[ don't give him that look, stephen. they exchanged some words and then goro took a swipe at him. sam wasn't in any real danger, and the way he kind of...well, he doesn't laugh, but he does huff something of an amused noise. shakes his head a little if stephen tries to look any closer. he'd taken the steps to make sure he wasn't in any real danger, and honestly, sam hadn't gone looking for a fight at all. but some words were exchanged and they weren't exactly friendly.

but that's also why sam is here - having this talk with stephen, going out and collecting the people he knows he can trust. which is. something of an interesting place to be in, with the few things he knows about dr. stephen strange. but his gut has brought him here and he has a feeling it's not going to let him down. ]

There's time, but how much is the question. And we have evidence that people are moving where they didn't before. You heard about the delegates Thorne sent out after the Dimming, right?

[ there are pieces to this that sam is just starting to see the shape of. decisions being made that he can only just barely see the direction. thorne, sending out delegates where they hadn't before. solvunn, and its mages casting magic that affects the world at large. the summoned, who all happen to be sticking around to watch it happen. who each faction is now conscripting.

it's going to lead somewhere, he knows. it's just a matter of how quickly, and who will be in its path. ]