ArchivedLogs:Rain Break

Rain Break
Dramatis Personae Hive, Melinda, Ororo
In Absentia	2016-02-23 "You must have the patience of a saint."
Location <NYC> Montagues - SoHo
Montagues harkens back to the day when SoHo was filled to the brim with artists, with its mismatched furniture, all plush and decorated heavily with carved wood, but remains trendy enough to keep its newer patrons by making sure that furniture is clean, in good repair and inviting. The antique tables all have been reinforced to seem less creaky. The real draw of the cafe is the smell: fresh roasted coffee mingles with perfectly steeped teas. Spices from crisp pastries mingle with the tang of clotted cream but don't overwhelm too much the scent of chalk on the menu boards. Cold, cold rain sleet down from the heavens, driving people off the streets and into warmer places. Montagues has put put a little curtain around the door to help block some of the winter temperatures and damp from infiltrating too deeply into the heart of the cafe, allowing patrons to enjoy their warm beverages in peace. Melinda stands behind the counter, answering last minute questions as she slips out of her apron for the day. Her hair is tied at the base of her neck, looped over a couple times to keep the length out of the way at work. She's wearing a white button down over black slacks, her work shoes changed for rubber boots already. Glances are tossed toward the windows from time to time, the sight of the cold precipitation slows her speech, giving her more time before she has to venture out. Hive is just slipping in from the cold; though he looks kind of underdressed for it -- drab canvas jacket, jeans, sneakers, at least he's got an umbrella! -- he also seems rather unbothered. Slouchy, expression drawn down into his habitual sleepy-eyed scowl, scruffy mop of dark hair hanging shaggy and damp around his face. He has a backpack slung over one shoulder, one hand toying with its strap as the other shakes his umbrella off by the door. He doesn't actually /scan/ the cafe for Melinda -- at least, not visually. His mind -- probably does, though, telepathic senses taking stock of the minds in the room easily; the light brush up against Mel's mind is an easy familiar thing. Already well situated in the restaurant with a large chai latte and laptop propped up in front of her, Ororo looks fairly occupied with whatever is on her screen. At least she looks comfy: baggy coral sweater, belted in the middle with a black leggings and brown leather boots, her striking white hair hanging loosely down her back. Her own umbrella leans against the table beside her as she types and clicks casually with one hand, the other holding her latte firmly, lifting it to her lips periodically. The familiar sound of the door opening and shutting gets a brief glance up, then a second glance and smile when she recognizes the face. "Ah, hello Hive," she greets pleasantly, taking another sip. Melinda's response to the brush of Hive's presence is almost Pavlovian, habitual at least. She moves over to the counter and grabs a mug and a carafe of coffee. She moves out from behind the counter and heads toward Hive's table, waiting for him to come sit down and claim the cup of coffee she pours. She opens her mouth to greet him audibly, when she hears his name from a different direction. Her brows arch upward as she looks over toward Ororo, studying her before remembering to smile. She looks over at Hive and purses her lips when she finds him damp. "Oh... Hive." Hive has been trudging somewhat on autopilot towards a table near the front window -- perhaps it does not /actually/ have his name on it but after this many years it may as well. Just as much on autopilot, though, he stops, turns, reroutes his steps at the sound of his name. It takes a moment after this for his /eyes/ to shift their focus, clicking into place on Ororo only at a delay. His head jerks upward in a small sharp nod of greeting. "-- Yo. How's life at the madhouse?" He sets his own umbrella down on the floor, leaning it against an empty chair at Ororo's table. The inward draw of his brows looks a faint bit sheepish when Mel notices his dampness. "-- My umbrella turned inside out." Perhaps it's the sheepishness that makes him turn his backpack around, unzipping it to pull out a container of snickerdoodles and offer them to Mel, or perhaps it's -- "Happy Birthday." "Oh, same as usual," Ororo responds in regards to the 'madhouse'. Which, really, doesn't say anything. She glances towards Melinda in time to catch her stare, merely smiling politely and offering a nod in greeting. "Will we be seeing you around anytime soon? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while or have I just missed your visits?" she asks, returning her focus to Hive, clicking a few times before closing her laptop. Melinda shakes her head slowly at the statement about Hive's umbrella, her mind already crafting a picture of what that might have been like, a memory of biting cold and the sensation of cloth plastered against her skin, muted by time. Her smiles grows a little tighter at the thought, but the appearance of cookies warms her thoughts. "Oh! Thank you!" Grateful that the day is remembered, she slips into a seat and reaches out for her first bit baked goodness. "Friend of yours?" She glances between Hive and Ororo, curious. "God, I hope not." Hive's lips press together, though despite this gruff answer he taps out a seat at the table, slumping down into it. "-- But maybe. Jax is probably planning on dragging my ass out there for -- oh." He looks over towards the cookies, nodding at the container. "There's like. Four different /kinds/. He goes a little nuts for. Birthday. Shit." He lifts a calloused hand, scruffing it through his damp hair. << Was hoping I could take you to dinner. Now that you're off. >> His eyes flick between the two women, furrowing slightly as if in puzzlement at Melinda's question. Belatedly he remembers to answer it: "-- Right, right. Yeah. No. Yeah. Yeah, uh, Ororo, Melinda. Mel, Ororo. Teaches. With Jax. Matt. All of them." Ororo watches with some interest as cookies are being passed around and appreciated, a warm smile remaining on her lips. It's only broken for a quiet chuckle as Hive mentions possibly being dragged out. "I'd be careful. There's plenty of people who would love to see you around more permanently. Perhaps, dare I say, in uniform?" At the introduction to Melinda, she turns to examine the other woman, holding out a hand to shake. "Pleasure meeting you Melinda. Yes, teaching. Arguably too much time," she says before leaning back against her chair again and taking a sip of her latte. "A pleasure as well. To be surrounded by teenagers all the time - you must have the patience of a saint." Melinda takes a bite of one of the snickerdoodles, a small bite to keep her mouth clear. She pulls the container closer and peeks down into the depths, smiling a little brighter. "Of course, he did. It an opportunity, you know, for him to shower someone with goodness." She grins. << Dinner would be lovely. Did you want to wait until it calms down a little? Or, we can get a car. >> << It's awful out there now. /Could/ get a cab if you want. Or you could enjoy those cookies a bit. >> Hive looks down at his shabby canvas jacket, a quick smile twitching briefly across his lips. "It'd be trading up," he acknowledges. "Not sure I could pull off the leather, though." He braces a hand against the table, habitually attempting to tip his chair back although it doesn't work so well with the heavy plush-upholstered furniture. "How do you know when it's been too long? Patience running thin? There's certainly no shortage of -- needy kids." "Well, I don't know about that," Ororo says, smiling humbly at Melinda's praise. "I just...enjoy taking care of those who need it most. And the school and professor helped me quite a bit when I was young, it's the least I can do to return the favor." Hive's question gets a light shrug. "Patience. Stress. Unexpected rain," she says. "No, there never is any shortage of needy kids. I love them all dearly but...well, a recharging period every so often is necessary. Especially given the previous semester." Melinda tries to consider Hive in leather, but can't really imagine him outside of tee shirts and jeans. Her lips purse as she tries harder, conjuring some sort of cross between a Japanese rock star and the mannequin that the clothes might be on in a store. She gives it up. << Cookies first. Ruin my dinner, then go out and eat. Sounds good, >> she teases lightly, but also does not want to go outside - never mind subjecting Hive to more when he's still damp. "Recharging is important. Would you like a cookie? Jax made them." "That is what the mission statement's about. Guess they attract a lot of the -- caring types." For a brief moment there's a shiver of faces that flit through the others' minds, Matt and Jax and Flicker, Kurt and Hank. "So what I'm hearing is, teacher retreat in Hawai'i next break time?" His brows lift, a hint of amusement in his eyes. His fingers tighten minutely against the table. "I hear they're lower on zombies /and/ malfunctioning mutant teenagers." Ororo can't help but laugh at the suggestion. "That sounds wonderful actually. Until then, I suppose could turn up the heat and humidity in the teacher's lounge." Melinda's offer gets smile and slightly shake of her head. "Oh no, thank you but I couldn't. Besides, I get far too many of Jackson's treats already." Melinda nods and places the lid back on the tub, getting to her feet once more. There's a small stretch, hands at the small of her back. She glances at Hive. "Actually, if you don't mind, I think dinner would probably be good now. I just need to finish up something in the back and grab my coat. Want to summon a vehicle?" She offers a small wave to Ororo before taking the carafe of coffee to the back of the cafe. "I'm sure you'd have plenty of coworkers who'd thank you for it." Hive pushes himself to his feet, giving Ororo a quick nod as he scoops his umbrella back up. "Guess I have a cab to hail. Birthdaying to birthday. Good luck with the, uh. Teenaging." He lifts his umbrella to her in a lazy salute, pushing his chair back in towards the table as he heads back out into the rain. Ororo nods as the two begin to discuss dinner. "I should be heading back to the school as well. Enjoy yourselves," she says, rising to her feet and packing up her computer in her bag and swinging her umbrella over her shoulder. Before they leave, she turns to Hive with a raised brow and mock warning tone. "And I expect to see you around the school again soon," she says, before finishing it off with a wink.