xp_logs | Angelo, T'Challa and Juliette, Friday morning

T'Challa comes by the boathouse and is greeted by Angelo. Discussion follows of what happened in New York yesterday, and then Angelo is evil.

Angelo was more or less back to full speed when it came to walking now, so he'd been getting back into the normal daily routine at the boathouse. He was slouched over his desk, working on one of the current projects, when the door opened.

"-not sure he'll be in the office just yet," he heard Juliette say, "but... oh, hello, Angelo." The secretary gave him a mock-stern look. "In early, aren't you?"

There was a very large - and familiar - figure behind her, moving a bit gingerly. "Good morning, Angelo," T'Challa said gravely, nodding to the young man before looking around the office. "No Nathan yet, I see."

"Makin' up for lost time", he told her airily, then peered past her at the huge man. "T'Challa! No, he's still asleep upstairs. Didn't want to wake him."

"Understandable," T'Challa said. "He did exert himself rather excessively last night." T'Challa himself was very obviously showing the signs of the rather strenuous night in New York, as well.

Juliette gave the large man a critical look. "You should sit down," she suggested. "I'll get you some coffee." T'Challa didn't seem inclined to resist, sinking gratefully into one of the chairs in the small sitting area.

"Yeah, so I figured", Angelo said, giving him a curious look. "What'd you two get up to, anyway? Haven't got much out of him yet."

"Ororo said something about a report. Perhaps that's something she plans to do today," was T'Challa's oddly cagey response. He gave Angelo a slightly apologetic look, for the lack of detail.

"There'll be one if it was team stuff, yeah." He sounded a little disappointed, but accepted the vague answer.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the collapse of that subway station in the city, would it?" Juliette asked - but then raised a hand before T'Challa could say anything. "Never mind."

Angelo looked between the two of them, then shrugged. "T'Challa, if you just don't want to talk in front of Juliette, she hears a lot of stuff she probably shouldn't anyway."

"I get paid extra for the close-mouthedness."

T'Challa blinked at Juliette's deadpan look, then laughed - which turned immediately into a wince, his hand going to his side. "I would imagine you do."

"An' for walkin' into riot zones with us, Jules. You know that." Angelo grinned at her, turning more serious as he looked back at T'Challa. "You gonna tell me anythin'?"

T'Challa gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Someone attempted to kill me in New York last night," he said simply. "Ororo found us a way out. I've been...encouraged to stay here for the next day or so, until a safe way can be found for me to return to Wakanda." His expression grew slightly wry. "I imagine the government will send a plane. I haven't spoken to them since last night."

"Which government? Ours, or yours?" Angelo wanted to know.

"Mine. I do not actually have any sort of diplomatic status. Not by Western standards, at least."

"You trust them? I mean, if you don't know who it was last night..."

Juliette actually gave Angelo a startled look as she poured three cups of coffee. "Isn't that a little paranoid? I mean, from what Nathan's said, T'Challa here gets along very well with the Wakandan government, to be able to do what he's done to help our efforts along..."

T'Challa was already shaking his head. "It was not anyone from my government," he said. "Although it was someone you met while in Wakanda, Angelo."

"Governments're made of people", he said with a shrug. "Can't know what all of them think. But... him?"

"Him," T'Challa said dourly. "Who should be safely in custody... I intend to get to the bottom of that."

"We never actually saw it", Angelo said quietly. "After we left him, I mean."

"I had reports from those I trusted, regularly. I should have thought to arrange for them to continue, once he was transported out of the country... I won't make that sort of assumption again." T'Challa gave an irritable shrug. "I shouldn't give my neighbors credit for having their houses in order."

Angelo snorted. "Call it a lesson learned, then. Caught him once, he'll get caught again."

"Nathan tossed him in the river. Perhaps he drowned." T'Challa sounded almost hopeful. Juliette repressed a strangled laugh as she handed the man his coffee.

"No wonder you and Nathan took to working together so well," she observed. "You sound just like him."

"It'd be nice to think so", Angelo said with a crooked grin. "But we never get that lucky."

T'Challa sipped at the coffee, grunting in response to Angelo's comment. "I prefer to think of happier things, for now. Being here allows me to see how you, Elpis, functions," he said, waving his free hand around at the boathouse. "It is altogether more direct than exchanging emails or phone calls."

The grin turned more genuine at that. "Yeah, that's a point. We have, like... five full-time workers, since Bobby left, but we get on well enough."

"I have yet to see your Tel Aviv office, although I should be there in the New Year, to meet with Ms. Matsuda," T'Challa said.

"They're a lot bigger", Angelo said helpfully. "Also have twice as many babies around at random times."

"Babies," T'Challa said, a bit dubiously - and looked warily around the office, as if checking to make sure there were no small children hiding under the desks. "I see."

"Babies", Angelo confirmed, with a wicked grin, then raised his voice slightly. "Rachel? You awake?"

There was a small, muffled thump from the upstairs. Clearly, Moira had left sleeping-toddler with sleeping-husband before heading up to the mansion this morning.

"Angelo, I was really hoping that if she was here, she'd stay out of the office this morning," Juliette said in a tone of mild reproof. "She keeps stealing my paperclips." There was a soft giggle from the direction of the stairs.

"You react too much", Angelo protested. "But don't worry, I'll keep her out of your paperclips. Somehow." He glanced towards the stairs. "Ray, you leave them alone all day an' I'll take you to play with the dogs later. Okay?"

"Okay," she piped back, coming to a bobbing stop on the bottom step. She eyed T'Challa with obvious interest. "Hi."

"This must be Rachel," the Wakandan king said gravely, recovering his composure. "Your father brags a great deal about you, kibibi."

"Come here, chiquita", Angelo said, holding out his arms. "Yeah, this is Rachel, our office mascot. She's got two little cousins in Tel Aviv, so - twice as many."

"Children are wonderful things," T'Challa said. "I find them more so, at a safe distance."

"No such thing with this one", Angelo said cheerfully. "Nate did tell you she's telekinetic, right?"

"He had mentioned."