A boy named Sous

The commitment ceremony had gone off without a hitch. Priestly and the rest of the Beach City Grill crew had now seen rather a whole lot more of Trucker and Zo than they'd ever thought they would, but the horses didn't seem to mind much, and they were now both dressed again in very nice, matching linen outfits, and Priestly was reminding himself just why he was a punk instead of a hippie.

"If I ever get married," he said to Jen as they all gathered around a bonfire not far from the waves, "I'm so not going with matching outfits."

"If you ever get married," Jen said, leaning towards him from where she was snugged up again the guy Priestly was never NOT going to think of as Fuzzy, "you're going to be the one wearing the white dress."

Priestly tilted his head. "That's probably true." He looked across the fire to where Tish was showing Julia how to play cat's-cradle and tried not to sigh.

When in doubt, draw attention to yourself. He stood up, lifting his beer bottle high. "I'd like to propose a toast!"

The group groaned cheerfully. This was fifteenth or sixteenth toast of the night.

"To good friends," Priestly continued, gesturing around at the group with his beer. "To finding the perfect partner," this to Trucker and Zo specifically, who grinned back at him like fools. "And . . . to setting things on fire!" And he flung his beer bottle into the flames and threw his hands in the air. "WOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

There was a faint possibility he was overdoing it, yes.

[ooc: for the best friend/commitment ceremony +1]

"You know I don't mind cooking for us, right?" Priestly asked, balking a little as Tish led him towards the restaurant door by the hand. "I even really like it."

"Priestly," Tish said, stopping and turning to look at him without letting go of his hand. "You've been working double shifts all weekend to cover for Piper while she and Noah and Julia are at Disneyland. You need a break from cooking."

Priestly opened his mouth to protest again, and Tish pressed a finger to his lips. "And you look fine," she said. "There's no dress code, they're not going to kick you out for having a mohawk, and it's my turn to feed us and I don't cook so I say we get to have dinner in a fancy restaurant."

Priestly kissed the finger on his lips. "Okay. But I reserve the right to be snooty if their food isn't as good as mine."

Tish smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, even. Now come on, I want to get a table outside before they fill up." It was a gorgeous night, cool and bright under the full moon, the earlier cloudiness having mostly cleared up.

And, well, if an outdoor table would make them more visible and easier to stalk spy on observe, then so be it.

[ooc: for the sneaky shipper spies and slow-play.]

"I don't know, man," Priestly was saying. "I just really have the urge to watch a whole bunch of reality TV."

"What, like The Bachelor?" Tish asked.

"Mythbusters," Jen guessed.

"I like Food Network," said Piper. When they all looked at her, she shrugged. "What? I like to cook."

Priestly shook himself. "Man, that will never stop being weird." He grinned. "You know, we should totally do our own reality show. Like The Real World or Big Brother only with subs --"

He was cut off by the bell over the door. Two polo shirted, schwoopy haired preppy looking dudes walked in, paused in the doorway, and lifted their sunglasses.

"Oh look," Priestly muttered. ( "Synchronized douchebags." )

[ooc: second half ripped right out of canon. Open for SP phone calls and the like.]

"Let the people rejoice!" Priestly slammed into the sub shop with his usual fanfare. "I have arrived!"

Tish threw an apron at his head.

"So, are you just, like, late every day?"

Priestly considered this. "Not every day."

Jen smiled. "Sometimes he's super-late."

"Only when class runs long." Priestly tossed his bag into the back room and turned to the grill, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, special today: foie gras on whole wheat!"

The verdict on that one was a unanimous "No."

"Steak tartare?" He looked around for some support. "Ratatouille." Jen made faces at him. "Come on, French provincial subs by the inch! It'd be the new wave of portable gastronomy!"

"New wave," said Tish, "should stick to music."

Priestly gasped and pressed a hand to his chest. "You wound me, Tish. Right here."

She flicked a dish towel at him. "I can't believe people let you near a stove."

"On a daily basis." Priestly grinned. "Well, except with the steak tartare."

And thus began another beautiful day at the Beach City Grill.

[ooc: open for phone calls]

Priestly had been in a mood all day. Zo hadn't had any ideas, so he was stuck sitting on the couch, staring at his phone, willing someone from Fandom to call and tell him everything was okay.

Jen had tried doing some searches online, but hadn't turned up anything. After awhile, she just gave him a sad smile and headed off to her room to give him some space.

[ooc: for one in particular, but open to any in Fandom who might want to call.]

"Okay. This is the last place on the list." Priestly stepped out of the Cosmobile, which Trucker had cheerfully loaned them for their day of apartment hunting, and leaned against the door. "Which means if we don't like this place, we're starting from scratch and I have to move back in with Mom and Dad until we find something good."

"And we can't have that." Jen stepped up next to him and looked down at her notebook. "Two bedrooms, internet ready, pets negotiable, so Ramone'll probably be welcome."

"And if not I'll sneak him in."

"Hey, I did not sign up for smuggling." She shook her head. "One bathroom, so I'd have to put up with your make-up cluttering everything up."

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm very orderly about my make up."

"Uh huh. We can even afford this place, assuming you actually start, you know, working for Trucker." Priestly mimed being shot through the heart and Jen smiled. "It's cute. What do you think, Dinah?"

[ooc: for the BFF, with great slow play!]

Priestly met his mother outside the gate at the airport and actually offered her a grin.

"Hey, Ma."

Naomi Priestly rolled her eyes gently. "You come home for the first time since this summer, and that's all you have to say?"

Priestly shrugged. ". . . Yep, guess so." He reshouldered his pack and walked beside her towards the parking garage. Ramone woke up from his nap in his airline approved carrier and chittered.

"Oh. I see you brought your rat."

Priestly ran a hand over his faded green ponytail. "He's a flying squirrel, Mom."

"Well. At least you stopped doing those godawful things to your hair."

Oh yeah. It was going to be an awesome holiday.

[ooc: establishy, nfb, all that good stuff.]