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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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[the doctor is (unsurprisingly) detail-focused, and it seems that nothing really escapes him. her defenses are up once again at the question—uncertain, really—at whether she should answer, and if she were to, what kind of answer it should be at all.]

Professional interest.

[wanda repeats calmly.]

...yes. [she says after a moment, crossing her arms. clearly, she is not willing to have this conversation at this point in time.] I had an insightful lesson before coming here.

[thanks, agatha.]

Yes. [It hadn’t been framed as a question, but it’s implied by its deadpan nature — that or Stephen is offering an explanation simply because he can, simply because she doesn’t know any better.] Professional interest. Magic is entwined with my work, so there’s no getting around it.

[And it’s an excuse to indulge his curiosity, stoked a little more when she crosses her arms. Classic defensive posture.]

Sounds like there’s a story behind that lesson. Do I get to hear it?

[there's no getting around it, he says — and yet wanda feels compelled to not really indulge in what magic means and is to her, even now.]

No.

[the doctor is not someone who has gained her trust. to be fair, it's a little hard to manage that with wanda. nevertheless, the events of westview are still too close to her heart, to the point where acceptance of the matters will make grief an easy hurdle to step over.

besides, she's got no one to answer to.]

I appreciate your help, but it came at a cost too high to just share the lesson for free.

Edited 2021-08-25 01:25 (UTC)

[Is this supposed to discourage him from wanting to know? Because it’s achieving the opposite, intermingling with the vaguest hints of concern and a plain ol’ busy body predilection. One might say he’d make a noisier neighbor than Agatha herself, but when it comes to magic, he can’t help himself.

And yet he respects Wanda just enough not to die on this particular hill of not-knowing. Mostly because he can always try again later, because it’s not like they’re going anywhere anytime soon.]

…Okay. [Likely there is an issue of trust here, which. Fair. But one would think defeating Thanos together would earn a nugget of it.] That isn’t very reassuring to hear, you know. A “cost too high” and magic don’t go well together, and believe me, I’ve seen it before.

[he's not a bully, unlike other men who find themselves in a position of power either by strength or simply because they're older than her. wanda appreciates that, and it shows in the smile that she conveys, tight as it may be otherwise.

lectures, though, are not something she wants to subscribe to.]

I know. [casually; the way she would have reacted to tony stark years back would be with muted obedience, an understanding that she wasn't a favorite and needed to 'behave'—with strange, she gets to flex a little on the confidence and strength she developed while with steve and natasha.] And even knowing that, I don't need you worrying about something that I have got under control.

[scuffing the sand with her boots, she steps away a little, the breeze that picks up making her pull the cardigan tighter around her as she crosses her arms. she turns her torso to face him, steps slowing to a halt.]

Besides, could just have been a really expensive Masterclass.

It’s my job to worry.

[Which isn’t inherently true. The consequence of his job, rather, is that worry always comes beating at the proverbial door — tamped down only by stubbornness, and a resolution to do well enough that there is ultimately no reason to worry all. (If only it were so simple.)

However, again… he can ask later. Maybe now isn’t the time or place, out here on the shore, with the feeling of spiders still a ghostly sensation crawling up and down his spine.

He steps forward in the sand, striding close enough to keep by her side if they walk.]

You took a Masterclass and I had to travel all the way to Nepal? I’m not sure who got the short end of the stick there.

[He nearly sighs.]

Where are you staying?

[wanda would say something along the lines that worry breeds fear — see what it did to men like stark. even if, ultimately, he had been right. she chooses to ignore that thought.

she deems, though, that the way people tackle different things befall the kind of person they are. wanda cannot imagine herself worrying so much, but perhaps that has to do with the fact that so much of her emotional headspace is already occupied with emotions that are otherwise louder and would not allow room for nervousness to settle.

at least, it seems, stephen has decided not to go on the route of pushing for answers.]

Nepal sounds nice. [she smiles briefly, eyeing him for a moment before returning her eyes on the sand before her.] I'm staying at Bonnie's. The other option felt too much like the Avenger's HQ.

[stifling—]

You're also from 2023, right?

Edited 2021-08-27 00:38 (UTC)

Then we’re headed in the same direction. I’m staying at Bonnie’s, too.

[And not exactly for the same reasons, but same enough. He isn’t much into the Avengers HQ aesthetic, but he isn’t against it — however, he is uncomfortable with the idea of a curfew, and all the other rules that come along with living there. Bonnie had presented some degree of freedom, even if the space granted was a little… shoebox-y.]

And yes, 2023 sounds about right. Worried that our timelines have gotten all tangled up?

[oh, great.]

Neighbors.

[that was muttered with as much enthusiasm as one would expect. however, she pushes past that as they step now onto concrete proper, away from the beach.]

I leave the worrying to you. [he'd said—] ...it's just good to know someone from home is here too, and that they aren't from the past.

[a little vulnerability, but she deems it alright. a lot of shared trauma or whatever.]

Edited 2021-08-27 01:41 (UTC)

Don’t sound too excited.

[No real offense taken. And besides, Stephen doesn’t make for a bad neighbor, if you’re okay with a weird sorcerer guy doing weird sorcerer things in the middle of the night.

Which is limited in this world, anyway.]

Yes. All that having to explain things to someone before the blip? Too much trouble.

[It’s only half a joke; he would hate to have to do that, to delve into the tragedy before the victory.]

But even if we’re from the same year, it doesn’t guarantee the case will be the same for whoever else might show up. And that will be the real mess to untangle.

Sounds like something you'd do well, Doctor Strange.

[not that she's being lazy or anything, but dealing with people? it's not exactly her forte. especially when there's the grand old possibility that whoever shows up isn't someone who is particularly fond of her.

she imagines that stephen, much like tony, has a certain kind of... authoritative quality to himself that she doesn't otherwise have.]

But we might just be so lucky to be the only ones from home coming.

[as they approach the area where the streets come anew and the buildings take precedence over the beach and the salty breeze, wanda stops and turns to look at him.]

...out of — professional curiosity. Were you doing anything with your magic before coming here?

[Aha. She obviously doesn’t know him that well. Stephen deals with people better than he did in the past, but dealing with people still isn’t his forte.

But that’s okay. She can think it’s true for a little while longer.

He pauses his step when she does, looking at her, recognizing the more familiar sensation of pavement beneath his feet instead of sand.]

I’m always doing something with my magic.

[That’s just his reality. Even compared to the other sorcerers, the experienced ones, he had always wanted to learn more. Faster, fervently. Stubbornly.]

So I’m assuming you’re asking if I was doing anything big with my magic?

[maybe she judged him from before? if he's always doing something with his magic... well, it seems they aren't all too different from one another. though she is still not going to share her enthusiasm on the matter with him.]

Define 'big'.

[since he's the scholar—he should know what's considered big enough to maybe shatter a whole into their reality and dunk them into this universe, right?

otherwise, she's got nothing.]

Would be worth knowing any similarities in our actions to see why we ended up here.

[Big. Big can mean a lot of things, and narrowing the list down to magic-influenced big-ness doesn’t exactly shorten the list by all that much.]

Time and space alterations, generally. Anything that might disrupt the harmony of the universe — which is often barely hanging on by a thread, by the way. Always on the verge of some mass, complete extinction. You and I both know that well enough.

[In reference to Thanos, of course. Which neither need to linger their thoughts on currently, as it’s hardly magic-related, but Stephen feels compelled—oddly—to point out how very close they are, at any given moment, to total annihilation.

Huh. Weird.

Anyway-]

Considering it’s my responsibility to keep our reality intact, then no. I haven’t messed with the fabric of space-time… recently enough to matter.

[An expectant look at Wanda. Have you? it reads.]

Do you have to say it like that?

[that was weird, even for a man who is relatively less of a stranger by the minute. 'complete extinction', way to make someone feel comforted, especially considering the point of their arrival here having something to do with apocalypses of some kind.

she shifts a little uncomfortably on her feet, tightens the crossed arms in front of her. the question in his look is pretty telling.]

I don't imagine I can do things like you can, with space-time and all that. [wanda.. she'll give him one nugget of information, though; whether it satiates his curiosity or not, it's none of her business.] I was astral projecting before I arrived here. Not really casting any spells myself.

[so maybe it's not because of their magic?]

—back to square one.

[this is when she turns back around, to continue walking. not an active spell's fault, then?]

Edited 2021-08-27 20:48 (UTC)

[Stephen cinches his brows; it’s the closest she will get to apologetic regarding his declarations about the universe falling apart — as for the rest, he doesn’t really have an answer.]

Space-time manipulation isn’t a “thing” I can do any more. Not since the Time Stone’s been destroyed. Astral projection, though… that’s impressive. I had to go through a very dull book to get a handle on that.

[Did you do that, too, Wanda? Did someone teach you? Did you stumble upon it yourself? HE WANTS TO ASK and it’s so clear on his face, but none of the words actually leave his mouth.]

…Still, two heads are better than one. You might not be a part of the Avengers any longer, but I hope you’re still willing to work as a team? In this world.

[she pauses.

right, the time stone has been destroyed—as was the mind stone. another reminder that she can't feel vision anymore. although she has come to terms with it, the fact remains that grief remains.

it's a fleeting comment for the doctor, having lost just a magical toy, unlike the heavier weight of her own loss(es), and so wanda swallows down the lump caught in her throat and continue on regardless.]

That depends on your intent. [not about returning home, but rather towards her person and her powers—] The last time someone tried to use their magic to hurt me, they ended up paying for it.

[concerning words, perhaps.]

[Er, yes. Very concerning.

Stephen pauses, as though he should weigh his words on this matter carefully, even though what he chooses to say comes easily.]

I’m not here to hurt anyone, Wanda. Least of all you.

[Why would he? These are the words of someone who’s had their trust broken in two, and that’s…worrying.]

I know that’s asking you to take my words at face value. [When they barely know each other.] But trust me on this.

I do not have very many allies anymore, Doctor Strange.

[not back home, not even here—]

But someone who helped bring me to battle where Thanos was is someone I can consider an ally. [and what a showcase of power that had been fueled by grief and revenge.] What manner of ally you may prove to be is all up to you.

[she does acquiesce, a bit,] Perhaps even as teammates.

[wanda may be wrought cold from her experiences, but she isn't without warmth.]

[Stephen may appear distant at times, might even appear arrogant as his old self once was, but there’s a spark of warmth still existing in him, unable to be quashed — that same flame that had made him want to help people when he was so young, that made him tread the path of doctor.

He feels it now, this concern, more than just pure wonderment at her magic, or the story she’s so obviously keeping to herself. But he knows the more he pushes—right now, at least—the more she will step away.

Patience, he tells himself. Tomorrow is another day; or the day after that.]

Generally, I’m the best kind of ally. A competent one. I’m sure I can convince you to promote me to “teammate” soon.

[He hopes so. Certainly?

At any rate, he finally breaks his gaze with her to focus on a distant building overhead — the flophouse.]

But we have time for that. I think both of us need to focus on getting comfortable with this world first. Something tells me we have quite the stay ahead of us.

[wanda does appreciate the way stephen approaches her: a little bit of distance not because he fears her, but because he knows to give her space; just enough humor to not sound arrogant, but friendly enough; an insistence of benefit to their working together, but never demanding.

although the doctor's snark and wit reminds her of stark, everything else reminds her a bit more of steve. he had always cared—had always been so kind to her, patient when no one else had been.

she turns to stephen, a tight smile on her face (but not a dishonest one).]

I hope so. [about the being a teammate. it certainly wouldn't be bad to feel like she's got a friend here, though she may be starting anew with that prospect, overall.] I'm on the second floor, room 6.

[running into each other will be inevitable, but also a sign of trust, measured.]

...thank you, doctor. For the rescue.

[she's a little awkward as she fumbles up the steps to the door, putting a bit of distance between them, waving her hand at him.]

Edited 2021-08-30 19:35 (UTC)

[A tenuous start, a tenuous alliance. Stephen is grateful to have the advantage of familiarity, the seeds of what could be future teamwork. Just a few brambles in his path to clear out in the form of her reticence.

For now, though, he just gives a smile. His own wave is brief and just as awkward, usually uncaring for such gestures.

He calls out as she disappears into the building.]

I’m on the third floor, room 10. Swing by if you need me.

[And for now, they’ll leave it at that.]

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