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xp_logsCoincidence can be a real bitch - Angelo happens upon Amanda and her minders whilst out shopping and there's a brief discussion. None of which Angelo will remember for a few days.
The Black Queen was keeping pretty tight tabs on her since Remy's visit, seldom allowing her new protege out of her chambers, let alone outside. But with the ceremony coming up, preparations needed to be made, and some things couldn't be ordered in, at least not easily. So it was that Amanda had just been at a very obscure little shop, being fitted for one of the many accoutrements that went with the position, pausing before getting into the awaiting limo to breathe in the crisp autumn air. Behind her hovered the manservant/bodyguard that Selene had assigned to keep her safe - either from escape or rescue Amanda wasn't sure, but she couldn't make any of them understand she didn't need it. She had power now, more than enough to protect herself, and where the hell would she go, any way?
Of course, Fate chose that very moment to drop an answer - or a possible problem - in her lap. The crowds parted, and she caught sight of a familiar grey-tinged complexion at the same time Angelo caught sight of her.
He stopped dead, seeing her, then consciously relaxed though he still wasn't moving. The cigarettes came out automatically, more as a nervous gesture than anything, and he nodded to her. "Amanda." Not 'little sis'. Not anymore.
"Angelo." Not 'Ange', not now. Acutely aware of the presence behind her, and sensing imminent violence that would either get Angelo killed or cause Selene to decide on retribution, she turned and lay a placating hand on the man's arm. "Give me a minute, Heinrich, please? I can handle this."
"But the mistress..." Henrich rumbled, unwilling to listen to this chit of a girl he'd been told to not let out of his sight.
"Doesn't have anything to worry about. I'm not going anywhere. Just... wait over by the car, all right? This'll only take a minute." Reluctantly the man-mountain pulled back, still within earshot. Amanda sighed and turned back to Angelo. "Please tell me this is one of those bastard coincidences that follow me around and you haven't been wandering all over New York looking for me," she said, not using the South London accent any more but speaking far more naturally to Angelo than she had to Heinrich.
"Coincidence", he agreed, holding up the bag in his hand. "Came lookin' for some CDs I've been after. Looks like you're doin' well for yourself." He glanced at Heinrich, though, wondering exactly what he was there for.
"I'm doing all right." The look of relief was far more genuine than the forced words. At least they weren't trying to find her, or get her back. That would be way more complicated than she wanted, and result in more collateral damage than her conscience, already strained, could cope with. But there was something she could ask... Glancing around almost guiltily, she burst out: "Is Meg all right?"
"Not so much", he answered flatly, face expressionless, and took a drag on his cigarette. "Upset'd be puttin' it lightly. She will be, though."
"Good. Just... don't let her out of your sight, yeah? Keep her safe?" It was almost a plea, and Amanda reined herself in before her minder could glean any more useful weak points from her.
"Always", came the simple answer. "Me, Kurt... prettymuch everybody."
"Good," she repeated, glancing over her shoulder again. "I should... I should go. Can't keep her waiting for me."
He nodded, hesitating before he spoke - he wasn't at all sure he wanted to know the answer, but... Amanda had been his sister, once. "Can't keep who waitin', Amanda?"
She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. She wasn't at the school any more, and what could Angelo do now? "Selene," she said briefly. "She's the one that's been teaching me since I drained Meg that time. She cured me." Her tone was a curious mix of shame and defiance - she knew it was not the most ethical of decisions, but it had worked for fuck's sake. Selene had helped her more than anyone else, and the demands she made in return were surprisingly few.
Suspiciously few, would be Angelo's take on it if Amanda told him that part. He nodded briefly, turning away a little - ostensibly to light a fresh cigarette out of the wind. "So Alex was right. You did learn the way you saved Remy from her."
"It worked, didn't it? And I'm safe now - no more addiction, no more snacking on Meg 'cause I can't help myself. Still, doesn't matter. I'm out of your faces now and you can write me off the same as you've written off Pete." Amanda's words were more bitter and hurt than she'd intended. It still stung, that they hadn't wanted to know why, had just reacted as if she was about to go on a rampage through the school. "Forget about me, Ange. it's best for all concerned."
"Never gonna happen", he said quietly. "But I won't be in touch. Not while you're with her."
"You don't get it, do you?" she burst out. "This is my decision, and I have to handle the consequences. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. I couldn't handle it. This way, I'm strong enough to handle whatever's thrown at me, on my
own."
"An' if that parasite bitch gets somethin' from you, whether you want t'give it to her or not, that helps her move against the school?" he asked pointedly but still quiet, mindful of the bodyguard. "Far as I
can see, there's not much to stop her."
"You think I didn't think of that?" Amanda hissed back, stung. "You think I'm that fucking selfish?" Heinrich shifted, about to move towards them, and she waved him back impatiently. "We've got a deal. She can't go near anyone at the school. In return, she gets me. For a year. As her Black Knight."
"Okay. So you made a deal. Does that cover her not touchin' anyone at the school ever again, or just for that year? Not a whole lot of time, to someone like her."
"Well, it's not like you're completely helpless, are you? And I'm not going to give her any secrets - that isn't part of the package. She gets me and the magic, and that's it." Amanda refused to show him the discomfort his words had raised - she hadn't thought of that part. "After the year, I'm a free agent and more than enough to deal with her, if it comes to that."
"Never thought for a second you'd give her anythin'. But I don't see what's stoppin' her takin' what she wants and keepin' it for when your deal's over." He shrugged, deliberately taking a step back and away from her. "Guess you know best, though." His tone was unconvinced.
"I've beaten her twice already, Angelo. Once when I wasn't even in my own body at the time." The girl sighed, looking tired and frail. "Look, Ange, just go. Forget about me, like I said. Pretend you never saw me and we never had this talk and go about the rest of your life doing good deeds, yeah? I've made my choices, an' nothin' can change that." For a moment she slipped back into the old accent, and the old nickname.
"Always had a better memory than was good for me", he answered softly. "I told you already - forgettin' ain't gonna happen. I won't tell them, but... yeah."
Amanda glanced over at Henrich again, and saw him leaning over, chatting to the limo driver, who nodded and began climbing out. What... oh no. How could she have been so stupid? Even if Angelo kept his promise not to tell, one of the mansion's telepaths would be able to see the entire conversation the minute he got back. Angelo's shields were notoriously bad, and while he could fake being all right pretty convincingly these days, he'd be replaying this incident, worrying at it, broadcasting it for all to see...
And then the shite really would hit the fan. They'd realise where she was, that perhaps she wasn't as evil as they thought, that she'd realised she'd made a mistake but was seeing it through any way. And maybe they'd leave her to live with the choice, but these were the X-Men. They were heroes. If there was only the slightest doubt, they'd come after her.
Heinrich met her anguished gaze implacably, and she knew he'd had exactly the same thoughts. And his job was simple - to protect Selene's protege from any possible risk. Angelo would die, unless she stepped in.
Sometimes she really hated her life.
"I know you wouldn't tell, not if I asked you to promise," she began, turning back to Angelo with a carefully composed expression. "But there's ways of telling people things, and you live in a house with the world's most powerful telepath. I can't..." The words stuck in her throat. "I can't let you remember this, Angelo."
He stared at her. "You... what?" And then his gaze flicked to the man behind her, and he understood what she wasn't saying, taking an involuntary step back.
She saw the comprehension dawn, and tried hard not to hope he'd understand what she was about to do. "I said too much, and it's put you in danger," she whispered so Heinrich and the driver wouldn't hear her. "There's a spell, it won't hurt, and you get to go free." Louder, she added: "It's for the best. You can't put me out of your head, but I can."
"Just this one memory, right?" he whispered back, looking down slightly so the two men couldn't see his face. Didn't want to make it look like he was letting her do it too easily, after all.
She could make him forget her entirely. She had the power now, and the knowledge - it'd take effort, but there'd be one less person hurt by knowing her. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. She couldn't do that to him, to their friendship. And despite everything, he was still her friend. The fact he was still standing there, letting her do this, was proof of that.
The knife in her heart twisted that much more.
Amanda nodded, and raised her hand, the Latin words coming easily to her mind. "Love you, big brother," she mouthed, before laying her hand on his forehead before he could move away and released the spell.
He just had time to mouth back a "Love you too" before the spell took effect.
It only took a matter of moments, and then Amanda gently turned the slightly-stunned young man around and gave him a soft push to get him going. "Go home," she told him, knowing in the post-spell biddable state he'd do exactly that. The fuzziness would wear off in another minute, and then he wouldn't remember anything of this meeting, of what she'd said, not for a few days. And when he did remember, it'd be too late, the ceremony would be over and she'd be beyond reach. Beyond saving.
Watching Angelo wander off, she turned back to Heinrich and the driver, who were watching her suspiciously. "He won't remember any of this," she told them, projecting just the right amount of upset. A girl who had made a hard choice, but was sticking by it, no matter what the cost. "He's not a threat. Just leave him be - you don't want the fetish brigade sniffing around trying to find one of their lost lambs, do you?"
Heinrich considered this, and reluctantly nodded. "Get in the car, miss," he said. "We'd best be going back." He held the door open for her without a further word, but Amanda knew Selene would be receiving a full report of this. That was fine, she could handle that.
She just hoped she'd done enough to keep Angelo safe.
The Black Queen was keeping pretty tight tabs on her since Remy's visit, seldom allowing her new protege out of her chambers, let alone outside. But with the ceremony coming up, preparations needed to be made, and some things couldn't be ordered in, at least not easily. So it was that Amanda had just been at a very obscure little shop, being fitted for one of the many accoutrements that went with the position, pausing before getting into the awaiting limo to breathe in the crisp autumn air. Behind her hovered the manservant/bodyguard that Selene had assigned to keep her safe - either from escape or rescue Amanda wasn't sure, but she couldn't make any of them understand she didn't need it. She had power now, more than enough to protect herself, and where the hell would she go, any way?
Of course, Fate chose that very moment to drop an answer - or a possible problem - in her lap. The crowds parted, and she caught sight of a familiar grey-tinged complexion at the same time Angelo caught sight of her.
He stopped dead, seeing her, then consciously relaxed though he still wasn't moving. The cigarettes came out automatically, more as a nervous gesture than anything, and he nodded to her. "Amanda." Not 'little sis'. Not anymore.
"Angelo." Not 'Ange', not now. Acutely aware of the presence behind her, and sensing imminent violence that would either get Angelo killed or cause Selene to decide on retribution, she turned and lay a placating hand on the man's arm. "Give me a minute, Heinrich, please? I can handle this."
"But the mistress..." Henrich rumbled, unwilling to listen to this chit of a girl he'd been told to not let out of his sight.
"Doesn't have anything to worry about. I'm not going anywhere. Just... wait over by the car, all right? This'll only take a minute." Reluctantly the man-mountain pulled back, still within earshot. Amanda sighed and turned back to Angelo. "Please tell me this is one of those bastard coincidences that follow me around and you haven't been wandering all over New York looking for me," she said, not using the South London accent any more but speaking far more naturally to Angelo than she had to Heinrich.
"Coincidence", he agreed, holding up the bag in his hand. "Came lookin' for some CDs I've been after. Looks like you're doin' well for yourself." He glanced at Heinrich, though, wondering exactly what he was there for.
"I'm doing all right." The look of relief was far more genuine than the forced words. At least they weren't trying to find her, or get her back. That would be way more complicated than she wanted, and result in more collateral damage than her conscience, already strained, could cope with. But there was something she could ask... Glancing around almost guiltily, she burst out: "Is Meg all right?"
"Not so much", he answered flatly, face expressionless, and took a drag on his cigarette. "Upset'd be puttin' it lightly. She will be, though."
"Good. Just... don't let her out of your sight, yeah? Keep her safe?" It was almost a plea, and Amanda reined herself in before her minder could glean any more useful weak points from her.
"Always", came the simple answer. "Me, Kurt... prettymuch everybody."
"Good," she repeated, glancing over her shoulder again. "I should... I should go. Can't keep her waiting for me."
He nodded, hesitating before he spoke - he wasn't at all sure he wanted to know the answer, but... Amanda had been his sister, once. "Can't keep who waitin', Amanda?"
She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously. She wasn't at the school any more, and what could Angelo do now? "Selene," she said briefly. "She's the one that's been teaching me since I drained Meg that time. She cured me." Her tone was a curious mix of shame and defiance - she knew it was not the most ethical of decisions, but it had worked for fuck's sake. Selene had helped her more than anyone else, and the demands she made in return were surprisingly few.
Suspiciously few, would be Angelo's take on it if Amanda told him that part. He nodded briefly, turning away a little - ostensibly to light a fresh cigarette out of the wind. "So Alex was right. You did learn the way you saved Remy from her."
"It worked, didn't it? And I'm safe now - no more addiction, no more snacking on Meg 'cause I can't help myself. Still, doesn't matter. I'm out of your faces now and you can write me off the same as you've written off Pete." Amanda's words were more bitter and hurt than she'd intended. It still stung, that they hadn't wanted to know why, had just reacted as if she was about to go on a rampage through the school. "Forget about me, Ange. it's best for all concerned."
"Never gonna happen", he said quietly. "But I won't be in touch. Not while you're with her."
"You don't get it, do you?" she burst out. "This is my decision, and I have to handle the consequences. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. I couldn't handle it. This way, I'm strong enough to handle whatever's thrown at me, on my
own."
"An' if that parasite bitch gets somethin' from you, whether you want t'give it to her or not, that helps her move against the school?" he asked pointedly but still quiet, mindful of the bodyguard. "Far as I
can see, there's not much to stop her."
"You think I didn't think of that?" Amanda hissed back, stung. "You think I'm that fucking selfish?" Heinrich shifted, about to move towards them, and she waved him back impatiently. "We've got a deal. She can't go near anyone at the school. In return, she gets me. For a year. As her Black Knight."
"Okay. So you made a deal. Does that cover her not touchin' anyone at the school ever again, or just for that year? Not a whole lot of time, to someone like her."
"Well, it's not like you're completely helpless, are you? And I'm not going to give her any secrets - that isn't part of the package. She gets me and the magic, and that's it." Amanda refused to show him the discomfort his words had raised - she hadn't thought of that part. "After the year, I'm a free agent and more than enough to deal with her, if it comes to that."
"Never thought for a second you'd give her anythin'. But I don't see what's stoppin' her takin' what she wants and keepin' it for when your deal's over." He shrugged, deliberately taking a step back and away from her. "Guess you know best, though." His tone was unconvinced.
"I've beaten her twice already, Angelo. Once when I wasn't even in my own body at the time." The girl sighed, looking tired and frail. "Look, Ange, just go. Forget about me, like I said. Pretend you never saw me and we never had this talk and go about the rest of your life doing good deeds, yeah? I've made my choices, an' nothin' can change that." For a moment she slipped back into the old accent, and the old nickname.
"Always had a better memory than was good for me", he answered softly. "I told you already - forgettin' ain't gonna happen. I won't tell them, but... yeah."
Amanda glanced over at Henrich again, and saw him leaning over, chatting to the limo driver, who nodded and began climbing out. What... oh no. How could she have been so stupid? Even if Angelo kept his promise not to tell, one of the mansion's telepaths would be able to see the entire conversation the minute he got back. Angelo's shields were notoriously bad, and while he could fake being all right pretty convincingly these days, he'd be replaying this incident, worrying at it, broadcasting it for all to see...
And then the shite really would hit the fan. They'd realise where she was, that perhaps she wasn't as evil as they thought, that she'd realised she'd made a mistake but was seeing it through any way. And maybe they'd leave her to live with the choice, but these were the X-Men. They were heroes. If there was only the slightest doubt, they'd come after her.
Heinrich met her anguished gaze implacably, and she knew he'd had exactly the same thoughts. And his job was simple - to protect Selene's protege from any possible risk. Angelo would die, unless she stepped in.
Sometimes she really hated her life.
"I know you wouldn't tell, not if I asked you to promise," she began, turning back to Angelo with a carefully composed expression. "But there's ways of telling people things, and you live in a house with the world's most powerful telepath. I can't..." The words stuck in her throat. "I can't let you remember this, Angelo."
He stared at her. "You... what?" And then his gaze flicked to the man behind her, and he understood what she wasn't saying, taking an involuntary step back.
She saw the comprehension dawn, and tried hard not to hope he'd understand what she was about to do. "I said too much, and it's put you in danger," she whispered so Heinrich and the driver wouldn't hear her. "There's a spell, it won't hurt, and you get to go free." Louder, she added: "It's for the best. You can't put me out of your head, but I can."
"Just this one memory, right?" he whispered back, looking down slightly so the two men couldn't see his face. Didn't want to make it look like he was letting her do it too easily, after all.
She could make him forget her entirely. She had the power now, and the knowledge - it'd take effort, but there'd be one less person hurt by knowing her. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. She couldn't do that to him, to their friendship. And despite everything, he was still her friend. The fact he was still standing there, letting her do this, was proof of that.
The knife in her heart twisted that much more.
Amanda nodded, and raised her hand, the Latin words coming easily to her mind. "Love you, big brother," she mouthed, before laying her hand on his forehead before he could move away and released the spell.
He just had time to mouth back a "Love you too" before the spell took effect.
It only took a matter of moments, and then Amanda gently turned the slightly-stunned young man around and gave him a soft push to get him going. "Go home," she told him, knowing in the post-spell biddable state he'd do exactly that. The fuzziness would wear off in another minute, and then he wouldn't remember anything of this meeting, of what she'd said, not for a few days. And when he did remember, it'd be too late, the ceremony would be over and she'd be beyond reach. Beyond saving.
Watching Angelo wander off, she turned back to Heinrich and the driver, who were watching her suspiciously. "He won't remember any of this," she told them, projecting just the right amount of upset. A girl who had made a hard choice, but was sticking by it, no matter what the cost. "He's not a threat. Just leave him be - you don't want the fetish brigade sniffing around trying to find one of their lost lambs, do you?"
Heinrich considered this, and reluctantly nodded. "Get in the car, miss," he said. "We'd best be going back." He held the door open for her without a further word, but Amanda knew Selene would be receiving a full report of this. That was fine, she could handle that.
She just hoped she'd done enough to keep Angelo safe.
