Amanda and Adrienne in a hot tub, New Year's Eve

[xp_daytripper]

Amanda and Adrienne take a time out in the hot tub.



Hanging out in Warren's 'ridiculously large hot tub', as he'd called it, sober and wearing a bikini, which was something she hadn't done since the day Garrison had lost his temper with her, Adrienne took a moment to reflect on the significance of ringing in this New Year under these circumstances as opposed to last year's, alone in her Boston apartment. She sipped at club soda and watched several of her friends while trying to keep the smile off her face. She failed in this attempt when Amanda slid into the hot tub next to her, though. "Hey, when Warren said there'd be no fireworks, do you think that meant we weren't allowed to bring our own and set them off, or just that this party was b-y-o...f and he wouldn't be providing them but we could set them off if we brought 'em?" she inquired with a tone of utter seriousness.

"I would've brought Jubilee if it was byof," Amanda replied, rather cheerfully. She had a glass of some kind of Italian fizzy wine in her hand and several more in her stomach already and was feeling rather bubbly herself. "None of that stinky gunpowder smell or random bits of stick and paper to clean up."

"So that means it's not b-y-o-f?" Adrienne asked, pouting. "Damn. I spent my food budget for next week on a whole bunch. I was gonna see if you wanted to go up in the chair lift to the top of the hill and set 'em off."

"You want me to go to the top of a mountain in the middle of winter with all this snow for a bunch of firecrackers?" Amanda snorted. "Only if you thaw me out later."

"Isn't that what the 'ridiculously large hot tub's'- hey wait, were you just flirting with me?!" Wow, this whole being sober while everyone else was drunk thing was weird! "Don't get me wrong, you're hot and we're both single so I have no objection," Adrienne laughed, shrugging easily, "I just really wish I was drunk so I could flirt back less awkwardly." And if Amanda hadn't been flirting, then Adrienne could just use the excuse that she was seeing things in a skewed way because she wasn't drinking.

"Maaaybe?" Amanda giggled and took another sip of her bubbly. "Let's just say when I'm in a good mood I tend to want everyone in a good mood with me. So if it puts you in a good mood to be flirted with, then yes. If it doesn't, then no." It made sense in her head, at least.

"If flirting ever put me in a bad mood, it better be because I'm dead," Adrienne laughed. "So are you going to help me with the fireworks, then? And I'll thaw you out later?" she added with a waggle of an eyebrow.

"I dunno." Amanda stretched, kicking her feet in the warm water a little. "Seems like a lot of effort and cold when we're already nice and warm."

Adrienne chuckled and kicked her feet next to Amanda's. "Still plenty of time to go before midnight, anyway," she shrugged. "So I didn't see you much on the ski hills today," she pointed out, poking a toe at Amanda's foot. "Were you on the double black diamond hill all day, or something?"

"I was here," came the reply. "Well, not here, here, since I'd be all pruney, but here in the nice warm inside part. Haven't been out since we got here." She thought about it, and amended. "Except once. I made a snowman with Ange and his girlfriend." Her grin turned evil. "Alejandra might've gotten a snowball in the face."

Eyes widening, Adrienne kicked at Amanda's foot even more strongly. "You biiiiitch!" she giggled. "Here now, I thought it was an amicable breakup between the two of you? You aren't having second thoughts about wanting to get back together with him, are you?"

Amanda kicked back, splashing Adrienne. "It was!" she protested. "Doesn't mean I have to like my replacement, tho'. And no, I don't want to get back together - we were right to break up. Too different these days." She grinned. "Ange was lovely, but I like someone who won't let me run roughshod all over them."

"Hey!" Okay, now the splash fight was on! Adrienne kicked back, laughing. She had to nod at Amanda's comment about finding someone who wouldn't let her run roughshod all over them. Angelo was definitely not that man from what Adrienne could tell. "Well, he did try to take me to task over a fucking joke I made a long while back, so maybe he is starting to grow a spine and not let people run roughshod over him... even though it wasn't him I was trying to run over. But I think you did the right thing, and I don't think it'll be too difficult to find someone who fits the description you're looking for. Is there anyone you're thinking about in particular?" she prodded, kicking some more.

Amanda got a face full of water and held her glass out of the way she she splashed back with her free hand. "Not really. 'S more than just that. I need someone who isn't going to freak out over the magic and what I do for a living, which makes things a bit bloody harder, I can tell you. So for now, it's just me and the odd pick up." The last of which had been the disaster with Garrison, but she wasn't sure how Adrienne would take the news she was bonking her ex.

"Nothing wrong with the odd pick up," Adrienne smirked. "The odder they are, the more kinky the sex usually is," she snickered. "Funny, I'd think the magic and the spy thing would have the young lads... or lasses... lining up. Nothing sexier than magic and spies, right?" she inquired with another waggle of her eyebrows, splashing Amanda with her foot again.

"The thing about being a spy is you can't use it to pick up. How long'd you think James Bond would last if he went around telling everyone he was an agent with Her Majesty's Secret Service?" Amanda snorted, flicking water at Adrienne with her fingertips. "So I have to stick with people who already know. And the magic's even worse - when I do mention it, I get lame jokes about rabbits and hats, weird looks or there was the time some dozy bint kept saying she'd be my Willow-tree or something."

This last comment completely confused Adrienne, who paused from the splash fight to try and puzzle this out. "Willow tree? Wha... because... because you make... wands out of willow? Is that it? She wanted you to... make a magic wand out of her, maybe? Like, as some sort of weird euphemism for sex? Christ, that's confusing. I don't get that at all."

"Pop culture reference," Amanda explained. "She was a big fan of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and there was a character in it who was a bad ass witch called Willow. She had a witch girlfriend who was blond. Obviously she didn't know me well enough, since I'd never fall all over someone like Tara did in the show." Oops, that was a telling slip - Amanda had become a fan in high school, even dressing up as Vampire Willow for Halloween one year. The year of the Repodemon, actually. "I take it you don't watch a lot of telly?"

"I've watched more in this past year and a half than I ever have in all the rest of my years," Adrienne answered with a smirk. "Not having my company is damn boring. I've spent most of my life doing nine different things at once, now that the company's gone I realize I suck at being idle."

"Teaching not enough to fill the gap?" Amanda asked. "Even with the consulting for X-Factor thrown in?"

"Not really," Adrienne laughed, "I'm still knitting like a fiend and watching crap like Python Hunters, clearly I'm not busy enough yet. I had an interesting visit from one of the mansion's RAs a few days ago about a possible business venture I could help with, as a hobby like, so maybe that'll help."

"See, that's what happens when you give up drinking," Amanda said, but only teasingly. "You wind up with all this extra time that used to be spent in the pub, watching that weird game of yours, the one with the gloves."

"It doesn't help that the 'weird game' is in offseason right now," Adrienne pointed out with a chuckle. "I can hang out at the pub watching it just as well sober as I can drunk, but it's not on right now. But maybe by the time opening day comes around, I'll be drinking again," she smiled. "I've been drinking at the mansion again, but I still don't feel up to drinking at parties. Did you give up drinking when you were in your early days of recovery?"

"Drinking was part of my unhealthy deflection thing, so yeah, I quit for a while when I was down in New Orleans, at least until I could handle it again. The real thing to watch is why you're doing something - if you're doing it to block something out, that's a bad sign." Amanda's mood sobered despite the fizzy wine. "'S all about comfort levels."

"You're too right," Adrienne agreed, nodding. "That's why I haven't been drinking at parties yet. 'Need to make sure I'm completely comfortable with my reasons for doing so, that I'm not doing it to block something out. I'm pretty confident I don't drink to block things out, but I'm not a hundred percent sure so it's better to err on the side of caution for now. This way, I can hang out with you in a hot tub and feel completely comfortable," she smirked, which served to lace the comment with innuendo.

"Just as well - a couple of glasses of bubbly in you and you'd be dangerous," Amanda teased.

Comments

[x-skin.livejournal.com]

maybe he is starting to grow a spine

Angelo resents that. :P And also notes that Adrienne's clearly making progress too if she's able to watch Python Hunters.