xp_logs | Domino and Amanda, Saturday afternoon

Backdated to Saturday afternoon. Dom gives Amanda her presents, and the two of them talk - about Nathan, Angelo, what happened with Sarah, Manuel, Jubilee, and how there's nothing fun to do in Mongolia.

"Beth's adorable," Domino quipped as she settled cross-legged on Amanda's bed, setting the bag'o'presents down in front of her. Amanda bounced onto the bed, grinning, and Domino snickered. "Now I want a tough little skater chick of my own... tell me, does she have a sister?"

"Sorry t' disappoint, but no. Only child. Which is really too bad, 'cause yeah, she's brilliant. Talented, too." Amanda's grin was positively wicked. "An' a lot of fun - perfect cure t' the angst in this place. You'll just have t' kidnap us both next time yer in town."

Domino started to rummage through the bag, trying to decide what order to pull everything out in. "Sure sounds like you guys need an angst-cure," she said dryly. "Tell me, do you have quiet months, or is that against the school charter?" She took out the Swarovski's box, handing it over to Amanda.

"There's rumours there was one, back sometime in 1978, but I ain't sure I believe..." Amanda began in her typical smart-arse tone as she opened the box, but her words died as she pushed aside the tissue paper and found a little crystal sculpture of two foals playing. She squeaked with delight, although she would deny it until she was blue in the face if anyone put it to her that she had. "Oh, Dom, this is just gorgeous..." she managed at last, carefully lifting the delicate crystal from its nest. It sparkled as it caught the late afternoon light, throwing miniature rainbows around the room.

"I thought you might like it," Domino said, satisfied. "Nate's shared some of the stories you've told him about working at the farm with me, you know." She laughed suddenly. "I don't get letters from him that don't include news of one type or another about you. It's very cute."

"He does?" Amanda looked surprised. And pleased. "I mean, I knew you heard 'bout me gettin' meself into trouble, but I didn't know he talked 'bout the rest... Least it's not all bad news, eh?" she said, carelessly, attempting to cover the fact she was blushing like a little girl.

"I generally get a 'what's going on at the mansion' briefing, but you usually get a paragraph to yourself," Domino teased, pulling the flat package out of the bag next and handing it over. "He used to talk almost as much about Angelo," she said thoughtfully, "but I don't think he's mentioned him at all, the last few emails."

Amanda's face dropped at the mention of Angelo, even as she unwrapped a handmade Turkish pillowcase, woven in thread of dull gold and burgundy and green. "'S nice - pretty without bein' girly. An' me little study nook could do with livenin' up." Then she sighed. "They had a fallin' out. 'Bout this thing with Sarah. Neither of 'em will say what exactly, but I get the impression Nate's disappointed with Ange. Tossed him into the lake, even. Then he started on this whole kick 'bout how he'd fucked up, tryin' t' be our friend instead of our teacher, or some such rubbish." Her eyes darkened at the memory of the library talk. "An' Ange said somethin' 'bout Nate betrayin' his trust, treatin' him like the rest of the staff do. It's all a big fuckin' mess an' I've been told often enough lately that I can't help with everythin', so I'm tryin' t' keep out of it. Stuck me nose in enough, I think."

Domino rolled her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake," she said with a sigh. "The male of the species never ceases to baffle and annoy me." Rummaging in the bag for the non-impulse buy, she eyed Amanda speculatively. "He explain why he reacted like he did to the thing with Sarah, or did he just leave you all to think he was sleep-deprived and cranky. Not that he wasn't, I mean... ahah!" She pulled the book out triumphantly, handing it over. "That was not bought on a whim," she said firmly as Amanda took the heavy hardcover, blinking down at it. "Nate's idea, actually, and I got to find it because the specialist bookstores are better in Europe. That's Dioscorides, the big-ass Greek text on herbs from the first century BC." She grinned. "But you'll notice I got you the Arabic version with the English translation. Figured you could practice for the class that way."

"You sure you don't want a job here? You'd make a good teacher - you enjoy givin' out homework way too much," Amanda grumbled, but she was already poring over the book, wrinkling her forehead a little as she tried to make out the Arabic script. "This is... fuck, I've got a couple of books on healin' an' potions, but I've been wantin' t' learn more an' this is just perfect." She closed it carefully and leaned over to give Domino a quick one-armed hug, before settling back, book still clutched possessively to her chest. "You are the best adopted sister a girl could have." Then, remembering Domino's question, she shook her head: "An' no, Nate didn't explain, not exactly. He wasn't makin' a lot of sense when I talked t' him, an' after the Askani thing, well, I sort of forgot about it. Figured it was just 'cause we were stupid, an' that was it. Tho' he was shitty that the others knew Sarah had found those bastards an' didn't say anythin' to a teacher."

Domino laid her hands on her knees, a faint smile playing on her lips. She'd take a break from the Santa Claus shit for a minute, she decided. "Glad you liked the book. Certainly had to shake the figurative trees to find it." She tilted her head, regarding Amanda with a bleak sort of amusement. "As for Nate... I think the problem was that his never-robust optimism got a kick in the teeth."

"'Cause we fucked up?" Amanda asked, surprised. "He beats himself up 'cause we made a mistake? That's just stupid - it weren't his fault."

"I think it's actually because of the type of mistake you guys made," Domino said, her slight smile turning almost rueful. "You probably have no idea how much he loved the idea of this place. Even after he figured out that shit happens here on a regular basis."

Amanda frowned, running her fingers over the heavy binding of the book as she tried to understand what Domino meant. "Was it the killin'?" she asked, the frown deepening. She hadn't killed Rack, but she hadn't mourned his passing. And Nate himself had wanted to kill him... "I mean, killin's wrong, but those people, they killed all of Sarah's family, an' left 'em t' rot down there."

"Killing is not always wrong," Domino said, a bit more crisply than she'd intended. "Sometimes it's necessary. I doubt Nate is particularly bothered by Sarah wanting revenge. After all, he--" She cut herself off sharply. There were things she could talk to Amanda about and things she really shouldn't.

Amanda recognised the sudden cutting-off from talks with Pete - Here Be Stuff I Don't Want You To Know. "Then why? 'M sorry I'm so dense, Dom, but I really don't get it."

Domino paused for a moment, thinking. "Do you remember me telling you that Nate tried to send me away to school, when he first bought my way out of the combat pits?" Amanda nodded. "And how hard he resisted me getting into the life?"

"Yeah, but..." Realisation hit. "Oh. _Oh_. I get you now. He thinks we were goin' the way he did?" Amanda started chewing on her thumbnail thoughtfully. "An' he thinks we're tossin' away this chance we've got here, right? No wonder he got so ticked."

Domino reached out, taking Amanda's wrist and tugging her hand away from her mouth gently. "Don't do that," she scolded lightly. Amanda blinked at her, and she sighed. "He was so angry with me," she murmured. "I think he still is, deep down. I had a chance and I opted for this life."

"An' he didn't." It wasn't a question. Amanda's frown deepened as she worked through what Domino was getting at. "I understand, I think. I didn't get a choice neither, an' if I saw someone goin' down the same path when they didn't have to, it'd make me angry too. 'Specially if it were someone I cared about."

"You're still not quite seeing it," Domino said gently. "Nate wouldn't hold anything that you, or Angelo, or anyone else here did in order to survive against you. Not for an instant. He'd be the first to give you one of those very awkward hugs of his and tell you that you did the right thing."

"But not if we went lookin' for trouble, right? Not if we chose t' put ourselves in danger when we didn't have to. Like by not tellin' a teacher what Sarah was doin', or planned t' do?" Amanda asked. She began to bring her hand up to start biting her nails again, caught Domino's look and opted for running her fingertips over the binding of the book she'd bee given instead.

"Almost, but still not quite." Domino ran her hands through her chin-length hair, sighing. "Amanda, I probably would have kept my mouth shut too, in your place. I'm not trying to argue Nate's point of view here. Mostly because his point of view is three quarters twisted Nate-logic and only one quarter common sense."

Amanda snickered a little at that despite the serious turn their talk was taking. "Well, in my case, I didn't know 'bout it 'til the day before she took off. An' I knew there was nothin' that'd stop her from goin' - Sarah's been talkin' 'bout revenge ever since I met her. So I wasn't surprised she did it - I think she's a bloody idiot for goin' on her own 'gainst trained military, but I weren't surprised." She looked at Domino wiht a small grin. "So, how do we get 'round Nate-logic? 'Cause this whole thing is just stupid."

"I don't know," Domino said mirthlessly. "He's five years old, I swear to God." She sighed again suddenly, a pained sigh as she thought about the conversation she'd had with him earlier. "Or fourteen," she said, more quietly.

"No wonder he an' Manny butt heads so much." Amanda's tone matched Domino's. "They're both overgrown teenage boys. An' Ange ain't much better, half the time. I don't s'pose lockin' 'em in a room together' 'til they sort it out's an option?"

Domino shrugged elegantly. "Did he give you much hassle about it?"

"A bit. Not a lot - he knew there wasn't a lot I could've done beforehand, an' I told him once I knew there was military involved, there's no way I would've gone t' help - I know me limits. But he..." A sudden lump developed in Amanda's throat, and she had to cough a little before she could go on. "He said somethin' 'bout him bein' the enemy t' us, that he shouldn't have gotten so involved. That hurt. But it was the not-sleepin' talkin' as much as anythin', I think. An' he seems t' think he ain't doin' us any good here, which is bollocks."

The corner of Domino's mouth quirked upwards. "The enemy, huh?" She leaned forward a little, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand, her violet eyes very intent on Amanda. "I called him that once. I was sixteen."

"So 's all yer fault," Amanda said with a teasing snicker. "'S so bloody stupid. I mean, yeah, he's a teacher an' a grownup an' all. But he ain't anythin' like the rest of me so-called 'authority figures'. Him an' Pete both. They _listen_ when I talk, they don't have this idea in their heads how I should be. Sure they try an' nudge me away from the bad stuff, but they don't give me shite for the little things that don't matter. An' t' me, that makes 'em definitely not the enemy."

"We could always try holding him down and beating him?" Domino mused aloud. "But no... that would just lead to the puppy-dog eyes."

"But it'd be fun," Amanda pointed out. "An' the puppy-dog eyes're cute."

Domino chuckled softly, then reached into the bag again. "You really want to know the 'Oh, God, he's so pathetic' reason I suspect is behind all the perplexing macho bullshit?"

"If it'll help make some sense of this, yeah." Amanda grinned as she watched Domino feel around in the bag again.

"He doesn't want you to be like him. Any of you," Domino said, and made a small triumphant noise as she came up with the small box she'd been looking for. "Here," she said. "Souvenir of Switzerland."

"Yer right, that is pathetic," said Amanda, turning over the Swiss Army knife in her hands with a small pleased noise. Of course, she had to fold out and fold back in every single tool - it was going to take a while. "I mean, yeah, he's fucked up with the stuff that was done t' him, but he wouldn't be here an' tryin' t' be better if he weren't a better person 'n that. Same as me, same as Angelo, same as Manny, even." She looked up from where she was testing the edge of the longest knife blade and grinned. "Think I should tell him that?"

"Think I haven't been trying for the last six years?" Domino asked with a chuckle, reaching back into the bag. "Other souvenir of Switzerland," she said, handing over a large chocolate bar. "Nate's negative self-esteem is one of the great mysteries of the universe. Every so often he snaps and goes running up and down the nearest street begging someone to tell him he's a bad person."

The girl giggled at the image. "I think Moira gets sick of it sometimes. She gets this look." Then she started. "Fuck, I nearly forgot, with all the goodies yer givin' me - I got somethin' for you in Brighton, only I forgot t' give it t' you in Amsterdam." Another giggle. "We got sort of distracted."

"Ooh, present for me?" Domino asked with a grin. "I will bounce, if you want."

"Could you? I like it when you do." Now the giggle turned wicked, as Amanda got up to rummuge through her drawers. "'S two presents, really. She pulled out a flat parcel, wrapped in slightly-creased tissue paper, and a small plain paper bag, with something small but weighty in it. "I got one of these for Nate," she said, handing over the bag first. "Only yers is on a cord, since I figured you'd be the sort to wear jewellry, least this kind. 'S a protection charm."

Domino pulled the charm out of the bag, looking intrigued. "Cool," she said, running a finger over it.

"Won't make you bullet proof, an' you probably don't need it with yer power an' all, but..." Amanda shrugged diffidently. "I wanted somethin' that was definitely from me, y'know?"

Domino grinned. "A little magical edge from my favorite witch? Definitely a kick-ass gift."

"There's a spell I need t' do, t' make it yours. An' you should have it on you pretty much all the time." Amanda took Domino's hand, and closed her fingers over the small silver medallion on the leather cord and invoked the spell. As with Nathan's, there was a slight glow and a tingle.

Domino slipped it over her head. "You got Nate the extra-strength version, right?" she teased lightly. "Seriously... thanks. It is a hell of a gift. A little bit of you."

The pleased blush came to Amanda's face - she never could deal with thank yous that well. "Open the other one," she said, to cover. "I saw it in this Goth place an' thought of you straight away - good thing I forgot t' give it to you in Amsterdam, or Manny would've exploded straight away."

Domino opened the other parcel, grinning widely at the leather bustier it contained. "You'd think you appreciated my cleavage," she said, batting her eyelashes at Amanda. "Shall I try it on and go find Lizard Boy?"

"If you can prise him away from his new little friend," Amanda replied cattily. At Domino's raised eyebrow, she sighed. "Jubilee's been sniffin' 'round him like a cat on heat. An' I wouldn't give a rat's, only, it's Jubilee. I know what Manny likes, an' she's me, only without all this." She gestured at the scarring visible under the tanktop she was wearing. "I figure he might decide she's a better deal, an' tell me t' go jump. Which shouldn't bother me either, 'cept for this fuckin' link makin' me go an' have feelin's for him an' all." She looked up at Domino adn tried to shrug off what she'd just said. "Um, yeah. Go try it on an' see how many of the boys have heart attacks."

Domino was dimly amused that her first impulse was to put the bustier on, find Manuel, and then castrate him. You are very, very inconsistent, woman... But Manuel, perversely fond as she was of him, was obviously hurting Amanda, and that was Not Allowed. "You want me to kick her ass?" she asked cheerfully, rummaging through the bag again. "This Jubilee person. Because I will."

"Temptin', but you probably shouldn't. Wouldn't want you t' get into strife with anyone here an' get yerself banned or somethin'." Amanda sighed and shook her head. She really ought to stop obsessing about this - Lee would be laughing herself sick if she knew how much all of it was bothering her. "'S my mess, I'll deal with it. When I work out a way I can without that whole threefold rule bitin' me in the arse."

Domino carefully wrapped the bustier back up, setting it aside. "Sounds like Manuel's being an awful jackass about it," she said. "He can hardly say he doesn't know how it's making you feel."

"It ain't really his fault - he's nineteen, male, an' Lee has this habit of lyin' 'round the pool in somethin' that pretends t' be a swimsuit when it ain't a couple of hankies. He'd have t' be made of stone t' not react - as annoyin' as the bint is, she ain't hard on the eyes at all." Amanda shrugged. "'Sides', 's all a bit hypocritical on my part. He lets me have my fun, an' I get bent out of shape when he tries t' do the same thing? Ain't like I can take the moral high ground here. Or any kind of ground at all. So I'll suck it up, keep as clear as I can - I'm goin' back t' Stonewall this week so I've got somethin' other t' do than watch her hangin' all over him."

Domino made a face, not liking that response at all and resolving to have a word with Manuel whether Amanda wanted her to or not. "Fuck 'em both, and not in the fun way," she said, reaching out and patting Amanda's cheek, letting her fingertips linger for a moment as she pulled her hand back. "And I have a real hard time imagining this Jubilee chick is anything like you, with or without the scars."

"Fuck 'em," Amanda agreed, smiling at the affectionate gesture and resisting the urge to nuzzle into it - she was already feeling way too needy as it was. "Manny'll get tired of her soon enough, an' like people remind me, we're linked. That's gotta be worth somethin'." She tilted her head at Domino. "So, Mongolia, eh? What the hell is there besides a lot of men in little furry hats?"

"Hmm," Domino said with a wicked grin. "Not all that much, really. Lots of yaks? Which reminds me, I'll bring you back some yak cheese if you want. It's actually good stuff. Nate would probably make sad eyes at me if I went to Mongolia and didn't bring him any." She shrugged. "As for what's bringing me there, I owe someone a favor, and he wants me to steal something for him. Fairly straightforward."

"I'd be careful 'bout sayin' somethin's straightforward 'round here, even with yer luck. It's guaranteed t'blow up in yer face. Place is cursed by Murphy, I swear," said Amanda with a snort. "An' you know me, never turn down food. Think you'll be back in time for Ange's birthday? Pete an' me have been plottin' - we've got a couple of suites booked in this hotel in New York, full bar service, the lot. An' clubbin' - I was thinkin' maybe that place you took me to last time."

"Can't make promises," Domino said lightly, "but I'll see what I can do." She grinned. "At the very least I'll send an appropriate--which is to say, probably thoroughly inappropriate gift."

"An' people wonder why we get on," laughed Amanda.