Marie-Ange and Topaz || Aftermath

[xp_topaz]

Marie-Ange taps Topaz to help with some of the cleanup following Death's attack on the city. Everyone is going to need a vacation after this. Backdated to January 11.



Tiny Baby Junior Avalon - the repository of terrifying and deadly magical books and objects - was always one of the more interesting places in the Snow Valley offices to visit. It was off in a back corner, as far away from Doug's server room as possible, and therefore far far away from the never ending collection of Media that Doug had playing on his assortment of screens. Which made it interesting, quiet, and in this particular case and in most cases, containing a Topaz.

Marie-Ange knocked against the open door, waited until Topaz looked up and then came in. "Are any of your magical projects likely to explode if I add another few tasks to your list." She looked around, identified what was probably a safe chair, and sat down wearily. "Cleanup after the incidents, I need your particular expertise."

"What do you need?" Topaz asked, carefully setting down the glass orb she had been examining. White, then pink smoke swirled in it, then a weird flash of what might have been London, before everything disappeared. "I'm not working on anything time sensitive right now."

"Marius Laverne is awake. He was brainwashed. You saw him, he is just as much a victim as anyone else." Marie-Ange said, a little tiredly. "We are going to work to make sure no one uses this against him, or the institute. The last thing anyone needs is 'Xavier's Gifted Alum attacks New York City" as a headline. She looked around the storage room. 'I should have done this over tea. I need you to do a few walking routes, see what you can find out. The Community Centre, local businesses, if you think you can get into the offices for the Times, please go ahead. Just an emotional temperature check, see how excited people are, bring back names of anyone who might be too confident about Death's identity.'

Topaz took out her phone and started typing notes. "I can do that. Presumably you're not opposed to me using magical means to find things out? Or what you don't know won't hurt you as long as I'm careful?"

"The only person I want you to avoid using magic on is Doug." Now Marie-Ange slumped in the chair, the weight of not only the last few days but the last month on her. "Doug is concerned that because in the mental mindscape Dr Essex had Rachel raised in... " She paused. "Merde, none of what I say makes sense anymore. Fake alternate universe, just an astral bubble, like the one where you were one of the Hellfire club, in that one, he was Pestilence. The nanites have given no sign of anything, Doug is anxious, but I would appreciate while you are on your rounds of checking, you also do an emotional checkup on Doug and his passengers."

"I can do that." Topaz looked up from her phone, raising an eyebrow as she tried to decide if she wanted to open another can of worms. "Do... you also need an emotional checkup?"

Marie-Ange's hand almost rubbed at her eye, she reached up before she caught herself and almost sat on it. "I was Death in that same universe, but I think I am probably not compromised. Which is just what a compromised person would say, but I am not full of tiny life-saving robots." She shrugged. "I would not stop you or blame you if you did check, just, be careful, the last time someone was in my mind they found a giant angry bird."

"I won't poke any angry birds. If I do my job very well, you don't even have to know I'm there." A small, wry smile informed Marie-Ange that was, in fact, a joke. "Everyone could probably do with a small check-in, honestly. And maybe a vacation."


"Well." Marie-Ange said, head tilted. "There is work to be done, and then perhaps a vacation. This is what I bargained for our safety, a week of insomnia and headaches like before, knowing who to direct to what tasks. Once I know we are safe, I will stand down."

"That wasn't a comment on you," Topaz assured her, going back to writing her notes. "Just an observation."

Marie-Ange leveled her gaze. "I know, but nonetheless, once the work is done I am going to find somewhere with a hot spring and seventeen restaurants and eat at all of them." She sat up a little in the chair. "How are you? After all of what you did, I would be horrible if I did not ask. Do you need anything, including the vacation I am going to send you on? You know, it was very much a group effort but Marius probably has you to thank for his sanity."

Topaz looked up from her phone again, a little surprised. "Me? I'm fine. My head hurts, but that's a normal consequence of anything I do."


"You were well into the thick of that fight, Doug has erased your face from footage too. It is possible that you stopped Death as much as the others. The X-Men neutralized his powers, but you set that man free. Do you need anything, and understand I expect you to say you need four days off, paid, minimum, a raise, and at least one visit to a bookstore or tea shoppe with Doug and his access to Emma's credit cards."

"I mean I wouldn't say no to a bookstore with Emma's credit card." Okay, she was maybe avoiding the conversation a little bit. "But a few days off when there's time for it probably wouldn't kill me."


"I also already put in the raise. You were overdue, I asked David and Felicia to handle whatever necessary paperwork." Marie-Ange's smile was genuine, if tired. "If you can do the emotional tour of news stations and gossip centres first, take as much time off after as you need. You helped save New York, you are owed a rest."

"As long as you take one too." It was soft enough to also be teasing, but there was a serious glint in Topaz's dark eyes. "I'll start hitting places up as soon as we're done here."


Marie-Ange pulled out her phone and tapped - and Topaz's phone chirped back. "I shared you my calendar updates. I penciled in time off for most of us, once the crisis is less immediate. Mine has to wait a little, I have this project to finish, and Amanda is still sometimes giving me the subway delay announcements in her sleep."

Topaz checked her phone, chuckling a little. "Is she still saying the doors are now opening and closing every time she opens and closes a door?"


"Perhaps. I heard her mumble it on the way to a medical checkup, but she stopped saying it while opening the cabinets for mugs, so there is progress. I did have to agree to redo the kitchen backsplash in real subway tile, but I am going to hope she forgets and it was just New York making demands. We will negotiate for a visual match without the city grime if I have to."

Comments

[xp_daytripper]

Ooh, great log, guys. I love to see the day-to-day business-like side of XF as well as the Big Damn Hero parts. And I'm also loving the little references to Amanda's after-effects. This one was inspired.

[xp_cypher]

The bit about subway doors opening and closing made me giggle. <3

[xp_emplate]

"My head hurts, but that's a normal consequence of anything I do."

And this is why Topaz is relatable.

[xp_longshot]

Tiny Baby Avalon continues to delight everytime I read it.

"Do... you also need an emotional checkup?"
Excellent to see these two care for each other, as MA demands Topaz care for herself as a boss and friend.