Logs:Red Flags

Red Flags
Dramatis Personae Harm, Joshua	2024-04-29 "I guess it's kind of messed up that I feel more comfortable here."
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 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. Evolve is closed -- and a good thing, too, because the mountain of cards, flowers, stuffed toys, coffee-related paraphernalia that is piling up like a shrine around the counter would probably make the remaining baristas' lives a bit tricky. Later in the night it will be a madhouse in here, but at the moment it's only the quiet remains of a madhouse. An exhausted-looking trio (one still wearing their signature neon green LO hat) are staring down at their barely-touched meals in silence at one table; at another a couple kids in all black are having a way-too-animated conversation across a third totally oblivious friend soundly dozing with head on hands. One young woman is taking this opportunity to sweep, broom held in one hand and the dustpan in her long pangolin-scaled tail. In the back there are no patients, currently, so Joshua is similarly taking the opportunity to tidy the large bins of supplies. He looks kind of triumphant when he's pulled a cold pack (...out of the box marked MENSTRUAL), but the triumph is short lived when he sets it back in its appropriate place next to the One Other cold pack remaining there. Was there anyone in the bathroom? Hopefully not, because if there is it might feel kind of alarming to them to suddenly have the door swing open wide to give them a clear view of the cafe. Thankfully, from Joshua's-side perspective there's no bathroom behind the door now, though; just Sriyani's dorm. They're holding the door just a moment for their friend but pause before disappearing back in to squint over at Joshua working. "Ohhhh if you're running low on anything just save one, Nahida and I will be back in a couple hours, my dad will kill me if I do anarchy before I've finished my math today. -- Stay safe!" They're waving, cheerful, before popping back inside. Harm ducks their head slightly as they pass through the door, even though they're perfectly used to this mode of travel and aren't nearly tall enough to risk hitting their head. They're dressed for action a couple of hours early in gray and black quick-dry hiking clothes, though they haven't not applied their medic patches and infamous red tape yet. They offer Sriyani a quick shallow bow and an also quick hug in rapid succession before the teleporter retreats back to school. "Thank you so much, you too!" They stand clear of the closing door -- just in case there is in fact someone in the bathroom after all, and joins Joshua by the supplies. "Um, do you want a hand with this stuff?" They're fidgeting with the buckle on the stabilizing strap of their kit, quietly clipping and unclipping it. "Maybe you could take a quick nap or something." Joshua is looking up with a blink. He doesn't immediately answer -- he's kind of frowning at the closed bathroom door and continues frowning at it through the flush of toilet that follows. There's a kind of shamefaced young man who pokes his head out soon after, his abashed look only growing when he encounters Joshua's frown. "-- man, you wash your hands?" is all Joshua says. The door closes again. The faucet runs. Joshua's lifting his chin now to Harm. "You're early." There's just a hint of a question in it. Harm suppresses an amused huff, but at Joshua's observation they sober again. "I thought it would be a relief to be back at school. Everyone's grieving, but like. It's normal and predictable and -- it's safe, you know?" They chew on their lower lip and transfers their fidgeting to one of the myriad zip pockets on their bag. "I guess it's kind of messed up that I feel more comfortable here." Joshua glances up, brief. Then back down to where he is separating types of gauze. After some consideration he just shakes his head. "Dealing with gunshot wounds, straightforward." Harm finally unclips their pack to set it down. "It's not like I was expecting any gunshot wounds." They suck in a breath through their teeth. "Right now, anyway. But I also wasn't expecting..." They shrug -- or, that's probably what they meant to do, but it just looks like they're hunching up their shoulders. "Right. It's not straightforward." Joshua replaces the lid on the tub he has been organizing. He turns to face Harm, pulling himself up to sit down on the tub instead. "Wasn't expecting?" His brows lift with the question. "This about this morning?" Harm starts to say something, then stops. After a moment's indecision they sit down cross-legged on the floor next to their pack, unzips another one of its myriad pockets, and produces a clear plastic bag full of disposable earplugs. Most of them, the ones Harm keeps in their pack, are light blue, but two are bright orange imposters. "You know Naomi's power, right? She did it to a bunch of kids Saturday morning, including Lael. And this is like..." They study the earplugs without enthusiasm. "...a form of protest, I guess? But Avi was seriously concerned for my safety and I don't know what to do with that." The last few words come out in a rush and they make an effort to take their next breath slowly. "Sorry." They pull the medic bag onto their lap and shoves the earplugs back into the pocket they came from. "I mean. I know what I should do is talk to her. Probably. But I'm afraid to and that makes me feel...disloyal." Joshua's elbows rest on his knees, his fingers lacing together. He glances to the bag of earplugs, his brows pinching. "What are you afraid of?" "She wouldn't do that," Harm answers quickly. Then, more thoughtfully, "I didn't think she would do it to her brother, either. For all I know she can just order me to forget she did it." But after this they hug their pack close. "She doesn't like me spending so much time medicking." "If you were sure she wouldn't, you wouldn't be afraid." Joshua's fingers unlace. Relace. His forefinger taps slow between his knuckles. His frown has stayed in place. "Avi usually a catastrophizing kinda guy?" Harm considers this "No," they say, kind of reluctantly. "I mean, she wasn't even trying to calm them down, she made them break into the Professor's room?" They sound a little incredulous. "Lael thinks it was deliberate, like she was trying to get them in trouble. They didn't, but screw getting in trouble, someone could have gotten hurt." They swallow. "She said she wanted to protect me." Joshua's brows hike, but only briefly. "Could've? She assaulted Lael and Avi." He scrapes his teeth against his upper lip, the slow breath he pulls in whistling slightly. His voice is a little bit softer, his fingertips pressing down slightly harder against his knuckles. "What happens when that means something different to her than you?" Harm looks down at the floor between themself and Joshua. "We'd talk about it. I should be talking to her about it." They lick their lips. "She didn't stop me. But that was before -- everything in Freaktown." "Harm." Joshua's frown is slowly returning, and there's a distinct worry creeping into his gruff voice. "S'important to talk to her. Obviously. But." His hands unlace, both of them turning up as if in supplication. "You gonna be safe?" "I don't know. What am I supposed to do?" Harm looks at the pocket of their pack with the Brain Armor in it, then back up at Joshua. "Talk to her with earplugs in? That's like saying I don't trust her to..." They bite down hard on their lower lip. "You know, I haven't even told her about working with Lily." Joshua glances down at the pack, too. "Lot to keep from her." He's sitting back up, one knee bouncing restlessly. He bites down at his lip, though it's only a short hesitation before he asks, quiet: "Do you trust her?" "I know," Harm agrees miserably. "I should have told her months ago. But she hates Lily so much and won't even talk about--" They stop abruptly, sitting up a little straighter. "Sorry, I shouldn't be talking about that. I just -- don't want to hurt her. Or piss her off." Their voice goes quieter. "...because I don't trust her." "Kind of a big red flag." There's a small and sympathetic wince, here. Joshua drops a hand, fiddling restlessly with his tzitzit. "Can't avoid her forever." He looks once more, brief, to the earplugs. "How we gonna make sure you don't get hurt?" Harm's mouth tugs unhappily to one side. "I really think the earplugs would just make her angry and hurt and -- I don't want that." After a moment's thought, they venture. "Maaaaybe have the conversation over text? Is that worse?" "For her or you?" Joshua drops his hand to his knee. "I think whatever you do, it'd be good to have a -- safety plan. Maybe talk to Jax. Make sure --" His mouth presses into a thin line, and he shakes his head. "Whatever you decide. I got your back, alright?" "Her, I guess? I think it would be less awkward for me." Harm considers the advice and gives a slow, uncertain nod. "I don't want to get her into trouble. More trouble. But Mr. Jackson won't jump to conclusions." Their smile is faint but not forced. "It actually does make me feel better to hear that, but I already knew you had my back. You're the one who taught me the importance of the buddy system."