Marie-Ange, Amanda - Monday night
May. 3rd, 2004 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsMarie-Ange and Amanda set about proving it is possible to drink and not make a show of it. Bonding over red wine - they talk about What Happened In Mexico, the evils of glitter-obsessed roomies, Angie's powers and Boys. And then some more about Boys, since they are, after all, teenage girls.
It was still early-ish spring, but Amanda didn't mind the slight chill still in the night air as she sat on the flyer's platform, smoking and enjoying the evening. The night was still and clear, the stars shining so brightly overhead they seemed almost within arm's reach, and Amanda felt a brief twinge of regret for the flying spell she no longer had the power to cast. It was only brief, however, and quickly drowned out by the warm, happy feelings she was getting from Manuel's end of the link.
"A whole week of bein' happy. Ain't natural," she chuckled to herself, blowing cigarette smoke into the crisp air.
By way of announcing her presence, Marie-Ange lightly thumped her foot against the door leading back inside. She would have knocked - except that both hands were full, of a bottle of what appeared to be wine, and two glasses, and a corkscrew. She would have -said- something, but she'd found that it startled people more to just hear a random voice speaking out. Besides, it seemed unfair to startle Amanda when she seemed relaxed and happy.
Amanda looked up, grinning as she saw the French girl and her burden. "Hey, Frenchie," she said, getting up and relieving Marie-Ange of the glasses. "What's all this?"
Marie-Ange grinned back, and waved the bottle. "This, is the last of the wine that was.. " she paused for a moment. "Ah, liberated, from the wine cellar. I thought that, since you are back, and everything seems to be calm and going so well, that a little bit of a celebration would be in order." She looked over her shoulder briefly, then continued. "And I would rather share with you than with Clarice, or worse, have Monet find it and not appreciate it one bit."
"'M touched. Really," Amanda chuckled. "An' yeah, Clarice ain't exactly me choice for sharin' contraband with neither. No sense of subtlety, that kid. Typical bloody American." She wasn't even going to start with Monet. "We can't hide from Lee's gadgets completely, but there's a bit by the wall where the cameras don't reach all the way. So he'll see a couple of pairs of legs, an' that's it."
Marie-Ange cracked a smile, and shook her head. "If she dyes the mice, I -am- going to dismember her." She flopped, somewhat gracelessly down against the wall, and stretched out, crossing her legs at the ankles. "Or hide her glitter. Which I may do anyway."
"Sounds like a plan. I'd be in on that." Amanda joined Marie-Ange, making sure she was downwind so the smoke of her cigarette didn't blow in the other girl's face, and setting the glasses down between them. "'M just hopin' she hasn't turned Jane t' the glitter side of the force. 'Cause I'd hate t' kill someone who's been a perfectly good roomie so far. If you don't count that havin' t' remind her t' get dressed of a mornin'."
"Is she still walking around naked?" Angie raised an eyebrow, then jammed the corkscrew into the bottle's cork. "Maybe it is just that Jane does not know that glitter is evil and foul?"
"She's gettin' better - she's been readin' up on social customs an' such, an' is startin' t' realise clothes can make just as much of a statement as bein' naked. Which is a pity - she ain't bad on the eyes at all." Amanda's grin turned lascivious for a moment. "I'm workin' on teachin' her glitter is Bad, but 'm not havin' much luck. An' bein' away an' then in medlab got in the way of the whole roomie bonding thing."
Angie shook her head, smiling. "I remember from art class. She still isn't my type.. " She snickered. "First, being female, and second being not Doug" With a slight grunt, she pulled the cork out of the bottle, and grinned, gesturing towards the pair of glasses.
"What can I say? I'm an equal opportunity lech." Amanda passed over one glass for Angie to fill, holding onto the other. She chuckled. "You an' Doug are so fuckin' cute it's scary."
"I know. I know." Marie-Ange carefully filled the one glass, then set the bottle down for a moment, and smirked. "Though, we are not advertising our liasons on the journals. Well, if we had any, we would not be."
"Is that aimed at Jono 'n Paige or me an' Manny?" Amanda asked teasingly, taking the filled glass from her hand in exchange for the empty one. Then she realised. "Shit, you probably don't want t' be hearin' 'bout me an' that person you don't like, eh?" There was an unapologetic note to her words.
"Manuel and I ... " Angie paused, to fill her own glass, and to try to think of the right word. "I am still angry at him, but we spoke a little." She half-smiled. "Frank was a bit helpful as a diplomat, actually. He sneezed all over Manuel's dinner.. " She shook her head. "We are not going to be friends anytime soon, but it is more likely that I will get my explanation eventually now."
"Good. 'Cause I'm gettin' enough grief 'bout this thing as it is, an' I'm in too good a mood t' argue with you an' all. As for yer explanation... I dunno meself what happened, but it scared the fuck out of him - one of the joys of havin' the link back an' workin' is I know when he has nightmares. When it's not so scary, then maybe he'll be able t' talk t' you 'bout it." Waiting until Angie had filled her own glass, she raised her eyebrow questioningly. "So, what're we drinkin' to?
Marie-Ange thought for a moment, then smiled knowingly. "Leather pants, and art teachers who are not pillocks." She paused for a second, then added. "And everyone making it home safe and healthy." in a slightly more serious tone.
"I'll drink t' all of that. Especially the last bit," Amanda said, clinking her glass lightly against Angie's before taking a small swallow. "Hey, this ain't bad at all. The X geezer knows his wine."
Marie-Ange nodded in agreement, and silently drank, then grinned. "He does at that." She leaned back against the wall and looked up at the sky. "What happened? I mean, exactly?" She frowned and dug one foot against the other. "Unless you do not want to say, and then. I should probably not be quite so nosy."
"Nah, s' all right. Don't bother me none. You read Pete's post, right?" Amanda asked. When Angie nodded, she went on. "Well, this bloke he mentioned, the nasty fucker, he was the one who brought me up, taught me magic. He used t' use me mutation as a power source." Amanda took another sip of wine, savouring it in a way that was quite unlike the way she drank in clubs. "He managed t' track me down an' threatened you lot if I didn't go back to him."
"And he is.. " Marie-Ange made a vagueish gesture towards the sky. "Not.. a problem any more, yes?" She was fairly sure that Pete's post had implied it, and Doug had made a sort of comment to that effect at lunch one day, but she wanted to be certain.
"Deader 'n a doornail," Amanda said with no small amount of satisfaction. "Pete tells me he stuck Rack's head full of hot knives, which is good enough for me. Wish I could've seen it."
Marie-Ange's eyes widened at Amanda's bluntness. She'd been - well, she'd expected bluntness, but not quite that much, and not to hear that one of their teachers had actually killed someone. Though, if it was anyone, she supposed that it would be Mr. Wisdom. Or possibly Mr. Logan, but she was definitely not thinking about that while she had to have art class with the man. It would result in doodles of Logan cutting people's heads off, and she wasn't sure that would go over well at all. Knowing it wouldn't do much to cover for her surprise, and deciding it couldn't hurt -anyway- she drained half the contents of her glass in a single swallow.
Amanda raised her eyebrow at the other girl's reaction, then reminded herself they came from very different worlds. "Pete did what he had t' do," she said at last. "Man like Rack, he don't give up easy. An' it was either him or me. If Pete an' Emma hadn't shown up when they did, I wouldn't be sittin' here talkin' t' you, I'd be dead in a ditch in Mexico."
Marie-Ange nodded silently, and continued to sip at her wine, pensive look on her face for a few moments. After some time, she set the glass down carefully. "I am not as bothered by it as think I should be. I much rather prefer you here and alive, even if it means that one of our teachers has done… that." She frowned a little. "I think I am more disturbed because it seems that Doug knew a few days ago, and he is not bothered at all by it. "
"Because he knows what Rack did, least some of it." Amanda sighed. "I swear, I might as well start wearin' a bloody halter top or somethin', get it over an' done with..." she muttered to herself. "When I was eleven, Rack did a bindin' spell, somethin' t' tie me to him forever. Bindin's involve carvin' the words of the spell into the thing yer bindin'. Me, in this case. Strange an' I were workin' on translatin' the spells he used, an' Doug helped with the bits I couldn't read." She leaned forward, pulling up her shirt so part of her back was exposed. "I'm a walkin' spell book, practically," she said, trying to keep her tone light.
Marie-Ange swore, quietly, in French. Really, there wasn't any other proper reaction she could have to finding out exactly what had happened to Amanda, and -how-. "That... certainly explains some things, I think." she finally said, in a near whisper. "I am… rather glad he is dead than. The world, and you, are a damn sight better off without him alive."
"Explains why I nearly broke yer nose in that change room when we were clothes shoppin' in New York," said Amanda with a wry grin. "'M realisin' there're people who won't freak when they see it, but back then... paranoid wasn't a strong enough word. An' yeah, the world is a lot better place without that fucker. I'd have done it meself if it hadn't meant losin' everythin' I've been workin' for." Now it was Amanda's turn to gulp rather than sip. "So, he's dead, I ain't, an' the world's a better place. What more could we want?"
"Other than fewer end of semester projects, I cannot think of much else." Marie-Ange said, and finished the rest of her wine. "Though, I am curious as to one thing. Doug did not have a small heart attack when you asked him to read spells off your -back-?" she said, giggling slightly.
A slightly wicked grin crossed Amanda's face. "Not me back exactly..." she said.
Marie-Ange covered her eyes with her hand, and giggled. "No wonder he did not say anything." She brought her knees up, and leaned against them, snickering out all the tension from the last few days. "I should not laugh. I shouldn't, but I can just see the expression on his face. That little frown where he's trying desperately not to blush. The poor thing."
"He did a bloody good job, considerin'. I thought he was goin' t' explode or somethin'." Marie-Ange's giggles were infectious, or possibly it was the wine.
"No exploding, please." Marie-Ange shook her head, mock-seriously. "He still blushes around me, there is no exploding until the blushing is much, much less."
"So you two haven't...?" Amanda reached for the bottle again, refilling Marie-Ange's glass and topping up her own.
"No. I... do not think it is likely for some time either." Marie-Ange frowned, and stared down at her feet. "I am not sure I would… object, exactly, but Doug is… " She shrugged. "He is Doug. There are only so many bold and brave little things he can do before the world ends itself out of sheer shock."
"True. Still, he's sixteen an' a bloke, an' I'm pretty sure even he has hormones under all that Doug-ness. It'll happen." Amanda shrugged. "An' I'm told that waitin's part of the fun, tho' I ain't experienced that meself..."
Marie-Ange shrugged. "I… do not want to push him. I did all this backwards myself, I am kind of enjoying having things in all the right order this time."
Amanda didn't say 'there's a right order?', reminding herself that most people didn't do things the way she did them. "I've got t' admit, there's somethin' t' this datin' business," she said instead. Another grin crossed her face as she remembered her birthday. "I could get used t' it, if me birthday outin' was anything t' go by."
"I have no complaints myself." Marie-Ange grinned back. "Though, I do not have much to compare to myself."
"So we're both on a learnin' curve. Tho' I think mine's a tad steeper 'n yers. An' you'd think havin' the link fixed would make things easier, but that would involve knowin' half of what the stuff _is_ I'm gettin' from it." Amanda rolled her eyes theatrically. "Boys."
Marie-Ange nodded, and took a long drink of her wine. "Mutant Boys. Worse than the regular kind," she said, in total agreement. "I would not give mine up for anything, but if he does not learn to -stop- talking sometimes, I am going to throw him in the pool."
"Can I help?" Amanda chuckled. "Tho' I think you just wanna do that so you have yerself Wet Doug. All clingy shirt an' all."
"I think both of them should be tossed into the pool. Manuel could use the shock." Marie-Ange nodded, then grinned. "And I would -never- throw Doug into the pool just to see him all wet. I do not think I am quite strong enough to toss him in."
"No, but there's always trippin'," pointed out the witch. "An' yeah, there're times when Manuel could use a cold bath..." At the mention of the word 'bath' she remembered something. "I ain't gotten the whole story, but Manny says it was you who saved him. When he nearly drowned himself?"
Marie-Ange let out a long breath between slightly clenched teeth before answering. Even if she and Manuel were getting along, -that- was not necessarily her favourite topic. "He cracked his head, and almost drowned. I... " She tapped at her head lightly. "I saw it, I had been trying to see if I could find anything out about why you and Angelo were not back, and instead, I kept getting Manuel, dying."
"Fuckin' hellfire," Amanda breathed. "Rack opened the link, undid what Rom had done... an' then he started drainin' me. Manny must have gotten caught up in the spell. If you hadn't been there..." She looked across at Marie-Ange. "That power of yers is a fuckin' handy one sometimes, even if it does try an' make yer brains crawl out yer ears."
"Sometimes, yes. It is wrong just as much as it is right, and…" Marie-Ange shook her head. "I fear Angelo only went because of the reading in did in Brighton, and I do not know if that was a help, or a hindrance, and I should probably speak to him about it, but I have avoided the subject.. "
"You saw what happened?" Amanda asked, her tone a little sharp. "An' didn't tell me?"
"No. I… just saw that there was some kind of… trip. And that you would have to go on it, or things would be worse later." Marie-Ange shook her head furiously. "If I had seen anything like what really happened, I would have said. Right away!"
"'S all right, 'm sorry, I didn't mean t' jump down yer throat. Just... Ange shouldn't've been there. I mean, if he hadn't I would've done Rack meself an' t' hell with the consequences, an' he stopped me from freakin' out completely an' doin' a runner, but... I put him in danger. Me an' me fucked up history." Amanda frowned, took another gulp of the wine. "Yer cards were right. If he hadn't been there, it could've been a lot worse."
Marie-Ange ran a hand through her hair, loosening a number of locks from her braid. "And they wonder why I keep doing this when it gives me headaches," she said in a quiet, biting tone. "I .. do not know what else to say, I am just glad you are both back."
"Likewise." Amanda leaned back, looking up at the night sky. "Can't believe it's finally warmin' up here. Thought it was gunna keep snowin' for ever," she said, in an obvious attempt to move the topic back onto safer ground.
"Wait until summer comes. It is unbearably warm, and the air is sticky." Marie-Ange said, with distaste. "And we still have classes, if we choose to stay over the summer. Though, the boys going around outside shirtless is a rather nice benefit. They played a great deal of basketball over the summer last year, and volleyball, and baseball." She grinned in amusement. "Paige would murder me, but I think Sam was my favourite thing to draw last summer. "
Amanda snorted. "Sounds like there's some compensations t' all that hot sticky weather. I'll have t' hang around, tho' I do wanna go home an' see Rom again. An' Manny said somethin' 'bout visitin' Spain." She rolled her eyes. "He wants t' meet me family, an' for me t' do likewise."
"Manuel has a family. Who knew?" Marie-Ange chuckled. "I do not suppose he has mentioned a sister?" she asked quietly, remembering the vision from the night she and Manuel had their… problem. There had definitely been a girl, and she had looked -just -like Manuel. "It is hard to think of him having a mother and father sometimes. That once, he was someone's litte boy."
"Nah, 's just him as far as I know. An' he only talks 'bout havin' a dad, so I dunno 'bout his mum." Amanda's tone turned a little sad. "We were all someone's little kid, once, hard as it is t' think about." A wicked grin overrode the moment. "Even Logan."
"No. Logan has always been Logan. He is older than dinosaurs." Marie-Ange said, deliberately stepping around the other topic. She still wasn't sure how to react to it. "I can not picture him as someone's cute little baby. Not at all. Manuel, I could almost see it. He looks very young when he sleeps."
A knowing grin crossed Amanda's face. "An' just how would you know that, Miss Colbert?"
Marie-Ange blushed, rather pinkly, and covered her eyes with her hand. "Um. There were some... before I was seeing Doug. Before spring break." She shook her head. "Merde. There really is no way to say it decently. After the potion… accident, Manuel and I slept together a few times. It… was… I needed him to look at Doug, emotionally, we thought he might be worse than he was letting on, and when Manuel asked for that in return…" She shrugged. "He is -very- attractive, and it was not like that horse was not out of the barn.."
"An' you have t' admit, Manny's powers have a lot of advantages in that area," Amanda said with a leer. She raised her eyebrows at Marie-Ange's expression of surprise. "What? You thought I'd get all jealous or somethin'? I think he's a shit for askin' you t' have sex with him in return for a favour, but I ain't about t' get all righteous at you. I leave all that shite up t' you Catholics." She winked at the other girl, settling back and taking a drag on the almost-forgotten cigarette in her hand.
"I… was not sure. You… even then, you and Manuel were…" Marie-Ange made another one of those vague gestures she was -ever- so fond of. "Involved. I did not think of it at the time. I… am not sure I knew." She shrugged. "I am not sure I could get righteous about it. I have fewer regrets than I thought I might. "
"Frenchie, the woman I think of as practically me mum is in a group marriage with two women, a bloke, an' a ghost, if you can believe it. I ain't exactly got conventional attitudes towards bein' 'Involved'. An' t' tell the truth, I don't even know what you'd call what's happenin' with me an' Manny. 'S complicated, even if you take the link out of it. An' what's the point of regrettin' somethin' you enjoyed doin' at the time? Again, he was a prick t' ask that of you in return for a favour, but that's Manuel for you. He ain't exactly had a conventional upbringin' neither. Bein' on the street, you learn t' look after yerself, any way you can, an' that includes makin' deals an' not expectin' anythin' for nothin'."
Marie-Ange blinked. Almost audibly. "Two women. A man. And a ghost?" She stared openly at Amanda, almost daring her to laugh. "You are kidding, no?"
"Nope. Rom's... open-minded. T' the point I don't think anythin' can shock her, except maybe me tellin' her I wanted t' be an' accountant an' live in Milton Keynes." Amanda grinned at Marie-Ange's expression. "Works rather well an' they're all happy with it, so where's the problem? Well, except for one of 'em bein' dead, that is..."
"The dead part... would be a problem, yes." Marie-Ange frowned. She was coming to terms with Piotr being gay, and Amanda practically flirting with anything that moved, and Monet being totally unashamed to walk into the room in barely anything at all and just not care. But marriage was marriage and she could not even fathom how an arrangement like that worked. "I suppose if they are happy…" she said, after a long period of silence..
"Guess this ain't the time to say yer cute when you frown?" Amanda asked, clearly teasing. It was evil of her, yes, but there was still enough of a mischievous streak in her to enjoy unsettling the more conventional students.
Marie-Ange opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, and shook her head. "Very funny." she said, a bit crankily, then forced her voice even and lightly amused. "I can only take so many shocks at once. I am still trying to understand that magic works, and that I can see the future. Everything else, espically the shocks about people having marriages with ghosts are going to have to wait... " She paused. "I would have to believe in ghosts, first."
Unrepentant, Amanda grinned. "I'll have t' introduce you sometime."
It was still early-ish spring, but Amanda didn't mind the slight chill still in the night air as she sat on the flyer's platform, smoking and enjoying the evening. The night was still and clear, the stars shining so brightly overhead they seemed almost within arm's reach, and Amanda felt a brief twinge of regret for the flying spell she no longer had the power to cast. It was only brief, however, and quickly drowned out by the warm, happy feelings she was getting from Manuel's end of the link.
"A whole week of bein' happy. Ain't natural," she chuckled to herself, blowing cigarette smoke into the crisp air.
By way of announcing her presence, Marie-Ange lightly thumped her foot against the door leading back inside. She would have knocked - except that both hands were full, of a bottle of what appeared to be wine, and two glasses, and a corkscrew. She would have -said- something, but she'd found that it startled people more to just hear a random voice speaking out. Besides, it seemed unfair to startle Amanda when she seemed relaxed and happy.
Amanda looked up, grinning as she saw the French girl and her burden. "Hey, Frenchie," she said, getting up and relieving Marie-Ange of the glasses. "What's all this?"
Marie-Ange grinned back, and waved the bottle. "This, is the last of the wine that was.. " she paused for a moment. "Ah, liberated, from the wine cellar. I thought that, since you are back, and everything seems to be calm and going so well, that a little bit of a celebration would be in order." She looked over her shoulder briefly, then continued. "And I would rather share with you than with Clarice, or worse, have Monet find it and not appreciate it one bit."
"'M touched. Really," Amanda chuckled. "An' yeah, Clarice ain't exactly me choice for sharin' contraband with neither. No sense of subtlety, that kid. Typical bloody American." She wasn't even going to start with Monet. "We can't hide from Lee's gadgets completely, but there's a bit by the wall where the cameras don't reach all the way. So he'll see a couple of pairs of legs, an' that's it."
Marie-Ange cracked a smile, and shook her head. "If she dyes the mice, I -am- going to dismember her." She flopped, somewhat gracelessly down against the wall, and stretched out, crossing her legs at the ankles. "Or hide her glitter. Which I may do anyway."
"Sounds like a plan. I'd be in on that." Amanda joined Marie-Ange, making sure she was downwind so the smoke of her cigarette didn't blow in the other girl's face, and setting the glasses down between them. "'M just hopin' she hasn't turned Jane t' the glitter side of the force. 'Cause I'd hate t' kill someone who's been a perfectly good roomie so far. If you don't count that havin' t' remind her t' get dressed of a mornin'."
"Is she still walking around naked?" Angie raised an eyebrow, then jammed the corkscrew into the bottle's cork. "Maybe it is just that Jane does not know that glitter is evil and foul?"
"She's gettin' better - she's been readin' up on social customs an' such, an' is startin' t' realise clothes can make just as much of a statement as bein' naked. Which is a pity - she ain't bad on the eyes at all." Amanda's grin turned lascivious for a moment. "I'm workin' on teachin' her glitter is Bad, but 'm not havin' much luck. An' bein' away an' then in medlab got in the way of the whole roomie bonding thing."
Angie shook her head, smiling. "I remember from art class. She still isn't my type.. " She snickered. "First, being female, and second being not Doug" With a slight grunt, she pulled the cork out of the bottle, and grinned, gesturing towards the pair of glasses.
"What can I say? I'm an equal opportunity lech." Amanda passed over one glass for Angie to fill, holding onto the other. She chuckled. "You an' Doug are so fuckin' cute it's scary."
"I know. I know." Marie-Ange carefully filled the one glass, then set the bottle down for a moment, and smirked. "Though, we are not advertising our liasons on the journals. Well, if we had any, we would not be."
"Is that aimed at Jono 'n Paige or me an' Manny?" Amanda asked teasingly, taking the filled glass from her hand in exchange for the empty one. Then she realised. "Shit, you probably don't want t' be hearin' 'bout me an' that person you don't like, eh?" There was an unapologetic note to her words.
"Manuel and I ... " Angie paused, to fill her own glass, and to try to think of the right word. "I am still angry at him, but we spoke a little." She half-smiled. "Frank was a bit helpful as a diplomat, actually. He sneezed all over Manuel's dinner.. " She shook her head. "We are not going to be friends anytime soon, but it is more likely that I will get my explanation eventually now."
"Good. 'Cause I'm gettin' enough grief 'bout this thing as it is, an' I'm in too good a mood t' argue with you an' all. As for yer explanation... I dunno meself what happened, but it scared the fuck out of him - one of the joys of havin' the link back an' workin' is I know when he has nightmares. When it's not so scary, then maybe he'll be able t' talk t' you 'bout it." Waiting until Angie had filled her own glass, she raised her eyebrow questioningly. "So, what're we drinkin' to?
Marie-Ange thought for a moment, then smiled knowingly. "Leather pants, and art teachers who are not pillocks." She paused for a second, then added. "And everyone making it home safe and healthy." in a slightly more serious tone.
"I'll drink t' all of that. Especially the last bit," Amanda said, clinking her glass lightly against Angie's before taking a small swallow. "Hey, this ain't bad at all. The X geezer knows his wine."
Marie-Ange nodded in agreement, and silently drank, then grinned. "He does at that." She leaned back against the wall and looked up at the sky. "What happened? I mean, exactly?" She frowned and dug one foot against the other. "Unless you do not want to say, and then. I should probably not be quite so nosy."
"Nah, s' all right. Don't bother me none. You read Pete's post, right?" Amanda asked. When Angie nodded, she went on. "Well, this bloke he mentioned, the nasty fucker, he was the one who brought me up, taught me magic. He used t' use me mutation as a power source." Amanda took another sip of wine, savouring it in a way that was quite unlike the way she drank in clubs. "He managed t' track me down an' threatened you lot if I didn't go back to him."
"And he is.. " Marie-Ange made a vagueish gesture towards the sky. "Not.. a problem any more, yes?" She was fairly sure that Pete's post had implied it, and Doug had made a sort of comment to that effect at lunch one day, but she wanted to be certain.
"Deader 'n a doornail," Amanda said with no small amount of satisfaction. "Pete tells me he stuck Rack's head full of hot knives, which is good enough for me. Wish I could've seen it."
Marie-Ange's eyes widened at Amanda's bluntness. She'd been - well, she'd expected bluntness, but not quite that much, and not to hear that one of their teachers had actually killed someone. Though, if it was anyone, she supposed that it would be Mr. Wisdom. Or possibly Mr. Logan, but she was definitely not thinking about that while she had to have art class with the man. It would result in doodles of Logan cutting people's heads off, and she wasn't sure that would go over well at all. Knowing it wouldn't do much to cover for her surprise, and deciding it couldn't hurt -anyway- she drained half the contents of her glass in a single swallow.
Amanda raised her eyebrow at the other girl's reaction, then reminded herself they came from very different worlds. "Pete did what he had t' do," she said at last. "Man like Rack, he don't give up easy. An' it was either him or me. If Pete an' Emma hadn't shown up when they did, I wouldn't be sittin' here talkin' t' you, I'd be dead in a ditch in Mexico."
Marie-Ange nodded silently, and continued to sip at her wine, pensive look on her face for a few moments. After some time, she set the glass down carefully. "I am not as bothered by it as think I should be. I much rather prefer you here and alive, even if it means that one of our teachers has done… that." She frowned a little. "I think I am more disturbed because it seems that Doug knew a few days ago, and he is not bothered at all by it. "
"Because he knows what Rack did, least some of it." Amanda sighed. "I swear, I might as well start wearin' a bloody halter top or somethin', get it over an' done with..." she muttered to herself. "When I was eleven, Rack did a bindin' spell, somethin' t' tie me to him forever. Bindin's involve carvin' the words of the spell into the thing yer bindin'. Me, in this case. Strange an' I were workin' on translatin' the spells he used, an' Doug helped with the bits I couldn't read." She leaned forward, pulling up her shirt so part of her back was exposed. "I'm a walkin' spell book, practically," she said, trying to keep her tone light.
Marie-Ange swore, quietly, in French. Really, there wasn't any other proper reaction she could have to finding out exactly what had happened to Amanda, and -how-. "That... certainly explains some things, I think." she finally said, in a near whisper. "I am… rather glad he is dead than. The world, and you, are a damn sight better off without him alive."
"Explains why I nearly broke yer nose in that change room when we were clothes shoppin' in New York," said Amanda with a wry grin. "'M realisin' there're people who won't freak when they see it, but back then... paranoid wasn't a strong enough word. An' yeah, the world is a lot better place without that fucker. I'd have done it meself if it hadn't meant losin' everythin' I've been workin' for." Now it was Amanda's turn to gulp rather than sip. "So, he's dead, I ain't, an' the world's a better place. What more could we want?"
"Other than fewer end of semester projects, I cannot think of much else." Marie-Ange said, and finished the rest of her wine. "Though, I am curious as to one thing. Doug did not have a small heart attack when you asked him to read spells off your -back-?" she said, giggling slightly.
A slightly wicked grin crossed Amanda's face. "Not me back exactly..." she said.
Marie-Ange covered her eyes with her hand, and giggled. "No wonder he did not say anything." She brought her knees up, and leaned against them, snickering out all the tension from the last few days. "I should not laugh. I shouldn't, but I can just see the expression on his face. That little frown where he's trying desperately not to blush. The poor thing."
"He did a bloody good job, considerin'. I thought he was goin' t' explode or somethin'." Marie-Ange's giggles were infectious, or possibly it was the wine.
"No exploding, please." Marie-Ange shook her head, mock-seriously. "He still blushes around me, there is no exploding until the blushing is much, much less."
"So you two haven't...?" Amanda reached for the bottle again, refilling Marie-Ange's glass and topping up her own.
"No. I... do not think it is likely for some time either." Marie-Ange frowned, and stared down at her feet. "I am not sure I would… object, exactly, but Doug is… " She shrugged. "He is Doug. There are only so many bold and brave little things he can do before the world ends itself out of sheer shock."
"True. Still, he's sixteen an' a bloke, an' I'm pretty sure even he has hormones under all that Doug-ness. It'll happen." Amanda shrugged. "An' I'm told that waitin's part of the fun, tho' I ain't experienced that meself..."
Marie-Ange shrugged. "I… do not want to push him. I did all this backwards myself, I am kind of enjoying having things in all the right order this time."
Amanda didn't say 'there's a right order?', reminding herself that most people didn't do things the way she did them. "I've got t' admit, there's somethin' t' this datin' business," she said instead. Another grin crossed her face as she remembered her birthday. "I could get used t' it, if me birthday outin' was anything t' go by."
"I have no complaints myself." Marie-Ange grinned back. "Though, I do not have much to compare to myself."
"So we're both on a learnin' curve. Tho' I think mine's a tad steeper 'n yers. An' you'd think havin' the link fixed would make things easier, but that would involve knowin' half of what the stuff _is_ I'm gettin' from it." Amanda rolled her eyes theatrically. "Boys."
Marie-Ange nodded, and took a long drink of her wine. "Mutant Boys. Worse than the regular kind," she said, in total agreement. "I would not give mine up for anything, but if he does not learn to -stop- talking sometimes, I am going to throw him in the pool."
"Can I help?" Amanda chuckled. "Tho' I think you just wanna do that so you have yerself Wet Doug. All clingy shirt an' all."
"I think both of them should be tossed into the pool. Manuel could use the shock." Marie-Ange nodded, then grinned. "And I would -never- throw Doug into the pool just to see him all wet. I do not think I am quite strong enough to toss him in."
"No, but there's always trippin'," pointed out the witch. "An' yeah, there're times when Manuel could use a cold bath..." At the mention of the word 'bath' she remembered something. "I ain't gotten the whole story, but Manny says it was you who saved him. When he nearly drowned himself?"
Marie-Ange let out a long breath between slightly clenched teeth before answering. Even if she and Manuel were getting along, -that- was not necessarily her favourite topic. "He cracked his head, and almost drowned. I... " She tapped at her head lightly. "I saw it, I had been trying to see if I could find anything out about why you and Angelo were not back, and instead, I kept getting Manuel, dying."
"Fuckin' hellfire," Amanda breathed. "Rack opened the link, undid what Rom had done... an' then he started drainin' me. Manny must have gotten caught up in the spell. If you hadn't been there..." She looked across at Marie-Ange. "That power of yers is a fuckin' handy one sometimes, even if it does try an' make yer brains crawl out yer ears."
"Sometimes, yes. It is wrong just as much as it is right, and…" Marie-Ange shook her head. "I fear Angelo only went because of the reading in did in Brighton, and I do not know if that was a help, or a hindrance, and I should probably speak to him about it, but I have avoided the subject.. "
"You saw what happened?" Amanda asked, her tone a little sharp. "An' didn't tell me?"
"No. I… just saw that there was some kind of… trip. And that you would have to go on it, or things would be worse later." Marie-Ange shook her head furiously. "If I had seen anything like what really happened, I would have said. Right away!"
"'S all right, 'm sorry, I didn't mean t' jump down yer throat. Just... Ange shouldn't've been there. I mean, if he hadn't I would've done Rack meself an' t' hell with the consequences, an' he stopped me from freakin' out completely an' doin' a runner, but... I put him in danger. Me an' me fucked up history." Amanda frowned, took another gulp of the wine. "Yer cards were right. If he hadn't been there, it could've been a lot worse."
Marie-Ange ran a hand through her hair, loosening a number of locks from her braid. "And they wonder why I keep doing this when it gives me headaches," she said in a quiet, biting tone. "I .. do not know what else to say, I am just glad you are both back."
"Likewise." Amanda leaned back, looking up at the night sky. "Can't believe it's finally warmin' up here. Thought it was gunna keep snowin' for ever," she said, in an obvious attempt to move the topic back onto safer ground.
"Wait until summer comes. It is unbearably warm, and the air is sticky." Marie-Ange said, with distaste. "And we still have classes, if we choose to stay over the summer. Though, the boys going around outside shirtless is a rather nice benefit. They played a great deal of basketball over the summer last year, and volleyball, and baseball." She grinned in amusement. "Paige would murder me, but I think Sam was my favourite thing to draw last summer. "
Amanda snorted. "Sounds like there's some compensations t' all that hot sticky weather. I'll have t' hang around, tho' I do wanna go home an' see Rom again. An' Manny said somethin' 'bout visitin' Spain." She rolled her eyes. "He wants t' meet me family, an' for me t' do likewise."
"Manuel has a family. Who knew?" Marie-Ange chuckled. "I do not suppose he has mentioned a sister?" she asked quietly, remembering the vision from the night she and Manuel had their… problem. There had definitely been a girl, and she had looked -just -like Manuel. "It is hard to think of him having a mother and father sometimes. That once, he was someone's litte boy."
"Nah, 's just him as far as I know. An' he only talks 'bout havin' a dad, so I dunno 'bout his mum." Amanda's tone turned a little sad. "We were all someone's little kid, once, hard as it is t' think about." A wicked grin overrode the moment. "Even Logan."
"No. Logan has always been Logan. He is older than dinosaurs." Marie-Ange said, deliberately stepping around the other topic. She still wasn't sure how to react to it. "I can not picture him as someone's cute little baby. Not at all. Manuel, I could almost see it. He looks very young when he sleeps."
A knowing grin crossed Amanda's face. "An' just how would you know that, Miss Colbert?"
Marie-Ange blushed, rather pinkly, and covered her eyes with her hand. "Um. There were some... before I was seeing Doug. Before spring break." She shook her head. "Merde. There really is no way to say it decently. After the potion… accident, Manuel and I slept together a few times. It… was… I needed him to look at Doug, emotionally, we thought he might be worse than he was letting on, and when Manuel asked for that in return…" She shrugged. "He is -very- attractive, and it was not like that horse was not out of the barn.."
"An' you have t' admit, Manny's powers have a lot of advantages in that area," Amanda said with a leer. She raised her eyebrows at Marie-Ange's expression of surprise. "What? You thought I'd get all jealous or somethin'? I think he's a shit for askin' you t' have sex with him in return for a favour, but I ain't about t' get all righteous at you. I leave all that shite up t' you Catholics." She winked at the other girl, settling back and taking a drag on the almost-forgotten cigarette in her hand.
"I… was not sure. You… even then, you and Manuel were…" Marie-Ange made another one of those vague gestures she was -ever- so fond of. "Involved. I did not think of it at the time. I… am not sure I knew." She shrugged. "I am not sure I could get righteous about it. I have fewer regrets than I thought I might. "
"Frenchie, the woman I think of as practically me mum is in a group marriage with two women, a bloke, an' a ghost, if you can believe it. I ain't exactly got conventional attitudes towards bein' 'Involved'. An' t' tell the truth, I don't even know what you'd call what's happenin' with me an' Manny. 'S complicated, even if you take the link out of it. An' what's the point of regrettin' somethin' you enjoyed doin' at the time? Again, he was a prick t' ask that of you in return for a favour, but that's Manuel for you. He ain't exactly had a conventional upbringin' neither. Bein' on the street, you learn t' look after yerself, any way you can, an' that includes makin' deals an' not expectin' anythin' for nothin'."
Marie-Ange blinked. Almost audibly. "Two women. A man. And a ghost?" She stared openly at Amanda, almost daring her to laugh. "You are kidding, no?"
"Nope. Rom's... open-minded. T' the point I don't think anythin' can shock her, except maybe me tellin' her I wanted t' be an' accountant an' live in Milton Keynes." Amanda grinned at Marie-Ange's expression. "Works rather well an' they're all happy with it, so where's the problem? Well, except for one of 'em bein' dead, that is..."
"The dead part... would be a problem, yes." Marie-Ange frowned. She was coming to terms with Piotr being gay, and Amanda practically flirting with anything that moved, and Monet being totally unashamed to walk into the room in barely anything at all and just not care. But marriage was marriage and she could not even fathom how an arrangement like that worked. "I suppose if they are happy…" she said, after a long period of silence..
"Guess this ain't the time to say yer cute when you frown?" Amanda asked, clearly teasing. It was evil of her, yes, but there was still enough of a mischievous streak in her to enjoy unsettling the more conventional students.
Marie-Ange opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, and shook her head. "Very funny." she said, a bit crankily, then forced her voice even and lightly amused. "I can only take so many shocks at once. I am still trying to understand that magic works, and that I can see the future. Everything else, espically the shocks about people having marriages with ghosts are going to have to wait... " She paused. "I would have to believe in ghosts, first."
Unrepentant, Amanda grinned. "I'll have t' introduce you sometime."
