( 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.
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no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 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. )
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
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.