Nightmare of You (OPEN)

[Magneto]

The fire roared and devoured the dry framework of the small cabin at the edge of village, the surrounding forest adding fuel to the fire as the heat caused the dry leaves on the ground to burst into flame as well. A mob of angry people carrying torches and all sorts of makeshift weaponry cry out all sorts of incoherent words, beating down a thin young man as he and another women, presumably his wife scream out and reach for the burning house. A baby's cry can be heard among the crackling of the wood beams and then nothing but the angry shouts of the mob.

Erik sat upright in his bed, "Anya!," he screamed as his mutant power surged, filling the Brotherhood hideout with an electromagnetic pulse, shorting out everything electrical and stopping all clocks and watches. Everything that was metal was instantly polarized, being drawn to the nearest polar opposite. Erik gasped for breath, his face and body drenched in sweat, the bed sheets all twisted and torn loose from the bed during the fitful sleep he had been suffering through. He raised one shaking hand and wiped his face as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and his heart raced, finally easing up as he realized where he was at. He swung his legs over the bed and ran his hands back and forth across the soft cotton of his sleep pants and stared at the ground. He reached out for the small glass of water on the nightstand next to his bed and drained what was left in it. His white wife beater clung to him, soaked through with sweat and his usual immaculately kept hair was a mess, sticking every which way, however, his appearance was the least of his worries.

The nightmares had been getting worse as of late, heck, when weren't they though. It had been so many decades since that horrible night that he lost everything he had fought so hard to rebuild and the night when his powers fully manifested. Ever since then, Erik had never been right, every time he closed his eyes and drifted off to the supposed safety of sleep, he heard her cry, his dear sweet Anya. With a sigh, Erik rose from his bed and slowly made his way to the small bathroom which he so graciously afforded himself and stopped at the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He turned the cold water knob and closed his eyes, letting the water fill his cupped hands before splashing his face several time and then running his wet hands through his hair, slicking it back as usual.

Erik retreated from his bathroom after several minutes had passed, his feet shuffling across the cold floor. His eyes showed just how tired and restless the old man was and how much he had been pushing himself lately. Erik wasn't a young man anymore and while he possessed great power, his body just couldn't compensate for the energy he expended. His time was coming to an end very quickly and Erik knew this and had come to terms with that, but that did not mean he would stop or slow down in his effort to secure a place for his kind in this world. He took his purple robe from a coat rack next to his bed and put it on, tyeing the belt around his waste and then heading toward the one window which he alloted himself. He slipped his hands into the pockets of the robe and looked out across the forest which surrounded the Brotherhood hideout, his mind a million miles away and decades behind.

[Wanda Maximoff]

(( OOC: Picks up from Bobby's Got Mail, but you don't need to have read that.))

The knock on Magneto's door is not really a request for an invitation as it is a warning of invasion... even with her powers not entirely reliable, Wanda's confidence does not falter.

"Magnus, what in the world do you think you're doing?"

In some ways the overconfidence is unnecessary... she's a bit startled, when she opens the door, to see an old, tired-looking man in a purple robe standing by the window. This has happened before... she expected more from this man she's heard about since she was a small child. The stories she's heard painted him a giant, and she is frequently surprised to find him so shrunken.

In other ways, it is the only thing that sustains her. Tired as he may be, he is still a powerful spirit and a leader of men, and is still her father, and she will always respect that in a way. And so she cannot help but be concerned.

Less angrily, she adds "Are you unwell? Do you require assistance?"

[Magneto]

Erik turned as he heard the knock at his door but before he could dismiss or welcome whomever it might be, the door opened and Wanda let herself inside. Usually anyone, save Mystique, would be punished for such and intrusive and rude act, but given who Wanda was and the nightmare that Erik just had, well, things might have just fell more into place for Wanda than she could have hoped or even wanted it to. Perhaps her abilities were working far better than she thought or realized and so now in a way, maybe Erik was ready to begin allowing the thought that Wanda was very much his daughter. She had had the locket he had given Magda so many years ago, but Erik had learned long ago not to trust anyone so readily.

The old man simply stood, sizing up Wanda, looking her over, seeing not much of himself physically, only seeing Magda. There was no doubt Wanda was Magda's daughter and given her mutant ability, Erik could very well be her father considering the mutant gene is passed on the paternal side. "I'm afraid I've been rather unwell for a time Wanda and what I suffer from neither you nor I can do anything about," he said with a weak smile. Erik was old and nothing he could try would save him from that fate, from the fate that all would have to succumb to one day. The way Wanda referred to him as "Magnus" showed she denied him as her father in a way, but the very act of her being here, seemingly worried about him, told a different story. Perhaps she didn't hate him as much as she would have liked, or perhaps she had never hated him at all, angry with him yes, but hate.........

Erik had lost one daughter already and now here was another woman, claiming to be his and one he knew all too well which was (no matter how much he tried to find a way around that). Perhaps he was being given a bit back, perhaps it was time for Erik to finally have something go right for him for once. "I suppose you and I have much to talk about," he said as he lowered his head a bit in thought, trying to decide if he was doing the right thing here.

[Wanda Maximoff]

> "I'm afraid I've been rather unwell for a time Wanda and what I suffer from neither you nor I can do anything about,"

Wanda raises an amused eyebrow and settles carefully into a chair. "Your own limitations you are free to name and claim, but do not presume to judge mine. I do not intend to succumb to illness or age... I see no reason why my allies should have to, either."

Which is true enough, she realizes, though it implies more than it asserts. She has no idea whether the spells that maintain her youth would work on another person... she's never tried. And she's not sure she wants her father as an ally, though that remains to be decided. But then, she did not assert either claim.

She shrugs and adds. "It's really a pity you left, you know. The gypsies who raised... me had much to teach." She'd almost said "us", which surprises her... normally she has more control than this. She will have to pay more attention.

> "I suppose you and I have much to talk about,"

"Perhaps. I must say, I have not been terribly impressed with your little organization thus far. You seem to recruit destroyers, primarily... is your intention simply to lay waste to everything, or do you have a goal beyond that?"

[Magneto]

Magneto raised his head higher, his hands still in the pockets of his robe and smiled at Wanda, shaking his head. "I do not know what Magda told you, or if she even decided to stick around to raise you, but I was not the one who chose to leave," he said with a bit of bitterness in his voice, "Part of me wanted to hate her, like I hated the others who....," he said, stopping for a moment thinking about what he was about to say. Should or could he mention Anya, Wanda's older sister, or should he just let that memory stay just that? "But I could never hate your mother Wanda," he said turning his back to her now and letting out a soft sigh as he stared blankly out the window, hiding that softer and more emotional side of himself.

A slight chuckle could be heard as Wanda insulted Magneto's choice in members for the Brotherhood. "Granted most of them are lacking, but they mean well, they just need a bit of....direction," he said knowing it would take more than just a bit to whip the crew he had now into the force he needed them to be. However, Magneto had a plan that might give the youngsters the boost they needed and the focus they lacked. Youth thought themselves invincible, so perhaps a mission to show just how unready they are was in order.

"What really brings you to me Wanda? I somehow find it hard to believe you just got bored and decided to bring me Magda's locket out of respect," he said glancing over his shoulder, quirking an eyebrow. Wanda was here for some yet unknown reason and to be honest, Magneto was still in the dark as to what that reason was.

[Wanda Maximoff]

Wanda waves away his explanations of the past. "Does it really matter now, after all this time?"

Of course it does, she answers herself. But she did not come here to discuss the past. It's true, she does not know many details of her parents' lives, but she does not doubt if he'd truly wished to find her, he would have.

> "Granted most of them are lacking, but they mean well, they just need a bit of....direction,"

She doesn't actually laugh. She doesn't even smile, exactly. But anyone watching her face can tell immediately it's because she's being polite.

"As I said: they are destroyers. If you have any goals beyond destruction, they will prove little use to you." He had evaded the question about his goals, but she'd expected that... it is clear this man reveals little to anyone.

> "What really brings you to me Wanda?"

She smiles thinly. "Like you, Magnus, I keep my goals my own. Suffice to say you seemed intriguing, and potentially useful, and I wished to examine you and your organization personally. And to see what sort of a person my father had become." She shrugs one shoulder slightly. "And your young protege has provided some entertainment. But really, I'm coming to suspect there is no reason for my being here beyond satisfying my curiosity."

She leans back slightly and smiles a bit more fully. "The question is, why are you here?"

[Magneto]

Wanda was almost as good as Erik was at dodging questions and putting the spotlight on others. It appeared she had given serious and time consuming thought to confronting her supposed father and as such had the upper hand on Erik....for the moment. Erik was still caught in between believing and denying Wanda as his and his emotions, coupled with the sudden influx in nightmares, wasn't really helping matters. Erik liked to remain in control, to be the one in charge but when you go throwing emotions in the mix, logic and reason seem to take a backseat and that was something the old man could not have. Heck his anger was hard enough to keep in check, but now he had all these weird emotions such as his paternal instincts kicking in, even if he really didn't realize it right off.

Erik wouldn't try to contradict or convince Wanda otherwise about the current members of the Brotherhood, partly because for the most part, she was right. The younger ones could only think about revenge and the fun they had using their powers, heck even some of the older, more experienced members had that same problem. However, as Erik knew, one had to break a few eggs before making an omelet and if destroying half the world to ensure the proper place of mutants was the price, then he was willing to pay.

"Maybe if more people stopped to ask that question instead of jumping to their own foolish and irrational conclusion, then maybe I wouldn't be here at all," he said rather cryptically, figuring that Wanda, like so many others, had no idea of the reason why he did the things that he did.

[Wanda Maximoff]

> "Maybe if more people stopped to ask that question instead of jumping to their own foolish and irrational conclusion, then maybe I wouldn't be here at all,"

Wanda laughs lightly. "Perhaps. On the other hand, if you choose not to answer the question when it is asked, we have little choice but to draw our own conclusions from available data." She waves a hand vaguely, as if to take in the building, the grounds, and the people who live there.

Then she shrugs. The game has grown dull, really... while she's still not quite clear what her father intends to do with his mutant soldiers, the details were never particularly her interest. It is enough to know he is recruiting them into a force bound to him by fear, by his force of personality, and by their desire for destruction. They are the Sword and the Flame, drawn and ready to bring down the old order, and while there are mysteries that remain unresolved that is enough for her purposes, for the moment.

"In any case, it does not matter. I wished to see what manner of man you had become, and this I have seen, both in your actions and your reflection in those around you. I may stay a day or two more to finish some business of my own, and I hope I will be welcome on my return, but this is as good a time as any to take my leave."

Her eyes roll up into her head as she reaches for the ritual words of departure, translating them somewhat awkwardly as she goes. "I have sat at your fire and smelled its smoke, eaten of your meat and drunk of your wine, learned wisdom from your elders, joy from your youths, and craft from your men and women. So too are you welcome at the Sintisa fire, to smell its smoke and eat of our meat, drink of our wine, listen to our tales and share in our love and learn of our crafts, for that is the bond. It is I who say this, Wanda, daughter of Magda, Scarlet Witch of the Sintisa."

"More, I have touched the three pillars from which thy soul is hung and felt its weave between my fingers, and what I say to thee now I say only to thee, and with both my voices." She is somewhat surprised to be speaking as oracle here, but not terribly so... whatever else may be true of Magnus, he bears a soul of great power, and she knows it has always spoken to hers and always will. "Thy spirit is driven by ghosts from darkness into darkness. If thou wouldst see them put to rest, thou shalt lay them to rest, and with them at rest lie before thy path has ended. But if thou leadest them to the end of thy path, there shall they await thee in their multitudes, and call thee father. This I have said to thee, and only to thee, and with both my voices."

Her eyes refocus, and only years of practice keep her from stumbling. She stands stiffly for a moment, regaining her balance and her composure, then bows slightly. "And, outside the bounds of ritual, I thank you for your hospitality, and for that of your followers. If there is any service I can provide you in gratitude and honor for it, I would hear you speak of it."

[Magneto]

As Wanda began to speak her strange words, Erik turned and regarded her with that ever questioning look of his, his sharp mind already turning the gears. He hung on every word Wanda uttered and watched her stature and the way she moved as she spoke, studying her with every ounce of attention he could muster at this point. Erik was a man of genius level intelligence and he rarely missed anything important and this right now was very important. As far was what Wanda was, mutant or no, and why she was here, well all that was still a mystery but as she spoke, Erik was more than sure she was a mutant of a certain magnitude.

"Scarlet Witch of the Sintisa," he repeated a bit softer, as if committing the title Wanda had addressed herself as, to memory. Of course the next thing she spoke cut Erik off and prevented him from asking his question, but what she spoke rose new questions within him. She spoke with the words of confidence and intelligence, one used to advising others of their actions and deeds, something which only further proved her lineage of Erik's line even further. The old man knew it was time to acknowledge Wanda and he had had enough proof, besides, the others within the Brotherhood had already accepted her claim anyway.

Erik could have asked Wanda a million questions, but each one he felt would only leaving him looking weak in her eyes. He wondered what role Magda had played in Wanda's life, but he knew Magda had to be long dead, for Wanda spoke of things in such an incorrect manner that Erik knew her mother had never been there to set things straight. Besides, Magda had left Erik out of fear of what he was and what he might do, and then she had a child who showed the same frightening powers.....surely she would have abandoned her as well. "I require nothing now Wanda, but perhaps later down the road, we shall talk again," he said knowing that Wanda must leave....for now. He hoped she would be back but for now, well.....he really didn't know what to do right now.