ArchivedLogs:Smoking

Smoking
Dramatis Personae Ash, Jax	2014-06-06 Part of Prometheus TP.
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Courtyard - Lower East Side
This courtyard is the lush central hub of the surrounding Harbor Commons, bound in on three sides by rows of duplexes and triplexes, cutting upward at the sky with the sharp thrift of a minimalist's style, neat lines and bountiful windows, boldened with accents in wood towards the upper stories, stone towards the base, the whole of the compound sealed in by a low stoneworked wall that opens entrance gates to the streets beyond at its two far corners, smaller gates at building back doors. The fourth side of the courtyard is open to the East River, the ground forming a slight decline, controlled on one side by micro-retaining walls to form wide steps where picnic tables sit beneath the nominative shelter of a trio of dogwood trees, accessible by ramp. The other side is allowed to slope at its natural angle, a wide open yard space, until its cut off at the river's edge, where a massive pair of oak trees stand, a staircase leading away up one of their thick trunks. The yard itself is carpeted in an organic flow of emerald grass swirled through with wending channels of smooth-paved cement walkways, flowing naturally away from the building's front entrances, where some are arced by trellis, some flanked by hosta plants, fern and lilies, a few laid in gentle switch-backing ramps for wheelchair access, before forking off at matching angles to sites of small garden installments. Bird feeders and baths suspended from the necks of small lamp posts, a rock-lined koi pond, a sleek gazebo tucked to one side in simplistic varnished wood, its southern side overgrown with a mass of thriving grapevine and a caged-in barbecue pit under its sheltering roof. A play area and proper garden are within sight off another branch, until finally all paths spiral in like wheel spokes to a shared common house at the center of all traffic flow. It may not be the brightest of June days, but it is a nice temperature for spending the afternoon outside. Ash got off work a little early and is setting up camp in the gazebo, stoking a small cooking fire in the barbecue pit while turning his attention every so often to the work he did in the courtyard, checking it over. He's dressed in thick canvas cargo pants, built more for durability than style, with a modified rust colored tee shirt, the sleeves hsving disappeared some time ago. He is barefoot, toes curling appreciatively against the ground, no matter the surface. He picks up a bag after the fire is suitability hot and starts pulling out a peppers and chiles, lining the up on the railing according to type. Jax has been indoors through most of the day, busily at work restyling his new home in preparation for actually moving. He looks a little tired when he finally emerges from the riverside house, dressed in a pair of cut-off denim shorts (plain red on one leg, checked red-and-white on the other) and a sleeveless white-and-silver top, large mirrored sunglasses on his face. He is barefoot, too, toes scrunching into the grass as he meanders away from his house, head tipped up towards the sky and a slow flutter of light swirling wispily around him. His steps are a little unsteady as he makes his way across the courtyard and over towards the gazebo, leaning up against one of its walls to peer in at its entryway. "Hey." His tone is warm and his smile warmer, iridescent-blue nails drumming against the wood. "Breaking the new place in?" "I can't think of a better way to get things started than with some fire roasted chiles." Ash grins brightly as he continues his work, pausing only for a second when he notices Jax walking unsteadily. He keeps smiling, though, almost encouragingly. "How about you? Is your place coming together? I still have to figure out the bed situation. i've kind of just been crashing in a corner for a long time. An actual bed seems daunting." He gives a little shrug and lifts a poblano for Jax's inspection. "You want some? I was thinking about baking some chiles relleno. It's a little healthier than the fried version - and we can make it vegan if you let me know what you want inside." "Oh -- gosh, furniture, we haven't, um. We don't have furniture yet but we did get -- like there's towels and things and, um, there's some dishes in the kitchen. Cookware. I need to hit up a spice store before I can do any real cooking, though. Um, and we need a fridge. But that's getting delivered tomorrow I think." Jackson's cheerful chatter continues as he slips inside, drawing in a breath of the cookfire. "But I've been kind of -- redecorating the walls a little, putting in a -- a touch'a mosaic work in -- some places, um," he cuts himself short with a deep blush, swinging himself up to sit on one of the half-walls behind a bench-seat at the side. "How 'bout you, bed aside are you. Settlin' in? Likin' the new place? An' oh /gosh/ chiles relleno sounds /delicious/ what d'you put in yours? Last time I made 'em I stuffed 'em with this zucchini-corn-onion mix." "Ahhh, I have a tendency to put in whatever I have laying around. Cheese, definitely. Sometimes polenta. A nice herby rice or some times some left over hashbrowns. Today? I got some mushrooms and onions at the farmer's market with the chiles, so those'll be inside." Ash is mostly burning wood right now, the hardwood finally getting some good heat in it after the kindling and softer woods have burned up. There's a decent amount of smoke heading up into the chimney over head and blowing toward the river. "I have cornmeal and spices, if you need some stuff today. My kitchen's already been moved in, if you need some supplies before your big shopping trip." "Mushrooms and onions sounds delicious. Oh man. I'm excited to start hitting up the farmer's market again." Jax watches the wood burn, hand turning palm-up and a shimmer of hazy flame dancing above his palm. "I don't actually know what we need. I've been making everything a big mess with bits of glass -- the pups /actually/ moved in last night but I think we're holdin' out till we build Spence a bedroom. Do you want to come on an IKEA trip with us? If you need furniture too. I think we jus need like. A couch." "Oh, man, that'd be great. Thanks. I mean, I'm in a basement, I could just ... make everything out of earth and stone, but it's not exactly welcoming to visitors. Not that I'll get all that many visitors, what with most people I know living here or at the other house," i.e., safehouse, "and there are so many other places here that are going to be much more fun for entertaining or doing stuff. I probably don't need much. Maybe a bed. Probably a couch. Don't know. Sounds good anyway." He finds the mushrooms in the bag and sets them out, too. He leans against the railing after his bag is empty and turns his gaze first to the fire, then to Jax's hand. "Oh, hey, look at that - you're doing your thing again. That's got to be good." "I don't know, that could be really cool? You could make a bunch of stone furniture and just put big squishy cushions and throw-blankets on it. I think it'd look kinda awesome, anyway." Jax's legs swing absently, heels thudding against the wood of the railing. "We're going to be building a lot of our furniture. Beds and desks and dressers and tables and things. Um. Not out of stone, I'm not that talented." He glances down at the flame in his hand, his smile stretching brighter. "Oh! Yeah, it's. It's been coming back. Slowly. Kinda exhausting. But nice. Good. Joshua too." "I could make the heaviest futon frame in the universe and I would be the only one that could convert it to a bed. It'd be awesome." Ash raises an eyebrow as Jax starts speaking of making his own. "I'd offer to help, but Hive's lectured me on the instability of buildings and the fact that what I do weighs a ton and I don't want to destroy your apartment. Then again, I'm good with wood work too. I helped build this entire place." He smiles sillily at the end of his little brag before the expression softens to an actually joyful expression. "That's great. I... I can't imagine being without. I mean, I've gone without using my powers for a long time, but that was a choice. When it's not your choice, that's got to be shitty." "Well, your new place is a basement, right? So probably you can go wild in /there/ I'd guess? I mean Hive probably built it with all your --" In Jax's hand, the flame turns to a sculpted statue, a flame-shaped chunk of granite. "-- in mind. I don't know if /my/ place is built for tons of rock though. But you're --" Jax tips his head back to glance around the development with a large smile, "-- good with your hands, for sure, we wouldn't mind some extra help putting the place together. Quicker we get Spence's stuff put together, the quicker we can move in for real. We're building him like a. Rocketship sort of. Loft-bed -- structure." He pulls one leg up to rest his heel on the railing, the rock in his hand vanishing as he drops his hand to clamp down on the rail beside him for balance. "It -- it wasn't one of my most favourite of months. Still. Compared to some of the runs we've been on -- we got out with. We did good. That time." "We got out with people alive. That is one of the best things we can do. I think I'd trade my gift for a life, but I would not be okay with it, all things said and done." Ash nods solemnly, his attention drifting a little before his smile renews and is turned back on the other man. "I'd love to build a rocket ship for Spencer. You've got a really good kid there. He's kind of amazing. I'm sure you know that, but it's probably nice to hear from people outside your family, too." He draws in a deep breath before moving back over to the fire. He has a metal rack propped next to it instead of over the flames like the other one. He carries it over to the railing and balances it on an empty portion. Then he starts resting different peppers on the outside, leaving the poblanos for the other dish later. "Smokey peppers are delicious. In the later summer and nearer the fall, I'll make you some dried chiles to use in your cooking later, okay? We'll pick them out at the farmer's market, or get Jim to grow us some really delicious ones here. I really... can't wait. It takes almost two days to smoke them properly, but it's completely worth it." "Well. With any luck you won't gotta make that choice. See about gettin' folks some /helmets/ next time 'round. Or at least -- now that we know what we're dealin' with bein'. On the alert better --" Jax scuffs his hand over the smooth top of his head, crinkling his nose up with a sudden blush. "Lo siento, prob'ly you don't want to be. Talkin' /work/ when there's delicious chiles cookin'. An' gosh yeah Spence is --" His smile fades, suddenly, a slow crease forming between his brows. "... somethin' special," he finishes, quieter, something more distant in his tone. "Hey, you think you could teach me how t'smoke 'em right?" "Absolutely. It's really about making sure that you have a good wet wood for premium smoke and keeping it going for a good long time. It's a drying process, truth be told, but keeping the peppers in tact - well, it takes longer, but the flavor doesn't escape with the moisture, should you try to rush it and cut them open." Ash takes the rack and heads back to the fire, positioning them high to start, letting them heat and cook a little for the time being. "Jax, I can talk about work, if it helps. I don't really mind so much. I want to make sure people can get free so they can come to nice dinners and enjoy the air. Kind of all connected." "I ain't really smoked nothin' since -- gosh. A long -- m'pa taught me how t'cure meat but that --" Jax rocks absently forward and back, fingers clenching tight at the railing. "Well, y'know. Don't really use that so much anymore. Though he did teach the pups too. They got more use for it, these days. Peppers, though. Gosh. Some real spicey-smokey ones. You teach me to do those up right an' I'll cook you a /feast/ with 'em for thanks, huh?" His smile skews a little crooked, sunglassy-gaze tilting down towards the floor. "S'pose I'll hafta talk 'bout work soon enough, now that everyone's gettin' back in fightin' shape. Still got a place in Pennsylvania t'hit up an' --" His cheeks puff out, breath expelled heavily. "An' I don't know what t'do 'bout Vermont." "They might as well learn to smoke their meats. I can help with that too, you know, even though it doesn't interest you." Ash nods and laughs. "you know I like to cook, too. You don't have to cook a feast for me. You can actually cook a feast with me. Are we having a group house warming party? I've heard things from people, but nothing official yet." He has very little to add to the work conversation, mostly listening and absorbing. "Well, we'll figure it out. We usually do... and I feel like we're getting better at this - more organized, more troops, more family going in and putting our collective feet down to say 'no.'" He eyes the peppers and reaches over to the side of the fire pit to grab a long pair of tongs. He waits a little while more before starting to turn them. "Cook a feast /with/ you," Jackson corrects with a brighter smile. "That sounds even better. I think once everyone's moved in and a little bit settled, then we are. Probably not till after the common house's all done. That's -- gonna be pretty excellent, I think. But maybe not till later in the month? You'd have to check with Hive on an exact figure." He watches Ash with the peppers, leaning just a little bit closer for another deep breath. "We are getting better. But. But I don't know every time I keep hoping we won't /need/ to get better. Like it'll be the break that gets that place shut down for good." "Awww, yeah. A tasty, delicious feast. You and me. I'll grill things and we'll have pots bubbling and you'll bake things and we'll work together. Can you make an amazing cornbread - with jalapenos? Because that is... one of my favorite things." Ash grins and focuses on his work, turning carefully, as the peppers become softer the longer they heat through. "Well, it's good to hope. It's also good to be confident and strong. We have to get better, through out life, otherwise we grow stagnant. I'd like to get better without peoples' lives depending on it, but - yeah." "I'm Southern," Jax answers Ash cheerfully, "an' my momma done right by me. I can make you the /best/ of all cornbreads. Proper done in a skillet." His grip on the railing starts to wobble, and slowly he slides down off it to sit properly on the bench instead, sinking back in a heavy slump against the wall. "Got hope in spades -- it does seem to be well-/placed/ hope a whole lot more often when we train hard t'back it up though, don't it?" His smile twists up a little crookedly. "So I guess I'll jus' thank God I got a team as good as you all an' -- keep workin'." "I'm sorry, but I have to ask, are you doing okay, Jax? I can get you... some water if you need it? Maybe something to eat? I - you're wobbling pretty heavily there. I'd probably guess you're drunk if I didn't know better." Ash puts down his tongs and moves over to Jax, settling on the bench beside him and looking him over a little closer, perhaps sniffing the air around him just in case. "And Yes. Cornbread in cast iron, the best way to cook it." His smile fades a little, leaving a smaller remainder on his lips, concern in his gaze. "Training is very important. We're going to keep working because it's such a good reason to keep working." "You know me. Inveterate boozehound." Jax breathes out a quiet laugh, head tipping back against the wall. "I'll be fine once I get some food into me. D'you remember what manifesting was like? I feel like I'm cramming a few years'a physiology-adjustment into like a week. I go from bouncy t'/crashin'/ in no time flat." "Well, not quite like that... but, I remember how that kind of was. I can't imagine doing it all in a week or three." Ash shakes his head and starts to remove the rubber band around the mushroom quart container, revealing the soft fungus inside. "Maybe a little mushroom now? I can run and get you a loaf of bread, maybe with some hummus? Would that help?" He offers the small carton. "S'just been /strange/ I think my body is kinda confused on how to deal with -- food. Sleep. Photosynthesizin'. Still tryin' to balance them all. Not," Jax admits with a crooked smile, a small laugh, "real successfully. Evolution, not always /smart/. -- Oh gosh." He plucks a pair of mushrooms out of the container, popping one into his mouth straightaway. "Carbs. Bread. I'd be real grateful. Thank y'kindly, honey-honey." Ash gets to his feet and stretches a little before patting down his sides and moving back over to the fire to pull the rack off the fire with a padded glove. "Okay. I'll be back in just a little bit. You sit tight and enjoy the campfire smell." He gives Jax another smile before turning to trot off at a somewhat rapid speed to bring back the glorious carbs and plant proteins. Jax returns Ash's smile. Bright and warm. Then settles in to watch the fire, a small shimmer of echoed-flames fluttering to life around him.