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Post by amieva on Nov 29, 2004 11:17:28 GMT -4
Wanda punched angrily at the swinging bag that was suspended from the ceiling. She was relieving some of the tension that had been building up inside her. Sweat dripped from her forehead, as she had been working out for almost an hour. It was like she was in a trance, and her body was working independantly of her mind.
Her knuckles were swollen. They were probably bruised too. But Wanda's entire body felt numb. She had been thinking - venting.
It was probably just restlessness.
She was still over the moon about having Pietro back, but even the thrill of that was ebbing away, letting Wanda settle back into reality.
What really bothered her was her encounter with Alex the other night. He had frightened her. He had reminded her of what it looked like to feel worthless and alone. Wanda Maximoff knew only too well what it was like to be alone.
"AUGH!!!" Wanda took one final fierce throw at the bag. As she struck it with her glowing fist, the threads holding it together unwravelled, and the bag split open, spilling sand all over the training-room floor. Wanda panted heavily, feeling a lot more relaxed than she had before. But now she had a huge mess to clean up...
((Tags: Anybody))
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Post by Havok on Nov 29, 2004 21:11:48 GMT -4
((Someone call me?))
Havok walked into the training room, ready to start back into his old routine again, not realizing his breath still smelled of the alcohol he had drank this morning. He still felt the despair, but only in a deep recess of his mind. He was slightly surprised to see Wanda in the room already. Not that he was complaining, though. Wanda was probably the best friend he had in this complex. It was pretty sad that a foreign woman who had only been here less than a week was the best friend he had, but he accepted it. That's right. Total acceptance.
He looked from Wanda to the pile of sand on the floor and up to the torn punching bag.
"Wish my punches could do that." He said, feeling strangely relaxed today. Then he realized that this would be heck to clean up. Well, as sand it would. He aimed his hand at the pile, focusing a wave of heat towards it, making sure the heat encompassed the entire thing. The pile started to glow, then mold together. Soon enough, Alex had made a very large dome of glass, with a few stray specks of sand around it.
"Be careful, it's still pretty hot most likely." After a while, though, it would be able to be picked up and disposed of. It wasn't the best idea he had, but it still worked.
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Post by amieva on Nov 29, 2004 21:31:46 GMT -4
Wanda jumped back when the sand began to heat up and melt. She hadn't expected that to happen at all. And she was pretty sure she wasn't the one who was doing that.
She looked over her shoulder and saw the culprit. "Alex." she smiled. "I seem to have this kind of effect on things. First walking benches, flying statues, now exploding sand-bags. I am just an unpredictable suprise waiting to happen."
She took his warning to heart, and stepped away from the hot glass. She approached him and gave him a look over. He certainly looked a lot better than the last time she saw him. "You are looking well, Alex. Are you feeling better now?"
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Post by Havok on Nov 29, 2004 21:39:14 GMT -4
He smiled, still weakly, but then Alex never smiled strongly. Never had anything to smile strongly for.
"Yes, thank you." He then thought about what Wanda had said before. "Flying statues? How is that even possible?" He then remembered that not even she understood her powers, so there was really no point in him trying to.
"Nevermind." He added before she could say anything, waving his hand in dismissal of the whole thing.
"You know, the computer could give you situations to test your powers out." He pointed towards the computer console lodged in the wall. "I could show you if you want."
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Post by amieva on Nov 29, 2004 21:50:11 GMT -4
She was about to get into her story about how she managed to throw a statue back at Sabretooth while it was still in the air, but he cut her off.
She looked at the computer curiously, then at Havok, hoping that he'd explain it a little further. "I do not think I understand. Yes, please show me how to do this."
Wanda watched Havok with interest and curiosity
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Post by Havok on Nov 29, 2004 22:08:46 GMT -4
Havok walked towards the computer console, fully understanding of Wanda's computer ignorance. Alex was about as dumb when he came here, but since he trained more than all of the other Acolytes, he knew the system better than any of them. But then, it wasn't like Remy and Jubes really needed to train.
"Well, all you do is press this button," he pointed to a green button on the console, "and you tell the computer what you want it to do. We've programmed a lot of things into the database, so you should be able to get whatever you need." Alex himself had done most of the programming. That was what most of the other buttons were for. Others were emergency buttons, just in case the computer was not responding to vocal commands.
"What would you like?"
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Post by amieva on Nov 29, 2004 22:15:01 GMT -4
Wanda marvelled the computer, then looked up at Havok with a defeated expression. She had grown up in a society that relied very little on technology. Even after moving to America, Wanda had avoided things like computers as much as possible. Machines couldn't be trusted.
Well, people couldn't either.
"I wouldn't know where to start." she admitted.
"You will take me through one of these programs. Then maybe I will try one on my own, no?"
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Post by Havok on Nov 29, 2004 22:38:38 GMT -4
"Um...OK." He answered, running through his list of programs that he had in his head. One stood out as being perfect for the situation. He pressed the green button, then said into the speaker, "Computer, run program 'Streetfight', difficulty level 1." He then turned to Wanda.
"Don't want to start this out too hard. We can increase the level as we go if you want."
The gym motif of the training facility, which was the program the computer was last performing, disappeared. Along with the hunk of glass.
"Duh, stupid. It was just part of the program." He said, more to himself than to Wanda. It was soft to Alex, but still pretty loud.
The gym was replaced with a quiet street at night. They were surrounded by lots of cars, street-lights, mailboxes, and various other things that Wanda's power could cause havoc with. Two thugs came out of the side-alleys, looking for a fight.
"Whatchya doin' here, sweetie?" One of the thugs said, a lecherous look on his face. "Maybe you'd like some company."
"Computer, freeze program." Havok said, and the program stopped dead in its tracks. The thug still had a lecherous look on his face.
"I'll be standing over here just in case you need me. I want to see what you can do. Computer, resume program."
((Gotta go for tonight. Have fun.))
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Post by amieva on Nov 29, 2004 23:02:35 GMT -4
Wanda shot a glare at Havok, when she assumed he was addressing her as being stupid. "{What do you think-}" she began to rant in her mother tongue before the room disappeared around her and changed into an outside setting.
Wanda froze as she heard cars running by and horns honking.
She gave a startled yelp at the two large thugs advancing on her, and backed into a brick wall. They suddenly stopped, still learing at her.
{It's just a simulation. It isn't real.} She assured herself and nodded at Alex.
Then the program started again. Wanda stood a little more confidently. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she stood with her feet shoulder width apart.
"Goin' somewhere, toots?" the smaller of the two men grunted. She could almost smell his foul breath. Well, she'd been smelling something a little rank since Havok came in. She was just too polite to say anything. Wanda's fingers fanned out, and sent a sphere of glowing light toward the villain. He went crashing into a dumpster that seemed to be drawn to him by some force of power.
Wanda then turned to the second thug, with a smirk of triumph on her face, though her body was screaming at her to stop. She was wearing out quickly, and using her powers seemed only serve to drain her faster.
She tried a kick at the second assailant's body, but she misjudged her footing and slipped. The man picked her up by the throat. His grip was strong enough that Wanda was having a bit of difficulty trying to break free.
{Too much like Sabretooth... This isn't real!} "Alex-" she choked desperately. "-Help!"
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Post by Havok on Nov 30, 2004 17:06:35 GMT -4
"Computer, end program." Havok said, a note of genuine surprise in his voice, along with worry. The computer complied, sending the room back to the default gym program and releasing Wanda from the thug's grip. He walked over to her with concern on his face. The holo-image shouldn't have been able to do any life-threatening damage to her, in fact it shouldn't have even went for her throat at all. That simply wasn't part of its programming so long as the safeties were on.
"Are you alright?" He said, helping her to stand up from where she lay. "I don't know what went wrong, the guy shouldn't have tried to choke you." He was trying to figure out just what he had done wrong and not coming up with anything.
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Post by amieva on Nov 30, 2004 17:27:03 GMT -4
Wanda smiled weakly at him as she rubbed the red marks around her throat. "It was not your fault, Alex. Perhaps, perhaps it was my powers. They may have effected the machine in some way."
She was a bit wobbly on her legs after Havok helped her up, but she was able to stand on her own. "I am fine, thank-you." Wanda got up on her tip-toes and kissed Alex on the cheek, as it was customary for her to do when she was grateful. But, much to Wanda's suprise and disgust, she got a good hit of the smell of alcohol on Havok's breath.
She took a step away from him quickly. Her smile had contorted to a look of disbelief. "Havok, what..." she scowled. "You have been drinking."
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Post by Havok on Nov 30, 2004 17:36:05 GMT -4
Alex relaxed somewhat at Wanda's explanation, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he was responsible. Much to his surprise, she kissed him on the cheek. As his brain tried to rationalize the gesture, which was completely unfamiliar to Alex, she shot him with a question that cut him to the quick.
"Yeah, I had a little something to drink this morning, to wake myself up." It wasn't an excuse, it was the truth. He had been exhausted that morning, and had needed something as a pick-me-up. Whiskey was all he had.
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Post by amieva on Nov 30, 2004 17:56:16 GMT -4
"Most people drink coffee in the morning." she shot back. She would have yelled louder, but her throat hurt.
"You reak of alcohol. I think you have had more than just a little bit!" Wanda spat and stomped past him to retrieve a towel from a the little room conjoined with the main training area.
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Post by Havok on Nov 30, 2004 18:10:12 GMT -4
Alex watched as Wanda stormed past him, and instead of feeling guilt or resentment at her accusation, he felt annoyance. He had had a simple drink. There was nothing wrong with that. And here she was, treating it as if he had raped a twelve year old.
"OK, maybe I did have a little bit more than just a little. What do you care?" He said, his own voice harsher than he would have liked it, and at the same time appropriate.
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Post by amieva on Nov 30, 2004 18:22:32 GMT -4
Wanda turned on her heel and glared at him. "Why?!" she said incredulously.
Oh ho, she'd tell him why.
"I have seen grown men DESTROY themselves because they lost control! You may not think it is a problem now, but it will get worse!"
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