sixthiterationlogs | 003 - A 15 Second Peak into the Unknown

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003 - A 15 Second Peak into the Unknown - [OTA]

WHO: Wanda Maximoff
WHERE: Inn's Kitchen & Around the Village
WHEN: 20th - 25th December
OPEN TO: Tommy & OTA
WARNINGS: Spoilers, death, deathy related things... will update.

[ooc note: Wanda's sneak preview is based on the end of Infinity Wars, there are Spoilers for those who have yet to see the movie.

Anyone can be in the kitchen when her video is playing but Tommy will be talking to her first. (Feel free to wave the RP magic wand if you want to say your character saw.) The second prompt is to run into her at any time after that. If people want to talk about Thanos/the end of Infinity Wards/Nightmares/etc any location is do-able. I am easy and I can avoid spoilers in the open post as well, so just give me a heads up.

I have the video here for the full heart wrenching 15 seconds. Video @ 2:30 time: LINK.]

→ For Tommy

A harsh cry tore through the air, sounding from Wanda's bracelet. The scene was unfamiliar, indicating a future she'd only heard bits and pieces of. She was crying, struggling, while Vision was on her knees. Wanda was killing him. She stares at the video, unaware of anyone who might be hovering within sight of the short clip.

'I love you'

Vision's whisper echoed through her chest while tears threatened at the corner of her eyes. She could only watch as the Mind Stone and Vision both shattered. Her throat constricted and she felt her heart breaking without ever experiencing whatever had blossomed between her and Vision. Wanda knew about it, just as she had about Thanos. Tony had told her that she had something with Vision and then her son's had said something similar but she hadn't expected a future like this. Clint had implied that she died but killing one of her teammates…

She thought she was past that.

When the scene ended she gripped the kitchen counter and tried to stop the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. She's accepted the past but the future was new and she felt the pain as if she was living through it now.

How could this happen?

She felt the steady gaze of the others in the room, she didn't know who was there and she didn't look before turning to leave. There was nowhere to run except the storage closet. Wanda found a seat on a pile of blankets and cradled her face in the palm of her hands. The door cracked and she looked up to see Tommy standing in front of her. Wanda quickly brushed away her tears and tried to look somewhat composed, hoping that he hadn't seen it.

"Tommy." Her voice cracked. "Did you need something?"

→ Open to all

She didn't know how many people had seen the video but Wanda found that to be the least of her problems. She had never wanted to know the future and this was why. Her heart felt twisted and pained, wondering if there was a way to avoid a future that she had absolutely no context for. She tried to push it from her thoughts but again and again she heard those three words whispered in her ear.

'I love you'

It felt like a nightmare.

Why would she? Why would Vision?

She didn't know if anyone else had an answer and if they did… Wanda wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. She bit back the question and tried to focus instead on finding a new place to stay.

Throughout the week Wanda could be found traveling between unoccupied homes, night or day, with Arado at her side. She continued to go to the inn and work in the kitchen but she always appeared to be absorbed by her thoughts and unfocused on those around her. Arado was usually at her side and would whine when it looked like someone wanted Wanda's attention.

Her nightmares worsened and she found herself wandering through the city at night, a thick jacket around her shoulders as she tried to recognize the stars glittering in the sky.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

It was not often that Reeve roused himself from his room enough to interfere with the proceedings of the inn or the people who came through the downstairs. There had already been several different tasks set to him and much of his time was taken up by his work upon them. In fact, the only real reason he had bothered to come downstairs at all had been because he was out of water.

Glass in hand he had found himself in the kitchen, and almost immediately putting it aside to consider the animal there.

"Would it be okay if I were to pet your dog?"

He was a bit too excited to see the friendly looking animal to notice the woman's distress just yet.

Bruce kept very odd hours usually, and now that the schoolhouse had electricity he was there late at night. But he was out walking around for a reason similar to Wanda's. His own wrist showed him the beginning of the snap deaths. Bucky was the first to go, and unfortunately Steve saw it. Bruce still felt guilty about that, for not being faster and pulling it away. He hadn't actually coped with the snap and destruction of half of the universe. He thought he was fine until witnessing it again, and he felt a little shaken. He and Tony talked about making it right somehow, but how could they?

There weren't a lot of people out at night, although there were patrols in the area, and he came closer to see if it was someone he knew. And it was. "Wanda?" He said, not too quietly so that it seemed creepy in the dead of night, but not so loudly it might startle her. "What are you doing out here so late?" It's not like he was her keeper or anything, but he was a natural worrier.

Arado whined softly and stamped his front paws against the title inn floor. He was asking the same question as Reeve but he was waiting for Wanda's permission before jumping forward in a happy puppy frenzy.

She looked up and shook away whatever thoughts had been distracting her. "Yes, of course. Arado will take all the attention he can get." Her accent was thick and warm, rounding out each word and tugging at the end of her sentence.

Arado's tail wiggled happily as he took a half leaped half stepped forward. He pressed his muzzle against Reeve's palm in a silent plead for attention.

Distracted, Wanda gets Arado a small bowl of water.

Well, distracted was definitely what Reeve was. He squatted down with a chuckle to start ruffling the dog's fur behind the ears. After that for a few moments he instead turned to stroking the lovely animal, still clearly pleased by the creature's presence.

"Arado," he echoed the name she had used, and just smiled as he worked the dog over with all sorts of pets and scratches. His eyes, though, followed the woman. "Beautiful creature. You're quite lucky to have such an excitable pup in your life."

Typically he was more of a cat person, could that be a shock at all back where he was from, but that didn't mean he failed to appreciate canines. Four legged friends were the best.

Actually... that was almost a funny thought in and of itself as the member of AVALANCHE he had best gotten along with was a large, red, lion-like creature with a very sage voice and a fire on his tail.

Her steps slowed to a stop as Wanda searched for a source to the voice. It didn't take her long to spot Bruce and close the short distance between them. She hadn't expected to see him wandering around but then, she hadn't really expected to see anyone.

"Hey." She tried to smile but it felt forced and awkward. "Walking." Wanda hadn't intended to spend a lot of time outside or to do anything specific but she'd been wandering around for a few hours. "I couldn't sleep."

She pushed her hands into her pockets as she continued. "What about you?"

Arado grinned his happy puppy grin as he accepted Reeve's attention. It wasn't that Wanda didn't pet Arado but the dog was overly eager when it came to meeting new people.

"I am." Wanda leaned against the kitchen counter, her gaze on the large dog. Her expression warmed but there was still a twinge of sadness behind the light misty green or her eyes. "I inherited him here. He arrived nearly two years ago." Close to the time when she first arrived.

Wanda was Arado's third owner. "He's a very strong dog and well trained." He was the reason that Wanda was able to hunt as well as she could.

"I don't think we've met." She tried to push away her own distraction and focus on Reeve. "I'm Wanda."

"We have not met," Reeve confirmed. Normally he would offer a hand to introduce himself, but really the pup would probably be a bit annoyed if he stopped. So instead he continued to stroke the beautiful dog as he smiled up at Wanda.

"Reeve Tuesti. I haven't even been here a month. And I haven't had a chance to enjoy such a lovely pup as this."

Yes, he was definitely managing a bit of a 'who is a cute puppy' sort of noise.

"I am sorry that you lost whoever he belonged to, but I can see you take very good care of him."

A shadow quickly flicked over Wanda's expression.

"Thank you. I try my best though I think it's Arado who takes care of me. He won't stay home anymore and has taken to following me everywhere." Wanda didn't actually mind, she liked the company, but it was odd behavior.

It was possible that Arado was scared of losing Wanda the same way that he had lost Clint.

"He's a good dog and trained well." She exhaled a tired breath before continuing. "How have you been doing here? You seem at ease." Wanda was alright with letting the conversation lap into silence but something compelled her to keep talking... maybe for the purposes of a distraction.

A good dog and well trained. Strong dog and well trained. It's the repetition that gets Reeve to finally pull away from the dog and stand. Just like that he didn't care much about the questions about him. Add in a 'good' and 'well trained' dog refusing to leave their master alone and...

"What's wrong," he asked, voice soft as he straightened and looked at the woman. "Do you need to sit down? I've figured out where some things are in the kitchen here, I could reheat some soup or something for you."

Wanda blinked, her expression uncertain and surprised at Reeve's concern. "Excuse me?" She didn't think she'd heard him correctly. "I'm fine." It was a lie but one that Wanda was used to telling over and over again.

Arado whined softly as if to call Wanda out on her bullet shit.

"I'm not hungry." Her brow furrowed as her thoughts caught up to the conversation. He wasn't just that he had ignored her question but that Wanda had been trying not to think about her own state. She hadn't thought she'd given him any hints to suggest that she wasn't okay.

“You’re fine and I am the Queen of Wutai,” Reeve agreed. Also known as he didn’t believe you.

Perhaps he might not be the best at remembering to socialize, but that did not mean Reev was unequipped to notice that the woman was beyond distracted. Why he could not say, but he could see it.

“Your dog is a bit worried about you. Animals tend to be good at reading what we won’t admit to ourselves. While you may not be hungry you are not okay. Which makes sense given the situation we find ourselves in.”

"Wutai?" Wanda didn't understand the context but she did understand the sarcasm.

She exhaled a tired huff as she shifted against the kitchen counter. She didn't appreciate being put on the spot but his logic was sound. Arado wouldn't be so clingy if he didn't realize that something was wrong though what the dog really thought was beyond her.

"Maybe." Wanda agreed softly. "I've been here for almost two years. I'm as okay as I can be." It was also a lie. Being stuck here didn't really bother her, neither did the details of her past but her future... that was something else entirely.

“Perhaps you need to give yourself a treat,” he suggested. “Because your dog seems to think so. There is a gentleman here you may or may not know. Zevran was he name. He seems quite skilled in a variety of spa and relaxation services. Take a day and try to release your worries.”

Not his normal sort of suggestion, but he has no basis to try and comfort the woman more than that.

Wanda's brow furrowed. "A spa?" She wasn't sure how she felt about that. "I go to the hot springs from time to time." Which not only had hot water but healing water. "I'm not sure what else you do at a spa." Nails maybe? Wanda only ever painted her nails for something to keep her thoughts from wandering.

"Zevran. I'll remember the name."

At the very least, she can do that. Though she had a lot of spa questions. There were spa's that were just steam but Wanda didn't think that's what he's talking about.

“Massages, hair styling and probably other things along those lines,” Reeve said. He had definitely availed himself of the hair cut at the very least.

Back home a spa would involve facials or mudbaths. Being pampered from head to toe. Time spent alone with quiet, or in a sauna. Not his taste but it has come up a few times with work. Of course much of it didn’t exactly figure in here, not possible.

"I don't think that's exactly what I need." Wanda had never gotten a massage before and she didn't understand the allure. "I'm distracted. I have a lot of my mind right now." Maybe there was something wrong with her but having a stranger touch her or mess with her hair didn't sound very relaxing. As it was, Wanda trimmed her hair but she usually let it hang long.

Her rare moments of down time were used to help clear her mind or study. There was always training or work to be done and being part of the Avengers meant that she kept odd hours.

The man sighed as he considered that thought. He could understand it, not wanting touched, but he did wish he could find a way to make things even a little lighter on her shoulders.

“Perhaps then take a long walk with this lovely pup. At least tire him out so he worries less. Lifestream only knows what comfort you will find from the weight from your shoulders.”

"I'll try that." Wanda looked down at Arado and her smile deepened. "I don't want him to worry." Arado deserved better than that. She was distracted and feeling displaced but that shouldn't negatively impact Arado.

"Lifestream? What is that?"

Wanda stepped away from the counter and got herself a glass of water.

Ah the Lifestream. A hard concept to explain. He had already offered the concept to others as an argument for how this was not death or the afterlife.

“On Gaia all lives are interconnected, and part of a whole. The planet is filled with a collection of that life energy, called the Lifestream. All comes from it and all returns to it, their energy part of a cycle. Rocks and plants and animals and of course us. Upon death our energy returns to the planet to be born again in a new form. And so Gaia cycles onward and onward without end. Upon death a consciousness may linger in the stream for a while before it works apart into new life.”

Souls exist on Gaia, there is nothing that could convince Reeve of anything less, after all he had experienced. Life is a cycle of reincarnation, save for what damage he had done.

Wanda inclined her head in a short nod. "I think I understand." It wasn't a concept that she was overly familiar with but she understood the flow of energy after connecting with the mind stone. Her powers might be gone but the memories of that time and power were still there. Everything was connected in one way or another though Wanda expected that his universe might have a physical stream from the way he described it. What Wanda was used too was a lot more metaphysical.

"Do you feel that energy here?"

She took a sip of her water and watched him. Wanda didn't think he'd have an answer. It'd been so long since she'd had a connection with her powers but maybe if someone could feel something.

"I'm not Cetra, so I wouldn't be able to feel it even if I wanted to. The Cetra were a race that had a deeper connection with the planet. Could hear the voice of the Lifestream, could tell you when souls had returned to it and the like. Only they had that power. They... are all dead now."

Aeris had been the last, and her passing had hurt even him, who had never met her in person. It didn't take much to see that there was loss along with that comment, even if his tone didn't agree with it.

"However, I can say for certain that my own... special talents are not functional here. Which means we are very likely not on Gaia. Along with the fact that my work would have made me privy to anything such as a settlement like this, no matter where on Gaia it was."

There was an absolute lack where he could not sense the Cait units, but it was something he would learn to adapt to.

Wanda nodded her head. "It's the same for me." Not to say that something like this couldn't be kept hidden on Earth but there was no way that Thor would be stuck here without being able to make a bridge home. The fact that he couldn't meant that this wasn't within the worlds of Wanda's universe and it was somewhere entirely outside of that.

"I can't use my abilities here and I know that this isn't near my planet. Wherever we are, it's too far away for anyone I know to see or reach through normal methods."

She worried at her lower lip. "You'd think being here as long as I have would make me used to it." Time flow and changes... nothing was steady here.

"Nothing prepares you for the darkness you don't see coming," Reeve countered.

Deepground. The very thought of it made him tremble. But he looked up and frowned at her instead, not pleased by the worrying of her lip. The poor thing had clearly been through a lot. Yet she seemed to be staying strong enough. Like... Like Tifa. Perhaps a touch less positive outlook wise, but definitely strong in more ways than a person should have to be.

"I have a friend who would say that life is not about growing used to the things which cause us the greatest struggle, but rather about how we learn to make the best of what we are given. All things given here, I would say that you a likely handling it well."

Bruce knew what forced and awkward looked like, being an expert on them himself. So he was worried, but not about to press. "I don't actually sleep much in general." He crossed arms against his chest. "It's still a carry over from the big guy. Waking up can be startling." He had only one incident tied to being asleep at the time it happened, but that was enough to make him something of an insomniac.

"They also threw a new curveball at me. I'm not sure if you heard from others about it." His finger moved over the wrist watch screen. "It showed a video of something I didn't want to relive."

Edited 2018-12-26 04:13 (UTC)

"No but that doesn't mean you have to let the darkness take you without a fight."

That had been the most worrying part of what she'd seen. It wasn't that people were dying or that they were fighting but it'd take the end of the world for Wanda to destroy the mind stone that kept Vision alive.

She closed her eyes and Arado stepped over to lightly bump his head against her knee. Wanda reached down and ran her fingers over his head to scratch just behind his ear. "That's what I believe too." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug and let her arms fall back to her sides. "But I don't know enough and I don't think anyone here has the answers. While I am here, all I can do is ignore it or worry."

There was nothing she could do about what was happening on Earth.

"It's hard to sleep here." Even without the odd effects of the village. "Walking helps me." Except that it really didn't. Wanda would usually start running and she'd run until she was too tired to do anything but sleep.

She paused, shifting her weight between the pads of her feet.

"No. I hadn't heard." She hesitated for a moment before pointing at one of the nearby empty buildings. "Let's talk inside. It'll be a little warmer." Wanda had a million different questions but she didn't know if Bruce would have any answers or if the conversation would only lead to more questions.

Now there she wasn't wrong. And for half a moment he can't help the pain, because yes, his own life proved that quite well. Everything with the WRO, with Shinra, proved it. Here he was, trying to cheer Wanda up, and he was instead feeling a bit of that pain. Whoops.

"I suppose that isn't a bad point. I do wish you luck with that though."

Wanda's expression softened into a light wistful smile. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I am sure that we all have our worries." She crouched down and ran her palms affectionately over Arado's head. "I don't mean to be so focused on mine. Something happened... recently. I'm still not sure what I think of it."

She looked up at Reeve, her misty green eyes soft and kind. "It's nice to have someone to talk to. If I could ever return the favor. Please let me know."

"I will keep that in mind, Miss Wanda," Reeve smiled and he offered a slight nod. "Now, I think I will get myself a cup of hot water to wrap my hands around and head back to my room. It was a pleasure."

At least she has a brief smile, and it seems she's paying more attention to the dog. He just hoped she could maintain a bit more positive of an outlook.

Wanda would bounce back, she always did, but there were things she needed to think about and it'd take time to sort out her thoughts on it all. It'd be easier if Vision were here or someone who recalled what had happened around that time but to her knowledge, no one knew and she could only work with partial information.

"It was nice to meet you." She clicked her tongue softly and waved to Arado. "We should be going as well."

Wanda paused at the door and glanced back at Reeve. "Thank you." Another smile and she disappeared through the door with Arado following a step behind her.

"I understand," he replied, and he did. "I often pace when I can't sleep." Or lost himself in a book to slow his mind down, and that didn't always work if he then got engaged with the book. Bruce nodded at her recommendation because yes, as much as he'd like to talk, it was a winter night and it was best to get inside. The crisp air did nothing to make him more tired.

Bruce stepped into the building and held the door open for her, closing it as soon as she got in. It was a good call as a little wind howled outside afterward. Bruce was no stranger to winters, although while he was on the run he was almost always in a warm location. That came from simply crossing the borders into South America. His hair was growing out again, not as long as it once was but getting there. It curled around the edges and still had a scattered bit of gray around the temples.

"It came through on my wrist band, apparently it happened to a few other people."

Wanda stepped inside and instantly felt the subtle warmth that the four walls provided. It didn't completely chase out the cold but there was no wind and it looked like there was a blanket sitting on the dusty couch. She stepped towards it and lightly shook it out before laying it out for them to share.

"I did too." She took a seat and pressed her fingers against her lips. "But it was of a future that I have no memory of. I've never wanted to know." Wanda had gotten hints from Tony and had made guesses from talking to others but that wasn't the same as experiencing that future.

"What do you remember?"

She turned and looked up at him, her light green eyes clouded with pain and worry.

Bruce would like to think that she's not talking about what he thinks she is, but it would explain the anxiety and pain coming off of her right then. He didn't share what happened with anyone who hadn't lived it unless they asked. It was a heavy burden to bear, and shouldn't have to be on anyone else's shoulders. Now he was worried she had to.

Bruce took a seat across from her, thinking about what to say. "If you saw what I think you might have ... I'm sorry." He wasn't really sure if it was that or another point between Thanos and when the Accords happened. "Did it involve Vision?" That was what he feared, and if they were showing him everyone dying, it made sense.

"The end of the world as we know it," he said honestly. "We didn't win the most important battle we faced. We lost." And with that went half the universe.

Wanda unfolded the blanket it draped it across both of their laps. It was a little dusty but the added layer fought away the soft biting chill that crept through the empty house. It was warmer but Wanda was always a little mindful of the cold.

"It did." Her tongue pressed briefly against the inside of her cheek before she found what she wanted to say. "I- I don't know the future. Steve broke us out of prison and that's where my memories end. Tony admitted that Vision and I had started seeing each other." Her lips twitched into an unbelieving smile. "It's hard to imagine. Honestly." Wanda hadn't really though of trying to have a relationship but if one was going to work, than it'd likely work with someone as displaced on Earth as she was.

"Clint made me think that something bad happened. The way he started looking at me was as if I had died. It wasn't hard to tell that there was more to the story but I never asked the details." And now he was gone.

Wanda closed her eyes and exhaled. "What I saw wasn't just that. I was killing Vision. I watch his body be torn apart by the Mind Stone." She looked down at her palms. "I- I don't know why. I'm sure we all had our reasons but is any reason really okay to kill a friend?"

She wondered how badly did they lose.

"We've mostly all agreed, those of us from later in the timeline, not to talk about it unless someone brought it up. Or got more memories, I guess." In this case, with Wanda. "I wasn't there for what happened with Vision, but I saw the two of you together when I came back to Earth." Bruce had no idea what it would be like, to be told you were in love with someone, and to see it happen, but be disconnected from it at the same time. He was gone from Ultron on, and so much happened on Earth in the meantime.

Bruce sighed and reached out to take her hand, wanting to comfort and soothe her as much as he could. "You had to. There was no other way. We tried to find one. Thanos was our enemy, he's an alien who sought to wipe out half of the universe's population. He claimed it was to balance overpopulation and that he was a peace keeper, but he was violent and vicious. He needed to get his hands on all the stones in order to do it."

He touched his wrist band unconsciously, remembering that quick glimpse of the dust, and wondering what they were trying to do to everyone. "Vision's was the last, but we couldn't separate it without killing him. And you were the only one with enough power to do it. It was a terrible, agonizing choice that no one should ever have to make for someone they love." It was devastating just to watch it and he barely knew them.

"But ...." Bruce took in a deep breath and let it out. "We failed. He turned back time and got Vision's stone anyway. He killed half the universe in an instant."

It was all as Wanda had guessed but hearing Bruce explain the situation in more detail hit her hard. By the time he was finished explaining, she was crying. Nothing else about her face had changed but streams of glimmering tears cut their way down the smooth curve of her cheek.

She looked away and gently whipped at her face, getting her emotions under control. Wanda didn't cry often and as the shock and pain faded, anger took its place. She wanted to tear into Thanos and force him to feel the pain he had inflicted on others.

But then something else hit her. "I die too." Wanda remembered the way that Clint had looked at her when she stepped back into the house that day... It was easier accepting her own death than it was the death of those she cared about. It all felt very surreal, like it would happen to her but maybe it was someone else all together.

Wanda had none of these memories and on top of that, she had two years of struggling in this village. She wasn't that person anymore.

She closed her eyes and inhaled. "Thank you for telling me." Wanda likely looked more composed than someone in her situation ought to but it was comforting knowing a handful of the details. It'd likely hit her again later but right now her mind was processing the details like it had happened to someone else, another world, a different Wanda.

Bruce thought both crying and rage were natural responses to the calamity that happened to them. Since seeing it happen again on his wristband, the nightmares came back in full force. Everyone he cared about turned to dust one by one, even if it hadn't happened that day, his mind twisted it around on him. He gave her space to cry and to gather herself, but he kept nearby in case she needed comfort of any kind.

He didn't expect her to jump right to that conclusion, but he also wasn't surprised. She knew Clint looked at her that way. "You did, Wanda. I'm sorry." Bruce wished he could say things like it didn't look painful as if that would bring any comfort, but it couldn't. "Tony's determined that we can find a way to reverse it when we get back. We're not going to just ... accept defeat. I don't know how we can change it though." They had no infinity stones. Half the universe was gone which meant the planet would be a disaster they'd all have to figure out instead. What could they do?

"The video on mine showed the start of it. You can only see Bucky go on it." Bruce didn't have an emotional connection to Bucky before coming here, so now that he did, it was a new layer of pain. The man found peace and happiness here, and that was what he had to go back to. Maybe they'd all just stay there. "We watched as people just turned to dust and that was it."

Wanda nodded her head but she didn't trust herself to speak. Too many thoughts and theories clashed and warred for space in her head. She had to organize everything and let it process.

"And others saw it?" She ran a hand down her face. "I don't think that many from Earth remember that. You and Tony, are the only ones I know." Wanda's voice was steady but there was no hiding the worry in her misty green eyes. She shifted, moving a little closer to Bruce while resting her head against the back of the couch.

"And we can't do anything about it here." Which was another part of the situation that they had absolutely no control over.

"Those of us still standing. Tony was in space, but it happened to people around him there. Like Peter Parker." Just a kid. A teenager. Gone in an instant. The world was more unfair than even a pessimist could speculate on. "Rhodey's here now, he is from the same." Bruce sighs and hesitantly takes her hand. They never knew each other before, but they were inching toward friendship, and he wants to comfort her where he can. He practically bleeds emotions for other people.

"Bucky. Vision. T'Challa. Sam." And her, but he doesn't want to repeat it. "Most of the Wakandan army. I hadn't seen the totals for the planet yet." If it was half the planet, the numbers would be catastrophic. He didn't know if that included all animal and plant life too. Thanos just said all life, but Bruce thinks it's likely to be sentient life. Still, who knows. The alien is psychotic. "I haven't ... told Nat yet. She hasn't asked either. She knows it's bad. Steve saw the video." The worst possible option, for him to see Bucky die. "Thor doesn't know." About a lot of things.

"No, we can't. I don't know if we can do anything there either, but I know we'll try. We won't just accept it's over." That wasn't what they did.

Wanda knew Peter though not on a personal level. He had been in the village for a time and then, like so many others, he was gone. He seemed young but maybe teenagers just seemed that way when you were approaching your thirties. "I didn't realize Rhodey was here." Not that Wanda would have gone to see him. He was Tony's friend and the last she remembered, he'd been hurt. She didn't really have a lot of interactions with him but she blamed herself for his injury.

"Half of us, gone." She felt it like a crushing weight and there was nothing she could do about it. They were trapped here for the foreseeable future. Even when she'd disappeared from the village for four months she hadn't gone home. She'd been stuck in some type of limbo.

Her tongue darted over her lips and she bobbed her head in a slow understanding nod. "Thank you for telling me Bruce." She knew that it was hard for him. He had lived it and then been forced to see it again. It was heartbreaking for Wanda but she didn't have the same context or experiences as Bruce and that tempered her reaction some. "I believe that we'll find a way." Wanda met his gaze then, her misty green eyes assured and focused. "We shouldn't worry about the future here. We'll get home and we'll fix it. As a team." The Avengers were always stronger together.

"It doesn't matter how long it takes for that to happen." Steve had been having a hard time. Wanda didn't know a way to help him but he was Steve Rodgers. He'd bounce back… she didn't know what she'd do if he didn't. "Thor doesn't know about the Avengers splitting up either."

Wanda met Bruce's gaze. "Did Tony tell you what happened?" She blamed herself for the rift between the Avengers. It wasn't really her fault but for all her power, she hadn't been able to save those lives.

In hindsight, Tommy thinks, maybe he should've knocked instead of just letting himself in. But the distressed sounds coming from the kitchen pulled his focus, and he followed them into the room to find Wanda obviously upset. He'd hesitated at first, just standing there silently, because what good is the team sociopath at helping with feelings?

Still ... this was Wanda. Tommy couldn't just walk away and pretend like nothing happened. So he'd followed her to the closet, cracking open the door to peek in on her, need to help overriding any ideas that she probably wants some privacy at the moment.

"I thought we were training today." But that's clearly not important anymore. His mouth presses into a thin line of worry. "What's wrong?"

"No. Yeah. We are." She brushed her fingers over her face and tried to pull herself together. Wanda didn't let herself break down like this. She couldn't afford it when there were so many other pressing issues to focus on. It didn't matter how she felt but she couldn't stop the worry and cold disappointment tighten in her chest.

"I'm sorry." Wanda's accent thickened, even as she tried to steady her voice. "It's fine. It'll be alright. I just learned a little bit more about my future and-" She inhaled a full breath. "-I'm not sure what to think. I really am sorry Tommy."

Wanda looked up and didn't look like she was about to break down anymore. "We can train. Do you have the blades with you?"

"He's a new arrival." Having them both around was great in theory, but he felt bad how happy he was to see them. It was just nice, having them all together again. Bruce was separated from the group too long, and he lacked the negativity of the fight that split them apart. He was that person who showed up to a party late and found the house on fire.

"Tony was out in space, he said he was with other people, and most of them were gone too." Leaving him stranded in space. They still had no idea how that was going to be solved, but that was another thing on the plate. Go home. Get Tony from space. Reverse what Thanos did. No big deal. Bruce didn't want to go back, honestly. This place was better for him. There was no Hulk and it was more peaceful. His mind was clear for the first time in over a decade. But it didn't matter. He was responsible for their home, and that meant he had to go back, even if there was a choice involved. It was easier to think it wasn't a choice.

He nodded. "Thor and I were together. Well, Thor was protecting the Nine Realms when all of that happened, and we found each other on an alien planet. He found the Hulk, I should say." Bruce was stuck there. He frowned and wrung his hands a little. "He doesn't know it, but ... things got worse for him too. Asgard was destroyed entirely. Half of what was left of his people was killed by Thanos, even before the snap." So much of the rest could be gone too. It was more and more bleak news, and Bruce couldn't tell him. He couldn't see his face crumble if he knew all of that. It was going to come back to bite him later, but he still couldn't.

"He did. He told me his point of view, at least. Steve told me his. Nat told me hers." Which meant that Bruce did overall have a much clearer view of what happened and why it all went wrong. "I'm glad I wasn't there, honestly. Nat thought I might have been a good peacemaker between the two of them, but the Hulk would've made things ten times worse." Bruce was a good peacemaker for others, but one look at Ross and it would go wrong.

"Ross ... the Secretary of State. I don't think you know our story, but he's been trying to get his hands on me for over a decade to cut me into pieces and make more Hulks. He thinks of me as a thing, not a person. He probably saw you the same way. I wouldn't be surprised if he was taking advantage of the situation so if I was caught, he had legal backing to do what he wanted, to all of us metas." Which meant there was no way that Bruce himself would ever, ever work with the man.

Wanda didn't know if she wanted to go back either. She had changed during her time in the village and she didn't know if that would somehow effect their time at home. If it didn't, if she forgot all of this or really was a clone, then going home would be like dying. She'd be killing the version of herself that had lived in this village for just under two years. It wasn't a train of thought that she spent a lot of time considering but it was always there, just at the edge of her mind.

She swallowed a tight knot in her chest and nodded her head. It was a lot to talk about and a lot to consider but she was grateful to be able to talk to someone about this and get it off her chest.

"I haven't seen Thor since Sokovia either." Wanda admitted with a small attempt at a smile. She didn't know Thor well but she'd heard about and she found that she liked him. "It's okay not to tell him. Steve had kept me in the dark-" She paused and then added. "Not this Steve but another one. He hadn't wanted to let me know about the fight with Tony and my time in prison." She had been collared and drugged in order for them to keep her contained. Even now, Wanda didn't remember a lot about that time, only that it had happened and Steve had broken them out. "He'll understand that you had his interests at heart."

She smiled, a little more earnestly this time. "That's what friends do. They look out for each other." Even if it wasn't always clear at the time.

Wanda shook her head. "It wasn't just that." Though the news had certainly painted her as a weapon during that time. "We went in to save lives and I couldn't save them. It was because of me that he even had a reason to control us. Me and Vision." She paused thoughtfully. "But Vision agreed with Tony. I- I had given up. Until Clint talked some sense in me, then I joined Steve. It was still my fault. I caused the rift." It wasn't something that Wanda had ever said out loud before and in that moment she realized how much she truly blamed herself for the Accords

Bruce smiled faintly. "Thor is a great person. I think he'll be sad I didn't tell him, but he will understand why. That is a lot to put on someone else. He already lost his hammer and his father recently, he needs to grieve for that first." Maybe in time he would approach the subject carefully, but maybe not. If Thor pressed him, he could easily break, but until that happens he was going to keep it quiet.

"All of us from later in the timeline basically agreed to not share details unless we're asked. Since no one can do anything to change it from here." Bruce rubbed at his wrist near the wristband. "It still wasn't easy to relive, thanks to whoever's trying to mess with us."

He listened to her talk about the rift and her part in it, and he sighed. "Sooner or later someone was going to slip up, because what we do is dangerous. Tony and I created Ultron and what happened with him is on us too. That wasn't an outside force attacking the Earth, it was our bad decision." She knew that obviously, having been an enemy at that time, but that's not why he's bringing it up. She wasn't anymore, she was a friend. "We're all responsible, Wanda. It sounds like what happened with you was just an excuse for people in power to reel us in, but if it hadn't been you, it would've been someone else."

"I know but I also knew that they were waiting for me to mess up. Specifically me. I've always been viewed as dangerous. I knew that and I didn't take precautions." She closed her eyes and exhaled a tired huff. "I had so much power and I could see so much but I couldn't see how my actions would have effected everyone."

Wanda couldn't help but carry the weight of all those deaths. "Every time I try and help people... it always goes wrong. First with Hyrda then with Ultron and with the Avengers. Every time I thought I was on the right side and doing the right thing but I didn't."

She felt like a horrible screw up. "I just make things harder for people around me and get the people I love killed and it is me. I kill them." She looked down at her fluid. "Just like I killed Vision."

Bruce just gave her a look. "Wanda, look who you're talking to. The only reason some of you ended up on the team was they went well if the Hulk could be an Avenger, surely these saner people are capable." And he wasn't going to argue about the sanity. He was literally insane, considering he was split into two people, one of whom was unstable and psychotic. Bruce was the original screw up of the team.

He shook his head and put his arm around her, because he had been where she was. This was familiar to him, in how he talked to himself, and about himself. And he wasn't about to let her go down the same path. "Hey, you were helping. You've saved lives too. It doesn't erase the lives that were lost, but the ones that you saved? They still exist, they have their families because of you too. It's not all one or the other, all good or all bad. If you weren't there that day, more people would have died." He wasn't sure if that was true, but he felt like it probably was. The Avengers were there for a good reason, and whatever slip up she made was trying to stop evil. It made a difference.

"Vision's death is not your fault. Those deaths are on Thanos, he is responsible. He was coming for that stone no matter what." So really the stone was at fault and he was at fault for putting it in Vision's head and this could be spun and spun around to a fault game. "We're going to bring Vision back, we'll come up with a plan."

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003 - A 15 Second Peak into the Unknown - [OTA]

Thinking Too Hard | Inn

At Night

Thinking Too Hard | Inn

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At Night

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