ArchivedLogs:Soup and Bread

Soup and Bread
Dramatis Personae Cage, Carys, Dan, Melinda, Penny	2013-05-17 '
Location <NYC> Helping Hands Homeless Coalition - Chelsea
The Helping Hands Soup Kitchen is a very large, white room with linoleum floors, rows upon rows of tables, and sturdy but cheap chairs. Toward the back, away from the entrance, is a shortened wall that divides the servers from the patrons, not to keep one from the other, but to help facilitate the distribution of food. Kitchens lie behind with several openings where food is passed out to the dining hall. Along the walls, there are announcements, calendars, and pockets filled with pamphlets for those who can read that describes all the services available at Helping Hands and where they take place. Near the entrance is a desk that controls access to the staircase that leads upstairs to the rest of the shelter, beds, bathrooms, and beyond. Carys doesn't look like she's been sleeping in an alleyway -- but that doesn't necessarily mean she's not homeless. Still, she doesn't seem to be looking for a meal, so much as she's looking for /someone/. She scowls, scanning faces, stopping short when she thinks it might be the person she's looking for, and disappointment registering openly on her face when it's not. "Stupid, idiot, loser," she mutters to herself, her voice (thankfully) getting lower as she uses some choice language. Dinner service is mostly over, but there are always stragglers, sitting at a table, hunched over their bowls, sopping up soup with bread to add flavor to the chewable material, drinking water from plastic cups. More people are checking in at the front desk for places to sleep upstairs, a small cue forming to buzz people in when they opt for a bed or a hostel room, depending on their situation. Melinda is helping out for the night, not necessarily serving food, but slowly making her way through the dwindling crowd of people, checking with one or two here or there in the main dining hall. When she sees some who doesn't quite seem to belong, she starts making her way over, a mildly friendly look on her face. She's wearing comfortable gray trousers and a frilly necked blouse in pale pink, with sneakers on her feet. She tucks some of her long brown hair behind one ear as she approaches, starting to speak before getting anywhere near Carys' personal bubble. "Hi! Can I help you with something?" Story of Carys' life: someone who doesn't quite seem to belong. Despite the fact that she's moving through the aisle between the tables and super-aware of all the people as she searches, Melinda still seems to mildly surprise her. Perhaps she wasn't expecting anyone to talk to her! She jerks around, suddenly, to face her. Sensing, belatedly, that she should probably answer the question, Carys manages, "Yeah. You, uh. You see a guy named Mike? He's, uh. About this tall--" She gestures above her. "Brown hair. S'got a beard like--" She strokes her chin to demonstrate. All in all, probably sounds like half the guys in the city. She seems antsy, shifting her weight where she stands. "I swear to god if he's skipped town, I'm going to murder him," she declares, shaking her head, her lip curled into a scowl. "I... hm." Melinda looks helpful for a while, listening and observing the description, but when the woman threatens physical violence, she straightens up a little, closing off. "Oh. Well, I can't say I've seen anyone by that description. I'm sorry. Can I interest you in something to eat instead?" She moves back a half step to direct attention to the back of the dining hall where a large pot is still bubbling with soup. Carys eyes Melinda suspiciously -- just long enough that it might be uncomfortable. Her expression goes from displeased, to angry, and finally, to defeated. Whoever she's looking for, he's not here, and she seems to realize that she's met a deadend with Melinda. "Guys. They're never around when you want them," she says, evidently deciding to tone it down from 'going to murder him'. She laughs a little, but it sounds hollow and mirthless. "If he's made up his mind to disappear, I probably shouldn't waste my time trying to look." She seems distracted, glancing quickly towards the food at the end of the dining hall, then back again at Melinda. "What'd you say your name was?" "I'm Mel." She offers sweetly, warming a little more when Carys backs off the murder tact. "Sorry that he disappeared. Some people have a habit of doing that when you really don't want them to." There's a hint of annoyance in her tone, but she carries it with a bit of sarcasm and a small shrug. "So, what do you say? It's minestrone tonight, but the bread is kind of herby, so there's some good flavors mixed together." She looks perhaps a little hopeful that the woman will stay. "And some people have a habit of taking the rent money and blowing it on pills," Carys says, flatly, "and then they don't even have the decency to stick around so you can strangle them." ... and she wonders why he's disappeared! In any case, the offer of soup seems to hold some appeal. "Sounds good," she gives a small nod. She even adds an introduction, "I'm Carys. Did you make it?" "Well, I helped with part of it," Melinda admits, leading the way to the back of the room. There are no actual servers anymore, just floating staff that is comfortable acting as servers when the time comes. Mel heads behind the counter quickly if Carys follows and gets out a bowl and plate from the shelves below. She grabs the ladle next. "We need to make a lot of it on a daily basis, so while someone is chopping vegetables, someone else is putting other ingredients together. There's only one tester in the end, so don't worry about the old adage about too many cooks." She begins to ladle the soup into a bowl. Carys takes a deep breath. "I don't think I even realized I was hungry until just now," she admits, having followed Melinda back to the counter. Some of her anger seems to have disappated. Who can be angry and eat soup? Nobody, that's who. Watching Melinda ladle the minestrone, she asks, "So, you work here?" She lifts her gaze, glances around. "They hiring?" "Oh, well, it's not really a paid position. I come here in my off time to help out." Melinda sets the full bowl down on the plate and turns away to grab a hunk of bread from an over sized tupperware tub that is not really full anymore. There's a small pad of butter pulled out of another tub and put with the bread on the plate. Mel leans over once more to grab a spoon for Carys to use. "It's amazing how feelings can block out things. Maybe this is a nice opportunity to take a load off, eat in peace, get a fresh perspective on the situation. We can talk about employment stuff too, if you want." She gives a little smile as she pushes the plate across the counter to Carys. A small commotion in the back heralds Luke's arrival. Anyone with a view to the way back, food prep area, can see him hauling in a shiny new fridge. The truck was too low, and they couldn't get to the ramp, so Luke just got under it and hefted it up to the loading dock. After it gets pushed into place, he smiles and shakes the kitchen manager's hand before he heads toward the front area, probably just to say hi to people. He emerges behind where Carys and Melinda are. "Oh, hi there." One of the homeless men already seated doesn't look so homeless, in a rumpled yet clean-looking security guard uniform. Neither does he have a bowl of soup. Instead, Dan is sitting and quietly talking with one of those being fed, his gaze tinged with hard regret as he listens to his haunted-looking friend. Eventually, he nods, and reaches out to clasp the other man gently on the shoulder before he stands, and turns to go. But something about the woman doling out soup makes him stop and STARE. Hard. His brow slams into a V, and the struggle to recall /something/ is evident on his face. It's really rather rude the way Carys' eyes glaze over with disinterest once Melinda says it's unpaid work. She actually has to shake herself out of it. "Oh," she says, accepting the bowl. "How nice of you." She says 'nice' like it's something strange and foreign and incomprehensible. People! Doing things for free! Wonders never cease to amaze. "I'm between jobs right now," she explains her own situation, her smile looking more like a grimace. She nods back to Luke. "Hi," she says, glancing from him, back towards Melinda. "Well, we can also help set you up with unemployment, if you qualify, and housing assistance if you're in trouble. We try to help people not need us as much as possible." Melinda rests her hands on the counter when the commotion behind her takes her a little bit by surprise, but she turns and smiles brightly at Cage when he comes forward. "Hey. Looking for something to eat?" She lifts the ladle a little to indicate she's ready. She hasn't quite noticed Dan yet, or re-noticed him if she saw him earlier that evening. "There's still plenty of soup left." "Oh no, no thanks," Luke says, smiling. "I ate earlier." Or maybe he's picky. Or he doesn't want to take food from the homeless. Who knows? He stops at the sink nearby though, washes his hands, and steps up to help ladle, if he's needed. "Anything I can help with out here?" Dan continues to stare, wrinkling his nose as he reaches up to run a thumb under his left eye thoughtfully. There's a step forward. Just a step. As if he can't remember and move at the same time. Then another step. It's slow progress. Particulary with people /right there/. "Do I know you?" he says suddenly, jutting his chin out in Melinda's direction. It could be a pick-up line, only he's still far enough away that he has to lift his voice slightly. "You look familiar." Carys glances over her shoulder at Dan, and helpfully steps out of the way, to give him a better look at Melinda. "What's up?" she asks Luke, because even though she has her soup, she'd apparently much rather annoy the people over here, than sit with the people over /there/. So, she eats while standing. It's not so much an art form as it is a balancing act. Omnomnom. "Well," Melinda considers Luke for a moment then, lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "Well, there's some basic clean up, and wandering around making sure people are getting what they need before we close up at ten." She considers for a moment before shaking her head amused. "Did you just haul a huge piece of equipment in? And you still want to help?" She laughs under her breath a little and then turns back to Carys -- and apparently Dan. "OH. I don't know. Do you come here a lot?" Luke smiles down at Carys and shrugs, "Not much, how about you?" he asks. Then he's looking a little embarrassed about the fridge. "Oh well, it looked like they needed a hand getting it inside. I just lent a hand." Then Dan's looking for Melinda, and Luke is the last guy to get in another man's way when he's making a move. Luke sneaks Dan a glance which seems to say, 'Good luck, buddy!' Luke picks up some of the big, heavy pots and takes them to the washing station. Dan furrows his brow further as he moves closer, and his lip curls ever so slightly at one corner. "I come in here sometimes, to visit some people I know," he admits, his eyes tracking Luke briefly before returning to the woman. "Make sure they're gettin' along all right. But I don't think it's from here." He tips his head, and his expression goes seriously perplexed. "You ain't ever been to a place called Molly's, have you?" He jerks a thumb in a general direction. "Little pub on the Lower East Side?" "This is about it," Carys lifts her spoon as evidence, before taking another sip of the minestrone. She gives Luke a wry look. "Not /quite/ what I had in mind for tonight, but /someone/ distracted me from my original plans," she stares at Melinda. Though, to be fair, she doesn't look too upset (or at all upset) about having to eat soup instead. "You from around here?" "Oh! Sure! During the blizzard, right? We had Mexican, right?" The beginnings of recognition grow quickly once Dan starts putting more bits of information to the puzzle Mel's been working out in her head. She smiles a little brighter, trying to focus on Dan, but distracted by the way that Carys is staring at her. "I'm Mel. It's been a while, so I am sorry, but I don't remember your name. To be fair, I think there was a lot of booze that night, too, if I remember correctly." "Well, sort of," Luke says, answering Carys' question. "Harlem born and raised, but New York is my stomping ground. I like to get around." Luke bends to the task of scrubbing, and has to stop himself when the heavy duty pot starts to bend under his attention. He frowns down at it, glances over his shoulder to see if anyone noticed, and then bends it back into place before continuing the scrubbing, more gently now. "The blizzard. Right." Dan's face relaxes as memory (sort of) comes rushing back, and he ruffs a hand through his hair. "I thought I recognized you. Mel." There's a momentary flicker of guilt that crosses his face, but he shakes it off. Visibly. "I'm Dan," he reminds her, and then he flashes a bit of teeth in a grin. "I think it was the tequila," he admits. "We should never have switched over." His eyebrows lift, and he indicates the room in general. "How long have you been workin' here?" Carys lifts her eyebrows a little. "Harlem, huh?" She gives a little shrug of her shoulders. "You're not too far from home." Her expression shifts into something almost pensive, her gaze drawn down into her bowl of soup for a moment. She might be thinking of her own home. It's out of the corner of her eye that she catches Luke bending the pot. Her head lifts, quickly, and she starts to ask, unsure, "Did you.." Penny is always on the lookout for the next meal she neither has to be or steal for. In this part of town, her presence tends to draw a little less comment than it would in other places. The mute girl tends to wander into shelters and soup kitchens, sometimes more than once a day for a meal. Normally, this might elicit a little irritation... But with her general obedience, and her lack of rancor at not being allowed a cot to sleep on, it's usually tolerated. Today is no different. With her slightly animalistic, hunched posture, she tends to look smaller than she really is. Even moreso, she's keeping her talons close to her body and avoiding brushing against anyone assiduously to keep from accidentally slicing or scarching somebody. So far so good! She sidles up to the woman serving soup, and holds out the strap-covered portions of her palms with eyes wide in a sort of awed expectation. She'll never get used to people just GIVING her food. "Nah, don't worry about it. There was nothing else to do during that blizzard, but drink and hang out." Melinda does her best to be friendly in response to Dan's guilt. She shrugs and pulls out one of the hunks of bread and starts tearing off a little bit to nibble on. "So, been keeping busy?" She glances over to Carys to make sure she's okay before looking over her shoulder at the newcomer. "Hi there! Hungry?" Melinda quickly goes about preparing another bowl of soup, snagging a fresh piece of bread and butter for Penny, and completing the grouping with a spoon, sliding it across the counter toward her. "Here you go." "I'm sorry, what?" Luke asks, clearly trying to divert Carys' attention. He is apparently /not/ skilled at deception in this kind of situation. But he plows ahead. "So, where are you from? New Yorker?" Luke has glanced up from his scrubbing to look at Carys, and then catches Penny's approach in the corner of his eye. He pauses and turns fully to take in the animalistic young lady. He sighs and nods at her, before drying his hands on a nearby towel. "Sorry, one sec," he says to Carys, not blowing her off, but clearly concerned for the obvious mutant girl. He steps around the counter, a business card already in hand. "Hey," the hulking man says softly, "You've got friends in New York, ok?" He doesn't want to spook the quiet girl, and just leaves the card on her food tray. Dan offers another flash of teeth, and he shakes his head. "It's okay. I just didn't want to be rude, since we shared a meal and all." He ducks his head, and rubs a finger alongside his nose briskly. "I've been busier than usual," he admits. "But it's not so bad. Keeps things interesting." He does not sound overly pleased about this, though he maintains a fairly cheerful demeanor. Until the girl hunches up to the counter. Then his smile is fading, a bit, and the step away from her is slow enough that it could be a shifting of his weight. Only then does he seem to notice Luke, and he BLINKS for a moment. There's /another/ face that nudges his memory. Carys isn't quite fooled. She gives Luke a skeptical look, and waves a hand, vaguely, "Hey, you don't have to explain nothing to me. Yeah, I'm from upstate." Which, when you're in Manhattan, leaves a lot of state. She gives Luke a small nod as he attends to Penny -- and to be fair, she can't quite help almost-but-not-really staring at the newcomer. She busies herself with eating some more soup, as not to be obvious about it. Penny nods emphatically at Melinda. The whole thing LOOKS delicious to her! Real food! Apparently there are edibles out there that do NOT come from the Happy Cakes Bakery. She looks at the spoon for a while like it's an insane piece of alien hardware, then visibly disregards it. The piece of buttered bread is speared messily, and then there's muffled stuffing and chewing of it in her mouth. Then, using only the palms of her hands, she lifts the bowl and guzzles it. Some of it goes down her chin. This all happens quite quickly... and is followed up with a burp. Mere moments later, though, and she's skittering around to move away from the BIG man. BIG. She just sort of stares at him for almost a full minute before she finally moves back and begins trying to pick up the business card. Which, with those talons, appears to be giving her some trouble. She can't QUITE get her talons under it without slicing things up. "I can give you another bowl, hun," Melinda says to Penny, a small smile on her lips, "and another piece of bread, if you're interested." She is already moving Penny's bowl closer as she waits on her approval. She looks to Dan briefly, studying the way he moves. "Nah, not rude at all. Didn't think I'd run into you again, but it's nice to." She does watch the way Luke presents the girl with a card. "If you leave one with the front desk... we can keep it for her and call you when she needs you." "Oh hey, it's ok girl, hang on..." Luke holds his hands up to try and calm the situation. He knows he's /huge/ and scary to a runaway or anyone else just out on their own. He produces a new card and holds it out to Penny in his hand, between his fingers. He's sure she can't hurt him, but he just doesn't want to scare her. He nods at Melinda's offer, he'll definitely do that, but he's trying to focus on Penny just now. Dan watches the feral girl with a small tip to his head, his face unreadable as he watches her attempt to pick up the card. Luke's back gets a long look, and the ex-soldier shakes his head ever so slightly. "Good to see you, too," he remembers to answer Melinda, tearing his gaze away to crinkle his eyes at Melinda amiably. It doesn't quite match up with his face, though. Carys has been busy inhaling her soup, while being nosy and watching what's going on. Her bowl emptied, she puts it back on the counter. "Well, this is touching," she says, apparently meaning Luke and Penny, "but I should get going. Hey, Mel? You see Mike, you let me know." This is accompanied by a downright evil smirk. Inside joke? Maybe not a very funny one. Penny nods again quickly. As if she were afraid the offer would evaporate if she was too slow, and practically dances from foot to foot waiting. Then Cage is holding out a card for her. She dubiously spears it with one talon and tucks it carefully between some of the straps covering her upper boyd. Then she gives him a toothy grin. For a wonder, she just has normal human teeth (even if they are pearly white). Dan gets a longer study. She even moves around him, trying to get a better sense of him. Finally though, she wiggles a claw at him in greeting and turns to look at Carys. She gets the same sort of of wiggled claw... For some reason though, when she sees that smirk, she makes a soft hissing sound and skitters away from the woman back to 'the table of food'. "You'd have to leave contact info, Carys. Unless you've got a bat-signal I don't know about?" Mel gives a little smile in response. Dan gets a nod and wave, a concerned little smile fading on her lips as he leaves. She finishes ladling out another bowl for Penny and gives her more bread before turning off the burner and picking up the pot. "Okay, guys. I have some work to do. Be good and listen to the staff. If you need a room upstairs, hun, go to the front desk. They'll help you." This is of course told to Penny. Mel's hands are too full to do too much more right now. Cage steps back once Penny has his card and he just smiles around at everyone. He's acutely aware of his size, and moreso, his mass. People are gearing up to head out and he is mainly focused on finishing those pots he left behind. But for now, he's present for whatever an awkward mutant girl might need. "It's nice to meet you," he says to Penny. He points at his card in her hand, "I'm Luke. I help people like you and me when I can." He smiles and shrugs. He sounds lame, and knows it, but he does what he can. Dan tenses ever so slightly when the girl comes near him and circles him. His fingers twitch, and one eye begins a slow spasm at the corner. But, God help him, he /returns/ that talon-wiggle, lifting his hand to waggle his index finger in silent mimickry. The lift of his eyebrows and the way he stares at the betrayal of this single digit is followed immediately by a rough clearing of his throat, and he lowers his hand. "Take care." It could be to any of the other three, or to the room at large. He doesn't look back for anyone to be able to verify which. Carys eyes Penny askance as she hisses. Her eyebrows lift, but apparently she doesn't quite know what to make of it, so she settles on a shrug. "Oh, I left my bat-signal in my other pants," she says to Melinda. And, if we're being technical, leggings are not pants. She waves, then heads out.