you and i are friends of empty graves

[assembles]

Who: Steve Rogers & OPEN 
When: Throughout September 
Where: Farhill Mining Camp; the Horizon 
What: Following his decision to perform some light sabotage on a military base, Steve has to do some jail time out at the mining camp.  
Warnings: Mention of child labor; will edit to add if anything else comes up! 

[ Open starters can be found below! Reach out to me on plurk at demonology or discord at demonology if you have any questions! ] 

Comments

[assembles]

[ It's true that Steve's memories of the exact taste of a New York dog, the different condiment options, and the overall experience should be pretty spot-on. It's not like he indulged in them all the time, but he's had them often enough over the course of his life that he'll stand by his recreation.

He has his own dog, which he bites into without much delay, taking a sizable amount at once and then quickly licking the ketchup and mustard from the corners of his mouth so he doesn't make a mess. (Napkins? Who needs those?)

He's pretty sure he was the first one to introduce Wanda to these, so this feels like the perfect place to meet up with her. ]

News travels fast, huh? [ Sam probably told her, or at least that's what he's going to assume. She can specify if she wants. ] It was trouble I meant to get into, at least.

[ Does that make it better? ]

[carmesi]

( wanda uses a napkin to dab at her lips, letting it crumple in her hand as she steadies the hotdog for another bite (she needs napkins, thank you). it's just as she remembers it, being in new york for the first time, getting a taste of all the tourist traps with the benefit of a native to show her the ropes of the place—to make sense of all the noisy cacophony and the chaotic non-stop beat of the city.

as it were, wanda is not going to be the one to lecture steve about getting in trouble; she has no moral standing for it. )

I had a hard time imagining you keeping still when all this was happening.

( all the fighting in the badlands, along with whatever destruction and disarray the heralds would bestow upon each territory.

wanda frowns lightly, straightening her back and pushing up to rise on her toes, to get a glance proper at the toppings steve has chosen. onto the more important topic of conversation (it seems)— )

Did you add onions or relish?

[assembles]

[ The ability to hold a hot dog that's loaded up with condiments in one hand, sans napkins, and eat it while walking down a busy city block in a matter of bites — it's something Steve would really only expect a New Yorker to be able to do. He doesn't begrudge Wanda her careful handling of her hot dog, or the napkins. ]

It definitely felt like I had to do something. Not sure if it was enough, but it's still better than just sitting on my hands.

[ What lies ahead of them with the war or the Free Cities' actions still remains uncertain. But Steve will take having slowed them down a little.

When he realizes that Wanda's curious about his condiment situation, he lowers the hot dog so that she can see without going on her tiptoes. ]

Onion relish — which is different from regular relish — is also an option. Sauerkraut too. You could get meat sauce or cheese on them, even. Some people are snobs about what they put on their dog, but the way I see it, if you want ketchup, then go for it.

[ New York is meant to be a melting pot, after all. Restricting how people eat their food just seems silly to him. ]

[carmesi]

( appreciative of steve being all too aware of her own curiosities and mannerisms, wanda doesn't have to say anything too forward for him to understand what it is that she wants. she looks at his hot dog—at the onion relish—and then glances back at the hot dog car as he keeps talking.

she takes his advice, reaching over to use the tongs and place some sauerkraut over the sausage. )

I trust your memory of the flavors.

( all this, after all, comes from steve's concoctions of memory and lived-in experience.

now, she glances at him, turning around again. )

Do you want to see the beach I told you about?

[assembles]

[ Steve quirks a smile before he takes another bite to enjoy some of those cherished memories. Sometimes it's the smallest, most inconsequential memories that stick with you the most. Like the exact taste of a street dog.

He's about to suggest that they do this in reverse sometime, but then Wanda makes a different sort of offer, capturing his attention. ]

Near the Tertiary Settlement?

[ Even if she's only showing him a Horizon version of it, that doesn't matter. Wanda's creation magic and her familiarity with the place will make it feel as vivid as possible, he's sure. ]

Sure, let's go. [ He nods, then works on finishing the last few bites of his hot dog so they can get a move on. ] Maybe we can take a look at your shop too.

[ Although he's not agreeing to taking any hallucinogens. Just saying. ]

[carmesi]

( steve is, and will always be, such a nice presence to be around, in wanda's opinion. his thoughts flow easily and uncomplicated, and there's that familiarity with one another that makes wanda not want to exchange a moment like this for any other.

wanda doesn't speak again until she's done with her hot dog, grabbing haphazardly at a couple of napkins to clean up her hands and lips, motioning down the street for him to follow, even as she chews still. )

I'll show you both.

( all wanda has to do is find a door, any old door will do, and push it open. where they'd normally go inside a building after opening said door, instead they'll walk into a beach proper, solvunn's shores recreated to the best of wanda's ability. steve might have to duck down a bit to get through, though; the doorframe is a little low. )

Pretty nice, huh?

[assembles]

[ That is the beauty of the Horizon, isn't it? There doesn't need to be any travel time if they don't want there to be, and with someone as adept at creation magic as Wanda, it feels that much more seamless.

As soon as Steve ducks down and steps through the door, he's hit by the sharp scent of saltwater and a perfect breeze that tousles his hair.

It's not like the Free Cities is absent of beaches, but this one still feels different. It's quieter and more isolated without the hustle and bustle of the city of Aquila at their backs.

He glances to Wanda and nods, his lips briefly lifting into a smile. ]

Very nice, even. Is the water warm on this coast?

[ He watches the crashing waves, but doesn't approach. They're not necessarily here to swim. Wanda seems more the type to walk up and down the beach when she needs to organize her thoughts, if he were to guess. ]

[carmesi]

( wanda offers him a shrug, a pause between his words and the crash of waves before she leans down and takes off her shoes. it's easier to walk in the sand with bare feet—and that she does, stepping over the small dunes, leaving her shoes behind, one falling over its side.

if this wasn't the horizon, she'd be carrying them with her. )

It depends on the time of year, but it's mostly colder, I think.

( not that she's ever jumped in.

she stops only where the waves push into the sand, wanda wriggling her toes as her feet get submerged momentarily, sand sinking beneath her feet. )

There were no beaches in Sokovia, and we never had time in America to go to one. ( this she knows is not steve's fault. their 'job' just didn't allow it. wanda scrunches her nose, looking at him. ) The treehouse is close to lakes. I prefer that kind of water.

( the ocean is just... too vast. )

[assembles]

[ As soon as Wanda removes her shoes, Steve bends down to do the same, untying his laces and setting both shoes aside as he rolls up the hems of his jeans to his mid-calf. While Wanda might not have a ton of experience with beaches from home, Steve does. And while the beaches closest to Brooklyn hadn't exactly been luxurious, they'd been more than good enough for him and Bucky.

He follows her to the water's edge, glancing down as the gentle waves laps up over his bare feet. It is cold, but not so much that it's numbing. During the winter it probably will be. Pretty similar to the Atlantic, then.

Even if Wanda doesn't mean it as a judgment, when she mentions that she never got to go to a beach in the States, Steve glances up and over at her. The "sorry" is on the tip of his tongue, but he holds it down, imagining how she might frown at him. ]

Freshwater is nice, yeah. Don't have to worry about that stinging sensation in your eyes, and there aren't any strong waves to contend with.

[ And, well... they're here, so he may as well tell her. He looks out toward the horizon, though the sun is blotted out by gray clouds. ]

Buck and I used to make our way down to the beach. It wasn't always easy, getting down there, but when we found the time and the money to do it, it was always a good time. Not that I was a very strong swimmer back then, so I'd just stand like this a lot of the time.

[ Rather than wading all the way in. ]