#dark-dimension-clea

For Max and the prompt “Stay Still: I can’t brush your hair like this”

Though Asgard was a realm that took great pride in the strength and prowess of its warriors, it was also not a realm that existed solely on bloodshed and warfare. Peoples like that--such as the ice blue Jotunn--were soon wiped out by destructive forces of their own making. No, Asgard was a diplomatic realm as well, whose rulers worked to create and maintain strong alliances with the rulers and peoples of other realms. Usually, Sif understood and appreciated that. At this moment, however, she could not understand why Asgard was seeking out an alliance with the queen of the Dark Dimension. Sif was not very familiar with the place; it was not often spoken of in Asgardian lore, but she had heard that its former ruler was an untrustworthy demon with near-infinite powers, and she wasn't sure what made the new queen so different. She might have been able to master her suspicion if the All-Father and Lady Frigga treated this queen with a certain amount of distance or reserve, but they were welcoming from the outset... too welcoming, if you asked Sif.

So welcoming, in fact, that the All-Mother had gone so far as to invite Clea to take a tour of their armory to inspect some of the weapons they had recovered from a demon raiding party. That had been years and years ago, long before Sif was even a Shieldmaiden, but that didn't make the weapons any less dangerous. And that didn't make Sif any more comfortable being chosen as the Asgardian who would show Queen Clea around the place. She'd have guards, of course, but as per Frigga's instructions they were to wait near the door, as this was a diplomatic matter and the armory, or at least the area where they kept the demonic weapons, was fairly narrow. And Sif could take care of herself.

Peggy had been officially AWOL for six months when she finally returned to New York City and SHIELD.  Usually that as enough to be sent to  prison.  In the old days she would have been shot on sight for deserting like that.  But things were apparently different now that she’d led a team which saved the 21st century.  That kind of desertion resulted in a strange awe of what she’d done and her old job back. This time with slight differences.  

Now that she’d gone toe-to-toe with what had been a legend from Egyptian mythology, her very next assignment had been “Yeti hunting?”  

Peggy looked at the assignment brief she’d just been handed.  What kind of assignment was this?  The Yeti didn’t actually exist.  “Why am I Yeti hunting?”  Was this some kind of punishment?  A way to make her disappear for good this time?

“Because the first agent we sent froze to death,” replied Director Hill.

That didn’t exactly make her feel better about her chances with SHIELD after this.  “But why is SHIELD interested in Yetis in the first place?”  She continued to scan the document, but came up with nothing except an allusion to their geographical location vis-a-vis Himalayan towns they’d ransacked.  

“Because they’re sitting on an energy signature that’s not dissimilar to ones we’ve seen on other alien races.  We need you to find them, collect data, and survive long enough to get back.”  

So it was a death sentence.  At least for most other agents they sent out that way. Peggy’s time in Russia had make cold unpleasant yet something she could handle.  

“And am I going in alone, or will I assemble a team of SHIELD agents?”

“Given the circumstances, we hoped that you’d be able to collaborate with Stephen Strange.”  

But when Peggy had contacted the Sorcerer Supreme he hadn’t been as interested as Director Hill had thought he’d be and didn’t “have time to chase Yetis when they were the least of his concerns.”  After a little back-and-forth he referred her to Clea who was herself a powerful sorceress.  

To Peggy’s surprise the Sorceress had jumped at the chance to travel to the Himalayas.  “Potion ingredients,” she had said was what she was after.  And so the plans were finalized.  Peggy would fly out with Clea the Sorceress from the SHIELD base to the participating branch in Delhi and then be flown in by helicopter from there.

Pre-dawn cracks in the sky broke the darkness of night.  Wanda hadn’t yet opened her eyes, but she could ever so slightly sense the changing light as it filtered through the tall trees and the buildings beyond to the east.  The birds also seemed to have felt the difference, and a couple had started singing.  The rest would soon hear the songs, weak, and follow suit.  

The grass underneath Wanda itched.  Every time a blade touched her it made her skin crawl like an insect had run across her skin.  On an occasion or two  she was fairly certain one had.  She yearned in those moments to raise her hand and brush it off.  But she stayed still, keeping her mind and body calm as she kept herself deep in cool and collected meditation.  It was the only way to increase her focus and improve her concentration when wielding her greater powers.  The way she used them now, they were dangerous and unruly.  Only with  practice could they be tapped safely.

Breathe in.  The wind was cool for this time of year.  But it was warming up.  

Breathe out.  The dream she’d had last night was only a dream.  Nobody could hurt her like that any more.  

Breathe in.  Birds were singing more lively now.  She couldn’t name the different types based on their calls, but she could hear two or three distinct songs now.  Perhaps there were more.  

Breathe out.  Relax the shoulders.  She was still holding an unnecessary amount of tension there.  

Breathe in.  Something triggered the memory of last night as she’d said goodnight to Vision.  The soft and fluttery feeling he’d instilled in her.  

Her neck creaked as she moved it after almost an hour stock still.  The stiff feeling reminded her to stay still and not to move.  Return her thoughts to the nothing she was supposed to be feeling.  

Breathe in.  She kept her head still but the thought persisted.  The way he’d felt almost cool to the touch.  Or perhaps she’d been warm.  They had been saying goodnight and she’d wanted to ask him to stay.  Maybe he knew, too.  

Breathe out.  Let go of the happy memory.  

Breathe in.  

Breath out.  Let go of that evening together.  

Breathe in.  

Breathe out.  Let go of the way his hand in his hair made her scalp feel tingly and nice.