You don't have to go home (Closed)

[Barbara Robinson]

Barbara nodded as Abe explained that he had been running his restaurant for just over half a decade. "Oh, okay, so not that far apart," she replied. "We opened up shop just over five years ago," she added with a second nod. Of course, by 'we' she meant 'her.' She wasn't typically a nosey person and wouldn't inquire as to what the man had done before then, just as she wouldn't particularly want to delve into her own life story. But given their common occupation, she figured it was an interesting fact to know.

The woman laughed as Vincent asked for her favorite flavor. "Flavor of favor, eh?" She asked as she waddled over to the part of the counter where all of the flavors could be seen. "Well, regrettably they've yet to make a 'one scoop of everything' flavor," she started with another laugh, "but this flavor I made here is pretty good." She got out two small dishes, dunking the ice cream scoop in warm water before starting to scoop out a few scoops for each gentleman. "So, this place I used to go to as a kid had a really good m&m ice cream. Just vanilla ice cream with m&m's mixed in, I think," she explained as she continued scooping. "I wanted to make my own version of that, but instead of vanilla I used sweet cream ice cream, and what I do is I let the ice cream melt a little, so when you stir in the m&m's, some of the candy coating stains the ice cream. So it's kinda pretty, ya know?"

Having scooped the ice cream, she brought it over to the men and placed the two dishes in front of them before reaching for some spoons and napkins. "Normally it's rainbow - like all the colors - but since it's around the holidays, I decided to make it with just the green and red ones." Gesturing down to the dishes with a pudgy pointer finger, she showed how the white ice cream had both red and green streaks running through, with plenty of m&m's mixed in. She leaned against the countertop again, a proud smile evident on her features. "I think you'll like it. It's like, it's nice and sweet, but it's not like one of those over-the-top things like Ben & Jerry's, ya know? Just a classic type o' thing." It was, in fact, her personal favorite, since she was proud of the process and how it looked when it was complete.

[Vincent Meian]

Listening to the two of them talk about their businesses was in a way fascinating for the trainer. He'd never thought about opening a shop of any sort, even though he loved cooking as much as he did. He didn't have a head for numbers, and his prickly and free-roaming personality as a teen would have made it an ill fit. Even now, he enjoyed training students more than any other career, but it was still a tempting thought to cook for others regularly. He'd already taught Ari a number of recipes... maybe he'd start bringing in more foods for the Hammel faculty as well.


His attention returned by the question, Vincent thought it over for a moment before answering. "It is difficult to raise children in the city," he replied, taking another sip of his coffee before continuing. "My daughters needed room to be their own people, and I wanted to find somewhere less obtrusive. Considering my options for transfer, the Hammel Institute has proven to be the best option."


Indeed. Despite the occasional hurdles and trips, Hammel was the best choice he'd made in a long time. The small town was calm and his children were free to pursue any dream they wished here without much scrutiny. They had time together as a family, and both he and Nik could do what they loved. It was all he could ask for, really.


The Asian man watched with polite curiosity as Barb bustled around the ice cream cooler, nodding along with her words every so often. His face brightened slightly as well when she mentioned that her main ingredient was sweet cream rather than vanilla - it'd always been his favorite flavor as a child, considering that ice cream tended to be one of the many things he enjoyed more than his countrymen at the time. The addition of the colorful candies also seemed a delightful choice, as she had been correct; the red and green definitely added to the holiday spirit surrounding the mall at this time of year.


"Traditional tastes are often the best," he agreed, accepting the spoon and napkin graciously. "Thank you." Without much pause, he took a small bite of the cool dessert. Almost immediately, a content smile spread over his face. Smooth, not too rich, and with a slight taste of chocolate from the M&Ms. "This is delicious, Barb," he complimented, looking to the woman in gratitude. "Thank you very much."

[Abe Milton]

((Sorrryyy.>>))

Abe nodded. Just as she hadn’t asked about his previous career, he didn’t ask about the “we.” As a widower and someone who had seen a lot of business partnerships fall apart either romantically or strictly professionally (and sometimes in extremely messy ways), he knew better than to ask. And if she had created it only on her own, then it wasn’t something to ask about. Definitely not. He hoped they weren’t boring the other companion of the group with their discussions. He nodded to Vincent’s response to his question. “My wife and I never had children,” he said, then smiled. “I admire your devotion to your children’s wellbeing. Daughters? How many?” His twin had daughters. They were fairly young. He bought them lots of pink things for their birthdays. And there was a boy, too. He always wanted to know about the gun fight that had shattered Abe’s knee, but Abe had been forbidden to talk about that story.

He watched curiously as Barbara put the mixture together, chin propped up on his folded fist as he watched her. Typically, this wasn’t included in his diet, although Abe himself was not a vegetarian. It didn’t seem to be against Kosher rules, though—no meat was included with this dairy, so he thought he was safe in that regard—so he thought he could give it a shot. In truth, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had old-fashioned ice cream—not sorbet or sherbet or anything along those lines, just ice cream.

“It looks delicious,” he said sincerely, taking it and, after Vincent had taken a look and a bite, doing the same. Force of habit to wait for other people to eat first. He was always looking to gauge reactions. Part cook, part FBI there. It was good, although he noticed the candies hardened if he left them in too long. Huh. Still, delicious, and he took another slow bite, enjoying the flavor. “I take it you aren’t a fan of Mr. Ben and Jerry’s, then?” he smiled. His wife had used to love it. Even though she’d been put on a largely vegan diet, she’d always asked him to buy some for her when the treatments were particularly bad.

[Barbara Robinson]

Children. The idea was entirely foreign to Barbara, who wasn't interested in marriage much less starting a family. She was busy with her business, she figured - or, rather, she rationalized - so what use or need did she have for any of those things? She didn't contribute to that part of the conversation, though, not wanting to be disagreeable, instead watching the two men try her ice cream. Her lips spread as both men complimented the treat.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," she replied, nodding her head as she shifted her wait from one large hip to the other. At Abe's question, she had to laugh. "Well, what gal doesn't like Ben and Jerry's?" She asked with a bright smile. "I mean, it's good sometimes, but other times ya just have to go back to the classics, ya know? Just plain ol' good ice cream." Which was starting to look better and better: she would consider having some herself, but if she ate too much sugar now she would never fall asleep.

((Sorry this is super short; feeling kind of museless!))

[Vincent Meian]

"Two," the trainer answered. "My oldest is sixteen, and my younger will be turning twelve in two weeks." He and Nakia had their children fairly young, but that hadn't changed his affection for them at all. He loved his girls more than anything in the world, and if moving to Hammel hadn't been what he thought was best for them, he never would have done it. "There were other reasons for coming here as well, but their well-being was foremost in the decision."

Chuckling at the conversation between the two, Vincent shook his head as he swallowed another bite. He couldn't be much help in that respect either - he liked ice cream simply because it was what it was. Almost any flavor would work well for him, let alone a brand - even for a Japanese person, the ex-soldier had some pretty eclectic tastes. A pickled plum sorbet experiment came to mind most easily, but there were other such things that were just as strange in his culinary concoctions.

[Abe Milton]

Sometimes, Abe wished that he had managed to have kids with his wife. He kind of waffled on the idea. He doubted he would’ve made much of a father. He was cold and cool at times, impatient at others, and not very flexible. Those were hardly the traits that made a good father. And by the time either of them had thought about it…well, it had been far too late. But that was a very old hurt—the kind that only twinged when the weather got bad. He took another sample of the ice cream thoughtfully, half-listening to the conversation. He had to laugh at her statement, then nodded. “I’ve always been a man for the plain types, myself. But congrats on the children, Vincent. I hope they’re doing well, and I hope they like it here. Hammel was a good school in my day, and I hope things are going well in yours.”

He took another bite, then leaned forward. “So what made you decide to open this shop, then? And Vincent, what made you, uh, drop by?” Keep the conversation going until he finished the ice cream, and then relax.