"I have to agree with you there. The vibe at Electric is more rambunctious that a gown calls for. Nevertheless, you can easily pull off any of the dresses presented. And, if you can't find an occasion for the attire - you make one." When it came to wardrobe, Marcel preferred smart with a dash of splash. Colors and prints made frequent appearances but sometimes one just needed more. "You know, every now and then I like to invite a group out for dinner and assign a theme - à la met gala. Nothing too out there but just enough to stir it up. I would love for you to join one of these days even if it is just to share a meal. Speaking of which," Marcel turned his wrist to glance at the time on his watch. The event had provided a snack table to peck at but not enough to be filling. Luckily it had ended in time for a late dinner, "The outfits here might have eaten but I have not. Care to join me at Mango Bay restuarant?"

closed starter for: @popurris | felipe location: retro roots

"Sure. But just so we're clear this lil' stack - ," Felipe points and draws mini circles above the couple of records he had set aside earlier, " - is my slice of it, alright? So paws off, pal." He wags a finger at the other patron and plays the part of the grouch just long enough to resume his browsing with a scowl. "- Actually, I'm huntin' for a gift and can't decide which one to take," bit over, Felipe assumes his usual friendly demeanor and flashes the younger man a smile, " if you feel like grabbin' one, that'd really help me narrow it down." All of the records he had pulled were of female fronted groups ranging through the decades. A very specific request made by the recipient. He decided to enlist some help, "Okay, if you were my sister and turning 46 and listen to every freaking genre under the sun - which would you prefer to get?" Felipe picked up the handful of records and handed them over, "And don't say all of 'em because technically I shouldn't be getting you anything since you forgot my birthday."

         quinn takes the pellet grill with both hands, balancing and mindful of his movements. the wheels are a pleasant bonus, helping the offloading process, and then the equipment is safe on felipe’s driveway. “ you got it, fez, ” is his immediate response when felipe asks him to move the smoker to the backyard. it’s as though felipe knows he’s started on his offseason training, and this is simply another workout for him. “ i see you’ve done some trimming here and there, ” quinn observes while he follows felipe, both hands on the handle of the hopper and keeping a steady pace. “ i used to do all those things you mentioned when i was a kid. ” he answers as he carefully sets the pellet grill down next to the gas grill and locks the wheels. “ nowadays, i just help my super cool neighbor move his new smoker, you know? ” quinn ribs, taking a step forward and having a closer look at felipe’s smoker. “ this looks really good — it’s practically mint condition. you're sure the previous owner used this a lot? they took good care of it. ”

"Oh, gimme a break," Felipe rolled his eyes, giving Quinn a wry smile. "Thanks for the help, by the way. Sad for you, that this is how you spend your time nowadays. But seriously. I've already been told off twice for tryin' to go about business as usual." Determined to not let the arm sling get in the way of his summer projects, he had treated doctors orders to "take it easy" as a suggestion at first. Then clear instructions at second, thanks to Julianna.

sovaia has had a busy couple of weeks as of late with the little project she has started recently, dedicating a day with different people in town. but she did not forget about her father, no matter how hectic her schedule has been, the girl had promised to be with him on this day. half-empty mango smoothie in front of her, she started swirling her straw as she glances up at his question. "yeah! i have this piece i had to finish, but... i've just been taking my time, or else i'll be obsessing over it again." she does give him an enthusiastic grin. "we do have works that have just come in, and they're from younger artists—you're going to love how adventurous their art is, dad, i feel like i've learned a thing or two myself." the artist then raises her eyebrow at his question. "if it's... about some news about me being engaged, that's not true, dad, i swear. people are just making up a lot of things nowadays." she sighs. "but really... what is it?"

"Oh. I was going to ask if you had picked a venue yet, so that your father and I could help with the deposit..." He took a peeved sip of his drink, having once again been fooled by the oats of the rumor mill. Not that he'd put the expectation of marrige on his daughters. But if there was one thing Marcel loved, it was spectacular weddings and if it was something his daughters desired, then he'd jump at the first opportunity to make it possible. "At least know that door is open if and when the moment comes." He began gathering his shoulder tote bag, ready for the walk back to the gallery. "Tell me more about this big piece. How long have you been working on it?"

open starter @ sunset tacos | @palmviewstarters

Mouth full with his own lunch, Felipe hummed in disagreement. "Feels like this'll be a tough one to keep to myself," he shook his head after he downed the bite. Plucking a couple of napkins from the table top dispenser, he slid it over to the unlucky woman. "Tell ya what, to make it even, I'll share one of my own screw ups." He wiped his hand, glancing from side to side to make sure no one was evesdropping, "I dragged a traffic cone under my truck for an entire block earlier." Admittedly, it could have been more but with the Crüe going at full volume , he didn't catch the scraping sound right away. "Your thing is definitely more embarrassing though...and I got a free cone outta mine." He tossed the crumpled napkin onto his food tray and pointed a thumb towards the cashier, "Want me to go see if they can remake your food? If I really lay into them about the integrity of the tortillas, they might throw in a free guac."

Cece looked up from her half-drank iced matcha, brought out of her dreamy trance by the sudden appearance of a stranger. A huge smile spread across her lips as it often did when she was recognised, immediately tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and straightening up in her chair, trying to seem more put together for the obvious fan. "That's me," Cece chuckled as she shook his extended hand, her spirits already lifting from the miserable morning she had been having. "I was actually born and raised here," she explained as she leaned back in her chair again. "Just...spending some time at home." It was a lot more complicated than that; not that she wanted to share any of that with a stranger or a fan. "So you liked Country Roads, huh?" Nothing like some caffeine and an ego boost to brighten her day.

"Back in the day. I fell off in the later seasons, after your departure. But even then," his gaze traveled up, recalling the captivating show that held his attention weekly, "the writers had a strong grasp on the essence of a good soap. The characters, the drama, the twists all perfectly timed and--well, I could go on but I'm sure you've heard it all before," he dismissed the topic with a lazy wave, not wanting sincere admiration to be confused with sycophantic schmoozing. After all, it wasn't everyday he ran into a local celebrity. A fact that was news to him but for good reason, "Unless your name is Ricky Martin, I don't pry too much into the private lives of entertainers. Nevertheless, what a delightful fact! Did you frequent the local theater? I was a teacher there for a couple of years but the acting bug never did nibble at me. A lot of it is following schedules, which was never my strong suit."

          quinn is moseying his way to felipe’s driveway when he sees the familiar truck pulling up. he waves before picking up the pace, whistling in surprise when he sees the grill as he walks up to the back of felipe’s truck. “ ‘sup, fez. no way, this is her? ” he briefly studies the big device, shaking his head in wonder. “ jackie gleason — i might have heard of that name. ” it sounds awfully like that one late actor who was fascinated with ufos. or it could be someone else. but back to the task at hand. “ sounds good, i got you. ” it’s also a good thing this isn’t his first time moving a smoker or a grill. quinn positions himself and gives felipe the go signal. “ ready when you are. ”

With a thumbs up, Felipe rolled the piece of equipment to the edge and it was quickly offloaded without any difficulty. Not that he'd expected any. Quinn was more than young and capable enough to handle the one hundred and fifty pounds of steel, bulky as it was. "You mind rolling it to the backyard?" he hopped off the truck bed carefully, "I could do it myself since the thing's got wheels and all but you've been crushing it so far." With a playful grin, he gave Quinn's a quick pat on the back. After closing the tailgate, he led the way through the side gate. The path connected to the paved patio area that formed a U around the pool, with a section of grass connecting the two ends. "Right over here by the other one, Lightning," the designated grilling section had been established at the corner of the flatter surface, where a gas grill was already located. "I've been wanting a smoker for a while. Figured I might as well pull the trigger since we're havin' family come over for the fourth." Even though Felipe had already done a thorough look through of the grill, he opened the top to check it out once more,"What're you getting up to this weekend? Any rad parties lined up? Shootin' firecrackers off of a boat? Chewin' on some Big Chief and hitting up the tilt-a-whirl?"