorry- What happened? What happened?

You seemed - um. Like, really pissed off at me for some reason? Did I do something to you?

[ With a little more light, it's easier now to see the thing that had possessed her slowly start to fade away. He remains wary, of course, he's no dummy, but his questions are for Gwen now; they're for Gwen again.

He studies her from where he's standing, rooted to the spot. ]

After what just happened, you can't really expect me to believe that that was nothing.

I don't know, I can't remember. [ he asked her if he did anything, but she doesn't- think so? she doesn't even remember seeing him tonight before right now. she rubs the heels of her hands into her eyes, huffing a breath. get it together, stacy.

she finally braces her hands on the ground so she can pick herself up, and it's getting easier to chill out. sort of. easier to push the symbiote to the back of her mind again, at least, and her face doesn't look so different anymore. her eyes are wet, but she's not really crying. just- overwhelmed. her eyes drop to his sleeve almost right away though, the red stained there ]

Did I hurt you?

[ she asks again, because that's- unacceptable, and unforgivable, and she takes two steps towards him before she stops herself, hands out at her sides. oh, god. ]

You probably didn't do anything. I mean, it's not your fault. No matter what just happened, it wasn't your fault, okay? [ she thinks back to her miiiild freak-out when she met the other peter parker, how her emotions got the best of her, jumped to threat and liar instead of friend. maybe something- no. she never just forgets what made the symbiote so mad it could take over like that. ]

What's going on, Gwen? What happened to you? What was that thing?

[ Peter refuses to believe that the aggressive creature is somehow Gwen. It's too ... different, too alien somehow.

He doesn't move, even still, even when Gwen takes two steps forward before pausing, herself. But he wants to go to her for some reason; he wants to be there for his friend. He's just got a few too many questions (and some prior experience) not to play it cautious for now. ]

Have you heard of a thing called Venom, where you're from? It's a symbiote. [ she's just gonna up and say it, because if he has heard of it, it'll explain it all without her actually having to explain anything. however ] It's okay if you haven't. I know things are different for all of us.

[ she can't take her eyes off of his arm, though. the blood stained on his shirt. god. ]

I was bitten, that wasn't a lie. But someone took my abilities, and this- thing was the only way I could get them back. And normally, we're fine. It's fine. But if something makes me feel really mad, or really sad, it- reacts. Everything kind of blurs. [ she's babbling, looking down at her hands ] We've never lost control like that. I don't think it was- [ she's looking around now though, finally putting some pieces together ] Where did everyone-? Is this because of me? Did I attack anyone else? [ people are sitting outside, cradling injuries. most people left behind just look really freaked out. ] This isn't- normal, whatever this was. We always remember.

[ gwen stop saying "we" ]

[ Peter shakes his head, 'no', suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about the tear in his sleeve and the cut on his arm. The skin's already more or less healed itself, stitched itself back together, leaving an angry raw welt behind. It's no big deal though, and Peter shifts his movement, arms crossing over his chest to hide the cut. ]

Did you always have that thing? I mean, that sounds like a very Deerington-specific thing. And like ... yeah, I know we don't really know each other that well but -

[ 'But I don't remember you ever going full on Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho on me' is what he thankfully doesn't say. But he thinks it! Sort of. Well, he thinks it before he feels bad about it, and keeps his mouth tightly sealed. ]

I don't think you hurt anyone else, no. I mean, I know you didn't, so - like. It's okay, Gwen. It's okay. It's over now.

Not always. I didn't have it when I was here the first time, but it's been about a year since we- bonded. [ it's obvious she doesn't love that word, but that's what it is ] It's definitely something worthy of this messed up little town, but it's not. There are people in my version of New York that create crap like this. Try to replicate the genetics of people with powers. It's so stupid.

[ stupid and dangerous, yeah. he folds his arms and she looks away finally, and she still feels so on edge, like her nerves are raw and sensitive. it's- a lot. telling peter about this is a lot. she never wanted to tell anybody about it here. or back home, either. she told her closest friends and her dad but that was it. nobody had to know about the symbiote, or how it gave her her powers back. but- there's that. and no, she doesn't know this peter that well, but luckily she knows in her gut that she can trust him with it.

and it's not okay, especially if this place can mess with her control over it, but she doesn't have it in her to argue with him about it. she pushes a hand through her hair, which just makes her bangs kind of messy, but whatever. whhaaaatever. ]

I don't- I wanna stay here and help, but I don't think I can go back in there. There's something really messed up about that room. [ based on two very very different encounters she's had now, yikes. but it's obvious she doesn't want to just leave, it goes against every bit of her that wants to help people ] I should go. I can't risk it.

[ Peter gets it.

At least to some degree. There really is something unsettling about that room, about the whole party that'd occurred, about the loss of control in there. But he doesn't have a ... a symbiote? Is that what Gwen called it? Yeah, he doesn't have one of those things bonded to him, so between the two of them, maybe he's in better shape to help.

He nods. ]

It's okay. [ He repeats. ] I got this, you just - just go home and like, take a breather.

[ She knows who he is now, and they're probably gonna have to touch base on that, but - for now, it'd be good to do the hero-thing. It's familiar. And in the weirdest way, safe. ]

[ she nods, but there's still so much hesitation there, like she's mentally talking herself into actually leaving, because she absolutely, totally is. ] I'm sorry, Pete. [ for literally everything that just happened. but she nods again before heading back towards the building, just a couple of steps at a quick jog before she shoots a web up at the roof. she pulls herself up that way, at a run because man. man. she has to get out of there before she does anything else incredibly stupid. ]

Edited 2019-01-13 23:05 (UTC)

closed action starters ][ deerington

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