xp_logs | Doug and Marie-Ange, apoligies.

Still feeling the total embarassment from this thread, Doug isn't exactly warm to Marie-Ange, even when she needs some technical-type help. She realizes he's cranky, he explains why, and much to Doug's surprise, she apoligizes. And I get to use Rush lyric cut tags. Because I can.

Marie-Ange stared at the mouse for her computer, frowning. She hadn't a clue of how to make the thing work again, it was doing something very strange where it kept moving to the bottom of the screen, and all she wanted was for it to work.

She pulled it out of the back of her laptop, and picked it up, wrapping the cord around it as she left her office, crossing the hall to knock on the door to Doug's office. "Doug? Are you there?"

Doug frowned at Marie-Ange's voice. It was difficult to be able to avoid your exgirlfriend when you worked in the same office as her. He was still hurting over her remark in her journal, though, so he'd avoided her as much as he could. "Yes, I'm here," he answered quickly. "What do you need?" he asked. Hopefully he could deal with whatever it was fast and go back to avoiding her.

"My mouse is dead," she answered, pushing the door open a crack. "The little touch pad works but I think I killed my mouse. Do you have a spare one in here?" She had hoped that the brusque tone was because he'd been overworked, but he'd kept it up for almost two weeks.

"I try to keep at least a few spares," Doug acknowledged the request. Most of his budget went towards the database of mutant-related phenomena that Pete was constantly expecting him to improve, but Doug also made sure to have supplies on hand for computer problems of the staff. Fishing an unopened box out of his neatly organized equipment cabinet, he slid it across his desk to Marie-Ange and then turned back to his monitors, hoping she would take the hint and leave him alone.

"Should I just throw out the broken one?" Marie-Ange asked, after picking up the new mouse. It was less a question then something to break the cold silence, and when it did nothing to change the mood, she sighed, and went to leave, shaking her head. She wasn't sure what was bothering him, but she wasn't going to bother or nag. Except.. "Was there something I did?" she asked quietly.

Doug did not turn from his monitor, unable to look at Marie-Ange. "On second thought, please, continue. This is -fascinating-." The breathy parody of Marie-Ange's accent was even more laden with pain and anger than when Doug had gone out for curry with Amanda. He'd been simmering ever since, unable to really let go of how much those words had hurt him.

Two steps -back- into the office, and then Marie-Ange took another towards Doug's desk. "I have no idea what you are talking about. What did that have to do with you?" She said, a little harshly. "I think I have every right to be embarassed about being discussed in that manner."

"It sure sounded like 'this discussion of Douglas' sexual preferences and taste in pornography is fascinating'," Doug snapped back, still not looking away from his monitors. If he looked at her, she'd know for certain how much he was hurting. He wasn't at all willing to let her see the tears shimmering at the corners of his eyes.

She wanted, very badly to storm out of the office and slam doors. How could he dare imply that she was trying to mock him when she'd been utterly mortified to find herself the subject of such a public discussion. But despite Doug refusing to look at her, she could hear the strain in his voice, trying to hold back everything except anger.

And in the blueish glow of his monitor bank, she could still make out that he was flushed. Not the tight drawn paleness of anger, but a slightly violet hue that told of embarassment, under the reflected light from the screen. "I .. I did not mean to imply that it was you, at all..." Marie-Ange said, very softly. "I was just so embarassed..." She looked across the room, at a blank corner of the wall. "If .. if I hurt you, I did not intend to. I am sorry."

The apology was so unexpected that Doug turned around in shock, his desire to not let Marie-Ange see how much he was hurting forgotten. "What?" he asked quietly and disbelievingly, frantically scrubbing the moisture from his eyes.

"I was so mortified that Forge kept posting those comments that I did not stop to think about what effect my words might have had on anyone else." Marie-Ange said. "I should have thought about it, but I just wanted to make him stop, and prevent anyone else from any more comments." The single comment Garrison had left had been no better, simply because of the circumstances.

"I..." Doug's shoulders slumped as all the anger ebbed out of him. "I'm sorry too," he said quietly. "For taking it out on you. I mean, I know how embarassing it was for -me-, so I imagine it was just as bad for you." He looked down at his desk.

She needed to sit, just to keep from wanting to pace or move around. Letting go of the arguement was difficult, it left an odd tight feeling in her shoulders and neck, and an empty hollow place in her stomach, but Marie-Ange was not going to harass Doug over this. It was small, and meaningless. And he was just as embarassed as she was. No one was at fault. "I .. do not know what to say now.." she said, as she sat down in one of the chairs across from Doug's desk. "Usually I am storming off or someone is taking my keyboard away when I have arguements.."

"Amanda took me away from mine before I could say anything rash," Doug admitted with a wry twist to his mouth. He certainly wasn't going to admit to the rest of what his discussion with Amanda had covered, though. "I'm not sure what to say now either," he said after a moment.

Marie-Ange thought for a moment, frowning, and then looked up. "I think now, we should take a coffee break. I could use some coffee, and possibly something with chocolate in it." Like a brownie the size of a small labrador retriever.

"I..." Doug stammered. He was extremely scared of Marie-Ange somehow realizing he still had feelings for her. But he had been miserable when they hadn't been talking. "Okay," he agreed a touch shyly. "Let me go get my coat?"