backdated: Manuel, Valentia & Nathan

[x-empath.livejournal.com]

Nathan comes to visit Manuel and Valentia, bearing a gift.

Plastic bag tucked under one arm, Nathan knocked on Manuel's suite
door, wondering if he should have emailed or something before just
showing up. But he didn't think he was projecting anything untoward,
emotionally speaking; there was no real reason not to meet the
child at this point.

The door was opened by just that person, the little girl in a black
pair of jeans, dark purple shirt and deep brown eyes framed by equally
dark hair. She was the epitome of a gothic poster child and just as
swiftly was gone, replaced by a door slamming in Nathan's face. Manuel
barked something in Spanish in the background and reopened the door,
surprised etched in the lines of his features.

"Nathan," he said before recovering smoothly. Clearly he was not
sleeping. "I am sorry, come in please." Valentia was nowhere in sight.
"Hurry, before that cat gets out. It is Kyle's, not mine."

Nathan stepped in obediently. "Running herd on a child and a
cat," he said wryly. "Must be keeping you on your toes."

"You would not believe my laundry bill. I have since considered doing
it myself now. Valentia changes clothes every ten minutes, or it feels
like that. I do not suppose you have a similar problem with Rachel?"
he asked, moving over to the door where he peeked his head into their
room. Valentia was again, gone.

"Valentia--" he called to her, more in a demand of annoyance. To which
the girl did not answer. Obviously she was under the bed and he leaned
against the door frame, pressing two fingers to the bridge of his
nose.

Nathan went over and sat down in the nearest chair, without waiting to
be invited. He set the plastic bag on the table beside him. The girl's
mind was odd, he realized after a momentary check of the room. Not
readable. One way in which she differed from her brother.

Manuel stood there for a moment longer before he left the door open
and settled down on the couch across from Nathan. "I apologize for her
manners and slamming the door on your face. She has been like this all
day." He lifted his cane up and touched the wolf head to his forehead,
watching Nathan between it. Slouching, he set the cane aside and
forced himself to fix his posture. "You seem... less tired. Focused?"

"I had a chance to rest on Muir," Nathan said. Even if said rest had
been pharmaceutically accomplished. "And no apologies necessary.
Children of this age are a little shaky on the concept of manners." He
looked in the direction of the bedroom, wryly. "And I am rather tall."

"I am relieved to see you are feeling better. You were not quite there
when I visited and the fact that you came to us makes quite the
statement." He followed Nathan's gaze and nodded, waving a dismissive
gesture towards the door. "She has this... thing with men. I am
unclear as to why she is this way, or it is certain people in general.
Honestly? I do not know. I have not even tried to figure this latest
thing out."

Nathan reached for the plastic bag, pulling out what a Star Trek fan
might have called a 'tribble'. Officially, however, it was a plush
haggis. Rachel had picked it out, very insistently as a matter of
fact. He levitated it from his hand to a soft landing on the floor in
the doorway of the bedroom. After a moment, it twitched, as if the
plush creature was actually moving.

"Gift from Rachel," he said to Manuel.

Manuel eyed the thing and watched a little hand reach out from behind
the door and snatch it. "Does that thing move on its own or are you
doing that? Lillian already bought an Elmo chicken, which Kyle just
confiscated. He assured me he would bring it back but I secretly hoped
it would end up in a ditch."

Nathan had smiled at the sudden disappearance of the haggis, but
turned his attention back to Manuel at the question. "No worries," he
said briskly, "it's completely inanimate. I've had quite enough of
friends and acquaintances giving my little handful noisy toys, so I
wasn't about to do it to you."

"I will have to figure out how I can show my gratitude for that. The
women in my life are determined to make it hell, it is a wonder I have
not completely gone insane." He leaned over and could see the door
move an inch, her shadow casting under the door. Someone was listening
and Manuel flickered his smirk back to Nathan.

Nathan smiled at the door, and went on in the same conversational
tone. "So, Rachel's going to be home for a couple of weeks, come next
weekend," he said. "I think we should introduce the two of them."

"I believe that would be a good idea. I have not introduced Valentia
to many children her age. I do not know of anyone, aside from yourself
and her school. Yet they tell me she does not get on with other
children." He leaned forward, looking towards the door again and
thought to call her out but it was doubtful that she would come. He
would simply have to go get her.

"We can talk to Charles and Leonard before we throw our little
prodigies together. Just to make sure there's nothing we should watch
out for, given that they both have at least some access to their
powers already." Nathan frowned slightly at the door, then glanced at
Manuel. "She's got a very unusual mind, doesn't she? All static."

"Static? Yes, I believe so. There was something mentioned about it
with the professor, however, it wasn't the subject of our problem at
the time, therefore we did not establish the length of all her
problems. We have an appointment with Leo, though I've had to cancel
twice due to scheduling conflicts. I will ask him about Rachel when we
get together." After a moment, he brushed a finger at the corner of
his mouth, pondering. "Do you think it is only her mind that is
strange or her entire persona?"

Nathan managed not to give Manuel a disapproving look. "Unusual," he
said, firmly. "Not 'strange'. Maybe even unique. Under normal
circumstances, children of that age are not supposed to be so gifted.
In Rachel's case I blame her mother's apparently turbo-charged genetic
legacy. In Valentia's... well, circumstances, there could be a number
of factors."

Manuel gave Nathan a pointed look. "Adoracion - her mother - was
hardly a circumstance. She was cunning but not nearly enough and it
was probably what got her killed in the first place. No, Valentia's
'gift' comes from her father. I am sure of that. However it is not her
gift that I am speaking of. I stand by what I said, that she is
strange, not gifted. Rachel is gifted, not strange."

Nathan just raised an eyebrow. "If you want to leave your sister with
the impression that you feel she's strange, that's entirely your
choice," he said, in one of those perfectly mild tones that suggested
he would nevertheless consider Manuel an idiot if he did.

"If Rachel picked up markers and coloured her hair because she wanted
yellow hair as opposed to brown, would you not think that was slightly
strange? I do not know if that is a normal four year old behaviour
which is why we are seeing Dr. Samson. Should little girls not want
pinks and purples as opposed to oranges, reds and blacks?"

"You haven't had much experience with kids, have you? They're not all
stereotypical in their choices. Does she see the world with the range
of colors you do?" Nathan asked, then realized that Manuel might not
be able to tell him one way or the other. "Well. If she does, that
could be a reason for some unusual quirks in her taste."

"It might be that she does. I believe she does because she understands
emotions similar to tones. But as to what extent she sees those
colours, I cannot be sure. That is something we cannot communicate."
He leaned over just as a small dark face poked her head out from
behind the door and promptly made a place for herself next to Manuel.

"Ah see, Valentia, this is Nathan." She gestured a thank you in sign
language and Manuel caught it. "No, that is not a greeting. Here--" he
took her hand and gestured on her. She repeated the gesture and Manuel
smiled. "There. She learns. Not a complete disappointment."

Nathan nearly choked on his own tongue again at Manuel's choice of
words. Oh lord... He smiled, however, repeating the gesture
back to her. "Hello, Valentia," he said. "I'm Nathan. It's good to
meet you finally."