[wanda forces herself out of the horizon without giving any thought as to the where or how. it's probably why she lands in an explosion of red inside nero's loft—close enough to her actual target: somewhere outside in the farm's fields—and drags along with her magic the mattress and wooden beams that hold it up. it's a mess in here, the racket likely to startle the animals in the barn, but there is also the pained yelling of one wanda maximoff in the mix.
something happened there in the horizon, with goro. clearly she's fine, her physical body uninjured, but the chaos magic inside her is, well, in chaos. it pulses out of her into her skin, escapes her and touches her surroundings, warping them into something otherworldly, destroying them once it pulls back and away.
a red crown is etched from this energy onto her head. she's holding onto her middle, lying amidst the rubble, squirming. the world around her feels like a kaleidoscope of colors and mirrors, of a prophecy forged with ash and smoke into the bindings of the darkhold. she sees images of her sons when she opens her eyes, of vision's lifeless body with a hole in his head, of pietro's vacant eyes and blood seeping out of bullet holes in his chest—]
No!
[—she closes them quickly, trying to remove the hallucinations her magic is conjuring, trying to put down the pain and the grief. she doesn't need another westview situation to take place.
she doesn't want power. she just wants— just—
a vision in gold, of a woman descending from its core. on her head a crown, the scarlet witch, your fate, agatha's words sound as loud as if she were here, is to destroy the world.
another pulse of magic, the beams of the barn's walls, now, dragging a little as their foundation breaks.]
[The only silver lining about this kind of thing is Nero's pretty used to things blowing up around him -- or cars falling out of the ceiling -- or almost getting magically nuked.
Of course, demonic energy isn't... this. And they don't just pop out of nowhere into his room.
The bed shakes around him, cracking, and he rolls off the side with a "whoa!" landing on his feet.
Just in time for this pulse to shock through him, hitting him like a brick wall. He hears Wanda before he sees her, the center of this red magic that's flicking out like a solar flare. He sputters a curse, planting his feet down, magic crackling across his skin. For only a second, he feels it trigger his power, skin turning to scales on his right arm before he tamps it down. She might know he isn't exactly human, but she doesn't need -- that -- approaching her right now.]
Wanda! Come on, man, I don't need you destroying my place --
[Probably way too late for that. Fuck. He shoves a fallen beam out of his way with a grunt, arms turning demonic as he grows claws, scraping them across the floorboards to crawl towards her. The magic is trying to push him back, but luckily, he's fucking Nero.
And he's not letting this place fall on top of her.
He makes a last jump to grab her shoulder, not light but not rough enough to hurt her, either. Unfortunately, the claws are still there.] Hey. Hey. You're safe. Can you chill, please?
[Look. He's even being polite. He just... really liked that bed.]
[the whispering and the static that she had heard from the mind stone, the rush of air like a gale that she fought against to stay standing as it revealed to her the potential in her, it overwhelms her. it demands her attention, reminds her of what she could be, what she could do, how she should get what she is owed.
a voice cuts through the noise.
wanda! come on, man, i don't need you destroying my place—
it grounds her even as her magic pushes against her attempts to contain it; it keeps her from getting lost in the past, what ifs, the anger and the resentment that goro's thoughts and words had brought to the forefront of her mind. when she opens her eyes again, she doesn't see dead bodies staring back at her. she sees nero, instead, looking down at her with concern, reminding her that she's safe.
the glaze over her eyes disappears as she blinks away at the tears that had formed, and suddenly she's profusely aware of their surroundings falling apart. she spares the clawed hand a bewildered, momentary look, before she's sitting up and reigning in her magic. her hands raise, keeping the barn from falling flat to the ground.
everything floats, suspended in space. wanda's eyes are wide, looking at nero.]
I'm sorry. [she whispers; she's always apologizing after doing something horrible, isn't she?] I'll fix it. I promise.
[with a twirl of her wrists, everything starts getting situated back in place—fallen beams, broken items, the broken foundations of the walls. she focuses her attention on the details, fortifies what she broke. and even when she presents such easy comfort in using her magic, there are times when it just takes so much from her—like right now.
sorry, nero. your bed is not fixed, yet, as wanda drops her hands, as if weighed down by them, breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. at least the world isn't falling around them anymore, and her magic seems to have stopped flaring out of her.
and yet—]
—I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[—she keeps muttering apologies, breathless as she is, and will not stop repeating them ad nauseum until told so.]
[Okay. Not hard to guess that whatever had just happened to her was pretty fucked up. He holds onto her shoulder, scales turning back to skin, a frown etched deep between his brows as he catches her eyes. Yeah, she's in there now. Good.
Luckily for her, he's really hardy. The whole place being held up only by her magic isn't freaking him out as much as whatever made her this way. Besides, pretty sure he could grab her and get her out before it all came crashing down. Not a splinter or cut on her.]
Don't worry about it, all right? Nothing that can't be rebuilt. [Except she -- okay. There she goes. Well, it's not the worst thing that's happened to him.
(Shit. He's gonna have to sleep somewhere else tonight, huh?)
He sits down next to her, hand on her arm, as if to say, you good now? Seems... better. Not great.]
Seriously, quit that. I don't care. It's not even my place, really. [Okay, that's probably not helpful. Moving on.
But she keeps going. Apologizing. Since it's not the first time he's done so, he leans in and gives her a squeeze of a hug.] Like I said, you're all right now. You can tell me whatever the hell happened later. [He pulls his hands away, more aware of his own slip.] Sorry about the -- you know. [He wiggles his fingers. They're human now, at least.] Oh, great, now it's my turn to do it. [Apologize for nothing, he means.] I think you're rubbing off on me.
[if she thinks about it, it's a little funny how nero has become one of the few individuals wanda can truly be herself with. she doesn't care that he sees her cry, angry, nor does she fear that he will grow upset at her teasing and meaner-sounding jokes. as she sits here amidst the rubble of her own making, arms tired, magic draining her of energy, frantically apologizing, wanda does not care that nero gets to witness her at her weakest.
he seems to get it, anyway; posits that whatever the hell happened, she can tell him later. not a demand for answers, just concern. he jokes, even, like he always does, trying to bring levity to the situation.
wanda raises her eyes to look at him, at his hand.]
I'm sorry.
[she whispers her final apology, taking his words to heart. quit it. he doesn't need apologies from her—he never asks for her to be anyone but herself. she should know this by now, shouldn't she?]
—I've always known your hand was weird. [echoing back to the memory they had seen before of him getting his arm ripped right off; of it growing back. she has questions, but she can't formulate them right now. instead, as he pulls away, she leans forward, her forehead against his shoulder.] Stay a moment.
[her plea is muttered, reaching with her hand to hold onto his. just like with pietro, whose hand she would hold to ground herself. just for a moment she can pretend that this is her brother, a quiet, stalwart presence in her life, giving her a place of respite.
the explanation for what happened will come as soon as she has taken a moment to gather her thoughts.]
Hey. Weird is relative. [Okay, it's way worse than the whole arm-getting-ripped-off thing, but. This is here. Now. Not... a memory. Even if he's still very aware of what it'd felt like. It still echoes through his head.
Not important right now. Anyway, this kind of shit hurts way worse than an arm. She moves against him, and he parks his ass right where it is, hand moving to her back. Giving it a rub. His other holding the one she reached him with.] Yeah. Not goin' anywhere, don't worry.
[He's not about to jet and leave her alone looking like a wreck. Er. Literally being surrounded by one, even. Mostly fixed, but. He hasn't missed his bed was collateral.
Something fucked up definitely happened. Wanda's not exactly the most unstable person he's met, so what was it? Another memory? But he hadn't heard of it happening to anyone again. And it's not happening now, as he holds her up, their palms together.
And he's sure she'd know, if it did happen again. Cause right now, holding her up, he -- he's been here. With Kyrie. After the forest. Holding her, making sure she was okay. Telling her she was safe, that he wouldn't let a damn thing happen to her.]
I was readin' up on those weeds. You know, the ones we massively fucked up with. [He emphasizes the we, 'cause it's funny as hell looking back.] I never really asked why they were so important, but apparently it's like, a good luck thing? Like having a lawn gnome. Supposed to keep your plants safe and your crops healthy. You think they would've picked something a little nicer for that, huh?
[it's good that he fills in the silence with some random anecdote of the most mundane of things, as solvunn is happy to oblige them with. she's half listening at first, but then she pays attention; grasps onto his words, and lets the memory of their amazing failure wash over her.
(it is funny as hell, looking back.)]
In what world are lawn gnomes good luck? [her brows furrow, questioning. it's not tradition in sokovia, but she doesn't know if it's tradition anywhere else either. except maybe nero's world, looks like.] —where did you read that from?
[leaning into him a bit more, and using him as support, wanda pushes herself up and onto her feet. she feels a little... wobbly, but she's managing.]
I got into a fight. [she starts. granted, getting into a fight in the horizon is debatable, considering how particular things are within it. still.] He made me remember — Vis. That I lost him. [she squeezes his hand tightly,] And I... I let my powers...
[she shakes her head slightly, trying to pull away now. she can stand on her own two feet. her voice is quiet, heavy with emotion—sorrowful, pained.]
I -- wait, they're not good luck? [He sort of assumed. Why else would people have those freaky lil fuckers out in a garden? Anyway, it's not like Nero's ever had a garden. Kyrie grows some herbs on the windowsill, but he's been banned from touching them.
Luckily she made sure it was not because he has little demon fingers. Mostly because he forgets to wash his hands.]
A fight? The Horizon? [He doesn't need to look her over to know she's not hurt here. He'd smell the blood alone.
His face softens. Vis. Vision. It's not hard to tap back into what he'd felt in that memory of hers. Love. Fear. They really went well together, huh?]
I get it. [It's all he says about that. He gets it. Fear and love had made him lose control of his own, once. He'd almost gotten himself killed. Probably would've killed Agnus, if he could've gotten his hands on him.
Nero lets her hand go, but he's still helping her up until she's all but shoving him away.] It doesn't say anything about you. Just says what a dick the other guy is for making you feel that way. I hope you fucked 'em up, honestly. It's the only way some guys learn.
[up she goes, on her two feet, finding stability and comfort in the fact that he doesn't allow her to go at it alone, even when nero knows very well that she can handle herself. ever since she came to solvunn, to live with himeka, she's felt less alone.
she still dreams of a life where she can be with her children, with her family, but having something akin to a family in the real world, away from her dreams, it helps anchor her.
the same way nero's words are anchoring her now.
wanda would laugh if she didn't feel so overwhelmed by what the psychic connection with goro brought forth. it felt similar to when she read into ultron's thoughts, and ended with a cataclysmic desire for the destruction of the world. this time had felt so personal, too. when that had happened, pietro had been there to hold her; now that it's happened again, nero is here.]
I had a twin brother. [she starts, quietly, her hands holding onto nero's arms momentarily. she glances at him.] His name was Pietro. [there's a pause, a painful note to the way she says his name.] He was killed fixing a mistake we made, and, ever since, I've blamed myself— [and has been lost, losing herself to the despair of grief and pain so unbearable, had it not been for vision, she would never have gotten back up on her feet.] You remind me of him, and it— [her voice cracks] it hurts, but I'm glad you're here.
[pietro was much taller than her, but it never stopped her from worrying over him. wanda reaches up to nero's hair, brushes it back lightly with her hands, because she will always be peitro's little sister, even if he is no longer here. before she was vision's lover, before she was her kids' mother, she was—and will always be—a sister that frets.
[Not for the first time, he wishes Kyrie was here. For a different reason than usual. Not to unload Wanda on her -- neither of them needed that -- but she'd know just what to say. How to give someone hope when things were desolate. She'd always done that for Nero, he couldn't imagine her not having that effect on anyone who met her. He hadn't met a damn soul who didn't like Kyrie.
He was just. Not built for this. Kyrie and Nero both shared the same sorrow -- the loss of a brother -- but maybe Kyrie could make memories into strength rather than weakness. And Nero always took his pain and carried it, sometimes for years, let it tug him in a thousand directions, let it tear him apart, until he could refine it into violence towards something that deserved it.
Nero shakes his head. How fucking close it comes to him, too. Pietro. Credo. Were they just too weak? Maybe in his case. He knew way better to think Wanda was weak, even beyond her magic.
Somehow it digs at him, deep in his chest, to hear it. You remind me of him. Because whether she's read his head or not, he's had the same damn thought.]
Yeah. Me too. [His hold is still gently firm on her, and though the touch she gives him is surprising, he just sort of. Blinks.
S'been a while. Maybe not even since their mom died. She might've been the last person to do that.
Forget the bed, already.] I mean... I had a brother. Credo. [Adoptive, yeah, but Nero had never cared about blood. Not until recently, huh?] He was killed. [Because I wasn't strong enough.] And it's funny you say that, 'cause you remind me of him. [Nero sniffs, nudging his nose with a fist. An old tick from a younger version of himself, when all he'd known was Credo, Kyrie, and the Order, never quite grown out of.] He never missed a chance to give me shit, either.
[Maybe his tone says enough that he doesn't mind it. That he's glad she's here, too. That he can have those memories and not be torn apart by them.]
[wanda wishes she could laugh at that, at the fact that she reminds nero of his brother, in turn. she takes a deep breath instead, and tries to breathe out calmly. when she has—unintentionally—poked into his thoughts, she would see remnants of this credo; a stoic man, of the military sort, but with kind eyes. he plainly cared for nero.]
I don't always give you shit.
[it's easy, now, at least, with him here. it's not awkward, it's not... weird.
her magic starts working away at stitching the fabric and threads of the mattress of nero's bed, and soon enough it is remade, sitting flat on the floor. wanda, too, sits on it. you'll have to carry it up the loft, nero! she tugs at the sleeves at her wrists.]
Do you ever... think, that if you had had the powers that you do now, that maybe you could have... saved him? [because nero is stronger, if the memory is anything to go by. her gaze moves upwards to him.] What is it, anyway? Your power?
[Credo hadn't, either. Just felt like it. Somehow it's what he remembered the most. It was... it was something no one could replicate. The way he could make Nero feel like a fuckin' hero, or like the biggest fuckup, with a few choice words.
At least the bed's fixed. He flops back on it, finally letting her go now that she's at least back to semi-normal-moody-Wanda.
Seriously. Whoever she got in a fight with, he's gonna kick their ass. For making her upset, sure, but for getting his room to take the brunt of the response.
He sighs.] I try not to think about it. Doesn't change anything, even if I think I could have. [His fingers curl into fists, body tight. Yeah. He knows he could have. If he'd known... this shit. Everything he did now.] I just made a promise it wouldn't happen again. That I'd never be too weak to stop it.
[Credo hadn't had time to ask him, but he would've. He would've asked Nero to keep Kyrie safe. Of course, he'd die for her. Die to keep her safe. But here he fuckin' is, on a completely different plane? Planet? Galaxy? And she... she and Nico have, what?
Well. Each other. The kids. It's just --]
Oh. Uh. [He sits up, leaning back on his arms. He didn't really go around super trying to keep it a secret, but with the thought reading, the memory walking... you know, not much point. He rubs the back of his neck, voice unsure.
Kyrie hadn't really always known -- neither had he -- but she'd, like. You know. Been a part of the Order.
And he still doesn't really know, you know? What it makes him. A monster? A real demon? Something never meant to be?] I'm a demon. Part demon. I guess. [Nero throws his head back.] Look, I know it sounds stupid.
[much like peter parker, nero's thoughts are sometimes a little too loud. in this proximity, wanda can completely make out the thoughts and emotions in his head—and heart. it feels like he also maneuvers through some intense emotions of repulsion that she, too, butts heads with time and time again.
she looks back at him as he sits up against his elbows.]
I always felt there was something... different about you. Like you're fighting something, inside, and it is—complicated. [it feels a lot like struggling with acceptance; of a wound too new, and perhaps nero hasn't allowed himself the time (hasn't had the time) to sit with those feelings.] It's not stupid.
[her breath hitches into a sigh as she also flops down onto the bed. arms at her side—one totally atop him, move—wanda stares up at the ceiling.]
Back home, there is a prophecy about me. How I am to destroy the world. I've lost control of my magic before, and it created a world where I didn't have to think about what was hurting anymore. I've often wondered if I really own this magic, or if it controls me, instead.
[having lost control with goro the way she did, it's difficult—it's scary—it's terrifying to think where she stands amidst it all. she turns to nero, and thinks about what she would like to hear in these situations of uncertainty about her own sense of self.]
You're Nero, and even when you are a demon... Well, you're the nicest demon I've met. [but, quietly:] It doesn't make you the bad guy, does it?
[He thinks "it's complicated" is about the most charitable anyone has ever been with it, or could ever be with it. He peeks an eye over to her face and doesn't find surprise -- which in itself isn't surprising after the weird memory shit -- but thankfully does he neither find disgust.
That one he's much more used to.
He doesn't move. She's half on his chest and she's just gonna have to live with it. It's his bed, after all.
Her turns to her.] The scarlet thing? [Something as wild as "prophesized to destroy the world" doesn't really faze him now. Not after learning about -- ugh. Redgrave shit.
Nice, huh?]
I don't wanna be the bad guy. And I've met some pretty shitty guys. They sucked. [Thanks, dad.] And, you know, I've got pretty awesome people who like me, and I don't think any of them are bad. [Kyrie, of course. Nico. Hell. Maybe even Dante. And the woman laying next to him, asking a question he can guess isn't completely about him.] So maybe that's all that matters sometimes, huh?
[after taking stock of her inventory—what she has and hasn't sent, or hasn't otherwise given away to family in solvunn—she is left with a fair amount of items that she could very well... give away. she has no desire to keep them anywhere, nor to have a stock of them.
not when magic comes so easily to her.
and so, nero will find in his loft a couple of things. the first are candles, then soaps, and several bottles with scents and lotions and shampoo for the guy. one may even smell faintly of axe body spray. hey, he acts like a jock.
there is no sender nor letter to explain the package, but it's probably not necessary. if nero had been paying attention the past few weeks, he would have known that wanda had been working on this little side project on her own anyway.]
Wanda, even if you're a troll, you're still the best. By the time he's figured it out (which, yeah, he keeps an eye around, okay?) she might've noticed a few of her usual chores were already done by the time she woke up. Look. Early bird gets the worm -- or the scented bath salts, in this case.]
Whoa! Hey. Who the -- oh, Ciri. Man, give a guy some warning. 'Sup?
[Oh, yeah, playing it cool.]
I heard about the place packing up supplies for the other factions, yeah. Thought of volunteering myself to take them out, but I couldn't just abandon the farm for two weeks when we're already down some hands. Why? Something happening?
Look, it's still weird. And all the people who'd send me shit are people I live with. Mostly.
Ride? Like... a horse? I'm not really a horse guy. I mean, I got an elk, I guess. [Once he figures out how to coax it over into letting him ride it. Or how to control it at all. He offers no further explanation for that, by the way.] Man, all the way out in the boonies. You need me out there? Think something's gonna happen?
Of course a horse. Though I've never ridden an elk, so I won't judge you for it without having tried it.
Not necessarily. I was only curious, seeing as I've never been anywhere near Solvunn before. Not many opportunities to see other Summoned not in the Cities.
And I've never ridden a horse! Okay, like, once, but I was on its back to stab it. It was a demon. It -- nevermind.
I mean, just don't go out into the woods alone with any of the locals and you'll be fine. Or... aww. Did ya miss me? Want to come hang out on my side of the continent? You know, I'm surprised they're lettin' you get that close. Guess they're friendly, for the most part. Just got suspicious extracurricular activities.
We're only here for a rendezvous to pick up supplies Solvunn agreed to send to the Free Cities. After the attack, supplies are running short. Can't stay, I'm afraid.
Don't have much use on an island. We're big on walkin'.
Nice of them. [Not exactly out of the ordinary, when Solvunn is all about community, but he's only surprised by it since they stay out of the Free Cities' and Thorne's bullshit. Sending supplies to both doesn't keep them neutral any more than sending shit to one.]
Possibly ritual sacrifice. Demons in the forest that eat arms they might worship. You know, just like home.
Look, if I knew you were gonna be so judgemental about it --
[He's kidding.]
Er. Not exactly. The shrine ate it. Or. It was on the shrine, and all the meaty bits disappeared. Which is not super fun to watch when you're passing out from blood loss, by the way. [Just so she knows how fucking cool he is.] Then the guy popped out of the shrine. Pointed into the forest. Further into the forest. It's leadin' somewhere, but we haven't checked what yet. Had some... stuff come up.
[Nero mulls that over for a second. Either Geralt must trust him, or he really likes the kid. Nero does too, as much as he's been around him, only 'cause he didn't freeze up when the time called for it. They'd gotten those seeds watered together.]
Yeah, I'm not opposed. Man, come on though, you think I'm gonna hurt a kid? I got kids! I know how to help 'em.
[ It's a combination. He does trust Nero, and he likes Steve well enough. He also knows Nero is bored as fuck in Solvunn. Wouldn't hurt to give him something to hit. ]
I'll owe you a drink.
[ Other things he knows about Nero: perpetually without coin. Not that Nero will have any opportunity to collect soon. Nocwich's doors are closed again. ]
Anyway, I guess. Yeah. Not mine. Adopted. Back home, we run a sort of orphanage. Better than them runnin' around on the streets. One of the reasons I gotta get the fuck outta here, but... no luck so far.
[ Absolutely not a present—he would never give Nero such sentimental considerations—but around late December, Nero will step into the Horizon to find a raptor-like feathered reptile waiting politely for him in front of the monster-fighting arena Nero built.
In its claws is a small hourglass that measures precisely thirty seconds. No note accompanies this delivery, but the challenge is clear. ]
[This is the coolest fucking thing he's ever gotten in his life. Nero might not ever directly thank Geralt for it -- 'cause who else would be insane enough to do this -- but a few weeks later he might find a still-bloodied claw hanging from one of the doorways in Kaer Morhen. It's got a flower native to Fortuna attached so it doesn't come off too creepy.]
[it's not that they had forgotten: there was just so much going on, and nero had been back to his usual shenanigans in no time. wanda lets himeka do the honors of carrying the card early one morning, before the three of them head off into their farm chores for the day.
as for wanda, she knocks on the barn's door that leads into nero's little room.]
[Nero is totally not working especially hard on a new pamphlet when the knock comes. He shoos away one of the lizards sticking to his wall (they've gotten particularly bold after he chased them out from under the farmhouse a couple of times and then promptly given up getting rid of them) and hops from his loft bed to the floor.
Only after tucking the pamphlet under his pillow. It's still in process.
Nero opens the door with a rather questionable look between Wanda and Himeka. Both of them coming to his door is... suspicious.]
Yeah? Must be important if you both suddenly found free time in your day.
[ Himeka holds the painting behind her back for the whole surprise effect. Granted, it's not a tiny "card" so it's very obvious that even behind her mass of hair, there is something "hiding".
There's nothing to be afraid of. Just two red-headed witches standing innocently at his door with no context and looking a little too expectant. It's fine. ]
Oh come on, we always have time for you.
[ It's said as if it's obvious. Is it a joke? Hard to tell since she's so honest about it. Himeka glances at Wanda with a smile before turning her attention back to Nero. ]
Are you going to invite us in or do we need to wait for Agatha to do so?
nero being cagey with them is not unusual, but both himeka and wanda are pretty much experts at deflecting his efforts by now. her eyes turn back to nero, catching on to those 'suspicious' thoughts he's got in the forefront of his mind.]
I won't take long.
[yes, she will wait to get invited in because himeka expects it so.]
[FIIINE. Himeka's obviously got something, Wanda's not backing down, and Nero's not really in the business in refusing them, anyway. With a click of his tongue he opens the door wider, standing behind it as they come in.]
I'm surprised you didn't just blow the door off. Which I totally appreciate. [It's only a little jab at Wanda.] So what's up?
[ Himeka only smiles more when he finally relents, waltzing in with little restraint. She makes a point to keep her front facing Nero to keep further raise the sense of suspense, which is important in any surprise.
Might as well start laying the groundwork, right? A tagteam with Wanda will do. ]
It's been a little while, but we know you had a rough time back on that cruise.
wanda shuffles to nero's other side, so they're standing suspiciously with him in the middle. no room for escape like this. does wanda also pull out a small piece of paper to read from? it's — so cheesy, it hurts her to memorize the lines.]
And we know that even though you are pretty strong, you can still bruise.
[Nero tenses up, crossing his arms over his chest like he's prepping for a physical blow.
That might as well have been one. He looks between them, white brows drawing together, eyes narrowed with a growing suspicion. This. This is what they interrupted his super busy day for.
The ugh he makes is audible.]
So you guys just came here to torture me? That's it?
[ Nero should absolutely feel the love and affection pouring out of this entire display. They aren't some cheap knockoff demon hunter with a penchant for bad one-liners and misquoting movies. They worked on this themselves.
And she is not going to interrupt their poem just because he's going to be cranky about it! It's what they anticipated, anyway. ]
And though most wounds can heal with a little booze...
[ She's bouncing on the balls of her feet. What she's holding behind her probably isn't a bottle of alcohol though, right? They would readily share that with Nero without an occasion. ]
wanda pays attention to himeka, keeps track of the cadence she uses to say her part of their little 'rhyming' scheme, and draws some air to say her next and final part.]
...there's nothing better than some TLC to cure your blues.
[that said, wanda motions over at himeka to show nero the card that she's so earnestly holding behind her. once it's presented for all to see, nero will find that it's a 'get better soon!' card, made from scratch by wanda and himeka; their art isn't as good as nero's, but it's decent enough. it sure has a lot of blues—the ship, the ocean, the sky, nero falling over. inside the card, is the poem they've just recited, and then both wanda and himeka's signature.]
[They did not answer his question, but considering they are continuing to rhyme, the answer is definitely yes. Yeah, yeah, Himeka's hiding something, and though he could easily peer around her to take a peek, some part of him is feeling a little. Trepidation.
Maybe.
What he gets is not anything like what he expected.
It's a picture of him (terribly drawn) falling from the deck of a ship. And it should make him annoyed, to see it brought up again. (He didn't know the whole damn ship was gonna stop!) But something softens the furrowed brows. For a moment (and may they enjoy it forever), Nero is stunned into silence.
He takes the card and takes in all of that blue. Opens it. The same terrible poem, but at least it's written nicely.
Unfortunately, he was not raised to have defenses against this sort of thing.] You guys wrote me a card?
[With the tone of a teenager with a still-living sense of wonder asking, you bought me a car?
It may have become shockingly clear that Nero has never received a card in his entire life.]
[ There is definitely some childlike excitement and anticipation when it's finally time in their little presentation to show Nero the card. Himeka's tail is waving behind her expectantly as Nero takes his time reviewing his gift. Her gaze flicks eagerly back and forth between Wanda and Nero.
He's not calling it stupid. That is a good sign, isn't it? ]
We did! Though we painted it first.
[ Obviously. ]
It worked out well because the ocean looks blue and you also seem to enjoy the color.
[ She clasps her hands behind her back. ]
What do you think? Does it help, even a little belatedly?
We worked really hard on it, so you better not just throw it out.
[as most people do with get well cards: there for a moment, a week later finding a home in the trash. it's not so much for wanda's sake as it is for himeka's—clearly this is all too new to their favorite lizard person, and she's taken it all in stride.]
[He's genuinely not sure what to say. He keeps looking at the little drawing, and terrible as it is, the very clear symbol of what is Nero, tail and all, falling off a ship into the ocean. As if he'd simply tripped and not done it for a laugh.
He jerks his gaze up to Wanda.] Why would I throw it out? [He doesn't have a clue that's what people do 'cause he's never had one before. Certainly never one someone, like, drew. And painted. Kyrie's not a card girl, she's a 3-boxes-of-fresh-cookies girl.
Nero's tail lashes back and forth at the tip.]
Yeah. It helps. [Somewhere out there, Nico's asking, you gonna cry?] Thanks. [He looks between them.] Really. And though it's none of your business what I do with it... maybe I will hang it up. Place could use a little fine art.
[ She knows well the tell-tale tail-twitch of unbridled emotion. Well, somewhat bridled. Slightly bridled. He's holding it in, but he's clearly moved by it to some degree. Her own tail waves back and forth in wide, pleased swishes. ]
I agree, I think it would brighten the place up a bit. If you want more art, I'm sure Wanda and I would be up to the challenge too.
[ Just gifting a series of poorly done recreations of Nero's mishaps throughout Abraxas. With love. ]
[fine art, he calls it, and wanda can't help but smile at that. honestly, things seem to be going relatively okay in their lives—despite all the trouble that brews here and there within the factions.
surely she won't come to scold herself for such positive thinking in the future.
wanda smiles.]
Do you want a hug?
[it sounds like she's teasing, but she earnestly means it.]
[ Hugs! Himeka likes hugs very much, thank you, so she doesn't waste a second when Nero relents to Wanda's teasing question. One arm wraps right around Nero while the other waits for Wanda to come into the fold.
[despite her teasing and her more closed-off attitude, wanda makes her way into the hug between both himeka and nero. she wraps her arms around their middles, happy to be crushed by one annoying nero.
Wait. He doesn't recognize the writing (what he can read of it), but it sure as shit isn't Dante, and he only knows one guy who's high enough to call him "buddy" when they definitely aren't (maybe if the tuna had made it to the boat --)]
JERRY
FIND JOSSELYN
[Fuck, how much is even going through? What if he just turns into a shitty, repetitive fax machine?]
[Unfortunately, a few days later means Nero's even deeper in the shitter. He blinks his eyes blearily, the words spilling darkly against the bone in his hand. With nothing to do, he's been sharpening a few to use as makeshift weapons if -- when -- it's needed.
[If he had the energy, he'd congratulate on Jerry doing absolutely anything of note at this point. But he's got wounds, he's exhausted to a brink he hasn't been brought to since the fight with Urizen, and the only leg up he's got is at least he still has two arms.
So all he can manage from what he understands of Jerry's message is short:]
[He'd say he's trying, but he's totally not. He's only trying to survive.
And peel away what he can get of these messages. It goes in and out, words scrambling as they spill across the ground in a way where he's not sure if it's the connection or his own brain fucking up.]
esmond?
[Jerry's a fuckin' weirdo, but he gets the sense he's not a total idiot. Maybe. God, Nero hopes he's not. 'Cause otherwise that means he's just telling Nero shit that doesn't matter right now.]
wait. black eyes. like holes? [Wait, he's with Himeka? Well. Actually, no, that's good. Means she has a clue in what's going on. And if Nero trusts anyone, it's Himeka. Even if she's sort of an airhead like Jerry...] she see what lorelei looks like?
you gotta ask Himeka for sure I guess, she just described it to me
But not like holes, I don't think? Just black??
She looked weird.
[ He proceeds to give an approximate physical description of the Mysterious Acolyte before she became entirely mushroomified, though as Jerry relays what Himeka described to him, Nero may realize she was slowly transforming. ]
[ With how much shit's happened, Geralt hadn't the time to contact those left behind. Hadn't let himself think about it. He'd spent the first day to sunset finding shelter, building a fire. Spent the next locating the ones lost on the other side, hunting down some rabbits so no one starves in the snow, cleaning his wounds in the icy waters before rebinding them.
It's another day before he finally has a moment to consider what lies beyond the next hour. He shouldn't be worried about Nero. It is rare that he is. Like him, Nero is hard to kill.
But he knows death is not all that can fuck with you. ]
[Nero doesn't regret staying behind. Hell no. But he can admit -- goddamn, it really sucks. The strength he used to help get people out and to stop Ciri from killing the water boy and escaping from that bone bastard -- all of it's drained him. Nero's still going, but he's slow. He holds his side more often than not where the wound festers and splits further open, deep enough he swears he can see his organs growing seedlings.
And yet even among all this, still feels good to be remembered.]
You'll never guess. Once you guys left, they put up big screen TVs. We're watching Little House on the Prairie. There's even pizza. Been a great time.
[A beat. He hadn't noticed. Not that he would. Even holding onto consciousness is a hell of a battle right now. It -- shit, he's right. He'd seen Geralt's words a little easier.
After a while, Nero'd given up sending more. Dante got it, or Thancred would tell him. Beyond those messages, it was up to them.
He grunts, sitting up a little straighter.]
Got no fucking idea. I haven't even thought about it. It's not gonna do me much good even if it is.
[ steve isn't....great at whatever this is. these mental messages. it feels both way too easy and also way too difficult to keep up with. but at the same time, steve can't really just pop over to where nero and wanda live anymore, not with how it takes over a day to get to it. so, instead, this is his option.
and the thing is, he's had this on his mind for a couple of days now - whether to ask, whether it's weird, what he's even worried about. it's been eating away at him for long enough that he's finally accepted he just needs to ask someone for help, anyone, and nero happens to be one of the first people that comes to mind. ]
[Not even a joke in return? Nero stops what he's doing (rearranging stones for the sauna; he basically never stops working on the thing) and straightens up. This has got Important all around it.]
A while, yeah --
[Not a lot of time to answer. He pauses. Dead? Like. Dead, and... and what? And they're here to talk about it? That can't be what he means. But it's what he's implying, isn't it?
Nero thinks it through. Dante would be the closest, but Dante wasn't dead. And their kind -- or at least Dante's kind -- were... not really conducive to dying.]
Know someone who's here who might as well be, but not totally, I guess. Why? What's happened, Steve?
[ no, no joke. he's kind of been thinking himself in circles for days, and probably hasn't been sleeping all that well either. and it's really been bothering him, nero, so he doesn't really have the wherewithal to actually joke back. ]
nothing's happened, it's fine i mean nothing new has happened and it's not me i know someone tho who has or did? i guess? die but isn't dead here i just had a question or like- need advice? kind of?
[Luckily the message lingers so he can read it a second, third time. He -- huh. Huh?]
Hold on. Let me get this straight. You know someone who's here, but was dead the last thing they remember?
[When he really considers it, it's not the craziest shit he's seen, and that's not even including Abraxas. If people can turn into fuckin' demons, why not bring back the dead?
But it's not natural. No matter what kind of shit it involves.] What's your question?
[ he knows he brought this up, but seeing it repeated back to him like that has steve's stomach dropping. has him remembering...well. too much. more than he wants to.
but if nero's never dealt with anything like this, he might not know the feeling. but it's also nero, and if steve was gonna ask anyone for advice. well. nero's kinda always the first person he thinks of. ]
I guess I'm just lost on how to handle it it's been a year now and he hasn't talked about it like- WE'VE never talked about it? even though I know and I know HE'S thinking about it even if he won't say anything but I don't know if that's even something you like ask about or if he would even want to talk about it? I don't know I feel like there's something I'm not doing
[If you ask Nero, this is absolutely above his paygrade. He doesn't think there's a soul alive who's ever come to him for advice about anything... emotional. (Or anything in general.) If anything, Nero has always had Kyrie to go to himself. And her advice has never led him astray.
He wishes she was here. And it's a shitty, selfish thing to want. But speaking of years -- he hasn't seen her in over one, and it's the longest he's ever been away from her.
Fuck. She would know what to say. But he can't leave Steve hanging, either.]
I'm not gonna lie and say I know what to do, man. I don't. But I guess -- I guess think about it from his side. If you were dead, would you wanna talk about it? What's there to say? He's gotta deal with the idea if he leaves this place, he might not... you know. Best thing you can do is just be there for him. If he wants to talk about it, then yeah, sure. But I sure as hell wouldn't push the topic. It probably really fuckin' sucks for him.
Do and say the things that make him feel alive. That's the best you can do, right?
[ yes well nero, as it turns out, this happens to be your exact paygrade for your older brother position. because steve doesn't know what to do, and without his other half (aka robin) to throw every thought he ever has at, he sits and he festers, and then he worries, and then he feels awful and feels like he's about to do something he regrets, so rather than doing any of that he has decided to message nero.
can't nero feel the nervous energy?
still, he does get an answer. and steve knows that what he's asking for is a lot, and that there probably isn't a right or wrong answer at all. just an answer, just a direction, and that's all he's really looking for. eddie's been the person he's gone to for most of these weird questions for the last year, and now that it's about eddie, well. nero was obviously going to be next. ]
I don't know I think it's more that like he's definitely thinking about it and it's been bothering him and he's definitely more...i don't know smart? or like- thinks about those kinds of things more and I didn't know if that whole idea of where if you talk about stuff you feel better actually counts with something like this
but okay yeah that makes more sense to me I've been trying to just sorta be there who knows if it actually helps or anything but we're coming up on the like year anniversary thing of us being here so I feel like it's going to be...worse? somehow
yeah okay thanks man I know this was weird and everything it's just been bothering me
[If he was any closer to Steve, he'd be choking on the nervous energy. So yeah, he feels it.]
Oh. Yikes. A year? Seriously?
[Okay, that sort of changes things. He might not know what it's like to be dead, but he got close. And the pit... the pit's the closest he'll ever get. Steve was there. Was his friend? Did they both suffer through that shit, too?]
Look, it's not the same, but you've been through some shit, too. We almost died. And if it's been that wrong, and it's lookin' like something's wrong... fuck it, maybe you do need to bring it up. Not push it. But bring it up. Let him know he could broach it. That you'd listen. That you'd try to get it.
I guess... that's what I'd do, for what happened to us. It's what I would've wanted.
yeah it happened right before he was summoned here or whatever i was summoned like, right after too not much but we've both been here a year
[ doing a real great job here keeping someone's identity a secret, steve. really fantastic job. ]
but that's different or it feels different it has to be, right? knowing that there's a bunch of people here who talk about going home and that he just can't the pit was bad don't get me wrong i'm not trying to say it's not but this whole place is kinda really fucked up even when it's not it is the pit was bad but i feel like ever since i got pulled out of that freaking lake shit's been bad and it's only getting worse but it's also...i don't know. it's kind of the only place he has, now
[ did steve need to share all of that? not at all. and if this conversation had been in person, the ranting without meaning to energy would be there, while nero would watch steve pace back and forth, like there's some thing he's trying to get to but just can't quite reach.
but nero has a point, and there's a moment or two here where steve doesn't respond. where he just looks over the writing, maybe you do need to bring it up and it's what i would've wanted and. shit. ]
yeah yeah okay that that is kind of what i was thinking thanks i know i kinda dumped this all on you but helped
[ does he know anything about this stuff? no. has this really helped him figure out what to do about this whole thing? kind of. is he now thinking, and kind of unable to stop thinking, about what nero said?
it's what i would've wanted.
before too long, nero's going to end up with another quickly scribbled message from steve. if there's any way for it to happen this way, it comes smaller, almost quieter. ]
you know you can talk to me if you want to, too right? i know i wasn't there at the end of it but yeah only if you want to
[Not hard to guess this is weighing on the kid considering the novel Nero gets in return -- very stream of consciousness -- but he's patient, reading and taking it all in. Steve needs him, which is... fucking weird, if you ask him, but he can't say he minds it. He's been needed before. It's not a bad feelings. Just surprising considering he'd only taken Steve on because he'd promised Geralt he wouldn't let him die to a monster attack.]
Kid, if you think the pit ain't that bad to the point you can talk about it like that, I don't wanna know what else you've gone through.
[Or Nero is recognizing it did something to him that maybe it never did to humans. To someone like Steve, where a dedicated duck could kill him. Nero's lived his life up to this point like nothing could... until magic bullshit and a hole in an island changed his mind.
Fuck. He doesn't want to think about it.]
Don't worry about it. This place is ass, but it's still just another world. And if it brought your friend back to life... I mean, I don't think it's bad to appreciate that. For you, or for him. Or to be fucked up about it.
[That's probably all he can say on it. Steve's gonna have to approach it, in the end, though Nero doesn't mind helping after, either.
He thinks that's it. Steve will either bring it up or he won't, but -- of course there's one last thing.
Nero almost scoffs at it. Not in derision, but in non-surprise. Of course. Not that he ever thought about it himself.]
Yeah. I guess I know now. Thanks, buddy.
[He's not sure Steve's ready for the whole thing, though. It was weird enough trying to explain the tail and wings. Just magic.]
[ unfortunately for nero, that 'taking steve on as a favor for geralt' has grown into something a lot more - at least from steve's perspective. and a large part of it might have to do with simply how much time they've had around each other in solvunn, another large part might be the pit itself. whatever it is, steve doesn't even think twice about the novel he sends - it all just sort of spills out of him, not all that different from if he were pacing a room with robin sitting across from him, just needing someone to listen.
( god, he misses her. )
but talking to nero also isn't hard. whatever it is that's led them here, steve feels like he can. doesn't feel like he's being judged. even when nero calls him kid, steve feels like he's got something from this. ]
I didn't mean that or- I don't know. maybe I did? it was still bad but it feels like everything's been bad since I got here with just different breaks in between that aren't as bad
[ it's a good thing steve can't get any of nero's inner dialogue, because while the 'dedicated duck' comment isn't wrong, it would definitely hurt his feelings.
but nero's point does still stand - steve feels better because he's now got a next step, a plan. really, steve needs to come out and tell nero one of these days just how much he does help, but that would involve a lot more talking and emotions than either of them are really...capable of in this moment. ]
yeah you're right this really helped
[ and that's all there really is to say. steve knows what he needs to do with eddie, knows what he's going to do. and now nero...well. now nero knows he can talk to steve too. he doesn't know if nero is actually taking it into account, but it is a first step. a reminder. ]
[At least he only just stops himself from sending an impulse it did? The same way he would when Kyrie would say it to him. As if he could help her even a modicum of the ways she helped him.
What the fuck does that even mean? Dude, you know you can send me more than one sentence at a time, right? Like, whole paragraphs are a possibility here.
[Nero sends a sarcastic little sketch of two hands clapping.]
So because the guy calls himself Satan, and smells demons, and he's a dick, I'm supposed to believe he's actually a Judeo-Christian archangel, true to life, trapped in an ugly little dude's body?
Okay, Geralt. You been smokin' some of that Solvunn shit?
I don't know how to explain how non-believable that is. It's like -- no, I don't believe it, because it's fucking stupid and angels aren't real. You might as well tell me you saw a unicorn farting rainbows the other day.
Fine. Thanks for the courtesy, grandpa. So do you know what he's capable of, or what? If he's a ball of light in a body, then he can be shoved out of it. That's literally possession, and it's exactly what demons do.
Saw one, too. A native. Guess she thought it was gonna take her to god or something. Wasn't even anything left to bury.
I couldn't get through it. And I really don't recommend trying. It was like trying to shove two positive magnets together. Also totally blew up another guy's arm. Prosthetic, I mean, but -- look, it's a long story.
Look, grandpa, two wrongs don't make a right. You still suck at details. You suck at telling the main subject. And I don't know why it does, all right? It just does.
The lesson you can take away from this is nobody should be touchin' the rifts. Or trying to catch anything that comes flying off of them.
[ He knows better than to get caught up in the dozens of questions that will only unleash a dozen more. He's obtained the information pertaining to the rifts. That'll do. ]
Seriously? Not even a "how's the hunting going"? Not a "hey Nero, I heard there was a giant killer hippo over there, hope that's going well for ya"? Come on, Geralt.
[ This is always how Geralt has been, the moment they met—so that it draws a remark that feels like more than the usual shit from Nero makes him pause.
It's the only reason Nero receives a reply rather than silence. ]
[ Whether he sees the woven baskets himself or Wanda shows him, there is one left for him at the treehouse with the name NEERO written in familiar, crude handwriting.
Inside are various little animal bones, shells, rocks and a very poorly made clay sculpture that perhaps Nero can assume is meant to be him - in one of its little arms is a long stick like a sword. ]
[NANAUE YOU'RE THE COOLEST SHARK GUY HE'S EVER MET
Nero's not really the type to write thank-you cards and he'd be shit at it if he was (especially considering he can count the amount of times he's gotten a gift on one hand), but he does leave a brochure in return at Nanaue's weird barn thing that has the illustrated picture of Nanaue, front and center, along with a couple of freshly caught fish still swimming in a bucket.
[the package is placed in nero's room, one morning, when he's already left the treehouse. there's no need to make this a secret, but wanda thinks it's more exciting if it's unexpected. hopefully he'll come around soon to see it. it's definitely big enough to pique the curiosity of the recipient as to open it as soon as possible, in any case. inside, an amount of homemade goods have been stacked atop each other: candles, soaps, and moisturizing lotions. these should be very familiar, as they are often seen around the treehouse.
something else lies wrapped, though, and once opened, it'll reveal itself to be a trenchcoat, like the one cool guys wear. it'll be useful for nero in whatever weather, rain or wind or sun or snow. hopefully he'll think it's cool enough for him.
a small note sits under the box.]
Happy Winter Solstice. 𝓦anda 𝓜aximoff
Edited (WHEN U EDIT BY ACCIDENT) 2023-12-29 20:17 (UTC)
[ Geralt still has the claw and flower from the previous winter. There is no shortage of monsters to select from, but one that poses an actual challenge for Nero is a different question.
The beast that eventually shows up at Nero's palace is a manticore. The tip of its tail swells with a deadly venom. Another hourglass accompanies it. ]
This thing is a little like Belial in temperament, but it sure as hell talks less and gives him more of a fight. By the time Nero comes out of it, he's black and blue in enough places it hasn't healed yet, and he's got holes from the claws in his shoulders. At one point, the manticore picked him up by the shoulders and threw him across the arena.
It was awesome.
The offering in return is a little less creepy this time. Nero leaves behind a lion claw, carefully cleaned -- hanging from the hilt of a sword that, at its base, looks similar to his own Red Queen. It's a sword from his past, from the Order of the Sword. From someone who would never wield it again. He and Credo always bonded over their swords, and it sucks to think... it'll never go anywhere again. So now the golden, demon-touched blade is stuck in the grounds of Kaer Morhen, except the blade's now been decorated with wolves. It's as selfish for Nero to see as it is a genuine gift.
A note is impaled on the claw.
Thought you'd like a new sword to play with. Don't burn your eyebrows off, grandpa. She's got sparks.
The hourglass is there, but in pieces. Broken when Nero was thrown onto it. Oops.]
[ On its own, Geralt would not have recognized the significance of the sword other than the ignition it bears and the wolves etched into the steel. But when he picks it up to examine it, a fine crack across the blade catches his eye. Nero did not, he realizes, give him this sword solely for wielding. Not exactly.
I stole my brother's sword...and then broke it, trying to fight a wall. Cracked it right in half.
He runs his thumb over the break. Hm.
The sword finds a home in the armoury, where the few surviving artefacts are stored. He places it next to the first silver blade forged for a Witcher. ]
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post-goro fight
something happened there in the horizon, with goro. clearly she's fine, her physical body uninjured, but the chaos magic inside her is, well, in chaos. it pulses out of her into her skin, escapes her and touches her surroundings, warping them into something otherworldly, destroying them once it pulls back and away.
a red crown is etched from this energy onto her head. she's holding onto her middle, lying amidst the rubble, squirming. the world around her feels like a kaleidoscope of colors and mirrors, of a prophecy forged with ash and smoke into the bindings of the darkhold. she sees images of her sons when she opens her eyes, of vision's lifeless body with a hole in his head, of pietro's vacant eyes and blood seeping out of bullet holes in his chest—]
No!
[—she closes them quickly, trying to remove the hallucinations her magic is conjuring, trying to put down the pain and the grief. she doesn't need another westview situation to take place.
she doesn't want power. she just wants— just—
a vision in gold, of a woman descending from its core. on her head a crown, the scarlet witch, your fate, agatha's words sound as loud as if she were here, is to destroy the world.
another pulse of magic, the beams of the barn's walls, now, dragging a little as their foundation breaks.]
Stop it!
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Of course, demonic energy isn't... this. And they don't just pop out of nowhere into his room.
The bed shakes around him, cracking, and he rolls off the side with a "whoa!" landing on his feet.
Just in time for this pulse to shock through him, hitting him like a brick wall. He hears Wanda before he sees her, the center of this red magic that's flicking out like a solar flare. He sputters a curse, planting his feet down, magic crackling across his skin. For only a second, he feels it trigger his power, skin turning to scales on his right arm before he tamps it down. She might know he isn't exactly human, but she doesn't need -- that -- approaching her right now.]
Wanda! Come on, man, I don't need you destroying my place --
[Probably way too late for that. Fuck. He shoves a fallen beam out of his way with a grunt, arms turning demonic as he grows claws, scraping them across the floorboards to crawl towards her. The magic is trying to push him back, but luckily, he's fucking Nero.
And he's not letting this place fall on top of her.
He makes a last jump to grab her shoulder, not light but not rough enough to hurt her, either. Unfortunately, the claws are still there.] Hey. Hey. You're safe. Can you chill, please?
[Look. He's even being polite. He just... really liked that bed.]
no subject
a voice cuts through the noise.
wanda! come on, man, i don't need you destroying my place—
it grounds her even as her magic pushes against her attempts to contain it; it keeps her from getting lost in the past, what ifs, the anger and the resentment that goro's thoughts and words had brought to the forefront of her mind. when she opens her eyes again, she doesn't see dead bodies staring back at her. she sees nero, instead, looking down at her with concern, reminding her that she's safe.
the glaze over her eyes disappears as she blinks away at the tears that had formed, and suddenly she's profusely aware of their surroundings falling apart. she spares the clawed hand a bewildered, momentary look, before she's sitting up and reigning in her magic. her hands raise, keeping the barn from falling flat to the ground.
everything floats, suspended in space. wanda's eyes are wide, looking at nero.]
I'm sorry. [she whispers; she's always apologizing after doing something horrible, isn't she?] I'll fix it. I promise.
[with a twirl of her wrists, everything starts getting situated back in place—fallen beams, broken items, the broken foundations of the walls. she focuses her attention on the details, fortifies what she broke. and even when she presents such easy comfort in using her magic, there are times when it just takes so much from her—like right now.
sorry, nero. your bed is not fixed, yet, as wanda drops her hands, as if weighed down by them, breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. at least the world isn't falling around them anymore, and her magic seems to have stopped flaring out of her.
and yet—]
—I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
[—she keeps muttering apologies, breathless as she is, and will not stop repeating them ad nauseum until told so.]
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Luckily for her, he's really hardy. The whole place being held up only by her magic isn't freaking him out as much as whatever made her this way. Besides, pretty sure he could grab her and get her out before it all came crashing down. Not a splinter or cut on her.]
Don't worry about it, all right? Nothing that can't be rebuilt. [Except she -- okay. There she goes. Well, it's not the worst thing that's happened to him.
(Shit. He's gonna have to sleep somewhere else tonight, huh?)
He sits down next to her, hand on her arm, as if to say, you good now? Seems... better. Not great.]
Seriously, quit that. I don't care. It's not even my place, really. [Okay, that's probably not helpful. Moving on.
But she keeps going. Apologizing. Since it's not the first time he's done so, he leans in and gives her a squeeze of a hug.] Like I said, you're all right now. You can tell me whatever the hell happened later. [He pulls his hands away, more aware of his own slip.] Sorry about the -- you know. [He wiggles his fingers. They're human now, at least.] Oh, great, now it's my turn to do it. [Apologize for nothing, he means.] I think you're rubbing off on me.
no subject
he seems to get it, anyway; posits that whatever the hell happened, she can tell him later. not a demand for answers, just concern. he jokes, even, like he always does, trying to bring levity to the situation.
wanda raises her eyes to look at him, at his hand.]
I'm sorry.
[she whispers her final apology, taking his words to heart. quit it. he doesn't need apologies from her—he never asks for her to be anyone but herself. she should know this by now, shouldn't she?]
—I've always known your hand was weird. [echoing back to the memory they had seen before of him getting his arm ripped right off; of it growing back. she has questions, but she can't formulate them right now. instead, as he pulls away, she leans forward, her forehead against his shoulder.] Stay a moment.
[her plea is muttered, reaching with her hand to hold onto his. just like with pietro, whose hand she would hold to ground herself. just for a moment she can pretend that this is her brother, a quiet, stalwart presence in her life, giving her a place of respite.
the explanation for what happened will come as soon as she has taken a moment to gather her thoughts.]
Please.
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Not important right now. Anyway, this kind of shit hurts way worse than an arm. She moves against him, and he parks his ass right where it is, hand moving to her back. Giving it a rub. His other holding the one she reached him with.] Yeah. Not goin' anywhere, don't worry.
[He's not about to jet and leave her alone looking like a wreck. Er. Literally being surrounded by one, even. Mostly fixed, but. He hasn't missed his bed was collateral.
Something fucked up definitely happened. Wanda's not exactly the most unstable person he's met, so what was it? Another memory? But he hadn't heard of it happening to anyone again. And it's not happening now, as he holds her up, their palms together.
And he's sure she'd know, if it did happen again. Cause right now, holding her up, he -- he's been here. With Kyrie. After the forest. Holding her, making sure she was okay. Telling her she was safe, that he wouldn't let a damn thing happen to her.]
I was readin' up on those weeds. You know, the ones we massively fucked up with. [He emphasizes the we, 'cause it's funny as hell looking back.] I never really asked why they were so important, but apparently it's like, a good luck thing? Like having a lawn gnome. Supposed to keep your plants safe and your crops healthy. You think they would've picked something a little nicer for that, huh?
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(it is funny as hell, looking back.)]
In what world are lawn gnomes good luck? [her brows furrow, questioning. it's not tradition in sokovia, but she doesn't know if it's tradition anywhere else either. except maybe nero's world, looks like.] —where did you read that from?
[leaning into him a bit more, and using him as support, wanda pushes herself up and onto her feet. she feels a little... wobbly, but she's managing.]
I got into a fight. [she starts. granted, getting into a fight in the horizon is debatable, considering how particular things are within it. still.] He made me remember — Vis. That I lost him. [she squeezes his hand tightly,] And I... I let my powers...
[she shakes her head slightly, trying to pull away now. she can stand on her own two feet. her voice is quiet, heavy with emotion—sorrowful, pained.]
I almost lost control again.
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Luckily she made sure it was not because he has little demon fingers. Mostly because he forgets to wash his hands.]
A fight? The Horizon? [He doesn't need to look her over to know she's not hurt here. He'd smell the blood alone.
His face softens. Vis. Vision. It's not hard to tap back into what he'd felt in that memory of hers. Love. Fear. They really went well together, huh?]
I get it. [It's all he says about that. He gets it. Fear and love had made him lose control of his own, once. He'd almost gotten himself killed. Probably would've killed Agnus, if he could've gotten his hands on him.
Nero lets her hand go, but he's still helping her up until she's all but shoving him away.] It doesn't say anything about you. Just says what a dick the other guy is for making you feel that way. I hope you fucked 'em up, honestly. It's the only way some guys learn.
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she still dreams of a life where she can be with her children, with her family, but having something akin to a family in the real world, away from her dreams, it helps anchor her.
the same way nero's words are anchoring her now.
wanda would laugh if she didn't feel so overwhelmed by what the psychic connection with goro brought forth. it felt similar to when she read into ultron's thoughts, and ended with a cataclysmic desire for the destruction of the world. this time had felt so personal, too. when that had happened, pietro had been there to hold her; now that it's happened again, nero is here.]
I had a twin brother. [she starts, quietly, her hands holding onto nero's arms momentarily. she glances at him.] His name was Pietro. [there's a pause, a painful note to the way she says his name.] He was killed fixing a mistake we made, and, ever since, I've blamed myself— [and has been lost, losing herself to the despair of grief and pain so unbearable, had it not been for vision, she would never have gotten back up on her feet.] You remind me of him, and it— [her voice cracks] it hurts, but I'm glad you're here.
[pietro was much taller than her, but it never stopped her from worrying over him. wanda reaches up to nero's hair, brushes it back lightly with her hands, because she will always be peitro's little sister, even if he is no longer here. before she was vision's lover, before she was her kids' mother, she was—and will always be—a sister that frets.
she pulls her hands away, stepping back.]
I'll fix your bed. I just need a moment.
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He was just. Not built for this. Kyrie and Nero both shared the same sorrow -- the loss of a brother -- but maybe Kyrie could make memories into strength rather than weakness. And Nero always took his pain and carried it, sometimes for years, let it tug him in a thousand directions, let it tear him apart, until he could refine it into violence towards something that deserved it.
Nero shakes his head. How fucking close it comes to him, too. Pietro. Credo. Were they just too weak? Maybe in his case. He knew way better to think Wanda was weak, even beyond her magic.
Somehow it digs at him, deep in his chest, to hear it. You remind me of him. Because whether she's read his head or not, he's had the same damn thought.]
Yeah. Me too. [His hold is still gently firm on her, and though the touch she gives him is surprising, he just sort of. Blinks.
S'been a while. Maybe not even since their mom died. She might've been the last person to do that.
Forget the bed, already.] I mean... I had a brother. Credo. [Adoptive, yeah, but Nero had never cared about blood. Not until recently, huh?] He was killed. [Because I wasn't strong enough.] And it's funny you say that, 'cause you remind me of him. [Nero sniffs, nudging his nose with a fist. An old tick from a younger version of himself, when all he'd known was Credo, Kyrie, and the Order, never quite grown out of.] He never missed a chance to give me shit, either.
[Maybe his tone says enough that he doesn't mind it. That he's glad she's here, too. That he can have those memories and not be torn apart by them.]
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I don't always give you shit.
[it's easy, now, at least, with him here. it's not awkward, it's not... weird.
her magic starts working away at stitching the fabric and threads of the mattress of nero's bed, and soon enough it is remade, sitting flat on the floor. wanda, too, sits on it. you'll have to carry it up the loft, nero! she tugs at the sleeves at her wrists.]
Do you ever... think, that if you had had the powers that you do now, that maybe you could have... saved him? [because nero is stronger, if the memory is anything to go by. her gaze moves upwards to him.] What is it, anyway? Your power?
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All right. Most of the time.
[Credo hadn't, either. Just felt like it. Somehow it's what he remembered the most. It was... it was something no one could replicate. The way he could make Nero feel like a fuckin' hero, or like the biggest fuckup, with a few choice words.
At least the bed's fixed. He flops back on it, finally letting her go now that she's at least back to semi-normal-moody-Wanda.
Seriously. Whoever she got in a fight with, he's gonna kick their ass. For making her upset, sure, but for getting his room to take the brunt of the response.
He sighs.] I try not to think about it. Doesn't change anything, even if I think I could have. [His fingers curl into fists, body tight. Yeah. He knows he could have. If he'd known... this shit. Everything he did now.] I just made a promise it wouldn't happen again. That I'd never be too weak to stop it.
[Credo hadn't had time to ask him, but he would've. He would've asked Nero to keep Kyrie safe. Of course, he'd die for her. Die to keep her safe. But here he fuckin' is, on a completely different plane? Planet? Galaxy? And she... she and Nico have, what?
Well. Each other. The kids. It's just --]
Oh. Uh. [He sits up, leaning back on his arms. He didn't really go around super trying to keep it a secret, but with the thought reading, the memory walking... you know, not much point. He rubs the back of his neck, voice unsure.
Kyrie hadn't really always known -- neither had he -- but she'd, like. You know. Been a part of the Order.
And he still doesn't really know, you know? What it makes him. A monster? A real demon? Something never meant to be?] I'm a demon. Part demon. I guess. [Nero throws his head back.] Look, I know it sounds stupid.
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she looks back at him as he sits up against his elbows.]
I always felt there was something... different about you. Like you're fighting something, inside, and it is—complicated. [it feels a lot like struggling with acceptance; of a wound too new, and perhaps nero hasn't allowed himself the time (hasn't had the time) to sit with those feelings.] It's not stupid.
[her breath hitches into a sigh as she also flops down onto the bed. arms at her side—one totally atop him, move—wanda stares up at the ceiling.]
Back home, there is a prophecy about me. How I am to destroy the world. I've lost control of my magic before, and it created a world where I didn't have to think about what was hurting anymore. I've often wondered if I really own this magic, or if it controls me, instead.
[having lost control with goro the way she did, it's difficult—it's scary—it's terrifying to think where she stands amidst it all. she turns to nero, and thinks about what she would like to hear in these situations of uncertainty about her own sense of self.]
You're Nero, and even when you are a demon... Well, you're the nicest demon I've met. [but, quietly:] It doesn't make you the bad guy, does it?
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That one he's much more used to.
He doesn't move. She's half on his chest and she's just gonna have to live with it. It's his bed, after all.
Her turns to her.] The scarlet thing? [Something as wild as "prophesized to destroy the world" doesn't really faze him now. Not after learning about -- ugh. Redgrave shit.
Nice, huh?]
I don't wanna be the bad guy. And I've met some pretty shitty guys. They sucked. [Thanks, dad.] And, you know, I've got pretty awesome people who like me, and I don't think any of them are bad. [Kyrie, of course. Nico. Hell. Maybe even Dante. And the woman laying next to him, asking a question he can guess isn't completely about him.] So maybe that's all that matters sometimes, huh?
parcel, early june
not when magic comes so easily to her.
and so, nero will find in his loft a couple of things. the first are candles, then soaps, and several bottles with scents and lotions and shampoo for the guy. one may even smell faintly of axe body spray. hey, he acts like a jock.
there is no sender nor letter to explain the package, but it's probably not necessary. if nero had been paying attention the past few weeks, he would have known that wanda had been working on this little side project on her own anyway.]
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Wanda, even if you're a troll, you're still the best. By the time he's figured it out (which, yeah, he keeps an eye around, okay?) she might've noticed a few of her usual chores were already done by the time she woke up. Look. Early bird gets the worm -- or the scented bath salts, in this case.]
end of sept.
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[Oh, yeah, playing it cool.]
I heard about the place packing up supplies for the other factions, yeah. Thought of volunteering myself to take them out, but I couldn't just abandon the farm for two weeks when we're already down some hands. Why? Something happening?
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I'm nearing the border of Solvunn as part of the caravan from Cadens. Was just wondering if you might be riding out to meet us.
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Ride? Like... a horse? I'm not really a horse guy. I mean, I got an elk, I guess. [Once he figures out how to coax it over into letting him ride it. Or how to control it at all. He offers no further explanation for that, by the way.] Man, all the way out in the boonies. You need me out there? Think something's gonna happen?
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Not necessarily. I was only curious, seeing as I've never been anywhere near Solvunn before. Not many opportunities to see other Summoned not in the Cities.
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I mean, just don't go out into the woods alone with any of the locals and you'll be fine. Or... aww. Did ya miss me? Want to come hang out on my side of the continent? You know, I'm surprised they're lettin' you get that close. Guess they're friendly, for the most part. Just got suspicious extracurricular activities.
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We're only here for a rendezvous to pick up supplies Solvunn agreed to send to the Free Cities. After the attack, supplies are running short. Can't stay, I'm afraid.
What was that about the locals being suspicious?
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Nice of them. [Not exactly out of the ordinary, when Solvunn is all about community, but he's only surprised by it since they stay out of the Free Cities' and Thorne's bullshit. Sending supplies to both doesn't keep them neutral any more than sending shit to one.]
Possibly ritual sacrifice. Demons in the forest that eat arms they might worship. You know, just like home.
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Have you encountered any?
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removed.
Are you saying it was fed to a demon? That Solvunnites worship?
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[He's probably not helping himself sound much more competent, huh?]
And, I mean, it might not technically be a demon, but I don't really have a better word for it.
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What happened?
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Like he knows his answer is gonna be taken, uh, not well.
But it doesn't really occur to him to lie, either.]
Buddy cut it off. It was a whole miscommunication thing. It happens.
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So you actually saw the demon, or whatever sort of creature it was, eat your arm?
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[He's kidding.]
Er. Not exactly. The shrine ate it. Or. It was on the shrine, and all the meaty bits disappeared. Which is not super fun to watch when you're passing out from blood loss, by the way. [Just so she knows how fucking cool he is.] Then the guy popped out of the shrine. Pointed into the forest. Further into the forest. It's leadin' somewhere, but we haven't checked what yet. Had some... stuff come up.
pre-oct event.
Steve.
He's training under me, but the Horizon offers only so much.
Interested in a sparring partner?
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He needs to learn on his feet.
Play nice, though.
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Yeah, I'm not opposed. Man, come on though, you think I'm gonna hurt a kid? I got kids! I know how to help 'em.
Can't promise I won't scare him.
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I did think you'd try to scare him.
[ It's a combination. He does trust Nero, and he likes Steve well enough. He also knows Nero is bored as fuck in Solvunn. Wouldn't hurt to give him something to hit. ]
I'll owe you a drink.
[ Other things he knows about Nero: perpetually without coin. Not that Nero will have any opportunity to collect soon. Nocwich's doors are closed again. ]
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Don't deny me my fun.
Hmm. Not a drink guy. Make it lunch and I'll take you up on it.
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Fine. Lunch.
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You? Have children?
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Anyway, I guess. Yeah. Not mine. Adopted. Back home, we run a sort of orphanage. Better than them runnin' around on the streets. One of the reasons I gotta get the fuck outta here, but... no luck so far.
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Suppose the brats in Solvunn will have to suffice for now.
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Yeah, yeah, but they're good kids. Just feels like there's gettin' to be more of them every day.
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[ That's an ominous remark. ]
Tell me more next time.
yule-ish.
In its claws is a small hourglass that measures precisely thirty seconds. No note accompanies this delivery, but the challenge is clear. ]
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many weeks too late after the ship
as for wanda, she knocks on the barn's door that leads into nero's little room.]
Nero. We have something important to tell you.
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Only after tucking the pamphlet under his pillow. It's still in process.
Nero opens the door with a rather questionable look between Wanda and Himeka. Both of them coming to his door is... suspicious.]
Yeah? Must be important if you both suddenly found free time in your day.
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There's nothing to be afraid of. Just two red-headed witches standing innocently at his door with no context and looking a little too expectant. It's fine. ]
Oh come on, we always have time for you.
[ It's said as if it's obvious. Is it a joke? Hard to tell since she's so honest about it. Himeka glances at Wanda with a smile before turning her attention back to Nero. ]
Are you going to invite us in or do we need to wait for Agatha to do so?
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[casually.
nero being cagey with them is not unusual, but both himeka and wanda are pretty much experts at deflecting his efforts by now. her eyes turn back to nero, catching on to those 'suspicious' thoughts he's got in the forefront of his mind.]
I won't take long.
[yes, she will wait to get invited in because himeka expects it so.]
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I'm not wakin' up smelling like a petting zoo.
[FIIINE. Himeka's obviously got something, Wanda's not backing down, and Nero's not really in the business in refusing them, anyway. With a click of his tongue he opens the door wider, standing behind it as they come in.]
I'm surprised you didn't just blow the door off. Which I totally appreciate. [It's only a little jab at Wanda.] So what's up?
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Might as well start laying the groundwork, right? A tagteam with Wanda will do. ]
It's been a little while, but we know you had a rough time back on that cruise.
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wanda shuffles to nero's other side, so they're standing suspiciously with him in the middle. no room for escape like this. does wanda also pull out a small piece of paper to read from? it's — so cheesy, it hurts her to memorize the lines.]
And we know that even though you are pretty strong, you can still bruise.
[it's a rhyming scheme, hell yeah.]
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That might as well have been one. He looks between them, white brows drawing together, eyes narrowed with a growing suspicion. This. This is what they interrupted his super busy day for.
The ugh he makes is audible.]
So you guys just came here to torture me? That's it?
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And she is not going to interrupt their poem just because he's going to be cranky about it! It's what they anticipated, anyway. ]
And though most wounds can heal with a little booze...
[ She's bouncing on the balls of her feet. What she's holding behind her probably isn't a bottle of alcohol though, right? They would readily share that with Nero without an occasion. ]
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wanda pays attention to himeka, keeps track of the cadence she uses to say her part of their little 'rhyming' scheme, and draws some air to say her next and final part.]
...there's nothing better than some TLC to cure your blues.
[that said, wanda motions over at himeka to show nero the card that she's so earnestly holding behind her. once it's presented for all to see, nero will find that it's a 'get better soon!' card, made from scratch by wanda and himeka; their art isn't as good as nero's, but it's decent enough. it sure has a lot of blues—the ship, the ocean, the sky, nero falling over. inside the card, is the poem they've just recited, and then both wanda and himeka's signature.]
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Maybe.
What he gets is not anything like what he expected.
It's a picture of him (terribly drawn) falling from the deck of a ship. And it should make him annoyed, to see it brought up again. (He didn't know the whole damn ship was gonna stop!) But something softens the furrowed brows. For a moment (and may they enjoy it forever), Nero is stunned into silence.
He takes the card and takes in all of that blue. Opens it. The same terrible poem, but at least it's written nicely.
Unfortunately, he was not raised to have defenses against this sort of thing.] You guys wrote me a card?
[With the tone of a teenager with a still-living sense of wonder asking, you bought me a car?
It may have become shockingly clear that Nero has never received a card in his entire life.]
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He's not calling it stupid. That is a good sign, isn't it? ]
We did! Though we painted it first.
[ Obviously. ]
It worked out well because the ocean looks blue and you also seem to enjoy the color.
[ She clasps her hands behind her back. ]
What do you think? Does it help, even a little belatedly?
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[as most people do with get well cards: there for a moment, a week later finding a home in the trash. it's not so much for wanda's sake as it is for himeka's—clearly this is all too new to their favorite lizard person, and she's taken it all in stride.]
Hang it on your wall.
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He jerks his gaze up to Wanda.] Why would I throw it out? [He doesn't have a clue that's what people do 'cause he's never had one before. Certainly never one someone, like, drew. And painted. Kyrie's not a card girl, she's a 3-boxes-of-fresh-cookies girl.
Nero's tail lashes back and forth at the tip.]
Yeah. It helps. [Somewhere out there, Nico's asking, you gonna cry?] Thanks. [He looks between them.] Really. And though it's none of your business what I do with it... maybe I will hang it up. Place could use a little fine art.
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I agree, I think it would brighten the place up a bit. If you want more art, I'm sure Wanda and I would be up to the challenge too.
[ Just gifting a series of poorly done recreations of Nero's mishaps throughout Abraxas. With love. ]
But we're glad you're okay now.
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surely she won't come to scold herself for such positive thinking in the future.
wanda smiles.]
Do you want a hug?
[it sounds like she's teasing, but she earnestly means it.]
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Huh.]
I never was not okay. You know that, right? [Or this is more poking at him, which he sniffs at.]
Yeah. Sure. [Nero opens his arms, and now his whole tail swishes.] Come'ere.
[Hope you're both ready to be crushed.]
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What's better than one hug? A group hug. ]
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she really loves them both, much like family.
wanda even smiles.]
event: invocation; mid-week 1
buddy
are you getting this?
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Wait. He doesn't recognize the writing (what he can read of it), but it sure as shit isn't Dante, and he only knows one guy who's high enough to call him "buddy" when they definitely aren't (maybe if the tuna had made it to the boat --)]
JE
RRYFIND JOSSELYN
[Fuck, how much is even going through? What if he just turns into a shitty, repetitive fax machine?]
JOS
SELYNJOSSE
LYNHOUSEHO
USEHOUSE HOUSE HOUSEHYDNEL
LIAH
YDNELLIAHYDNELLIAAS
KIFSHE'S JOSSELYNIF
YOU'VE HEARDTHENAMEFIND HIMEKAno subject
and Himeka
gotcha
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but can I ask you favor?
you keep an eye on my buddy Jack, will ya? scrawny little dude, missing his left pinky
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erry I swear to godif Ieverseeyou againI'm going tokill youno subject
ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOWno subject
Fuck's sake. It's not like he has anything but time right now.]
fine
I'll look for himno subject
we're looking for u guys just hang in there
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feel so much better.a few days later.
Nero
you copy?
[ Considering it doesn't always work. He had to try many times to get anything from Jack. ]
we asked around about Josselyn and Hydnellia, got some info idk if it'll help
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Shit. Jerry. He sits up.]
Spill.
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get this: her neighbors vanished. folks thought it was super weird. it was an old dude, a young woman and her brother Ed, maybe in their twenties ish
the girl was real tight with Josselyn
no one knew the name Hydnellia though
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So all he can manage from what he understands of Jerry's message is short:]
doesn't hel
p much.no subject
y
ou find joss?no subject
no but we broke into the other dude's house
well it didn't take much breaking in since it was abandoned
I guess his name was Esmond, not Edmond. so like, Es?
And his sister was Lorelei
Himeka had a vision. Lorelei went somewhere and got all fucked up, with weird black eyes. I think Josslyn made her do something bad
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And peel away what he can get of these messages. It goes in and out, words scrambling as they spill across the ground in a way where he's not sure if it's the connection or his own brain fucking up.]
esmond?
[Jerry's a fuckin' weirdo, but he gets the sense he's not a total idiot. Maybe. God, Nero hopes he's not. 'Cause otherwise that means he's just telling Nero shit that doesn't matter right now.]
wait. black eyes. like holes? [Wait, he's with Himeka? Well. Actually, no, that's good. Means she has a clue in what's going on. And if Nero trusts anyone, it's Himeka. Even if she's sort of an airhead like Jerry...] she see what lorelei looks like?
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But not like holes, I don't think? Just black??
She looked weird.
[ He proceeds to give an approximate physical description of the Mysterious Acolyte before she became entirely mushroomified, though as Jerry relays what Himeka described to him, Nero may realize she was slowly transforming. ]
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shit. I know her. doesn't look the same. she changed.
towards the end of week 2
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[ugh, it's not important.]
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₦Ø₮ ⱤɆ₳ⱠⱠɎ. ₱ⱤɆ₮₮Ɏ ₴ɄⱤɆ ₮Ⱨł₴ ł₴ ₮ⱧɆ ₴Ɇ₵Ø₦Đ ₵ⱠØ₴Ɇ₴₮ ł'VɆ ₲Ø₮ ₮Ø ĐɎł₦₲. ł₮'₴ ฿₳Đ, ₩₳₦Đ₳. ł₣ ł₮'₴ ฿₳Đ ₣ØⱤ ₥Ɇ, ł₮'₴ ₩ØⱤ₴Ɇ ₣ØⱤ ɆVɆⱤɎØ₦Ɇ ɆⱠ₴Ɇ.
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[........]
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ɎØɄ ₭₦Ø₩ ⱧØ₩ ₥₳₦Ɏ ₱ɆØ₱ⱠɆ ł ₳ⱠⱤɆ₳ĐɎ ₲Ø₮₮₳ ฿₳฿Ɏ₴ł₮? ł'ⱠⱠ ⱠØØ₭.
₱ⱤØ₥ł₴Ɇ.
1/2
[it's important that he gets this message first.]
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ìҟղօա.վҽąհ, էհ
ҽվ'ɾҽʂէìӀӀ աąղժҽɾìղց ąɾօմղժ. ҍմէ --ʝօʂʂ'ʂ հҽɾҽ? վօմ ʂմɾҽ?
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'ƈαυʂҽ I'ɱ ɠσɳɳα ɾιρ ƚԋαƚ ʂσɳ σϝ α Ⴆιƚƈԋ'ʂ ϝαƈҽ σϝϝ
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[In fact, he never has been.]
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early week 3.
It's another day before he finally has a moment to consider what lies beyond the next hour. He shouldn't be worried about Nero. It is rare that he is. Like him, Nero is hard to kill.
But he knows death is not all that can fuck with you. ]
Still in one piece?
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And yet even among all this, still feels good to be remembered.]
You'll never guess. Once you guys left, they put up big screen TVs. We're watching Little House on the Prairie. There's even pizza. Been a great time.
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Don't gorge yourself.
Is the Horizon open to you?
Your words are clear.
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[A beat. He hadn't noticed. Not that he would. Even holding onto consciousness is a hell of a battle right now. It -- shit, he's right. He'd seen Geralt's words a little easier.
After a while, Nero'd given up sending more. Dante got it, or Thancred would tell him. Beyond those messages, it was up to them.
He grunts, sitting up a little straighter.]
Got no fucking idea. I haven't even thought about it. It's not gonna do me much good even if it is.
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There's a woman in the Horizon.
By the Singularity.
Seems she could help heal.
You can trust her.
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you nailed to my door?
If it works—
Might help the others with you.
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[Now he's sweating. Was it weird???]
I'll check it out. Not like I got much else to do, and no one's gonna mess with my unconscious body. Probably.
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[ He did, actually. ]
Good.
And Nero—
Don't piss her off.
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WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
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Tell her we're friends.
Try not to strain when you say it.
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I'll try to stop myself from telling her and shitting myself at the same time. Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole.
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When you're home.
[ Because Nero had better make it home. ]
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And tell Dante he's a dick.
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Try not to die
before you hear it.
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gestures vaguely beginning of august.
and the thing is, he's had this on his mind for a couple of days now - whether to ask, whether it's weird, what he's even worried about. it's been eating away at him for long enough that he's finally accepted he just needs to ask someone for help, anyone, and nero happens to be one of the first people that comes to mind. ]
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[You know Steve walked right into it.]
Lucky for you, I can find an opening in between all the goat feedin' and shit I'm doing. What's up?
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A while, yeah --
[Not a lot of time to answer. He pauses. Dead? Like. Dead, and... and what? And they're here to talk about it? That can't be what he means. But it's what he's implying, isn't it?
Nero thinks it through. Dante would be the closest, but Dante wasn't dead. And their kind -- or at least Dante's kind -- were... not really conducive to dying.]
Know someone who's here who might as well be, but not totally, I guess. Why? What's happened, Steve?
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Hold on. Let me get this straight. You know someone who's here, but was dead the last thing they remember?
[When he really considers it, it's not the craziest shit he's seen, and that's not even including Abraxas. If people can turn into fuckin' demons, why not bring back the dead?
But it's not natural. No matter what kind of shit it involves.] What's your question?
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but if nero's never dealt with anything like this, he might not know the feeling. but it's also nero, and if steve was gonna ask anyone for advice. well. nero's kinda always the first person he thinks of. ]
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He wishes she was here. And it's a shitty, selfish thing to want. But speaking of years -- he hasn't seen her in over one, and it's the longest he's ever been away from her.
Fuck. She would know what to say. But he can't leave Steve hanging, either.]
I'm not gonna lie and say I know what to do, man. I don't. But I guess -- I guess think about it from his side. If you were dead, would you wanna talk about it? What's there to say? He's gotta deal with the idea if he leaves this place, he might not... you know. Best thing you can do is just be there for him. If he wants to talk about it, then yeah, sure. But I sure as hell wouldn't push the topic. It probably really fuckin' sucks for him.
Do and say the things that make him feel alive. That's the best you can do, right?
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can't nero feel the nervous energy?
still, he does get an answer. and steve knows that what he's asking for is a lot, and that there probably isn't a right or wrong answer at all. just an answer, just a direction, and that's all he's really looking for. eddie's been the person he's gone to for most of these weird questions for the last year, and now that it's about eddie, well. nero was obviously going to be next. ]
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Oh. Yikes. A year? Seriously?
[Okay, that sort of changes things. He might not know what it's like to be dead, but he got close. And the pit... the pit's the closest he'll ever get. Steve was there. Was his friend? Did they both suffer through that shit, too?]
Look, it's not the same, but you've been through some shit, too. We almost died. And if it's been that wrong, and it's lookin' like something's wrong... fuck it, maybe you do need to bring it up. Not push it. But bring it up. Let him know he could broach it. That you'd listen. That you'd try to get it.
I guess... that's what I'd do, for what happened to us. It's what I would've wanted.
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but nero has a point, and there's a moment or two here where steve doesn't respond. where he just looks over the writing, maybe you do need to bring it up and it's what i would've wanted and. shit. ][ does he know anything about this stuff? no. has this really helped him figure out what to do about this whole thing? kind of. is he now thinking, and kind of unable to stop thinking, about what nero said?
it's what i would've wanted.
before too long, nero's going to end up with another quickly scribbled message from steve. if there's any way for it to happen this way, it comes smaller, almost quieter. ]
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Kid, if you think the pit ain't that bad to the point you can talk about it like that, I don't wanna know what else you've gone through.
[Or Nero is recognizing it did something to him that maybe it never did to humans. To someone like Steve, where a dedicated duck could kill him. Nero's lived his life up to this point like nothing could... until magic bullshit and a hole in an island changed his mind.
Fuck. He doesn't want to think about it.]
Don't worry about it. This place is ass, but it's still just another world. And if it brought your friend back to life... I mean, I don't think it's bad to appreciate that. For you, or for him. Or to be fucked up about it.
[That's probably all he can say on it. Steve's gonna have to approach it, in the end, though Nero doesn't mind helping after, either.
He thinks that's it. Steve will either bring it up or he won't, but -- of course there's one last thing.
Nero almost scoffs at it. Not in derision, but in non-surprise. Of course. Not that he ever thought about it himself.]
Yeah. I guess I know now. Thanks, buddy.
[He's not sure Steve's ready for the whole thing, though. It was weird enough trying to explain the tail and wings. Just magic.]
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( god, he misses her. )
but talking to nero also isn't hard. whatever it is that's led them here, steve feels like he can. doesn't feel like he's being judged. even when nero calls him kid, steve feels like he's got something from this. ][ it's a good thing steve can't get any of nero's inner dialogue, because while the 'dedicated duck' comment isn't wrong, it would definitely hurt his feelings.
but nero's point does still stand - steve feels better because he's now got a next step, a plan. really, steve needs to come out and tell nero one of these days just how much he does help, but that would involve a lot more talking and emotions than either of them are really...capable of in this moment. ] [ and that's all there really is to say. steve knows what he needs to do with eddie, knows what he's going to do. and now nero...well. now nero knows he can talk to steve too. he doesn't know if nero is actually taking it into account, but it is a first step. a reminder. ]
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But maybe it's... yeah. It's not a bad feeling.]
I got your back, Steve. Promise.
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Thanks.
It really --
Yeah.
some nebulous time after the masquerade.
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There's something you should know about Lucifer.
It's not merely a name.
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Why do you think
he could sense your nature?
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The devil.
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But he is what he is.
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What he is means nothing to me.
The power he resonates, however, is...unique.
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To me, Lucifer registers as little more than an
entity of unusual light.
Contained in a host.
And he bears the ability to sense demonic forces.
But he evidently holds some significance to spheres such as yours.
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So because the guy calls himself Satan, and smells demons, and he's a dick, I'm supposed to believe he's actually a Judeo-Christian archangel, true to life, trapped in an ugly little dude's body?
Okay, Geralt. You been smokin' some of that Solvunn shit?
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you wouldn't be such a little shit about it right now.
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I thought I'd grant you the courtesy of informing you.
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Fine. Thanks for the courtesy, grandpa. So do you know what he's capable of, or what? If he's a ball of light in a body, then he can be shoved out of it. That's literally possession, and it's exactly what demons do.
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I haven't much reason to bother with Lucifer.
Neither should you.
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You know what? Yeah. Sounds about right.
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[ Enjoy the complicated horseshit he's been mired in since he arrived in this fucking sphere. That's on Nero for picking a fight with the devil. ]
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rift shenanigans.
with one of the rifts?
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Tried going through one. It hurt like hell -- bounced me off like a quarter. I --
Wait. Why are you asking?
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Thought it'd be worth seeing
if we were different.
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Saw one, too. A native. Guess she thought it was gonna take her to god or something. Wasn't even anything left to bury.
I couldn't get through it. And I really don't recommend trying. It was like trying to shove two positive magnets together. Also totally blew up another guy's arm. Prosthetic, I mean, but -- look, it's a long story.
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I should like to hear it.
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What's Geralt gonna do? Laugh at him?]
I threw my arm in it.
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You lost your arm again?
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[It's dawning on him this might not have come up in conversation before. Or, like, ever.]
It, uh... it comes off.
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And folk accuse me of being
reticent with details.
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The lesson you can take away from this is nobody should be touchin' the rifts. Or trying to catch anything that comes flying off of them.
You're welcome.
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Mm-hm.
I'll leave you to it.
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after they're dead.
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[ GOODBYE, NERO. ]
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Man. Dick move.
[OK, he's not technically wrong.]
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It's the only reason Nero receives a reply rather than silence. ]
Is there something I should know?
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Nah. Nevermind. If anything comes up, I'll let you know.
Got plenty of things to kill to keep busy. Have fun out there, grandpa.
mid-month holiday time
Inside are various little animal bones, shells, rocks and a very poorly made clay sculpture that perhaps Nero can assume is meant to be him - in one of its little arms is a long stick like a sword. ]
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Nero's not really the type to write thank-you cards and he'd be shit at it if he was (especially considering he can count the amount of times he's gotten a gift on one hand), but he does leave a brochure in return at Nanaue's weird barn thing that has the illustrated picture of Nanaue, front and center, along with a couple of freshly caught fish still swimming in a bucket.
It's not much, but it's an honest day's work.]
mail delivery •
something else lies wrapped, though, and once opened, it'll reveal itself to be a trenchcoat, like the one cool guys wear. it'll be useful for nero in whatever weather, rain or wind or sun or snow. hopefully he'll think it's cool enough for him.
a small note sits under the box.]
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You know I'm never takin' this off.
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[That counts.]
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( heh. )
yule.
The beast that eventually shows up at Nero's palace is a manticore. The tip of its tail swells with a deadly venom. Another hourglass accompanies it. ]
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This thing is a little like Belial in temperament, but it sure as hell talks less and gives him more of a fight. By the time Nero comes out of it, he's black and blue in enough places it hasn't healed yet, and he's got holes from the claws in his shoulders. At one point, the manticore picked him up by the shoulders and threw him across the arena.
It was awesome.
The offering in return is a little less creepy this time. Nero leaves behind a lion claw, carefully cleaned -- hanging from the hilt of a sword that, at its base, looks similar to his own Red Queen. It's a sword from his past, from the Order of the Sword. From someone who would never wield it again. He and Credo always bonded over their swords, and it sucks to think... it'll never go anywhere again. So now the golden, demon-touched blade is stuck in the grounds of Kaer Morhen, except the blade's now been decorated with wolves. It's as selfish for Nero to see as it is a genuine gift.
A note is impaled on the claw.
Thought you'd like a new sword to play with. Don't burn your eyebrows off, grandpa. She's got sparks.
The hourglass is there, but in pieces. Broken when Nero was thrown onto it. Oops.]
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I stole my brother's sword...and then broke it, trying to fight a wall. Cracked it right in half.
He runs his thumb over the break. Hm.
The sword finds a home in the armoury, where the few surviving artefacts are stored. He places it next to the first silver blade forged for a Witcher. ]