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Jackfield Stadium
The outer fence is preserved, old wooden fence that looks like pallets from cattle chutes, while within the rodeo arena and stands are modern steel fancies. With large 5' posts, the fences are easily four and a half feet tall and open, easy to climb in or out of the arena. On one side are stands covered with a corrugated steel awning for shade on long rodeo days, the stands are of a similar steel construction, enough to act like bleachers for visitors. The opposite end contains a number of chutes, above which are a few stand boxes for announcers and VIPs alike. Several cables hang over the rodeo with old lights and a mix of banners which change from event to event.
The green space outside allows for more seating for bigger events held in the rodeo arena. Allowing for picnic like accommodations for families. The hills surrounding are bowl shaped to accommodate easy viewing from this grassy area, but not as shaded as the actual stadium stands are. The food vending area is near the stands and is generally restaurants from town providing food carts and cold beer. The only permanent structure on the premises are stables for the animals and restrooms.
OKTOBERFEST
Beneath a series of inter-connected canvas tents that occupy a large swathe of the greenspace, restaurants, breweries, homebrews, local businesses, and random charities vie for the attention of the thousands of guests that pass through the Calaveras Oktoberfest. Getting in is fairly painless: Through the entrance, a quick pat-down, pay the entrance fee, and - if you're over 21 - you get a wristband.
Once inside, it's organized chaos. The south is all security, lost-and-found, and information booths. The northernmost section is all food, typical fair-food along with tons of "authentic" German fare. To the west, there's a midway with games ranging from keg-bowling to darts to a ring toss; while there are some stuffed animal prizes, the real goal here is to win coupons for free or discounted beer from the beer garden. Off to the east, there are vendors for people looking to get started with homebrewing scattered amid local charities and info booths. The center section is the beer garden.
Every type of beer a person could want is on sale here, as long as you've got a wristband. Benches and tables provide a place for people to sit, spilling over to the food booths to the north. The center of this central section has a raised bandstand, where music rotates - from traditional German polkas to a few local bands (mostly early, before the crowds get here) to music curated by the local radio stations.
All told, it's a big ol' German party.
The sun sets and the lights come on and the party is truly underway. In the central pavilion, an obnoxiously loud band is playing German polka music, filling the air with the sounds of guitar, zither, trumpet, clarinet, and - above all - accordion. The opening remarks were dull, but people gathered round anyway, applauding cheerily to welcome costumed polka-dancers, who now spin away from the bandstand and into the crowd, convincing otherwise innocent bystanders to join the fray. They wheel and hop and turn, mostly managing not to bump into anyone as the crowd parts to let them through.
And that's when the whole place seems to come to happy life at once: hawkers start crying out from the midway, the food tents, and (most importantly) the beer pavilion.
"Keg bowling! Five dollars for a lane!"
"Bratwurst! Pretzel bread! Get yer German fare here!"
"Beer! Beer! Beer!"
Briony is dressed up a little bit for OktoberFest! A stylish bandeau dress in royal blue with white geometric patterns. Her hair done up in half french braided buns that leaves tendrils hanging down near her ears and a little on the nape of her neck. She's currently wandering her way toward the food tents.
"Oh god, pretzel bread. I need that in my life right /now/." She says to no one in particular as she heads in directions of that voice.
"Can we mark this down on the list of not strange things to do while drinking beer?" Luke remarks to Abby as they get their pat-down and wristbands headed into the pavilion, the vet dressed down in his casual wear of a t-shirt and jeans with a jacket thrown over the ensemble. The hawker's cry of 'beer! beer! beer!' was like a siren's song for Luke, who reaches for Abby's hand and guides her immediately that-a-way to hopefully get in the beer line before it gets far too long. His attention briefly focuses on the polka dancers further out, but it doesn't look like he's anxious to join that fray. At least not with a beer.
Kate is sitting in a tented area, a beer in front of her. Oddly, she doesn't seem very happy about this, and instead of drinking it she's eating instead. There is a lot of food here and she's enjoying everything that is stacked on her plate. She waves as she spots a few people, chatting quietly with a tiny old lady who is seated at her side. Her youngest sister is seated the next table over, looking more than slightly mutinous because she's not allowed to go off on her own.
"I think is a perfectly reasonable thing to be doing while drinking beer," Abby confirms, nodding her head once as if checking something off on a list. She's dressed in people clothes. Snug jeans tucked into high boots and a warm sweater, one arm seems to be a bit bulkier than the other but otherwise she seems normal. Even if she is favoring that left arm over the other. She squeezes Luke's fingers and steps into the line, glancing in the direction of the polka dancers, "I bet you're an awesome polka dancer, hey look! Briony is here!" She waves to her and then winces, "Yeah, that kind of hurt. I'll stop doing that."
The top is a slim fitting green, the jeans clean and almost brand new. The boots are heeled and feminine. Red hair is loose and curling over her shoulders, and Jo is even wearing jewelry and makeup. She'll pause long enough to get checked over, and get her wristband. There is beer, and there is a mechanic who wants beer.
The Boardroom has a balloon-dart game set up on the fringe of the midway, and that's where Ethan will be spending pretty much all night, convincing passers-by to part with a few bucks to try to pop some darts. "You get a coupon for a free beer - or a free oil change," he calls to someone waving away his efforts to coax them over. "Kate!" He has a clear-view into the tent where Katherine is sitting, so why not? "Come show these suckers how it's done! Five bucks, three darts!"
"You've never seen me dance," Luke chuckles over to Abby. "And it's for the best if you never do. I have many talents, but dancing? Definitely not one of them." He looks over as she points out Briony, lifting a hand to wave to the girl with a broad smile, though it diminishes at Abby's wince. "Beer will make it better," he says to her, moving along in line until it's their turn. Cash is fished out in exchange for plastic cups full of the golden stuff, and he hands one of the cups to Abby before shifting his wallet into his back pocket. He spies Jo as he's stepping out of line, and he lifts his cup up to her in salute. "Hey there, Jo."
Oh look! Briony spots Abby and Luke and shifts in that direction. Pretzel bread can wait. She has a beer already, of course, and sips at it as she approached. "Hey hey!" Her free hand is lifted and her fingers wiggled at them. "You okay, Abby?" There's a flicker of her gaze to the other woman's arm. A grin is given toward Luke, "How you doing, Luke? I'm glad to see you weathered the storm alright."
Kate lets out a loud sigh, gets to her feet and walks towards the darts. "You're going to regret this." She promises, handing over five dollars. Lynn takes advantage of Kate's divided attention and gets to her feet, sneaking off.
It's crowded. There are people - all kinds of people, from tattooed dudes with pierced girlfriends to cowboys in full-on shit-kickers and Stetsons to punk kids trying to get beers without wristbands - constantly moving and milling around. So it's no wonder when some guy in a baseball cap bumps into Luke in passing, catching him on the shoulder with a quick, "Whoa there, sorry bro."
<FS3> Luke rolls Mind + Alertness: Good Success. (1 7 2 7 5 3)
"What's the point of a party if you don't do something you regret?" Ethan exchanges three darts for five dollars, gesturing graciously for Katherine to take aim. The wall full of darts awaits, and - as was the point - a couple people stop to see how she does.
"I'm not sure you're dissuading me from wanting to see this," Abby comments as she accepts the cup full of beer. Briony is veering in their direction and she offers her a quick smile, "Yeah, I'm doing okay." She takes a step back when the guy in the baseball cap bumps into Luke, giving him a quick but mostly uninterested look over before returning to her friend and saying something to her quietly. If Jo is nearby, she seems to not outwardly notice.
Jo shifts her gaze from the madness to focus on Luke. There's a smile that forms before it falters. "Swipe Right." She'll nod, a glance at those around the veteranarian.
Kate squints at the dart board, and she sends off the first dart. Nearly takes out a bearded man who is drinking a beer. She winces, and waves towards the man. "Sorry." She takes a deep breath and sends off the second dart. It hits the board, but one of the outside circles. Getting a stubborn look on her face she sends off the third dart. It hits the ground before the board. She shifts her gaze towards Ethan and takes three steps backwards and retakes her seat. "I will have better luck with the beer."
What better place for people watching than at a nice big event. Keeping to the edges and taking in all the sights seems to be Stan's plan for now. A drink in hand as his attention shifts to the dart throwing as well, hearing Ethan's words. Finding something to lean his back against. A bit of amusement showing on his face.
"Yeah? Well fair warning. If I start dancing, I'm pulling you along with me," Luke replies to Abby with a faint smirk, before he looks to Briony and nods over to her. "I'm doing great. We had a little water in the clinic's lobby, but not nearly as bad as the hospital got it," there's a small frown at that, a glance exchanged to Abby before he turns to address Jo again. But before he gets the chance to address him, he gets knocked in the shoulder by some guy in a baseball cap, managing the forethought to hold out his plastic cup to avoid any spillage. There's a minor flash of annoyance, but he seems to shrug it off until.. "Shit," he curses, groping at his (now empty) back pocket with his empty hand. "I think that guy just stole my wallet!" he says to Abby and Briony, before he starts forward towards the direction of the guy in the baseball cap, fully intending on grabbing the man by his shoulder, "HEY! Buddy! Are you kidding me right now?"
<FS3> Luke rolls Body + Athletics: Failure. (1 6 1 3)
Baseball Cap was all set to blend into the crowd, head ducked, the backpack he carries hefted slightly. He's just about to hook a left-turn around a booth when Luke manages to snag him by the shoulder, slowing him down. "Whaddaya mean? Did I - " But he leaves the question unfinished, instead bolts at a dead run, pushing people out of his way. Most of those people are in the early stages of inebriation and/or still trying to duck the polka-dancers, so no one seems to immediately key into an unfolding pursuit.
Ethan cringes visibly after each of Kate's darts, then makes a show of protecting himself from any stray darts when he moves to pick up those she's now strewn around the booth. "A for effort, I guess?" Her performance turns off a few would-be dart-throwers, and leaves Ethan beckoning toward the low-key Stan over there. "You don't win free beers if you don't try, friend. Five bucks, three darts, hit three balloons and you get a free pint and a free oil change." He waves the darts enticingly.
Briony glances between Abby and Jo a moment, her eyebrows lifting just a touch as she tilts her head in Abby's direction. There's a little wrinkle of her nose and a hint of distrust in her blue gaze toward the other woman. She then startles with Luke calls out to someone and goes after them. To Abby she asks, "Uh… should we help?"
Abby is lifting her cup of beer to her mouth when Luke is announcing that the guy stole his wallet, her eyebrows lift up and she looks in that direction while wincing. Before she can really react, he's off in hot pursuit of the pick-pocketer. "It's never a boring night," she drawls while watching the newest drama unfold. If there was any possibility of her launching in to help chase this guy, it happens to be incredibly slim tonight. After a glance to Briony, she'll lift her chin and shout, "HEY THAT GUY IS A PICKPOCKET! SOMEONE CATCH HIM!" Is that helpful?
<FS3> Abby rolls Presence + Leadership: Good Success. (7 2 3 4 7 5 5 1 5)
"What guy?!" ask about 30 people at once.
"The guy running like he stole something!" Helpful pointing.
Stan smirks at Ethan at his words, shrugging a bit. "I'll let others go first." He suggests and raises his glass to Ethan. Though the commotion over at Luke has him raising his brow. Starting to move and puts down his beer, hearing Abby yelling out. Trying to take help from the pointing and so forth. Starting to take chase after the assumed pickpocket- While Stan's not really warmed up at least able to give chase, trying to close in on the other guy.
Jo tries to slide out of the beer line and through the crowd. Her head is slightly ducked as she will try to chase and grab the guy.
<FS3> Briony rolls Body+gymnastics: Good Success. (2 4 2 8 7 2)
<FS3> Jo rolls Body +athletics: Success. (8 6 3)
Is no one going to say 'hold my beer'? Seriously, you guys.
Gymnastics as a discipline or a sport isn't really an offensive skill, but what is it good at? Leaping and moving. Briony thrusts her beer out at Abby and says, "Hold." And then it's let go whether or not the other woman grabs it. Then she's weaving through the crowd, grabbing a hold of a table and hoisting herself and then /leaping/ over the heads (in a dress oh god) of some people who didn't get out of her way in time, in a little somersault. Landing on her feet with a stumble and then chasing after the pickpocket as well. She shouts, "Stop! If I tear my dress I'm going to pommel you!"
"Dude, you took my fucking wall —" Luke starts, only for the guy to hightail it straight into the crowd. There's a low groan from Luke, who catches the nearest bystander. "Hold my beer," he instructs, shoving the plastic cup into the hands of this stranger before he gives chase to the baseball cap. Unfortunately, Luke's just a little too slow, and within seconds, he's lost the guy in the crowd. "Shit!" he growls to no one in particular, "Somebody stop that asshole!"
Between Abby's ability to alert the crowd (and the many security guards), Briony's cat-like grace, and Jo's jump off the line to chase the guy, Baseball Cap really doesn't stand much chance of getting away. He careens through the crowd, hauling ass away from the beer pavilion. People don't seem to move out of the way for him as much as they do Briony and Jo, so those two close the gap quickly, and - looking over his shoulder - he winds up getting tripping on a line for someone's tent, swan-diving into the dust about a foot in front of Briony, maybe three or four in front of Jo, clutching his backpack for dear life.
Abby blinks as Briony hands her a beer and then proceeds to do somersaults through the crowd, "This night just got kind of weird. I don't think I've had enough beer for this." That's announced to no one in particular and she begins to make her way over to Ethan's booth of darts, plopping herself in Katherine's general vicinity. "I hope they catch him." Which seems to be likely, as more than one person begins to pursue and track him down.
A security guard that Abby didn't manage to ken to this issue sees Stan bolting, and naturally chases after him. They come upon the crashed-and-burned pickpocket simultaneously when the guy hits the dust. So now Baseball Cap is effectively surrounded.
Kate grins at Abby and watches as people are yelling, chasing and ..well Jo. "I think they will. It doesn't seem like he's got much of a chance to get away." She focuses more on Abby and raises a brow. "So what happened to you?" She's torn between finding out and watching a bunch of people kick baseball cap's ass.
The polka band remains oblivious, and the dancers, too, but those in this little section are all trying to get a good view. "The hell's all that about?" asks Ethan of Abby and Katherine, leaning far over the counter of his booth when Stan takes off running, completely unable to see a thing.
Stan sees the others on full chase after the guy. As the drops and hit the floor Stan slows down as he closes in. "Nice." He offers as the others are there and have him surrounded. Studying the way cap is gripping his backpack. Hoping the security guard doesn't get the wrong idea and tackle him instead of watching the actual pickpocket. Taking in the scene now that it seems to have calmed down some.
Luke makes it to the party over Baseball Cap's prone body way too late, slowed down by the crowds and really only managing to find where all the action went when he saw Briony flipping through the crowd. He's a little out of breath by the time he catches up to everyone, but no worse for wear, narrowing a glare down at Baseball Cap before he catches the attention of one of the many security guards. "This guy took my wallet," he points a thumb at Baseball Cap. There is a look of genuine thanks flashed to both Jo and Briony, "Thanks you two."
"Some guy bumped into Luke and stole his wallet. So then he started chasing him and now other people chasing him. I think he's probably pretty screwed. Looks like they cornered him," Abby explains to Ethan as she tries to figure out which beer was hers and which one was Briony's… She frowns at the two cups before putting one of them down with a dubious expression. For Kate, "There was a robbery at the Food4Less and I caught a stray bullet that was meant for the people robbing the place. It's fine though, didn't damage anything really important."
Jo shrugs, sliding her hands into her jean pockets. She's more staring down at Baseball cap as if daring him to move, rather than saying much to anyone, or looking around at both familiar and unfamiliar faces. "I bet that backpack is full of lifted wallets and gear. "
The security guard chasing after Stan initially grabs him by the upper arm, but figures out what's really afoot a second or two later and lets him go with a gruff apology. "A pickpocket? Every damn year," he groans irritably, reaching down to haul Baseball Cap to his feet, ripping the backpack away from him.
"That shit's mine!"
"Really? You're… Robert McGuffin? Susan Foster? Lucas Wright?" The guard holds the license up to Luke, comparing, then hands it over. "Thanks, guys, if you wanna file a report, go over to lost-and-found," he tells Jo, Stan, Luke. Then shoves the kid in front of him; "C'mon, kid."
"Thanks," Luke says to the security guard as his wallet is handed back over, muttering something under his breath as he tucks it into the pocket on the inside of his jacket this time. There's one last look to the kid as he gets hauled away by security, before he shakes his head and reaches out to give Jo a squeeze on the upper arm. "I owe you one. You too, Briony," he says to the other woman, before there's a long sigh and he turns on his heel to jog back over to the side of the park where he'd left Abby. "It's never not an exciting night around you," he comments to Abby with a slow chuckle, patting his jacket both to show (and make sure) that his wallet was there. "Got the wallet back. Did you see Briony flipping through the air like some kind of nurse ninja? That was awesome," he says, before he looks up to Kate and Ethan both, and promptly flops down beside Abby. "I'm pretty sure my beer's gone. Oh well."
Once everything is settled … Bri is busy for a few minutes getting her dress set to rights before she returns. "Hey where's my beer?" She asks of Abby, squinting at her. A glance is given around and she frowns a touch more. "Oh no, don't think anything of it, Luke." She waves off the suggestion he owes her one.
Stan just nods at the security guard, seeming amused. He does take a step back, letting the guard take care of things. Letting those effected actually go get their stuff, seeing as Luke is right there. Nodding to the guard's words. Offering a nod to Jo and Briony as well, since they also took chase. Then he'll try and move back to grab a new beer for himself.
"Damn," is Ethan's eloquent summary of Abby's tale - both of the pickpocket and the stray bullet. "Between you two," Luke and Abby, "there can't possibly be any bad luck left in the world. You wanna throw some darts?" He flashes a hopeful smile now that the action seems to have subsided, slinking back into his booth when Luke heads over. "Got the wallet back, you gotta have a couple bucks in there. Briony? No, on second thought," he shakes a never-mind finger at Briony and holds the darts toward Luke exclusively.
Jo will glance at Luke, green eyes burning in a otherwise nearly blank face. "Don't owe me a thing." She'll say, before she'll shrug her one shoulder. It will be a moment of looking at Stan before she will offer a faint smile. " Nice of you to give chase. You'd have gotten him if his own feet didn't."
"I think this one is yours," Abby tells Briony when she reappears from ninja-ing all over the fairgrounds. Does she look a little dubious? No, no. Not at all! As for Luke's beer, "Also I think you dropped most of it on the ground when that guy bumped into you. Play darts, I'm sure nothing could go wrong with that. I'll hop onto the line and get you a replacement. It doesn't look like it's too long at all." She pats him on the knee before getting back to her feet and braving the crowds.
It really doesn't matter if it's hers or not! It's being drunk. Lys sips at the beer. Though she glares over the rim of it at Ethan. It's probably a good idea he didn't hand the darts to her. She breaks away from skewering Ethan in her mind to smile toward Abby and says, "Want some company? I'm probably going to need another beer in a minute and I want some of that pretzel bread."
"I love the enthusiasm," Luke chuckles over to Abby, giving her a small nudge before he ambles to his feet. Ethan gets an eye-roll, though he takes the offered darts. "I'll have you know, wallet incident notwithstanding? I've got a really pretty date, so my luck can't be -all- bad," he comments to Ethan with a wide grin, looking over his shoulder back at Abby before he squints to the dartboard. "Five dollars for three darts is a rip-off, just so you know," he says to Ethan, even as he fishes his money out of his newly returned wallet, prepared to win himself at least a free coupon or something.
<FS3> Luke rolls Reaction: Success. (4 1 8)
Stan nods to Jo in return, "Thanks. Seems we had the same idea, so even if I didn't one of you would." He suggests. His voice a bit on the hoarse side. "Besides, I was just standing around anyhow." He offers to her, "Want something to drink?" He asks, since he's just getting one for himself anyhow.
Leaning against the support for his booth, Ethan smiles winningly while Briony tries to kill him with her eyeballs, then exchanges darts for money once more. "Don't think of it as five bucks for three darts, think of it as five bucks for the possibility of a beer. Or five bucks for the possibility of looking super-cool in front of - " He watches Abby start toward the beer line and dithers a second. " - uhhh, a crowd. Your best bud." Yeah, that.
She glances towards the line. "Yeah, I abandoned my beer hopes to chase the guy. I should at least wash away the dust." She'll offer a hand. "Jo."
"Yeah, sure! I don't think it's going to be too bad. But it doesn't hurt to have company." Abby takes her own cup of beer with her, the one that she's been steadily working on this entire time. So that means it's probably about done. The excitement of the pickpocket has her holding her clutch just a little closer to her body than is strictly necessary. She snakes her way through the crowd, with Briony in tow, in theory. And totally misses Luke's sweet dart throw. Worst date ever.
Stan will make sure to get a beer for both of them. Taking the offered hand. "Stan." He offers in reply. "Other than a spontaneous sprint, has the event been fun?" He asks, perhaps not been here for too long. Looking over towards the others briefly. When he finally get the beers he will hand one over to Jo. While he's been in town for a bit he hasn't really been out in public much until recently. So there aren't too many people he actually knows.
"Yanno, you're not exactly giving me a good reason to -not- 'accidentally' miss and nail you in the balls," Luke comments to Ethan, clearly playful ribbing, as he jokingly points the dart in Ethan's direction. But then he rolls his shoulders back and squints down towards the dartboard, focusing as best he can before flinging the darts in that direction. They all hit the target, one's even close to the bullseye, though none of them hit center. Luke flashes Ethan a smug sort of grin as he folds his arms over his chest. "See? My luck's not -all- bad."
"Not yet. I hadn't been here long." Jo takes the beer with a thank you, sipping at it. "Truth is? I sort of know like a dozen people in town, so… this is my trying to go out and be social, and failing miserable, because I really sort of just want to go home."
Briony makes her way along with Abby, indeed. Coming to a pause in the line next to her, murmuring something low to the other woman. If she can even see the darts going on? There's more eye-daggers shot at Ethan.
Ethan reasons, "C'mon, it's basically found money." He waits till Luke looses the darts before adding, "In the sense that you lost the money and then needed a bunch of girls to find it for you." Then makes a much bigger do about saying, "See, folks! It's just that easy! My friend here now gets a coupon for a beer, and a free oil change at Joey's. Don't drink and drive." He shows off the laminated (oooh, fancy) coupons before handing them to Luke.
As they're standing up there waiting to buy more beer, Abby listens to something Briony says and ends up laughing. It's followed up with quiet chatter of her own. The line isn't too god awful, that first press of people has been served so Abby and Briony make it through without any kind of traumatic incident. Which is probably a relief given the last 24-36 hours. By the time they amble back over to the booth, it looks like Luke hit the dartboard. "Hey, maybe you should have just started throwing darts at the pickpocket!" What a cheerful suggestion she has! Thankfully it doesn't seem all that serious. The beer is passed along to him once he's done throwing at the overpriced dart game.
Stan ahs and nods, "I see. I only know a handful myself, so I know what you mean." A bit of amusement as he sips from his own beer. "I don't mind people watching, but yeah. Something staying home can be more fun. But one has to try and be social, right?" He suggests and grins, "And hey, at least your talking to someone new." He suggests.
"Really dude? That's the best you can do?" Luke clicks his tongue at Ethan, shaking his head in a disappointed manner. But he takes his well-earned coupons regardless of Ethan's terrible jokes, tucking them into his pocket. "Just you wait. If this has taught me anything, it's that it's time to get back to the gym. And I know the perfect gym buddy. You can tell me all your terrible jokes at four o'clock in the morning," he smirks over to Ethan, before he turns to catch Abby and Briony walking back, a low chuckle escaping him. "Yeah, I didn't do too bad, huh? Maybe I've found my niche," he grins to Abby, taking his beer with a gracious sort of look before he takes a long swallow.
"Yeah. I think I would have been better off staying at home, unfortunately." Jo will offer Stan a smile, before she'll reach into her back pocket. "But swing by sometime, I'll repay the beer. I think I should get home and get some rest. Big day, tomorrow." There's the offer of a business card, with her name, and the garage.
Whatever quite chatter is going on between Abby and Briony it doesn't seem to be good for Ethan, because as they walk back— Briony is either a little flushed (hey she's on her second beer) or glaring at Ethan like she's contemplating running him over. A laugh is given at Abby's suggestion of throwing darts at the pickpocket. "That'd probably have worked good! Could have hit his hamstring and made him stumble. Then he couldn't dash away from stealing from people in the future!"
Stan reaches over to take the offered card, "Perhaps. But at least you got a beer out of it." He suggests before nodding again. "I'll do that, take care." He offers to her. As Bri and Abby pass by on their way back from getting beer, he offers a nod to them as well. "I'll see you around, Jo." He offers before she leave. Pondering where to go.
Briony is saying something to Abby and her expression is initially amused, then her cheeks pick up a nice rosy color before she starts to laugh. The kind of laugh that forces you to cover your mouth before the people around you start to think you're a lunatic. "Well, maybe it was his way of being thoughtful." She clears her throat before sneaking closer to Luke and touching her hand to the small of his back. "Oh, look. You won some coupons. We should find that crazy lady from the bake shop and see if she can give us tips on how to create a binder worth of savings."
Ethan defends his comic chops from Luke with a snickered, "Cut me some slack, pal, I'm workin' here." Not that anyone is paying for darts, but - if the amount of beer being consumed is any indicator - people will start getting waaaaay more confident any second now, and he should make a few bucks before the night is out. "Can I give you a coupon or something as a peace offering?" he adds abruptly after getting another dose of Briony's glaring. "Look, free oil change." He smiles like that'll sell it better.
Jo nods, before she will finish off that beer. Hands will slide into jeans pockets again, and she'll make her way back to the gate, to go back out to her car to head home.
"What kind of friend would I be if I cut you any kind of slack?" Luke replies to Ethan, before he exchanges a glance between the flushing Briony and laughing Abby. A brow ticks upward in silent question, and he follows Briony's dagger-eyes back to Ethan, before he just shakes his head, chuckling a little. "That old lady actually inspired me to sit on these coupons for about.. ten years maybe? And then arguing with Ethan and Joey about how they needs to honour their deals," he says to Abby as he leans into her, sliding his free arm loosly about her waist. He bends his head to say something to her quietly, before he goes back to drinking his beer.
Briony shoots Abby a glower that is only slightly less daggerous than the ones she gave to Ethan. "You're a terrible bestie. You're supposed to be outraged on my behalf and offer to kick him in the balls." A sniff is given and then she turns toward Ethan when her offers her a coupon and her eyes lift up to the sky. "Ugh." She says and gives a shake of her head. "Fine since Abby is laughing at me too, I'll let you live another day."
"You spammed my inbox with pictures of a certain vegetable," Abby reminds Briony with a look before she takes another sip from her beer cup. Which seems to be mysteriously refilled, would you look at that. She's just managing to keep her laughter at bay when Luke is leaning, she kind of nods but then shakes her head and finally there's a shrug. "I think the coupon thing is a great idea. A real classic. Remember to save ten years worth of competitors coupons too, just to really confuse the issue when the time comes."
Ethan answers Luke slowly, "The… good… kind?" Then he slaps the coupon down on the little counter of his tiny booth, his palm making a resounding clap before he lifts it. "Thank you. I really didn't want 'murdered because not funny' as my epitaph."
Since it looks like two people won, with Briony getting a coupon right after Luke did, more people are keen to actually pay to play, meandering over with beer and $5 bills. "I'mma win!" a guy shouts in loud-drunk-mode. Ethan's just happy to take money, refrains from judgment.
There's some quiet words between Luke and Abby, the former drinking from his beer and damn near choking on a swallow at something Abby says. He manages to gulp it down, looking a little wide-eyed in Abby's direction before he bursts into laughter. "Ookkay then," he says, leaning in to murmur something else before he flashes her a wide grin. He looks back to Ethan afterward and shrugs in his general direction. "I actually think that phrase on your tombstone would be fairly accurate," he says helpfully.
"Did you take my advice?" asks Briony innocently of Abby, with a serene smile on her lips. And then she laughs at Ethan's words and says to Luke, "I agree. I think that's probably what he's going to get on his epitaph anywise!"
Did she take Briony's advice? No one will ever know (for now), because, "Hey Luke, I think they're starting up that polka dance competition. I'm almost one hundred percent positive that I can convince you to get out there." Which is the not at all a subtle sign that she's going to start moving that way, with or without him. But preferably with him. "Nice to see you Ethan! Briony." She shakes a finger at her friend before beginning to move off.
Ethan throws up a finger (bet you all can guess which one) to answer Luke, but that's all the come-back he's got for now, on account of doing some business, five bucks at a time.
Luke puckers and smooches the air in Ethan's direction at the middle finger, wagging his brows up and down, before he laughs and turns back to Abby. Her comment on the polka music gets a low groan, but it's clear he's not all that upset about following her onto the dance floor. "Finnneee," he mutters, but he takes her hand in his, throwing up a wave to Briony and Ethan. "See you guys later," he offers to them both, before he lets Abby lead, one single question echoing in his wake: "What advice did she give you that involved vegetables?"