( when wanda had bumped into lucina on her way to her motorcycle, it took surprisingly a short amount of time to convince the other about coming with her to the warehouse rave. wanda had heard some buzz about the rave from some people at the thrift store, and it reminded her of the ones she attended to as a teenager; of those makeshift ones put together for entertainment, to forget about the woes of the civil unrest. she's dressed for it, in some ways excited that she gets to make use of the clothes that she had gotten at the mall last month.
(exciting and strange, too, turning back to her motel room with lucina in tow to lend her some more rave-appropriate clothes that she may have liked.) )
You've never been to one before?
( wanda parks her motorcycle, looking back at lucina, and then checks her cross-body bag, looking around to make sure she'll have enough joolies for both herself and lucina. phone, wallet... she tosses her keys in.
alright.
they step off, and wanda notices a group of people walking in the direction of a warehouse. that's probably where it is. )
It's a lot of music and dancing to it. ( quickly, she adds, ) You can dance however you wantβno one really cares.
[ Wanda's kindness knows no bounds, considering what Lucina "liked" earned her a blank look before she was gently directed elsewhere. Not to say she's unhappy with the clothes she's ended up in — the colors and the plaid complimenting her hair rather than clashing terribly — it's just different. There's a silly, girlish thrill that comes with clothes that are neither armored or practical. Not entirely unlike the frilly dresses the aides tried to put her in once upon a time, except she's come full circle around to missing them again, in a way.
It is a little difficult to leave the Falchion in the car, though. ]
No. [ The whole thing sounds more Inigo's speed than her's. Honestly, he'd balk if he ever found out that this was how she was spending her free time — but she's here now, isn't she? What else is she going to do with idle evenings in a world that no longer has a war to fight in? She has an entire childhood and adolescence to catch up on, or so she's trying to tell herself, even as the music gets louder that she can feel it at the center of her very chest.
She considers bringing up that there was the occasional dancing in taverns back in Ylisse, just that she hasn't really seen them herself — except Wanda decides to rock her entire world instead. ]
— However I'd like? [ There's a tiny little stutter to her step, there-and-gone, before she continues to walk. Her head turns to Wanda. Back to the building. A long look at line that's filing into the door, one at at time, before she looks back to Wanda. ] ... Are there no steps? [ And here she thought she'd have to dig up her old ballroom knowledge... ( Girl, at this tempo? ) ]
( once she finds the joolies she's going to need in her bag, wanda zips it closed and keeps the notes in her jacket's pocket, giving a glance at lucina. they've made it to the back of the line, the spot behind them quick filling up with more people lining up to wait to get in. the music sounds louder, an exciting thrum of drum and bass. )
Yeahβ?
( it reminds her of the first time she went to one of these makeshift raves, an event she hadn't been initially keen of, before pietro warmed her up to the idea. her own insecurities, worries, on how exactly she was supposed to participate when she felt a stranger in her own skin.
teenager problems.
well, lucina did admit she's never been to one of these before. )
I'll show you. You can copy what I do.
( weirdly, she is echoing what pietro had told her, in the very many new things he pushed them to try to make their lives a little brighter in war-torn novi grad.
she pushes some of her hair behind an ear. )
I've been to a few of these before, so β you can stick close.
[ At least the music isn't a culture shock — she's been making huge strides on that front. Granted, most of the things that were picked out for her at the mall were at least a decade older than whatever's playing here, but music made from electricity isn't a foreign concept anymore. Baby steps. The volume reminds her of the cars that occasionally race past her in Panorama, music blaring from their speakers.
Jury's out on if she'll like the whole experience ( again, it says something that Inigo would have loved this ). But it means something that Wanda took the time to invite her, made sure she'd look the part of the reckless and wild youths. You can copy what I do is a reassurance that she's never felt before, you can stick close she simultaneously finds to be a lifetime and something wholly unnecessary. ( A glimpse into whatever life Wanda led before she was unceremoniously dropped here, and getting to learn about her in itself makes the time here valuable. )
So to that logic: ]
Is it something you enjoyed back home? [ Though it doesn't look like Wanda has a ton of time to answer that question; the line is moving shockingly fast, and they're nearly at the front...! ]
( the line is starting to move fast because it's just a matter of getting people through, letting the floodgates open to get people on the floor dancing and spending joolies on the drinks and food. wanda pays for the two of them, minding the question but not answering, as they are ushered inside.
inside, a cool blue glow from the lights seeps around them, a soft-tempo playing as the stage for the music groups is getting the last of its system set up.
wanda leads them towards one of the many stands that are selling drinks. )
Do you want something? Some water?
( no way she would push lucina to drink something stronger if this is her first time in this kind of event. )
I'd come to these kind of things with my brother a lot. I don't know how similar it'll be here, but... ( she calls out to the bartender once he comes around to pay attention to them. ) Hey! Two water bottles β thanks.
[ It's just as wondrous inside as the whole concept of it has been. Low lights save for the occasional concentrated flashes, fog that exists to purposely obscure vision, the mingling of bodies without suspicion. Definitely nothing like a night at the tavern, let alone anything else she's ever seen in her entire life. Not even drinks with Logan, as cramped as that bar had been, could compare to this.
She follows her over to the stand, eyes darting from one end of the rave to the other ( notes exits, where the density of crowds are highest, the spots the flashing lights don't reach ). Her posture is ... better suited for someone who is about to walk into battle than someone who's going to dance for the next few hours, but she's trying. Probably. She breathes and tries to relax her shoulders a little bit.
— There's no doubt Wanda's at ease with all of this, though. It's nice to see. Making a note to be louder than the music: ] Is he older or younger? [ She has a sneaking suspicion that her ( undetermined, ambiguous ) sibling would enjoy something like this, too. Maybe. ]
( she answers the question easily enough, taking hold of the water bottles, and turning to offer one to lucina. it sounds like she's going to add something else, but there's a pause, as she steels herself intoβ )
By twelve minutes. Used to be, anyway.
( βa bit of a joke, perhaps? morbid as it may be, should it click with lucina, the fact that pietro used to be older than her a determiner for his fate. regardless, wanda is already looking around for the next place to be, though a glance at the big speakers tells her that might be too much for lucina. )
Comfortable with crowds, or do you want more space for now?
( wanda has come to find out that the rave takes place in the same warehouse every friday; an exchange of phone numbers with some of the other rave-goers after her first time there keeps her in the loop of such news. after the fact, she can't really remember who they were, names or faces, but she does know that they were nice, very friendly.
besides, there was something entirely too soothing about the event, and for once it felt like she didn't have to think too hard about herself, the world, everythingβ
and so she is here again, three fridays deep, eyes closed and thumping her head to the music, swaying with it, joining small groups of people who are together between song sets. wanda eats a little, soothes her thirst with some of the drinks, and 11pm turns very quickly into the early hours of the morning. past experiences have taught her that heading out when the event ends isn't the best, so about half an hour later, she's bouncing out.
wanda stumbles out of the warehouse, into the cool outside air, boots heavy on the ground as she dazedly looks inside her cross-body bag for her keys. the music still plays loudly behind the doors she came out of, and so she hums it, distractedly, not entirely looking at where she's walking. )
[ Cassian's partying days have long come and gone. At least, that's what it feels like. Going to a rave, any kind of party, had stopped becoming fun and using it as an excuse to escape from things.
After everything that had happened - with Aldhani, with Niamos, with Ferrix and Narkina 5 - Cassian's appetite for any kind of celebration or party had been non-existent. It would be too extreme to say that parties and raves were a trigger for him. Rather, he simply didn't find any semblance of entertainment in it anymore so why would he bother?
Which means that the only reason he'd make his way out here at all is because he's worried about someone. Wanda had texted him several times throughout the night and while that isn't out of the ordinary, the tone of the texts had been.
He hadn't dressed for the occasion - he'd tossed on a white t-shirt and jeans. There's no point to after all. He was only coming to pick her up. It doesn't take him long to find her. ]
( wanda stops walking when she hears her name being called, and it's cassian at a relatively close distance. in the process, she pulls out her hand for her bag, only to toss about, accidentally, her keysβlosing them somewhere in the dark.
(they're a few steps away from her feet.) )
Huh?
( she doesn't remember texting cassian, and even if she (vaguely) did, she won't remember asking him to come collect her. it confuses her for a moment, and after she's slept and pushed through whatever hangover will be waiting for her, wanda will be mortified and embarrassed.
right now? she's keeping her head down, holding her hair with her hands, as she looks about for her keys. it's not a very successful endeavor...
driving herself back shouldn't be what she chooses to do at this point. )
[ Wanda throwing her keys earns a raised brow from him. He really didn't think that he'd spoken that loudly but he stays silent, choosing not to tease her. This time.
Instead he steps forward, ready to help her look for them in case she can't (even though they're more or less right in front of her feet, glinting in the lights that escape the warehouse every time someone exits).
Unsurprisingly he finds them much faster than her. ]
Here.
[ And though he'll hold them out to her he doesn't relinquish his grip. ]
( wanda goes to reach for her keys, but though she grabs at them and tries to jostle them out of cassian's hands, he doesn't let go. she's confused for a moment, not understanding why he's making this an imperative, and why she isn't allowed to just drive back.
her hand stays tapped onto his until she ultimately gives up, drawing her hand away and crossing her arms. )
[ His tone leaves little room to think that she can argue her way out of this one. And from the expression on his face he looks very much like he'll use his own stubborn force and sheer will to ensure that she doesn't drive home on her own. ]
We'll take your car. Where is it?
[ He'd figure out how to come back for his. Maybe hitch a ride from someone else back here - that's probably the most possible solution. ]
( she mumbles, before turning on her heel to spin around on her axis, looking about, as if she were to turn back around and cassian wouldn't present an obstacle to her anymore. she didn't drink herself silly, actually, but the dosage of calming effects from the rave lulls her to such a relaxed state, she might as wellβ
wanda stumbles a little as she aligns herself again, but tries her hardest to regain her balance, only just putting her hands up to show that she doesn't need help. )
( the second time around that wanda comes to the rave, she's on her own. parking her motorcycle some ways away (it's already full closer to the warehouse), she's making her way down the street and around the corner, between parked cars and vans, until she spots a very familiar one.
it's the grim reaper with the red electric guitar drawing on the side.
with a skip in her step, wanda heads up and around, hearing tinkering at the back, and towards the open doors. )
You're here, too.
( the one-armed guy she met at acreage... milo, or something. )
[Considering Nero's never in his life been in a rave, he can't quite answer why he's here. He just saw a crowd of cars driving in one direction and decided to pull the van over, U-turn, and follow them. Why not?
What he's expecting isn't a warehouse, and it isn't thumping music. It piques his interest, more because demons always tend to pop up wherever humans are congregating. And there's a hell of a lot of people here. Only thing he wasn't considering was they'd make him pay to get in: a guy holds up a hand, stopping him before he goes in.
With a sigh, Nero heads back to his van. All the way back to it, to grab some of the joolies he got from the Dome before he got kicked out. It's been enough to last him for a bit, but he's gonna have to find something around here to get more. As the days pass, it's clear demons might not be this world's biggest problem.
Which isn't great news, but... is? Just gives him nothing to do.
He manages to park a bit out from the warehouse, sitting and working on the final screws in the wall for the shelf that's gonna hold up Red Queen while he's gone. Figured they're not gonna be up for him bringing the blade in, and he's gotta lock her up so raiders don't break in (again).
Last thing he's expecting is someone to pull up on him. He curves one last piece of metal bar and shoves it through the end of the shelf and Queen's hilt, locking her in place. Gonna have to be at least strong as him to make off with her.]
Hey, orchard girl. [He gives a wave, moving to the end of his van.] You been in yet? Sort of my first time. Not sure what to expect.
[Besides loud music and bad dancing, which he's likely to contribute to. Not the worst place he's been.]
( figures that they didn't really exchange names, but managed to work comfortably with one another before in acreage. wanda feels comfortable enough, even now, that she leans in and looks inside of the van and how he is placing his sword on the shelf. unsurprisingly, it's an important thing to him, but he can't go all over the city with it in tow. )
First time?
( at that, she leans back, looking him over for a moment. he looks her age... but there could be multiple reasons why someone's never been to a rave before. the way he said it also makes her think he isn't talking about just this one experience in panorama.
wanda presses back against one of the open van doors. )
It's just a lot of music, people dancing. It's weirdly soothing.
( not her first rodeo in this specific rave event. she shrugs a shoulder, pushes a hand inside her skirt's pocket. )
[Names don't really matter when they're getting the job done, and he sort of likes the ring of "orchard girl". Look, she's cool, and -- honestly, Nero's surprised by it, but she seems cool with him, too, which doesn't really happen often, out of nowhere.
Guess it's easier to meet people when you're not covered in blood and toting around a revolver. Not that he doesn't miss the weight of Blue Rose like hell.
Weirdly soothing, huh? Something about the pounding music and the flashing lights doesn't really signal soothing, but he's up for anything. Besides, he's here in case demons show up, not to enjoy himself. (Maybe enjoy himself a little.)
Nero gives a noncommital shrug with one shoulder, which is the cool guy's way of responding to a question he doesn't want to answer so easily.] Not saying I need one. Saying company wouldn't be the worst.
( it takes her a moment to decipher what he is saying and how he is saying it, settling on understand that, much like herself, he's the kind of guy who would be a little bit contrarian just to not say entirely how he feels.
she shrugs, too, and smacks playfully at his loose sleeve, taking a step to the side so that he can close the doors of the van once he's done. )
I need a buddy. ( she won't be contrarian for the both of them. ) Do you have the joolies for it? It's at a pretty decent price.
( the weather is miserable, with its dry heat and a blazing sun, so it begs the question as to why wanda would take on a job that puts her outside. she's wearing baseball cap on her head, hair tied up, and a baggy flannel shirt to protect her from the sun's raysβall while equipping a paint roller in hand and painting over the recently-fixed wall of a store. since she gets to do it alone, she will be getting double the joolies, so she isn't complaining about it.
she pushes the roller up and down, going over the wall in sections. when she's done with the area she can reach, wanda takes a break from the painting to push a step ladder around so she can work on the hard-to-reach parts closer to the roof, too.
thankfully it's a muted paint color, so it isn't hurting her eyes with the reflection of the sunlight.
once in a while she makes eye contact with people going down the sidewalk or parking their vehicles nearby, and only if she knows them does she nod or wave at them in greeting. once in a while, she takes a break, too, stepping off the ladder to where her bag is, by the buckets of paint, to grab at her water bottle... which is emptying pretty quickly. )
( Charles spotted Wanda a little earlier from a distance while he went into a nearby store. He saw she was working so didn't want to disturb her and something else to do, but he's out and rolling up towardher when she's taking a break. And what does he have with him? A bottle of water, a gesture considering this is exactly what she did for him when they first met.
He has settled into life here far better since then, when he was alone and struggling to even feed himself. With the help of others, he survived long enough to get a job and have his own room, so he's thriving. Not the way he's used to, and that will never happen here, but enough that his pride isn't hanging on by a tattered strand.
Charles has spoken to Erik about Wanda, having found her mental shields impressive and confusing when they first met, and Erik filled in details about her more from there. He recently spoke to the X-Men about their situation here and this seems almost like serendipity to spot her the next day.)
Hello, Wanda. Please take this, it's hot out here.
( Charles found a tweed hat at the mall that works for him and his somewhat preppy fashion sense.)
( she's digging through her bag, hoping to find another water bottle, because surely she must have brought another one, only to come up empty-handedβbut for the offering of one water bottle proper, from charles. her eyes rise up to meet him, and then she's reaching forward for it, not getting up from her knees. )
Thanks.
( given that she has been on her own, painting for the past hour or so, she has found no need to try and block anything off with her mind. the process of painting has been soothing though, with it being almost mechanical and following a pattern.
wanda fixes at her hat, pushing it up a bit as she rises to her feet, opening up the bottleβ )
Nice hat.
( βand take a few gulps from it to satiate her thirst. )
( Charles did not mean to bump up against her shields the first time they met but his telepathy was a little out of control. He didn't press, of course, that has never been his way, but he saw them. Now he notes they're down because he can't feel them but doesn't do anything other than sense that. Erik has clued him in on several details about Wanda, including their somewhat suspicion that she and her brother Pietro have some strange other worldly connection to Peter Maximoff, perhaps.)
Thank you. I've become quite good at pilfering clothes from my travels.
( Traveling has become an almost indulgence for him since Charles hasn't gotten to drive in years, and he's curious enough to find himself in places he didn't expect. He's getting good at finding things to sell too, an industrious instinct that he's never had to have before as a rich man. The hat suits him with his white pants and violet button-up shirt. )
Wanda, I must admit I have been hoping to bump into you again. For a few reasons. One is that it seems you've met my dear friend Erik, and he's spoken highly of you.
( Charles and Erik are more than friends these days, but he's not speaking of that in public at this point in time, and it's purposely a private affair. But him and Erik being best friends has never been a secret, nor will it ever be in his opinion.)
He thought perhaps I should mention that I have supernatural abilities to you.
( taking another swig from the water, wanda brings the bottle down a touch, keeping the cool water inside her mouth, as she listens to what charles is saying. the 'pilfering' clothes comment goes untouched, the latter admission drawing an amount of bemused understanding to her.
the idea of erik speaking highly of her feels like an exaggeration, though she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit to the warmth she feels that erik's talk about her at all. it's β an odd, friendly situation she has found herself in, with the older man, one of feeling comfortable and, in a way, safe, around him. )
This feels like an ambush.
( is what she says, after swallowing the water she kept in her mouth. there is no sense of contempt nor combativeness, though. for now, she repeats what she's been told by a few people, about charles, about what mutants are. )
You're a mutant. I know your kind have powers.
( something tells her that perhaps erik, this dear friend of charles's, might have told on her. she wonders, though, why it doesn't really upset her. wanda leans against a dry, unpainted portion of the wall, shoulder against the solid surface. )
I apologize if that's how it comes off. Our intentions are well-meant, I assure you.
( That doesn't mean that they're good automatically but Charles isn't coming from a place where he's trying to catch her in anything. He isn't defensive though, everyone has their own way of reacting to things, and given that Erik said she was experimented on, she has her reasons.)
Yes, I am. Erik and I are both what one might call leaders in the mutant community.
( Charles on the good side, Erik on the other. But he would say Erik's as much of one as he is. He led his own team, to ruin, but so did Charles. He knows in his future he has one too, also to ruin, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, they both gather mutants to them, and they take the mutant cause very seriously.)
I ran a school for mutants. It was for general education, but also for mutants to learn how to use their abilities and become comfortable with them. Some ended up being on a superhero team called the X-Men. If you've met men named Scott and Logan, they were on my team.
( Charles doesn't know everyone that she's spoken to but the two of them seem to be getting out there and making friends, so it doesn't hurt to bring that up. If she has met them and has a good opinion, it might make her warm up to the idea.)
I'm a telepath. So you can guess why Erik thought we may have something to talk about.
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⬑ PANORAMA Λ LUCINA Λ
(exciting and strange, too, turning back to her motel room with lucina in tow to lend her some more rave-appropriate clothes that she may have liked.) )
You've never been to one before?
( wanda parks her motorcycle, looking back at lucina, and then checks her cross-body bag, looking around to make sure she'll have enough joolies for both herself and lucina. phone, wallet... she tosses her keys in.
alright.
they step off, and wanda notices a group of people walking in the direction of a warehouse. that's probably where it is. )
It's a lot of music and dancing to it. ( quickly, she adds, ) You can dance however you wantβno one really cares.
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It is a little difficult to leave the Falchion in the car, though. ]
No. [ The whole thing sounds more Inigo's speed than her's. Honestly, he'd balk if he ever found out that this was how she was spending her free time — but she's here now, isn't she? What else is she going to do with idle evenings in a world that no longer has a war to fight in? She has an entire childhood and adolescence to catch up on, or so she's trying to tell herself, even as the music gets louder that she can feel it at the center of her very chest.
She considers bringing up that there was the occasional dancing in taverns back in Ylisse, just that she hasn't really seen them herself — except Wanda decides to rock her entire world instead. ]
— However I'd like? [ There's a tiny little stutter to her step, there-and-gone, before she continues to walk. Her head turns to Wanda. Back to the building. A long look at line that's filing into the door, one at at time, before she looks back to Wanda. ] ... Are there no steps? [ And here she thought she'd have to dig up her old ballroom knowledge... ( Girl, at this tempo? ) ]
no subject
Yeahβ?
( it reminds her of the first time she went to one of these makeshift raves, an event she hadn't been initially keen of, before pietro warmed her up to the idea. her own insecurities, worries, on how exactly she was supposed to participate when she felt a stranger in her own skin.
teenager problems.
well, lucina did admit she's never been to one of these before. )
I'll show you. You can copy what I do.
( weirdly, she is echoing what pietro had told her, in the very many new things he pushed them to try to make their lives a little brighter in war-torn novi grad.
she pushes some of her hair behind an ear. )
I've been to a few of these before, so β you can stick close.
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Jury's out on if she'll like the whole experience ( again, it says something that Inigo would have loved this ). But it means something that Wanda took the time to invite her, made sure she'd look the part of the reckless and wild youths. You can copy what I do is a reassurance that she's never felt before, you can stick close she simultaneously finds to be a lifetime and something wholly unnecessary. ( A glimpse into whatever life Wanda led before she was unceremoniously dropped here, and getting to learn about her in itself makes the time here valuable. )
So to that logic: ]
Is it something you enjoyed back home? [ Though it doesn't look like Wanda has a ton of time to answer that question; the line is moving shockingly fast, and they're nearly at the front...! ]
no subject
inside, a cool blue glow from the lights seeps around them, a soft-tempo playing as the stage for the music groups is getting the last of its system set up.
wanda leads them towards one of the many stands that are selling drinks. )
Do you want something? Some water?
( no way she would push lucina to drink something stronger if this is her first time in this kind of event. )
I'd come to these kind of things with my brother a lot. I don't know how similar it'll be here, but... ( she calls out to the bartender once he comes around to pay attention to them. ) Hey! Two water bottles β thanks.
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She follows her over to the stand, eyes darting from one end of the rave to the other ( notes exits, where the density of crowds are highest, the spots the flashing lights don't reach ). Her posture is ... better suited for someone who is about to walk into battle than someone who's going to dance for the next few hours, but she's trying. Probably. She breathes and tries to relax her shoulders a little bit.
— There's no doubt Wanda's at ease with all of this, though. It's nice to see. Making a note to be louder than the music: ] Is he older or younger? [ She has a sneaking suspicion that her ( undetermined, ambiguous ) sibling would enjoy something like this, too. Maybe. ]
no subject
( she answers the question easily enough, taking hold of the water bottles, and turning to offer one to lucina. it sounds like she's going to add something else, but there's a pause, as she steels herself intoβ )
By twelve minutes. Used to be, anyway.
( βa bit of a joke, perhaps? morbid as it may be, should it click with lucina, the fact that pietro used to be older than her a determiner for his fate. regardless, wanda is already looking around for the next place to be, though a glance at the big speakers tells her that might be too much for lucina. )
Comfortable with crowds, or do you want more space for now?
(no subject)
lmk if this ffwd is good!!
it's perfect!
π !!
⬑ PANORAMA Λ CASSIAN Λ
besides, there was something entirely too soothing about the event, and for once it felt like she didn't have to think too hard about herself, the world, everythingβ
and so she is here again, three fridays deep, eyes closed and thumping her head to the music, swaying with it, joining small groups of people who are together between song sets. wanda eats a little, soothes her thirst with some of the drinks, and 11pm turns very quickly into the early hours of the morning. past experiences have taught her that heading out when the event ends isn't the best, so about half an hour later, she's bouncing out.
wanda stumbles out of the warehouse, into the cool outside air, boots heavy on the ground as she dazedly looks inside her cross-body bag for her keys. the music still plays loudly behind the doors she came out of, and so she hums it, distractedly, not entirely looking at where she's walking. )
Hm, mmm β didi dam...
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After everything that had happened - with Aldhani, with Niamos, with Ferrix and Narkina 5 - Cassian's appetite for any kind of celebration or party had been non-existent. It would be too extreme to say that parties and raves were a trigger for him. Rather, he simply didn't find any semblance of entertainment in it anymore so why would he bother?
Which means that the only reason he'd make his way out here at all is because he's worried about someone. Wanda had texted him several times throughout the night and while that isn't out of the ordinary, the tone of the texts had been.
He hadn't dressed for the occasion - he'd tossed on a white t-shirt and jeans. There's no point to after all. He was only coming to pick her up. It doesn't take him long to find her. ]
Wanda - ready to go?
no subject
(they're a few steps away from her feet.) )
Huh?
( she doesn't remember texting cassian, and even if she (vaguely) did, she won't remember asking him to come collect her. it confuses her for a moment, and after she's slept and pushed through whatever hangover will be waiting for her, wanda will be mortified and embarrassed.
right now? she's keeping her head down, holding her hair with her hands, as she looks about for her keys. it's not a very successful endeavor...
driving herself back shouldn't be what she chooses to do at this point. )
Just got to find my keys.
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Instead he steps forward, ready to help her look for them in case she can't (even though they're more or less right in front of her feet, glinting in the lights that escape the warehouse every time someone exits).
Unsurprisingly he finds them much faster than her. ]
Here.
[ And though he'll hold them out to her he doesn't relinquish his grip. ]
You aren't driving.
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( wanda goes to reach for her keys, but though she grabs at them and tries to jostle them out of cassian's hands, he doesn't let go. she's confused for a moment, not understanding why he's making this an imperative, and why she isn't allowed to just drive back.
her hand stays tapped onto his until she ultimately gives up, drawing her hand away and crossing her arms. )
I drove here.
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[ His tone leaves little room to think that she can argue her way out of this one. And from the expression on his face he looks very much like he'll use his own stubborn force and sheer will to ensure that she doesn't drive home on her own. ]
We'll take your car. Where is it?
[ He'd figure out how to come back for his. Maybe hitch a ride from someone else back here - that's probably the most possible solution. ]
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( she mumbles, before turning on her heel to spin around on her axis, looking about, as if she were to turn back around and cassian wouldn't present an obstacle to her anymore. she didn't drink herself silly, actually, but the dosage of calming effects from the rave lulls her to such a relaxed state, she might as wellβ
wanda stumbles a little as she aligns herself again, but tries her hardest to regain her balance, only just putting her hands up to show that she doesn't need help. )
I don't have a car.
( motorcycle, then. )
βyou missed the rave.
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π
⬑ PANORAMA Λ NERO Λ
( the second time around that wanda comes to the rave, she's on her own. parking her motorcycle some ways away (it's already full closer to the warehouse), she's making her way down the street and around the corner, between parked cars and vans, until she spots a very familiar one.
it's the grim reaper with the red electric guitar drawing on the side.
with a skip in her step, wanda heads up and around, hearing tinkering at the back, and towards the open doors. )
You're here, too.
( the one-armed guy she met at acreage... milo, or something. )
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What he's expecting isn't a warehouse, and it isn't thumping music. It piques his interest, more because demons always tend to pop up wherever humans are congregating. And there's a hell of a lot of people here. Only thing he wasn't considering was they'd make him pay to get in: a guy holds up a hand, stopping him before he goes in.
With a sigh, Nero heads back to his van. All the way back to it, to grab some of the joolies he got from the Dome before he got kicked out. It's been enough to last him for a bit, but he's gonna have to find something around here to get more. As the days pass, it's clear demons might not be this world's biggest problem.
Which isn't great news, but... is? Just gives him nothing to do.
He manages to park a bit out from the warehouse, sitting and working on the final screws in the wall for the shelf that's gonna hold up Red Queen while he's gone. Figured they're not gonna be up for him bringing the blade in, and he's gotta lock her up so raiders don't break in (again).
Last thing he's expecting is someone to pull up on him. He curves one last piece of metal bar and shoves it through the end of the shelf and Queen's hilt, locking her in place. Gonna have to be at least strong as him to make off with her.]
Hey, orchard girl. [He gives a wave, moving to the end of his van.] You been in yet? Sort of my first time. Not sure what to expect.
[Besides loud music and bad dancing, which he's likely to contribute to. Not the worst place he's been.]
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First time?
( at that, she leans back, looking him over for a moment. he looks her age... but there could be multiple reasons why someone's never been to a rave before. the way he said it also makes her think he isn't talking about just this one experience in panorama.
wanda presses back against one of the open van doors. )
It's just a lot of music, people dancing. It's weirdly soothing.
( not her first rodeo in this specific rave event. she shrugs a shoulder, pushes a hand inside her skirt's pocket. )
Are you going to need a buddy?
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Guess it's easier to meet people when you're not covered in blood and toting around a revolver. Not that he doesn't miss the weight of Blue Rose like hell.
Weirdly soothing, huh? Something about the pounding music and the flashing lights doesn't really signal soothing, but he's up for anything. Besides, he's here in case demons show up, not to enjoy himself. (Maybe enjoy himself a little.)
Nero gives a noncommital shrug with one shoulder, which is the cool guy's way of responding to a question he doesn't want to answer so easily.] Not saying I need one. Saying company wouldn't be the worst.
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she shrugs, too, and smacks playfully at his loose sleeve, taking a step to the side so that he can close the doors of the van once he's done. )
I need a buddy. ( she won't be contrarian for the both of them. ) Do you have the joolies for it? It's at a pretty decent price.
⬑ PANORAMA Λ OTA Λ
she pushes the roller up and down, going over the wall in sections. when she's done with the area she can reach, wanda takes a break from the painting to push a step ladder around so she can work on the hard-to-reach parts closer to the roof, too.
thankfully it's a muted paint color, so it isn't hurting her eyes with the reflection of the sunlight.
once in a while she makes eye contact with people going down the sidewalk or parking their vehicles nearby, and only if she knows them does she nod or wave at them in greeting. once in a while, she takes a break, too, stepping off the ladder to where her bag is, by the buckets of paint, to grab at her water bottle... which is emptying pretty quickly. )
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He has settled into life here far better since then, when he was alone and struggling to even feed himself. With the help of others, he survived long enough to get a job and have his own room, so he's thriving. Not the way he's used to, and that will never happen here, but enough that his pride isn't hanging on by a tattered strand.
Charles has spoken to Erik about Wanda, having found her mental shields impressive and confusing when they first met, and Erik filled in details about her more from there. He recently spoke to the X-Men about their situation here and this seems almost like serendipity to spot her the next day.)
Hello, Wanda. Please take this, it's hot out here.
( Charles found a tweed hat at the mall that works for him and his somewhat preppy fashion sense.)
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Thanks.
( given that she has been on her own, painting for the past hour or so, she has found no need to try and block anything off with her mind. the process of painting has been soothing though, with it being almost mechanical and following a pattern.
wanda fixes at her hat, pushing it up a bit as she rises to her feet, opening up the bottleβ )
Nice hat.
( βand take a few gulps from it to satiate her thirst. )
thank you for your patience, back from vacation!
Thank you. I've become quite good at pilfering clothes from my travels.
( Traveling has become an almost indulgence for him since Charles hasn't gotten to drive in years, and he's curious enough to find himself in places he didn't expect. He's getting good at finding things to sell too, an industrious instinct that he's never had to have before as a rich man. The hat suits him with his white pants and violet button-up shirt. )
Wanda, I must admit I have been hoping to bump into you again. For a few reasons. One is that it seems you've met my dear friend Erik, and he's spoken highly of you.
( Charles and Erik are more than friends these days, but he's not speaking of that in public at this point in time, and it's purposely a private affair. But him and Erik being best friends has never been a secret, nor will it ever be in his opinion.)
He thought perhaps I should mention that I have supernatural abilities to you.
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the idea of erik speaking highly of her feels like an exaggeration, though she would be lying to herself if she didn't admit to the warmth she feels that erik's talk about her at all. it's β an odd, friendly situation she has found herself in, with the older man, one of feeling comfortable and, in a way, safe, around him. )
This feels like an ambush.
( is what she says, after swallowing the water she kept in her mouth. there is no sense of contempt nor combativeness, though. for now, she repeats what she's been told by a few people, about charles, about what mutants are. )
You're a mutant. I know your kind have powers.
( something tells her that perhaps erik, this dear friend of charles's, might have told on her. she wonders, though, why it doesn't really upset her. wanda leans against a dry, unpainted portion of the wall, shoulder against the solid surface. )
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( That doesn't mean that they're good automatically but Charles isn't coming from a place where he's trying to catch her in anything. He isn't defensive though, everyone has their own way of reacting to things, and given that Erik said she was experimented on, she has her reasons.)
Yes, I am. Erik and I are both what one might call leaders in the mutant community.
( Charles on the good side, Erik on the other. But he would say Erik's as much of one as he is. He led his own team, to ruin, but so did Charles. He knows in his future he has one too, also to ruin, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, they both gather mutants to them, and they take the mutant cause very seriously.)
I ran a school for mutants. It was for general education, but also for mutants to learn how to use their abilities and become comfortable with them. Some ended up being on a superhero team called the X-Men. If you've met men named Scott and Logan, they were on my team.
( Charles doesn't know everyone that she's spoken to but the two of them seem to be getting out there and making friends, so it doesn't hurt to bring that up. If she has met them and has a good opinion, it might make her warm up to the idea.)
I'm a telepath. So you can guess why Erik thought we may have something to talk about.
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apologies for MY Delay, let's wrap on this one and maybe do a new one!
yeh, that works for me! π«‘