Obligatory Beach Episode (the actual beach part)

[hoasen]

Who: Everyone at the beach (and Vietnam)
When: First few days of April?
Where: Capablanca: Beach
What: In order to complete a few jobs set in Capablanca, a volleyball match and a beach bbq happened (at different times). As usual, everyone can end up joining for no goddamn reason (other than money maybe).
Rating: PG is always the safe option.

NOTE This is also a mingle log, so just tag around in the sub-headers set up!

VOLLEYBALL

[In order to complete this job and win the trust of the merfolk, a beach volleyball session has been organised. What are they going to do? It has been suggested that they play on the shallows, stick up a net and then hit balls back and forth to the merfolk. Seems easy enough...right?

WRONG. Beach Volleyball is super intense. Start planning your strategies, because you could be unfortunate in that your mermaid friends are actually professional underwater volleyballers. Which is probably like Blitzball or something.]


BEACH BBQ

[One of the best ways to learn about each other and also WIN THE TRUST of local populace is to hold a random Beach Barbeque. Who knows where Vietnam managed to amass all these ingredients for the barbeque (trade secret) but everyone can help cook! If they know how. Alternatively, all barbeques need people to EAT so come judge the food. And talk and make merry.

There is word going around that someone left a whole case of alcohol for mixing. Who on earth brought that?! (And left a convenient list of drinks and how to mix them). We'll blame the proprietor of a bar who wants more publicity.]

Comments

[sediments]

[ Bolin has no idea what's going on. He really doesn't. He'd spent the past two weeks taking a nice long nap, and not too long after waking up found himself being carted off to do some "actual work".

At the beach.

It's not that bad, and as much as Bolin figures he should do some actual work, he's never had the keen eye for detective duties (always Mako), and has a tendency to be easily distracted. Right now, bright green eyes are locked on the meat sizzling over grills on the beach, and he makes a beeline toward the offering of food, peering intently at the young girl standing by the grill. ]

Hey! Are you gonna cook?

[avantguard]

[ Bolin are you PART BEAR with your hibernating

Asuna jumps in her spot, turning to throw whoever is yelling at her an exasperated look when she's face to face with a bear of a human. WHOA. Exasperation is gone, she steps back slightly as she looks up at him.

UM. Clears her throat. ]

Yes. [ Wait. ] I mean, I'd like to. If you want to use the grill first though, you can.

[ He can't just be here to eat all the food, right??? ]

[sediments]

[ "Part bear" is pretty accurate, Asuna.

He leans back when she jumps however, eyebrows rising somewhat and bright green eyes taking in the sight of young girl in front of him.

She's pretty cute! Maybe it's time for Bolin to show off mature he is. ]

Well, I do know a thing or two about grilling. [ This is a lie, he's never been near a grill in his life. But he's roasted over open fire, surely it's similar?

Oh. But she'd said she'd like to try first; the realisation getting his bravado to fall off to offer an amiable smile instead. ]

But hey, you were here first so you can go ahead.

[avantguard]

[ Polarbeardog?? But much mature, Bolin. But Asuna is fifteen and she has no reason to disbelieve him (and he seems nice) so she looks interested that he has some idea how to work the grill. As she has no idea. She's a spoiled rich girl.

She shakes her head quickly. ]

Even if I was here first, I'm not sure how to use it. So, if you would...

[ SHOW HER PLS ]

[sediments]

[ Is she calling him on his bluff? Is this a show of teenage rebellion?

Bolin peers at her, but she seems genuine enough that he allows his own expression to be a bit more open. Which mostly means giving the grill an uncertain look. In theory, it shouldn't be that different from cooking on a fire or a stove, but he's not entirely sure how to control the heat.

Ah well, what better way to learn than experimentation. ]

Sure!

[ Like he has no reservations whatsoever. He picks up the tongs hanging by the grill and goes about lying two skewers on the surface. There's a pause while he squints at the knobs on the machine, casually turning one that looks like its talking about temperature, and making a pleased noise when it seems to turn the heat on. ]

Well, whatddaya know.

[avantguard]

[ She's too WELL-BEHAVED for rebellion!!

Since Bolin agrees, she's left to watch him closely. From picking up tongs, to laying down da meatz, to squinting at knobs.

Why is he squinting... he was giving the grill a weird look earlier, too. Even his reaction to the grill turning on is curious. She raises her eyebrow at him. ]

Um, could I ask you something?

[sediments]

[ Maybe he should feel a little apprehensive when she looks at him like that and then poses the question, but Bolin is too high on the success of getting the grill to work; too focused on the anticipation that comes with the sizzling meat.

He turns to look at her, oblivious and looking nothing short of gleeful. ]

Sure!

[avantguard]

[ There is nothing to worry about here, NOPE.

The fact that he is so happy about turning on something so simple makes her think that he's never done it before. Or he really loves grill and can't wait to get dat meat. ]

Have you used a grill before?

[sediments]

[ The grin falters. Bolin's not sure if he's supposed to feel guilty or not, but he gives the girl a small, furtive look, mouth forming a small frown. ]

... No. [ But his answer sounds unsure, even in response to such a simple question.

In his defence: ]

I've cooked meat over fire before! And a stove.

[avantguard]

[ Ah, she wasn't expecting him to be so openly honest about it. After thinking about it shortly, she decides doesn't have any room to judge. Besides, he said he knew about grilling not how to use a grill. ]

Well, another thing you can add to your Grill Know-How is how to turn on a grill.

[ Steampunk grill. She seems to be letting the lie go with just that, and she stands next to him looking into the pit and feeling heat on her face, making her squint against it. ]

That's important. Alright, Step Two in Grill Know-How would be... ?

[ GO ON BOLIN ]

[sediments]

[ Don't make fun of him, Asuna. :(

But he seems to be placated when she lets it drop, stepping aside so that she can view the sizzle of the meat, while making sure that he's not too far, because the most important thing about grilling is— ]

Don't let your food burn!

[ He gives her a confident look as he says this, reaching forward with the tongs to turn the pieces of meat over, admiring the slightly charred marks left on the cooked sides, and his mouth watering with the smells of the marinade. ]

It looks good, doesn't it?

[avantguard]

[ It's out of love

OKAY IT'S TRUE THAT'S IMPORTANT

When Bolin first came over, she was a little unsettled by his size. But he's just a nerd. She had stepped aside to let him use the grill in order to study what he did. So she could learn, but it turns out they're just going to learn this together.

She nods a bit. ]

Mm. It smells good, too.

[ Don't drool pls. She points at the one steak he hasn't turned over yet. ] Can I flip that one?

[sediments]

[ How interesting that Asuna is unsettled by his size when she is Tall too??

In any case, Bolin is nothing but friendly to the girl, a little dazzled to see a cute, young girl in the first place. There hasn't been anyone before this that he could show off his big brother skills to. (Saber is pretty cute too, but so serious! And probably more mature than Bolin.)

He offers the tongs to her when she asks. ]

Sure. Don't let it burn though—uhh. [ He looks around. ] We need plates.

[avantguard]

[ He's taller!!! And she's not bara.

Saber is cute, Asuna agrees. But she can't say it, that's too meta. Since he's friendly, Asuna has no reason to be difficult. She could be serious too, and she probably should be considering this country is at war. Instead, she is taking those tongs from him to flip the steak just like he did. ]

I won't let it burn. [ GOSH ] Adra-sa... Adra-sensei already told me I should turn it as it browns so it doesn't burn.

[ And she's a good student!! ]

[sediments]

Oh. [ His interest is piqued, and he turns away from his search to look at her instead. ] You know Adra? What's "sensei"? His last name?

[ For the record, it seems like there aren't any plates available so they'll just have to stab the meat with forks and eat that way. Like cavemen. ]

[avantguard]

[ No, she doesn't want to explain Japanese honorifics AGAIN lmao

She's not a barbarian, they can at least use NAPKINS. Wherever those are, she'll look when they're done cooking. She's watching the meat closely!!! ]

N-no, it's... [ NOTE TO SELF: suffixes aren't normal with some people here. This is the second time. ] Come to think of it, I don't know his last name.

[ LOOKS AT BOLIN. ]

Or your name.

[sediments]

[ i know ur feel explaining bending a bunch of times also gets old ]

...

[ Why is she looking at him with those eyes. ]

I think his name is something really fancy. [ He offers carefully. ] I can barely pronounce his first name though, so I'm not... [ Going to bother. ]

My name's Bolin though.

[avantguard]

[ Bats eyelashes no

Why is he looking at her with THOSE eyes?? She furrows her brow as she tries to remember Adradad's full name.]

Mm. It was Adrastayus, I think. [ THAT'S WRONG, ASUNA. ] But he said Adra is fine.

[ Bolin is a million times easier. She stops turning steaks to give him a small bow of her head. ]

I'm Asuna, Bolin-sa─ [ Well. ] Bolin.

[sediments]

[ He's pretty sure that's wrong, but considering that his first guess had been "Adrastoos", he doesn't really have much room to point out Asuna's error.

Asuna is much easier to say, and he smiles at her. ]

Nice to meet you. [ Then: ] Anyway, I think the thinner pieces are done.

[ The little skewers that aren't the steak she's grilling, he looks around to find a bag of forks, picking out two and hovering over the grill predatorily. ]

[avantguard]

[ Adtrastoos and Adrastayus, how many wrong ways can these kids say one name.

She gives him a small smile back, a little shy, but back to the task at hand soon after.

Feeling a strange aura, she glances at Bolin from the corner of her eye and sees him holding two forks, one in each hand, and STARING INTENSELY AT MEAT. ]

Wh-why do you have two forks?

[sediments]

[ She's so cute.

Bolin has a particular weakness for cute things: small children and people, cute girls, and cute animals. There's a warmth that blossoms in his chest at her shy smile, and he can't help the friendly smile as he holds out one fork for her. ]

One's for you! Aren't you going to eat? Or do you prefer chopsticks?

[ Bolin does, but he hadn't seen any... ]

[avantguard]

[ Asuna also has 3/4 of those weaknesses.

But she's blinking at that fork, since she was pretty sure he was going to use both. HE LOOKED READY TO. She's taking the fork slowly. ]

Oh. I don't have a preference... [ Actually, maybe chopsticks. They remind her of home and she likes things that remind her of home. Rather, she doesn't want to lose those things.

She spins the utensil in her hand idly before poking at a SKEWER of meat. ]

I miss using chopsticks, though.

[sediments]

Me too.

[ It had been easier to pick things up with chopsticks, certainly. Though nothing could be as bad as a spoon, where Bolin constantly had to fight to get food onto his utensil without using his hands.

Not that this stops him from stabbing a piece of meat with his fork and bringing it up to take a good bite. It's as delicious as it smells, juicy, with some of the saucy stick to his bottom lip for a moment. ]

This is good! I could get used to barbecues.

[avantguard]

[ spoon did you just burn yourself

He doesn't know it, but having him share feelings about CHOPSTICKS has her warming up just a little. On first glance, he's a little intimidating but the more time she spent just talking idly she relaxes.

Too bad she can't see just how non-intimidating he is, struggling to get his meal onto a spoon. There's food on his face anyway so that gives her an idea. Her smile widens but she clears her throat before she can laugh. ]

Don't get used to the sauce on your lip, though.

[ She gestures to his mouth and then takes her own bite.

There is sauce on her cheek. ]

this is such an awkward tag

[sediments]

Huh?

[ There's a puzzled look on his face for a second, trying to process thoughts other than "man this is good food". He realizes quickly enough, sucking in his bottom lip to get the sauce that lingered there with a short, ] thanks!

[ Now that he's looking at her instead of his bite however, he notices the sauce on her own face reaching out rather thoughtlessly to wipe it away.

And then he sort of just. Stops.

Because this is really weird

It's not like he did anything weird like cup her chin or anything, and it's the most mechanical of moves, just swiping over her cheek like he's swatting a fly.

Except that it's kind of weird since he doesn't really know her.

He draws back with an awkward laugh. ]

You had some on your face too. [ And then: ] I'm not some weirdo!