End of Summer BBQ

[Changeling ST]

The backyard was quickly filling up, which Duncan was pleased to see. With beer in hand, he moved across to give Marcus a hand with the barbeque. This pretty much meant standing around, taking the piss and watching him do the hard work. As Mal and Jeffrey arrived, his lips twitched and he gave his Elemental buddy a little elbow.

"Malory Grey, looking radiant today," the Snowskin began, throwing the Beast a wink. "Is that a new skirt? Looks a-maz-ing!"

He paused as the vapor poured from his head. A grin broke.

"Sorry, do you prefer Iron Adjutant around us now? I'd simply hate to get it wrong."

Jab, jab.

[Changeling ST]

Arriving fashionably late, the Summer King made his way to Marcus' backyard. He had dressed appropriately for the occasion, well...perhaps appropriately for a preacher under the current circumstances. Lucas happened to be wearing a pair of dark jeans, a white button down shirt with its sleeves rolled up, and a pair of pretty standard sneakers. He carried a small duffel bag with him, slung over his shoulder as he approached the group that had gathered there on that day.

"Good day to you all," he offered, a sincere smile upon his lips. His eyes scanned the group, taking note of the new faces amongst them. It pleased him to see the Crimson grow, for their strength and dedication would be necessary in the months to come. The King walked over to a nearby table and reached into his bag, pulling out a twelve pack of Red Stripe and setting it down next to some of the other beverages. "Its never good to come empty-handed," he said jokingly, bearing a pleasant smile at his Courtiers.

[Changeling ST]

Tony moved aside as more and more Summer Mantles sizzled, shimmered and pulsed around him. Here, at this moment, he was the weakest.

Physically, at least.

A smirk on his face, the Troll simply observed, pouring himself some of the bourbon he had purchased. They all seemed capable, at least on face value, but the latest to arrive was the most impressive both in his connection to his Court and his sheer inspiring nature. With but a few words, Tony nodded.

The Ogre had found his King.

[Marcus Evan]

Even though Marcus rolls his eyes and shakes his head when Duncan starts ribbing Mal, his audible chuckling spoils any impression of disapproval the metalflesh might have been trying to show. But now that the grill seems hot enough, he doesn't pay much attention to them as he picks up the tongs and starts laying the burgers, bratwurst, and chicken breasts over the open flames. Next, a dozen strips of bacon are placed on a flat pan and slid onto the grill's upper rack. Just in case they are needed, the elemental even made sure that he still had that box of veggie burgers in the freezer. Although if anyone actually looks at the expiration date printed on the bottom, they might change their mind about wanting to eat one. Regardless, once the meat is sizzling away, Marcus pulls the lid down and offers a welcoming hand to his king.

"Hey there, Lucas. Alright? Glad you could made it. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

Pulling a sour face at Mal's retort, the elemental feigns disbelief as he jabs a thumb in Duncan's direction.

"You think I'd actually pay this joker to be here? Are you kidding? He's just here for the food."

But the fake frown soon twists into a mischievous grin as the metalflesh turns toward Duncan and gives a couple of teasing pinches to the snowskin's midsection.

"You're gonna eat all the food, aren't you, fatty?"

Chuckling once more, Marcus turns back to Mal and waves for her and the unfamiliar ogre beside to her to join them.

"We need to drink this keg before it gets warm. Come on Mal, bring your new boyfriend over here so we can all meet him."

Casting a sly glance in Duncan's direction, Marcus almost manages to keep a straight face as he takes another drink of his beer. Yeah, he most definitely needed this.

[Changeling ST]

Lucas couldn't help but let out a laugh at the antics being displayed in front of him. All this playful teasing didn't bother him one bit, since it was pretty typical between friends. Obviously he wasn't naive, and didn't expect for all his Courtiers to get along all the time. However, he did expect them to have each others' backs when push came to shove, and these sorts of events helped to foster stronger bonds amongst them.

"Please, just call me Brother Lucas," he said in response to the Farwalker, offering the man a genuine smile. Fancy titles were not necessarily his thing, and it wasn't like they were attending some sort of formal Freehold function anyway. While he was King, the Leechfinger did not wish to alienate the others with his role within their Court. No, that was not what Summer was about at all.

"Hey Marcus. I'm glad I got an invite," he said in response to Metalflesh, letting out a soft chuckle. "Thanks for putting this together. I've been looking forward to it." With those words, the Darkling cracked open one of the bottles of Red Stripe he had brought with him, taking a long sip from it.

[Marcus Evan]

Nodding and giving a half shrug in response to the summer king's gratitude, Marcus honestly considers it his duty as such a long standing member of the court. If he were completely upfront, the elemental would admit that he even feels a bit guilty for not throwing another BBQ sooner.

"My pleasure. It's been too long since I've had a chance to do this. It just really didn't seem... appropriate last year."

Finishing off his own beer, Marcus pops open a bottle of Red Stripe instead of pouring himself another one from the keg. He nods his head at Lucas and grunts his approval after taking a swig.

"Not bad..."

After opening the grill and flipping some of the charred meat, the metalflesh closes it again and lets out a deep breath before taking another swig of his Jamaican lager.

"So, Lucas... if it's not too much of a bother... my vow to the freehold doesn't actually need to be renewed until Autumn, but... I think I'd really rather swear it to you instead of Betony Rue. I mean... that was one hell of a sermon you gave at the Yield, and... well, I guess it just reminded me of a few things I'd... forgotten. Anyway... I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it afterwards, but if you approve, I'd also like to swear myself into service as your Hunter of the Longest Day. That is, if it's a good time. I mean, I don't want you to think I'm that guy that always talks about work at a party."

Since it was easier to take another sip of his beer than to admit the whole truth to Lucas, that's what Marcus did. After all, it's not easy to confess, even to a man of the cloth, that a passionate sermon had inspired him to embrace a task that he had once considered an honorable duty, but which over time had begun to regard as a unworthy endeavor, as meaningless as it was futile. After all, shining knights only slay dragons in bedtime stories, not in real life. However, Lucas had managed to give Marcus an unexpected gift. The preacher had reminded him how good it felt to let go of the pain and impotent rage at what was in the past in order to find the hopeful courage to work towards a better future.