ArchivedLogs:Speaking Spanish

Speaking Spanish
Dramatis Personae Ash, Steve	2015-11-15 "{But speaking Spanish? It doesn't bother me.}" (Chasing after Señor America - Part of Flu Season TP.)
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Commonhaus - Lower East Side
Accessible to all residents of the Commons via electronic keycard, this three-story building holds a number of facilities freely available for the shared use of all Commons residents. The stone-floored foyer is high ceilinged -- balconies on the two upper floors look down into this entrance, leaving just the wide skylit ceiling three stories up to trickle light down through the whole of the house. Through wide wood-and-glass doors the spacious dining area is visible on the left; on the right, heavier doors beside the elevator lead to the similarly large kitchens. There are four single-user toilets on this floor, two apiece by the foyer and the dining room. Though a wide staircase runs all the way up, there is also an elevator tucked to one side. For the adventurous, though, there's another way up through the house -- through the center of the house where the balconies look down, an enormous climbing structure has been erected, solid wood platforms softened with carpeting, held together with strong spiderwebbed steel cables. Interlaced in an intricate maze that spirals up through the whole of the house and down to the basement, it provides a crazily winding path to duck and wriggle and worm through, with exits -- if you can /find/ them -- dispensed out onto each upper balcony and into the basement below. "Senor America! Un momento, por favor!" Ash is chasing after Steve, moving at a brisk pace and dragging with him his bone sword, a wrinkle of concern between his brows. He puts on a little extra speed as he exits the dining room, trying to catch sight of him before he disappears into a private room. "{Are you okay? I mean, everything is bad and people are dying, but I wanted to be sure that you are not feeling like -- I don't want you to feel judged because I did not - whatever happened on the news...}" Steve has already hoisted himself up onto a platform of the climbing sculpture, but doesn't look inclined to go anywhere else. He looks down when Ash calls. Waves back. "{Sorry I leave fast,}" he says. His face is a little red. Maybe embarrassment? Maybe not. "{I am good. I was angry. I did not want to...}" He grits his teeth, lifts one hand into the air and clenches it into a fist. Drops it again. "{I am not understand much what you say. Sorry. You not...}" He scrubs his face. Shakes his head. "{I am good,}" he repeats, "{thank you.}" "{I'm sorry,}" Ash repeats, drawing closer. "{I am not mad at you,}" he offers shyly, hoping that helps explain. "{Newspapers make things big. TV news is all about,}" here he mimics and explosion, big, then a sad person crying, "{Disasters. Stories that make people angry -- or try to give hope.}" He pantomimes opening a book and then looking angry, but then switches it around to look happy in the end. Then he shrugs. "{Me? I don't care for news.}" Instead, he waves and smiles pleasantly. "Soy Ashleigh Campbell. Encantado." "{I wanted to help people.}" Steve picks up the two halves of the pencil he had broken. Tucks the eraser end into a pocket. "{I thought I did help. But the news...bad. Same as old day.}" He shakes his head again. "Steve Rogers." He flips open his legal pad to a new page. "{Thank you for your...worry?}" He doesn't sound too certain about the word choice. "Ah... Um, Preocupacion, solicitud? Atencion." Ash considers a couple options verbally before he shrugs, "{And you're welcome.}" He draws in a deep breath and wets his lips. "{I want to help people to, but it makes me an enemy of the country - to the news. It's not important. What's important? I don't hurt you, you don't hurt me, yeah?}" "{It /is/ important.}" Steve's hand is moving over the page in broad strokes. "{If I help people, and you help people, but the news says I am good and you are bad. That is...}" He sighs. "{Sorry, I do not know the words to say what I want to say, in Spanish. But you don't hurt me,}" he agrees, "{and I don't hurt you.}" He smiles faintly. "{Now I just need to save America from America.}" Then chuckles, self-consciously. "{Maybe first find work and a home.}" "{Yes, it is not right.}" Ash exhales and shakes his head, gnawing on his lip. "{what can you do?}" This is more of a surrender than a question as Ash balances his sword on one shoulder and stretches his neck in the other direction. "{Occupations are good! I work construction - making buildings - when there's work. There is not always work for me, but probably work for you! Strong guy - not mutant - you'll be fine.}" "{What can I do?}" Steve echoes it like an actual question now. "{I want to know. Then do it.}" He continues sketching, hardly even watching what he draws. "{I do not have much...}" He groans, then starts again. "{I have not had many work. Sell newspaper. Fighting. But, I /am/ strong, and not a mutant. Maybe I...ask around.}" His mouth pulls to one side in a crooked smirk. "{See if I can make some buildings. Thank you. Again.}" "{It hurts me to teach you this, but,}" Ash offers an apology of sorts before adding, "{I do not have very many skills,}" he exhales softly as he gives the statement so Steve at least can say it if he needs to. "{But you probably have more skills than you think. The Army taught you some things. Maybe - security guard?}" He smiles brightly, looking to cheer him. "{Construction is also good. Maybe I introduce you to my boss?}" "{I do not have very many skills,}" Steve repeats, slowly. "{Security guard, maybe. But I want...}" He frowns. "{...some work, not with fighting.}" His pencil stops moving on the page. "{I would like that, if it is not trouble for you.}" "{No fighting is good. Taking you to work - It might be trouble for you, normal for me. Maybe okay for everyone. I have no idea until we try.}" Ash continues grinning through everything, eyes focusing on the other man's hands. "{Can you be here around six in the morning? I know it's pretty early, but we still have to go to the work site. Maybe grab coffee.}" Important stuff out of the way, he pauses and narrows his eyes a bit on Steve's ledger. "{You draw?}" He raises a hand and mimics the drawing movements Steve was doing earlier. "{I am used to trouble.}" Steve's laugh has a touch of real humor to it now. "{Also used to six in the morning. Not used to the coffee here. So good.}" He looks down at the page in front of him, blushing faintly. "{Yes. A little. Not very good.}" He flips the legal pad around and shows Ash the drawing: it's simple, heavier on movement and economy of lines than details, but still very recognizable as Jax. The photokinetic is half-turning, tension visible in the slight hunch of his shoulders and worry written on his face behind huge sunglasses. "{Just before the news men arrived.}" Ash studies the picture quietly and nods solemnly as the other man explains, "{Better than I can do,}" he replies quietly, tilting his head to one side. "{Strange. Jax likes to hide that face - and yet you've seen it already. He's a good person. Big heart. Lots of care. Sad to see him so sick.}" He scowls, letting down his own attempt at appearing cheerful go for the time being. "{I...surprised him.}" /Steve's/ shoulders hunch slightly. "{I did not understand. I /don't/ understand...much.}" He shrugs, looking down at his drawing. "{Sad to see everyone so sick.} His lips press into a thin line. "{My city. My country.}" He bows his head. "{Thank you, for talking to me.}" "{Oh, hey, brother, you gotta cheer up a bit!}" And there it is, Ash's chipper charm starts to return. "{You and me, man, we got this. We're going to be strong and we're going to help people, and we're going to make this place better for everyone, yeah?}" Even if all of his words do not translate, his enthusiasm is contagious. "{Doctor's going to do their thing and people going to get better and everyone'll be able to relax a little. So maybe we speak Spanish forever. It's not so bad, eh, brother? You'll learn it quick enough when you can't say anything else, right?}" "{I'm not completely sure what you just said, brother, but yeah.}" Steve nods. "{But speaking Spanish? It doesn't bother me.}" He hops down from his perch to land lightly on his feet. "{Also used to speaking languages I don't know.}" He grins wide now. "{Then one day, I know them.}" Ash reaches out and slaps Steve on the shoulder affectionately. "{Good. Good. Dinner soon, sound good?}" He doesn't really wait for Steve's answer and decides to move on. "{Come, let us help in the kitchen.}"