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

[futures_of_ash]

"Ah," no wonder it didn't feel incredibly supportive? It was a place, and a safe one, but not precisely...a home? She didn't know. She would have to ponder it. "You're not sore now are you?"

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"No, thank you. It has been a fairly low key week." he said with a shake of his head. He started to put groceries away, rapidly and without having to think about it.

[futures_of_ash]

"Oh good. I'm not a healer." Best she would manage would be pain dampers on the nerves and some teke on bruising! "I could help a little if you were hurting...but better that you're not."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I do not use healers." he said with a small shrug, "It is too likely that I would get used to it. Depending on others powers isn't wise."

[futures_of_ash]

"Maybe, but if you had access and they liked you and wanted you to NOT BE IN PAIN, well..." she shrugged. "Anyway, done in here?"

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I still wouldn't use them." was the simple response, "Depending on someone else would be foolish. Yes, I am done."

[futures_of_ash]

"Sometimes you have to." She gave him something a bittersweet smile then reached upward to part the air in a shimmer of reality. "Trust me, I know."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

He didn't bother arguing, just stepped through the shimmer with only a faint hesitation. However...he wasn't going to go into the area where he kept Agent Orange's life. Not even in front of Rachel.

[futures_of_ash]

She didn't expect him to really. She just...knew people needed people. Often. The shimmer led to a brief, blasting warmth and a sound like a falling bird before his foot landed on firm ground. Firm, wooded ground. They were near a clearing where several people were talking and such as people did.

"Welcome to New York." She offered from behind him. "Upstate. We're in a clearing on the far side of the lake, away from the mansion."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

He nodded and turned to take in the surroundings, watching them with an eye towards cover and the best places and ways to hide.

[futures_of_ash]

She'd brought them in on the fringe of the wood, the clearing started a good ten feet away. There was a man grilling, a blue furred man reading a book on the picnic table, and another darker furred man tousling the hair of a brown haired woman. "Logan on grill, Hank is reading, Kurt and Kitty." Rachel listed for him quietly, mainly so he wouldn't be too nervous? "Ororo couldn't make it. Wakanda got hit by something nasty and she's rebuilding with her husband."

"Steak or burger kid?" Logan called out after a sniff.

"Whatever, Logan. Salmon can be put on now too."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"Logan, Hank, Kurt, Kitty." he repeated, without hesitation. He wasn't nervous, exactly, he was simply...out of his depth. Completely out of his depth.

[futures_of_ash]

"Ah, wondrous, she's returned with her mystery guest." Hank noted, closing his book and smiling toward the treeline. He was wearing...very small little glasses on that blue furred nose! "Rachel has been quite diligent in acquiring salad fixings, we have a veritable mountain of greenery and herbage."

"And she forgot the credit card." Kitty noted cheerfully. There was an emergency 'go rescue her from the clerk' mission."

"I don't shop." Rachel muttered.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

He nodded in return to Hank's commentary, "I appreciate it. Salad is a large part of what I eat." Kitty got a nod as well with the note; "Not everyone is good at shopping."

[futures_of_ash]

"Yes yes, do come join us sir!" Hank waved at the picnic table, and moved so that he wasn't precisely sitting on the whole table!

Kitty laughed and Kurt grinned. "Ja, but we've had this happen before. Just as Kitty never lives down her inability to ride busses..."

"Hey!"

"...Rachel cannot shop."

Rachel snorted and grinned. "My friends. C'mon, they don't bite."

"Except Logan!" the group chorused.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

He nodded, stepping after Rachel in a casual sort of walk that did not look like that of a fighter. Not even like a fighter trying not to be a fighter. It was just...an ordinary guy, walking after a woman.

There was a flicker of a smile at the comment about Logan, but nothing else.

[futures_of_ash]

Hank adjusted his glasses, eyed Agent Orange a bit, then blinked. "And I do believe I've been asked to equip you." He sounded utterly delighted by the prospect. He didn't often get cart blanch like that!

"Hank! Let the man sit and eat first." Logan gruffed from the grill. "Then you can science at him. Rachel, the salad stuff is all still in the fridge since we didn't know when you were getting back."

"Ladies, if you'll come with me?" Kurt laughed and held out his arms to the girls.

"You be alright for a few minutes?" Rachel asked Agent Orange, not taking the offered arm yet.

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"I will be fine." he said mildly, sitting down at an unoccupied space with plenty of room on either side of himself. He then turned towards Hank, "Does she often offer to pay people to eat out more?"

[futures_of_ash]

"Alright. I"ll be right back." That said she hooked her arm in Kurt's, the tailed man giving a jaunty grin before disappearing in a puff of smoke with the two ladies.

Once they were safely gone Logan turned around and crossed his arms. "So, who are you exactly?" Rachel had said 'friend, hero, non-powered' and told him she would bring him to the barbecue. That was about it!

And Hank chuckled. "I believe we would need you to elucidate upon the issue if you wish us to confirm or deny it's reoccurring nature."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

In a voice as even as that of an accountant he stated, "My call-name in my universe is Agent Orange. Out of the mask I am James Henderson." At the time he was out of the mask, of course, "I met Rachel in a cross-universal cafe. We had two more meetings and she decided that I do not socialise enough, therefore she informed me that I would attend this barbecue with her."

His attention turned back to Hank, "She informed me that she wishes me to spend more time eating out rather than making my own meals, for the semi-social atmosphere. When I pointed out that I have limited funds and choose to spend them on equipment instead of meals out she offered your services with the order that I eat out more."

[futures_of_ash]

...

...

Well, that was a tidy summation of events. And now Logan was going to burst out laughing, yes.

Even Hank was chuckling, albeit kindly. "She can be rather...herself." Hank admitted after a moment. "And no, I do not believe this is a particular bargain she has offered elsewhere, at least not involving my own expertise. Welcome, James, I'm rather of the opinion that you received as much information about us as we did of you."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

There was a glint of amusement at Logan's laughter, but little else, and he nodded slightly. Expressive was not, exactly, his thing. "Most likely. I did not press." It isn't any of his business, after all.

[futures_of_ash]

"Ah, in that case allow me to divulge information. We are a team of mutants, active powers as most realities would allow, and we also have our code names and our real names and such. It seems quite the vigilante standard across realities." He chuckled and waved Logan back to grilling. "I am not entirely certain as to how much we may rectify a lack of social events in your life given we have so few of our own but as Rachel does not make friends easily I am quite amiable to a repeat visit provided you do not reveal yourself to be a resurrected psychotic god or some such."

"Or..." Logan prompted.

"Or a psychic manifestation of loneliness, or a brainwashed civilian planted in an alternate dimension to infiltrate Rachel's good graces, or a Shi'ar plant, dear heavens not that. I do believe he gets the point, Logan, I doubt I need to ramble more."

[24d_245t_tcdd]

"To the best of my knowledge I am an ordinary human being without any form of psychic or other mental manipulation. I have a larger than normal likelihood of becoming a sociopath due to my near complete lack of social connection." This was all said in the same even tones, "However that is unlikely to occur for another five to ten years, by which point it is unlikely that Rachel would still be in contact with me."

[futures_of_ash]

"...oh my." Hank noted, removing his glasses and propping his chin on his hand a moment in order to think.

"Yeah, I got nuthin'" Logan noted.

"It is becoming abundantly clear why Rachel kidnapped you I'm afraid." Hank noted quietly. "And I am not certain as to whether you would be able to shake her in five or ten years without extreme circumstances."