Nina Clarke: ᴍᴀʏᴏʀ, ᴀᴜsᴛɪɴ ᴛx & sʜʏ ʙʟᴏʙ (commonlaw) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2015-12-11 12:28:00 |
|
|||
The sound of Christmas music could be heard throughout the apartment playing from the small CD player Isaac had gotten her months ago, and the CD had been something Rose Paulsen had brought by for her. Though, if you were asking Demi she was nearly positive the senator’s wife had only come by to snoop, and not because she had any real concern for her. In some ways she knew she deserved all of this. After all, this was entirely her own fault that she was cooped up like a caged animal in a space that had once felt safe to her. Demi couldn’t deny it, couldn’t push this all off on someone else. Olinger caging her up, the fact that she and Nina now had an audience while they baked -- this could all be pinned on her. Demi didn’t want to focus on that right now though, she wanted to focus on the fact that despite everything Nina was still speaking to her and still willing to endure the uncomfortable aspects of this visit in order to spend time with her. So with the music still blaring and their patrolmen shadows standing just off to their right, the two women had begun to bake. Attempting their first vegan recipe, a gingerbread cookie. Demi knew it was going to be an adventure, because instead of a full size oven, they baking adventure was being undertaken with a toaster oven. “Have you ever tried this before?” Demi asked while she waved one hand towards said oven, her expression unsure. “I mean should we be concerned that this might blow up in our faces?” There was a double meaning to her question, if Nina could pick up on it. Because while she was relieved her friend was here in the apartment with her, she was also concerned for the kind of blowback Nina might get from a visit like this. Would Olinger see her as some kind of threat and lock her friend up as well? Or did he have a different plan for retribution against the lawyer? "Never. This'll be the first time for me, too, but I like to think there's nothing like necessity to make you learn something new." Nina studied the recipes list of ingredients with obvious caution, aware as ever of the Patrolmen who were listening in. "Assuming the power grid won't be inconsistent, I think the risk isn't too bad." Not for the cookies, at least. The other endeavor they were embarking on had a fair chance of blowback, but what else could they do? There was no way for her to win: either Olinger got his way and solidified his tyrannical hold on Austin, or she confounded her sense of right and wrong even further and did what her heart said she must. Either way, the danger was great. "But I suppose you never know until you try." There’s a glance thrown in the patrolmen’s direction as Demi wonders if the men in black can pick up on the underlying conversation she and Nina are having, without really having it. “Necessity is the mother of invention, isn’t it?” she questioned with a laugh, pulling a mixing bowl out of one of the makeshift cupboards and setting it on the counter along with a whisk. “We’re in the Capitol, is anything ever inconsistent here?” Demi added, her words about the cookies. But she has the same kind of faith in the people organizing their other endeavors that has in the Capitol’s power grid. Simply being in the same space now was risky for both of them, but with their shadows, Demi had a feeling that unless they really slipped up that Olinger would never be able to suss out anything from this one interaction that might color them as co-conspirators in a Hellhound jailbreak. "You're right. Consistency's certainly the name of the game here," Nina replied, unable to help the smile that came unbidden at just how bold the two of them were being just then. This afternoon together felt almost normal though, give or take the men watching them as they went about this mundane task, so she pushed the riskier conversation aside. "And at least we have these vegan cookies to try, right?" “Right, and if they're awful we can gift them to our lovely companions,” Demi said in a stage whisper, unbothered if the patrolmen overhear her. Shifting gears, she brought her voice back up to normal as she remarked. “Life would be boring if you didn’t try things,” This is punctuated with a smile as she hands Nina an apron. “So, my question is are we going to make cookies or are we going to try building a gingerbread house?” Thank God for the recipes and instructions that Demi had found; Nina didn't pride herself on her cooking or baking abilities, but what the hell. The world had nearly ended and the two of them were pretty much two steps away from being sentenced. As Demi had just said, why not try things? So she tied the apron around her waist and started to sift and measure flour. "It says here that all we'd need for icing is some of this powdered sugar and water, so why not try our hand at a house or two?" Nina paused, then carefully added, "Do you think Isaac will want some cookies? We could make him something." Cooking and baking was one of those skills Demi had always been confident in. Years spent standing at her mom’s hip in the kitchen saw to that. Demi tied her own apron on, all but ignoring the men watching them. She and Nina were walking a tightrope here, each move and word closely monitored and assessed. “It's been years since I built a gingerbread house,” she laughed, easily moving away from their riskier conversation as well. “Maybe? Honestly I can say I know what he wants lately…” Demi trailed off, refusing to fall down the slippery slope of discussing the tension between her and Isaac. Nina remained quiet, her hands busy with getting the dry ingredients together, but her gaze was on Demi's as she waited. “What the hell, let's make him cookies and if he doesn't eat them I will.” This is said while Demi busied herself with locating the rest of the ingredients they would need for their vegan gingerbread cookies. "There's no harm in trying, right?" Nina gave her a sideways smile, not too big but not top small, just enough to show her approval. The three of them were in one hell of a mess together, but if they could manage it through without fighting or killing each other -- figuratively, of course -- Nina had faith they could make it through. Isaac wasn't a completely terrible person, after all. He had to realize the fight he was fighting wasn't the right side of history eventually. Right? "And you're right. If he doesn't want them, we'll find a way to manage." Nina checked the recipe again, then reached for a measuring cup and filled it with water. "I hope these are edible." “Well, there could be harm, but that’s never stopped me,” Demi replied with a laugh, well aware of her character flaws and the dangerous decisions it often lead her into. Nobody could accuse her of a living a safe life, or even a careful one. Though with both Nina and Isaac around she was trying to think before doing things, if only because her actions (much like her decision to spend Thanksgiving at LBJ) had repercussions for them as well as for her. She didn’t regret going, she couldn’t, not when she had seen so many old and new faces alike. What she did regret is the position it put Isaac in, that it was just another wedge attempting to be driven between them. “We’re resourceful, I have complete faith we’ll find a way to rid yourselves of the cookies if he doesn’t want them.” Though a small part of Demi hoped he would want them, if only because it was something nice she could do for him -- an olive branch to try and mend the mess she’d made of things. "As long as by now, he's learned to deal with unwanted baked goods in a different way." It was perhaps an uncharitable dig at Isaac, considering how far he'd come over the last few months -- how much they'd all come, really -- but Nina's never fully been able to forgive the man his temper even as she's grown fond of him in her own way. Nina’s remark earned a faint smile from Demi as she remembered back to Isaac’s birthday and the shouting match they had found themselves in over donuts. Things had changed drastically in just a handful of months, so much so that she was positive that even if he did not want the cookies, he wouldn’t shout at her about it. “I think he has,” Demi answered while turning her attention towards the toaster oven to check on the temperature. Turning away from what would be their oven for this little adventure, Demi changed the subject. “Who do you suppose we should make the taste tester for them?” She asked as she glanced sideways at Nina. “Maybe our shadows?” Demi lowered her voice as she said that, although in truth she didn’t care if the two men overheard or not. Nina covered her mouth just in time to stop herself from laughing too loudly. She'd just been about to volunteer herself to try that, but was there really any harm in making the patrolmen taste their vegan handiwork? "Let's ask yours to try them, first," she replied, doing a better job of keeping her voice down than Demi had. "He looks like he could benefit more from some extra Christmas spirit." The look on Demi’s face was devious and amused as Nina struggled to keep her amusement at bay. “He has been managing a very impressive impersonation of the Grinch,” she agreed, shooting another look in the man’s direction. “You better do the asking, though, because I can only assume he’ll think I’ve poisoned them if I ask.” The general opinion seemed to be that she was dangerous, even if she had never actually done anything that could be viewed as such. Eventually both the toaster oven and the batter for the cookies were ready, the two of them working easily together in the small space to fill up a small cookie sheet and place it in the oven. The time between the cookies going in and the need to pull them out went quickly, the two of them having spent much of it chatting while they waited for the small timer to buzz and alert them to the first batch of cookies being ready to remove from the toaster oven. When it did finally buzz, Demi found and oven mitt and retrieved the cookie sheet. “Well, do we ask them?” She began moving the cookies to the cooling rack while asking Nina this question, looking to her friend’s judgment as to whether they should really attempt to make nice with the patrolmen or not. Nina looked over her shoulder at the two armed men in the living room, weighing their options. It certainly would be amusing, but the last thing she wanted was to actually give them any sort of happiness. And though she had her doubts about how good these vegan cookies supposedly were, she didn't want to run the risk of them actually being something the patrolmen would enjoy. "I suppose we may as well," she said, reaching for two cookies and turning halfway. "That way they'll be able to report back that we haven't made a batch of poison or something else as equally threatening." Perhaps it wasn't the safest joke to make in the patrolmen's presence, but they'd watched them throughout the whole baking process. She wasn't too worried about them getting ideas. Just as she'd been about to walk over to them, though, the apartment door opened and Isaac came in, saving her from an awkward conversation. Demi had invited Isaac to join her and Nina in their cookie making session, but he’d purposefully found extra work to do at the office until he couldn’t put off his going home any longer. Walking through the door, he toed off his shoes, before giving a glance at the Patrolmen. “I think I got it from here, boys,” he said, then watched them as they stood left the apartment. His suit jacket was the next thing to go, thrown across the back of the couch, quickly followed by his tie. It was a normal routine for him, but seeing as they had company, he couldn’t fully use the living room as his bedroom, as he had been for the past month or so. “Hey Nina,” he said, pausing slightly before adding, “Demi. What kind of cookies did you make?” He asked, moving to the kitchen and looking in at the pair of them. The patrolmen left and it was as if a weight was lifted off of Demi. She knew the cameras were still there, that they’re still being watched, but it’s not the same -- it doesn’t feel as invasive. There was also a strange sense of both happiness and heartache that flutters up in her chest as she turns to greet Isaac. The tension between them has almost been suffocating, as state they have both been living in since the house arrest began it would seem -- maybe even before than. “If you’re asking about cookies does that mean you’re joining us?” Demi asked, fighting the hopeful tone in her voice, even if she couldn’t hide the pleased expression that had settled over her features. “And so far we’ve made gingerbread cookies, do you want to be our guinea pig?” With one smooth motion she gestured towards the counter and the cooling cookies. "They're vegan, but I think the amount of ginger we added to the dough -- to be clear, we were following the amounts in the recipe -- will make up for that." Nina gave Isaac a polite smile, backing away slightly and aiming to follow his and Demi's lead as far as how to play the rest of this interaction. She knew things had been frosty ever since Demi had gone to Thanksgiving, and she could see and understand both sides' perspective. Considering the scare Olinger had put her through for it, too, how could she not? Still, she hoped this wouldn't turn into another screaming fight just like the last time the three of them had been in this apartment together. "Here, this one just came out of the oven," she added, holding the cookie out to him. Isaac could feel the eager and hopefulness in Demi’s voice and it felt like a punch to the gut. Things hadn’t exactly been going well here and their cohabitating was back to being frosty at best. But instead of running away or going to the office like he normally did, so he could ignore just how much he actually missed Demi despite all their problems, he stepped further towards the kitchen and leaned against the small table they had against the wall. It was a small space -- one that had never meant to be the permanent home of two full grown adults -- so when he automatically reached out his hand to Nina for the cookie his arm easily reached. “Shit,” he hissed, the cookie warmer than he’d anticipated, despite the ‘fresh out of the oven’ warning he’d received. He tossed it awkwardly between his hands until it cooled, then gingerly took a bite. This whole vegan cookie business left him skeptical at best, but he was pleasantly surprised at the flavor. “Huh, never knew a toaster oven could bake cookies. They’re not bad.” Despite the logical voice in the back of her mind that kept trying to tell her not to get too excited, Demi couldn’t help that little spark of hope that ignited within her at the fact that Isaac was here in the kitchen with them. She knew he could have just as easily run off to his office, something he did more and more since things had become frosty between them again. Shoving that thought away, she instead focused on the little flicker of hope inside her chest that was joined by an amused smile as Isaac played hot potato with the cookie Nina gave him. With it came a pang of something, sadness maybe? Because if they were on better terms she could have made some teasing remark, enjoyed this moment for what it was, but instead she bit her tongue, afraid to say something wrong that might chase him off to his office. Instead she went with answering the bit about the toaster oven. “To be honest, neither did we,” Demi replied with a small laugh. “This was an experiment all around, and we were just about to use the patrolmen as guinea pigs before you appeared.” A part of her was relieved the cookies were decent and they hadn’t just subjected Isaac to something awful -- Demi wasn’t sure what kind of negative effect that would have had on their already strained relationship if they had been godawful. Nina wouldn't have mentioned the patrolmen in Isaac's presence, not wanting to bring up the touchy subject of Demi's house arrest or the fact that Isaac knew just how well Nina herself had kept in touch with her former client, but that was the difference between the two women. The mention went without much fanfare, though, to her great surprise, and she gave Isaac an approving look; so much had changed indeed since that time Isaac had 'disappeared' for the afternoon. "And I'm grateful that I didn't have to talk to them," she remarked lightly, reaching for cookies for herself and for Demi. And once she bit into hers, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Isaac was right: they weren't bad! It was obvious there weren't any eggs or dairy, of course, but it was tasty enough, warm from the toaster oven and rich with spices, for her to forget for a moment where and when she was. With all the riches the Capitol had to offer its denizens, when was the last time Nina had enjoyed the simplicity of a homemade cookie? "I'd like to thank whoever gave you this recipe," she joked to Demi. Isaac let the mention of the Patrolmen go because there wasn’t a point in being angry at his current lot in life. They were here to stay -- at least until Olinger decided otherwise -- and there wasn’t anything Isaac could do about it. He was mostly content at this feeling like “old times” when he, Demi and Nina would hang out together. This was just the new normal and he was learning to accept that. “It’s a Christmas miracle,” Isaac commented, and took another bite of cookie. |