I'm checking up on Percy, though I imagine he's alright. You know how boys are. They don't think about keeping in touch even if the worst has happened. Will you be in Nocwich? I want to give you something.
( that's mostly the reason why wanda wanted to get in touch with her, initially. make sure she'd be able to give annabeth the small care package she's put together.
she will probably give annabeth's to percy if she ends up seeing him first. )
You can tell me, Annabeth. I'm not an expert in war like your mother, or you, maybe. But I have seen a lot of war, I was raised in it after my brother and I lost our parents. I have lost so many of my loved ones to it.
( strangely enough, wanda understands. she understands this too well, wanting to push away what is either legacy or something befit to her through prophecy. she frowns at the words annabeth sends back to her.
I know a place that has some really good herbal mixes.
( and wanda will communicate as much, over a series of more messages, the directions to get to the ivory bloom lounge. she waits for the young woman at the door, a tote bag hanging from her shoulder—stitched, it seems, by the more rudimentary measures of solvunn's crafts and materials.
she smiles at annabeth, lingering for a moment before reaching out lightly for one of her hands. it is remnants of the 'future lives' they had as gods, wherein percy, as her 'son', having a relationship with annabeth clearly put her as one of wanda's own—a daughter when she'd had none (and a quiet thought, wondering, if she would have ever had seen either of her boys bring a girl home—tommy, most likely, from what she knew of a grown up billy).
with a light squeeze of annabeth's hand—physical touch is important to wanda—she lets go, ushering the girl to follow her up the stairs and inside. )
It's hard to find tea drinking partners. Everyone seems to prefer coffee.
[ unlike their encounters in the horizon where annabeth typically struts in jeans and a t-shirt, she's in the thorne equivalent - simple tunic, comfortable pants. she finds the lounge easy enough and lifts her hand in a little wave when she spots wanda waiting, curious after the interior - she hasn't been yet. ]
[ the first time around annabeth was startled by wanda's physical affection, but she's more ready for it now she knows they're okay post illusion. she doesn't jump and it isn't unwelcome; she even gives wanda's hand a brief tentative squeeze back before they head upstairs. as they make for a table, she looks up and around at the design, both the structural and decorative. ]
I hate to break it to you, but I do have a slight preference for coffee. Mostly for the caffeine. [ not that it's available here, but she definitely drinks too much coffee for a teenager. ]
But I do enjoy tea. And hot chocolate. [ maybe she simply enjoys a toasty hot beverage. ]
( coffee was too expensive back home, especially during the civil unrest, but, as children, tea was something that she and pietro were often invited to have with something sweet—like a slice of cake or a honeyed biscuit—as they sat with their parents or neighbors or the parents of their childhood friends. it's as much a preference as it is a choice in keeping those fonder memories alive. )
As long as you don't call it flavored hot water, then I won't condemn you for preferring coffee. You Americans are very persistent with your coffeeshops and Starbuckses.
( here, though, this tea shop offers a different backdrop to that spoken glimpse of modernity.
wanda takes a seat at a table, waits for annabeth to join her, and calls the serve to bring them a pot with a blend of white herbs—usually wanda's to-go-to here. she is inviting, of course, so she asks, too, for a sampler of their most recent baked goods to go with it. once the server goes, it's as if wanda remembers the tote she carries. )
Oh. These are for you.
( she passes the tote bag over the side of the table for annabeth to take. inside, wrapped in thin paper, are soaps and candles; inside jars are what look like lotions and creams, each carrying a label. there's also sunscreen in the mix. )
I use ingredients that I find in Solvunn and Nocwich, but I cheat and use my magic to make them the equivalent of what we are more familiar with.
[ she laughs a little, despite herself. ] I live in New York! There's a non-Starbucks coffee shop on every corner.
[ and it's very easy to get coffee at camp half-blood, given the way it magics food for them all. she needs it for the miscellaneous all-nighters she's pulled, for miscellaneous reasons. ]
[ even after sitting at the table, annabeth remains a little distracted by the decor, by the arches in the ceiling, by the general ambience - it does feel closer to home than anywhere she's been in thorne so far. she peers curiously into the bag, without any real idea of what to expect - which should bother her, but it doesn't. sometimes it's nice to be surprised, especially when it's a nice one. ]
You made them? Gods, I've really missed some of the normal stuff I'm used to. [ she pulls out one of the lotions to uncap and smell it. ] Thank you.
( ooc: i know you're off on holiday/traveling, so get back to it when you can ♥ or if we need to handwave this when you do return, just lmk! )
( wanda smiles, but at her accomplishment of getting annabeth to laugh (even if it's to show some amount of indignation at a jab regarding coffee), and at being able to give her something that she clearly cares to have. )
I started doing them for myself a while back, because I missed having shampoo and conditioner, and all these things that you take for granted unless you are tossed in some backwards, medieval place. ( —a light smile at that— ) I make enough to share with others.
( though she is sure each territory has its own notion of skin care, but wanda personally isn't keen enough on using 'cheese juice' to try it out. )
I can bring you more any time you run out, or if you have any specific things you'd like, too. Though my mom would say that rice water and cold cucumbers would do the trick just fine.
( she offers a light shrug; who knows, maybe it's all just placebo. )
[ given the general state of annabeth's messy curls, she most definitely doesn't put as much effort into their care as she should - but she's been getting a little better about hair care as she gets older and actually does the research on it. as a kid, it was mostly just a bother. sometimes it still is. her dad certainly didn't help figure it out. ]
[ she offers wanda a smile anyway, at the gift and the future offer for more of it. ]
I've just kind of been using whatever's on hand on Thorne, so it'll be nice to use real shampoo again for once. [ she pauses. ] I guess there are some that are better for curly hair, but I've been using the regular ones forever.
[ she pauses again. ] Can you give them different scents? I like citruses. Lemons and stuff.
( yeah, wanda can definitely see some defined curls on her hair that have, perhaps, seen better days. wanda leans in, raising her hand over the table, a quiet ask for permission, before she lets her fingers brush lightly over one of annabeth's blond tresses. )
I can do citruses.
( for the next batch, then. her gaze lingers on her hair until wanda pulls back, ultimately, and holds annabeth's eyes with her own. )
I used to fix my brother's hair for him. He tried a lot of hairstyles when we were growing up. ( hands drawn back, she plays with some of the rings on her fingers. ) Our mother would made me take good care of my own, so I never really bleached it like he did.
( and now it's longer than it's ever been, a dark chestnut falling between her shoulders. )
You have beautiful hair. I can change the products now if you'd like.
[ she's getting more used to wanda's easy, thoughtless (positive) affection via touch, and she finds she doesn't mind. she likes it, because she's often bursting with her own affections. ]
[ annabeth smiles a little with the compliment towards her hair, feeling more aware than ever of the way some of the curls are falling out of the ponytail she'd hastily shoved it in this morning and the knots she should probably untangle. there's a streak of gray in it, harder to notice in the blonde, but wanda's probably astute enough to notice percy has a matching one. ]
Thanks. [ it's nice to hear, even if she doesn't often strive for that sort of attention. ] But I know it's a mess, don't worry.
[ she wraps her hands around her teacup and considers what wanda said, about her brother, her mother, and the threads of them looking after one another. she tries to imagine athena offering her curls advice and nearly laughs out loud. she fought too much with her stepmother. there hadn't really been anyone to teach her, save the aphrodite cabin, and she avoided them like the plague as a little kid. ]
So you're something of an expert. [ it's a little teasing. ] I started going to Camp when I was seven, and Athena kids don't exactly prioritize hair care. I'm... still learning what's best for it, I guess.
( even if it's a mess, it doesn't make the fact that her hair is beautiful any less true. wanda's smile is soft, geared first towards the server who brings them their tea and biscuits; she worries on pouring the tea onto their cups from the pot. )
Camp? For others — like you?
( demigods, she means.
once the pot is set down, cups filled, wanda perches back onto her chair, feeling more relaxed. )
My magic can alter reality. I'll change them before you leave. ( no need to do it right away. ) And perhaps I am something of an expert. I've cut the hair of too many of the guys in Solvunn at this point. ( —she can be trusted with scissors, basically. ) Your hair would look nice in a braid.
[ annabeth shoots the server a nod and a smile of thanks too before bringing the cup up to her mouth, blowing on it. then she nods at wanda's question. ]
It's called Camp Half-Blood. It's a safe haven for us, and we learn how to fight, defend ourselves. You might have seen some of it, if you've been to Percy's horizon - part of it was recreated there, like the strawberry fields.
[ the other demigods might have left abraxas, but percy and annabeth have kept their domains connected and kept camp a part of it too. it's a home for them both, in different ways. ]
[ she grins a little. ] I know how to braid. I taught myself the french and dutch versions too. It's better to keep it out of my face - that much I can do for it.
( that must have been where annabeth and percy met. the strawberry fields are definitely a highlight in her mind, one of her favorite spots in the horizon, but it makes even more sense.
she looks down at her cup, turning it over and around with her ring-adorned fingers. )
It's different when someone braids it for you, though. ( isn't it? wanda thinks about the times her mother would brush her hair, braid it for bed. how much love and trust there was in such actions. ) I can teach you how we braid them in the Balkans area.
[ their very first words spoken to each other were a very romantic "you drool when you sleep." ]
[ she nods a little but doesn't say anything, because the last person to braid her hair besides herself was probably piper, and before piper... maybe thalia, before she even got to camp as a child. she'd had some athena siblings try to help, but it's not the same. she has been teaching percy how to braid, though he's not quite there yet - but it's fine, because it just means he plays with her hair longer. ]
[ all this to say she hasn't had a lot of people braid her hair for her either, like many things. ]
Yeah. It'd be fun to learn more kinds. [ as if she'd ever say no to learning. wanda feels like she'd be a good teacher. ] Is that where you're from?
Edited (sobbing about grammar) 2024-10-15 01:16 (UTC)
( wanda nods at the question, looking up at annabeth. their conversation has been pushing past the very obvious implications of war between the territories, and wanda is aware of how she herself feels about that; knows now, too, that annabeth has some feelings about conflict.
her response might steer them away entirely from a conversation so casual about braids. )
It was a small country. There was civil unrest and a lot of conflict since I was a kid. ( —quickly, she shakes her head. ) I don't want to bring the mood down. It makes me happy to share small things, like braids. It feels like things like that are one of the last things I have from my home, from my mother.
[ she'd started it first, perhaps, when she brought up her own mother's domain in the midst of what annabeth perceived as a simple check in. she offers wanda a smaller smile, something understanding and sympathetic towards both her childhood and her desire not to delve too deeply. ]
I'm a pretty quick learner. And I like braiding. We're Greek demigods, so, maybe learning about something from the real Balkans will come extra easy to me. [ it's half a joke. but she very much likes the idea of wanda sharing something like this with her. it makes her feel pretty good. ]
[ she looks down at her tea. when she thinks of home, she doesn't necessarily think of her mother, or her father and certainly not her stepmother - she thinks of camp and percy's hand in hers. ]
My mom gave me a hat that lets me turn invisible. Not really a lot to pass on there, but it's been useful.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I'm okay. I wasn't hurt during any of it. Mostly it made me feel kind of weird.
Are you okay?
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Yeah. I was in the middle of one, before coming here. And my mom is... you know. The goddess of warfare. I'm not unfamiliar with war at all.
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( that's mostly the reason why wanda wanted to get in touch with her, initially. make sure she'd be able to give annabeth the small care package she's put together.
she will probably give annabeth's to percy if she ends up seeing him first. )
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[ but she probably has an advantage there. girlfriend privilege. ]
But yes, we usually both go. It's nice to see everyone we normally can't.
I'm really tired of it, honestly. Maybe I shouldn't be, but just because I understand war doesn't mean I
Sorry, I've been thinking a lot about it lately.
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I guess it's like sometimes I don't want to be an expert, you know?
I saw what the Heralds did. I don't want to be like that.
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that uncertainty. )
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Sure. In Nocwich?
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( and wanda will communicate as much, over a series of more messages, the directions to get to the ivory bloom lounge. she waits for the young woman at the door, a tote bag hanging from her shoulder—stitched, it seems, by the more rudimentary measures of solvunn's crafts and materials.
she smiles at annabeth, lingering for a moment before reaching out lightly for one of her hands. it is remnants of the 'future lives' they had as gods, wherein percy, as her 'son', having a relationship with annabeth clearly put her as one of wanda's own—a daughter when she'd had none (and a quiet thought, wondering, if she would have ever had seen either of her boys bring a girl home—tommy, most likely, from what she knew of a grown up billy).
with a light squeeze of annabeth's hand—physical touch is important to wanda—she lets go, ushering the girl to follow her up the stairs and inside. )
It's hard to find tea drinking partners. Everyone seems to prefer coffee.
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[ the first time around annabeth was startled by wanda's physical affection, but she's more ready for it now she knows they're okay post illusion. she doesn't jump and it isn't unwelcome; she even gives wanda's hand a brief tentative squeeze back before they head upstairs. as they make for a table, she looks up and around at the design, both the structural and decorative. ]
I hate to break it to you, but I do have a slight preference for coffee. Mostly for the caffeine. [ not that it's available here, but she definitely drinks too much coffee for a teenager. ]
But I do enjoy tea. And hot chocolate. [ maybe she simply enjoys a toasty hot beverage. ]
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As long as you don't call it flavored hot water, then I won't condemn you for preferring coffee. You Americans are very persistent with your coffeeshops and Starbuckses.
( here, though, this tea shop offers a different backdrop to that spoken glimpse of modernity.
wanda takes a seat at a table, waits for annabeth to join her, and calls the serve to bring them a pot with a blend of white herbs—usually wanda's to-go-to here. she is inviting, of course, so she asks, too, for a sampler of their most recent baked goods to go with it. once the server goes, it's as if wanda remembers the tote she carries. )
Oh. These are for you.
( she passes the tote bag over the side of the table for annabeth to take. inside, wrapped in thin paper, are soaps and candles; inside jars are what look like lotions and creams, each carrying a label. there's also sunscreen in the mix. )
I use ingredients that I find in Solvunn and Nocwich, but I cheat and use my magic to make them the equivalent of what we are more familiar with.
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[ and it's very easy to get coffee at camp half-blood, given the way it magics food for them all. she needs it for the miscellaneous all-nighters she's pulled, for miscellaneous reasons. ]
[ even after sitting at the table, annabeth remains a little distracted by the decor, by the arches in the ceiling, by the general ambience - it does feel closer to home than anywhere she's been in thorne so far. she peers curiously into the bag, without any real idea of what to expect - which should bother her, but it doesn't. sometimes it's nice to be surprised, especially when it's a nice one. ]
You made them? Gods, I've really missed some of the normal stuff I'm used to. [ she pulls out one of the lotions to uncap and smell it. ] Thank you.
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( wanda smiles, but at her accomplishment of getting annabeth to laugh (even if it's to show some amount of indignation at a jab regarding coffee), and at being able to give her something that she clearly cares to have. )
I started doing them for myself a while back, because I missed having shampoo and conditioner, and all these things that you take for granted unless you are tossed in some backwards, medieval place. ( —a light smile at that— ) I make enough to share with others.
( though she is sure each territory has its own notion of skin care, but wanda personally isn't keen enough on using 'cheese juice' to try it out. )
I can bring you more any time you run out, or if you have any specific things you'd like, too. Though my mom would say that rice water and cold cucumbers would do the trick just fine.
( she offers a light shrug; who knows, maybe it's all just placebo. )
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[ given the general state of annabeth's messy curls, she most definitely doesn't put as much effort into their care as she should - but she's been getting a little better about hair care as she gets older and actually does the research on it. as a kid, it was mostly just a bother. sometimes it still is. her dad certainly didn't help figure it out. ]
[ she offers wanda a smile anyway, at the gift and the future offer for more of it. ]
I've just kind of been using whatever's on hand on Thorne, so it'll be nice to use real shampoo again for once. [ she pauses. ] I guess there are some that are better for curly hair, but I've been using the regular ones forever.
[ she pauses again. ] Can you give them different scents? I like citruses. Lemons and stuff.
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I can do citruses.
( for the next batch, then. her gaze lingers on her hair until wanda pulls back, ultimately, and holds annabeth's eyes with her own. )
I used to fix my brother's hair for him. He tried a lot of hairstyles when we were growing up. ( hands drawn back, she plays with some of the rings on her fingers. ) Our mother would made me take good care of my own, so I never really bleached it like he did.
( and now it's longer than it's ever been, a dark chestnut falling between her shoulders. )
You have beautiful hair. I can change the products now if you'd like.
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[ annabeth smiles a little with the compliment towards her hair, feeling more aware than ever of the way some of the curls are falling out of the ponytail she'd hastily shoved it in this morning and the knots she should probably untangle. there's a streak of gray in it, harder to notice in the blonde, but wanda's probably astute enough to notice percy has a matching one. ]
Thanks. [ it's nice to hear, even if she doesn't often strive for that sort of attention. ] But I know it's a mess, don't worry.
[ she wraps her hands around her teacup and considers what wanda said, about her brother, her mother, and the threads of them looking after one another. she tries to imagine athena offering her curls advice and nearly laughs out loud. she fought too much with her stepmother. there hadn't really been anyone to teach her, save the aphrodite cabin, and she avoided them like the plague as a little kid. ]
So you're something of an expert. [ it's a little teasing. ] I started going to Camp when I was seven, and Athena kids don't exactly prioritize hair care. I'm... still learning what's best for it, I guess.
You can change them that easily?
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Camp? For others — like you?
( demigods, she means.
once the pot is set down, cups filled, wanda perches back onto her chair, feeling more relaxed. )
My magic can alter reality. I'll change them before you leave. ( no need to do it right away. ) And perhaps I am something of an expert. I've cut the hair of too many of the guys in Solvunn at this point. ( —she can be trusted with scissors, basically. ) Your hair would look nice in a braid.
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It's called Camp Half-Blood. It's a safe haven for us, and we learn how to fight, defend ourselves. You might have seen some of it, if you've been to Percy's horizon - part of it was recreated there, like the strawberry fields.
[ the other demigods might have left abraxas, but percy and annabeth have kept their domains connected and kept camp a part of it too. it's a home for them both, in different ways. ]
[ she grins a little. ] I know how to braid. I taught myself the french and dutch versions too. It's better to keep it out of my face - that much I can do for it.
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she looks down at her cup, turning it over and around with her ring-adorned fingers. )
It's different when someone braids it for you, though. ( isn't it? wanda thinks about the times her mother would brush her hair, braid it for bed. how much love and trust there was in such actions. ) I can teach you how we braid them in the Balkans area.
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[ she nods a little but doesn't say anything, because the last person to braid her hair besides herself was probably piper, and before piper... maybe thalia, before she even got to camp as a child. she'd had some athena siblings try to help, but it's not the same. she has been teaching percy how to braid, though he's not quite there yet - but it's fine, because it just means he plays with her hair longer. ]
[ all this to say she hasn't had a lot of people braid her hair for her either, like many things. ]
Yeah. It'd be fun to learn more kinds. [ as if she'd ever say no to learning. wanda feels like she'd be a good teacher. ] Is that where you're from?
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her response might steer them away entirely from a conversation so casual about braids. )
It was a small country. There was civil unrest and a lot of conflict since I was a kid. ( —quickly, she shakes her head. ) I don't want to bring the mood down. It makes me happy to share small things, like braids. It feels like things like that are one of the last things I have from my home, from my mother.
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I'm a pretty quick learner. And I like braiding. We're Greek demigods, so, maybe learning about something from the real Balkans will come extra easy to me. [ it's half a joke. but she very much likes the idea of wanda sharing something like this with her. it makes her feel pretty good. ]
[ she looks down at her tea. when she thinks of home, she doesn't necessarily think of her mother, or her father and certainly not her stepmother - she thinks of camp and percy's hand in hers. ]
My mom gave me a hat that lets me turn invisible. Not really a lot to pass on there, but it's been useful.