Open | I got a little raincloud, he's my best friend

[heartstumbles]

WHO: Peter Parker and you!
WHAT: Peter Parker arrives in Thedas after his multiverse experiences and learns to begin again in a new world.
WHEN: Bloomingtide
WHERE: In and around the Gallows.
NOTES: Possible mentions of death, loss, grieving, etc. I'll add more if they come up.

I. Arrival – Post-Rift Journey to Kirkwall

Peter Parker probably doesn’t have any right to be surprised when he finds that he’s fallen out of a dream in which he was forced to climb up the walls of his high school gym (again), uniform and all, and into another universe, and yet, here he is. He doesn’t expect the empty coffee cup, exactly the same kind used by MJ and the coffee shop she works at, and the Lego Palpatine figurine to follow him, either, and yet.

The rift through the air being green is a change of pace, at least. The demons he helps fight with the group of people calling themselves Riftwatch are also a kind of breath of fresh air, in a way. The ones that appear to be made out of lava and the ones that look like Dementors are definitely not the best to fight against in gym clothes though, oof, he thinks. He’s lucky he doesn’t end up significantly injured, though he can’t seem to stop shivering.

His luck proves not all terrible, as the members of Riftwatch explain to him that they aren’t too far from the city of Kirkwall, where their group operates

“And you guys can get me some new clothes in…was it Kirkwall, you said?” Peter asks, turning to the nearest member of Riftwatch, both genuinely curious and also trying not to think too much about the way his body still seems to be shifting between hot and cold after closing the rift.


II. Taking Notes and Quarantine

As Riftwatch helps Peter learn about this Thedas, the world he finds himself in, Peter finds himself fascinated. He wants to know more, to learn more, and he wants to study and immerse himself in this strange, kind of medieval universe. He can help people here; he can do good after messing up so badly in his own world.

He’ll have to be careful, he realizes, about using his abilities here. He doesn’t want to put people in danger just from knowing him again, after all. Still, Peter finds himself eager and ready to throw himself into Riftwatch; when they make the pitch to him about joining, he doesn’t hesitate. It seems only fair, after all, given how much they’ve already helped him.

Peter signs up for Research, though he’s sorely tempted by the Scouting Division, too. But he needs to pace himself; recent events back home have taught him that. And Research seems as good a place as any to start.

Peter sets himself to work; he finds a spot for himself in the library and surrounds himself with books of all kinds, both for his work in Research and to help himself learn more about Thedas. He’s determined to do better here; he has to, he tells himself. His growling stomach sometimes is the only reminder he listens to when he needs to eat.

As he’s quarantined within the Gallows for the time being, Peter takes to exploring all that he can of the place when he has the chance. He is fascinated by the laboratories and work rooms in the same tower as the library, and he asks questions of anyone who will humor him. He takes to walking around the open spaces of the Gallows as well, observing the areas for training and sparring. If he wants to be more active out in the field, he thinks, he should probably learn how to fight with the weapons Thedas has available. He’s particularly interested by the archers, and the way using bows and arrows reminds him, from a certain angle, of using his webs, though he’s also well aware that they’re entirely different skill sets.

Peter keeps to himself when he eats in the dining hall, tucked away in a corner, usually with his own notes. He’s trying to keep a record of his experiences in Thedas so far, for his own reference. It can’t hurt, he thinks.

When he isn’t studying, working, or observing, Peter tries to create and stick with an exercise routine for himself, to keep his body as sharp as his mind. He can be found in and around the sparring area, out of the way of people sparring, stretching and working out as best he can.


III. Wildcard

[If there’s anything specific you’d like to do with Peter, just let me know and I can put up a starter in the comments, or feel free to put up your own starter if you like!]

Comments

[notathreat]

Peter flushes, and Ellie lifts her eyebrows higher, instantly a little less fierce. While she doesn't take super-kindly to being watched without a word, with a little more context this guy seems more like a socially-awkward dork than anything, who probably didn't realize that he was being obvious.

"Well, I didn't know until you said so."

So, got him. Ellie shrugs one shoulder, gives him half a smile.

"You've kinda got 'new kid' painted all over you," she adds, gesturing with her bow. "We don't exactly have people from Kirkwall falling all over themselves to join up, so. Easy guess."

[heartstumbles]

Peter laughs at that. "Kind of gives it away, I guess." He's glad his lack of subtlety and awkwardness hasn't put her off, from what he can see.

He relaxes a bit when she gives him half a smile. "Yeah, I haven't been here too long," he says. "I think I'm still getting my sea legs. So to speak." In more ways than one, really. Peter is adjusting to finding himself in a new world without the technology that he knows, just after having everyone forget him back home in order to fix the multiverse he broke open in the first place. He'd just settled into his new apartment, and now he's here, living in the Gallows like he's in a college dorm room and signing up to help fight in a war.

He rocks back on the heels on his feet and nods towards her bow. "You seem really good with that. Do you like it? Working with it, I mean?"

He wants to start training himself with weapons; he wants to be prepared, to help when and where he can.

[notathreat]

Unsubtle and awkward is probably the closest thing to a winning combination with Ellie Williams, and Peter's friendly and nice on top of it, so he's doing fine.

"Yeah, it's kind of a jump even if you're used to roughing it and monster-fighting." Ellie shifts to put a thumb in one of her gloves, pulling it back enough so he'll be able to glimpse the shine of her anchor, like a secret. Yep, she's a Rifter too.

(And the two smallest fingers on that same hand are missing past the first joint.)

"Yep-" Ellie moves the bow to lay across both hands. It's well-made but simple at first glance, but on a second, there's a shimmery greenish crystal inlaid into the wood that glints in the sunlight.

"I knew my way around a bow before I came here, but I mostly used guns back then. Here it's the best ranged option."

Ellie nods down at herself like it should be obvious why she wants to go with the ranged option.

"I can scrap just fine, but not with what comes out of the rifts." A small pause, and then she offers the bow. "Wanna try it out?"

[heartstumbles]

He watches as she reveals her own Anchor, the green of it shining in a way that's becoming familiar to Peter now. He appreciates her showing it to him; he feels a little less alone at the sight of it, and that's at least something. This place might be new and unfamiliar to him, but he's not the only one navigating a new life here.

He sees that the two smallest of her fingers are missing past the first joint, and then he remembers her saying something about fighting monsters.

"Wait, you fight monsters?" He asks, curious and impressed. He knows Thedas has demons, and from what he's read so far in the library, there are all sorts of various creatures about, up to and including dragons. Ellie might be the coolest person he's ever met, honestly.

He nods. Ranged seems like a solid option; you can fight and you can keep yourself at a distance. He's used to fighting in close quarters, in getting up close and personal with his enemies. Just from his experience after arriving through a rift, however, Peter knows he won't be able to rely on just fighting with his fists and his feet here.

"I can imagine. Your bow is super cool, by the way." He's impressed by the design of it, and the details.

Then she offers him her bow to try out, and Peter's eyes widen.

"Um, I'd love to, but I've never used a bow, and I wouldn't want to like, mess up your weapon," he says, running a hand awkwardly through his hair.

[notathreat]

Ellie nods -- the monsters thing is kind a universal, but getting into what kind of monsters Ellie fought back home could be a potentially fraught conversation, and not one Ellie wants to immediately dump on the bright-eyed new guy. It tends to bring down the mood immediately.

Instead, she focuses on the bow, his awkward worry. She's tempted to tell him that it's not likely that he'll hurt it, but enough time with other Rifters has taught Ellie to take people at their word.

"No prob. Let's grab a practice bow." She waves him over to the weapon rack where they pick up one, and Ellie demonstrates how to string it properly, bending it to hook it into place.

"If you want to talk about fighting monsters," she says as she hands over the bow, along with a handful of practice arrows, "then you should find Clarisse. Her world's full of crazy shit. She's fought stuff like minotaurs, hydras and drakons."

[heartstumbles]

"There are practice bows? Oh that's so cool!" Peter says, relieved. As cool as Ellie's bow is, he would not want to accidentally damage it. With his abilities, that remains a distinct possibility; he doesn't want to potentially a ruin a friendship with Ellie by damaging her weapon.

He watches as Ellie demonstrates how to string a bow properly, concentrating on what she's doing and memorizing her movements as best he can.

He accepts the bow and arrows, studying both for a few moments so as to get a better understanding of using them. When Ellie mentions Clarisse, Peter glances back up at her.

"Clarisse? Oh, I think I've met her! Unless there's another Clarisse here. She was part of the Riftwatch group that brought me to Kirkwall. Wait, did you say hydras?!"

[notathreat]

"Yeah, but I wouldn't take these things to a fight unless you absolutely have to. Thing'll snap the first time you get knocked on your ass."

She says it like it's an inevitability, and with her scars, well. Speaking from experience.

"Yep, only one Clarisse." Ellie smiles a little wider, and demonstrates how to nock and arrow, then properly pull back the string. Once Peter tries, she'll break to correct his grip, his stance. All the basic rules so he can learn to break them later.

"And yeah, hydras. The things that grow another two heads when you cut one off."

Ellie lifts her shoulders, is suddenly aware that she's about to explain badly.

"I dunno if you know about any of the Greek gods or their legends, but where she's from, they're all real. She's been slaying monsters since she was... thirteen, I think? She's got amazing stories."

[heartstumbles]

"Hence why they're set aside for practice," Peter says. He's grateful to have an idea of how strong this practice set is; he'll have to be careful in how he holds and practices with the bow and arrows for sure.

He considers the material that the bow is made of and wonders if there's a particular material he should consider for a real fight. "Are their bows that I should grab for a fight instead? How accessible is the armory here?"

He figures that it must be protected somewhat, to keep weapons out of the wrong hands and to keep people from hurting themselves.

He's happy to have her correct him as he follows her instructions, wanting to make sure he gets everything right. He tries to think of aiming his webshooters when he practices aiming the bow.

"Wow! Fighting monsters since thirteen? That's so badass!" He exclaims. Part of him wants to brag about his own experiences fighting purple aliens in space, but the 'great power, great responsibility' voice in his head (that sounds almost exactly like May) reminds him of what he lost the last time he revealed his identity to other people.

places hand over timestamps

[notathreat]

"Yup."

"The armory's fine for anyone to go check out, and you can get assigned weapons if you want, and you prove you can use them. I had a Riftwatch bow until Eluvia."

Naming her bow had also been a Clarisse thing, but she's not to the point of gushing without reason to a stranger. Only just. She corrects the position of his elbow, a steady touch. She's stronger than she looks.

"Extremely badass," Ellie agrees with a grin. "If you want to learn more about fighting, just hang out and ask questions. Most of the people here in the training yard will show you a thing or two if you ask."

[heartstumbles]

"Okay," Peter nods. "That's good to know. Assigned weapons sounds like a good place to start, at least." He tilts his head when she says the name Eluvia. "Eluvia. Is that the name of your bow?" It sounds cool. And elegant. And it seems to Peter like a pretty good name for a bow.

He makes note of how she corrects the position of his elbow, surprised by how strong she is. Not that he should be surprised; he knows full well how appearances can be deceiving.

"That's great," he says. "And it's nice of people here to answer questions like that. I'll definitely keep that in mind." Probably RIP to anyone in the training area for the next few days, Peter thinks. He's at least self-aware of his own tendency to ask a million and one questions.

[notathreat]

"Yeah." And that's another Clarisse story, so she bites her lower lip. "It's named after a Thedas constellation. There's a bunch of stories about 'em all."

Ellie waits for Peter to shoot again, makes another adjustment, this one less. They're just fine-tuning it now. This guys picks up things awfully quick.

"So what division are you thinking of joining?" she asks, casually. The doesn't seem like the suit of armor and axe type of dude, but she's been wrong before. And he seems to be into the weaponry.

Sue her, she's sick of being like a fourth of Scouting.

[heartstumbles]

"That's really cool," Peter observes, nodding. He didn't realize Thedas had constellations; his research hasn't gotten to that particular area just yet. But there's something comforting about Thedas having constellations, just like home. Not that Peter really saw much of constellations, given that he spent most of his life in the city. "I'll have to look those stories up when I get back to the library."

He really appreciates Ellie's style of teaching, he realizes. He's enjoying learning the various ins and outs of using a bow and arrows with her.

"I'm thinking Research," Peter says, aiming again and taking another shot. He misses, but he's starting to really enjoy the feeling of aiming and the weight of the bow in his hands. "But I'm also considering Scouting. I think I want to be more in the field, if I can. I like being physical." And Scouting seems like it would be more physically demanding than Research. But who knows, he thinks. He'll probably end up in Research, at least to start.

[notathreat]

Ellie makes one minor revision, then settles to lean up against one of the racks and watch Peter shoot. Once he has the technique down, it'll come down to getting the muscle memory for it, to understanding how much force it takes, to accounting for the arrow drop.

"Scouting's got some overlap with Research," she points out thoughtfully. "We do a lot of cipher and code stuff, and cartography. Running messages. Sometimes sneaking around and stealing stuff like documents and plans, and following people."

Not all dirty jobs. Not by far.

"Research is like... lots of work in the lab, working on inventions and testing stuff to make sure it doesn't blow up. Or does, but the way you want it to. Tony lets me test some of his inventions sometimes, like the climbing gear." Ellie shrugs.

"No matter what, the more skills you have the more you can do."

[heartstumbles]

"Does it?" Peter asks, winding up another shot. This time, he hits his target, and he grins, proud of himself. He's going to have to keep practicing, he knows. He's not going to magically be able to be useful at archery without putting in the work. But this is good, he thinks. He can start building a routine here; he can start building the life for himself he meant to create back home.

"Sneaking around sounds like fun," he admits. He...probably has to work on his stealth. As skilled and as flexible as he is, stealth has never been his strong suit. His tendency for quips especially undermines his ability to sneak.

He nods, and he tries not to visibly react to the mention of Tony's name, but Ellie can catch a glimpse of recognition in his face.

"I've worked in labs before," he says. "I spent a lot of time in labs back home. In case it already wasn't obvious I'm a huge nerd."

[notathreat]

"Nice," Ellie interjects when Peter hits the target, cracking a smile. She's taught a few people things here and there, always loves it when they start getting more confident.

"It's... a mixed bag," Ellie admits. Parts of sneaking are definitely fun. Breaking and entering, sneaking in through a second story window, slipping around under someone's nose without being caught... but the things she finds and witnesses aren't. And neither are the rarer times when she gets caught.

Her smile slips, and she snatches for something else to focus on, finds the flicker of recognition on Peter's face.

"Then you're in great company," she says with a chuckle. "Tony, Viktor and Jayce, Stephen, Cosima and Wysteria? Also huge nerds."

Ellie pauses, squeezes her hands into fists, releases them.

"Are you from New York?"

[heartstumbles]

Peter grins, pleased by her approval. "Thanks!" He knows archery is going to take work and commitment, but it feels good to make some progress anyway. He will take any and all small victories he can, what with how rare a presence they seem to be in his life lately.

He nods. A lot of things are a mixed bag, some more decidedly mixed than bag. Still, he does miss the espionage aspects of being Spider-Man, crawling around and making use of his stickiness for the greater good. (And the thrill of swinging.)

He grins, another flicker of recognition on his face at the mention of Stephen. "Good to know that I'm not the only nerd," he says.

He blinks for a moment as she asks if he's from New York. Probably from his accent, he assumes.

"Queens, in fact," he nods. "How did you know?"

[notathreat]

Ellie suspected, but it grows stronger when she watches his face, noting his reaction to each of the list of names. He's met a few of them, certainly, but Stephen got the same kind of recognition Tony did.

It's nothing set in stone, but he confirms it. When Peter asks, which is an entirely reasonable fucking question, Ellie shifts uncomfortably. Nobody likes to know they're being studied for their reactions, picked apart. This spy thing might be becoming too literal.

"Another guess," she admits, pinching her lower lip between her teeth. "There's like- patterns, to who falls through the rifts? Cosima has a bunch of theories about it, you should ask her about it sometime."

Ellie lifts both eyebrows at Peter. "If you're rifter who's a big nerd who thinks fighting monsters is really cool, it's like 50/50 that you're from New York. If you're a rifter who's good with guns and used to fighting zombies or something like it, you're from somewhere in the Midwest, or Texas. If that includes angels then it's Kansas."

"If you're a big nerd and there's no monsters you're from Seattle, or maybe Washington D.C."

And now she's starting to smile, because all of this is stupid but also really true. "And if you're a big nerd and into history and parkour, then you're from Boston."

That last one has the flavor of an inside joke.

[heartstumbles]

Peter is curious when Ellie mentions that she guessed, and also that there seems to be patterns to rifters and where they come from before falling through the rifts. When she mentions Cosima having theories about said patterns, Peter gets excited.

"I mean, I know the multiverse is real and that like, string theory too and all of that," Peter says, further cementing himself as a Big Damn Nerd as he continues to talk. "But I never thought of rifters and how they're brought here as any kind of pattern. That's so cool!"

Sometimes, he just has to take a moment and enjoy the little things. Like theories and possibilities.

When Ellie starts mentioning different states and different skill and weapon sets, Peter laughs. "Yeah, okay," he says, grinning. "I can see how you figured out I'm from New York. You've got this down to a science, it sounds like."

The mention of Boston elicits a more sorrow-tinged smile from Peter as he recalls the conversations he had with Ned and MJ about living together while going to college in Boston. "I always wanted to see Boston," he says. "I applied to school there but I didn't get in."

[notathreat]

Ellie's smile widens; yep, she was right, and Peter all but cements Ellie's theory about Peter being from the same or at least an adjacent universe as Stephen and Tony when he starts talking about the multiverse.

Strange was the only one who knew what the fuck when she was talking about when she started in about other universes that had a similar issue to Thedas, where people ended up in the wrong universe.

"Cosima and Stephen," Ellie confirms. "They're the people to talk to about this sort of stuff. Strange is the one who told me about the multiverse, and it lines up."

But- well, she pauses when his smile falls, acutely attuned to it. Peter is a mystery. He has so much that he's saying and he's so honest about all of it, but she still doesn't know much about him.

"Yeah?" she says, and bumps his elbow, possibly interrupting a shot. "Their loss."

She pauses again. "Alternate universe from yours, of course- but I was born there, actually. Boston."

[heartstumbles]

Peter nods. It makes sense that Strange would be an expert in the multiverse even outside of his own universe; he was, after all, incredibly smart. Peter will have to seek him out without giving away his identity so as not to compromise the spell that they used to fix the multiversal mess back home.

"Good to know," he says. He'll have to start taking notes on the whole multiverse experience, given that he's experienced it...well. More than once now. It would be prudent to keep track of his experiences, recording what he knows. "I'll have to talk to both of them."

Ellie does interrupt his next shot when she bumps his elbow, but Peter doesn't mind. He smiles, grateful. It feels good to talk with Ellie like this, like he hasn't forgotten how to make a friend, even in a whole other world.

"Thanks Ellie," he says. His eyes widen and he considers her, curious, when she mentions being from Boston in her world. "Yeah? What was Boston like? Did you stay in Boston after you were born there?"

[notathreat]

Peter perks back up again quickly, and Ellie relaxes. She's not the sort that needs people to feel happy all the time, but she likes to think she's not a total downer.

Speaking of which: her own expression flickers, then grows thoughtful. Older, in a way. Like it's not great memories.

"Yeah, I was there until I was fourteen."

She could leave it there and she figures that people would get it, but she's also listened to him enough to see that he's not going to completely freak out, so she adds:

"I was kind of a troublemaker. Kids without parents go to state-run military prep academies, and they didn't let us outside all that much, and everything that wasn't school was drills and training and chores. So I used to sneak out a lot at night, go wandering around rooftops and abandoned places. A lot of it sucked, but some of it was pretty amazing."

[heartstumbles]

Peter listens as Ellie explains that she lived in Boston until she was fourteen. Her description of the military prep academies makes them sound more like prisons than actual schools, and he feels for her that she ended up in a place like that.

"Those academies sound like they were worth sneaking out from," he says. He likes to think he would do the same, in her position. He's snuck out enough times as Spider-Man to know that life doesn't wait for you behind closed doors.

He considers what she tells him, and he aims to take another shot. He hits the target, but not exactly. Still, it feels like progress. And with what she's just shared with him, he decides to share more of himself too.

"I've wandered around rooftops myself," he says, keeping his language intentionally vague. 'Wandering around rooftops' means 'swinging across the city' and 'trying to stop alien technology from hurting people by getting out on the streets.' He prepares for another shot, glancing at Ellie quickly before he does so.

"And I would have ended up at one of those academies too, if I were in your Boston," he says. "No parents." He's not looking for sympathy but to let Ellie know that she isn't alone.

[notathreat]

It sounds like there's a lot more to those rooftops than he's telling, but given the kind of shit Ellie got up to, she doesn't blame him for not wanting to go straight into stories of what she assumes are probably some form of delinquency.

(She's something of a menace, herself.)

Ellie nods at the "no parents" bit, and she probably looks somewhat blasé about the idea. Where she's from, not having parents or family is far more common than not. Everyone's got their stories and none of them are pretty.

"Where did you live, then?"

Amazing use of meme A+

[heartstumbles]

"Queens," Peter says. "I lived with my aunt and uncle and then just my aunt." Even now, it's hard to think of Uncle Ben. It's even more difficult to think of May. Peter likes to think that, if there's an afterlife, they've found each other again. Maybe they've met up with his parents again too.

"It was...nice," he says after a moment of consideration. Then he smiles. If he's going to talk about the people he's lost, he's going to try and focus on the happier memories he has. "My aunt couldn't cook but she always tried. They both always tried."

He doesn't mean to ramble but talking about home tends to bring out the meandering wordsmith in Peter all the same. And also he doesn't mean to get so weighty or seem like he's bragging, so he quickly moves on to another favorite subject of his regarding Queens.

"Also, there's this amazing deli called Delmar's and they have the best sandwiches. I have never missed deli meat so much as I do right now."

[notathreat]

Orphan, and then by the sound of it, he'd lost his aunt and uncle too. Past tense, fond memories. Grief etches itself so universally. Ellie lets him talk, content to just listen.

They both always tried.

She wants to ask, but she doesn't. Not yet, anyway. Kind of a heavy subject for a first meeting anyway. She doesn't mind, but casual tragedy isn't a thing for most Rifters.

"Really? Never got to try the deli meat," Ellie confesses. "I visited New York. Once. Sort of. It was a weird Fade thing," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "But I got to try a cheeseburger, onion rings and milkshakes at a diner Clarisse took me to. And some donuts. What else did I miss out on?"