Two

Portrait

Part One

'You can't be serious,' Doctor Stephen Strange scowled, shaking his head, disbelief.

Wong merely looked at him, face set in that blank, unreadable, vaguely condescending expression that Stephen secretly referred to as 'Wong face'.

'I mean, really, you're kidding, right?' Stephen insisted, already aware that Wong wasn't going to budge.

Wong turned, headed back toward the main rooms of the building.

Stephen followed, a bit put out, reeling off a list of questions, aimed at Wong's unyielding back,

'A portrait? Of me? Why?'

'Tradition,' Wong replied, over his shoulder, as they came into the main audience room at Kamar-Taj.

'What?' Stephen snapped.

Wong stopped, turned to face him.

'It is tradition that the Masters of each Sanctum have their portraits rendered, so they may hang in the Hall of Memory. Across the centuries, it has been so.'

Stephen made a face, said, snarkily,

' 'Hall of Memory'? How come I've never seen that?'

Wong said, chastising,

'There are many things you have yet to see, Strange.'

Stephen gave another snort of annoyance, observed,

'And, many things that require my attention. Things more important than wasting hours of my time sitting for a portrait.'

'You should return to New York. Master Jade will be meeting you there,' Wong replied, flatly, ignoring Stephens protests.

'Who is that?'

'Master Jade has requested the privilege of capturing your likeness. You should be honored. It is not often she makes that skill available.'

Stephen twisted his face in thought, offered, slyly,

'Maybe you could just...take a picture?'

Wong answered, as he often did, with silence, and a blank scowl.

Wong face.

Stephen sighed, threw his hands up in surrender.

'I will go ahead, prepare things,' Wong said, turning to head toward the Portal room, admonishing,

'You should not keep Master Jade waiting.'

Stephen watched as Wong exited the hall, then turned to head across the courtyard, to borrow a few books from the Library. He spent extra time, there, deliberately delaying his return to New York.

Finally, deciding he couldn't come up with any more excuses to postpone his departure, he headed toward his rooms to gather Cloak.

Cloak swirled to his shoulders as he entered, exhibiting that uncanny ability to know they were leaving.

'Home, to New York,' he informed it, and headed toward the portal room.

Stephen stepped into the New York Sanctum, muttering irritably under his breath. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he wasn't slightly interested in this whole thing. He really did have more important things to do, and intended to do his best to avoid the entire scenario.

He strode purposefully across the burnished wood floors, Cloak billowing around him. Headed toward his private suite of rooms, tossing a glance around, looking for Wong.

No sign of him, or anyone else.

Good. Maybe they'd gotten tired, and left.

He was a little unprepared to step into his study and very nearly fall over Wong.

Wong gave a disapproving glare, chided,

'We have been waiting.'

Stephen glanced across the room, eyes narrowing at the figure standing in the large window, back toward him. He could only see a silhouette, sharply defined by sunlight streaming in.

'Master Jade, Doctor Stephen Strange,' Wong said, and the figure turned to face him.

Suddenly, Cloak seemed to shudder, as if excited, or afraid, and pulled away from Stephens shoulders, surprising him.

It moved to hover close by the woman, Master Jade.

Stephen gave it a scowl, not sure he liked how fast it had zipped over to her.

'Pleased to finally meet you, Doctor,' she greeted, a smile in her voice. He perused her, and her attire. She wore the familiar ensemble of most masters, her colors black and emerald green. It's style was, perhaps, a bit antiquated, but suited her, contrasted nicely with burgundy black hair, tumbling along her shoulders.

Stephen noted how she held tightly to a very ornate staff of dark wood, about five feet long, tripped with intricate silver ferrules at both ends.

She took a step away from the window, out of the shadows cast by sunlight at her back. Then he met her eyes...or, rather, where they used to be.

Instead of eyes, he found empty sockets.

He recoiled, slightly, and somehow she sensed it, and lowered her chin, hair curtaining the sides of her face.

After taking a few seconds to form a comment, Stephen scowled, annoyed, huffed,

'Look, I'm sorry. I know I'm going to sound like a real jerk, here, but, how is a blind person going to paint my portrait?'

Master Jade laughed, lifted her face, said, teasingly,

'Wong said you had much to learn. He is, for once, correct,' with a broad smile.

Wong, as usual, didn't flinch, but Stephen saw a small softening in his features.

'So, Doctor, may I see you?' she asked, respectfully, with a small bow of her head.

Stephen had no idea what she meant, but Cloak did.

It floated close to her, wrapped gently around her shoulders with one side, raised its hem edge on the other to take her free hand. She smiled at Cloaks touch, trustingly allowed it to lead her across the floor to Stephen, who felt a little embarrassed at his lack of courtesy.

Cloak freed one edge of its hem, reached out toward its Chosen, carefully lifted his arm toward Master Jade, so she could lay her hand to his.

Awkwardly, he allowed her hand to rest there, hyper aware of how obvious the trembling must feel to her heightened senses.

She stepped in close, then raised her hands toward his face, hesitated a second.

Waiting for his permission.

He nodded, then realized that was ridiculous, because she couldn't see him.

But apparently she sensed the gesture, and lay a gentle touch to his skin.

Her hands traced his features, as delicately as his former surgeons touch, a soft smile on her lips.

After what seemed like eternity, she lowered her hands, asked, quietly,

'Your hands?'

Stephen nearly stepped away, unwilling to allow another to experience those scars.

Cloak whispered to his side, nudged him, carefully, urging him to allow it.

He gave his scarlet companion a glare, which, in the past, may have felt foolish. However, since his association with Cloak he'd come to realize it was almost human, and was sensitive to his words and expressions.

'Alright, alright,' he grouched, softly, as Cloak insistently bumped him. He looked to Master Jade, realized she was smiling, amused, and wondered how she could tell what Cloak was doing.

Extending his hands, he willed the trembling to stop as she reached for them.

Of course, it didn't.

It took all his courage to allow her to trace the scars, without moving. If anything, her touch was even more careful than it had been on his face.

Her brow folded into a compassionate frown, she murmured,

'Thank you, Doctor,' and allowed him to pull his hands away.

Wong pulled a chair out for her, and she settled into it, laying her staff across her lap, and grew very still.

Then her astral form jolted free, into the room, startling Stephen.

She laughed, and sparkling blue eyes met his as she came to stand in front of him.

'You're surprised,' she chuckled, looking him over.

Angry, Stephen demanded,

'Why not lead with the 'I'm not really blind' angle?'

'I am. Only in my astral form am I able to see.'

'Why all this, then?' he insisted, displaying his hands, indicating her need to touch his face.

She smiled, replied,

'That's how I see the truth, who you really are. Your eyes can deceive you. So, I prefer to save that impression for later.'

Cloak returned to its Chosen, settling into its preferred place on his shoulders.

Master Jade gave it a wink, and Stephen could swear it made some sort of gesture in reply.

'You should be flattered. The Cloak has been many decades without a Master to care for.

'I often wished it had come to me, but you clearly have need of it.

You will, of course, wear it for your portrait.'

Cloak whirled from Stephen's shoulders, in what could only be seen as happiness, straight toward Master Jade. It swooped several small circles around her, drawing a hearty laugh.

'We shall begin tomorrow, if that's good for you?' she suggested, and Stephen began,

'Well, actually, I have this thing...' and Cloak slammed into his back, making him stumble a step forward.

He offered it a glare, ignoring how Wong had very nearly laughed.

She looked carefully around the study, noting how Stephen had already transformed it into a reflection of himself, and gave a slight nod.

'I believe we shall use this room. I've always liked the light,' she decided, glancing toward the giant windows.

Stephen was a little confused by the phrasing of her remark.

Had she been here, before?

He dismissed the thought, then grumbled, but didn't bother voicing yet another complaint that would just be ignored, anyways.

Master Jade's astral form returned to her body, and she came to her feet, staff tip resting lightly on the floor.

Her expression grew very serious, as she warned,

'I have one rule. You may not look at the portrait until I have finished it.'

'Fine,' Stephen nodded, not quite comfortable with looking her in the face.

Wong came to stand beside her, offered his arm, which she took.

'I'll leave it to you to select your wardrobe, Doctor, but I do insist we use that gorgeous tall backed chair that sits at your desk.'

Stephen shot a glance over his shoulder toward the mentioned chair, surprised she had even noticed any details of his study in the few brief minutes she'd had to survey it.

'Until tomorrow, then, Doctor,' she nodded, and allowed Wong to lead her from his rooms.