Amanda, Domino - Monday morning
Jul. 18th, 2005 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAmanda comes to visit Domino, as promised. It's an awkward conversation, especially as Certain Topics are steadfastly avoided.
Same guest room again - Amanda tapped cautiously at the door, hoping she'd given Dom time enough to sleep. Nathan's email had worried her. Dom was so... indestructible.
Domino, sprawled on the bed picking at the breakfast tray someone had arrived at her door with earlier - Moira's doing, almost certainly - looked up. "Come in," she called, and then blinked, a smile tugging at her lips as Amanda opened the door. "Hey," she said, sliding off the bed and coming over to give Amanda a tight hug. "Was going to come looking for you in a bit, really."
"Hey," Amanda replied, sounding muffled. She looked Domino up and down as the other woman loosened her hold slightly, and frowned. "All right, when did we swap places? You look worse 'n I did last year with all the healin' I was doin'." She bit her lip. "Um, sorry, meant t' have a bit more 'hi, how are you' in there before I started in on that."
Domino gave her a rueful little grin and went back over to flop on the bed. "I'd offer you some of my breakfast but I think Moira would find out, and that would be scary. I honestly didn't think she could get any scarier, but she's managed it. Must be the pregnant thing." She waved at Amanda to come join her. "And yeah, I know I look like shit. My own silly fault, I guess."
"Well, it'd be bloody hypocritical of me t' lecture you, so I'll just settle for watchin' you eat," Amanda said with a small grin, perching a little awkwardly on one of the room's armchairs. She felt strange, out of the loop... all these things that had been going on and she'd been teaching Meggan how to read and trying to keep Manuel sane. "How long d' you think you'll stay?" she asked, not wanting to go into the reasons why Domino _was_ here yet.
Domino settled on a piece of toast. "Probably until the baby's born, at this rate," she said. "Although I probably won't spend all my time here - don't want to wear out the welcome mat, and a little time in New York might do me good. But there's not much point in turning around and going back to Africa when I'd just have to come back here if I wanted to see the baby."
"Makes sense. Moira's 'bout ready t' pop." Amanda chuckled a little. "It'd be good t' have you around a bit. I missed you." She ducked her head a little at the last.
Domino set the piece of toast down carefully, blinking a bit rapidly down at the plate. "Missed you too," she murmured, then waved a hand a bit limply. "Missed all of you. But that's one of the reasons I was off... doing what I was doing, so I guess it all works out in the end."
Oh shite. She really was bad at this sort of thing... Moving over to a corner of the bed, she gingerly reached out to touch Domino's shoulder. "'M sorry. I know you were doin' important stuff. Don't mind me." She cast about for something to change the subject. "Meg'll be pleased t' see you, too. She's talkin' much better now, an' learnin' t' read an' all. Even got her own journal now."
"Yeah?" Domino rubbed at her eyes, then looked up with a sheepish smile. "Should've brought her something. But we were a little busy for shopping and I didn't think I was coming back here anyway. Did Nate tell you he hit me?" She made a face rather more like something one would expect to see from Domino. "I hit him back, though. Twice."
"Yeah, he said somethin' 'bout hittin' you an' dopin' you up. Talk 'bout shoes on the other feet." It was good to see Domino acting a little more normally. "So, were you really gunna walk across the desert on yer own?"
Domino colored, although it wasn't nearly as visible as usual, given the sunburn. "Um. I think so, yeah. It made sense at the time?" She actually laughed a little, a breathless, tired chuckle. "It had been a really long week. But... it did turn out well in the end." Domino straightened a little, almost smiling. "I suppose I'm not precisely supposed to be talking about it, but I'm not an X-Man, so. We got a bunch of mutant kids out of a really bad situation. I feel... pretty good about having been part of that, actually." She looked half-surprised at the admission, half-embarrassed.
"So you should," Amanda said with a grin, amused by the reaction, even at the reminder that there was a whole other part of her people's lives she wasn't a part of. Hell, even Marie-Ange was wearing the leathers and keeping quiet about team stuff. "You made a difference, Dom, you an' the rest. I dunno the details an' you probably shouldn't tell me, but you've been busting yer arse gettin' all sorts of people out of a bad situation for months now. It's a fuckin' great thing you've been doin'."
Flushing a little more, Domino opened her mouth and then closed it again in confusion, picking up the piece of toast again. "I said something to Nate, back in the last email I sent before this all started, about how maybe I was trying to redeem myself," she finally said, uncertainly. "And he reminded me of just how well he can yell even over email. He doesn't believe in redemption, you know. But the only thing that leaves is doing it because the job needs doing, and..." Her throat tightened and she blinked rapidly. "And that reminds me of someone else, and I think I just won't go there right now."
Amanda winced slightly, her face closing off. She knew exactly who Domino meant. "Then you do it for whatever reasons you want t' do it, Dom. Fuck everyone else."
The toast was really not appealing. "I've been eating what they eat," Domino said, setting it back down again. "The refugees? Because that's where I've been spending most of my time, with them. Then when I get back to Nyala... that's the city I'm working from in the Sudan, or to N'Djamena in Chad, and there's more choice of food... I can't eat it, because I'm used to the supplies we have when we're making a run to the border. Funny, huh?"
She gave Amanda a long, lingering look. Yeah. Not going there. Which was kind of depressing, because she knew Amanda had been not-talking about it just as much as she had, and maybe that's what they both needed, to find words in the not-talking...
Domino realized she was staring at Amanda and saying nothing. "Sorry," she said quietly, glancing back down at the breakfast tray. Maybe some of the fruit. "So Meg's doing well, you said?"
"You'll settle again. 'S been a while, you've just gotten used t' things one way. But you'd better eat somethin' or you'll have Moira after you an' you don't want that." Amanda's chuckle was short and not really amused, more automatic than anything else. She caught Domino's stare and looked away. Not talking about it, not even thinking about it. "Yeah, she is. Comin' on in leaps an' bounds. There's somethin' 'bout her that doesn't take the shite t' heart - stuff in the past is past, an' that's where it stays." Another wry smile. "Somethin' I could do t' learn from her."
"Resilient." Domino wound a ragged lock of hair around one finger. She needed a haircut. Rather badly. Something to do in New York? "They say kids are. I think they probably are if you give them the chance, and she's certainly getting that here. Thanks to you and the school..."
"Well, it was why I brought her here. To get the chance t' be a normal kid, or as normal as she'll get lookin' the way she does." Amanda's smile turned a little more genuine. "She's a sweet kid, too. Loves 'most everyone."
Domino tilted her head at her. "You feeling a little better about the whole thing in general? Less swamped? You look tired, but not too harried..."
"Go meself a schedule - Summers' idea, but it helps. An' there's plenty of people I can get t' help out. Just... hard t' be in three places at once sometimes, especially since Meg an' Manny don't get on." Amanda sighed a little. "Empath clash. Means I have t' see 'em separate, which means stretchin' meself a bit."
"Three places... with him, with her, and looking after yourself?" Domino asked with a wry little smile.
"Yeah, pretty much. I've made meself a new friend, out of the school. Charlie." Her expression softened a little. "Into the magic as well, an' he's been helpin' me with stuff, tryin' t' streamline things a bit so there's not so much brain leakin' out me ears. Which I haven't done for months, so bully for me."
"Sounds like you're juggling well," Domino said with a fond smile. "Even if you are getting a little stretched. I always had faith in you, you know... although the way you phrased the bit about Meg and Manny, sounded a bit disturbingly like it was two kids you were juggling."
"You know Manny - hasn't grown out of the bein' a git sometimes," Amanda said with a combination of fondness and exasperation. "He doesn't like that Meg takes up so much time, an' she doesn't like it when he needs me. We're all learnin' t' deal with it, an' I know t' ask for help if I need it now. It isn't me that suffers if I don't."
"I'll have to look him up this week. Once I'm a little more collected, obviously... I wouldn't wish myself on any psi at the moment. No wonder Nate belted me one." She smiled to show that it was a joke. Mostly.
"Yeah, well, bein' sucked into the whole Harry Potter insanity hasn't helped his mood, so yeah, give it a couple of days." She reached out to touch Domino's shoulder again, less tentatively this time. "Even tough bitches like us need a break now an' then. Yer turn, yeah?"
Domino nodded, then raised a hand, just brushing her fingertips over Amanda's cheek for a moment. "Really is good to see you, you know. Think you can squeeze in some time for me?" She mustered up a slightly shaky little smile. "Hell, we could take Meggan and make a girl's afternoon out of it. Whatever it turns out to be."
"Always got time for you." For the first time since she'd come in, Amanda relaxed, slipping her arm around Domino's shoulders and squeezing briefly. "Now, do I have t' feed you like I did Meg when I first got her? I do a very good aeroplane imitation with a piece of toast, I'll have you know," she continued in the old teasing way.
Same guest room again - Amanda tapped cautiously at the door, hoping she'd given Dom time enough to sleep. Nathan's email had worried her. Dom was so... indestructible.
Domino, sprawled on the bed picking at the breakfast tray someone had arrived at her door with earlier - Moira's doing, almost certainly - looked up. "Come in," she called, and then blinked, a smile tugging at her lips as Amanda opened the door. "Hey," she said, sliding off the bed and coming over to give Amanda a tight hug. "Was going to come looking for you in a bit, really."
"Hey," Amanda replied, sounding muffled. She looked Domino up and down as the other woman loosened her hold slightly, and frowned. "All right, when did we swap places? You look worse 'n I did last year with all the healin' I was doin'." She bit her lip. "Um, sorry, meant t' have a bit more 'hi, how are you' in there before I started in on that."
Domino gave her a rueful little grin and went back over to flop on the bed. "I'd offer you some of my breakfast but I think Moira would find out, and that would be scary. I honestly didn't think she could get any scarier, but she's managed it. Must be the pregnant thing." She waved at Amanda to come join her. "And yeah, I know I look like shit. My own silly fault, I guess."
"Well, it'd be bloody hypocritical of me t' lecture you, so I'll just settle for watchin' you eat," Amanda said with a small grin, perching a little awkwardly on one of the room's armchairs. She felt strange, out of the loop... all these things that had been going on and she'd been teaching Meggan how to read and trying to keep Manuel sane. "How long d' you think you'll stay?" she asked, not wanting to go into the reasons why Domino _was_ here yet.
Domino settled on a piece of toast. "Probably until the baby's born, at this rate," she said. "Although I probably won't spend all my time here - don't want to wear out the welcome mat, and a little time in New York might do me good. But there's not much point in turning around and going back to Africa when I'd just have to come back here if I wanted to see the baby."
"Makes sense. Moira's 'bout ready t' pop." Amanda chuckled a little. "It'd be good t' have you around a bit. I missed you." She ducked her head a little at the last.
Domino set the piece of toast down carefully, blinking a bit rapidly down at the plate. "Missed you too," she murmured, then waved a hand a bit limply. "Missed all of you. But that's one of the reasons I was off... doing what I was doing, so I guess it all works out in the end."
Oh shite. She really was bad at this sort of thing... Moving over to a corner of the bed, she gingerly reached out to touch Domino's shoulder. "'M sorry. I know you were doin' important stuff. Don't mind me." She cast about for something to change the subject. "Meg'll be pleased t' see you, too. She's talkin' much better now, an' learnin' t' read an' all. Even got her own journal now."
"Yeah?" Domino rubbed at her eyes, then looked up with a sheepish smile. "Should've brought her something. But we were a little busy for shopping and I didn't think I was coming back here anyway. Did Nate tell you he hit me?" She made a face rather more like something one would expect to see from Domino. "I hit him back, though. Twice."
"Yeah, he said somethin' 'bout hittin' you an' dopin' you up. Talk 'bout shoes on the other feet." It was good to see Domino acting a little more normally. "So, were you really gunna walk across the desert on yer own?"
Domino colored, although it wasn't nearly as visible as usual, given the sunburn. "Um. I think so, yeah. It made sense at the time?" She actually laughed a little, a breathless, tired chuckle. "It had been a really long week. But... it did turn out well in the end." Domino straightened a little, almost smiling. "I suppose I'm not precisely supposed to be talking about it, but I'm not an X-Man, so. We got a bunch of mutant kids out of a really bad situation. I feel... pretty good about having been part of that, actually." She looked half-surprised at the admission, half-embarrassed.
"So you should," Amanda said with a grin, amused by the reaction, even at the reminder that there was a whole other part of her people's lives she wasn't a part of. Hell, even Marie-Ange was wearing the leathers and keeping quiet about team stuff. "You made a difference, Dom, you an' the rest. I dunno the details an' you probably shouldn't tell me, but you've been busting yer arse gettin' all sorts of people out of a bad situation for months now. It's a fuckin' great thing you've been doin'."
Flushing a little more, Domino opened her mouth and then closed it again in confusion, picking up the piece of toast again. "I said something to Nate, back in the last email I sent before this all started, about how maybe I was trying to redeem myself," she finally said, uncertainly. "And he reminded me of just how well he can yell even over email. He doesn't believe in redemption, you know. But the only thing that leaves is doing it because the job needs doing, and..." Her throat tightened and she blinked rapidly. "And that reminds me of someone else, and I think I just won't go there right now."
Amanda winced slightly, her face closing off. She knew exactly who Domino meant. "Then you do it for whatever reasons you want t' do it, Dom. Fuck everyone else."
The toast was really not appealing. "I've been eating what they eat," Domino said, setting it back down again. "The refugees? Because that's where I've been spending most of my time, with them. Then when I get back to Nyala... that's the city I'm working from in the Sudan, or to N'Djamena in Chad, and there's more choice of food... I can't eat it, because I'm used to the supplies we have when we're making a run to the border. Funny, huh?"
She gave Amanda a long, lingering look. Yeah. Not going there. Which was kind of depressing, because she knew Amanda had been not-talking about it just as much as she had, and maybe that's what they both needed, to find words in the not-talking...
Domino realized she was staring at Amanda and saying nothing. "Sorry," she said quietly, glancing back down at the breakfast tray. Maybe some of the fruit. "So Meg's doing well, you said?"
"You'll settle again. 'S been a while, you've just gotten used t' things one way. But you'd better eat somethin' or you'll have Moira after you an' you don't want that." Amanda's chuckle was short and not really amused, more automatic than anything else. She caught Domino's stare and looked away. Not talking about it, not even thinking about it. "Yeah, she is. Comin' on in leaps an' bounds. There's somethin' 'bout her that doesn't take the shite t' heart - stuff in the past is past, an' that's where it stays." Another wry smile. "Somethin' I could do t' learn from her."
"Resilient." Domino wound a ragged lock of hair around one finger. She needed a haircut. Rather badly. Something to do in New York? "They say kids are. I think they probably are if you give them the chance, and she's certainly getting that here. Thanks to you and the school..."
"Well, it was why I brought her here. To get the chance t' be a normal kid, or as normal as she'll get lookin' the way she does." Amanda's smile turned a little more genuine. "She's a sweet kid, too. Loves 'most everyone."
Domino tilted her head at her. "You feeling a little better about the whole thing in general? Less swamped? You look tired, but not too harried..."
"Go meself a schedule - Summers' idea, but it helps. An' there's plenty of people I can get t' help out. Just... hard t' be in three places at once sometimes, especially since Meg an' Manny don't get on." Amanda sighed a little. "Empath clash. Means I have t' see 'em separate, which means stretchin' meself a bit."
"Three places... with him, with her, and looking after yourself?" Domino asked with a wry little smile.
"Yeah, pretty much. I've made meself a new friend, out of the school. Charlie." Her expression softened a little. "Into the magic as well, an' he's been helpin' me with stuff, tryin' t' streamline things a bit so there's not so much brain leakin' out me ears. Which I haven't done for months, so bully for me."
"Sounds like you're juggling well," Domino said with a fond smile. "Even if you are getting a little stretched. I always had faith in you, you know... although the way you phrased the bit about Meg and Manny, sounded a bit disturbingly like it was two kids you were juggling."
"You know Manny - hasn't grown out of the bein' a git sometimes," Amanda said with a combination of fondness and exasperation. "He doesn't like that Meg takes up so much time, an' she doesn't like it when he needs me. We're all learnin' t' deal with it, an' I know t' ask for help if I need it now. It isn't me that suffers if I don't."
"I'll have to look him up this week. Once I'm a little more collected, obviously... I wouldn't wish myself on any psi at the moment. No wonder Nate belted me one." She smiled to show that it was a joke. Mostly.
"Yeah, well, bein' sucked into the whole Harry Potter insanity hasn't helped his mood, so yeah, give it a couple of days." She reached out to touch Domino's shoulder again, less tentatively this time. "Even tough bitches like us need a break now an' then. Yer turn, yeah?"
Domino nodded, then raised a hand, just brushing her fingertips over Amanda's cheek for a moment. "Really is good to see you, you know. Think you can squeeze in some time for me?" She mustered up a slightly shaky little smile. "Hell, we could take Meggan and make a girl's afternoon out of it. Whatever it turns out to be."
"Always got time for you." For the first time since she'd come in, Amanda relaxed, slipping her arm around Domino's shoulders and squeezing briefly. "Now, do I have t' feed you like I did Meg when I first got her? I do a very good aeroplane imitation with a piece of toast, I'll have you know," she continued in the old teasing way.
