Fun In the Sun (IC)

[KnightDisciple]

CT frowned, clearly upset. But not at the girls. He spoke, sounding a bit contrite, even as he sat in his swim trunks and mask on his easy chair of sand (he'd ditched the "costume" somewhere in the midst of the conversation).

"I...wow. Um. Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like it was a bad thing, not at all. There's nothing wrong with how you talk, Dragonfly. Is it "different from the norm"? Sure. But what does "the norm" mean, really? How much does it matter. You get your points across, that's the important part. And, uh..."

He coughed and blushed a bit.

"It's kinda cute but don't tell my girlfriend I said that and I'm not trying to steal her please don't give me super-chicken-pox Jill!"

He took in a deep breath and spoke at a more normal pace.

"So, yeah. It's all cool, Dragonfly. And as for your brother, Jill...I think I remember catching the highlights of that on the news. Don't really watch hockey, myself. More of a football guy myself."

Said the teen who could all but play NFL with his current build.

[Supercape]

Damn! the time! cursed Supercape, looking up from his most recent experiment at the Lab's giant particle smasher.

He was meant to by the lake, for some Lab social gathering. In all honesty, he had meant to go, and had even made provisions (a flask of tea and cucumber sandwiches). But the smasher was turning up some really interesting stuff right now and he had got too absorbed.

He wasn't a huge socialiser with fellow scientists, but he was more fond of the Lab group. They beat that old crony Liebniz at the university, that was for sure.

He grabbed the sandwiches and thermos, and with a wobble of space, vanished.

At the lake...

A few bubbles appeared from the lake, followed by a few more.

There was a subtle swirl, and Supercapes head popped up encased in a what looked like a perspex fishing bowl (an extention of his costume), followed by the rest of his body as he marched from the depths of the Lake onto the shore, dripping water as he did. It was most fortunate his sandwiches were in an airtight box, and the thermos was similarly protected.

[Raveled]

Jessica obligingly stretched out on the blanket and laid her head on her hands. After a moment she half-sat up and peeled off the tube top, revealing a sky-blue bikini top, and a more generous expanse of (albeit pale) skin. She settled down with a wide smile, wiggling slightly as Blake started rubbing the oil on. She gave an involuntary gasp as his fingers found a ticklish spot on the small of her back. "Muscles are nice," she said quietly, "but there's nothing like experience."

The young inventor enjoyed the attention, paying the conversation half an ear, until the fishbowl appeared from the lake. She propped herself up and tensed, preparing for a fight, until she saw Supercape's face beneath it. She relaxed, but stayed propped up on one arm and waved the other at her Lab-mate. "Hello, Supercape! We're all over here!"

[Supercape]

Supercape waved back, slightly disorientated.

That will teach me for teleporting in a hurry... he thought ruefully. He wasn't really paying attention to the density of the target area when he had entwined the two time space events and traversed them. Water he kicked himself is more dense than air...

Nevertheless, he made the most of it. With a bit of concentration, he steamed himself dry with the careful applicatino of microwave radiation. It warmed him up, too.

"Ah yes, greetings!" he said as he approached Jessica. He felt a bit silly in his full Lab costume, and retracted the coat and the sleeves slightly for a more compact look. The mask stayed on, of course.

"Tea" he pronounced, holding up the thermos. "And cucumber sandwiches" he continued, holding his airtight box.

"Beautiful day, I should have brought the cricket bat and stumps" he added.

[trollthumper]

Push's mind was fairly occupied with cooking many, many different things at once when Jill spoke, but he still managed to catch the last sentence as he flipped two burgers with two spatulas in either hand, the chili's stirring stick seeming to keep moving of it's own accord.

"NHL playoffs? Hard not to hear about that one, didn't they all get...moked...by...one...guy..."

He turned his head, looking at Jill with eyes as wide as saucers.

"You're kidding."

"Yup, that's her brother," Nick said. "They helped me out in the incident with Xipe Totec." To Warlock's ears, Nick pronounced it "zee-PAY TOH-tek." "Guy came back to Freedom before the Equinox, possessed a museum staffer, and tried to turn the human epidermis into a fashion statement. Thought it'd make the crops grow and the sun keep turning. A lot of the Aztec gods are kinda tragic that way. It's like dealing with a dementia patient. A bloodthirsty, godlike dementia patient."

Nick turned when he heard Supercape rise from the lake. "Well, that's one way to make an entrance," he said as he greeted the powerful Brit. "What's your blend on the tea? Earl Grey? English Breakfast?"

[Gizmo]

Jill offered the telekinetic cook a nonchalant shrug. "I said he leaves an impression. It wasn't just him, but when you personally take out Wildcard, Downtime and Orion after taking a sniper round, you're pretty much allowed to round up." The teenager kept her tone light and almost disinterested but it was pretty clear that she was taking the opportunity to brag a little bit about her brother.

Leaning her hip subtly toward Dragonfly as the shorter girl wrapped an arm around her waist, she shook her head at CT, amused by the underclassman's flustered backpeddling. "Breath, Tiny, you'll hurt yourself. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm really not worried about you stealing my lady friend." As another familiar member of the Lab staff appeared and greeted the group, she closed her eyes tightly shut for a moment and mumbled to herself, "Oh, Dios, he's talking about cricket again..."

[Quinn]

Push offered a friendly wave to Supercape, and levitated the first platter of sandwiches around the heroes.

"Sounds like a hell of a fighter, hate to be in Orion's shoes after that one. Yo, SC! Pull up some sand and a...yeah, sandwich. Dangit, why do the good puns never appear when I need them?"

He flipped another burger, then rummaged around the supplies for some cheese slices.

"Hoi, if anyone doesn't want cheese on their burgers, now's a good time to speak up."

[Supercape]

Nick turned when he heard Supercape rise from the lake. "Well, that's one way to make an entrance," he said as he greeted the powerful Brit. "What's your blend on the tea? Earl Grey? English Breakfast?"

"Earl Grey" beamed Supercape with a broad grin. Anyone who could name more than one blend of tea went up a few notches in his estimation. He proceeded to pour a mug for himself and offered one to Nick.

"Care for one?" he inquired, hopeful that he would finally bond with another tea-lover.

He spotted Jill out of the corner of his eye, with Dragonfly. Kept that a bit quiet he mused to himself without judgement. But then, Dragonfly keeps a lot quiet. Or it comes out in a vomit of consciousness. Which often has the same effect...

He gave Jill a wave. "What ho' miss!" he yelled. "I know you like a spot of Cricket eh?"

[Fox]

Dragonfly replied to her girlfriend's mumbling with a sympathetic squeeze, trying (and failing) to keep a completely straight face. "Hello, Supercape," she managed without sounding too amused. "Mostly just arrived, still...phrase...'settling in'. Unpacking or starting cooking or...."

She glanced over at Jessica and her boyfriend, and raised an eyebrow, momentarily jealous that her choice of swimsuit had made that particular option unavailable. later maybe "....ensuring protection from sunlight," she continued, dryly. "Not...the time for cricket, maybe. Yet. Ever."

[Supercape]

"Not...the time for cricket, maybe. Yet. Ever."

"Hmph" replied Supercape. "Well, I'm sure I can persuade you one day" he replied as enthusiastically as possible.

I have half a mind to go and get my ruddy bat and stumps he said to himself.

"Its jolly good fun outside, with some beer and bangers" he continued. "Why, I remember that time at Cambridge, when I was vice president of the silly buggers society, when old Camberforth started..." he brought himself back from reminiscing.

"Never mind. Anyway, it can be quite entertaining, all good clean fun" he concluded. Well, not so clean for old Camberforth he chuckled.

"I am sure Jill can teach you the rules one day. I distinctly recall giving her a most riveting lecture on them a while ago." he added, giving Jill a knowing wink.

[KnightDisciple]

CT breathed easier as Jill held him no ill will.

"Fair enough. I figure I don't have to worry about either of you stealing Quo-Dis, either. Makes it all nice and fair, then, Nurse Jill."

Not the most brilliant of nicknames, but CT wasn't one for making up such things anyways. He barely restrained his laughter as Jill complained about cricket, and Supercape extolled its virtues.

"Ah, Mister Supercape, sir. While we all appreciate that cricket is a time-honored game with a great degree of subtlety, the beach seems a less than ideal location for it. If we do decide to have any sports, I suspect it will be quicker, simpler games, such as frisbee or volleyball. Really though, I think today's about as few plans as possible."

CT gave the older superhero a smile.

"I'm Cobalt Templar, by the way. Nice to meet you."

He turned for a moment to face the cooking area.

"If someone skimps, throw an extra slice of cheese on mine!"

He returned to the closer conversations.

"We have sun, sand, surf, food, and friends. What else do we need?"

[Gizmo]

"Hello, Professor," Jill greeted Supercape with a sigh that was not to subtly exaggerated, as even the sardonic young woman wasn't able remain completely unaffected by the older gentleman's infectious good spirits. "You're making up words again, sir." Turning to CT, she raised a hand while a shimmering blue replica of the pointed finger hovered near the junior's face. "Hey buddy, I didn't write all those pre-med entrance exams to be called Nurse Jill." Letting the construct fade with a thoughtful expression, she looked back to the most recent arrival. "Actually, there's a thought. Supercape gave me some pointers on force fields when I first got my powers. CT here has a similar shtick, Professor."

[Lone Star]

Jessica obligingly stretched out on the blanket and laid her head on her hands. After a moment she half-sat up and peeled off the tube top, revealing a sky-blue bikini top, and a more generous expanse of (albeit pale) skin. She settled down with a wide smile, wiggling slightly as Blake started rubbing the oil on. She gave an involuntary gasp as his fingers found a ticklish spot on the small of her back. "Muscles are nice," she said quietly, "but there's nothing like experience."

The young inventor enjoyed the attention, paying the conversation half an ear, until the fishbowl appeared from the lake. She propped herself up and tensed, preparing for a fight, until she saw Supercape's face beneath it. She relaxed, but stayed propped up on one arm and waved the other at her Lab-mate. "Hello, Supercape! We're all over here!"

Blake grinned as he found her spot. "Oh I know." He winked, although he realized that she couldn't see his reaction. He straightened up to see what everyone was looking at, and found himself looking at the gentleman superhero, Supercape! He waved and smiled broadly, one hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Hey there, 'Cape! Long time, no see!" He smiled and nodded when Supercape spoke about cricket, knowing not at all what the sport was.

[Quinn]

Push finished flipping, taking out several bags of burger buns and opening them up as the patties began floating to them. Taking the stirring stick of the chili in one hand, he lifted it up and took a quick sip, tilting his head to ponder before taking out a pepper and starting to slice it.

"Right, double-cheese on C.T's. Warlock, you want yours with the ketchup smiley-face?"

He seemed to be far more at ease than before, especially since he was practically in his natural element. The kineticist pondered it for a moment; he seemed to react better whenever he was at work on something, whether in battle, the garage, or the kitchen. Funny, that.

[Supercape]

"Ah, Mister Supercape, sir. While we all appreciate that cricket is a time-honored game with a great degree of subtlety, the beach seems a less than ideal location for it. If we do decide to have any sports, I suspect it will be quicker, simpler games, such as frisbee or volleyball. Really though, I think today's about as few plans as possible."

CT gave the older superhero a smile.

"I'm Cobalt Templar, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Hmph" said Supercape, without much true irritation. "Philistine colonists!" he added, with a grin on his face. "It's the sport of gentlemen, you hear?"

He winked. "You will be calling football 'soccer' next!"

He shook Cobalt Templer by the hand.

"Anyway, jolly pleased to meet you, you seem a spiffing young man. Full of beans and the vigor of youth!"

He turned around to look at the cooking. It was perhaps a bit heavy for him at this point, although it smelt good enough. For now, he had a sip of his tea, and put the carefully made cucumber sandwiches by the rest of the food, having a nibble on one.

"Damn" he said. "Forgot the strawberries and cream!"

[KnightDisciple]

CT stared at the finger in front of his face, going cross-eyed despite the grin.

"Oh. Pardon me. Doctor Jill. Hm. That sounds almost like Doctor Phil. No mustache, though. So Doctor Jill it is."

He was clearly enjoying the witty back-and-forth, even if he was on the losing end.

"What Jill here has failed to mention, is that while she may have more volume, I have more finesse and style. I hear tell blue flame is "in" this year."

He shook the British hero's hand rather firmly, though it was apparently a result of his generally strong nature, rather than some odd contest.

"Now hold on a second there, Supercape. While the historian in me accepts the "colonist" label, I have to correct you about "Philistine". I can't trace my lineage back to ancient Canaan. Though I have visited there. Fascinating place, really..."

He shook his head with a smirk.

"Well, we wouldn't want to get soccer confused with football. Glad to hear I'm "spiffing" nonetheless."

He pondered some of the man's odder quirks as he sat there.

'This guy is like one of those old BBC movies or something. He's "classically British"? I hope "full of beans" means something different than what it does back home. I'm not full of any food right now...'

He glanced towards first Push, then Blake.

"Hey Push! How long 'til grub's done?

Blake, don't get too distracted from your grueling work over there. Don't want her calling in the second string or anything."

The last was spoken with a mischievous grin.

[Fox]

Dragonfly raised an eyebrow, tilting her head and perplexedly mouthing 'full of beans' as she listened to Supercape talk. Apparently she decided that was a dark rabbit hole of a conundrum not worth investigating, though, because she just shook her head and - with the hand that wasn't pleasantly occupied with resting on her girlfriend's hip - pulled a ridiculously large beach towel out of nowhere. "Didn't know if you'd bring one," she explained to Jill, ducking her head a bit. "So figured I'd...it's big enough for two?"

[trollthumper]

"Yeah, I'd gladly take a bit of that Earl Grey," Eric said to Supercape. "Coffee's my taste - which probably makes me a heretic of some sort - but I can appreciate a really good black tea. And some greens, too."

Through some miracle, Eric managed to find some unclaimed space on the grill. He set some of the paninis down on the bare space for about 30 seconds on each side; once they were warmed, he slid them off the plate. "Sorry to butt in," he said to Push, "just wanted to make sure the vegetarian options got warm. I'll take a burger, myself."

[Quinn]

Push gave Nick a Look, one that spoke something akin to 'You have entered my domain. For this you must die.', but shuffled aside and let him work his magic with the paninis.

"Eh, don't listen to this heathen, 'cape. Hot choc and tea's the way to go..."

He trailed off absently, turning and rummaging through another bag as the burgers began flipping themselves onto buns. Eventually, he took out a tin and gave it a hug, the Look changing from one of 'Die, interloper' to 'Squee!'.

"Hee, knew I had a hot choc tin in here. Now, for a teapot...burgers'll be up in a sec! Grab a sandwich if you're desperate!"

The two platters floated hither and thither around the heroes, carrying their sandwichy goodness to whoever was interested.

[Raveled]

Jessica stayed on the towel for a little longer, but she knew that she couldn't stay there all day. She wiggled out from under Blake (maybe moving a bit more than was strictly necessary) and walked up the beach to the pile of gear. She declined the floating stack of sandwiches with a laugh, pulling camp chairs out of the pile and starting to set them up in a rough semi-circle, with one end near the kitchen and the other terminating at Gossamer's chair. She hummed as she worked, her spirits bouyed by her friends and acquaintances all around.

[Heritage]

It wasn't very often that Estelle felt out of place in a social situation; in fact, she prided herself on her ability to find a point of entry into nearly any group. But today, for the first time in a long time, she felt like a fifth wheel; she was the only girl without a boyfriend or girlfriend present, everyone was much younger than she was, and they all seemed to know each other better. How many conversations had she actually had with her own Lab partners?

There had been no serious objections to her suggestion of music, so she finally selected a summer-themed playlist covering some forty years of beach tunes, and was strongly considering sipping on Gatorade and burying her nose in a novel. But then the sight of Supercape rising out of the sea brought a smile to her face, and she eagerly waved at the hyper-British science hero from beneath her golden parasol.

"Good to see you, Cape! Beautiful day to be outside, isn't it?"

[Gizmo]

"Yes, Shortround, you're the prettiest little fashionista here," Jill drawled as she rolled her eyes and took one end of the beach towel Dragonfly had produced. The remark was softened considerably by the dark haired girl's amused smile and her obviously good mood. "What would I do without you and your paradox purse, muñequita?" she laughed lightly as they spread the towel out over the sand, sitting down and pulling her girlfriend with her so that they toppled in a bit of a heap.

[Supercape]

"Good to see you, Cape! Beautiful day to be outside, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is Madam" replied Supercape, mid-sandwich. He dusted off the crumbs from his front, and wandered over to her. Gossamer had always struck him as the most approachable member of the Lab, and amid all the youth sunning themselves and cook, he was glad there was someone nearer his own age.

He took a plate of a few cucumber sandwiches to her, and offered her one, still sipping on his tea.

"Perhaps I should have brought some lemonade or fizzy pop" he said with a smile. "And an Iced lolly. It feels like a day at the beach. I'll be making sandcastles next. Or buying a bag of whelks and jellied eels. "

[Fox]

Dragonfly managed a surprised noise as she was pulled off her feet. Not that she objected to the position, of course, but remembering who all was gathered didn't make her very inclined to put on a show.

Still, she took advantage of the moment to steal a light but lingering kiss from her girlfriend before untangling herself and sliding over to the unoccupied part of the towel. "Don't know what you'd do without me," she replied with mock self-importance, fighting a little blush. "Don't think I intend to find out."

[trollthumper]

"Perhaps I should have brought some lemonade or fizzy pop" he said with a smile. "And an Iced lolly. It feels like a day at the beach. I'll be making sandcastles next. Or buying a bag of whelks and jellied eels. "

"Jellied eels?" Eric tried to hold back both the visuals that were going through his mind and the expression of disgust that tried to worm its way on to his face. "Sounds a bit unconventional. I admire your culinary sense of adventure; most daring I've really gotten is escargot, and that's mainly because the snails were drowned in enough garlic and oil to float Italy." He pulled out a bottle of cafe mocha from his cooler, popped the lid, and took a sip. "Sandcastles, though... I could go for building sandcastles."