2023.05.25:A Beach Party Where Nobody Actually Goes Into the Water

A Beach Party Where Nobody Actually Goes Into the Water
A bunch of Gaians bullshit around on the beach.
IC Date	May 25th, 2023
IC Time	Evening
Players	Jackie, Jack, Mike, Lorna, Evan, Trey
Location	The Island
Spheres	Gaian

The beach. Where dreams go to live on in total fulfilment, NOT die, than you very much. Down a ways from the ferry dock there is a small fire crackling away. It's not actually needed for anything, but damn it Jack was gonna practice them coolass survival skills he learned. Speaking of Jack, he passed the hell out when Mike when to go do whatever Mike went to go do. Sprawled out in board short, shirt off and used for a pillow, can of beer resting safely on his prodigous gut, it rises up and down as he snores in the shade. His nap will not likely last long, but hey, you gotta sneak those in where you can.

Mike steps out of the clubhouse, wearing just his board shorts, sunglasses, and nothing else. Which is a pity, all the blinding white skin on display is sure to put out someone's eyes. He bounds down to the beach, making a beeline right for his brother. "Dude! I found some more beer in the extra chest I brought along. That's super lucky, right?"

Trey looks very amused at this stats of affairs. He'd been thinking about the island, and maybe some fresh fish caught lynx-style if he can pull it off, and once he found out that the Frog Bros were planning to come, he decided to join, along with the new acquisition - a Bluetooth speaker to hook up to his phone in order to allow TUNEZ. Not that he is an expert on same; given the chance, he'll put on dance music, but hey, who lets the cat pick anyway?
In any case, he figures he'll keep warm via fur rather than the usual wetsuit, especially since he hasn't a clue about what to look for in said wet suit when shopping, aside from that it's rubbery.
And then... there's the beer. Of course there's beer! This is why he's contemplating fish-diving and even brought a net. A NET. But no surfboard. Silly Bastet. "Sounds lucky to me," he offers as he comes up to the fire and the snoozing Jack.

Along the beach comes someone who might be Lorna. And lo, it IS! WHat good fortune! She is walking next to something that is the shape of a dog, the overall demeanor of a dog, but might be a rhinoceros in a dog costume. It is truly HUGE! And she is talking to the gigantic beast. "I don't care what you say, I don't bvelieve you just LOST it. You're far too careful for that, and you never forgot a thing in your life. Why did you take it anyway? Is this another test? You are going to have to come up with something less aggravating."
She sees people, then clams up. She wasn't holding a conversation with her dog, nope. Perfectly normal. Nothing to see here!

Jackie has come in the ridiculously large truck thing today, since it's actually large enough to carry a surfboard and it's better on the beach than her car. She's messing with the board, pulling off some sales tags and getting it ready when she spots the familiar pair of weirdos approaching down the shoreline. She waves, hand going up over her head to flag Lorna down. "Holy shit! How's it going?"

Jack startles awake and flails like a turtle stuck on its back when Mike comes bounding over and hollering, "BEER!" he shouts in a bleary, no idea wtf is going on sort of way, just grabbing a word and going with it while he attempts to rescue the one sitting on his stomach before it can topple over and be lost to the sand. "...Wha?" he asks, looking at Mike and Trey and then back to Mike again. "I had the most beautiful dream, man. We owned a surf shop, and a bar, and badass bands would come and play there, and we totally showed up on maps of hot ticket places to visit on Spring Break. ...We need to do this, it has been foretold in my dreams by the gods of rock!" he insists to the two dudes near him.

"Hi Trey!" Mike pipes up. He recoils when his brother jerks awake, tripping right over his own discarded flip flops and landing on his scrawny ass. "Oh man, that is definitely THE dream!" he exclaims as he sits up. He snatches up a tube of sunscreen and begins slathering it all over himself. He's just made himself whiter than ever with all that zinc, and now sand is stuck to him everywhere. He blinks as he spots the group approaching. "Um, hey! Hello!" he says, waving to the others.

Lorna waves back at Jackie. "Hey, buggerlugs! Fancy runnin' into you out here! Nice wheels. Might need to steal them. Turns out SOMEONE has decided to hide all the keys to my bike. Or he lost them by accident, which is a bloody bare faced lie, right there!" She looks down at the dog, who blinks innocently. "She then regards the dudes as she approaches. "Bloody hell. Did I just step onto the set of a 1980s dude comedy? ANy minute now, Brendan Fraser and Phoebe Cates are going to pop up and make a fart joke!"

Trey heys and grins at Mike turns himself even paler, managing not to chuckle, though he does swipe a beer from the found cooler. "That sounds like a movie I saw at oh dark thirty once," He agrees with Lorna. "Something about bikinis and surfing and... well, that's a lot of movies, really." He offers Jackie the familiar friendly grin as well and says, "That truck is a *monster*," with a low whistle. "Amazing." She pauses, and looks at the huge dog. "Hey, hope you don't hate cats, I probably reek of it."

Jack blearily wipes the sleep out of his eyes, and then "AHH!"s when he wipes sand INto his eye, and takes a minute to deal with that whole fiasco. While he's getting his furious blinking on, he gropes around for his backpack and digs out his phone to fiddle with. There's no cell service, but he's not going for internet connection, just some app on his phone to start doing some number crunching. He has no idea how to respond to the movie reference, so he buries himself in screen tapping for a minute before shoving his phone at Mike, "Double check this quarter's prospective income, tell me if I screwed up the math." he says while waving at the ladies.

Jackie laughs and shakes her head at Caine. "My money's on that he ate them. But I can give you a ride back today, at least. Do you know everyone here? I know Mike and Jack are new in town at least..."

Lorna grins "Cain is fine with most cats. He just hatesd Erin's cat. Admittedly, the cat hates him. Which is kind of hard going since they spend most of their time together." She looks the place over. "How have I not been here before? Weird. Anyway, I'm Lorna. Lorna Otterington. Of the Otterington Otteringtons. This is Cain, that's the seat, that's a cloud, that's some sand, I am going to sit on it." She proceeds to do just that. "I don't think I met these fellas before. How do, lads?"

"Oh, um, sure!" Mike snatches up Jack's phone and peers at the numbers, doing all the math in his head. "It's off like, .015, in that third column" he tells his brother. "That's really really good! Wow, we're making money, just like you said we would!" He hops around in happy celebratory dance, like the biggest goofball of all time. He stops dancing when Lorna speaks up. "Um...oh. Um, I'm Mike. Mike Morrison." he fidgets nervously. "Glasswalkerragabashcliathmetis," he rattles off like a shot. He's eying Caine curiously. "What Tribe are you?" he blurts out.

Trey shakes his head. "I didn't know Erin had a cat. I thought that would have been an issue..." He stops, and then realizes where they are and shrugs it off. "Unless you mean a different Erin. Which is entirely possible... don't mind me. I'm Steven Trevalyan. Trey for short."
He extends a hand to Lorna with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you." He smiles affably, with an easy charm, and then ohhs. "Are we safe for *real* introductions? Okay. Lemme do that again. Trey Treads-on-Thin-Ice, Akaa -- meaning rank 2 -- born on four paws of the Qualmi tribe. We're the Lynxes. Oh, and I'm a Scorpio. If that helps." He grins mischievously.

"Ah shit." Jack says, and goes back to correct the mistake, redo the math, and have a better look. "Fuck yeah, up by two bucks! Like right now, we're doing fine, but if the trend keeps up, by year's end, we probably *could* start the new year off with a new business venture. The off season will blow, but I'm pretty sure we can work around that with enough planning. YEEEEEEES!" He reaches out to do the Super Secret and Overly Complicated Handshake with Mike. Putting his phone back in his bag, he waves and introduces himself also, "Wussuuuuuuup! I'm Jack Morrison, called Level Up! and am this awesome dude's older brother," he jerks a thumb at Mike. "Glass Walker Ragabash Cliath Homid, bay BEE! We're the Frog Brothers, as in we follow Frog. We can probably branch into vampire hunting at some point, though." He offers Jackie a high five, saying, "Sup, girl?" in greeting. And now to lean over towards Trey and liberate a beer from the cooler to replace his soon to be dead one. But he cant reach, and just makes helpless grabby hands at cat and cooler.

Jackie returns the high five with a grin while she lets the shifters get all that official introduction business out of their systems. As things wind down she nods to Trey. "It's probably the same Erin. Lorna works at her garage, and I also help out part time. And actually, Lorna, did you see his bike? It's the one I was looking at getting before you got me converted to the old school... uh, school."

Lorna grins at the fast and enthusiastic introduction. "Well, that was the briefest lineage I ever heard. Now me, I'm not full blood. I'm kin. Bone Gnawer, actually, and part of Irsa's pack, the Mistseekers. I don't get out of the urban zone much though, so not often seen at sept functions. I work along of Madd Modds, Erin's garage, sometimes alongside this reprobate." She jerks a thumb at Jackie. "As for Cain here... well. Might be best if he does the introductions. He always says I get it wrong."
The massive dog regards Lorna with a withering stare, then speaks, in a rich, urbane British accent. "I see no reason to pander to her obvious attempts at derogatory humour. Pray, do not pay her any mind. You can call me Cain, you can give me steak, and if anybody makes jokes about testicles, and the licking thereof, I shall curse them even unto the third generation." He pauses. "And I can, you know!"
"You bloody can't!" Lorna says, accusatorially. "Don't listen to him, he couldn't curse a weasel with a jumping urge! He's all gob and no britches! He's actually a powerful spirit of intellect. Who chooses - god knows why - to walk about looking like a wooly mammoth had it off with a chihuahua. He's good company, provided you don't feed him onions." She lowers her voice. "Onions. The real curse. It taints the nostrils when he eats 'em, know what I mean?" She looks over at the bike, then peers over her shades "Dayumn, girl! Who is ridin YOU home tonight?"

Mike totally aces that handshake, and tops things off with a high five. "YEEEEES!" he howls at the top of his lungs. He twitches as he realizes he forgot a thing from his introduction. "For the Win!" he blurts out, hunching his shoulders as he snaps up a beer. "Um, that's my rite name. For the Win. Beer?" he asks, handing beers around to peoples. Leaning over to Jack he whispers far too loudly, "Are we supposed to give our signs, too? I don't remember that part from Cub school!" He blinks at the back and forth between Lorna and Cain, head moving back and forth like a dog watching a tennis match. "Oh! You're a spirit. Wow, I've never seen one like you before!" He screws up his face, thinking furiously. "Erin? Um, I don't know her. Do I?" he asks Jack.

Jack stares at the two unknowns while cracking his beer open and having a foamy sip. "Mmmmmmmkay." he ends up saying, "Welp, nice to meet you." He shrugs his shoulders at Mike and says, "I don't even know our signs." He also shrugs at whether or not Mike knows Erin, and says, "Hell if I know, bud!" He doesn't know who the hell he knows, everything is a mystery!

Jackie laughs at Lorna with a wide grin, shaking her head and pointing an accusatory finger. "Hey now, no fair! You said new style bikes were butt ugly back when I was looking at getting one, you can't just drool over them now! And as for reprobate... Ok, well, that might be a fair call. Sometimes, anyway."

Lorna grins impishly. "I never claimed to be consistent. I can lust after new bikes. I just wouldn't marry one. I feel the same way about Jason Momoa. Fun to ride, too high maintenance to put in my garage." She snags the beer gladly, and opens it to do a mighty chug! The dog rolls his eyes. "You snore when you're drunk. And Jason Momoa wouldn't ride you, he's got better taste!"

Mike whips a small notebook out and frantically thumbs through it. Don't ask where he had that thing this whole time. "Erin, Erin...um, not in here." He tosses the notebook over his shoulder, just missing the open beer cooler. "Dude, I had an awesome idea. What would you say to a cooler like these, totally solar powered, that kept things cold and was light-weight? And no ice required! It'll make some on its own. Um, I just need some stuff to make a prototype." He cracks open his beer and chugs it down. "Um, who's Jason Mamoa?" he asks. "I've never met him." His memory is truly, truly awful.

Jackie looks at Mike incredulously. "Seriously? The guy who starred in the billion dollar movie a few years back about the merman? You don't know who that is? But besides that, I like the cooler idea. Get one working, and I'd buy one."

"I'd say we'll be living in heaven on a boat with a badass cooler like that!" Jack tells his brother, and offers another high five for his brilliance. "I thought his name was Mamosa and I was jealous he was named after champagne and orange juice." He scoots and wiggles until he's back where he can lean on his stuff in a comfortable, mostly upright lounge, and sip his beer in luxurious style, resting it on his beer keg of a belly between drinks. "Can we get your prototype stuff online, or do we have to go Mission Impossible to get it?" He doesn't sound like he'd be disappointed if they had to go steal stuff for it, at least.

Lorna whips a small pocket pad and pen out, and starts to scribble into it. "So, you would mean something a bit like this? Put that there, stuff a thermostat there, timer, light sensor so it won't work in a cupboard and fill with ice you don't want... scribble that, add one of those, a cool logo..." She holds the pad out. "You mean a cooler exactly like this one I just kinda invented?" She is unsure what to make of these two brothers. Are they really like this? Is it a show? Well, she is not one to judge. She is pretty weird by anybody's standards.

Mike ducks his head at Jackie's remark, totally embarrassed. "I thought it was Mamosa, too," he mutters, perking up as Jack chimes in. "Oh, no, we can scrounge most of this stuff up. It's just a prototype for proof of concept. We can order better stuff once I have a good data set to work with." He blinks as Lorna shows off her work. "Um.. no. Nothing like that," he says. "I mean, you could go that way, but..." he shuts up abruptly and looks away, scuffing his feet in the sand.

Trey laughs brightly. "Oh, she rides nice, too. Quieter than a regular bike, though, if that's a selling point." He chuckles at the idea of Jason Momoa and notes, "Hell, I know lots of people who'd get in line to get on that ride." He chuckles at Mike's memory issue and says, "Aquaman." He hrms and notes, "If I could get a cooler than holds more than it should on the outside, I'd love that." He watches the bright brains work and says, "Man, I don't know, I'm useless with electronics. Except for like, turning a computer on or charging a phone."

"We'll check the Tech Haven, chances are they'll have everything for a prototype." Jack says with an encouraging nod to Mike, "You'll be able to run some stress tests and stuff, work out the kinks and stuff before trying an updated Mark II meant for a field test." He leans a bit to see what Lorna produces and says, "Nah, that's not Mike-Tech. But good model, nice effort! I'm sure it'll work great for you."

Jackie takes a look at the note paper and whistles softly. She grins at Lorna as she chastises her only very slightly. "Show off. Looks good though. Still there's more than one way to sk- I mean I'm sure you guys you'll come up with a good version too. I'm pretty good with the electronics end of things myself, but not making it bigger on the inside. That sounds like Branton's brand of fancy nonsense."

Lorna laughs brightly. "Oh, well. I'd love to see what you have in mind. I love a techie, I do!" She swigs more beer. "I just can't help but jump into a problem like that when I find it. And it is a cracking idea! What else have you made? C'mon, tell me! I'm here, with beer, and ready to absolutely geek out!" But Trey distracts! "Wait... TARDIS cooler? Oh god! Now that sounds amazing. But how?" She scratches her head, and looks at the dog. Who snorts. "Yes, I know how to do it, and NO, I am not telling you. You get into enough trouble without me awakening your Avatar! Stick to the psychic tricks. The idea of you wielding awakened magic fills me with sheer dread! Branton knows what he is doing. I still remember you teleporting yourself naked out of the house into a snowfield. Never again!"

Trey nods and adds, "I was thinking more along the lines of Branton's line of work for that, yeah. Or a fetish, if I could find a cold spirit that wouldn't mind beer cans. Little too Weavery for most of them." He takes a swallow from his own beer and grins at the talking dog Cain, noting, "Oh, you don't need to be one of them to get into trouble with magic, you're absolutely right. Hell, you can fuck yourself up just fine with nothing but bleach and ammonia."

"Oh yeah, they got all kinds of films for heat transference that are top-notch!" Mike agrees with his brother, perking right up. "And some nice tools, I'd like to borrow some and make some improvements for Crinos-size. Hey! Can we get a grinder? That'd be so nice." He's standing on the beach next to his brother, sipping beer with the others. "I built a Tesla coil when I was THREE," he grates out at Lorna. "And I did a Faraday Cage a year after that. I'm not stupid. I'm smart." He blinks a bit, remembering that it's true, and perks up again. "What kind of stuff do you like to make? Practical applications, theoretical?"

"Good god man! Don't give her ideas! She only just worked out what opposable thumbs are for!" Cain says with wide eyed horror. Lorna simply poked him. "Shut up you mangy fleabag! these are friends, no need to make me out to be a total idiot! Besides, I have seen what you do when you think nobody is looking. In the bathroom. I KNOW! SO shut yer cakehole!"
She turns to Mike and grins. "I am really more of a hands on, grease monkey type. I love engines. Big stuff, rather than electronics, is my forte. I mean I can DO electronics and I am a reasonable software designer, but I am all about mechantronics. I like to come up with big brutal mechanical beasts, then radically enhance them with technological wizardry. And the occasional sneaky bit of magic, sometimes. But when it comes to vehicles, I never cheat." She sighs happily. "Tesla coil at three isgood. I grew up in Bone Gnawer colony of course. So we were more focussed on other areas. But once I got to eight, I started inmy uncle's garage. Never looked back!"

"Certified fuckin genius!" Jack tells his brother with an encouraging grin, sitting around in a comfortable lounge and drinking beer. The usual, basically. Keeping an eye on the beach, making sure it doesn't go anywhere, holding it down with sheer force of will and girth of ass! "I feel like that probably wouldn't be a big problem, talk to Brooke, see if you cant supply the place with metis tool sets in exchange for a set to take home, maybe. I bet she'd dig it." Also there is a small fire, which Jack totally built, because he has the Survival stat now, god damn it!

From the trails further in the island comes the sound of acoustic guitar music, and a strong baritone singing voice "Country roads, take me home / To the place I belong / West Virginia, mountain momma / Take me home, country roads." Its far away and not very loud but somehow everyone on the beach can clearly make out the words anyway.

"Oh, engines are real nice," Mike agrees. "It's not my specialty, but it's real nice to make good machines for converting energy into mechanical force and motion." He looks around at the others. "Um, but why get spirits or magic involved? I mean, Science is amazing. You can do anything with it, as long as you know its parameters." Spoken like a true Glasswalker. "YES!" he shouts at Jack's suggestion, pumping a fist in the air. "I'd love that, she had NO idea metis could do delicate work, that's crazy. I wouldn't have to keep dragging my own stuff back and forth, and there'll be things there for other metis to use!" He's right in his element. "Um, who's that singing? Is that Willie Nelson?"

Jackie gives Mike a big thumbs up. Well, actually her thumb is pretty small, but the gesture is pretty energetic. "I'm with you on that, I never needed magic to get anything fixed and running before. I do like engines though. And that... Well, I don't know any Willie's around here, but that sounds more like Evan. New guy, part of the family too."

Trey listens for a moment to the voice. "Evan," he says with a smile. "I'd know that voice anywhere." He looks at Mike and says, "Well, no argument there, but I'm not as good at science stuff as I am at mystical stuff, plus... why limit myself to just one thing, if there's so many to check out?"
He smiles at Lorna's assertion and then says, "So you and Jackie are in similar lines of work. Man, if I ever do get a truck at some point, I know lots of people to help out. But for now, I like the bike just fine. Once I got the hang of it, that is. And learned to put my hair in a ponytail before pushing it too hard."

Lorna chuckles "Oh I agree. It's all about mechanics. But honestly, I rarely do anything with spirits. I can't control them - not even this lump of a pooch. No, but I do sometimes have to get a little help from the ghostly types. Mostly, though, I manipulate the electronics with my brain. Saves a lot of time." She comments not on music. It is not much to her hardcore headbanger taste. "Oh, yes! Gods, the first time I rode without my hair properly controlled, I almost ended up upside down in a ditch. Couldn't see a sodding thing!"

"HEEEEEEEY BUDDEH!" Jack calls loudly over at Evan once the guy's breached the greenery barrier and stepped out into view on the beach, waving his beer arm invitingly. He cant help but laugh at Trey and Lorna, the perils of long hair aren't something he has to worry about, but imagining what a pain in the ass high speeds with long, free hair must be just strikes him as really funny.

Evan comes down the trail and sees that there's folks, giving Jack an enthusiastic wave back and he jogs over "How's everyone doing today? This Island is great isn't it?"

"Because.. because then you know a lot of chunks of things, but you'll never master them all," Mike says to Trey. "I mean, sure, theurges can add spirits to things, that's totally their jam. But they don't need to, unless they don't understand scientific principles when it comes to technology. If I was a spirit, and some random dude summoned me and went 'Hey, I'm too lazy to even try to do this on my own first, so jump into this jet-engine,' I might be a little ticked off." He peers at Evan when he turns up, and snatches up the notebook he tossed aside earlier. "Oh! Evan, he's right here. We're having beer! Want one?"

Trey chuckles at the idea of her hair, which is even longer than his, going wild while riding. "I'm imagining something like one of those Afghan hounds on your head..." He laughs, but then looks at her apologetically. "I totally did not mean that as an insult, please don't take it that way!"
Mike's statement makes Trey mm, thinking about the words. "I'm... sorta like a mix of theurge and ragabash, really, my... we don't have auspices, but we do have daytime tendencies. And... well, if you're making a fetish like that, yeah, you absolutely want to know your stuff. That's part of why I never spirit-awakened my bike. I don't know if it's a good idea."
His wave to Evan is easy and friendly, as usual. "Good to see you again, man. This is the *best* place."

"That's smart," Mike agrees, offering Trey another beer. "I don't know that Rite, but I know you need to be careful when it comes to tech Awakenings. Hey, do you remember that story they told us in Cub school, Jack? About that cliath who decided awaken a slot machine over at the casino?" He shudders as he downs a long sip of beer.

Jackie gives up on her surfboard and finally sets it down on the sand, realizing she's probably not going to bother actually using it at this point. She waves to Evan too, then uses her now free hand to fish out a beer. "Yeah, it is pretty nice! I've been here a year and I never made it out this far before today. It is a bit of a long trip out though."

Jack stays right out of spirit talk and other funky magic stuff that's in a different neighborhood from his own wheel house, and instead makes sure Evan is pointed towards ye olde brewski stash. "Damned skippy," he agrees for the island's status of bestness, "Amazing place for napping, too. I kept meaning to get suited up and go tame some waves, but..." He shrugs, because clearly laziness took over and he never got around to it. Alas!

Lorna laughs brightly. "I'm a Yorkshire lass, we take a great deal of effort to insult, but when it happens, we pay it back with brutal interest. You're all right." She grins. "And my cheating is always using my own skills. I wouldn't ask a spirit to do nowt I wouldn;t do myself."
Ths makes the vast dog-spirit at her side snort and cough several times, before remarking "I do apologise, everybody. I had an almighty lump of false confidence lodged in my throat for some reason." He rises and shakes himself free of sand, causing a storm that might bury an average sized pyramid. "I don't suppose you have anys weet sherry in that cooler? Beer is so... sans cullottes, you know?"

Evan gets the offered beer and grins "Excellent, I was heading this way to find refreshments. I've been hiking a bit." Then to Trey he says "You said you can play a bit of percussion right? Of some kind? The part isn't tricky or complicated I just can't play three instruments at once."

"I fear to ask how that story ended," Trey admits, his expression amused. "An Awakened slot machine... just sounds like a really bad idea all the way around. I actually wanted to talk to someone who's awakened a vehicle before I considered it myself."
He flashes a quick grin at Lorna and says, "Oh, good, because when I actually mean to insult people, I'm generally not subtle about it -- so we're on good footing." He looks to Cain and chuckles, noting, "Doesn't it suck when that happens? Worse than hairballs, and let me tell you, a triple coat gives some hellish hairballs."
Trey mm, and nods. "I can manage a bit, yeah, long as it's not too complicated. A beat is easier than making actual music."

Jackie gives Lorna some playful side eye. "Hey, aren't some of your own skills actually kind of cheating?"
Then she looks over to the exchange between Evan and Trey. "Three instruments? What part of what?"

Jack raises an arm to shield himself from sand spray, and a hand over his beer's top to protect it as well. "Nope." he answers while standing to get half a beach off of himself and check to make sure the most important thing, his drink, is alright. Ah fuck, now he's upright and defying gravity again. He grumbles now that he has no excuse to not go do something, and says, "I'll be right back." to Mike before stepping out of the group and heading for the stairs up to the clubhouse.

Mike flops down on the sand. "Yeah, it wasn't good. I'll tell you later, it's a real downer." He shakes sand out of hair, which unfortunately just adds to the rest stuck to his sunscreened bod. "We should totally jam. Can we? Um, I don't have my bass here, but I can air guitar with the best!" He waves after Jack, calling out, "Okay, dude!"

Lorna purses her lips in thought. "I wouldn't know that I would say it is cheating. I am using a natural ability that I possess to do a job. I mean, is it cheating to use a hammer to knock in a nail? is it cheating when, say, this nice Evan fella uses his voice to sing, and it happens to sound good? No! These are skills and tools. It makes sense to use them if you have them." She lifts her hand and makes beer bottles in the cooler rattle. She stares at her hand. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me those are as big as an x-wing!"
Cain just smirks, in a very doggy way. "Do or do not. There is no try..." Then he adds "Ask Lorna Leatherlungs to sing for you as an opening act. After her horrible voice, anything will sound like a delight!"

Evan grins at Jackie "I've been writing a song to commemorate my Rite of Passage and my idea for it needs a violin, some sort of hand drum, and a guitar. And vocals of course but I can do that and one instrument, I need back up for the other two." Then to Lorna he glances between her and the rattling bottles "Oh that's neat, You one of those psychic kinfolk I heard live around here? I'm Evan Davies, rited Collector-of-Tales, Human born galliard of the Fianna." Mike gets a grin "We always got room for a good air guitar."

Mike punches a fist in the air. "Jam session SCORED!" he shouts, jumping to his feet and dancing around like a loon. Someone check his blood sugar levels or something, he's got a lot of energy.

Jackie smiles back at Evan, along with Mike's enthusiastic antics. "Oh, that sounds cool. I don't know if I can help with that, but I did get some pretty high scores on Rock Band. Even on the keytar!"

Lorna rolls her eyes at the dog. She wiggles fingers again, and floats another beer into her vicinity, which is not as lewd as it sounds, honestly! "Indeed. Psychic, that's me. Lorna by name, a mechanic by trade, and a punching bag for this hairy bastard the rest of the time. Bone Gnawer am I. And, apparently, beer drinker!" She pops it open and regards the dog. "Go on. Say it. It is a good thing you lost my keys as I will get too pissed to drive, right?" Cain remains aloof. He suddenly is wearing horn rimmed spectacles. A book is by his paws. He opens, and starts reading, ignoring everyone with a considerable air of superiority.

Mike struts up and down the beach, breaking into an inspired bass air-guitar solo. It's not a real instrument, and he's not even trying to sing, but it's not bad for a sand-encrusted dude.

Evan grins at Jackie and takes an Acoustic Guitar out of a backpack that's clearly too small to hold it "Can you play a real one at all? That'd be perfect. So far Trey here and Hushed-Blaze-rhya are the only ones to have heard the whole song, at least the guitar part and the vocals. I was meeting the Senior member of my Auspice so a bit of showing off was called for."

Mike continues his performance down the beach a way. He's still not singing, but he's humming out the bass riffs for one of his favorite songs. That poor air-bass is getting one hell of a work out.

"I am really curious to hear it now," Lorna admits. "And I have a lot of admiration for people who are musical. I never really got the chance to learn an instrument. Well, I did recorder at infant school. Massacred "Three Blind Mice" while doting parents watched on, you know the sort of thing. I really admire those who can play well. Or at all. I am well aware of the degree of dedication and practice it takes." Technically she could channel and play, but she never had. Some things were... sacred. In a way.

Jackie takes the guitar and holds it like she's used to holding a rock band controller. She frowns as her fingers don't want to settle on the strings correctly, and doesn't really manage more than some discordant twanging strums after several attempts. At least she doesn't break it. "Well, shit. It'd be easier if this thing had buttons on it."

"Try the air guitar first!" Mike yells even further down the beach. He's too far away now for anyone to hear his humming, but he's shifted to Crinos and is seriously throwing himself into his totally-awesome-in-his-own-mind performance.

Evan winces but then holds up a hand "I forgot something, you're probably not used to playing without one." and he rummages in the pack and comes back out with a bright orangs guitar pick and offers it over "Go ahead and try again." Lorna gets a grin "I can do a demo after Jackie's done if people want. The writing's done its just practicing now."

Trey nods and says, "It's amazing," all too happy to talk up Evan's work. He settles in and pokes at the fire to keep it going, and notes, "I shoulda brought food but I figured I was going to go fishing..." With no rod or reel to be seen, no less.

Lorna nods eagerly. "I would like that. I rarely get out to sept functions. I tend to stay back at the Mall to look after the homeless, or I am on call with the garage for emergencies. I like my life, and these are important resposibilities, but I kind of miss the social stuff with the rest of the sept." She looks down the beach. "Mike seems... enthusiastic. About everything. It's kind of refreshing actually. And he clearly knows his tech."

For the Win has worn himself with his performance, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he pants to recover his wind. A few minutes later, he bounds back on all fours like a lupine gorilla to join the others. >> Give it another try! You're doing great, << he tells Jackie.

Jackie takes the pick and fiddles with it a bit, getting it settled into a grip that feels comfortable and intuitive. She bites her lower lip for a moment as she concentrates, humming the first familiar tune that pops into her head. Then she strums out along the strings several times, doing a little testing and positioning her left hand fingers half by video game muscle memory and half by guess work. After a minute or so though, she manages to get out a recognizable version of the riff from Enter Sandman by Metallica. "Wow, that is a lot easier!"

Lorna grins in an encouraging way. "Hell yes! Bloomin' great, that is! Next stop - Donnington!" She swigs down beer eagerly. "Woman with many talents, that's what you are!"

Evan grins at Jackie and nods as he sits up and takes a swig of beer, not taking the guitar back "So, you'll be able to manage it just fine. Just gonna take some practice. I didn't write the music to be super complicated, didn't want to get too ambitious or make it too hard for folks to follow along with." Then to Lorna "I was the only one to change in my age group, my birth sept isn't nearly as big as here. So I was out scouting on my own and got caught by the group of fomori I was supposed to find. I suppose I did find them, with my face. Anyway, it was a rough go of it there and I got a little trash talk going and while laying there bleeding and one of my eyes part swolen shut I managed to run a bit of a con. Let the baddies think I was dying and got them to brag about their plans. Figuring what intel my stealth couldn't get my mouth could. Also I was stalling till the Guardian pack caught up, since in the fight I raised a hell of a racket and I've got tricks that let my voice carry well and truly far. It all worked out in the end. Obviously enough since I'm sitting here."

For the Win is totally covered with sand all over his gray and brown pelt. Is that sunscreen under there? He pads away from the others and shakes it out of his fur -- no way is he wrecking Evan's sweet axe! He makes a face as he heads to the cooler for another beer. >> That's a good story! << he tells Evan as he cracks it open. His claws don't seem to impede him at all, he was born in this form. >> Um, me and my brother did our Rite together. We had to steal some stuff, no fighting at all. << They're both ragabash, it's probably not a surprise.

Jackie looks a bit pleased with herself, but cuts the racket down a bit. "Ok, this seems like something I can work on a bit. I don't suppose you have a recommended starter guide? Or should I just Google 'how to play the guitar' and go from there?"

Lorna chuckles "My family live out in a small village in Yorkshire, so we did not have a huge range of options. And the local Sept run out of York... well. They didn't want much to do with us. Silver Fangs aren't known for asking us Gnawers round for tea and scones. So this is a new experience for me, such a huge sept." She considered her past. "My Uncle, he was really annoyed when I did not change. And he nearly bust a blood vessel when I started showing psychic abilities. Pretty sure he thought I was gone full wyrm. Then old fuzzbutt there shows up, tells him how it is, and they suddenly found a LOT of ways to use a psychic. He's a total and utter ruthless bastard who'd knife you in a second if he thought you betrayed the family, or the litany. But he's not a bad man to work under. My uncle... theurge, pack leader, and a complete and utter arsehole. But an arsehole for Gaia, and that is what matters!"

Evan nods at Lorna "My Uncle...well he was my Mother's cousin after a fashion but we called him my Uncle, is an Ahroun and he was the same sort of Law and Tradition and Orthodoxy driven like it sounds like your uncle is. Also worth pointing out that we're here and they aren't. Like as not there's a reason for that." Then to Jackie "Well you need a guitar and I've been invited to spend some time at your pack house to work on learning more about this city since it's very different from what I'm used to. So I can check over any sort of beginer book you want to pick up. And write down the sheet music that you'll need for my song." Mike gets a grin too "Thank ya. I wasn't supposed to be fighting in mine either but a lot of times plans don't work out that way."

>> Our Dad was the asshole back home, << For the Win tells Lorna. >> He totally cheated on our Mom with his packmate, can you believe that? And when Mom found out she marched right over and nabbed me, and told my Dad and his packmate that I was hers now, and she'd shoot them if she ever saw them again.<< He has to drink by pouring beer into his open maw. >> She did, too. Shoot him, I mean. Right in the ass.<< What a bad-ass Mom the boys have!

Jackie nods and holds the guitar out to return it to Evan. "Alright, I'll look into getting one, and some starter lessons. What the hell, right?"
Then she's distracted by Mike's story, turning with widened eyes as she listens. "Holy shit, that pretty dramatic! She actually shot him, too! Wow, not that I can say it doesn't sound pretty justified, but wow still."

Lorna considers Evan's words. "You are right. Gaia guides us where she needs us, and we are here. I came half way around the world, yet I feel at home here as much as I ever did in England." She laughs then at Mike's words. "SOunds like she was amazing. Me mam would have done the same. But me da would never have done that. He was not that way inclined. And if me mam didn't wallop him, me nan would have made a new fur rug out of him! She looks like a little old lady now, but seriously, back in the sixties, she was TERRIFYING. She's one of those ahroun who actually lived to old age. Half of her torso is scars. And an ahroun doesn't get old unless everything else around them has been ripped apart." She then smirks. "You should see her with a turkey on Christmas. Scare the pants off you! And she still has a punch like a wrecking ball. I should go back and visit them. I told Erin I'd take her, once the baby was old enough. If she takes the nipper with her, they might not let her go again. I am a huge disappointment as I haven't had kids yet. I will, I know it is a duty. But I want the right person. Back home, I'd have married me cousin and had an army of pups by now, I expect."

Evan grins at Jackie and takes the guitar back and gives Mike's story a low whistle "Sounds like I'd like your ma quite a bit." Then to Lorna he says "Ahrouns that live to be old are scary as hell, especially ones like her that sound like they give the lie to the whole unblemished king nonsense. Its a ideal amongst the Fianna that somehow if someone is pure and unblemished, no scars, that means they're somehow a better warrior because the enemy never scored on them. I think its rubbish personally."

>> Mom's real tough, << For the Win agrees. >> She's the best mom in the world, she was never mean to me and encouraged me with all the stuff I wanted to learn. And Jack is the best big brother, ever. Dad wanted him to follow him into the Wise Guys, but nuh uh. Jack's not into that whole testerone scene, and he didn't want to leave us. He laid Dad out when Dad tried to take him away. And he never gets that mad, not at anyone.<<

Jackie makes sour face at Lorna's closing topic, it hitting pretty close to home for her too. She gives a little shudder to shake it off, refocusing on the more positive stories. "That sounds like everything's working out for the best then. But what are the Wise Guys? Is that a pack name or something?"

Lorna blows her cheeks out, and nods to Jackie. She gets it. The life of a brood sow female kinfolk. She does move on to other aspects of the debate though. "Wow. Sounds like you got a pretty vigorous family there. And yeah, my nan would whack someone who spouted that unblemished warrior nonsense. Probably with a rolling pin. Or her foot. Old Yorkshire women are made out of old rusty nails and granite, and take no bollocks from anybody. Especially not their menfolk. I wonder if I'll be like that someday? Stomping about the beach in a hairnet and wrinkly stockings, hitting seagulls with a walking stick, and telling all the cliaths that they don't even know they're born, it was much harder in my day. Of course I will probably go mad before that. Psychic stuff makes my head burst. If I see Michael Ironside, I am gonna run!"
Cain turns a page. With his mind. And remarks "Go mad? You are mad already. You see a talking dog. Not the mark of a mentally well-oriented person, some might say."
Lorna turns to him and says "One word for you. Vet!"
Cain growls. "There's no call to make it PERSONAL!" He snorts haughtily, and returns to his book. Somehow, he has managed to produce a pipe from somewhere. And he is smoking it with every sign of enjoyment.

For the Win shakes his head at Jackie. "No, it's a Tribal camp. Ever seen the Godfather? Like that, only with werewolves.<< His muzzle crinkles up in disgust. >> It's a stupid camp, all guns and ripping people off and being complete assholes all the time. We are DEFINITELY not down with that scene. I mean, how does that even help Gaia? It doesn't. Me and Jack want to make the world a chill place for everyone. << He blinks as Cain makes a pipe appear. >> Um, are you smokin the reefer? <<

Evan snickers at the banter between Lorna and her companion before he answers Jackie's question, at least partly since Mike covered most of it "Every Tribe has factions and subgroups. Politics and role specialties."

Jackie looks back at Lorna, commiserating silently for a long moment. Then she looks back at Cain and recalls cheer into her expression. "Nope, you can't play the mad card on her for that! It's not madness if we can hear you too!"

"Maybe you are all mad, have you considered that?" Cain says, calmly. Then raises a doggy eyebrow. "I am not sure you would want to know what sort of thing a spirit smokes. I am sure it would do very unpleasant things to you. At the moment, I am smoking the concept of inappropriate syllogisms. It's refreshing, with a light nutty aftertaste."
Lorna sighs. "Sixteen years I have had of this. Sixteen years of it. And he never gets any less superior. Just knock it off, you furry tosspot. These are good people. Save the mind bending for the Jehova's Witnesses next time they call round." She swigs down more beer. "It does sound like that organization is all about themselves, not Gaia. I know we Bone Gnawers get a bum reputation, but at least we do try to help others, not pretend to be Marlon bloody Brando for kicks!"

>> Well, they started out as muscle for the Corporate Wolves, before they got that name, << Mike admits. >> But they kinda go back and forth on that, and both camps are kinda fading out. Most Glasswalkers have moved on, we don't want to be like those old fossils. << He eyes Cain's pipe again. >> So you are smokin the zaza, I knew it! << He does a little dance of victory on the sand.

Evan grins at Cain "I'm Fianna, Of course I'm mad. Plus I'm a Galliard and Bards are known for being a bit daft so that's twice mad. I just need a third way and I'll be all set." Then he nods at Mike's explanation "I plan on trying to prove myself to a place in The Songkeepers, one of the oldest camps amongst the Fianna. They have stories back to before the Tribes were a thing. Even about how they came to be."

Lorna rises and dusts herself off. "Well. I shall let you all be musical. I still need to find my keys. I swear, these tests of his are getting more and more petty. Come on, you furry twat, let's get a move on. If we don't get those keys, you are on dry food for a week, I swear!"
Cain's pipe, glasses, and book vanish, and he rises to shake another sandstorm off his coat. "Tough titty! You forgot I do not need your assistance to find a good steak. Also, I don't need keys either." And with that... he vanishes through a hole that appears beside him.
Lorna groans "I swear, if he wasn't such a good teacher... Can't live with him, can't send him to Battersea. I best head off. By the time I get home, he'll have eaten the lasagna in the fridge. Have fun!"

For the Win darts back and forth, still dancing in the sand >> Um, good night!<< he calls after Lorna. >> Oh, we're going to be City Farmers! << he says to Evan. >> We're real, real good with plants and nature. <<

Jackie waves goodbye to Lorna as she leaves the beach. On foot. Poor girl. You'd think she should at least be able to ride Cain, as big as he is. Then she turns back towards the others, and responds to Evan. "Is the Songkeepers another one of those faction groups?"

For the Win is dancing around on the sand, like only a happy energetic young metis can. Lorna's just departed, leaving just three survivors on the beach. They've made a serious dent in the beer.

Jack returns from up at the clubhouse, having done whatever it was that he went up there to go do. He returns with a new beer and a joint, and also some mild sun burn which he hasn't noticed yet, but will later on when he gets confused about why the couch feels burny and itchy.

Evan waves farewell to Lorna and nods to Jackie's question "Exactly. Like the Fianna are the loremasters of the Nation the Songkeepers are the Loremasters of the Fianna. Not all of them are Galliards but the ones that are its like triple dipping. I figure I'm going to embrace my nature and go allllllllll the way in."

>> Jack! << Crinos-Mike dashes over to his brother and sweeps him up in a huge, sand-covered furry hug. >> You missed some great stories. And I told everyone about how awesome you and Mom are! Hold up, you're smokin the zaza, just like Cain was! << He makes 'gimme' grabby hands with his claws.

Jackie sends a chuckle in the brothers' direction, finishing off her beer and setting the empty along with the rest. She turns back to Evan. "All the way in seems like a good way to be. If you're going to do something, it's best to do it well, right?"

Trey sits up with a start and yawns expansively. "Shit, I'm sorry, was up half the night doing a ritual. Forgive me, just a little tired." He chuckles and rubs his eyes to get the grit out. "I should probably suck down an energy drink or something."

Jack sweeps beer and doobie out of the way but he makes no attempt to not get hoisted and smooshed by his brother. Just so long as the brewski doesn't go to waste. "Ah ah ah!" he says, withholding the joint from grabby hands, and says, "Gentle, hold it with your teeny front teefs." And he will place the joint thusly. And then do a bit of bro help thing by smooshing the metis's floppy wolf lips down and plugging his snoot with his finger tips so he can take a healthy drag that probably eats half the joint at once. Smoking pot in crinos is a complicated proceedure involving levers, pullies, and lasers, due to the lack of proper people lips. "Sorry!" he apologizes to the others during that, "Had to take a leak, aaaaaand then I forgot what I was doing and ended up raiding the instant mac and cheese."

For the Win grumbles, but he's the one that got super-excited earlier and decided to dance in this form. Assistance will never be turned down for the green! He carefully inhales, letting the smoke drift through his lungs. >> Oh, that's good stuff, << he says, exhaling smoke from his nostrils like a wolfy dragon. He waves as Trey sits up. >> Um, I don't have those, but Jack might have something! <<

Grinning, Evan waves at Jack and then nods to Jackie "And with how much that'll give me to study I'll be able to make use of all the hours I don't sleep with something other than learning another instrument." Trey gets a grin "Not a problem I have often. Sounds really unpleasant."

Jackie laughs at Evan, then includes Trey. "Sleep, who's got time for that? There's way too many things to do!" Then she shivers as the evening gets a bit chillier and goes back to the truck and put on a jacket and pants over her wetsuit.

Jack returns to plonk down with the crew once Mike's had his toke, and starts digging around in his backpack for a bamboo box. The stash box, natch. "Um...." he says while digging around in there, "Well I've got caffeine pills and caffeine gum, um... Got some ginsing and sage capsules, if you don't mind it taking a few to kick in." He puts these things where they can be grabbed and used, and then sets about shaking some buds out of a plastic jar and into an electric grinder. His brother just smoked the shit out of his joint, so he's gonna need to replenish. He has both regular sized rolling papers, and novelty ginormous ones. Bet you cant guess who those are for!

Trey chuckles and yeahs. "Just trying to prep a bunch of stuff for traveling... and maybe bartering as well." He shoves his hair out of his face and stretches a bit, noting, "Normally I don't mind, I just shift and take a catnap, but it didn't work out that way." He shrugs and laughs softly, then goes fishing in his knapsack for something. He comes out with a large bag of jelly beans and then nods at Jack's offerings, grabbing one of the pills and chasing it down with the warm remnants of his beer, and then pops a handful of jellybeans, offering the rest around to people. "I really need a sugar rush right about now, anyone else?"

For the Win stumps over to join the others and plops his furry butt on the ground. >> The ginseng and sage caps are really nice. Oooh, jelly beans! << He's quick to accept a handful, totally not remembering the prank with the naaasty-tasting variety a couple of years ago. >> Thanks, << he mumbles as he cronches them up.

Evan grins and shakes his head "I'll crash for an hour or so later. That should sort me out just fine. I do like jellybeans though." and he takes one "Is it true that someone around here makes some Jellybeans into Talens? I heard there's some that let you breath fire."

Hands full with joint preparation, Jack is lured by cat beans. The jelly kind though, not the murder kind. If Trey doesn't mind him just hovering a few up with his face while his hands are busy, then he too shall partake! It takes him several hot minutes to roll Mike a Cheech and Chong worthy blunt that requires skill and patience to put together, but the little normal homid sized ones are much quicker to complete. He passes them out as he gets them rolled, making sure everyone that's game has their own. Aaaaaand then the stash is gone. Damn it all! "No shit? That'd be crazy. ...If you were in a real bind, like your hands were tied up behind you so you could reach your jelly beans but couldn't reach your mouth, could you put one in your butt and fart fire instead?" He's seriously asking. For a friend.

Jackie comes back to rejoin the conversation, dressed a bit more warmly now. She waves off the beans for herself and answers Evan. "Actually yeah, I did hear about that. I can't remember who now, sorry. It might have been Branton or Journey, I think? They were the ones I was hearing about stuff like that back when those came up, anyway. Those would be a dangerously spicy snack if you weren't expecting them, huh?"

Trey blinks slowly and says, "If they do, I wanna learn how, because... fuck, that would be awesome. Just pop a jellybean and breathe fire? Love that!" If Trey is bothered by facerolling the beans, it sure doesn't show. "Uh... I don't know, Mike, maybe if the spirit didn't mind being stuck up your ass... but it would still burn coming out, I think. Unless..." He falls thankfully silent as he contemplates this. "If Branton came up with these I need to ask him how."

>> Um, really? Wow! That'd be great to make camp fires and toast marshmallows and stuff. << Mike bolts to his feet as he finally remembers. >> Oh! Marshmallows! << He nabs a bag sitting on the beach and hunts around for sticks to toast them on. >> You could do what I do with fire, << he tells his brother. >> But you can just spit it, that's wicked! << He snorts laughter at the mention of farts, he's under twelve.

Evan does take a joint and blinks "I really don't know. Its one of the stories I'd heard before I ever came here, that and a bunch of talens that even kinfolk without their own magic can use. So much strangeness."

"Would it, though?" Jack asks, "I mean, if it doesn't burn coming out of your face, why would it burn coming out of your butt? I ASSUME it doesn't burn when it comes out of your mouth, otherwise no one would ever use those, right? They'd be like, 'fuck that noise, burned m'damned gums off'. Probably. And would a fire spirit care? I mean a mouth cant be any more pleasant than a butt, surely." And for the record, no making out with Trey's hand, literally using the power of inhalation to gain jelly beans. Otherwise that'd be super gross and invasive. "I think it'd be cool to make that kinda stuff, but I personally haven't ever had a drive to learn all the, you know, the spirit mojo. Maybe just because none of the stuff I ever saw get made was like... you know, tech-y. I've heard some Glass Walkers have made some baller stuff, but I don't think we ever really got a chance to see it. Or well, I haven't, any how."

For the Win skewers a bunch of marshmallows and passes them around to people. He might have brought them along, but he's no treat burner. He leans down carefully to nab a burning twig from the fire to light his joint, going through all the steps a growing Crinos needs to get high af. >> Yeah, I'd rather leave that to theurges, and just trade if we need stuff, << he chimes in. >> We have all this cool tech we can use most of the time. <<

Trey mmms. "Yeah, that was more or less the conclusion I came to, but you'd have to be able to blow out on demand, more or less, so." He chuckles and says, "Marshmallows! Dude!" Apparently the cat has learned to embrace the gooey goodness. "Well, hrm. Talen beans... maybe make them like those gummy Swedish Fish candies. Because that would be fun..."

Evan shrugs at the talk of talen making "I've been working on learning some rites because lessons are so easy to get around here it'd be silly not to take advantage. And there are some that are Galliard appropriate. Failed completely twice. Backed off to try learning a minor rite and that went okay. Baby steps I guess."

Jack pffffffft's out a smokey breath and says agreeingly, "Yeah, we should probably do that sorta thing at some point as well. The only rite I know is the rite of cleansing. There's a buncha really good Walker and City rites out there, so I've heard, might be a good idea to track those down, whatever they are. Assuming they're in any way appropriate for a no-moon to learn, I mean." He snags a couple marshmallows and deposits them into his face without cooking them.

For the Win squints at Trey over the fire. >> Do they have to be gummy candies? Um, Red Hots would be killer. << Inspired genius has struck again. He'd probably look super wise over there if he wasn't tokin out. >> Oh! Rites. I still need to learn one, << he admits. >> Winter is not our time, Ziggy doesn't like getting cold. <<

Trey says, “Wait, you guys don't know Talisman Dedication yet? So you don't end up bare-ass naked after you shift back down?" He blinks slowly, stuffing a few more jellybeans in his mouth and roasting his marshmallows carefully with the other hand. "Red Hots is a good idea, yeah, kind of thematic. I just need to try those fish candies. I'm surprised they're so popular, I wouldn't think most people would like fish as much as I do."”

Evan snickers at Trey "The only thing fishy about them is their shape." Then he nods to Jack and Mike "Its totally worth doing."

Jack shakes his head, and points his thumb at Mike, "Nope, I just ask him to do it. And before he knew it, we just asked a tribe member to do it. We haven't been in a position where we've had a bunch of new clothes but no one to ask a favor from. Yet. I mean, it could happen." He nods his agreement with Evan about the fish shaped candies, "I always thought they tasted a little bland, but that's just me, I'm probably lulled into that false sense by over flavored skittles n shit."

>> Yeah, they don't taste like fish. It sucks, I'd be all over smoked salmon flavor. << Smoke drifts from the corner of Mike's mouth. >> Do we have to learn the same rites when we're brothers? <<

Trey ahhhs. "I knew one of you had to have it," he says with a chuckle. As for the candies, he hmphs and says, "Why are they shaped like fish if they don't taste like fish? Here I thought Sweden had come up with something really cool aside from meatballs but... eh." He points to Mike and says, "See?! He gets it!"

"Welp, now you guys know something to work on, how to make the perfect actual fish flavored fish shaped candy!" Jack says with a grin, "Granted, the greater public might not get it, but I bet you anything it'd sell super well in like... Japan or something, probably. And at a booth at that market, makin bank on all the Bastet customers!"

>> Those rice crackers at TJ's slap, << Mike grunts, carefully shifting his joint between his teeth. >> They taste more like seaweed than fish, but a lot of humans think seaweed tastes just like fish. Weird, huh? <<

Trey asks, "TJ's?" He has no clue, the poor lad. "Rice crackers with seaweed -- oh, yeah, Japanese stuff, that's a good idea. And I think it's because of the saltiness, probably. Seaweed smells briny, so do fish." He picks the stick out of the fire and plucks a perfectly-done marshmallow off its end, popping it into his mouth. "MMmm... Innt thr--" He stops, waits until he's finished chewing. "Isn't there like some kind of fish paste that could be used in a marshmallow? Mmm. Fishmallows!" He grins. He has got to be fucking with them. Don't lynx mostly eat rabbit?

"Oh dude, ack!" Jack says, sticking out his tongue in an eew face. "There's a little part of me that DOES like them, but most of me is not okay with them. It's not... Like I like fish? But it's too *much* sea flavor. Too much all at once. I fuckin love sushi, but I cant handle the nori. Like you know how you have a gag reflex? It kinda hits that for me, not cause it tastes bad, but like I immediately think I'm going to drown or something because all the everything is suddenly the sea in my nose and mouth." He leans back again, once he's got the box all packed away and stuff, and says, "...I think there's tubes of anchovy paste, for like making your own... whatever. Like Cesar dressing or whatever. Or for weirdos that like it on crackers and marshmallows." he adds with a grin.

For the Win scratches his lupine chin. >> I think so? << he ventures. >> Jack's the cook in the house, I do all the dishes. <<, Now that's trust right there, a metis cleaning up breakable things. >> TJ's, um, that's Trader Joe's. I don't know if they have fish paste, but I bet the Asian markets do. There's one not far from our place. <<

Trey hrms and looks thoughtfully at Jack. "That would definitely make me not want to eat, if it tasted like drowning," he agrees. "Anchovy paste... hrm..." He pulls another marshmallow off the stick and eats it with gooey glee. "Oh, right, Trader Joe's, I've seen that place. ANnd... Asian markets. Hrm. That would make sense. And I only like this stuff so much because nobody makes anything rabbit-flavored. Imagine my surprise when Blue Bunny ice cream didn't have a rabbit flavor."

"It *is* super weird that we have animals mascotting and representing things that they're not a part of," Jack agrees, his brows drawn down in thought, "Like no bunnies in the ice cream. But you never see animal mascots for things they ARE in. Like the chicken farms don't have a chicken being all 'we have great eggs!' or whatever. And humans never do food mascotting, do they? Except for the Gorton's Fisherman, I guess, although he might not be human. Cause I think the usual closest you get is like the jolly green giant, which is clearly the product of a woman's affair with a pea pod. Maybe the Fisherman is really a merman and that's why he's always in his rain gear, so we cant see all his fish bits."

For the Win pokes his marshmallow right into the fire. Watch that thing burn! He has a gleeful expression on his face as he sets down his blunt so he can gobble up the charred treat. >> I wonder if there's ice cream flavored rabbits in the woods here? << Yep, he's officially baked.

Trey says, “I mean, yeah, that's what bugs me. Some kinds of food, you have pictures of what's in the package on the outside. Tomatoes on a can means tomatoes inside. But they put pictures of babies on baby food. I wish they would just make up their minds about their conventions with packaging, and just... decide not to put pictures of kittens on the cans of kitten food!”

"Babies on baby food." Jack agrees with a nod, as one of the rare human mascots is mentioned. "But... IS it a baby? I mean that kid's either always in black and white, or awkwardly colored in, maybe it's because that baby is really green. It's a jolly pea baby. God, that lady. Like... is it just one lady and her pea beau, or is it like a thing that many different women go through, and like this lady had a jolly green pea baby but is NOT related to the giant? Is the *baby* giant, but you cant tell because it's on a baby food jar? Is this why strained peas are always such a big seller?! What the fuck is going on!"

For the Win looks horrified as a sudden thought strikes from beyond. >> Dude, that giant's a cannibal. A veggie-cannibal! << he blurts out. >> I knew I didn't like my green beans for a reason when I was little! <<

Trey says, forlornly, "I just don't want to eat it if it's got kittens in it," his voice sounding genuinely unhappy. Eat a marshmallow, that'll help! And so, he does. And it does. "I think I'm a little stoned," he says, digging into the jelly beans again.

"Mike, I swear to god if I ever come home early from deliveries and find you fucking a green bean, you're going to therapy!" Jack tells his brother, shaking a finger at him. No banging veggies, especially not legumes! He slumps though and says, "Fuck man, I *love* peas and green beans. I'm willfully contributing to jolly green cannibalism!"

>> Ew, dude, no! I'm not a sleazy perv! << Mike yelps, totally offended. >> I'm never touching vegetables again as long as I live, I don't want to owe child support! << He shoves a handful of marshmallows into his mouth to get rid of the imaginary legume taste.