Players:
Summary: Kevin meets a former Xavier's student that wants to commission some jewelry from him.
Date: September 13, 2011
Log Title: Dinner and Jewelery
Rating: PG(L)
NYC - Life Cafe
Located in the East Village, the Life Cafe displays the vibe of area. This sidewalk cafe has a Bohemian feel with posters on the wall, a small bar inside, tables shoved everywhere, and even a secret garden tucked away in back for people to dine. The menu features burgers, chicken sandwiches, and quite the vegetarian enclave.
Food is good. It gives you things like… energy and continued existence. Nathan, a big proponent of continuing his existence, indulges often in the glory of food. That would be why he is at the Life Cafe. It helps that they're not terribly expensive, of course. The young man meanders along to check the menu at first before he throws himself down into a chair to show that he is very much intent on remaining here for the acquiring of food. He looks chilly today, his usual casual thermal replaced by a somewhat threadbare, oversized sweater that doesn't quite seem like it's his and a pair of slouchy jeans.
Food is very good. Especially when you've got a mutation that kicks your matabolism into overdrive! Kevin is one such unfortunate mutant. Doesn't help that he's a growing teenager… He slips quietly into the cafe a few minutes after Nathaniel glancing over in the direction of the older teen and wrinkling his nose at the stink of tobacco that lingers behind him. He moves to look at the menu board for a moment and finally takes a seat himself at a table near where the older mutant is seated, giving a friendly, though very shy, little wave. The skinny boy's stomach growling quite loudly as he makes a face and blushes a little.
Nathaniel twitches his head to the side slightly when Kevin comes in, then slowly turns his head to look at the younger teen, blinking at him once in an odd, disjointed way, a bit like a camera. He looks confused for a second, like maybe he thought he knew Kevin and decided he didn't. Either way, it's long enough that he notes the boy's wave and quirks a sudden grin at him, then rolls to his feet and changes tables, plopping into the chair across from the other boy, "Hi. I'm Nathan. Sounds like your stomach is getting impatient."
The interest from a total stranger (and one that smells so much of cigarettes) has Kevin shrinking back a little, slightly intimidated as he joins him at his table, "Hi." He gives a slightly hesitant little smile and another little wave of his fingers, "Nice to meet you, Nathan. I'm Kevin." He blushes a little more and makes a face, one hand covering his stomach as it complains of being not as full as it would like again, "Yeah… I haven't eaten in almost an hour and I'm absolutely starving right now." One would hope that he's just being overdramatic… He looks up at the menu for another moment, shaking his hair back out of his eyes in a habitual movement.
Nathaniel arches a brow at that, studying Kevin for a few seconds and twitching his nose a moment before he says, with a crooked smile, "Hypermetabolism?" He leans back when a waiter materializes, ordering a burger for himself and then waiting for Kevin to order, too, though he does add, "Nice to meet you." With mutants, there's rarely much in the way of overdramatic when it comes to some things. Still, Nathan did seem pretty sure of that; either way, he continues to carry that faint smile while he waits.
Kevin shrugs one shoulder, "I'm just hungry almost all the time." That's all he really knows for sure, "It's worse when I've hurt myself, and I split open my thumb pretty bad before school this morning." That sucked. He was starving all day and his thumb itched like crazy while it healed. When the waiter arrives, he waits for the other boy to order and then orders a burger, fries, a big salad (mostly to make his dads happy that he's actually eating fresh veggies), and a soda. He gives Nathan another little sideways glance as the waiter departs, "So I guess you live around here?" At least he's trying to make small talk, right? It might be awkward, but he's still trying to learn how to do it naturally.
"No, I live over in Westchester." Kevin waves off in the direction of the school his dads work at and he's been attending since last semester. Surprisingly, it's the right direction, even. He wrinkles his nose a little at the mention of food and licks his lips, "I didn't think I was gonna be away from school this late… I ran out earlier." Absently, the dark haired boy rubs at his thumb where he'd injured it earlier in the day and looks longingly off in the direction of the kitchen, "Dad-Two makes sure I've got healthy snacks all the time, but I really like his cookies." He falls silent for a moment and finally realizes that the other boy said that his ex was a guy and a faint blush stains the younger teen's cheeks, "It's cool that you dated a guy, though. I've got two dads now and my best friends, Kieran and Tyler, are dating each other." See? He's tolerant! Not at all like his father.
Nathaniel looks amused by the last thing Kevin says, raking his fingers through his hair and laughing slightly, "It's not cool. It's just the way it is." He shrugs idly and looks to the outside, sighing and idly fiddling with one his sleeves. He needs to find more places that allow smoking. Returning his attention to Kevin, he adds, with that same sense if casual mirth, "You should try to, I don't know, ration your snacks next time, just in case, right? Not that it matters. There are plenty of places to eat around here." Another shrug and then he leans back in his chair, a fidgety lad, tucking his hands loosely into his hip pockets and propping his elbows on the armrests, "Everyone likes cookies. So where do you go to school, then?"
Kevin blushes brightly when he's corrected on being gay not being cool and ducks his chin a little, his stomach ignoring his embarassment and growling again, "Sorry…" He's still trying to figure out the whole 'I like you' thing, himself. He grins when the subject goes back to cookies, fidgeting a little himself, though just in little shifts of his weight and by rubbing absently at the pad of his left thumb, nothing near so dramatic as what the other teen is doing, "The Xavier Institute. Dad-One is the school psychiatrist and Dad-Two teaches home ec and the cooking classes." He sits up a little straighter, if at all possible since he has yet to actually get accustomed to not being yelled at for slouching when he's relaxing, "Dad-Two owns the hair salon in Westchester, too. He's absolutely amazing!" And Kevin is very enthusiastic about his dads, apparently!
Nathaniel sits up suddenly at that, looking at Kevin in surprise, "The Mayfairs are your dads? Dr. Mayfair and, well, Mr. Mayfair." He exhales in a rush as he sounds like an idiot, explaining quickly after, "I went to Xavier's, too. I never met the psychiatrist - not really my bag, being an empath. I mean, I should've, but…" He stops himself, shaking his hand and making a 'moving on' gesture with his hands before he winds up wandering away from the point, "Anyway. I met, uh, Dad-Two, I guess. He's a nice guy. I'm not sure I ever spent much time around Dr. Mayfair, though. I think I saw him once or twice. Your brother, Jordan, I guess, used to date a friend of mine." He ruffles his hair, also a habitual gesture, then shakes his head abruptly and grins, "Don't be sorry, either. I didn't mean it like that. Anyway. Sorry from me. I'm guessing Xavier's is pretty good for you, then. A bitch with your dads working there, but, well… a lot of people are there because there's no other option, you know?"
"Parker-Mayfair, yeah." Kevin looks a little confused for a moment at the outburst. Then comes the news that the older boy went to the same school he's going to now and a bright grin splits the younger mutant's face, "You did? Awesome!" Now they have something in common and aren't total strangers anymore, so he can relax, "Dad-One is really easy to talk to. He's done a lot for me." He shrugs one shoulder and brushes his hair back again, "He saved my life a year ago back in January." Twice within five minutes, but who's counting? He nods, "You mean Jared? I've got an Uncle Jordan. My dads don't really like him too much, though…" He nods when the subject moves back to the school, "Yeah, it's pretty cool! I like going there. I'd been homeschooled for a couple of years before I was adopted, so it's great to be around people again!"
Nathaniel blinks once, then blushes faintly and smiles, "Sorry. Your uncle. I /thought/ it was Jordan. I could be wrong. It was a long time ago and my friend wasn't big on naming names." He sits up straight when food arrives, smiling brightly for the first time. It seems he got a soda, too, and he slurps at it once it's there, peering at you over the top of it, "Yeah. When my power came out, I, uh, well. My dad was beating me up because he found out I had a boyfriend, right? So I can project feelings as well as feel them and I started doing that after he tossed me and I don't really remember what I did, but I sort of drove them nuts - my parents." He says it in a rush, sort of matter-of-fact and unbothered, tilting the straw towards him as he shrugs and continues, "After that, there was really only one place for me. Xaviers is… probably the best option for people like us." He points the soda at Kevin next, smiling at him, "So let's see. Art? Video games? Guitar solos? Tell me, kid. What do you like?" He's only three years older, but it's a habit.
Kevin giggles softly, "I don't think Uncle Jordan would have dated anyone at school. He's a lot older than anyone at school." Other than his dads, that is. He falls silent while the other boy explains what he'd done to his parents, his expression turning blank as he takes slow, deep breaths and reaches for his own drink. It's only once Nathan has finished his explination that the shorter teen speaks up, his voice quiet enough that the other teen probably needs to lean in closer to hear him, "I used to be able to make people better. You know… If they were sick, or something like that." He doesn't look at the other boy, "My father is Reverend Shay. He used me to get donations from rich, sick people for me healing them. Well… I found out what those people did to get their money and kinda decided that God was telling me that the world needed to start over if those were the 'good' people."
He makes a face, "I kinda used my gift to kill everyone I could reach on the compound. Dad-One saved me, though. I tried to make it so that I couldn't use my gift anymore and he fixed me." He takes another little sip of his drink, "I can't heal anymore, but I got a new family!" And that's something that's absolutely amazing to the young teenager. He attacks his salad first, making quick work of the first quarter of it before he looks up again to answer the question with a blush and a shrug, "I like to make jewelery… And write and play baseball, but I haven't played in a few years." He doesn't seem to mind being called 'kid'. He is one, after all.
Nathaniel listens with a quiet sort of expression, tilting his head only to smile faintly, a sort of melancholic, understanding smile, "I think you got a good deal. I, ah… I got turned into a demon for a little while. I did a lot of bad things. With my powers, I can… make people do things they don't technically want to do, by making them want to. I did it a lot, I did it pretty badly to one person, and then my boyfriend lost his powers making me human again. We got in a huge fight because of it, he left, and… I thought he'd died. I sort of stopped using my powers at all for a really long time, but it turns out that he's alive, so I actually… feel a lot better."
It's a lot of sharing, but, well, they've both had to deal with shit, haven't they? He turns his attention to his cheeseburger, doing something odd via putting his hand flat on top of it and squashing it down until ketchup starts to ooze out. Licking a bit off his fingers, he arches a brow curiously, "Jewelry, huh? That's not easy. What kind of stuff? Why'd you stop playing baseball? Seems like it'd be easy at Xavier's." He picks up his freshly squashed burger and proceeds to take a bite.
Alternating between bites of salad and fries, Kevin listens silently, nodding slowly. A look of shock and mild terror flits across his face at the news that the other teen was a demon for a while, "You were?" He just gives the other boy a slightly awed look for a moment, "Father used to say that mutants are all demons… I guess he was kinda right for a little while, huh?" It's a very lame attempt at a joke, and one that makes him wince and shake his head, "Sorry… That wasn't funny…" He winces again when he hears that his boyfriend lost his powers and then, apparently, died, but didn't really, "Well, at least he's alright and everything's okay, right?"
Kevin nods and pushes his hair back up out of his eyes and shrugs one shoulder, taking a small bite of his own burger and blushing, "Yeah. It's kinda hard, but it's fun to do." He holds up his thumb where he'd hurt it that morning, a thin pink line of a mostly healed wound still visible on the pad, "I sliced right through my thumb when I was trying to get this keychain I'm making for Uncle Jordan just right." He makes a face, "And I stopped playing baseball because Father didn't want me playing with the other kids on the compound after I became his faith healer."
Nathaniel just smiles wryly at the joke, waving his hand in response to the following apology before picking up a fry to nibble, "It was some kind of… I don't really know, actually. It effected a few people. For me, some guy showed up, offered to… well. He said some things about me being a part of a family. Good things. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It sort of made us evil for a while." He waves the fry around in his gesticular way, continuing as he picks up the ketchup to put some on his plate, "We're not together. We had some problems even before he left, you know? Sometimes, you can love someone and still not have it work out. People need to know they can rely on the person they love, can be understood."
Another shrug, but he says this in the sort of 'I am older, heed my advice' way that older teens manage at times. Setting the ketchup aside, he continues to eat and studies Kevin while he talks, squinting at his thumb curiously, then nodding. He frowns over why Kevin's stopped playing, flicking his free hand dismissively, "Fuck him, then. I think you should play again, as a sort of 'hey, you suck' gesture. Even if you're not that great, it's a sign of freedom, you know?" He licks salt off his fingers, too, before he grins and adds, "I should commission you to make me something cool."
Kevin nods as he listens, methodically working his way through his meal while he listens, "Evil can effect some people more than others. They just aren't as strong, spiritually, or something." He knows the basic theory, but has purposefully forgotten most of what he was taught all of his life. He nods at him not being together with his ex anymore, even before he thought that the other boy had died, though he does make a face at that, "Yeah… I guess so." From his tone, he's never experienced anything that could really be called 'love'. The cursing has theyounger boy jumping a little and making a face, still not able to really get used to hearing people swear, even after being out in the 'real world' for over a year, "Um… Yeah, I guess. He's the one that decided that I should play in the first place. It was…"
He screws up his face as he tries to remember the exact wording, "Appropriate for the Son of the Religious Leader of the Free World to play the All American Sport." Or something like that, anyway. Then the word commission is being mentioned and surprise and pleasure flash across his face, "I can show you some of my stuff. I probably should before you actually decide what you want, anyway." That and he just likes showing some of his creative side off every once in a while, too. "If you know where my dads live in Westchester, I'll be home this weekend and you can come over to look."
Nathaniel blinks at the jump, then laughs a little bit, more amused than anything else. He doesn't comment on spiritual strength - he did mind control a bunch of people, after all, which say something about his. Either way, he works his way through his own meal relatively quickly, leaning back in his seat to suck on his soda straw some more, "How about soccer, then? I like soccer. Not /only/ is it popular in other countries, but it gives you good legs." He grins brightly at this last, obviously teasing, but then he's laughing softly again and he rakes his fingers through his hair, "That'd be pretty good. I honestly don't make a lot of money, but I can save up - plus, maybe you can come with me to school some time. They have people working on jewelry and other metal crafts there. Not many, but they have a pretty serious workshop for it."
He shakes his head afterwards, curling his legs up into the chair in an absentminded position, "I don't really know it, but I'll be able to find you. Powers would be pretty useless, otherwise."
Kevin shrugs, not really realizing that he might have said something a little weird or rude, "I never really thought about it. It sounds like it could be pretty fun, anyway." He flushes a little at the thought of getting 'good legs' from playing soccer and focuses on his meal for a moment until he's just left with a small mound of fries. The thought of getting to go to the other boy's school and getting a look at the metal craft workshop has him perking up, "Yeah! That'd be awesome!" He grins and nods, "Yeah… Sometimes powers can be pretty useful. I could probably pick you out of a crowd blindfolded now, if I had to." He's spent enough time sitting around becoming acquainted with the other's scent, after all…
Nathaniel nods his head and taps his temple a bit, "Same here. People don't realize how complex their emotions are, they think they're ambiguous. Once you get used to the patterns a person has, though, and the specifics… you can pretty well pick them out of a crowd." He shakes his empty soda, looking piteously at the nearest waiter until he manages to score a refill. Grinning over his victory for a second or two, he looks back to Kevin and smiles quietly, but more honestly, "We'll have to do that, then. Make sure it's cool with your parents. I'll see if the metalshop teacher is cool with it, too. He should be, so long as I don't let you touch anything that might take off your fingers."
The last of the fries are eaten mechanically and Kevin nods while listening to the words about emotions, "Yeah, mine's scent." He lays one finger along side his nose, "I can pick out anyone's scent as long as things aren't too muddled. I can get overwhelmed, but it's not horrible." Most of the time, at least. He nods in agreement with getting permission, "Yeah! I don't think my dads will have a problem with you coming over. Dad-Two'll probably be glad to see you and I know they'll both be glad to know you're doing alright for yourself." He shrugs, "They let me invite Kieran and Tyler over whenever I want, after all." He can't resist giggling softly, "It'd probably grow back if we stuck it back on, though…" A little grusome humor from the boy about his quick healing.
Nathaniel shrugs at that, standing to pick up the bill and peer at it curiously before he tugs his wallet out of his pocket, "I'd be surprised if they remembered me, honestly. I don't shoot fire out of my ass or anything, so I doubt I left much of an impression." Nathan says this with a faint grin; mutant humor! He thumbs out a few wrinkly bills and heads for the register, flapping a hand at Kevin, "I got it." He'll pay for the meal, then drop his change on the table as a tip, finishing off the rest of his new soda without sitting. Soooda.
Kevin can't help but giggle at the joke and nods, "I'll still let them know I ran into you, though." Surely they'd like to know that an old student is still alive and kicking? Then Nathan is paying the bill and refusing to let him pay for his own meal, "But-" His dads give him a pretty good allowance… And he very rarely spends all of it in one week, "Okay, but next time, it's my treat." Presuming that there is a next time, of course. He seems to take it for granted that they'll hang out again, "Here, lemme give you my number and you can call when you wanna come take a look at what I've done." He pulls a pen out of his pocket and scribbles his cell phone number down on a napkin, "Call me whenever. If I don't answer, it's because I'm in class, but you can leave a message."
Nathaniel waves a hand at the promise, smirking slightly before he suddenly reaches over and pokes Kevin playfully in the forehead, "Damn right it is. Your parents are loaded." He tries to maintain the wry tone, but just winds up laughing quietly once more. Most of his expressions are relatively subdued compared to other people, but, well, he is an empath. Maybe it's easier on him. Whatever the case, he sets his soda aside and rests his hands on his hips while you scribble your number down, folding it up and tucking it into his hip pocket, "Got it. No worries. I'll text you my email, too. Might be easier." He offers you his hand with a light hint of mirth in his eyes, "Well, Kev. It was nice meeting you. You get home before your stomach tries to eat its way out, yeah? I gotta go battle some homework." His expression flattens a bit at this last. Le sigh.
Kevin goes nearly crosseyed when he's poked and finally just closes his eyes for a moment, blushing and grinning at the teasing, "Yeah, I guess they kinda are." Not anything like his birth family, but still comfortable and he's got more freedom, so he's a lot happier! He nods, his grin growing, "Yeah! That works. Then I can email you pictures of whatever you want while I make it to make sure that it's turing out like you want." The offered hand is given an easy little shake, "It was really nice meeting you, too, Nathan." He flushes a little when he mentions how much he tends to eat and nods, "Yeah, I was planning on getting on home, anyway. I still haven't found anything for Dad-One for his birthday, but maybe I'll be able to find something this week." He might have about a month before the big day, but he still wants to have it ready with time to spare! Mention of homework has him wincing and nodding, "Yeah… I need to go finish something for Friday, myself. I'll talk to you later!" He finishes his soda and stands, pushing the chair back under the table neatly, "Good luck!"
Nathaniel tilts his head as he moves towards the door, not following Kevin so much as, well, they're both leaving, "Why don't you make him something? Something that, uh, shows how you feel about being in the family and stuff? I bet it'd mean a lot." He shrugs casually enough, then smiles and waves again, "Good luck on your homework." With that, he check his watch and then moves to trot off down the street in the general direction of what is likely a bus stop.
