Amanda and Marie - Drinking Buddies
Mar. 15th, 2024 08:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsIt's a typical Friday night at Harry's. Amanda and Marie shoot the shit.
Harry's was always like stepping into her own living room. Not only because there were tables that were hers and her friends, but because she could walk in, catch the staff's eye, and get exactly what she wanted.
Plus they had Canadian beer on tap, and there was absolutely nothing quite like a draft beer and wings after a long day of ...well, nothing really. Honestly, she had no reason to need to go to the bar other than she knew if she went there, she'd find someone. And someone she found.
"Amanda," she said with a smile, coming up to her table. "I figured I'd find you here..or Gar. One or the other, and don't be mad but I can use a familiar face I don't need to get philosophical with. Want some company?"
"Hey, Marie. There's always a space for you at my table." Amanda beamed at her friend. "We haven't had a chance to catch up since things went to shite, have we?" She slid her pint glass aside and closed the book she'd been reading to make room. "What's your poison?"
"Anything cold and on draft," Rogue responded with a smile. She sat down and brushed her hair away from her face. "This damn weather ain't helpin' my curls," she drawled, trying to pat down her hair. "I didn't even bother trying to straighten it today. Would've been a lost cause." A few moments later, she'd ordered from the waitress and leaned back, pulling her gloves off. There were few people she could fully trust herself around, and Amanda had always been one of them. "I love the little Hopester, but I have not lived with a small person in a really long time .... I feel weird drinking around her, even though I shouldn't. Isn't that strange? Logan's been drinking and smoking around me since I was younger than Hope and yet I'm like oh no, protect the small child!"
Amanda chuckled. "I was the same when we first picked up Topaz. And with Nico before her." A momentary sadness crossed her features, but she quickly rallied. "Something something good example, something? The young 'uns tend to bring out the protective in us and so we try to be better people for them. Or at least give that impression." She took a pull at her pint. "Not that Logan didn't care, he just didn't give a fuck if you saw his less savoury side."
That caused Rogue to burst out laughing. "Y'all ain't wrong there!" She lifted her own glass and gave a cheers. "Logan is his own unique person, and that's all that's ever mattered to him. I mean, I can relate. When you don't know who you are, when you got so many lives, memories, just rattling around in your head.... the few things you know to be true are to be cherished." Rogue leaned back in her chair. "Did you ever think we'd be THE positive role models though?
Honestly? Maybe we need to get into some trouble. Rent a convertible and cause havoc or something."
"You just want to bone some cute young hitchhiker that looks like baby Brad Pitt," Amanda retorted in the same vein. The fact she could make that kind of pop culture reference showed her education had widely expanded over the years, although it wasn't clear if the influence was Doug's or Marie-Ange's. "As for being role models, back in the day? Fuck no. I mean, I think I'm still the only one to actually be expelled from the place. Back then I didn't think I'd ever be back, let alone actually teaching anyone."
"Who among us didn't make poor decisions back then? How did I not get expelled after literally never being in school, just following Logan around?" She cocked an eyebrow. "I never thought I'd be doing mental health. Lord knows I need it more than most." She clicked her nails around her glass before shaking her head, her curls bouncing. "I also don't know how y'all are teaching. The most I did was school counsellor and that was a headache. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loooove the little ones, I love high school drama and I live for the gossip but at the same time, the system sucks and I just see them all getting lost in it."
"Well, for a start I'm not part of the system. I teach magic and that's it. And most of that is remembering what I did and telling them to do the opposite." Amanda rolled her eyes. "Not that they listen. But I do my best to make sure they can take care of themselves and make informed decisions. Seems to have worked so far."
"So far," Rogue pointed out, finishing her pint. There was something about draft that was so much better than a can. "Don't you ever get a vacation though? Something something rest for the wicked is much needed."
"Does going to Transia to steal a bunch of magic books count as a vacation?" Amanda finished her pint and waved for Briar to bring two more. "Normally I have a better handle on balancing work and teaching and having an actual life, but this past year's been a beast. How about you? How's things with the leather brigade?"
Rogue gave a snort. "The same as always. Kick ass and take names .... or something something. I actually tried fitting into my leathers the first week I got back and was like oh man, I need to do some exercising." She flexed her arms. "So we are back on the training schedule and it blows. I mean, my metabolism is high as it is, it's more the whole 'discipline your mind' thing. Plus, Gar is a dick, and always slots me in for 6 am DR sessions. Asshole," she grumbled, accepting her second pint from Briar. "I KNOW that those aren't the only times I see the schedule. He just knows how much I hate waking up early." She rolled her eyes. "Can he just shack up with someone again so that he can stop tormenting me? Or is that just a life long thing I'll have to accept?"
"Well, he might have mentioned he had a date with Doc Grey, but I think the torment is a life-long thing. 'S like a stray dog - you fed him, now you can't get rid of him." Amanda snickered.
"Uuughhh," Rogue responded, with a grin. "And I even know his favourite food: meat. Like all men. Although, surprising no one considering his ties to Japan, Logan really does love tofu. He had to basically convince me to give it a try, which I did and yeah.... if it's cooked right, it's pretty damn good."
Amanda wrinkled her nose. "I'll take your word for it," she said. "I never can get past the squishy part."
"And yet you eat things like blood pudding and treacle," Rogue teased. "You brits have no taste buds." She gestured to Amanda's pack of smokes. "But that's probably because of those bad boys. You know you get a sense of taste back after quitting right?"
"If I do that, I won't be able to challenge Doug to our 'who can eat the spiciest' sessions," Amanda replied comfortably. "And speaking of which, I think it's time for me to indulge in my filthy habit. Care to keep me company?" Amanda picked up the pack and cocked an eyebrow at Rogue.
Rogue grinned. "Only if you're sharing the pack. I can never bring myself to buy a pack but man, sometimes you just want a drag."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you can bum one off me. The least I can do if you're coming out in the cold with me." She scooped her jacket off the back of her chair it was slung on and shrugged her way into it. "So, is it you or Logan who gets the nic fit?"
"Honestly, at this point, I have no idea." Rogue threw her own jacket on and followed Amanda to the smoking area. Taking her offered cigarette, she lit it and took a light drag. She coughed slightly, cleared her throat and flicked the ash. "Probably started as Logan and turned into jus' one of things I like to do sometimes. Kinda hard to figure out when you've been part of a duo for so long."
As she listened, Amanda had lit her own cigarette. Now she took a drag and nodded. "Actually, I kind of get you. 'S not public knowledge, but in the course of things I picked up my own brain passenger." She exhaled a long plume of smoke and breath fog in the frigid air. "'S complicated, but in the course of taking out the Destines, I wound up with Adam's memories. For the most part, they're just sitting back there, but every so often he pops up."
With a startled look, Rogue stared at Amanda. She hadn't heard the name Destines in a long time ....and had hoped not to. "For fuck's sake, babe. That's awful. I didn't know that." She took a long drag, trying to sort her thoughts. "Did Emma help you with that, how to lock up those asshole shadows in your mind on the astral plane?"
There was a long pause as Amanda smoked in silence and gathered her thoughts. "See, that's the thing. It's not actually a bad thing. I mean, I dunno, maybe Adam meant it as a punishment when it happened, but it didn't really turn out that way." She frowned as she realised she wasn't making sense. "Okay, so with this whole Frankenberry universe, things got changed, and one of those things was Adam and I, we were both raised by Rack. But I managed to get out, and he didn't. And when he was dying, those were the memories Adam dumped in my head, what he'd gone through alone. But rather than some kind of negative thing, I just felt... sorry for him? He was so alone and it could have easily been me." She shrugged a little. "Any way. I kept what he gave me, tucked away."
"Empathy is a fucking bitch," Rogue said bluntly. "I still have Erik's thoughts sometimes .... dreams... and then I think why does he have to be sympathetic? Why can't he just be evil?" She blew out a few crappy smoke rings, and sniffed, not realizing that she was starting to well up until then. "Shit." She half laughed as she brushed away a tear. "I'm fucking 40 years old, sugar, and here I am, crying about a bad guy. It's bullshit. Let's just run away and join the circus. Kurt can come too."
Amanda half-chuckled, digging into her pocket for a clean tissue, which she handed over to Rogue. "Ask me again later and I just might take you up on that," she replied, finishing her cigarette. "In the meantime, I think it's time for shots. Nothing like alcohol to blur memories, after all."
Rogue accepted the tissue gratefully and dabbed at her eyes, still trying to smile through her tears. "All good, sugar. But I will take you up on that alcohol cure," she added, butting out her own cigarette. "I could go for a couple more before we call Gar to get our drunk asses home."
Harry's was always like stepping into her own living room. Not only because there were tables that were hers and her friends, but because she could walk in, catch the staff's eye, and get exactly what she wanted.
Plus they had Canadian beer on tap, and there was absolutely nothing quite like a draft beer and wings after a long day of ...well, nothing really. Honestly, she had no reason to need to go to the bar other than she knew if she went there, she'd find someone. And someone she found.
"Amanda," she said with a smile, coming up to her table. "I figured I'd find you here..or Gar. One or the other, and don't be mad but I can use a familiar face I don't need to get philosophical with. Want some company?"
"Hey, Marie. There's always a space for you at my table." Amanda beamed at her friend. "We haven't had a chance to catch up since things went to shite, have we?" She slid her pint glass aside and closed the book she'd been reading to make room. "What's your poison?"
"Anything cold and on draft," Rogue responded with a smile. She sat down and brushed her hair away from her face. "This damn weather ain't helpin' my curls," she drawled, trying to pat down her hair. "I didn't even bother trying to straighten it today. Would've been a lost cause." A few moments later, she'd ordered from the waitress and leaned back, pulling her gloves off. There were few people she could fully trust herself around, and Amanda had always been one of them. "I love the little Hopester, but I have not lived with a small person in a really long time .... I feel weird drinking around her, even though I shouldn't. Isn't that strange? Logan's been drinking and smoking around me since I was younger than Hope and yet I'm like oh no, protect the small child!"
Amanda chuckled. "I was the same when we first picked up Topaz. And with Nico before her." A momentary sadness crossed her features, but she quickly rallied. "Something something good example, something? The young 'uns tend to bring out the protective in us and so we try to be better people for them. Or at least give that impression." She took a pull at her pint. "Not that Logan didn't care, he just didn't give a fuck if you saw his less savoury side."
That caused Rogue to burst out laughing. "Y'all ain't wrong there!" She lifted her own glass and gave a cheers. "Logan is his own unique person, and that's all that's ever mattered to him. I mean, I can relate. When you don't know who you are, when you got so many lives, memories, just rattling around in your head.... the few things you know to be true are to be cherished." Rogue leaned back in her chair. "Did you ever think we'd be THE positive role models though?
Honestly? Maybe we need to get into some trouble. Rent a convertible and cause havoc or something."
"You just want to bone some cute young hitchhiker that looks like baby Brad Pitt," Amanda retorted in the same vein. The fact she could make that kind of pop culture reference showed her education had widely expanded over the years, although it wasn't clear if the influence was Doug's or Marie-Ange's. "As for being role models, back in the day? Fuck no. I mean, I think I'm still the only one to actually be expelled from the place. Back then I didn't think I'd ever be back, let alone actually teaching anyone."
"Who among us didn't make poor decisions back then? How did I not get expelled after literally never being in school, just following Logan around?" She cocked an eyebrow. "I never thought I'd be doing mental health. Lord knows I need it more than most." She clicked her nails around her glass before shaking her head, her curls bouncing. "I also don't know how y'all are teaching. The most I did was school counsellor and that was a headache. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loooove the little ones, I love high school drama and I live for the gossip but at the same time, the system sucks and I just see them all getting lost in it."
"Well, for a start I'm not part of the system. I teach magic and that's it. And most of that is remembering what I did and telling them to do the opposite." Amanda rolled her eyes. "Not that they listen. But I do my best to make sure they can take care of themselves and make informed decisions. Seems to have worked so far."
"So far," Rogue pointed out, finishing her pint. There was something about draft that was so much better than a can. "Don't you ever get a vacation though? Something something rest for the wicked is much needed."
"Does going to Transia to steal a bunch of magic books count as a vacation?" Amanda finished her pint and waved for Briar to bring two more. "Normally I have a better handle on balancing work and teaching and having an actual life, but this past year's been a beast. How about you? How's things with the leather brigade?"
Rogue gave a snort. "The same as always. Kick ass and take names .... or something something. I actually tried fitting into my leathers the first week I got back and was like oh man, I need to do some exercising." She flexed her arms. "So we are back on the training schedule and it blows. I mean, my metabolism is high as it is, it's more the whole 'discipline your mind' thing. Plus, Gar is a dick, and always slots me in for 6 am DR sessions. Asshole," she grumbled, accepting her second pint from Briar. "I KNOW that those aren't the only times I see the schedule. He just knows how much I hate waking up early." She rolled her eyes. "Can he just shack up with someone again so that he can stop tormenting me? Or is that just a life long thing I'll have to accept?"
"Well, he might have mentioned he had a date with Doc Grey, but I think the torment is a life-long thing. 'S like a stray dog - you fed him, now you can't get rid of him." Amanda snickered.
"Uuughhh," Rogue responded, with a grin. "And I even know his favourite food: meat. Like all men. Although, surprising no one considering his ties to Japan, Logan really does love tofu. He had to basically convince me to give it a try, which I did and yeah.... if it's cooked right, it's pretty damn good."
Amanda wrinkled her nose. "I'll take your word for it," she said. "I never can get past the squishy part."
"And yet you eat things like blood pudding and treacle," Rogue teased. "You brits have no taste buds." She gestured to Amanda's pack of smokes. "But that's probably because of those bad boys. You know you get a sense of taste back after quitting right?"
"If I do that, I won't be able to challenge Doug to our 'who can eat the spiciest' sessions," Amanda replied comfortably. "And speaking of which, I think it's time for me to indulge in my filthy habit. Care to keep me company?" Amanda picked up the pack and cocked an eyebrow at Rogue.
Rogue grinned. "Only if you're sharing the pack. I can never bring myself to buy a pack but man, sometimes you just want a drag."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you can bum one off me. The least I can do if you're coming out in the cold with me." She scooped her jacket off the back of her chair it was slung on and shrugged her way into it. "So, is it you or Logan who gets the nic fit?"
"Honestly, at this point, I have no idea." Rogue threw her own jacket on and followed Amanda to the smoking area. Taking her offered cigarette, she lit it and took a light drag. She coughed slightly, cleared her throat and flicked the ash. "Probably started as Logan and turned into jus' one of things I like to do sometimes. Kinda hard to figure out when you've been part of a duo for so long."
As she listened, Amanda had lit her own cigarette. Now she took a drag and nodded. "Actually, I kind of get you. 'S not public knowledge, but in the course of things I picked up my own brain passenger." She exhaled a long plume of smoke and breath fog in the frigid air. "'S complicated, but in the course of taking out the Destines, I wound up with Adam's memories. For the most part, they're just sitting back there, but every so often he pops up."
With a startled look, Rogue stared at Amanda. She hadn't heard the name Destines in a long time ....and had hoped not to. "For fuck's sake, babe. That's awful. I didn't know that." She took a long drag, trying to sort her thoughts. "Did Emma help you with that, how to lock up those asshole shadows in your mind on the astral plane?"
There was a long pause as Amanda smoked in silence and gathered her thoughts. "See, that's the thing. It's not actually a bad thing. I mean, I dunno, maybe Adam meant it as a punishment when it happened, but it didn't really turn out that way." She frowned as she realised she wasn't making sense. "Okay, so with this whole Frankenberry universe, things got changed, and one of those things was Adam and I, we were both raised by Rack. But I managed to get out, and he didn't. And when he was dying, those were the memories Adam dumped in my head, what he'd gone through alone. But rather than some kind of negative thing, I just felt... sorry for him? He was so alone and it could have easily been me." She shrugged a little. "Any way. I kept what he gave me, tucked away."
"Empathy is a fucking bitch," Rogue said bluntly. "I still have Erik's thoughts sometimes .... dreams... and then I think why does he have to be sympathetic? Why can't he just be evil?" She blew out a few crappy smoke rings, and sniffed, not realizing that she was starting to well up until then. "Shit." She half laughed as she brushed away a tear. "I'm fucking 40 years old, sugar, and here I am, crying about a bad guy. It's bullshit. Let's just run away and join the circus. Kurt can come too."
Amanda half-chuckled, digging into her pocket for a clean tissue, which she handed over to Rogue. "Ask me again later and I just might take you up on that," she replied, finishing her cigarette. "In the meantime, I think it's time for shots. Nothing like alcohol to blur memories, after all."
Rogue accepted the tissue gratefully and dabbed at her eyes, still trying to smile through her tears. "All good, sugar. But I will take you up on that alcohol cure," she added, butting out her own cigarette. "I could go for a couple more before we call Gar to get our drunk asses home."
