xp_logs | Attack of the Forbidding Fruit

Amanda and Rahne worry about Nathan. As Stryfe and his armor are absent from this universe, we resorted to spiky melons.

It wasn't raining tonight. Rahne almost wished it were, although she couldn't think why. She yawned once, jaw stretching wide, and started one more loping circuit of the mansion, debating whether to go inside or just curl up somewhere.

When she got around to the back, she noticed that there was someone at the back porch and a sharp odor of tobacco -- which wasn't unusual -- and that it was Amanda -- which, lately, was.

She paused for a moment, looking that way.

Amanda was leaning on the railing, trying hard not to fret about Nate and not succeeding very well. To have him disappear so soon after herself and Angelo being waylaid in LA, it worried her. No matter that he was a Big Bad Mercenary with the ability to juggle tanks telekinetically and had been looking after himself longer than she'd been alive, she still didn't like it. And worse, she didn't like not being able to do anything about it, but whilst she'd been managing small, low-level spells, a location spell was beyond her just yet. So here she was, smoking her way through a pack of cigrarettes and trying not to fret. Then a flicker of movement caught her eye, and she turned to see the wolf a little way away, staring intently at her.

"Heya, Rahne," she said, stubbing out the cigarette and moving to sit on the steps. "Out for a run?"

Rahne came closer, shifting to a semi-humanoid form and forcing herself not to wrinkle her nose; she could tell the porch was a smokers' haunt even if nobody was actually there. The odor was actually easier to ignore as a wolf. "Aye. Restless tonight." She joined Amanda on the stairs and sighed.

"I know the feelin'," Amanda said. "Yer worried 'bout him too, ain't you?"

"Verra much." She didn't have to ask whom, and it was something of a relief to say something. "I ken he can look after himself usually, but 'tis hard to take that for granted with as much trouble as he's been having.... I prayed about it till my thoughts started going in circles and then decided I might as well go in circles myself." She frowned and added half to herself, "I suppose that's why I kept wanting it to rain...."

"'S why I came out here - smokin' calms me down, an' I didn't want t' bug Manny any more 'n I was with all the worry he was pickin' up on the link. An' he an' Nate don't get on, so he gets shirty." Amanda snorted and shook her head. "What d'you mean 'bout wanting it t' rain?"

"Och... I ran into him out in the gazebo one night when I'd been wandering around. In the rain. I suppose I kept hoping 'twould rain, and he'd turn up somehow. I didna say it made sense."

Amanda smiled. "It does, in a way." She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. "Fuck, I hate this. I hate not knowin' what's goin' on. Still, there's those that'd say it's fittin', after what happened in LA."

It was Rahne's turn to snort. "Maybe, but ye'll excuse me if I'd want to snarl at them."

Amanda looked at the Scot with surprise. "You would?"

"We have quite enough people disappearin' quite often enough," Rahne grumbled. "We doona need people calling it appropriate. Well, nae that I think people'd do it on purpose for that, but if we were gonnae have somebody new disappear for everybody who worried us before, we'd never be done with it."

"I can see yer point," Amanda said with a chuckle. "Too bad more people don't think like that." She thought for a moment, and then added: "I don't think I ever said thank you. For you lookin' out for me, when I was havin' problems before."

Rahne blinked. "Oh... tryin' to feed ye? Yui're welcome then, but it wasna much."

"Well, you tried, an' I didn't make it easy. I can be a right bitch sometimes, even before I became an addict." Amanda said the word matter-of-factly. "Just wanted t' let you know I appreciated the effort, even if I wasn't in a state t' accept it."

"...That reminds me. I owe ye oatmeal bars." Rahne smiled wryly. "With the trip, ye werena here to have them on yuir birthday, and I was going to make them for when ye got back but, well, it slipped my mind by the time ye woke up."

"Never say no t' food. Least not when I'm thinkin' straight," Amanda said with a grin. "An' you really ought t' meet Homily one day - you two would get on scarily well, with this feedin' people compulsion you have."

"...Maybe so. 'Tis fun, and here I can get away with cooking lots more than I'd ever eat myself. None's ever gone to waste that I know of... though I do keep wanting to make Jamie try haggis...." Rahne looked over her shoulder at the door. "Ye want them now? Oatmeal bars, not haggis," she added with a slight smile. "Not too late to start yet."

"If you got Jamers t' try haggis, I'd be there with a camera," chuckled Amanda. "Just t' capture the moment for history." Then she perked at the idea of food. "Yeah, that'd be wicked. Food _and_ distraction, the perfect combination. An' it'd mean me stash of smokes was safe for another day - the rate I was goin' through 'em, I would've been out by tomorrow, an' havin' to borrow Angelo's."

"Aye, let's go in then." Rahne glanced down at herself. "I'll, ah, get cleaned up and put something on first. I donnae think fur would improve them."

"No-one needs _that_ much fibre," Amanda agreed. "You want tea? I can make some while yer're changin'."

"That sounds good. And ye might take a look at the fruit -- I think Lorna got a wee bit carried away, and if ye have anything ye want to try out... well, I doona even know what some of them are. There's a yellow melon thing with little spikes all over it."

"Yer guess is as good as mine with that one. Is it even edible? Looks more like one of those cartoons, you know, the one about the little critters that those kids keep in balls and use 'em t' fight each other. Poke- something or other..." Amanda shook her head and pushed herself up with a grunt. "I'll brave the depths of the 'fridge while you get sorted. If you can't find me when you come back, the yellow thing got me an' you'll have t' avenge me death."

"I think," Rahne said gravely as she got up from the step herself, "it must be the Forbidding Fruit."

Amanda laughed outright at that one and led the way into the kitchen.