#{ witches in space } ᵍᵒᵗᵍ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ

[thiscrimsonsoul]

❝  i see you’re not getting much sleep either.  should i make us both some tea,  then?  ❞

"I think... it's my turn this time. You made tea the last time we both couldn't sleep. Didn't you?" Wanda asked. She was half in a bag, though, so maybe she wasn't remembering right. "Either way, tea sounds wonderful. It's great to know that things like tea are universal and not only a thing on Earth," she said. Wanda was nothing if not a huge fan of tea, especially when she wasn't feeling well or couldn't sleep. She pushed herself onto her feet from where she sat to follow Mantis to the kitchen. "So why can't you sleep? Or is it just... general insomnia?" she asked.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

On the one hand, Wanda was glad to have someone who understood what she was going through, at least in part. On the other hand, she was sorry that Mantis understood, for her sake. she wouldn't wish having incredibly overpowered abilities like theirs on anyone.

"I honestly wish I didn't have any powers at all," she said without thinking. It was the truth, and quite a naked and vulnerable truth at that, but she hoped it wouldn't end up insulting Mantis or anyone else with abilities. "They're really only brought me trouble and pain, and I-" She stopped herself. "No, I guess that's not entirely true. I wouldn't have had my boys without them..."

Wanda was quiet as the energy in the room seemed to be taken down a level. These people looked just as weary as she felt, and she guessed they'd been through their own share of troubles. She simply listened to them until she ventured to reply to Groot and-

"Oh... Um... Not really. I mean, how would I? I've never met him before, or anyone else who speaks like he does. It's more just that... when he speaks, I get a sense of what he means. It's almost like... the words, or the sound of them, carries the real meaning of them. The emotional meaning. And I can... I can read that from him. and then I'm able to send back meaning in the same way I received it, so he can understand me. I'm not explaining this well at all."

How did one explain something that was entirely mental and second nature to her? She heard I am Groot, but that wasn't what her mind registered as the meaning of what he was saying. It was almost as if the very sound of Groot's voice carried the meaning, not the words themselves. "Sorry. I must sound crazy. It's just one of the facets of my powers, that's all."

Wanda smiled as Quill tried to speak Spanish. She didn't know a lot of French herself, but she knew that was most definitely French, not Spanish. She wasn't about to correct him, though. It didn't matter in the long run, and it would only embarrass him. Her smile grew as Thor started to call him out on it. "It was a very good try, though," Wanda said, trying to be encouraging.

What Have I Become? || closed reply

@thiscrimsonsoul continued from here

Mantis knew things would never be the same, not after everything Thanos had done to the galaxy. To the family Mantis had found when she wasn't even looking for one. She had always known the galaxy was cruel, so much so that Mantis only sought to make it softer with her gentle disposition. But, as she witnessed the aftermath of Thanos' plan, Mantis realized she would hardly be able to make a difference. She pushed the thought aside; after all, a small difference was still a difference.

Even though the galaxy had been permanently changed, Mantis enjoyed little moments like these, letting her mind wander while she would tend to her plants. She hummed a melody, her hands arranging the leaves calmly. Focused as she was, she didn't notice there was someone new aboard the Benatar. She was startled by a loud knock on her bedroom door, and she frowned slightly before reaching out to open it.

"Wanda?" Mantis asked. What was Wanda Maximoff doing in space? And how did she get into their ship?

Mantis wasn't too familiar with Wanda, but as the young woman threw her arms around her, begging for help, Mantis hugged her back almost instinctively. A victim of the Snap holding another in a moment of need, now that they were something other than mere dust.

"Wanda," she repeated, keeping her voice soft. "What...?"

Wanda's energy revealed she was unwell, so Mantis knew her healthy, youthful appearance was an illusion. Wanda was in so much pain... She was grieving, and she felt tremendous loss, guilt and overwhelming loneliness. Mantis rubbed Wanda's back in an attempt to soothe her, though she refused to use her powers for now. Sometimes people just needed a hug and a sympathetic ear.

"It's okay, you are safe. Thor is here, if you are looking for him, and... I am here, too. You are not alone," she said, hoping Wanda would understand that whatever had happened, she didn't have to go through it alone.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

❛ i just thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

Wanda nodded, for she knew there was no point in trying to hide anything from Mantis. Being an empath herself, she knew Mantis could easily discern whether or not Wanda was feeling lonely and in need of company whether she offered up the information or not. "Your company is always welcome, Mantis," she said, hating the way her voice trembled a little.

"I've been trying not to um..." Wanda searched for the right words. "...lay everything on everyone else all the time. I know what it's like to have someone's mental burden be placed on me so I feel guilty about doing that to other people. And if being here has taught me anything, it's that it should always be an equal give and take, and not one person always giving or always taking. I feel like I've been taking a lot lately and not giving very much in return, so I'm... trying to... stop doing that... for a while." She glanced at Mantis and smiled awkwardly. "I guess I'm not doing a very good job of that, am I?"

"How do you... set boundaries? As an empath?" Wanda asked Mantis, almost like a student asking a teacher. Clearly she thought Mantis was doing much better in that regard than she was. "Both with setting them for others not to put too much on you but also for yourself, to not lean too much on others? I feel like I need to learn how to do that a whole lot better than I am now."

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Mantis carefully held a cake in her hands as the Guardians and Thor approached Wanda. The cake was red, nicely made, with the words 'happy birthday' surrounded by little hearts on it. It was made by the Guardians themselves, hoping it would cheer up the woman.

Admittedly, Wanda becoming a part of the team had been unexpected, but that didn't mean she was unwelcome. The Guardians always tried to be there for one another, to offer each other solace, kindness and community. They were helping Thor, and they hoped they'd be able to help Wanda too.

"Happy belated birthday, Wanda," Mantis said softly, presenting the cake.

"According to our assessment, it should be February on Midgard at present," Thor explained, a smile on his face as he draped one arm around Mantis' shoulder and his other arm around Drax's. "I told the Guardians your favorite color is red. We made this, for you."

"Yeah. It took us a while, but... it looks good, smells good," Quill said. "From one... uh, Earth citizen to another, I hope you'll like it. We forgot the candles, but..."

"Nebs," Rocket called. "You've got somethin' to say, right?"

Nebula nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry... for aiming my blaster at you when you first arrived," she whispered. "I was only... trying to protect my team. Happy birthday."

"Not bad!" Groot chirped, wrapping a lanky arm around the blue woman's shoulders.

"You may stay with us for as long as you need," Drax said to Wanda, every word showing a deep and pained understanding. The kind of hurt only a grieving parent knew.

Wanda looked at the cake and then at the Guardians, and for just a moment, she was so surprised that she looked like a deer in the moonlight. But then a smile began to gradually form, and she felt a painful lump rising in her throat... in the best of ways. They really didn't have to do something like this, and the fact that they had meant so much to her.

She kept smiling as Thor told her it should be February on Earth, or Midguard, as he always called it. He knew her favorite color, though maybe that hadn't been hard to know about her. It was the thought that counted, and oh, it counted for a lot. They made the cake. All of them. Together. For her. Her eyed welled up, but they were good tears, and she wore her touched and grateful smile still.

"Thank you," she said to Thor, and then looked around at them all. "Everyone, thank you so much." And as Rocket prompted Nebula to apologize for the antagonistic way she'd reacted to Wanda when the witch had first arrived, Wanda shook her head. "It's alright. Really."

She then turned her attention to Drax, seeing in his eyes a sorrow only a grieving parent could understand. It was there behind his eyes and lacing his expression. Nodding, she simply smiled her own sad smile of understanding, mixed with gratitude. "I know. I know that now. Thank you so much."

"I'd be really honored if you'd all share this cake with me," she said. "I know it's for me, but... it wouldn't really feel like my birthday if you hadn't done this, so... it's only right to share it." She wondered if some of them were hoping she'd say that, but really, it seemed like the only appropriate thing to do. Besides, she couldn't eat this whole entire cake by herself.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

🌸 Put a flower in my muse’s hair

Wanda hadn't realized that she'd been dissociating until she felt something gently brush her hair. It was happening more and more often lately, that she felt things overwhelm her, or that her mind became clogged with too many thoughts at once, and often ones that were upsetting enough to derail whatever it was she had been doing. It had happened a short time ago, and as she stared out at space through one of the windows of the Benatar, her mind seemed to be both racing and blank at once. Her hand lifted and she nibbled on her fingernails a bit, her gaze losing its focus.

Until someone touched her hair.

Slowly, her gaze began to focus again. Wanda blinked a few times, lifting her hand to brush away what she thought was... well, she had no idea what it was... but she hadn't bee expecting a flower. Her fingers touched the soft petals and it was enough to distract her mind and focus it at the same time. As the flower in her hair registered more and more, she turned to see Mantis standing there. Wanda smiled. I should have known, she thought.

"Thank you, Mantis," she said. "I guess I spaced out for a minute." She realized, however, where she was, and why that phrase might be either absurd or offensive. "Can I say that here? That I spaced out? What does one say in space when they space out?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too silly.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Mantis was right, of course. Wanda didn't think she could trust her own mind. Not only because of stress and losing sleep, and not only because she could feel things like grief and obsession tugging her unnaturally in directions she never thought she ever would've gone in, but also... because there was a history of mental illness in her family. What if... there was something really wrong with her?

But Mantis' words were actually very reassuring. If she could give up some control to the Guardians and let them take the wheel for a bit on figuring out what her next course of action should be, maybe she could try to calm herself down and return to some kind of mental stability.

The only problem with that, was that Wanda hadn't felt mentally stable since she was ten years old. But Thor and the Guardians were trying their best to help her when they really didn't need or have to, so for their kind efforts she could at least make an attempt to center herself a bit. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll trust you all."

Wanda looked over at the Zune and smiled sadly. "I never really connected with modern music. That was Pietro. He loved rock music. Bon Jovi was his favorite, but he also liked Guns 'n Roses and Aerosmith too. Do you have any of their songs on it?" she asked. It was alright if she didn't, but it was the only thing she could think of to do, look for something her brother had loved.

She offered Wanda a sad smile when the woman thanked her, and Mantis gave her hands a soft squeeze.

"The Guardians and I are doing a bit of research in order to understand the book better. So we can learn how to help you. We trust Thor, and he trusts you. I know you think you cannot trust your own mind... So trust us."

The empath turned her head, leaving the hairbrush aside and taking the Zune.

"Why don't we play one of the songs you like?" Mantis asked. "This device is from your planet. It ended up in space somehow... and we kept it." The menu showed songs from different times, up until the year 2014. Hopefully it would help Wanda ignore the Darkhold a little longer.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Wanda was grateful to the Guardians for their apparent willingness to help her sever her ties with the Darkhold and cease her addictive obsession with studying it, but when she mentioned astral projection and everyone looked to Mantis, she blinked. Did... Mantis have some experience in dealing with astral projection? Or... could she stop it? Interfere with it? Wanda knew she was powerful empath, but to what extent or what the nature of Mantis' abilities really were, she was unclear.

She listened as Mantis began to explain, though she wasn't sure why everyone seemed to emotionally deflate at the mention of the Soul Stone. Wanda could assume, though. Like her painful emotional connection to the Mind Stone that had once resided in Vision's forehead, she assumed that the Guardians had their own painful tale of loss surrounding the Soul Stone. She could just feel it, and the looks on their faces... she knew that look well.

"I noticed the same thing..." Wanda said as Mantis admitted her powers began to evolve after dying in the Snap. "Mine became more powerful, more versatile. Something about... that connection with death... and coming back from it... changed me," she explained. As to how it changed her, she didn't know, but she'd felt different ever since she'd been restored to the world of the living.

She was silent again as Quill and Thor recounted their experiences of encountering Mantis in a state of astral projection. So... she is capable of it as well, Wanda thought. That was a little comforting, actually. Drawing in a slow, deep breath, she folded her arms. "I learned to do it by studying, it didn't come naturally to me," she shared. "It sounds as though you might be naturally capable of it, Mantis." A slight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes followed. "Maybe you could disrupt me when I'm doing it. Or at least... get me to stop studying the book while I am projecting," she suggested.

Groot's outburst had Wanda's smiling a bit more. He was such a sweet little creature, she thought. "That's... actually how it it happens when it's a natural ability, I've heard. That someone will do it without realizing it until they learn to control it," she replied to Groot, not even realizing that she'd understood him without the use of a translation device. It was not as thought she didn't hear the repetitive, "I am Groot," of his verbal language, but the inflections of his words, his tone, and his facial expressions and body language... they were all part of that language, at least in Wanda's mind. It was like everything else gave context to the words, translating them in her mind.

What Have I Become? || closed reply

@thiscrimsonsoul continued from here

Mantis knew things would never be the same, not after everything Thanos had done to the galaxy. To the family Mantis had found when she wasn't even looking for one. She had always known the galaxy was cruel, so much so that Mantis only sought to make it softer with her gentle disposition. But, as she witnessed the aftermath of Thanos' plan, Mantis realized she would hardly be able to make a difference. She pushed the thought aside; after all, a small difference was still a difference.

Even though the galaxy had been permanently changed, Mantis enjoyed little moments like these, letting her mind wander while she would tend to her plants. She hummed a melody, her hands arranging the leaves calmly. Focused as she was, she didn't notice there was someone new aboard the Benatar. She was startled by a loud knock on her bedroom door, and she frowned slightly before reaching out to open it.

"Wanda?" Mantis asked. What was Wanda Maximoff doing in space? And how did she get into their ship?

Mantis wasn't too familiar with Wanda, but as the young woman threw her arms around her, begging for help, Mantis hugged her back almost instinctively. A victim of the Snap holding another in a moment of need, now that they were something other than mere dust.

"Wanda," she repeated, keeping her voice soft. "What...?"

Wanda's energy revealed she was unwell, so Mantis knew her healthy, youthful appearance was an illusion. Wanda was in so much pain... She was grieving, and she felt tremendous loss, guilt and overwhelming loneliness. Mantis rubbed Wanda's back in an attempt to soothe her, though she refused to use her powers for now. Sometimes people just needed a hug and a sympathetic ear.

"It's okay, you are safe. Thor is here, if you are looking for him, and... I am here, too. You are not alone," she said, hoping Wanda would understand that whatever had happened, she didn't have to go through it alone.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Mantis' words had Wanda trailing off, her gaze finally returning to her friend's instead of looking off somewhere nonspecific in the room. No one is asking me to give up. She knew that, on some level, but then why did it feel so much like that's what everyone was trying to do? If her magic, her power, was the best and maybe the only way to get her boys back, then asking her to stop studying the Darkhold was like asking her to give up trying to look for them... wasn't it? She couldn't help the way the conspiracy theories and paranoia mounted in her mind, without even realizing they weren't her own feelings at all... The Darkhold had planted them there.

But something Mantis said had Wanda sapping back to the here and now, back to reality, in a sense. She... she did come here looking for Thor. She'd wanted help in breaking the cycle of obsession and isolation. She'd been afraid of what that book had been turning her into. That was why she was here. The Guardians weren't her enemies, and they weren't trying to tell her what to do, but she'd come there in search of help, and now they were exercising tough love. That's what it was going to take for Wanda to break her habit, for it was every bit as physically and mentally potent and as deceptively alluring than any drug addiction.

It's poisoning me. She ran that sentiment through her mind. It's making me sick, and if I'm sick, I can't help my boys. Wanda nodded a little. "I know..." she whispered. "It just keeps pulling me back to it, though..." she said so quietly, as though she was afraid it might be listening. Chances were... it was. "I do want help, and I do... realize... that something isn't right with that book, but it also pulls me back, again and again... What do I have to do to get rid of it permanently? It's like it's latched onto me and doesn't want to leave. It wants something from me, I can feel it, but whatever it is, I have the distinct feeling that I can't give it what it wants. That I shouldn't." She wasn't sure why, but it was just an ominous feeling she got every time she considered the book's interest in her.

"Thank you, Mantis. I owe you and everyone here a lot," Wanda said with an air of shame almost, as if she had no right to complain about anything, no right to backslide with the book, because they had accepted her unquestioningly and were willing to help her when they really didn't have to. "I'll try not to let you all down."

Mantis remained perched on the edge of her seat. Very gently, she reached for Wanda's hands, cradling them in her own as the woman brought up ways to get her boys back. Grief was rarely rational, she knew.

"Wanda, please listen to me. No one is telling you to give up. We could never ask that of you." She could tell that Wanda had stopped talking because there was a lump in her throat. She felt Wanda's tears burning behind her own eyes. Mantis gave the other's hands a little squeeze. "The book is harming you. It poisons you. You will not be able to help your children if you keep studying the book." Her tone was firm, but gentle and concerned. "You came looking for Thor because you did not want to listen to that book anymore. Do not forget that. It is using your emotions against you."

The Guardians (because yes, Thor was a Guardian too) were willing to support Wanda and comfort her, but they were not going to trust the Darkhold just because Wanda had done so. Its presence made them feel uneasy, anxious and even angry. Using a mother's grief against her was low, and the Guardians wanted to throw that book into the deepest of all black holes for it.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

"I did remove it..." Wanda said, almost defensively, as if she was afraid of being thought a liar. Mantis' next words had a sudden, sharp, yet fleeting wave of panic shooting through her. In a quick jolt, she'd felt it grip her heart, electrifying her in the worst of ways, feeling it all the way down into her fingertips. Her scalp tingled, and not from Mantis brushing her hair. But as quickly as it had begun, it was gone, save for her heart beating a little bit faster than before, because she didn't believe it. She refused to. "Then why can I still hear them?" she asked. "I thought so too. I thought that taking own the Hex would mean... the end of them too. But clearly it wasn't."

"Then... what?" Wanda prompted when Mantis stopped. "Then they are in the afterlife instead of here? Is that what you mean? Thor isn't human, though. Maybe something different happens to his people when they die than it does to humans? And..." Should she even mention this? Wanda was keenly aware of how crazy she sounded on an almost daily basis, and this probably wasn't going to help. "If I created them from myself, with my own magic, and I created the Hex too, then when I took it down, would I still not retain the ability to... create it again? To create them again? I brought Vision back once already..." That had maybe been something entirely different, but in her grief-stricken mind, she was grasping at straws.

"I know... I know that..." Wanda said. "But giving up is not an option. I'd rather die than be the sort of mother who abandons her children because finding them is difficult or helping them seems impossible." She had to stop talking just then, because a hard, painful lump had risen up into her throat and she felt the sting of tears come to her eyes.

Wanda didn't know what to think at this point. She knew for a certainty that she felt physically better the longer she was away from the book, and she wasn't so blind as to not recognize that her behavior regarding the studying of it had grown into an obsession. But she was willing to do almost anything to get her boys back again, to keep them safe. If she had to sacrifice of herself to do that, then so be it.

But the way everyone had been concerned for her here... Mantis and Thor and even the other Guardians... it made her wonder if there wasn't something to it. If maybe they could see more when they looked at her than she was realizing was actually wrong with her. She tried not to think about it as she let herself enjoy Mantis' brushing and braiding of her hair. When Mantis pushed the braid forward, Wanda looked at it, feeling it with her hand. "It's beautiful. Thank you," she said with a smile.

"You are very good with your hands," she noted. "You remind me of my mother in that regard. She could do so many things with her hands. Cooking, baking, cleaning, sewing, braiding... healing... Not with magic, but just... in the way that a mother's touch can heal just by simply being what it is. You have that, I think, in your own hands. An ability to heal with just a touch. In a spiritual way. Do you knwo what I mean?" Wanda sighed softly. "I always wanted to be the kind of mother she was, but... I've obviously failed at that..."

She was pulled back into her previous thoughts, then, by Mantis saying that Thor thought the Darkhold was poisoning and deceiving her. "Maybe it is. Maybe... by now... I'm sure that it is. But if there's even a chance, even just a very slight chance, that my boys are still alive somewhere and in need of help, don't you see that I've got to try to save them somehow?"

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Wanda didn't know what to think at this point. She knew for a certainty that she felt physically better the longer she was away from the book, and she wasn't so blind as to not recognize that her behavior regarding the studying of it had grown into an obsession. But she was willing to do almost anything to get her boys back again, to keep them safe. If she had to sacrifice of herself to do that, then so be it.

But the way everyone had been concerned for her here... Mantis and Thor and even the other Guardians... it made her wonder if there wasn't something to it. If maybe they could see more when they looked at her than she was realizing was actually wrong with her. She tried not to think about it as she let herself enjoy Mantis' brushing and braiding of her hair. When Mantis pushed the braid forward, Wanda looked at it, feeling it with her hand. "It's beautiful. Thank you," she said with a smile.

"You are very good with your hands," she noted. "You remind me of my mother in that regard. She could do so many things with her hands. Cooking, baking, cleaning, sewing, braiding... healing... Not with magic, but just... in the way that a mother's touch can heal just by simply being what it is. You have that, I think, in your own hands. An ability to heal with just a touch. In a spiritual way. Do you knwo what I mean?" Wanda sighed softly. "I always wanted to be the kind of mother she was, but... I've obviously failed at that..."

She was pulled back into her previous thoughts, then, by Mantis saying that Thor thought the Darkhold was poisoning and deceiving her. "Maybe it is. Maybe... by now... I'm sure that it is. But if there's even a chance, even just a very slight chance, that my boys are still alive somewhere and in need of help, don't you see that I've got to try to save them somehow?"

Mantis could not blame Wanda for wanting her boys back, she simply didn't believe that the book would help her with that. She did not trust it one bit, and truthfully, neither did any of the Guardians.

She hummed in acknowledgement as Wanda explained why the root of her hair was much darker than the rest. Her smile grew sadder, however, as she glimpsed Wanda's guilt. Gentle fingers continued brushing the woman's hair, weaving the flowers into one long braid.

"Red is your color, but... you do not need to hide here." She draped Wanda's braid over the woman's shoulder, giving her a moment to admire the work before speaking again. "Thor... Thor thinks the book is poisoning you. He thinks it is deceiving you, and I think so as well."

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Wanda knew what Mantis was saying was right, even if it was difficult to hear. Maybe the book was giving her what seemed like solutions to her problems. Maybe it was giving her power, or helping her to understand her own. But something about it did trouble Wanda. It had an aura about it that left her feeling unsettled. She couldn't deny the way her appearance and even her health had changed and declined since she'd really starting delving deep into the book.

There were times when she was studying when she felt exhilarated, intoxicated, and almost addicted, but when when she'd stop, she'd feel drained in a very ill manner. It was like having the flu for weeks and finally waking up at the end of it, all achy and exhausted. That's what putting down the Darkhold after a long study session felt like. But while she was using it, though, she felt incredible. That lure was hard to ignore, and even harder still to ignore was the promise of having her boys back again.

"I... feel better physically, but in my heart..." she began to say, knowing she really ought not to argue with Mantis. Well, she wasn't arguing, not in a nasty way. Really, she was just trying to help Mantis understand. She needed someone to. "I just want my boys back..." she whispered. Wanda was adjusting to life in space well, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think that by taking time for herself and to improve her own health, she was doing so at the expense of her children. What kind of a horrible mother does that?

The flower broke her out of that thought pattern, though. Wanda took it, feeling the soft, silky petals between her thumb and index finger, one by one. "Does it?" she asked as Mantis explained how brushing hair relaxes the nervous system. "I didn't know that." Her eyes closed as Mantis continued to brush her hair. "My natural hair color is a very dark brown, but I started dyeing it after the Avengers broke up. After Steve rescued me from the Raft, I had to go into hiding to avoid recapture, so I tried to make myself look different. And I always liked the color red, so... I started dyeing it that color. But I stopped caring some time ago, and now I'm just letting it grow out. I could just change the color with my powers if I wanted to, but..." She shrugged.

Wanda's surprise wasn't lost on her, but Mantis knew it was crucial to actively take care of the young woman so she could see herself as deserving of it. Even small, simple gestures would help. To Mantis, that was important.

Mantis started slowly brushing the woman's hair, nodding at the other's words. "Sorrow can do that to the mind. I know you believe the book will help you, but... I do not think it will, its presence does not spark hope. The fact that you feel better when you stay away from it is rather telling," she said, her voice quiet. "I am glad you are adjusting well enough to life in space."

She paused to offer Wanda one of the flowers. Hopefully the woman would feel less anxious if she had something to do with her hands.

"I always brush my hair before I go to bed," she continued. "I find it very soothing. The gentle pressure of the hairbrush on the scalp relaxes the nervous system, and it can ease stress. I thought it might help you, too." She smiled, even though Wanda could not see her face at the moment. "Your hair is very pretty! I noticed the root is darker – did you dye it, or does it change color?" She remembered Gamora's gorgeous hair, black with pink tips. Mantis tried not to think about that, since she knew Wanda was also an empath. The poor woman didn't need to feel anyone else's sadness.

[thiscrimsonsoul]

It was difficult to remain drowned in her sorrows when Mantis was around. Something happened when she entered the room, something akin to an energy shift, or at least it seemed that way to Wanda. It was like there was suddenly a static charge in the room, but in a good way. It woke her up and distracted her from the endless loop of negative thoughts in her mind.

"I-... You want to... brush my hair?" Wanda asked, surprised that Mantis would want to spend time doing that. Did she not have anything else better or more important to do at the moment? Whether she did or not, Wanda wasn't about to say no. Her mother used to brush her hair when she was little, and Wanda had always thought it was very comforting. "Alright..." she agreed as she took the seat in front of Mantis.

"I'm adjusting well enough, I guess..." Wanda said. "I just still feel like all my nerves are raw, like my mind's been cracked into a hundred pieces. But the longer I stay away from that book, the better I feel," she admitted. "It isn't helping me to find my boys, though, and I don't know how to go about doing that."

@thiscrimsonsoul continued from here

Mantis had noticed that Wanda's hair was two different colors; it was orangish, but the roots were a dark brown. She was a beautiful woman, but she looked exhausted, and Mantis tried not to let her wallow in her sadness for too long.

She had approached Wanda with a hairbrush and a handful of flowers, and Mantis couldn't help but giggle at her question.

"Of course you can say that," she replied with a beam of relief. Such a simple gesture had been enough to bring Wanda back to herself. "Come, let me brush your hair. I'd like to hear how you're adjusting to life in space..." Mantis ushered the woman to two comfortable seats near that same window. She sat and held the hairbrush on one hand and the flowers on the other as she waited for Wanda to sit in front of her.