Travellers: Yvette, Wanda - Wednesday afternoon

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

Wanda comes across Yvette in the library and comes up with a rather ingenious plan.



The library at the school was a place Wanda had used frequently when she was still there and she still popped in on occassion. Just because she came visiting didn't mean she didn't have work to get done as well. Grabbing an empty table, she unrolled several maps and layered them on top of each other. She'd been there for a little while and now she was into her project, standing up with her shirt sleeves rolled up and making notes as quickly as they sprang to mind.

There was a flicker of movement, a flash of red, as Yvette moved quietly to the section of the shelves she wanted. Then she paused, a very definite pout on her face, as she realised the book she wanted was on one of the higher shelves. Glancing around for someone to help - since Tabitha took a dim view of her climbing the shelves - she saw the woman over at the table. She was vaguely familiar - she was Jennie's powers teacher, she thought, one of the people from New York. She was also the only person around, which meant Yvette had to swallow her shyness and ask for help, or go without her book.

Tentatively, she approached the woman's table, and coughed a little. "Um, hello?"

Looking up from her work, Wanda turned towards the voice and smiled when she spotted Yvette. "Hello," she said in return, straightening up and then she brightened a little bit more. "I think we have seen each other in passing. You're...Yvette, a friend of Jennie's, yes? I'm Wanda Maximoff." She wasn't sure if her name had been dropped around the girl or not and it would have been impolite not to introduce herself offically.

"Yes, I am Yvette Petrovic.I am pleased to be meeting you, Miss Maximoff." The woman's voice was encouraging - not impatient or annoyed - and Yvette relaxed somewhat, although she still hovered a little uncertainly. "You are being Jennie's teacher, yes?"

Wanda nodded in encouragement, trying not to scare Yvette off by being too much. It was something that was known to happen. "Right on one," she said with a wink. "She and I have similiar powers and I work with her on the control and usage. Are you in the library often? You seem to know your way around here more than some of the other students."

Yvette nodded shyly. "I am liking the books," she explained. "And it is quiet here." She glanced back at the shelf she'd left. "Only... I am not to be reaching the very high shelves. May I be asking for the help, please?"

"Of course you can. Which book do you want me to get for you?" She grinned. "And I understand about liking books. I did not grow up with a lot but we always had a lot of books, even when we were traveling."

"It is Wuthering Heights. I am liking the poetry, so I am thinking to try the novel. With the dictionary," Yvette explained, gesturing towards the appropriate shelf. "You are not being sounding like the American, Miss Maximoff. Are you being from England, like the bus driving lady?"

Bus driving...oohh. Wanda grinned as she went to the shelf the book was on. "I lived there for a few years, yes, but I am from...all over, really." She glanced at Yvette as she found the book and pulled it free. "I am Rom, or Gypsy, and we never really stayed in one place long when I was your age. And where do you come from, Yvette?"

"The travelling people? Like Mr. Sefton?" Yvette asked, surprised. Then she recovered her manners as Wanda handed her the book. "Thank you very much, Miss Maximoff, for to be helping me. I am from Sarajevo, but I am being born in Albania, during the war. We are moving to Kosovo for the family."

"Exactly like Mr. Sefton though, without the circus. Sarajevo and Kosovo? I thought I recognized your pretty accent, though I only visited that area once. And you're welcome, I think you'll enjoy the book a great deal." They headed back to the table and Wanda continued talking, "How long have you been at the mansion?"

"I am coming in September, last year." It seemed so long ago now, and yet it wasn't even a year yet. Yvette followed Wanda back to the table, climbing to perch in one of the other chairs. "You are visiting my home? What are you thinking of it?"

"I enjoyed my visit there very much. I was there for work, sadly, so I did not see as much as I would have liked. I have always made plans to go back when life gets a little less excitable. Which, as you have noticed since you have been here a while now, is a common occurrance here. Do you miss being home?" Some did and some didn't.

"Sometimes, yes." It came out as a soft, sad tone, and Yvette looked down at the tabletop. Some times she missed it more than others, and the spiky state she was in highlighted how much work she had ahead of her before she could go back. "I am to miss my mother very much."

Through it all, Wanda, in the end, was a soft-touch. She glanced away for a second and then back as an idea came to her. "I understand that very much," she said quietly, leaning over to dig through the various maps in the case. She kept several unexpensive, easy to buy maps close at hand for reference or for not scribbling and...aha, there it was. "My mother passed away only a few years ago but I think I can give you something that will, not take away how much you miss her, but might help. If you want, of course."

Yvette looked up, a hint of a puzzled frown on her face - facial expressions were slowly coming back. "I am sorry, for to be hearing of your mother. What is this thing, that you are saying will help?"

"Thank you." Moving the rest of her work to one side, Wanda unrolled the map and then set weights on the corners to flatten it out. She found the container of pushpins close at hand. "Travelling away from home can be tough, so here is a suggestion. Take a pushpin--red is a favorite color of mine..." She winked at Yvette. "And make that 'yours' and place it in the places you visit and others where you came from. You can even have other pushpins for other people so you can see where your friends are when they travel."

Carefully picking up a pin between her talons, the way Shiro had taught her, Yvette sat up, leaning over the map. "This is where I am from and where my mother is," she said softly, gently pushing a pin into the map on the city of Sarajevo - she didn't want to poke pins into the table. "And this is where I am being now." Another pin, close to New York. "And this is being where they are finding me." Another pin, in Monacco. "Marius says he is b... finding me in Paris, too." She looked up at Wanda. "Please to be showing me where you are going?"

"Of course." With red already taken, she picked a blue pin. "Right now, I am just a little further north from you, in New York." The two pins were nearly touching when she put hers in. "I will be going back to England soon, I think, so one in London..." She had to stop and think. "I think my family is traveling in...oh bother, where did they say? That's right, Hungary this month and then onto Romania next. I saw someone who did this project and they tied strings to the pins...though with the amount of travelers you know, I'd be half afraid for the map to tip off the wall from the weight."

Yvette giggled a little at that. "I am being going to Hungary too, for the memorial. I am meeting Prime Minister Barath - he is a very nice man." Another pin in Budapest. "And this is being where I am born..." Another, in Albania, close to the border with Kosovo. "And this is being where my friend, Dr. Marcel, is being living." Marseilles, with a green pin this time. Yvette's voice was growing more animated as she was caught up in this new game. "My friend Crystal is coming from Attilan." Yellow. "And Angel is being from Seattle." Orange this time. "And Sooraya is being from Afghanistan..." White. Yvette looked up at Wanda. "I am liking this very much, Miss Maximoff. I can be looking at the map, and when my friends are being away, I can be seeing where they are."

"Exactly. It helps when your friends are away from you." She looked over the map with interest. "The stories these walls hold is truely amazing. All these different places, different customs and different languages, under one house. I am glad you are here, it is a good place to be." And it had been a thing of wonder to see the shy girl get so excited over this new project. "Tell you what, I will ask Mr. Marko to get you a board to put this on your wall so you can keep doing this."

Yvette's eyes literally glowed. "I would be liking that very much, Miss Maximoff," she said, sounding like more like her age than she had for some time. "Mr. Marko is being the kind man. I am to be cutting his hair for him, because he is being too strong for the ordinary scissors." She sounded proud of the fact.

Her mouth twitched just a little. "I think that is a very interesting use of your powers and very nice as well. I'm sure he appreciates it a lot...should I ask what he was doing before you came here?"

"The blow torch," Yvette replied, innocently, although there was a certain glint in those glowing eyes. "He has to be using it to shave, also."

There was a lengthy pause as Wanda thought about that one before she threw her head back and laughed in delight. "Oh, I can just seem him doing that as well. I think you did the blowtorch and Mr. Marko a favor when you started to cut his hair."

"Well, it is not smelling very good. Like the burning feathers," Yvette said with a hint of a smile. "My way is being much less smelly."

"Yes. Ew, burnt hair." Wanda made a face and then very carefully rolled up the map so that none of the pins would drop. "I can carry this up to your room if you want so you won't lose any pins."

Yvette nodded, climbing out of the chair to show her the way. And potentially collect any pins that did drop. "To be thanking you again, Miss Maximoff. It is to be very good to be meeting you."

"Any time, Yvette. It was a pleasure meeting you as well, I shall have to come around again to see how your map is doing."

"It will be very full, I am thinking," Yvette replied, mind already on what colour pins she would use for her friends. She knew there were gold ones, which would work so much better for Crystal, and Angelo could have grey, and Mr. Sefton blue, of course...

Comments

[x-aerial.livejournal.com]

Yellow for Crystal! Gold works, too. :)

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

It's the colour of sunshine and beaches and sunflowers. For some reason, that says "Crystal" to Yvette. Although gold is much better, because it includes the Lady part without losing the sunshine. ;)

[x-aerial.livejournal.com]

It should also say "Crystal" because yellow is Crystal's color, even if Monet doesn't think so. :) It's also one of the colors on the Attilani flag.

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

*grins* It's a fun little exercise, choosing colours for people. And a good distraction from sex-swapped teachers. ;)