zoe_torres (zoe_torres) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2010-12-25 22:38:00

Entry tags:

Christmas in the Triangle
Zoe spent Christmas Eve and Day with Michelle at the local shelter helping out. Zoe helped to cook and serve a holiday meal with other volunteers, and kept the peace if anybody got out of hand. This year there was more to serve, and gifts for the children. The unexpected bounty wasn't questioned, only accepted and passed on to those who needed it.

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dc_misc
2010-12-31 03:08 am UTC (link)

Trey Griffin can't cook to save his life, but he arrives to help out, finally having convinced his dad not to send bodyguards with him, except to carry in the gifts he was donating, of which there are many.

After storing his coat and gloves in the breakroom, Trey washes his hands, secures some gloves, then asks someone where he can help out. He does this at different places every year, but this year, he wanted to come out to the Triangle and help out, like his mother always used to.

"Pretty busy night, huh?" Trey says to Zoey, trying to strike up some conversation.

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	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 03:15 am UTC (link)
	He had the smell of rich kid about him, but Zoe wasn't above being civil when it came to extra hands on a busy occasion. "Yeah," she said without a scowl or a smile. "It's been a bad year for them but it's getting better." She looked up at him. "You're new." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 03:24 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, I am. I'm Trey." he says, offering a smile. "Do you live around here?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 03:28 am UTC (link)
	"Zoe. I live around here." She nodded to a smiling, older but still beautiful woman bustling about making sure everyone had enough on their plates. "My mom. We're here every year." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 03:32 am UTC (link)
	Trey looks to where Zoe nods and finds that he recognizes the woman in question. "Michelle Torres is your mom?" Trey asks with a smile. "I didn't know she'd be here. My mother used to come here every year to help out. She and my dad grew up in the Triangle." he says. "I met your mom once, briefly. She seems like an awesome lady." Trey says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 03:40 am UTC (link)
	"She is." She eyed him a little more carefully. Still looked like a rich kid to her. "Looks like your parents have been gone awhile. Good for them." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 03:47 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, I suppose. My mom died a couple of years ago, but Dad never talks about life down here. I came here this year to keep up my mom's tradition. Just wanted to know why she kept coming back after she left." he says. "How long have you lived in the Triangle, Zoe?" he asks, putting a serving of stuffing on a plate and passing it to her for the person before them. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2010-12-31 03:59 am UTC (link)

Nothing made her feel worse, or get more surly, when she trespassed over someone's grief. So her quiet, "I'm sorry about your mom," was not exactly full of holiday cheer.

"All my life," she said. The plate received a pile of turkey slices as the crowning touch before she held it out to a small boy in shabby clothes gazing up at them. Her infrequent smile made an appearance for the kid. "Born here. Live here. Probably die here. It's nice that you keep up your mom's traditions. The Triangle needs more people to remember where they came from and give a little back."

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dc_misc
2010-12-31 04:06 am UTC (link)

"Thanks, but you didn't do it so don't be sorry." Trey says.

He notes the smile and how her face changes when she does it. He'd heard that life was hard down here, but before he'd seen the line outside the shelter and the people huddled in alleys against the cold, he wouldn't have imagined that a part of Star City lived like this on a daily basis.

Trey's mother taught him daily to be humble and thankful for what he had and his visit tonight drove that home.

"You ever think about getting out? What about going to college or a trade school?" he asks.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 04:17 am UTC (link)
	"Mom's working on getting kids into college and out of here, but somebody still has to..." her voice trailed off. Did she almost admit she was patrolling the streets to do what the cops couldn't or wouldn't do? "...make sure she eats in between court dates," she finished. "I'm taking online classes." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 04:47 am UTC (link)
	"Hey, that's cool. I have to do the same for my old man between business deals. His cellphone is glued to his ear and he's got /two/ offices at home. He drives our chef nuts when he forgets to eat dinner." Trey chuckles. "It's good that you take care of your mom, though. A lot of people in single-parent families don't do that. I know first-hand." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2010-12-31 05:27 am UTC (link)

"It's just her and me." In a tiny two bedroom apartment with they were glad to get when Zoe turned twelve and Mom decided they could afford not to share a bedroom anymore. Chef? Chef Boyardee fed Zoe a lot growing up.

She handed another plate over the serving table, smiling at tiny little girl in her mother's arms. "If we don't keep them fed and watered, they don't take care of business. Everybody needs somebody to look after them."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 05:35 am UTC (link)
	"That's true." he says, getting a few more plates made up as people came through the line. Zoe could at least keep up a conversation, which was cool. A lot girls he knew couldn't do that unless it was about clothing or some lame ass TV show he couldn't care less about. "So, what do you do for fun?" he asks. "You ever been paint-balling?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 06:08 am UTC (link)
	Fun. She'd had fun breaking that guy out of prison. Probably shouldn't break the nice guy before the dishes were done. "I patrol the rooftops and drive off drug buyers by putting rocks through their windshields," she said. Then smiled at another diner. "Joking, really. Never tried paintball. I hear it hurts when you get hit with one of those." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dc_misc
2010-12-31 06:20 am UTC (link)

"For a minute, I thought you were serious." Trey says, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah, paintballs hurt when you get hit. I'm a pretty good shot, so I don't get hit often. It's the most fun I have since they just closed up the last laser tag arena in Orchid Bay." he tells her.

"Hey, what are you doing when you go on break? Want to sit down and having something to eat?" he asks.

"You're currently the only other person I know around here besides your mother, and I'm not even sure if she remembers me. It was a really brief hello." Trey says.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2010-12-31 06:36 am UTC (link)

"I was going to test the pies on my next break." Zoe's secret weakness was for pie. Any kind of pie. Put baked pastry with a filling in front of her and she would throw something at anybody who tried to take it away. "Pumpkin. You like pumpkin?"

A tiny voice from the other side of the serving table piped up. "I like it!"

She turned a smile on the kid. "You'll get a piece, I promise. After you eat your vegetables."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 03:49 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh, so you're a pie girl? Noted. I'm more partial to cake, but everyone's got their preference. Pancakes or waffles?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 09:18 pm UTC (link)
	What weird questions he asked, but breakfast wasn't much of a secret. "Neither. French Toast." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2010-12-31 09:55 pm UTC (link)
	"French toast? First person I've met that really likes it." Trey says. "Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites. I'll take apple over anything, though." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2010-12-31 10:44 pm UTC (link)
	"There might be a few donated apple pies. We'll check and you can give it a taste drive, see if it'll do for the clients." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2011-01-01 07:32 am UTC (link)
	"I like that idea. Did you make any of the pies? Just so I know who to compliment if they're great, you know." Trey grins. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2011-01-01 07:50 am UTC (link)

"The local businesses and pantries donated money, food, toys, and they're cooked and baked here. We got the pies and rolls from bakery school. It's a lot cheaper to buy their students' work. I can't cook. I can make coffee but that's about it."

She gave the matter a serious thought and an answer that could be construed as a joke. "I suppose if you really like the pie, I can get the name of the culinary student for you."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2011-01-01 07:53 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, well it doesn't have the same effect if you didn't make them, Zoe. I wanted to try out your pie." Trey says. "So, have dinner near me on break?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-01-01 08:04 am UTC (link)
	That made her pause and examine his words for something that would get most guys hurt. His expression said he was serious. "We can take a couple of plates out back. I need to get out of the heat and it's cooler outside the kitchen. Did you come down here by yourself?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_misc 2011-01-01 08:06 am UTC (link)
	A sheepish expression crosses Trey's face just then. "Yeah, more or less. I don't have a curfew, if that's what you're asking." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-01-03 03:38 am UTC (link)
	"I wasn't asking that, just wondering if you were expected to go eat with other people." (Reply to this)(Parent)

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