abraxaslogs | • OPEN •

[wanda makes a face at that—goat piss—because eddie, please, and actually finds herself cringing a little when he drinks it, already half-convinced that that’s what the drink is. mind suggestions.

she picks up her feet, letting them rest atop the couch.]

Ew…

[but there’s a smile on her face, incredibly amused. it’s easy to be silly with eddie, even if there is a good ten year age gap between them.]

Maybe you deserve to be laughed at for drinking that to begin with, you know. [the learning opportunity is not the point of ridicule, if something should be—] You should come to the treehouse some time. Steve comes a lot.

We got American cereals and snacks. A guest room, too.

[magic, don’t ask.]

How much do you believe in the Old Gods we hear about in the commune, by the way?

[ He merely grins and gives an awkward half-bow in his seated position. He knows he deserves to be laughed at for putting that in his mouth, but it’s sort of what he’s aiming for. It’s the entertainer in him who really doesn’t mind being laughed at, and he will encourage it when he can. ]

You know, my teeth have missed continuing their path into early decay. I think I'll take you up on that offer.

[ He sighs wistfully. Yeah, it’s hard to adjust to a more natural diet when you’re a kid from the 80s, and Wanda just may end up finding him perched on her couch every Saturday morning if she starts feeding him. He would still very much be doing that back home anyway. All that’s missing here is the cartoons. It truly is a shame to be missing Hulk Hogan’s Rock n Wrestling.

He tilts his head thoughtfully, considering her question for a moment. ]

Normally I’d tell you not at all, but uh…

[ He gestures vaguely around the room—at this place they’ve found themselves in. ]

Given where we are? The fact that weird shit happens just about every month? If you told me Freddy Krueger was real, I’d probably have to give it some real thought at this point.

[she better not tell him that she's rewired the big mirror in the living room to act as a television, should anyone let her use their recollections of tv shows to play on it. literally the saturday cartoons he misses. it'll just have to be a surprise.

there's something to be said about eddie's pop culture references.

wanda thinks herself familiar with them, but... all she knows is that freddy krueger is out of one of the many classic horror movies.]

That's good, I guess. Getting to use High Magic means that you have to put some stock on the Old Gods being real. It takes some amount of praying at shrines and putting down offerings. It's about asking any of the gods to intercede when you cast a spell.

[she glances at eddie—knows that he's got something funny to say about it—]

I can teach you some sigils and runes. They're not magical on their own, but they can help—if you need something concrete to put your thoughts and energy into.

[ As soon as he learns about that, he is never leaving. He is becoming a permanent fixture and they will never be rid of him.

Wanda goes on to mention praying at the shrines, and Eddie’s expression is telling. He looks doubtful, face scrunched up in a look of mild distaste. Even if he has conceded that the gods here probably exist, he’s never really been that kind of guy. He’s never been terribly vocal about it; he has no desire to offend the locals on that level, but the shrines have always just been background noise to him. They exist, they’re important to people, but he’s never willingly visited one himself.

He’s not even sure how you talk to a god. Do you ask them what their favorite era of Fleetwood Mac is or something? ]

Alright.

[ Ultimately, he surrenders to the concept. He laces his fingers beneath his chin and tilts his head thoughtfully. He made a promise to Steve to find some sort of way to get back home alive should the opportunity ever present itself, and that’s a promise he intends to keep. He wants to try, and this seems like the first logical step to take. So, sure, he can become that kind of guy if need be. ]

I know you leave offerings. [ They wouldn’t be having this conversation otherwise. There's a note of worry in his voice. ] Have you ever had it not work? Or turn out wrong? I mean...can you ask too much and leave too little and piss them off?

[wanda can see the disbelief in his face, in how he reacts. eddie's quite a bit of an open book—especially with his love for dramatics. still, she respects as much; not everyone upholds faith to one thing or another, and it's only fair to allow oneself the space to discover where they land, as far as these old gods are concerned.

it's surprising, though, if only because he's been here for quite a bit.]

I don't think there's a right way to go about it.

[truth be told, she doesn't have it down to the science of it.]

I don't... actually ask for anything when I leave offerings. When I was little and I would pray alongside my parents, our prayers were always to say thanks for what we did have, regardless of what we didn't have. Perhaps you can start from there—offer some fruits or tidy up the shrines, and say thanks? Could just be for the nice weather.

Or — have a conversation and introduce yourself. I do a lot of talking to myself while out where the shrines are.

[everyone finds their own way to do this, and her way might not exactly work for everyone.]

If there’s not a right way to go about it, then…uh…think music would do the trick?

[ Eddie has no problem with going to tidy up the shrines or leaving small offerings, and while actively talking to something he can’t see is a bit awkward, he’s never been afraid of anything like that before. But he’s determined to go about this his own way, and what better way than with a good song? ]

It’s either that or I’m going to compile a full stand-up routine for their amusement.

[ That would be hilarious, actually, but he’s not sure the locals will appreciate it. He grins mildly and brushes that particular joke aside. ]

No, seriously. Thanks. Butter them up and get on their good side, basically?

[wanda’s eyes light up at that, feeling like that’s a stupenduous idea—one that definitely befits the type of person that eddie is. why had she not thought of that before? it makes her smile, though, given that eddie himself came up with it.]

Basically.

[then a bit of a grin.]

I think music is a really inspired way to go about it. Don’t even have to say anything.

[who knows what kind of favors eddie might find attuning himself to because of his offering of music.]

Will you need an instrument?

[ Putting that sort of spin on it seems to make the whole concept sit much better with him: treat the gods like some sort of omnipresent audience. Maybe you can’t see them, but it doesn’t mean they’re not listening, and you need to entertain them all the same. It doesn’t strike him as much different than listening to a tape or a record.

He beams, looking relieved, because yeah, he can do that. ]

I’ve got about three guitars by this point. But you know…if you’re offering, I wouldn’t say no to a fourth. You know, something worthy of the gods.

[ He wouldn’t say no to more guitars even if the gods weren’t involved. ]

Three?

[—woah, alright, that might be a little excessive. perhaps wanda could steal a peek at them and see what kind of guitars they are, and maybe create for him one that is different in design.

but she thinks she can do with teasing him a little.]

How about something like a harp? Or an ocarina? That might be a little more worthy of the gods. Or a tambourine?

[hopefully he catches on to the way her eyebrows raise, the apples of her cheeks failing to hide the smile pulling at her lips.]

Well, to be totally fair, one of them is only in the Horizon. But, uh…yeah. Three.

[ His favorite one is the one in the Horizon, unfortunately. He heaves a dramatic, wistful sigh. He thinks about that guitar every day, and wonders vaguely what became of its twin back home. He suspects his uncle will hold onto it, but who knows when it comes to his weird little hometown?

He’s happy to join in with the teasing though. Even if she were serious, he would be happy to join in. ]

Why stop there? Why not a kazoo? Or a bunch of wine glasses filled with water?

[eddie is too difficult to tease, and all wanda can do is lean back against the couch and laugh, waving a hand at him as if asking him to stop. too much, maybe.]

Yes, I'm definitely going to get you those. The more ridiculous the better.

[and for wanda, it lingers in her mind what steve has told her about eddie—about how he is dead, back home.

so, as her laughter quiets,]

You've been well otherwise?

Yeah, I mean…I’m fine.

[ Although he chuckles along with her, it’s clear that something has been weighing on him. He’s not aware of Steve spreading news of his affliction through the whole Commune, but when the year mark of his time in Abraxas rolled around, it’s like some sort of switch flipped. He struggles to shove the memory of his death back into the crawlspace of his mind where it’s been stowed for the last year, making an appearance only when it worms its way into his nightmares or into a particularly dark joke.

And then he made a promise to Steve to find a way to give the finger to death and now he has no choice but to think about it a little more than he would like. He's been meaning to ask Wanda about it, though, so... ]

I had a question for you, actually. [ He pauses, and with a grin, assures her: ] It’s on topic.

[ Just in case. He's been known to veer off topic. ]

No pressure, but you know more about magic than anyone else I know. So, uh... do you think...do you think there’s a true limit to what magic can do here? I mean, there’s plenty of shit that’s impossible in my world. Probably shit that's impossible in your world. What do you think counts as impossible in this world?

[seated as she is, it's comfortable—enough for her to criss-cross her legs, cup of tea warm on her hands as she rests them on her lap. it's on topic, eddie says, and though her expression eases, quite quickly it creases back into a frown.

he's asking what wanda knows he's asking without really saying it.]

I think one of the more impossible things is to answer a vague question.

[is what she says quickly, without thinking much of it, but knowing that his question requires a bit more thought. so, she mules over it, and takes a sip from her cup, leaving it near her lips for a moment.]

...it might depend on what you're trying to do. The Singularity keeps me from using my magic to its fullest extent. But the magic of this world complements a lot of what is missing.

[so—]

What is it that you're asking, exactly?

Alright. Shit. You’re really not gonna let me beat around the bush on this one, are you?

[ He chuckles dryly, scrubs his face with his hands, and sits back against the couch. Running a hand over the plush velvet, his gaze flickers to the ceiling for a moment, as if he’s hoping to find an easy answer written there. ]

Well, uh…long story short, I’m looking to give death the one finger salute—

[ He demonstrates with his middle finger, and finally tips his head forward to glance at Wanda again. He feels a little sheepish saying it out loud, which is pretty astounding considering how hard it is to embarrass Eddie Munson, but he never even allowed for resurrection in his Hellfire campaigns. Dead was dead and you just created a new character to keep on playing. But this is a little different, and he always considered Wanda the best place to start with a question like this. ]

Not immorality or whatever Dorian Gray had going on. Just…a do-over or something. I wanna know if that’s possible. If you think it’s possible.

[it takes a little bit, but then eddie is saying what he needs to say. wanda's reaction is not one of surprise at his admittance that he is dead—that should be the first clue-in that wanda already knew. she is also, admittedly, proud of him.

she leans forward, setting the cup down on the table, and scooting a little closer towards him.]

You know, Eddie... I'm also dead, back in my world. You'd think it's really metal, actually, that I made a castle dedicated to me by a demon's prophecy, on cursed ground, crush me to death. [only heroic in the sense that she is the only person who could ever have stopped herself. the velvet of the couch is soft under the hand, and wanda leans her weight into it.] If it's possible to go back, to another moment or another timeline entirely... I'm looking into it.

[so, it's not crazy, at all.]

Edited 2023-11-03 21:57 (UTC)

[ Eddie has always had a bit of a secretive streak. He doesn’t necessarily hide things, but he holds them very close to his chest until he’s sure it’s the right time to share them—or to burden others with the information. He’s tiptoed around his death for a long time, and while part of him would prefer to keep it that way for a little longer, the world has apparently decided that now is the time to talk about it. ]

You are?

[ He sits forward a little, and he clearly doesn’t seem to know how to feel about that information. He looks conflicted, his expression settling somewhere between surprise, upset, and relief that, yet again, he’s not the only one. Eddie has never ben afraid to be the freak in the room, and it’s never great news to hear that someone you care about is dead, but it is extremely lonely to be the only living-dead in the room. ]

That does sound metal as hell, actually, can’t lie. It, uh…it was bats for me. Freaky mutant bats. Tore me up. Kind of gross, actually, so, uh...I'm pretty jealous of a demon castle.

[ He could say more, but he carries right on: ]

Have you found anything yet?

I think that might be the only part you should be jealous about. Everything right before it — wasn't great.

[rather, she was nothing but the villain of the story, terrorizing and killing so many. something tells her that someone like eddie might have gone down after something a lot less anti-climatic than "mutant bats".

but there is so much humor you can bring to a general discussion about one's own death before it starts to feel cheap.

wanda shakes her head.]

No. [not yet; she's working on it, though.] I won't stop until I do, though. I don't intend to keep it to just myself, either. I promise.

[ Eddie holds Wanda in pretty high regard, and if he had to guess, he would honestly never pin her as a villain of any story. He would just assume that her luck leading up to her final moments wasn’t terribly good—just like his own. ]

Well, leave all that out and you have a pretty badass story which I, humbly, remain super jealous as hell about.

[ He grins and presses a hand to his chest, and it’s clear that he doesn’t have a problem with bringing humor to the discussion. It cheapens things, sure, but it doesn’t make him any less sympathetic and it helps him feel as if the tension isn’t about to swallow him. He always reels it back in the end, though, which is exactly what he does now. His smile softens into something a little less intense, and he begins to twist the rings on his fingers. ]

Alright, well…I expect to be no less than…tenth on the list of people you tell when you do work it out. I, uh…I can help, you know. If you need someone to weasel information out of the gods or something.

[ Never mind that he has yet to visit a shrine, let alone get in good with any of the gods, but he’s got the spirit. ]

[well, that'll be a small mercy. it doesn't make her actions feel any more justified, but at least they were cool? she doesn't really know why, but talking to eddie has a weird way of putting her at ease regarding so many things.

it just makes it all look so simple, in retrospect.]

I don't think I have that many people on the list, yet. [she says lightly, with a small smile.] But that means you'll have to start introducing yourself to the gods, doesn't it?

Yeah, well, that just means you can just bump me up a few slots then, can’t you?

[ He’ll keep that in mind, though, and she’s very likely to see him visiting shrines within the next few days. He still doesn’t have any real idea of how to go about it without feeling awkward, but he knows that music is going to be involved. ]

You knew, didn’t you? I mean, you didn’t seem very surprised. Let me guess—either I just have an air of death about me, or, uh...Harrington told you.

[wanda thinks they can leave this conversation be, because it's neither pleasant nor comforting, no matter how nicely it is handled. surprising her, though, eddie trudges on with it.

but it makes sense, listening to what he says, that he would be curious to know about this.]

He did.

[no point in lying.]

He was worried about you, or— well, he was worried on how to tackle this at all. He wasn't sure if he should just ignore it or bring it up, or whether you'd appreciate either approach. [steve feels a lot, that much is certain.] You two are friends from your world, aren't you?

Yeah, I thought I recognized his work.

[ Eddie laughs, and he makes it abundantly clear that he’s not upset. If anything, he’s amused—and honestly incredibly touched that Steve cared enough to approach things with caution. ]

Not really? I mean, we weren’t. We only officially met like, a week before coming here. Different circles, you know?

[ It’s sort of weird how that changed. No one who grew up in a town as small as Hawkins is totally unknown to one another. You grow up recognizing faces and names and knowing what their parents do, so Eddie knew Steve as the rich jock who apparently didn’t approve of freshmen being beaten up but probably still wasn’t someone he wanted to tangle with.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have judged so harshly. It was pretty hypocritical of him, and now it’s hard for him to think of going back to not being friends with Steve Harrington. It goes without saying that things change. ]

Dude cares way too much sometimes, honestly, but…I am forced to acknowledge that he’s a good guy.

[different circles—

the high school experience she never had, but she imagines what it could be like, thanks to the american television she has consumed since little. eddie and steve do seem total opposites, what with their mannerisms and attitudes. granted, she doesn't know enough to judge them outside of their time in abraxas.

wanda looks down, shrugging her shoulders.]

He's quite the mother hen type, isn't he?

[—but, he's a good guy.]

For what it's worth, I'm glad the two of you are in Solvunn. It wouldn't be the same without you.

[the way they've built their small community and all. it's nice, too, that two people from the same world that had been apart before get to grow into having a friendship, now, too.]

That’s one description, sure.

[ And an appropriate one. Eddie had been too busy judging Steve back home for what he did know about him to really see any of that, but he’s seen it now, and it makes him feel like a real dick for all the assumptions he’d made back in Hawkins.]

Aw, come on. You’re gonna make me blush.

[ He doesn’t blush so much as he beams. He’s not a guy who’s (usually) full of himself, but far be it from him to not accept a compliment when freely offered. ]

No, seriously, right back at you. I mean, if I hadn’t run into you as quick as I did, I’d have probably had a way harder time settling in so…you have my eternal thanks—even if you’re not living quite so close anymore.

Living not quite so close anymore means that we can have Cap'n Crunch for breakfast and morning wrestling matches to watch on the mirror.

[that is, the 'tv' back in the treehouse. wanda can't help but laugh, though, nose crinkling, as she raises her hands and tries to look like she's trying to shield herself from further criticism (it is hardly that, she knows) regarding her living situation.

it's definitely endearing to hear someone say such things about her.]

Alright, alright. I think we're both the kind to feel a little on the spot when people say nice things about us. [it's appreciated, though.] How about I send you off with some basics for High Magic?

[and, should he agree, wanda will teach him how to use sticks, twine, and rocks to make some vaguely pagan-like amulet he can use, additional to his music, should he want.]

wrapped now!

satanicpanics - 2023-12-17 04:19 (UTC) - Expand

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wrap-up soon??

wrapped now!