|
Polly's home is actually the two stories above a store front outside of Chinatown, a block or two off Market. It's a breeze to get to via SEPTA as a result. Stop at Market East if you're riding in, head west a few blocks and north a few blocks. And there you are. The store below services vacuum cleaners and is pretty noisy while in operation. Which means they don't really have cause to complain about her noise, either. So it's a pretty good fit.
It's a very strange decor. She's less concerned with things matching than with variety. Color is of the utmost importance, light secondary to that. Her place is bright, and to the uninitiated perhaps a little too bright. There's a section for painting, a craft table, instruments and books everywhere. A crowded in kitchen that has increasingly less room for cooking and increasingly more clutter from crafts and projects and sheet music and so on. There's a cat in here somewhere, too.
It's not a mess, really. It is ordered clutter. The detritus of an unquiet mind that deals with that through the act of creation, and she just clearly doesn't see the need in apologizing for it. A neat freak might be driven up the wall by it, though. She needs a Marie Kondo experience like whoa. She answers the door in a broom stick skirt and a tank top, her hair worn up due to the heat. Her window AC units are straining, but it's still pretty humid no matter what they strain out of the air. Her hair is frizzy as hell as a result. "Hey, Annie. Come on in."
"Hey yourself," Annie answers with a smile, pausing just as she enters to slip off her shoes, leaving them neatly next to the door. "How have you been?" The Nymph's also wearing a tank top, though unlike Polly she's paired it with a pair of jeans, and her hair is braided up into a bun. That of it which isn't shaved into an undercut, anyway.
The official haircut of queer women. Polly clearly approves. Once Annie is inside, she eases the door shut and fixes up the locks again for whatever assistance they might be to home invasion. She leans in to offer a quick kiss hello, right to the corner of Annie's mouth, then gestures her towards the little kitchenette table which has been cleared of all art projects in preparation for dining. "Lunch should actually be ready. I baked the flatbread earlier, and the wat's in the crock pot. Which isn't technically how you're supposed to prepare it, but. I didn't know that when I agreed to make Ethiopian, so. Heh." She heads over to it and lifts the top off, giving it a big whiff. "Yep. I did only use vegetable oil and stuff, so it should be entirely vegan. I couldn't remember if you were just vegetarian or vegan, so I erred on the side of more strict. Hope that's okay?"
Annie not only accepts the kiss to the corner of her mouth but returns the favour. "Just vegetarian, but erring on the side of more strict is definitely okay," she chuckles quietly, following the other woman's gesture towards the kitchenette table. "Do you mind if we say blessings before we eat? I am relatively observant, but I do not want to make you feel like you are failing as a Jew if you usually do not."
"I don't mind, but I also don't often bless the meal. I should maybe get back into the habit, honestly. It's hard to be a good Jew in the entertainment industry. Especially in Los Angeles, I found. And on Tour." Polly probably has a few hundred more excuses, but she stops listing them. "Anyway. Feel free!" She pulls the oven door open and pulls out the flat bread which was in there warming and carries it over to the table, setting the sheet onto a hot pad there. A serving plate is used to hold the wat. She doesn't bother with serving plates, though. That's not how it's done, after all. She sets the dishes down at the table and then settles in, herself, so that Annie might say the blessing over food.
"Fair enough," Annie admits. "I am not as strictly observant of the Sabbath as my parents would have liked, but that is near impossible when working as a bartender in this society, honestly." She pauses when the food begins to get delivered, waiting for Polly to seat herself before continuing, this time in Hebrew. "Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha`olam, bo're p'ri ha'adama." And then she digs in, blessing over food complete.
"Ameyn," Polly offers at the conclusion of the bracha. Then she just reaches for one of the breads and tears off a bit, dipping it into the wat to serve herself up a mouth full. She has made the mistake of being the cook that eats the food first and is clearly enjoying it. She must be confident in her work. "Mmm. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. I think it's cos I went vegetable oil. But. Anyway. Enjoy." She relaxes back into her seat and starts tearing off a second bit of bread. "The Eruv is down, too, in center city. There's repairs that need to be done. So. Plan accordingly, is what they're saying."
Annie nods at that. "I am Reform, these days, so I am not required to observe those restrictions, but many of them I try to anyway." Beat. "Of course, the fact I live with someone who is not Jewish makes the letter of them easier to observe. There is no need to carry house keys if there will be someone to let you in when you return, after all."
"Your very own personal shabbos goy," Polly chirps with amusement, "that's definitely an advantage to dating outside the tribe. Yu Jin is accepting and understanding about your faith, then? A lot of times I just found it easier not to have that conversation at all. Perhaps partly because my relationships tend to flame out for one reason or another. Which is usually my fault." Polly dips her torn bit of bread into the wat and pokes it into her mouth for some wryly amused chewing.
"They are, yes," Annie says. "I am lucky to have them." She takes a bit of bread for herself, then, dipping it into the wat and chewing thoroughly before she continues, considering Polly all the while. "Should I take that as a warning about where you see this relationship going?"
"Is this a relationship?" That's Polly's counter to the question. It's not asked standoffishly, just with genuine curiosity. "I've just never had much luck in that department. I travel a lot. I'm impulsive. I'm a hedonist. I flirt like it's a sport. And while I know you're poly, and that you have a primary partner, I also know that I almost inevitably hurt people on accident one too many times, and people wind up deciding I'm not worth the trouble."
"I would like it to be, at least. And not just in the strict definition of the term, either," Annie answers the counter. "I cannot speak for your previous partners, but I have no objection to any of those. Least of all you flirting like it is a sport." She chuckles quietly, then. "If I did object to that, I could have said something in the park with Jeremiah, or over our texts since."
"Yet." Polly amends. "You don't have a problem yet. But I also am going to take you at your word that you genuinely don't, and I believe you. This works out for me because I think you're lovely company, play beautifully, and are simply wonderful to be around. So." Polly does not appear worried about all of this in the least, it's just part of life for her. "It's actually easier for me that you do have a primary partner. Takes the pressure off of me in a lot of ways. Are there things that you're looking to get outside of your present relationship that it's not providing you? Don't take that as a sleight to Yu Jin at all. I don't mean it that way. It's just that usually one person can't be another person's totality of wants, you know?"
Annie nods at that. "Trying to make them that is generally not healthy, either." There's a brief pause as she takes a sip of water, buying herself time to think through her answer to the more important question. "The impulsiveness is actually one of the draws, I think. This may not come as a surprise, seeing as Yu Jin is a psychologist and I am studying to become a doctor, but we have a tendency to be very focused on our goals."
"I'm actually quite goal oriented in my own way, it's just hard to see the method in all of ... this." Polly gestures around herself at the clutter of creation covering everything not actively in use. "I'm focused on finding inspiration for the next album. I've been touring studios, and think I've found one in Jay's. I write for at least an hour or two a day. Words, if not lyrics, if not music. You know? There's impulsive and compulsive, and I'm probably a mixture of both in that regard. It's the eagerness to do old things in new ways, I think, that reads most as impulsiveness. That hunger for novelty. Just. Please don't mistake my lack of order for a lack of responsibility or drive."
"I shall endeavour to not do so, then," Annie says gently. "Is that something you have had issues with partners doing in the past?" Joyeux gonna Joyeux. "In all honesty, though, I doubt somebody who was lacking responsibility or drive would make it to our position here. We may be pretty people who do pretty people things, as the unflattering stereotype goes, but anyone who is only that tends not to make friends even within our Court, let alone outside it."
"Oh, yeah. For sure. I mean. Imagine you haven't been to Arcadia and you walk into this apartment with a girl covered in rainbows with pink hair and a cat. You're going to make some assumptions." She gestures at her surroundings again, "Nevermind I need all of this stuff to keep my head level. Nevermind I'm terrified of the dark. Nevermind a lack of color gives me anxiety. How do you explain that to someone who isn't like us? It's like explaining why an Eruv is important to a goy. They hear it, but they don't get it. And they certainly aren't going to try to understand it if there's no driving impetus to do so." She reaches for the bread again and tears off another bite, "But thank you for the vote of confidence. It does make me feel better about all of this, honestly."
Annie nods. "Any time." She considers Polly for a moment. "How much importance should I place on this stuff being what keeps your head level?" It's probably pretty easy to realise that means "is it your Touchstone?". "And do not worry, I will not ask you to go without colour, or into the dark. Being aware of your limits is important enough."
"Creation is very important to me. Usually it's music I create, but not always. Obviously." The apartment testifies to that. "So, yeah. If you ever find me ... you know. Just. Hum at me or something. Get me going with music, and I'll usually right myself eventually." She dips her bread into the wat again and takes another bite, chewing it thoughtfully and swallowing it down. "How's your meal?"
"Got it," Annie nods again. "You should probably contact Yu Jin, if I am in that situation. They are a Truebalm, so." Beat. "Excellent, thank you. There is something intangibly better about a homecooked meal than one at a restaurant, or from the freezer section of the supermarket, I have found since arriving in this time."
"Oh, I think an actual Ethiopian restaurant would do way better with this than I did, but in general I agree. There's some great Asian food in this neighborhood, though. And Reading Terminal Market isn't that far off, either. Sometimes I go there just to soak it all in, you know? The people, the languages, the sights and the smells. It's so busy." She leans back forward in her seat, resting her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm. "Do you think Yu Jin would be okay with me having their phone number? Or. You know. Meeting me, if it came to it? Some poly relationships have a no-crossing-of-the-streams preference."
"I can definitely understand the appeal of something so populated, after what our trips Away are often like," Annie grins. "I do not think Yu Jin would object to you having their number, no. It is posted in the Freehold Hollow for anyone in need of healing, after all." Beat. "Likely not meeting you, either, though that may take some time to arrange what with everything that is going on." And because their player hasn't been around for arpee in a bit.
"It gets lonely up there," Polly confirms with that most spring of smiles. The defiant one. "Cool, then. I'll file it away and give them a ring if the situation warrants it. Thanks." Polly remains leaned forward and folds her other arm up on the table top. The meal was light, and Polly's appetite seems sated for the time being. "Yeah, it's a little hectic right now, for sure. For sure." She allows a comfortable silence to develop which she intends to serve as a segue before inquiring, "So. What are your rules? Do's and don'ts and all that."
"In the bedroom or out of it?" Annie asks wryly. "I will have to talk to them first if this is going to be more than a one-off situation, for what that is worth," She considers Polly for a moment before continuing. "Do you have any hard boundaries, in either place?"
"Both. Practically speaking. And I'm glad you said that, because I'd rather not fuck us into a corner, you know? So. Netflix will be heavily on the Netflix side until you have a chat with Yu Jin about us dating. And that's probably a fine thing, honestly. There's no harm in us getting to know one another better before diving in." Polly uncrosses her legs and rises from her chair to start tidying up from lunch. Fortunately this kind of meal makes it pretty simple. The crock pot's contents are put into some tupperware along with the left overs and sent into the fridge. The pot is set in the sink to soak ahead of future cleaning, and the plate is just hand washed and dried and set into the cabinet.
"Don't yell at me. Don't tell me I have to do something. Don't make ultimatums. Those are just... necessary for my literal sanity." Elementals, you know. "I'm just not into BDSM. At all. I don't like restraints, I don't care for pain, or any of that. Not that I'm pure vanilla. I'm just... spicy in less triggering ways. Don't lie to me. Especially not about relationship stuff. I like to know who my partners are sleeping with. If not literally, then of them. If you're with someone else before you come over, please shower in between and change clothes. That feels like care for me, you know? Talk to me before a problem is a problem so that you never have to yell, tell me I have to do something, or make an ultimatum."
"Honesty and clear communication are important, most especially in a poly relationship," Annie nods, rising as well and helping with the tidying up. "Also I have no desire to risk your sanity, so ultimata or yelling were never on the table, quite frankly. And I am not sleeping with anyone besides Yu Jin at the moment, who you already knew about, so that preference is easy enough to abide by." She hmms briefly, then. "I would also prefer to at least know of anyone else you are sleeping with, especially if they are a member of our community, so that I am not taken by surprise."
"I'm not sleeping with anyone currently. My guitarist and I sometimes hook up on tour, but that's purely a tour thing, and generally about being lonely on tour and a history of chemical dependence. So being together makes it easier for us both. I think Jay is lava hot, though. So if that opportunity presents itself, I'm probably going to want to go there. Speak now if that's a problem." Polly grins aside at Annie as they tidy up. "I'm making him dinner soon. We had a coffee date at his cafe, and I toured his studio. So." Once the tidying is done, she turns off the main lights in the kitchen, which prompts the LED light sensing lights to kick in. Energy and sanity saving, those. They're solar recharged and just sort of stuck onto surfaces at seemingly random intervals. Probably to kill off specific banks of shadow in the room.
"If that list grows do you want to know before it grows? Or is notice after the fact okay?" See also: Impulsive.
"Notice after the fact is fine, as long as it is relatively prompt. Not weeks or months later." Annie shrugs one shoulder. "I do not have a problem with you going there with Jay, but I would prefer not to hear the details. I have never been interested in men. So." She tilts her head down slightly to kiss Polly on the cheek. "What about you? Knowledge beforehand or notice afterwards?"
"I'm going to ask a clarifying question. Zero details period, no information whatsoever, do not mention him at all in the context of a relationship? Or just avoid any details more risque than 'we had a good time together'?" Polly takes Annie's hand, then, and leads her along out of the kitchen into the larger sitting area adjacent to the art studio. Which has no musical equipment in it. That must be upstairs with the bedroom and such. It's actually a large space, just a crowded one. She settles down on the couch and pats the cushion beside herself in invitation. "Prepare to be cuddled." She waits for Annie to sit or not before continuing, "I like knowledge beforehand. Honestly, I like hearing about crushes and squishes and flirting and things that make my partners happy. Not because I'm paranoid, but because it genuinely makes me happy. But it's not a requirement. I'm fine with hearing about stuff after the fact. And I love hearing the details. With. The omission of the stuff on my list of do-not-likes."
"The latter," Annie answers as her hand is taken, following along happily enough. Once they get to the couch she takes the offered cushion next to Polly, tucking her feet underneath herself as usual. "I do not have any objection to either sharing or hearing the details in general, so long as that is not an issue for the person the details in question are about." Beat. "I have been flirting with a few other people, but nothing serious beyond that as yet."
"Flirting is like. How I communicate, ugh." Polly rolls her eyes at herself, then slides her arm around Annie, so long as she's not going to object to it. She uses her foot to pull the coffee table a little closer, then stretches out her legs one by one to drop her feet onto the table, ankles crossed. That's probably permission for her to do likewise. Her skirt is situated at her knees, and then she relaxes back into the cuddling. She has one of those giant couches that just kind of swallows your entire butt. Getting up is a chore, but it's incredibly comfortable. "So. I think we've got a pretty good base for things. We can always come back and amend this later, if we need to. I don't expect it to be comprehensive."
Annie does not in fact object to the arm being slid around her. Instead she reciprocates, leaning her head against Polly's shoulder. Luckily they're close enough in height, especially when sitting down, though it doesn't require her to be slouching or anything. "Seems so to me," she agrees, once the pair have gotten comfortable. "Which movie did you have in mind to start with? One of the Spielberg ones, or?"
"Are you up for pulpy adventure mystery? Space opera? Alien shenanigans with kids on bikes? A treasure hunt coming of age story in which a Baby Ruth bar plays a crucial role? Or awkward teen romances or stories about difference and becoming?" Polly asks this as she uses the light surrounding her to pluck up the remote on the presently out-of-her-reach end table and turn on the large TV on her wall. Plasma. Of course. (The best colors!)
"Surprise me," Annie says after a moment's thought. "I do have a soft spot for romances, though."
Polly checks Netflix (BUMDUMMMMM!) but it's not on Netflix. So she goes into Amazon Video instead and has to purchase it, but whatever. In this case it's the coming of age romcom Sixteen Candles starring Molly Ringwald. It's so dated. The stuff in this film would never make it to the screen these days. Ribald humor. The R-slur. Casual misogyny. But it remains a piece of pop culture that Annie missed, and at the center of the story remains a redheaded girl who lives life on her terms. Despite all the garbage in her life, not because of it. So there are still kernels of worth in all the idiocy. There's also a love triangle between a guy that doesn't deserve her and a guy that also doesn't deserve her. So there's some decent period subtext there, too, for people to latch onto.
Polly settles in to watch... and to play PopUpVideo facts about the movie and the actors and such, since so many of them were staples of the screen in the 80s. "If you hate this, we can put something else on. Breakfast Club has a good girl/bad boy romance that is actually really genuine. Unfortunately basically everything from this era is super heteronormative."
"Good to know," Annie says, nestling further against Polly as she watches. "This is okay, honestly. I like Ringwald's character, even if the guys are all arseholes."
"Big arseholes," Polly confirms with a firm little nod. She settles her head against Annie's own, and over the time it takes for the movie to progress doesn't so much Put The Moves on Annie, but definitely gets super comfortable. The cuddling becomes soothing petting of her hands. There's hand holding that transpires, conscious of her webbing. (Scandalous!) She even spends time exploring the skin of Annie's nearest arm with her fingertips and her eyes, just sort of learning the lay of the land where Annie is concerned without crossing any sort of boundaries that might invoke the One Night Stand cause, as it were. Sometimes developing intimacy isn't necessarily sexual, after all. One thing is clear, though, Polly's interest isn't really in the movie, for all that she tries not to distract overmuch from Annie's enjoyment of it.
Annie is more than happy to let Polly get super comfortable with her, keeping one eye on the movie even as she rubs her hand up and down the other woman's side, careful not to stray into anything too definitely on the Chilling side of the Netflix and Chill line.
When the credits start rolling and the suggested next shows start popping up, Polly stretches both of her arms up over her head, arches her back a bit like a cat, and points her toes until her entire body shivers with the stretch and she falls limp again with a satisfied sigh. "Mmm. Now I kind of want a nap," she admits with a laugh, "Annie cuddles make me safe and warm, it seems. That's a good thing." She yawns expansively and blinks her eyes a bit. "Mm. Do you wanna watch another, or maybe go for a walk or something? If we keep lying here, I'm either going to nod off or try to smooch you proper."
Annie definitely pays attention to Polly when the rainbow stretches. "I do like hearing that my cuddles make you feel safe," she says after a moment. "I could go for a walk, though," gets added with a grin. "Not that I would object to literal, non-euphemistic, sleeping with you, but it might be safer not to risk it becoming the euphemism just yet."
"Honestly, I'm seriously tempted to just say the heck with it. But I don't want to stop spending time with you in the interim. So. Yeah." Polly can only agree with the notion of relocating. So with profound reluctance and the sort of 'but I don't wanna' that only a Spring can muster in this situation, she drags her butt up off the couch-that-swallows-your-soul and turns around to offer two hands down to help the less accustomed houseguest up out of the maw of slumber. "The toll for help up is one kiss, though. I don't make the rules."
"Oh no, such a dreadful toll, however shall I cope with paying it," Annie deadpans as she takes Polly's hands and the offered aid up. Once she's on her feet she doesn't let go, instead choosing to press a kiss to the corner of the other woman's mouth. "One kiss, as demanded."
"T H E P A C T I S S E A L E D." Polly says it in that sort of ominous, disassociated sort of voice perfect for these sort of jokes. And it is clearly a joke. But she's quick to double down on the peck with one of her own. There. "When do you have to get to work, by the way, just so I can know when we need to head back with time enough to get you on your way to the gayborhood in time for work?" She starts heading back to the front door of the apartment leading to the stairs down to the street. The only things she grabs along the way is a floppy sun hat and her shades. Because even Rainbows have retinas.
"My shift tonight starts at seven," Annie answers, pausing at the door leading to the stairs to put her sandals back on. "Do you have anywhere in particular you would like to walk to, today, or should we just wander?" Once her sandals are on and strapped into place, the nymph retrieves a sunhat and pair of sunglasses from her satchel, placing it's strap across her chest and the body of it behind her. "Shall we?"
Polly checks her phone and quickly plugs in an alarm to allow them time to get back, get Annie fed, and then get her off to work. And then she unlocks her door again and holds it open for Annie to slip out so she can follow and lock up the door from the outside. It's a straight shot down the stairs to a landing with another door, that one a proper fire door. There's just a push bar from this side, though. And then they're out into the glaring light and humid heat of Center City. "I figured we could take a walk through Chinatown and then maybe to the Reading Terminal Market if you wanted? There's tons of things to see and smell and hear and feel along that whole walk, if you like that sort of thing?"
"Sounds like a plan," Annie smiles, offering Polly her hand. "Lead on, since you live around here." She's perfectly happy for the rainbow to the point on this section of their not-quite-date, it seems.
It's honestly not that long of a walk to the way she wants to take Annie into Chinatown. And make no mistake, the two Ashkenazi women will stick out like a sore thumb there. Very, very, very few of the local residents feel the need to bother with English, most of the signs aren't in English, and most of the commerce isn't conducted in English, either. It is a very simple matter to immerse yourself in being an outsider there. Present, and also apart. But because Polly makes the trip often, she knows of a water ice cart about a block in, where she stops to converse with the owner in English. He starts making her a -- you guessed it -- rainbow cone. "What flavor do you want, Annie? Yun has red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple!" There's a joke in there, somewhere. She's pulling some bills from her billfold before Annie can try to pay.
"Rainbow seems appropriate, honestly," Annie smirks at Polly. "Let me treat you next time, though?"
"Two rainbows, please!" Polly waits patiently for the nice fella to work up two such cones and pays in cash for them. She mangles trying to say thank you, and offers one cone to Annie and keeps the other. After a cheerful goodbye, she starts walking down the sidewalk again with Annie, chomping on the flavored ice with gusto. It's cold on a hot and humid day, so it's probably quite refreshing for all that. "Hopefully next time we get together, Annie, you can absolutely treat me and taste the rainbow." She gives a sly look aside and starts laughing at her own joke.
"Why would those two be connected? Is this some idiom I am yet unfamiliar with?" Annie asks, either not getting the joke or playing innocent. Probably the latter, considering she can see Polly's Mien.
Polly swats Annie's arm playfully at that, "You're supposed to laugh at my terrible jokes! Or at least groan." She turns around and begins walking backwards ahead of Annie. She does this sometimes, well Annie knows. Of course, she can also see the light behind Polly pawing at the air like antennae, feeling for collisions and righting her course before she impacts with anyone or anything. "We can loop around the block and head over to the market, too. Do you get out into the city much?"
"Not as much as I could, but I do try to fit regular exploration into my schedule," Annie admits. "It does help that the synagogue I go to for services is a fair distance from where I am living, though. Gives me more chances to get out and about that do not involve going to class, work or both."
"Kol Tzedek?" Rodeph Sholom is just up broad a spell, whereas Kol Tzedek is across the river a ways. So. She spins back around to walk normally for a bit. Because eventually people will start to wonder how you're managing to walk backwards like that. "The Italian Market is great, too. I try to do most of my shopping at the Reading Terminal, but there's stuff you can't get there easily. Oh! And the Shofuso gardens! We could make a whole date out of those. I love showing people around my town, you know? Have you lived here long, now?"
"Kol Tzedek," Annie confirms. "I gathered that much, yes, but it is always nicer to get shown around by someone who actually enjoys it than a tour guide." Or someone who's been assigned to making sure the Hedgefresh knows where things are. "I have been here since about January? Long enough to get settled, not long enough to know everything about it yet."
"So, yeah. Not super long, but pretty long. You can probably find your way around pretty easily. I get my challah from the Metropolitan at the terminal market. Walking distance, and they make it real good there. If you don't have one yet you can pick one up there and bring it home tonight." She rounds the corner and starts heading back down towards Arch street again, aiming for the Reading Terminal Market which is just down the block and across Arch. A huge place, jam packed with booths and kiosks and stalls of food and refreshments. Like a truly giant farmer's market focused on local foods and the cuisines of cultures surrounding the market and the region.
"Good to know," Annie says with a smile. "I have been trying to find where does the best challah in Philadelphia, since I do not have the time to make my own." Beat. "Or the skill at baking. I would be a terrible Jewish housewife." She grins at Polly, then.
"The best is debatable. It depends on what you like in a challah loaf, you know? I like using the bread for french toast early in the week, so I like it the way they make it here. So. You know how we can get, though. Every Jew at shul will have an opinion on the best and two of them might even agree." Polly grins aside at Annie when she makes this observation, reclaiming Annie's hand again for holding purposes. They'll need to keep that up inside the market if they don't want to get separated, too. "I will say, though? This has been... awesome. I've forgotten what it's like dating within the tribe."
Annie returns the grin, letting Polly take her hand without complaint. "Oh, yes. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood involve accompanying my father to shul just to listen to the arguments, before I became an adult and was expected to participate." The other woman's last statement gets a blink, though. "I am glad to have had the chance to remind you, then. Has it been a long time, for you?"
"Since I left Philly four years ago, actually. That might be part of my problem, honestly. Who knows." They cross Arch on the light and Polly takes the crossing at a bit of a sprint. You can never really trust the drivers in this town. Then she's pushing through the doors to the market which is, predictably, crowded during the mid afternoon on a Thursday. Tourists, mostly, at this hour. But the late lunchers are still about, and the early dinner shoppers are likewise perusing the stands. Polly is beaming upon entry and does a full on Mary Tyler Moore spin with her arms in the air. "Behold! Food chaos!"
Annie chuckles at the spin. "Something you like, I take it?" She moves to drop a kiss on Polly's cheek, then. "Where to first? Anything you especially think I should try?"
"Oh, goodness, Annie. If you sampled all the good food in here, we'd have to roll each other out of here. If you like Duchy cuisine, they've got a whole section for it. Pan-asian cuisine is well represented. There's Indian food, Lebanese food, local stuff. Cheesesteaks. The Metropolitan is down this way, though, if you want to start at the bakery. There's a ton of meat in here, though. This place used to be the charnel house, basically. Lots of butchers and stuff. So finding vegetarian stuff will be a trick unless it's the bougie stands or, like, the Indian cuisine and such. Get some challah, though, and maybe one of the Dutch apple pies. They're ... amazing." Polly takes her hand again to drag her on down the narrow lane between all the encroaching stands.
Annie hesitates for a moment before speaking. "I suppose I can set aside that restriction I picked up during my time Away, at least for one day." She's quick to follow Polly when the other woman takes her hand. "Are these actually Dutch or the misnaming as such that seems to be traditional here?" Beat. "Bougie stands might be out of my price range, but I definitely want to try a variety of the cheaper options."
"Oh, it's like that?" Polly has now filed that bit of information away. Noted. "Yeah, there's stuff to eat here that's vegetarian, hon. You don't have to worry about." Polly leads her down a bit and hangs a right down a wider lane that sort of bisects the market and there's the round sign of the Metropolitan Bakery. She wends through the crowds, holding fast to Annie's hand all the while, just shouldering through the tourists like a true Philly native. Let them shout 'excuse me!' at her retreating ass and go back to Kansas, losers. Anyway.
"Yeah, misnamed. Dutchy Dutch Apple pie. Which is to say German. Confused yet?" Polly grins broadly back at Annie, then tugs her out of traffic into the relative calm waters of the bakery area. Fresh Challah sits in the glass fronted display cases which Polly does not press her nose against by force of will alone. "Can we get two loaves of challah, please?"
"Not especially," Annie returns the grin. "I just wanted to make sure." And then they're at the bakery, and she inspects the display case containing a multitude of challah, before retrieving her purse from her satchel while the pair wait, extracting the appropriate amount of money from it.
|