xp_logs | Angelo and Amanda, Friday night

He finds her on the roof, seething over the news about Pete's father, and manages to talk the anger out of her.

After seeing Pete's post, Angelo's first act after locking Joyita safely in his room was to go looking for Amanda. There were a few places he could think of to look, and he opted to try the roof first, since the door wouldn't be locked yet.

Hell of a week to give up unnecessary magic... For once Amanda wasn't sitting at the flyer's platform - the wind was too cold for that. Instead she was in the corner she'd discovered was a black spot for the cameras, back against the wall, knees pulled up for warmth. The vodka bottle was sitting by her feet, but unopened - she was too angry for that right now.

Angelo knew exactly where to look, having made use of that spot himself before. He headed straight over and sat down, holding out his cigarettes silently.

She ignored him at first, staring out into the dark. Then at last she spoke: "He's a dead man. Whoever did this? Pete's gunna hunt him down and stick 'em so full of hotknives they won't be able to tell if they're even human or not."

Angelo nodded. "Won't say they don't deserve it. This, whatever the reason was... this crosses so many lines I can't count 'em."

"Of course they fuckin' well deserve it. An' if there's anythin' I can do t' help, I'll bloody well be right there doin' it." Amanda's tone was uncompromising. "I don't care what anyone says. Family comes first."

"Always", he agreed grimly. "If this was my mom... I don't s'pose there's a whole lot I can do, but tell him I'll help too if he needs it?"

"I'm not even sure he'll take that - I've never seen him like this." Worry entered Amanda's voice, over-riding the anger for a moment. "I mean, I've seen him angry before, but never like this."

"This is personal", Angelo said quietly. "An' I have. In Mexico."

She glanced at him, surprised. "I... He was?"

Angelo nodded firmly. "He was."

She laughed mirthlessly. "Guess that proves 'm family t' him, then - ain't nothin' like a homicidal rage t' tell someone cares 'bout you..." The laugh turned into something that sounded suspiciously like a sob, and she rested her head on her knees. "Jesus fuckin' Christ, Ange, when does it stop? All this shite, the death, people goin' after the people I love... I'm sick of it, sick of sittin' back an' not bein' able t' stop it."

He reached out to wrap an arm around her, drawing her close. "I know. I know... an' I would say it'll stop someday soon, but you know I can't promise you that."

"Yeah, well, I've given up on promises. Makin' 'em an' havin' anyone else make 'em. No point when there's always somethin' that makes 'em get broken." Despite herself, Amanda let herself be pulled closer - she was so cold, it felt like ice was running through her veins. The only thing keeping her warm was the red-hot anger running through her. Anger and frustration.

"They've got their place still", he told her quietly. "I'm holdin' to mine, I always do when I can. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. 'Cept you can't always. Things change, things happen you didn't expect... There's always someone out there tryin' t' get at you..." Amanda shivered. "Somethin's comin'. Somethin' bad, only I don't know what it is."

He looked at her sideways, not releasing her from the hug. "You can tell that? For sure?"

"Not for sure - pre-cog's Angie's thing, not mine. Just... I've got a bad feelin' 'bout all of this. Nothin' good's gunna come of it." Amanda lifted her head, and for a second it seemed her eyes had gone black, but when she blinked the impression was gone so fast Angelo wasn't sure he'd even seen it. "Gettin' paranoid in me old age."

"If there's somethin' comin', we'll meet it when it comes. Don't we always? Not like there's anythin' else we can do, at this point."

"Nothin' t' do but sit back an' wait for the storm t' fall. Same as always." Amanda gave him a bleak look. "Ever wonder if the next time's gunna be the one that we can't meet?"

"Sure I do", he admitted quietly. "Every time it happens. But if you think like that, you'll drive yourself crazy."

"Crazier, don't you mean? Ain't like I was ever the most stable of people..." Amanda shook her head. "Don't mind me, 'm just bein' stupid. Tired an' angry an' fed up with the world bein' a shite hole."

"Always will be, if we don't fight back", he answered with a wry note to his voice. "An' listen to me, talkin' like an idealist. But it's true. Nothin's gonna change without people to work on it - Jamie's way, Pete's way, whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes, eh?" Amanda looked down at the bottle at her feet, then reached forward and picked it up. "Here," she said, passing it to Angelo. "Take this off me, will you? 'S not gunna help matters an' it's time I found a better way of copin' with things."

He took the bottle without a blink, stashing it in his coat pocket. "Good for you."

"Yeah, well, too many people need me for me t' be gettin' trolleyed..." With the anger draining away, all Amanda felt now was tired. "Dom said whoever did this was tryin' t' get at Pete," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Seems most likely", he agreed quietly, letting her lean into him for comfort. "Unless the old man had enemies of his own, but... I think it probably was about Pete."

"Or me," she added, so softly he almost didn't hear her. "One of Rack's mates, maybe. Or Patches. They can't go after me or Pete or Rom, so maybe they went for the weak link."

"I think if it was that, they'd have made it more obvious", he tried to reassure her. "From what I know of their style... they'd be out to hurt you the most they could, an' that'd mean makin' sure you knew it was them."

"Now you're makin' sense at me, same as Dom." She chuckled, a raw, humourless sound. "I never met a guilt complex I didn't try on for size," she said. "'M so used t' everythin' bein' somethin' t' do with me, I try an' make it about me, even when it isn't." With a shiver, she squirmed a bit closer to him. "I've got t' find warmer places t' think."

"You want to go back inside?" he asked, suddenly realizing how cold it was up there. "Can't have you freezin' yourself half to death."

After a moment's thought, she nodded. "I'm done," she said. "Time t' join the human race again."