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Summary: Rashmi and Travis run into each other in mutant town and decide to grab dinner.
Date: July 20, 2010
Log Title: Bistro For Mutants
Rating: PG
NYC - Mutant Town
Mutant Town, also known as District X, has become a haven for mutants. This section of town doesn't care what you look like, accepting all mutants no matter what their appearance. Most of the businesses in this section of town are mutant run ranging from small convenience stores to clothing shops to restaurants to night clubs. The buildings here aren't the high rise buildings you might find in mid-town but most are about 5-6 stories high. Mutant Town might not be the most luxurious section of town, in fact it's fairly run down, but this section of where mutants are safe and welcomed regardless of race, religion and culture.
Late evening, and a slightly frazzled Rashmi walks down the streets of Mutant Town. By the look of her clothes, she'd not been off work very long, and her braid is starting to come undone, but the look on her face remains a pleasant one, as she nods her greeting to random stall-jockeys and storekeepers. Rounding a corner, she spots her destination; a bistro across the street from the Four Arms, and starts to head its way.
Needing fresh air, Travis has come to the only place in New York he feels comfortable, and then he still has to cover up his extra arms. So wearing a long jacket over a pair of jeans an a Colorado Rockies t-shirt, his wanderings has lead him over to where the bistro is. Spotting the redheaded Hindi girl, he definitely recognizes her. He walks over and gives a smile, "Hey, Rashmi right?"
Rashmi blinks her musings away at the sound of Travis' voice, her head rising. There's a moment of wary confusion, quickly wiped away by a bright smile as the redhead recognizes Travis. "Oh! Hi, um… Travis, I remember. How've you been?"
Travis smiles and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, hey. I've been okay, nothing out of the ordinary, no more weird ass super..not so villain, villains." He says with a smirk. "So what about you, how've you been?"
Rashmi chuckles, shaking her head. "Working. A *lot.* Ms. Walters wants me to help her full-time until school starts… And, well, between all the paperwork, and just how *weird* stuff can get at the firm, it's pretty tiring. I was just about to get dinner before I went home, did you want to come with?"
"I don't have a job, just kind of…having a really boring summer. Not much to do around 'NYU' when you're not in classes." Travis says of Barnes as it's been quite a dull summer. "It's just really different than High School there." Well public High School that is. "Um…sure, dinner sounds good. So what exactly is it you're doing for Ms. Walters." aka The Incredibly Hot She-Hulk.
"*Lots* of stuff," Rashmi replies, leading the way to the bistro. "See, she's a defense attorney for supervillains. I know that sounds kind of weird, since she's a part-time Avenger and all, but… Actually it's *really good* someone's working at it. I mean like, there's this guy, and he's sort of stuck being twenty feet tall, right? Well, he had to build a house for himself, and *now* the town he's living in's after him for violating *zoning* laws! …Um. Anyway. Mostly I do the legal assistant stuff. Research, note-taking, coffee, paperwork help, filing… you know. Low-tier legal stuff."
"Supervillains or super powered people in general?" Travis asks sounding a bit confused. "So..she defends the guys out there doing the bad things?" He's just trying to get a better idea of it. "So..how'd you end up with a job like that? I mean, have you always been interested in lawyer stuff?" He doesn't mean it to come of as bad as it does but he's not exactly Mr. Scholastic.
"Well in general really, but, how often do powered people who *aren't* villains need a lawyer, you know?" With a shrug and a smile, she finds a table to drop into, letting out a long, deep breath. "And, well… Actually I have been. See, Mami and Papi're the kind of people you don't see around here anymore… Or if you do, it's because of some sterotypical crap that happens. They're immigrants, following the American Dream, you know? Even took their last name after Benjamin Franklin, kind of a tradition around where they lived. So… yeah. Growing up on stories of Gandhi and Dr. King, I guess it was just kind of inevitable I want to get into law and politics, and stuff."
"The only time I was in a court room, Super villains weren't involved. Where I'm from, there wasn't much super…stuff going on. It was pretty normal." Travis says sitting down across from her. "Oh wow, that's cool. I grew up on baseball mostly. My Dad was a big baseball fan and a carpenter and I kinda followed that so I understand about your parental influence. My Dad was also my hero growing up." He says as he does find her story to be neat. "So where you born over here?"
Rashmi smiles, nodding. "Yeah. A few blocks away from Hell's Kitchen, actually. They didn't have much, and what they *did* have, most of it was spent coming here." Her head tilts to one side, the braid tugged over her shoulder and unbound. "So where'd you come from, Travis?"
Travis takes a deep breath and hesitates before answering. "Colorado, but after my father passed away we moved to Missouri." He doesn't say where about in either state, he's learned to be vague, it's safer that way. "So is it really as crazy in New York City as Law and Order makes it out to be?"
Rashmi snorts. "Well. Yes and no. I mean it's kind of hard to help, since it's always been like the Big City of America, and all… So you have supers attacking it, and fighting, and the Avengers, and the law firm Ms. Walters works for, and besides that a couple dozen major points of history and a *bunch* of landmarks… So yeah, people here are kinda tough. They're used to hearing about a lot of big stuff, and in places like the Kitchen there's a lot of *really* terrible things that go on. But I mean, what else can you expect when you're packing a huge chunk of the people living in the country on one island, you know?"
"It's different, I will say that. But wow, do you seem really passionate about this." Travis comments as he looks around before shedding his jacket, stretching out his other four arms a bit. "And sorry if the arms creep you out, I just need to get them uncramped. I know, it's weird." He says but he just needed to get them free. "Yeah, I haven't really gotten a chance to explore much of the city but I guess growing up in a place like Hell's Kitchen has made you a really tough gal."
Rashmi laughs a bit, shaking her head and grinning. "Well, I wouldn't say *tough,* really… Most of the time growing up, I was just the bookworm with a loud mouth, you know? Mock trials, debate club… Even tried to run for student council once, but…" A shoulder lifts in a casual shrug, the braid re-done with the automatic speed of long familiarity. "Almost nobody voted for the busybody." The arms get a glance, an upraised eyebrow, and another shrug. "Should they? You're a mutant, right? Well, um… How's that any different from a kid made out of water, you know?"
"Well they creep my suite mate out pretty badly, and wait…kid made out of water?" That just sounds weird to Travis. "Yeah I'm a mutant, found out a couple of months ago when I woke up and it was like…where the fuck did these four extra arms come from?" Which is a mostly true story, just the details conveniently left out. "And a bookworm who yells like you do against some guy in a Lobster costume. That didn't seem that bookwormish to me, debate club, maybe a bit bit."
Rashmi flushes, ducking her head. "Well… Before I found out I was a mutant, I'd probably have done the same thing, at first. The yelling, not the fighting… But honestly, I probably would have just run like everyone else, after. It wasn't until I was, um… given another choice of schools, that I started really being okay with my powers. And once I got a handle on them…" The redhead shrugs. "I guess mostly it's just knowing I don't have as much to be afraid about, like most people do, you know?"
"Honestly…I don't know. I'm still not used to my powers, what I've had to give up cause of them." Travis admits but then he hasn't even had them six months yet. "I was just offered to go to Bar..NYC. You know. And my Mom was also offered a job there so we packed up and moved here. It's been a roller coaster all right." He then looks at Rashmi and gives her a smile. "Ya know…thanks…for being normal. Ever since this whole world was opened up it's like to be a mutant or to have superpowers you have to be totally batshit crazy and it's nice to meet someone who isn't."
"Well," Rashmi murmurs, "I wouldn't say I'm not *crazy.* Again, robbery, yelling, compare and contrast to normal. But I know what you mean… I guess it's part of being a mutant, you know? I mean you just… wake up, and suddenly you can crack bricks with your mind, or have six arms, or your hands are nuclear reactors… And we're all just *people,* you know? I'd be surprised if there was *any* mutant that didn't break a little, you know?"
Travis doesn't believe he's broke but then, he's not quite at terms with how much things have changed. "I dunno, it's just some are so strange. At least the ones I have met. I agree with the just people thing but it's like to some, they think that because they have superpowers that -have- to act strange. I mean take my suite mate, Teddy, he couldn't get it through his head that I don't find superheroes interesting yet that's all he talks about. And I wouldn't say you're crazy, I mean, you're not going around buying strangers ice cream cones then telling them your address."
Rashmi chuckles. "Yeah, I've known a lot of superhero fanboys, too. It never really interested me all that much, until… well. Until I met Ms. Walters, and turned out I was gonna be spending time around them anyway." Tilting her head and arching an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth tugs upwards at the latter bit. "…So what did you want to eat, again?"
Travis picks up the menu as she asks and shrugs. "Honestly, I'm a guy, I'll eat about anything. I can't think of anything I really don't eat." Unless it's something exotic like snails or octopus. "Ms. Walters, I met her once and it was…wow. She is…she's quite a woman." He says trying not to sound like too much of a pig. But damn was she attractive. "Actually that kid Teddy I was talking about is apparently a known hero named Hulkling?"
Rashmi chuckles, shaking her head as the quip flies right past, but pauses at the mention of Hulkling. "Oh. Really? Huh… yeah, I think I've heard of him a couple times… Probably explains why he's so big on all the heroes in the city, really."
"Sorry if I'm rambling, it's just, still getting used to the city." And Travis doesn't have have many friends here but then his entire exposure is Barnes. "Okay so food." He says looking at the menu and finding something that looks good.
Rashmi smiles gently. "Don't worry, Travis, it's okay. New York *does* take some getting used to… more, if you're used to needing a driver's license."