#dangerous! do not let her near any kind of flammable object or she will be setting stuff on fire

[living-in-a-fantasia]

Emma

[lettersnorth]

Given plenty of time to think after her long conversation with Ren, Aislinn came to the decision that it wasn't good for her to go on the way she had been. And more so, perhaps, she owed Cravendy an apology for the way she had acted. A realization that while certainly true, nevertheless left her dragging her feet on the actually doing anything about it. But one day she finally decided to grab the bull by the horns and made her way to Cravendy's room.

She stood outside the door for a good five minutes, staring hard at the wooden surface. To anyone passing by there was no doubt that she looked like it's very premise flummoxed her. But finally, swiftly, before she could change her mind, she raised her hand and knocked.

Cravendy walked up and down her room, opening drawers left and right. She left the place looking like a tornado had passed through, but that was the last thing on her mind. Where the hell did her hand plane go? Without it, her project would be brought to a standstill, and she needed to finish things by this weekend. The pile of unprocessed wood by the door looked awfully sad now.

The sound of someone rapping on the door shook her from her tunnel vision. Who could it be? But, with one foot caught in her woodshop and the other buried in a mound of papers, she opted to let the guest in with her voice. “Come in!”

The muffled voice passed through the door and left Aislinn blowing out a long breath before she made her way inside. Here, she paused, her eyes widening a bit in surprise. Clearly, this wasn't what she expected to find behind this door. It was...an actual living space. Warm and even a touch inviting. "Ah. Right." remembering herself, she closed the door behind her and spied Cravendy just over the tall counter. "Are you busy?" she asked. "I can come back later if you are." there may have been the slightest tinge of hopefulness coloring her words.

Cravendy‘s eyes widened at the sight of Lin, shyly hovering at her door. Not who she was expecting, though to be honest, she didn’t have any expectations to begin with. Cravs straightens her shoulders and, using the side of her foot, pushes floor papers off to the side. “Would be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t, but yer welcome to come in and enjoy a cup of...” She trails off. No tea. Just an unhealthily large collection of spirits and hot water, boiling dangerously close to a collection of flammable objects. “A cup of liquid.”

Cravendy spies her hand plane near Lin, and steps over to pick it up and return it to the woodshop. As she brushes past Lin, she casually waves it by her. “Ever used one of these?”

The horrible awkwardness that was plaguing Aislinn seemed forgotten in the light of Cravendy's offer. "Cup of..." she trailed off and pressed her lips into a flat line, fighting back her amusement. "Right. Ah. ..I'm all set on liquid. For the moment." But as the Seawolf waved the odd tool before her, Aislinn had to shake her head. "Sorry, no. I don't really have any experience with..." she followed the woman around the counter and spied the woodworking table. "carpentry?" she guessed. Then she gave the room another once over. "Though that does explain a few of the changes you've made."

Cravendy is suddenly and acutely aware of the bottles strewn all around her room. Cups still half full of rum, or sake, or whatever else she bought in a moment of weakness. She stepped between Lin and the mess in an attempt to block it from her view. Smooth.

“Carpentry the right word fer it. The things ye pick up when yer stuck on a wooden boat that ye got to fix, lest ye drown.” She let out a hearty laugh, and then got right to work smoothing out planks of wood with the tool. “So, somethin’ on yer mind? Not just ‘ere to gawp at a woman at work, are ye?”

She fell back a step as Cravendy slipped not-so-subtly between her and a collection of cups on a nearby table. If she thought it odd, she certainly didn't mention it. Instead, Aislinn moved down the length of the carpentry table to give the woman space to work. "No. ..that wasn't it." she murmured. Idly, she picked up a small carving tool from the table, turning it about in her hands and pulled a breath into her lungs. "I wanted to apologize. For the other day." she paused. "When I yelled at you." as if there was a need for clarification. "That. ..wasn't me. I mean, it was. But it shouldn't have been." She really was no good at words. Or speaking, apparently.

Eyes forward and hands behind her back, Cravendy covertly shoves the cups and bottles closer together in an effort to make the mess look smaller. Ceramic bangs against the table and glass falls - ultimately, she’s forced to turn around for a hot second to deal with it. With it finally taken care of, she clears her throat and returns to the woodworking bench.

“What? Oh, save yer apologies...we all need a good shout now and again. Besides. I started it.” Cravs smirks slightly. “Water under the bridge. And if yer curious, my aim hasn’t improved a day since then, so if ye want to take us out again I’d be much obliged.”

Aislinn continues spinning the carving tool around in her hand, watching Cravendy out of the corner of her eye as the woman fumbles around with the crockery. She discreetly makes no sign that she even heard the tinkling sound of glass falling. But Cravendy's response. She definitely hears that. It has her snapping her attention back to the Seawolf almost in disbelief. But after a moment's consideration, she nodded, the corner of her lips twitching upward.

"Alright. Water under the bridge, then. Suppose if you're willing to wander back out with me after how I behaved, I'm willing to help you with your aim." Having said her piece, she now looks at the ordinary plank of wood Cravendy was working on, though to what end, she couldn't say. "What's your plan for that, then?" she asked, nodding to the wood.

Cravendy feels herself loosen up on seeing Lin’s smile, no matter how small it was. She then puts the hand plane to the side and gives the plank a satisfying slap. “Smoothin’ out the wood first.  I plan to make a couple of parts for chairs, tables, and other like furniture. A housewarmin’ gift for Dirtpatch.”

“Speakin’ of which, ye okay from liftin’ crates the other day? Figure most folk were expectin’ a foe to fight instead, hah.” She rolls back her shoulders with a sigh. “I know I was sore for a good while after...”

Aislinn's expression softened as she gazed at the wood, imagining it becoming all those things Cravendy had said. "That's thoughtful of you. They'll be thrilled, no doubt." she glanced up at the Seawolf. "A foe to fight? I thought it was pretty clear we were there to help with the resettlement efforts. But aye," she said with the barest hint of laughter. "I was pretty sore. Spent a good deal of time afterwards resting in the Mists and lazing on the beach. Suppose those crates were the real foe." she gave half a shrug. "Worth it, though. If we can help those people get back on their feet."

Cravendy smiles. “Just feels a bit strange, puttin’ the company muscle to work with such mundane tasks, when I know what ye all are capable of. Aye, well...” She cuts herself off. That she’s helping Dirtpatch as a way to make up for the destruction her crew had wrought on the place. No, there was no need to pull negativity into the moment. Eyes forward. “Nothin’ like a crate full of bricks to test yer strength. Oh, and.” Cravs eyes the carving tool that Lin has in her hands. “Maybe another time, I could show ye how to carve. It ‘elps me get cool off, and I don’t know. Ye seem like the type who’d enjoy that sort of thing.”

Cravendy didn't need to fill in the blanks, Aislinn and, she suspected, most of Heartwood could take a stab at guessing the motivations behind the Seawolf's interest in Dirtpatch. "Certainly isn't mundane to the people who call the place home." she pointed out. "And we can't be going 110% all the time. We'll burn out. We need these kind of jobs. For a whole host of reasons." She turned her attention down to the carving tool she held. "Ah. Is that what this does?" she huffed in amusement. "Honestly, another hobby to keep my hands busy would be good. But aye, maybe once you're done with your project there." she nodded to the plank of wood. "Don't want to get in the way of that, after all."

“Keep it. That way, when ye look at it, ye’ll remember the promise I made to show ye the ropes...just now. I’ve got far too many of ‘em, anyway.” Cravs grins, but turns back to finish up what she started. So much wood to process, so little time.

[lynnsfics]

Coffee Stained Confusion Ch 15

<Last Chapter                             First Chapter                            Next Chapter>

Possible TW: Needles

~~~

Agreeing to the terms Bucky had set, you met with Wanda later that same day. Having both the powers and history that most closely reflected yours, she was selected to help you train. You went back to the training room, but when you returned most of the equipment had been pushed to the side and in its place were several flammable objects, and somewhat reassuringly, a fire extinguisher.

Arriving before Wanda did, you had a chance to fully scope out the gym. One thing you picked up in your training with Natasha was to always find the closest exit. That way if your position was somehow compromised, you could get out as quickly as possible. The gym had two exits, one was the main door and the other was a fire exit that led to the stairs. All the floors in the tower had stairs in case of an emergency. For that you were grateful, because it would be awhile before you took an elevator again. 

You heard the door open behind you and saw Wanda enter the training room. “Hi, Y/N, I’m Wanda. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced yet,” she said with a smile. Immediately you felt drawn to her, and returned the smile. “So, I was told I’m here to help you with your powers. Something about a dangerous mission?” she questioned with a chuckle. 

“Something like that, yes.”

“Well then we’d better get started. I’m not a pyrokinetic but I can mentally manipulate things, so I could give you some pointers. Can you make those wires there start sparking?” 

You closed your eyes and pictured the wires sparking to life and starting a small fire. A minute later you heard the quiet crackle of flames and knew you were successful. 

“Good, but you’ll need to be quicker, if you’re in a battle and need a fire, the enemy won’t wait for you to get it started. Put it out, and try again, faster this time.” 

You closed your eyes and pictured the fire going out, and it did immediately. You then tried to reignite it, but it still took some time.

“Have you tried to do it with your eyes open?” Wanda questioned.

“Uh, no, I guess having my eyes closed just felt right, but I can try.” Staring directly at the fire, you told it to go out and it did. Then, you told it to ignite with a large spark, and instantly it did.

“Very good,” Wanda smiled. “I think you might have your new strategy. Now make everything catch on fire.” “Are you sure? If I can’t put it out-” “We have the fire extinguisher here for a reason.” 

You took one look at the flammable items in front of you and commanded them to ignite. They did, and before you knew it, there was a great blazing inferno in front of you. Then, as quickly as the blaze started, you put it out. 

Wanda had you repeat the exercise a few times to get it down to an exact science but then she said, “That was perfect! Now, I did hear you were able to set not just things on fire, but yourself too. Or is that just a rumor?” “Nope,” you smiled, “it’s true.” In the blink of an eye, you felt heat spread over you, and Wanda beamed. “I knew you could do it, that’s incredible!” She paused for a moment to think, then asked, “Have you tried using the fire to make yourself fly? I don’t know if it would work, but since heat rises, maybe you could make it lift you off the ground?”

“I mean, it might work?” You were uncertain, but eager to try. Sending a mental message to the flames surrounding you, you soon felt them begin to lift you up. “Oh my God,” you exclaimed, “I’m actually flying.” Coming back down to the ground, you put out the flames. 

“We might only be scratching the surface of what your powers can do,” Wanda said, “but what you did here should be more than enough for your mission.”  

“Thank you so much!” You knew for sure now that Bucky would be more at ease with you going on the mission.

“Oh, before you go, Natasha told me that there’s a possibility that you may have been given the serum?” “Well that’s what she believes,” you said, trying to make your disbelief clear, “but personally I think I would know if I was given some kind of superhuman powers.” “You didn’t know about the pyrokinesis until recently though, and you had that your whole life, so there is a possibility. Stark developed a test for it, I just have to get a little sample of your blood.” “Is there any other way? I’m not big on needles, not after what happened before.” You shivered as you recalled being injected and falling under HYDRA’s mind control.

“There isn’t any alternative, I’m sorry,” Wanda replied, sounding genuinely concerned. “It’s just a small needle though, and then we’ll know for sure about your superhuman status,” she said good naturedly.

You flinched as the needle pricked the skin on your forearm, which was still slightly sore from your training with Natasha. 

Wanda then took the blood sample and put it in a test tube filled with a bubbling liquid and mixed it carefully. “You know before all of this, I wanted to be a chemist. Growing up, I would help my mother cook. Perfecting recipes was kind of like balancing chemical reactions. It won’t happen now, but sometimes Bruce lets me use his lab to conduct experiments.” She wore a sad smile on her face, and it made you feel sorry for the girl who lost herself in all this mess. “Well, Stark said when this is done reacting it will turn either green or purple. If it’s green, then you’ve been given the serum.” 

You felt dread creep over you as you waited for the reaction to end, and finally it did. Except it wasn’t purple like you expected. It was green. Stumbling backwards, you felt panic seize you, This wasn’t possible. This couldn’t be possible. Just a week ago you were a normal college student. Now what are you? Some kind of pyrokinetic super soldier? No, it had to be some kind of twisted dream. Sitting down near the treadmill you squeezed your eyes shut. You pinched the skin on your wrist, but nothing happened. “This can’t be real, this isn’t real,” you whispered to yourself.

“Maybe try saying ‘There’s no place like home?” Wanda suggested as she sat down next to you. “Hey, it worked for Dorothy.” 

“I thought, maybe, even if I was an Avenger, I could have some kind of normalcy. Maybe settle down with someone, live a regular life.” “Clint has something like that, he has a wife and kids, and a place out in the country. You could too.” “Not if I’m going to live to be, I don’t know, what, a hundred and fifty?”

She looked genuinely puzzled for a moment and asked, “Oh, so you and Bucky aren’t together then?”

“No, we aren’t, why does everyone keep asking me that?” You blushed, but couldn’t quite place why that made you feel flustered. “But I should probably go let him know what happened. Thank you for everything, Wanda.” She nodded, “Of course, and if you ever want to practice with your powers again, just let me know.” “Thank you, I will.” You walked out of the room and felt the tightness in your chest building again. You made it around the corner and the stairway before breaking down. Tears streaked your face as you felt everything you knew starting to slip from your grasp. Sitting down on the steps you put your head in your hands and began to sob. You should have been excited. People would kill for a dose of that serum, and that just made you feel worse. To be honest, you thought it was a bit exciting, but you mainly felt the loss. You never really thought about your future other than wanting to complete law school, maybe start your own firm. But now, with basically all options taken from you, the only thing you could think about was what could have been. Soon after, your mind started to shut off and you passed out on the stairs.

Bucky was heading down to the gym to check on your training session when he saw you lying on the steps, completely unconscious. “Doll? Hey doll?” He gently propped you up against the wall. “Come on, doll. Stay with me, it’ll be alright, I’m here.”  Stirring slightly, you began to open your eyes. “Bucky? Where am I?” “In the stairway, you must have passed out.” His voice was laced with concern, “What’s wrong?” “It’s nothing, it’s silly, I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up.” You didn’t want him to know you had gotten upset about the serum. “If something caused you to completely pass out in the middle of a stairway, it’s not nothing.” You took a deep breath and then blurted out “HYDRA injected me with superserum.”

“How do you know?” 

“Natasha had a feeling about it this morning, so Tony developed a test that Wanda administered. I know I should feel excited but I just feel even more different.” “Hey, it’s alright, doll. When I first fully realized I was given the serum I had just fallen off a train and thought I was dead. You might be more different, but that doesn’t change who you are. You’re strong, and you’re brave and you’re kind. Those are qualities that you have already, and no serum altered that.” 

You rested your head on his shoulder and he froze for a second before putting his arm around your shoulders. “We’ll be alright, phoenix. So, what did Wanda have to say about your powers?” “She thinks I’m ready for the mission. I can set things on fire and put it out instantaneously. I also figured out how to control the fire enough for it to make me levitate.” “That’s incredible, doll. But are you still sure you want to go? Fury could still send a SHIELD operative. You’ve only been an Avenger for a day.” “I trust myself. I may not have all the experience in the world but Wanda said my powers are strong enough for the mission. And, to be honest, it almost feels as though it’s my destiny to complete this mission. Alicia lied to me for years, pretended to be my friend. Who knows how much of my life she shaped? I have to be the one to bring her in. For good this time.”

“If you trust yourself, I trust you too. Fury got a lead on the murderer, by the way. He wants to brief us on that before we leave in the morning.” 

“Do they know who it is?” A knot formed in your stomach, wondering if there were any other traitors in your life.

“They do, actually. But I don’t think you’re going to be too happy with the answer.”

~~~

Taglist:

@sydneyisnotawriter

Hope you all enjoy this midweek update! Like always, likes and reblogs are appreciated! Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! Love you all <3