Fun In the Sun (IC)

[Supercape]

"Jellied Eels!" smiled Supercape at Nick.

"Delicious!" he lied. "One of the finest cuisine Britain has produced. I always have them when I am at the beach" he continued to lie. He had never, of course had the near mythical foodstuff in his life, and had no intention of doing so.

Mind you, he thought. Never say never.

"Back in a Jiffy!" he said with a wave, as the time - space continuum warped around his body and he vanished from view in a puff of eleven dimensional distortion.

[Raveled]

In short order, Jessica had the camp chairs set up in a wide semi-circle, one for every person there. She stood back and looked at the space, mentally framing it, comparing distances and mentally cataloging what else she had brought. "Tables," she said, out of the blue, apparently talking to herself. "Got to get the tables out." She turned to the pile and paused, seeing the folding table at the bottom of the pile. After a moment she turned around and located the Claremonter in the blue trunks and knightly helmet. "Cobalt! Can you help me over here?"

[Heritage]

"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."

Estelle started rummaging around in her cooler. "Sadly I forgot to pack any jellied eels, but I can hep in the 'iced lolly' department..." She triumphantly produced a pair of Bombpops, just in time to see the English hero wink out of existence. "Oh. Well, would anyone like a Bombpop? I have Push-ups, Creamsicles and Fudgesicles as well."

"Tables," she said, out of the blue, apparently talking to herself. "Got to get the tables out." She turned to the pile and paused, seeing the folding table at the bottom of the pile. After a moment she turned around and located the blue-armored Claremonter. "Cobalt! Can you help me over here?"

"Here, I can help." Without even getting up for her beach chair, Gossamer converted some of her parasol into a pair of thick tentacles that stretched out and easily worked the table out from under the rest of the chairs. Still enjoying her Bombpop, she craned her neck to get a better look at the set-up Jessica was putting together. "Where do you want it set up?"

[Supercape]

Supercape only needed a quick round trip.

After a minute or two shopping, he travelled back to the beach. He was carrying a bag of whelks in one hand, a bag of jellied eels in the other, and a mischevous grin on his face.

"Who's up for some nice British food?" he said in a loud voice. "Traditional and delicious!" he nearly choked on the last word. "Get 'em whilst there hot! errr.. so to speak. They are cold, actually..."

[Fox]

Dragonfly looked up at Supercape's...alleged food for a moment before turning to look at Gossamer, shifting her weight to one arm so that she could hold up two fingers with the other. "Creamsicles?" she requested, gratefully. "When you aren't busy. Don't think I've tried one - seen them, looked good, but weather's been too cold." She squinted up at the sun, tilting her head and looking...almost pleased. "Looking forward to summer. A little too bright, but warm, lively. Summer food. Should think about putting a chair on my roof."

[KnightDisciple]

"Cobalt! Can you help me over here?"

Cobalt Templar gave a chuckled as he floated up out of his impromptu chair and over to where Jessica was working. He just floated there for a minute, a slight smirk on his face.

"Anything in particular you wanted help with? Oh, the setup? Yeah, I can help out."

Of course, that was the moment Gossamer intervened. He raised an eyebrow at the dexterity displayed.

"Pretty impressive work, ma'am. Certainly more finesse than I can do right now."

[Gizmo]

"Oh, you smoothie," Jill grinned as she responded to the light kiss with an exaggerated purr pitched low enough that it didn't carry past her girlfriend. The sienna toned young woman stretched out on the blanket with one hand under her head and one knee bent slightly upward, soaking up sun and the heat of the sand below. She reopened one eye as Dragonfly mused on the potential virtues of summer, glad to see the shorter girl enjoying herself, even if it was partly because of her deprived history.

[trollthumper]

Nick looked as the mass of... something in Supercape's hand. "What the heck," he said. "Can't be much different from caviar." He reached into the bag, and was beset by memories of old haunted houses of his youth, when he made gelatin "brains" for the neighborhood kids to stick their hands in. He pulled out one of the gelatinous eels and inspected it, getting a feel for the aspic. He popped it into his mouth --

Sweet Christ oh God it's like sushi with less rice and more snot

-- and cracked a smile as it went down. "Not my thing, but I can see where someone might like it." He turned to Gossamer. "I think I'll take you up on the offer of a Fudgsicle."

[Raveled]

Jessica made sure she was turned away from Nick and busy directing Estelle's golden appendages, so she didn't have to witness the necromancer try something that looked like jellied slime. She pointed out the folding table near the bottom of the pile. "Okay, we need to get that out and get it set up... kind of over here. And there's some other stuff in there." While her fellow Lab-mate was setting up the table, Jessica dived back into the pile and came up with a cardboard box of condiments. She started setting them up, paused, and turned back to Estelle. "Um... there were some pretzels and chips and stuff in there. If they're not totally atomized by everything else, could you get them out?"

[Quinn]

Platters and plates began floating about, Push flipping sizzling beef patties, some with cheese, some sans, onto buns and then the whole kit and caboodle onto the handy floating surfaces.

"Burgers up! Haven't got control fine enough to slap the condiments on them myself, so you'll have to take care of those yourselves. And hey Nick, you okay? You look a little green; like you swallowed something and it moved."

[Lone Star]

Blake already had a plate in his hand. "Yo! Push. One fantastic burger, please." He decorated the meat patty with an Elder Sign drawn in ketchup, and slapped it into a bun. After taking a big bite, he walked over to his girlfriend with a smile. "D' you need anyfing?" he said through a mouthful of burger. Taking a moment to swallow, he repeated his statement. "Do you need anything, babe? I feel bad just sitting around when you're working."

[trollthumper]

"And hey Nick, you okay? You look a little green; like you swallowed something and it moved."

Don't think I would've been surprised if it did.

Eric just traded a smile with Push. "I'm fine," he said, "though I sure could use a burger." He picked up one of the freshly-doled out cheeseburgers and slapped some mayonnaise on the bun. He quickly took a bite out of the burger; the juice burned a little and the mayonnaise ran fast with the heat, but more importantly, it washed the taste of jellied eel out of his mouth. "Mmmm," he said. "You sure know how to make 'em, Push."

[Supercape]

Supercape took a Jellied Eel to his mouth and, casting his eyes around, slipped it down a pocket in his cape when nobody was looking.

"Mmmm!" he said loudly. "Delicious! I don't know how I can face a burger after that delicacy, but I suppose I will try!" he continued, equally loudly, making sure every body could hear him and gesturing enthusiastically at the bag.

"One burger please" he ordered, a smirk on his face.

[Raveled]

Jessica stepped back from the table and chairs, framing everything once again as her mind checked things off. The chips were a loss, but the condiments and meat seemed to have made it through okay, so that was the main thing. She moved over to the stacked hamburgers and grabbed one for herself, piling onions and hot mustard on the meat patty. While the guests descended on the food, she bumped her hip against Blake's and smiled at him. "I'm the sugar mommy," she whispered to him, walking down to one end of the circle, "remember?"

[Heritage]

"Okay, we need to get that out and get it set up... kind of over here. And there's some other stuff in there." While her fellow Lab-mate was setting up the table, Jessica dived back into the pile and came up with a cardboard box of condiments. She started setting them up, paused, and turned back to Estelle. "Um... there were some pretzels and chips and stuff in there. If they're not totally atomized by everything else, could you get them out?"

"Of course!"

Estelle was happy to oblige her Lab-mate, and set up the beach furniture as she directed, but it did appear that as it must come to all snack foods, crushing had come to the chips. She then attended to the various ice cream requests, sending two Creamsicles Dragonfly's way and delivering a Fudgesicle to Nick. "Alright, that seems to be- hurrr." The sight of Supercape ingesting the jellied eel nearly made her gag on her Bombpop, but luckily she just managed to keep it together and focus on the normal human food that was available.

"Oh, I'd love a burger, please; just onions and mustard for me, thanks."

[Fox]

Dragonfly carefully plucked the creamsicles from Estelle's tendrils, wordlessly handing one over to Ellie before tasting the other with a noise of approval. Not quite yet ready for a burger and certainly not up for eating Supercape's...culinary crimes...the heroine was content to let her attention dart around the assembled heroes, their actions, their conversations. She was, really, three parts scientist, one part social scientist, and two parts awkward young woman trying to get a better feel for a new social situation. It was making for some interesting observations.

[Lone Star]

Blake grinned and stole a kiss on Jessica's neck, his hand tracing around her waist. "You're so cute." Turning around, he saw Supercape with a jellied eel in his hand. Taking his last few bites of burger, Blake eagerly padded towards the English hero, and smiled broadly.

"May I try one?"

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar intercepted one of the burgers on a plate with his own firey telekinesis. He brought it to his own two hands just as he arrived at the condiment table. Slapping some mayo and mustard on it, he took a moment to take a deep breath, inhaling the delicious scent.

"Man, this is the stuff. My compliments to the chef!"

He gave Blake and Jessica a cheeky grin, a giant hand appearing to wag a finger at them in an over-exaggerated manner.

"Now now, no making out during mealtime you two! Wouldn't want to get a cramp, would you?"

[Gizmo]

"Gracias, cariño," Jill thanked Dragonfly as she accepted the frozen confection, reflexively checking it for stray hairs given the method of conveyance. Before tasting it, she watched her girlfriend with a slightly tilted head, propping herself up with her empty hand. Mara's eyes were moving back and forth the way they did in any new situation, trying to take in everything at once. "Everything okay?" she asked, lightly bumping the inventor's shoulder with her own and smiling slightly. "You're being pretty quiet."

[Supercape]

"May I try one?"

"Why of course you may dear boy!" replied Supercape, suddenly guilty at his deception. The things were probably quite repulsive. He had never tried them, of course. Well, they probably weren't that bad... people did eat them, but more as a sort of curiosity food rather than because they actually tasted nice.

Nevertheless, it was too late now. He handed one over, feeling quite bad about his uncharacteristic patriotism that had driven him to the deception.

[trollthumper]

Eric watched as the jellied eel left Supercape's hand and landed in Blake's, revulsion creeping through. Feeling the taste creep back over his buds, he took a desperate swig of his bottled mocha, trying to let the chocolate coffee sweep the phantom eel from his tongue. It was slightly successful.

"Blake, I know you understand the squamous and rugose," he said, "but I don't think that's any reason to put it in your mouth. Hope you know what you're doing."

[Quinn]

Push, fortunately, rose to the occasion with aplomb; he removed the lid from the chili bowl and surreptitiously made a little nexus of energy around the top, wafting the scent of the mixture all over the place. To the others' noses it was as if a medley of beef, tomato, peppers, all the good stuff you would put in a five-star chili, was sinking into their brain, distracting from the jellied menace. With another quick flick, a couple of slices of onion landed on a burger bun, and a mustard bottle squirted on top of them. With the addition of a cheesy beef patty, the burger then capped itself and floated over and under Dr. Havilland's hair, right to her hands.

"Ask and ye shall recieve?"

[Fox]

"Mmh," Dragonfly replied, keeping her voice low and leaning into Jill for a moment. "Am okay. I'm...learning. Hadn't been to the beach before." She blinked, and shook her head, hair falling down into her face a bit. "Have been to the beach, I mean," she corrected. "But haven't been to the beach...? Mmmhh. Words. A new experience. People, party, swimsuits. Sort of uncomfortable but have met everyone before, so not too bad. Besides -" - she paused for a moment to grab a couple fleeing drops from her creamsicle before she lost them to the sand - "- worth it to see you in a bikini. Beautiful."

[Lone Star]

Blake held it in his hand for a moment, and stared at it, as if contemplating his decision. He brought it close to his face, and moved his hand a little. I'm half expecting the damn thing to wiggle around in my palm. He looked over at Nick, who had a grave expression on his face.

Throwing caution to the wind, he popped it in his mouth. He chewed it over thoughtfully, as if tasting a wine.

After a moment, he had his verdict. "Delicious."

[Gizmo]

"Smoothtalker," Jill grinned, shifting her weight so she could reach over with her free hand to brush the blonde hair back from Dragonfly's face to plant a light kiss on her cheek, the taller girl's lips only a little sticky from the creamcicle. "May have been trying to make an impression," she admitted, her cheeks reddening for a brief moment in a way that had nothing to do with the sun. "If you need a break from all the people, we can duck out to the water for a while, okay?"