I'm nearly human look at me

[unobtainableredemption]

Characters: Kaine and OPEN
Date: Sometime after the bottle event
Location: Various
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: PG-13 to be safe (for Kaine's mouth)


Option 1 - Fire Sector
[Kaine’s standing in front of a storefront, looking through the window at the mantle displayed on the other side and debating whether or not he wants to buy one. Not for the fashion, mind you, but for something he could temporarily wear to cover his face and conceal the giant shiner surrounding his left eye. It’s a cliché, but you should really see the other guy.]


Option 2 - Water Sector
[He had intended to go right home, but now that his face was concealed by the hood of his newly bought mantle, Kaine finds himself walking right past the door to his suite, eventually winding up in a park in the water sector. It's clear by the path of destruction as he enters that one of the baby turtles had been through recently--the rubble had not yet been pushed to the side. He found himself smiling despite himself. When were they going to learn that they couldn't destroy everything?

Kaine sits on one of the benches and pulls the hood low as to cover his black eye, and just stares out at the mess. He could head home some other time.]


Option 3 - Metal Sector (Wearing this costume, though he still has short hair)
[He had forgotten how heavy the outfit was. It was the complete opposite of his Scarlet Spider costume—bulky with ridges and angles that have angles. Then there was the cape. What was he thinking when he added a cape to this thing? There was no reason for it whatsoever. Not like the raised “veins” of the costume, which had once pressed upon the scars of his degeneration to slow its progress, but now just serve to remind him of where the scars used to be. It was perfect.

He couldn't be the Scarlet Spider anymore. Not after what had happened in the bottle. It only served to remind him just how different he was from the others, and just how far he had fallen from what he could have been. And then he found this, his old outfit that once kept him alive, the outfit he wore during the year he spent terrorizing both Reilly and Parker, as well as anyone they might have cared about… and if that wasn't divine intervention, he didn't know what was.

Kaine leaps to the next building, never losing a stride in his step. He’s trying to get used to the suit’s bulk by doing something he’d done hundreds of times in it before... but if he bothered to stop and think about it, he’d realize just how suspicious he looks dressed like that leaping across rooftops at a sprint.]

OOC: If you want to roll with something other than those, feel free to either PM me, reach out to me at redconfession, or just start a thread, your choice.

Comments

[unobtainableredemption]

[If it wasn't for Kaine's night vision, he would have missed the figure flying barely visible in his peripheral vision. As it stood, he barely sees him anyway thanks to the full cloth mask hindering some of his vision. He had gotten used to it fairly quickly 5 years ago, but that was before he'd been spoiled by Parker's fancy Spider lenses. And he doesn't think anything of it. There are a few dozen heroes in this city, and this isn't the first time he's run into one when he was out in costume. He's just forgotten which costume he's wearing.

He finishes his leap to the next building and spins on his heel to jump to a building to his right. Even with his enhanced agility he finds himself skidding due to forgetting about the added bulk of his particular outfit, not to mention the loss of traction. Whatever Kaine's thoughts on Peter might be, he least concedes the guy can create an efficient costume. Forcing his feet to stick to the floor, he brings himself to a halt. He takes a few steps back before breaking out into a running jump to the building in question. It isn't until he reaches that particular building does he realize that the bat kid's still there.]

Don't you have some gangs to break up?

[modernized]

[He lands on the building in a crouch position just as Kaine speaks, rising up with a small shrug motion. It's when the shrouded man speaks does he realize that he knows the voice.]

Already broke 'em up. [He takes a moment to note the get-up.] Got to be honest - I liked the spider costume more.

[unobtainableredemption]

Oh I'm sure you may have bothered them for one night, but I doubt they'll be out of commission for long.

[He looks down at his new (well, old) duds.] I realized I was only fooling myself with that costume. This is who I really am.

[Stupid spikes and red pink cape and all.]

[modernized]

O...kay then?

[He doesn't get it.]

But, objectively speaking, I still think the spider costume looked better on you. No offense man, but you kinda look like a super-villain.

[unobtainableredemption]

[Looks like he got it after all.]

I never claimed to be a superhero.

[modernized]

Then...you helped me with those guys last time because......

[unobtainableredemption]

I wanted something to punch. I thought that much was obvious given the number of "warnings" you gave me.

[Kaine's really not helping his case here. Whoops.]

[modernized]

Right. Should have figured. [Sheesh. Of course he gets help from a super-villain. For the first time this month he's actually a little glad Bruce isn't here.] Well, if you're the type of super-villain that bashes the heads of scumbags as opposed to the opposite, then I guess I don't see the big deal.

[He can be reasonable. He's the reasonable Bat.]

Still, I'm not getting the costume change. How is this who you "really are"?

[unobtainableredemption]

I never said I was a supervillain either. [Okay, technically he was, but he only had it out for one very specific person for one very stupid reason. He has no plans on returning to that.]

When I wound up with the S--[Nope, still won't call himself the Scarlet Spider if he can help it.] other costume, I got the stupid notion I could be someone different. It's become abundantly clear to me that I can't, so I'm not going to bother fighting it anymore. [As for why he's wearing this at all... well, it's for the kids. They're out doing their spider thing, and he still has this... compulsion to punch criminals in the face, so he figured this would be a way to help protect their identities by protecting his own. Plus it just showed up in the bottle the moment he realized he needed to stop being the Scarlet Spider, so who was he to deny fate?]

[modernized]

...Oh. Oh now I get it.

[Ok, he thinks he knows what he's dealing with now. He can handle this. Hopefully.]

Look man, you can't think that way. I don't know what brought this on, but anyone can change if they try to. You might just say you wanted to beat people up, but you did help me out, even if you didn't want me mentioning it. Making excuses and putting on crazy outfits isn't the way to go about it.

I mean, c'mon, look at you. Do you really wanna run around in that for the rest of the time we're on this turtle?

[unobtainableredemption]

[Damn, if it isn't the responsibility speech, it's the "you're a superhero if you put your mind to it!" speech. Is there some sort of rule that all superheroes have to have these kinds of speeches ready to whip out whenever they run into someone like him? Or is he just a magnet for this sort of bullshit?]

The truth brought this on. [Because Kaine is nothing if not melodramatic.] And like I just said, I only helped you because I wanted to punch something and helping you was the quickest way to go about it.

This kept me alive for a year. [...Six years ago.]

[modernized]

[If Terry had this speech written out, it would much more...well, not half-assed. He's awful at these things.]

I'm not buying it...well, whatever. It's your life and I guess if this is how you want to live it, I'm not going to police you. ...But I am serious about the outfit - don't you have any other super villain costumes to put on? That thing is really not that good looking.

[It is very important to be fashionable Kaine!! He does wish he could give better advice, but he doesn't really know this guy or what even happened to him. Really as long as Kaine doesn't cause trouble, he isn't going to harass him. Much.]

[unobtainableredemption]

Says the man with the giant bat on his chest. [At this point Kaine's just fighting because Terry's mocking the costume. He rather likes the kid's costume. It's better than half the so-called heroes on the island.

And it's black. He... might still be bitter Madam Web did something to his costume to make it red.]

[modernized]

[Oh now you've done it Kaine.]

Excuse you, my suit is perfectly fine! Besides, bats are much cooler than spiders. Who even likes spiders!?

[YEAH HE WENT THERE.]

[unobtainableredemption]

Fuck if I know! I didn't pick the theme! [Oh the joys of being cloned.]

[modernized]

[He smirks.]

I think you should file a complaint then and not wear those rags out of rebellion.

[Cause if ~dramatic speeches~ don't work, you can always be a little shit instead.]

[unobtainableredemption]

What, are you the fashion police now?

Just because we had one... whatever the hell it's called doesn't make us buddies and doesn't make you an expert in my life!

[modernized]

I may not be the fashion police, but you're a true victim buddy. [He snerks.] So what are you gonna start calling yourself, huh? "Pink Bath Rug Man"? I bet that'll get popular real fast. Maybe you can help chain stores sell products!

[unobtainableredemption]

[Shut up, Terry. Stupid pink cape.]

I never saw a need for stupid "codenames" before. I simply went by my real name. [Mainly because it wasn't a costume then.]

Or did you miss the part where I said it kept me alive?

[modernized]

If it kept you alive, why'd you leave it behind in the first place? Sounds to me like you had a change of heart.

[unobtainableredemption]

You're right. I did have a change of heart. [He'll let you figure out what that means.]

[modernized]

Right.

[A pause, as the imaginary tumbleweeds roll in.]

...This is the part where you have that same change of heart again. 'Cause you can't seriously go around giving people concussions wearing that.

[This is why no one leaves emotional speeches up to him.]

[unobtainableredemption]

I can't say I'm feeling particularly suicidal right now.

[Because that is literally the only reason he took it off the last time. He wanted to die.]

Look, the costume before? It meant something. I... I shouldn't have had it in the first place.

[modernized]

If it meant something, then you shouldn't just toss it away. And don't go saying the whole "this is who I really am" stuff - costumes don't make the person wearing them. You're going to be the same person whether you're wearing this or that.

[unobtainableredemption]

It's because it means something that I gave it back. It was never mine to begin with.