2020-03-09 - Thank You Tequila

Depending on what Rekani was doing at this exact moment, he might hear the Acura Legend clunking and chugging its way into the driveway. It seemed like at any second it would either die out quietly or explode in a fiery end. Thankfully, today was not the day for either. The car is shut off and not long later there would be a knock at the door.

Kip is standing on the other side with a small woven basket covered in a blue cloth. Her attire is typical - a pair of black jeans with a pair of sketchers instead of her boots and an orange t-shirt underneath a white hoodie. So what if Halloween was almost 6 months ago? Whenever the door would be opened Kip has a cheery smile and says, "I come bearing gifts!"

I'm typical Spanish fashion, the door is flung wide and a a cheery "Ayyyyy!" is issued from Rekani. He'd only block her the briefest moment for a hug, though even that action is turning at the sane time, ushering the woman into the front area and 3it of the cold. He shuts the door behind her, holding an arm out, "Mi casa, su casa. Kitchen through there.

The front door is actually opened straight into the living room. It's comfortably furnished, stylish, though a bit obviously thrifty with some recognizable Ikea pieces. There's a big wraparound couch facing a big entertainment system flanked by chest-high speakers.

The kitchen is only a archway away, since this wasn't that huge of a place, only really sized for the two of them. It had granite countertops and a big rustic table to sit at. Some cooking was already taking place, bowls and ingredients already out.

"So whatcha got?" Rekani asks, running his hands together in an almost childlike anticipation.

The hug is returned with one arm and a laugh as Rekani ushers her in. Kip walks over towards the dining table to set the basket down, taking a moment to look around the house layout before grinning again. "I like the style." Of the house. A curious look given to everything that is laid out in the kitchen before her attention turns back to the basket.

"Pirozhiki!" As she shrugs off her windbreaker and neatly lays it over the chair. She puts her hand on he blue cloth, doing a dramatic pause, and then pulls it off with a flourish! "There are two types. The cabbage and egg and the spinach dip." The rolls are somewhat oval shaped and perhaps about as big as the palm of an average sized hand and in varying shades of golden brown. Not perfect, but definitely edible looking. "There is six of each." pushing the basket a little closer to him. "Tell me what you think."

There was a faint beat of some kind of music now they were in the kitchen some sort of EDM with a Spanish style acoustic guitar mainline. There was a smell of cooking dough and spices as well.

Rekani's attention was focused on the basket however, face lighting up when he saw them. "I think they look fucking good." He steps to open a cabinet and pull out some plates, a drawer for some utensils, because some people use those. He sets the stuff on the table and pulls out the two chairs in a facing catty-corner, so they could both sit, eat and be facing eachother. Taking a seat and setting a plate in front of her chair, he rubs his hands together again, though glances at a timer on the oven. Yeah, yeah, he's got time.

Kip bobbed her head just a touch, in time with the music that was playing. An subconscious sort of thing because the sound of him getting the plates snapped her out of it. "I hope so! The taste test I did of the fillings, they seemed okay. I just hope it all came together well in the frying." She chuckled. She put one of each on each plate before sitting down in one of the chairs.

"What are you making? It smells good." Kip looked back over towards the oven and then back to Rekani, eyes bright. "Also - it is a finger food technically. You don't need a fork unless you're trying to be super polite." A quick wink and then, to demonstrate, she picked up the spinach dip filled one and took a bite with a "Mmm" sound to go along with it. Not bad!

"Look, I figured I wouldnt immediately tty to offend your lady-like sensibilities." He quips, then immediately grabs one up and bites into it, not sure she had pointed out whichbwas which, so just going on an adventure. He makes a slight growling noise just for extra theatrics as he goes, which leads into his own appreciative sound as he tastes and chews. A hand is raised, the back pf it toward his mouth to not be just chewing in front of her,

"Fuck yeah, thats tasty. Empanadas. I thought that was the trade. I didn't fry em, though. But they gonna be bomb if I got the spice right." His head subconsciously bobs to the music as well even as he's taking another happily groaning bite, his free hand tapping out some notes on the table, splayed like it was a piano.

"So gentlemanly of you." Kip giggled again, eyes bright as she watched Rekani enjoy the food. She finished off her own first one is quick order and started in on the second one. "Still, not as good as my babuksha made but- I am happy they came out good." She leans against the table for a moment and flashed a grin.

"It was the deal. I am looking forward to eating them. I was looking up pictures the other day and yes - I have never had one before. So I am excited. It is always fun to try new foods." Kip nodded emphatically, watching him play the table piano for a moment before adding, "I like the beat of this music. What kind is it? The music genre."

"We're always living in the shadows of our familia." he intones, knowing just the feeling. It almost looks like Rekani was trying to eat the second one whole, though its a quick, noisy two bites that announces his second crushing victory over Kip's delicious foodstuffs. "Damn girl, these things are amazing." He dusts his hands off and stands, grabbing a paper towel to wipe with, amd handing Kip the roll after. He was headed to the fridge.

"Now you're asking a loaded question. Depends on who you ask. Artist says Spanish Techno, people can call it EDM, House, TechnoSalsa." He shrugs, "It's all in that vein. Good beat, good sound. Makes me feel good, yaknow?"

A truly rotund bottle of Patrón Silver is dragged from the fridge, along with a few other ingredients. Some glasses are taken down. He checks the timer again. "I dont think I asked, what do you normally like to listen to?"

"I'll definitely be making more." Kip confirms as she takes the paper towel roll to grab a sheet. "Oh gosh. Technosalsa just reminds me of the thing at Firefly." But she laughs. Standing up to lean against the opposite counter some, watching what he is putting together. "But that was fun. The salsa...what I remember of it. We should do it again some time so I can actually learn the steps!"

She considers the question about what she listens to. "Mostly Russian music. " Obvious statement is obvious. "Heavier things like metal or things with good beats. I haven't done a whole lot of music listening since being here. But there are lots to choose from." Kip shrugs after a moment. "I like to dance and sing so things I can sing along with and or dance to." A little motion upward as if signaling the music currently playing. "Like this is good for dancing. "

"All Spanish music should be good for dancing." Rekani jokes with a wink, joking, "It's just another romance language." He starts by rolling a lime across the counter, giving it a bit of a smush to break the juice inside it. He then halves it, cutting a few slices and setting those aside.

"Yeah that track you sent me was hard as hell. I expect nothing less from Miss Sleep-Overs-At-Chernobyl." he jokes, tossing a grin her way. A salt shaker is set out, then two shots are poured, the tradicional. There were more makings on the table, including ice, so he planned to make drinks, but shots always warmed. And they'ed had fortifying food already. What could go wrong? He licks the back of his hand, then shakes salt onto it, looking at her with each step in case she needed to be instructed to follow along.

"Salud." He would toast, raising a shot glass, waiting for her, downing it in time, then taking up a wedge to suck on. Once done, face scrunched from the bitter, but smiling, he sets to mixing up some margaritas.

"I was so startled yesterday about everyone's abject horror and surprise at my saying that." Kip admitted with a chuckle. "I guess I just take for granted that it is not something people do often when I have stayed in so many places like that overnight. Erm. Well - not exactly like that. Just other places that are supposedly haunted." She elaborated, watching with interest as he lined up everything.

Of course, Kip was used to shots but shots in Russia were -predictably- often vodka. Not tequila. She held out her hand in the fist for the salt sprinkle and then followed his lead. "Salud!" Lick the salt, down the shot, suck on the lime. Kip's face also scrunched up. "So sour!" She laughed once she had finished. "But good! I'm getting a full preview of Mexican drinks and food hm?" Taking her seat again, and also taking a second go at her lime slice, because why not right?

"I will have to bring you a bottle of Stoli some time to try. It is some of the best vodka on the market." She totally snags another Priozhiki, tearing it in half - eating one and offering him the other.

Rekani pops it in his mouth without complaint, chewing amd talking with his mouth full as he shakes the silver drink mixer. He snorts a little, hos words muffled by food, "Yeah, tequila is Mexican. Empanadas are really from all over. I'm actually Puerto Rican."

He's quick to hold up a hand and wave off any apologies, clearly used to the confusion this would cause. He didn't seem offended. "A lot of Latin culture lives in Miami. There are cliques, yaknow. Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Colombian." Rekani's a kid that grew up in two cultures, so he has an accent, but it isn't normally too thick. Naming their cultures, however, he was full-on ethnic pronunciation. "The food is fucking bangin'. Different stuff from each of them. That's why I don't get offended when people make a mistake from my cooking. Mexican is so prevalent, especially in number versus the islands or South America."

Limes are stuck on the edge of their drink glasses, turned around the rim, then the glasses are set in salt. He turns them back over and pours the drinks into them, then offers Kip hers. The timer goes off and he grabs a towel, pulling a tray of crispy baked empanadas out of the oven, setting them on the stove to cool.

And of course Kip did have an apology on the tip of her tongue but she lets it stay there as Rekani elaborates. Her eyes widened just a touch. "All those variations in one place? That sounds like it would be fun. Maybe I will see it some time." She mused, watching him put together the margarita's with just a touch of fascination. "It looks so pretty." She chuckled as he handed her the margarita.

"What's your favorite food then? If you had to pick one?" She wonders. Though they may or may not have already had this conversation. Kip can't remember. "Ohhh those look so good too!" The empandas when they get pulled out of the oven. Kip does a little lick at the salt on the rim of her glass before sipping the margarita with a contented sigh.

"Paella, hands down. Pops made the meanest." He goes on to list the ingredients, how its cooked, the feeling while eating it, and his player doesn't feel like writing that all out because its complicated and would literally just make him sad and hungry to think about. It's dope. Lets leave it at that.

"Counter question:" a double entendre given he was still leaning against the counter, sipping his drink, now turning to face Kip fully. "What made you get into Ghost Hunting?"

Even though he wanted to know the answer, his eyes dart between the Pirozhiki on the table and the Empanadas that would most certainly still be the temperature of molten lava. He tries not to look guilty when he looks back to Kip foe the answer. Sip.

Kip listens with rapt attention while her player also would like some of any of this food being discussed. "That does sound amazing. There is a kind of similiar thing back home called Plov. Maybe i will make that and you make paella and we will swap!" Because this whole culture food swapping thing is definitely going to become a thing. Kip doesn't mind the divided attention. After all - there's good food things happening here! And she's half tempted to grab another priozhiki herself since they're within arms reach.

However! She focuses for now, considering his question. "I have always been interested in it. In ghosts and monsters and things unseen. Ever since I was a kid." Kip offers. "Of course, this didn't make for easy friends but I found some who shared my interests when I was a little older. We started a channel on Youtube when we were in high school but it didn't gain much traction until our college years."

This seems to catch Rekani's interest almost immediately, the food trade forgotten. He was breaking into a slow grin full of mischief, "So you're saying there are videos of you ghost hunting from back in high-school?" There was amusement clear in his eyes, just knowing the gold he was about to pan for was so close, "On a scale of one to cringe, if I go immediately to search for them, what am I going to find."

He makes the decision for them, stealing another of the spinach dip snacks from the table and just being cavalier about biting off half. He feints like he was going to hand the other half to her, then snatches it away above her, as his height advantage allowed, dangling it teasingly.

Kip eyes him suspiciously with that mischievous looks he's got going on. "They're amateurish. Nothing special really. " She tries to assure Rekani. Not that she was super embarrassed by them but they were definitely not like the recent ones that may be found on the channel. "You just want to see me look ridiculous. " She laughed.

She went to take the half of the pirozhiki that was offered and then blinked when it was no longer there and instead, way up! "Oh that's just evil. You'rea giant!" She gave him a pout before taking another sip of her margarita and standing. "Do you just want to see how high I can jump?" Laughing a bit. Even as she reached up which was almost comically not far up at all.

"The troll toll is often a high price." Rekani continues on with a grin, still waiving the piece just above her fingers. Rekani laughs and lowers the treat to her waiting grasp as she pouts, mimicking the expression tauntingly, but letting her have it.

"Ok, fair. I was hoping for a laugh. I know if I listened to any of my mashups from my high school days, I would just judge me so hard. I'm still worried my ma has that tape hidden of my piano recitals." He draws both arms in and scrunches his posture, shivering and grimacing. He laughs though, changing the subject, drinking a bit more from his margarita, "What's your favorite place you been doing it?"

Kip wiggles her fingers as if that would give her more reach. "Tall price more like it." Kip quipped as she took the lowered piece and took a bite of it. Her other hands gives him a poke in the side. As if was some kind of effective retaliation.

There was a sparkle of amusement at the idea of his mother hiding some old mix tapes. "Maybe in the second margarita round I will show you some. " Kip mused as she finished off the pirozhiki. "How long until the empanadas as cool enough?"

She stays standing now, relaxing against the counter once more after she's retrieved her drink. "Been doing what? The ghost hunting? I really only ever did places in Russia. Not too much international travelings." Kip took a longer sip of the margarita. "There was an asylum type place we went to.. those are creepy and fascinating. Also the stories are usually very sad."

"Alright, ok." Rekani says, grinning at the suggestion of more drinks. Two more shots were set up, the precursor to a second round, but he doesn't immediately take his up, still about a quarter left of his drink.

Rekani braves the danger, picking up one of the pillowyy pastries, making a little hissing sound, tossing it back and forth in the air before tossing it onto a plate. He puls a knife off the magnetic block on the wall and cuts it in half, steam rising from the filling. "Give it a sec," he would warn, but this would at least let them cool a little faster to try.

"Really, though? I'd think you'd hit some more interesting places in Europe or something rather than come over stateside. I remember at least a few creepy-ass places in Prague."

Kip watched the shots being lined up and gave an approving nod before her gaze followed him over to the empanadas. She attempted to stifle a laugh as she watched him play hot potato before the empanada made it on to a plate. She walked over to peer at the filling curiously but was good and didn't try to get a half just yet. She wanted to be able to taste it, not burn off her taste buds.

"I have a list." Kip said with a bit of a shrug. "But, ah, ghost hunting does not really pay all the bills you know? The dream was to get big and do international stuff but," Her nose wrinkled. "The cards were not in my favor for this. And I am not sure if I will still be working with this Seattle team much longer." There was an exhale of a sigh but then she smiled again. "But Thewlis gave me a job at his theater, selling the tickets! So at least I can switch up my work visa things if it comes to it. Also free and discounted movies!"

The filling was a minced beef of some sort, and smelled clearly spicy, the slightly green tinge betraying his liberal sofrito use.

"Dude, free movies are awesome. Doesn't he mainly just do horror... Oh, duh..." He glances over from his work tossing the ingredients into the shaker for a second round of margaritas, and prepping limes for the shots, as he verbally and mentally makes the connection. He chuckles, "Pretty much the perfect side gig for you, eh? What happened with the Seattle crew, though?"

He taps the place at the counter, ready to post up for more shots, salting his hand.

Kip giggled, finishing off her margarita and nodded. "Mhm! I mean, I think that he does some other types maybe but yeah, primarily horror movies. It is perfect." She grinned, watching him do some more drink prep. Taking mental notes perhaps! The grin faltered a bit and she shrugged. "Some of my former team is causing me trouble because they think I faked things." There was a beat of pause. "Well, I mean...I did. Some tiny things. With my powers? But as I mentioned yesterday...didn't translate very well being recorded."

She moves closer again so they can do Shots: Round 2. "Maybe I dug my own grave. As they say, but I am not going to concern myself with it too heavily just yet." Kip nodded matter of factly and then brightened up. "To good food and good company." Salt. Shot. Lime

Kip's face twisted up again and a little shiver ran up her spine as she laughed. "It is a fun process. These shots."

"Anyway. Enough about me. How about you? With your racing and DJing? How'd you get in to it?"

"Buena comida y Bonita." he simplifies for his own edification. Lick, Shot, Suck. He grunts in enjoyment, tossing the lime away and pouring the sexond round into theor glasses. Now he can pick up an empanada and blow on it, carefully testing just the corner, and of course making a fool of himself because he couldn't wait and it was still hot, but the pain was worth it. "Yo, I get it. Normies don't really get it or remember it. They get all weird." He shrugs, nodding. He thinks over her question.

"Miami, I guess. You know, all that culture. My uncle owned a shop and was in the scene. And all that music." He demonstrates with a raise of his arms and a little hip sway in time with the beat that had definitely changed over but was still in the same theme of latin charm and bassy dance.

"Honestly, it just felt natural. My folks, they wanted me more traditional, thats why I know piano and guitar. They sent me to school for it. But, I mean, you know." He points at Kip, feeling she was at least similar to gim with her story, "Your passion takes you where you wanna go."

But since he went ahead and took the plunge and looked a fool, Kip was more than happy to follow up. She carefully picks up the other half and blows on it while she listens to him. Finally braving a small bite, there was a brief moment of 'ahh temperature hot' but then her eyes were alight. "Mm! I like these!"

A sip of her new margarita to wash it down and cool her tongue a bit. "That all makes sense yes. It sounds like it was exciting. My parents too...they are not fans of my profession choice. I went and got a business degree to fall back on for their comfort. But, thinking on a conversation I had a couple weeks ago? I would rather be starving and pursuing my interests than comfortable and bored." Kip decided.

"Why did you come all the way from Miami to Seattle? Did you stop in other places along the way?"

"Never as good as abuela," Rekani says in counterpoint, but also an echo, to Kip. He continues to slowly consume the empanada bit by bit as he blows, nibbles, chews. It was still damn tasty regardless. Maybe a little too much sofrito. Maybe.

"Oh yeah. We been a bunch of places." For this, he has to think, his eyes going to the ceiling as he tries to remember. His hand comes up and finger start counting, "Up and down both coasts, Cancun, Rio, Prague, Berlin, Madrid." He stops counting, raising his drink instead, a too tipsy to remember sort of motion. He sips his drink again, starting to feel it, the music having his head bob again. "We got jobs that can go anywhere, so we do." he shrugs, like it's just that simple. But he clearly wasn't done trying to learn about her.

"What's on the list?"

Kip looks just a little wistful as he lists off all those different places. "That sounds so amazingly fun. Do you have pictures? I want to see some pictures some time." She takes a sip of the margarita and another small bite of empanada. "Hmm." When he asks about her list. She idly runs her finger around the rim of the nearly empty glass as she thinks and then licks the salt off of her finger that had accumulated.

"Paris to see the catacombs. Greece, Germany, Rio would be so fun during Carnival with the music and the dancing and the costumes." She does a brief, shimmying motion for emphasis and giggled again. "I would like to travel the world really. See it all. And maybe I should have just gone for it hm? But Bez sozhaleniy. No regrets, only looking forward." She finished off the little bit of margarita she had remaining and set the cup on the counter.

"Do you like both things equally? Or favor one over the other?" Those dark brown eyes took a moment to trail over the tattoos that were visible. "Though from the artwork and just the little I know about you - my guess would be music is the first passion and racing the secondary?" Her brow quirked, taking a couple more bites of the empanada half to finish it off now that it was cooler. "I like these by the way." She reached over to lightly tap at his fully tattooed arm. "They look very good.

Typing, NotTyping, Typing. That was probably the closest likeness to the expression he was wearing. Something about the suggestion of Carnival costumes and Kip's shimmy has his eyes distractedly lowering on her form. "What's stopping you?" he asks, the true meaning of the question indiscernable. Hopefully she doesn't notice when he's brought back to the real world as she touches him, eyes snapping back up to her face.

"Oh, yeah, you got me." He admits, a hand lifting to show off the ink if she wanted to look closer. "Though, I looked at car tattoos? I couldn't really pick a brand or specific car I'd wanna tatt of. Plus, like every tattoo artist wants to slap some car babe honey on the hood, and like, that's just gonna make me look trashy." He holds the record up to her inspection as well, the sleeve pulling back as he does to let the tower and red note peek partly out. "Music just translates to art better, I think."

She may or may not have noticed, if she did she doesn't directly comment on it. Her dark eyes lingering on him a beat longer before looking back towards his tattoos. "Money mostly." Sticking with answering the more surface version of the question. "And maybe wanting someone to share the experience with. That I could stand being around for a world tour."

Her finger idly traces over part of the music note on his bicep when he talks about the car tattoos. A devilish look crossing her features as she shrugs. "Oh I don't know. The right babe might make it look alright." A tease in her tone as she lets her hand fall back to her side.

"So how often do you guys pick up and move." Head tilted a bit more time look up at him better since she may or may not be kind of invading his personal space. Just a little. "And do you leave with warning or like thieves in the evening?"

"Nova likes to think we move on a whim. Really, I just start to notice when she gets bored. There's warning."

Oh, Rekani had noticed the proximity Kip had come to, staring down at her, having watched her fingers trail on his arm. He had placed his hand on the counter near her, finding himself leaning on it. Leaning slightly toward her. It takes him another long moment to respond, probably a fair bit of mental math having to be worked out before he almost has a bit of a Fuck it epiphany.

He was trying to fake brevity in an inquiry, but really just lengthening that mental image she seemed to have wanted to hint at. It was either this possibility or she liked women too, which really only added to the equation.

"You offering to model?"

"Good. I think I might just be upset if you two had suddenly decided to move on." There's a slight flush to Kips skin, hard to tell if it was from the alcohol or the proximity. She was certainly braver with a few drinks in her and so at his question, she countered with one of her own. Her hand laying on the counter near his own. "Guess that depends on if you'd want me scantily clad on the hood of you car." A smirk twitching her lips.

It was only partially on purpose. The hinting at the mental image. The other 25% was just pure coincidence. Those dark eyes traveled upward again to meet his. "What do you think Rekani? Would I make a good model?" Feigning a bit of innocence in the question. She's the worst and she knows it. Thank you tequila!

Rekani had a few reasons to be thanking the tequila as well tonight. His eyes dip briefly, seeing more closeness, fingers crawling slightly across the granite until they brush against hers.

"Hey, now. I don't have a garage, it's a little cold for that, just yet." he quips with a little grin on his face, eyes crawling up her arm, pausing on her face, "But I already know you got the face for it. And you got some moves." Now, he wasn't even covert about the look as his eyes travel downward over her body, even if it was simply the hoodie and jeans, "After a little research..." His other hand starts to lift, and, if left to its devices, would be placed on her hip, a place he'd already taken hold of her just once when they danced. He would exert gentle pressure to pull her in a little closer. "I may want you in less..."

Her fingers responded,shifting until they were woven together with his. Still resting on the counter for now though. "I mean...only a little chilly. " As if she was really entertaining the idea, glancing past him, towards the door. Then back up as his hand rested on her hip.

A little grin dancing on her features as she swayed her hips against his hand. Lifting their intertwined hands."Then it sounds to me?" She reaches up on her tip toes to get closer, free hand laying his cheek. "Like there's some research you need to do. "