Players:
Summary: Aiden and Annabeth have an impromptu rooftop lunch together.
Date: August 24, 2011
Log Title: Roof Top Barbecue
Rating: Pg
NYC - Four Arms Apartments (Roof)
The roof looks out over the city the best it can. Since it's only a few stories high and is one of the shorter buildings in the area the view isn't that great. There's an old pigeon coop up here that's long since been used and other than the door, that's the only other thing up here. There's a small railing around the edge that's just one bar with a few posts, nothing to really prevent anyone from going over the edge. Over all those it's a nice quiet spot to go and relax.
Sometimes garage sales can be great to find perfectly good, slightly used items at a decent price. For example, the gas grill that Annabeth is hauling out onto the roof. She purchased it for twenty-five bucks, and all it needs is a little bit of cleaning and a new propane tank. It's not a big grill, no, which is why the two of her is able to get it up all the way without breaking out into too much of a sweat.
Sometimes just being able to get out and fly is a nice feeling and now that Aiden's done getting the birds eye view of Central Park he's decided to head back home. He lands on the roof of the apartment building and ruffles his wings, a few blue feathers coming lose to float in the air. "Hey there, nice to see you again neighbor." He says with a wave before yawning with a stretch. "Nothing like a fly in the morning to get you awake and scare a hangover right out of you." He chuckles.
One of Annabeth gives Aiden a warm smile, while the other drags the grill out towards the abandoned pigeon coop. "Howdy, neighbor!" She chuckles, "I wouldn't know, not having wings at all. Though I do find it better if only I only get drunk in one body. That way I can still drive myself home and feel tipsy at the same time." Once the grill is positioned, that body takes up the conversation while the other, which is closer to the door disappears behind it, to grab a few more supplies. "So I've been thinking. Or, rather, meeting you had got me to thinking. How well do we know our neighbors in this apartment building?" She sweeps her arm across to roof, "I mean, it's a small enough apartment complex, but we all keep to ourselves for the most part. I figure we're a community, so we should do a community kind of thing. So. Rooftop barbequeue."
"Well there is no law against drunk flying." Aiden states as he goes to sit on the edge of the roof with his feet dangling down. "All I know is Vinny that's about it." He says. "Though there could be more since I work at the Bistro. I work a lot of hours so I'm not always home and when I'm not working I tend to be out at various clubs. I hate staying still."
"I can tell," says Annabeth with a grin, walking to where the winged mutant sits, and settles down beside him. "I would be too, if I could fly." There's a bit of a pause before she gives him an inquisitive look. "Are you hungry?"
That tattos are quite green today on Aiden as he looks at Annabeth and grins. "I'm pretty much always hungry." He admits. "I think it's because I live off of mostly ramen, bistro sandwiches and hot dogs." He leans back and stretches his wings out straight behind him. "So how long have you lived here in mutant town?"
"Almost a year, now," answers the young woman. "Started teaching at the high school last year. This is my first summer here." Then, almost out of nowhere, Annabeth asks, "Do you like potato salad? I need to get rid of it before it goes bad, and I'll never eat it all. And… hot dogs or hamburgers? Or both?"
"I'm not a picky eater." Aiden says laughing. "So I take it you're inviting me for a cook out on your grill there?" He says. "I moved in a few months back myself, after moving around the country for a bit I decided to settle down here. I got a job so might as well keep it." He says before thinking. "Hamburgers, I eat too many hot dogs."
Annabeth gives Aiden another warm grin before explaining, "Well, I was going to test it out anyway to make sure it works. You're here, so I figured it would be rude to just cook something and eat it in front of you without offering anything." Behind the two of them, the roof's door swings open again, and Annabeth's other body can be seen with a small propane tank in one hand, and a grocery bag filled with various grilling foods and paraphernalia.
"So you're really just one person in two bodies?" Aiden can't help but asks as her other half comes walking up. "Sorry if this sounds rude but how is it seeign things? Since you're looking at two things at once, does it ever throw you off?"
Annabeth doesn't seem to be offended. "It's okay. I get it a lot. Just like you get a lot of questions about your wings, I'm sure." She shrugs before answering. "How does everybody else survive with just one pair of eyes, or two pairs of hands? How do you do things like scratch your back? I've always been this way, so I don't really have anything else to compare it to." The other body sets about hooking up the propane tank to the grill as she speaks. "I only really notice it if I get to far away from myself. I get clumsy and absent minded when I do."
"Well I guess if one of you had your eyes closed that's what it would be like for us so you can compare it to that?" Aiden suggests before shrugging. "If you need help with anything let me know. I think I can cook a burger without burning it." He says as he stands up. "And honestly scratching my back has always been rough. I have two wings in my way."
Annabeth stands up with Aiden. "I've got it," she says, but not harshly. "thanks, though. I'm really quite good at multitasking." There's a slight pause, and then a small knowing grin, "But if you'd like to help clean the grill while I clean the coop." The body that's already there opens up the coop and peers inside. "We can use it to hold the supplies."
"The Coop?" Aiden asks as he looks over to see the one of her at the old pigeon coop. "Oh! Wow, I never really paid that much attention up here I guess." He says with a shrug as he goes over to the grill "Sure I'll clean it, is there a hose or some sorce of water up here or should I go down to my apartment and grab something?" He's not opposed to getting dirty or doing some work. "
The body that's facing Aiden scowls, as the other sees the state of the coop. "Ugh. Yeah, I think that's going to need a good scrubbing before I put anything that's going to touch food in there." With a synchronized pair of wrinkled noses, she shuts the door to the coop, and opens the lid of the grill. "I think we'll be fine if you just scrape all the gunk off the bed of the grill here." She pauses, thoughtful. "I think I can take care of that. But we're going to need a table up here. Come help me with that."
"Just tell me what you need me to do." Aiden says. "I'm used to being the one to take directions in this sort of thing. Just point and say clean that and I'll do it." He says with a shrug. "Before I moved out here that's whats I did, just kind of traveled around doing odd jobs for those that needed it while looking for Lauren. Just when I came to New York I was offered a job at the freakshow in Coney Island and figured that I'd stick around. Maybe if I stay in one place she'll find me." He says before chuckling. "There I go rambling again."
Annabeth gets something of a scowl on her face as she leads the man to her apartment. "Don't you find that offensive?" she asks. "Being a 'freak.' You're no more of a freak than I am, or anybody else who lives here is." Once in the apartment (which is nice and homey, if not a tad spartan) she leads him to a very well used wooden dining room table that has huge gouges in the wood, and missing one of the folding leafs. "Help me get this upstairs."
Aiden folds his hands behind his head as he follows her down to her apartment. "Not in the least. It's an old term but pretty much since I was tweleve I was part of a traveling freakshow. Yeah it showcased all mutants and we all had psycial mutations but I would give anything to go back to that life honestly. It helped me realize that I could be happy with what I am, Howard, he's was the one who ran the whole show, was one of the most amazing people I met. He had three eyes and was the nicest person." He grabs the table and continues talking as they drag it upstairs. "He taught me to fire breath, swallow swords and fire dance and stuff. That's what I do at the freakshow, I play with fire the wings are almost like an added effect to the show." He says grinning. "So you're not going to miss the table in your apartment or are we bringing it back down after you cook?"
Annabeth wrestles the table up to the roof. "We're going to leave it up there. My mom's getting a new one, and so she's giving me the old one, so I figure we can use this one up here." With Aiden's help, they place it next to the grill, which now looks pretty clean, more or less. "There," she says with a nod of satisfaction. Already her other body is pulling out the potato salad, some chips, the buns and all the other fixings for a good early afternoon lunch. This one picks up the conversation where the other one goes to see if she can light the grill without setting herself on fire. "Well, I guess it's okay, if you're okay with it. Being part of the show, that is." she says, but there's still doubt in her voice.
"I'm more than okay with it, I love performing." Aiden says as he helps her set the table down and looks around. "You might want to get a few tarps and bricks for when it rains, you don't want your grill to rust or your table to get damaged." He says before going to help with putting everything on the table. "You said you're a teacher right? Can you imagine not teaching?"
Annabeth pauses at the question. "I guess so… I mean, I don't know what I'd do with myself." The grill turns on without incident, leaving the half that's not talking to Aiden, in the still-cringing I'm about to get burned pose. Once she's sure that the grill isn't going to explode on her, she turns up the heat and puts the burgers on it, and sits down next to herself. "Probably do some volunteer work at the church or something," the one that just sat down says. The first one takes over again, "I just want to help the mutant community."
"I'm kinda the same way, I don't know what I'd do with myself if I wasn't performing. Also you probably dont' want to hear this since your a teacher, I never finished the eigth grade so I don't really have much of an education to fall back on." Aiden admits as he watches Annabeth, opening and closing his mouth before speaking. "Ummm, I don't mean to be a pain in the ass but when grilling, you want to heat up the grill for a bit first, then scrub the crap off and then put the meat on the hot grill. It cooks better that way."
Aiden get two pairs of blinking eyes. "Oh." she says together with herself. One of her goes over to the grill, carefully removes the meat, and closes the lid. "You can tell how often I've done this," the other says with a hint of a blush. When she returns next to herself the winged man gets a pair of shrugs. "I'm sure there were mitigating circumstances to that. And you're never too old to learn, besides. I could help you get your GED if you wanted."
"Honestly, I don't really care." Aiden admits. "I'm fine with what I'm doing now. I haven't needed it yet." He hates the idea of school as it's been so long. "Well, I'm gonna run down to my apartment, get a quick shower in and I'll bring up a few beers I have down there and we can have some lunch!" He says before heading down to his studio apartment.
Annabeth nods. "To each their own," she says, one body leaning up against the table. "I'm not the type of person to push." The other amends that, "Not adults at least." Aiden gets a pair of smiles when he mentions brining up beer. "I'll be waiting. Hopefully I won't mess up the burgers too badly."
