Amanda and Jubilee - Lanterns
Nov. 6th, 2021 10:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsBackdated - During the lantern ceremony, Jubilee checks in on Amanda, who is doing much better than you'd think.
Jubilee sat down beside Amanda as she watched the lanterns flicker in the night air. It was getting colder, and the nights longer. They'd be seeing snow soon and watching the lake ice over enough for ice skating. She hoped Topaz wherever she was would be back to see it, Christmas would be a hollow affair without all of them there.
It was as dysfunctional a found family as she'd ever known but still a family when it came to it. She held out one of Amanda's favourite beer brands, procured from the employee fridge in the rooms they used in the mansion when they were on site.
"Thought maybe you wouldn't mind sharing a drink with me. I don't really do art much these days but I figure we can pour one out for Topaz to whichever Gods might be listening for a little extra luck, yeah?"
"Ta," Amanda said, a little absently as she watched the lantern she'd lit float higher into the sky. She took the bottle and twisted off the cap before turning to Jubilee and holding it up in a toast. "To Topaz."
"To Topaz!" Jubilee echoed, stealing back the bottle opener and opening her own bottle. She raised it a little in salute and then poured it out onto the ground, sending up a prayer to any deities that might want the libation and asking them to help. "So, this is gonna sound stupid as fuck, because you're not okay, obviously but, are you okay, like, other than all the shit that you can't be okay for?"
Amanda smiled tiredly. "Actually, I am doing okay. At least since Angie's reading. Topaz is okay and we'll get her back. It's just a matter of being patient." She snorted. "Of course, I've never been the best at that, so I've got the ducklings working on something that might help her find her way back."
"I'm glad," Jubilee said, bumping her shoulder against Amanda's where they sat. It was a two-fold statement, but she knew Amanda would figure it out. She was glad that Amanda was doing okay but also glad that she was letting the other magic types help. She'd heard about the fight between Amanda and Topaz during the Baltimore thing, even though she hadn't been there personally to see it. She'd been worried that her friend might go into a guilt spiral, it wouldn't have been the first time either of them had done so. She watched the light from the lanterns twinkle for a long time before she spoke again, taking sips from her beer and merely existing like she hadn't in a long time. "You got anything I can take on? Give you more time for this thing?"
"Just follow up on the usual suspects from the magical community. Tracking the Winding Way, keeping an eye on the Dark Path geezers especially. The last thing I... we need right now is a magical turf war or someone trying to summon the Warwolves or something." Amanda shrugged. "Clea will be busy helping me, but if you need someone who knows the territory to help out, you could try Kevin? He knows a lot more about the magical underground than a non-user should."
“That I can do, I’ll poke Kev in the morning and see if he has thoughts. Need to give him an update on the milk run with Darcy anyhow.” Jubilee stretched her legs out in front of her, UGG boots firmly encasing her feet now that winter was here and she could get away with it. “He and I like, had a chat about me actually acting like the senior operative I am, so might as well get my feet wet in magic again. You working on anything else you need a gopher for?”
"Oh?" Amanda obviously had no idea what Jubilee was talking about. "He'd know, about being a senior operative, I mean. Seems like the Trenchcoats have to have someone filling the 'grumpy old man' spot and since North got rejuvenated, he doesn't look the part any more." She took a swig of her beer. "As for gopher work... Nothing else - a lot of what I'm working on is magically tricky, and I'd rather not have it blow up in someone's face. But thanks for the offer."
“The little spat on the journals.” Jubilee admitted, picking at the bottle label. “We talked. He’s been pushing me to step up more, do what I’ve been trained to do rather than pretending I’m just a grunt. It’s fucking annoying and awesome and I’m scared shitless I’m gonna let you all down.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and shifted slightly so she could punch Jubilee in the shoulder. "You numpty," she called her. "We're all scared of that. But we still put our heads down and do what's needed. Which I s'pose is a more English way of saying what Kevin told you?"
Jubilee took the punch with a self deprecating grin followed by a full chuckle as she shook her head at herself.
“Yeah, something like that. So! I’m like, totally doing the opposite of what I normally do and actually stepping up. Hence the beer and the offer of help. I need to like put myself back through all the shit I’ve been letting slide.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” Amanda replied wryly. “Not often someone calls me shit without getting a punch in the face.” She winked at Jubilee to show she was joking. “And now, I should get back to the ducklings. Ta for the beer and the check-up. Don’t worry, I’ll let folks know if I need anything.”
Jubilee sat down beside Amanda as she watched the lanterns flicker in the night air. It was getting colder, and the nights longer. They'd be seeing snow soon and watching the lake ice over enough for ice skating. She hoped Topaz wherever she was would be back to see it, Christmas would be a hollow affair without all of them there.
It was as dysfunctional a found family as she'd ever known but still a family when it came to it. She held out one of Amanda's favourite beer brands, procured from the employee fridge in the rooms they used in the mansion when they were on site.
"Thought maybe you wouldn't mind sharing a drink with me. I don't really do art much these days but I figure we can pour one out for Topaz to whichever Gods might be listening for a little extra luck, yeah?"
"Ta," Amanda said, a little absently as she watched the lantern she'd lit float higher into the sky. She took the bottle and twisted off the cap before turning to Jubilee and holding it up in a toast. "To Topaz."
"To Topaz!" Jubilee echoed, stealing back the bottle opener and opening her own bottle. She raised it a little in salute and then poured it out onto the ground, sending up a prayer to any deities that might want the libation and asking them to help. "So, this is gonna sound stupid as fuck, because you're not okay, obviously but, are you okay, like, other than all the shit that you can't be okay for?"
Amanda smiled tiredly. "Actually, I am doing okay. At least since Angie's reading. Topaz is okay and we'll get her back. It's just a matter of being patient." She snorted. "Of course, I've never been the best at that, so I've got the ducklings working on something that might help her find her way back."
"I'm glad," Jubilee said, bumping her shoulder against Amanda's where they sat. It was a two-fold statement, but she knew Amanda would figure it out. She was glad that Amanda was doing okay but also glad that she was letting the other magic types help. She'd heard about the fight between Amanda and Topaz during the Baltimore thing, even though she hadn't been there personally to see it. She'd been worried that her friend might go into a guilt spiral, it wouldn't have been the first time either of them had done so. She watched the light from the lanterns twinkle for a long time before she spoke again, taking sips from her beer and merely existing like she hadn't in a long time. "You got anything I can take on? Give you more time for this thing?"
"Just follow up on the usual suspects from the magical community. Tracking the Winding Way, keeping an eye on the Dark Path geezers especially. The last thing I... we need right now is a magical turf war or someone trying to summon the Warwolves or something." Amanda shrugged. "Clea will be busy helping me, but if you need someone who knows the territory to help out, you could try Kevin? He knows a lot more about the magical underground than a non-user should."
“That I can do, I’ll poke Kev in the morning and see if he has thoughts. Need to give him an update on the milk run with Darcy anyhow.” Jubilee stretched her legs out in front of her, UGG boots firmly encasing her feet now that winter was here and she could get away with it. “He and I like, had a chat about me actually acting like the senior operative I am, so might as well get my feet wet in magic again. You working on anything else you need a gopher for?”
"Oh?" Amanda obviously had no idea what Jubilee was talking about. "He'd know, about being a senior operative, I mean. Seems like the Trenchcoats have to have someone filling the 'grumpy old man' spot and since North got rejuvenated, he doesn't look the part any more." She took a swig of her beer. "As for gopher work... Nothing else - a lot of what I'm working on is magically tricky, and I'd rather not have it blow up in someone's face. But thanks for the offer."
“The little spat on the journals.” Jubilee admitted, picking at the bottle label. “We talked. He’s been pushing me to step up more, do what I’ve been trained to do rather than pretending I’m just a grunt. It’s fucking annoying and awesome and I’m scared shitless I’m gonna let you all down.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and shifted slightly so she could punch Jubilee in the shoulder. "You numpty," she called her. "We're all scared of that. But we still put our heads down and do what's needed. Which I s'pose is a more English way of saying what Kevin told you?"
Jubilee took the punch with a self deprecating grin followed by a full chuckle as she shook her head at herself.
“Yeah, something like that. So! I’m like, totally doing the opposite of what I normally do and actually stepping up. Hence the beer and the offer of help. I need to like put myself back through all the shit I’ve been letting slide.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” Amanda replied wryly. “Not often someone calls me shit without getting a punch in the face.” She winked at Jubilee to show she was joking. “And now, I should get back to the ducklings. Ta for the beer and the check-up. Don’t worry, I’ll let folks know if I need anything.”
