ArchivedLogs:Birthday Surprise

Birthday Surprise
Dramatis Personae Eve and Paige
In Absentia	2017-05-11 An unexpected birthday celebration takes place
Location <NYC> El Sabor de Cuba - East Harlem
This place has a very bright and festive atmosphere. Cuban music, as well as various fifties-era tunes play over head as one enters El Sabor de Cuba. There are various hispanic-themed food items all over the store, a generous liquor selection, and plenty of smokables to be had. Colorful decorations and old black and white pictures decorate the walls. Near the back, there is a sort of island kitchen usually staffed by an eighty-plus year old woman who speaks almost no english whatsoever. There's usually one or two older gentlemen playing chess, checkers, or cards at small tables in the area, and a few older women chatting as they take a break from work over shots of cafecito. This is also where a stairway leads up to what one can assume is the upstairs apartment. A recent addition has been posted in the corner of the front window. A sign that in addition to the various deals posted, advertises quietly: Bienvenidos, Mutantes. It looks to be homemade and done in a younger hand. Out front, one can often find men, old and young alike smoking a cigar and watching passersby with a sort of critical, assessing eye. They rarely stir themselves though, unless cries of 'ladron' go up. It's after school and she's got something of a 'job' to do. When not studying or not with friends, she's usually getting her parents a little extra help by stocking things. So she's among the store's shelves, sans apron, putting things up. She's in the junkfood aisle right now, and she has a headphone in as her hips and shoulders swish in time with some sort of dance tune. She's even murmuring the lyrics under her breath. So it's fanciful shelf-stocking. The store is not particularly busy (Thursday, everyone's tired, after all). The biggest of the crowd constitutes some coffee sippers in the back. Even her grandmother in the back just sort of sits at her counter looking bored. The bell above the door to the bodega jingles as the entrance admits one horned, hooded young woman. Indeed, though her body is mostly covered, mostly thanks to an over-large grey sweatshirt, Paige's horns are quite obvious beneath the loose fabric of the garment's hood. Her cloven hooves, of course, are also uncovered. She looks a tad uncomfortable as she hesitates and looks around after entering, perhaps due to the fact that her ears are confined by her choice of clothing. Still, with hands in the sweatshirt's front pocket, she tries to subtly move about the shop in search of Eve. "DIOS MIO!" That would be grandma crossing herself in the back and praying as she recognizes Paige. Eve? Eve merely looks up and over an aisle, looking for... something or other... Until she sees the source of abuela's disturbance and... Ah there she is. Eve's tall, so looking over a shelf isn't too hard. She raises an arm as she pries her headphones out, hops up, and waves in the direction of Paige, a smile on her face,"What's up, chica? Come on over here. I'm just helping my parents get ahead of some work. Ignore abuela. Most of us do." Grandma, for her own parts, calls out,"{Jesus, stop talking to it! That's the devil come to earth! Throw it out!}" Eve replies in kind,"{Stop it grandma. That's my friend, Paige. And my name is EVE, not Jesus.}" Paige gives a start and her ears flick hard beneath the hood, causing the mutant to wince in at the twinge of pain this results in. She seems quite relieved to be beckoned by Eve and makes her way quietly, albeit hastily, over to the her. The goat girl furrows her brows when the grandmother shouts again. "I, uh, just thought I would, uh, visit. Maybe buy some food, you know? Is she --" an inclination of her head is given in the direction of Eve's abuela, "-- alright?" The girl looks at Paige with a smile, then looks around,"Look... you don't have to wear the hood in here... Or is it for YOUR comfort? Um... My abuela is kind of being a racist old fart. I think? Or maybe just superstitious. She'll be fine. Did you want something to eat, the? We can eat upstairs if that's more comfortable for you. MAMA, PAPA, I'm taking some time to hang out with my friend!" Her mother doesn't even look up from sweeping, and her father at the counter merely raises his hand from where he sits reading his newspaper to wave. "It's nice to get a visit from you." "Oh." Paige glances towards the old woman before looking back to Eve and raising a hand in a dismissive wave. "It's fine," she remarks, though the look on her face might indicate otherwise. "I'm, uh, used to anti-mutant rhetoric. And there's enough people on the streets and around the city that give me trouble. I'm ... used to it. It's fine. And that's kind of -why- I'm wearing the hood." A soft grin creeps onto her face with this statement. "Keep my head low enough and maybe they won't notice, you know? So long as they don't look at my feet." She pauses to look about the shop, though she cannot see much from within the aisle. "I guess I could use something to eat. But only as long as I get to pay for it. I was thinking of bringing Heather something back, too. And thanks. I just didn't want to be spending the day by myself so I thought I'd wander over here." The girl shrugs a little bit, offering, "It's up to you. You're prettier when your face is easily visible though." She puts a few more items up, straightens, and gestures in the direction of the hot bar, "Oh, totally. Free stuff usually only comes when we're ready to start throwing stuff out, or I meet new friends. It's mama and papa's way of getting people hooked. Order up. Whatever you want." She starts walking in abuela's direction, "I still don't like that you have to deal with it. Noone should have to get used to shitty behavior." Her mother, "Eve! Language!" Eve ducks her head, embarrassed. "What were you in the mood for? You're always welcome here." There's a slight hesitation as Paige realizes the direction the other girl is leading her also contains the 'racist old fart', but she follows nonetheless. A smirk plays on her face at the words of Eve's mother. "It's either get used to it or take it personally. It's hard not to do the latter. I wouldn't call myself pretty at all, but the less people see of me, the less likely I am to get harassed or attacked. It's for safety." When they arrive at the bar, the furred mutant looks a bit sheepishly to Eve. "The ropa vieja was really good. As you said, I'm kind of hooked on it." The girl smiles a little bit at the woman, "You don't HAVE to call yourself pretty. I just did for you. Why wouldn't you think you're pretty?" Eve moves along, though, holding up two fingers to Abuela, "Dos ropa vieja." The girl smiles as she waits for the wary-looking grandmother to load up a plastic carton. "I'm glad you like it. Tell abuela that." She laces her fingers behind her head as she relaxes, a sort of distant smile on her face, "You wanna eat upstairs in the apartment or down here?" The goatish mutant's jaw works and her face flushes as she averts her eyes. When she speaks, it's in a more hushed tone. "Have you -seen- my face? I have fuzz growing all over it - not to mention the -horns- coming out of my head. And then there's the -ears-. They aren't even human. I don't look human. I look like an animal." That said, the shorter girl manages to force a smile onto her face as she turns to the grandmother. "Thank you," she says, ducking her head a bit. "Your food is amazing. I absolutely love the ropa vieja." Then, to Eve again, "Wherever you want to eat. I don't want to impose." "What's your point? There's a boy who works in Evolve. He has tentacles, and reads minds. And he's built like a stack of boy-nums. Like, holycrap he's athletic. And really nice." The woman, meanwhile, smiles. She doesn't understand much english, but the compliment seems to have translated well enough. Eve gestures towards the nearby stairs, "It's fifteen-fifty if you were serious about paying." The girl starts walking towards the stairs, "We'll go upstairs so you can take that hood off. Privacy. Anyway, your fur is a pretty color, and it's adorably soft. Your face is pretty normal, and the ears are actually kind of cute. Maybe I'm biased? People sometimes look differently to me, based on how well I know them. At any rate, maybe you don't look quite human, but you don't look like an animal either. You just look... different. You're pretty, and your my Paige-shaped friend, which means you look absolutely perfect to me. Besides, people have called me inhuman before, and all I have is a gender issue." The compliments don't do much to pale the skin beneath Paige's fur, though perhaps this is because she finds them flattering. "It -is- soft," the older girl admits aloud as they head to towards the stairs. "And you really think they're cute?" There's a momentary silence before she speaks again. "Thank you. And I apologize. I don't mean to be such a downer. I just -- my family ... wasn't very fond of mutants ... and that's putting it mildly. I look into the mirror and I don't see the face I've known for twenty years, I see something different, something freakish." One of her hands reaches into a front pocket of her jeans. "Is that fifteen-fifty with or without tax?" The girl pauses on the steps, looking back over at Paige for a moment as she waits for her to pay,"With tax. Dad thinks round numbers reassure people. Don't forget to grab your food cartons." She heads back up, to the stairs where the apartment, fully of old comfy furniture and second-hand electronics rest. She heads into the little kitchen for a glass of orange juice, and comes back. She flops down on the couch, then. "I'm sorry that was your experience. I'm sorry it's so difficult for you, but... I understand that, in a way. Except, it's beginning to reverse, for me. You really are very pretty. I know it's not so easy as just hearing it, but... For what it's worth, you're a very attractive woman, Paige. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." Paige retrieves bills of cash from the front pocket of her jeans, counting out fifteen dollars, while pulling out fifty cents from the opposite pocket. The money is then handed to Eve's father and the horned girl picks up the cartons before proceeding up the stairs after her hostess. Once in the apartment, she follows Eve to the couch where she sits next to the other girl. Placing the two cartons on her lap, the physical mutant reaches up and lowers her hood, allowing her ears to practically spring free of their confinement. "I haven't spoken to my parents in six months and the last time I saw my brother ... it didn't end well. You know, today is my birthday and I'm not even sure they care if I'm alive?" Though her expression saddens at this, she manages to keep her composure and maintain a mostly neutral countenance. With a sigh, Paige is quiet for a minute and then says, "It's ... whatever. I appreciate that you think I am pretty. I'm not ... right. Thank you. And the same is true for you, you know. You are also quite pretty." A grin forms on her face and her brows raise. "I'm surprised you don't have all the boys all over you by now." The girl makes a face that is a little unreadable as the ears spring free and the girl asks curiously,"Can I touch one of them?" Yes. Eve wants to pet goat girl! The fur is just sooo soft. "Or is that, like... inappropriate to ask?" Wait. Birthday. "Whaaat? Why aren't you out celebrating!? Shit, girl. I..." Wait. Someone just called her pretty. She reacts as if someone had dragged a cold object up her spine and flushes, her olive skin darkening several shades, "I... Uh... No. I'm... pretty forward with being trans, and as a result people my age show... usually immediate disinterest, or they get all... creepy about it, like I'm a fetish or something. I have plenty of friends, but... I'm... I probably won't date until I'm out of high school or something at this rate. People in college are more open-minded." She brushes her hair back a little and stands, still flushed, and turns towards the stairs, after grabbing her wallet off the table. "Wait, like... five minutes okay?" Blinking in apparent surprise at Eve's request, Paige opens her mouth to speak, but the other girl is soon talking again. Her jaw closes and her ears twitch as she listens to the teenager with concern, watching her face while she explains her dating issues. But then Eve is up and heading towards the stairs. "I, uh, what?" she inquires as Eve rushes out. "I -- okay." She blinks again and furrows her brow before looking down at one of the cartons, prying it open, and smelling the food inside. The girl is gone... as promised, for about five minutes. When she comes back, she is huffing and puffing and holding a sort of... cake in a box. White. Covered in merengue. And with a single birthday candle. It says 'Page' on it. Some hurry went into this thing, but she looks pleased with herself as she drops her wallet on a side table, and goes to hunt down a lighter to light the candle, "Um... Feliz cumpleanos." Her skin is even darker from the blush, and sure the cake is more like three cupcakes in size, but... But it was short notice. "I'm sorry. Here I am dumping shit on you, and it's your BIRTHDAY." Paige quickly snaps the plastic carton back together when an out-off-breath Eve reappears. The goat girls' ears flick up in surprise and her eyes widen at the delivery in the teenager's hands. Standing up, she seems unsure of where to put the cartons in her lap and ends up settling for the same side table. "What -- you didn't have to -- it's not -- I d-- -Thank- you. I don't know what to say. I wasn't expecting this." Though she still appears quite surprised, confusion mixes into her expression as her ears angle downwards. "What are you sorry for? It's not -- I don't understand. Coming here was ... is a celebration of my birthday. I don't -- don't usually go places alone -- -THANK- you." The horned mutant is rather flustered, as her manner of speech reflects, and she stands, wringing her hands. The girl laughs a little as the plastic carton is snapped closed. Eve waves a hand, and then says,”No… You can keep eating, just… maybe blow the candle out for?” Then she makes a face,”We’ve both said the ‘s-word’ now, twice. Gotta do better about that. We mostly do spanish here. So it’s… Never quite got in the habit.” Eve shakes her head, and sets the little cake down on the table, lights the candle, and offers,”Go ahead, blow out the candle.” And then, impulsively, she holds out her hands as if to offer a hug,”Well, you’re my friend. I mean, we don’t know each other super-well, and I’m a bit younger than you, but you’ve treated me pretty solidly. And it’s not like it was very expensive. I just got some cupcakes, some frosting, and kind of… made something out of it. It probably won’t taste great. Still, girl, you can’t just drop this kind of crap on a girl with such short notice.” "You do know I wasn't expecting this at all, right? I didn't -- I mean, thank you. So much," Paige offers with a sheepish smile before bending over to blow out the candle. Her eyes linger on the candle and the smoke drifting off from the wick for a moment before she straightens back up and turns to embrace the taller girl in a hug. "Thank you," she repeats. "I didn't mean to dump this on you or anything. Turning twenty-one is usually ... such an event. I was trying to keep it kind of low-key, you know? Didn't want anyone making a big fuss. -Thank- you.” “Well, you’d be kind of a douche just to expect someone to do something for you. You didn’t. So, you know, that’s why deserve it, sort of. Like… it’s one of those things you wanna give someone precisely BECAUSE they weren’t demanding you do something. I don’t know you SUPER well, but I think three cupcakes covered with frosting isn’t an entirely out-of-the-way thing to do. Plus, I’m pretty sure you’d be uncomfortable with EXTRAVAGANT.” The girl gives a good, squeezy hug, and then Eve is relinquishing her hold, eyes practically sparkling,”It’s a big deal, sort of. I kinda feel like you should be out drinking or something with your mature friends and all, but… Somehow that doesn’t sound like you, either. So… enjoy your food and your birthday, and we’ll call it even, hun.” Giving Eve an extra squeeze before breaking the hug herself, she smiles. "-Thank- you. It -- it means a lot to me. All of it." Her body is visibly less tense as she sits herself back down on the couch, gesturing for Eve to rejoin her. "All this for someone you barely know. Don't you ever lose your kindness. Those -" here she indicates the cupcakes with a hand. "- are for later. Dessert. And you obviously have to have one." There's a hint of amusement in her voice, but it has faded by the time she speaks again. "It's hard, you know - missing my parents, my family. But having friends that accept and trust me makes it all much more tolerable. Thank you." “Would you like to call them? I can’t promise that your experience will be pleasant. You could hear their voices, though, and that’s not nothing.” Eve plops back down on the couch next to Paige, and pulls her phone out, to toss it on the coffee table. Thump. “You helped me get a tutor. You spend time hanging out with someone who’s basically a tagalong little kid. You’re friendly, and kind of shy, and obviously a nice person. Why wouldn’t I show a little friendliness.” As for cake,”Okay, you talked me into it, because it was so hard. Um… but just one. I’ve gotta watch my weight a LITTLE, at least. So, you’re that age where you’re supposed to be out creating memories you wished you could forget. What’s the dealio, girl?” The goat girl's ears flick up as the phone hits the table and she regards it a bit uncomfortably. "No, I've ... got my own phone, thank you. I've been thinking about calling them, but I'd do it at a time they wouldn't be around to pick up." She bites her lower lip as she opens her cartons again on the coffee table. "I don't -- I don't know. I think maybe I already have enough of those memories. And I -will- go to a bar." The index finger on her left hand picks at her thumb. "Just not tonight. I'd want an -adult- adult present either way, though. Someone to make sure I get home alright in case I drink too much. As for weight, I have a feeling that one cupcake will not be your demise." That said with a smirk, she resumes eating her food.