14704/Dinner with Mary and Billy and Freddy

Dinner with Mary and Billy and Freddy
Date of Scene:	16 April 2023
Location:	Vasquez Home
Synopsis:	A wonderful dinner is had! Freddy goes to Hawaii.
Cast of Characters:	Billy Batson, Freddy Freeman, Mary Bromfield, Marie-Ange Colbert, Jon Kent, Valeria Richards, Franklin Richards

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Billy Batson has posed:
Victor had taken Rosa, and their three youngest children to Philly to catch a ball game (he refused to follow the Mets or Yankees) and do an overnight stay. Needless to say, the younger kids were not happy, for one thing they were at that age. For another thing, Darla twigged to the older sibs doing something /super/ related and Billy refused to let them transform and fly back.

Shazam exits the kitchen with a covered tray, an apron and chef hat worn proudly. "One of you said something. The Shazamlings are going to make us pay dearly for this. Well at least we found out the Wisdom of Solomon and Minerva extends to cooking." He uncovers a beautiful and fragrant pot roast surrounded by them little potatos.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
"Oh shit," can be heard from the kitchen. "I don't think dinner rolls are s'posed to look like that."

step-thunk-step-thunk-step-thunk. Freddy is approaching the dining room from the kitchen. He emerges into the room behind Billy, carrying a baking sheet using a towel to protect his hand. On the baking sheet are some Very Dark Brown lumps that emit an unpleasant aroma. "Who ordered the stinky rocks? They're pretty much...pretty much ready now." Freddy exhales sharply, blowing his perspiration-dampened bangs up away from his eyes. He's wearing his very best beat-up blue jeans, a T-shirt depicting Godzilla roaring at whatever it is Godzilla roars at, and a loose flannel shirt worn unbuttoned over the T-shirt -- all a size or so too large for his slim frame. On his feet are purple Keds, and in his left hand is his metallic crutch.

"Mom never burns 'em."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
    Mary sighs, "Well, fortunately we have backups, Freddy. It happens, don't worry." While she does have a moderate level of cooking prowess, she's been trying not to tap into Demeter for this, since she definitely knows how to do a good Thanksgiving spread.

As it is, this might not be perfect, but it's good enough. "Well, I guess we'll go with plan B..." She grabs a couple packs of Insta-Mashed, "Sweet potato dish is done, at least, and why couldn't the wizard give us heat vision, Billy? It'd make singeing the marshmallow on top a breeze." With that, she's bouncing around and trying to do five things at once...

Not like someone is coming over that she definitely wants to /impress/ or anything.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam is about to say, "You had one job!" His pure of heart gets in the way. Instead he grabs his much smaller (at the moment) brother. "Calm down. Cut the meat. I'll fly out and get some Ital... no French bread. Oh and tell big sister there's a propane match in the junk draw for her potato concoction." He sticks the chef's hat on Freddy and hands him the apron and is gone out the back.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie-Ange Colbert has always been very particular about making sure she's places on time, even if it means getting there early. Like the first time she met Mary. She'd been planning to meet her best friend at the library, but was the first (and only) of the two to show up.

See? Sometimes the early bird DOES get the worm.

So she hired an Uber to take her to the area early. Made sure she found the place. Then wandered the neighbourhood a bit until it was actually time to show up, because she doesn't want to be too EARLY, either. That would be an imposition, and Marie's never willingly one!

Marie's dressed up for the occasion, too, having dug into the fancier side of her closet for her wardrobe of the day ( https://www.independent.ie/style/b23a7/34987902.ece/AUTOCROP/h1060/2016-08-28_sty_23546332_I1.JPG ) . Hey, Mary's not the /only/ one who has someone they wants to impress on the horizon! Her accessory for the evening? Nothing to restrain auburn locks today, they flow freely. Instead, it's a basket tucked into the crook of her elbow, with a large cloth napkin atop it.

Once her phone signals the time? She walks up the sidewalk to the house, and demurely presses the doorbell with her free hand. Now, she waits!

Jon Kent has posed:
Most supers would fly.

Most of them probably do.

Jon Kent is not most supers. Instead of appearing as Superboy, an old-sounding truck pulls up to the curb and out steps a young man in a flannel shirt and blue jeans with some dirt stains on it. Thick-rimmed glasses rest on the bridge of his nose, covering blue eyes in excellent glass.

He steps up to the door, a plate of pie in his hands as he knocks on the door of the Vasquez estate. He waits patiently, and he looks at a window where he can see his reflection. "Oh man, I forgot to do my hair..."

He turns his head to look at Marie. "Oh hey there."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Val had come with Franklin, one of those things where the younger sister seemed like she wasn't getting out enough. Only days after doing a red carpet gala. At least now she can ditch the expensive Lagerfield dresses and pumps for some more casual dark bluejeans and a leather racing style jacket. White belt and boots finishing the look.

Which probably helps when a the sound of one of Johnny Storms muscle cars. Likely the camaro can be heard revving up and down the street. Parking can be a nightmare. Especially if the car doesn't have VTOL like the one she wanted to bring.

"I could have just cloaked and parked on someone's lawn. Did you remember to safely store the stuff we're bringing?" Valeria asks her brother as the car is shut off, locked, and left parked so the siblings can eventually walk to the house. And maybe not terrify Franklin for now.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Was a bit worried this evening as he paced infront of the house. Invite some friends they said, but it was now that night, and he started to realise he didn't have friends he could really.... contact. He sighs, and at the last minute invited his sister hoping she would come as other the Marie he didn't know the others, and he was bad at making friends. So he checked his watch dressed in some relaxed jeans, and a Tupac 'trust nobody' shirt as he hopped he didn't have to dress up for this. He considered, and it wasn't like the other groups who sat around the big round tables, or a house full of people with mixed powers, so this should work.

He grabs a few boxes of sugar cookies shapped like the number four with some black, and blue frosting that he made. Marie might find out that he makes them, and doesn't buy them like he tells everyone, but is sure with Ice-Cream it should be a good desert. Heading down to the car where his sister was waiting... Which of course she picked that car, though he smiled and nodded to her loading everything before he got in.

As they take off Franklin is pushed back in his seat as he smiles to himself, "You know ya just missed the cat.. He will be yelling at me when we get back." and gives her a wink as maybe he was kidding. Sitting back he enjoyed the ride, and lead her to the door after they parked giving the doarbell a ring if needed.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary blinks at the doorbell, then shouts, "One second!" She grins at Freddy, "You got this." And with that, she moves towards the door. She's not dressed /too/ fancy, since she's been cooking. Honestly, it's probably for the best considering what a mess it can be.

So when she sees Marie at the door, she blinks. Then blinks again. Then immediately gathers Marie up in a tight hug, "You look amazing! Wow, it's so good to see you Marie!"

After a few moments, she smiles at Franklin and Valeria, "Hi, I'm Mary... well, Franklin knew that already." She nods over at Jon as well, "Come on in, we're just getting things squared away. Shouldn't be too long, and I can give you a bit of the nickel tour."

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Having tossed the burned rolls out into the back yard for birds and squirrels to eat, Freddy sets to work on cutting his brother's gorgeous roast. "Don't tell Billy I said this, but this looks dope as hell," he injects.

Freddy starts maneuvering the roast on the platter so he can cut it more easily. "So...do you come to New York often? Tell me where it hurts. You guide me!" he mutters as he gets the serving fork and chef knife ready. "Oh right here?" he says. "Okay lemme take care of that." He starts to cut the roast into slices.

He peers up when he hears the doorbell. "I wonder if Damian is coming," he murmurs to nobody in particular. Just to be safe, he runs his hands down his untucked, unbuttoned flannel to make sure it looks good.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
As someone walks up behind her, Marie turns to face the 'stranger', offering the man a fond smile and her hand. "Bonsoir! You know the Vasquezes as well, Monsieur? Je m'appelle Marie-Ange Colbert, it is a pleasure to meet you!"

Being outgoing with 'strangers' isn't Marie's strong suit. IT's really not. But Mary /gives/ her the courage, and knowing the brunette is somewhere inside that house is close enough for her comfort. Valeria and Franklin, however? Those two are familiar faces in civilian garb, so they get a slightly more eager wave.

...and as she turns back to face the door, there's Mary already pulling her into a hug! Fortunately for the redhead, comfort and reflexes are at a maximum right now, so she manages to return the hug without spilling the contents of the basket, smiling brightly at her girlfriend. "I told you I thought I had the right outfit, oui?" she asks in a slightly teasing tone before leading the group of visitors in stepping inside the door, though she'll let Mary lead the 'tour'!

Franklin Richards has posed:
As Mary greets them Franklin nods to her nodding to Marie quicly saying. "Is it too late to say called it?" and grins a bit with a nod. He gives the proper nods to those who may look his way, and gives a quick. "This is my sister. Be nice." he points a finger at Freddy in the back. "Val these are some good people they are a family like us." he explains a little.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy notes the store a few blocks away had Italian bread mislabeled French. He does see some 'croy-sants' and buys a few. A bottle of sparkling cider rounds out his purchases. He prefers it to actual liquor or beer. How does he know what it tastes like, what are you a cop? He heads out and says, "Sha... " just as he sees a couple neighbors entering the store. "Sha... ahuh. Evening. Sh-Boom sh-Boom nanananuh. Sha-boom sh-boom dooooowaddy da." He hurries down the street bags in hand.

"Victor's kid is a little off."

"He sings nicely though, knows the classics."

"You ask me, he needs a woman."

Jon Kent has posed:
The French language strikes again! "Uhhh..." Jon looks at Marie, looking woefully Ill-equipped to have a conversation but he clears his throat. He practiced for this! "Bonsoir, madamoiselle, Je m'appelle Jon Kent..ravi de vous rencontrer?" Jon sounds uncertain, as if wondering if that was the right thing to say. "Sorry I uh...don't really speak French."

When Mary opens the door? Jon smiles. "Hi there. I brought some pie, courtesy of Grandma Kent. Best pie-maker this side of the hemisphere."

He walks in,boots hitting the floor before working to kick them off out of respect for the home. "Where can I put the pie?" He asks. "Oh, I'd love a tour, thanks!" Jon's identity of Superboy at this point would be easy to see through, considering he looks JUST LIKE HIM just with glasses.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Freddy's countenance brightens as the guests start arriving. He really does wear a smile like it was made just for him. "Hey guys! Jon! Marie! Franklin! Franklin's friend!" the excited young man blurts out. He just finished carving the roast as penance for his dinner roll burning sins. He cranes his neck peering around hopefully to see if...anyone else is arriving. His disappointment is betrayed only by a slight sigh that perhaps only someone with enhanced sense would pick up. He remains otherwise unfazed and grinning like an idiot.

"You can put that pie right here, Jon!" he adds, pointing to his open mouth. That last for only a moment or two before he bursts into laughter.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Turning he laughs, "Hero of the people.. Power of the Cosmo... Forget the food in the car." he sighs, and turns moving away again. He waves at the group, and nods to Jon as he reembers him from the beach. Getting the cookies, and the ice-cream he returns. "Ah here we go. a little desert. as in one hand he has several boxes of those sugar cookies, and in the other a good sized mint ice-cream. "Someone showed me how good they were together, and been working with the flavors."

As he returns, he see's where Jon put his pie, and follows him. "Oh your grandmother has exceleent timing she must be an amazing cook." he notes looking at it.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins and steals a kiss from Marie, then gestures, "Come on in, then. Living room is here, bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right." It's not the biggest house, especially considering there's a foster family of six kids here at one point, "Bedrooms are all upstairs, though since I moved out it's gotten a little less cramped for space." She grins at Marie, "So you don't have to worry about me feeling too crowded."

She gestures, "Dining room is right this way, and the Vasquezes took the youngest to Philly for a baseball game and staying overnight, so we'll still have enough room." She smiles and leads the way into the dining room, absently reaching up when she passes Freddy and giving his shoulder a supportive squeeze, since she knows who he wanted to see.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Val has bright smles for being greeted on arriving finally. "Hi! Thanks for letting me tag along with Frankie!" she states and bumbps her brother with an elbow. "Of course they're family. You can see that just looking at the place. I don't even think we have that feel in the communal areas back home." the HERBIEs do get pretty in depth at cleaning. A little too hotel room like sometimes. But it takes a few momnets of Ben and Johnny to start the cycle of cleaning again.

"It's awesome!" she beams and starts throwing greetings. Even in French for Marie. "The cookies are about as scientific as Franklin gets. I'm so proud!" she teases and giggles.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Once everyone's stepped in -- and Marie returns that kiss, being no stranger to public displays of affection -- she listens to the tour, letting her eyes do the walking as Mary explains the various places. Granted, it's not her /first/ time here, but it's good to have a refresher since she hasn't been here for quite some time, at least!

"I do not know, Mary... I think one of those places we saw last week might have actually been someone's closet..." she teases a little. The girls, after all, have been looking for a place within their price range, and while tips from Marie's customers can be lucrative, they're also not as steady as a paycheck.

Though, admittedly, she could use her powers to cheat and peek ahead.

"Oh! That reminds me..." Marie withdraws the napkin from atop the basket, and walks over to place it on top of the table. Inside? Biscuits.

Sometimes it's useful having a precognative around.

They're store-bought, because Marie wouldn't dare poison her girlfriend's family with /her/ baking, but the thought is there nonetheless.

Billy Batson has posed:
A bright flash, almost like lightning hitting the house. Shazam opens the back door and hears the voices. Stupid biscuits. Stupid Sh-booms. He wanted to be here. However, he is all smiles as he enters. He makes a bee line for Marie to explain his struggles en Francais.

"<<Italian bread masquerading as French bread. I did find some croissants I thought you might like and I have sparkling cider.>>" He gives Marie a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Hello everyone. I'll save my reveal for a bit. Hello Superboy, hello Franklin. Hello... is this Valeria? I saw her picture at the big gala a while ago and keeping an eye on supers is my civilian occupation. Welcome Valeria."

Jon Kent has posed:
"Hi Fred!" Jon greets the other fellow with a wave of his hand. "You'll have to wait for the dinner to officially start!" He turns his eyes towards Franklin.

"Hey man. She also wanted to say hi to all of you guys, but...well, so she sent pie." Jon smiles a little. "It's good to officially meet you and.."

He looks at Valerie. "Val? Short for Valerie?" He extends a hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jon." An introduction no doubt repeated numerous times. He sets the pie where directed (not Freddy's mouth) and he proceeds to follow Mary for the tour!

"Nice place." He turns his head at the lightning bolt before Billy walks in, lifting his hand in a wave. "Hi."

Franklin Richards has posed:
As he turns, and smiles at his sister with a nod at first he looks worried, but then smiles and is glad she is able to enjoy it here. "Do not tell anyone at the school." he points around at Marie, and his sister. "I don't need it spreading round I am the one sneaking in the cookies." and chuckles a bit. "I heard Cookie monster the other day... So I was thinking about going with that." with a chuckle he looks at his sister with a smile. "And I do other things.. I haven't shown you my new invention.. Gawd yet have I?" he grins glad to have a secret from her.

As the loud bang goes off he almost ducks for it then remembers right.... this is going to happen a lot, and sighs. When it is all clear he loks at Jon, "As soon as that happens let me know I am so there. It will be interesting to see someone else do it." he gives a dirty look at his sister, with a grin.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins at Billy's entrance, then shakes her head a little, "Well, and I think everyone around here is pretty trustworthy with it, or already knows, so." She smiles over at Valeria, "Yeah, we do have a bit of ground in flavor around here, even though we came here from Philly about only... hrm, three years ago, I think? Between Freddy and Billy's podcasting and my game streaming, it's a good thing we had fiber-optic in this neighborhood."

She gives Marie a wry look, "At this point I'm almost thinking Jersey and we can commute. I can always give you a lift." She winks at her girlfriend, then chuckles a bit, then looks over at the group, "So, drinks? Anyone want anything in particular? We have just about anything, including a nice red I was saving for a special occasion, and this Easter seems to qualify."

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Freddy wrinkles his nose in faux frustration when he's told the pie will have to wait. There is so much activity, so many warm, friendly faces. Freddy soaks it all up like a rechargeable battery that was just plugged in. The normally very talkative young man settles back into contemplative satisfaction. When Mary passes and gives his shoulder a squeeze, he smiles warmly at her. Silently, he mouths, "Thanks, sis."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Smiles, and handshakes, and even hugs are given and returned. She does giggle when Marie-Ange and Mary embrace. She's not exactly what one would call straight herself. Those two getting a double tumbs up in solidaity.

Jon gets a grin. "Valeria. Uncle Doom named me after an ex. But I think he also sacrificed her for extra magical oomph before I was born." she explains as part of the correction. "Val just feels easier for most folks. At least my middle name is much easier to deal with." she doesn't actually say Meghan.

Franklin gets a grin again. The playful you're welcome sort. "Might be best to save the red for mid meal? Looks like I'm driving so gotta be all responsible. Should have brought a fantasticar. Let the robots drive." she gives more playful looks at her brother. The camaro didn't have an autodrive.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
So many people speaking her language. Jon, Val, and now Shazam. She loves it! She returns the hug and provides those French air-cheek kisses in return. <<You are very kind sir, but you did not have to go through special trouble for me. Your family's company,>> A knowing look towards Mary, <<is more than enough! It is my honor to merely be invited to such a gathering!>>

Shazam might suss out that for Marie, being /part/ of a family occasion rather than sitting on the outside looking in means a lot to the redhead, given what he knows about her own upbringing.

...that being said? Marie likes french things, and she likes food, so there's no complaints coming from this one.

She does, however, dip a hand into the basket she set down, snatching up a biscuit and -- after at least /attempting/ a hug unless he evades it, offering it to him. "I believe this counts as an appetiter," She means appetizer "though, if you wish?"

Then a giggle to Mary, "I would not complain. With you, a cardboard box in the middle of a Kansas cowfield," Cornfield. "sounds positively delightful." As for the drinks? "I would love one." She'll let her hosts choose, "...although if I drink too much, I may require a crashing of the couch, non?" Because she's not going to get into a strange uber drunk. They mess with her sometimes when she's perfectly sober!

Valeria gets a bit of a odd look, "You... speak words which I do not know the meaning. Is a fantasticar a sort of limo, driven by the riders, Mademoiselle Valeria?" Someone lives... okay, maybe not quite /under/ the rock but at least at rock level.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin listens to Marie, and stands to the side shaking a head at the drink options, "I am just water, or tea if you have it." he shrugs a bit as bad things happened when he drank so he would not be doing that. At least his sister had someone to drive home, but she said no also. "I like to drive safe sister." he says as is this isn't the first time he has said this, "Not everyone has shields like us others could be hurt.. Like the neighborhood cat on the way. He was mildly inconvienced!" and grins as he is teasing her as well.

He glances over at Mary as she explains some of the information. "You spoke of this podcast, you will have to show me this setup I mean you have a mixer at least right?" and grins a bit as he isn't really a podcaster with so much to see outside he has a hard time listening to people online. Glancing at Marie, "Don't let her confuse you it is my dad's work. She drives it like she is on fire, and we all worry for her." and chuckles a bit, as he is joking a bit.

Billy Batson has posed:
Shazam extends a hand to Superboy. "I sorry I don't know what to call you. I'm Billy. Glad you came. I appreciate the trust, my friend. Hey easy with that grip! So you guys want some crudite or shall we get right to the pot roast?" Solomon sense isn't going off, except when Superboy misnames Valeria. <<Duck!>>

"Hey Freddy, great job slicing. Mmmm. Everything smells so good. Oh I got sparkling cider for people who don't drink..." He gives Freddy a sideways look. Do not tell about those early and disgusting days as Shazam.

"Thank you, Marie." Mmmm biscuit. "So... you guys want to see the lightning in action? World's best magic trick since sawing a rabbit in half?" He doesn't wait

"SHAZAM!" There's a flash and Billy appears and appears to have trouble uncorking the bottle.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
With his assigned chore complete, Freddy grabs his crutch and step-thunk-step-thunk-step-thunks over toward Marie. "Oh wow, you brought rolls! That's a good thing because some idiot burned the rolls." He looks surreptitiously from one side to the other then leans in and stage whispers, "It was *me*." He gives the girl a hug if she seems amenable to it and his signature warm, beaming smile returns.

Freddy LOVES to see his siblings transform. He really gets a huge rush out of the powers of the Immortal Elders. He winces slightly when Billy transforms. "I know where dad keeps the key to the liquor cabinet." You know, in case the question were to come up in Trivial Pursuits.

Jon Kent has posed:
"Valeria." Jon quickly corrects himself, his hand lifting to run the back of his neck. "Sorry." Though he hears the origin of her name and his eyes go a little wide. "....wow. That's dark." But he smiles. "Val it is." And yes, he's a little scared that her uncle is Doom. He just....stays far away from that subject.

"Can I have some water?" He asks Mary. Outright goody two-shoes! He turns his attention to Franklin. "Oh sure, will do. Though beware, she's in Kansas so it'll be a trip." He extends his hand to Billy.

"Jon...or Superboy if you prefer." He gives Billy's hand a good shake. Even when relaxed, his grip is pretty strong, so when Billy says that he winces. "Sorry. Pot roast sounds great!"

He notices Billy struggling with the bottle and he very subtly uses his heat vision to cut into the cork, invisible to the naked eye. Subtle help! "You...transform with lightning? That's awesome!"

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin smiles and walks up to Jon, "You know Victor isn't all bad. I mean when he kidnaps you sure your locked up, but the food is good, and he is rather polite if you listen to the ranting." he smiles at Val with a wink. "I mean that is if you know the secret code word." he shrugs, and turns to move away from the two. "But I mean who would ever do that though right?" grinning a bit. He walks to Shazam, or well now Billy and looks at him. "So you have nothing now? I mean your not just hiding it?" he asks curiously.

He wondered for a moment what that would be like, and thinks about if it is just the word or the people quietly as he would retrive his drink.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"That cat was on the other side of the street when we passed them." Val mock pouts. Though she does widen her lips into a smile for Marie. "Fantasticars are like homebuilt vehicles. Flying cars. But also aircraft." she explains. "Kinda the sort of thing that stands out. But I think nobody would have complained. The opposite if the whole family here were home." she gives a nudge of her head to some of the family pictures. The recent ones with the younger kids. They'd probably flip at going for a ride.

Jon acknowledging and going on about powering up and code names gets a smile. "There's magic involved. Probably still has rules and things behind it. But not something you want to do indooors." gotta be bad for the carpert.

"Uncle Doom hasn't kidnapped me in forever. He and dad just bicker like a married couple the same as our other uncles. It's probably how mom manages to do a good job raising us. She had four kids before she had you Frank!" she jokes.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins at Jon, "Yeah, we all do, actually. Though I'm not going to do it right this second." She chuckles, "Actually, I think Victor got my BaristaCats account verified on Twitter, so I can't exactly complain about him when he's not trying to conquer the world and stuff."

"But anyway, I go by Mary Marvel, or Thunderbolt after about thirty seconds once I realized that maybe using my first name as part of a superhero alias was not the best idea." She shrugs, "Hey, it was a bit new at the time and /he/ kinda sprung it on us." She grins and gives Billy a wry look at that.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy pours a couple of glasses of cider and offers them around, keeping one himself. He tells Franklin, "Just me. I bench a hundred twenty though and fight dirty." The remark about springing the power of Billy on her earns a short glare. He leans close to Marie when he thinks Mary is occupied. "So... did the Mighty Thunderbolt ever tell you how she sent us sidekicks into the bathroom to remove a spider for her? very dangerous mission." Revanche!

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie's seen Mary transform a number of times. It's always awe-inspiring, even for someone who's not exactly a plain jane herself, so when Shazam-becomes-Billy? Marie gasps! ...and immediately is looking up to see what kind of damage said lightning ended up doing to the house. She's moving in with one of them, after all. It feels like a good thing to be aware of!

Then Freddy's on approach and yes, she's amenable to hugs. She even returns it in kind!

"I will tell you a secret, Freddy." she replies, not bothering to hide. This is literally her job she's talking about. "I can see the future. I knew they would be needed. Now I know the why." with a playful wink to puncuate. The gentlest of teasing.

Then Billy's telling her about the spider and Marie's eyes are widening as she'd regaled by the tale. "Oh my..." A pause, and a bright smile. "...so... should our new place have spiders... we should call you?"

Then to Val, "Most incredible! Perhaps one of these days, you can show me, oui?" A pause. "...and no, I do not think that anyone would have complained." Followed by a grin. "From what I have met, they are a /wonderful/ family." The Vasquezes, that is!

Franklin Richards has posed:
With a chuckle he nods to his sister. "I think you have been spending to long in Gotham." and chuckles, "Everyone drives like that over there." shaking his head at that. Though he just smiles at Billy, "That must of been hard to get used to. I had to go through so many excersises so I didn't just poof things that didn't intrest me away." he shakes his head, "Is it the will to want to change, or does it have to be that word?" he asks curiously seeing if he could make some sense of it.

Jon Kent has posed:
"Are you sure? His name is literally /Doom/." Jon smirks a little bit. "How long does he rant? If it's longer than an hour I might nap, but I'd like to talk with him a little." He smiles. "I mean, I keep hearing about him."

He looks at Valeria. "...Does he kidnap you to get at your parents? Seems counterproductive. Especially if he likes you and wouldn't actually hurt you." If he did? Then Superboy would have a problem with that. "Magic? Wow. I uh, can't say I'm good at that, but it's cool to watch."

He looks towards Mary. "That...makes so much sense. Plus, Thunder is /awesome/ as a name."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary ahems, "Okay, *first off* this was before you decided to let us in on the Word, so I had about all the power of Mary Bromfield, which is needless to say, not very much unless it's regarding moderating my Twitch chat."

She then amends, "It was also a very large spider, thank you. And I'm not saying that's the reason Billy decided to let us in on the lightning, but I'm not NOT saying it. So no, Marie, I won't shriek and hide or anything. Not that I /did/, but I'll be okay now, really."

Freddy Freeman has posed:
After the excellent hug from Marie, Freddy makes his way around to the next set of people. Franklin and Valeria. Step-thunk-step-thunk-step-thunk. "Hey, Franklin! Glad you came. You didn't tell you were bringing your mother!" Freddy blinks once, twice, three times. He senses he's messing this up. "I mean, your daughter?" He exhales a sigh and lets his eyes cross for a moment. He knows there's supposed to be some sort of charming line in there somewhere but the Wisdom of Solomon is failing him now. "Okay, can I just start again?" Freddy asks in a rare flustered moment for him. "I'm Freddy! I'm apparently one of the smart ones."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Mary's reaction to Billy's story has Marie bursting into giggles, though she covers her mouth to try and stifle them. Once she's got it all under control, she moves to give Mary a kiss on her cheek. "To be fair, mon amour, /I/ very likely will." Brood? Killer pterodactyls with hypnotic eyes? No problem. Spiders of Various Sizes? ...that's a different story entirely. "...and as long as /someone/ can remove the spider I am happy, oui?" She has good control with her summons, but spider-removal might be a bit out of the league of her fine motor control.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy ponders the whereas and wherefores of the word. He answers Franklin carefully. "Think of it like a password to activate an app. Shazapp. You have to know the word but you also need to type it in correctly in the right box. Or in this case, have the will to invoke the lightning. I am at the point now where I can say Shazam and, well, you see, nothing happens. Which is good. Hey Freddy, could you imagine if we went with Kid Shazam like I wanted and you couldn't say your own name? Anyway, we seem to each have a power we specialize in."

"Mine is lightning. I learned to say the word without changing pretty quick. Flying... I'm the worst flier. Freddy and Mary usually beat me out. I keep going into orbit when I o ver mach one. My hovering is sloppy. But lightning I'm good at. I can charge batteries now. The big stuff is hard to control. A couple times I actually changed back from channeling too much. One time Electro turned me back and Rhino nearly stomped me, but my big sister saved me." Smile at Mary.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin was going to speak up to Freddy when he said something to his sister instead, and Franklin sighs. "Freddy.. Right." he frowned only slightly lifting his fingers he snaps them folding the spot he standing on over a small island in Hawaii for just a moment, and then back, but without Freddy. He looks over at Val. "What... he is fast." then turns to look at Billy. "It is kind of cool you all have powers, my sisters is her mind. Don't let her fool you, way smarter then she looks." he shakes his head, "Maybe smarter then my dad with time." he admits as he looks at Val with a smile.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I'll tell mom you said 'Hi'." Val playfully squints and then giggles. "I think the cosmic powers actually kind of arrested our parents aging. Or slowed it. Mom'll think you'd be a keeper if I still dated boys. But she'll still look thirtyfive when I look fifty. Pesky lack of superpowers." she says and laughs.

Freedy cleasrly off the hook.

"Rocket boots I have have been awkward but I mostly uses them for not falling out of the car." she at least understands Billy's difficulty.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins, "Yeah, well, I seem to have the best luck on the Wisdom of Athena part, or just tapping into the knowledge in general. There's a lot build up over the years, though I do remember conjuring lighting bolts from Jupiter to blast that Warworld battleship when they invaded way back when."

She smiles over at Val, "Awesome. Smarts is the best power, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She glances over at Jon, "Though I wonder if Doom just kidnaps Val and Franklin as part of a plot with their parents. Think of how much you save when you don't deal with the babysitter..."

Jon Kent has posed:
"You're doing great." Jon asides to Freddy, encouraging him to be himself.

He turns to Mary with a friendly smile. "Wisdom of Athena? Well, I bet that's really useful. People are smart these days, but the world could use more wisdom." He ponders. "I mean...maybe, but you'd think Doom would consider Val and Frank old enough to watch themselves." He turns his eyes towards Billy.

"I can teach you if you want. I like to think I'm the best sometimes."

He looks at Franklin. "Sometimes, intelligence is far more useful than powers. We can fix things short term, but intelligence can permanently change the world."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy takes a sip of cider and then says, "I think Doom is a very lonely man. Hs pride keeps him from reconciling with your dad and he kidnaps you guys to have interaction with Doctor Richards and Valeria. I mean how many people are smart enough to engage his interest."

"Mary, it's like the only other D&D player you knew was your nemesis and everyone else just played Risk. So you kidnap them t talk about your Bard-Paladdin-Chiropractor. I mean that's my initial assessment. I mean special people like us... it's hard to make connections. That's why... this is good. I mean I doubt we'll find any menace to keep us busy for long, The Justice League and the Avengers and the X-Groups get all the good stuff but maybe we meet regular and keep ourselves from going villain?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I never do!" the blonde points out to Mary and giggles more. "Though it's what you do with the intelligence. Pretty certain I could totally figure out the best way to make the world the sort of place to live. The problem is letting other people do the work. Soon as you get people with as ense of greed and power entitlement. Then just forget about it. You get into ininitessimal micromanaging if you have to do it right." she explains annd grins.

"World conquering is not fun, and so much high stress when I could be sciencing like a boss" she states to her chagrin. Luckily she doesn't do the taking over the world.

"Uncle Doom is a weird balance of introvert and extrovert. The world needs him but he also doesn't need too many people in his life. He's happiest when the machine is functioning. Or I'm doing something with my latest doomsday weapon... I mean clean energy project." she trails off and whistlesm innocently.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary laughs softly at Val, "Well, I could probably see him singing Gilbert and Sullivan or something. Didn't he go to school with your dad? With the way Doom monologues, I bet he was in drama club." She nods sagely and gives Marie an impish grin.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie listens as everyone talks about their powers. Everyone present... except perhaps Val already knows what she does, and Val might've heard it from Franklin!
Although, something the Richards' girl mentions catches Marie's ears. "You prefer girls as well?" she asks, starting to smile a bit. "How do you feel about blondes?" ...her role might normally be seer, but it sounds like today she plans to play matchmaker, instead. Besides. It sounds like she miiiight need someone to keep her on the side of the angels.

To Billy, then, "These teams you speak of, sometimes they need help, too! It is good to be ready for these occasions."

Jon Kent has posed:
"I understand that...it's a lonely world."

Jon sips his water. "I prefer girls." Jon eventually remarks, before he realizes that was a bit out of place and he shushes himself. Don't mindthe Kryptonian, just casually hopping in conversation.