Rᴏʙᴇʀᴛ Mᴏɴᴛᴀɢᴜᴇ Rᴇɴғɪᴇʟᴅ (insects) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-02-18 17:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, hank mccoy (beast), hannah washington |
Who: Hank McCoy & Hannah Washington
What: Geodes and mineral art! Cementing a friendship!
When: This weekend
Where: Nevada Mineral & Book Co.
Rating/Warnings: Nothing, unless nerdery offends you
Status: Complete
Hannah was in her own little heaven as she looked at the jewelry. It was possibly the most dangerous meeting place for her when she wanted to buy almost everything in the store. Still, it was somewhere that they both knew how to get to and they were both going to enjoy. At least if their conversation was anything to go by. The fossils were interesting as well. Really all of it was interesting. She felt particularly giddy, but she was doing her best to resist the urge to be entirely embarrassing. “These are so amazing,” she whispered. The excitement was obvious, but she felt that she hadn’t been overbearing about it. Hopefully if she was, however, Hank wouldn’t notice it. Turning to look at him, she offered a quick smile. “Do you also feel the intense urge to own everything in this place or is that just me?” A pause. “If it’s just me, just pretend I didn’t ask you that.” Hannah had no reason to feel like she was being overbearing or over anything when it came to the fascinating wonders of rocks and gemstones. The store was owned by a retired geologist and his wife, and if there was anyone that a fellow rockhound could talk to and share the love for all things mineral, it was certainly a retired geologist who still chose to blend both his career and interests into one. And it was always inspiring to see that - Hank felt similarly about science. He also loved geology specifically, and archeology - this shop had plenty of goods to whet the appetite of lovers of both. There was such a vast selection, prices on some stones mere dollars and then others creeping up toward the thousands. Books too, plenty of them stuffed onto shelves; he could spend literally hours here, and he had a feeling Hannah could too. “It’s not just you,” he chuckled kindly, pushing up his glasses. “You don’t have to be ashamed of loving geology, you know. Many people wish they could make a career out of what they love, or enjoy their careers that much.” Motioning toward where a young child had brought her bag of rocks in, and was showing them off to the owner, he added, “It’s also nice to see the encouragement of rock collecting as well.” She could have spent hours there and she probably would have if she didn’t have other things to do...like school and work. But for today, she could at least spend a little while there with someone else who understood what it was like to be excited about geology as well. “Thank something,” she said, a smile spreading across her lips. It was a relief to know that she wasn’t the only one. There weren’t really a large collection of people outside of her classes that got it. “I guess I’m just used to people smiling and nodding at me when I get excited about it outside of classes.” There was a slight shrug. “Josh gets me things all the time because he knows how much I like it. Him, Beth, and Sam are the best at understanding how I am with geology.” And tennis. She looked where he was motioning and smiled a little, too. “That’s so cute.” “Everyone has their own interests,” Hank lifted his shoulder in a casual shrug - he didn’t judge others for what made them happy, and it was important in life to have a couple things that brought you joy. Or that would be a very depressing existence. “To be fair, it is possible that you would nod and smile at their interests too - especially if it’s something that you’re unfamiliar with. But it’s nice to learn, isn’t it? To enrich the mind? At least I think so.” Especially for family and friends. It sounded like Hannah had good people around her who would encourage her to pursue her hobbies, and her goals too. “Are you looking for anything specific today?” he asked. “The mineral art is beautiful! It’s all limited edition too.” Possibly, he might purchase something. Even if he had little use for a jewelry box, but a marble vase perhaps? Even a fossil tabletop! What a conversation piece! Hannah considered that for a moment before allowing for a little nod. “You’re probably right. My brother likes acting and I’m almost sure I would hide in the corner or cry if I had to be in front of all those people.” Which she had to do when her parents had parties. Only then she mostly hid behind Josh and let him do all the talking...which was a little difficult when you weren’t super short. “But it is nice to learn new things.” Even if she was horrible at them. Like dancing. It was terrible. “I never come in with something particular in mind, which is the dangerous part. Because I always want everything.” She smiled a little. She wasn’t quite as easy with her parents’ money as Josh could be, though, so she never got anything she couldn’t afford. “I have so much jewelry, so maybe the mineral art would be a different choice.” Hank examined what looked like quartz and amethyst in a shadow box - framed, even - and it was quite striking, something unique. This place also had crystal art, in such bright colors and more modern, edgy designs - but what he was drawn to happened to be the photography, the canvas art and the prints. “These are beautiful, aren’t they?” he said about the detailed photos - the ones in both malachite (a vibrant green) and blue agate (such vivid cerulean!) caught his eyes; the slice into the rocks, and the way the photograph was so up close and caught all the ripples and changes in color fascinated him. “There are crystal grids too.” Apparently, there was a way to ‘grid’ with gemstones and crystals, to arrange them in a specific way, for a specific purpose. Had to do with energy and such. But the designs were nice. “Oh, and look at this! Hymenaea protera, Olidocene!” Or rather, a praying mantis in amber - he was just all over the place and excited, don’t mind him. Hannah shifted her attention from the rings and necklaces to the art that Hank was talking about. She looked over the shadow boxes, spotting crystal art that had swirling bits. She idly considered how it would look hanging in her window...or at least near it. She liked the way it looked. The photographs were definitely beautiful. She couldn’t help but lean in closer to get a better look at those. It was amazing to see how they formed, how the colors could run together and the patterns. How anyone found rocks boring was beyond her. She had never put much stock in crystal grids, but she knew a few people in her classes that did. She’d listened to them talk about them. It was an interesting idea, but she hadn’t really tried it out before. Perhaps she was overlooking something about it, but she didn’t feel the need to arrange them in specific patterns to make specific things happen. She had enough problems in her dreams, she didn’t need them outside of them, too. There was a small, amused laugh as he got excited about something, but she took her eyes off the photographs to look at it. “Should we make it into a fancy cane topper for you like the guy in Jurassic Park? Not that I think you need a cane or walking stick. That’s just what it made me think of.” “Oh, no, I don’t think I could pull off the money-grubbing Scottish entrepreneur look,” Hank quipped, and score a point, that was one cultural reference he actually got. Sometimes he was just so clueless about them, thanks to having his nose in a book all the time - or his whole body hunched over a microscope, but anyway. It also might not go with his home decor, this preserved preying mantis - but he was very interested in the photography. In fact, he had quite a bit of wall space to take up with something nice. “Now, I really think one of these photographs is meant for me though. What about you?” Written in the stars! Or maybe even it was all a part of the crystal grid’s cosmic plan. That drew out another laugh and Hannah had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle it. “Sorry. I just pictured it and it was very very funny.” The laughter didn’t pass right away and she had to take a few minutes to get herself under control. “It wasn’t actually as funny as my mind’s decided it was. Sorry.” She allowed herself to focus on the photographs again and nodded. “I think you should get some of those, definitely.” She looked around before her eyes caught on the swirling crystal art and she slid a little closer to it, smiling at it. She motioned to it. It was agate and she had a feeling it would look pretty great hanging up in her apartment. “This. I like it. It makes me think of water a little.” Well, he was ever-so-flattered that Hannah found him to be entertaining! Usually, ‘funny’ would not a word used to describe Hank McCoy. He had a sense of humor, but it was very nerdy - much like the rest of him. Mostly comprised of science puns. Bless him, he tried. “It does look like water a little, doesn’t it?” Hank admired the agate photography. “It also would draw people’s attention, should you have visitors. I believe I will purchase one too. This one is marbled quartz,” he swiped a finger in the air over where the display was, thoughtfully, “It looks like a storm of some kind. I like that.” Indeed, the gold in the piece looked like streaks of lightning. Very inspiring. And it wasn’t too expensive either, only about $60 for the print. He’d have to frame it, but that was no trouble. Hannah didn’t consider herself to be difficult to entertain and it was an amusing image. Bad puns, especially science ones, were perfectly acceptable to her. They couldn’t be any worse than anything else. “I don’t get a lot of visitors outside of my brother, but if anyone does come over, I’m sure they will be absolutely drawn in by it.” Her parents might stop by, though. Maybe. And Sam’s boyfriend. She wasn’t sure if there were a lot of other people coming over. “That one is good, too.” She leaned in a little closer to look at it. “You’ll definitely impress your guests, too.” She hoped that he had more than she did. “If not, I’ll come visit sometime and be impressed enough for everyone.” “Oh, of course, you certainly must come over!” Hank would insist on this. Hannah was his new friend (and he didn’t have a ton of old friends either, not like he was Mr. Popularity or anything) and he’d be delighted to host her at his place. He had a somewhat small, but cozy, craftsman-style house that was somewhat old but upgraded in terms of appliances and things like that (and, naturally, a space for a home laboratory and office slash research center); it maintained its historical charm, though. He liked that about the place. Deciding on which photograph he wanted, he selected the print - and was very pleased with it. No doubt it would look perfect in his living room, perhaps above the sofa or the mantel. “I don’t have guests often, but should you ever wish to join me for some rock painting, I have the space.” Did Hannah even know anyone else who would want to paint stones? Probably not. But it was exciting, wasn’t it? Erm. Hannah’s smile was quick to make its way across her face. She was definitely happy to hang out with Hank. She didn’t have a lot of friends outside of her small circle, so it was nice to make new friends. “I love rock painting! I made a glitter geode once. I share a rock child with this guy from the Valarnet. I have never seen someone so excited in my entire life, honestly.” She couldn’t help but find it very exciting as well. “I have pictures if you want to see. He’s an amethyst geode with pink glitter. It’s probably incredibly embarrassing, but I’m always down to paint rocks with you. In case you weren’t sure about that.” Way to be awkward. But she had a feeling that Hank would be okay with her brand of awkward since he hadn’t given her any weird looks. Hank was definitely not registering any of this as awkward. He was thrilled that Hannah was so excited, actually! “A rock-painting party it is,” he said grandly, and while he’d never had one before it’d be fun even with just the two of them. He could make all sorts of geology-themed snacks and drinks too, because leave it to him to come up with something like that. Cooking was something he enjoyed (he was just very precise about it), but cooking for guests? Even better. “Oh, yes, show me your rock child,” he encouraged. “That sounds like quite the arrangement!” “It’ll be great!” She thought about telling Josh, but then she re-thought that because the last time she’d told him about things like this, he embarrassingly made a post calling for them to talk to him. She really didn’t need to revisit that. Nope. Definitely not. Beaming, Hannah pulled out her phone to show Hank her rock child. “His name is Pierrick. Jehan named him. I figured he could be trusted to name our rock child and Pierrick is a very nice name.” She showed him the little purple bed that Jehan had gotten for Pierrick and the backyard with the fake trees, flowers, and various other plants. He even had a fake lake with fish in it. “He’s very spoiled, you see. His father is very excitable and he wanted to give him pretty much everything. He made him a little house.” It was basically the cutest thing she’d ever been a part of. Now that definitely erred on the side of ‘cute’ - leaped over the fences, really. Reminded Hank of the pet rock craze, back in the 70s. No mess, no fuss, no allergies - just simplicity. “He must be a lot more well-behaved than a human child,” the scientist joked, as he observed the photos. Pierrick even had a little bed, that was very sweet. “He looks comfortable. And is very lucky to have such doting parents.” How could people think this was strange? It was a hobby that brought a smile to Hannah’s face and the faces of others - and everyone needed something to keep them upbeat in these uncertain and often depressing times. “I might need a rock to care for myself, actually! You can help me pick out one now.” “That is one of his finer qualities,” she agreed, laughing a little. She’d never really spent a lot of time with younger kids outside of tennis lessons at a country club. Their parents were the more terrifying part of tennis lessons, though. It was easier to teach adults in that respect, which was why she was cautious about teaching too many kids how to play tennis there. Still, she didn’t mind kids in a general sense. Parents were just an uncomfortable part of the package. “It is my first time as a parent, but I like to think I’m doing a pretty good job. Jehan is a natural.” If there was something she’d been expecting, it wasn’t that, but she lit up at the idea. “Okay!” Photograph in hand, she made her way over to where an assortment of rocks and geodes were. “What sort of color are you looking for? Or type of rock?” “Hm - I think a septarian nodule would be nice. Like this one here,” Hank pointed out a sphere carved from a septarian nodule with rather nice yellow calcite and accents of brown aragonite. He liked the color scheme for some reason; it was warm and inviting, especially the brown. Difficult to believe that septarians were made millions of years ago by sediments forming around a fossil to create a ball of mud! Rocks. They were glorious, weren’t they? He turned toward Hannah, to get her opinion. “The information says it’s even from Madagascar.” Looking at it, Hannah felt herself smile. She still found herself amazed by the way that nature could find a way to make these things. One day, she was going to get one that formed in a bubble of lava that had cooled. She loved the idea of it. But all of them were brilliant and amazing in their own way. This one was definitely nice. “Yes. That’s what I say to this one. It’s a great choice and Madagascar is a very interesting place. I’ve never been, but one day I’m going to travel.” She had gone to other places, but not so much outside of the country. She wanted to, though. “Until then, this is about as close as I’m going to get. So definitely. You can say your rock child traveled all the way from Madagascar to find you. Or be found by you as is the case.” “A very inspiring story,” Hank grinned, and yes, it must have been meant to be with he and this rock child from Madagascar. “Very well, looks like I will be making multiple purchases today.” But that was fine with him - he was all for supporting this particular shop, it was one of a kind and a local business. He hoped it stay open for years to come. Picking out the septarian nodule, and also the print he wanted, he nodded toward the front counter where he would check out. “Thank you for coming with me today, Hannah! We could get a cup of coffee, perhaps, after heading out? I could go for a caffeine jolt.” When could he not, was the question. Dr. McCoy drank turbocharged coffee like it was water. If you were looking for someone to tell you not to buy something, Hannah was not the person to tell anyone that. She was resisting the urge to get multiple things herself. “It's worth it in the end. Rock children are the best children. Not that I have anything against non-rock children.” She walked with him to the counter, carrying her photograph with her. “You’re totally welcome! I’m glad you decided to come here with me.” There was a smile at his question. “I’d definitely be into getting coffee after we’ve purchased our things.” She’d probably get hot chocolate instead of coffee, but that wasn’t really the important part. She waited for him to pay for his things before paying for hers and making her way to the door. |