Amanda & Namor | Wednesday Afternoon
Feb. 19th, 2014 04:30 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAmanda meets Namor in the library. There are sparks, but not the ones you may expect.
Namor took a deep, relaxing breath. He then sneezed, as the library still mildly smelt like fresh paint due to ongoing repairs after a demon invasion. He himself would have suggested a full remodel, but that was a matter of taste. Much like the poetry he was reading. Likely also demons.
In darkness in my grave, you who once could cheer,
Return me Posilipo and the Italian sea...
He smiled. Poetry was his mother's passion, but the measured verse was calming and also very good for impressing American girls. De Nerval may not be ideal for that, but they didn't really know enough French to appreciate the subtlety.
"Bless you," came a voice from within the stacks. A young woman came out into the main area after that, looking absently through the pile of leather-bound books held in the crook of her arm. She was in her twenties, blond, and dressed in business casual. But on her feet were a pair of battered Doc Marten boots and her nose and eyebrow were pierced. She looked up when she reached the table, setting her books down. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. It's reflex, you know - someone sneezes, you say 'bless you'. Mind if I sit here?"
Namor was ready and primed to be affronted by this intrusion -- there are certain immutable laws about libraries -- but instead found the need to pause and collect himself. Hair? Acceptable. Dress? He felt a little too casual in his loafers, slacks, and sweater, but the cut and fabric were of quality. This encounter was a welcome distraction, but his first impression would be crucial. This woman was as stunning as any De Nerval.
"I would be honored," was accompanied by his suavest, most charming smile. Namor stood to greet her, subtly lowering his own book so she could see what he was reading before shutting it.
She raised an eyebrow at the gentlemanly behaviour and the not-so-subtle display of his reading material and sat, a hint of humour playing about her mouth. "Would I be right in guessing you're the mansion's current Attilani royal?" she asked, accent changing slightly to a more polished "BBC" English.
"The Queen and Princess are my father's cousins," Namor added automatically while moving to seat himself after Amanda had done so. He settled his hands on top of his current book, attention rapt. "Although I am merely a Marqés. Nothing so esteemed." There was deference in his tone, but not an ounce of humility. With a small gesture he motioned toward her books, "What are you reading?"
Was he flirting? Amanda thought he might be. What was it with her and arrogant Spanish-speaking brunettes? He reminded her strongly of Manuel. "Ethics, for starters," she replied, tilting up the top book for him to see the title. "Young mutants, powers... you kind of need to get started with the ethical stuff early. Especially with my kids." She grinned briefly. "Their powers are kind of tricky."
"That's fascinating," he lilted in a way that was more "You're fascinating." Namor did, however, make a mental footnote that she was a teacher. "Ethics can be a very tricky subject regardless of powers. Social morés, philosophy... Lots of exciting angles to explore."
"And with magic, you get the whole "what you do rebounds on you" thing, which means that you really have to think about what you're doing before you do it. Which isn't exactly the strong point of teenagers," Amanda agreed with a chuckle, although she was watching him out of the corner of her eye for his reaction to the "M" word. "What about you? Student or teacher or one of the in-betweeners?"
Ah, another matter of taste. "I'm studying for a pre-law track at Columbia University," Namor replied curtly. His smile shifted in shade toward apology, "Attilan doesn't have a large magic community. I'm afraid that I know very little about the rights and wrongs of spell-use."
"I got my sociology degree from Columbia. It's a good school." Apparently he was more unhappy about being thought of as a student, huh. Definitely like Manuel in that respect — status was everything. "To be honest, outside of Xavier's, the rights and wrongs aren't well known by anyone but a few. But it is a sort of a thing here - like I said, there's a few kids learning magic, and I'm their teacher. As well as working at the Snow Valley Centre as a researcher."
"There isn't a clear definition of right and wrong in regular ethics. I cannot imagine that magic makes it easier." This was accompanied by a sympathetic smile. "That's where Mr. Ramsey and Miss Colbert work, correct?"
"Pretty much - it really winds up boiling down to intentions and not using magic for every little thing, but try telling the kids that." She smiled in return. "And yes, that's right - there's a few of us old students working there. How about you, Namor... Is it all right if I call you Namor? Or would you prefer Senor Mazur? What are your plans for your time here in the States?"
"Technically, it would Senhor McKenzie," Namor added with accentuated Portuguese and a slight frown. "Propriety dictates that first names are reserved for close friends. Are you hoping to get to know me better?" He paused, considering that she knew his full name. The smile returned, "You have me at a disadvantage. I don't even know your name."
"Oh, you're right. How rude of me." She held out her hand for him to shake. "Amanda Sefton. And my apologies — part of my job is to know what's going on here at the school, so I had the advantage of knowing who you were the minute I sat down."
Namor returned the handshake gratefully. "It is my pleasure, Miss Sefton. Do you make a habit of knowing about all the students? Do you teach more than the magic ones?"
She didn't answer right away - at the skin contact, she had felt a peculiar buzzing sensation, like a mild static shock, only it didn't go away straight away. Frowning, she rubbed at her hand, flexing the fingers. What the hell was that? "Huh? Oh, no, I only teach magic — my Snow Valley job tends to make me a bit unreliable as far as regular teaching goes. Lots of travel." Her accent had dropped back to its normal slightly-softened North London without her noticing. "'Scuse me for asking, but... is there magic in your family at all? Weird old family heirlooms, that sort of thing?"
She received a very confused stare in response. The buzzing sensation was not mutual. "No? Lots of mutancy, but no magic."
"Huh." Amanda shook her hand again, as if shaking away the sensation. There was definitely something weird about the young man. "Sorry, sometimes I pick up... stuff. Energy signatures, mystical stuff. My powers sometimes act weird." She shrugged, filing the incident away for further research later. "So, how are you finding things here?" she asked, changing the subject.
Namor pursed his lips in thought. "Maybe they didn't get all of the demon reside out of the library," he offered as if he knew anything about demons. There was no break in his tone to indicate that this was of any more note than talking about the weather.
"What do you mean by 'weird'?" he said, both purposefully avoiding the change of subject and realizing that he was spending too much time around Clint Barton.
Amanda grimaced as she realised he wasn't going to be derailed. "My mutation," she explained with a sigh. "I absorb energy and redirect it into magic. For a while, that energy was from mystical objects. It's not any more, but I sometimes still get the odd reaction when I'm around mystical energy. But you're probably right, 's probably leftover demon residue."
"Oh, I've upset you," Namor said with an apologetic smile, "It was wrong for me to pry. I've been getting that question any time I run into someone new. You must have a lot of students that run screaming after a few weeks."
"No, no, you haven't, I was just a bit distracted. Sorry to drop into cliche on you. You must be so disappointed in me." Amanda's sense of humour came back to the fore as she spoke. "But it is an honest question - between mutants, magic and general mayhem, the mansion's not the easiest place to live in, sometimes. I remember Crystal had a lot of trouble when she was a student here, trying to fit in."
"I could be tempted into forgiving you," Namor said slyly. "After all, there were sparks when we met. That's clearly a sign."
He let this hang for a minute before laughing. "Not really. However, I am very interested in Tia Crystal's awkward years."
Amanda laughed out loud at that. "Well then, Senhor, if I'm going to tell stories, we'd better go somewhere less library-ish." She cocked her head slightly, weighing him up. "You up for a coffee or something down at Catseye's restaurant?"
"I'd be delighted, Miss Sefton. Consider me under your spell, " Namor said jokingly as he began to tidy his books.
Namor took a deep, relaxing breath. He then sneezed, as the library still mildly smelt like fresh paint due to ongoing repairs after a demon invasion. He himself would have suggested a full remodel, but that was a matter of taste. Much like the poetry he was reading. Likely also demons.
In darkness in my grave, you who once could cheer,
Return me Posilipo and the Italian sea...
He smiled. Poetry was his mother's passion, but the measured verse was calming and also very good for impressing American girls. De Nerval may not be ideal for that, but they didn't really know enough French to appreciate the subtlety.
"Bless you," came a voice from within the stacks. A young woman came out into the main area after that, looking absently through the pile of leather-bound books held in the crook of her arm. She was in her twenties, blond, and dressed in business casual. But on her feet were a pair of battered Doc Marten boots and her nose and eyebrow were pierced. She looked up when she reached the table, setting her books down. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. It's reflex, you know - someone sneezes, you say 'bless you'. Mind if I sit here?"
Namor was ready and primed to be affronted by this intrusion -- there are certain immutable laws about libraries -- but instead found the need to pause and collect himself. Hair? Acceptable. Dress? He felt a little too casual in his loafers, slacks, and sweater, but the cut and fabric were of quality. This encounter was a welcome distraction, but his first impression would be crucial. This woman was as stunning as any De Nerval.
"I would be honored," was accompanied by his suavest, most charming smile. Namor stood to greet her, subtly lowering his own book so she could see what he was reading before shutting it.
She raised an eyebrow at the gentlemanly behaviour and the not-so-subtle display of his reading material and sat, a hint of humour playing about her mouth. "Would I be right in guessing you're the mansion's current Attilani royal?" she asked, accent changing slightly to a more polished "BBC" English.
"The Queen and Princess are my father's cousins," Namor added automatically while moving to seat himself after Amanda had done so. He settled his hands on top of his current book, attention rapt. "Although I am merely a Marqés. Nothing so esteemed." There was deference in his tone, but not an ounce of humility. With a small gesture he motioned toward her books, "What are you reading?"
Was he flirting? Amanda thought he might be. What was it with her and arrogant Spanish-speaking brunettes? He reminded her strongly of Manuel. "Ethics, for starters," she replied, tilting up the top book for him to see the title. "Young mutants, powers... you kind of need to get started with the ethical stuff early. Especially with my kids." She grinned briefly. "Their powers are kind of tricky."
"That's fascinating," he lilted in a way that was more "You're fascinating." Namor did, however, make a mental footnote that she was a teacher. "Ethics can be a very tricky subject regardless of powers. Social morés, philosophy... Lots of exciting angles to explore."
"And with magic, you get the whole "what you do rebounds on you" thing, which means that you really have to think about what you're doing before you do it. Which isn't exactly the strong point of teenagers," Amanda agreed with a chuckle, although she was watching him out of the corner of her eye for his reaction to the "M" word. "What about you? Student or teacher or one of the in-betweeners?"
Ah, another matter of taste. "I'm studying for a pre-law track at Columbia University," Namor replied curtly. His smile shifted in shade toward apology, "Attilan doesn't have a large magic community. I'm afraid that I know very little about the rights and wrongs of spell-use."
"I got my sociology degree from Columbia. It's a good school." Apparently he was more unhappy about being thought of as a student, huh. Definitely like Manuel in that respect — status was everything. "To be honest, outside of Xavier's, the rights and wrongs aren't well known by anyone but a few. But it is a sort of a thing here - like I said, there's a few kids learning magic, and I'm their teacher. As well as working at the Snow Valley Centre as a researcher."
"There isn't a clear definition of right and wrong in regular ethics. I cannot imagine that magic makes it easier." This was accompanied by a sympathetic smile. "That's where Mr. Ramsey and Miss Colbert work, correct?"
"Pretty much - it really winds up boiling down to intentions and not using magic for every little thing, but try telling the kids that." She smiled in return. "And yes, that's right - there's a few of us old students working there. How about you, Namor... Is it all right if I call you Namor? Or would you prefer Senor Mazur? What are your plans for your time here in the States?"
"Technically, it would Senhor McKenzie," Namor added with accentuated Portuguese and a slight frown. "Propriety dictates that first names are reserved for close friends. Are you hoping to get to know me better?" He paused, considering that she knew his full name. The smile returned, "You have me at a disadvantage. I don't even know your name."
"Oh, you're right. How rude of me." She held out her hand for him to shake. "Amanda Sefton. And my apologies — part of my job is to know what's going on here at the school, so I had the advantage of knowing who you were the minute I sat down."
Namor returned the handshake gratefully. "It is my pleasure, Miss Sefton. Do you make a habit of knowing about all the students? Do you teach more than the magic ones?"
She didn't answer right away - at the skin contact, she had felt a peculiar buzzing sensation, like a mild static shock, only it didn't go away straight away. Frowning, she rubbed at her hand, flexing the fingers. What the hell was that? "Huh? Oh, no, I only teach magic — my Snow Valley job tends to make me a bit unreliable as far as regular teaching goes. Lots of travel." Her accent had dropped back to its normal slightly-softened North London without her noticing. "'Scuse me for asking, but... is there magic in your family at all? Weird old family heirlooms, that sort of thing?"
She received a very confused stare in response. The buzzing sensation was not mutual. "No? Lots of mutancy, but no magic."
"Huh." Amanda shook her hand again, as if shaking away the sensation. There was definitely something weird about the young man. "Sorry, sometimes I pick up... stuff. Energy signatures, mystical stuff. My powers sometimes act weird." She shrugged, filing the incident away for further research later. "So, how are you finding things here?" she asked, changing the subject.
Namor pursed his lips in thought. "Maybe they didn't get all of the demon reside out of the library," he offered as if he knew anything about demons. There was no break in his tone to indicate that this was of any more note than talking about the weather.
"What do you mean by 'weird'?" he said, both purposefully avoiding the change of subject and realizing that he was spending too much time around Clint Barton.
Amanda grimaced as she realised he wasn't going to be derailed. "My mutation," she explained with a sigh. "I absorb energy and redirect it into magic. For a while, that energy was from mystical objects. It's not any more, but I sometimes still get the odd reaction when I'm around mystical energy. But you're probably right, 's probably leftover demon residue."
"Oh, I've upset you," Namor said with an apologetic smile, "It was wrong for me to pry. I've been getting that question any time I run into someone new. You must have a lot of students that run screaming after a few weeks."
"No, no, you haven't, I was just a bit distracted. Sorry to drop into cliche on you. You must be so disappointed in me." Amanda's sense of humour came back to the fore as she spoke. "But it is an honest question - between mutants, magic and general mayhem, the mansion's not the easiest place to live in, sometimes. I remember Crystal had a lot of trouble when she was a student here, trying to fit in."
"I could be tempted into forgiving you," Namor said slyly. "After all, there were sparks when we met. That's clearly a sign."
He let this hang for a minute before laughing. "Not really. However, I am very interested in Tia Crystal's awkward years."
Amanda laughed out loud at that. "Well then, Senhor, if I'm going to tell stories, we'd better go somewhere less library-ish." She cocked her head slightly, weighing him up. "You up for a coffee or something down at Catseye's restaurant?"
"I'd be delighted, Miss Sefton. Consider me under your spell, " Namor said jokingly as he began to tidy his books.
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Date: 2014-02-19 11:54 pm (UTC)