synflux | Guys' Night [OPEN]

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Guys' Night [OPEN]

WHO: Dudes, dude. Bring all your dudely Outsiders, bro.
WHAT: ~~Man I sure wish I could tell you~~ Cracking a cold one open with the boys
WHERE: The Onsen
WHEN: 4/11
WARNINGS: Alcohol, nudity, dad jokes... This'll be updated accordingly

[ A few days after the girls have had their fun (cause girls just wanna have fun), another blanket text sweeps over the Outsiders' inboxes. This time, it's from Kaito: and he is proposing a very original idea that all the guys should come by the hot springs in a few days' time. Gossip and bathing are optional, but an empty stomach is mandatory.

Several pictures of newly purchased smokers, grills, and even a fucking pizza oven can be seen at various points throughout the message. There are also mountains of stacked beer and soda cases. Kaito's apparently going to be cooking enough to feed the whole base, or so he purports.

Where did he get all the money for this? Whatever, it's free!

He also adds in no uncertain terms that if any girls try to show up and sneak a snack, he will send them home with a stern warning and a bottle of water.

If you take him up on the invitation, welcome! It's a spring cookout and Pitmaster Kaito Nagano is going to be serving up enough barbeque to temporarily turn the onsen area into a Texan territory within Japan. Seriously, there's gonna be a metric fuckton of food and booze, and the hot springs will be right there when you're ready to get hot and hungover.

There are absolutely no plans after food. Feel free to stick around and socialize, but you will not be publicly shamed for just yoinking a plate and dip setting. Probably.

Aside from the barbeque, there are some horseshoes and cornhole boards set up (google it, it's safe, this is not a bit it's just a funny name for an american game) for dudes to try their hand-eye coordination at after having one too many drinks.

If you're feeling particularly brave, Kaito's got an ice box full of artificial fish (all the meat's artificial, let's be real) that you can try to attract a feral cat with. Good luck. ]

(( ooc: hello yes i didn't want The Boys™ to feel left out so feel free to make top levels and just get some general cookout social time in with your boyos. make it as friendly or awkward or awkwardly friendly as possible. go nuts. get naked. cause a ruckus. [ insert toxic masculinity here ] ilu ♥ ))

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I agree. Cooking is easy. They even give you instructions nowadays.

But cooking is a dance, and one that few people have the mental fortitude to execute.

[ ...Literally the same word. What's the difference? ]

Anyway, are you enjoying the grub?

Don't exaggerate yourself.

There's a difference between a cook and a fucking celebrity chef.

[And don't make this crap flowery with "dancing" in the mixture! Dance in the kitchen's a good way to get a knife in your foot.

And have an arched brow with a wry expression.]

You "dance" for grub?

[Just dissed yourself, man.]

I'm not.

[ It's a dance. There's a rhythm. But that's only something someone from the line cook trenches would understand. ]

Would you like an extra piece of artificial bacon for reading my words literally?

[ Oh, this one might be more fun than Verg. Kaito's all smiles, going so far as to lean in and down to match the blond's height. ]

Bullshit.

[Sure, if you wanna call ANYTHING a "dance" with that definition. Fast food workers and restaurant chefs might agree? Mommy at home in the kitchen, probably not.

How about a middle finger against Kaito's lower jaw to "push" him back up so he's not stooping like a geezer.]

If you really thought so highly of cooking, you wouldn't refer to your results as grub.

[Prove him wrong.]

Perspective.

[ But that's exactly who Kaito's comparing with his introduction. At home cooks like a good majority of the Outsiders, and him. No celebrities. (Unless someone here has a celebrity fake identity from LILITH...)

His amusement rises with his posture. ]

You really think you've got me caught in a contradiction, huh? Sure, I'll play. This is a learning moment.

What I call my food doesn't matter. I can advertise it as the equivalent of three-star Michaelangeloin cuisine, or I could advertise it as hole in the wall slop.

As a chef, I care about three things. receiving clean plates, filling my guests' stomachs, and hearing those magic words: 'That's good grub.'

[ Kaito glances sidelong and whistles. A plate stacked high with various meats and carbs is passed over to him. He holds it out to Bakugou. ]

We can argue about the finer points of being a chef when you've put some grease stains on an apron—and not at home, or for your friends. Until then, please enjoy your grub. I'm sure you worked hard for it.

[Some people would obviously argue the perspective. Plenty of Bakugo's classmates are amazed at his skill in the kitchen despite his yelling there's nothing hard about cooking. (Ignore the fake celebrity identities...) But he wouldn't call himself a "chef" like someone at a top-star restaurant or Lunch Rush in U.A. cafeteria.]

I don't need a damn "lesson", so can it.

[But given how this guy's lifting out of the water like that, Bakugo's lip twitches in irritation. Oncoming lesson. Great. He rests his elbow on the rim of the bath, jaw in his palm.]

If that's all you care about, you wouldn't have flaunted your skills with that bullshit.

[Saying everyone else was beneath him, you don't spout that kind of claim if your attitude towards your skill is as "humble" as Kaito professes it is. Aka: why Bakugo doesn't believe him.

But he takes the food given.]

Don't pretend to have humble satisfaction when you're talking down to others out of pride.

[Granted, not all pride is bad. But not owning up to your own rubs him the wrong way. If Kaito's amazing, he should say it and not back down.]

[ The amusement in Kaito's visage shifts, just a little. He flicks his wrist, producing a pair of napkin-wrapped utensils to offer the boy after he's offloaded the food. Another flick, and there's a mug full of water in his opposite hand.

His smile warms, just a touch. ]

I respect that take, [ he finally replies, stepping a little closer, separating himself from the rest of the crowd. ] It's well-founded.

I like my contradictions, and I like showboating. It's a different way of wearing the professional's mantle, and I'm sure that it rubs the straightforward types horribly. My old boss used to hate me for it. You don't seem too amused, yourself. Younger me would have hated it too.

[ Chuckling, Kaito settles back into the water, letting himself sink to his chin before popping back up. He offers a grin. ]

And that's fair. But it's what I like, nowadays.

[He can't tell if the appearing utensils and mug are a sleight of hand trick or something more. Given the other Outsiders, "more" wouldn't be out of the question. Plus since the guy's wearing zilch but a towel right now, guess sleight of hand is further out of the question...]

Tch. [Bakugo balances the plate on one hand, using the other to flick open the napkin and divvy out the utensils on the edge of the plate, without letting the handles touch the food. Napkin in the pocket, fork and knife into the now-free hand. He eases back in the water a bit to answer Kaito's silent suggestion to put some space between them and the crowd.]

You remind me of Jiji. [Herein the explosive blonde's going to find Tsurumaru in the crowd and nod towards the silver-haired sword spirit. Someone who also likes to fuck around with people via how he talks and acts. At least Kaito owns up to it.]

If you have the skills to back it up. [Bakugo can and will showboat if he's in the mood, but usually doesn't bother with it, preferring to just get the job done. Depends on what he's doing and who's watching though?]

You do more than grilling, huh. [Someone of Katio's caliber wouldn't stop at just one.]

[ It's both, but much more the latter. The sleight of hand element is what hides the "truth" of his theatrics. Sneak.

The scoff prompts a smile, though he follows his eyes to Tsurumaru once Bakugou points him out. Brows furrow... but he laughs shortly after. ]

Him, huh? I woke up one day with the whole damn Everlight hallway covered in water bottles and string. I wholly believe in the comparison.

[ Kaito shuts his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again, his oculars are active—and they soon project a hologram memory of a younger version of himself runs around like a madman, darting between four separate cooking stations. Stir fry on a wok, pasta, some stew, and dry ingredient prep for ramen. It looks chaotic, yet controlled. ]

I was formally trained in making ramen. Informally, I'll do anything. I'll teach myself if the material's out there. And if it's not, I'll find it anyway. [ The hologram cuts out. ]

Before I got wrangled into my world's grimy politics, I wanted to open my own restaurant. I'm thinking about opening a food cart here, where the politicians and yakuza and other higher powers can't get me.

[Mental note: blast him at some point and see what kind of "sleights" fly off of Kaito's person. It's not important right now. Bakugo's sampling some of the food offered. That's a ton of carbs... He'll stick with the grilled meat and vegetables for the time being. Kebabs had to be on the menu at some point. What kind of huge variety grill lacks kebabs?]

Yeah. Him. [The guy who knocked on Bakugo's door DAY 1 of them getting dumped here, and tried to enlist his help in setting up a damn party in the common area. Tsurumaru's lucky he survived that day...

Good to see other people using the ocular to hologram up some images. Bakugo found it creepy as fuck initially, but had to adapt to it by now. As he pulls another piece of meat off with his teeth, his eyes track the younger version of Kaito blitzing around the kitchen. It's unnerving he can project his own damn memories out of his eyes... but LILITH has pulled truths out of their heads and slapped them on the network without permission so maybe not unexpected.]

That makes you sound like some grand quest to find ingredients. [Sounds mocking, but not in the mean way. If the guy wants to spend his life at a top restaurant perfecting cooking techniques, go for it.]

You can open a restaurant here rather than a food cart. The politicians and the yakuza don't have a strong grip now. [Not with LILITH running the show and kaiju razzing the world to pieces.

And the Outsiders.]

[ Oh hell YEAH there are kebabs. Nondescript grill faire means there's everything you want, And Then Some™.

Kaito was never too tech-savvy before LILITH picked him up. Even now, he's not all that capable... But he's been taking the time to learn his implant's capabilities. It's not just a phone in his hands. It's going to be an integral part of his life in this ruined world.

And he's greedy enough to adapt for the sake of power. ]

Someone could write a shitty web comic about it and blow up overnight. [ He catches the vibe off that jab and doesn't seem to mind at all. It does sound silly. ]

I've thought about it. Wouldn't be hard to blow some kryptos and buy a big plot of land up in Shibuya or some such. Employ other Outsiders. Blow up overnight.

...But I'm a bit more drawn to the allure of starting small, all over again. Climbing my way back up. It would be a good change of pace, especially if I'm gonna be stuck in this joint for the foreseeable future, y'know?

I've got some time to think about it.

[Kaito better not be smoking some kind of autumn time stuffed pumpkin on one of those grills...

Ironically they don't actually have their phones in hand? Since they're now stuffed behind their ears and in their eyes and in their forearms, but Bakugo's somewhat gotten used to that aspect. He certainly hates the invasive surgery done on him without his permission to make it happen though. That kind of shit should've been asked first at least! Does nothing for trust...]

There's a whole damn manga about it. Already been done. [Granted nothing's new under the sun, so if they spin it or do it unique enough, wouldn't matter if it was already serializing. Move over. Better's coming through.]

One Outsider opened a bar. [Bakugo never thought to do any kind of entrepreneurship here; he's been busy dealing with police work and training or the kaiju battles.] Get something in city, before the next kauji fucks up.

[Bakugo saw firsthand the destruction the older buildings by the bay went through. The ones that didn't retreat into the ground when the kaiju orcas struck. Something to keep in mind...]

[ Do not speak its name or it may become reality.

The two are in accord when it comes to the nonconsensual surgery. Kaito still remembers almost ripping his ears off just to try and dig the implants out himself. ...A bit brutal, but he would have survived. Probably. Don't ask. ANYWAY— ]

I guess there are no original ideas, huh? Maybe a reboot's in my future then, [ he murmurs lazily, though a speck of amusement remains in the idea. ]

I saw some ads for it. It's an izakaya. Good business to go for, since a majority of clients will wanna get boozed up. There's always money to be made in plying liquor to your guests.

[ Kaito trails off there, letting his scarred hand skim over the surface of the spring. When he responds, it's with a much softer tone. ] I was there. Both for the first tsunami, and the kaiju attack that followed. I managed to rescue a lot of people, but I watched far more die.

[ Callused fingers clench into a shaking fist. ]

I'm glad that this breakout was away from civilization, but there were still more casualties than I wanted to see. We can only work harder to drive that number lower and lower.

[ It's why they're all here, is it not? Kaito eventually relaxes, dropping his arm back into the spring. His voice picks up again. ]

That being said, I'm gonna keep my work as far inland as I can. Cart or restaurant, I don't wanna see it get owned by some random kaiju footprint. Heh.

[Pump-grill-kin. Pump-grill-kin. Pump-grill-kin-kun.

No, Bakugo has occasionally dwelt on the idea of getting his implant removed. He knows at least three people with healing implants that could likely keep him stabilized through the process. But unfortunately, this is the only way to keep in contact with other Outsiders without seeing them in person, and a ticket to... everything else. So the necessary evil remains.]

Some would say so. [No comment on the reboot. It's a bad joke. The Outsider restaurant is more relevant, especially because Bakugo knows two of the workers there, a cook and a bouncer. He snorts at the "boozed up" part, glancing around the current cookout. A number of beers and the like are already open.] Uh-huh. You did it for free.

[He notices Kaito's hand and the scars on it. Somewhat reminiscent of Midoriya... Red eyes flick up to the other's face again when he speaks. To be present during the tsunami, the kaiju attack, rescuing as many as possible, but forced to face the limitations of being one person... Bakugo furrows his brows. He knows that feeling.]

Focus on what you succeeded at doing. You saved them. [Dwelling on what you failed to do will only drag you down. Give failure its due, but turn it to a springboard rather than a ball and chain. A hard lesson to swallow, for him too.]

Aa. If we can find out why the hell they're happening in the first place, we can put a stop to it. [Something's bringing these creatures to Neo Tokyo. It's unnatural that all of them would be attracted here with almost bi-monthly frequency. Eat each other, you damn freaks!]

Hn. Set up in a tunneling building. You'll know it's safe. [At least. Though a cart's mobility could keep it safe too? But Kaito would have to tend to it during an attack before he could do his Outsider role...]

I don't need a reminder, [ Kaito quips, echoing the other's protest before his little lecture earlier. But he's smiling. He appreciates it, deep down. It's humbling to be so attuned to water, to the ocean, and still be unable to tip the scales. The journey to be strong enough is never-ending.

Bakugo's comments light a bulb upstairs. Sure, he'd thought about asking 'why' these kaiju came to terrorize the planet once or twice, but once the work grind started it was easy to forget about that point. ]

I wonder if any of the captives from the amusement park will give us any crumbs to follow. That rift in particular has me wondering just how realistic it would be to influence the kaijus' movements. If someone's purposefully sending them to attack us, I'm gonna be pissed.

...As for the cart, don't worry. I've got ways of protecting it without attracting any unwanted attention from the powerless citizens. When it goes up, you should stop by. Outsiders'll get their first meal for free.

Shut up. [Growled back at him. Don't throw his earlier grouses in his face, dammit! That's his job. To your face, Kaito. But he's not going to offer more advice with that comment. Accepts it for what it implies. The guy acknowledges his limits and success and that's all he can do going forward. Bakugo will always push to break his own limits, yet he's still only human.

Yeah, with the business of new arrivals and random fucked-up happenings around the city combined with the fluctuating heralds and arrivals of the kaiju, it's hard to spend time and actually think about larger-picture things. Such as trying to stop all of it.]

LILITH has interrogation chambers. [Which Bakugo participated in one time, though eschewed any unscrupulous efforts to extract information. Minus losing his temper and letting Denji nail the guy in the nuts... Hey it worked though?] I don't think the rift was the hybrid group's doing it. It felt random. [But he's not ruling out another party being behind it.] It could be they're drawn here rather than someone sending them.

[And likewise, if he finds out that LILITH is somehow responsible for the kaiju attacks, he'll turn on them in anger immediately. After all, they're mercenaries. They're not here of their own free will. LILITH would be wise to keep that reality eternally in their minds.]

Don't you want attention? You won't sell shit if no one sees you.

[He'll hold that 1st Free voucher though. No takebacks.]

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Guys' Night [OPEN]

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