Ice Cream Cures All Ills

[billykaplan]

It was Billy's idea that they should meet up somewhere outside the Avengers Tower to talk. Some place where they wouldn't have God only knew who listening in on their conversations. Some place where they could relax

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[notahawkingbird]

Catering to necessity and the hope that superheroes having their costumes worked in the same way that people forgetting their umbrellas did--that is, if she didn't have it she wouldn't need it--Kate arrived at The Devil's Due armed only with a strategically-filled purse on her arm. Her cell phone, some tampons, a tazer, a slingshot her mom had given her for her fifth birthday and a small bag of marbles took up most of the space. Better safe than sorry, after all.

The brief conversation with her dad earlier in the day was weighing heavily on Kate's mind. "Don't make your sister and me have to go through it again," he'd said when she explained the situation more fully. She'd told him she wouldn't, he'd answered with something about how she'd quit if that were the case, and the call had ended after that. They'd probably argue about it when he got home from the UK, but for now Kate wanted to focus on other things.

Like how vaguely creepy this ice cream place they were meeting at was. She walked over to the boys and raised an eyebrow. "Am I the only one expecting a zombie to shuffle up and ask if we'd like some extra blood with our brains?"

[rowenamox]

"Only for Halloween."

Rowena straightened to her full and not umimpressive height, straightening her frilly black apron and looking over the crowd of teenagers who had just entered her establishment. A real smile spread over her face as she caught sight of a familiar head of dark hair. She swept forward and caught Billy in a hug that did not enterily catch the boy by surprise.

"William! I was starting to fear that you had found someone else to feed you, child!" She pulled away, looking him over with a practiced eye. "I heard about what happened. The twins where here when your parents called. Are you alright, my boy?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. X." Billy said, holding up both hands. "Honest. Just here for some food and quiet."

"Which I shall happily provide you. And you've brought friends!" She looked over the group, still smiling... though now her smile did not quite reach her eyes. "Is the world ending?"

[magnetlips]

Cassie smiled. “Not yet.”

She tugged on the oversize sleeve of her shirt. After school when she returned home, her mother and step father had yelled and grounded her, but of course that didn’t stop someone who could change size. She did have to drop by Kate’s to borrow some clothes, though. And at the moment she wished she could change only select features of her body to fit the clothes, especially the loose chest region.

“Are you going to introduce us, Billy?” She asked, now tugging at the hem of her borrowed shirt, hoping there was some way to flatten out the empty bulge in the material.

[billykaplan]

"Yes, William. Are you going to introduce us?" Rowena asked, her hands on her hips and her head cocked to one side.

Billy sighed with mock-drama, throwing his hands in the air. "Will it get me a little peace and quiet? Everyone, this is Mrs. Xanathos, grand high poo-bah and queen of all she surveys, owner of this wonderful establishment, renown across the city for her generosity-"

"And remarkable patience..." Rowena added in a clearly amused tone.

"And remarkable patience." Billy agreed. "The ladies are Cassie and Kate, my aparent double is Tommy, and...um..." He looked at the Vision and shrugged. His face grew a touch more serious, and he put a hand on Teddy's arm. "And this is Teddy."

At the counter, Eliza let out a crow of triumph. "Called it!"

[vision_ya]

The Vision shrugged awkwardly in response to Billy's look. The only thing particularly noticeable about his current hologram-disguise was how unremarkable it appeared.

Well, that and the mustard-yellow trench coat. But that wouldn't make anyone remember his face.

He had been trailing behind the rest of the group - a rear-guard, if you will. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was nervous about being out on the town with the other Young Avengers without a mission.

The Vision fiddled with the sleeve of his coat. He really ought to come up with a code-name for "civilian" activities like this.

Hopefully Mrs. Xanathos wouldn't make too big a deal out of his apparent lack of name.

[notahawkingbird]

Kate swatted at Cassie's nearest hand, knocking it away from the hem of the loaned blouse. If their difference in sizes was such a big deal, she should just bring some clothes over for Kate to hold onto for this sort of situation. When Cassie had stopped fidgeting, Kate looked back at the woman who seemed pretty cool, despite or perhaps because of the shop's atmosphere.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Xanathos," she said in her best Not Every Heiress Is A Brainless Bimbo voice. "I take it you'd be the other person to go to if we ever want embarassingly adorable Baby Billy stories?"

[teddyaltman]

"And why do I get the feeling I just became the entertainment?" Teddy asked dryly, eyebrows raising as he gave Billy a look, lips twitching into a sardonic smile. He hadn't been certain that leaving Avengers' Tower was in any way an intelligent move, given the fact that both he and Tommy were 'wanted' -- the speedster as an escaped government experiment and himself still pursued by Kl'rt. Then again, maybe this was part of the Avengers' plan. Maybe they were all just attractive teenage bait.

Very attractive teenage bait, he thought as he dragged his eyes away from Billy and back to the old lady he was being introduced to. "Theodore Altman, at your service, ma'am, and the quiet one's known as Viz," he said, aiming a thumb at the Vision where he stood fidgeting.

He was determined to play along with Billy's gallantry if it kept a grin on his boyfriend's face, rather than the maelstrom of anger, tension and apology the other boy had been swinging between; if the humor helped Teddy to keep up his own façade as well, it was just a nice bonus on the side. "As for the world ending -- well, we're working on it, but we haven't succeeded yet."

At least, not the world in general. Their own personal worlds were their very own mess, and really not any business of this woman, despite her "William"-speaking ways.

(er; dammit, one minute too late. reposting. not editing it again though XP. forgive any misspelling of Vision's nickname; is it Viz or Vizh or what?)

[rowenamox]

"A pleasure." Rowena said with a regal inclination of her head. "I'm afraid I shall have to keep myself from telling Baby Billy stories for a while yet. I would prefer the boy not die of embaressment. If you would follow me, I can show you to a table where you may be," Rowena turned her head and directed a look at Eliza, "left alone."

She headed for the back corner, quietly sorting out the emotional stew that had just walked in her door. On top of the usual teenager angst and hormones was a heady dose of rage, sorrow, and confusion.

Except from the one who had been introduced to her as 'Viz'. He let out about as much emotion as the computer. For a moment, Rowena had almost mistaken the boy for a Void, but with Voids you could feel the sucking away of emotions. This was just... non-living-beingness.

She wondered when it would be a good time to point out to Billy that his picture had been all over the newspapers, and he hadn't even had the good sense to wear a mask.

Definatly not now, but later.

[vision_ya]

The Vision ducked his head a little when Mrs. Xanathos peered at him. She seemed to find something "off" about him; but whether that had to do with his real form or his fake coat he was unsure.

The coat was a lot less comfortable than his cape. The Vision made a mental note to avoid such ideas in the future.

Also, he was never watching the Matrix with Spider-Man again.

((OOC: Eh, Viz, Vizh, whatever works. I may make jokes about "dubbing", though ;)

[tommyshepard]

Tommy shoved his hands into his pockets, frowning as the woman looked over them. He couldn’t speak for anyone else but this whole ’going outside and bonding thing’ was so not him. He probably would still be curled up in the room the Avengers had let him stay in if not for threats from Spiderman and Luke Cage. Apparently he had to get along and be a ‘team player’ if he wanted to stay free. You’d think for people with all sorts of information they’d get that ‘Anti-Social’ and ’Unremorseful’ wasn’t just things the state had tacked onto his file for fun. People made him uncomfortable. Especially large groups of people.

This entire situation made him uncomfortable. Mainly because it was stupid. Really stupid. He couldn’t get over how utterly stupid this was not to mention how stupid it was that no one else thought it was stupid. Whatever, when angry aliens stormed them he could always say ‘I told you so’ and use it as evidence he shouldn’t be made to be in public if he didn’t want to.

He held back a little, wanting to be on the outside of wherever they ended up sitting. Maybe it was paranoia but he didn’t much care for being boxed in or unable to move. He glanced sideways at Vision, who was wearing the most ridiculous coat he’d ever seen…though he supposed it was better than he looked, having borrowed clothes from various Avengers, all of who had a least a few inches on him.

He looked at his watch. “How much longer do you all plan on hanging out in denial land? Just a ballpark figure of how long I should wait before giving in to this urge to stab myself would be great.”

[teddyaltman]

Teddy was about to slide into the booth after Billy when the speedster spoke; he half-turned to face Tommy, but was dragged in by Billy the rest of the way. He didn't bother to resist, sliding along the vinyl seat until he'd boxed the other boy in against the wall.

"At least until we manage to get something to eat, probably," he said. "So put up with it and mooch off of our money until then, okay?" He kept his voice amiable, light smile pleasant; Billy wasn't going to be happy if he was the one who managed to destroy this outing. "C'mon, sit."

Spider-Man had said (over a 5 a.m. mug of heated milk and an annoyed admonishment to go back to sleep already, so he could get back to his own private quarters) that Tommy wasn't all that bad of a kid, despite first impressions and his overly-abrasive personality. The ten-minute talk had held connotations of 'you'd better make friends, because you both might be here a while,' and Teddy had been trying to keep that in mind since they'd left Avengers Tower. It wasn't the easiest of things to do.

"We came here to talk about that, anyway." Even if what Tommy meant by that was different from what Teddy meant by that.

[rowenamox]

'I will not ask what they're going to talk about.' Rowena told herself as she passed out menues, then quietly set off a very small spell. 'But I can't be blaimed for listening in.'

Billy pushed his menue away. "Can I get the Still Warm Flesh of the Living Special and a small bowl of the Cherry Bomb?" he asked, batting his eyes at Rowena.

"Of course, my dear. And what shall the rest of you be having?" She turned her eyes to the other teenagers. "Or do you need more time to decide?"

Eliza was already in the kitchen, assembling the extra hot chili and the rare roast beef sandwich. The boy had the same thing every time he came in, so it made things just a bit easier on everyone.

[vision_ya]

"[Just water for me, please.]" the Vision murmured, passing his menu back. He wasn't sure if he could actually eat - he didn't need to, that much was obvious, but he hadn't really been keen on experimenting and fouling up his inner workings.

The Vision, version 3.0: Assembled from the armor of Kang the Conqueror. Infamous for accidentally blowing up the Avenger's Tower due to snacking.

That wasn't exactly the sort of thing he wanted to be remembered for.

[notahawkingbird]

Kate skimmed the menu, looking for something sweet but willing to take whatever caught her eye. She was in luck, apparently, because right in the middle of the list of frozen goodness was something called Over The Rainbow. She ordered two scoops of it on a sugar cone and looked at the Vision next to her.

"You sure you don't want anything?" she asked, making an attempt at realism. "I can buy if you forgot your wallet or something."

[tommyshepard]

“Don’t say it like I want to mooch.” Tommy muttered, handing the menu back to the woman without looking inside. No reason to tempt himself after all.

He wasn’t really hungry; something that was almost bothersome considering hungry was one of his states of existence. He did kind of have the urge for something sweet but sincerely doubted anyone wanted to attempt to explain a the insane sugar rush followed by the equally insane crash. As amusing as it would be, he didn’t quite have the ‘blowing stuff up’ thing under total control and there was always a chance he‘d do something screwy. Billy made him uncomfortable, more so that anyone else because the whole thing was just damn weird, but he didn’t want to destroy anything.

“Just water please.” After all property destruction was bad, if not slightly acceptable. And, of course, the nicer he played the less chance he'd have to do this again.

[notahawkingbird]

Kate didn't catch exactly what Tommy said, but she was pretty sure "mooch" had been in there at the end. The urge to snatch Cassie's menu and use it to smack the zippy little twerp on the head a few times was strong, but the twin risks of offending Mrs. Xanathos enough to kick them (or maybe just her) out and Tommy deciding to blow her up for ruining his hair or something were great enough that Kate settled for a withering glare instead.

"You know what, Mrs. Xanathos? Put everything on my bill anyway," she said. "My friends deserve a treat."

She was pretty sure she was going to hate herself for that line later, but right now she was feeling simultaneously bitchy and generous. If anyone had a problem with it, they could just pay her back later.