15910/Oktoberfest in Salem Center

Oktoberfest in Salem Center
Date of Scene:	30 September 2023
Location:	Salem Center - New York
Synopsis:	Oktoberfest at Salem Center sees a lot of drinking and eating, some dancing. No necks were drained of blood that we know of.
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Mary Jane Watson, Joshua Foley, Warren Worthington, Henry McCoy, Carol Danvers, Caleb Dykstra, Kurt Wagner, Jubilation Lee, Pepper Potts, Logan Howlett, Noriko Ashida

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
Nestled amidst the colorful foliage of early autumn, Oktoberfest in Salem Center unfolds like a vibrant tapestry of German tradition and community camaraderie. The festivities take place in a charming, open-air square adorned with Bavarian banners. The air resonates with the lively strains of polkas and other folk music, and the joyous laughter of attendees. The aroma of sizzling sausages and pretzels wafts through the air, instantly enticing the senses.

The heart of the event lies in the beer gardens, where long communal tables invite patrons to raise their steins in drink. An array of authentic German beers are offered alongside more American brews, each flowing freely and ensuring a spirited atmosphere. The clinking of glasses echoes in harmony with traditional folk tunes.

Food vendors line the square, offering a tempting selection of German delicacies. Bratwurst and sauerkraut sizzle on grills, their scents mingling with the sweet aroma of freshly baked pretzels. For those with a sweet tooth, stalls showcase an array of delectable pastries, including strudels and apple-filled delights dusted with powdered sugar. It's a journey through the traditional culinary heart of Germany.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had arrived at a nearby parking lot a few moments ago. Seated in her car, she remains inside it for awhile. On her phone. Her driver side window is down allowing the warm air to flow in over her as she taps away on the screen, still wearing a pair of dark aviator sunglasses.

A year ago she'd helped with the Xaviers booth here, even wore one of those scantily German dresses. This year she's simply in torn blue jeans and a black tanktop, boots worn beneath the cuffs of the jeans, and a few bracelets, a watch and a necklace around her throat.

Eventually, Rogue pops the door on her car, and steps up out of it. She raises her sunglasses up in to the white locks of her hair framing her face as she looks around at the gathering that has taken over Salem Center.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
It's nice to be out in Westchester. It's lovely.. She's finished her shift over on scramble duty and she has the rest of the evening to herself. So that means wandering into Westchester, a quick and lazy jog. Mary Jane is whistling while walking over towards the booths and watching the children over at play. She's humming to herself and watching people enjoy htemselves.
    For once, things are quiet.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua is dressed in a black Korn concert T-shirt underneath a jacket, jeans and a pair of chucks. He has given up trying to ride his skateboard about, instead locking it down at one of the bike racks. Of course, even with the clothes, the golden skin stands out in the crowd, a small golden beacon amongst the masses.

His nose draws in the scents and he feels his stomach gurgle hungrilly. "Yes, yes..." he chides his tummy. "I know we're hungry. But I'm looking for something in paticular.

Someone at the school said that one of the school's booths every year serves the BEST EVER SMOKED TURKEY LEGS and he's in the search for this so-called grail to find out for himself if they are that good!

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington wears his wings openly on the outside of his clothes, having long since given up any pretense of being anything but what he is. He had enough of being secretive about his mutation while his father was alive - he has no intention of continuing the practice now as a grown-ass man, so to speak.

His hair is long enough to tuck behind his ears and his clothes, while not as formal as a suit, remain finely crafted, a tailored white tee with the Worthington logo on the left breast, a pair of slacks, fine leather shoes. He's found himself a nice cider, freshly warmed and with a bi of cinnamon in the top.

"An autumnal triumph," he says to the vendor in appreciation, tipping generously, of course.

Henry McCoy has posed:
It was tradition! Oktoberfest with the other members of Xaviers! Henry was dressed in traditional lederhosen and apparel, festive as could be. After parking his car, he climbed out and took a deep breath - enjoying the aroma of all the foods offered at the festival. Locking the car, he starts towards the entrance.

Spotting Rogue, he grins. "Evening, Rogue." The Beast waves. "How are you doing today?"

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol's car spends much of its time sitting in the garage these days, as she gets around quicker without it. How exactly she came to arrive in the parking lot is anyone's guess, but he strolls past a beaten pick-up in the direction of Rogue's car and the Belle climbing out of it.

She is incognito today, as best she can be. Blonde hair hidden underneath a Red Sox ball cap, a dark blue t-shirt, jeans and boots. She walks up to the one familiar face she spies, opening her mouth to speak when the blue-furred Beast addresses her instead.

Rather than wait her turn, she just rolls her shoulders in a shrug and walks right past in the direction of the stalls.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Sitting at a table with a plat of sauerkraut in front of him, Caleb takes a couple gulps from the mug he got along with the plate. He's dressed in a biker jacket with an also black t-shirt with some custom print. In front of him sits his sister, Sheila, younger than him by about 8 years. She too has a plate of the same dish, which she eats happily; and she has some orange juice, because, you know, twelve.

"So, when can I get to drink some beer?"

"When you're older, kiddo", Caleb replies. "When you're my age. Until then..." He points to the orange juice.

She grimaces, "I wanna grow up."

Looks like it's one of those days. The older sibling sighs patiently.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes are on the crowds of people walking amongst the stalls when she hears Hank's voice to her left. She casts her eyes over to him quickly, and a smile appears on her lips painted in a dusky red hued tone. "Well hey there, Doctah." She says to him after stepping fully out of her car and letting the door thud closed. "I'm alright..." She states while sorting her shirt out around the waistline of her ripped jeans. "Just wonderin' where I'm gonna start with this t'night... Seems like there's more people here this year than last even." She notes in her naturally husky voice.

She only partially catches a glimpse of Carol, before the incognito blonde can sneak away before receiving the Belle's attention.

"You gonna get full on meats and booze?" She asks Hank with a sly grin crossing her facial features.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
A buxom blond wearing a dirndl and carrying what must be at least a dozen large steins in two levels goes past where Kitty Pryde stands examining the food vendors. Kitty's eyes follow the woman, eying the outfit that is close to what Kitty wore last year.

Though this year the Jewish mutant has foregone the traditional German outfit, and has instead worn a dress. It mixes all the colors of the autumn scenery, reds, orange and yellows primarily, blended together in various pleated falls that snug about her waist before the skirt hangs loose down below her knee.

Kitty spots Joshua Foley and goes up on toes as she waves over to him animatedly. If he sees the gesture she'll give him waved invitation to join her, though her eyes go back to the food vendors. "The funnel cake line is looking kind of long," she murmurs to herself, though it's clear enough that's what she's favoring. As she spots Hank and Angel and others from the school, they get similar waves of greeting.

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would walk on towards the bench with the Xavier's crew, and give them a wave, "Hey, you guys are doing a great service here. Thank you again for going out in the community and.. Giving us all faith that we can be better people because we see you doing it." That's spoken over to Rogue and anyone else that might be over close to it. Mary Jane is wearing something that's not a costume.

It's a hoodie that shows a picture of a frothing at the mouth J Jonah Jameson with the title of 'the Onion' on it and the byline of 'That Mustache, THat Menace'. She looks fondly over at everyone present.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Rogue gets a chuckle from Henry, the man nodding. "As much as I can stomach, I am sure. I came with an appetite." A waggle of his brows to the Southern belle. "How about you? Planning on getting your fill tonight?" The doctor asks, walking along with Rogue for now.

Spotting Kitty, she gets a wave - as does Carol. He'll get around to seeing everyone, most assuredly - he's hard to miss in the crowd.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Noticing Kitty waving, Joshua looks around him and finds ... noone else that she could be waving at. With a subdubed smile, he makes his way over to her. "Hey Kitty!" he greets with a better warmth to his voice and then takes in the dress on her and the way it fits. "You look really nice!" he decides as she murmurs to him.

Glancing over at the growing funnel cake line, Joshua winces. "Yeaaah, that looks like a wait." he agrees as he cranes his head around to look at the other vendors. "I though there would be turkey legs here. Alas. Maybe around Thanksgiving."

"But if you've got a sweet tooth, it doesn't look like the candied apples are all that busy?" Joshua suggests to her, and when Henry waves over at Kitty, the golden mutant ducks his head a little bit. Someone's still feeling bad about their previous meeting.

Rogue has posed:
The response that Hank gives to her has Rogue lightly laugh for a second or so. His question as to the nature of her plans here this evening, and she shakes her head, her white locks flowing across her face in the evening wind. Reaching up with her right hand to finger them free of her face, she tucks them behind her right ear again. "I dunno. No idea where Jean is. No idea where Remy is. Kitty..." She looks ahead to the pretty dress wearing Katherine, and just grins. "She's gonna be surrounded by boys all night, I can tell." The Belle tells the Beast with a grin prior to them arriving at Kitty's locale.

She upnods at Kitty though, and flashes her a grin. "Lookin' stellar, Pryde." She informs her oldest friend at the school. Her green eyes take note of some other familiar faces, offering a wave to Warren - of course - and a smile to that Josh fella from the park the other day.

Rogue inhales deeply before looking around. "Alright... gonna find me a drink."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty lets out a sigh and nods as if agreeing with Joshua about the length of the line. "Yes, will have to wait and try to get one later I think. Anyway, something not quite as sweet first would be good."

Turning, Kitty points to where a stand can be seen, with Xavier's school colors in a band around the top. "We've got a booth there," she says of the stand that's selling food and beer and non-alcoholic beverages. "There's brats and sausage and all sorts of meat on a stick," she says with a grin.

Henry gets a big grin from Kitty, and she turns as Rogue comes over. "Thanks, I saw this and I thought, this like Autumn in a dress," Kitty says, giving the dress a little twirl as she grins back at Rogue.

When she spots Carol, Kitty grins and goes over to offer the Avenger, and her one-time space crewmate, a hug of greeting. "Carol, I don't think you've met Josh yet," she says, motioning to Joshua Foley. "Josh this is Carol Danvers," she says.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It is pretty unusual for Kurt to be late.

Admittedly it helps considerably to be able to teleport. One doesn't have to worry overly about unnecessary travel time. But even he gets delayed every now and then and such is the case on this particular day.

As sacraligious as that might be. If anyone should be making it on time to Oktoberfest, it is certainly the very German fuzzy blue elf.

Never the less, he does finally pop into existence on the fringes of the festival with that customary *bamf* and a rapidly dissipating cloud of inky black mist. Garbed in lederhosen with a long white shirt and a black vet atop it, Kurt takes a moment to adjust the black Alpine Bavarian hat atop his head, perching it at a suitably jaunty angle before setting forth into the crowd with a grin.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol tugs the brim of her cap further down over her face, using the long shadows of early evening to her advantage. She deftly rolls on her heel, stepping to one side as she is passed by someone carrying a tray of foaming beer steins. She shakes her head and waves a hand when offered, instead pausing by a van that has been outfitted to work as a mobile kitchen. She plucks a pair of brass-framed aviators from her breast pocket, popping them on before she looks up to order.

Before long, she's got a German take on the hotdog that is almost drowning in all kinds of toppings. She takes a bite and lets out an 'mm' of approval, moving around the side of the stall to keep herself mostly out of the way.

"Mmh -- "

Her eyes flick up when Kitty speaks to her, holding her hotdog out of the way so as to not spill it on either of them when the greeting hug is given. She turns her attention to Josh, peering at him over the top of her aviators.

"Hi, Josh. Happy Oktoberfest or whatever you're meant to say."

Mary Jane Watson has posed:
Mary Jane Watson would give a wave over at Carol, "Love the outfit." She would say cheekily, then turn over to Kitty and to Rogue, watching the booth for a moment. "I feel like I'm the only one here that's out of place and hasn't put anything into an outfit." She would smile a litlte sadly, but mostly in amusement.

"Guess that it just means I'll be on the low town on the downtown tonight." She would cross her arms thoughtfully and look through the crowds, while musing to herself.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hooking his thumbs in the straps of his liederhosen, Henry walks with Rogue over to where Josh and Kitty were chatting - as well as Carol. They keep running into one another! "Kitty, you look marvelous." A smile to the younger woman. Josh gets a grin and a wave. "How are you two finding the Fest so far?" He asks, ready to plant his feet and chat the night away.

The Beast does take a long glance around, nodding to Mary Jane as she's spotted. "It's a perfect night for this - not too warm, not too cool." Not that the cold would bother the befurred doctor.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Standing on his tiptoes to look to see where the booth is, Joshua nods in excitement to Kitty. "I'll have to go see what they got." he offers with a hint of youthful enthusiasm.

And that is when Kitty is introducing him to someone else. And not just someone else, but she looks awful familiar for some reason and then... the two marbles up in his head connect and match Carol Danvers with this person in front of him and he's lucky he's not holding anything, he'd just dropped it.

Instead, the skin on Josh's cheeks seems to become a brighter gold as he sticks out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Joshua Foley. I'm a healer!" he blurts, no rhyme or reason. He just does.

When Henry comes over, he's literally bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hello, Doctor!" he manages with a squeak, and that insecurity comes flooding back in. "I... I did not mean to interrupt your work the other day, I was so... excited to be helping, and to be doing something with my powers and I totally overstepped and I could have just held his face and kept him... I dunno... I don't know if I can sedate someone, my power's very weird and I'm still getting used to it!"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Sheila looks around in her sulking, and that's when her eyes fall upon a familiar face (and color!) - Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast. Sheila, the twelve year-old who's an Avengers fan!

So, you can imagine the reaction.

"C-CALEB!" The older sibiling raises his head, raising an eyebrow. "...Yes?" He's used to her bouts of enthusiasm, so he's bracing.

"Look over there! That's Mr. Beast, from the Avengers!"

He looks at Hank, and looks back to Sheila. "...And don't you think he might want to remain anonymous for the festival?" In truth, she is one step away from blaring it out.

The girl smiles nervously, and restrains herself.

"Maybe you should eat, hmm?" Looking towards Hank, he shrugs apologetically, mouthing a 'sorry'.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances down at herself in a tanktop and blue jeans, then looks back up to MJ. "I think you're doin' fine." She tells the unfamiliar face with a soft smirk. "I'm sure there are some clothin' vendors around here somewhere though, that can help you slide inta somethin' that might make some heads turn though. That's where I got mine last year anyhow."

When Carol is spotted in her incognito attire, aviators on that damn near are identical to the ones that are up on Rogue's forehead, the Belle just saunters over to her to give her a simple one arm around Carol's shoulders squeeze. "Heya, Sugah..." Rogue says to Carol then, standing up close and personal in her space. "Let me buy ya a real drink?" She asks, before letting Carol go.

Without further adieu, Rogue walks toward the booze stands... passing by Kurt who she runs her hand over his head to flick at his jaunty hat.

Rogue gets in line then behind some of the other random folks out here tonight, waiting for her turn to get a stein or two of drinky-drank.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde motions to a section of tables where a few items are set out to reserve some seats. "I grabbed us a section of seats," Kitty points out. The tables continue on past the area she's staked claim to, and there are Caleb and his little sister right beside them.

Spotting the dissipating BAMF smoke over on the edge of the festitivies, Kitty looks about until she spots Kurt through the crowd. She gives him an arm wave to catch his attention. Something subtle, like a person guiding a plane to land on an aircraft carrier.

Ok, maybe Kitty has had a stein or two of beer already.

She flashes a grin to Henry and says, "Aw thanks, you are sweet as always, Hank." She leans up to give his cheek a peck and then looks about. "I saw Angel somewhere," she says, looking about for the white wings. Kitty pulls out her phone and shoots him a message: "Where are you!? We're by the funnel cake vendor, under the green banner."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"What're you greasin' me up for, kid?" Carol asks Rogue with a wary glance, though the quirk at the corner of her mouth denotes an easy joke, "Okay, deal. Buy me a drink before someone else does and I have to spend my night politely declining."

The squeeze to her shoulders is responded to by her free hand rising up to squeeze Rogue's elbow. She gives Josh, Kitty and the assembled group another polite smile before stepping off to follow Rogue through the crowd to the beer line.

"How's things?" she asks the Belle, setting in next to her in line and ignoring some grumbles of protest at the people who have since gathered behind her, "Heard you were out in space. Do we gotta talk about stickin' to your own terf? A dance fight?"

Carol clicks her fingers in a rhythmic, West Side Story-esque beat while staring with unblinking faux-menace at Rogue.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington gets Kitty's text just as he arrives at said table, flexing his wings out to cast a shadow over her and Henry. "Like most angels, I'm closer than you think," he says aloud.

He claps his old friend Hank on the shoulder in greeting and bends to give Kitty a hug. "I got caught up being tempted by turkey legs. Might still give in yet. I just don't want to have to carry it around with me," he says.

To Henry, he smiles, "Everything copacetic, old chum?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Slipping through the crowd, Kurt is a man on a mission.

The grin on his features shines bright and he waves towards the people he knows. And just about everyone else as well. Someone is clearly in a good mood, though that is hardly a rarity for the fuzzy blue elf.

A little smirk is directed towards Rogue as she passes by, fixing his hat after she flicks it askew, quickly back in place just how he likes it. Busy as he is, that agile tail coils up and slips into his pocket, that pointed tip emerging with a few bills.

Which are promptly deposited on the tray of one of the passing servers, that nible tail snagging one of the overflowing beer steins from the tray and transferred to his hands without ever missing a beat.

There are days when it is good to be a fuzzy blue elf.

Spotting Kitty and the others through the crowds, he waves back with similar exuberance, starting that way.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry winks to Kitty, giving her a gentle hug after her peck to his cheek. "Not sweet, factual." He assures, still giving that charming, if not beastly, smile. To Josh, the man waves his hand as if it's no big thing. "You helped, you did what you were supposed to do. I took no offense." A nod to the younger man. "Truth be told, that young woman's gift had me in the improper mindset to be too much help with tending the injured." A slight sigh. "I was barely in control."

Warren gets a pat on the shoulder in return as he joins the group. "Are we finding a table to feast at, then?" He looks to the others - giving a wave to Kurt. "Guten Abend!"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue reaches up to take her aviators out of her hairline. She folds the arms of the glasses, tucking one of them down in to the low-scooped neckline of her black tanktop so that the pair hang from the front of her shirt. She looks toward the people ahead of them in line, then back over to Carol who sidles up beside her to wait with her. The little space joke gets a grin from the Belle, who shrugs her shoulders. "I hate space." She reminds Carol. "But Jean does that thing where she stares, and her eyes get all... ya know, judgey... So she always convinces me t'go an' help out. I --" She exhales sharply, causing her lips to do that 'flupflupflupflup' thing. "I really hate space though." She finishes her thought, with a glance of her green eyes cast up toward the sky.

When it is their turn to be served, Rogue stands beside the booth, her hands on its edge as she places an order for the biggest steins they have, getting the full on glass ones, and when served she offers Carol her own, and steps out of line with her, clutching hers by its handle. "What brought you t'be here of all places tonight? Just get some kinda itch to not be out on the other side of the Milky Way for once?" She asks before sipping from her acquired drink.

Henry McCoy has posed:
The young girl who points him out is certainly noted, a warm smile towards the youngling. There's no hiding who he is - the blue fur and features are nigh-impossible to disguise. He's clearly not upset that he's been spotted, offering a cheerful wave to Sheila. A shrug and good natured grin to Caleb as well - no harm done, clearly.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua nods his head. "Thank you." And he's starting to feel a little overwhelmed with everyone here. "I was hoping that Dr. Grey would be here." he comments quietly. A wave to Carol as she leaves turns into a wave to greet Warren and Kurt as they join.

"I'm still working on coming to terms with well, everything." he shrugs. "But I'll talk about that another time. I'm gonna go get some brat... waaaaaaaaaaaaait." A glance to Warren. "Where'd you find the turkey leg?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde's face lights up as Warren arrives almost before her text to him got sent. "There you are," she says, sliding her arms back around him and soaking up the angelic one's hug and returning her own.

She lets him go and turns back to the rest of the gang who appear to be finding each other and gathering. "I'm ready for another stein," Kitty says. "The hefeweizen is delicious if anyone else is looking for one to try," she says.

A passing waitress is flagged down by Kitty. "Oh my god your dirndl is so amazing," Kitty gushes to the woman, getting a big smile back, before Kitty places the order. She orders one for herself and then starts going around the rest of the group, seeing who else needs beer. After people have had a chance to speak up, the waitress heads off to collect their beverages over at one of the rows of taps.

Carol Danvers has posed:
"You hate space? God, I can't believe you have part of my soul or whatever. You're such a cretin."

It's clear enough Carol is joking, though she still clicks her tongue and shakes her head. The tale of getting talked into it all by Jean draws a barking sort of laugh from the blonde though.

"In the Service, they'd have called you Whu-BAR. Whipped Beyond All Recognition. Didn't imagine you the type. Especilaly not with the girl who traded in her silly made-up name for a doctorate and a respectable job."

She winks. She gratefully takes the beer when it's offered, nestling it in her hands.

"I'm not that far away and I thought it'd be a good chance to catch up. You're my surrogate little sister slash child slash soul-drinking succubus."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington leans back as he takes a seat, "Last time I told a girl I liked her dirndl, I got my face slapped," he says. "It was that time our class went to the Ren Faire. Hank, you were there, I think. Your image inducer made you look like Friar Tuck. I figured you chose it so you could get served beer," he says.

He gets himself a stein ordered. To Joshua, he smiles, "That's because we're very overwhelming. We're interfering and clingy and dysfunctional as well, but don't tell the kids. We're the grown-ups, after all," he says.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances over to the table that Kitty had acquired for their group, but she doesn't yet head toward it. Instead she just looks back to Carol who is blasting her for not being big on space. This just gets her to smirk in response, and shake her head lightly from right to left. "I'm a girl who likes the summah grass, the wind in the trees, the clouds high in the sky, and the sun shinin' down on me. Not on a black sky, but a nice deep blue one..." She responds to that part, before just laughing at the part about Jean. "Hey, for all I know she's using the--" And her hand touches the side of her face like the telepaths like to do. "--brain magic on me t'get me to 'agree' to go up there. Where the wild things are."

Another sip of the stein's contents are enjoyed, Rogue holding the heavy glass by one hand on its handle and the other poised beneath its moisture-covered bottom. "How do you stand it up there by yourself? Everything makes no sense. There's no up, there's no down, there's no left or right. It's all just wrong thing after wrong thing. Hell, I was watchin' this video the other night that said there's a planet out there somewhere that rains diamonds from the sky. Like it'd tear your body t'shreds if you were just standin there beneath a diamond storm. How does any'a that sound appealin'? Makes no sense t'me." She finally finishes before her eyes trace after some of the well costumed people walking by in a big group. They all get a smile from the Mississippi Magnolia.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Sheila here is something of an Avengers fan, and she gets easily excited", the older brother explains. "I can attend a festival or parade to the team, but she has me at an advantage regarding names." He smiles, "I'm Caleb, by the way."

He looks about, smiling. "And it appears this festival has been graced by angels and visited by demons", he says in a bit of astonishment, no hint of malice in his voice.

Sheila, of course, looks about in wide movements of her head, eyes falling upon Warren's wings. "So... pretty..." Starry eyed, she is.

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua chuckles at Warren. "Yeah, I was one of those kids not too long ago." he admits before he sucks in a breath. "I'm going to see if I can track down a turkey leg."

He gives a wave to the table. "Nice seeing you all!" And with that, he's up to go in search of meaty goodness.

Henry McCoy has posed:
The memory from Warren causes Henry to chuckle. "Me? Warren, I would never misbehave with such advanced technology. I was a saint as a student." The man nods, grinning impishly. "And I recall that slap, yes. I think it was the tone you used, Warren." He teases the Angel.

Turning to Caleb, he grins. "Pleased to meet you Caleb, and you as well Sheila." He offers, politely to both. "I can give her an autograph, if you think she'd like one?" He asks. At the mention of angels and demons, he chuckles. "Half right. Thankfully, no demons."

Carol Danvers has posed:
"Yeah, okay, Henry David Thoreaux. Step out of Waldon for a second and join us here in the real world."

Carol enjoys ribbing Rogue, that much is certain. But hey, she's earned it. Any of those things about the Belle that she might find mildly objectionable or irritating may well be aspects of her own personality that she doesn't like having to look at.

"Doesn't strike me as Jean's thing," she continues, "But who knows. Maybe your whole squad's a bunch of Jeanified brain zombies. Do you find yourself fanning her with palm fronds in your off hours?"

The questions about space earn a considered look from Carol.

"It isn't about that, really. You've gotta stop comparing it to what you know, and start accepting that it's impossible to know everything. It's like trying to know the ocean by looking at a coffee mug full of seawater. You might get the idea, but there's so much more beyond it that the scale and possibility for infinite complexity is so far past anything you can guess."

She gives the Southern Gal a gentle nudge with her elbow, taking a hearty swig of the beer she's been given.

"We're all made of component parts that were forged in the heart of a star. One day, we'll all go back there and become the building blocks for something else. How can you not want to get out and see it? You're connected to all of it. There was a time where you, me, and everything that ever is or was or will be was compressed into something the size of a watermelon."

Another sip and a sigh.

"It's wild."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While he may have his required drink in hand now, what Kurt is still very much lacking is something to eat.

The beer is good, to be sure. Do not get him wrong. But it will be that much better once he manages to lay his hand on some suitable food. Those golden eyes circle the nearby booths and he takes a detour from the waiting table to instead turn his attention towards the tables loaded down with a fine assortment of German dishes -- and some not quite so authentic fare that nonetheless seems popular locally. For the next several moments he looks over his choices before loading down a plate -- that prehensile tail certainly coming in handy right at the moment to cart everything back to the table.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde pays for the steins of beer as they are delivered and helps get them into people's hands who ordered them. Then she takes a seat beside Warren, and grins over at Caleb's little sister. "He really is," Kitty says after the girl makes the comment about the angel's wings being pretty. Though Kitty reaches up to ruffle the mutant's blond locks instead with a teasing grin.

Lifting up her stein then, Kitty offers a toast. "Glad so many of us made it out tonight. There's nothing like enjoying an event like this. With family," she says, flashing a warm smile around at everyone before taking a bit swig from her stein of beer.

She ends up with a bit of a foam moustache which she leaves as she turns and grins at Caleb's young sister.

Rogue has posed:
Everything that Carol says just gets Rogue to stand there pondering for a few moments. The bit about Jean had her smirking, but everything about space, and their relation to it just makes her think for a silent passing period. Finally, though, she exhales. "Yeah, I get that. I guess. I don't think it explains Tik Tok very well though." She adds with a smirk toward the blonde in the ballcap. "Alright, well, we keep talkin' like this an' we're runnin' the risk of summonin' Neil deGrasse Tyson who will shout at us and laugh in our faces about his opinions on it all. Which, admittedly, I'd love t'see that with you an' him. He probably has a poster'a you up in his bedroom." She says with a bigger grin sent to Carol before she bumps shoulders with her.

"You wanna go find food with the rest? I might go check out the live music here in a bit though. It gets pretty fun once everyone is totally sloshed."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Rogue's right. Space sucks," comes a familiar voice, youthful and perky with the hint of a Beverly Hills vocal fry. It might be a trick of the light or just a few too many beers in the belly, but there was no one there a moment ago, and then... Jubilation Lee. There she is, arms folded across her chest like she's posing for a sitcom title credits shot.

    "What. The. Eff. These mugs are bigger than my head!" she almost shouts, staring wide-eyed through a pair of dark, Ray Ban sunglasses that keep her eyes hidden from view. For the occasion, Jubilee is wearing a bright yellow hoodie with the words PRETZEL INSPECTOR printed across the breast in large, black letters. The sweatshirt is oversized, but the hint of black, spandex shorts can be seen peaking out from underneath. Her hair has been pulled back into a tight ponytail.

Carol Danvers has posed:
"The universe is endless. You bash enough atoms eagainst each other, eventually they're going to create a media aggregator."

The question from Rogue prompts Carol to purse her lips thoughtfully. She looks down at the beer stein that she's mostly gone through at this point, holding it down at stomach level. Eyes peer over the top of her aviators at the group.

"Ehh, I dunno. Looks like Hank's doing a meet-n-greet and I don't really want anyone gushing at me about the Avengers today."

The comment from Jubilee prompts Carol to glance over her shoulder, offering a tight-lipped and professional smile. Her free hand reaches out to pat Rogue on the shoulder.

"I'll let you go. Don't do anything I would do."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue startles at Jubilee's sudden appearance. Even some of her tasty drink spills over the edge of her stein. "Gol. Eee. Jubilee. You're gettin' good at that!" the Belle tells the Beverly Hills girl in the yellow hoodie. Once she settles from the start, she grins at her. "Pretzel vendors got ya t'come outta your new fancy house, huh?" She asks her before Carol's hand on her shoulder has her looking back to the blonde.

Rogue upnods to her again. "Fair enough. We all need our quiet nights. If ya stick around, don't hesitate to seek me out again. Happy t'get ya more drinks. Least I can do." She tells her, knowing damn well that she feels guilty for 'everything' still.

Rogue looks back to Jubilation then, and sweeps over to stand on her left side. "You on the prowl tonight?" She asks, scanning her eyes over the crowd as she speaks lowly. "I seen a few a-holes walkin' about, I can give ya pointers..." She eludes with a sinister grinn. She's playing, of course. Probably.

More beer is sipped from her stupidly giant glass.

Pepper Potts has posed:
'It'll be fun', he said, 'go out with the girls, and don't worry about me, I'll be fine,' he said. The time of Oktoberfest is now beginning; soon enough it'll be in full swing, but for now? Pepper is taking a little bit which should carry her through the rest of the month. And it's with someone that she simply hasn't seen nearly enough, with people that she hasn't seen nearly enough.

Into the gathering, then, Pepper arrives. She's dressed casually, but still designer-chic. Searching through the crowds, she espies the table(s), and with something of a relieved smile, begins the cross towards the table.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Sheila squees so much at the mention of a Beast-signed autograph, that a nearby dog lifts his ears and looks towards the table.

Caleb looks at her like he's used to seeing this reaction frequently. "That's Sheila-talk for 'yes'." And, as he drinks from his mug, he smiles some.

Regarding demons, he waves a hand in dismissal, "I called it by the appearance, I hope it's not taken personally. It's deeds that make the person, not looks." And that been said, he keeps his voice down to table level, "Greeting, Herr Nightcrawler. Good to meet you again, especially under much happier circumstances."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation grins up at Rogue. "Thanks. If only I could do this when I was younger. Red Light, Green Light Champion of the World!" she announces, thrusting both fists in the air above her head. "Actually, who cares about all that 'when I was a younger' business. Find me some kids and I'll show 'em who's boss!" She's kidding. Though, is she?

    Rogue's suggestion that she could find her some a-holes inspires a mischievous smile. "Rogue!" she exclaims. "Since when did you play so loosey-goosey with your ~morality?~" Jubilation sprinkles her opinion of that by doing double finger-quotes and pronouncing 'morality' as nasally as she can. "No, no, I'm /actually/ here to make sure no one /else/ is on the prowl..." Jubilee explains, squinting a little as she observes the crowd. After a moment of that, the mischievous smile returns.

    "On second thought, sure. You can be my wing-man. Find me some a-holes, Goose!"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde is happily tapping her foot to a polka that's playing. What girl descended from Polish Jews -doesn't- enjoy a good polka? Not this one, that's for sure.

Enjoying the polka, and drinking from the beer stein. The light-colored hefeweisen is cold and going down very smoothly. But then Kitty glances up and spots Pepper approaching. "My boss. Or, my boss's boss's... I don't even know how many there are in there," she says, setting down her stein and popping to her feet to greet the strawberry blond. "Hey Pepper," Kitty says warmly when she's in earshot. "Come join us if you'd like?" she offers. "This is Kurt..." Kitty says and trails off. Henry, Carol, Joshua and Warren have all departed. And Rogue is off with Jubilee over at the beverage line still, leaving just the pair of them for now. Also Caleb and his little sister, who Kitty doesn't know to introduce.

Logan Howlett has posed:
The leaves are changing, the warm nights are giving way to colder ones, and people are getting drunk and carbo-loaded under the guise of cultural appreciation. Logan isn't immediately visible through the crowd, being shorter than most folks, but occasionally they will part near-instinctively to let him by. He wears a faded 'Fightin' Side of Me' Merle Haggard tour t-shirt and a pair of jeans over some scuffed and road-worn boots.

In one big hand he holds not a beer, not a pretzel, not even a bottle of Jagermeister. No. He holds a slurpee from 7-Eleven. The little plastic glass dome over the top with the new paper straws that dissolve too quickly sticking out the top. He takes a noisy slurp of it, noisy enough to be heard as he comes to stand behind Jubilee.

Slurp. Sluuuuuuuurp. Slurp.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Reaching the table at last, precariously balancing his various plates of food and that huge stein full of beer, Kurt sits himself at the table at last with a hearty sigh of anticipation.

As some of the others slip off to do their own thing, the fuzzy blue elf never the less raises a hand in greeting to some of the others, taking a long pull from that huge mug, raising it in playful salute. "Greetings! Happy Oktoberfest!" the fuzzy blue elf says with a grin.

You'd think he had already gone through several of those hearty drinks, but really he hasn't. Yet.

Glancing towards Caleb and his sister, he flashes a grin and dips his head. "Ahhhh, and a fine evening to you as well. It was Caleb, ja?" he asks. "You should grab something to eat and join us."

Rogue has posed:
While Jubilee replies to her, Rogue has a pretzel handed to her from one of her friends that works at the local Music Center store. The heavy-set fellow keeps on moving though, as Rogue shouts a thank you back to him and his young lady that he has his arm around. He shouts something back to her, but it's lost in the crowds and ambience.

When Rogue looks back she looks to Jubilation, who gets a big grin. "Oh, this is your turf, an' you wanna guard it, huh?" She asks as she holds the oversized bread pretzel by its napkin, beer stein in her other hand. "I can respect that. An' if ya ever need ta rough some pesky turf pushers up, just let me know. it's been awhile since I fought a Vampire. Kinda fun."

Pretzel chew.

Rogue smiles at Logan when she sees him in the crowd, waving the partially enjoyed pretzel in his direction.

Pepper Potts has posed:
How can polka music not affect Pepper's pace through the establishment? The steins carried by the frauleins slosh in the beat, which only adds to the effect of the evening. To catch Kitty's greeting above the din brings a wider smile to the red-head's face, and upon arrival, greets those as introduced.

"It seems I'm a little late," she begins, her tones slightly apologetic. "Tell me what is good," though the chances are better than even that everything is good, and authentic.

Kurt's enthusiastic well wishing for a good Oktoberfest gains a relight of her features, and she offers it back easily, "Happy Oktoberfest." See? Blue mutant isn't scary!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko was told about this, so she knows she can't get out of showing up.  She was told the beer would be extra big, but the speedster's skepticism got the better of her and she's here to see just how tiny the drinks actually are.

As for her attire, Noriko isn't wearing anything special or any festive.  She instead begins to 'borrow' aspects of her outfit as she moves around, an outfit by accessory of accessories!  She even grabs someone's beer as a prop.  She's been here!  Yep!

When she spots Jubilation though, she turns from walking up to Rogue and the others, heading straight forrr, HOW ABOUT THAT WALL!  She walks towards it with way too much purpose, being a clip faster than the average mosey-er.  TIME TO REGROUP WHERE THE DRINKS ARE.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
As the night falls at Oktoberfest and the revelry reaches its peak, the festival grounds transform into a lively, illuminated wonderland. The central beer gardens, flanked by rows of long wooden tables, are now a sea of animated faces, each holding a frothy beer stein. The accordion music, now accompanied by raucous cheers and tipsy singing, emanates from the grand stage situated at the heart of the square. To the left, vendors at bustling food stalls continue to dish out mouthwatering bratwursts, schnitzels, and pretzels, their enticing aromas mingling with the ever-present scent of roasted nuts.

Kitty replies to Pepper with a motion towards a few of the food vendors. "The school has a few things, sausage and turkey legs and drinks, at their booth we're running for charity. And whatever kind of brats and sauerkraut that place over there has smells -fabulous- but I haven't had a chance to try it yet."

Spotting Logan, Kitty gives a wave of her arm towards him. She's wearing a nice dress, one with bands of coloring like the autumnal leaves, though the garment doesn't look too overly fancy for the setting.

She looks back to the table and says, "I still need to get one of those funnel cakes. Just waiting for the line to go down."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb points at his sauerkraut - which he barely touched yet because, well, conversation. "Right ahead of you, mein freund." He points out, "For the fest, I took the liberty of learning the very, very basic of german, just in case."

He looks at Pepper, and nods. "Miss Potts, good to see you again. I take it the alarm clocks you gave me to repair are working well? And how did your exhibition go?" He recalls things that happened months ago. And, he points to his kid sister. "And this is Sheila, my sister", he points to the happy and giddy young girl in front of him.

"Hello", she says politely.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "No," Jubilee replies, shaking her head at Rogue. "It's not that. The people. My people are here," she says with a shrug of one shoulder, trying her absolute best to hold back the grin that might form. "And I want to make sure they're safe." The 'they' would be mutants and mutant-adjacent people who have come out to enjoy the festivities. Awwwwwww.

    "I mean, I /guess/ it's the same thing. You're my turf," she decides. Jubilee stares forward, watching the crowd for any signs of vampire trouble. Pale skin. Fangs. Funny, eastern European accents. Hot Topic employee nametags.

    "No one's getting a hickey tonight!" Jubilee proclaims! She got a little carried away, though, and accidentally shouts it during that brief quiet between polka songs. Blink. Anyone looking over would just see Jubilation with her hands on her hips. "Well, you're not!" she adds, addressing anyone who might've looked over at her.

    "Anyways, Rogue, you promised me some a-holes?" she reminds, grinning a little. Her smile fades, though, as she spots a certain blue-haired speedster moving through the crowd. "Oh shit..." she says. Jubilee lowers her body a little, as though she was hiding behind an imaginary bush. She stares, watching, waiting, hoping that she's unseen, and then....and then.....

    Logan slurps.

    Jubilee practically jumps out of her skin and flails her arms a little bit to keep herself from falling over. "Agh!" she cries out before reaching out to give Logan a friendly shove. "Don't do that!"

Logan Howlett has posed:
"You're the creature a' the night, kid," Logan murmurs around the straw, shoved though the weight of his skeleton makes it like pushing a bank vault from the 19th century, "You're meant to be spookin' me."

All the same, he smiles and winks in that way that makes all his face wrinkle like a well-worn baseball mitt. Another noisy slurp of his drink and he lowers it down, revealing that both his lips and tongue have turned bright blue as a result. He doesn't seem to care much.

"Hidin' from someone?" he asks, looking to Rogue as though expecting the Belle to translate for him.

He gives Kitty a jerk of his chin by way of greeting across the space when the crowd parts well enough, raising his slurpee cup in a silent toast.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It is a rather joyous evening, the music bright and cheerful under the stars. Before too long, Pepper might be convinced to dance, if only a little. And after watching to see how it's done.

"I will absolutely make a donation for the school," Pepper acknowledges, "Sausage is perfect. With some sauerkraut, perhaps.. and mustard." And a pretzel. Gotta have a pretzel!

Pepper does find a spot to sit, if only for a moment. Caleb's easy reminder of where she's met him before is absolutely appreciated. "They are, yes," and it honestly took her a moment to remember. So many people, so many things... "It's good to see you again. And hello, Sheila." The last bit is offered in something of a posture change to accomodate a 'young girl'. "I'm glad to meet you."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue steps around Jubilation to stand on her right side now, moments before Nori arrives. She grins at the lot of them though, before she just quietly listens and enjoys her beverage and snack food. When the question of a-holes comes up, the Belle has to re-center her thoughts, dab at her lips with her napkin, and then scan the crowds. It takes her a few moments before she points past her pretzel toward a group of guys gathered up in the parking lot not too far from where her own car is resting.

"Them fellas over there..." She says to Jubilation, though Logan, Nori and anyone else close to them can hear it too of course.

"I heard from Chuck down at the Radio Shack in the mall, that they were poppin' tires with a knife on the big one's ex-girlfriend. See, she left him cause he was a Hitter, traded up for a Doctah from the city. So he rounded up his boys an' went to her Mercedes... jacked it all up. Grade-A ass hats right there, if ya ask me."

Rogue looks back then to Logan, and smirks at him. "Your lips are blue, Sugah." She says to the Wolverine, before she smiles to Nori. "What are you up to, Road Runnah?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde seems to have made her way through the beer stein. She flags down a passing beer lass and orders another, before turning back to those at the table.

"So someone is going to have to polka with me before the night is over, or I warn I will be quite insufferable. I will pout. Possibly stamp my feet," she warns. "Henry is normally good for a few dances, but had to go. So I'm looking at you, Herr Wagner," she says, turning her gaze to Kurt at the end. And then does the two finger point to her eyes and to Kurt's eyes. "So if you need some drink before dancing, now's the time," she says, grinning over at her old friend.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
For his part Kurt has been devouring his food.

It's not like he can't regularly find the food of his homeland of course, but it's just not the same as at an event like this. There are few things like a good beer garden. Or at lest that is what he would assuredly assert.

The night is still early, and there are no doubt several more rounds of eating and drinking in the fuzzy blue elf -- a good thing that he is pretty active! -- that as Kitty notes that he is expected to dance he only flashes her a grin, standing from his seat and rather casually leaping onto the bench before offering her a deep bow.

It is a good test. Since he doesn't keel right over clearly he has not yet had too much of that beer, regardless of how ridiculously large they might be. "Me? Pass on a polka? Heaven forbid!" he offers up in grinning reply.

4"Someone snag a few more steins. I shall need them when I get back!"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko decides to abandon/gift the drink she stole/borrowed in favor of her own.  There's a line she can sit in while she wonders who has already seen her and plot how she can socially escape.  She looks rather still unless one were to watch her foot tapping at a blur in a hyper drumroll.

Spaced out, the person behind her has to reach out to tap her on the shoulder, but gets a large static SHOCK!.  Noriko is suddenly turned around, eyes wide.  "Are you okay?"  She tries not to sound /too/ alarmed, but her alarm is...almost alarming to the person, who is in line for round two!

When Noriko realizes she's overreacted, she simply just tries to stay in the same frame of velocity as everyone else and steeeeeeps forward in line.

Pepper Potts has posed:
When Kitty announces her desire to get some polka dancing, Pepper laughs and nods in agreement, "I'll have to find a partner myself, I think. This night can't go without at least one dance." Or a beer, and as one of the frauleins pass, the redhead does hold a hand out in request.

Tonight isn't the night to ask if it's light beer. Or to pass on the delicious foods offereed up. She'll just spend a little more time in the gym for the rest of the week, though she'll regret it. Oh, but it'll be worth it!

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Now, all this talk about Jubilee arriving and her just provlaiming that nobody is gonna get a hickey tonight, that picks his attention. And he looks at her. Dark glasses... Pale complexion... Cross referencing with previous encounters...

"Oh, hell no..."

It's in a split second that Caleb is geting up and pulling Sheila towards his side, that she releases an audible 'yelp', and he keeps her behind him. From under his jacket, he's got a concealed stake, handle ready. "I hope not. Not to me or mine, anyways!"

"C-Caleb...?", Sheila mutters. "W-what?"

"Remember when I told you about the vampires, Sheila?" He nods toards Jubilee - or should be said, Vampilee. "Look closer."

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Fellas can wear colour these days," Logan tells Rogue, matter-of-fact, "Don't like it?"

The Wolverine bears his teeth, which have also been rendered a shade of blue by the sugary drink he's chosen for himself. He's taking another noisy slurp from it when his honed senses pick something up and blue eyes flit immediately to Caleb.

The smile on his face disappears and he takes a swift, purposeful step to put himself between Jubilee and the young man with his sister.

"Got some other business you should be mindin', bub?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is sipping from her beer when she sees Logan show off his blue teeth too. This has her having to stifle a laugh with her forearm before she spit-takes all over everyone standing around near to the table. She downs the mouthful of brew before shaking her head causing her white bangs to flow around her cheeks. "Now I know how Kurt ended up like that." She states, glancing over to Kurt himself, seeing him putting on a show for the likes of Kitty who is several pints deep by now. "Hey, Kurt!" She calls over to him. "Kitty's about six sips away from puttin' on a show for everyone, make sure ya got front row seats."

Of course, this is about the same time Logan is stepping to defend Jubilee and that Caleb and kid are apparently freaking out about a possible 'Pire sighting.

"Uh oh... so much for a quiet night..." She murmurs before finishing off her pretzel and just stepping out of the way, her own mug only about half consumed by this point.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde takes a few more swallows from her stein, then sets the mug down, wiping at her lips with the back of a hand and rising to her feet. She probably only had 5 sips, so Rogue's foretelling will have to wait to see if it comes true!

A grin is given as Kurt stands on the bench so gallantly for her. "I would be honored, Herr Wagner," she says warmly to him and offers him her hand.

Though she does pause just a bit, watching towards Logan and the young man at the table who suddenly starts talking about vampires. Kitty glances about. Thankfully everyone else in the area is drunk and singing along to whatever well known polka that is playing, and doesn't seem to have noticed the possible trouble yet.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Shoving Logan is a fool's errand. But, Jubilee is a fool, so, she tries anyway. There's no way she'd be able to move him, but that's okay. It's the sort of carefree touch that comes from years of friendship. "Oh!" Jubilee replies, her smile returning. "Okay, I didn't know you wanted to be spooked. I'll have to pencil you in..." It sounds like she means business.

    "Wait a sec, Rogue," Jubilation tries to interrupt. "...Wait. You're going on and on like you're giving me a side quest in some video game. I thought you were gonna find some a-holes, like, guys who had way, way, way, way, way too much to drink... Like, you know, so I could..." Her voice trails off as her gaze drifts towards Logan, the surrogate father figure. "...so I could talk to them about the error of their ways, of course."

    As Noriko moves through the crowd, Jubilation steps around Logan, so as to keep herself out of the speedster's view. She's just about to reach his other side when the Wolverine repositions himself between her and a pair of would-be vampire slayers. Since she can't leave well enough alone, Jubilee moves to Logan's side and shifts her weight to one side and puts both hands on her hips. "Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer!" she shouts across the festival, hoping her voice carries far enough to reach Caleb and Shiela's ears! Blink. Wait. Noriko. What's worse? Getting staked in the middle of Oktoberfest, in front of everyone, or having an awkward interaction with her ex in the middle of Oktoberfest, in front of everyone? Jubilee makes her choice.

    "Logan, Logan, dance with me!" she insists, both eyebrows hiked up over her dark sunglasses. She reaches out to tug at his forearm, trying to get him out into the dance floor. Dancing is fine and Jubilee loves doing it, yes, but, it's nice to have a thick, moving barrier to hide behind.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Little things like this do seem to happen with surprising frequency whenever they happen to go out.

Well, not neccessarily accusations of being a vampire, though Kurt has been accused of being a demon often enough too. But there's is usually something.

Hopping down from the bench with a grin, the fuzzy blue elf takes Kitty's hand and starts towards the dance floor when the nearby accusation catches his attention as well. Pausing, he too stops to watch for a moment, to make sure that everything is okay and that nothing more serious is going to result -- especially in the midst of a crowd like this.

Fortunately their resident vampire seems to have her own way to deal with things. "No this I want to see," Kurt practically cackles, grin etched on his features.

Rogue has posed:
Amidst the brewing confusion of a possible Vampire sighting within the revelry of downtown Salem Center on one of its biggest nights of the year, there comes the simple sound...

Of a dog barking. Three times the dog barks, as he emerges from the crowds of Oktoberfest attendees. The dog is at the end of a leather lesh, held by a member of the Xaviers School Senior-class student body.

The British girl, Rhona Lauren. She stands there in her wine colored tshirt and dark blue jeans, a black leather choker around her neck, and a red slurpee in her free hand. "Logan?" She asks. "What's going on?"

Jeepers tries frantically to get toward where Rogue is standing, but Rhona holds his leash as she slowly walks around to where the Belle stands, bringing Jeepers over to his owner.

Jeepers does regard Jubilee, and like Caleb, he barks at her another two times...

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Back in Gotham", Caleb points out, "I got attacked by something up until then I hadn't even dream to be possible. But with help, I pulled through." He continues, "I didn't go home and cry and hide under the covers sobbing. I did my homework." He points to Vampilee. "I learned the signs, the movement. And I find one, right here in your midst." Slight pause. "Now, she seems otherwise okay, and you guys are protective of her, so being reasonable enough a person, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt." He explains, "But I hope you'll understand that, having my kid sister here, I'm well beyond protective." He adds, "First line be me, then god."

"This can be kept civil, of course", Caleb relaxes some, and directs his words to Vampilee. "Just... Stay away from my sister, and the nigh goes smoother than silk. Got it?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko finally finds herself in front of the beer steins and asks how many she can get at once.  "One?  I don't understand.  Why?"  Comes out before she even really thinks about it.  "Look.  If I have to wait for another drink in line, I'll be sober by the time I get back here-"

The barking gets everyone's attention.  Noriko looks in the direction of the bark, causing her to spot Logan and his orientation, which confuses her.  Given she's not privy to any context of the multiple events clashing together, she just watches on from a distance.  She pays for 4 and takes 4 before anyone can stop her.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde stops with Kurt to watch and make sure that everything is ok. No stabbings, whether via wooden stake or adamantium claws. Those aren't part of the authentic Oktoberfest experience after all. She is ready to lunge and phase one person or another if it came down to it. Thankfully it doesn't seem to.

She lets out a little bit of a sigh of relief and looks over to Kurt. "We'll have to have a poll whether this tops Rahne and Noriko last year," she comments to the German mutant. "Well, shall we polka?"

Logan Howlett has posed:
"You ain't exactly the most socially housebroken belle at the ball, are ya, bub? How 'bout you an' your sister go eat a pretzel, god damn Gotham bastards rollin' in here and throwin' down threats like livin' in the ass-crack a' Satan gives 'em the damn right," Logan growls, still frowning. It's only the barking of dogs that draws his attention away.

"Don't fret it, Rho. Just some folks thinkin' they're seein' vampires in their beer mugs. Y'know, it's funny, last time I had German beer I was pryin' it outta this Jerry fella's hands. Hand to cut it off and he was still sorta charred up and -- "

The rest of Logan's matter-of-factually horrific story is drowned out by oom-pah music and Jubilee ushering him towards the dance floor. He gives Rhona a casual half-salute sort of wave on his way.

"We makin' Blue Hair Group jealous?" Logan asks, glancing briefly over his shoulder at Noriko but not before giving Caleb another long and wary stare, "Fair warnin', last time I danced the Cakewalk was in vogue."

Not necessarily true, but he's either lying or he really just doesn't remember. He tosses his slurpee onto the grass because someone else will take care of that, and follows Jubilee to the dance floor where he starts to do-si-do in a decidely uncontinental way.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It would be a crying shame if violence came to Oktoberfest.

But like Kitty, Kurt stands ready to interject. A good teleporting is a wonderful way of seperating angry parties and while it might not be a longterm solution, it certainly offers a short term fix if nothing else.

But it does not appear as if that is going to be necessary and as the situation deescalates on it's own, Kurt grins once more. "It seems that we shall be restricted to the officially approved entertainment for the evening. Good, good. I'm not sure that I should be drinking and teleporting," the fuzzy blue elf says airily.

"I think a poll is definitely called for. It's so hard to determine these things in any other way," he agrees before glancing back towards the dancing stage. "Polka will never die," he says solemnly before quirking a smile. "Lets."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Watching on as Jubilation and Logan take to the dance floor, Noriko looks back to where they came from, still trying to figure out what happened.  She spots Rhona and squints when she sees her manning Jeepers, so to speak.

But something happens as Noriko settles back into watching Logan dance with Jubilation, some kind of sourness takes hold in the speedster and festers a little.  Suddenly she remembers she's holding these beers and so, as everyone swirls in a fantastic slow motion synchronization, she drinks her beer...and drinks her beer.  Here, the speedster doesn't have to answer to anyone, pay attention.  People become works of art and she gets to enjoy that fine art with this...beer.  After a few sips and a glance back in Jubilation's direction, Noriko decides it is time for her experiment to commence.  She then alarms everyone around her when she starts to down her beers as fast as gravity will allow.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde nods to Kurt as things quiet down and they move over to the dance area. Her face lights up as you might expect from a young woman who had wanted to be a professional dancer. Until a visit by a certain Professor, and one or two of the people here tonight, took her life in a different direction.

She rests a hand on Kurt's shoulder, the other in his, and lets him lead her. The young woman gliding around the dance floor. That dress she's wearing flows about her, a small slit on the side giving her plenty of freedom of movement. Following Kurt's lead, letting him move the two of them about among the other couples, her eyes shining brightly at dancing to a song that her grandparents and grand-aunts and uncles would have danced to back in the homeland.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Yes, it's the shithole of Hell", Caleb agrees there, "and that's why we left." About this, he says no more.

Now, as for the pretzel, no, not yet, but he does eat the sauerkraut he's got on his plate, the same for Sheila. While both siblings finish, the older keeps his eyes out for more of these creatures of the night - where there's one, there could be more, after all...

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "No, I just don't want her to see me," Jubilee answers Logan under her breath. Luckily for Logan, Jubilee's interest in dancing ends up being brief, as she abandons her plan to avoid making a spectacle of herself and, possibly, go unseen by Noriko. Jubilee lets go of Logan's arm. Someone giving her the stink-eye is one thing, but they're going to monologue about it, too? "Hold your unicorns," Jubilee mutters at Logan as she steps away from her burly protector.

    She shifts her weight, just like before, and puts her hands on her hips, doing her absolute best to appear as annoyed as possible. "Okay, let me get this straight, /bub/..." Jubilee shouts in Caleb's direction. She pauses for a moment to briefly look over her shoulder at Logan, wanting to see his reaction to her appropriating his word.

    "...So, like, what? It's Groundhog Day in Gotham and, whoops, you saw your own shadow? But, it's all okay 'cause you're in, like, a good mood and /generous/ enough to /let/ me hang with my friends?" Jubilee continues, waving her palms in the air as she really lays it on thick. She reaches up to flick a lock of her hair away from her face or, at the very least, look like she did that. Too cool for school, this one.

    "Thanks for, like, not murdering me, I guess?" Jubilee adds, really laying on the sarcasm. So much for not causing a scene. It would be a cool moment if it wasn't interrupted by a certain dog and the Great British Bake Off. The vampire winces as she hears the dog's bark. She winces more when she hears that funny way Rhona pronounces Logan's name.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While the music might not be to everyone's taste, it is bright and lively.

And it is admittedly a whole lot easier to approach the idea of dancing when there is no imminent threat of violence in the offing. That sort of thing has a way of ruining festive little get-togethers like this one.

While the fuzzy blue elf might not have had any similar ambitions to be a dancer, while he might not have had any formal training per se, he is light on his feet, a natural performer and takes a great deal of joy even in the simple act of movement.

It helps a great deal that the polka music blaring our is lively and while the dancing platform might be crowded with others in various states of inebriation, Kurt seems up to the challenge to help steer himself and Kitty through that crowd.

"I love this time of year."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue accepts the leash from the teenager who delivers her dog to her. She offers Rhona a soft smile and a nod. "Thanks for walkin' him over." She says to the teen before glancing after Jubilee and Logan on their way to the dance area. Rhona just sips at her drink, nodding back in return to the Belle and Poetry teacher. "No problem." She adds.

"Come on, I'll buy you a funnel cake." Rogue tells the Brit next, as she motions her to come with, pulling the leather leash now to get Jeepers to fall in beside her as he was trained to do.

The Yellow Lab huffs out another bark before he slurps up some of the drink that Logan had thrown on the ground, but the leash tug has him following in now, walking between Rogue and Rhona as they head toward the cake line.

"Everything in this country is cake." Rhona says, glancing over to Rogue. "Have I told you that?" She asks.

"I think I heard it in a Ricky Gervais stand-up special." The Belle replies, sipping from her beer as the trio walks off from the drunken ruckuss that is the dance area of the Oktoberfest soiree.

Logan Howlett has posed:
"I mean, if you didn't want her to see you then you probably shouldn't be draggin' around the ol' Canucklehead like you are. Indistinctive I ain't, Jubes."

He can't help but grin to himself when Jubilee starts yelling, though he doesn't add anything of his own. Instead he simply chuckles to himself, swinging around the dance floor with all the people trying their hand at Polka dancing.

"Truth be told, some people just need a kick in the ass to know which end of the boot to avoid. You see the fella creepin' around lookin' to cause trouble, you just let me know, huh? No amount of precocious l'il sister's gonna save him from me."

"Anyway, she's gettin' drunk, you can't get drunk but you can have a helluva time. It's October, darlin'. That's like the season for you people."

A beat.

"By you people I mean Draculas, by the way. Not the Chinese."

Another beat.

"Anyway, look over there ... "

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko decides to get back in the drink line and curses herself for not doing that while she was drinking.  "When am I supposed to feel something?  Did I already feel it?"  she wonders out loud, her words zipping along at a pace she doesn't bother to slow for anyone.

"Great.  Now I'm talking to myself."  The speedster sighs as the line hasn't moved at all for her.  Finally, for her at least, she just zips up to do her transaction before anyone can see, even pouring some extra rounds for herself.  The sudden disappearance of the drinks just poured confuses the server.  They pour again.  Turn to pour the second, and the first one is gone /again/.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb lets out a sigh. "Ayup... I guess we're doing this."

Sheila looks at him quizzically, then her eyes go wide. She even nods him not to.

"Listen up, Fangs-R-Us!" Beat. "You don't know /JACK AND SHIT/ about Gotham, and believe me when I tell you, the criminal underground smell tourists like you from a mile away. People have the toughest of times there, and every day people lose their wallets to a stabbing. You know of criminals who get so famous that they got cults of followers behind them? You know of criminals who /eat/ the people that owe them money? You know of cops who not only look the other way when an emergency arises, but actually join in on said emergency? You know of /cops/ who demand payment to the people on the streets for protection, and if those can't afford it, then nevermind, kind can also be currency?" He shakes his head in answer for Jubilee. "No, you don't. Because, you don't hear about it." He makes the sign of being swept under the rug. "And that's why."

But it's not over yet, no sir! "And the reason why I leaft, as Mr. Wagner here can tell you, was that if I didn't work for a branch of the mob", he puts his hand gently on Sheila's shoulder, "it'd be her that would pay the price. Your imagination can run wild here with the darkes perversions of mankind." Beat. "And I only managed to get out because I had the fortune of having people that encouraged me to leave that offered me some protection, and I smelled trouble in the air to pull away just in time. Otherwise, we'd likely meet under the circumstances of me dealing to whomever be willing to sell."

He gestures for Sheila to follow. "And one other thing: if I wanted to kill you, I doubt you'd be here bragging about it - it would've taken a whole different path." He looks around, "Wherever it would've led."

He sighs, and starts to go out of the fest.

Sheila doesn't really know what to say, shocked as she is. She just shrugs apologetically.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
It happens in an instant.  Noriko finally becomes aware that the situation unfolding around Jubilation is not friendly.  3 beer steins worth of beer crash to the ground out of nowhere and a blue haired girl.

Suddenly Caleb finds himself tirading at the speedster instead.  "Don't start comparing miseries here and don't you /fuck/ with the Duchess of Westchester.  She doesn't want to hear your incessant," ooh big word Nori good job! "whining about what a trash heap your city in the middle of a celebration dude.  Or do.  Keep doing it.  See what happens."  Noriko is /not/ wearing her gauntlets, something only evident by the lack of bulkiness around her jacket sleeves or the lack of them being rolled up.  But it's /very/ clear when tiny bolts of electricity begin to snap and flicker off of the tips of her fingers.  It's also hard to ignore the same microstorms happening in the depths of her eyes, localized and somehow contained.

As he leaves, Noriko simply stands rigid like a bull about to unleash itself on a target.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Mobile shield," Jubilee says to Logan, explaining away her idea to hit the dance floor. She smiles slightly, drawing upon distant, hazy memories of combat training from when she was alive. "She moves, we move." She says it so much simpler than her normal speech, likely just repeating something she was told. Of course, they wouldn't be going into combat with Noriko. It would've just been to avoid teenage embarrassment, but then Jubilee just /had/ to draw attention to herself by sassing back at the stranger from Gotham.

    Logan's promise to come to her aid widens Jubilee's smile. She can only contain it by looking away for a moment so no one can see it. "...I thought you were all Buckingham Palace these nights." Even with the mess of her own life, it would've been impossible for her to not see that Logan has a new sidekick and, presently, she's British. Yuck.

    "Oh, I'm going to have a helluva time, Logan. You don't need to remind me of that. I'm going to be fantastic. A rock star. A legend! Thirty-one days of being awesome!" she exclaims proudly. Wait. Hold up. Record screech.

    "Did you just call me a Dracula?" she accuses Logan, quietly. "You know, he's a real guy." She nods her head a few times, choosing to ignore Wolverine 'you people'-ing her, possibly twice. That would need to wait, though, since she might be getting a wooden stake in the chest. Back to that.

    "I...Why are you telling me about that?" Jubilation wonders loudly, staring at Caleb. "Gotham sucks. I've seen the brochure. So, like, save your breath, cuz..." She trails off as another voice joins the argument. Jubilation winces as Noriko starts throwing around dangerous titles. She slowly looks around at the groups of people still present for Oktoberfest in Westchester. The vast majority of them aren't involved or even interested in this, but Noriko's outburst has drawn the attention of more than a handful of very pale, very cadaverous figures that were previously just blending in.

    "Oh, gee. Look at the time. I think I left my hair straightener on..." Jubilee announces. Some of those figures shift, ready to make a move, but Jubilation is already past the bratwurst carts and hopping over the half-fence that keeps Oktoberfest from spilling out of the Salem Center. Gone!