Wanda and Eileen, Felix's Party

[om_scarletwitch]

Wanda and Eileen catch up over Twenties finery, and maybe say a bit more than they meant to.

As she floated through the redecorated parts of the mansion, Eileen had to admit that Graylace and Shaw did seem to know how to throw a party--regardless of the fact they were both total fucking nutjobs. Maybe that was the secret to their success? Even the dress Shinobi had bought for her to wear, which at first had looked to Eileen like an extremely fancy garbage bag for artsy rich yahoos, had started to grow on her. Prevented her from gaining much altitude without putting her modesty in serious jeopardy, but still pretty nice.

Between the lights, the music (which was some kind of live broadcast thing from another part of the mansion), and the champagne that had been smuggled in with the sparkling cider, she figured she might just end up having a good time after all.

But damn, these kids threw some weird theme parties. Awesome, but weird.

The length of her dress was a bit of a challenge, but frankly Wanda would have been willing to deal with much worse. It was an amazing party so far -- everything and everyone looked incredible. Shinobi would probably be proud of himself forever over it, but she would leave it to Pietro to deal with him. Wanda was just happy to watch the crowd and feel pretty.

Though one particular familiar face did nudge her into wandering over. Especially since it was someone she'd been meaning to talk to for a while. "Hello Eileen," she said as she drew up next to her. "You look very nice."

Eileen's mouth broke into a grin beneath her glowing violet eyes. "Hey," she said, spinning once in the air to give the other girl a better look. "Thanks, Wanda. You're looking pretty fantastic, too." She gave the red-haired Maximoff a careful once-over, and nodded appreciatively. "Yup. Definitely rocking the look. How did you get them to let you wear something that long, though? I had to fight for just above the knee."

Wanda just laughed and patted lightly at her hair to make sure it was all in one place. The updo was a lot more elaborate than anything she usually did, and she couldn't help but feel like it was constantly about to come right back down. "I got lucky, I guess. It fits the theme, at least."

"Definitely," Eileen agreed. She floated down lower to bring herself closer to eye-level. "What is it with this place and all the theme parties, anyway? Not that I'm complaining, but I've heard of celebrity weddings that were less involved than this," she went on, waving a hand to indicate their surroundings, as well as the other students. "And this is just for some kid's birthday, right? What the hell are we going to do for an encore next year? Party on the space shuttle?"

"Well, it's an unusual school," Wanda said with a grin, and gestured slightly around them. "Why not have unusual parties? I think case I think it's just Shinobi's M.O., though," she finished with a more conspiratorial look.

"Could be," snorted the blond. "Guy seems like a real weirdo, to me." A ... sort of charming weirdo, sometimes, but Christ, so weird. "Did I even remember to wish you a happy birthday at your party? Honestly, between the music and the dancing and showing off every chance I got, I can't remember. I'm kind of an ass if I didn't, though."

"It was understood," Wanda assured her. "I'm just glad you came. Pietro can be a little intense with his party planning." Not that he had anything on Shinobi, but still. Some day when they joined forces, the world would end. It would look good doing it, though.

Eileen barked a laugh. "Dude, tell me about it. I about busted a gut when he climbed on top of the Cajun to make his 'no g-word' announcement. You need to start mixing some valium or something in with his super choco-frosted puffs, or whatever the hell he eats in the morning that gets him so wired." She drifted a little closer. "It was cool of you guys to invite me. I mean, I know it was more like a general, schoolwide invitation, but still. Wasn't like you had to, and I appreciate it."

"Believe me," Wanda said with a wry grin, "there is nothing in the universe that can slow him down for long. You get used to it. And if you're willing to put up with it," she added, a bit more lightly, "we're happy to have you."

"Yeah, well. You know," said Eileen, not quite sure how to respond to that. Because it was nice, and that wasn't something she had a lot of experience with lately. And her usual reactions of suspicion or disdain weren't exactly appropriate. "Happy to be here," she managed, finally, "thanks." Her luminous eyes returned to the party in general. "And thanks for saving my ass in New York." Since, yeah, she probably hadn't ever gotten around to saying that, either. "I'd still be wandering around Midtown looking for Worthington if it weren't for you and JM."

"I think you would have done alright." Wanda may not have known Eileen long, but if nothing else she could definitely tell that the other girl could look after herself. "But you're welcome. I'm glad you like it here."

"What, are you kidding?" Eileen asked, a touch incredulous, rising up a little further in the air. "I love it here! Where else in the world could I do shit like this, without having to worry about being quarantined and dissected as somebody's pet science project? Nothing was harder for me than trying to hide what I can do--who I am. Not having to anymore ... it's worth more than anything to me. Anything." Her glowing eyes narrowed. "How do you resist, anyway? I know you could probably fly everywhere, too, if you wanted. So why the pose?"

"Me?" Wanda gave an entirely startled blink in the midst of tipping her head back to keep her eyes on Eileen. "I've never tried flying before...I've never even thought about it. I don't think I could."

Eileen grinned. "I don't pretend to get how your powers work," she said, "but I'm pretty sure the short version is 'probability manipulation'. As in, fucking with the laws of physics on an epic scale. That probably includes tricking gravity into thinking it doesn't have any hold over you any more. Hell, maybe it's just a matter of Peter Pan-ing your way into it with happy thoughts and the Scarlet Witch version of pixie dust."

"That's not quite it," Wanda said with a slight laugh. "I mean yes, probability manipulation, but it's not quite messing with physics. I could, maybe, but that would take a lot of concentration," she finished and shook her head.

"What I do is -- can be," she corrected herself, "dangerous. I've got a better handle on it now, but it still takes work."

"Hey, I get work," Eileen said--perhaps a touch emphatically, considering her ethics in that regard hadn't even been called into question indirectly. She gestured at the empty air between her feet and the floor. "I know I make this look natural, but it took time to get the hang of it. Every time I try to do something new or different with my powers, it takes effort and concentration to keep from fucking things up. But it's a damn sight better than never knowing what I'm capable of."

She blinked, then added, "Not that I'm trying to be a peer-pressuring dick, or anything. Hell, you know more about your powers than anybody else does. Just seem a little gun shy sometimes, I guess."

"Well once you've burnt your house down," Wanda returned dryly, only to look startled the moment the words were out of her mouth. It wasn't something she ever talked about to anyone, for a lot of reasons. Maybe she was actually to the point where she could joke about it. Might be be nice.

But she just let out a breath, determined not to think more about it. "I know what I'm capable of. That's the problem."

The blond just stared at Wanda for a few moments, not quite sure how to process this sudden revelation. They were, well, friendly, if not the closest of friends, so being allowed into her confidence had taken Eileen by surprise. How was she supposed to respond to that? Preferably without sounding like a total jerk.

For her, at least, that was a lot harder than it sounded, and she considered and rejected several flavors of dismissive, insensitive, and outright obtuse before coming up with something that, to Eileen, seemed pretty harmless.

"My dad thought I gave my mom cancer," she ventured. "You know, with my powers. And I know it's not the same thing, since yours was an actual event that happened and mine was just some crazy, grief-driven fantasy," probably, she hoped, "but I guess I kind of understand, a little. Being," afraid, "cautious about what you might do without meaning to."

Wanda gave her a small smile, but there was something matter-of-fact about it. Sympathy was the last thing she wanted -- and something told her Eileen was the same. Things were as they were.

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" She said finally, almost forcibly lightening her tone. Much too much weight for a party. "To learn how to use it all better."

"Too right," Eileen agreed with an emphatic nod. She was only too happy to accept the detour away from Downerville, which was no place to spend a party this awesome when they looked this good. Besides, it wasn't like moping changed anything; in the words of the philosopher: life sucks, get a helmet. They had more interesting stuff to talk about, anyhow.

"Which is why I totally think you should try out flying. Once you start, I promise you'll never want to stop."

"I still don't know about that," Wanda said with a wider, more genuine smile. "But I can keep it in mind to try some time."

"Fair enough," Eileen conceded. "All about trying new things and crap, right? I guess there isn't any huge rush." She gave the room in general another cursory look. "So, you're going stag tonight, too? I gotta say, that seems kinda weird, too, after meeting your brother. He's probably the biggest affection whore I've ever seen. No offense intended."

"No, it's really true," Wanda said in easy agreement, fond amusement under the words. "I figure it means I can leave it to him, though, and he can do the socializing for both of us."

After mulling that over for a bit, Eileen shrugged. "I'm not sure that's how it works, but I'm willing to believe it's some kind of twin thing. And hell, it's not like I'm the most sociable kid at school, either. It's probably better, I think, to remove the temptation to zap the shit out of people for annoying me by just avoiding those kinds of interactions as much as possible. Self control is a thing I'm working on."

"Do you do that often, then? Zap people for annoying you?" It was somewhere between dry and honestly curious, but the soft smile on Wanda's face hopefully softened the tone a little.

"Not as often as I want to," Eileen said, her protest carrying more than a trace of defensiveness. But then her expression soured a bit, and she admitted, "But more often than I probably should. Like I said, it's a work in progress kind of thing."

"Well," Wanda said thoughtfully, though the teasing edge was still there, "the fact that around here people might just well zap you back could help."

The other girl seemed to swell a bit. "Maybe, sure. But there aren't many that zap as hard as I do. Present company excluded, of course."

"You never know," she grinned back. "But I promise not to unless I'm forced into no other option."

"Likewise," said Eileen, firing off a quick salute and a smirk that was as much self-mocking as it was ironic. She gestured toward one of the refreshment tables. "Meanwhile, I bet that lovable weirdo managed to score some authentic champagne for this shindig of his. Wanna go score some?"

"I think it's against the party rules not to try at least a little," Wanda said after a moment of grave consideration, and gestured for Eileen to precede her. "Lead the way. You've got a better view."