They call it Than-X-Giving here

[bamfing]

Who: Ororo Munroe, Rogue, Kurt Wagner, Jubilation Lee, Remy LeBeau, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Dick Grayson Robin, and Melanie Walker
What: TURKEY DAY
When: Evening of the 24th
Where: House 16
Summary: The X-Men have decided to invite some of their buddies and pals (who all coincidentally have costumed alteregos) for some Turkey Day shenanigans.
Rating: H for HEARTWARMING

Over the past week, the X-Men have invited a variety of their friends and contacts who they knew would celebrate Thanksgiving, but wouldn't have anyone to spend it with here in Luceti because they're all jaded loners. They were all instructed to try and bring a dish with them, but it was no requirement. Nevertheless, all the traditional foods would be present, along with some delicious extras.

ooc: Characters can interact out at the table eating, over on the couches, in the one of the two spare bedrooms, or preparing food in the kitchen. Or maybe catching some cool air outside on the porch. Whatever your fancy is! Also, prose or action brackets are cool. Pick your poison.

Comments

[whydidisaverick.livejournal.com]

So I heard you like Kraft Mac and Cheese. Because that's what Bruce is bringing to the party. A plastic bowl container of mac and cheese. Come on man, you guys asked a scientist to cook. This is the kind of four star cuisine you get. The guy hasn't been to an actual party in years though. And even before becoming the Hulk he wasn't exactly the life of the party even back then. So Bruce is going to be mostly sticking to the back and drinking whatever punch and stuff is available while people socialize.

During the buffet he's going to be mostly quiet and just stick to eating his meal, but he'll gladly talk if someone talks to him.

At one point he can probably also be found on the porch though. Just kind of looking out and thinking. Feel free to catch him there too!

[touchofrogue]

[Rogue is in the kitchen with an apron on when Bruce arrives with his Kraft Mac and Cheese.]

Thanks, just set it down on the counter there.

[She says without checking to see what it is.]

[ironizing.livejournal.com]

Mac and cheese? That's his kind of cuisine. Tony's got a plateful of the stuff when he takes a seat by Bruce--scientists have got to stick together, right?

"The fruit punch really completes the school cafeteria feel, wouldn't you say?" Don't get him wrong. He loves Hi-C. But it isn't typically his first choice of beverage.

[bamfing]

[Well. This is a guy he hasn't talked to too much, but he's the Hulk expert. So when he spots him outside, he'll come and hang out, for just a bit.]

It's a lot quieter out here, yeah?

[mallbabe.livejournal.com]

This is her first, real family Thanksgiving.

The X-Men had been in the midst of a crisis for theirs. Back home, that is, she couldn't remember what it was or how it had happened but the result had been a hasty mission out to a faroff land for them and some leftover lasagna for her. Later, they'd made it up to her, Gambit and Jean had fought in the kitchen for nearly an hour before Beast had been forced to separate them.

But this is the first Thanksgiving that she's had friends to invite.

So she loads up her plate with turkey and kicks back on the couch, feet crossed on the table. Just the way Wolverine taught her to.

[temperedtempest.livejournal.com]

Ororo raises an eyebrow at those feet. Really, Jubilee? There are guests!

She won't call her out on it, simply because there are guests, but Storm has her eye on you, Jubilation Lee. She's no telepath, but surely you're getting the message here.

[kineticcajun]

Hopefully Jubilee doesn't mind company on the couch, because Gambit is sinking down there as well. There is space, and it's far less awkward than staring down Kurt over a table.

The girl is given a wry look, though. Feet on the table? Even the Thieves Guild has rules about that.

"Comfortable, petite?"

[bamfing]

[Plopping down next to her, thanks. His own plate loaded.]

You know, usually we eat at the table.

[titango.livejournal.com]

Robin's stalked the X-house enough to know that "feet on the furniture" thing won't fly for long, but he doesn't fault Jubilee for trying to get away with it. Though he hasn't yet gathered a plate for himself, he pauses beside her anyway.

"Comfortable?"

[bamfing]

[Admittedly Kurt never actually had any Thanksgiving until two years ago (three thanks to Luceti) when he came to America. Even then, a lot of the other students would go home to their families, so it was usually a pretty small affair at the Xavier Institute. Given it wasn't a holiday back in Germany, Kurt didn't make any attempts to go home back then. So even as the foreigner at the table, he's fairly used to the whole holiday by now.

So naturally he's going to enjoy this one! He loads up his plate with everything he can in order to eat. Turkey, cranberries, rolls, and the works. He helped prepare some of the food, as well as something extra his mother used to make for dinners, those being cabbage rolls (or Krautwickel). Perhaps others will be bold enough to try them.

For those who make it early enough for the table getting set, Kurt will be the one BAMFing in and out of the kitchen with bowls and plates of food, arranging them for people to get to in an utterly blatant attempt at showing off his acrobatic skills. Don't worry. He won't get any fur in the food.

He'll hang out at the table to eat, though the couch is a good place to pick off the leftovers as well. Of course, he'll be wanting his housemates to get good and properly introduced to Melanie, since this is as good as any time for them to meet his new girlfriend. He's a little proud of himself, so cut the blue boy some slack.]

[touchofrogue]

"Kurt!" This on about the third BAMFing service attempt. Rogue coughs. "Quit stinkin' up the place."

You are making her coffee smell like sulfur. This is an unforgivable crime, clearly.

...is the night over yet?

[no-ice-please.livejournal.com]

Well... this isn't exactly how Steve thought he'd be spending Thanksgiving. Not that he'd really been thinking about it. Inviting him must have lead to an interesting conversation along the lines of "What do you mean it's Thanksgiving? It was summer just a week ago. I thought it was just cold here..." In any case, Steve can't help but wish he was spending today with the Avengers, his friends, instead of people who either don't know him or have only heard of him because there's a statue of Captain America on Ellis Island.

Still, he'd had a week to get settled and familiar with a few people, one of whom had invited him to this shindig, and Steve is going to make the most of it. He'd found some normal things to wear when it became obvious that Captain America wouldn't really have a place in everyday-Luceti, and the food thing he's brought is something easy to make, but there's quite a bit of it. He'll be around, so feel free to approach him wherever and whenever.

edit because redundancy Dx

[temperedtempest.livejournal.com]

Ororo had been glad when Steve accepted the invitation. Though she didn't really celebrate the holiday herself, she knew it was important that people not be alone this time of the year - or any time of the year, really. She met him at the door with a warm and welcome smile.

"Steve, hello. Glad you could make it."

[ironizing.livejournal.com]

Tony is, admittedly, a little surprised to see him there, too. It's kind of like seeing that guy from high school that was your biology partner but you completely forgot his name, face, and everything about him the second class was over. He doesn't feel bad about it, exactly. It's more a little bit like, "Gee, sucks to you be you, bro," honestly.

So, it's time to see how well Steve holds up against some good, old-fashioned trolling. "Count Chocula. Did you try it?"

[touchofrogue]

Um. Okay. It's one thing to hear that Captain America is going to be coming to your Thanksgiving dinner (Stop. Say that again. "Captain America is going to be coming to your Thanksgiving dinner." Woah.), it's another thing entirely for him to show up.

Rogue will just be staring, almost shyly on and off throughout the night.

[bamfing]

So. This is Captain America. For real. In Luceti. In his house. He may not be that popular in his own country, but a celebrity is a celebrity. But even though he's not in costume, it's not hard to figure out that big, tall, and muscular must be the Captain. So as he's piling up some food on his plate, he'll just discretely start up a conversation.

"So... you're Captain America, yeah?" Smooth.

[whydidisaverick.livejournal.com]

Wow, when he see's that even Cap is here, there's no doubt in his mind that they've invited just about everyone who has any connections to their worlds into this party. He approaches Steve with one of his very rare smiles. He's actually in a pretty decent mood today. He extends his hand to him.

"Hey, welcome to the party."

[ironizing.livejournal.com]

Jaded loner, his ass! Tony fully elects to not celebrate holidays because finds them sappy and pointless. His way of celebrating involved copious amounts of alcohol and the nicest, most uppity club in town, but that tradition is a lot less appealing when you've been invited to dinner by a bunch of minors and the nicest club in town reminds you of the back stage of a high school's theater.

Well, fine. If he can't do things his way, he'll just have to put his own unique brand of celebration on this little superhero gathering. Did he bring food? Of course he did. One of those Costco-sized double packs Count Chocula. Yeah, you better be grateful.

He'll be there for the long haul, trolling, eating, snarking, and pretending he's not having fun in spite of himself. Just try to make him admit he's grateful for this. Just try. He'd rather like to get everyone to admit what they're ungrateful for, since that's a little more true to form for Luceti, he thinks, so don't be surprised if it comes up at the dinner table.

[temperedtempest.livejournal.com]

The cereal barely gets a bat of an eyelash - Ororo had a feeling that Tony would bring something like that, and would have been surprised if he brought something traditional, really - before Storm decides to put it on the table with the rest of the banquet Rogue had put together for the day. See, she'll even put a set of bowls and a bottle of chilled milk next to it.

At some point, she'll approach him when he finishes snarking at one of the kids. She's got a glass of red wine, a raised eyebrow and a tiny smile for him when he turns to face her.

"Life of the party aren't you, Mr. Stark?"

[kineticcajun]

The usual celebration involving alcohol and clubs is definitely a sentiment Gambit can appreciate. He's mainly been keeping to himself so far, but the arrival of Count Chocula and the millionaire has caught his attention and it's honestly a little hard not to laugh. Hats off to you, Tony. Although some part of him is wondering if Rogue will allow the cereal to stay alongside everything else she cooked or if it'll end up a battleground.

More or less just waiting until the other man is walking past - not actively seeking anyone out just yet - Gambit gives a slight grin.

"Where'd you even find that much Count Chocula in dis place, mon ami?"

[touchofrogue]

The best part about this Thanksgiving, Rogue thinks, is that no one would ever believe it was her idea.

No one should have to be alone on the holidays. Fortunately, Jubilee was able to voice that concern for Gambit and she was able to give her 'grudging consent' - since she'd had a feeling that he was starting to get just as homesick as she was, and she'd rather see if there was any way to bring out that spark of good that she saw in him than write him off completely. God only knows why she invited Tony.

As it is, she's spent most of yesterday and today preparing the food, and she's loved every minute of it. There's nothing like taking the gloves off and making something that other people can enjoy... even if it means griping about it. She's confident in her side dishes: cornbread, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, tiny croissants, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and corn on the cob. The turkey, though... the turkey was something Irene had always done. Rogue remembers the recipe, but she'll be checking the bird anxiously all before dinner and wondering if she should have made that ham to back it up.

Dessert? Yeah, she's got that - if you like pie. Mississippi Mud Pie, of course, and pumpkin pie, and whatever butter cookies are left after having prepared them a few days before... if worst comes to worst, she'll have Kurt BAMF to the bakery to pick up some more, but by the time she'd started in on pumpkin pie, even though she enjoyed what she was doing, she was feeling baked-out. Besides, making cheesecake is intimidating.

As it is, in the beginning of the day she'll be checking in on that turkey, dressed in one of her favorite outfits. If you catch her here, the chances are she'll be more friendly and natural than you usually see her. Once the food is all on the table, though, and everything's taken care of, she'll remember her requisite distance, and be the first to start cleaning up and getting away from all the people... she's glad that they're all here, but a consummate hostess she is not, and there are too many people in her living room. Once the dessert is set out, if she's not too busy making sure that there's enough for everyone, she'll slip outside for some air.

[ironizing.livejournal.com]

Good god, Rogue. Maybe he should have gathered it from your blissful pie, but you're a pretty damn good cook, and Tony's taken a bit of everything at the table. Coupled with the fact that this is the first time in ages that he's had a traditional, home-cooked dinner, and he's actually had a bit of a change of heart about this whole gathering-up-all-the-strays thing going on here. He sees what you did there, Rogue and Ororo.

Of course, this doesn't mean he's about to go ahead and just admit that he's enjoying himself. No, that'd be too difficult. It's far easier to just play down everything and be his usual snarky self.

"Hey, Rogurt. Sweet potatoes, twelve o'clock. I haven't tried those yet."

[ten-ofspades.livejournal.com]

Melanie knows all about Thanksgiving, but it's never really been a tradition that she and her family participated in. They were usually had plans for some big heist, or were in the process of planning one, or were on the run, or... well. Basically, they never really had time for it, nor did they care to make time. So this whole ordeal is definitely a new experience for her. Plus, it also serves as an opportunity for Melanie to meet Kurt's housemates. (Without having to deal with the effects of an experiment in some way or another.) So that's always good.

Melanie wasn't entirely sure what to bring, but eventually decided on baking and bringing along a batch of cupcakes because A) desserts are schway and B) cupcakes aren't difficult to make. Either way, she'll be making the most of her time here - dealing with introductions, eating, chatting, relaxing, and occasionally going outside for some air. Those times never last very long, though, as Melanie doesn't like being in the cold for very long.

[temperedtempest.livejournal.com]

It wasn't polite to ignore guests, Ororo knew, but she hadn't really spoken to Melanie since that week with the masks and... Suffice to say, she put a bit of effort into making sure she was conveniently busy every time Melanie was steered into her direction.

She knew she couldn't avoid it forever, though! For one thing, Kurt wouldn't appreciate it. So sooner or later, she makes it so that she and the younger girl were at the table getting food at the same time.

She speaks up while she helps herself to some of the dishes, plus one of Melanie's cupcakes.

"Melanie, hello. How have you been?"

[kineticcajun]

Gambit has to admit to himself, although it's nice not to be alone on a holiday, that it's definitely a little weird hanging around with the X-Men. Sure, they're familiar faces, but eating Thanksgiving dinner with former enemies? This is a little unexpected. Though he waffled around about going or not for some time, he ultimately ended up deciding to go since Jubilee asked... although he's still a little uncertain.

Still, when he shows up, he's armed with two side dishes just as asked: cornbread and oyster stuffing, the latter definitely a little on the spicy side. It's not a Thanksgiving without some of the flavors from New Orleans, as far as he's concerned. He's not even sure if anyone will even eat any of it, although this probably just means more for him and Jubilee.

For the most part, Gambit's just going to be keeping a quiet eye on the others, although he's bound to warm up a bit more as the evening wears on. There will be the occasional trip outside for a cigarette, but otherwise, he's staying inside where it's warm.

[touchofrogue]

Surprised to see Rogue in the kitchen? Or has your stalking tipped you off to that little bit of information as well? As it is, she's just bending down to check on the turkey one more time when the tension in the house ups itself.

...yup, there's the Cajun accent and the reason why. She sighs and then squares her shoulders, turning to face him. Her eyebrows go up when she sees the covered containers he's carrying.

"Ya ain't Greek, are you? Or is there some rule about Cajuns bearing gifts an' I missed it?" That's 'Hello, it's nice to see you, how kind of you to bring something,' clearly.

[temperedtempest.livejournal.com]

All in all, Ororo was rather happy with the dinner. She had a feeling that most of these guys would have spent the holiday on their own, so she was glad that Rogue had the idea to invite them all over. She wasn't really one to celebrate Thanksgiving, but this was a nice opportunity for everyone to get together, at least.

With Rogue commandeering the kitchen so efficiently and effectively for the feast she'd laid out on the table, Ororo had decided to play the hostess of the evening. She'll be going around the room, mingling pleasantly with everyone in turn, making sure that no one felt too awkward or out of place in this gathering. She'll be sampling a bit of each and every one of the dishes laid out on the table, so feel free to catch her helping herself to a plate of your contribution!

[bamfing]

"So? What do you think?"

He worked hard on those cabbage rolls. Just the way his mom made them. Only. Possibly not as good.

[titango.livejournal.com]

Is it rude to come to a thanksgiving dinner in full costume? Robin suspects he might be a bit overdressed for the occasion, but it's always struck him as bizarre that the X-Men and their friends were so liberal with identities in the first place. He's presently making a concerted effort to tone down his general creepiness, but habits are hard to break. He might quickly just end up skulking in corners staring at people and analyzing their downtime habits. It's fascinating to watch some of their dietary choices.

For those keeping track of that stuff, Robin brought mashed potatoes. Starch plus hammer plus butter and heat equals meal! Foolproof.

[bamfing]

Robin, you fail at this socializing thing. Of course, if he knew that the boy wonder would be harassing his girlfriend, he might be a little less friendly. Either way, he won't just let Robin sit in the corner and skulk.

"Come on, man. You're not going to stalk us eating too, are you?"