Players:
Summary: Robyn and Rashmi are talking about Bruce and the Docks when Heather pops over.
Date: October 6, 2011
Log Title: Comfort of Home
Rating: PG
NYC - Four Arms Apartments (Connor, Rashmi and Robyn's Apartment)
After having a late night class, Robyn is just coming home a little after seven. There's the sound of the door being unlocked and opened, before Robyn enters with a "Hey guys, I'm home." He says shutting the door behind him and walking over to the futon. He flops down swining his backpack to his lap. "Oh man I didn't think a three hour lecture on art could be that boring. I think my brain has turned to mush."
"Connor's still at work," Rashmi calls from the kitchen, a chuckle in her voice. "Welcome to college life, y'know? There's just about nothing so interesting there isn't a class or five that makes you just want to fall asleep. Other than that, how's the school?"
"Well I wanted a normal life so I guess I'm getting it….for the most part." Robyn says as he finally gets up and goes to throw his stuff in his room. "It's not so bad it's quite a bit different than I thought. I didn't realize it'd be so…uh… classy at first."
"Well it's hardly a school if you don't have actual classes, is it?" Rashmi says, emerging from the kitchen with a cup of fragrant tea and a wide grin. "Besides, it's just the beginning of the year. Probably in a few months they'll get serious and you'll end up wishing taking notes was all you had to do, y'know?"
Robyn gives a nod as he returns to the main room in his pajamas. "I know. I just guess I wish I was sculpting already but it's a lot of 'you haven't learned anything' and 'you have to unlearn to relearn' stuff. I'm not really surprise. So anyway how about you? How's school and things with Ms. Walters?" He says as he goes over to the kitchen to see if there's still hot water.
"School's okay," Rashmi says, dropping onto the futon, "Work's… okay. Still some fallout with the Theo thing, so I'm pretty much gofering for some of the other associates to keep my name off the books as a problem to the case, but it's still good work, y'know?" Patting her lap, she smiles as the blue kitten, plumper for its newfound bounty of people willing to feed it, hops up onto the couch and settles into her lap. "Mostly just busy, busy, busy, really."
Robyn sighs at that. "Theo can be so thick headed sometimes. He has trouble seeing things past his point of view." He mutters as he makes himself a cup of hot chocolate before heading back to the futon to curl up. "You're always busy busy busy." He teases. "I haven't been back to Xavier's since I left, I should stop by since it was my home for so long."
Rashmi lifts a shoulder, tossing her roommate a self-deprecating grin. "I can't help it," she says. "Just the way I'm wired, y'know? Literally, even. And if you want, come with me this Sunday? Unless you want to on your own time later on, of course."
Robyn shakes his head. "Nah, I'll come with you this Sunday. It's not like I'm avoiding it." He doesn't think he is though. "I dunno it's just I feel like it's another place now and I don't know if I like it. Like I don't know many people there anymore. And….I'm such an idiot I can't help but think that's where I met Jordan. Why am I still hung up on that jerk?"
Rashmi sighs, partially lifting the kitten to kiss its forehead, breezily ignoring the warning rumble at the back of its throat. "Honestly? Because you were with him for so long. It was sort of like that for me and Lucas, y'know? And because I broke it off, I kept having to remind myself, 'This is good for both of us.' I really do think it's the same way, y'know? Maybe he'll wake up and see what he's missing out on. If not…" Settling the cat back in her lap, which seems to aggressively go back to sleep, she reaches out to rest a hand on Robyn's arm. "Then he's the one who has to live with it. I really do think you did the right thing."
"I know I did, cause the relationship really was hurting me." Robyn says to Rashmi smiling at her. "I felt like I was struggling for him to show affection back sometimes. I just wanted him to say 'I love you too' but he never would, just ditto or something. It just made me feel…like I was holding onto something that wasn't there. Anyway…yeah." Robyn says taking a sip from his mug. "I just have to get over it."
"Y'know, there's a difference between 'getting over it' and 'moving on.'" One red eyebrow rises, the mug lifted to her lips for a moment. "Getting over it's what people think they *ought* to be doing; pretending like it doesn't hurt anymore, bottling it up until they either do something silly, something stupid, or it's actually true. Moving on, though… it's a little harder. It hurts, but you don't try to stop it hurting. Just… keep doing what you're doing, hurting, until you wake up one day and it's not so bad, y'know?"
Robyn smiles at Rashmi and gives her a side hug. "This is why I talk to you, you're a fountain of best friend wisdom." They're words he wanted to hear. "I have to move on, not get over it." He says more for himself. "Okay I'm going to go to Xavier's with you on Sunday. I'd be nice to visit Heather and see who else is still there."
Heather raps on the door a few times from the outside, an annoying kind of knock that can only come from her, louder than Heather realizes. If there is a peephole on the door, she is trying to peer right back into it.
"Wonderful," Rashmi says with a grin, looping an arm around Robyn's shoulders and returning the hug. "I'm sure she'll—" The redhead trails off as the door is all but hammered upon, startling the cat out of her lap in a flurry of claws and panic. "…Ow," she observes, as she makes her way to the door. "Who is it?"
At the knock a shoe by the door turns into a Siamese cat and starts meowing. "Zero there you are, come here." He says putting down his cocoa and reaching out for the cat. "I think it's Heather, only she knocks like that. I haven't seen her since that whole..uh..Bruce thing." He says with a grumbly frown.
"It's me," plays Heather on her new old-style tape recorder, "I'm not a robber or anything." She continues peering at the door until it is opened, "Can I come in?"
"Of course you can!" And the door is opened, revealing a brightly smiling Rashmi, beckoning the girl inside. "Sorry, just, sometimes it pays to make sure, y'know? C'mon in, c'mon in, we were just talking about going to visit you this weekend. Robyn, um… mind checking to see if Blue's hiding anyplace he shouldn't be? Like your room? Y'never know…" Once Heather's inside, she shuts the door again, turning the deadbolt. "Anyway… how're you doing, Heather?"
"Hey Heather!" Robyn says giving a wave. He's dressed in a pair of Jack Skellington jammy pants with a black t-shirt. "Sure, lemme check." He says as he goes into room making little noises. "Blue….Blue!" He calls out with a bit of annoyance. "I really think Blue hates me. He's gotten at some clay again, don't eat that!" He says as he eventually comes out holding a squirming cat who seems grumpy.
Heather peers at the cat and says, "He and I will become best friends." She sounds determined. She looks up and then waves back at Robyn and then says, "I am doing okay. I have been getting decent grades in my history classes. It feels like needless regurgitation." She shakes her head and says, "And there was that thing at the docks. It was confusing."
"Oh don't be silly, Robyn, he just—" Rashmi pauses, brow furrowing, and plucks the kitten out of her roommate's hands. "…Actually you probably have a point, he doesn't seem to like boys much at all. C'mere, you…" Her expression grows a touch stormy as the reminder of the Docks, a disgusted sigh passing her lips. "I'm still tempted to walk down the hall and smack him," she mutters.
"He deserves it." Robyn says handing the cat back to Rashmi. "Though I kinda feel bad for snapping at Nathaniel. I was just so mad and also surprised to see him. I haven't seen him since…well….yeah." Robyn says brushing his hair out of his face. "I was so pissed at Bruce though. ARgh! He's the reason that gives us such a bad name and encourages people to hate us." He says frowning.
"I think the trap was well thought out intellectually, but I think it was even something I am quite aware is unethical. That is not something he should have done," says Heather, shrugging lightly. "I am pretty sure what he was doing was wrong. And generally, I do not like killing…"
"It's *more* than unethical," Rashmi mutters, brow furrowing deeper still. "It's even more than *wrong.* It's *children* he was messing with because he thought he was *right* to." Shaking her head, she gestures Heather toward the couch, holding Blue out with her other hand. "Here… get started on making friends with him. I'm going to see if Wong's'll deliver here. Heather, anything in particular you'd like? It's just Chinese, mind…"
"I can't believe he's teaching kids that killing humans is -right-. He's not better than the people's hunting." Robyn says with a huff. "Chinese sounds good Rashmi, can you get me some dumplings and roast pork noodle soup?" He asks as the shapeshifting Zero starts to climb up his pant leg. "Ow, claws, but yeah, I don't think I've been that pissed off in a while." He says wincing as he eventually picks up Zero who almost melts against his shoulder.
"I would like salty fish rice," decides Heather, nodding a few times at that. "I suppose I think the people he is hunting are bad people. And I do not support killing, but I can see that some might in some scenarios." She takes Blue, holding the cat in her arms and peering for a moment before whispering impatiently, "You are not purring yet."
Rashmi pauses, phone in hand, staring blankly at Heather as her bid to have the girl order something in shouting distance of normal is shot down. "…Um. I… could see what fish stuff they have, and ask for shrimp fried rice and extra soy sauce…?" Shaking her head, she looks down at the kitten, grinning. "And *he'd* say 'you're not petting me yet,' Heather, so probably you'd both be happier if you did. Anyway… I don't blame you, Robyn, I can't say *what* I'd've done to him if I'd been there. I've still got half a mind to ask Magneto to *do* something about him… I'm *pretty sure* whatever else, he'd not be anything *like* happy to hear that Bruce is trying to teach kids to go to war, like we were in Libya or something…"
"Though I should find Nathaniel and apologize for snapping at him. I was really mean." Robyn says feeling bad about it as he pets Zero. "Actually that might not be a bad idea. I think he looks up to Magneto and thinks he's doing good by him. I don't know him like you and Connor do but…maybe he can calm him down. Cause if I see him in the hall I might just start yelling at him again."
Heather bets the cat resignedly at being told to and she says, "Okay, shrimp fried rice, that might work. I like shrimp, they are kind of chewy by it's really satisfying when you crunch them between your teeth." She tilts her head slightly and says, "Nathaniel was the person at the docks who wasn't the man with the kids and wasn't on a bike?"
"That's what I'm hoping for, Robyn," Rashmi sighs, dialing up the number for Wong's. "…Hi, yes, you *do* deliver, right? Um. THe Four Arms, not far awa—wonderful! Okay, so. It's kind of a good-sized order, here we go; One order of dumplings… one order of roast pork noodle soup? Yeah. Okay, so um… One order of shrimp fried rice, extra soy sauce? ….Oh! Also pepper grilled shrimp," she says, grinning. "Yeah. One order of sesame chicken, potstickers, and beef skewers? And, um… hm. Beef and broccoli, please? …Yes that's it. Yes, thank you. Mmm-hm? All right, see you then!" And she hangs up the phone, smiling at the others in the living room. "The delivery guy'll be here in about an hour," she says, "Heather, you said you like to crunch shrimp? Well, the pepper-grilled still has the shells on, so, I don't think you've had that before?"
Robyn goes into his room and gets out some money so he can give it to Rashmi to help with the bill. "He was on the bike, dark hair umm…he was kinda agreeing with Bruce at some times but wasn't? I dunno." He says sounding a bit uncomfortable. "Well I think I'm going to hit the shower quick and then I'll be back out for dinner." He says putting the cat down on the ground and heading into his room to get his stuff.
"Oh, yes, the bicycle. Not a motorbike though," says Heather, nodding a few times at Robyn. She clearly doesn't pick up on any uncomfortableness by her body language and tone. She looks towards Rashmi and then says, "No, I don't think that I have. Are you supposed to eat the shells? Are they very crunchy?"
"I'll call when he shows up," Rashmi says after Robyn, waiting until the door closes to lean against the wall, sighing. "Well, you're not *supposed* to eat the shells, but, I know how you like to experiment, so why not? Just as long as you don't mind that they still have their faces, that is…"
"No, I don't mind. It would be just like eating a grasshopper," says Heather, nodding confidently. "I try to avoid anything that is actually indigestible, which is why I ask. Like I would not eat glass or anything."
Rashmi chuckles. "Well, I don't think they're at all inedible. I mean, I know people use them to make stock, and I'd not be surprised if I found recipes specifically *for* shrimp shells, but… Anyway, feel free to experiment, that's why I ordered it."
"I will try to eat them, and see if I like them. If I do not, the probability that I will have them again will decrease. It is an evolutionary eating structure, where fitness increases and decreases based on deliciousness and nutritiousness," says Heather, nodding at that, "I like that it allows me to try things that are interesting."
"Well, I *think* it's like that for everyone," Rashmi says, shaking her head. "Your version of 'interesting' is just… well. A little *broad.* *I'd* never put masala sauce on chocolate waffles, anyway, but that's just my preference. I lke it when food complements itself, y'know? Like reading a book; if too much is going on, it's hard to keep interest."
"Nooo. When I was in the White Prison, all the food was, well, it was all very the same and I'd keep pieces of my meals so that on the next meal I could mix them together just to make them less boring, but I was always hungry there. They did not know my feeding schedule was different," says Heather, shaking her head quickly, "Like sometimes, you have two flavours. And you can certainly taste them both, but there is no mingling between the flavours. Is that not a strange sensation? More interesting than if it blends properly and you taste mostly one general thing, because they blend so well."
"THat… makes sense, actually," Rashmi says after a moment, eyebrows drawing together. "…But it's not like tasting one thing, really… the *best* food, I think, you taste in layers. Like a little parade of different things. So… like the masala I usually make? You take a bite, and you can taste the butter, the saffron, the potato, the rice, all sort of bobbing together… but if you pay attention, you can really tell them apart and how they work together, y'know?"
