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xp_logsNathan catches a brief moment of quiet after the rehearsal, only to find Amanda has had the same idea. She seems more nervous than he does.
It wasn't quite a rehearsal dinner. Too many of the guests had already arrived at the castle, so it was a matter of grabbing food - some of the village folk had provided it tonight - and mingling. Or not mingling quite so much.
Nathan lowered himself into a chair with a sigh, disliking the way his back felt. Too much moving around the last couple of days, and it was only going to get worse. Besides. If he sat over here he could avoid Moira's grandmother.
The corner he had chosen was occupied by another person looking to hide... Amanda had secured an arm chair that hid her mostly from view, and was picking half-heartedly at her food. Too many strange people looking at her with expressions that siad they fully expected her to make a scene and wear her Doc Martens and the full range of piercings at the wedding tomorrow. At least she had the handy excuse of Meggan being people-shy still, although the little girl was now curled up sleeping, worn out from playing with some of the children at the clinic. She peeked out as Nathan sat down, catching the sigh, and automatically reached out with the healing spell... only to stop herself. If what Jean was saying was true, he didn't need her messing around with his metabolism. The doctors had stressed that magic and mutant powers didn't mix.
Despite the telepathic noise of the crowd, which was a dull roar in his head - only without the 'dull' - he sensed the flicker of familiar thoughts and looked around, smiling as he spotted Amanda. #Glad that's over, huh?# he sent with a mental chuckle. #I really do think we can all be trusted to walk and stand where we're supposed to walk and stand tomorrow, don't you? We didn't really need to go over it three times...#
#Dunno - I'm getting the impression they don't trust me to do even that. Might decide to tear the dress up and hold it together with safety pins like Sid and Nancy or something,# she sent back wryly, before turning her chair around a bit more so she could talk to him properly. "You look tired," she said out loud.
"Pretty much exhausted," he said candidly. "Been doing a little bit too much moving around, too, I think. I'll have to make it a relatively early night tonight." He grinned a bit ruefully. "Can't be hobbling around quite so noticeably for the actual wedding, now, can I?"
"Well, if anyone gives you grief for it you can just mention you broke yer bloody back last month and they'd lucky you're up at all. But if you want something t' help, I brought over my herbal box. Benefits of the Purple Pixie Express - I don't have t' worry about customs, tho' I'll be sending it back with Angie before we head off t' Germany for this paperwork for Meg." She said it off-handedly, but the way she started biting her thumbnail was a good indicator of her mental state, even without Nathan's telepathy. "So, apart from tired, you all ready for tomorrow? Big day," she continued, changing the subject.
Nathan tilted his head a little, picking up on the nervous mannerism - and the nervous thoughts. "I'll take you up on that later," he said, "and I'm very ready for tomorrow. Believe me. Sooner it's all done, the sooner Moira and I can be off for some quality newlywed alone time." He paused, resting his hand on his chin and raising an eyebrow at her. #It's going to go all right in Germany, you know.#
"I'll be by before I go t' bed, as long as one of Moira's relatives don't think I'm slippin' you a mickey or somethin'," she replied a bit more easily, glad there was still something she could do to help. Weddings... weren't her thing any more than funerals. #I know,# she sent back, making herself drop her hand. Angie would kill her if she ruined the manicure she'd done. #All the basic stuff's set up, it's just a formality thing. I'm just worried they'll take one look at me and decide there's no way they're letting Meggan anywhere near me. Maybe I should just let Kurt make with the official shite and keep out of the way?#
#You don't have to carry the conversation by any means. But you do need to be there.# He smiled at her, reassuringly. #They'll see you're serious about your part in this, from their perspective. They need to see that.#
Amanda nodded, still not happy but realising there was no getting out of this. Not that she wanted to, just... official types. They were not her favourite people in the world, given the mess they'd made interfering in her life. #I'll be good,# she sent back with a hint of humour, before looking out at the assembled people. "So how many are comin' to this thing any way?" she asked, trying again for the subject change. Nathan had plenty to occupy his mind, without adding her neuroses to it.
"I'm not absolutely sure. A few hundred at the very least." He grinned at her. "We need to get the Pack to introduce you to some of our... other friends."
"It'll be good t' see 'em, the Pack that is. Especially when everyone's mostly fine an' I'm not out of me head with worry an' the rest. They won't recognise me all awake an' healthy an' all," she replied, teasingly. "You sure about me meetin' more of yer merc mates? All those bad influences..."
"They're all perfectly charming, I'll have you know," Nathan said loftily. "Very often too charming for their own good. Especially Tomas. Dom's been known to refer to him as a 'scruffier Antonio Banderas'." He shifted in the chair, smiling. "Tomas Ramirez and Mike Leary and me... we used to be the three that got called for the big stuff. Where a major government was paying the bill."
"Charmin', huh? Maybe you should worry 'bout them meetin' me," Amanda replied, unable to resist the not-at-all serious salacious grin. "What sort of stuff would a major government want a bunch of mercs t' do, any way?" she asked, curious. International politics were as much a mystery to her as indoor plumbing had been to Meggan.
#Sometimes things have to be done that can't be traced back to any legitimate authority,# Nathan sent. #A lot of us, in all three groups...# He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully as he realized he'd still classed himself as part of the Pack. #Well, are or were ex-military, ex-intelligence, or something along those lines, with good reputations for being able to perform. Not just... adventurers, or thugs-for-hire looking for money, explosions, and our pick of the local women.#
#So they want people who'll do the job and disappear, and do it well?# she asked, showing once again she wasn't as stupid as her exam marks would have some people think. #Professionals who know the territory, so to speak, and know how to keep their mouths shut.#
#Don't forget, who won't expect anything past the money in the bank, who don't require any support... there are pros and cons to the set-up, believe me. You're a criminal, even if you have valuable skills, and it's entirely possible that the government who employs you one week can turn around and try to stomp you like a bug the next week if you happen to do something that irritates them.#
#Don't worry, I'm not planning a career as a merc any time soon,# she sent back, amused that he was quick to point out the downsides. #Need to finish school and make sure Meggan's all right first.# There was perhaps a faint note of frustration - school was a mess right now, with Meggan needing all her time. "'S odd, seein' Rahne talkin' t' people," she continued out loud, nodding at where the shy redhead was chatting to some of Moira's more elderly relations, accents thickening by the word. "I s'pose it was a matter of her findin' her element, where she was comfy."
"It's good to see," Nathan said, smiling. "I should send her over to deal with Moira's grandmother." He rolled his eyes. "The old... um, lady despises me. It's really kind of funny."
"Well, you did get her granddaughter up the duff..." Amanda pointed out with a sympathetic grin. The lady in question had subjected her to a piercing look, and declared that she didn't know about young people today and that Amanda was too scrawny to amount to much. "She's pretty set in her views, tho'. I think Rahne could manage t' charm her - she's got that way with grumpy old biddies."
"Yes, but you'd think she'd bite her tongue, given that she's going to be a great-grandmother again..." Nathan paused, his eyes going a bit distant. "Damn. I hope she did bite her tongue." Was that one of the reasons for the icily polite hostility? Worries about the genetic status of the great-grandchild to be? Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "I need to keep telling myself that I like Billie and Anna a great deal," he said wryly, "and that some of Moira's other relatives seem like very decent folk. They don't all have to like me, right?"
"Strange as it seems, you can't get on with everyone, Nate," Amanda told him with a chuckle. "As long as you aren't throwing plates at each other over the dinner, you should be right. An' you've got Billie an' Anna, like you said." She looked thoughtful. "'S the problem at the school sometimes - people seem t' think you have t' be friends with everyone, an' if you aren't then you're worst enemies. But sometimes there's people you just don't get on with or don't have anythin' in common with. 'S no big deal, you just nod t' each other in the hall sometimes an' that's it. No need for dramatics."
"I just don't want to make things awkward for her," Nathan said wistfully. "Supposed to be doing a minimum of that, you know." He relaxed a little more, his gaze straying back to the crowd. "So. You are going to save me a dance or two tomorrow, right?"
"That'd be where the no need for dramatics come in - you've known her this long an' it's not been a problem, I can't see why it should start now. The weddin's just the official seal, right? Doesn't change the fact you two are together." Amanda shrugged a little. It seemed like a lot of fuss to her, but she was glad they were finally doing it so they could stop fretting about it. "An' sure I will, as long as you show me what I'm doin' - I'm guessin' this isn't gunna be like goin' clubbin', right? Wouldn't want t' step on yer feet or trip over the dress or nothin'." She winked at him - Manuel had taught her the basics of formal-type dancing for that disastrous night at the Hellfire Club, so she was mostly teasing.
"Much more restrained than the clubbing, in general, yeah," Nathan chuckled. "I can't wait to see you and Angie and Rahne in the dresses, by the way. They're not so bad, are they?" He grinned. "I knew Moira could be trusted not to pick anything hideous. And not just because Dom would have pitched a fit."
"They're all right," she began, non-commitally, but she knew he could see through the act. "I like it," she confessed. "No-one'll know me once I've got me hair done an' all, but that's part of the fun, like bein' in costume. An' whatever certain people might think, I can get dressed up an' not complain all the time. If it's a good enough cause, any way, an' this one is. Two of me favourite people in the world are happy - I'd wear bloody pink ruffles if that was what Moira wanted." She paused. "Tho' I'm bloody glad she didn't."
It wasn't quite a rehearsal dinner. Too many of the guests had already arrived at the castle, so it was a matter of grabbing food - some of the village folk had provided it tonight - and mingling. Or not mingling quite so much.
Nathan lowered himself into a chair with a sigh, disliking the way his back felt. Too much moving around the last couple of days, and it was only going to get worse. Besides. If he sat over here he could avoid Moira's grandmother.
The corner he had chosen was occupied by another person looking to hide... Amanda had secured an arm chair that hid her mostly from view, and was picking half-heartedly at her food. Too many strange people looking at her with expressions that siad they fully expected her to make a scene and wear her Doc Martens and the full range of piercings at the wedding tomorrow. At least she had the handy excuse of Meggan being people-shy still, although the little girl was now curled up sleeping, worn out from playing with some of the children at the clinic. She peeked out as Nathan sat down, catching the sigh, and automatically reached out with the healing spell... only to stop herself. If what Jean was saying was true, he didn't need her messing around with his metabolism. The doctors had stressed that magic and mutant powers didn't mix.
Despite the telepathic noise of the crowd, which was a dull roar in his head - only without the 'dull' - he sensed the flicker of familiar thoughts and looked around, smiling as he spotted Amanda. #Glad that's over, huh?# he sent with a mental chuckle. #I really do think we can all be trusted to walk and stand where we're supposed to walk and stand tomorrow, don't you? We didn't really need to go over it three times...#
#Dunno - I'm getting the impression they don't trust me to do even that. Might decide to tear the dress up and hold it together with safety pins like Sid and Nancy or something,# she sent back wryly, before turning her chair around a bit more so she could talk to him properly. "You look tired," she said out loud.
"Pretty much exhausted," he said candidly. "Been doing a little bit too much moving around, too, I think. I'll have to make it a relatively early night tonight." He grinned a bit ruefully. "Can't be hobbling around quite so noticeably for the actual wedding, now, can I?"
"Well, if anyone gives you grief for it you can just mention you broke yer bloody back last month and they'd lucky you're up at all. But if you want something t' help, I brought over my herbal box. Benefits of the Purple Pixie Express - I don't have t' worry about customs, tho' I'll be sending it back with Angie before we head off t' Germany for this paperwork for Meg." She said it off-handedly, but the way she started biting her thumbnail was a good indicator of her mental state, even without Nathan's telepathy. "So, apart from tired, you all ready for tomorrow? Big day," she continued, changing the subject.
Nathan tilted his head a little, picking up on the nervous mannerism - and the nervous thoughts. "I'll take you up on that later," he said, "and I'm very ready for tomorrow. Believe me. Sooner it's all done, the sooner Moira and I can be off for some quality newlywed alone time." He paused, resting his hand on his chin and raising an eyebrow at her. #It's going to go all right in Germany, you know.#
"I'll be by before I go t' bed, as long as one of Moira's relatives don't think I'm slippin' you a mickey or somethin'," she replied a bit more easily, glad there was still something she could do to help. Weddings... weren't her thing any more than funerals. #I know,# she sent back, making herself drop her hand. Angie would kill her if she ruined the manicure she'd done. #All the basic stuff's set up, it's just a formality thing. I'm just worried they'll take one look at me and decide there's no way they're letting Meggan anywhere near me. Maybe I should just let Kurt make with the official shite and keep out of the way?#
#You don't have to carry the conversation by any means. But you do need to be there.# He smiled at her, reassuringly. #They'll see you're serious about your part in this, from their perspective. They need to see that.#
Amanda nodded, still not happy but realising there was no getting out of this. Not that she wanted to, just... official types. They were not her favourite people in the world, given the mess they'd made interfering in her life. #I'll be good,# she sent back with a hint of humour, before looking out at the assembled people. "So how many are comin' to this thing any way?" she asked, trying again for the subject change. Nathan had plenty to occupy his mind, without adding her neuroses to it.
"I'm not absolutely sure. A few hundred at the very least." He grinned at her. "We need to get the Pack to introduce you to some of our... other friends."
"It'll be good t' see 'em, the Pack that is. Especially when everyone's mostly fine an' I'm not out of me head with worry an' the rest. They won't recognise me all awake an' healthy an' all," she replied, teasingly. "You sure about me meetin' more of yer merc mates? All those bad influences..."
"They're all perfectly charming, I'll have you know," Nathan said loftily. "Very often too charming for their own good. Especially Tomas. Dom's been known to refer to him as a 'scruffier Antonio Banderas'." He shifted in the chair, smiling. "Tomas Ramirez and Mike Leary and me... we used to be the three that got called for the big stuff. Where a major government was paying the bill."
"Charmin', huh? Maybe you should worry 'bout them meetin' me," Amanda replied, unable to resist the not-at-all serious salacious grin. "What sort of stuff would a major government want a bunch of mercs t' do, any way?" she asked, curious. International politics were as much a mystery to her as indoor plumbing had been to Meggan.
#Sometimes things have to be done that can't be traced back to any legitimate authority,# Nathan sent. #A lot of us, in all three groups...# He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully as he realized he'd still classed himself as part of the Pack. #Well, are or were ex-military, ex-intelligence, or something along those lines, with good reputations for being able to perform. Not just... adventurers, or thugs-for-hire looking for money, explosions, and our pick of the local women.#
#So they want people who'll do the job and disappear, and do it well?# she asked, showing once again she wasn't as stupid as her exam marks would have some people think. #Professionals who know the territory, so to speak, and know how to keep their mouths shut.#
#Don't forget, who won't expect anything past the money in the bank, who don't require any support... there are pros and cons to the set-up, believe me. You're a criminal, even if you have valuable skills, and it's entirely possible that the government who employs you one week can turn around and try to stomp you like a bug the next week if you happen to do something that irritates them.#
#Don't worry, I'm not planning a career as a merc any time soon,# she sent back, amused that he was quick to point out the downsides. #Need to finish school and make sure Meggan's all right first.# There was perhaps a faint note of frustration - school was a mess right now, with Meggan needing all her time. "'S odd, seein' Rahne talkin' t' people," she continued out loud, nodding at where the shy redhead was chatting to some of Moira's more elderly relations, accents thickening by the word. "I s'pose it was a matter of her findin' her element, where she was comfy."
"It's good to see," Nathan said, smiling. "I should send her over to deal with Moira's grandmother." He rolled his eyes. "The old... um, lady despises me. It's really kind of funny."
"Well, you did get her granddaughter up the duff..." Amanda pointed out with a sympathetic grin. The lady in question had subjected her to a piercing look, and declared that she didn't know about young people today and that Amanda was too scrawny to amount to much. "She's pretty set in her views, tho'. I think Rahne could manage t' charm her - she's got that way with grumpy old biddies."
"Yes, but you'd think she'd bite her tongue, given that she's going to be a great-grandmother again..." Nathan paused, his eyes going a bit distant. "Damn. I hope she did bite her tongue." Was that one of the reasons for the icily polite hostility? Worries about the genetic status of the great-grandchild to be? Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "I need to keep telling myself that I like Billie and Anna a great deal," he said wryly, "and that some of Moira's other relatives seem like very decent folk. They don't all have to like me, right?"
"Strange as it seems, you can't get on with everyone, Nate," Amanda told him with a chuckle. "As long as you aren't throwing plates at each other over the dinner, you should be right. An' you've got Billie an' Anna, like you said." She looked thoughtful. "'S the problem at the school sometimes - people seem t' think you have t' be friends with everyone, an' if you aren't then you're worst enemies. But sometimes there's people you just don't get on with or don't have anythin' in common with. 'S no big deal, you just nod t' each other in the hall sometimes an' that's it. No need for dramatics."
"I just don't want to make things awkward for her," Nathan said wistfully. "Supposed to be doing a minimum of that, you know." He relaxed a little more, his gaze straying back to the crowd. "So. You are going to save me a dance or two tomorrow, right?"
"That'd be where the no need for dramatics come in - you've known her this long an' it's not been a problem, I can't see why it should start now. The weddin's just the official seal, right? Doesn't change the fact you two are together." Amanda shrugged a little. It seemed like a lot of fuss to her, but she was glad they were finally doing it so they could stop fretting about it. "An' sure I will, as long as you show me what I'm doin' - I'm guessin' this isn't gunna be like goin' clubbin', right? Wouldn't want t' step on yer feet or trip over the dress or nothin'." She winked at him - Manuel had taught her the basics of formal-type dancing for that disastrous night at the Hellfire Club, so she was mostly teasing.
"Much more restrained than the clubbing, in general, yeah," Nathan chuckled. "I can't wait to see you and Angie and Rahne in the dresses, by the way. They're not so bad, are they?" He grinned. "I knew Moira could be trusted not to pick anything hideous. And not just because Dom would have pitched a fit."
"They're all right," she began, non-commitally, but she knew he could see through the act. "I like it," she confessed. "No-one'll know me once I've got me hair done an' all, but that's part of the fun, like bein' in costume. An' whatever certain people might think, I can get dressed up an' not complain all the time. If it's a good enough cause, any way, an' this one is. Two of me favourite people in the world are happy - I'd wear bloody pink ruffles if that was what Moira wanted." She paused. "Tho' I'm bloody glad she didn't."
