The Beach, Tuesday Afternoon through Evening

[carbsliftthespirit]

When Raiden had decided to throw a Labor Day cookout at the beach, he'd had a couple of stumbling blocks. First, he'd envisioned it happening on Labor Day, which hadn't ended up working out, which had been, uh, probably for the best, it turned out. Second, he hadn't been able to spend the day before the party doing prep because of the reason the delay had turned out being a good idea, but he'd managed to get it all together in a flurry of activity today.

Third, he hadn't been able to decide between a fish fry or a seafood boil. So, in true Gluttony fashion, he'd decided to do both! Which meant he was manning both the fryer and the boil pot, a flower crown perched at a jaunty angle over his backwards baseball cap, plus there was plenty of other food for people who weren't feeling the fruits of the sea, and a whole table of dessert. You fancying coconut cake? Chocolate cake? Key lime pie? Banana pudding? Raiden's got you covered.

There was also a bonfire going, and downwind of the rest of the setup there was a fire pit, with a table with s'mores fixings and a handmade sign reading 'Marshmallow Containment Zone.' And, of course, there was plenty of beachy fun to be had, but mostly food. A lot of food.

Come on down to the beach, everyone! Stretch summer out one more day, and maybe eat a whole lot of shrimp in the bargain.

Comments

Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

You know how this works.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[even_bigger_teeth]

At this point, Luma was actually just left sort of wondering if this amount of beach parties were normal for most people and their summers, or at least maybe it was further down south where the weather and the beaches were a bit more hospitable than where she grew up in Maine. This wasn't necessarily a complaint, as she did rather like them (even if, for this one, she wasn't wild about fish...), she was just mildly curious, because there seemed to be a lot of them here.

She was mostly just glad that, if that flower crown insisted on being on her head today, that it at least had the decency to actually very nicely match a dress she already owned.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

Not to worry, Luma, there was plenty of non-fish food for the non-fish inclined! Raiden covered all the bases when it came to feeding people.

"Hi!" he said with a wave of the pair of tongs he happened to be holding. "How's it going?"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[what_big_teeth]

No one would ever catch Eleanor complaining about a party on the beach; she might even be of the opinion that most parties should be on beaches.

But, then again, you weren't likely to catch Eleanor complaining about much of anything, if she could help it, but she was a little tempted to complain about the odd hat that she couldn't get rid of today. Apparently, it was just a thing about today, since Luma couldn't get rid of her flower crown, either, though once she saw everyone else with their various required head fashions, she'd be taking an interested tally in her head of who got stuck with what.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden was rocking the 'flower crown over backwards baseball cap' combo, for her tally. How had he gotten the baseball cap on under the flower crown? He wasn't telling.

"Eleanor, hey, how's it going?" Raiden asked her. "I hope you came hungry!"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[hashtag_chocobro]

Prompto was actually looking forward to the end of summer, if only because it meant the likely end of summer beach parties.

Because as much as he loved them, he was really looking forward to no longer cleaning up the somehow piles of sand Noctra managed to bring back home with here every. Single. Time.

But he could probably handle one last sandstorm, even if while Noctra was more than happy to eagerly run around, her dad was a little more quiet and introspective today while keeping an eye on her and enjoying some good food.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden had faith in Noctra's ability to somehow track sand into the house even in the winter. Kids were talented that way.

"Prompto, hey! Thanks for coming, man! How's it goin'?"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[thatwaslucky]

Rey had gone shopping for things like this! Rey had discovered before this that they hadn't really gone over beach party stuff! And it wasn't something she would ever have a crisis over, she did go through everything she and Lydia (really all Lydia) had found and debate whether or not it worked for this, and she decided maybe not?

You know what, you were getting her in a regular tank top and you were going to like it. Would she get cold? Probably, too bad for her.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

Because Raiden cared so much about fashion oh wait.

"Rey!" he greeted her warmly. And loudly. Well, he was pretty much always loud. "You came!"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[grenadesandohana]

Steve was rocking his flower crown, an aloha shirt, and board shorts, even if that made him look Hawaiian newlywed tourist adjacent. "Aloha, brah!" he said with a grin and a wave at Raiden.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

Was he not a Hawaiian newlywed? Two out of three wasn't bad.

"Steve! Hey, buddy, glad you could make it!"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[sword_chocobro]

Gladio may have spent his day enjoying the ultimate flavor experience of Cup Noodle^TM, but he still could find room for a nice fish fry!

Especially when someone else had done the fishing!

(And it turned out that this flower crown looked even better without a shirt!)

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

It was very noble of him to grace them in such a manner, especially considering that Raiden was wearing both a shirt and apron, since even if he'd heal in an instant, grease splatters hurt.

"Gladio! Great to see you, man! How's it goin'?"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[napking]

Oh, like Gray would miss this? He was sending pictures of the food to the group chat, which had elicited intense cravings for coconut cake from Bellamy. Apparently bakery coconut cake wasn't as good. He wanted Raiden's, and was sulking about being on the opposite coast.

Gray's gremlin work was done. Now if he could just get this hat off his head. It poked him when he fell asleep in a weird position, like he'd done at least twice today.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden pointed the utensil in his hand at Gray and told him solemnly, You're awful.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[hatesparadise]

Danny very much did not look like a Hawaiian tourist with his flower crown, it was because he was grumpy about things continuing to be weird. But a seafood boil was a seafood boil and like hell would he turn that down.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[mustbeawitch]

Things Lydia did not like: the sea.

Things Lydia did like: cake, which she was given to understand there might be at this event (and indeed there was!), and a chance to wear one of her summeriest frocks one last time before putting it away for the autumn season. So she was perhaps sticking as close to the landward side of the beach as possible, but quite present nonetheless.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[chef_chocobro]

Even with a weekend full of fishing, Ignis did love a good seaside seafood soiree, and he was not about to miss this one, either, if he could help it. He even seemed to be spending his idle time with a somewhat permanent look of faint amusement on his face, with a distinctive smile lingering there in his expression. Which, of course, for Ignis, was just downright exuberant in cheerfulness...

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[stringstothesoul]

Was Erasmus welcome at this shindig? He didn't know. Lifelong experience had led him to doubt it, but everyone here had been weirdly nice so far, and, well. There was free food, which smelled amazing, and how else was he going to get more data points for Riri's whiteboard (which he'd added, Can't get this weird hat off my head?? to before he left the dorm)?

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[sharp_man]

Hannibal was rather enjoying his flower crown, even if it meant he had to use less product in his hair than usual. He was wearing a nicely tailored linen suit in a pale pink to complement it.

And Raiden was one of those people whose food he would eat even if he'd had nothing to do with it himself, so he was definitely showing up to this.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden was staying far, far, far away from the 'Marshmallow Containment Zone.' But she was here, helping herself to both fried fish and seafood boil, thanks.

Food & Drink

[carbsliftthespirit]

There's so much of it.

Re: Food & Drink

[thatsmysword]

Was it strictly speaking polite to bypass the 'arrive and mingle' section in favor of the food? Well, Henry was a growing boy.

So he was, in fact, sprinting to the food with all the haste a 19-year-old could muster at a buffet. He had no idea what any of this was.

He was still getting a lot of it.

Beach!

[carbsliftthespirit]

For your non-food-related beachy activities.

OOC

[carbsliftthespirit]

Yay party!