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Post by skybright on Jan 28, 2008 0:03:50 GMT -5
"I don't know about fantastic, but it should be okay." Marla shrugged, smiling faintly. "Kind of a hard recipe to screw up, short of burning something."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 28, 2008 0:09:29 GMT -5
Nate picked up his fork and eagerly dug into his plate. He chewed contentedly for a moment, then gave a sigh of satisfaction.
"It's terrific." He grinned. "It may not be much to you, but remember, I've mostly been eating out of cans and paper wrappers for a while. If my dad would make a spot for official resistance cook, I'd nominate you."
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Post by skybright on Jan 28, 2008 0:13:11 GMT -5
Marla ducked her head with a pleased grin. "Thanks . . . um, I think. I'm not entirely sure I'd serve if I were elected -- no offense."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 28, 2008 21:35:39 GMT -5
Nate grinned wryly. "I didn't think so. It's a tough outfit, alright."
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Post by skybright on Jan 29, 2008 0:48:18 GMT -5
"Well, I guess it really has to be." Marla twirled a strand of pasta around her fork. "The job you're doing is a tough one -- even I can see that."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 29, 2008 23:10:41 GMT -5
"I just wish we were having more of an effect." Nate sighed and shook his head. "We keep busy providing for our people, but I'd like to see us taking on Tiernan's operations a little more. He's tightened things up after some of the stuff my dad pulled off, and now it's pretty hard getting intel."
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Post by skybright on Jan 29, 2008 23:12:48 GMT -5
Marla smiled humorlessly. "And instead of being any help in that, my brother managed to make even more trouble for you."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 29, 2008 23:25:48 GMT -5
"Well... yeah, that's pretty much the story." Nate gave Marla a weak grin. "After what's happened, I kinda think Dad would like to cut your brother out of the whole works as much as possible. With what he knows already, we'll always have to keep a close eye on him, though."
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Post by skybright on Jan 29, 2008 23:31:12 GMT -5
Marla frowned and worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "I . . . I guess I can understand why you'd feel the need to do that. I know you don't have to worry -- I know Marcus well enough for that -- but . . . well, I guess you can't just take my word for it, not when I'm the cause of the whole mess to begin with."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 29, 2008 23:37:16 GMT -5
Nate shook his head firmly. "It's not you. It was his being too smart for himself. He exposed himself with some crazy idea that was going to protect you--which is..." He waved his hands in a futile gesture, reluctant to voice the bluntness of his full opinion.
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Post by skybright on Jan 29, 2008 23:42:59 GMT -5
Marla smiled ruefully and ducked her head. "Which is foolish and crazy, even for a politician?" She suggested gently.
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 30, 2008 0:14:01 GMT -5
Nate chuckled. "I guess that about sums it up."
He paused to set down his fork and take a sip of his lemonade, then shrugged. "Anyway, there's too much at stake to have him getting any more funny ideas like that--or ideas about anything he might find in Tiernan's head. I guess we wouldn't be able to stop him from snooping on his own if he actually decided to, but I'm not betting on my Dad asking him for anything--for a good long while at least."
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Post by skybright on Jan 30, 2008 0:20:28 GMT -5
Marla sighed. "If I know Marcus, he'll keep snooping around just the same. He'll feel it's a point of honor, now." She frowned worriedly. "I . . . I certainly hope he doesn't try and do anything by himself. He lets his pride get carried away with him sometimes."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 30, 2008 0:26:37 GMT -5
"I'm sure my dad will figure on that--and if your brother does come up with anything, Dad'll be ready to take care of it." Nate smiled wincingly. "Just as long as he doesn't try anything on his own. We'd rather work with him than have to clean up any disasters after the fact."
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Post by skybright on Jan 30, 2008 0:32:05 GMT -5
Marla grinned weakly. "Marcus . . . usually has pretty good common sense, really. It's just that the occasional lapses tend to be . . . kind of drastic ones."
She flushed slightly and ducked her head. "I feel kind of bad admitting that behind his back."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 30, 2008 0:41:44 GMT -5
"Well, when there's lives in the balance, you have to look at the facts," Nate observed ruefully. "We can only prepare for the risks we know about. If we'd known earlier that your brother takes a little bit of a brain vacation when you're concerned..." He shrugged. "The two of us might not be sitting here now."
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Post by skybright on Jan 30, 2008 0:53:29 GMT -5
"Yeah." Marla shrugged and pushed a stray piece of chicken around her plate with her fork. "He's been like that . . . well, pretty much since I manifested, really."
She sighed. "Mother and Dad . . . they didn't take it very well when this happened." She smiled self-deprecatingly and gestured to her appearance. "Not the way they took it when Marcus developed his abilities. I think . . . I think he's always felt kind of guilty for that."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 30, 2008 1:00:43 GMT -5
"I can understand that." Nate thought once again of his own sister, and vaguely wished he could stop doing that around Marla. "But if your parents had a problem about it--well, that was their baggage. Not his."
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Post by skybright on Jan 30, 2008 1:08:41 GMT -5
Marla smiled ruefully and gestured at her temple. "When you're sixteen and you can hear your family's thoughts, the line between the different people and their baggage gets a little bit blurry."
She shrugged. "Anyway, Mother and Dad got over it a long time ago. But Marcus has been taking it on himself to protect me ever since." Her voice grew quieter. "And we've already talked about that once this evening."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 30, 2008 22:14:58 GMT -5
"Yeah... we have." Nate scooped up one of his last forkfuls of pasta and chicken, and chewed thoughtfully.
"I guess I've never been on the receiving end of the acceptance thing," he admitted at last. "The only people that know about me are either mutants or pro-mutant. On the other side of things... I didn't have a problem with it when Dad manifested. I was just glad to have him alive, and wanting to see him heal from his injuries."
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