http://x_cable.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
x-cable.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
xp_logs2005-05-01 09:52 am
x-cable.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2005-05-01 09:52 am
Nathan, Domino, Anika and Piers, Sunday morning
Life goes on. There's a certain amount of joy in that. Piers arrives at the mansion to head off to Tunisia with Domino and Anika, and find himself somewhat at the mercy of his new pack.
"Someone needs to take you shopping."
Nathan had to admit, he rather enjoyed the look of absolute horror that Piers got at Domino's pronouncement. "She's got a point, Ian," he said wisely, ignoring the way Anika was snickering behind her hand. "Makes more sense to pick up various stuff here, where it's all right to hand, than to wait and take your chances in Tunis."
"But... shopping?" Ian gave Ani and Dom a wide-eyed, wary look. He had showed up at the mansion first thing this morning, delivered to the door by someone from the taskforce, an FBI agent who had seemed curiously reluctant to say goodbye to his charge, although he'd been mollified by Ian's promises to keep in touch when he could. "I don't think..."
"I like dressing people," Anika volunteered cheerily, her eyes brighter than Nathan had seen them since before Youra. She looked at Domino inquisitively. "Don't you think he'd be fun to dress, Dom?"
"Oh, loads."
Nathan coughed at the imploring way Ian was looking at him. "Maybe just you and Ani and a quick run into New York?" he temporized. Ian would probably need a little time to get used to Dom, and he was going to get thrown into the deep end as it was. "I'd come along but none of you need to be slowing down to suit my pace." Hah. A bona fide excuse.
Ian's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Right," he muttered, very doubtfully. "Of course you would." He gave Ani a harassed look. "You're not really going to try and dress me, are you?"
Anika laughed and came over to flop down beside him on the couch, laying her head on his shoulder. It was such a feral sort of thing to do, so completely unaffected a gesture, that Nathan couldn't help smiling. "Would I torment you like that?"
"Gleefully," was Ian's slightly less sour response. But the stiffness in his posture was easing, his body language shifting as he leaned against Ani. "And enjoy every moment of it, brat."
This was, Nathan told himself as he watched the two of them, a very good idea. Ian had been supremely unconcerned to hear that plans had changed and the Pack was hiding out for the immediate future in African semi-retirement. Living on the Mediterranean coast sounds like bliss to me, he'd said when Nathan and Domino had given him the basics of what had happened and why he wouldn't be going to Berlin.
Nathan hadn't been surprised. Unlike Isabel and Gavin and the others, Ian wasn't really inclined to make individual plans. Just like Anika, he needed a pack. And being with Ani would only make his adjustment to conditioning-free living smoother and more easy.
They're rather cute, aren't they? Domino thought at him, raising an eyebrow.
Nathan just smiled. #Don't go matchmaking. Firstly, it's too soon, and secondly, it's not that sort of thing with them.#Just feral bonding. Natural, and yes, very cute.
Give me credit for a little good sense, old man, Domino sent back, a bit acidly. It's just... nice to see her so relaxed. And I like him.
Ian was quite a bit different than he had been, Nathan thought, now that his conditioning was gone. He got the very strong impression that the other man's personality was still trying to resettle into a more natural pattern, but there was a lightness to his thoughts that hadn't been there before. Nathan could only interpret that as a good thing.
"The last of those financial arrangements should go through in a couple of days," he said aloud, more briskly. Ian looked back at him, blinking, then nodded. "I'll drop you an email once it's all cleared."
"I'd say something about not feeling comfortable taking handouts," Ian said with a wry smile, "but considering where the money originally came from... not having many qualms about it." He shook his head at Nathan. "The whole thing tickles me, by the way. There's a certain cosmic justice to it."
"Just call me Robin Hood," Nathan snorted softly. Really, he himself had barely touched the Mistra slush fund he'd 'liberated' eight years ago, just using enough of it to get himself set up so that he could start taking freelance jobs. More 'honest' income had started rolling in almost immediately, so the bulk of the seed money had sat there in a Swiss account, gathering interest. This past week, he'd made arrangements to split it among the surviving first-gens. He only wished he'd been able to divide it a few more ways. "I'll make sure Isabel and Gavin and the others have the right addresses and decryption programs so you can all keep in touch, too," he went on.
That was important, too. Not to lose touch. Ian and Ani were heading off to Tunisia to the Pack, Gavin was planning to go back to school, Isabel was actually planning to work for the government, who knew what the others would do once they were out of the hospital... but they would always be connected, Nathan knew. No matter how far they traveled away from each other.
Some bonds were there forever. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"So," Anika said, poking Ian in the ribs. He yelped. "Shopping?"
"Only if you buy me lunch."
"Deal!"
"Someone needs to take you shopping."
Nathan had to admit, he rather enjoyed the look of absolute horror that Piers got at Domino's pronouncement. "She's got a point, Ian," he said wisely, ignoring the way Anika was snickering behind her hand. "Makes more sense to pick up various stuff here, where it's all right to hand, than to wait and take your chances in Tunis."
"But... shopping?" Ian gave Ani and Dom a wide-eyed, wary look. He had showed up at the mansion first thing this morning, delivered to the door by someone from the taskforce, an FBI agent who had seemed curiously reluctant to say goodbye to his charge, although he'd been mollified by Ian's promises to keep in touch when he could. "I don't think..."
"I like dressing people," Anika volunteered cheerily, her eyes brighter than Nathan had seen them since before Youra. She looked at Domino inquisitively. "Don't you think he'd be fun to dress, Dom?"
"Oh, loads."
Nathan coughed at the imploring way Ian was looking at him. "Maybe just you and Ani and a quick run into New York?" he temporized. Ian would probably need a little time to get used to Dom, and he was going to get thrown into the deep end as it was. "I'd come along but none of you need to be slowing down to suit my pace." Hah. A bona fide excuse.
Ian's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Right," he muttered, very doubtfully. "Of course you would." He gave Ani a harassed look. "You're not really going to try and dress me, are you?"
Anika laughed and came over to flop down beside him on the couch, laying her head on his shoulder. It was such a feral sort of thing to do, so completely unaffected a gesture, that Nathan couldn't help smiling. "Would I torment you like that?"
"Gleefully," was Ian's slightly less sour response. But the stiffness in his posture was easing, his body language shifting as he leaned against Ani. "And enjoy every moment of it, brat."
This was, Nathan told himself as he watched the two of them, a very good idea. Ian had been supremely unconcerned to hear that plans had changed and the Pack was hiding out for the immediate future in African semi-retirement. Living on the Mediterranean coast sounds like bliss to me, he'd said when Nathan and Domino had given him the basics of what had happened and why he wouldn't be going to Berlin.
Nathan hadn't been surprised. Unlike Isabel and Gavin and the others, Ian wasn't really inclined to make individual plans. Just like Anika, he needed a pack. And being with Ani would only make his adjustment to conditioning-free living smoother and more easy.
They're rather cute, aren't they? Domino thought at him, raising an eyebrow.
Nathan just smiled. #Don't go matchmaking. Firstly, it's too soon, and secondly, it's not that sort of thing with them.#Just feral bonding. Natural, and yes, very cute.
Give me credit for a little good sense, old man, Domino sent back, a bit acidly. It's just... nice to see her so relaxed. And I like him.
Ian was quite a bit different than he had been, Nathan thought, now that his conditioning was gone. He got the very strong impression that the other man's personality was still trying to resettle into a more natural pattern, but there was a lightness to his thoughts that hadn't been there before. Nathan could only interpret that as a good thing.
"The last of those financial arrangements should go through in a couple of days," he said aloud, more briskly. Ian looked back at him, blinking, then nodded. "I'll drop you an email once it's all cleared."
"I'd say something about not feeling comfortable taking handouts," Ian said with a wry smile, "but considering where the money originally came from... not having many qualms about it." He shook his head at Nathan. "The whole thing tickles me, by the way. There's a certain cosmic justice to it."
"Just call me Robin Hood," Nathan snorted softly. Really, he himself had barely touched the Mistra slush fund he'd 'liberated' eight years ago, just using enough of it to get himself set up so that he could start taking freelance jobs. More 'honest' income had started rolling in almost immediately, so the bulk of the seed money had sat there in a Swiss account, gathering interest. This past week, he'd made arrangements to split it among the surviving first-gens. He only wished he'd been able to divide it a few more ways. "I'll make sure Isabel and Gavin and the others have the right addresses and decryption programs so you can all keep in touch, too," he went on.
That was important, too. Not to lose touch. Ian and Ani were heading off to Tunisia to the Pack, Gavin was planning to go back to school, Isabel was actually planning to work for the government, who knew what the others would do once they were out of the hospital... but they would always be connected, Nathan knew. No matter how far they traveled away from each other.
Some bonds were there forever. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"So," Anika said, poking Ian in the ribs. He yelped. "Shopping?"
"Only if you buy me lunch."
"Deal!"