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[x-shinobi.livejournal.com]

Friday afternoon, Shinobi drops by the medlab to see Amanda to deliver Nicorette and a much-needed hug.




With a pair of boxes of Nicorette gum in hand, Shinobi made his way towards the corner of medlab that Dr. Bartlett had indicated to him as Amanda's current territory, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt before slowly poking his head into view. "Amanda?" he asked after a moment, keeping his voice quiet just in case she was asleep.

She wasn't - the thought of leaving for London later that day was proving stronger than the sedatives Moira was giving her. Lying aside the book she'd been trying to read, she looked up with a smile. "Shinobi! Hey! I was worried I wouldn't see you before you took off."

The smile was a pleasant surprise, and he returned it easily as he wandered closer to the bed, nodding sagely. "Bah, I wouldn't leave without seeing you first. Besides, I had to make sure you got these." He offered the boxes, waggling his eyebrows. "Just don't chew it all before you get on the plane."

"I'll try t' restrain meself." She pulled a face. "An' I've done such a good job of that already. Maybe give 'em t' Pete, he can ration me."

"If you think it'd be better. I trust you, though." Shinobi grins, claiming himself the chair next to the bed and speaking again before she can protest the t-word. "Feeling a little better, I hope? Or is that a kind of silly question?"

"Lookin' forward t' gettin' out of here. Pete's comin' t' get me just before they head out t' the airport. Otherwise, it's hard t' say." She sighed. "I've fucked up so many things I don't even know how t' start puttin' the pieces back together. Which is why I..." She looked at him. "Ange said he'd tell you. Did he?"

"About what almost happened to put you back in here? Only very vaguely." Shinobi shrugged his shoulders helplessly, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his head as he mustered up an awkward smile.

"Thought I'd see if I could fly without the magic," she said, trying unsuccessfully to keep her tone humorous. Thinking about that night was painful, and whilst she wouldn't shy away from the truth, she needed something to cushion her emotions. "I bottled out, Shinobi. Couldn't take it any more an' decided t' take the easy way out. Angelo stopped me." She resisted the urge to curl up into her usual defensive ball.

"It happens," Shinobi replied after a moment, considering for a moment before he pulled the chair closer to the bedside, reaching over to offer Amanda a hand. "You're only human, luv. You can only take so much. Remind me to thank Ange, though. I owe him now."

"You an' Pete both." Amanda hesitated only a fraction before taking the hand Shinobi offered, resisting the urge to cling to it. "An'... so do I. I dunno if I'll ever be able t' tell him that, or that he'll listen to me, but if it weren't for him..." She sighed. "I hurt him so badly. Wouldn't be surprised if he never forgave me. I wouldn't."

With a slight smile, he gave her hand a light squeeze. "I'm sure he'd believe you if you told him, luv. He's a lot of things, but 'petty' isn't something I'd ever peg him with."

"No, that he ain't." She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears trying to escape, and her grip tightened on Shinobi's hand. Then, feeling marginally more under control, she looked at him. "This Kwannon business... what's gunna happen t' Manny?"

"I don't know," Shinobi admitted, frowning in thought and leaning forward enough to prop his chin up in a hand. "With the Kwannon thing.. I think the concensus there is edging towards 'he was manipulated into it, so he's a victim too'.. but that just reinforces how important it is for him to learn to better control his powers." He shrugged. "He's probably in for more school, in essence."

"I don't know much, 'bout the Kwannon stuff, but..." She frowned. "Pete reckons it's just the link talkin', but he's not a bad person. Just lost, same as I am. More, I think. He needs someone t' show him where t' go. Someone who ain't me." She gave him a wry grin. "We're too bloody similar t' be really good for each other. Hate t' think what he's been gettin' from me this last couple of weeks."

"I believe you. He's too similar to *me* for me not to see it." Shinobi matched her wry grin. "Don't worry about him too much, luv. Nobody's giving up on him. A bit sore at him, yes, but we're not giving up on him. We're too stubborn for that."

"I noticed." Again the smile, but it was genuine this time. "When are you leavin'? Can't say I blame you, goin' t' the coast - home's nice, but the beaches are shite."

"The beach isn't the draw quite so much as an approximation of a 'normal family vacation' is," Shinobi replied with a smile. "We're piling into a van after dinner, or so goes the plan. It'd feel a bit more 'family vacation'-y if you could come too, but this just gives us an excuse to do it again sometime."

"I think Marie will have her hands full enough without babysittin' me. But yeah, I'd like t' go sometime. Later. When I'm... better," she said, not even noticing she'd said 'when' and not 'if'.

Shinobi noticed, if his smile is a fair indicator. "You're a tough bint. You'll be back before you know it, and in top form, at that." He nodded to himself, casting a thoughtful look off to the side. "We'll definitely take at least a weekend to go out to the coast, once you're back.. drag you along to some amusement parks, too. Marie's determined to hook me on rollercoasters."

Amanda looked doubtful. "Never been on one meself. Still, it sounds a bit like joyridin', without the old bill chasin' you. Could be fun. Yer still comin' t' Brighton, right? I'm gunna be locked up for the rest of the hols, an' it's the only bit of fun I'm gunna have. I'd like me friends t' be there."

"Still coming to Brighton," Shinobi confirmed, nodding sagely. "I'm going to try and get Artie and Miles to help me bribe Sarah onto a plane so she can come, too."

"Too bad the purple pixie's range isn't that far - we could 'port her over an' forget the whole plane issue."

"That'd be handy, wouldn't it?" he chuckled. "I don't mind planes, though. I'll come whether or not I can con Sarah into tagging along."

Amanda nodded. "Ta. For that, an'... everythin'. For not givin' up on me." She grinned ruefully. "'S the thing 'bout hittin' the bottom, you can't go no further, so it's actually not that bad. An' you can see where you need t' go from there." She screwed up her face again. "An' you should go, 'fore I start blubbin' again an' Moira gives me more of the happy stuff. Doubt they'll let me on the plane if I'm out of it."

"Oh, like I mind the blubbing." Shinobi grinned impishly, shifting to get to his feet. "I should probably finish throwing my shite in bags before it's time to eat, though, so your attempt to get rid of me has succeeded. For once." He wiggled his eyebrows, releasing her hand so that he could lean over and offer both of his arms, instead. "You need anything, I'll have my phone and laptop with me, luv. Don't hesitate to give a hollar."

Amanda grinned. "'Bout bloody time that worked. Was startin' t' have serious issue 'bout me ability t' tell people t' sod off." She half-twisted in the bed to hug Shinobi, holding tightly. "An' if I need to, I'll call. Really, this time."

"Even if you just need somebody to bitch about airplanes and their silly 'no smoking' rules," Shinobi grinned, tightly returning the hug and turning his head to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "You're good at telling people to sod off, luv. I'm just stubborn *and* mad. Ask Sarah, she'll tell you."

"She already has. We bonded over it." Amanda closed her eyes, willing away the tears that still threatened, and then released him with a watery smile. "Make sure she has a good time. She's gunna need it after this Kwannon shite."

"I'll do what I can. Think the ickle ones'll help me there, happily." He gave her a quick squeeze before straightening up, not quite able to keep himself from reaching up to lightly ruffle her hair. "You make sure you have fun too, okay? It might be tricky, but I've got faith in you."

"See? You are mad." The words were said with only a touch of the self-loathing she'd have shown only days earlier. "Rom made it pretty clear I'm there t' work, but it's the kind of study I like. I miss the magic, when it's not fucking with me head." She made shoo-ing gestures. "Go on, sod off. I've still got t' get dressed, otherwise Pete will drag me t' the aiport in this bloody hospital thing. An' I want t' talk Moira into lettin' me out t' pack - Paige offered, an' I ain't got much, but she don't know where everythin' is."

"You realize you just told a sort-of-teacher that you think learning is fun, right?" Shinobi beamed innocently, holding up his hands as he dutifully backed up towards the door. "Your secret's safe with me, luv. I'll see if I can sweet-talk Moira into letting you go up to pack on me way out."

"You make history as interestin' as levitation an' healin' spells, an' you might see some actual homework out of me occasionally," she replied, grinning. "An' yer'd probably do better with Moira 'n me. Yer good at sweet-talkin' stubborn women. I'll see you in a week or so."

"I'll see what I can do," he nodded, grinning and bring up a hand to mock-salute. "I'll see if I can't convince her, or at least warm her up to the idea so *you* can convince her. As far as history goes.." He grinned. "Next term should be a little more fun. Feudal Japan is pretty interesting. Everybody likes ninja."

Amanda nodded. "Nothing like a bit of violence t' make history fun."