text - un; bluebird69

[venatoris]

so everyone's cool with the squid thing
like everyone just collectively agreed that was okay
and went with it
that's a thing people just live with in this crappy city

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[explosion]

Not all of it is weird.
Not when you have the right fish guide you to the best, most secret liquor of the Trench.

[venatoris]

can the most beautiful fish ever lead the poor, ugly slug squid to the good shit?

[explosion]

Who is the most beautiful fish?
There could be so many while there is only one poor, ugly slug squid.

[venatoris]

i think we all know wanda is the most beautiful fish

[explosion]

[ sly squid. ]

Do you say that to all of the fish?

[venatoris]

only the ones who deserve it

[explosion]

What makes someone deserving?

[venatoris]

someone nice enough to distract me from having a meltdown on a very public network bc i dont know what the fuck is going on and all these people know me that i've never met before in my life and it's freaking me out

[explosion]

[ ah. ]

That's never easy.

You're in the Trench, which is like a pocket dimension that tends to collect people. And some of those people are not very good at letting someone ease their way in.

They are the annoying crabs. Squids ink them and Wanda Fish wiggle their fins and make them disappear.

[venatoris]

It's weirding me out, not gonna lie. I got locals coming up to me and asking me for drugs, like who the hell was I??

Can the ugly Dean squid and Wanda fish get together and make them go away?

[explosion]

Ignore the locals. They often behave strangely depending on what the Patron of the month wants.

[ be careful what you wish for, deano. ]

Where are you?

[venatoris]

Do...we behave strangely depending on what the patron of the month wants?

[ sljdkfh ]

In a big ass cabin this guy Raleigh says is mine. Going off the clothes and the car out front, I believe him, but it's a little weird.

[ the house of his dreams just HAPPENS to be here? and his car? ]

[explosion]

Sometimes. Don't think too much about it. You still have a choice in things.

[ most of the time. perhaps wanda has more choice given her powers, but she wants to believe others do, too. ]

I will come via the lamp.

[ aka her powers. she's not going to lamp this shit when she can just teleport. ]

Do you think there are any fish traps I should be aware of?

[venatoris]

That's the important bit, I guess.

No. I checked the warding. It's pretty powerful, but it's not geared towards any Sleepers. Just the monsters.

[explosion]

[ cue wanda thinking she's a monster yada yada. negative thinking isn't allowed amongst fishes. ]

I'll be there with bells on.

[ and she is, in a nice cloud of red and lacking a very significant lamp. at least his home looks as it should, even if it feels empty. sometimes, wanda wishes she wasn't so sensitive to what was invisible around her.

she doesn't venture quickly to the front door. a part of her does want to give the impression it doesn't take a mere quick thought to travel. (gotta manage someone's overwhelming feelings, you know?) ]

Knock knock.

[venatoris]

[ BAD wanda, no negative thinking. ]

cool, see you soon :)

[ smiley faces, Dean, what is this, the 90s? Jesus.

He shakes his head, pockets the omni and gets a liquor bottle out in case she'd like a drink. He doesn't imagine it'll take too long - if she knew him before, she'll know where the cabin is and that there's a creepy lamp...thing out front.

When she texts again, he'll go open the door, flash a rueful little smile and move to let her in. ]

[explosion]

[ slipping inside, wanda makes sure she's tucked inside of the foyer before she turns around to face him. dean looks well, seems well, and appears to be himself, even if his energy's just a little off. it doesn't alarm her at all—he still seems like dean, even if he appears to not remember a thing.

she smiles, ] You look very much like a squid.

[venatoris]

[ Off is a good word for it - a new Dean, fresh, a little younger, but unsteady with all the familiarity he's receiving. It's...both good and it's throwing him off, but he guesses it could be worse. He hasn't found too many enemies.

Just Anakin Skywalker, apparently. What a fun one to have. ]

Yeah? It's the plaid, isn't it. C'mon in.

[explosion]

It's an eyesore. [ she holds her hand above her eyes, but opens her fingers so that when she takes a step, she's not going to walk into a wall or into him. ] So, so ugly.

[ she chuckles and drops her hand after a moment. ]

So, how overwhelmed are you? A one? A fifteen thousand?

[venatoris]

Aw, c'mon. That's kinda harsh, don't you think?

[ the plaid is charming, you know it is. ]

Uh, probably somewhere close to the fifteen grand mark. It's a little weird but -- I dunno. Kinda cool, I guess? Walk into a strange town and everyone knows your name. It's like Cheers, but with more monsters.

[explosion]

It's almost like everyone is Ted Danson. They just know you.

[ she remembers watching a few episodes of cheers when she was in sokovia and at the avengers compound. the bar seemed to be like a hair salon—they know everyone's business. ]

It'll get easier. They'll stop expecting you to be someone you're not with some time and some more plaid.

[venatoris]

Yeah, exactly.

[ Just like that, actually. It's fucking with him a little, but so far there's only one person that he's been told doesn't actually like him. ]

Good thing I have a whole closet full of it.

[explosion]

[ she playfully furrows her brows. ]

No plain colours? It would bring out your eyes a little more if you settled on something like hot pink.

[ while wanda is a great stylist of the decades, she's a poor personal stylist. ]

Is it strange to have your things here? Or a comfort?

[venatoris]

Oh, I'd be a hit in magenta.

[ really bring out the green. ]

It's a little weird. Both, I guess. It's nice knowing I have stuff, my clothes, weapons. A...lot of weapons. But it's still kind of eerie. Like it isn't really mine.

[explosion]

[ wanda's not quite sure if she can relate. creating things and believing they're hers is a different ballpark to possibly being expected—and expecting oneself—to pick up where things were left off.

but she can at least empathise with strangeness. she is, after all, the weird one. ]

Maybe you can look at it like you're safekeeping it for a little while. One day, it'll feel like your stuff.