Manuel & Tabitha: Luau Encounter

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Backdated due to my stupid brain. Tabs encounters Valentia and Manuel at the luau.



She hadn’t been to a luau since one of her classmates had dragged her along to a frat party in Monterey. She had to admit that the company here was much more pleasant. She smoothed sweaty palms along the skirt of her sundress anyhow, hoping she looked all right. Her idiotic weight wouldn’t pick a place to stay. She would catch herself forgetting to eat, and over-exercising, again.

It was enough to make a girl quite crazy.

But she was here to have a good time with friends, so she pushed the issue quite firmly to the back of her mind.

Manuel refused to let Valentia to wear something so ridiculous and they argued until she was in tears and he was frustrated that she was being so difficult. The tears had won out clearly as she treked in ahead of him, bug eyed sunglasses that Bishop had given her earlier covering half her face and looking for someone she knew. Manuel's hand fell on her shoulder as she caught sight of Tabitha and she looked up as he looked down, shaking his head, no and directed her elsewhere.

She let out a huff of laughter and raised her eyebrow. “Afraid of something, Manuel?” she asked, saving a big smile for Valentia. Seeing the girl was always a joy, especially as adorable as she looked in the giant sunglasses.

"She copies Amanda. I do not need her copying you," Manuel replied, his tone short. He urged his sister else where and for a moment, she seemed as though she would argue, but then she didn't.

“Do I scare you that much?” she asked after him.

"When you drive, yes."

"She's hardly old enough for driver's ed, Manny." Tabs made a silly face at Valentia. "Are you scared that I'll teach her how to make a complete idiot out of herself?" Twice, now that there was an NYC Craigs List ad up for the world to see.

Manuel looked down at Valentia, catching her attention before he crouched and sighed to her. She sighed back to him with her limited english and turned around, dodging around someone before disappearing briefly as Manuel turned to Tabitha. "You do not need to bring a four year old down with you."

Concious of the fact that Valentia hadn't gone that far, Tabitha struggled to quell the pain and fury that exploded inside of her. "Just what kind of person do you think I am? I'm the *librarian,* for cryin' out loud. Probably as close to the buttoned up stereo-type as you're going to get. The only trouble I've had in the last decade is due to the leathers and YOU." She struggled with the mix of emotions that came with the broken memories of her recent imprisonment. Sheer willpower kept her hand from the small burn scar at her throat.

"I am not sure why it is so important for you or the others to bond with my sister. She is not toy and her feelings are sensitive. Especially to those who seem to feel like walking into her life and out of it with a complete disregard for the impact they have on her. I am not a fool Tabitha and I tire of the women around me using my sister to bait me."

For the first few seconds, shocked confusion had Tabs gaping like a fish. No words could work their way passed the surprise in her throat.

She stood, regaining her composure. "You're an idiot, she said calmly, before she turned on her heel and walked away.