2019-07-02 - Parties Past, Present, and Future

Raf does show up about ten minutes after a text letting Tobin know he's on the way. He shows up dressed in jeans, a pair of sneakers, and a gray polo. At least it's untucked showing he's ready for relaxing. He stops as he steps in the door, scanning for Tobin, who isn't too hard to find and heads over to the table with a grin and a cheery sounding, "Hey."

"Hey," Tobin says when Rafael approaches, "So, I ran into your brother the other day. Offered him a job running some of the tours on the boat. Looks like that's going to work out. You were right. I do like him," he chuckles. When a server drops by, he just orders a Coke, and some cheese fries -- because cheese fries.

Ignacio keeps asking Raf if he can drive. He doesn't know where he's going and he doesn't care. It's just been too damn long and he misses it which might be the best reason to tell Iggy 'En absoluto'. Which is to say 'Aw, hell naw, bro!'. Gone is the moto jacket, but neat t-shit and jeans, and never, ever shorts. He takes a moment out in the parking lot to finish a phone call and wanders on in with that easy, lop-sided grin on his face like he somehow was the one inviting everyone. Eh, there's worse things than making people feel welcome. "Heeey, Tobin, you saved us a booth. Bad ass man. I got first round. What'chu guys havin?"

"Everybody likes him. I'm half certain I only have friends because he introduces me to people." Raf shakes his head with a faint smile and slides into the booth. As soon as Iggy appears Raf just shrugs mildly in Tobin's direction. He looks to the server himself. "Coke, and just whatever your large basket of chicken wings is. Buffalo, plenty of blue cheese." He folds his arms ontop of the table, making sure he's far enough over that Iggy can slide in.

"You found me without him introducing us," Tobin points out with a little grin across the table. "Seems you do alright on your own." He glances up when Ignacio shows up and makes his way over. "Least I could do," he says about saving them a booth and then says, "Just Coke. You're welcome to some cheese fries when they get here.. or.. you know, order whatever you want."

Ignacio holds a hand out waving it slowly to assuage any concerns, "Raf it's okay... it's true. It's entirely true." He tries hard not to grin and snicker at the put on hubris." Looking up to Tobin he adds sliding into the booth, arms folding on teh table, "7&7? Ooh loaded potato things too. Gracias." Back to Tobin he assurs apologetically, "I meant to. I would have. It' okay I'll take credit for it and keep everyone honest."

"I get lucky once in a while and figure it out on my own." Raf very unsubtly elbows Iggy right in the side even as he's smiling at Tobin. "But see, I come out better in the end. He does all the work and I get to go to the parties." He shrugs and leans back in the seat with a small laugh. "I'm trading you a wing or two for some cheese fries though. I need it after today." He visibly shudders. "I've finally got some students, and this one today.. No bueno."

"You can't take credit for that one," Tobin points out to Ignacio. "You weren't even in town yet." He glances down at his phone and says, "Looks like Byron is dealing with a murder at his building so he's not going to be getting out of there any time soon. Lilith might drop by in a bit though, and you guys can meet her. She's been dealing with some weird stuff lately, too, so she could probably use a break." He then chuckles at Raf and says, "Well, I guess as long as it works out that way in the end -- that's not so bad. The cheese fries are for sharing. Have whatever you like. I will gladly nab a wing, though."

Ignacio wobbles getting elbowed and pretends to wipe a tear from his cheek. "It's like... I raised him right and taught him everything I know..." He pauses and looks to his hermano, "And had pleanty of time to spare. Clearly. " He lifts his phone up and takekes a picture at the table of the other two and sends that off somewhere with a wry grin. "Yeah. Got two for us to go to now that you bring it up." Who the hell does Ignacio know to get them invites to two parties!? Looking up to Tobin he dimples a wry grin and counters, "Just cause it ain't true don't mean I can't take credit for it. I'm /super/ talented that way."

Raf pinches the bridge of his nose at the mention of the parties. "Of course you do." At least he sounds amused by the whole situation. Or at least used to it. Though he arches his brow a bit as he looks towards Tobin's phone. "Murder, huh? That's.." He coughs and shakes his head. "Not something I expected out here. I mean, not strange to hear back home, but.." He shrugs.

"You're super something," Tobin tells Ignacio with a smirk followed by a bit of a grin. "/Two/ parties here in Gray Harbor and you've been here, what a week? I haven't been invited to any parties." Then he nods to Rafael and says, "There's crime here, too, from tiem to time. It's not.. very common, but it happens." He doesn't seem particularly worried about it, however.

Ignacio shrugs as finding things is really second nature to him. "Yeah. I wandered around and met some cool people after you had to take off." He puts the phone face down on the table. That half-grin goes back to Tobin, "You are not wrong, sir." There's a pause bringing him a double take. "No shit someone got murdered? They have enough people left in the town to vote on anything now?" Feel free to kick him now for the bad small town jokes, good peoples of Gray Harbor.

Julia makes her way into the Pourhouse. What does that mean, precisely? Well, cut off jean shorts, a tee shirt with the mermaid bedecked logo of Fried Fish, a ponytail, and the wafting smell of fried fish, and french fries around her. She looks tired but cheerful as she trudges up to the bar.

Raf peers at Tobin then shrugs slightly. "Well, if it doesn't worry the locals who am I to get weirded out by it." He smiles as the server brings over drinks, picking up his coke for a sip almost as soon as it's down on the table in front of him. "Don't let him getting invited to parties discourage you. He didn't even go to my school and people invited him to parties there. Then said he could bring me too, if he wanted."

Tobin shakes his head at Ignacio and says, "Yeah, we've got a few folks left to manage to keep the lights on. Did you miss the explosion downtown, too?" He leans against his folded arms, glancing between Rafael and Ignacio from where he sits across the booth from them. "Well, I mean, murder is always worrying, but so far I don't know much about it other than it happened over at Bayside." He grins over at Rafael and says, "I wasn't invited to a lot of parties but then a lot of kids just hung out at my house all the time, so there wasn't really much need."

Ignacio looks up and around to see where the drinks are incoming. "Julia? Heeeey c'mon over. I found mi hermano I told you about." Yup. Give him a week. It's long enough. He makes the introductions as if he was the local because really, when does he not feel at home somewhere? "Julia, this is Rafael, and that's Tobin. Guys, Julia. Cook, part-time mermaid, full-time great taste in music." He starts to shake his head , pauses, and nods. "Yeah I went in to take a look." Of course he did, because he's nosy and explosions are interesting.

Julia doesn't u-turn from the bar, she holds up a finger to Ignacio to wait a moment, and takes a few seconds to order a beer. Then she wheels around and heads toward the table. "Shame on you, I'm a chef." She grins, noting, "Though I have been, on occasion, a mermaid." Julia flashes a smile at the others at the table. "Hola." she says. "Hi, guys." Ignacio invited her over, but she

Julia doesn't u-turn from the bar, she holds up a finger to Ignacio to wait a moment, and takes a few seconds to order a beer. Then she wheels around and heads toward the table. "Shame on you, I'm a chef." She grins, noting, "Though I have been, on occasion, a mermaid." Julia flashes a smile at the others at the table. "Hola." she says. "Hi, guys." Ignacio invited her over, but she pauses to wait and see if the others feel she's welcome. "Oh, hey." she says to Tobin. "You run the tour boats. We get a lot of customers who come off of them, so thanks for that."

Rafael offers a small wave as Julia wanders he way over to their table. "Hey." He looks back to Tobin then shrugs. "You know, in a town like this. Bound to be someone who knew the guy.. That's what all those true crime shows are about right? Some family member or lover goes nutso and kills someone." He sips his coke. "I'll just have to make sure I'm too likeable for anyone to bother killing." He grins a bit lopsidedly.

"We met briefly, sortof, on the boardwalk the other day, with Graham and Elise, when I was talking with Harper and Iggy here," Tobin says to Julia with a bit of a smile as she comes over, sliding in so that there's room for her to sit next to him, since Ignacio and Rafael are on the other side. "Probably," Tobin agreed with Rafael. "It's usually personal when it's out in a small town. We don't get a lot of random killings, that I can think of." He grins over at Rafael and says, "Well, you're already that. So I think you're safe."

Ignacio smirk elbowing his brother back from earlier in a joking nudge, "Liiiiike you have to figure out how to belikable. Just because there's one asshole out there who is wrong and disagrees- I swear you're like the Spanish Mr. Rogers." He shaes his ead and points to the sseat now saved for Julia. Clearly. Well it worked out that way. "So the one place downtown blew the hell up and some guy got murdered? I appreciate you tryin to, like, make me feel like we're back in New York but really... that can stop." Sure he can joke about it but the furrow in his brow looks concerned.

"No seras mi vecino?" Julia singsongs won't you be my neighbor in Spanish as the waitress arrives with her beer. "I don't recall there being mention of a murder in the explosion article." she notes, adding, "But don't delude yourselves into thinking that the worst that happens around here is the occaisional bit of teenage vandalism. There's plenty of crime in this town, trust me."

"There's at least two people out there that hate me." Raf scrunches his brow. "Maybe three. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Rollins from high school just plain had it in for me. I think because of you." He looks sideways at Iggy and takes a sip of his soda, then looks back over to Tobin and Julia with a shrug. "Well, you did warn me this town is a bit weird. But it does make me feel a bit at home, as odd as it is. I think if this was too picturesque I might go insane."

Ignacio sits up straighter and preens. Oh yes, he's the saint. /Ask/ him. Ask anyone... Anyone except Mrs. Rollins. "I dunno what you're talking about. I'm a saint. Soy San Ignacio." See? PICTURE of innocence...with a 7&7 and a plate of loaded potato skins. He nudges them to the middle of the table by an inch indicating they are to share. "I think the dead guy and the 'splosion? Two different things. You know if it's far too nosy to be at one you can always go lurk on about the other. Super courteous. And I know there's crime. The quieter places are the more people feel the need to shake em up. And this place is weird as it gets."

"Yeah, something about a gas leak," Tobin says, regarding the explosion that happened downtown, but there's something in his tone that indicates that he might not entirely believe that it was a gas leak. He chuckles at Ignacio and says, "Well, we wouldn't want you to get homesick and leave." He shakes his head at Julia and says "No, there was a murder over at Bayside. Byron's stuck over there dealing with it." He says to Raf, "Oh, it gets a lot weirder.. speaking of which, you busy Thursday night?" Because thats not ominous.

Julia makes a face. "Surely the police are handling it? In as much as they handle anything. Did a white guy get murdered or something?" Her fingers flit briefly as if to dismiss the notion. "Okay, so aside from your brother trying to convince people he's been canonized, what do you do, Rafael?"

"Gas leak is always the story that gets tossed around when they don't want anyone to know." It may sound conspiracy theoristy, but Raf sounds flat out serious when he says it. "Thought cigar cigar yadda yadda." He picks up a wing from the basket in front of him, dunks it in blue cheese and sets to work. "Also, homesick? Please, the place I have here is four times the size of my old place for like.. two thirds the rent. This is great." He eyes Iggy sideways and shakes his head then looks to Julia. "I teach music. Piano, guitar, vocal lessons. A litle of everything to make ends meet."

Ignacio looks a little wide-eyed with a slow nod of agreement. Spaaaaace. A commodity he's enjoying. Raf's not underselling that one. To Julia since she asked he adds, "He can play like seven different styles on the guitar. It's crazy. I'm stupid proud of him lemme tell ya. But yeah, I mean since you brought it up earlier, Tobin, there any problem with pitchin her place to teh tourists? I mean it's right there where we dock up." He pauses and admits sagely, "I might have some personal interest in this."

Suddenly Tobin is aware that there are cheese fries present and he reaches over to grab one and pop it into his mouth as they talk. With a sigh of contentment, he forgoes further conversation to grab one of the wings as well, dipping it in a bit of bleu cheese before devouring that, as well. Someone may have forgotten to eat while at work. "I'm going to get him to teach me how to play the piano," Tobin says when Rafael explains what he does. "Oh, no, there's no problem pitching the place. I usually recommend folks stop there for lunch after the tour, particularly after the morning tours since they usually end right around lunch time." He grins over at Julia and says "It's no problem. I mean, I eat there often enough. I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't think the food was great."

Julia snaps her fingers and points at Rafael. "You should go to the community theater. I bet you could get work as an accompanist. There's this brother and sister who basically run the whole local theater scene, like they're Sharpay and Ryan in a small town petri dish. You'll love it." Looking back to Ignacio and Tobin, she laughs. "'Nacio, you need a job, you got a job. And yeah, Tobin always sends folks my way, it's true. Fried Fish has been run by three generations of the Velez family." This is declared proudly. "And none of you," she gestures around the table with the neck of her bottle, "Can cry about not getting invited to any parties. I," indicating herself, as if they somehow didn't realize who she's talking about, "Didn't even get a quinces."

At Julia's comment about the quinces, Raf raises a brow then looks at Iggy with a smirk. "Remember when Marcella kept bothering mom and dad for one? But they didn't want to and finally dad did it just to shut her up." He snickers softly under his breath and shakes his head. "And then he was all cheap about it, made you serve the food and me play the music." He shakes his head, picking up another wing. "Then she moped about it for a whole year so she got a car for her sixteenth. Spoiled brat." And yet, he still sounds affectionate speaking about her. He looks at Tobin, explaining. "For my sixteenth I got his old TV from his bedroom and he bought himself a new one." Then looks over at Iggy. "What did you get again?"

Ignacio turns to Raf and holds up one, then two , then three fingers and wiggles them. There. that's enough to keep him busy and rent on the table. Jobs, bro! He can do this. "See there we go I got morning and afternoons covered and prime time on the weekends while summer holds up. Should be enough to holds us over until I can finish my next piece Ms. Price is on my ass to finish." Then? Then there's a pause and he looks to Julia and squints. Did she just say that? Oh yeah she just said that. He looks to Raf and one eyebrow slooooowly goes up. This is the Ignacio deSantos face of plottyness folks. "Yeah but we threw her the best damn quinceañera we could and I swear I may never do fondant flowers after that shit again." When asked aboutwhat Iggy got for his sixteenth birthday he stops and set shis jaw. "Let's not go into that." Looking to Tobin he says "I have an idea... I'm gonna need your help. You will get paid in food an amusement with littleeffort on your part."

"You should have one now. Or, better yet, wait until you're thirty and have two," Tobin suggests. That's not quite how that works, but hey, any excuse for a party, right? Then he glances over between Rafael and Ignacio, curious, perhaps, what Ignacio got for his sixteenth. He considers, "Mom and I saved up and she paid for half my car when I was sixteen and I paid for the other half. I had that car for a while before it finally gave out." He chuckles and says, "You be careful, or she'll have you writing full time and not doing anything else just to satisfy her hunger for more books. The moment you let her know that you wrote, you were doomed." He says it good-naturedly though. That Ignacio needs help for something earns him a somewhat dubious look. He glances over to Rafael quizzically, and then back to Ignacio. "What is it you need help with, exactly?"

Julia smirks at Rafael. "My quinces was what two skinny little white girls, bless their hearts, could manage with toilet paper streamers, stolen food, and a transistor radio." Good times. Tobin gets a smile, "Like I said earlier, I appreciate the customers. You should come by and pick up coffee in the mornings. Trust me, one little cup will get you through the whole day. No charge. Call it fair trade for the extra customers."

"Riiigggghhht. Dad hooked you up with your ex who shall not be talked about." Raf has a smile that's almost edging on diabolical. "Selma." He drags out the name a little then nudges Iggy playfully. While that look may have been a warning for others to back of, well, brothers. He looks over to Tobin, then back to IGgy as his brother declares he needs help with something. "Iggy, don't break this one. I like him." He looks right at Tobin. "There's a 50/50 chance this is going to be insane and not work."

Ignacio pulls out his phone and throws off a text with the swype of his thumb known usually to very dedicated and chatty teenage girls. He stidied at the mobiles of the masters apparently because that thought is there and gone on his screen and the phone gets put back away as he eats his loaded potato appetizer. He blinks at his brother bringin up his 'ex-' and murmurs from his potato, "I loved that damn car." That? That's a pain point. He finished, licks his thimb and then qipes his hands off on his napkin. "It's totally gonna work." He nods to TObin and then jsut looks to Julia with a brief frown, "They tried. I mean that's... not the point but they at least tried. Don't make me go back to fondant, bonita. I've a lot of vices and fondant ain't one."

"You've got a deal," Tobin says to Julia with a grin. Then he looks back over to Rafael and can't help but grin at him across the table. "Don't worry. I won't let your brother blow me up. I like you, too." He then glances back and forth between Ignacio and Rafael at the mention of Seeeeeelmaa, and wisely says not a thing about the ex. Then he looks a little bit confused. "Wait, Selma is a car?"

"They did." Julia agrees. "And I love them for it. But you know." There are certain elements to such a thing. Her brow lifts. "If you can't stand the fondant, get out of the bakery, 'Nacio. Wait, what is it that you guys are trying to do, exactly?"

"Selma was more than a car, she was Iggy's first true love. It was kind of.. nauseating." And so Raf's phone decides to ring, and he looks at the screen with a sigh. "Speak of the devil.. It's Marcella. If I don't answer she'll just keep ringing." He prods Iggy to slide out of the booth and let him free so he can go take this call outside where it won't be super rude.

Ignacio sighs and looks to Tobin and says not too happily, "Marcella got a car. Raf got a second hand tv... I got a great deal on a Honda CRX that he helped me put all the down-payments on that I used to practice with." His jaw sets and he looks to Raf nudging his shoulder with his and looking back to Tobin and Julia sober... "That car was my fuckin world, and I loved that damn car but it wasn't fair." He grins slow and easy going back to his usual lax, smug self, "I got you those concert tickets though. We had fun at that thing. That was a good time." He scoots out of the booth and tells his brother, "Tell her I got a job on a boat and am now officially moving pirating to lakes in Colorado." Because he's not beyond messing with little sister. Really it's his way of saying 'hey girly'. He blinks to Julia and moves a potato skin on to a small plate and nudges it at her. "I know not of what you speak." And like a real smart ass follows it with, "Perdon no hablo ingles." Just smack him now.

"Ay!" Julia reaches out and thwaps Ignacio's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Tu piensas que soy estupido?" She does take the potato skin, though. "What do you think you're protecting me from, hey? Trust me, whatever it is, I've known worse. Also, it's sexist." She smiles sweetly and flutters her lashes.

Ignacio holds up a finger in defense, "Noooo, I do not think you're stupid and it's only sexist if I were to be this level of an ass on an exclusionary level. I'm always like this." Yes, his defensive stance is don't smack me for being sexist, just smack me for being a smart ass. In earnest he follows up, shrug included at no extra fee, "Fine. We're gonna do somethin about it. HAppy? Bonita, ya gotta learn to either smack me or trust me, but I ain't pickin on ya...much." Holding up a hand to hopefully stave off beatings. "I ain't gonna tell you what tho. Deal? It'll be fun. The world's pretty much shit. We might as well engineer our own good time, dammit."

"Wait, no, I don't want to know. I thought you were talking about some sneaky thing you were going to do out in the town or whatever. But I'm glad you're an equal opportunity ass." There's a smirk. "What if you're a guy I trust that likes to get smacked?" She's kidding, really. "But given how weird the world is, you and Elise still have questions. I'll try to help."

Ignacio shrugs "What if I am? Then it'd be a win win." He eats his potato and considers her words talking about weird things. His eyes drift from her around the bar. "Never seen a damn good thing come from anything weird." Finally, finally he looks back to her, "I think I liked it better when everyone told me 'Nacio, estas loco. Es la medicación. Todo esta bien." Shaking his head he falls quiet and looks to her and says, "I know it ain't for a right here conversation, but I do have one. Que?" Why> Just 'why?'