seeingscarlet | open RP post

[It's not that she's been deliberately hiding it, it's just infinitely harder to talk about. She wants to remember (comparatively) better days, Pietro and Novi Grad as they were before everything got turned upside-down again.

No one truly won that day. If Thor hasn't been spreading the story around, she is grateful.]

Ultron wanted his cataclysm, his 'peace.'

[She practically spits out the last word, so much bitterness in her voice that it's obvious how deeply personal her hatred is. He'd lied to them, used them, killed her brother, and destroyed her city. And all of this when they'd barely escaped Strucker...is it any wonder Wanda feels like she's constantly at war with herself where Loki is concerned? How terribly ironic that the 'god of lies' would be her soulmate.]

He was going to use Novi Grad to destroy all life on Earth. The Avengers stopped him, but no one could save our city.

[And just like that, all the bitterness and hate deflates. She cannot say that this is how Pietro died, not unless Loki really pushes her for a more direct answer, but does she really need to? Her pain is too raw to be merely the loss of a place.]

[ The fleeting sensation of pins and needles pricks his fingertips. Would that he could brush it off as his imagination-- but yes. Yes.

It is nothing.

He regards her silently for a moment, digesting her bitter answer. Destruction, yet they considered him a threat for simply wishing to set them straight. It is in the innate conceit of his nature to first consider this information as it applies to himself, but there is room for something else alongside resentment -- a vague sense of sympathy that he cannot appreciate as genuine because why would he feel it for her? He is no stranger to loss, but is his not different? More?

Having lied for so long, Loki thinks nothing of reaching forward to place his hand on her own. Is it not part of his deceit?

His voice is low, somber. ]

I've had you relive something terrible. My apologies.

Edited 2017-12-07 02:42 (UTC)

[It's a simple touch, one that would have been negligible coming from anyone else. But Loki rarely touches her and only for mundane reasons. This is...different.

It's enough to draw Wanda out of her dark memories and get her to look at him for a long moment. What should she make of this? It doesn't feel like some clumsy platitude, but then again, he is not named silvertongue for nothing.

Despite her inner confusion, her thumb covers his nearest finger almost automatically in her normal casual acceptance of contact. She cannot seem to figure Loki out, but it doesn't feel bad, doesn't rouse any urge to pull away.]

You didn't know. [But now he's seen where she's most vulnerable. What Loki does with that information may reveal more about his true intentions with her than anything else he's done.

Regardless, Wanda is very glad they have the food as an out. She's lost much of her outward enthusiasm, but she still wants to see his reaction.]

Try your körözött.

[ His eyes close as the ghost of a laugh falls from his lips. ]

Actually, I could use a bit of guidance, [ he says lightly, withdrawing his hand and leaning backwards with his toast. ] Fruit, sauce, another cheese -- it's simply overwhelming.

[ An easy transition to casual conversation. What he'll do with this newfound information (vulnerability) is yet to be known to either of them. There's no need to act immediately or consider his next move; that she offered something so deeply personal is more than enough for tonight.

--but he does not wait for said guidance to conclude. Rather, he takes a shameless bite as she replies, catching the crumbs with his other palm. ]

Please tell me you didn't mix those with-- [Too late, he's already eating it. She thinks he's just messing with her, or at least she didn't see him putting any of the other ingredients on there.]

They aren't normally served with körözött. The fruit and cheese go on the bread and the sauce goes over it. It's a kind of bruschetta. Not Sokovian, but still good.

[A beat. If he didn't immediately make a face, he really was probably just messing with her.] Do you like it?

[ He looks to her with arched brows and lips around the toast, the significance of an otherwise inconsequential expression variable in that he feels relaxed enough to drop his prideful composure -- but perhaps it simply comes off as off.

In any case, he is just messing with her. Loki considers taking it farther (ever one to ruin a good thing), but has the sense to refrain. ]

Now I understand why you thought us destitute of spice, [ he says after swallowing. ] It's quite good.

[ Actually honest. A fool would lie about such a triviality to a witch who can read minds. ]

[His good behavior pays off - Wanda's positively beaming. Her cooking skill is a point of pride, but this is somehow...more. Maybe because she got Loki to admit that a normal thing from Earth is good? Surely that's all it is.]

I'm glad you like it. [And now, finally, she's free to indulge in her own toast. Of course she had a few "quality control" bites earlier - it's been far too long since she's had anything from home.]

Not all of our food is like this, but this is one of our favorite spices. If I make anything else from home, I'll save some for you.

Then I'll look forward to it.

[ That, too, is genuine.

If Loki were to be more of a willing participant in honest self-reflection, then he might be surprised to find that he prefers Wanda as she is currently -- smiling with the pride of accomplishment rather than recalling painful memories. The effect it has on him is subtle, but he is slowly relaxing in her company.

As he helps himself to another piece, he asks, ] Have your tutors given you the means to read our tomes?

[This she simply believes without further thought. It's too minor a thing to lie about, and while she may have concerns about his long-term intentions with her, Wanda has long since stopped questioning the minutiae of their casual interactions. Whatever all of this is, it's enjoyable enough.]

Don't laugh, I know it looks silly. [She's comfy where she is and doesn't feel like getting up, so she finishes off her toast and gestures to summon a pair of golden spectacles. They really do look ridiculous, and no, she is not going to put them on so he can laugh at her.] It only works if I am near my teachers. I can 'borrow' the language from them and the glasses show the words in a language I speak.

[It would work with anyone, really, but this is more invasive and whoever is helping her would be able to feel her presence. It's also tends to give her a massive headache if she doesn't take frequent breaks.]

[ His brows slowly rise. ]

Ah.

[ So they wish to control what texts she can access. He ought to have predicted pragmatism where knowledge is concerned; the sorcerers of Asgard are rare and guard their craft with greed. Loki isn't much different in that regard. ]

You've given it a go, then?

[She nods.]

It...isn't very comfortable, even for them, I think. But it was either this, they explain it all to me, or they find someone to read it to me. It was the only option they would accept.

[Her mind is too occupied to actually read their thoughts when she's borrowing their knowledge of the language, and perhaps they take some comfort in that. They've come to mostly see her as some great puzzle to take apart and poke, but there's always a faint whiff of unease. She is still a Midgardian, after all, and as far as they're concerned, her peculiarities shouldn't even be possible.

She thinks she detects some hint of jealousy too - as if she didn't pay dearly for this.]

They had me start with a text on grounding.

[Which isn't surprising. She's been getting by mostly through grounding herself in another person's presence, but here, surrounded by so many strangers, she has nothing. And until the fear of another backlash explosion isn't constantly nagging at her, Wanda will never be able to access higher levels of power. Loki isn't the only one to notice how hesitant she is to use the scarlet directly.]

Sensible.

[ He could have done the same, but had instead gone in from the angle of ascertaining what she was consciously willing to do and working from there. It gave him an idea of what sort of flame he'd chosen to play with.

He finishes his toast and reaches for the berries. ]

And what do you make of it so far?

[ He assumes that her brother or something of home had been her primary grounding source on Earth. The question is what method, without either, might work best for her. Physical objects tended to be the most common, but another person or an animal, concepts -- even emotions -- all possible. ]

It is...interesting. I have some new things to try now.

[There was a particular passage in the text that had caught her eye. It had mentioned twins and soulmates and suddenly Wanda had been extremely glad to her connection to her teachers was only one way. She wouldn't have wanted to force that brief stab of loss on them, and she simply couldn't help the way her mind turned to Loki.

Ironically he may be the best source of psychic stability she'd ever find, but Wanda doubts he'd let her that close. It's an entirely different level of trust than the calculated risk of helping her. To willingly invite her so close to his mind...]

...but I don't think trying to use anger as a focus is a good idea.

[Not when bad things happen when she loses her temper and sometimes the scarlet does more damage than she wanted it to.

Wanda notices he's going for the berries and rises to start preparing two slices of the bruschetta.]

What do you use?

[ Ah, yes. Anger. Like a certain green man. ~~scarred4lyfe~~

The berries lazily twirl on their stem between Loki's fingers as he considers how specific an answer he ought give to her. He leans back into his seat, lips parting to reply, but the word is delayed. ]

Emotion.

[ It is a simple word said simply, but how convoluted it truly is! It isn't surprising that a temperamental person would use emotion as their grounding, but it doesn't always work -- not unless there's something specific, some feeling that is constantly running in the background -- a drive Loki cannot remember living without.

Ambition.

While Thor might have flashed her that lopsided smile of his whenever he felt proud of something he'd just said, Loki instead smiles blandly at her. This isn't an attempt at wit so much as it is withholding information. To impress Frigga. To make Odin proud of him. To stand as Thor's equal.

Such childish desires.

He plucks a berry off its stem. ]

But I agree -- those of passion are rarely ideal. [ Swallowing, he adds, ] Unless you are keen on double-edged swords.

[...it's probably good that he doesn't know what happens when she gets really angry. Some people might prefer the giant green rage monster to someone who can literally burn things out of existence if pushed far enough.

Whoever thought putting that in the book was a good idea must not have had a lot of personal power. Or they just didn't care about collateral damage.

She manages a small laugh.] Some people would say I am one.

[So is he, for that matter. In some ways, they are no so different - after all, didn't all of start because of the twins' relentless ambition to make their country a better place?]

I am used to...not linking, but reaching out for my brother or one of the others, to trying to stay calm. People get nervous if I get emotional.

[To be fair to them, she definitely has a vengeful, protective, dark side that even she isn't always proud of after the fact. To be fair to her, the last time it surfaced someone really almost could have killed Nat. And it's not like she killed that guy or anything...

She finishes with the bruschetta, miraculously not dumping sauce everywhere, and since Loki is her guest, she turns to offer the first piece to him. The way that she's holding it, with her hand poised to catch anything that might fall, he can either take it from her or let her feed it to him.]

Here, try this.

[ Two flavors of a sword does he see: to herself and to those who would attempt to use her for their own gain (see: himself). Unfortunately, Loki has never been one to aim for the easily or straightforwardly attainable. Such is the mild predicament before him now: take the offered food and maintain status quo or allow her to feed him in the hope that she might fall for the sacrifice of control, slight thought it may be.

With just a beat skipped, he leans forward to take a bite of the bruschetta. Crumbs fall into her palm.

This is a no-brainer. Even a subconscious acknowledgement of the gesture would be a win. ]

[Conversely, for Wanda this is little predicament, only the same way she would offer food to her friends at home. She barely realized what she'd done until Loki leaned forward to let her feed him.

This time, it's different and Wanda flushes noticeably. There's a part of her, a part she cannot fully acknowledge, that desperately craves any sort of intimacy with him.

She can feel her cheeks heating, but her eyes don't leave his face.]

Do you like it?

[ Meanwhile, Loki's rather casual about the whole thing. The lift of his brows is the only overt response he makes to her blush -- enough to acknowledge without putting her on the spot. ]

Quite, actually. It's a refreshing change from all the meat we blood-thirsty Asgardians love to consume.

[ Smile! ]

You might have to teach me.

[It doesn't matter whether he verbalizes it or not. He's noticed, and now he's smiling at her like that. Wanda's blush only deepens and finally she has to glance away at a plant over Loki's shoulder.]

It isn't very hard. I can show you.

[ Wanda is more bashful than he'd thought. He continues without a hitch, sparing her further embarrassment. ]

Then our exchange is equal. [ His hand raises to his chest. ] Just as I have taken the role of your tutor, you shall educate me in... [ The same hand then gestures to the table of food. ] ...culinary endeavors.

[She may be utterly out of her depth, but at least her voice is steady. It's just a natural reaction to one's soulmate, right? It's nothing. Everything's fine. ~~Sure, Jan.~~]

I'd like that. [She smiles brightly. It's an exchange in more ways than one.] We can make something new: Asgardian ingredients and my recipes.

I saw some fruits I didn't recognize...maybe we can try something with them next time.

[ Next time comes and goes, followed by another, and then another, their times together split between magic and food. Though Loki hadn't concerned himself with the skill of cooking, Wanda seems to find comfortable familiarity in it, so the time spent entertaining their culinary activities is a negligible sacrifice that he does not consider unpleasant.

Their routine is interrupted by Thor (naturally) who, none the wiser, requests the scarlet witch's aid in another realm. Loki is made aware of their departure after the fact, and as to their destination, well -- Thor had not divulged that information. His actions are mildly irritating, yet so spontaneously him that Loki doesn't concern himself over it beyond the bitter annoyance that his brother has once again barged into Loki's plans without an iota of consideration.

No matter how ignorant he is to them.

Their return, however, is much less subtle. Heat strain from enduring the flames of Muspelheim. What was Thor thinking? No one could hate the golden prince more than himself right then, but Loki would have been more than happy to add to his guilt had he the opportunity. Instead, he's reduced to seeking Wanda under the guise of the mere servant tasked with her aftercare. It's smoother than furtive visits under invisibility at least. ]

[Wanda knew her mythology well enough to ask if it would really be all right for her to accompany him to Muspelheim, but Thor had done so much for her in bringing her to Asgard that Wanda couldn't refuse such a small request. It had been uncomfortable at first, but she'd tried her best to ignore it and push through...and when it became apparent that humans really couldn't tolerate the intense heat of Muspelheim, they weren't exactly in a position where withdrawing was an option.

Wanda doesn't remember very much beyond that, but she's overheard the healers gossiping. Apparently Thor had made quite a scene storming into the palace bellowing for aid. 'Hard to believe she's as powerful as the prince says. Midgardians are so fragile,' one of the voices had remarked. 'But he said she made an entire squad of fire demons disappear.'

If Wanda was in any condition to think straight at the time, she would have been very worried that she can't remember doing that, but as it was, she drifted out of consciousness before the other healer could reply.

Wanda drifts in and out, too delirious to really keep track of anything. She doesn't even wake up when the healers decide her life is no longer in danger and move her back to her rooms.

They've laid her on her bed over her blankets with an enchanted cloth on her forehead, dressed in only enough to make an attempt at preserving her modesty. And still, for several hours she doesn't so much as stir.

Finally, Wanda groans and blinks her eyes open. Everything hurts and it feels like some unseen force is trying to crush her brain. What...?]

Mmmmmm...

[She tries to sit up and immediately regrets even moving her head that one inch.]

[ With a hand smaller and more feminine than his own, he gently places his palm upon her shoulder. The heat that bites back is obnoxious, especially to one of his ilk. ]

Lady Maximoff, [ says Loki, softly and in the voice of a woman's, ] I would advise you to remain recumbent for a while longer.

[ Intentionally disguised, but not to fool her. ]

[The voice is unfamiliar but the presence isn't. Loki. She's not even going to pretend she doesn't feel a rush of relief much less attempt to keep it out of her voice, weak as it is.]

...you're here.

[Slowly, painfully, Wanda turns her head. She still feels terribly overheated and even the cloth on her forehead brings scant relief.]

What happened?

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/vaguely waves hands at Asgardian tech

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