xp_logs | Kevin & Juanita | 6am-ish Tuesday

He decides to take her up on that offered escape route

Kevin had a strange day yesterday. In some ways it had helped relax him, in other ways it only knotted his tension tighter. Was it possible for skin to snap? That wasn't the first time he'd thought about that since evacuation and if he didn't get away from so many people it likely wouldn't be the last time either. Cooking helped, it gave him something else to concentrate on. By time Mrs. Espinosa popped up there was a growing stack of pancakes as well as an accumulating plate of scrambled eggs and an increasing mound of bacon.

"Mornin', ma'am," he greeted the woman when he turned and spied her over his shoulder. "Are you hungry at all? Ah think Ah've likely planned more than enough for everyone, including you." His accent once more seemed to have reverted to that near undetectable Georgia accent. It was funny how being out and out polite brought that out in him.

She smiled at him, then looked over his shoulder and blinked. "...I'd say you made enough to feed the whole mansion. Yes, I'll take my share - thank you."

"Ah don't know," he'd managed to sleep well enough and his good mood shown through his smile. "Have you seen how much Angel can eat? Or Jay and Julio for that matter? It's amazing the school can manage to feed everyone so they don't start chewin' on each other's legs." Well, now there was a mental image.

"Ah, they're all growing kids", she said fondly. "And Angel needs all the energy she can get, I think. It's a good thing they have cooks at the school."

"But which way are they growing?" With as much as everyone ran around the place obesity was never going to happen, though everyone turning into Violet from Willy Wonka was an amusing thought.

Kevin put together a plate for Mrs. Espinosa: three pancakes, three strips of bacon and a generous portion of eggs. He set the plate down in front of her with a small smile before rushing off to check the pancakes currently on the griddle.

"You're going to have some for yourself, aren't you?" she asked, looking up at the back of his head. "Before it goes cold?"

"Yes, ma'am. As soon as I finish this batch of pancakes. If you don't mind my joining you, that is." He managed to say the last over his shoulder, making eye contact long enough that he wasn't being rude before flipping the pancakes and then placing them each onto the growing pile when he'd decided they were done.

"Not at all - I was hoping you would, even. Eating alone is so dull. Not to mention rude when there's someone else in the room."

"Ah wouldn't dream of causing you such boredom or inflicting such rudeness, ma'am." After fixing himself a plate Kevin sat across from Mrs. Espinosa and gave her a small smile. "The eggs might be a little spicy," he warned her. They weren't really, but he'd put a little cayenne in them and some people were rather sensitive to spicy. Somehow he didn't think the Latina woman would have much trouble with the mild level of spice.

She smiled back, reassuringly. "I'm sure it'll be fine. If you like spicy food, I must return the favour some time." She liked to cook for people.

"Well, ma'am, Ah am from the South. Ah don't much reckon you can come out of any part of the South without appreciating a certain level of spicy." After a moment Kevin's expression turned more serious. "Ma'am? You know that offer you made me the other day?"
She looked up at him at that, between mouthfuls, noting the disappearance of his smile. "Yes, I remember. Have things got worse?"

He shook his head, quiet for a moment. "No, ma'am, not worse. Just...more. Put a little more on every day and eventually you find you can't carry as much as you thought, Ah suppose. Ah don't know if Ah can handle all the people anymore. And Yvette. Well, she's become rigid looking and spiky. She was softer looking when Ah met her, and her hair was in curls. Ah'm not sure she can get any spikier, but Ah could be proven wrong. To be honest, Ah'm a little more worried about her than me, but it's not much easier on me either." Kevin was never really worried about himself, though. He spent plenty of time in his black hole and chillin' with his gloom cloud, but it never made him worry for himself. Yvette he was worried about.

"I have noticed she isn't doing well", Juanita said quietly. "But I didn't like to press her if she wasn't ready to ask to leave. The offer still stands for both of you, of course."

He considered the point for a moment. "Ah'm not sure she'd say anything much on her own. It's not ideal, but she's a strong girl. Ah think she'll be happy to escape, though. Ah can nearly guarantee it, actually." Kevin gave her a small smile. "Ah appreciate the offer, ma'am, more than Ah can rightly express. Ah think it's maybe time to take you up on it, if that's alright with you."

She nodded, more than willing. "Then when you've spoken to Yvette, just come and find me and I'll drive you over. Or would you rather I asked her?"

"No, Ah'll speak to her, ma'am." Kevin was sure the prospect of escape would delight Yvette even more than finding out he'd wanted her to help him make a sculpture he intended for her to keep.

"Then just let me know when you'd ready to go. I'm sure Gail and Bart can spare me for the little time it'll take to get there and back."

"Yes, ma'am." He gave her a small nod and considered what a relief it would be to escape the oppression of so many bodies in one small space.