9441/Carousing in Caernarvon

Carousing in Caernarvon
Date of Scene:	05 October 2019
Location:	Caernarvon, Avalon
Synopsis:	Friends, old and new, enjoy an evening under the stars
Cast of Characters:	Captain Britain, Buffy Summers, Psylocke, Marvel Girl, Spawn, Swamp Thing

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Captain Britain has posed:
In an effort to boost public community, Caernarvon had decided to put on several outdoor events this month. One of which was a movie night, where a giant projector screen was set up in a public park, mimicking the drive in theatres that used to be so popular, though this was full of picnickers. It was early, with a public barbecue taking place beforehand.

Brian Braddock was there, and had invited a number of his friends and colleagues. It could be hard to make friends in a new city, so he was all for activities such as this. And yet, he was as stuffy as ever, wearing a crisp white dress shirt, a navy blue v-neck and armless jumper over top, and khaki trousers below. He was carrying a picnic basket, which had a blanket, tablecloth, and a few other odds and ends. Currently, he was in the queue to get a hot dog.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers was determined to have fun, and maybe unravel some of Brian's unptightness (is that even a word?).Anyways she was looking forward to meeting the other members of Excalibur and take a break from her slaying duties for once. Dressed in a cute plaid red skirt and white shirt, she somehow ends up looking less 'Strict private schoolgirl-ish' and more sexy-schoolgirl. She even carried some goodies to add to the picnic.

It's not hard to spot Brian and she smiles and waves to him. "Heeey! Over here!"

Psylocke has posed:
In line in front of Brian is a Japanese woman with long purple hair. Her hair is pulled up in a ponytail. She's quite athletic, a fact shown by the white tank top she is wearing with a pair of blue denim shorts. On her feet are a pair of purple trainers, only a hint of white sock visible.

At the cry from nearby, she turns her head to spot Buffy waving and yelling. She had seen images of Buffy in her brother's mind so she knew who it was, even without the exuberant greeting. "I believe that's for you," she says with an amused smile, looking back and up at her brother. "I'll get your hot dog for you. Go on." She waves him out of the line to go meet his friend.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel Grey has been told once or twice that she should try making friends. It's advice she doesn't always follow. But right now being at the school makes her restless. It reminds her too much of her own world, with the threat of Sentinels looming. So a picnic with movies after seems like a good distraction.

She doesn't exactly fit in with most of the cheerful crowds, in semi-destroyed black jeans, a black tank top, and a grey hoodie against the fall evening chill. But she's...sort of trying. Standing in line, at least.

Spawn has posed:
    Amongst the crowd gathered, some might not notice the loving family enjoying a bright sunny day out in public. A beautiful woman with her devoted husband, along with their daughter having a nice picnic, and laughing when their daughter tries to reach for the ducks who are swimming in the middle of a nearby pond, far away from human interaction.

    Aways from the family, sitting underneath the shade of a tree, a man in somewhat shabby clothing was sat. Long matted hair, bushy black beard, with black skin that was cracked in places from hard living under the sun, a man was sat a little bit aways from the activities, with his arms crossed. He was either sleeping or just resting, but behind what looked like closed eyelids, a pair of eyes were secretly watching everything intently. But more than anything, they were transfixed on the life he used to have, and the woman he forever longed for.

Captain Britain has posed:
Turning to spy Buffy after Betsy had mentioned her, even if he had heard the cries at the same time, he nodded his head politely, reached out to brush Betsy's elbow, "thanks Bets," and he began to head out of the queue, before turning and asked, "better make that two?" In the hopes that she'll get one for Buffy as well.

Then he made his way out of the line, bumping into Rachel as he walked backwards for a moment, "ups-a-daisy," yes, he did say that, "dreadfully sorry about that." And then he called out, "Bets, can you make it four?" And he pointed towards Rachel, "my sister's up the queue, hot dogs on me, well, here, anyway, sorry." And he moved on, not wanting to hold up Buffy any further.

When he finally did reach her, he grabbed at her waist, picking her up, and twirling, glad to see her after having had something of a bad day, which included snubs from no less than two of the people he felt closest to. "Hey there!"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers doesn't know Betsy, or Rachel, or the quiet man with the scruffy beard who sits under a nearby tree..Although she does notice the latter, and glances at him thoughtfully before she finds herself being swept up in Brian"s arms which causes her to laugh a bit, wrapping her arms around his chest, leaning in close to nuzzle her nose against his. "How you been? Feels like forever since I last saw you!"

Psylocke has posed:
"Four hotdogs. Great. Does he not realize how tall he is?" Betsy mutters to herself though loud enough to be heard by the people in line. Including Rachel. She glances to the other woman. "I apologize for...Rachel? I didn't expect to see you here. Please, join me." Shes only one spot away so the person in the middle isn't concerned they are getting 'skipped'.

"Looks like I'm going to need help with carrying everything anyway. If you don't mind, of course," she adds quickly with a smile to the younger woman.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"It's cool, nothing to-" Rachel starts to wave off Brian's apology when she follows his look over toward Betsy, brows rising in suprise. "Oh, hey," she greets the other woman, stepping around the next person in line with a brief, awkward smile. "I just kind of figured...nice, normal night out. Maybe there wouldn't even be any giant robots." She pauses for a moment, then quirks a brow. "You never struck me as the...picnic type," she says slowly.

Spawn has posed:
    Al was close enough, that he could hear the chattering of the group nearby. It's funny, he'd come here instantly to follow his old life, and now the pain of being near it was enough that he desperately wished for anything else just to escape it.

    And so, the shabby looking man rose from his spot, and ventured out into the daylight. Everything about him looked real enough, he looked like a genuine human being complete with a slouching stance and a limp in his step. Walking out into the middle of the group, he looked around before glancing over at Buffy directly. Those glassy black eyes is where the disguise felt a little off, if one looked at them a little too long they more resembled expert craftsmanship rather than organic life.

    "I remember you. Stop any more grave robbings lately?"

    His voice was deep. Really, really deep.

Captain Britain has posed:
"Far too long," Brian agrees, nuzzling his nose against Buffy's, "my sister's in the queue to get some hot dogs. Want to meet her?" It was a bit of a step to introduce a girl to family, but Brian didn't sound phased by it. Between the crowd, his sister, the accident with Rachel, he had yet to notice the scruffy looking man under the tree. But for now, he seemed harmless, so no need to do anything about it.

"She's getting hot dogs for us," he offers as an incentive, as if Buffy could say no, before adding, "I'd have asked for more than one hot dog, but I didn't want to put her out..." and then the man approached. That was a deep voice, a really deep voice. He looked to Buffy, taking a cue from her on how to react, as he didn't know the man. Was he someone Buffy had met previously, or was this just some kind of delusion on his part?

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers beams, all eyes on Brian and nothing else for the moment. "I know, I guess we've both got our busy lives but...It's good to see you again. I..Missed you." her tone softens, realizing she has an audience, reddening slightly.

"Oooh, your beloved sis, Miss Braddock, whom you've told me so much about?" she grins and winks, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes, "Would it be the hot chick with the stunning purple hair? I'd love to meet her, and your other friends!"

To be honest, Buff has never met his other team mates, but has heard plenty about them, especially Betsy. When 'Al' approaches them, she narrows her eyes, peering at him long and hard. "Who are you? Have we met before?" when he mentions the graveyard, she frowns softly, her demon sense tingling as she peers into his eyes a moment longer, letting go of Brian quickly as she focuses her attentions on the newcomer.

"Okaay..Maybe this sounds a bit creepy, but I've met a few graverobbers in my lifetime, care to narrow it down? Your face is unfamiliar, but your eyes....?" why do they seem so..So wrong, so off-kilter...So..So familiar, in a spine-tingling sort of way..?

Psylocke has posed:
That gets a laugh from Betsy, unaware of what's happening nearby as the stranger approaches Brian and Buffy. She is focused on Rachel. "I was feeling the same way, actually. Needing a nice normal night out after my visit to Florida." SHe doesn't elaborate. Too many people around with too many chances of overhearing why she was there. "So when Brian invited me, I couldn't resist. That's Brian." She pointed to the giant blond man who had walked away. "My brother. Twin actually. Yes, long story," she says by way of explanation for their difference in appearance. But looking toward Buffy and Brian, she picks up that shift in body language. "Hm. We may need to go join them sooner rather than later."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel nods to Betsy, though there's a hint of amusement in the arch of her brow. "Hey, I don't judge when it comes to families," she says dryly, though she pauses as she follows Betsy's eye over toward Brian and the others. "I don't guess they can handle whatever it is for long enough for us to get...distracting hot dogs?" she asks wistfully. Because...hot dogs.

Spawn has posed:
    Those eyes of his, as detailed as they are not real, seem to have difficulty displaying emotion, the pupils seemingly unable to shrink or expand. But when Buffy speaks, Al gives a grin.

    "Don't worry about it. Enjoy your day in the sunshine."

    With that, the man turned and limped away, making his way to somewhere secluded even if it took a while to find an alley or somewhere dark, dank and adequetely hidden. Once there, he'd be able to vanish deep into the jungle of the city.

Captain Britain has posed:
"We do, it is, I did too," Brian adds, agreeing with every point Buffy made, save for one. When she asks him about the hot chick with the stunning purple hair, he says, "I'll take your word for it that first part. She's my sister. But yeah, purple hair. It really narrows it down," he added as an afterthought without even a hint of sarcasm.

After the man left without much fanfare, Brian turned to Buffy, "that was... odd, even by Bludhaven standards." Shaking his head, and trying to shake the icy feeling he had, "come on, let me go introduce you."

Psylocke has posed:
As the man shuffled off, Betsy frowned a bit then shook her head dismissively. "Nevermind. I was mistaken." She glances back to Rachel again. "Where were we? I think it was four hotdogs. Although I want two personally. And Brian can eat at least three."

She eyes Buffy a moment. "Say one for her. She's small." She smirks a little then glances to Rachel again. "How many for one?" Only one person in the queue ahead of them now.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Three sounds good to me," Rachel muses, looking over toward the hot dogs. She watches as the man wanders away, but resists the urge to eavesdrop in other ways. Besides, there are still hot dogs on offer. Rachel's not one to turn down food.

She pushes her hands into her pockets, torn between watching the line move and watching Betsy's brother with his...girlfriend? "So...your brother. He's, uh. In the life, right?" she asks. Best not to assume these things, after all.

Swamp Thing has posed:
    From the ground, emerged a shape. Grassy and mossy, a fibrous skeleton around which green brown flesh wrapped and grafted. Those who have seen this shape in the past will likely recognize the creature after a few moments, but for those who have not yet witnessed him, it might be jarring at first.

    In times past he's been adorned with armor and antlers, wielding clubs and weapons of war, but at the minute it was just him, despite the eeriness of the shape, there was no hostility from the once-man. He looked up and around, those red eyes of his carefully observing and studying the ones here. He nodded in recognition of the Slayer, and from her, his eyes went to Brian, familiar through his relation to her. After many moments, the figure finally speaks.

    "A...gathering. I remember these, but have not seen one in...some time. Is this also a funeral?"

Captain Britain has posed:
Brian leads Buffy towards the end of the queue, but doesn't butt in, for fear of bothering someone further behind. Instead, he hangs back, giving just enough space for Betsy to answer Rachel's question. And then of course, Buffy's phone goes, some Scooby related emergency, or perhaps Willow, either way, she has to pull away and find a quiet place to talk. "Don't worry about it," Brian says as she excuses herself.

And then it happened, or he. Many people ran, others screamed, but Brian was stoic. "Uh, no, not a funeral." He regarded the creature with scientific curiosity, wanting to know what he was, how he worked, but of course, it possessed intelligence, so, Brian couldn't exactly dissect him to find out those secrets. "This is a social gathering."

Psylocke has posed:
"So we are looking at nine hot dogs. And I'll get drinks for everyone too. Hope everyone likes lemonade," Betsy adds with a shrug as she finally gets to the front of the line.

The guy there doesn't even blink at the number of hotdogs. He just calls out the order to the back and quickly takes her money. They are asked to step to the right for a minute while the order is prepared.

Which is when she sees Swamp Thing. It? Him? She's not quite sure what to make of this. Brian is ...talking to him? She frowns a bit and reaches out, trying to send out a telepathic illusion to those within her range. It's a stretch, there are alot of people. Her attempt is to make the entity seem like a regular non descript person standing next to her brother.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel stiffens when the ground starts to rise up, though a grass monster is...less concerning than Sentinels? Maybe? Brian doesn't seem to be worried about it, so that's a plus, but it's not the sort of thing that makes for pleasant picnics. She glances to Betsy, lips pursing as she picks up on what the other telepath is doing.

<< Need a hand? >> she offers. She lacks the finesse to really convince this many people without turning them all into vegetables, but at least she can offer a little more juice. With the right guidance.

Swamp Thing has posed:
    "Social...gathering..."

    The creature seems to be mulling over the phrase, as every syllable he speaks seems to come directly from his chest despite his mouth moving, every word a deep bass that causes the ground to slightly vibrate. It seemed that after a few very long moments of deep consideration, this creature decided to join in the festivities. A trick he'd learned from earlier, from his chest and shoulder red started to push through, looking like blood covered tumors or tadpoles ripping from a mother frog's back until they bloomed into bright red flowers that carried a fragrance through the air. Petals tore off in the light breeze, blowing through the wind along the party.

    At the same time, in an effort to reconnect, the thing searched through his memories as well as those of Alec's, remembering that physical contact was an important social act. It was for this reason that the creature lifted his left hand, and reached out in an effort to place it on Brian's shoulder, an action that supposedly demonstrated peaceful intentions, and familiarity.

    "I...am... ... ..." He looked up into the sky, for a few long moments before looking down and speaking again.

    "I...am...Herne."

Captain Britain has posed:
Whilst Betsy and Rachel do their best to make the system seem normal to those around them, Brian contemplates hiring this swamp thing as a means of drastically reducing his horticultural budget. Braddock Castle did have arguably the finest garden in the state, and that didn't come cheap.

To most, this would rank rather high on their weird stuff-o-metre, but Brian, being a member of the Captain Britain Corps, having been influenced by Merlin and Roma, with a sister who switched bodies, well, it wasn't exactly low, but not that high either. At least the crowd had settled down. For his part, Brian stood tall and proud, "I am Brian. This is Betsy, and her friend is..." since he didn't know, waiting for Betsy or Rachel to pipe up.

Psylocke has posed:
"Rachel," Betsy answers immediately to the hanging question. It is meant as an introduction for both of them. As Rachel makes that offer, she gets a grateful smile from Betsy. "That would be helpful." She switched to telepathy for Rachel alone. **Just reach out to me and lower any shielding a tad. Then let your power leak slowly through that opening and I'll tap into and utilize it. And to answer your question about my brother, he is...special as well. In a different way.*

With that, she should be able to keep them all disguised and seemingly normal. When the three bags and four drinks arrived, she grabbed two bags and two drinks.

"Nice to meet you, Herne," she offers with a smile, as though it was every day she talked to a walking grass heap. "Would you like to join us for lemonade and hot dogs?" Did he even eat?

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel nods to Betsy, taking a moment to close her eyes and focus before linking up. She does her best to throttle things, but Betsy can feel her lack of practice. Cooperation isn't something she's had a lot of practice with. In fact, it's clear from the way her mind feels, the raw fire of the power behind it, that she's had very little practice with...Well, much of anything. Turns out people who hunt mutants aren't necessarily the best at training them to use their powers.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," she says to Brian and Herne alike, smiling awkwardly. Brian is interesting, but right now the plant thing is much more interesting. "What were those?" she asks, tipping her chin toward the petals.

Swamp Thing has posed:
    "I've determined that flowers and roses...brighten a mood. This is meant...to be a festivity."

    After a few moments he removed his hand from Brian's shoulder, and luckily for him, his shirt would be easy to wash to get the moss-covered handprint out. Though he declined the food and drinks, he stayed at the event a while longer. Long enough to talk to the man Brian. Though Swamp Thing was no spellcaster or sorcerer, he felt something 'special' from the man. Which meant perhaps he'd be someone to speak to about the draining of magic from the world, and how this might endanger the Green.

    But, that was a conversation for another time entirely.

Captain Britain has posed:
Brian's sleeveless dark blue jumper was of vicuna wool, and the white collared shirt underneath was of Egyptian cotton woven in Italy. It was a good thing that Brian could be patient when he wanted to be. He was trying to understand Herne, and so, he was willing to put up with the idea that his favourite jumper would forever be remembered as having a plant hand laid upon it. He would eat his hot dogs, drink his lemonade, and get to know Rachel, as well as hang out with his sister, who seemed to be a magnet for attention. Even if they didn't approach, it was like Brian could sense them staring at his sister. Was the movie that bad that they could not keep their eyes on it?