Logs:No Cheat Sheets

No Cheat Sheets
Dramatis Personae Daiki, Jade, Jax
In Absentia	2024-11-29 "Ah guess ah'm tryna find out how to really get mah emotions under control.
Location <NYC> Evolve Cafe - Lower East Side
Spacious and open, this coffeeshop has a somewhat industrial feel to it, grey resin floors below and exposed-beam ceilings that have been painted up in a dancing swirl of abstract whorls and starbursts, a riot of colour splashed against a white background. The walls alternate between brick and cheerfully lime-green painted wood that extends to the paneling beneath the brushed-steel countertops. There's an abundance of light, though rather than windows (which are scarce) it comes from plentiful hanging steel lamps. The walls here are home to artwork available for sale; though the roster of prints and paintings and drawings and photographs changes on a regular basis it has one thing in common -- all the artists displayed are mutants. The seating spaced around the room is spread out enough to keep the room from feeling cluttered. Black chairs, square black tables that mostly seat two or four though they're frequently pushed around and rearranged to make space for larger parties. In the back corner of the room is more comfortable seating, a few large black-corduroy sofas and armchairs with wide tables between them. There's a shelf of card and board games back here available for customers to sit and play. The chalkboard menus hanging behind the counter change frequently, always home to a wide variety of drinks (with an impressive roster of fair-trade coffees and teas largely featured) though their sandwiches and wraps and soups and snacks of the day change often. An often-changing variety of baked goods sit behind the display case at the counter halfway back in the room, and the opposite side of the counter holds a small selection of homemade ice creams. A pair of single-user bathrooms flanks the stairway in back of the cafe; at night, the thump of music can be heard from above, coming from the adjoining nightclub of the same name that sits up the stairs above the coffeehouse. Though technically Evolve was "closed" for business yesterday, the huge free community dinner and all its attendant prep was plenty of work all the same for the Holland family and the team of volunteers who manned the cafe last night. Jax is looking fairly worn down still this afternoon where he's tucked away alone at a side table, very very pale and very very shadowed beneath his eyes, a laptop and a tablet and several folders messily scattered around him together with large and very sweetened maple-cinnamon oat milk latte. He's an extraordinarily bright figure, by dint of clothing and shimmery peacock-toned makeup and intricate dragonfly-patterned multihued nails if not by dint of the wildly bright stained-glass tattoos that are so recognizable in all his press photos (did he get full-body laser removal? he does not seem to have the attendant scarring one would expect, extraordinarily ghost-pale skin extraordinarily unblemished with not a single sign of his iconic and extensive tattooing or piercings) -- bright-bright colorblocked rainbow denim jacket over paint-splattered black overalls (hanging lopsided off one shoulder, revealing most of the vivid neon-pink-on-green screen-print tee underneath -- 'NOT GAY LIKE HAPPY, QUEER LIKE FUCK THE POLICE'). His hair has been freshly dyed, ombre purple-blue-green, its deep fresh color starkly highlighting the pallor of his skin and still kiiind of rubbing off against the edges of his scalp. Though he's been quite focused for quite a while on the work on his screen he is gradually starting to flag. Starting to press at the hollows of his eyes before with a grimace he remembers his makeup, scowls at the bits of shimmer betraying him by coming off on his faintly trembling fingertips. The afternoon was quite crisp, a cool breeze in the air. The leaves falling and twirling along a path in the wind. That's what enters Jade's mind as she steps into this cafe for what she thought might be just a quick drink. The woman sighed a bit as she sat down at a table in the middle of the shop. Jade's hair was a majority a vibrant red, with thick strands dyed jet black, her bangs below her eyebrows. The hair in and of itself, a very nice contrast to her somewhat shiny brown skin, so did both of her silver lightning bolt dangle earrings. She wore just black lipstick on her lips, perfectly applied one might add, especially with her piercing. The black lip ring in the middle of her lip waved side to side as she waited for someone. Sporting a silver necklace with a fang pendant, resting against her cybercigilism "Khaos" short sleeve. The sun highlighted the big red bats on her baggy black joggers. There was clearly a theme going on here. To complete the outfit, she wore five inch platform sandals adorned with bats on the y band that held her foot. It would only be seen due to the fact she put her leg out from under the table, straightening it. She sighed and looked in her phone to see if her smoky eye was still good. Daiki does not work here, technically, but he's slipped in and out of the staff area and the cafe generally a few times today -- a tall slender Japanese man with thin framed glasses, dressed down by his standards in a gray oxford shirt, sans tie and unbuttoned, tucked into crisp blue jeans. This time he's emerged to graze, perhaps, while his tea steeps. But then he sees Jax and changes course to the espresso machine. The tea comes with him. By the time he comes from behind the machine and carries his tray out to Jax's table, it bears not just the latte he made, but his own tea and a plate of cookies, fanned out neatly. The plate is on his side of the tray. Technically. "I'm terribly sorry to intrude," he begins, with a reserved smile he probably would not give to someone he were in fact loath to interrupt. "I've already emailed you the documents, of course, but..." He had just started to lower the tray, but his elbow clips the empty chair he probably intends to occupy but has not yet pulled out. The slight jar to the tray doesn't knock anything over, but his tea was quite full. And also quite hot, though surely not hot enough to injure him where it splashes onto his thumb. His hiss at the pain is small, but he lowers the tray hastily in before it can tip its contents onto Jax or his devices. For some reason this minute drama of almost-but-not dropping his tray seems disproportionately affecting, drawing gazes from all around the cafe -- some sympathetic, some annoyed. But with the disaster averted -- the tray safely settled onto the table -- he no longer seems so very interesting. "I'm so sorry." This, murmured low and sheepish, might be an actual apology. Jax seems relieved enough for the intrusion -- he's shuffling aside his papers, clearing some space at his very cluttered table so there's actually room for Daiki's tray, folding his things into a neat stack beneath the laptop and slumping back in his seat. He nudges the chair out with one boot (chunky, bright rainbow ombre with a black heel -- the other one is black with a bright rainbow ombre heel). He's fluttering a hand at the chair even as he casts a reflexively vigilant look around the cafe, alert to the gazes pulled in Daiki's direction and relaxing just as reflexive when no riot ensues. He starts again to aaaalmost rub at his eye but this time does not, redirects instead to rub at the strap of his (plain black 😔) eyepatch before pulling his fingers through his bright hair. "-- sorry, which ones, I've been juggling 'bout infinity." The woman stopped fumbling with her reflection in the mirror. The smoky eye looked decent, that was the point this time. She looked up from her phone, setting it down and hearing the soft clank of something on a piece of furniture. Looking to the left of her, she saw that a server had spilled something. Thankfully it wasn't big, hearing that small hiss of pain made her very concerned. The slight squish of her sandals could be heard as she made her way to the tall individual. The woman pulled her hair back behind her left ear, putting the phone back in her left pocket as she began, "Sir, are ya ok?" Jade asked, looking to the left of her. She noticed this very...bright looking man, with his out there sense of style. It took a bit for the gears to start turning, a second really. When they did though, she realized it was Jax, a very popular mutant. Maybe this was a sign, seeing one of the most important men of her people. "Hope it didn't give ya any burns-w-wait, are ya...the one they call Jax?" "Thank you." Daiki pulls the chair out farther and sinks down in it, not heavily at all. He's cleaning up the small spill -- at least it was just unadulterated green tea -- and dabbing the bottom of his cup dry. "My briefs on the latest appraisal lists. They are riveting..." He instantly summons an easy shy smile when Jade approaches. "Oh, I'm alright," he assures her with a small bow. "It just startled me, but I appreciate your concern." He follows Jade's sightline to Jax and blinks -- then adjusts his glasses slightly in lieu of saying whatever he was thinking of saying. "Appraisal -- oh! OH -- right, no, I need to talk to you, I ain't --" Ain't what, will have to wait for another time, because Jax cuts himself off as Jade approaches. He looks up towards the girl with a quick blink of his one eye -- it takes a moment for his smile to follow, and if it lacks some of the brightness and polish it would have in other times, other seasons, it's still warm all the same. His voice is warm, too, thick Appalachia drawl and all. "Oh, gosh, I sure do think so. Gets hard to tell in winter, things so dark'n'all, but Jax do me fine in summer so may as well stick it out a while longer. What can I call you?" "Ya can me Jade. Ah heard so much about cha." The southern alternative woman said, voice as clear as day. For some reason or another, her Georgian accent was coming up even more than usual. She smiled, her lipstick not smudging somehow. Usually it would've, but thank goodness she applied it perfect this time. Now she felt in her head like she was making it a bit awkward even though it'd only been just a few seconds since she said hello. One of Jade's habits began to appear as she tugged a bit on her shirts left sleeve with her right hand. "Nice to meet you, Jade." Daiki bows again, a little deeper than before. "I'm Daiki." His smile curves a little higher on one side. Just a touch. "Depending on your sources, you may have heard as many lies about him as truths." "Some'a the lies are so much more fun, though," Jax replies brightly. His head tips slightly to the side, his eye squinching slightly up. "Y'a Georgia gal?" This comes with a nudge of his boot to another spare chair, a wave of his hand also in invitation. "You sound like home, anyway. I grown up in Towns County." "Nice ta meet ya too, Daiki." She responded, looking as the other bowed. The woman noticed the fact that his smile curved up just a little bit higher on one side of his face than the other. "True." She splayed out her fingers to look at her black and red flame painted nails for a second, which were a bit sharp and short in length. The woman looked back over as Jax began to speak, nodding a bit as she began to sit down. "Yeah, College Park. Long way from home too, aint cha?" Jade asked, smirking a bit as she put her hands on her knees and looked at the other. "You really could encourage the fun lies," Daiki suggests, deadpan. "In this market, you get amazing returns investing in rumors." He picks up his tea and just holds it between his hands, his dark eyes fixing hard on Jade's smirk. "Geography was never my strongest subject, but odds are good he's closer than you are." "You could encourage 'em way better! -- an' gosh, yeah, he's right, I'm light years closer'n I been. Jus' a hop skip an' a jump from home these days, s'nice." This comes back quick, light. Though Jax's smile doesn't waver, his gaze is a little distant now, drifting a bit past Jade. His hand shifting absently to touch against one of his many pockets. "You ain't 'zaktly in Kansas no more though, no? What's brung you up North?" "No, not in the least. Problems wit mah parents and a mutation, so ta speak. Havin' a little bit a trouble gettin it down so ah left." The woman said, running a few fingers inside her hair, not looking at the other as he wasn't looking to her. "Light...." "I am honored by your trust," Daiki tells Jax earnestly, "but I prefer to trade in your truths." At Jade's explanation he gives a sympathetic hum. "I'm sorry, that must be difficult." His voice is soft and his expression has eased, too, though he's still watching Jade very intently. "...Light?" he prompts gently. It's subtle, but his attention is pleasant, balancing on the edge of something much more intense. "I'm sorry," Jax says as well. "Unfortunately a story we here 'round here far too often. But I'm glad we are here 'cuz of it. Give place a folks to land up when home ain't so much home no more. I hope you're finding what you need, here." His brows furrow, and for a moment there's a faint ripple of tension in his arms, flexing and then easing away again. His mouth twitches to the side, and he picks up his coffee, hands clutching at it tight as he takes a large swallow. "-- Hm? Light what?" The woman nodded at the both of them, acknowledging both of their condolences before she decided to speak again. "Thank y'all both. It's been a rough time but ah'm somewhat gettin' it under control." Jade looked as the two of them questioned how she said light. She decided to try and diffuse this one, maybe it was his power maybe it wasn't. "Uh, nothin'...just thought bout the power of it is all." "That's good to hear." Daiki maintains his sympathetic yet encouraging smile, more comforting than it has any business to be, coming from a stranger. "It is widely considered powerful. Are we talking about the 'seeing the light' sense, the 'democracy dies in darkness' sense, or..." He tips his hand indicatively at Jax. Jax blinks -- admittedly, with his missing eye, all his blinks look very lopsidedly wink-ish. He's crinkling his nose, his smile now a little hesitant, a little uncertain. He shakes his head small and apologetic -- "I'm so sorry, I don't -- really understand what you -- mean? The power of... what?" His cheeks flush dark when Daiki indicates him, his head bowing. "I -- did you have... some... kinda... question?" he ventures, a little confused. The woman shook her head and came out of it. That was weird, she zoned out, but usually not in conversations like these. She started to speak, placing her hands on her knees. She stopped herself for a second. Jade put her hand up, a bit nervous and a small thing of fire emanated from her hand. As soon as she realized, it disappeared. She wiped her hand after looking at it and looked towards Jax. "Mah bad, ah zoned out, happens. Truth isI've been havin' a somewhat big problem with mah powers lately. You famously got them under control, could ya possibly teach me a few things about how ta control it?" Daiki starts at the fire in Jade's hand, pushing back slightly from the table. "Oh!" he says, at a small delay, gripping his teacup. His eyes skip around the cafe in rapid appraisal. "Do you have problems with...setting things on fire when you zone out?" "Oh!" Jax's eye flutters open wide, and his blush deepens. For a moment his hands have gone a little unsteady, coffee sloshing in his mug, although not enough to spill. He sets the cup back down on the table, dropping his hand to fidget with the dangling unhooked strap of his overalls. "I -- gosh. I wish there was like, some cheat sheet I could offer you but it ain't really -- powers can be real individual, you know? What worked for me won't necessarily be the same as..." He trails off, biting down on his lip as his gaze lowers to the table, but after a moment looks back up at Jade. "What... problems you been having, exactly?" The woman looked down just a bit as the other asked what troubles she was experiencing with her powers. It was quite a lot, but she had to start from the beginning. Granted not talk his ear off, but at the same time get the point across of what she was going through. "Well, when ah'm somewhat angry or nervous, nervous being the other one just nah, I'll make wisps o' fire, e'en big balls a it. The only way ah can control it is releasing what ah call spitfires, or fire breaths outta mah mouth. Don't know if ya saw or not, but that library almost burning down...that was cause ah a migraine ah had. Every since then, it's been somewhat contained, but ah still have trouble." "The library," Daiki repeats evenly. "I heard about that." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, then raises his cup for a slow sip. "Emotions affect many powers to some extent, even if only in the way that they affect people's ability to concentrate." He lowers the cup and his eyes both to the table between them all. "But some powers are more deeply wired to your state of mind. If that's the case, learning to control the power won't be enough. You must learn to control your emotions, too." He wraps both hands around his cup and looks back up at Jade. "There are other ways you can manage the risks, but sometimes..." His lips compress. "You get a migraine." "Oh --" Jax says again, but a little more thoughtful, this time. He hesitates, brow furrowing. "I -- I mean, it sounds like you -- already -- got a strategy for controlling it? Sometimes --" He pauses, then continues a little more gently, "-- sometimes that's -- what controlling it is. There ain't always some kinda magic button, like, some kinda on-off switch that makes these things easy. I mean, I can't tell you what it's like for you, I don't know that. Maybe you do have an on-off switch, gosh you be real lucky if so, but like --" He nods towards Daiki, concurring, and hitches a shoulder. "For a lot of us it just ain't like that. Learning to be responsible, control, it's learning to recognize our own emotions and keep 'em in balance. Learning how to feel a migraine coming on and get to a safe place to ride it out. Learning when to go find someplace safe to vent those spitfires in plenty of time. Learning to set aside time each day to, I don't know, meditate, or bleed off extra energy, or do whatever you need to do. Learning to keep it all in balance so that we can live safely with this thing that's always gonna be kinda dangerous. What you see on the news ain't gonna tell you that part'a my life, y'know?" The woman nodded as the tall slender man said that he heard about the incident. She looked away for a second and sighed as she thought she might get told the same thing. Jade clenched her baggy pants a bit as it went on, exhaling as the conversation went on and she continued to look the other in the eyes. She nodded as the others ceased speaking for the moment. "True but...never mind. Ah get it, ah guess ah'm tryna find out how to really get mah emotions under control. Ah've always been somewhat emotional, most o' it has been relatively easy to try to handle, but it's...somethin' else. It's really somethin' else with these powers. Think that really answers it. Meditation has been workin for me. Sometimes lettin' the fire out up on a rooftop does as well. Yeah, so just keep doing what ah'm doin' basically, got it." "Never mind...?" Daiki's brows furrow briefly, then smooth out again. "There isn't a magic button for controlling emotions, either." He pauses. "Well, if you find one, please let me know. But as far as I know, everyone has to figure out their own way to do it. No matter how much advice you get, how many techniques you learn, you are still going to have to figure out what works best for you. You may come up with other things that work better, or you may need other things that work better. You're probably going to be figuring it out for the rest of your life." He lapses back into his sympathetic smile, inordinately reassuring. "But you're not alone." Jax opens his mouth, but then closes it again quick, his lips pressing tight together. He takes a deep breath, bowing his head and taking a slooow sip of his coffee. When he sets it back down again, his voice is gentle once more. "Think figurin' out your emotions is jus' kinda -- whole life long work, y'know?" His teeth drag slow across his lip, fingers pressing hard against his cup. "Mendel Clinic ain't but a few blocks from here. They got doctors can help figure out if there's a problem-problem -- medically, I mean, an' they also got therapists an' support groups if you want help-help with the, y'know emotion part'a it. All on a sliding scale if you don't got insurance, they -- can help a lot more'n we can if -- if what you need is help figuring out -- how to get your emotions under -- control." He offers Jade a smile, quick and small. "I know it can feel overwhelming but there are resources out there. An' thankfully New York's got a whooole lotta rooftops."