7829/Black on Red-Blonde

Black on Red-Blonde
Date of Scene:	14 September 2021
Location:	Gun Range: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Yelena meets the Witch.
Cast of Characters:	Yelena Belova, Wanda Maximoff

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Yelena Belova has posed:
The new reality of the Playground was jarring for Yelena after recent events, and now that SHIELD has finally recovered from an unheard of caliber of fuckery, Yelena finally got to witness the Triskelion first hand. Naturally, the place she found most at ease at is the gun range. Where she's currently spending time in what appears to be training, but likely holds more of a meaning for her.

She's wearing all the required protective gear, but that's about the only thing that makes her look like she fits in, well, that and the SHIELD track suit she was given to not stand out as much. Her performance, on the other hand, is quite exceptional, she's just fired 16 rounds, and yet there's only one single bullet hole in the target.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
The The Triskelion is impressive. No one would ever doubt that, as a bastion of spycraft and impressive organizational prowess. The building soars with the might of SHIELD behind it. Not for nothing is it going to put the heebie-jeebies into anyone not confident of their identity and criminal record, right? It's not the kind of place Wanda likes especially much. She has reason to doubt it, being the child of Eastern Europe where the long arm of American realpolitik was rarely welcome.

At a glance, she might not immediately attract attention. There are other Avengers far more famous than her, but few with the weird calibre of abilities she can perform, she's definitely someone on the list. They have a list here, somewhere.

"Maybe you'd like... um... arrows?" This from one very unfortunate guy who honestly doesn't know better. If he did, well. "Or we've got small hand gu--- uh..."

A smile from the witch in the next spot in the range probably accounts for a gap in conversation. "Uhhh," he adds. Right, really well said on his part.

"It's fine. I can manage with this, maybe?"

Yelena Belova has posed:
Whether she's on a SHIELD list or not remains up there, but she's certainly made it to the awareness of the Red Room, because Yelena has stopping shooting and is standing there, outright staring at Wanda as she comes near her. "...Maximoff, you are with SHIELD?" She asks cautiously, at the very least, it's apparent she, unlike some, is well aware of just who Wanda is. Or at least knows of her.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
There are many a Maximoff to worry about. The fast one, he laughs at bullets and moves through space and time. The children grown up too fast, incarnated into being by a wish. The one who wished them.

Just your average 21st century conundrum, the very heart and soul of trouble in every sense. The redhead's dressed in yoga pants and a reinforced shirt with enough straps to confound an octopus. Wanda has a pair of muffling earphones on, the better kind of thing to keep her from going deaf. Obviously not too much of a problem. "Hello," she says, gaze flicking up to the blonde, then breaking into a smile. "I am. And you?"

Yelena Belova has posed:
"In so much that I am here..." Yelena doesn't commit to more than that, she knows her status isn't as firmly cemented. Not by a longshot. But then she's used to having many eyes on her at all times, even when unseen. "I thought you were Avenger...what do you do with SHIELD, if you don't mind me asking...?" Yelena presses on, curious perhaps, as she casually loads up another ammo clip into her pistol.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Wanda casts a look back to her handler. He might have another title, Agent at large when not escorting Avengers around. He probably wants to sink into the wall or prove simultaneously impressive to these people who might also combust in some fashion.

Wanda hasn't taken the firearm from him yet, though she is geared up sufficiently for it. The tug on the headband lowers the protective gear, anchoring around her neck. Those muffs are large, a bit unpleasantly blobby, but she can deal with them. "We haven't been properly introduced. Wanda," she offers her hand. It's a most American gesture but practiced enough to look natural or friendly. "I help them out when needed. Sometimes a person has different set of skills or eyes, right? And you? A mystery in a good vest. A dangerous shot." She nods to the target that she's barely looked at.

Yelena Belova has posed:
"You have need of firearms...?" Yelena asks casually with a smirk, before extending her hand towards Wanda when she calls for proper introduction, "Yelena, pleased to meet you. Not everyday you meet a hero," though truth be told, different people have different definitions of just what a hero might be. "It is a good vest, yes," Yelena is quick to agree, before noting, "I am alright. I get the job done. So anything exciting happen with Avengers recently?"

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"I practice, sometimes. Not enough for here though. They want me to look at other options." The habit of slipping into her Transian accent is more apparent despite conscious efforts to erase the traces of her origins. Wanda can't help it at some levels, but she will pause when she catches it. "Good to meet you, Yelena." A bit of a smile meets the smirk. She takes Yelena's hand for a light clasp, her rings of various materials warm to the touch except one that will never be.

"Good vest, good eye. You might have a career," she deadpans, and then gives her head a gentle, amused shake again. "Avengers excitement? Not so much as in the news. We do a few rounds to greet people, maybe save a city from a monster in former Soviet republics, I'm told someone may have seen Cap out there smiling."

Yelena Belova has posed:
Yelena on the other hand is speaking with impeccable American English while here, currently speaking to be placed as a New Yorker while in the area. Albeit Wanda likely can read her Russian features better than most. Then again, Yelena isn't really disguising her looks at the moment. "You fancy rings, don't you?" Yelena remarks, taking note of the number of rings worn by Wanda.

"Your eye is better yet, telling I'm a good shot without even studying the target," Yelena points out with a teasing smile. "I would like to meet that man..." she remarks when Cap is mentioned. After all, he was long held as quite the enemy of Russia.

"I hear you have things in common with Baba Yaga?" Yelena casually remarks, before lifting her pistol and unleashing three shots in succession, still striking perfectly at the same spot.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
American English without a trace of being off, there's a skill that would make Wanda happy if she could master the finessed efforts to sound like she's from her adopted country. The problem is simply that so often, she is not in a situation to /need/ to flatten that accent out. The Avengers don't require it, only the public. Let them not draw a line of heroine to outsider to Latveria, or something awful.

"Something like that." She wiggles her fingers. The bands range from wood to metal and what might be hardened glass. The designs remain simple for the most part, elegant but not gaudy. Not her take. "I hear the bang, I see the paper. The two go together pretty naturally after that, and our friend here would not like me wandering around without someone who knew what they were doing next door." She breaks into another smile. Yelena's interest is noted. "He comes down here now and then, I assume. We sometimes work in the building at the same time. If you stay put, you will hear or see him sooner than later."

The elusive Cap ghost, haunting the Triskelion, oooOOooOOo. "I have..." She looks at the target after the shots are fired, and then laughs. "Not that level of skill at all. You could say maybe something else. Not Baba Yaga, she's not very nice. I play with statistics."

Yelena Belova has posed:
The education tactics the Red Room employs are also rarely used outside of it's walls, so few are the people with the drive to master all that's required of them, the way that Red Room cadets do. Over there it is not a matter of practice makes perfect, so much as failures die.

"Well, I know what I'm doing," Yelena offers by way of being rid of Wanda's chaperone as it were, albeit doubtful anyone majorly trusts her around these parts without Natasha nearby.

"I would not dare say Baba Yaga isn't nice, she probably just has her own motives and perspectives..." as if Yelena would risk the wrath of Baba Yaga, may sound superstitious, but anyone who has been around the Volga valley, well...it gets you thinking.

"I imagine your brand of statistics is less boring then the classroom..."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"You do." The amusing state of affairs where dealing with the Widow when herself just an unremarkable witch isn't fully lost on Wanda. She breaks into a little more of a smile. "Baba Yaga is worse than winter, a grandmother with her own ability to survive and little concern about how she does it. That can be potent, you know? Plus she has the scariest house this side of the Urals."

What scary house is on the other side? There are so many choices. Gulag House #1, 2, or 3?

"My brand is a little bit more on the fly, less about tables. But at the end, working numbers. It's not quite so exciting as throwing a shield or blasting someone from a hammer or a diode set in the gloves, but you go with what you have."

Yelena Belova has posed:
"The house is freaky, yes, but there is one woman more scary..." Yelena notes, without elaborating. "So you are unpredictable, makes it hard to counter, I like it..." Yelena notes the immediately apparent benefits of Wanda's brand of statistics. "If you were sent to see if I am stable, yes, I am stable. I will not bring harm to myself or others without reason." She has no real way of knowing, but Yelena isn't dumb, she knows the volitaile state she's in within the ranks of SHIELD and has no doubt she's constantly being analyzed and assessed, whether with or without direct contact. She just takes from the accent and slavic origin, that Wanda 'accidentally' happened by as someone she could easily relate to.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Her house is part of the charm. The knowledge she could eat you or invite you in might be part of it too. Then there's that cat..." Not the bird, the cat. Oh, how the legends twist and simper like cavorting shadows! Wanda brushes her hair from her face. She pulls it back and drags pieces under the strap of her shirt to keep it from bothering her. "Stability is not my position to determine, they have psychologists and therapists for that."

Oh. But there's an underlined 'but' there. There always is. "But for a sympathetic ear or someone who can help, maybe it's something we could explore. There might be paperwork involved." A teasing warning comes with a laugh. "But you know, trying to find a place in this organization has to be tough. I am lucky, I've spoken with a few people who came in and set me straight on what they wanted or needed. That helped find a happy balance."

Yelena Belova has posed:
"I imagine...that or it parts of intimidation tactic of dealing with people," because of course Yelena would consider that aspect. "When you are scared, you cannot make informed decisions, you are always affected." Yelena listens carefully to what Wanda says, before stating, "if you say so," and immediately following up with, "did she ever invite you inside?" Seems to be she takes it for granted at this point that Wanda knows of the infamous witch from more than just fairy tales.

"Happy is a word I'm not overly familiar with, if you'll forgive my ignorance..."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
"Chickens are intimidating," Wanda concurs. "Imagine angry birds the size of a house and how hard that kick is. Everyone tells me kangaroos are dangerous. I think they need to go to a farm." She runs her fingers back over a strap to straighten it, happy to listen to Yelena. Maybe the line blurs between familiar and not. Could be a matter they both work with, all in all.

Happiness not being familiar bows her mouth. Not entirely unhappy, but not puzzled, she nods. "It is not a fault or flaw. When someone is satisfied with their life and feels they can live or act without regrets, doubts. That sometimes I can help with in different ways."

Yelena Belova has posed:
Yelena remains silent at the description of Baba Yaga's house, she is well familiar with the tale, what bothers her is the possibility Wanda is speaking from experience. "Regrets..." Yelena muses, but says little else. It's funny Wanda should use such a word, the last few months have been harrowing for Yelena, but she'll speak not a word of it. Not like anyone could truly understand, with the exception of Natasha. One of those things you have to live through to understand.

"I have very few flaws, that I'd concur with that much, it isn't a flaw. Just a state of being."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
Life is the great teacher. The cumulative weight of those lessons touch everyone and no reason to rush into an explanation, for some things deserve to be known. Wanda mildly blinks, as unconcerned as one can be when dealing with the dangers and possibilities swirling through any conversation with a trained product of the Red Room. But red is best, just ask her based on that codename.

"A state of being. But if you are dissatisfied with it, then you have ways to change that perspective that do not require being subjected to all this." A wave of her hand. "Brighton Beach is a good place to walk, I should add."

Yelena Belova has posed:
"I feel inclined to take a walk right now, I'll be sure to visit," Yelena remarks, before starting to wrap up everything. Taking her perfectly scored target with her. "Was a pleasure to meet you, Wanda, we will meet again," she says with certainty, before turning to walk away.