Manuel & Remy
Jan. 16th, 2009 06:03 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsBackdated: Before Manny goes back to his hotel at night. Remy pays him a visit and a surprise.
"You know de interesting thing 'bout de Plaza hotel, Manuel? When Conrad Hilton bought it in 1943, he spent unreal amounts of money to renovate de building. He used to drink wit' Bill Donovan following de war. 'pparently Donovon had gotten some of Hilton's European friends out of Eastern Europe during de war, and wanted to help de new organization dat he was trying to turn de OSS into. De CIA, in fact, came from dat." The figure sitting in the darkness was speaking pleasantly, his red on black eyes glinting with the flickers of his cigarette. It was a non-smoking room, ironicly.
"So Donovon requested a few additions to de renovations dat he was doing to de Plaza and other luxury hotels in his empire. A few secret passages, access ways for listening and recording devices; lots of bad people like luxury hotels, and de CIA having a private and untouchable way to spy on dem was priceless for intelligence. Eventually, many of de hotels were re-renovated after being sold by Hilton, and most of de ones are no longer as useful. In fact, Whelan was de last DDO to know of dem. But de Plaza, Manuel-" There was a grin in the darkness. "De Plaza is a gem, and keeps de old access ways right now. Something to be said for dis place, neh?"
He slowed to a stop in the room, slipping the card into his pocket carefully. He did not welcome Remy in the slightest and the presence set him on edge, especially considering recent events. His gaze flashed to Dani's door, though it was closed. She was also closed off from him and with the weight of the hotel's emotions pecking at him from all directions, he had very little concentration to throw at who was in his room. The faint red glow was pale in comparison to Remy's unnerving stare and set him on an edge. Did Remy know about Adrienne? Did Adrienne run to him and that was why she refused to talk about it? He could only speculate though he knew if Remy was here to kill, it was very difficult to say whether he wanted to do it fast or slow. He always seemed more of the type to take enjoyment into his threats.
"Intriguing," he replied as dismissively as possible, shedding his jacket and rested it on the bed. He hooked a finger into his tie, loosening it and undoing the top button, despite how cold he suddenly felt. "I have decided to stop asking how you get into rooms like this, however I believe I will take that information into consideration now that I know." He turned and stared at the man who loved to sit in shadows and could have very well taken up the position of the boogie for adults. "You are not here on a social call."
"Non, it's not a social call." Remy said, staring levelly at Manuel. "You want to guess why I'm here?"
"I have several. Perhaps we should cut to the chase, yes?"
"You in a rush?"
He visibly tensed on the spot, gripping his cane and stilled his body. His fear spiked, coated with a worry that was far beyond concern at this point. He shifted his gaze to Dani's door, knowing that if Remy was here, it was for a final word before he was put to rest. He loosened the tie more as if it were choking him. "I leave for Spain in three days," Manuel whispered, finding that he was very much short of breath. He would have sat down if he were not rooted to the spot by what was so obviously staring him in the face.
"I did not do whatever everyone is assuming I did to her," he said, clearing his throat even though he knew his excuses didn't matter. Remy didn't listen to excuses. He only heard facts.
"And what does everyone assume you did to her, Manuel? What was it you did to her that isn't what everyone assumes?" Remy said his voice soft.
"What they always assume," he stumbled over those words. "We had too much to drink. I.. I do not know what we did. I blacked out and she will not tell me. I did not do it! I do not do that! I am not like that anymore." He spoke with conviction, certain that if they did anything, it was consensual.
"What did you do to make sure of dis?" Remy said, the slow simple speech almost hypnotic, punctuated by the cold red stare. "What if de only thing dat made her agree to stay for dat last drink was you powers? Tell me, Manuel. Convince me." He finished, almost cruelly.
"Because," he paused and finally decided to voice his suspicions he'd had for some time. "Because I absorb whatever her emotions are. I amplify them and send them back, as some sort of--" he gestured his hand in a circle, attempting to find the words. "Like a loop. It is not my emotions I feel, but hers. Whatever we did, it is what _she_ wanted, not me and the only proof of what we did was in the reading she took from our clothes. She will not tell me what happened, so how can I know?" It was the first time he had ever voiced just how much he was at the mercy of everyone else and it was why he kept his distance.
"Really? And what am I feeling right now." Remy said dangerously, stepped up and standing in front of the younger man. Remy LeBeau looked like coiled violence, like rage poised on the edge of an explosion; one that would certainly mean the end of Manuel with just a bare minimum of effort. Remy's abilities were not secret. He could end Manuel's life as casually as stubbing out a cigarette.
Manuel stepped back, his eyes studying what his emotions were clearly not telling him. Confusion laced through the surprise on his face and his brow creased at the curiosity that slipped inside. "You're... curious." That made LeBeau very sadistic.
The red on black eyes held his for a moment, and nodded. "You right." Remy said, not even the slightest hint of apology in his voice. "You didn't use you powers on Adrienne, either intentionally or unintentionally. You also didn't sleep wit' her, no matter how drunk you might have been. And dis loop seems to be de truth."
Remy reached for another cigarette, and lit it with his finger. "'manda's been telling me dat you've changed. So have some of de others 'round you. Since you came back, claiming to be reformed, you haven't crossed de line. You haven't even approached it. So you get to know dat you still haven't, and dat de noose has been loosened a notch. But--" Remy turned and gestured with his hand. "I was de one dat went after Adrienne to determine dat you hadn't used your powers or done anything wrong. When you came through dat door, you first thought was dat you were guilty, and I was here to end you."
His mouth twisted into a wry smile. "De line between man and monster is very thin for us. De only thing dat stops us from crossing over is fear. Not fear of external consequences. Fear of becoming what we had been. Dis was a reminder, Manuel. De first person making sure you hadn't slipped back into old habits should have been you. Next time, it better be."
"It will be," he said, Remy's words nestled deeply into his shaken ambition. He adjusted the tie and smoothed a hand down it, attempting to find some semblance of dignity at the revelations made. The man was every bit as dangerous as the others claimed, Manuel was positive of that, however he saw another side of him that was also very commendable for finding truth when truth dodged him so well. A certain amount of respect for Remy surfaced, that they were more alike than different. But he was well aware of what the red eyed mutant said and the point he was making.
"I will be speaking to Adrienne regardless, when I get back, however, thank you for seeking her out. She has been avoiding me since and I must admit, my time has been... withheld from me." His glance shifted to Dani's door again and back to Remy. Of course the man knew who was behind that door, how could he not? "Just a question though, if I may. Do you have Jubilee following me?"
"If I did, you wouldn't know about it. Jubilee knows dat you're in de process of turning youself into an easily accessible target for de Black Court. Living outside de mansion, limping, easy to follow. One word, and you in de trunk of a car and Frost looking at having to decide between you life and her position. In dat case, things would not look good for you." Remy opened the door, dropping his cigarette into a coffee mug on his way past. "She might actually care whether or not you get youself killed. It's you call what to make of dat." Remy finished, and closed the door behind him, leaving Manuel alone in his room.
"You know de interesting thing 'bout de Plaza hotel, Manuel? When Conrad Hilton bought it in 1943, he spent unreal amounts of money to renovate de building. He used to drink wit' Bill Donovan following de war. 'pparently Donovon had gotten some of Hilton's European friends out of Eastern Europe during de war, and wanted to help de new organization dat he was trying to turn de OSS into. De CIA, in fact, came from dat." The figure sitting in the darkness was speaking pleasantly, his red on black eyes glinting with the flickers of his cigarette. It was a non-smoking room, ironicly.
"So Donovon requested a few additions to de renovations dat he was doing to de Plaza and other luxury hotels in his empire. A few secret passages, access ways for listening and recording devices; lots of bad people like luxury hotels, and de CIA having a private and untouchable way to spy on dem was priceless for intelligence. Eventually, many of de hotels were re-renovated after being sold by Hilton, and most of de ones are no longer as useful. In fact, Whelan was de last DDO to know of dem. But de Plaza, Manuel-" There was a grin in the darkness. "De Plaza is a gem, and keeps de old access ways right now. Something to be said for dis place, neh?"
He slowed to a stop in the room, slipping the card into his pocket carefully. He did not welcome Remy in the slightest and the presence set him on edge, especially considering recent events. His gaze flashed to Dani's door, though it was closed. She was also closed off from him and with the weight of the hotel's emotions pecking at him from all directions, he had very little concentration to throw at who was in his room. The faint red glow was pale in comparison to Remy's unnerving stare and set him on an edge. Did Remy know about Adrienne? Did Adrienne run to him and that was why she refused to talk about it? He could only speculate though he knew if Remy was here to kill, it was very difficult to say whether he wanted to do it fast or slow. He always seemed more of the type to take enjoyment into his threats.
"Intriguing," he replied as dismissively as possible, shedding his jacket and rested it on the bed. He hooked a finger into his tie, loosening it and undoing the top button, despite how cold he suddenly felt. "I have decided to stop asking how you get into rooms like this, however I believe I will take that information into consideration now that I know." He turned and stared at the man who loved to sit in shadows and could have very well taken up the position of the boogie for adults. "You are not here on a social call."
"Non, it's not a social call." Remy said, staring levelly at Manuel. "You want to guess why I'm here?"
"I have several. Perhaps we should cut to the chase, yes?"
"You in a rush?"
He visibly tensed on the spot, gripping his cane and stilled his body. His fear spiked, coated with a worry that was far beyond concern at this point. He shifted his gaze to Dani's door, knowing that if Remy was here, it was for a final word before he was put to rest. He loosened the tie more as if it were choking him. "I leave for Spain in three days," Manuel whispered, finding that he was very much short of breath. He would have sat down if he were not rooted to the spot by what was so obviously staring him in the face.
"I did not do whatever everyone is assuming I did to her," he said, clearing his throat even though he knew his excuses didn't matter. Remy didn't listen to excuses. He only heard facts.
"And what does everyone assume you did to her, Manuel? What was it you did to her that isn't what everyone assumes?" Remy said his voice soft.
"What they always assume," he stumbled over those words. "We had too much to drink. I.. I do not know what we did. I blacked out and she will not tell me. I did not do it! I do not do that! I am not like that anymore." He spoke with conviction, certain that if they did anything, it was consensual.
"What did you do to make sure of dis?" Remy said, the slow simple speech almost hypnotic, punctuated by the cold red stare. "What if de only thing dat made her agree to stay for dat last drink was you powers? Tell me, Manuel. Convince me." He finished, almost cruelly.
"Because," he paused and finally decided to voice his suspicions he'd had for some time. "Because I absorb whatever her emotions are. I amplify them and send them back, as some sort of--" he gestured his hand in a circle, attempting to find the words. "Like a loop. It is not my emotions I feel, but hers. Whatever we did, it is what _she_ wanted, not me and the only proof of what we did was in the reading she took from our clothes. She will not tell me what happened, so how can I know?" It was the first time he had ever voiced just how much he was at the mercy of everyone else and it was why he kept his distance.
"Really? And what am I feeling right now." Remy said dangerously, stepped up and standing in front of the younger man. Remy LeBeau looked like coiled violence, like rage poised on the edge of an explosion; one that would certainly mean the end of Manuel with just a bare minimum of effort. Remy's abilities were not secret. He could end Manuel's life as casually as stubbing out a cigarette.
Manuel stepped back, his eyes studying what his emotions were clearly not telling him. Confusion laced through the surprise on his face and his brow creased at the curiosity that slipped inside. "You're... curious." That made LeBeau very sadistic.
The red on black eyes held his for a moment, and nodded. "You right." Remy said, not even the slightest hint of apology in his voice. "You didn't use you powers on Adrienne, either intentionally or unintentionally. You also didn't sleep wit' her, no matter how drunk you might have been. And dis loop seems to be de truth."
Remy reached for another cigarette, and lit it with his finger. "'manda's been telling me dat you've changed. So have some of de others 'round you. Since you came back, claiming to be reformed, you haven't crossed de line. You haven't even approached it. So you get to know dat you still haven't, and dat de noose has been loosened a notch. But--" Remy turned and gestured with his hand. "I was de one dat went after Adrienne to determine dat you hadn't used your powers or done anything wrong. When you came through dat door, you first thought was dat you were guilty, and I was here to end you."
His mouth twisted into a wry smile. "De line between man and monster is very thin for us. De only thing dat stops us from crossing over is fear. Not fear of external consequences. Fear of becoming what we had been. Dis was a reminder, Manuel. De first person making sure you hadn't slipped back into old habits should have been you. Next time, it better be."
"It will be," he said, Remy's words nestled deeply into his shaken ambition. He adjusted the tie and smoothed a hand down it, attempting to find some semblance of dignity at the revelations made. The man was every bit as dangerous as the others claimed, Manuel was positive of that, however he saw another side of him that was also very commendable for finding truth when truth dodged him so well. A certain amount of respect for Remy surfaced, that they were more alike than different. But he was well aware of what the red eyed mutant said and the point he was making.
"I will be speaking to Adrienne regardless, when I get back, however, thank you for seeking her out. She has been avoiding me since and I must admit, my time has been... withheld from me." His glance shifted to Dani's door again and back to Remy. Of course the man knew who was behind that door, how could he not? "Just a question though, if I may. Do you have Jubilee following me?"
"If I did, you wouldn't know about it. Jubilee knows dat you're in de process of turning youself into an easily accessible target for de Black Court. Living outside de mansion, limping, easy to follow. One word, and you in de trunk of a car and Frost looking at having to decide between you life and her position. In dat case, things would not look good for you." Remy opened the door, dropping his cigarette into a coffee mug on his way past. "She might actually care whether or not you get youself killed. It's you call what to make of dat." Remy finished, and closed the door behind him, leaving Manuel alone in his room.
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