LOG: Manuel and Amanda - Pants Night Clubbing

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Who: Manuel de la Rocha, Amanda Sefton
Where: Outside of the Front Door of the Mansion, inside the Club
When: Friday, April 9, 2004
What Happens: They're cute. Really. They chat, they dance, Manuel offers to take her out for her birthday. But storm clouds are on the horizon...



---

Manuel was by the front door and waiting impatiently for everyone else to show up. Normally he was a big believer in Fashionably Late, but in -this- instance he wanted to show off his new black leather pants (just barely broken in enough to move around in) and his new crimson silk button-down and his new black leather hat. And his new pair of Docs. Around his left wrist was, once again, the plain silver bracelet that represented his personal cross to bear.

Amanda never wore a watch, but her time sense was telling her they were cutting it close. Getting Paige to leave the bathroom after getting dressed had been a mammoth task (they'd had to threaten to get Sarah to pick the lock and drag her out) and then there was the business of getting Jane dressed, not to mention herself... Smoothing down the new black-and-silver tank top she'd bought in London to go with the pants, Amanda raced down the stairs to make sure Pete didn't leave without them, and nearly collided with Manuel as she reached the front door. "Hey."

Manuel stepped backwards to avoid the stampeding witch, and then eyed her up and down. "Hey. You look nice. Nice pants. We just about ready to go?"

"Nice hat," she replied, grinning. "Very swish. An' yeah, we're nearly there. Just havin' trouble with Paige. She seems t' think she's makin' a spectacle of herself. I came down t' make sure Pete doesn't take off without us."

He _looked_ at her, at her emotions, to double-check for sincerity. Seeing that it was genuine, he smiled at her dazzlingly. "Glad you like it. I thought you might. I could help with Paige ... well, not as easily as I could, but I still might be able to..." he babbles, still looking at Amanda.

"Nah, 's covered. We're usin' the ol' fashioned way, threats. Told her we'd send Sarah after her if she didn't get her arse downstairs." Amanda didn't seem to notice Manuel's awkwardness, reaching out to touch the sleeve of his shirt - she loved the feel of silk, as Manuel had discovered early on. "An' if they don't get down here soon, we can just go without 'em."

Manuel kept up his dazzling smile. "Sounds like a plan. I made sure to wear red, so that Paige wouldn't feel so awkward in whatever outlandish getup she's got going on. I do like that top - is it new? Looks good on you."

"Rom took me shoppin' before I left. Her choice, but I can live with it." The compliment pleased her, which in turn confused her. And Manuel was looking at her in an odd way. "It covers up enough without lookin' too frumpy."

Manuel brushed that off. "Come _on_, we are going clubbing! Frumpy is Not Allowed. You look fine. I'll bet you twenty US dollars that you don't have to buy yourself a single drink all night. " He also stopped using his empathic sense on her, even as limited as it was, because she was starting get too curious about it. "It's such a shame that everything closes so _early_ in America - in Madrid, the clubs don't really even start really happening until about 2:30 or so. Closing time is 6AM."

She nodded. "Brighton's the same - clubs close at dawn, an' then you can stagger out the door t' the beach an' watch the sun rise. Americans have no fuckin' clue how t' have fun." A mischievous grin crossed her face. "An' I hope I can get people t' buy me drinks, since the condition of Pete doin' this is that the bar staff know we're underage."

Manuel blinked. Repeatedly. "Now _that_ is just criminally unfair. Well, I'll just have to wield my devastating good looks at some American cow to get drinks. If I just had my power, drinks wouldn't be a problem..."

"There's always a way 'round everythin'," Amanda told him, still grinning. She patted his arm again. "Trust me."

Manny leaned over to whisper "I trust you" into her ear sensuously, then pulled back with a laugh. "We should go see if the bus is ready. Next time, I just call the Club and arrange for a limo. We should arrive in style. What do you think?"

A shiver ran through her as his breath tickled her ear, and she smiled at him. That was familiar territory, unlike whatever-the-hell it was he was doing before. "You might have a point there," she said, remembering her email to Shinobi. "Come on."

(later, at the club … )

"Thanks, Tom," Amanda said to the young black guy behind the bar, tipping him a wink and a suggestive smile as she took the two glasses from him. They held orange juice, but with a healthy shot of vodka in each. Carefully she wove her way back through the crowd to where Manuel was waiting. "There you are. Always helps to make friends in high places. Or at least, behind the bar."

Manuel put both hands on his bare chest over his heart and fluttered his eyelids. "Mah Savior!" he exclaimed, in a really, really bad copy of Marie's Southern accent. "Is it just me, or is this club sadly lacking in something? Besides female barmaids, that is. Can't believe it's all men tending bar."

It was on the tip of Amanda's tongue to mention that Tom was bi and thought Manuel was rather cute, but she remembered that was a particular no-go area for Manuel. "Well, it ain't up t' the standards I'm used to, but what can you expect somewhere where the drinkin' age is twenty-one?" She gave Manuel's bare chest an appreciative look. "Still, it's got its compensations."

Manuel swayed back and forth to the beat as a song started that he actually A) knew and B) liked. "Come on, this one's a good one." he said, grabbed at Amanda's wrist to drag her onto the dance floor.

Amanda knocked back the rest of her drink, finding the bulk of the vodka was in the bottom. She already had a pleasant buzz that was partly alcoholic, but mostly dancing-induced, and she wasn't about to argue with another dance. She let Manuel lead her out, already moving to the beat - she recognized the song from Brighton.

Manuel danced with Amanda, completely ignoring anyone else who tried to get close to him (and there were a few, both women and men) in favor of trying to take the role of Amanda's Second Skin. "Gods, I needed this." he said as he danced. "Someday, I'll take you to a real club. In Madrid. We'll dance all night, and drink like fish, and laugh at the absurdity of the world."

"Deal. As long as you come with me t' Brighton sometime. You'd like it there - lots of happy vibes." Amanda pressed herself close, matching Manuel's swaying, fully aware of the fact they were getting more than a little attention.

Manuel couldn't help but grin like an idiot at the closeness, even as his power was going berserk in his skull, clawing at the filter. "This Brighton of yours sounds like it could be a lot of fun for us. I'd love to see it sometime." he said as he ground himself against her for a moment, reveling in not only the feeling but also the attention from the others.

"There's always summer hols - Rom an' Pete're the closest I got t' family, so I s'pose that's where I'll be." There was no bitterness or sadness in the tone, just a statement of fact. "But I can't see Rom wantin' me underfoot for however long it is, so she wouldn't mind if someone came along an' kidnapped me. Provided she met 'em first," she added with a grin.

Manuel quirked an eyebrow at Amanda. "If I am to be subjected to both Pete and Rom, then you will of course have to have dinner with Alphonso. I'll do my best to make sure you come out of the experience as unmolested as you care to be." he said, but with all the bitterness that Amanda forewent.

Amanda's grin turned hard. "Oh, I think I'll manage. 'M used t' dirty old men." She hugged him, briefly, without breaking step. "So, that's the summer planned. An' it's only April."

Manuel forced himself to smile again. "It will likely not be a problem, as you are too old for Alphonso's tastes." he said, again with the bitterness. "And speaking of getting old - I have heard a vicious rumor that you have a birthday coming up. Is this true?"

"Next Wednesday," she said shrugging. "I'd almost forgot - it sort of crept up on me."

Manuel grinned. "It is a good thing my information was correct, then. If you wish it, I have a birthday gift for you. It's something you'll really like. I'll tell you about it later." Manuel is, perhaps distressingly, a very, very good dancer.

"'Gift'? What..." She gave him a look. "You didn't go an' buy that horse for me, did you? 'Cause I'm still decidin' 'bout that."

Manuel gets a look that he doesn't normally get - honestly offended. "I said that I would not, and I did not." he snaps out. "Do you think so little of me?"

"No, of course not. 'M sorry," Amanda looked genuinely remorseful, and she knew Manuel would be able to see that in her emotional make up, dampener or no dampener. "Surprises make me nervous, is all. I ain't used to 'em, except the nasty kind."

Manuel could have kicked himself for not considering that. "Of course, of course, how thoughtless of me! I must seem so rude and inconsiderate to you. Well, if you'd like, I was going to offer you something I know you like - free food, free drink, live punk and as for after ... well, we'll just have to see, now, won't we?" he said with a devilish grin.

"Not rude. Or inconsiderate. Ain't yer fault I had a... wait... Live punk? You want t' take me to a punk club? But you hate the stuff!" Happiness and excitement blazed out, clear even to Manuel's hampered 'vision'.

Manuel just basked in the glow of that happiness and excitement. "It's your birthday. Your wish is my command. If you want live punk, there will be live punk. Whatever you want, to the limit of my bank account." he says with a smile. "Just you and I."

"I... that is... you... we... Thank you. Really." Amanda struggled with the words. "I'd like that. An' it was nice of you t' think of it." She tilted her head and looked at him. "You keep doin' that, doin' nice things for me."

Manuel looked at Amanda, looked into her eyes. "You like it." is all he said before leaning in to steal a kiss. "There's no string, no obligation. If you don't want it..." he said as the song wound down to a close.

"I want it," she said, cheeks flushed with more than just the exertion of dancing. She reached up to brush her lips against his again. "Thank you."

"For you? Anything." he murmurs, almost too low to be heard over the crowd and the ringing in her ears. "I've gone and danced up another thirst, and this DJ really, really bites. I'm gonna go grab my drink, and see if I can sweet-talk the bartender into something a little stronger. Want anything?" he said in a normal tone of voice.

"I'm good. Ask for Tom, tell him yer a mate of mine," she said, glad for the change of tone. Things were getting a bit intense. "'M gunna see if I can find Shinobi an' Sarah - come an' join us?"

Manny waved back at Amanda, as he was already on his way to the bar to grab more drinks. Being as slender as he is, he found the crowds by the bar to be not very difficult to navigate. He wormed his way to the bar, where he and Tom struck up a conversation for a few seconds, then the black man began pouring Manuel drinks.

For her part, Amanda wove her way through the crowd, looking for Shinobi and Sarah and wondering since when had things gotten more complicated than a bit of harmless fun.