Angelo, Amanda - late Wednesday night
Dec. 9th, 2004 01:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_daytripper posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsAnother phone conversation, this time a bit more serious in the wake of the news Amanda received that day from Wanda.
It was late and she really should be sleeping, catching up on her rest, but she had far too much on her mind. Rather than keep her roomies awake with her tossing and turning, she took herself outside with her cigarettes and her phone, dialling the number as she went out the back door and sat herself on the back step. It rang quite a few times, before there was the sound of fumbling and then a sleepy Hispanic voice saying: "Hello?"
"Ange? 'S me. Sorry t' wake you, mate."
Angelo sat up, sharply awake. She wouldn't have called this late without a good reason. "Amanda? What's up?"
"Nothin'. 'Least, nothin' life threatenin'. Just got some news today." Her hands were shaking, she noticed as she fumbled for a cigarette. Fuck. "Remember me tellin' you Wanda was gunna do some research into me family?"
Joyita, disturbed by his movement, scrambled to the top of the bed and started licking the hand that wasn't holding the phone. "Yeah..." he answered slowly. "Did she find somethin'?"
A slightly bitter laugh escaped her. "You could say that," she said, pausing to lit the cigarette held in her lips. That done, she shoved the lighter back in her pocket and inhaled deeply before going on. "Turns out I'm Rom, all right. Born in Germany. An' Kurt fuckin' Wagner just happens t' be me bloody foster brother."
There was a more-than-slightly stunned silence for a few minutes on the other end of the line, then, "You're jokin'. Hell of a coincidence, isn't it?"
"Tell me about it." Amanda flicked ash onto the ground, her tone low and angry. "'S the funny thin' 'bout magic, Ange - thrives on coincidence. 'S all one big cosmic joke. You'd think I'd be used t' it by now." Scrubbing her hand through her hair, she sighed. "I don't know what t' do, Ange. All me life, I believed what Rack told me, hated me family for lettin' him have me. Now I find out they're the same people responsible for that Bible-bashin' freak."
"What does Wanda say?" he asked quietly, stroking Joyita back to sleep with his free hand. "Did she find out anythin' else?"
"She reckons Wagner told her he had a sister taken by German Social Services - they did that with Rom kids, t' try an' civilise 'em or somethin'. Only there's no record of that ever happenin'. Which means either they're lyin' an' did sell me t' Rack, or he stole me off 'em." Talking it out with Angelo, she was starting to see things a bit more clearly. Far more clearly than she had earlier when talking to Wanda. "But if that did happen, why didn't they look for me? Why didn't they come for me?" The last came out sounding like the whimper of a hurt child - perhaps she wasn't thinking as clearly as she'd thought.
Angelo's voice was as soothing as he could make it when he answered, "If they thought it was an official decision... well, if it had been, they wouldn't've stood a chance of gettin' you back. Maybe they did try, but just hit a brick wall 'cause Rack wasn't any social worker."
It made sense. Really it did. Only nine years with Rack was a hell of a lot to forgive. "Maybe," she said begrudgingly. "'S just... Fuck, Ange. 'S just such a lot t' take in. I spent me life hatin' these people, an' now 'm s'posed t' suddenly stop?" Another drag on her cigarette, and she felt her control coming back. "Timin' ain't great either. Looks like things're kickin' off soon an' 'm a bit twitchy."
"No, you're not s'posed to suddenly stop", he told her quietly. "You're not s'posed to do anythin' more than you can. But I think you should find out what they have t'say, what they're really like, before you decide what you're gonna do about it. You know us here'll still be here, whatever happens."
With a low chuckle, Amanda leaned her head back against the closed back door, looking up at the dull orange sky. No stars. Why didn't that surprise her? "You always make me feel better, big brother. Even thousands of miles away."
"I do my best", he answered with an audible smile. "Good to hear it works."
"It does." Amanda inhaled more smoke, holding it in her lungs for a long moment before breathing it out in a long plume into the cool desert air. "How're things there? With you? An' Angie an' Paige an'... the rest?"
"Angie's doin' a lot better. I don't know the details of what was goin' on or who finally helped her, but she's at least not seein' the whole school dead or dyin' all the time any more. Paige finished her college term, so she was all giddy yesterday. Made cookies, even, though she was tellin' everybody not to eat them. Seemed to think they might be radioactive. Everybody else... pretty much the same."
He was going to make her ask. Gah. "An' Manuel?" Her voice sounded unsure, almost as if she was afraid to ask. Or to be told.
More that he'd been hoping she wouldn't, not having any especially good news to give her. "Manuel... no change, really. It turns out he remembers Alex, though - or Alex's name, at least. Which I figure is maybe 'cause he never really talked to Alex... before... so there weren't any emotions to speak of tied in there..."
"Yeah, he said before I left that he remembered Alex. He was so proud of himself..." Her throat got tight, and she swallowed hard. No time for going soft now. "I'd better go - they said somethin' 'bout not talkin' too long in case the calls get traced." She took a breath, then added in Askani, nice and slow so Angelo would get it - Spanish was too common to risk. "~If I should fall in this coming raid, take care of him for me, brother. Take care of all of them.~"
Angelo hesitated, then responded in careful Askani, "~You know I would, sister. But you will not fall.~"
"Just coverin' all eventualities," she replied in English again, with a careless laugh. "I'd better go, Ange. Thanks for listenin' an' sorry t' wake you. See you in a few, I hope." And with that she killed the phone, shoving it back into her pocket, but not getting up just yet. The air was filled with the faint roar of constant traffic and the stale, sour smell of Las Vegas - Amanda wrinkled her nose, and pulled out another cigarette.
Angelo stared at the phone for a moment, then put it down and snuggled up to the sleeping Joyita at his side, trying to get back to sleep - however much harder it would be through the worry.
It was late and she really should be sleeping, catching up on her rest, but she had far too much on her mind. Rather than keep her roomies awake with her tossing and turning, she took herself outside with her cigarettes and her phone, dialling the number as she went out the back door and sat herself on the back step. It rang quite a few times, before there was the sound of fumbling and then a sleepy Hispanic voice saying: "Hello?"
"Ange? 'S me. Sorry t' wake you, mate."
Angelo sat up, sharply awake. She wouldn't have called this late without a good reason. "Amanda? What's up?"
"Nothin'. 'Least, nothin' life threatenin'. Just got some news today." Her hands were shaking, she noticed as she fumbled for a cigarette. Fuck. "Remember me tellin' you Wanda was gunna do some research into me family?"
Joyita, disturbed by his movement, scrambled to the top of the bed and started licking the hand that wasn't holding the phone. "Yeah..." he answered slowly. "Did she find somethin'?"
A slightly bitter laugh escaped her. "You could say that," she said, pausing to lit the cigarette held in her lips. That done, she shoved the lighter back in her pocket and inhaled deeply before going on. "Turns out I'm Rom, all right. Born in Germany. An' Kurt fuckin' Wagner just happens t' be me bloody foster brother."
There was a more-than-slightly stunned silence for a few minutes on the other end of the line, then, "You're jokin'. Hell of a coincidence, isn't it?"
"Tell me about it." Amanda flicked ash onto the ground, her tone low and angry. "'S the funny thin' 'bout magic, Ange - thrives on coincidence. 'S all one big cosmic joke. You'd think I'd be used t' it by now." Scrubbing her hand through her hair, she sighed. "I don't know what t' do, Ange. All me life, I believed what Rack told me, hated me family for lettin' him have me. Now I find out they're the same people responsible for that Bible-bashin' freak."
"What does Wanda say?" he asked quietly, stroking Joyita back to sleep with his free hand. "Did she find out anythin' else?"
"She reckons Wagner told her he had a sister taken by German Social Services - they did that with Rom kids, t' try an' civilise 'em or somethin'. Only there's no record of that ever happenin'. Which means either they're lyin' an' did sell me t' Rack, or he stole me off 'em." Talking it out with Angelo, she was starting to see things a bit more clearly. Far more clearly than she had earlier when talking to Wanda. "But if that did happen, why didn't they look for me? Why didn't they come for me?" The last came out sounding like the whimper of a hurt child - perhaps she wasn't thinking as clearly as she'd thought.
Angelo's voice was as soothing as he could make it when he answered, "If they thought it was an official decision... well, if it had been, they wouldn't've stood a chance of gettin' you back. Maybe they did try, but just hit a brick wall 'cause Rack wasn't any social worker."
It made sense. Really it did. Only nine years with Rack was a hell of a lot to forgive. "Maybe," she said begrudgingly. "'S just... Fuck, Ange. 'S just such a lot t' take in. I spent me life hatin' these people, an' now 'm s'posed t' suddenly stop?" Another drag on her cigarette, and she felt her control coming back. "Timin' ain't great either. Looks like things're kickin' off soon an' 'm a bit twitchy."
"No, you're not s'posed to suddenly stop", he told her quietly. "You're not s'posed to do anythin' more than you can. But I think you should find out what they have t'say, what they're really like, before you decide what you're gonna do about it. You know us here'll still be here, whatever happens."
With a low chuckle, Amanda leaned her head back against the closed back door, looking up at the dull orange sky. No stars. Why didn't that surprise her? "You always make me feel better, big brother. Even thousands of miles away."
"I do my best", he answered with an audible smile. "Good to hear it works."
"It does." Amanda inhaled more smoke, holding it in her lungs for a long moment before breathing it out in a long plume into the cool desert air. "How're things there? With you? An' Angie an' Paige an'... the rest?"
"Angie's doin' a lot better. I don't know the details of what was goin' on or who finally helped her, but she's at least not seein' the whole school dead or dyin' all the time any more. Paige finished her college term, so she was all giddy yesterday. Made cookies, even, though she was tellin' everybody not to eat them. Seemed to think they might be radioactive. Everybody else... pretty much the same."
He was going to make her ask. Gah. "An' Manuel?" Her voice sounded unsure, almost as if she was afraid to ask. Or to be told.
More that he'd been hoping she wouldn't, not having any especially good news to give her. "Manuel... no change, really. It turns out he remembers Alex, though - or Alex's name, at least. Which I figure is maybe 'cause he never really talked to Alex... before... so there weren't any emotions to speak of tied in there..."
"Yeah, he said before I left that he remembered Alex. He was so proud of himself..." Her throat got tight, and she swallowed hard. No time for going soft now. "I'd better go - they said somethin' 'bout not talkin' too long in case the calls get traced." She took a breath, then added in Askani, nice and slow so Angelo would get it - Spanish was too common to risk. "~If I should fall in this coming raid, take care of him for me, brother. Take care of all of them.~"
Angelo hesitated, then responded in careful Askani, "~You know I would, sister. But you will not fall.~"
"Just coverin' all eventualities," she replied in English again, with a careless laugh. "I'd better go, Ange. Thanks for listenin' an' sorry t' wake you. See you in a few, I hope." And with that she killed the phone, shoving it back into her pocket, but not getting up just yet. The air was filled with the faint roar of constant traffic and the stale, sour smell of Las Vegas - Amanda wrinkled her nose, and pulled out another cigarette.
Angelo stared at the phone for a moment, then put it down and snuggled up to the sleeping Joyita at his side, trying to get back to sleep - however much harder it would be through the worry.
