11659/Bovine Chickie Nuggies

Bovine Chickie Nuggies
Date of Scene:	23 June 2020
Location:	Burger Joint - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Drake gets a burger! There's also a dragon there. But it's small, so that makes it okay?
Cast of Characters:	Volt, Shadowcat, Nightingale

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Volt has posed:
Life has become so strange. And the more days that this becomes routine, the more glaring the oddness of it all seems to be.

First, Drake doesn't have school to worry about. Second, he's not being actively pursued by the police or social services. Third, he's more in charge of his own life than ever before. Four, regimented and hard physical training of a sort he didn't even think was real prior. Fifth, he's taken what used to be the catalyst of his life's destruction and has become a gat'dang superhero. Oh, and sixth - an actual girlfriend.

Sometimes Drake has to do something super pedestrian just to keep himself feeling grounded. And that's what brings him to this burger restaurant. Simple, modest, nothing crazy. Just burgers. Its proximity to the Xavier Institute isn't an accident; but that's a whole other issue. For Shannon's sake, he's trying to open himself up a little more to them. But all seems quiet in his neck of the world, sitting at a table by himself with a burger, fries, and probably something sugary in the paper cup nearby.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's got her own burger (made to her dietary restrictions), fries and soda, settling in with a smile she stretches and sips her drink, wondering what today will bring. From eating breadsticks, to a burger and fries and soda, Kitty looks at home here, and yeah....it's near Xavier's. Which is good.

Nightingale has posed:
     Some days it was just too damn hot to be in the kitchen. And some places, you could find goodies that just could not be had anywhere else. Enter in the necessity for a Giant Burger, to be brought back home to enjoy with friends. A familiar winged figure ducks inside, taking refuge from the sweltering heat, dressed in her black peasant crop top that leaves a good portion (though a modest one!) of her midriff bare, her red and gold tribal print broomstick skirt, and black wedge heel sandals. Her hair is pulled back in a bun this time, anything to keep it off her neck and out of her face in this weather....

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley totally doesn't spot Kitty. But he's at least keeping an eye on people who enter after he's settled in. And one individual will always catch his eye; even as his mouth is full of burger. "Mmf! Fhannong!," he calls, mouth full. But he adds a wave to her, excited and enthusiastic.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty glances up from her burger and spies Shannon. She goes to wave and splatters mustard over the table. Well that's one way of making an imprvement to the burger joint, Kitty. She looks to Shannon and waves a fry, which slips out of her hand and Lockheed lunges for. Totally not planned. Ttotally and utterly not planned. See. Kitty is, if anything, accidentally feeding Lockheed. Fries that is.

Nightingale has posed:
     As she is just about to approach the counter to place her order, Shannon first hears someone calling out to her--albeit a bit muffled--and then also sees Kitty waving to her. Well, an order could wait! She grins, joining Drake at his table, sliding into the chair across from him, while also extending one wing in a wave to Kitty. She eyeballs her and Lockheed to make sure no dairy was involved. No? No! Good! "Drake! Talk about great minds... how are you? And Kitty, too! What's this, old home week?" The winged teen grins from ear to ear."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley hurriedly finishes chewing the bite and swallowing before answering Shannon again. "I'm good! Just thought I'd... come by, uh.. Salem, and go for a burger." Not that Salem is /anywhere/ near his home. It might stand out to the girl. But regardless, he leans forward to quickly steal a kiss on the cheek before refocusing where her wing is waving.

First thing he notices is the critter. "...The Hell is /that/?," he balks.

Shadowcat has posed:
"Not what, who" Kitty says mopping up the spilled mustard. "That's Lockheed, and that's Shannon" she says with a look to Shannon. "You want a pool rematch?" she adds with a look ovr, then lifts her burger and chomps into it. Lockheed's got his nose in the fries, but Kitty's not that worried. She can always order more.

"So" Kitty says once her mouth's empty, "Shannon, you think I should get glittery shiny pool toys, or not for our people?"

Which is, in a word. Logan may well get shiny glittery pool toys.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just grins at Kitty, right at the moment she's leaning into the kiss on her cheek from Drake. "We've met." Ahem. Smiling, she returns the kiss on Drake's cheek, chuckling softly. "That, hon, is Lockheed. Cute little thing, but whatever you do, don't feed him dairy. He could clear out this whole shop."

     Looking back at Kitty, she gets the hint, snickering softly. "Totally glittery shiny pool toys. In hot pink." Meaning she was just going to sit back with some popcorn and watch the fireworks."

Volt has posed:
"Okay, but... 'who's are also 'what's, right?," asks a baffled Drake. "Is that like a chameleon? I've seen people walk around with chameleons on their shoulder. I lived in California," he explains. "But that's.. I mean.." He flounders, looking quickly to Shannon, then back to Kitty.

Shadowcat has posed:
"Not quite" Kitty says, "Dragon, he got attached to me" Kitty adds watching them both with a smirk. Oh it's a good thing her phone's not on her. Or else, well, else, she'd be snapping pictures. "Chameleon. Did you just say Lock's a chameleon?" Kitty adds and nods to Shannon, "You're never gonna live that down, are you?" she asks. Taking a sip of her soda, she giggles at the pool toys and ends up with soda out her nose. Ow, okay, ow...

Not funny. Not funny.

It totally is funny, Kitty's both giggling and trying to pretend she didn't just snort soda out her nose laughing. Futile effort as Kitty grabs a napkin and sets her drink aside for the moment. Sure, she can manage a burger, right?

Nightingale has posed:
     Smiling at Drake, she just shakes her head. "Nope. A dragon. With lactose intolerance. He decided he'd make a good hat one day, sat on /my/ head, and well... he'd had dairy earlier that day. Let's just say we wound up grilling outside that night."

     She glances between Kitty and Drake, considering for a moment. Should she say anything just yet? She whispers to Drake, and just smiles.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley blinks owlishly at Kitty. "Did you just say Lock's a /dragon/? One of these makes more sense!," he retorts. "..He's a lot smaller than I'd expect a dragon."

It's bewildering. Also, he's met extraterrestrials. New York is weird as Hell, y'all. He isn't sure he'll ever be used to this.

Shannon's whisper gets a brief look, eyes widened. "Uh... I mean, I imagine there're records of it. So if anyone had the gumption to look, they'd see." Not bothering to whisper there.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty nods to Shannon with a smile. "Yes, you were a hat stand.I'll admit, his tail twitching was hyp notic" kiggy adds and nods. "I said Lock's a dragon, a small dragon. Shannon, you did too~"

Okay time for biting into her food then, before she gets more questions and for all the world looks like somebody just enjoying a burger. With a dragon up on the table, too. A sentient dragon, too that's peering at both of them too, as if sending semaphore with his ears, or something.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods, and giggles. "Yeah... I did. And yeah it was funny when that little stinker made me a hat stand." Grinning at both of them, she lowers her voice a notch, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "You know, I was thinking of getting one of those Giant Burgers to bring home and share with everyone. But do you think the three of us could polish one of them off?" She pauses, looking at Kitty. "We'd have to make sure they left off cheese, of course. Keep things kosher."

Volt has posed:
Most people are probably more hung up on the whole 'it's a dragon' thing. That's far removed from normal. Drake's still giving it weird looks. And given the conversation has moved onto a topic he doesn't have a dog in, he just falls silent and resumes nibbling; currently on fries. The dragon - is it /really/ a dragong? - still gets the majority of his looks, but a few glances are spared between Kitty and Shannon.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins, "I'm in, alright, who is ordering?" Kitty asks with a smile. "Alright, so who" Kitty adds, "Is gonna order and put this burger together for the three of us, and no, Lock's not getting anything" Kitty adds tapping the dragon on the nose. "You, stick to fries" Kitty addds with a nod.

Nightingale has posed:
     "If we're all in..." Here, Shannon looks to Drake, giving him the 'puss in boots' eyes. "...I'll order. Plus, we've gotta make sure it's kosher so you can have it, Kitty. That is, if we do this." One wing, meantime, has instinctively extended around behind Drake, as if wrapping him in a hug. His looks might be for Lockheed, but hers are for Drake.

Volt has posed:
"W-.. wait, what? What'd I get volunteered for?," asks a genuinely confused Drake. "I already have food. See?" He motions to the remaining foodstuff there at his table. "I can't eat more than this. I'll lose what progress I've had on my training! Gotta stay fit, y'know?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins to Drake and Shannon, "Shan, bring my third of the food home" she offers and looks over to Drake then back to Shannon again, raising her own burger as if saying hey, I got food. She does.

She absolutely does. Yes she does indeed, burger, no fries, soda out her nose (thanks Shannon for that one)

Looking over to them again, Kitty looks to Shan, "I was going to go shopping for pool toys if you want to come along. We need something pink and....God, my Little Pony would be perfect" she says, creasing up into hysterical half giggling, half cackling as she's heading for the door having left money for her meal

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just chortles, and shakes her head. "We'll do the Giant Burger thing another time, when we've all got empty stomachs. I'll be along in a little while for that shopping trip, but I'd like to stay here with Drake, too." Pause. "Let them know at home I might be a teensy bit late coming home, but I'm okay?"

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley watches Kitty curiously, then looks back to Shannon and her response. It gets an affectionate smile, and he scoots himself closer to her to nudge shoulders with her. Small things like that are endearing to him. "And in one piece," he adds wryly.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods in agreement, scooting a bit closer to Drake to both nudge his shoulder, and gently enfold him in the haven of her wing. "And in one piece," she confirms, chuckling softly. With Kitty taking the rest of her meal home 'to go', that leaves Drake and Shannon together, simply enjoying each other's company. "Penny for your thoughts?" She can't stop smiling, not when she's with him.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley happily nudges against her shoulder, but then he squirms as her wing attempts to wrap him. He shimmies, shooing at it. "I'm thinking it's hard to eat being cocooned," he chides with a boyish grin. He's not finished yet! "You should grab food, too, though. So I'm not, like, just sitting here and eating in front'a ya."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon giggles softly, not looking one bit repentant as she allows her wing to be shooed away, tucking both in neatly behind her. Her grin is equally as girlish and playful as his, as she nods in assent. "Sounds good. Though it'd be a blast trying to polish off one of those Giant Burgers with some friends, when we're actually planning for it." With a little peck on his cheek, she slides out of her seat, sashaying with skirt swishing and swirling about her feet, making her way to the order counter. A few minutes later, she rejoins Drake, scooting back over to lean in gently against his side. "Got a triple stacker with bacon, a large side of onion rings, and a large chocolate milkshake incoming." Someone was thinking with their stomach today!

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley moues his lips at her as she withdraws the wings, taunting. But when she leaves to order, he focuses on the food. For some reason, it feels awkward eating in front of her. So the objective is to wolf down as much as possible in her absence! The fries are finished by the time she returns, but he still has some burger left. When she runs down her list of foodstuff, he blinks at her. "Oh. Bye-bye, abdominals," he teases, chasing the joke with a quick kiss.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon giggles and kisses him right back. "Silly. You know as well as I do that I'll work that all off again." She waggles her eyebrows but says nothing more on the matter. A few minutes later, the mother of all bacon cheeseburgers arrives, surrounded by onion rings, and paired with that large chocolate milkshake. "Trust me, I'm keeping these abs."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley squints suspiciously at her. And when the food arrives, he gives it a glance, and then a dubious look back to her. "Somehow that's hard to buy with the whole... thickness.. going on over here." He nods indicatively to the burger. Even his wasn't that big!

Leaning back, however, he exhales a soft sigh. "How's life been for ya, Shannon?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "It's been missing one big piece," Shannon replies, resting her head on Drake's shoulder. "You." She resists the temptation to cocoon him again, and only picks at her onion rings. It seemed more likely she'd be bringing her food home as well. "What about you, though? What've you been up to?"

Volt has posed:
"What a beautiful non-answer," Drake teases. His head turns to affectionately kiss her scalp. "I've been.. doing things I can't talk about so much. But you, you can discuss things! School stuff? If any? Special projects?" He tilts his head away from her to lift the burger and take another bite.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon lofts her eyebrows. It wasn't usual for Drake to keep something back like that, but she of all people knew the necessity for holding things back on occasion. She simply nods, wriggling in a little closer as he kisses the top of her head, and reaching for an onion ring or two to nibble on. "Not a whole lot of school stuff. I mean, yeah, I'm taking a few summer courses so I don't get bored out of my skull, but no major projects yet." She pauses, shifting to tilt her head up and peer at him. "I did finally manage to convince my family to get the heck out of Dodge and get the ball rolling so they can move out of Connecticut to somewhere more mutant-friendly. No idea when that's going to be getting underway but it's a big weight off my mind."

Volt has posed:
"Ahh, yeah, that's good!" Drake scoots a little closer to her, enough so that they're side to side. "I remember that being a concern of yours. Do you know where they'll even be going? Will they be coming here? It's kind've a mixed bag, and-" He abruptly halts. "Oh crap, does that mean I'd be meeting your parents?" Eyes are suddenly widened to saucer-like proportions, with his pupils shrinking.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Maybe," Shannon replies, nibbling on some more onion rings. "I think they're coming to New York state, though just where they'll land, they haven't said. Salem Center might be a little close for comfort, but maybe Bushwick or one of the other surrounding cities.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley swallows audibly at the information. "Should I be nervous? Because I mean, you /are/ a little younger than me. I don't want'em to think I'm a creep or anything!" He glances nervously back at the restaurant interior before refocusing on the blonde.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon shakes her head, and smiles. "It's not going to be that way for a whole lot longer. Besides, by the time they get things together to move up here, we'll be in the home stretch anyways." Looking up at him, her eyes gleam with warmth, her smile softening her whole expression still further. "I don't think I've ever met someone more a gentleman than you. Someone so kind, so caring, funny and sweet, and someone who brings out the best in me."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley exhales a gentle, breezy sigh. Then, as she continues to speak, his own smile softens. "Come on.. really?" He tips his head towards her, aiming a soft kiss for her temple. "I really seem like all that..? Because you're still the nicest, most thoughtful person..." He leans back into his chair again, burger set down and focus purely centered on her. "That's been consistent since the day I met you at the mall."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's cheeks flush a light, rosy pink, her smile widening. "I wish you could see yourself the way I do. Maybe someday you will." Her food is forgotten for the moment as her focus remains entirely on him. "I thought being able to care for someone like you was something I'd only ever get to hear about in fairy tales. Then I actually met you."