Chapter 2 – A Stark Contrast
In a bare, grey, windowless room, a mirror hung on a wall.
It was oval-shaped, with a surface dark like water under a moonlit sky, and a glass chip was missing from the centre. Around it was a frame made from the skeleton of a serpent biting its own tail, with large blood-red diamonds for eyes.
Even in the dim light of the ceiling above, these red gems flickered with an eerie light as the door to the room opened. Many masked men in tactical gear and bearing guns filtered into the room, two of them holding a struggling brunette woman, bound and gagged, with her arms behind her head.
Her brown eyes darted around her new surroundings in terror as they pushed her to stand in front of the mirror.
"Stop squirming and look ahead." One of the men holding her grunted harshly, but still, she struggled fiercely like a fish in a net.
"What is taking so long?" Another man's voice drawled.
Several gunmen stiffened in surprise and alertness as a man in a black suit with an eagle and snake tattoo on his bald head sauntered into the room.
Unlike his fellowmen, he bore only a small handgun on his hip, half-hidden by his smartly tailored jacket.
"Here. Let me handle this since clearly this is far too advanced for you." He sneered to the men as he motioned with his hand for the poor woman's handlers to step away, only to quickly grab her by the roots of her dark brown hair.
Beneath her gag in her mouth, the woman yelped in fright but could not do anything as the bald man steered her by the hair so that she stood nose to nose with the mirror glass.
In it, she could see herself on its surface, but instead of seeing the terrified, wide-eyed, desperate captive, she saw instead her own face frowning back at her with intrigue.
Then without warning, the reflection quickly took out the gag from its mouth and tossed it aside.
The woman in front of the mirror froze in horror. She was still standing still, gag on and bound as the armed men around her raised their guns quickly to the mirror and her, their eyes behind their goggles wide with shock.
The only one not shocked nor phased was the man in the suit, who smirked as he raised a lazy hand in the air.
"Hold your fire. It's perfectly alright." He turned his attention to the woman's reflection, "I trust this is to your liking then? I know you usually prefer more beautiful candidates, but I'm afraid this is all we can provide until we can find your missing piece."
"Hmmm…" the reflection was now tilting its head from side to side as she reached out to trace the outline of the missing mirror shard before it before turning her attention back to the woman before her.
Then suddenly, she sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I suppose she will have to do." She glanced back up to the suited man holding the woman.
"I don't suppose you wouldn't mind sending your little toy soldiers back to their boxes, would you? It might get a little messy in here. You can stay, of course. I know you have the guts to handle yourself." She added quickly with an appreciative leer at the suited man, who returned the smirk only too gladly as he clicked.
"Alright, men, you heard the lady. Go outside into the corridor. We won't be too much longer in here."
"S-Sir?" one of the men gulped only to flinch as his boss's eyes flashed angrily.
"Out. Now."
And with that, the armed men scuttled out, none of them daring to look behind as they shut the door and made to line up against the walls of the corridor outside, all of them wincing as a woman's piercing screams echoed behind their retreating backs.
"I can't believe you roped me into attending this shindig!"
"Oh, come off it, Olivia, it won't be that bad. Think of it as practice for your new position as the Sorenson heiress."
Wong rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time as Olivia Summers and Stephen Strange both glowered at each other from across the kitchen island countertop.
They had been going at it all morning. Ever since Tony Stark had invited the two of them to the Stark Industries Charity Gala at Avengers Tower, Via had been fuming at her guardian for dragging her along for the ride.
Wong could only suppose that he should have seen this coming.
Though she was disciplined in certain areas of life, no one had ever taught Via any proper ladylike etiquette; until a few months ago, she had never even had the luxury of being a regular teenage girl. It was only natural she would feel nervous about attending such a prestigious event.
However, despite his sympathy for the girl, Wong had to agree with Stephen.
Though very humbled by his recent experiences, the ex-neurosurgeon still knew how to carry himself in high society, something that was going to prove important when it came down to him forging alliances with other powerful entities. If Via could learn from him how to socialize with such people, she could potentially prove herself a powerful asset to the Masters of the Mystic Arts, especially now that she had the prestigious name of Sorenson to back her up.
Wong sighed as he set the plates of food down before his hungry charges.
Via, happy for an excuse to not listen to Stephen's lecture on social etiquette, quickly started wolfing down her food, much to both adult's disdain.
"Perhaps we should start with table manners", Wong grunted as he quickly snagged Via's plate out from her.
"Hey!" she growled only to wince as with a quick whisper and a point of his fingers, Stephen's Cloak of Levitation flew forward and wrapped around her shoulders, binding her straight-backed to the back of her chair.
"Let me go-ow-what the-GUYS!" she scowled as both Wong and Stephen chuckled at her predicament. But no matter how hard she tried to struggle, the Cloak just wouldn't budge.
"Now, lesson one. How to sit whilst eating" Stephen smirked as he got to his feet.
"OH, you've got to be kidding me?!" Via shut her eyes and groaned.
And that's how Stephen and Wong began to teach me "proper etiquette".
Alright, I'll admit it, it has proven somewhat useful, but still…was it necessary for Levi to have to tie me to the chair?
(In hindsight, it probably was. Otherwise, I'd have probably escaped)
Amidst these amusing beginnings of my super-fast "My Fair Lady" rags to riches transformation, little did I know what was happening in a certain tower across town.
"Hold on, hold on. You invited Doctor Strange and that kid both here for the company gala?" A woman in a white pantsuit with red hair tied back in a ponytail quirked a brow at a smirking man with dark hair and a goatee who was bustling around a workbench around several mechanical parts in disarray.
"Hey, you were the one saying I should drop them a line if I was so interested in getting to know what happened that day." Tony Stark grunted as he tried aligning several pieces of metal into a design before switching them around to see if they would work better.
"There's a difference between dropping a line to have coffee and a chat and inviting them to a large company event Tony." Pepper Potts frowned, folding her arms at her significant other. "The man has been a recluse for nearly two years since his accident, AND you know you butt heads with him every time you meet. What makes you think he'd be comfortable attending your charity event?"
"I don't know Pepper. He did not seem too fussed when I called him earlier." Tony shrugged nonchalantly as he settled some of the other mechanical parts around his workstation into more accessible spots. "Truth be told, I'm more interested in that kid he's got with him."
"Oh yes, because that does not sound weird at all?" Pepper shook her head in exasperation as Tony groaned in frustration.
"Pepper, you don't get it. Forget the fact that Strange hates kids - seriously, I still cannot believe he is actually filing for adoption." He added under his breath. "But that girl…there's something about her face that…I don't know. It feels familiar."
"Familiar? You only saw her once on the opposite end of a Shwarma dive." Pepper's face suddenly dropped like a stone. "Oh god, please don't tell me she's a kid from one of your old one-night stands."
"What? No! No-no-no-no-no!" Tony's eyes widened as he put his hands up placatingly. "God no Pepper, that's not what I mean at all. Trust me, if I'd slept with someone who looked like they could be her mother, I would have definitely remembered. And if I had accidentally knocked someone up, you know I would at least pay the child support and not dump them in the system."
Pepper's face relaxed considerably at this. While she was still suspicious of the strange girl's origins, she could not deny the truth of her boyfriend's statement.
While he had been a very flighty, fickle man with his women in the old days, he had not been cruel. She knew that deep under his snarky, iron armoured suit, there was a heart that would not abandon a bastard child.
She sighed heavily as she looked at a picture of the said girl and her new guardian of the two of them wearing strange clothes and standing outside a tall building. The photo seemed to have been taken from a small shop security camera from across the street.
The girl was quite young, fourteen going on fifteen, with lightly tanned peaches and cream complexion, curly golden blonde hair, and blue eyes. She looked nothing like Tony or any of his relatives at all, who all usually had dark hair, brown eyes and a distinctly olive or tanned complexion.
But as she looked closer at the girl's face, Pepper could finally see why she fascinated her boyfriend.
There was something oddly familiar about her face that she just could not pinpoint. Something in the facial expression that she had seen somewhere before. Where was it? A photograph? A magazine? At a charity event?
Was she related to someone they had met through Stark Industries or the rich elite?
Quietly, Pepper Potts shook her head to herself. She was not sure how much more of her boyfriend's madness she could take.
So there we all were, getting ready for the big gala. The pieces were being positioned on the chessboard, and the players were taking their seats.
But who were the pieces, and who were the players? Even after I look back on the whole evening, I still do not know for certain.
The only thing I was aware of at the time was that Master Percival arrived from the London Sanctum Sanctorum with all my mother's stuff for me to sort through, and boy was there a lot.
"Wow… all this is mine?" Via blinked as she stared at the many cardboard boxes that littered the entire front hall of the Sanctum.
There had to be over twenty there – no wait, scratch that – more like forty.
"Yes…or at least it's all your mother's belongings from London" Wong folded his arms beside her. "The rest of your estate will most likely be at the Sorenson family manor in Norway."
"I have a manor…in Norway?" Via gulped, her face paling.
"Where in Norway," Stephen asked interestedly as he closed a magic portal a few feet away.
"Tønsberg. It lies in the County of Vestfold, in the District of Viken." Wong explained, "It's quite a lovely city. Also, home to the Oseberghaugen,"
"I've heard of that" Stephen's brow furrowed slightly. "Isn't that the spot where they have that ancient Viking burial mound?"
"Yes, it is" Wong quickly turned away to reach down to a box, smirking. "Now let us get down to organizing all this. If we work hard and sort this all out before dinner, then we can buy us some time to continue your etiquette training before tomorrow evening".
"Argh! I can't believe this…." Via groaned as Stephen sniggered softly behind her back.
And so, they started sorting. It was a long slog as many of the boxes contained stacks of books. Most of them were spell books, most of them quite standard and outdated, but some were exceptionally rare. These Via gave to Stephen.
"Are you sure? I mean, after all, these were your moms'." he stuttered, but Via could see the excitement clearly etched in his face as he tried to restrain himself from smiling.
"I'm sure." She grinned as she sat on the floor and sorted through some more books. "Besides, she was supposed to be the heir to the Sorcerer Supreme before you. These could probably help you in your upcoming training".
Behind both their backs, Wong allowed himself a small smirk of his own.
It was not often anyone got to see Stephen Strange look as excited as a child on Christmas morning.
It was not long after that when Stephen finally put all the rare magic tomes upstairs to his private library and sent all the other books to the sanctum's public library down on the ground floor; they moved onto the ordinary books, many of which Via took up to her own bedroom to fill her own bookshelves.
Once everything was settled, they mon to onto the other boxes. Many of these were filled with small trinkets. Many of them were quite ordinary, small items that Via supposed her mother must have collected over the years, including a large box filled with dolls and toys.
"Are you alright?" Stephen knelt beside Via as she stared at the photo album in her lap. It was large and had a maroon leather cover with the Sorenson family crest (two dragons entwined in a golden circle, biting the other's tails) embossed in gold at the top.
But Via did not seem to hear him. She was staring down at the page she had opened and into the large photograph before her.
In it were four people: two young girls, a man, and a woman. The man was tall and austere, with a head of short golden blonde curly hair, glasses that went over a pair of piercing grey eyes and a moustache to match. This, when added to his sharply cut grey suit, his body radiated power, authority, and strength. Beside him, his wife stood, tall, elegant, if a little snobbish, in Via's opinion.
She was beautiful in her conservative white dress, which contrasted starkly with her dark brown waves. In front of them, the two girls stood both in matching red dresses and with the same blonde curls as their father. One looked to be about twelve years old and was mimicking the same slightly snooty look her parents were wearing, while her younger sister (who looked around eight or nine) grinned unabashedly. It was this young smiling girl that Via recognized at once.
"It's my mom," she breathed, and though she smiled, she could feel her chest catch painfully.
"She looks just like you," Stephen murmured, eyeing the youngest girl in the photograph.
Now he understood why so many of the older sorcerers were startled whenever they saw Via. The Sorenson family resemblance was not just there; it was smacking them straight in the face with a baseball bat whenever they looked at her.
The only real difference was her bearing. The man and woman and elder girl (whom Stephen supposed were her grandparents and aunt) looked haughty and proud at the camera, with pride only an aristocrat could have.
"Hey Doc, check this out" Via's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and Stephen squinted at the place she was pointing.
Just where her grandfather was looping his arm with his wife, his shirt and cuffs had slid back. And there it was, a glint of gold.
Stephen looked at Via, who excitedly held up her wrist where one of her dragon bracelets now curled around, glimmering ever so slightly.
"Well, if that doesn't prove your parentage, I don't know what does", Wong piped in from where he had started to put back some small already sorted bric-a-brac.
"A DNA test maybe," Stephen snorted, glancing down at Via, who was frowning at the caption scrawled beneath the photograph.
"1981, New Year's Eve, (left to right) Eric, Sigrid, Astrid and Freyja Sorenson. Astrid…hmm…So I had an aunt too? Huh? I wonder what happened to her?" she murmured to herself.
"No one's quite sure," Wong answered quietly, his expression grim. "From what Percival has told me about the Sorenson line, your aunt is still alive, but her health is very delicate. The last anyone heard of her; she's currently living in the family townhouse in Oslo."
"Oslo?" Via frowned.
"The Capital of Norway." Stephen explained before scratching his goatee and muttering, "Looks like we'll have to add Geography to your homeschooling."
But Via was not listening; she was now flicking through the book of photographs and looking for more pictures of her aunt and mother. She was quick to find two photographs at the end, side by side. In each, her mother and her aunt were both wearing the black ceremonial graduation robes.
"1995, Freyja Erika Sorenson, University of Cambridge, Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic studies and Archaeology." Via murmured as she read the handwritten captions "1992, Astrid Ingrid Sorenson, Graduation University of Cambridge, Bachelor of Arts, majoring in History and Philosophy. Wow, that's pretty posh stuff. Does she still have any contact with the order?" Via cocked her head curiously, and Wong shrugged.
"No, not since your grandparents passed away."
"And when was that?"
Via frowned, and Wong suddenly stiffened uncomfortably.
"Your grandfather… had a heart condition and passed away in 2002", He sighed, "And your grandmother passed away two years later due to stomach cancer. I'm sorry." He said quickly, but Via waved him off airily.
"That's okay. I barely even knew they existed till today, so no harm, no foul."
Yet even as she said this, Stephen could see the disappointment in her eyes. Wong appeared to have seen this too, for he quickly added:
"But even if your grandparents are gone, you still have plenty of other cousins and relatives spanning around the globe. A whole branch of the Sorenson Clan moved here to the U.S. and another one in London. One of your relatives has even moved to Australia."
"Wow, really?" Via's eyebrows rose. "Given the way Russo and Kaesilius talked to me, I always thought I was one of the last Sorenson's."
"And you are." Wong nodded. "Your great grandfather was the only son born into his family. When his other five sisters all married, they took on their husbands' names, leaving only him to carry on the family name. Now only you and your aunt have the name Sorenson in the family."
"Huh…" Via nodded as she digested the information before turning to Wong with a frown. "So, how do you know all this?"
"Because one of the jobs as head librarian at Karma-Taj is to keep records of the family trees of the older, more, magically powerful bloodlines," Wong said matter of factly. "And seeing as the Sorenson's are one of the Order's oldest families, the continuation of their bloodline is of great importance."
"Yikes. Talk about no pressure." Via rolled her eyes, and Stephen chuckled.
"Come on. You can look at that later when we're done here." He patted her consolingly on the shoulder.
"Righty-oh Doc" Via nodded as she shut the album and put it to the side.
They moved onto the last few boxes, in which Via was incredibly surprised to find a whole stack of-
"Whoa! What the hell are all these?" she laughed as she pulled out a plum jacket with massive shoulder pads.
"Good grief, I haven't seen one of these in ages." Stephen chuckled as she held it up for him and Wong to have a look at.
"Yeah, that is definitely going into storage!" Via giggled as she started a clothes pile in a box they'd emptied earlier.
All in all, she found diving through her mother's old clothes to be quite an odd experience. Whilst she found many old everyday vintage clothes, she also found some extra robes for training at Kamar-Taj, most of them mainly in some shade of purple or black.
She was shocked to find what appeared to be an entire ninja's dark navy-blue uniform amidst all the training clothes, complete with the full headgear and shoes.
"For stealth missions", Wong explained when she asked him about it. "You should keep that. It might come in handy for you when you start your training again."
After her training gear came all her fancy clothes.
Via knew her mother came from a high-class family, but that did not stop her surprise when she inspected the two boxes full of expensive dresses and evening gowns, as well as the one large box filled to bursting with shoes and accessories.
"Well, look at it this way", Wong smirked as he made one quite nice green dress hover in the air with magic. "At least now you don't have to go shopping for a dress for tomorrow".
"If I had my way, I wouldn't be going tomorrow at all. Frills? Ha-ha. No, thank you." Via rolled her eyes as she tossed a very frilly red dress into the "storage" box.
"Hmm…what's this?" Stephen murmured as he reached down into one of the boxes and pulled out something soft and pink.
Via looked up and felt her cheeks go red.
"That could work," Wong nodded appreciatively at the dress as he walked over to inspect it. "It's simple, elegant and the colour suits her. All we have to do is shrink it down to fit your size."
"But it's so… pink", Via grimaced, trying to hide her flushed cheeks but failing miserably as Stephen's smirk grew wider.
"And yet you like it."
"What? No! I-I-Don't! I-I-mean sure it's okay, but-there's no way I-I-could pull it off-" she spluttered as both older men grinned at one another.
"Now, since that's sorted, why don't you sort through these and see if you can find a pair to match." Wong slid the cardboard box filled with shoes towards the scowling girl.
"I hate you two," she muttered.
Yeah, and that's how I ended up finding my dress. After all that, you'd think that it would be smooth sailing till the party the next day.
But it wasn't. You see, I may have had all the pretty dresses and clothes in the world, but I was still…well…me under all those clothes. And let me tell you guys, I'm far from being any kind of lady by a long stretch.
Little did I know I wasn't the only one worried about that.
"So let me get this straight. Tony Stark himself personally invited you to his Gala, one of New York's biggest parties of the year, and you're dragging along your new fourteen-year-old ward, who hasn't even been to a proper birthday party in her life?"
"I'm not dragging her along, Christine, I'm just-" Stephen pouted, sipping his cup of coffee to avoid the incredulous stare of the red-haired woman in dark thick winter gear, who sat across from him in the small diner booth. It was a small place, not too pricey, with good food and good coffee, and it was close to New York General hospital, which was lucky because if it weren't, Christine Palmer wouldn't have been able to meet him on her break.
Christine, however, was too busy narrowing her eyes at him reproachfully to appreciate the situation fully.
"Okay…maybe I am dragging her with me a little bit." He admitted, slightly sheepishly. "But what else was I to do? Stark knows about her and the adoption. How he knows, I have no idea-"
"Yeah, because she totally wasn't rescued by Captain America when she ran away last week." Christine raised her eyebrows.
"Well, I guess that might've done it", Stephen conceded grudgingly, taking another swig. "But still, Stark asked me to bring her along, and well…I was so surprised I just agreed on the spot without asking her."
"And let me guess, she's super happy about that?" Christine snorted.
"Hardly." Stephen's voice was quiet as he said:
"I've never seen her this nervous. When it comes down to martial arts and her studies, she's as cool as a cucumber. But whenever she has to do something-I don't know-normal like girl's things and being a kid, she just looks so…lost…and I-I don't know if I can do anything to help…."
Christine watched, surprised as he set down his coffee and sighed heavily into his palm.
"Oh god, Christine, what was I thinking? Me adopting a kid? I'm barely normal as it stands-"
Understatement of the century
Christine thought but kept her mouth shut as he continued rambling quietly.
"-She should be with a loving family in some suburb, going to a normal school, with normal friends, not having to care about all this other crap that goes on in the world. Instead, she's stuck with Wong, me, and barely any biological family in some big mansion studying reality changing magic and being chased by a weird, dangerous man in the streets-"
"I can't believe that there are still people here in New York who'd sell a kid off like that", Christine muttered savagely. "I mean, sure, some kids are a bit difficult to handle, but still, they all deserve a chance-"
"I know. I didn't believe it either until I saw that man." Stephen muttered, glancing towards the window they sat beside that looked out onto the street, almost as if he expected that strange pale-haired man to pop out amongst the crowd.
"You still don't know who he is?" Christine bit her lip nervously as she followed his gaze.
"No. Via never got his name. But that look he had in his eye it just-" Stephen shook his head "-I mean physically he looks quite normal but-I don't know – it was just…vile. If you saw him, you'd understand what I mean."
"You think he might be another one of those crazy zealots you were telling me about earlier?" Christine leaned forwards as a waitress came by with a refill for them both before quickly scuttling off to attend to someone else.
"I don't know. Maybe? But as far as I can tell, he exudes no mystical presence whatsoever."
"So what? Because you can't sense the colour of his aura or whatever you know he can't do magic?" Christine sipped her coffee, amused when he glowered at her. "Oh, relax, you know I'm kidding".
"Not funny." he rolled his eyes, though secretly he was glad for the jest. Since Kaesilius's attack, his innermost thoughts had turned dark of late, and any distraction was a welcome one, even if it came with a slight blow to his pride.
Christine seemed to sense his unease because her smile softened.
"Stephen. I get it, alright. This adoption is a huge step. You've never done something like this before, and you're freaking out because, you being you, want to get it perfectly the first time around."
"I'm not freaking out", Stephen muttered under his breath.
"Yes, you are" Christine reached across the table to take his hand in a comforting squeeze. "and it's okay if you are. Seriously, Stephen, I've seen so many parents come into the ER, and even the ones who've got kids in college are still freaking out about how they're raising them. If anything, I'd be more worried if you weren't freaking out right now because that would mean you don't care about this kid at all."
"I-I just…" Stephen sipped on his coffee to calm his nerves. "I just…I don't want to screw this up. She's already had such a messed-up life before, and now-"
"She's got you." Christine steamrolled over him smoothly. "Are you perfect? No. Are you an arrogant, smug ass sometimes? Yes, you most definitely are. But you care about her, and you want her to be happy. And that's what she probably needs the most, now."
"But caring and happiness can't teach her how to dress, or behave, or teach her about dating, prepping for college or girl stuff or even just being a teenager. When I was a teen, I was an absolute nerd; I mean, I was brilliant, yes, but still…" he added, ears flushing red as Christine giggled.
"So that's what's got you all hot and bothered. She needs help with girl stuff, and you have no clue what to do? Seriously, Stephen, you're a doctor. Surely even you should be able to explain the birds and the bees-"
"Of course, I can explain the birds and the bees!" Stephen snapped, his cheeks now vermillion. "That's not the point. It's just…fashion… makeup…being a girl. Olivia might not be very girly, and she doesn't have to be that way, but she still should know some things so she can figure herself out socially in the future-"
"Do you want me to help?" Christine leaned forwards, her tone careful and soothing. "What if I came around to your place right now after this next cup, showed her some makeup and helped prep her for tonight."
"You'd do that?" Stephen glanced at her, and though he tried to hide it, she could clearly see the hopeful shine in his pale eyes.
"Yeah, sure. I-If she's okay with it, I guess. I mean, I don't want to intrude, but if she really does need a little help getting ready and if you're stuck…."
"Are you sure? You've just come off your shift-" Stephen glanced worriedly to her watch, but she just waved him off with a grin.
"Trust me; I'll be fine. Once you're at that party, I'll be curled up on my couch with dinner and my Netflix…after I've watched you two flounce down that red carpet, of course."
"I wasn't worried about you being tired. I-I mean, I am, obviously, but that's not what I meant." Stephen now smirked. "I was more worried about whether you had the strength to deal with her right now."
"You mean Olivia?" Christine frowned. "Why? What's wrong with her?"
"Nothing's wrong per se…." Stephen's smirk widened. "But let's just say…you'll need another cup of coffee before coming over."
Oh yeah, har-dee-har! Yes. I was a handful back then. (Sometimes, I guess I still can be)
But honestly, how else do you think I was to react to all this. I'd just turned from being a poor orphaned street rat into the rich heiress ward of the world's greatest sorcerer overnight. Who wouldn't be panicking?
Needless to say that meeting Christine Palmer…well, in hindsight, I was glad I met her when I did or else I might've been an absolute train wreck before I even got to Tony's party.
"Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum of New York!" Stephen pronounced proudly as he and Christine both stepped through a sling ring portal and straight into the entrance hall.
"Wow…" Christine gawked up at the high ceilings and grand split staircase before her. "Wow! You live here?"
"Well, not in this exact spot. I mean, this is the entrance hall, of course" Stephen smirked smugly, pleased when he received a small glare from his ex.
"Ha-ha, very funny."
"Sorry, but the look on your face was-"
"Strange!" a voice barked, and both Stephen and Christine jumped, the former quickly shutting the portal behind him as someone stalked down the stairs.
It was Wong, and he was looking pissed.
"Finally, you're back." He muttered as he reached the middle of the stairs, "She's driving me up the walls. And yes, I do mean that literally." he added before the doctor could comment.
"Let me guess; she finally escaped your etiquette lesson." Stephen's smirk grew wider as Wong shook his head.
"Escaped and then some. Why someone ever decided to give a fourteen-year-old that damned dreamcatcher is beyond- wait! Who's this?" he stopped short as he finally caught sight of Christine.
"This is Doctor Christine Palmer, an old friend and colleague of mine from New York General. She helped patch me up during the battle with Kaesilius. Christine, this is Wong, our fellow sorcerer slash head librarian…sometimes nanny." Stephen added, enjoying the way Wong seemed to swell slightly with anger. However, since they were in the presence of a guest, he kept his temper in check.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Palmer." he nodded stiffly, holding out his hand, which Christine shook smiling apologetically as she said:
"You too, Wong. Sorry about Stephen; even back at the hospital, he needed babysitting".
"Hey!" Stephen spluttered affronted as Wong allowed himself a small chuckle.
"Trust me, Doctor, it's no problem at all. And allow me to extend thanks on behalf of our Order for all the help you have provided for us in recent days." He turned back to Stephen, his smile vanishing as he said. "She's stuck herself on the ceiling of her room and won't come down. Every time I use a spell to get her down, she dodges or uses a shield. I even tried transfiguring the space she's on into smooth glass, but she's stuck to that too. I'd honestly be impressed if she weren't so stubborn."
"I'm sorry, but did you say she's on the ceiling?" Christine blinked, and Stephen groaned.
"I'll get her down. Come on, Christine. It's time you met Olivia".
"You weren't kidding when you said I'd need that second coffee, were you?" Christine sighed as both Sorcerers led her to the second floor and down a corridor lined with doors. They stopped outside a dark wooden door with a small blue and gold painted plaque that said "Olivia".
"Came in this morning from Kamar-Taj", Wong explained, "a gift from young Meeta Kaur. To give her new room a homelier feel."
"Ah." Stephen nodded as he pushed the door open and entered the bedroom.
It was large and roomy with a four-poster bed with black velvet curtains and blue linen and blankets that matched the overall blue and dark wooden décor.
Next to the bed was a dark bedside table laden with a lamp and several books with a dark wooden desk on the wall opposite home to a large tome that lay open. All over the floor were cardboard boxes, some empty, some half full, some not even opened.
"Olivia!" he called, looking up to the ceiling. It was high and tall, but they were just close to where the small chandelier was dangling; Via was crouched upside down on her hands and haunches.
She was dressed in a plain white tank top and cargo shorts, her curls dangling down towards the ground, her face scowling as she turned to face the door.
"Wong, for the last time, I don't care what everyone else is wearing, I am NOT wearing those ridiculous heels, and I'm not going to put another book on my head again, so I can learn how to…walk…" her voice faded away as she caught sight of Stephen in the doorway.
"Oh…you're back," she mumbled, her cheeks going pink.
"Having fun up there?" he raised his eyebrows.
"Wong was trying to get me to walk 'Like a lady' or whatever that means," she mumbled, miming quotation marks upside down with one hand.
"Honestly, I don't know what being a lady has to do with walking with a giant tome on top of your head",?
"It's for your posture," Stephen explained, folding his arms. "Apparently, if you can walk with a book on your head, it means your back and neck are completely straight and well balanced."
"Really? Because all the books on my head have given me are sore toes, and a sore head" Via pouted angrily as with a small flip, she dropped from the ceiling and fell into a graceful catlike crouch on the ground.
It was then she noticed Christine standing just behind Stephen.
"Uh…Doc…Who's that?" she stiffened as Stephen stepped to the side to let Christine through.
She looked a little breathless, but then again, she had just seen a seemingly normal teenager hang upside down from the ceiling.
"Christine Palmer. I used to work with Stephen at the Hospital."
"Olivia Summers." Via shook her hand, eyeing her warily up and down. "But everyone else calls me Via. Wait-Oh, you mean…is this…you're the chick who gave him that watch, aren't you?"
"Watch?" Christine blinked, not noticing Stephen's 'stop talking' gestures behind her back.
"Yeah, that broken watch he always wears on his wrist. The one that says time will tell how much I-" Via smiled slyly.
"Yes, this is the same, Christine!" Stephen snapped waspishly, his ears reddening as he folded his arms. "We were just having coffee, and seeing as we're friends, she wanted to come around to see if you needed any help getting ready tonight."
"Yeah, Stephen mentioned you might need a woman's advice on make-up and other girl's stuff, as he put it," Christine smirked.
"Girl's stuff? Really Doc?" Via rolled her eyes at her guardian, whose face was now almost the shade of a ripe red tomato.
Oh crap, what the hell have I unleashed?
He wondered to himself as a few minutes later, he and Wong were shooed out of the girl's room by a giggling Christine, who shut the door tight behind him.
"Come on. It's time you got yourself ready," Wong grunted as he steered the Sorcerer Supreme in training away from the door.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Stephen asked quietly as he chanced a glance back to the door.
"If they aren't, we'll know soon enough," Wong assured him quietly. "Now go. That beard won't trim itself".
Meanwhile, back in Via's bedroom, Via herself was starting to feel nervous.
She was in a strange room, with a strange woman she had never met before, who was about to help her prepare for a ball she wanted no part in.
As if sensing her thoughts, Christine looked at her, chewing her lip anxiously as she said.
"Y'know when Stephen told me he was going to adopt a kid…I thought he'd completely cracked".
Okay, so it was not the best opening line, but still, what else could she say to the girl?
Thankfully, however, this seemed to work as Via let out a small chuckle.
"Yeah…so, did I? I mean, we get along well, but usually, he just sucks with kids."
"He was like that even when he had his hands" Christine nodded.
There was an uncomfortable pause; this time, however, it was Via who broke it.
"So…you're his ex, huh?"
Christine swallowed and nodded. Stephen was right; there really was no beating around the bush with this kid.
"Yeah…I was."
"But it's all good with you two?" Via blurted out, "I-I mean. You're both still friends?"
"Yeah…we are…I mean, I still don't quite understand what's going on with all this magic hocus-pocus thing…but I guess if it works for him and makes him happy. Then who am I to judge?"
"Right, of course…." Via shut her mouth, then opened it, then shut it again. Then she swallowed and then said:
"Listen. I know you are nervous too, so before we start anything, let's just get the elephant out of my room. Why are you here? And why did you volunteer to help me out? Was it just to help Stephen? Get back into his good books or what?"
"What no!" Christine spluttered in shock. "I-I mean, yes, I want to help Stephen out. But no, no, I don't want to get back together with him".
"Are you sure? And I mean, are you really sure?" Via's eyes narrowed as she turned her piercing blue eyes over the other woman. "Because I've lived with Stephen for quite a while now, and I may not know as much about him as you do, but I know enough to say that whatever is said and done, he still cares for you. A lot. He wouldn't have held onto that watch you gave him otherwise or tried to email you so many times".
"He tried to email me?" Christine blinked. "When?"
"Around a hundred times or so. I mean-" Via gulped, cursing herself for blabbing so quickly "-I mean he tried to email you, b-but he never quite got around to doing it. He always got stuck halfway and then would give up and try again a couple of days later."
"Oh…" Christine breathed, feeling her heart sink a little, only for it to flare again as she felt a surge of fierce heat in her gut.
"Okay. Since we are trying to clear the cobwebs, can you answer this? Are you really okay with this adoption? Or are you just using Stephen to get out of the system and then run off into the blue with all his stuff? Because from what I've heard from him, he really seems to care about you, and he really wants to make this adoption work."
There was a silence as Via stared at the woman.
"I guess I deserved that one," she muttered, and despite herself, Christine could not help but feel a little guilty, but she held her ground as she awaited the girl's answer, which came out as a small sigh.
"Listen…I won't deny it. I really do not want to go back into the system. If I did go back, I'd be going back to that orphanage, and I just can't go back there-" she stopped to gulp down hard on the lump in her throat "-but I'm also glad I'm getting to stay with Stephen. He's not a perfect guardian, but he was also the first person ever to care about me or treat me like a normal human being and not like another street rat or a possession to be bought or sold over the counter. Also…If it weren't for him…I'd probably be dead…or worse, so I guess I also owe him a lot. The least I can do is to be there for him when he needs it, right?"
"I…I guess so…" Christine looked down to the ground, and though she still felt guilty about the jab, she also could not deny she felt somewhat relieved by the girl's admission. She may be rough around the edges, but at least she was sincere, and for all her brusqueness, she really did seem to care about Stephen…in her own odd way.
Maybe just maybe…this can work out after all.
She coughed and straightened up, and Via also did, though Christine could not help but notice that her posture was somewhat more relaxed than before.
"Right…so now that's straightened out, we have to get you-"
"Ready to look like a made-up clown?" Via pouted, glancing at the pink dress which was draped over her dress. "Honestly, I don't know why I have to go for this damn thing".
"Because Stephen panicked and did something stupid as per usual." Christine rolled her eyes and was pleased to see a grin flicker over the younger girl's face as she snorted:
"You mean something stupider than usual?"
Christine smirked.
Oh yeah, she was going to like having this kid around.
After that heavy discussion, the talk between Christine and I was…well, not easy but easier. I mean, we still did not really know each other that well, but still, we managed to get along fine.
Knowing Stephen back when he was an arrogant jerk, I'd often assumed that Christine was just as snobbish and rude as he was. I'm glad to say that I was proven very wrong. She was a nice, genuinely kind person with just enough of a spark that made her feisty.
It's just as well. Being able to deal with Stephen Strange every day is not for the faint of heart. True, he is a nice, caring individual deep down, but as you guys have probably seen, he's not always the easiest person to get along with. Not that I'm a ray of sunshine myself, but I digress.
Getting ready for the Charity Gala was easy once we got those first few hurdles out of the way. Now the only thing I had left to do was to get rid of my pre-ball jitters.
It should be straightforward for an apprentice to the mystic arts who has challenged mad Zealots and interdimensional demons to deal with, right?
But no…no, it wasn't.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" a man said in quiet worry in the door of the hotel room. "I understand this is huge news, but what if you-"
"What if I what?" A woman's voice issued from the dress clad silhouette seated on the edge of the luxurious bed in the centre of the room. "They've found the Mirror, and if what you say is true, then it won't be long till they find her too. You can't just expect me just to sit tight and not see her for myself?"
"That's not what I meant-" the man frowned at the door.
"I am aware of what you meant, cousin." The woman snapped, only to quickly suck in a deep soothing breath as she stood to her feet and dusted off her gown. "And don't worry. I have everything I need right here with me. Now the real question is, are you ready for the job you need to do tonight?"
"Yes. Of course." The man at the doorway narrowed his eyes as his gaze fell upon something shiny dangling on a silver chain around the woman's neck.
"Good." She sighed as she turned to look back into the mirror and muttered under her breath: "Because if we screw this up, then that's nearly fifteen years of work down the drain! We're running out of time."
"Well. She's ready. She's just finishing up in the bathroom."
Stephen and Wong looked up to the staircase, where Christine quickly walked down towards where they both stood.
Wong was looking just about the same as he always did in his maroon gear, but Stephen was decked out in a dapper black suit with a matching black bowtie, the red Cloak of Levitation hanging on his shoulders.
"I was going to leave it behind." He drawled as Christine eyed the sentient garment oddly. "But then I thought, there are so many eccentric billionaire's attending, why not add a weird cult-worshipping doctor with a magic cape to the mix?"
"Yeah, I'm sure the press is not going to go wild when they see you floating in like Mary Poppins." Christine laughed. "But aren't you guys supposed to be a secret society or something? Surely there must be rules about magic in public."
"Oh, there are." Wong nodded as he reached out to tug the cloak from its master's shoulders gently. "Which is why you won't be going with your master".
The cloak chose at this point to give a small bristle, which Stephen knew meant she was not too pleased with the arrangement but was going to put up with it all the same.
Christine's smile softened as she saw her ex's face suddenly shift back to being nervous.
"Stephen. It's going to be fine." She said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder as she added quietly, "She's a good kid."
Despite his nerves, the corners of his lips twitched upwards.
"Thanks, Christine."
"Oh, it was nothing." Christine waved him off, but Stephen shook his head.
"Really, Christine, thank you."
Christine was about to answer when a pair of footsteps sounded, and Wong coughed from Stephen's side.
"Uhh…guys? Everything okay down there?"
"Oh right, hey Olivia, we were just…" but Stephen's voice fell away as he caught sight of the figure on the stairs.
But no…that couldn't possibly be Olivia Summers…could it?
That girl he had first met all those months ago at Kamar-Taj had been scrawny and filthy, with matted yellow hair and tattered clothes far too big for her malnourished body.
This girl before him, however, was clean, healthy and beautiful. She was wearing a delicate-looking pale rose pink dress made from soft satin. It had an off-the-shoulder neckline with a thin sash of the same material tied in a small bow on the front and a fifties-style skirt that fell just above the ankle on which she wore simple short black pumps with gold heels. The top half of her golden curls were loosely braided and tied back in a black ribbon while the rest of it flowed down her back, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes accented with very natural shades of blush pink and light gold with only a small flick of black eyeliner. On her ears, a small pair of golden hoops hung, complimenting the golden dreamcatcher necklace that rested on her breast and the single bracelet of two dragons entwining that she wore over her right hand.
She smiled uncertainly as she caught sight of all three adults gazing transfixed at her as she carefully glided, yes glided, down the stairs, clinging tight to one of the banisters. Stephen noticed that she was carrying a small black and gold clutch to match her shoes in her arms.
"Hey…" Via's timid voice issued from the pretty girl as she waved sheepishly.
And suddenly, the spell was lifted, and Stephen could see his ward, staring back at him nervously as she came level with them on the ground floor.
"Wow…" he managed to blurt out.
Via's face fell like a stone.
"What? It looks bad? Oh my god, I knew it, I knew I'd look crap in pink-" she turned around to clamber awkwardly back up the stairs, blushing face low with embarrassment.
"What no! no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Wong, Christine and Stephen all reached out to pull her back down quickly with wide grins.
"Alright! Alright, let go! So…I do look okay or what?" Via cried out as she shoved the hands off her.
"Okay? Olivia, have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror?" Stephen chuckled at her bemusement.
"I have, but I honestly don't know what to think," she admitted stiffly.
"What is there to think about. You look wonderful." Wong shook his head in exasperation as if he were stating the most obvious fact in the universe. "Come on; this deserves a photo".
"Wait, what? No-WONG!"
And that is why I've always hated photos.
…
…
LOL, just kidding. Though it's true I'm not a photogenic person, I've found that I quite enjoy taking photographs of other people and places, except when it comes to selfies because honestly, I still don't understand the point of such vanity. (Maybe I'm just weird like that, I don't know)
But anyway, soon after Wong and Stephen practically dragged me into a set of embarrassing photos in that dress, a car pulled up, and its driver knocked on the door.
A car sent by Tony Stark himself. Seriously, not sure why he did that. Maybe he was trying to be nice. Maybe he wanted someone to get the down-low on what we were like before he met us in person.
Either way, I was glad for the trip. I mean, we could have gone by sling ring, but then Stephen and I wouldn't have been able to buy time for us to mentally prep ourselves.
Also, it would make our entrance less conspicuous…or at least less conspicuous in the mystical sense because nothing could have prepared us for that red carpet or those flashing lights outside the Avengers Tower.
God, I can still remember it like it was yesterday, and I don't mean that in a nice way.
Trust me, it seems glamorous, but having photographers flashing you with their cameras and yelling loudly into your ears does get old very fast.
And by fast, I mean within the first three seconds.
"Ow!" Via winced as a wall of flashing lights suddenly hit her face, almost stumbling backwards from the surprise.
"Careful", Stephen muttered as he took her by the arm in a gentlemanly fashion and steered her down the red carpet.
"Thanks. God, that's bright." She muttered as she rubbed her eyes. Stephen felt her grip on his arm tighten like a vice as she craned her head to look at the façade of the very tall, very imposing tower that loomed above.
She was looking more anxious than when she had had to go for her first lesson in the mystic arts at Kamar-Taj all those months ago.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
"Y-yeah. I'm totally cool. I'm not panicking whatsoever," she spluttered as she tried and failed to fake a wide smile.
"Take a deep breath and take it one step at a time. We're almost inside. Just relax and try not to let your nerves get you. The paparazzi can smell fear, y'know." he smirked when she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that doesn't make me feel any better, Doc".
Despite himself, Stephen found himself chuckling, much to her frustration.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," he assured her, his smirk softening ever so slightly and his voice dropping to a murmur as they finally approached the open front doors. "Don't worry; you're not the only one that's nervous".
Via quirked a brow up at him, but already he was fixing a charming smile onto his face, even if his light eyes were not so jolly.
They entered the building, where a Caucasian woman immediately greeted them with dark brown hair tied back in a neat bun and wearing a purple dress and carrying a smart pad in her hands.
"Doctor Stephen Strange and Miss Olivia Summers." She spoke with well-practised professional cordiality though her eyes were glued to her tablet.
"My name is Maria Hill if you would both follow me to the…. VIP area…"
The woman, Maria, stopped in her tracks as her gaze fell on Via's face.
"Holy crap." she mouthed under her breath, but Stephen caught sight of the expression right away. But then the moment was gone, and she was her poised self again.
"Uh…are you alright, Miss?" Via bit her lip nervously.
"Yes. Yes, of course, sorry about that" Maria shook herself a little as she turned her attention quickly to her digital guest list. "Right, now as I was saying, if you would both follow me to the VIP area? Mister Stark is expecting you both".
"VIP?" Via blinked but was quickly steamrolled by Stephen, who nodded and smiled politely.
"Of course. Thank you, Miss Hill".
"Right." Maria nodded and seemed only too keen to turn her back on the two of them as she led them quickly towards a lift. As they moved, they passed a few other glamorously dressed guests, many of whom were staring at the doctor and his ward with a mixture of awe, envy, jealousy and (in the case of some women staring at Stephen) attraction.
Via looked up at Stephen, preparing herself for the smirk of appreciation and the puffing out of his plumage, only to find his face furrowed in a small, wary frown.
"Stephen?"
"Hmm?" Stephen glanced down at her, then catching sight of her worried expression, he sighed. "What?"
"Okay. Fine, I'll let you be for now. After all, I wouldn't want to cut into your precious brooding time." Via rolled her eyes, smirking as he scowled at her and followed her into the lift.
"I don't brood", he mumbled, and she snorted.
"Uh-huh, sure ya don't."
He frowned at her; she grinned cheekily back and poked her tongue out. The corners of his lips quirked upwards as he shook his head and rolled his eyes fondly.
It was at that moment the doors to the lift opened.
They seemed to be standing on a large balcony that stood high above a large ballroom where over a hundred people at least were milling about, dancing, chatting and socializing around small circular dining tables. Up here on the balcony, however, were fifty people, spread around ten tables, some of whom were great big-wig Richie-riches Via recognized from the news as well as-.
"Ah, there you two are!"
There, striding towards them with a wide grin, was Tony Stark, in all his suave exuberant self, wearing a black tuxedo, with his bowtie slightly askew as he tugged on it to free up his neck.
"Strange." Tony's jaw was tense as he forced a smile onto his face and held out a hand in greeting.
"Stark." Stephen took it and gripped it firmly. "You look well. How long has it been since we last met?"
"Yeah, two years ago. That award ceremony at the Ritz."
"Ah yes, now I remember-"
Behind both men's backs Via could see Maria Hill spare her and Stephen one last fleeting look as she quickly melded back into the crowd and vanished from sight.
She felt something nudge her and was jolted back to reality when Tony held out a hand towards her, gracing her with a far kinder smile than the one he had just shown to her guardian.
"And I'm guessing this vision in pink must be your new ward?"
"Olivia Summers." Via filled in, stiffening a little as she felt his eyes scanning her face intently, like a computer search. "But everyone calls me Via".
"Via?" Tony let go of her hand and scratched his goatee. "Hmm…I like it. Original, simple, easy to remember. Oh, nice dress, very pretty. Must've cost a fortune."
Money and brands, huh? Should've known?
"Thanks…I guess" Via smiled through gritted teeth "But no. no, it didn't cost too much, mister Stark-"
"Oh, please call me Tony. Here have a lemonade-" Tony waved her down, grinning as he snagged a glass of lemonade and promptly thrust it into her hands before she could politely refuse. "Mister Stark just makes me sound like an old and greying man-"
"Well, you are old enough to be my father." Via blurted out before she could stop herself.
She could not help it. The man was almost like Stephen was when she first met him. Arrogant, spoiled, smug…the only difference was that when she met Stephen, he had been at a low place in his life and had no one and nothing left. Tony Stark, on the other hand-
There was a loud spluttering sound, and Via turned to see a dark-skinned man in a suit to their left choking on his drink as he laughed at Tony's expense.
"HA-ha-ha! Oh-that- that was a good one! She just called you old right to your face!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Rhodey." Tony Stark's ears turned red. Via supposed she should have felt a little guilty but was stopped when she saw Stephen smirking with something akin to pride through the corner of her eye.
"Strange, Via, this is my good friend Colonel Rhodes," Tony sighed, deflating a little as he stepped back to let Rhodey shake hers and Stephen's hands.
"Strange, huh? As in the world-famous Neurosurgeon?" Rhodey looked Stephen up and down.
"Yes, I am…or at least I was," Stephen muttered the last bit.
"Till that car accident? We saw it on the news. That looked nasty. Shame about your hands." Tony coughed, sparing a small sympathetic glance down at the doctor's scarred trembling hand.
The sight made Stephen's blood boil. Whilst a part of him knew the billionaire had not meant to sound so condescending, there was still a part of him, the proud, arrogant bastard from his life before, that wanted nothing more than to shut that man's trap before he drew any more attention to his shameful-
He felt Via give his hand a gentle squeeze. Though hers was much smaller, there was something about the warmth of it that soothed his temper and granted him enough composure to take a deep breath and force a smile on his face as he said.
"Yes…a shame…but I'm taking it one day at a time, and I'm doing much better now".
"You really want to say something else, don't you?" Tony deadpanned, and Stephen smirked, the expression rather sinister under the cold artificial light.
"Yes, but it wouldn't really be appropriate to say in front of my new ward. Now, if you will excuse us, I would like to greet Doctor Cho; it's been ages since I last spoke to her".
And with that, he promptly dragged Via off to approach a very tall and pretty Asian woman dressed in red.
Rhodey looked at Tony, who was blinking in surprise at the Doctor's back.
"What the heck was that about?" he asked, and his friend almost facepalmed.
"Tony-"
"What? All I said was that it was a shame about his hands-"
"A shame about who's hands?" a voice piped in, and Tony wheeled around as his girlfriend Pepper Potts strode into view in a long fitted black dress, the one loose strand of her red hair gently falling by her face.
"Uh…mine because they aren't on you-" he started to say as he straightened himself up but was stopped by Rhodey's derisive snort.
"Stephen Strange. Tony just tried talking to him about his hands and his accident".
"Good god Tony. What did we just talk about?" Pepper groaned, pinching her nose.
"What? What else do you expect me to say-"
"Tony, this is probably the first time the poor man has been out in public like this." Pepper hissed as she stepped in close to keep the conversation private. "The last thing he wants or needs is people pestering him about such a traumatic event."
"It wasn't like I was trying to make fun of him. I was just wondering how he was doing, that's all." Tony pouted, looking less like an adult hero and more like a petulant child.
"I know you weren't. Just…-" Pepper sighed, half torn between fondness and exasperation as she saw her boyfriend's gaze was now on the pink form of Via, who had her back towards them at a distance.
"Wait…is that…his new kid? The one who-" She breathed, eyes bulging.
"Yep." Tony nodded, scowling a little as Rhodey smirked beside him.
"You should've been here when Tony introduced himself. She called him an old man!"
"She called you what?" Pepper nearly spat out her sip of champagne as Tony's cheeks flushed.
"I told her not to call me mister Stark because it made me sound like an old man. But then she said that I was already old enough to be her old man," he muttered darkly, cheeks flushing darkly as Pepper and Rhodey now both started laughing.
They could not help it. After all, it was not every day someone openly roasted Tony Stark to his face.
And that was how I met Tony Stark.
Yeah. I know I probably could have been a little nicer, but really, this is me we're talking about. And the chances of me making a good first impression on anyone like him is not that great.
Anyways the party went on surprisingly well after that. Stephen introduced me to Doctor Helen Cho, a world-renowned geneticist from South Korea and an old contemporary. She was nice, I suppose, but I probably would've enjoyed our conversation more if both she and Stephen would've talked about something else other than advanced genetics.
Don't get me wrong. After all the wonders I have seen, I now rather enjoy talking science and new tech, but back then, I was still quite green, and my academic studies weren't quite up to scratch. As such, the conversation got very boring, very fast for me.
And so it wasn't long before I sought out an empty table, in a corner where no one would come and bother me…
Well…no one except for him.
"Argh, god! Damn these shoes!" Via growled as she rubbed her ankle. Her shoes were not high; in fact, they seemed almost downright flat in comparison to some of the other heels the other women around her were wearing. But still, for a girl so used to walking barefoot or wearing grubby trainers and training sandals, these shoes were a killer.
"Enjoying the party?" an amused voice asked quietly. It was a deep and mellow voice, calm soothing. And remarkably familiar.
Via gasped as she turned to face the owner of the voice, her eyes almost tearing up with joy as she took in the dark, kindly but strong face.
"Mordo!" she quickly set down her glass on the table and reached out to pull him into a tight hug. She did not care if anyone would see her. She was just so happy to see him, and he obviously was happy to see her because she felt him return the gesture gladly before gently prizing her off him.
"Hello, Olivia" he smiled down at her as she quickly wiped at the corners of her eyes, only to suddenly smack his chest, HARD.
"No-no-no-no! Don't 'hello' me! You decide to walk away after a brutal fight, disappear on us for nearly two weeks and then suddenly pop up at this Shindig right next to me? What are you doing here? Where the hell have you been?" she slapped his chest hard again.
For such a small thing, she sure hits hard.
Mordo winced, his smile softening as he rubbed the spot she hit.
Yes, there she was, under all the fancy clothes and makeup, the favourite pupil he knew so well.
"We've all been worried sick about you!" she whispered fiercely, eyes flashing.
"So, I can see", he smirked down on her as he stepped back to take in her full appearance. "You look beautiful."
"Oh uh…you really think so?" Via felt herself go beetroot red. "Because these are my mom's clothes, I got them from all her stuff from London and…well we just s-shrank them down today to fit me, so I didn't really know if…Damn it," she cursed herself for her stutters.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered. I was afraid that after that fight with Kaesilius and Russo-"
"Yeah…that was…well…." Via looked down to the ground, eyes ever so slightly bright and wet. But she sucked in a deep breath and straightened herself out.
"Well, that's over and done with now. They're all gone, and we're all safe."
"I suppose we are", Mordo grunted stiffly, not meeting her gaze. "Now that Strange is set to become the next sorcerer supreme".
Via stared at him in shock. Was it just her, or was her ex-mentor sounding…repulsed?
"Mordo," she put a gentle hand on his arm. "I know what went down with you, and the Ancient One was…well, it was shit. But she-"
"She distorted the natural order", Mordo muttered darkly.
"She did what she thought was right." Via said quietly, "I agree; what she did may not have been the best choice. And yes, it was wrong of her to lie to everyone, but-"
"But there is no excuse", Mordo snapped, tugging his arm out of her grip. "She was a master of the mystic arts; she should've known better".
"Maybe." Via nodded, her gaze pleading, "but she was also a person".
"Which means what exactly?" Mordo frowned.
"Which means…she could also make mistakes. Like you or me."
"She shouldn't have-" Mordo caught himself, feigning a cough as he gulped down a lump in his throat. "She was supposed to be the protector of the Earth. She could not afford mistakes. You saw what happened because of her actions. You saw first-hand how much damage and destruction came from her blunders."
"Yeah, I did. And I know she regretted every moment of it. You guys may have held her on a pedestal, but she was still a human being. She had faults just like everyone else, and no matter what's happened, she's entitled to a few mistakes." Via muttered quietly, anger brewing deep in her gut as she watched him scoff under his breath.
How dare he scoff at her? a small section of her brain hissed. How dare he scoff about mistakes when he was the one who decided to walk out on them barely a few days ago without even the slightest hint of hesitation.
"Olivia," Mordo rubbed his temples as he turned to face her. "You are-You are an incredible young woman. One of the most observant and honest people I have ever met. But you are still too young to understand the weight of the responsibilities a Sorcerer Supreme must undertake. They are protectors of the multiverse, the ones that keep the Earth safe from all manner of evils and monsters you could not even imagine. As a being in such a position, you cannot afford to make such terrible mistakes…even if you are only human".
There was a tinkling sound, and both Via and Mordo quickly looked up to see Tony Stark standing at a podium that had been erected somewhere on the other end of the great platform.
"Hello? Is this thing on?" he asked into the microphone.
"I must go. Goodbye Olivia. I hope you stay safe." Mordo whispered, turning his back on Via, who started suddenly as many people around her suddenly swarmed forwards towards the podium.
"What-wait-Mordo-" but already his back was swallowed by the crowd.
"Don't go…" she whispered, though no one heard her…all save one.
And so once again, Baron Karl Mordo vanished from my life again. I still can't believe he's aristocracy. But then again, he always was so well-spoken and mannered…
But what probably got to me the most was just how easily he could just turn his back on me straight after giving me a lecture. Of which he was quite wrong about, I might add.
I might not have seen much in the ways of the mystic arts, but I have seen my fair share of monsters.
And the scariest thing about those evil creatures was that even though they are cruel and rotten on the inside…on the outside, they look just like everyone else.
The speech was long-winded and boring. Or at least it was boring to Via, who just slumped behind everyone and stared up at Tony Stark through a daze, barely even clapping as he finished to many a cheer and applause.
She just could not believe Mordo could just appear and disappear on her like that again. She knew she had only been his student but still. He had been one of the few adults to believe in her when very few would. He was a great warrior and a good teacher, someone she had looked up to and admired. Someone had wanted to be like.
But he wanted nothing more to do with her and Stephen, it seemed.
And quite frankly, a small part of her could not blame him.
I should have known he'd up and go…most people do that when they find out something about me…and after everything that happened with Cassian and his dad-
"Hey, kid", a deep voice spoke from her side.
Via blinked and felt her gut sink in absolute horror.
A man stood in front of her in a grey tux, tall with slicked-back white, blonde hair, dark beady eyes and a thin pointed face.
"You…"
Dun-dun-DUUUUUN! and I'll just leave you all there to wait at the edge of another cliffhanger.
But don't worry, it won't be for long.
So yeah, Via got ready for a ball, finally met Christine Palmer, insulted Tony Stark and argued with Mordo (Don't worry, that bit will be explained later)
I admit I was a bit stuck on how Via would meet Christine and Tony for the first time. I kinda figured that she and Christine would get along but that it would take time for them to warm up properly to one another. As for Tony Stark, I did want them to become buddies right off the bat. But then I looked back at Via and kinda realized that with the way she is, she'd probably not like him too much at first. For one thing, Tony comes from a privileged, wealthy background and always flaunts it (something which would rub her up the wrong way). For another, he's still just as arrogant and egotistical as Stephen Strange was when he first met Via, which means sparks will fly (for those who read Dreamcatcher, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about XD).
But yeah, so Mordo came back (why though is the big question), as did mystery stalker from chapter 1. Who is he really, and what does he want with Via? You'll have to read more to find out ;)
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it; please review if you enjoyed. Your feedback is always appreciated :)
Cheers
FuzzyBeta