Snuggles the Symbiote
In the week since I'd last escorted Ashley back to her homeworld for her first session with her psychiatrist, they'd been invaded by alien salad people, an intergalactic war that had been going on for longer than humans had existed ended with peace, they came within seconds of all animal life in the known universe being exterminated, Mister and Missus Grimm adopted two alien child soldiers that the Fantastic Four had freed from slavery, and outer space was now ruled by a very attractive green man and his nigh-omnipotent Jewish wizard husband.
According to Ashley, this was a 'typical week in New York City.'
On our front, she'd gotten over the mood she'd been in after a good night's sleep and started trying to teach herself the guitar using stolen memories, in addition to trying to teach herself capoeira... She seemed to be doing better, but...
Anyway, I was mostly pacing around outside this Samson guy's office. I'd tried eavesdropping, but after overhearing an exchange of 'how do you cope with living forever?' and 'I'm still figuring that out myself' I decided that I was better off not knowing unless Ashley came to me specifically.
A brown-haired man walked around the corner He looked at the door, looked at me, and shrugged. "Doc's busy with the kid?"
"Yeah." I blinked, trying to put together the rough crash course I'd been given on people from Ashley's world... "Doctor Banner?"
The man laughed. "Sorry, Bruce isn't in right now." He extended a hand. "Name's Joe. Joe Fix-It."
I took the hand and shook. The man had a hell of a grip. "So... You're one of Doctor Baner's—"
"Split personalities? Yeah, guess that's a term people use for it. Folks used to call me the Grey Hulk, then I'd break their legs for it," he started with an uncomfortably wide smile, "of course, I'm not so Hulky right now."
"...Okay."
"Ya know, I ain't used to people not having a clue who we are," Joe admitted. "Not sure how I feel about it." He started leaning against the wall. "So, between the news and what Strange said when he barged in here a while back, I get the gist of what's going on with the kid, but why are you here?"
"I'm her foster sister."
"Yeah, but unless Roxx News was lying... Which, to be fair, is fully on-brand for them, this kid hunted down and killed Cletus Kassady. I've never met the guy, but from what I've heard she doesn't need you to hold her hand."
I just stared at him for a minute.
"Don't look at me like that," Joe said with a shake of his head. "I ain't a headshrinker like Samson but you don't go from a leg breaker to running Vegas by being bad at reading people, This ain't about the kid... You say it is, you're acting like you're worried about her, and you are, but the truth is you're reeling from the loss of control in your life."
"...Are you sure you're not a shrink?"
Joe shrugged. "Maybe Samson's rubbing off on me. Maybe living in this twisted, shattered head makes me good at seeing other people's damage. Now stop deflecting."
"...I made myself responsible for a kid, but it seems my life ever since has been watching her run off recklessly into danger and having limited options. I don't know what to do or... I don't want to discourage her or... I've had a lot of bad experiences with authority figures who didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground and made rules that only served to hurt people and I don't want to be like that, or..."
"Okay, this running into danger thing: She got a good reason? Or is she just a stupid kid?"
"...She wants to help people. Save lives, stop the bad guy... She practically worships Spider-Man."
Joe started nodding. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. Webhead's good people, she could've chosen worse for a role model. Could've chosen me. Anyway, here's my advice, take it or leave it: Don't stop her from running into danger. Run into it with her."
I guess my expression made him feel like he needed to explain, becuase he continued. "Look, I ain't much one for right, wrong, legal, illegal... My stance in life is if it feels good, do it. As long as you're not hurting anyone who doesn't need to hurt? Ain't nobody's business but yours." He smiled wide in that creepy way again. "I think, that deep down, everyone's got something that they really are. Some core nature that don't change. And I think people should be allowed to be themselves, and be comfortable being themselves. If trying to do the Great Responsibility bullshit is in the kid's nature, don't stop her from doing it. Do it with her. Make her comfortable, make sure she doesn't get in over her head till she's ready to take care of herself. If it turns out she just likes violence, you help her find socially acceptable heads to crack open. Ya get me?
"Based on the Banner family's track record, you'll know you did a good job raising her if you don't try to murder each other... Of course, that's mostly father and son relationships."
He started walking off. "On second thought, I can put off talking to Samson for a day. Think about what I said, take it or leave it... Just giving my two cents."
A little later, Ashley came out of Samson's office and immediately gave me a hug. I hugged her back.
"You doing okay?"
"Yeah... Doc Samson doesn't think I'll need medicine for my anxiety but he wants me to give it another week of taking it easy and getting exercise to make sure, so that's good... Becuase I don't know if there's an anxiety drug that'll work for me... Scream, I swear to god if you don't stop I'm gonna put you in the microwave."
"Ugh..." I still need to figure out to deal with her talking to the symbiotes.
"Scream doesn't get along with Mister Snuggles. I'm not sure that this is gonna work out."
Snuggles The Symbiote
Once we got back to HQ, Ashley wandered off to talk to Missy and Grace about... stuff.
Missy had seemed to get over Grace being who she was pretty fast... Was I holding onto a grudge too long? Beh, I'll figure it out later.
I was just about to approach Aegis to ask how far in advance you could schedule patrol shifts when I overheard Ashley say "...And that's how Doctor Richards figured out who the Zodiac Killer was!" Which disrupted my train of thought and completly killed my desire to do anything but bury my head in the sand for one more day.