3718/Oktoberfest in Salem Center

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Oktoberfest in Salem Center
Date of Scene: 07 October 2020
Location: Salem Center
Synopsis: Oktoberfest in Salem Center sees dancing and drinking and eating but members of Xavier's school and other guests.
Cast of Characters: Kitty Pryde, Logan Howlett, Hope Summers, Kurt Wagner, Scott Summers, Bobby Drake, Noriko Ashida, Carol Danvers, Henry McCoy, Rahne Sinclair, Johnny Storm




Kitty Pryde has posed:
Xavier's School sent a shuttle bus over to drop students and faculty off at the local Oktoberfest celebration. It being close enough that people can just phone for a ride back when they are ready. Those wanting Image Inducers have them made available so everyone can partake of the festivities.

Perhaps it doesn't come as any kind of big surprise that Kitty Pryde loves moments like this that let her dress up. What kind of game and geek girl would she be if she didn't love herself some costume play?

She's shown up wearing a blue and black dirndl, the skirt short and showing off white stockings above her black heels. The white bodice is low cut enough to be a little daring, but not TOO much so.

At the moment she's standing by the line to one of the beer vendor's, looking at a driver's license. It's one she created herself, and might have a slight typo of two years on her date of birth. The girl who is generally 'good' seem to still be weighing whether to use it to make a purchase or not.

Logan Howlett has posed:
In lieu of a costume, Logan has procured himself a very impressive and large metal stein. He hefts the large beer-filled vessel effortlessly with a hairy forearm. He's wearing a plaid dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, a pair of jeans, and some hiking boots.

His voice manifests over Kitty's shoulder with a light mutter and grumble. "Bein' a little darin', eh? You kids grow up way too fast. Don't blame me if I poke some boy's eyes out for leering." It's mostly in good fun, Logan doesn't pretend to have any control over his 'student', but he can grumble in light disapproval every now and then.

"Now, where are the brats?" He raises an eyebrow and scans his surroundings.

Hope Summers has posed:
Is Logan looking for bratwurst, or worst brats? One of those is getting there! Hope's been even more her usual mysterious self lately. Sometimes she's not at the school for most of a week, sometimes she comes back looking like she's been in a fight or three. That said, she's also been in good spirits. It even looks like someone gave her a nice haircut. So...things are probably good?

In jeans and a t-shirt, she's already acquired herself a giant pretzel and a bottle of something - hopefully root beer. She's happily munching away as she approaches the adults.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Ahhhh, it is the most wonderful time of the year. The weather has definitely turned, the long, hot, sultry days of summer definitely in the rearview mirror but the cold and blustery days of winter not yet quite arrived. Instead the weather is in a word, perfect. Pleasant with a bit of a breeze, warm enough that those who feel the need for a jacket can make do with a light one and everyone else doesn't need one yet. A perfect sort of day to be out and about with friends and family, soaking up the atmosphere. And as much good food and good drink as anyone could possibly want to boot.

When he first arrived in Westchester several years ago Kurt Wagner might have been one of those who would be resorting to an image inducer. But those days have past. Even if he wasn't an indigo-furred, faintly demonic looking mutant it is pretty likely that Kurt would be somewhat eye-catching in the bright green lederhosen he has chosen to wear today. There will be no shadowy-blending for the fuzzy blue elf today, especially since he has chosen to top it all of with a bright green felt hat complete with a brilliant red feather.

Kitty might not be the only one who is glad for occasions to dress up. Hey, he grew up a performer. What do you expect?

Coming up behind the pair in the beer line, Kury drapes his arms around both Kitty and Logan, a bright grin curved on those mischevious features. "Ahhh, you Americans are so funny about such things. Drinking ages, pffft," he says, his very European attitudes showing.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott is not the kind of guy that find this kind of celebration very fun, but he is here nevertheless. Mostly to make sure no one gets too careless. As usual he is the responsible one/party killer.

Obviously some damage-control is needed. Look, Rogue and Logan are here, okay?

To be honest, despite the outfit she has chosen to wear, Kitty is the last of the 'kids' he expects doing something foolish or illegal. So, instead he is hanging out with Kurt. "I hate to give you the toughest assignment, Kurt, but keep an eye on Logan. Many youngsters look up at him, and he is a trouble magnet."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake's there with a group of kids. He's idly keeping an eye on them as they enjoy the festivities -- making sure that they don't get any beer but still manage to have a little fun and mischief. Because when one is having fun and mischief, one is thinking less about finding a way to obtain illegal beer, right? That's his story and he's sticking to it. Besides, he can't be /too/ responsible an adult, it'd ruin his reputation.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty flashes Logan and Kurt grins as they join her, and leans into the blue-furred mutant as his arm goes around her. "I know, right!?" she says of the drinking age. "Look, I've got a college degree, and have spent 2 years in pubs. To come home and get treated like a kid," she says. Maybe that had something to go into the selection of the Oktoberfest outfit too?

She looks down at the ID. Even with what she said, she's got enough of the good girl ingrained in her that there's some obvious reluctance about using it. But not so much that she doesn't say, "Screw it. I'm adult who-" she lowers her voice a bit more, "has saved the world on a few occasions. I deserve to drink with my friends."

Kitty gets up to the counter and gets her own stein, then offers it to clink against Logan's. "And just check with me before deciding whether to use fingers or claws for the eye poking," she tells him. Still, it seems to give her some measure of happiness, after growing up in an environment with the Jeans and Betsies of the world around her, that she's hit a point in her own life should could possibly provoke eye-poking.

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Hey Elf, We Canadians don't got for this twenty-one bull either." He thumbs at his chest and then tips back his stein. Scott gets the old 'stink eye' from angry runt before he mutters, "I've been spendin' hours helpin' all these troubled youths deal with their feelings, and this is the recognition I get."

He takes another long drink of beer and wipes his mouth on his forearm, offering a deeply displeased grunt as he fights off the self-destructive impulse to prove Scott right. Where's an anti-mutant bigot when you need someone to headbutt with an adamantium forehead?

He raises an eyebrow at Kitty, "Now you are looking out for me? Well that's rich." He clinks steins with her once more.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Rules, rules, rules," Hope sing-songs as she reaches Kitty, Kurt, and Logan. "You know, I read that a long time ago people mostly drank beer in general because it was cleaner than the water. Having had a lot of questionable water in my time, I'm inclined to believe it."

She grins innocently, taking another bite of her pretzel and spinning the bottle in her fingers so the label isn't easily visible while tipping her head in Scott's direction. Because poking the Cyclops is clearly an excellent plan.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake can't help but chuckle a little bit at Logan's comment about helping troubled youths deal with their feelings. He has a stein but there's root beer in it since he's 'on duty' for the time being and is opting to hold off on the beer until later in the evening when the younger kids are back at Xavier's.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott gives Logan a little smirk. "You know what I mean. If you drink excessively, even if that won't do much for you, you are giving an example to follow."

Or looking for an anti-mutant bigot to provoke to a fight. Which is a safe behaviour for Logan, but not for most students. Scott is also looking for those, although not for the same reason. He has talked with the X-Men allies in the local sheriff office to try to keep them away.

"Hello, Hope. You are correct; alcohol in the water kills germs. So, in medieval times it was usually safer to drink beer and watered wine to the water of the local well," that is the history lesson. "But here in America it has been decided by the authorities selling alcohol to youngsters less than twenty one is not allowed. I want this law to be respected even if you don't agree with it. Don't get the folks here in trouble, please."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Flashing a grin at the pair, Kurt is quick to collect his stein as well, clinking it with Kitty and Logan, winking conspiratorially as the fake ID pasts muster. It might be the very most responsible of attitudes for a teacher of teenagers, but then Kitty is neither a student, nor a reckless youth. The fuzzy blue elf is pretty okay with his particular decision-making process in this particular instance.

As Hope joins them, Kurt flashes her a grin as well. "We have done just fine on the other side of the Atlantic without being quite so preoccupied about such things. Forbidding things tends to make youths just want them more. And you're right of course, there are some historical reasons too," he agrees. Of course, the lack of clean water doesn't quite have the same weight as an argument as it would have had a hundred years ago. At least not in most places.

Temporarily disengaging from the crowd, Kurt backpeddles over to Scott once more, that mischievious grin and flamboyant outfit perhaps not inspiring a ton of trust that he will be the mature one in this bunch. "Ahhhh, my friend. You must have faith. It is a glorious day. You work hard. You should enjoy yourself. Let your hair down. As it were," the fuzzy blue elf urges with a grin. Though it is really, really hard to picture Scott with enough hair to let down. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on everyone and make sure they are behaving," he promises with an elaborate bow. It might not be inspiring the faith that he's urging.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde takes a drink of the beer and lets out a happy sigh. "Take that, oppressive puritan ideals," she murmurs with a grin. She slides her arm around Logan and says, "Looking out for you? Well, yes. But I was thinking, you know. I should probably make sure whether it's someone I might like to have looking," she teases.

She doesn't keep the arm there for long. Her Logan-grump-o-meter is pretty well tuned after all these years to know when the arm needs to drop before it draws comment. "Ok Kurt. Going to need you to guide us in with all of this German cooking," she tells him. Bobby gets a grin from Kitty as he arrives, as does Hope. "Hey guys, happy October. I swear I can't decide if this or December is the best month of the year," she tells them. "Though the holiday decorations are pretty hard to top, Halloween gives them a good run."

Kitty moves over to Scott and stands beside him as she smiles and looks around the festive area. Thousands of people are out, many having drove up from New York for the event. "You've done a good job, you know? You and Jean, with the school," she says. "We've made it through a lot of tough times. You deserve some time to relax and enjoy yourself too."

Hope Summers has posed:
"In my defense, //I// don't even have a solid grasp of how old I am," Hope points out helpfully, taking a drink of her root beer. "Like, how do you measure that if you never started counting the actual days? Dad might know, but..." She trails off, shrugging far too innocently. "Hard to get ahold of."

Poke. Poke poke.

"And then there's factoring in the time spent after the growing up, and really I've got no idea what sort of time science might have happened while I was getting here. Massive gravity around wormholes can make time pass slower. Relativity. Super science. Stuff."

She grins, clearly enjoying herself. "I like the weather better this time of year, at least," she adds to Kitty.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Speaking of troubled youths...  Noriko has found herself stuck at a table surrounded by a gaggle of girls in her class and she looks absolutely miserable...and miserable at hiding it.  Boredom and suffering.

"How do you think this new haircut looks on me?"  One girl asks Noriko.  The blue haired girl lets out a long-suffering sigh and pushes up from the table to walk away without a word.  "Maybe she just needs to go to the bathroom..." can be heard in her wake.

Having left her (root) beer stein back at the table, she pivots and waffles on each foot a little as she considers going back or getting a new one.  She settles for procuring a fresh start.  Best not to let them have hope.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan takes a deep breath and fights back the 'grump'. He looks up at the sky and nods in agreement, "Autumn is my favorite season. My body likes to suck in the hot or the cold. Even I can't complain about weather like this."

He toasts the sky and takes another deep drink. "As for you finding boys who you want looking at you... You just tell me when I need to have the shotgun on my lap conversation. Whatever kid wins you over is gonna..." He thumbs toward Scott, "Have a small army of concerned adults watchin' his every move."

Reaching over, he pokes her forehead. "You deserve better then some... some... Bub."

Scott Summers has posed:
"The school is mostly Jean, Kitty," comments Scott. "I am just the teacher of the boring subjects," and that is because he picks up the courses no one else wants to teach. Although he is not exactly great at making boring subjects interesting either.

Plus, he gives tons of homework. So. Evil.

And Hope questions earns her a -look-. "Medical records puts you firmly in the no-alcohol group, Hope. And I don't buy that you don't know it, young lady."

Carol Danvers has posed:
The strangeness of having the School and the Triskelion both in Westerchester sometimes makes Carol pause with amusement. The fact Rogue was so close for all that time after she got back and scoured the earth for her. Now though it just means that running into people she both knows and 'knows' is really quite common around Salem Center.

It also makes visiting Jean and Rogue easier to get treatments with her missing memories that Rogue took. Bit of psychic photo copying has been going on in sessions for a bit now. It definitely isn't perfect but it is a lot better than it was.

So she is not at all surprised when she dips into Oktoberfest and actually spots some of the people she knows, in some definition of know, over by one of the many beer booths.

The good captain is dresssed in civies, distressed jeans, boots, a faded AC/DC t-shirt, and a very well worn flight jacket all topped off with sunglasses. Honestly it is surprising what the whole not in uniform does with people. Lots of hey did you know you look like Captain Marvel vs. ohmygod you are Captain Marvel.

All of that in mind Carol strolls up to the gaggle getting beer and says cheerful. "Fancy meeting you all here."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While he might be of the opinion that things like drinking ages are silly, Kurt isn't the sort to completely ignore the rules either. He's not advocating that the students in attendance start downing the german brews at an unhealthy rate. That does seem like a recipe for disaster. A bunch of drunk mutant teenagers in a huge crowd? Yeah, no. They can probably pass on that.

A healthy pull is taken from his stein, a satisfied sigh escaping the fuzzy blue elf as he lowers the oversized drinking mug once more. "Mmmmm, yes, the food," Kurt offers up with a smile for Kitty. The beer is good, certainly, and for Kurt a nice change of pace. But the food, the food! That is even better. And something everyone can enjoy without drifting too far into a comparision of American and European sentiments. "I think you will find no shartage of good options. Bratwurst of course. Delicious with red cabbage slaw. Pork Schnitzel. Roast chicken, you'll definitely see that. Beef stew in that dark ale broth, mmmmm, delicious. Knodel. Mmm, its a kind of potato or flour dumplings. And the potato pancakes of course. Reiberdatshci. Lots of sauerkraut of course. Really, you can't go wrong," he assures them all.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty spots Noriko moving away from the group of students to get another drink. She waves at her, and includes a little head movement that indicates she's welcome to join the small group of faculty and students over where she is.

"We ran into a couple of young teens in Bushwick," she comments, voice lowering. "First time their power emerged. Could have been messy but we were able to help out. Storm was there too," she comments, though just mentions it all as an aside before turning back to the nicer topics.

"Mmm, good points. Though I also love getting to come in from the cold and warm up with a mug of hot chocolate or coffee. Can't beat ice skating on a frozen lake over going to a rink," she says. Her eye go to Bobby. "Well, not that we can't do that year round with certain company." She's certainly pursued ice skating in the summer with him many times!

Kitty looks back to Logan and she says, "I always kind of figured I'd known who I'd end up with," she says, glancing down at her stein and then giving a little shrug. "But when I find the right one, I'll definitely bring him by for that talk," she agrees with Logan.

Carol's arrival gets a raised hand from Kitty and a wave. Like Kurt, she went all in on dressing up for the occasion.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Yeah, but you know, my growth was stunted. Childhood malnutrition." Honestly, Hope has no interest in beer. She's tried it. She's baffled by why anyone would drink it on purpose. But poking Scott is a priceless pasttime.

"The pretzels are also good," she chimes in after Kurt, taking another bite and waving to both Carol and Noriko. "Anyone willing to get into anything with us is //probably// safe for a Logan talk," she winks over at Kitty.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby lifts his stein in a salute to Kitty, grinning. He takes a long swig of rootbeer and then watches the kids settle in at a table nearby with plates of brats, an enormous amount of brats, and thus he feels not guilty at all as he reaches over to grab one with a fork and eats it off the end of the fork to their good-natured protestations. "Happy Oktoberfest!" He then chuckles and says "I'm pretty sure the whole Octo-December time period is pretty awesome. Autumn through New Year's." He smiles innocently at her though when she points out their ability to have an ice rink year round. Whatever could she mean?

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan steps off from the group for a moment and begins to indulge in the variety of German offerings. Evidently, the burly man is a big fan of the food, and it's not long before he has stacked a few different delectables and taken a seat at a picnic bench. Using a plastic knife and fork, he cuts through a brat and slips the morsel into his mouth, chewing softly before following it up with a dose of red cabbage.

He sighs and closes his eyes, the food jogging a few memories of Europe in a very different time. This provokes another deep drink of beer followed by a thousand yard stare off into the distance as the cinematic mental reel plays.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Ah...Scott's classes.  Noriko's faaavorite.  She acts like she's never paying attention every session and then furiously crushes all her work in 'secret' so she can smile smugly out of spite when her grades pop up...out of spite that it's just that boring.  In Scott's defense, Noriko does think it'd be difficult for anyone to make it interesting, though she'd never admit to it.

In a short line to replace her drink, Noriko spots Kitty and nods with a small grin that slightly perplexes her.  Faculty.  She suddenly finds herself wondering how she got here as she idly reaches for her drink.  So zoned out, she wouldn't notice if she was given root beer or real beer as she shuffles over toward the little-ish group.

The blue haired young woman lifts one of her metal gauntleted hands in greeting back to Hope.  Her hand hangs in the air for a moment as she cants her head to the side, perplexed by if she knows this person who greeted her.  Then she looks over to Carol out of reflex.  She's flash a grin if caught, but it's a brief moment before her attention shifts back to the group.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott adjusts his glasses when he spots Carol. Then nods politely. Of course the Triskelion is just around the corner, it is logical she is here, but he is a bit uncomfortable as it seems likely SHIELD is fully aware Xavier's school is full of mutants.

"Chocolate sounds like a good idea," he comments to no one. Then to Hope, "you are still somewhat underweight for your height, Hope. Maybe you should talk with Hank about a healthier diet?" Because he is allowed to poke back. Of course, that was delivered in a totally deadpan serious tone.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Pretzels," he agrees with a nod to Hope. "And when you're ready for dessert I think you'll find something between the strudels, Bavarian creams and Black Forest Torte that will appeal," the fuzzy blue elf agrees. He really, really likes Oktoberfest it seems, but then that probably stands to reason. It is definitely one of the easier ways to remind him of home. And besides, beer, food and friends. What's not to love?

With his little litany about the options and his insistance that everything is good, Kurt sets about filling his plate, going amongst the tables and stalls until that plate is piled high with his selections. Carefully balancing it, he refrains from cheating and just bamfing his way back to a table, navigating the crowd until he reaches a spot where some of the others from the school have gathered and sinking down at the table. Only waving at a few of the other familiar faces distracts him from completely digging in to the feast of good german food.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins over to Noriko as she joins them. "Great job yesterday at the ice cream place," Kitty tells the Asian teen with a nod of her head. She takes a sip from her stein, tongue passing over her upper lip to clean it of the head of foam that the beer still has.

The Jewish girl smiles back to Hope. "Well, I figure if they can't handle a Logan talk, they probably can't handle the rest of my life. Our lives are kind of strange," Kitty says with an exaggerated sigh.

Spying Bobby pilfering a brat from the student's smorgasbord, she mmms. "Those do look good," she comments. She checks about for the nearest place selling them. "Anyone else want one? Carol?" she checks before moving off into line to get one.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Honestly it is a good question how much SHIELD is aware, and how much Carol is aware as she has become a fairly regular visitor to the school. There hasn't been a lot of clarity on how much she may be actually filing in reports on that subject at least.

"Strudels are amazing." she notes in agreement to Kurt. Offering a smile to Kitty and Noriko, though Scott gets a polite nod back. "Though I am definitely here for the beer." looking after Logan as he leaves then back to the gathered. "Also yes, your lives are strange... and yeah I'd love one." she is sticking to the beer line to get herself that beer though, grateful Kitty is willing to grab her one in the other line.

The only downside to events like this is lines.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Boy, that's the whole truth," Hope agrees with Kitty. Catching Noriko's look, she turns a crooked smile on the other girl. "I'm Hope," she introduces herself, hooking her pretzel on one finger of the hand holding her bottle to free up the other hand to offer it over.

Leaning over a little, she looks toward the group Noriko previously abandoned. "Looks like a...fun group," she grins, a spark of humor in her eyes.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Nori leans to look at the line for the food.  Roughly settling back into her center of gravity, she acutely cocks her head to the side with her fists propped up on her hips.  This is a serious consideration...before zipping around and between each person to gather up a small mountain of food.  She knows there's always someone who has fast enough reflexes to spot her in such a gathering of mutants.  Whether she's right?  That doesn't even cross her mind.

Noriko gets back fast enough to kind of subconsciously pick up Kitty's compliment and it takes her a moment of staring before she lifts her head in an uncertain, half-finished nod.  "Thanks.  Yeah.  I liked that place.  They make good shakes."  Spoken like a true connoisseur.

"Hey if anyone wants me to get them something," Noriko offers in one of those emergent rare spots of generosity over snark...before she starts this:

"Damn, flaky little thing, where have you been all my life?"

Hope gets a blink from the enraptured Nori.  "Yeah.  They're fucking grand.  I just love hanging out with kids who can't smoke weed in California," she replies without much regard for her volume.  "Noriko, or Nori.  Dealer's choice."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott went for the chocolate mug. And a pretzel to keep it company. He steps back a little when Noriko joins up with Hope and Kitty. They won't want the old man cramping their style, after all.

"Where did Logan go," he asks Kurt, looking around worriedly as of expecting dead ninjas will start raining on the street at any time. Sometimes he worries too much.

Henry McCoy has posed:
He had to get out of the house - out of the four walls of his room. He needed to breathe in air, to see other people and to wrangle his instincts down to a managable level. Seeing that a plethora of his friends would be attending OctoberFest, Henry thought it would be a good chance to work on keeping himself level-headed. At the very least, his friends would be able to support and corral him as needed.

Dressed in cargo shorts, sandals and a T-shirt depicting MC Hawkings, he peered about the crowds - looking for signs of his friends.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It helps, of course, that Kurt is not exactly a stranger in Salem Center itself. Having long since abandonned the image inducer he wore when first arriving at the School the locals are certainly accustomed to seeing him out about about. But this event attracts people from all over. Kurt simply greets those stares with a wave and that ready grin, unconcerned about the notice he attracts.

Or maybe it really is the lederhose and that green felt hat. It would be an eye-catching ensemble on anyone, let alone him.

As Scott joins him and some of the others look to be searching out a place to sit and eat some of their haul of food, Kurt makes a little more at the table. "I think he just went to get a little air," he says brightly and perhaps just a little too optomistically. Clasping a hand on the other man's shoulder he flashes that unconcerned grin. "You're worrying far too much Scott. But don't worry, if he is not back in a few, I'll take a quick look for him. Don't worry, I'll be discrete," he assures their fearless leader. Again... nothing about Kurt screams discrete. Especially today.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty is already well into the line or else she'd take up Noriko on the offer of getting food. It isn't long before she's returned, with two brats in buns and two more without, giving options to Carol, and anyone else who wants to partake. She also loaded up some containers with sauerkraut and condiments.

She goes for one of the brats in a bun while letting Carol have her pick of the rest. "Logan, wandered off after food I think," she says. "You know how nostalgic he gets about authentic food like this," she comments. "German and Japanese especially."

The sight of another arriving from the school makes Kitty's face light up. "Hank!" she says happily. She sets her brat down to free up her hands so she can go over and give him a hug if he lets her. "Glad you made it," she tells him, the teen knowing what Henry McCoy has been going through lately. "Want some root beer?" she asks, though she herself has the smell of real beer on her breath. "And there's all sorts of good food. Got some extra brats here," she says.

The place is festive, a good crowd with a constant murmur of laughing and partying. A band starts up some traditional German folk music nearby, adding to the setting.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby grins over at Kitty and says, "They are excellent. The soft pretzels, too." Because that's what he's going to go in search of next once he finishes his sausage-on-a-stick that he's got going on. The kids seem to be pretty well engaged in their own conversations and eating, so they all but ignore Bobby for the time being. He plunks himself down on a bench with root beer in one hand and sausage in the other and enjoys his two-fisted meal. "Oooh, strudel." Someone is going home from this event stuffed full of oktoberfest foods.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope blinks as Noriko makes her trip, and for a moment she gives the gauntlets a speculative look. Probably not a good idea to try to copy that power. No matter how curious she might be. "Cool," she nods. "Nice to meet you, Nori." She moves to settle in at a table, giving Scott a last, parting grin. No hard feelings! Nothing to see here!

"I'll get around to trying things," she muses, looking over all the plates. "Probably more than I should, but hey. There are worse things than having too much to eat, right?"

Carol Danvers has posed:
By this point Carol has achieved gigantic stein of beer and holds it in one hand while looking over the options Kitty got as far as food goes. She selects one with and one without ferryin them over to another tray. Might as well mix it up with the offerings really and she starts to distribute some condiments as well. "Logan really does seem to get that way." she mutters amused. "Think it comes from how long he has had to pick up nostalgia really..."

The call for Hank makes her head dip up and she grins and waves a her brati n a bun at Hank. "Hey good to see you." and so far from New York too.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott nods amiably and sips from his mug. "But someone has to," he comments. "Someone just mentioned we live strange lives, hmm? Everyone agreed." Therefore: Don't lose sight of your Wolverine.

He raises the mug to Hope when the girl grins. Yes, she is probably okay. Even if he does think she spends too much time in Gotham. Nothing good in Gotham, seriously.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hearing his name, Hank turns and offers a smile to Kitty. "Hey... food is good. And root beer? That sounds fabulous." The man agrees, heading over in her direction. A glance to the lines. "I should get into line then, before they are too long." He grins, his stomach rumbling. "I don't want to deprive you of the food you have - I've got a powerful hunger."

The Beast smiles and waves to Carol. "Hey, how are you doing?" He wonders, pausing in his motion to get into line.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"So...are you like a student here?"  Noriko seems mellow enough now compared to the ice cream parlor day.  She parts from her food with a brief glance for Hope in between her voracious campaign of carnage and gluttony.  Still, the teen doesn't seem to suffer for it.  In fact, she looks like she's playing a bit of catchup on the calories by the looks of her frame.

"Oh hey Dr. McCoy," Noriko lifts a hand to squeak curling fingers as they open and close in greeting.  Then she lifts her stein for the first time and starts to drink of her imposition, oppression?  It doesn't matter which one sounds better; she's not getting beer.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While Kurt's first plate -- he will definitely be going back for more no matter how much he may regret it tomorrow morning -- is rapidly clearing, the various selections of fire german food rapidly vanishing. He's not the biggest guy -- particular amongst his particular set of friends -- but he can clearly back it away.

The fuzzy blue elf shoots a wry grin Scott's way. "Ahhh, my friend. Wise words I'm sure. Do not ever change," he says. Of course if it was Logan beside him right now he would probably say the same. He is pretty good at accepting people for who they are instead of who others might wish them to be.

As a few more people near the tables that seem to have been claimed by the inhabitants of the school, Kurt rises to his feet once more and lifts that still heavily-loaded stein. "Today. Today is a good day. Eat and drink up!" he urges, that grin creeping over his indigo-furred features. And then he abruptly levels a finger in Kitty's direction. "Especially you. Once you've had your fill, we dance!"

Certainly others have already begun to do so, more and more people clustered around the primarily brass band on a stand just across the park, bright and lively Ooompah music belted out, filling the air with it's own distinctive ring.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins to Hank and nods. "It's a pretty good party out here," she says warmly. She picks back up her stein to take a drink from it. She looks back to Scott and says, "It's like if he fights a country at some point along the way, he ends up liking their cuisine. Ever notice that?" she says, not letting up on Logan-teasing just because he isn't there to hear it. Though she'll probably repeat it to him later just to make sure he catches it.

The young woman in the dirndl outfit gets her brat back, slowly eating it until she's finished, and grabbing a napkin to wipe her lips clean after. "I was thinking we should probably have a Halloween fest at the school. Let the students make a haunted house in the garage? Also, I might pop over to the Carstead farm," she says of one of the farms that border the school's expansive grounds. "See if maybe Ben and Marjorie would let us rent a wagon for a hayride." Yes she's on a first name basis with the neighbors, a sweet older couple who are getting up there in years but still run the farm themselves.

Kitty hears Kurt, and she immediately perks up. The girl who once aspired to be a professional dancer sets down her stein with a thump that sends the beer sloshing around the inside of the half-full container. "Yes!" she says. "Yes, let's dance!" she agrees with an eager nod to Kurt. She reaches over to put her hand in his and let him lead her out to the dance area.

Hope Summers has posed:
"I'm, uh..." Hope squints a bit, picking off a piece of her pretzel as she tries to decide exactly what the answer to that is. "Kind of an exchange student sort of...thing?" So descriptive. "Independent study! Yeah. That's the situation I'm looking for. I'm not really great with the sitting in a classroom thing, but I'm not really fit to be out on my own just yet, so."

She shrugs, seeming comfortable enough with the situation. "How about you?" she asks, tipping her chin slightly toward the gauntlets. "Working things out?"

Scott Summers has posed:
"If you want to be in charge of the Halloween parties, of course. Talk to Jean, we have a good budget this year," confirms Scott. There has been -less- rebuilding needed this year, despite Genosh and Sinister and the rest of crazy troubles.

"You can also ask for volunteers..." but it looks like Kitty is off to dance. All good. They can talk tomorrow. Scott, as usual, was about to start talking business in the middle of the party. He is probably going over the numbers even as he sips more chocolate.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Oh.  Cool.  I was thinking of asking for that.  We're going sooo slow."  Nori looks like someone who'd be more likely to attend a rave where molly is being popped like candy than an intellectual, beyond just any superficial stereotypes she might manifest.  "It's so hard to sit still and actually listen."

Noriko looks down at her gauntlets and then back to Hope.  Her whole posture shifts slightly, to the side into a slouch.  "I was stuck on the streets before I found the school, and then they found me.  It's complicated.  Dr. McCoy made these for me so I can kinda safely discharge electricity when I need to.  Oh yeah.  I'm an electrokinetic.  I absorb electricity and release it.  I can go super fast with it too.  Beats public transportation."

Nori's smirk slightly fades, and as if by talking long enough, she finally gets to something at the heart of Hope's question.  "It's kind of a work in progress thing?"  A flash of regret and pain in her face.  "I've hurt people, unintentionally, and my parents disowned me after I ran away so you know," she rolls it back around to that cavalier demeanor she wields so well.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Wandering in from the edge of the festivities is one relatively short and definitely Scottish redhead. Rahne is not necessarily known to wander into town, but the activity was too much to resist for the young girl. The green eyes flit this way and that, taking in all of the bustle. Some (okay most) of the fun is met with a slight frown, but at least she hasn't launched into a preachy mode.

    At least...not yet...

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol smiles watching Kitty move to drag Kurt out to the dancing area. "Well it is a party now." she notes and then steps over towards where Hank is in line and takes a bite of the bunned Brat with one hand, sippin the beer with the other. "I'm doing good. Janet and Nadia being back safe is excellent, though I am pretty sure Janet is going to make a terribly mother figure. Don't tell her I said that but she is going to spoil that teenager rotten." it is said fondly though.

She looks at the various people gathered to celebrate from the area and the school. "Did you see the AAR on that drunk Makluan in London Hank?" leave it to Carol to talk about a gigantic space dragon Kaiju like a drunk tourist.

Henry McCoy has posed:
It was good to catch up. "Spoiling daughters is part and parcel of being a parent to an only child, right?" Henry chuckles to Carol. "I really should make the rounds again and see how the Avengers are doing." He scratches at his chin. "I think meeting Nadia would be interesting - to see how much she inherited from her parents." He smirks.

"I hadn't seen it - I've been... a bit pre-occupied." He offers sheepishly. "Some adverse affects after a run in with Essex." He explains, while the pair wait in line for foods.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
That stein is tipped back, that German beer flows freely and then it is pounded back onto the table as Kurt slips free, his plate mostly cleaned. Time to go work some of that meal off!

"Do not worry Scott," the fuzzy blue elf says with a laugh. "I will have her back before you know it and you can go over budgets and curfews and all the other details that shall make our Hallow's Eve every bit as fun as today," he assures the other man impishly. And he is an elf of his word. But for now the dance 'floor' awaits.

It is fortunately early enough in the day that most people are still very much interested in the food and drink and the wide wooden platform that has been assembled beneath the taller bandstand under a swatch of trees is lively but not nearly full. Those brassy sounds come from the band, heavy on clarinets, trombones, trumpets and tubas, along with the appropriate bass from the heavy drums makes for a boisterous feel in the air, and groups of people form circles at the moment, the dance apparently involving a great deal of stomping in time to the music along with the periodic slapping of hand to upraised shoes.

"Shall we?" Kurt asks Kitty with a grin, hopping up onto the platform, ignoring the trio of steps leading up a dozen feet along the way before offering hand to his dance partner to help her do the same.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Right?" Hope agrees with Noriko. "Sitting in one place, doing...nothing. Okay, not nothing, but just listening or reading? Not great for me." She listens quietly as Noriko explains her situation, nodding along. "I get it. It's, uh." Her smile flickers, crooked. "Kind of part of why I'm here still. It was just me and my dad for a long time, then some crazy stuff happened, then I ended up here without a lot in the way of a compass, you know?"

She takes a drink, leaning back in her chair in a quiet echo of Noriko's posture. "My powers are...not exactly what they used to be, but it seems to err more on the side of //not// going out of control, so that's a...sort of plus, I guess."

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol nods and finishes off the food Kitty was nice enough to snag for her in line while she keeps Hank company in his wait in line. Effeciency.

"She seems to have inheritated her dad's intelligence for sure... seems to be a genius in a lab. Basically a super handful and has taken on the title Wasp as well I belive." she shrugs a bit but smiles. "Also don't feel bad... I don't get over there as much as I probably should either with everything that keeps me busy hustling Hank." she sips her beer.

"It is worth watching the media on it.. stupid thing was on a planetary bar crawl basically and we had to send it home. Devastated Piccadelly in London in the process." a frown. "What does a run in with Essex mean?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde waves over to Rahne as she sees her arrive, though Kitty is off with Kurt heading towards where the dancing is happening. She takes Kurt's hand for the hop up to the dance floor. "Absolutely!" she tells him. The younger woman's eyes are bright and alive as the zest and love she has for dance shows through unfiltered.

Soon they are joining the circle, the band filling the air with that old world music that has such a joyous sound to it. A bouncing, jaunty tune that makes it easy to get into the step with the other dancers, Kitty moving into the circle beside Kurt.

She taps her platformed heels to her hand and spins about, the choice in footwear not seeming to hinder her movements. She takes the hand of a man beside her, going around him in a circle before he passes her back off to Kurt as everyone pairs up for a dance around the circle.

Kitty's grin goes ear to ear as she dances with her friend of a half dozen years. The skirt of her traditional garb swirls about her as they dance across the wooden flooring. "See how people are watching us?" Kitty asks as she's spun in closer to Kurt. "I'm the envy of all the women right now, getting to dance with that handsome fellow who rocks his lederhosen," she tells him warmly.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"One sec," to Hope.  Noriko heard something about dancing.  "Is dancing while sober mandatory?" she asks loudly with a half raised gauntlet.  Satisfied, she looks back to Hope, twisting her mouth to the side thoughtfully.  "I can sit and read, but I really need more practice with my powers, and if I got independent study I could just blaze through the rest of this whole high school diploma thing or whatever it is."

"What happened to your dad?"  There's a strange vein of the genuine running through Nori's utter lack of tact.  She doesn't hesitate or treat the question preciously, but there is a lingering earnestness in her gentle lift of her brow.

"That sounds awesome...and probably horrible but awesome.  Glad you lived through it."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake's little troupe eventually finishes up their food and decide that they want to go exploring, and so Bobby heads off with them for a while to make sure they don't get into too much trouble, or at least, what trouble they get into -- they don't get caught, slipping off into the crowd for a while.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Ah...there are some people! At least, people that Rahne would be comfortable with hanging around. A hand goes up to wave towards Kitty as she heads over to the dancing. Oh...that is a little too social for Rahne. She isn't much of a dancer. But, the music...that is something else. She does wander a little closer to listen to the music, even as she looks about to see if there is anyone else that she recognizes. The music is rather good, and it does keep Rahne in place. No running off for her for the moment.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Oof, that is a long and weird story. Most of my stories are long and weird stories," Hope grins ruefully back at Noriko. "But, uh. The short version is that he can't be around like he was when I was a kid, but I know he'd be there if everything was on the line. That's what matters." Even if the way she looks down suggests she does miss him. But expressing //personal// feelings is hard.

"Anyhow. I bet they could work out an independent study. If they're not, they're probably trying to teach you something other than what's in the books," she says with a fond roll of her eyes. "Like the power of friendship. Or something. Which weirdly, is not //wrong//, but definitely not something you can be //taught// either."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The food and drink are exceptional of course. He would certainly never say otherwise and he will definitely be going back for more. After he works up a bit of an appetite. There is a joy in motion as well and the folks dances are not particular difficult. And when there are the inevitable missteps? Well that's part of the fun too, the sound of laughter and mirth mingling under the bright, brassy notes that fill the air.

With Kitty by his side, Kurt joins in with the crowd, the circle simply expanding to take in the two newest participants, the fuzzy blue elf quickly falling back into the familiar motions and rhythms without any difficulty. As they spin about the stage and he spots the familiar faces of students and inhabitants of the Mansion in the crowd nearby he waves, motioning with a grin for them to come up and join them.

As the twirling dance brings him back to Kitty Kurt laughs, those brilliant yellow eyes gelaming with mirth. "I would say that we are both most excellent catches. You are pulling off the fine German lass look most impressively," he notes with a wink as the band begins to slow, the song brought to an end with the applause of those gathered up on the dancing platform and everyone else nearby.

But the music does not stop for long. While a number of traditional German dances may be for partners, they are on a bit of a streak for group dances and the familiar, but always popular strains of Der Emtemtamz, the Chicken Dance begin to ring out. /Anyone/ can do the Chicken Dance.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko takes Hope's glossed over explanation in stride, and doesn't press for detail.  "That must be nice.  Having someone like that.  Him having your back like that."  Her thoughts unravel in her mouth in realtime, lacking censure or even organization at times like she starts to do now.  She's still highly functional though.

"Yeah but why can't I learn that fast too?  Why do I have to waste my life if I don't have to?  Tell me your wisdom.  I'll do it."  If only.  Noriko has always explored the world for herself.

"The power of friendship?"  Noriko's eyes flick over to Hope from her food with disbelief and a baked layer of cynicism.  "If someone wants to teach me friendship they can ask me over for pizza and watch my back.  they wouldn't be forcing me to go through this torture."

Hope Summers has posed:
"I'm not saying they're //right//, I'm just saying I know how they think," Hope grins at Noriko, shrugging. "On the up side, at least you didn't have to sit through a class on how to use public transportation," she points out. "Though the joke's on them with that one. The Hyper-thing is amazing." And a big part of how she manages to get all around when she's off galivanting.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde calls back to Kurt over the music, "Why thank you. Not all that far from Germany to Poland, after all," she says of her family roots. "And nothing like getting to dress up and spend the day with friends," Kitty calls over to him. "Family," she amends, grinning to him as they promenade around the circle.

The song changes and she laughs. "Oh my. Is /this/ German?" she asks him. Apparently it is. She doesn't shy away from the song's silly dance. No, she engages in it with extra gusto, flapping her arms and wiggling about as she crouches down and comes back up again.

Dancing to the song leaves her grinning, and finally when it reaches an end she stops to clap and show her appreciation for the band. "Want to go catch up with Rahne?" she asks Kurt. "Haven't gotten to talk to her in forever it feels like." If that sounds good to Kurt, Kitty heads back over, letting Kurt help her down from the elevated stage, the heels and dirndl she's wearing making it a more delicate process than just hopping off as she normally would. "Rahne, have you got some food yet?" she asks as she waves to her and they draw near again.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Oh no! The dreaded Chicken Dance! And the music was doing so well, too. There is a laugh (an actual laugh!) from Rahne as she shakes her head. Of course they would have to play the Chicken Dance. The Scot turns to walk away...but a particularly daring person snags the redhead and pulls her into the circle. Rahne opens her mouth to protest, but, well...it is true. Everyone knows how to do the Chicken Dance.

    Even social introverted Scottish werewolves.

    With *just* a little grumbling, Rahne ends up taking part of the dance, perhaps much to the shock (and delight) of others. There is a even a bit of fun for the girl, as she flaps her arms and shakes her little tailfeather like a good little chick. And, when the song ends, Rahne finds herself just a little tired...and just a lot more relaxed. Amazing what a little dancing can do.

    And...Rahne finds herself next to Kitty. And being asked about food. "Food? Nae, I cannot say I got any food yet. I didnae plan on it, yet." The Scottish drawl sounds out freely. "Honestly, I was not planning tae hang out too long. I just heard the music and thought tae come over." Of course, the food was maaaaybe an incentive, too. Don't need a wolf nose to smell how good that is!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Oh yeah," Noriko says as if not realizing her light aggression was rubbing off on her tone.  "There's an entire class on that?  Do you get grades?  How do you fail?"  So many questions pop into mind that she conversationally steamrolls herself.

"If you ever need a lift, just buy me a burrito or something and I'll Flintstone you around."  Noriko grins slightly, thinking about burritos.  "Thanks for not peppering me with dumb ass questions.  You want anything?  Round 2!" Noriko says in her Street Fighter announcer voice.

Nori's thoughts hop skip in a beat.  "So, if you're not going to read and sit around.  How are you going to study?  While jogging?"  Noriko looks hopeful that this absurd explanation might be true.  That the solution is so delightfully quaint.  No matter how implausible it all is.

Carol Danvers has posed:
Carol sips her beer letting Hank finish up with his things there. As she steps away, well she notices the angle that Kitty is headed with kurt likely in tow and heads that way now.

"Good dancing Kitty" and if Kurt is there she tacks on "And Kurt." before looking to Rahne and giving her a nod as well. "Also good dancing." she did not miss the chicken dance episode at all. Her beer is sipped with a bit of a smile. "This definitely beats work parties..." she notes bemused.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Having collected two plates full of Germanic fare, along with a stein - The Beast makes his way back to his friends at the table. He settles down, his gluttonous meal laid out before him. "Work parties... I suppose it depends on the line of work, Carol." The man grins, situating himself in his chair.

"I've been to a few that are quite exhilarating. It's... just a matter of the right people, and the right jobs."

Hope Summers has posed:
"Uh...something in the sweet category," Hope says to Noriko's offer. "Whatever's out. Pretty sure I haven'tr tried any of it," she says cheerfully. To the other question, she laughs. "Mostly it was practice," she admits. "Going out with someone while they explained what we were doing. Which is kind of how I pick up most things. I mean, I can read and I can do math. I can shoot a gun, fly a plane, build a..." Trailing off, she gestures toward the gaunlets. "In the grand scheme of things, I'm not sure how much I need to know what happened in 1820 in this world."

Odd choice of words, that.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The nice part of festivals like this is that they will stretch well into the evening -- and indeed it is not hard to pick out the light standards that have been setup all around the park, adding to the lights that already line the paths. There will be no shortage of opportunities for others to join in on the fun and dance their way across the platform before the day is done. Nor is it likely to be the last time the dreaded Chicken Dance rears it's head.

In all likelihood no one will escape the park and get back to the Mansion before they get up and flap their wings and wiggle their backside if a certain fuzzy blue elf as anything to say about it. It might involve making them an offer they can't refuse. Or just cheerfully haranguing them until they simply give in. Kurt's pretty good at both of those.

Helping Kitty off the stand before jumping down himself, the fuzzy blue elf trails along, joining up with the rest of them, clearing out from the immediate vicinity of the stage and allowing others to take their place. "Why thank you. I trust that you will save me a spot on your dance card before the day is through," he replies to Carol glibly, flashing a grin. And then he too turns his attention to the redheaded Scottish werewolf, shaking his head. "Unacceptable," he says, gesturing toweards Hank. "See? He knows what is expected at an event such as this. You cannot even think of leaving until you too have managed at least one heaping plate of these wonderful delicacies," he says with mock sternness that is foiled by that playful grin on his features.

"My German pride demands it." Who could say no to a fuzzy blue elf?

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde replies to Rahne, "Oh, the bratwurst is delicious. They've got a nice spicy one if you like that, good flavor to go with the heat," she says. Kitty regains her stein, the beer it contains still cold. "I have to say this is much better cold," she comments, "Even if it doesn't bring the flavor out as much, it's just more satisfying."

Carol's comments on the dancing get a bright-eyed grin from Kitty. "I have Kurt to thank for pulling me out there," she says brightly. "So you mentioned Janet's thing later. I'm hoping to make it. I hadn't really known her very well before, but I've been doing an IT contract at JVD Fashion. She actually pulled me into her office to commend me on how it was going," Kitty says with a soft, humble smile. "And, ah, then took me to a day spa. I have to say, I like her management style!"

Kitty takes another sip from her stein and leans over to nudge Henry McCoy in the shoulder. "Glad that you made it out," she tells him. "Are you going to try to make her thing on the boat?" she asks the other Avenger present.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"You know how to tinker with these kinds of abominations?" Noriko twists her palms to face up on the table.  Yeah.  That's the /first/ thing she asks about, and rather quickly too.  But it's just another split second before her face wrinkles into a suspicious scowl.  "How would you find out what happened in 1820?"  An eyebrow cocks at the girl.  "One sec."

Surge takes off for the dessert table and creates a pyramid of sweets that seem to appear between her and Hope at the table with a precarious settling motion.  "I got us one of everything.  Try whatever you want.  I'll eat the rest."  She leans to Hope and says, "I plan to see if I can run on water tonight, so I gotta eat and get juiced up."  No awareness for how weird the conversation would sound if overheard...

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny Storm never really associated the X-Men with 'Oktoberfest'. This is probably, he admits to himself, because of his own experiences with the holiday season, which mostly involved Doombots disguised as comely waitresses in fetching local costumes and freeze rays built into their eyes. The sausage was still good. Still, it makes sense if Johnny thinks a bit about it; there were quite a few X-Men from that part of Europe who might want an excuse for home cooking, dancing, and beer that drinks like a meal.

Doing his part to respect his friends's privacy and need for secrecy, Johnny Storm makes what he thinks is a restrained entrance.

What this means is that a Human Torch literally rockets over Salem Center, waves at any crowd that's built up to enjoy the festivities, lounging in the air as if someone finally did the world a favor and lit Peter Pan on fire. Johnny does a mid-air somersault, and proceeds to sky write "HEY NERDS" in giant flaming letters that hover over the crowd like organic fireworks for a few seconds before dissipating into colorful flashes of light. The Torch lands, dousing himself, and runs a hand through his hair, pointing a finger at Kitty Pride and winking.

See he didn't put "X-Nerds" in the greeting. And they call Sue the subtle one, Johnny thinks.

"Hey." Johnny says to the group, leaning in as if he just came to Salem Center like a normal person, "I hear the Human Torch is showing up some time today. Can you believe it?"

Hope Summers has posed:
"Oh yeah, sure," Hope waves a hand. "I once built myself a pair so they couldn't track me with-" Pausing, she makes a gesture around her head. Then poof! There's food!

"I am familiar with the metabolism thing," she grins, nodding as she reaches out to pick something off a plate. No rhyme or reason, just picking something. "How's the running on water thing going to balance with the electrical part though?" she asks, taking a bite. Luckily, with flaming skywriting going on, no one's likely to pay attention to two teenage girls talking.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    "Well, since ye insist. And, because it seems tae be a requirement, then aye, I will go have some then, Kurt." With that, Rahne chuckles, and glances around towards the nearest food vendor. Granted, she had an advantage, with her sense of smell, but hey, all the better to find food with as the story goes.

    Then...a glance upwards, and the flaming greeting leaves Rahne a little confused. It would be the first time anyone has ever accused Rahne of being a nerd. And...in flames? Who does that? The confusion disappears into comprehension as Johnny Storm lands. Ah, yes, that explains everything.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty glances up as that big of fire jets through the sky, tensing for a moment before she recognizes the source. "Not one of ours," she comments quietly with relief. While students and faculty might openly visit the town as mutants, using their powers is usually frowned upon.

However, they are also relatively unknown and keep it that way. While as Johnny Storm is part of the original rockstar family of superheroes. Right alongside the Gulf War on Headline News as cable TV's must-watch phenomenon of the 90s

Kitty looks over to Rahne and says with a laugh, "Yes it's kind of like German Thanksgiving in that. Eating is a requirement!"

The young woman looks back as Johnny has landed and even flashes a wink over to her. "Really? Human Torch? He could be here and we wouldn't even realize it, I'm sure. Really subtle, that one," the brunette says through a straight face. She shakes her head then and chuckles, "Happy Oktoberfest," she tells him.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko's eyes leisurely track Johnny Storm's stunt above her and Hope casually as she leans her chin against her arm, against the table.  "Okay, we get it.  Let's throw a parade.  You can fly and have flames shooting out of your butt."  Noriko looks back down to Hope and grits her teeth a moment.  "Sorry, you were saying untrackable?  That'd be nice."

Nori snatches one of the sweets slowly.  "Well I'm hoping I'll be able to actually direct it?  It's hard to explain.  Sediment like clay particles will be drawn up too if I can apply enough charge.  I'll wear a life vest and I'll be carrying a battery if I get too worn out.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry pauses in his devouring of German hearty food, to look to the sky. A slight frown, both at the show and the chosen vernacular. A shake of his head, and he takes a sip of his beer. His hackles were up for a moment, the man willing himself to calm a bit. Food, beer. Food, beer. The cycle repeats, the man feeding his stomach to quell his inner animal.

"Human Torch? I imagine leiderhosen might be difficult to spot when one is on fire." He smirks, nodding to Johnny.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Man, he looks //old//," Hope murmurs to Noriko once Johnny lands. Ouch. Getting called old by teenagers. Time for another sports car.

Clearing her throat, she turns back to Noriko, nodding. "That sounds super cool. You doing it on your own, on the lake?" she asks, taking a bite out of a pastry. "You've got a spotter, right? I mean, not saying you can't do it, just saying I'd want to make sure I wasn't alone in the middle of a lake if it didn't work out. Personally."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
As promised, one plate is by no means an acceptable bounty, at least not for Kurt and even as they direct Rahne towards the abundance of options waiting, the fuzzy blue elf is quick enough to claim a new plate for himself as well. Even the impressive entrance of Johnny Storm -- which certainly does seem to excite a number of the locals -- only gets an arched brow and an amused smile from him. Look, there are priorities here. And he is falling behind in the race to see just how much food he can pack away.

"The brats are excellent," Kurt agrees, though he apparently apparently is going further afield this time. A pair of sticks covered in what appears to be grilled trout are gathered from one booth. "Steckerlfisch," he offers up helpfully. Roasted Chicken and what appears to be some sort of pork cutlet cooked in dark beer and onions quickly joins the plate. This celebration would appear to be a carnivore's dream, though a huge, soft pretzel with some sort of cheese and butter spread -- along with a heroic helping of sauerkraut soon join the plate.

He does refrain from claiming another stein at least. His back at the table still has an ample amount.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott had vanished for a few minutes, and now returns without his mug, but checking something in his cellphone. Apparently he snuck off to text. For shame.

"Did Logan return?" He asks to the gathered mutants, looking around. "Suppose now," then he pockets his cell. "I think I am going to have to leave you in charge, Kurt. But it is only proper, this is a German party."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko chuckles at Hope's notes on Johnny's age. "At least he's enjoying himself," she says with a sliver of appreciation. "Oh yeah. My friend backed out this morning," No big deal. "Yeah I worry I'll be able to get enough runway there though. Failing that, a delta that might be high in clay deposits? Last ditch, the Atlantic?" She shrugs. "My speed is one of the few things I feel like I can experiment with without putting other people at risk, you know?"

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny is, for the record, pretty young looking for a middle aged man who's weathered more adventure than six Johnny Quests and a Rusty Venture. Maybe it's something about the cosmic rays. Or...

Let's not think about THAT, this is a party. No need to think about THAT ever again. Just like every other awful thing that's happened to you, Johnny Storm, THAT was a temporary setback until enough white hit plasma could be applied.

Johnny does twitch a little, as if sensing the sound of giggling teenage girls, but to be totally honest he doesn't know Hope or Noriko well enough to sass back. Instead he focuses on the students he does know from his Mutant activist days. "Kitty! I can't believe they got you into that thing." Johnny exaggeratedly looks up and down Kitty Pride's profile, clearly goofing around. "You make it work though. Franklin sends his love, he's real busy being a teenager. Dunno where he gets it from." Johnny says, shrugging as if he didn't know exactly where the kid got it from. Rhaine gets a literal million dollar smile.

Johnny claps Beast's shoulder, leaning in to give the spread a whiff. "Some of us are always hot, Hank. Kurt, how're you going to keep that skinny if you start actually eating? Is that real Blutten? I haven't had that since the last time Doom tried to kill us."

"Scott!" Johnny says, grinning, "You're not ducking out already? How much trouble could ol'Canucklehead have gotten himself into ,really?"

Hope Summers has posed:
"Atlantic seems like maybe not the best choice for not drowning if things go wrong," Hope points out, though she sounds more amused than worried. She may be a Summers, but she doesn't really have room to be giving safety lectures. Toddlers who were trained to run with knives aren't good at those.

"But hey, if you want someone to spot you at the lake later tonight, I should be around," she offers. "I can be, at least. I don't think anyone else needs me right now." The statement leaves her oddly thoughtful, chewing slowly.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott catches the tail of the experiment chat and approaches Noriko, "the Danger Room, Ms. Ashida, safer for experiments." He turns to Johnny, offering his hand, "good afternoon. You came all the way from Manhattan for this little party?" He glances at Kitty, wondering who else she has invited. "You know Hank and Kitty, this is Kurt Wagner," he offers, trying to make introductions. "The young ladies are Noriko Ashida and my granddaughter, Hope Summers. Long story... well, actually -that- long. Time travel." Enough said.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde has seemed to manage to pick up a bit of Noriko and Hope's conversation. "A ride to shore isn't a bad idea. Water and electricity not being the best mix," Kitty suggests. "Or even, you know, there's a practice room that can keep up with you for a first try. If you need help running it I'd be happy to work up a program for you." She nods as Scott is giving the same advice.

She drinks from her stein, tipping it back and finishing it off, then wiping at the lingering foam on her lip. She sets the metal glass down as she listens to Johnny and then laughs. "What this? I didn't know it was Oktoberfest, just happened to show up like this," she says of her dirndl with a grin to the older man. "But thank you. It's fun dressing up, and this is surely the month for it."

"And tell Franklin I said hi. Yes, haven't seen him since... ah well it was during some of those darker moments," she says, not wanting to dig into the events of Brainiac's invasion too deeply during the festive celebration. "And how are you doing? Been stranded on good ol' Earth or are you guys off gallivanting somewhere of late?" she asks, keeping her voice down even if people around them quite definitely know who Johnny Storm is.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While Logan is certainly nowhere in sight the last thing they want is Scott to come down with an ulcer from the stress of wondering just what his feral mutant adversary might be up to. "I'm sure that he is around Scott. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for him and if anyone starts screaming I'll go put a stop to anything that he might be up to," Kurt promises glibly. "I will also try not to go mad with power. You know you can trust me," he says, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Things will probably be fine.

Johnny gets a wink in welcome as well, raising a hand in greeting and flashing a grin as he returns to the table with that overloaded plate of German goodness. He does not take a seat however, instead first springing up onto the bench with ease and then up onto the table itself agilely. "You all heard Scott," he says, turning in a slow circle and remarkably careful with those somewhat oversized feet, planting them without disturbing any of the plates or steins crowding the wooden tabletop. "I am the boss of all of you for the rest of this outting. So eat up, drink up, and get ready for more dancing," he says, twirling in a slow circle atop that table, sweeping that pointing finger around before finally hopping back down.

Scary that he is the 'responsible' one who's being left behind.

Johnny Storm has posed:
"I can smell free food six miles away." Johnny says, dead serious.

Torch grins, politely, when introduced to the new students and Scott's time traveling granddaughter. Johnny pauses, looks at Scott, tries to keep track of things, and ultimately decides it's not worth the effort. "We time travel sometimes. I got to be a pirate." Johnny offers a hand, appreciating that the spirit of doing dumb things in the ocean is alive and well among the young people.

Younger people, he mentally corrects himself.

"Doing Earth stuff for the moment. Reed's tracking some...thing or another. When it gets serious he'll actually debrief Ben and me, you know how it goes." Johnny says. This is his actual full time job, so it's not weird that he's talking about it with colleagues or students, right? "I'm getting stir crazy enough to start looking for Hydro Man or something, to be honest." Johnny feels an urge to ask about how they're all actually doing, but does not want to ruin the party. Thank Goodness for Kurt immediately going mad with power.

"No, Wagner, man, you have to sound more like you've never met fun before." Johnny takes a step forward, doing his best Reed Richards face, "Fantastic Four, to me! We have to have a well balanced meal with a reasonable caloric intake according to the diets I've laid out for you after intense study of the effects your powers have on your constitution! We need to...respect the food pyramid, or face certain oblivion!"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Well that's why it's last on the list," Noriko says with a small grin and a nod.  "Plus it'd be so much colder than anything else.  Who knows, maybe I'll work up a sweat."  The blue haired girl laughs as she picks out a strudel as the next sacrifice to her stomach.  "Oh yeah.  That'd be great..."  Scott's looming father-presence is so thick Noriko's sure she doesn't need a sixth sense to feel him approaching, even if he was just standing within earshot all along.

"Oh hey.  Cool.  Danger Room it is."  Then...Nori learns of the truth.  Her eyes widen to saucers and she looks over to Hope with the ghost of an open mouthed grin and a twinkle in her eye.  "Whaaaat?"  The word is broken up by the eruption of laughter.  "That's awesome."  Then to Johnny, she lifts a metal gauntlet in greeting.  "Hey."

"Does anyone know of a better place I can syphon a little energy that's better than a power center place thingy...facility?"  THAT'S the fancy word.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott briefly wonders what a 'reasonable caloric intake' would be for a man that can burn at steel melting temperatures. But that is an interesting problem for Hank and Reed, not for him.

"All right, I trust you, Kurt," despite his attempt to show off how 'irresponsible' he is. "Let me know if there is any problem, I am going back to the school. Have fun." He nods to the others and walks away.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Not by blood," Hope adds quickly to Scott's family connection. As if that's somehow important. "But, uh. Yeah. Basically. There's a lot of time travel and weird stuff, and if you make me explain it to Reed Richards one more time, I will lose it," she warns Johnny as she takes his hand, her wry smile not entirely facetious. "He tried to make me go to the dentist once. Not cool."

She takes another bite of her pastry, considering Noriko and the danger room suggestion. "How do you know if the simulation's accurate to the interaction of those powers, though?" she muses.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
With a jaunty wave and a grin for the departing Summers, Kurt settles back in at the table and goes to work on his second helping, not plowing through it with quite the same gusto as his first plate. He chats animatedly with some of the others sharing the meal at the table -- not some of the more serious and somber topics that can dominate discussions at meal time back at the mansion. No discussion of Genosha here. No latest exploits of some of their foes, or even the various headline-making events of the day. It's a nice reminder of that otherside of life that they can sometimes lose track of in their very different world.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Do you not /need/ a dentist or something?"  Noriko's brow furrows.  She reaches for her root beer stein and takes a sip.  "I don't know actually.  I guess I need to find out who made it and ask them."  Noriko sets the stein.  "At the very least I can practice controlled power levels when they are that high."  she shrugs.  Another sweet thing gets abducted.  "What kinds of things can you do?" she asks between monster bites, insatiable.

Johnny Storm has posed:
"Kid, Reed's been making me go to the dentist since I was 16." Johnny is now old and wise enough to appreciate the show of affection from the sometimes distant and easily distracted genius. They never sat down and hashed out what their relationship was until 'brother in law' ended up being just flexible to work, but Reed Richards was perhaps the first person to ever believe Johnny Storm could be more than a punk car thief.

Johnny considers this, and decides to replace Reed's chair with silly putty next time he gets a chance. Ha ha, his stupid face'll be so confused.

Having a bit of something, Johnny sits down to take in the girls's scheme. "Well what is it you're trying to do? Just experiment? If there's one thing we've got at the compound, it's stuff that holds an electrical charge, but it'll be easier to pick what'll be useful to you if I know a little more."

Johnny makes a 'what can I do?" motion to Kurt when asked, but actually sits down to, first, have dinner since this food is amazing, and second, talk about how awesome he is. "Well I can manipulate and control heat, including encasing myself in it. When I'm 'on fire' that's actually a plasma armor sheath I use to keep how hot I actually am under control. Makes for neat armor, too. I can use it to fly, and even change into a fully plasma form if I'm feeling risky. We don't actually know how hot I can get because at a certain point the air starts catching fire around me without my being able to stop combusting."

Johnny shrugs as if this core, essential fear of his, the idea that he can get so hot it could damage the planet, is a mild bit of trivia. "I'm guessing you do electric manipulation. How about you, Hope?" Ten bucks, Johnny thinks, on 'beams' or 'reading minds'.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Not after someone tried to blow me up while I was copying Logan's power," Hope shrugs lightly to Noriko. That's...one way to avoid fillings.

She stuffs the rest of her pastry in her mouth just as Johnny asks what she does. "In our Reed's words? Pluripotent echopraxia," she recites around a mouthful of pastry. "In plain English, I copy powers. Used to be any mutant power I'd been exposed to, as many at a time as I wanted. Seems to be one at a time while within around a hundred yards now."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'm not and have not been talking to you," Noriko says with a small grin for Johnny, but as he starts talking about charges, she seems to grow more receptive.  "Well, I've been trying to practice recharging on the fly with a car battery but it's basically not feasible.  If I can control charge and discharge."  She's trying to Popeye it.  Bringing a spinach can (probably not something so sleek and tiny) around with her.

"Yeah.  I've been kinda starting to experiment with my powers over the summer.  Reading up on things like electrokinetic phenomena.  Apparently a lot of them have relationships to the density or amount of charge."  The speed of Noriko's talking has creeped up discernibly by now.

"Wait, what?  That's so cool!  We could run together right?"  Noriko is clearly up for risky things to spice up her utter boredom...risky things like cracking open science books.  KNOWLEDGE IS POWWWWWER!

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny shrugs, 'the two friends chatting together knowing each other's mutant powers' being, in his opinion, a fair assumption. Besides, she'd have heard the speech eventually if she's going to be in this busniess.

He frowns a little at 'someone blew me up' but realizes saying anything about that might actually cause someone to strike him down from the double standard. Instead he listens, nodding a little; it may be a surprise to see Johnny following the conversation as it gets into the hard sciences.

"Not a bad time to do it. Are you just...touching a car battery?" Johnny asks, "Because Popeyeing it's not a bad idea, but what you might really need is a starter. How do you know when you need a recharge? Just a gut feeling?"

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope reaches for something in the sausage category, perhaps wisely fueling up if she's going to end up joining in on this run. "Probably, yeah," she grins to Noriko. "Might be a little bit of a learning curve. And I'd want to make sure we stuck close. Speed's tricky to copy, especially with range. It's real easy to get out of range real fast when you're going super speed," she points out. "And then it can get awkward."

Starting to eat, she looks between Noriko and Johnny for the answer to that question. If she's going to try copying the power, it's definitely better to know more about it. She's got enough Summers in her for that.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'm told I metabolically slow down.  Eventually I black out so I have to watch my power levels.  So yeah.  I get this kind of strange exhaustion.  It's like everything slows.  So yeah, I feel it.  But my gauntlets help detect what charge level I'm at.  "Technically, I'm always passively absorbing energy without something interfering.  Usually static shock.  You wouldn't believe how easily that builds up...The other side of my power is if I get really charged up, people say I sound kind of robotic and really fast.  Shake, things like that.  I mean, feels all good to me," she says with a shrug as if the side effects were just a price to pay for slowing down when her body wants to run run run to release that energy.  "I feel like there's still a lot I don't really know about my power."  There's a trace trepidation in her voice.

"Well we'd need to be in communication so I can come back and get you if we got out of synch, but.  Yeah, you're probably right.  Stick to piggybacks.  Safer."  It was a dream.

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny's been where Noriko is, right now. Young, excited, scared, trying to figure out something that defies conventional logic and reason. When Johnny did it, there weren't any other pryokinetics; at least none worth talking to. There are books now, which is a bit of a trip, even if dear brother-in-law wrote half of them.

"You're in a good place for figuring that one out." Johnny says, sounding his age for a minute. "They really helped my nephew out of a bind."

"What about a track?" Johnny offers, "Gets you out of the Danger Room, but it's controlled enough that you two don't have to worry about getting out of synch. Might give some new data, too."

Hope Summers has posed:
"Hey, I don't mind trying," Hope grins at Noriko when the other girl seems disappointed. "I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out. I used to-" She pauses, trying to figure out the easiest way to explain it. "Where I came from, mutants coming into their powers were uncontrolled. I led the team that tried to get to them before things got bad and helped them get a handle on things." Which definitely explains some of the 'independent study' situation.

"A track's not a bad idea either," she nods to Johnny. "Either way, you don't have to go it alone."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko seems very casual about her powers, like she is everything else, but Hope's words grab her attention.  "Oh cool.  Yeah.  Oh hey, can you imagine if we could both fight at top speed?  No one would stand a chance...except for other speedsters."  She laughs at the zany pipe dream.

"Uh huh," Noriko sidebars to Johnny as he channels an authority figure.  "Yeah let's do a track.  We could rig it for a safer first experiment."  Someone teach this girl some scientific formulas before she kills someone.

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny Storm, authority figure.

"I'll talk to Reed. We had an old one set up back in the day, we can probably adjust it for speedsters." Johnny says, a bit eager himself to be showing the new generation of maniacs how to be terrible.

This is about when a giant, flaming "4" is abruptly visible over the city skyline. Nobody in that family has ever been in the same country as 'subtle', really.

"Shoot, that's my cue. Nice talking with you." Johnny hands out a pair of Fantastic Four cards with his number on them. "Call me in a few days, assuming I don't die, and we'll set this up. It'll be a blast!"

And then he literally flies away.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope watches Johnny zoom off with an amused smirk, shaking her head a bit. "He may look older than he did where I'm from, but I guess some things don't really change. I'm gonna go take a lap," she says as she stands, smirk flashing into a broader grin. "See if there's anything interesting we haven't gotten to yet. Back in a few," she says, snagging her near-empty bottle of root beer to take with her.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko nods to Hpe as she takes her leave.  "Seeya...Ahhh.  My sweets."  She looks down at the plate of semi-eaten desserts and takes them with her after gently folding them into some napkins and takes a quick jog to sit on her own while she finishes off the treats at least like some squirrel stealing away.