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[Action/Written]
[Billy has never thought of himself as one of those obsessive stalker boyfriends who needs to be attached at the hip to his significant other at all times. Really, he'd always figured they were pretty good about mutual space. A two-month separation with the potential of spending years in this place without seeing Teddy again is, however, apparently the trigger he'd needed to become one, so after one too many looks from Teddy - some patient, others not so much - he'd officially gotten himself banished from the apartment for the afternoon after too much worried lurking. Which is... not the greatest thing ever on a hot day like today, but ten minutes down the road he realizes that, yeah, he'd been a little ridiculous, either blowing off his responsibilities or dragging Teddy along for the ride. He's happy and eager to have Teddy here, but they'd lived separate lives at least half the time back home; no reason for that to not continue here as well.
It's just hard to let go after you've missed someone for that long.
Still, that's how he finds himself out and about for around five hours today, doing the following (in no particular order):
- a late lunch at Seventh Heaven
- searching around the library for comic books
- combat practice in the Battle Dome (with or without his trusty new teacher)
While at the library, a few sketches find their way into his journal, more or less like the following: this, this, and this. Some time afterwards, a scribbled message appears below.]
What are some good ways to deal with bad dreams?
[Once he's finished all his daily stuff, he'll be bringing groceries home around dinner time, in the hopes that he's allowed. Feel free to run into him at any time.]
It's just hard to let go after you've missed someone for that long.
Still, that's how he finds himself out and about for around five hours today, doing the following (in no particular order):
- a late lunch at Seventh Heaven
- searching around the library for comic books
- combat practice in the Battle Dome (with or without his trusty new teacher)
While at the library, a few sketches find their way into his journal, more or less like the following: this, this, and this. Some time afterwards, a scribbled message appears below.]
What are some good ways to deal with bad dreams?
[Once he's finished all his daily stuff, he'll be bringing groceries home around dinner time, in the hopes that he's allowed. Feel free to run into him at any time.]
[video]
[She's already heading there. Mephisto is bad news, even if he's just a dream you know...]
[video > action]
[He could use the exercise anyway. Gathering up his journal and the comics he'd found, he lifts a hand and starts chanting for a teleport to her location. He'll be there within a few seconds- surprise?]
[action]
Hello Billy. Thats quite the entrance...
[action]
[He offers her a smile. See? He's okay, really. Nightmares aren't about to ruin his world. It just kind of sucks in the mornings these days, is all.]
[action]
[See, she's smiling too]
So, Billy, I...don't want to pry too much. But, these drawings? [She opens her journal and gestures]
They're very good. Any particular reason for drawing Wanda and Erik?
[action]
The Scarlet Witch was always my favourite Avenger. I don't know if it was fate, or I was drawn to her naturally, or I knew it subconsciously...
[He knows he isn't making any sense, but the thoughts are just spilling out unrestrained, now. Pausing to think for a moment, instead of answering her question fully, he tosses one back at her.]
Did you know that the Scarlet Witch had kids?
[action]
Wanda was your favorite, and not me?
[She laughs. She really wants to make Billy more comfortable, but his question actually catches her off guard. She...knew that Wanda had TRIED, but something had gone horribly wrong. It wasn't something Janet had talked much about, but after that...the Scarlet Witch had withdrawn from the Lady Liberators...]
I knew she'd tried.
[action]
["Tried", though... he'd wondered how far the story about Wanda's children had reached in the super hero community. When he'd mentioned it to Captain America, the man had been surprised that he knew, so it clearly hadn't been very public.]
She did try- and succeeded, because of her power. She had twin boys, delivered by Doctor Strange who confirmed that they were both real and healthy. Everything was perfect until they were stolen by Master Pandemonium.
[action]
The second line of conversation, however, was disturbing. She knew Wanda's children had been born, but that they'd died somehow. If...Billy was being truthful...]
That. I did not know that. I knew that she'd had children, through her magic. But I'd heard they died early, shortly after birth. Stephen refused to say much to anyone on the matter.
[action]
It still sounds crazy, but...]
They didn't die, but they weren't... really real, either. They were lost souls that she'd unconsciously found and transformed into her children. Pandemonium stole them, though... for the demon Mephisto. They were fragments of his soul. Something about the whole process and the Scarlet Witch's magic destroyed him, and both the souls and her memory of the kids were gone. That's what... made her go crazy.
[Wince. The whole disassembling process is a sensitive subject for most of the supers, he knows, though he doesn't know whether or not the Fantastic Four were involved at all.]
[action]
She keeps herself from showing it as best she can, but she's a bit shaken. She knew that in Wanda's 'perfect world' she and Reed had died, but the aftermath had been fairly quiet for them. Ben had refused to share much, but he had been clear that they'd died. Since then, she hadn't quite been able to think of Wanda the same way.]
The House of Magnus and M-Day. I follow. How do Magneto, Mephisto, and Scarlet Witch all figure in with you though? I see the connection between them. But not you.
[action]
One of the other Young Avengers- my teammate, Speed... he looks just like me. We could be twins, literally. But we're not biologically related at all. He has the powers of a speedster, and I'm a mage. His name is Thomas.
[He pauses, lips pursing, then glances cautiously over at her.]
The Scarlet Witch's children were named Thomas and William.
[How's that for connection?]
[action]
No...you can't be serious. YOU are Wanda's son?! H...how? How is that even possible?
[action]
[How else could a witch and a speedster be born looking exactly alike across two different states?]
[action]
[Seriously giving her a headache now, but she's coming to grips.]
It only makes sense when you put it that way though. Too many coincidences.
[action]
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[She shakes her head]
Anyway. You've been having nightmares? That at least explains why those three people in particular. Mephisto is bad news, Billy.
[action]
[He's kind of nervous about asking, truth be told. Not about this, but about the future in general. It feels like time travel, and he hates time travel...]
I know Mephisto's bad, but... I don't know what to do about it. It's been like this since the war back home.
[action]
But you say you've had these dreams at home?
[action]
[It's just... hard to talk about.]
[action]
Billy, its OK. If he shows up here? I'll kill him.
[Yes, she just said that. Billy, Sue will kill the DEVIL for you.]
If he doesn't show up here? Then he can't hurt you. Remember that. They're just dreams. Nothing more.
[action]
...Killing someone doesn't actually change anything here. They just come back from the dead again.
[action]
Then I get to kill him again. After what he did to my family, and after what he did to you and Wanda? Its no less than he deserves.
[action]
...I hope he doesn't end up here, then. For all our sakes.
[action]
[For his sake mostly]
Again, its just dreams though. I'm no psychiatrist but given the nature of...well...the situation? Its not that unusual.
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