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]

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.

[futures_of_ash]

"Will you introduce me or should I corner him on my own?" Just so she knew how to play things out! She could pretend absolutely zero knowledge of James if that was what he wanted!

"The proper term is 'meet him', Rachel." Hank reprimanded gently.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I think he will be less confused if you find him on your own." he said after a moment, "You may note that you know Agent Orange, if you wish."

[futures_of_ash]

Yes, the rest of the team was eying James and...laughing in one form or another. "...less confused..." Kitty finally laughed, waving at Rachel, who was sticking her tongue out. It seemed the only proper response!

"I'll make sure he's not standing on a roof or something! Should I wear spandex? Or do heroes in your world have cards or something to ID them?"

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"Our dress is not uniform. Wear whatever you are comfortable in." He responded to Rachel, then looked at the others, "Spang does not know me. We work together at times. He is, however, quite used to people appearing in order to grill him about Agent Orange. His girlfriend is assigned to my case with the government."

[futures_of_ash]

"But I don't want to grill him on you." Rachel pointed out, then glanced down at her battered jeans. "Le-"

"Spandex." Kitty cut in easily.

"Right, spandex."

"Try 'Agent Orange referred me to you about training programs.' Rachel." Hank offered, not unkindly. "Avoid anything like 'for the good of my world', or 'tell me of your planet'."

Rachel laughed and repeated the phrase dutifully before waving a fork at the crowd. "I was going to go with something like 'Hello, you're Spang. Can we talk'."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

James was quiet as the others spoke to Rachel, figuring that they'd be better at social than he was. His own conversation with his partner tended to be along the lines of "That way", "duck", and "Thank you but no".

[futures_of_ash]

There was a lot more suggestion, to the point where Rachel was cradling her chin in her hands and kind of staring bemusedly at the group. She was certain the 'well, if he balks you could save him from a burning building or something' suggestion had been a joke but that was hardly useful. "New plan, I send Hank to talk to Spang, I hang out with James."

"Rachel, smile...it will be fine." Kurt finally broke in. "And finish your salad. James would not suggest it if you were not capable."

"Capable isn't the question!" Rachel snorted but took another bite from her bowl anyway. "Maybe there's flyers? We could just get flyers!" All kinds of programs had pamphlets!

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"Many of the specialized schools do have recruitment information, much like private schools of a more traditionally educational bent. Competition to meet and exceed federally mandated levels of control and reliability is fierce, and bad press results in total shut-down of the program. My world does not like to take risks with it's powered population."