Amanda and Clea - backdated to June 16
Jun. 16th, 2019 09:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_daytripper posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsAfter the XF offices are trashed by the Dweller and friends, Amanda and Clea clean up. Clea makes a worrying request; at least, worrying for Amanda.
Clea finished tying another bag and tossed it next to the others. The room was in a tussle from an earlier encounter with demons and gods. This room was hit the worst but Amanda's office was also partly destroyed from a safe being pulled from the hinges. At least the mark from where Tandy had hit her with the daggers was starting to fade. "I really wish I knew the spell this Mary Poppins did to clean the children's room. Make this go faster."
"Considering how much magic spillover in the atmosphere here, better not. Or we wind up with the full Mickey Mouse deal with the brooms and the water and the rest." Amanda straightened from where she'd been collecting files scattered on the floor, a pile in her arms. "At least we get the chance to redo the filing system?"
"There is a Mickey Mouse deal?" Clea asked confusingly. "Was anything disturbed in your safe?" Clea picked up some of the paper that had also spilled everywhere. Working here, there was never a dull moment at least.
"Ugh. I forget how young you are sometimes. Old Disney cartoon reference. Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I used to watch it with Meggan when she was smaller." Not necessarily younger, since the shapeshifter had been developmentally delayed by her early imprisonment, and it had only been after she joined the Szardos caravan had she learned to project her actual age. "The moral is don't use magic for stuff you can do yourself, 'cause it usually backfires." The files went on a desk that had been turned back over onto its feet. "Luckily, apart from the Staff, the Dweller wasn't interested in taking anything else. But it trashed the locking mechanism. I'm gunna have to get a new one. Or find a better place to put this shite." She sighed and looked over at Clea with a frown. "Are you sure you're all right? I mean, Kevin's got the shapeshifting healing thing and North's tough as old boots, but you took a pretty hard hit. I can do this if you need to rest up."
"Is it good? Should I put it on my bucket list of movies I should do before I die?" Clea asked looking over at her mentor. "She did open it like it was a tooth pick. Maybe we could mix some spells into the metal of the safe too make it harder to break?" The red head asked and then sighed before looking at three claw marks on her forearm. "Her daggers bloody hurt and I don't wish to be on the receiving end of them ever again. But I'll be fine." She lifted her shirt to show the burn marks. "See already fading. But I was wondering, Ms Amanda. I've been practicing with my magic every day and I still get tired out. Could you teach me something more heavier? Though I like cheeseburgers a lot I don't think I can rely on them every time I reach my limits. And there is so much about my family tree that I don't understand, like maybe there is a reason why I am so tired after using magic."
"I can teach you how to be more effective with what you have, yeah, but I've got to be honest with you, Clea. We generally have limits for a reason - trying to go past them usually ends in you damaging yourself, physically and magically." Amanda sounded concerned. "I mean, you're not all human, so you might have more immunity, but it all comes down to costs. Magic doesn't come for free and the limits - and the nosebleeds and the brain damage and the exhaustion and whatever else - tend to be the price."
Clea looked at her mentor before biting her lower lip. "Can I be honest with you about something? I believe I mentioned this when we returned back from the Dark Dimension. Could it be possible that my magic isn't compatible with this dimension? I mean, I didn't get tired at all when I was in the other side, of course I was hungry as I need to eat to survive. But I was fine. It is something I've been thinking a lot about and I am not sure if there are answers to these billion questions that seem to plague my mind. "
"It's probable. You're not from around these parts, technically, so yeah, things will be different for you. I knew someone once who had been brought up in a demon dimension and had magic there, but here was a total teapot." She waved her hand. "Short-hand for someone with no magical ability. It's another story. And it's totally not weird for you to want to learn more about where you came from and who you are, even without the whole 'dark dimension' angle, but I've exhausted everything I can find on the subject." Amanda grimaced. "There is someone you could talk to, maybe. That ponce over at Bleeker Street."
"How did this person adjust? Was it hard for them to lose all their magic? Why does this dimension have to be so weird?" Clea tilted her head but smirked at the mention of ponce. "Do you think he'll talk to us? Then again, he owes you one too many favors."
"She dealt. The magic was less important than the whole PTSD from the demon dimension." Amanda's tone closed that particular angle of conversation, given they were straying into Frankenberry Cat territory. "And he probably will, especially if Stephen goes with you - the Ancient One has his eye on Steve and I'd rather it be above-board than happening behind my back. As for who owes who, after that letter the other morning, I think he's beg to differ and say we owe him." The witch made another face. "Have I mentioned how much I hate magical politics?"
"Being stuck in a demonic dimension doesn't sound like cupcakes and bloody roses." Clea sighed. "I feel like I should get jealous. Not because of Steve's potential but because an old man is eyeing my boyfriend." She did worry. Having someone as powerful as the Ancient One looking at someone, it could only mean enemies of the Ancient One was also looking. "At least twice a day. Especially when you get letters like that one the other morning." Clea smiled at her mentor. "But in the mean time, would you train me a little heavier? I will send a note to Dumbledore asking for a audience and then ask about it."
"Training I can do. I'm an old hand at making the most of limited magical power, especially since the world went to shite and finding cities that'll talk to me, let alone give me a boost, is getting harder. And we should probably work on your more mundane fighting skills too, since you're little miss field agent these days." Amanda did not look entirely pleased about that last, but she held her tongue.
"Do cities actually have personalities? What is it like?" Clea was surprised that she never asked Amanda this before. However her cheeks turned a slight red as she knew that Amanda still had her opinions on the matter of Clea's recent promotion into XForce. "Others have been helping. Marie-Ange has been keeping me busy when I am not doing my other tasks." But looking around the room, "I am so behind on everything." She sighed again.
"Well, before we can get you caught up on things, we need a functioning office, so let's get back to work. I'll take you out to lunch and explain the city personality thing once we can see the floor. Deal?"
Clea flashed a smile at Amanda, "Deal." As she bent over to start picking up the paper that was scattered everywhere, she would have to redo more than half of them. It was going to be a long day.
Clea finished tying another bag and tossed it next to the others. The room was in a tussle from an earlier encounter with demons and gods. This room was hit the worst but Amanda's office was also partly destroyed from a safe being pulled from the hinges. At least the mark from where Tandy had hit her with the daggers was starting to fade. "I really wish I knew the spell this Mary Poppins did to clean the children's room. Make this go faster."
"Considering how much magic spillover in the atmosphere here, better not. Or we wind up with the full Mickey Mouse deal with the brooms and the water and the rest." Amanda straightened from where she'd been collecting files scattered on the floor, a pile in her arms. "At least we get the chance to redo the filing system?"
"There is a Mickey Mouse deal?" Clea asked confusingly. "Was anything disturbed in your safe?" Clea picked up some of the paper that had also spilled everywhere. Working here, there was never a dull moment at least.
"Ugh. I forget how young you are sometimes. Old Disney cartoon reference. Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I used to watch it with Meggan when she was smaller." Not necessarily younger, since the shapeshifter had been developmentally delayed by her early imprisonment, and it had only been after she joined the Szardos caravan had she learned to project her actual age. "The moral is don't use magic for stuff you can do yourself, 'cause it usually backfires." The files went on a desk that had been turned back over onto its feet. "Luckily, apart from the Staff, the Dweller wasn't interested in taking anything else. But it trashed the locking mechanism. I'm gunna have to get a new one. Or find a better place to put this shite." She sighed and looked over at Clea with a frown. "Are you sure you're all right? I mean, Kevin's got the shapeshifting healing thing and North's tough as old boots, but you took a pretty hard hit. I can do this if you need to rest up."
"Is it good? Should I put it on my bucket list of movies I should do before I die?" Clea asked looking over at her mentor. "She did open it like it was a tooth pick. Maybe we could mix some spells into the metal of the safe too make it harder to break?" The red head asked and then sighed before looking at three claw marks on her forearm. "Her daggers bloody hurt and I don't wish to be on the receiving end of them ever again. But I'll be fine." She lifted her shirt to show the burn marks. "See already fading. But I was wondering, Ms Amanda. I've been practicing with my magic every day and I still get tired out. Could you teach me something more heavier? Though I like cheeseburgers a lot I don't think I can rely on them every time I reach my limits. And there is so much about my family tree that I don't understand, like maybe there is a reason why I am so tired after using magic."
"I can teach you how to be more effective with what you have, yeah, but I've got to be honest with you, Clea. We generally have limits for a reason - trying to go past them usually ends in you damaging yourself, physically and magically." Amanda sounded concerned. "I mean, you're not all human, so you might have more immunity, but it all comes down to costs. Magic doesn't come for free and the limits - and the nosebleeds and the brain damage and the exhaustion and whatever else - tend to be the price."
Clea looked at her mentor before biting her lower lip. "Can I be honest with you about something? I believe I mentioned this when we returned back from the Dark Dimension. Could it be possible that my magic isn't compatible with this dimension? I mean, I didn't get tired at all when I was in the other side, of course I was hungry as I need to eat to survive. But I was fine. It is something I've been thinking a lot about and I am not sure if there are answers to these billion questions that seem to plague my mind. "
"It's probable. You're not from around these parts, technically, so yeah, things will be different for you. I knew someone once who had been brought up in a demon dimension and had magic there, but here was a total teapot." She waved her hand. "Short-hand for someone with no magical ability. It's another story. And it's totally not weird for you to want to learn more about where you came from and who you are, even without the whole 'dark dimension' angle, but I've exhausted everything I can find on the subject." Amanda grimaced. "There is someone you could talk to, maybe. That ponce over at Bleeker Street."
"How did this person adjust? Was it hard for them to lose all their magic? Why does this dimension have to be so weird?" Clea tilted her head but smirked at the mention of ponce. "Do you think he'll talk to us? Then again, he owes you one too many favors."
"She dealt. The magic was less important than the whole PTSD from the demon dimension." Amanda's tone closed that particular angle of conversation, given they were straying into Frankenberry Cat territory. "And he probably will, especially if Stephen goes with you - the Ancient One has his eye on Steve and I'd rather it be above-board than happening behind my back. As for who owes who, after that letter the other morning, I think he's beg to differ and say we owe him." The witch made another face. "Have I mentioned how much I hate magical politics?"
"Being stuck in a demonic dimension doesn't sound like cupcakes and bloody roses." Clea sighed. "I feel like I should get jealous. Not because of Steve's potential but because an old man is eyeing my boyfriend." She did worry. Having someone as powerful as the Ancient One looking at someone, it could only mean enemies of the Ancient One was also looking. "At least twice a day. Especially when you get letters like that one the other morning." Clea smiled at her mentor. "But in the mean time, would you train me a little heavier? I will send a note to Dumbledore asking for a audience and then ask about it."
"Training I can do. I'm an old hand at making the most of limited magical power, especially since the world went to shite and finding cities that'll talk to me, let alone give me a boost, is getting harder. And we should probably work on your more mundane fighting skills too, since you're little miss field agent these days." Amanda did not look entirely pleased about that last, but she held her tongue.
"Do cities actually have personalities? What is it like?" Clea was surprised that she never asked Amanda this before. However her cheeks turned a slight red as she knew that Amanda still had her opinions on the matter of Clea's recent promotion into XForce. "Others have been helping. Marie-Ange has been keeping me busy when I am not doing my other tasks." But looking around the room, "I am so behind on everything." She sighed again.
"Well, before we can get you caught up on things, we need a functioning office, so let's get back to work. I'll take you out to lunch and explain the city personality thing once we can see the floor. Deal?"
Clea flashed a smile at Amanda, "Deal." As she bent over to start picking up the paper that was scattered everywhere, she would have to redo more than half of them. It was going to be a long day.
