A scarlet rose in the witches garden

Chapter 2

The new addition to Wanda's party has slowed her down quite a bit. But she finds herself not minding it so much.
The presence of Roman has made the trip more...enjoyable? Was that it?
It's been three days of them searching. Now they sit to rest in the sunlight of a clearing in the forest.
"Where are we now?" Roman asks this a lot; saying that he's only been out of the facility for a little under a week.
"I believe we're somewhere on the east coast of the United States." Wanda responds, looking at the surroundings.
"Huh." Roman says.
Wanda almost finds it amusing how nonchalant and unfazed Roman is about everything.
"It's very nice here. Perhaps once we find America Chavez and get your kids back I'll move to this east coast of the United States."
Wanda smiles, his innocence refreshing.
"Yes, it is very nice here." She shifts her eyes back to the woods around them.
Roman looks down at the ground they sit on. He pushes his fingers into the soft soil slowly, the veins in his arms and hands glowing a soft green.
Little sprouts pop through the ground one by one, growing into various wildflowers surrounding them. A sea of milkweed, black eyed Susan's, and columbines engulfing them.
Wanda stares in fascination at the flowers rapidly appearing before her eyes. She sees Roman with his hands in the soil with his green tinted veins and his eyes closed.
"Wow..." Says Wanda. "I did not know you could do that." She says gently with a soft smile. "It's very impressive."
"It's interesting. I can do this" He gestures to the clearing full of beautiful flowers "But I can also do so much worse."
"How so?" Wanda is intrigued, wondering how far Romans powers can really go.
Roman looks around them and takes in a deep breath.
In the blink of an eye the trees explode in size. Roots burst from the ground, mangling the previously gorgeous landscape. Thick vines wrap around logs and tree trunks- snapping the smaller trees in half. Poison Ivy crawls up the trees and large thorn bushes pop up from the dirt. A scent fills the air that burns the nose as certain flowers bloom. Wanda covers her mouth and nose with her hands and coughs as the air becomes difficult to breathe.
Suddenly Romans face goes pale and begins to wobble.
"Woah, woah there-" Wanda puts her hands out to catch Roman if he were to topple over.
"Are you okay? What's happening?" Wanda's face is etched with concern.
"I-I'm just a little tired. This happens."
"You've exhausted yourself. Lean back."
He leans back against the tree behind him. Wanda continues to watch him carefully, worry in her eyes.
"How did you get so good at using your powers?"
Memories of the bomb, HYDRA, ultron, thanos, westveiw, and the darkhold rip through Wanda's mind.
"It's a long, long story. Full of loss, grief, and pain." She stares straight ahead.
"Well...I guess that's something we have in common."
She looks over at Roman.
"What?"
"I don't know what you've been through, but it sounds like your life has been beyond shitty. And hasn't been a walk in the park for me either. So I guess we have that in common."
Wanda looks at him.
"I suppose so." She says warmly.
"But...at least now we have each other right?"
Wanda is filled with warmth at your words. After everything she's been through, and everything she's done, you don't seem to think any less of her. She's surprised with how much kindness you've shown someone you've met only mere days ago.
"Yes." Wanda looks at you fondly.
"I'm feeling a bit better now, we can keep going if you want."
Wanda studies him, looking for any signs of fatigue after using his powers.
"I suppose so...if you're sure you're feeling up to it."
"Yep, we have a mission to finish don't we?" He stands up and dusts off his pants. There is something endearing about his enthusiasm and optimism about all of this. Wanda follows his lead and stands up with an amused smile. She looks around.
"You really did some damage didn't you?"
"Yeah, you wonder why they're so pissed about what happened at the facility."
"Yes, I wonder."
"Yeah, it was a mess." Roman's smile fades a little bit after saying this.
"Hey, are you okay?" Part of Wanda wants to wipe that sadness right off of his face. She could see the trauma behind his eyes when talking about the facility.
"Yeah, it's just a weird memory. Let's keep going."
"Okay, but if you start feeling dizzy or anything, don't hesitate to tell me, okay?"
"Gotcha." Roman smiles.
He starts walking, stepping over the smashed wood and avoiding the massive vines crawling across the forest floor.
Wanda wonders what exactly happened to him. Just thinking about what those HYDRA scientists could have done to him infuriates her. She's filled with this strange feeling of needing to protect him. She doesn't quite know why she's feeling this way towards this strange boy, but it is definitely there.