"Is there a problem here?" Peter dangled upside down by a single strand of webbing. Of course, it was pretty obvious there was a problem, but he'd decided to hang back and observe for a moment to get a proper feel for the situation. Now seemed as good a time as any. Or, more like a seriously now or never kind of situation, because boy were things getting heated. (-peterfromqueens for Adam, or one of your other muses if preferred? :) )
@peterfromqueens
It was so disheartening that every time he attempted to visit the cities, something like this happened. If it was not people screaming and running from him in terror, then it was people like this who couldn't resist picking on someone who was different. Although he had attempted to keep to alleyways and simply watch life go by, the Creature had been accosted by two men who immediately thought they'd found an easy target. Some name calling and shouting later, and now he had guns pointed at him. In response, the Creature stopped folding in on himself and rose to his full height, growling at them. The men had yet to fire, but if they did, he would not hold back. Although he didn't want to hurt anyone, if he was attacked first, he had a right to defend himself.
One of the muggers was so absolutely thrilled to be meeting the Spiderman that he forgot why he was there in the first place and why Spiderman was probably pretty mad at him right now. Instead, he was just all grins and fanboying.
The other man was downright insulted. "'Even uglier?' Where do you get off sayin' somethin' like that to me?! Nobody's uglier than this piece of road pizza!" he said gesturing to the tall man in the hooded cloak.
The Creature simply stayed out of things, letting the others talk. He had no idea who the odd person was who'd shown up late... wearing a red suit... and... acting like a spider? He was not one to judge, though, especially when it seemed like this person wanted to help him, or at least teach these criminals a lesson.
"Yeah, I know..." the first guy said in a rather mopey sort of way. He did need better friends. Ritchie was always treating him like dirt. "You hear that, Ritchie? Spiderman says I need better friends!"
Ritchie ignored his bumbling sidekick and turned his ire toward Spiderman. "Look. Spiderdude. You seem like a real nice kid, hangin' upside down in your Halloween costume and all, but nobody asked you. So scram!"
"Hey, you can't tell Spiderman to scram!" the other man said.
"Shut up, Clarence!" yelled Ritchie. But when the hand that'd been holding his gun was suddenly yanked over to the wall, Ritchie very stupidly tried to pull the webs off with his other hand... and promptly got that hand stuck too.
Clarence started laughing at that.
"I'm gonna kill both of yous! You hear me?!" Ritchie angrily yelled.
"With what?" Clarence asked, still laughing. "You're all kindsa stuck up like!"
Ritchie was fuming, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it.
"Mmm, nah man, I still think you need to take a look in the mirror!" Peter countered.
At least it seemed like there might be some hope of reinvention for the other guy, Clarence. He read as someone with low confidence, to Peter. Someone who'd let himself get pushed around. Maybe this Ritchie guy had seen that, too, and used him to feel more powerful. Still, they were both adults; Peter hoped he'd take accountability for his own part in this, once everything was through.
Clarence standing up for him was a reassuring step in the right direction. The guy they'd been harassing was keeping quiet. Peter couldn't fault him for keeping his head down, though. It was probably a good thing for now, anyways, kept him a little further out of danger.
Ritchie was full on yelling at his sidekick, and Peter tilted his head, "It's Spider-Man, and how about you scram your way to jail?" The webslinger shot another web over Ritchie's second hand, to secure it a little better. With the threats shouted towards Clarence and Peter both, the teen furrowed his brows. He hesitated on how to handle Clarence. He'd played a part in this, and the teen wondered if being arrested was the right call here. Another part of him could see jail leading him down even worse paths, if he really was as easy to push around as he seemed. Maybe...
"Friends don't treat each other that way, Clarence. Listen, it seems like Ritchie was kinda taking the lead here. If I let you go today, it'll be on some conditions, deal? First, keep away from him, he's bad news, he's gotta learn to be nice. Second, build up your self respect, and respect for others. You look up to me? I try to stand up for people, not tear them down. Do you think the way you and Ritchie treated this guy is alright?"
