xp_logs | Angelo and Clarice

Mini-log. Clarice runs to him, nearly in tears, and they talk briefly, then decide to hit Salem Center for a few hours.

Clarice stormed down the hallway to Angelo's room, trying to fight back tears. She was not going to let jsut anyone see her cry if she could help it. "Angelo? Are you there?" she asked, knocking on the door and sniffling.

Angelo, sitting at his desk, looked up and frowned at something he heard in her voice. "Clarice? Yeah, sure, come on in."

"Why are they so mean?" she asked without preamble sitting on his bed, "I tried to help Mannie, I tried to be nice to him so he could go and everyone hates me for it!"

Angelo looked at her sadly. "They don't hate you. People are just pissed off right now, it'll pass."

"I know it'll pass," she sniffled again, wiping her eyes, "but it's not right. People tell me to stop being immature and I tried to be mature and responsible and I get yelled at even more. I even said I wasn't bringing glitter to Boston!"

Angelo moved over to give her a quick hug. "It's a stressful time right now. Finals, remember? Things get misunderstood so easily..."

"And they're so mad at you! Why? I didn't say anything about you and you didn't say anything really, either," Clarice babbled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He shrugged. "Manuel and I haven't got on for a long time. I guess they saw the whole thing on Amanda's journal and decided it was part of the same thing."

"Fuck. I think we're trying to be the good guys. Heaven forbid we try and fail around here." Clarice said bitterly, getting angry. "How dare we try to let him go see his friend and still not like him."

Another shrug. "I know I was tryin' real hard not to lose it at him durin' that whole thread."

"I'm not mad at him. I stayed out of the Amanda journal thing, but it's what made me decide that I should just try to stop the problem before it starts. I had no idea he had changed his mind about going. I would not go now if I thought it would do any good. Fuck if I know anything now." Clarice hadn't been cussing as much recently, but with the stress of finals and now this, it was making her feel a little better.

Angelo nodded. "Yeah, I'd be tryin' to find another way to get there if I thought it'd mean he'd go."

"We try to do something nice and we're made to feel like shit. There's something wrong with that," she mused, "He said he wants to duel to the death over this, is this kinda like what it was like in LA? But without the swords and powers."

He nodded. "Somethin' like that, yeah. I shouldn't think he really means it - why would he kill one of, what, three people who know anything about swords in the mansion?"

Clarice shook her head and wiped her eyes, she was beginning to calm down, "Because I pissed him off? He said he'd only fight me if he knew he could win. That's just...wrong. I'm not saying our bout would be a fair fight, but you don't openly say that!"

"Manuel seems to openly say a lot of things most people wouldn't", he pointed out. "You know what he can be like."

"Fucking double standard."

Angelo shrugged, not letting himself think down that road. It was hard enough keeping his temper as it was. "Maybe so", he answered neutrally.

"I wanna go somewhere. Not Boston. Want to come?" she asked, deciding to not be upset anymore, or at least not to think about it.

"Where'd you have in mind?"

"No idea. Salem Center? Somewhere kinda close. I can teleport at least that far if I can get an image inducer." Clarice warmed up to the idea, smiling.

Angelo smiled. "Sure thing. Should go find someone to ask permission, though."

"Oh yeah...okay. Be right back!" with that, Clarice jumped up and ran out of the room to go find someone to ask.