abraxaslogs | [Open] this doesn't look like a party

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[Open] this doesn't look like a party

Who: Natasha & anyone
When: end of November through the beginning of December
Where: Castle Thorne, Horizon, Nocwich
What: catch-all log for arrival shenanigans, tdm continuations, and other toplevels.
Warnings: will update as needed

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[ She's had a day or so to settle in now, although that hasn't made this entire experience any less weird. Granted, finding herself in this situation hadn't really been on any list of possibilities before being fished out of a pool of water, but she's taking it relatively well, all things considered.

Still, she's pacing herself in her exploration and getting her bearings, sticking mostly within the North Wing to start. Which is plenty, because even that wing alone is rather large with much to see. She soon becomes a regular sight within the Grand Library, often immersed in a book on history or geography and especially any magical texts she can find. And likely with several others stacked around her, waiting to be read next.

She spends nearly as much time observing in the magical study hall set aside for magical practice. Natasha's fascinated with the strangeness of the magic of this place and the understanding that it's something that can be learned, like any other skill. Although she seems a little hesitant to start experimenting on her own, she's not opposed to trying it out should someone be willing to walk her through the steps. Fortunately, she has a quick mind and is often swift to pick up new skills, even ones such as these that she's never had the ability to do before. It's clear she's inclined to learn all she can about this new mastery she's stumbled across.

When being cooped up inside ends up feeling a little too stifling, she can be found outside wandering the gardens and exploring the grounds around the castle. Anyone watching her might spot her greeting any of the servants or guards or even other mages she might come across, speaking with them for a time if they seem inclined to chat. Most of the conversations seem innocent and random and can easily be dismissed as small talk, although Natasha never seems to ask the same question twice. And if she seems to be wandering to certain out-of-the-way places, her expression thoughtful as she takes in the layouts both inside and outside the castle itself, well... there is a lot of ground to explore, after all.

Most evenings will find her lingering over her dinner or perhaps a glass of wine in the dining hall. Sometimes she's reading here, as well, but more often than not she's people-watching. Or perhaps she's approached an empty chair near where you're already seated, offering you a warm smile in greeting. ]

Hello, would you mid if I joined you?

[ Natasha had lost track of how long she spent in the Horizon that first time. It had all blurred together, after a while.

But returning a second time, later, had her finding the space she'd carved out for herself just as she'd left it. She can appreciate it more, this time, with her memories now fully intact. It's not a place she knows or anywhere she's ever been before, but she likes that. Likes that it's somewhere quiet and peaceful and has no memories attached to it already, whether good or bad. It's just... hers.

Should anyone find her here, she's perfectly happy to invite guests inside to join her or relax beside the lake a while. Or perhaps curl up inside in front of the fire. The place seems made to be welcoming and soothing to any who wander here.

And while she does spend some time there, perhaps tweaking a few details of what she'd created, or enjoying some of the more relaxing areas of her Domain, she's far more likely to be spotted wandering away from her own little area and setting out to explore the others around hers. Should something strike her as familiar, she might head in that direction to investigate, but even the unfamiliar won't really dim her curiosity any. And she figures if anyone didn't want trespassers in their Domain, they probably would have made that fairly evident. Although she's still careful not to intrude too deeply into clearly personal spaces and is sure to leave everything just as she found it.

Although you might spot her still investigating your space, should you happen to pop in while she's still sating her curiosity. ]

[ It doesn't take her long to figure out that she might like Nocwich a little better than Thorne's Castle itself. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it feels more open and less restrictive here. Maybe it's the fact that she's far more likely to stumble across a familiar face here.

Maybe it's because there's far less stress and worry over an impending war being whispered about here and the inhabitants don't look all that inclined to make you declare for Team Edward or Team Jacob.

Whatever the reason, she is taking full advantage of the freedom while it lasts and can be spotted enjoying herself in various places. Although she seems to be drawn the most to the Marketplace and the sights to see there. After a rather lucrative stop in the gambling dens, she can be found meandering through the shops and stalls although she's mostly window shopping. And, once again, people watching. She seems almost as interested in searching out other Summoned as she is in taking in the sights this place has to offer.

But before she heads back to the Castle, she does make sure to swing by the hot springs and spa before heading back to Thorne. While the bathing chambers back at the castle are perfectly comfortable, this goes a step further and she's happy to indulge herself here, stripping down and slipping into the steaming springs with a contented groan of pleasure.

She's had a hell of a week, this is definitely necessary. ]

[ After learning of who was here - and where - from Wanda and some of the others, Natasha returns from Nocwich a woman on a mission. Although she has to guess where to start since she's never once gotten the opportunity to meet Stephen Strange. She hadn't really known he existed, for one, and then he got snapped, and then... well. She wasn't really around for whatever came next so she was just sort of handwaving that whole complication off as unimportant at the moment.

Still, looking for the Sorcerer Supreme seemed a simple enough thing in her mind. She headed to the place in the castle where people studied magic since that seemed as likely a place to start as any. Fortunately, she can recall what he looks like since she'd spent days before arriving here plotting to "borrow" his time stone from the past. And he had a very distinctive look. She's pretty sure she wouldn't have that hard a time picking him out of a crowd.

So she starts in the study areas, with plans to head to the library and then spread out from there if her first two stops don't reveal her quarry. And maybe asking nearby mages if they've seen him, if worse comes to worst. Of course, she has no idea how many of them know who Stephen Strange is, so that might not help her as much as she hopes. Maybe she'll be lucky and he'll hear his name on the aether or something. Magic works like that, right? ]

[It seems that the name Stephen Strange carries some recognition around the castle, especially as she wanders closer to his usual haunts, which have certain mages raising their eyebrows and nodding their heads when she asks. They tell her that he can usually be found doing research—though some of the areas are restricted, and she’ll just have to wait for him—or if not there, the library. Beyond that, he’s probably gone to find somewhere to meditate.

One of the younger mages shakes his head. No, I think I saw him at the stables just a moment ago.

Seems a strange place (no pun intended) to stumble across the ex-Sorcerer Supreme, but one might assume he has urgent business that brings him there. And should Natasha trek just outside the castle, where a few free-standing, smaller buildings exist within its walls, she will find one neurosurgeon-turned-sorcerer riding a large mare back to the stable entrance — he’s hard to miss, with grey streaks at his temples and a red cloak at his back. A stablehand walks up to him, taking the horse by the reins as he dismounts.

His boots hit the ground and he grimaces, bent over with his hands on his knees. Getting used to it yet? the stablehand muses with a vague grin, leading the horse back within.]

My ass still hurts so, no. I’m going to say probably not just yet.

[He calls back, wry as ever, not having recognized anyone else approaching just yet.]

[there is nothing for natasha to explore in wanda's space because it is just that: a labyrinthine forest. there is no real rhyme or reason to the paths on the ground, and whenever she starts thinking she's getting somewhere, it leads to a dead end or more seemingly endless green.

then a raven swoops in, landing on a branch near her. it croons at her, waits to be noticed, and then it hops onto another branch.

a little raven friend.

it looks back, at her, sees that she is following, and continues hopping onto another branch, and then another. once it has made sure that natasha is following along, it starts gliding through the terrain, until it leads the woman to a bridge, and then to a set of stairs that lead to a house by an incline.

wanda stands by the porch, raises a hand in a wave hello, as the raven swoops up to wait for natasha at the top of the stairs.]

Edited 2022-11-28 16:21 (UTC)

[ So the wild goose chase to locate the Sorcerer Supreme did, in fact, take far longer than Natasha anticipated. Still, she got to see parts of the castle she hadn't yet gotten to poke her nose into and met a variety of mages in the process, some more chatty than others. So it wasn't a complete loss.

And it was also completely worth it to get to witness this spectacle, although she does her best to stifle a laugh behind her hand as she approaches, amusement glinting in her gaze. ]

Tough learning curve, I take it?

[ She actually hadn't realized it was Wanda's space. At least, not until the persistent raven finds her and she pauses, recalling Wanda's words. Not bothering to hide a bemused smile at finding out that comment had been quite literal, she follows the creature, letting it lead her through the forest and to... somewhere, she hopes?

Or this could just be a random bird and Natasha is about to become even more lost than when she started.

Fortunately, however, a house eventually comes into view and a familiar figure waits by the porch. Lifting her hand in a return wave, she climbs the stairs to join Wanda, casting her a crooked grin as she approaches. ]

You know, I don't think you made it secluded enough. I think you need a few more acres of woods, at the very least. Maybe an actual maze. A yeti or two?

[wanda expects the comments, snarky but without bite. it's all that prepares her to hold back on her own smile.]

There might be a Bigfoot somewhere there. [it's a joke—from an inside joke. who knows what happens in the forest, wanda certainly doesn't go through it a lot.

the raven that guided natasha through caws at them, hopping ever closer to them over the railing.

these ravens of hers are very particular. it's never the same one helping out strangers who get lost with purpose, and they're always hoping for a reward.] He's looking for a name, if you feel like giving him one.

[the caw that follows is quieter, head turning to wanda, as if agreeing. but natasha doesn't need to do that straight away. instead, wanda motions towards the front door, leading the other woman inside, into a home that features all seeming aspects of a hectic eastern european home—clutter and bookshelves spilling with baubles and tchotchkes, patterned rugs that lay atop each other, narrow spiral stairs and even narrower hallways, the walls a canvas for framed portraits and paintings of nothing quite in particular.]

I know I said that the Horizon is like a dream, but... [she points up the stairs] I have tea.

He doesn't have one?

[ Natasha holds out a hand to the curious raven and lets him hop over to perch there, smiling when the raven ruffles and then preens from his new perch. He's lighter than she expected and she strokes a finger down the dark feathers with a smile.

Since he seems content to remain there for the moment, she carries him inside, following Wanda and letting her gaze sweep over the interior of her home here, drinking in the sights and the cozy atmosphere of home that seems to emanate from everything. ]

Some tea would be nice, thank you. At least, I think it would be. I'm assuming we can still taste things even if we're... not really here?

[it's unsurprising that the raven would grow fond of those they choose to be fond of, and wanda just smiles as natasha takes to it with the ease of someone willing to take on a new challenge.

inside, at least, they're devoid of the chill of the passing seasons. the door closes on its own behind natasha, and up the creaky stairs they go.]

Taste, touch— everything feels almost exactly as it would outside the Horizon. Except you won't actually have eaten anything.

[up a hallway and further into this home with too many doors and too many corners with small secrets. there are a myriad of pictures on frames on the shelves, but one will unequivocally stand out. wanda is hardly aware of where it is, but someone as detailed-focus as natasha might notice.

the raven caws.]

Yeah, I got a treat for you, too.

[ She's taking in everything as she follows Wanda up the stairs and down the hall, because this is an entirely new insight into aspects of Wanda. She suspects she could spend days poking here and there in this place and still not see everything interesting there is to see. It makes her smile, because that strikes her as very Wanda in itself.

Of course then she catches sight of someone else familiar in one of the frames and freezes as she pauses in front of it. Takes in the pair standing happily together. And the two small boys grinning brightly in front of them.

She feels her heart stutter as she reaches out to brush her fingers over the glass, trying to understand what she was seeing. Vision... he'd been gone beyond all repair, as far as Natasha knew and either way, she's fairly certain enough time hadn't passed for Wanda to have lived a life like this, raising their sons to this age. Although there's so much contentment in this one single shot that she aches with it.

Was this real? Somehow? Or just a deep wish of Wanda's?

She glances over her shoulder at the other woman, having completely lost track of what the other woman was saying while lost in her own thoughts. Unsure if Wanda had seen what snagged her attention so thoroughly. ]

[the crow caws one more time and, at natasha pausing, swoops up onto the uppermost shelf to look down at them, tilting its head curiously. wanda takes notice, turning back and— slowly coming to the realization of what framed photo it is. just like many things in her horizon that exist without her permission—the statues of the darkhold castle, the echoes of her loved ones in the graveyard she's put together—so is this small thing she's never quite noticed before until now.

walking back, standing beside natasha, she looks at the picture.]

I came back and Vision was gone. [this feels like something rehearsed, something she has said many times before.] I found his body being dismantled, and I was given something he had for me. A property lease, to grow old in.

[her lips are a thin line as she crosses her arms, holds them close to herself.]

I went to see the place — and... it struck me how I hadn't just lost him. I lost a future, a life.

[she would be safe, she would be loved. wanda sighs, looking over at natasha. there is more to this, but it's clearly something that weighs heavy on her, as can be heard in how tight her voice sounds. wanda motions to the other end of the hallway.]

—the kitchen's this way.

Edited 2022-11-28 21:31 (UTC)

[ She listens, feeling the warmth of Wanda's presence at her side as they both take in the image. What it represents.

There's a story here. One she suspects will start filling in the holes that have baffled her since first bumping into Wanda in Nocwich. Pieces she's missing if she wants to see the bigger picture here. Because she wants to understand.

So she listens, hears the emotion laced so heavily into every word, and can't help but reach out and soothe a hand against Wanda's spine in silent comfort. She's become more tactile in the past few years - her past few years - so that might stand out as different to someone who had known her Before, although it had always been easy to be affectionate with Wanda.

Natasha nods at the motion, already turning to accompany her, leaving the photo behind. It wasn't as if she was likely to forget that anytime soon, anyway. ]

If this is how today's going to go, maybe we should start with something heavier than tea. [ It's said jokingly, her lips quirking up at one corners in a sardonic smile, but she follows Wanda into the kitchen all the same. ] Need any help?

[the kitchen itself is a narrow space, and it feels crowded even with the two of them. the crow follows, perches itself over the top of the fridge with a smooth glide of its wings. it seems that it will be accompanying them throughout, no rush to head back outside.

wanda grabs a handful of nuts from inside a far, reaching up and stretching to put them over the top of the fridge.

there's a kettle with water that she places over the stove to heat up, but — at natasha's gentle tease, wanda reaches for a bottle inside a top shelf. was it there prior to now? who knows. she just remembers her parents would keep the liquor on the top cupboards so she and pietro could never reach them.

this bottle, though, it's the usual.]

Vodka? I got pálinka, too. [but that's just her.] Or anything else you'd like.

Pálinka. Now there is something I haven’t had in a very long time. Let’s have that, if you like? Unless this feels more like a vodka day. I’ll leave that to your discretion.

[ She still had no idea what she was actually walking into here, after all.

She slides onto one of the stools by the window, peering out at the view beyond. It makes her smile as she glances back over at Wanda. ]

It’s beautiful here. I can see why you like it so much.

[His attention is dragged towards that voice — not quite familiar enough to be wholly familiar, but just surprising enough to widen his eyes. Stephen flicks his gaze up, spotting Natasha approaching with amusement barely hidden behind a hand. The sorcerer’s mind whirs a mile a minute, seeking a clever reply as he straightens with a frown, rolling his shoulders back.]

I was told I wasn’t a true rider until I started walking bowlegged.

[You know, like something out of a western, despite their very medieval fantasy setting.]

Rogers told me you were here.

[He would be a lot more surprised, otherwise, probably left gawking for a few seconds, slower to recover. Stephen’s glad he was spared that embarrassment, too, since it’s not like her first impression of him here in Abraxas was particularly eloquent as he complained about a sore backside.

Stephen walks forward to close the space in between them, willing (unsuccessfully) the stiffness in his gait away.]

I was going to go looking for you, but it seems like you found me first. Taking in the sights?

I'm not sure that skill level's a worthwhile trade, if that's the case. [ Her eyes gives a pointed drop down to his lower half before meeting his gaze again with a faint smirk. ]

Steve always was terrible at keeping secrets. [ And he's still a terrible liar, at least as far as she knows. But she's grinning as she props her hands on her hips and lets him come to her. ] I was looking for you, actually. Steve told me you were here, but so did everyone else I ran into, so I thought it wiser to seek you out sooner rather than later.

[ She spares a glance around their surroundings before giving him a knowing look. ] There's a lot I need to catch up on, it seems. Both here and elsewhere. Care to help me with that?

[ Which really is an understatement. She's so far out of her element in this place already that it's laughable. Or it would be, if it weren't her new reality. And considering she's arrived with the Factions already impatient for war, from what she hears, she has little time to waste. ]

[wanda sets the bottle of vodka to the side, reaching inside the fridge to grab a convenient bottle of apricot pálinka. she grabs two glasses from a cupboard, and sets it down by the windowsill, taking a seat, too.]

I worked on the house and its details, but— out there?

[she serves one glass, filling it a few inches from the brim, and then the other.]

I let my magic do as it wanted. I have no idea how the forest has decided to grow. There are spots I haven't been to at all.

[but it is beautiful, calming. almost like a cabin one rents out in the mountainside, when one needs a break from civilization. the autumnal colors of the tree leaves paint a picture worth remembering, the mist that blankets the canopy adding a familiarity to the more temperate climates they might be more used to.

she sets the bottle down on the side, grabs at her glass, and, quietly—]

Na zdravie.

[—clinking their glasses together before taking a sip. pálinka isn't meant to be downed as a shot, so wanda just enjoys the flavor, nose crinkling a touch.]

...Tommy and Billy. [she offers, knowing that natasha will be able to connect the dots easily enough.] Tommy was born first. We weren't expecting twins, so Billy was a surprise.

[wanda knows, too, that questions are bound to follow.]

Edited 2022-11-29 04:07 (UTC)

[ She echoes the words, clinking her glass against Wanda's with a smile as she savors the first sip with a contented sound. She lets the quiet fall between them for a moment, because this entire place seems to have that sort of atmosphere about it.

But she's listening intently when Wanda does choose to speak again. For a moment, she stares out into the woods, cataloging what she wants to say and how to say it. But when she glances over at Wanda, it's with a small smile and a fond look in her eye. ]

Will you tell me about them?

[ A request, one purposefully worded. If it's too painful for Wanda to speak of them, she won't press. But if she feels open to sharing a peek into that life, Natasha is happy to listen. ]

[—has anyone ever asked her to talk about them? what they were like? no, not really. somehow, this much strikes a chord for wanda, and although her expression falls a little, she is quick to find her words.]

Tommy's the one with long hair. He — had freckles over his nose, chubby cheeks. Billy had dimples, and his teeth would show when he smiled. [wanda smiles, too, remembering, just for a moment, before she closes her eyes and swallows—as if trying to remember them just as they were. her eyes open again.] They chose me to be their mom.

[looking up at natasha, there are tears bordering her eyes, threatening to spill, but wanda braces herself, unblinking.]

I know that what you did, you did with love, for our sakes. [and she hates that there's a but.] But I came back, and I found out about what I lost with Vision dying, and I — I wanted to be dead. I couldn't bear it. My powers, my magic, it created a world for me where I could be with Vis, live the life he wanted us to have. My boys were born there, with my magic, but they chose me, Nat.

[your sons are not real, wanda.]

They were real to me.

[a desperate plea, (a desperate echo).]

[ Magic is not her in her realm of expertise, not by a long shot. She can't explain it, wouldn't even know where to begin in understanding it, so when Wanda says her magic did such a thing, was capable of making this, Natasha believes her and doesn't question it much.

How could she, when she'd traveled back through time and across space, only to die on an alien planet nine years in her past? She was well past the point of expecting anything in the universe to make actual sense.

But that desperation in Wanda's voice is real and she leans forward on her stool, foot hooked around one of the rungs for balance, and cupped Wanda's cheek with one hand.

She wasn't sure why Wanda thought she wouldn't believe her?

But oh, those words, how they cut deep, and there's a jagged flash of pain as she hears them echoed - not in Wanda's voice but in Yelena's. It was real to me! And she has to close her eyes for a moment, choking back that emotion, because that's another time, a different sort of loss. A grief she hasn't yet had a chance to come to terms with. ]

Of course they were. I'm the last person to doubt the things you could accomplish with your magic, Wanda. I don't understand it, but I didn't exactly understand all the time travel science either. That didn't make it any less real.

I saw that smile, when you spoke of them a moment ago. That was one of the few truly happy smiles I've seen on your face in the time I've been here. Of course they chose you, Wanda. They're lucky to have a mother who loves so deeply.

[natasha doesn't know that with her magic so much more powerful now, she can easily cut through the noise and pinpoint thoughts and emotions without even trying. wanda knows that what she's said brings to the surface something painful, something natasha has kept to herself, and wanda needs not look at her face to know so.

is it selfish, to focus on herself when all of them have suffered so much loss? maybe her puzzle is the biggest one to put together right now.

wanda places her hand over natasha's, lets the warmth seep through. touch feels like the real thing in the horizon; this much must be felt. it brings to question why wanda would ever have thought natasha of all people wouldn't believe her? if anything, she's the one who's always held them together, with humanity and compassion running so deep, it made wanda forget any doubts or fear she may have felt at any given point.

except there's one thing—]

They don't exist anymore. My spell was broken, so I'd never be able to... anchor them to the real world even after undoing it. [a pause—for the explanation to come—pulling herself and her hand away, just to take another sip of the pálinka.] You— you know that thing you and Steve asked me to never do? Using my powers to control the minds of others?

[her fingers roll the glass a bit, nervous.]

For this life to work, I needed actors. I needed people to play the roles of the perfect neighbors of the perfect suburban neighborhood.

[she shakes her head.]

It had been days when I realized what was happening. So, I let them go.

Edited 2022-11-29 13:13 (UTC)

Were you supposed to be a secret? You'd have been a hard one to keep, considering we all share a castle.

[Within the confines of the castle walls and town just beyond it, it's hard not to see familiar faces, day by day. He does not doubt that Natasha would have been one of them, eventually — she does stand out in the way most Summoned do, though Stephen assumes that’s more due to being new than anything else.

He casts a look around.]

Sure. Of course. There’s plenty to see around here, so let’s walk and talk.

[He turns partway and gestures for her to follow. He imagines she doesn’t want to linger near the stables too long, and Stephen’s had his fill of this place for now. He needs to stretch his legs, get them back into working, non-hobbling order.]

So, catching up on “elsewhere”. What’s the, uh…. [Stephen pauses, trying his best not to let an awkward pause slot itself in-between.] Last thing you remember from home?

[ There's a lot to unpack there. A lot that Wanda leaves unspoken. But Natasha pieces together what she can. It's clear, in the nervous way Wanda admits all this that she's expecting Natasha to be angry, or perhaps just disapproving.

But there's no denying Wanda knows her actions were wrong - she wouldn't be acknowledging that she broke those rules she and Steve had set down so long ago. And on its own, it would indeed be a grave misuse of the powers she had.

But there's a truth there in her phrasing that, while it doesn't absolve her actions, changes the perspective of what may have happened here. A thread Natasha tugs at, to see if she's understanding this correctly. ]

It was your magic that spun out this spell? Something subconscious or written out of your need and grief. [ That's not so hard for her to see. She had five years of seeing exactly what grief could make a person do. How desperate it could make one's actions.

So she talks this through, trying to piece together what she can see happening, to the Wanda she'd once known. ] I'm assuming you got lost in it, because it felt real. You needed it to be real and you were happy there. [ The picture had been evidence of that. They'd all been happy. ]

But you're too smart for even your own magic to fool your for long. Your own mind to trick you with what isn't. So you unraveled it. You figured out what was going on and you stopped it.

[ But oh, that meant...

Natasha searches Wanda's face, aching for her. ]

You broke your own spell.

[ And lost them all over again. ]

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Page 1 of 5

[Open] this doesn't look like a party

[OTA] Thorne

[OTA] Horizon

[OTA] Nocwich

[Closed] For Stephen

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