xp_logs | LOG: Manuel and Wanda - Idle Conversation Under A Hot Sun

Manuel and Wanda both happen to go sunbathing at the same time. They talk.

Wanda stretched slowly, shrugging off the effects of a hard work out by lounging next to the pool. She had no intention of going in but the sun and a good book had made her decide to avoid the inside of the Mansion.

On top of the normal drama that tended to make her flee in it's wake. She dealt with it when she had to and not a second more.

Manuel wandered out in naught but a towel and his sunglasses, determined to get in some quality sunbathing time while he stil could. The sunniest spot out on the patio was free, luckily for him, and even better the Roma wench was sunning herself next to the pool as well. Sunshine and eye-candy, just what the doctor ordered. Unwrapping the towel from his waist, he draped it over the deck-chair. Scratching at his new bandages, he stretched himself out on his stomach and prepared for some serious basking time.

Turning her head at the noise, she pursed her lips slightly when she spotted Manuel. "You look a little...worse for wear," she commented after a moment, taking in his appearance. "One would think you've been run through the Danger Room."

"Rough night." he said blandly. The damned things itched, but at least this way they wouldn't get infected. "Had to blow off some steam before I made everyone who isn't me even more miserable than I already do." he said. "So Amanda and I went out."

Well, that explained why Amanda had looked so stiff when she passed her in the hallway earlier. Wanda shifted slightly. She had never looked that rough, even in her much wilder clubbing days. Must have been one hell of a night, for good and bad.

"A bit of open mouth, insert foot?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Manuel snorted, but didn't respond right away. Instead, he stretched himself out a bit, letting his back pop a few times. "Ever have one of those kinds of days where the little irritants that you normally could ignore just wouldn't go away?" he asked Wanda without looking directly at her. "Where everything just piles up and nothing you do to try to deal with it works?"

"Yes, I have. In fact, if I don't meditate I tend to have more of those days than naught." The little strings twanged and pulled in her mind, her fingers itched to let loose--oh yes, she understood. "I'm assuming you've been having more and more of those days."

"You could say that." he said. "None of the usual things I do to deal were helping me much - meditation, music, art, sex ..." he said with a sigh. "So I sort of blew up. Been avoiding doing what I know I have to do and apologizing to Nathan and Moira. I hate it when they're right. They're so insufferable about it."

Wanda shook her head. "Can you blame them in this case? I have seen mothers and fathers put their lives on the line to protect their children and considering the past history of both Moira and Nathan..." Sitting up, she placed her book on the ground. "It is not the child's fault that she activated in the womb or that you don't particularly care for her parents."

"That wasn't my point. I think I would rather go back to the asylum rather than harm a child. My point was that when it's _their child_ on the line, they expect everyone to walk, think, and feel quietly. But when I was in a similar circumstance - no shielding, tossed this-way-and-that by everyone and everything around me, I was treated harshly. Now, I'm no infant, I know that, but it still grates."

Well, considering his hatred and fear of the asylum, that was oddly reassuring. "I highly doubted you would have harmed the child," Wanda responded. "And I can understand why it grates. But there were reasons that what happened before happened. And there are reasons Moira needs as much as we can give her. She did not spell it out but I'm assuming you understand that if something were to happen, she could still lose the baby, yes? Or die herself."

Manuel shrugged. "Such is life." he said. "Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish any evils down upon a child. But I have to look out for myself, my sanity, my health as well." he said. "I know it's not that huge of a concern to most, but it's vital to me."

"Your own survival is important but be practical. What will your survival be if something befalls the child--or anyone else--at the mansion because you were looking out only for yourself? If for nothing else, watch your steps a little more carefully because you do need this place."

Manuel nodded as best he could. "For now." he said in agreement. "I'll have to hang on for now. After all, it would be inconvenient in the extreme for someone like me to lose my grip completely. Bad things would happen then." he said. "And that's not a threat, just a statement of fact. No more devestating than if you lost it completely."

Wanda smiled. "Or Lorna, or Nathan, or _Xavier_," she murmured. "As much as I like my powers, there are days I wish I had something...with lower maintenance, so to speak." She gave him a quick glance over. "You will get it one day, the control that you're looking for. You and I are better off them some who do not even have that off switch. It's just finding it that's sometimes hard."

"I don't know about you, but in my case controlling myself like that makes life - cold. Lonely. Like I'm looking through the window to the pub rather than taking my seat at the bar. Does that make sense?" he said with frustration. "Stupid English. And it gets to me sometimes, and when that happens you get little outbursts like my latest blunder." he said with a heavy sigh. "I hate my power."

"Sometimes," she admitted softly. "And yes, I understand what you're saying. If I lose control, like you said earlier, some very bad things will happen. And I am normally a very emotionally based person. It's why I have to mediate every day. Clamping down this hard does take it's toll."

"It really bites." he agreed, and then rolled over onto his back to sun his front. Both his knees were bandaged neatly (Madelyn's work by the look of it), and his Speedo today was your basic bad black in color. "At least basking in the sun feels good."

"Yes, it does. My advice is to take pleasure in whatever you can." Wanda had read the post on what he had discovered about his powers after all. "And you might want to see if you can find some activity that's not on campus."

"I would need to finally get my driver's license in order to do that." he commented. "And I take my pleasures wherever I can get them, but sometimes they're just not enough." he said. "My idea of fun does not usually go with everyone else's idea of fun. I miss the siestas we used to take, where we would sit and drink and discuss the nature of the world. We'd argue and fight and call each other horrible names, but at the end, we'd shake hands, laugh, and walk away secure in the friendships between men. I can't get that here." he griped.

"Finishing getting your license would help. The freedom to go where you want, when you want is rather nice." Wanda nodded. "The cultural differences here take a lot of getting used to. No one sits still here, everything is on the go. I like some things fast paced but situations here feel like they have to go fast or you have done nothing."

"Perhaps in the next week or so I can go get this license." he said. "And that's exactly it. Everyone here is always in such a rush! No one slows down, appreciates stillness. It's very sad."

"I think being able to go off on your own will help. Having company is good but alone time can be just as useful. America--it's so full of life but sometimes they don't stop and realize that." With a sigh, she glanced at her watch. "And unfortunately, I need to force myself back to work. Take care Manuel and just keep in mind some of the things we talked about."

Manuel nodded. "I'll be out here for a time, enjoying the sunshine. Then I'll go compose that note to apologize to Nathan and Moira. Then maybe I'll get Amanda to give me a driving lesson so I can practice some." he said. "See you later, Wanda. Wander well."