"Why didn't you tell me there would be so many attractive young men here? I would have worn something more appealing."
Peter rolled his eyes as Susan passed by with a tray of sandwiches. The bakery was catering the luncheon, and Peter had recruited several people to help out, including all the lost boys and Wendy.
"Hey, are there any more of those cream puffs?" Wendy asked, brushing up against Peter's shoulder. "The mayor is asking for them."
Peter rushed into their staging tent and brought out a plate of cream puffs. He presented them to Wendy with a flourish.
"Here you are, Miss Darling," he said, winking at her.
Wendy raised her eyebrows in amusement. "No wonder my mother enjoyed working with you." She kissed his cheek before taking the plate and heading towards the mayor's table.
Peter watched her for a moment before turning back to the sheet cake he was cutting. The luncheon seemed to be going well, even though Slightly kept running around acting like the sky arch was about to collapse on them. He had told Peter that some of the most important people in London were there, but Peter wasn't too worried about it. He had learned while working in the bakery that if you treat everyone the same, it all works out just fine. Peter looked out at the beach where they had set up dozens of tables under a large, decorated canopy. Curly had engineered several water fountains that were planted in the sand and spurted out in various shapes. The twins were walking around with two trained monkeys that were performing tricks. Nibs had a high precision water gun that he was using to refill everyone's drinks from the shore. At first the guests were a bit shocked by beverages flying over their heads and into their glasses, but soon they were thrilled by it. At the moment, Nibs seemed to be studying Susan as she walked around the tables serving sandwiches.
Just then, Wendy came back with an empty tray.
"What can I do for you Miss Darling?" Peter asked playfully.
Wendy smiled mischievously. "Well, Mr..." she trailed off, the corners of her mouth turning downward.
"What's wrong?" Peter asked.
"I just realized I don't know your last name."
Peter laughed. "It's Mitchell."
Wendy made a face. "Mitchell? Really? I thought it'd be something like Smith, or Parker, or Pan."
Peter frowned. "Pan? Peter Pan? That sounds ridiculous."
Wendy shrugged. "I think it's catchy."
"Maybe. Sounds like a superhero or something."
Wendy quirked an eyebrow. "Well, Mr. Mitchell, I would like a kiss."
Peter's temperature warmed a few degrees. "Gladly," he said, leaning forward. But before he could kiss her, he noticed Nibs and Susan heading towards the staging tent at the same time. They weren't paying attention and they collided with one another. Nibs tried to keep hold of his beverage gun and ended up squirting liquid all over Susan's shirt.
"Watch where you're going, you little troll!" Susan yelled.
Nibs dusted himself off and looked Susan in the eye, even though he was a head shorter than her. "Trolls are often depicted as strong and strategic," so I'll take that as a compliment.
"You wish!" Susan scoffed. "And don't think I haven't noticed you staring at me! Are you in love with me or something?"
Nibs crossed his arms over his chest. "You are very beautiful, but I could not possibly love you after merely an hour. Love is an emotion that must be crafted and refined day after day, and my love could never go to someone so unworthy of it. You have a strong appearance but a weak mind. You seem only to think of yourself and refuse to develop your potential. There is no possible way I could love you as you are right now, but maybe in time."
Susan's jaw dropped and her eyes filled with fire. "Don't you ever speak to me again, you hideous twit!"
She stomped off and Nibs shrugged. He turned to face Peter and Wendy, who had watched the entire exchange.
"So, I see you've met Susan," Peter said hesitantly.
Nibs gave a small nod. His expression was as stoic as ever, except for a slight gleam in his eye. "She's got spirit. I like her."