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xp_logsLil drops by the Snow Valley offices looking for Bishop and encounters Amanda pulling receptionist duty.
It was a quiet afternoon at Snow Valley. The day was winding down, people were focused on various projects and Mark was off doing an errand for... someone. With his absence, Amanda found herself manning the reception area, which mostly comprised of signing for courier packages and doing the crossword from one of the easier newspapers. Whenever she got stuck, she pulled a heavy, leather-bound book out from under the paper and read instead, squinting at various arcane symbols in the hope of finding a match to the one they'd seen in Africa and under the streets of New York. She was deep into the book when the elevator pinged, and she looked up, sliding the paper back over the book and putting on her best receptionist smile.
The tall blonde woman looked more than a little lost. Having borrowed Logan's bike for the afternoon, Lil'd spent her day just riding, winding up and down streets and going wherever the wind took her. She hadn't expected it to lead her to the front door of Snow Valley, however. Since she hadn't seen His Excellency since Sunday - and because she was in a serious need of a pick-me-up - the Amazon figured it couldn't hurt to pop in, see if he was around and then maybe steal him for dinner. The idea of needing an appointment didn't occur to her until she was face to face with the receptionist.
"Um, hi," Lil greeted the woman behind the desk with a half-smile. "Do you know if Lucas Bishop is around today? Or if he's available for a coupla minutes?"
"Do you have an appointment?" Amanda asked, trying to place the (extremely) tall woman in her memory. She'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't exactly place her. "'Cause I think he might be out on business right now. I can check, if you like?"
Lil bit her lower lip and gave an almost sheepish shrug before jamming her hands in her leather jacket's pockets. "No appointment, sorry. Didn't know I was coming myself but I figured couldn't hurt to see if he was here. So, um, if you could, that'd be great. You can tell him it's Lil if he is."
"Lil! Of course!" Amanda thwapped herself in the forehead lightly. "I saw you at Silver, um, 'dancing' with Bishop." It was said with a slightly wicked grin. "Hang on a tick, I'll call him and see when he's due back." Then, almost as an afterthought. "I'm Amanda, by the way."
Her smile brightened slightly at the mention of the club. It had been a good night, followed an even better day. "Thanks." Tossing her ponytail over her shoulder, the Canadian let her gaze wander, taking in the reception area. "Nice place," Lil commented mostly to herself as she waited for Amanda to finish the call.
The call took less than a couple of minutes, punctuated by Amanda winking at Lil as she got the details. "He's on his way back," she announced once she'd hung up the phone. "Shouldn't be long. You want a cuppa or something while you wait?" Her accent had adjusted since she'd realised who Lil was, sliding into a more casual East London than the "BBC British" of earlier.
She thanked Amanda again and then nodded in answer to the offer. "Um sure. Coffee would be great." Sleep had not been her friend the past few nights and Lil could feel herself starting to drag. The more caffeine the better. "I'll try to remember to make an appointment next time."
"Grab a seat. I'll be back in a sec." Amanda nodded at the plush chairs sitting by the reception desk. "And don't worry about it - 's not usually a problem, but if you want to drop by, just give one of us a bell to check if he's around. I'll just go grab that coffee. How d'you have it?" Amanda had a feeling the tall Canadian probably wouldn't want her Amanda-style, with enough milk and sugar to make it practically a warm coffee milkshake.
"Black. Oh, actually throw like four sugars in there if you could," Lil said as she sunk into one of the seats. Definitely dragging. Another little smile and the giantess crossed her ankles, managing to look about as uncomfortable as anyone could while sitting in such a comfortable chair.
'Mental note, get the coffee from Angie's coffee pot,' Amanda thought to herself, taking in the slightly-wrecked woman slumping uncomfortably in the chair. Hopefully no-one would trip over her ankles in the foyer. It only took a few minutes to return with a large mug, one of the ones Remy had acquired from Cain, full of sweet, black coffee. "Here y'go... um, 's all right to call you Lil?" Amanda gave her a small grin. "Since we haven't been properly introduced. Bishop had his hands full at Silver and I didn't want to interrupt."
"I prefer if you did, actually. Lil's what I usually go by." She nodded her gratitude when she took the mug and then a large sip. "S'great. Thanks." Green eyes flicked over the other woman's face and the sincere smile tugged at her lips again. "It was pretty crowded that night and it was my first time there. He... wanted to make sure I got a feel of the place," she laughed. "It's nice to meet you finally though."
"A feel for something, any way." Amanda couldn't help the teasing - at least she didn't have Lil as a training partner. "How'd you find it? I've got to admit, I love the place and not just 'cause I get free drinks sometimes 'cause I know Mark."
The taller blonde chuckled and nodded. "I liked it. Lot better than the holes I used to bounce for back home but you gotta do what you gotta do to keep eating. But I really liked Silver. I'm hoping to get there as often as possible." Lil loved the club scene and figured if she couldn't get Bishop to go, she'd still end up haunting the place when she had nights off from Harry's.
"There's a bunch of us from here that go there regular - you'd be welcome to join us when Bishop's being old and grumpy," Amanda suggested, sitting on the edge of the desk. It was close enough to closing time that she could get away with it. "I used to tend bar down in New Orleans - no way anyone would take me on as a bouncer. I can see you not actually having to do much throwing out, tho'." The short blonde nodded at the long legs stretching across the floor as her own feet - clad in combat boots despite the nice slacks and blouse - swung freely.
"Not a lotta throwing, no. Smashing some skulls and breaking up brawls was more my specialty," Lil smirked between sips of her coffee. She almost missed it. "I'm 'tending at Harry's so my nights out are kinda limited and usually I spend them with the big lug but," one shoulder rose and fell in her signature shrug, "if I find a night I'm free, I might just have to take you up on that offer."
"I promise, we're a lot more fun than some of the Xavier's lot. Less moralising about the evils of alcohol and more drinking," Amanda promised with a grin. She liked Lil - down to earth and blunt tended to suit her. "How're you finding it over there?"
Lil snorted at that then smiled. Shoulders were less tense and eyes a bit happier as she listened to Amanda. "It's not bad. Not used to kids, especially when I get volunteered to take them on a field trip and end up in some fucked - sorry, screwed up fun house but what you gonna do?" she asked, lifting the cup to her mouth again. "Got some familiar faces around - Gar, Logan, Marie, Jean-Paul - so yeah, not bad."
Amanda waved away the swearword. "Yeah, I heard about that one. That bastard Arcade is pushing things, tho' we can't go after him full on - too many friends in high places, for a start. But the kids are all right. Good sorts, for the most part. And they have a habit of getting under your skin, too, in the good way." She smiled at the names mentioned. "Fuck, it's a regular Canadian embassy down there. What's the collective word for a bunch of you lot, any way? A moose of Canadians? A hockey team?"
"I've already been asked to let three girls wail away on me 'cause of power issues. Can't touch anyone else but my invulnerability and well, experience with getting my ass kicked by Logan apparently makes me a good practice dummy." Amanda's use of language helped settle Lil more and she sunk further into the chair, relaxing. "We're planning to invade. Group of us are just the first wave."
"Let me guess, the new girl, Cammie?" Amanda nodded. "I met her the other day. It'll do her good to be able to beat the shite out of someone handy - there's a lot of anger there." Another grin, this one ironic. "Reminds me of me when I was younger than her. And we've got ourselves an Invasion of Canadians. Maybe I should start poking around the Brits, organise some sort of competition. Tho' not a drinking one, with the healing factors on your side."
Lil's head bobbed. "Cammie, Inez and Yvette," she clarified. "My trouble's gonna be remembering not to hit back, unfortunately. Won't be so tough with the younger ones but Cammie... I dunno." She liked the green-haired girl; they got along well but Lil had the impression that in the heat of battle, the younger girl's mouth could get as bad as her own which had the potential for wanting to retaliate on the mats. "We'll take you anyday, sweetie. Just give me some warning so I can call outta work 'cause I don't got that particular talent."
"Considering it's me, Betsy, Jono and Pete - when he gets back - we might be outnumbered," Amanda admitted. "And Jono's not one for drinking, on account of not having a mouth to do it with." Then the elevator pinged again and she looked over towards the lobby. "Looks like your man's here," she observed.
"Looks like," Lil echoed. Her smile grew as she unfolded herself out of the chair and tugged her jacket into place but still the happiness didn't fill her eyes. "Thanks for sitting with me." Another long sip of the coffee and she handed the empty cup back to Amanda. "I'll give you a holler if I get a night off," she promised then looked to where the ex-cop stood. "Thanks again, Amanda."
"Surprise attack at work?" Bishop said playfully with a smile as he saw Lil, moving toward the pair. "And I'm sure you had a hand in this too." He glanced to Amanda. "Did I make it down here before you two gossiped too much and got me in trouble?"
Amanda put on her best innocent face, which was much better than it deserved to be considering her personality and the combat boots. "I can't imagine what sort of gossip you mean," she replied, accent modulating back to "posh" before sliding back again. "Yeah, that thing with the fuzzy handcuffs and the zucchini and the Doberman? You're a very naughty boy."
Lil rolled her eyes as she offered Bishop a small grin. "I was good. For once." She winked at Amanda then took a step closer to the ex-cop. "I borrowed Logan's bike for a bit and was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd drop by and see if you wanted to catch dinner or something." The usual confidence the Amazon carried in her voice was absent and she fiddled with the cuffs of her jacket while waiting for his answer.
Bishop took her hand as she fiddled, able to feel the difference in her voice and demeanor. "Absolutely. I'm always up for going out with you." He gave a little squeeze, wanting to reassure her. He wasn't sure what it was that was on her mind and he'd have considered asking but it just wasn't how he generally did things. If she wanted to talk, she would.
"Aaand that would be my cue to go do something elsewhere," Amanda announced, pushing herself off the desk. "Good to meet you, Lil. Have fun. Be good, and if you can't be good, don't get caught." She winked at Bishop.
"It was nice to meet you, too," Lil replied, threading her fingers with Bishop's. "I'll let you know about Silver." Another small smile for the receptionist and the giantess gave her companion a tug towards the elevator. "Come on. I'm starving."
It was a quiet afternoon at Snow Valley. The day was winding down, people were focused on various projects and Mark was off doing an errand for... someone. With his absence, Amanda found herself manning the reception area, which mostly comprised of signing for courier packages and doing the crossword from one of the easier newspapers. Whenever she got stuck, she pulled a heavy, leather-bound book out from under the paper and read instead, squinting at various arcane symbols in the hope of finding a match to the one they'd seen in Africa and under the streets of New York. She was deep into the book when the elevator pinged, and she looked up, sliding the paper back over the book and putting on her best receptionist smile.
The tall blonde woman looked more than a little lost. Having borrowed Logan's bike for the afternoon, Lil'd spent her day just riding, winding up and down streets and going wherever the wind took her. She hadn't expected it to lead her to the front door of Snow Valley, however. Since she hadn't seen His Excellency since Sunday - and because she was in a serious need of a pick-me-up - the Amazon figured it couldn't hurt to pop in, see if he was around and then maybe steal him for dinner. The idea of needing an appointment didn't occur to her until she was face to face with the receptionist.
"Um, hi," Lil greeted the woman behind the desk with a half-smile. "Do you know if Lucas Bishop is around today? Or if he's available for a coupla minutes?"
"Do you have an appointment?" Amanda asked, trying to place the (extremely) tall woman in her memory. She'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't exactly place her. "'Cause I think he might be out on business right now. I can check, if you like?"
Lil bit her lower lip and gave an almost sheepish shrug before jamming her hands in her leather jacket's pockets. "No appointment, sorry. Didn't know I was coming myself but I figured couldn't hurt to see if he was here. So, um, if you could, that'd be great. You can tell him it's Lil if he is."
"Lil! Of course!" Amanda thwapped herself in the forehead lightly. "I saw you at Silver, um, 'dancing' with Bishop." It was said with a slightly wicked grin. "Hang on a tick, I'll call him and see when he's due back." Then, almost as an afterthought. "I'm Amanda, by the way."
Her smile brightened slightly at the mention of the club. It had been a good night, followed an even better day. "Thanks." Tossing her ponytail over her shoulder, the Canadian let her gaze wander, taking in the reception area. "Nice place," Lil commented mostly to herself as she waited for Amanda to finish the call.
The call took less than a couple of minutes, punctuated by Amanda winking at Lil as she got the details. "He's on his way back," she announced once she'd hung up the phone. "Shouldn't be long. You want a cuppa or something while you wait?" Her accent had adjusted since she'd realised who Lil was, sliding into a more casual East London than the "BBC British" of earlier.
She thanked Amanda again and then nodded in answer to the offer. "Um sure. Coffee would be great." Sleep had not been her friend the past few nights and Lil could feel herself starting to drag. The more caffeine the better. "I'll try to remember to make an appointment next time."
"Grab a seat. I'll be back in a sec." Amanda nodded at the plush chairs sitting by the reception desk. "And don't worry about it - 's not usually a problem, but if you want to drop by, just give one of us a bell to check if he's around. I'll just go grab that coffee. How d'you have it?" Amanda had a feeling the tall Canadian probably wouldn't want her Amanda-style, with enough milk and sugar to make it practically a warm coffee milkshake.
"Black. Oh, actually throw like four sugars in there if you could," Lil said as she sunk into one of the seats. Definitely dragging. Another little smile and the giantess crossed her ankles, managing to look about as uncomfortable as anyone could while sitting in such a comfortable chair.
'Mental note, get the coffee from Angie's coffee pot,' Amanda thought to herself, taking in the slightly-wrecked woman slumping uncomfortably in the chair. Hopefully no-one would trip over her ankles in the foyer. It only took a few minutes to return with a large mug, one of the ones Remy had acquired from Cain, full of sweet, black coffee. "Here y'go... um, 's all right to call you Lil?" Amanda gave her a small grin. "Since we haven't been properly introduced. Bishop had his hands full at Silver and I didn't want to interrupt."
"I prefer if you did, actually. Lil's what I usually go by." She nodded her gratitude when she took the mug and then a large sip. "S'great. Thanks." Green eyes flicked over the other woman's face and the sincere smile tugged at her lips again. "It was pretty crowded that night and it was my first time there. He... wanted to make sure I got a feel of the place," she laughed. "It's nice to meet you finally though."
"A feel for something, any way." Amanda couldn't help the teasing - at least she didn't have Lil as a training partner. "How'd you find it? I've got to admit, I love the place and not just 'cause I get free drinks sometimes 'cause I know Mark."
The taller blonde chuckled and nodded. "I liked it. Lot better than the holes I used to bounce for back home but you gotta do what you gotta do to keep eating. But I really liked Silver. I'm hoping to get there as often as possible." Lil loved the club scene and figured if she couldn't get Bishop to go, she'd still end up haunting the place when she had nights off from Harry's.
"There's a bunch of us from here that go there regular - you'd be welcome to join us when Bishop's being old and grumpy," Amanda suggested, sitting on the edge of the desk. It was close enough to closing time that she could get away with it. "I used to tend bar down in New Orleans - no way anyone would take me on as a bouncer. I can see you not actually having to do much throwing out, tho'." The short blonde nodded at the long legs stretching across the floor as her own feet - clad in combat boots despite the nice slacks and blouse - swung freely.
"Not a lotta throwing, no. Smashing some skulls and breaking up brawls was more my specialty," Lil smirked between sips of her coffee. She almost missed it. "I'm 'tending at Harry's so my nights out are kinda limited and usually I spend them with the big lug but," one shoulder rose and fell in her signature shrug, "if I find a night I'm free, I might just have to take you up on that offer."
"I promise, we're a lot more fun than some of the Xavier's lot. Less moralising about the evils of alcohol and more drinking," Amanda promised with a grin. She liked Lil - down to earth and blunt tended to suit her. "How're you finding it over there?"
Lil snorted at that then smiled. Shoulders were less tense and eyes a bit happier as she listened to Amanda. "It's not bad. Not used to kids, especially when I get volunteered to take them on a field trip and end up in some fucked - sorry, screwed up fun house but what you gonna do?" she asked, lifting the cup to her mouth again. "Got some familiar faces around - Gar, Logan, Marie, Jean-Paul - so yeah, not bad."
Amanda waved away the swearword. "Yeah, I heard about that one. That bastard Arcade is pushing things, tho' we can't go after him full on - too many friends in high places, for a start. But the kids are all right. Good sorts, for the most part. And they have a habit of getting under your skin, too, in the good way." She smiled at the names mentioned. "Fuck, it's a regular Canadian embassy down there. What's the collective word for a bunch of you lot, any way? A moose of Canadians? A hockey team?"
"I've already been asked to let three girls wail away on me 'cause of power issues. Can't touch anyone else but my invulnerability and well, experience with getting my ass kicked by Logan apparently makes me a good practice dummy." Amanda's use of language helped settle Lil more and she sunk further into the chair, relaxing. "We're planning to invade. Group of us are just the first wave."
"Let me guess, the new girl, Cammie?" Amanda nodded. "I met her the other day. It'll do her good to be able to beat the shite out of someone handy - there's a lot of anger there." Another grin, this one ironic. "Reminds me of me when I was younger than her. And we've got ourselves an Invasion of Canadians. Maybe I should start poking around the Brits, organise some sort of competition. Tho' not a drinking one, with the healing factors on your side."
Lil's head bobbed. "Cammie, Inez and Yvette," she clarified. "My trouble's gonna be remembering not to hit back, unfortunately. Won't be so tough with the younger ones but Cammie... I dunno." She liked the green-haired girl; they got along well but Lil had the impression that in the heat of battle, the younger girl's mouth could get as bad as her own which had the potential for wanting to retaliate on the mats. "We'll take you anyday, sweetie. Just give me some warning so I can call outta work 'cause I don't got that particular talent."
"Considering it's me, Betsy, Jono and Pete - when he gets back - we might be outnumbered," Amanda admitted. "And Jono's not one for drinking, on account of not having a mouth to do it with." Then the elevator pinged again and she looked over towards the lobby. "Looks like your man's here," she observed.
"Looks like," Lil echoed. Her smile grew as she unfolded herself out of the chair and tugged her jacket into place but still the happiness didn't fill her eyes. "Thanks for sitting with me." Another long sip of the coffee and she handed the empty cup back to Amanda. "I'll give you a holler if I get a night off," she promised then looked to where the ex-cop stood. "Thanks again, Amanda."
"Surprise attack at work?" Bishop said playfully with a smile as he saw Lil, moving toward the pair. "And I'm sure you had a hand in this too." He glanced to Amanda. "Did I make it down here before you two gossiped too much and got me in trouble?"
Amanda put on her best innocent face, which was much better than it deserved to be considering her personality and the combat boots. "I can't imagine what sort of gossip you mean," she replied, accent modulating back to "posh" before sliding back again. "Yeah, that thing with the fuzzy handcuffs and the zucchini and the Doberman? You're a very naughty boy."
Lil rolled her eyes as she offered Bishop a small grin. "I was good. For once." She winked at Amanda then took a step closer to the ex-cop. "I borrowed Logan's bike for a bit and was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd drop by and see if you wanted to catch dinner or something." The usual confidence the Amazon carried in her voice was absent and she fiddled with the cuffs of her jacket while waiting for his answer.
Bishop took her hand as she fiddled, able to feel the difference in her voice and demeanor. "Absolutely. I'm always up for going out with you." He gave a little squeeze, wanting to reassure her. He wasn't sure what it was that was on her mind and he'd have considered asking but it just wasn't how he generally did things. If she wanted to talk, she would.
"Aaand that would be my cue to go do something elsewhere," Amanda announced, pushing herself off the desk. "Good to meet you, Lil. Have fun. Be good, and if you can't be good, don't get caught." She winked at Bishop.
"It was nice to meet you, too," Lil replied, threading her fingers with Bishop's. "I'll let you know about Silver." Another small smile for the receptionist and the giantess gave her companion a tug towards the elevator. "Come on. I'm starving."
