14987/The Grand Tour

The Grand Tour
Date of Scene:	22 May 2023
Location:	145 Central Park Penthouse
Synopsis:	Marie invites Freddy over to see their new place, Mary comes home, and Billy comes by too!
Cast of Characters:	Marie-Ange Colbert, Freddy Freeman, Mary Bromfield, Billy Batson

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Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
When Freddy didn't end up showing up to her and Mary's party, the French girl was quick to text the young man just to make sure everything was alright. While she doesn't tend to worry about Mary's family when it comes to Super-Trouble... as far as she knows, they're still prone to mundane things like getting sick and the like, so she's definitely going to reach out. It's just who she is.

Among the things were discussed were when and if he'd liike to come and see her and Mary's new home, and thus the time was set, and the address was given. The fact that their new place happens to be a penthouse overlooking Central Park might end up a surprise, since -- aside from the address -- it's not specifically mentioned!

While she waits, Marie's just working on trying to get some snacks prepared; because one thing she knows about Freddy? Much like herself, the boy likes food. So she's going to do her best to be a good hostess!

Freddy Freeman has posed:
The doorbell rings. It's Freddy. Right on time. Despite the fact that he refuses to use Pantheon except when absolutely necessary, this crutch-bound kid is never late. When Marie opens the door, that Freddy Freeman smile erupts on the kid's face. "Hey, Marie!" he says with enthusiasm. He tosses a one-armed hug (his left hand is grasping the handle of his crutch) around Marie.

Then he swoops around her and moves with gusto and verve into the place. He peers around in wonder and his untamed hair flies wildly as he moves at a pace that some fully abled people have a hard time keeping up with. "What. Is. Up. With. This. Place?" he says energetically. "How do you afford this pl..." He stops and turns to Marie with glittering eyes and a super-psyched grin. "Ohmygoddidyouguysrobabank?" he blurts out excitedly.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
As Freddy's likely well aware of by now, Marie's a hugger, so the hug is returned in kind! "I am glad you could make it, Freddy! Your sister is out at the moment, but should be home eventually... and until then, I can show you around if you like?" she asks with a bright smile of her own, spinning on her heel to let her eyes follow the ever-energetic boy.

"Ah... oui." she starts, considering just how to best explain things. "Mary and I were seeking out a little place that we could call home, oui? And I had mentioned this fact to my friend, Madame Emma Frost..." Yes, /that/ Emma Frost. "...she offered to help us find a place we could afford..." Here she blushes. "...and then brought us here and told us it was ours. She had prepaid all of the fees... everything... for literal decades." Marie can barely believe it, herself.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Just a little bit of Freddy's enthusiasm wanes when Marie mentions how she and his sister can afford this prime piece of real estate. For a brief moment he wrinkles his nose. "Man, she's gonna want *something* eventually," he says. "But hey, I guess enjoy it while....hey is that cake?" Freddy suddenly says as he changes course for the kitchen. "Holy shit this place is huge."

Once he in the kitchen he turns to face Marie and he regards her warmly for a beat or two. "Hey, sis," he says, referring to Marie with a title of affection. "Are you guys happy? That's all that's important is that you're happy."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie shakes her head quickly, smiling. "Madame Frost and I have known one another for years. When I first came to America, she was one of the first to show me kindness /without/ asking anything in return." Granted, knowing Marie, Freddy can probably imagine that things didn't have to be asked for. The redhead /wants/ to help the people she cares about, and does so freely. "It is! Do you want some? Please, feel free! Plates are in that cabinet, and silverware in the drawer beneath.

The kitchen is pretty impressive; and very well-stocked, because at the very least, the French girl loves to eat. Not that her slim figure shows it. Blame the magic, or the mutant genes. Trailing behind Freddy easily, she nods firmly to the question. "Enraptured. I have a soundproofed room where I can work on my music without disturbing Mary, who has a room where she can focus on her streaming," Translation: Mary's office is likely a super gaming setup. "We even have a guest room. Oh! And a jacuzzi! It is on the roof." she tells him, giggling merrily. That particular detail amuses her terribly. But then her smile softens, and she moves to lean against one of the counters. "...but most importantly, I can wake up to the face of the person I adore more than anyone in this world. Of all things, this makes me the happiest."

Freddy Freeman has posed:
As Marie tells her story, Freddy's cheeks are flushed with ruddy pleasure. There is almost nothing in this world that makes Freddy happier than when his family is happy. It's everything. Everything. He tugs out two places and digs around until he finds a knife and a couple of forks. He cuts a regular, human portion of cake for Marie. For himself, he serves out a massive piece...you know, just to be safe. His eyes widen and his lips purse in a smile as he moves the piece from the platter to his plate.

"I worry 'bout Mary sometimes. She carries a lot of weight around on her shoulders." He shrugs one shoulder and shovels a huge bite of cake into his mouth. "I'm gla she foumb lub," he says with his mouth full.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Merci beaucoup, mon ami." Marie tells Freddy as she takes the offered plate and utensils, sets them on the counter next to her, then hops up to sit on the ledge. Plate is then placed in her lap, and she starts digging in. Because, well, it's delicious cake. Emma had provided the initial supply of food, too, specifically catered to the girls' likings.

Not that Marie is particularly /picky/ by any means.

"She does." Marie agrees. "...even before we were dating, she would always be there for me when I needed her, pausing whatever she was doing to listen to whatever concern I had..." she sighs dreamily, another piece of cake popped into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Marie's too polite to talk with her mouth full! "...now, I do everything I can to make sure that when she comes home, no matter what happens out there, she can relax." It's a job she takes very seriously.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Freddy shovels in another piece. As he swallows, he points at Marie with his fork, moving the tip around in a circle, some sort of fork-based gesture. "And in the process, you got yourself one hell of a group of new brothers and sisters." He beams proudly. Freddy just absolutely *adores* being a superhero. He was literally born for it. He relishes every moment. The Immortal Elders chose well trusting him. "Short of planetary-level threats, there isn't much we can't handle."

A pleased, warm grin blooms across Freddy's features. "Be honest. Who flies better? Me or Mary?"

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary's voice echoes from the door, "Well, there's flying fast, and flying with /finesse/, Freddy!" She comes in, bearing two paper bags of groceries as she smiles, "Glad you managed to come visit the place." Setting the groceries down on the kitchen counter, she walks over and hugs her foster brother, then moves over and gives Marie a kiss. "Picked up a few things, I felt like experimenting a bit for dinner. Want to be a test subject, Freddy?" She grins cheerfully, as she's been delving into culinary experimentation lately. To be fair, the experiments have been pretty tasty!

Mostly, anyway...

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie brightens up at the mention of all the siblings, "I consider myself most fortunate that your family has accepted me so readily. It really does mean a lot to me." She's being totally earnest about that, even if she hasn't quite gone into the details on her upbringing with Freddy yet. Just as she's about to answer the /other/ question, though....

"Mary!" Marie greets; the brunette being a little faster than the redhead at coming together, though she /does/ at least get off the counter in time to return the kiss given. "Well, you know for certain that /I/ am more than willing to be your test subject, mon amour." A grin to Freddy, "Her cooking is wonderful, I encourage all the testing."

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Freddy leans into his sister's hug enthusiastically. Like Marie, he is also a hugger. And in the entire world, by far his two favorite people are his brother, Billy, and his sister, Mary.

The young godling dramatically rolls his eyes and lets out a mock sigh. "Well I *guess* if you need someone to help you eat your food, I'm available for a *little* while longer." Then with a pleased smile, he picks the plate back up and continues eating his decidedly massive slab of cake.

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson decided last minute to come visiting. He was doing man on the street bits all day, up and down Manhattan. No actual super hero sightings. He has a large bag over his shoulder. His feet hurt and he lost track of the time or he would have brought something. The doorman also made a point of checking him against a list. Apparently he looked too street at that moment and building residents shared this mistrust. I reminded him of some dark days. Finally at the penthouse, he knocks on the door. Of course people were right to distrust him those days. "Lemme in before someone gets some lightning justice. Please."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary opens the door, then blinks as she sees Billy standing there. "Okay, Billy, come in, sit down, and have something to drink. What would you like? I was just about to start dinner." She shows her foster brother in, not brooking any protests as she sees what he's looking like, and Mother Bear instincts have kicked in.

So, she shows him in, "Marie, I think we've got an improvised family gathering." She smiles a bit, though her eyes reflect some worry for Billy as she heads over to the kitchen counter. After all, dinner isn't going to cook itself... though considering what that hypertech Roomba that King T'Challa got the couple, that might be a DLC on that thing.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"That is the spirit, Freddy!" Marie encourages fondly, and then lets her gaze follow Mary towards the door, brightening up even further when she spies Billy; Mary's family is very welcome in this house. They're practically Marie's family, too, afterall. She certainly views the group that way. There /is/ concern that goes with that joy of the additional friendly face, though, because... he does look kinda run down.

Rather than move immediately to hug and greet, Marie's back on hostess duty, moving to the fridge instead; Mary can handle food, she'll take care of the drinks. "Would you care for anything to wash down the cake and prepare for dinner, also, Freddy?" Since Mary already asked Billy!

Freddy Freeman has posed:
As Billy walks in, Freddy reach out and gives his brother a light shoulder punch. He's certainly not averse to hugging his brother, but Billy sort of looks like he might need a lil bit of space right now. "Sup, bro," he says, nodding his head in Billy's direction.

He crutch walks over in Mary's direction next. Thunk-step-thunk-step-thunk-step-thunk-step. All the while he's beaming and smiling like nothing, not even a crippled leg, has the power to bring him down. "Anything I can do t'help, Mar'?" he asks his sister.

Playfully, in response to Marie's question, Freddy says, "I'll take a beer."

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson frowns. "I was trying a new feature for streaming: 'Billy on the Street.'" He throws his hands up and makes a dramatic pause.

"Turns out there's already a guy does that, ANOTHER Billy. Been doing it a while now. We ran into each other. It was a whole thing! I agreed to stop calling my bit that. I am not a plagiarist. I mean... I asked Eugene t check the title on me and he... I'm gonna kill Eugene." He looks at Freddy and sage nods.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary chuckles, "Well, at least it wasn't the Simpsons that did it." She grins and goes back to prepping dinner. Looks like she's trying for some chicken pad thai as she gets crackin' in the kitchen.

"And no, Freddy, I've got this. You sit since you're our guest. You and Billy both, relax. I've got this." She grins, and mutters under her breath, "Well, I /hope/ I got this..." She takes a deep breath, focuses, and goes through the steps, making sure she gets things right. Marie gets a smile and a blown kiss, as she concentrates on making dinner for the four of them.

No pressure, though!

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"As you wish!" Marie chirps for Freddy's order. Mary didn't argue it, so maybe it's something that's done in their family, like it was in hers back in France. "...however, if you start to wobble I will insist you use our guest room tonight, oui?" Marie offers, coming out of the fridge with a can of beer. Unless she's stopped, she'll get a glass and pour it, too.
Billy gets a sympathetic smile. "You could not have known that someone else used the title, Billy... there are so many shows out there these days, it can be difficult to keep them straight or know of all of them, n'est-ce pas? Surely, the other Billy understood. Did you wish a drink... and what of you, Mary?"

Once she delivers said drinks, she's back into the kitchen. THEY are the guests. SHE lives here. "As always, I stand at your side. Simply tell me how I can help, oui?"

Freddy Freeman has posed:
A small laugh escapes Freddy's lips. "If you're gonna kill Eugene you have to catch him first," he says to his brother.

Oh and his ploy to score a beer actually worked? The Wisdom of Solomon had calculate the chances of that working at 1 in 1,200. Apparently Solomon has never been to France.

Freddy takes the beer and cracks it open. He gives it a tentative, experimental sniff. Then he tips it back for a nice, healthy sip. His eyes open wider in surprise. He leans over the kitchen sink and lets the beer dribble out of his mouth into the drain. Clearing his throat, he inquires, "Do you guys...do you guys have any, like, Splenda or somethin'?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson regards Freddy at the sink nonplussed. "But when I first became Shazam... we were scam... never mind." He exhals and get a bottle of water. Not like he drinks beer anymore. It's better that way. He's pretty Sure Sunny couldn't get buzzed on the total output of Milwaukee. It s not fun t get hammered alone, have your girlfriend demand to fly you home. She totally would. "Aaaah. Thank you. I'm sorry I showed up empty handed. I lost track of the time. Uhmmmm I could earn my supper, maybe? What do you think, Marie? Am I god enough? You heard me?" Cryptic.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins, as the Wisdom of Minerva apparently outsmarted Solomon this time, as she chuckles, "How about we get you a nice 1919 Root Beer instead, Freddy?" She looks positively smug at Freddy's reaction, giving Marie a wink as she murmurs, "Now you know why I had the cheap beer in the cans." Because while Mary doesn't /often/ drink, her few beers are in /bottles/. Cans are for cooking. Or to teach occasional lessons.

Mary then snickers at Billy, "And don't worry about being empty handed. Your my brother, you get fed when you show up. Vasquez Rules." She grins and goes back to cooking, still laughing a bit at Freddy's reaction.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
A flash smile erupts on Freddy's face. "Oh, man, Billy, when you first got your powers it was so dope! You remember all those tests we did?" He shakes his head, flooding with memories. "I still have all those notebooks," he says. "I thought it was, like, research or something."

Freddy sets the can on the side of the sink, no longer even remotely interested in it. He crutch walks to the fridge to get a root beer. Bent over with his head and shoulders and chest nearly completely in the fridge he yells, "Hey, is this last eclair spoken for?" Freddy re-emerges from the fridge with the root beer and a small plate with a doomed eclair on it.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie can't help but giggle at the Freddy's reaction to the beer. The precognitive girl, when she drank, was more of the wine kind... but that's due to her upbringing. Even in the convent. Because, again, it was France, and the sacremental wine was definitely real wine, there. "The root beers may be more to your liking, Freddy. Those beers are more for bad days when you wish to feel worse, oui?"

Then Billy asks that question, and Marie grins a little. Yes. She knows exactly what the boy's talking about. "I think if you feel up to it, you most certainly should. I think you are most capable of earning your supper." She can't promise his siblings won't razz him -- that's what siblings tend to do! -- but she knows he's good!

"Mmhmm." she offers to Mary with a bright grin of her own. She'd wondered. Now she definitely, /definitely/ understands... and for her part, she's definitely going to stay in the kitchen to continue helping out; whether it's actively helping Mary with cooking or just helping the boys find things in their home!

Billy Batson has posed:
Billy Batson says, "Oh yeah. Great fun. Fireproof... check! You... set me on fire. Inna box!" He considers razzing from siblings likely. This was the main reason he'd fly to lonely spots to practice his instrument. Jamming with Marie convinced him to come out so to speak. He rummages in his bag and carefully extracts a flute. He draws in a deep breath. Then begins to play the song that most fits this group: Stand By Me. Actually Amazing Grace fits pretty well, the whole thing about being lost then found.

Nah, the movie was dope!

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins over at Marie, glancing over her shoulder to see Billy playing the flute. Then she smiles a bit wider, unable to resist saying, "FREEBIRD!" as Billy plays. Still, she looks like she appreciates the music, the wonderful smell of pad thai filling the apartment as she works on putting on the finishing touches. "Okay, Marie, we'll need some plates and silverware... I'm too far out of practice with chopsticks."

She gives Freddy a wry look as the eclair gets snatched, "If you don't finish off the pad thai because you ate that I'll be /very/ sad, you know." She grins, not really minding him taking it because she knows the family tends to have bottomless stomachs thanks to channeling the Lightning.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
Freddy munches on the purloined pastry and sips root beer. He stands quietly and watches his brother play the flute. Sometimes Billy seems to have a troubled spirit, and the sensitive Freddy picks up on that. But when Billy plays music, all of that goes away for a time.

Marie gets a playful nudge. "*This* is good beer," he muses, holding up the root beer bottle. Then he crutch-walks over to the table to sit down. "Mary, if I can't finish a full portion I'll wear a French maid uniform and clean your apartment for a month."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie, for her part, claps cheerfully at the end of Billy's performance, eager to encourage the fruits of the boy's practice. "Tres bien! Encore!" ...because, you know. There's still a little time while they get the food plated and everything, and the redhead's more than willing to handle that while Billy plays.

"Of course, mon amour." Marie replies, giving a twirl en route to pecking Mary on the cheek, then collecting four plates, accordingly. The silverware, she'll take directly to the table and set out; she knows exactly how to set it out, afterall!

"That is the best beer, if you ask me." Marie quips to Freddy with a bright grin as she sets the table. To that challenge, though? Marie's eyes twinkle a bit, and she looks towards her partner. "Do you think it would fit him?"

Billy Batson has posed:
Encore? That was uncalled for! What to play? He nods, takes a breath and says, "For my sister... well our sister and our new sister." He tries to frame the music in his mind. He knows Shazam could play this perfectly.

Screw Shazam. He learned this himself. He nods again,

Billy begins playing Unchained Melody. He pauses a moment to make dancing motions with one hand, then falls to playing again.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins, "Well, possibly, but I'm afraid it might get stretched out." She works on plating the pad thai, including little lime wedges and cilantro garnish on the side. She's been /practicing/, as she then comes in and brings the plates, setting them in front of Billy and Freddy first, then coming back after a moment with hers and Marie's. She smiles over at Marie.

"Well, you all get to be guinea pigs, since I haven't made chicken pad thai before, but I wanted to give it a try." She grins and raises her glass, "To family." As she keeps it simple, with just the four of them. But this is really how she sees her family.