Laurie & Manny log: Lunchtime

[x-wallflower-.livejournal.com]

Backdated to Friday, lunch time

Laurie and Manny meet again, apologies are attempted but don't go so well.



Laurie sat cross-legged on a blanket on the front lawn of Xavier's, feeling the sun beating against the back of her neck as Pablo, her pet swine investigated the grass nearby. She'd been trying to think of some way to approach Manuel for at least a week now, but had gotten no closer to a solution. An apology seemed a little weak after what had almost happened, but what else could she do?

Manuel stepped out of the door and up to the banister, resting his cane on it while he took a moment for a long stretch in the blazing rays of the sun. He turned his head, exhaling a sigh he felt he'd been withholding all winter long and the fresh air filled his lungs before letting out the stale air of the old confining mansion. That was when he noticed her.

He felt her before he saw her, swimming in the mix of all the other emotions that were fixed down into a dull roar, courtesy of Xavier. Slowly resting his hands down, he contemplated leaving as if he hadn't noticed her. It would have been rude and regripping the cane, he turned and walked slowly down the stairs.

Naturally, she saw him coming and who couldn't at his rate? He walked as painfully slow as a grandmother and stopped short just a few feet from her. He glanced at her pig. "Looks like it's mother, does it not?" he asked, but it wasn't a question. It seemed only fitting he said something about the pig and not what was staring them in the face. Literally.

"One would hope that you're talking about Pablo's mother in a literal sense, rather then saying I look like a pig." Laurie replied, looking up at him with a slightly amused smile.

She'd had a week at least to get over her initial shock over what had happened, and had calmed down a fair bit after the feedback from their combined powers had dissipated. Now she just felt a vague embarrassment over what had happened, since as far as she could tell it had been neither of their faults. Well, okay, she really needed to stop kissing strange men before she knew what would happen but apart from that, completely blameless.

He smiled down at her, though the grip on his cane tightened. He felt her embarrassment and his only amplified it. He was trying not to run to Jean or Xavier about this, but rather, felt he could solve his own problems. "I believe.." he started and brushed a hand over his stomach before considering the course of his statement.

"Are you hungry?" he practically blurted out. Lifting a hand, he cleared his throat and repeated the gesture of smoothing it over his stomach. "I don't cook, however, I assure you we can find a restaurant that doesn't serve pork."

Laurie shook the lead she held in her hand and a small bell jangled, calling Pablo over so she could fasten it to the small collar on his neck. "It's getting close to lunchtime, so I think I could be persuaded to eat. Did you have anywhere in mind?"

Manuel would have walked over to help her up however, he was not inclined to have a repeat scenario. "Something not far, around the block, would be sufficient."

***

Laurie took a sip of her tea and picked up the little cucumber sandwich, from the bottom row of the three tiered tray that had been placed before her and Manuel. She hadn't realised there was a place in Salem Centre that did High tea but she was glad she'd found out.

"So, I think I owe you an apology." she murmured softly.

Manuel rested his arm on the table, fingers firmly touching the mug and briefly looked up at her while he distracted her emotions bleeding into his by turning the mug. "Apologies are for those who are sorry. I don't believe you owe me, nor I you." His back was rigid from the internal emotional struggle it took to ignore the other emotions around him. He was not accomplishing much.

"I'm not normal, Manuel." Laurie replied, voice still soft and it was almost as bad as when she'd first come to the mansion. At least she wasn't stammering though, that was one good thing. "I keep trying to pretend I am, like what my mutation does won't affect what I do. Only, it's not true. It happened once, a little while ago. I kissed someone else and things got...intense. I should have realised that with an empath, especially one not in full control of his powers, that things might happen."

"What would you classify as normal, Laurie? None of us are normal. No human is normal either. There's just a fabrication of what we would like to believe is normal but doesn't exist. A falsification, if you will. If we believe there is something normal within our grasp, we keep striving for it, for some of that normalcy that isn't real however, what or rather, where does that leave us but grasping at dreams we cannot make real?"

Truthfully, he had been shaken that night. He was out of control and felt that it could have been taken past what was inappropriate to near damaging to not only his already bad reputation, but also traumatizing to Laurie as well. He vocalized none of this. She didn't need to know the extent of how far they would have gone.

"I..." Laurie began, but fell silent when she couldn't think of anything to say.

It was still jumbled in her head, and she couldn't, didn't know what to say. She picked up her tea as something to do and took another sip, fingers clasped lightly around the body of the cup.

"I apologize," he said, brushing a thumb over the side of his mug. "I did not mean to offend you or upset."

"No, it wasn't, I mean you didn't. You didn't offend me, I'm just not sure what to say about all this. I've always thought a normal life was achievable, is all." Laurie replied, frowning slightly as she tried to put her feelings into words. "I'm beginning to understand that it isn't. I guess it's no great loss, right? I mean, who else gets to save people? That's gotta be consolation enough, I suppose."

"Do you know anyone who has achieved normalcy? What looks like a normal life usually has complications behind it. I believe your life is only as normal as the facade that most put on to look like they have that in their lives." He quietly kept his opinions on saving people aside and away from the conversation. "The everyday person perhaps? Not on a consistent basis of physical means but emotional ones as well."

"It would just be nice to wake up in the morning and not have to run through a checklist of exercises in order to make sure I don't unduly influence anyone." Laurie noted, shoulders relaxing slightly as they talked. It didn't seem likely he was going to start cussing her out any time soon, so she assumed she was fairly safe. "I'm just tired sometimes, that's all."

"I am sure you can compare that to brushing your teeth. No one wants to brush their teeth, however, they do it. Regardless of what they want because there are two things they don't' want - bad breath and a mouth full of rotten teeth. The same could be said for your... unruly power."


Laurie snorted softly, and then blushed at the somewhat unladylike response. But the image of her power as something like brushing her teeth was too amusing not to laugh at. "You certainly have a way with words, Mr. de la Rocha."

"Yes. I also have a way with other things as well," he commented, turning his eyes towards a waitress nearby. She turned and smiled at him but he did not smile back. His closed his glowing red eyes and placed a hand over them. He was projecting again. "Perhaps we should leave." His salad went untouched.

Laurie reached out a hand instinctively, seeking to soothe the pain of what she thought might be a headache. "Are you alright?"

Her touch swept him up in a projected lust and he recoiled his hand into a fist. Manuel took in a sharp breath, trying to find some semblance of control but there was none. His eyes burned brightly and he abruptly pushed himself up to go.

"M-Manuel?" Laurie stammered, slamming herself back in her seat as she felt again the curling sensation in her gut that she'd felt a week or so ago.

All around him, people turned their heads, lips parted breathlessly and a few fingers licked their lips like hungry wolves. He didn't have to see them to know. He _felt_ them. Emotions heightened, lacing together and he felt like he was choking on it. A conversation nearby suddenly turned heated while another two were all be communicating with their hands. The levels of emotions were fierce. Something dropped inside the kitchen and angry shouts could be heard from where they were. Leaning on his cane, he brushed a hand discreetly over his eyes, holding it there, shielding them from the people that stared at him, that he _pulled_ to him.

"We're going back to the mansion." Just then, the waitress came up to him, introducing herself, touching his hand and practically all over him. Manuel brushed an annoyed hand between them to push her away. He was way past annoyed. "Now Laurie."

"Get away, you stupid woman." Laurie snarled at the waitress as she stood quickly.

Intellectually she could understand what was happening, and she moved to start the mental exercises that the Professor had been training her to do in order to control her own powers. It wasn't the same, their powers were completely different, but as long as she could control her own power, perhaps things wouldn't get quite so out of hand. Besides, concentrating on the one thing might help her in much the way it helped her in resisting telepathic scanning. Not totally effective when you weren't a psi power yourself, but at least it was something.

What she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that they really didn't want a powers incident in the middle of the day in Salem centre. She couldn't contain the shudder that ran through her body at the thought of the chaos that would cause, and the resulting problems with the local police. She'd had enough of them to last her several lifetimes.

A trio of friends nearby began to laugh hysterically, knocking over one of their drinks.

The waitress sneered at Laurie, attempting to lace her hand through Manuel's and hang off his side. "You get away, little girl," she spat. Manuel shook her off again and turned, briskly leaving as fast as he could. Squelching his power was impossible here and stress stiffened his spine in a vice as he walked out. It was becoming increasingly hard to behave.

Outside, he pulled out the keys to the car they'd borrowed and held them out for her while waving down a cab. "I think it wise that we not go home in the same car."

Laurie took the keys, holding them in her hand as she looked back at the restaurant, chewing on her bottom lip as she fought back the prickle of tears. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? Even an apology seemed beyond her these days and she...She was being a drama queen.

"I think maybe you're right." she said with a wry smile, keeping a certain distance between them.

It was entirely possible that this feeling, this almost overwhelming tiredness and cynicism was not her own. If that were so, then Manuel was completely correct that they shouldn't be near each other. She'd already learnt what happened in those circumstances and she was in no way ready to experience what a more darker emotion might do to them both.

He was careful not to touch her when she took the keys, careful to keep his focus away from her and on the cab that pulled up. Her smile was forced as much as her tone and Manuel's eyes welled up as he fought her inner tears with his disgust. Without another word, Manuel opened the back door and left Laurie alone on the side walk, alone with her thoughts and her feelings.