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[straightening, wanda tilts her head at his rather correct conclusion. it's a neighborhood, in a way, between the summoned, with no locked doors. it is inevitable that someone would step foot into someone else's domain—eat their porridge, use their chairs, sleep on their beds, so to speak.]

It doesn't have to be so easy to reach. [a suggestion, then. they should all be allowed their comforts, their privacy.] Mine is only reachable through an unfriendly forest. It's likelier to get turned around than find the place I have.

[she pulls at her shawl, then, tucking her arms within.]

Design it however you want, but don't remove comforts just because of others. A strong enough will can make a door in the Horizon impossible to open.

[ He ponders on her suggestion for a moment, while giving himself a little longer to process what he's just experienced. The pain is still there, but it subsides, dwindles back into the dull, constant ache he's been carrying all along. Easier to push down, to contain within the limits of his own personal comfort. ]

Maybe so. I'm just not sure that I want to be there, either.

[ Because it wouldn't be a comfort, would it? It would just be torture. As long as he could go back there and be with his little girl, why would heve ever want to leave? ]

This was... incredibly helpful of you, Wanda. Thank you. [ He means that, genuinely so. With a smile, he adds. ] I think I just need some time to process all of this.

[wanda returns his smile with one of her own, one that's certainly dulled by the knowledge that there was a rooted pain that was exposed just now. it's certainly no comfort, but there is comfort in not being alone.

only in time can such thing be understood.]

Here to help, as they'd say.

[she shrugs lightly.]

You do with it whatever you want, no matter what others say. At least now you'll be privy to communicating through the connection we have with the Singularity. [the brain texts, that is.] You can shut it off if it's too annoying.

[and, abruptly, like she's been negotiating with herself asking this at all,]

—can I treat you to lunch, by the way?

[ Erik isn't sure yet how he feels about her witnessing all of this. She has welcomed him to this place, helped him more than anyone else has, but they're still new acquaintances. At most, at the early beginnings of a friendship. He has shared a lot about himself with her, even felt comfortable enough doing so willingly, but this is... different. It's so much more than what he feels ready to share with anyone.

But it was his decision to do this, fully knowing what might happen. He will accept the consequences of it. At least, he feels comforted by the knowledge that she's not going to talk about this with anyone else. ]

Duly noted.

[ He'll have to test this connection with other Summoned he has, now. Useful, undoubtedly. But he's done more than enough for now that he just needs a break from everything new about this place.

He takes a moment to think on her offer, more surprised by the offer than anything. ]

You can. If you're not tired of putting up with me yet.

[at that, wanda shrugs again, more obvious now as she brings up her arms in an exaggerated gesture.]

If it makes you feel better, I have nothing better to do.

[deflecting a sense of familiarity and enjoyment with a general sense of being made to do something because of the lack of anything else being on her plate.]

I thought you might like to know where the treehouse is, anyway. It's where I stay with Himeka and Nero. We make do with some more modern appliances there where none of the locals will freak out about them.

[—like a tv, thanks to her magic, and a music system, thanks to rocket—]

We like to keep the place as an open invitation for all the Summoned should anyone need a break from the farm life.

Ah. See, now that explains it.

[ He'll gladly take the attempt at lightening the mood. It's been heavy enough as it is. ]

I didn't know about all that. [ At this point he's probably hear about it in passing, most likely from Wanda, but not the rest of the details. Erik's not particularly attached to more modern technology, but he'll have to admit, it is pretty useful to have that option.But mostly, he's just curious about the place. ]

Alright, then. Lead the way.

It’s a pretty cool place to be.

[if she says so herself! she also says that with a bland tone. so much for being enthusiastic about it at all. getting there, however, depends a lot on the cart being pulled by the massive goats. it’s not all too reliable, if one is looking to go at a specific time but finds themselves waiting ages for lasse to come around.

wanda looks him over.]

Do you want the long, boring route, or can you—like others here—fly or teleport?

[important questions one would need the answers to.]

[ Ah yes, cool. The hip, young thing to say. Erik just smiles faintly at that, feeling distanced enough from his experience in the Horizon now to allow himself some amusement. ]

I can fly.

[ He's just full of exciting surprises like that. Granted, it's not necessarily flying but it's close enough. ]

Can you?

You think I would ask if I couldn't?

[she can do both, actually, but flying is more of a shared experience than teleporting is, and it's what would help give erik a sense of direction as to where the treehouse is.

taking a step back, hands at her back, she looks erik over for a moment.]

It's mostly levitating by means of my magic. I imagine yours has to do with the metals on the earth, or something like that?

[she's just a curious individual.]

I don't know. You could be asking for a lift.

[ Pun intended, the twitch of his lips makes that much clear. But no, he didn't think she would ask otherwise.

He tilts his head at her assumption, but nods once. ]

In a way. I can create magnetic fields and glide through them— effectively turning myself into a living magnet, if you'd like. Alternately, I can use whatever metal is on me to lift myself up in the air.

[ The latter tends to be a little more difficult to control though, and now that he has full mastery of his abilities, he vastly prefers the former. ]

[wanda hears the pun and she rolls her eyes, waving her hand over at him as she crouches down to pick at a yellow flower growing amidst the grass. she listens to erik's explanation, and she supposes that makes sense.]

I liked playing with magnets when I was a kid.

[the ones on the fridge in her family home, anyway. that is to say, it makes sense to her.

standing up again, she nods at erik—]

Follow me.

[—and tucks the flower into a pocket of her coat before taking a few steps forward and lifting off from the ground. it'll be a quick journey to the treehouse, if they can fly, and wanda only turns back once to make sure that erik follows.

not a few minutes later, and they're landing on the premises of said treehouse, just by the black eye lakes. wanda's landing is a little rough, but she manages to keep on her feet, a hand quickly making its way to her nose to check for any nosebleeds. luckily, no such thing.

with a sigh of relief, she turns back to him.]

The treehouse.

[ He smiles, gently amused. Actually, it's not a bad comparison, the way magnets can repel each other. But that's a science lesson for another time.

He's following her lead without needing any prompting, lifting himself off the ground easily and gliding across the air right behind her. His landing is much smoother, as seamless as the rest of the flight, and he does notice her checking her own nose, but says nothing to it.

Instead, he looks around, taking in the place. ]

Impressive. Did you build it from scratch? With magic?

It was actually a group effort between the locals and some of the Summoned. We just found a nice tree to build around.

[the commune had insisted in wanting to help them, and wanda—despite being able to put it all together with her magic—would not deny them of that joy. she pulls at the flower from her pocket and moves down the path towards the garden and, thus, one of the ground floor windows.

she stitches the flower together with the already growing vines with her magic.]

It's been a few months since, so it's not that bare anymore.

[with that, she moves on over to the door, pushes it open a bit.]

Come and see. We've got working pipes and a mirror to play TV shows on. That one is all magic.

Edited 2023-11-03 16:09 (UTC)

[ And yet, it doesn't seem to be used by the locals. They really are fond of the Summoned here, something he's still getting accustomed to. He'd probably be suspicious of anyone being this nice to him. Old habits.

He listens quietly, and watches the place, the details, how warm and cozy it is. It's wonderful. One of the locals has welcomed him into their home, but Erik is rarely ever there, the room lent to him bare of anything other than basic necessities, and it comes nowhere near this place.

Not that it seemed to matter, at the time. He didn't even think he would be staying here long. ]

I don't really watch television, [ He admits. He kind of prefers to avoid news sources, as he tends to appear in a number of them, sometimes more often than others. He suspects he's made more appearances as of late. ] But it must be an impressive feat of magic. Your doing?

[that's the idea—with exactly how erik is feeling regarding being welcomed into a local's home. it's not really home, especially when one, as a summoned, is treated as if they were above the rest in the commune. it can be uncomfortable and awkward to shuffle around those kinds of conceptions, and one of the main things that they had wanted wit the treehouse was for it to become a space away from all that.

a space where they could just be themselves.]

You're the newspaper kind of old man, aren't you?

[wanda jests, finally pushing the door open to its entirety, leading the way into the kitchen area.]

There is obviously no reception, so it just plays the things I remember. Mostly American sitcoms. [she goes around the island in the middle the kitchen, appreciative that her roommates are conscientious about cleaning up after themselves. there's a plate there, and wanda pulls at the kitchen towel covering it.] It's nice to get to watch them with others again. Piroška ?

[that's what sits on the plate, having been a late night cooking venture. wanda grabs at one.]

Cheese filling. They're good.

[ He lets out a faint huff, but doesn't answer the remark, not aside from a flat stare leveled her way. Well, if he had to choose, he would probably prefer the newspaper, so it's not like he's in a position to feel affronted by the truth. ]

All true quality programming, then.

[ Two can play this game. Still, it beats seeing his own face on the news, usually with less than pleasant words framing it.

His eyebrows go up at the offer, and he takes one with an appreciative dip of his head. ] You're a skilled cook. I'm impressed.

[ He is assuming she also made these. Which, unsurprisingly, are delicious. ]

—have you ever seen The Dick Van Dyke Show? It's my favorite.

[maybe—jokes of his age aside—he's familiar with it. wanda's definitely younger, and her claiming that such an old show is her favorite draws no embarrassment from her. it would probably make her thing better of erik, but it's not like he needs any help in that department.

she reaches for one of the pasties herself, leaning back against the counter.]

If you think I'm good, you should stick around for when Himeka cooks. She's a lot better. [but there's a shrug] My brother would get the ingredients, and I would cook. I got good at it pretty quickly. Feel free to take as many as you like.

[ Erik smiles faintly, shooting her an amused look. ]

I was a little busy at the time, I'm afraid.

[ You know, murder and revenge, all of that. Anyway, he at least knows of it, so there's that. ]

It's not the same. [ The kind of food she cooks is more familiar, comforting and nostalgic. It draws him closer to simpler, happier memories he thought long gone. ] I only know some basic dishes, myself. Never had the time to learn properly. Maybe you can teach me sometime.

[she wouldn't know what people his age were doing at the time that sitcom was airing, but all wanda can do is give him a look to depict feigned, mild offense.]

I can teach you.

[—daunting as it may be, since she isn't sure if he is any good in the kitchen—]

But you'll have to pay me back. [and would that she could ask for material gains. alas,] You'll stick around now and then to watch episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show. You can't go about your life skipping a classic.

[she sounds awfully serious about it.]

[ To be fair, Erik also doesn't know what people his age were up to. He had very different priorities at the time.

Anyway, she needn't worry. He's not about to burn down any kitchens in the process of learning more about cooking, she can rest assured.

Her conditions, however, are met with a narrowed gaze. ]

You drive a hard bargain. [ She is probably serious, too. He's not sure whether or not this is a good thing for him. Who knows? Maybe he will be entertained. ] Very well. I agree to your terms.

[knowing that she's got a win, wanda can't help but smile, the seriousness presented prior turning into happy delight, regardless of his narrowed gaze. she leans back against the counter, hands braced over the edge of it.

spirits seem lifted, after what was the situation with the horizon and a core memory of erik's self.

her smile grows smaller, but remains just the same.]

Their names were Tommy and Billy. [her sons, whom she had mentioned before.] I lost them and their father at the same time. [it's a little more complicated than that, but she doesn't want to spill into details.] I know it's hardly any comfort, and, even under the circumstances, our pain is vastly different.

[this much she has come to understand. her hands move from the counter, and she tucks them instead at her sides, crossing her arms.]

You can talk to me about them whenever you want.

[about his daughter, about the wife that is very likely also part of that sentiment of loss. this feeling of drowning—]

Especially when it gets hard to breathe.

[ Erik listens to her, quiet. He isn't always good at speaking up about intimate thoughts, or personal issues. Not for the first time, it occurs to him how much he has shared with Wanda so far, particularly when he's met her such a short while ago. There are people he's known for years, even decades, and wouldn't feel so comfortable with. ]

Our pain is not so different.

[ Because the loss is still there. The circumstances don't matter. Losing a loved one, a significant other or a child, it's an indescribable pain that only those who've gone through it could truly understand. She is so young too, much too young to have lost her own children. The details of that loss are virtually unimportant. ]

Thank you. [ Just for an excuse to have something to do, he takes another of the pastries from the plate, but doesn't actually seem interested on eating it. ] It's... recent. I think I need to process it, myself.

[ And Erik has never been one to share his pain, either. He keeps it, carries the weight on his own, lets it linger and weigh in deep. Sometimes, it comes out in ugly ways. ]

[wanda nods, feeling that the admittance of something being ‘recent’ and there being a need to process it, at all, is perhaps a healthy step in the right direction. no momentary lapses of judgement caused by a book of evil that promised certainty when everything was lost.

almost as if on cue, the orange cat that lives in the treehouse makes his appearance, rubbing against erik’s ankles.]

Ah. [she points] That’s Dot. He likes meeting new people.

[crouching, she reaches her arm out for the cat to come to her hand to receive scritches.]

I could show you the rest of the treehouse if you’re feeling up for it.

[ Well, the momentary lapse in judgment has already passed. Erik chooses not to talk about En Sabah Nur, about the factory, Auschwitz, any of it. That was a lot of lapses of judgment strung together there.

But the anger and violence did not heal the pain. They didn't wash away the grief. If anything, it only made it worse. Now, he has guilt and regret mounting on top of it all.

He watches Wanda and the cat. Skipping on petting the animal for now, he nods. ]

I'd like that. Please.

[with a knowing glance—those surface-level feelings not lost on her—wanda proceeds to motion towards the open door with a nod of her head.]

Four different people live here, so it’s a little hard for our preferences to not overlap. [there are, hanging from the ceilings, some things that look like cables, stringy and messy, and a messy set of tools on the side of the hall.

wanda pushes at them with her boot, to make some space, and leads the way out into the living room area. here, there is a wide, tall-ceiling space, with a large couch and whatever comfort one is able to find in such a space.] This is the central hub sort of space.

[she points at the space, and then !! at the mirror.]

That’s where we watch sitcoms.

[the most important part of the room!]

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