Marie-Ange & Darcy | Snow Day
Jan. 29th, 2022 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_darcy posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logs(Backdated) Marie-Ange saves Darcy one of the coveted cinnamon rolls while they're stuck in the brownstone and the two have have a long talk that winds around health, relationships, and a sketch request.
"Morning," Darcy said as she tapped on the open door to Marie-Ange's office, a large mug of coffee obscuring the bottom half of her face as she brought it up for a drink. "I see the couch is tucked away, that bodes well for actually getting home sometime today."
"The F and the L are running on a limited schedule, which suggests we can get to the train or get cars out of parking by afternoon." Marie-Ange had a plate with a napkin-covered mound on her desk, and another just with crumbs and a smear of frosting. "I rescued you a cinnamon roll from our resident carb goblins in exchange for the last of the garlic ramen." She pointed a thumb at the napkin covered plate.
"You are a wonderful human," Darcy replied, placing her coffee near the edge of the desk before picking up the plate and sitting down. "How're Kane and Amanda doing?" She popped a bite of the cinnamon roll into her mouth, settling back into the seat with a happy noise as a burst of cinnamon and cream cheese hit her tastebuds.
"I am absolutely not, but I pretend." Marie-Ange licked her thumb to pick up the last of the crumbs from her plate. "Amanda is mostly fine, I think. A little concerned that people are going to hold a grudge, because of history, but we are working on that. Kane is... " She waved a hand. "Cooking. Repressing a little. Alternating between knowing he did the right thing and worried he made the wrong choice. Very tired, when he is not cooking. I almost wish someone would scream at him just so he could have some catharsis by yelling back. I think it would be easier if he was more gratified and confident about it."
Darcy finished the chunk of roll in her mouth before replying. "You saved me a cinnamon roll. I know how much you enjoy these, so yeah. Wonderful." Another bite pinched between fingers. "I won't be the one doing any yelling at him. Well. Not for those decisions, at least. If he just needs some yelling therapy in general then I can provide scathing commentary on his choices in sports teams or loudly mention within earshot that Vermont maple syrup is better than anything you can get from Canada, if that will help."
"It ... actually might." Marie-Ange answered. "He keeps saying how he has lost a great deal, and I wonder if he is just lost. He is... subdued. A pointless argument might help. He did... something like one of us would do, but without a team that knows how to bring him back, and how to keep him stable." Some days Marie-Ange quite hated the X-Men. "Some of them know. Just not... all, and it is not built into the X-Men's structure."
"And with his position within the X-Men before this..." Darcy trailed off, thoughtful. "Yeah, I can see where that would cause layers of issues. People that normally would do that are reconciling their own feelings, and the younger folks... oof. You know him better than me. I couldn't presume to put a timeframe on his healing, but if you think a screaming match might help, I can assist. I don't know him well enough for any personal shots to hurt long-term, should it get nasty." She contemplated the cinnamon roll for a minute, decided half of it was plenty, and swapped it for her coffee. "I'll even bring Canadian beer so he's got proper reflection tools after."
"Moosehead, I think is the one he likes best. Or the one that is the most Canadian, so he says he likes it best." Marie-Ange said, with a nod. "Harry's usually has some if you cannot find it at the store. I think some energy would be good for him, if you are up for an argument." She tilted her head, and looked at Darcy carefully. "I trust that you know your own self, to offer. Are you okay, otherwise?"
"Some days are better than others. Therapy's helping, but a particularly rough session usually means nightmares." Darcy gave a loose shrug. "And some of those are worse than others. Last night's wasn't that vivid, but I wasn't able to get back to sleep like I normally can when Doug's around, either."
"Ugh, I am about to sound like a commercial, but have you talked to the doctor about sleep medication? At least until you are through the worst of this?" Marie-Ange covered her good eye with a hand, and it was clear from how her eyebrows moved that she was rolling her eye at herself. "I do not know how I became the person in this office who checks on everyone's health and well-being. I bothered Doug earlier about his field readiness." She paused. "Well, less bothered more friendly interrogation and let him talk about a cartoon bear."
Darcy clutched her thermos tighter. "I--" she paused, looking down awkwardly at her lap. "I don't.. really trust myself with that sort of medication right now," she said carefully. "There's a few things doc would like me to try taking, but I just.. it would be too easy to not be smart about it. Better to not tempt myself like that."
"I avoid pain medication for the same reason now." Marie-Ange said. "No more Doctor House impression for me." She shrugged, and tapped the eyepatch. "One less eye, one less opiate problem."
"Can't really give up part of my brain for that trade," Darcy joked. "I'm limiting alcohol too, although it generally hasn't been an issue. But the brain drugs are what Collins was doing. Outside of the piercing headaches and ultimately the withdrawal, letting her manipulate things to keep me calm enough to sleep through the night was great." She rolled her shoulders, trying to release some of the built up tension. "I guess I could look into other options though."
"I think no, if you are concerned about..." Marie-Ange stared up at the ceiling of her office, and ran her hands behind her neck, dislodging her hair from a makeshift messy bun. "If you are worried about substance abuse, I think avoiding medication is probably safer. Plus your powers are in retrograde, who knows what medication will do to you. You could turn into a giant frog, you could get migraines, you could explode all of the Times Square billboards..." She paused. "None of those are predictions, I currently do not have any consistent readings for you beyond invading your romantic privacy just a very little."
"If I manage to blow up all the billboards in Times Square I have significantly bigger problems than being scared of medication." Darcy raised an eyebrow at the last bit. "Looking for Doug and getting both of us? Or looking for me and still getting something couple-y? I figured if you wanted to know specifics you'd say something."
"I have known Doug half my life, and I have emotional blind spots where he is concerned. I wanted to make sure this was good for him." Marie-Ange held up a hand, dug around in her desk and pulled out one of the uncountable number of sketchbooks that she always seemed to have around. "I have no serious concerns, especially with Laurie out of the picture but I did want to warn you that I check on him because it is personal between us. Also that I have an entire sketchbook of naked Doug pictures." And despite the serious tone at first, Marie-Ange pushed the sketchbook over with a playful grin. "He knows about them. This one is just Doug sketches, not all naked." She paused. "And when you are more recovered, I would like you to sit for a sketch?"
Darcy grinned back as she picked up the sketchbook. "Frankly, I would not be surprised if you kept tabs on all of us, at least on occasion. But Doug is.." she trailed off with a sigh, unsure of how to word things. "His friendship means a lot. The.. relationship aspects are a delightful bonus. Agreeing to take things slow and build on our friendship instead of rushing into sex was an excellent idea. And if you do see something concerning, please say something. Poly is still very new to me, but I'd rather tackle problems before they're insurmountable." Her grin softened into a smile as she flipped through the sketchbook, lingering over some pages longer than others. "How would you want to sketch me? I'm not opposed to the idea."
"I should probably do a few sketches. Most of the team has a card I use for professional readings." Marie-Ange puttered around her desk and finally pulled out a deck of thick cards wrapped in a cloth. "But I also keep cards of most of the people who have romantic relationships, and that one is almost always naked. Sometimes not!" She grinned, with a nose wrinkle that made her look younger, or at least less tired. "Amanda's, she is a Ramones T-shirt, because it felt right. I should do a new one of Doug too, because I do not have one of the arm."
"Well, there's always decorative rope work. Or something using my scarf collection? More of a tease?" Darcy tapped her finger against the coffee as she thought. "I think whatever works for you will be fine with me. Just tell me when, where, and if I need to bring something. You should see if he can get the friendos active while you're sketching, let you get some photos as well. They're very cute, make fun patterns on his arm."
"What is the phrase, you have understood the assignment?" Marie-Ange's fingers twitched towards the set of pencils in the cup on her desk. "I should also see if Matthew will pose, yes? Perhaps do a black and white sketch for his, but red pencil instead." She laughed a little. "It is so rare that people understand that I want their input into the art. If you are comfortable and participating, it is easier, and more you, no?"
"Foggy would definitely want a copy." Darcy thought he'd say yes, but "I can ask him, if you'd like? Do you want the man, the Devil, or the feel of both?" She intensely regretted her inability to draw the images each of those phrases brought to mind. Matt in his suit, jacket off, tie loose, buttons undone. His mask in his hands, contemplating the balance between the man of law and the vigilante. "And yeah.. I mean, I trust you to have good ideas, but giving a bit of my own input is nice."
"Maybe a bit of both. I have one of him as Daredevil, but it is for X-Men things, but as someone's partner, not as much." Now Marie-Ange was sketching, quick and rough, what had to be Matt Murdock, sunglasses and an undone tie around his neck. "And that is from Danger Room footage. You and Matthew are..." She made a very vague gesture with her hand. "Also with Foggy Nelson? I have so much art to do now."
"Can't have Matt without Foggy," Darcy agreed. "Although it is generally... MattandFoggy always, and Foggy dates Marci while Matt dates Darcy? Perhaps all of us, at some point, but there's no uncertainty about where we stand with one another." She tilted her head at the sketch. "That's a good look for him."
"I cannot tell if he knows how attractive he is with the undone tie and stubble. On one hand, blind, on the other, he has to have been told, yes?" Marie-Ange said, teasingly. "But yes, I would love to do more sketches. I always want to do art, it is probably my favourite part of living at the mansion. Many attractive people, most of whom will sit down and let me draw them, sometimes with their clothes off."
"He should know," Darcy muttered, then gave the redhead a wink. "I mean, with the enhanced senses he can at least hear a sped up heartbeat. Not as sure about smell? It's enhanced, but I'm not sure if fleeting arousal gets picked up. He's terribly polite about trying not to be invasive, generally. Foggy and Matt drawn together would look really nice. Their differences are so nice in contrast."
"Well, if the subject comes up, please let them both know I would love a sitting. For art reasons, but also it is useful for predictions. Sometimes the naked cards creep into the regular readings when someone we care for is at risk." Marie-Ange was briefly serious, pencil down off her sketch pad. "I know that Matt knows what we do here. Does Foggy? He knows Matt is the Daredevil, yes? and.. Marcy I am assuming does not? "
"Probably have to bribe Foggy to be naked, but maybe something more teasing? Embracing? Strategic sheets? Oh mm, I've got some sheets he'd look lovely against, actually..." Darcy's eyes unfocused at the thought, mind wandering for a moment before she came back to herself. "As for work... Foggy and Marci are aware he's Daredevil, yes, but not about what Snow Valley does. They do actually think I'm a policy wonk and researcher. We keep the shop talk generic. Would you want them read in, or is the status quo best for now?"
"No, status quo is fine. Really as long as they know Matt has powers and that we do mutant things, I can probably explain around it." Marie-Ange said. "I meant to ask before, because I trust you to be responsible but it is good to know what stories we tell our friends and ... lovers? Oh, English is awful, I hate it. That word is the very worst." She rolled her pencil between her fingers. "My parents think I run a think tank for mutant affairs, which is as close to the truth as I think anyone can get. Though I think my mother still thinks Doug and I are exclusive. She would... not ... she does not need to know the rest. Bad enough my cousin is the married one and I refuse."
"They know Matt has powers and Foggy's been at Xavier's before. So he probably has a good idea of what sort of research we might contribute to, and Marci's no slouch in the brains department. She's..." Darcy trailed off, grasping for the words that would describe the blonde. "Lot of sharp edges. Classic blonde bombshell in a big law firm, with the chip to prove she isn't making her way up on her back the way some might suggest. So she likely suspects something, but for now I'm distracting her with minutiae when the boys will let us actually interact. I think they're afraid we might get along and take over the world." She rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her face. "My family knows the surface truth--analyst, researcher, a way to use my degrees safely after being outed as a mutant. And ah... not much about my dating life. Just that I am."
"If it becomes necessary, we can fake an office day where we look like a real think tank." Marie-Ange offered. "Ask Doug about the day his parents came in without much warning. We've made contingency plans since. We try to keep as few people as possible in the loop, but sometimes it is unavoidable. My parents have no idea, but my grandmother, I think she suspects I have an abnormal career." She paused. "Oh, oh, what if Matt is undressed and Foggy has his entire lawyer suit on. There is a metaphor there about secrets and identities..."
Darcy grinned as she mimed fanning herself. "That could be wonderful. And who knows what Matt could convince him to try as long as we're all encouraging about it?"
"Morning," Darcy said as she tapped on the open door to Marie-Ange's office, a large mug of coffee obscuring the bottom half of her face as she brought it up for a drink. "I see the couch is tucked away, that bodes well for actually getting home sometime today."
"The F and the L are running on a limited schedule, which suggests we can get to the train or get cars out of parking by afternoon." Marie-Ange had a plate with a napkin-covered mound on her desk, and another just with crumbs and a smear of frosting. "I rescued you a cinnamon roll from our resident carb goblins in exchange for the last of the garlic ramen." She pointed a thumb at the napkin covered plate.
"You are a wonderful human," Darcy replied, placing her coffee near the edge of the desk before picking up the plate and sitting down. "How're Kane and Amanda doing?" She popped a bite of the cinnamon roll into her mouth, settling back into the seat with a happy noise as a burst of cinnamon and cream cheese hit her tastebuds.
"I am absolutely not, but I pretend." Marie-Ange licked her thumb to pick up the last of the crumbs from her plate. "Amanda is mostly fine, I think. A little concerned that people are going to hold a grudge, because of history, but we are working on that. Kane is... " She waved a hand. "Cooking. Repressing a little. Alternating between knowing he did the right thing and worried he made the wrong choice. Very tired, when he is not cooking. I almost wish someone would scream at him just so he could have some catharsis by yelling back. I think it would be easier if he was more gratified and confident about it."
Darcy finished the chunk of roll in her mouth before replying. "You saved me a cinnamon roll. I know how much you enjoy these, so yeah. Wonderful." Another bite pinched between fingers. "I won't be the one doing any yelling at him. Well. Not for those decisions, at least. If he just needs some yelling therapy in general then I can provide scathing commentary on his choices in sports teams or loudly mention within earshot that Vermont maple syrup is better than anything you can get from Canada, if that will help."
"It ... actually might." Marie-Ange answered. "He keeps saying how he has lost a great deal, and I wonder if he is just lost. He is... subdued. A pointless argument might help. He did... something like one of us would do, but without a team that knows how to bring him back, and how to keep him stable." Some days Marie-Ange quite hated the X-Men. "Some of them know. Just not... all, and it is not built into the X-Men's structure."
"And with his position within the X-Men before this..." Darcy trailed off, thoughtful. "Yeah, I can see where that would cause layers of issues. People that normally would do that are reconciling their own feelings, and the younger folks... oof. You know him better than me. I couldn't presume to put a timeframe on his healing, but if you think a screaming match might help, I can assist. I don't know him well enough for any personal shots to hurt long-term, should it get nasty." She contemplated the cinnamon roll for a minute, decided half of it was plenty, and swapped it for her coffee. "I'll even bring Canadian beer so he's got proper reflection tools after."
"Moosehead, I think is the one he likes best. Or the one that is the most Canadian, so he says he likes it best." Marie-Ange said, with a nod. "Harry's usually has some if you cannot find it at the store. I think some energy would be good for him, if you are up for an argument." She tilted her head, and looked at Darcy carefully. "I trust that you know your own self, to offer. Are you okay, otherwise?"
"Some days are better than others. Therapy's helping, but a particularly rough session usually means nightmares." Darcy gave a loose shrug. "And some of those are worse than others. Last night's wasn't that vivid, but I wasn't able to get back to sleep like I normally can when Doug's around, either."
"Ugh, I am about to sound like a commercial, but have you talked to the doctor about sleep medication? At least until you are through the worst of this?" Marie-Ange covered her good eye with a hand, and it was clear from how her eyebrows moved that she was rolling her eye at herself. "I do not know how I became the person in this office who checks on everyone's health and well-being. I bothered Doug earlier about his field readiness." She paused. "Well, less bothered more friendly interrogation and let him talk about a cartoon bear."
Darcy clutched her thermos tighter. "I--" she paused, looking down awkwardly at her lap. "I don't.. really trust myself with that sort of medication right now," she said carefully. "There's a few things doc would like me to try taking, but I just.. it would be too easy to not be smart about it. Better to not tempt myself like that."
"I avoid pain medication for the same reason now." Marie-Ange said. "No more Doctor House impression for me." She shrugged, and tapped the eyepatch. "One less eye, one less opiate problem."
"Can't really give up part of my brain for that trade," Darcy joked. "I'm limiting alcohol too, although it generally hasn't been an issue. But the brain drugs are what Collins was doing. Outside of the piercing headaches and ultimately the withdrawal, letting her manipulate things to keep me calm enough to sleep through the night was great." She rolled her shoulders, trying to release some of the built up tension. "I guess I could look into other options though."
"I think no, if you are concerned about..." Marie-Ange stared up at the ceiling of her office, and ran her hands behind her neck, dislodging her hair from a makeshift messy bun. "If you are worried about substance abuse, I think avoiding medication is probably safer. Plus your powers are in retrograde, who knows what medication will do to you. You could turn into a giant frog, you could get migraines, you could explode all of the Times Square billboards..." She paused. "None of those are predictions, I currently do not have any consistent readings for you beyond invading your romantic privacy just a very little."
"If I manage to blow up all the billboards in Times Square I have significantly bigger problems than being scared of medication." Darcy raised an eyebrow at the last bit. "Looking for Doug and getting both of us? Or looking for me and still getting something couple-y? I figured if you wanted to know specifics you'd say something."
"I have known Doug half my life, and I have emotional blind spots where he is concerned. I wanted to make sure this was good for him." Marie-Ange held up a hand, dug around in her desk and pulled out one of the uncountable number of sketchbooks that she always seemed to have around. "I have no serious concerns, especially with Laurie out of the picture but I did want to warn you that I check on him because it is personal between us. Also that I have an entire sketchbook of naked Doug pictures." And despite the serious tone at first, Marie-Ange pushed the sketchbook over with a playful grin. "He knows about them. This one is just Doug sketches, not all naked." She paused. "And when you are more recovered, I would like you to sit for a sketch?"
Darcy grinned back as she picked up the sketchbook. "Frankly, I would not be surprised if you kept tabs on all of us, at least on occasion. But Doug is.." she trailed off with a sigh, unsure of how to word things. "His friendship means a lot. The.. relationship aspects are a delightful bonus. Agreeing to take things slow and build on our friendship instead of rushing into sex was an excellent idea. And if you do see something concerning, please say something. Poly is still very new to me, but I'd rather tackle problems before they're insurmountable." Her grin softened into a smile as she flipped through the sketchbook, lingering over some pages longer than others. "How would you want to sketch me? I'm not opposed to the idea."
"I should probably do a few sketches. Most of the team has a card I use for professional readings." Marie-Ange puttered around her desk and finally pulled out a deck of thick cards wrapped in a cloth. "But I also keep cards of most of the people who have romantic relationships, and that one is almost always naked. Sometimes not!" She grinned, with a nose wrinkle that made her look younger, or at least less tired. "Amanda's, she is a Ramones T-shirt, because it felt right. I should do a new one of Doug too, because I do not have one of the arm."
"Well, there's always decorative rope work. Or something using my scarf collection? More of a tease?" Darcy tapped her finger against the coffee as she thought. "I think whatever works for you will be fine with me. Just tell me when, where, and if I need to bring something. You should see if he can get the friendos active while you're sketching, let you get some photos as well. They're very cute, make fun patterns on his arm."
"What is the phrase, you have understood the assignment?" Marie-Ange's fingers twitched towards the set of pencils in the cup on her desk. "I should also see if Matthew will pose, yes? Perhaps do a black and white sketch for his, but red pencil instead." She laughed a little. "It is so rare that people understand that I want their input into the art. If you are comfortable and participating, it is easier, and more you, no?"
"Foggy would definitely want a copy." Darcy thought he'd say yes, but "I can ask him, if you'd like? Do you want the man, the Devil, or the feel of both?" She intensely regretted her inability to draw the images each of those phrases brought to mind. Matt in his suit, jacket off, tie loose, buttons undone. His mask in his hands, contemplating the balance between the man of law and the vigilante. "And yeah.. I mean, I trust you to have good ideas, but giving a bit of my own input is nice."
"Maybe a bit of both. I have one of him as Daredevil, but it is for X-Men things, but as someone's partner, not as much." Now Marie-Ange was sketching, quick and rough, what had to be Matt Murdock, sunglasses and an undone tie around his neck. "And that is from Danger Room footage. You and Matthew are..." She made a very vague gesture with her hand. "Also with Foggy Nelson? I have so much art to do now."
"Can't have Matt without Foggy," Darcy agreed. "Although it is generally... MattandFoggy always, and Foggy dates Marci while Matt dates Darcy? Perhaps all of us, at some point, but there's no uncertainty about where we stand with one another." She tilted her head at the sketch. "That's a good look for him."
"I cannot tell if he knows how attractive he is with the undone tie and stubble. On one hand, blind, on the other, he has to have been told, yes?" Marie-Ange said, teasingly. "But yes, I would love to do more sketches. I always want to do art, it is probably my favourite part of living at the mansion. Many attractive people, most of whom will sit down and let me draw them, sometimes with their clothes off."
"He should know," Darcy muttered, then gave the redhead a wink. "I mean, with the enhanced senses he can at least hear a sped up heartbeat. Not as sure about smell? It's enhanced, but I'm not sure if fleeting arousal gets picked up. He's terribly polite about trying not to be invasive, generally. Foggy and Matt drawn together would look really nice. Their differences are so nice in contrast."
"Well, if the subject comes up, please let them both know I would love a sitting. For art reasons, but also it is useful for predictions. Sometimes the naked cards creep into the regular readings when someone we care for is at risk." Marie-Ange was briefly serious, pencil down off her sketch pad. "I know that Matt knows what we do here. Does Foggy? He knows Matt is the Daredevil, yes? and.. Marcy I am assuming does not? "
"Probably have to bribe Foggy to be naked, but maybe something more teasing? Embracing? Strategic sheets? Oh mm, I've got some sheets he'd look lovely against, actually..." Darcy's eyes unfocused at the thought, mind wandering for a moment before she came back to herself. "As for work... Foggy and Marci are aware he's Daredevil, yes, but not about what Snow Valley does. They do actually think I'm a policy wonk and researcher. We keep the shop talk generic. Would you want them read in, or is the status quo best for now?"
"No, status quo is fine. Really as long as they know Matt has powers and that we do mutant things, I can probably explain around it." Marie-Ange said. "I meant to ask before, because I trust you to be responsible but it is good to know what stories we tell our friends and ... lovers? Oh, English is awful, I hate it. That word is the very worst." She rolled her pencil between her fingers. "My parents think I run a think tank for mutant affairs, which is as close to the truth as I think anyone can get. Though I think my mother still thinks Doug and I are exclusive. She would... not ... she does not need to know the rest. Bad enough my cousin is the married one and I refuse."
"They know Matt has powers and Foggy's been at Xavier's before. So he probably has a good idea of what sort of research we might contribute to, and Marci's no slouch in the brains department. She's..." Darcy trailed off, grasping for the words that would describe the blonde. "Lot of sharp edges. Classic blonde bombshell in a big law firm, with the chip to prove she isn't making her way up on her back the way some might suggest. So she likely suspects something, but for now I'm distracting her with minutiae when the boys will let us actually interact. I think they're afraid we might get along and take over the world." She rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her face. "My family knows the surface truth--analyst, researcher, a way to use my degrees safely after being outed as a mutant. And ah... not much about my dating life. Just that I am."
"If it becomes necessary, we can fake an office day where we look like a real think tank." Marie-Ange offered. "Ask Doug about the day his parents came in without much warning. We've made contingency plans since. We try to keep as few people as possible in the loop, but sometimes it is unavoidable. My parents have no idea, but my grandmother, I think she suspects I have an abnormal career." She paused. "Oh, oh, what if Matt is undressed and Foggy has his entire lawyer suit on. There is a metaphor there about secrets and identities..."
Darcy grinned as she mimed fanning herself. "That could be wonderful. And who knows what Matt could convince him to try as long as we're all encouraging about it?"
