xp_logs | Immram: Sisterhood

Wanda arrives for lunch with Professor Trask and her students. The nature of the conversation takes her by surprise - to put it mildly.

Ali Baba was a very tiny restaurant, but an establishment serving Yemenite-Israeli cuisine with a macrobiotic twist! could logically be expected to appeal to a niche market. It had eight seats, no more, and five of them were already taken up by Trask and four other women - all in their late twenties or early thirties, all of them dressed professionally. The single waiter hovered intently, but looked up with a smile as Wanda entered.

As soon as her eyes had adjusted to the dimmer lights, Wanda returned the waiter's smile warmly. Stepping up, she quickly ran her eyes over the table of women, still smiling. She wasn't too surprised to find them all to be women, considering what Trask taught. "Am I intruding?" she asked, obviously teasing.

"Certainly not. I'm so glad you've arrived." Trask rose to greet her and perform introductions.

All first names, in the end. Megan was a CDC doctor, in town for a conference that had allowed her to catch up with her old professor. Celina was a senator's aide, while Simone and Robin both worked for the city. Celina, in particular, gave her a very bright smile.

"Hello, Wanda. Tara's told us so much about you."

Settling in her chair, Wanda accepted a menu before turning back to the group. "Whatever doesn't sound feasible, it probably isn't true--unless it makes me sound awesome and hot and then, please, believe it to be true."

"I always believe at least six impossible things before breakfast," Trask said. She looked sideways at Simone. "~So many of them turn out to be real,~" she added.

In Askani.

Simone didn't bat an eye at the fact that her former professor had just switched languages mid-comment. Or at the fact that the language she'd switched to was one that hadn't yet been invented.

"~You've said that before,~" the younger woman answered in the same language, smiling brightly. "~Words to live by, honored teacher.~"

It was the mouthful of water that saved her, actually, though she very nearly choked on it as she swallowed. Wanda had nearly responded in kind, her brain switching with the transition smoothly--but it wasn't as if they had switched to a language that anyone out of the mansion should know.

Except, of course, for a group of people that had died in the future.

Faking disinterest, as though she was someone being left out of a conversation, she studied her menu. A chill wormed its way down her spine as her brain raced in thought. This wasn't a coincidence and whatever Trask had told these girls, it was more than Wanda's exploits for Cambridge.

"~Wisdom may be found in the most unlikely of places.~" Trask was looking directly at Wanda now, her eyes bright.

Wisdom was not going to be found in her that day. Wanda smiled sweetly, putting the menu down and completely ignoring the fact that Trask had been looking right at her when she said that. Ignoring the very probable crazy lady was a good task.

"I'm so sorry, do you know where I can find the restroom?" She murmured quick apologies as Celina very helpfully pointed it out. "If someone wouldn't mind placing my order..." She pointed out the selection she had picked out and then slipped off in that direction.

"She seems a little skittish," Megan pointed out helpfully, as Wanda retreated.

"I'm sure it's merely surprise," Tara said, sipping thoughtfully at her own water and turning her head slightly to follow Wanda's path. "And perhaps excellent hydration."

Once inside the bathroom, Wanda leaned against the door and took a deep breath. She highly doubted she was about to get jumped by an aging professor and her students--even considering the circumstance. However, if they were speaking Askani, then they had some tie to Nathan and potentially his family.

And his family was completely insane. A quick retreat was the best way to go but if she left through the front door, it might start something she didn't want to follow through on in a public resturant with innocent people around. She groaned under her breath as she glanced around, noting the only other way out of there was the bathroom window.

She pinched the bridge of her nose for a second before going to stand before the window. It took only a small hex bolt and a good shove before it opened soundlessly. It was, thankfully, on the ground floor and in an alley--no witnesses.

Grateful that a woman taking her purse into the restroom didn't raise any eyebrows, she tossed it through the open window and then heaved herself up. The window was regrettably smaller than she would have liked and Wanda very nearly pitched backwards. Grunting, she managed to twist her legs in an unnatural way and finally popped out, hitting the ground with a thud.

At the table, Tara Trask ordered for her honored guest while her students chose their own orders. Minutes passed; the food arrived, and no Wanda Maximoff reappeared. She waited a few minutes longer, but it would be a shame to let the excellent meal cool.

At first she thought Wanda was nervous, overwhelmed by the prospect of sharing the Askani tongue, or perhaps suffering some minor complaint. After a while she began to be concerned. At last she excused herself to visit the restroom as well and found it unoccupied, with the small window wide open.

She gazed at it for a long moment, unblinking. "Flonq," she muttered under her breath. "~Why do they keep disappearing? I could start to take this personally.~"

Her students would be so disappointed.