ArchivedLogs:Relaxation

Relaxation
Dramatis Personae Iolaus, Jax, Melinda	2014-10-13 '
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 plentiful 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. Despite the so-called "holiday" of Columbus Day, New York is pretty much the same as it is any other dreary, somewhat wet Monday. Stores and businesses are still open, tourists still wander about the streets, and traffic officers patrol the streets looking for innocent cars to prey on and ticket. As the morning turns into the afternoon, the drizzling rain has settled out into a cold mist that condenses on the tall buildings and runs down to drip onto the sidewalk and street. Inside Evolve, at least, it is warm and dry, a place for the customers to take off their jackets and drape themselves over the comfortable chairs and warm themselves with drinks. Tea, it seems, is Iolaus' choice, as he settles into one of the chairs with a sigh of contentment, the steam from his mug rising up into his face. "Delicious." Melinda wanders in quietly, a somewhat harried mother sent out on a mission of quiet and stillness. Her hair is pulled back at the nape of her neck, but fly-aways surround her face and blur any brushing that has been done. She's dressed in skinny jeans tucked into brown boots that have no real heel to speak of. Over the top, a large mustard yellow sweater lies under an orange wrap/shaw that obscures the rest of her form. She starts to unwind it as the warmer air of the cafe seeps into her being, her feet taking her to the caffeine line. While it's not precisely accurate to call it the caffeine line, it does inevitably lead to Mel ordering a medium sized drink with double its normal shots of espresso and no sugar to speak of. When she finishes, she turns back to the room and searches the faces of those around her before trying to find a place to sit. Iolaus' pleasure at the taste of beverage he holds pulls a small smile to her lips. Jax is on duty -- not that there's much that marks him as Working, he looks pretty much the same as he often does. Shiny silver leggings beneath a knee-length crushed-velvet dark purple skirt, shimmering purple Doc Martens, a flowy bell-sleeved blue and purple shirt with a peacock-feather printed tee layered over top. Mirrored dark glasses on his eyes, glittering silver nailpolish, shimmering silver lips. His short scruff of hair has been freshly dyed, peacocky shades of blue-green-purple. He has a large cup of coffee in his hands, tucking himself into a chair at Iolaus's table though his gaze is straying towards the front of the cafe, where one of the windows has been recently replaced. "'course it's delicious," he murmurs with a crooked quirk of smile, "Shane don't mess around. Anyway he has Luci as a tea-consultant." He tips his chin up when he sees Mel, his smile brightening. "Lucien has good taste in many things, and tea is certainly no exception. Though, I do think his and my tastes do diverge, somewhat. In tea, I mean." Iolaus takes another tentative sip at the tea, winces, and blows over the surface of the liquid for several moments. "And you can enjoy the tea a lot more when you're in good company. I'm glad Evolve is doing well, again. Your son is quite the businessman, Jax." Iolaus says, dipping his head with a warm smile. "Not that I'd tell him that; I think he already knows," he continues, smile spreading towards a grin. Iolaus looks up when he feels eyes on him and flashes that smile at Melinda. He gestures to the third, empty chair sitting in front of their little coffee table, inviting. "Please, help yourself." "He might appreciate the telling. I know it seems like he might get a big head, but I think he might just need some encouragement from time to time, too," Mel replies as she sets her cup on the table before settling into her seat with a sigh. She is careful to arrange herself into the support of the chair before reaching out to take her coffee back. "Hey, Iolaus, Jax." She wets her lips before taking a sip, "Thank you for the company. I really appreciate it." "I think he'd like hearing it," Jax agrees with Mel, a little more softly. "I mean I know he's got so much attitude but -- honestly he spent most of his time the past years with folks getting on his case for all the stuff he /wasn't/ doing good at. Think s'good for him to hear somethin' positive." He lifts his cup, taking a long swallow of the steaming coffee. His brows lift to Mel, raising over the rim of his sunglasses. "Bad day?" Iolaus glances between the other two and chuckles, raising his mug in a little salute. "Then I'll tell him that, next time I see him. I blame it on you, if it goes to his head," he says, and there is light laughter in his voice. He takes another, larger sip of tea, as he looks over Melinda. "You alright, Mel?" "Oh, sure, I will gladly take the blame if it means that Shane hears something nice about his work here." Melinda laughs softly, pausing to inhale the aroma of the coffee. "I'm okay. Overtired, probably. Just getting over a little mastitis. The joys of motherhood, you know. Tove said I needed an afternoon off and told me to leave the Commons. He's a sweetheart, trying to get me to relax more. How about you two? Having a pleasant Monday?" "Nu uh. Any time the kids do anything /bad/ they're Micah's kids," Jax informs Iolaus with a bright grin. "But I'll take the credit if it just helps his confidence." He gulps at his coffee again and sets the overlarge mug down on the table. "Tove's a doll. You know, down at Dr. Toure's clinic they got, uh, massage therapists? Come in twice a week, give massage on the cheap. If you're lookin' for relaxing. I know Rachel was headin' down that way t'day I think those wings are murder on her back." Laughing, Iolaus shakes his head at Jax. "Alright, alright. I'll blame Micah and Mel, then. At least it will alliterate," he says, cupping the mug and lowering it gently to his lap. "They are quite good. I'd suggest going for a soak in a hot tub, if you are looking for relaxation. Helps the body and the mind." He drums his fingers along the edge of his mug as he looks around the store before returning his eyes back to Mel. "Though, I admit, massages do very much have their advantage." "Oh, there will be a bath tonight. I have a very distinct list of things to do today. Apparently, certain people in my life think that I cannot function without lists." There's a wry expression on Melinda's face and a highly arched brow, but she continues with a smile. "After coffee and perhaps lunch, I am to go to Lush and pick out at least three bath bombs or bubble bars before returning home. Then, there will be a bath." She glances over at Jackson and nods. "I'll look into massage therapy. I keep meaning to make time for that. Not that either of you answered my question." "Oh! Lush!" Jax wriggles slightly with excitement at this statement. "I been meanin' to go there I should --" He cuts himself off with a blush, turning his head slightly to glance over to Iolaus. "... ummm if I give you cash can you pick up a couple things for me? B's most favourite of shower gels they only sell seasonally from now through Christmas an' so I always stock up a bunch for hir." One shoulder hitches up at the question, his lip pursing slightly. "Bit tired. Maybe the rain. Grey days ain't kind t'me. Wanted to repaint the front'a the store for Shane this weekend only s'been grey an' wet all /weekend/ too." Iolaus raises an eyebrow at Jax and smiles at him. "We can stop by there after work, if you want, Jax. I don't mind; I'm sure I could use a new bar of soap or something." He smiles, winking at the guard and turning back to Mel. "I'm doing well. Busy, busy. Probably will be an easy night for Jax, here, shopping aside. Have a lot of paperwork to catch up on, so I'll probably be at the office late." "I will take your list, Jax, in case Iolaus keeps you at the office so late that you miss the store's hours." Melinda smiles and sips her dark brew, her breath spilling over the surface after she swallows. "Don't stay too late, Iol." She purses her lips, a thought niggling at the back of her mind. "And I understand the gray. Tola gets sort of droopy when there's no direct sunlight. Kind of hate the idea of what the winter is going to be like and may set up an entire bank of sunlamps. If you want, we can pool our resources and get a brighter room for the pair of you." "Yeah, I ain't even off till eleven an' if Io's workin' mad late --" Jax shrugs, pulling out his phone so that he can make a list and email it to Melinda. "Christmas season also means they got the /glitteriest/ silver bath melt, oh /man/. If you're lookin' into bath things though Ceridwen's Cauldron or Floating Island are like. The relaxey-/est/ melts there." His teeth scrape against his lip, considering the other suggestion. "I got a bunch'a sunlamps if y'want t'take one or two for her jus' for right now. But a whole bright sunny /room/, that'd be a blessin'. I turn into a slug all winter. Jus' too exhausted t'think. I hope it don't get quite so rough on her." "I've been considering building something like that at the clinic, actually. Not exactly for the same reasons, but enough of our patients don't get enough sunlight that a bright, sunny room - with artificial light supplements if need be - is a useful to have around. Something that I'm toying with trying to get a research grant for. It'd be nice if the government would pay for the giant lights," Iolaus' eyes twinkle and he lifts his tea to take another few sips, and he shrugs. "Wouldn't be ready for a while, though. But it would be... bright." "Well, sunrooms seem to have been a thing in the past in clinics and hospitals. It seems like a valuable thing to put more research into." Mel agrees readily, focusing on Iolaus as he starts to discuss the subject. "We already know the affects of sunlight and vitamin D. I keep hearing about that from the internet and word of mouth. No one seems to be getting enough. We're all stuck inside too much." She sips and sets her mug down, leaning back in her chair a little further. "I wish you luck on that. And yes, I might borrow a sunlamp or two from you, Jax, until we find out which one Tola responds best to. I guess I'm not too worried about her sluggishness at this point. She's a bit young to expect a lot of activity out of her yet, but the notion of her hibernating through the winter as plants do seems a little detrimental." "Oh gosh. If the Clinic had extra-sunny rooms I --" Jax hesitates, thoughtful. "Gosh. I don't actually know. Could be my productivity'd go up on account of havin' more energy or could be it'd go /down/ on account'a not wantin' to leave those rooms," he decides with an amused lopsided smile. "But more light'd be a blessin' fore more folks'n just me," he agrees with a nod to Mel. He finishes his list and slips his phone back into his pocket once he's emailed it. "I'll drop off some lights for you t'night when I get off. Hibernatin'-Tola sounds /adorable/ but -- maaaybe yeah not so great for livin' her lifeonce she's older. Oh! Oh I made cookies this afternoon. Could drop off some'a /those/ too." For Mel. He /probably/ already brought some with him to work for Io. Iolaus laughs and he spreads his hands. "Maybe I'm going about this all wrong, then. Instead of going after grant money for it, maybe I should pitch it to Maribeth as an employee benefit and see if I can get money for it that way," Iolaus teases Jax lightly, winking at him. "Let's also see how her energy changes, Mel. If it starts going down, you should bring her in so we can have a look at what it's doing systemically. It might be related to vitamin D deficiency, so we might want to add supplements." "Hmmm. Yes. I definitely will. As much as I don't really want her to spend all of her young life in doctor's offices, I also don't want to assume everything about her is one hundred percent natural and I should just stand by and let things take their course. She is healthy, though. No real colds or sneezes to speak of. It's also probably because I'm healthy, Tove doesn't get out much, and we don't put her in daycare." Mel's lips twitch thoughtfully as she wraps her hands around her mug once more. "Much appreciated, Jax. I'll have your purchases waiting for you then, okay? Melty bath things, special body washes, and silver sparkles, eh?" "/So/ much sparkles." There's a little bit of sparkle /to/ Jax just at the thought of this, a dusting of silvery shimmer glimmering against his skin. "Though it'll be a blessing if y'all all get through this season without no sick t'speak of. Clinic's been /mobbed/ now flu season's startin' an' let me tell you, a building full'a sneezy /mutants/ is a bit more -- uh." His nose crinkles up. "Colourful. Than otherwise." Iolaus gives Jax a sidelong look and shakes his head. "Tell me about it. Flu season is otherwise known as 'check the fire extinguisher' season for the maintenance staff, based on the number of requisitions I get for needing new fire extinguishers around this time." He winces and then chuckles, shrugging his shoulders. "It's an interesting time. Never the same case twice, that's for sure." "I... will remember to wear my rain poncho when I come to the clinic next. To protect against what comes out from the extinguishers as well as what comes out of the sick." Mel's eyes twinkle grimly at the thought, taking a long pull from the hot liquid in her mug. "I don't really have any unreasonable expectations of 'no sick' but I am hopeful. I think Jim helps Tola at least, what with greening her up when she needs it. Maybe that boosts her immunity as well." This earns a chuckle from Jax, hand lifting to rub against a faint stippling of recent scarring brushed light and evidently rather trivial against the side of his cheek. "Make it an /acid/-proof poncho, this month's been --" He shakes his head, his still-bright smile implying it at least hasn't been a /terrible/ month, even if chaotic. "Anyway 'round my house every season is 'check the fire extinguisher' season, I got a bad habit of makin' things combust." This comes with a small wrinkle of nose. "-- Be real nice if Jim can help her stave off the worst'a the bugs goin' 'round. An' winter at least is a less terrible time for /plant/ diseases -- if, um," he finishes with a small blush, "she's even susceptible t'those." Iolaus raises an eyebrow at Jax and then grins at him. "I'm sure you do, with how you blush." He chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "I'm sure hearing 'who knows?' isn't exactly comforting, but we only understand so much about how the immune system works in non-mutants, where it's all relatively the same. In mutants, we just draw parallels based on the evidence as best we can. But absent looking at an individual case, and testing it, all I can say is that it could help, hurt, or do nothing at all." "Eh, pretty much," Melinda agrees, fishing her phone out of her purse when it beeps. She takes a final swig of her coffee and gets to her feet. "Well, now that I have your shopping list and a belly of hot energy, I should probably get on my way. The sooner I leave, the faster I get myself into a hot and comforting bath." She leans over to give Jax a hug before waving at Iolaus, before beginning to wrap up in her orange scarf. "Mmm. Bath." Jax lifts his arms to wrap Melinda in a hug, too, tight and fierce. "M'off a lotta afternoons this week if you /or/ Tove want a break, m'always happy t'have the smallthing around." Settling back into his seat, he leans down to flip his bag open. He extracts his sketchpad, glancing briefly over at Iolaus before settling in to work. Iolaus raises his hand to wave at Melinda as well, flashing her a smile. "Enjoy the bath, Mel. Don't let the checklist keep you from it for too long!" With a short look at Jax and a widening of his smile, the doctor shifts in his chair, settling back against it once more, and lifts his mug of tea back to his lips.