ArchivedLogs:Another Day

Another Day
Dramatis Personae Jax, Spencer, Tag
In Absentia	2017-12-17 "Maybe we could find a way to do it that's more accessible and less exploitative."
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Kitchens - Lower East Side
Gleaming and polished and new, the common house here boasts an enormous industrial-sized kitchen for preparing communal meals. Set up as two mirror-image fully equipped kitchens, both left and right halves of the room contain a trio of enormous ovens, each topped with twelve gas-powered stove burners. There is a wealth of cabinet and drawer space ringing the walls, and separate side-by-side fridge and freezer to each side of the space as well. Both halves of the room contain their own large central islands, black granite countertops providing a large expanse of space for food prep; beneath the center islands are stored a well-stocked supply of pans and pots and cutting boards and kitchen gear. The pantry is shared, a large walk-in room along the back wall, its shelves all carefully labelled and organized. The opposite wall has sinks, deep three-compartment ones for each side of the room. There are very clearly labeled signs in the kitchen, denoting the left half of the room strictly for preparation only of foods both vegan and Kosher; there are no restrictions on the foods prepared in the right half. Equipment from each side is color-coded and should be kept separate. Instructions request that any prepared foods served or stored in communal space keep /strict/ lists of the ingredients used for those with dietary concerns and that leftovers are marked clearly with dates before being stored. It's a gray and drizzly Sunday, the kind of afternoon that encourages curling up in a pile of blankets with warm drinks and mindless entertainment. The Commonhaus kitchen, however, is brightly lit and bustling with activity. Most of that bustle is currently being supplied by one small tousle-haired boy clad in a blue-and-white sweater (decorated with Stars of David, dreidels, and a hannukiah with rainbow-colored candles) and gray cargo pants. Spence has been piling materials and utensils on the generous counter of the kosher side of the kitchen. The latest item to emerge from the pantry with him is a bag of potatoes that looks like it might easily rival the boy himself for weight, and after carrying it for just a couple of steps he stops. Eyes the counter across the kitchen critically. The bag vanishes from his grasp and reappears on the countertop near the sink. Jax is not nearly so festive, more or less plain in burgundy fleece tights and a grey denim skirt, a cream-coloured open-stitched sweater worn over a wine-coloured long-sleeved shirt. He's just washing his hands at the sink, his sleeves pushed up above his elbows. Flicking water from his fingertips, he doesn't bother to dry them much, turning his attention instead to the bag of potatoes that's just appeared. Which are just about to get dumped out into one half of the sink for washing as well; he turns the water cool as he lets it run over the potato mountain. Finished transferring the shelf-stable ingredients, Spence sticks his head into the refrigerator and comes out with his arms full of leeks. "Do you think these will be /enough/?" He steps back from the vegetables once he has piled them on the counter, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. "I mean, this is more than last year, but we /always/ run out of keftes. It's hard to just like, make more of those in a hurry." "We run out 'cuz you make 'em too delicious. You could try not seasoning 'em at all," Jax suggests with a crooked smile. He turns briefly from his washing, chewing pensively at one lip ring. "Y'think Heather'll be at dinner?" An idle musing that is soon followed by: "... how many more leeks we got?" The front door opens and shuts, and a few moments later Tag joins them in the kitchen, slightly damp from the rain. He's clad in a rainbow tie-dye hoodie unzipped over a black t-shirt liberally sprinkled with graphics of intricate and faintly shimmery fractal snowflakes, gray corduroy pants, and bright pink boots. His hair, well past his shoulders now, is done up in its classical pinwheel rainbow patter, which just a hint of iridescent frost growing more noticeable toward the tips. He's carrying an Attack on Titan messenger bag over one shoulder. "Hey!" he pipes, brightening. "Can I lend a hand? That's a /lot/ of potatoes." He doesn't sound very intimidated, for all that. Spence scrunches up his brows, as if he were seriously considering the suggestion. "Yeah, but /I/ want delicious keftes." He nudges a food service-size jug of apple sauce away from the edge of the counter. "She'll probably be here she comes to /most/ common dinners hey Tag!" There's no pause and no sign that he thinks the musing on Heather's attendance and his greeting to Tag should be separated at all. "Yeah we got /so/ much stuff to chop! Anyway, that's all the leeks we have. Could pick up more. /Or/ I can make some spinach keftes, too..." "I guess we're stuck with the tasty ones, then." Jax's sigh is overly dramatic. He reaches for a peeler, shutting off the water and picking up the first of the giant pile of potatoes. "Oh! --" There's a brief pause as he turns, a shifting brightness to his features -- colour flushing to his pale cheeks, a touch of shimmery makeup dusting itself carefully over his face -- as a smile spreads across his face, his peeler waggling in a wave. "Psh," lightly dismissive, "I'm an expert potato-dismemberer. We /do/ maybe need more leeks, though." "Mmm, keftes..." Tag echoes dreamily. "I'm gonna want like, ten of those, and I don't even have a super boosted metabolism." He goes to the counter--standing on the non-sink side so as to stay out of Jax and Spence's way--and eyes the heaps of ingredients with something approaching awe as he hangs his messenger bag over one of high chairs there. Then picks it back up. "Oh, I can totally go grab more of those from down the street, if that would be helpful?" "You can eat however many of them you want, but wouldn't you want to save room for doughnuts?" Spence says this /very/ earnestly, his eyes wide. "But yeah, more leeks!" He glances sideways at his father, then at Tag. "Oh hey, it'll be /way/ faster if /I/ get them, you should totally help with the potatoes or get started cleaning the leeks cuz that takes /forever/, merci beaucoup." He scurries over to kiss Jax on the cheek. "I'll be right back!" And with that, he vanishes. "More donuts for me if he don't." Jax is quick, efficient as he starts peeling his potatoes. "Oh, sure," he answers Tag, "that'd be --" He breaks off with a small blink when Spence replies, though, sucking his lip in between his teeth and ducking his head as his son disappears. "...I hope he remembers his wallet." Kind of half to himself, head shaking as he turns back to his potatoes. "Oh ye of little faith!" Tag bounces up onto his toes, then settles back down. "I /always/ save room for dessert, /especially/ Holland dessert." He's just shouldering his bag in preparation for leaving when Spence volunteers to go in his place. At that, he blinks repeatedly, his eyes changing from magenta through several intervening shades of pink and purple to finally settle on chicory blue. "Oh! Alright." He puts the bag back down and goes to wash his hands, his sidelong glance at Jax a bit uncertain, a bit shy. "You know, I've had this idea kicking around and I've been meaning to bounce it off of you, just...I know you're busy and all. But!" He plucks up a large leek and plops it down on the cutting board. "Since we have all these vegetables to go through, would you mind hearing me out?" "Um." Jax's eye is focused downward now, skin falling off his potato in long thin stripes. He tosses it into a bowl, picks up another, shrugs one shoulder. "Off me? Uh, sure." "Well, before that Effective Staffing job fair, Theo Fegenbush had complimented me on how well I'd monetized my abilities, and said he wanted to do that for everyone." Tag selects a knife and bisects the leek lengthwise before expertly fanning out its exposed layers and rinsing between them. "And like, Neon and Chrome definitely could not have happened without tons of support, everything from persistent word-of-mouth advertisement to literally housing me when I couldn't make rent. But not everyone is as lucky as I am." He returns the halves of the leek to the cutting board, still dripping, and drags an empty mixing bowl over. "Whatever issues I have with Theo's approach, I think it really would be great for folks in the community to have more organized employment assistance, or even help establishing their own businesses." Picking up a knife, he starts chopping. "Maybe we could find a way to do it that's more accessible and less exploitative. I'm kind of in the talking-to-folks, gathering ideas, and subtly recruiting stage." Jax nods along, only glancing briefly up at Tag. Mostly still focused down on his very-sharp potato peeler as he deskins his potatoes, turning them quickly over in wet hands. "Uh-huh," comes agreement at only a slight delay once Tag is finished talking. "Sure. I mean, that sounds like it'd be good. To have." Tag doesn't continue immediately. He darts a sidelong glance at Jax once, then looks back at his leeks. Then, without looking over again, "Do you have any ideas, off the top of your head? I guess I'm just not sure where to start with this project. Could be anything from a directory of folks willing to donate time, advice, and services to a registered nonprofit with its own budget and staff, to tons of stuff I haven't even thought of." He pauses to scrape the minced leeks into the mixing bowl. "I mean it's alright if you don't. Have any. Ideas." He blushes slightly, then presses on. "But I'd still love to have you on board in some capacity, you know?" "Mmm." Jax's hum is quiet, light. He shakes his head, a moment later. "I don't know. I'll think on it, maybe? You should talk to Ryan, probably, I bet he'd be lots of help with somethin' like this. Or Shane --" His brows furrow, briefly. "Prob'ly not tonight. But they'd have ideas, most like." "Xie xie." Tag smiles, bobs his head, as he starts in on another leek. "I will--I plan on talking to /lots/ of people, cuz I don't want it to just be focused on folks like me. You know: human-passing, with a power that has lots of practical applications and which people don't see as threatening." He puts the knife down and runs the halved leek under the faucet. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot or anything, just..." Here he hesitates. Shakes his head. "Bo hao yi si, I just got excited. But I'll take 'maybe', check in with you when I got more than just a nebulous 'we could do this thing'." "D'accord." Jax's smile is quick, small, fleeting as he looks away once more. He wipes his hand sort of half-dry after his next potato. Enough at least to tap at his phone on the countertop, music (ThouShaltNot's "Inside Of You, In Spite Of You") starting up soon after from the room's speakers. He rinses his hand off again, returning to his peeling. "Later, then." Spencer reappears with a canvas tote just bristling with leek greens. "We are /not/ running out this time," he declares, with more bravado than confidence. Then adds, a little more quietly. "I'm making some spinach ones too. Just in case."