ArchivedLogs:Baking Lessons

Baking Lessons
Dramatis Personae Hanna, Felix
In Absentia	2013-06-10 Hanna and Felix make homemade Russian pastries. Felix realizes Hanna has more than color shifting eyes, and is mistaken when he deduces she is unaware of her powers.
Location <NYC> 715 {Hanna} - Village Lofts - East Village
A modestly sized two bedroom apartment, well furnished in a decidedly eclectic style, as though a great deal of time had been taken to pick just the right pieces from thrift and antique shops. The room is neat, without too much clutter, aside from the occasional photo or unusual lamp, but it feels warm and lived in - the entire place seems to have an aura of relaxation and general good cheer, almost tangibly so. The colors of the furnishings don't match, per se, but the mix of rich jewel tones, wood, leather, and pops of brilliant day-glo colors seem to compliment each other well enough. On the far side of the room, a curtainless window looks out on the city below, although the massive collection of plants lining the sill and hanging from the curtain rod obscure the view slightly, though still allowing ample amounts of natural light to fill the room. The open kitchenette is quite modern, with gleaming chrome appliances and a dyed butcherblock counter top in muted rainbow shades. Rippling blue glass panels front the cabinets, giving a slightly distorted view of the contents within, and adding to the odd charm of the room. It has been a very long, very stressful day at Happy Cakes Bakery, and in New York City in general - outrage at mutant-kind has reached a fever pitch, and as the proprietress of an openly Mutant Friendly business, Hanna has had one hell of a day. As such, the woman returns to her apartment on the 7th floor, a cloth bag of groceries slung over her shoulder as she opens the door, wincing slightly as she does so, as though expecting something to come flying at her head as she opens the door. When no such airborn thing slams into her head or near it, she enters the rest of the way, quietly closing and locking the door behind her. Hanna heads for the kitchen, carefully unpacking her grocery haul and putting things away, the kitchen an immaculate and organized space. The last thing that is pulled from its bag is a small green potted plant, a twirling vine with a single white flower blooming on it, and broad green leaves. This is placed like a peace offering at the foot of the only closed door in the apartment, leading to Jayna's bedroom, but Hanna doesn't knock. Instead, she heads over to the kitchen area, starting to pull basic baking supplies from the cabinets and start prepping things, awaiting Felix's arrival at the humble apartment. A few minutes later, Felix arrives at the door to the apartment. Pausing for a moment in front of the door, his ability to sense confirming that this is the right place. He hopes that he has everything that will be needed. Russian sweets cookbook, check. Groceries from the local Russian store, check. Clothes suitable for baking in, check. Apron that says 'I am a math geek, not a baker,' check. Knocking on the door, Felix finally announces his arrival. He stands their patiently waiting for Hanna to answer the door, double and triple checking the list in his head as if he has somehow convinced himself that he forgot something. The apron that he is wearing looks quite out of place on him, maybe even a bit comical, and does not match his jeans or t-shirt. Never having baked before, this is something completely new for him, so he is a bit nervous and will likely be fidgeting with his bag of groceries and cookbook when the door opens. Hanna has ducked into her own room of the apartment for just a moment, quickly tossing on a set of clothes that she doesn't mind getting coated in flour - a pair of flowing gray yoga pants and a pink and blue floral tank top. It may not be the most flattering of outfits on a woman her size, but she doesn't care - it has been a long day, and comfort is far more preferable to style at this moment. The knock on the door startles her and she glances at the vintage cat clock hanging on the wall, cursing under her breath before yelling, "Hang on, just a minute. Sorry Felix!" Tossing on a pair of house shoes and bounce over to the door, "Sorry about that, Doctor. Had just gotten home, and I needed to get out of my work clothes after a long day." She opens the door for him, gesturing inside, "Go ahead and set the bags on the counter in the kitchen, and then we can get started whenever you're ready." Once he is inside, Hanna locks and actually deadbolts the door, offering a sheepish grin, "Sorry for th extra locks, I'm, well, just a little bit jumpy, with the current events." "Please, call me Felix, I feel Doctor is reserved for students. Not to mention I am still not fully used to the title and it feels weird at times." he smiles, steps into the apartment, slides his shoes off and pushes them off to the side. The shoe thing is done reflexively. After Hanna locks and bolts the door, he nods at her comment, "Yes, completely understandable." It looks like he is thinking to himself for a moment. "Perhaps not a bad idea at all though," the tone implying that he is considering the same for his door. Moving into the kitchen as instructed, he sets down the bag of groceries and the cookbook. "I am ready to begin when you are," he smiles again, "I have my apron and everything," motioning to the apron he has donned for the occasion. "I have marked several of the pages with what I think are the better Russian pastries. Chuckling as she heads into the kitchen, Hanna nods, "Fair enough, Felix. Sorry about the formality - it's, well, I don't know many doctors, the title amuses me." She opens a side cabinet in the kitchen, pulling an apron off the hook, although it seems to be a small collection of them hanging on hooks - this one is a patchwork quilt of gingham and ruffles, in all the colors of the rainbow. Tying the garment around her waist, and again at her neck, she grins at Felix, "Well then, lets get started. Got a specific recipe in mind, of the ones you marked? I've actually gone through pastry school before, so most of the techniques should be pretty similar." Hanna smiles cheerily, although her eyes are a decidedly natural color - dark brown black, not even remotely tinged with the normal gold at the edge of her irises. "This was your idea, I'm an adaptable baker, just let me know where to start." "I recommend we start with /Vatrushka/, very popular and one of my favorites." Felix flips through the cookbook and finds the appropriately marked page. He also pulls out a few loose pieces of paper that were in the back cover, "I printed out several different recipes, not knowing which will be the most accurate." Pulling some of the fruits from the bag he brought, "The basic premise is a sweet bun with various fillings. But, there are many different ways to make it." After the fruits have been set to the side on the counter, so that Hanna can see what she has to work with, he offers her the pages and the cookbook. The fruits that have been pulled out are various imported fruits. "You will have to tell me what I can do to help. I do not know much about baking, or cooking for that matter." Hanna takes a moment to look over the recipes, looking between the cookbook and one of the print outs, "Ok. Looks like the easiest is going to be a combination of these two - they're comparable, just slight adjustments with regards to amounts of ingredients." Felix's offer of help gets a chuckle and a kind smile, "Well, looks like we need to slice up some of the fruit to go into them - you okay handling that part? I can start measuring and getting all the ingredients for the custard together." She hums quietly, pulling a bright blue cutting board down from a cabinet, and pulling a knife from a nearby block of them, and setting them in front of Felix, "Ok, I have really sharp knives, so be careful, please. I've nearly taken my finger off before and not realized it. They're that sharp," she warns, looking at the younger man, although her dark brown eyes seem to sparkle with joviality, "I really don't want to have to take you to the hospital, not in this mess." With that, she places a measuring cup on the table, "Cut enough fruits of whatever kind you want so that they'll fill to this line, " she points, "You want a sort of slightly smaller than bite sized for the pieces, otherwise it likely won't settle right." Leaving Felix to work on the fruit pieces, Hanna sets about gathering the ingredients for the custard filling, humming quietly to herself as she does so. The clanging of the pots, and the spoon against the metal bowl as she mixes the custard ingredients together seems to be done in time with her cheery humming, the tune eventually settling into a bouncier version of "In the Mood" from the 1930s. "Ah, sorry. If the humming annoys you, I'll stop. It's just a habit - I usually cook alone, so it doesn't bother anyone else," she offers apologetically, a slight blush coloring her cheeks - yet her eyes still retain an even color. Felix watches as Hanna ponders the recipes and decides how to approach the baking. While he is not sure about the whole baking thing, he seems to be ready to enjoy the adventure. "I think I can handle slicing up the fruit." he says with a big smile, observing Hanna as she begins the rest of the preparations for a moment before he starts his part. "I do not mind the humming, it is your kitchen, and we should be having fun with this," he adds, still smiling. The knife and cutting board are put to use as he /carefully/ slices the fruits and begins to fill up the measuring cup. Felix is probably much slower at slicing than Hanna is, but he quickly gets into the mood and continues his portion of the work. "I know that sentiments around the city have been, well, unpleasant lately. You do not have to hide your eyes on my account." The question is presented in a very friendly nonthreatening manor, implying he is no threat to her mutant status as he is one too. Hanna is in the middle of setting up a double boiler to prepare the custard filling, swinging her hips in time with the humming, although being quite careful about her motions since Felix is handling a knife at the moment. "It isn't often I get to bake at home anymore. I had forgotten how nice it is to try a new recipe out, at home, without the pressure of the bakery," Hanna explains, picking up her humming again when she falls quiet, "It's been a long, long day. Shop was busy, and," she glances towards the closed door with the potted plant by it, blushing, "I was short staffed by my own fault today. So it's nice to unwind." The question about her eyes gets several blinks in confusion at Felix, and after about the third repetition, Hanna seems to remember something, "Oh! Oh, sorry. I have theatrical contact lenses that cover up my irises, for when I need to pass as entirely human. I figured it would be a good day to not be flashing colors every time I heard a bang outside, so I wore them. If they bother you, I can go take them out - I just forgot I was wearing them still." She blushes and offers a sheepish grin, "Sorry about that. Wasn't anything against you. It's just the only way I can hide them." "I am sorry that you had to work the bakery alone, and with things are in the city right now." Felix looks over to the plant by the door and seems to understand, at least in part, what she is talking about. "This really is fun though," he adds, trying to keep the conversation about the baking, fun, enjoyable moment. "I am not much of a kitchen person, but I think I could come to really enjoy this." He is starting to sway and move with Hanna's humming as he finishes up the fruit and sets down the knife. The measuring cup is now filled to the line with fruit. "I almost forgot, the fruit should be in a /Kissel/ sauce," flipping the pages in the cookbook to one of the other marked spots, he seems to be unconcerned with the contact lenses at this time. More precisely he is obviously trying to keep the mood in the kitchen a good one, not distracted from events of the day or city. Reaching into the bag he pulls out a bottle of wine, on which the label reads 'Massandra Vineyards – Muscat Red', and sets it on the counter. "This is supposed to be one of the best wines to have with Russian pastries." Glancing over Felix's shoulder, Hanna makes a little 'huh' sound, "Thanks for pointing that out. I would have missed that." She pulls a few more bowls out from cabinets, and another whisk, checking the ingredients list to start pulling together the Kissel sauce to pour over the fruit. She moves around the kitchen in and odd little dance move as she continues humming, mixing the ingredients together as she does, double checking the recipe on occasion. She smiles as she does so, and each time she moves near Felix, it will almost feel as though there is a sleight lift in mood, or a little bit more just general warmth and cheer, a decidedly subtle effect. Setting aside the fillings for a moment, Hanna starts working on the dough, carefully kneading the bread-like mix together. The offer of wine, however, draws a shake of her head, "Thank you for the offer, but, uh, I don't really drink. I may have a taste, if you say it compliments the pastries, but," she shrugs, not offering much more of an explanation than that. Watching again as Hanna moves about the kitchen with such knowledge and ability, Felix has really gotten into an upbeat mood himself. Maybe it is a bit of influence from Hanna, but he really does seem to be genuinely enjoying this. As though it were part of the 'dance' taking place, the bottle of wine is pushed aside with almost perfect timing as Hanna's comment is noted. "We can have a taste with the pastries when they are done then." No explanations expected. He continues to help where he can, making sure not to be in the way either, mostly just following all directions given to him. It is also obvious that there is something else that he is paying attention to in the kitchen, since he is not good at hiding the fact his face shows he is pondering something in the background. Hanna is wrapped up in herself for a few minutes, moving with a decidedly easy grace, now that she's in her element. Her motions are practiced, precise, and fluid, moving from one place to the other in the kitchen, kneading the dough into balls, poking the centers down so that they form a well for holding the filling that had been prepared. "Alrighty, Time to fill the little dough balls with the filling," Hanna says with a contented sigh, "If you'd like, can help fill them, just a little scoop into each, and then we can get them in the oven." Hanna smiles cheerily, shuffling the collection of dough balls onto a tray to go into the oven, lining it with parchment paper first. She offers Felix a scoop and a tray of dough cups, "So, I imagine you didn't just want fresh pastries because you were home sick. There's half a dozen Russian bakeries in the city that could likely do these better than me," Hanna says calmly, ladling the custard filling into her tray of pastries, "Is there actually a reason you wanted to come over? Everything ok?" Felix takes the little scoop, and after watching Hanna do a few of the fillings he does his best to fill some of the pastries. Realizing that his face has betrayed him once again, "You are right, I could go many places to get Russian sweets." Filling the last of the little dough balls in front of him, he waits until the baking sheets have been slipped into the oven. "I am fine, I was just... well, somebody I know sensed very strong emotions from some of your cupcakes." Still in a good mood, he leans back against one of the counters. "That got me thinking, which led to the baking, which has confirmed me that... well, there is more than just color shifting eyes with your abilities. While I do not know the exact nature of your power, you are certainly in good control of it." He stops there, clearly not wanting to upset the fun they have been having with the baking, and waits to see how Hanna reacts. Hanna fills the little dough bowls with a swiftness appropriate to her profession, then waiting for Felix to finish his tray, patient, almost as a mom helping a kid baking cookies. She slides the trays into the oven, setting the timer and stepping back to lean against the counter crossing her arms over her chest, looking a little bit concerned at Felix's question. It is actually a very long time before she answers him - her good mood having fled - there is actually a slight chill to the air in the kitchen now, despite the roiling oven behind Hanna, but it could just be quality air conditioning on a damp day. Hanna sighs, and washes her hands quietly in the sink, producing a small contact lense case from her pocket, and removing her contact lenses, turning away from Felix as she does this, so that she doesn't gross him out overly much. When she turns back, her eyes don't seem to have changed colors, sitting somewhere between a deep indigo blue and completely black, and she looks up at Felix. When she finally speaks, she is barely whispering, her arms crossed defensively over her chest, "I'm over thirty years old. My powers emerged when I was barely 14. I've had nearly two decades of practice keeping it under control and hidden. And thus far, there are only two people still living on the planet who know what I can do. One is in a coma in a hospital outside Detroit, and the other isn't speaking to me right now." Hanna grimaces a bit, looking decidedly nervous, "That isn't a threat. Just a, statement of how few people are aware of this." Drawing back a bit, Felix is aware that he hit a nerve, even before Hanna speaks. When she mentions there is a person in the hospital he looks decidedly nervous, and it is very obvious that even indirect threats of harm to him scare him, though he does relax a bit when she claims there is no threat. "Believe me I understand completely about not wanting people to know, and I will not share what I know with anybody." he is completely sincere in this statement. "I just thought... Well, you claimed the only thing was your eyes, and I did not know... I thought you did not know," apparently trying to apologize but not doing a very good job at turning it into words at the moment he just gives up, "I am very sorry to have upset you Hanna." Taking a deep breath, Hanna closes her eyes, and she shakes her head, "It's ok. I use my eyes as an excuse - because they are my only outward mutation. It takes away suspicion from my actual mutation - the eyes are a side effect. I knew there was a chance this sort of thing could happen, settling into a city like New York. I... trust I can tell you this in confidence? I know what you can do." When she opens her eyes again, they are a distressingly pale green-blue that looks decidedly unnatrual on her tanned features, she speaks again, her voice even and controlled, matter of fact, even though she is shaking ever so slightly, "The man who is in the hospital was attempting to do rape Jayna outside a bar I was working at in Detroit. I stopped him. It's how she and I met." The curvy woman looks at her hands, flexing them at some long distant memory, "I've got a form of reverse empathy. I can transfer, embue, and conduct emotions in people. Or objects. If I don't keep focus or control, I leak whatever I'm feeling into the general area. Baking is how I maintain focus - it was my mom's idea. I just happen to be really good at it." She closes her eyes again, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "At least we didn't get into this while we were baking. Sadness and stress cakes taste like shit. I usually burn them so no one is accidentally effected." "I had actually suspected there was a connection between the baking and the emotion. I just assumed you were unaware of it." Felix looks at the oven and then back to Hanna. "I am sorry you had to hurt someone like that, and glad to hear that you have things under control." He says nothing more about the incident with Jeyna. "I saw mutants hunted down like dogs in Russia, it was very bad, most were dragged off by the government. Those who had not learned how to control their powers yet were slaughtered. I can never go back there, and this is why I feel I must help others." Looking down at the floor for a moment, the memories that are drawn up apparently very strong and he is silent as he recomposes himself before continuing. "I know exactly what revealing another persons secrets, or having uncontrolled powers can lead to." Turning around he puts the wine bottle back into the bag and begins to clean up his side of the kitchen, whatever images were drawn up in his head, he seems to be using the cleaning as a distraction for the moment. Hanna nods, sighing as she starts washing up the dishes, "I've had to use my powers to hurt someone before. I was able to do so because I had such control over it - there is something base, something so primal about emotions," she takes a deep breath, calming herself again, "I try to help people. I am aware that my baked goods have a, ah, slight mood enhancing quality about them, but I have gotten it so that it is never more than the barest of perk ups. Most people don't even notice it, or assume it's just part of having a really good cupcake or cup of coffee." She closes her eyes for a moment, speaking quietly again, "I can technically imbue anything with emotion. Any emotion - the full spectrum of human experience, in theory. Happiness, euphoria, contentment," she pauses for a moment, continuing, "Sadness, rage, depression. If, if the wrong people found out about this - I would be made into a weapon. So I do what I can to hide it. I reign in my emotions, I keep my contacts on me now, because I honestly never know when I'll need to hide such a small thing as that. I can't drink - the potential loss of inhibitions is, ah, dangerous." She blushes, apparently having learned that one first hand, but she doesn't elaborate. "I will not tell a soul your abilities. I would greatly appreciate if you would return the courtesy. You are, well, only the second person I've actually volunteered this information to. I am sorry I reacted so poorly to being asked at first. For all my talk about being proud of being a mutant, I sure hide an awful lot." As Felix starts to clean up, Hanna smiles again, starting on the dishes once more, "At least stick around until the pastries are done. They may not be as good as you could get in some of the other bakeries, but there's something to be said for home made stuff." @emit %rFelix continues to focus on the cleanup, and although he does not turn around immediately he is listening to Hanna. Once the kitchen is cleaned up, dishes washed and put away, "The wrong people can make a weapon out of any mutant. I understand why you hide. Much the same as why I hide, at least from the general public. I think that you are lucky that you can help and stay well hidden at the same time. I, on the other hand, must reveal at some point that I am a mutant if I am to help other mutants." At this point he just lets the unpleasant conversation end, and makes a motions his fingers across his face, 'my lips are sealed', indicating he intends to keep everything that was said to himself. Then he smiles warmly and takes a deep breath, "I certainly will not be leaving before the pastries are done. We can find something more appropriate to drink with them, and talk about something else for a while."