abraxaslogs | [ CLOSED ] a very avengers family dinner.

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[ CLOSED ] a very avengers family dinner.

Who: avengers (and co.)
When: beginning of august
Where: sam's horizon
What: family dinner!
Warnings: will update if/when necessary

THE HOUSE

For those who have attended one of Sam's Get Togethers before, they'll notice a couple of things. First - there are no decorations, no extra work done for it to Be a Party. Instead, the house looks just as it usually would, welcoming and warm, sure, but no extra effort put in. It's late afternoon (no matter what time you've arrived) and it is hot and humid (late summers in the bayou, baby) with a gentle cool breeze to keep it from being insufferable. The only real indication anything is going on would be the fact the front door is wide open, a distant sound of music, and the incredible smell.

A phenomenal smell, thank you very much. Like someone has been cooking for hours. And truth is, it's taken some work to really get it going, but Sam has kind of (irrationally) held onto this belief that half the enjoyment of something is in the act of doing it. Never mind that he could have easily just created a fully finished and beautiful meal with his brain (since this is in the Horizon and all), he is here for the cooking. And the process. And the tiny reminder of home. And that feeling seeps out of the house as you enter it.

The house is clean, all the windows and doors are open (with screens, thank you). Music can be heard from a speaker in the kitchen, and it probably reaches a whole lot further than the tiny little speaker Sam's using should have any right to. But hey- he'll let some magic seep in. The entire domain is open to be explored, from the practice arena out front to the tv and various gaming consoles in the living room, to the porch and dock out back. If you head upstairs, you'll find two locked doors (one is Wanda's room, which will only open up for whoever she wants it to open up for and the other is Sam's). There's a third bedroom that is open and looks a bit empty, and there's a vague feeling that it used to also be someone's (or, really, a couple of someone's) and it is now just a guest room.

In the dining room is a large table that's not yet set (if someone wants to jump in). There's beer in the fridge if you're into that sort of thing, water out of the sink if you're not, and every now and then two birds may slip through either the front or back door as it opens - one a red-shouldered hawk, the other a small black raven. They seem to be playing, and may even interact with you a bit if you want them to. Otherwise, they'll either settle in their own perches in the corners of the living room, or head back outside.

Dinner will be in an hour or so - a wide variety of seafood and cajun dishes. And if you can't find Sam, he's probably in the kitchen. But also, this is a family dinner - go meet the family. Chat. Get to know each other.

OOC INFO

- this is a totally open post! I've got a TL below for various scenarios you can find Sam, but otherwise have fun, integrate with the cast because we all know they need it, etc.

- Sam's only Rule is there will be no fighting. You want to duke it out? Take it somewhere else. There will not be warnings or second chances. Don't be an ass. This is his home, respect it, or he'll have your ass thrown out. He's not afraid of squaring up, but you will not be invited back if you cause too many issues. :)

- how you get invited / how you end up here is up to you and whoever else you wanna talk it out with. it's possible you overheard and stumbled in, it's possible someone messaged you directly, whatever works best to Get You There.

- any questions? message me at disarmingly

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This isn't going to work.

[it's not the first time wanda mutters this to rocket, who—for all intents and purposes—has his hands perched on her shoulders and is acting like her 'backpack'. they are walking the path up to the front of the house, wanda looking down at her boots as she tries to not step on patches as grass as a form of distraction over the raccoon that just gets a little heavier with every passing second.

didn't she tell rocket they didn't have to sneak in?

up the steps she goes, turning her head over her shoulder once, by the frame of the open door. the music playing—marvin gaye's smooth melody and uplifting beats—probably the best backdrop to this sneaking-in mission they got going on.]

Ready?

It's gonna work, just trust me.

[ He is not getting kicked out of the very first Avenger's dinner he's even heard an inkling about. Not in any place, but certainly not in a made-up one.

Rocket had seen Sam all of one (1) time, and that had been at Tony Stark's funeral, and it hadn't exactly been much of a social affair anyway. Between losing Gamora and managing the heavy weight of grief emanating from Nebula and, especially, Quill, the Guardians had left almost as soon as the initial ceremonies were over.

He knows Steve and Natasha are gonna be at this thing, but they're in other cities all together so backpacking on them wouldn't have worked. So that leaves Wanda. Best gal Wanda is his ticket in from the Solvunn side.

He tries his best not to dig his claws into Wanda's shoulders and sides for her sake. Isn't he just so accommodating? ]

Oh, I'm ready.

[ Time to play ... backpack. ]

[act cool, is what she keeps thinking to herself, taking a step into the familiar house, and wondering if this is really as smart of a plan as rocket had made it out to be.

at least her hair is long enough to hide the very obvious paws on her shoulders.]

Hey, Sam. [—into the kitchen, first.] You're doing the cooking again.

[no surprises there. are they the first here? it seems like they're a little early. scrunching her nose, she motions towards the speaker on the counter.]

Marvin Gaye?

[nothing's amiss, here.]

[ Rocket barely even breathes, he's so freakin' stealth right now. It's only his eyeballs that move ever-so-slightly, taking in the hallway and then the kitchen as they enter, and he's trying not to sneeze with Wanda's hair getting in the way or anything.

Totally a backpack. Nothing suspicious about this setup. Nope. ]

[ for as long as sam's been here, he both has and hasn't really gotten a handle on the whole horizon thing. he knows that he can tell when someone steps foot on his domain, usually gets a little ping even if he's not meditating and can drop in to say hi. but, and perhaps this has something to do with the whole ordeal of a normal family dinner, it's not until wanda's voice rings out that he realizes she's made it.

you're doing the cooking she says, and he's already turning, already got his brow up, already got his not-speech ready. it's all fond, all upbeat, when he starts: ] Now I know I don't have to explain to you the- [ but as he turns and sees her, and sees something slightly amiss with...is it the way she's holding herself? is there some weird tension with her? whatever he'd been about to say kind of peters out as he looks at her, and then notices the uh. are those animal feet at her sides? ]

Everything...[ okay, those are definitely animal feet. he looks back to wanda. ]...okay?

[ it does appear he hasn't noticed rocket yet. yet. ]

Edited 2023-08-08 02:47 (UTC)

[wanda is smart enough to know that sam pausing halfway through his little spiel about how he likes doing the work means that he’s suspicious, and that he’s a fraction of a moment away from knowing what’s going on.

she knew this wasn’t going to work, rocket—but, still, she wants to give it a go.

her shoulders straighten, and she tilts her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. her hands, too, move to her waist, covering up the animal feet she knows are perched there.]

Why wouldn’t everything be okay?

[should sam try to move to look behind wanda, she will step back and basically make it so he can’t do so. change the topic—rocket, she’s trying so hard!!]

Don’t tell me I’m the first one to get here.

[ He will not snigger, he will not snigger, he will not snigger ...

They are so close to getting away with this, Wanda! (And you're doing amazing, sweetie!)

Just get past the kitchen and into the living room or whatever, the one with the couches, and he'll be fine. He'll be in. ]

[ why wouldn't everything be okay? she asks, and sam simply gives her a look, with one raised brow and a kind of semi-unimpressed expression. that kind of look that says 'are you kidding me?' without saying anything at all. but when he does kind of turn his head to get a better look, and wanda turns away to seemingly hide whatever it is on her back, and sam just sort of lets out a huff. ]

You do remember I've got two nephews, don't you?

[ meaning: he knows she has something, she's not being subtle, and he hasn't quite decided yet if he wants to put her on to spot about it. so, instead, he just sort of shrugs. grins. plays it out a little longer. ]

Ding ding ding- you definitely are. But you know the drill, either come help or y'all get a drink and get comfy. [ his 'yall' is kind of all-encompassing, because in this very specific moment, he's assuming wanda's brought another creature with her that he'll end up keeping - not all that different from the two birds who haven't quite made their entrance yet. still, he's going back to cooking, and - in this moment - he's also going to fully embody his mother as he continues to talk. ] The front door was open when you walked in, right?

How to — forget?

[that he has two nephews, when he's got pictures of the family up on the mantle? it's one of those sam things that wanda will always relate with him, that of being an uncle. still, her act prevails, hands at her waist and doing her darnest to appear a little bigger at the middle than what she is—maybe she should have worn a baggy sweater? but it's so hot out here...

she can tell that sam is onto her.]

It was. [wanda makes an effort to reach for the fridge, to grab a drink, but aborts that mission quickly enough. quickly, she adds—] I think I'm going to sit out in the living room for a bit first.

[and so, she starts trailing the other direction, still facing sam and refusing to turn around. that means that, unfortunately, she doesn't see how close the wall behind her is.

and this is how she steps to the side and thumps rocket against the wall in trying to walk through the doorway without turning, obviously impeding her stepping through in the process.]

—shit.

[they can totally salvage this if rocket doesn't react to that!]

[ Like a squeeze-doll but at least without the high-pitched squeak, the pressure of the corner of the wall squishing him forces a grunt past Rocket's snout.

At least he doesn't swear. ]

Fuck.

[ Never mind. ]

[ sam watches wanda's attempts with amusement, unable to keep the quirk of a smile from his mouth. but wanda keeps going, and sam just sort of nods at one point. ] Sure. [ because she's definitely not suspicious. definitely not at all.

and sam is quite happy to just let it play out, to let wanda wander off and pretend like all of this isn't totally. ridiculous. and then maybe he can ask her later why she thought any of this was necessary or if it was for some kind of dare (nat would come up with something like this, wouldn't she?), but before any of that can happen, wanda backs right up into the wall and a quiet fuck echos out.

sam sighs, setting his hands down on the counter and turning to watch her. ]

Wanda. [ he says, and there's a very vague hint of uncle in his tone when he asks. ] The front door was wide open when you got here, right? So...is there a reason you're trying to sneak someone in? Or is this like a...test or something?

[ he's still pretty entertained by the whole thing, but he can only go on for so long. ]

[as soon as rocket says fuck, wanda knows that the jig is up. it’s sam’s tone and the words that he uses—ones he definitely picked out very carefully, huh—that make her stop putting up pretenses that she’s not carrying rocket on her back. she’s apologetic to her furry friend, reaching behind her for him and then finally kneeling down as he gets up on his feet.]

It isn’t a test.

[sure, rocket is his own raccoon-adult, but wanda’s still pressing a hand to the top of his head in a petting gesture, to make sure he’s okay (it’s the horizon—he’s fine).]

Sorry, Rocket.

[they tried]

[ They tried!!

With a heavy sigh, Rocket lands on his feet, all 3'1" of him looking very much like a too-large raccoon (though he will be Very Upset if called as much) standing by Wanda — and surprisingly not reacting badly to being petted by her either. ]

Eh, we did our best.

[ Now he tilts his head up at Sam, ears flicking once. His expression is a cross between studying the guy and daring him to boot him out at this moment (the latter because he'd kinda expect it). ]

Don't think we've been properly introduced. [ Hence the need to smuggle himself in, obviously. ] The plan was to pretend I was always here. Guess that's busted.

[ sam watches her expression shift as she gives up on the rouse, and he continues to watch as she sighs and kneels down - finally allowing whatever it was to climb down off her back. it isn't a test she says, and sam's brows lift only slightly when he hears the second sigh, and watches said too-large racoon drop down onto the floor of his kitchen.

he only needs a moment, actually maybe two or three, to allow himself to acknowledge what is happening. how there is a racoon on the floor of his kitchen. how strange- well, not strange, is it? because it's definitely the floor of a mental reconstruction in some magical plane and really, quite really, sam doesn't feel all that surprised.

plus, in the moment that he and the racoon stare at each other - sam letting himself be studied and not really reacting much to it at first. at least, until don't think we've been properly introduced and something fits into place in sam's memories. ]

Rocket, right? With the Guardians. [ sam feels himself offer an easy, though fairly tame kind of smile as he steps around the counter and goes to hold a hand out for a shake.

also, don't look that surprised, either of you. someone has to actually read all the post-thanos reports, and rhodey can only get so much done on his own. ] I'm Sam- glad you could make it to dinner. If Wanda didn't make it obvious enough- [ sam shoots wanda a look that is vaguely sympathetic, aka he's pretty sure she did tell him, but he's being a polite host so. sorry for the slight throwing under the bus. ] But my door's pretty much always open, so the stealthing isn't really necessary. But it wasn't too bad. I'm a tough crowd.

[with introductions out the way, wanda pushes hands to her knees to help herself up. wanda doesn’t look half as surprised as sam would expect her; of course sam would know who rocket is—if not from reports, through steve and natasha.]

If it isn’t obvious enough, Sam’s big on repeating himself to make it clear that we’re being immature.

[she says that with a bit of a surly tone, but when her eyes raise to look up at sam, there’s a hint of a smile on her face.

wanda does drop a fist onto an open palm, pointing at rocket, as if realizing—]

We could trick Matt, though. He’s blind.

[gremlins have arrived]

Yeah, that's me. [ And while he doesn't look surprised, his head does a little tilt, like huh, of course all of these Earth superheroes would have conversed with each other at some point or another, and Rocket being what he is being brought up isn't much of a shock either.

Still. It's nice to be recognized for something that isn't connected to a Wanted poster. ] And we would've fooled you if we had a couple more minutes.

[ Let him have this, Sam.

Still, he looks to Wanda again, about to make some further quip about this plan and maybe some pointers for next time (why will there be a next time? who knows) before she suggests something else.

Something — or rather, someoneone — with a whole lot of potential for pranking. They've gotta get their kicks somewhere, right? ]

Who's Matt?

Oh, I'm sure y'all could've. I don't doubt it.

[ again, he has nephews. he knows when to relent for the sake of the peace. still, wanda gives him a smile and sam returns it easily, and all in all it doesn't really matter anymore since they're both here.

but at the mention of matt, sam sighs - a very older brother slash uncle slash responsible parental figure kind of sound. ]

Do I even want to know what you're planning?

[wanda waves her hand about]

Don't worry about it, Sam.

[she makes the face of someone who knows they're up to no good. there's no denying it, but she stands and just motions about the kitchen for a moment.]

No one else is here yet, right? Rocket and I are going to go around to check — things out.

[and plot against poor matt.]

Yeah. We're gonna check things out.

[ He's got some idea of what they're about to get up to, and the rest of it he's absolutely game for anyway, so he'll start to follow Wanda's lead — as any trusty fake-backpack would.

But he looks at Sam and musters up the memories of manners and all of that garbage. Stuff he'd learned from hanging around the Avengers, because the Guardians hadn't really taught him a whole lot about being polite. Nosiree. ]

Uh. [ He clears his throat. ] Thanks for inviting us.

[ They'll talk later, Rocket's sure about it. Not even because the opportunity will likely present itself but ... because he kinda wants to. Weird, isn't it? ]

[ the don't worry about it has sam's brow arching, because that is just going to make him worry about it more, but... well. they're lucky he's still in the throws of cooking, or else he might actually follow that thread a little further. ]

Not yet- Nat and Steve might be here soon, but everyone else tends to trickle in a bit closer. [ sam's look to the two of them is, again, of the you know there's no reason for that, which just makes you more suspicious variety. it's his....home....there's nothing to check out.

but also, they seem to be having...fun? so sam's not gonna step on that. he lets out a breath and waves to the rest of the house. ] Have fun- lemme know if y'all find anything. [ you know, while they're 'checking things out'. everything's open to everyone, except for the one locked bedroom upstairs, but sam's pretty confident in the security there so.

it's when rocket clears his throat that sam turns his eyes back to him, and at the thanks, smiles. ] 'course. And now that you've made it, you're welcome to stop by whenever. Make yourself at home.

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[ CLOSED ] a very avengers family dinner.

before dinner—wanda+rocket squad

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