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IVE BEEN BETTER
AND IVE GOT SOMEONE- WELL. A FEW ACTUALLY- LOOKING AFTER ME
IT'LL TAKE A FEW DAYS BEFORE IM UP AND MOVING
BUT IM NOT LYING- I AM DOING OKAY.
HORIZON?
[ which is probably all the answer she needs as to why he doesn't exactly give details on the 'what happened'. ]
I'll meet you at yours.
[sam doesn't really have to ask if she's got the time for it; wanda has dropped everything the second she got a message back from him in his familiar writing. it's a relief, but she also wants to see him.
there is little interruption to her arrival, immediately stepping up onto the porch of the house and opening the door.]
Sam?
[she calls out, letting the door close behind her as she walks further into the threshold.]
[ one of the nicest things about the horizon, sam has found, is how disconnected it can be from his physical body. because the truth is, he kind of looks like shit. it's his first day actually conscious in he doesn't really know how long, he's weak and thin and pale, covered in bumps and bruises and scrapes from the travel, and whatever else nadine's been doing to help his healing along. all this to say is that sam can easily get to the horizon, and once there, doesn't have to look like any of that.
so when wanda crosses the threshold into the house, sam is in the kitchen, having grabbed a beer from the fridge and is just turning back when he catches her voice. ] Wanda- hey! [ he is definitely setting the glass down now, entirely forgotten as he is walking towards her. whether or not she goes for the hug, he will, and soon enough his arms will be around her shoulders. ]
so when wanda crosses the threshold into the house, sam is in the kitchen, having grabbed a beer from the fridge and is just turning back when he catches her voice. ] Wanda- hey! [ he is definitely setting the glass down now, entirely forgotten as he is walking towards her. whether or not she goes for the hug, he will, and soon enough his arms will be around her shoulders. ]
[ that might just be part of it, too. sam had never truly considered himself much of a control freak, but being here the longest, with the furthest reach in terms of the singularity and other factions, and knowing that steve's going to want all of that...it is a little frustrating, to say the least. that he can't give him. that pointing him in the direction of the conspiracy board will probably just further confuse him.
sam lets out a huff, trying to push out that frustration with it. nothing he can do, now. and no matter that underlying urge that remains, he has a job to do. if he turned back now, he'd probably never make it out to the cave. and then what? ]
and steve's not wrong, to consider strange less of a priority. sam hadn't even met the guy before here. but also, that's going to have to be an update he gives in person - how stephen strange has become something of sam's go-to. an ally he wouldn't give up for the world. sam's a work husband kind of guy, steve. you should know that by now. ]
sam lets out a huff, trying to push out that frustration with it. nothing he can do, now. and no matter that underlying urge that remains, he has a job to do. if he turned back now, he'd probably never make it out to the cave. and then what? ]
PETER'S BEEN AROUND ALMOST AS LONG AS I HAVE[ steve knows sam well enough to know what that means. that sam doesn't trust much of the locals, that he doesn't really trust too many people here in general save for his select few, but mag is as close as he will get to opening up to a native. that he wouldn't have set up in her inn, wouldn't have the rapport with her that he does, if that wasn't the case. which also means that she will like steve, pretty instantly.
GIVE OR TAKE A FEW MONTHS IN BETWEEN
SO IF YOU NEED ANYTHING YOU CAN ASK HIM OR MAG
SHE'S A GOOD WOMAN, GREW UP IN CADENS, KNOWS HALF THE CITY, ALSO ISN'T AFRAID TO KICK YOUR ASS
and steve's not wrong, to consider strange less of a priority. sam hadn't even met the guy before here. but also, that's going to have to be an update he gives in person - how stephen strange has become something of sam's go-to. an ally he wouldn't give up for the world. sam's a work husband kind of guy, steve. you should know that by now. ]
YEAH
IT MAY JUST BE ME BEING PARANOID BUT
TOO MANY LOCALS HAVE A NEWFOUND INTEREST IN SINGULARITY MAGIC
SO WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN READ IT NOW
I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY DIDN'T FIND A WAY SOONER OR LATER
YEAH, A FEW WEEKS
PROBABLY AROUND THE END OF THE MONTH
BUT YOU CAN REACH ME WHENEVER.
[the reaction is immediate, as she turns on her heels towards the kitchen at his voice. sam goes for a hug in the same beat as she does, arms around his middle. she is grateful that he is here—conscious enough that he can use the horizon—and for the fact that everything in the horizon feels real.
she lets go after a moment and pulls her hands away to cup his face. she knows he's hiding what he actually looks like (would he know what he looks like enough to replicate it?), but seeing him at all is enough.]
You can't do that, Sam.
[you can't go out there and get yourself hurt to the point that you don't wake up. it's only then that she pulls her hands away, to clasp his hands for a moment.]
I don't know what I would do without you here.
[he's a rock amidst her friends—family, really—and fear gripped her so viciously when he stopped answering her messages.]
What happened?
she lets go after a moment and pulls her hands away to cup his face. she knows he's hiding what he actually looks like (would he know what he looks like enough to replicate it?), but seeing him at all is enough.]
You can't do that, Sam.
[you can't go out there and get yourself hurt to the point that you don't wake up. it's only then that she pulls her hands away, to clasp his hands for a moment.]
I don't know what I would do without you here.
[he's a rock amidst her friends—family, really—and fear gripped her so viciously when he stopped answering her messages.]
What happened?
[ when she pulls her hands away from the hug, sam's hands are still around her middle, even as her's go to his face. he gives her a small smile, trying to be reassuring as she cups at his cheeks. ]
I know, I'm sorry.
[ it does sound like he's apologetic, but there's a sense that he is more sorry for how worried she still looks than the actual act. she pulls back just enough to take his hands, and sam squeezes her's back. ]
Really- I'm sorry. But you won't have to worry about that, I'm not going anywhere. [ which is...the second impossible promise sam's made while here, he realizes. it's a disconnected feeling, knowing that he doesn't have the power to really keep it. but he says it all the same, means it, as much as he can.
then she says what happened and sam just sort of...he doesn't look tired, necessarily, but something a shade closer to how he looks out of the horizon. nothing serious, nothing intense, but one step closer. ]
Honestly? I think it was a combination. I think there was something out in the cave, and then whatever was happening with the Singularity... [ which, almost instantly, shifts sam's attention from whatever it was he was talking about to her, one of his hands leaving to cup her cheek, now. ] You're okay after all that? Did anything happen?
I know, I'm sorry.
[ it does sound like he's apologetic, but there's a sense that he is more sorry for how worried she still looks than the actual act. she pulls back just enough to take his hands, and sam squeezes her's back. ]
Really- I'm sorry. But you won't have to worry about that, I'm not going anywhere. [ which is...the second impossible promise sam's made while here, he realizes. it's a disconnected feeling, knowing that he doesn't have the power to really keep it. but he says it all the same, means it, as much as he can.
then she says what happened and sam just sort of...he doesn't look tired, necessarily, but something a shade closer to how he looks out of the horizon. nothing serious, nothing intense, but one step closer. ]
Honestly? I think it was a combination. I think there was something out in the cave, and then whatever was happening with the Singularity... [ which, almost instantly, shifts sam's attention from whatever it was he was talking about to her, one of his hands leaving to cup her cheek, now. ] You're okay after all that? Did anything happen?
[wanda thinks that the worst thing about being so far away in solvunn is that she can't actively be around to protect her loved ones. what if something worse happened to sam? what if steve got in trouble? what if she couldn't be there for peter when his sorrow caves in on him? what's worse is that even if she was there, anything she could do with her magic seems useless in the face of the singularity.
he still was swept about by the nightmares that plagued them? it's hardly an explanation, and part of her thinks that sam doesn't want to worry her more than necessary—or maybe he himself isn't too aware of what happened, which is a lot scarier to think about.
when he asks if anything happened with her, she can't quite meet his eyes.]
I haven't met someone who didn't have those nightmares. [yes, something did happen. wanda sighs, pulling away towards the counter where he put his beer down. taking it, she hands it over to him, motioning towards taking a seat together. their usual—the couch, surrounded by family pictures.] I'm actually on a small trip to the coast right now. [she gestures] It was... a lot. I didn't want to participate in Solvunn's idea of an exorcism.
[with another exhale, she sits herself down, pulling her legs up to cross them under her.]
I'm scared, Sam.
[after those nightmares, she's not just scared of losing her loved ones in this world, but what awaits her back home—this certainty carved in the pages of the darkhold.]
he still was swept about by the nightmares that plagued them? it's hardly an explanation, and part of her thinks that sam doesn't want to worry her more than necessary—or maybe he himself isn't too aware of what happened, which is a lot scarier to think about.
when he asks if anything happened with her, she can't quite meet his eyes.]
I haven't met someone who didn't have those nightmares. [yes, something did happen. wanda sighs, pulling away towards the counter where he put his beer down. taking it, she hands it over to him, motioning towards taking a seat together. their usual—the couch, surrounded by family pictures.] I'm actually on a small trip to the coast right now. [she gestures] It was... a lot. I didn't want to participate in Solvunn's idea of an exorcism.
[with another exhale, she sits herself down, pulling her legs up to cross them under her.]
I'm scared, Sam.
[after those nightmares, she's not just scared of losing her loved ones in this world, but what awaits her back home—this certainty carved in the pages of the darkhold.]
Edited 2022-07-13 12:57 (UTC)
What's the deal with Stark? Wanda told me I can't hurt him or melt his clothes, but I feel like I should. He upset her.
[ While it would feel odd to lean on Peter for anything, Steve does keep that in mind, at least for up until Sam returns. He isn't about to underestimate the kid, well aware of what he'd been like at his age. Peter's a part of the team, there's no doubt about that at this point, but there's no denying the large difference in age between the kid and the rest of them.
As for Mag, well, Steve isn't really surprised to hear any of that. She sounds like the exact sort of person that Sam would have made a connection with early on. Willing to help and share her resources, but also no-nonsense. ]
I met her briefly. I think she had some words to say about you leaving for weeks and abandoning all the work you're supposed to do around here. I'll try to pick up the slack so you're not in the doghouse when you get back.
[ It's good that they at least have a few people native to this place who they can trust. Steve isn't planning to make a lot of friends beyond the Summoned, but it's not a bad idea to create some connections. Sam's the better man for that job, having always been more personable than Steve.
Still, he'd tried. He'd picked up where Sam left off because Sam was gone. With the group talks, with all of that. Whether or not he'd done as good of a job was hard to say, when everyone had been so traumatized after the Snap. ]
Let's hope that doesn't happen. It would be nice to continue having this as a resource.
I think I'll be able to survive a few weeks without you. [ What's a few weeks after five years? They'll manage. ] But if you start to get bored out there, feel free to check in.
[ That seems unlikely. Sam's out in the middle of the desert, detached from civilization, and there's apparently monsters wandering around out there. Steve would rather he wasn't distracted, but he may as well take the chance to make the conversation a little more lighthearted. ]
As for Mag, well, Steve isn't really surprised to hear any of that. She sounds like the exact sort of person that Sam would have made a connection with early on. Willing to help and share her resources, but also no-nonsense. ]
I met her briefly. I think she had some words to say about you leaving for weeks and abandoning all the work you're supposed to do around here. I'll try to pick up the slack so you're not in the doghouse when you get back.
[ It's good that they at least have a few people native to this place who they can trust. Steve isn't planning to make a lot of friends beyond the Summoned, but it's not a bad idea to create some connections. Sam's the better man for that job, having always been more personable than Steve.
Still, he'd tried. He'd picked up where Sam left off because Sam was gone. With the group talks, with all of that. Whether or not he'd done as good of a job was hard to say, when everyone had been so traumatized after the Snap. ]
Let's hope that doesn't happen. It would be nice to continue having this as a resource.
I think I'll be able to survive a few weeks without you. [ What's a few weeks after five years? They'll manage. ] But if you start to get bored out there, feel free to check in.
[ That seems unlikely. Sam's out in the middle of the desert, detached from civilization, and there's apparently monsters wandering around out there. Steve would rather he wasn't distracted, but he may as well take the chance to make the conversation a little more lighthearted. ]
I'd prefer to speak to you first, somewhat privately.
I can come to Mags in a matter of moments.
What time works best for you?
I can come to Mags in a matter of moments.
What time works best for you?
Edited 2022-07-17 23:50 (UTC)
[ it is a combination of it. he has an idea of what happened to him, at least in the sense of his own powers and what he took from himself to save geralt, but he's less sure of the rest of it. of the fever that followed him, of the aches and pains. nadine was still running tests on his blood, had mentioned that there might have been something akin to poison, maybe something magical, hidden down in that cave. sam just didn't know, and figured that until he did, there wasn't a lot of worth focusing on it.
her words, though, shoot a kind of tension through him. she'll see it, he doesn't really try to hide it, even as she pulls away. ] I didn't. [ he offers, finally, because he knows he has to tell someone, and everyone else around him back in cadens has enough on their plate. he takes the beer when she offers it, follows her to the couch and settles in next to her, frowning a bit at the idea of an exorcism.
i'm scared she says, and sam lets out a breath, reaches a hand over and sets it on her knee. ] I know. Me too. But we'll get through it, whatever it is, together. [ but then it's time for the small sam-wilson-smile, as he squeezes her knee before letting go. there is something in the smile that he hopes translates to the fact he's joking, that he's trying to lighten this at least a little bit, when he says: ] You at least trust me that much, right?
her words, though, shoot a kind of tension through him. she'll see it, he doesn't really try to hide it, even as she pulls away. ] I didn't. [ he offers, finally, because he knows he has to tell someone, and everyone else around him back in cadens has enough on their plate. he takes the beer when she offers it, follows her to the couch and settles in next to her, frowning a bit at the idea of an exorcism.
i'm scared she says, and sam lets out a breath, reaches a hand over and sets it on her knee. ] I know. Me too. But we'll get through it, whatever it is, together. [ but then it's time for the small sam-wilson-smile, as he squeezes her knee before letting go. there is something in the smile that he hopes translates to the fact he's joking, that he's trying to lighten this at least a little bit, when he says: ] You at least trust me that much, right?
You'll have plausible deniability, you heard nothing.
[she smiles back at him because it's contagious, this sam wilson positivity, this charm he embellishes with pride. she knocks her elbow against him, knowing that he's trying to lighten the mood.]
You realize that you boys keep throwing positivity out there with such intensity even if you don't know it'll really work out?
['you boys', sam and steve. they're soldiers, so of course they plan things through, but they also rely on their inspiration and stubbornness to do what's right. natasha used to give them a hard time for it, but she—and wanda—let themselves go with the flow.
wanda's afraid that this time, that much won't be enough.
she leans her head against sam's shoulder, letting her weight sink against his side.]
Of course I trust you. [quietly, like a little sister trying not to give her big brother too much credit. it's affectionate, as much as it can be for wanda maximoff. still, she lingers on something...] You didn't have any nightmares?
You realize that you boys keep throwing positivity out there with such intensity even if you don't know it'll really work out?
['you boys', sam and steve. they're soldiers, so of course they plan things through, but they also rely on their inspiration and stubbornness to do what's right. natasha used to give them a hard time for it, but she—and wanda—let themselves go with the flow.
wanda's afraid that this time, that much won't be enough.
she leans her head against sam's shoulder, letting her weight sink against his side.]
Of course I trust you. [quietly, like a little sister trying not to give her big brother too much credit. it's affectionate, as much as it can be for wanda maximoff. still, she lingers on something...] You didn't have any nightmares?
Edited 2022-07-27 13:24 (UTC)
[ and there it is - that smile. and maybe it should be silly, how it’s the simple things he needs, but wanda smiles and she pokes fun and it helps confirm for sam that even in spite of all of this, they’ll be okay. they can be okay. ]
You gotta have hope if you want something to work out. My momma always said the finish like was seventy percent believing it was there at all.
[ you boys, she says, and god. it’s stupid, he knows it’s stupid, but it feels good. that it can be you boys from wanda, and somehow in that good feeling comes a full body missing of nat. his smile doesn’t falter, exactly, but wanda probably recognizes the look.
she’s been through enough loss to know if when she sees it.
her weight sinks against his side, and sam leans back into it, pressing a kiss to her temple where it rests on his shoulder before setting his cheek against the top of her head. her voice is soft when she speaks, and sam knows the tone she’s using. knows, fully, that feeling of a sister not wanting to give too much away. still, she can probably feel him smile a little at it, at least until she asks. ]
No- I didn’t. Which was…I don’t know. It’s the first time I haven’t felt it when everyone else did.
[ he doesn’t know what that means, either, and in a not insignificant way it does unsettle him. worry him. ]
You gotta have hope if you want something to work out. My momma always said the finish like was seventy percent believing it was there at all.
[ you boys, she says, and god. it’s stupid, he knows it’s stupid, but it feels good. that it can be you boys from wanda, and somehow in that good feeling comes a full body missing of nat. his smile doesn’t falter, exactly, but wanda probably recognizes the look.
she’s been through enough loss to know if when she sees it.
her weight sinks against his side, and sam leans back into it, pressing a kiss to her temple where it rests on his shoulder before setting his cheek against the top of her head. her voice is soft when she speaks, and sam knows the tone she’s using. knows, fully, that feeling of a sister not wanting to give too much away. still, she can probably feel him smile a little at it, at least until she asks. ]
No- I didn’t. Which was…I don’t know. It’s the first time I haven’t felt it when everyone else did.
[ he doesn’t know what that means, either, and in a not insignificant way it does unsettle him. worry him. ]
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