xp_logs | Manuel, Valentia & Callie

Manuel leaves Valentia alone to make popcorn and returns to find his sister had let in an uninvited guest, Callie. They discuss responsibility and Manuel makes an offer.

Manuel just left her for a minute. Don't leave, he had suggested as best as he could through emotions but it was not telepathy. He couldn't mind speak to her or force thoughts onto her so she would get a mental image. He could only convey it as best as he could and even then, Manuel thought the meaning would be lost. It was exactly why he told her in Castilian to stay put, if only to reinforce what he wanted. It was better than having a moment of miscommunication because empathy could not speak words.

He trekked down to the kitchen to make popcorn, even though it was getting well past Valentia's bedtime and returned to his and Kyle's suite not long after. With the bowl in hand and a cup of milk, he could hear the TV, louder than usual, on the other side of the door. They had discussed volumes on the television and though he had only stepped out of the room for a second, Valentia already took the opportunity to turn it up in his absence.

"Valentia," Manuel quipped in a scolding tone, ready to come down on her in Spanish as he opened the door.

It wasn't Valentia's fault though, well not really. After Manuel had mentioned the arrival of his younger sister, Callie had set out to gather up age appropriate DVDs from her collection, as they were not something she figured Manuel had on hand himself. And while none of them were originally in Spanish, they had all had been dubbed into that language for a listening option. Plus, it wasn't as if she would have time to watch the movies anyways, and it was better for them to be put to use instead of collecting dust on her bookshelf. As soon as she had a free moment, she had promised herself, she would take them over.

When that day arrived, she finally gathered up the tote bag full of animated classics and headed up to Manuel's suite. What she wasn't expecting was to have the little girl answer. But Callie's rudimentary Spanish skills paid off as she was able to explain to little Valentia that she had a present for her. When the little girl saw the bounty of movies she dragged Callie inside and picked out one to watch, right then and there. Really, the fact that the volume of the television was higher than necessary was due to the DVD Valentia had chosen. The opening notes of Happy Feet had unexpectedly filled the room much louder than Callie had anticipated, and when Manuel entered she was struggling to reduce the noise to a more tolerable level.

Manuel's gaze flickered to the TV, Valentia and finally, rested on Callie in question. He closed the door behind him and it was apparent he was not pleased that she had let someone into the room without his permission. "Did she open the door for you on her own?" he asked, though he was looking at his sister with a very unimpressed look, his feelings were equally being conveyed in the similar way. Crossing the room, Manuel stopped and glanced down at the stack of movies in the bag and using his cane, he pulled the flap open some more. "What is this? Did she put you up to this Callie?" he asked, though how Valentia would succeed in doing that was a question he had at the ready.

"No..." Callie said, drawing out the end of the monosyllabic word, the timbre of her voice pitching upward to make it sound like a question. Finally, she was able to settle the volume of the television at an acceptable level, before she began to speak again. "Um I just have a bunch of DVDs in my room that I'm not watching. And they're child-friendly. Or aimed toward children. I figured you could use some."

Manuel studied the bag critically before nodding. "Thank you. That was very kind. Valentia--" he said, switching to Spanish. "Did you thank Callie for her gifts?" The little girl did a sign for thank you, however, Manuel corrected it. "Like this," he said and doing the gesture twice, so she would understand. Valentia did it and Manuel gestured for her to do it to Callie. She turned on her seat obediently (it was possibly the only time she had ever been obedient to date) and signed a thank you. He nodded in approval and unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, setting his cane aside as he took a seat.

"I apologize, we are very new to sign language," he placed a hand over the two books on the side table next to him. "A gift from Doug Ramsey, do you know him?" he asked conversationally.

She watched the exchange between Manuel and his little sister. Valentia really did look just like him, but female, so the scene was a little weird. But by now Callie was used to weird and just smiled politely as the younger Spaniard signed 'thank you' at her. "De nada," she responded, unsure of how one said 'you're welcome' in American Sign Language. She shuffled over toward the coffee table and gently lay the remote control down upon it. "I've heard of him. Seen him. Not really too familiar with him."

She shrugged, feeling awkward by the fact that they were sitting and she was standing and knowing that it would be impolite to sit unless offered, and pulled the ends of her sleeves down over her hands, stretching the material a bit. They were too short anyways, the sleeves. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to drop the films off. She- Valentia, I mean, seemed to really want to watch this, like a lot. I apologize if I intruded on whatever plans you had."

"Sit," Manuel gestured and moved in his seat, leaning over to take the remote and turn the volume completely off. He set the popcorn down on the table and urged her to take some, despite the fact that she had clearly come on her own. He was not inclined to send her away though, considering Valentia warmed up to her as well. It was obvious now that she liked to be around women more than the men and he'd yet to figure out exactly why that was, but hadn't questioned his sister if there was anything in her life that made her choices sway one direction or the other.

"It is fine. Thank you for the movies. That was very thoughtful. She seems pleased with the gesture, overwhelmed I might add. I do not believe Valentia received much when she was living in Spain. The general feeling from her is overwhelming excitement. She appears to like you," he casually noted. "And we had no plans. if you'd like to join us for a movie, then you are more than welcome. You'd be pleased to know that she and I will not be projecting on you as I did before hand."

Had it not been for the little girl's face, Callie probably would have politely declined. It wasn't that she didn't want to watch the movie, for she did, nor was it the fact that she had too much homework, for she did not. It was, rather, the fact that prior to Christmas she and Manuel had a bit of a run in that still had her wanting to avoid prolonged interaction with him. But he had said that he wouldn't be projecting his emotions onto her, which gave Callie some bit of comfort. Mainly, however, it was the look that Valentia was giving her, clearly urging the pink girl to stay.

"Thank you. Solamenta uno." Callie directed the last of her comment to Valentia, and raised her thumb to indicate that there would only be time for one movie. She moved to the opposite side of the sofa, closer to the young girl, and settled on the floor. It was a weird quirk she had, preferring to sit on the floor to watch a movie. "I like the floor," she explained to Manuel, figuring that he would try and convince her to sit on the sofa. "I prefer the angle."

A short ringtone went off, like an alert for a message and Manuel slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a cell. Flipping it open, he briefly checked who it was that was texting him and closed it as an obvious indication that he was ignoring someone. Valentia only looked up briefly but she was more drawn to the movie she hadn't seen. "I am beginning to believe that she prefers the TV more than she enjoys our company," he commented with a light tone, though he could see her discomfort about being in the same room as him.

"Tell me something," he started, a thoughtful undertone laced beneath curiosity. "I understand the woman drinking the drain cleaner was older and it was possibly shock that kept you in your place and from saying anything, however, did it not occur to you that she could have been mentally challenged?"

"I know it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, not telling someone." Callie's face turn bright red as soon as the topic had been broached; she felt guilty enough as it was without having another person remind her. Still, she knew she deserved it, even if Cammie was okay. She continued to stare at the television screen in an effort to remain calm. "She seemed very aware of what she was doing. It was deliberate."

"I am not scolding you for it. I am merely curious. We are in a situation where everything that occurs is not normal. No one can expect you to be able to stop her. I suppose I need to know if you could be responsible to go get someone if you were to see that happen again. Insane people do deliberate things as well. Things that aren't normal but they act normal."

With all the abnormal happenings around the mansion, Callie had grown to accept them all as commonplace. She was used to seeing people do things that could be dangerous. People walking around outside in the dead of winter in lightweight clothes, while she herself was bundled up like a marshmallow. And even though Cammie was find, the incident was a reminder that things could still be harmful, and not to just assume a conclusion. "With Cammie? Not now. No. Someone I didn't know? Yeah. Call the doctors, or poison control, bring the bottle or whatever. I know what I should have done, I just... was stupid." She shrugged.

"You were, for lack of a better word, inexperienced. I believe you have common sense Callie, yet I find it is easy to assume things are normal in the mansion when they are clearly not. You are not going to know every power that steps foot on the grounds, however, you can be more aware to your surroundings. Take Valentia, for instance. She is every bit of a normal four year old, except what goes on internally. She is an empath and if she did not have barriers put up by the professor, it is safe to say she would not turn out normal, under any circumstances. Other than that, she bleeds like any other and if she were to put a drain cleaner bottle to her mouth, somehow I believe you would have reacted better than you did to an adult who seemed to know what she was doing, assuming she was an adult." He didn't know anything about Cammie, but what was up in the journals. And even then, he hadn't read all the comments.

Her head whipped as far as it could so that she could stare at him, confusion etched onto her face. It was kind of a no brainer, wasn't it? Right after not letting a child near the hot stove or letting them climb on bookcases. "Of course I wouldn't. I mean if I hadn't caught Cammie drinking drain cleaner and learned a lesson I wouldn't let a child do anything that might put them in danger. Not if I can help it. You know?"

"Yes I know." Resting his elbows on the arms of the chairs, Manuel lifted his hands, resting his left hand fingers on his right's and brought them to rest against his lips. "I will give you a chance to redeem yourself, if you are interested," he started and waited until he had her full attention.

"I am in need of a babysitter for Thursday night and while I could hire a nanny, ask Amanda or someone else, yet I am compelled to ask you. I understand what it is like when people rush to conclusions, leaving you little to defend yourself with. You, however, are your worse critic and therefore, I am giving you responsibility of the most important person in my life. If you will accept." He was not entirely confident to leave her with Callie, yet there were others within the mansion who could help her.

"I'm sorry?" Callie pulled herself off the ground and stood up, firmly straightening her back to achieve her full height. "Look, Mister Manuel, I understand what you're offering. But redemption for my actions, or my failure to act, is- well it's what it is. But... I'm not sure you trust me. I mean, you're asking me to look after your sister because you feel bad for me? Look, Valentia's life is too precious to put in the hands of someone who you may or not be sure of. I mean, I know what I'm capable of and would do, but you don't. And... I could tell you, but if you're not one hundred percent certain of my abilities, it's better if you find someone who you can trust. For both you and your sister."

"I am afraid pity is not within my nature. If you feel you cannot do it, then very well, that is your decision. This is merely an opportunity for some responsibility and you are right," he paused, exchanging a brief glance to his sister, who was now paying attention to them. "I am not a hundred percent certain of anyone's ability."

Callie's gazed flicked to the little girl who was watching them intently. She probably had no idea what they were saying, but Callie figured she probably had an idea of what was going on, at least at a very base level. "I know I can do this, babysit. I have references. And I took a class. If that makes you feel better..." She trailed off. He wasn't questioning her abilities, he was offering in spite of her slip-up. "Maybe we should ask Valentia? Let her decide? If she wants me to babysit her, I mean?"

"And here I was going to offer to pay for a course, however, since you have taken it, yes, it does settle well with me." Manuel sat up, gesturing for Valentia to come over to him. For once, thankfully, she listened. The little girl slid off the couch and rounded the coffee table, standing at his knees and he immediately switched to Spanish, asking if she would like Callie to be her babysitter. With only a subtle nod, Valentia let on so much more than she was revealing physically. "There, I believe the decision has been made. Do you have anything to ask?" he asked in English to Callie.

"Um, you said Thursday right?"

"Yes, Thursday until possibly four am. Are you able to do it? Valentia is in bed by eight to eight thirty."

Callie nodded. She could stay up doing homework until Manuel came back. "That's fine... Oh! Would you be fine with her being in my room? I lack a roommate, so she can sleep on the extra bed until you return. That way we won't be in Kyle's hair or anything."

"That would be fine." Valentia climbed up on Manuel's lap and lay down, resting on his shoulder. He was about to say something, possibly how tiring his sister's affections were but resolved to say nothing, constantly surrounded by insufferable women. Instead, he leaned over, grabbed the bowl and offered her some popcorn. "We will talk about the details later and numbers you will have to contact me."

"Sure!" She settled down on the opposite end of the couch. "No thanks," she said, passing up the popcorn. Instead of staying where she was, Valentia slipped off Manuel's lap - much to his relief - and made herself comfortable on Callie's.

Manuel’s expression wavered somewhat yet he couldn't exactly say what he was feeling. Instead, he turned his gaze onto the TV and withheld a groan, wondering how many times he would have to see this movie before it magically disappeared, possibly with the entire collection.