2025-01-18 - A Break from the Grill

A deck encircles a large greenhouse in the middle of the roof here, filled with plants tended by residents, from herbs to veg and flowers, is set with a couple of chairs to lounge. People come up here to smoke, garden, look at the stard, or appreciate a lovely view of Crescent from a high vantage point. The outer ring of the deck has several small seating areas, an outdoor grill, and a fire pit with an octagonal seating situated around it. Tonight the fire's lit, cheerfully crackling, providing warmth against the chilly autumn night.

The grill's fired up and hot, already stacked with some black bean burgers and zucchini spears, a couple of whole grain buns toasting on the upper rack. A small cooler of drinks is set by the pit for anyone who comes up here in the chilly weather to enjoy. A small bluetooth speaker pipes out music from a random playlist set to shuffle, just loud enough to provide background, but not to overpower conversation.

River — Leon Bridges

King's sitting not far from the grill at the fire pit, her boots up on the ledge around the flames. She has music going, but is letting an algorithm pick the music. Bundled up in a black hoodie, jeans, boots, thermal socks, and with hand warmers in her pocket and a fire nearby, the paramedic is in no danger of getting too chilly out here. It does keep the drinks nice and cold in their cooler full of ice.

Off duty after a long day, she's got a beer in one hand and a is vaguely considering getting up to check on the progress of the black bean burgers. Occasionally neighbors come and go from the roof, but tonight it's pretty quiet. (So far.)

In and on one of the rare occasions that Casey has an evening off work, he is finding himself the chance to attend one of the rooftop BBQs. The memos and notes around the building enough to get the date and time.

So for once. Someone else is probably on cooking duties.

Heading up to the rooftop though after getting himself ready, a post work shower and slight shave, Casey is stepping into the rooftop. A passing smile to a neighbour, a fleeting laugh while his eyes are glancing across to he food. A hand of his moving over his stomach, pressing against the dark blue corduroy turtleneck jumper to dramatically excuse himself from said neighbour.

Peeling away, guiding himself across to the BBQ cook spot, Casey's lips are curling slightly up as his gaze is meeting the paramedic on cook duties. His face lighting up slightly, just subtly, as he is getting closer to dinner.

"Good evening it looks like. Few neighbours I've not seen before."

King looks up from staring into the fire, and her boots slide off the ledge and hit the ground. She rises to stand and says, "Evenin', baby, you here for a black bean burger. Little spicy, but homemade, and if I say the best you're gonna taste in this building." She has a definite southern accent, and anyone familiar with regions might recognize it as somewhere from Kentucky.

She's been here a little while, so a lot of people know her, but her path only occasionally crosses with hospitality when they call in an emergency. Fare more usual is contact with security. "Got a variety of topping and sauces." She picks up a spatula and flips a couple burgers. "Last time we did one of these, came with a game of truth or drink. Coaxed people out in the chilly weather."

"Homemade even?" Casey's eyebrows are heading on up as those well-kept dark strands are caught surprised by King's admission on them. The edges of his lips drawing up slightly in the corners as he is making his way across to the offered beers in the cooler. "Now that needs to go on the posters as well. We'll see about the best in the building." A little coy smile as Casey is setting a few dollars into the collection pot for the beer.

"There could be a lot of competition out there."

Bottle of beer opened on one of the chained up bottle openers, Casey is turning his chin back across to King as she is flipping the burgers. His free hand moving down into his dark grey trousers, his fingertips tapping on the small carton of remaining cigarettes in his pocket as he is leaning into the table. "I heard. Went well, as well. I've been meaning to get to know a few of the new residents but." Shoulders heading up, "You know how it can be. Shifts and life."

"Homemade. I tried about seven recipes to come to this one," King says, a consummate recipe tester in a home kitchen situation. "These ones," she says, indicating the two on the left, "Are a little spicy." She points to the ones on the right, "Less so, but still a bite." She laughs at the mention of posters. "Man, if too many people come up here, you're gonna buy yourself grillmaster status." Means the more black bean burgs she has to make and freeze, the less grilling she's willing to do.

"Though a competition for the grill is a pretty good idea." Now she's thinking on that.

"Shifts keep you busy and sometimes all you wanna do is come home and crash out." She sets a timer on her phone and leaves the black bean burgs to develop some grill marks. Just a couple more minutes with the top down, once the buns are rescued from the rack and set aside to rest. The cigarettes are safe until if and when they come out of that pocket, and then King's gonna ask for one.

Laughing for a moment as he is bringing his hand out of his pocket, idly moving the packet of cigarettes out, Casey's well-kept eyebrows are lifting up. "You've got me there. Production shift from grillmaster to chef and burger-making-master." Giving the other role just-as-fancy a title before turning his head to look across to the options for him, "Though if on offer, I'll go with one spicy one please."

His voice flecking up, a perk in Casey's tone as his brown eyes are moving to settle on King's face. Taking in the fellow member of staff for a moment, trying to place her while his brow begins to furrow in. Unable to, not exactly. Or least not in this state of Queen of the Grill.

"I'm Casey by the way. Casey Mateo, concierge at the hotel."

"King," says the woman at the grill. "King Sirota. Paramedic by day." She waves the spatula and then gets herself a plate ready fro one of the burgs. "I'm usually in the park on foot, but very occasionally, they let me drive the golf cart. Some days a backpack and quiet response to some heat exhaustion is what I do. Some days not." She shuffles a black bean burger onto a bun and spoons some pesto on top before the bun toppers it.

"Good choice. Those are the superior burgs." She sorts a plate out for Casey, though she sets it aside for him so he can add the sauce or cheese of his choice. She scoops some veg onto both plates and adds a fork. "Concierge duties must keep you busy." She glances up and hands off his plate a moment later. "I'm down on 4 with Michael and Matty." Security and a stablehand.

"You've probably been the one then on the other end of the phone, or arriving, if we have had a guest at the hotel who's needed some urgent medical care." Pausing as he is bringing the bottle of beer in his hand up closer to his mouth, Casey is taking a sip back on it. Leaning a little more against the edge of the table while watching King work.

"Yes I got to spend some time out in China, out over in the nearby bits of Asia. Some time in Japan so have got to try some real spicy food over there." Reaching down now for the burger on a plate, Casey is moving his packet back into his pocket while picking out the sauce options. BBQ sauce. A scoopful of lettuce for on top of the burger while bringing his eyes to King once more.

"Ever managed to get the 'Spicy Granny Mix' they have out there? I mean depending on how you feel about MSGs." A shrug of his shoulders before adding, "And yes. Oh boy do you get some odd requests and see some odd things."

"Could be, yeah. I responded to the resorts more than a handful of times. Know the back way in, how to avoid being noticed by the guests. Service elevator access and all," King says with a nod. She sorts out the other grill items and puts them to the side to stay warm, turning the grill down some and leaving it open.

"Japanese food is so good. I'd love to see Japan one day. I've had some authentic food prepared by families who moved here, usually gifted to the firehouse I worked for in Chicago. But never been there. From what I've learned of the people and seen for myself, it seems like a beautiful country to visit."

"I'm all for anything that enhances flavors. And no, I haven't, but you seem like the man who'd know where to get something like that. Am I right?"

Reaching the get a fork in his hand, avoiding to eat salad with his fingers after all, Casey is tucking napkin as well underneath his plate. A little quirk of his lips following as his eyes are moving back to King's face, the edges curling up as a little hum is touching his voice.

Turning his chin a little from the grill, across to where there's less food smells and more views, the older man is asking, "Chicago? Where you grew up? I'm from New York until I could back up and move and hey..."

His voice trailing a little more again, Casey's head tilting slightly as he is asking King. "I should be able to. If you wanted, can work out where to get it and deliver it. If, say, you wanted to get a break from the grill?"

King drops into a chair with her plate in her lap, reaching for a sugary soda to enjoy with the burger. "You make a living getting things for people who can afford it." She takes a big bite of the burger, satisfied with the spice level and the savory flavor of that pesto on top of it. "Mm—" She swallows and takes a sip before saying, "No, family there. I grew up in Kentucky. Lived in Chicago a while, though, before I ended up here."

"Kinda miss the city sometimes, but mostly prefer a little more quiet. It's funny how a theme park manages to be a little bit of both, even if it is up in Michigan." She nods at that, "I don't mind a break from grilling. Besides, happy to share the load. Thought it might be fun to do a potluck up here sometime, maybe February. Have some games, good food, community building."

"It isn't Tokyo or Beijing, that's for sure." Casey is moving himself down into a chair as King begins settling in herself, tucking back against it while turning to face her a little more. Slightly crossing his feet while leaning back, the edges of his lips curling up at the idea of a potluck.

"Everyone make either a burger, salad or a sauce, sort of thing? Keep it a mystery, just list the allergens so nobody gets poisoned or a vegetarian ends up on the meat." Moving the beer bottle down to his ankle, Casey is carefully setting it down before bringing two hands onto the burger. Gripping it, preparing himself to take a bite. "Would work well. Depending if you wanted to throw a competition into it, use no names and have people put a token or coin by their favourite."

"Yeah, something like that. Just be sure to label it and anyone who wants to can try whatever. Really just a good excuse to get up here and do some bonding. Sometimes we only see each other at work and that makes it a little isolating coming home," King says. "I mean less so, when you like your roomies like I do, but I miss the community of a big city in the right neighborhood." Not that Spellbound doesn't already have that, but it could always have more.

"As long as I don't have to sample fourteen different pies, we're golden. I made the mistake of saying yes to judging a fair contest once and I really can't look at cherry pie ever again." She lifts her burger. "Ever. Again." And takes a bite.

"Opposite to me then, I have yet to do the right thing and meet my neighbours." Casey's admission to King has him pulling his lips into his mouth with a brief glance away from her face. A low laugh touching his throat even, his shoulders lifting up as if to excuse it. "It is the work. Not often I have evenings like today, or chances like this to unwind. Meet someone new."

Eyes coming back to King's face as Casey is just nearly about to bite into the burger, "So I would be happy to help, if you wanted another set of hands on it."

Finally teeth going down, biting into the side of his burger, Casey's eyes are closing before rest it back on his plate. An approving tone coming from his throat, nodding a little while bringing his hand up to his mouth to cover it, "Mmm these are good King. Really good. Might have to make a rule for no King-patties." Edging a little smile out as he is lowering his hand, "Cherry pies? Fourteen. Custard? Cream or ice cream on the side."

"They'll come to you, sooner or later, especially if there's a gathering. S'how I meet the most of them. In fact, it's how I made a couple new friends. We had a gift exchange around the holidays, then did ourselves a little seance over at Lucky's." As in the bar. King seems amused by this string of events that gained her a couple of friends.

"I'd absolutely appreciate some help. Wrangling all the people, keeping them socialized, I almost burn the food last time, between you and me." Grillmaster secrets. "We did break into a drinking game, but, y'know, things happen."

"Yeah?" She smiles when Casey's a fan of the spicy black bean burgs. "Oh, can't rig my own game? Dang. Alright. Oh god, no custard. Pudding contests. I can't."

"A little seance, huh?" Leaning back once more in his seat, Casey is taking a hold of his bottle of beer as he's asking, "Find anything with it? But yes." Focusing on the actual task at hand, drawing his attentions to King. "Things happen. That'd work well for me. Playing the role of 'social person' to put people into groups, or make introductions, comes as part of the connection making in the job."

Bottle heading down, trading once more for the spicy black bean burgers. "Hey, I'll know and can be easily bribed to encourage others."

"Yeah, you know, see what the spirits are willing to say since our readings and dreams have been wonky for weeks." King gestures vaguely with one hand then says, "Sure, yeah. Apparently whatever gives us these messy dreams is something sunk in the lake off Spellbound island. It's also gives us these..." she waves her hand again. "Abilities. And whatever has been pushing the dreams our way and making all of our tarot readings and shit go round and round in circles has something to do with it too. Something or someone wants it dredged out of the water." She lifts that hand palm out.

"Above my pay grade, as they say. I'm not about to go splashing around in the lake in winter, but a group of people's already on that, doing the boat and recon thing. I'm not sure what they're hoping to find. We didn't discover how big it is or what it is or whether it's dangerous, so..."

"Your guess is as good as mine. Bribery so noted." She smiles at that, despite the topic at hand and all the uncertainties that follow it. "What I do know is there's a lot of people involved so if it does go wrong, that's at least a lot of shoulders to carry the burden." Still, it's a lot of possibility for error and a lot of livelihoods at stake if something goes terribly wrong.

Pausing for a moment as he is bringing the burger to his mouth, Casey's forehead is wrinkling on down as he is hearing about dreams from King. A longer pause before taking the opportunity as she is speaking to eat somewhat more. Turning the burger in his fingertips, pressing into the top and bottom to avoid any slippage from the buns.

"Sounds similar to a small group of us doing some dream-meeting. Seeing if we can walk into the others, how communication works in them. How much control. If not dreams, or water control. Something in-between for your." Casey is thinking of a word that suits the semi-public environment. "Talents?"

Twice nodding, Casey's setting the last corner of bread down on his plate before trading for a napkin. Fingertip dabbing on it, running over his touch. Cleaning them as his gaze is on King opposite. "Alright. Let us find a date and throw it up on the boards. Give people some time to plan."

King finishes up her burger in a few bites, wiping her hands on a napkin stolen from one of the restaurants on the island, one she tucked away in the side compartment of the cooler. "There seem to be a lot of different spooky forces at work on the island, and if the seance is to be believed, all of them are related to something in the water, something someone lost."

"I read cards. Seem to be pretty good at healing, though I haven't tested it very far, because most people aren't seriously injured here. Most of my job is intoxication or heat stroke in summer, exertion, pulled muscles, the occasional cardiac incident."

"I've had luck with evenings, after park closing."

Nodding once more, Casey's lips are pulling tighter to the sides as he is replying, "Alright, did you want me to check my calendar and perhaps text you later a few days when I could do? Just so I can check my shifts, providing that co-host charm while you win the burger cooking contest?"

Leaning back into his chair once more, Casey is bringing a hand down to pluck up the bottle of beer as he is holding it near to his chest. The top of it tapping his top, thumb clinging to the glass side as a bead of condensation begins running down. His touch warming it up slightly more as his gravelly voice is speaking to King, "In the water and with something, or someone? Guess that will mean scuba gear soon. Depending on how involved people want to get, hands on. With management as well looking over and wondering."

"Yeah, let me know when's good for you, we can do up the plan, then unleash it on our unsuspecting cohort," King says, rising from her seat to check the grill again, and move everything off the high heat, turn the thing down. She arranges some stuff so she can nip out for a few and return without coming back to briquettes. "I'm not allowed to cook for the contest, I thought?" She laughs and says, "How are you at handing out drinks and judging entries? Somebody has to be arbiter."

"Seems to be an aquatic team assembled to handle that bit. I'm a land only kinda girl these days, especially when the water's cold as." She nods toward the waters of Lake Michigan, which they can easily see from here, and most points on the islands. "I think we're not..." She gestures with a bottle. "Mentioning it so much." To management. "Self-solving problem."

"Oh right, right." Moving to lean forwards, Casey's elbows are pressing into his knees while he is holding the beer bottle loosely in his hands. Swirling it slightly, allowing the final quarter of liquid to roll around the edges inside the dark glass bottle, "I could do the drinks, you judge? Though we might need a few since I don't eat meat, might be a bit awkward to poke a burger and grade it that way."

A little wry smile touching Casey's lips as he is bringing his eyes towards her. "Keeping it quiet? I mean helps in case people say no about ideas. Since the park would not want bad news to come out. Or people gawking."

"We'll figure that part out. I don't want to be responsible for the win lose on my own. You need at least two judges." King looks over at that. "Because I've seen it happen. Suddenly there's one of us always getting stopped to try this or that, because overly competitive people wanna prove their loss was a fluke or something." She ponders than, then says, "Wait, free food all the time..."

She grins at that and says, "I'll rustle up one or two other people, see how it goes." She nods regarding the super secret sunset surfacing of suspicious cargo. "Better to beg forgiveness, as they say."

"Now then. Shall we kill these veggie burgers? I have to figure out who in my circle of acquaintances has a fair stomach and good taste. Or one or the other, I guess. Can't afford to be too picky." She rises from her seat, amused. "We'll see how this idea sounds in the light of day, fully sober." She chucks a bottle into a recycle bin to be taken downstairs later. "I bet I could get Michael to volunteer for the low low price of a bottle of Kentucky bourbon..."

Laughing again, lifting his chin as King is deciding on free food or being possibly harassed, Casey is gathering his beer bottle while moving to his feet.

"Hard choice to make. Free food but you will also have to have sharp elbows and a good sense of not being Caeser-ed."

It might get VERY competitive!

"Right, right. Prizes as well? Or a prize. I can ask around, if you want to handle booking the location and judges?" Lifting his hand out, Casey's palm is gesturing to King opposite. "You seem more likely to know foodies, and I am dietary awkward. But yes. I'll grab your number then, find a date, and we will get this going then."

King shuts off the grill and shakes her head. "We'll see how receptive the natives seem come February." They went from potluck to competition. Grilling to winning. King collects the leftovers onto a plate and says, "Text you when I find some victims." She hms. "Competitors and judges, I mean."

With that, the thumps the grill closed and shuts off the gas.