driftfleet | Twin Roses Mingle

[Over the next week Vision's presence proves to be a constant comfort, and although Wanda isn't happy about being at the mercy of the show's producers, she's still glad they're able to be on the same ship together. It's not so bad now that she isn't alone.

One day after the fleet leaves the Yaugur system, they make their way to the Iskaulit. It's massive, and Wanda's glad she has a guide. It wouldn't take long at all to get lost in here.

Instinctively she reaches for his hand, even though there's no crowd to navigate or set Wanda psychically off-balance. It just feels like the thing to do, and Wanda has no reason to fight the impulse.]

So where did you want to go first?

[He clasps her hand warmly - he can adjust his body's surface temperature to a certain degree, and he knows she likes it when he feels human-with-good-circulation temperature. Maybe there's no crowd here, but it is an alien spaceship, albeit one slowly being adapted to (mostly) human use. And here, next to the shuttle dock, are the most signs of Fleet presence - colorful decorations, signs for the Space Bar and Malum and the Meting Pot, even a few of the more persistent plants in decorative pots. There is one thing he wants to see, though.]

I'm sure there is much that has changed since I was here - the restaurant is new, I know that much. But there's a certain hallway I'd like to visit first, if you don't mind?

[And if she doesn't, he'll lead her through the branching, tunnel-like halls of the ship to a lower section. The walls here are wide and flat, which is why an artist seems to have chosen one of them as a canvas. It's a mural with many different aspects, but the primary themes are a group of bug-like aliens going about their daily lives in the same ship they're in now, and a brilliant sunset over a battlescape, set on a planet somewhere. Here and there are other themes: ships recognizable as Fleet ships, a few figures of humans (one bearing a suspicious resemblance to Bucky), a calico kitten, and a woman with long pink hair riding a motorcycle and wielding a plasma sword.

The Vision eyes it for a moment and lays a hand on the pink-haired woman's figure. When he speaks, it's in a soft, respectful tone.]

You've probably heard me mention someone named Wrath. This is her work. I hope that wherever she is, she found her sunset.

[Wanda does love the comfortable warmth of his hand in hers - when did he learn how to do that? It's nice, and she thinks nothing of continuing to hold on to him as they venture deeper into the ship.]

Show me whatever you want, [she says with a smile. They leave the colorful landing dock, making their way through hallways that give Wanda a mild sense of claustrophobia until they open up into larger passageways.

She's not sure what she expected Vision to find noteworthy about a hallway, but this - this was definitely worth the trip. Wanda can't help a soft intake of breath as she takes it all in.]

Your First Mate. [There was a lot to take in about that conversation, but while some little features of the ship escaped her, she does remember that.] You were close, yes?

[Loss is something Wanda knows all too well, and while logically she knows none of them could have shielded Vision from experiencing any more of it, she's no less saddened to see this side of the effects of his time here. Gently, she squeezes his hand.]

I wish I could remember her.

[Wanda's decided that it's easier on everyone else to classify things that happened the last time she was here as 'things she can't remember.' She's still herself, whatever the show's producers have done to her, and even if she can't remember it, there's no reason those friendships can't fall back into place.]

What happened here? These look like our ships.

Yes, that's right. We were both in the Fleet for approximately the same amount of time, and assigned to the same ship. In her world, she was a soldier through and through, used by her government until there was barely anything left and then mustered out when her injuries became too much. And yet what was left was a friendly and compassionate person with a beautiful eye for art; she constantly pushed for me to become a better person. [He smiles a bit at the memory.] She had a terrible memory, though, and I don't think she understood the point of punctuation.

Her memory loss was why she painted. She wanted to be able to remember better, and it would help. This ship--these are our ships here, yes. We came upon it drifting in the darkness and populated by violent denizens with no sign of sapience. They attacked us; we retaliated and wiped them out.

[He touches another spot on the mural, a planet that looks entirely oceanic.] Not long after we reached a world that had a population of the same aliens, but far more intelligent and peaceful. We learned there was a fungal infection that essentially made zombies of the ship's crew we found. They'd once been merchants with families, and they were reduced to nothing but beasts. We helped them wipe out the remaining fungus, and in thanks they left the derelict ship for our use.

[Which is horrible, really, but--that's why it's important to remember.]

She painted the walls so we might not forget them.

[Oh...oh no. An entire ship of people just wiped out and now their ship's become part of the Fleet. A constant reminder for the ones who were here.

And those that weren't would never know.]

I'm sorry.

[What else can she say? Even if it had to be done, even if it was the only way to save the others...that doesn't mean it didn't leave emotional scars.]

But I'm glad this is here so we remember, too.

[She can only imagine how rough this must have been for him in particular, and so Wanda's gaze falls back upon the oceanic planet in a desperate attempt to change the subject to something less charged.]

Is that where you found your fish?

[He's silent for a moment, remembering. The fighting had been an adventure, but learning the truth behnd the mad aliens had been devastating. Wanda is right to think it had been hard on him, and he takes a bit of a risk in moving closer to her, placing an arm around her shoulders.] Thank you.

[And he doesn't move away at her change of subject, though it is a welcome one.]

The fish and the kelp as well, yes. There were beaches everywhere, and the water was the perfect temperature for swimming. Er, not that I swim, but I was told it was very good. And, let's see here--

[He taps one of the little painted Fleet ships.] This one was the Windrose. I think--this other one here, that was the Three Twins. Before Captain Kitty piloted the one into t he other, of course.

[There's little risk to be had; Wanda has little concept of personal space to begin with but especially with him. She even leans into it a little and, because it feels like she should do something, wraps an arm lightly around his waist.

Anyone would want a hug after talking about something that potentially traumatizing.]

It sounds beautiful. I hope we go to another planet like that someday.

[Who's going to move first? Not Wanda - it would feel odd to pull away when she's the one offering comfort.]

She's lucky they didn't crash. Or is that normal here?

[He won't be pulling away until it occurs to him, and it hasn't, yet. Good thing this is a less traveled hallway or someone might remark on it.]

I'd like that. Or at least one with some similar tropical areas, though the swimsuits the sponsors sent us were rather ridiculous.

It's happened one other time that I'm aware of. The Pathstone and Golden both became low on crew members and crashed into one another, creating the Goldstone. That one looks rather more patchwork than our own Twin Roses, but the two ships were more dissimilar to begin with.

[No, the physics behind crashing two ships into one another to combine into a third makes no sense according to the laws of physics, and it does bother him.]

[Well, no one but the viewers, and it's definitely enough to launch this ship (or relaunch it for longtime fans).]

That's a little disturbing that they can just...change like that. That everything can change.

[Says the person who makes physicists everywhere cry on the regular, but even she can't warp matter like that or make people revert to who they were years ago.

Her grip tightens a little bit - she doesn't like thinking about those possibilities. She doesn't think she'd hurt him if she forgot everything that had happened since Seoul, even if she knew he was an Avenger. But that might not stop her from going after the others and it's a constant worry that bothers her more than she cares to admit.]

[He'll notice eventually, but right now he's just...comfortable. Disturbing conversation or not, he feels safe with Wanda here. More importantly, he knows she's safe here where he doesn't have to worry.]

That is the downside of this place, I'm afraid. You can control your own situation to an extent, but you have no control over when you might disappear, or when an augment glitch might do something very strange to you.

[He squeezes her hand back and meets her eyes.]

The best strength you can have here is your friends, Wanda. They can bring you back to yourself, and you can do the same for them. I can't tell you how glad I am that you're here with me; you can always count on me to be there for you. I want you to know that.

[Wanda's also comfortable and definitely not complaining. The ship is slightly colder than she'd prefer and Vision is warm.

She shifts a little closer, as if she could somehow hide from the possibilities. There are people at home who act like she's a ticking time bomb, but here it's actually true.]

I don't know if I would hurt anyone, or what these glitches might do to me, but... [She bites her lip. Tony isn't here, and though she'd only heard terrible things about the Avengers, she's not sure if she'd try to go after them or not.

Regardless, there's nothing either of them can do about it. All she can do is trust in Vision's innate goodness to stop her if there's ever a problem.]

Thank you. And I'm here for you too.

[For a moment he's lost in memory and stares at the picture of Bucky--Winter, really--that's on the mural. He had lost it badly and rampaged through the Iskaulit. Hurt people he'd cared about. Hurt other people who were just in the way. Much like back at home, in a way.

And now he was one of the few people the Vision was not only overjoyed to learn was still here, but was someone he'd trust with his own life and that of his friends.]

They might not affect you at all, in fact. I think the worst they've ever done to me was give me a cold. Though I did find that rather miserable.

[One can only hope, and it's not like there's anything anyone here can do about it. Maybe one day Wanda will learn to worry less, but today is definitely not that day.]

Colds are terrible. I'm sorry.

I hope you don't get sick like that again, but I'm glad it wasn't something worse.

[He gives her shoulders a squeeze.] As am I. And it was well before I learned to process food, so I couldn't even have chicken noodle soup.

[And that's about when he realizes he's been standing there with her in a pseudo-embrace for the better part of a few minutes, so he quickly drops his arms and steps back to a more reasonable distance. He keeps one of her hands in his, though.]

There's a good deal more to see on this ship, if you'd like to continue?

You've learned to eat? I'll have to bake for you when I get used to the oven.

[Wanda grins, excited even though part of her misses the warmth of being close. It should be all right if it's every once in a while, and her love of baking and cooking is something she's always wished she could share with him.]

What do you want to show me next?

I'd be happy to eat anything you make for me, Wanda, though I will caution you that taste isn't anything I've developed. [Is it because vibranium-infused cells don't have taste buds? It is because his brain is wired differently? Who knows!]

Let's head up a level. Makie from our ship works in the restaurant there--the <Melting Pot, it's called. There are also two bars. Malum is the "classy" one and the Space Bar is the "dive".

[A cold dash of logic doesn't do a thing to put a damper on her enthusiasm.] But maybe we can share it? I've never tried to share taste with someone before.

[Look, she just wants him to be able to experience the wonders of chocolate, or whatever passes for chocolate around here. It's a noble goal. And failing that, there has to be something worthy of sharing in one of the restaurants.]

We might be able to try it now, if you want to.

[Now there's a thought. Thoughts and emotions she can share easily, he knows, but would the taste actually come across? Or just the feeling associated with it? It's enough to make him curious.]

Why not? Everything should be well-stocked, as we did just come from a planet with agriculture.

[Heck, if it works, he can finally give his cooking-prone friends something to be proud of.]

[Wanda grins brightly. It's rare to find such a benign way to experiment with her powers and she's excited to try if he is. She just hopes he'll be able to get something out of it, even if the full experience doesn't translate.]

Is there a kind of flavor you'd like to try?

Sweet, I think. There must be some desserts that can be approximated here.

[Plus he knows it's a strong flavor, and Wanda does like her desserts when she can get them. So even if the experiment fails, she'll get to eat something good.]

I wish we could get chocolate. Or strawberries. But if not, we can try something new together.

[Two of her favorites, but there are so many things she wants to share with him that picking just one is impossible. It's hard not to feel a pang of sadness that she can't take him to the twins' favorite bakery in Novi Grad. It was an experience for the senses, one she can't guarantee they'd be able to replicate just anywhere.]

We have a bush which produces a kind of purple berry I'm told is good. The so-called "chocolate" protein gel is, I'm afraid, very much fake.

[Maybe...maybe he can talk Eugene into making something. People always said Eugene's cooking was good, and the man was used to working with odd ingredients to make the most out of them. Of course, they can also just go to the restaurant here and see what they have.]

Though either way, it would be a new experience for me. I'd be happy to try it with you.

[He directs her up one of the tunnel-like hallways to the main level, which has many signs of human passage. There are a few well-marked rooms with various titles, and the two bars are located across the hall from each other further down.]

Er, I'm not sure where the restaurant is. It's new.

Maybe one day I'll learn how to fix it? Or make it a little better.

[She's done more with less, after all. Weird gel food is still a serious step up from questionable canned meat, and the berries sound promising.

Wanda can feel the presence of more minds as the ascend back to the main level. She's glad Vision is here, or she would have likely gotten terribly lost trying to find her way back. While she isn't normally given to claustrophobia, the tunnels really aren't her favorite.]

Something smells good. [Something fried, so it could be either the restaurant or the bars, and they're all in the same direction.] Come on, we'll find something.

[...she could offer to try to share the smell, but that seems cruel to do without also having food in front of them to be able to provide the full experience.]

You'll have to tell me if it works. You'd be quite popular with a reliable source of chocolate, I think.

[Luckily, the hallways open up wider as they get to the more public sections. This was a long-haul merchant ship once, and the natives apparently liked to have at least a few large open areas.

He sniffs, and it sure does smell like fried oil and carbohydrates. Donuts? Not pizza. Something in the dessert category. It's a food he associates more with Rhodey than with Tony, either way.]

It's coming from Malum, I think.

[The fancy bar.]

If it works, you'll be the second person to know.

[Surely she can at least figure out a halfway-decent hot chocolate if nothing else. Maybe not while they're drifting, but the next time she has easy access to supplies...

Wanda sniffs the air again but she still can't quite place it. Something sweet, some sort of fried dough, but whether it's something stuffed or doughnut-like is anyone's guess.]

We can try it, if you want to?

[They don't need to go to the restaurant for her sake unless there's something Vision really wants to try there.]

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