Ult. ben Grimm / Lake Shore

[unbreakableben]

[OOM: Ben phones home after visiting DenmarkWhen Milliways found him again he took the opportunity to spend some time thinking. He wasn't in a mood for large crowds so he headed outback and found a rock to sit on by the lake. He's sulking, he totally knows this but damnit he deserves a sulk. He's also seeing if he can skip rocks the size of small

Comments

[starrydome]

It looks like a troll. And yet there is something not very troll-like about the way it sits there.

And this is neutral ground after all. Even trolls will have to respect that. Still, Elrond stops before walking all the way up to the figure, and offers "They need a different shape for that to work."

[unbreakableben]

The creature looks up and gives a disheartened nod.

"Yeah I guess it doesn't matter how strong you are, the shape still needs to be flat."

[starrydome]

It doesn't sound like a troll. Elrond moves a little closer. "True. Strength matters little in this case. If it was all it took, you'd be a champion."

[unbreakableben]

The creature laughs and offer something like a weak smile. He's trying really.

"It's about all I've got," Ben replies before he really looks at his company. "Woooah..."

[forgottenmotley]

The Fool has been meandering around outside. Sunlight is a bit of a novelty for him as he tends to spend his time in shadows. The large orange ... man... thing... creature... catches his curiosity and he wanders over. His normal pestering methods appear like they wouldn't work on such rocky hide, so he does the next best thing.

With a slight ringing of bells he drops down on the rock next to him and completely mimics Ben's posture.

[unbreakableben]

Ben catches this out the corner of his eye and face palms. Just what he needs.

"Can I help you?"

[forgottenmotley]

"Not likely. But can I help you?"

What? Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four doesn't need a Fool!? How could he think such a thing?

"A man such as yourself is far too dour on such a nice day."

Yes, the Fool just did call him a man, without a hint of irony or jest.

[unbreakableben]

Well a Fantastic Four anyway...they haven't got to the media blitz that will name them.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sorry Fool, Ben's not in the most pleasant of moods, maybe with a little more effort...

[guppy_sandhu]

"Rocks sink in water." a small child says, helpfully, from nearby.

[unbreakableben]

He starts at the voice and turns surprised that the kid isn't scared or screaming.

"Yeah," he agrees, "but if you throw them right they can skip off the top of the water a few times first."

[guppy_sandhu]

Fry thinks about this for a moment.

"How?"

He doesn't appear at all scared. Ben might notice that Guppy is nearby, holding a baby girl in a standing position by her hands, and keeping an eye on his son.

[unbreakableben]

Ben looks to the ground for a flat rock as an excuse to check to be sure they aren't too close to the edge of the water. As he looks back up, having found a rock, he nods a hello to Guppy.

"It works better with really flat rocks. See the rock kind of bounces off the top of the water. The rocks I was using before weren't really good for it but this one...just watch," he says and flips the rock out across the lake. It continues to skip until it goes out of sight. "It's kind of like throwing a Frisbee."

[gammagammahey]

Ben is being watched from behind. In fact, he's being hunted, but hunted benevolently.

The hunter is, despite her unwieldy size, silent and skillful. She sneaks up behind Ben, reaches up and around him from behind, and puts her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?"

[unbreakableben]

"Argh," Ben says as he was completely in his own head. He doesn't grab her hands (he doesn't trust himself for casual physical contact yet) but he does pull away. "What the hell?"

It would be worth noting he's speaking like he's from Queens and there's something about him that feels younger.

[gammagammahey]

"Ben? It's me Jen. With all the razzing Johnny gives you I know you're used to it by now...."

She trails off as she clambers over the rock so she can sit next to him and look at his face. There's something different about the cast to his features and the awkward way he seems to sit in his body.

"It's me. It's Jen."

[unbreakableben]

The uniform is different as well yet likely has the tell-tale signs of Reed's handy work. The differences are subtle but more noticeable once she's sitting near him. For instance, his skin is more rough but isn't the dinosaur like hide of Ben's early life. He's larger and more hulking, more like her cousin, but like the Ben she knows his eyes show all the humanity his body lacks but there is more pain there; pain with a hint of sorrow and hopelessness.

"I'm sorry m'me, I think you want the other Ben. I don't know you." If he were in a better mood he'd likely be much more friendly as there aren't any ladies like her who'd talk to him nowadays...or so he thinks.