xp_logs | Angelo and Nathan, Thursday morning...

Nathan feels obligated to offer another apology, and Angelo gets some unsolicited advice.

Angelo was, once again, hiding out in his room, trying to decide if the situation warranted going to Samson's safe house or not. He figured his room was about the best place for him at that time, since the only people he'd see there would be people who actively wanted to see him. Or Jono. Curled up on his bed, he was startled out of his thoughts by a knock at the door.

On the other side of the door, Nathan tilted his head slightly, catching the stray, uncertain thoughts from inside the room. His shields were as good as they were going to be, but he was still receiving more than he was used to. It was probably the 'hole' from the link, he thought with a trace of discomfort. Seepage, for lack of a better word. "Angelo?" he called out when the door didn't open. "Mind if I come in?"

Angelo frowned, a little confused. "Nathan?" He shrugged, figuring the older man had a reason to want to see him and he might as well find out what it was. "Sure, door's not locked."

Nathan opened it and stepped in, sizing up the room with a glance and then focusing on Angelo. "Hey," he said, careful to keep his voice calm, conversational. "Wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" It was mostly a rhetorical question, but a little small talk was probably necessary to start things off.

Angelo half-shrugged. "Not really. Just tryin' to decide somethin', but it can wait."

Nathan closed the door most of the way behind him and leaned against the wall beside it. Amazingly, the run seemed to have helped clear his head. Burning off the drugs faster, most likely-- Of course, that meant the voices were louder, too, but they weren't demanding, today - yet! - so he could cope. "I've been wanting to talk to you for the last couple of days," he said, just as calmly. "About that journal entry of mine, actually. The one you responded to?"

Angelo glanced up at that, eyes wary. "Yeah?"

Nathan smiled slightly, sadly. "I'm sorry." Angelo blinked at him, and Nathan shrugged a little. "That's what I wanted to say, I mean. It didn't even occur to me that there were maybe reasons I shouldn't be sharing what I was seeing in a public forum. It wasn't very considerate of me."

Angelo shrugged again, a little uncomfortably. "You couldn't've known, it's okay."

"Well, no, I couldn't have known," Nathan allowed, "but I should have put a little more thought into what I was doing." He smiled again, a little more wryly. "I was taught to try and consider all the possibilities in any given situation. I seem to be backsliding on that score lately. Not thinking before I act and all that."

Angelo blinked. "Taught by who?" he asked curiously.

Nathan paused for a moment, then shrugged again. Why not add to the gossip mill? It was probably inevitable. A number of people knew already,a fter all. "I was in a government training program from the time I was about fourteen," he said. "They scooped up kids with valuable mutations and not much in the way of family, and trained us for black ops work."

Angelo grimaced, not least because he could imagine how easily he could have been "scooped up" too, after his manifestation. The thought came across clearly, That could've been me.

Nathan heard it, and nodded, studying the kid thoughtfully. "Could have been, but wasn't," he said with a slight smile. "You wound up someplace good, instead." He gestured around to indicate the mansion.

Angelo returned the slight smile. "Somewhere better than I was, even. Much better."

"Helps to remind yourself of that," Nathan murmured speculatively, his eyes still intent on Angelo's face. "When the walls feel like they're closing in--"

Angelo glanced up sharply, the words striking too many chords, and eyed Nathan suspiciously. He *had* just responded to something Angelo hadn't said aloud, after all. "Yeah..."

Nathan raised a defensive hand, the slight smile lingering. "Not doing it deliberately, Angelo. You're tired and I'm picking up the odd thought, that's all. I don't go digging."

Angelo nodded, still looking faintly mistrustful, but not enough to send Nathan away. "Okay. An', yeah. Place isn't feelin' too friendly today."

"I've been reading the journals," Nathan said lightly. "Funny how good intentions can get you into trouble worse than bad. I think the universe has a perverse sense of humor."

Angelo shrugged. "Only good intentions from a certain point of view, I guess. I just wanted to find out what he'd done to... a friend of mine."

Nathan shook his head. "Good intentions," he said firmly. "It's not your fault if things went south."

Angelo managed a wry almost-grin. "Some would say otherwise."

"Do you think they're right?"

Angelo glanced down, suddenly. "Sometimes", he admitted quietly.

Nathan considered the situation for a moment. "I'm not the best authority on subjects like this," he said finally, contemplatively. "I don't tend to interact in any sort of normal fashion with the vast majority of the world. So I can't give you any helpful advice on how to handle the aftermath of something when half your brain is telling you that it's your fault and the other half still thinks you did the right thing." He grinned suddenly, almost mischievously. "I usually go and blow something up when that happens. Not the healthiest response."

Angelo chuckled. "Not sure Mr. Marko'd like that. He already hates me, don't wanna go givin' him any more reasons."

"I don't get the sense that Cain's particularly fond of any of the students," Nathan said, remembering some of the conversation at Harry's. "You shouldn't let that bother you."

Angelo shrugged. "I try not to. Gets to me sometimes, though..."

Nathan tilted his head. "Focus on keeping the good opinion of those whose opinions matter to you," he advised. "Those are the people who are worth the worry."

Angelo nodded. "I know, I know - but that's easier said than done, sometimes."

"Oh, I never said it was easy. Just that it was worth it." Nathan let his gaze wander over the room for a moment, taking in more of the details. "Apart from what's been going on, is it good to be back?" he asked.

Angelo managed a smile. "Yeah, it is. Brighton was good, but it's nice to get back."

"Well," Nathan said, "they do say that a vacation makes you appreciate home more."

That gave Angelo pause. "Home? Yeah, I guess it is, at that. Not like anywhere else is, anymore."

Nathan turned to open the door, giving Angelo a slight smile. "Probably best to stick around and work things out, then," he suggested.

"Not goin' anywhere. Or not for long, anyway."

"Good to hear. I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were deciding," Nathan said over his shoulder. "And I'll get Moira to teach me that--well, whatever the hell you call it when you set up a separate link to a journal entry." He felt his smile turn a bit sad. "Don't want to be giving anyone else nightmares."

"I already had the nightmares", Angelo told him. "Worst you did was fix 'em to a particular night."

"Even so," Nathan murmured, and then nodded. "I'll see you around, Angelo."