001 Video

[actualwizard]

[The camera clicks on and amber eyes blink owlishly at the screen. Billy usually didn’t do things like this. The only videos that existed of him were usually taken by Teddy, because he claimed Billy was doing something cute, or by Tommy who claimed Billy was doing something idiotic and those usually wound up on the internet somewhere. This was a first for him.]

Well. This was not where I expected to end up when trying to teleport home. Unless someone slipped me something at the comic book store. Is it possible to hallucinate entire worlds? For all I know I’ve wandered into Avengers Mansion and I’m talking to a wall.

[He winced internally, he was babbling and the only one who ever found that endearing was Teddy, and Teddy wasn’t here, at least he didn't think Teddy was here.]

So um, hi, I guess? I guess I should introduce myself. Billy Kaplan, I can do magic…sometimes it works.

Comments

[widows_kiss]

[The predictable catches Natasha's attention, even if she doesn't recognize the boy in the video screen. Not that that means anything here, she's come to learn. She eyes him curiously a moment before flicking open the video feed to respond.]

We have a mansion now? Please tell me no one let Tony design it.

[It's a test more than anything, because Kate had recognized her right off. James hadn't, but she was dead in his world, so that was to be expected, she supposed. This one was another unknown for the moment, however.]

[actualwizard]

[ He knew her immediately. It was a relief to see a familiar face, even if it was attached to a woman that could easily kill him using just her legs. He relaxed, but not by much.]

Now? You've always had a mansion, I mean, it was destroyed a few times but it's still there.

[widows_kiss]

[She sees the recognition in his eyes, the subtle relaxation in his posture - unusual but notable all the same. It answers questions she doesn't have to ask now. Some of them, anyway. It also opens up several more.]

Actually, not where I come from, I'm afraid. This place has a nasty habit of collecting people who have... a different understanding of what should be the same events and places. Alternate realities, if you'll give me the benefit of the doubt for a little while.

[actualwizard]

[ After spending a year dimension and reality jumping this doesn't surprise him. Thats probably the least surprising thing thats happened since he got here.]

So I guess in your reality we haven't met. At least not yet, if we ever will.

[widows_kiss]

Not that I can remember, no.

[She gives him an apologetic smile at that, her eyes warm.]

I take it the Avengers are a more-established thing, where you're from?

[He seems as comfortable with the idea of several realities as someone else she's spoken to recently, which makes her suspect he might be from somewhere more like where Kate's from than James.]

[actualwizard]

Yeah, they've been around for years. How long have they been around in your reality?

[He was surprised by the smile but tried not to show it, it was almost nice having an Avenger that didn't think he was a ticking time bomb.]

[widows_kiss]

A year or so, now. We're still figuring out the whole team thing.

[Which was a lot harder on a day to day basis when there weren't aliens invading Manhattan and demanding their focus and cooperation.]

[actualwizard]

Yeah, that can be challenging.

[He would know, thinking of all the arguing Eli and Nate did when they first formed the team. Billy wasn't always sure it was going to work out.]

[widows_kiss]

It certainly is.

[She gives him a faint smile, amused at the reminder, but she's still curious about him.]

So. Going with the assumption that you're not actually talking to a wall at the moment, what can you tell me about where you're from? There might be people here you know. And that know you. [Because that didn't always go both ways.]

[actualwizard]

I'm front New York, a different New York than yours, obviously. We have Avengers, and I'm part of the Young Avengers. Wiccan, that's me, Hulklijg, Hawkeye, and Speed. We've had other members. [He really doesn't like talking about Cassie and Vision. He frowns.]

[widows_kiss]

Hawkeye. You mean Kate?

[Considering he'd named them the Young Avengers, she was guessing that was a safe bet.]

[actualwizard]

Yeah, Kate. Sometimes it gets confusing, especially when we're all working together.

[widows_kiss]

Yes, I'm beginning to see that.

[Especially since she defaults to her partner on that one.]

So the Avengers are different where you're from as well?

[actualwizard]

Different from yours apparently, but from what I gather the Kate thats here is my Kate, so her Avengers are my Avengers.

[Yeah, thats not going to get confusing at all.]

[widows_kiss]

[It already is. Sigh.]

Can you tell me about your Avengers then? She's mentioned they've been around for a while, in her world.

[actualwizard]

[Oh good a topic he can go on and on and on about.]

Yeah, the original team was formed in the 1960s. It was Ironman, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp. After that Quicksilver, The Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye joined. Since then the roster kind of rotates.

[widows_kiss]

[She recognizes approximately half those names, although she makes note of the unfamiliar ones so she can relay them to the others, just in case. She also doesn't miss that her name doesn't show up there. Yet the girl had recognized her right off. Apparently she'd just shown up much later.

Then again, 1960's... That'd be problematic for a good number of the team.]

Does that mean we're all retired now? Is that why there's a Young Avengers?

[actualwizard]

No, we became the Young Avengers when Ironman disband the team for a while. We uh, tried to help young Kang the Conquerer not become...well his future self.

[Given the differences in their realities he's not sure she's going to know who that is.]

The name kind of just stuck after a newspaper started calling us that because we were still teenagers. Still are mostly.

[widows_kiss]

With a name like that, I can see why.

[Called it in one.]

Did it work? The reformation, I mean.

[actualwizard]

Kinda of, until we broke the time stream and started to cease to exist. But he fixed it. [Obviously as Billy was still there]

I really hate time travel.

[widows_kiss]

[She winced.]

You're not the only one.

[actualwizard]

Do you have any experience with it then?

[widows_kiss]

Not until I got here. Although this place has wrecked plenty of havoc with it.

[actualwizard]

I can imagine.