[—she says in return, their greeting each other never the usual but for the call of each other's name. there is far too much history here for them to easily push into niceties. wanda prefers it this way, regardless of, and she thinks that stephen might, too.
as her hand grips the door, barring him entry to her home within the horizon, she listens to him nonetheless, raising an eyebrow at his complete disregard of giving her a heads-up. just head in and hope for the best; hope that she would be in? what a nosy man.]
For wanting to see what I've done with the place, you really skipped the scenic route.
[she glances over his shoulder at the darkness of night, then back over her own, at the warm orange lamps that give light and shadow to the house. she had never once invited stephen to her cabin, back when her horizon was different. she glances back at him, then her hand lets go of the door, letting it swing open a little more as she steps back, granting him entry.]
Of course I mind, but you're already here. We were in the living room, so...
[she shrugs her shoulders, because what else can she do? and once he's got a foot in, she starts walking up the entryway, up the narrow stairs filled with tchotchkes that adorn both wall and floor, into an equally narrow corridor, walled with bookshelves and out-of-place furniture. perhaps stephen may get a chance to study every framed picture and painting and every book she's conjured, but he would do well to follow wanda, as she disappears into one of the many available doorways.
one that brings them to a cozy, albeit busy, living room, chairs and couch and even a TV, along with way too many miscellaneous items. matt sits there too, which might answer any questions stephen might have about the 'we' she had mentioned.
wanda stands there for a moment, before raising a hand to motion towards the man already sitting here.]
Matthew Murdock. Lawyer. [then motions at stephen—] Stephen Strange. Doctor.
[a representative for each faction, funny. have at it, intellectuals.]
You're both from New York.
[there we go. with a wave of her hand, she alludes to stephen getting to sit wherever he wants. wanda walks on over to the couch, on the opposite end of where matt sits, and the closest to the farthest corner, so she can keep an eye on this... interaction.]
Edited (stfu about my editing) 2022-09-16 14:33 (UTC)
[It’s homey. That’s the first thing he thinks when he glances in—after he’s successfully circumvented Wanda’s exasperation of him showing up unannounced, at least—and Stephen casts a glance around, seeming to realize that he’s never actually visited her version of a home-away-from-home domain. It had always been either outside of the cabin, or in a ruined altar with a blizzard buffetting the exterior, never from within. And there’s almost too much to look at for a man who wants to commit everything to memory, wants to parse what he can about Wanda’s living space, but he doesn’t want to be left behind; secondarily, he doesn’t want to be too rude, either, and linger in doorways he wasn’t invited into.
And so he follows. The “we” makes his brow raise (so is he interrupting something?), but when the space opens up into the living room, his eyes land on Matt, and the question of that is duly answered.
Matt Murdock. Lawyer? Lawyer. Is he interrupting a social call, or…?]
Sorry, if I had known you had company, I would have checked-in first.
[Too late now. Well, time to wear a veneer of politeness, which he admittedly slips back on with some ease. Stephen crosses close to Matt, extending a scarred hand for a shake by thoughtless habit alone.]
You can just call me Stephen. So a fellow New Yorker, huh? Which part?
( and matt's nearly certain, despite not knowing stephen strange, that he's probably only been through that area, never lived in it.
matt pushes himself up and reaches out to shake, missing once (intentionally) but finally finding his hand. he laughs a little at his clumsiness and then shrugs. )
Sorry, still working on that.
( with the handshake down, he let's his hand drop back to his side. )
[wanda rolls her eyes at the feigned clumsiness, because she knows that's a blind joke—still working on that—and she hates that she does find them funny. nope, not giving matt the benefit of that.]
Matt's blind. [if the glasses weren't a giveaway; moving on,] He was telling me how he's working on some legal stuff for refugees in the Free Cities.
[keeping it cool with the 'he's just a lawyer' vibe here. she turns her attention to stephen, hoping the two of them sit back down.
before stephen can get too comfortable asking more questions,]
I'm meeting Stephen to hand over supplies from Solvunn. [—by way of explanation. wanda props her legs up on the couch, crosses them under her. her eyes divert to the sorcerer, an eyebrow raised.] I didn't think the details of it were too complicated.
[Oh— blind. He probably should have guessed that from the glasses, but now he’s gone and made Matt grope for a handshake, so. Good job, Stephen. Time to gently smooth over that like it never happened.
Hell’s Kitchen, though. No, not his usual stomping grounds, but mostly because Stephen’s more or less tethered to the Sanctum due of his “work”, which means he often finds himself in—]
I’m over in Greenwich Village. Can’t wander off too far from the Sanctum, you know.
[Does he? He can’t be sure that Matt’s from his version of New York, but if that’s the case, surely that would spark some familiarity. Anyway, Stephen deigns to sit, shooting a glance over at Wanda as he sinks into the couch cushions.]
Sure, it wouldn’t be normally if it was just me sailing across to meet up. But there are two other Summoned that’ll be with me; both of them with some influence in and around the castle. So be on your best behavior. No badmouthing the Queen and her actions when we see each other face-to-face — just in case.
( matt shoots an amused look in wanda's direction, wondering if she was going around badmouthing people when he wasn't looking. )
Badmouthing the Queen? Wouldn't have thought you had that in you, Wanda.
( laughing, he moves to sit down after stephen does. )
I might have walked through Greenwich Village a time or two. I've been all over New York. Pretty much the only place I've ever been. But, not sure I'm really a good fit for a Greenwich Village. Sounds...posh.
[as soon as stephen is done giving her advice, wanda is about to snap right back at him, jawline tightening. that is, until matt interjects, makes the sorcerer's words land softer on her with the way he laughs. stephen was likely trying to be helpful, offer a warning for her benefit, and not necessarily make it seem like she would do something so stupid and without thought; the usual way wanda spins his words, that fastidious instinctual reaction when it comes to him.
she takes a deep breath, listens to this about greenwich village — no idea herself of what the topography of new york city is like, and taking matt's word on it sounding posh.
(it does, though.)]
Why would I badmouth someone who reacted violently at the news of her alleged lover being dead? [she does say that, at least, but less snappy than expected. it would be hypocritical of her. stephen gets a pointed look.] If nothing else, I sympathize.
[with a gesture of her hand, she makes three steaming cups of tea appear on the table separating the couch from the other chairs—one for each of them. this is her show that... she wants to not sound as antagonistic as she may come off.
leaning forward to take hold of her cup, she adds,]
We're all from the same world, by the way. Matt's from... back in 2017? [she looks back to him to confirm, nodding once.] He hasn't had to deal with Thanos and the aftermath of The Snap. [then, to matt—] He's the sorcerer I showed you before.
[the one she was chasing around in her memories, the one she had some harsh conversations with. taking a sip from her cup, she frowns over at stephen.]
Yeah, but you’d not choose to torch a city of innocents even if you do sympathize.
[Now, at least, though maybe that was not exactly the case when they were tearing through the multiverse, with Wanda hot on his heels. But the benefit of the doubt, now, is the important thing; and Stephen is not going to even dance around this subject for too long, not in the presence of mixed company.]
I’m taking a ship with Ronan and Kylo. Between the three of us, we should be able to handle any trouble along the way — knock on wood.
[His gaze wanders over to Matt, though.]
2017? Sorry for all of us in the future to be the bearer of bad news.
[Thanos. The Snap. Everything that followed after. The world never quite reverting back to how things were.]
I've learned that bad news and the Avengers tend to be synonymous.
( he doesn't say it with any particular malice. it's just a thing that tends to happen. something wants to invade new york or some other place, the avengers are there and while things tends to end well, it's not without some collateral damage.
he shrugs a shoulder. )
I'm getting used to it.
( not that he's looking forward to it, though. but, he'll deal with that just like he's dealt with everything else. )
It's surprising to see when someone tells me there's good news in the future.
[ronan and kylo, what a crew. wanda stops to think momentarily, of her conversations prior with ronan—of how befuddled they were, concerting with the idea of magic and dreams becoming reality; of how he insisted she come to thorne. things have changed, but she wonders if he holds any of those thoughts, still.
her thoughts on the matter dissipate in time to matt very rightly calling out the avengers. it may not be without malice, but she knows how particular he feels about them.
she gives stephen A Look.]
And you wanted to get me back on the lunchbox. [—a small gesture of something, wanda's not quite sure what. friendliness, the ability to offer humor over a shared experience that's otherwise too traumatic to want to envision entirely.] Perhaps the good news is that The Avengers are no more, in the future. As far as I'm concerned.
[she brings the cup of tea to her lips, and before taking a sip, adds in something of a sardonic tone,]
Terrible news back home, on the verge of war here. We've got much to look forward to.
[Well. Stephen can’t find it in himself to argue the point. This is easier when he technically was never an Avenger, per se, just the sorcerer that worked with them when a certain Mad Titan thought about playing genocidal utilitarian on a universal scale.]
The lunchbox is the highest status for any superhero. I don’t see why you wouldn’t have found that tempting.
[That is a safe, mostly unopinionated assessment, and a humorous one, too. At least Stephen can try to offer a bit of positivity where Wanda can dredge up the pessimism.]
We got through that mess back home. We can get through it here, too.
If she ever does end up on a lunchbox, please snag one of those for me. I'll pay double what it's worth.
( and display it in his office or something just to be a butthead. he grins widely. )
Never been a really optimistic person myself. But I've heard things have steadily been getting...more tense here over the last while. There was always tension and all but now bombing other regions?
[ready as she was to say something about her status as a 'superhero', it is matt's comment that catches her off guard. she knows he's joking, trying to make a point with her, but wanda still feels flustered by it.
before she can even think of keeping to this quiet, strained and tight-muscled posture in front of stephen, she reflexively grabs at a cushion and tosses it at matt—a friendly, comfortable gesture.
shut up, no lunchboxes for you, blind man.
and so, completely derailed, she centers herself and turns her gaze to stephen. we can trust him, is what she tries to say with her eyes.]
We think there's another unknown party trying to tip things towards war breaking out. I think if the Free Cities had thought of making a move to proclaim war, they wouldn't have done it so ambiguously, and I think they would have been more prepared for any retaliation. They seemed... unprepared? I would have expected measures of at least evacuating the main city areas as a precaution.
[and from what she understands, from what she's read and heard, that wasn't quite the case. in any case, wanda would know—when you're not expecting bombs to fall from the sky, you don't go looking for them; you don't hide, you think you'll be safe at home, four walls and a roof above your head. but when you know what to expect, you stay away from areas that could potentially be targeted, you start thinking strategically of your every move and dreading the silence.
her shoulders slump a little, remembering those years of her life, and her eyes drag down as she sets her cup down on the table, eyes locked on her hands, voice quiet.]
[He watches as the couch pillow goes flying at Matt, not even bothering to hide how his brow quirks higher and his amusement seems to spill over the edges of his expression. Stephen clears his throat, skewing back into the more somber tone this conversation deserves.
The war. Right.]
This reeks of “unprepared” on all sides, which makes me agree; I don’t think it’s too much of a conspiracy theory to suggest there’s a fourth player in this.
[It might as well be a foregone conclusion at this point, as far as he’s concerned.]
The real million dollar question is this: what do they stand to gain from war? Distraction? A shift of power?
[Or, as the idea was floated over the network, real, actual power from the lives lost?]
I've known people who don't mind using others as pawns in their game, to start a war and come in as the hero only to slowly undermine everything from the inside.
( he doesn't miss you, fisk. )
But, there's power to be gained here. There's land, there's people, armies. the Singularity even if it can't be controlled by people that are from here. It's still a powerful item and if someone can make the three regions blow themselves to the bring of destruction and then come in and save the day? People will throw their support there.
[the fact that matt was able to discern this much despite just being a few months really speaks a lot to the nature of this place—to the nature of how much he thinks about this, perhaps of how people like the three of them aren't without these considerations of the places they end up in.
wanda hates having to think about war, for all that it has taken from her—from all that it could potentially take from her again.
'to undermine everything from the inside' feels like a plausible tactic people from this world and every other world would use. that much is fair, but wanda also wonders— how they all fit into these plans, if they are part of them at all? they are clearly separate from those native to abraxas, after all.]
The majority of the Summoned are really powerful. Wouldn't we pose a threat to whoever is trying to do that? We haven't been targeted outside of what happened in Nocwich.
[where do we fit in all this?]
And they could have gotten to us at any other time while there, but instead they only went for the three delegates.
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no subject
[—she says in return, their greeting each other never the usual but for the call of each other's name. there is far too much history here for them to easily push into niceties. wanda prefers it this way, regardless of, and she thinks that stephen might, too.
as her hand grips the door, barring him entry to her home within the horizon, she listens to him nonetheless, raising an eyebrow at his complete disregard of giving her a heads-up. just head in and hope for the best; hope that she would be in? what a nosy man.]
For wanting to see what I've done with the place, you really skipped the scenic route.
[she glances over his shoulder at the darkness of night, then back over her own, at the warm orange lamps that give light and shadow to the house. she had never once invited stephen to her cabin, back when her horizon was different. she glances back at him, then her hand lets go of the door, letting it swing open a little more as she steps back, granting him entry.]
Of course I mind, but you're already here. We were in the living room, so...
[she shrugs her shoulders, because what else can she do? and once he's got a foot in, she starts walking up the entryway, up the narrow stairs filled with tchotchkes that adorn both wall and floor, into an equally narrow corridor, walled with bookshelves and out-of-place furniture. perhaps stephen may get a chance to study every framed picture and painting and every book she's conjured, but he would do well to follow wanda, as she disappears into one of the many available doorways.
one that brings them to a cozy, albeit busy, living room, chairs and couch and even a TV, along with way too many miscellaneous items. matt sits there too, which might answer any questions stephen might have about the 'we' she had mentioned.
wanda stands there for a moment, before raising a hand to motion towards the man already sitting here.]
Matthew Murdock. Lawyer. [then motions at stephen—] Stephen Strange. Doctor.
[a representative for each faction, funny. have at it, intellectuals.]
You're both from New York.
[there we go. with a wave of her hand, she alludes to stephen getting to sit wherever he wants. wanda walks on over to the couch, on the opposite end of where matt sits, and the closest to the farthest corner, so she can keep an eye on this... interaction.]
no subject
And so he follows. The “we” makes his brow raise (so is he interrupting something?), but when the space opens up into the living room, his eyes land on Matt, and the question of that is duly answered.
Matt Murdock. Lawyer? Lawyer. Is he interrupting a social call, or…?]
Sorry, if I had known you had company, I would have checked-in first.
[Too late now. Well, time to wear a veneer of politeness, which he admittedly slips back on with some ease. Stephen crosses close to Matt, extending a scarred hand for a shake by thoughtless habit alone.]
You can just call me Stephen. So a fellow New Yorker, huh? Which part?
no subject
( and matt's nearly certain, despite not knowing stephen strange, that he's probably only been through that area, never lived in it.
matt pushes himself up and reaches out to shake, missing once (intentionally) but finally finding his hand. he laughs a little at his clumsiness and then shrugs. )
Sorry, still working on that.
( with the handshake down, he let's his hand drop back to his side. )
You can call me Matt. No need for formaliities.
no subject
Matt's blind. [if the glasses weren't a giveaway; moving on,] He was telling me how he's working on some legal stuff for refugees in the Free Cities.
[keeping it cool with the 'he's just a lawyer' vibe here. she turns her attention to stephen, hoping the two of them sit back down.
before stephen can get too comfortable asking more questions,]
I'm meeting Stephen to hand over supplies from Solvunn. [—by way of explanation. wanda props her legs up on the couch, crosses them under her. her eyes divert to the sorcerer, an eyebrow raised.] I didn't think the details of it were too complicated.
no subject
Hell’s Kitchen, though. No, not his usual stomping grounds, but mostly because Stephen’s more or less tethered to the Sanctum due of his “work”, which means he often finds himself in—]
I’m over in Greenwich Village. Can’t wander off too far from the Sanctum, you know.
[Does he? He can’t be sure that Matt’s from his version of New York, but if that’s the case, surely that would spark some familiarity. Anyway, Stephen deigns to sit, shooting a glance over at Wanda as he sinks into the couch cushions.]
Sure, it wouldn’t be normally if it was just me sailing across to meet up. But there are two other Summoned that’ll be with me; both of them with some influence in and around the castle. So be on your best behavior. No badmouthing the Queen and her actions when we see each other face-to-face — just in case.
no subject
Badmouthing the Queen? Wouldn't have thought you had that in you, Wanda.
( laughing, he moves to sit down after stephen does. )
I might have walked through Greenwich Village a time or two. I've been all over New York. Pretty much the only place I've ever been. But, not sure I'm really a good fit for a Greenwich Village. Sounds...posh.
no subject
she takes a deep breath, listens to this about greenwich village — no idea herself of what the topography of new york city is like, and taking matt's word on it sounding posh.
(it does, though.)]
Why would I badmouth someone who reacted violently at the news of her alleged lover being dead? [she does say that, at least, but less snappy than expected. it would be hypocritical of her. stephen gets a pointed look.] If nothing else, I sympathize.
[with a gesture of her hand, she makes three steaming cups of tea appear on the table separating the couch from the other chairs—one for each of them. this is her show that... she wants to not sound as antagonistic as she may come off.
leaning forward to take hold of her cup, she adds,]
We're all from the same world, by the way. Matt's from... back in 2017? [she looks back to him to confirm, nodding once.] He hasn't had to deal with Thanos and the aftermath of The Snap. [then, to matt—] He's the sorcerer I showed you before.
[the one she was chasing around in her memories, the one she had some harsh conversations with. taking a sip from her cup, she frowns over at stephen.]
Who else are you traveling with?
no subject
Yeah, but you’d not choose to torch a city of innocents even if you do sympathize.
[Now, at least, though maybe that was not exactly the case when they were tearing through the multiverse, with Wanda hot on his heels. But the benefit of the doubt, now, is the important thing; and Stephen is not going to even dance around this subject for too long, not in the presence of mixed company.]
I’m taking a ship with Ronan and Kylo. Between the three of us, we should be able to handle any trouble along the way — knock on wood.
[His gaze wanders over to Matt, though.]
2017? Sorry for all of us in the future to be the bearer of bad news.
[Thanos. The Snap. Everything that followed after. The world never quite reverting back to how things were.]
no subject
( he doesn't say it with any particular malice. it's just a thing that tends to happen. something wants to invade new york or some other place, the avengers are there and while things tends to end well, it's not without some collateral damage.
he shrugs a shoulder. )
I'm getting used to it.
( not that he's looking forward to it, though. but, he'll deal with that just like he's dealt with everything else. )
It's surprising to see when someone tells me there's good news in the future.
no subject
her thoughts on the matter dissipate in time to matt very rightly calling out the avengers. it may not be without malice, but she knows how particular he feels about them.
she gives stephen A Look.]
And you wanted to get me back on the lunchbox. [—a small gesture of something, wanda's not quite sure what. friendliness, the ability to offer humor over a shared experience that's otherwise too traumatic to want to envision entirely.] Perhaps the good news is that The Avengers are no more, in the future. As far as I'm concerned.
[she brings the cup of tea to her lips, and before taking a sip, adds in something of a sardonic tone,]
Terrible news back home, on the verge of war here. We've got much to look forward to.
[sorry matt, you won't find good news with her.]
no subject
The lunchbox is the highest status for any superhero. I don’t see why you wouldn’t have found that tempting.
[That is a safe, mostly unopinionated assessment, and a humorous one, too. At least Stephen can try to offer a bit of positivity where Wanda can dredge up the pessimism.]
We got through that mess back home. We can get through it here, too.
no subject
( and display it in his office or something just to be a butthead. he grins widely. )
Never been a really optimistic person myself. But I've heard things have steadily been getting...more tense here over the last while. There was always tension and all but now bombing other regions?
( sounds like a nasty precursor. )
no subject
before she can even think of keeping to this quiet, strained and tight-muscled posture in front of stephen, she reflexively grabs at a cushion and tosses it at matt—a friendly, comfortable gesture.
shut up, no lunchboxes for you, blind man.
and so, completely derailed, she centers herself and turns her gaze to stephen. we can trust him, is what she tries to say with her eyes.]
We think there's another unknown party trying to tip things towards war breaking out. I think if the Free Cities had thought of making a move to proclaim war, they wouldn't have done it so ambiguously, and I think they would have been more prepared for any retaliation. They seemed... unprepared? I would have expected measures of at least evacuating the main city areas as a precaution.
[and from what she understands, from what she's read and heard, that wasn't quite the case. in any case, wanda would know—when you're not expecting bombs to fall from the sky, you don't go looking for them; you don't hide, you think you'll be safe at home, four walls and a roof above your head. but when you know what to expect, you stay away from areas that could potentially be targeted, you start thinking strategically of your every move and dreading the silence.
her shoulders slump a little, remembering those years of her life, and her eyes drag down as she sets her cup down on the table, eyes locked on her hands, voice quiet.]
It's just a theory, though.
no subject
The war. Right.]
This reeks of “unprepared” on all sides, which makes me agree; I don’t think it’s too much of a conspiracy theory to suggest there’s a fourth player in this.
[It might as well be a foregone conclusion at this point, as far as he’s concerned.]
The real million dollar question is this: what do they stand to gain from war? Distraction? A shift of power?
[Or, as the idea was floated over the network, real, actual power from the lives lost?]
no subject
( he shrugs a shoulder. )
I've known people who don't mind using others as pawns in their game, to start a war and come in as the hero only to slowly undermine everything from the inside.
( he doesn't miss you, fisk. )
But, there's power to be gained here. There's land, there's people, armies. the Singularity even if it can't be controlled by people that are from here. It's still a powerful item and if someone can make the three regions blow themselves to the bring of destruction and then come in and save the day? People will throw their support there.
no subject
wanda hates having to think about war, for all that it has taken from her—from all that it could potentially take from her again.
'to undermine everything from the inside' feels like a plausible tactic people from this world and every other world would use. that much is fair, but wanda also wonders— how they all fit into these plans, if they are part of them at all? they are clearly separate from those native to abraxas, after all.]
The majority of the Summoned are really powerful. Wouldn't we pose a threat to whoever is trying to do that? We haven't been targeted outside of what happened in Nocwich.
[where do we fit in all this?]
And they could have gotten to us at any other time while there, but instead they only went for the three delegates.
[she loathes to think it, but—]
Are we... helping make it worse?