Angelo, Yvette - Thursday morning

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

Out for some fresh air, Angelo and Joyita come across the newest arrival.



Joyita had been spending increasing amounts of time at Angelo's mother's house, as he got busier, but he always felt guilty about leaving her in that little house in the city, not to mention burdening his mother with her. So, he usually drove over to get her back at the weekend and some weekday nights. Wednesday had been one of them, and since he hadn't had time to drive into the city and drop her off again, she was still there, getting her proper exercise by the lake.

The air was getting cooler, but Yvette enjoyed the slight edge to it, especially after so long cooped up inside. Six months' worth, according to Mr. Haller, a fact which still boggled her. And the grounds were so beautiful. Besides, she couldn't damage anything outside, not unless she tried climbing a tree or something.

Today she was down by the lake, crouched on the shoreline, watching the ducks bobbing around. Her face was still the impassive mask, but there was definitely something more relaxed about her posture, even so soon after her awakening. This was a good place.

Angelo saw the girl well before he reached her and slowed, shortening the dog's leash so she couldn't go rushing ahead. He didn't want to scare Yvette, after all, not so soon after she'd woken up.

A sudden bark broke Yvette's contemplation, and she glanced up sharply, spikes of her hair rattling. Her eyes widened a little as she saw the pair, man and dog, but she didn't flee. The time for running was done. "Ah, hello?" she said, falling back on politeness. Manners were important.

Angelo smiled at her, glad to see she wasn't running away. "Hey. You're Yvette, right?"

"Yes, I am Yvette." She tilted her head curiously at him, wondering how he knew her name... oh, the journals. So many people who knew her and whom she didn't know. It was more than a little daunting. "Who are you being, please?"

"My name's Angelo." He settled on the lakeside, near but not too near. He knew a little bit about dealing with spookable kids. "It's good to see you awake. A lot of people were worried about you."

"I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Angelo," she said, sneaking another curious glance at him. His skin was grey, and somehow loose looking. How strange. "I am being glad to be awake. Is this being your dog?"

"She is", he said with a smile, looking down at the dog where she lay happily panting by his foot. "Her name's Joyita."

"She is being very pretty." Her long talon-like fingers twitched a little - she wanted to pet the dog, but didn't dare, not until Miss Clarice had made the gloves for her. "Are you a teacher?"

"Not yet", he said with a grin. "They'll probably get me teachin' somethin' one of these days, though. I work down there." He pointed to the boathouse. "With Mr. Dayspring, if you've met him."

"My roommate, Laurie, she told me of him. And I am meeting him on the journals. He is speaking languages, yes?" She looked in the direction of the boathouse. "What is the work you are doing?"

"Yeah, he speaks a lot of languages. An' what we do is... we go to countries that aren't as rich as America or have different laws, an' we try to make things better for the mutants there, if we can."

That sparked her interest. "Like the Red Cross, yes?" she asked, moving a little closer to him.

"Somethin' like that, except a lot of what we do is go to conferences an' keep track of what's goin' on, more than actually go out in the field. But we do that too."

"This is being very important work," she said, her normal soft tones becoming enthused. "When I was very small, the Red Cross helped my mother. I was being born in one of their places."

Angelo grinned. "We think it's important, yeah. An' the Red Cross do very good work too, of course." He tried to work out a tactful way to ask if she'd been born with her physical mutations.

"There was a war, in my country. It was starting before I was born. That is why I am called Yvette - my mother asked the doctor to be naming me. He was a man from France, with Medicans Sans Frontiers. It is being a France name." Her eyes flared bright for a moment, before dulling down to their normal glow. "I am thinking this is important work. One day, if I am able, I want to be doing such work."

"I can't see why you wouldn't be able to, someday", Angelo tried to reassure her. "Even if... your powers don't change, my roommate, Forge... his mutation makes him a better inventor than anyone else alive. He says if he can imagine somethin', he can make it. He could probably help you."

"Mr. Forge! He is making me these clothings, that I cannot tear!" She poked at the black leotard-like outfit she was wearing, her talon poking through it and the hole repairing itself like it was never there. "Miss Clarice is making me gloves and socks, but these are being more difficult, so I must be careful what I touch until she is being finished. But... I wish to be learning. When I first changed, it was not like this. Mr. Professor and Mr. Haller say I am being hiding too long, and am making myself like this."

Angelo nodded. "If they think you can learn to make it be different, then I'd put money on them bein' right. An' this is one of the best places you could be to do it."

"I am missing my mother too. It is hard, being so far away. But Mr. Haller is saying they will find her soon and I can be seeing her." She made a little sighing noise. "I am being glad to be here, but she is not knowing where I am. She will be sad, I think."

That struck a little close to home, and Angelo stilled for a moment. "...yeah. She probably is. But they'll do everythin' anyone can do to find her for you." And I'll be helping, if I can.

She glanced at him again, watching him with those pupiless glowing eyes. "Thank you," she said, softly, sensing there was something more at work here. "If it is not being rude to ask, you are having family?"

"Not rude at all", he assured her. "Yeah, I do. My mother lives in New York, but there was a while... she was in another city, a long way from here. And for a few months, she didn't know where I was either."

"They are being taking you away too? Because of your..." She paused, trying to remember the English word. "Mutant?"

"Not exactly. Things are a little different here, they don't usually do that unless the parents really can't look after the kid, an' I was older than you anyway... but I had to go away, 'cause there were people who didn't like what I was."

"They are saying that too, that my mother was not looking after me. She was hiding me from the people who are not liking what I am being." Her hands closed on the ground, digging long holes in the earth. "Bad things were happening."

Angelo reached automatically for one of her hands to stop her in case she hurt herself, stopping just short when he remembered her sharp skin. "What was the place like, that they took you to?"

"I... it is hard to be remembering," she said, noticing the gesture and pulling her hand away a little, to stop him forgetting and touching her. She didn't want to hurt anyone. "It was a bad place. I am missing my mother and the people there, they were being afraid of me."

"Because... you couldn't touch them?" he asked gently. "Or because of how you looked?"

She closed her eyes, trying to remember. Scattered images; worn linoleum, bland tasteless food, whispers and stares... "At first, my skin was being only red and hard. It wasn't sharp, like it is being now." She tried to remember more, but it was all a blur. "I am sorry. I cannot remember."

"It's okay", he said quickly. "You don't have to remember, not if you can't. An' I'm pretty sure nobody here will look at you like that, not now you're comin' out more an' everybody knows what you look like."

"This is being a good place." It was said with quiet conviction. "And I am glad to be being here."

Angelo smiled to himself, reaching down to pat Joyita. "That's good. We're glad to have you here, too."