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Who: wanda maximoff and YOU
When: days prior to event
Where: around town, flophouse
Summary: doing a little exploring, some housekeeping, meeting people
Warnings: none atm!

A. GOOD HARBOR BEACH

[so they can't use magic.

ever since she came to learn to use her powers, magic was like second nature to her—it just didn't feel right to not be able to have the swathes of red fulfill whatever she commanded it to do.

now, she's been here for a few hours in quiet contemplation, until she got the urge to hop her way towards salt island, using the land bridge formed because of the low tide. this, however, she did not realize was because of the tides. now, annoyance has her squatting on the edge of salt island, hugging her arms around her knees, waiting for the tide to lower again. if only she could do magic without restriction, she would fly back to the beach, or even will down the tide.

hopefully no one shows up to witness her current problem. and yes, she would rather wait for the tide to lower than to swim, thanks.]

B. BONNIE'S FLOPHOUSE

[what bonnie wants in exchange of not having to pay rent is, actually, pretty sensible. wanda has no problems with that, and although she would rather just have a place of her own—she can't exactly twirl her fingers and have it happen—the flophouse is growing on her. even with all the little flaws it has.

not really wanting to worry about the cleaning or repairing, she sets about in helping with the cooking. it's a little bit of a relaxing, mindless activity, and although she has little to work with, wanda can think of a couple of dishes from her home that could feed plenty.

soon, the smell of food wafts throughout the floors of the building. as wanda's finishing up and setting plates down for anyone who would like to come down into communal area to get themselves some early supper. it's not much, really, but she's managed a pot of beef and onion stew and several stuffed cabbages filled with minced meat and rice. she reclines against the counter with a bowl of soup in her hand, and keeping an eye out for anyone who ventures in.

easy way to meet the neighbors, right?]

C. MIDNIGHT CINEMA

[the cinema does catch her attention almost immediately. the architecture of the place is rather difficult to ignore, and there is some kind of allure to it. and though it seems inviting and wanda has seen people go inside, she doesn't know if she wants to go in.

when is the last time she even saw a movie?

as if changing her mind halfway through her walking up the path to the entrance, wanda abruptly turns around to head back into the street—]

Sorry.

[—and walks right into someone.]

I didn't see you.

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[Galliard has been out of the apartment for awhile, just wandering around and thinking things over. He may have crashed on the beach for a night or two; somehow, sleeping outdoors and on sand makes him feel more at home than the narrow apartment he'd been assigned. But he's in need of a shower and a change of clothes, so he goes back to the flophouse, out of sorts and covered in sand.]

[He definitely wasn't expecting to the smell of food, or to have it coming from his apartment. When he lets himself in and sees a woman in the kitchen, he freezes.]

Uh... hi?

[the apartments are... small—made even smaller by the prospect of sharing the space with a roommate. the last roommate she had was her brother, and that doesn't really count. there are two bedrooms set apart by a wall, both of them opening up to a small kitchenette and minimal furniture (two chairs, one table, a bookshelf tacked to the wall). the communal bathrooms might be a challenge.

but bonnie was kind, told wanda that no one should give her trouble, and that her roommate was a fine young man.

she hasn't been able to meet him since she's arrived though, which makes her itch with curiosity. figures that the day she attempts a little bit of cooking in the kitchenette, the missing roommate appears, as if summoned.]

—hey. [she tries to look prepared for this sudden meeting. she points at the door to his room.] That's your room, right?

[setting the bowl down, she straightens the cardigan she's wearing. is he a handshaker kind of person? she opts to stand motionless.]

I'm Wanda. Bonnie said we'd be sharing the apartment.

Edited 2021-08-21 23:07 (UTC)

[Galliard is used to close quarters and having to share his space, but he's always been grouped up with other guys. He's never had to share with a woman before, and the last time he lived with one was when he was seven years old and hadn't started military training yet. He's pretty sure moms don't count as roommates.]

Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's my room.

[What a smooth operator.]

[Galliard doesn't offer his hand to shake either, and instead does an awkward little half salute, like he was going for the full gesture and then realised how dumb it would be halfway through.]

I'm Galliard. Bonnie didn't say anything to me.

[Probably because he's been off roaming and she couldn't find him. But it's not said in an accusatory way, especially not as Galliard zeroes in on the stew bubbling on the stove.]

Are you a chef too?

[Does everyone who gets dragged to this world know how to cook except him?]

[awkward little half salute noted; wanda's eyebrows raise in amusement at that. she can't help but smile a little.]

I guess she didn't get a chance to tell you. [wanda had worried for a moment that perhaps her roommate would be against having his space intruded upon. so far, though? galliard seems like a pretty nice guy.] A chef?

[that question, though—]

Hardly. It's just a simple recipe from back home.

[she motions at it.]

Are you hungry?

Edited 2021-08-24 00:15 (UTC)

I've been out.

[As evidenced by his scraggly, sandy appearance.]

Yeah, if there's extra.

[Apparently Galliard's definition of chef needs to be expanded from anyone who can do more in a kitchen than open a can of rations. But if he's going to have a roommate, one who can cook is a good deal. He's also been a little lonely on his own, although he'll never admit it.]

You must have just got here, huh?

[yes, very sandy. she can't help but look a little amused at the statement accompanied by his look.]

Sure is.

[and so, wanda will fetch him a bowl and fill it up with stew, plating it up nicely with a spoon and setting it down on the counter close to him.

as for whether she just got here...] It's a little surprising to get dropped off here without warning. [a short shrug.] I still got to learn my way around here and really understand all that info the ADI gave us.

[Galliard is going to slide right over to the counter as soon as that plate of stew hits it. It smells amazing, and he's never been one to turn down free food.]

That's what happened to everyone.

[He glances up at her before turning his attention to the food.]

And good luck with that. They're not very talkative about why we're here, or what exactly they want us to do.

[she tilts her head at that in plain amusement.]

I'm guessing I shouldn't even bother, then.

[it's easy to just put it all down to a big organization having their own things they need to do, and though charitable and willing to help could care less about what their individual needs and wants are—either out of ignorance or having no desire to do so.

okay, so wanda isn't one to really trust easy.

in any case— wanda relaxes her shoulders and tries to appear nonchalant.] I've never had a roommate before, so let me know if there's anything that's off limits.

What? No!

[This gets Galliard's attention enough that he drops his spoon.]

No, we should be finding out everything we can about them! They kidnapped us here so we obviously can't trust them, and they're probably lying about other stuff too.

[Strange, how Galliard used to be such a good soldier who followed orders and didn't really question his superiors, and now he's suspicious and thirsty for all the intel he can get. He always left that to the others before, but now he has this undeniable urge to learn as much as he can.]

[~~hey Eye patron heeeeeeeey~~]

[He lowers the intensity along with Wanda though, and goes back to his food.]

This is really good.

[please, galliard. no reason to be so dramatic? she startles at the spoon drop, but gets to soon find out why that even was a reaction to her words.

well, isn't that just interesting?]

More food would be welcome, I see.

[wanda can't help her smile, all too encouraged by this meeting to figure she can do this a couple more times for the benefit of her roommate, too.]

And, well, if I'm not the only one looking it, sure? I do have more important things to be doing back home. [she shrugs a shoulder amiably] Should we trust each other instead?

[For all that he thinks of himself as a big tough guy, Galliard tends to wear his heart on his sleeve a lot more than he'd like to admit.]

Yeah. Like I said, it's really good.

[Can he grab another bowl? Yeah, he's going to go for another bowl.]

Definitely not. There's a war going on where I'm from, and I'm needed there more than here.

[For the first time, he offers her the faintest hint of a smile.]

We probably should. I wouldn't want you to murder me in my sleep or anything.

Poison would be easier.

[if they're talking about ways to murder people... but wanda jests. she finishes her own bowl and sets it aside in the sink. she wouldn't go so low.

wanda turns to him, arms crossed.]

You can't be older than 20. [she understands though, being young and wanting to do everything one could to help an ailing homeland.] Are you a soldier, or something else?

Easier, but less effective.

[Scoff scoff. Galliard is confident he could heal any poison that got into his system. It wouldn't be fun, but he could do it.]

I'm nineteen. [And at his current rate, he won't live to see thirty. Which is still almost two decades longer than his brother got.]

I'm a warrior. It's a type of elite soldier. [He shrugs.]. I've been fighting in the wars since I was seven.

[oh, that's fairly young.]

It must be difficult to just be here and wait.

[her brother had told her about it that one time, how he was waiting—how ineffective it felt, to wait, after all the fighting they had been doing on their own for so many years.

uncrossing her arms, she sets herself at the sink and starts washing her bowl and whatever other items she used to prepare the soup.]

My home country was a war zone for as long as I could remember. My brother and I fought for it, and even when that war was no more, I kept fighting in other smaller and bigger fights. [she might not seem it; she certainly doesn't look very... soldier-y. wanda looks him from over her shoulder, curious.] How do you fight?

Edited 2021-08-28 19:36 (UTC)

[The sad thing is, as warriors go, Galliard is on the older end.]

It is.

[The relief in his voice is almost palpable as he gets up to wash his own bowl.]

We were in the middle of a battle, we'd been attacked, and I got knocked out and woke up here! I don't even know what happened to the rest of my team!

[Zeke is gone, Pieck was on her own without her Panzer unit, and Reiner had finally shown up. They'd done badly, the whole thing coming down to Reiner saving their stupid asses, and Galliard half-assumes they're all dead back home.]

Mine too. I don't think Marley even knows what to do without a war to fight.

[He's not as surprised as Wanda might think to hear she's a soldier; Pieck looks like a frail, unimposing girl when she's not in her titan form, but there's no one else he'd want having his back when shit gets real.]

Have you heard of titans, where you're from?

[she makes space for him at the sink, sympathizing with his frustration at being stolen away from the battlefield. it was similar to when thanos had snapped his fingers and they had all disappeared—no more, just through random luck—when there had been so much she wanted to do at the time.

except here, galliard is conscious, and the worry might eat him up from the inside.

wanda reaches out a little hesitantly, but does end up putting a hand over his shoulder, a small gesture in hopes of... perhaps showing him she understands? with a squeeze, she lets go, and walks over to one of the chairs by the wall, where she sits.]

My world was threatened by a Titan before. [hands to her knees as she presses her back to the wall, not having bothered to move the chair to sit on it properly.] He came with an army from space, and though to decimate half of the universe's population. [...] That kind of titan?

[Galliard jumps a little when she touches his shoulder, but after that momentary fright, he leans slightly into the gesture. He's used to Pieck and the kids sprawling all over him, and he didn't realise until now just how much he's missed that.]

[He stays at the sink when she retreats, and washes his own bowl while listening to her story. When she's done, he turns around, bracing his hands on the sink edge and leaning back onto it.]

I'm sorry.

[It's a simple statement, but his tone is heartfelt.]

Sort of. Our titans live on the planet, and one from outside attacked us. Two from outside. And they brought their army.

[Just going to casually leave out that technically, Marley attacked first.]

They attacked an area full of civilians. They didn't care that they were killing women and kids.

[more than one? it sounds a little terrifying, as wanda doesn't want to imagine the possibility of more than one individual like thanos showing up and wanting to implement radical 'solutions' for the universe.

the sorry is a little odd to take; they beat thanos, after all, but the damage had already been done. a pretty empty victory for wanda, if someone were to ask.

instead, she listens to galliard's experience.]

I have a feeling the titans we each know are different. [though their intent seems similar.] Has this war been going on for a while?

Maybe. They sound pretty similar to me.

[Sure, Wanda's titan comes from space and is threatening the whole universe, but the titans Galliard knows are threatening everything and everyone he knows and cares about.]

The thing with the titans only goes back about thirty years, but Marley's been at war over other things too. There's always someone or something to fight.

What about your titan? You said he's from space? We can't travel in space where I'm from.

[she can relate to that feeling, of there always being someone or something to fight. it is what wanda has known too for more of her life, with small pockets of peace when her life was not ripped asunder by bombs.

all she can really do is nod in understanding.]

My world has what you'd call superheroes. Individuals with strength and powers who became protectors of Earth, our planet. [how about avoiding the part where she wasn't on the right side of things once upon a time?] Earth also had special stones that could be used to harness great power. It made us a target.

Thanos wanted the stones to remove half of the universe's population with the snap of his fingers — and he did.

[wanda adjusts her seating position, and — well — she feels she could trust galliard, though her words are measured with a certain kind of coldness, as to not breach the emotions that would flood otherwise.]

One of the stones gave a soul to the man I loved. He was killed and I was among those who got snapped out of existence, but when we were brought back, we made sure to kill the bastard.

...we have friends in space, other superheroes, so I'm hopeful we won't have any more threats from there again any time soon.

[Galliard listens quietly as Wanda explains, and while some of the finer points of her story are lost on him, he can understand the grief and loss inherent in it. He understands all about being a target, and having a power greater than your own seeking you out.]

[More than that, though, he understands losing someone you love.]

I'm sorry.

[He settles into a chair beside her, just far enough away for it to be slightly awkward but also clear that he's listening and relating.]

What was he like? Your... husband?

[He's assuming it was Wanda's husband? Boyfriend? Brother? He has no idea.]

[husband— it does have a nice ring to it, and wanda can't help but smile at that, though ultimately she shakes her head.]

I suppose he was something like that, unofficially.

[she had been vision's, and vision had been hers, no matter what hayward had to say about it. soulmates, she would even call it, but it feels meaningless to give it a label now after he's long gone.]

...he was really kind. Always knew what to say, even if he always prefaced it by saying he read about it in a book. Never judged me the same way others did.

[it hurts her to think about all those conversations she will never be able to have with him anymore, nor the comfort of his presence. wanda is quiet, and finds that there isn't much more that she wants to say about him, simply because it hurts.

softly,] Sorry. [she apologizes because it's not something she wants to keep talking about, a light shake of her bottom lip giving away the shakiness in her voice before she presses down into a thin line.]

I suppose the first thing we want to figure out is a way to get home. You got your friends to get back to.

Edited 2021-09-06 18:09 (UTC)

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