Episode 7: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spider

[webball]

Mayfield | Downtown | Day

[Our hero is not much of a hero without heroic threads designed for hero-dom. So, Peter is standing in the general store, looking for thread to sew himself a not-so-Halloween-costume. Hell, he did it when he was 16, he can certainly do it again. ...Though it HAS been a while. Last time he tried this he was in college. He's

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[ooeeooahah]

They likely won't hear you. Same as with me in the hardware store.

[ She keeps her voice low, but conversational. ]

What are you making?

[webball]

[His voice gets a little higher.]

Oh, me? Uh, not much! Just, uh... some pajamas. Thought I'd sew, uh... sew up some pajamas like the ones I have back home.

[ooeeooahah]

Calm down, hon - you'll attract the wrong sort of attention. You're looking for something to make a... uniform of some sort, I think.

[ She chuckles, keeping her voice conversational as she looks through the fabrics. ]

Are you needing to have something like urban camouflage, or something else?

[webball]

...Lady, you seem like you'v dealt with your fair share of squirrelly, panicky customers.

[ooeeooahah]

[ She laughs, and it might be evident she's keeping it quiet for the store. ]

You could say that - I'm a psychiatrist at home.

[ Her voice returns to a quiet, conversational tone as she switches her purse to her other arm and offers her hand. ]

However, that's not the signal I picked up from you. You're a kind of guardian, back home, I think.

[webball]

Guardian? Me? Pisshaw! What gives you that idea?

[But Spider-Sense is...inactive. So, maybe he's being too cautious.]

...I guess I guard... SOME things...

[ooeeooahah]

[ She chuckles, checking the area for observers before a small glowing sphere appears over her upraised fingertip, just for a few seconds. When it winks out, she nods. ]

High incidence of guardians here. So, do you usually protect from the shadows, or by making yourself a target?

[ Her smile looks like she's asking if someone prefers football or baseball. ]

[webball]

Wha... uh... [Whoa now, what just happened? Some kind of mystical ball of light popped up on her finger like a wart from God...]

...Are you Doctor Strange in disguise or something? What was that?!

[ooeeooahah]

Witchlight, useful at times, but that was just me showing off [ She shrugs. ] Don't know that anyone's tagged me with that name, though. Ilsa Higa.

[ She bows, though it's casual to even someone not versed in Asian culture. ]

[webball]

Uh... [Peter quickly drops into a stiff bow back, not sure how else to respond and not wanting to be rude.]

Peter... Parker, that is. That's some trick you got there. Witchlight... so do you do the whole magic thing, then?

[ooeeooahah]

I've gotten pieces of it back, yeah. Still can't see the edges of the planes, yet. Don't know if that's because I don't have it back yet, or if it's part of the structure of this place.

[ She takes a mimeographed map out of her purse, and marks 1490 Kramden on it before handing it to him. ]

I'm also an MD, so if you need medical help, let me know. I have a friend who does really nice work in costuming. He's capable for light armor as well as stretching the limits of the materials here.

[webball]

[Peter stares a little.]

...You totally ARE a Doctor Strange!!

...Are you single? Cuz I know a surgeon who also happens to be a Master of the Mystic Plane and likes to cuddle...!
...Maybe.

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa laughs, ] You're a bit young for a schadchen, aren't you? I found someone here, and he's not quite sure about sharing, yet.

[ She shrugs, smiling. ]

[webball]

Bummer for him. Guess it's back to speed dating for Doc.
"Shadchen", did you say? What is that, Yiddish?

[ooeeooahah]

Yeah, one of the things about college, it's an opportunity to learn more than the courses offered by the university system.

[ She chuckles, ] of course, most of my classmates learned to swear in other languages first.

[webball]

Sounds about right to me. My friend Flash learned to curse me out in Chinese and never figured anything else out.

Well, it's good to know there's a doctor-wizard around who also happens to be friendly. I'm sure the situation will come up when I need a little help. Maybe I can return the favor if you get into trouble.