xp_logs | Angelo and Amanda, Tuesday morning (Reply)

They have a quiet and leisurely morning. At least one key decision is reached.

After sleeping the entire way back from New Orleans, Amanda hadn't thought it would be possible to sleep any more, but being used as a magical conduit not once but twice in twelve hours tended to take it out of a girl. The fact she had a most attentive and protective boyfriend to sleep with might have added to the attraction of staying in bed. As it was, it was just gone nine in the morning before she even began to stir.

She didn't get far, as there was what felt like the world's warmest, cosiest wrapped... and most alive... blanket in the world tucked around her. Angelo was still fast asleep, enjoying the lie-in.

Not that she would have wanted to go far, although eventually the demands of nature would make themselves felt. Angelo's control was almost subconscious these days, but there were moments of true relaxation where his skin went back to its normal state, and it made for the most literal of all-over hugs. With a sleepy smile, her eyes still closed, Amanda snuggled in, tugging the 'blanket' up over her bare shoulder a bit.

He stirred at the tug, though the unintelligible sleepy murmur that came from him didn't sound like a complaint, and shifted closer to her.

"Mmm." Settled again, Amanda let herself drift back to sleep. It was maybe twenty minutes later when she woke again, this time with a definite need to gt out of bed. Except Angelo still had her effectively immobilised. Pressing her lips to the closest bit of skin, she murmured: "Ange? I've gotta get up for a sec."

"Mmh?" His eyes half-opened, and then he focused. "Oh. Sure." The next moment, his skin started to retract, if only just enough to let her get out. He clearly wasn't quite awake yet.

She giggled a bit at that, slipping out of bed and padding naked to the bathroom. She was slightly chilled when she came back, and crawled back into bed quickly, burrowing under blankets and skin alike. "That's better. Brr. Bathroom's cold."

"It's winter", he pointed out, skin wrapping back around her more consciously this time. "Or gonna be soon."

"'S barely October," she mock-complained, snuggling in again with a happy noise. "Still, got you to be my walking blanket, so that's all right." A yawn interrupted whatever else she'd been about to say. "Ugh. At some point I'll stop feeling tired. All this sleeping's getting old. Much better things to do in bed."

"Or not walkin'", he agreed. "An' you had a pretty heavy weekend. Not surprised you're still tired."

'Heavy' is one way of putting it. Meh." She hadn't talked a lot about New Orleans beyond the good bits, not knowing what she felt about the rest of it. One thing, however, had occurred to her, and after a moment, she said: "Ange?"

He blinked down at her drowsily. "Yeah?" Chances were it was important, in that tone.

"Do you think if I offered to drive the bus again, the kids would be okay with it? After what happened before?" She said it almost casually, an off-hand remark of no importance. Except it was important.

"...what happened before wasn't your fault", he said firmly after a moment of getting his brain into gear. "They're good kids, they know that. Yeah, I think they would be."

"'Cause I think I want to. Try again. I'd have to talk to the Powers That Be at the school, and Forge, see if there's anything more in the way of security stuff they want, but... yeah. I'd like to do it again. I miss it." It sounded almost wistful.

"Then you should", he encouraged. "I bet they'll be happy to have you back. The kids need to get out more, an' nobody's taken over the bus run."

"I will." Despite the conversation, she found herself yawning again. "Bugger. Once I get over the sleeping sickness thing." Feeling reassured, she cuddled close, fingers tracing idly along his collar bone. "I realised, going down there this weekend, coming back with everyone in one piece... life's too bloody short for hanging back and being worried about shite. Like the bus run. As long as the kids are good with it, there's no reason why I shouldn't be, right?"

"Right", Angelo confirmed. "An' I think they will be. Look at Laurie - she's still talkin' to you an' comin' by, isn't she?"

"Laurie's a sweet kid. 'M glad her mum's doing better these days. Turning up her father did some good, at least."

Angelo smiled quietly, and his hand stretched out to brush over the pendant at Amanda's neck. "Did a lot of good, looks like to me. More than one way."

"Hopefully he doesn't turn out to be some kind of villain. We've had more than enough of those." She pulled a face, but Angelo's fingers brushing the skin of her throat was distracting her from anything too serious. "Heh. That's my lucky piece, St. Jude is. I've hardly taken it off since you gave it to me."

"Hopeless causes", he said with a nod. "I remember. But the point is, was... they're not all like that. We're livin' proof, aren't we?" Just by the fact they were still living.

"You said something like that before I left, too. I might just have to believe you." She brushed his jawline with her nose, before kissing his neck, stubble tickling her lips. "After coming through New Orleans, 'm starting to think Jude's watching out for us."

"Maybe he is", he said with a chuckle, tilting his head automatically to bare his neck. "Seems like someone has to be. Or somethin'."

"Hmm." She moved down his throat, pausing when she got to the chain he wore all the time himself. Fishing the pendant out from where it was lying at the back of his neck, she turned the ancient coin over in her fingers. "And this is your lucky piece, yeah? Nate gave this to you, didn't he?"

"He did", Angelo agreed, looking down at the coin as he ran his fingers through her hair. "While I was out in New York. Guess it kind of means the same as yours, in a way."

"Since I was still doing the whole mooning after you thing when you gave me mine, I hope it's not exactly the same," she teased, but she understood what he meant.

He pulled a face at her. "The meanin' of the pendant is the same. The bit of Spartan history everybody knows's one big lost cause, but they kept fightin' anyway. 'cause it was what they had to do."

"Doing the job, no matter what." She shivered a little, remembering watching Remy pitch face-first into the mud, to all intents and purposes dead. "Makes sense, for both of us. Guess you know me and Nathan knows you, yeah?"

"I think so." His hand came down to close over hers. "Knew what to give me that would mean most, anyway."

"After all this time, he should." She dropped her head to rest it on his shoulder again, his heartbeat reassuringly steady under her ear. "And speaking of Nate, and what we do... you need to get to work sometime today?"

"Nah. I told him yesterday not to expect me in today. He laughed at me."