2013-02-03 Welcoming Gift

It's turning out to be another one of -those- days. Domino only recently rolled in from the city after tackling some slightly unpleasant business, passed through the medical wing to get some fresh injuries cleaned up, and now she's upstairs in the staff area, looking for a person or two in particular.
She's not having a lot of luck.
Hopefully timing isn't against her, though standing still and waiting around is the last thing on her mind. Keep moving, keep making progress. If not in this part of the building then there's sure to be something else for her somewhere else.
Not far away, the door into the main hallway opens and shuts quietly, admitting Jubilee. She's dressed in pajamas in an effort to avoid standing out in this place... as if her hair doesn't give her away! Carefully cradling a covered dish, she begins making her quiet, barefoot way down the hall. Hopefully Domino is...
She is! Even in this place, the mercenary stands out. "Hey," she calls in a whisper. She can't wave, not with this armload.
'Hey'..? That didn't sound like the voice of faculty. That sounded more like the voice of--
"Jubilee? Surprised to see you around, have trouble sleeping?" comes the quick inquiry while Domino shifts her trench around, making sure that none of her weapons managed to slip out of hiding in her earlier haste. The covered dish is noted, bringing a small look of amusement to an otherwise stressed face. "Never a bad time for a midnight snack, is it." She's never been very good with the younger audience, but heck. You've already accompanied her to a bar late one night. If that isn't common ground with this merc, nothing is!
"A little. But I was looking for you," Jubilee replies, a smile crossing her face. "Totally wanted to say hello when you first came, but things were so /busy/ then. But, better late than never, right?"
She offers the dish. "It's just a Home Ec project. A Jell-O parfait. But it turned out really well, for me." Most of Jubilee's cooking projects don't end well, unless the trash can actually has an appetite. Around here, who can tell?
Somehow, Dom's only more surprised to hear this piece of news. "Didn't realize I had left such a favorable impression with you." Usually things don't turn out quite so well with her and first encounters! "Been plenty busy though. Still working on that whole 'fitting in' thing." Hmm, a Jell-O parfait. Is that a valid thing to parfait-ize? "Sounds like an interesting project," she says with a small bit of awkwardness in her voice, taking the offered dish. Curiosity does get the better of her, she wants to take a look at this creation. Besides, it's hard to screw up gelatin mix. But..is it a gift, or a show and tell?
"You helped out Kwa. That was enough in my book," Jubilee replies, her smile awkward but sincere. And it's definitely a gift, as the dish holds not only the quivery, fruity goodness of peach Jell-O mixed with hand-cubed apples and cream, but a spoon, as becomes apparent when the teener lifts off the cover. "I know it's not much of a housewarming gift, but me and cooking..." This is just as easy for Jubilee as for Domino. The merc's intimidating, if less when she's not trying to be. Worse, she's cool. And you don't have to try for that.
Here's a concept which is almost completely foreign to Domino. She's already allowed to stay on these grounds. Use their facilities, consume their resources. Now she's being given a gift on top of that? Her warped mind initially reads that as 'thank you for being a burdeon,' which is a difficult thought to eradicate from her mind. "Hey..thanks, Jubes," she offers while reaching out to muss up your hair some. "Kitchen skills or not, you're the only one that went out of their way to do this."
As for the other matter, she says "Kwa's a good guy. We've helped each other out a couple of times. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here." The twisted part is, if it hadn't been for her then -he- might not have wound up here. It's just the sort of messed up logic one should come to expect.
Jubilee ducks, stifling giggles. Not that ducking ever helps much. "Hey, if it hadn't been for you, /he/ wouldn't be here," she replies, her logic matching Domino's on this. "You stuck by him when I couldn't. I guess this is just my way of saying thank you."
She blinks at the thought. "Huh? Wait... I'm the only person who's tried to make you welcome? Wow... our hospitality kinda sucks, huh?" Frowneyface!
Whoopsie. "I meant as far as ..you know. Going the extra mile," Dom clarifies with a lopsided grin while holding the Jell-O creation up a little higher. "Folks have been plenty welcoming." Much more than she feels that she's deserving, but she doesn't say that part. "Been getting settled a little here and there. Bobby's a fun rascal, I owe him a drive out in the country later. Kurt's a talented little fuzzball, we shared some techniques." Heck, they had an all-out piratefest fencing match in the Danger Room just the other day.
Hmm. She's hungry. And she's holding a bowl of what -looks- to be completely edible content, complete with a spoon. Alright, she'll have some faith in you. It's not like it's going to be burnt, right?
"Oh! Well, that does make me feel a little better." Jubes takes a step back, so as not to crowd the merc while she's eating. Actually, it /is/ completely edible. Pretty good, too, for gelatin mix, cream, and cubed apples. "Bobby and Kurt are fun. Makes me wish I could hang out with them more often, but there's the whole student-faculty gap thing."
Testing, testing... Hmm! It's simple, comfort food. It's also just the sort of thing that agrees with Domino tonight. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Jubes. Sometimes the simple solutions are the best, this is quite good.
Waggling the end of the spoon in the air for a moment, she offers "I'll see if I can't pull you along when Bobby and I have our drive." She stops for a second then looks directly at you, asking "You're not a nervous passenger, are you?"
"You would? Cool!" Jubilee perks up immediately. Of course, the question draws more giggles. "I'd better not be! I don't have a license yet. And for some reason nobody wants to be with me when I practice." Sam's story about her wheelmanship in the school's Camaro ZL454 probably has something to do with that...
Your comment gets a dismissive spoon-wave from the white-skinned woman, "That's the same thing everyone says with new drivers. How close are you to getting a license?" It's not like she doesn't go through cars fast enough, the average lifespan for her vehicles is about one month.
..Hmm. Kurt had mentioned something before about finding a natural place where Domino would fit in around here. 'Driving instructor' might not be very glamorous, but it's something which she does know well.
"Well, I have a learner's permit... it's actually extended from my California permit, 'cuz I wasn't old enough to try for a license when I left," Jubilee replies, explaining. "So I guess I'm not that far off."
Huh. "You're from California?" Dom asks, genuinely curious. "I've been out that way a couple of times." Once quite recently. It made the news. Big, smoking crater. Hopefully you missed that news story.
Once more the weight of that bowl in her hands serves as a reminder. You went out of your comfort zone to help her feel welcomed around here. Surely she could find some time for a drive? "How about we take a drive of our own one of these days? Maybe I can give you a few pointers." If you ever need to learn how to drift five thousand pounds of sedan or execute a J-hook, she's got your back.
"Originally," Jubes replies with a smile. "Kinda miss it sometimes." She did miss that story, which is probably a good thing. "And you'd do that? Let me drive with you? Cool, totally! What's a good day for you? I've got most afternoons free, after school..." Whatever the rest might be is lost in a torrent of excited, heavily accented Valleyspeak.
"I hear ya, different sort of place compared to New York. That might be a bit far for our trip, but sure. I'd do that," Domino finally commits with a light smile. "I've still got some business to take care of but we can connect sometime soon. I know where to find you." Now all she needs is to take the guns, explosives and alcohol out of the trunk, re-enable the traction control and stability management, and find herself a Valleyspeak to English dictionary. Simple!
"Road trip? Cool!" Obviously, she can't hug Domino while she's holding that plate, but Jubilee smiles brightly enough that it shouldn't matter. "And you do. I'd get you my cell number, but I don't carry my phone in my PJs," she says, playfully patting down her pocket-free attire demonstratively. She even pulls up her top and tugs down her bottom, turning them inside-out to show that they're free of even the iPod pocket so many garments have on the inside nowadays. "Maybe I need a neck strap for it..."
Alright, this got slightly uncomfortable again. Domino quickly holds up her mostly free hand, "Don't worry about it. It's good to give yourself some space from that stuff once in a while, anyway. You're already living in the same building where I'm spending more of my time around. I will find you. Tracking people is just another one of my talents," she says in a half-teasing manner. Hopefully the -other- half doesn't come across as threatening. "Here, I can be around tomorrow afternoon. I know when classes get out. Check for a black car parked out front, alright? We'll take it from there."
Jubilee gets herself together, seeing that uncomfy look on Domino's face. "Sorry. But you can. And if you don't, I can find you," she replies confidently. "Tomorrow afternoon, black car out front. Got it. And thank you!"
Dom's smirk returns, along with a playful salute of the spoon against her forehead. "Dress comfortably, you don't want your duds getting in the way of your movement." Hopefully she didn't just sign her own death warrant. But..hey! Luck! She should be up for this. Crazy jobs are her specialty. "Go get some rest, and try not to hit the caffeine too hard tomorrow."
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