xp_logs | chitchat on the plane.

"I'm bored," Clarice announced to Amanda, her seatmate.

"That didn't take long," Amanda replied dryly, blinking as Clarice's announcement brought her out

of her doze. Moira had given her one last batch of sedatives for the flight and she kept falling

asleep. Pete had got her on the plane and in her seat, and then given her some space. "'S only

been..." She looked at the other girl's watch. "Four hours?"

"Well, I've listened to music and tried to sleep but I can't and the tetris on teh seat back is

boring," Clarice babbled, "And you just sleep!"

"'S not my fault - Doc gave me enough shit t' dope an elephant. Or Nate." Amanda straightened,

rubbed her eyes, wiped what she would deny vehemently was drool from her face. "Fine, 'm awake now.

What d'you want t' do?"

"I dunno," she was less than helpful. "I was hoping you'd have an idea."

Amanda rolled her eyes. Clarice was a nice kid, but she could be such a pain in the arse sometimes.

"Well, since we're in a plane flyin' several thousand feet above the ground, the options're

limited. Here's a strange an' new concept - we could talk."

Talking. With Amanda. And all the crazy shit that had been going on. Clarice thought a minute, "I'm

sorry."

"You wot?" Surprised by the sudden apology, Amanda's accent thickened momentarily. "What for?" She

thought about it. "Look, Clarice, I ain't gunna break if you treat me like normal. Fact is, I like

it. Not havin' t' think 'bout... everythin' for ten minutes. There's some shite been happenin' in

me life lately, most of it me own doin', but I'm dealin' with it. Or startin' to." Amanda sighed,

and then changed tack. "What I mean is, we can have a normal conversation. Dyin' for one, actually.

So, how about you tell me what made you want t' come along on this little excursion?"

"I mean, I'm sorry for not visiting in the medlab. I don't like it down there. That's all," she

tried to explain, "I came because I didn't want to be stuck at school over the break. I mean...you

heard what my dad did? Massive suckage."

"Yeah. By the sounds of it, parents are jerks." Amanda looked over at the other girl. "He's a prat,

y'know. There ain't nothin' wrong with how you look."

Clarice shrugged, "Maybe, if I keep telling myself that, I might believe it, but then right when I

start to, Angelo gets beat up or something."

"That's because we're livin' on the edge of a town with its head up its arse, in a country founded

by religious zealots who thought drinkin' beer would send you t' hell," Amanda said with a

contemptuous sneer. "You can't let the fact there are arseholes out there make you afraid t' be who

you are.'Specially if who you are is a decent person with a disturbin' over-fondness for glitter,

who just happens t' be purple. A nice shade of purple at that - you could have been, like, royal

purple or something."

Clarice laughed, "When you put it like that...it seems so easy. And there is nothing wrong with

glitter! It's happy!"

"It ain't easy, but try t' keep it in mind. Or not - 'm probably not the best person t' be gettin'

advice from lately. Just ask Ange." Amanda cast a guilty look to where Angelo, Paige and Jono were

sitting. "But there's places where it's safe t' be different, an' you shouldn't live in hidin' -

only means the bastards've won. Learn t' fight, or learn t' run, an' try an' change things. You

won't change things usin' that thing t' hide who you are."

"Your advice makes sense to me. And I don't want to hide. During the Red X mission the other day, I

didn't need too really. It was different." Clarice shifted in her seat, "Do they intentionally make

these seats as uncomfortable as possible?"

"'S all a plot t' take over the world by makin' our arses so numb we can't walk," said Amanda with

a grin. "Hey, I saw you ask in your journal 'bout gettin' your hair cut. I think it'd look good. If

you want t' do it, you could get it done while yer away. Surprise everyone with a new you when you

get back."

"Hey cool! I want it long enough to pull back when fencing or short enough not to need to pull it

back, but right now I can't brush it very well," Clarice's hair was reaching her waist. She hadn't

gotten it cut in close to a year.

"Yeah, if you can't see to it yerself, it ain't exactly practical, is it?" A speculative look

appeared on Amanda's face. "You considered anythin' else, changin' yer look? Not that there's

anythin' wrong except the plaid glitter, but you could have a lot of fun showin' off to those

sticks-in-the-mud who're stayin' home."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno. New clothes, maybe a piercin' or two? I'd suggest a tat, but you wouldn't be up for that

kind of thing, would you?"

"A tattoo?" Clarice hadn't really thought about one, "I dunno...maybe."

"Just a thought." Amanda shrugged. "Hey, looks like they're gunna feed us. Nice new distraction."

"Food!" Clarice perked up, "And it even looks edible!"

"That does it, this plane's possessed. Airplane food is never edible. Next thing you know we'll

have demons leapin' out of the overhead lockers..."