xp_logs | Angelo and Amanda

They go for a smoke and have a long, rambling conversation encompassing recent events, his manifestation and Amanda's lack of one, and evil space monkeys, concluding with the decision that everything's going to be okay.

The thing about the new school year starting was that this week, at least, it was easy to find people, most making an attempt at being studious and holing up with the books. Amanda, homework done (except for some long division problems she was going to have to run past Doug or Kitty), peeked through Angelo's half-open door and grinned at the sight of him scribbling away at something with many a tortured sigh. Impulsively, she conjured up a string of coloured lights to dance around his head, making a high-pitched giggling sound.

Angelo glanced up sharply at the sound, looking around at the door to see if it was Bella making a return visit, then noticed the lights. Only one person in the house could do anything like that, as far as he knew... "Come in, Amanda", he called, laughing.

"'S good t' see you laugh," she said, grinning and letting herself in. The lights continued to bounce around Angelo's head for a few more seconds, before she reversed the spell with a word. "Figured you could use a break, an' if you don't, I could. Up for a fag?"

Angelo nodded, putting his pen down with some relief. "Always. Back porch or flyin' platform?"

"Back porch - Haroun an' Paul've got their flyin' class today, an' I'd have t' pout 'bout not bein' able t' join in," Amanda replied, grinning. "'Sides it's been a while, people'll start thinkin' we've gone on a health kick or somethin' like the rest of this place if we don't make the odd appearance."

Angelo chuckled. "Back porch it is, then." Glancing over at a sleeping Joyita, he decided she'd be okay left alone for a short while, and to leave her where she was.

The walk downstairs was punctuated by non-specific chatter - Amanda was in fine spirits, and her good mood was infectious. Reaching the smoker's sanctuary, she pulled out her cigarettes and passed it to Angelo after taking one herself. "How've you been?" she asked, slightly muffled by the cigarette between her lips as she unsuccessfully dug around in her pockets for her lighter. Giving up, she used her fire spell.

Angelo took one from the pack and handed it back, holding out the cigarette to the fire spell. "Not too bad, the last couple of days", he answered casually.

Lighting his as well, Amanda perched herself on the railing, taking a deep drag and blowing out smoke luxiuriously. "First one after school is always the best," she said. Then she added, with a mischievous grin: "'Cept when the first one with breakfast is the best." She nodded at Angelo's reply. "I saw the X geezer's announcement. Don't like not knowin', but at least it's over, sort of."

Angelo nodded back, taking an appreciative drag on his own cigarette. "Same here. He promised it'd be dealt with an' it won't happen again, an' I pretty much have to take his word for it."

"One thing the X geezer is, is a man of his word." Flicking ash over the railing onto the grass below, Amanda stretched a little. "Still, if I ever find out who it was, I'll be figuring out a way t' make the frog spell work on people who ain't shape shifters."

Angelo laughed. "You'd have to get in line, I think. Right after me an' my sword. You know, even Kitty was promisin' vengeance, the first time I talked to her after?"

"It was a pretty shitty thin' t' do. An' Kit-Kat's got claws - she hides 'em most of the time, but they're there." Amanda sounded approving. "You cop any grief 'bout the whole thing? Y'know, 'bout what was said?"

Angelo shook his head. "Nobody said anythin', at least. 'Course, there's those that didn't say anythin' at all, so who knows with them."

She shrugged. "Best not t' know, I s'pose. Which is where bein' a 'path must really suck. Imagine bein' able t' hear all that stuff people keep t' themselves?"

Angelo nodded emphatically. "Dunno how Nathan managed it, manifestin' the telepathy with no one to help him deal with it."

"Explains why all 'paths're a bit on the balmy side. Even Nate," Amanda said with a slight grin, before turning serious again. "But yeah, that'd be fuckin' horrible. Dealin' with other people in yer head when you ain't even sure of yerself..." She shivered slightly. "Strange wants t' teach me some of the stuff he does, astral projection an' the like, so I s'pose I'll find out what it's like."

Angelo looked interested. "Not sure that's quite the same thing, is it? But it sounds pretty cool."

"'S more like me goin' into other people's heads, more'n them comin' into mine, but yeah, 's close enough. 'M already puttin' a whole new angle on sleepwalkin' - been endin' up in other people's dreams." replied Amanda, shrugging a little. "'S dead weird, an' uses a lot of concentration, but 's sort of fun as well. Bein' out of me body's almost like flyin', tho' I can't do it for long yet, just a couple of seconds."

Angelo blinked at the mention of dreamwalking. "That happened with me an' Nate - the dream thing. Twice, actually, once each way. Guess the astral projection really does work like telepathy." He grinned at the last part. "Oh, now that really sounds like fun. You'll manage longer with practise?"

She nodded. "Takes concentration, like I said, an' t' Strange that means lots of meditatin' an' the like." She tilted her head curiously at him. "'S funny you should mention Nate - we've had that a couple of times too. Like after Rack - he fell into me head when was out. I don't remember all of it, but I think he helped a lot."

Angelo nodded. "Think it happened with me, both times, when his shields weren't as good as usual for one reason or another. Which reminds me, he never did teach me that lucid dreamin' thing."

"He probably got distracted, between Columbia an' gettin' kidnapped an' whatnot," Amanda suggested lightly, although her eyes clouded slightly as they always did at the mention of Columbia.

Angelo nodded again, not missing the look in her eyes. "Yeah, he's had a hell of a summer. Asgard, too."

"We all have," she said a little heavily, taking another comforting drag on her cigarette to distract herself and give her the chance to steer the conversation away from Scary Places. She figured Angelo knew about her backsliding withthe addiction - she'd said as much in her journal, after all, but she didn't know how he felt about it. "Still, new school year an' all that. Chance t' start over again."

Angelo let her change the subject - if she wanted to talk about the addiction or anything else, she would. "True, that. May it be better than the last one."

"I'd say it couldn't be any fuckin' worse, but that'd mean alien invasion or somethin'." Amanda gave him a wry half-grin. "Knowin' this place, that is."

Angelo grinned back. "There's been jokes goin' round about that since before I got here. An' Mole People."

"You forgot the meteor," she pointed out. Her fag was nearly finished, and another couple of puffs killed it entirely - she stubbed it out in the sand bucket and pulling another from the pack.

He chuckled, finishing off his own cigarette. "So I did. Although that one's not quite as unlikely as the others..."

"Or space monkeys," Amanda suggested, tossing the pack back over to him. "Evil space monkeys. Sneaky little bastards."

Angelo laughed, taking another cigarette and throwing the rest back. "Nah, space monkeys wouldn't stand a chance against the little kids. 'Specially now we've got five instead of just two."

Amanda caught the pack with a snort, shoving it back into the pocket of the men's flannel shirt she was wearing open over a t-shirt. "Maybe we should get Frenchie t' make some with her power, see how it goes?"

Angelo nodded with a grin. "Could be fun. Did you see her Star Wars critters yesterday?"

"Is that what those were? I thought I'd accidentally been summonin' demons again."Amanda snickered at the memory. "I heard Clarice screechin' from down the hall."

Angelo laughed out loud. "You see her post too? About Jabba the Hutt eatin' her underwear?"

"Yeah. Frenchie felt so bad about it. When she wasn't laughin' her head off," replied Amanda. "She's turnin' out t' be a pretty good roomie, strange as that sounds. An' speakin' of roomies... Jono's back tomorrow, yeah?'

Angelo nodded, suddenly sobered by the reminder. "Yeah, he is. S'posed to be meetin' with Nathan an' Askani soon, too."

"Nate'll do all he can," Amanda said with certainty. "An' I figure Askani has t' know somethin' that'll help - you don't get t' live as long as she did without learnin' some tricks. An' it's about time some of that knowledge went t' helpin' out."

Another nod. "It did occur to me, months ago, when Nathan told me about her. How she was so old, an' still so strong - sounded a lot like Jono, in the "not really physical" kind of way. But I don't think Jono ever followed it up - you know how he can get. I think maybe the shock of this's given him a jumpstart."

"Sometimes you need a kick in the head t' realise what's goin' on," Amanda agreed wryly. "'M still learnin' that one."

Angelo chuckled, and it came out almost naturally. "Yeah, I... learned a lot of things when I manifested - biggest kick in the head I ever got. Some of 'em were even good."

"Funny how that happens." Amanda tilted her head at him. "What was it like, manifestin'? I don't mean the stuff that happened 'cause of it, the actual thing. Must be dead odd, suddenly havin' a power."

He paused, considering. "It was... really scary, actually. You know, I was reachin' out to grab a... somethin', but it was too far away an' I was all set to take a step or two closer, an' suddenly it was in my hand anyway. Or in the skin of my hand, at least."

"It didn't hurt?" Amanda asked carefully, not wanting to upset him, but curious all the same.

He shrugged. "Not that I remember. Doesn't now, either, unless there's resistance on the other end. It was more just... shock, y'know? Couldn't move for a minute, even to run."

Amanda nodded. "I can imagine. Have to, since I've always been 'on', so t' speak. Or at least, I don't remember bein' switched on." She shrugged again. "Strange reckons Rack brought me power on early, so he could use me, an' that's why I can't control it that well yet."

Angelo nods. "Guess Rack wouldn't've wanted you learnin' control, or not much, if he was drainin' it an' so on. It's like Miles - he's always had his power, an' it's only now he's learnin' to alter his range, 'cause the circus people used him to keep the other mutant kids in line."

"Makes sense," Amanda agreed. "Doesn't help me much, but at least there's a reason for it."

He nodded again. "An' it's not too late t'learn control, even if it takes awhile. You got the best people helpin' you, after all."

"I know. 'S a pain in the arse, sometimes. I keep hittin' limits with me spells." She drew deeply on her cigarette. "I'll get there. Eventually."

He smiled encouragingly. "Yeah, you will. Just gotta take it slow."

"Slow is all I can do," she replied, a touch grumpily, but then flashed him another grin. "Besides, I'd be too bloody scary if I was at full power now."

Angelo grinned mischievously. "Will you be able to take other people flyin', when you've got more power?"

"Probably," she said, taking his intent. "You willin' t' trust me t' find out?"

Angelo didn't have to think about that for more than a second. "Any time, long as you think you're ready."

She nodded, not sure of her voice for a second. "When I am, I'll let you know."

Angelo smiled, drawing on his neglected cigarette. "Cool. Always wanted to fly."

"So've I." Amanda's posture loosened, and she beamed at Angelo. "Y'know, I think thing's're gunna be all right. For all of us."

He nodded, the smile lingering. "Yeah, I really think so - or, y'know, I try an' hold on to thinkin' so. Sooner or later, it'll all work out for the best."

"Space monkeys an' all," she replied.