(no subject)

[skybluejeep]

Characters: Open to all!
Date: June 23rd
Location: Wood sector, open market.
Situation: A very late "Memorial Day" barbecue, bring your own beef!
Warnings/Rating: N/A. C'mon, it's a barbecue.

[There's two grills, one for meat, one for veggies. (We don't want our vegetarians getting cross-contamination, now do we?) They're pretty basic, just some wood-burning open barrels with grills over top. Feel free to come on by, bring some food to share around, and hang out with your friends. Or glare across the way at your enemies! We're all good here.]

Comments

[denyamenti]

[ Bakura heaves an exaggerated sigh, then reaches around Jackie and deftly moves the meat Jackie had put on the grill to a place closer to the outside, where the coals inside were radiating orange but out of the flame itself. ]

Don't put it where the flames are highest, you'll burn the outside to char and it'll still be raw on the inside. Let's not tempt your fate again with food poisoning so soon.

actual life skills coach bakura

[jinzhong]

[It is literally a miracle that Jackie survived as long as he did. Bakura, if you keep this up, you're never gonna get rid of him.]

Oh! See, I wouldn't have known that, [he says cheerfully.]

Re: actual life skills coach bakura

[denyamenti]

[ He might be noticing that this plan is beginning to succeed a little too well. But he can work with this and it's easy to piece out this next tidbit, maybe true and maybe false, just enough to draw the parallel and make him relatable. ]

That's all right. I didn't know not to put a metal bowl in the microwave the first time either. You can imagine how unpleasantly that turned out.

[jinzhong]

[Jackie winces the wince of someone who has totally done that before, Bakura's machinations lost on him.] Ouch. Tough break, man.

[denyamenti]

[ Bakura reaches over to flip the skewers of meat on the grill and because of the radiating heat from the embers, the one side had turned a deep brown colour. ]

Have you been settling in? No one's given you any trouble?

[jinzhong]

[Ooh. That looks good. Jackie looks at Bakura askance.]

No. I mean, I've seen a couple gangs around, but I've been tryin' to avoid them, you know?

[denyamenti]

Yes, let's keep you out of that particular type of trouble.

[ He glances up as a group of people passes near them, talking amongst themselves. There's a calm sort of wariness with the movement, like he's used to doing it and only once they've moved off again -- having never so much as glanced in the pair's direction -- does he return his attention to the grill and Jackie. The meat is browned all the way around now and Bakura moves them once more to the height of the flame, where the edges grow crispy and sizzling before he pulls them off and offers the skewer to Jackie. ]

A little patience pays off in the end.

[jinzhong]

[Jackie doesn't say anything about that, but nods in vehement agreement. It's tempting to go back to that life here, since it's the only one he knows, but he's determined to go legit. Or at least have a fair stab at going legit, anyway.

Bakura's observation of the nearby people doesn't go unnoticed. Rather than try to be sly about it, Jackie just comes out and asks, because of course he does.] Looking for someone?

[When the skewer's offered to him, he grins and accepts it.] Wow, thanks! Man, I shoulda been taking notes. It looks easy enough, though.

[denyamenti]

Just keeping an eye out, akhekhu. Old habits die hard, don't they?

[ Though Bakura wasn't expecting trouble in such a public venue, he hadn't expected it during the bombings either. Part of it was for Jackie's benefit, showing the dark haired one what Bakura wanted him to see, and part of it was genuine caution. Whether he knew (at least, as much as he could know without a confession) who he was watching out for, that didn't preclude everyone else from being a potential threat.

After a momet he shrugged and bit into his own skewer, setting another pair on the grill. ]

What's the point of taking notes? It's easier to learn by doing, you're going to watch this round.

[jinzhong]

[Jackie blinks.] "Akhekhu"? [The word's totally foreign to him, not just in meaning but sound; he has absolutely no idea what Bakura could mean by it.

All questions about Ancient Egyptian 101 and who the hell Bakura's looking out for are forestalled when he leaves Jackie in charge of this set of skewers.] Uh...okay, I'll try, [he says. He's still not confident in his skills, but he places the raw skewers over the orange-glowing coals, watching them intently. He's determined not to fuck this up.]

[denyamenti]

[ The good news for Jackie is that Bakura intends to eat whatever comes off the grill, be it cooked, burnt or raw; he's hungry and he figures a little cushion on Jackie's confidence wouldn't go amiss. ]

It means dragon.

[ He nods at the edge of the tattoo coming up from Jackie's neckline; he'd seen more of it when he'd been only in an undershirt while Bakura was washing the hoodie. ]

[jinzhong]

Oh. [Jackie's been saying that a lot lately. To be honest, back where he was from, nobody would bat an eyelash at his tattoos. Someone not only noticing them but assigning a nickname to him based on them...it was definitely unusual. Back in Sun On Yee territory, it was weird to see anyone who wasn't tattooed. Then he grins.] That's kinda cool!

[He returns to concentrating on the grill, scowling intently at the meat. Yep. He's definitely determined not to fuck this up now. He moves the skewers closer in, to heat them a little more thoroughly.]

[denyamenti]

[ Bakura shrugged a little at the approval; the naming thing was just something that he did regardless. There were a number of Foreigners now which he addressed like that, though not all of them were complimentary. It stemmed from something even more ingrained in Bakura than the manipulations he wielded. ]

What's that scowl for? Don't think too hard about it.

[jinzhong]

Well, I don't want to fuck it up, you know? Got the pressure on me. [Jackie laughs a little bit in a self-deprecating way, but relaxes. It's not going to be that bad, right?

The skewers end up a little charred, but mostly all right/]

[denyamenti]

[ Bakura doesn't mind the little bit overdone. He gives an offhand "good job" once they're finished and taking his, motions Jackie to join him at one of the many picnic tables that's scattered around. ]

This place will seem better for you once you meet some more people.

[jinzhong]

[The praise, offhand as it is, makes Jackie grin. He takes his own skewer and joins Bakura at the nearby table.]

Yeah, probably. Not used to being on my own, ya know?

[denyamenti]

[ That much is obvious, Bakura thinks, though he doesn't voice the remark. He's sure that Jackie knows it, and not emphasizing it makes Bakura seem far more considerate than he actually is. ]

The opposite of myself, then.

[jinzhong]

[Right now, Bakura looks like one of the best people Jackie's ever known. Which says a lot about his previous crowd.]

No kiddin'. You seem like you know a lot about stuff.

[denyamenti]

[ Jackie, if Bakura were actually conscientious, he would really be worried about your life choices thus far. ]

When your choices are learn to fend for yourself or die, akhekhu, you become surprisingly adept at many things.

[jinzhong]

[Good thing he's not conscientious.]

Yeah...guess you're right. I got skills of my own, ya know.

[denyamenti]

I've no doubt. What is it you like to do?

[ He's grinning a little, though seems interested in the answer. ]

[jinzhong]

[Well, clearly, the answer is not "cook". Jackie shrugs, trying to look nonchalant.]

Hang out, mostly. Used to steal stuff for the Sun On Yee. That was pretty fun, I guess. [Everything about his old life is still deeply tainted by the manner of his death.] Gettin' stuff from the 18K and all to make some quick cash. Watches. Tires. CRT monitors. Mostly whatever I could find, you know?

[denyamenti]

[ Look at that, another thiefling after his own heart. ]

So long as you did it because you wanted to, I'm hardly one to judge someone for occupational theft.

[jinzhong]

Oh yeah? [Jackie asked, brightening. A kindred spirit! Sorta.] You like to nick stuff, too?

[denyamenti]

[ Bakura uttered a quiet "heh" and held up Jackie's wallet. ]

From time to time.