( CLOSED ) THEY'RE LYING THROUGH THEIR TEETH.

[manipulative]

Who: Katherine, Stefan, A Space Robot, and Wanda.
What: October scary stuff.
When: All month.
Where: Around!

Content Warnings: Applicable content warnings go here.

Comments

[prescind]

I have...not.

( groot tree? biology and botany wasn't his strongest subject but —

he's pretty sure that's not a type of tree. )

What's a Groot tree?

[explosion]

[ she shrugs wildly. ]

I don't know! [ she laughs. ] I think it's a tree from outer space. He came from space, I think. He'd have to be from space—he was talking to this raccoon.

[ wanda's motto is simple: anything weird? it's from space.

she's quick to gently smack his arm. ] We should check and see if there is a Groot Tree here.

[prescind]

Where would we even — look for a Groot tree?

( wanda, you were the expert, you were going to have to provide something here. )

Where do they usually grow?

[explosion]

In the ground.

[ she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth to stop herself from smiling too widely. she comes to a stop and looks at stefan before pointing over his shoulder. ]

That could be one. You should go see.

[prescind]

I think you're setting me up here.

( for some kind of embarrassment. )

Trying to get me to do something ridiculous.

[explosion]

[ with an innocent smile, she shakes her head. ]

No, never.

[ of course, she does have something planned. all she needs is for stefan to follow along. ]

I think you should see the tree… unless you're scared.

[prescind]

I'm not scared.

( don't call him out like this, wanda. )

I'm not scared of a tree.

[explosion]

Then go see the tree.

[ she smiles sweetly, although her sweetness has a slightly sinister feel to it. she clasps her hands behind her back as she watches him. ]

It looks like a very nice tree.

[prescind]

( he doesn't want to go see the tree.

but he's not going to be told he's afraid of trees anyway so he sighs and goes up toward the tree. )

It's just a freaking tree.

[explosion]

Is it?

[ wanda follows him at a distance with her hands clasped behind her back. she stands on the tips of her toes as she wiggles her nose. the tree groans softly before its bark peels back to reveal a small, hollow mouth that widens as it yawns. ]

[prescind]

( just as stefan's reaching up to touch the branch, it moves and he steps back several times before making a face.

he glances at her. )

That you?

[explosion]

[ she smiles at his reaction, but she's quick to school her expression into one of innocence. she cocks her brow. ]

What's me?

[prescind]

Uh huh.

( stefan eyes her quietly before he looks towards the tree again. )

Whatever, as long as it doesn't eat me, I don't care.

[explosion]

Are you afraid of people-eating trees?

[ with his back to her, the tree yawns again. it's mouth is empty; it lacks any teeth. it stretches its thin branches out as if to raise them above its head. it doesn't try and eat stefan. ]

[prescind]

Curious how you know it's people eating.

( stefan is a vampire and he's strong but wood is...something that hurts so he keeps his distance though he doesn't run. )

Seems like you're in cahoots with it.

[explosion]

No!

[ wanda feigns a look of utter shock at such an accusation. ]

I'm just saying... We were talking about space trees and then people-eating trees... This tree could be a vegetarian.

[ and, much like groot, she quietly manipulates it to move its branch-arm so it can take a chomp of a leaf. ]

[prescind]

Trees are trees.

( they weren't going to eat people or vegetables. )

They eat the sunlight. That's what their diet is.

[explosion]

[ she snorts in amusement. ]

Trees don't eat sunlight. They steal it.

[ if he was expecting a scientifically accurate correction, he'd be very, very wrong. wanda likes to make up stories—and she thinks that's better than the truth sometimes.

so, she makes the tree extend its arm, stretching it with cracks of bark falling to the ground, and forming a fist as if it's trying to steal the sun from the sky. ]

[prescind]

I don't think that's true.

( he glances at her, frowning. )

I think you're making stuff up to get a rise out of me.

[explosion]

Me?

[ wanda looks at him with surprise, pointing to herself in utter disbelief. never mind that he's completely right. ]

Can you not see the halo? [ when she gestures in a general up direction, he'll see a slight glow around the crown of her head as if she's standing directly in front of the sun. ]

[prescind]

Is that what that is? I was thinking devil horns.

( and he doesn't even know about her cool scarlet witch costume.

he smirks. )

I think my guess is better.

[explosion]

[ wanda rolls her eyes, although she's clearly amused by her smile. that's such a typical answer! ]

You're mistaken. [ she informs him matter-of-factly. ] It's a halo. The horns are merely a… shadow. An ill-fated shadow.

[prescind]

But they exist.

( which — )

Shadow or not, they're still there, aren't they?

[explosion]

[ she flattens her hands against the top of her head and makes a show of feeling around for them, uncaring that she musses some of her hair up. threading her fingers through the stands, she purses her lips in pursuit of her horns… and then stops, mouth dropping open. ]

I feel one!

[ she smiles widely as she rubs her right hand back and forth and drops her left. ]

Oh, it's very small. It must mean I'm good and trustworthy.

[prescind]

Yeah, right.

( you know who doesn't believe you, wanda? it's stefan, he doesn't. )

I think if you have the devil horns at all, it means you've got that streak in you.