there's nothing here to run from...

[seeingscarlet]

Bones sinking like stones
All that we've fought for
Homes, places we've grown
All of us are done for
We live in a beautiful world...

Clairity – Don't Panic 

For the first time in a while, Wanda can breathe. Not because everything's all right, or because she's finally safe, but out of resignation. What more can she possibly do? The former Avengers had set up a safe house in London, and on her way there she'd felt something strange coming from the building with the intricate window, something very much like her own power but not. It was foolishness, perhaps, to hope that some similarity between them might outweigh the handsome reward for her capture, but...Wanda had to try. What if she wasn't the only one in the world with strange powers? She's desperate for some kind of kinship now, some kind of help. Clearly teaching herself hasn't been good enough, and she misses the days when she and Pietro could at least bounce ideas off each other.

In theory, all she has to do is knock on a door.

It had probably helped her case that it had been raining, and her time in the Raft had taken an obvious toll on her physically. What were the sorcerers to do, turn her away when she was soaked to the bone and clearly not well? They recognized her - how could they not - and Wanda had caught some snippets of conversation that more than one of the adepts had thought they should have been prepared for her to find them one day.

They've left her in some sort of sitting room while they go to fetch a 'Master Strange' (really? is that seriously his name?) and Wanda's finally removed her soaked hat and scarf, curling into herself while she waits. She only bothers with the latter to hide the burns on her neck; if she went outside with those exposed she'd be caught in seconds.

Either Master Strange will take pity on her and she'll finally be able to get some help, or he won't and she'll slink back to the safe house and follow through with the rest of Nat's plan to create her cover. It can't possibly be worse. But still, she can't help but almost jump out of her skin when the door finally opens.

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[nomadeupname]

If she looks overwhelmed, Stephen doesn't make any indications that he's seen picked up on it. But it comes at no surprise that she might be: the Masters of the Mystic Arts have always operated from the shadows, and coming into contact with such an organization is overwhelming to anyone: he knows that better than most. The Cloak, however, must have felt her nervousness, and gathers a bit of cloth together, before waving it at Wanda, as if waving a hand.

Strange arches an eyebrow slowly: "It all depends on what you are seeking here, miss Maximoff. But if it can reassure you, I have recently helped a friend of yours, to reunite with his lost father. I believe you are familiar with the god of thunder himself, yes?"

But before she can say anything to that, the door of the room opens again, with one of the adepts that brought her in carrying a tray with tea, honey and bread and butter. She sets it on the table before serving them both a cup, and Stephen dismisses her once she's starred at Wanda for a moment longer than appropriate. The door closes quietly behind her as he shakes his head, reaching for his cup:

"Don't mind them. I think it's the first time they've seen an Avenger other than on the newscasts." There's no mention of the fugitive state she's now in: it matters very little to Stephen anyway. The laws he follows now are not the laws of men anymore. Beside, no matter what the American government is saying about her and her teammates, she still helped saving thousands of innocent lives, and it's what counts most here. That and the fact that calling the cops to the Sanctum means actually putting it on a map S.H.I.E.L.D. could get its hands on. Not in his lifetime.

Stephen takes a sip from the tea, musing the answer to her question: "Your powers, they were driven from an Infinity Stones, were they not?"

It's an educated guess, since the power she radiates feels much like the Stone around his neck.

"You're in a what we call the London Sanctum," he starts before putting his tea cup back on the coffee table. He waves his hands in front of him, twisting around before opening them up, creating an illusion of the same map of the ley lines that is in the Kamar-Taj library. The globe turns on itself as Stephen keeps on his explanation:

"There are three of these Sanctums, each built in places of great power, using that power to create a mystical shield protecting the Earth. We guard the Sanctums, through mastery of the Mystic Arts. Through magic, if you prefer."

[seeingscarlet]

Finally, the Cloak's antics get a small smile and wave out of her. "Hello to you too," she says, feeling a tiny bit braver. "And it's Wanda."

Okay, she's thought about points of escape already (bailing out the window seems the most promising if they do try to call the police on her), but looking around, she's pretty sure they can't hand her over without exposing themselves. It's oddly comforting; if she is already out of her depth then she can only imagine what Ross would have to say about a place like this.

Wanda reaches for her cup and just holds it for a moment, savoring the small amount of warmth. "Yes. Somehow," she murmurs, finally looking up from the rising steam. That's not common knowledge. Maybe this hadn't been a mistake after all.

But when Stephen summons the illusory globe, Wanda's eyes finally light up with true, unadulterated wonder, beyond what even the Cloak could evoke. There, there's the same flavor of power she'd felt earlier. "How are you doing that? I thought I was the only one. The only human," she adds quickly. The twins were the only ones HYDRA had been aware of - Strucker was a liar, but his fascination with the Maximoffs had been real.

"You've seen the news? I..." Her gaze drops to her hands. The others should never have been put in the Raft, but there are times Wanda starts to think that maybe she had deserved it. "I don't want to hurt anyone again."

[nomadeupname]

"Wanda," he says with a nod, as if trying her name on his tongue. A pretty name for a pretty girl, but Stephen can easily tell that she's not being as open as she could be. It's not unexpected, he supposes. In all honesty, he wouldn't be so surprised to find out that she's been experimented on while being imprisoned by the American government. Another reason why no one will turn her in while she's with the Masters of the Mystic Arts. None of them wishes to be turned into lab rats either, and would never accept to put someone else through that as well.

Her admission about how her powers came to be earns Wanda a knowing nod. It's different than his own powers, but clear whichever Stone was used on her unlocked her mystical potential without the need for spells. All is left to see is if such raw power is tamable, in her hands.

Stephen smiles lightly at her bewildered expression, and his hands move again, drawing with Eldrich magic into thin air a familiar Mandala Tao shield as he speaks:

"We harness energy... drawn from other dimensions of the Multiverse... to cast spells... to conjure shields... and weapons... to make magic. Through the mystic arts, we harness energy and shape reality."

As he snaps his fingers deftly despite the mangled skin and the tremors, the shield vibrates slightly before dissolving into thousands of orange specks. There's a passing look of realization on his face as he suddenly understands how he's walked right into that one. Somewhere, somehow, the Ancient One ghost is probably smiling down at him, while Stephen is pretty sure he can hear Wong's laughter all the way from Kamar-Taj.

"Even if our magic is different than yours, no, you are not alone in the world." And while it might be pretentious to think so, but perhaps this place is one where she might be able to belong. At least, most of the adept here would understand her better than the rest of the world.

Strange raises an eyebrow slowly as he watches Wanda look down at her own hands. Of course he's seen the news, and he's fully conscious that raw and powerful magic like hers could be dangerous if untamed. But there is such sadness in her voice as she expresses her concerns for others that it's hard to believe she'd use her powers to willingly hurt people. 'Kamar-Taj collects broken things' had once said Kaecilius to him. Perhaps it's still the truth of it, but the monastery is also proof that 'broken' doesn't always mean 'unfixable'. He's the prime example of that.

"I can't the protect the whole world against you, Wanda. But if you are willing to work at it, perhaps I can help you understand better your powers, and while doing so, learn how to control and focus them better than you might be doing now."

[seeingscarlet]

They'd called it carelessness on her part, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Wanda just doesn't really know what she's doing or how to best channel her power. It's nothing at all like the measured energy she can sense behind the glowing mandala - the difference between self-taught and properly trained.

Wanda's eyes light up in wonder again, not unlike Stephen's had that day, and she reaches out to touch the fading golden sparks without a second thought. Why would she hesitate? Were their positions reversed, her power wouldn't harm him unless commanded to, and there's a subtle warmth to him. He at least seems safe, even if Wanda has her doubts about what the Adepts might be doing right now.

It's hard to trust after the rest of the Avengers had let Ross haul them off to the hell that was the Raft, but she so desperately wants to.

"I'd like that. If you're sure." She hesitates for a moment, doubt written all over her face, and bites her lip. This will be the first time she's summoned the hex energy since their escape and for the first time it feels like a vast gap separates her from her power. It's been as much a part of her as a limb or her breath since she first woke up after the experiments, but now...

Wanda closes her eyes, takes a breath-- and lets the cup go.

It doesn't fall. A ball of red light holds it aloft and threads of scarlet energy overflow and run between her hands. It's a living thing, something that won't easily be contained. And yet, if Stephen were to touch it, it would be completely harmless. Wanda looks down at it, then back to him, both anxious to see his reaction and dreading it. If anything, this is the moment of truth, the real test of how much she can trust him.

[nomadeupname]

The look of wonder on her face is one Stephen knows, not only because he wore it himself when he first started to train with the Ancient One, but because it's something he often still sees on the faces of the students, new and old, when they watch him train with Wong or Hamir. It brings a small smile of his lips as he watches Wanda reach for one of the golden flecks before it disappears. The mandala is made of pure multiverse energy, but not design to hurt.

"Nothing is certain, but there's no harm in trying to understand your powers and focus them in a manner that makes you more confident to use them, Wanda."

He can't promise that this is the solution to all of her problem, but Stephen believes that more discipline and more guidance isn't going to hurt, for sure. He's willing to try and help her if she's willing to work at it, that's certain.

Strange watches, intrigued and interested, as Wanda uses her powers to levitate the tea cup in her hand. It's a nice trick, something simple compared to what he's heard she can do, but it's a start. He reaches to take the cup away from the wisps of red energy with one hand, the other reaching for the wisps, watching intently as the scarlet curls around his trembling fingers. There's no trace of fear in his eyes, only wonder: the energy does feel like a living thing, warm too, as if an extension of herself. Enough that he can sense through the energy her fears and doubts, her deeply rooted need to find someone that she can finally trust after being betrayed so many times in her life. For a moment, Stephen wonders of her abilities extend to a psychic level, which would be something completely new for him to work with.

He closes his hand around the scarlet energy and watches it dissipates into thin air:

"That's a neat trick," he says with a bit of mirth, though he's clearly impressed. Channeling such a powerful energy into something as delicate as lifting a cup of tea without crushing it is a feat in his opinion. It shows that she has some control over it, which is all he needs to know in order to help her out.

"There is only one thing I ask of you, if you truly want to do this. I expect you to be honest with me when it comes to your powers. I can not help you if I work with something I barely knows of, or if you withhold information on how we train affects you. Do you understand?"

He doesn't aim at knowing everything about her life and Stephen will certainly respect any boundaries Wanda has, but he can't take that same chance when it comes to her power.

[seeingscarlet]

Wanda watches him intently, unconsciously forgetting to breathe when Stephen actually reaches out and touches a wisp of her power. His hands are shaking, but not from fear. She doesn't need to be a psychic to see the wonder and gentle curiosity in his eyes.

Finally, finally, something in her calms in the face of Stephen's acceptance. Wanda lets out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, settling back into the couch in a more relaxed position. 'A neat trick.' That's a new one, and Wanda manages a real, warm smile.

Maybe this really wasn't such a terrible mistake after all. It's not so hard to meet his gaze anymore.

"No...I understand." It makes sense - how else could he help her? And it's easier to talk about it with someone else with powers, the same way it had always been easier to open up to Vision. Still, there's one final aspect of Wanda's powers that she couldn't blame him for shying away from. Most people do.

"Most of what you've heard is probably true. Nothing is going to explode if I sneeze, but..." She hesitates again, but is spurred on by the memory of how he'd looked at the hex energy earlier. She might make the Adepts nervous, but Stephen's made it clear he's not afraid of her. "I can read minds, if I want to."

[nomadeupname]

He almost smiles the moment he feels Wanda relax in her seat. He doesn't need any kind of psychic powers to sense the change in her and to know he's at the root of it. But there's a wonder of how else she expected him to react to her powers, though it's telling of how people usually reacts to her. A shame, no doubt, for the smile on her face truly warms up her demeanor.

Her admission of her reading minds capacities only manages to raise an eyebrow from Stephen:

"Well, I guess that bars you forever from our weekly Tuesday night poker game," he jokes as he leans back in his own chair. Still, his gaze turns a touch serious for a moment:

"I will admit that this is not something I have encountered before, but it will be good training for the both of us. And I think it goes without saying that my thoughts are to stay my own, unless we train that aspect of your powers. I will do my best to answer any questions you might have, but there will be things concerning our dealings as masters of the mystic arts that I will not share with you, not until I decide you are ready to receive them. I ask that you respect that boundary, for your own safety."

Stephen has to admit to himself that having to train a psychic might be more than what he can bargain for, but turning her around because she can read minds is not a viable option in his mind. Not when Wanda clearly needs the help, and the support. He'll have to trust her first, something he doesn't do often, although there's something about her that makes him feel like he can do so.

"One last thing: your...friends, where we are going, they can't come. Not for the moment. Taking one Avenger in isn't a problem, but we can't become a safe house for the rest of them. We can't afford the attention, I'm sorry to say."

He stands, letting the Cloak clip itself on his shoulders before continuing on: "Before you feel like you're entering a cult or something, you're more than welcome to keep in touch with them if you want, I'm not cutting you off from the world. But training requires focus and dedication at the same time."

Stephen moves to politely offering his hand to help Wanda up from her seat: "London is not where we'll be staying, I'm assigned to watch over the New York Sanctum. If the terms I offer you are within your capacity, then we can leave in two hours."

That's enough time for her to say goodbye and pack up what she might want to take with her, right?

[seeingscarlet]

He jokes about it now, but he might as well have been talking to Wong for how little Wanda reacts. Normally she's much more receptive to humor, but she's so consumed by her anxieties over what might very well be the last straw that it's completely lost on her. "You thoughts, yes." If she's asking him to trust her, she'll have to try to trust him in return. That's only fair. "But your emotions...I can't help that."

And maybe that will be the nail in the coffin...or the boundaries Wanda has to set for herself. Maybe Stephen would expect her to be overjoyed, but instead she just looks terribly conflicted. She hadn't expected him to offer to take her in, especially not in a place she could never set foot outside for fear of being recognized. Slipping away for lessons is one thing, but completely abandoning her responsibilities to the rest of the former Avengers is quite another.

Wanda bites her lip and looks away. "I...I can't stay. They still need me." A beat. "And I am not sure you would be safe."

She's also not entirely sure they'll work well together, or that he can help her at all, and experience has taught her how foolish it is to put all her trust in one person. If even Vision could-- no, no, she has to stop thinking like that. This isn't the same thing at all. But it's still a lot of commitment to ask of either of them right away.