2020-10-28: Kitchen Time in the MMA
| Kitchen Time in the MMA | |
|---|---|
| Raise joins Vic in the kitchen at his gym while she's fixing soup; they talk | |
| IC Date | October 28, 2020 |
| IC Time | mid-afternon |
| Players | Raise and Vic |
| Location | The Apartment at Prospect's New Hope MMA |
Raise wanders in from the back gym. He has grocery bags in hand and heads straight for the kitchen and starts putting everything away. He is humming a tune to himself softly.
The kitchen is not entirely unoccupied as Vic is working in it, chopping various vegetables and putting them in a large pot along with chicken stock, boneless chicken breast and thighs and a hodge podge of herbs both fresh and dried, naturally salt and pepper is handy to add to the mix.
"Hey there Raise," the Virtual Adept greets the martial artist/sorcerer as he brings in bags of groceries. "I figured I'd make a soup that can be stored and re-heated for days if necessary. Give everyone something new to try."
Raise sets down the bags, like every other man there is a bag loop on every finger and it takes him a moment to get everything to balance right so he can untangle the ten bags and start to get stuff where it goes, "That is fantastic Vic. Soup reheats in the Crock super simple and the vacuum sealer is in the cabinet right there." he shuffles around and tries not to get in the way but as is normal for this giant of a man when he bends down he takes up a good chunk of kitchen and bumping is bound to occur but he is always polite and gentle about it, "So how have you been? I have been so busy I don't think I have seen you in more than passing since the class earlier this week."
"I've been busy this month, what with the class and certain extracurricular activities that you don't have the time to hear about in detail," Vic answers. "But in general everything is good."
OOC: the soup is basically Carrabbas' Spicy Sicilian Chicken Soup
Raise chuckles and says as he continues to restock, "I am actually good for time this evening. The potential deal that came up has paused. The owner is having an emotional response, it is normal, but the deal is fair. They can't make it work anymore but it has been family owned for... Sorry look at me talking shop. Boring... I am sure your busy is much more interesting than mine." he has the fridge open and seems to be looking things over, "Do we need condiments of any kind I got more ketchup but I drew a blank after that."
"Well, did you happen to pick up any crusty bread that would go well with spices and olive oil for dipping in?" Vic asks as she puts more into the soup and stirs it with a metal hand with an insulated rubber handle.
Raise holds up a finger and starts rummaging, "Not exatly but I think close enough," he pulls out fresh Italian hoagies, "slice these and crisp them slightly and whala" he does the Italian motion with his fingers coming away from his mouth and then offers them over, "Will these do the trick?"
Vic glances at the hoagie rolls and nods. "That'll do sure thing," she replies. And then, while mincing a few large cloves of freshly pealed garlic, she asks, "How did you come to pick the name of your gym, Raise?"
Raise pauses as he is putting the last few things away, "I didn't actually. It had the name before I bought it. It had that name way back before I was in the UFC when I was just an instructor here actually." he tilts his head slightly showing his curiosity is piqued, "Why do you ask?"
"So, I was asking someone to drop something off here for me and he wouldn't," Vic says, further explaining, "He apparently, on hearing 'New Hope' immediately thought this was a front that he didn't trust. Roaster's is a front he trusts though so... it was weird." She scrapes the minced garlic from the cutting board into the soup and then says, "So, I did some research and there's another Gym, a Gymnastics place, also called New Hope, plus like maybe as many as three dozen different businesses that share that name. Any idea why someone would think we... or one of the others... is a front that isn't to be trusted?"
Raise seems suprized, "A front? For what?" you can see the wheels spinning and he shakes his head, "You mean like the Mob?" he thinks again for a moment, "The guy I bought it from was pure buisness, a little guy with a weird name ummm Jay? no Jax... Ohh I would have to look it up to remember his last name but Jax is right. He did not seem like he was in the Mob but to be honest my view of them is a TV view they probably look like everyone else. I am not sure maybe. But I own it outright now and have for... man a very long time."
"Yeah, I have no clue," Vic replies to the questions. "Like I said, my contact thinks Prospect Roasters is a front also so go figure, course we know that one is a front... for the Traditions. This contact is... particular we can say."
Raise shrugs and goes back to finish putting the end of the groceries away, "If he is in the dark about Roasters he should probably stay that way about here as well I think." he grabs a beer when he finishes and heads around the wall to lean on the edge so he can still talk easily but is no longer in the cooks way, "That is not even cooking yet and it looks good... are those potatoes... they are... this is going to be good soup I can already tell."
Vic ohs! "I should have turned the burner on already, it needs to start heating up," she says as she turns the heat on and then says, "Yes, please roughly dice them..." she nods at the potatoes "... and I'll decant the canned tomatoes and that'll be all that's left to go in." As she says it she starts it by grabbing a can and a manual can opener and starts twisting the crank.
Raise takes the job with a smile and cuts the potatoes in quarters so they are fairly big chunks. He is not super quick but gets it done in short order and then slides the loaded cutting board over, "And the most important ingredient as well right? Love?" he gives you a wink and then swigs his beer.
"Going to finish dicing those?" Vic asks with a playfully biting tone of voice as she opens the second can before dumping the contents of both cans into the pot. "Quarter's are too massive for this soup," she explains with a wink.
Raise slides it back and cuts two or three of the larger pieces in half again and then slides it back, "Big is good." he smiles wide showing his pearly whites.
Vic smirks at Raise and nods. "Good enough. Don't complain about an uneven mix of potato bits when eating it though, I won't hear it from you," she says this with a humorous tone of voice.
Raise chuckles and shakes his head, "Ohh no I am not going to take the blame for it turning out wrong. Finish it so it is how you want them. I know just the basics on cooking don't let my large appetite ruin the soup."
Vic laughs and nods, "Gotcha," and takes the knife and quickly finishes the extremely rough dicing of the potatoes and slides them off the cutting board into the soup also. "What you did was an awesome start, made what I needed to do that much easier." She then asks, "Does the term 'Shen' mean anything to you, Raise?"
Raise shakes his head, "I don't think so. I had a few oriental teacher in martial arts and they used a lot of words I don't remember. Maybe if I had a frame of reference? But no it does not ring a bell right off. What is it?" he seems interested.
"Its another term for mages," Vic says way oversimplifying it but clarifies by saying, "If you don't /know/ it applies you don't use it. Ever." She then stirs the soup again and sets the spoon down and turns away from the soup after making sure the temperature is set for a lower simmer.
Raise nods along and asks, "A Mage from the Orient I am guessing right?" he finishes his beer and comes around the wall to get himself a new one, making sure to put the empty in the proper bin.
Vic nods. "That's correct. They are different than the Western influenced Traditions you are accustomed to though," she explains. "I don't understand exactly how so don't ask, can't answer questions deeply about them."
Raise nods in understanding, "My guess is that martial arts are a part of it. There is a lot of mysticism surrounding martial arts in the orient to begin with, if you add the abilities of a Willworker to that I can see it. Well I mean the possibility of it. I have to admit that I know very little about Willworkers and even Hedges like me are secretive. I mean yea they talk big when we gather but sharing is not always a given with all of us. I think it is just life magnified no matter which level you are on. There is good and bad in everything and the potential for both at the same time. You know chaotic life. It is what keeps things interesting though."
"Maybe I can get Mister Ji to meet you," Vic says after nodding about the theoretical ideas Raise presents, "Although I doubt he'll do so here, if you want I can ask him if he'll meet with you. He chose Emerson's over Roasters for our last meeting."
Raise makes a motion with his hands, "So this... Shen is the conspiracy guy that won't go to Roasters?" he pauses and then asks, "Do you think I should meet him? Like I said I don't know much about Willworkers just that there are good and bad ones. I would like to think I would know the difference but to be honest I am not sure."
Vic cocks an eyebrow at Raise and simply asks, "Which do you think I am then?"
Raise chuckles, "Bobbi asked if I could help you. I trust Bobbi. Since you have been here and I have gotten to know you I am glad I trusted her, but this guy you don't even sound sure about and you are more capable against another Willworker. I think I might be a bit more squishy, No?" this coming from the giant of a man standing over the petite gal in all seriousness.
"I trust him. Seen him in action and trust his morals," Vic says with a shrug. She drops into an intentional impression of Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality and says, "Wittle Raisie looks a wittle scared," winking up at the man who towers over her but then says, "Seriously, I'd not suggest it if I didn't think that it would be okay."
Raise seems to consider and then smiles and nods, "Of course, silly of me. Sure I'll meet him if he is up for it." he wander over to look in the pot but he leaves it be, he seems to just take a good whiff. he then wander back around the wall to lean on the counter where the wall is cut out so he can still look into the kitchen.
Grinning, Vic says, "You can take a taste if you want, just grab a spoon obviously." She stretches and says, "I get it, you feel like a little fish in a big pond. Just remember every big pond is just another little thing compared to something else." She then frowns and says, "That was meant to be comforting."
Raise smiles and shakes his head, "That just makes me more hungry, I will wait until it is ready. And thank you... I think" he chuckles along with you
