fandomtownies | Graduation Brunch: The Park, Sunday, mid-morning to mid-afternoon

A banner, the letters wrapped with fresh spring flowers, hung from the trees, spelling out CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2009! No missing letters or anything.

Spread out across the park were plenty of tables and chairs, some under the shade of picnic shelters, some out on the grass in the sunshine. For those who felt like getting back to nature, there were even red and white checked blankets spread out in a few areas for old-fashioned picnic-y goodness. Lack of ants not guaranteed.

The long table that ran along next to the picnic shelters was laden with a vast ~~moddable~~ array of traditional brillig-y food, including fruit, veggie snacks, breakfast pastries, sandwiches for the especially hungry or those who arrived more toward the unch end of brunch, and a wide variety of J,GoB-catered desserts. Drinks included coffee, tea, juices and soft drinks, and while there were plates provided, there were also wee picnic-basket-shaped trays for carrying things back to your seat, wherever that might be.

A space had been cleared for dancing, if people cared to do more than just listen to the light music being played through the speakers, and there was also an area set aside for outdoor games of croquet, horseshoes, or frisbee.

Everybody's welcome. Come celebrate with the Class of '09!

[OOC: ~~Wait for the OCD. Don't make Eliza Doolittle have to cut a bitch.~~ OPEN! And no one had to get cut! It's a good day!]

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"I suppose this is your idea of a way to appease me?" Angela asked when she saw what looked like her son with a different haircut.

Jess glanced around for a moment before realizing he was the one being addressed. "Not really?" he said uncertainly.

"Just as well," Angela said. "It's not that much of an improvement."

"Not an improvement over what?" Jess asked.

Angela sighed. "Is this how you're showing me that I'm not going to regret leaving you here for the summer?"

Jess was almost embarrassed that it had taken him this long to figure out that he probably wasn't who this lady thought he was, and while he'd gotten pretty used to that, it had always been with other students. This felt different, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. "I think it's safe to say you won't regret leaving me here," he said.

"After last night I'm not so certain," Angela said. "But I'm willing to allow you the chance."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Jess said. "You're looking for Peter, right?"

"I'm looking for you to act like a responsible member of this family," Angela said.

"Yeah, that's going to be kind of hard for me," Jess replied. "I'm not Peter. My name is Jess, Jess Mariano." He'd say it was nice to meet her, but he wasn't sure if that was true yet.

Angela was tempted to ask what sort of game Peter was playing, but she realized the young man in front of her was serious. Which opened up a great many possibilities, actually. Not that she was going to acknowledge her awareness of those possibilities out loud.

"How strange," she said, as though this was entirely new to her. "You're almost the spitting image of my son."

"Yeah, Peter and I think it's pretty funny too," Jess said. It wasn't completely a lie - Peter did seem to think it was cool, at least. "It's weird how things work sometimes."

"I'm Angela Petrelli," she said. She didn't offer to shake hands. "Peter's mother. He didn't mention you."

"He and I aren't really close, so he probably didn't think of it," Jess said, aiming for casual. "But it's nice to meet you. I take it you were here for graduation?"

"One of your sons graduating is quite the occasion," Angela said. "Is your family here?"

Because if they were she wanted to know if she recognized them. Barring that, it would provide some information on the boy's identity - like whether or not he really had one.

"Yeah, my mom and my uncle came," Jess said, taking another glance around and pointing when he saw Liz standing by one of the tables. "That's my mom over there."

Angela looked to where Jess was pointing. "She seems nice," she said, neutrally.

Nice was a true enough word most of the time, so Jess nodded. "Yeah, she is. Is Peter still sticking around for the summer?"

"Assuming I don't change my mind," Angela said. She hadn't ruled that out yet.

"When I talked to him last, it sounded like he really wanted to," Jess said, for all the good that might do. He wasn't sure why he felt like helping Peter, but it seemed like a good idea.

"Peter wants a great many things," Angela said. The way she didn't say anything else more than implied her opinion on whether or not Peter should be allowed to have what he wanted.

"This is a good place," Jess said. "When it comes to where he wants to spend the summer, I can think of places that are a lot worse."

"I believe I know what my son needs more than a stranger would," Angela said, not dropping her polite facade.

Jess wasn't sure how someone like Peter came from someone like his mother, but he'd definitely be thinking about it if he got away from her alive. "You're right, you do," he said. "I just thought I'd give the perspective of someone who's been living here."