Xaviers!

"She is very aware of what makes people horrible," Wanda says, "She and I had that discussion. She went so far as to try to replicate a bad version of me. And yes, that stuff is inside me, I hate to admit that, but it's there."

"But it hurts... She's so much stronger than me, she can handle all the ugliness and the pain." she says, looking down at Norma and affectionately brushing a strand of her sister's hair out of her face.

"Only by being as ugly as the world. She can never be better than it. And all the strength she has is only because you allow her to. You put her in charge, you can take charge. You're the one in control. Right this very moment, you're restraining her."

"I'm just... calling on her." she says, though she doesn't sound so sure anymore. "You came in here, got too close, I don't reach out to anybody without her..." she goes on and gives the burial shroud a tug. If anybody was still downstairs they'd see Shadow Miriam be pulled apart into ribbons that wind around the chandelier and upwards, out of the altar and wrapping Miriam in black robes, two masks perched on the layers and layers of cloth.

Unlike normal they don't engulf her entirely though, merely bundling up around her and Norma as she carefully watches Wanda.

Wanda takes a long, assessing look. "Miriam, I'm close to you because I want to be. She," she gestures at the wrappings, "would probably tell you that I'm only interested in you because of what you can do for me. And while any human being would be lying to themselves not to admit there isn't a certain amount of appeal to self-gratification from a relationship, that is not why I want to be with you. I want to be with you because of the good you that I see."

"She told you what I almost did today... But you're still here..." she says, not making any movements towards Wanda, but at least she's stopped retreating.

"And the dark me told you why I originally started after you today, but you haven't kicked me out. We've both made some bad decisions. Isn't the first time we've done that in our lives and won't be the last. We're allowed those, so long as we own why they were wrong. For my part, I was wrong to be jealous and not trust you and I'm sorry." She holds out her hands and a gentle breeze rustles her gown.

"But you were right not to trust me..." she says, but she still carefully moves forward. She doesn't reach out to Wanda, but that's mostly because she's still cradling Norma against her chest.

"And that doesn't make what I did any less wrong," Wanda says, taking a few steps forward of her own. "I'm not an ends justify means kind of woman. But I think you've been carrying this pain alone for too long. Let me help?"

"I... I don't know how..."

Wanda steps closer, reaching out and brushing some of Norma's hair back. "For a start, it's time to let her go," she says sadly. "It's time to let her rest."

"But I don't want her to be all alone..." she says as Wanda's gesture reveals some dried blood on Norma's brow as some of the reality of her death settles in. "I can't just leave her." The cloth around her rustles and the mask perched on it almost looks like it's expression has changed, angrily staring at Wanda with empty eyes.

Wanda gives the mask her best 'piss off' look, before she returns to soothing, brushing more of the hair out. "She won't be alone. You'll always remember her. But you can't carry her and this guilt forever. It doesn't help her and it's only hurting you."

Miriam glances at Wanda, then turns her eyes back to Norma. Her struggle is clearly visible on her face as well as the agitated sounds of the glass windows moving rapidly. Finally she moves to the altar and carefully puts Norma down. She looks like she wants to take a step back, but then her eyes fall on the windows and she hesitates, not wanting to leave her with no company other than their stares.

Wanda follows her, stepping up to the altar to rearrange Norma slightly, into less horrid accident and more peaceful repose. Then she looks around and shakes her head, "No... she doesn't belong here. This is not the place she should be remembered." She bends down, sliding her own arms under Norma. Lifting, she cradles the girl's body against her and turns her back on the altar, stepping away as a trail of flowers sprouts in her dream-self's wake.

For a moment Miriam is frozen in abject horror at Wanda picking up her sister. Then the cloth still connecting Miriam and Norma billows to unrealistic proportions and envelops all three of them...

For what feels like eternity, but can only have been a couple of seconds there is nothing but oppressive darkness and a complete lack of light and sound. Then, like the murmur of a conversation heard from several rooms away reality begins to bleed in again. Miriam is still kneeling on the grass, sobbing, fingers digging into the ground. It somehow feels necessary though, like something bursting out that has been festering for too long.

Wanda blinks, getting used to reality again for a moment before she slips her arms around Miriam and pulls her close. She doesn't say anything, giving Miriam her time to just grieve.

After a while her sobs grow further apart until she just weakly leans against Wanda.

"She was so scared..." she finally starts to talk again. "If only I'd understood what was happening to me, at least I could have been there for her."

Wanda hugs her a little tighter. "You were a child. No one could have expected you to know what to do then, especially not if your abilities were showing up." She kisses the top of Miriam's head, "And anyone that says you should have known is full of shit and that includes the part of you that's telling you that you should have known."

"I know. Everyone's full of shit..." she sighs.

Wanda sighs, "That's not what I'm saying and you know it."

"Yeah. But it's a little bit true. Trust me, I know that only too well..."

"After what I've seen, I'm well aware that you do, but stop letting it define 'you'. Seems likely the best place to start."

"Seems unfair, but I'll try... I am better than most people after all." she tries to joke, although it falls a little flat.

"Doesn't have to be accomplished all in one night," Wanda says, "Very few things are. So what now?"

"I don't know... I didn't think that far ahead."

"I didn't either, so I guess clothes are the first order of business, at least for me. Then maybe we find some place to stay?" She gets up, helping Miriam to her feet. "Unless you feel like hopping another plane and going to Sweden for a couple of days."

"After all this and instead of running away screaming you want to take me on a trip? You really are a little strange..." she jokes, although she clearly means at least some of it.

"Running away screaming is counter-productive. Besides, I've seen where you're from, so you should see where I'm from, right?" She wraps Miriam up in her arms, which is probably uncomfortable given that Wanda is still wet from the earlier rain.

Miriam doesn't seem to mind too much, although that's in part due to being kind of exhausted. "I guess that's only fair." she says with a weak smile.

Wanda nods and turns to lead the way back to the car, "We'll stop off and get me something less... damp, then see if we can catch a flight to Uppsala. Want me to drive?"

"I can drive. Let's just get you into something less clammy before you catch a cold."

"Yes, Uppsala will be significantly colder, so we may have to pick up coats for both of us, depending on what you brought with you. Want to stay in a hotel or stay with my parents?" She was already flipping through things on her phone as they got into the car.

"I... think I'll go with a hotel if you don't mind." she says, suddenly having second thoughts. This was going fast even by regular standards. For Miriam it felt like she'd just strapped herself to a rocket.

"I figured that would be the case," Wanda says, "I won't bother to tell my parents we're in Uppsala then. It's a big enough place and they're usually busy enough that it would be a shock if we ran into them."