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xp_logsAngelo drops by Amanda's apartment after talking to his mother to tell her the news.
Another work day done, finally... Amanda had already dumped her file bag on the coffee table and headed for her bedroom, shedding business attire as she went - the first thing she tended to do upon getting home was switch out of her work clothes. Returning to the kitchen in threadbare jeans and a black t-shirt, she was pondering the depths of her fridge and wondering if she could justify scrambled eggs on toast for dinner again, considering how tired she was when there came a knock on the door.
He'd only really knocked to let her know he was there before he came in, to give her time to tell him not to in case she was doing something delicate, a spell or the like. The next sound was keys in the door and Angelo's voice. "Hey. S'me."
"Hey, you." Amanda's face brightened as she straightened and closed the fridge door. "I wasn't expecting you 'round - thought you had stuff on?"
"Yeah, I did", he said, moving into the room and closing the door behind him. "Team briefin'. But that finished a couple of hours ago."
She raised her eyebrow. "Something up?" she asked, not really worried, more curious.
"Yeah, uh... team stuff, I don't know how much I'm s'posed to tell you, but..." He sank onto the couch, wearily. "You know how we were talkin' about not bein' able to go with each other on jobs, even the dangerous ones?"
Coming out of the kitchen, Amanda perched on the edge of the coffee table opposite him, watching him carefully. "Something tells me you're not bringing that up as small talk," she said, trying for light and not hitting it terribly well. Abandoning the attempt, she went on: "Don't give me details, just... how dangerous are we talking here?"
Angelo briefly considered, and rejected, the weak joke 'out of this world'. "Far as I understand it... this is bigger than Youra. An' less chance of everybody comin' out of it." The words were quiet and calm, but it took an effort.
She shuddered briefly, squeezing her eyes shut and clasping her hands together so tightly her knuckles went white. After what seemed an enternity, she looked at him again, and asked, in a small, tight voice that spoke of just how much she was holding herself together: "When?"
"There's trainin' to do first, before they'll send us, but... three, four days, maybe." His voice said all too clearly how much he didn't want to leave her for this... but how little choice there had ever really been.
"This training... is it here? Or do you have to go somewhere else?" It was all too easy to read the unspoken question in her face. How long do I have you for?. She clenched her jaw against the tremble, trying to be strong for this. For him. It was part of their lives, no matter how much they both hated it.
"Come here", he said before answering, drawing her down onto the couch with him. Because at least they could take all the time that could be spared before he went. "It's right at the mansion. I can be here every night until we leave."
Seated beside him, she shifted and buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to him. "I know you can't promise to come back," she said at last, muffled. "But... promise me you'll be careful? That you'll look out for yourself as well as whoever else is there?"
"I'll do the best I can", he promised without hesitation. "We'll all look out for each other, far as we can. That's how it goes."
"I know. But I also know you. Something happens to someone and you tend to throw yourself in without thinking." She let out a half-choked laugh. "Which is why you're the hero and I'm the spy-in-training."
His arms had gone around her from the moment she sat down, and they tightened now. "Doesn't count as bein' a hero when you couldn't do anythin' else."
"I know. 'M just scared. And that's not fair, because it's not like I haven't put you in this position a dozen times over." With a small sniffle she lifted her head, eyes slightly red. "Is this how it was for you? 'Cause it sucks."
He didn't need to answer that - she knew him well enough to see in his face that he would have had to say yes, and didn't want to. "We've got these four days", he said instead, quietly. "Best make the most of them, huh?"
"Definitely." Shifting so she was straddling his lap, she leaned forward and kissed him desperately, cupping his face in her hands. "And when you get back," she murmured, breaking for air. "I'll find someone for that spell."
He didn't move back one iota when she broke the kiss, looking into her eyes from less than an inch away. "When I get back", he echoed. "Sounds like a plan."
Another work day done, finally... Amanda had already dumped her file bag on the coffee table and headed for her bedroom, shedding business attire as she went - the first thing she tended to do upon getting home was switch out of her work clothes. Returning to the kitchen in threadbare jeans and a black t-shirt, she was pondering the depths of her fridge and wondering if she could justify scrambled eggs on toast for dinner again, considering how tired she was when there came a knock on the door.
He'd only really knocked to let her know he was there before he came in, to give her time to tell him not to in case she was doing something delicate, a spell or the like. The next sound was keys in the door and Angelo's voice. "Hey. S'me."
"Hey, you." Amanda's face brightened as she straightened and closed the fridge door. "I wasn't expecting you 'round - thought you had stuff on?"
"Yeah, I did", he said, moving into the room and closing the door behind him. "Team briefin'. But that finished a couple of hours ago."
She raised her eyebrow. "Something up?" she asked, not really worried, more curious.
"Yeah, uh... team stuff, I don't know how much I'm s'posed to tell you, but..." He sank onto the couch, wearily. "You know how we were talkin' about not bein' able to go with each other on jobs, even the dangerous ones?"
Coming out of the kitchen, Amanda perched on the edge of the coffee table opposite him, watching him carefully. "Something tells me you're not bringing that up as small talk," she said, trying for light and not hitting it terribly well. Abandoning the attempt, she went on: "Don't give me details, just... how dangerous are we talking here?"
Angelo briefly considered, and rejected, the weak joke 'out of this world'. "Far as I understand it... this is bigger than Youra. An' less chance of everybody comin' out of it." The words were quiet and calm, but it took an effort.
She shuddered briefly, squeezing her eyes shut and clasping her hands together so tightly her knuckles went white. After what seemed an enternity, she looked at him again, and asked, in a small, tight voice that spoke of just how much she was holding herself together: "When?"
"There's trainin' to do first, before they'll send us, but... three, four days, maybe." His voice said all too clearly how much he didn't want to leave her for this... but how little choice there had ever really been.
"This training... is it here? Or do you have to go somewhere else?" It was all too easy to read the unspoken question in her face. How long do I have you for?. She clenched her jaw against the tremble, trying to be strong for this. For him. It was part of their lives, no matter how much they both hated it.
"Come here", he said before answering, drawing her down onto the couch with him. Because at least they could take all the time that could be spared before he went. "It's right at the mansion. I can be here every night until we leave."
Seated beside him, she shifted and buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to him. "I know you can't promise to come back," she said at last, muffled. "But... promise me you'll be careful? That you'll look out for yourself as well as whoever else is there?"
"I'll do the best I can", he promised without hesitation. "We'll all look out for each other, far as we can. That's how it goes."
"I know. But I also know you. Something happens to someone and you tend to throw yourself in without thinking." She let out a half-choked laugh. "Which is why you're the hero and I'm the spy-in-training."
His arms had gone around her from the moment she sat down, and they tightened now. "Doesn't count as bein' a hero when you couldn't do anythin' else."
"I know. 'M just scared. And that's not fair, because it's not like I haven't put you in this position a dozen times over." With a small sniffle she lifted her head, eyes slightly red. "Is this how it was for you? 'Cause it sucks."
He didn't need to answer that - she knew him well enough to see in his face that he would have had to say yes, and didn't want to. "We've got these four days", he said instead, quietly. "Best make the most of them, huh?"
"Definitely." Shifting so she was straddling his lap, she leaned forward and kissed him desperately, cupping his face in her hands. "And when you get back," she murmured, breaking for air. "I'll find someone for that spell."
He didn't move back one iota when she broke the kiss, looking into her eyes from less than an inch away. "When I get back", he echoed. "Sounds like a plan."
