No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2

Chapter 29: Silver Poetry (Part 9)

Steve Rogers wore an extra large white cotton t-shirt and a simple pair of dark blue slacks that evening. He put the shirt back on over his skin when his best friend Bucky Barnes stood up to leave his apartment. Bucky mentioned something about wearing out his welcome with Tony, as the blonde put his cellphone in his back pocket.

Bucky was certainly skimming around on some paper thin ice. That was Steve's first thought when he walked his friend to the front door of the apartment. They all seemed pretty composed in that moment. Steve glanced at Tony as he passed the kitchen.

Tony was staring off into the void. It looked like he was either listening, or just blankly staring. Bucky placed his hand on the door frame when he said his goodbye. He asked Steve if they could get breakfast in the morning. They were always up earlier than Tony, so going out for breakfast had become a routine thing.

Steve stared at his friend for a moment. He took in the way Bucky looked in that moment as he stood in the doorway. For some peculiar reason, everything Bucky Barnes did always received a pass. Steve was very aware of that, and he was currently processing it.

He simply smiled at Bucky, then his focus migrated more toward his right. Tony set something down in the kitchen, so Steve became a bit, distracted. Obviously, Tony was upset, but the reason for it could have went in any direction. It could have been the sudden halt to their behavior, or texting Stephen back could have altered his mood.

Steve Rogers was unable to decipher the reason, and he was unable to ask Tony about how he was feeling. Any notion of that nature came to a sudden stop for all three of them, because getting Victor Strange up to speed became someone's top priority.

Donna Strange pulled some strings, and that precious apartment in Brooklyn, New York, slowly disappeared around them. Steve, Bucky and Tony were relieved of their domestic misunderstanding for the moment, and they suddenly found themselves standing outside of the temples at the Kamar taj.

Tony took in the scent of the training grounds first. A twinge of nostalgia hit him hard, before Steve and his bestie could even process that they had been transported. Donna Strange took on the mannerisms and appearance of the Ancient One as she approached them, but her smile gave her away.

Tony, Steve and Bucky looked at Stephen's younger sister for a sec, then several questions were sent in her direction. What's going on? Was the first one. Is Stephen dying or something was another.

"News is spreading around about Victor taking over as the Sorcerer Supreme, and we no longer have Stephen's support to make that a reality. His decision to hand everything over to Victor has left us all a bit, vulnerable, so I'll be needing your assistance with him."

That's all. Donna softly smiled beneath the grandiose and poised persona she acquired after becoming the Ancient One. She currently channeled the soul of every Ancient One that had ever existed, so her demeanor had become rather, regal.

Bucky Barnes took note of that first off as he listened. He kept looking at Donna's yellow dojo robes for a moment, then his eyes looked about the grounds of the Kamar taj. Years ago, Bucky ditched the training party that was supposed to take place there… way way way back in the day.

He ditched Steve, Tony, Stephen and baby Victor a zillion years ago, or whatever, and he hadn't seen or thought about the Kamar taj ever since. Several memories about his behavior began to grow slowly in his mind, so Steve's best friend took a moment to glance over at Tony.

"Can I be excused from this, for now? If I remember correctly, I'm supposed to be making weapons for the Mystic Arts."

Instead of heading down memory lane, Tony recalled certain facts about his unique encounter with the Kamar taj. Tony could have remembered how he experienced heartbreak there for the first time ever, thanks to Bucky Fuck-face Barnes and Steve Sunshine Rogers….

Donna gave Tony a small nod as her response, then the fiery inventor left the pack. Tony was the only one that was temporarily excused from training Victor. The older sister had plans to involve a number of people, but for the moment, she watched Tony head downward to a place where the weapons were kept.

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.