Help! There's a spider in the lobby!

[nbrhoodspidey]

There’s nobody in sight on the beach, with a bit of a wind, the waves slightly choppy, chewing on the shore leisurely yet aggressively, the palm trees fronds dancing in the gusts.

Suddenly, not twenty-five feet away from a tree, about a hundred feet in the air, a thin stream of gooey white fires into the air, followed by a man in a bright blue and

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[sufferingsappho]

The lobby is the last of the places Diana frequents these days, but a girl's got to get to her sparring practice somehow. Walking past and carrying a heavy practice sword on her shoulders, she pauses to help orient Peter. "Hello," she replies, setting down the weapon. "Have you jus found yourself here?"

[nbrhoodspidey]

Peter's eyes bug out slightly when he sees the woman come into the room, towering over him and carrying a massive sword. He takes a minute to compose himself - this woman radiates confidence, and well, Peter's not the most confident guy in the world.

"Uh, um, yeah, yeah I did," Peter says lamely, looking at the ground, his voice trailing into silence. "Do you, um, do you know anything about this place?"

[sufferingsappho]

Confidence, yes, but not unkindness. Once her sword is at rest she extends her hand to Peter, a gentle smile on her face. "Only a bit, I'm sorry to say. This place raises more questions than it answers."

[nbrhoodspidey]

Peter takes her hand with a quirky smile and shakes it, then sticks both his hands in his pockets. "Well, at leaset there's someone friendly around here. I'm Peter, what's your name?"

[sufferingsappho]

"That's the one benefit we've discovered," she smiles. Weak handshake aside, so far Peter's managed to charm her; perhaps not surprisingly, she hasn't run into many New Yorkers as genial as he seems to be. "Diana. Welcome to the island without a name, Peter."

[nbrhoodspidey]

"Diana," Peter said, slowly, nodding. Something about that name, he knew he had heard it, dozens of times before, and it bugged him that he couldn't remember exactly where. "So, this place, hotel, whatever, who lives here?"

[sufferingsappho]

It's certainly common enough on its own; however, it's not often used to denote Amazons, which she fairly plainly is. "It looks like we all do, at least until we find a way to leave. There's no shortage of people as lost as you and I."

[nbrhoodspidey]

Still nothing concerete, and he couldn't help staring at her, her tall frame, her sword at rest by he side. "Um, yeah, well, who lives here? Just random people like you and me? I mean, what do we all have in...com..com...common."

Peter blatantly stares at Diana, the name finally clicking. How could he have not known her when she first walked into the room? Despite himself, a child-like wonder overtakes him and he blurts out, almost in a whisper, "Are you Wonder Woman?"

[sufferingsappho]

It's probably lucky that Diana is far less settled in a human secret identity than some of her masculine compatriots, or Peter might be strung up in a golden lasso or held aloft by his throat. As it stands, she raises both eyebrows and smiles wryly, twirling the sword in her hands. "I see I'm going to have to work on a better disguise."

[nbrhoodspidey]

Peter takes a step back and shakes his head. This wasn't possible. This was ridiculous. "Wait, okay, I see, you must be, like, someone who plays her or something." There's an awkward pause. "You can't be real," he says, almost to himself. "But you look just like her!"

[sufferingsappho]

Diana frowns, tilting her head at Peter. For a second she hesitates, debating whether to let him hold on to his misconception or set him straight. It doesn't take long for her to decide. "'Play' her?" she echoes. "Why would someone 'play' Wonder Woman?"

[nbrhoodspidey]

"Uhh...," Peter is unsure what to say. To all appearances, this woman is Wonder Woman. He doesn't feel like it's his place to inform her of her status as fictional, so he just goes along with it. "...you know, pretend to be her, like kids," he finishes.

[sufferingsappho]

Diana raises an eyebrow but doesn't press the tenuous save. Instead, she addresses the more important issue at hand. With a lowered voice, she leans down toward him and puts a strong hand on his shoulder. "Who are you, Peter?"