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xp_logsBackdated a great deal to Friday, January 28th 2022
Jubilee meets Marie-Ange returning with food to the Snow Valley offices. They discuss a range of things while making tea
Marie-Ange had barely reached the front door of the office before it was being opened on the beaming face of one Jubilation Lee, full of good spirit and what could only be called a voracious appetite for finger food, or whatever food Marie-Ange happened to be holding at the time.
“Whatd’ya get?” Jubilee asked as she held out her hands to help with the bags. “Anything hot?”
"Oh thank God." Marie-Ange had bags dangling off carabiners, and two more clutched in her mittened hands. "I have slush in my hair, please take one of these, I got you the fancy garlic ramen, thank you for the carabiners they saved my hands." She handed off a few of the bags, and then pulled her mittens off with her teeth, and then her hat, shoving both into a pocket. "I got a little of everything that can be reheated in a microwave, and there is a box of leftover garlic bread still hot, and two cups of chili."
“There’s towels in the kitchen, come on, we can put all this stuff down there and you can dry off a bit.
Jubilee juggled a few of the bags to get a better grip and then led the way from the entrance back toward the kitchen, humming happily to herself over the idea of both garlic ramen and chili. She’d possibly have to fight Doug for some of it but she figured she’d just offer to cover one of the night shifts with the backups and upgrades.
“A lot of people out and about?”
"Not as many as I had feared. A few delivery drivers, some people trying to get home before things get really terrible." Marie-Ange said, following Jubilee to the kitchen. "Mostly it is slushy and wet and windy. I think the slush in my hair is now ice." The hat had only done so much. "Would you mind terribly making me a cuppa while I get all the snow gear off?" She knew Jubilee - no sense of modesty, very little shame, and while the firecracker ran on energy drinks, somehow she also had an encyclopedic knowledge of everyone's drink preferences. So before waiting for an answer, Marie-Ange had her coat off and was kicking her snow pants down off her thermal leggings.
Jubilee let out a soft wolf whistle but moved to start the water boiling. Topaz and Amanda had been adamant over the whole ‘you boil water in a kettle’ and brought the office kettle on day one of their move-in. She’d felt it too much effort to argue the superiority of simply microwaving water. Why anyone would want to spend extra time over hot water, she had no idea but then she wasn't English.
“You want standard milky stuff, or want me to do fancy green tea?”
"I want whatever is hot and quick, as long as it is not ..." Marie-Ange started to say. "As cold as I am, I will even take Amanda's horrible death tea. I want hot. You could make me a cup of instant soup and I would probably not even notice." She pulled a borrowed flannel shirt off over her head and then tugged her own shirt back down before grabbing up the towel Jubilee was already waving around. "Merci. You are a bounty of useful items today."
“Did you manage to get anything Soup shaped?”
Jubilee could totally go for several gallons of hot and sour soup right now, or dim sum, or oooh, all of it together. She went about the ritual of making tea, pulling out two mugs since she might as well make herself one as well.
"Probably, Kevin just asked them to put all the leftovers in containers." Marie-Ange's voice was muffled under the towel as she dried her hair. "I know there is chili, if there is also not soup, you and Doug get to fight over the garlic ramen and you can poach an egg in a teacup and add that." She pulled the towel off her hair and began braiding it into a messy french braid while the kettle steamed. "I know you keep chili crunch in your desk, trade with Artie to get an egg or see if Amanda has any scrying eggs in the fridge."
“Ooh, you mean we could do magical poaching? I wonder if it makes sparkles when you crack it in the cup.” Jubilee’s step had rather a lot of pep in it as she wandered over to the fridge. She didn’t comment on the ‘fight over the chili’. She would totally win, given that she always cheated outrageously in any friendly fight over foodstuffs.
"I do not think they are magical when they are in the kitchen. Just when they are in Amanda's office." Marie-Ange said. "Change of subject while you put away the snacks, how are you doing with the increased responsibility?" She paused. "Actually, let me re-phrase. Are you comfortable, do you feel confident? Do you have anything you would like assistance with?"
“Well that’s sad, glittery eggs would be cool,” Jubilee noted with a small frown at Marie-Ange’s other question. “It’s been going well so far. My comfort level is so-so, and I need to work on my leadership style. Mostly I need to find a better focus, it’s harder narrowing things down when we’ve always been a ‘do a little of everything’ squad”
"We still are. Just because we have you directing intelligence does not mean you should ignore the rest of your skills. We all still do everything." Marie-Ange unwound her hair from the towel. "I hate that I am repeating this because Kevin had to be crass about it, but we all fuck." The profanity sounded awkward in Marie-Ange's light accent. "Ask for help, we are not sending you on anything Kevin and I think you cannot handle."
“Oh, logically I’m all about the ‘they aren’t gonna do stuff I can’t handle’ but like, I’m also a perfectionist with gifted child syndrome who wants the shiny medal at the end. If I’m not the one impressing the pants off both of you, am I even trying?”
Jubilee spooned several tablespoons worth of tea into a small two-person pot, another present for the office from one of the ‘tea’ people who felt bagged tea was an affront to all good tea.
“But I’m managing. Doug’s been helping me with a few regional accents I’ve been having some issues with but give it a few more months and I’ll be able to hit the streets of Singapore without turning any heads. At least for long enough to run people anyway. I’ve been feeling our new contacts out with Kevin’s help.”
"Well, not for your accent at least. I know what cover you use there, and it is drunk tourist who forgets how buttons work on her shirt." Marie-Ange said, playfully. She pulled her hair into a damp braid and then accepted the mug of tea that Jubilee had just finished pouring. "Good. You know you do not have to, what is the phrase, be the pick me? Or is it the trying too hard?" She huffed, annoyed at her own language skills. "You do not have to try too hard to impress us. No one in this office gets anything they cannot handle."
"I know," Jubilee replied, picking up her own cup and shooing Marie-Ange out of the kitchen and back toward where the others had holed up. "I don't really have a 'do things calmly' switch though, you know? Like, I'm trying but it's hard not to want to be James Bond."
"Remember, James Bond, throws up from trauma in nearly every one of those books and irrationally hates people from Brussels." Marie-Ange picked up her phone and tapped out a few items. "There, have most of the series and Kevin's commentary. At least that way you have the reminder."
Jubilee meets Marie-Ange returning with food to the Snow Valley offices. They discuss a range of things while making tea
Marie-Ange had barely reached the front door of the office before it was being opened on the beaming face of one Jubilation Lee, full of good spirit and what could only be called a voracious appetite for finger food, or whatever food Marie-Ange happened to be holding at the time.
“Whatd’ya get?” Jubilee asked as she held out her hands to help with the bags. “Anything hot?”
"Oh thank God." Marie-Ange had bags dangling off carabiners, and two more clutched in her mittened hands. "I have slush in my hair, please take one of these, I got you the fancy garlic ramen, thank you for the carabiners they saved my hands." She handed off a few of the bags, and then pulled her mittens off with her teeth, and then her hat, shoving both into a pocket. "I got a little of everything that can be reheated in a microwave, and there is a box of leftover garlic bread still hot, and two cups of chili."
“There’s towels in the kitchen, come on, we can put all this stuff down there and you can dry off a bit.
Jubilee juggled a few of the bags to get a better grip and then led the way from the entrance back toward the kitchen, humming happily to herself over the idea of both garlic ramen and chili. She’d possibly have to fight Doug for some of it but she figured she’d just offer to cover one of the night shifts with the backups and upgrades.
“A lot of people out and about?”
"Not as many as I had feared. A few delivery drivers, some people trying to get home before things get really terrible." Marie-Ange said, following Jubilee to the kitchen. "Mostly it is slushy and wet and windy. I think the slush in my hair is now ice." The hat had only done so much. "Would you mind terribly making me a cuppa while I get all the snow gear off?" She knew Jubilee - no sense of modesty, very little shame, and while the firecracker ran on energy drinks, somehow she also had an encyclopedic knowledge of everyone's drink preferences. So before waiting for an answer, Marie-Ange had her coat off and was kicking her snow pants down off her thermal leggings.
Jubilee let out a soft wolf whistle but moved to start the water boiling. Topaz and Amanda had been adamant over the whole ‘you boil water in a kettle’ and brought the office kettle on day one of their move-in. She’d felt it too much effort to argue the superiority of simply microwaving water. Why anyone would want to spend extra time over hot water, she had no idea but then she wasn't English.
“You want standard milky stuff, or want me to do fancy green tea?”
"I want whatever is hot and quick, as long as it is not ..." Marie-Ange started to say. "As cold as I am, I will even take Amanda's horrible death tea. I want hot. You could make me a cup of instant soup and I would probably not even notice." She pulled a borrowed flannel shirt off over her head and then tugged her own shirt back down before grabbing up the towel Jubilee was already waving around. "Merci. You are a bounty of useful items today."
“Did you manage to get anything Soup shaped?”
Jubilee could totally go for several gallons of hot and sour soup right now, or dim sum, or oooh, all of it together. She went about the ritual of making tea, pulling out two mugs since she might as well make herself one as well.
"Probably, Kevin just asked them to put all the leftovers in containers." Marie-Ange's voice was muffled under the towel as she dried her hair. "I know there is chili, if there is also not soup, you and Doug get to fight over the garlic ramen and you can poach an egg in a teacup and add that." She pulled the towel off her hair and began braiding it into a messy french braid while the kettle steamed. "I know you keep chili crunch in your desk, trade with Artie to get an egg or see if Amanda has any scrying eggs in the fridge."
“Ooh, you mean we could do magical poaching? I wonder if it makes sparkles when you crack it in the cup.” Jubilee’s step had rather a lot of pep in it as she wandered over to the fridge. She didn’t comment on the ‘fight over the chili’. She would totally win, given that she always cheated outrageously in any friendly fight over foodstuffs.
"I do not think they are magical when they are in the kitchen. Just when they are in Amanda's office." Marie-Ange said. "Change of subject while you put away the snacks, how are you doing with the increased responsibility?" She paused. "Actually, let me re-phrase. Are you comfortable, do you feel confident? Do you have anything you would like assistance with?"
“Well that’s sad, glittery eggs would be cool,” Jubilee noted with a small frown at Marie-Ange’s other question. “It’s been going well so far. My comfort level is so-so, and I need to work on my leadership style. Mostly I need to find a better focus, it’s harder narrowing things down when we’ve always been a ‘do a little of everything’ squad”
"We still are. Just because we have you directing intelligence does not mean you should ignore the rest of your skills. We all still do everything." Marie-Ange unwound her hair from the towel. "I hate that I am repeating this because Kevin had to be crass about it, but we all fuck." The profanity sounded awkward in Marie-Ange's light accent. "Ask for help, we are not sending you on anything Kevin and I think you cannot handle."
“Oh, logically I’m all about the ‘they aren’t gonna do stuff I can’t handle’ but like, I’m also a perfectionist with gifted child syndrome who wants the shiny medal at the end. If I’m not the one impressing the pants off both of you, am I even trying?”
Jubilee spooned several tablespoons worth of tea into a small two-person pot, another present for the office from one of the ‘tea’ people who felt bagged tea was an affront to all good tea.
“But I’m managing. Doug’s been helping me with a few regional accents I’ve been having some issues with but give it a few more months and I’ll be able to hit the streets of Singapore without turning any heads. At least for long enough to run people anyway. I’ve been feeling our new contacts out with Kevin’s help.”
"Well, not for your accent at least. I know what cover you use there, and it is drunk tourist who forgets how buttons work on her shirt." Marie-Ange said, playfully. She pulled her hair into a damp braid and then accepted the mug of tea that Jubilee had just finished pouring. "Good. You know you do not have to, what is the phrase, be the pick me? Or is it the trying too hard?" She huffed, annoyed at her own language skills. "You do not have to try too hard to impress us. No one in this office gets anything they cannot handle."
"I know," Jubilee replied, picking up her own cup and shooing Marie-Ange out of the kitchen and back toward where the others had holed up. "I don't really have a 'do things calmly' switch though, you know? Like, I'm trying but it's hard not to want to be James Bond."
"Remember, James Bond, throws up from trauma in nearly every one of those books and irrationally hates people from Brussels." Marie-Ange picked up her phone and tapped out a few items. "There, have most of the series and Kevin's commentary. At least that way you have the reminder."
