abraxaslogs | ( catch-all ) sailin' away on the crest of a wave

[Now she didn't see that coming.

Shuten is immediately caught off guard by the burst of magic that pushes her back. She manages to not completely get thrown about, skidding backward on her feet. When the oni looks up, her eyes are alert and her brow is wrinkled in confusion as well as caution.

A moment passes as she shakes it off...]

Oh.

[That's the first thing that comes out of her mouth. And then with a wide smile, she follows up with another longer one.]

Ooooooh! I see, I see! Of course! You wouldn't just be any foolish human trying to lecture an oni. So you do have more than just arrogance. How silly of me to think otherwise! I almost got knocked off my feet there. That's not the kind of magic I'm used to in terms of the feel of it, but it's got the spirit behind it.

[Shuten appears to be pleasantly surprised by the sorcerer's retaliation. There's a skip in her step as she moves forward, though at a respectable distance this time.]

I guess these silly magi in Thorne wouldn't summon just anyone. Doctor, you've done it now. There is definitely some entertainment to be had and you're proof that I've barely skimmed the surface.

[She sighs dreamily behind the sleeve of her robe.]

Ah... It's like taking a tiny sip, no, just a drop of what's to come.

Edited 2022-02-28 01:46 (UTC)

Guess so.

[The castle gates are before them now. Stephen urges his horse into a faster gait, eager to deposit their bags of herbs with the mages within, and warm himself by the nearest fire.]

One way or another, change is on the Horizon. We’ll see what happens sooner rather than later.

[But as for more mundane outings-]

I’m going to assume you’re up for more guardwork if I need to head out again?

[Given his interactions with Thancred before, regardless of whether or not the other remembers them, Stephen would have bet good money a remark would’ve been made about his name. He waits for it, really, with an expectant look — and isn’t disappointed.]

No offense taken. According to everyone else, I’m always living up to my name.

[Aha, a debt owed? Stephen doesn’t usually care for such things, especially since it was no trouble to bring him here; he’ll not twist his arm to return some ambiguous favor in the future, once they’re back in Thorne.

Yet given their repartee so far, he has to take some advantage of it.]

You can buy me a drink later. Catch me up on your explorations here. How does that sound?

[Indignity still flares in his chest. Shuten’s sudden change of heart regarding his, what—? His worth? His power? Well, it does very little to abate it.

His sarcasm’s just as present, though, as cutting as before.]

Oh, lucky me.

[But his mind works; he thinks of what it means to have the attention of someone troublesome, someone who’s been testing their powers against those unknowing in the castle. At least he would have the advantage of suspecting that kind of behavior from her; at least he has some means of defense against it.]

How about we strike up an agreement? If you’re so interested.

[ While Stephen doesn't come across as particularly proud of living up to his name, he also doesn't seem to be bothered by the implication that he does. While Thancred would thus far call the entire situation strange rather than this one man, it does make him curious.

Yet that will have to wait for another time. Over the promised drink, mayhap. Thancred decides he likes the sound of that quite a bit, and he shoots Strange a daring smile. ]

It sounds good. I'll keep an eye out for an appropriate spot for us to have drinks as I get a land of the land, then. I would rather not disappoint.

[ Setting off into the unknown with little more than his own instincts to guide him — somehow, this is the most comfortable he's felt since he arrived here. Which, to be fair, hasn't been long at all.

He does turn to take a look at the structures that Strange himself has purportedly created, all of it rather enticing if only for the fact that it's so unknown. ]

Is there anywhere here you suggest I visit before I set out?

[Jasper visibly relaxes as they approach the great gate; impatient to remove his boots and change into clean tunic and trousers. His stinking, swetting skin demands a bath - to remove dirt and grime and the foul odour of his horse if nothing else.]

If needs must. I hardly have other arrangements to endure at this moment.

[That would be yes, long as his acquitance refuses to make a habit out of it.]

An agreement?

[Her curiosity is piqued further now that this magus wants to bargain with her. Clapping her hands together, she leans forward, interested to hear more.]

I'm allll ears, Doctor. You've really made me optimistic so I have to thank you even just a little, somehow.

[Drinks it is, and maybe even within the sphere of Thancred's newly-fashioned Horizon domain. Already, he wonders at what it would be like; what kind of home away from home he'd create for himself, someone who carries the hallmarks of a warrior but is, relatively speaking, personable enough all the same.

As for the question, though, it's one of reasonable consideration. The Horizon is not a limitless space, but it is vast enough to get lost in, to stumble upon many of its residents' creations, for good or ill.]

Out that way- [He gestures in a specific direction, out past a certain sprawl of mountains that will not be present should Thancred wander that far.] -is the domain of someone I know. He's a good man. He'd welcome you into his home without a second thought. Don't hesitate to drop in if you find his house near the docks.

[He's sure Sam does not mind the invite from Stephen, aware of it or otherwise.]

You'll probably get fed, too, if he's there. Hope you're hungry.

[ peter isn't sure what he expects, when this truth spills over, this messy sort of honesty. maybe he expects stephen strange to be disappointed by future peter parker, or to admonish him for the poor decision of meddling with a spell he knew so little about, even if its something that's yet to come. there is no part in peter though, that's ever blamed stephen for any of it — he asked, and he pushed, and the sorcerer helped and then peter decided to go with his own decisions and stephen had tried, several times, to tell him the right thing by the multiverse standards and it was peter parker, the unmasked spider-man, that chose differently.

peter, stephen says, and his name sounds heavy in the air and his shoulders tense.

but what stephen says instead surprises him, a little. maybe it was also because he hadn't really told anyone else about the burden of un-remembrance, tip-toed away from emotions to something that could resemble pragmatism (if you squint). It made sense to tell stephen. it was almost a relief to tell him, now that the words had finally left him.

but still, he seems mildly flustered. ] Hey, that's — um - [ he shrugs. no biggie, haha, right. ] — that's okay. I mean. It was the right thing to do.

[ but, before long, one more thing seems to force itself to the surface, eyes on the upside-down skylight, until he can't hold the words in any longer. ] I — I wanted to say this afterwards, though, and I don't know if I'll have the same chance in the future, so — so I'm sorry. And thank you.

Hold onto your thanks until you hear it.

[Ah, the self-sacrificial nature of all those who'd bear the title of hero. Often, Stephen is not even immune.]

Next time you're wanting to test out the limit of your abilities, turn your attention away from a random guard in the castle. Come to me, instead. I've just proven I can handle you; that includes any wayward experimentations you suddenly get it into your head to play around with.

[ While Thancred had been referring more to any notable spots within Strange's own domain, the fact that he first thinks to speak of someone else's is mayhap an answer in and of itself. It's not as if he told Thancred not to explore within these grounds, but it also isn't what immediately came to mind. Interesting.

There's someone who lives by a dock, who will welcome anyone into his home with a warm smile and some food? It does sound tempting, like the sort of place someone might wish to go after a long and taxing day, and yet Thancred finds that his desire to explore high mountaintops or dark caverns wins out, at least for now. ]

If I find myself tiring, I may have to stop by and say hello.

[ For now, he'll be traveling where his whims take him, having no obligations or duties to follow for now. It's an oddly freeing sensation, he must admit, and he suspects that it won't last.

With that, he turns to Stephen once more and bows his head to him. He reaches up to his own shoulder, as if searching for the strap of a pack that is not there. (Is it true, that he could make one?) ]

Once again, you have my thanks. You'll have that drink before long, mark my words.

[ And with that, he turns to set off on a journey into a strange unknown. ]

Oh?

[The oni blinks in mild surprise at the sorcerer — he just keeps 'em coming. There's certainly no fault with his offer, none that she can immediately poke at anyway.]

How bold of you to offer yourself to me. Though... Hm.

[She is definitely mulling it over as taps her cheek and rests the elbow in the other hand.]

I was assuming you'd just exterminate me on the spot. Instead, you're being pragmatic even after I nearly made you go mad, drinking me in like that.

[She's trying to eke out his intentions, or something to that effect. It would only be natural that anyone with actual sense would single her out as a wildcard and a threatening one at that with no Master to anchor her down.]

I’m not in the business of killing indiscriminately.

[He is a doctor, after all. And though his Hippocratic oath has been… bent to the point of resembling a pretzel at this point, Stephen will always choose reasoning over violence. A peaceful solution to an outright violent one.

It’s often a matter if the other party is willing to do the same.]

So what do you say? Willing to accept my offer?

So it's neither love nor hate... Mn.

[For a moment, she says nothing and angles herself so that she can examine Stephen. As a summon, Shuten would have never predicted it would take her to this place. There were so many humans and though it would be hard to hold a candle up to her Master's strength of character, the man before her was proving to be something else entirely.

And different isn't bad.]

Welllll... If you're gonna play with an oni, then my one concession...!

[And she holds up a finger, wagging it at him playfully.]

... Is that you share a drink with me. You're handsome enough to make any alcohol I have taste better and it seems we'll have a loooot to talk about. I won't even try to nibble on you if that makes you feel better.

( catch-all ) sailin' away on the crest of a wave

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late w sbux !!

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