the airplane

[instar]

Bella, Andi, and Robin all get on the plane. Bella and Robin have toothbrush caps in their pockets containing flies. Nothing in particular happens when they go through security. They fly for an hour, and then Bella, rather than risk crunch time due to turbulence or a line for the bathroom a little later on, gets up to take Trouble into privacy for demorphing and remorphing.

She takes the toothbrush cap out of her pocket and sets it on the tiny little counter, and then flattens herself against a wall to give him room.

Comments

[pandion]

"We'll get a bunch."

[hold_infinity]

"Good plan."

[pandion]

Dinner concludes, Andi freezes the extra pizza in plastic bags, explains that Robin's going to crash in the twins' room "like it's a sleepover", and then starts channel-flipping to kill the evening.

[instar]

Bella goes upstairs. There's probably going to be writing.

[hold_infinity]

There probably is.



Robin turns out to be unfeignedly enthusiastic about Andi's sugar cookies.

[pandion]

They are damn good sugar cookies! Andi makes sure to save some for the picnic, though.

(They're going to be hanging out there for longer than Charlie expects.)

[hold_infinity]

Robin reluctantly refrains from eating all of the cookies. (It's a good thing they got lots.)

[instar]

Bella writes a lot. She passes the boys bread and whatever more substantial food she thinks she can sneak. And she informs them when they're going to leave for the park. They should go ahead of the Swans - traveling as flies in the car leaves too much risk of travel delay, but they'll be able to catch the family where they park. (Maps are deployed.)

[aeskhyne]

The boys are very grateful for the snuck food, and they successfully follow the group to the park parking.

[instar]

And off goes the Swan family into the park. Bella does her very best not to fall over too much so they can make decent headway into the woods.

They have a picnic.

[hold_infinity]

It is a delicious picnic. Robin scarfs quite a lot of cookies.

[pandion]

Andi is pleased to have converted someone else to the following of delicious sugar cookies.

[hold_infinity]

They are just so delicious.

[palmofyourhand]

Apparently Robin isn't the only one who thinks so.

An enormous grizzly bear lumbers into view and paces unhurriedly toward the picnic.

[pandion]

"Whoa, a bear."

(Andi is pretty good at not displaying reactions she is not supposed to display. She is not good at displaying reactions she is supposed to display.)

[sundayfish]

Charlie is alarmed!

"Back away slow, girls, leave the food," he says, reaching for his gun.

[instar]

"What if I fall," asks Bella, sounding wobbly as she can.

[sundayfish]

"Won't let the bear get you, just step careful," says Charlie. He's aiming at the bear now, and he frowns at his gun.

It's lighter than he remembers.

[palmofyourhand]

The bear keeps coming.

[hold_infinity]

Robin freezes - knowing in advance is all very well, but that's still a bloody grizzly bear - and then joins the others in following Charlie's sensible advice.

[instar]

("Away", of course, is deeper into the woods.)

[sundayfish]

Backing away... niiice and slow... Charlie is nowhere near the food anymore.

[palmofyourhand]

The bear snuffles around the remains of the picnic and eats the last of the cookies.

[aeskhyne]

A second bear comes loping out of the woods toward the first.

She ends up directly between Charlie and the girls.

[sundayfish]

Charlie does not like that at all.

"Keep going, girls," he calls, "look for a ranger or someone else who works with the park."

He scopes out avenues of escape. There are rather fewer of them now.