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Lawrence stiffened in posture as Kai patted his back like a cat being petted backwards by an unfamiliar hand and for a flicker of an instant almost lashed out before reining himself in once more. Not everyone had the same concept of personal space, he meant well.

Still, he could feel the contact long after he had smiled amicably at Kai and greeted him with a bright. "Knew you were a smart man not to pass up a bountiful feast like this one!" And though there was no surface sign of it, his hackles were up.

His smile softened fondly at Cami, ignoring her glances at Caroline and Caroline herself for as long as he could get away with. "I think it's a wonderful idea." He said genuinely. "There are two things this island too often lacks and that is good food and good cheer! Well done to you for your generosity."

Mikael had no fear of what he was going to eat as he took the offered food, of the opinion that it couldn't be all that bad. He gave his father an anxious glance though, because Lawrence could be all that bad when he did things that weren't considered dignified. His eyes moved to Malkam and resolve steeled in his expression. His brother could handle Lawr. He'd tell him where to go if got mean.

"Thanks." He said gratefully to Cami and took a bite, a big one. "That's not so bad!" He said as he finished chewing. It was only when he went in for his second his eyes started watering. He sniffed and looked concerned as he chewed the second and finishing it squeaked.

"Is there any water??"

"Oh! Yes, I grew up on Antigua that's where the accent comes from." Most people commented on it immediately upon meeting her and so Cami had taken it for granted that someone wouldn't realize she was Caribbean. "Tia were what we called...s**t."

A new kind of respect for Mikhail had been dawning before it died, abruptly, as the poor man's eyes started to water around his second bite. Poor guy! Turning she immediately steamed into the kitchen, grabbed the milk, and splashed some into one of the many red solo cups hanging around. "No, no, drink this instead! Milk will counter the spice and kill it. Mostly." The moment would pass and his tongue and lips would feel the sting for hours but it wouldn't be as acute.

Turning slightly to Henry she indicated the same blue bowl as she had to Mik. "Watch out for that. It's hot."

"I'M HERE!" America burst in, lugging a huge clear jug with a tap and something violently green inside. Looped around one thin arm was the handle of a bag containing paper umbrellas, plastic margarita glasses, rock salts, and straws. Placing them down, she surveyed the party she waved at Mik, tried to give Malk a look she was perfecting called the 3 Second Seduction, flipped Henry off, gave Caroline and Cami each big hugs, tried the 3 Second Seduction again on Liam, and gave Lawr a big grin that probably meant some awful teenage remark was coming, but then she got distracted by food instead.

"Oh man, I'm gonna make myself cry on this, I can smell it!" Apparently this was a good thing.

Peyton had given Lawrence a very brief glance before Mik managed to wrangle the attention of most of the hunters present. She's shifted, half a step towards him to help before stopping herself. Cami and one of the other newer trainees were already helping, but there was also the fresh sting if Mik's apparent disregard for everything she'd done for him.

So she settled again, and smiled as she looked up at the big man. "Didn't have anything pressing I needed to do today, so why not come and be social?"

Whoever this new woman was, Caroline already wished she'd met her sooner. Even if she had only been awake for a day, that was already too long to go without what would surely be a grand and productive friendship.

"Aw, cmon. Know I don't look like the kind of girl to hold out like that," she teased, already in the process of standing, one finger raised in the standard back in a sec.

But she wasn't making a beeline to the fridge, nor to anyone that greeted her - they all went uncharacteristically ignored as she moved towards Lawrence, pausing only for the fraction of a second that it took to get over her confusion that she was the taller of the two.

"I for damn sure know you know better than to be in a house where I'm living, let alone a house where my daughter's living." She'd never stopped smiling, but this wasn't the warm smile for everyone else; it was too toothy in the wrong way, more like a snarl. This was much closer than she ever wanted to be to him, but he had invaded her space, and no personal space was allowed for him here. "Get out. Don't you ever set foot in any lot where me or mine are living again, or I'll start letting some real expensive s**t slip to someone who keeps that ******** tab."

Over Caroline's shoulder, Mimsy was dispassionately staring at him from across the house, entirely unwavering, as she very deliberately held one door closed.

Leslie rolled his eyes at Cami before starting to load up his plates. (Yes, plural. He had a system, by now.) She was like her mother, sometimes: so much energy packed into one body that it made him exhausted.

Actually.

America was a lot like that, too. Maybe it was all the women here, a thought that filled him with dread.

Well, at least they fed him. Quite a bit, too. And it seems that today she was going to feed about everyone, given how many people filtered into the house. Enough that it was starting to make him nervous, enough for grey eyes to flit around for the exits, reassuring himself with the multitude of ways to escape. If he had to.

(Old habits die hard, and this one wasn't that old.)

Retreating to a corner not too far from the back door, Leslie sat cross legged on the floor as he began to eat. Additionally? There were, in fact, rolled up tortillas now hidden in his hoodie pocket, Just in Case.

He looked up as he heard just the faintest murmur of Caroline's words, her tone belying the venom in every syllable. It was Lawrence, of course, and Leslie found himself glad he'd put himself this far away from the crowd. As if the stories weren't enough, this was living proof that Caroline had really meant every word of her warnings.

Leslie had almost forgotten: America was here, now, too. He'd have to go say hi once he was done stuffing his face with first, seconds, and thirds. And maybe fourths.

Malkam raised his eyebrows at Lawrence getting chewed out, and
plucked up one of the margarita mugs, taking a swig of that instead of commenting.

America got an appreciative look, for the mug and not the flirting she was like a freshman.

He passed one to Mik, too.

"Just, like, stick your tongue in the ice. You don't have to act tough. Do you want a regular one?"