[SEMI-OPEN MINGLE] Baby dive in, the water feels fine

[agoddessonce]

WHO: Storm agoddessonce and friends
WHEN: a weekend in July
WHERE: At the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach - Poolside
WHAT: Ororo felt like arranging a small, private pool day (semi-open mingle log)
NOTES\WARNINGS: Alcohol will be served so some underage drinking might slip through the cracks (please know that Ororo Disapproves Though). If your character has ever interacted with Ororo, even once, then please feel free to assume she'd invited you over to come and spend the afternoon at her place. Swimsuits highly encouraged!

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the pool;

The pool at the Institute is sparkling and inviting under the sun, glittering under the shade of the old mansion. It's a shame to see it go to waste day in and day out, so Ororo has invited a few people she's already met through her months in Etraya to use it. The water itself is cool and refreshing, and though there's an impromptu sign at the edge that proclaims POWERS ALLOWED - BUT NO HORSEPLAY to discourage rough play, there's also a tall diving board set up at one end. Guests are free to use it as they will. If any injuries occur - there's a reasonably well-stocked nurse's station inside the mansion!

Ororo had also spent a couple of days visiting Kwik Trip to see what kind of floats they could get for the day. Various pool floats are available (donut rings, pool noodles, and a dubious looking tank floatie) for guests to use and share. Try not to bother anyone who's just trying to relax!

the food, the drinks;

Ororo has no plans for the day to turn into anything particularly fancy or rowdy; she'd just wanted something casual and simple, an excuse to take a swim with some friends new and old, and to get to know the people of Etraya a little better. What better way to help people feel more open and relaxed than with a couple of drinks? There are a couple of coolers sitting around, open and full of ice and snow, with soda, juice, beer and a selection of fruity, ready-to-drink cocktails for guests who might want a drink to help them relax or break the ice.

She trusts people to self-police, generally, but will still personally, stringently remind folks to keep the alcohol from anyone sixteen and under. Do not test her! :)

There's a grill going as well, with typical barbecue fare: burgers (both vegan and beef), hot dogs, chicken wings and roasted vegetable skewers. Ororo has probably asked a friend or two to take turns manning the grill, but anyone is welcome to cook their own food to their liking. Plates are available to one side, with a range of salads, snacks and sauces and dips. Guests can dine at various seating areas set up around the poolside and in the shade.

the poolside;

There are plenty of loungers sitting around, to share or to drag into a corner to use for yourself! It's a day to relax as much as it is a day to mingle. People are free to bring their food and drink over to them, or use the chairs to work on a sun tan.

There's a basketball court not too far off from the pool here people are encouraged to play a game or two. Perhaps something easy that doesn't need a team - Horse, or a game of one-on-one? Ororo doesn't know the exact rules, but as long as no one's bursting any basketballs, she won't be upset.

the mansion;

Tired of waiting under the sun? Need a bathroom break? A select few of the mansion's rooms are open to use - the kitchen, the nearest bathrooms, and the rec room for anyone who wants a nap. If you wander upstairs, there are numerous rooms that don't see much use - one wing houses old classrooms and study rooms, an empty library, some faculty offices. The other wing has some locked bedroom suites - only a few of which are currently, actually in use. Be warned that if Ororo or some other X-Men sense or catch you lingering up here, they'll gently (... or not so gently, depends on who catches you and how they catch you) redirect you right back downstairs.

The elevator and the sublevels are completely off-limits and impossible to break into, kept secure by a combination of private codes and mutant biometrics. Nothing to see here! Just carry on. ♥

The party will last til the evening, at which point Ororo will invite people to come into the large kitchen of the mansion to piece together some dinner, or dry off or take a quick shower. If anyone's too tired (or too drunk) to go home, she'll personally take charge of turning the rec room into an impromptu blanket fort for people to sleep on couches. It's fine, none of the furniture is actually vintage or antique around here. Probably.

wildcard;

Feel free to come up with your own starters for poolside shenanigans! If your character has threaded with Ororo even once, assume you've got a personal invite for them and a +1. Hoping to keep this mingle light and easy to foster a bit of CR before the mission log goes up next week!

Comments

Re: iii. splashing

[mockingbirdy]

[Bobbi grins when her friend shows up and shifts a bit to make sure the weight is balanced enough that they're not going to tip over.]

Honestly. Screw S.H.E.I.L.D. I was born to be a mermaid.

[daughterofliberty]

Yeah, but just think about how much more time you'd have to spend with Namor if you were a mermaid.

[ Hard pass, even with the scaly green hot pants. ]

I'm considering getting a drink, but that would require getting out of the pool.

[mockingbirdy]

[A horrified look passes over Bobbi's face as she contends with that though. ]

Well that just ruined my fantasy, thanks thirteen.

[She gives her a grin though because it is amusing, and wonders if Namor would ever end up at their wedding if Sharon and Steve ever actually did that whole mess until she's distracted by the idea of alcohol too.]

I guess the pool isn't made for a swim up bar since they teach kids and all? [It's a reference to the original mansion she supposes and not this specific version.]

[daughterofliberty]

Don't blame me, blame Namor.

[ Why is he like this.

She lets go of the floatie and idly treads water, enjoying the way it moves like cool silk over her skin. ]

Well, we can make our own bar. Want me to bring something back for you?

[mockingbirdy]

As if a girl could say no to that.

[Bobbi kicks them off towards the side of the pool so that it's easier for Sharon to get out and whistles jokingly as a cat call when she does.]

Now that's America's Ass.

[daughterofliberty]

I see how it is.

[ She half-turns to wink over her shoulder, vamping. ]

You'll just flirt with anyone when Nat's not around, huh?

[mockingbirdy]

[She hangs onto the edge waiting for Sharon to come back with drinks before she continues the conversation.]

I'd flirt with you more, it's just Steve is a much more intimidating Captain America then Bucky ever was.

[daughterofliberty]

Then you better get it in while he's not around.

[ She grabs a couple of canned, pre-mixed cocktails, then steps back down into the water to hand one to Bobbi before she snaps open her own. ]

Since the one that's here doesn't have a reason to mind.

[mockingbirdy]

[Bobbi slips out from under the tube dunking under the water to head next to Sharon before taking the can and popping it open.]

Okay but that's still so weird to me. Like what is happening in that world? Who has he been dating?

[daughterofliberty]

I haven't asked. I mean, what if it was Diamondback again?

[ She settles onto an underwater ledge at the side of the pool and lifts her can to clink it against Bobbi's. ]

The Natasha from that world would know, probably.

[mockingbirdy]

Clint met her. [She takes a drink and slides onto the ledge next to Sharon nudging her leg playfully as she does it.]

Couldn't really get a read on it out of him. Which to me suggests there's something there that makes him uncomfortable with it all. I've got no idea about it though.

[daughterofliberty]

I've met her. Actually, I invited her to this, so who knows? Maybe you'll run into her, too.

[ She's lifting her can for another sip, wincing slightly at her own thoughts. ]

I haven't told him. About me and Steve being... you know. Me and Steve.

[mockingbirdy]

[Bobbi takes that as an opportunity the swivel around and give a look to see if she's there. She doesn't see her right in that moment anyways.]

I don't blame you. Honestly, if it was Clint I don't know that I'd ever be able to mention it. [She gets kind of this strange look on her face and shrugs.]

Not that it's exactly the same but you know what I mean.

[daughterofliberty]

That Clint sounds... pretty different.

[ No one's ever accused Sharon Carter of being diplomatic, but she and Bobbi are old friends. Neither of them need to beat around the bush with each other. ]

This Steve is still... I don't know, familiar? He's not the same, but I can still recognize him. You know what I mean?

[mockingbirdy]

Wait.. did you hear about it? [She makes a face at that Clint had clearly avoided too many details about it. Just that he was a shield agent.]

I know what you mean about Steve though, he had... the aura.

[daughterofliberty]

Just a little, from the new Nat.

[ True that the woman's probably around Sharon's own age and with a lifetime of experiences of her own, but Sharon can't quite shake the feeling that this version of her friend hasn't quite had the shine worn off yet. ]

Yeah. And it's not like he's asked me much about our Steve, but I know he's curious. Especially since...

[ She half-turns to sit on one curled leg, leaning an arm on the edge of the pool as she faces Bobbi. Water ripples gently around them as she moves. ]

The stuffie I got? It turned into the goddamn Supreme Leader.

[mockingbirdy]

[She doesn't mean to burst out laughing but the way that Sharon says it causes her to. In fact she laughs a little too hard before letting out a big sigh of relief and leaning in to lay her head on Sharon's shoulder. ]

Mine turned into a skrull in the whole grapehead outfit.

[She shakes her head and picks it back up off Sharon's shoulder having only done it for a second when she was overwhelmed with emotion at that moment.]

Did you guys talk about it? After it all? What the hell the Supreme Leader is, I mean.

[daughterofliberty]

[ There's a second where she's surprised by Bobbi's reaction, before the other woman tells her her own experience, and Sharon finds herself laughing, too. What the hell else can they do in the face of a place that seems determined to fling their worst memories at them at any given moment? ]

Jesus.

[ When Bobbi straightens, Sharon shakes her head and leans her cheek on her hand, rueful. ]

Not really. He helped me take it down, then gave me a handkerchief and took me out for a burger.

[ It's wry and amused in equal measure. ]

But I feel like he deserves to know... I just don't know how to start that conversation. "Hey, Steve, let me tell you about the time you were secretly a fascist dictator who tried to rule the world and killed a bunch of your friends" just feels like a little too much.

[mockingbirdy]

[Honestly it's fair so she nods and takes a drink of her cocktail.]

Is he has young as he seemed? We didn't really talk much but he felt... fresh? [Bobbi's not sure that's the right world but how else do you refer to newly out of the ice as opposed to the Steve they were used to.]

Hey, at least he's got the burger thing figured out. I hear that fixes a lot.

[daughterofliberty]

Just less mileage, I think.

[ Which this Steve would probably argue. It's clear he's been through plenty — that weary look in his eyes is one she recognizes — but there's so much he doesn't know, hasn't lived through yet.

She chuckles and lifts her can in a small toast. ]

What can't a decent burger fix? Speaking of, have you gotten an eyeful of our grillmaster today?