8504/Football

Football
Date of Scene:	25 July 2019
Location:	Avengers Mansion, probably
Synopsis:	Scarlet Witch and Elixir find joy in simple moments and deep connections.
Cast of Characters:	Elixir, Scarlet Witch

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Elixir has posed:
Avengers Mansion staff picked up Josh's boxes from the Xavier Institute and brought them back in the late afternoon. Josh spent a bit of time digging out the things he would need right away, but did not get far.

"Giants preseason game tonight!" he had declared with a big grin, walking out of the bedroom in a team jersey.

It was serious business apparently. There were ritual preparations to make. Required ingredients. The proper potions needed to be at hand.

Which mainly boiled down to having burgers, fries and wings brought up, beer brought out and popcorn made.

So prepared and set out on the coffee table by the couch, Josh turned on the screen to the pre-game show and promptly sat on the floor with his back to the couch.

"Okay, so seriously, I haven't got to like, watch properly since I got kicked out. The rec room at Xavier's is all wrong and I didn't even have a screen at my apartment. Just my tablet," Josh says to Wanda with a big grin on his face. "This is how we did it at my place. Well, not the popcorn. I threw that in cause I just like popcorn."

Josh opens a beer for Wanda, passes it to her and clinks bottles before taking a pull.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Before Wanda joined Josh, she'd gone into the bathroom while the food was being delivered. When the door had opened and she'd stepped back out, she was wearing a Giants shirt, fitted for a woman's body, and very well-sized for Wanda. Along with a pair of khaki shorts and bare feet, she'd stepped out and did her best at a bit of a model's pose for Josh. "Did I get it right?" she asks him.

She'd joined him on the couch then. The suite has a giant TV on the wall, 70 inches at least, though Wanda doesn't seem to spend much time watching it normally. She takes the beer with a smile. "So the food is a big part of the game then?" she asks with a small grin.

"Now you will have to explain it to me. I've seen the game being played. But I don't know much except they try to chase the man with the ball. And they keep stopping the game and forming lines facing each other," she says.

Elixir has posed:
Josh absolutely beams when he sees Wanda in the jersey.

"So hot," he says and pulls out his phone to snap a picture of her. "That's gonna me the wallpaper on my phone!"

"Oh sure, gotta have the food. Super important. At least the beer though or I think you get arrested or struck lightning or something. What's a Transian snack, anyway? We should have some next time."

Josh is about as contentedly happy as Wanda has seen him outside some of their most precious moments together. Or maybe for him this is one. The excitement to share and feel normal is palpable.

"The rich guy with the ball," Josh jokes. "They're all loaded. Anyway. The field's a 100 yards long. Each team wants to get one of their guys into the other team's endzone, off the end of the field. Or kick the ball between the posts. They only get four plays to go at least 10 yards up the field or they lose the ball. And the guys in the stripes are always wrong if the penalty is against our team," Josh nods sagely.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda replies, "Transian snacks? Chicken wings... pretzels." She looks at him with a sweetly innocent look that makes it tough at first to tell whether she's joking, though she breaks out in a small grin finally.

Wanda settles into the couch, leaning against her boyfriend as the rules are explained to her. "And how many points do they get for throwing the yellow things around the field?" she asks him curiously. She obviously has seen a game then if perhaps not digested it.

Wanda watches as the players are throwing the ball back and forth waiting for the game to start. "What was it about playing that you enjoyed so much?" she asks him. Wanda leans forward to get a slice of carrot that came with the wings, nibbling on it as she looks back to Josh.

Elixir has posed:
"Well. I got the chicken wings right!" Josh grins.

"The yellow things..." Josh says and looks confused for a moment. "Oh! No, the referees in the stripes throw those when someone commits a foul. Lets people know where it happened and they think it makes look cool. But we laugh at them for throwing their napkins around."

"You know those are just for decoration," Josh teases when Wanda bites at one of the carrots. Then he shrugs. "I dunno, being part of something? Didn't have to like everyone, but it's a team. We've got our places, you get to know each other and what the next guy'll do. You count on them. And c'mon, it's just fun! Crushing the other team is pretty sweet, too," he grins.

Josh takes a bite of his burger and grins a little sheepishly. "This is really good... Is all the food this good here? This has to so expensive... How do you pay for it?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda gives a soft chuckle and just answers, "Tony Stark. Really none of this would be as it is without him. There would still be a team I'm sure. The people are here for who they are, not for the facilities. But it doesn't hurt. And yes, the food is /always/ this good. You should see the desserts. So hard to not give in on them," she says with a laugh.

Wanda sits up to reach over and get her plate with her burger on it. "So are you much of a cook? I seem to recall some eggs and sausage you did an excellent job with. But do you cook very much besides breakfast?" she asks him.

Elixir has posed:
"Oh man... I'm gonna need to burn off like twice the calories. Maybe you can help with a new exercise program for me!" Josh grins wickedly.

"Ah, not really? I mean, I can follow a recipe. And man the barbecue, but I didn't spend a lot of time doing that. I'm /really/ good at instant noodles now though. Believe me. Expert," Josh says with a smile. "You? I mean, I guess you don't have to around here, but it's kinda nice sometimes. What's your favourite thing to make, or order? Or both?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda considers the question about the cooking. "There are a few favorites that I have to go out of my way to find unless I make them myself. Though that is one good thing about New York," she says thoughtfully.

"Kajmak... you asked about snacks. It's sort of like cheese. Good on bread or with meat. And Pljeskavica... it's not too far off from a hamburger but it's not all beef. Oh, and paprikash, which is a soup. I make that fairly well, when I have the ingredients," she tells him. "I've also picked up a few American recipes too. Though I'm happy to leave the barbecuing to you," she says with a small grin.

Wanda watches the kick off, and the returner gets utterly leveled. "Oh my goodness they hit him as hard as Steve or T'Challa!" she says.

Elixir has posed:
"Yeah... His guys let him down though," Josh says as the replay comes up.

"See there?" he points to the screen. "They're supposed to close that gap to give their guy room to run. So the offensive coach is gonna bring that up later for sure."

Play resumes and Josh takes another bite of his burger and just looks happy for a moment.

"Plj...Plesk... Plesgav... Okay, you gotta help me," Josh says with a wry look. "How many languages do you speak?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda laughs warmly and repeats the word slowly for Josh to be able to pronounce it right. Afterwards she says, "Actually... I am not even sure I know the number," she tells him, and she gets a small blush at the admission.

"Counting the languages I do not understand would probably be quicker. But then, part of it is a magic thing. From my training with Agnes," Wanda explains. She sits up and cheers as the running back bursts through a whole and runs for 20 yards. "So that is worth how many points?" she asks him.

Wanda settles back into her seat again, taking a bite of her own burger. "What about you? Do you speak anything besides English?" She asks him.

Elixir has posed:
Josh just blinks a bit at Wanda.

"Um," he says, catching up with what happened on screen. "No points. They got more than 10 yards, so they get an extra four tries to score."

He takes another bite of his burger and then covers his mouth to answer. "Me? Heh, no. I'm not powerful, famous, funny, gorgeous /and/ a genius. That's your schtick. I did some Spanish in school, but that's it."

Josh watches the screen and chews slowly. He feels for a moment a renewed sense of the enormous gulf that separates the two of them in many ways, despite how close they feel. The sheer scope of her accomplishments against his own life. And his life feels small.

"Ah, so they're back to first down. If they go a couple downs and they don't get far, they'll kick the ball as far down field as they can, to make it harder for the..." Josh winces. "Oh no! Come on!" he shouts at the screen and shakes his head. "Okay, so now that's bad. He's trying to make the pass, but it's intercepted? Turnover to the other team right where they took him down. Geez, that's not a great way to start the first quarter!"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
"Oh, right, that was it. More chances to score, but not points," she agrees when Josh reminds her how it works. She settles against him, leaning lightly against his side. Only to sit back up as something bad happens. "So now the other team has the ball, even though they have more tries?" she asks, frowning and clearly upset by this development. "He should throw the ball better then," she deduces.

Wanda settles back down against Josh. "I was just thinking how nice this is. How much alike we are that we enjoy simple things like sitting together, with some good food. Watching this game, which I think I could grow to like as I understand it more."

She rests her hand on his leg. "And having someone who understands what it is to be a mutant. Who knows the pain of having family that you worry of having to oppose. Who knows how it feels to have the kind of power that others envy," Wanda tells him.

She looks over to Josh, smiling at him softly. "I'm lucky to have found someone who has so much in common with me," she tells him.

Elixir has posed:
Josh smiles a touch wonderingly at this incredible woman who has become such a huge part of him so quickly.

"Yeah, we're both pretty lucky," he agrees. Josh puts an arm around Wanda's shoulders and pulls her in close for a moment. "It's special."

Josh's eyes light up. "I almost forgot! Wait here," he says.

The young man grins and pushes up off the floor. He disappears into the bedroom almost at a trot and Wanda can hear him opening a box.

"You gotta close your eyes," he says. Josh peeks to be sure Wanda does before walking back to join her. Wanda can hear her plate being moved aside and something being set down on the coffee table in front of her.

When she opens her eyes, Wanda is looking at wooden wagon. It is not perfect in all its details, the recreation of the memory of something seen in a photograph. But still, it is unmistakably her family's home from the pictures she showed Josh. The craftsmanship is not perfect, but it is good and well proportioned. Something built by a person with reasonable skill in the shop and an eye for these this kind of work. Most importantly, it is made by hand.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda Maximoff does indeed close here eyes when asked. "Oh, you have me all excited now," she says, laughing warmly as she waits. She hears him return and set something down. And finally she opens her eyes when Josh tells her it is ok.

Wanda's eyes grow wide immediately. It's clear that whoever did the work, captured a girl's childhood memories well enough. "Oh. Oh Josh," she says. Wanda bites down on her lip, and her eyes start to glisten and soon a tear is rolling down her cheek.

"It's beautiful," she tells him. Wanda feels so touched inside. That good feeling that people get from doing nice things for others? It's so magnified when he can feel through the bond how much it means to her. Wanda leans forward, picking up the wagon with a near reverence, so carefully does she handle it. She runs her fingers over it softly, and touches the driver's seat. She gets a soft smile as she does.

"I love, it," she whispers, another tear rolling down a cheek. She sets it down carefully and then hugs Josh tight, burying her face down against his neck and shoulder. "Thank you," she whispers.

Elixir has posed:
Josh beams as Wanda looks the wagon over. He watches the expression and feels how he touched the womam he loves. And there is a deep fulfillment in it for him. Just from seeing Wanda so happy.

Josh folds his arms around Wanda and holds her close.

"I'm glad," he whispers back and smiles.