11718/Hot Dogs and Hot Cars

Hot Dogs and Hot Cars
Date of Scene:	03 July 2020
Location:	Frontyard - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	The holiday weekend starts with car washes and cookouts.
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Nightingale, SpyderByte, Cannonball, Beast, Warpath, Gambit

---

Phoenix has posed:
High summer and a holiday weekend. The school is partly empty with many students who have understanding family either having gone home for the summer or just for a long weekend for those with summer courses to return to. It leaves the remaining residents with a fair bit of quiet free time to occupy themselves.

For one of those rare times, the headmistress isn't in her office and actually taking the opportunity to get some sun and take care of some neglected chores. She's out in the driveway with her vintage Malibu, the red-gold-green chameleon paint partly obscured by soap. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail and she's got on black shorts and an ivory and cerulean striped tank top. Nothing fancy with dirt, soap, and car polish afoot. There's a radio playing nearby, one of the local stations that plays your basic 'today's hits' to serve as background noise.

Nightingale has posed:
     Holiday weekend and understanding family notwithstanding, Shannon was still at the mansion. She's got on a black one-piece swimsuit with a low back, and a colorful hot pink batik sarong wrapped around her waist, and her favorite daisy toe flip-flops. Her arms full of a platter full of food for grilling. She does seem to be carrying most of the weight with her right arm, keeping her wings positioned just so to hide her shoulders--mostly. She's calling out to someone just behind her. "Come on, Jeremy. No bears out here, I promise! Just unplug for a /little/ while? There'll be some good food cooking...." Indeed, she'd managed to drag the grill out onto the front lawn from its storage in the garage, and is making her way over to it even now.

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a loud sigh from inside as Jeremy peeks his head out. He gives a quick glance around, then shuffles outside. He's barefoot, wearing a thick oversized black hoodie and a pair of black bondage pants. His hood is pulled up over his head and he has a choke collar on. "F-Ff-Fine." He stammers out, giving a few blinks as the sun hits him in the face. "Ow." He's a vampire at this point. The sun burns! He's going to turn to dust!

As he trudges after Shannon like a faithful puppy, he glances over towards Jean and lifts a hand out from his oversized sleeve, giving her a wave. "N-Ni-Nnn... Nice c-c-car."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie comes driving up in his station wagon. Seems he has been out checking out something. IT seems to be loaded up with boxes and bags. He will slow down not to get dust or what not on Jean's care as he passes it.

Phoenix has posed:
The classic scene of a hot chick washing a car is utterly ruined the second anyone would get close enough to her to realize Jean is grumbling to herself while being engaged in a particularly heated battle with the residue from a very bold avian. "I swear, if I find this bird I'm going to nugget the little sh--" Oh look, students. The woman looks over to the appearance of chef Shannon and a wild Jeremy out of his natural element.

"Hey guys." She calls over with a grin as she squeezes a bit more soap onto the offending spot and lets it soak. "Thanks, Jeremy. Figured it was high time I gave her a proper scrub while the weather is decent. Need a hand, Shannon?" She raises one of her own hands then to wave towards the approaching Sam as he passes by.

Nightingale has posed:
     Balancing the tray on her right hip, Shannon rolls her left shoulder very, very slightly, and flinches. "Heh. Your car fought the birds and the birds won, miss Grey? Yeah, could definitely use a little help with this tray... that'd be awesome, thank you!" The cry of pain from Jeremy has her turning about, her brows furrowed with concern. "You okay there?" As Sam pulls up in the station wagon, she smiles, wiggling her right wing at him in a little wave.

SpyderByte has posed:
"M'fine. Sun is hot." Jeremy mumbles to himself as he rubs at his eyes, then tugs his hood down farther over his head. His bare feet plod along the concrete, giving a few hops at how hot it is, making his way into the grass with a sigh of relief. His eyes track back over to soaking wet Jean, the hot car, then back towards the woman. His cheeks flush a bit and he clamps down on his thoughts. She's a telepath! But, he's a dumb teenager. As quick as the naughty thoughts flash through his mind, swiftly thoughts of guilt and embarrassment follows suit. It's enough to cause him to crumple up a bit into himself as he finds a tree to rest against in the shade.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will find a place to park near the garage, and moves to start unloading the car. He sets the boxes out beside the car. The boxes and bags all have one of the local music stores labels on the, Seems Sam was sent on an errand to pick up some things.

Phoenix has posed:
The tray in Shannon's hand suddenly becomes light as a feather as its wrapped in pink light and hovered free of her hands. Hey, Jean has soap on her actual hands and that doesn't mix with food. The side tray of the grill pops up in a similar halo and is locked into place before the food tray is settled down as gently and neatly as an egg. "Birds are the bane of my existence some days."

"Sun's going down in a bit, so it should be cooling off some. Hopefully." If she's aware of Jeremy's thoughts - poor kid - she makes no indication of it. But then she's probably been used to such thoughts since she first stepped through the gates. At some point it's just gotta become part of the background noise and passes out of her notice. Teenagers are exhausting, even the ones well above legal drinking age.

"Heya Sam. Restocking the music room?" She asks of him as she spies the boxes before adding with a sponge-handed gesture towards bucket and hose. "While I have all this stuff out, your car need washed?"

Nightingale has posed:
     A warm smile is sent Jean's way, as Shannon steps up to the grill. All the necessary bits and bobs are there, and the food looks good already. There's burgers, hot dogs, corn for grilling, some beef shishkabobs, and even some large portabello mushroom caps for a vegetarian option should anyone need or wish it. Flicking her hair out of the way, she lights the grill and closes the lid, to let it come up to temperature. "Thanks, miss Grey. I think Mr. McCoy would have a fit if I popped my stitches carrying that. But it was just too beautiful out to /not/ bust out the grill."

     She looks relieved as Jeremy manages to find some shade, especially in that heavy hoodie of his. Well, at least he'd let himself be dragged out, she mused. It was better than holing one's self up in one's dorm all day. "Hey," she calls out. Anybody want something cold to drink from the kitchen?"

SpyderByte has posed:
Pulling his hood back, Jeremy's black hair is a messy flop by now. Shaggy and desperate need of a trim. As he leans against the tree, he pats himself down a bit to search for his phone, but doesn't find it on him. There is a look of panic across his face, his thoughts suddenly becoming terrified and filled with anxiety. He pats himself down a few more times. Anything? Nothing? He has no connection to the signals!

He stares off into space for a long moment, eyes glazing over, that is until he hears Shannon's voice warbling in the background, as if she was underwater and muffled. "What?" He rasps out as he gives a few blinks, then reaches up to brush his hand against his eyes. "Uh.. W-wuh.. waaater." His voice stammers out. His hand pats his pockets again for a fifth time, as if he wasn't convinced he left his phone behind in his room.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods a bit and says "Got the ones Alexis ordered but also some broken and damaged ones. Not sure which ones she can fix, or might want to use to show how they work internally." He does pull a box out of the back that has older instruments in it, and hmms "Jeremy, you ever tried playing anything?"

Phoenix has posed:
"If you ruin his surgical handiwork I'm not saving you from his wrath." Jean waggles the sponge at Shannon before answering while picking up the hose, "Water's good for me too. There's a fridge in the back of the garage that should have some water in it. You may have to look behind the beer, though. It's one of his many caches." And does she really need to elaborate on who?

She may not have given indication she knew Jeremy's thoughts before, but his current emotions do have her turning her head to look at him. << If you need to go look for it, go ahead. We'll be out here. >> She reassures him privately, her tone simple, calm, and understanding.

Turning her eyes back towards Sam, she says, "Not a bad idea, actually. Teach them how to actually take care of equipment and try to fix it on something that didn't cost a lot of money. Just make sure someone tosses a receipt on my desk so I can get it accounted for, no hurry."

Nightingale has posed:
     Craning her neck at the talk of music and instruments, Shannon just hmmms softly. Some of that sounded like it could be fun, and hey, if some of those instruments needed a little love, so much the better! "Okay, two for water. Be right back." She offers a reassuring, somewhat proud smile at Jeremy, nodding towards him as she scurries into the garage. He was doing well so far, unplugging for at least a few minutes. Baby steps!

SpyderByte has posed:
Jerking his head upwards at the voice in his head, Jeremy glances over to Jean for a moment, his cheeks burning brighter. For multiple reasons. He glances away from her, feeling slightly ashamed now as he twirls his fingers a bit.

At Sam's question, he gives a brief shake of his head. "No." He rasps out. He stares down at his twined hands for a moment, then pushes himself up to his feet. He pats himself down again, shoving his hands into his pockets, searching, coming up empty. With a heavy breath, he starts back into the house, a bit quickly on his bare feet along the hot concrete.

Beast has posed:
Someone's about to start grilling. Hank McCoy's superior sense of smell has alerted him to this development. This has lead to him emerging from the mansion proper to conduct an investigation.

The bright blue genius strides out the front door and onto the lawn, following his nose. He's dressed in a favorite Hawaiian shirt, shorts, socks and sandals. Very put together. As he closes in on the group he lifts a big ol' hand towards them in a wave. As Jeremy passes by Hank greets him warmly, "Good evening, Jeremy!" Then he sights in on Jean and Sam, "And how are you doing, my friends?"

Warpath has posed:
     Walking out from the front door, Warpath starts towards the main yard. There is a gathering of people out here and he considers them a moment. Seeing Jeremy running on hot concrete towards him, Jimmy takes a side step without breaking his stride. He turns a glance towards Beast and nods,"Hank." his low, rumbling voice comments in a surprisingly soft tone.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says "Sure if your washing cars, will take the free car wash." He smiles a bit at this and waves to Hank and James "Hey guys." He tells the new arrival "You might find messing with a synthesizer interesting, with your abilities, you could probably get more out of one than most people.

Phoenix has posed:
"Hey guys!" Jean calls over towards an arriving Hank and James as she begins to wash the soap off her car, slowly revealing the shifting paint that gleams cherry, emerald, or bronze-gold depending on how the sun is hitting it. "Just taking advantage of the sun, what's left of it for the day anyway. Your's is up next then, Sam."

To the arriving gentlemen, the woman adds, "Shannon's just getting the grill started, went into the garage to snag water. So she'll be back out in a second."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon emerges some minutes later from the garage with several bottles of cold water bundled up in her arms. Or rather, her right arm, mostly. She's still babying the left one, not at all inclined to risk Mr. McCoy's wrath! As she looks around to find Jeremy and give him his water, he is skittering back inside. She just shakes her head slightly and smiles, making a mental note to save some water for him.

     "Here you go, miss Grey! Anyone else?" Oh, my. Speak of the blue devil and he shows his... Hawaiian shirt? The winged teen bursts out giggling, shaking her head. Never let it be said the man wasn't brave! "Hi there, Mr. McCoy!" she chimes out, extending her right wing in a wave. That smile is offered to Warpath as well, as she brings the remaining bottles of water over to the grill, setting them near the plate of goodies. "Hi, Mr. Proudstar. Got plenty of goodies if anyone's hungry?"

SpyderByte has posed:
The lanky form of Jeremy, covered in a thick black hoodie and black bondage jeans races past Hank and James and into the house. There is a light 'Hi' that slips past him on the way through. He's going to at least put some socks and shoes on once he gets back to his room. He'll have to answer Sam later when he gets back. Weird goth kid.

Beast has posed:
"Hello," Hank replies to James with a smile at his coworker. "I have been summoned by the scent of the grill heating up." Inhaling deeply through his nose he goes on, "Corn, burgers, mushrooms. Some very thoughtful person is apparently prepared to feed the residents of the mansion some very delectable delights this evening." When Jean says who the grill operator is McCoy chuckles, "Ah. I should have known. Such a thoughtful person, she is. Always feeding people."

Looking towards Sam the PhD asks, "Do you know if we need a theremin? I recently read about how to build one and I think I could make some time to assemble one if there's any interest."

Shannon's arrival is greeting with a grin, "Hello, Shannon. Thank you for thoughtfully preparing this feast!" There's a gesture that encompasses everything by the grill.

Warpath has posed:

     Looking over those gathered, Jimmy nods towards Jean's greeting. He walks in the general direction of the gathering. He nods to Hank's assessment,"I could smell it coming up from the basement." His attention goes towards Shannon's greeting as well,"Hello Shannon. It's a talent you have, knowing when people are going to gather and need to eat."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and looks over to the others and says "Be right back." He looks over to Hank "Jeremy might find it interesting, not sure if Alexis has worked with one or not." He adds before starting to take the instruments into the house.

Phoenix has posed:
"Thank you, Shannon." Jean says as she collects up the bottle, jamming it in the side pocket of her shorts for now until she gets the soap clear which only takes another few minutes. Then it's on to the chamois to dry it off in a race to beat water marks as the remains evaporate.

"Aaaah, I see how it is. I put out an email that I need some help renovating the older dorm rooms and its crickets. Fire up the grill and you all crawl out of the polished antique woodwork." Teases the redhead towards the new arrivals.

Nightingale has posed:
     "You know, miss Grey, maybe if you need help with an e-mail like that, you could put it out there that I'd be willing to cook up some goodies for after," Shannon offers, giggling softly. "'cause you're right, for some reason it brings people out of hiding. Dunno why." The grill is opened and some of the meat laid onto the racks with a tempting sizzle, and savory, spicy aromas filling the air. "I mean, come on, we all know Mr. McCoy's the real pit master around here."

     Both the aforementioned phuzzy physician and Warpath get a smile, and a salute with the tongs. "The one universal thing through many a culture is food. Sharing it is friendship, so it works." Sam's retreat has her calling out, chortling. "Oi, I hope you're coming back out here for some good eats and a hug, big brother!"

SpyderByte has posed:
The weirdo goth computer nerd finally comes back outside. The hoodie is gone! But, he's wearing a long sleeved black shirt with a NIN logo in the middle. He is clutching his phone in one hand and his laptop bag is over his shoulders. He's come fully prepared for a BBQ proper in the front yard now. He also has his shoes on.

As he angles back for his tree, he inches down into the shade, then takes his laptop out of his bag. He clutches it to his chest for a moment before he scoots his back up against the tree. Opening the lid, he starts to tap along the glowing green keys once the computer lights up.

Beast has posed:
"I shall ask if he's ever experimented with one, in that case. If not, we'll certainly need one for him to try," Hank says, sounding quite sure of himself. Or maybe he's just looking for a new project. Regardless, there will probably be one weird ass instrument around the mansion soon enough.

With a chuckle he says to Jean, "Email? You need to contact me on the gram. Hashtag big blue beast. Hashtag work smarter not harder." There's a very good chance he's outside of his element with this conversation, but fake it 'til you make it.

Shannon get a half bow, "You do me a great honor, my young pupil. While I'm adept at grilling I run into issues involving hairnets the size of the tools found aboard fishing trawlers."

Warpath has posed:
     Walking over to the grill, Jimmy considers the meats being cooked and nods approvingly. He looks at Hank with a smirk he can't suppress at the mention of the big, blue furry one being the pitmaster. That will put thoughts through his head for a while.
     After that he meanders toward Jean to speak with her once she has a free moment. Nothing pressing and even if it were, he's not seeiming too concerned right now.

Phoenix has posed:
"Stop speaking in tongues, Hank. You'll scare the children." Jean rags on the blue doctor further as she finishes drying off the car. Polish waits for another time as she hoists bucket and hose and heads over to Sam's errand wagon. "And welcome back, Jeremy. Shannon has your water if you still wanted."

As she begins to soak down the station wagon, she takes note of the approaching Jimmy and shoots him a grin. "Hey, what's up? Looks like you have something on her mind."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie comes back after a few and does offer a hug to Shannon. He looks over to James, and says "Want to talk to you and Logan about a possible hunting trip later in the year, maybe get a bit of meat for the freezers, for those who need it or at least willing to eat it.

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau comes walking over from the direction of the boat house, a large ooler hoisted on one shoulder and a slight grin on his face. He's dressed in a pair of blue jeans that have had the legs ripped off just below the knees and a t-shirt that says "I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, and you can't prove it anyway." He sets the cooler down and says "So Ah looked ovah 'ere an' saw dat yah Lil party needed a bit more Remy. So bein' De gentlemanly sort Ah t'ought Ah'd oblige."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just facepalms as she listens to Mr. McCoy. "Hashtags are more for Twitter." It seems at least one student wasn't scared off by the strange language which the cerulean master of medicine was speaking. She hugs Sam right back, with her right arm only for the time being, and grins. "That's better. Did you really think you were going to escape without that?"

     Water is passed around amongst everyone who hasn't had any yet, Jeremy among them. She just offers him a smile and a thumbs up as she makes her way on over. "You know," she offers. "It could be fun to try playing an instrument. You've got a real eye for patterns, I bet you'd be good at it."

     Remy gets a wave and a smile as she heads back over to the grill to tend to the feast. "Of course, always being a gentleman. The fact that there's food cooking out here had absolutely nothing to do with it, right?" Right!

     And somewhere, there was seaside property in the Sahara for sale....

SpyderByte has posed:
Taking the water, Jeremy pops the cap off quickly, then takes a quick chug of it. He's still sweltering from earlier. Giving Shannon a grateful smile, he glances back down at his computer. "I-I-I d-don't know if I-I-I c-can do Mmm-Mew-Music. Not c-c-c-rea-aat-tive."

His fingers whip along the keyboard quickly as he barely glances upwards to them as he speaks in his normal stutter. "I c-c-could p-pressss b-b-buttons for you."

Phoenix has posed:
Speaking of folks crawling from the woodwork at the smell of food. "Hello, Remy, good to see you." Jean calls over to the Cajun pleasantly with a smile and a salute of the hose in her hand. It's then set down and exchanged for soap and a sponge to start washing down Sam's car while giving James a quick nod at mention of talking later on before he diverts for a less damp location. "Sam, if I run into Logan before you do, I'll send him your way."

"No harm in giving an instrument a try, Jeremy. Plenty run on computers these days. I'd be interested to know if an instrument would understand how to make music on its own or in direct collaboration, versus just being directed by the musician. I guess I never really thought much about non-AI systems kind of thinking for themselves, in a way, until we'd been talking in the Danger Room."

Gambit has posed:
Remy LeBeau grins guilelessly, an effect that is onsiderably lessened by those demoni red-on-black eyes. "Well Ah'll admit it may 'ave jus' 'ad a tiny part in mah decision ta wander ovah and socialize. But Ah did bring drinks, non?" He opens the cooler to reveal beers and sodas floating in IE water. He reaches inside and withdraws jar of clear liquid. "'Ey Sam, catch. " He tosses the jar gently and says" Piked dat up from a cousin of mine. Don' ask questions, but befoh yah try sampling it, make sure yah ain' got no plans foh early De next morning non? "

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will catch the jar, and will open it to take a small small, and the smallest of sips, and "Ok, thats a strong one." He will close it back up looking into the jar as he holds it up.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shaking her head as the hooch is handed over to Sam by Remy, she rolls her eyes. "Really glad I can't drink yet... or shouldn't, anyways." Would that prevent her from cooking with the stuff? Who knows! "Okay, so who wants what? We've got burgers, franks, corn, beef kabobs, and some portabello mushroom caps if we've got any vegetarians among us..."

Phoenix has posed:
"I'm fairly certain if I breathe deep enough I'd smell that from here." Jean says as she finishes the car's scrub-down and moves onto to the rinsing stage, though not without first pausing to pull the water bottle from her pocket for a drink. "Just don't get it too close to my car, the fumes might bubble the paint."

As Shannon inquires about menu choices, the headmistress calls over, "I haven't had a kabob in ages. Sign me up. Make it too, so I can try and shove some food in Scott. He's been holed up reviewing VODs all afternoon and I'm pretty certain he forgot to eat again."

Gambit has posed:
The drink doesn't have much of a smell, tastes like green Jolly Ranchers.. And burns like it ould take the rust off a bumper The Cajun smirks just a bit at the reactions from his little gift. To Shannon he just grins a bit and says "Ah'll take one or two of dem burgers if it not too much trouble. He takes an Orange Crush out of the cooler and offers it to the winged one in exchange.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and says "Fix me a couple burgers, and an extra for Alexis, taking food to the better half is a smart idea." He looks over and says "Thanks for the idea Jean."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon rolls her eyes and tosses a couple kabobs and a few burgers onto the grill, chuckling. "Sheesh. He sounds as bad as Mr. McCoy, forgetting to eat." A dubious glance is given to the bottle Sam is sipping from, and she shivers a bit. "So, question of the day. What's the plan for tomorrow? Anything special going on for the Fourth?"

Phoenix has posed:
"Anytime, Sam." Jean says pleasantly as rinsing is completes and drying of the vehicle begins. "Love isn't all flowers and candy. Sometimes it's reminding them they haven't eaten in twelve hours." It's not long before she's got the Guthrie wagon cleaned and dry. "Alright, she's all good to go. Scuse me, going to clean all of this up." And so she does, heading into the garage to turn off the water and begin draining hoses and buckets.