Open Contact Post

[pureandtrue]

Quick and simple for now. Run into him wherever. Save his butt from something. Need the handyman extraordinaire to fix something for you. Share a cup of tea. Shoot some hoops. Text him on his brand-new Android - it's 2011, he's addicted to Candy Crush. Do some meditating. Go for a hike. Whatever floats your boat. He's chill. I'll make this whole journal fancy later.

Comments

[whatfeelsright]

[ Amy is used to this happening. Seriously, the garbage disposal in her place gets clogged up at least once a month, and yeah, it's usually her fault. Still, can't she and her roommates take turns calling the handyman, or something? As soon as J.C.'s end of the phone call stops ringing, she starts talking. For all she knows, she got his voicemail. ]

Yo, dude, it's Chung. Think you can stop by the house today?

AHHH YES

[pureandtrue]

Hey, Amy.

[he laughs] I was just thinking it was about time I heard from you again. Yeah, I got time. When are you gonna be around? And am I gonna have to do Pearl Damage Control?

:D

[whatfeelsright]

Whenever. I'm not doing anything today.

[ She sounds kinda sulky about that, but doesn't elaborate. When he asks about Pearl Damage Control (patent pending), she sucks air in through her teeth. ]

Actually, yeah, can you come now? P's out on a date right now, and what she doesn't know happened won't get me in trouble.

[pureandtrue]

Oh, she's out with that author guy again? Yeah, I'll be there in a few. You wanna hang? I'm not doing anything today either.

[whatfeelsright]

Yup.

[ Then, her voice brightens a little. She doesn't want to feel like she's getting sympathy socialization, but J.C.'s a cool guy. ]

Yeah, sure. That sounds good.

[pureandtrue]

[who said anything about it being SYMPATHY socialization? he likes Amy, she's fun people. he pulls up in his Jeep not much later, in cargo shorts and a paint-spatted Bob Marley t-shirt, toolbox in hand and his long hair pulled up in his usual manbun.]

Where's my favorite repeat customer at, yo?

[whatfeelsright]

[ Amy heads out to the porch when she hears J.C.'s voice, her mood already seeming lighter. She's wearing her usual trademark mix of relaxed, careless clothing (a white tank-top that's too long over leggings with torn knees) and ridiculous, possibly-ironic accessories (her favorite hat and a loud jacket.) ]

Hey, dude! Guess what happened to the garbage disposal this time?

[ She sounds more excited about that than she should be. Yep, definitely in a better mood. ]

[pureandtrue]

[J.C. is grinning ear-to-ear as he climbs the porch stairs to meet her. this is honestly one of the reasons why he doesn't mind coming out here once a month (at least): not only is Amy good people, but the things this household manages to do to its poor garbage disposal are nothing short of mythical. he stops smiling long enough to fake deep thought]

Hmmmmm. Stray lobster infestation?

[whatfeelsright]

Nope! [ She beams. ] See, I was eating melted cheese that was left in the pizza box, and Miss Perfect started yellin' at me about how I may as well just eat the box. So I said I would, and I started to.

Then I threw up in the sink.

[ She's so proud. ]

[pureandtrue]

Oh my God.

[he laughs, because yeah, it actually IS pretty damn funny. but internally he's bracing himself for the vomit smell when he cracks that puppy open. but he's smelled so much worse.]

Scraping the cheese off once it's cooled down is one of the best parts. I think she's got it backwards and she's a heathen, if you ask me.

[he'll head for the kitchen]

Actually, you can get the cheese like that without the pizza box. I can show you how if you want. They do it in restaurants for salad garnish.

[whatfeelsright]

[ Amethyst positively cackles with delight. ]

Right? Dude, it is the best part!

[ Although - wait for it to cool? What? ]

...Shut up. Are you serious? That's a thing? Of course I want you to show me!

[pureandtrue]

Yeah! ... Actually, if you have a sheet pan and a bag of shredded cheese I can show you right now, then it'll smell like cheese instead of garbage when everyone comes home.

[whatfeelsright]

Hey, good idea! Alright, alright - come on in!

[ Amy goes inside, herself, and starts scrambling around the kitchen with a smile on her face. She grabs a bag of shredded monterey jack, and a large sheet pan, and places both on the counter. ]

[pureandtrue]

Okay, so ...

[as she's doing that, he washes his hands in the sink, using the dish soap because he really is a dirty heathen sometimes. he shakes his hands out over the sink, too, because what are towels]

You're gonna want to preheat the oven to tree-fiddy...

[whatfeelsright]

Did you really just say "tree-fiddy"?

[ She snorts, amused, and sets the oven. ]

[pureandtrue]

Welllll, yeah. You have problemo?

[this is why hanging with Amy is fun. he can be ridiculous and make her laugh, and vice versa, and they're just chill about it]

Anyway, yeah, you just take the cheese and make little haystacks out of it on the pan, a few inches apart, like cookie dough.

[he does a few to demonstrate, then lets her at it. he is expecting Cheese Mountain, knowing her]

[whatfeelsright]

I don't have a problem, but I do have a total dork in my kitchen.

[ She watches, managing to stay still, as he demonstrates making the cheese piles. But, yeah, by the time she's taken over? It's pretty much just mounds. ]

[pureandtrue]

We're like vampires. Once you invite us in, it's all over.

[another dork-grin, as - yep, there goes cheese mountain]

Okay, USUALLY you only have to bake these for like, ten minutes? But you might have to go a little longer since you made bigger piles.

[the oven beeps to tell them it's got perfect preheating timing, and he slides the sheet into the oven, then sets the timer for them]

And now - the fixing begins.

[he looks back at the disposal]

Are you sure that throwing up was the ONLY thing that made it break?

[whatfeelsright]

You coulda warned me, then.

[ She grins, teasing. ]

Yeah, because raw cheese is such an issue? [ Someone's losing sight of why they started this... ] But fine, I'll wait.

Uh, I don't know, what I didn't eat of the pizza box is also in there.

[pureandtrue]

The pizza bo--

[where most people would facepalm when they trail off, JC just shakes his head and smiles]

Well, there's your problem. The blades on your garbage disposal aren't meant to handle big stuff like that. Besides, you should recycle the cardboard, anyway.

[he opens up his tool box and takes out the towel he keeps for jobs like this, spreading it out on the floor in front of the sink cabinet. it's covered in stains, from oil to paint to God knows what, but he doesn't mind it at all, getting down on his hands and knees as he cracks the cabinet open]

I'm honestly impressed you actually fit most of a pizza box down the drain.

[and VERY curious as to how she managed, as he opens up the panel of the disposal to take a look. survey says?]

[whatfeelsright]

Oh. [ She almost looks sheepish. Almost. ] I didn't think you could recycle stuff that had food on it still.

[ Not that it'd had much food left on it, of course. As for how she pulled that off... The pizza box seems like it was very much ripped into small strips and bits to get it to fit down there. ]

I get that. I'm honestly impressive. [ She smirks. ]

[pureandtrue]

Pizza boxes are kind of an exception to the rule, because some heathens like to leave the cheese where it was graciously deposited for the tenacious.

[aha. strips. well, that's better than what he expected: flagrant misuse of roller derby muscles to crush the box into an accordion small enough to fit in the hole. he goes for his pliers, and is sure to make sure the disposal is OFF first. and unplugged. disposals are vicious, bloodthirsty beasts, and he's got a couple of scars on his fingers to prove it]

And yes. You sho' are, girl.

[whatfeelsright]

Huh. Got it.

[ She will likely forget it, of course, but for now. ]

Yeah! See? You get it!