Once a year, we throw a party here in town [Open]

[gypsymothdance]

Characters: Jean, Hughes, Zeetha... open to everyone for mingling, especially new members of the Winding Way crew
Content: It's a nighttime bonfire party! Come for the grilled food and dancing, stay for the people and the toasted marshmallows~
Setting: In a clear area in the makeshift racing town
Time: From sunset onwards
Warnings: There is a big,

Comments

[gypsymothdance]

Jean laughed. "They should be! Let's hope they're on their way right now, or I think Luffy here is going to be eating all the food!" And she wouldn't put it past him, either. She had seen how much that rubber stomach could pack away.

With her hair still wrapped up on the back of her head in a bun, sloppy but safe from any fire or food, she walked over to a wooden, picnic-style table that had been set up near the fire and grill. There were a series of bowls and platters from the Winding Way, which had been arranged haphazardly and covered by cloths up until now. So, Jean took the time to uncover them, arrange them nicely, and place some large forks and serving spoons appropriately to allow people to put it on their plates.

"That steak smells fantastic, Hughes!" She paused, looking down at the bowl she had started to lift the cloth off of. "... knowing the crew, though, I think these are what everyone's looking forward to... ah, Hughes, do you know where we can hide these until after dinner? I don't want any kids to spoil their appetites." She showed him what was inside: those little white spongy sugar treats known as marshmallows, ready to be toasted over the fire.

[fatherofcute]

"Thanks," he said in response to the comment about the smell of the food, before warding Luffy's hungriness off with one of the burger pieces. "Just one for now! No more! I mean it!" Hughes flipped another steak before wandering off to where Jean was, making sure that Luffy wasn't sneaking bites off the rest of the steak.

He peered at what she had under the cloth. "Uh! Hum. If you give it to Uncle Mike to keep safe, I'm sure no one will mess with it!" he said jokingly, before turning to look back at the grill with consideration. The raw meat was in a box propped on top of a chair. He pointed the space between the chair legs. "You can probably keep it there. I'll watch over it for as long as I'm manning the grill."

[d_luffymonkey]

The teenager's eyes sparkled with delight as Hughes passed him the meat.

"For me?" he went with surprise before he grinned brightly and exclaimed aloud happily. "Awesome!" Food was always awesome after all! Without further ado, the powder monkey was immediately distracted with his food as he gobbled it down with the hunger and speed of a raving wolf. Man, this meat was really awesome~

Of course, this distraction meant that the powder monkey didn't hear anything that Hughes or Jean were discussing since he was far more interested in his food.

[gypsymothdance]

"Uncle Mike...?" Jean paused, thinking. "... oh! Is that the new boatswain?" Sounded like another person who had gotten pulled into the 'family'. Hopefully, the new guy wouldn't be bothered by it too much. Even Jean could admit, it was pretty dorky.

"All right, Hughes. Keep an eye on them! No one touches these until after dinner!" She walked over to the chair, and set the bowl underneath it.

[fatherofcute]

Hughes nearly cringed as he remembered how Mike had ended up agreeing to being called Uncle, glancing at Luffy and marveling at the boy's general... naivete. Right. "I will!" he cheered, resuming his place behind the grill. "Do you want to eat already?"

"Hey Luffy, are you drooling on the steak? You better not!" Maybe he should have brought two crates of meat instead of one. Surely Luffy wouldn't be able to eat more than three servings?

[d_luffymonkey]

Unfortunately for Hughes, Luffy could eat far more than a mere three servings. And as a matter of fact, the powder monkey had been drooling over said steak, looking at the slabs of meat with wonder and awe and with an intense look on his face as a loud grumble came from his stomach.

...and he was also far too entranced by the meat to actually listen to anyone, sadly.

[gypsymothdance]

"That would be great! I'm pretty hungry," she replied cheerfully.

And then, she looked down at Luffy as well. "... just so long as you're not going to serve me the one he drooled on. That's gross, Luffy!"

Sigh. They might need to do an emergency run for more meat at this rate.

[fatherofcute]

"Of course not!" Hughes laughed, before giving a resigned sigh. He flipped a new slab of meat on the grill, before whisking the entire batch into a pile on a plate. "Here, Luffy. You can have it!" It was the least he could do to distract the powder monkey from ogling the meat more.

"Won't take long, Jean," he added as he tossed more raw meat into the grill, the sizzle and smell wafting up in the air.

[d_luffymonkey]

And once again, the powder monkey's eyes shone with pure glee and delight at the sight of what was offered to him. A huge grin crossed his face as his eyes widened as he gazed at the slabs of meat.

"AWESOME!!" the teenager exclaimed happily before he reached out to grab the plate and immediately gouged himself on the meal.

[gypsymothdance]

"That's fine, Hughes. Take your time!" Jean said, getting over her disappointment quickly. "Though we'll have to keep a close eye on Luffy from now on. If he slobbers on any more of the steak, we'll have to go get more."

Seriously, what was with Luffy and his obsession with meat? It was strange enough that there were so many sugar freaks on board, but she had never seen someone act like such an animal over food. At the same time, though, she had trouble holding it against him. It just seemed to be part of who the rubber boy was.

[fatherofcute]

The coals were so hot and the meat so tender, the meat would be cooked in a jiffy! "If he slobbers on any more of the steak, I'll grill him for the rest of the crowd," he said jokingly, slathering on sauce on the cooking meat.

[d_luffymonkey]

And while all of that was happening Luffy only continued to eat his meat, gouging happily on his slabs of meat noisily. He was far too happy about eating his meal to notice anything else, as he was always prone to do so.

[gypsymothdance]

"But that would be even worse. I'm sure he'd taste like fried rubber," Jean replied jokingly, looking at Luffy.

"Well, at least he's enjoying this, right?"

[fatherofcute]

"Looks like it," he said, refraining himself from cringing at the way Luffy ate through sheer willpower. "But I can make any meat taste good after grilling, let me tell you!"

As if to demonstrate his point, he gave the meat another last flip before depositing it in a plate for Jean. "Here you go."

hahaha I never noticed this orz

[d_luffymonkey]

Just right there and then, the powder monkey finished his meat with a satisfied burp. He grinned brightly before raising his plate and exclaimed as cheerfully as always. "Seconds, please!"

S'alright!

[gypsymothdance]

"If you say so. But if you ever grill rubber-meat, you have to eat it first, okay? Thanks," Jean said with a chuckle as she gratefully took the plate from Hughes.

She took a seat nearby, cut a fair chunk off the meat and popped it in her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she politely commented, "This is really good, Hughes! You must really love grilling, huh?"