Birds with Broken Wings [Tempy]

Oh no, I can’t do this… What am I thinking, of course I can. I have to! Ugh, I wish this wasn’t so hard to do…

Taking another deep breath, Amorina looked at herself in the mirror. It had been so long since she had been on a date; her hands were shaking, her stomach in knots. She felt as though she were back in middle school, unsure of who she was and completely awkward.

Looking herself over, she let out a sigh and nodded. She made sure to look good tonight. Her dress reached to her mid thigh, ruched and fitted, a shade of black close to midnight.

Another sigh and Amy grabbed her purse. She was supposed to meet Emilio at that one place they had gone out to before… Oh she always forgot the name… Leo’s! That was it. It was the one with the beautiful scenery. The thought of it made her smile to herself.

It was so surreal, going out with Emilio again. She hadn’t worn a dress like this in months. At first, she had thought to keep her hair pulled up, but at the last minute decided against it.

Being five minutes early, she was seated at their table and began playing with her nails. The nerves began their work early, her mind racing with questions. Would he show up? Had she scared him off?

Amy checked the watch in her purse, took a deep breath, and calmed herself. He would come, she knew he would.

Emilio worried that he was late. He ran through the streets, thanking God for the lower temperatures of that particular afternoon. His hair, the longest it had been in months, damply fell into his face (he had gotten out of the shower late) when he slowed to look at a sign. He was going in the right direction. Good.

After a morning of running errands and calling in favors, he had been surprised by a call from Jaime. That call had resulted in many more errands to run and phone calls to make. Thus, he had been late getting ready for the date, and late to leave the apartment. Luckily, he had remembered the flowers.

Emilio spotted the restaurant. The diamond-in-the-rough that he'd discovered when he'd newly arrived at his new job. Site of the first date he'd had with Amy. It seemed fitting that they return to the same place. Leo, the restaurant's namesake, was a gruff but pleasant guy and he had let Emilio pay for special treatment with favors and errand-running.

He breezed into the restaurant, which had not changed much since their last date. When he saw that the fair Amy was already there, his smile broadened and he ran a hand through his wavy, dark brown hair in an attempt to appear a little less rushed and more suave. He walked up to the table, pulled out a chair, and just... stopped. Once again, he felt a little dazed in Amy's presence. She was... incredible. He shook himself and said in his smoothest, least-spanglished voice, "Good evening, Amy. You look beautiful."

He had practiced that all morning, confusing both a man operating a newsstand and a dogwalker. Caroline had given him several phrases to work on, this being only one of them. He couldn't say it without an accent like his half-sister, but at least he could say it with a modicum of confidence.

He straightened his dark green silk shirt and sat down, holding out the roses for Amy. These were the color of wine this time. They had fared the rush over to Leo's very well, but needed water. He made a mental note to ask the waiter about it when he arrived. "How are you?"

The opening of the restaurant’s door made Amy look up, and she broke into a smile. She had to relax; this wasn’t some beauty pageant, and she was not on trial. Emilio was her date, the one man who looked at her the way no man had. On his face now, even, was a look that made Amorina blush and look away. It was such a defining look, as if she were the only person in the room.

“Good evening Emilio, and thank you.” Her fingers wrapped around the flowers, such a deep crimson, almost maroon, and gave him her best smile. “Oh they’re beautiful,” she cooed, grazing her fingertips over the petals of the flowers. There had been no need for such gifts, yet Emilio always brought things for her. She knew he wanted her to be happy, that the best thing she could give back was her smile.

Returning her attention to her date, she smiled again. “I’ve been better lately. Running into old friends more often, and meeting some new ones.” She had met the new art teacher, an odd character at times, but a good friend nonetheless. Clara was back, and Blair would soon be at Foresta once again. It filled her with joy to have family close, be them close family members or ones not talked to. Sometimes Amy envied other people close to their families; in reality, her parents did not know her as an adult.

“And yourself? How have you been?” Amy looked at the table before them, at the room around them, and smiled again. Memories washed over her, a wave of warm nostalgia. Cradling the roses in one hand, she placed her other hand on the table, an invitation for his.

Emilio's smile brightened all the more when he heard her news. He was glad that she had been doing better. He took her hand, winding his fingers between hers. "This place... is good for meeting people. Always somebody new."

He used his other hand to get the attention of a waiter, nodding at the roses when he did. The waiter seemed to get the gist and disappeared. Emilio's eyes returned to Amy as she asked how he had been doing. He shrugged. "Busy. Mi hermanastro... my half-brother called today. He is ehhhmmm... coming for a visit." He paused here, searching for the right phrase to use. He had not rehearsed this part. "Had to... make plans."

Emilio's speech was halting, but his posture indicated that he was pretty excited to have his half-brother make a trip from Cuba to come see him and meet Caroline. The only downside was that Jaime had not bothered to notify him until he was a day and a half away.

Jaime was just in time for the teacher's tournament too... Emilio's thoughts touched on that, then spiraled away. The idea of fighting the other teachers was both exhilarating and nerve-wrecking. He reinforced his smile, just in case he had let some of his nervousness show just then.

Her eyes seemed to light up when he spoke of visiting family. She'd love to meet him; she had assumed Emilio's family didn't live closeby, and it seemed she had been right. She may not get another chance to meet any family members if they all lived where his stepbrother did. "Where is he visiting from and how long will he be staying?" His fingers interlaced with hers brought a hint of pink to her cheeks, her mind bubbling with emotion.

Amy remembered the upcoming tournament of teachers and realized Emilio would be perfect for it. He had beat the hell out of her ex by himself, and was definitely fit enough for it. Amy, on the other hand, was no fighter. She would spectate it, cheer on her friends, but as for fighting? No. Her power wouldn't help her there. "Oh, are you going to be in the tournament? You'd be very good for it," she said thoughtfully.

The roses tickled her cheek, her lips puckering in a giggle. The man across from her had been so much to her, and could be so much more. Hopefully they would keep meeting, not losing touch again.

"Emilio, I would like to say..." Amorina cleared her throat. She had begun to pick up Spanish again, but she still found it complicated at times. "Gracias por una... tarde encantadora? Did I say that right?" The pink in her cheeks darkened in slight embarrassment at the thought of the possibilities her words could mean.

Emilio shrugged. "He did not say how long. Maybe few days, maybe week... no se." His smile went kind of distant as he answered the other question with a much quieter, "Jaime es de Santiago. Como yo." He paused for a moment, then clarified because he couldn't remember ever having told her where he was from. "From Cuba."

He shrugged at the question of the tournament. Caroline was encouraging it, saying that it was for charity and since it was official it would be unlikely for anybody to get really hurt. He had his doubts, though. He knew what his half-sister's power was and she had told him about at least two of the other staff members. He might be able to make a good run of it without powers, but without? It was risky business.

"Caroline wishes me to... ehm... fight and it is for charity. Pero... mis poderes no son nadas..." He took a moment to ponder it again. "Might be fun." He looked up and into her eyes. "Will you enter?" The mere thought made him nervous. He would be even more nervous about Amy joining in the fighting than his sister and he was pretty damn worried about her. However, he knew better than to oppose it outright. He didn't want to accidentally disparage Amy's abilities.

Emilio grinned happily at the thanks Amy offered. "You've been practicing," he said approvingly, voicing his assumption. Her grammar had been impeccable. "Is perfect." A good thing, perhaps. He had no way to gauge how much English Jaime knew at this point. All of their dispatches were in Spanish. "Y de nada. Es mi placer."

At this point, the waiter came over and placed a vase on the table and asked, "Can I start you two off with drinks?"

Ah, so that was where. Cuba. The sound of anywhere foreign made Amy smile. She wished she was from somewhere other than the U.S. It didn't make for very good stories. "Oh that's going to be muy bueno!" Amy let a small giggle escape, hoping her little use of Spanish would help them both in the long run.

Amorina shook her head when he asked about her entering the fights. "Emilio, you're a very good fighter. Trust me on that one," she chuckled. "Me, on the other hand, I'd be killed in the first few seconds. Hmm... yo penso... tu es un..uno?.. luchador...bueno...Oh I've forgotten everything, lo siento," she apologized.

She felt so embarrassed that she had forgotten so much in such a short amount of time. She tried though; Amy had put sticky notes all over her apartment to memorize certain things.

Looking up at the waiter, Amy thanked him for taking the flowers. "I'll stay with the water, thank you," she smiled at him.

Emilio nodded. It would be a lot of fun to have his brother around. He vaguely wondered if Jaime still played for his band and was taking time off or if the band had broken up. Last he had heard, Mariano (one of the guitarists) was having arguments with Rafael (the vocalist) that seemed serious.

"Is okay," he commented, his eyes twinkling. "You will get much practice. Mi hermanito... he does not speak good English."

His smile grew pensive at the other bit, the thing she said about her abilities in the tournament. He could see that. Even though she would cancel out her opponent's powers, she might not be able to best them physically. It would certainly be dangerous if she came up against one of their bigger and probably tougher coworkers. "I... understand," he said slowly. "The tournament... is also soon, yes? No time... para practicar. No practice." He grinned. "You will.... cheer for me? And Caroline?"

Emilio asked the waiter for a water as well. He did not wish to drink if his date did not. Besides, they had both been through a lot since their first date. Alcohol might bring more than a buzz. Risking the reemergence of unpleasant memories was not worth it.

As the waiter walked away to go get their drinks, a light melody with definite Spanish overtones drifted through the restaurant. Emilio's eyebrows rose briefly, but he shrugged it off. He had not asked for any musical favors, but it seemed that either Leo or the musicians remembered the last time he had taken Amy here. "Will you dance with me tonight?" he asked, his expression smiling, but his eyes nervous. Would this new, more fragile Amy be willing to dance?

The news that Emilio's brother didn't speak much English sent a ripple of mixed emotions through her. She knew her Spanish was horrible; she could barely remember the correct noun forms, or whatever they were called. She had forgotten so much in the past few months. "I hope he'll be able to understand me," she replied. She went through her mental notepads, skimming over what she knew. Unfortunately, it wasn't much.

"Of course I'll cheer for you," Amy smiled. "Who else would I cheer for?" If only students were able to join this tournament; she knew Clara would have loved it. Amy knew she was not a fighter; she couldn't defend herself against a kitten if she had to. No, she was a definite lover more than she was a fighter.

A tune reached her ears and brought a smile to her face. This was the restaurant they had first danced, the place he had shown her such a beautiful night. Tiny goosebumps raised along her arms, remembering that night. His question, though, brought that blush of hers back. "I'm not very good," she admitted. "But... I'll do my best."

She could barely remember the way her feet had moved back then. All her rythm, all the moves Emilio had taught her had flown out the window; yet there was a feeling inside of her that told her they would come back just as her Spanish had. Somewhat.

Emilio let his faith in her communication skills shine out through his expression. Even if she forgot something, or had trouble with the grammar, Jaime could probably get the gist. If not, they had Caroline and Emilio to serve as translators when necessary. He commented, "You do fiiine. Nos podemos ayudarte... We help if you need it, no?"

As the ambiance of the restaurant flowed over him, he felt less and less awkward. Something bittersweet awoke, though, as he began to remember more of their first date. It felt like ages ago, as though all that had happened since created a glamour that shrouded the entire memory. Suddenly he got the impression that he had spoken of his home country. The impression grew stronger and stronger as more of the conversation trickled back into focus, brought on by sitting in the same place, hearing the same music.

He had also asked her to go to Santiago with him because her one visit had been spoiled by the rain. He wondered if she would remember the offer if he brought it up. Emilio decided against doing that at the moment. Amy had gone through much more than he had; it might embarrass her if he brought up something she had forgotten. He would offer after they both became more comfortable with who they had become. And whatever it was between them. He didn't know how to classify it. A burgeoning romance? A rekindled flame? Emilio hesitated to put a definite name to it now, wary of the way the universe treated such hubris.

Nodding as she assured him that she would root for him in the tournament, he replied gravely, "Quizas... perhaps... your luck will save... ehmm. Maybe I not get hurt. Is all I ask." It would be nice to win, sure, but he knew better than to push his luck. He had just gotten over his last injury, brought on by another Gifted's unique abilities. He was quite a bit more wary of the powers of other people now. Despite the fact that this was a school-sponsored tournament, he knew that accidents could still occur. He would have to be on his toes.

As the conversation rounded another bend, he allowed a smile to gently curl his lips. He murmured, "You say same thing too... last time. Recuerdo. Asi. I say, 'You very good when you not look at feet'." Not an exact quote, but it captured the gist of what he had replied last time she belittled her own dancing abilities. "You are very graceful when you are not watching."

At this point, the waiter came over and asked if they were ready to order. It was not Leo this time around, but a young man. Probably in his early twenties. Emilio could not blame him for blatantly ogling Amy, but he cleared his throat. He didn't have to like the young man's moon-eyed gumption even if he understood it. With very little stumbling or hmmm-hawing, he ordered a steak cooked medium-rare with a side of mixed vegetables. At least taking down his order meant that the waiter had to look at his little notepad.

The thought of having to really speak Spanish throughout her days made her smile falter a bit. She knew it would be torture for his brother to listen to her butchery of Spanish, just as painful as it would be for her to wrench her minute knowledge of Spanish. "I fear you'll be helping me a lot,"she laughed gently.

Had it really been so long since they had been here? She could barely remember the day when she thought about it. Amy remembered the dancing; how could she forget the dancing? It had been one of the only times she had felt completely at ease. She was not the dancer Emilio was, not in the slightest, but she liked to think she could match him when he was taking it slow.

Amorina thought of the coming tournament and gave a small sigh. "I really don't agree with it at all," she muttered. "It's going to stir up a lot of drama between the teachers, especially those who will cry foul and say they won. She shook her head.

Then a thought struck her. The last time she had seen Emilio fight, she had taken away the power of the individual he was fighting against. Maybe... No. It would be cheating. Emilio could take care of himself.

His words brought a laugh from her, followed with a blush. "I hate to say it, but I think I've lost a lot of what I use to have. Not that I had much," Amy chuckled. She hoped that, if he were to ask her to dance, she could keep up with him withouot much stumbling. At times, during the winter, she had danced alone, remembering moves Emilio had taught her.

Smiling at Emilio's protectiveness, she found that she quite appreciated having somebody there, making sure people know she was not to be looked at. Ordering herself chicken parmigiana, no sides but a salad, she gave no attention to the waiter than what was necessary. He was closer to her age, sure, but Emilio was... Emilio. There was nobody like him.

The waiter scampered off and the Cuban man heaved an exaggerated sigh. At least the ogling had been kept to a minimum when Amy ordered. Still, the waiter would have to come back to their table, to refill their drinks and bring their food. Blast it all!

Emilio smiled. "You might... errrmmm... surprised everybody. Who know?" He had a lot of faith in Amy. And any nervousness she felt would probably go away once we met Jaime. He was the kind of person who got along with almost everybody.

As far as the tournament went... well, Emilio had a little more faith in the sportsmanship of his peers than Amy did. "We... no children, Amy,"[ he said seriously enough, though a twinkle of good humor sparked in his eyes, "We... will no have tantrums if we lose, yes? Is not for huge stakes. No reason to make it personal, no?" He suddenly grinned. "I dunno. Maybe things... get interesting. Is much easier to see where... ahhhh... where you sit in errrr.... phrase is 'pecking order', yes? Where in the pecking order when you fight." He hoped he wasn't somehow garbling up his meaning with random mistakes. This was getting to be a little difficult for him to talk about.

Emilio shrugged. They would see exactly how much Amy had been understating her dancing abilities when they actually saw her dancing. He had a feeling that she was understating quite a bit.

He pulled up more memories from their first date and asked smoothly, "How is the photography? You take many photos... errr... lately?" He was lucky- the word for photograph in Spanish was incredibly close to the word for photograph in English. That simplified the translation of that question a little bit.

He leaned back a little bit in his chair, getting into the groove of this conversation. It had felt a little funny at first, but, bit-by-bit, he had lost some of the feeling of being lost. It helped that Amy was here. And that they were in a very familiar place with good memories tied to it.

She could feel the tension from Emilio and squeezed his fingers. He had nothing to worry about; if she wanted to run off with somebody her own age, she would have. Still, it was nice to have somebody else telling people to back off.

Amy shrugged and smiled at him. "I hope nobody takes it to heart. I don't think everyone is mature enough for it, but I've been wrong before. I'll be there. For you." Though she still didn't understand the joy in fighting, she did understand the joy in cheering others on. If it meant being close to Emilio, Amy would be there.

His question of her photography shocked her at first. She never thought he would have remembered that. For the longest time, she had neglected her camera. It hadn't been until she had talked to Emilio that she had even taken the camera out of her closet.

"Not many, no. I lost interest in it for the longest time but.. things are changing," she smiled.

The waiter circled through the restaurant like a shark, waiting for either Amy or himself to run out of their drinks. For his part, Emilio sipped occasionally. He wasn't feeling particularly thirsty anyways. He nodded at her last bit about the tournament, content to let that part of the conversation die. He felt... odd. Something was definitely off.

Emilio tried to ignore it. He really did. He was listening when she responded to his question about the photography. It saddened him that that part of herself had been locked away too. It occurred to him more and more how much her life had been put on hold over the winter. Well, now it was the summer, and the sun's warm rays will melt the ice around her former self, frozen somewhere inside her. He nodded and said, "Change is good. Perhaps we... we can go on... how is it called? Ehhmm... Ah, well, eating outside sometime. With camera. Take pho-" He stopped when he felt something wet trickle out of his right nostril. Feeling slightly detached, he touched the fluid that clung to his upper lip with hesitant fingers.

Blood. A nosebleed? This wasn't normal. His brow furrowed slightly and he looked at Amy, confusion in his eyes. Now the feeling from earlier made sense... the closest sensation was that feeling one gets right before a sneeze. A sort of tickly pressure in the nose? Well, that, but only mentally. Psychic sneeze-warning. Whatever was coming, it was big. He smiled at Amy apologetically. "Lo siento, Amy. Big... err... sight coming. Most likely important. I'll try... to keep it back until the end of our date." He couldn't ask her to help him hold it back... and he knew that if he managed to suppress it now, it would return later. With a vengeance. Still, he owed it to Amy to show her a good time.

Besides, he never really knew what to do with the information he got. Visions were either incredibly literal (and usually misleading due to their tendency to leave out important events leading up to and taking place after the scene in question) or metaphorical (even worse, because interpreting those require guesswork similar to the type needed to interpret dreams.) Emilio just wasn't the type of guy who was well-equipped for this. The flashes of the immediate future he sometimes got during a fight was the only truly useful aspect of his power he'd come across and even that was very limited.

One thing Emilio did hope for, though, was that this coming vision not concern anybody he cared about. The subject of his last big one had been enough to almost undo his sister's self-confidence... aside from the fact that the incident had nearly cost several people their lives. He forced himself to keep smiling, despite the fact that he was quite terrified of what was coming.