001 - Rereturn - [OPEN]

[minus1twin]

WHO: Wanda Maximoff
WHERE: A lot of places: The Inn, House #20, Bunker, Around
WHEN: September 3rd thru w/e
OPEN TO: EVERYONE
WARNINGS: N/A

---

Arrival – September 3rd [Closed to Major]

The bunkers arrival room appeared to be dormant when Major first stepped inside. There were lights and large vertical tubes of water, rectangular blinking screens, but nothing extraordinary seemed to be happening.

As if following that thought, the controls in the room whirled to life and Wanda's still form appeared in the glass tube. Her eyes were closed, seemingly asleep, while her long dark hair fanned around her in a halo. She looked exactly the same as when Major had seen her last with the wears and tears she'd sustained in the village before her disappearance. Her hair was longer and her features leaner compared to the day that she had left the simulation.

The countdown started, ticking like a clock while her vitals flickered on the screen to his right.

Her pulse was steady and even.

This was how they had all apparently arrived but the tubes had been broke only a day before and an error had nearly killed six people. It looked as if it was functioning properly but was there a guarantee that Wanda would be sent to the fountain and not killed?

House #20 – September 3rd Evening/Night

She was a little damp, wearing the dark green scrubs that she'd first arrived in, when she walked up to the house. Wanda wasn't sure what to say to the current residence of the familiar building but she'd already learned that a few months have passed since her disappearance. She'd tried to remember what had happened but it'd been only an instant; going to sleep and then waking up in that strange tube.

Had she been trapped in those tubes for all this time? Months by her account. Had there been other versions of her? She'd experienced it with Steve time and time again but she'd never thought that she'd find herself in this situation. A frown touched her lips as she stalled and stared at the familiar wooden door. She prayed that her room was in place, her clothes and her things. They weren't much but they were hers and she'd had told Clint to watch them should she disappear.

Even when she'd made those plans, she hadn't thought they would actually happen.

There was another long pause before Wanda stepped up and knocked at the door. She didn't know if anyone was still here or what else had changed but she hoped, like she'd never hoped before, that she hadn't lost the small family she'd grown to love.

Inn's Kitchen – September 4th

It felt as if things had returned to normal. There were new people in the village as well as old. She'd been told about some disappearances during her absence but her days, when she got right down to it, were the same as she remembered them.

She spent her morning at the house, keeping things tidy and feeding the ever growing collection of animals. Wanda doubted that Clint would have liked the idea of Wanda returning to her daily tasks so quickly but she was never the type who enjoyed sitting around and doing nothing.

With her morning tasks finished, she had headed towards the inn, helping with the tail end of lunch and cleaning before setting to her task of preserving the meats and fish that others had caught during the day and re-familiarizing herself with the kitchen.

Jon Stark had taught her how to preserve and handle a recent kill but it seemed as if he had disappeared. She didn't know if there were others who knew the process but she'd try and pick up whatever slack she could. Wanda could be found at various points in the kitchen: prepping meat, pausing long enough to grab a snack or cleaning up after she was finished.

It wasn't a pleasant activity, smell or sight, and she didn't blame anyone who walked into and then directly out of the kitchen as she worked. For those who could stomach the scene or caught Wanda cleaning up, they'd find her wearing a pair of light khaki pants with her long hair tied up at the back of her head in a ponytail. Her shirt was black and when the work got messy, she'd have an apron or over shirt on top of that to keep herself clean.

Spring – Night September 7th

The first few days of her return blurred together and while things were different, Wanda couldn't shake the sensation that they were the same.

She wanted to collect her thoughts but she didn't think that she could in the house, sitting in her old room, on her old bed. With a heavy sigh, Wanda pushed herself up, grabbed some soap she had stashed months ago in her upper drawer and headed towards the hot spring. It was roughly in the same place as the simulation's spring though it took Wanda a little time to find it.

Maybe her memory was fuzzier than she thought…

Without hesitation, she pulled off her clothes and stashed them under a rock before grabbing the soap and sinking into the water. Her underwear was within reach if she needed it but otherwise she'd wash, rinse and take a moment or two to enjoy the warm water and the thick heavy scents of daisies from the soap. The sounds of the night chirped, scurried and shifted around her and she hoped that the moose or any other wild life would leave her to her private thoughts. The last thing she wanted to do was run into foxes again or whatever else this world might have thrown at them that she didn't know about.

How could she be gone for so long but not remember anything of that time? Had she been frozen in place? Was this how Steve had felt waking up in the 21st century?

Wanda closed her eyes, her thoughts riddled with questions as she tried to relax.

Wildcard/around

[ooc: This will be Wanda's catch all for September and likely into next month for those who want to catch up with her.

She will be wandering around and setting out in mini explorations/day trips as she gets used to the area again. Time hasn't passed for her but she hadn't had a good look at the new setting before she disappeared. Feel free to find her anywhere if you want to run into her and there isn't a prompt that works for you. She isn't opposed to pausing to see what someone is up to, saying hello or offering her help.

Also feel free to make Test Drive threads Canon but please let me know!

I will be gone from the 7th to the 16th on vacation but I will be prioritizing this post as much as I can.]

Comments

House 20

[pretendtoneedme]

Footsteps on the path behind her might alert Wanda to a new arrival - the roads aren't paved and he isn't trying to walk with a light step, so his boots are scattering bits of dirt and rock as he walks. Not to mention the clicking of claws on said dirt and rocks, as Arado trots next to him, stopping when his master does. It's impossible to miss the young woman on the porch, looking apprehensive and unsure of her reception, and for a moment Clint can only stare at her, wondering when she returned even as he knows it's a stupid question, overwhelmed at seeing her there again for a several moments that hold him in place.

That pause is broken by the dog; Arado spots the newcomer and goes into a barking frenzy at Clint's side, breaking away from him and running up to his Second Person to greet her happily after so many months. Clint takes a deep, shuddering breath and follows, dropping his bow without any care for it as he does so. She's back.

House 20

[minus1twin]

Arado interrupted her thoughts as the familiar, now very large dog, came bounding towards her. Wanda turned and smiled as she knelt down to intercept the fuzzy ball of excitement. "Arado!" She shouted his name as she affectionately ruffled the fur behind his ears. Wanda let him distract her for a moment or two before she looked up and met Clint's gaze.

Wanda couldn't express how happy she was to see him. That he and Arado were still here but she had no idea what to say to him.

"Looks like I broke curfew." She slowly rose to her feet while a little uncertain smile touched the edge of her expression.

Re: House 20

[pretendtoneedme]

Arado is a very well-trained dog who listens to commands and helps his master hunting with a willing verve, but right now he's gone back to being a puppy as he greets Wanda again. When she kneels down, he jumps up to plant his front feet on her knee and lick her face, clearly ecstatic that she's returned, but he doesn't fight her getting up again. Instead he just sticks close to her legs, wagging his tail like a damn train engine chugging along, looking up at her adoringly.

Clint doesn't say anything. He just finishes climbing the steps and pulls her to him in a hug bigger than one she's ever gotten from him before, holding her tight and not letting her go for as long as he'll let her. Until Nat, she'd been the only member of his family here - he has friends, comrades, close companions, but Wanda is his kid, as much as his actual children are. When she'd vanished, that'd been the start of his depressive spiral that culminated in July. But here she was, back again, and seemingly okay. There's not a lot to be grateful for in the village, but he's grateful for that.

House 20

[minus1twin]

Silence followed her remark and Wanda wondered if Clint remembered her. Not just the version her that he'd met in Sokovia all those years ago but the woman who had lived with him in this house for over a year. They had shared memories of old songs, singing and staying up late talking, building that god awful chicken coop while trying to handle all the animals that had continually come into their care. They were odd memories and hard but important too. Clint had become her family in more than just name or practice, there wasn't anyone else in any world who could take his place; not even another version of him.

Wanda was going to say something more when Clint closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders. Shock and then relief settled in her chest as Wanda returned his hug, burying her face against his shoulder. It had only been an instant for her but she knew that Clint had felt her absence longer than that.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long." Her voice whispered and muffled, was barely audible through the hug.

Springs

[nonstopnarcissist]

Rule one with torso wounds: You didn't aggravate them if you could help it. Tony'd been...more or less keeping to that, focusing on design work rather than lifting and swinging a hammer, but that earlier run in with Barton that knocked him bruised rib and healing muscle right into the hard edge of a solid wood worktable? Kind of aggravating in more ways than one. Nothing tore, nothing bled but there was a bone deep ache he couldn't shake, couldn't push past and- medical tech here was a far cry from what they had back home. He's going to have to be more careful.

Which means it's time for an extended soak in the springs.

Towel over his shoulder, scrubs and soap in hand he weaves his way up, mind rattling through how much longer he'd have to baby his damn ribs, how many projects he had on hand, what the people were asking for- and the odds of finding some mineable minerals. Checking the springs later or the surrounding area wouldn't hurt. For now he hummed quietly under his breath, something lilting and from his mother as he stripped out of his scrubs shirt, toeing off his boots when he noticed the head in the water. "Are you a solo soaker or would you mind company?"

He was, more or less, as he's ever been- but with a bruised jaw, the scarring over his chest where the reactor used to live- and a new vivid scar, still healing, along his left side, just below his ribs.

Springs

[minus1twin]

The pressure in her temples increased at the sound of the familiar voice.

Wanda didn't needed to open her eyes to know who its owner was and she suddenly wished that she'd kept her underwear on before slipping into the hot water. Those two articles of clothing were in reach but by that point he'd already know that she hadn't been wearing anything. Wanda had no idea which was better or worse and decided to disregard that train of thought long enough to answer his question, she was beneath the water and as long as she stayed there, she was covered.

"Hi, Tony." She leaned forward, her long hair floating across the surface of the water as she looked over at Tony and then firmly set her eyes back on the water in front of her. She hadn't realized that he was in the village now.

"I don't mind but wear underwear." Wanda turned and grabbed her underwear without looking at him, pulling it into the pool of water to cover herself.

At least he can't put her under house arrest here or throw her in jail.

She should be more angry at him but this was her second time in the village and she'd been living here for nearly a year prior to that. It was hard to stay angry at someone for a year when every few weeks as a struggle to live. She should be madder or tell him to go away but the springs had healing properties and even at a glance she could tell that Tony was hurt.

[nonstopnarcissist]

Oh for fuck's sake.

It'd been a hike to get out here, one he's not sure he'd be able to make back to the smithy without a long soak. Stuck between a literal physical need and his frustrated pride and principles- the physical need is going to need to come first. The idea of a long, relaxing soak? Pretty well gone now. Time for an awkward span of howeverlong he can bear before hauling his ass back to his home and wondering who else is going to pop out of the woodwork when he's not looking. With no little trepidation he sighs, removing his shoes, kicking off his pants but dutifully leaving on the underwear. Picking around to find the part of the spring that's as far as he can be from her while not being a complete jackass- some tigers you don't poke- Tony sinks into the spring.

His ribs and stitches stop aching quite so much in short order, so. That's a bonus. "So before- anything else- what's the last thing you remember before arriving here?"

That seems to be a fluid point for those he's run into so far. he busies himself with folding over his towel, tucking it behind his head so he can stare up at the sky. None of the stars look quite right and, yeah, this is a poor posture and not the best backdrop for an already uncomfortable conversation. Closing his eyes helps. A little.

[minus1twin]

Wanda didn't watch him. In fact, she slipped on her underwear and then found a very interesting rock to focus on. Technically it was a bolder and it looked like a good place to lay out and dry had she decided to come out here during the day.

It was about thirty seconds after Wanda heard rippling water that she chanced a glance over towards Tony.

"I live with Clint." Which was her way of saying that whatever it was he was worried about, she likely already knew it, even if she wasn't from a time period where it had happened yet. Her time in the village had been strange and a little unusual. She hadn't remembered everything right away but had gotten pieces of different stories over time. "We fought and that was the last time I saw you."

Inn

[nifties]

He smells blood and death before he even rounds the corner, expecting the worst when he comes through the doorway. He's back in his red scrubs now that they're dry even though he hates the damn things, and what kind of monster thinks they go with hiking boots anyway? John creeps in as silently as he dares, leaning against the opposite countertop to watch her. It's much more mundane than his initial assumption, a slim girl preparing meat to be cured, it seems like. So far the village had been oddly absent of any sign of evil, overtly at least. John knows he can't believe his own eyes for a second.

"If you could save the fat aside, luv, I'd appreciate it," he speaks up suddenly without announcing his presence first. His tone is sweet, almost sickly so, if only because he's trying to get something for nothing here.

Inn

[minus1twin]

"It's over there."

She pointed to a bucket that contained fat and bone. Both would be used for different things, the fat could be turned into soap and the bone into broth. Wanda wasn't in the habit of throwing anything away. Jon had taught her better than that and she knew that the winters could be difficult if they didn't store up enough food and supplies. "I was going to use it or give it to Helen but if you want it, take it." There was no reason they couldn't share it and the person who had killed this animal was content with the remains going to the general residence of the inn.

Wanda finished what she'd been working on and looked up at John. Light green eyes inspected him carefully before she placed the knife she'd been using down on the counter in front of her. "I don't know you." Her accent was thick, pulling at each word and rounding them out. "If you don't know, most things at the inn are communal and I'm Wanda." She'd offer to shake his hand but that would have been really gross since she hadn't washed up yet.

[nifties]

John goes to the bucket of scraps and hums his approval. Oh yes, that will do nicely. "Ta, luv. I'll get Helen back next time." No, he has no idea who Helen is.

He leans on the counter opposite her and watches, the bucket clutched in his hand now though he still manages to make it look lazy even as her light eyes sweep over him. There's something of a sparkle in clear blue ones and he does like hearing that the Inn is communal because guess what? He had every intention to steal from it either way.

"I would remember meeting you, Wanda. And I like to think you'd remember me." Her accent is Eastern European, he thinks. Downright refined compared to his Liverpool garble. "John Constantine. Expert demonologist, unparalleled exorcist and... casual player in the dark arts."

[minus1twin]

Wanda looked over at him with a light smile before shaking her head. "John Constantine." It was an impressive name and it suited the string of descriptors. "I'm Wanda Maximoff."

There were a few things that he had said that caught her interest; demonologist, dark arts. She had questions but she didn't know if he was the private type. John appeared open and talkative but Wanda knew that looks could be deceiving. "What sort of demons do you know about?" There weren't demons in her world, not really, they were other races that could be described as demons but Wanda figured it was all a matter of opinion.

Which was likely true of this place as well.

September 3

[majorlyugh]

Ever since he, Ravi, Liv, and Bucky had travelled down to the bunker upon its discovery a couple of days prior, Major's found himself returning on occasion to give the place another look. He isn't sure if he's looking for anything in particular, if he's looking for familiar faces out of anticipation or dread, or if there's some kind of morbid curiosity at play, but there's no one else in the place when he goes on this particular day. He's occasionally run into one of the other villagers, sometimes already down there, sometimes on their way out. He's grateful to have the place to himself now, though, and that feeling is doubled when he catches a flash of a very familiar face.

"Wanda?" he asks, approaching the tube. He presses his palm to the cold glass separating the two of them, his eyes darting over to the screen displaying her vitals. He looks back and forth between her and the screen a few times, trying to make sense of it all. He hadn't seen her when they'd all come down as a group, that much he knows. And he's been back enough to know that she hasn't been floating there for too long. She must've only just arrived. No, not arrived - come back.

"Wanda!" He taps on the glass lightly, unsure if she can hear him. He wonders if it's like when someone's in a coma, where they can hear without responding. In the event that she can, he continues, "I don't know how! But I'm going to try to get you out!" He looks back to the screen.

Now if he could only figure out how to keep his word.

September 3

[minus1twin]

It wasn't a difficult system though the countdown continued to tick forebodingly at the top right of the screen. Below it was another indication, one that was simply labeled 'release' but without much other explanation. After Major fiddled with the controls for a few seconds, he'd hear an alarm boom through the room and then the ominous echo of metal grinding against metal.

The tube opened from the bottom, slipping water and Wanda onto the floor of the arrival room before closing with a loud bang. Wanda felt the downward rush and then the cold hard pressure of the ground against the back of her head as she coughed and gasped for air. Her head was tumbling and when she opened her eyes she saw nothing but a dizzying blur in front of her. Another gasp and Wanda rolled onto her side, struggling but letting gravity assist her efforts to breath.

"Wat-" Her throat was raw and sore.

The scrubs stuck uncomfortably to her skin while her hair plastered against her shoulder and cheeks. The water must have drained somewhere out of the room because it was suddenly gone, except for the small pools that circled around Wanda's dripping frame.

Through all the confusion, Wanda hadn't realized that she wasn't alone in the strange new room.

[majorlyugh]

Major might be randomly and frenetically pressing at buttons on the pad, though nothing really seems to be working. He's only half-focused on what the display reads, eyes continuously darting to watch Wanda to look for any change. But something that he hits must do something right, because he hears an ear-piercing sound and the rush of water as the tube opens up.

He rushes to catch her, keep her from hitting her head or obtaining any other injury. On his knees, he keeps her in his arms, brushing away the hair matted to her face.

"Wat ... wat .. OH! Water? Okay, hang on." Major had been bringing such supplies with him every time he's come, on the off-chance he'd need it. He has it in a canteen of sorts, and, with a bit of a strain and stretch, he grabs it from the ground nearby and unscrews the top. Cradling her head in the crook of his arm, he holds the canteen up before her. "I have water here. Can you do it yourself? Do you want help?"

[minus1twin]

Beads of water cling to her eyelashes as her eyes flutter to life. "Major?" Her voice was raw and it hurt to talk but Wanda didn't care. He was holding her . . . they were sitting on the floor? . . . when she tried to recall what happened, Wanda was greeted with a hazy recollection of going to bed and then waking up in Major's arms. She had no idea what had happened but she felt a sinking icy feeling settle in the pit of her stomach.

She weakly reached for the canteen, giving herself time to let her thoughts and memories fall back into place. Cool water coursed down her throat and Wanda shivered. Wherever they were, it was cold. She carefully rested the canteen against her chest and focused on the pieces of information she knew.

She was in a strange cave with Major and she was wet.

"Hey." Wanda felt incredibly exhausted but she managed a small smile as her light green eyes met Major's gaze. He looked a little paler than she remembered. "You found me but- where are we?" Why was she soaked through?

inn's kitchen;

[freightcars]

It isn't so much a trail of blood as it is a gentle drip that catches his gaze. It starts with a singular round droplet upon the wooden floor of the inn, something small and inconsequential and easily passed by if you don't have an attention to detail like he does. If your mind isn't instinctively drawn to something like that like his. By way of mechanical process his eyes search for another and find it about three feet away - and another four feet after that.

A closed wound, or a limited supply, or a drying drip.

It gets a bit further between every time, but even so the metal of his fist is clenched tight and his shoulders are drawn by the time he reaches the kitchen. He can smell blood- he can hear it pulsing in his ears, his chest goes tight, his breathing shallow, a predator undetected because if something got in- if one of those wendigos got in, if someone's hurt-

He turns a corner swiftly and... looks like a fucking lunatic. Stands rigid and wide-eyed and braced for a fight only to see Wanda in a damn apron kindly and easily packaging meat like a chef or a housewife or anything you know, normal. For a second it's so bizarre and contrary to what his mind had been expecting he doesn't know what to say, the gears just sort of stop working and his lips part, throat clicking quietly in surprise.

Oh.

inn's kitchen;

[minus1twin]

Wanda hadn't heard Bucky approach and without her mind powers she had no way to realize that he was there until he was in the room, heavy breaths sounding like a steam engine as he stared at her.

She knew Bucky well, had gotten to know him the last time he was in the village. Time and situations were odd here but her pervious experiences had got her used to that feeling.

"Bucky." Wanda spoke his name carefully, as if she was calming a wild animal. Her hands dropped away from her task and ran along the front of her apron to clean them as best she could. "Are you okay?" She didn't step towards him, you don't spook a wild animal.

[freightcars]

He licks his lips at the sound of his name, eyes ducking briefly in what may just be shame or embarrassment. The second his irises are down his fingers unclench, metal flexing in air like he's grasping for a good reason for why he is the way he is. Much like the space around his knuckles, he comes up empty.

"Sorry, I just-" he mutters, shaking it off with a furrow and a frown. Purses his lips for a second, and then plows on. "Saw blood, I thought..."

Thought that something was wrong? In Sleepy Village where he's had to fight exactly one Wendigo in the months he's been here? Some instincts don't change after a few good weeks or months of peace, it seems, and the Winter Soldier's vigilance continues on untethered by comfort. He transitions his grimace into an easier, pained-looking smile.

Shifts this into a greeting, if he can, with a polite (if strained), "Hey."

house 20

[ethnobotany]

At some point when Wanda finally makes her way inside, she'll find Beverly looking more or less like normal. The redhead has a cup of tea in hand and she's considering taking it to bed. As she moves out of the kitchen, her eyes fall on one of the people she has missed the most in recent months. For a few seconds, she hesitates, barely daring to breathe. Setting the cup on a nearby table, although it's more like throwing it, she hurries forward. Without even thinking about it, Beverly throws her arms around Wanda, holding her as tightly as she would Wesley.

"Wanda. You're back."

house 20

[minus1twin]

A soft laugh escaped Wanda's lips as her arms circled around Beverly shoulders.

"It looks like I am."

She pressed her face against her friends shoulder and squeezed before gently dislodging herself from Beverly's hold. Moisture touched the corner of Wanda's eyes but she brushed it away. It'd happen in a blink for her, she'd fallen asleep and then woken up again in that pod.

"I'm sorry I made you worry." She felt bad for making them all worry.

[ethnobotany]

The feeling of Wanda returning the hug is all Beverly really needed. She's happy to see the young woman safe and sound, happier still to know that Wanda remembers her time here. Beverly could have survived if Wanda didn't remember, but it's all the sweeter knowing that she does.

"It's not your fault," she says gently. "We can't control what the Observers do. I'm just glad to see that you're okay. Have you seen Clint yet?" For as important as Wanda is to her, Beverly knows she's more important to Clint.

House 20

[enterprisingheart]

For all that he's at least seen the tubes, Picard can't really say that he knows what to make of them. Or rather, doesn't quite know what to make of the fact that they're apparently how they arrive. He has some suspicions, yes, and it certainly adds a more ominous tone to the whole of their arrivals, but for the most part he's reserving judgment for the moment. There's no denying that the Observers have been trying to show them something, but what that something means past there being more at play... that's harder to tell.

(Even if it does have him more than a little concerned that the Cardassians might be involved somehow, and the thought isn't terribly comforting.)

He's not there when Wanda knocks on the door. Rather he runs into her at some point afterwards, and although it's clear that it's not something he'd expected, it's not a bad surprise either, and the expression on his face says as much.

"I didn't know you were back."

House 20

[minus1twin]

Wanda was in the kitchen when Picard happened to stumble across her. The house had gotten along just fine without her but she wanted to get back into the habit of feeding the dog and the chicken's and… the million other animals that had been collected like she did before. It was usually a morning activity but she'd asked Clint if she could and being the amazing dad he was, he'd instantly relented to her request.

She didn't pause but she looked up and smiled. They weren't very close but it was good to see him. "It happened this morning." Wanda still didn't know what happened but she was a little happy to be back.

"Sorry that I left so suddenly." It hadn't been by choice.

[enterprisingheart]

For all that the house had gotten on well enough in her absence, he can't deny that it had felt a little emptier than usual. Through no fault of anyone's save the Observers - or whatever force happened to be responsible for people coming and going - mind. But it had still felt a little emptier in her absence, and for all that the village is perhaps not where any of them might want to be, it's nice to see her around again all the same.

"It's quite alright."

He doesn't know much about the mechanism responsible for people's absences. But he's reasonably certain that it's not anything that people have a choice about either.