Amanda, Angelo - Saturday afternoon
Mar. 26th, 2005 01:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAngelo stops by the back porch for a smoke after the service, and isn't surprised to find his usual smoking buddy. Awkward conversation about funerals ensues.
As Angelo made his way back to the house following the memorial service, it was only to be expected that he made a detour via the back porch for a quiet cigarette. Nor was it all that unusual that he found company already there.
Amanda was sitting on the railing, legs dangling down, staring unseeingly across the back lawn. Patches of dirty snow still lay on the muddy ground, melting in the unseasonable warmth Ororo had provided for the service. She looked tired, worn out, her cigarette burning unnoticed between her fingers as she was obviously lost in thought. Not so much that she didn't register Angelo's approach, tho' - she looked up and gave him a wan smile as he joined her. "Hey."
He returned the smile, equally faintly, as he settled beside her on the bench and started lighting up. "Hey, little sis."
"All done, are they?" she asked, jerking her head in the direction of the North Lawn.
"All done", he agreed quietly. "They picked a nice place for it..."
Amanda nodded, not really sure what to say. "That's... nice," she said in the end, lamely. Remembering her cigarette, she raised it to her mouth, inhaling deeply. "I ended up sittin' with Nate," she continued, by way of explanation. "Not so good with that sort of thing."
Angelo nodded. "Yeah, I... I can understand that. 's good someone was with him, anyway, if he knew it was this morning."
"Of course he did - would've been cruel t' not tell him. He was watchin' it through the link with Moira." Amanda's tone was a little sharp, and she sighed. "Sorry, didn't mean t' snap - 's been a long bloody day. Nate's so..." She didn't have words for it, but seeing him so lifeless was killing her. At least he'd asked her to read those letters to him, in the end.
He nodded again, sighing and drawing on his cigarette. "I know. But he will get better. In both ways."
She wanted to ask him how it was he knew that, when Moira didn't. Sure his body was healing - she was making sure of that - but his mental state was another matter entirely. Still, it wouldn't do to growl at Angelo. "What did you think?" she asked instead. "Of the service?"
He shrugged. "It was... a funeral. Not sure they're ever good. But this one... they got the send-off they deserved."
"'M not really good with that sort of thing," Amanda said again. "Never really been t' one before, an' the idea of standin' there with everyone else, listenin' t' someone say a bunch of words 'bout someone they didn't really know... doesn't sit well. Still, at least they got the send-off, like you said."
"There were people here who knew them", Angelo reminded her quietly. "Anika's back on her feet now, mostly. An' there were others, too. But still, a funeral's a funeral..." An' I've seen enough of them to last me.
"Didn't mean it like that - what's that thing they do? That speech about them? That's usually a priest or somethin', ain't it, someone who doesn't know the person..." Amanda shrugged. "Like I said, not my thing." She made a note to go see Anika at some point. Maybe with some raspberry ice cream - she'd been so busy with Nathan and Sam, she hadn't really had a chance to see the feral.
"Eulogy. An' the Professor gave the longest speech, but other people talked too. No priest."
"Oh. All right then." Amanda finished her cigarette, throwing the butt in the bucket. "I don't really know what t' say, Ange. I feel bad that they're dead. But you know me, I don't like all that public stuff. 'M hurtin', I tend t' hide until I've dealt with it."
He nodded and wrapped a casual arm around her. "Yeah, I know. Didn't mean to make it sound like I was blamin' you for not goin'."
"You didn't, just..." Amanda sighed, leaning into the hug as much as she could without falling off the railing. "I've been tryin' t' think of what t' say t' Nate, an' t' Dom an' GW. An' I don't know what - I just come off soundin' stupid, or insensitive. Doesn't help I'm so bloody tired - been tryin' t' study, but there's so much goin' on in me head it's not stickin'."
"You talked to the Professor or anyone about that?" he asked gently. "I mean, if you can't get leeway on the study stuff at a time like this, you never will."
"I will. Just haven't had time, an' everyone's been so busy with healin' an' sortin' out stuff an' the service an' all. 'Sides, no-one else seems t' be havin' trouble - maybe Forge was right, I should just decide whether I'm a student or not an' make time." Amanda sighed. "'S just hard, the study. I'm not a genius like the rest of 'em, an' it's showin'."
"Don't do yourself down", Angelo told her quietly. "Ain't like your life's been the best one for school stuff, an' you know how far you've got since you came here."
She gave him a faint smile, and rested her head against his briefly. "Always lookin' out for me," she said, before straightening with a sigh. "I should get goin'. I want t' talk t' Dom a bit before they disappear next, an' try an' finish me English revision."
He nodded, lifting his unfinished cigarette so she could see. "'Kay, little sis. See you later?"
"Sure." Swinging her legs back over the railing, she dropped down, landing a bit more heavily then she usually might. The lack of sleep and the evil green pills of last night were telling. "I'll come find you later, use you as a pillow maybe? Haven't been sleepin' well, an' talkin' t' you helps."
"Course you can", he agreed with a slight smile. "Later, then."
As Angelo made his way back to the house following the memorial service, it was only to be expected that he made a detour via the back porch for a quiet cigarette. Nor was it all that unusual that he found company already there.
Amanda was sitting on the railing, legs dangling down, staring unseeingly across the back lawn. Patches of dirty snow still lay on the muddy ground, melting in the unseasonable warmth Ororo had provided for the service. She looked tired, worn out, her cigarette burning unnoticed between her fingers as she was obviously lost in thought. Not so much that she didn't register Angelo's approach, tho' - she looked up and gave him a wan smile as he joined her. "Hey."
He returned the smile, equally faintly, as he settled beside her on the bench and started lighting up. "Hey, little sis."
"All done, are they?" she asked, jerking her head in the direction of the North Lawn.
"All done", he agreed quietly. "They picked a nice place for it..."
Amanda nodded, not really sure what to say. "That's... nice," she said in the end, lamely. Remembering her cigarette, she raised it to her mouth, inhaling deeply. "I ended up sittin' with Nate," she continued, by way of explanation. "Not so good with that sort of thing."
Angelo nodded. "Yeah, I... I can understand that. 's good someone was with him, anyway, if he knew it was this morning."
"Of course he did - would've been cruel t' not tell him. He was watchin' it through the link with Moira." Amanda's tone was a little sharp, and she sighed. "Sorry, didn't mean t' snap - 's been a long bloody day. Nate's so..." She didn't have words for it, but seeing him so lifeless was killing her. At least he'd asked her to read those letters to him, in the end.
He nodded again, sighing and drawing on his cigarette. "I know. But he will get better. In both ways."
She wanted to ask him how it was he knew that, when Moira didn't. Sure his body was healing - she was making sure of that - but his mental state was another matter entirely. Still, it wouldn't do to growl at Angelo. "What did you think?" she asked instead. "Of the service?"
He shrugged. "It was... a funeral. Not sure they're ever good. But this one... they got the send-off they deserved."
"'M not really good with that sort of thing," Amanda said again. "Never really been t' one before, an' the idea of standin' there with everyone else, listenin' t' someone say a bunch of words 'bout someone they didn't really know... doesn't sit well. Still, at least they got the send-off, like you said."
"There were people here who knew them", Angelo reminded her quietly. "Anika's back on her feet now, mostly. An' there were others, too. But still, a funeral's a funeral..." An' I've seen enough of them to last me.
"Didn't mean it like that - what's that thing they do? That speech about them? That's usually a priest or somethin', ain't it, someone who doesn't know the person..." Amanda shrugged. "Like I said, not my thing." She made a note to go see Anika at some point. Maybe with some raspberry ice cream - she'd been so busy with Nathan and Sam, she hadn't really had a chance to see the feral.
"Eulogy. An' the Professor gave the longest speech, but other people talked too. No priest."
"Oh. All right then." Amanda finished her cigarette, throwing the butt in the bucket. "I don't really know what t' say, Ange. I feel bad that they're dead. But you know me, I don't like all that public stuff. 'M hurtin', I tend t' hide until I've dealt with it."
He nodded and wrapped a casual arm around her. "Yeah, I know. Didn't mean to make it sound like I was blamin' you for not goin'."
"You didn't, just..." Amanda sighed, leaning into the hug as much as she could without falling off the railing. "I've been tryin' t' think of what t' say t' Nate, an' t' Dom an' GW. An' I don't know what - I just come off soundin' stupid, or insensitive. Doesn't help I'm so bloody tired - been tryin' t' study, but there's so much goin' on in me head it's not stickin'."
"You talked to the Professor or anyone about that?" he asked gently. "I mean, if you can't get leeway on the study stuff at a time like this, you never will."
"I will. Just haven't had time, an' everyone's been so busy with healin' an' sortin' out stuff an' the service an' all. 'Sides, no-one else seems t' be havin' trouble - maybe Forge was right, I should just decide whether I'm a student or not an' make time." Amanda sighed. "'S just hard, the study. I'm not a genius like the rest of 'em, an' it's showin'."
"Don't do yourself down", Angelo told her quietly. "Ain't like your life's been the best one for school stuff, an' you know how far you've got since you came here."
She gave him a faint smile, and rested her head against his briefly. "Always lookin' out for me," she said, before straightening with a sigh. "I should get goin'. I want t' talk t' Dom a bit before they disappear next, an' try an' finish me English revision."
He nodded, lifting his unfinished cigarette so she could see. "'Kay, little sis. See you later?"
"Sure." Swinging her legs back over the railing, she dropped down, landing a bit more heavily then she usually might. The lack of sleep and the evil green pills of last night were telling. "I'll come find you later, use you as a pillow maybe? Haven't been sleepin' well, an' talkin' t' you helps."
"Course you can", he agreed with a slight smile. "Later, then."
