xp_logs | Angelo and Wanda (Reply)

They happen to be using the weights room at the same time, and get to know each other a little.

With Wanda getting back into the gym nearly every day now--there being only so much that a visitor could do during a school day--she was pleased that she was back up to speed on the amount that she could lift. 140 pounds lay above her as she moved them, quietly and with precision. Eventually, she wanted to surpass that but not too much. Last thing she needed was to bulk up even more. A female body builders form she did not need. Sweat had already formed on her brow and arms as she lifted the weights, she'd been in here for a while.

After classes, Angelo - after checking in on Joyita briefly and finding her asleep - wandered down to the gym to do some weightlifting of his own. He paused in the doorway on seeing Wanda, then grinned and moved to a clear space to warm up, nodding to her. "Hey."

Thankfully not startled, she had heard him come in, she craned her neck slightly to peer over. "Hello," she responded, slowing down but not stopping entirely. "I don't believe we've met...? Wanda Maximoff."

He nodded, having already worked that out - there were only so many people likely to be using the mansion facilities who he hadn't met yet. "We didn't yet, no. Angelo Espinosa, good to meet you."

"Here for a little evening work out?" Wanda asked, gaze going back to the weights.

Angelo nodded again, with a smile. "I'm s'posed to be practisin' my powers. Might just use the weights normally this time, though, not sure yet."

"Oh?" With all these powers in the mansion, she was rather curious about them. Growing up, she was used to Pietro's powers and a few others at university but nothing like this.

Angelo grinned. "Yeah, I do... well, it's easier t'show you." He reached out for the smallest weight in the nearest stand, wrapping the extended skin of his fingers around it and picking it up.

Weights extended above her head, she watched, fascinated. "Now _that_ is very useful," she murmured, lowering the weights again once more before finally settling them back into place. "Time, I believe, to take a break."

"So I'm figurin' out", he answered lightly, putting the weight back. "How're you settlin' in, anyway?"

"As well as to be expected, really," Wanda responded, sitting up slowly to allow her muscles to untense. "It is a pleasant place, when there are no demons on the lawn and emergiences abounding."

Angelo grinned wryly. "If it helps, that was the first time we had demons on the lawn." He decided not to mention Illyana's abduction - she'd probably hear about it sooner or later. "Emergencies seem to be a bit more often round here."

"Mmm, nature of the beast, I suppose. You have this many people under one roof with all these abilities? Oh yes, chaos theory just waiting to happen."

"Can I ask what your powers are?" he responded curiously.

"...chaos power," Wanda said, grinning suddenly. "It is probably no wonder I enjoy it here."

Angelo laughed. "Yeah, you'll fit right in. So you... manipulate chaos?"

"Something like that yes. I can see strings when my powers are on and I can tug and pull on them to get an affect." She shrugged. "It is _chaos_, so I'm never sure what's going to happen but I've learned to read the strings so that I know what's a good outcome and what is not such a good one."

Angelo tilted his head, interested. "So can you see what would happen if you didn't pull the strings? Change one outcome for a better one?"

"Not really. I cannot see that. I see...points I can affect. Oh, this is better if I'm actually seeing this." Lifting her hands, Wanda activated her power, the red hex rings shining around her hands suddenly. She smiled, a little wildly, as the strings shimmered into view. "There you are..." Glancing around, she nodded at the stack of hand weights by the wall. "There are at least six different strings I can affect. A few...rather bad by the looks of it." With a sigh, she switched it off.

Angelo nodded, intrigued. "It sounds kinda like what Dom does, only she can't turn it on an' off... Oh, sorry, Dom's Domino. Friend of Nathan's, she comes to visit every so often. Her power's a luck thing - she affects probabilities so things turn out in her favor."

Wanda quirked an eyebrow. "Really? I'll have to met this Domino at some point. See what we could learn from each other about our powers."

Angelo grinned. "Get Nathan to tell you next time she's in town. You'll like her - most everybody likes Dom."

"That is always a good sign."

"So has anyone given you the rundown on the house yet?"

"Some, yes. Mainly gossip on who's who." She grinned at that.

Angelo tilted his head, grinning back. "Oh? What've you heard, then?"

"I just got the run down on, well, pretty much who is who and who dates who." Wanda looked suddenly rather amused. "I asked Alison after I asked Scott out on a date and he nearly broke his foot by dropping the wrench."

Angelo laughed. "Yeah, it's probably a good thing to be up on that stuff. It gets a bit complicated sometimes, though."

"Hormones seem to run rampant here," she commented.

He grinned unrepentantly. "Co-ed boarding school", he pointed out. "Even Artie's startin' to discover girls, from what I hear. He's the youngest-boy-but-one, got himself a little crush on Shiro's sister. He says he doesn't, but we know."

"Oh that's adorable! How old are they?"

"Artie's ten, Leyu's nine. You'll meet them all sooner or later, they're usually runnin' around. 'Specially when Leyu's been on the pocky."

Wanda beamed at that. "I adore children. There were always some young ones running around the camp site. In fact, there was just a recent birth in the caravan. Twins...again. I think we're cursed."

Angelo grinned. "We got a pair of twins here too. Leong an' Nga, they're eight, I think. The librarian's... well, little brother an' sister really, but she's raisin' them."

"And raising them in a big group, as well. Always the best. We had a few children who lost their parents and we raised them together."

He nodded. "Yeah... we got five little kids here now. Artie, Leyu, Leong, Nga, an' Miles. An' they're all pretty much everybody's, in a way. Miles is Alison's kid - adopted, but hers."

"Adoption really doesn't mean much where I come from," Wanda explained. "You care and love a child, that is all that is necessary."

He smiled. "That sounds nice - an' it's how it is for Alison an' Miles. This whole place is kinda like family. Where do you come from, by the way?"

"Where don't I come from?" she quipped. "I'm Rom, gypsy if the word is unfamiliar to you. Born originally in Romania, travel all over Europe. My current apartment is in London because I sometimes teach at Cambridge University."

He looked fascinated. "So you just pick up an' move when you want to?" His smile turned a little wistful. "I never really left LA before I came here. I get to travel a lot more now, though."

"Pretty much, yes. The apartment in London is really only used less than half of the year. The University pays me to go and do my research in the field, so I'm also on the move because of that."

"Oh, what are you researchin'?"

"Mostly moving groups. I'm an anthropologist, so I study people. Most of the time, ancient civilizations but I've done work on modern moving groups, as well."

"There's a couple of people here might interest you, don't know if you've met them yet - Mr. Wagner's from a background like yours, with the gypsies. An' Nathan's... well, it's hard to explain. He kind of has a civilisation in his head."

Wanda smiled. "I'm actually helping Nathan with those people, at least with their history. And Kurt and I have had several talks. I actually saw him in the circus, performing, when I went to talk to his people."

Angelo grinned. "Oh, that sounds cool. He does demonstrations here sometimes, an' he runs a circus skills class on an' off, but it must be different seein' him perform in the actual circus."

"It was amazing, to tell you the truth." Stretching, Wanda finally stood up. "And I think I need to go find something to eat, after that workout."

Angelo nodded. "Yeah, I should probably get on with mine. Good to meet you!"

She waved over her shoulder as she grabbed her towel and then headed up the stairs, smiling at Angelo. "Same here."