( CLOSED ) THEY'LL NEVER TAKE MY POWER.

[manipulative]

Who: Stefan and Katherine + Amos and Wanda.
What: Getting into shit in August.
When: August.
Where: Everywhere.

Content Warnings: Scales on skin. Magic; reality manipulation; mind control; paranoia.

Comments

[ SCALES MAKE A SALVATORE ]

[manipulative]

[ stefan's hands have grown unnaturally damp as of late. katherine's made a few comments here and there (usually lightly, like it's a joke), but she's started to find it a little alarming. it'd been easy to write it off as if stefan had just finished washing his hands and hadn't dried them properly or at all. but as it grew more common… katherine was running out of excuses.

so when she goes to gather aleksander's leash so they can take him for a walk, she stops as she returns to stefan and finds that there's something a little strange on his face. she furrows her brows as she regards him, waiting for it to disappear as if it's a trick of the light.

and when it doesn't… ]

You have something on your face. [ she lifts her hand to touch her temple. her tone's light, a little confused. ] There.

[prescind]

What?

( stefan makes a face, reaching up and finding a patch of rough skin there. he frowns because that's unusual and he scratches at it. it flakes off and he rubs his fingers together before looking at them. )

Better?

[manipulative]

[ katherine scrunches up her face in disgust as she looks at stefan. it's not an expression she's fond of wearing when she looks at him. whatever's on his face is stuck there like glue.

she shakes her head. ] No.

[ she lifts her hand and beckons him to come to her. ]

[prescind]

It's still there?

( frowning, stefan does come closer to her and rubs at his cheek again. )

Can you see what it is?

[manipulative]

Hm.

[ standing on the tips of her toes, katherine gently bats his hand away so she can have a closer look. she brushes her fingers against his cheek and tilts her head as she studies him. ]

You didn't paint something earlier, did you?

[prescind]

No.

( stefan frowns and reaches up to rub at his face, shaking his head. )

No, I didn't. We haven't needed to paint so why would I paint something? What is it? What's on me?

[manipulative]

I don't know.

[ stepping closer to him, katherine rubs the pad of her finger against his cheek hard. and then she starts to pick at it as gently as she can with her nail. ]

It's not coming off. [ she frowns. ] What is this?

[prescind]

Ow.

( he let's her pick and rub at her but when it starts to sting, he nudges it away and reaches his own hand up. )

I don't know what it is, Katherine. I didn't even realize I had it on me.

[manipulative]

This is what happens when you don't preen in the mirror, Stefan.

[ she shakes her head to accompany her light teasing, but despite no longer picking at his face, she keeps eyeing him. it doesn't look right. it looks... ]

It's like it's fused to your skin. It doesn't hurt?

[prescind]

No.

( but he has a feeling that's not going to last. he rubs at his cheek and then moves quickly into the bathroom to look at it.

when he sees it, he frowns. )

Where...did that even come from?

[manipulative]

[ katherine leans against the doorframe as she watches him. she eyes the back of his neck for a moment. ]

Not the pillowcase.

[ she thinks that if it was on the pillow, she'd be wearing some weird off-grey on her face, too. ]

See if you can wash it off. Maybe it doesn't like warm water.

[prescind]

Fine.

( he turns the water on, let's it warm up and reaches for a rag on the vanity. he wets it and then starts scrubbing at his face.

the spot doesn't go away.

he frowns. )

[manipulative]

Very Lady Macbeth.

[ katherine pushes off the doorframe and steps into the bathroom. taking the rag from his hands, she turns the hot water on hard and wiggles her fingers beneath the spray until it's steaming. after she wets the rag, she applies it to his face again. ]

Let's get rid of it.

[ MAXIMOFF MADNESS ]

[explosion]

[ of course, when the waves come, wanda ensures to spell her home so it can weather any storm. afterwards, she ensures to ask amos (a few times) if he wants any help. she doesn't necessarily invite herself over, but… wanda does invite herself over after he complains of the water seeping close and flooding the ground he likes to walk on.

it's for the best, maybe. wanda needs to protect those she cares about. she needs to make sure that no one else will go—no one else will die, no one else will disappear into pixels, no one else will be torn away because she was silly and uneducated in building her spells.

when she arrives and he's opened the door, she tugs her boots off and leaves them outside. they're muddied thanks to the water, and wanda does have some respect for other people's properties. ]

Do you have floaties?

[ looking at amos' arms… well, are there floaties that would fit him? ]

[rocinantes]

Floaties?

( what the hell kind of word was that, wanda? he frowns at her, rubbing the side of his head. does he have floaties? )

I don't know what those are.

[explosion]

Things for your arms. They help you swim.

[ wanda holds her hands up and makes a shape that's large and round. his arms. it's very clear what they are.

she dismisses it without a second thought. wanda looks around and shakes her head. ]

Has the water been bothering you?

[rocinantes]

Not...that I've noticed.

( he frowns. )

Has it been bothering you?

[explosion]

[ it's wanda's cue to shrug a shoulder and wave her hand in the air like it's no big deal that the trench seems to be flooding. ]

Oh, just… a little.

[ she walks over to his window and peers out of it. hm. he really isn't protected from the water. ]

We land-based creatures usually don't like water coming so close to our homes.

[ space creatures must be different. ]

[rocinantes]

It's just water.

( and it wasn't that close. he comes over to join her at the window, peering over her shoulder. )

You scared of the water or something?

[explosion]

I only know how to do the dog paddle.

[ sokovia didn't exactly lend itself to public pools, what with all the bombing. vision had done his best to teach her, but... wanda doesn't know how to swim. she doesn't quite know how her magic would fare in water, either.

gravely, ] I wonder how many people know how to swim here. That water could rise overnight.

[rocinantes]

( amos squints in her direction. )

Yeah, it could. But that's why there's higher ground. Are you all right?

( something seems off here. )

[explosion]

[ wanda smiles brightly when she turns to face him. she chuckles and waves her hand. ]

I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? [ looking out the window, she shakes her head and bitterly, ] It's just another blissful day in the Trench.

[ she's fine. she's absolutely fine. she's spent the last few days trying to shrug off this edge she feels, but she's fine. ]

[rocinantes]

Oooookay.

( amos frowns and comes up behind her, not sure really what to do. )

You don't seem fine. You seem as far from fine as I've seen you.

[explosion]

[ she frowns and turns around, crossing her arms against her chest. she tilts her head up to peer at him. ]

What makes you think I'm not fine? [ her eyes flash a light red. ] Because I'm not blase about water like you?

[rocinantes]

Wanda, what the fuck.

( it was just a light red but still. there's something going the fuck on here and he doesn't like it. )

I'm not blase about water, I just think we're safe from it.