Manuel and Domino: What, you don't want to rule the world?

[x-empath.livejournal.com]

Who: Domino, Manuel de la Rocha
Where: Flyer's Platform
When: 3AM Friday evening
What Happens: They talk about Nathan and about the pros and cons of world domination. Domino demonstrates her power.



---
Manuel felt that Domino was back at the Mansion, so he decided to stretch his power a bit and see if he could track her down empathically. He knew her emotions now, having sampled them from the inside and from the outside, so in theory it shouldn't have been difficult.

Nathan had introduced her to the flyer's platform back when she'd first visited the mansion. It was just about the perfect place to be at three in the morning, she decided. Stretched out on her back, she stared up at the starry sky grimly, not feeling even the slightest trace of appreciation for how gorgeous a night it was.

Manuel was getting frustrated - he couldn't walk through walls, and his power indicated that Domino was straight up from him. Stopping to think (and curse!) for a second, he very belatedly remembered the Flyer's Platform - which would be on the roof, which was over his head. Estupido Manuelito. So he finally made his way up to it and emerged with a growled curse - apparently he'd stubbed his toe on the last step.

Domino looked sideways, grimacing as she saw who was coming out to join off. "Fuck off, Manny. I'm not in the mood," she growled, turning her attention back to the sky above her.

"I can tell." he said companionably, joining her just outside of arm's reach. "I bring tobacco and empathic relief, if you want them."

Her fingers twitched at the thought of a cigarette, actually twitched. "Don't tempt me," she muttered with a little less heat. "On either score. "

"Tempt tempt tempt." he said with a friendly grin. "Second hit is free..." he said with a waggle of his eyebrows. He then tossed the pack with the lighter in it to her.

Domino caught it without looking in that direction and sat up. "Suppose one won't kill me," she said with a sigh, withdrawing one from the package and lighting it. "So what the fuck are you still doing awake at this hour?" She tucked her legs up under her, tossing the pack and the lighter back to him.

"Can't sleep." Manuel said cheerfully. "Askani in my head, all the emotion soaking the Mansion - even with my shields, it's a bit much. And I don't need much sleep anymore."

Domino was silent for a moment, savoring the cigarette. As bad a habit as it was, there was part of her that had still missed it. "Yeah, I imagine it's been... loud." She shook her head, staring out at the grounds. "Have you been sensing anything from Nate since they brought him back?"

"I've been avoiding him, for his sake and mine. I don't want to risk _anything_." Manuel said, tucking the pack of cigarettes away in his pocket. "One wrong scan, and he's back to being the unstoppable killing machine he was intended to be by his puppet-masters."

"No worries about that now," Domino said quietly, tapping her cigarette. "If he goes back to teaching you, I imagine it'll be nice not to have to worry about setting off an explosion anytime the two of you are working."

Manuel shrugged. "We'll see." he said noncommittally. "If he goes back to teaching. I imagine he very well might not. He doesn't need to anymore - his problems are solved."

Domino raised an eyebrow. "You don't know him very well," she murmured. "He took to teaching like a fish to water. Don't think I'd ever seen him that excited about something that he wasn't planning on blowing up." She swallowed, her throat tightening, and managed a very tight little smile for Manuel. "Hell, even the non-empathic lessons with you."

"Let us just say that I have a little more direct insight into how he feels about me and our lessons together." Manuel said ruefully. "I am under no illusions about how he feels about me. I need him far more than he needs me."

"And you don't like that," Domino said, a bit of an edge in her voice. "Do you need these lessons anymore, anyway? After Asgard... and I still have trouble saying that aloud."

"Well, I committed for the entire summer. It's not over yet. He could still fail me if he felt the need to." Manuel mused. "But in terms of raw power - I can shield now, and See much more clearly. That's really what I wanted. God knows I have no right to be going in to fuck with people's feelings. Not when I keep doing damage."

"Don't think you need to worry about the rest of the summer," Domino said quietly, thinking about some of the things Charles had said to her. "I'm glad you've got your shielding in order, though. That's good." She took another drag on the cigarette, tapped away more ash. She hoped Manuel would be able to see that she did mean that. Even if she didn't sound like it. She was just too damned tired to be enthusiastic at the moment...

Manuel got the message loud and clear. "Yeah. No more Amsterdams by accident." he said quietly. "You've got a lot of stress and worry and crap. It's fucking you up pretty hard. How about I sit right here, not touch you, and take some of it from you for a little while?"

"Can you stop it from coming back as soon as I see him again?" Domino stopped, giving a strained, brittle laugh and shaking her head angrily at herself. "Forget I said that. I don't mean to be such a bitch, really." She took a deep breath. "It would be good to be able to get some sleep, actually."

Manuel paused to consider her question. "Maybe, maybe not. If I was actively maintaining it, then yes. If not, then probably not." His eyes glowed red as he looked at Domino, and he took her worry, her fear, her panic and smothered them in quiet certainty.

Dominoo took a sudden, deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. The roar at the back of her mind died away, and while all the events of the last week were right there in her mind, they weren't all knotted up in stress. She thought she almost might manage to be objective.

"Thank you," she said quietly, taking another drag of the cigarette and opening her eyes. "That's a lot better."

"Hey, it's not all fuck-me-now and lick-my-boots. Every once in a while, I actually manage to do some fucking good." he said bitterly. "Not often and never for very long. But it has been known to happen."

"Too bad you can't do it for yourself," Domino said, a faint, humorless smile tugging at her lips. "What you just did for me, I mean. Looks like you could use it every bit as much."

Manuel smiled bitterly. "Doesn't work like that." he said. "And I only do this shit for people I actually like." he said with a twisted grin. "So far, this makes the sum total of two people. Ever."

Domino raised an eyebrow. "Nate told me you did it for him," she pointed out with a perfectly straight face.

"I needed him." Manuel said plainly. "I never said that I liked him. Quite frankly, he scares the shit out of me."

"I thought you'd reached detente with the Askani?"

"I didn't say this was about the Askani." Manuel pointed out. "I have three of them in my head right now. Not bad people, once you get to know them." He offered a mental smile of apology to Galin, Evaris, and Lusanya in his mind. "I know how Nathan feels - felt - about me. I have no illusions."

Domino frowned at him. "What do you mean? And what's with the tense shift? Nate has not suddenly become past tense." It came out a little too sharp, and she modulated her tone as she went on. "He is not your biggest fan on a personal level, Manny, but he certainly doesn't hate you or anything."

"I scare him just about as badly as he scares me. If I wasn't involved, I would laugh." Manuel said, and then just did that - he laughed. "And the tense shift is because the man just had his entire outlook on life viciously rearranged, from what I hear. Who the hell _knows_ how he'll react to things now?"

"I suppose first impressions count for a lot, and the two of you certainly didn't get off on the right footing." Domino smiled a bit faintly, tapping away more ash. "You remember meeting me in the library, first time I was here? I thought you were the most incredibly arrogant little shit, with absolutely no redeeming virtues." Her mouth twitched a little more noticeably. "I might have been somewhat unkind."

Manuel grinned at Domino. "But haven't you heard? I am an incredibly arrogant little shit with no redeeming virtues whatsoever." He then stood up, and looked over to Domino. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"No idea," Domino said more quietly. "Until I'm sure." She knew that was vague, but she didn't really feel like outlining to Manuel precisely what she wanted to be sure of before she left again. "Charles has told me I'm welcome to stay, with the usual caveat that I need to behave myself."

"Now that's a damned shame." he leered. "Come see me if you need another fix."

Domino flicked ash at him. "Don't be a bastard," she scoffed. "I know it's a stretch."

Manuel smirked at Domino. "What, that I can do some good or that I'm a complete bastard with no redeeming qualities whatsoever?" he asked with a grin.

Domino thought for a moment. "Yes," she said dryly, and looked a bit balefully at the cigarette. "GW the health nut would be smacking me upside the head at the moment."

"I'll give you the first, but you think it's a stretch that I'm unredeemable? You don't know me very well." he said, lying flat on his back to stare up at the night sky.

"Pulling your leg, Manny. I think you've more than proven you can do some good, and I don't think anyone is unredeemable." She eyed him for a moment, taking another drag on the cigarette. Only one, she told herself. She was not having
another. "Whether you want to believe either is entirely up to you, of course."

"Words are cheap." he said, still staring up at the big dark sky. "I've accepted who and what I am." he said with a wave of his hand at a circling insect. "I suppose that I am my father's son."

"Oh, my words don't matter a rat's ass, I agree. I'm assuming you can probably tell that I mean them, though." Domino leaned back, shaking her head. "And acceptance is highly overrated. If you don't have the urge to push yourself and everything around you, you're just coasting. You're not living."

Manuel smirked. "But only if you push in acceptable ways. And I suppose it's not entirely true - I still do have a good thing in my life. Amanda." he said musingly. "She's my shot at the brass ring, if I understand the phrase correctly."

Domino looked down at him, unable to help a grin. "I didn't know you could be sappy," she said. "That's very cute, you know."

"It seems to be the night for it - guess all the relief and release is affecting me even through my shield." he mused. "And it is not cute."

"Yeah, yeah. You're not cute." Domino chuckled, looking back up at the stars. "Fuck, what a week," she finally sighed. "What a month. I need a vacation."

"I had a vacation. It turned out to be just about as stressful as my normal life." he said. "I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. With anything." he admitted.

"Should you? I don't, really, and I'm older than you." Domino stubbed out her cigarette. "I have this philosophy about taking life as it comes and making what you can out of it. I can imagine you probably lean towards wanting a plan, or at least a firmer idea of where you're going, though."

"And that's fine as far as it goes, but I seem to lurch from crisis to crisis." he whined. "I've got this power, and I get demonized for using it."

Oh, for the love of... "Yeah," Domino said blithely. "You do. You're a big, scary empath, Manny, and you're always going to be. What are you going to do about it?"

"If I had my way, I'd just fuck 'em and do my own thing. Not an option, unfortunately." he said, still staring at the sky. "Maybe a lobotomy?" he joked.

Domino shifted, lying down again but propping herself up on an elbow, facing him. "Would rather preclude you doing any good with your power in future, wouldn't it?"

"That's assuming that I want to actually do the good-guy thing." he commented. "I have it on fairly good authority that there's a fairly good chance that I am going to rule the world someday."

Domino raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to rule the world?"

"I don't know." he admitted. "At times, yes, just so I can fix a lot of the bullshit that goes on out there. Wipe away prejudice, mistrust, hate..." he mused as he envisioned it. "But I don't want to have to tell several billion people to wipe their asses after they shit."

"Do you really trust your own judgement to that extent?" Domino asked, her eyes narrowing a little. "To know what needs to be wiped away? It's always seemed to me that a vice is a virtue taken too far."

"I can _see_ it, Domino. Hate and fear and ignorance and mistrust and prejudice. I can see them all." he said quietly. "It's not a question of judgement, it's a question of action."

"And if you take away fear, and we have a world full of fearless people, what happens to caution? To knowing your limits?"

"Caution is what _keeps_ you from knowing your limits." he pointed out. "And perhaps some fear is permissable - but fear of others? Nope, that one has to go." he said. "Fear of the unknown also has to go."

She didn't touch the comment about caution. He didn't have the life experience to know any better, she suspected. "And what about ignorance? Ignorance isn't an emotion, Manuel, it's a lack of knowledge."

"So I find those who love to teach, make 'em _really_ love to teach, and turn 'em loose on the ignorant ones." he said, grinning. "I've seen ignorance as a side-effect of fear - fear of knowing, fear of not measuring up, that sort of thing."

"So basically, you want to micromanage the world." Domino shook her head. "I'd be taking my favorite gun and finding a quiet corner, just to let you know." A bit of anger was creeping through, despite Manuel's empathic Valium. "I had people telling me when to eat, when to sleep, what to do and what to think until I was fourteen years old, Manny. I wouldn't want to live in your world, even if you had the best of intentions."

"No, I don't want to micromanage the world. That's the _problem_. I want to just take away the bad stuff, and leave all of the good alone." he said, using his hands to emphasize his words. "The problem is too big to micromanage it. I just want something along the lines of an empathic United Nations, bringing all mankind together in love. That can't be bad, right? Bring people together in love?"

"Why can't we all just get along, huh?" Domino laid back all the way, hands behind her head. "Seems like a hell of a slippery slope to me."

"And if you won't get along, then too bad. You will." he said with a grin. "It's a nice thought, really."

Domino stared up at the stars. "You scare me."

"I get that a lot." he said with a twisted grin. "Still don't get why."

"People like their autonomy. Freedom of will. Especially people who've had it taken away before."

"And they still will - so long as they don't fuck anyone else over." Manuel said reasonably. "I didn't say it was perfect, and there's still a lot of stuff to work out, but it's still worthwhile!"

Domino raised an eyebrow. "I'm curious," she said, more lightly than she really felt. "How would you change me? Because I do fuck people over, Manuel. I killed probably a dozen people this week up north, chasing down leads on Mistra. And I don't feel bad about it. At all. In fact, I rather enjoyed it."

"But you're not out there killing people to get your jollies." he pointed out. "You're doing a job, one that you were paid for. You take out the bad guys, the folks who want to hurt people, fuck up their lives. I wouldn't change a thing, other than maybe some stress-relief."

Domino smiled a bit bitterly. "You don't think I've killed innocent people before, Manuel? Just because Nate always tried to make sure the Pack took jobs that were at least moderately ethical doesn't mean we never did shit work." She sat up in one smooth movement, looking down at him. "I've done solo jobs that would probably curl your hair. I've played assassin more times than I can count. And there are a lot of different levels of 'bad guys', Manuel. I've been worse than a number of people I've killed, I think."

Manuel hrmmed. "That's disturbing." he said after a few moments of contemplation. "I thought you were one of the good guys. Doing what you do to protect people."

"I like to think I have been, sometimes. That last mission in Iran... we derailed their nuclear weapons program, probably for the next five years." Domino shook her head. "But you don't get to do the jobs like that unless you've proven yourself, Manuel. Unless the people who pay out the money know that you're ruthless, and absolutely principled in your own way - which usually means that you won't mess around and decide to get creative." She grimaced. "For every job I can look back on with satisfaction and say 'There, I did the right thing', there's one that haunts me."

"In that case, I would hope that you'd done more good than wrong in your career." Manuel said. "You'd still have a place if that was the case. If not, if you'd done more damage than good ..." he left that statement unfinished.

Domino smiled a bit bitterly. "I killed a Serbian colonel, once. Real bastard. Ran a rape camp in Yugoslavia during the civil war. Blew his head off from the roof of a building across the street." She looked away. "I don't regret it. Not for a moment. What I do regret is that I splattered his brains all over the face of his six year-old daughter."

Manuel hrmmed. "Collateral damage is usually a problem. I have Amsterdam to thank for that lesson. But you did a good thing."

"Choices like that aren't occasional things, Manuel. They happen all the time." She waved a hand. "Do you blow up the chemical weapons factory before the Chinese army descends upon you? Or do you wait, and try to get the relatively innocent night watchmen out of the place, knowing that if you hold off, you might lose your chance?" She sighed. "I know mercenary groups that take contracts to do a little ethnic cleansing, Manuel. Nate never let us near anything like that, at least. But hell, we've been pawns in corporate wars sometimes. We've fought and killed people whose only mistake was to believe in some particularly charismatic local leader who'd decided that replacing his government with a theocracy would be a really nifty thing to do."

"That's the beauty of my idea! You wouldn't HAVE to make those choices if I had my way." Manuel said. "But that future has its drawbacks. Ones I need to figure out how to avoid."

"Thinking world domination through before you try it out is generally a good idea, yes." Domino sighed, shaking her head, and rose, moving to the edge of the platform. "You know, if I jumped off, I'd bounce or something?" she asked, giving him a slightly twisted smile as she looked back over her shoulder at him. "Or my shirt would catch on the edge of the roof and give me a second to catch myself, or some other stupid and implausible thing would happen so that I wouldn't die."

"I knew you had some sort of power like that. Don't think I've ever seen it directly." he commented. "So what?"

"Trying to make a point," Domino said, glancing back at him. "Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should," she explained, and jumped.

Manuel leaped to his feet, and ran to the edge of the roof. "You're not impressing me here." he said. "You were in no real danger."

Hanging by one hand from the edge of the roof several feet below - her guess about the shirt had turned out to be right - Domino stared up at him, breathing hard. "But could you have stopped me?" she asked. The impact with the roof had been fairly hard, and the sharp edge that had caught her shirt had torn into the flesh of her shoulder, too.

"I didn't need to." he pointed out. "I could have dissuaded from your action. Wasn't a need to." he said.

"Then why did you get up to see where I was?"

"I was curious to see how your power was going to save you. I was actually hoping to see you bounce." he admitted with a grin.

"Mmm." Domino hung there, staring up at him. A faint, tight smile tugged at her lips. "I could still let go," she said very quietly, and felt the urge to do just that. To see what happened. To see if she couldn't at least manage to knock herself out and wipe out the memory of the broken look in Nathan's eyes, at least for a little while. And hell, if she didn't bounce, that would be new, too. Unexpected....

Manuel's eyes glowed red as he wiped away Domino's urge to let go. "Get your ass back up here." he ordered her.

She did. However his empathy worked, the mental defenses Nate had taught her years ago didn't seem to do too much good. Reaching the edge of the platform again, she pulled herself back up, rolling over and sitting up again. "I may have," she said, still out of breath, "just a little bit of a deathwish. From time to time."

"I can fix that, for a short while." Manuel smirked. "Despite myself, I still like you. You feel good." he grinned.

"Oh, leave it alone. It's good to love death a little. Keeps you grounded." Domino stared out at the grounds for a moment, then looked at her shoulder. "Ow. That's bleeding a bit insistently. I should probably go look after it."

Manuel blinked. "If you say so." he said skeptically. "And it's not that bad, you big baby."

"Sometimes death is our best friend," Domino said with a very odd little smile. "I told Nate earlier than I couldn't have killed him, if I'd been in Pete's place." She got to her feet. "I was lying through my teeth, of course. Thanks for the cigarette and all, Manny."

Manuel smirked. "Sure, Domino." he said, voice dripping sarcasm. "And you're welcome."

Domino shook her head at him as she headed for the stairs. "You're still a little shit," she tossed back over her shoulder at him. "Good thing I like contrary people."

"I gotta be me." he smirked, then sat back down on the edge of the platform to stare at the stars.