Pre-barbeque

[24d_245t_tcdd]

Even aggressively under-socialised heroes with virtually no external hobbies or entertainments have certain chores which they must do, regardless of inclination, time, or other pressing matters. Chores such as the utterly mundane need to go shopping. For food. Plain, ordinary, food.

So, of course, Agent Orange is not dressed as himself, but rather as his secret identity, which is rather more secret than most. He is wallpaper; about as ordinary as it is possible for a man to get with virtually no feature standing out sufficiently to be a starting point for a description should he be witness to or suspect in something.

He was standing in the vegetable section of the store, a Whole Foods because he found the price an equitable trade for the quality of foods, doing meal planning for the week as he judged the benefits of asparagus versus those of bok choy.

Comments

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I do not think that if I end up a sociopath that Rachel will continue to associate with me. My plans for the future would result in my incarceration prior to it becoming a problem for society at large anyway."

[futures_of_ash]

"You don't get it kid," Logan snorted and flipped a steak. "As long as some reality isn't dragging her off again she tends to be really, really worried about her friends. And if you are one, and you're going down that path? The red headed EMPATH is gonna kick and scream every step of the way."

Hank sighed. "An unrefined statement but essentially correct. Also, tell me, do you have a therapist who deals with heroes?"

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"That is unfortunate." James noted, "It will be difficult for her. There are therapists for heroes, however I am not out and therefore cannot take advantage of that service."

[futures_of_ash]

"Yes, I rather suppose it might." Hank said quietly. "Unfortunately I do not know how to prevent her from going between realities given that I was not aware she was still able at all, much less that she had regular inter-dimensional coffee stops." And now he was tapping his glasses against his chin. He tended to move at least a little while thinking.

"Would you be mortally offended if I composed a list of therapists in the area here I trust that may be willing to take on a case such as yours? As this world is, one assumes, not like your own certainly attending a practice here could not threaten your status there correct?"

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I will consider the possibility. I am loathe to depend on Rachel for transportation to a therapist, our kind of lives are too difficult to make plans around."

[futures_of_ash]

"I am quite certain that there are methods of travel that do not rely upon Rachel." Hank noted off hand. "Or ways to establish a stable connection point, as per your coffee shop...ah. Hmmm." Possibly.

Possibly.

It was an interesting idea!

"Regardless it is a list I can research when next I am awaiting results and perhaps after measurements for your own gear we can..."

Bamf.

"SALAD!" Or rather bowls of things for self-assemble salads!

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I would be more likely to accept a therapist if there was a way that I could get here on my own."

The bamf showed that he was a fighter after all. Before the smoke had even dissipated James was off the bench and in a fighter's crouch with minimal body visible from Kurt's position.

[futures_of_ash]

"That will also be an interesting diversion, and certainly well worth establishing." Hank offered calmly to...thin air. Yep, he hadn't turned on the bench to keep facing James.

Given that Kurt had apparently startled the guest, well, he craned his neck until he could see where the man had went. Then he offered a fangy smile and...a bowl of mushrooms. "Peace offering?" What? It was what he had! Plus his other hand was wrapped around Rachel's arm, and his tail around Kitty, so there were limited options.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

He recovered as quickly as he'd moved in the first place, standing and taking the mushrooms with a short nod. "My apologies. I do not work with teleporters often."

[futures_of_ash]

"Ach, always the teleporting! My harmless, fuzzy demeanor..." And yes, Kitty was elbowing him before Kurt could wax tragically poetic just to tease. "He teleports, I phase, you know Rachel, Hank is a genius, and Logan is, well, he heals and brawls." And such. She felt it important to list abilities to prevent further surprises? Much?

"And burns your steak, Pryde." Logan snorted at her description.

Rachel just chuckled and settled her bowls and salad dressings on the table, including a small bottle of white vinegar for AO, and the pepper shaker was taken from a threadbare pocket. "Sorry for the delay, had to protect our salad stuff from the horde."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I am baseline human with no powers." Since they were introducing themselves that way?

He began mixing a salad with a quiet competency that implied he'd done a lot of them, using a bit of pepper and vinegar to flavour it. "Thank you for the thoughtfulness, Rachel."

[futures_of_ash]

"It's what you said you liked," Rachel shrugged easily and picked up a pea pod to munch on. It was crunchy and interesting? Kitty was happy to make a salad for herself, though her dressing was more along the lines of Italian. "That doesn't matter much, at least not with us as long as you're a good person and a friend. You don't want to wander toward the mansion though." she smiled across the table at him then bit into her salad.

"Indeed, I've little care for current policy." Hank noted, assembling his own salad as a matter of course. "But that is hardly barbecue fare! We need a far less depressing topic I believe. Can anyone oblige?"

"Of course, we should pick volleyball teams."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

James settled in with his salad to observe the others. He had no intent on wandering anywhere unaccompanied, nor was he really a small-talk-and-volley-ball kind of person.

[futures_of_ash]

Well, that was alright, he was going to get to listen in on a very frank comparison of team players based on non-powered rules and sheer physical ability. They had to maintain even teams after all which meant a balance between the naturally limber and the simply physically fit and...

"I decline this afternoon. I have to get measurements from James if we are to contrive suitable gear for him and..."

"....and that takes James out too. Well, still even, but that leaves Logan and Rachel I think versus Kurt and I? A natural and a trained on each side and..."

"And the tallest and shortest on one side..."

"But you saw how he moved, taking them out would be a shame to the sport and..."

"Steaks and salmon are done, burgers next!" Logan broke into the strategy planning.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

James stood to get the salmon with a small nod of thanks towards Logan. He settled down again and noted, "Volleyball must be very different when you do use powers."

[futures_of_ash]

"We have to be inside, in the Danger Room, and we have to have a ball that can take a lot of damage." Kitty admitted. "Plus there has to be a whole new list of fouls."

"Yes, it is a foul to spin an illusion of the ball and make the real one invisible." Rachel piped in, knowing that one from the baseball game. Frost had NOT been amused. "And no altering the net."

"It is far easier to play without," Kurt admitted, mixing a salad and pushing it into Rachel's hands before settling in on his own. "That way we do not lose the point of playing. Competing we can do in other ways, but a game is meant for fun."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

He nodded at the information given, eating for a while before saying, "You must need to make that kind of adaptation for most things."

[futures_of_ash]

"It is much akin to training any attribute," Hank allowed, forkful of steak being used as a pointing device. "Children learn how not to destroy their world as they grow, we do the same. Granted there are sacrifices in general living, as per the furry forms you see and how society reacts to them and other, less tangible ones such as Kitty's hardships with interacting with the physical when distracted, but the original goal of this institution was to teach children how not to take out jet planes when playing baseball." And that was that really.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

Again he nodded, mentioning, "My world does seem to integrate those with powers better than yours does. Most large cities have something set up to assist those with powers in learning their limits."

[futures_of_ash]

"I believe I speak for us all when I say we woudl very much like to hear about such programs." Hank admitted, turning his attention full upon James.

"Things here haven't gone well in the integrating area." Kitty added with a grimace. "Most recently a war waged over the Mutant Registration Act."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"Powers and mutations have been occurring for a sufficiently long time, in my world, that those with them comprise a significant minority of the population. There is a greater chance of speaking with a mutated or powered person than there is in finding a black man in Japan, for the most part. Being unpowered in every way, I have not seen inside any of the programs. My occasional partner would be the one to question, he was born with quills."

[futures_of_ash]

"One might assume your reality managed a reasonable and sane response to such a growing population, whereas ours did not." Hank rumbled gently, shaking a finger at Kitty when it looked like she wanted to say something else. "Perhaps Rachel can look into it, should you allow her greater access to your home city."

Rachel, in the middle of poking at her salad, looked up. "...I can't exactly research sanity guys. If his world is more stable than ours it's not something I can bring back here."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

James shrugged a little bit, "You could speak with Spang, however, if you wished more information about the programs."

[futures_of_ash]

Rachel tilted her head, thinking it over, then reached out to poke his nose. "Would you mind if I did? Your world, your partner, and I tend to confuse people." All things to consider!

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I do not mind, so long as you give him no information about me." They were only partners in a very, very limited way. They worked together now and then.