2019-11-29 - A Second Giving of Thanks

Summary:

Second Thanksgiving Feast at the X-Manse

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Fri Nov 29 06:51:58 2019
Location: Institute - Cafeteria

Related Logs

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Theme Song

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lydia-dietrichroguescott-summershisako-ichikihank-mccoy

Once Hank returned to the school, he staged his own post Turkey Day event - early evening in Westchester County, New York finds one Doctor Hank McCoy hard at work in the kitchen of the mansion, fortunately the man is a positive genius when it comes to multitasking. Knowing he is cooking and baking for more than just the team, he's been up since early in the morning with prep, and baking. LOTS of baking. Lots and lots of rolls, several pies (Apple, Cherry, Blueberry and Key Lime), as well as Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, Cornbread Stuffing, fresh Cranberry Sauce, and Corn on the Cob.

In quantity. The man clearly loves him some Thanksgiving, so much so that he had TWO this year! As he works he amuses himself by singing in a fabulously deep bass. "I am the very model of the modern major general…"


It's a good thing being a mechanic gives some muscle, because otherwise Rogue would have been in big trouble. There's a large, deep fried gem of a turkey on a rack over a huge baking dish. She'd already brought in her sweet potato and pecan pie, and tossed a can of the cranberry sauce somewhere.

"Hank, I tell you, it's a thing of beauty. Too bad Remy made a sandwich of the leftovers from the practice turkey. Passed out on the couch." There's a roll of her eyes, but a smile on her face. She's not dressed up, a long sleeved green t-shirt, black jeans and a pair of black docs. Hair is back in a ponytail, and she's not wearing any makeup except a tinted chapstick.

"There anything else you need a hand with, Hankster?"


Spending time with the parents is all well and good, but for Lydia, spending time away from them (especially her mother) is even better. This is why when she heard about Professor McCoy's after Thanksgiving feast, she just knew she had to attend. At least Hank isn't going to try to set her up with some other boy in a desperate attempt to marry her off and make grandbabies.

It's a bit of a drive to Weschester, but nothing her bright green Vespa couldn't handle. She parks it, and wanders on in, letting her nose lead the way to the kitchen. That says something about the cooking because normally she can't smell a thing other than her own ectoplasm. Once in the kitchen, her eyes go wide at the cornucopia of food that litters nearly every inch of countertop space.

"Wow," she says appreciatively. "You cook more than my Nan." Judging by her tone, that's a lot.


Scott had spent time with Jean Grey for Thanksgiving before heading back to the school to go about preparation for the end of the Thanksgiving break. He has assignments to prepare! But alas, he was immediately distracted wit hthe smell of ham and other deliciousness. So, he arrives at the Post-giving feast with a smirk on his face, adjusting his ruby-quartz sunglasses.

"Hank, a maestro of baking as always." He smiles to the good doctor, professor…his titles go on and on. He approaches him to try and shake his hand. "I see you were so hungry you made a second feast?" he looks amused, before looking to Lydia and Rogue. "Good to see you, Rogue, Lydia. I hope you enjoy this second thanksgiving dinner, compliments of Mr. McCoy."


Going home for Thanksgiving is one thing when you can drive there; it's quite another when not only is it a matter of flying, but your home culture doesn't even celebrate Thanksgiving the way America does.

That's done little to prevent Hisako from exercising what cooking skills she has, even if her own estimate of them is "meager". Most of her contribution was prepared ahead of time: steaming rice and molding it into onigiri, whether as a snack or a side to complement the rolls; she's packing some more of those together right now while Hank holds court over most of the kitchen, keeping the platter stocked.

"It's hard to imagine," Hisako observes good-naturedly, "that with this much food prepared, we *still* won't have leftovers for a week." She's wearing a blue sweater over her white blouse and black slacks, clothes further obscured at the moment by a restrainedly cute yellow apron. Each new arrival to the kitchen is greeted with, at the *very* least, a polite nod/slight bow; her hands are mostly too busy to wave. She's not ignoring anyone if she can help it.


"Hello Rogue." Hank nearly purrs as he hugs his friend, once her hands are clear. "Actually…there's some butter I picked up from a local farm, churned fresh this morning. Mind dishing it up and then we can set the table." And yes, he's unconcerned about the risk of being drained, he trusts her and himself not to make a mistake.

Hank is dressed in his favorite apron, the thing is deep blue and has in gold text: Cooking is merely chemistry for the hungry. Under it he wears a snug fitted black t-shirt and black khaki shorts, no footware, this is informal!

He smiles welcome to Lydia and Scott as they arrive. "Miss Dietrich, Scooter." He laughs at the commentary about the quantities. "Well, Miss Dietrich, I would never dare to impugn the culinary skills of your Nan, but I work in a school - there's a LOT of people here, and so I prepared accordingly." He shakes Scott's hand. "Oh, my regards to Jeanie when you see her, and Rogue has been a huge help, she made the turkey and several pies and the sweet potatoes, so it is a team effort."

A nod then. "And Miss Ichikio has been a tremendous help with her onigiri and as an apprentice Sous Chef." He grins at the girl. "If ever you tire of Art and Architecture I think there's a Michelin star in your future if you want one, Miss Ichiko."


Rogue will leaven lean into that hug from Hank, though there's not much skin bare to worry about - so she doesn't. There's a quick smile for Hank's helper Hisako, before she will give Hank some side eye. "You've got one of those little ramekin things to put butter in too, I am sure. Where is it, so I can get to dishin'? Need butter. I mean, if my mashed potatoes aren't swimmin' in it, what's the point, right?"

Attention shifts, a wave given to Lydia before she glances at Scott. "Scooter. That's okay, you can be on dish duty to do your share for the fixin's." The smile is mischievious as she digs out little ceramic dishes to put butter in.


With all the people crowding the kitchen, Lydia is aware of her aura's presence and always stands in a way that nobody could accidentally run into it. While it's not dangerous, some people are put off by the cool numbing sensation it leaves when they come in contact with it. This is all par for the course, however, since it's something she did during all her time here at school.

She looks curious at the onigiri that Hisako brought in. "Ooooh," she says as she gravitates towards them. "What are these?"


Ah yes, there are those subtle moments where Scott forgets that his apparently popular nickname is 'Scooter'. Giving Hank a firm shake of his hand, he nods. "Of course. She might make an appearance later, but last I checked, she was so full she might burst from the first Thanksgiving dinner." he teases Beast. Then he looks at Hisako and Rogue. "Did you? Wow, no wonder everything smells so fantastic."

He does frown though when he's apparently on Dish duty, but after he gets done sighing, he smiles. "Sure thing, Rogue. Chances are, it won't be massive if its just us in number, eh?"


"Onigiri," Hisako explains to Lydia. "Or just 'rice balls' if you prefer. Steamed rice, molded into an easy-to-hold serving; they should be packed tightly enough that you can walk around while eating one and it won't come apart. Some of them are just rice, some of them have pickled plums inside to accent the flavor. And I tried making a couple around a few scraps of turkey that Mr. LeBeau didn't use up on his sandwich, if you'd like …"

She gestures gently with her elbow, indicating a smaller plate with two onigiri. Apparently those are the experimental turkey-filled ones. Hank's praise elicits more of a flustered look from Hisako, though, and slightly sheepish. "I'm not that good in the kitchen, especially a Western one," she protests. "I'm lucky to remember as much from my mother as I do."


"Of course…top shelf, cabinet to the left of the sink, thank you, Rogue." The butter in the fridge is roughly one pound blocks, uneven, wrapped in wax paper. He bought FIVE pounds of it, so it will likely last a day or two! Okay, not in this school it won't last more than a day. "Oh, definitely need it for the 'taters." Hank says with a deeply bass rumble of a laugh.

Fortunately Hank is rather cold resistant, so even if Lydia's aura hits him - consider he's been cooking and baking - the chill is probably /welcome/!

Scott's handshake is returned, and he laughs and claps the free hand to his old friend's shoulder. "I have been that full." Hank agrees. "And honestly - Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday." He admits.

Hank looks between Lydia and Hisako. "I think perhaps less formal is acceptable when outside the classroom, if you are both fine with it, I think we might dispense with titles and surnames, but only if you're comfortable. In class? By all means, Doctor McCoy. Beast when in the Danger Room. But Hank is fine other places when we're private, mm?" He grins to Hisako then. "Dear girl, you just need to apply yourself. You can be and learn -anything-, you just have to want it badly enough and be willing to put in the work."


There is a mutter when Rogue sees the blocks of unsoftened butter. Well, that's why they made big knives, after all. "And rolls. And all kinds of things." Because it's butter, and she's southern. Paula Deen's method of cooking is pretty much truth - Butter in all things!

Scott should realize by now, a nickname from Rogue is a sign of affection. It's rare she calls anyone by something as plain as their actual name, once she's gotten close. She will look at Scott, a roll of her eyes. "Gawd forbid you have to load the giant dishwasher. Woe is you." There's a snicker then, as she takes a big knife to hard butter.

"Hank's right. Learning to cook isn't as scary as you think. And you get to eat the efforts!"


Lydia looks thoughtful at the onigiri and, after snagging a plate, plops one of the pickled plum ones on there. "I've never had anything like this," she says. She takes a bit of the mashed potatoes and the casserole, passes on the ham, but stops at the stuffing. "Professor McCoy," she says out of reflex, but corrects herself, "Hank, is there any pork sausage in the stuffing? I know some people like to add it in."


"Hank, then," Hisako agrees, albeit a little shyly. His words of encouragement on the subject of cooking, though, are met with a formal nod of respectful acknowledgement. She may still doubt her own abilities, but … well, she's been here since early in her teens and now she's part of a team of superheroes. Next to that? Learning more about how to cook well *is not* an impossible feat, especially next to that.

She does, however, reply wryly to Rogue, "You can eat the efforts if they're edible. So, not burnt to charcoal or spoiled into a health hazard." She sets a completed onigiri on the platter. "Think this is enough? Or should I keep going, in case Prof— in case *Logan*, or somebody, decides to grab a dozen or so?"


Hank looks apologetic. "Sorry, I only took out one pound for while I was cooking." And yes, it is easy to picture him using a full pound of butter with all the cooking and baking, heck, maybe two! "Sorry to say I never quite got onboard with margarine and other butter substitutes, they just do not have the right flavor, texture or whatever. NOT the same." So yes, Hank too subscribes to the Paula Deen school of thought on butter.

He smiles over to Lydia. "No, no pork products - no /meat/ products in the stuffing, Lydia. I know that many people by biology or social mores or faith partake of such, so the stuffing took that into account. The only meats are the meats, if that makes sense."

He nods approval as both Hisako and Lydia manage the name shift. "Right then."

He cannot help but laugh at the wry commentary. "I'd say fill another plate, Hisako. JUST in case. You literally cannot go wrong with /more/ food here, between staff and students there's always someone scrounging for something."


Rogue will toss Hank a mock angry look, before she just goes to put the butter in the ramekins in the microwave for a short little burst to get them to start softening up. "I am with you all the way with the butter, Hankster. Nothing else tastes quite the same. It's just better."

"And gawd knows we've got some vegetarian folks, so we try to leave meat only in the obvious dishes. Like meat. Gravy." She'll shrug, before she's inching over to steal a rice ball thingy. "An' Logan loves food. He's been all over, heaven knows where." There's a smile. "I think I like havin' some extra non-American cultural foods around. It's eye openin'."


Lydia nods, satisfied at Hank's answer and adds a heaping helping of the stuffing onto her plate. "This is just what I need," she grins, "Carbs!" She finds a good place to lay the plate down and and finds a salt shaker and starts generously applying salt to everything. Including the Onigiri. After all, it's the only way she can actually taste anything.

She starts picking at the onigiri once it's been nice and salted, giving it testing little nibbles for taste before deciding that, yes, it's actually delicious as anything ever gets for her, and worth wolfing down. However, when Rogue mentions gravy she looks at the gravy she just poured over her mashed potatoes. She… she didn't think of that. With a sigh of disappointment, she pushes the potatoes off into a solitary corner of the plate, to be abandoned to its fate.

"So," she says conversationally, "How was everybody's Thanksgiving yesterday?"


"Might need to cook up some extra rice," Hisako observes, looking at what's left in the pot. Then she keeps working, spooning up some rice and starting to mold it around one of those pickled plums, keeping it centered within the rice as well as she can. "Come to think of it, where did Logan learn Japanese? He speaks it as well as a native."

She looks at Lydia, "It was mostly restful. No big incidents, no pranks in the bathrooms - that I noticed - and no emergencies more pressing than 'did everything get cooked the right amount of time and heat'. At least that I heard about."


Hank ducks the faux-glare, and makes a warding sign against the evil eye before laughing. "Butter is better. That should be an add campaign somewhere, Rogue." He observes. Hank has been occasionally sampling the food as he goes, after all, how could he know it was done right if he doesn't taste test? He can't! So there you go.

"Carbs indeed." Hank agrees with Lydia, glad she's reassured. When he sees her frown about the mashed he dishes her up some with just butter on top in its own bowl along with some chives, and a side bowl with shredded cheddar.

"Mine was fantastic, I got to take my girlfriend home to meet the parents and we stayed for the week, and then had a lovely family dinner last night."

He mms at Hisako's mention of more rice and cleans out the rice cooker, and starts another large batch cooking. "Logan? I think he had some military training, then lived there for some time. Japan I mean."


"Remy an' I didn't due much but thaw the birds, and have some chinese food. Because we were gonna eat turkey and stuff today." Rogue doesn't have any family.. well, none by blood. "Watched the parade and football like ya do. Go Saints." She puts in, grinning.

She will wince. "Sorry, I woulda said something sooner about the gravy if I'd thought about it." She will get the gently softened butter out to put around to be in reach. Then it's time for a plate - Turkey, mashed potatoes, some green bean casserole, some stuffing, and a little side plate for a corn on the cob and a roll (both to be drenched in butter). Rogue isn't shy about her use of butter and gravy, either. "Hank, it's a good thing you got a lady, or I might just be tempted to leave Remy to try and snare you."


"Thank you," Lydia says, accepting the bowl of mashed potatoes. Rogue gets a shake of the head. "No, it's allright. I should have realized where the gravy came from sooner. I mean, if anybody wants it they're more than welcome to take it.

Dumping the entire bowl of cheddar on her potatoes, she sighs. "Well my Thanksgiving was a nightmare. Had the entire extended family at the house. My mom just wouldn't get off my back. Lydia, you should eat more, you're nothing but skin and bones!" she says, mocking her mother. "Lydia, when are you going to find a nice boy and settle down? Lydia, you're never going to find a job with that English degree. You should be a lawyer, like your father!" She shakes her head, "And then you've got Unkle Zeke, who gets drunk within the first hour, and tries to give Zach a lecture about how to meet girls at school."

"Zach's twelve," she says exasperatedly.


Once the food is finally done, Hank will prepare himself a heaping plate of turkey, ham, mashed, corn, stuffing and rolls, he joins everyone at the table and the meal passes in good order. He winces a bit at poor Lydia's home life, and laughs. "Sad when a school for supers is more a haven than home, mm?"

Once the meal itself is done, Hank will put on some coffee and tea and then there's PIE! LOTS and lots of Pie! The pecan pie from Rogue being a particular favorite, Hank eats two pies of that, all in all it is a food coma inducing good time for all for Second Feast at the X-Manse.


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