Wanda and T'Challa

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

Two university alumni walk into a kitchen...



Sounds of running feet and laughter bounced off the hallways before someone yelped out a "Whoa!" and ran smack into something. Wanda sighed and reached out with one arm to grab the vase before it fell and shattered. The kids looked sheepish before fleeing the potential wrath of the amazon before them and she just shook her head. "I have half a mind to find all the candy in this house and put it in the lake," she said, shifting the vase a little with one hand. It was heavy but not that much of a concern -- her other arm was filled with books and papers, so it was just a matter of juggling a little bit.

The kids were in the process of tearing around the corner when they stopped fast, to avoid a collision with the very tall man walking in the other direction. T'Challa smiled slightly as they sidestepped him, babbling apologies, and continued their flight to safety. Xavier's students were very... energetic, he'd noticed.

When she heard the apologies, Wanda rolled her eyes and stuck her head around the corner. The man in the hallway looked familiar but she couldn't place him. "Did they do you any irreparable damage?" she asked, dryly. She had no real say in the mansion but since she came here so often, a lot of the students knew her by sight.

"After this week, being tackled by unruly children seems like an enjoyable experience," T'Challa said dryly. "My apologies, now, but I'm having difficulty connecting you with any of the staff members Nathan and Ororo have mentioned...?"

"Former guidance counselor, actually, though I have someone I tutor here on a regular basis and many friends here. Nathan and Ororo are high amongst that list." She stepped forward and frowned at the vase before finding a different hidey hole to stash it in. It cheered her chaotic little heart to mess with things sometimes. With a hand free, she offered it to him, giving him an assessing look, before smiling widely. "Wanda Maximoff. Ororo has especially fine tastes, so any friend of hers..."

"T'Challa," the king of Wakanda said, taking her hand after a moment and shaking, if carefully. He'd long since learned to restrain his grip when it came to simple, everyday gestures like this.

Even without her current job, Wanda prided herself on being caught up with foreign affairs. It was an interest and, again, helpful for her line of work. She didn't react with more surprise than eyebrows lifting as she straightened up, her smile never fading in warmth. "Well, I did say Ororo has fine taste," she replied. "And Nathan has...interesting tastes." There was a teasing tone to her voice now.

She got a deadpan look in return. "I consider Nathan and Ororo good friends, whatever that says about my tastes. And now I owe them even more than I did before this." He grimaced slightly. "It's been a difficult week."

"You look like you could use a drink and maybe a few bottles of aspirin," Wanda said, "care to join me? I had been heading towards the kitchen. And it looks like you have fallen into the Xavier effect --spend enough time with one member of this extended, dysfunctional family and you just might end up with tales best not told around the camp fire."

"This sounds unpromising," T'Challa said, but there was a spark of good humor in his dark eyes as he fell in beside her. "'Former' guidance counselor? If this place is truly as you say, I imagine that was a most stressful job."

"I had to show a great amount of restraint in those days. For instance, I never actually hung anyone out the window by their ankles." Reaching the kitchen, she pushed the door open and held it for T'Challa before dumping her material on the nearest table space. "Luckily, I tended to counsel mostly for school related items, such as college and university. I teach university level, on and off, among other things."

"You are a teacher, then," he said, lowering himself into a chain. "I attended university myself, in England, but I never thought to teach. My mother is our... education minister, you would call her."

"Where did you go to school?" Wanda asked, interested.

"Cambridge. My degrees are in geography - hydrology, specifically."

At that, Wanda's smile warmed even more and she sketched a small salute his way. "Why, T'Challa, I had no idea I was in the presence of fellow alumni," she said, laughing with delight. "I majored in anthropology and I am in the process of pursuing my doctorate, actually."

T'Challa gazed at her with a smile for a moment, and then gave a rumbling laugh. "Thousands of miles, various unfortunate events, and I find myself sharing conversation with a fellow alumni. This is very....random."

Wanda smirked at that, just a little. "When it comes to random encounters and odd things happening, thanks to my powers, I am never really surprised anymore. I'm happy to say that this is a happy odd twist of fate." She started to move around the kitchen, removing glasses and pulling out a pitcher of iced tea.

"Quite pleasant. Especially comparatively." T'Challa took on what was almost a woeful look as he got a glimpse of the clock on the wall. "I should have been giving my talk at the conference right now..."

"Dare I even ask what happened?"

T'Challa looked around at her, eyes narrowing slightly. "If I told you 'an assassination attempt', would you believe me?"

The Snow Valley portion of her brain filed that away for later but she nodded thoughtfully, placing a glass before him before sitting down in a chair. "Actually, I am not all that surprised," she responded levelly. "You're royalty, after all, and you sound like you were about to participate in something that would have drawn a lot of attention if you had actually been assassinated. And you rather look...well, a bit rough around the edges. Very nice looking edges, mind you, but still a bit rough."

"This is not usually the sort of challenge one faces at a hydrology conference," T'Challa grumbled, but a smile was creeping out at Wanda's last comment. "Also, this has been a very memorable first trip to New York, but not in the pleasant way."

"You were nearly assassinated at a hydrology conference?" Wanda asked, looking away before back again, laughing quietly. She was amused by the slight oddity but she was also starting to enjoy his company. "I am sorry and I know it was horrible but that's just...very odd. Are you being sequestered for the remainder of your trip or are you free to roam the city?"

"I neither confirm nor deny that I was being stalked by evildoers," T'Challa said, with a flash of black humor that wouldn't have been out of place coming from Nathan. "At, near, or in relationship to any sort of conference. And while I have no comment on the state of my mobility or lack thereof, I will say that there are numerous corners of this very fine home I have not yet seen. I'm told it will take me the remainder of my stay to officially complete the tour."

Wanda coughed very politely into her glass of tea. "Numerous corners indeed," she agreed. Her face was very calm but her eyes were wide with mirth. "Though I might have to beseech you to take me under your wing -- my level of bullshit training is very high but I believe I am looking at quite the master. How long are you...touring the mansion here?" The question came out of nowhere -- Wanda had been fairly bored the last few days but now she saw a chance to shake off that feeling.

"Until tomorrow or the next day. Then I believe Nathan intends to enlist Mr. Marko to drive me to the plane my government is so thoughtfully dispatching."

"Well, then, if you do not mind -- if you cannot go to New York, I believe New York must come to you."