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Post by JAIME LEE on Oct 22, 2013 17:21:32 GMT -8
"I'll have the pasta carbonara with extra bacon. Could we also both have some iced water? Thanks." She shot the waitress a winning smile and then returned her attention to Mikhail, who wasn't so skittish anymore but anyone could see the cautiousness as he looked around. Even though she was trying to make him as comfortable as possible, she wasn't one to appreciate silence for long.
"So." She hedged, "how are you finding LA?"
She can only imagine the culture shock and the change in weather would be more than a little jarring from someone living previously across the world. She wondered which part of Russia was he from. Jaime had only visited Moscow once when she was a young child, only remember the great square and the cold with adults wearing fur lined coats and hats. And she hoped he had a car because it was a great pain getting around without a vehicle because public transport was practically nonexistent.
What was a guy like Mikhail, who looked like he would belong and wanted to be in a university library or an archive doing here in sunny Los Angeles? |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Oct 23, 2013 14:12:25 GMT -8
tagged: name. time: date & time. notes: notes. Mikhail could have handled silence forever. He could go for days without speaking to another person. The fact that he was sharing a table with someone didn't change that fact, but it did change how likely someone was to break the silence on him, as Jaime had. She asked a particularly odd question, and Mikhail was forced to pause, thinking it over slowly as he considered. It wasn't an easy question. Most would no doubt say 'it's lovely' and get it over with, but Mikhail instead paused, thinking it out before finally responding.
"Too hot." Terribly, horribly hot. That was the first impression he got every single time he stepped outside, and he doubted that impression would go away anytime soon. "It's far busier then where I lived in Russia. More people. I am... not used to having so many people around." Which was the understatement of the century. A single office building in LA had more people than the Impedio Society Antarctic Base had in a year. There were just so many people. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to having so many people around. |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Oct 26, 2013 4:50:46 GMT -8
"Not the best climate for books to be in." She quirked a smile at Mikhail as he revealed that he wasn't the biggest fan of crowds. Jaime nodded, agreeing that Los Angeles did get too hot once in a while and the traffic was sometimes a bitch if you were unfortunate enough to be caught in one. Too many damn cars. He reiterated the fact that he came from Russia but she also noted that he never really did say where exactly in Russia, the country was huge and there had to be a city, right? If she had to guess, maybe Siberia? Somewhere in the tundra? But she wasn't a geography expert.
"It must be a huge change. Culturally as well." Somehow, Russians did not struck her as particularly friendly like Americans generally were. But then she could be assuming, although Mikhail was not so much cold as he was painfully shy. The food arrived quickly and she smiled her thanks at the cute waitress who served them their plates.
"Prijatnovo appetita?" She had a couple of Russian friends back in undergrad and plus hello, goodbye, how are you and vodka, that was the extent of her Russian. Jaime shot Mikhail a grin, "I hope I didn't butcher that."
The carbonara was quite fantastic, thank you. |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Oct 26, 2013 16:48:34 GMT -8
tagged: name. time: date & time. notes: notes. No, not the best climate at all. He had to put effort into storing his books properly, although he'd done so with a lot less trouble then most people. After all, the impedio society had substantial vaults, and no one was going to raise an eyebrow about a box of old books in a corner. It was pretty much par for the course, and Mikhail wasn't even entirely sure if it was against the rules. Probably it was an understandable grey area that everyone would simply overlook.
He nodded to her question. "My parents were communists. So am I, technically, although I was never much of a believer, even in my younger years." It was a slight exaggeration, considering he had never even been to Russia, but his parents had been, and they remembered what it had been like. Even if the members of the society were supposed to shrug off any and all connections to the countries they were born in, such a thing was easier said then done. It was easy to say you didn't feel anything, but in practice you felt it anyway.
Her Russian wasn't far off, and he gave a small nod. "Priyatnogo appetita." He corrected her pronunciation as the waitress arrived, setting down the plates. He straightened up, eyeing the meal and giving it an appreciative nod. "You chose well. Or I suppose it looks good. But I imagine it looks as good as it tastes." |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Oct 26, 2013 19:16:45 GMT -8
She had no idea that he was part of a secret society who hunted people with manifested elemental powers. In fact, she wouldn't have believed him if he had told him but that wasn't going to happen. So it was safe to say that Jaime was sufficiently out of the loop. Oh? Communists? She perked up in interest, that was definitely a cultural difference right there. The Americans had persecuted the Communists, essentially used the Red Scare to strike out political and business opponents. It wasn't a wonder some nations and cultures thought them capital pigs, the capitalism was strong in her country. She wondered if he had been around to see the fall of the Communist Soviet Union, to hear the radio announcement by which Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned, declaring his office extinct, and handed over the Soviet nuclear missile launching codes to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. That would have been an epic historical event to have witnessed.
Jaime nodded as he corrected her Russian, and she grinned again, hearing that she wasn't far off. "Well, I can't cook," she offered when he talked about his plate, "but I sure know where to eat because I'd be dead if I had tried to explore my own kitchen. I'm lucky that Los Angeles has quite a lot to offer in terms of food choices and quality. You just need to have transport. Speaking of which, you do have a means to get around, right?"
For his sake, she hope he did. She then twisted some strands of pasta with her fork and took a bite, enjoying the amalgamation of flavours on her tongue. |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Oct 26, 2013 19:24:23 GMT -8
tagged: name. time: date & time. notes: notes. Means of transport? Yes, he did. Probably not the means of transport she was thinking of, but he had a bike. Not even a motorcycle, but an honest to goodness peddle bike. He didn't dare risk a car, and he'd forced himself to learn to bike just to get around. At least he wasn't far from the society headquarters.
"I bike. Or take public transit. Cars are... expensive to have in the city." They were inefficient, he had no place to park, and that was ignoring the simple price of gas. It simply wasn't a very intelligent move to have a car when you had Mikhail's needs. He never left the city, was never in a huge rush, and could afford to spend some time biking to work each morning.
"City driving is not for me." Nor was any driving, in his opinion. "Do you have a car then?"
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Post by JAIME LEE on Oct 28, 2013 8:59:16 GMT -8
"Oh wow, you're a brave soul. Public transport in LA is not the most punctual or the safest." It was also rather constricting to one's schedule if they had to rely on public transport. No going anywhere without being driven around after midnight. Did Mikhail have friends around? Jaime had to give it to him as a newbie to the city, perhaps he wasn't as timid as he came across. Looks can be deceiving. And well, the cost of a car was relative; if you needed it often, then it wasn't expensive. Though there were already too many cars on the road as it is. Mikhail could use some sunshine on his bike if that was his preferred mode of transport.
"Biking's great though. Environmentally friendly. I bet your carbon footprints are a greenie's dream." She shot him a cheek grin after she took a sip of her ice cold water.
"Nah, I don't really like cars that much. I've got a motorbike, she'd served me well for the last few years. Weaving through traffic is fun enough and it doesn't take as long as if I drove a car from place to place. Maybe when you're ready to venture out further, you might want to think about investing in one?" |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Oct 28, 2013 18:48:29 GMT -8
A brave soul? Mikhail was fairly sure he wasn't, but then his experience with public transit was generally minimal. If it was nearby, he rode his bike. If he had to carry stuff to work, he took public transit. He wasn't the sort of person who was going to rush through things, or absolutely need to get anywhere. He could take his own sweet time. Even work wasn't terribly strict on the times. As long as he showed up at roughly the right time, no one was going to care if he was a few minutes early or late. He didn't have anyone waiting for him at home either, save for his cat, which meant that he really could just come and go as he pleased.
As for his carbon footprint... well, he'd never given a thought to it. He had a vague idea that some people in America put a lot of stock into that, and he'd grown up close to a lot of global warming research, so he could understand why. Even so, he wasn't personally. The choice to ride a bike had everything to do with wanting to be in the sun, and trying to restore some of the musculature that he'd lost.
"I don't really pay much attention to such things." As for motorbikes... "I'll consider it, but I can't really imagine myself riding one." Nevermind weaving through traffic. He was uncomfortable enough around traffic as it was, having grown up in a place with no traffic at all.
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Post by JAIME LEE on Nov 2, 2013 7:11:51 GMT -8
She had to agree with him on that. Jaime couldn't see Mikhail riding a bike. Not the bikes she was more familiar with, a motorbike. It would be like a Hell's Angel trying to get somewhere on a pink tricycle. The image she supplied herself with was a little jarring and she had to shake her head slightly before nodding.
"That is true. Somehow motorcycles don't quite suit your style. You seem like a sled and huskies kind of guy. I can totally imagine you with a fur hat and a large pi— coat." She had almost said pimp-coat but she didn't think he would be able to appreciate that sort of humour. Somehow, Jaime wasn't really sure if he would even get the reference. What was the equivalent in Russian? Now she was curious but she didn't ask as she had the feeling that it wasn't a good idea. Nope.
"I'm from New York so I tend to rush everywhere because I'm just used to that kind of lifestyle. Five years away from that city hasn't changed me one bit in that sense. Still trying to get to places in the least amount of time."
She watched as he ate, waiting for him to finish chewing and swallowing before asking, "How's your food?" |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Nov 3, 2013 11:05:23 GMT -8
Maybe a scooter. A scooter would be more reasonable to him then a motorbike. More suitable, anyway. Plus then he'd have a nice little basket to carry books and supplies around in. Technically a saddlebag could do the same thing, but it didn't have quite the same feel to him. Not that he knew what either was like, but it was a rough idea.
He wasn't sure what she was going to say when she cut herself off, and he didn't care to guess. Probably something bad, since that was more or less the sole reason people tended to cut themselves off in conversation. He actually nodded just the same. "We didn't use huskies, but we got around with snowmobiles a lot." Because whether in reality or in his cover story, he'd lived in places where roads were largely useless. What good was a road when it was perpetually covered with a thick layer of snow? Sled dogs simply weren't viable in Antarctica. They would have to be fed, and it took too many of them to pull one person around. Plus, they had a tendency to bolt when something big and scary burst out of the ice, and considering that had been a large part of the work done at the Antarctica stations, it really wasn't doable.
He was happy she'd waited for him to swallow before asking, giving her a small smile as he responded. "It's good. I can't say I have much to compare to, but it's nice." It seemed good enough anyway.
JAIME LEE | MAY 5TH, 5PM |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Nov 10, 2013 8:16:46 GMT -8
"Snowmobiles sounds awesome. Like a motorbike for the snow. I can dig that." Jaime grinned after a mouthful of pasta went down her throat. They were half way done now but there was always dessert to stay for, if that was what he wanted, that is. "But there are huskies where you come from right? Did you ever had one as a pet?"
She had always wanted one as a kid but her father strictly forbade her to have any pets, not even fish because he just didn't think that she could deal with the responsibility. Ah well, she was going to have one when she was done with med school and when her schedule calmed down a little more as an experienced doctor. So that was more than a few years down the road but she can wait. She had waited for years upon years, a few more wouldn't hurt. Then it was a little heartbreaking to hear that he didn't really venture out for other cuisines.
"Well, you're in Los Angeles now, definitely plenty of chances for you to try out other things. That's something this city shares with New York. The range of cuisines are just as varied and quality just as good." |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Nov 10, 2013 9:34:01 GMT -8
Huskies? It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about--the sled dogs. It took him another moment to mentally go over what he knew about the area he was supposed to be from in Russia, and then he shook his head. "My family wasn't big on pets. Huskies aren't common where I was from anyway--or really anywhere in Russia. Sled dogs are mostly used by americans." He paused, trying to remember. "I know there's a Russian breed, but it's simply not efficient to have that sort of dog around when it's that far north." It was a waste of energy to feed it, and it took several dogs to pull a sled, if that was what she was implying. Mikhail had never seen the need for it, and there were few sled teams, if any at all, on the Antarctic continent.
He nodded at the explanation of foods. He hadn't ventured out much, but he would at least try.. a little bit. Not much, but a little bit. He could force himself to expand his horizons after all. "I plan to try... I think curry?" He had no idea what curry was, but he knew that it was Indian and spicy. If you'd put a bunch of it in front of him he wouldn't have been able to identify it. He was like that with a lot of things, having heard of them but never seen them due to the high cost of shipping.
JAIME LEE | MAY 5TH, 5PM |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Nov 11, 2013 7:35:02 GMT -8
She nodded at the explanation he gave her, taking another bite of her dish before speaking up with another grin at the mention of more food. That was always a good topic to stay on. "Curry? There are a few different types of curry. If you want to start with something mild, try the Japanese version. It's actually on the sweeter side. I can't make it but I've definitely tried a few good ones in Little Tokyo. Thai, Vietnamese and Indian tend to be a lot spicier. But if you like that, you should totally try them too."
Los Angeles was a city of variety and colour, a place he definitely stood out in. Jaime could only wish him the best of luck as he tried to assimilate into the new place. So far, he's still alive and not sunburnt. So that's two points to him already. But she didn't know him well enough to be able to say that he'll stay on for a good long time or whether he'd even like it here. Los Angeles just wasn't a place for everyone. But what she didn't know was that he was not here for pleasure but he was here on business and that really changes things. |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Nov 11, 2013 10:41:15 GMT -8
Different types of curry? He was going to have to try and look them all up--dig around and see what he could find. He was hesitantly sticking his toes into the water of the internet, and he knew enough to know he'd be able to look them all up online, and maybe find a few recipies. Her recommendation were good though, and he nodded carefully. He could handle some spice, but mild was probably a better place to start then the spicier kinds.
"I'll keep that in mind." He added, carefully setting down his fork, meal fully eaten. He was done, and he let himself sit back in his seat. "Maybe I'll visit Little Tokyo and see what they have." Having restraunt-bought food might spoil him a bit too much though. Once you'd tasted the best, why make your own not as good food? Maybe it was better to make his own, and then see how it tasted after.
"How was your meal then? It was rude of me--you're doing all the talking." He'd let himself get complacent, letting her lead the conversation, carrying it entirely by herself. Better to try and make it equal, but he still worried about saying too much about things.
JAIME LEE | MAY 5TH, 5PM |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Nov 15, 2013 9:31:17 GMT -8
She truly did not realise the extent of his separation from society but she could tell that he was more than a little lost. Her heart went out a little to him. Mikhail also seemed like he wasn't accompanied by family because he hadn't once mentioned his parents or siblings in the same area but that could just be him being private.
Oh! He was starting to contribute to the conversation as well, asking her questions and she beamed when he inquired about her meal. She was this close to licking her plate clean but Jaime didn't think it would be appropriate either to tell him exactly that. "It's actually really good. I would come here again and again. I have, actually. The owners are real Italians so the quality of the food here is fantastic and the prices are beyond reasonable. Plus service is great. They treat you like family. That's a nice touch."
She shot him another grin when he apologised indirectly for not participating and she shrugged. "It's alright. I like to talk. If you haven't realised that yet." |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Nov 17, 2013 20:28:13 GMT -8
It was a good thing that Jaime hadn't licked the plate, becaue if she had, Mikhail probably would have suddenly remembered that he left the kettle on and made a run for it. He was socially isolated, but he still had his manners, and licking plates absolutely violated them. He might have been polite, but he still had his limits, and he'd have made a run for it at the first opportunity if things got that bad.
Real italians? It hadn't occurred to Mikhail that it would matter, but he supposed that it would. People would know their own cultures food better then strangers, and while he was sure that there were exceptions to the rule, it still had abruptly become a guideline in his head. For good food, go with people from that same culture.
It hadn't occurred to him that she liked to talk, but the idea of it made sense the moment it was said allowed, and it was impossible to deny. "I suppose I am... less so." He'd always preferred the quiet, and he took a moment to try and compose his thoughts and make it sound less off-putting. "I'm more used to solitude." JAIME LEE | MAY 5TH, 5PM |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Nov 18, 2013 7:13:18 GMT -8
It wasn't even smaller amounts of people, it was solitude. He had just inadvertently revealed that he was used to being alone. Jaime blinked but didn't say anything to that, choosing to nod. In a way, she envied him. Envied the fact that he could handle isolation and still come out pretty alright. It really would make her life easier: less expectations, less pandering and more time to herself. The catch was that she'd drive herself nuts if left alone for too long. That's why she had such a colourful social life, the activity drowned out her darker thoughts.
"Oh wow. Los Angeles must be really different then." No shit, Jaime Lee. She cringed inwardly but ploughed one. "And totally nothing wrong with preferring the quiet. There must be some balance in the world when there are loudmouths like me out and about."
Hey, she was loud and proud, in more than one way. Jaime followed her words with another grin. It wasn't a wonder why some don't take her seriously. |
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Post by MIKHAIL USENKO on Nov 18, 2013 13:04:18 GMT -8
That in itself was one of those reasons that Mikhail preferred not to talk. It was so easy to let things slip, so easy to let people find out things about himself. It wasn't so much things about himself that could be dangerous, but things about those around him could be. People couldn't find out about the society. If they did, mayhem would ensue. Secrecy had to be kept, one way or another, even if it meant that society members were expected to speak little about themselves unless they knew they were safe.
"It is." He admitted. "And thank you. It's been... nice to speak to someone." Nice was an alright choice of words, wasn't it? In that moment he wasn't worried about revealing things so much as he was worried about offending her inadvertently. "I don't get out as often as I should." Which was a painful, horrible truth. He ended up isolated plenty of the time. He didn't get out, didn't meet new people, and Jaime was the first time in a long while he'd been out with someone not from the society.
JAIME LEE | MAY 5TH, 5PM |
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Post by JAIME LEE on Feb 16, 2014 7:47:04 GMT -8
It was surprise that spiked in her chest when he thanked her for her company. Wow, she didn't think she'd had someone said that to her before. Usually everyone just took everything for granted and went on their merry ways after they spilt for the night. Jaime had to take a moment to smile, there was something endearing about this strange Russian man.
"You're not too bad yourself." Jaime couldn't assume about his history since he didn't offer much and she got the feeling that he was hiding plenty from her but hey, it's his life and privacy was a basic right. Mikhail made more sense now, after he revealed that he doesn't get out much.
"Well," Jaime shot him another smile, "Now's a time as good as any to try venturing out a little? New city and new people, one step at a time?" She can understand that perhaps everything was still overwhelming to a person like him who is used to peace and quiet most of the time. The large volume of people, strangers, probably didn't help as well. She can't say that she pitied him but Jaime definitely feel for him, uncertainty was most definitely not the most pleasant feeling most of the time.
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