2023.03.09 Beach Bungalow BBQ

2023.03.09 Beach Bungalow BBQ
The Frog Brothers open their beach house to new friends for a BBQ
IC Date	03.09.23
Players	Branton, Jack, Jackie, Mike, Trey
Location	Beach Bungalow
Spheres	Bastet, Garou, Kinfolk, Sorcerer

Beach Bungalow(#17204RA)

This little bungalow isn't much different from any standard two-bedroom apartment inside. The kitchenette is small and basic, and the living and dining room areas are cluttered; desks with electronics and computer gear, shelves crowded with aquariums and plants, secondhand furnishings making a comfortable place to watch tv or play console games. Beer bottles and cans are spotted here and there around the home, and there's some cannabis paraphernalia in places. A shared bathroom really brings home the fact that this place is inhabited by two single dudes. What the bungalow lacks in size, it makes up for in back yard space. A pergola with some sun shading has been set up with a few cheap lawn chairs and small tables, and there's a small glass green house with some fairly high-tech controls for ventilation and heating. A high wooden fence has its privacy reenforced with lattice growing thick with flowering vines. An added few feet of vined lattice extends up above the already tall fence for extra privacy. Solar powered lights provide mellow illumination at night to help with the electric bill. The hum of aquarium filters, the chirp of frogs and crickets alongside the soft churn of the surf just across the beach makes a chill vibe. That vibe is often mixed with human sounds, distant music or dogs barking, and people making noise on the beach. +views are here!

PLANTS There's plants EVERYWHERE. The inside of the apartment has potted plants all over the place, and a number of aquariums and open terrariums are bursting with greenery. Outside in the back, legions of potted plants create an urban jungle, be they in single pots or raised beds. There's flowers and fat leafed tropical bushes, as well as edible fruits and vegetables. Inside the greenhouse are the more delicate plants that need extra care when out of their natural environments. Blooms of stunning hue and vibrancy, strange leafed things of striking color, odd succulents growing in their bizarrely adapted way, there's clearly a lot of love and care provided for these plants. A complicated network of pipes and tubes runs throughout the garden space, providing irrigation for the plants. Solar powered fountains tinkle and small artificial ponds cycle their water with a burble of small falls, housing an array of water plants. There's a few dwarf koi in these ponds, and the fountains provide entertainment for birds and frogs alike.

ANIMALS The planted aquariums are bright with little tropical fish, and the terrariums make comfortable homes for amphibians and reptiles. Small turtles bask in sun or lamp light, and tropical frogs treat the apartment and yard space like their own personal wetlands, only returning to their tanks when it's time for sleep or feeding. There's no point in trying to keep the little escape artists caged, so most tanks don't have lids at all, allowing colorful frogs to get basically everywhere. Frog song fills the air, random chirping during the day and choruses at night that compete with the chirp of crickets. One of those tanks is specifically for the farming of crickets as pet food, and a few manage to escape now and then, resulting in taunting cricket chirps where and when you least expect it.

THE BOARD There is a portable white board/cork board combo on wheels that serves as the physical information hub for all conspiracies, theories, and puzzles currently concerning the brothers. Pictures, print outs, news clippings, there's red yarn tacked all over making all sorts of connections on the cork board side. The white board side has complicated and often very confusing timelines, venn diagrams, and possibly some naughty doodles.

Branton has arrived.

It's a lovely, late afternoon, and the Frog Brothers are taking advantage of it in their own way. "I'm telling you, bro, there's no way those amplifiers will handle that much bass. Sure, Ziggy will like it, but the neighbors? I mean, who cares if THEY like it, but the fence? Down for the count, dude." Mike is waving a roll of brightly-colored string around as he natters at Jack in the living room.

Trey has wandered over as invited, apparently having gotten a battered-looking bicycle from somewhere, which he walks up to the front of the house and locks up. He knocks, basking in the sunshine at the front of the bungalow just because.

Branton has come over from his place just down the beach, carrying a canvas totebag with the letters KKM printed on the side. Trey gets a grin as he steps up to knock "Hey there. Good to see you again."

Jack has a battered and scratched up guitar hanging in front of him by the strap and argues back, intensity ampliffied by the fact that Mike is, as usual, completely right. "But what's the point of blowing doors down if we're not ACTUALLY blowing doors down?!" He can see it now in slow motion in his brainial parts, and it looks *awesome*. The cost of that awesome moment just hasn't quite penetrated yet, but the knocking at the door has, so he goes to fling it open dramatically and greet, "Oh hey what's up?" while stepping aside to let the pair enter.

The Code of Rock n' Roll has been invoked. The Gods of Rock are watching! Mike tosses the ball of string over his shoulder and rummages around on his desk. "I got this! We, um... we distract them, with our totally awesome playing. And then we -- oh hey, what's up?" he greets the new arrivals.

Trey says, “Oh, hey, Branton! Good to see you again! How have you been, man? How's Mercy? Oh, and by the way, the Sunhome forge? A-ma-zing. I nearly set myself on fire melting out some faerie silver." The Qualmi grins, and adds, "Actually, I am working on something you might be able to give me some good advice about at some point." The door opens, and Trey waves. "Hey guys! Good to see you, my timing appears to be good, because I figured I'd just pop by like you said the other night and Branton's here too, so... it's good to see you all." He's a happy cat, affable as usual, and looks around with a keen eye as they enter the bungalow. "Wow, I love all the plants."”

Jackie trails in after the others, looking around and taking the place in. She raises a hand in greeting when she's noticed, giving a cheery smile. "Well, I recognize at least one person here, so I guess I got the right place."

"I mean... Probably we could just go across the street and play the most amazing rock the world has ever seen *there* at the beach, but there's literally NO doors there. None." Jack says to his brother, standing by the front door to let everyone in and make sure it gets closed in their wake. "Probably the critters would like that better too... Hey! I'm Jack, that's my brother Mike over there, nice ta meetcha!" he tells the last arrival, Jackie. "Welcome to Casa del Frog Bro." he adds to everyone in general.

Branton grins broadly at Jackie and nods before explaining to the Frog Brothers "Jackie here is kin to the Get of Fenris. Also if you need a Driver for something she's who to call. She's with Irsa's pack." Then to Jackie "This is Jack and Mike, the Frog Brothers. Glass Walker garou."

<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->

Mike rolls Intelligence vs 6 for 3 successes.

3 +6 +7 +10

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Scraps of paper, stray tools, and bits of electronics and wiring go flying as Mike digs through the stuff on his desk. "Um, hello, people! Jack is the best big brother ever, we're both Ragabash, and um, I'm a Metis. Is that all right? Did I forget anything?" he asks his brother, as he turns around with a handful of electrical doo-dads in his hands. "Hi, Branton! And Trey. And um... nice to meet you. Jackie?" He looks uncertain.

Trey offers Jackie a hand in greeting as well, and says, "Trey Treads-on-Thin-Ice, Qualmi. Of the Bastet. You're with Irsa's pack? She's great. Wait, I think I remember her mentioning you. Something about leeches?" He smiles affably, and pauses to fish in his knapsack, pulling out a six-pack of something local-brewed that looked interesting at the store. Of course, 'interesting' covers a lot of territory.

Jack lifts the guitar up and ducks out of the strap, taking it to lean in a corner where it wont immediately get smashed by something. "Nah, you got it!" he tells Mike on his way into the kitchen to get beers to add to what Trey brought so that there's a small variety of sud types to choose from on the counter. "Oh, yeah, I met Irsa! Nice lady, tall as hell."

Jackie glances back and forth, trying to keep up. "Wait, Frog Brothers? Like that old movie?"

Branton shakes his head and gives Mike a thumbs up "That covers it. Since you're introducing yourself to a kinfolk you don't really have to include your rank but you can if you want to." Then to Trey he grins "My mate told me about Jackie's feats of archery, she got a kill shot on a big ugly one."

Mike whips out a small notepad, muttering under his breath as he scrawls away. "Um.. Jackie, Get of Fenris kin, great driver, with Irsa's pack, something-leeches-shot-a big-one..." Those electronic bits are temporarily forgotten on his desk when beer appears. He gapes when Jackie pipes up. "No fuckin way. We're in a movie?! Are we totally wicked or what?" He darts furtive looks around as if he's checking for hidden cameras.

Jackie shakes her head, trying to wave Branton off. "That is a pretty big exaggeration! I had a ton of help with that, and I was only helping the rest from the rear as it was."

Trey ohhs and says, "Niiice. Another one of Mercy's students of the bow?" He looks to both Branton and Jackie with that, clearly impressed. "Wouldn't mind a shot at a few of 'em myself, to be honest." He chuckles at the question about the movie, and then realizes she's not joking. "Oh, is that from a movie? Sorry, born on four feet, I miss some of this stuff."

Jack also looks startled by Jackie's question and opens his mouth to ask the same thing Mike did, instead echoing, "No fuckin' way." He manages to stop himself for looking for cameras, but only just! "What movie?"

Branton chuckles and shrugs "Covering fire still counts. Especially when my Mate's passing you primed Talen arrows. She's always down for a field test." Then to Jack and Mike "If its not on purpose its amazing, because in the movie they're vampire hunters. Is called 'The Lost Boys' its one of those cheesy eighties movies that's so bad its good."

Jackie nods at Branton. "Yeah, that's the one. Just an accidental close name then?"

Mike snags a beer and neatly pops off the cap using the edge of his desk. He's got skills, probably picked up from his older brother. "Oh! One of those movies. Our father's all into that stuff. Predator? Please. So last graphics card." He flicks a bottle cap towards a pile accumulating on a computer desk nearby. "Um, yes! Frog is our totem."

"Maybe we should get in to vampire hunting!" Jack says with a look around to see how terrible an idea that might be. "I don't think we've ever seen one before. We're just out of our mom's house, so the resume's pretty light on experience yet." He whips out his phone to note the movie title down so they can go get it at some point. Maybe do a drinking game where you have to drink every time someone says 'Michael'. Fun fact: Their middle names are Edgar and Alan!

Trey says, "There are worse lines of work to get into, but patrols are probably a good way to get ready for that. Which is a part of why I'm doing 'em, the other being that it's a way to contribute to the sept." He doesn't seem to think it's a terrible idea, which should tell you that maybe Trey isn't the wisest soul about some things.

Jackie shrugs. "I don't know, it all seemed pretty dangerous to me. But I don't heal as fast as some of you."

"Um, they're dead, right?" Mike pipes up from across the way. "You don't need to be alive for blowguns to work. Remember that paper we found about how frog toxins affected muscle tissue, Jack? It still sparked nerve signals and made them seize up." What evil weird genius.

Branton nods at Jackie's concern "That's why I'm layered in enough defensive enchantments to put a kid through college before I head out for a combat op. Heck, right now I could get shot by a nine mil and it would probably just be upsetting."

"Oh for sure," Jack agrees to Trey, "We already bugged Branton into taking us camping at some point cause we're *that* useless in the wild. I have literally never started a campfire before, if it wasn't for being able turn into an actual wolf then I for one would immediately die for any number of really stupid reasons. And that's without running across some wyrm spawn!" He gives Jackie an understanding and sage nod of his head, "You've definitely done more dangerous shit than we have!" Mike gets a high five for his weird science while he also gawks at Branton.

Trey's eyes go wide at that. "Hit by a bullet without damage? Niiiice. Helpful for anyone who can't heal in human form." He grins and adds, "Survival's important, just in case you wind up in a situation where you can't get home and you need to get out of the weather, or find clean water, or..." He looks over toward Branton and adds, "I'm pretty sure you could probably survive a wider range of stuff than I can, too, and I'm not bad at it." He adds, "Hell, I haven't even hunted any leeches yet. I don't wanna undertake something like that without talking to people who plan things, because I don't wanna step on my own tail and wind up fucking up plans. And believe me, my tail's hard to step on."

Jackie gives a small laugh. "Nothing that dangerous, really. It's not like I'm a warrior or anything. I just happen to know a few and follow along behind them sometimes.

"We didn't even see wolf pups before," Mike chimes in on Jack's heel. "Um, I haven't seen a lot of animals, they wouldn't let me out when I was little. But I can see them now and learn!" He's eager, no doubt about it. "Um, can we roast marshmallows when we go camping?" he asks Branton. "I bet Trey's never had those. Oh shit, beer! Everyone get one before they get warm and get all foamy. Um... Jackie? You drive things? What do you drive?"

"Yeah hey, grab a drink, come on out back!" Jack invites, and dips in the fridge for a tupperware, "I'll throw some whatevers on the grill!" He grins at his brother and complains on his way to their jungle of a back yard, "I miss driving!"

Branton grins and nods at Mike "Roasting Marshmallows is a key part of the camping experience." Trey gets a grin "In the interest of being fair to the Garou I was a well equipped in defenses before I ever knew I was kinfolk, being a magical arms dealer took me into some rough situations so I indulged in some enthusiastic contingency planning. Or as a friend used to call it, professional grade paranoia." Branton grams a beer and moves to follow Jack "That reminds me, I have those dried algae spores you wanted for one of your enclosures."

Trey says, “Marshmallows? The white squishy things they put in cocoa? Nope. Never tried 'em, they looked a little sketchy, kinda reminded me of chalk, all crumbly..." He pauses to grab a beer, as invited, and twists the cap off, heedless of his palm, as he follows the conga line to the back yard. He ohs to Branton and says, "Oh, so you found out later you were Kin? Oh yeah, with that background, I can totally see why you'd be careful. Nothing wrong with a little paranoia when it covers your ass.”

Jackie scoops up a beer bottle for herself as she follows. "Oh, I drive pretty much anything with wheels. I do prefer the faster things though, of course. Tonight I'm in my Impreza, modded for electric and racing. When it's raining less, I've also got a motorcycle too."

Mike bounds to his feet and follows his brother, nattering to Jackie at top speed. "I've seen the specs on those! Um, I've never driven one, though. Is the stick shift imprecise like some of the reviewers were saying, or is stupid? I mean, I'd think 'no way!' because of the gearbox, but I don't drive much."

The back yard night life is starting to come back to life after a little hibernation, there's frog and cricket song out there mixed with little artificial waterfalls and such, and the solar lights are only just now beginning to flicker to life. Jack goes for the grill and pulls the weather cover off so he can get the charcoal in there and what not. "The real question though, is are you Fast and Furious?" he asks Jackie, "Or just like, Speedy and Slightly Perturbed?" He assures Trey while trying to find the grill lighter, "Oh you're gonna love *real* marshmallows! I dunno what the hell they're made of, but they're goooooood."

Branton nods at Trey "Apparently I'd been selling arms to a variety of Gaian shifters and adjacent interests before I knew Were-creatures were a really real thing. I spent a fair portion of the first couple weeks running into folks I already knew as I was getting introduced around to the community. Of course one of my customers turned out to be a Vampire and another one was a hundred percent authentic fallen angel. So there's that." He nods at Jack and holds up a finger that suddenly has a flame flickering over it "I can make marshmallows, heat resistance and temperature control are key."

Trey listens to Branton, and grins wryly at the story. "This city is insane. I'm starting to wonder just what the hell the people I meet really are. I mean, vampire and a *fallen angel*? My luck, I'll find out the barista at Witches Brew is actually a minor goddess of slight annoyance or something." Trey gazes around him as they come out, smiling at the work the Brothers have done on the yard. The small waterfalls, the cricket song, the sound of frogs, and all of the other details make him walk around in delight. He's still a young cat, and curious, but he doesn't poke at things, no matter how tempting it might be to play with a cricket. "Oh, so those weren't real marshmallows? Okay. Usually when I've been camping, I've eaten fresh caught fish. Or rabbit. I really like rabbit. Most human-borns don't like the guts, but that's part of the tastiest bits." Speaking of which, he takes a swallow from the beer, and hrms at the flavor, thoughtful, then lets out a quick sneeze. He got bubbles up his nose, it seems. Silly cat.

Jackie gives Mike a grin. "Well, mine doesn't really have gears, or a stick. Transmissions aren't what they used to be. But it is pretty fast a furious though. I've actually made a fair amount of money racing it."

Mike perks up. "Oh! That's a good way to make money. We sell plants and all kinds of things like that here. Um, not here-here. On the internet-here." Mike screws up his face in confusion at Branton. "Fallen angel? Like, from a Dio album?"

Jack gives Branton the go-ahead wave and steps aside so he can get things lit. Once that's going, he gets the grill on it and screws around with cooking tools while the coal gets nice and smoldery. While doing that, he tells Trey, "Nah, those are crap marshmallows! All dehydrated n' shit. The big fat fresh ones are the best. I... Fuck it, blasphemy or not, I don't like eating in lupus. It's fine, it tastes fine, but I'm accutely aware that I'm face down in a dead animal and it just messes with my head. I'll take human food any day, though!" Speaking of which, he puts chicken skewers that have been marinading all day onto the barby.

Branton waggles a hand back and forth after getting the grill lit while he thinks about Demons "I'm not familiar with the reference but maybe a little? They're more like...you know how Fomori are living things that have been posessed by a wyrm spirit? And Kami are what happens when Naturae or Elementals do the same sort of thing? These 'Fallen Angels', they call themselves the Sebbetu, are like that as far as I can tell. Except the spirits they're made of are from the High Umbra, the realm of concepts and where things enough humans believe in manifest. I could be wrong but that's my working theory."

Oooh, chicken. Trey grins. Eating those squawky annoying beasts after dealing with them up close sounds delish. "Dehydrated? What, do they do that because they soak up cocoa when you put them in? Meh. I'll definitely try the good ones, then." He laughs at the comment about eating in lupus, and notes, "I can't blame you for that. It's different in homid. Cats can't taste sweetness on our own. Or not well, at least. So I didn't learn to appreciate sweet things until I shifted the first time." The High Umbra. A new concept is committed to Trey's memory for future reading, and he nods slowly toward Branton. "I think I'm starting to get used to the idea that there are all kinds of things in this world my kuasha never told me." Branton's EFFECTIVE LORE_SPIRIT is at least 3 Branton's EFFECTIVE LORE_DEMON is at least 3

Mike makes a face. "Ew, raw meat. Slimy and gross. Hey Jack, remember when Stone's Ruin threw a raw chicken leg at me that one time, and said I should be thankful for getting fed at all? Holy shit, Mom totally lost it." He dips inside to scrounge up plates and stuff, listening to Branton through the open door. "Maybe they're parallel-dimensional entities!" he suggests. "There's all kinds of evidence and theories out there about their abilities and composition, see? " He waves an arm at THE BOARD.

Jackie sips her beer, taking a seat and trying to not look too completely lost in the depths of this topic.

"Shit man, that's fuckin crazy." Jack says, just casually being thrown for a loop at the concept of fallen angels in general, let alone someone he knows having actually met one, and like *knowing* things about them. Crazy indeed! "That guy was a dick!" he calls to Mike, and tells assorted friends, "Our old sept, not the most welcoming to Metis. But our mom's amazing though, and I think she knows how to use high heels as battle weapons."

Branton blinks a couple of times at Mike's story "Round here that'd lose a fella some teeth. Sure I'd get demerits or something for punching a Garou but sometimes its worth it to make the point. Sounds like me and your Ma would get along just fine. Do you know her shoe size? I could rig her up something special."

Trey narrows his eyes at the story Mike tells about former septmates. "Assholes," he says decisively. "Metis getting blamed for who they are is a lot like my human relatives being called savages and shit. Don't like it any better among shifters than I do among humans." Ah, *there* is the Rage he keeps closely in check.

Jackie leans back in her seat, crossing her ankles as she takes another drink as she keeps her head down in the face of Fera politics.

"Really? Wow, Mom would love that," Mike chirps. He looks around a bit shyly as people chime in with their views. "Um, they're just assholes. And they're not here, and we are, livin the surf life!" He high fives his brother and everyone else in sight.

Mike says, “Um.. I think mom wears a seven? She has real small feet.”

"I'm glad we're around like minded folk, then." Jack says with a grin while summoning delicious smells into the yard. "We have the same dad, he cheated on my mom with his packmate and made Mike. His bio-mom ran out on everybody as soon as she was able to, and once our mom kicked out our dad, she did this whole hostile takeover adoption of Mike, and just never stood for any bullshit like that for either of us. She's a good mom." He high-fives Mike right back! And also nods and agrees, "A seven. She's little." Grilled chicken skewers end up piled on a plate!

Jackie gets up and drifts closer to the grill, called forth by the smell of the cooking meat almost like a cartoon character.

Branton nods at Mike and considers "I'll get with you later about favorite color, general sense of style and stuff like that." Then he takes a swig of his beer and comments "Those smell amazing."

Trey takes the high five, returning it with a grin. "You have a great point. Hard to beat living right by the ocean." He nods. "Your Mom sounds like an incredible person." Once the plate of skewers makes its way around, he takes one and passes the plate, then digs in. "Mmmph," he comments, and then expounds once his mouth is empty, "Tasty!"

"She's a good lady." Jack agrees with a grin at Trey. "I think it's that whole mafia mentality or something, there's a lotta Wise Guys in our family, so when you get pissed you gotta go big or go home. I guess." He shrugs cause he has no real idea, not being a Wise Guy himself. "Glad you like 'em!" While people get their chikin stix, he heads for the house real quick, "Be right back!"
<---======##====================Dice Roll=====================##======--->

Jack rolls Wits + Cooking vs 6 for 2 successes.

1 5 +6 +8 9

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Mike is right there with Jackie, summoned by the grill smells as surely as if someone out there had crafted a magic spell to summon weird science dudes. "These are really good!" he stagewhispers to the Get. "Jack's got this thing he does where he uses beer in the marinade and stuff."

Branton nods at Jack's explanation "That tracks. There was a Wiseguy kinmagi around these parts a while back. His temper wound up getting him in trouble because he expressed it in all the worst ways."

Jackie grabs a few skewers and starts in on them, being very much not dainty about it. Between greasy mouthfuls she manages to ask, "Beer in the marinade? Normally I'd want to say something about it being a waste, but it works!"

Trey huhs. "That sounds like a disaster looking for a place to happen," Trey offers, taking a swallow of his beer. "The kinmage, I mean. The marinade is really good." He smiles and returns to gnawing happily.

Jack returns with more tupperware! And rinsed off tools. He cracks that open at the grill and lays on some long pineapple cuts that have themselves been soaking in some sweet stuff. While those cook, he gets into the cooked chicken and catches up with the conversation. "Yep, that'll do it!" Jack says with a laugh to Branton. "Oh beer is great for cooking! It's basically the most amazing thing ever invented, and there's so many different kinds! Plus you get to drink the rest while cooking, so that's a definite bonus. With the weather warming up, we wanna get out on our boards, maybe over at the island for some privacy. You guys should all come with us, we'll have a beer battered feast and surf till we're water logged!"

"I know, it's the best!" Mike agrees with Jackie. "Way better when he tried adding beer to the potato salad that one time. That's not his fault though! He was still learning." He eyes the grill sideways, trying not to drool as his brother turns up with pineapple. "Um, we should check out the board rental place!" he suggests. "I mean, we're getting our own and stuff, but I don't know if they have boards. The people here."

Jackie follows the gaze towards pineapple herself. "Boards? As in surf boards? I learned last Summer myself, they're fun!"

Branton grins at Mike "There's some loaners in the clubhouse out on the Island. Gaians going out there to surf is a fairly regular thing." Then to Jack "I bet you could do a german potato salad, since its dressed with a vinaigrette. You tried to make a mayo one?"

Trey shakes his head. "I don't have one." Whatever the board may be -- oh, right, the surfing board thing! No, he definitely doesn't have one of those. He makes short work of the skewer and gets up to fetch a second, and eyes the pineapple with a curious look. "Never seen that grilled before." That doesn't sound like a bad thing, though. "Mayonnaise and beer sounds... kind of..." His nose wrinkles. "But what do I know, I eat rabbit guts."

Jack flips the fruits and paints on a thick layer of brown sugary, cinnamony goodness. "You'll love it, Branton, it's amazing." He nods and acknowledges his shameful potato faux pas, "Yeah, I wanna claim I just mixed up recipes, but really I was just experimenting and thought it'd be a good idea at the time. It was not, it was super terrible actually." He makes a face in agreement with Trey. "We had to throw it away, it was that bad."

Jackie finishes off her skewers and drains the rest of her beer bottle. "Well, I'm no gourt-met, but this all seems pretty good to me!"
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->

Mike rolls Dexterity + Stealth vs 6 for 2 successes.

2 4 +7 +8

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Branton grins broadly and tilts his head considering "Now I'm with Mike, there's so many kinds of beer I bet there is one out there that can redeem your idea. I think beer mayonnaise is going to be a fascinating research project."

Mike isn't watching the grilling, nope nope nope. He might succumb to temptation if he does, and stuff every pineapple wedge into his face. "It was REALLY bad," he says to Trey. "I mean, we tried it because you shouldn't waste food, but ewwww." He sneaks a peek at what Jack is doing at the grill and sneaaaaaks over to watch and learn.

Trey chuckles and says, "Well, like I said, I'm no expert, but if you find the right one, I'll try it." He shrugs. "Worse comes to worst, you spit it out, but y'know, I've probably eaten worse." He peers over at the pineapple and admits, "That smells really *good*."

Jack plates! He has advanced college student cooking skills! They're hot, sticky, and probably super messy even with a fork, just as the good lord intended, and also available to the group. He jams a fork in one and holds it out to Mike. "Cool, beer experiments, loaner boards, this is gonna be a good week!"

Jackie gives a wide grin to everyone else gathered. "Yeah, now that sounds like a good party!"

Mike almost wriggles in place, he's so happy to get first dibs. That pineapple wedge gets shoved into his mouth sideways, looking like a weird fruity grin. Someone's forgotten they aren't in their birth form. "Oooothztho gudd," he somehow spits out.

Branton considers "The marshmallows are going to be easy, I've made those before. Unless there's a specific brand preference we can just go buy? I am going to try and get the potato salad riddle cracked, thank you again for the mystery to chase."

Trey waits his turn, then experiments by laying a slice of the pineapple on the chicken skewer he's holding. He then starts to eat the whole thing as a gestalt. He proceeds to devour it in short order, happy sounds coming from his closed mouth as he chews. "Oh, man, that is *good* together," he says, looking like a happy cat. He chases it with a swallow from the beer, and says, "I gotta agree, that does sound like fun. On the island, I can lynx it up on the board." He swipes more chicken and pineapple, munching happily.

"For sure!" Jack says to Branton with a grin, and once everyone's got some fruit, he snags some himself. "Surf lynx, I am so here for it! Surf wolves as well, but I betcha I'm not gonna do very well at that one! If we keep it goin all day, who knows who we'll catch passin' through, meet some more folk in the area."