The Adventure at the Big Food Store

[Karma]

"Austin, Chopper, if you two keep sneaking things into the cart without telling me, I'll have you both hold my hands for the rest of our time at the store," Shan said to the mischievous pair of boys, though unable to keep the smile from her face. The trip to the grocery store for the barbecue was in full swing, with Lily sitting in the seat in the shopping cart and Austin and Chopper running around to get the things they wanted in the isle. Shan had given Torri a copy of the list that had all the main things they needed for the barbecue so she could go and fetch them.

Meanwhile, Shan and Stoney had their work cut out for them, breaking up two fights now between Jenny and Chopper and making sure that the kids didn't run off too much. Lucky for them, Chopper seemed to listen to Stoney with little complaint. Jenny and Austin were a bit tougher to rein in, but Shan knew how to talk to them. It was certainly an adventure.

At the moment, they were halfway done with their grocery list, but still had quite a bit more to go. "Ok let's see..." Shan looked at the list of things they needed and what wasn't checked off. "Okay everyone, listen up. From this isle we need a big bottle of ketchup, mustard, and Caesar and Italian salad dressing. No running!" she managed to say before the troops went off to collect the items on the list.

[Lily]

Lily's head kept turning from side to side as she saw all the different things on the store shelves that she wanted, and pointed out a few of them, exclaiming excitedly but giving up after a little while when Karma walked past them. Lily knew they were on a mission to find all the stuff they'd need to get for the big cookout later, but she always couldn't help finding stuff she'd get if she could. She giggled to herself as she looked over at Jenny, Austin and Chopper running around, poking at each other and grabbing the stuff she couldn't reach and putting it in the cart. She then giggled at Karma's threat and pointed at the three of them as they ran off, though it looked like her arm barely moved from the puffy windbreaker she had to wear to hide her wings.

"Ha haha! That'd be super funny if you had to hold her hands like babies!" she giggled, even though she was sitting in the seat in the shopping cart. Lily could run for all she liked, but she preferred to fly much more, and in a public place where mutants weren't really accepted, it wouldn't be good for her to forget herself and fly. "Karma, Karma, lemme see the list? Please please please I gotta add stuffs to it!" she said as she reached a hand out for the list. When she got it, she flipped it over onto the blank side and wiggled the fingers of her re-extended hand for the pen. Intently, she leaned over the paper as she held it to the shopping cart handle so she could write.

When she gave it back to Karma, there were a few things she decided to add, and gave her team leader a big adorable smile as she handed it back.

"We needs those stuffs, just so you know. A cookout isn't a cookout without them! And I want them!" she said to her enthusiastically and pointing to each word, as if it were imperative that they get the items. "Stoney, pss pss c'mere! You gotta find this stuffs for me cause it's good! Kay?" she asked him, looking up at him with big adorable eyes in hopes he might get them just in case Karma said no.

[Jenny]

"I gots the mustard! Move Chopper!" Jenny said with a scowl running forward and pushing Chopper aside as she ran to the mustard. Using both of her little hands, she reached out to wrap her hands around the large yellow mustard bottle and heaved it off the shelf. Karma had told all of the things they bought had the be the extra extra big kind. On the count that the icky boys eat too too much, we gots to have big big stuffs. "Look Kar- uh Shannie," Jenny said quickly correcting herself. Karma told them that they gotta call them by their first names because they couldn't use code names with other people around. Jenny had a hard time remembering, but she was trying.

"Here you go! Just like ya wanted," she said walking up to Stoney gripping the bottom of the bottle and letting it rest on her chest as she waited for Stoney to take it and put it in the cart. "Thank you Stoney, oh wait no Chester!" Jenny's eyes went wide as she looked around to make sure no one could see. "The dressing is real high Chester! I needs your help or the boys will get it!" She reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him to where the big bottles of dressings were. Jenny knew the boys couldn't reach it either, and she wanted to get them first and bring them to Karma.

"I can gets them you know, I just need to reach it. Help me please with a blueberry on top. Or Cherry, whichever you like, but I always liked blueberries," Jenny said with a shy grin and held her hands up to him so he could pick her up. She wanted to get it herself, but she didn't mind Stoney helping. Roger couldn't help her since he was sitting comfortably in the cart next to Lily to keep her company. "I'll show those dumb boys. That's what they get for tripping me in the bread isle. Aren't they just so immature?!" she said to Stoney in an exaggerated voice of exasperation.

[Chopper]

Chopper rolled his eyes at Jenny and looked over at Austin. "She don't know nothing, I think the cooties are eating her brains," he said and made a gagging noise. "C'mon Austin, we'll show her!" He grabbed the biggest ketchup bottle they had. "We're running low back at home, grab another one!" he yelled while putting the bottle in the cart all by himself. "See look Shan, I'm being good, I'm taking stuff only on the list." Chopper pointed at the bottle in the half full cart just to emphasize his point.

"Hey Austin, c'mon I know how to get the other dressing with just the two of us," he said running to where the Ranch and Caesar dressings were. "Ok," he said whispering to Austin. "I'll stick your shoes to the floor so you won't fall, and you give me a leg up. Ready?" When Austin was in position, Chopper stuck his shoes to the floor. "Ok, hold out your hand and lemme climb up. Try not to let go okay?" he said and began to climb up Austin's shoulders, holding the shelves for balance. "Ok hold it, hold it...." He reached for the huge bottle of Caesar dressing. "Got it! Ok be careful, I'm gonna put it on the lower shelf. Don't let me go!" he said and leaned just a little to put the bottle on a lower shelf so Austin could reach it, getting distracted only to look at Jenny and stick his tongue out.

[Austin]

"GOTTIT!" Austin screamed grabbing the huuuge bottle and grinning and Chopper before starting to run towards Karma. Austin wanted to do the cool ripply thing that he'd done in his room, it would be SO much faster that way! But he didn't know how to make it work. It was very random when the ripple thingi turned up in his room, and he still didn't know how to make it work whenever he wanted it to. He'd only been here a day! Austin continued to run, letting his eyes wander around the big big store.

This place was so cool! Austin's mom never did take them to the shopping stores (willingly) because he always ended up filling the trolley with loads and loads of chocolates and cookies and cakes and all those sweets with free action figures, and his mommy didn't like him doing that. Austin always thought his mother was a bit of a female-dog, she was always do unfair! But well, he was Austin Walker, he used to often sneak himself into the boot of his mommy's car and jump out when they were at the shopping center and make shopping hell for his mom.

Right now wasn't going to be much different. Austin wasn't the shy kind, he wasn't going to act all goody-too-shoo just 'cause he was new. He was already liking Chopper. It was good to have someone his own age who wasn't a little scardy cat. All the other boys in his old school were scared of him. "HURRY UP CHOPPER! WE DON'T WANT THOSE SILLY GIRLS TO GET IN THE WAY!" he screamed turning around to look at his friend before he felt himself bump into some icky old lady. CRASH ! the little old lady dropped her basket on the floor and stuttered a little where she stood.

A frown appeared on Austin's face, "YOU ICKY THING. CANT YOU SEE IM IN A HURRY?!" Austin screamed, he didn't have the patience to deal with stupid old ladies who's head was full of icky pink fluff. He ignored the lady and her stuffs and moved over to Karma who was standing just behind the old lady. "Here you go Shan!" he said proudly and leaned over the trolley to put the bottle in. "Us BOYS are so much better than the girls!" he announced with a huff before he felt some icky hands pat his shoulder. He turned around to look at the little old lady standing with her hands on her hips looking very cross and a bit teary.

[~ N.P.C. ~]

"You young boy are very rude!" Margaret croaked her hands on her hips and her eyes staring narrowed at the young blonde male in front of her. Did no one teach their children any manners these days? What was happening to the times? "Back in my day when I was a young girl I would never even dream of being this disrespectful to those older than me!" she scolded, lifting her right arm of her hip and clenching all but her index finger into a fist, as she pointed at the rude man before her glaring at him over her stubby little finger. "Do you have no respect? Did your mother not teach you anything? Has no one ever taught you how to behave!"

Margaret was very very annoyed indeed. How dare this rude little boy knock her shopping over? Oh no he wasn't getting away with it, oh sir no, certainly not! "Is this your mother?" she hissed eyeing the dark haired woman who seemed to be with all these annoying little children that were running everywhere. "Oh it seems not, unless the father is fair-haired! Unless you left the father yes?! Or did he leave you oh yes? Oh these young ones learn all their bad behaviour from you! You are just as bad as them! Did that fair haired and blue eyed man tell you he loved you, and left you when you had this annoyance of a child?" Margaret glared at the dark haired woman.

"Well, served you right didn't it? I tell you, you shouldn't believe these men! They're all the same! All of them! Ah that bast*rd Bryan! Left me! LEFT! One day he was there! Next day he was gone! Never change do they? Ah!" She blabbered on moving her right hand back to her hip staring from the dark haired mother to the fair haired child. "Though four is enough now don't you think? Stop getting your heart broken! Ah! We have enough children in the country! Or if you're determined to get drunk everynight, carry contraception! Breeding like... like rabbits doesn't help anyone!" She spluttered. Margaret couldn't even remember how she'd gotten onto the current topic, but didn't feed the thought too much hay 'cause these children could learn something from her. After all, they were all the same! Rude, careless and Ill-mannered!

[Karma]

"Austin!" Shan said and grabbed his hand, yanking him to her. She was horrified that this happened and felt bad for the little old lady, even though she wasn't very pleasant or understanding. Then again, Shan would be very unhappy if someone bumped into her and then instead of apologizing, yelled that she was in the way. "Ma'm I am so sorry! Austin! Apologize to this lady for being bumping into her and being so rude!" she said looking down at the boy who's arm she's holding. Her own twins had their unruly moments, and the look that she gave the little Walker boy was a practiced and experienced one that gave a very clear cut warning to the consequences on what would happen if he didn't do what he was told now.

Shan was a very patient and gentle woman with the children, reining them in with firmness and kindness. There were times however, that firmness had to be used over gentleness. Now was one of those times. She continued looking at Austin until he apologized, not giving him much choice in the matter. "I really am sorry ma'm. Here let me help you," Shan said and knelt down to the ground to gather the items that dropped from the shopping basket. "Austin, stay by the cart," she said softly, but it was obvious she was quite upset.

"Here you go ma'm I am so sorry again," she said handing her the shopping basket to the little old lady. She had taken all the items and placed them carefully in the basket. "I promise I will have a talk with him later on. Please take care Ma'm." Shan had as genuine of a smile as she could until the lady walked away, grumbling still. Until the lady was out of view, Shan turned to Austin with her hands on her hips. "Austin how could you?!" she said in a disappointed voice. She moved to kneel in front of him so she could look him eye to eye. "Austin honey, you can't behave like that, not when we're in public especially!" She shook her head, disappointed. "I told you all in the car how important it is that we behave in the town and not let anyone know that we are mutants, or get any attention on us. To act so rudely though is unacceptable." Shan stood up and placed a hand on his head. "You're going to stay next to me the rest of the trip, and we are going to have a talk at home."

She wouldn't say another word about it, instead looked at the list that Lily gave her and smiled. "Hmm it does seem we have even more things to get now, and not so much time yet. I hope we get everything done in time!" Shan said with big eyes at Lily and made a funny face at her. "Oh you, tell you what, when we get to that isle we'll see what we can fit in the cart," she said to Lily and poked her sweet little nose. "Oh Chester, Jenny, could you two grab a big bottle of Ranch dressing too? Thank you so much!" Shan grinned at both of them, never getting tired of seeing how little Jenny could make a guy like Stoney melt.

"Now let's see... Oh yes next we need to get bread! We need some marshmallows and chocolate too for s'mores later!" she said with a big grin knowing the last part would make them especially happy.

[Torri]

Torri had basically been on her own from the beginning of the adventure. Her own shopping cart had been dedicated to retrieving all the meats and bread necessary for the barbecue. Never in her life did she ever see or need so much meat. Granted it wasn't overflowing in the cart, however it was a bit much for her 13 year old self to push all by her lonesome. There was hamburgers, chicken and hot dogs and about one or two packages of veggie burgers for anyone who ate those. "BLEH," she said as she placed them in the cart. Her tongue was sticking out and she made a nauseous face. "I don't know how anyone can eat that stuff it's so gross."

Finally finishing with the meats, Torri got the buns that were needed and the exact quantities Karma had asked for. She wasn't having a lot of fun but it was nice to get out of the mansion and just do something normal for once. Being in the Alpha Squadron helped her out a lot more than she thought. She wasn't as childish as the other members were, however she was a bit more childish than the older teams. Being in the Danger Room and stuff was too much for her, as of now. But as each day moved on, she started to gain responsibility since Karma would always ask her to do the "big" things for she was the eldest.

Torri pushed the cart through the isles to find Karma and the rest of the group. She finally saw them in front of her and nearly got hit by an old woman who seemed quite upset for whatever reason. Seeing Karma's face, Torri assumed it was something the younger ones did. "I got everything," she said in a satisfied voice. "What happened now?" Torri didn't like seeing Karma upset. It wasn't right since she was so nice and all. But many kids didn't know how good they had it with a motherly figure like Karma. And some just never would.

[Stoney]

Nodding in agreement to Jenny, he could only smile as she had a point about the young boys that would be true for probably another five years at least. Chester had a feeling Karma's little men were going to be getting themselves in some kind of trouble sooner or later. He had expected it was going to be from knocking some display over or something, so he had taken them aside and talked to the two mighty young Alpha-guys in the parking lot before they set foot inside the store. He thought he had made it clear to them to be careful and Chopper had even volunteered the idea to stick Austin's shoes to the floor. Stoney had smiled and tousled his hair, the wordless response Chopper had come to know as Chester's way of saying 'thats good, that'll work', or 'I'm proud of you'.

He took pause from helping Jenny to look over and see what was up. He knew Chopper was good for his word and since he had just seen the two boys getting ketchup he wondered what was up and how Austin got un-stuck so quickly. Looking to where the ketchup was he saw his answer. Austin's shoes were still stuck to the floor of the isle. He must have slipped his feet out and run sliding in his socks. The poor old woman, being taken completely unaware was far more upset he thought than was warranted, but he would have some words later with the young turks about manners and how to treat a lady. Austin was new so Chester would play it cool with him, he'd let Chopper do most of the talking. He had a way of getting Chopper to figure things out for himself, simply by starting him on a thought, or a project and letting him explore it for himself. He hoped Austin could learn to follow suit.

Turning his attention back to Jenny he handed her another bottle, making sure she had them and with a wink sent her on her way as he waved Chopper back over to Austin's shoes. Clearing his throat to get Shan's attention, just as Jenny came up to her with her arms full of Ranch dressing, he nodded at her for a second and then looked down at Austin's feet with a raised eyebrow. One of the boy's socks was hanging long off the end of his foot and he was tripping over it, the other was scrunched way down and threatening to join it's mate in the tripping game that socks liked to play with the feet of active, shoe-less children.

Chester took a knee beside the tiny pair of undone sneakers, affixed as the were, on the molecular level, to the floor. He knew that even with his considerable strength he wouldn't be able to unattach them, the best he would be able to do was pull up the floor tiles. Until Chopper un-stuck those shoes they were not coming up and it always took him a little bit longer to un-stick something than to stick it, which is how Chester knew something was fishy to begin with. There was no way Chopper had enough time to un-stick Austin's shoes before he had run off. Smiling at his best bud as he bounded up Chester pretended to be tying his own shoes there and blocking anyone's view so Chopper could do his thing

[Lily]

Lily just looked around quietly at everyone with big eyes, having watched what had just happened. When that old woman came and yelled at Austin and Karma, she felt like she wanted to shrink so she could hide, even though she didn't do anything wrong. She even wondered for a second if she should try to make everyone happy, but remembered they weren't supposed to show that they were mutants. The frown she had on her face was temporary as Karma made it so they would get everything she had added to the list. Instantly she was smiling and the world was bright and sunny again, so everything was good by her.

Giggling, she smiled at Karma and clapped her hands happily. "Yaaay! Now we'll have a good good cookout! Ain't that right, Roger?" she asked the rabbit next to her, taking his paw in one of her little hands and smiling at him before looking at the boys again. "Me and Jenny are right, boys are dummies and icky and stuffs," she said to Karma, leaning forward and whispering, using her free hand to cover one side of her mouth as if she were telling a secret. Today, she sided with the girl power, especially since it showed just now that it was better off than the boys. Her eyes trailed off for a second, and her righteous but short tirade about girls being better than boys was quickly forgotten as she saw sitting on a shelf of the aisle they were in a big bag of giant marshmallows.

Lily's eyes went wide with wonder as she pointed them out on a slightly lower shelf. "Look! Look! Giant marshmallows! They're gigantuan! Let's gets them for the smores! They'll be the bestest ones ever!" she said, pointing out their exact location before turning to Jenny, bouncing in her seat slightly. "Jenny Jenny Jenny! Get those gigantuan marshmallows before one of the boys does! Quick! Girls gotta win!" she said, still bouncing, especially at the idea of having the biggest smores to ever be made with the biggest gooey marshmallowy centers.

[Jenny]

"Here you go Shannie," Jenny said placing the two big bottles into the cart, one at a time and with great difficulty as she heaved it inside the cart carefully. She glanced at Austin and Chopper with a triumphant look on her face. She may get in fights a lot with the boys, but at least she had manners. "I hates to say it K- Shannie but..." Jenny looked at her with wide eyes and nodded her head slowly up and down.

"You shoulda listened to me! See Torri, icky boys cause trouble," she said to her older friend with a serious nod and then walked beside her as they went to the next isle. "We sure are getting a lotta food huh? I guess it's on the count that boys eat like hungry hippos. Oh but not you Stoney, I mean Chester!" Jenny looked back at him with the same wide eyes to shake her head and let him know that he wasn't included in her generalization on stupid boys. "You're not an ugly stupid boy who can'ts stop eating," she assured him.

"Wow Torri you got lots of stuff! I wish I coulda gone with you to help. But look at the list now! We get to get the bread for the yummy garlic bread and graham crackers and marshmallows! Hey want me to show you how to make a really neat and yummy s'more later? I don't know if they have them in Scotland, but I'm really good at them. Right Roger?" Jenny said looking back at her little rabbit that Lily was watching. "C'mon Torri let's get the marshmallows!" She took her hand and pulled her to the next isle.

[Chopper]

Chopper said nothing throughout the whole thing, instead just clamping his mouth shut and watching wide eyed. He used to be sort of like that, but Stoney taught him how important it was to treat ladies with respect, even if they were icky. That and now that he had a new friend in Aideen, he really learned how important it was. He didn't like it when stupid Rumble bothered her, but he delighted in watching her do her ninja stuff and take him down, or insult him so much it made Chopper burst into giggles. He often wondered how come Stoney never said anything to Rumble about leaving Aideen alone. He thought they were friends and Stoney always did tell him how important it was to be a gentleman and treat a lady right and make sure they were treated right too. He had to ask him that one day, cause Chopper himself said stuff to Rumble, but he never saw Stoney do it.

"Don't worry Stoney, we'll talk to him later. I don't want him to stay behind when we go out," he whispered to him as he leaned down to unstick the shoes from the ground. Picking them up, he walked over to Austin and handed them to him. "You need to learn to tie your shoes better." Chopper giggled and waited for Austin to put them on before they could run back to the others. "You got to be careful when we're out with the townspeople. They're dumb and don't like mutants, so we gotta be really really really careful when we're here."

The two boys we're catching up with the others and Chopper glanced at his new friend again. "Oh and we really gotta be good when we're out, cause if you don't behave you can't come out with us, and have to stay back and have someone else watch you. Trust me, its not fun at all!" he said shaking his head and making a face at the memories.

[Torri]

"WHOA!!" she yelped as she felt Jenny drag her over to the isle. "Calm down Jenny." She couldn't help but giggle. The little ones were very cute and the girls did happen to rule. The boys were just silly and took more time to mature. Torri was ready to take sides if a gender battle happened to occur in the supermarket that day.

Seeing the marshmallows, Torri grabbed several that would be enough for everyone at the school and even got an extra bag for just her and her team. She wasn't a stranger to sharing and since she was the eldest of the group, Karma made sure to have her be the "one to look up to". It wasn't a lot of pressure really. Since she had joined the Alpha Squadron, Torri had realized that she exaggerated many things while being on the Acolytes. It was something completely new, and since she wasn't use to the type of responsibility that was needed of her, it wasn't a surprise that she couldn't handle it.

She grew up with a bi-polar mother. One day she would be incredibly depressed, the next incredibly happy. It was an odd situation to be brought up in, making Torri the shy girl that she was and is known to be. However since she came to the school, she was able to get out of that shell and be a bit more brave. Most of the reason was to be brave for her new team and become a young woman.

She smiled at Jenny and nodded. "That would be great," she replied enthusiastically. "I've had them before but never in America. I hope they taste better because me friends used dark chocolate." The memory of the taste disgusted her and she did her grossed out face again. "Milk chocolate is so much better. Don't you think so Roger?" Jenny was too cute for words and Torri was so glad to find a true friend since she and Ricki weren't so close anymore.

[Austin]

"Sorry Shan." Austin mumbled unwillingly and sighed at Karma's side, refusing to look over at her or the the old lady. Austin didn't like apologizing. The fact that he'd apologized to Karma was a feat. enough, it took him a lot of stomping on his 'pride' to do the same for the lady.

He scowled, knowing he wasn't going to win this one. He sighed, as Chopper handed him his shoes and he slipped them on, realizing for the first time that he'd started running shoe-less. "Yeah yeah. It's just it wasn't my fault!" he grumbled, shaking his head at Chopper, exchanging an 'understanding' look with his new bud. "Grr. That lady was so silly! Gah! Icky fluffy stuff." he grit his teeth together. He was annoyed now, and he probably wasn't going to get all happy anytime soon.

He diverted his attention from being angry to the icky girls who were getting the mashmellows. "C'mon Chop- you mind if I call you Chop? Chop sounds so cool! Like Karate Chop!" Austin said trying to distract himself, "I'm calling you Chop." he concluded, not waiting for a response. He got this from Sky- she always gave people random nicknames, and he had a habbit of doing so too. Although, he wasn't as creative as his older sister, and usually just used the first couple of letters of peoples names instead. "Lets go get some other stuff away from icky old ladys! We don't want those stupid girls to win!" He urged, tugging on Chopper's arm. "What else do we need?"

[Chopper]

"Na uh dude! My name is Chopper!" He put his hands up like a motorcycle and twisting his fist. "VROOM VROOM! Like the motorcycle. I was named after my dad's first Harley!" Chopper puffed his chest out proudly as he walked by Stoney and Austin. "My dad said that the day I was born, he just got his new Harley Davidson Chopper, and he took my mommy to the hospital with it so she could have me. He named me after it!" It was a proud story that his dad was very proud of and told everyone whenever they asked how he got his name. He had an icky sister named Harley too, and another brother named Harrison after the Jay Harrison's 1947 Knucklehead that was his grandpop's first bike.

Chopper looked up at Stoney with a thoughtful look on his face. "Hey Sto- Chester what are we gonna do at the cookout? Can we play soccer again?" he asked eagerly, getting excited for the annual cookout. Last year's was a lot of fun until that fight broke out, but it was still a lot of fun and it wasn't like Chopper had anything to do with it. He was disappointed that Aideen wouldn't be there, but he'd still have fun with Stoney and at least she would be away from stupid Rumble. "Oh and are we gonna have that yummy potato salad from the St. Patrick's Day Picnic? Sky made it right? Do we have everything for it??!!" he asked with an alarmed look. It would seriously be sad if they had this big cookout without that amazing potato salad that Chopper dubbed his new favorite food at the last picnic.