Nate, Amanda - early Saturday morning

[xp_daytripper]

Following these events, Amanda sneaks down to the medlab early Saturday morning before the Boston trip to reassure herself he's all right. He is, but not exactly on speaking terms with English. She looks at his aura and is a bit overwhelmed by what she sees.



Part of the benefits of spending stupid amounts of time in the medlab was you got to know the routines. And Amanda knew exactly when was the right time to sneak down as the morning shift were getting their coffee and donuts - or Twinkies, in Hank's case. She'd get caught, but hopefully after she'd had a chance to see Nate. She shook her head as she cracked open the door to the only occupied room - Nate had well and truly beaten both her and Angelo's efforts as medlab regulars. The room was dim, and she didn't want to wake him - just a quick peek, maybe check his aura, and then she'd be gone.

Lying in bed, Nathan smiled up at the ceiling, sensing her at the door. Her thoughts were as clear as bells in the morning - either she wasn't shielding, or he was hearing on a level he usually couldn't manage. "Salva'austra, mi'savra," he said, and then snorted, pushing himself up on an elbow and smiling at the door. "Good--morning, Amanda," he said, concentrating hard on making it come out in English rather than Askani.

"Hey." Her smile was relieved. "You must really like it here, Nate, since you seem determined t' land yerself in here every five minutes. Can't be the food." She kept her voice down as she closed the door behind herself. "All right for me t' be here? I just wanted t' check you were doin' all right, before I went t' Boston with the others."

"Nal'saya hrana tul'sulaca sindastre velui." The words flowed out, seemingly of their own accord, and he pursed his lips, fighting back the urge to laugh at the way Amanda blinked at him. Aside from the fact that it was rude, if he started laughing he would either never stop or start crying, and he wasn't sure which would be worse. His mind was still afire with them, with a hundred years of life and death and joy and sorrow and yet he had never felt so aware, so... here. "Trouble," he managed, closing his eyes and focusing on the words, the English words. "Having... trouble. Trouble." He gave a helpless little laugh at how it came out. "English.. not first, in English. Not thinking in English."

"Fuck." Amanda came to his bedside then, taking his hand in hers. "But yer still here, with us? You ain't with them?"

He smiled at her suddenly, the joy winning out for a moment. "M'alhi... with me, Amanda. Here with me. All of them." And he was giddy with it suddenly, overwhelmed but somehow so content...

"Okay, either they're givin' you the good shit or yer've had somethin' of an epiphany." Amanda couldn't help but smile in return, although her eyes were still worried. And with him having so much trouble with English, there wasn't much she could do to understand what had happened, unless... "Nate? If I was to look at yer aura again, would that be all right? I just want t' make sure yer okay, is all."

"Fiyal'ha," Nathan said, and then laughed again. "Trust you. Told you." At least he was comprehending English spoken to him. That would have been awkward, otherwise. He sat up, wincing a little at the stab of pain in his side and the way his head spun - they had forced a sedative on him sometime last night, he remembered that much. "Viye'la saoina," he warned her, then tried it again. "See them... you."

Amanda nodded, and let go of his hand - close contact tended to screw up her 'vision', and closed her eyes, focussing her power. When she opened them again, she had to blink a couple of times, to be certain of what she was seeing.

The cord leaking his energy away was gone. That was a relief. But that particular point was overwhelmed by the brilliance of light, but the sheer energy he was exuding, as if one man contained the energy and emotions and experiences of hundreds, thousands even. Even though there was no change in the brightness of the room, Amanda shielded her eyes with her hand, trying to understand. The past - no, not past exactly, more like future history - he was holding a century of history in his head. At last the incandescence grew too much and she closed her eyes again, letting the magic drain away. The room seemed almost completely dark when she opened them again. "Now that's a trip," she said, attempting to make a joke, although her head was spinning with what she'd just seen, trying to process it.

"Cool," Nathan said, almost mischievously, and then reached out, patting her hand. "Nura... worried? No worries." As amazing as he felt right now, the inability to be coherent was really getting on his nerves. Maybe he should try it telepathically... no, Charles had told him to avoid the telepathy. He didn't feel like he was in shock, but then, he really wouldn't know, would he?

"I dunno... It's like you've got the memories of a whole fuckin' people in there, Nate. An' I'm so far out of me depth I can't even see the shore. But... I ain't worried, least, not as much as I should be. Maybe 'cause you ain't." She took hold of the hand he had reached out with. "You got any clue when they'll let you have yer English back? 'Cause pretty as that Askani sounds, it's still gibberish t' me."

"Need... to adjust, sa'lai." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "So much," he went on laboriously. "So much there... so..." Pausing, he smiled at her again. "Beautiful," he said. "And sad."

"I saw," Amanda said softly. "Yer aura... yer've got their whole history inside you now, like it's for safe keepin'. An' the dream I had last night..."

Nathan tilted his head at her. "Dream?"

"There was a village... more a camp really. Somethin' they could move in a hurry. An' there were kids, little kids, playin'." A thought struck her. "They were speakin' Askani, playin' hide 'n seek, only it weren't just a game, they were teachin' the little ones how t' hide from people tryin' t' kill 'em."

He nodded slowly, inwardly a little shocked at the idea that he had been leaking. How many others had seen things, dreamed things? "All--right?" he asked a bit concernedly, studying her.

She nodded. "Fine. It weren't a bad dream, just... sad. Kids should have the chance t' be kids." She paused, then added: "I think Manuel dreamt somethin' too."

Nathan couldn't help a snort. "Su'lahina masula," he said, and then grinned crookedly at her. "Do him... good?"

"We can but hope," Amanda said a little waspishly, but then grinned. "Yeah, it might. I dunno what he dreamed, tho'. He was still sleepin' when I left - I wanted t' check on you before we left an' catch a smoke or three. Just caught somethin' down the link."

"Boston," Nathan said with a nod, remembering. Although it took an effort - everything before last night was a little dim, a little distant. He hoped that would fade. "Go," he suggested, making a shooing gesture at her. "Savree na'helya noastre, sa'daya Manuel. Hri... be here, when... ti'aloa... when you get back."

"I'd argue, but I wouldn't be able t' understand a word you said, so I'll be good," said Amanda, grinning a little. She really ought to be more worried, but there was something infectious about his sudden optimism. She leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. "Look after yerself, please? No more dramas?"

"Ni'ahra," he said, then grinned back at her. "No drama. For... stalhia, ni'a. At least--a week."

"Promises, promises," she said, pulling a face. "Ten bucks says you can't."

"Fay'iael, negosha," Nathan pronounced. "Sucker bet."

"Bugger, I was hopin' yer'd be too distracted t' notice." Amanda gave Nate's hand a final squeeze and let go. "I almost wish I weren't goin' anywhere now," she said, reluctant to leave him.

Nathan smiled. "Go," he urged her again. "With Manuel. Vide'ha... see Shinobi. Amarai'Sarah... give Sarah my love."

"Not bloody likely," Amanda chuckled. "She'd skin me alive." She moved to the door, paused with her hand on the handle. "See you on Sunday."

"Jula'baena," Nathan murmured. "Good--journey."