The Great Picnic Panic - Part Four

May 30th, 2011.

Morning of the Great Picnic Panic

Cass was still grumbling ten minutes later. Taylor didn't get it. The two of them were walking towards the supermarket nearest the place she'd picked out for the picnic. They weren't getting that many looks. In fact, other than those that stared at Leviathan, almost everyone was fixated on Simurgh. The third Endbringer was spinning in circles way above them and apparently having the time of her life.

Taylor sighed. "Are you really that angry?" she asked.

Cass gave her a look, then pointed down at the shirt she was wearing which had a cartoon Amy Dallon smiling on it. It clashed a little with her off-white nurse pants. "This," She tugged at the shirt. "This is embarrassing. Glory Hole did it on purpose."

Taylor tried to suppress her smile but it still quirked her lips up at the corners, and Cass's glare only grew. "But it looks so good on you," she finally said, unable to hold back the mirth that filled her voice.

"Jerk. The shirt's not so bad, it's the panties that bother me," Cass said.

"The... panties," Taylor said.

"Panpan Panties; they keep the blood inside." Cass's voice turned into the kind of sing-song you'd expect from a late night infomercial before her face twisted into something vile. Taylor couldn't hide the wince. The more cape merchandise she saw, the more she could understand the appeal of villainy.

"We'll find you something nice to wear." Taylor snorted. "Maybe Glory Girl boyshorts?"

Cass shoved Taylor who ran a few steps to keep her balance. She giggled the entire time and Cass joined in with her own laughter.

{Unit-02 enact Primary Directive Against Host-Telekinetic_Displacer?}

Taylor shook her head and started walking backwards to be able to face Leviathan. "No, no, she was just being friendly is all."

[Updating Friendship Protocols!]

"Damn it's weird when you talk to them like that. I mean, you hear shit about Endbringers being clever and stuff, but you wouldn't think they understand English or whatever."

Shrugging at Cass who gave her a look, Taylor turned to see that they were almost at the supermarket. "Cass, you wanna stay out here with the two of them, make sure they don't do anything too silly?"

"You want me to babysit two Endbringers?"

"Just for a few minutes. They're mostly well-behaved."

Cass blinked. "Fuck it, why not?"

Grinning, Taylor looked up to the sky where the Simurgh was doing cartwheels in slow motion a hundred feet off the ground. "Alright you two, listen to Cass for a bit, okay? Oh, and no killing anyone. I'll be right back. Oh, and Cass."

"Yeah?"

"If Unit Two starts asking about genocide protocols just say no, alright?" With that said, Taylor walked into the supermarket, glad to see that the store was mostly restocked now that things were calming down in the city.

Cass just stared after the most powerful girl in the world as she walked into the grocery store, then up at the two Endbringers who were keeping an eye on her. She suddenly felt really small. "So, this is what it's like to be stupidly powerful, huh?" The Simurgh shrugged. "Shit, no wonder she's lost her marbles."

***

Taylor had a list. Well, not an actual list-list, but more of a mental one, of all the things needed for a good picnic. She figured that it might be best to just buy all the ingredients and let people make their own sandwiches on the spot. Of course, she'd buy stuff to drink too, and pastries and stuff like that.

Pushing a cart along while dressed in her costume was a little strange--it was such a mundane thing to do while looking like Queen Administrator instead of just Taylor Hebert. She was still pondering that while tossing three different kinds of bread in her basket, when she felt a presence next to her. Ignoring it for the moment, Taylor got on tippy-toes to try and grab some of the healthier jams that were on the topmost shelf.

"Need a hand?" She turned to see a bemused Legend in full regalia looking at her as she stretched out to grab a jar of jam. He reached out and plucked it for her, then gently placed it in her waiting hand. "I heard that you were preparing a picnic of sorts?"

Taylor grinned and placed the jar in her basket. "Yup! Loads more people than I thought are coming. It's going to be tons of fun."

Legend grinned right back and eyed her cart full of goodies. "I can see that. Looks like you're getting ready to feed an army over here."

Taylor blushed a little and shook her head. "I'm the host, sorta, so it's my job to make sure everyone's fed." Turning back to the shelves she inspected all the different sorts of jam and butters for a moment. "What's your favourite sort of jam?"

"Hrm, not a question I ask myself very often. Strawberry, I guess. I'm more partial to peanut butter," he said.

Taylor nodded and grabbed a jar of peanut butter off the shelf and tossed it in with the rest of her groceries. "So, um, did you want to come?" she asked. Her gaze shifted away from the hero, focusing on nothing in particular while she waited for him to answer.

"I... suppose that I could clear my schedule, yes."

"Really?" Taylor looked up to him, only now realising how tall he was.

"I did have a few... questions I wanted to ask you. Actually, it's more like certain parties within the PRT and government wanted to ask but they figured that I was the best one to do the asking. It'll give us a chance to talk, right?"

"Of course!" Taylor skipped over to the next aisle, searching for the dessert section.

"Don't forget to get some fruits and veggies," Legend said as he followed after her at a more sedate pace.

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Taylor snorted. "You sound like my dad," she complained.

"I am a new father, you know?" he shot back. "I need to get used to getting rascals to eat their veggies."

Taylor found the desserts and, instead of really pondering what people would want, just started tossing the more colourful pastries into her cart. "You are? That's so cool. I, uh, didn't really get 'daddy' vibes from you, what with the face underwear and all. Though, actually, that might have been a hint--" She stopped when she heard Legend coughing on his own spit.

"B-be that as it may," he said. "I am a... daddy now." His cheeks were rather red and Taylor had to hold back a giggle. People were staring and at least one of them had their phone out. She wondered how he would react when the video inevitably found its way to PHO.

She scooped up a few more picnic essentials, then moved to the next aisle where she stopped in front of a rack filled with different kinds of tea. "Do you think Unit Two could boil water for us?" she asked idly.

"I don't think so. He never showed the ability to change the temperature of water before," Legend said.

{Unit-02 can change the temperature of Liquids up to and beyond Critical state.}

Taylor nodded. "He says he can." With that she picked out a few different flavours and tossed them with the rest of the food. "I think that's everything," she said.

"One of these days we're going to need to sit down and figure out what, exactly, your friends can do," he said.

Taylor nodded easily and made her way to the counters at the front of the store. She started placing things on the conveyor while Legend walked past her and started bagging her groceries for her. The girl at the register spent more time staring at Legend than paying attention to the items she was swiping. Taylor paid up and picked up a few bags. She noticed that Legend was grabbing the heavier ones but he just smiled knowingly when she raised an eyebrow at him.

Stepping outside, Taylor found Cass sitting on the curb with a ball in hand. She cocked her arm back then flung the ball forwards. It arced into the air, then began to spin, duck, weave and otherwise move in ways that no ball should.

"Pull!" Cass barked.

Leviathan snapped his tail around like a whip and a glob of water the size of Taylor's head shot out and smashed against the ball high above the parking lot.

"Damn, that's seven-four for you," Cass said.

"Cass, what're you doing?" Taylor asked as she watched the glob of water flow across the ground back to Cass's side where it unravelled to reveal the rubber ball the girl had thrown.

"Hrm? Playing fetch? Sorta?" She turned, then froze as she caught sight of an amused Legend holding a handful of grocery bags. "Uh, hi Legend."

"Hello, Cass was it?"

Cass smiled and gave a little wave. "That's me. I'm one of Ta-- Queenie's friends." She smiled, then wiped her hands on a pant leg and extended it to Legend, then she saw the bags he was still holding and let her arm drop. "Gotta say, Queenie, I'm meeting all sorts of interesting folk with you around, huh?"

"I aim to entertain," Taylor shot back. "The park's only a few blocks off. Wanna walk over, or ride on Leviathan... Or I guess you could both fly?"

[Joy! Can lift Host-Queen_Administrator.]

Cass shrugged. "Might as well walk. We've got time to kill before noon. Are you coming with, Legend?"

The Triumvirate cape shrugged one shoulder. "I was invited, I might as well show up early," he said before giving the teen a brilliant smile.

"Alright then," Cass said before she swooped in and tapped each of Taylor's bags once, then did the same to Legend's. A moment later and the bags were all floating around the group.

"That power looks a lot like Rune's, from the Empire Eighty Eight," Legend said as he watched the bags circling around.

Cass almost missed a step. "What are you on about, laserboy? Do I look like a nazi to you?"

He slowly looked away from the bags and inspected her thoughtfully. "I suppose not"

The Simurgh dipped out of the clouds and came rocketing down towards the group. At the very last moment she slowed her dive, just in time to come to a stop an inch from the ground.

Legend jumped backwards, both hands raised as if to fire at the Endbringer.

The two stared at each other while the wind shifted around them. The parking lot was deathly quiet for a few long seconds. "Simurgh, stop antagonizing Mister Legend," Taylor said. "Mister Legend, please don't laser my friend."

Legend slowly lowered his hands and loosened his tense shoulders a little. The Simurgh nodded at him as if they'd reached an understanding of sorts and floated backwards to stop near Taylor's side.

"Come on, there's no reason we can't all be friends!" Taylor said.

[Initiate Friendship Protocols?]

"Exactly!"

[Preparing for Orbital Bombardment.]

"What!" Taylor spun towards the Simurgh. "No, that's not how friendship works!"

The Simurgh tilted her head to one side. [Contrite. No Friendship Cannons? Sadness. Wasted Preparation Time.]

Taylor buried her face in her hands while all the--mostly--normal humans around her took in her one-sided conversation with the Endbringer. "No, Simmy, no orbital friendship cannons. Where did you even learn about those?"

[Anime!]

"You watch cartoons?" Taylor asked as she started walking towards the park again.

[Not Cartoons. Anime.]

"What's the difference?"

[Exasperation.]

Behind the little group, Legend felt as though he had made a very big mistake somewhere along the line.

***