westwhere | our troubles will be out of sight

Entry tags:

our troubles will be out of sight

WHO: Wanda and you!
WHEN: Month of December
WHERE: The Inn
WHAT: Checking things out, getting a feel for her new companions, etc
WARNINGS: Will note as needed.

I.THE LAKE

[A frozen lake is a frozen lake, but this one is strange. Wanda doesn't quite step on the ice itself, but she does stay very close to the edge, eyes narrowed as she tries to discern what she thinks she saw... bump the ice from below?]

Did you see that? [She'll ask whoever is near.]

II. THE MOUTH

Are you sure that's a good idea?

[Interested in taking a sword, shield, or whatever from that pit? Well, Wanda's making a face like she certainly doesn't think it's a good idea.]

III. THE WELLS

[A morning of wandering has Wanda slowly approaching the wells. Generally, she wouldn't care to look, but she's got nothing to do and nowhere to be, so she's allowing her curiosity to win. They look very old, possibly out of use, but as she draws near the first she gives the lid a little push. Far too snug for her to move using her own muscle, which she suspected, but she didn't expect to see blood on the light dusting of snow when she stepped back.

She crouches down to get a better look. It's pretty hard to mistake blood for anything else. Still...

Come spook her while she's already feeling vaguely spooked.]

IV. THE FOREST

[Collecting herbs and berries isn't the most engaging task to help out at the inn, but it does give her an opportunity to watch the villagers. It feels colder out here, and much more dangerous. Which is why Wanda calls out to whoever she might see,]

Careful. They said there are wolves around here.

[Wolves, direwolves. Same difference.]

[ooc: Easy peasy prompts! If you want something more specific, or more actiony, feel free to PM me and I'll gladly work something out for us.]

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Are you a witch?

[Wanda, you can't just ask people if they're witches.

But apparently she has no scruples after encounters with other witches and books of the damned. Her own magic is different in this world, unsteady, so perhaps that might explain the sensation, but she's still unsure.

Worst case scenario? This woman just thinks she's a freak. She wouldn't be the first.]

[ Her eyes widen a bit and she glances back up, nostrils flaring. Although she's come to understand that other witches exist in the group, Vanessa reacts to being dubbed one as if perhaps her dear mother were just insulted. ]

Are you?

[Why is she looking offended? Nevermind Wanda didn't take well to being called a witch, either. At first.

Her lips twist into a frown.]

I asked you first.

[Look at them, saying more in what isn't.]

[ If it's a stare-off, Vanessa still has the will to manage for days, but...she isn't that petulant (currently). She'll lower her psychic hackles...a touch. ]

I am no witch.

[ By her own reckoning, but it doesn't stop everyone from calling her one. Vanessa knows it's more complicated than that. Despite not elaborating on that, she waits for the other woman to answer in turn. ]

I am.

[Or at least, a witch of sorts. She doubts anyone is going to come for her with torches and pitchforks, especially not this woman, so she has no problem admitting it aloud.]

But you're not just a normal human.

[ Those are fighting words. ]

I am human.

[ At least in body, and she used to hope in soul, but time here has taught her differently. She doesn't like being so exposed, especially not to a witch, and the anxiety leads to defensive thinking. ]

If you are a witch...then who is your master?

I didn't say you weren't human. You're something more.

[Wanda doesn't think she's said anything absurd. Not as much as the next question thrown out there.]

Master? [No thank you.] I don't have one.

[ This woman seems unwilling to let Vanessa try to sidestep this with semantics, but any further implication at her being more just gets somewhat of a dead stare...at least until Wanda rejects any concept of subservience.

Surprise! A raised eyebrow. Not a Nightcomer, then. More than that. ]

What of God?

[The confusion on Wanda's face deepens. To be fair, she did bring this upon herself by letting curiosity win.]

Nothing to do with me.

[The Scarlet Witch could be a god, but that's never been a desire of hers.]

[ A witch that serves nobody but herself? Fascinating. Vanessa is suddenly a lot more curious than she is wary. Perhaps she can take a break. ]

Would you like some coffee? I'll fetch myself a cup as well.

[That flipped an obvious switch. Wanda lifts a brow, but nods. This woman isn't making a quick exit anymore.]

Sure. [She looks down at her plate.] I'm sure it will go with... that.

[ Vanessa sympathizes, and she imagines several people are like to help themselves into the kitchen once the Doctor is through using it. For now, she'll offer a mildly apologetic glance down to 'that' before leaving to disappear into the kitchen.

After a hushed exchange with an overly curious Doctor, Vanessa will return with two cups of coffee on a tray, including some cream and sugar just in case. She'll place a cup in front of Wanda before setting the tray down slightly off to the side. ]

Our dear cook's intentions are sincere, but I won't blame you if you can't stomach his food. I'd ask that you attempt to wait until he isn't very clearly spying from the kitchen before you toss it to the rubbish, or you'll break his hearts.

Thank you.

[She reaches for the sugar and cream, adding a bit of both to her coffee before stirring.]

I don't waste food. [So, she'll eat the thing, she'll just...] Do you want half?

[Sharing is caring. No broken hearts, please.]

[ If she means to continue a conversation with this woman, Vanessa does want to encourage the spirit of cooperation, but her already pale complexion manages to still blanche at the offer. Hasn't she suffered enough in her lives? ]

I would like to relieve you of the burden, really, but I ate before taking to my morning work. I hope the taste of it won't tarnish your opinion of the Doctor. He's quite talented in other fields.

[ And, occasionally, he does make something surprisingly tasty. How is she to know what isn't a standard food of the future, the ancient past, or an alien world? ]

I am a bit more interested in your talents, though. You thought I was a witch?

[That's not obvious at all. Wanda gently grimaces and chooses to focus on her coffee, first.]

A witch or something similar. [Different.] I'm only familiar with the former.

[She has a better sense of magical things now, but it's still a muscle she has yet to strengthen.]

Witches seem to be something else, to you. With masters.

For most of the witches I have met, they served only one master: Lucifer.

[ She'll add some sugar to her coffee, but no cream. Despite this, she let's it sit like decoration rather than drink it. Her hands remain folded beside the cup while she watches Wanda's every little move. ]

I believe that certain powers can be drawn from different sources and beliefs, but I had little experience in witnessing this before arriving in Serthica. Might I ask...where you learned your craft?

[Lucifer. Wanda looks openly surprised at that, and then scoffs.]

I've never had a master and no one taught me magic. [She's learned through trial and error. Sometimes, very big, tragic errors. The Darkhold enlightened her and manipulated her both at once, but it and Agatha were useful learning experiences.]

They call it chaos magic. Does that sound familiar to you at all?

[Some part of her is hopeful that it does, because being the only one familiar with it is quite isolating. And Wanda and isolation don't mix well.]

[ Officially, Joan had never labeled the kind of power that Vanessa was born with, but she had called it wicked. She had said that it made her want to hide and never come out. Vanessa knows that it's something older than time, something called Amunet, and that even now it breathes in the shadows between worlds where life and death are no different. She knows it must stay there, but something within it stirs at the very concept of chaos magic.

Vanessa pauses, then gently shakes her head. ]

Not in such a way, but... I was only ever afforded the chance to converse with one witch about such things, and our time together was...too short.

[ Still one of her most painful memories, but she's focused beyond that right now. ]

From where do you draw its power, if not faith in a god? ...Something within? Something that whispers?

[ As the breakfast crowd begins to disperse and the Doctor is slightly less preoccupied, his attention has been increasingly drawn to the conversation being shared between Vanessa and one of the newer members of their...traveling party. Left only to his own interpretations until Vanessa had returned to retrieve coffee, the Doctor had already begun to draw his own conclusions about their conversation; conclusions which only fractured and then multiplied into endless questions, after speaking with Vanessa when she'd approached.

It's only because he worries about her, perhaps overly much, to the extent that he feels it's his duty to inquire after her and be sure she's alright. Though she'd indulged him to a point, he needs to just be absolutely sure that all is well, so under the pretense of needing to help clean off tables in the dining area, the Doctor slings a damp rag over one shoulder and a dry rag over the other. At the table adjacent to where Vanessa and Wanda are conversing, the Doctor begins to stack up dirtied dishes, wiping a few grease stains off the table...over and over and over again. ]

Edited (what are words) 2022-12-28 03:52 (UTC)

[Something that whispers sounds more correct than Wanda expects it to. Something within, something that whispers. She was meant to rule everything--perhaps as a god, of sorts--so...

Wanda opens her mouth to figure out how to word that without sounding entirely insane before shutting it, lips pressing into a thin line as her eyes drift over to the guy just a little too close for Wanda to speak openly.]

What did you say your name was, by the way?

[Since they've been talking witches and Lucifer and chaos and all that.

Leaving her meal entirely untouched thus far.]

I didn't.

[ It's a light-hearted tease with a coy smile, which is somewhat in contrast to the sharp glare she flings at the Doctor with a glance. They aren't going to get far beyond names while he lurks. He probably thinks she won't tell him everything...because she likely won't. But she'll tell him enough, and that's only if he leaves before irritating her newest acquaintance. ]

It's Vanessa Ives. ...Miss. [ Though she expects it won't matter to offer a title. Very few here adhere to the etiquette of her time. ] And your name?

[ The Doctor is currently existing in a delusional reality in which his current preoccupation with simply cleaning the table is completely subtle and neither one of them could possibly deduce that he is-maybe-spying on them a little.

Exchanging names. Normal. Good. Nothing wrong here.

He should leave, maybe, but not yet, although he hazards a glance at Vanessa and almost winces at the glare she levels his way. He can be oblivious, yes, but she's made her feelings quite clear with one look. Impressive, honestly. Now he really should be going. So, he is, he will. Just one more-

Oh, look, a spoon fell onto the floor, he just needs to slowly bend down and retrieve it, inspect it to make sure it's not damaged, lay it down on the tray of items to be cleaned, and then...slowly, ever so slowly, he'll start to finally walk away. Just moving sluggishly enough to hopefully catch the other woman's response. ]

[So, she's the type to express a title. Not too surprising, from the feeling Wanda gets from her. Her gaze flits over to the man, following Vanessa's clear look over, and waits a beat.]

Wanda Maximoff.

[She points a finger at the very slow, not at all rushed retreating figure.]

And him?

[ Vanessa is probably more lax on titles than most people from her 'Victorian' era, never having insisted that people here use them. She only continues to use them for others, needing that distance for her own sake. Given there was no mention of Mrs., she'll assume Wanda is also unmarried until she's corrected.

The motion to the sluggishly retreating figure gets Vanessa to glance over to the Doctor again. Lucky he can't see her look, though he may feel it, even if it's joined with a smile of grudging amusement. She'll answer a bit louder—pointedly. ]

A well-meaning man who cannot resist curiosities and enjoys tempting fate. [ She is incredibly irritated but she's also so very touched, just pinning him with a strange mixed glare before turning her attention back on Wanda. ] He goes by the Doctor. Forgive him...again. I suspect he only worries.

[ Him. Oh, yes, he did rather...bungle this, didn't he? Once again failing at being stealthy in any way at all. He does mean well, or he tries to, even if he might fail in the execution at times. Vanessa went away (briefly, true, but she still went away) and then she came back and there was talk of Lucifer and witches, and now here, suddenly, another witch. Perhaps he can be forgiven (later, maybe, much later) for just needing to be sure all is well.

And now, very much assured and perhaps slightly chagrined, the Doctor tugs for a moment at his tie, straightens it, and then turns to face them both. His expression is one of humble apology, to start, but then rather quickly his characteristically bright grin takes its place. ]

Delighted! Wanda Maximoff - excellent name. [ He points with a thumb casually at Vanessa. ] She's right, of course; tempting fate, my middle name. Sort of. Just an expression, of course, because that wouldn't be the best middle name, honestly. Haven't given a middle name much thought before actually.... [ He catches himself, clapping his hands together lightly, briefly. ]

I do get carried away sometimes, sorry! I'll leave you to it, but if you get famished later, call on me, I'll sort you out with something truly delightful. Those eggs were just a warm up, not my best work.

[ Unsure how to end this and leave on a good note, he opts for a casual salute at them both before doing a quick spin around and excusing himself back to the kitchen before he...makes it worse than it maybe already is... ]

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