driftfleet | Winter & Vision's (not so) Excellent Adventure

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Winter & Vision's (not so) Excellent Adventure

Who: Winter, Vision, & You
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Forest, planetside
When: July 9th

[ This thread is going to serve both as a canon update to post Captain America: Civil War for Winter and Vision, but also be used as a monthly catch-all with prompts. ]

[ It's been a few weeks since they've landed, so Winter's finally gotten over most of his initial uneasiness. Enough to finally venture into the forest for a hike and get the lay of the land. He's familiar with the beach and the markets, and he's heard things about the forest and a certain tree, so he needs to see for himself if the rumors are true.

It's relatively peaceful, and he hasn't come across anyone else yet. He's making his way around a fallen tree when an animal jumps out of a nearby bush and startles him. Winter stumbles back, and his immediate reaction is to reach out with his left hand to steady himself. Unfortunately it's still broken, so it doesn't cooperate like it's meant to. Which means that he trips and falls. Down a steep hill. Only having one functioning arm means he raises his right to shield his head until he can manage to slow down or run into something. Which is exactly what he does before his head smacks solidly against a hard surface. ]

[Meanwhile, the Vision is similarly engaged in heading toward the tree to investigate it. He’s heard you need someone’s hand to hold in order for the magic to work, but his curiosity has the better of him and he’d like to observe it in action first. A scuffle down below his flight path catches his attention, and he swoops into the forest to see what’s going on just in time to see Winter, of all people, taking a tumble down a steep hillside. He rushes over to try and intercept the man before he seriously hurts himself, and in his rush he miscalculates his own density and slams down hard enough that Winter smacks his head against the Vision instead of catching himself safely.

Oops.

The impact is enough to snap the Vision’s head back and hit it against the tree he’d been trying to prevent Winter from hitting. So now there are two enhanced individuals knocked out on the forest floor. How very impressive.]

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[He has more to feel guilty for, by his reckoning - but then, the whole situation is a mess and it's not a competition for who can feel the worst. If she doesn't want to meet his eyes, she doesn't have to.]

If you do find something you'd like, I've plenty of the local currency to spare.

[He purses his lips as an awkward silence falls.]

Have you--explored much?

[Wanda does finally look up at him, surprised by his request. She gives him a small smile and a shake of the head.]

No, you don't have to do that. I still have enough money saved from before. I can afford it.

I have not explored much yet, but I did see there was a beach and a hot springs though.

[The smile is more than he could expect, and he relaxes slightly to see it. He can't quite make himself smile in return yet, though.]

Deep in the forest, it's said there's a tree that can give you something you desire. Some have reported getting pets from their home, or items they felt were important. I've not yet been--there's nothing from home I think I particularly miss--but if that sounds like something you'd like to do, I would like to go with you.

[Wanda looks at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. It was not like Vision to be into something that couldn't be explained in a rather logical, scientific way. When she determines that he does not appear to be kidding, Wanda looks all the more intrigued.]

A tree that can give you something? Something from home... Something that you desire...

{Wanda considers for a moment. She can't exactly think of a personal item from home that she particularly needs or wants at the moment. Still, she figured this tree was worth checking out all the same.]

I suppose it sounds worth checking out. You know where to find it?

[At least she has some personal items, though. And--it might just be an excuse to spend some time with her again. He's been feeling isolated since his return, even though it's largely been self-imposed isolation.]

I do. It's a bit of a hike, but not terribly far. We can take a shuttle partway as well. Would you prefer to finish shopping first and meet later, or would you like to go now?

[Wanda looks around for a moment, considering. She shrugs, determining that she was more than likely going to come back here again before they left to acquire some kind of memento.]

Now is fine. And, if it's all the same to you, I think I'd prefer the long walk. Being in a space shuttle for too long, it'll be nice to stretch the legs some.

[She figures that the extra time might give her the chance to try and talk with Vision about things from back home. At the very least, she can try and offer some kind of an apology for the way she's treated him since returning, more or less avoiding him out of guilt and fear. Internally, she tries to muster up the resolve and courage to speak up as they begin their hike.]

[He nods and starts leading the way. The trail doesn't start too far outside town, but before they leave the market he picks up some bottled drinks and a few snacks in case she gets hungry later.]

May I ask how you've been physically? Rogue had mentioned after her sleep there was muscular atrophy, but I gather that's not always the case.

[In fact, all the long sleeps and gaining of memories have been terribly inconsistent - he'd only been out for an hour or two himself.]

[Wanda shakes her head. She had noticed some fatigue, but she had more attributed that to whatever the process was that involved her being moved from one reality to the next. After a bit of rest, she was actually feeling stronger, or, well, at least stronger than she remembered being here--which had technically been a month ago? Honestly, it was still all very confusing.]

I haven't noticed anything like that. Really, it was mostly just a headache and feeling kind of tired after I came back.

That's good to hear.

[And less alarming than the alternative. Then again, she probably wouldn't have opted to walk if she wasn't feeling well physically.]

As for myself, it was--ah. Head trauma was certainly involved, but I wasn't out more than an hour or two and the headache was more from reconciling two very different years of my life, I think.

[Two different lifetimes. One of slowly gaining responsibility as Captain of the Windrose, and one as being a member of the Avengers - and more of an outsider than a truly accepted one, it seems like at times.]

Head trauma? What happened?

[She looks at him with genuine concern. She had known that Vision and Bucky had gained the same new memories that she had, but neither of them had told her exactly how they came about obtaining them.]

[He looks briefly pained and rubs the side of his temple where it happened.]

I saw Bucky falling down a slope and attempted to stop him before he hit a large rock, but the collision between us was of greater force than I'd anticipated.

[It's worthwhile to note that before, he's always referred to that particular individual as Winter here, per his preference....]

[Hearing "Bucky" instead of "Winter," doesn't throw Wanda at all. She'd already made the transition to calling him by his real name since arriving back in the Fleet.]

[Instead, Wanda processes this information. Vision said he suffered "head trauma," because he was trying to stop Bucky from "falling down a hill and almost hitting a large rock." And the collision was greater than either expected...]

So, you two bumped heads?

[He rubs his temple again and then drops his hand, looking rueful.]

Something along those lines, yes. I do hope it wasn't broadcast on reality television.

[But there was that mysterious increase in his account balance afterward.]

[Wanda gives him a look for a moment, trying to decide if he was kidding or not. However, it wasn't exactly in Vision's natures to make jokes. Least, not in this way. And with that, she begins to break. It starts as a snrk, a soft giggle, that turns into a chuckle, which becomes a full fit of laughter and soft snorting. She has to stop moving, bracing herself against a tree as she practically doubles over from laughing.]

[Sorry, Vision. Just give her a minute to get this all out.]

[As embarrassing as it had been for him, and despite the slightly pained look on his face, the Vision is actually very glad she's laughing like that. Because it means she's comfortable enough--comfortable enough with him--to see the humor in the situation. So he waits for her to recover and then offers her a hand. Should she take it, she'll pick up on that mix along with a warm pleasure.]

I rather hope it was all part of an augment glitch.

[Wanda does take his hand when it is offered--practically without even thinking about it. She lets him steady her on her feet, she then wipes the tears from her laughter away, and nods that she's ready to keep walking.]

I am sorry. That story... It was just funny to picture. I'm glad you two are all right.

[And she does mean it. She is glad they are all right. In fact, as they are walking, she almost reaches for his hand again. Her hand brushes his, but then it continues past. The fingers of both her hands intersecting in front of her. She almost looks a little disappointed in herself.]

And I'm just as glad you didn't need to experience anything of the same sort, yourself. Though I admit I had wondered what was happening when I hadn't heard from you in a few weeks.

[Not that he's a stalker or anything, but the Vision likes to keep tabs on the people he cares about.]

It certainly sounds like I got off easy by comparison.

[She smiles at him, slightly teasing. However, now that she thinks on it...]

To be honest, I do not know what happened to me here. It is still blurry in my head. Going from being here to being back home. It is like two puzzle pieces that do not truly fit, but have been forced to in order to complete the picture.

[She shakes her head, her expression having become more serious as she puzzles over this out loud.]

I don't know if that makes any sense. It is the best way that I can describe it.

[He nods, filing that away.]

I spoke with someone who said he'd been to a third location, something--he described it as something cold. But he had also disappeared for several months.

A third place... someplace cold...

[There is a twinge of something uncomfortably familiar with that description. A chill runs up Wanda's spine, and she shakes her head.]

There really is so much more to the fleet than we know.

[She looks troubled. Even though their current situation with Atroma had not really changed since her first arrival, it did not make her feel anymore comfortable.]

[He nods, tinking about it. Her reaction makes him think there might be something, perhaps buried in her subconscious, but if she can't remember it clearly he doesn't want to press the issue and lead her in a direction she didn't actually go.]

I couldn't agree more. Though it wouldn't be wrong to say the same about our own universe, of course. There's always more we don't know.

[Both for good and for ill.]

But I want you to know I'm your friend, Wanda.

[She nods. He did have a point. But then, she turns to look at him, a little surprised by that later response.]

I know.

[She tries to give him a reassuring smile, but her thoughts drift to home, the fight at the airport, and even before that--her escape from the Avengers compound.]

Viz, everything that happened... [Even though she knows they already apologized to each other back home, it felt important to say it again here.] I am sorry.

As am I.

[He sighs, troubled look intensifying.]

I won't pretend I wish events had turned out differently, but it was a situation with many layers of complexity. It all seemed so important, and yet--

[He glances around tellingly at the forest canopy.]

The conflict means nothing here. There are no Accords, and I feel as though I know Bucky well after all this time.

[She follows Vision's gaze, taking in the forest that surrounds them herself. He was right. The troubles of home did not matter here, and yet the scars that they had each left on one another persisted--both the physical and those unseen. She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She closes her eyes and feels the warmth of the sun through the trees.]

We each did what we thought was right.

[She finally says, as she stretches her arms overhead. Opening her eyes once again.]

If only there had been some other way around it.

There were other ways, Wanda. Yet at the same time, it was inevitable. [Which isn't exactly clear, so he elaborates.]

If Captain Rogers hadn't already been compromised emotionally, he could have used logic in his arguments to Mr. Stark as to why he didn't believe Bucky had caused the bombing - first and foremost that he couldn't have traveled from Vienna to Budapest so quickly with aerial travel on lockdown. If Mr. Stark had communicated himself better, he could have explained why he thought it was wise you should stay in the compound rather than entrusting you to me. If I had been less distracted, my shot would not have gone astray.

[He grimaces.]

But Captain Rogers was emotionally compromised, twice, Mr. Stark is terrible at communication, and I--well. I hope you won't take it badly if I say I am distracted by your presence.

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