I'll follow behind you on rainbow road

[paragon]

Who: CAPTAIN AMERICA WANTS YOU
Where: The Baromanogerneson Residence (i.e., 5031)
When: May 9th
What: Mario Kart and subversion, two great tastes that taste great together.
Warnings: Please warn in subjects as needed!
[Open]

The thought had formed pretty much as soon as he'd opened the box that was left on the front porch. The people here need a way to talk. There are two rooms in the house where they would be free to do so. He'd come home one day — not long after the body had disappeared from the upstairs bathroom and all the cameras he'd ripped from their wiring between there and the garage had been put back in place in their absence with a friendly maintenance note left behind that all fixtures in need of repair had been seen to, along with a bill for the expenses — to find Natasha sitting on the bed, writing a note in Sharpie. He'd leaned against the door frame and watched her hold it up to the cameras and make a deal: Steve wouldn't break any more cameras, if they give them the privacy of their bedrooms. As there had only been the three of them at the time (despite the insistence in his head that the house has always been filled by his teammates, just as he remembers of the last few years before Wayward Pines), that had meant the master bedroom downstairs, and Bucky's upstairs.

It had actually worked, though Steve wouldn't have trusted the word of whoever's behind the cameras himself if it weren't for Natasha's daily inspections, and so far the deal's held.

But it's not — can't be — a luxury only afforded to them, for their own sakes. He's told others here and there, and he knows his friends have, too. It's not enough, but nor does he have a way to get people over without arousing suspicion. But then there's the Nintendo system. A little unorthodox, as far as his own methods go, but he'll work with anything he has.

He doesn't put it down anywhere in writing, letting news of the party travel by word of mouth and hoping that's enough to keep it out of the wrong ears. At least for now. There's a chance — a good chance — that it will eventually get the Sheriff's attention, but by then it will have had the effect it's supposed to and given the people here the chance to speak to each other truthfully. And if that comes down on anyone, it's gonna be the people prepared to deal with it.

The day of the ninth is a rainy one, a good day to stay inside and play games with friends. It also provides a good excuse to use the master bedroom just off the end of the foyer as a temporary coat room. Straight ahead in the living room, Mario Kart is all ready to go, and in the kitchen next to that, snack food and drinks are available.

((ooc: THIS IS A MINGLE POST. While I will be tagging around with Steve a bit, this is mostly to give people a chance to chat with each other without the cameras watching. Per Natasha's deal with the powers that be, the cameras in the master bedroom and Bucky's room upstairs have been removed. Natasha will be greeting people at the door and taking them on a "tour" (i.e., to the master bedroom to explain the camera situation, why the party's really happening, and that they are not to discuss the lack of cameras while elsewhere in the house). Feel free to wander in there any time for a chat, or simply enjoy some Mario Kart and refreshments! Commenting around is encouraged, and please note in your top-levels whether they're open or closed. If you have any questions for me I can be found on plurk (jeeps) or discord (jeeps#9644).))

Comments

[magija]

[ Whenever she's in this house, Wanda feels as though she should be living here. Everything, of who she is or who she was, is all a blur and yet it's in their presence that she always feels the vague trickle of something seeming to make sense — Steve, always taking a tall and protective father's stance. Sam, with the warm affection of a mother's smile. Clint, holding the boisterous and prideful attitude of a brother softer than he shows off. Even Bucky, a mystery to Wanda as she is to herself, seems like a previously estranged cousin who's found his way home.

It's Natasha who makes her uncomfortable. There's a secret she can taste on her tongue when the redhead is around, an itch at the center of her back that she can't quite reach. Why does it bother her so?

She briefly thinks it could be Natasha that's the source of the shuffling, just on instinct, tempted to speed up her escape from the bathroom back to the more concentrated crowd. But through the door she can see a tall, breathing and living muscle of a man that is never difficult to identify.

Her fingers slide up the frame of the door as she quietly lingers in. ] Are you here to cry quietly over your losses? [ If he even has. Wanda hasn't been paying too close attention to the games everyone's been playing. ]

[paragon]

[ It turns out Bucky and Natasha share a surprising affinity for certain types of reading material in their selections from the library. In fact, Steve's pretty certain the book currently on Bucky's nightstand, resting flat on its back cover, is one he's seen on Natasha's side of the bed before. Which is why when Wanda enters he's holding a garish purple romance novel in hand, long fingers partially obscuring the sweeping gold cursive of the title less deliberately than inevitably.

When she speaks he looks over his shoulder, demeanor a little caught while turning his body halfway toward her, only revealing more of the cover as he does so. He's happy to see her though — it's a subtle but clear shift in his expression as he moves — and that takes precedence over spying the name on the checkout card, or any concern over his masculine pride. ]

You got me.

[ He glances away from her briefly to put the book back down on the nightstand, feeling in that moment like she'll disappear as quickly as the snap of her magic before he can look back. He's unwilling to let it force him into keeping her in his sight though, and she's still there when he looks back and takes a couple of steps toward her, shoes quiet on the carpet. ] I'm glad you came. You've been a stranger.

[ He'd wonder if he's just not used to not having Wanda in the house anymore, but he likes to think he knows her (and himself) better than that. ]