Xaviers!

It was starting to become a morning ritual for Wanda. Most people would probably say it was already well past ritual. Up at dawn and walking the same long, meandering course around the grounds. Every so often, she would stop for a few moments and stare off into the distance, whether there was distance to stare into or not. Sometimes after her staring contest with the world, she'd pull out her journal and make some notes, but usually she just moved on. Unlike other early morning exercisers, Wanda didn't have headphones or earbuds on, just a wooden walking stick in her hand and her now-constant-companion messenger bag slung across her body.

((Open))

"There's a pattern, isn't there?" Sam asks as she nears.

"Hmm?" Wanda says, pausing and turning to see who it was. "Oh, hello, Sam."

"Wasn't meaning to interrupt. Just that it looks random, but it isn't, is it?"

"The world or my walk?" Wanda lets out a small laugh. "Though I'd be sorely tempted to say 'no, it isn't' to both of those."

"It's too early to contemplate the former, so the latter."

"It's all about the feel of the place, understanding it," she says.

"All's well, then? Currently?"

Wanda ponders that for a long moment, "I'm not sure. Something's off. But I haven't been able to put my finger on what it is. And I keep finding strange marks on the trees that weren't there before and are gone a day later."

"Like carved, or something that could wash off?"

"Both," Wanda says, "I'd say it's too separate things, but the designs look too similar." She pulls out her journal and flips through it, bypassing a series of designs and plant drawings before stopping at a pair of pages on which are drawn what look like two separate symbols, both in a rough style. "This one was over there by the grounds wall on a tree, carved, and this one was on the underside of a rock over that way, painted in red."

"Not ringing a bell, here. Do they mean anything to you?"

She shakes her head, "Not at the moment. And I swear I keep seeing something moving in the woods too, but I can't get a fix on it. They might be related or it might have to do with me 'putting down roots' as Isolde calls it."

"The frustrating thing is one of my older selves might know what it is, but that's a bit touch-and-go."

"Well, we can save the past life visitation for a more desperate time maybe," Wanda says, possibly teasing, "I'd hate to see you regress to a old school war goddess when I'm the only one around to restrain you."

"I don't know, I've gotten few complaints," she smirks.

"I could see how that might appeal to your partners, but I'm not a werewolf or the daughter of the Lady of the Lake." She flips through her journal again before tucking it away, "There's just so much that I don't know and no library to look it up in."

"There might be, but it's probably not handing out member cards."

"Groping around in the dark is less fun when there's things out there that will burn you and eat your fingers. But I guess there's also a fair bit of 'once you see it, you can't unsee it' as well."

"You're still owed a debt in Chelmsford, as I recall."

Wanda makes a noncommittal noise, "That is an uncertain well to go to and even in paying her debts she seems to have ulterior motives."

"Of course she does, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been there a few times."

"I suppose it is an option, even if my Guardian isn't terribly keen on me spending time in her ex's company."

"Ah, now there's a minefield."

"Of sorts, yes. Not one I'm concerned with particularly, other than how it bothers Isolde."

"She'd probably put up with it for your sake."

"Oh, I don't doubt that she would. But I try to be careful about what I 'make' her do. Well, as much as I 'make' her do anything."

"Aye, there's that."

"A lot of difference between knowing you could, and wanting to."

"It's a little frightening sometimes, but she's been tugging back and that has its own appeal."

"Aye, being along for the ride is nice sometimes."

"I will swear you made this up if you tell her, but I think sometimes she's skittish about taking the reins because of her past. She's worried about that darkness taking over again and taking me with her. I could be reading things wrong though."

"What is it about people who think they're no good for us? It's a hard thing to get through."

"I don't know. I keep trying to stress that I want a partner, not a minion. The... connection doesn't necessarily help there though."

"...aye. That... comparison has only gotten more apt on my end too, since Viv got back."

"More than you expected to be dealing with?"

"Viv apparently set out to change her curse, somehow."

She holds up the hand that's wearing the ring Viv brought back.

"This was the answer."

"That's... quite the thing," she says, reaching for Sam's hand. "May I?"

"Be my guest," she nods.

Wanda takes Sam's hand and inspects the ring. "Wolves and a raven. Appropriate. I'm assuming one of the fey made this for her. They're strange feeling and their magic more so. It fits, like nature, but doesn't, all at the same time."

"Aye. Tugs at certain parts of me, but it also reinforces a sort of hierarchy, it seems."

"They're my wolves, now."