xp_logs | Amanda and Angelo, Monday night

Amanda comes looking for Angelo, hears his latest news, then kidnaps him for a bit of social time with a touch of work.

For once Angelo hadn't been down at the boathouse. Wonders would never cease. After a brief thanks to the secretary, who had informed her Mr. Espinosa had finished for the day and was by all accounts back 'up at the House', as she put it, Amanda headed for the suite Angelo shared with Bobby, hoping she'd catch him. It had been an age since they'd last spoken, it seemed, and he'd been altogether too hermitty for her liking. "Avon calling!" she said loudly as the knocked on the door.

Angelo was sitting in the living room, surrounded by papers and a few books with the dog curled up on his feet, and glanced up with a smile as he recognised her voice. "Door's open!"

"Hey, stranger," she said as she let herself in. The time spent travelling had left her with a very slight tan - she didn't tan at all generally, so it was more a less-white than tan - and her hair bleached a little blonder and longer than it had been. "Fuck, looks like a stationery shop exploded in here. I thought Nate didn't like his precious files leaving the office?"

"These aren't his", Angelo said absently, making a final note on one of the papers and setting aside to look up at her. "Lookin' good. Tanned, an' all - how was the trip?"

"Good. Worked out my powers some, got a bit of work done. Dealing with some of Remy's old associates? Not fun." She cleared a space next to him and sat, looking curious. "What's with all the paperwork, then? You started nesting?"

"College stuff", he said with a grin. "Doin' it correspondence, with the job an' everythin', but... I'm finally doin' it."

"College?" Amanda's face lit up. "Oh, that's fucking brilliant, mate, absolutely bloody great news." The hug she gave him was the enthusiastic Amanda of old, cutting off his air supply briefly. "What're you studying?"

He laughed, not even trying to throw her off until breathing became an issue. "Pre-law, they call it. Different stuff... history, economics, that kind of thing."

"Going over to the enemy huh?" she teased, not even seriously. She sat back a little after releasing him, but kept within shoulder brushing distance. "That's bloody fantastic, Ange. Is that what you've been doing, with all the hermit stuff? I was starting to wonder if you'd fallen off the face of the planet. Then again, I haven't been around myself."

"This's been some of it, yeah, between workin' for Elpis an' everythin' else. Nathan doesn't know about it, yet."

"Ooh, secrets." Amanda grinned. "Gunna tell him soon? He probably could do with some good news, tho' of his own would probably work better. He's been so down about his powers lately, what with all the 'what else good am I?' remarks." She pulled a face. "He should try doing my job for a bit. I get to play 'hide behind the powered people' every time we go out on a job."

Angelo frowned at that. "I've been tryin' to talk him out of thinkin' like that. An' yeah, I'm gonna tell him soon - just need to get a few more things set up first. Couple more days, that's all."

Amanda nodded. "Sounds fair enough to me. And he will be pleased for you, even with his own shite. He's so proud of you, anyone can see it." As she was, although she wasn't going to gush all over him. Angelo knew the score.

"Yeah, he asked me if I'd think about goin' to college, six months ago. Don't remember what I said, but I was always gonna give it a try, sooner or later. Correspondence's easier, for findin' the time." He smiled at her.

She grinned wryly back. "Know how that goes. Good thing about all those flights - I managed to get a bunch of work done for my degree. Plus the stuff on my powers." She paused a little before going on. "Remy gave me the stuff off Charlie's hard drive before I left. There's a bunch of stuff on there about magic and the rest that's been a real help."

"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at her. "So you know more about what's been goin' on now?"

"A bit. Managed to turn off George, but to tell the truth, I'm a little scared to try any other spells. Dunno what'll happen with them." She shrugged a little. "At least I know I'm not using people for power, at least not directly."

"So d'you know what you are usin'?"

"You really have been out of it, if you haven't seen me babbling about it on my journal." Amanda punched him lightly on the arm. "'S cities, by the looks. Moira's got this theory it was supposed to be the earth in general, places in specific. If I'd stayed with the caravan, then I'd be your typical in touch with the planet, touchy-feelie Wiccan witch. But since Rack screwed that up, I'm more of a city girl these days. And that's what I'm tapping into."

"Yeah, I've been... busy", he said ruefully, with a gesture around them. "...how does that work, with the cities? I mean... you said it doesn't hurt the people in them, when you draw it, so..."

"'S hard to explain." Amanda rubbed her nose, trying to think how to put it into words. "You've travelled a bit by now. Maybe you've noticed... some cities have this... energy to them, a vibe, yeah?"

Angelo nodded, understanding a little. "They do. 'Specially the older ones. 's that what you meant?"

Amanda nodded. "Age is part of it, tho' not always, since places like Sydney and New York shouldn't have anything if it's just that. Age, size, the importance of the city to the people who live there, personality..." She blushed a little. "Yeah, I know, I sound like a wanker. But seriously, some of these places, it's like they're alive. Take New York, now - some nights, sitting on the fire escape outside my window, 's almost like I can hear it breathing."

"You don't sound like a wanker if that's really how it works", Angelo assured her. "Must be quite a feelin', bein' connected to the city like that."

"You know me - I hate anything that sounds like that whole touchy feelie hippy shite," she said with a laugh. "But yeah, it is a bit of a trip. Right now it's just flashes - most of the time I just get the charge. But it explains a lot of what's gone on before." She stretched, and then grinned, wickedly. "And talking of new experiences... I went on a date while I was away."

"...did you now", he said with an amused sideways look. "An' who'd that be with, then?"

"Doug," she said, returning the look. "He's a really sweet bloke, y'know?"

"...he is. Also seein' Marie, last I heard. Did they call that off?"

Amanda didn't miss the pause, but wasn't sure what to make of it. "Not as far as I know, but it's just early days for them yet. We'll see what happens."

"So", he said cheerfully, turning to look at her. "How'd it go?"

"Good. If that's what dating's supposed to be, I could get used to it. Like I said, Doug's sweet." Amanda smiled a little sadly. "Maybe a bit too sweet, at least for me. I'd probably shred the poor bugger if we tried anything more than just friends. 'M not the easiest person to get on with." She poked him a little. "Which you already know."

"Hey, you're not so bad these days", he said with a teasing grin.

"Thank you, kind sir," she said, accent modulating to something a bit more upper-class. "Nah, Doug and me are just mates - even without the shredding part, his ex is my other best friend, and deep down, he's not really my type. Nice, sweetest guy you could imagine, but not my type."

"So what was the date all about?" he asked curiously.

"Showing me what it's supposed to be. Cheering me up after Madrid. Had a bit of a reminder." Her eyes shadowed a little, but she kept the smile on her face. "Being a mate, really. Like I said, it was nice. And maybe one day, when I get my head a bit more together, I'll find someone who..." She trailled off with a slightly self-mocking laugh. "Any way. Enough of the drama that is Amanda Sefton. When was the last time you went out?"

"Went out, like... actually went out?" He thought for a second, then decided, "Last month. I think."

"Last month? Oh, that's so not on..." A thought occurred to her. "We've been checking out clubs in New York, trying to find the people who grabbed Sarah. I'm supposed to go to one tonight - wanna come? It's a pretty routine thing, just info gathering, and you might actually help out."

"If it'll help get the bastards who did that to Sarah?" he said grimly. "I'll make time."

"Good stuff. Oh, and you won't need an inducer - place is supposed to be mutant-friendly, which is all the more reason to stop these bastards - there's few enough of those sorts of places without amoral arseholes stealing kids." Amanda kept her grin, but it had turned predatory. "We'll get 'em, Ange, don't you worry about that."

"Be good to catch up with her, too", he said more cheerfully. "I haven't yet, really, except that post when she first came back."

Amanda thwapped him lightly. "You've been hanging around Nate too much - there's more to life than work," she scolded him, cheerfully ignoring her life lately had been anything but.

"...when did I turn into the one that needed remindin' of that?" he asked with a blink.

"When you started locking yourself away from folks and not going out," she pointed out reasonably. "C'mon, get your glad rags on and I'll take us over to New York," she instructed with a grin and another poke.

"Right now?" He looked about to put it off, with a glance at his papers, then laughed and put them down. "Yeah, okay. Give me twenty minutes."

"Good stuff." Amanda was pleased, since she'd been tempted to kidnap his precious papers if he hadn't agreed. "I'll see you out the front in twenty then." She winked at him. "If you're not ready, I'll drag you out in whatever you're wearing, even if it's just your underwear."

"...right then. Out, so I can get changed." He grinned.

"Guess I'll have to wait for the peep show another time, then?" she teased, letting him hustle her out. As the door closed behind her, she couldn't resist a little bounce of glee. Definitely chalk this one up as a win.