Amanda Sefton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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xp_logs2004-04-19 05:53 am
xp_daytripper) wrote in xp_logs2004-04-19 05:53 am
Entry tags:
Angelo, Amanda - early Monday morning
On the overnight bus from Mexico City to Catemaco, Angelo and Amanda talk tactics, last resorts, and the power of names.
'Catemaco, 10 miles' the sign read in Spanish, and Angelo rubbed his tired eyes and tried to stretch without waking the girl who was using his shoulder as a pillow. Even in sleep, Amanda's face wore a pinched, frightened expression, and the familiar dull hate rose in him for the type of person who could induce such a reaction in someone like her. As if picking up on his mood, Amanda stirred, whimpering slightly - Angelo made out a few words, "no", "daddy", and "hurts". He was about to gently shake her awake from what was obviously a nightmare when her eyes snapped open. They glowed briefly, startling him, and she said quietly:
"We're close."
"Saw a sign sayin' ten miles to go," Angelo confirmed. "You okay?"
"This place has a lot of power," she replied, sitting up and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Not as much as Marko, but enough."
"Can you handle it?" Angelo asked cautiously. She wasn't high, as far as he could tell, but he needed to make sure.
"Places ain't the same as objects - charge is more widespread, takes me longer t' absorb it. I can handle it. I have to." She looked out of the bus window at the lush rainforest surrounding them, so different from what she'd seen of Mexico in movies, all desert and cacti. "What 'bout you? You ready for this?"
"I am, now." Angelo patted the duffle bag sitting on his lap. In it was a hand gun he'd picked up from an old gang contact in Mexico City who either hadn't heard or hadn't cared about Angelo's falling out with the gang. He hadn't wanted to admit how much stronger, more sure of himself, he'd felt with the heavy, cold weight of the gun in his hand.
"Only if things go wrong," Amanda reminded him. "Fuck knows I want the bastard dead, but I can't do the unbindin' if he is. An' I ain't lettin' that cunt ruin either of our lives."
Angelo nodded, only a little reluctantly. "Last resort only, got it. But either way, you're free of him, right? Even if... things go wrong?"
"Not if I do it. I use magic t' kill him, an' I might as well have let him take me," Amanda replied. "There ain't no cleansin' ceremony that'll get a death off me conscience." She looked over at him. "An' I know you've killed before, Ange, but that was before the school. We both got a real chance there, an' I ain't gunna let Rack take that away from us."
Angelo nodded again. "Then, whatever happens, you don't kill him. It comes to that, you leave it to me. An' I don't do it unless there's no other choice. Deal?"
"Deal," she said seriously. She reached over to take his hand. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but... I'm glad it's you watchin' me back. You didn't have to, not after what I done t' you... before, but I'm glad you came."
Angelo shrugged, uncomfortable as ever with any suggestion that he was doing anything the next person might not have done. "You couldn't've known this was gonna happen. An' once it did... well. No way was I gonna let you do this alone."
Sensing his discomfort - mainly because she would have felt the same in his place - Amanda let it drop. She looked out the window again, and sighed. "I just wish it hadn't happened in the first place," she said, fear creeping back into her voice. "Sometimes it feels like I'll never be free of him." Her grip on his hand - she hadn't released it - shook a little.
Angelo squeezed her hand. "You will be", he tried to reassure her. "That's why we're goin', remember? One way or another, you will be."
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I know. 'M scared shitless, but this needs doin'." Focussing on the power she could sense growing within her, she pushed the fear back into the back of her mind again. "When we get there an' see him, you gotta remember t' not give him yer name. You'll give him power over you if you do."
Angelo nodded, making a mental note of it in metaphorical big letters. "Okay. Twisted fucker'd probably try an' make me hurt you, wouldn't he? From what you've said, it sounds like his thing..."
"Oh yeah, that would definitely be his sort of thing. He likes t' use people's weaknesses, make 'em work for him. An' he'll be tryin', so remember not t' lose yer head, or he'll fuck you right over," she said. "Don't take anythin' he says t' heart, okay? He'll be tryin' to get at you."
Angelo frowned slightly, knowing himself well enough to see the potential problems with that. "'f it seems like I'm about to lose it, kick me or somethin'. Might not be easy to stick to that, but I'll be tryin'."
Outside the rainforest was giving way to houses and streets, and Amanda twitched slightly as another rush of mystic energy flooded her. This place was a hotspot and a half - no wonder Rack had been able to hide as long as he had. "I'll kick you if you kick me," she said, grinning slightly maniacally. "The way I'm feelin' now, it ain't gunna be easy t' come back down."
Angelo glanced over at her, his frown deepening, not liking the sound of that. "You keepin' your grip okay?"
"It's gettin' harder," she admitted. "This place... the power creeps up on you after a while. It's a bit of a headrush." Her knee started jiggling up and down. "The unbindin' spell should use most of it."
Angelo nodded. "Is there anythin' I can do to help, till then?"
"Sit on me if I try t' glitter anythin'?" she asked, a brief smile flashing across her face, easing the worry for a moment. They passed another sign, this one welcoming visitors to Catemaco, and the scattered houses made way to streets and buildings gleaming white in the very-early-morning sun. Her hand tightened on his, almost too tightly. "Looks like we're just about there."
'Catemaco, 10 miles' the sign read in Spanish, and Angelo rubbed his tired eyes and tried to stretch without waking the girl who was using his shoulder as a pillow. Even in sleep, Amanda's face wore a pinched, frightened expression, and the familiar dull hate rose in him for the type of person who could induce such a reaction in someone like her. As if picking up on his mood, Amanda stirred, whimpering slightly - Angelo made out a few words, "no", "daddy", and "hurts". He was about to gently shake her awake from what was obviously a nightmare when her eyes snapped open. They glowed briefly, startling him, and she said quietly:
"We're close."
"Saw a sign sayin' ten miles to go," Angelo confirmed. "You okay?"
"This place has a lot of power," she replied, sitting up and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Not as much as Marko, but enough."
"Can you handle it?" Angelo asked cautiously. She wasn't high, as far as he could tell, but he needed to make sure.
"Places ain't the same as objects - charge is more widespread, takes me longer t' absorb it. I can handle it. I have to." She looked out of the bus window at the lush rainforest surrounding them, so different from what she'd seen of Mexico in movies, all desert and cacti. "What 'bout you? You ready for this?"
"I am, now." Angelo patted the duffle bag sitting on his lap. In it was a hand gun he'd picked up from an old gang contact in Mexico City who either hadn't heard or hadn't cared about Angelo's falling out with the gang. He hadn't wanted to admit how much stronger, more sure of himself, he'd felt with the heavy, cold weight of the gun in his hand.
"Only if things go wrong," Amanda reminded him. "Fuck knows I want the bastard dead, but I can't do the unbindin' if he is. An' I ain't lettin' that cunt ruin either of our lives."
Angelo nodded, only a little reluctantly. "Last resort only, got it. But either way, you're free of him, right? Even if... things go wrong?"
"Not if I do it. I use magic t' kill him, an' I might as well have let him take me," Amanda replied. "There ain't no cleansin' ceremony that'll get a death off me conscience." She looked over at him. "An' I know you've killed before, Ange, but that was before the school. We both got a real chance there, an' I ain't gunna let Rack take that away from us."
Angelo nodded again. "Then, whatever happens, you don't kill him. It comes to that, you leave it to me. An' I don't do it unless there's no other choice. Deal?"
"Deal," she said seriously. She reached over to take his hand. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but... I'm glad it's you watchin' me back. You didn't have to, not after what I done t' you... before, but I'm glad you came."
Angelo shrugged, uncomfortable as ever with any suggestion that he was doing anything the next person might not have done. "You couldn't've known this was gonna happen. An' once it did... well. No way was I gonna let you do this alone."
Sensing his discomfort - mainly because she would have felt the same in his place - Amanda let it drop. She looked out the window again, and sighed. "I just wish it hadn't happened in the first place," she said, fear creeping back into her voice. "Sometimes it feels like I'll never be free of him." Her grip on his hand - she hadn't released it - shook a little.
Angelo squeezed her hand. "You will be", he tried to reassure her. "That's why we're goin', remember? One way or another, you will be."
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I know. 'M scared shitless, but this needs doin'." Focussing on the power she could sense growing within her, she pushed the fear back into the back of her mind again. "When we get there an' see him, you gotta remember t' not give him yer name. You'll give him power over you if you do."
Angelo nodded, making a mental note of it in metaphorical big letters. "Okay. Twisted fucker'd probably try an' make me hurt you, wouldn't he? From what you've said, it sounds like his thing..."
"Oh yeah, that would definitely be his sort of thing. He likes t' use people's weaknesses, make 'em work for him. An' he'll be tryin', so remember not t' lose yer head, or he'll fuck you right over," she said. "Don't take anythin' he says t' heart, okay? He'll be tryin' to get at you."
Angelo frowned slightly, knowing himself well enough to see the potential problems with that. "'f it seems like I'm about to lose it, kick me or somethin'. Might not be easy to stick to that, but I'll be tryin'."
Outside the rainforest was giving way to houses and streets, and Amanda twitched slightly as another rush of mystic energy flooded her. This place was a hotspot and a half - no wonder Rack had been able to hide as long as he had. "I'll kick you if you kick me," she said, grinning slightly maniacally. "The way I'm feelin' now, it ain't gunna be easy t' come back down."
Angelo glanced over at her, his frown deepening, not liking the sound of that. "You keepin' your grip okay?"
"It's gettin' harder," she admitted. "This place... the power creeps up on you after a while. It's a bit of a headrush." Her knee started jiggling up and down. "The unbindin' spell should use most of it."
Angelo nodded. "Is there anythin' I can do to help, till then?"
"Sit on me if I try t' glitter anythin'?" she asked, a brief smile flashing across her face, easing the worry for a moment. They passed another sign, this one welcoming visitors to Catemaco, and the scattered houses made way to streets and buildings gleaming white in the very-early-morning sun. Her hand tightened on his, almost too tightly. "Looks like we're just about there."