wanda maximoff (scarlet witch). (scarletcurse) wrote in mutanthaven, @ 2009-04-12 10:39:00 |
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Entry tags: | fred dukes, wanda maximoff |
log: fred and wanda.
summary: When Wanda sets up her tarot-reading gig at the carnival on the pier last Sunday, she nearly gets busted by security. Fortunately for her, security is Fred Dukes, who thinks she's cute. She takes the opportunity to flirt, get some intel about the place, and make an impression!
WANDA: Whenever a carnival came into town, the Maximoff twins took it as an opportunity not to be missed. The crowds of people, excitable and curious and bumping into each other, made it particularly easy for both of them to do their thing; while Pietro cruised the pier for easily snatchable wallets, Wanda had set up a wooden board on one of the concrete benches in between some of the carnival's displays so that she could read tarot cards. It wasn't technically legal. The carnival had rented out the space and gotten a permit to be here, meaning that technically Wanda wasn't allowed to make a profit while here -- or that she should pay the carnival a percentage of her earnings for using their space -- but as long as she didn't get caught, there wasn't any reason why she should stop. And Wanda was very good at not getting caught. She and Pietro had more than enough experience at melting away into crowds and creating distractions to make their escape easier. Anyway, she wasn't sure if this carnival had a tarot reader of their own, but she had been getting a very respectable cluster of people waiting to sit down with her for a little while there. It was getting later now, and the crowds were thinning enough that Wanda settled back on her bench to flex her cramped fingers for a few minutes. Her black pleather gloves could get pretty gross after a long night, and she peeled them slowly off with a small sigh of relief. Then, reaching into the low-cut neck of her tight red shirt, she tugged free the rolled wad of bills that she'd collected over the course of the evening. Time to see how much she'd made...
FRED: While the carnival was in progress, there wasn't a whole lot of specific things for Fred to do. Most of his work came in the form of manual labor during set up and take down, or any odd jobs someone might need help with while things were going on. In between mostly he was just supposed to walk around and keep an eye on things. Carnivals always brought out the local dumbass contingent so there were bound to be a few fights, maybe some drunken shenanigans, attempted theft, the expected. Of course, the likelihood of all of the above or anything that fell into a category with it occurring decreased when there was someone of his size walking around whose only purpose was pretty much to fuck up the day of anyone trying to interrupt or disrupt regular operations. Honestly, Fred didn't really care if that many people got one over on the carnival, and if they did, well good for them. The lack of caring also factored in with the fact that he was kind of fucking lazy sometimes. But he still had a job to do and he was just diligent enough to make it obvious he was actually doing it so he wouldn't get in trouble or thrown out on his ass or anything. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go so there was no reason in being too stupid about his situation. While patrolling, he'd noticed some chick doing tarot readings in a little spot yesterday, but had chosen to ignore it. Fred didn't really think it was doing any harm, plus she was nice to look at so he wasn't exactly going to be upset if she kept coming around. It was late enough that people were starting to clear out and there wasn't a lot for him to keep an eye on anymore. But if he stayed in one spot where he was easy to find it was inevitable someone would put him to work carting something or other from point a to point b, so Fred was making an effort to keep moving. For some reason he found himself heading back to the tarot card reader. At first, he was just going to walk past her, but instead he stopped without thinking, and having absolutely nothing to say. Just open your mouth, you stupid meathead. "Uh- we don't have a tarot lady anymore." The words came out basically as more of a general statement than anything else, and for all of his heft and size, Fred looked a little like a deer in headlights here. He wasn't exactly used to talking to pretty girls. The only time any had even paid attention to him was when was playing football, and he didn't even have that going for him anymore. So the likelihood of this one wanting to talk to him was probably slim to none.
WANDA: She looked up swiftly at the sound of someone's voice and found herself staring wide-eyed at a guy who was rather hard to miss. He wasn't exactly inconspicuous, at his size, and he was clearly addressing her in particular. Instinctively, she palmed the money with a subtle turn of her wrist. Based on what he'd said, he was part of the carnival -- whether he was in one of the shows or just a worker wasn't apparent at this time of night, he could easily have changed into normal clothes now that the people with money were taking off -- and all things considered, she didn't have any right to be there. They both knew that. Shit. Despite the position he'd caught her in, he didn't seem to be about to throw her out on her ass, however. If anything, he looked like he might somehow pick up his full weight and scamper off like a frightened mouse if she said the wrong thing. So...either he wasn't security, or he was a lot more insecure than someone that big should by all rights be. It wouldn't surprise her. Guys like him got teased a lot, and it went without saying that most girls with so-called standards wouldn't give him the time of day. Just because he could probably wrestle a baby elephant and win didn't mean that he had the upper hand, here. Wanda did. And she knew it. Leaning back against the bench she'd set up shop on, Wanda grinned slowly and shrugged her bare shoulders. "Whoops. Looks like you caught me." Flirting came naturally to her. She wasn't always sure how she turned it on, exactly, but anytime she talked to a guy, she felt like she was in her element. The purpose here wasn't to lead him on; all she needed to do was get him on her side so that he wouldn't give her the boot. Or worse, try take her to his boss and make a real scene out of it. "What happened to your last one? Was she any good?"
FRED: Well it wasn't like a guy Fred's size could easily hide. Invisibility might have been a far more useful power for someone like him, but then when were mutations that convenient? And she was right, more years of Fred's life than he cared to try and remember were spent being teased, but as he got older and subsequently bigger, he'd learned that he could pummel the shit out of just about anyone who wanted to give him a hard time. That helped some. But really all that did was keep people from hassling you to your face. Didn't mean they didn't do it at all. At least she was talking to him and hadn't blown him off. That was something. Fred didn't really have many expectations for this conversation, so he certainly wasn't expecting her to ask about the previous tarot reader. Shoving massive hands in his pockets, he shook his head. "I dunno. She was a crotchety old bitch, though." Truth was, Madame Aouda had a falling out with management and had parted ways with the carnival somewhere back in Nevada, leaving that particular occupation missing from their setup. "Pretty glad she's gone anyway." Damn woman was always wanting him to move shit around for no apparent reason besides she felt the need to personally keep Fred busy. It had pretty much been a daily occurrence for Fred to have to keep himself from smashing any of her precious belongings. Though it had occurred once or twice that a few items of hers had been 'lost' in between stops, disappearing somewhere in the shuffle of set up and take down. "They probably won't notice you're here, I bet. Most of management has their heads up their asses." As you can tell, Wanda, eloquence is not one of Fred's strong suits. Sorry about that.
WANDA: Wanda's mutation was totally convenient. Oh wait -- except for the part where it caused accidental arson and was the main reason that Wanda and Pietro had left their people in the first place! Hahahah whoops. It was strange how even the most powerful and useful mutations managed to harm their possessors in some innate way. Wanda's smile widened as he pushed his hands into his pockets and started to explain. Was that bashfulness? Possibly. He clearly didn't seem to mind her being here and talking to him, enough that he was giving her a heads up that he wasn't going to turn her in to his bosses. Who apparently he wasn't all that fond of, either. "Thanks." Picking up her deck of cards, she started slowly shuffling them back and forth in her hands, random cards from the center of the deck sliding on top with a steady grace. "We all have to make a living somehow. Traveling with a show like this never appealed to me, though. Too much of that management bullshit, right?" She had other reasons for not wanting to take her tarot reading skills to the next level of employment, of course. She had too much pride to hand over a portion of her earnings to a higher-up authority if she could get away scavenging off their crowds the way she was now. In some part, it was also because she trusted no one but herself and Pietro, but she didn't like the idea that she and her brother might be considered part of the freakshow either. They were, in a way, already freaks enough on their own, not that she saw it that way. There was no reason they had to wear it on their sleeves too. "Besides, usually I don't get caught when I crash someone else's party," Wanda added with a laugh. "So congratulations. I guess owe you." Wink wink.
FRED: Let's be honest, exactly how often it is that the average person actually is fond of their bosses? If Fred had any type of skill he could make use of on his own, he might be of a similar outlook in things but unfortunately with him, what you see is pretty much what you get. If you need to have crap hauled around or smash something up real good he was your guy, but otherwise, not so much. Fred already very much thought of himself as being in the freak category, and it was also part of the reason he wasn't entirely happy with his current occupation. Being a carny practically screamed 'freak' whether you were one or not, so it was kind of like adding insult to injury. He didn't even really like the word carny at this point, but it wasn't like there was anything that could really be done about that. There were little things that very few and far between that made it not so bad. Like this conversation. Wanda's first question was met with a nod of his massive head. "Management's full of bullshit, yeah. I wouldn't call it a party but crash all ya want. Just stay away from the gyro stand, especially if the guy with the weird mustache is cooking." He'll elaborate on why for you if you really want to know, Wanda, but trust him, you probably don't. Just take his word on it and have a pronto pup or something instead.
WANDA: That earned him a real laugh. Don't worry, Fred, she really wasn't interested in having the gross details of the gyro cook's habits laid out for her, but she could come up with a few options using her own imagination already. How totally gross. The warning was appreciated, though. Not like she was going to go grab a gyro, but Pietro would probably come back with some food when they met up again, and she would have to make sure to let him know to give that stand a pass. Maybe she could send him a private message on the network... "Sounds like you've worked with them for a while. I bet you know all the creeps and losers in this outfit and all their dirty laundry." She raised one eyebrow challengingly, though her relaxed posture didn't change a hair. No need for him to get his guard up when she started nudging him a little, right? "The rest of those carnies probably have no idea how much you know just from hanging around, right? Everyone smart knows to treat the workers good. Too bad everyone around here except for you seem kind of like a bunch of dipshits. But I guess a living's a living and money's money," Wanda shrugged as she slipped her handheld out of the waist of her skirt. "Even if it's a crappy living for crappy money." There, that should do the trick. She quickly tapped in her password to unlock the handheld and typed out a brief message to her twin. Gross gyros, don't take any. Carnie inside info. Getting out of trouble. See you soon. Heads up Pietro, text coming your way.
FRED: Yeah, as long as those imaginings were enough to keep her away from the gyro stand, she was thinking along the right lines. And hey, she was laughing in that with him not at him way. This is seriously the highlight of his freaking month here. Which is more depressing than he even wants to try and think about but you know. It was really hard for him not to smile at the offer, which could almost give him that whole overgrown teddy bear look. Fred was a creature of polar opposites in that way. If people were nice to him and things were going his way, he could be that big guy everyone liked- kind of jolly and friendly, even if a little crude. Or if things were swinging in the other direction he could just as easily be the hulking behemoth that just kind of gave off one of those auras you automatically avoided, who had serious daydreams about snapping his bosses necks like twigs on at least a daily basis and had a danger level to go along with his size. Unfortunately, it was also a dynamic that could mix in weird ways to have him become instantly attached to the first girl who was nice to him in months and follow her home. A lot of the time there just wasn't much middle ground to Fred in that way. But Wanda was doing a damn good job of keeping to the good side. Though at this point, there's not much she could do to reverse that besides blatantly insult him in some way. She's doing a really good job of puffing up the ego here. "Nah, I haven't been here that long, just these people ain't that hard to figure out. But I got plenty on 'em already. And yeah, it's better than- other stuff." That was almost a slip there. There were things he really didn't need to be telling anybody, even if they were hot and female and actually keeping a conversation with him. "But I do know what of the food's good." As his previous info on the gyros showed. Like a guy his size was ever going NOT make finding out something like that a top priority. And yes, Wanda, he knows where the good eats are, if maybe possibly you had worked up anything of an appetite reading cards all evening.
WANDA: Well now. That sure sounded like an invitation. Or at least once translated out of socially awkward context. Wanda wasn't afraid of him. She could certainly understand why some people might be, but it was definitely her experience that any guy who she couldn't get on her side, she could at least get very far away from. Doubtless she wouldn't have a hard time outrunning Fred if he decided out of the blue that he was done flirting with her, especially if she could give her brother a heads up to come to her rescue. Besides, who didn't have daydreams about snapping their bosses' necks? There was nothing wrong with a good justified fantasy, especially when stuck in a position that didn't give you a whole lot of power. It was perfectly alright to enjoy a few vindicated thoughts about causing them intense physical pain! Or at least in Wanda's book. Which, for the record, was casually titled 'The Book of Crazy Bitches' or something to that degree, so maybe taking a page out of it wasn't a really brilliant idea. By the way, Fred? Don't think she hadn't noticed that near slip-up. There was very little Wanda missed, especially when she was paying such close attention such as now. "I'm sure it's better than a lot of stuff." Deliberately emphasized to point out that she wasn't going to ask despite the fact that she could have. "I have an idea -- why don't you show me around, point out what's good, and I'll return the favor by reading your cards for you afterwards? I'm better than any other card reader you'll ever meet," she smirked as she put aside her handheld and held up the deck of cards again. "I didn't just learn from some book or instruction manual. I was trained by real mystics. And I don't usually give away readings for free either, even to friends, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Take it or leave it, Fred. That's a real offer for you.
FRED: Thankfully, Fred's abilities, both mutant and otherwise, do not revolve around being able to outrun anyone. That would be a seriously SOL situation there. As for the slip-up, well, Fred isn't exactly the smartest guy around and more often than it should, his mouth gets ahead of his brain. He's gotten better at watching that since he had to leave home, but really, there's only so much in the way of preventative damage control he can do on that matter. And as for the offer, it was more than good enough for him. Seriously, his expectations are not high at all here. The fact that Wanda hadn't just laughed right in his face or anything was a little more than he was even expecting really. He used to setting that bar low so that he won't be too disappointed. It took a little work for his grin to not be like an excited kid on Christmas, but somehow he managed that and a nod. "Well if you had mystical training, can't really knock that, right?" That probably wasn't even the right context to describe Wanda's training, but he was trying here. It's not like mysticism is anything he can really wrap his brain around beyond the scope of those little fortunes you get in cookies. And even then, he was really just in it for the cookie. "Sounds good to me. Oh yeah, I'm Fred, by the way." An introduction of some kind might be necessary here at some point, and really, probably should have already been done, but oh well.
WANDA: "No, you can't. I'm Wanda," she fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly as she stood up at last and came forward to meet him, offering her little gloved hand for him to shake in his much larger grasp. Wanda was of average height for a girl at about 5'5", but next to him, she felt dwarfed. No wonder the carnival had him employed as security. Who would want to take a guy like him on? Of course, a little zap from Wanda and height or weight would hardly matter, but it wasn't like she wouldn't think twice before making a bad move while he was around. How effective. On the flipside, no one was going to mess with either of them together. Fred here would be like a bodyguard and she would be his princess for the rest of the evening, earning him the admiration of his coworkers and making for a good story to tell later. Then...well, she could go her way and he could go his. Flirting and providing temporary companionship was all well and good, but this was strictly a Cinderella thing, until the clock struck midnight -- or 1 AM, whatever the real-life equivalent was -- when Wanda found her brother and headed back to the hotel for the night. There wasn't going to go anything else. She was grateful that he hadn't turned her in immediately and entertained by the prospect of being on his arm for a little while, but that was it. Right? Right. When she came back tomorrow or the night after, there wasn't going to be a repeat performance. Fred would just have to deal. "Lead the way, Fred. You can't hear it, but my stomach is crying for you to rescue it, so you'd better help it out before it gets too hungry and the real trouble begins."