i. arrival, adjustment, introductions

[demiurgency]

WHO: Billy Kaplan
WHERE: South Village fountain, Inn, schoolhouse
WHEN: November 20 through the following few days
OPEN TO: Starters for Tommy Shepherd and Wanda Maximoff, OTA for the rest
WARNINGS: Nada so far!

---

[Arrival-closed to Tommy]

He isn't expecting this dimension to be underwater. None of the rest of them have been underwater--well, there had been that one, the sunken New York filled with Atlanteans, but there had been a dome, and there was still air. Maybe that's why he's surprised to open his mouth to breathe and find nothing but water instead. The panic kicks in before he begins to choke, and Billy desperately kicks for the surface--surface? That's gotta be the surface, right--not even thinking to reach for his magic. He can't cast a spell if he can't speak, after all, and so he kicks with all he has, not even thinking about how easy it actually is, not thinking about how his cloak should be dragging him down, until he finally breaches the surface, gasping and choking. Flailing, wildly, he looks around. What is this? A fountain? That's a first. And where are the others?

Kicking for the side of the fountain, Billy hauls himself over the edge and is crouching on the cool stones next to the lip when he notices the next weird thing. He isn't wearing his costume anymore. He's wearing...green scrubs? Like, hospital scrubs? There's no sign of his cloak anywhere. Or his suit. Or any of the others. Standing and pushing his dripping hair off of his face, Billy lifts his hands to cup them to his mouth. It's not the best idea, but then, what is, these days? Has he had any good ideas since that last, first, most terrible idea, months ago now?

"Kate! Noh-Varr! David!! America!!! Any of you out there??" After a pause with no answer to his shouting, he tries again, with the least likely to respond, and the most likely to be the reason he's here in the first place. "Loki??? Anyone????"

[Introductions-closed to Wanda]

Okay. It's okay. He can do this. He can totally do this.

The internal pep talk doesn't really work. He's still standing there on that porch, hand lifted to knock but not quite there yet. Tommy had explained it all: alternate dimension, bunch of people there, no one from their home universe, but a bunch of familiar names from different versions. Including her. Wanda. The Scarlet Witch. He knows she isn't the same, but the lack of his magic is already an ache deep in his chest, a hollow he can't quite seem to ignore. If anyone would understand, it's her. Whatever version of her she is, he knows she'd understand. And Tommy's already told her about their own connection to her--the other version of her, anyway. It shouldn't be that hard.

Come on, dummy, knock before someone sees you standing here like a creep.

Taking a deep breath, Billy knocks on the door of House 20, weight shifting from foot to foot as he waits for someone to answer the door.

[Adjustment-OTA]

After getting the full rundown from Tommy (and maybe having several mild panic attacks in a row about most of it), Billy eventually settles on a plan. First things first, to the Inn. He needs to eat something, and he's heard there's a stockpile of clothes there, which is good because a. it's kind of freezing, and b. he's just given away his dry set of green scrubs to his brother. Thankfully, there's a small assortment of things that are both dry and warm, and after a quick change, Billy's back downstairs to spend some time just...figuring things out.

The best place to do that seems to be the schoolhouse, honestly; he's never been the outdoorsy type, and there is a lot to learn. The reading helps. This place has a book on everything. It also keeps him distracted. No thinking about the loss of his magic, no thinking about the loss of his friends, no thinking about Teddy or the dozen or so sick people now apparently recovering from a plague or something just up the road. Instead, just books. Billy reads like he's cramming for the SATs all over again, and for the next few days after he arrives, chances are you'll find him traveling back and forth in a triangle between House 58, the Inn, and the schoolhouse, nose buried in a book no matter where he is. He's probably not even watching where he's walking, honestly--sorry about that, whoops.

Comments

[minus1twin]

Wanda wasn't too far from the door. She's spent the last few days sitting on the couch with the cat purring at her back and the dog draped across her legs. The snakes had caused her to get sick but like the others in the village, she was healing without difficulty.

Now she had to wait and after years of waiting, she still didn't enjoy the down time. She plucked notes on the ukulele or focused on whatever animal didn't want to ignore her existence. It was usually Arado, the large dog was attentive and would whine at Wanda when it appeared like she wasn't taking care of herself. When the knock sounded, Arado's head perked up and he went trotting to the door, waiting for Wanda to come open it.

She pushed her fingers through her long hair, wondering if she should cut it back to her shoulders when she pushed open the door. "Hello?" She knew Tommy, had heard a little bit about Billy and even met an alternate version of Peitro but she'd yet to meet Billy or know what her second son looked like.

[demiurgency]

Okay, scratch that, he totally wasn't prepared for this. She looks so...so young. And tired. Like, really tired. He totally shouldn't be bothering her, this was such a stupid idea. And yet he can't bring himself to leave, either. Instead, he stands there for a moment, at a loss for words as he reaches up and fidgets at his earlobe and the place where an earring used to be.

"Um--hey. You don't know me, but, uh--" Wow, Billy, way to go, so eloquent. He takes a deep breath and tries again. "I'm Billy. Tommy's brother." A fact which is pretty obvious, once you get past the difference in hair and eye color; their faces are identical, their builds similar enough to be uncanny, even if their posture is different. "He, uh. Told me where to find you. I just wanted to come say hi. And talk. But if this is a bad time, it's okay, I can come back some other time...?"

[minus1twin]

Wanda's expression softened and her lips pulled into a warm affectionate smile. "Do you want to come inside? I have tea made." She usually made tea when she had guests or a potentially sensitive discussion but today it was already made, steaming in a pot next to where she'd been curled up on the couch.

It was easy to pick out the similarities now that she knew what she was looking for and with each measure of recognition she felt her heart ache a little. This was her family. It wasn't something she'd thought she'd have and she'd never been so happy to meet the two sons that she'd never known existed.

"It isn't a bad time." It's never a bad time when either of her son's are involved. "I'm not at my best. I returned from an expedition and I'm feeling a little worn down but I'd really like the company." Wanda hoped that she'd be able to sooth his nerves and help him relax. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to meet another younger version of her mother.

"Tommy had mentioned you but I hadn't realized you arrived here too. It's nice to be able to meet you."

Even if this world kind of sucked.

[demiurgency]

The smile does honestly help. It softens her expression, makes her look friendlier, younger--still weird, but he can kind of...pretend she's like an older sister, maybe. He's always been the oldest. Maybe that'll be a better way of looking at it. But the smile does help, and it makes it easier for him to smile back, relieved.

"Tea sounds great," he says honestly, following her into the house. "I just got here a couple days ago--I heard about everyone getting sick, and the thing about the snakes. I've just sort of been staying out of the way. I don't exactly know what I'm doing here, honestly." Not that he ever particularly has. Just look at the last few months.

"So--Tommy told you about me? About us, I mean?" He said he had, but she's still acting like the whole thing is perfectly fine, so he's got his doubts.

[minus1twin]

"That's probably the safest thing to do. Come in and take a seat. It'll take me a moment to get the tea." Wanda knelt next to the fire, where she kept the pot of warm water, and began to prepare Billy's tea.

After placing a small homemade tea bag in a mug, she filled it and turned towards the couch. Once Billy was settled, she handed him the mug and took the seat at his side. "Let it steep for a moment and cool off." Wanda didn't want him to burn himself.

"Tommy told me a little. This isn't my first time handling alternate universes but it's strange." She paused thoughtfully, her pointer finger running around the rim of her mug. "But we're family and that's all that really matters." Wanda didn't know if either of the boys wanted another mother, let alone one that wasn't yet a decade older than them, but they were family and no alternate universe was going to change that.

TWIN TIME BEGINS at the fountain.

[expeditiousness]

The second worst part of this place is the unending boredom. Tommy still hasn't found much to occupy his hours, and the fact that he's forced to move so dang slowly (the first worst part of this place, natch) doesn't help at all. He goes for runs and misses being able to move so fast he's a blur to everyone else, and vice versa. He goes for walks, too, wandering aimlessly, because he can't think of anything else to do.

He's off on one of those aimless wander-walks when Billy arrives, and he happens to be within earshot of Billy's shouting at the fountain. Kate and David are names he recognizes, common enough names; Loki is less common but another name he remembers from back home; America and Noh-Varr are strangers to him, but Tommy knows the sound of his twin's voice well enough to head straight toward the sound of the shouting.

Tommy's wearing more normal clothes today, the new clothes gifted a few weeks ago - green and white striped sweater, blue jeans, bright orange running shoes. Not those ugly-ass teal scrubs he'd arrived in, thankfully. Tommy draws closer to the fountain and lays eyes on the poor soaked new arrival, and - yep, that sure is Billy. Arms curved up in an exaggerated shrug, he shouts his greeting:

"So what am I now - chopped liver?"

Hi, little brother.

TWIN TIME YES

[demiurgency]

"Tommy...?" That voice is probably the last one he's expecting to hear, but it's the one he appreciates most. They've been looking for what's close to months at this point, weeks at the least, with no sign of Tommy or the not-Patriot shadow thing that took him. Maybe that's why Billy doesn't even think before he's moving, launching himself at his twin and wrapping his arms around his neck, laughing in relief.

"Tommy! What's going on, where have you been? Is this where that thing brought you? How long have you been here, we've been looking for forever, you don't even wanna know how many dimensions--" He knows he's babbling, and he knows any second Tommy is gonna push him away, but he's so relieved to see him, for the moment it doesn't even matter.

[expeditiousness]

Tommy’s unlikely to ever admit to it, but seeing Billy is a relief for him, too. He’s been stuck in this village for months - maybe even as long as Billy and the others have been searching for him - and the only people he even halfway recognizes here are versions of the Avengers who are different from the ones he knows back home and don’t recognize him. Sure, he’d moved out of the Kaplans’ place a while ago, but Tommy had the safety net of knowing Billy and the others were just a call or text away, even if he didn’t take advantage of those methods of reaching out. Tommy’s more or less always been on his own, but the past couple of months have been lonely.

So he doesn’t push Billy away or attempt to wriggle free of his twin’s embrace. Muscles go tense for a moment, then Tommy sighs out a deep breath and wraps his arms tightly around Billy. It’s still not admitting to having feelings if he doesn’t say how much he’s missed Billy, right?

“You do know you’re soaking wet, right?” And thus dripping all over Tommy, too. But Tommy’s protest is only for show, evident by the fact that he hasn’t let Billy go yet.

“Yeah, I guess I’ve been here?” he answers, chin resting on Billy’s shoulder. “Last thing I remember before I woke up underwater in the fountain was a stakeout in a warehouse with David. That was a couple months ago.”

[demiurgency]

It might as well be admitting he has feelings, but Billy won't call him on it. Honestly, he's just glad Tommy isn't pulling away, that he's doing the opposite, in fact, and hugging him back. Billy takes the arms around him as permission to hug his twin tighter, laughing in mingled relief and amusement at Tommy's words. It's so good seeing him. Teddy is gone, and he doesn't know where anyone else is, and they're no closer to figuring out how to get rid of Mother and fix Billy's latest huge mistake, but Tommy is here and that's something. It's a lot. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed him until he wasn't just a phone call or a dumb text away.

"Yeah, I know I am, why do you think I'm hugging you? It's freezing out here." It's an easier cover for both of them. Billy's better at talking about his feelings, but he's not about to risk making Tommy bolt that fast. It's easier to joke, anyway, to joke and to hold him until he pulls away. He wasn't entirely kidding about it being freezing. "That was when the thing dressed like Eli grabbed you," he offers, helpfully filling in the blanks. "David came to find us after you disappeared. We've been looking ever since. The last few months have been...A lot." He doesn't know where to start, if it's even fair to put any of his own mistakes on Tommy, and so instead he focuses on the easier conversation. "What is this place, anyway?"

Schoolhouse

[to_defend]

Still being on the mend, 7 had be warned against rushing into old habits, and encouraged to continue to take it easy while she recovered from being sick. As someone who preferred to be out and active, this was a hellish sentence, but she also didn't want to get sick like that again so she's at least trying. She's at the schoolhouse now carrying a variety of books on human biology, weather patterns, and animal husbandry. There's also a book about knitting with a little doll on the cover propped on top, but that's more because the cover caught her eye than anything else.

Lucky for Billy she is watching where she's going and steps out of his way, then reaches it to grab the back of his collar in an attempt to redirect him from his current trajectory of just left of the doorway.

Schoolhouse

[demiurgency]

Billy's so engrossed in the book in his hands--a guide to plant identification and foraging, he figures even if the idea of hunting makes him queasy he can still at least know what in the forest is edible, for next year anyway--that he doesn't even notice the woman stepping out of his way. He definitely notices the hand on his collar, though; he can't not, as he tries to take another step and instead is tugged backwards, stumbling as he finally looks up from the book.

"Wha--?"

A quick glance back and forth between the woman who stopped him and the path in front of him leading him directly into the doorjamb eventually resolves his confusion into realization, and then into chagrin. "I'm so sorry," he says, and the apology is genuine. "I was so buried in this thing I wasn't paying attention--did I almost hit you? That's like the third time I've done that, I should really stop reading and walking."

[to_defend]

"Hey, don't worry about it. I can dodge, the doorway can't." She adjusts her books, smiling. "Must be some good reading if you can't tear yourself away long enough to get from A to B. What have you got?"

7 may be carrying a nice little pile herself, but it'll be a challenge to see how much she gets through; she was a fan of action, and sitting down and reading was not her preferred hobby. Still, it's become necessary for her to do some extra research that simple scouting can't uncover.

[demiurgency]

Good, she doesn't look too peeved at him. That's a relief, and he smiles back, reaching up to brush the hair from his face. "It's uh--well, I don't know if it'd be all that interesting, usually I'm more of a fantasy nerd, Game of Thrones or Mistborn, but I figured I should probably look for something a little more useful, if I'm gonna be stuck here. Plus, the library's a little light on fiction." He shows her the cover of the book, which looks as dry and boring as it sounds, and is, honestly.

"What about you? Anything good in your stack?" He nods towards her own not-insubstantial pile.

Schoolhouse

[cryptoherpetology]

"Hey, don't mind me," says a man in black scrubs and dark-rimmed glasses. He's carrying a pretty impressive stack of books to return, but possibly more noticiable is the dilute-calico peahen kitten perched regally on his shoulder.

"I'm going to regret letting you do this when you're big enough that I actually feel your weight," he says idly to the little creature as he goes about putting the books back.
"But at least you're flightless." He smiles, and scritches her under the chin. It's nice being able to take his avian-feline pet out without having to worry about it being a Problem, and he's trying to encourage her to imprint on him as much as possible, since she's hopefully the only one of the litter he'll be keeping for himself.

Schoolhouse

[demiurgency]

"Hmm? Oh, no worries," Billy answers a little belatedly, lifting his head from where it's buried in yet another book. There's a stack that's practically a fort built up around him on the desk he's chosen, more books than one could practically read at any given time, but once Billy commits to something he commits a hundred percent. Besides, he isn't sure what he's going to need to know, here. It seems like anything could happen, from what Tommy's told him and what he's gathered from the others. That stack is why it maybe takes him a moment or three longer than it would for him to notice the tiny, weird-looking cat perched on Alex's shoulder, but when he does, he lights up, standing up from his seat to get a better look.

"Hey--is that a cat?" It doesn't look exactly like a cat--are those feathers?--but it's tiny and adorable and the first one he's seen, which means it's impossible to resist moving closer to get a better look.

[cryptoherpetology]

"Kind of? I've been calling them peacats. If she were a boy, it'd be a little more obvious why," he answers. "They secrete some kind of oil or pheromone that has a mildly intoxicating effect. I'm trying to desensitize myself to it."

By this he means he's been practicing not looking like he feels like every single kitten video on YouTube is flowing through his veins. He's getting pretty good at it!

[demiurgency]

"She's adorable," he says, already entranced as he comes around the side of his desk, books forgotten for the moment. "Peacat, like peacock cat? I mean, I guess that explains the feathers." He pauses mid-step at the rest, hand already half-lifted to offer to the tiny, precious thing.

"Oh--is she safe to touch? I mean, of course she is, she's on your shoulder--I mean, can I pet her? She's really cute."

also the schoolhouse ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[scathefires]

Jason also spends a lot of time picking out books to read and absorb from the weird library the village had been given, so his trips to the schoolhouse are frequent. Today's selections are beginner's guides on spinning with a drop spindle, croquet, and embroidery.

They all go clattering to the floor when Jason accidentally collides with Billy. Looks like the former Boy Wonder let his guard down for a moment and wasn't paying attention to where he was going, either. Expression pinched with mild irritation, he sighs loudly and bends to pick up the scattered books.

"Well, your roadblock impersonation is definitely up to snuff," he drawls, dry as a goddamn desert.

welp ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[demiurgency]

He really has to stop doing this. One moment he's walking along, face buried in a book, memorizing the spot patterns on poisonous mushrooms native to Oregon, and the next it feels like he's walked straight into a brick wall, book rebounding upward and cracking him across the nose. Billy stumbles back with an oof, lifting a hand to rub at the sharply aching bridge of his nose. He should have been watching where he was going, and he should apologize, but that dry tone just rubs him the wrong way, and he's answering before he can think twice about it.

"You're one to talk, jeez," he mutters, bending to pick up his own dropped books, scattered in his bounce and rebound. A book on woodcraft, a book on knots, a book on--embroidery?? "This isn't mine," he says, holding it and looking at the cover critically. Are those daisies??

[scathefires]

"It's mine," Jason snaps, reaching to snatch the book back out of Billy's hand. That critical look on his face doesn't sit well with Jason - he's never bought into that toxic masculinity bullshit, so it's not that he's embarrassed about showing an interest in something so typically "girly" as embroidery. It's more that he feels like he's being judged and found wanting, and he hates that from people he knows, but he doesn't have the patience to field it from a complete stranger.

"Talk to me once you've been here long enough to sort through the library by interest and see if you don't start picking books at random just to keep the boredom at bay."

[demiurgency]

Wow, okay, touchy. Billy can't help the irritated look on his face as he stands back up, holding his stack of books to his chest. Jason's super defense-through-aggression stance is reminding him way too much of moments in high school he'd rather forget. The critical look on his face had only been for the 'Bless This Mess' sampler displayed on the cover, honestly, but he's way too used to guys like Jason feeling too sensitive about their masculinity.

"I'm a little too worried about surviving winter to start worrying about being bored, thanks," is his slightly acidic retort. "And there's nothing wrong with learning embroidery because you want to." But sure, you're just bored. Ugh.

Adjustment

[alittlelonger]

Rinoa's exhausted at the moment because she spent most of her time watching over the sick, especially Squall who was not a great patient. He listened to her ... barely. She talked a few people back into bed and generally took care of them, before she realized she hadn't eaten or taken care of herself for days. So she forced herself to take a break! She went back to wash up and change her clothes, and swung by the inn to get a little food. She's starting to feel human again!

She walks out of the inn and looks toward the hospital, taking a deep breath and letting it out. She should go check on Squall again. He was sleeping fitfully when she left, but maybe having her near would distract him. She runs a hand through her caramel streaked hair, not thinking where she's walking either which is how she runs right into Billy. Knocking his book out of his hands in the process. "Oh!" Rinoa gasps, feeling instantly terrible, reaching down to pick it up for him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Re: Adjustment

[demiurgency]

"Whoops--" After this one, Billy thinks, flailing and spectacularly failing to catch his flying book, he's just going to move into the schoolhouse. That, or relocate about half of it to his house, one shelf at a time, until he's practically memorized it all. If he can memorize Ragtime, he can memorize a first aid manual.

"I've really gotta stop meeting people this way," he manages after catching his balance, offering Rinoa an embarrassed grin and holding a hand out for his book. "It's okay, it's not your fault, I keep reading instead of watching where I'm going, and I'm definitely not coordinated enough to keep doing that. Are you okay?"

[alittlelonger]

Rinoa hands the book over with an apologetic smile. "I would've tripped over my feet by now instead of another person, you already have better balance than I do!" She is pretty sure she could walk and read, but not well, and she isn't inclined to try. She might walk right into a wall.

She tilts her head to see the title. "Oh, First Aid. That's a good one. I have to re-read now that I've had practical experience." Rinoa tried a few books since arriving. She doesn't have many skills to speak of, so reading these are her ticket to being more helpful. "Everyone's still sick at the hospital, so I've been learning things on the fly, but it's only in one particular way." She wishes it was under much better circumstances. First aid would be more helpful when someone was bleeding to death, not watching their brain rot from fever.

She isn't going to focus on that until she has to go back. "Hi I'm Rinoa. I don't think I've seen you here."

[demiurgency]

Billy's grin falls into something more serious at the mention of the hospital. "Yeah, I know. I got here right when that group was heading out to find the cure. Or the snakes to make the cure." Wow, that is still weird to say. "I've mostly been staying out of the way--I don't know that I'd be any help for anyone, and I don't think my brother would forgive me if I got myself sick the week I got here."

The introduction sparks the return of a faint smile. "I'm Billy. I literally just got here two days ago, and I've basically just been reading every book that looks remotely useful I can get my hands on, so I haven't really been meeting many people. Plus, y'know, sick folks."