logs: amara, manuel and bishop

[x-volcanic.livejournal.com]

Bishop shows up on Amara's doorstep to make his move on her, and it goes very badly.

After his standard Saturday chess game with Manuel, Bishop decided to catch Amara in her room. He would usually schedule an appearance but the trip had been a little tense at times and he wanted to address it. He probably wanted to protect himself from being rejected again, as well. Although it was a fairly mild event, he had spent so much time carefully crafting a world free of usual attachments that it hit harder than it should have. Once he arrived he knocked a little lighter than he usually would have.

He knocked just at the right time - a few minutes later, and Amara would have been gone, disappearing into the mansion library to spend some time with her books. As it was she answered the door with an armful of books, a surprised look on her face that quickly turned to an unsure smile when she saw who it was. It's not that she didn't want to see him, things had just been strained with them since that first trip to the beach. "Bishop!" She said with surprise, hugging the books just a little closer to her. "This is a surprise."

"I meant it to be." Bishop reached up to touch Amara's cheek and, after a second for her to process, he leaned down to give her a kiss if she'd have it. It was the advice he would give and the advice he should take. He should put himself out there, it's what people did when the liked someone and he had tried to make a move at this mansion from behind a wall before. It didn't seem to work in a community of people who were nearly as defensive.

"Bishop!" Somewhat startled, Amara stepped back out of reach, a confused expression on her face when she looked up at him. This was -- what was this? She didn't know. She thought - well, she didn't know what she thought when it came to them. She'd always known he was attracted to her, but like she did with everyone else, she did her best to ignore it, or brush it off. She didn't know what to do with it, and she certainly didn't know what to do now that he was being more forward about it.

Bishop's response was little more than a nod. "That's what I wanted to know." He didn't leave quite as abruptly this time. It wasn't because he had anything specific to say, he only wanted to allow her the opportunity to say anything she needed to.

"Wait," she said abruptly, not sure if he was going to leave or not, but she didn't want him to just yet. She just didn't know what to say to him. It took a few more moments to try and sort out any semblance of sense from the thoughts churning through her head. "It's not that..." How was she going to explain this? Argh. "I don't know..." No, that wasn't right either. "It's just that..." She let her third attempt trail off with a sigh, before looking up to him. "I don't know how to explain this properly." She took a deep breath. "You're a dear friend Bishop, you must know that. I just..." She huffed. "One day, my father will choose a husband for me. I've always known that. I couldn't start something with you or anyone knowing the impossibility of it lasting."

The explanation made Bishop tilt his head. "Arranged marriage? Really?" The idea was ridiculous to him. It was also nearly infuriating. "People aren't property, Amara. You're far too strong to just agree with that madness."

"It's not madness," she said sharply, before taking a deep breath. Don't lose your temper, Amara. Don't. "It's tradition," she continued, not noticeably calmer. "The traditions of Nova Roma are important to me, Bishop, something I do not think think you understand. I may live and work and study in America, and look no different than any other student at the university, but I am Nova Roman." She was. No matter what Amanda had discovered.

"Traditions are fine. Arranging marriages is selling off women as property. Can't be proud of who you are and admit that every culture has a flaw or two?" Bishop was decidedly less interested in not losing his temper. "That's the kind of thinking that lets that sort of madness persist."

"It is no such thing!" Amara said heatedly, her resolve not to lose her temper rapidly dissolving. "My father would never choose someone for me he didn't think I would be happy with, and I don't know any other Nova Roman parent who would! Don't make judgments about things you know nothing about!"

"He'd know better than you would who you'd be happy with?" Bishop didn't step back as they yelled, instead towering over her if she decided to stand toe to toe with him.

"Yes, he would!" Amara yelled right back. She was doing her very best not to go up in flames, and while all her concentration went on that, she didn't stop to think about what she was saying. "What would I know about what I want? I can't even decide what major I want to do at college, let alone find a man I want to spend the rest of my life with! Why do you think so many American marriages end in divorce? They can't see clear through the lust and hormones!"

Bishop simply shook his head. "Holy shit. Really? You'll give up freedom just like that? Because you're afraid to make a mistake?" He actually stepped forward, his head canted down to look Amara right in the eye. "You're fucking right you're not American. We sure might not get everything right but we did get the one important thing, freedom. You're subjugating yourself out of fear and tradition. I'm not sure you could have a worse reason."

"Freedom?" Amara shrieked. "What do you know of freedom? You Americans, you think you are so superior because you can do whatever you like without any thought to anyone else or how it affects them! How could you possibly know what freedom is when you have nothing to compare it to!" Amara dropped her books at this point, feeling herself rapidly starting to heat up. "I have seen what happens when people are free to do whatever they like, and let me tell you, I would rather live without that freedom!"

"Free to do whatever they like? I was a cop. I fought for what people paid lip service to. What have you done that gives you the right to lecture me? Be born somewhere you think is better? Give into those traditions unquestioningly because you're afraid?" Bishop spoke through clenched teeth. "If you let yourself be auctioned off you're going to get stuck in a terrible life that you won't even have the freedom to leave. Won't get much comfort in your us/them world view after that."

"What have I done?" Amara was seething. "I lost my mother and most of my childhood friends because an evil goddess thought she could use people as puppets! I caused the death of some of them, freeing my people from the last of her influence! So don't you dare stand there and tell me that I am giving into anything, or that I'm afraid! Nova Roma's freedom, my freedom was dearly bought, and I will not have you stand here and belittle that! Just because you don't agree with our traditions, that doesn't make them terrible! And how dare you judge something you know nothing about! At least I have lived in America for years, I've experienced what life here is like! You have never even see Nova Roma!"

"If you call being unable to make even the most basic decisions like who to spend your life with freedom." It was the most scathing comment Bishop could make.

"And that's my choice! Do you really think anyone could force me to do anything I didn't want to?" Amara took a deep breath, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to keep a hold on her powers much longer. "Just -- just leave. I don't want to see you anymore." And as angry as she was, she didn't want to go up in flames on Bishop. She might be furious with him, but she didn't want to hurt him.

"Choose to use the excuse to avoid dating. I figured." Bishop didn't need to be invited to leave more than once. He turned and without protest headed down the hall to get away from Amara.

Drawn out by the noise, Manuel tries to get Amara to calm down. That also goes very badly.

Manuel didn't have to be an empath to know that something was going on, he could hear it from his room and upon opening the door, the blast of emotions from both parties made him grip his cane a little harder. Turning down the hallway, he paused as he had just seen Bishop not long ago. He paused in the hallway, frowning as he did so. "Whatever you did, whatever you said," he shook his head, leaving it hanging. "We will talk after." His way of saying let me deal with this.

"That's all yours." Bishop didn't even break stride as he exited the scene. He'd probably find himself in the mansion's gym after not too long. At least some place where he could blow off some steam. He wouldn't be around Manuel until he was calm.

Manuel walked down the hallway, thankful Valentia wasn't around for this. These emotions were too much and though she wouldn't feel them straight forward, she would have felt them through him and that was something he couldn't shelter her from very well.

Amara had been planning on getting outside. Her temper was at boiling point, and anyone who got close enough to her would be able to feel that she was on the point of flaming up herself. Later, she'd be surprised by the fact that she was able to lose her temper without losing control of her powers. She stopped suddenly when she saw Manuel, taking a few deep breaths. Of course he would show up right now, just when she didn't want to run into anyone.

"Senhor," she said through gritted teeth, starting to move again to move past him. She knew he would know perfectly well how she was feeling right now - furious over the argument she'd just had with Bishop, but also hurt at his attacks on her home and somewhere in there, she was a little sad that she'd just had an argument like that with someone she considered a close friend. But that all just fed her fury. She just hoped that for once, Manuel would not poke and prod like he was wont to do.

"No--" Manuel caught her by her wrist and gritted his teeth to the heat that seered through his skin. "Not this time. Running will not do, control it," he commanded her, though his voice was patient, but held firm as he stood his ground. "Whatever you were arguing about, you need to let it go or rein in your powers."

"Don't touch me!" The tenuous control she'd had slipped, the heat of her aura flaring into life for a brief moment. Long enough to burn Manuel's skin, and long enough for the clothes Amara was wearing to start to smoke. She gasped, and pulled her powers back in, her shock at the flare overwhelming her fury.

"Manuel, I'm sorry."

Manuel pulled his hand in, gasping sharp and, balling it into a fist before releasing it and breathing very heavily, very slowly. He concentrated on blocking his own emotions from her, severing them from each other as his gaze flickered up. "Do not.. be s-sorry. C-c-concentrate on yourself and y-y-your powersss." He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes and suddenly needing to sit. She had burned him badly and his face flushed white from the sudden shock from his body.

Amara had gone almost as white - she knew how dangerous her powers was, and she'd always tried so hard not to hurt anyone with them. And now she'd gone and done exactly that, and to someone who had been trying to help her! Even as he spoke, the air around her rapidly started to cool as she brought her powers back under control. At the same time her temper rapidly started to cool, Amara unable to to calm one without the other.

After a few long moments she looked back over to him, concern for Manuel written all over her face. "You should have one of the doctors take a look at that," she said quietly, not attempting to close the distance between them to take a look at that herself.

"Yes, I should," Manuel said without really listening. He was concentrating on trying to rein his own powers in, building the shield but he couldn't. It dropped away to his own pain and he wavered on the spot before falling to one knee and pressing the cool ebony wooden cane to his forehead as he closed his eyes. He breathed in slowly, collecting himself together and trying to tame the shock that came on his body like a waved crashing in over and over.

"Just give me a minute," he said evenly. Patiently. Calm and collected. Calm and collected.

Amara wasn't sure what to do - burns needed some sort of immediate care, but she didn't know enough about it to know exactly what. You'd think she would, with her powers, but it had been so long since she had to worry about these sorts of things. Running water? Did that help? Instead she just hovered, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she watched Manuel take his long deep breaths. Something she should try once more, since her anxiety levels were raising fairly quickly as she worried about him.

Finally Manuel stood, slowly and he looked like there was colour back into his cheeks, although he was still fairly white. "I need help down to the medbay please." He tucked his arm into his side, burnt palm face up as he nodded towards the elevator. "Just guide me and maintain control on your emotions. It helps me," he reasoned, although it was a fraction of a lie. He didn't need her fussing about him. He needed her to gain control.

Amara just nodded, though it was a few more moments before she moved. She'd taken a few breaths to calm herself, now that she had instructions to follow and something to do she could focus on that. Hesitantly, she offered him her arm to lean on, smiling just a little. "I am not hot right now, do not worry." It was true - she was cooler than usual, keeping such a close leash on her powers so she did not hurt him again.

"Good," Manuel said and leaned on her a fraction, though he used his cane as best as he could for this. It was not his leg and for that, he was thankful, although he was sure his hand would bother him for weeks on end. Simply because it hurt like hell now.

Later that day, when Amara has calmed down, she seeks out Manuel to apologise. With baked goods. This, at least, goes well.

Aside from the itching and burning, Manuel could ignore his hand moderately without disrupting the things he had to do. He picked up his sister, managed to explain to her that he just got burned by accident and distracted her away fromthe fact that his hand hurt at all, instead, taking the rest of the night to sit in the main room of his and Kyle's suit and read to her after cancelling his appointments.

Amara had been chased away from the medlabs earlier, and had taken the time to clear her head - first a walk out through the woods, and then she'd somewhat inevitably found herself in the kitchen, walking through the steps of making cupcakes with very little thought put into it. She was doing her best not to think about the argument with Bishop - not only did she not want to get angry again, she didn't want to think about how completely she'd lost it. Instead, she parceled together a plate of the freshly baked cupcakes, making her way up to Manuel's room. She wasn't entirely sure whether Manuel would want to see her, but she wanted to apologise (again) anyway. She knocked on the door, waiting to see if anyone answered.

"Come in," Manuel called from the couch, where his sister rested, tucked into his side while he paused in reading the book. It was only at that point that he realized she was asleep and he was reluctant to move her or himself from that spot.

Amara let herself in, a little nervous, but certainly not the raging inferno of emotion she'd been before. Staying cool, calm and collected was very much the name of the game right now, especially when she was here to apologize.

"Good evening," she said hesitantly, not moving too far into the room. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," Manuel said quietly and gestured across from him with his bandaged hand. "Come in Amara. Is there something I can do to help you?" he asked quietly, if not slightly more pleasant than usual. He was in a moment with his sister, feeling wanted, needed and there wasn't quite anything that could take that away at that very moment.

She moved a little further into the room, still feeling a little hesitant. "I just wanted to apologize. Again." She smiled a little over to him. "And to thank you. I know you were just trying to help." She held up the plate of cupcakes, vanilla with thick chocolate icing. "And I have baked goods."

"Ah baked goods," he lifted a brow and his chin, wanting to see what it was she made. " I wasn't sure i should forgive you but these are more than acceptable. Please," he gestured for her to sit again, clearly joking with her.

Amara smiled properly at that, feeling a little relieved. She completed the journey into the room, taking a seat as indicated and handing the plate over to Manuel. "Oh, good. I was hoping I could bribe my way back into your good graces." Playful banter wasn't Amara's strong point, but it was certainly something she'd been learning - thanks to Bishop, to be honest, but that was neither here nor there.

"I beg your pardon, please excuse me if I indulge myself," Manuel said, shifting slightly and looking to slip from his sister only to have her shift more into him and make that nearly impossible. Sighing, he settled into his seat and took a cupcake, biting into it immediately.

"That is what they are for," she said, perched on the edge of the seat she was in. She glanced over to Valentia, smiling a little before she looked over to Manuel. "How is your hand?"

"My hand is itchy, otherwise, it is fine. They wrapped it really well. How are you concerning your... control."

"I am feeling much better now, thank you." She glanced down, her fingers twisting around each other. "I'm sorry about what happened. I just..." She sighed a little. "I lost it."

"You did," Manuel nodded. "Although I am concerned. Are you going to 'lose it' again or are you able to maintain control? Because I believe that if you are going to lose it again, perhaps this is something we need to work on."

"I'm not sure," Amara said honestly. "You know how hard I work to keep my temper under control, and to be honest, I am surprised I didn't lose control of my powers earlier than I did." She shrugged a little again. "But then I do not usually lose my temper so thoroughly."

"First case scenario. You lost your control when you lost your temper. I lost mine when I grabbed you. Two lessons learned. I believe that if you lose your temper, you should be able to maintain control. Like I did, for exampled. Had I not, it would have been very easy for you to feel my pain."

Amara shook her head. "I didn't lose control completely until you touched me. I panicked, because I knew how close I was to losing control." She paused. "But yes, you are correct. I should not lose control like that."

Before he answered again, he polished off the cupcake and licked his fingers, despite the mannerisms instilled into him. "Getting angry is fine, it is just finding a balance between the two."

Amara had to hide an amused smile at Manuel's momentary lack of manners, before biting her lip at what he had to say. "That is certainly true. It certainly would not hurt to work on refining my control." Her lips curved into a smirk. "You know, I believe I was right about you. You are not as bad as you seem."

"The cupcakes weaken my resolve," Manuel said without wavering in the least, although he smiled. "Do not tell the masses otherwise my disguise is blown and all will be lost - can you please pass another cup cake?"

"I will keep your secret," she said with a bit of a smile, picking up one of the cupcakes so she could lean over and hand it to him. "If it became too well known, then it would be far too difficult for me to take advantage when everyone else is doing the same thing." Not that Amara was really the type to do something like that.

"It would take all the fun out of everything," he reasoned for her. "And what is that if there is no fun to it?"

"Exactly." She grinned. "And here people tell me I do not know how to have fun."