8801/Catching Up Over Ice Cream

Catching Up Over Ice Cream
Date of Scene:	14 August 2019
Location:	Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Josh and Wanda catch up over ice cream in Central Park, then save a drowning child and reunite him with is family.
Cast of Characters:	Scarlet Witch, Elixir

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Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda and Josh have both been in and out with so much going on. Text messages, phone calls, occasional meals and stolen moments were all they'd managed the last few days. There were worried texts when something had obviously happened to Josh based on what Wanda sensed through the bond. And she had her own moments that Josh would have known something was happening stressful based on what he'd felt.

So when both of their schedules were open enough to get together plans were made. An ice cream shop alongside Central Park and then a walk down to the lake where the kids sailed their remote controlled boats, and the full-size versions could be rented in the form of paddle and rowboats. Wanda is waiting outside of the ice cream shop, wearing a pair of slacks with platform heels and a nice blouse. The kind of outfit she might wear if she were visiting officials somewhere.

Elixir has posed:
Josh pulls up and parks nearby in a Black BMW from the Avengers carpool. He climbs out, golden skin and all, in new jeans, black skate shoes and a designer golf shirt in dark blue. A few new bits and pieces of clothes have been showing up in their closet in the last couple of days.

The young man beams when he sees Wanda and hurries over to sweep her up in his arms and spin her. He is not the least bit self-conscious, just happy to have the time with her. He kisses Wanda when he puts her down and grins.

"Hey! You look great," Josh says with a smile. "Like, almost bumped into another car while I was parking great!"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Neither is Wanda self-conscious, laughing warmly and grasping Josh back as he swirls her about. Her face beams at the greeting and she slips her arms around him as they kiss shamelessly on the New York City sidewalk.

"Thank you," Wanda says at the compliment, and grinning as Josh speaks of the near accident. "I'll have to dress up more often. Or, not, if it causes traffic accidents," she jokes. she slips her hand down into his. "I never thought we were going to have a few minutes back together," she says with a shake of her head. Wanda motions towards the ice cream shop, heading over so they can pick something out.

"So a lot to catch up on," she says as they get inside and she looks over the flavors they have for offer. "I gather not all of it good. Though you look as healthy as ever," she says, her eyes drifting over Josh openly, and approvingly. "What has been happening with you?"

Elixir has posed:
"I know, right?" Josh says with a grin. "It's been stupid busy."

Hand in hand, Josh walks into the ice cream shop with Wanda. He catches Wanda glance and smiles. "Oh man, what hasn't been?" he says. "Hmm, definitely tiger tail. I can't help it."

Josh straightens up. "Ah, well, work, works have been crazy. But at the Mansion it's been great, we're working a lot on experiments with what I can do, you know? It's all so much easier now. So much. I don't even have to touch. Pretty crazy. And the hospitals are great. Sending these kids home with their parents is like, one of the best things, I swear. Except, we found out we gotta put a little almost like, ceremony into it, sort of make a big deal of checking and stuff. Or people don't believe it. Too fast," Josh says and shrugs.

"What about you?" he asks and squeezes Wanda's hand. He waits for her to order and then asks for his waffle cone and pays.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
The woman is all smiles as she listens to the progress Josh has been making. "Wow, that will be helpful if you don't need to get into a fight itself to help people," she says. She might like that he not be involved in fights in the first place. But she won't ask him that. "How far away can you work at?" she asks him.

Wanda looks over the flavors and then orders some sweet cream with chocolate sprinkles on it. The ice cream is soon forthcoming, Wanda getting hers in a dark sugar cone. She grabs extra napkins to stuff in her pocket before they walk back outside.

"Meeting with the CDC. Gathering the medical staff for Atlantis. Making arrangements with the Atlanteans. And also trying to make more progress on the protection spell for the school," she tells him as they step back outside, the warm August day closing back in the moment they are out of the air-conditioning.

A truck passes on the street, breaks squealing as it slows to make a turn, and then the way is clear for them to cross the street into Central Park. "And I had a little run in with a couple of members of a group known as the Deathweb," she says with a frown.

Elixir has posed:
"Not sure exactly. Got a few people at once up to about 20 feet two days ago," Josh says.

Josh licks his ice cream and smiles. Such a simple thing. He holds the door open for Wanda then crosses the street with her.

"The CDC," Josh says with a smile. "How cool is that? What were they like?"

He looks over with obvious concern when Wanda mentions a run in. "That doesn't sound good... Who the heck are the Deathweb? You gonna be okay?" He knows he is essentially asking one of the most powerful mutants on the planet if she can handle herself. He knows it's a stupid question. But to him she is Wanda, the woman he loves desperately. He can't help but ask.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda waits until they are across the street to get her first lick of the ice cream cone, getting some of the chocolate sprinkles curled onto her tongue as well. "The CDC... less like a government bureaucracy than I'd imagined, but more like that one than I'd hoped?" she says with a soft laugh. "You could tell the doctors from the bureaucrats. A bit of arguing and maneuvering over who should go. I had little patience for it, but tried to stay quiet and let it work itself out. I don't want to get on their bad sides and have them cause the kind of little annoyances that I've found can result from that."

The entrance to Central Park is a large arch of metal, bearing the park's name. They stroll beneath it, and soon the expanses of pavement are giving way to the rolling green land with paths stretching through. Wanda smiles over to Josh, squeezing his hand as they wander in the direction of the lakes. "The Deathweb, new group as far as I know. I got word of an attack on a senator. Two attackers who had a senator and his aids pinned down. Head of the Judiciary committee so he had some Secret Service with him," she says. Wanda shakes her head. "They poisoned the agents. They should be ok but it seemed like nasty stuff. One of the attacks, the male, was a teleporter. I got there just in time. The woman could shoot webs and hit me with something toxic as well though I was able to heal myself," she says, showing Josh her forearm, which has only a small reddish mark on it like an allergic reaction. "I drove them both off but he teleported them away before I could capture them," she says.

Elixir has posed:
Josh chuckles. "Yeah, the hospitals are kind of like that, too. It's like, come on, let's just get this done!" Josh empathizes while they walk.

He tears his eyes away from Wanda to look around the park. Josh has memories of coming to the park with family, but they seem far away. Wanda is now.

"That's nuts, I'm glad you're okay... I knew something happened, but wow," Josh says. The red mark seems to bother him and he raises an eyebrow to Wanda, as if asking permission her permission. "Can't believe they'd attack a senator, that's a big deal. What'd they want?"

?

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda reaches her arm out towards Josh, knowing it isn't a big thing for her to deal with, but that he'll probably feel about taking care of her than the actual amount of annoyance it will ease her.

And making Josh feel better? That's something Wanda loves to do.

She walks along with him, giving her ice cream cone a few more licks. Working around it in a circle to keep any one side from melting too much. "You seemed a bit alarmed the other day. When you were going to the museum. I never did hear how the trip turned out," she tells him. "Students getting in trouble touching exhibits they shouldn't have?" she asks with a small grin.

Wanda glances around the park, seeing the few families that are out on a weekday. Working spouses meeting their stay at home partners for lunch with the kids. It makes her smile and squeeze Josh's hand softly, her thoughts straying towards what it would be like to have that.

Elixir has posed:
Josh quickly waves away the red mark on Wanda's arm and probably does feel more relief than she does. It bothered him on its own, in addition to the fact it was the remains of injury to Wanda.

He follows Wanda's gaze out to the families meeting in the park and grins. Josh presses close against the beautiful woman's side, feeling just the same. He leans close as if to kiss Wanda on the cheek... And then steals a lick of her ice cream and grins at her. It would be far more impressive if he didn't have some on the end of his nose now.

"I really want her over here," he muses with a bit of a sigh. "It's hard to be patient with all this paperwork."

Josh shakes his head a bit and then smirks. "The field trip? Oh man, I'm not going on any more field trips. Some crazy rhino-looking guy was robbing a bank or something right next to the museum, and he knocked over the whole bus! And the first thing I thought was like, man, not again..." he laughs. "Worked out fine, he was like, super tough, even Sam was having a hard time with him. I made start yakking though and then the others wiped the floor with him. It was pretty gross though.. Borscht like, everywhere."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda lets out a laugh at the deception to get at her ice cream. Plus the bit of cold sweet cream that is stuck on the end of his nose after. "I'd wipe your nose with one of the napkins," she tells him her typically slow delivery. "But ice cream thieves shall be given no respite," Wanda tells him, "it says that in the Bible I'm pretty sure."

She grins and leans back against him, the pair looking much like what they are, a couple in love taking a stroll together through the park. Wanda glances over, surprise showing as the tale about the museum goes in entirely unexpected directions. "That... so you were the ones that apprehended Rhino? I saw it in the police reports but they said things like unidentified heroes, and some guy faking a Spider-Man mask," she says, shaking her head.

"Everyone was ok though? He is not an easy adversary," Wanda says slowly. The extra little tightness of her arm about Josh's waist is a mix of relief and protection.

Up ahead the lake can be seen.

Elixir has posed:
"Oh no! The 11th commandment," Josh jokes and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. "Man, rookie mistake."

Josh sighs goodnaturedly. "Yeah, that was us. Really, it was Sam, Roberto and Peter. They laid waste to that. I'd never heard of him before, but man... He actually ran through the wall of the bank or whatever with a bag of loot!" Josh says and laughs. "Like, seriously."

"But yeah, everyone was fine. Been a weird few days though. You hear about the Baskin Robbins thing? Some sent like, an actual hit team with laser rifles or something to try and kill Rogue. Which was fucking stupid, but they tried. Rogue was with a few others and they laid /waste/ to the guys. One of them was just paste, which I didn't even know could happen. And this other was half melted."

Josh looks around to make sure nobody is close enough to overhear. "And he was full on dead when I got to him. And I thought...," Josh shrugs. "Woke up a couple hours later back at Salem where I was doing my shift when it all happened? Guy walked out of hospital." Josh grins but it looks... off. Through their bond Wanda feels something is not quite right with him. He is deeply uneasy. Or maybe a little off-balance. The feeling fades like a passing cloud over the sun and Josh's 1000 watt smile returns.

"It's really nice here," he says and looks around as they approach the lake. "Pretty. Think Anna would like it? Can't wait to show her everything...."

Josh bumps Wanda playfully and realizes his ice cream is about to get the better of him. He quickly does some damage control. "You hear from Lorna lately?" he asks while stemming the flow of melting ice cream.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Soft green eyes gaze over at Josh, concern writ across Wanda's face as she hears of what transpired. "I had not heard of that," she says with a frown. "I'm glad Rogue is alright. She's a friend," Wanda ways. Though her thoughts are more on what transpired at the hospital. "Maybe we can talk more about that other part later," she comments, but doesn't want to bring down Josh's good mood as he moves past the troubling thoughts.

"I'm sure she'd love it," Wanda says. "There are so many love places around the area we could take her to." Wanda does a little work on her own cone, slowly working the sweet treat down to about the level of the cone itself. "I haven't. It's been a busy time, and... I haven't spoken to my father about what is going on either. I know Steve went to speak to him, and I've debated if I am better being involved or staying distant from it for now," she says, looking over to Josh as if curious to hear his thought on it.

Elixir has posed:
"Man, I hope someone can talk some sense into your father," Josh says and looks over to Wanda. "If you can stay out of it... I know it's not my business. People are just getting worked up. Like, Lorna took some students to NYU the other day? There was some kind of protest about your father and they recognized her. I mean, like..."

Josh stops mid-sentence and looks conflicted. "Um. She's fine. Lorna. Just don't want people blaming you or getting stupid. This stuff isn't your fault," Josh says protectively.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
"If I did go, it would have to be quietly," Wanda agrees. "The last thing I want is anyone questioning the Avengers because of my presence," she tells him. "I'm also not sure how persuasive I am going to be able to be with him. Lorna is closest with him. Pietro is openly at odds most of the time. I'm somewhere in the middle," she says with a sigh.

Wanda stops as Josh does. His concern for her brings a soft smile back to Wanda's face. "Hopefully no one does. But then, it's kind of part and parcel for our kind. Or it seems that way sometimes," she says with a sad sigh. "But it means a lot, knowing you care for me," she tells him.

Wanda leans in slowly towards Josh. Tilting her face up towards his. And at the last moment, wiping a little more of her ice cream on his nose before skipping away from him, laughing.

Elixir has posed:
Josh grins. "Of course I do," he says and bends down to... Take ice cream in the nose! He blinks and then laughs. "Ohmigod, You're terrible!" he says while wiping his nose. "I can't believe you!"

He chases after Wanda and wraps his free arm around her waist. He gives her huge exaggerated nuzzles while making playful growling noises, even blowing a raspberry on her neck and laughing.

"So much trouble," he says again and kisses Wanda on the cheek from behind. "I'll have to think up something inappropriate to do you to set you straight," he says mischievously into her ear.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda gives a little squeal at the zerbert to her neck. When it causes anyone to look over though, she's laughing and throwing her arms around Josh, and nearly losing her ice cream as she does, but just keeping it from tipping too far.

She leans in to kiss him for real. "I can think of a few things that... oh, I'd just /hate/ to have you do to me," she whispers to him playfully. She has to turn away or blush though, slipping her arm about his waist.

The small lake is nearby. There are people in rowboats floating about, and others in paddle boats that you sit in side by side and pedal. "Feel like a float on the lake?" she asks him. "We could get one of those at the house," she says, smiling.

Elixir has posed:
"You do look /amazing/ in red," Josh whispers to Wanda when she turns away to avoid blushing.

He looks up toward the lake. "Let's do it! Could you imagine these at our place though? And like, a swim dock and I can put one of those blue curvy slides on it for her. And fishing.... Are you okay with fishing?" Josh asks while they walk over. "Sand, we can bring in sand if we need so she can build sand castles!"

Wanda might be forgiven for having a hard time telling whether Josh is more excited about Anna doing these things or doing them himself with her.

"And some really nice loungers... Cause I get totally get used to seeing you out there tanning," he teases.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
It's the kind of excitement that there is so little difference in, one need not try to discern them apart. Wanda smiles, arm around Josh and leaning in close as they walk over to the rental stand. "All of it sounds marvelous. You do realize we're going to spoil her something terrible though? We'll have to make extra sure she doesn't take such things for granted," Wanda says through her smile.

She lets Josh handle the negotiations for the boat, pitting the man against the 15 year old boy working the counter. "A slide would be great. And we probably need some sort of speed boat so you can go water skiing," Wanda tells Josh. "Something a little faster than these," she says of the row and paddle boats.

Elixir has posed:
Josh mocks innocence. "I wouldn't spoil her! That's like, bad for kids, you know?" he grins. "C'mon, she'll be great. With you for her new mom? Oh that's so weird. You're way too young and hot for like, being called mom. Super hot mom," Josh nods sagely and then laughs.

Josh and the kid behind the counter do battle and come out with a signed waiver, credit card guarantee and the rights to not shiny or new rowboat for an hour or more.

"Oh man... Now you're talking. And a jetski! We can afford... I guess we can," Josh muses with a wondering half-smile. "So weird. I mean, I was lucky, we didn't struggle," Josh hastens to add. "So no complaints. But, like, we weren't looking at houses in the Hamptons or buying boats."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda stands behind Josh, hand brushing his back as he takes care of the arrangements for the boat. "Those look fun. And you know Tony. Or, well you will know him soon enough if you don't already. He'll probably show up with... what's the thing that shoots water out like a jet pack so you can fly around on the water? Only his would be an actual jet pack," she says, laughing.

Wanda smiles as they move over to the rowboat. "I'm too young... and I'm... at least a year older than you," says the woman of 8 or 9 years older. Her eyes flashing at him as if daring Josh to correct her math.

They walk down the dock to the rowboat. "Pacific Princess," she says of the rowboat's rather presumptuous name. "Well, if you take us to the Pacific in it, I will be impressed," Wanda says before climbing down in and taking a seat.

"I think we'll be plenty comfortable. And if we have a need for more money, I imagine we can come up with enough ways to make it readily enough," she says. They do have two of the rarest and most valuable skill sets in the world, after all.

Elixir has posed:
"I thought you were a year younger," Josh deadpans then winks. "Don't even start, I'm trying not to think of being like, a barely not teenage dad. I was telling a couple of the guys in my anatomy class, you met them at Evolution, anyway was telling them and man," he laughs.

Josh walks with Wanda to their little rowboat. He has been in one of these before. Once. In elementary school. He unties the dinghy and in with a silent prayer not to end up in the lake. It is a close thing with a good wobble.

"This boat does have a real princess in it though," Josh points out when he is finally seated. He pushes off the dock with his hand and then gets himself sorted with the oars. "I can't find the on button," he mutters jokingly.

Their little boat does some nice little twists and s-curves before Josh gets the hang of it and can move them in a straight line.

"They're gonna think I'm a drunken sailor," he says wryly.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
"That can be our next stop," Wanda says in reference to the pub. "I still owe them a good luck blessing," she adds with a soft sigh. She paid for the damage to their door when she blew it out of her way as she flew out to chase Josh's kidnappers. But never got a chance to do as she'd meant before the kidnapping happened.

Wanda leans forward, resting her arms on her knees as she sits on the bench Josh is facing as he rows. "I don't imagine most men your age would be ready for something like this. But I can see you look forward to it," she tells him, smiling. During a moment he is letting the boat coast, she leans further forward to brush a small kiss to Josh's lips, before sitting back down again. "Of course, you will have to join a bowling league, and get bowling shirts. I believe that is required in America of fathers?"

Elixir has posed:
Josh colours a bit at Wanda's observation. Then his eyebrows shoot up after the kiss.

"Oh hell no!" he laughs. "Right after you start driving a minivan with a bag full of soccer balls in the back!"

The young man makes another pull, just enough to keep them from coasting to a stop. They drift gently across the flat calm lake. Josh looks around them.

"Yeah, maybe it's weird," Josh says, going back to Wanda's earlier comment about being ready to be a father. "I dunno. It feels right though... I'm pretty stoked."

"I don't imagine most women any age would be willing to buy a house with their new boyfriend while he adopts a kid from overseas," Josh says with a smile.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Warm laughter results and Wanda says, "But that is what I'm signing up for. Mini-vans and soccer balls," Wanda says. "We'll need someone 24/7 to be there, given how our lives are. But you don't think I'd miss her soccer games if I can help it, do you?" she asks him with a small grin.

Wanda's eyes shine across the short space between them. "And those other women... they don't know the hearts of the men they love. Not as I know yours," Wanda tells him.

She moves over to join Josh on the seat, leaning against him. She's content to just float on the water with him and enjoy the day. Though that might not be meant to be.

"Help! Help!" a woman's voice shouts, and there's a loud splash of water. About 30 yards away, a woman is standing in a rowboat which is tipping precariously because of it. There's a big disturbance in the water like someone just went in there. A few moments later, a man's head surfaces. "I can't find him!" he says and then swims back underwater again.

Elixir has posed:
"No... You're a treasure," Josh says with a happy sigh. "I was gonna ask though..."

His head snaps over with the yelling. "Can you find whoever's in the water?" Josh asks Wanda without looking away from the woman and the man. He scoots to the center of the seat just in the moment that Wanda moves so he can do so and start to row. Synchronicity again.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda jumps up to her feet, her hands spread out to either side of her as that... whatever it is... red... gathers around her hands. She extends her hands and a scarlet aura extends across the top of the water all the way to the other boat, and then sinks beneath the waves.

Wanda's head is turned as if listening. She's motionless, balancing on her feet in the boat as it moves unevenly as Josh's strong muscles pull the rowboat nearer. Just about the time he'd be ready to slow them, Wanda says, "I have him. He's not breathing."

Wanda's hands move in a swirl and mime lifting something. The water's surface breaks nearby and a child's body emerges, a boy of about three or four. He lifts out of the water surrounded by that aura, and brought over to Wanda and Josh's row boat.

The mother is crying at the sight of his body hanging limp in the air. The father appears above water again, seeing his son and swimming swiftly for the boat.

Elixir has posed:
Josh turns his attention to Wanda as soon as she begins doing what she does. It still mystifies him deeply. It is surreal, otherworldly.

"Might just be water in the lungs," Josh says. "You can bring him round, right?"

The oars dip in the water to slow the boat to a stop and Josh pushes in the other direction to set it slowly moving away from the swimmer.

Josh turns in his seat. "Stop! Let the Avenger help," Josh yells at the swimmer. He repeats himself and pushes again, gauging whether this guy has enough wits left to avoid putting them all in danger. "Make him stop so he doesn't tip us in!" Josh shouts at the child's mother.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda is focused on the child, bringing his body over to their boat and lying him down on the seat. "Yes, we should have the best with healing do this," she tells Josh, moving her hands overtop of the boy and wearing a layer of red above him. But Wanda looks up to Josh expectantly, her magic not penetrating down into him, but sure giving the appearance it is to anyone at a distance.

The woman hears 'Avenger' and sees the glow. "Jeff! Jeff! It's the Avengers, let them help him!" she starts screaming at her husband. It makes him pause. He's unable to see into the boat.

Elixir has posed:
"Got it," Josh says with a half-smile to Wanda.

He kneels in the bottom of the boat and scoops up the boy. First the boy is flipped over to lie head down on one of Josh's arms. The other gives what do look like painfully firm blows to the boy's back. Josh's expression is flat, detached. Water pours from the child's mouth and nose.

A couple of more blows after the water stops and Josh flips the child back over and cradles him. Josh's glow is masked by the Avenger's red aura then fades. The boy wakes with a start and looks around.

Emotion returns to Josh's face and he smiles down at the child. The boy is quite calm and his pupils are just a little big.

"Hey, your dad's looking for you, want to see him? He's /swimming/, it's very cool," Josh says to the boy as if this is most normal thing in the world.

Josh turns and stands the child, in all his wet clothed glory, in the bow of the row boat for his parents to see. He smiles and waves to the man in the water. "Can you wave for your dad?" Josh asks.

The boy smiles and giggles a bit and waves. He bounces in place with Josh hanging on to him under the arms.

"Why are you swimming?" the boy asks his father.

Josh looks over his shoulder and smiles at Wanda. "Wanna send him to his mom?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda moves carefully across the boat to join Josh and the boy. She stays sitting down to help balance them though. The father is gasping at the sight of his son being ok. There are tears there though they are disguised by the fact his face is wet. Though Josh and Wanda can tell. "Michael, Michael you're ok," he says.

Wanda leans over to look over the edge of the boat. "Let's get your family back together," she tells him. Her fingers splay at different angles, making one wonder if that is a necessary part of her magic. The red aura gathers about her hands and she tells Michael, "You're going to fly over to your Mommy now with your Dad, ok?" The boy nods his head and then Wanda gently lifts the boy, and also his father out of the water. The two fly slowly over the short distance back to their row boat and inside safely. The mother immediately throws her arms around the boy, and the father's arms go around both.

Wanda sighs and she slides her arms around Josh as they watch the family's love. "How could I not want that?" she whispers to him.