[ Erik gives both her hands a squeeze and then eventually lets go, there's a small smile on his face as his expression softens. He's grateful to have her support. ]
Then I would be honored.
[ They already made a good team, he'd seen flickers of that even from the first day of the two of them working in tandem to construct what ended up being her home. And in the way they were with Kira and Nic. There was an unspoken understanding and communication between them that lent itself naturally to working together on missions.
He couldn't have wanted for a better partner. He trusted her, and with her assurance that she trusted him, and that she wasn't put off by the sometimes harsh circumstances they'd have to face; Erik doesn't have any further hesitations. ]
[ That gets a rare laugh from Erik. He shakes his head a bit. ]
No resume. It's very unprofessional I know.
[ It felt nice to have a bit of a break from the tension of the evening, and a smile lingers for a moment on his face before he continues. ]
Most of the time, it's fairly straight forward. In fact, I have never met with a potential recruit and ended up not inviting them to the island. That's how carefully my contacts screen people.
[ Matthew was definitely not the standard case. But it was a valuable lesson in caution, at the very least. There could be more out there like him. ]
You handled yourself well tonight. Not everyone would have been able to withstand an attack like that and maintain control.
[ He wouldn't have blamed her if she had lost control; that was the thing with telepathic attacks, they were meant to destabilize. Given what little he knows of her past, Erik can gather that she's been in fights before, she had the right instincts for it. ]
[It's a small victory every time she can get him to laugh. It draws out a small smile of her own every time, and it does so now despite the terrible night.]
So you're saying I'm just lucky.
[She jokes, because she does think of herself as a bit of a bad luck charm now and then, but in this instance she believes it for the best she was with him. Had this happened and it been someone else, or Wanda heard after the fact what went down, she'd be irritated she didn't go.
When he praises her, she thinks it's about time she at least fess up to what he might suspect. This isn't her first rodeo.]
I was on a team, before. We would try to help people when and where we could. I was younger, then. Inexperienced. I'm much stronger now.
[ He's glad she shared that, and he takes in the information with a slight chuckle, not at her; but because it's another area they have in common. He probably shouldn't be surprised at this point. ]
I was involved in something like that as well when I was younger, and less experienced.
[ And he too had been made much stronger now. It seemed like ages ago that he was working alongside Charles, Raven and Hank. How different things used to be. ]
I was never very good at working in a team, back then.
[ Might have been the fact that he was only half committed; while his real motive had been revenge. ]
So did you - end up helping people? Your team, I mean.
[ He asks because sometimes it's the good intentions that end up with complicated results. ]
[Oh, of course he was. She wonders if it went as well as it did for her. Wanda knows she can't mention the accords because she imagines if she brought up anything about the American government and legalities involving people like her, he'd wonder when he missed that, with all the ties he has.]
Some. The rest of them, they were more... like heroes, than I was. They taught me a lot. [How to fight smarter. How to cooperate with others. Subtle skills.] But we made mistakes. Sometimes, in helping people, there was a lot of collateral damage. Innocents. Over time, we became divided and ended up fighting one another instead of the bad guys.
[She shrugs a shoulder. That, at least, was a long time ago now. She thinks she can do a partner. No more teams.]
What happened to yours? Did you leave because you realized it wasn't for you?
[ He's not surprised to hear it. Groups like that tended to fall apart one way or another; unless everyone held the exact same ideology. Even then, small fractures eventually lead to breaks. It had happened with Charles's x-men, and it had happened with Erik's brotherhood of mutants. ]
A similar thing happened within the group I worked with. My motives in joining were primarily to find the man responsible for the death of my parents. I wasn't invested the same way the others were. And I wasn't a hero. The people I worked with... I suppose they could fit into that category.
[ They had believed in doing good. And they had tried, to make peace with humans, to work together; show them that mutants could be allies and not threats. It hadn't ended well. ]
It's why I left. Mutants and humans have been at war for so long; my friend Charles had one way of looking at that fight; and I ...disagreed. I wanted mutants to take the lead. I didn't think we should have to hide, or scrape for belonging in a society that feared us. And I saw humans as lesser.
[ A brief glance toward the photo of Erik with his family is enough to convey that he no longer holds to that belief. How could he, when he'd loved Magda. He still thought mutants shouldn't have to hide, but he no longer sought to take over power. ]
[She understands, of course, that Erik is no longer that person. Not to such an extreme, at least. He only wants to protect and preserve, not conquer or eradicate.]
It's easy to get caught up in that thinking. I can understand it. I was already an angry youth before I gained my abilities. I would have probably gone down a similar path.
[But instead of destroying the Avengers, she joined them. Only, maybe, hasten their fracturing anyway.]
[ He admits, glancing down for a moment. Erik knows the key differences between them, but it was still somewhat jarring; coming into contact with someone that once thought as he did about humans. ]
What do you think the group you were with would have done with someone like Matthew?
[ He's curious to know, as his experience has been mostly with either side of an extreme. He knows what Charles would have done - tried to help him at all costs; and he knows what someone like Shaw would have done - utilized him, stoked the fire of his anger to benefit his own motives. ]
[The question hurts, because she can practically hear Steve in her head: We try to save as many people as we can. So often she thinks of how disappointed he would be to know what she's done. Matthew might be another to add to the list.]
... I think they would have tried harder to reason with him. Try to give him an opportunity to be a better person. [Her hands go back to resting around her beer.] They did that with me. I was their enemy, at first. They let me join their cause and gave me a place when I had none.
[She's often at the mercy of other's kindness, apparently.]
But we have children here. People that have already been treated terribly by the world. We don't have room for error with rehabilitation. The risk would be too great with someone like Matthew.
[ Her answer makes him think for a moment. Could someone like Matthew have been reasoned with? In Erik's experience, no, and it was safer to eliminate a potential threat rather than deal in the possibility of rehabilitation.
But she'd said that's what they did with her - gave her a chance. It wasn't so black and white, and he thinks it's a case by case basis. Instinct told him what to do about Matthew, and he had no regrets. Just like instinct told him to give Wanda a chance, and once again, he has no regrets. ]
I'm glad they offered you that opportunity.
[ He says with sincerity. ]
The group I was once with, I think they would have tried to give Matthew a chance as well. They would have thought me a monster for the decision I made. I would have called them foolish.
[ Said in a conversational tone because it's ultimately just a hypothetical; what was done was already done. ]
I agree however. There is no room for error when children are involved as they are here. They've been through enough already, they deserve stability and safety. If that means making decisions like the one made today, then so be it.
[ There's a brief pause. ]
But, as my partner, should you ever have reason to question a decision I make; please don't hesitate to make it known.
[ She doesn't strike him as the type that would keep her opinions to herself, but still, he puts it out there just so she knows. ]
[ It's probably an understatement; given they don't yet know all of each other's respective pasts. He could guess there would be more similarities. But he's in no rush to delve into all of that just yet. It's been a steady but slow pace that they reveal new things about their former lives, and he finds that preferable. ]
Genosha comes first. I'm glad we agree on that, and that our viewpoints are similar.
[ It definitely made things easier. Erik takes a drink from his beer as they settle into a comfortable silence. ]
The park is quite a popular addition, [ He shifts topics after a moment with a small smile, referencing the one she created, one of her first projects on the island. ] especially among the children. Most of them haven't seen trees or flowers like that before.
[The change in topic coaxes an easier smile out of her. She doesn't linger around the park herself very much, but sometimes she can hear laughter and the sound of playing in the air.]
Do you have any special requests? The decorating doesn't count. [The photos or the eventual splashes of color and light Wanda thinks his space could use.
She has a better idea of what home should look like for him now, after seeing where he once lived.]
[ Her question makes him think of the various places he's lived over the years. Where as initially he preferred that this island didn't look like anywhere he'd once called home; now he thinks it would be nice to have some visual reminders. ]
There aren't many tall trees on the island. I think a few pines would be nice, so long as they aren't obstructing the viewpoints. As for around my house, it could use some flowers.
[ It was repurposed steel and various other metals and materials; there wasn't a lot of color, and flowers would be a vast improvement. ]
[Pines. She could do that. And flowers, for him--sunflowers and daisies, and she's sure he'll soon find Kira and Nic finding reasons to hang around and pick them.]
Home didn't really have flowers. [Too much war, too much danger in being out in the open.] Too much fighting. My parents kept us inside for our protection.
[It worked until the whole building fell down upon them.]
But I'm not picky. If it's red, I probably like it.
[ He gives her a look that's sympathetic as well as understanding. He knew what that was like.
He'd wondered if there was another place she'd thought of as home, beyond the one where she grew up. It sounded like the team she'd been involved with hadn't felt much like a home either; not that he could blame her. He'd never felt much at home among Charles and the others either. ]
That explains the flowers lining the pathway to your house.
[ They were a lovely and vibrant shade of red. ]
Kira asked me about you the last time I checked in on the two of them. She wanted to know about your powers, what they meant, where they came from. I told her a little, but I also said that you'd be open to showing her. I think she wants to be able to make things grow, like you did with the park.
[ And for all they knew, she might have that ability. It wasn't impossible for mutants to have secondary powers that manifested later on. But it could also just be an area of interest to Kira; the two siblings did seem to genuinely enjoy nature. ]
[Not a terrible thing to be. Red calls to her. It's the color of her magic, of chaos, of whatever it is she happens to be, now.
Kira's less shy than her brother, but Wanda still looks surprised that she'd ask Erik about it. Sweet thing.]
I don't know if she'll be able to make things grow exactly like I do, but if she has any interest in plants and nature, I can show her the old fashioned way.
[With seeds and earth and water.]
Maybe I can do that with her, and you do something with Nic. They're together all day, every day. It's not terrible, but... they need to be able to stand on their own. She shouldn't have to worry over her brother constantly and he should have the room to find the courage to make his own decisions. It would be good for the both of them to have something that's their own.
I'd been thinking the same thing. They are all they've ever known, and it's a very strong bond. [ And he knows Wanda can relate, given what she's spoken about her own sibling. ] But you're right, it would benefit them in the long run if they can learn to develop their individual identities as well.
[ Nic was slower to trust, and to warm up to people; but the family they lived with had said he'd been making subtle progress over the weeks that passed. ]
Nic has a harder time with the language barrier than Kira; I can help him with that. And I can take him with me when I do perimeter checks. I know he's curious about the rest of the island. For all that Kira has been his protector, I think there is something in him that wants to do the same; for her and for the other children.
[ And if they were walking and Erik was doing the talking, he knew Nic would feel less pressured. ]
[Wanda's lips curve into an amused smile before she playfully narrows her eyes at Erik across the table.]
You're sure you're not reading my mind?
[A drink of her beer, and she leans against the back of the chair she's in. It feels much better to talk about the two children they find themselves invested in than the death that had happened that night.]
[ It brings an answering amused smile in return as he shakes his head. ]
No, I don't think I'd be very good at that.
[ Traversing people's minds, he means. It takes a certain strength, and while he knows he has strength of his own; it's a different kind. ]
I hope I can be a suitable one. If you asked anyone beyond this island, they would find the idea of me as any kind of role model... very unlikely.
[ To put lightly. But he's glad to be talking about the children now, it helps the remaining vigilance from the fight earlier to slowly fade from his awareness; and he hopes it's doing the same for her. ]
[And she'd argue she's less of a suitable role model than he is. He was a father for many years, and Nina had looked to be happy and well-mannered from what little Wanda saw of her. It couldn't have just been his wife's doing.
Billy and Tommy were as her magic made them, and most good role models likely didn't hold entire towns hostage or slaughter people across the multiverse in the name of what they thought to be the greater good.]
But we'll test your patience. You still need to show me how to make latkes. And speak French. [Might as well make that official.]
[ He raises his brow with a surprised smile, one of approval. He knew she had an interest in learning how to make latkes, but learning French was a much lengthier undertaking, as most languages were.
The latkes were more meaningful however, and there's a softness in his eyes as he thinks back to the conversation they'd first had about him teaching her. ]
The latkes will take considerably less time to learn than French. But we can start off with the basics.
[ He finishes the remainder of his beer and sets it aside. ]
The accent is the best part. [ He says, a bit of dry teasing because he knows people either enjoy that part of speaking and hearing French, or they find it challenging. ]
[There's something very slightly not American in her speaking voice. It's not as extreme as the memory she shared with him. This is a voice she worked with Natasha to perfect, because when they were on the run, that Sokovian accent would have easily given her away. And then it simply stuck, like the copper hair.]
You can tell me how to make latkes with a French accent.
[ He commented with a grin, thinking it was not unlike a version of his own - not sounding alike, but similar in that it seemed like a mixture of different accents combined together, hard to define specifically but decidedly not American. ]
Only if you mimic it as I give the instructions.
[ He answered with a chuckle, imagining himself giving her instructions with an exaggerated French accent while speaking English. ]
If you tried that next the time we read to the children, I guarantee you'd get Nic to laugh.
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Then I would be honored.
[ They already made a good team, he'd seen flickers of that even from the first day of the two of them working in tandem to construct what ended up being her home. And in the way they were with Kira and Nic. There was an unspoken understanding and communication between them that lent itself naturally to working together on missions.
He couldn't have wanted for a better partner. He trusted her, and with her assurance that she trusted him, and that she wasn't put off by the sometimes harsh circumstances they'd have to face; Erik doesn't have any further hesitations. ]
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Good. I thought I'd have to submit my resume.
["Avenger" until she held a town hostage. No references.]
I know they won't all be like tonight.
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No resume. It's very unprofessional I know.
[ It felt nice to have a bit of a break from the tension of the evening, and a smile lingers for a moment on his face before he continues. ]
Most of the time, it's fairly straight forward. In fact, I have never met with a potential recruit and ended up not inviting them to the island. That's how carefully my contacts screen people.
[ Matthew was definitely not the standard case. But it was a valuable lesson in caution, at the very least. There could be more out there like him. ]
You handled yourself well tonight. Not everyone would have been able to withstand an attack like that and maintain control.
[ He wouldn't have blamed her if she had lost control; that was the thing with telepathic attacks, they were meant to destabilize. Given what little he knows of her past, Erik can gather that she's been in fights before, she had the right instincts for it. ]
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So you're saying I'm just lucky.
[She jokes, because she does think of herself as a bit of a bad luck charm now and then, but in this instance she believes it for the best she was with him. Had this happened and it been someone else, or Wanda heard after the fact what went down, she'd be irritated she didn't go.
When he praises her, she thinks it's about time she at least fess up to what he might suspect. This isn't her first rodeo.]
I was on a team, before. We would try to help people when and where we could. I was younger, then. Inexperienced. I'm much stronger now.
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I was involved in something like that as well when I was younger, and less experienced.
[ And he too had been made much stronger now. It seemed like ages ago that he was working alongside Charles, Raven and Hank. How different things used to be. ]
I was never very good at working in a team, back then.
[ Might have been the fact that he was only half committed; while his real motive had been revenge. ]
So did you - end up helping people? Your team, I mean.
[ He asks because sometimes it's the good intentions that end up with complicated results. ]
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Some. The rest of them, they were more... like heroes, than I was. They taught me a lot. [How to fight smarter. How to cooperate with others. Subtle skills.] But we made mistakes. Sometimes, in helping people, there was a lot of collateral damage. Innocents. Over time, we became divided and ended up fighting one another instead of the bad guys.
[She shrugs a shoulder. That, at least, was a long time ago now. She thinks she can do a partner. No more teams.]
What happened to yours? Did you leave because you realized it wasn't for you?
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A similar thing happened within the group I worked with. My motives in joining were primarily to find the man responsible for the death of my parents. I wasn't invested the same way the others were. And I wasn't a hero. The people I worked with... I suppose they could fit into that category.
[ They had believed in doing good. And they had tried, to make peace with humans, to work together; show them that mutants could be allies and not threats. It hadn't ended well. ]
It's why I left. Mutants and humans have been at war for so long; my friend Charles had one way of looking at that fight; and I ...disagreed. I wanted mutants to take the lead. I didn't think we should have to hide, or scrape for belonging in a society that feared us. And I saw humans as lesser.
[ A brief glance toward the photo of Erik with his family is enough to convey that he no longer holds to that belief. How could he, when he'd loved Magda. He still thought mutants shouldn't have to hide, but he no longer sought to take over power. ]
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[She understands, of course, that Erik is no longer that person. Not to such an extreme, at least. He only wants to protect and preserve, not conquer or eradicate.]
It's easy to get caught up in that thinking. I can understand it. I was already an angry youth before I gained my abilities. I would have probably gone down a similar path.
[But instead of destroying the Avengers, she joined them. Only, maybe, hasten their fracturing anyway.]
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[ He admits, glancing down for a moment. Erik knows the key differences between them, but it was still somewhat jarring; coming into contact with someone that once thought as he did about humans. ]
What do you think the group you were with would have done with someone like Matthew?
[ He's curious to know, as his experience has been mostly with either side of an extreme. He knows what Charles would have done - tried to help him at all costs; and he knows what someone like Shaw would have done - utilized him, stoked the fire of his anger to benefit his own motives. ]
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... I think they would have tried harder to reason with him. Try to give him an opportunity to be a better person. [Her hands go back to resting around her beer.] They did that with me. I was their enemy, at first. They let me join their cause and gave me a place when I had none.
[She's often at the mercy of other's kindness, apparently.]
But we have children here. People that have already been treated terribly by the world. We don't have room for error with rehabilitation. The risk would be too great with someone like Matthew.
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But she'd said that's what they did with her - gave her a chance. It wasn't so black and white, and he thinks it's a case by case basis. Instinct told him what to do about Matthew, and he had no regrets. Just like instinct told him to give Wanda a chance, and once again, he has no regrets. ]
I'm glad they offered you that opportunity.
[ He says with sincerity. ]
The group I was once with, I think they would have tried to give Matthew a chance as well. They would have thought me a monster for the decision I made. I would have called them foolish.
[ Said in a conversational tone because it's ultimately just a hypothetical; what was done was already done. ]
I agree however. There is no room for error when children are involved as they are here. They've been through enough already, they deserve stability and safety. If that means making decisions like the one made today, then so be it.
[ There's a brief pause. ]
But, as my partner, should you ever have reason to question a decision I make; please don't hesitate to make it known.
[ She doesn't strike him as the type that would keep her opinions to herself, but still, he puts it out there just so she knows. ]
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[Wanda is happy to defer to him, but if they disagree, she'll make it known. Biting her tongue only applies to her history, not her opinions.]
It goes both ways. But you and I seem to have similar morals and views, as far as I can tell. Genosha comes first.
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[ It's probably an understatement; given they don't yet know all of each other's respective pasts. He could guess there would be more similarities. But he's in no rush to delve into all of that just yet. It's been a steady but slow pace that they reveal new things about their former lives, and he finds that preferable. ]
Genosha comes first. I'm glad we agree on that, and that our viewpoints are similar.
[ It definitely made things easier. Erik takes a drink from his beer as they settle into a comfortable silence. ]
The park is quite a popular addition, [ He shifts topics after a moment with a small smile, referencing the one she created, one of her first projects on the island. ] especially among the children. Most of them haven't seen trees or flowers like that before.
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Do you have any special requests? The decorating doesn't count. [The photos or the eventual splashes of color and light Wanda thinks his space could use.
She has a better idea of what home should look like for him now, after seeing where he once lived.]
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There aren't many tall trees on the island. I think a few pines would be nice, so long as they aren't obstructing the viewpoints. As for around my house, it could use some flowers.
[ It was repurposed steel and various other metals and materials; there wasn't a lot of color, and flowers would be a vast improvement. ]
Magda always loved sunflowers, Nina liked daisies.
[ His smile is fond, the memories aren't as painful when he's recalling something pleasant. ]
Do you have a favorite? Something that reminds you of home?
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Home didn't really have flowers. [Too much war, too much danger in being out in the open.] Too much fighting. My parents kept us inside for our protection.
[It worked until the whole building fell down upon them.]
But I'm not picky. If it's red, I probably like it.
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He'd wondered if there was another place she'd thought of as home, beyond the one where she grew up. It sounded like the team she'd been involved with hadn't felt much like a home either; not that he could blame her. He'd never felt much at home among Charles and the others either. ]
That explains the flowers lining the pathway to your house.
[ They were a lovely and vibrant shade of red. ]
Kira asked me about you the last time I checked in on the two of them. She wanted to know about your powers, what they meant, where they came from. I told her a little, but I also said that you'd be open to showing her. I think she wants to be able to make things grow, like you did with the park.
[ And for all they knew, she might have that ability. It wasn't impossible for mutants to have secondary powers that manifested later on. But it could also just be an area of interest to Kira; the two siblings did seem to genuinely enjoy nature. ]
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[Not a terrible thing to be. Red calls to her. It's the color of her magic, of chaos, of whatever it is she happens to be, now.
Kira's less shy than her brother, but Wanda still looks surprised that she'd ask Erik about it. Sweet thing.]
I don't know if she'll be able to make things grow exactly like I do, but if she has any interest in plants and nature, I can show her the old fashioned way.
[With seeds and earth and water.]
Maybe I can do that with her, and you do something with Nic. They're together all day, every day. It's not terrible, but... they need to be able to stand on their own. She shouldn't have to worry over her brother constantly and he should have the room to find the courage to make his own decisions. It would be good for the both of them to have something that's their own.
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[ Erik states with a smile. ]
I'd been thinking the same thing. They are all they've ever known, and it's a very strong bond. [ And he knows Wanda can relate, given what she's spoken about her own sibling. ] But you're right, it would benefit them in the long run if they can learn to develop their individual identities as well.
[ Nic was slower to trust, and to warm up to people; but the family they lived with had said he'd been making subtle progress over the weeks that passed. ]
Nic has a harder time with the language barrier than Kira; I can help him with that. And I can take him with me when I do perimeter checks. I know he's curious about the rest of the island. For all that Kira has been his protector, I think there is something in him that wants to do the same; for her and for the other children.
[ And if they were walking and Erik was doing the talking, he knew Nic would feel less pressured. ]
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You're sure you're not reading my mind?
[A drink of her beer, and she leans against the back of the chair she's in. It feels much better to talk about the two children they find themselves invested in than the death that had happened that night.]
He'll be thrilled. Boys need good role models.
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No, I don't think I'd be very good at that.
[ Traversing people's minds, he means. It takes a certain strength, and while he knows he has strength of his own; it's a different kind. ]
I hope I can be a suitable one. If you asked anyone beyond this island, they would find the idea of me as any kind of role model... very unlikely.
[ To put lightly. But he's glad to be talking about the children now, it helps the remaining vigilance from the fight earlier to slowly fade from his awareness; and he hopes it's doing the same for her. ]
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[And she'd argue she's less of a suitable role model than he is. He was a father for many years, and Nina had looked to be happy and well-mannered from what little Wanda saw of her. It couldn't have just been his wife's doing.
Billy and Tommy were as her magic made them, and most good role models likely didn't hold entire towns hostage or slaughter people across the multiverse in the name of what they thought to be the greater good.]
But we'll test your patience. You still need to show me how to make latkes. And speak French. [Might as well make that official.]
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The latkes were more meaningful however, and there's a softness in his eyes as he thinks back to the conversation they'd first had about him teaching her. ]
The latkes will take considerably less time to learn than French. But we can start off with the basics.
[ He finishes the remainder of his beer and sets it aside. ]
The accent is the best part. [ He says, a bit of dry teasing because he knows people either enjoy that part of speaking and hearing French, or they find it challenging. ]
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[There's something very slightly not American in her speaking voice. It's not as extreme as the memory she shared with him. This is a voice she worked with Natasha to perfect, because when they were on the run, that Sokovian accent would have easily given her away. And then it simply stuck, like the copper hair.]
You can tell me how to make latkes with a French accent.
[Don't mind her and her brilliant ideas.]
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[ He commented with a grin, thinking it was not unlike a version of his own - not sounding alike, but similar in that it seemed like a mixture of different accents combined together, hard to define specifically but decidedly not American. ]
Only if you mimic it as I give the instructions.
[ He answered with a chuckle, imagining himself giving her instructions with an exaggerated French accent while speaking English. ]
If you tried that next the time we read to the children, I guarantee you'd get Nic to laugh.
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