ArchivedLogs:When It's More

When It's More
Dramatis Personae Micah, Ash	20 December 2014 '
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Kitchens - Lower East Side
Gleaming and polished and new, the common house here boasts an enormous industrial-sized kitchen for preparing communal meals. Set up as two mirror-image fully equipped kitchens, both left and right halves of the room contain a trio of enormous ovens, each topped with twelve gas-powered stove burners. There is a wealth of cabinet and drawer space ringing the walls, and separate side-by-side fridge and freezer to each side of the space as well. Both halves of the room contain their own large central islands, black granite countertops providing a large expanse of space for food prep; beneath the center islands are stored a well-stocked supply of pans and pots and cutting boards and kitchen gear. The pantry is shared, a large walk-in room along the back wall, its shelves all carefully labelled and organized. The opposite wall has sinks, deep three-compartment ones for each side of the room. There are very clearly labeled signs in the kitchen, denoting the left half of the room strictly for preparation only of foods both vegan and Kosher; there are no restrictions on the foods prepared in the right half. Equipment from each side is color-coded and should be kept separate. Instructions request that any prepared foods served or stored in communal space keep /strict/ lists of the ingredients used for those with dietary concerns and that leftovers are marked clearly with dates before being stored. It has been a cold day, as one might expect on the eve of Winter Solstice, frigid and a little on the grey side outdoors. Micah has kept himself busy with /warm/ activities all day long, first crafting in the workshop through most of the daylight hours, then moving himself into the kitchen for marathon food-prep after dinner. He looks rather like he's been busy, as well, auburn hair mussed, Flutterbat T-shirt worn without any longer sleeves for all this activity a little splattered here and there with Ingredients, faded bluejeans in much the same state. Long finished with the non-vegan dishes which only need their last cooking or reheating steps performed the next day (for those that don't serve chilled), Micah is now hanging about the Vegan/Kosher side of the kitchen. A few filled casserole dishes already wait on the counter, cooling, waiting to be refrigerated for reheating the next day. He is currently in a Washing stage, cleaning up from the last pans that were slid into the oven and are baking away merrily. Equally merry is his humming of "Spread A Little Sunshine" from Pippin, though it lacks some of the song's intended irony. Warm is the name of the game, herbs and spices from the cooked foods mixing with the citrusy smells of dish soap in the air. Ash has been cooking as well, but he's opted to keep a warm fire burning down in the gazebo, having converted the fire pit into a chili smoker again. He has a basket full of his most recent successes. The air is filled with the scent of warm chilies from the moment he opens the door from the outside. The aroma announces him only a short while before he is visible in the kitchen. He heads for a free space on one of the counters and starts looking around. "Hey Micah. How's it going? Oh wow, it smells nice in here. We got enough food yet, you think?" Micah's humming ceases only for him to speak, lending the, "Hi, Ash!" greeting a sing-song quality. "S'there ever enough food 'round here? Got a bunch of bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken breasts an' a macaroni 'n' cheese an' devilled eggs over in the meat side done earlier while Jax was usin' the vegan ovens t'bake things. He swapped out t'use our kitchen for whatever else he's workin' on when I had t'move over here. Got a vegan shepherd's pie in the oven now. S'maple-dijon green beans, winter root veggie mash, an' twice-baked curried sweet potatoes done up already... Figure need t'do some more finger foods t'morrow maybe. Or get started t'night if there's enough time... An' maybe a soup or chili or somethin'? I dunno. The stuff that took the most /plannin'/ s'already done, at least. Anythin' sound like it's /missin'/ from a good Solstice party t'you?" "I don't know. I - well, I haven't really gotten the hang of the whole Solstice party thing yet. I mean, I can tell you what we had last year, but it's not the same as know what is /missing/ per se." He moves over to grab some clean towels and lays them out on one of the tables, pulling dried chilies out and separating them so they still look beautiful as they cool. He also has a pan of fire roasted peppers in the bottom of his basket, which he brings over to Micah to try. "Now, these are as unspicy as a pepper can be without being classified as not-spicy. It's a brush with spice, but also sweet where the charring has brought the sugars out. They should still be a little crisp, too. You want one?" Micah chuckles at that answer. "Honestly, it ain't somethin' I really used t'do either. But it does seem like a good excuse t'get t'gether. Celebrate the light comin' back. That...feels even more important since I been with Jax, y'know? An' we need every scrap of light an' happy we can get our hands on, world bein' what it is most of the time." He deposits the last of the cleaned items in the drying rack, towelling his hands off on a nearby towel hanging for this purpose. "Mmn, of course. I love peppers, spicy or not. These're good t'eat plain?" This is asked as he plucks one from the offered basket, bringing it closer to his face for inspection and a pleased sniff. "Were y'makin' all these just t'store? Or should we come up with a dish t'put some of 'em in for t'morrow?" "I make them to store, but if you're feeling inspired, then we can make a dish with them today. For tomorrow. OR ... you know. I don't know. I want to say that I don't plan that far ahead, but here I am roasting my own peppers and chilies and drying them for the winter. You can eat it plain. It's tasty." Ash pauses his stream of words to pick one up as well and starts to nibble on it, the inside still full of moisture. He then sets down the basket and moves to take off his heavy canvas jacket to reveal a brown tee underneath, hanging over blue denim. "Sure must be important for Jax. People in my building are more likely to start hibernating in earnest now. Sure the light's coming back, but the cold and the snow is more prevalent. Plant people, you know?" "Hm. I'm open t'suggestions, since y'prob'ly know your peppers best t'make 'em shine." Micah chews at the pepper he claimed thoughtfully. "Could do a chili. Or a spicy fire-roasted corn chowder," he brainstorms, since his mind was already on a soup-like track. "Ohgosh, yeah, plant folks... Jayna's been tucked away for the longest time already, poor girl. Hanna said she just ain't hardly been out in some time." His lips pull into a lopsided grin. "Ain't plannin' /too/ far ahead t'come up with food for t'morrow. Certainly less plannin' than makin' all this delicious t'keep through the winter." "Well, we'd need some corn on the cob to do the fire roasted corn chowder. If you have some, I'm more than willing to put them on the fire." Ash grins as he moves to the sink to start washing up before cooking. "Otherwise, we can do the chili. You've already mentioned the chili, so maybe that's already got stuff to put in. I think I have some jalapenos as well, to give it some more heat. I do like things spicy, but not everyone likes that level of spice, you know? Maybe I'll just chop those up and put them to the side for those who want to add in later. Or, we can do two batches -- one that'll scald and one that's more comfort food. Well, spice is comfort for me." He gives Micah a wink and moves to find a cutting board in the drying rack. "Yeah, the corn would hafta wait for t'morrow. Need a shoppin' run on that one. Ain't as many things we can just go pluck outta the garden this time a'year, unfortunately." Micah nods at the chili question. "An' chili's easier t'keep things 'round for. Always got at least a half dozen types of beans on hand. An' tomatoes an' onions as a matter of course. Got some carrots an' mushrooms an' other assorted veggies t'pick from could go in. Sunroom's good for fresh herbs year round an' the spice cabinet's always stocked." He giggles at the winking, moving to start collecting items for this venture. "I'm the same way with spicy things, but doin' two pots just makes sense with this many people. An' that way we can make one of 'em searin'-hot without garnerin' complaints." "Unless someone accidentally gets into the wrong pot." Ash considers this for a moment then starts peeking around for a good knife. "So. Micah. Here's a question for you - it's kind of personal, so I don't mind if you don't really want to answer it." He finds his favorite in this kitchen and starts lining up the peppers for chopping, starting with the milder ones. "Oh. Don't forget the garlic. It's a sad, sad chili without garlic. I do so love the garlic. And we'll need to grind up some of the dried chiles when they are cooled. They get paste like if they aren't completely cooled. Have you made fresh chile powder before?" "Well, if y'tell 'em an' mark it in advance, ain't no right t'be complainin' at the cooks if they mess it up," Micah opines with another amused chuckle as he disappears into the refrigerator for a bit. Between that trip and one to assorted cabinets, he returns with onions, carrots, mushrooms, a few bell peppers, a /mammoth/ head of garlic, and a fine selection of assorted beans. "S'that the personal question?" Again, amusement is evident glinting in his eyes. "Sort of. I mean, I never buy the mix in a container. Usually want more control over m'how much cumin here an' oregano there an' whatnot. Sometimes have just plain ol' dried chilies around. Sometimes done the kind packed in adobo sauce. Kinda depends on the mood an' where-when-what shoppin' done happened in advance. Think the peppers're gonna be fancier'n I'm used to just now." Ash eyes the head of garlic and just stares for a moment. He looks up at Micah's face and then back down to the garlic. "You got another one of those? See, I'm of the opinion that the people who spend the most time in the kitchen should have something delicious to tide them over while they cook. You think maybe we can roast that garlic in one of the ovens and spread it over some bread? Oh, it so delicious." He wets his lips and turns his attention to cutting peppers. "Ah. Um. Well. I guess. I'm curious as to how you know, you know, when... I guess for you, that you knew you and Jax were... good? To be together." "Hm, yes. Not as big as this'n, though. She's a beauty, ain't she?" Micah fetches another head of garlic to deliver to Ash, though it is more typically-proportioned as advertised. "We can use the meat-oven for that, since it ain't doin' nothin' just now. Think we got one of those little roaster deals in here somewhere, even." There he goes ostrich-ing into another cabinet to find that. Another 'hmm' emerges at the question before Micah follows, terra cotta roaster in hand. "D'pends what parta bein' t'gether y'mean. Like...physically? Or long-term? Or gettin' married?" "Oh, good, good. Let's get that roasting," Ash agrees, but doesn't really move to help with that. He has already started a task and wants to see it through. He removes the stems first and then the seeds and starts making some large cuts through. "Normally, I'd just blend the chiles, but for a fire roasted flavor, it's almost... well, I'm not going to blend all of them." He stammers on about what he is doing before finally stopping his movements completely to pause and regroup. "At all. When you met him, how'd you know you wanted to have anything to do with him? I mean... you know, romantically? I get you're a friendly guy and you'd probably be social with him, but when did you know you'd like to do more?" Micah grabs a basin to soak the roaster in cold water for a bit, setting his phone-alarm for when that's done and moving to trim the garlic bulbs enough to expose the clove-tops. "I'm...uh. Hm. Prob'ly not the best /standard/ of people t'ask that question. On account of I tend to... Have an opener view of relationships in general an' also have this tendency t'move kinda fast unless I'm worried that's gonna be a problem." His cheeks pick up a few new layers of pink, though he doesn't seem hesitant to discuss the topic for all the blushing. "Only just-barely met 'im the first time I saw 'im. Was a big snowball fight, then a huge group of people at 'is apartment after the cops chased us off. But he called me 'bout a month later with questions 'bout...roleplayin' books. Wanted t'buy a present for B, I think, an' got in over 'is head. Didn't know it at the time, but he was /really/ stressin' on account of it was right b'fore one of the Prometheus raids. Kinda figured out or he told me or...don't rightly remember how it came out that it helped 'im relax. Havin' someone t'fuss over. So after I helped 'im get 'is books all picked, he just...did that. Fussed over me for an evenin', 'cause I was lettin' 'im t'help 'im settle some. An' that was real nice." Micah pauses in his work to locate the glass of cranberry-peach juice he'd been nursing while cooking, sneaking a few sips from it now. "I came back t'see 'im after the raid an' things was a /mess/. He was all burned from the dragon acid that one time? An' weren't takin' care of 'imself. So I was tendin' 'is wounds. Gettin' bandages changed out an' all. An'... I think we both felt more'n just...medic-y 'bout it. Eventually he asked t'kiss me. An' I sure knew by then I wanted 'im to." His hand moves to the back of his neck, brushing up through his hair a little sheepishly. "So. Like I said. Kinda fast." "Kind of fast? Sounded like there was at least a month in between," Ash replies, quietly. He's moved all the chopped mild peppers into a bowl at this point and is starting on the spicier peppers. He inhales deeply and gnaws on one lip as he runs his knife through vegetable flesh. "I don't really care about what is standard or normal. There's no way I'm going to be normal. So mostly, I just want to hear about feelings, you know, and how people make decisions based off those feelings." He gives a little shrug and casts his gaze over the other supplies Micah brought out, pausing his cutting to start taking a mental inventory. "You guys seem to work well together, so I asked. I kind of want to ask Hanna and Jayna next - but there was this one time I hit on Jayna before I knew they were together and well, that seems like it made some things less than conversational." "Well, it was only the third time I ever talked to 'im an' was kinda...already half-naked kissin' in 'is bedroom," Micah clarifies, cheeks only flushing redder as he details the picture. "Most of the downtime there was just 'tween the first time I met 'im an' the first time we really...got t'sit alone an' have a conversation. I dunno. We met 'bout February. Was more by March. Moved in with 'im early in the summer. Got engaged in October. Married in December. An' here we are." He nods a little as he locates the olive oil for the next step in the garlic roasting. "I tend t'do a lotta feelin' an' not a lotta protectin' m'self. I think...most folks move about things cautious-like with other folks. On account'a not bein' certain what the other person feels or bein' afraid of lookin' foolish or gettin' hurt. But I'm not good at not lettin' whatever I'm thinkin' an' feelin' just show on m'face or come spillin' outta m'mouth. So I tend to...people know. Pretty quick if I like 'em. An' I...like people. Easily. All it takes is seein' that thing inside that's just...the beautiful /light/ about a person, an' I fall for it. Real easy. Get all warm an' happy thinkin' of 'em in that light. An' Jax is...a lotta that. So much of that. Don't take no time at all t'see it or feel it or get drawn in." The garlic bulbs find themselves resting on the base of the roaster, each one doused in a spoonful of olive oil. Once the timer goes off on his phone, Micah fetches the lid of the roaster, puts the whole thing together, and stuffs it into the oven to roast. "I think you'd be fine askin' 'em 'less it makes you feel too uncomfortable. Folks get hit on a little all the time. If it was when y'first met, weren't no way for you t'know she was in an exclusive relationship." "Yeah, there's no way to know, but I think they have one of those really exclusive things. Normally I wouldn't give it two thoughts, but ... yeah, maybe I'll try getting them to talk about each other - even though they don't always do that either. Kind of private, I guess. Anyway, not a huge deal. I mean, there's got to be other couples in our group of friends, right? I mean, none that I can think of off hand. I could expand into groups, but I don't know if asking Dusk about his love life will be useful as he's so liberal. He probably just sees that light in everyone. And there's no way on this planet I'm going to ask Jim and them what they're doing because I don't even know if they know." Ash continues his talking as he chops the jalapenos into fine pieces and moves them into their bowl, then transports the cutting board to the sink to wash it and his hands. "Um, Onions next? Got to get those browning." "Well, y'put it the same way y'put t'me. Whether they wanna even deal with the question or not. An' then they get t'choose how or if t'answer. S'up t'them. Shouldn't be a problem s'long as nobody feels pressured." Micah nabs a couple of large yellow onions out of their mesh bag and works on getting them peeled and chopped. "I mean, an' y'can talk t'folks in general. Don't hafta be folks currently in a long-term thing if what you're askin' 'bout is when...strangers or friends start t'feel like more. I think most folks've had that happen to 'em sometime or other. Whether they've even acted on it or not." More olive oil, a frying pan, and a lit burner later, the onions are sizzling away. "Y'mind if I ask what's prompted this line of questionin'?" Ash moves to draining beans, since he's at the sink anyway, pouring the contents of cans into a strainer and rinsing away some of the gooeyness. He smiles a little as Micah continue talking about the how, shaking his head a little. He doesn't comment and instead moves on to the second part of the question. "I've been presented with a very strange situation. When I dreamed of that horrible future, hanging on the precipice of death, I ... had a loved one. That person has found me now and shared that same dream where I found out. I remember what I felt in my dream, but when I'm awake..." He lets the water run over his hand uselessly for a moment, distracted. "Don't think that person is experiencing the same distance and hesitance." Micah prods at the onions with a wooden spoon to keep them from sticking or burning. "Well, that is a unique situation. Got a picture of a future that's far away an' may or may not happen. Lotsa experiences t'be had 'tween now an' then, either way." The fingers of his free hand drum at his denim-clad thigh. "Okay, so you're comin' at this...prob'ly dealin' with somebody as acts more like me, just bowlin' right in." There's that blush again! "I'd just...sit 'em down an' have some long talks? Let 'em know where you are right now, get 'em t'tell you where /they/ are, let 'em know what your needs an' boundaries're like? It helps t'know yourself /first/ so's y'can tell 'em clear. An' if it's that you'd like t'have a natural process of bein' friends an' gettin' t'know 'em, tell 'em as much. If the feelin's develop, they develop. If not...just be honest. /Havin'/ these dreams changes things. An' whatever experiences we have may not match up t'that possible future at all." "At this point, I want ... to not talk to him." Ash admits, his hands starting up their work again. He finishes rinsing the beans but leaves the colander in the sink to drain. He then moves back to his supplies, by way of grabbing the blender to start breaking down some of the other elements. He puts garlic and tomatoes and more peppers (seeded and de-stemmed) into the appliance. "He doesn't know me and he's already started romanticizing me. He apparently thinks I'm this amazing and good person just because I'm friendly. He doesn't know anything about Prometheus and when I try to tell him, he doesn't get it. I ... think I'm not ready. I'm kind of really upset at this dream because now there's this pressure to like the guy, when hell, maybe I didn't start liking him until after I got through more therapy and got my emotions back." He exhales. "And I'm going to drive off a perfectly nice person because the universe made it huge before it was time." "It sounds like you're gonna have to, sugar. At least once," Micah asserts gently, moving to chop some of the other veggies between stirring at the onions. "Even if it's just a conversation t'lay out how you're feelin' an' that y'need /space/ for now. That he's gonna hafta be patient for you. That it could tank the whole thing t'jump into it b'fore you're ready." The knife on the cutting board is a steady background thump-thump-thump. "An' if he's not able t'respect your feelin's or be patient enough t'wait for you...maybe he ain't romanticizin' as much as y'think. Or maybe isn't as perfectly nice as y'think." "We sort of already had the conversation. I don't know if I was clear enough about needing space. Left it at needing to get to know each other first, and maybe friends before anything. I'm just freaking out." Ash shakes his head and moves away from all the food to find a glass so he can drink some water and cool down. The new veggies find themselves added to the onions one at a time to get them partly cooked before adding to the pot. "Sounds like y'need some time t'sort it out. I'd tell 'im as much if he's pushin' talkin' t'you b'forehand. Need some time t'yourself or with your therapist. Figure out where you're standin' so's y'can tell 'im clear next time." Micah returns to his stirring once everything is together. "Talkin' things out ain't a magical answer t'ev'rythin'. But clear communication on an issue can keep /so many/ horrible misunderstandin's from happenin' that it's pretty much always my advice." "Yeah," is all Ash has to say. He finishes his water and gets back to work. The blender is flipped on so that the base of the chili can be added to a pot to heat. He works on the second base, this one spicier. Micah simply nods at that, taking Ash's quiet as a desire for such in turn. His hands are busy enough finding things to do to prepare the meal. By tomorrow there will be so much delicious for everyone to eat.