xp_logs | Manuel and Domino, Thursday morning

Domino, having resurfaced from New York and come back to see the baby, runs into Manuel, who's a little surprised to see her in such a good mood but isn't in a particularly good one himself.

If there was one thing Manuel had had quite enough of in the last twenty-four hours or so, it was worry and anticipation. The long drive with Amanda had helped, but he was still vaguely irrationally resentful of everyone else's feelings. He knew it, he recognized it, but there was bugger-all he could do about it, other than try to relax. Hence the towel, the Speedo underneath his normal clothes, and the stop in the kitchen to get a pitcher of lemonade (he had a very badly-concealed addiction to tart food. The tarter, the better. Amanda had teased him endlessly about snacking on raw lemons) and a glass before heading out to bask in the sun.

"... so where the hell are you?" Domino demanded happily, cell phone to her ear as she strode down the hallway to the kitchen. "... London? Why are you flying out of London?" She snorted. "Good excuse. What about David and Mina... hah! I bet they set up the layover deliberately, so she should shop."

Manuel felt her coming long before he saw or heard her, and he rolled his eyes. Maybe if he gathered his things and departed quickly, he wouldn't have to be bathed in her ... wait. Her good mood? Domino? Now that was a switch. Maybe she got laid or something. With a physical and mental shrug, he resumed looking for the damned pitcher that he preferred - someone kept hiding it on him, and if he ever found out who, they were going to feel really, really bad about it.

"... so grab the next available flight, and stop fussing," Domino suggested as she walked through the kitchen door. She saw Manuel and waggled her eyebrows at him. "Yes, I reserved the hotel rooms. Nice hotel, yes. Under the usual pseudonyms." She glanced at her watch. "All right. Talk to you later." Hitting the button to end the call, she beamed sunnily at Manuel.

Nobody should be that cheerful without having just engaged in or being just about to engage in recreational procreative activities. Scowling, Manuel finally found the pitcher - somebody had put it way in the back, behind the pasta, of all things. "Hello, Domino." he said as neutrally as he could manage. "Aren't you just the ray of little sunshine today."

"Oh, quite," Domino chirped very deliberately. Someone was sulking. "Baby! Telepathic baby."

"I hadn't noticed." he said sarcastically. "Yes, telepathic baby. Good for them." he said, opening up the fridge to look for lemons.

"So why precisely are you being so sour?" Domino asked, still amiably. "Is the wee little mite sucking away the attention you crave?"

Manuel paused for a second. "Been trying not to indulge my first instinct, which was to engage in a great deal of Calm The Fuck Down." he said. "Emotions have been running a little hot in here lately." he said in the Understatement Of The Year. "It's a baby. Millions get themselves born every year."

"And each and every single one of them is a miracle," Domino said sententiously, seating herself on one of the stools and swinging her legs. "Especially," she said more seriously, "when you're dealing with two parents who have both lost children in awful ways. The emotional overcharge is kind of understandable, no?"

"Understandable, yes. But very stressful." he said. "But I am not going to make a fuss. I'm just going to shut up and deal, not that they'll appreciate it." he grumbled, definitely feeling out-of-sorts about being all mature and understanding on this topic. "So I am going to make myself some lemonade and go bask in the sun. That usually makes me feel better."

"Making yourself some lemonade and basking in the sun sounds like a great idea," Dom said easily. "If you make yourself feel better... well, that makes you feel better, no?"

Manuel nodded. "It beats my old method of relieving strain, which was to make the strain Go Away." he said. "This way's harder, but friendlier on people around me."

"Why not drag Amanda out to bask with you?" Domino suggested whimsically. "Pleasant company might improve matters faster?"

"If she was fit to be around right now, I'd be tempted." he said. "She's wound a little tight, and when she gets like this the best thing for it is to give her some space, let her work it out." he said, preparing his lemonade for consumption. Manuel was of the "If it strips paint, it's good lemonade" school of thinking, judging by the amount of sugar he put in the pitcher.

Domino raised an eyebrow. "Wound a little tight?"

Manuel nodded. "She's not ready to talk about it with me yet." he said with a shrug, sipping at his lemonade. "Yeah, that's the good stuff." he said with a lusty sigh. "Want some?"

"Not a big lemonade fan, sorry," Domino said, filing it away. "So," she said more lightly, "the Pack should be here tonight. All of them."

Manuel shrugged. "That's nice." he said with a shrug. "If you all go clubbing while you're here, let me know." he said with a laugh. "Since it went so well last time."

"Nah, this is going to be all about behaving and staying under the radar, sadly. Nothing approaching fun. Just a whole lot of cooing over the baby," Domino said with a perfectly straight face. "She's beautiful, you know. I got to peek at her earlier."

"Good for you." he said blandly. "For the sake of everyone, I am staying away for a time." he said simply. "I don't want to upset anyone any more than I already do."

"You've come a long way since last summer," Domino remarked. "I don't think the Manny I went clubbing with in Amsterdam would have cared much about who he upset."

Manuel smiled a crooked smile. "Even I learn eventually." he said with a sigh. "I'm going this alone, did I tell you that? Charles does what he can, but since Nathan's been - occupied - I'm back to trying to puzzle it all out on my own."

"Nathan told me about your lessons," Domino commented, raising an eyebrow. "Although I could have sworn that one of the things he told me was that he gave you the option of continuing them if you believed they were worthwhile."

Manuel nodded. "But Lusanya - the empath in his head who was doing the teaching - she's fading. Passing on to her eternal rest. And with her goes all her knowledge and skill." he said, sounding incredibly sad for a moment. "Such a waste."

"You and she were... are friends, I gather?" Domino asked, not unsympathetically.

Manuel nodded. "She was always friendly with me. Never mocked me for my mistakes, always was there to offer a hand or a kind word. She was closer to me than most who still live."

"So," Domino asked a bit wryly, slipping down from her stool, apple in hand, "why aren't you taking advantage of the time she has left?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Nathan's life is rather full." he said with a shrug. "There hasn't been time. Either he's away doing whatever it is he does around here, or he's taking care of Moira, and now his new child. There is no opportunity."

"Swallow your pride and ask him," Domino advised, turning towards the door. "Don't jump to conclusions. Remember, the man only sleeps a few hours a night." She winked at Manuel. "Enjoy your lemonade," she said. "And the basking. Maybe I'll stop by and admire the view."

Manuel couldn't help but grin at that. "The view - ah, it is magnificent." he smirked, before collecting his pitcher and a glass. "Sunbeam, here I come!" he announced as he walked out the door.