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@william.maximoff| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼
@william.maximoff| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼
[ he's met the brother, had the crib notes from Loki, and by now it's been long enough that he's had time both to let the kid settle and to identify him beyond much of a shadow of a doubt. so it's about a day and a half in. Stephen's kept busy, given the so-called demiurge room just to be. he remembers what it was like to lose his magic: those first few days, those first weeks. he can't wait quite that long, but some time without a walking reminder seemed only right.
he's been out, grabbed a couple of cups of a subtle, sweet iced tea blend from a preferred shop and some veggie samosa things that wouldn't shove insects down the throat of the uninitiated for lunch, and on return crosses the sleeping/living quarters with his bag of food in one hand and tray of two drinks in to other over to the spot one William Maximoff has claimed as his own.
by the way things have gone in the past, it seems he's relatively recognisable even to people he doesn't recognise, so he won't bother with any hesitation on the approach. ]
Hey. Hungry?
[ time to talk, but the question means he's willing to wait longer if there's a need. ]
he's been out, grabbed a couple of cups of a subtle, sweet iced tea blend from a preferred shop and some veggie samosa things that wouldn't shove insects down the throat of the uninitiated for lunch, and on return crosses the sleeping/living quarters with his bag of food in one hand and tray of two drinks in to other over to the spot one William Maximoff has claimed as his own.
by the way things have gone in the past, it seems he's relatively recognisable even to people he doesn't recognise, so he won't bother with any hesitation on the approach. ]
Hey. Hungry?
[ time to talk, but the question means he's willing to wait longer if there's a need. ]
( he hasn't had the magic longer than a few years, knows well how to adjust without it. hell, billy--has had it taken away before, too. had things put over his ears, inhibitor collars, just enough to take him out of the game for as long as stark found necessary for the war. but it wasn't the same. there's nothing he can pull out, nothing drilled into cartilage or latched tight around his neck. nothing to fix to get what he had back. no magic spell to try and undo.
just himself and this place and the glowing weird stuff in his chest. for the most part, billy isn't alone in the safehouse. tommy's close by somewhere, doesn't wander off for extended periods of times even when he does leave. there are two beds pushed together, an assortment of clothes thrown over the foot of one of them (what they could get from morningstar) and a few things thrown under them.
billy, for his part, sifts through what he can find on his new implant--eyes focused on something else until he hears the voice. blinks and slips the screen he was looking at away, and refocuses his attention on strange himself.
not the one he knows, but he knew that already. there are enough similar features to connect the two, even if they are different. it's enough that it takes him a bit before the recognition filters over his face, but he and loki have had this discussion already, too. )
Always, ( the typical teenager response, even if it isn't quite accurate. he's not that hungry, more nerves than anything else. but he can eat. a hand moves to pat the mattress a bit off to the side of him--an invitation. )
Strange, right?
( loki mentioned a chat. he's guessing this is what that's about. )
just himself and this place and the glowing weird stuff in his chest. for the most part, billy isn't alone in the safehouse. tommy's close by somewhere, doesn't wander off for extended periods of times even when he does leave. there are two beds pushed together, an assortment of clothes thrown over the foot of one of them (what they could get from morningstar) and a few things thrown under them.
billy, for his part, sifts through what he can find on his new implant--eyes focused on something else until he hears the voice. blinks and slips the screen he was looking at away, and refocuses his attention on strange himself.
not the one he knows, but he knew that already. there are enough similar features to connect the two, even if they are different. it's enough that it takes him a bit before the recognition filters over his face, but he and loki have had this discussion already, too. )
Always, ( the typical teenager response, even if it isn't quite accurate. he's not that hungry, more nerves than anything else. but he can eat. a hand moves to pat the mattress a bit off to the side of him--an invitation. )
Strange, right?
( loki mentioned a chat. he's guessing this is what that's about. )
I'd say "the one and only", but. [ but that doesn't appear to ever have been the case.
Stephen accepts the invitation, sitting himself down in the offered spot and placing down the food bag to pluck a cup out of the tray, handing it over. that the kid seems chipper is a good sign. not that anyone here has any choice but to adapt, and not that he imagines adapting is anything new to him, but better to be served by a difficult past than hindered by it.
next, with this own cup wedged between his knees, lunch appears from the bag on the bed. this is handed over too, one large samosa wrapped in foil. ]
Bug-free beginners' menu.
Stephen accepts the invitation, sitting himself down in the offered spot and placing down the food bag to pluck a cup out of the tray, handing it over. that the kid seems chipper is a good sign. not that anyone here has any choice but to adapt, and not that he imagines adapting is anything new to him, but better to be served by a difficult past than hindered by it.
next, with this own cup wedged between his knees, lunch appears from the bag on the bed. this is handed over too, one large samosa wrapped in foil. ]
Bug-free beginners' menu.
Edited (one days I'll proofread before I press send, this is not the day) 2019-03-05 10:00 (UTC)
( as terrible as it is, he's used to being thrown around. had kate not been here, or if tommy hadn't, or loki--this would be a lot harder to adjust to. but there are people here who know him, who will support him as he will them, and as much as billy does have a penchant for letting him shut down--
he doesn't when he's needed. )
Thanks. ( fingers wrap around the offered cup, raising it to his lips to take a few sips of the tea. there's a small curl to the corners of his mouth, pleased at the taste, before that cup gets placed between thighs so he can wrap fingers around the samosa. )
So, uh, ( look he hasn't had many conversations with stephen strange but they've all really been about one thing and billy probably isn't wrong to assume this is also about that same thing because. what else does a stephen strange do that billy also has a vested interest in? ) I'm as de-powered as anyone else, I guess?
( free hand raising up to cup an ear, like he's looking for something but it. obviously isn't there. ) I don't really know how that happened, but I've tried everything I can think of without getting anything so I'm definitely not going to be able to pull anything--
he doesn't when he's needed. )
Thanks. ( fingers wrap around the offered cup, raising it to his lips to take a few sips of the tea. there's a small curl to the corners of his mouth, pleased at the taste, before that cup gets placed between thighs so he can wrap fingers around the samosa. )
So, uh, ( look he hasn't had many conversations with stephen strange but they've all really been about one thing and billy probably isn't wrong to assume this is also about that same thing because. what else does a stephen strange do that billy also has a vested interest in? ) I'm as de-powered as anyone else, I guess?
( free hand raising up to cup an ear, like he's looking for something but it. obviously isn't there. ) I don't really know how that happened, but I've tried everything I can think of without getting anything so I'm definitely not going to be able to pull anything--
— I know.
[ he gets it in as soon as he can, as soon as he realises what's being said.the kid's magic is the reason he's come, but not in the hopes that he brings with him salvation.
more in the hopes of liberating him from that expectation. to make sure he's getting through the transition okay. ]
If Loki and I are both without our sorcery, and now you, we're not up against something that the magic of our universes can combat. It's not about ability, it's the nature of the place. Of this.
[ a tap of his chest, where something both is and isn't. undetectable by scan or mutilation, but there. disconnecting them from everything it shouldn't be able to. ]
I heard you made yourself ill trying to gain access.
[ there's an edge of something then, understanding perhaps, empathy. his chest has never burned before or since quite as badly as it did those first times he tried with everything he had to reach out to an energy that just didn't want to be touched. ]
[ he gets it in as soon as he can, as soon as he realises what's being said.the kid's magic is the reason he's come, but not in the hopes that he brings with him salvation.
more in the hopes of liberating him from that expectation. to make sure he's getting through the transition okay. ]
If Loki and I are both without our sorcery, and now you, we're not up against something that the magic of our universes can combat. It's not about ability, it's the nature of the place. Of this.
[ a tap of his chest, where something both is and isn't. undetectable by scan or mutilation, but there. disconnecting them from everything it shouldn't be able to. ]
I heard you made yourself ill trying to gain access.
[ there's an edge of something then, understanding perhaps, empathy. his chest has never burned before or since quite as badly as it did those first times he tried with everything he had to reach out to an energy that just didn't want to be touched. ]
( thank you loki, for tattling on him to everyone he could possibly tattle on to. lips twist into a grimace before billy's raising a hand and shoving his fingers through his hair. a nervous tick, before he's dropping it back down and turning his attention back to the samosa to take another bite out of it.
this is not a conversation he wanted to have. )
I was kind of having an anxiety attack. I'm fine now. I think? I haven't had my magic for long anyway, readjusting to not having it shouldn't be too hard.
( it's been a few years, billy is definitely more used to having it than not now, but this isn't the first time someone has rendered his magic useless either. ) It doesn't work, I know that now. So I won't be trying that again.
this is not a conversation he wanted to have. )
I was kind of having an anxiety attack. I'm fine now. I think? I haven't had my magic for long anyway, readjusting to not having it shouldn't be too hard.
( it's been a few years, billy is definitely more used to having it than not now, but this isn't the first time someone has rendered his magic useless either. ) It doesn't work, I know that now. So I won't be trying that again.
Alright, good. [ that's answer enough for now. reality is he'll likely go to reach for it without thinking many more times before new habits are born, but it's a start. a chance that's he's not about to do anything self-destructive.
most pressing concern soothed, Stephen takes that as his cue to back off, settles in for a long swig of tea. it's always an odd dynamic, being the known to an unknown. not quite the same as a stranger, professional distance sitting more uncomfortable. how to lift the conversation somewhere new?
when in doubt, refer to a mutual pain in the ass. ]
Has Loki told you you're news to me?
most pressing concern soothed, Stephen takes that as his cue to back off, settles in for a long swig of tea. it's always an odd dynamic, being the known to an unknown. not quite the same as a stranger, professional distance sitting more uncomfortable. how to lift the conversation somewhere new?
when in doubt, refer to a mutual pain in the ass. ]
Has Loki told you you're news to me?
( it won't be on purpose, but billy definitely will. he's used to being all-powerful, used to having everything he could need at his fingertips. used to a few simple words with the right tone helping him do whatever it is needs to be done. an i want to be somewhere else easily teleporting, an unvoiced wish helping with outfit changes--
he's gotten comfortable using magic to help him out however he needs it. now it's gone. there's a lot he could open his mouth and say about that: how worried he is about all of this, how he just fixed his magic, just made up for the huge and terrifying mistake he had made and now everything has unraveled again. how billy isn't sure how he'll make it here, how he's never been on his own before and he's not, here--there's kate, there's tommy even if he's different, but neither of them are teddy, neither of them get him the way teddy does, or knows how to shove him out of his bad headspaces like teddy can.
but they're all stuck here. it sucks for everyone. he doubts strange is having a good time either, and whining about how horrible everything is and feels isn't going to help anyone. so he bites his tongue, swallows that back.
moves on. )
Yeah, kind of. I'm new to a lot of people though, so--I mean, I've only met you a few times back home, and only once was one-on-one. I haven't really been 'out' in the superhero world for long at all, people are still kind of learning to adjust to the Scarlet Witch having a reality warping son around.
he's gotten comfortable using magic to help him out however he needs it. now it's gone. there's a lot he could open his mouth and say about that: how worried he is about all of this, how he just fixed his magic, just made up for the huge and terrifying mistake he had made and now everything has unraveled again. how billy isn't sure how he'll make it here, how he's never been on his own before and he's not, here--there's kate, there's tommy even if he's different, but neither of them are teddy, neither of them get him the way teddy does, or knows how to shove him out of his bad headspaces like teddy can.
but they're all stuck here. it sucks for everyone. he doubts strange is having a good time either, and whining about how horrible everything is and feels isn't going to help anyone. so he bites his tongue, swallows that back.
moves on. )
Yeah, kind of. I'm new to a lot of people though, so--I mean, I've only met you a few times back home, and only once was one-on-one. I haven't really been 'out' in the superhero world for long at all, people are still kind of learning to adjust to the Scarlet Witch having a reality warping son around.
I can imagine that'd take some getting used to, yeah.
[ it's certainly not something anyone he knows of has had to contend with coming to terms with yet, and the Masters would be amongst the first to hear about it if there were a person like that on the scene. another thing for the future, a strand he most likely won't remember by the time they get back (they will, they're going back, accidentally of otherwise, there's no if).
but the future isn't what he's working with now. it's their purgatory they're dealing with, and there are very few people here who understand this very specific brand of loss the way that he and Loki have never quite spoken about understanding it. the three of them he's sure have very different magics, but it can be called magic. sorcery. others have lost things too, no doubt, but there's nothing quite like the sensation of reaching out for something that can no longer be touched. there but inaccessible, an impossible void.
it would be too easy to glaze over it, push past. uncomfortable things are easily avoided, and he's already started the process. but then why did he approach in the first place, why bring tea and damned samosas? uncomfortable, sure. but not terrifying, not wrenching in the way this place and what it takes is wrenching. ]
It's not easy. It's going to take you some time. There's a great divide between understanding in theory that nothing'll come and knowing in practice, and you'll learn it the hard way. There probably won't be a time when the ache in your chest doesn't make you feel at least slightly sick. [ with frustration, with loss, with the memory of all that isn't - whether or not that ache comes from an accidental stretch of absent powers. ] But you'll get past it enough to find new ways to get by.
And you don't need to figure it out entirely on your own.
[ it's certainly not something anyone he knows of has had to contend with coming to terms with yet, and the Masters would be amongst the first to hear about it if there were a person like that on the scene. another thing for the future, a strand he most likely won't remember by the time they get back (they will, they're going back, accidentally of otherwise, there's no if).
but the future isn't what he's working with now. it's their purgatory they're dealing with, and there are very few people here who understand this very specific brand of loss the way that he and Loki have never quite spoken about understanding it. the three of them he's sure have very different magics, but it can be called magic. sorcery. others have lost things too, no doubt, but there's nothing quite like the sensation of reaching out for something that can no longer be touched. there but inaccessible, an impossible void.
it would be too easy to glaze over it, push past. uncomfortable things are easily avoided, and he's already started the process. but then why did he approach in the first place, why bring tea and damned samosas? uncomfortable, sure. but not terrifying, not wrenching in the way this place and what it takes is wrenching. ]
It's not easy. It's going to take you some time. There's a great divide between understanding in theory that nothing'll come and knowing in practice, and you'll learn it the hard way. There probably won't be a time when the ache in your chest doesn't make you feel at least slightly sick. [ with frustration, with loss, with the memory of all that isn't - whether or not that ache comes from an accidental stretch of absent powers. ] But you'll get past it enough to find new ways to get by.
And you don't need to figure it out entirely on your own.
( billy only recently found out about himself, even. and only because loki spilled. and who knows how loki found out, but america definitely knew. the avengers--didn't have a clue how powerful he was until he accidentally lost control. and even that supposedly isn't the limit to what he could do. billy doesn't know. he played with abilities he could barely understand. stood above as everything played about below him. knew he could reach out and touch it, change everything if he wanted to, but knew he didn't know what he was doing, either. he held unlimited cosmic power in his hand, and let go of the moment.
and here stephen strange is, telling him he doesn't have to deal with the loss and adjustment all by himself. he's different from the strange billy's familiar with, but not entirely. before his abilities had surfaced, billy wasn't brave. he wasn't strong. he couldn't stand up for himself, managed to just scrape together enough courage to stand up for someone else.
eyes focus down on the tea as he finishes off the samosa. takes a breath in as he nods his head, once. )
I know. I'm not alone. ( can't afford to get stuck in his head this time, either. not that he could last time, but-- ) And we'll figure it out. All of this. Even if it's hard, there's--always a way out, and considering we've got the Sorcerer Supreme, a chaos god, and--so many others here who are more than capable, I'm sure we'll get there. It'll just--take time.
( he doesn't like it one bit. thinking about not having a door out, an exit if he feels he needs it is just causing that nausea to come back full force. billy tapers it down. )
What's your side of the universe like?
and here stephen strange is, telling him he doesn't have to deal with the loss and adjustment all by himself. he's different from the strange billy's familiar with, but not entirely. before his abilities had surfaced, billy wasn't brave. he wasn't strong. he couldn't stand up for himself, managed to just scrape together enough courage to stand up for someone else.
eyes focus down on the tea as he finishes off the samosa. takes a breath in as he nods his head, once. )
I know. I'm not alone. ( can't afford to get stuck in his head this time, either. not that he could last time, but-- ) And we'll figure it out. All of this. Even if it's hard, there's--always a way out, and considering we've got the Sorcerer Supreme, a chaos god, and--so many others here who are more than capable, I'm sure we'll get there. It'll just--take time.
( he doesn't like it one bit. thinking about not having a door out, an exit if he feels he needs it is just causing that nausea to come back full force. billy tapers it down. )
What's your side of the universe like?
[ yes ]
I woke up with considerably more followers than I went to sleep with, a business license and a bookings website. I've been receiving requests for endorsements since before that but the dreams seem to have escalated things. I'm planning to make the most of it, but that's not going to be possible if I can't keep up momentum.
[ what do the kids like, billy ]
I woke up with considerably more followers than I went to sleep with, a business license and a bookings website. I've been receiving requests for endorsements since before that but the dreams seem to have escalated things. I'm planning to make the most of it, but that's not going to be possible if I can't keep up momentum.
[ what do the kids like, billy ]
[ caroline's been caught up in her own stuff lately. she hasn't been back to the safehouse, or really thrown herself into welcome committee things — but she knows that she should do something.
so, she reaches out to people she hasn't seen in a while. people who might need a little extra push to enjoy the holiday spirit. ]
hi
you busy?
so, she reaches out to people she hasn't seen in a while. people who might need a little extra push to enjoy the holiday spirit. ]
hi
you busy?
( they're--all caught up in their own things right now, aren't they? everyone's losing people. billy's lost two just recently. he doesn't want to answer this at all but realizes that not answering a text when it goes into one's brain can come off as suspicious all on it's own. there's--a bit of a lengthly pause. but. )
in what sense?
( he's not busy. but he is busy trying not to exist. does that count. )
in what sense?
( he's not busy. but he is busy trying not to exist. does that count. )
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