Amanda, Angelo - Sunday lunchtime
Jul. 23rd, 2006 11:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAfter this talk with Marie, Angelo turns up as arranged. The air is cleared on a number of topics.
"George, for fuck's sake, will you just bugger off?" Amanda swatted at
the werelight which was insistently buzzing around her head like a
demented firefly. "Whatever it is you want, I don't have it. So just
go back to wherever it is you go when you're not active and leave me
alone, yeah?"
The werelight retreated upwards, where it began circling about a foot
above her head in reproachful figure-eights. Its colours, apparently
an indication of its reactive state, were shifting from red to orange
and back again. Amanda sighed. Three days of this and she was steadily
going insane. And nothing was working as far as counterspells went -
her living room was littered with various volumes scattered
haphazardly around. "If I could just work out how I summoned you..."
she muttered, reaching for another book as there was a knock on the
door. "Oh bollocks, I lost track of time." Setting aside the book, she
struggled up off the couch and to the door.
He was leaning against the doorframe when she answered, and looked
down at her in some concern at how tired she looked. "Hey, Amanda.
Everythin' okay?"
She gave him a wry smile. "Busy week, you know how it goes." And
before George could wander on over and escape to who-knew-where, she
pulled Angelo inside and closed the door behind him. "Um, sorry for
the rush, but the last thing I need is a rogue werelight terrorising
the neighbours." There, she'd said it.
It took him a second or two to realise the significance of that, then
he turned to stare at the werelight, forgetting whatever he'd been
about to say. "...it's back?"
"Yeah." On cue, George wandered over to examine the newcomer, bouncing
around Angelo's head in what could have been taken as a greeting.
"Woke up Thursday night and found life had just got a lot more
complicated." Her tone was more wry than bitter - the responses she'd
gotten from Marie and Wanda had made her start to think this wasn't
the disaster she'd thought it might be.
He batted casually at the werelight, not really meaning to drive it
away so much as acknowledge its presence. "Any sign of the magic
other than this?"
She shook her head. "Nah. I was looking for a lightswitch and got
George instead - power of suggestion, I s'pose." There was a hint of a
nagging doubt about Wednesday, but she pushed it away. She didn't know
anything for sure. "I went down to see Tante about it all, given I
thought I was barred for life. Apparently there was a loophole in the
spell."
He grinned wryly. "Looks like. But isn't there always a loophole,
somewhere, in any given thing?" He walked over to drop on the couch.
"What'd she say happened, then?"
Amanda joined him, shoving some books aside so she could sit down.
George followed, bouncing around Angelo's head cheerfully, flickering
in shades of bight blue and green. "The person she took the magic
from, the one who can never use it again... that's not who I am now.
Apparently that whole 'becoming a new person' deal isn't just an
expression. Magic's like that, taking things literally." She spoke
casually, but the fact she was nibbling lightly at her thumbnail was a
giveaway as to how difficult this was.
"Well, then", he said slowly, "if you're a different enough person for
that, then maybe this person's more to be trusted with it?"
"Tante seems to think so, since I've still got it after seeing her.
And she didn't toss me in the swamp for the alligators either..."
Amanda smiled wanly, but took a breath, steadying herself. "I hope...
no, I think she's right. I have changed and the person I am now
won't make the same mistakes. There's a limit to how dumb I can be."
"There, you see?" He reached over to offer a one-armed hug, easily.
"I think you can trust her to know what's best, when it comes to
this."
"I was so pissed off at her, when I went and saw her. 'S a miracle she
didn't throw me in the swamp." Amanda leaned into the hug, glad
for the contact. It had been a while since they'd been like this. Not
since San Diego and Nathan's virus flare. "Ange... 'bout what I said,
when Nate was sick. I wanted to say I was sorry. I was worried about
you and I pushed too hard."
He blinked, and it took him a minute or so to remember what
she'd said. "Oh, hey, no... everybody was stressed out then, it's
okay. You were only tryin' to do your best, I knew that."
"Best intentions," she agreed, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I was just worried I'd pushed too far, y'know? 'S hard, knowing the
limits and I'm still worried about screwing up. But you didn't stop
talking to me after I went evil, so me getting pushy isn't going to do
it, huh?" It was mostly rhetorical, but there was a note of concern.
He heard it, and twisted to look down at her. "Not on your life,
Amanda. An' I mean that. Like you said, that's not enough to drive
me off now."
"I'm a plonker, and an insecure one at that," she said, and in front
of them George seemed to bounce up and down in agreement. "Shut it,
you," she told the werelight with a roll of her eyes. "So, Mr. Twenty
Years Old, you up for that drink? If I can convince George here to
stay at home?"
"Absolutely", he said with a grin. "An' while we're on the subject,
thanks for the book. I'm tryin' to resist readin' it in the office
when Nate's there. As for the drink, I can think of a couple places
you could bring George along with no problems."
Aamnda chuckled. "I dunno, could be a hint - I think he'd get
something out of it too, at least realise what he does is doing to you
lot." She looked pleased, however - it had been going out on something
of a limb, buying a book for someone. "And aren't you too old and
respectable for a rave club? Since that's the only place I can see
George fitting in..."
He pulled a face at her for that, affectionately. "I'm no more
respectable than you are, Miss Snow Valley Worker. Gonna have to call
a raincheck for a while, though - Elpis business startin' tonight.
But you've got my promise when I get back."
She poked him in the side for that, and then climbed to her feet.
"I'll grab my leather jacket - George can stay in the pocket, same as
he did going down to New Orleans. Pub okay? I'll get you that drink
and we can grab some food before you head off to whatever corner of
the Third World needs you this time."
"Pub sounds great", he said cheerfully, standing in turn. "An' for the rest, I don't think we should be gone too long this time."
"Long enough to do the job," Amanda agreed. "You can tell me all about it at the pub."
"George, for fuck's sake, will you just bugger off?" Amanda swatted at
the werelight which was insistently buzzing around her head like a
demented firefly. "Whatever it is you want, I don't have it. So just
go back to wherever it is you go when you're not active and leave me
alone, yeah?"
The werelight retreated upwards, where it began circling about a foot
above her head in reproachful figure-eights. Its colours, apparently
an indication of its reactive state, were shifting from red to orange
and back again. Amanda sighed. Three days of this and she was steadily
going insane. And nothing was working as far as counterspells went -
her living room was littered with various volumes scattered
haphazardly around. "If I could just work out how I summoned you..."
she muttered, reaching for another book as there was a knock on the
door. "Oh bollocks, I lost track of time." Setting aside the book, she
struggled up off the couch and to the door.
He was leaning against the doorframe when she answered, and looked
down at her in some concern at how tired she looked. "Hey, Amanda.
Everythin' okay?"
She gave him a wry smile. "Busy week, you know how it goes." And
before George could wander on over and escape to who-knew-where, she
pulled Angelo inside and closed the door behind him. "Um, sorry for
the rush, but the last thing I need is a rogue werelight terrorising
the neighbours." There, she'd said it.
It took him a second or two to realise the significance of that, then
he turned to stare at the werelight, forgetting whatever he'd been
about to say. "...it's back?"
"Yeah." On cue, George wandered over to examine the newcomer, bouncing
around Angelo's head in what could have been taken as a greeting.
"Woke up Thursday night and found life had just got a lot more
complicated." Her tone was more wry than bitter - the responses she'd
gotten from Marie and Wanda had made her start to think this wasn't
the disaster she'd thought it might be.
He batted casually at the werelight, not really meaning to drive it
away so much as acknowledge its presence. "Any sign of the magic
other than this?"
She shook her head. "Nah. I was looking for a lightswitch and got
George instead - power of suggestion, I s'pose." There was a hint of a
nagging doubt about Wednesday, but she pushed it away. She didn't know
anything for sure. "I went down to see Tante about it all, given I
thought I was barred for life. Apparently there was a loophole in the
spell."
He grinned wryly. "Looks like. But isn't there always a loophole,
somewhere, in any given thing?" He walked over to drop on the couch.
"What'd she say happened, then?"
Amanda joined him, shoving some books aside so she could sit down.
George followed, bouncing around Angelo's head cheerfully, flickering
in shades of bight blue and green. "The person she took the magic
from, the one who can never use it again... that's not who I am now.
Apparently that whole 'becoming a new person' deal isn't just an
expression. Magic's like that, taking things literally." She spoke
casually, but the fact she was nibbling lightly at her thumbnail was a
giveaway as to how difficult this was.
"Well, then", he said slowly, "if you're a different enough person for
that, then maybe this person's more to be trusted with it?"
"Tante seems to think so, since I've still got it after seeing her.
And she didn't toss me in the swamp for the alligators either..."
Amanda smiled wanly, but took a breath, steadying herself. "I hope...
no, I think she's right. I have changed and the person I am now
won't make the same mistakes. There's a limit to how dumb I can be."
"There, you see?" He reached over to offer a one-armed hug, easily.
"I think you can trust her to know what's best, when it comes to
this."
"I was so pissed off at her, when I went and saw her. 'S a miracle she
didn't throw me in the swamp." Amanda leaned into the hug, glad
for the contact. It had been a while since they'd been like this. Not
since San Diego and Nathan's virus flare. "Ange... 'bout what I said,
when Nate was sick. I wanted to say I was sorry. I was worried about
you and I pushed too hard."
He blinked, and it took him a minute or so to remember what
she'd said. "Oh, hey, no... everybody was stressed out then, it's
okay. You were only tryin' to do your best, I knew that."
"Best intentions," she agreed, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I was just worried I'd pushed too far, y'know? 'S hard, knowing the
limits and I'm still worried about screwing up. But you didn't stop
talking to me after I went evil, so me getting pushy isn't going to do
it, huh?" It was mostly rhetorical, but there was a note of concern.
He heard it, and twisted to look down at her. "Not on your life,
Amanda. An' I mean that. Like you said, that's not enough to drive
me off now."
"I'm a plonker, and an insecure one at that," she said, and in front
of them George seemed to bounce up and down in agreement. "Shut it,
you," she told the werelight with a roll of her eyes. "So, Mr. Twenty
Years Old, you up for that drink? If I can convince George here to
stay at home?"
"Absolutely", he said with a grin. "An' while we're on the subject,
thanks for the book. I'm tryin' to resist readin' it in the office
when Nate's there. As for the drink, I can think of a couple places
you could bring George along with no problems."
Aamnda chuckled. "I dunno, could be a hint - I think he'd get
something out of it too, at least realise what he does is doing to you
lot." She looked pleased, however - it had been going out on something
of a limb, buying a book for someone. "And aren't you too old and
respectable for a rave club? Since that's the only place I can see
George fitting in..."
He pulled a face at her for that, affectionately. "I'm no more
respectable than you are, Miss Snow Valley Worker. Gonna have to call
a raincheck for a while, though - Elpis business startin' tonight.
But you've got my promise when I get back."
She poked him in the side for that, and then climbed to her feet.
"I'll grab my leather jacket - George can stay in the pocket, same as
he did going down to New Orleans. Pub okay? I'll get you that drink
and we can grab some food before you head off to whatever corner of
the Third World needs you this time."
"Pub sounds great", he said cheerfully, standing in turn. "An' for the rest, I don't think we should be gone too long this time."
"Long enough to do the job," Amanda agreed. "You can tell me all about it at the pub."
