That Better Be a Spider In Your Pocket (Graves)

Nate was adjusting moderately well as a pet owner, considering he never had so much as a hamster when he was younger. The other variable was his pet being a mutant spider, of course. That proved to be the bigger issue originally, with Nate's unease around spiders some time to completely disappear. Once that issue was resolved however, Parker was a surprisingly easy to manage pet. The spider took commands very well and ate scraps of meat and stray bugs, which made him sustainable and kept the apartment pest-free.

One slight problem that still came up was taking Parker out for walks. Being so much bigger than a normal spider, being kept in the apartment must feel like being confined to a drawer for Parker, so Nate did his best to take the spider out for exercise and exploration, but a two-foot long spider garnered a lot of attention, which was Nate's kryptonite. The problem was usually remedied by wearing a hood and shades, coupled with the New York tradition of ignoring and avoiding weirdos.

On this day, he decided a change of scenery would be nice for his pet; crowded cement sidewalks did not seem very welcoming, and there was always the worry that some homeless guy would attempt to stomp on or eat Parker. Nate had not yet visited the botanical gardens, and skittering around a green area would be a nice change of pace.

Nate had purchased a leash for these walks; Parker was well behaved, but sometimes easily distracted. Nate held the loop and the end of the leash absentmindedly, enjoying the plants and flowers, brushing his free hand along leaves. Parker would find things within range to draw his attention, and it would be signaled to his owner by the light tug on the cord.

The trip seemed relatively relaxing until the spider's temperament shifted dramatically. Caught off guard, the leash was yanked out of Nate's hand, now trailing a determined Parker. Concerned by whatever could interest a giant spider so much, (with good reason, based on experience,) Nate ran after the pet. Parker may have had a headstart, but it was easy for the long-legged man to gain on the shuffling critter.

Parker turned a corner and both could now see what was drawing him; a girl was facing away from the two, captivated by whatever plants she was studying. Nate had no clue why this girl was so interesting to Parker, besides possibly his need for attention, but he had no desire to explain to a stranger why his monster spider assaulted her.

It seemed less likely that Nate would be able to catch up close enough to scoop up the sneaky spider, so he tried for the next best thing; he stomped his foot down on the trailing leash. Thankfully, it did not slip out, and Parker ran out of slack a few feet away from the innocent potential victim. Nate grabbed the leash and reeled his mischievous pet in, lightly placing a foot on the back of the warbling Parker. Realizing the event did not go unnoticed to the girl, he apologized, "I'm so sorry, he slipped away; he seemed dead set on meeting you," Nate joked lamely with a weak chuckle. "Sorry for the scare."

He had to give the girl credit; what could have been a trainwreck of a situation was being downplayed as an awkward misunderstanding. She was sort of chuckling, despite feeling uncomfortable. There really were all kinds in New York. "Yeah... Parker is sort of a long story. To be honest, the long and short of it was that mutants were involved, and... well, now I have a pet spider," he rationalized with a weak laugh. What turns did his life take that led to a story like this being so casual. "My name's Nate, by the way." Just because the spider was going to be rude did not mean Nate had to be.

He bent down and picked up Parker, who was still squirming. Nate had no clue what the spider was so drawn to about the girl, but he was antsy, with fuzzy legs brushing against his arms, leading to a shudder and goosebumps. "He's been pretty harmless to people so far, which is why it's so weird that he's acting up." He gave brushed the spider's head with his knuckles to scold him. "Quit being rude, you brat."

Nate looked up from his pet to spot a red and black dot on the girl's shoulder. "Hey look, a ladybug! Idn't it good luck to have one of those land on you?"

"Oh yeah, a mutant spider tried to tackle-hug you; best day ever," he teased with a wink. The girl was fairly pretty, but she seemed far too thin; poor girl looked like she barely ate. Nate shuddered; he was getting old when he started thinking about girls like a parent rather than a man.

Nate was relieved; his little scolding of Parker helped the spider understand that he was misbehaving, and he has stopped squirming around. "Ready to behave?" Cautiously, keeping a tight grip on the leash, Nate let Parker down. The spider, able to understand both language and punishment, perked up on his hindlegs and extending his forelegs, attempting an apology bow with a sympathetic warble.

"See? He's a sweetheart. So do you spend much of..." his voice trailed off a bit. In the time he took to take care of Parker, one lucky ladybug had become a squad of the insects. That was... unlikely? Suspicious? "So I couldn't help but notice the only ladybugs in the garden have picked you as a hangout spot. Does this happen to you often?" Nate had the sneaking suspicion it did, and it was quite possibly related in his mind the Parker's infatuation.

The girl was either desperate or was praying he was easily fooled. He was a pretty bright bulb, and with close to a dozen ladybugs collecting on Agnes like a bouquet, he had a guess regarding the reason. Still, he could put himself in her shoes more than most, so he did not hold it against her.

He wanted to make the situation less anxious for her, so he chuckled at her response. "So your shampoo makes you smell like a flower or something?" He scanned around the botanical garden. "I see how that would make you stick out here."

It was true he should not think it was certain that he was right about Agnes, but Nate thought the odds were good enough to make the gamble. Nate stretched his shadow across the path and into the green. In the corner of his eye, he scanned around for any fallen flower, but it seemed the place was kept very carefully. There was a petal, which would have to do. The shadow lifted it from the ground and moved it closer to her. He thought of how exactly to out himself before thinking of something location-appropriate: the shadow emerged from the ground behind her, with a crooked trunk, branching out every which way. One branch extended just over Agnes, dropping the petal before her eyes. "And here I'd think they'd all go for one of them petals."

There was nothing like an honest reaction, and surprise usually guaranteed one. He smiled; in a self-indulgent way, he had always found his own abilities impressive, and with the new-found ability to show off in front of other mutants, he found pleasure in the positive reactions of others.

Nate did have to consider that the reason bugs were collecting her was not a mutation: maybe an experiment, or a weird coincidence, or something stranger. He did have to remember he was holding the leash to a mutant spider that had nothing to do with his mutation. Still; he had faith that the smart money was on mutant.

Nate allowed his shadow to slowly return to him, the shape returning to the ground. "Yup. So... now that I've been a little honest, think you can return the favor, sugar?"

Alright, Nate had taken a swing and it was a solid miss. He was not even in the batter's box, it would seem by the aggressive reply of the young woman. To make matters worse, he still had no idea of what her powers could entail. Angry women were dangerous enough without a wealth of unknown ammo.

It was time for tension diffusion, Nate hoped. "Woah, I get you. Believe me, I didn't mean anything by it; I'm still used to names like that being commonplace back home." Alright, so he had been away from home for a while, but it was true that everyone from waitresses to classmates to teachers used names like "sugar," "hun," and "darling" with great occurrence. "Still, I know what you mean and I'll cool it."

Penniless-country-singer-rogue? Was that really how he came off? Well, so two of the four were true, but he tried not to give the vagabond impression, and did every country boy sing or something?

Hoping that things had shifted from tense to just awkward, he asked, "So think I can ask about that mutation of yours? I am curious whether there's more to it than a beetle homing beacon."

It might be too early to say, but her posture loosened up a bit, which he took as good news. He had avoided making any real enemies in New York so far, and he would like to keep that tradition going.

Nate was not the only one who sensed the situation lightening, as the ladybugs returned, joined by butterflies. Despite some of the other bugs Agnes might attract, with the collection of fluttering butterflies was a peaceful little benefit.

"I'm beginning to learn that any mutation is special. Though it does explain my pet's affinity for you." Nate tugged on the leash as the spider was off to his side, spinning a web between two large plants. "He may not be an insect, but you probably made him think a buffet was in town."