xp_logs | Angelo and Nathan, Thursday morning

Sometimes all it takes to get you properly back in the saddle is a boss having a panic attack on seven cups of coffee and a surprising phobia of public speaking in certain environments.

"I can't do this."

The proclamation was very abrupt. Nathan had merely looked up from his desk, where he'd been reviewing his notes for his speech, and let the whole office know. Juliette merely blinked and went back to what she was doing, leaving Angelo to react.

Angelo was sitting with his feet up on his desk, not working just at the moment. He gave Nathan a patient look. "Yes, you can."

Nathan gave him a look that was outwardly composed, even if his eyes were a little wild. "No, I can't. Public speaking is not my forte. Ask any number of bureaucrats and diplomats I've pissed off in the last year..."

"Joel thinks you can. An' I've heard you do pretty well when you wanted to."

"But this is different," Nathan said, waving a hand that was actually visibly unsteady at the notes.

"Why?" Angelo demanded. "This time you get to plan it. An' nobody's goin' to be tryin' to shout you down."

"Yes, but the speech is terrible and then I have to answer questions." On Smichov. And he was going to look like the rank amateur he was, compared to most of the people in that room, and why the hell had he ever listened to Joel? Nathan got up, pacing across the room to the coffeemaker and refilling his cup.

"Nathan, that's your seventh cup of coffee in two hours", Angelo pointed out calmly. "The speech is not terrible."

Nathan stared at the coffee cup. "It's not..." he said, and it was unclear as to which comment he was answering. Juliette coughed in a way that suggested she was covering a laugh, and he glared at her before he looked back at Angelo. "It's not?"

"It is. I counted. An' for the speech... no, it's not."

Nathan set the coffee cup down, took a deep breath. "I really don't think I can do it." He looked torn, embarassed. It was an almost unbelievable thing to hear, coming from him. "I'm going to be up there, hearing everyone's mental commentary on the speech-"

"Which you can shield out if you want to - "

"But then I can't tailor the speech on the fly if they decide it sucks!"

Angelo took his feet down off the desk at that, sitting up. "Nathan. Sit down an' breathe."

Nathan was visibly twitching as he went back over to his desk and sat down. Neither Angelo nor Juliette could avoid the all-too-obvious evidence that Nathan 'Cable' Dayspring, ex-government supersoldier, ex-mercenary, current X-Man who had faced down villains and battles of all sorts (not to mention a tsunami) was on the verge of an outright caffeine-overload-assisted panic attack.

"Nathan. Do I have to call Joel so he can tell you your speech doesn't suck?"

"He already proofread it," was the faint response.

"There, see? He liked it, an' you trust him, right?"

The mutely appealing look he got in response to that was almost painful to see.

Angelo blinked at it for a moment, then sighed. "Look... will it make you feel better if I say I'll go to the conference? Blackmailer."

The sudden blaze of relief that crossed Nathan's face was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. "You would? Really?"

"I don't offer what I'm not gonna do."

The 'blackmailer' comment seemed to penetrate, finally, and Nathan looked vaguely sheepish. But there was a smile trying to get out, and enough warmth in his gray eyes that only a truly hard-hearted person could have failed to respond.

"I'd... really appreciate that."

Angelo shot him a crooked grin, swinging his feet back onto the desk. "Guess it's decided, then."

Juliette gave another coughing laugh. Needing to get the last word, as usual.