Cleaning Around the House (Arachnadude)

Everything important rested in the middle of the home, but the things that were not important drew all the attention. The dining room, the living room, the parlor, and even the parts of the kitchen company could see: all of these laid out like fine statements of the people living within. Well, one of them. The other left her boots strewn across the leather of the couch, merely stating: 'it's made of leather too! It's wants to be with its own kind!'

And, that is where Bliss and Ashley's daily argument began.

"I beat down an entire factory of semi-autonomous robots that would have taken over both San Francisco and Tindr at the same time. People should be thanking me!"

Ashley turned to Bliss after the initial statement from her partner. "Your thanks ends-" Ashley pushed the boots off the couch. "When your boots start disrespecting my couch. Boots go in the-"

The boots began to break apart into a different style of slippers. No longer the tough boot, but a comfortable slipper. "Now what are they disrespecting? You put your slippers on the couch all the-

"I do no such thing, Bliss Fukuyama!" Ashley ended with a finger with the resolve to put her wife in place. "Don't even attempt to say I have done anything like that."

"You had a pop-tart in your car." The air ended and hid behind Bliss' lips at the accusation. "I saw in the camera-"

"That's a lie. And, an invasion of privacy." Ashley picked up the slippers and took them to the shoe cubbie.

"That's why we aren't talking about it again." Bliss stepped up to meet Ashley in the eye.

"We aren't talking about anything right now."

"Except me taking out an army of robots. We can talk about that." Bliss broke the gaze and stretched. "I'm pretty tired from all of that. I don't think I could even ice a drink right now."

A few bottles rested on the edge of the wet bar. "I've got some wine that could be tested."

Arachnadude climbs up a window. He sighs and shatters it. Same old same old. He crawls in, talking tiredly.

"Hello, people. You've been selected for a random robbery. Please comply. I'm having a rough day."

Two wine glasses clinged against the gentle touch of glass with each postured step from Ashley's stride.

And, each gentle clang screeched in Bliss' brain like a mouse trying to claw its way out of a burning house. "I need that inside of me to drown out the headache it's giving me."

"Take it easy or you're just paying for a headache tomorrow." Ashley set the glasses down on a table, eyeing wine chilled in a block of recently created ice. "And, take it easy with the powers too. It will only make the headache worse. We should really see someone about how bad these headaches are getting every time you use your powers."

Bliss clawed and released her hands in the gesture of holding a drink, prompting Ashley to roll her eyes- and reach for a cork screw.

The silence hung in the air like an uninvited guest- until the figurative gave way to the literal.

"We didn't sign up for a robbery." A forearm acted as Bliss' sleep mask, aware of the man, but unaware as to how much to care. "Come back later. Like when we don't live here."

While Bliss remained calm, Ashley put the cork screw down. And, tightened her grip.

"Yeah, yeah, I don't wanna rob you, but I have to pay the bills. I need some data drives with info that's worth enough to pay off my electric bill."

He lazily grapples to the ceiling and hangs upside down, looking around. Arachnadude has done this thousands of times. At first, his job was thrilling, but after several years it really starts to get on your nerves.

"I'll also take any vases you have just in and around this place. Fuck, I hate Mondays."

"You're going to need to leave. While you still can." While Bliss lounged about, Ashley did not take the invasion as kindly. "I do not mean to be a crude host, but you were not invited, and those data drives are too important for the likes of-"

"Oh great, he has superpowers." With her arm away from her eyes, Bliss began to sit up. "Okay, well, I guess I can freeze him and then we can just throw him outside."

"Don't strain yourself." Ashley stepped past Bliss beginning to size up the intruder to remove him with a telekinetic blast- but, wanted to do so in a way that did not destroy the house. Or, the very fine vases she had.

Arachnadude fires a grapple at Ash's foot, attempting to pull her upside down.

"Look, none of us want this robbery to go down, but this shit is happening. When the fight starts, I'll try not to break any of your vases."

A force of energy burst from Ashley hand- but it was her feet that betrayed her. A line shot out, grappling her and dangling her from the ceiling. Several vases began to tumble towards the hard floor with Ashley watching in disbelief.

Until they floated harmlessly above the ground. "Okay, we've asked you nicely. Now, we do this the hard way." Bliss cracked her knuckles and released the vases gently to the ground. The wine bottle floated to Bliss' hand. The cork popped out with a telekinetic pull. "I just need to do this first."

A few sips went down the hatch. "Okay. Better."

"Don't spill on the furniture." Ashley tried to grab the grapple to release herself.

"Don't get grappled by a lame intruder." Three ice balls would fly from Bliss' hand, trying to hit the meta square in the head.

Arachnadude's spider senses allow him to dodge the three balls. He sighs again. Why can't today just be an easy day where the victims comply. They're also metahumans which is kinda sucky.

"Look, I hate to start an all out brawl, but I need this money. I've been given a job and Arachnadude always delivers."

He fires another grapple, reinforcing the one attaching Ashley to the ceiling. Arachnadude swings across the room, landing on the couch.

"Feet off the couch!" Jerking to turn herself around, Ashley grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and pulled attacked Arachnadude with the plush weapon. "Get me out of this!"

Bliss watched as the spider vaulted across the room. Feeling like getting the upper hand on the freak, she began to freeze the line as soon as it set, triggering strong vibrations in the line to then try and shatter it under the weight of the man. If it would break, then Bliss could try and freeze the floor beneath him, taking away his firm footing.

Ashley continued to spin around. "Bliss, a little help!"

"Very little." Bliss rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I am fighting the headache more than this jerk."

Ice would begin to form around the grapple around Ashley's ankle. No vibrations to assist. "Just use telekinesis to break it and I'll take care of this guy."

As soon as Arachnadude detects frost on the cable, he lets go, firing out another to get across the room. He swings into the kitchen.

"You guys have a lot of fine stuff. I just need the drive, but this silverware is pretty snazzy."

Ashley broke the ice- but the cable remained in tact. "Bliss! It didn't work! Do it again!"

But, Bliss did not heed. "You can't have the silverware, jerk!" Bliss bolted for the kitchen, following the cable. She gained an idea along the way that involved telekinesis, one of the knives, and the intruders face, but Ashley might get upset if the blood would not come off.

Instead, the telekinetic pull would just try and bring the silverware to the beleaguered Bliss. "You're not making this easy. And, to be honest, all of this probably isn't even worth it. If you get where I have the drives, I'm just going to put the house on lock down and release the killbots."

Part of that may have been a lie. Some of it might just be a tired Bliss forgetting what she actually built.

A schism began to shift in her brain as she tried conjuring more ice around his feet. Instead, she opted to telekinetically push the ice dispenser on the refrigerator door and make ice, then allowing the telekinesis to burst the cubes into a very annoying, cold, blast against her foe.

Arachnadude does some aerobatics, flipping onto the counter. He grabs some knives right as the silverware is pulled toward Bliss.

"Knives are a little harsh, wouldn't you say?"

He whips out a metal spatula. His own metal spatula.

"This is actually getting fun. I usually dread this type of stuff, but this is actually not bad."

He leaps into another counter, turning the water on to Max and clogging the drain.

"Soon, the floor will be water instead of lava! What a fun foe you are with the ice and mind powers."

"Am I having the dumbest dream? Or, did I die fighting those robots and go to stupid Hell?" Bliss held a knife in her hand for a few seconds. "No, I'm too smart to go to stupid Hell- although, that would be a punishment..."

Bliss watched in confusion as the man turned the sink on and clogged the sink. Finally, a reality set in. "I'd prefer lava! At least that would clean itself!"

"Don't break the sink!" Ashley yelled from the other room. "Or any other appliance. Some of them have expired warranties!"

"Warranties are stupid and pointless! They all are programmed to wear out a day before they break!"

"They have a point and are valuable!" The vocal patterns from Ashley shifted every time she rotated and spun. "But, make it so we don't have to use them!"

Bliss began to freeze the pipes- or more or less freeze the water in the pipes by freezing the pipes. Maybe that would work. It was giving Bliss a headache, so something was working. "You're next!"

A telekinetic blast escaped Bliss' hand, hoping to knock her foe to the ground.

Her for leaps into the air once more but is knocked to the floor where a little water has pooled. He looks to his suit which is water tight, but he still hates getting his stuff wet.

"Really? It's a little cold out, I'm gonna freeze up! Do you need some Tylenol? Maybe there's some in the bathroom!"

Arachnadude swings through the building over to the bathroom, swinging into it. He starts rummaging through the cabinets for chemicals and meds.

"Hey! Stay out of the bathroom!" Another command came out and yet again the intruder did not confer. Bliss kept moving into the hall, looking for Arachnadude- even though she knew the house and he did not. "At least let Ashley down!"

"You were supposed to be doing that!" Ashley continued to spin slowly a Bliss came into the hallway.

"My ice isn't strong enough to break these grapple lines." Bliss made an announcement she probably should have kept to herself. "I think I might actually grab some tylenol if he leaves it out."