THE SILVERTONGUE

There was a pause. Jack felt it, that nature of divine, though he could not place who this really was. Memories were shadows still dancing in the back of his mind, not yet integrated with the rest of his consciousness.

a flicker of his eyes across the other mans face, and there's a ghost of a crooked smile as he follows. he rolls his sleeve up without a flinch or grimace, cloth peeling back with a soft sound from the deep wound. some strange blackness darkens the veins near the edge of it. ❝ a rabid beast attacked me. it seemed prudent to seek another's opinion of ─ ❞ with his free hand, Loki gestures enigmatically to the injury.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆  ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ  ɪꜱ  ᴀ  ʜɪɴᴛ  of  amusement  that  appears  on  wanda's  features  and  a  soft  chuckle  leaves  her  full  lips,  several  shades  darker  than  the  giggle  that  it  would've  have  been  years  prior.  she  shows  no  hint  of  intimidation  as  she  slowly  but  surely  drifts  closer  to  him,  the  anklet  chiming  with  each  purposefully  placed  step.  she  comes  to  a  stop  just  a  single  foot  away  from  him  and  looks  up  at  him  through  her  lashes.  ❝  you  startled  me...  it's  not  often  i  get  visitors  anymore.  ❞  her  tone  is  neutral,  bordering  on  flirtatious  if  one  was  to  look  further  into  it.

        she  tilts  her  head  in  acknowledgement  of  his  retort,  a  slight  nod  following  close  behind.  ❝  insatiable,  hm?  ❞  she  almost  teases,  a  smirk  playing  at  the  corner  of  her  lips.  ❝  the  bleeding  hearts  meddle  in  things  that  they  don't  understand  but  you...  you  understand,  don't  you,  loki?  ❞  she  uses  his  name  purposefully  now,  her  accent  wrapping  around  it  like  a  prayer.  ❝  what  would  you  do  about  it?  crush  them  in  the  palm  of  your  hand  so  that  the  light  may  shine  again  or...  allow  them  to  fester?  ❞

        lifting  a  single  ring  adorned  hand,  wanda  uses  her  chaos  magic  to  gently,  almost  affectionately,  move  a  single  curl  of  his  hair  out  of  his  face.  she  welcomes  the  shadows,  thrives  in  them  like  they  are  her  home  and  maybe  they  were  now  that  she  had  shed  any  semblance  of  her  former  self.

and doesn't it take all the will Loki can muster to remain unmoving. fear is no unfamiliar thing to him but it coils like a wary serpent in his belly as she comes so very close. the smile on his face is brittle, fixed in place like a shield. memories of a darker place surrounded by the yawning abyss creep along the edges of his memory. a flutter of his eyelashes and he's focused again, gaze dipping as if he could at all possibly follow her movement with any clear definition as she fixes his hair.

❝ forgive me. ❞ it takes effort to afford the words any edge. in defiance, he lifts his chin, teeth truly showing now. ❝ I wouldn't want to frighten you. ❞

the shadows don't retreat but he doesn't urge them forward, either. ... how boldly she's stepped into them and it nearly takes his breath away. more fool him for having had expectations for how to manage this meeting, he's realizing. a lengthy pause, and; ❝ yes. it is my burden and ─ I think ─ yours. so, yes; I would crush them. rend them into pieces as the beasts would and let them linger to bleed out, alone, as they let me. they have tainted any light remaining ─ better to break it, and reforge it. ❞

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆  ᴡᴀɴᴅᴀ  ᴄᴀɴ  ꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ  ʜɪᴍ  before  he  reveals  himself  and  she  knows  exactly  who  it  is  just  from  the  way  her  magic  reacts  to  his  meme  presence.  her  long  black  skirt  billows  in  the  wind  as  her  bare  feet  pad  softly  against  the  cobblestone  floor  of  the  town  square  and  the  only  real  noise  to  be  found  is  the  jingling  of  the  anklet  she  wears  on  her  right  leg.  she  spins  to  face  him,  skirt  and  hair  flowing  around  her  before  settling  back  into  place.  her  hands  raise  with  a  red  glow  emitting  from  them,  fingers  curled  elegantly.  her  head  tilts  to  the  side  as  she  takes  in  the  god  that  stands  before  her.

        ❝  more?  ❞  she  questions,  a  single  full  brow  raising  as  her  ring  adorned  hands  drift  back  down  to  her  sides.  she's  relaxed  but  that  could  change  at  any  given  moment  as  is  the  nature  of  the  full  strength  scarlet  witch  especially  with  the  power  of  the  darkhold  coursing  through  her  veins.  she  isn't  quite  herself,  that  much  is  obvious.  there's  an  almost  dangerous  glint  in  her  eye.  ❝  where  you  see  wreckage,  i  see  beauty.  what  is  your  business  here,  trickster?  ❞

tension creeps along his spine at the sight of her magic. he straightens slightly, benevolent smile twisting. one heartbeat then another, and he exudes limber relaxation in every angle of his body with practiced ease. ❝ such a kindly welcome. ❞ oh, he can't help himself; even as he attempts to mollify, to soothe, to bargain for this conversation with his hands splayed outwards like a benevolent god, his tongue trips ahead of him, spurred on by some untameable and wasteful madness.

❝ magnificent wreckage but wreckage all the same. ❞ the retort is soft as he gives in to the temptation to show his teeth, figuratively speaking. ❝ I have no business other than to find you. ❞ and now his smile widens, lips pressed tight and thin. ❝ to speak with you. call it ... an insatiable curiosity to determine if you find yourself content with the how the bleeding hearts that infect our worlds choke out any remaining light. ❞

his hands fold together, finally, and he observes. waits. allows the shadows at this feet to lengthen with sinister intent, curling in playful contradiction around him. trickster she's named him ( like so many countless others, like those who claimed to be family ), trickster he can be. there is some semblance of honesty to the role.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆  ❝  ᴀꜱ  ʏᴏᴜ  ꜱᴀɪᴅ,  ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ  fear  what  they  don't  understand  and  i  suppose  it  can  be  hard  to  understand  someone  like  me...  like  us.  ❞  her  gaze  softens  as  she  allows  it  to  meet  his  and  she  finds  herself  showing  the  slightest  bit  of  vulnerability  before  she  lets  her  mask  slip  back  into  place.  ❝  when  you  create  a  whole  fantasy  out  of  a  town  and  hold  people  hostage,  you  tend  to  get  painted  as  a  monster.  ❞  she's  half  joking,  half  serious.

        wanda  finds  herself  drifting  into  her  thoughts  for  a  moment  as  she  looks  back  to  how  their  magic  swirls  around  each  other,  thinking  about  how  she  has  lost  so  much  but  here...  in  this  moment  with  loki,  it  isn't  actually  on  her  mind.  she  has  been  through  so  much  that  her  reality  no  longer  seems  real  but  this?  this  is  real  and  it  feels...  nice.  a  soft  giggle  leaves  her  as  she  watches  the  sparks,  using  her  own  magic  to  create  soft  little  orbs  of  red  light  that  dance  around  the  two  toned  glow.

        ❝  hmm...  ❞  she  hums  softly  as  she  continues  to  watch,  enjoying  the  way  that  he  naturally  leads  the  dance  of  their  magic.  it  means  that  she  doesn't  have  to  be  in  control  for  once  and  it  feels  good  to  just  enjoy  what  she  is.  she  allows  hers  to  follow  his  lead  and  it  almost  curls  around  the  green  glow  affectionately.  ❝  maybe  it  doesn't  matter  how  we  got  here,  just  that  we  are  here...  together...  ❞

        a  small  look  of  surprise  washes  over  her  tanned  features  as  she  listens  to  him  and  she  tilts  her  head,  mulling  over  his  words.  she  once  again  finds  similarities  between  them,  thoughts  going  back  to  westview  and  what  she  had  done  there.  ❝  i'm  coming  to  realise  peace  can  be  found  in  the  most  unexpected  places.  ❞  she  allows  her  eyes  to  meet  his  again  as  she  leaves  something  unsaid  between  them,  insinuating  that  she  is  finding  some  semblance  of  peace  with  him.

        the  deep  red  of  her  magic  takes  on  a  life  of  its  own  for  a  moment  and  extends  out  from  where  it  dances  with  the  green  of  his,  shifting  upwards  to  gently  move  against  the  skin  of  his  cheek  in  an  almost  caress.  light  green  hues  widen  and  she  quickly  reins  it  back  in  so  it  leaves  him  alone.  ❝  i...  ❞  she  swallows  hard  as  her  cheeks  flush  and  she  looks  down  at  her  thighs.  ❝  i  don't  see  anything  wrong  with  who  you  are.  ❞

❝ like us, indeed. ❞ the murmur comes low, more an afterthought than anything else as he watches. there's a touch of wonder to the crook of his smile, soft emotion settling in like a half-forgotten favorite blanket that had fallen into some dark corner only to be happily found unexpectedly. her next comment brings an equally unexpected laugh, his amusement genuine even as it tapers off into morbid contemplation. ❝ I saw a life unlived. ❞ the shift is abrupt, like falling off a cliff, yet his smile remains, bitterness at the thought of this memory long since buried.

❝ stolen from me, wrecked and ruined, and I was doomed for it. cast aside until I found my own footing. hardly the first time that's happened. ❞ Loki means it literally; offers it, one disaster for another, and a removal of blame ─ reinforcement that he sees no monster in her for her actions. another flick of his fingers, playful despite the somber conversation, and the sparks he created bounce against the red orbs joyfully before exploding into miniature fireworks. ❝ I would agree. and how rare to find something that cannot be stolen; rarer still to have it returned. ❞

there's a question in the statement, shoulders angling backwards ( almost instinctual defensiveness before it's tamed ), chin tilted up, eyes dark; a reply to her own insinuation. Loki would be content to leave it unsaid, and yet; this unspoken undertow to their conversation seems to be surfacing and he is, strangely, willing to allow it.

at the touch of her magic his eyes flutter shut, briefly, not leaning into the touch but riveted by it. just as soon as the magic withdraws he's opening his eyes and his hands, green glow sweeping out into broad strokes and painting a intricate knot around hers, a bold, reflexive response. ❝ nor I you. ❞ he says. ❝ how terrifying. ❞ it could be a jest, commentary on their conversation or their magic, but there is blatant vulnerability in the relaxation of his posture. ❝ it seems to me we truly are alike. ❞

and now he's leaning forward, magic dissipating, nearly encroaching on her space. his eyes glint, narrowed slightly as his focus narrows in on her final comment, wit faster than any instinct of his to retreat. ❝ such a dangerous thought; to bare my soul and be told there is nothing wrong with me. such a strange mercy. though if they should not grant us mercy; what harm in us finding it ourselves? ❞

[ S U R E D I D ] an independent and extremely au darcy lewis of marvel comics and film as written by tristan. 18+