fandomtownies | PARTY!, The Beach, Saturday Night

Entry tags:

PARTY!, The Beach, Saturday Night

The beach looked like someone had thrown an entire Pinterest board at it.

Strings of lights were strung between elegant poles, lighting up a fair portion of the beach (with the help of a few carefully-disguised generators, mind you). Large, stylized pots contained such multitudes of jasmine and lavender that at first glance they appeared to be bushes, instead - Seivarden's one contribution to the party.

Delicate paper screens carved the beach up into zones. Beach-classy lounge furniture sat on the sand, from chairs to sofas to even a bed or two. One corner held a stack of sheets, for anyone who didn't think bathing suits were appropriate eveningwear ('Togas encouraged!', the final Instagram post had said). Lucifer had supplied a ridiculous cooking setup for Duke in one corner, and a large bar ('open bar!' said the sign by it) stocked with almost every kind of alcohol known to man sat on the opposite side.

Even the water seemed to roll in like it figured it was part of an Instagram music video of some kind.

Seivarden had demanded a good party. And Lucifer had standards.

That it was extremely hot, that everyone had lost most of their wardrobe? That wasn't going to stand in the way of a bloody good party. There were ice cubes! Lucifer had brought a special freezer for extra ice cubes!

... and since it was Lucifer, no, he hadn't noticed the Truth Day thing yet.

[[ party! ]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Need some help there, buddy? I drink way more than I should, so I'm something of an expert."

“Yeah, I just need something not completely addictive but will help take the edge off my fucking social anxieties.”

Barry winced.

“Well, let’s just put it out there. I’m Barry Ween and I’ve never had anything fucking alcoholic to drink in my life.”

"Seriously?" Duke blinked at that. "I had my first drink when I was eight. Hell, my parents were probably the sort to put whiskey on my gums when I was teething."

That was more information than Barry needed, Duke.

"Right. Okay. First, I'm Duke Crocker. It's nice to meet you. Second, a single drink is not actually likely to get you addicted to anything. What kind of things do you usually drink? Give me a flavor profile to work with."

“Nice meeting you, Duke. I’ve avoided alcohol because it’s a depressant and I don’t usually want to dull my senses too much as I don’t want to start habitually using it as I have a 350 IQ and can’t stop thinking long enough to even sleep.”

Why did Barry come to a party on truth day? He winced and tried to keep to the facts.

“I’m generally a fan of citrus. I’ve had Shirley temples before but they are too sweet for my taste.”

"Makes sense. Thinking too much to sleep is exactly why I drink. Well, one of the reasons."

Truth day wasn't nice to anyone, let's be real.

"Okay. Citrus, but not too sweet. I can definitely work with that." He looked over the bar, then grabbed a bottle of gin with a professional flair. "I'm thinking a gimlet." He sized Barry up. "Heavy on the lime, light on the gin and simple syrup. Straight forward, tangy, and should give you a nice buzz without knocking off any of those fancy IQ points."

"All right. I'm game," Barry agreed. "I'm probably going to regret this later but it's been a weird fucking week and I'd like to avoid talking about it so I'm going to change the subject."

God damn Truth Day.

"So what's your line of business, Duke? What brought you to Fandom?"

"It's been a weird one for us all," Duke agreed. And then Barry had to go and ask what should have been a perfectly innocent question.

Fortunately, it was one that Duke was used to answering with not-quite-the-whole truth.

"I'm in imports. And around here, I teach and run the diner. Showed up at the start of the fall semester last year because my boat was running low on fuel and supplies, and basically got forcibly handed a legitimate lifestyle."

Okay, so a little bit slipped out there at the end.

Barry cracked a smile at that last part. “That’s too bad about having to go legitimate. I occasionally have needs of an importer if you were still interested in such business.”

Duke glanced over at him as he mixed the gimlet. "I might be," he said. "What kind of goods are we talking about? And also, are you a cop?"

“Not a cop. I’m a scientist,” Barry said with a smirk. “And honestly what I need shipped isn’t anything illicit. Just equipment and materials that I’d rather have delivered... discreetly. Back home I’ve had issues with the government and military stumbling onto what I am and I’d rather they’d just fuck off and leave me alone. So someone who can deliver those things without those shitheads finding out would be of great value.”

"You're in luck, then," Duke said. "I'm well known for my discretion. Especially if you can pay."

“Money is not an issue. In fact I might have a few items that might be of beneficial use for you,” Barry said trying a sip his gimlet. “Come by my warehouse sometime and you can see what I’m talking about.”

"That sounds like a bad pickup line," Duke said with a laugh. "But sure. I've definitely gone weirder places for dumber reasons."

"Heh, well don't get me wrong, you're a handsome guy but I'm not looking for a relationship," Barry said before wincing.

"Well. This is just awkward now so I'm going to have another one of these gimlets and pretend I didn't say that."

Duke laughed. "I have definitely said stupider shit at this party," he assured him. "And anyway, I'm taken."

"Yeah that's fine," Barry said quickly. "Still not feeling it and just about to flail because of social awkwardness."

"So," Duke said, taking pity on him. "What brings you to Fandom?"

Barry sighed in relief. "Yeah, well, I graduated from here about five years ago and spent the last ten years traveling. After helping out a bunch of my friends and a giant telepathic gorilla, I decided to come back here. I learned a lot about having friends and being with others. I hope to teach classes in the fall and hopefully pay it forward."

Duke nodded. He'd been here long enough that all that didn't even make him blink.

"I'm a little worried about how much sense that all made to me. But then, my girlfriend disappeared for a month and came back seven years older, so. You know. Shit happens."

"Whoa. Gone seven years and she came back to you?" Barry asked. "Well, shit. If that's not fucking love, I don't know what is."

"I --" Duke's expression went through a wide variety permutations. The truth of that was extremely complex. ". . . Yes," he said finally. "That's what I'm learning, yeah."

Seeing the reaction Barry immediately felt like he put his foot in his mouth.

"Dude. Shit, I'm sorry man. No one should listen to me when it comes to relationships," Barry admitted. "I've had one girlfriend nine years ago. So what the fuck do I know? ... Okay, well I know a lot of shit but when it comes to relationships I'm a complete fuck up."

"I'm pretty sure anyone who says they know what they're doing with relationships is full of shit, anyway."

“True. Except for probably Oprah. I’m pretty sure she knows her shit.”

Barry looked down at his drink. “Yeah. Okay. I think two is my limit.”

"Especially when you drink them that fast." Duke nodded to the food. "Go grab something to eat. Made it all myself. Well, the phyllo's not from scratch, that shit is hard to make. And I didn't catch all the fish. But I did the other stuff."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

PARTY!, The Beach, Saturday Night

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!

Re: Drink!