Players:
Summary: Tara asks Christopher for cooking lessons, Rashmi helps Tara label the kitchen and Jade gets a bit uncomfortable.
Date: March 29, 2010
Log Title Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Kitchen
This kitchen was designed to feed large numbers of people, and looks it with its bright white walls and stainless steel appliances. The stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher are all larger than normal. There is an island with stools around it for people to sit and eat around along with a table for twelve by the windows in back. Along the wall is a hole in the wall looking into the dining room so food can be passed back and fourth. Anything you want to cook or eat in the kitchen you will find the food and supplies to do so.
Tara sits on top of the counter with one of the cabinets open, spice bottles arranged neatly to one side of her and her Braille labeler on the other. She's convinced her teammate to come help her put labels on all the spices to further her plans of kitchen domination. Currently she's got a jar of something in her hand and is holding it up to Rashmi and asks, "This one?"
Rashmi, content for the moment to do her homework at the counter, looks up from the geometry text, peering at the jar in Tara's hand. "Um… Move your hand a little…? Oh! Sage. …Actually what might help, Tara? If you took Mr. Parker-Mayfair's home ec class. That way you'd be around it enough, you could tell them all apart by how they smell, you know? And I wouldn't mind helping for measurements, either… I mean, just because stuff is labeled, doesn't mean that's the only way to tell them apart, right?"
It's like he knows his name is mentioned and walking into the room is Christopher, aka Mr. Parker-Mayfair. "Who should take my class?" He asks as he puts a few canvas shopping bags down on the table. Yes he plans on doing some cooking in here this evening. "And should I ask what the two of you are doing to my spices?" Sure they're the schools spices but Christopher's the culinary teacher after all. "Hello, I'm Mr. Parker-Mayfair, I don't believe we've met yet." He says to Tara as he starts to take out a few containers of strawberries from one of the bags.
Jade comes in just in time to hear the end of the conversation. "You can feel the size of the spoons with your thumb." Her cane taps out a rhythm as she navigates her way into the kitchen. "Oh, sorry for interrupting and all. The machine was out and I was looking for a coke," she follows the sound of the voice and smiles, her hair shifting around her in an invisible wind.
Tara kicks her feet against the lower cabinets making soft banging noises. "I plan on it, Rashmi, but it's easier to have them labeled and THEN memorize their smell." She pops open the lid of the Sage and takes a few sniffs when the home-ec teacher wanders in. "Oh! I'm Tara. New girl. Blind, and the one who should take your class." She wrinkles her nose a bit and screws the lid on the sage back on, tapping out a word on the labeler. "Dad always wanted me to learn how to cook but Mom was always afraid I'd burn myself. Hi Jade!" she calls out to the other blind girl. "Coke. Second shelf from the bottom, all the way to the left. Unless somebody moved it. Again."
Rashmi bobs her head, smiling brightly at Christopher and Jade as they enter, slipping off her stool to pick up a small bottle of juice for herself, on her way to Jade's Coke. "Here you are," she says as she touches the neck of the bottle to the back of Jade's free hand, looking up toward Christopher. "I'm just helping Tara label the spices, Mr. Parker-Mayfair. Since she can't read the labels, she decided to put Braille on… well just about everything really, so she could find her way around."
"A pleasure to meet you Tara." Christopher says and then stops, holding some rhubarb mid-air as he has to ponder that. The blind girl wanting to cook. "That's good that you're helping her, and I think that's a marvelous idea. Teaching a blind girl to cook….that's something I've never done and..hrm…" He says thinking out loud a bit, he doesn't want to deny his class to anyone regardless of anything. "Tara, how would you feel about a one on one class when it comes to cooking?" It'd just be easier for him to teach her without worrying about someone with vision screwing horribly. "And since you missed my introduction earlier." Christopher says to Jade. "I'm Mr. Parker-Mayfair."
"I haven't learned to read Braille yet. Not well, at least. Not enough for like… books and all," Jade feels the bottle against her hand and smiles, little fangs jutting against her lip. "Thank you, Rashmi. That was nice of you." She settles back, opening the bottle blindly to take a sip, listening to the introductions.
Tara thinks about Christopher's offer for a bit as the label maker spits out a label. She takes the label and carefully puts it on the bottle of sage. Setting down in the small pile of labeled spices she reaches up and takes another one out. "I think I'd like that," she concludes, and holds up the bottle. "Which one is this?" And then she suddenly thinks of something. "Oh! Jade! Do you still want to do your starey thing at me in the Danger Room?"
Rashmi looks up from her homework again, squinting at the bottle. "Um… Saffron. …Eep. Be really careful with that, Tara… that's like the most expensive spice that isn't truffles…" As Jade and Tara talk about possible assisted paralysis in the Danger Room, the redhead coughs solicitously. "…You guys *are* going to have a teacher with you, right? I mean normally it's the rules, but you *really* want to make sure to have someone on hand if you're going to be testing out powers, you know?" Partially distracted by strawberries and rhubarb being arranges on the counter, Rashmi grins, already picturing the pie to come. Of the many perks that come with being a Xavier's student, having a home ec teacher that randomly gets a bug to cook for the Kitchen, definitely up there on the list.
"Jade, Ah ha! Thank you Tara for letting me know the lovely young ladies name." Christopher says as he starts taking other things out of his bag as he's preparing to make a few strawberry rhubarb pies. "I don't know braille at all, but it'd definitely be useful to learn. But yes, I'm definitely up for the challenge Tara and I'm going to see that it's mandatory that every thing here is labeled for you." He looks between the girls and raises an eyebrow. "Starey thingy? Well if you need a teacher, let me know."
Jade blinks behind her glasses, coughing a little on the coke she just almost swallowed. "Starey thing…? Uh.. okay, if you really want to," she agrees tentatively, though her hair shifts in a slithering reflection of her unease. It's not like she likes to see people drooling, unless they are badguys. And— what? Lovely lady? Her hair flares around her, then slowly sags downwards. "Um. Hello sir," she murmurs, her voice soft and her cheeks reddened.
Tara carefully puts the jar of saffron down and types a few things on the labeler. "I don't mind labeling things myself," Tara says to Christopher. "It helps me learn where everything is." She nods to Jade. "Yeah, I think it'd be a good exercise and I think I'll be fine, honestly. Your power only works if you make eye contact right?" She waves a hand in front of her face, and her eyes don't move an inch. "Nothing to make contact here with."
"Still," Rashmi says, the no-nonsense tone usually reserved for team members determined to do something silly, foolhardy, or both. "Before you do, Tara, make sure you have a teacher with you guys, period." A glance is stolen toward Christopher, the strawberries, and the pie crusts. "…Which means at least wait until the pies are done. … Please?"
"It's gonna take a bit for me to cook them, but if any of you want to help, let me know." Christopher says going over to wash his produce. "So what are your powers Jade, if you don't mind me asking. I'm all curious now that Tara keeps talking about testing things so don't mind me." He says with a chuckle. "Okay well if you can't find Rashmi or someone to help you, let me know and I'll help you out. I really don't mind."
"You still have eyes," Jade counters to Tara, wondering at this girl. Her arms cross lightly over her chest and she gnaws at the corner of her lip with a pointed tooth. I don't think it matters if you can see or not. Just have to have eyes. I did it to a fish, even," she's not boasting, more imploring. She nods to Rashmi. "Ohh.. I love pie," she smiles wider. "Do you do the crust from scratch, Mister Parker-Mayfair? Oh… Oh…. I freeze people," she smiles a little weakly. "I can also make them throw up really bad if I bite them."
Tara shrugs at Jade as she labels the saffron and puts it in place. "Yes, but fish can /see/. I can't. I don't have all the right hardware. They could have fixed the cataracts when I was a baby, but it wouldn't have done any good since the part of my brain that does all that got damaged as well." She shrugs again, "Anyway, I'm willing to give it a try," she says, picking another jar from the cabinet. "If nothing else, wouldn't it be good to have someone you can be around where you don't have to wear those glasses?"
"Well just don't bite me and I think we'll get along just fine Jade." Christopher says with a chuckle. "And yes, I do make my pie crusts from scratch, which I should start working on that soon, so sorry if it's going to be a while before I get finished baking. I should start earlier it's just I got done a little late at the Salon this evening." He says as he starts going through the cabinets for what he needs. "Sorry Tara if I'm messing things up! And Tara is right Jade, it's always worth a shot if she's willing. And if we do it in the danger room than there's really no danger." He pauses as he knows it sounds weird 'no danger in the danger room'.
Jade sorta looks in the direction of Tara, where she is labeling her jars. Why this is so important to them is a mystery to her. She rolls a shoulder ina shrug. "Yeah, sure. I don't have to do anything…. just look at you. Salon, sir?"
"Cool," replies Tara, considering the jar she's holding before putting it back. "We'll have to do that tonight," she says, starting to put all the spices back. "But first: Pie."
"Yes, Salon." Christopher says mixing several ingredients together to start the pie crust. "I am a hair stylist and outside of working here I also run my own business in Salem Center, David's Salon." Christopher explains as he looks at Jade's hair. "I can't say I've ever styled anything like your hair, but I would imagine it would hurt if I did anything though…mind if I touch it?" Christopher can't help his curiosity most the times. "Tara, have you ever cooked anything before or is this a whole in interest for you?"
Jade smiles and can agree to pie. "Is there anything I can do to help, Mr Parker-Mayfair?" She asks. She bets he is impossibly handsome, like most of the teachers here at the school. She swallows a lump in her throat at the idea of him touching her hair, which slithers and moves away from her cheeks. "No, of course sir. Go right ahead."
Tara clears off the remaining spice jars and nimbly hops off the counter to give Christopher more room to work. "Oooh," she says jealously as Christopher gets permission to touch her hair. "Can I, too?" she asks, somewhat shyly. "I mean, if it's not weird or anything. I can feel them move in the air and everything, but it's not the same."
Christopher runs his hand through the ends of Jade's hair and as a hair professional, he can't help but be intrigued. "Wow, I'd be so afraid to do anything with this. It's incredible." He says as it's weird for him to think of hair as having life as hers does. "I'd just be afraid that playing with it too much would cause you pain or something." He says as he washes his hands, sorry Jade, before going back to cook more.
Jade's hair responds almost like tentacles, moving in a slow wave in response to touch. "Um, sure?" she responds when Tara asks to touch it as well. She holds her coke in her hand and takes a sip, licking her lips afterwards. "Um… I need to go the ladies room. I'll meet you over at the DR, okay?" she asks, looking between the two once Tara has had a chance to touch the sinuous and silky strands of her hair.
"Okay Jade, just remember to come back in a bit so you can taste test my cooking. It was a pleasure meeting you dear." Christopher says in his friendly tone as he goes to cooking. "Okay Tara, get over here and we're gonna have your first lesson." He says as he puts the bowl in front of Tara and directs her to start mixing the pie crust.
"Cooooooool," breathes Tara, running her hand through Jade's hair as well. She blushes a bit after the contact and moves over to a chair, answering a question Christopher asked a while ago. "I never really got a chance to do much cooking," she says. "Like I said, my Mom was always afraid that I'd end up burning myself. The most she'd let me do is stir cake batter and let me lick the spatula afterwards."
Jade toddles off to the loo!
Guiding Tara to the bowl, Christopher gives her instructions to start mixing, he's going to have her roll the dough and help with the filling as well. "Well we're going to do more than let you stir. I don't have anything with braile with me right now but I'll let you feel things as we make the filling."
