kismet_loop_logs | because this guy has a GREAT track record with fire...

because this guy has a GREAT track record with fire...

Who: Sam and Hiro
Where: Their hip happening bachelor(ette) pad
When: post-April-Fool's-effects (April 20th-ish)
What: COOKIES also Hiro clarifying a few things
Warnings: Excessive amounts of cookies and sad attempts at baking

Years of watching sitcoms about people in wacky roommate situations had not adequately prepared Hiro for the reality of living with someone. All right, yes, granted, he'd never so much "watched" them as "begged Aunt Cass to stop watching them and let him change to channel to something with monsters or robots", but still -- this never happened to people on TV.

"This" being a sad, well-meant but poorly executed attempt at baking. The butter was a solid lump in the middle of the mixing bowl, the vanilla smelled amazing but tasted nasty, and most of the flour was spread over the counters and in Hiro's hair, and he was way too young to rock the grey-haired look. He may have been a certified genius, but when it came to baking, he was absolutely hopeless.

"Stupid space cookies," he muttered, glaring at the congealed mess in the mixing bowl. That was a good plan, blame Haven for his mishaps, rather than taking responsibility. That miiiight not work too well once Sam returned home, however, especially not when Hiro took into account what Dirge had said.

A witch. Sam was a witch. A witch who could apparently curse people (though Hiro wasn't too sure how much faith he should put into a conversation had between talking about robotic tongues) if she was mad enough. Would the total destruction of her (their?) kitchen be enough to make her that mad?

Hiro exhaled slowly, wiping baking soda off his face. Well, that was that. He was going to spend the rest of his life as a newt. At least until Sam needed his eyes for some secret deadly potion. A dismal end to a dismal day.

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Hiro makes a face at Sam, but noticeably doesn't argue with her, even though the broom is totally fine and clean and his feet aren't gross, they're just normal feet. He may still be thinking about newts and dust bunnies. But he obediently goes and grabs a cloth, running it aimlessly over the mess on the counter.

"You're way less high-maintenance than some people I've lived with," he offers vaguely. Nevermind the fact that he's lived with a grand total of his parents, his aunt and his brother in his short life. The sentiment is what counts.

The raisins get a meditative stink-eye while Hiro contemplates this. Then, in a very reasonable tone: "Why not substitute more chocolate for the nuts?" See? No need to put anything even remotely fruit-related into decadent delicious cookies.

"Pure pragmatism." It was an offhand explanation, but she was still pleased, and sounded it. "Same reason I'm seldom bent out of shape, though part of that is probably inclination, also. So while I'll warn you that I am, at times, marginally high-maintenance? Those times are the times that have me healing up. New tattoos need TLC."

At Hiro's suggestion, Sam turned to face him, her expression thoughtful. "Because I like oatmeal-raisin oatmeal-craisin cookies? But, I'd also like you to level with me; what about walnuts? Almonds? Pecans? Any of the above okay for you?"

"Pragma-- oh. Okay." That gets a curious look at the tattoos, almost for the first time since Hiro moved in. On the one hand, he's polite enough to not be nosy and ask a bunch of questions, but on the other...there are a lot of them. So he'll inch a little closer, still holding his broom, to get a better look.

"Do...they hurt for a long time?" he ventures finally, and it's such a kidlike thing to ask. If Hiro was five years younger, he'd be asking to touch the tattoos, so unused to the sight of them. He's used to a very clean-cut set.

Then, absently shifting from one foot to the other, Hiro gives this question the thought it deserves. "...okay physically, or okay emotionally?"

Sam held her right arm out obligingly, used to this sort of inspection. While there were a fair few people with more and more obvious ink (the tiger guy, the lizard guy, and Enigma, for example) she'd come to rival them eventually; already, she was close to tying Katzen for quantity.

"Nah. They really only hurt while they're being done, and about as much as a solid skinned knee, or a bad cat-scratch." She bent her arm a little, contemplating the bars which ended just at her elbow. "After that, nearly nothing... until they start itching. And you can't scratch a healing tattoo."

At the countering question, Sam crossed her arms, Nick Cave against Greensleeves, and an assortment against blank skin. "Both."

Hiro accepts the invitation, stepping closer and even lowering his broom slightly, in favor of leaning in to examine the tattoos. They're less colorful than the ones the botfighters used to favor, but much more intricate. And they're...orderly, in that way music notes are. Something about that is comforting.

"Why not?" he asks, curious, glancing up to blink wide, innocently curious eyes at Sam. And then, like it's an afterthought: "Are they magic?"

Don't do the crossed arms, he knows what those mean. Have a wrinkled nose. "Neither."

Bar by bar, a whole bodysuit could come together; from the beginning, 'bar by bar' seemed best. If nothing else, it would ensure Sam had a visually coherent whole when she ran out of room.

"Because there's only a very thin scab on a healing tattoo. If scratching pulls a piece of scab off, a person could end up with a spot of scar, which would probably be discolored in addition to its different texture. The skin under that scab is extra-vulnerable, too, kind of already compromised and easier to break. If it is broken, that can create a hole in the tattoo design." All matter-of-fact, as she didn't mind explaining---even if the second question caught her off-guard. "Typically, no."

But it was a good guess.

"Why do you ask?"

Hiro is curious about that too, how many more tattoos Sam wants, if she wants them to cover her completely -- and why. But that's a little too personal, especially for an awkward teenager. So he keeps a respectful distance, absently spinning the broom between his palms.

"Oh. I didn't know that was possible, to make a hole in a tattoo." He says it in an almost reverent way, like that's the coolest thing he's ever heard of.

Aaaand then the question comes and Hiro's shifting from one foot to the other, looking somewhere between nervous and embarrassed. "You know," he mumbles. "Cause of the whole...witch thing."

Hiro's interest in asking what he had was enough to appreciate, but his attitude was to be appreciated, too. With so many aspects of body art overlooked when they oughtn't've been---it's all important, all interesting---to have someone's unwavering attention was... gratifying.

"You might also be interested to know you can wash one out, to an extent, if gets when when it hasn't healed." Trivia, tossed out, before Sam turned her attention to the matter than mattered, arms sliding to her sides as she settled against the counter, seeming speculative. "I sort of suspected."

Hiro's no artist, but he can appreciate something that's orderly and neat and makes sense but still looks awesome. That's what robotics is all about, after all -- science and math that fits together to make something that can punch in faces~

He'd ask more (tattoos washing out? For real??) but the metaphorical cat's out of the bag and Sam has a look on her face that's...not mad. It's thoughtful, it's a little pensive, but it's definitely not the reaction he'd expected. Shifting from one foot to the other, he ventures, "You...did?"

"Yeah." Hands now on her hips, Sam shrugged. "From your mention of magic---I mean, man, why else would you ask?---and the way you were trippin' over talking about the broom. Which is just a broom, and not a back-up if the stree'doo breaks down."

She looked to Hiro (to and at, appraising,) and offered him a small smile. "It's funny. Before coming here and having the whole thing slowly grow into one of the city's worst-kept secrets, I never really thought of myself as anything so specific, aside of 'me.' But I guess 'witch' is as good a word as any."

"I-I could've been asking something else! Like...like maybe you're a fairy or a...mer...maid." Hiro sort of trails off lamely, leaning back against the counter and looking sheepish. He gets a D- in lying.

The appraising look will get one very awkward, hesitantly smiling, unsure teenager who still isn't 100% sure that he isn't going to get in trouble. Add in a whole lot of confusion and that's basically where he is. "...so....you didn't call yourself a witch? Before?"

D-, accompanied by an observation: 'Endearingly awful.'

"Nah." Content to hang out at the counter and talk while the oven was warming, Sam stepped away long enough to collect the remaining raisins before settling back where she'd been. "It didn't really come up in many conversations. It's the sort of thing a person tries to keep on the down-low, you know?"

Alternatively: awfully endearing?

Hiro's going to hop up on the counter (and likely get flour all over his rear) and fold his hands on the top of the broom before resting his chin on them. Now they're sort-of eye-to-eye. He's been relaxing steadily throughout this conversation, so he really doesn't think before asking: "So you wouldn't get burned?"

...tact is not one of his strengths.

"Basically." The word was out from a full mouth; Sam swallowed and continued to talk, unphased. "Under normal circumstances, if word was out, I'd be caught in a catch-22. People don't believe? They consider me some kind of crazy person, or at least for-some-reason, the subject of slander. People believe? I have all kinds of complications on my hands. Can you do this, can you do that, how the hell and 'oh but you must, accompanied by all kinds of elbow-twisting. I don't need that scene."

She shook her head, snorting once.

"No-one needs that scene."

Hiro had been trying to figure out how best to back-track that weird rude comment, but then Sam is agreeing with him, and wow, that actually sounds even worse than what he was imagining. If there's one thing Hiro understands, it's being able to do something extraordinary and having everyone you meet focus on that and only that, like it's the only thing about you.

So he manages a smile, a very knowing smile. "I get that. ...it's not something everyone in your world can do, then?"

That smile got him a smile in return---larger than the last---and, as Sam crossed her arms again, an affectionate elbowing. "Only a few, and although I know a handful, I don't know of anyone who can do what I can. People have different... domains? Or, a different area of effect. Felix and his family are essentially kitchen-witches; they do all their work with edibles, for the influencing of health-and-home. There's a guy in Edmonton who talks to the city, like, the city itself, more than any individual, and gets answers out of it, and there are others like him at least in the sister cities of Hull and Harbin." She let that hang for a few moments, wondering how strange it sounded.

"My sphere's skin-deep stuff."

Hiro scrunches his nose at Sam, in relief and mock irritation at the elbowing, leaning over (and nearly losing his perch) to nudge her back. The explanation sounds strange, but...not bad-strange. Weird and unusual, for sure, but distinctly not sinister.

Still, just to make sure, he'll venture, "So, you don't...use it to hurt people." It's a statement, not a question, and it's accompanied by a preventative wince of apology. He just had to know for sure, considering his own experiences with overly flexible moral codes.

As Hiro teetered, Sam braced herself to offer a steadying shoulder so that he could catch himself without the indignity of being caught.

"Normally, no." The answer came with a level look over. "I'll admit that I have, and a couple of times, but each time it was warranted with the situation I was in. I don't start shit, and I don't want a beef with anybody... but I'll push back. Best example? I put a hurt on the guy with the knife in the Cup riot. If it wasn't for my magic, I'd have a scar to show."

Edited 2015-04-27 06:25 (UTC)

Hiro only hesitates a moment before taking advantage of that, one awkward, hesitant hand going out to brace on Sam's shoulder. He's still very unsure of himself, but it's a step up from hiding behind the fridge, right?

The explanation gets a frown and an immediate headshake. "That's different. That's...self-defense. Protecting yourself isn't the same as hurting people for no reason."

"Well, yeah, but you didn't say anything about motive to specify. And I wouldn't blame you if you were a bit weirded out, but..." Once Hiro was stable again, Sam set her hands against the countertop, boosting herself back and up onto it so as to sit beside him. She paused to wipe her palms against her pants, leaving pale streaks of flour, and offered another shrug. "I want you to know that I'll be honest about this. Just be honest with me, okay? Was it because you made a big mess or heard about the whole witch thing you seemed sorta skittish when I got in?"

To avoid her steady gaze, Hiro's going to look down at his own flour-covered knees and absently brush at the marks, an unconscious, slightly nervous gesture. Honesty. Not so easy for someone who's gotten really good at evasion in the past few months.

But after a moment, he'll reply, quietly, eyes still lowered, "Sort of both?" It's embarrassing to admit that he still feels unsure to the point of genuine fear, but it's worse to feel that in the first place.

"Again, I'm going to be honest. As long as the mess gets cleaned up, I really don't care." Sam shook her head in emphasis, a crooked little smile creeping across her face. "Really. I'm assuming it'll be within a reasonable amount of time, but I acknowledge that that is an assumption, and even so? I still mean it. And about the witch thing..."

What about the witch thing? Her segue had stalled; with all of the things she could say, their conversational path did not fork but fan.

"About the witch thing, I don't know what to tell you. This is the first time I've had this kind of conversation, so I'm... searching for what I should say. I've never hurt anyone without a really good reason. My magic is more than that. My toast still lands butter-side-down if I drop it? And I mean well."

Hiro frowns, waving a hand vaguely at the still-somewhat-messy kitchen. "It's clean! I mean, it's making significant steps in that direction, at least." Then, with a sage nod, speaking as if the cleanliness of the Danger Zone is entirely out of his hands "I think we shouldn't push it too hard, to best show our support."

The fact that this part of the conversation is giving her pause is actually pretty comforting. If Hiro feels awkward, and Sam feels awkward, they're on the same page. Plus, her answer makes sense, and Hiro almost feels like he should let her off the hook -- "Well, I sort of guessed Dirge was exaggerating. But I get it. Sort of. You're not all fairy-tale-villain, you're more comic-book-superhero, yeah?"

"It was making significant steps in that direction, and you're right in that we should show our support... but the best way to do that is by pushing it to be the 'better' you and I both know it can be. The potential is there! Under assorted ingredients, but there." The banter was a welcome break, even if only for a few sentences; enough to get grounded, and so Sam heaved her most melodramatic sigh without a second thought. "Friggin' Dirge."

Her tone said 'that fucker,' quite clearly, overflowing with weary exasperation.

"I should've known---and that's a story. Before crackin' that can of worms, though..." She held up her hands, tone lightening---she'd've liked to laugh. "I'd sure like to think so. But, more than anything, I'm just me."

"You just can't see my artistic vision that's trying to express itself via mess," Hiro huffs, leaning back on the counter and letting the broom drop towards the floor, only to catch it with his feet. Because he's fourteen and the idea of staying still for more than seven seconds is inconceivable.

Sam's reaction to the mention of Dirge gets a sheepish laugh, which is really more relief that he's getting most of the irritation, rather than Hiro himself. "I kiiiiinda figured he was full of it, or exaggerating or whatever. Wasn't sure if he was totally lying though..."

But then this gets a frown, and a slight headshake. "Maybe to yourself, but I'll bet to whoever you helped out during the riots you're much more."

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