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I think you're doing all right like you are.

[She laughs, closing her eyes as he rests his forehead against hers. The paprikash won't wait forever, but for now this is nice. Wanda lets him feel her chaste pleasure from the forehead touch...and her very unchaste pleasure from his hand on her butt.]

You know, people usually wait until after dinner for their dessert.

[ He laughs, pulling her against him. ]

Yes, but I'm a barbarian that only eats instant noodles or skewers from a street vendor while I walk. Meals are a construct of civilization, and I'll have my dessert whenever I please.

[ But only, of course, if the dessert in this case wants to be had. ]

[The dessert wants to be absolutely devoured. But--]

You'll spoil your dinner. [In this case, possibly quite literally. The paprikash can't be left simmering indefinitely.]

But...you can have an appetizer, if you don't unwrap your dessert yet.

Don't underestimate my appetite.

[ He gives her a lazy smile that's half play.

The Tower might have forgotten that he's a Warlord, but he never has.

He bends down a little further to brush his lips against her neck. ]

I'll entertain your offer.

[Wanda sighs his name and tips her head back to allow him full access. Not to be outdone, she slides a hand into his hair.]

I'm sure your appetite is just fine. I'm more worried about the paprikash burning.

[ Like he knows how food works. Pfft. Though he at least knows Wanda well enough at this point to understand, Then let it burn is not something she'll go for.

So instead he nips her neck. He's pleased at her hand in his hair. ]

Don't start battles you're not planning to finish.

[As hot - no pun intended - as that would be, Shaxx is right. Wanda's not going to go for ruining perfectly good food, especially not when she's trying to showcase Sokovian cuisine.

But oh, letting Shaxx back her into a wall and have his way with her is a nice fantasy. He wins a soft moan for that nip.]

I'm planning to make sure that you finish at least once. [She lets him feel a taste of her desire, both for him and for his pleasure. Waiting is hard for her too, but she knows it'll be worth it.] But you have to be patient.

[ Later, then. He is certainly also a fan of backing her into a wall.

He snorts out a very undignified laugh against her neck at the pun. Ruins the image? Maybe. But a man can be both a warlord and a massive dork at the same time. He has the range. ]

Tease me and then tell me to be patient. I'd almost think Osiris has been giving you lessons in Titan-bothering.

[The fact that he can do both is just part of his charm, and although Wanda was able to say it with a straight face, she can't maintain the illusion of control for long after he starts laughing.

Because guess what? She is also a massive dork.]

Titan-bothering? Is that a Warlock sport?

[ Shaxx decides that rather than putting a kink in his back, he'll just pick her up and take her over to the nearest piece of furniture that will accommodate them both, where he sits down with her in his lap. ]

One of their longest-running traditions. It has all sorts of categories to it, such as the long-winded answer to a simple question that ends with "I don't know." Or the long pause followed by a concerned, "Hmmm," without an explanation. Or answering a question with another question that isn't actually related to the problem at hand.

And Osiris's specialty, of course, the unnecessarily vague statement given in rhyming couplets, because he's a prick.

[This arrangement is pretty great, actually. She has a view of the kitchen from here with which she can start casually levitating things around without having to leave Shaxx's embrace. And now she has access to start gently kissing along his jawline. It's a pretty good win all around.

Just don't mind the slow procession of food to the table behind you, Shaxx.]

I thought the poetry was just something that Guardians do. I don't really understand what you're saying either but I like the way you say it.

[ His initial appreciative murmur at her kisses becomes a disgruntled grumble when she mentions the poetry. ]

Not the way Osiris does. Though if I say something you don't understand, you should tell me.

[ Because unlike certain Warlocks he could name, he actually wants to be clear about what he's saying. ]

[Wanda twirls her finger in a lazy circle to stir the pot on the stove from afar. Why yes, she is absolutely delaying getting up as long as her powers will permit.]

I can get the meaning from your mind, but English isn't my first language and people don't talk like that anymore. But sometimes it doesn't matter. It's just...nice to listen to you.

[And she murmurs something in her native Sokovian before returning to those kisses - either praise of something flirty from her tone, but not even Titania can provide a translation. It's not a language that ever existed on his Earth.]

Oh. I see what you mean. People certainly don't talk like that where I'm from, either. [ He relaxes back down, eyes half closed. ] There are lines I don't really understand either. Most of the books I've found weren't annotated. But the rhythm of it is the most important party, anyway.

[ For all he knows, he's horrendously mispronouncing things. Languages drift. But that also doesn't necessarily matter when the tone and cadence still sound good. ]

[Wanda shifts to kiss his cheek and start gently stroking his hair again with her free hand. The last thing she wants to do is slosh dinner everywhere because she can't see what she's doing.]

That's part of why it is so comforting, but the rest is you.

[Ugh, she has to get up soon, doesn't she? Noooooooooo...]

I think we need to go check on the paprikash.

[ It feels good to be comforting in the same way it feels good to be needed. He understands it more as the comfort of knowing one is protected and safe, than anything else. ]

I'm glad.

[ He smooths a hand over his back, but he can tell when he shouldn't be distracting someone. Wanda's very serious about this cooking thing. ]

Oh, do we? [ He grins, releasing Wanda so she can get up. He follows her to the kitchen. He's definitely Helping. ]

You have a very important job, [she says, mock-serious, giving him a quick forehead kiss before she reluctantly climbs off his lap. She's not halfway to the kitchen before she's already missing Shaxx's warmth. She's a Ruby, so she's not really feeling cold, but there's a difference in the feel of her own internal Ruby-warmth and the external warmth of another person.]

I need you to taste this. [Wanda gives the pot a few real stirs and yes, it's the right consistency, and yes, she tasted it earlier. There's not much that she can do beyond thickening or thinning the sauce a little at this point, but how can she expect Shaxx to know how much sour cream to add if he doesn't know what the base experience tastes like? And fine, she'll take any moment of physical closeness she can have.

It's been a difficult wait.]

Here. [Carefully she spoons out a small amount of the sauce for him to taste and steps closer to offer it to him.]

Every job I do is important. [ He'll match that mock seriousness. He stands and follows her a few steps behind. ]

Ah, and none more than this. [ He leans in to sip the sauce off the spoon. It has a combination of spices to it that he's not entirely familiar with. Faintly sweet to go with a bit of spice. He rather likes the bright color of it. ] It's good.

[ He doesn't exactly have an advanced palate. But he certainly won't mind eating it. ]

[Wanda grins brightly. Success!]

It's called chicken paprikash and it's one of my favorites. I'm glad you like it too.

We eat it over this nokedli-- [Another pot. It looks like it's full of the world's tiniest dumplings.] --and with sour cream and a little parsley on top. I can put a bowl together for you but you should decide how much of the toppings and the sauce you want.

I've never had anything like it before. But I'll enjoy it now.

[ Tiny dumplings! That seems fun. ] I like the sauce. I don't think it needs much cream added to it. [ He leans over and nuzzles her hair. ] I'll enjoy whatever you put together.

[Nokedli is absolutely adorable and a part of Wanda dies inside every time someone suggests serving paprikash with anything else.

She laughs softly and leans into him a little.]

You should have seen how my brother liked it. A lot of sour cream.

[Not quite to the level of 'hey there, do you want some paprikash with your sour cream' but definitely excessive in Wanda's opinion.]

There's some salad and sajtos pogácsa-- cheese biscuits, on the table. [Along with two wine choices that she'd been assured would go well with this meal because, well, it's not like she's had the opportunity to learn for herself.] Go sit down, I'll bring you your paprikash.

[Hopefully serving everything at once like this isn't considered bad manners where Shaxx is from, but if it is, she's sure he'll forgive her. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing he'd care about.]

[ It's both strange to hear someone he knows is dead mentioned like that, lightly, but he thinks it also must be a good thing. He knows that the loss of her brother is still painful to Wanda--there's no way it couldn't be--but maybe reaching for the small memories that are happy is better. Maybe it's painful to speak at first, but it becomes easier with time.

It's a method he's never tried, not because he thinks it's wrong, but because he's never been in a position to casually speak about who he's lost, and now it's become a habit.

It's another thing to think about, perhaps. ] Maybe I'll have to try it like that next time. In case he was right.

[ He rests his hand on her hip for a lingering moment, then heads to sit down. He's never been concerned with manners, as such, and he has no idea how traditions work for Wanda's people, so he simply assumes that this is how it's supposed to be. He sits at the table like he owns it, because that's how he sits anywhere. ]

[Some days are better than others. It's easier to think of Pietro in lighter moments, in memories where they were happy. And it's far easier to think of him with a lesser amount of pain when she's not alone. She is always aware of the blank space where her twin should be, but it is so much more obvious in a vacuum.

She sends him a psychic thread of appreciation for that last touch before she turns to prepare their bowls. She gives Shaxx a little extra food, because she's sure he's worked up an appetite overseeing training, and a little less sour cream than she puts on her own paprikash. He can always add more if he changes his mind. And once it's all ready, she levitates the bowls to the table. It's just safer that way, with no chance of her accidentally sloshing the sauce somewhere.

Wanda's apartment is certainly not grand like his castle but Shaxx could do a lot worse for service. She takes a seat opposite him and settles in like this is a proper dinner and as if she isn't sitting here in lingerie.]

Go ahead. Start with anything you like. I don't know how it's done where you're from so this is everything but the dessert.

[ It probably says a lot about Shaxx and his previous experience (or strange lack thereof) with fairly normal relationships that there's so much in this scenario he simply doesn't get. While he's definitely grasped that Wanda's looking nice and has made a special effort to dress up for him, he hasn't understood the nuance of the lingerie itself--and while charmed, is a bit confused as to why the special effort was necessary.

The concept of a "proper" dinner is also rather mysterious to him, but he's coasting along at the moment on taking his cues from Wanda, because in his estimation this is a Wanda Thing in the same way throwing grenades and getting catapulted into walls is a Shaxx Thing. You don't have to fully understand your friend's hobbies in order to try to participate. It's a thing friends do for each other. ]

I wouldn't know how it's done, either. [ It's a cheerful enough admission; there's no shame in ignorance.] I've never been one for formal meals. But you've got me sitting in one place and eating.

[And for that reason, he's reasonably aware that his table manners aren't great because he's never needed to practice them. The dynamic of eating changes quite a bit when you're face-out to the world. But if she wants him to start, that might well be another manner thing; he is the guest here, after all. He retrieves one of the little cheese biscuits and starts on that, breaking it apart with his hands into something bite-sized. Since bread is presumably at least somewhat universal. ]

It's very good. Is this your favorite kind of bread? It's impressive that you made them.

[ He may normally eat cheap food, but he can still tell when something tastes good. And making food is like it's own kind of magic.

He keeps an eye on what Wanda does, not copying her actions as such, but absorbing that this is what polite dining should probably look like. ]

Edited (I wanted to put in more dialog!) 2021-04-30 04:42 (UTC)

[Wanda grins, using her powers to uncork one of the bottles and pour it for him.] I'm not sure it's a 'formal' meal with me dressed like this.

[Oh noooooooo, Wanda might just need to acquire a larger collection of linegerie to help Shaxx gain a better understanding of it. Experience is a great teacher, right?

The candles could definitely go either way towards a formal or sexy vibe and Wanda's deliberately not put on any music and kept the TV off for Shaxx's comfort. She's doing the best she can to make this good for him.]

You can't ask me to choose a favorite. We had so many good breads I haven't been able to find here or in America. But I think this might be my favorite savory bread.

[It's the sweet breads that she wouldn't be able to choose between.

Wanda also starts with a little bit of the bread and then moves on to take some bites of the paprikash. She doesn't touch the salad at all yet.]

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