ArchivedLogs:Hot Drinks

Hot Drinks
Dramatis Personae Shane, Micah, Jack, Hanna
In Absentia	21 November 2014 '
Location <NYC> Happy Cakes Bakery – TriBeCa
Happy Cakes Bakery is a cheery little spot of vintage charm amidst the hustle and bustle of the Manhattan neighborhood, a refurbished pair of row homes that hardly resemble their previous selves - the front walls are almost entirely gleaming glass, with the logo of the bakery painted onto the top, and rainbows of cupcakes dancing along the edges. Eclectically styled, it seems homey and welcoming - if the cross stitched sign by the door wasn't obvious enough - "All are Welcome!" it reads, with the "All" underlined in a sparkling bubble gum pink and yellow dotted line, with the logo of the bakery, a cheery smiling pink and white cupcake, beneath the lettering. Once inside, the walls of the combination bakery and coffee shop are covered in crisp clean white ceramic tile, with the occasional randomly placed tile with an color engraving of a tropical flower, or tile made of reclaimed China. Ambient music reminiscent of the Big Band era plays through the shop, loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to make conversation difficult. Tables and chairs in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles fill one side of the room, none of them quite matching each other, but all of them seeming to work together. The other side of the shop is a long series of gleaming glass and chrome bakery displays, filled with colorful sweets and treats of every description. To one end of the counter is a gleaming chrome espresso machine with far more tubes and bobbles than is really necessary, but producing excellent espresso beverages. At the other end is the old style cash register, a chrome and cherry wood relic from a bygone age that dings cheerily with each sale. The wall behind the counter is covered in photos of a tropical island, as well as a pair of shops that look like a smaller version of this one, several including a pair of dark haired women. The evening is early, yet. Which is good, on a Friday; it means Shane's still looking like a /person/ -- if you use a sufficiently liberal definition of person, admittedly, given that he /actually/ looks more like a freakish inhuman demon-shark-thing that bears no actual resemblance to a human being. But, /early/ Friday means no fight club yet, so he's a /dapper/ freakish inhuman demon-shark-thing, crisp neat-tailored vest and slacks and mandarin-collared dress shirt, scarf, peacoat, mittens, a healthy faintly iridescent gleam to his blue skin rather than the mess of blood and bruises he'll no doubt be wearing later on. There's a /bounce/ to his step as he enters Happy Cakes, flat-slitted nostrils flaring as he takes a deep breath. Unwinds the scarf from around his neck, gills flaring slightly as well as he holds the door open for his father behind him. "Lots of places," he's saying, "too overwhelming. But this smell, I /like/ this smell." Micah is not overly concerned about looking like a person instead of some kind of cloth golem. From orangey-knit Jayne hat to coils of Fourth Doctor scarf to candy corn stripe convertible mittens to olive puffy coat worn /over/ a Batsignal hoodie, henley, and jeans...there is little enough of him left to look at that is very person-like. Someone doesn't like the cold very much. He trundles on in after Shane, glad for the warm smells and the warm /warmth/ of the place after being outside. "Bakery smell is about the best smell out there," he agrees, the first half of the sentence a little muffled before he moves the topmost coil of scarf out of his face. One phrase is on repeat in Jack's invisible head tonight. 'I'm so damn stupid'. Tracking down the place that Corey guy lived and making sure the wallet he'd taken got back to him had taken longer than expected mostly due to Jack being new to the city. But he did it, still feeling bad that he almost took the guy's registration card. He felt bad enough about picking pockets but he didn't want some random guy getting potentially hassled by cops just because Jack was after a few bucks. That wasn't the only reason he was calling himself stupid tonight though. No, Jack has a whole new reason for that. Namely, slipping into Happy Cakes as quietly as he possibly can. Even if the place looks so welcoming and smells even better...the smell being what drew Jack in...he's nervous. Any door chimes are silently cursed as the mutant teen tries not to look nervous. He's dressed pretty poorly for the weather in dirty jeans, an old faded hoody, and a pair of gloves he liberated from the lost and found at the ice rink last night. His hood of course is up and his head down, Jack trying to keep his lack of visible face hidden. He hopes there's something warm he can afford with the bits of cash he's acquired so far, and hopes he doesn't get chased out for being a 'dirty homeless bum'. He really hates when that happens. Of course he'll have to actually move away from the door before anything can happen, just starting to shuffle away from it. The chill air that accompanies the the jingle of silver bells as the door opens gets the attention of the bubbly, bouncing woman behind the counter, making her pause momentarily from her work in the colorful glass cases. Looking up cautiously to see who had entered the establishment, Hanna smiles brightly offering a cheery wave, after she sets down the half full tray of cupcakes into the tray. Dressed a bit like she stepped out of a vintage clothing catalog, Hanna is dressed in a tea-length button up wool dress in a dark teal, flared over black crinolines and cinched at her waist with a thick black belt. Her long black hair, accented in a few places with hints of early-onset grey, is pulled into a high twisted bun, secured with a white flower pin. "Micah! Shane!" Hanna greets cheerily, nodding to her neighbors as they enter the shop. "Unfortunately, I've actually gotten used to the smell. Unless I bake a completely new recipe, it all just smells a bit like work," Hanna says wistfully, still smiling. "What can we do for you this evening?" she asks, leaning against the counter after sliding the glass case back closed, "Little bit picked over treat wise tonight, but we've got some warm drinks and tasty treats. Which can also be warmed up, if you'd like." Jack is greeted with a similarly cheery smile, no comment made about his appearance, "Welcome to Happy Cakes. Let me know if you need anything, or have any questions about things." "Heyyyyy, Hanna! I'll just have to enjoy it enough for the both of us, then. I know what you mean, though. After a day at Evolve I can't --" Shane's words cut off distractably as Jack enters. The sniff-flare of his nose presses flatter very abruptly, his /gills/ flaring outward in counterpoint as his head gives one short-sharp shake. Huff-/huff/; his face presses briefly into his half-unwound scarf as he turns on a heel to give a wide-eyed (/very/ wide-eyed, his pupilless black eyes take up a disproportionate amount of his narrow blue face) look to -- "-- /huh/?" His head is tip-tip-tipping, kind of a double-take before he yanks his gaze away back to Hanna. A little derailed. "Um. Right, I -- wanted. You." "Evenin', Hanna!" The person-shaped bundle of cloth greets with a wave of a mitten. At least Micah does start to work his way out of some of the layers, more portable bits getting shoved into the messenger bag at his hip, as he moves further into the shop. "Now, /that's/ a cryin' shame. 'Cause this is a way nicer work smell'n adhesives and hot plastic." The offer of warm drinks earns a very enthusiastic nod from the rosy-cheeked redhead that appears as outerwear is removed. "Ohgosh. Jayna cookin' up anythin' amazin' in the spiced hot drink department lately that y'can recommend? I'll do that an' figure a treat that'll complement it." Shane's reaction pulls his attention away, however. "Somethin' wrong, sugar?" He glances back at the hoodied figure that entered behind them, curious. Warm greetings threw Jack off entirely. The ones he got from Laura and the guy he assumed was her boyfriend did and Hanna's even more. He stops dead in his tracks for a beat before tugging his hood a little more to make sure it covers his face more. "I uh, th-thanks," he replies quickly and quietly. Hearing about warm drinks has him perking up a little. A nice warm drink sounds like heaven. Trying to keep his head down means he doesn't get a very good look at the people in front of him at first. The feeling of eyes on him changes that and Jack glances up quickly. He pauses when he sees Shane and he ends up staring for a few moments. "Oh, since we've got this nasty little cold snap going right now, Jayna's been going just bonkers with the spices and spiced drinks," Hanna chirps cheerily, nodding towards the drink prep area, a little chalk sign listing out the seasonal offerings, "Spiced hot chocolate, spiced ciders. Also some spicy teas. And sugary treats to go along with whatever warm you want. But seriously, she has gone full on fall-spice this week. All of it is good." She leans against the counter, watching Jack, and then Shane's reaction to the hooded teen. "No worries here, eh?" Hanna says, her voice soft and calming, with the Hawaiian accent coming through, her dark brown eyes fading to a cool blue color, "Everyone's welcome in here. Safe space and all that." The baker offers a reassuring smile to everyone in the shop, "What can we get started drink wise? Cold enough out there, sooner to get warm beverages the better, in my mind." Turning her attention back to Shane and his last statement, "You were looking for me? I'm pretty boring - usually around here most days, or home. What's up?" "Uhm --" Even if Shane can't see Jack's stare, he's staring right back. At /nothing/, admittedly, until he slowly shakes his head. "N -- no. Nothing -- wrong," he tells his dad, lowering his scarf away from his nose. "Just. Startled. 'pologies. I didn't mean --" He shakes his head, still a little bit out of sorts. "To stare. Um. Are you -- were you -- getting something?" He gestures to Jack, indicating that the other teen could go ahead of him. "Cuz you could. Everything here's fucking /delicious/, by the way." His grin (it's toothy -- /very/ toothy, Way Too Many razor-sharp sharkteeth behind his lips) slides back into place, finally, head tipping up to look back to Hanna. "Which is what I wanted to ask about. Oh /man/ though maybe also some coffee. Do you do any, I dunno, like an eggnog latte? Or something gingerbready? Hmm. -- Wait no right business. I'm being businessy." Or maybe he's dreamily contemplating the thought of hot beverages. He has to shake his head sharply to get back on track. "I was actually hoping to look into the possibility of starting a regular order of goods from here. For Evolve. I don't think I've ever /had/ something from here that wasn't fantastic." "That's the best thing I've heard all day. Does she do a gingerbread tea by any chance? An' pushin' m'luck on toppa that, any actual gingerbread t'be had?" Because mmn, gingerbread /and/ tea done /right/. "Y'/should/ totally go ahead of us if'n you're just wantin' t'order a drink," Micah adds to Jack. "Shane here plans t'take up a little of Hanna's time an' we don't wanna keep other folks waitin' on it, certainly." And there is more enthusiastic nodding in agreement with Shane's assessment of the fantastic fare. He chuckles a bit, hand fussing through his hat-doffing spiked hair. "Jax does some bakin' for 'em from time t'time, but it ain't like we got the /industrial/ capacity y'all do here. So's always small volume an' not consistent how often." "I've heard that before..." Jack murmurs in reply to the statement that 'everyone is welcome'. He tries not to sound bitter but he can't help it there. All those listed drinks are very tempting and Jack almost whimpers a little. So many choices and the realization that he might not be able to afford them is painful. Biting his lip, he hesitates. "Um...what's the least expensive drink you have, ma'am?" he asks. Of course Shane's reaction to him has him surprised. He's never actually met someone who's got as obvious a mutation as him and he realizes he's been staring too. "Oh um..." he trails off. He sighs, reaching up to pull his hood back. Yep, no visible head there. Headless hoodie man. "It's okay. Nothing to stare at," he tries a joke. He holds back the comment that comes to mind about not being sure he'll be able to get something but he does look up at Micah. And then he pauses. Micah he recognizes from some of the news he's seen and suddenly Jack is wondering just what bakery he wandered into. "I'm okay with waiting," he murmurs. Warm place that smells great, he's in no rush to leave if he doesn't have to. Hanna grins, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, her eyes changing to a pleasant brown-gold color at the compliment, "Aw, thanks, Shane. That means a lot, given the quality of baked goods you're around all the time." Smile wavering, Hanna glances towards the bakery cases, "Afraid we don't have gingerbread or egg-nog yet. Some snickerdoodles, and a really great soft molasses spice cookie. But gingerbread I kind of try to hold off until December to bring out. I think there's a spiced tea that's not too far off from gingerbread, though a little bit of a more chili snap than ginger, if you're interested. Jayna showed me how to make a darn good latte with it." Listening to Shane and Micah's comments about the baked goods, and potential orders, "That said, I'm pretty sure we'd be able to work something out for a standing order to supply Evolve with a nice assortment of pastries. Can hash out the details a bit more solidly another time, but we can certainly work something out." Hanna's attention is drawn to Jack as he pulls the hood back to reveal... nothing. If the baker woman is shocked, she doesn't show it, still offering a reassuring smile to the teen. "I really do mean it," Hanna says, glancing to the Everyone Welcome sign by the door, "Cheapest drink is going to be plain coffee. But if you want something a bit more substantial, I can fix just about anything. No worries on the cost, eh? So - what can I get for you?" She offers an apologetic glance to Micah and Shane, "Just me here today - cold disagrees with Jayna something awful. Spicy tea and a latte maybe? There's some way to make eggnog out of what we have here, but I don't really think I trust my experiments in coffee as much as I trust Jayna's." Shane's black eyes open wider again when Jack pulls the hood back, but this time his grin doesn't fade. "Nah," he assures Jack, "they mean it, here. The everyone welcome, thing. Hanna," he gestures with a mittened hand towards the woman, "she's cool, yeah? I mean, look at me." His lips purse thoughtfully, and he rocks back on his heels, dropping his hands to fold behind his back. "D'you have, like, caramel syrup? Maybe?" He sounds very hopeful. "Or cinnamon. Or /both/. In a latte. I usually take it black but I'm feeling kind of sugary tonight." He perks up still more at the talk of pastries. "/Rad/. I like to keep a good assortment, you know? Aly bakes, and Pa's vegan stuff is fantastic but -- y'know, erratic, and anyway that's /only/ vegan stuff. But, like, we're kind of sort of intermittently not always losing money," isn't /that/ just a bit of confidence! "so we're looking into diversifying? But I only want to diversify with, you know, people who are awesome." He's slowly drifting over to the display case throughout this talk, idly eying the things there -- out of habit kind of looking over the vegan options available. His head tips over towards Jack, again. Thoughtful. "You ever get down to the Lower East Side? I own a cafe down there." Even if he -- barely actually even looks like a teenager, himself. "Evolve. /Pretty/ welcoming there, too." "Spice tea an' snickerdoodles'll fit the bill. I trust y'to handle it even without Jayna watchin' over. I feel 'er on the cold front, though. S'been /ridiculous/ outside, not even winter yet! Just hafta be patient an' come back for the gingerbread. Gives me somethin' t'look forward to," Micah assures with a warm smile and really not much to be seen in the way of disappointment. "This early in the game, 'specially in food service, any time y'spend in the black's good time." This comes with a little clap of his hand on Shane's back. Micah's lips quirk over to one side, expression going thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, speakin' of feelin' sugary, if y'could box up a half dozen of the molasses cookies, I'll take those, too. Jax'll prob'ly be wantin' 'em later." It's about that time that he turns enough to note the headless figure behind them. Observe the pair of eyebrows trying to sneak away and hide under the fringes of his hair. And the head-tilt. "Not t'worry. They /do/ mean that welcomin' part here. An' at Evolve. Apologies for bein' forward an' y'ain't gotta answer if y'don't wanna, but is that somethin' that comes an' goes, or y'got full-time transparency?" He /did/ kind of bring it up first after all, with the nothing to stare at comment. Sort of. The lofted brows have returned to a more normal state of honest 'gosh, people are fascinating' interest to match his tone. Probably he stops to breathe somewhere during all of his chatter. There's some more hesitation from Jack. He's had luck lately with people being nice, which was a shock given what he heard about New York before he came, but it's hard to shake that worry. He reaches up to rub the back of his equally invisible neck as he looks at the case of baked goods. "Um," he glances at Shane and Micah a moment and then looks back to Hanna. The assurances that Hanna is cool are helping him relax so he decides to order and hope for the best. "Could I order a hot chocolate then? And...maybe a muffin if you have any?" he asks sheepishly. While waiting for an answer, his eyes flick down to the case and the tasty treats inside again. He can enjoy the sight of the food at the very least. The invisible teen falls silent as the other two men speak to Hanna. He tries not to eavesdrop but he can't help but overhear. He jumps a little when Shane speaks to him again, not expecting it. "Uh, Lower East Side? I don't think I have. I'm still new to this city," he says. There's a pause and then an unseen double-take a second later as he processes the fact that Shane said he owns a cafe. He's only further convinced he wandered into some fancy rich-person's bakery. Eventually, unseen eyes look to Micah and Jack gives an unseen frown. "No off switch on the invisible man act," he sighs. "Caramel and cinnamon latte I can totally do. Almond milk?" Hanna asks, moving to start on the beverage, starting the espresso pull, admittedly with less than fluid motions - she is obviously concentrating on what she is doing. "And yeah, first year in a new business can be rough, any time you're not in the red is a good thing. Also if you've made it more than two months without severe property damage or bodily harm from "concerned neighbors," you're doing better than I did my first year here," Hanna offers with a sarcastic sigh, "Thankfully that seems to have calmed down 'round here for now." She crinkles her nose and goes about preparing beverages and plates of cookies as requested, setting them up on the counter as they are ready, on little mismatched China plates in a rainbow of colors and patterns. The box of molasses cookies is packed and set out, all adorably pink and white striped with a little matching twine bow and happy cake sticker. "I can't say I enjoy the cold much. Far cry from the tropical island that was my home," Hanna snorts, moving through finishing up Shane and Micah's drinks and setting them on the counter, "Jayna's leaves barely had time to change color this year. Just went right from green to gone, which wears her out pretty bad." Her attention focuses on Jack, attempting to look at him in some approximation of where his eyes might be, "One hot chocolate coming up. What kinda muffin? Chocolate, blueberry, cranberry orange? The chocolate ones have a really nice tang to them - and a hearty helping of chocolate chips in them." There's a sympathetic look given to him at the mention of no off-switch, and a few minutes later she sets his hot chocolate and a muffin of his choice on the counter for him. Shane shakes his head with a very small grimace. "Nah. Bunch of graffiti, bricks though windows, door smashed in, just last month. Pa painted a real pretty mural over it, though -- ouch." His wince at mention of Jayna's molt is sympathetic. "I hear winter's gonna be shitty-shitty-shitty this year. Sometimes I kind of just want to sink to the bottom of the lake and hibernate? B would never let me before apparently they flunk you out of school for that." Maybe once upon a time this would have come with some sulk to it but now it's just amused. "Oh shit right, almond milk, yes, thanks. -- Uhhh." He clicks his tongue, looking away from pastries back to Jack. "Wait here lemme get you an address. You figured out the subway yet? It's like, hella easy to hop the gates once you learn which entrances to go in so nobody's looking. Uh. Probably moreso if you're invisible." Frown. He has to pat at his pockets for -- no pen! That's okay he steals one from behind the counter meant for receipt-signing so that he can write Evolve's address down on -- an also stolen Happy Cakes card from the counter. Thiefy all around, oh well, now Jack will have /both/ addresses to remember. At least he does remember to return the pen to where he stole it from. He leans back into Micah's back-pat as he offers the card out towards Jack. "... knew an invisible girl once..." It's musing. A little pensive. His head shakes afterwards. "So where'd you come from before New York?" "Thank you!" Micah says with what is likely an excess of enthusiasm as the food and drinks appear. He /might/ be anticipating them a little bit eagerly. Digging his wallet out of his pocket, he slides a card over to Hanna and indicates to cover his and Shane's orders with it by a sweeping gesture over all the items on the counter. "I ain't from /that/ far south, but /enough/ that it's pretty killer up here. Piles of snow. Just ain't sensible." His head shakes slowly in disapproval. Really, weather. Get it together. "An', no. Y'shouldn't go sit in a lake if you're wantin' t'graduate /or/ keep an eye on your business. /Or/ avoid epic sadfaces from your family members. Seriously. Think of the Spenceface." As soon as he's completed payment and tucked his card back away, that cup of tea is in his hands. Siiip. "Ohgosh, that's hot." He sucks a little air in through his teeth like a cooling system. "Though, kinda the point," he adds with a little self-deprecating grin. The plate with the snickerdoodles on it gets pulled closer, off to the side and out of the way, the box neatly tucked away in his increasingly full-stuffed bag. "S'always a lotta transplants 'round here t'run into. /Still/ feel new m'self, though guess that ain't really true no more." Marveling at the choices, Jack isn't sure what to say at first. "Oh, uh. Chocolate please, ma'am," he says, still amazed the place is so welcoming. When the food and drink are presented him. "Oh man...thank you," he says, All the talk of winter and how bad it'll be makes him sigh. That's going to be bad for him and he hopes he can find a warm place. Or at least warmer clothes. Of course the mentions of anti-mutant attacks on the cafe and bakery have him invisibly scowling. That kind of stuff always makes him angry. "I've only been here three days," he replies to the question about the subway. He's still trying to figure it out. "Sneaking on is pretty easy," he agrees with a soft laugh. He accepts the card and looks at the addresses before carefully slipping it into his pocket. "Thanks," he says, pausing to sip his drink. The liquid vanishes after it passes through his lips. He considers how much to say when answering Shane's question and eventually shrugs. "Jersey." Hanna slides the pen and business card closer to Shane's reach when he looks for it, going back to focusing on ringing up Micah's order on the old antique cash register which goes 'ping'! That is mostly for show, however, as the baker swipes the card through the little square add-on to the iPad propped up on the counter out of sight, before returning the card to Micah and turning the iPad around to be squiggled on with stylus or fingertip. "Jayna half-hibernates. Just has no energy to do much in the winter, or after the first frost, really," Hanna nods at the idea of hibernating. Wincing at the hot comment from Micah, Hanna offers a sheepish grin, "The industrial water boiler only seems to have two settings. Lukewarm, or melt-your-face off. Apologies for that - let me know if you need an ice cube to balance it out." She nods to Jack, "Three days is just barely enough to get a baring of where you are in New York. I still get lost, and I've been here for a whole year already." "Oh man. I've heard that place is even more of a shithole than New York," Shane /cheerfully/ answers the Jersey comment. He snags his latte happily, /not/ taking a sip just yet once Micah has been the guinea pig for the heat. "See, the thing about hibernating in a lake is I'd be /asleep/, so I wouldn't /see/ the sadfaces." See? He's got this figured out already. He starts winding his scarf back around his face, lifting his cup in a salute to the others. "Getting late. I gotta date to go get punched in the face a lot. Thanks for the warm. I'll catch up with you this weekend about tasty-yummy-goodness?" he asks Hanna. "Maybe at brunch?" There is usually Commons-brunch some time on weekends. His chin jerks up, cup waggling in a lazy wave to Jack. "Stay warm, dude. Maybe I'll see you 'round." If he notices the irony of this statement it doesn't seem to register. His forehead bonks lightly against his dad's forearm as he heads back for the door. "Ohgosh, honey, ain't no fault of yours or your machine's. I should know better'n t'put things as were just boilin' straight in m'mouth. Just sounded /really/ good an' I occasionally have the impulse control of a five-year-old." Yes, there's the self-deprecating grin, still going strong. "Mmn. Poor thing. If she ever wants t'drop by an' sit under Jax's /array/ of sun lamps, she's welcome. Dunno if that'd help her same as him, but s'worth a try." Food items collected, Micah starts the slow process of winding back into all of his layers (and layers!) of winter gear for driving Shane back. "Right. Gotta drop the kids off t'punch each other in the face." He shakes his head at that, tone on the skeptical side. "Ain't just soccer practice for /us/, no sir." At least there's a chuckle added after that observation. "Thanks again, Hanna. Y'all have a good night." With a wave of a once-again mittened hand, he is out the door a few steps behind Shane. "So far, you heard right," Jack says. New York has been surprisingly nice to the invisible teen. He doesn't seem all that bothered by how hot his drink is. If anything, the heat is welcomed. "At least I know I'm not the only one getting lost then," Jack replies to Hanna. "It was getting embarrassing there," he adds. He just stares as Shane and Micah talk about punching and fighting. "What..." he trails off quietly, watching them go. He's not sure he heard them right but he won't chase to pry. He lingers on the spot a moment before reaching up to pull his hood back up. "Thank you again, ma'am," he chimes to Hanna. "I'll um...I'll go now," he says. Of course he plans to see if there's anything in the garbage out back worth taking. The muffin tastes good and he'd wager a day old one is still just as great. Hanna nods at the mention of brunch, "Sounds like a plan. I'll bring a copy of my typical baking schedule, and menu with all the tasty options, and we'll go from there." A shocked look at the mention of face-punching crosses her features, lightening her eyes to a somewhat muted gray-green color in confusion, though she apparently decides it best not to ask. Shaking head, she smiles and waves goodbye to Shane and Micah as they head out, "See you both around. Have a good evening." She turns her attention to Jack, pondering for a few silent moments, "If you want, you can stick around and eat your muffin in peace at one of the tables. Warm up a bit. I'm just going to start clearing things up over here, but I'm not gonna toss you out into the cold."