Who: wanda and others When: april & may Where: solvunn, horizon What: catch-all for the month, closed and open prompts within. Warnings: none at the moment, will mark as needed.
[after their return from nocwich, life in solvunn continues and remains much in the same way it is expected to. it's a little more solemn than usual and the natives carry an extra sadness to their eyes, but chores are a daily thing that cannot be ignored. the farm needs tending to, produce and items delivered, and those who were returned from abduction are otherwise content with a visit from the summoned.
past these chores, A. wanda orbits outside of the sphere of obvious responsibilities and strays outside the obvious paths of the primary settlement. she ventures to forest and far-off clearing, and it might not be clear at first what she attempts to do. her hands are crimson red as her magic envelops them, as she creates designs with the twitch and angling of her fingers, and ultimately presses runes to a sagely old tree, a large weathered rock, or an overgrown plot of land. she is far too aware of how people feel about unusual symbols charred on objects, but these ones disappear after they've been bound to the surface. protection spells, for the land, the animals, the people. should she be approached, she will be standing up from where she's knelt, turning towards the horse she's been traveling—more of a travel companion than actually using him to move about, however.
she squints against the sun, towards the approaching figure.]
I know, I know. Leave the settlement at your own risk. [what with the disappearances and the dangers between settlements] I wasn't planning to.
[there is no strain to her magic after such rites, but come dusk, wanda takes longer to reach the farm she is staying at. B. rather, she veers towards the library, picking at books and trying to sort them. she has no aforementioned training for this kind of thing, so she tries to imitate what she's seen in istredd's library, in crane's study, but feels that she's otherwise not really successful at it. she lingers there for hours, though, using her magic to fix the broken and dirty tiles of the floor, to try and accommodate the shelves better (and remove the planks infested with termites).
is it any surprise when a misshapen spell creates a slightly tilted shelf, and for said shelf to tip over—enough to drop the books to the floor, kicking up dust and cobwebs. wanda just about manages to turn the shelf into nothing, but the fallen books remain.
she coughs, trying to wave away at the dust, reaching for a window. would not be ideal if someone else had been here trying to read in peace.]
[It's probably not a real big surprise to anyone that since returning, since everyone had to see him really laid up in a bed, Nero's room's been mostly empty, ghosted. He spends his time out, in town or in the woods, like he's turning into a ghost himself. Or a weirdo like Aloy.
It's not an escape. It's not anything. Just something to do. To kill time. To get himself... around. Outside.
Like a cat that's been freed from its cage after pacing a path into the dirt.
It's not a huge surprise to see Wanda's out here, either, doing her weird shit. Mostly nothing's really changed, and as much as that sort of pisses Nero off, he's not sure what should change, either. The people who did it got what was comin' to them. Maybe nicer than they deserved.
Nero kicks a rock as Wanda stands. He's practically naked now, without Red Queen at his back. He never saw his sword again after he'd gotten taken, and it feels sort of -- sort of weird to ask for a new one.
He'd only just made her his again.]
People still stupid enough to tell you what to do? You should really start turnin' them into lizards.
honestly, wanda should have noticed—nero is a part of her the same way the farm she calls home is, in the same way that himeka is, like the rest of the avengers were (and are becoming, again). something about him has changed since his return, though, like he walks differently, his gait not quite as confident as before, like he's missing something (his sword?); his words are a little more strained, a little angrier around the edges, like he's holding back from the result of what had happened.
and yet the world around them remains quite the same. wanda felt that weird juxtaposition when her brother died, when sokovia was made to be no more. her whole world ended, but the real world barely recognized the missing souls that had left her body.]
We'll have a Lizard Settlement before long in that case.
[she grabs hold of the reins of her horse, meeting nero halfway. he really hasn't been around the farm much at all. though she and himeka worry, they've discussed that it's best to give him his space. he comes around, like now.]
I have some meat pies with me. [on the bag hanging from the horse's saddle.] You hungry?
[maybe she can entice nero to spend some time with her with some food (like one would a cat that doesn't trust an act of kindness to not devolve into being tossed back into a cage).]
[There's a pause after. Maybe if he'd been the one to off Josselyn, all that anger would've had somewhere to go.
Nero gives the horse a little bit of a berth, though it's kind of cute. Horses just weren't really a thing on Fortuna; at least, not in his company of knights. Must be a new thing for her -- but when the elk's shown its face (and it does now, weaving through the trees with him on more occasion than not), he gets the need for... man. What is it? Companionship?
Maybe it's that simple.
Despite the hardness to his brows, it softens a bit as he smiles.] Yeah. You ever know me to turn down food?
[He didn't really come seeking Wanda. He hasn't been seeking anyone out, really. Not even the elk. Nero lets himself run into people, into animals out there, into the elk, when it happens.
Fuck. He might even be feeling listless.]
So, you putting up barriers or somethin'? Or have you just gone full witch and started talking to the trees?
[In moments like these, Michael truly appreciates that he lacks the need to breathe.]
If only they took care of their books as well they do their shrines.
[He could name at least a few people who'd be offended by this kind of neglect towards a library—all of them in other factions, thankfully, so they need not witness the present tragedy. Michael wades into the cloud of dust, thick as the fog over Solvunn's swamps in the morning, and kneels to pick up one of the fallen books. The cover is plain, and the title matches: A Farmer's Guide to Sheep. A quick flip through its pages suggests it's exactly what it sounds like, a simple handbook on the most popular breeds of sheep in the region. Riveting stuff.]
Were you looking for something, or were you just rearranging the shelves?
[wanda jumps a little at the sound of michael's voice—not because it is him, but because she hadn't actually been expecting anyone to be here with her. her startled state lasts less than two seconds, managing to push the old window open with some elbow grease and turning back towards the archangel.
of course he doesn't berate her, but does point a curiosity about what she was up to.
as expected.]
I created a misshapen shelf. I was — distracted. [okay, she's being a little petulant, explaining why when no one's accused her of anything. waving her hands about, her magic starts collecting the dust in bubbles, and these she guides gently out the window.
soon enough, her lungs, nose and eyes aren't suffering for the excess dust she kicked up.] Was just trying to find something to do.
[Not his library, not his mess, not really his concern. He's sure Wanda could right it all with her equivalent of a snap of her fingers but then how would she fill the time? In any case, he's not too worried about the books.]
Distracted by...?
[Michael takes a slow but pointed look around the room. They're the only ones here, Wanda. There's not a lot to become preoccupied by unless she's inordinately excited by the opportunity to read, which he knows is not the case with her. If this were a store stocked with new varieties of tea, on the other hand...
His gaze centers back on Wanda.]
You could have said you created an unbalanced shelf to match the rustic decor. I might've believed you.
[He finds an empty spot on a still-standing shelf to slot the book into, then goes to pick up another. Two hands means the work goes twice as fast, so they'll just have to work at half the usual rate to keep occupied.]
[belatedly, she realizes that she hasn't really explored much of the outer part of her horizon. there is comfort in her home, in the warmth of imaginary cushions and narrow corridors.
for now, A. she traipses out into her horizon properly, down the steps of the house and into the verdant forest, with roots that cover the floor like a carpet and a canopy that is far too thick to allow the sun through at times. her ravens seem excited at the prospect, following her around from atop, hoping to urge her in this direction or the other, as if wanting to show her what is and what isn't. she lingers at a stone staircase, trying to open the door there but finding — it's locked.
did she set it up this way? wanda frowns.
she'll be found pressing her shoulder hard against the wooden door, a few ravens looking down from the perch of the tree, wondering curiously at this display of wooden door defeating witch.
a series of caws follows her attempt.]
—stop laughing. I won't be insulted by a raven without a name.
[and more caws, a chorus of them, as if laughing at the poor raven that just got chastised.
B. but her plants need tending to, too. reaching the house, any visitor will find that the front door in the porch is locked, as are the other windows around. regardless, a soft hum will guide any visitors to the side of the house, towards a path and open area. there, a dog is digging the soil, being rather unhelpful in wanda's gardening attempts. wanda for her part, cuts at twigs and pulls at weeds, letting the blooming flowers take centerstage.]
[Altaïr spends considerable time in the Horizon once matters relating to the abductions have wound down, taking the opportunity to summon an Arabian mare as his mount to make the travel easier — it can feel like a much longer distance, despite the geographic scale of the plane being somewhat limited, and despite not actually having feet or muscles to tire here. He's not sure whether he wanders to center himself or out of simple curiosity; it's always interested to see what the other Summoned choose to create.
He dismounts at the start of the path, leading the nimble horse by reins as he walks on foot, following where it leads. When he spots Wanda and her pet, he hangs back and watches for a moment, not intending to sneak but taking stock of what grows.]
You do impressive work as a gardener.
[He means it. Even if everything in the Horizon comes from their mental efforts, there's a certain mix of focus and imagination required to create something so beautifully detailed, not to mention the strong likelihood that the plants she's spun up require the kind of care that isn't so different from the real thing.]
[the forest is alive with the singularity's magic, but wanda has found a way to wound her chaos magic into every living thing, so that the forest actually breathes and has a mind of its own, along with the forest critters that traverse within it, grow and reproduce and die, all following their own cycle of creation. of course she would take note of a creature that is not her own, of footsteps and hooves knocking rhythmically on the cobblestone path of her garden.
and she recognizes who it is, and feels no need to react until altäir speaks. he is an acquaintance—perhaps a friend, too. she turns with a small smile, accepting the compliment.]
It grew a little out of control in the past month, so I thought it'd be best to deal with it before it got worse.
[and overtook the whole house, that is. the dog stops digging into the soil and sniffs over towards the newcomer and his mare. she's friendly and curious, so in no time at all the canine is pushing her muzzle into altäir's hand, once, before it sits back and wags her tail.]
Mary likes you.
[after sniping at a particular twig with leaves and flowers, wanda moves away from the plant and towards the center of the garden-space.]
[It's interesting to think how true to life the garden is, left to its own growth, and he has to wonder how far that could go, if there is a limit — but now isn't the time to get lost in his own wonderings.
Altaïr allows the dog to sniff him and gives the expected pat when it seems to be the thing to do. He's not much of an animal person, but he's not against animals, so it's fine.]
I am. I've found it fulfills my desire to roam and offers more variety in what can be found.
[The wasteland is beautiful in its way, but not all that compelling.]
I can leave if you don't wish to be disturbed, though/
[ It's been a long while since Steve visited Wanda's domain. It was back when she'd still been so broken and her space in the Horizon had crumbled along with her, that cabin practically torn in two by the power of her grief.
She'd told him at Thanksgiving that it had gotten a makeover, that she'd like him to visit. Maybe because she thought it would cause some of that less pleasant memory to fade, replaced with a new one. Either way, it's a promise that Steve should have made good on a long time ago, and now he does.
The time they had together in Nocwich after he recovered had been nice, with Wanda visiting frequently to check in on him and Matt. There's something he'd mentioned to her during that time, about how he'd decided he finally wanted to put some effort into learning how to wield magic. It's a big step for him, even though it probably shouldn't be. It just feels so far out of his wheelhouse.
Practice will be easier in the Horizon, she told him, and so here he is. Her domain has transformed considerably, and the massive forest is truly incredible, the scale of it mindblowing. Not that he should expect anything different from someone with her abilities. A raven finds him soon enough and leads him along, hopping from tree to tree and cawing at him to make sure that he follows.
And then he finds Wanda, standing at a door nestled under a large tree. The raven that was leading him flies over to join its friends. ]
Hey. [ He heard some of the testiness in her voice, even if it wasn't directed at him. ] Is it a bad time?
[ It probably doesn't help that he's shaved, and that's reflected here in the Horizon too. Sorry, Wanda. ]
[wanda turns her attention away from her ravens to look at— steve. she's always happy to hear him, and it shows in her expression for a moment, before it all disappears quite abruptly when her eyes land on him. she pushes her mouth to the side, like a kid would.]
Oh.
[and then her face takes on a more neutral expression, after the disappointment leaves her.]
You shaved.
[she's just pointing it out!
at this, wanda takes a few steps back from the door and looks at it for a moment longer, putting her annoyance back on the inanimate object. she motions at it with a hand.]
It's jammed stuck. [sure, she could use her magic, but something-something about her unconsciously not wanting to have it open just makes all her efforts quite useless. wanda turns back to steve.] Do you want to try?
[it just might do the trick.
and wanda knows why steve is here—she hasn't forgotten—but if she doesn't handle this right now she won't be able to think about anything else for a while, like a nagging thought in the back of her mind.]
[ It's not just Natasha and Wanda. Even Hilda said something. Yet despite all of their protests, Steve is just a clean-cut guy when it comes down to it, and he hadn't been able to put up with the beard for long after he returned to Cadens.
It occurs to him that he could present with one here in the Horizon, but changing his appearance like he's putting on a different t-shirt just feels odd, so he leaves it be.
He focuses on the door instead, taking a few steps closer to study it. This isn't the first time that he's heard of strange obstacles in the Horizon, like that door in Sam's room that had stayed locked for so long. It usually has to do with some kind of mental block.
His expression flickers with surprise when Wanda asks him to give it a try. This isn't something she wants to hide, then. It's a problem she wants to solve. ]
Sure, why not. [ He steps past her and grips the doorknob, expecting resistance. But while the knob does stick a little, it turns without too much complaint, allowing him to swing the door open.
Huh.
He's a little wary about looking inside, but a glimpse shows an empty, dim room covered in cobwebs, with some nondescript furniture. He turns back to Wanda, then gestures for her to take the lead. Hopefully the door doesn't immediately shut in her face. ]
[Viktor's been busy, of course--they've all been busy, but he feels increasingly like he hasn't had any time to breathe, barely able to recover from his procedure before he was running on all cylinders to find the lost summoned. Now that there is a moment, he needs to catch up on all of the thing
That includes the people who wished him well, before everything.
It's nice to see Wanda's Horizon like this, with plant growth and a quaint little path and a pleasant atmosphere. He invites himself around the house, looking for the domain's owner.]
Who's this?
[He bends to pet the dog, clearly delighted by its presence.]
[the dog, for her part, is happy to leave hole digging to meet the new person in the garden space. her tail wags as she puts herself in the appropriate distance to receive pets.
she's a very loving dog. wanda would know—she created her that way.]
That's Mary.
[the voice she recognizes, so she doesn't turn yet, her attention focused on a particularly stubborn set of branches she wants to snip off before she forgets. in a few seconds she's done, dropping the branches at her feet, and looking back over her shoulder. viktor, no less.]
[the room they find themselves in today in her horizon is slightly different from the usual, as if she's gone through the color schemes and decided to change things around a little. it's warmer, like this, with all these reds and browns, and there is more room for her to lounge in if she wants it. really, she'd rather they lounge than have matt pretend to make sense of the gramophone and the vinyl records (blank, all of them, mind) she's conjured at his behest.
wanda's sitting on one of the couches, pressed back against the cushions, hugging one to her chest. at least in the horizon, matt isn't hurting, and as much as she likes seeing him healthy and in good spirits, she cannot make out what he's planning.]
Are you going to pretend you are choosing a record on purpose, and then you'll make the music play? You sure you can do that?
( he thinks he's gotten a little better in the magic department in the last few months. he'd created a whole christmas thing, after all. he's still proud of that.
he goes through a few records and then finally chooses one even if it's blank. he puts it on and, after some focus, it starts playing some soft jazz. )
Nice, right?
( he steps over closer to her and offers a hand. )
[some cheeky piano notes start playing, and wanda finds herself quite enjoying them—and then the saxophones and trumpets with the quiet drums in the back.]
—did you just have this going around in your head?
[composing music even in the horizon can be hard. is this something he listened to as a kid, a favorite of his father's?
oh.
but then he's stepping closer and offering a hand.]
[the place looks different now that there isn't much evidence of all the people coming in and out to drop off information while they were working on finding those who got abducted. the doors and windows are still open, though, perhaps more so than usual, as the space seems to have warmed up in the same way as a humid, louisiana weather would be.
wanda's brought a friend with her today, a young, small raven that has decided to give up flying to just rest on her hand as she steps up the porch and pulls the mesh door to get in.]
Sam, I'm here!
[she announces, a bit of a skip to her step, a happy trill in her voice. wanda is genuinely never this loud about announcing herself, so something's definitely up.]
[ it does look different, and honestly sam feels a bit guilty for how his initial reaction is that it feels...almost empty. he's glad that the chaos of it all has settled, that there's no need for meetings and communication and people coming in and out, but.
well- this house has always been made for people, more rather than less. and now that it's just him back in the house most of the time, he can really feel the difference. and maybe that's why he's keeping the doors and windows open, why the feeling around his domain is leaning warmer, hotter - a louisiana spring turning into summer.
he's on the other side of the house when wanda's voice rings out, pulling his attention out of what appears to be him - once again - taking apart the wings and cleaning the pieces. they're an older version, not the one bucky gifted him from wakanda, if only because he hadn't really had the chance to take wakandan tech apart before they all woke up here. still, at the sound of wanda's voice, he sets down the task and is immediately pushing up to his feet. ] Back here! [ he says, and then a moment later realizing just how upbeat and loud her voice had sounded. not...not bad, not angry or aggressive or anything that would drop a stone in sam's gut, but definitely...different.
it leaves him a bit unsteady (curious and maybe a little worried. not bad worried but just...something is up) as she steps back into the kitchen, even as he grins and- sees the raven. ] Whoa- who's this?
[animals-are-welcome policy in the wilson horizon-home, then. that's good to know. wanda didn't think it'd be reason for sam to throw a fit, anyway. she moves along towards the back of the house, only to have sam intercept her at the kitchen.
she smiles a bit, a knowing kind of smile, because sam's always been so keen over redwing, that kind of affection surely pushed towards real birds, too, right?]
He's the youngest raven in my Horizon. Just showed up, so— I think he hatched a few months back.
[lifting her hand a bit, the raven preens, tilting its head towards sam.]
My place is a little too crowded, and I thought maybe he could hang around here and grow into his wings.
[wanda's noticed that those who were abducted have wanted to... keep their distance from the rest. she understands the reasoning, she understands why they want that, but it still pains her a little to see people she cares about hurting silently, on their own.
steve isn't hard to spot, especially not considering that wanda has been going about the settlement placing sigils in specific locations.
the stream's quite the peaceful area to sit at. some forest critters approach it to drink before bumbling away, the canopy of the tree whistles soothingly as the breeze sways the leaves. wanda joins the young man, sitting on the shore of the river, atop some rocks, letting there be some distance between the two of them.]
I like it here. [she says quietly, not really expecting to get a response. he's probably lost in his thoughts.] It's peaceful.
[ it's true - ever since returning to solvunn, steve's felt...not quite there. part of him assumes it's because there's no 'real world' to jump back into. he doesn't have to pretend to go back to work, doesn't have to come back home and lie to his parents. and, perhaps more importantly, there aren't any kids that he has to put on a brace face for. for a brief, shining moment he'd had robin, but even that seems to be gone, considering when he went back into the horizon last there'd been absolutely nothing where her domain had once been.
that's not to say he isn't trying - he gets out of bed each day, he goes and helps out at the nursery, he wanders out to the shrines that feel familiar (even if he can't shake the feeling each of them might have something sinister hidden inside) and goes about his tasks. when he's not doing any of those, he finds himself kind of hovering around eddie which he knows must be annoying. so in a way he's still going about his day, but it all feels...distant. distracted. like some part of him didn't really make it out.
which is stupid, it's really stupid, and he should just be better now that he's cured. it should still be easy to just get better.
he's sitting up on the rock because he got tired. because everything feels exhausting. he'd planned on it just being a couple of minutes, because he's sure there's something else he could be helping with, but- well. he's lost track of time, the nails of one hand scratching over the scar of one of the lesions absentmindedly.
steve doesn't necessarily hear wanda approach, but it's not a surprise when she settles, something in the air shifting. something he can smell, which is weird enough in its own right and something he's just recently started to notice. but it's also wanda, which means the smell is also familiar - floral, powder, but with a hint of something dark and heavy underneath. steve takes a slow, deep breath and lets the smell actually relax him a bit - still weird, still freaky, still not anything he would tell anyone quite yet. but it helps. ]
Yeah. [ he says when she settles somewhere next to him, but not too close. ] And clean. [ which, steve realizes, is kind of a weird thing to say. he shakes his head, one hand going back to comb back some of his hair - which is...too long, he notices. he needs to find someone to cut it for him. ] I mean like- the plants and animals and stuff. It's...spring, so it's all kinda new, you know? Nothing's dying, or rotting. It smells nice.
[it takes him a moment to notice her presence, but at least her words stick. he's not that far gone, yet. with a small smile, wanda turns to him, notices the thoughts about his long hair, how he wants to do something about it. and then he rambles about how it's clean, not dying. not rotting.
healing will take a long while.
when his hand returns to scratch absentmindedly at one of the scars, wanda reaches over to put a gentle hand over his. she doesn't tell him to stop, but hopefully the action will give him the awareness that he should.
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—SOLVUNN [ OTA ]
past these chores, A. wanda orbits outside of the sphere of obvious responsibilities and strays outside the obvious paths of the primary settlement. she ventures to forest and far-off clearing, and it might not be clear at first what she attempts to do. her hands are crimson red as her magic envelops them, as she creates designs with the twitch and angling of her fingers, and ultimately presses runes to a sagely old tree, a large weathered rock, or an overgrown plot of land. she is far too aware of how people feel about unusual symbols charred on objects, but these ones disappear after they've been bound to the surface. protection spells, for the land, the animals, the people. should she be approached, she will be standing up from where she's knelt, turning towards the horse she's been traveling—more of a travel companion than actually using him to move about, however.
she squints against the sun, towards the approaching figure.]
I know, I know. Leave the settlement at your own risk. [what with the disappearances and the dangers between settlements] I wasn't planning to.
[there is no strain to her magic after such rites, but come dusk, wanda takes longer to reach the farm she is staying at. B. rather, she veers towards the library, picking at books and trying to sort them. she has no aforementioned training for this kind of thing, so she tries to imitate what she's seen in istredd's library, in crane's study, but feels that she's otherwise not really successful at it. she lingers there for hours, though, using her magic to fix the broken and dirty tiles of the floor, to try and accommodate the shelves better (and remove the planks infested with termites).
is it any surprise when a misshapen spell creates a slightly tilted shelf, and for said shelf to tip over—enough to drop the books to the floor, kicking up dust and cobwebs. wanda just about manages to turn the shelf into nothing, but the fallen books remain.
she coughs, trying to wave away at the dust, reaching for a window. would not be ideal if someone else had been here trying to read in peace.]
A.
It's not an escape. It's not anything. Just something to do. To kill time. To get himself... around. Outside.
Like a cat that's been freed from its cage after pacing a path into the dirt.
It's not a huge surprise to see Wanda's out here, either, doing her weird shit. Mostly nothing's really changed, and as much as that sort of pisses Nero off, he's not sure what should change, either. The people who did it got what was comin' to them. Maybe nicer than they deserved.
Nero kicks a rock as Wanda stands. He's practically naked now, without Red Queen at his back. He never saw his sword again after he'd gotten taken, and it feels sort of -- sort of weird to ask for a new one.
He'd only just made her his again.]
People still stupid enough to tell you what to do? You should really start turnin' them into lizards.
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honestly, wanda should have noticed—nero is a part of her the same way the farm she calls home is, in the same way that himeka is, like the rest of the avengers were (and are becoming, again). something about him has changed since his return, though, like he walks differently, his gait not quite as confident as before, like he's missing something (his sword?); his words are a little more strained, a little angrier around the edges, like he's holding back from the result of what had happened.
and yet the world around them remains quite the same. wanda felt that weird juxtaposition when her brother died, when sokovia was made to be no more. her whole world ended, but the real world barely recognized the missing souls that had left her body.]
We'll have a Lizard Settlement before long in that case.
[she grabs hold of the reins of her horse, meeting nero halfway. he really hasn't been around the farm much at all. though she and himeka worry, they've discussed that it's best to give him his space. he comes around, like now.]
I have some meat pies with me. [on the bag hanging from the horse's saddle.] You hungry?
[maybe she can entice nero to spend some time with her with some food (like one would a cat that doesn't trust an act of kindness to not devolve into being tossed back into a cage).]
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[There's a pause after. Maybe if he'd been the one to off Josselyn, all that anger would've had somewhere to go.
Nero gives the horse a little bit of a berth, though it's kind of cute. Horses just weren't really a thing on Fortuna; at least, not in his company of knights. Must be a new thing for her -- but when the elk's shown its face (and it does now, weaving through the trees with him on more occasion than not), he gets the need for... man. What is it? Companionship?
Maybe it's that simple.
Despite the hardness to his brows, it softens a bit as he smiles.] Yeah. You ever know me to turn down food?
[He didn't really come seeking Wanda. He hasn't been seeking anyone out, really. Not even the elk. Nero lets himself run into people, into animals out there, into the elk, when it happens.
Fuck. He might even be feeling listless.]
So, you putting up barriers or somethin'? Or have you just gone full witch and started talking to the trees?
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if we wrap up here I can hit her TL next!
anywhere anyplace all at once <3
B.
If only they took care of their books as well they do their shrines.
[He could name at least a few people who'd be offended by this kind of neglect towards a library—all of them in other factions, thankfully, so they need not witness the present tragedy. Michael wades into the cloud of dust, thick as the fog over Solvunn's swamps in the morning, and kneels to pick up one of the fallen books. The cover is plain, and the title matches: A Farmer's Guide to Sheep. A quick flip through its pages suggests it's exactly what it sounds like, a simple handbook on the most popular breeds of sheep in the region. Riveting stuff.]
Were you looking for something, or were you just rearranging the shelves?
[In the most literal sense.]
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of course he doesn't berate her, but does point a curiosity about what she was up to.
as expected.]
I created a misshapen shelf. I was — distracted. [okay, she's being a little petulant, explaining why when no one's accused her of anything. waving her hands about, her magic starts collecting the dust in bubbles, and these she guides gently out the window.
soon enough, her lungs, nose and eyes aren't suffering for the excess dust she kicked up.] Was just trying to find something to do.
[so, yeah, just cleaning about in the library.]
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Distracted by...?
[Michael takes a slow but pointed look around the room. They're the only ones here, Wanda. There's not a lot to become preoccupied by unless she's inordinately excited by the opportunity to read, which he knows is not the case with her. If this were a store stocked with new varieties of tea, on the other hand...
His gaze centers back on Wanda.]
You could have said you created an unbalanced shelf to match the rustic decor. I might've believed you.
[He finds an empty spot on a still-standing shelf to slot the book into, then goes to pick up another. Two hands means the work goes twice as fast, so they'll just have to work at half the usual rate to keep occupied.]
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—HORIZON [ OTA ]
for now, A. she traipses out into her horizon properly, down the steps of the house and into the verdant forest, with roots that cover the floor like a carpet and a canopy that is far too thick to allow the sun through at times. her ravens seem excited at the prospect, following her around from atop, hoping to urge her in this direction or the other, as if wanting to show her what is and what isn't. she lingers at a stone staircase, trying to open the door there but finding — it's locked.
did she set it up this way? wanda frowns.
she'll be found pressing her shoulder hard against the wooden door, a few ravens looking down from the perch of the tree, wondering curiously at this display of wooden door defeating witch.
a series of caws follows her attempt.]
—stop laughing. I won't be insulted by a raven without a name.
[and more caws, a chorus of them, as if laughing at the poor raven that just got chastised.
B. but her plants need tending to, too. reaching the house, any visitor will find that the front door in the porch is locked, as are the other windows around. regardless, a soft hum will guide any visitors to the side of the house, towards a path and open area. there, a dog is digging the soil, being rather unhelpful in wanda's gardening attempts. wanda for her part, cuts at twigs and pulls at weeds, letting the blooming flowers take centerstage.]
b
He dismounts at the start of the path, leading the nimble horse by reins as he walks on foot, following where it leads. When he spots Wanda and her pet, he hangs back and watches for a moment, not intending to sneak but taking stock of what grows.]
You do impressive work as a gardener.
[He means it. Even if everything in the Horizon comes from their mental efforts, there's a certain mix of focus and imagination required to create something so beautifully detailed, not to mention the strong likelihood that the plants she's spun up require the kind of care that isn't so different from the real thing.]
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and she recognizes who it is, and feels no need to react until altäir speaks. he is an acquaintance—perhaps a friend, too. she turns with a small smile, accepting the compliment.]
It grew a little out of control in the past month, so I thought it'd be best to deal with it before it got worse.
[and overtook the whole house, that is. the dog stops digging into the soil and sniffs over towards the newcomer and his mare. she's friendly and curious, so in no time at all the canine is pushing her muzzle into altäir's hand, once, before it sits back and wags her tail.]
Mary likes you.
[after sniping at a particular twig with leaves and flowers, wanda moves away from the plant and towards the center of the garden-space.]
Are you off exploring the Horizon?
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Altaïr allows the dog to sniff him and gives the expected pat when it seems to be the thing to do. He's not much of an animal person, but he's not against animals, so it's fine.]
I am. I've found it fulfills my desire to roam and offers more variety in what can be found.
[The wasteland is beautiful in its way, but not all that compelling.]
I can leave if you don't wish to be disturbed, though/
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a
She'd told him at Thanksgiving that it had gotten a makeover, that she'd like him to visit. Maybe because she thought it would cause some of that less pleasant memory to fade, replaced with a new one. Either way, it's a promise that Steve should have made good on a long time ago, and now he does.
The time they had together in Nocwich after he recovered had been nice, with Wanda visiting frequently to check in on him and Matt. There's something he'd mentioned to her during that time, about how he'd decided he finally wanted to put some effort into learning how to wield magic. It's a big step for him, even though it probably shouldn't be. It just feels so far out of his wheelhouse.
Practice will be easier in the Horizon, she told him, and so here he is. Her domain has transformed considerably, and the massive forest is truly incredible, the scale of it mindblowing. Not that he should expect anything different from someone with her abilities. A raven finds him soon enough and leads him along, hopping from tree to tree and cawing at him to make sure that he follows.
And then he finds Wanda, standing at a door nestled under a large tree. The raven that was leading him flies over to join its friends. ]
Hey. [ He heard some of the testiness in her voice, even if it wasn't directed at him. ] Is it a bad time?
[ It probably doesn't help that he's shaved, and that's reflected here in the Horizon too. Sorry, Wanda. ]
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Oh.
[and then her face takes on a more neutral expression, after the disappointment leaves her.]
You shaved.
[she's just pointing it out!
at this, wanda takes a few steps back from the door and looks at it for a moment longer, putting her annoyance back on the inanimate object. she motions at it with a hand.]
It's jammed stuck. [sure, she could use her magic, but something-something about her unconsciously not wanting to have it open just makes all her efforts quite useless. wanda turns back to steve.] Do you want to try?
[it just might do the trick.
and wanda knows why steve is here—she hasn't forgotten—but if she doesn't handle this right now she won't be able to think about anything else for a while, like a nagging thought in the back of her mind.]
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[ It's not just Natasha and Wanda. Even Hilda said something. Yet despite all of their protests, Steve is just a clean-cut guy when it comes down to it, and he hadn't been able to put up with the beard for long after he returned to Cadens.
It occurs to him that he could present with one here in the Horizon, but changing his appearance like he's putting on a different t-shirt just feels odd, so he leaves it be.
He focuses on the door instead, taking a few steps closer to study it. This isn't the first time that he's heard of strange obstacles in the Horizon, like that door in Sam's room that had stayed locked for so long. It usually has to do with some kind of mental block.
His expression flickers with surprise when Wanda asks him to give it a try. This isn't something she wants to hide, then. It's a problem she wants to solve. ]
Sure, why not. [ He steps past her and grips the doorknob, expecting resistance. But while the knob does stick a little, it turns without too much complaint, allowing him to swing the door open.
Huh.
He's a little wary about looking inside, but a glimpse shows an empty, dim room covered in cobwebs, with some nondescript furniture. He turns back to Wanda, then gestures for her to take the lead. Hopefully the door doesn't immediately shut in her face. ]
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That includes the people who wished him well, before everything.
It's nice to see Wanda's Horizon like this, with plant growth and a quaint little path and a pleasant atmosphere. He invites himself around the house, looking for the domain's owner.]
Who's this?
[He bends to pet the dog, clearly delighted by its presence.]
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she's a very loving dog. wanda would know—she created her that way.]
That's Mary.
[the voice she recognizes, so she doesn't turn yet, her attention focused on a particularly stubborn set of branches she wants to snip off before she forgets. in a few seconds she's done, dropping the branches at her feet, and looking back over her shoulder. viktor, no less.]
She is just visiting today.
['as you are'.]
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—matt /catholica.
wanda's sitting on one of the couches, pressed back against the cushions, hugging one to her chest. at least in the horizon, matt isn't hurting, and as much as she likes seeing him healthy and in good spirits, she cannot make out what he's planning.]
Are you going to pretend you are choosing a record on purpose, and then you'll make the music play? You sure you can do that?
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( he thinks he's gotten a little better in the magic department in the last few months. he'd created a whole christmas thing, after all. he's still proud of that.
he goes through a few records and then finally chooses one even if it's blank. he puts it on and, after some focus, it starts playing some soft jazz. )
Nice, right?
( he steps over closer to her and offers a hand. )
Come on.
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—did you just have this going around in your head?
[composing music even in the horizon can be hard. is this something he listened to as a kid, a favorite of his father's?
oh.
but then he's stepping closer and offering a hand.]
Come on what?
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we can probably wrap this one!!
—sam /falcony.
wanda's brought a friend with her today, a young, small raven that has decided to give up flying to just rest on her hand as she steps up the porch and pulls the mesh door to get in.]
Sam, I'm here!
[she announces, a bit of a skip to her step, a happy trill in her voice. wanda is genuinely never this loud about announcing herself, so something's definitely up.]
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well- this house has always been made for people, more rather than less. and now that it's just him back in the house most of the time, he can really feel the difference. and maybe that's why he's keeping the doors and windows open, why the feeling around his domain is leaning warmer, hotter - a louisiana spring turning into summer.
he's on the other side of the house when wanda's voice rings out, pulling his attention out of what appears to be him - once again - taking apart the wings and cleaning the pieces. they're an older version, not the one bucky gifted him from wakanda, if only because he hadn't really had the chance to take wakandan tech apart before they all woke up here. still, at the sound of wanda's voice, he sets down the task and is immediately pushing up to his feet. ] Back here! [ he says, and then a moment later realizing just how upbeat and loud her voice had sounded. not...not bad, not angry or aggressive or anything that would drop a stone in sam's gut, but definitely...different.
it leaves him a bit unsteady (curious and maybe a little worried. not bad worried but just...something is up) as she steps back into the kitchen, even as he grins and- sees the raven. ] Whoa- who's this?
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she smiles a bit, a knowing kind of smile, because sam's always been so keen over redwing, that kind of affection surely pushed towards real birds, too, right?]
He's the youngest raven in my Horizon. Just showed up, so— I think he hatched a few months back.
[lifting her hand a bit, the raven preens, tilting its head towards sam.]
My place is a little too crowded, and I thought maybe he could hang around here and grow into his wings.
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—steve /hairington.
steve isn't hard to spot, especially not considering that wanda has been going about the settlement placing sigils in specific locations.
the stream's quite the peaceful area to sit at. some forest critters approach it to drink before bumbling away, the canopy of the tree whistles soothingly as the breeze sways the leaves. wanda joins the young man, sitting on the shore of the river, atop some rocks, letting there be some distance between the two of them.]
I like it here. [she says quietly, not really expecting to get a response. he's probably lost in his thoughts.] It's peaceful.
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that's not to say he isn't trying - he gets out of bed each day, he goes and helps out at the nursery, he wanders out to the shrines that feel familiar (even if he can't shake the feeling each of them might have something sinister hidden inside) and goes about his tasks. when he's not doing any of those, he finds himself kind of hovering around eddie which he knows must be annoying. so in a way he's still going about his day, but it all feels...distant. distracted. like some part of him didn't really make it out.
which is stupid, it's really stupid, and he should just be better now that he's cured. it should still be easy to just get better.
he's sitting up on the rock because he got tired. because everything feels exhausting. he'd planned on it just being a couple of minutes, because he's sure there's something else he could be helping with, but- well. he's lost track of time, the nails of one hand scratching over the scar of one of the lesions absentmindedly.
steve doesn't necessarily hear wanda approach, but it's not a surprise when she settles, something in the air shifting. something he can smell, which is weird enough in its own right and something he's just recently started to notice. but it's also wanda, which means the smell is also familiar - floral, powder, but with a hint of something dark and heavy underneath. steve takes a slow, deep breath and lets the smell actually relax him a bit - still weird, still freaky, still not anything he would tell anyone quite yet. but it helps. ]
Yeah. [ he says when she settles somewhere next to him, but not too close. ] And clean. [ which, steve realizes, is kind of a weird thing to say. he shakes his head, one hand going back to comb back some of his hair - which is...too long, he notices. he needs to find someone to cut it for him. ] I mean like- the plants and animals and stuff. It's...spring, so it's all kinda new, you know? Nothing's dying, or rotting. It smells nice.
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healing will take a long while.
when his hand returns to scratch absentmindedly at one of the scars, wanda reaches over to put a gentle hand over his. she doesn't tell him to stop, but hopefully the action will give him the awareness that he should.
abruptly—]
Are you hungry?
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THEIR DRIVING ICONS LAUGHS
MATCHIES
and a nice wrap-up point, yeah!