11751/Summer Days. Summer Nights. Scott is on the grill.

Summer Days. Summer Nights. Scott is on the grill.
Date of Scene:	09 July 2020
Location:	Breakstone Lake - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	X-Folks gather at the lake to barbecue and help Shannon deal with some heavy feelings. A great deal of food is consumed.
Cast of Characters:	Cyclops, Nightingale, Beast, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Cannonball, Warpath

---

Cyclops has posed:
It's a hot one out tonight and Scott and Jean are out by the lake today on one of the BBQ grills with multiple blankets set up with fruit salads, normal salads (Yuck), sodas, water, and beers in a cooler. If it belongs at a picnic, it is mostly likely set up.

The team leader is shirtless and wearing a pair of blue, green and purple striped swim trunks along with his ruby quartz Raybans. He's at the grill which has a number of burgers, dogs and chickens on it, roasting away. The smell is delicious, like the call of a siren for hungry stomachs. A radio is set up nearby, blasting away some current tunes of rock and pop mixes.

"Jean, you want your burgers medium or well or still mooing?" He asks the red head with a lofty grin.

Nightingale has posed:
     While many of the salads had been made the night before by the mansion's resident budding chef, for the moment she is not immediately in sight despite the siren's song of savory smells seducing the senses. What could have happened? This is where the young woman was usually in her element!

     Just a little ways down the lake shore, there is a cocoon of snowy white feathers, hunched up and shivering, and radiating the most awful mixture of anger, embarrassment, and sorrow. Oh, dear.

Beast has posed:
Scott knows how to get Hank out of the mansion. That's with grilling delicious meat! Hank makes his way over towards the lake. Like Scott, he's going shirtless, just wearing a pair of his sciencing shorts. Unlike Scott, Hank is fur covered so he doesn't need to worry about sun burn.

As he gets closer to where his friends are set up he pauses as his nose catches a particular scent. Shannon's around, too. Beast frowns faintly as he tries to spot her, eventually locating the young woman. But she seems to need her privacy, hopefully the PhD didn't do anything to necessitate that.

Giving her some space he continues on his quest for grilled food, striding up to Scott and Jean with a smile on his face, "Good evening, my friends."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    BAMF!

    The smell of fire and brimstone fills the air as Kurt Wagner teleports into the area by the lake, sitting in the bough of a tree, wearing Bermuda shorts in khaki and an unusually bright pink t-shirt, festooned with little white palm trees. He swings, hanging upside-down as his tail curls around a handy bough, and faces Scott and Hank.

    "Good evening!" the German mutant cheerily greets the group. "Aaah, I thought I smelled something cooking!" -- but like McCoy, he spots the miserable, shuddering, embarrassed coccoon of feathers, and his head tilts a moment.

    "... did something happen?"

Phoenix has posed:
Summer sun incarnate, that's Jean. Red hair hangs loose and still damp over a long line crimson bikini top with laced sides with matching swim shorts marked with broad copper chevrons. She's making her way from where she was sitting on the shore and over towards where Scott is cooking, grimacing faintly at mention of protesting patties.

"Medium's good. Flavor, not fight." She says to him before giving a wave towards the blue doctor as he comes in. "Hello, Hank! Glad you could come out." Further niceties are briefly pauses as the emotions oozing off Shannon earns a covert sidelong look from Jean. There's a quiet noise of consideration from the empath, but the whoosh of sulfur has her looking back. There's a soft shrug in response towards Kurt before she looks to her fellow old timers.

Cyclops has posed:
"Hey Hank! Kurt." Scott calls over as he lifts his hand holding the metal spatula. He waves them over with a grin. "Come on over. I got bored and figured I'd put the grill to work since we're having this nice weather." He may not have all the fur, he's at least covered himself in SPF to ward the sun from murdering him. "We don't have many days left until school starts up again and I figured this would be a good way of enjoying ourselves with some much needed down time.

He leans in and bumps Jean on the shoulder gently, giving her a warm smile. "Not sure where Logan is at. Figured he'd be the first out here." He says with a knowing grin before he flips the burgers on the grill, then goes about turning the chickens over next. The hot dogs are coming off and on to a plate sinc ethey are the easiest to cook.

As he hears Jean, he tilts his head and glances off to where she's looking. "She okay?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Yeah, no. There's no question that something is off here. Worse, when Mr. McCoy is lured out by the sheer summer sorcery of grilled goodies, Shannon is /just/ looking up. She does something then that they never see.

     She flinches.

     Curling up even more tightly now, her head dips back beneath the leading edges of her wings, trying to shut out the world for the moment. What could have ruffled the usually implacable young healer's feathers, when normally she walked where even angels feared to tread?

Beast has posed:
Looking up at Kurt, Hank gives his friend a wave in greeting, then follows the smaller blue guy's look towards Shannon. McCoy takes a deep breath and starts to explain, "She was actually playing wing man for me earlier today when I took Sandy to the club. Rather... Well, Shannon did everything right. I'd rather not discuss what happened until I've had time to digest it and a bite to eat. Maybe a few wine coolers."

Hank gets right to work fixing himself something to eat, going for the hot dogs since those are already ready already. Bun, mustard, pickle relish, mustard hot dog. Then it's devoured almost instantly. "Very good, Scott. Hebrew Nationals, right? They're my favorite." He must pace himself from there on out, lest he eat all the food. Also, he needs a drink, so he moves off to fetch one for himself, "Would anyone like something from the cooler?"

His gaze travels towards Shannon again and he lets out a deep sigh.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Where even angels feared to tread? Well. Kurt has some experience in that department. He gives a soft hum sound, and grabbing two bottles of water betwixed his fingers, he 'bamfs' again, and returns into being near Shannon, pink shirt and all, and crouches down to ovver one of the bottles to the winged girl.

    "Ich würde Penny fragen, was Sie dachten, aber es würde Sie kurz verkaufen..." he begins, a sympathetic look to his face.

Phoenix has posed:
Those green eyes of Jean regard Hank closely as it becomes clear he's well aware of what's going on. There's no hint of her poking and proding, though. She's no doubt curious as hell and concerned given the pull at the corners of her mouth, but she's respects the space of one of her oldest friends. "Alright." She murmurs. "Just, let me know if it's something I need to address, okay? I don't like seeing students - or friends - upset. Or feeling it, for that matter. ...and sure, I'll take one." Sounds like she may need it before the day is up.

Letting out a breath, she looks back towards Scott then with a shrug and belatedly addresses the missing Canadian. "You know him. Some days, he keeps to himself. I can't believe summer is half over already." She says with a sigh as she looks over towards the mansion in the distance. "I always thought it went fast when I was a kid. It's worse now, I think."

Nightingale has posed:
     With a hitch in her breath, Shannon looks up, peering over at Kurt. He had a way of somehow getting her to talk, when all she wanted to do was just curl up and hide under the nearest rock. She has to stop and think, translating his words into English, before thinking out a reply in German. Her words are halting, but at least her pronunciation has improved over her time here.

     "Erinnern Sie mich daran, nie wieder Liebeslieder zu spielen, Herr Wagner. Jetzt furchte ich, Herr McCoy wird sein Gluck verlieren." Tears are streaming down the young woman's face, her shoulders hunched and her wings still wrapped tightly around her. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Mr. McCoy, and... and then this. BUMSEN, I could cheerfully slap Alice for the stunt she pulled! I just wanted to play him and miss Sandy a couple nice songs, get them out dancing, have a nice moment or two and that was it. But Alice... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR."

Beast has posed:
With a drink in each hand Hank returns to give one over to Jean. He looks at his friend seriously for a moment and says, "Someone played a rather unfunny joke on me while I was dancing with Sandy. They handed me a small box, which in my curiosity I opened. It contained a ring. Sandy grew concerned immediately and I must have said something wrong to add insult to injury. We ended up leaving almost immediately after that. Shannon was deeply affected."

He looks over towards where she and Kurt are talking, frowning before he cracks open his drink to take a swig. "I feel quite terrible now. I wish I could do something to help her, but I'm not certain she wants to deal with me at the present."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Tch, who taught you such awful language?" Kurt counters, in English, and he gives a soft hum sound as he crouches nearby the winged singer, and gives a small nod. "Well. I would not prohibit you from singing love songs, because many beautiful songs are written about love, and why would I limit your voice?" he offers as a joke, and reaches over and very, very gently -- if he's allowed -- lays his hand on one wing in leiu of her shoulder.

    "I am sure McCoy does not blame you for any lack of luck. I can understand being upset on his behalf. I may be as well! Hopefully, Alice learns a lesson in not playing with heart strings." he states gently, and leans over to try and get a clearler look at Shannon's face. "You shared a thing of beauty with them. Alice's actions are her own. Do not carry a weight that is not yours to bear, ja?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie comes up to the shore in a small flat bottom boat, and once gets about knee deep water, will get out and start to pull the boat up on shore some. Seems the Kentucky native has taken the day to get some fishing done, and with two medium sized coolers on the boat it is unsure how the day has been so far.

Cyclops has posed:
As he listens to Hank, Scott's brows furrow a bit. "Oh. I see. That is a solid misunderstanding." He says as he flips the burgers on to a plate, followed by the chickens next. "So, she got the wrong idea, huh? I can see why that may be upsetting." He leans over to bump his shoulder against Jean's gently.

"But, I don't know why Shannon is blaming herself. Sounds like from what you said, she did nothing wrong." He tracks Kurt interacting with her for a moment before he lays on some more meat upon the grill, listening to it sizzle.

Phoenix has posed:
As Hank gives the short version of what happened, Jean's face twists into something that is equal parts horrified and furious. While her hand tightens on the bottle it remains mercifully intact. "That is not a joke." She says in a low voice just bordering on a growl, though Scott's gentle shoulder check stops it going that far. With meticulous care, she pulls in a deep breath through her nose and lets it out through her mouth. In, out. In, out. Emotions later, support now. "If she wasn't at fault, then silence may just make her feel like she is, or at the very least that you're upset at her. Kurt's talking to her now, but you should go say something to her. As a friend, not a teacher. We're all here to help smooth things over if you need."

The sounds of the approaching boat has Jean looking back towards the shore, though outside of a lifted hand in a wave she doesn't go bellowing a greeting from where she stands further upshore.

Nightingale has posed:
     "You did, in the medbay. You know, that one time Logan really chewed me out for winding up in there. You were getting something pulled out... something... Cherayafim? Like little red crystals?... and used the word liberally. Logan gave it context, and it didn't need translating after that." She almost smiles, but just barely. "Took me a few weeks after that to stop mixing it up with /Bunsen/ burners in science class."

     Kurt's hand is allowed to remain right where it is, the winged singer leaning over, and actually unfurling her wings enough for a hug. "Just wanted to see him happy. For a few minutes he was, and so was she. Wish you could've seen it. It was awesome. But Alice... I don't think she'd have tried the stunt she did, if I hadn't inspired her with the music first..."

Beast has posed:
"That's a good idea. I'll head over and let her know that it's not her fault at all," Hank says to his friends, giving them a rather restrained little smile. Then he heads towards the winged young woman, giving Sam a wave along the way. As he closes in on Shannon, Beast sees her hug Kurt and pauses to let her get her feelings out, just watching from the sidelines for the moment.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Giving her a hug, and gives another 'tch' sound. "You should not listen to my horrible German curse words. Horrible." he teases lightly, and he gently hugs on Shannon. "There you go, trying to carry the actions of others on your shoulders again," he states, drawing back and 'dusting off' her shoulder with one hand. "Ah, there. Much better. Her decision was her own, you need not carry its weight for her. Elsewise you might as well offer her rides between classes. And you would look very silly, wouldn't you?" he smiles, toothily.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will get the boat up on shore and then grabs one then the other cooler and luckily they have wheels on them. He starts dragging them over to the other "Hey Whats up, got a few fish if anyone wants we can throw them on the grill or wait for a proper fry of them later.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey pops the cap off of the wine cooler and takes a long drink, not coming up for air until it's half drained. She regards it with a sigh, then reaches out a hand to call another out of the cooler with a pop-thump of the lid opening and closing.

"Heya, Sam." She says over to the arriving fisher as he comes up on shore with the coolers. "I'm sure there's some room for them, just scoot aside some of the hot dogs. You know food around here always gets eaten, no matter how much of it there is."

Cyclops has posed:
Placing a hand on Jean's shoulder, Scott gives it a squeeze. He watches Hank head off towards Shannon and Kurt, then looks to Sam. "Hey there, Sam. Come on over for some food. I can work on the fish." He says as he reaches for a beer to take a drink from it. "How're you doing? Out on the lake long?"

Beast has posed:
"Hey Kurt, hey Shannon," Hank greets his friends with as warm a tone as he can muster. He'd considered joining in in German, but he's not as good at sharing his feelings in that as he is in English. "How are you doing?" Approaching the pair he offers them a smile, "Shannon, I wanted to thank you for singing so beautifully this afternoon. It was wonderful and really helped set the mood. I truly appreciate it."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon glances up, almost flinching again as she saw Mr. McCoy approaching. Crap. This was not something she'd wanted to face just yet. However, his next words stop any reply she might have considered making, just staring at him, then Kurt, then all the others there, and back at the big blue scientist. If he does not step aside or brush her away, she is on her feet, albeit a bit shakily, wrapping arms and wings as far as she is able to around him in a hug. "You're welcome. That's all I wanted for you two. Just... a few minutes to be happy. Just for a little while..."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "There, see? No reason to carry it, bitte." Kurt states comfortingly to Shannon, and he stands, drawing himself into a sttreeetttch, and then claps Hank on the shoulder, tagging the other azure member of the X-Men Old Guard in as he goes to investigate Scott's grilling.

    "'Allo, Sam, were the fish biting today?" he greets the Kentuckian, before reaching for a hotdog with one hand and the mustard with his tail.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Was out for a few hours, got some nice bass, and some crapee, should be good for both grill and fry." He looks over offering one cooler to Scott, and opens the other pulling out a bottle of unlabled beer.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey finishes the one bottle in her hand and hovers it over to the designated recycle bin in a soft nimbus of pink light along with the cap of the second bottle. Her eyes travel back towards the blue-surrounded angel and she does seem to relax slightly as things seem to be smoothing over. While they all talk, she turns to keep herself busy helping Scott move food from grill to spread. "We have some room here, Sam, if you want to toss a few fish on."

Beast has posed:
"You are an amazing person, Shannon, and your singing made Sandy and I incredibly happy, it was one of the most romantic things I've ever experienced," Hank says to his young friend as he squeezes her back with his own hug. Kurt is given a smile and a friendly wink.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Danke, Herr Wagner." Kurt is given one more hug before he moves off, Shannon's spirits lifted considerably. What had been a roiling mess of emotions has begun to die down to merely severe annoyance. Too, Mr. McCoy is given another hug, and if he heads to join the others by the grill, she allows herself to be led over in that direction as well.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Of course, Shannon!" Kurt states happily, now handling a hotdog while reaching for a burger as well -- Bamfing takes energy, after all!

    "SO. Now that it is settled -- tell me about your lady-friend, Hank?" he grins toothily again, willing to catch up on the gossip.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and offers Hank and Kurt one of the unmarked bottles and pulls one out that looks similiar but has a label on it. He holds that one out to Shannon label up so she can see it says Root Beer.

Beast has posed:
Yep, McCoy will offer his arm to Shannon before heading towards the grill, "We should grab you something to eat and drink." As he approaches the others he takes a bottle from Sam and says, "Thank you. Those fish look wonderful, my friend. I'm glad the lake is so bountiful."

Looking at Kurt, Hank grins, "Her name is Sandy. She's the most wonderful person. A nurse, an avid reader, kind, amazingly beautiful." The scientist is talking as though he's completely smitten. "We've been spending quite a lot of time together since we met. Being with her makes me incredibly happy."

He opens the bottle he'd been given and takes a sip, nodding his head appreciatively.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Kurt accepts the unmarked bottle as he sits on a picnic table bench, his tail holding the hamburger, a hotdog in one hand, the bottle in the other as he smiles.

    "It sounds like you are a most incredibly fortunate man, my friend. You deserve all the happiness in the world. We all do."

Warpath has posed:
     There is commotion at the lake. Well, less commotion and more a gathering if voices. Though he's been off the grounds for a while, Jimmy takes a moment to walk out to see what is going on. Not really the joiner so much, just wondering.

     Noting those gathered he nods once and makes his way over to where they are together. Anyone looking his way gets a polite nod and a typical deep toned greeting of,"Hello."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon cracks a bit of a smile, drawing Sam in for a great big hug before making any move to accept the bottle. "You sure you're not the angel here, big brother?" she asks, cracking the top on the bottle and taking a long swig. Even a hand across her mouth doesn't quite muffle the resulting... roar, and a sheepish grin. Ahem. "Need some help with those fish?"

     Mr. Proudstar's entrance is noted, and greeted with something of a small smile, and one wing extended in lieu of a wave. "Hello there! Plenty of food to be had, come join in?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will reach into the cooler, and offers James a beer as well. He looks over to Shannon and says "Right now, lets have some of the ones Scott has cooking, ,and can help me cleaning the rest of them this evening for fried fished dinner for tommorrow." He tells her.

Beast has posed:
"Thank you, Kurt," Beast tells the other blue guy with a grin.

Warpath gets a wave, "James. How are you?"

Then Hank is fixing himself some more food. Grabbing a bun to load with a cheeseburger and a bunch of fixings and condiments. Once its assembled the PhD starts to eat. The sandwich does not last long. After that it's on to the fish as it comes off of the grill. This is consumed more delicately thanks to the bones involved. "This is wonderful."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Hallo James!" Kurt gives a wave from where he's perched on a bench, hoisting his bottle in welcome to Proudstar as he settles to tuck some food.

    "Ah, to be in love, the genter patter of the heart beating like a bird -- or I suppose, since you have the biggest heart of most any man I know, I suppose yours might be more... mm... rhinocerous? Perhaps bass drum?" Kurt gives a smile, gently teasing Hank.

Warpath has posed:
     Taking the offered beer, Jimmy nods to Sam,"Thank you." He favors Shannon with one of those weird expressions that doesn't crease his face very often. It's almost alien to see a smile that that is genuine. Oh, if they are training or something he smiles. It might be hard to decide which one is more unsettling.

     A nod to Beast and he replies,"I am well Hank. Life is rarely dull." He doesn't go furthur into that comment,"How are you tonight?" Turning his head towards Kurt he offers a wave before cracking the bottle cap off,"Hello Kurt." Broken record much? Man of few words, but he puts forth the effort now and then.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to the group and says "Am considering a bit of night fishing maybe see if I can add some catfish to the fry later tonight if anyone else is interested in fishing let me know.

Nightingale has posed:
     What might be unsettling to some only draws a smile from Shannon in kind. Sam gets a nod when he mentions cleaning fish for a fry the following day, entirely willing to share in that messy task. She grabs a plate and fills it up to the gills with fish, chicken, a burger, hot dogs, and a bit of each salad available. It all looked so good, and she'd forgotten to eat. "Hey, night fishing sounds fun. I'd be up for it if anyone else is?"

Beast has posed:
"Apatosaurus, probably," Hank corrects Kurt with a grin, unable to be serious at the moment.

Looking to James he says, "I'm well. Getting to spend time with my friends is always nice." More food goes in his mouth, the mutant consuming the fish carefully.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    That's all right. Kurt fills in for the words.

    "Night fishing? Hrm. Sounds moderately dangerous, out on the lake, in the dark, if only you had someone who could see in low light situations!" Kurt replies ruefully to Sam, "... though the last time I went fishing, I may have only caught Logan. Not a good thing to fish for."

Warpath has posed:
     There is amusement in his eyes at the mention of fishing for Logan. A shake of his head and the takes a drink of the beer,"You are right Hank. Time with friends and family doesn't happen enough." Not that he seems to be relaxing too much.

     Looking to Sam and Kurt he comments,"You could probably spear fish. Maybe up to your waist in the water. Safer than a boat in the dark. I'd still take someone with you anyway." See. Almost helpful. The plate Shannon puts together is impressive to say the least and he shakes his head,"Where does she put it?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and says "I think there was probably quite a few beers involved with that." He sips his and gets a bit of food for himself . Long as we aint noodling, course to be honest probably would not be far to the fish if we did." He chuckles

Nightingale has posed:
     "You try healing the way I do and see if you don't load up on the protein afterwards, Mr. Proudstar." Shannon's nibbling away, and indeed, it's no secret she volunteers regularly in the Wellness Office, assisting with minor injuries--but frequently enough to bump up her appetite. Too, she is a lot like Mr. McCoy, often forgetting to eat when in the midst of other tasks or her studies.

     "Heh. Fishing for Logan? That... must've been interesting. What bait did you use?"

Beast has posed:
"Pabst," Hanks says when Shannon asks about Logan bait, chuckling at his own lame joke.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "It goes into her wings. See, it is actually extra food storage. This bit here?" Kurt motions with his tail, pointing for emphasis at the top of one of Shannon's wings, "Purely for macaroni and cheese."

    "Mmm. I would say Molson and bacon would be better bait for Logans... then again, I don't think we could support more than one on campus at a time." Kurt gives a grin.

Warpath has posed:
     "The joys of your power being connected to your metabolism?" Jimmy comments to Shannon,"I think there are a lot of women in this world that would give anything to have your problems."

     Looking at Sam he nods,"I have no interst in noodling really. I know a lot of people that do, but you're right. There wouldn't be much sport in it." He looks to Kurt and nods in agreement,"A valid point."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Maybe in the savage land, but that would be about the only place. I have considered trying to do it a couple times just to get the skill down more as a survival skill for if needed. I mean I know how to hunt and normal fishing but might be good to know. Probably got room on the boat for 3 if we want to fish tonight.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well, then if these are extra food storage, Herr Wagner, I will either have to go to the gym, or spend a little extra time in the danger room training. As for Logan bait," Shannon adds, her eyes twinkling. "You could try venison, or some good beef."

     The teasing about food storage in her wings doesn't bother her a bit, the young woman spreading those feathery limbs wide, content to let them poke a little bit of good-natured fun. When it sounds like there might only be room for three in the boat, she purses her lips slightly. "Only three in the boat, but more of us that want to go. Is it possible we could go in two boats?"

Warpath has posed:
     Checking his phone, Jimmy shakes his head and mutters,"Learning to noodle is a good idea Sam. If you want to learn to spear fish let me know." Putting the phone away and building a quick and thick burger Jimmy comments,"For now I need to go get things ready for class in the morning." He takes the burger and beer and starts back the way he came in,"Good night all."