Beach BBQ [Open]

[asharpertongue]

Levi's idea for a beach party had been a good one. After the past few weeks they both needed to blow off a little steam and Lara had taken to the idea like the proverbial siren to water, inviting all her employees and friends. Levi had put the word out at the police station and among his closer friends so between them a decent crowd was forming.

The tables lining the beach were piled high with food and drink, a DJ was already in full swing and people were drifting over to the large bonfire for warmth as the chill started to cut through the summer evening. A few of the Heart of Gold employees had brought their kids along for the festivities and a friend of Lara's was performing little glamours and tricks to keep them entertained. Large clusters of huge pillows were dotted about the beach just a little way from Levi's house and lanterns and firelight bathed the whole area in a warm glow.

Maybe Lara had taken it a little far but she liked to treat her friends and everyone could use a little R&R.

OOC: Levi and Lara's friends have been officially invited, but everyone else feel free to wander in at your leisure~.

Comments

[wakingwakewood]

"Levi's a relative. I'm in town visiting." Just visiting, she kept telling herself. Even though she knew there was a set of bookmarked properties at the hotel on her laptop that she was a couple clicks away from sending to her lawyers to check up on. Just visiting.

"I didn't know shindigs like these existed outside movies. It's kinda neat."

[doublethepain]

"Oh!" That explains why hadn't recognized her right off the bat, at least, because Spencer is generally quite good with faces; it's the names he has more trouble with, eidetic memory be damned. "In that case, welcome to town."

He starts to fidget but urges himself to stop, shoving his left hand in his pocket so he stops flexing the fingers that had recently been broken because he's caught himself doing it more than a few times since getting the splints off the previous week and it's become increasingly maddening each time. He glances over his shoulder at the comment to look at the rest of the partygoers who look to be wasting none of the alcohol available to them as they dance around the bonfire and lets out an amused laugh.

"They don't happen all too often," he says, though he pauses before shrugging with a sheepish smile. "Then again, I don't get invited to these sorts of things all too often, either"

[wakingwakewood]

Essie noticed the way he shoved his hand aside and she opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong before thinking better of it. She'd just met the guy and what was she going to say, Hey, are you in pain, I can totally make that go away. One healing, over easy, no charge. She didn't know this guy, but knowing how loose everyone seemed to play the power thing around here made her almost want to take chances. Almost.

She wondered if there were any healers around she could study with?

But that was was another problem for another time. "And why is that, you seem perfectly nice and personable to me. Or do you turn into a raging frat-boy asshole with a couple drinks in you?"

[doublethepain]

He shakes his head, his smile wry now because of her question. There's really no good way to explain to someone that he'd been what could basically equate to the town pariah a couple years ago. It becomes even more difficult to say that the reason for that had been because he'd been accused of killing his own mother and brother--and that her cousin had been the only reason he'd been cleared of the crimes.

A good way to end a conversation quickly, yes, but if he's hoping to maintain this 'perfectly nice and personable' image his new acquaintance apparently sees in him, he thinks it would probably do him well to avoid talking about it altogether. Besides, he's never been much of one to tell even a part of his life story to a stranger, and he doesn't even know the woman's name yet.

"Not exactly," he says softly, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "It's a bit of a long story. I've never really quite fit in with a crowd like this, though, so it's not as if I feel like I'm ever missing much."

[wakingwakewood]

"We just need to find you the right crowd, then." Smiling, Essie didn't press. She wasn't always the most intuitive of people, but she could tell when things were a long more complicated than someone was letting on and this was definitely that.

Tamping down the more paranoid thoughts going through her head, she patted the blanket next to her. "C'mon, sit a spell. I don't bite."