Log: Amanda/Garrison

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

Garrison and Amanda go out for drinks and depressing conversations about their respective love lives. The problem is that their temporary solution to the problem confirms that Kane is actually cursed. And Amanda isn't sure it can be cured.



"So, tell me something? Am I really just that unlucky with women? I mean, the only really person after me is the crazy green haired bitch at work, and I'd feel safer fucking a rattlesnake than her." Garrison accepted a new drink from the bartender at Finnigan's with a nod.

Amanda snorted. "Are you serious? I can point out at least five women in this bar who'd be happy to take you home and ride the ride." She paused to have a pull from her beer. "and that's not including me. Your problem isn't getting women interested, Gar, it's just bad timing."

"I don't know. It used to be easier. College? Man, it was a lineup in college. Now, it seems like just one disaster after another." The Canadian stared glumly into his beer for a moment. "Adrienne nearly dropped fifteen years of detox because she was nervous to be around me. Is that what I do to her? Make her out of her mind?"

"You make each other out of your minds, Gar. She told me about the swimsuit thing... I had trouble believing you'd act like that. It was totally out of character for you." Amanda's tone was sympathetic. "SHe feels strongly about you, you feel strongly about her, but there's a lot of shite in the way. Take it from someone who knows fucked up relationships, you guys need time and space to let things settle."

"I don't know if it's healthy. Maybe the best thing we could do is stay away from each other." Kane held up his hand. "I'm not doing a poor me thing here. I just don't know if we're a healthy match. It's weird though. I've had a couple of other offers, and the oddest stuff happens that gets in the way."

"What sort of weird stuff?" Amanda was curious. She'd heard the story of the alarm from Adrienne, but hey, gossip.

"One of the other agents brought his sister around for drinks afterward. She's working on his master's at NYU. We hit it off, one thing leads to another, and she no more than has the key in the lock when water starts pouring out from under the door. Pipe burst in her ceiling." Kane winced at the memory of helping her try and save as much of her things as possible while the super tried to get the water turned off. "This week, an old college friend was supposed to be in town overnight. We had a... thing, and still - you know. Anyways, she gets out of her meeting, tries to call me? Two minutes before, the field office goes into lockdown on an surprise drill on how to respond to a terrorist attack on the building; all phones shutdown, all cellphones and internet blocked for a five hour exercise. I just can't seem to catch a break these days."

"Those sorts of things could have happened to anyone, tho'," Amanda pointed out. "'S not like a herd of rhino came stampeding through your bedroom. 'S just bad luck, that's all."

"True. Doesn't make it any less frustrating." He shrugged and picked half-heartedly at the few fries remaining on Amanda's dinner plate. The problem wasn't just Adrienne. His investigations into the attack on Alpha Flight had hit a dead end following the last meeting with Sublime. He was being stuck spending as much time at work covering the mansion as he was actually investigating cases. His love life was a disaster. And on top of it all, his friends in Toronto were all hitting the age of marriages, starting families, finally getting traction in their careers. Was there such a thing as a pre-mid life crisis? Or maybe he just needed a break.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's 'orrible, yeah, but you're not dead yet. And at least we've got each other for the no-strings-attached itch scratching." With half of her team in happy couple-y bliss, Amanda was finding herself feeling the lack of someone in her life again.

"Don't you have Marie-Ange and Wade boinking in your spare room?"

"Well, technically it's Angie's room, since we're roommates now, but yeah. Do you have any idea what it's like to be single and living with someone who isn't?" Amanda wasn't really annoyed, but sometimes she did get lonely. Having Wade around tended to be a reminder of how difficult dating was, given her life.

"I can imagine pretty easily." He said ruefully. At least he got peace and quiet when he was alone; not having to listen to two people go at it in the other room.

"Yeah. 'S fine most of the time, but it don't half make me randy sometimes."

"Yeah?" Kane paused and quirked an eyebrow. "Feel like getting back at them?"

She laughed. "I've only been hinting at it for the last half-hour. Must be losing my touch."

"As the song goes, you'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best." Kane said, and held up two fingers. "Cheque please."

***

Garrison leaned his head back against the wood of Amanda's ensuite, sitting with his back against it and his arms resting on his bent knees. Every so often, he started to say something, pause, and then shake his head before looking back ruefully over his shoulder.

"You feeling any better, Amanda?" At least the sounds of retching had mostly stopped, save for the odd attack.

There was the sound of the toilet flushing and Amanda's voice, sounding altogether exhausted and, well, ill. "For now," she replied. "But you can bet I'm not moving from here for another few hours."

"What, sudden and violent food poisoning spoiled the mood?" Kane said, head lolling back. She had barely pulled her shirt over her head before turning green and making a run for the bathroom to be violently, explosively sick. Kane had spent the first while helping her hold back her hair and washing out her mouth, but it became clear quickly that while she didn't need a hospital, she wasn't about to shake the retching anytime soon. Which had led to the closed door for a bit of privacy in her wretched condition.

"So, I'm going to put this out here, but I think whatever magical curse that you whammied me with on Halloween is still in effect."

"How do you mean? What the fuck were you dressed as, the Food Poisoning Fairy?" came the somewhat defensive response, followed by some unladylike hacking and spitting.

"I was dressed as the douchebag frat bartender out of every bad college comedy. Which led me to almost nailing three different underaged students after doing my damnest to get them drunk." Kane still avoided most of the students these days. The explanation had certainly absolved him of any wrong doing, but unfortunately, it didn't remove the memories.

If Amanda wasn't already feeling ill, the thought of the trouble her charm might have gotten Garrison into would have probably made her that way. "Why the 'almost'?" she asked. "Since you were the douchebag and not you?"

"There was always some kind of last minute interruption. Kids going through the fields, setting off a sprinkler system in a barn, the girl turning out to be gay..." He trailed off.

Amanda groaned from inside the bathroom, but not from nausea this time. "Oh for fuck's sake," she complained. "It's bad enough I got everyone into the shite with this fucking charm, but I'm responsible for cock-blocking you too?" There was a pause, followed by more retching. "'M sorry, Gar."

"So, how do we de-curse me? Some kind of ritual where we eat a bunch of mushrooms and dance around to bad techno for hours covered in day-glo paint or something?"

There was a long, pregnant pause. Then Amanda's voice, sounding hesitant: "I have no bloody idea. I'll get back to you?"

"Oh, why does that not reassure me..." Kane closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating a sex life defined by 80s-esque disasters from now on. "I can be de-cursed, right?"

"Probably?" came the less-than-confident response. "I'll work on it for you, I promise." there was another pause and another bout of retching. "Um, if you don't mind, can you go before I turn myself inside out?"

"Yeah. It seems leaving does make people feel better these days." Kane climbed to his feet and quietly left the apartment.