ArchivedLogs:Extra Sweet

Extra Sweet
Dramatis Personae Jax, Spencer
In Absentia	2017-09-09 "/Luci/ is training him real good, but I do what I can."
Location <NYC> {Lighthaus} - Harbor Commons - Lower East Side
The right side of the second storey is not quite as open in design as the left, but it is more plentiful in natural light, especially where it fetches up against the glass side of the conservatory. Towards the rear of the house is a modestly sized bedroom with wide glass double doors leading onto a balcony that connects to the conservatory, and thence to the Geekhaus balcony on the other side. The room itself is homey and comfortable, a queen size bed well-supplied with pillows and Care Bears, a drafting table beneath a window, a vanity stocked with a vast array of colorful and glittery makeup, and brightly painted bookshelves heavy in cookbooks and young adult fantasy. The room beside it, though similar in size and shape, is almost completely bare and, despite excellent ventilation, always smells of paint fumes. Its only visible permanent features are the small, unobtrusive surround-sound speakers, in addition to which it usually contains only an easel, a stool, and a small table. Hidden behind blank white wall panels, however, are cabinets full of paints, pigments, brushes, and a vast array of other artist's tools, as well as a fold-out computer workstation. Across the hall are two other bedrooms, a bathroom in between. One is decorated in rustic fashion, right down to the mission style furniture and handmade quilt. The other is quite a bit more eclectic, and prone to changing decor on a regular basis. At the moment, the walls, ceiling, and floor are painted up like a starfield, with a startling illusion of depth that makes the room look uncannily large. The loft bed is shaped and painted like a sleek spacecraft resting on its docking platform, while the beanbag chair beneath it is pattern like an asteroid dotted with innumerable craters. The desk looks like /and actually is/ an exceedingly advanced computer console, equipped with configurable touch surfaces and interactive holoprojectors. A corner of the room is given over to colorful interlocking foam play mats, more often than not home to half-completed LEGO or K'NEX projects. At the end of the hall, tucked beside the emergency stairwell back down to the ground floor, is a whimsical spiral stairway leading /up/ into a cozy attic room. A slouchy sofa takes up most of one wall and a long, low bookshelf most of the opposite one. A cushy armchair sits under the octagonal window, and several floor lamps provide adjustable angles, levels, and temperatures of illumination. The inside wall of the room has a door leading to a storage crawlspace, and a trapdoor nearby leads down to Spencer's bedroom. It's getting on toward lunchtime, and around the Commons there's a typical weekendish sort of feel. With the weather mild and sunny the grounds see a share of residents and visitors from the neighborhood out and actually enjoying them; there's bright laughter coming from the playground, a small impromptu picnic taking place in the gazebo, one young man taking a nap on the lawn with a book splayed over his eyes, more than a couple dogs running-tumbling-wrestling as they cavort between groups of people. Some of the noises of the pleasant Saturday afternoon are making their way up here, where the windows have been thrown open, letting in a flood of sunlight and a gentle breeze both. Jax has not been home long -- he's kind of pale, still, kind of wan, but he's had time enough for a shower, slightly damp and fresh-smelling now. He's dressed in black denim capris heavily emblazoned with cheerfully colourful patches that heavily favour cartoon characters and cupcakes and /glitter/, though a large Hufflepuff crest is prominent on a back pocket) and a yellow tee with the Little Miss Sunshine children's book character on it. Barefoot and a bit fidgety-restless, his hair and makeup are shifting colours at indecisive-quick intervals as he circulates the upper level to continue opening up All The Windows. Spence has been bustling about the kitchen, assembling a plate of ma'amoul and small fruit tarts, Obie frisking about his ankles excitedly. He pours a mug of cashew milk, stirring in spices (heavy in cinnamon) and maple syrup, and vanishes from the kitchen -- -- to reappear in the light-filled hallway upstairs. He holds up the plate and mug, raising his eyebrows solicitously. "I made the ma'amoul they're full of pecans and extra sweet. Steve helped, a /little/, he's getting better at that." He licks his lips, studying his father. "There's like leftovers, too, if you want 'real food'." "Oh!" Whirling around, rapid and sharp, a faint shimmer of glow lights around Jax as his eye widens. "Oh, you didn't hafta -- oh but /wow/ that sounds so good." Despite the halfhearted protestation he's flitting over to take the cup, pluck a cookie from the plate to eat it whole. "/Oh/ those is good you outdone yourself. You been trainin' Steve up proper?" He just looks a little quizzical at the thought of Real Food. Takes another cookie, instead. Spence grins wide, beaming at the praise. "/Luci/ is training him real good, but I do what I can." He nods very seriously, watching Jax eat. "I figured you'd want the sugar. Doubleplus extra sugar. But also there's basil eggplant, peanut noodles, and tom kha. Or, you know. /More/ cookies and tartlets." He bounces up onto the balls of his feet, picking out a cherry tart for himself. "Let's go sit in the conservatory! I can tell you all about school -- my new religion teacher is /so/ goofy -- and show you some of the stuff Ryan got me I have the /coolest/ pens in my whole class." Jax's eye squeezes shut as he bites the second cookie, actually chewing it over slower this time rather than wolfing it down whole. His arm slings around Spence's shoulders, pulling his son closer to his side for a longer squeeze of hug. "More cookies first. /Then/ maybe food." His slower walk toward the conservatory lacks his earlier frenetic energy. He sips at the milk as he goes, humming appreciatively. "Do you actually got everything you needed for school?" He sounds /just/ a touch apprehensive at this. "I mean, I ain't got no doubt y'all found the /coolest/ of pens but there was a long list." He opens a door into the conservatory, drawing in a pleased breath at the even brighter wash of sunlight within. "Are we talkin' goofy like Matt goofy or goofy like Joshua goofy or somewhere in between?" "Oh, yeah! We went to the /Bazaar/ so we got sidetracked a few times, but we eventually got everything." Spence sounds blithely confident as he follows his father into the conservatory, even when he adds, "/Probably./" He sets the plate of cookies down and vanishes -- to return only a few seconds later with a backpack that looks somewhat like a jetpack. "Hm... She's /kiiiiinda/ somewhere in between? Closer to Matt, though." He drops down into a chair with the backpack tucked between his feet, unzipping and rooting around in it. "Oh and check out this sweet abacus it looks like /space./" He shakes the abacus like a maracca. Jax bites down on his lip, but though his eye screws up just a little he is quiet. He munches on his cookie (and then a third) as Spence vanishes. He settles onto a seat, in comfortably close reach of Cookies. "Holy cow that's even better than last term's backpack." Pulling his feet up to tuck beneath him, he curls more sideways in his chair, peering over at Spence curiously. "Oh wow I ain't used one of those in years. Tell me it do special space math?" He licks crumbs off his lips, gulping at his milk after. "M'glad you don't got Ms. Platz no more, I mean not like she didn't know her stuff but she seemed real determined to somehow make religion sound the /most/ tedious." Frowns. "Which is a pretty neat trick if you can make Purim sound like a chore." "I /know/ right it was hard to choose they had /so/ many cool backpacks, but this one has a laptop pocket /and/ it's waterproof /and/ insulated -- wait you know how to use this?!" Spence rattles the abacus again, staring at his father wonderingly. "Can you teach me? I don't think it does any special math /on its own/, but it's important to have low-tech backups you know? In case of instrument failure." He /sounds/ very serious, but he's grinning. "No, religion class is /way/ more fun this year, and also Ms. Alon likes to /bake/ she's gonna try to make /vegan/ challah next Friday you should give her some tips. If -- you know, you have time, and feel like it, I mean with work and all." "That /is/ cool -- wait, do you /have/ a laptop?" Puzzled. Jax is squinting at the backpack in some amount of wonder. He gives Spence a /bright/ smile, bouncing slightly in his seat. "I'll totally give her tips. I'll make time. Y'all should have the best of all challah." Sliding down out of his seat, he drops onto the floor to sit cross-legged by Spence's chair, snagging another cookie on the way. "Okay I'll see what I remember." He's reaching for the abacus to slide all of its beads down. "And if it's gonna help you with spaceflight you best pay attention."