Angelo, Amanda - Wednesday evening
Oct. 4th, 2006 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsIt turns out this visit was to take Amanda back to his mother's for dinner. There's a reason why these two are friends.
It wasn't all that far from the brownstone to Juanita's house, but Angelo had had his car with him anyway, and planned to pick up the dog when he got there, so driving it was. He looked over at Amanda with a smile as he drove.
"So what were you an' Nathan talkin' about?"
"A job," she replied, stretching her back and rolling her shoulders a bit to ease the stiffness of sitting at a desk all day. "He needs me to go to Berlin, do some research work for Elpis." She grinned suddenly. "Your Nigerian stuff, actually. There's some archives opened up, should give you something more to go on than you have."
"Oh, yeah, he mentioned that. 'bout time somethin' more came up, 'cause what we've got really isn't much." A crooked grin. "An' German isn't one of my best languages."
"One of the advantages of having a brother who speaks it like a native," Amanda replied with a slightly smug air, which she then ruined by snorting a little. "Mine's all right, but you can bet I'll be packing the dictionary. Just in case."
"Sounds like a plan", he said with a grin, turning his attention back to the road as he swung the car round a corner.
"How's your mum doing?" she asked as they continued along. "'S been ages since I saw her - been so busy, really."
"She's good! Doin' really good... she'll probably be manager of that store she works at, next thing."
"Like mother, like son, huh?" she teased a little, poking him. "Tho' has Nate managed to think of a job title for you yet?"
"Not unless 'Nathan's minder' counts", he said, squirming away from the poke as far as he could considering they were in a car. "Don't really need one, though. We know what I do."
"Knowing Nate's dignity, I doubt he'd put up with that title," she said with a snort, but restraining herself from any more poking. Not in the middle of New York traffic, any way. "Tho' it'd be funny if they used that for your trainee name. Which reminds me... they come up with anything yet?"
"'s too long for a trainee name", he said without missing a beat. "An' no, they haven't. I'm pretty sure I have to not completely veto it, so..."
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "You're no fun," she said, but without any seriousness. "Have you told your mum about your joining the team, yet? How'd she react?"
He glanced at the road for a moment, suddenly less playful. "She's... okay with it. Took a lot of talkin', but... she understands."
"'S hard, knowing your only son's putting himself on the line," Amanda said quietly. "'Specially with what happened to your dad. But... 's important, and it's what you want to do. Of course she'd understand." She paused, nd gave him a wry smile. "So do I."
Angelo nodded, turning as they stopped at a red light to offer her a similar smile. "Good. Not sure what I'd do if she really didn't want me to. Or if you didn't."
"Well, it'd be a bit hypocritical of me to object, considerin' what we get up to during our off hours," Amanda admitted. "'Least the leathers are half-way legal. Us... not so much."
"Hypocritical? Maybe." He was back to looking at the road now, intently. "But I'd still listen."
Her hand moved over to wrap around his briefly, as it rested on the steering wheel. "I know. You wouldn't be you if you didn't."
He smiled faintly, turning his hand up to squeeze hers, but didn't answer. "We're here."
Amanda's cheeks turned slightly pink, and she dropped her hand, busying herself with the seatbelt. "So we are." Unclipping the belt, she looked up with a slightly mischievous grin. "Would it be horribly not grown up of me to race you to the door?"
Angelo laughed. "It would. But... who said we had to be grown up all the time?" And with that, he flung himself out of the driver's door, bolting for the house.
She was a half-step behind, having the advantage of being on the side closest to the house, but as always his longer legs defeated her. Laughing, she poked him in the side as he pressed the doorbell. "One of these days, mate, I'll beat you."
"Yeah, yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that", he retorted, laughing and pulling her into a hug - at least in half-defence from the poking - as the door opened. "Hi, Mom. Brought some company."
"Hey, Mrs. E.," Amanda said, still laughing and peering out from under Angelo's arm, still slung around her shoulders. "Thought I'd drop by, when I heard Ange was coming to visit."
"Amanda", the woman said with a smile, ushering them both inside. "It's been too long - how are you?"
"Fighting fight, Mrs. E.," the girl replied, pausing in the hallway as Joyita made her presence known, barking happily and trying to get to Angelo, tail wagging madly. "How about you? Ange says you're just about ready to take over the place you're working at."
Angelo laughed and moved to meet Joyita before she knocked his mother over, wrestling the dog and leaving the women to talk. Juanita shot him a fond look before turning back to Amanda. "Did he say that? He exaggerates... but maybe not too much, this time."
"Well, you're both hard workers, so I wouldn't be surprised." Amanda followed Juanita as the older woman led the way to the kitchen, as she always did. "But the place really seems to suit you, too. You look really good. Well."
"Thank you. I find I do like New York. I'd never been here, before... You look too thin. Both of you do. Have you been eating?"
The question was expected and Amanda grinned. "Sure I have, Mrs. E. Just been busy 'round the office lately, so I tend to burn off whatever I put in. And Ange... well, you know what he's like. I try, but living in town makes it hard to keep a close eye on him. Still, I sic Marie on him sometimes, or drag him out for food. He works too hard."
"I know he does", she said, expression somewhere between disapproving and proud. "But it's good work he does. All of it."
"That he does." Amanda was no less proud. "So... want a hand with dinner? I promise not to burn anything." She gave Angelo's mother one of her best cute expressions.
Juanita chuckled. "Oh, I think I can trust you. How does quesadilla sound?"
"Sounds brilliant."
It wasn't all that far from the brownstone to Juanita's house, but Angelo had had his car with him anyway, and planned to pick up the dog when he got there, so driving it was. He looked over at Amanda with a smile as he drove.
"So what were you an' Nathan talkin' about?"
"A job," she replied, stretching her back and rolling her shoulders a bit to ease the stiffness of sitting at a desk all day. "He needs me to go to Berlin, do some research work for Elpis." She grinned suddenly. "Your Nigerian stuff, actually. There's some archives opened up, should give you something more to go on than you have."
"Oh, yeah, he mentioned that. 'bout time somethin' more came up, 'cause what we've got really isn't much." A crooked grin. "An' German isn't one of my best languages."
"One of the advantages of having a brother who speaks it like a native," Amanda replied with a slightly smug air, which she then ruined by snorting a little. "Mine's all right, but you can bet I'll be packing the dictionary. Just in case."
"Sounds like a plan", he said with a grin, turning his attention back to the road as he swung the car round a corner.
"How's your mum doing?" she asked as they continued along. "'S been ages since I saw her - been so busy, really."
"She's good! Doin' really good... she'll probably be manager of that store she works at, next thing."
"Like mother, like son, huh?" she teased a little, poking him. "Tho' has Nate managed to think of a job title for you yet?"
"Not unless 'Nathan's minder' counts", he said, squirming away from the poke as far as he could considering they were in a car. "Don't really need one, though. We know what I do."
"Knowing Nate's dignity, I doubt he'd put up with that title," she said with a snort, but restraining herself from any more poking. Not in the middle of New York traffic, any way. "Tho' it'd be funny if they used that for your trainee name. Which reminds me... they come up with anything yet?"
"'s too long for a trainee name", he said without missing a beat. "An' no, they haven't. I'm pretty sure I have to not completely veto it, so..."
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "You're no fun," she said, but without any seriousness. "Have you told your mum about your joining the team, yet? How'd she react?"
He glanced at the road for a moment, suddenly less playful. "She's... okay with it. Took a lot of talkin', but... she understands."
"'S hard, knowing your only son's putting himself on the line," Amanda said quietly. "'Specially with what happened to your dad. But... 's important, and it's what you want to do. Of course she'd understand." She paused, nd gave him a wry smile. "So do I."
Angelo nodded, turning as they stopped at a red light to offer her a similar smile. "Good. Not sure what I'd do if she really didn't want me to. Or if you didn't."
"Well, it'd be a bit hypocritical of me to object, considerin' what we get up to during our off hours," Amanda admitted. "'Least the leathers are half-way legal. Us... not so much."
"Hypocritical? Maybe." He was back to looking at the road now, intently. "But I'd still listen."
Her hand moved over to wrap around his briefly, as it rested on the steering wheel. "I know. You wouldn't be you if you didn't."
He smiled faintly, turning his hand up to squeeze hers, but didn't answer. "We're here."
Amanda's cheeks turned slightly pink, and she dropped her hand, busying herself with the seatbelt. "So we are." Unclipping the belt, she looked up with a slightly mischievous grin. "Would it be horribly not grown up of me to race you to the door?"
Angelo laughed. "It would. But... who said we had to be grown up all the time?" And with that, he flung himself out of the driver's door, bolting for the house.
She was a half-step behind, having the advantage of being on the side closest to the house, but as always his longer legs defeated her. Laughing, she poked him in the side as he pressed the doorbell. "One of these days, mate, I'll beat you."
"Yeah, yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that", he retorted, laughing and pulling her into a hug - at least in half-defence from the poking - as the door opened. "Hi, Mom. Brought some company."
"Hey, Mrs. E.," Amanda said, still laughing and peering out from under Angelo's arm, still slung around her shoulders. "Thought I'd drop by, when I heard Ange was coming to visit."
"Amanda", the woman said with a smile, ushering them both inside. "It's been too long - how are you?"
"Fighting fight, Mrs. E.," the girl replied, pausing in the hallway as Joyita made her presence known, barking happily and trying to get to Angelo, tail wagging madly. "How about you? Ange says you're just about ready to take over the place you're working at."
Angelo laughed and moved to meet Joyita before she knocked his mother over, wrestling the dog and leaving the women to talk. Juanita shot him a fond look before turning back to Amanda. "Did he say that? He exaggerates... but maybe not too much, this time."
"Well, you're both hard workers, so I wouldn't be surprised." Amanda followed Juanita as the older woman led the way to the kitchen, as she always did. "But the place really seems to suit you, too. You look really good. Well."
"Thank you. I find I do like New York. I'd never been here, before... You look too thin. Both of you do. Have you been eating?"
The question was expected and Amanda grinned. "Sure I have, Mrs. E. Just been busy 'round the office lately, so I tend to burn off whatever I put in. And Ange... well, you know what he's like. I try, but living in town makes it hard to keep a close eye on him. Still, I sic Marie on him sometimes, or drag him out for food. He works too hard."
"I know he does", she said, expression somewhere between disapproving and proud. "But it's good work he does. All of it."
"That he does." Amanda was no less proud. "So... want a hand with dinner? I promise not to burn anything." She gave Angelo's mother one of her best cute expressions.
Juanita chuckled. "Oh, I think I can trust you. How does quesadilla sound?"
"Sounds brilliant."
