SUPER BARBECUE SUPER BARBECUE SUPER BARBECUE [open as heck]

[hugling]

Who: SUPER HEROES!!!!!
Where: Ernest E. Debs Regional Park!
When: Sunday!
What: SUPER BARBECUE
Warnings: Superheroes...



It's a pleasant evening at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, just a couple miles from downtown LA, which can be seen through the haze. Late March means spring is just arriving in LA and the trees are just starting to bud. Unfortunately, the grass is still kind of dead and dry.

The barbecue and picnic area isn't too busy, though the park does have the usual assortment of joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists. There are some balloons tied to picnic tables, and strung between two trees is a very homemade "SUPER BBQ" banner, courtesy of Hulkling and Starbreaker. There's still glitter glue on Milly's apartment floor. There's another posterboard with the rules written on it in big bold sharpie letters nearby, just in case anyone forgets:

• Don't be a jerk!!!
• Keep your weapons holstered please.
• Do not trash the park!
• ABSOLUTELY NO FIGHTING
• Anyone caught fighting will be asked to leave!
• Really don't be a jerk!

[OKAY GUYS!!! mingle! have fun! maybe some THINGS WILL HAPPEN, whoooo knows!]

Comments

[squanderlust]

Okay, yeah, just pretend she didn't screw that one up like a dork. She's still a refined and mysterious lady. Holding a stolen beer and being terrible at flirting.

"No, I'm from here. I've never left Los Angeles." She considers taking another drink, but falters awkwardly and decides against it. "Most of what I know about the rest of the country is from television."

[hellacold]

Jon takes a sip and squints off into the horizon, considering what to say. It would have been easier just to talk about back home, but Sansa said if you don't know what to say, you can always give a girl a compliment.

"You must know your way around the city," he says. "I still have to use GPS."

[squanderlust]

"I don't go many places," she says. Really interesting girl you've saddled yourself with, Longclaw. "I haven't even been to the movies in a few years. I didn't think anything was worth watching, aside from that Brave one you mentioned." She contemplates her bottle for a moment. "And that's not in theaters anymore. I'd have to watch it at HQ. With you." And while she takes another drink, she keeps an eye on Longclaw for his reaction. There wasn't any meanness in her tone; she actually is looking forward to the opportunity.

[hellacold]

It's kind of hard to read Jon's expression through his mask--and to be perfectly honest he's not very expressive, facewise, even under ideal conditions--but he's looking forward to the movie date as well.

"The Flying Mammal Man movies were pretty good," he says. "The Furred Knight trilogy. I don't watch a lot of movies either, except with my little brothers and sisters."

[squanderlust]

Damn. Nothing. She was hoping to at least fluster him. Boys are dumb and hard to understand.

"You have siblings? I think you've mentioned that before. What's it like?" She sounds actually curious.

[hellacold]

"You're an only child?" he asks. "I have two little sisters, two little brothers, and a brother about my age. They're great."

He's not sure what to say that won't sound weird.

"We all have these big dogs. My dad rescued a litter of puppies from a supervillain's lair. There was one for each of us so nobody wanted to give them away. I brought mine to Trailblazers HQ."

He casually points out Ghost, who is sniffing around the ground below the food table for scraps.

[squanderlust]

Okay, that's adorable. An entire litter of puppies, all of them as cute as Ghost? Impossibly adorable. Severa doesn't let that show outside of the corner of her mouth turning up.

"My mother breeds horses, so she always said we don't need any more animals. I assume she meant puppies and siblings." Her upturned corner turns to a full smile, which is rare enough, but especially uncommon when talking about her family. "Daddy could have handled it. I don't know why she was so against it."

[hellacold]

Jon beams, both charmed by her smile and relieved she didn't ask how two brothers can be 'about' the same age.

"We had to get up before school to walk them," he says. "They were so little when we first found them, we had to bottlefeed them for weeks. Nobody got any sleep. Ghost was the smallest and the only white one. At least he didn't bark."

[squanderlust]

Adoption's probably a thing. It's not really a big deal to her, and more trouble than it's worth to ask anyway.

"That is actually the most adorable thing I've ever heard." Her smile turns to a very serious expression. Except for that quirked-up corner. "Never tell anybody I said that. I have a reputation to keep up as a stoic warrior who doesn't think puppies are cute."

[hellacold]

Jon laughs.

"What about my reputation? I was the one who asked to keep them."

[squanderlust]

"Longclaw," she says, sarcasm thick in her voice, but at least in a playful kind of way. "The way you look in person speaks to your reputation long before your pets do."

[hellacold]

He laughs again, confused but flattered, probably.

"And how do I look in person?"

Is this about his hair again...

[squanderlust]

Severa draws out the silence with another drink, as slowly as possible because it is very funny to her to make him wait.

"You're much cuter than I was expecting."

[hellacold]

If Jon had been drinking his beer, he would have probably choked, but as it is he only blushes and ducks his head. He opens and closes his mouth beneath his bandanna, not sure what to say.

"What about my reputation as a stoic warrior?"

[squanderlust]

"No worries. That fell apart the moment you started typing at me, but I'll keep your secret."

She extends her hand for a shake, possibly way too formal given how heavily she's been laying on the flirting today, but this is kind of a big deal, what she's about to say.

"Severa."

[hellacold]

Fortunately Jon's bandanna hides at least half of his gormless expression. He takes her hand, grateful that this one thing to do has presented itself so obviously.

"Jon," he says.

[squanderlust]

"I'll keep that under my hat," she says sincerely, "at least while we're in public." Given his extra precautions today, she feels she can trust him to do the same.

"You know, I'm yet to see you fight. Hopefully being raised among so many wasn't a detriment to your skills." And yes, she absolutely says it like a challenge.

[hellacold]

Jon raises his eyebrows and drinks his beer. It's hard to defend his upbringing without sounding obnoxious, even in jest.

"Hopefully it'll wait until we get back to base," he says.