Carmine Jewels ║ Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 49 - Perception

Wanda, on the other hand, had to fight hard to not let the blush wash over her cheeks at the nickname. It was far from the first time that Keira had called her that, but hearing it in Sokovian still hit differently. 

Keira shot Wanda a smile before stretching out her hands in front of her and letting the diamond crystallize from her palms. The diamond dust formed together into multiple big blocks. Having trained this particular skill for a time now, the volume of the diamond had also increased with time.

Right now, the blocks reached the underside of Keira's sternum, which would make sure that it would be a bit of a challenge for Wanda to lift. If Keira had to guess, they probably weighed at least two hundred pounds each, since she hadn't bothered with making them hollow.

The brunette in question took a step back, eyeing the four blocks with apprehension before glancing back at Keira, who gave her an encouraging nod. These blocks were larger than usual, but if Keira thought she could do it, she would at least give it a try.

Wanda swallowed thickly and drew a deep breath before closing her eyes. Keeping her eyes shut helped her with her concentration. That way, she could feel her way around instead of having to rely on her sight. Red wisps slowly seeped out of her hands, twirling around her fingers and her wrists before encasing the diamond blocks.

Keira, who had taken a few steps back, watched as the blocks slowly started to levitate while bouncing on the balls of her feet. While it was the first time for Wanda with such heavy blocks, it seemed the challenge didn't face the brunette, because the big blocks floated through the air as if they were weightless, slowly circling around her.

Which was exactly why Keira wanted to up the difficulty of the exercise. So, with a wry smile, she cocked her head. "Okay, I'm gonna need you to keep your concentration, Wanda. The weight is going to shift between the blocks, so I just want you to focus on keeping them level above the ground, okay?"

"W- What?" Wanda stuttered as her eyes snapped open. The blocks teetered dangerously for a moment while the psionic energy surrounding them flickered slightly before she managed to regain her focus. What did Keira have in mind this time?

Surely, it couldn't be worse than the time Keira had wanted to increase her spatial awareness? That time, she had gotten knives thrown at her, dull ones, but still. It hadn't been a fun exercise. Although, Natasha had taken great enjoyment in watching the show, and participating just a little bit.

Keira met Wanda's worried gaze steadily and shot her a reassuring smile. "Just trust me, okay? Keep your focus on the blocks. It might get a little bit harder for you to balance them, but I believe in you." While she was speaking, she made sure to faintly nod along with her words. It was an old trick, and it was surprisingly effective. People were more prone to agree or believe you if you nodded while speaking. According to science, it was simply an unconscious reaction. And as if she could read Wanda's thoughts, she held up her hands. "And don't worry, no knives involved."

Wanda bit down on her lip, still a bit uncertain about it all but she was touched by Keira's trust in her, so she gave a determined nod before closing her eyes again. While focusing on keeping the heavy blocks off the ground, her mind couldn't help but wander back to her time at HYDRA, back when she first had gotten her powers.

The memories were far from pleasant, but even back then, she had learned how to handle her powers by levitating blocks. Albeit, those had been much smaller, and made out of wood, like the ones kids used to play with. And just like now, Keira had been there to help her.

Upon seeing Wanda closing her eyes again, Keira couldn't help but feel a small fire of pride in her chest, because just like Wanda, her mind too, strayed back to the old days. And to see how much Wanda had evolved with her powers was simply admirable.