Amanda, Manuel - Monday afternoon
Nov. 29th, 2004 02:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsThe day after his talk with Alex and subsequent migraine, Manuel comes to visit Amanda. Things are awkward - it's difficult realising your boyfriend isn't the same person you fell in love with any more.
It had taken almost an hour in the shower with the hot water as high up as she could stand on the bruises, and then piling on her warmest clothes and wrapping herself in a blanket, but finally Amanda was starting to get warm again after the cleansing ritual with Strange down by the lake the day before. Well, in the lake - magic tended to take its metaphors seriously. It had helped, some - the sense of wrongness was gone, although Strange had told her the magic would still be on the wonky side for a few more days yet. Now she was curled up on her bed, alternately fretting about Marie-Ange who had apparently gone crazy, and trying to catch up on her Arabic homework when her left hand was still too sore to hold a pencil properly.
Manuel was bored with a capital B. He didn't have the password to his journal, he'd listened to a few CDs but nothing was moving him in any particular way. So he thought he'd go pay Amanda a visit instead. He hadn't seen her in a day or so, and he missed her. Grabbing his trusty map and his cellphone, he slowly navigated the residence floor until he was outside a door that he was fairly sure was hers. He knocked on the suite door tentatively, mentally preparing another set of apologies if he'd knocked at the wrong door again.
Uff, someone at the door. Which meant getting up to answer it... Slowly Amanda crawled out of her nice warm nest of blankets, keeping the one she'd draped over her shoulders and headed for the suite door. She was moving a bit more freely today, but sudden moves were still very painful. Her disgruntled expression lightened, however, when she saw who it was. "Hey, Mann... Manuel," she said, correcting herself when she went to use the old nickname. "Yer up an' about, then?"
Manuel gave Amanda a big ol' smile. "Sure am!" he said cheerfully. "Been wandering a lot these last two days. They gave me a map, see?" he said, producing said document and showing it to her proudly. It had his own room circled, and her room, and the Music Room, and the Kitchen, and Medlab. "If you're not busy, I thought that I could come and hang out with you for a while." he said hopefully.
His cheer was infectious - Amanda smiled back, feeling better than she had in days. "Yer doin' well - when I first got here I had t' use me location spell t' find things, an' that one never works." Stepping aside so he could come in, she couldn’t help reaching for his hand with her good one and giving it a small squeeze before letting go again. "An' sure you can - I'd like the company, tho' 'm not quite up for anythin' more strenuous than talkin' or watchin' movies or somethin'."
"That's fine." he said with a grin, squeezing her hand back. "It's been a crazy few days, let me tell you. Are you OK? I understand that you had a rough time of the accident." he said, his face falling just a bit. "I can't help but think that I was responsible." he said sadly. "Nothing I can do about it now, and Angelo tells me that you have some sort of a healing power that you can use to get up to snuff in no time flat." he said, his smile coming back.
"'S a bit of bruisin', nothin' t' worry about," she lied. She'd taken to brushing her hair over the most bruised side of her face, obscuring the black eye. "An' 's not yer fault - someone had a score t' settle, I think. Don't remember much of it meself, so no harm done, eh?" The sigh of relief as she headed back over to the bed and had a seat contradicted her, but she continued on as if nothing was wrong. "Angelo was right, I can do that. Just need a bit more power for that spell, but I should be right in a day or two." Then she paused, realising that the two must have had an actual conversation for that information to be passed on. "So, you talked t' Ange, did you?"
"Ange?" he said, clearly confused. "You mean Angelo? Yes, I met him when I was looking for the Music Room. Pleasant enough person. I think I embarrassed myself with him - I didn't realize that his gray color was natural. I thought he was sick." he said with a shrug. "Luckily he didn't take offense at my mistake." he said with a laugh. "And that reminds me - apparently I was fairly big into music. Can you tell me any more about that?" he asked Amanda.
"Sorry, nickname - I do that a lot, 'specially with the people I care about. Angelo is Ange, yeah." Settling herself more comfortably, Amanda considered Manuel's question. "Music helped you with yer power, the empathy," she said slowly, thinking of what to say and how to say it. "Helped you focus, calmed you down, that sort of thing. An' before you came here, for a while you used t' DJ in clubs in Spain - yer pretty good, actually, even when you don't use yer power t' ramp things up." She chuckled wryly, remembering. "An' you hated my music - said it was just noise. Still, yer tried. An' you... taught me 'bout it, how t' play piano a bit, 'bout stuff that wasn't punk."
Manuel nodded as he listened intently to Amanda. "Yeah, Angelo said that I DJed. Which explained what those record-player-things were in my room." he said with an embarrassed smile. "Even though I'm not a mutant anymore, I really like this whole music thing. I've been listening to a lot of the CDs in my room - I presume they are mine." he said. "Lots of good stuff there. And I taught you how to play? Maybe you can repay the favor?" he added with a hopeful smile.
"Most of 'em are yers, yeah, tho' I think some of mine'll be there - you were rippin' 'em onto the computer system for me. That was a project you were workin' on, actually, before the... accident. Collectin' music from everyone in the school t' put on the servers where everyone could share it." She laughed a little. "Actually, there's a lot of my stuff in yer room - you probably noticed there's a bunch of clothes too small for you. I sleep... slept over with you a lot of the time," she corrected herself, not sure how much to push. It wasn't like they'd be able to go back to exactly where they'd been, and she wasn't sure she wanted to, any way. Maybe taking things slower this time, getting to know this new Manuel and letting him get to know her, maybe that was the best way to do things. "An' I can try. The way you taught me wasn't exactly usual. More an' accident, than anythin'. Somethin' t' do with yer powers, an' the link."
Manuel hrmmed at that. "I'm getting the impression that I had a lot of issues with my power from what you're telling me. I'm kind of glad it's gone, then." he said ominously. "Still wish that _someone_ here knew my sister and could tell me if she's OK." he said worriedly. "And I did notice the clothes - I kinda accidentally tried to put on one of your shirts. It didn't work too well." he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "Do I have anything of mine here?" he said, looking around the room. "And there's another room in your suite - do you have someone else who lives with you?"
"There was a lot of good, too, with yer power - you helped me a lot when I was havin' trouble with things." She wasn't sure how much of her he remembered, so she left it at that. Time enough for the addiction and her history later, if he didn't remember those. "An' there's the link - I always knew what you were feelin', with that, an' you were the same with me. The magic keeps it open, but 's not much more than knowin' yer there, really." Amanda's voice fell a little, before she rallied, reminding herself there was that whole time thing. "As for yer sister... I really don't know what t' say, love. You never mentioned havin' a sister before all this, but you remember it so strong, it must be right." There was something nagging at the edge of her memory, something small but important, only it wouldn't come clear like most of the memories of that night. She'd work on it later, maybe get Nathan to help if he was up for it. "If I had somethin' of hers, I could find her for you, with a spell..." She made a low noise of frustration, and remembered Strange's talk about stress and how it was bad for her right now. "Um, there's a couple of things - CDs, mostly. An' a spare toothbrush. I have a roomie, since 'm not eighteen yet, so we usually ended up in yer room any way. Worked out well - Marie-Ange could have her boyfriend 'round while I was stayin' with you."
"Marie-Ange? What an unusual name. I don't remember her at all, which shouldn't surprise me." he grumbled. "Assuming that that's a girl's name." he said after a brief thought. "As for my sister - once I get better I'll find her." he said bravely. "I don't think I have anything of hers, unless you could use me to find her. Since she is my sister, after all..."
"'S French - a lot of people call her 'Angie' since it's easier t' say. An' yeah, she's a girl - they kind of frown on the kids goin' co-ed." She blinked as she considered his suggestion. "That's... not a bad idea. I don't know if it'd work, an' I'd have t' do some readin' up, maybe ask Strange for help..." With a smile, she reached for his hand again. "I'll do whatever I can, if it's possible. An' even if it ain't - I've got a knack for doin' what I shouldn't."
Manuel grinned. "Sounds like a plan." he said happily. "And I'll have to meet her once I have a chance." He sat down at her desk chair and looked at his surroundings curiously. "So - how was your day?" he asked her lamely.
She tucked her hand back under the blanket. Stupid cow. "All right," she said with a small shrug. "Got dunked in the lake by me teacher yesterday which wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it did what it was supposed to. Hopefully I'll be able t' heal meself up before I get any further behind with the schoolwork. How 'bout you? Met anyone else yet?"
"I met Alex." he said. "And remembered him." he said proudly. "That was cool. Other than that, I've been spending a lot of time listening to music and trying to play. Trying to jog my memory. So far, not a whole lot of luck. But it's only been a little while, and it will take time according to Samson."
"He knows what he's talkin' 'bout, Samson does," said Amanda, smiling a little at Manuel's enthusiasm. So different from before. "Alison'll be able t' help you with the music, too, once she's better. Did you meet her yet? Or any of the teachers?"
Manuel shook his head. "No - wait! Yes I have! I met Professor Dayspring earlier." he said. "He tells me that I was a fairly good student once you helped me out with English. Which is odd, because I don't seem to be having any problems right now. But I haven't tried reading anything yet." he admitted. "Maybe that was it."
"Nate? He's a good sort - if yer havin' problems, go t' him," she said, amused by Manuel's use of the title. 'Professor' Dayspring indeed. "I gave you a translatin' charm - you couldn't read or write English very well, an' it was holdin' you back. You should still have it 'round yer neck, if the docs didn't take it off. But if you don't want t' use it, you don't have to - was only meant t' tide you over with Nate's class, since there's a lot of readin' in it."
Manuel looked down his shirt comically, and then shrugged. "Not here." he said sadly. "Maybe I left it back in my room, or the folks down in Medical have it. I did have a couple of weird things in my room – a weird stick-figure thing carved into a rock on a leather cord, and a bunch of squiggles on a black rock on a leather cord, and a pebble that's always warm to the touch. Are any of those the charm you made for me?" he asked hopefully.
"If it's weird, odds on it's somethin' t' do with me," Amanda said, her chuckle a lot more natural sounding than anything else previously, without the harsh edge. "Um, the black rock with the squiggles'd be it - 's an inscription in Babylonian, 's why you can't read it. The other two are things I was workin' on - I'll come get 'em off you later. An' the rest of me stuff - you don't need my shite clutterin' up yer room." The smile faded a bit, became more brittle. "One of 'em's yer birthday present, but I didn't get a chance t' give it t' you yet."
"When is my birthday?" he asked her with a grin. "And you don't need to move your stuff if you don't want to." he told her. "I mean, you're the only thing I can really remember clearly. I think I owe it to myself to keep a good thing going, don't I?" he said with a smile. Then he walked over in front of Amanda, and clumsily took her hands in his. "I know this has got to be weird for you. It sure is for me. But you _saved me_, and that's not something I'm going to forget. Ever."
"I wasn't sure... I didn't want t' crowd you, is all," she said, dropping her eyes to their linked hands. "An' I thought... I didn't do enough. Couldn't save it all for you." At last she looked up, the hair falling away from her face and showing him the bruising, the black and swollen eye. "'M sorry."
Manuel hissed at the black eye, but said nothing. "It's enough, and it's a start." he said, before awkwardly leaning forward to kiss Amanda clumsily. "I know it's hard." he repeated. "But I need you - and I think you need me too."
"I do," she admitted. "I was so scared I'd lost you, that even what I saved weren't enough..." Reining herself in before she plunged headlong back into the Land of Guilt, she took a breath and gave him a wobbly smile. "Yer birthday's the 22nd of November, an' you turned twenty," she said.
Manuel made a strong mental note of that. "I'm twenty? Cool." he said with a grin. "Oh, and hey. When I was talking to Alex before, in addition to a killer migraine I remembered something. Found a copy in my music collection. Mind if I play it?" he asked her with a smile. "Maybe you can tell me more about it."
"'S a good thing I like older men," she said with a grin, before nodding and shifting herself a little more comfortably. "An' go ahead - I'll tell you what I can."
Manuel grinned, pulled a CD out of his collection of things, and slid it into Amanda's battered CD player. He advanced the tracks, then let a very familiar piano melody fill the room. "I remember this." he said as the last strains floated away. "Do you?"
"Yeah," she said softly, her expression unreadable as she clutched her pillow to her front. "The first time you played it for me, we were in the Music Room. I'd just gotten back from England after some really bad stuff, an' the link'd been blocked an' you were hurtin' because of it." She looked at him, a small, wan smile on her face. "I think that was when I started realisin' you were more 'n just someone t' have sex with."
Manuel swallowed. Heavily. "Umm, that's good, right?" he said with a somewhat nervous stammer. "Anyway. I remembered sitting in the Music Room at the piano, and I remembered playing it for somebody. Guess that was you." he said with a grin. "See? No problems with this memory recovery stuff."
"For me, 's very good. You were the first person I ever..." Realising that this was really not the time for letting him know about her issues with the L word, particularly when he was this skittish, she stopped herself. "You'll get there," she said. "An' I'll help, if you need me to." An impish grin crossed her face. "An' this means I get t' introduce you t' a whole bunch of stuff all over again. If yer not doin' anythin' else, want t' watch telly with me? There's this show called 'Buffy' you used t' like..."
"Sure." he said with a grin. "What's a telly?" he asked her with deadpan seriousness.
It had taken almost an hour in the shower with the hot water as high up as she could stand on the bruises, and then piling on her warmest clothes and wrapping herself in a blanket, but finally Amanda was starting to get warm again after the cleansing ritual with Strange down by the lake the day before. Well, in the lake - magic tended to take its metaphors seriously. It had helped, some - the sense of wrongness was gone, although Strange had told her the magic would still be on the wonky side for a few more days yet. Now she was curled up on her bed, alternately fretting about Marie-Ange who had apparently gone crazy, and trying to catch up on her Arabic homework when her left hand was still too sore to hold a pencil properly.
Manuel was bored with a capital B. He didn't have the password to his journal, he'd listened to a few CDs but nothing was moving him in any particular way. So he thought he'd go pay Amanda a visit instead. He hadn't seen her in a day or so, and he missed her. Grabbing his trusty map and his cellphone, he slowly navigated the residence floor until he was outside a door that he was fairly sure was hers. He knocked on the suite door tentatively, mentally preparing another set of apologies if he'd knocked at the wrong door again.
Uff, someone at the door. Which meant getting up to answer it... Slowly Amanda crawled out of her nice warm nest of blankets, keeping the one she'd draped over her shoulders and headed for the suite door. She was moving a bit more freely today, but sudden moves were still very painful. Her disgruntled expression lightened, however, when she saw who it was. "Hey, Mann... Manuel," she said, correcting herself when she went to use the old nickname. "Yer up an' about, then?"
Manuel gave Amanda a big ol' smile. "Sure am!" he said cheerfully. "Been wandering a lot these last two days. They gave me a map, see?" he said, producing said document and showing it to her proudly. It had his own room circled, and her room, and the Music Room, and the Kitchen, and Medlab. "If you're not busy, I thought that I could come and hang out with you for a while." he said hopefully.
His cheer was infectious - Amanda smiled back, feeling better than she had in days. "Yer doin' well - when I first got here I had t' use me location spell t' find things, an' that one never works." Stepping aside so he could come in, she couldn’t help reaching for his hand with her good one and giving it a small squeeze before letting go again. "An' sure you can - I'd like the company, tho' 'm not quite up for anythin' more strenuous than talkin' or watchin' movies or somethin'."
"That's fine." he said with a grin, squeezing her hand back. "It's been a crazy few days, let me tell you. Are you OK? I understand that you had a rough time of the accident." he said, his face falling just a bit. "I can't help but think that I was responsible." he said sadly. "Nothing I can do about it now, and Angelo tells me that you have some sort of a healing power that you can use to get up to snuff in no time flat." he said, his smile coming back.
"'S a bit of bruisin', nothin' t' worry about," she lied. She'd taken to brushing her hair over the most bruised side of her face, obscuring the black eye. "An' 's not yer fault - someone had a score t' settle, I think. Don't remember much of it meself, so no harm done, eh?" The sigh of relief as she headed back over to the bed and had a seat contradicted her, but she continued on as if nothing was wrong. "Angelo was right, I can do that. Just need a bit more power for that spell, but I should be right in a day or two." Then she paused, realising that the two must have had an actual conversation for that information to be passed on. "So, you talked t' Ange, did you?"
"Ange?" he said, clearly confused. "You mean Angelo? Yes, I met him when I was looking for the Music Room. Pleasant enough person. I think I embarrassed myself with him - I didn't realize that his gray color was natural. I thought he was sick." he said with a shrug. "Luckily he didn't take offense at my mistake." he said with a laugh. "And that reminds me - apparently I was fairly big into music. Can you tell me any more about that?" he asked Amanda.
"Sorry, nickname - I do that a lot, 'specially with the people I care about. Angelo is Ange, yeah." Settling herself more comfortably, Amanda considered Manuel's question. "Music helped you with yer power, the empathy," she said slowly, thinking of what to say and how to say it. "Helped you focus, calmed you down, that sort of thing. An' before you came here, for a while you used t' DJ in clubs in Spain - yer pretty good, actually, even when you don't use yer power t' ramp things up." She chuckled wryly, remembering. "An' you hated my music - said it was just noise. Still, yer tried. An' you... taught me 'bout it, how t' play piano a bit, 'bout stuff that wasn't punk."
Manuel nodded as he listened intently to Amanda. "Yeah, Angelo said that I DJed. Which explained what those record-player-things were in my room." he said with an embarrassed smile. "Even though I'm not a mutant anymore, I really like this whole music thing. I've been listening to a lot of the CDs in my room - I presume they are mine." he said. "Lots of good stuff there. And I taught you how to play? Maybe you can repay the favor?" he added with a hopeful smile.
"Most of 'em are yers, yeah, tho' I think some of mine'll be there - you were rippin' 'em onto the computer system for me. That was a project you were workin' on, actually, before the... accident. Collectin' music from everyone in the school t' put on the servers where everyone could share it." She laughed a little. "Actually, there's a lot of my stuff in yer room - you probably noticed there's a bunch of clothes too small for you. I sleep... slept over with you a lot of the time," she corrected herself, not sure how much to push. It wasn't like they'd be able to go back to exactly where they'd been, and she wasn't sure she wanted to, any way. Maybe taking things slower this time, getting to know this new Manuel and letting him get to know her, maybe that was the best way to do things. "An' I can try. The way you taught me wasn't exactly usual. More an' accident, than anythin'. Somethin' t' do with yer powers, an' the link."
Manuel hrmmed at that. "I'm getting the impression that I had a lot of issues with my power from what you're telling me. I'm kind of glad it's gone, then." he said ominously. "Still wish that _someone_ here knew my sister and could tell me if she's OK." he said worriedly. "And I did notice the clothes - I kinda accidentally tried to put on one of your shirts. It didn't work too well." he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "Do I have anything of mine here?" he said, looking around the room. "And there's another room in your suite - do you have someone else who lives with you?"
"There was a lot of good, too, with yer power - you helped me a lot when I was havin' trouble with things." She wasn't sure how much of her he remembered, so she left it at that. Time enough for the addiction and her history later, if he didn't remember those. "An' there's the link - I always knew what you were feelin', with that, an' you were the same with me. The magic keeps it open, but 's not much more than knowin' yer there, really." Amanda's voice fell a little, before she rallied, reminding herself there was that whole time thing. "As for yer sister... I really don't know what t' say, love. You never mentioned havin' a sister before all this, but you remember it so strong, it must be right." There was something nagging at the edge of her memory, something small but important, only it wouldn't come clear like most of the memories of that night. She'd work on it later, maybe get Nathan to help if he was up for it. "If I had somethin' of hers, I could find her for you, with a spell..." She made a low noise of frustration, and remembered Strange's talk about stress and how it was bad for her right now. "Um, there's a couple of things - CDs, mostly. An' a spare toothbrush. I have a roomie, since 'm not eighteen yet, so we usually ended up in yer room any way. Worked out well - Marie-Ange could have her boyfriend 'round while I was stayin' with you."
"Marie-Ange? What an unusual name. I don't remember her at all, which shouldn't surprise me." he grumbled. "Assuming that that's a girl's name." he said after a brief thought. "As for my sister - once I get better I'll find her." he said bravely. "I don't think I have anything of hers, unless you could use me to find her. Since she is my sister, after all..."
"'S French - a lot of people call her 'Angie' since it's easier t' say. An' yeah, she's a girl - they kind of frown on the kids goin' co-ed." She blinked as she considered his suggestion. "That's... not a bad idea. I don't know if it'd work, an' I'd have t' do some readin' up, maybe ask Strange for help..." With a smile, she reached for his hand again. "I'll do whatever I can, if it's possible. An' even if it ain't - I've got a knack for doin' what I shouldn't."
Manuel grinned. "Sounds like a plan." he said happily. "And I'll have to meet her once I have a chance." He sat down at her desk chair and looked at his surroundings curiously. "So - how was your day?" he asked her lamely.
She tucked her hand back under the blanket. Stupid cow. "All right," she said with a small shrug. "Got dunked in the lake by me teacher yesterday which wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it did what it was supposed to. Hopefully I'll be able t' heal meself up before I get any further behind with the schoolwork. How 'bout you? Met anyone else yet?"
"I met Alex." he said. "And remembered him." he said proudly. "That was cool. Other than that, I've been spending a lot of time listening to music and trying to play. Trying to jog my memory. So far, not a whole lot of luck. But it's only been a little while, and it will take time according to Samson."
"He knows what he's talkin' 'bout, Samson does," said Amanda, smiling a little at Manuel's enthusiasm. So different from before. "Alison'll be able t' help you with the music, too, once she's better. Did you meet her yet? Or any of the teachers?"
Manuel shook his head. "No - wait! Yes I have! I met Professor Dayspring earlier." he said. "He tells me that I was a fairly good student once you helped me out with English. Which is odd, because I don't seem to be having any problems right now. But I haven't tried reading anything yet." he admitted. "Maybe that was it."
"Nate? He's a good sort - if yer havin' problems, go t' him," she said, amused by Manuel's use of the title. 'Professor' Dayspring indeed. "I gave you a translatin' charm - you couldn't read or write English very well, an' it was holdin' you back. You should still have it 'round yer neck, if the docs didn't take it off. But if you don't want t' use it, you don't have to - was only meant t' tide you over with Nate's class, since there's a lot of readin' in it."
Manuel looked down his shirt comically, and then shrugged. "Not here." he said sadly. "Maybe I left it back in my room, or the folks down in Medical have it. I did have a couple of weird things in my room – a weird stick-figure thing carved into a rock on a leather cord, and a bunch of squiggles on a black rock on a leather cord, and a pebble that's always warm to the touch. Are any of those the charm you made for me?" he asked hopefully.
"If it's weird, odds on it's somethin' t' do with me," Amanda said, her chuckle a lot more natural sounding than anything else previously, without the harsh edge. "Um, the black rock with the squiggles'd be it - 's an inscription in Babylonian, 's why you can't read it. The other two are things I was workin' on - I'll come get 'em off you later. An' the rest of me stuff - you don't need my shite clutterin' up yer room." The smile faded a bit, became more brittle. "One of 'em's yer birthday present, but I didn't get a chance t' give it t' you yet."
"When is my birthday?" he asked her with a grin. "And you don't need to move your stuff if you don't want to." he told her. "I mean, you're the only thing I can really remember clearly. I think I owe it to myself to keep a good thing going, don't I?" he said with a smile. Then he walked over in front of Amanda, and clumsily took her hands in his. "I know this has got to be weird for you. It sure is for me. But you _saved me_, and that's not something I'm going to forget. Ever."
"I wasn't sure... I didn't want t' crowd you, is all," she said, dropping her eyes to their linked hands. "An' I thought... I didn't do enough. Couldn't save it all for you." At last she looked up, the hair falling away from her face and showing him the bruising, the black and swollen eye. "'M sorry."
Manuel hissed at the black eye, but said nothing. "It's enough, and it's a start." he said, before awkwardly leaning forward to kiss Amanda clumsily. "I know it's hard." he repeated. "But I need you - and I think you need me too."
"I do," she admitted. "I was so scared I'd lost you, that even what I saved weren't enough..." Reining herself in before she plunged headlong back into the Land of Guilt, she took a breath and gave him a wobbly smile. "Yer birthday's the 22nd of November, an' you turned twenty," she said.
Manuel made a strong mental note of that. "I'm twenty? Cool." he said with a grin. "Oh, and hey. When I was talking to Alex before, in addition to a killer migraine I remembered something. Found a copy in my music collection. Mind if I play it?" he asked her with a smile. "Maybe you can tell me more about it."
"'S a good thing I like older men," she said with a grin, before nodding and shifting herself a little more comfortably. "An' go ahead - I'll tell you what I can."
Manuel grinned, pulled a CD out of his collection of things, and slid it into Amanda's battered CD player. He advanced the tracks, then let a very familiar piano melody fill the room. "I remember this." he said as the last strains floated away. "Do you?"
"Yeah," she said softly, her expression unreadable as she clutched her pillow to her front. "The first time you played it for me, we were in the Music Room. I'd just gotten back from England after some really bad stuff, an' the link'd been blocked an' you were hurtin' because of it." She looked at him, a small, wan smile on her face. "I think that was when I started realisin' you were more 'n just someone t' have sex with."
Manuel swallowed. Heavily. "Umm, that's good, right?" he said with a somewhat nervous stammer. "Anyway. I remembered sitting in the Music Room at the piano, and I remembered playing it for somebody. Guess that was you." he said with a grin. "See? No problems with this memory recovery stuff."
"For me, 's very good. You were the first person I ever..." Realising that this was really not the time for letting him know about her issues with the L word, particularly when he was this skittish, she stopped herself. "You'll get there," she said. "An' I'll help, if you need me to." An impish grin crossed her face. "An' this means I get t' introduce you t' a whole bunch of stuff all over again. If yer not doin' anythin' else, want t' watch telly with me? There's this show called 'Buffy' you used t' like..."
"Sure." he said with a grin. "What's a telly?" he asked her with deadpan seriousness.
