wundagores | pixie led

Hey.

[He'd been putting this off, actually. Like he needed to be sure the person chatting at Nat really was Wanda and not someone with the same name. But if it is her? Then he needs to make sure she's okay. In a way he hadn't been able to in the wake of Westview.]

I go here, now, if you wanna talk.

[wanda freezes at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line, overwhelmed by a lot of things at once. there's no denying the relief at hearing a friend, but it's not that simple; things have changed, dramatically, since the last time they'd spoken. she carries regrets, now, that she hadn't then, regrets that make her wonder if staying isolated forever is what's best for everyone.

maybe she should ignore this — for his own good, if nothing else. but:]

Hi.

[she can't do that, in the end. her voice is hushed, barely more than a breath, but it's there, talking to him.]

When did you get here?

[There's an internal sigh of relief at hearing her. He was worried she might not want to. She'd fallen off the grid, after. He had no way of knowing. Was she hurt? Imprisoned? Dead? Did she just not want to feel like a burden? Did she need to be alone? Was she protecting herself? She could have kept up the silence.

Though, then that would've hurt even more, knowing she was willing to text Nat but not speak with him.]

Not that long ago. There was a party; bunch of us showed up.

[She sounds so quiet. So distant. So small.]

Are you okay?

[it's guilt that starts to take its place over relief. she'd convinced herself that her choices over the past month had been for the best, but if she'd shown her face, she would've been there to see him sooner. what kind of friend does that make her?

(as much a friend as it does a hero.)

a beat, then:]

I stayed away from that one.

[her exhale is long — and audible — as she weighs his question, and an eventual response. lying wouldn't have a point; he'd be able to see through it in an instant. and maybe part of her wants to talk to someone.

really talk to someone.]

How much time do you have right now? Enough for a story?

Gosh, let me check my calendar and see if I can fit you into my busy schedule.

[Everything with Wanda is always complicated. Even being an Avenger had been complicated, in spite of Clint trying to simplify the whole thing. He gets it. Sometimes you can't just simplify ideas down to their basic components. Can't always just shoot a target and solve all the problems.

She's heavy. It's in her blowing air like she's carrying too much weight. She's got a team, and sure, some of them she didn't end up getting on with so well, but she can share her burdens with them. Surely.

Not Tony. For a lot of reasons.]

You wanna, uh. Do this over the phone, or you wanna meet up? [He'll leave that up to her. If she'd prefer to keep her distance, sequester herself wherever she's at.]

[that gets an audible breath of a laugh out of her. it's shaky, at first, but somehow — it gains strength. for the first time since she'd found herself here, and since well before that, wanda feels just a little steadier.

(clint's always been someone who can help her with that.)]

I want to see you, I think.

[it's a noticeable shift in her voice, too — less small, more confident.]

The woods are nice. [quiet.] I'll meet you outside the castle?

Good. I want to see you, too. [He thinks this is what it will be, for a bit. Slowly opening themselves up while they dance around things bigger than either of them. Until it feels like normal again. For a given definition. Even for a minute, he'd like for them to feel like normal.] Don't imagine it'll be hard to spot you. I'll see you soon.

[He'd better, or he's going to go on a hunt. He will start climbing into windows if need be.

Thankfully he doesn't have to do that. Yet. He isn't hard to spot, either--the only real change to him is letting his hair get back to a reasonable style instead of midlife crisis cry for help. A little more settled, maybe, from a year and change back with his family. Or maybe a little more wary from only a week-or-so in this place. But he lights up on seeing her. Like a Christmas tree.]

Hey, stranger.

pixie led | ic contact

voice

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

-> action