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The next time I'm bored, I'll see what I find. Most of the random nonsense that ends up on our networks are people blowing things up impressively.

[ Which he enjoys, really. ]

...or nice sunsets.

[ He likes those, too, actually.

He leans forward a little. ]

You think I don't have ways of making you talk?

No. You're too good.

[And then she blushes, because her mind has absolutely gone straight to the gutter. He must be joking - there's no way she could be coherent enough to talk while he works her over. But scream for him? Oh yes.]

How can I talk about anything when I can only think of you? When I am lost in you?

I'm very good. [ That was certainly the implication he was going for.

Though she certainly takes it a step further. And he likes the sound of what she says, that he can make her think only of him. It shows in the way his throat works for a moment, his gaze drifting down along the curve of her shoulder, to her chest. Then he looks back up to her face, his grin shifting to something a bit more heated. ]

There are things to enjoy other than cake.

[Wanda grins and reaches for his mind, letting him feel both soft affection and heated desire. She feels strangely powerful under his gaze and yet...she doesn't even make a move to undo the front of her robe.

Patience.]

After the cake. Trust me. I promise it will all be worth the wait.

We save the best for last.

[ She's certainly got the power to hold his attention. And make him want. It's no small thing.

He has half a mind to pluck her out of her chair, and he doesn't mind letting her know that, too. But in this case, more than half the fun is playing by her rules on this one. ]

Though if you feed me too much, I just might go to sleep.

[ He'll do nothing of the sort. He's capacity for food is... large. ]

[Wanda's grin widens. She has her own yearning to go sit on his lap again and peel the robe off so that he can touch her skin-to-skin, and she shares this with him so that he knows that she is not unaffected. She wants him quite badly, in a way that is becoming a slow-burning need. But she worked too hard on this dinner and the, ahem, presentation to let her work go to waste.

Really, she just wants this to be as good as possible for them both.]

Poor Shaxx, defeated by a piece of chocolate cake and leaving the cook to freeze. Maybe I should have worn something warmer.

[Now it's a challenge, not that he needs one. She knows that. But it's part of the game.]

Hah. Let the cake do its worst. [ Scoff. ] I'd eat three without blinking.

[ The temptation to rush through dinner is pretty fierce, to be honest, but he know that would also be incredibly unappreciative. He's not a total barbarian.

Even if he doesn't totally get why delayed gratification on this one is a thing. But it's definitely Wanda's turn, in a sense, so he'll play by her rules. Warlocks do things their own way.

He plows through a bit more of his salad. ]

Oh, I've finally learned how to make plants grow.

I'm sure you'll try once you taste it. Just make sure you leave room for second dessert.

[This cake may very well be the definition of death by chocolate. And if it was good enough to encourage a princess to abandon her husband and run away with a violinist, she's sure it will satisfy Shaxx.

And if it somehow doesn't, she will.]

How did it feel?

I contain multitudes of appetites.

[ Cake for one... other things for another.

He huffs. ]

Like a lot of effort for a few flowers. It'll certainly come easier with practice, but I need to develop some practical applications for it to be worth it. [ Hmmph. ] I shout encouragement at them until they grow. Not very stealthy.

And I'm sure I can help you with them.

[She grins wickedly. ]

Have you tried shouting with your mind? Like when you show me something, but...sharper.

That's why I brought them all with me.

[ He might not know how they're going to get there, but he has a pretty good idea where they're going to end up. ]

I... haven't. [ Just shouting at them has been a weird enough experience, though he's rolling with it.

But hm. He leans back in his chair, food momentarily forgotten as he thinks about it. ] Not yet.

[Sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination.]

It's like when I heal someone. Trying to manage it would be too hard so...I tell the injury to heal and give it the power it needs.

[--and that is absolutely not at all what is really happening, but in the absence of doing this around someone who would know better, it's the best explanation Wanda's come up with. It feels like this to her...and it's a much more logical explanation than 'literally willing the injury to have never existed at all.']

So I should... tell them to grow. And give them the power. [ It makes sense but is also extremely weird.

Mostly because this assumes plants have some kind of intelligence. Which is... a bit much for Shaxx. On the other hand, he's well aware that a lot of power manipulation is just having a stronger will than local reality. ]

[Well, he is talking to a literal reality bender.]

They are living things too so maybe it will work? [She smiles and shrugs.] For me, I don't have to fully control it the way I have to control raw power. Or fire.

[Wanda's still working on the paprikash but reaches for one of the biscuits.]

I'll try it. [ He's been struggling with this power, so he's not going to turn down any idea. Plus, making plants grow is, on the grand scheme of things, closer to the kind of things Wanda knows how to do than his normal methods. ] It would be a lot better if it does work that way. I don't know enough about plants to tell them how to grow or shape them the way I would Arc.

[ What a thought. Ugh.

He's basically devastated his share of the salad at this point, though he has been having some paprikash all the while. ]

I'll eventually find some joy in it, too, and that'll help. [ In... plants. Sure. Well, he's got to try. Practice is work, but it's always easier if you're having fun, and he's normally been a happy warrior. ]

How are your own efforts progressing?

When you find a technique that works, I'm sure it will help. I'm less afraid of my fire magic now.

[She wants to see it the way Osiris does but that's a future goal. For now, 'not terrified' is a lot of progress.]

I did all of this. [She gestures to the candles.] I can do simple things - reheat a drink or food that's gone cold, or heat a blanket. And I can make the sword and wings like Osiris showed me, but I think it still needs a little work.

[ He's certainly not afraid of his Emerald magic, just entirely puzzled and frustrated by it, but that's kind of not the point. He'd rather hear how Wanda's doing anyway. ]

All of this? That's very good, then. I've always found small, focused things are much more difficult, anyway. [ Probably because he's a meathead. ] And did you have fun?

[ Because in a way, that's the most important thing, finding the joy in it. ]

If you'd like, I can show you how Titans wield solar. We have some... philosophical differences with how we view it.

[Well, they are, but Wanda has an odd knack for it. She really is greatly like the Warlocks of his world, even though she doesn't seem like one on the surface.]

It's...a fun challenge. Even if the wings don't really do anything.

[Maybe they do for a Guardian? But Wanda can fly on her own.

...she has a feeling that at least half of the reason for the wings is aesthetics, though.]

So you found a way to hit your enemies directly with it?

[ It's very likely an aesthetic thing. Warlocks are like that. Her question makes him laugh. Of course they know how to hit people with solar. ]

Oh yes. And heal our friends. The rage of the undying sun burns my foes and warms my allies.

[Is there anything a Titan doesn't know how to hit people with? They literally found a way to hit people with the Void.]

I don't know if Ruby fire can mimic that, but maybe combined with my powers...it's worth trying.

I'm willing to learn if you're willing to teach.

[ Everything. They can punch with everything. Everything. ]

I'll show you, and we'll see what you figure out. You're brilliant with your Light as it is. [ He knows Osiris has truly stolen her as a student, which is probably for the best considering their relationship, but it still gives his smile a slightly wry cast. ] I'm always willing to teach. Especially you.

[ He's half tempted to say they should go outside right now, because this is an exciting prospect. But there's time, and Wanda's not really dressed for it, because... right. ]

[Wanda smiles and ducks her head, a little bashful.]

I'll look forward to it. And to recharging afterwards, if you want.

[She grins. In some ways it feels a little odd to just openly invite him to some form of synchrony with her, but if anyone is safe to be so overt with, it's Shaxx.]

Maybe I can learn something similar with my own powers too. Fire isn't always the best choice.

[ He offers her a very warm smile. ]

With you? Always.

[ And he doesn't even mean just the sex. While he enjoys that, she was his go-to for synchrony before they were lovers, and he still feels that pull like gravity. ]

We all use the tools we have. What matters is if you figure out what works for you. The rest doesn't matter. We're really only here to... offer you ideas to try.

[Shaxx is...special to her. It's hard to describe, but what she feels really is a sort of gravity. She trusts him above all others here, and even more than some of her former teammates. He's been an unfailing source of support and she knows - she absolutely knows - that he would never have let Ross near her. He certainly wouldn't have turned on her.

She's just fond of him, and there is very little she wouldn't do for him. ~~Bitchslap a Hive god? Sure.~~

Wanda smiles back and lets her mind press to his again so he can feel the warmth he inspires in her. It's oddly fitting that the Guardians call their powers 'Light,' because that's exactly what he's been to her.]

It's better than I'm used to. [And she might not just be talking about training, but before this can get weird and emotional and derail dinner, she continues:] We had ideas...stupid ideas, sometimes, but no one was ever sure if they were even possible. And knowing that it actually works for someone helps.

[She never would have even tried to work on the pseudo-Dawnblade technique otherwise. Because physically it shouldn't be possible, but Osiris can pull it out of thin air like it's nothing.]

[ Fireteams have each other's backs. It's an elemental thing to him now. He's learned since his younger days.

He catches that reminder, of how different things were at home. Now is not the time for his temper, however. There is still the echo of that ferocity, however briefly: I am a wall. I will break those who would hurt you. ]

No idea is stupid if it works. That's something Osiris and I have always agreed on. But it's also easier if you have a framework to build on. [ He thinks about his own struggles with Emerald plant magic. ] ...mostly.

Though I think... from what you've said of your world, your power is unique. That also makes it more difficult.

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