Topaz and Amanda || Bad Paths
May. 6th, 2018 08:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsPost-Limbo, Amanda attempts to have a discussion with Topaz about some of her less stellar choices. It goes exactly how you'd expect at this point.
Hydrate, get something not chocolate to eat, sleep somewhere not made of rocks, etc. etc. etc. Topaz was barely listening to the doctor, and bolted as soon as she had the chance, going for her suite. "Midnight?" She called as she walked in, looking around. No cat coming to greet her or yowl at her for being gone for so long. "Might as well let someone else keep you at this rate," she muttered, heading for the kitchen. She'd figure out who had the cat later. Hope, probably.
To her credit, she did drink a glass of water before beginning the debate between alcohol and tea. She had finally decided on alcohol, and was grabbing a bottle of wine, when someone knocked on the door. Jesus, who knew she was back already? She sighed, reached out to find out who was on the other side, and bit back groan. "Oh goody," she said, loudly enough to be heard as she put the wine away. She knew Kurt had gotten her to her room the night of her birthday. And if he hadn't told his sister, Topaz would frankly be amazed. "Time for the post-disaster Topaz check-up to make sure she hasn't gone off yet? It's unlocked."
"Actually, I came to bring your cat back," was Amanda's deceptively mild reply as she came in. Said cat was nestled in the crook of her arm, blinking lazily at Topaz. "When you lot went missing, I made sure she was okay."
Topaz' eyes flicked down to the comfortable cat, who looked like any disruption of said comfort would result in a scratch and the silent treatment until her next meal time. "Thank you." Her voice was tight, but her tone honestly grateful. She always worried about Midnight when she went somewhere - or was kidnapped. Which seemed to be about every other month. "Cuppa?" She asked, moving to make the tea instead. Three days without tea or alcohol. She wasn't sure which one was more of a crime.
"Sure." Amanda went over to the couch and sat, Midnight making a disgruntled noise until she settled herself in the blonde's lap. "Everyone come back okay?"
"Illyana's exhausted - I mean, everyone is, but I think teleporting so many people twice in three days wiped her out." Topaz rummaged around, trying to find something nice and calming. She'd been on edge the fight with the gargoyles and imps and.... whatever other demons had been there. "Everyone else seemed fine."
"It might be an idea to keep an eye on folks. Demonic dimensions tend to leave a bit of a residue. Especially if there's any actual possessions." Amanda's tone was off-hand. "Since you were there, you'll know who's susceptible."
"No possessions that I know of?" Topaz shrugged, but she was suddenly on edge. She wasn't stupid enough to try and outright probe Amanda's mind, but she kept her senses sharp. "Rahne had some trouble with her wolf form and that... kid," she waved a hand, "the one with all the inventions, he was acting kind of weird, but I dunno what's normal for him. Nothing too off about anyone else."
"Limbo's messy, no matter which version it is. Keep an eye out, is all." Amanda scritched behind Midnight's ear and was rewarded with a deep purring. "Still, you don't need me to tell you that. How about you? Feeling all right? 'S not the best place to have empathy."
"I'm not sure anywhere is a great place to have empathy anymore," Topaz said, keeping herself busy with the tea. Her mind flashed to the various demons she had drained, and the faint but audible buzzing in the back of her her head. "Yeah. I'm fine. Aren't I always?"
"So you keep telling me. But I still ask." Amanda looked down at Midnight again, stroking under her chin. "And Gabe? Is he fine?"
Fuck. Topaz turned off the stove and turned around to look at Amanda at last, leaning against the counter. "Just say what you want to say, Amanda."
"I was hoping you'd tell me." With a sigh, Amanda lifted Midnight off her lap and set the cat on the couch next to her before standing. "I get things were bad, Topaz, and you did what you had to do. But..." She spread her hands, a little helplessly. "Have you even checked he's all right?"
"He's not exactly anything right now," Topaz pointed out stiffly. "And he'll be fine in a few hours. It's not like I've never drained anyone before."
"Except every other time, you cared about what it would do," pointed out the older witch. "But this time..." She left the sentence hanging, hoping that Topaz would prove her wrong.
"This time what?" Topaz prompted, not taking the bait. Because she didn't know what to say. She wasn't sorry. They had been in trouble. She had done what she needed to do.
"This time you don't care. You didn't ask beforehand, you didn't follow up on him afterwards." Amanda shook her head. "You're on a dangerous path, kiddo. Believe me, I know. It's one thing to use your powers when you're pushed to it, but it's another to treat people - your friends - like they're nothing more than a power source."
"Yeah, I'm aware," Topaz barely managed not to snap back. "You give me the lecture about dangerous paths every other year. I don't know if you've noticed, Amanda, but I'm not you. I did what I had to do to keep everyone else alive, it's not like I'm experimenting on Tandy again or going around randomly draining people because I feel like it! I don't particularly enjoy having anyone else's emotions in my head, it's not a treat for me."
Amanda winced. The remark about not being her hit hard - she'd been aware of the hypocrisy of her taking Topaz to task, but who else would know better the danger her former charge was in? "I know that, kiddo. But you can't deny, you're not yourself lately. And with it being Limbo, I'm worried."
Topaz clenched her jaw so tight it almost hurt. No, she hadn't been herself. It hadn't been deliberate at first, but now... "Well, you don't need to worry," she said coldly. "You can check 'make sure the kiddo hasn't lost it yet' off your list." The buzzing seemed to be getting louder. Topaz blew out a breath and shook her head, turning back to start the stove again. "I'm fine. I'll apologize to Gabriel tomorrow."
"Topaz..." Amanda's tone was almost pleading, but what more could she say? "He'll appreciate it," she finished lamely. She indicated the door. "I should go. Things to do and all that. Rain check on the tea?"
"Yeah," Topaz said flatly without looking back at Amanda. "Rain check. Sure."
Hydrate, get something not chocolate to eat, sleep somewhere not made of rocks, etc. etc. etc. Topaz was barely listening to the doctor, and bolted as soon as she had the chance, going for her suite. "Midnight?" She called as she walked in, looking around. No cat coming to greet her or yowl at her for being gone for so long. "Might as well let someone else keep you at this rate," she muttered, heading for the kitchen. She'd figure out who had the cat later. Hope, probably.
To her credit, she did drink a glass of water before beginning the debate between alcohol and tea. She had finally decided on alcohol, and was grabbing a bottle of wine, when someone knocked on the door. Jesus, who knew she was back already? She sighed, reached out to find out who was on the other side, and bit back groan. "Oh goody," she said, loudly enough to be heard as she put the wine away. She knew Kurt had gotten her to her room the night of her birthday. And if he hadn't told his sister, Topaz would frankly be amazed. "Time for the post-disaster Topaz check-up to make sure she hasn't gone off yet? It's unlocked."
"Actually, I came to bring your cat back," was Amanda's deceptively mild reply as she came in. Said cat was nestled in the crook of her arm, blinking lazily at Topaz. "When you lot went missing, I made sure she was okay."
Topaz' eyes flicked down to the comfortable cat, who looked like any disruption of said comfort would result in a scratch and the silent treatment until her next meal time. "Thank you." Her voice was tight, but her tone honestly grateful. She always worried about Midnight when she went somewhere - or was kidnapped. Which seemed to be about every other month. "Cuppa?" She asked, moving to make the tea instead. Three days without tea or alcohol. She wasn't sure which one was more of a crime.
"Sure." Amanda went over to the couch and sat, Midnight making a disgruntled noise until she settled herself in the blonde's lap. "Everyone come back okay?"
"Illyana's exhausted - I mean, everyone is, but I think teleporting so many people twice in three days wiped her out." Topaz rummaged around, trying to find something nice and calming. She'd been on edge the fight with the gargoyles and imps and.... whatever other demons had been there. "Everyone else seemed fine."
"It might be an idea to keep an eye on folks. Demonic dimensions tend to leave a bit of a residue. Especially if there's any actual possessions." Amanda's tone was off-hand. "Since you were there, you'll know who's susceptible."
"No possessions that I know of?" Topaz shrugged, but she was suddenly on edge. She wasn't stupid enough to try and outright probe Amanda's mind, but she kept her senses sharp. "Rahne had some trouble with her wolf form and that... kid," she waved a hand, "the one with all the inventions, he was acting kind of weird, but I dunno what's normal for him. Nothing too off about anyone else."
"Limbo's messy, no matter which version it is. Keep an eye out, is all." Amanda scritched behind Midnight's ear and was rewarded with a deep purring. "Still, you don't need me to tell you that. How about you? Feeling all right? 'S not the best place to have empathy."
"I'm not sure anywhere is a great place to have empathy anymore," Topaz said, keeping herself busy with the tea. Her mind flashed to the various demons she had drained, and the faint but audible buzzing in the back of her her head. "Yeah. I'm fine. Aren't I always?"
"So you keep telling me. But I still ask." Amanda looked down at Midnight again, stroking under her chin. "And Gabe? Is he fine?"
Fuck. Topaz turned off the stove and turned around to look at Amanda at last, leaning against the counter. "Just say what you want to say, Amanda."
"I was hoping you'd tell me." With a sigh, Amanda lifted Midnight off her lap and set the cat on the couch next to her before standing. "I get things were bad, Topaz, and you did what you had to do. But..." She spread her hands, a little helplessly. "Have you even checked he's all right?"
"He's not exactly anything right now," Topaz pointed out stiffly. "And he'll be fine in a few hours. It's not like I've never drained anyone before."
"Except every other time, you cared about what it would do," pointed out the older witch. "But this time..." She left the sentence hanging, hoping that Topaz would prove her wrong.
"This time what?" Topaz prompted, not taking the bait. Because she didn't know what to say. She wasn't sorry. They had been in trouble. She had done what she needed to do.
"This time you don't care. You didn't ask beforehand, you didn't follow up on him afterwards." Amanda shook her head. "You're on a dangerous path, kiddo. Believe me, I know. It's one thing to use your powers when you're pushed to it, but it's another to treat people - your friends - like they're nothing more than a power source."
"Yeah, I'm aware," Topaz barely managed not to snap back. "You give me the lecture about dangerous paths every other year. I don't know if you've noticed, Amanda, but I'm not you. I did what I had to do to keep everyone else alive, it's not like I'm experimenting on Tandy again or going around randomly draining people because I feel like it! I don't particularly enjoy having anyone else's emotions in my head, it's not a treat for me."
Amanda winced. The remark about not being her hit hard - she'd been aware of the hypocrisy of her taking Topaz to task, but who else would know better the danger her former charge was in? "I know that, kiddo. But you can't deny, you're not yourself lately. And with it being Limbo, I'm worried."
Topaz clenched her jaw so tight it almost hurt. No, she hadn't been herself. It hadn't been deliberate at first, but now... "Well, you don't need to worry," she said coldly. "You can check 'make sure the kiddo hasn't lost it yet' off your list." The buzzing seemed to be getting louder. Topaz blew out a breath and shook her head, turning back to start the stove again. "I'm fine. I'll apologize to Gabriel tomorrow."
"Topaz..." Amanda's tone was almost pleading, but what more could she say? "He'll appreciate it," she finished lamely. She indicated the door. "I should go. Things to do and all that. Rain check on the tea?"
"Yeah," Topaz said flatly without looking back at Amanda. "Rain check. Sure."
