ArchivedLogs:News And Pie

News And Pie
(You can never go wrong with pie.)
Dramatis Personae Micah, Jackson, Shane, Melinda
In Absentia	25 January 2014 Mel stops by with /News/.
Location <NYC> 303 {Lighthaus} - Village Lofts - East Village
This apartment is cheerful, in its way -- bright and airy, its floor plan open and a plethora of windows providing it with an abundance of light. The tiny entrance hall opens into a living room, small, though its sparse furniture and lack of clutter give it a more open feel. The decor is subdued and minimalist; black and white is the dominant theme, with occasional splashes of deep crimson to offset the monochrome, though of late myriad bright-coloured dragonflies swarm across the living room wall. The couch and armchair are upholstered in black corduroy, the low wide coffee table central is black wood and glass-topped, and a few large pillowy beanbags provide additional seating by the large windows that dominate the back wall. The living room and kitchen both hold a rather inordinate number of lamps in addition to the ceiling lights; standing lamps, small lamps on each counter, large sunlights in the corner. More often than not, they're largely all turned on, too. Towards the back, a couple of doors lead off into bedrooms and bathroom, and to the right, the kitchen's tile is separated from the living room's dark hardwood floors by black countertops. Above the bedroom to one side, there is higher space; a ladder climbs up to a lofted area looking down on the living room. Standing in front of the partition between living and cooking area is a large fish tank: one lone Betta, blood-red, swims regally among several species of black and silver fish. A hallway beyond the kitchen leads further into the apartment. Another bathroom stands just into the hall and the farthest door leads to the apartment's final bedroom, the door usually kept shut to hold in the acrid fumes of turpentine and paints from within. It is another cold, snowy day in the city, though this one has been full of Housing Plans, followed by dinner and dishes. Micah has scrunched himself into one corner of the couch after post-dinner clean-up is completed, just enjoying /resting/ for the moment. His auburn hair is end-of-the-day tousled and his weekend wear rumpled with some spatters of water on his shirt from washing dishes. He has his usual black Batsignal hoodie on unzipped over his black Serenity/Starry Night mash-up T-shirt, a pair of rainbow-patched faded jeans, and green socks with smiling Kermit the Frog faces on them. Jackson is dressed dooooown tonight after a day of wandering around the city. He is in very-very soft purple yoga pants, loose and comfortable, and a rainbow-striped hoodie worn over his green cow-hugger t-shirt, mismatched colourful armwarmers on his arms, mismatched colourful socks on his feet. His hair has been recently Tag-dyed, peacocky green-purple-blue colours, and he has sprawled himself face-down on the couch with his cheek nestled into Micah's lap and an arm curled around his husband's knees. Phone in hand. Nominally he is checking his email. In practice he has forgotten this in the face of drowsy snuggling. Shane is humming lightly as he emerges from the kitchen; with dishes cleaned up he has finished wiping down counters, /drying/ the cleaned dishes and putting them away. Almost casual, he drops a hand against Jax's back, fingers kneading down there in slooooow /firm/ petting before he drags a beanbag over and plucks his Nook off the coffeetable to open it. "So this is like. Really-really happening. /Really/-really happening?" There's a /wriggle/ where he sits, a small bounce. "I don't think it's going to sink in till it's – done." There's the sound of keys in the lock and the door starting to open, Melinda rapping her knuckles against the surface to announce herself, hanging back as she does. "Hello? Hey guys? Anyone home?" Her bright red coat is visible, as is her head as she peeks in, the black hat covered in a dusting of snow. Her hair is in a braid over one shoulder. "Apologies for just dropping by, but I wanted to hear how today went and my cell battery died." Micah's hand twines into Jax's hair, massaging idly at his scalp. His distant look pulls back when Shane approaches. "Really-really happenin'. S'gonna be a wait 'fore everythin's actually /usable/, though. Prob'ly it'll feel more real t'you once there's...buildin's." A smile sketches across his lips. The sound of knocking helps to shed his sleepy look more thoroughly, his gaze turning to the door. "Hi, Mel!" His smile broadens with recognition. "Come in, honey. Have you eaten? We did dinner already, but there's leftovers in the fridge. An' Jax made pie if y'want dessert later. Y'need tea or cocoa or somethin'?" He doesn't /immediately/ get up, seeing as his lap is serving as a pillow at present. Eyes drowsily half-closed, Jax pays little attention to much else aside from pleasant cuddles until Shane approaches. He tenses sharply at the hand at his back, his arm curling tighter around Micah's knee as he is pulled out of his half-doze, eye suddenly widening; he whimpers in protest, brows creasing sharply and his face turning in against Micah's leg as he curls in tighter with a small pout though he soon, instead, relaxes to press back up into the touch instead. FINE okay awake. "Mmmyeah I know right? Reallyreally real -- hmm?" The hmm comes at the sound of keys, his head turning so his not-blind side can peer towards the door; a warm smile spreads across his face. "OhMel!" His smile remains though now that there's been positive identification he nestles back down, no longer on /guard/ so he stops straining his neck to keep his eye turned towards door. "Hihi! Yeah there's -- maple-pecan. Pie. An' I can make -- a. Somethin'! Y'wan't a somethin'? Drinky? Y'can get off your feet an' get warm an' we'll fill you all in." Shane doesn't exactly look towards Door so much as he /listens/ towards door, /sniffs/ towards Door, cock of head, twitch-twitch-twitch of nose that has satisfied himself with identification even before Mel is actually properly visible. "Our new place is haunted," he announces cheerfully. "And we have a Zombie but I guess we -- already knew that. He's back to wriggling. Wrigglewrigglewriggle, where he sits in the beanbag. "What do /you/ want to put in it? Hive says he'll build us /anything/. Like an aquarium. Or a space station." He lifts his hand again once Jax settles comfortably back down, resting his hand at Jax's shoulders to slowly start kneading again. Melinda comes in and smiles shyly as she peeks around, then closes and locks the door behind her out of habit. "Oh, I suppose I could nibble on a little something. Herbal tea, if you have it. It's still amazingly cold outside." Once inside, she toes out of her boots and peels off her coat, revealing a pair of comfy jeans underneath, thick and thermal for the weather, and a large, green bulky sweater over the top. "If you guys are all settled, I can get it myself. I do know where everything is." She hangs up her coat and leaves her purse near her shoes before padding in fuzzy socks over to the kitchen. Jax's tension brings Micah's full palm to rest heavily against the back of his head, petting soothingly at his hair until he relaxes again. Then he returns to the gentle scalp massage. "You're half asleep, honey, I can get drinks 'less y'really /want/ to," he says to Jax before continuing to Mel, "An' you're a guest, honey, please make yourself comfy. We got ginger-mint, lavender-mint, chamomile, and rooibos that I know of off the top of m'head. Any of those temptin'?" His lips twitch in half-amusement at Shane's declaration of haunting. "Not t'be glib, hon, but what abandoned buildin' or lot in the Ci--New York /ain't/ had corpses in it at some point?" The 'space station' bit sparks an actual snort of laughter. "So far folks've been talkin' about communal eatin' an' cookin' space, gamin' an' entertainment space, a workshop, a studio, a music room, a gym, a vegetable garden, an' some other fenced-off outdoor space. With individual homes or town houses kinda buildin's circlin' the central outdoor space. In if-we-can-have-anythin' plannin', that is. Did I leave anythin' out?" "Well, sure, y'/can/ get it yourself," Jax agrees easily, peeking up -- really more at Micah than Mel here because his head still isn't turning quite that far yet until she moves towards the kitchen where he can see her more easily, "but I could also -- totally -- make drinks an' -- get. Pie --" He stops, partly when Micah says he doesn't have to and partly when Shane starts petting him again, hand curling in tight against Micah's knee once more. He's quiet as Micah fills Mel in on the ideas that have been thrown around so far, fingers squeezing at Micah's knee and his teeth biting at his lip ring, eye closing as the others talk. A small shiver runs up his back, shoulders pressing up against Shane's kneading and then relaxing again. "-- Yeah, kinda hard t'come by an abandoned lot that ain't seen it's share'a rough. Think you hit about all the stuff we'd been floatin' around for what folks've wanted outta the shared -- spaces. Private space, Hive can kinda tailor." His head turns towards Spencer's room, thoughtful. "-- Should probably include some kinda playspace, too. Just if we're thinkin' about -- what'd be good for a home for – always." "Spence doesn't want a playspace he wants," Shane insists, turning in towards the couch so his second hand can join the first in a firmer massage, "a space station. I asked. But the lot's big we're going to have craptons of extra houses so I /guess/ we might want, uh, /other/ shit that /other/ people might want. People who don't want to go into space. Oh my god. Mel. Mel we're building a fucking neighborhood. How goddamn exciting is that?" He tips his head backwards, peering upside-down towards the kitchen at her. "With ghosts in it." "Oh, yeah, A play space would be very good, for me as well," Melinda adds pausing in the kitchen. "Guys, I don't want to make you get up, but if it would go against your Southern honor, I will gladly sit down and get off my feet. The lavender mint sounds delightful." She wets her lips and narrows her eyes, putting the kettle on before leaving the kitchen and heading out to the others. "So, we're kind of settled on a place? That sounds good. A ghost wouldn't bother me that much, but I wonder how it would affect a telepath. Are ghosts just brainwaves floating around to get in their business, or does someone like Hive actually need a mind to read?" The longer she spends in the apartment, the more the chill of winter makes her bulky clothes seem too much, and as she enters the space around the couches, she pulls off the heavy over sweater, a light blue, long sleeved, fitted shirt with ruching down the sides, helping the garment cover her belly better. Sweater balled up at her side, she reaches out and rests a hand on Shane's shoulder. "Hey, Jax. Good to see you. So glad you're back." "Play space wouldn't /just/ be for Spence, sugar. People have kids. People'll have /more/ kids. They need places t'play. Sure we could have a little playground, an' a playroom in the common areas? Maybe the playground can have...like, space an' rocket themed equipment on it." Finally Micah just shakes his head and giggles at Shane. "Sure. Why not ghosts. We got zombies an' vampires already." Micah lifts Jax's head up gently to slide himself out from underneath, resting him back onto the couch cushion as he stands. "Lavender-mint for anyone else? Folks wantin' pie...or anythin' else?" Drifting into the kitchen as Melinda leaves it, he rummages through the tea cabinet to pull out the appropriate tin, waiting on replies before fetching mugs so he knows how many are needed. "Yeah...I think Hive's gettin' /vision/ on this spot. I think we should let 'im get started. Sooner we can get things goin' the better." His eyes drift over Mel's form, again saying nothing about it until she decides to bring it up. "I don't rightly know," Jax admits thoughtfully, "not sure I've ever met an honest-t'-goodness ghost. Met some folks what could project themselves kinda discorporately an' a couple'a folks what hung around in other forms after their own bodies -- well maybe that's /like/ a ghost." His brow creases as Micah gets up, and he pillows his chin on one folded arm instead. His shoulders tense back up beneath Shane's hands, breathing a little shaky and his teeth biting down at his lip. His fingers dig hard into the couch cushion. "Oh -- ohgosh I /need/ pie." From his tone it does not sound so much like a sugar craving -- though it is probably that as well! -- as his very frequent actual sugar requirement. He flashes Melinda a quick smile, warmer, brighter. Slowly, his back starts to ease again. "-- It's. Real good to be back again, too." His head tilts slightly, gaze skipping down over her. Back up. Back /down/. Back up. "Wai -- wh. Good for you too? But you -- wait. Really? I mean. Woah. I didn't. How long. Y'--" His smile brightens wide. Slants crooked. Brightens wide. "Mel-honey that's. Ohgosh. Whowhenbut. Huh. Huh?" "Can we get more vampires? I like the vampires. Kinda hot." Shane's hands slide lower, slowly working down Jax's back and then back up, steady-firm kneading along Jax's back that deepens its pressure once Micah gets up. He tips his head to the side when Mel approaches, nuzzling his cheek absently against her hand. "Pfft," he answers Micah with a snort, "Who the fuck has kids that's dumb as shit why the fuck would anyone do /that/. Have you seen the twisted fucking /world/ we're in lately, dude, that's just fucking /cruel/, s'like signing some poor unlucky bastard up for --" His teeth clamp shut as he tips his head up from Jax to Mel, gills abruptly flaring and his black eyes opening wide with a sudden-quick shuttering of their clear inner eyelids. His hands clench in with a sudden /fierce/ hard grip against Jax's shoulders, claws lengthening to prick through the sweatshirt and his grip abruptly forgetful of the rather inordinate difference in their /strengths/ as his blue skin darkens. "-- Oh. /Fuck/." "Amazing what a well fitting shirt can do, isn't it?" Melinda mutters, bemused as she moves to sit down on the edge of the armchair's seat, sliding back slowly. She is silent during the small rant Shane delivers, her eyelids sliding closed, shoulders pressing into the back of the chair. "It's okay, Shane. I understand your point of view perfectly." She swallows and turns her eyes toward the kitchen. "Um. I'll have some pie as well." Micah makes the executive decision that everyone is having tea, since no other requests are made but for pie. He fetches down four mugs and fills a tea ball for each. Once the kettle starts to boil, he fills all of the mugs. After setting a timer on his phone, he moves to start slicing up pie. "Kids are great. An' folks don't have t'/have/ 'em if they don't want that part, either. S'plenty out there as need homes already, too." His brows lift as he regards Mel yet again before turning to fetch plates. He pulls down three and pauses. "Did y'wanna slice of pie, Shane, or maybe just take bites off someone else's? I'm never quite sure what's enough percentage protein for y'to want." Jax's eye widens, first as Shane speaks and then further as his hands clamp down. He sucks in breath in a sharp pained gasp, struggling upright and squirming away, his face paling and his shoulders hunched inward. "Easy," he murmurs, kind of shakily, pushing himself up to go gently perch himself on the arm of the armchair, resting a hand on Melinda's shoulder. "Um," he offers a little awkwardly towards Micah, "I think we're a little bit -- past that. Point, Micah." His nose crinkles up, hand squeezing in at Melinda's shoulder. "Shane, the world's been rough for just about ever. But ain't all of it terrible. An' the right people can make really amazin' families an' a whole lotta love to surround kids with. -- Are you." He bites down on his lip, looking down at Melinda. "Do you need anything?" Shane jerks his hands away from Jax with an abruptly horrified look. "Ohfuck -- oh." His hands drop to his side and he looks away from Jax to Melinda. And then just fidgets. Uncomfortably. He sinks down into the beanbag against the base of the couch, gills fluttering and then lying flat. His legs pull upwards, arms curling around his knees. "I don't want pie," he finally answers, glaring in front of himself at the coffee table. "Yes, I'm okay." Melinda gives Jackson a little smile, looking up at him gratefully before lowering her gaze again. She looks to Shane next, her brow knits with worry. "I um, don't really know what to say. I mean, I'm ready to tell you what I know about all of this, but... I don't know if that information is helpful." She leans her head to press her cheek against Jackson's hand, wetting her lips nervously. "I was speakin' in generalities, sugar. Just sayin' there's all /kindsa/ ways for kids t'be enterrin' the community." Micah nods in answer to Shane, closing the cabinet and just sticking with the three plates. He cuts generous slices for each of them, his phone starting to vibrate by the time the last one hits its plate. He silences the alarm, then pulls the tea balls out of the mugs, empties them and cleans them. It takes three trips to get all of the mugs and plates into the living room and onto the coffee table. He holds Mel's mug out to her, not able to completely hide the excitement in his expression as he looks at her now that there has been /some/ acknowledgement of the situation. "Honey...is...congratulations okay? 'Cause I'd really like t'...if you'd like it. An'...t'hear whatever y'wanna tell us." He looks very much /poised/ for a hug regardless of which way her answer comes. "I mean -- /helpful's/ up to you, honey-honey, we're just here for -- whatever you think'd be good. You don't gotta say nothin' you don't want to but --" Jackson shrugs stiffly, carefully sliding his arm around Melinda's shoulders for a gentle squeeze. He leans down, kissing the top of her head lightly and then resting her cheek against it. He peeks up at Micah when his husband arrives with the tea. "An' -- just. Know that. Whatever -- anything. You're gonna have a lotta folks around who love you a whole lot, aright? So you're gonna have a whole ton'a support in – everything." Shane's arms tighten around his knees. Further, harder, when Micah mentions congratulations, his gills flaring again and his shoulders tensing. "Who is it," is all he asks, a little tersely. "Ah. Well. Congratulations are awkward. I didn't really intend for this to happen and was using condoms faithfully. I suppose I should have been on birth control, but it doesn't always agree with my system and I don't really have sex often enough to really warrant year round care." Melinda accepts the tea and pulls it in toward her lap. "Things have just been so messed up lately that I have been too stressed to notice. That's kind of what happened initially. I thought stress was just making my period late." She rambles, her attention mostly on the surface of the tea. "It was one thing after another for a long time and I didn't really have any other symptoms. By the time I started to - I was more scared than anything that my ... well, you guys remember." She slowly turns the cup on her knee, unable to decide which side the handle should face. "Then I was twenty-three some weeks into it. Even then, I thought seriously of ending it - but in the end couldn't." "Okay. S'why I asked first." Micah leans in, giving Mel a little squeeze at her shoulders before moving back to his spot on the couch. He gives Shane a little headshake when he asks the 'who' question, hoping to convey that this could be considered serious /prying/ without having to come out and say it. "But you're well? Please, don't hesitate t'ask if there's anythin' y'need. If it's...rides places or food or just somebody t'talk to or...whatever. Anythin'. Okay?" Jax's head turns again to kiss the top of Mel's head when she explains, and his hand squeezes once more at her shoulders. "Like I said we're gonna be here for you if y'need nothin'." His mouth turns up in a crooked smile. "An' Hive's apparently plannin' on buildin' the greatest home that's ever been built in the history of build... ing so there's that, too." Shane's arms clench tighter at Mel's answer, his gills fluttering faster. His fingers curl in hard against his legs at Micah's headshake, claws pressing in against his shins and his teeth grinding audibly. He gets up quietly, head ducking, and slips away towards the back of the room, disappearing into his bedroom and shutting the door very softly behind himself. "The child is... mine," Melinda replies as Shane gets up to leave, her lips pursing before she starts to chew on her lower lip. "I know who the father is and I can tell you, if it's important, but... well, I've told him that his interaction is up to him. He's shocked and unprepared as much as I am, but I don't know. May seem foolhardy, but I think I can handle it, raise a child, take care of someone dependent on me." She exhales and looks to Micah and Jackson again. "Now that I've decided that, I want this to be happy. I just... kind of want to surround the kid with love. I am -- I want you to know that I am hearing you and that I appreciate your offers of support. I will... most definitely be taking you up on them. I just don't know how or when. I feel that I kind of just dropped this on you and I'm really... I apologize." Micah's brow furrows as Shane gets up to leave, his eyes tracking the boy's movements. "Shane, honey...it's okay, it's just... Y'don't have t'go." He chews at his lower lip as the teen disappears into his room, but looks back to Mel in the end. "I'm sure y'thought about this a good, long, hard time, sugar. Ain't nothin' foolish about it. You're a strong person, an' a smart person, an' a /lovin'/ person, an' y'work hard an' keep things t'gether. If y'think y'can do this, then y'can, hon. An' y'got so many people who'll help. Love's one thing for /certain/ never t'be in short supply." His head shakes again at the offer to reveal the father's identity. "I don't gotta know nothin' but what y'wanna tell, honey. S'long as I know you an' the little one are safe an' healthy an' willin' t'ask for help when y'need it? Ain't gotta know nothin' else. If you've decided this is what y'want, I'm happy for you. Babies is...happy things. Please don't apologise for sayin' nothin'. Y'shouldn't have t'do /any/ of this alone if y'don't wanna." Micah's hand moves up to rake his fingers through his already-mussed hair. "Kids're kinda...one of the things that I /do/. Please feel free t'call on me, okay?" A little smile creeps back onto his features almost shyly. "They estimated a due date for you yet?" Jax's teeth wiggle at a lipring as he watches Shane leave, his brow furrowing. He chews at his lip a moment longer in uncertainty, head tipping downwards afterwards. It takes another deep breath before his frown clears, and he just stays quiet while Micah speaks. "Think Micah jus' pretty much covered it," he says softly. "Y'please don't gotta apologize, honey-honey. We're -- I mean, I'm /glad/ you told us, that's what we're." He wrinkles his nose sheepishly, just gesturing at Micah. "M'jus' gonna be parrotin' him so's I think M'jus' gonna be quiet an' drink my tea. I love you, honey." "They say mid May. The tentative date is the twelfth right now." Melinda listens quietly as Micah speaks and smiles even brighter when Jackson refrains, grinning tiredly as she lifts her cup to take a sip as well. "You'll have to forgive my apologizing. The problem is that I still feel weird about all of this - kind of scared, so it just sort of leaks out and makes me think I'm pushing it off on others." She takes another sip and breathes out over the shaky surface of the tea. "At least I won't have to be pregnant in the summer." "May's a good month. Nice spring birthday," Micah observes, his smile slipping wider again. "S'okay t'be afraid. New things're kinda scary an'...this is sure /new/. But y'just talk as much or as /little/ as y'want. An' in the meantime there's tea an' /pie/." He shifts to retrieve Mel's dessert plate from the table, holding it out to her. "Can't /never/ go wrong with pie."