ArchivedLogs:Xavier Barbecue

Xavier Barbecue
Dramatis Personae Peter, Dante, Alexandrine, Kris
In Absentia	2013-05-02 '
Location <XS> Back Porch
The back patio is a restful place to sit and relax, in most weather. Ample seating comes in the form of umbrella'd deck chairs and a cushioned porch swing, and the neighboring gardens attract butterflies and hummingbirds to make the viewing pleasant. The hot tub is usually open for use, though in snowy weather the transition in and out is a shivery one! Someone had told her about this 'raving'. At first, Kris hadn't been sure what to think about it or really even understood the whole concept. Then it occured to her... swinging around glowsticks in the dark while music plays... that's all it is. So she's got her old, battered, second generation iPod with headphones in playing some high tempo song or other while she works out several of her forms just off the porch in the grass. Instead of weapons, however, she has a pair of glow sticks, one in each hand, on a length of small cheap chain. They turn the odd, gastly forms into tracers of light sweeping through the darkness." The night has actually grown a little cooler. Sitting on a small table on the patio, there is some sort of extra-large covered tray of sorts, from which the smell of well-cooked, heavily sauced meats. On a small plate next to it? Condiments, breads, plasticware, and the like. There's even a little cooler of drinks. And all the while, she continues to do her little improvised 'rave dance'. "...what -- what the /heck/ are you doing." The question comes from somewhere /above/ Kris' head. It is asked by a boy in a mask - a red ski-mask, actually. With yellow-tinted goggles that give him a big bug-eyed look. He's wearing a red hoodie - hood up! - blue jeans, tabi socks, unusual wrist-watches, and... a climbing harness with a box attached. The climbing harness merits special consideration; it's a fancy 5 point one - a black harness that straps over the shoulders, thighs, chest - and has, at its back, a large wooden box attached - like a backpack. THe wooden box is more like a night-stand than anything else - although it's got metal clasps along its front. It's secured /very/ tightly, so as to make it jostle and jump as little as possible. Also, the boy asking this question is currently perched on the /roof/ of the perch. Like a frog. Knees jutting out, hands clasping the edge. He looks - pretty ridiculous, frankly. Well, smoky, cooking meat is enough to attract an Alexandrine. She's vaguely homesick, and the smell of barbeque is too much of home to ignore. She's got a big mug of coffee, in a pretty pale green sundress with a matching cardigan, sandals on her feet. She steps out on the porch as quietly as she can, admiring the impromptu light show. While she's got her shields pretty well secure, she's not ignorant of the fact there's more around than what she can see. She ALMOST doesn't hear Peter. Almost. But when he asks things like that, he tends to be loud enough that she catches... something. So of course, Kris stops 'dancing', and manages to blush and look mostly embarassed,"I was... doing the rave dancing. Without the drugs, I mean." She pulls her headphones free and lifts them in the boy's direction,"The Linkin Park. I find their 'tunes' to be 'fresh'." Dredging up tired lingo. Still not all the way up on modern culture. "Two things. One: What is that on your back-" and she takes note of Alexandrine, and then continues,"And two, I made barbecue and everyone is welcome. It took several hourse of marinating and slow cooking, but it is very good, and you should have some. Rest that thing you are carrying around, friend?" She nods to Alexandrine,"Ma'am." Alexandrine bites her lip a moment, resisting the urge to correct the girl. It would seem rude, perhaps. She sips at her coffee, a sniff at the air. "Ah thought Ah smelled barbeque. See, it's an art form, where Ah'm from." There's a slow hint of a smile as the redheaded teacher finds a seat on the porch. "We're not in class, so feel free to call me Alexandrine. Alex, if you prefer. " "It's a beehive," Peter explains, voice muffled behind the mask. No sooner is Alexandrine in range then does Peter utter those fateful words, though: "Oh /man/, it's the PO-PO, /cheese/ it!" And then he's scuttling up higher on the roof, out of Alexandrine's /immediate/ range... though not too far! Scuttle, scuttle. As for Peter's thoughts - something Alexandrine could /probably/ pick up - they are a confusing cluster, ranging from << oh god did she see me >> to << it's another /girl/ >> to << why worry? I'm just carrying an unlicensed bee accelerator on my back >>. Seriously, reading Peter's thoughts is like trying to watch eight different channels at once. All in different languages. Kris smiles at the teacher,"A pleasure to meet you properly, Professor Alexandrine." Every teacher is 'professor' or 'esteemed educator' with her. "It is Cebu style, so it may be different from what you are used to... But I trust you will still enjoy. Beware, Americans usually find the darker sauced meats to be VERY spicy." When Peter skitters away, this gets a frown,"What is this Po-Po, and why are you putting cheese on it!" And then slightly more alarmed,"WHY ARE YOU CARRYING A BEEHIVE?" For once she sounds truly alarmed. "Did he just call me the ... good lord in heaven." Alexandrine sighs, shields lowering just enough to catch the mental ...well, chaos. Which is pretty identifying, actually, since everyone has their own mental 'voice'. "Peeeeeeeterrrrrrrr. Get down here. Like now. And yes, why in the name of all that is holy, are you carrying around anything with /bees/ in it?!" She looks at Kris, a grin splashing across her face. "Just Alexandrine. Save the Ms. Reynaud, or Professor for in class. As for spicy.. you ever heard of Cajun cuisine? Ah like it spicy. Ah grew up on it." The smell of the barbeque wafts through the chilled, outside air. As the scent hits his nose, Dante opens his eyes slowly. He slowly stands up, smiling slightly to himself, seemingly hypnotized by the lovely smell of beef permeating the air, and walks casually through the gardens towards the porch. He stretches slightly, the leather jacket he wears over his black beater rusting slightly. His black boots press hard down the wooden steps as he comes towards the group. He sees both Kris and Alexandrine upon his entrance, but fails to see Peter until Kris all but screams up at the building...He raises an eyebrow as he waves towards the women. "Ladies..." He says softly... /...The Spider!?/ runs loud through his mind, louder than any other random thought might be running through his head. "I'm not - there aren't any /bees/ in it," Peter says, his voice sounding - mayhaps just a bit /regretful/, like this was some terrible oversight on his part. "It's just empty. It's a /mobile/ bee-hive though, like - I'm testing it for - Ivan - to make sure it works and it isn't too heavy and it doesn't shake the bees up too much. Don't tell him it's a gift." Yes, Peter is getting Ivan a BEE-HIVE BACKPACK. Shhhhh don't tell him. But, /anyway/, Alexandrine gave him an order, so... ...HUP! Peter lands, suddenly, on the ground. *THUD*. Clad in his red hoodie and ski-mask with... yes, that looks like one of those drawer beehives, except it's made of fresh unpainted wood! Kris looks at Alexandrine with a mildly desperate look on her face,"I... Is a po-po like a bee? We are not expected to eat it are we? I... or is it a 'poboy'? I do not know how to make them! Did I ruin the meal?" Still, she is polite enough to introduce herself to Dante,"Please, my name is Kris." In that throaty, slightly to-deep voice of hers. "Why would you have a beehive? What if bees find i- Oh, well if it's for Ivan, I suppose that's understandable. He will be able to supply it with bees of his own, yes?" She puts down her glowsticks and moves to begin serving her 'guests'. "Po-po is poor, unsightly slang for one in law enforcement. Now, my father may have been in law enforcement, but Ah am not, and it's not terribly appropriate." Alexandrine explains to Kris, while smirking at Problem Peter. "No, po'boys are not a requirement for a barbeque, don't fret yourself." There's a smile for Dante, a wave of her hand before she's sipping coffee. "Alexandrine." She mentions in way of her name. "Dance and history." Then blue eyes are on Problem Peter again. "Just be careful. Some folks are allergic. But it's a very thoughtful gift for Ivan. Ah won't tell." Dante smiles warmly towards the women. "Dante Lee. Wonderful to meet ya, Kris..." Then nods towards Alex "Theatre," in reply to her teachings. As Peter makes his way down to the porch, he tilts his head slightly. "Peter, huh? I've seen you in class...now it makes sense why you were walkin funny couple of weeks ago..." he says with a slight smile and wink, referencing their little 'altercation' from earlier. After introductions, he makes his way towards the bench, eyeing the lovely beef. "Is that...for us?" he inquires inquisitively. "Yeah he'll put a queen bee in here maybe and a bunch of drone bees and maybe put them to sleep and - it's actually /two/ beehives, he can just set it up to carry one that's really small and it looks like a backpack, or he can clip it on the side of his waist, or in front, 'cuz I used this five point climbing harness Kisha gave me--" Once Peter gets started, it's just about /impossible/ to get him to stop. Alexandrine might come to realize that reading his mind isn't even all that necessary; the kid pretty much has no inner monologue. It all just spills out like a torrential flood. But then, Peter notices Dante, and blinks. Wide eyed. Underneath the mask, of course - externally he just looks... like a kid wearing a ski-mask with funny goggles. And immediately: "Oh dude you were - the dudes with - DUDE that guy threw a KNIFE at me," and now Peter sounds - well, almost a little angry! "Dude I got /stabbed/!" Kris tilts her head slightly, and wonders of Alexandrine,"Do you do tutoring after normal office hours, or only during class hours..." Then Dante mentions theater and she lights up,"Do you have a theater club, sir?" As For Peter.... After his long session of outer-monologue and word-vomit combined, she just stares at him blankly for a few seconds, then manages,"The way you talk and dress... you should thank the Creator above that you are cute, or else it might be helpless." Even she seems wowed by the amount of WORDS the man uses. As she parcels out food, she asks PEter,"I know these two probably like their food hot... What do you want?" Alexandrine lifts her hands, looking from Peter to Dante and back. "Simmer down now, sugar. What do you mean, threw a knife. Dante did? Did Dante stab you?" She knows how she got hired, and well.. it's not the most conventional of learning institutions to begin with. "Ah can be asked to tutor, of course. Ah'm always more than willing to help a student. What did you want tutoring in?" She moves to accept food though. For all her slender figure, she can pack it away like a trucker. Dante does his best to stifle a laugh...though it's quite easy to pick up on within his mind. "Hey man, I was gonna help ya...but you kinda just...hobbled off in a rush," he quips to the spider as he rants and rambles. He sits down, accepting a plate as it's given, and looks over to Alex. "No no...there was a...misunderstanding between myself and some...upstanding...gentlemen. Pete here just happened to get caught in the crossfire...though i must say...he performed rather admirably," he added with a smile. Turning to Kris, he shrugs slightly. "You know, not many students have requested one...but if you could get more people interested, I'm certainly up to host one." he pauses for a moment, about to dig into the lovely, rare meat...when he realizes something is missing...something rather important... "Uhh...would anyone like a drink?" he asks, standing up and making his way towards the mansion, pausing for a moment at the door in case anyone wanted anything. "What--huh?" Kris can probably /feel/ the heat of Peter's blush through his words, seeping out from beneath that mask; he suddenly straightens and /hops/ back, as if he's trying to escape from a hot fire. "I - uh, oh - um, no, I don't need - any food. I'm, uh, okay," he says, apparently quite /intent/ on keeping that mask on. At Alexandrine's question, Peter replies - a little more meekly: "Oh no /he/ didn't throw knives at me, it was - there was a fight," he explains, somewhat sheepishly. "I was - on a roof doing some stuff and he ran up the fire escape and /dudes/ were chasing him and I was like 'buh?' and then one of them threw /knives/ at me, like, for no reason at /all/, and I caught one but then the other one went right into my leg like THUNK." The 'thunk' sound is accompanied by a hand motion slapping his mid-thigh, where the knife hit. Which is accompanied by - Peter stiffening. And proceeding to state: "...that actually, uh, hurt. I think it's - ouch. Um. Still sore." Then, to Dante, Peter says: "Performed /admirably/ what are you /talking/ about all I did was get /knives/ thrown at me, I mean I caught one I guess /that/ was kind of awesome, but--" Oh he is going for a drink. Peter blinks under his mask: "...nnnnno I'm... I'm good /gosh/ this is weird." Alexandrine mutters in French for a moment about idiots and the foolish of teenage boys. There may also be a muttered prayer for patience. She smiles, shaking her head at Dante's inquiry, before she's taking a seat again to prepare to dig into sauce slathered meat. "It smells amazing." Kris actually begins to take off her jacket for once, examining and turning it this way and that as she does so,"I would appreciate a history tutor. I am somewhat behind in world history, and disastrously terrible at American history that does not intersect with the Phillipines." Tilting her head to examine Dante, she begins fixing her own plate,"I do not think you are supposed to stab stud- Oh. Well then. I would love a theater club." She reorients on peter shortly after that, settling down on the edge of the patio to sit her plate down, then lifts her jacket up so Peter can see it,"If you are willing to practice, this is all you need to avoid being hit by a knife. We can use it like a sarong." Alexandrine's compliment gets her a wide smile, and a blush,"Thank you. I was worried it would not measure up." "Sarong? What is a -- I've been practicing catching knives with Dr. McCoy," Peter admits - again, rather meekly. "I mean, just a few times, but - he's got this program, he throws these /fake/ knives at you, and if you miss they just go right through you like they aren't even there." Hop, hop. Suddenly, Peter's on top of one of the porch's railings; the boy's got - quite an affinity for /balancing/ himself on small surfaces. Alexandrine smiles at Kris, eyeing the jacket curiously, as she dispatches meat in short order. There may be some licking of sauce from her fingers in a very unladylike manner. "Don't worry about not knowing American history. Half the kids born in America don't." There's some bitterness in there, a sadness. Alex loves history, why do other people noooooot. There's a faint lift of a brow at a mention of the good Dr. Mccoy throwing knives at a student, but then it is more fully explained. "Planning to run off and join the circus?" She asks Problem Peter. Kris smiles at Peter slightly,"It is like a scarf... but you use it to control a fight without hurting your opponent. You can catch knives, knock people down, disarm or redirect hand weapons... It is extremely non-lethal unless you are very good with it. But you can use shirts, jackets, almost anything like a sarong if you know how..." She nods to the teacher,"I would still like to learn. If I want to be a good citizen, I think I must. It will make things... easier." She puts her jacket down and concentrates on her barbecue. Omnomnomnom. "Oh like - a BATTLE-SCARF. Actually I saw one of those once in this - TV show? This guy had one and he used it to destroy 60 foot tall ROBOTS. I think it was a cartoon," Peter admits, before adding to Alexandrine: "Naw I just think catchin' knives is awesome, y'know? Like, if someone throws a knife at me I want to catch it and be like 'nope'. But, uh, sarongs sound pretty cool too, maybe..." Natter natter, for the rest of the night. Until someone gets tired / heads to bed / Peter realizes he has to /deliver/ Ivanpresent.