Amanda, Kurt - Friday morning
Aug. 12th, 2005 09:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsThe morning after the last of these emails, Kurt stops by with a fuzzy toy for Meggan and an ulterior motive. Surprisingly , there's productive talk.
It should have come as no real surprise to Amanda when Kurt knocked at her door carrying a new soft toy for Meggan. He adored the little girl, after all, and this wasn't the first time he'd brought her presents for no particular reason.
Of course, he did have an ulterior motive this time: to check up on Amanda herself, after that very public fight with Manuel on the journals.
Amanda herself was tucked up on the couch in the common room of the suite, watching Blackadder dvds. Her eyes were a little red and puffy and her hair still lank and green from the boom in the library. At the knock she looked up and thumbed the pause button, before answering. "Come in."
At the sight of Kurt and his fuzzy burden, she smiled a little wanly. Meggan had herself such a loyal big brother. "Hey," she said in greeting. "You want a cuppa? Pot's warm." She nodded at the squat blue teapot she'd brought back from her last trip to London, sitting on the coffee table.
He nodded with a small smile, though he hadn't missed the signs of tears, moving to pour himself a cup before he curled up in one of the armchairs. "Good morning, Amanda. Is Meggan sleeping?"
"Been an' gone - she's out playin' with the other kids. She didn't want t' go, but 's better she go out an' play outside than hang around here with me. 'Sides, I still need t' work out what happened yesterday so I don't do it again." She pushed back her hair, pulling a face. "If only so I don't give meself the magic makeover again. I look like a bad version of a wood elf or somethin'."
"What was the spell you were trying to do?" he asked curiously, genuinely interested.
"Nothin' complicated, just an illusion spell. Done it before a dozen times, an' never had it blow up on me before." Amanda sounded more perplexed than disgruntled. "I s'pose I wasn't focusing right, mixed the wrong components in the wrong order or somethin'. Still, didn't do any lastin' harm." She sighed a little. "Well, mostly."
He had a feeling he knew what she was talking about or at least could guess, but prodded gently anyway. "Mostly?"
"You can't tell me you didn't see that little domestic on my journal," she replied, taking refuge in wry humour. "Manuel... he just keeps pushin'. 'S all about him, an' he didn't even think that maybe havin' a go at me was makin' me feel worse 'bout the whole thing." She didn't know why she was talking to Kurt - part of her said that the whole thing had been public any way, so there wasn't any harm.
He nodded quietly, his guess confirmed. "I saw it, yes. Have you spoken to Manuel since it happened?"
"There's been some emails..." She shrugged a little. "I don't know, Kurt. Seems like we do this over an' over again, an' he doesn't learn anythin'. Always makes it about him in the end." She was dreading his answer to her last mail - bringng up his father was always a dangerous proposition. "Then again, 's not like he's had a chance t' learn normal reactions, so I can't really blame him."
Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "He has been here for over a year... but then, that would not overset the twenty before it, or not easily. And learning is rarely easy."
Amanda snorted, a short and almost bitter sound. "An' he wants it easy. Or at least, not as hard as the rest of his life." Then she shook her head. "No, that's not fair. He is tryin'. 'S not easy, bein' linked t' me - I'm not the most stable person in the world, an' half the time he's dealin' with my shite on top of his own."
"And yet, if he did not want the link, I am sure he would have gone to Professor Xavier for help removing it before now. He has chosen not to", Kurt pointed out.
"I wasn't meanin' that he'd want the link gone. Just that the only person he's got any connection with is me, an' I'm not exactly an example of what's normal." Amanda's tone grew a little irritated before she took a sip of tea from the mug in her hands and made an effort to calm herself. "It's just me, Kurt, now that he's not studyin' with Nate any more. An' I don't know if I'm doin' him any good any more. Half the time we drive each other balmy - you saw how it was on my journal."
Another nod, then he asked calmly but tentatively, "Have you taken your concerns to anyone else? Nathan, or Professor Xavier? There might very well be a way to help."
"No." The word was said softly, Amanda ducking her head so her hair hid her face. "Manuel's stubborn, Kurt, an' his pride's all he has left. He wants help, an' he's workin' with the Prof, but if he knew I was even sayin' this... he'd be furious. He doesn't want t' be a charity case, doesn't want t' be weak. An' he an' Nate..." She shook her head, another wry noise escaping her. "They spend most of their time windin' each other up. Does more damage than good, an' Manuel can't forgive Nate for stoppin' things last time - 's the thing 'bout him, you don't get second chances if you cross him. Well, not unless you're me." When she lifted her head, there was a slight change in her expression, as if she'd realised something. "He really is tryin'."
Kurt reached out in a brotherly gesture, brushing the hair off her forehead. "And that is the best sign there could be. You should find him, speak to him in person."
"I want to," she admitted. "'S just... I don't want it t' be like it usually is. He says somethin', I get shirty, he feels bad an' apologises, I feel bad an' forgive him. An' then we do it all again. So maybe if we try an' sort it out first, use the email t' get some space t' think an' not just feel..." A faint blush coloured her face. "An' not feel each other up instead of talkin'. We always get t' the making up before we're done with sorting out things."
"...Ah. Yes, then, perhaps the distance e-mail allows you is the best way, at least at first." His face was just a little purplish now, too.
Despite herself, Amanda giggled at Kurt's reaction. It was so... Kurt. And she felt better, for having talked about it, particularly with someone who didn't have their own burdens to carry, or their own issues with Manuel to colour things. "Yeah. Somethin' like that, any way." She felt around on the couch for the dvd remote. "Hey, you ever seen much Brit comedy? Rowan Atkinson's bloody brilliant in this." It was, for her, a thank you.
He smiled, turning his attention to the TV. "I do not think I saw this one, no. Shall we watch it?"
She grinned, and flicked the dvd back on. "You really missed out on all the good stuff. Good thing I'm here t' educate you."
It should have come as no real surprise to Amanda when Kurt knocked at her door carrying a new soft toy for Meggan. He adored the little girl, after all, and this wasn't the first time he'd brought her presents for no particular reason.
Of course, he did have an ulterior motive this time: to check up on Amanda herself, after that very public fight with Manuel on the journals.
Amanda herself was tucked up on the couch in the common room of the suite, watching Blackadder dvds. Her eyes were a little red and puffy and her hair still lank and green from the boom in the library. At the knock she looked up and thumbed the pause button, before answering. "Come in."
At the sight of Kurt and his fuzzy burden, she smiled a little wanly. Meggan had herself such a loyal big brother. "Hey," she said in greeting. "You want a cuppa? Pot's warm." She nodded at the squat blue teapot she'd brought back from her last trip to London, sitting on the coffee table.
He nodded with a small smile, though he hadn't missed the signs of tears, moving to pour himself a cup before he curled up in one of the armchairs. "Good morning, Amanda. Is Meggan sleeping?"
"Been an' gone - she's out playin' with the other kids. She didn't want t' go, but 's better she go out an' play outside than hang around here with me. 'Sides, I still need t' work out what happened yesterday so I don't do it again." She pushed back her hair, pulling a face. "If only so I don't give meself the magic makeover again. I look like a bad version of a wood elf or somethin'."
"What was the spell you were trying to do?" he asked curiously, genuinely interested.
"Nothin' complicated, just an illusion spell. Done it before a dozen times, an' never had it blow up on me before." Amanda sounded more perplexed than disgruntled. "I s'pose I wasn't focusing right, mixed the wrong components in the wrong order or somethin'. Still, didn't do any lastin' harm." She sighed a little. "Well, mostly."
He had a feeling he knew what she was talking about or at least could guess, but prodded gently anyway. "Mostly?"
"You can't tell me you didn't see that little domestic on my journal," she replied, taking refuge in wry humour. "Manuel... he just keeps pushin'. 'S all about him, an' he didn't even think that maybe havin' a go at me was makin' me feel worse 'bout the whole thing." She didn't know why she was talking to Kurt - part of her said that the whole thing had been public any way, so there wasn't any harm.
He nodded quietly, his guess confirmed. "I saw it, yes. Have you spoken to Manuel since it happened?"
"There's been some emails..." She shrugged a little. "I don't know, Kurt. Seems like we do this over an' over again, an' he doesn't learn anythin'. Always makes it about him in the end." She was dreading his answer to her last mail - bringng up his father was always a dangerous proposition. "Then again, 's not like he's had a chance t' learn normal reactions, so I can't really blame him."
Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "He has been here for over a year... but then, that would not overset the twenty before it, or not easily. And learning is rarely easy."
Amanda snorted, a short and almost bitter sound. "An' he wants it easy. Or at least, not as hard as the rest of his life." Then she shook her head. "No, that's not fair. He is tryin'. 'S not easy, bein' linked t' me - I'm not the most stable person in the world, an' half the time he's dealin' with my shite on top of his own."
"And yet, if he did not want the link, I am sure he would have gone to Professor Xavier for help removing it before now. He has chosen not to", Kurt pointed out.
"I wasn't meanin' that he'd want the link gone. Just that the only person he's got any connection with is me, an' I'm not exactly an example of what's normal." Amanda's tone grew a little irritated before she took a sip of tea from the mug in her hands and made an effort to calm herself. "It's just me, Kurt, now that he's not studyin' with Nate any more. An' I don't know if I'm doin' him any good any more. Half the time we drive each other balmy - you saw how it was on my journal."
Another nod, then he asked calmly but tentatively, "Have you taken your concerns to anyone else? Nathan, or Professor Xavier? There might very well be a way to help."
"No." The word was said softly, Amanda ducking her head so her hair hid her face. "Manuel's stubborn, Kurt, an' his pride's all he has left. He wants help, an' he's workin' with the Prof, but if he knew I was even sayin' this... he'd be furious. He doesn't want t' be a charity case, doesn't want t' be weak. An' he an' Nate..." She shook her head, another wry noise escaping her. "They spend most of their time windin' each other up. Does more damage than good, an' Manuel can't forgive Nate for stoppin' things last time - 's the thing 'bout him, you don't get second chances if you cross him. Well, not unless you're me." When she lifted her head, there was a slight change in her expression, as if she'd realised something. "He really is tryin'."
Kurt reached out in a brotherly gesture, brushing the hair off her forehead. "And that is the best sign there could be. You should find him, speak to him in person."
"I want to," she admitted. "'S just... I don't want it t' be like it usually is. He says somethin', I get shirty, he feels bad an' apologises, I feel bad an' forgive him. An' then we do it all again. So maybe if we try an' sort it out first, use the email t' get some space t' think an' not just feel..." A faint blush coloured her face. "An' not feel each other up instead of talkin'. We always get t' the making up before we're done with sorting out things."
"...Ah. Yes, then, perhaps the distance e-mail allows you is the best way, at least at first." His face was just a little purplish now, too.
Despite herself, Amanda giggled at Kurt's reaction. It was so... Kurt. And she felt better, for having talked about it, particularly with someone who didn't have their own burdens to carry, or their own issues with Manuel to colour things. "Yeah. Somethin' like that, any way." She felt around on the couch for the dvd remote. "Hey, you ever seen much Brit comedy? Rowan Atkinson's bloody brilliant in this." It was, for her, a thank you.
He smiled, turning his attention to the TV. "I do not think I saw this one, no. Shall we watch it?"
She grinned, and flicked the dvd back on. "You really missed out on all the good stuff. Good thing I'm here t' educate you."
