driftfleet | may-time mingling (starstruck!)

[ Honestly, he probably should have sent Peggy a message first. Not only is he uninvited, he's probably interrupting something. He hears someone coming and his shoulders tense. Wanda entering the kitchen doesn't do much better, though he tries not to be completely guarded. He is in someone else's territory.. ]

The Captain.

[ Peggy, definitely not Steve. He doesn't know he's even transferred ships, yet. ]

Peggy?

[Wanda is rather sure that's who Winter means, but there's always the possibility... Not that it was really her business either way, but the fact that Winter is looking for Peggy actually makes her more curious. She looks him over, appraising him, watching his body language and face. Since cutting back on her reliance on mind-reading, Wanda's gotten pretty good at learning to read people. However, if there ever was a challenge big enough... it was Winter.]

You want me to go get her for you?

Yes.

[ Really, Wanda. Don't trouble yourself over it. He's in your space, not the other way around. Winter still doesn't really give away much in his expression, though it's hard to find much past the thousand-yard stare or the frowning. He likes Wanda well enough, though he still really hasn't gotten to know her too well. ]

No. I'll manage.

[Wanda shrugs a shoulder, walking past Winter to grab a glass from one of the kitchen cabinets.]

Very well.

[She fills her glass with some green tea from the dispenser, before sliding into a kitchen seat, watching Winter with a more bemused expression on her face now. After a moment of silence, Wanda speaks again.]

Do you want to sit down, or remain standing and scowling?

[She's fully aware she's kind of poking the bear here, but she's curious to see how he'll respond.]

[ Well, it would be rude to say no if she asked, right? He nods once, sliding into a chair across from her. God, what does he even say? Is it the Jim in him that wants to break the ice somehow, or something else entirely? Normally, he's perfectly fine with silence, but it doesn't feel that way around Wanda.

They have shared history, though at different times. How does one even go about that? ]

Thank you.

[ Smooth, Barnes. ]

[Wanda watches him, content to let the silence settle over them. It doesn't feel awkward to her at all, if anything she is rather amused by this little scene. After a few more moments of silence, she speaks again.]

Would you like a snack or something while you wait?

I'm fine. [ ... ] Thank you.

[ The silence lingers again, though he's quicker to break it. ]

Did you enjoy the masquerade? I didn't see you there.

[ Not that he even went looking. ]

[And whatever train of thought Wanda was having at that moment, it was completely thrown off by that question. It was honestly the last thing she'd expected to come out of Winter's mouth. Sure, the dance had not been all that long ago, but she did not exactly have him pegged as the big gala, dance type. Even less so than she would have pegged herself as. Had he actually been there? She had not seen him either.]

{After a moment or two, she realizes she's basically been looking at Winter in stunned silence. Her brain clicks in and she tries to gather herself. His question sparks again in her brain, and she attempts to answer nonchalantly.]

Uh, yes. Yes, it was not so bad. I... I did not see you there either.

[She's definitely floundering here, clearly she still hasn't completely shaken the shock off.]

I went with Peggy.

[ She may have seen him with Peggy and not realized it. He did look quite different, and so did his 'date'. He nods his head in response. Winter's glad she had a good time. There are lots of people in the Fleet who deserved it.

He hadn't expected to dance the way that he had, either, but apparently muscle memory was far kinder than his actual memory. ]

There wasn't much dancing. [ Lots of holding up the wall or escaping to the balcony when the crowd go to be too much. ]

[At first, Wanda looks as though she doesn't quite believe him, but then her eyes suddenly go wide in recognition.]

THAT WAS YOU?!

[Not very tactful Wanda...]

[ He starts at her sudden reaction, nodding his head. He's aware that even going to the masquerade is unexpected of him, but he'd done it. No one can accuse him of not experiencing what the planet has had to offer. ]

It was.

[Wanda quickly realizes how rude that was, and looks very much embarrassed at her little outburst. She had just been so surprised. She had seen Peggy's date to the masquerade, but she certainly had not pegged that handsome gentleman as Winter.]

I- I am sorry. That was rude of me.

[A moment as she tries to think of something more to say to make amends for her poor manners.]

You... clean up very well...

It's fine. I know it was..different.

[ It doesn't make him feel any less flustered about it, but thankfully, there's not an expectation to present himself like that all the time. That would be exhausting. ]

Thank you.

[Wanda clears her throat, still not fully done with her own embarrassment.]

You are welcome.

[Another bit of a pause before she asks her next question.]

Where did you learn to dance like that?

Before the war. I guess when I was younger, I used to be really good.

[ He's still yet to remember that part, though there are vague, splintered memories of crowded dance halls and tinny music. ]

Jim helped me brush up.

[At the mention of Jim's name, a small, sad smile appears on her face. She missed him, like so many others that had already come and gone.]

You were able to remember then? Jim helped you to remember parts of your past?

Some. Most of what I remember is.. [ Hmm. He makes a vague gesture. ] Pieces. Doesn't make much of a big picture. Faces are hard to remember. Jim.. He helped fill in the holes.

[ And now Jim isn't here, so most of the holes remain. ]

[Wanda softly nods her head in condolence and understanding. She tries to think of what she can do to help. Naturally, she could try using her abilities, but poor Winter has had enough people playing around with his mind. No, there had to be better, less invasive ways to help.]

Do you remember... your home? Your family?

[ He has talked to Charles about the potential to help restore his memories, but he's still uncertain of it. Having someone in his mind is still really unsettling. ]

I know I had three sisters-- and that Steve was my best friend.

[That answer brings a small smile to Wanda's face. It looked like some of the positives were coming back to him. That had to be a good sign.]

Can you recall any childhood memories of you and Steve?

Not very well. Jim.. he wrote down the most important memories in a journal. I put things that I remember in it, too.

[ It sounds more hopeful than it really is. Things are coming back, but he can't tell what's significant and what isn't.. ]

And have you read Jim's entries? Did they help?

I've read them. They help, but not in the way you may think.

[ They don't exactly help him remember, but it's information that he has and can use. ]

may-time mingling (starstruck!)

Kitchen's lovely c:

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