Owner	Pose
Tommy Shepherd	Central Park on a beautiful spring day is always teeming with people trying to soak up some sun, and today is no different. As a city, New York is always some level of crowded, and that extends to its most famous park too; luckily, Tommy is kind of a master at claiming territory inasmuch as he can just, you know, immediately be standing there when someone stands up and clears out. No chance of beating him at this race.     He has a blanket spread out -- the polka dot and bunnies pattern hints it's probably not *his* blanket -- that claims a good portion of grass, and surrounding him in a semi-circle are a bunch of books, notebooks, and assorted other accoutrements. Because it's Finals Time, and he desperately needs to graduate.     But right now he's not looking at any of his study materials. He's scrolling through his phone, biting his lower lip as he contemplates ordering coffee to be delivered. Would they even deliver to some random person in the middle of Central Park? Maybe if he tips enough... not that he's exactly rolling in money right now, when work has taken a backseat for school. He looks up from his phone and lifts the cap from his head -- repping the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp today -- to run a hand through his hair.
Billy Kaplan	Low and slow is how Billy is rolling today. He's decked out in casual clothes: jeans, a T-shirt with a huge D&D ampersand colored like a pride rainbow on the chest, and beat-up old black Docs. He doesn't know much, but he knows that there is a pretty good chance his brother will be hanging out in Central Park. He's even carrying two coffees because, hey, if you are going to be doomed to spend eternity as the Demiurge some day you can at least get some benefit out of it now.     He sees his target, and adjusts course to move in that direction. "Hey, bro," he says as he comes to a stop. Billy smirks a bit, looking down at the blanket. "So where'd you stash the body of the 12-year-old girl you stole this blanket from?"     He sets a coffee down, prepared just the way Tommy likes it, next to his brother.
Andi Benton	Andi Benton's never been the best at responding to group texts. Secret: sometimes she mutes them. Evil. Or just anti-social, like a good little goth punk with a symbiote for a friend. In any case, she hasn't responded to the invitation to hang out in Central Park. Of all the places to go, why one with lots of people, on a nice, clear day, with all that involves? Two reasons: Billy and Tommy are part of the Young Avengers, which she is as well, so Doing Things with them might pay off later. Also, Mania was rather hungry. Better chances of finding something tasty there, with the variety that is often available depending on where you end up. Being her, she has to keep to the blacks and purples (sometimes pink), with the purple hair and all the piercings. Even if she's reached twenty years old, she's just reached the point of looking even...better than before. Plus, she's got a black umbrella with purple lace around the edges, silver-colored skulls all over the fabric. Of course she does. Chunky footwear goes with frayed leggings as she looks around behind a pair of plain sunglasses, double-checking the location sent to her.
Tommy Shepherd	"Sup," is Tommy's distracted reply, though thanks to his super-fast reaction time he realizes that Billy is carrying coffee like, right after, so he abandons his phone to grab up the blessed source of caffeine in his hands. Admittedly though, Tommy takes his with enough sugar and add-ins that it's really just a caffeinated milkshake that he's drinking.     He takes a first, desperate sip, and then another one, before he lets out a sigh. "Thanks, I really needed that," he says, then his eyes narrow. "She's 18 and it's a perfectly good blanket, thankyouverymuch."     It's also the biggest one that he could find in his apartment that wasn't, like, his comforter.     He sets his coffee back down, careful to make sure it won't spill, and then nods over to the distant form of Andi. "One of your teammates, right?" Because Tommy isn't a Young Avenger. Sure, he's on the group text, and he's been to their headquarters, but he's still sticking to the whole 'I don't do teams' thing.
Billy Kaplan	The off-duty magic-user sits down crosslegged on the blanket. "Uh-huh," is his response to the size and suitability of the blanket. He takes a long drink of his coffee: blank and strong. It's the anti-Tommy coffee.     Billy's gaze shifts from his brother to the approaching Andi. "Oh, neat," he comments. "It's Andi." He reduces his smile to a bland affect so as not to overload the goth girl with emotional stuff. "Hey, Andi," he greets calmly when she approaches close enough to hear. Then his mouth goes agape. "Oh shoot, I didn't bring you a coffee. What's your drink? I'll whip one up."
Andi Benton	Ah, there they are. The Young Avenger and the one who keeps trying to deny it. Andi steps off the path onto the grass, probably crushing the hopes and dreams of some little ant family along the way. So close to that guy's hot dog he forgot about, yet so far. Do ants even /have/ families? Ant moms and ant dads, ant aunts and..nevermind. Billy and Tommy receive a brief nod, but her brows shoot up behind the sunglasses at the offer of getting her a coffee. "Uh, no. That's all right. I'm fine, but thanks." Hopefully she gets this out before he's started up any magic. Let's just say the trust level with it isn't there yet. Someone hasn't forgotten the Chocolate Incident. She's yet to sit down, giving the blanket a dubious look.
Tommy Shepherd	Meanwhile Tommy is almost defensive of the blanket. It's a good blanket! He gives it a pat, gesturing for Andi to take a seat on any of the copious remaining space, then he cracks open a book that, judging by the title "Art Through the Ages," is not something he's enjoying for some casual reading. Especially not with all the little post-it notes marking different pages.     "Did you magic this coffee up?" he asks, voice lowered, and then... well, he takes another sip. That may be a sign of his trust or just a sign of him being that desperate for coffee, who's to say. Either way he's already downed a significant portion of it without any apparent magical side-effects, so he flashes Billy a thumbs up and then picks up a pen so he can start writing out more notes.     Nearby, a group of kids manage to carve out enough space to throw a frisbee around, and for paranoia's sake Tommy relocates his coffee from its semi-stable spot on the blanket to his off-hand. Juuuust in case.
Billy Kaplan	Our resident magic-user gives Andi a shrug when she turns down the offer of a beverage. "Yeah, yeah," Billy replied with a good-natured tone in his voice. "You've been hurt before. I get it." He gives her a wink.     Then Tommy immediately gets suspicious about him magically creating the coffee so Billy looks at his brother with a faux-wounded expression. "My attorney has advised me not to answer that question." He takes a long drink of his own beverage. "Tastes fine to me."     "So what is this, an impromptu group meeting? We gonna save the world and stuff?" he inquires as his gaze follows two shirtless men talking hand-in-hand across the grass. "Man, summer can NOT get here fast enough."
Andi Benton	Possible crisis averted...for now. Andi's guard remains up, regardless of her casual attitude of indifference. Goths and punks have images to protect. She obliges Tommy by taking up a spot on the ground, albeit with only a tip of one shoe touching the blanket itself. It counts! She might get a little wet depending on the turf beneath them, but so be it. The wink from Billy draws a mild smirk, enough of an acknowledgement of his joke. Word got around quickly about that incident. "Wasn't sure if the dreams afterward were nightmares or hope for more," she states before adding, "Not the kind of place I'd expect to have a meeting at, but it was an excuse for a couple hot dogs on the way." New York City hot dog vendors do feature some of the best, with that real snap to it when you bite in.
Tommy Shepherd	Yes, it does count, and Tommy is appeased. Between the acceptance of the blanket and the deliciousness of the coffee, he can't complain.     Except that's not true. "Man, why do I have to know the difference between Monet and Manet's work?" he asks, voice a grumble. "How will this ever be relevant in my life?" He flips through the art history textbook a little while longer before shaking his head and heaving a very dramatic sigh. But! He doesn't just close the book and give up, no, he pulls it into his lap to continue reading.     "You're telling me." Summer which means graduation which means freedom, and Tommy can't wait for that. He follows Billy's line of sight and then grins, looking over at Andi. "Well you two can talk superhero strategy or whatever as much as you want, *I* am... ugh, gonna go through my anatomy flash cards." Which he proceeds to pull out of his backpack.
Billy Kaplan	"Strategy?" Billy scoffs. "I don't know if I've ever strategized something in my life. I just, I dunno, make it up as I go?" He reaches out his foot and nudges Tommy with it. "And you can be all antisocial misanthrope if you wanna, but you know damned well that you're a part of the team."     He gestures to Andi. "Tell him, Andi."
Andi Benton	"I don't know. If he's coming around the place and hanging out, that probably means something. You don't just happen to be there that much otherwise." Andi puts it out there, leaving it for the two to debate over if they really want to. "But..classes? You can leave me out of all that. Don't need any more of them." Clearly, she's decided higher education won't be her path in life. Eyes keep track of the frisbee when it's tossed - often inaccurately - back and forth nearby. If there's any questioning about it by Mania, if Andi has any replies, it's all kept internal. Even to this point, not everyone on the team has been able to see the whole Andi/Mania thing. There are some secrets she's been careful with. Billy? He has. As far as strategy is concerned, she says, "I just kind of react to what's happening. I'm not some genius, or an expert fighter or whatever."
Tommy Shepherd	"Well someone on the team has to, right?" Tommy asks, before he realizes he shouldn't care because he's not part of the team. So he deflects with a, "I mean, it's whatever, none of my business," that definitely sounds like he doesn't care at all.     Real believable there, Tommy.     He starts flipping through his flash cards at a rapid pace, AKA too fast to really be seen. The only way to tell he's doing it at all is that every blink or so there's a different card at the back of the stack facing Billy and Andi. Studying at superspeed.     After a while of that, which in normal people time is maybe no more than thirty seconds, Tommy flops onto his back, sprawling out half in the grass and half on the blanket. Somehow his coffee is already empty, so maybe he's been sipping at superspeed too. "Nah, I'm getting my high school diploma. I lost over two years to juvie so I'm way behind," he admits.
Billy Kaplan	"You're stubborn, bro," the young magic-user says to Tommy. He looks over at Andi. "He's stubborn. He's gonna get his diploma out of relentless single-mindedness."     Stretching his legs out and leaning back on his elbows, Billy watches his two teammates. "So what do you think about a patrol schedule? Maybe we should set something up so our faces are seen around New York." He studies Tommy and Andi's faces for some sign of reaction. "What d'you guys...d'you guys think about that idea?"
Andi Benton	Andi Benton holds out a hand, palm up, gesturing at Tommy as he tries to deny what he's just been saying. In the process, she looks pointedly toward Billy after lowering her sunglasses first. The other hand continues to hold the very gothy umbrella. So gothy. The method of learning draws her attention again. "I might reconsider extra learning if I could do it that fast, but since I can't..whatever." 'Whatever.' That's like the anthem of her kind. "I already do routine patrols around parts of the city," she explains. In some circles, Mania is fairly well-known already for a variety of reasons. "But that's a definite 'no' for my face put up anywhere." Mania's, on the other hand...there's already social media for some of it.
Tommy Shepherd	Nope, Tommy is going to continue denying. He says, "I think you should have a partner if you're going to do something like that. Buddy system, you know. Just to be safe." Notably he doesn't offer himself up for the job. See, denial.     "See, team up with Andi, that way you can have each other's backs," he adds, once Andi mentions doing patrols. The shadow of the frisbee passes over his face, but he reacts fast enough (of course) by propping himself up on his elbow to catch it before it smacks into him. Several of the kids run over, but only one is brave enough to approach and meekly ask for it back.     Tommy sighs and tosses it back to them before he sits himself up all the way. "See, nowhere's safe," he jokes.