Manuel and Paige play a long overdue game of "get to know"

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Following this thread, although, not directly, Paige comes to see Manny. They talk. It actually goes fabulously and a non-date is set up to go to the opera together. Who knew?


Manuel stood up to answer the knock upon his door. "Paige." he said with a smile, then stepped past her into the hallway to close the door to his room. "Shall we head off to more public places for our chat? I have two bottles of water chilling in the Rec Room." he said with a polite smile.

“How thoughtful of you,” Paige replied, stepping back to allow him some room. This had been so easy over the journaling system, but it person it was very suddenly awkward. Offering a smile, she turned to head towards the Rec Room, waiting until he was at her side. “If there are cucumber sandwiches down there I’m going to be worried.”

"No cucumber sandwiches - didn't have time to arrange anything." he said with an easy smile. "I'm not trying to startle you - I'm not actively scanning, but you're so nervous that it just jumped out at me." He led her into the Rec Room, where he motioned to two overstuffed chairs, with an ice chest with bottles of water in it between them. "Please." he said, gesturing to the chairs.

Paige settled herself into a chair, pulling one of the throw pillows from the couch to hug against her chest in a comforting sort of way. “Well, I believe in being honest, so I’ll let you know straight out. You intimidate me. You, Professor Braddock, and Professor Dayspring. I think I have a complex with people who could bend me to their will. Nothing personal, I’m sorry, I’m trying to get over it.” Reaching, Paige took one of the bottles of water, suddenly finding trying to get it open very interesting.

"I could relax you, if you'd like." he offered casually as he took the other chair and a bottle of water. "If you'd be more comfortable."

“Nono!” Paige said suddenly, trying not to burst into nervous laughter. This was so unlike her and she did end up grinning, although, more at herself. “I’m okay. Think of it as people who go skydiving and are afraid of heights. This is fine so far.”

Manuel nodded. "Just wanted you to be comfortable, that's all." he said. "So - where did you develop your love for horses?" he said, fishing for a conversational gambit.

So much for a normal conversation. At least Manuel seemed to know what he was doing. “My Daddy used to raise them,” she replied, as if this answered everything. In her head it did. “I grew up around them. It’s hard not to fall in love with horses, especially when you’re around them all the time.”

Manuel nodded. "That makes sense to me. When I was a boy, Alphonso used to own a few. They never did well on the racing circuit, despite the number of truly vile substances he injected into them. But they fascinated me. I wonder if it was my power manifesting early - I almost thought that I could feel them. I only got to be around them for maybe a year before Alphonso sold them to cover some sort of debt he incurred, but it was a very happy time for me." he said.

“I can understand that. The barn was always my safest place when I was little. Horses don’t talk back, not in the cruel way, and they won’t hurt you just because they can. Not to mention they won’t tattle on you or put snakes in your bed or... or leave you. Sometimes, simple is the best kind of comfort.” Paige knew it wasn’t entirely true, but there was emotion behind her words.

Manuel's bailiwick was emotion - and while he wasn't scanning, it was obvious that she felt it deeply. "I'm sorry that your home life was that uncomfortable. I've heard talk of your mother, but never your father - did he leave you when you were young?" he asked with an amazing degree of sensitivity for him.

Paige tilted her head, smiling warmly at him. “It wasn’t uncomfortable. Not like that. I’m sure if we’re playing the uncomfortable game, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. But sure, it hurt sometimes.” She shrugged with one shoulder. “He died when I was around eight. Nine maybe, I don’t really remember anymore. Shows how I deal with things, I suppose.”

Manny took a deep breath and managed a sympathetic look. "My mother died shortly after I left home at fourteen. I am fairly certain, although I cannot prove it, that my father had her strangled." he said baldly. "And I am not trolling for sympathy, I'm just trying to get to know you better." he said clumsily.

“I know, I know. I realized just after I said it how it must have sounded like I believed you were,” she answered hastily, taking a sip of her water. “Your father doesn’t sound like a very nice man. I hope you’re not offended if I stay far away from him while he’s here.”

"I wouldn't blame you in the slightest. If I were you, I'd avoid him like the plague." he said, with a smile and a sip of water. "This tastes far better than it has any right to." he said, shaking the water bottle at Paige just slightly. "Alphonso is a complex individual. There is good in him - our family aids minorities like the Basques and the Jews, but there is a lot that he does that could be construed as evil."

Paige returned his water bottle shake with a water bottle salute. “I can do that! I am quite practiced as avoiding those I do not wish to see. And this is rather good water, now that you mention it.” Paige thought for a moment, swallowing another mouthful of water. “Now, are we talking good-evil like Hitler, in that he does evil things because he thinks it’s for the best, or good-evil in that he does good to suit his own evil needs?”

Manuel stopped to consider it for a few moments before answering. "A mix of both, but he is more the type to not be above doing some incidental good if it served his needs. But if his goals involved murder, I'm quite sure that he would pull the trigger and never have a qualm about it. So long as it could never be traced back to him personally."

“Mm... my second favourite kind of evil,” Paige hummed thoughtfully as she nodded. “I’ll remember to lock our door tonight and travel with a little bit of ninja stealth when I wake up at some ungodly hour and decide I need out of the room.” Pausing in thought, as she wondered if she should start leaving the room through the window, Paige finally shook her head. “Tell me about your mother?”

"She was a kind and beautiful woman. She wasn't much older than you are when she had me." he said with a smile. "Alphonso was not kind to her, and when my power manifested I was placed right in the middle of their fights." he said. "She loved me - I could see it as plain as day. But she was desperately unhappy with Alphonso, so much so that she took comfort wherever she could find it." he said.

Biting her lip, Paige nodded in sympathy. Oh, was her heart ever breaking, but she tried to stay optimistic. “At least you had her. And she had you.”

"For a short while." he said, fighting hard to keep his emotional control. "As the Heir to the house de la Rocha, Alphonso took me on the road a _lot_. I've traveled all through Europe, North Africa, and Russia." he said. "I've been to all the major cities at one point or another."

“Really? What was your favourite place?” she asked suddenly, distracted by their discussion by her love of the traveling she never had the chance to do. Going to England, England of all places, had been one of the most wonderful experiences of her life.

"I loved Prague." he said, lost in the memories. "A wonderfully old city, beautiful in the parts that the Communists hadn't bulldozed to erect ugly factories or dormitories. And the arts there - the symphony, the theater - they're amazing. I'd love to go back someday."

Paige nodded eagerly, understanding immediately. “I don’t know if it’s the same of where you used to live, but America is just so new. We can compete with the beauty overseas. And the music! God.” Exhausted from her exclamation, Paige slumped back in her chair, sipping her water. “We’ve tried to recreate it, but the music. I’ve met very few people who could appreciate it.”

Manuel smiled. "I love the opera and classical music of all kinds. I grew up listening to chamber music." he said. "As I got older, I got away from that in favor of the club beats, but classical is always my first love." he admitted. "Surprised?"

“Very,” she admitted without an ounce of embarrassment. I seem to recall, very faintly, you and a set of turntables in the med lab with Rahne. Then again, I’ve always wondered if I dreamed it up. Anyways, what I heard then was certainly club, and the only club I’ve enjoyed ever, so I probably should have assumed you were brilliant under you somewhat horrible taste in music.” Paige smiled to ease her teasing words.

Manuel quirked an eyebrow, and took a deep pull from his water bottle. "I do have a set of turntables, although I haven't broken them out in some time." he admitted. "And not all club music is the horribly repetitive electronica."

“You’ll have to excuse me, then. I’m very uneducated where it comes to club music. In fact, you might call me a music snob, since all I know is classical, a little of the screaming that Amanda calls music, and whatever Jane has brought home that day,” Paige said, her tone apologetic but amused.

Manuel shuddered. "I am in full agreement about Amanda's music. Caterwauling describes it fairly well." he said with a grimace.

Paige snapped her fingers suddenly and pointed at Manuel. “Yes! That’s exactly what it is! Worse than Jono’s and that’s saying a heck of a lot. He at least has a taste for good guitar solos.”

"I don't know much about Jono's taste in music either. Since he's not here, I can't ask him about it." he said with a shrug. "Unfortunate."

“Just trust me then. Lots of screaming and death and woe. Unsurprising, really.” Paige found she had finished off her water, staring at the bottle in surprise. “Perhaps one of these nights you should take me to the symphony. If we’re lucky, we’ll get someone good. If not, we can sit there and mock them together.”

"Sounds like a wonderful evening out, actually." he said with some surprise. "I must admit, I am somewhat surprised. Won't your paramours object to going for a night at the opera on the arm of this particular Spaniard?"

Paige snorted, not particularly delicately. “I’m not interested in anyone else, especially not someone that my room mate is dating. If it still bothers them, they can shove it, for all I care. I know I’m not the unfaithful kind.” She gave Manuel a grin, pushing back her hair over her shoulder. Obviously Asgard had had a bit of an influence on her. “Besides. It means they won’t have to sit through it. You’d be doing them a favour.”

"I suppose I am at that." he said. "As loathe as I am to do him any favors whatsoever, not even my dislike of him can prevent me from attending the opera with a beautiful woman." he said with a smile, then took a sip of his water. "I would be honored."


“Wonderful. As long as we avoid the topic of Angelo, you might even survive the entire night without a drink in your lap,” she replied, grinning good-naturedly. “It’s a non-date.”

"Oh, of course." he said with a grin. "It's very clearly a non-date. We'll ignore the fancy dress, the expensive drinks, and the cultured surroundings. It's very clearly not a date."

Paige brought a finger to her lips, just hiding a grin, eyes darting around the room. “Shh! You’ll give people ideas that our non-date is an actual-date. Do you think I could get away with wearing a nice pair of slacks and a sweater instead of a dress?”

"I don't know..." he said with a grin. "This is the opera we're talking about. I'm not sure that slacks and a sweater is really appropriate. This is America, I know, but ..." he mused.

“Dammit,” Paige muttered, allowing herself that small curse. “This means I’ll have to go shopping. For some reason I don’t have a large amount of ball gowns in my closet.” In fact, she had only two dresses that she could think of but both of them had too many memories attached to them.

"I'm sure you can come up with something appropriate." he said with a smile. "Opera is a beautiful thing. The least we can do is to honor it appropriately."

Making a face Paige retorted, “Admit it. You just want to see me in a dress,” but it was not said unkindly. In fact, she almost grinned before turning it into a smirk. “I know I’m not arguing the prospect of seeing you in formal wear.”

"I have been discovered!" he said, holding a hand to his forehead theatrically. "My cunning plan unraveled!"

Paige laughed, a pretty ringing noise that filled the room. “I might forgive you if you tell me where I might find a really great dress. For the honor of opera, of course. And, you know, because if I’m wearing one of those godawful things, it might as well be really great.”

Manuel smiled. "I'm sure I can find someone who can do your fair form justice." he grinned. "And they're not godawful - I'm willing to guess that your paramours will find it most appealing."

“I’m sure they will, especially with your assistance. Teach them to roll their eyes when I suggest going to concerts that involve sitting down,” Paige replied, quite smug. “Just remember, though, I am nothing but extremely tasteful to the point of prudish.”

"I have no question of that." he said, straightening his spine and acting very proper for a few seconds. "You can appear very classically elegant and still preserve your modesty from the ravages of the depraved empath." he said, with only a hint of bitter self-mockery.

Paige, for the second time, pointed at Manuel, this time giving him a stern look. “No. No angst of that form. I... I... refuse it so desist right now. If you think about trying that again, remember that I generally have Alison pick out my clothes. It’s second instinct to make that statement now.”

Manuel leaned back in his chair and took a deep drink from his water bottle. "A bad habit." he confessed. "One I've been trying to break."

“Well, you certainly assisted in the breaking of my bad habit, or at least dissuading my assumptions. I will attempt to work on yours,” Paige decided with a solid nod.

"I suppose I can't complain with that." he said with a smile. "I'm surprised - this is going far better than I ever expected that it would."

Paige, who had been stretching out her neck until it made a wicked cracking noise, grinned at him, head still tilted to the side. “I am very tempted to be terribly out of character and comment how I have that affect on people.”

Manuel winced at the cracking noise. "Well, it helps that I'm trying very hard to be social and pleasant. Is it working?" he asked with a only-slightly-bitter grin.

“Fabulous job, chickpea, just fabulous. Just stop telling me so, I am enjoying the probably false prospect of you enjoying my company and not just thinking I would look good without a shirt,” Paige replied, almost flippantly, but managed to soothe her words with a bright smile. Resisting cracking the other side of her neck – chiropractor, Paige, chiropractor – she stood up, placing her pillow back on the couch. “Now. I think you have a poker game to be getting to soon.”

"You would look stunning without a shirt, but that's not why I'm here." he said quietly. "I'm here because I wanted to know you as a person - to see what your paramours saw in you, to experience your warmth and drive for myself. Not because I want you in my bed. Is that so hard to believe?"

“Yes. But not because of you. Not entirely.” Paige leaned down, kissing his cheek with a gentle kindness. “Maybe I’ll explain it to you next time. Good luck tonight. Rob them senseless, or whatever you say for cards.”

Manuel managed to look somewhat relieved and incredibly confused at the same time. "This was so much easier when I let myself see emotions." he said with a twisted grin. "I'll catch up with you later."

Giving him a playful mock salute, Paige made her exit, pausing in the kitchen to put her bottle in the recycling, before heading upstairs.