xp_logs | Amanda and Sofia; requests

You all know Sofia is going to Africa. It's just a question of how.

She was just drifting back to sleep when the knocking began. Vaguely tentative at first, before growing stronger, it became incessant and impossible to ignore, drawing Sofia to her feet. The door hit the opposite wall with a bang loud enough to have woken anyone who managed to ignore the announcement that they had an important message, and revealed one Amanda in the hallway, knuckles still raised.

"What?"

Amanda stepped back involuntarily, startled by the sudden appearance and flinging open of the door. There might have been a noise like 'eep' as she wondered why she'd volunteered for this again. Then she remembered.

Illyana was in serious trouble, and they needed every hand on deck.

"There's a job," she began lamely. Sofia's expression didn't encourage her. "We need you. Really need you."

"So I read. And already announced how much I don't care," Sofia replied shortly, the hem of her night shift trembling in her breeze. "Some little girl of Remy's goes and puts herself where she does not belong and I'm supposed to jump up and risk my own neck to save their incompetent selves? No."

"But..." Amanda could have tried to guilt Sofia, or trick her, or flatter her into coming. But none of that would have worked. So instead she simply said: "Please, Sofia. Illyana's a lot of things, but in the end, she's just a dumb kid who's gotten in over her head. She doesn't deserve to die for that. If we do this, she gets another chance." She took a breath and looked Sofia squarely in the eye. "And we can't do it without you."

Her mouth opened to tell Amanda just where exactly she could put her request when out of the corner of her eye, the morning sun just managed to break through a crack in the buildings around their apartments and through her window. It hit the long bar of green that lined the windowsill – ferns, flowers, herbs – but it was the small patch of purple that caught Sofia's eye. She pulled her mouth together, delicately rolling her eyes. "Fine. This once. But you owe me, little witch."

"Thanks, Sof. It means a lot, it really does. And anything you want, I'll do." Amanda's relief was palpable - she couldn't begin to describe why it was so important they help Illyana, except that everytime she thought of the other girl's predicament, she remembered a time of stupid decisions and desperate mistakes and resigning herself to death, only to have someone - several someones - reach out to her. Briefly, she stretched out her hand and lightly touched the other woman's forearm. "I've got to go book tickets. I'll let you know when we're going, yeah?"

"Yes." Sofia paused a moment to glance at the fingertips against her skin before taking a step back and promptly closing the door.