ArchivedLogs:The Greater Good

The Greater Good
Dramatis Personae Felix, Jackson
In Absentia	2013-05-09 '
Location <NYC> Village Lofts - Rooftop - East Village
It tends to be windy, up here, but the presence of plastic table and folding chairs suggests that nevertheless building residents occasionally make their way out to this rooftop. With a good view of Tompkins Square Park less than a block away it's a good spot for city-watching. There's a railing around the edge, though it might be possible (if /unwise/) to climb over it to the narrow concrete ledges beyond and from there to the fire escape. Centrally, someone has broken down crates and constructed a small raised-bed garden up here, barren in winter but filled in three other seasons with a small assortment of herbs and vegetables. The roof here is windier than the ground below, but today the warmth means this is a /pleasant/ sort of change. The sun is bright overhead and the breeze takes the edge off. The roof is, at present, occupied; one lone figure is crouched among the vegetables growing in the garden. There are gardening tools near him; a watering can, a small hand rake, a pair of shears, but he is not actually working, at the moment. Jax is perched on the wooden edge of the bed, frowning intently at the cellphone in his hand and swiping his thumb rapidly across its face. He's colourful, eye-catchingly so; his shaggy hair is dyed bright to resemble a bird-of-paradise flower, his makeup glitters, his top is vivid magenta and skirt a silvery material; both leave the plethora of tattoos on his arms and legs visible. His bare feet scrunch into the dirt, and his kind of /scowling/ expression is a dark contrast to his otherwise bright appearance. Felix emerges from the stairway, carrying a book and a notepad in one hand and small paper bag in the other. He scans the rooftop, obviously unfamiliar with the surroundings. There is a long pause as his eyes come across the man who is already up here, though he does not seem surprised. A pondering look comes across his face. A moment later he walks over to one of the tables, stops briefly to set down the books and bag, then continues towards the man. "Problems with your phone?" "Hm?" Jackson's expression shifts in a heartbeat, scowl displaced by a sunny-warm smile. "Hi, sir -- um, no, I just --" His cheeks flush slightly, a hint of red creeping in, and he shakes his head quickly. "More like problems with the folks on the other end of it," he says with a quick laugh. He looks Felix over, his single eye sweeping in a quick tick of gaze. "Don't think we done met. I'm Jax. 303. Come to enjoy the sun?" Felix smiles, realizing his assumption about the phone was incorrect. "Oh, sorry. I am Felix Kuznetsov. 505." he replies, before returning to the table. "It is such a nice day out. I thought I would sit up here and enjoy the weather while I took some notes." He glances up at the sky in acknowledgement. "I have not had much of a chance to get out until recently." "Gorgeous, ain't it?" Jax's gaze flicks up towards the sky -- towards the /sun/, really, looking straight at it for a moment in the way they always tell you not to. His smile brightens. "Notes? Notes on what?" he's shamelessly curious to ask. "Lotta work keeping you in?" His nose crinkles kind of sympathetically. "Can kinda relate. Good to actually get some fresh air, uh -- well. As fresh as it /can/ be in the city, anyway." Felix does not seem to mind the curious inquiry at all, in fact he looks almost pleased. "I am standing in for one of the professors at Columbia University tomorrow." he says, as he opens up the brown bag and takes out a a small container with carrots and celery inside, and two bottles of green tea. He pushes one of the bottles and the container towards the other side of the table and makes in inviting gesture for Jax to join him. "Work, in a manor of speaking. I was finishing up my degree and thesis defense." he adds with a warm smile. "So nice to finally get a chance to enjoy the outdoors." "Oh! Oh, you -- teach, that's -- that's exciting." Jackson uncurls from his perch on the wood to stand. He taps soil off of his bare feet before trekking across the roof, taking a seat when invited to. "Thesis? Like for --" For a moment he looks over Felix with a slight furrow of brows, curious as he examines the other man. "-- like a -- doctorate?" He hazards a guess, after a rather uncertain age-assessment. "I mean that -- would probably keep you outta the sun a fair bit, yeah. Are you a /free/ man now? S'a lot of Columbia folk around this building," he notes absently. "Though I guess mostly undergrad. Got a friend in 304 workin' on his doctorate there, though." Felix nods at the mention of doctorate. "Yes, theoretical mathematics in fact." he says, pleased to see that Jax interested. "Definitely a large amount of work, but well worth it. Or at least I hope it will be worth in once I find the right place." indicating he is indeed a free man as implied. He opens his drink and helps himself to some of the snacks on the table. "Right place? What're you lookin' to get into?" Jax's head tilts slightly to one side, curious. His phone is still clutched in one hand, which bounces, kind of jittery-restless, against the edge of the table. "I mean, a doctorate in math, you probably got a lot of doors open to you right now, hmm?" Felix ponders Jax's curiosity for a moment, not displeased but rather hesitant. "I have many doors already available. I just don't like any of them." There is another pause as he appears to be pondering again, perhaps preparing what to say next. "I am in no hurry. I want the job that will provide real meaning. I figure it will find me eventually." He takes a sip of his drink and leans back into his chair, unsure what to make of Jax's excitement but curious to see where this is going. Jax's excitement -- might just be his /default/, a sort of /energy/ to him that jives well with the sunny-bright warmth of his demeanour, the easy amiability in his thick Southern drawl. "Meaning," he echoes, pierced eyebrows lifting for a moment. He glances back up at the sun, glances back down at his phone, restlessly straightens the strap on his eyepatch. "S'always the question, ain't it? Find something that ain't /just/ a paycheck. Meaning means a lotta different things to different folks, though. What's meaningful to /you/?" Felix leans forward, with that 'You asked for it' look. "I refuse to work for greedy corporations or corrupt government entities. This world is full of enough of those and I would rather sit here on the roof doing nothing than helping them." he states, looking straight into Jax's eyes. "If I every do find what I am looking for, it will be for somebody who really wants to make a difference in this world. For the greater good." he adds in a serious and matter of fact tone of voice. It is obvious that he has some very strong feelings about the direction the world is headed. "That -- would limit your options, yeah," Jax agrees with a quiet laugh, head tipping downward for a moment. His single eye meets Felix's gaze, though, and the easy smile he wears hasn't faded. "/Greater good/ means a whole lot of different to different folk, too, though, I ain't sure that's much narrowed the field. What's /good/ t'you could be horrible to the next man." "I mean exactly that. The greater good, without innuendo, hidden meanings or alternate agendas." Felix is dead serious at this point, his voice does not waiver nor does he appear to think this is some sort of game. Perhaps he is a tad bit annoyed at the thought his statements could misrepresent his intentions. "All living, thinking, breathing beings deserve the same treatment. It is an atrocity and an insult to everybody that some are better than others for any reason." He has a firm grip on his drink with one hand and the other is pressed firmly onto the book in front of him. Jackson's smile crooks a little wider, his tone light. "Still don't exactly say much, hon. I've met folks who thought the greater good was --" He doesn't actually finish this sentence, fingers absently curling into a loose fist, his thumb brushing along the scarred stub where his littlest finger should be. "Well. What I /mean/ is, I know plenty of scientists who'd say giving rats cancer to try and figure out how to cure it is for the /greater good/ and plenty of vegans who'd say shutting those labs right down is /also/ for the greater good. It's a sentence that don't mean a whole lot without knowing what direction /you're/ comin' at it from." His phone in his hand vibrates, quietly; he gives it another wrinkled-nosed look as he stands. "303," he reminds Felix again. "Y'should come down sometime. I make a /mean/ seitan stroganoff." Felix nods, acknowledging each example. "I see your point. I believe that morally and ethically those examples are grey, perhaps even twisted examples." He sits back in his chair and takes a deep breath as Jax looks to be taking the phone call. "I will have to take you up on that offer at some point, and we can continue our conversation then." he adds, appearing to calm down a bit. "Apologies for getting worked up." He gathers his books and the empty paper bag, leaving the snacks and drink for Jax before heading back downstairs. It seems Felix is well aware he was getting agitated and needs to go cool himself down.