( the resort was fun, until it started to feel like too many people were there. the parking lot was an outright mess and wanda is grateful that she didn't drive here, for she'd probably be more frustrated at having to be patient about getting her bike out than at the prospect of walking back to panorama. it'd take her... what, several hours? it didn't matter much, not with the sun setting, the heat diminishing alongside the setting sun. the horizon is an orange red, painting the streaks of clouds a warm pink, and there is wanda—a darkening silhouette walking down the path to the city in the distance.
(worse comes to worst, she can always fly back, but she'd need to put some distance between herself and others before she feels comfortable enough for that.)
a black car with a low floor goes past her, wanda barely paying it any mind. it stops some feet ahead of her, and it takes her a moment to realize...
wanda rolls her eyes, crossing her arms and tightening them in front of herself. purposely, she moves past the car, despite the open window, once she catches up to it, boots crunching the gravel with purpose as she walks on. )
[ Look. Cassian is well aware of how this looks. A low car with a gigantic spoiler stopping for an attractive woman isn't exactly subtle. But he definitely doesn't mean it that way. And his best intent should be the takeaway here, right?
Unfortunately there is no beating any sort of allegations thrown at him. Because while he may not be leaning out the passenger side of his best friend's ride and he's not trying to holla at Wanda - he's still definitely leaning out the window of because he can't abide by her walking back into town.
...Even if she gives him a gigantic eye roll and a healthy dose of attitude. ]
Are you walking back to town?
[ And when it becomes clear she's just going to keep walking he'll slowly roll alongside her. ]
That's going to take hours. Days possibly with the fluxdrift.
( hoping that by walking past the open window she would completely avoid having to reply to his question (with an obvious answer), those hopes are completely thwarted as he starts to slowly drive alongside her, the slow roll of the car's wheels giving her crunching of gravel under her boots competition.
wanda glances at cassian, who seems all too comfortable with partially driving the car and leaning onto the passenger seat to talk to her. )
Do you think I don't know that?
( please, don't talk to her like she hasn't considered the consequences of her choices—
[ The look he gives her is positively flat which should be unsurprising to Wanda considering the nature of this place being so car dependent.
Despite the flat look there's no annoyance behind it. They haven't been doing this long enough for him to become exasperated with the stubbornness. Even if they had been, it's entirely possible that he'd find it endearing in some ways because most of the people in his life were. ]
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
[ And of course, completely unbeknownst to him, Wanda is one of the few (many) here that would be well-equipped to deal with whatever was out there. ]
( wanda's reaction to his flat look and his further argument about this being a bad decision is to just shrug, keeping on, figuring that he'll find no reason to keep trying to convince her otherwise. what she doesn't expect is his insistence, and it—elates her, oddly enough, that he keeps asking and slowly rolling his car at her pace. )
My roommate gave me a ride.
( living that dignified life of sharing a room so that rent is cheaper that way and she can save up joolies to pay off her debt.
finally, she turns to him, crouching a little so that she can look inside through the window, still moving her feet so she can keep up with the car's pace, hands inside her shorts pockets. who follows who now?
the following she says after some thought— )
If you park your car and step out for a few minutes, I'll get in.
[ Leaving her behind should her insistence to keep walking keep up is definitely a possibility. One fixed nose (and accidental kiss and a well deserved punch) certainly didn't mean that they owed each other anything. But it would also be incredibly difficul to convince Cassian to just leave her like this when there were plenty of unknowns waiting out there.
A car didn't guarantee their safety, but it would at least allow them to get them back to safety faster. All of which is to say the option of hoisting her into the car isn't out of the realm of possibility either should something out here become inherently more dangerous.
News of a roommate is quietly noted but he doesn't comment otherwise on the living situation. It's perfectly acceptable way to survive here. Though to be honest, he was still living alone and had far too many trust issues to bother with that.
When she stops so does he, the soft hum of the engine the only thing filling the space. The silence doesn't bother him because it's clear she'll either have something incredibly cutting and witty to say, or she'll take him up on his offer. Apparently it's the latter. After a beat of regarding her himself he wordlessly shifts the car into park, cutting the engine and gets out of the car. ]
Does that mean your roommate left you behind? Or is it the other way around?
( when he does stop the car, wanda feels an ounce of satisfaction. another shrug, and she's spinning on her heels so that her back is to him, stepping back and leaning onto the car. from where she's standing, she's got a perfect view of the horizon, and the sun is just minutes from setting, anyway, and part of her doesn't want to miss it. )
I wanted to leave early, and I didn't want him to drop everything just because I had enough of the resort.
( it was as simple as that; wanda could never fault sanji, and he doesn't deserve criticism for not being aware of her actions.
[ He'll allow her the small win by acquiescing to her request if it means that it'll avoid a fight about accepting the ride home. Small sacrifices to keep the peace had been something he'd learned a long time ago - particularly when it came to women like Maarva and Bix. The same likely applied here for Wanda.
The matter-of-fact reply is one that he easily accepts. After all, if the situations were reversed, he likely would have responded similarly. And because he'd respond similarly, it's what stops him from pestering her with more questions that make him sound disapproving of her actions.
Becoming used to moving through this world on his own without reporting into anyone - even those that he didn't necessarily mind reporting in to - is akin to an old familiar coat that he's slipped back on.
He holds her gaze, still watching her after she's turned away from him and after another moment he walks around to the hood of the car to lean against it and leaving plenty of room for her to join if she so wished. Left to his own thoughts as the silence settles between them again, his mind can't help but drift to the last time he'd watched a sunset. It hadn't been that long ago though the landscape that stretches before him now is a vast contrast to Mina-Rau's rolling hills, wheat fields and lakes.
For what isn't the first time, a pang of homesickness tries to claw at his heart. But this time he simply allows it to stay, at least for a little while. ]
( the melancholy that he feels rolls off of cassian in spades, and wanda catches on to that. her efforts were not to make him feel this, this homesickness, but she figures that such an emotion is a given, considering how something like witnessing a sunset in a vast horizon can make one feel small, in awe, all too taken by the beauty of a broken world.
she doesn't breach the distance between them, but it's a given that they both are together in this, watching the sunset. )
It's so loud and bright in Panorama, ( wanda starts, breaking the silence, ) I wondered what it'd be like. To walk out here for a bit. See the stars.
( it's a whimsical thing, but perhaps cassian can relate in some way. )
Hear my own thoughts for once.
( because it's so loud, because of the amount of people, because of how much effort she has to put into shutting down her ability to reach into the minds of others, of the thought of others bleeding through her — like cassian's, here. )
[ Wanda's voice breaking the silence is a welcome thing. There's only so much of this heaviness in his heart that he can take. And ironically enough, he can't help but feel the exact opposite of what she says. His lips quirk for a brief moment as he folds his arms across his chest. He's not laughing at her though. If anything it's aimed at the the stark contrast in what they are both clearly yearning for more of.
In Wanda's case it's a moment of peace in the rare quiet that they've found. For Cassian, it's an escape from it so that he didn't have to think about all the things that would otherwise keep him up at night. Though if his experience so far has taught him anything, it's that no matter what - whether it's noisy or quiet - the thoughts keep on racing anyway.
His gaze drifts from her before tilting back towards the sky. There's still too much light to see the stars but the sunset that was starting to bleed a brilliant orange and yellow was beginning. ]
It was easy to see stars in my galaxy - if you had the means to. Maybe I didn't appreciate it enough. [ There's a pause that allows the thought, the tinge of regret, colour the air. ] How is it holding up to your expectations?
( and when he looks up, wanda can't help but to look away and at him, at his profile. it seems like they are taking turns in looking at one another. in one single sentence, however, he is able to tell her so much about himself, even if wanda doesn't yet have all the pieces to make sense of it.
only when he does ask, does wanda turn to look back at the horizon. it's beautiful, no matter how she paints it. )
I wish I had a camera.
( that's how it's holding up to her expectations; it's been a minute since she's seen the sun setting, all vivid and colorful. she stays quiet the rest of the time, watching as the colors dim, the sun drops down just under the horizon, and the world slowly immerses itself in shades of blues and grays. glancing up, she can see but a few stars.
this is when she pulls back from the car, swats lightly at his arm, and, as promised, opens the passenger's side door. )
I could have walked it.
( —making a point, as she lingers on the open door, before getting inside. just like how he wanted. )
[ That she could surmise so much from so little would be unnerving to him had he known. So much of his life had necessitated that he keep things close to the chest. There were so few in the galaxy, the universe that knew his story. The ones that did were all safely away on Mina-Rau. And that's hopefully where they would stay until he could find a way back to them.
There's a quiet noise of agreement from him as he gazes on at the setting sun. He'd never been one for photographs - even when forced to take them as a child at Clem and Maarva's insistence. Funny how in hindsight he wished that he'd had time to take some with him. But their departure from Ferrix had made that nearly impossible. Vaguely, he can't help but wonder what became of them. If any of the Daughters had taken stock and collected the important belongings from the now emptied Andor residence.
Once again he's left with his thoughts and she's left with hers. The swat to his arm draws him from them and he looks over to watch her get into the car, just as promised. He joins her shortly afterwards, sliding into the driver's seat and turning on the engine so the car roars to life. The radio kicks in too - some static-y lofi beats churning through the speakers that had more to do with the reception than the hardware.
Whoever had owned this car last had also appreciated quality stereos despite the unreliability of signals here. ]
You could have. But you're allowed to change your mind.
Edited (I HIT ENTER TOO FAST ) 2025-06-20 18:16 (UTC)
( it's an easy companionship with him, which makes wanda wonder why. what about cassian makes it easy for her to go with the flow, to let her guard down just enough to be swayed from her stubborn-made decisions? it's almost like she's trying her best to be tough, but is constantly met by someone who worries not about how blunt her words are nor how sharp her claws may be.
someone who has no expectations of her.
(how liberating that is—) )
It's okay to admit you'd get lonely on the ride back.
( at this, wanda glances at cassian, as the car roars to life and the radio kicks in, and smiles slightly his way. combative words with no edge to them, and they bid their recent sunset adieu, as the landscape starts to roll along with the speed of cassian's driving.
wanda keeps her arm out the window, moving her hand about as if she could in any way cause any halting friction to the car's speed, and it's nothing but the silence between them, the static-y music, and a few comments here and there about potential potholes up ahead when she asks, )
Can I ask — why you bother with me?
( she isn't implying anything, other than trying to nurture her own curiosity at the fact that so many here have found a want in them to care about her. prickly as she's been, hardheaded and contrarian, it feels safe to ask cassian. )
[ Generally speaking, things have never been easy for him, nor has anything about him ever been considered easy. Cagey, paranoid, closed off, and flighty had been used to describe him depending on who someone was speaking to. But for those that he seemed to have a bond with, his loyalty ran incredibly deep.
And perhaps, maybe, he understood what it looked like when someone was used to having to stand on their own two feet out of a need to survive.
Her teasing earns a good-natured snort. ]
If that's what will help you accept your choice to accept a ride, we can say that.
[ The drive here had been smooth, if not long. But because of that, it seems that most people are still opting to stay a little longer at the resort, leaving a clear road for them ahead. Any potential potholes are quietly noted and responded to with a gentle maneuver around them. Much like piloting long distances, his body and a part of his mind fall into autopilot, while the other part of his mind is left to quietly wander. Wander, at least until Wanda says something that isn't about potholes or the drive.
There's a beat of silence that may or may not feel like she's managed to catch him off guard. ]
Bother? As in stop to offer you a ride back into town?
( well, when he puts it like that, it makes her feel somewhat dumb for asking. her lips twist to the side, uncertain, before glancing out the window, hand against her chin. maybe cassian really is that kind samaritan that helps people out and it has nothing to do with the fact that it's her.
maybe fishing for some amount of validation that makes her feel like she's doing something right in terms of 'gathering' friends does the opposite of that. how uncool, pietro might have remarked.
a little annoyed (with herself), she turns back towards the central console, waving her hand towards him, frazzled. )
[ The withdrawal of both question and Wanda herself is enough to make him properly raise an eyebrow at her. ]
You asked me a question. I'm just trying to understand what you meant.
[ But he had had seen the way she shifted a little, her gaze turning away from him and back out towards the landscape. And it's mostly because of that there's nothing in his tone to suggest that he's annoyed or even scoffing.
There might be however a patient undertone that implies if she doesn't expand, he won't press upon the subject. ]
( there's a certainty here that she isn't incredibly comfortable with putting herself out there. there was a time when wanda could do without caring about what others thought about her, so long as those she loved were at her side; past sokovia, the events in novi grad, losing pietro, the avengers taking sides and 'breaking up', a lot of her stable ground has shifted into something shaky and tenuous.
trying to build it all up from nothing feels like exposing parts of herself that she isn't confident in presenting to others—vulnerabilities, soft sides of herself...
but cassian's patient undertone gives her room to breath instead of agitating her thoughts the longer the seconds tick by in the silence that grows between them. which is probably why wanda is a little kinder with herself, when she admits to him in the form of a question, )
Are we friends?
( it's still awkward, though, even if she's trying to be kind and honest to herself about it. )
[ The sound of the tires against the road and the low rhythmic beat of the lofi that hums through the stereo fill the silence as he waits for her to decide if she wants to expand or leave it be.
Whatever she decides, doesn't matter to him – or rather, he won't be offended or annoyed if she decides that she doesn't want to clarify anything. People have said things before that they don't necessarily intend and been burned by it. This isn't one of those situations.
There's no risk here. Well, except perhaps her own perceived embarrassment and having to sit in that for the remainder of the drive.
But then she clarifies and Cassian's own realization dawns on the tail end of that. Friends. He didn't make them easily. Hasn't in a while due to the nature of his work. But they are here for the foreseeable future and there wasn't any harm in that. In being friends. Unexpectedly, the word soothes a balm against a part of his heart he hadn't realized had been tender in the absence of those that he did in fact call friends. ]
Is that what you want to be? [ But then he corrects himself, realizing that that would do little to help the awkwardness that she's feeling (and by extension the awkwardness he's beginning to feel). ] I don't usually make a habit of picking up strangers. You never know what they're going to do.
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cassian ⬡
(worse comes to worst, she can always fly back, but she'd need to put some distance between herself and others before she feels comfortable enough for that.)
a black car with a low floor goes past her, wanda barely paying it any mind. it stops some feet ahead of her, and it takes her a moment to realize...
wanda rolls her eyes, crossing her arms and tightening them in front of herself. purposely, she moves past the car, despite the open window, once she catches up to it, boots crunching the gravel with purpose as she walks on. )
no subject
Unfortunately there is no beating any sort of allegations thrown at him. Because while he may not be leaning out the passenger side of his best friend's ride and he's not trying to holla at Wanda - he's still definitely leaning out the window of because he can't abide by her walking back into town.
...Even if she gives him a gigantic eye roll and a healthy dose of attitude. ]
Are you walking back to town?
[ And when it becomes clear she's just going to keep walking he'll slowly roll alongside her. ]
That's going to take hours. Days possibly with the fluxdrift.
no subject
wanda glances at cassian, who seems all too comfortable with partially driving the car and leaning onto the passenger seat to talk to her. )
Do you think I don't know that?
( please, don't talk to her like she hasn't considered the consequences of her choices—
wanda persists, still walking on. )
No one said we're not allowed to walk back.
no subject
Despite the flat look there's no annoyance behind it. They haven't been doing this long enough for him to become exasperated with the stubbornness. Even if they had been, it's entirely possible that he'd find it endearing in some ways because most of the people in his life were. ]
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
[ And of course, completely unbeknownst to him, Wanda is one of the few (many) here that would be well-equipped to deal with whatever was out there. ]
How did you get here in the first place?
no subject
My roommate gave me a ride.
( living that dignified life of sharing a room so that rent is cheaper that way and she can save up joolies to pay off her debt.
finally, she turns to him, crouching a little so that she can look inside through the window, still moving her feet so she can keep up with the car's pace, hands inside her shorts pockets. who follows who now?
the following she says after some thought— )
If you park your car and step out for a few minutes, I'll get in.
no subject
A car didn't guarantee their safety, but it would at least allow them to get them back to safety faster. All of which is to say the option of hoisting her into the car isn't out of the realm of possibility either should something out here become inherently more dangerous.
News of a roommate is quietly noted but he doesn't comment otherwise on the living situation. It's perfectly acceptable way to survive here. Though to be honest, he was still living alone and had far too many trust issues to bother with that.
When she stops so does he, the soft hum of the engine the only thing filling the space. The silence doesn't bother him because it's clear she'll either have something incredibly cutting and witty to say, or she'll take him up on his offer. Apparently it's the latter. After a beat of regarding her himself he wordlessly shifts the car into park, cutting the engine and gets out of the car. ]
Does that mean your roommate left you behind? Or is it the other way around?
no subject
I wanted to leave early, and I didn't want him to drop everything just because I had enough of the resort.
( it was as simple as that; wanda could never fault sanji, and he doesn't deserve criticism for not being aware of her actions.
wanda glances back, over her shoulder, at him— )
Sun's about to set.
( —and turns back, to witness said setting. )
no subject
The matter-of-fact reply is one that he easily accepts. After all, if the situations were reversed, he likely would have responded similarly. And because he'd respond similarly, it's what stops him from pestering her with more questions that make him sound disapproving of her actions.
Becoming used to moving through this world on his own without reporting into anyone - even those that he didn't necessarily mind reporting in to - is akin to an old familiar coat that he's slipped back on.
He holds her gaze, still watching her after she's turned away from him and after another moment he walks around to the hood of the car to lean against it and leaving plenty of room for her to join if she so wished. Left to his own thoughts as the silence settles between them again, his mind can't help but drift to the last time he'd watched a sunset. It hadn't been that long ago though the landscape that stretches before him now is a vast contrast to Mina-Rau's rolling hills, wheat fields and lakes.
For what isn't the first time, a pang of homesickness tries to claw at his heart. But this time he simply allows it to stay, at least for a little while. ]
no subject
she doesn't breach the distance between them, but it's a given that they both are together in this, watching the sunset. )
It's so loud and bright in Panorama, ( wanda starts, breaking the silence, ) I wondered what it'd be like. To walk out here for a bit. See the stars.
( it's a whimsical thing, but perhaps cassian can relate in some way. )
Hear my own thoughts for once.
( because it's so loud, because of the amount of people, because of how much effort she has to put into shutting down her ability to reach into the minds of others, of the thought of others bleeding through her — like cassian's, here. )
no subject
In Wanda's case it's a moment of peace in the rare quiet that they've found. For Cassian, it's an escape from it so that he didn't have to think about all the things that would otherwise keep him up at night. Though if his experience so far has taught him anything, it's that no matter what - whether it's noisy or quiet - the thoughts keep on racing anyway.
His gaze drifts from her before tilting back towards the sky. There's still too much light to see the stars but the sunset that was starting to bleed a brilliant orange and yellow was beginning. ]
It was easy to see stars in my galaxy - if you had the means to. Maybe I didn't appreciate it enough. [ There's a pause that allows the thought, the tinge of regret, colour the air. ] How is it holding up to your expectations?
no subject
only when he does ask, does wanda turn to look back at the horizon. it's beautiful, no matter how she paints it. )
I wish I had a camera.
( that's how it's holding up to her expectations; it's been a minute since she's seen the sun setting, all vivid and colorful. she stays quiet the rest of the time, watching as the colors dim, the sun drops down just under the horizon, and the world slowly immerses itself in shades of blues and grays. glancing up, she can see but a few stars.
this is when she pulls back from the car, swats lightly at his arm, and, as promised, opens the passenger's side door. )
I could have walked it.
( —making a point, as she lingers on the open door, before getting inside. just like how he wanted. )
no subject
There's a quiet noise of agreement from him as he gazes on at the setting sun. He'd never been one for photographs - even when forced to take them as a child at Clem and Maarva's insistence. Funny how in hindsight he wished that he'd had time to take some with him. But their departure from Ferrix had made that nearly impossible. Vaguely, he can't help but wonder what became of them. If any of the Daughters had taken stock and collected the important belongings from the now emptied Andor residence.
Once again he's left with his thoughts and she's left with hers. The swat to his arm draws him from them and he looks over to watch her get into the car, just as promised. He joins her shortly afterwards, sliding into the driver's seat and turning on the engine so the car roars to life. The radio kicks in too - some static-y lofi beats churning through the speakers that had more to do with the reception than the hardware.
Whoever had owned this car last had also appreciated quality stereos despite the unreliability of signals here. ]
You could have. But you're allowed to change your mind.
no subject
someone who has no expectations of her.
(how liberating that is—) )
It's okay to admit you'd get lonely on the ride back.
( at this, wanda glances at cassian, as the car roars to life and the radio kicks in, and smiles slightly his way. combative words with no edge to them, and they bid their recent sunset adieu, as the landscape starts to roll along with the speed of cassian's driving.
wanda keeps her arm out the window, moving her hand about as if she could in any way cause any halting friction to the car's speed, and it's nothing but the silence between them, the static-y music, and a few comments here and there about potential potholes up ahead when she asks, )
Can I ask — why you bother with me?
( she isn't implying anything, other than trying to nurture her own curiosity at the fact that so many here have found a want in them to care about her. prickly as she's been, hardheaded and contrarian, it feels safe to ask cassian. )
no subject
And perhaps, maybe, he understood what it looked like when someone was used to having to stand on their own two feet out of a need to survive.
Her teasing earns a good-natured snort. ]
If that's what will help you accept your choice to accept a ride, we can say that.
[ The drive here had been smooth, if not long. But because of that, it seems that most people are still opting to stay a little longer at the resort, leaving a clear road for them ahead. Any potential potholes are quietly noted and responded to with a gentle maneuver around them. Much like piloting long distances, his body and a part of his mind fall into autopilot, while the other part of his mind is left to quietly wander. Wander, at least until Wanda says something that isn't about potholes or the drive.
There's a beat of silence that may or may not feel like she's managed to catch him off guard. ]
Bother? As in stop to offer you a ride back into town?
no subject
maybe fishing for some amount of validation that makes her feel like she's doing something right in terms of 'gathering' friends does the opposite of that. how uncool, pietro might have remarked.
a little annoyed (with herself), she turns back towards the central console, waving her hand towards him, frazzled. )
Forget I asked.
( she's awkward about this. )
no subject
You asked me a question. I'm just trying to understand what you meant.
[ But he had had seen the way she shifted a little, her gaze turning away from him and back out towards the landscape. And it's mostly because of that there's nothing in his tone to suggest that he's annoyed or even scoffing.
There might be however a patient undertone that implies if she doesn't expand, he won't press upon the subject. ]
no subject
trying to build it all up from nothing feels like exposing parts of herself that she isn't confident in presenting to others—vulnerabilities, soft sides of herself...
but cassian's patient undertone gives her room to breath instead of agitating her thoughts the longer the seconds tick by in the silence that grows between them. which is probably why wanda is a little kinder with herself, when she admits to him in the form of a question, )
Are we friends?
( it's still awkward, though, even if she's trying to be kind and honest to herself about it. )
no subject
Whatever she decides, doesn't matter to him – or rather, he won't be offended or annoyed if she decides that she doesn't want to clarify anything. People have said things before that they don't necessarily intend and been burned by it. This isn't one of those situations.
There's no risk here. Well, except perhaps her own perceived embarrassment and having to sit in that for the remainder of the drive.
But then she clarifies and Cassian's own realization dawns on the tail end of that. Friends. He didn't make them easily. Hasn't in a while due to the nature of his work. But they are here for the foreseeable future and there wasn't any harm in that. In being friends. Unexpectedly, the word soothes a balm against a part of his heart he hadn't realized had been tender in the absence of those that he did in fact call friends. ]
Is that what you want to be? [ But then he corrects himself, realizing that that would do little to help the awkwardness that she's feeling (and by extension the awkwardness he's beginning to feel). ] I don't usually make a habit of picking up strangers. You never know what they're going to do.