2025-05-21 - Sleepover at Butterfly House

Michael is and isn't here in an official capacity. Security is aware that this little event is going on and he let them know he was going, but he's not on duty. Does he have his radio to call in if something happens warranting a response? Yes. Is he in uniform or otherwise 'guarding' this event? No, not really.

The keepers of the butterfly house of course probably gave all the usual warnings about being very careful moving around in the butterfly house, and the fans on the people on the floor are probably as much to keep the butterflies from getting inadvertently harmed as they are to keep the people on the ground cool, encouraging the butterflies to seek higher, more still air -- visible, but in less danger. It works out for everyone involved.

He's got a sleeping bag with a foam mattress pad thing underneath for a little added comfort and a small backpack with a couple things in it. Dressed casually, he's got on a pair of jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a pair of black boots.

Asher has vowed to drag themself out of their apartment and meet some co-workers. They've even decided to try maybe to make a few friends. What better way to do that than with a sleepover at one of the most beautiful places in the park? They show up in jeans, their favorite hand-decorated chuck taylors, a Lustra band tee, and a black canvas backpack that matches their black linen blazer.

Letting themself in with their park services badge, they pause not far inside the building, taking a look around to see if they know anyone else there, or if there is any kind of setup or other help the might be able to offer.

What does one wear to a sleepover?

Jammies, of course.

Lavender shows up to the Butterfly House with a worn and faded black (now really charcoal gray) backpack slung over her shoulder, her arms wrapped around a folded up blanket and pillow, and wearing a Jack Skellington onesie. It's made to mimic his pinstriped suit, complete with bat bow-tie (bat-tie?) and the hood comes down far enough to make his skull face cover most of her own. Black Converse are on her feet, old, faded, and well drawn on.

Is a sleepover really the kind of thing Lavender would do on a regular basis? Not really... but, as she announces when she walks in, "butterflies are cool." Upnodding those she sees starting to settle in, she adds, "hey."

Herb arrives with a t-shirt that looks like an old 70's tourist t-shirt of the Bridge with Mackinac written under in half-circle shaped letters and a tri colour rainbow for waves to span the rest of the space under the bridge stencil. The pajama pants are a smattering collage of the Golden Girls in the style of Andy Worhol in comic colours, and grey bunny slippers.

"If anyone asks, I was not found. The merpals needed desert and I'm underwater trying to keep ice cream dissolving. That's my story and I'm testifying to it." Looking at the common thread he says "Aww it didn't say Chucks on the notice. I missed that one. Michael, I'm sad you didn't bring your buddy."

Phineas looks up from his phone the moment Lavender walks in, a wide grin stretching across his face at the sight of the Jack Skellington onesie. “Now that’s commitment to the theme,” he says with an approving nod, shifting on his sleeping bag so he can sit up straighter. “Ten outta ten sleepover vibes.”

He gestures to the growing pile of snacks nearby. “Dropped the snack stash right there, classic assortment. We’ve got salty, sweet, maybe slightly questionable off-brand soda. Help yourself.” He went to Tar-jay before hand. No matter how old you are or where a sleepover is, there has to be junk food represented. Even if they are all adults, he opted out of alcohol and just went for soda and water.

He takes a second glance around at the others filtering in, eyes flicking toward Asher and Michael with a grin that says I see you, cool kids. “To anyone wondering, yes, the butterflies are judging our fashion choices, and no, they don’t care about brand labels,” he adds. “Glad you all came. I was starting to think I was gonna be here solo, just me and a bunch of tiny flying drama queens.” Glancing upwards, some of the pretty butterflies fly high above them, already putting on a show. He seems relaxed when he looks at their little dance.

With a glance back at Asher, he raises a brow. “First sleepover since childhood, or are you a seasoned pro?” He grins at Michael. He then offers his name in general. "I am Phineas for those that don't know me. I lead haunted tour guides with Boo'd Walk. I did take the night off." Chuckling to himself as he says that. A wave to Herb as he comes in. "Welcome! Welcome!"

Asher gives a nod to Michael. They don't really know him, but they've crossed paths now and then on a shift. They don't recognize Phineas at all, but can at least recognize that the blonde seems to be the one putting this whole shebang together. But when Lavender heads inside with that comment about how cool this place is, Asher offers her a smile. "This is one of my very favorite places in the park." Their own chuck taylors are lilac, painted with white and dark purple flowers and embroidered with green vines and leaves. They definitely look both hand-done and old. But they take in Lavender's similar footwear and then add, "Also, I really love your jammies. They look super cozy." They're about to introduce themselves when Herb walks in. Asher takes in all of those words that individually each have meanings and combined seems utter nonsense. They kind of just stand there and stare.

Finally, it's Phineas' welcome that pulls Asher from their stupor. "Thanks for throwing this together. I love this place." They weren't expecting a public interrogation on their past, but they do their best. "More urban street camping than actual sleepovers. Why? What'd I get wrong?" They seem more curious than concerned. Then they look back to Lavender. "I'm gonna grab a water. You want anything?"

Michael offers Herb a bit of a chuckle and says, "They don't allow horses in the butterfly house, unfortunately. He's enjoying a well-earned night off." Settling in, he opens up his own little pack and brought some snacks of his own, though he'd no doubt share if anyone wanted some. "Michael," he introduces himself to those that he doesn't know. "Security. Though not really here officially, tonight." Which is evidenced by the lack of uniform. "Got my radio though just in case." It's turned down very low though and only the faintest sounds come out of it. He keeps it tucked back out of the way. A smile and a wave of greeting is offered to those with whom he's less familiar.

Lavender sets her fuzzy black blanket down and her gray encased pillow atop it, standing and nodding in appreciation of her high score. "Like they say, go hard or go home. Commit or quit, I say."

"Oh, and thanks for putting this together." See, she can be gracious.

Walking over to the snacks supply, she slips her backpack off her shoulder before sliding her arms back into it to wear it backwards for the time being. Opening it, she pulls out some of her own additions to the pile: Sour patch kids in a Jumbo sized bag, and a bag of Dum-dums.

"May you remain blissfully unfound," she comments to Herb. "Thanks," she says to Asher. "Sleepovers are excellent places to be comfy cozy. Mmm... Soda? Whatever is fine." Is she standing near it, maybe, but Asher did ask...

"Lavender, Ride Specialist," she comments, after Michael also introduces himself to the group at large. "Take that as you will." She shrugs with the slightest shadow of a smirk upon her lips.

Herb is an energy that is undaunted in all occasion like a dandelion in the wind- all over the place. A hand finds Lavender's shoulder in greeting with a squeeze while he sets things down. He greets the others, "Gregory, but everyone just calls me Herb or GrubHerb; deliveries and Audrey's fashionable kickball." Audrey in the gift shop is still at her passive aggressive war.

"Michael does he get a little horsie spa day and everything? Austin made me believe this is a thing now and I'm kinda living for this to be true." What looks like a yoga matt and a sleeping bag and a blanket folded between goes down to become the Herb landing pad there. To Asher he says "I didn't catch your name, but I love the shoes. The custom detail is a real vibe."

Phineas grins at Asher when he hears their response. "Oh, nothing at all!" He attempts to assure them. "I was trying to break the ice."

He tells the group in general, "I was just looking for a chance to spend the night with these lovely creatures. I love spending time in the gardens and watching the butterflies whenever I have a free moment. I figured there were others who would appreciate the opportunity. So what can I say but you're welcome?" Chuckling. The last of his words sounds like something that could have come from a cartoon character that will not be named at the moment.

A hand is put on Phineas' heart when he sees the Sour Patch Kids that get pulled out. "I do like the watermelon ones, but those are a close second!" He gestures at the show the butterflies are doing without trying all that hard. "I did hear that earlier this year, these butterflies were making kaleidoscope designs. Man, I would have loved to have seen it."

Oh, right. Introductions. Everyone else is mentioning, and Herb points out they haven't. "Hey. I'm Asher." Ususally they let the pin on their ID badge lanyard say the rest, but it's not currently in sight. "They, them. I'm an EMT," though glancing at Michael there's a grin, "Also hopefully off duty." But there is a large first aid kit in their backpack just in case. They grab themselves a bottle of water, and a generic non-branded lemon-lime can of soda for Lavender before passing it over. Then they offer a grin to Herb. "Thanks. I made them back in high school, but I refuse to say how long ago that might or might not have been." Asher grabs for one of the suckers Lavender dumped onto the snack pile, grabbing a mango flavored one and dropping it into their blazer pocket. As they pocket that treat, they tell Phineas, "I'm not sure how you got us the permission for this, but I'm going to be sad if you won't share the tricks for it."

"Gregory?" There is actually a surprised tone to Lavender's voice at that, even if small. "I did not know that."

"Cue Maui," she finger-points towards Phineas. Cuz, of course, she'll name the character. "Watermelon ones are good too. Can't go wrong if it's sour, really." But then she scowls a bit, reaching up to push her hood back just a touch so she can see better. "Maybe you can sometimes, actually. Kaleidoscope designs? That'd be sick." She takes the lemon-lime soda from Asher with a "thanks." Then, with a nod toward them then Michael, says, "I feel safe and secure now. Maybe I actually will get some sleep." Likely not.

"Something like that," Michael chuckles, not wanting to disabuse Herb of his illusions of a horse in a hot tub getting their hooves done. He adds a six pack of iced tea bottles to wherever the other drinks are chilling and takes one for himself before he settles back. There's a salute with the bottle for Asher when they mentions also being off-duty -- hopefully.

"There's been a lot of random things going on in the park," Michael says. "Some of them are really strange, and some of them are really beautiful." He'd only heard about the butterflies rather than having seen them, himself. One of the dum dums is selected from the pile. His is orange.

"It was my charm, of course," Phineas tells Asher. "Actually, I made sure I had the proper paperwork to ensure this was approved. Since there is an EMT and Security both off duty, we are good to go." He grins at both Asher and Michael as he says this.

Nodding at Lavender. "Yes, ma'am, it is indeed Maui." His smile remains as he says that. He does help himself to some of the Sour Patch Kids before he continues.

"While we wait to see if we will see a kaleidoscope tonight, I thought we could play a game. It is called Hot Takes and Soft Opinions. I will go first and try my best to explain it. A hot take is an opinion that might ruffle feathers, or, in other words, wings. And a soft opinion is something gentle and wholesome that feels right, like socks straight from the dryer or the smell of rain. My hot take? Waffles are just crunchy pancakes pretending to be better than they are. Yeah, I said it. Soft opinion? Everyone deserves to be wrapped in a blanket at least once a week and told they’re doing fine.” He looks around, “Alright. Who’s brave enough to go next? Bring the spice. Or the fluff. Or both.”

Some are really strange. Some are really beautiful. Asher gives the other first responder a longer, more careful look as they uncap their bottle of water. The cap goes into their other jacket pocket as they lift the bottle towards Michael in a return of that salute. But something in their strangely silvery eyes has grown contemplative. It's subtle that their eyes aren't quite right, but usually the way their inkiy hair shimmers and shifts and swaps colors like an oil spill manages to distract a lot of folks from noticing it.

But once Phineas is sharing the secrets of how to charm permit permissions, they draw back out from that brief reverie to pay attention. "One of these days," they share one of their park goals. "I really want to watch the last fireworks of the night up about as high as where they explode."

Asher is willing to play the game proposed, but before offering their own they ask, "Are we allowed to argue about it? Because waffles are superior." There are pockets for extra syrup! But they continue, "Hot take, pickles are an abomination and should be erased from the timeline." They consider, then add, "Soft opinion? When my brain won't shut off at the end of a shift, I have to bake myself to sleep. It's nice getting to know some of y'all to start passing pastries off on."

Brightening Herb fills Lavender in on the etymology, "Greg Herbert became Greg Herb, Grub Herb, and sometimes just Herb. By the time I retire I'll be just He I guess. I dunno." Reaching for one of the suckers he grabs green curious. "Ooh sour apple. Unexpected. We do like our sugar with an attitude about it."

Settling in he looks to Michael and seems to be very pleased by the concept being secured that somewhere all the horses are in their hey day. "You see that really huge tree? They had me run lunch out there- literally run there are no shortcuts yet. I have never seen a building grow itself before." There's some awe and respect there.

Looking to Asher he says, "I think the castle offices might be closer to eyeline. I don't know there's a bad seat for those unless you fly and are like right in the launch path." There's a pause before he waves his little sucker around adding, "Do not be in teh launch path. If they blow you up with fire-glitter they will feel awful about it, pretty sure."

He adds as some assurance, "A lot of people get baked before they go to sleep, it's okay. Also Phineas? I kinda like the gym jacked pancakes. I want abs made out of carbs like they got. It is not to be."

"Waffles are definitely superior," Michael agrees without missing a beat. This is not even a question in his opinion. "Wait, wait.. dill pickles, really nice crisp ones that are mild and not the sort you get that are that sickly green color from the supermarket. Like the homemade dills that still resemble the cucumbers they came from? So good. My folks used to brine their own. Still do."

"Do not be in the launch path," Michael echoes Herb's warning. "But I bet sitting up on top of the castle would be a great view." Not that he's thinking about trying to figure out how to get up there to do that. Not at all. He unwraps his dum dum and puts it in his mouth, stick sticking out of the side.

"Does wrapping yourself up in a blanket and rocking back and forth while murmuring, 'this is fine. Everything is fine. I'm fine. No, I'm not. I'm not okay.' count?" Lavender asks Phineas with a blink. Her bangs cling slightly to her eyelashes on the left side, and the movement makes them move as well before she reaches up to brush them off to the side.

After Asher speaks their hard take and soft opinion, Lavender pauses a moment then says, "ohhhh. Yeah, I thought you meant." To finish her sentence she just gestures to Herb. "What He said. Like, get baked, not baking pastries. Though, pastries are good if you are baked. Regardless of whether I am baked or not, I will always accept free food."

She makes a small chuff of a sound, some might consider it a laugh, when Herb talks about the excellent abs waffles have.

"Oh, those are good." She nods to Michael when he describes the good pickles. "I like pancakes more than waffles, I think. Extra butter, not a lot of syrup. Waffles are good if you have strawberries and whipped cream though."

She hmms and takes a moment to think. "Hard take. I don't know. Pretty sure most people agree with my opinions. If they don't, they should." That whisper of a smirk appears again, hard to catch before it disappears once more. "Soft opinion. Make yourself happy. Don't give a fuck what others think about you or what you are doing, like, as long as it harms none, etc. If you want to take a bubble bath while eating chocolate syrup straight from the bottle, do it."

Asher sips her water and listens to everyone else as they chat. They file away the story of Herb's nicknames, but when he mentions flight, they shake their head. "Sadly, mine came with more teeth than wings." Maybe that's one of the reasons they're so fond of the beauty here, and the small, rainbow winged creatures that fill it. But there's an arch of their brow as he and Lavender get the wrong version of baked. "More like pastries than your namesake," they grin towards Herb.

But when Michael agrees with their opinion of Phineas' hot take, there is another raise of Asher's water bottle in salute. Team rescue sticks together - just like waffles with too much syrup. Though the wrinkle of their nose as he disagrees with her own hot take has them suddenly doubting the solidarity. They nod. "Climbing the castle was my first thought, but. My badge gets me a lot of access, but I'm pretty sure I can't claim roof-top fireworks as an actual reason to be caught out there."

When Asher hears Lavender ask that question, it's worded like a joke, but... Asher reaches out their free hand for a gentle squeeze of her bicep anyway. "Bubble baths are never the wrong choice."

Phineas had picked up a soda to go with the Sour Patch Kids. A generic lemon-lime flavor. He's listening to everyone as they talk. His attention falls on Asher first. For Phineas, his complexion is a bit pale, making him almost look ghostly, but apparently he's no ghost, as he's able to talk and laugh as he has done so far tonight. "Oh, that sounds like an excellent goal!" Phineas encourages Asher. "I want an invitation." He smiles at her. "You most definitely can argue about it." He grins when he hears her opinion about waffles. "Maybe my mind will be changed tonight." A glance at Michael when he talks about pickles, and back to Asher. "I love pickles personally, but they have to be crisp. Soggy? No dice." Phineas also thought Asher met what Herb said out loud about baking, and how Lavender confirmed that thought, too.

"Hot take, breakfast sausage and syrup belong together. Soft opinion, Broccoli, on the other hand, needs to exist no longer."

As the group talks and gets to know each other better, the pretty dancers swoop and show off their colors, looking like they might be joining each other. Hard to tell. Regardless, it will be a lovely sight to see with butterflies for company.

Did she show up on time? Nope. Iseul's work duties ran a bit longer than expected today, but it's not as if she could bring herself to leave when there was still a fretful child waiting for his parents to show up at 'Neverland' (or so she calls it) to retrieve him.

But! As she does finally slip into the Butterfly House for the sleepy shindig that Phineas posted about, it's revealed that she did actually come prepared. With a sleeping bag rolled up under her arm, a backpack slung over one shoulder and wearing ice silk pajamas that she hopes will help keep her cool despite the infamous humidity in this place, Iseul glances around with a tentative smile. "Am I too late to join in the fun?"

Michael considers his own hot takes and soft opinions for a bit, listening to the others banter as he extracts the dum dum to take a sip from his bottle of iced tea. "Okay, hot take.. nothing is better with guacamole in it or on it. Soft opinion, there are few things better on a chilly day than a warm hoodie that's really soft inside, or a really soft sweater. My favorite time of year is sweater weather season."

He laughs a little and asks Phineas, "Is that really a soft opinion? That sounds like a pretty strong broccoli related opinion."

When Iseul arrives he lifts a hand and waves in her direction. "Nope, make yourself comfortable."

Herb pulls up the sucker as if about to make a point on the pickles and decides "I'm a be good on this one." and puts the sucker back in his face while the discussion goes around. As Iseul enters he gives her a wave and swishes a hand to the general area unoccupied she can camp down in. Looking to Michael he says "Agreed. Guac is a stand alone gift to the world." Not the point Michael was trying to make, but the math technically still fits!

"It is not morning yet so you are on time. Herb, Michael, Lavender, Asher, Phineas." There, all introductions in a tiny nutshell as most don't have their name badges on their shirts right now.

"I think I really liked the snow here? I didn't think I was going to say winter but January was super magical when the snowstorm sort of swooshed around us and the snow was decorative. Aside from being wrong side up in the snow I'm kind of partial to it."

"Hot take," Asher retorts about sausage and syrup, "Sausage belongs NOWHERE except on pizza and in gravy." They look scandalized about the concept of a world without broccoli. "Soft opinion, more things need to be offered with sides of chocolate." They have no idea who Iseul is when she arrives late, but it doesn't stop them from waving with the hand not holding their water bottle, "Those are the prettiest pajamas I've ever seen! Are you one of the princesses here?"

Then, while Asher is almost missing it, Michael commits an unforgivable sin. "You just broke my Californian heart!" Rude. How could he? But his soft opinion is absolutely spot on. But they're back to horrified as soon as Herb starts to sing the praises of snow for some godforsaken reason.

It should be noted, Lavender did not say it as a joke. Does she possibly take bubble baths while drinking chocolate syrup straight from the bottle? One may never know. In response to Asher, she just nods with a serious expression.

Then she points to Phineas. "Better yet. Breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake with syrup." She doesn't state her opinion on broccoli, whether for or against its cessation of existence. She is about to greet Iseul when she hears Michael's hot take. Her jaw drops open and she settles a dark-eyed stare on him. "Okay. I found my hard take. Michael is wrong. That is my take." She then amends the statement though. "About the guacamole. How dare. Hoodies, however, hard agree."

Finally lifting her gaze off Michael, she asks Asher, "broccoli with a side of chocolate?"

"Herb has a point," she says to Iseul now. "So welcome! Get some snacks, settle in. Hi."

Iseul's smile blossoms from shy to bright as she's welcomed, and she hurries over to claim an open space. Her gaze hops from person to person as Herb names them off in introduction, and she nods to each in turn. "Iseul," she provides, some color rising to her cheeks as she casts her smile toward Asher. "Nooo, not at all. Those ladies are just stunning," she replies, low-key asserting a solid sense of humility.

Working fairly quickly, she unrolls her sleeping bag, but keeps it folded in half for better padding, at least for now. From inside, she draws out a memory foam pillow, which is already starting to puff itself back up now that it's no longer compressed. Plopping herself down to sit atop the bag, she settles the pillow into her lap and points out, "Strawberry with chocolate? That's a classic pairing."

"Sausage is fantastic and many things can benefit from a good sausage," Michael says with amusement as he takes another sip from his iced tea. If he has any opinions on syrup or pancakes with sausage, he doesn't voice them. He laughs when Lavender declares just how wrong he is, and his sensibilities offend the Californian. "I'm from Indiana," he offers in his defense. He doesn't really sound like he's from Indiana. He has one of those very broadcast-neutral sort of voices. "And yes, I was raised in a barn." Not, technically, but he spent a lot of time there growing up.

"I'm going to vote for strawberries with chocolate and herbs and butter for the broccoli." He's with Iseul on this one.

"Welcome, Iseual! So glad you made it!" Phineas enthuses.

A gasp comes out of Phineas' mouth when he hears about guacamole. "I love guacamole. Especially on tortilla chips and, of course, salsa." Nodding his agreement about sweater weather season. He's from Michigan. There are many sweater weather days. A shrug when Michael points out he has a strong opinion about broccoli.

He asks Herb, "Did you make the ski trip that Michael put together? That was a lot of fun."

Looking at Asher, "I do like biscuits and gravy, so yeah, I'll agree on the gravy part." A thumbs up about sausage wrapped in a pancake with syrup. "That is a winning combo for sure."

"Cheddar soup for the broccoli," Asher points out. "And I'd try it with a drizzle of white chocolate, maybe toasted, at least once." They didn't declare it a hot take, but it probably is one. "Indiana is the one just south of here, right?" All the midwestern states are kind of the same vague mass to Asher. Herb joins team guac, so he still qualifies for free pastries even if he is super wrong about snow. They look utterly skeptical that Iseul isn't a princess, though. They're debating if Phineas' opinions are or aren't forgivable when he agrees with her about the gravy, so. Seems for now, he's still ok. Michael is still on thin ice, though. But they're willing to let him redeem himself, "Add some miso to that mix, and I'll allow it."

Herb, chiming in, says "Western New York." Snow drift country. It's when lavender declares a gasp at Michael not liking guac that Herb catches on leaning, "Tell you what I will be happy to be on call. Ring me up if there is any avocado threat near you and you can have all my strawberries. For you I will trade."

Brightening a smile to Phineas he says "Yeah I was the little stick figure upside down on the hill when Peyton went bowling through us downhill. Michael saved me and we all crawled in the hot tub to thaw out until the costumer made it weird. Good triiiip."

Looking to Asher he says "When it's colder then you can snuggle and thief someone's bodyheat. Hard to do that in 90 degrees and humid. It's decidedly unfun. Not a fan of July."

Iseul nods her agreement with Herb. When she speaks, there's a trace of foreign accent remaining, but nowhere near strong enough to jeopardize the clarity of her English. "When it's hot, all you can do is sweat and suffer. Fall is the best season, for me. Cozy sweaters and fluffy socks."

She hasn't joined in on the game just yet, still observing and catching onto how things are done, but she apparently isn't afraid to throw in her two cents' worth on others' opinions. Even the subject of guacamole. "I've never tried guacamole. Is it spicy?" she asks, looking to Michael, since he seems to be the one who stands opposed to the stuff.

"Sounds like a good trip," Lavender says to Herb. "I have heard snow and saunas are a good combo too, but snow and hot tub? Sick." Again, Herb makes some great points and she just nods some more. "I have learned to appreciate the cooler weather. Don't let anyone I know back home know I said that."

"It can be," she says to Iseul. "Some people make it without spice. I personally love the spice."

Asher considers Herb's opinion on what makes winter bearable, but their nose wrinkles a bit. "I'm glad that works for you, but..." They shrug a bit. "Not really my thing." Asher is about to answer Iseul about guac, even if she's asked Michael rather than them. But their phone chimes and they pull it from their lapel pocket. It's in a purple glittery case with a pink, white, and turquoise striped pop socket on the back. They check the message, then sigh. They drop off their bag for later while explaining, "I've got to run by the clinic. Sorry! Hopefully it's quick, but, I'll be back!" They put their phone away and grab their mango sucker, unwrapping it so they at least have a snack for the jog to the ferry. And they're headed out in a hustle.

Michael shakes his head to Iseul and says, "I don't think it's particularly spicy no. I just don't like the texture. It's like eating kind of soggy green vaguely salty paste." Sorry, he is never going to be a guacamole guy. There's a definitel thumbs-up for Herb's offer to take on all of his avocados in exchange for strawberries. "Deal."

"The ski trip was a lot of fun. I might plan another trip for the summer and do another ski trip in the winter," Michael says. "It wasn't too bad to organize and people seemed to have a good time."

One hand is lifted to wave to Asher as they head off to the clinic, a faint smile of sympathy in their direction. He's well familiar with those sorts of calls.

Herb seems pleased by this and is about to offer aid to Asher but she's off." Lips press together he admits, "I feel like a jerk for not saving her a half a trip. Oh my." There's a guilty look of concern briefly. Looking between Michael, Iseul, and the pile of snacks he says "We can catch you up Iseul. Don't fall off the castle if you sit on it. If you fly don't get hit by the fireworks please, and lastly food is very divisive!" His summary.

"Iseul, you look wonderful and comfy. Welcome to the party." With a rotating cast. "Michael, where you thinking of having it? Like the sand dunes or around one of the little lakes? The fort?"

Iseul nods thoughtfully. "I don't have trouble with spice. To be honest, I think my... hot take?" she ventures, glancing around at the others. She's catching on. "… Would have to be that Americans don't have any idea what 'spicy' really is." To which she grins, unapologetic.

"I think a summer party would need to include water. Some way to dunk ourselves when it gets too hot," she declares, with a decisive little nod. "Nothing feels better on a blistering hot day." Maybe that could count as her soft opinion. Who knows. Regardless, she smiles toward Herb. "Thank you! I think I chose the right clothes, I'm actually not that warm at all."

Michael chuckles when Iseul claims that Americans don't have any idea what spicy really is and agrees easily enough. "I've heard that enough to believe it's probably true. And I've also wept into a spicy Thai dish that wasn't even the hottest American-hot that they offered." He is not ashamed by his spice-related confession.

"Not sure," he admits to Herb. "Water's definitely a must be we also live on islands in a lake, so I feel like it has to have more options than just water because we've got that. Any ideas?"

He seems comfortable enough even if he's not in pajamas. It's probably just in case he gets called in and has to jump up and run that he's remained in his street clothes rather than in sleep clothes.

Herb slouches, back against the fountain and a knee drawn up. "I think that's true but varies depending where you are. Like the further southeast you are the more that is bound to change. I've had Mexican food that's induced a spiritual awakening before. The awakening was I might be internally on fire and a ghost soon." mmhmm, true confessions time.

Looking back to Michael there's a wondering look. "Okay so unselfishly speaking? There's a place not far that's got a really great river you can kayak down. I htink you park your car and there's a shuttle they take you up the river by way of street. So they can dump you and your boat near the 'beginning of the trip' whie your stuff waits at the end. Very foresty. Probably no bears."

"Probably?" Iseul asks, laughter stirring to life in her eyes. "I suppose if you're out in the river, you'd mostly be safe from bears on the shore, but..." She shivers in a deliberately exaggerated fashion. "Kayaking does sound fun, though." There's a beat as she tips her head to one side, trying to recall something. "I think I saw an ad a while back, where people were all floating down a river together in a giant, emptied-out water tank for livestock. Do they have anything like that around here?"

"It's okay, some of our coworkers can turn into bears, or have bear familiars, so bears aren't necessarily a bad thing," Michael offers with amusement, both at Herb's declaration and Iseul's trepidation. And while floating down a river in a livestock tank sounds like something that Michael should have experienced growing up, he shakes his head and says, "I have no idea." There's a glance over to Herb to see if he has any input on that one. He seems to have the knowledge of nearby things. "I do like the idea though of kayaking or doing something active as well as maybe getting a few cabins with a big fire pit and being near the water. Could be fun. Just gotta make sure that Peyton isn't allowed to water ski. She'd figure out a way to take us all out again."

Iseul bites back a soft laugh at Michael's pointing out the potential danger of Peyton on water skis. "She's a lightning storm in a bottle, in the best way," she says quietly. "I don't know her well yet, but I like her." Hugging her pillow a little closer, she settles her chin on top, getting a bit more comfortable as the evening wears on. No yawns yet, but it looks like one could be getting close, for her. "Cabins would be nice. Maybe make that the end point of a river trip, so all our belongings and supplies could be waiting there for us. We could grill up a feast, too, if there's a grocery store nearby."

Herb says "I think they have those big round rafts and that. We'll ahve to see. Give me your number and I will be happy to get all the dirt on what's happening with it." He admits, "Not the most exciting dirt in a minute, but it's a very good question. Also why do they stick livestock in barrels?" This is the part that brings confusion.

Brightening he says "She is all the tea. She's a very eclectic soul." He's forgiven her for turning him into a human bowling pin. Looking back to Michael his expression brightens, "I think it's always good to have a thing to do because some people have big mood and it's good to get all that out in the day to have a nice chill fire snacky tine after. Mellows out the mood."