2021-06-19 - Strange Harbor Brewing Company - Launch Party

It's kind of a weird time to launch a brewery, but it's been planned for weeks. And hey, what better time to get blotto than just before everyone hunkers down for who knows how long? The logo of the brewery, a lighthouse with an eye in its light with a cross-hatch skyline of Gray Harbor in the background, hangs on a banner behind the bar. There are a series of taps set up in various colours with the same logo.

On tap:

Lost in the Woods IPA - West Coast IPA with pineapple notes and a clean finish. Definitely for hop fans.
Send Me to Helles - German pale lager that is full-bodied, mildly sweet, and light-colored, with low bitterness.
Homesteader - A lightly hoppy, lightly sweet pilsner- a cross between a typical American pilsner and a Canadian West Coast pilsner.

There are other taps as well, but they don't have a fancy branded lever. Instead, they've got makeshift labels:
Queen of Tarts - A cranberry sour with a dry finish.
Penumbra Porter - A classic Irish porter with a smooth mouthfeel and a nutty finish.

There are flights available to sample four of the brews, and all the Strange Harbor brews are on special. There's a wide variety of the bar's normal brews on offer, but this is clearly a night for beer.

Tor is behind the bar, hair swept back in a careless ponytail. What would normally look scruffy makes him look hipster as he's also wearing a t-shirt with the logo in gold ink. He's currently sipping from a sampler glass and eyeing the taps. "Seems okay. I wish my brewmaster could've been here tonight but she got stuck in Seattle."

The Twofer looks abandoned on the outside with its boarded up windows and patio furniture removed or lashed down, but inside the mood is festive and celebratory of the new local brewery. Bennie hasn't had much time for anything other than the Fire and Rescue Station in full prep for the storm, so she's still dressed in her gear from the bottom down in case she's called back to her actual work but wears a white tank top with the same gold logo on the chest. She's busy polishing the last of the branded pint glasses - one free to each customer who orders Strange Harbor - and stacking the last in the cooler to frost.

"Shaaaaame." Bennie says to the news of the brewer, "But I'll make sure to take, like, lots of pictures."

Vic is on duty for the launch as well, in her provided logo shirt and jeans, with her hair in a loose braid over one shoulder. She's got a glass of the porter behind the bar for herself to sip at because there is a damned storm coming and she's on edge. She is pulling drinks from the taps for patrons as they request them, but generally keeping her head down, checking her phone often.

Justin's been busy lately -- lots of work going on and lots of trips back and forth to L.A. for business reasons. But tonight he is in town, and has decided to come out in support of the new brewery and to have a couple of brews before settling in for the storm. His own house looks like it's abandoned as well, having been boarded up and everything lashed down, as well.

He makes his way in and heads over toward the bar to claim himself a stool, sliding onto it and looking over the different Strange Harbor brews on offer. "I'll try one of the flights," he says. "May as well try them all. Can I get some tots as well?" Because putting a little something in his stomach is probably a good idea, too.

The skies are getting darker and the winds stronger. The door opens and in walks Kailey. Dressed in jeans, a hoody, and her patched and repaired motorcycle leather jacket. Straight to the bar she goes, sliding onto a stool beside Justin. "Lovely weather, right?"

Tor sets a sign on the bar that says 'Get your #stormbeer! Growler fills, $10, bottle deposit $8.' Then he pulls out a flight board for Justin. "You got it." He writes on the little chalk board painted labels a shorthand of each beer, then fills up the taster glasses and drops them into the holes on the flight board. Normally he's more quippy and chill, but he's clearly a bit tense. This is his baby, and although the beer's been available on the DL for awhile, this is the first real outing. "Hey Bennie, can you put in a tot order to the kitchen?"

For once, Ashley Jones isn't wearing some punful or band tee. Instead, he's wearing a blue one with WKRW emblazoned in a white font across the front. It's under a black-and-white flannel beneath his olive green anorak jacket. The usual jeans, hiking boots, and a black beanie finish out his classic PNW hipster look. But with a notebook and voice recorder in hand, it seems the station DJ is here on at least somewhat official business. Rolling up a shoulder to scrub at his cheek, he makes his way up to the bar and plunks himself down in a stool, setting the notebook and recorder down. "Gimme a flight," he says once Tor or one of the others has a moment. "Lost in the Woods, Send me To Helles, Homesteader, Queen of Tarts... and then a full glass of the Porter." He's assuming he'll like that one, clearly. And it means he'll have at least tried them all.

"Gawd, what? Do you think I work here?" Bennie asks, her hands busy as she winds her pony tail up into a messy bun and stabs a pen through it to keep it in place. "The Homesteader is my absolute fav!" She tells Ashley as an aside awhile she walks along one side of horseshoe shaped bar. She stops though, like she's doing a double take of the man, giving him a full eyeballing. "Hey, you're that radio guy, right? I'd recognize that voice anywhere...Vic, have you seen my pen? Uuuuuugh." There is a reassuring squeeze for Tor's arm as she passes like a frazzled fly looking for a place to land.

Vic pulls out a second flight board for the DJ and she loads up the tasters for him, her handwriting on the chalk message boards making it a game of Russian Roulette which drink is which. But the porter is easy to spot in it's own full glass as she sets it in front of Ashley. "It's in your hair, Bennie," Vic notes to the owner.

Joe was just here last night....and Joe almost never drinks actual beer. Whiskey, whiskey-based cocktails, or cider are his usual spectrum. But apparently, he's decided to make an exception and come give the new local brews a try. Bundling up the same poncho he had on last night, and he's wearing his usual dark jeans. For once, the t-shirt he has on says something, though: May The Force Be With Y'all.

He comes sauntering in with that hint of a limp, the bad hip clearly acting up as storm pressure changes. His mood looks decent, though, by that little smile on his face, as he claims a stool at the bar and looks around expectantly.

Justin glances over at Kailey as she slides onto a stool beside him and grins a little bit. "Definitely a little more exciting than most end of summers," he agrees about the weather. He gives a nod of thanks to Tor as the flight board is set up. He watches as the tasting glasses are filled and makes note of the names written for each one. "You going to try them all too?" he asks Kailey, "Or have you already?"

"Hope you like the porter, Abercrombie and Fitch," says Tor to Ashley. You can take the smartass out of the trailer park... "Not sure it's right, but I think it's close. If you know porters, I'd be interested to know what you think. These..." he taps the three beer with their own custom arms, "...are nailed down. The others we're still beta testing. I think it tastes good, but I'm worrying about being true to style since not a lot of folks know much about beer around here." He gives Bennie an appreciative look as she passes.

Then he turns to the newly-arrived Joe. "What can I getcha?" He asks this as Justin gets the board with four tasters, plus the fifth on the side as the board only has four slots.

"I'll Take a flight too and a growler of the porter," Kailey asks of Tor with her usual cheer and smiles. Card and ID passed together, "And tots sound amazing, but make mine loaded with cheese and bacon please?" Another sunny smile is given to Tor, her own way of trying to help him relax.

Then the purple-haired grinner turns her attention back on Justin. "Only the porter. And it's a special surprise for Ev," Kailey says as she reaches for the bar menu. Yes she just ordered something, but she may be wanting more.

"One and the same," Ash tells Bennie with a grin in her direction. He lifts notebook and recorder for her to see. "Plann to do a shoutout on the radio tonight for y'all." So hopefully the Porter is as good as he hopes. There's a nod of appreciation to Vic as she lays out the flight and the Porter for him. He's already pulling out his notebook, flipping to a clean page. Most of them filled with all kinds of hasty scrawl. Once on one proper, he begins with the date, the place, and then the name of each drink. He may not be a professional beer taster, but he's at least a professional in his field.

AJ glances up from his notes to Tor, looking a bit confused at the nickname. He even glances down at himself, shrugs, and looks back up. "I once heard someone say a good Porter is a meal unto itself. Honestly, I'm interested in just about all of 'em except the IPA, but I'm trying to do right by my listeners." Shock. A Hipster that doesn't like IPAs?! Someone better rescind his License to Irony.

Vic takes a sip from her own glass of porter behind the bar. Her nerves are shot with the coming storm. The bartender's real line of work involves her being able to control all the variables, and a force of nature bearing down on the town is not within her means to boss around. She works on getting Kailey her flight and growler, depositing them in front of the colorful woman.

Honestly, the sailor's energy is a hair manic. As if he'd been indulging in something else more stimulating before he got here. So Tor's question to Joe is greeted with a brilliant grin. "Be honest, I plan to try all of 'em. So I'll just start with that flight, if I may," he offers, before turning to prop an elbow on the bar and survey the crowd already there.

Despite the fact that he owns the bar Easton isn't actually working tonight. He does have a black Two if by Sea tee-shirt on when he comes in from the back office though. He smiles at the group behind the bar, holding down the event before taking a seat next to Justin at the bar, shouldering him in greeting. "I will also take a flight and some tots." He winces and asks, "Sam's cookin' right?" He really should be more aware of if the kitchen is still running despite the storm but he hasn't been quite as on top of things lately as he has been.

"What would you like in the flight? There's four slots but I can pour tasters on the side if you want," says Tor to Joe. He's not going to judge when it comes to other stimulants. He is a Gray Harbor ruffian, after all, and his hands aren't exactly clean. That's why this brewery is a new start for him.

He's picked up the bartending business quite well, despite never having drawn a pint a few months ago. "Appreciate the shout-out," he says to Ashley. "And I didn't think I liked IPAs either til my brewmaster took me to Seattle and made me try a bunch. Some of them with a cleaner finish that aren't punching you in the face with hops are nice. A few of 'em are really citrusy." He nods to Easton as the bossman emerges.

"Oh, bacon and cheese on mine too, please," Justin says of the tots. Don't they come that way naturally? Well, either way, bacon and cheese are definitely a must. "Thanks for reminding me," he tells Kailey as he takes a sip of the first of the flight, sampling it and looking thoughtful as he sips from the glass before setting it back in its slot. "Ah, cool," he says to Kailey. Not that he has any idea who Ev is, or who she is for that matter, but that doesn't seem to matter at all. It's pleasant bar conversation. When Easton settles in next to him he returns the shoulder bump with one of his own. "Hey," he says. "Looks like you've got all the hatches battened."

Vic gets a wave from Joe, but he's clearly caught up in reading the list of beers on tap. "All of 'em 'cept the IPA, please," he requests, before sitting a little more upright, like an eager schoolboy. Knowing him, this excursion into brews will be brief and he'll be right back in the realm of bourbon shortly. Eavesdropping on the conversation about IPAs, and looking dubious.

"Hey Joe," Kailey says with a wave and smile for the sailor. She then turns back to Vic and says, "Thanks. You look a little off tonight. Just the storm energy?" She asks the woman with warm concern. Even as she lifts the Helle's up for her first sip. Ensuing happy noises end with, "And a growler of Helle's," Sge adds to her order. Her attention skips to Justin and she grins and bobs her head. "Bacon and Cheese are a must. But some heathens like 'em plain."

Joe gets a nod of hello in return from Vic, and she grunts at Kailey. "Yeah. I just bought a house this year. Worried it might get flattened before I even finish remodeling." She glances at her phone and stalks off towards the office, in communication with her father in Portland.

The tots do in fact come loaded by default. What even is the point of non-loaded tots. This is the classy kind of establishment where the bacon and cheese can be assumed.

"Oh uh pick for me, nothing too light and bright though." Easton says of his flight choices, not realizing that he didn't just get all of them, he did a really good job of understanding what kind of event his bar is hosting. He looks around at the plywood over all the glass windows which is starting to feel more and more depressing to him, "Yeah, at least it's sealed up. I just need this to get it over.."

He tries to catch Bennie's eye but she's busy being productive and he's being good for now.

"Free advertising!" Bennie's hands get thrust above her head in a triumphant gesture for Tor, beaming her thousand watt smile to Ashley. Her eye is easy enough to catch, which is good, because her ear doesn't pick up on the booming voice of Easton that doesn't quite seem to be booming tonight? Her nose wrinkles hard in thought to the point where a little 'x' shaped wrinkle appears on the bridge. "Hey babe, get everything squared away with the Insurance company? In case, you know..." She makes hand gestures that could very well be imitating a storm surge. Or, two whales making sweet, sweet love. You decide.

"That's alright," Justin says to Kailey. "That just means that there's more bacon and cheese for me." A situation that seems to please him well enough. Then he nods over toward Easton and says, "I'm hoping that the house doesn't wash out to sea." Because his is right on the water, which makes it a prime target for angry seas. "Especially since Hyacinth and I just did all that work remodeling it." He grins at Bennie and says, "Heya Bennie. How's it going?" when she has a break in being productive.

The storm is definitely looming, especially whenever someone enters and a gust of wind follows them. But Tor has a lot to distract him, like serving flights (more labour-intensive than pints) and subtly watching peoples' reactions when they sip. He's resisting the urge to get reviews on the beer, because that would be putting people on the spot. But there is clearly a bit of anxiety. Joe's samplers are produced in short order. The sour is a bright ruby red and surprisingly refreshing.

Joe's gaze darts to Easton, and there's still that manic glitter in his eyes. But he has enough sense (and sufficiently little booze in him) to suppress whatever no-doubt-unhelpful thing he was about to say. Instead, he turns back to the flight arrayed before him, and goes straight for the sour. He takes a sip, visibly mulls it over, then nods his approval. Even odds someone's going to have to trundle him out in a wheelbarrow to whatever Uber he takes to Ruiz's.

Speaking of Ruiz, in he walks. And, predictably, heads right for the bar. If he looks like he's lost a fight with a few sandbags and a couple of two by fours, it's probably because he has.

Kailey giggles at Justin's greed for the cheese and bacon. And she kind of toasts him with the rest of her Helle's before downing it. "I get the house worry. It's...weird and I am trying to not give in to the urge to visit Idaho for a week..." Her smile goes a little nervous before firming up. "You know...I wonder if that porter would make a good boozy float? I shall have to test this when I get home. Oh! That reminds me..."

Kailey leans in so she can speak more quietly to the Brewery Owner. "Hey Tor, we need to get rid of ice cream. So free scoops for everyone who orders a pint of your stuff at Sweet Retreats if ya feel like it."

"I think I'm just a malt kind of guy," Ash admits to Tor, though he does give the IPA on his board a long look. "But then, I also like citrus." His pen is out and he taps it against the page thoughtfully. "We'll see." He's not above liking something if it surprises him, after all. He catches Bennie's gesture of triumph and chuckles, giving a shrug. The pen is put down and he shrugs out of his outer layer, draping it over the back of the stool (or if there are no stool backs, hopefully there are hooks provided under the bar top). "I focus on local happenings. This-" he picks up the IPA; might as well start with what he expects to enjoy the least. "is a local happening."

Easton's voice is definitely subdued tonight. There is no booming, in fact his is barely louder than most others. He raises his eyebrows at Bennie and then nods, "Yeah.. yeah. I think we're all set?" He's clearly distracted but attempting to get into the groove of the night and support Dr. Pizza Boy's new venture.

He misses Joe's look altogether but picks up on Ruiz's entrance. "You look like shit cap." He helpfully points out for the more tactful among them. Easton may have bags under his eyes and that /drinking too much, sleeping too little/ air, but he at least doesn't look like he lost a fight.

"Yeah, I still need to see the house sometime. If it's still standing." Easton tells Justin.

Itzhak rolls in on his funny kinda half-swagger, next. His eyes are wide and his curls are wild, and he stands in the doorway for a moment, blinking at an environment that is well-lit and calm. "Jesus Christ, it's a fuckin' madhouse out there!" he announces in a volume suggesting he's momentarily forgotten how not to shout over the wind.

"Itzzy!" Kailey calls out 'Cheers' style. Only she hops off her stool to give him a hug. It appears her worry manifestation is this hyper energy. Making her flit from thing to thing and person to person like a purple hummingbird.

Bennie moves Easton's belongs and then turns her back to him, if only so she can hoist herself up on the bar's top by the heels of her palms. "Oh, we are definitely a happening sort of place." She tells Ashley as she hitches up her knees and swings her legs around to the other side of the bar and tucks her feet next to Easton's hips from her perch. "Hey, Justerino. It goes!" She pipes up to answer her friend, nicknames in excess because Alexander isn't around. Her true attention is on Easton though as she leans over and goes nose to nose with him. "You good?" Eyes narrowing into investigating squints.

"I could go somewhere, I suppose, but I'll be honest, I kind of want to ride out the storm and be here when it happens, crazy as that might be," Justin says as he glances toward the door as Ruiz and Itzhak roll in, and the gust of wind that follows them. Then his attention shifts back over to those at the bar once more.

He then grins at Easton and says, "Any time, man. Just come on by. Shoot me a text or something. I've been in and out a lot but I'm pretty much here til this storm is over one way or another."

Joe turns on his stool to beckon over the new arrivals. There are empty stools before him. He's working on a flight of the new brews. "Baby, you look like twenty miles of bad road," he informs Ruiz, tone solicitous, patting a stool by him. Itz's comment gets a flash of that wicked grin. "Ain't it though?" he says, sounding almost happy about the fact. Like he's really looking forward to it.

Nothing like some time off to relax, and relax is what Devlin is going to do. He comes on it and heads towards the bar. He nods to a few people and greets those he knows, "Good to see you, hope the beer is good. Would be nice to find a nice beer with all the on coming craziness that is headed our way."

"Yeah?" Javier slides onto a stool next to Joe's, and flashes Easton a grin full of crow's feet as he goes to dig for his wallet in his jeans pocket. "Fuck off." A crumpled bill's tossed atop the bar, and he rakes his fingers through his dark curls, trying to tame down the damp mess. A splinter's picked out and flicked away. "Are you flirting with me, or looking to get hurt?" he mutters at the blond beside him as he scruffs through his hair for more detritus.

"Just had a brilliant idea," says Tor as Kailey mentions ice cream. "Sure, to that. But also," he snaps, "Beer ice cream float. It would work with the sour, probably." He clucks his tongue. Maaybe not. But beer is all about experimentation. Then he's back to slinging pints and samplers. His mood improves with every body past the door. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to hold this on the eve of a storm after all.

Itzhak not only enthusiastically hugs Kailey, he actually lifts her off the ground and whirls her around. "Baby girl! How's you doin', how's the tadpole." Kailey gets knighted with a smooch to the top of her head. And lest Itzhak be accused of preferential treatment, Devlin also gets a big hug when he comes through the door. (He refrains from spinning him around, however.) "'ey! What's shakin'! Besides the entire damn world." Apparently, all this stimulation is having an effect on the tall lanky guy. Itzhak doesn't look like he's lost a fight, but he sure looks like he'd enjoy starting one, jittery and wound too tight.

Watching Bennie spin over the bar creases Easton's dimples. He glances over his shoulder at Itzhak's bellow and laughs. The bar may be boarded up on the outside and look nearly condemned but inside it is in fact a decent night, even if nearly all the tourists have either left or hunkered down.

"Nah, that's not crazy. I mean no more crazy than us choosing to stay in a town that is literally trying to kill us or drive us crazy or both." Easton's crack lacks a little bit of light-heartedness and ends up being slightly on the downer side. "But yeah, after the storm, I'll swing by and question all of Hya's design choices." Because Easton does love winding her up.

He looks up at Bennie's question and his face scrunches up. He mentally sends to her <<Tom's back. His ghost at least.>> He locks eyes with her, letting that bit of information sink in.

"Por qu� no los dos," Joe retorts, too innocently, and nearly as quietly. The blue eyes are positively alight with mischief....an energy rather similar to Itz's being wound up. Devlin gets a salute with the flight glass of cranberry sour he's drinking; things are dire enough that he's abandoned his beloved bourbon for the arms of local craft beer. Though surely it's only a one night stand.

Kailey gives a happy and loud shriek of a giggle as Irzhak spins her. Finishing it off with a big grin up at the guy. "She's fine. Got to pet a goose in the park the other day. Now won't stop asking for the Goof stories," She says as she heads back towards her place at the bar. And hey look right near where she was already sitting. "How goes your storm prep? I'm finishing ours up," And she pats the growler of Porter she bount, on the bar at her place, with eagerness.

"So something drinkable?" Devlin inquires of Joe. "And lucky me.. seems suddenly the bean counters want me taking a few days off." He smirks, "What you want to bet that the Chief calls me back in before that clock runs out thanks to our unfriendly neighborhood on coming storm?" Once at the bar, "May as well hit me with the tasters and I could go for a basket of wings," Devlin tells the bartender. "If your out of wings.. nachos work too."

"Well, yeah, there's that, too," Justin can't help but agree with Easton on that count. There is a whole lot of crazy involved in even sticking around Gray Harbor at all. He then grins and says, "I'm sure that she'll love that." By which he means, she will make all kinds of pinched faces and try to look patient about it, but will really want to stab someone, artfully, probably with that really pointy leg she wears when she wants to make a point. Literally.

He tries another one of the sampler glasses from his flight, and then a third as he waits for the tots to come out. Just a sip of each but with a wait between so that he can focus on each flavor individually.

Bennie's face screws up to one side and then the other, animated like one of those claymation chickens only without the scary teeth at Easton's mental words that at least no longer give her a splitting headache. <<Gray Harbor has ruined me for coincidences.>> Projected back, her detached voice weaker and unfocused. Sorry for anyone else who picked up on that. "I'll make up the guest bed!" She responds in an effort to sound cheery, leaning in to give him a peck on the nose before stage whispering. "I think Joe is high as balls." Because he seems way too perky about this storm. "Lemme go run some food!"

"So, whatcha think?" Tor asks Joe after the man has had a chance to sample a few. "I don't think I've ever served you a beer before." Then he leans towards Bennie and taps her on the shoulder gently to get her attention as she's about to breeze by for food. "Push the sour a bit if you can. If we lose power and refrigeration, it'll go off. Would love to clear out most of the keg."

Ruiz, unsurprisingly, is considerably more sedate tonight. None of Itzhak's wild energy; his big shoulders are hunched where he sits, waiting for that tequila to magically appear in place of his money. The more people show up, the more tension's stitched through his shoulders. Though he does send Joe a bemused look at the return fire Spanish, and tip his chin in an upnod to Devlin once he spots the medic.

Itzhak's glimpsed in the same scan of the room, and his face splits in the grin for the musician, playing the life of the party as he often tends to.

"That's not really what I-" But Bennie is pretty focused on Easton for the moment, so Ashley doesn't pursue that line of discourse. Instead, he focuses on his notebook. Another sip of the IPA and he wrinkles his nose just a little. Not a lot, but the face of 'Yeah, IPAs definitely aren't my thing' before he sets that down. He looks at it, looks at the rest of his flight, then leans to glance for Tor or Vic and ask: "Could I get a glass of water? Also, an order of nachos. You got those, yeah?"

"It's good," Joe informs Devlin. Overhearing the comment about the sour needing to be pushed, he tells Tor, "I'll take a growler of it. I like it. I like sour, tart beers. Real fond of those Belgian ones,what're they called? Lambic?" he ventures.

Bennie gets that flickering grin. "I like storms," he tells her. "They used to make my old job goddamned terrifying, and even now I get an adrenaline high when I feel the pressure go that low."

Even as he speaks, he's got a hand on Ruiz's back, rubbing gently between his shoulder blades.

Easton's eyebrows somehow project patience in their furrowed state as he lets Bennie process that bit of news. His face twitches into a smile as she makes it sound like a fun unplanned sleepover instead of a haunting that's threatening to unravel much of the progress he's made. It's not that she's unaware, she clearly knows the weight of it and she's choosing to help him rise above it, she's good like that. He glances over at Joe and comments, "Lucky him." at the possibility of being in an altered state. He watches Bennie head off to go run some food, "If you bring me my tots first I'll take me shirt off." He glances at Justin and adds on his behalf, "Justin's willing to go a step farther if he's first tho."

He glances over at Ruiz, and after a moment picks up two of the smaller flight sized beers and heads towards him. He leans against the bar next to him, double-fisting trial sizes, "Everything okay?" As if there were ever a time in this town that everything would be okay.

"Hey, you tried it. I appreciate that," Tor says to Ashley. He pours the pint of water for the radio DJ, then taps at the point of sale system. "Took the sampler cost off your bill. I know it's not everyone's jam. Hell, it's not really mine, either. But I've had to get a taste for it so I know what the fuck I'm talking about."

"Growler of sour, got it," he says to Joe. "You want it now or when you're on your way out? Best if it doesn't go warm. And lambic, yeah. Got a couple experiments coming down the line. I'm still learning the ins and outs but I have a real pro brewmaster who is taking me to school."

"Wait, what?" Justin had been idly watching the wind blowing through the door when Easton suddenly volunteers him for 'a step further'. He glances back toward Bennie and then over at Easton and says, "What did you just volunteer me for?" He looks amused, if anything, and reaches to try the last of the items on his flight, because whatever it is, it probably wouldn't hurt to have a couple of drinks in him first, and he'd only been sipping so far.

Itzhak swags on over to the bar. He's got to lean in to murmur something to Ruiz, and trade fist bumps with Joe, grinning a manic flash of a grin at him. Fingerguns at Tor, and when Easton arrives he slaps him on the back. But he doesn't sit down. In fact he's off again, stalking through the tables and chairs. Then he whips around, staring at Ashley. "Hey!" It comes out as a bark loud enough to serve for a parade ground, and he flinches, startling himself. "...hey," he tries again in a tone only somewhat louder than normal. "I know you? I don't think I know you."

Devlin nods a bit to Joe, "Good. Yeah, nothing like weather to make things interesting. Granted for me.. weather was what the grunts used to take advantage of a miserable opponent." He grins a bit as he waits for his order. "Hey there Ruiz. Taking a break before all hell breaks loose?"

Acknowledging Tor's statement with a conspiratorial wink, then there is the sound of Bennie's laughter filtering back thanks to Easton as she walks into the kitchen and disappears for a few moments. Trays are for quitters, and the blonde seems to be employing her waitressing skills from her time at the Grizzly as she returns with paper boats of tots and nachos marching up arm. "Who the h-e-double hockey sticks orders tots without the bacon and cheese? Sacrilege." Spinning Easton's order out first where he has moved to be near De lala, she sing songs a, "Pay up." Before flouncing away to deliver others.

"Course I tried it," Ash tells Tor. "It's not terrible, I don't think. I mean, I've had worse IPAs. I'll still pay." He's totally not trying to get out of that, promise. And it's not like he can't afford it, whatever the 'I stopped updating my wardrobe ten years ago' of his attire might tell you. He glances to the water, tilts his head. "Oh, uh. Palate cleanser, y'know? Realized I should make sure I'm not assuming one flavor is the next." Super real professional here.

Except Ash Jones is a professional radio voice, not a professional taster. But when you're in the media, you dabble. He's caught off-guard by Itzhak's shout, jumping slightly. The pen drops, he picks it up. Then sets it down and picks up his water for a drink. "You might know me on the radio." He points to his shirt, with the WKRW emblazoned across the front.

Ruiz's eyes crinkle a little at the corners with whatever Itzhak tells him, but he doesn't look up. Until, that is, the bark of sound that accompanies that glance toward Ashley. Who earns a flick of dark eyes from the cop, too. Doesn't look quite so keyed up, this one. More like a wary old wolf who's trying to decide if it wants to go to the trouble of biting or not.

Then, since Joe's doing that thing with his hand between his shoulderblades, he turns back to the bar. And chuckles at Devlin's question. "Something like that. Surprised you got the night off, too." Easton's double-fisted beers are eyed. "Depends. I don't drink American piss. What're those?"

"Are you drinking them here to here?" Tor asks Ashley, pointing to the beer on the flight that is arranged roughly light to dark. "Trick I learned is to start at the light end and work your way across, cause the darker beers will hold up better as they warm up. And the best palate cleanser is somethin' salty. Or like, cucumbers but we don't have any of those except in salad form." He overhears Ruiz and quips up, perhaps a bit defensively, "No piss here. We're all hipster and shit."

Easton glances back at Justin and nods at him mouthing /it's fine/, yes he did just volunteer Justin for something but that's nothing new for the two of them. When Itzhak calls out to Ashley, Easton looks him over and is dismayed to realize he doesn't know the man's drink, either he's slipping or he hasn't served him yet. He hopes it's the latter. Bennie's tot slinging gets a grin and a shake of his head, "Sorry, my order came out with the rest, you just get a tease." He lifts his shirt up at her to flash his abs and winks at her, thankful for a ridiculousness break from his moping of late.

Replying to Ruiz's comment with a grin, "Hey what you do or don't do with those two in the bedroom is between you. We're not asking for details old man." Look, he's not the one who said the piss comment. "These are Tor's new beers." He sips one and nods, "They're actually decent." He says that mostly over his shoulder to Tor, not exactly heaping praise but a start.

"On my way out," Joe says, nodding. "You know best on that front. I look forward to seein' what you do. Good for me to break out of the drink rut," he says, a little ruefully. Itz swans by, and Joe taps knuckles with him, HOLD to STAY. "Right?" he says to Devlin. "Man, I bet it's gonna be busy as all get out for y'all."

He's started scratching Ruiz's back with his free hand, as if the cop really were an old wolf who needed his ears scritched. "Well, y'know, the old joke about how mass market American beer is like sex in a canoe: fucking close to water. But this is good, baby." He steers his own little set of glasses on a tray the cop's way. "Give 'em a try." A snort for Easton's joke.

"Loophole!" Bennie accuses, but still ogles Easton's wares. Very few in Gray Harbor haven't seen them before, posted as they were for months in a missing flyer over the bar, but far be it for her to pass up on each and every opportunity. There is a bite to her lip and a comically loud whine as she peels her eyes away to deliver more food. "This would go AMAZEBALLS with the Sour." Whether or not nachos actually pair, she's here to play Tor's hype woman.

Devlin gets his wings and the flight. He looks over towards the busy Tor and then back to his flight. He starts out with the pale beers to see how they taste.

Itzhak stares blankly at Ashley, head tilted for all the world like a dog hearing something intriguing. Then all at once he reanimates. Puzzle solved! "Oh shit, the radio! I thought it was on! You're that DJ. Ash Jones, right? I spend a lotta insomnia nights listening to you. Radio's a dying art, man. Dying. Art."

Then Easton gets a terrific scowl for his crack about Itzhak's sex life. "Hey you shut ya fuckin' mouth, Marshall!" He points, all dramatic menace, at Easton: hips canted, eyebrows down, two fingers out. Even though he totally eyes up those famous abs when they're flashed.

Of course Javier takes a gander at the goods on display, when Easton flashes his abs. Who wouldn't? Never mind he's seen them a hundred times before. He makes a face though at the joke, if it can even be called that. "You didn't fucking go there," he mumbles, making gimme fingers for the other one of Easton's not-piss beers. "Fine. I'll give it a try. If you promise never to comment on my sex life again." Yeah, right. Also, "Hey, Bennie."

It is fine, because whatever he was volunteered for doesn't come to pass anyway, and Justin just smiles bemusedly as he flashes Bennie. He accepts his own order with a smile for Bennie and a quiet, "Thanks," before he settles in to just people watching the others around the bar as he pokes a fork into his tots and pops one into his mouth. He does, in fact, use the tater tots as a palette cleanser between making his way through his flight of beers. Once he settles on the one he likes best, he orders himself a pint of Helles in one of those commemorative glasses for later.

"Drinking them in the order they're on tap," Ash admits to Tor, though not really sheepishly. He's not shy to admit when he doesn't know something. It's important in his line of work, after all. "But I was saving the porter for last." So that fits with the brewer's recommendations at least! When the nachos are delivered, Bennie is looked upon as an angel. Briefly. "Cranberry sour and nachos, you say? Well, if it does, I'll make note of it. And make sure to mention it." There's a wink to her before he picks up a chip. Doesn't matter if it's hot. He'll blow on it and chomp down, breathing carefully around lava-like cheese as he upnods to Itzhak as the man figures it out. Once he finally manages to swallow, AJ finally speaks. "Yep. Love radio. Keeps me up, too, and I like that just fine." Town full of insomniacs: perfect for Ash's line of work.

The joint is rocking to the point you'd never know there's a once in a generation storm on their doorsteps. That is until the power flickers. Everything dims into a brown-out for a moment, then comes back up without completely losing power. "Ahhh, don't do this to me," says Tor to whatever being might be controlling the fates of weather. The one casualty of the brown-out was whatever music was playing. It's stopped itself, perhaps as a result of someone's Bluetooth unsyncing.

Looking at Itzhak with amusement Easton asks, "Dying art?" He looks back at Joe as he retreats and then Itzhak, "Is everyone else high? I should be flying." He looks over at Bennie and thinks better of it.

Getting Itz to yell at him and Ruiz to make that face does seem to cheer him up. He hands one of the beers to Ruiz and says, "Yeah yeah, yer all tough guys I know." He's suppressing a smile when he says it, clearly fond of the two of them. Looking back at Justin he looks about to say something when he changes his mind and goes with the more demure, "You find anyone to shack up with for the stor-" He's apparently in a mood to poke at his friends tonight, kind of in a friendly way. But in a bit more abrasive than usual way too. Thankfully for Justin the power flickers and Easton is stock upright and has his hand behind his back but doesn't draw the gun yet. Geez, wired much Marshall?

Beaming a smile at Ashley's wink, "Feel free to give me like, none of the credit." She makes sure his water is topped off as her attention shifts like a Kender seeing something shiny.

"Sooooo busy." Bennie answers for Devlin to Joseph's question, "But we're totally ready to go on full GH lockdown. Just remember, if there is water on the road 'Turn Around, Don't Drown' because I'm so not looking forward to any high water rescues, k'peesh?" She pats the bar in front of Devlin with a little quirk of her brow in a silent, 'you good'? Checking up on her co-worker from the station briefly.

Elbows get planted into the bar in front of Ruiz as he greets her, chin resting on her curled up fingers. "Did someone say sex life?" But her laser like focus on the topic flickers when the power does and she gives a little squeak. Last time they lost power in the bar, Easton did his best reappearing act dressed like Lord of the Flies and she can't help but ticking a look in that direction to make sure he' still here.

Devlin nods to Bennie, "Ahem to that.. I'm one of those they'd call on too. Not a swim I am highly interested in making." He smiles to her, "Good to go." Easy to see he is working his way up the flight of beers to taste and he still has a few wings. "Lets hope the power does not go out. They do have a decent generator here... or don't they?"

"Wait, is there weed being paired with these too? Because I will absolutely help decide strain and beer pairings." Ash isn't good at that either, but it sounds like a fun time so sign him up. He stuffs another few chips in his face, brushes off his fingers, and picks up his pen. A few notes are scribbled before he washes it down with water and moves on to 'Send Me to Helles.' He looks a lot more interested in the lager than he did the IPA. "If anyone needs, you can come by the station. It's pretty far out there," got to be, to have room for the dishes, "and we've got couches. It's my 'oh shit my house is flooding' plan."

Chances are Ash will just post up at the station whether he needs to or not.

Well, Easton's not the only one with a hair trigger reflex when it comes to weird shit happening. Javier's set his own drink down, and got his jacket swept aside and his hand on the grip of his holstered gun, like a mirror image of his fellow ex-Marine. His dark eyes flick to the lights above them, then to Joe and Itzhak, and finally Devlin, tonguetip tracing his teeth slowly.

"Yeah. And I aim to be higher yet," Joe drawls, as he finishes off the sour, and contemplates the other offerings in the flight. The IPA gets a dubious look, but he picks it up, samples it with a smack of his lips. "Well, I don't usually care for pale ales, but this is good," he concedes. Like he's doing Tor such a favor.

Back to rubbing Ruiz's back, though now he's just circling a palm. Reassuring himself, maybe, by that contact. Or trying to ground some of that energy. To Itzhak, he notes, mischievously, "You best shut it for him, one way or another." Trying to start trouble.

The lights flickering makes him remove his hand, but he only looks wary. Not armed, it seems. Not with mundane weapons, anyhow.

The lights flicker, and Itzhak looks up at them. But whatever else he's is about to say gets interrupted by his phone buzzing. "Hold that thought," he instructs the room, yanking his phone out of a too-tight hip pocket and half-jogging to the other end of the room. There he proceeds to talk in rapid, rolling Yiddish to someone, laughing and occasionally dipping into English to say things like, "Oh my God, right?"

Unfortunately Bennie's crack about prying into people's sex lives happens before the power flickers so Easton barely has a chance to laugh at it. Joseph's stirring the pot would also get a mischevious smile that gets cut short.

After the power comes right back and Easton's done a visual sweep he relaxes slightly. Glancing at Ruiz and then down at his gun he just nods at the older former Marine. He downs the rest of his tiny flight beer and snags the next, downing that without bothering to taste it much (sorry Tor). But with that down he manages to relax at least a little, telling Devlin, "Yeah generator's solid, barring any gremlins or supernatural interference." He has long since stopped saying whatever to whoever in this town about the spookies.

"Just a couple more hours, you crazy-ass town. That's all I ask," murmurs Tor to the ether as he pulls a few more pints. Then he goes and touches some kind of emblem around his neck, but whatever it is gets quickly tucked back under his collar. "I'm worried about my trailer. Storms love to wash away trailer parks."

"Why, you offering?" Justin shoots back at Easton, knowing full well that he is not. But that's the way it goes back and forth between them. His expression is amused. But then the lights flicker out and he glances around, not seeming quite as jumpy about it though. He lifts his glass and takes another sip and waits to see whether they come on or not.

"I would find some place else to hang than a trailer park," Devlin says to Tor. "No offence, even the high school shelterer is better. The winds are going to be pretty high and that tends lead to serious damage." He continues sipping on the flight and eating wings.

The power holds for now and Bennie deflates - quite literally with a dramatic flop on the bar - with relief. "I hope you've dusted off your water gear." She replies with her face smooshed against the wood to Devlin. "I mean I'm super excited about finding hot pink waders, but I'd prefer a much more fun excuse to wear them." She oozes off the bar and pops back up, lively as ever. "So who needs a refill on that SOUR! One hundred percent gremlin free!"

"You know you're far too pretty for me J." Easton quips back and then looking at Bennie he adds, "And besides somehow that pretty blonde EMT hasn't gotten sick of me yet so you'll just have to wait a little longer." He almost manages not to spoil the light hearted mood with the little darker, "And there's a dead Marine who decided to crop back up that I think would get a little jealous if we did." It's easier to talk about when he can crack a joke.

Catching bits and pieces of the conversation with Tor, Easton swears and shakes his head. "Shit, I gotta call Geoff make sure he's got a place to be too." He sets down his beer and looks up at Tor, "You need a place to crash?" He looks up only for a second, obviously typing out texts at the same time.

If the power flicker bothered Ash, he doesn't show it. Maybe he just figured it to be part of the 'working the kinks out' of a new launch. Or maybe he's one of those who is just that adapted to 'weird shit central aka Gray Harbor.' He is a local. Three decades of weird shit and sometimes you just roll with it. Plus, a brownout ahead of a storm? That's low on the weird-o-meter. It's a wiggle of the arm, nothing more. He takes a few sips of the lager, seems satisfied with it (and to enjoy it much more than the IPA, to be sure). More notes are scribbled before the DJ moves on to some nachos, some water, and the Homesteader.

"So you keep telling me," Justin grins over at Easton and then he lofts his glass in Bennie's direction. "Somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen any time soon." Though the mention of the dead marine does give him pause, the glass halfway to his lips, and the smile fades just a bit. He doesn't comment on that, just giving a bit of a nod, and finishing off the glass. It may have been delivered as a joke, but he knows it isn't.

"Not like I have a ton of options," says Tor to Devlin. There's a bit of an edge in his voice. But then, he's been taking shit about living in the park most of his life. So the 'some place else to hang' sort of rubs him the wrong way. He pours himself a pint of the Helles and sips at it. Just checking the quality. Yep. Still beer. He lifts a shoulder at Easton's question. "I mean, I could go stay with my mom and her boyfriend but that's always a little awkward."

The hand at his back manages to take a little of the edge off, but it's a moment or two before Javier's willing to let go of his gun and re-settle. Then Easton's making cracks about who's too pretty for him, and the cop snorts softly. "Going to go grab a smoke," he murmurs, tossing the rest of his beer back, and making a face before he pushes to his feet. Then he's ambling off toward the boarded-up deck to find a gap to smoke through.

Joe's kind off in his own little world, since Itzhak didn't oblige and try to wade into it with Easton. But he's glancing at the younger man just in time to overhear that comment about jealousy, and it's enough to make him pause with the IPA flight glass nearly to his lips. Visibly recalculating, and he doesn't quite shrug, before taking a swig. This one he's not as enthused about as the sour, it's clear. He watches Ruiz get up with that faintly wry look, but doesn't seem disposed to follow at the moment. He's quit, after all.

Devlin smiles to Bennie, "Yeah.. I love my bright orange with neon yellow reflective tape, myself." He smiles a bit as he finishes his flight. He replies to Tor, "Been in a lot of places where the only good choice was a bad one, myself. Believe me, I get the whole.. not about to abandon my home bit. Had a few people try to evict us from an Ef Oh Bee a few times. We resisted the idea with aggressive enthusiasm. If nothing else recheck your tie downs and may be add a few more if you have time. Last thing either of us want, is something to happen to you in that storm."

"It's because he can do this thing with his mouth..." Bennie tells Justin from behind a pretend wall made out of her hand .

"I'll make up the couch!" Bennie pipes up, overhearing Easton's offer to Tor, but it goes to stand that'll be for anyone that needs it really. But apparently the guest room is spoken for by a specter.

Bennie's comment brings back Justin's grin and he laughs, lifting his glass to her. Then he says to Easton, "Hyacinth's still at the house. Dahlia's headed back to L.A., though. So between Hyacinth and Caleb," the dog, "I'm pretty sure any threats will be duly frightened off."

The Homesteader is satisfactory enough to Ashley that he finishes it off. The first of the samples that he just outright empties the glass. He scribbles notes and half-listens to what's going on around him as he munches on more nachos. There's a few sips of water before he picks up the sour -- the Queen of Tarts -- and takes a sip. The DJ is off in his own world for the moment, but that's a pretty normal place for him from the looks of it.

Easton watches Ruiz go and looks like he might go join him for a moment before snagging the last beer off his flight and retaking his seat next to Justin. He just nods at Bennie's suggestion of why she stays, "That's true."

He smirks at the offer to Tor, "I'd offer you the room but you might get spooned by the undead and he gets a little frisky.." He trails off and adds a "Or he did." without sounding too maudlin about it. "Anyway!" He announces at his usual loud volume, "Tor, I need a pint of each of these, enough fuckin' around, let's get after it." He's supporting a friend! Kind of.

"Yeah even fully armed and alive I don't think Banks was a match for Hya. You should be safe." Easton downs the last of the flight and awaits his five pints.

"You guys don't have to..." says Tor to Bennie and Easton before he's momentarily distracted by filling an order. Things are slowing down as some of the patrons decide to get back before it gets too late. "A pint of each?" he reiterates when Easton's order comes through. Then, "I'm okay with handsy ghosts if they're cute." A very Gray Harbor statement. He raps on the bar in front of Ashley. "How's it going? Need anything else?"

"Not me," says Joe, more quietly. Perhaps recalling his own squad of ghosts, if ones less concrete and insistent than the locals. A glance after Ruiz, but there's an odd remoteness to it, the pilot's manic glitter obscured for a little. Considering their lost years, perhaps.

Devlin settles his bill the next time Bennie comes about, "Not bad.. I'll have to try another flight later to narrow down better what I do like." He tips generously. "I'll come back later."

Looking up from his scribbles that might resemble writing if one looks to close (read: he has terrible handwriting), Ash blinks at Tor, then at the flight. He points with his pen to the empty of Homesteader. "A growler of that." And then after a moment's thought, he points at Queen of Tarts, too. "And that. Probably the Porter, too." He reaches for his water, finishes it off, and adds a sheepish look for the brewer. "And more water, thanks."

"Please, it's no trouble, Gunner needs someone new to drool on. The dog, not the..." Bennie flaps the bills Devlin left towards Easton and all the ghost talk to indicate Tom, finishing a great deal of her sentences with random hand gestures. Some of the money goes in the till, some in the tip jar before she slips out from behind the bar and up behind Easton to wrap him up in an embrace and tuck her chin to his shoulder. "One of those totally is for me, right?" The ordered pints. Sure, she shouldn't be drinking when she's technically on call, but sometimes you are willing to make a sacrifice. Jump on the grenade for a pal, right?

Justin grins and finishes off his own pint and then pulls out his wallet to settle up his tab, leaving a generous tip as well before finishing off the last couple of tots. "Alright. I'm going to go make sure that the dog gets out before it gets too bad, and that Hya made it back alright. If I don't see you all til this blows over, stay safe, eh?" He lifts a hand in a salute to the room, gives Bennie's elbow a little squeeze, Easton's shoulder a pat, and he's off for the door to head back out into it.

"I like a man who knows how to provision for a storm," says Tor to Ash's order. "We're gonna have cans eventually but that won't be for a bit. Gotta figure out what sells the best and then..." he pauses, "Well, a lot of business shit needs to happen." He refills the water, then starts on the growler fill. One fizzes out on him. "Shee-yit. Bennie, would you hold down the fort a minute? I gotta go swap some kegs." The minute, as it turns out, will be several. He's still not a pro at keg swapping. Eventually, the keg does start to flow again, but he doesn't reappear. Probably went for a smoke break.

"Of course, if you can get to it before I drink it, it's all yours." Easton grins over his shoulder, but really him ordering five pints of beer is only strange in that he would normally want to order them one at a time so they didn't get warm. He takes the first of the pints and says, "I'm just going to call Geoff real quick and threaten his tattoo'ed ass to make sure he's either staying at Harper's or somewhere safe for this." He glances back and decides he might need two of those pints, putting the phone between his shoulder and ear to carry both back to his office.

"Stay safe J. Text me when it's over."

There's a beat where Joe glances down and looks almost surprised to find that he's drinking beer. Well, it's a valid thing, considering how much of a whiskey man he's always been. No hurry to finish up, though. Not really. Like he's not certain he'll see this place again, once the storm is past.

There's a chuckle at Tor and Ashley shrugs. "What can I say? Alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, and weed. What more do I need?" Pause and he flips to another page in his notebook, scribbling down the line. Maybe he fancies himself a poet in his spare time. Let's hope not. He lifts the water glass in thanks as the brewer goes off to see about the growlers (and kegs) and returns to his work. Another sip of the sour and a few more notes jotted down. Sure, there's a storm rolling in, but he's got plenty of beer in front of him: the DJ is doing just fine. His broadcast might be a bit more music heavy tonight as he naps, but that happens sometimes.