PURE AND TAINTED ( wanda maximoff )

eight → or are we just winging it?

PURE AND TAINTED
CHAPTER EIGHT
( or are we just winging it? )

SHE LOOKED AT HER REFLECTION, examining her sad features for what must have been the millionth time. Her eyes were darker than usual, the whites of her eyes still a little red from her crying, and tear stains dried on her cheeks. It didn't matter that despite the fact she and Natasha had thoroughly scrubbed the blood and grime from her body, she could still feel it coating her like a second skin.

What had her mother once told her? Clean yourself and no one will know what you have done. Yes... that must have been what she said. It'd be so long since she heard her mother's voice, too long; she'd even forgotten what her mother had looked like. Aline could just barely remember her mother's dark hair and eyes, almost an exact mirror of herself and her sister, but she did not remember her voice or her smile.

You're stronger than you know it, Ali. She had heard the voice in the back of her head, whispering gentle encouragement to her. Was it Rome who was doing so? Or was that Madelaine's voice she was hearing? It definitely wasn't Maggie's. Nevertheless, she nodded to herself and looked at herself once more in the mirror.

"Phasmatos munde me ab lacrimae," she muttered. Instantly, her face was covered in makeup, concealing her ringed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She grinned to herself. She was never one for dramatic makeup, and was glad her spell hadn't given her any. But Maggie on the other hand, she loved remarkable and dark makeup.

Aline reached to touch her face. She then let out a groan and held her head in her hands, fisting her brown hair. "If I let every death get to me..." she sighed and shut her eyes. She hit the side of her head. "You can do it, Ali! You're strong... sorta." The tribrid rubbed the back of her neck.

She nearly yelped when she heard someone knock on the door of the bathroom. Once again checking her face, hoping that the magic did its job, and she called out. "Yeah?" She cleared her throat as she did so.

"Aline." It was Steve. "Are you all right in there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Total lie. The brunette nodded to herself, bowing her head to look at her bare feet and pale legs. "Do you need something?"

"Could you open the door?"

Aline sighed but obliged, opening the door to reveal the blond on the other side. "Yes, Steve?" He was still dressed in his captain's uniform, and his shield was held in his hand. Pressing a hand against the doorway, she leaned into it and raised a brow.

"Do you happen to have a suit?" Steve asked.

She looked down at herself. She was still wearing the jacket Natasha had lent her, a shirt that was too big on her, along with a pair of leggings. "I'm sorry, does it look like I have a suit?" She cocked her head at him. "But I am pretty sure I can just whip something up."

"Then suit up."

___

The suit Aline had decided to whip up was nothing more than a pair of black skinny jeans, an old band T-shirt, and Natasha's leather jacket. Her green gem necklace dangled around her neck, and her ring still remained on her finger. She had felt a bit out of place, what with Natasha, Steve, and their archer friend Clint wearing actual suits. She felt way too casual, but it's not like she needed a suit 一 getting shot in the heart wasn't going to kill her (not permanently, at least).

When she had met up with the others, Aline had approached Clint with a raised brow. "Hey, I'm Aline," she quickly greeted. "Weren't you, oh, I don't know, totally in need of some mind control help from that douche Loki?"

Clint chuckled, looking down at his feet. Then he pointed to the large bruise on his forehead. "Don't worry, Nat already got me." He reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Clint, by the way."

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling I'm going to like you," she said with a grin.

"Hey, guys," Steve called. The duo turned to him, and the captain said, "Let's go."

The four of them started to walk down the room, jets sitting side-by-side with agents and pilots rushing about. Once they stepped into one of the Quinjets, a man had stopped them, his mouth open to speak, but Aline had beat him to it.

The tribrid held a hand up to stop him. "Let's not waste any more time arguing about this so just know this: you could either stop us and allow thousands 一 if not millions 一 to have a very horrendous death, which would inadvertently be your fault, or you could allow us to pass by and save the planet. And before you make your decision, please know that I am not having the greatest day." To prove her point, she forced her eyes to shine their gold color, and the man paled. When the man didn't say anything else, Aline smirked and gave his chest a pat. "There we go. That wasn't too hard, was it?" She easily brushed past him and nodded towards the others. "Let's go save the world, shall we?"

Clint quickly got into the pilot's seat and everyone settled into their seats, buckling up and preparing themselves for the oncoming fight. Aline leaned back in her seat. "Quick question. Do you happen to have a plan or are we just winging it?" Her fingers toyed with the necklace around her throat.

Natasha looked back at her. "I think we're winging it," she smirked.

"Hey, Steve?" Aline called, and the super soldier turned to her. "Please tell me you're not going to give us this whole big dramatic Braveheart-esque speech."

Steve's brows furrowed then looked to Natasha. "I... don't know what that is."

Aline pursed her lips. "You should get on that. I'm pretty sure it's on Netfl... oh, wait." She waved her hands and shook her head. "You know, Cap 一 if we survive this fight, it's you, me, Netflix, and a whole bunch of food. Got it?"

"I got it," Steve chuckled.