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xp_logsIt becomes clear, as Wanda, Mark, Kurt, Marie-Ange and Doug search for Margali, that her old body isn't in the best shape.
The sound of coughing, raw and terrible, broke the stillness of the small caravan. The old woman, her body propped up by pillows, wiped a shaking hand across her mouth as the attack ended and let herself lie back limply. Everything ached - even her toenails ached - and she seemed to be filtering everything through a blanket - sight, sound, smell, taste, they were all dulled. And she couldn't concentrate - the blanket extended into her head, lying heavy on her thoughts. "Angelo?" she called, the foreign voice quavering and cracking. No, that wasn't right, Angelo wasn't here, he was in... in... Her train of thought faltered as the door opened.
"~Not Angelo, little sister,~" Stefan responded quietly, shutting the door behind him. Beyond it, a few voices could be heard--faint, whispered conversations. Not as many as there should have been but more than what had been when Amanda and her friends had arrived. The oldest Szardos moved in closer to the bed as he began to sort the objects he was carrying. "~How are you feeling?~"
"~Tired,~" she replied in Romany. For some reason it seemed easier to use than English just then. "~Old. How does she stand it?~" Her wrinkled hands plucked fretfully at the blanket covering her. "~Why did she do this to me?~"
He didn't answer at first, just put another blanket over top of her and started to place food and water on the small table near the bed. "~I wish I had a good answer for you,~" Stefan finally replied, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed. Carefully, he picked up her hand between his and sighed. "~I wish for a number of things but a good answer and the fortitude to have stopped it in the first place? Those are on the top of my list.~"
For a long moment Amanda didn't respond, just closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his hands around hers. "~I missed you,~" she said quietly, then opened them again. "~How did it happen? When did it start? Margali... she was hard, but she wasn't crazy. Not like this.~" She asked the questions urgently, aware that she had to get the answers quickly, before things got foggy again.
Stefan heard the urgency in her voice and tried to explain as best he could. "~She's been confused lately,~" he said, sighing. "~Confusing time, places...people. It happens, age stealing away the person you are. I suppose the problem lies in the fact that Mother was was a hard woman. A hard woman with access to a great many things that most of us will never have access to.~" Power and the knowledge to use that power. "~I cannot say when it started exactly but I know I first started noticing right around the time that she removed Kurt from our family. So, a while, though I do not know exactly when she started to bend Jimi's ear.~"
"~She hates me.~" It wasn't exactly clear who Amanda meant. "~And I don't understand why.~"
It was at that moment that Jimaine appeared in the doorway, after who knew how long listening outside. "~You came back~", she said quietly. "~But you weren't what she wanted. And then you took Kurt from us.~"
"~Kurt was already gone,~" Amanda rasped out, peering in Jimaine's direction. Bloody eyesight. "~And I couldn't help what I was, what I'd been made into. But I suppose that doesn't matter now, does it? She's got what she wants and I'm going to die like this.~"
"~No.~" In turn, Stefan glared from one sister to the other before turning back to Amanda. "~Kurt and your friends will bring her back and she will undo what she has done. I was a fool before, allowing all of this to happen in the first place but I refuse to lose you again, especially to mother's mad schemes.~" There was an underlying hint of anger in his normally calm voice, though the expression softened when he turned to Jimaine. "~Let us just hope we can repair certain burned bridges in the time to come.~"
Amanda shook her head. "~I'm sorry, Stefan, but it's true. This body... Margali's body, it's used up. Too much magic - I don't know how she managed the spells she's been doing, but she's worn herself out doing it. If they don't find her soon...~" She let the sentence hang. "~I'm sorry,~" she said instead to her sister. "~For hurting you. For making you hate me so much.~"
"~You - ~" Jimaine looked away. "~She shouldn't have done this~", the younger girl mumbled. "~Whatever you did. This is wrong.~"
"~I was taken.~" Amanda replied softly, eyes prickling. "~That's all. I was taken away and she couldn't get me back.~" She looked at the water sitting on the table beside her. "Pete, can you...? I feel so weak."
Stefan gently slipped his arm beneath her shoulders and lifted her up so that he could put the glass of water to her lips. As she drank, he pressed kissed her forehead and took a deep, calming breath. "~Rest, gather your strength,~" Stefan told her quietly. "~We will be here when you wake.~"
"I need to meet Remy in the morning. He's taking us to learn from Tante." Amanda's eyes drooped, and soon she slipped into an uneasy sleep. In respose, the borrowed face still wore a lost expression.
The sound of coughing, raw and terrible, broke the stillness of the small caravan. The old woman, her body propped up by pillows, wiped a shaking hand across her mouth as the attack ended and let herself lie back limply. Everything ached - even her toenails ached - and she seemed to be filtering everything through a blanket - sight, sound, smell, taste, they were all dulled. And she couldn't concentrate - the blanket extended into her head, lying heavy on her thoughts. "Angelo?" she called, the foreign voice quavering and cracking. No, that wasn't right, Angelo wasn't here, he was in... in... Her train of thought faltered as the door opened.
"~Not Angelo, little sister,~" Stefan responded quietly, shutting the door behind him. Beyond it, a few voices could be heard--faint, whispered conversations. Not as many as there should have been but more than what had been when Amanda and her friends had arrived. The oldest Szardos moved in closer to the bed as he began to sort the objects he was carrying. "~How are you feeling?~"
"~Tired,~" she replied in Romany. For some reason it seemed easier to use than English just then. "~Old. How does she stand it?~" Her wrinkled hands plucked fretfully at the blanket covering her. "~Why did she do this to me?~"
He didn't answer at first, just put another blanket over top of her and started to place food and water on the small table near the bed. "~I wish I had a good answer for you,~" Stefan finally replied, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed. Carefully, he picked up her hand between his and sighed. "~I wish for a number of things but a good answer and the fortitude to have stopped it in the first place? Those are on the top of my list.~"
For a long moment Amanda didn't respond, just closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his hands around hers. "~I missed you,~" she said quietly, then opened them again. "~How did it happen? When did it start? Margali... she was hard, but she wasn't crazy. Not like this.~" She asked the questions urgently, aware that she had to get the answers quickly, before things got foggy again.
Stefan heard the urgency in her voice and tried to explain as best he could. "~She's been confused lately,~" he said, sighing. "~Confusing time, places...people. It happens, age stealing away the person you are. I suppose the problem lies in the fact that Mother was was a hard woman. A hard woman with access to a great many things that most of us will never have access to.~" Power and the knowledge to use that power. "~I cannot say when it started exactly but I know I first started noticing right around the time that she removed Kurt from our family. So, a while, though I do not know exactly when she started to bend Jimi's ear.~"
"~She hates me.~" It wasn't exactly clear who Amanda meant. "~And I don't understand why.~"
It was at that moment that Jimaine appeared in the doorway, after who knew how long listening outside. "~You came back~", she said quietly. "~But you weren't what she wanted. And then you took Kurt from us.~"
"~Kurt was already gone,~" Amanda rasped out, peering in Jimaine's direction. Bloody eyesight. "~And I couldn't help what I was, what I'd been made into. But I suppose that doesn't matter now, does it? She's got what she wants and I'm going to die like this.~"
"~No.~" In turn, Stefan glared from one sister to the other before turning back to Amanda. "~Kurt and your friends will bring her back and she will undo what she has done. I was a fool before, allowing all of this to happen in the first place but I refuse to lose you again, especially to mother's mad schemes.~" There was an underlying hint of anger in his normally calm voice, though the expression softened when he turned to Jimaine. "~Let us just hope we can repair certain burned bridges in the time to come.~"
Amanda shook her head. "~I'm sorry, Stefan, but it's true. This body... Margali's body, it's used up. Too much magic - I don't know how she managed the spells she's been doing, but she's worn herself out doing it. If they don't find her soon...~" She let the sentence hang. "~I'm sorry,~" she said instead to her sister. "~For hurting you. For making you hate me so much.~"
"~You - ~" Jimaine looked away. "~She shouldn't have done this~", the younger girl mumbled. "~Whatever you did. This is wrong.~"
"~I was taken.~" Amanda replied softly, eyes prickling. "~That's all. I was taken away and she couldn't get me back.~" She looked at the water sitting on the table beside her. "Pete, can you...? I feel so weak."
Stefan gently slipped his arm beneath her shoulders and lifted her up so that he could put the glass of water to her lips. As she drank, he pressed kissed her forehead and took a deep, calming breath. "~Rest, gather your strength,~" Stefan told her quietly. "~We will be here when you wake.~"
"I need to meet Remy in the morning. He's taking us to learn from Tante." Amanda's eyes drooped, and soon she slipped into an uneasy sleep. In respose, the borrowed face still wore a lost expression.
