64/Cold Day, Warm Fire

Cold Day, Warm Fire
Date of Scene:	22 February 2020
Location:	Wanda's Room
Synopsis:	Warm drinks and fire hold off the NYC cold, until Wanda feels Genosha's impending demise coming.
Cast of Characters:	Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff

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Clint Barton has posed:
After the impromptu quijet tour of New York* and a safe landing at the Avenger Mansion the plan for fire and hot drinks gets rolling, Clint offering to take on the drink portion of the enterprise. The archer drops off his work bag, gets changed then ducks back down to the kitchen to get Wanda's hot chocolate (with plenty of marshmallows) and his coffee and Bailey's (also with plenty of marshmallows, don't judge!) and makes his way up to the second floor, checking the study then carrying on to look for Wanda in her room.

"Hey Wanda, you decent?" he calls as he reaches the door cups in hand.

*Editor's Note: See +scene 52

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Good evening Clint, Wanda said you should proceed inside," JARVIS answers for her, the door latch coming ajar to make it easier for Clint to push the door open. Inside, it's clear that Wanda got the fire started first. Rather than magic it, she seems to have actually used newspaper and kindling, and the flames are already starting to burn well along the split pieces of firewood stacked on the iron platform at the bottom of the fireplace.

There are a few lights in holders along the wall that provide some dim lighting, but mostly the lights are down so one can see through the windows to the view of the Mansion grounds outside the windows. "I'll be right out!" Wanda calls from the bathroom.

Her room isn't messy, but just a little lived in. A few items here or there. Some shoes over by the bed. After just a few moments Wanda emerges from the bathroom, having changed in their apparently. Her hair is a little damp still, so apparently she took advantage to get a quick, hot shower after whatever her mission in Canada was. "Hot shower helped, but something to drink would be perfect," she tells Clint. She's wearing a black, loose fitting blouse with somewhat billowing sleeves, and a pair of shorts.

"I'll put some snacks together too. What are you in the mood for?" she asks as she goes over to the refrigerator in the open suite's little kitchen area.

Clint Barton has posed:
"Thanks JARVIS," Clint says as he pushes his way through the door calling: "Hey, Wanda did we want to-" he begins intending to ask if they wanted to hit the study instead, but the level of preparation in front of him gives that thought a quick and final death. "-Nevermind!" he calls as he stops the door from clicking all the way closed.

Clint doesn't notice the lived in feel of the room, if someone asked him to describe it, he would have said tidy, and by Clint's standards it definitely was, no arrow bits all over the place for one thing...

When Wanda emerges Clint smiles, he's dressed well pretty much as he had been at SHIELD just in a different t-shirt and possibly a differnet pair of jeans, hard to tell he buys in bulk. When Wanda mentions the drink Clint offers her the hot chocolate. "Didn't have time to turn the marshmallows into a proper foam," he teases circling back to their talk in the quinjet about avante garde cooking, but the heat of the hot choclate was doing a good job of it anyhow.

Drink delivered, Clint says as he nods about snacks, "What do you have?" he asks her, not grabbing a seat just yet but instead doing his usual 'find a wall and hold it up' routine.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda takes the hot chocolate, holding it in both hands and letting out a warm laugh at his comment. "I don't think Thor is stopping by anyway," she tells him as she takes a sip of it. "Oh. Oh that's good," she says. Wanda takes another sip before setting the cup down to check.

"Let me see," she says, lit by the refrigerator light. "Grapes, cheese, some hard salami. I probably have crackers. Fruit, apple slices and oranges. Should I make a little snack tray or would that be too light?" she asks, reaching in to pull out a thing of hard salami, opening it up and smelling it. "Oh that is nice," she says approvingly.

Wanda glances over to Clint and says, "Mind lighting a couple of the candles on the shelves there? I like to keep it dark enough I can watch the wind blowing outside. Somehow it makes the whole thing feel warmer when you're able to see the cold being kept at bay," she says.

Clint Barton has posed:
"Probably a good that he doesn't, might get the wrong idea about all the dim lights and fire," Clint grins over at Wanda before taking a sip of his coffee, "Might think we're trying to woo him or something," he adds after the sip to make the joke about Thor.

He cocks his head considering the snacks, "The snack tray sounds perfect," he says and when he's asked to light the candles, he sets down his coffee on the mantle and goes to light the candles, seemingly put at ease by the bit about watching the weather. He glances at the windows, for a moment, watching the wind blow the bare trees in the yard about, "Have to admit that does make this place seem more comfy," he says looking back at Wanda before lighting a couple of candles. "Good, or more?' he asks, stepping out of the way so Wanda can see.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda begins cutting some apples into slices, and removing the peel from an orange to add segments as well. She glance up and towards the cold evening outside. "It really does. There's this place in Switzerland. It has a window seat in front of a big window. I can just spend the entire evening sitting there, looking out at this view it has the valley it overlooks," she tells him. She pauses, knife in hand, to think. "It's been... two years since I've been there, now that I think about it," she says, shaking her head as if that is too long.

Wanda glances about. "Just a few more candles. The ones over by the dresser maybe. I don't want you to think I'm wooing you either," she says, flashing Clint a small smile. She cores the apple and cuts it into wedges, though glancing up at towards Clint when his back is towards her dealing with the candles.

Soon she's placing the food on a large plate, along with sliced salami and summer sausage, and the fruit, with an assortment of crackers in the middle. "Finger food is a favorite," she comments as she takes the tray over towards the fireplace. "Alright with sitting on the rug in front of it?" she asks. If Clint agrees she tosses down a couple of large throw pillows for comfort there.

Clint Barton has posed:
"Yeah, went to Switzerland once, work thing, can't say there was a lot of time for sitting by windows, but it's a beautiful country, I could get staring at it all day. Why haven't you gone back, or is the fact were talking about this in Avengers Mansion answering my question?" Clint asks her. Avengering kept a person busy, that's for sure.

Clint nods, and moves to light the candles on the dresser, "Good thing," he says about her not trying to woo him. "The amount of Bailey's I put in my coffee Thor could woo me by the time I finished it," he jokes lightly. "Besides, the princess, the poor thief, all a little too Aladdin for me, I don't even have a flying carpet."

He finishes lighting the candles and blows out the taper he used to light them nodding, "Floor's great," he says getting his coffee and then dropping down on one of the pillows, and giving the room a once over, "Got to say Wanda, you sure know how to relax, if it was me hosting this little shindig it'd be beer and pretzels infront of the TV." A bit of an exaggeration but basically true, he never took this kind of care with the little moments of relaxation, and sitting her in the middle of all that preparation it looks like he may be reconsidering that.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda lets out a soft laugh. "I think it is a good amount of Bailey's" she comments on the strong drink. She returns to the kitchen to retrieve it after seeing the food platter on the edge of the coffee table nearest the fire where it will be within reach.

Wanda carries her drink back and then settles down onto the thick rug before the fire. Her eyes gaze over at Clint speculatively as he returns. "I seem to recall you flying me home today though, Mr. Diamond in the Rough?" she points out to him with a gentle, teasing expression.

She picks up a baby carrot, she added a few of those to the plate as well, and nibbles on it. "Princess. That is... something I will never get used to," she says. "I don't know about this whole monarchy thing in the first place. I don't know that ancestry is a very good measure of fitness to rule," she says.

She flashes him a small, green-eyed smile. "Pretzels and beer would be good as well," she tells him. "And yes, just... it isn't even that I'm too busy to get away. I just don't make the time to do it, you know? When there's a chance I don't take it. I find something else to occupy me."

Clint Barton has posed:
"Me too," Clint says of the Bailey's and takes a deep sip from his drink, before pausing, frowning and looking to Wanda. "I'm not on-call tonight right? That was Scott and Pietro?" he asks just making sure he wasn't going to have to fight Doctor Doom or something buzzed off of Bailey's.

Though all of that is forgotten when Wanda turns the whole Aladdin thing back on him. "Does this mean I have to sing 'I Can Show You the World?' because I am pretty sure my singing counts as torture under the Geneva convention, just so you're warned," he warns with an easy laugh.

"It's not, that's why we invented democracy," Clint says with a smile. "And yeah that has to be pretty weird, being what? Second, third in line to rule a country just because your dad's currently in charge?" he says the magnitude of that hitting him just now.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda finishes the carrot and then regains her hot chocolate. The fire by now is burning merrily and starting to put out some welcome heat to where they sit close by. The windows rattle a bit as a cold gust blows, as if trying to get at them by the foiled from invading the area that is warmly lit by fire and candle.

Wanda motions over to her guitar and says, "I don't know the song but I'd be happy to accompany you when you do." Her eyes have that gentle light to them that they often do when dealing with friends. "Mmm. Democracy. Sometimes I wonder if it is any better. I suppose the problem isn't with the system though, but with the people making the elections," she says, gazing down at her cup, a finger tracing a circle around the rim.

"I was listening to a speech by a Senator Kelly the other day. How someone like him gets elected?" she says, shaking her head, and an arm going about herself, as if her change in topic succeed in injecting into the room's warmth what the cold wind outside failed to.

Clint Barton has posed:
Wanda was right, the more the storm raged uselessly against their windows the cozier the room felt with it's fire, candles and good company.

He snorts, shaking his head, "Couldn't live with myself if I put you through that," he says of his singing with a nod of cerritude. "If Cap heard it he'd drum me out of the Avengers."

As for democracy? "Yeah, it's not great either, what was it that Churchill said? Something like 'democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others we've tried' probably butchering it, but it's true, it's a messed up system with the virtue of being slightly less messed up than all the other ones," he says before sighing at the mention of Senator Kelly. "There's a shining beacon for democracy and humanity right there, and I guess he gets elected because more people agree with him than we'd like to think," he frowns. "It makes me sicker to think of that than to think of him standing up and spewing that 'Humans First' garbage. I mean, a guy saying it is one thing, but enough people listening to get him in office? I thought people were better than that..."

Seeing how the topic effects Wanda he reaches over to touch her arm. "It's got to be rough people hating on you for something that you had no control over, but even if they elect a few senators, they're not everyone, there's still people who see people as people, no matter what's in their DNA."

"Or how often they over use the word people," he adds as an after thought trying to lighten the mood a little.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda lets her eyes settle on the fire, seeking comfort and clarity from the warmth and light. "Yet there are enough to elect him," Wanda says with a slow nod. "I have it easy compared to many. My status as an Avenger seems to mostly cause that sort of crowd to 'overlook' my genetics, if you will. But a lot of us? Don't have it that good," she says quietly.

The touch from Clint finally draws Wanda's attention. She turns to look over to him and flashes Clint a grateful smile. "It means a lot that I have friends like you, Clint," she tells him, reaching over to rest her own hand atop his own. "People like you help give me faith in the world. And you know, you sometimes tease the rest of us about... blasting you, or say slightly self-deprecating things. But it means so much that someone who doesn't control lightning, or have the benefits of a super serum, puts himself on the line as you do. I hope you always realize that even if Cap leads us, or Tony funds us, you're the embodiment of the spirit of what it is to be an Avenger."

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint understands what she's saying that by her being an Avengers she's labled as 'one of the good ones' which was just as bullshit as hating on her, but he doesn't say it right then, letting her have the peace of the fire until he puts his hand on her arm and she speaks to him, her hand resting on his.

At first he smiles, saying, "Hey, you're easy to be friends with, so it's my absolute pleasure," it's lightly delivered, but there is a sincerity in his eyes as he says it. The rest though, that just about lays him out on the floor. He wasn't expecting that sort of compliment to be thrown his way, let alone so sincerly delivered.

Of course he has to make a joke of it, because the other option is misting up a bit, "Being too stupid to run?" he asks with a wry smile, but even with the glibness his face shows that the compliment was appreciated, deeply so. "I'm just glad to be on the team, it's the gig in the world," he says a bit more seriously and suddenly needing to take another big sip of his coffee while he gets himself together.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda's hand atop Clint's gives a small squeeze before she lets go. The small dig at himself to partially deflect her words, was no doubt expected, and it makes Wanda smile softly. But not so much as seeing how much of her comment seemed to be accepted.

"It is a pretty sweet gig," she agrees, following his lead in the conversation, and reaching for her own drink. After a long sip she says, "Mmm. And this is sweet as well," she indicates of the beverage, lifting it a little bit as if in a toast.

She slides one of the pillows over and then turns about to lie down on her stomach, both arms crossed on the pillow to help prop herself up, and facing the fire. Her legs are bare below the bottom of the shorts, knees bent and feet up in the air, slightly crossed at the ankles. Wanda gets herself an orange wedge, biting it gently in half and savoring the juiciness of it before swallowing. "It doesn't hurt having Tony providing such a place for us to stay, either," she says. "It's such a change from what we grew up with, to this. And the palace in Genosha. I really wish it wasn't a palace there. Just a regular building would do. But my father has a bit of an ostentatious sense to him."

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint has a smile of his own when she looks his way, appreciation plain before it's hidden by the cup again before becoming one of his more usual cocky smiles that seem to make permanet residency on his lips.

He lifts his cup in the toast "To sweet gigs and sweet drinks then?" he offers. Whatever the toast ends up being, he takes a long pull to empty the cup and sets it aside before leaning back on his hands.

"Yeah, definitely a long way from a circus trailer for me. The palace though, that must be a whole other level of weird, huh?" he asks her trying to imagine what that might be like. "I would say it sounds like him, the big flashy palace, but I really don't know your father besides what you see on TV and I read in SHIELD files. What's he like? I mean he can't be big scary Magneto all the time."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda is drinking hers more slowly, though clearly enjoying it just the same. She hesitates about the question on her father. "He is... driven. He's been through much. Seen one group that hated, try to exterminate his people. He survived Auschwitz," Wanda says quietly, her eyes drifting away from Clint. "And most things that he sees, regarding treatment of mutants, are through that lens. He knows the depths that people will sink to. And will not let it happen again," she says in her quietly spoken, accented English.

Wanda gazes down at her cup. "The worrisome part, is whether he will turn enough against him, against mutants, to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy," she says. "Not that such prejudices need outside fanning." She sighs. "But he cares. It's not a personal sort of love though. His feelings are less for his family now, perhaps, and more for the whole flock that he sees as his children. He had a daughter, earlier, who he lost. And that weighs on him heavily still, I think. Though, you might think it would have him embrace his family more as a result," the auburn-haired woman says sadly. "I still think of mama and papa as my parents. And he as my father. If that makes sense?" Wanda looks back to Clint.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint had read the part about Auschwitz, but it was something else to have it confirmed by the man's own daughter. "That had to be-" he didn't have words. "But I get why he is the way he is, if I saw what I saw I wouldn't buy humans aren't the enemy either, he's seen us at our worst." Or at least he hoped it was their worst and that well didn't go deeper.

"That's the thing, I mean, given what he's been through and what your people have been through, I get where he's coming from, but it's getting rid of humans I have a problem with. If he cooled it with that stuff he might actually make things better for mutants," he says before continuing to listen.

"Sounds like when he lost your sister, the rest of the mutants became his kids," he reasons. "Guess it's hard to get noticed in a family that big, and yeah, it makes sense, they raised you but he's your blood, right?" he says looking to Wanda.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda's slow nod confirms Clint has the right of it. "We didn't know he was our father until we were older. We didn't even know that mama and papa were not our real parents. It wasn't until later we found out that we'd been brought to them to be raised," Wanda says.

She takes another sip of the hot chocolate, finishing it off and setting the mug aside. "High marks on the warm drink," she tells Clint witha soft smile. "And yes, I try to talk him out of his more severe views. With only partial success I'm afraid. I hope with Genosha though he can focus on just protecting and not believing such lengths are needed. I hope he can recognize them for how wrong they are, someday," Wanda says.

Wanda's expression changes for a moment, like she were feeling a pain. Eyes closing as she makes a small grimace, and her head moving as if she were trying to shake it off. She opens her eyes again and draws a breath.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint sits up but only long enough to re-arrange his pillow and lay down across from Wanda, going full sleep over mode. "Wow, so when did you guys find out? Hell, how did you find out, the last chapter of your life story we left off on you were seven year old kids left to fend for yourselves."

"Hey, it's no foam but I can make a decent hot chocolate." Clint says with a grin and a wink. "Gotta be tiring trying to change his mind, guy's got to have been holding onto those beliefs of his longer than either of us have been alive."

That change of expression has Clint worried, he hops up to his feet and crosses to where Wanda is laying, "Hey, you alright? Looked like you went a way for a second there," he asks kneeling beside her.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda gives a slow nod as Clint comes to knee beside her. "Just had a... I'm not even really sure what to call it. A disturbing feeling. I think there's an English expression for it. Something like, feeling someone walk over your grave? Is that the saying? Just... I don't know. Something troubling and no idea why it felt that way," she tells Clint, slowly sitting up as well, though on her side, her legs bent slightly and drawn towards herself.

Her arms go about herself though in a self-hug. "I mentioned before sometimes I get... these moods. Sometimes they start like this," she tells him, and it won't be too difficult to spot a little embarrassment in her, yet she makes the admission just the same.

"A good night to have the fire though. And, some company helps as well. Good company," Wanda says, looking over to Clint as he sits close by, that expression of concern for her on his face.

Clint Barton has posed:
"Yeah that's the expression, I know the feeling," Clint says though he's never had it /that/ bad, and his concern about that is plain to read on his face.

As she sits up, Clint moves a little closer, laying a hand that he'll hope is comforting on her shoulder. "Hey, Wanda, nothing to be embrassed about," he says. "Just worry about being okay, alright?" he says, seriously.

His tension eases as she talks about the fire and company. "Company's not bad on this end either," he says easily giving her shoulder a squeeze before he removes it and settles back a bit. "So besides the fire and the company any thing else help after these feelings?" he asks.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda seems to greatly appreciate Clint's concern and caring. She seems to lean into his touch slightly, welcoming the expression and the sense of someone being there for her. "I don't know. Not really. Bottle of wine. Or maybe whiskey?" she says, sounding like it's mostly joking with perhaps a nugget of truth.

"Maybe I need to try... what was it? Dog Detective?" she asks, getting the name of the TV show wrong. "Or maybe I just need a dog. A puppy. Who can feel off with a puppy around, right?" she asks Clint, managing to force a faint smile to her face. Though it does seem it took a little effort.

Wanda looks over at the window, the cold wind blowing hard, shaking the tree limbs, as if it felt what she did, or maybe wants to claim credit for it. "Are you staying at the mansion tonight? Or going back to your apartment?" she asks.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint doesn't let go so quickly if Wanda leans into his touch, if it helps he keeps his hand where it is. The wine remark, "Well remember this used to be Tony's place, we've got you covered for either or both," he says as lightly as that solution was suggested, but there's the sense that all Wanda needs to do is say the word and Clint would bring back booze.

He laughs at the suggestion, "Dog Cops," he corrects. "And hey, sure it's gotten me through a lot of dark nights," he says still only half-joking he was way out of his depth here and looking to Wanda for cues on what to do and how concerned he should be.

As to the other question he answers, "Staying here, why?"

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
When Clint leaves his hand there, there is the sense of Wanda accepting the caring expressed, in the way she leans, not into him all the way, but just nearer to him as if she finds comfort in his presence.

"I... probably shouldn't start drinking for those reasons though," she says. As if she's had the urge before but won't let herself go down that road. "Right, Dog Cops," she says, a little bit of her more normal demeanor returning, though there are still signs she's a little affected by what she felt. Or feels.

"If you... if it wouldn't cause you any issues, would you mind maybe staying a bit longer tonight? Just... until I fall asleep by the fire?" she asks him quietly. "Pietro is away and... if it's something I shouldn't ask though you can just say so," she tells him.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint shifts his position as Wanda leans into him, sitting fully now and letting her lean all the way against him if that's what she needs right now.

"Yeah, that becomes a habit real quick," Clint says speaking from experience, he missed how his father began down the road of alcholic assholery but he sure as hell saw how it ended. "Best to stick to dumb TV shows, just as habit forming but far less destructive," he grins as he twists to reach the nearby TV remote to get the show on, listening to Wanda as he does.

Surprise registers in his body language for a moment at the request before he looks back, "Yeah, I can stay won't be a problem. I've got you," he promises with a nod.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda looks a little sheepish after making the request. "Thank you," she tells him softly. "A girl gets spoiled having a brother to look after her during rough moments," she says.

Wanda gets up and gets them both another drink, returning and lying down by the fire, head on a pillow. She lies closer to Barton, and it's clear she takes comfort in his presence.

Clint will likely even get a few smiles out of her before the night is through, get Wanda partially back to the good mood she'd had while they spent so much of the day together. Eventually her eyelids get a little heavy and start to droop. She dozes off, resting lightly against his side where he sits by her, snuggled up on the pillow. There are folded blankets nearby at the end of the couch.

Clint Barton has posed:
Clint smiles, "No problem, glad to be your Pietro replacement for the evening," he says with a bit of effort.

Though before long he's into the show explaining what's going on as much to give Wanda a friendly voice to listen to than out of need to actually explain things...

"So yeah, Sgt Spots always has issues with Detective..." Clint says before he feels Wanda leaning limply against him. "Wanda?" he calls looking her way, and finding her with her eyes closed leaned up against him. "Wanda?" he says again giving her a little shake.

No response but the rise and fall of her breathing. He chuckles softly as he slips out from under her, at first thinking about getting her a pillow and blankets to sleep on the floor but after glancing at the bed, he gently lifts her up and deposit's her there and fetches those blankets from the couch. Then he slips out to his own room, leaving Wanda to her rest.