No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 1
Chapter Six: Astronaut In The Ocean (Part 6)
Sofia Strange was observing an interesting conversation. Her father was clearly upset, and the expressions that he had on his face were very new to her.
He looked troubled, and sad. That look didn't last very long, because Sofia's father began a deliberation with a majority of the adults that were in the room. She knew them all very well at that point, so the six-year-old just listened.
"I want the three of us to have a conversation with Ezekiel, after this."
Stephen was talking specifically to Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. They were his "Vishanti" brothers after all, and they worked together as a team. Sofia turned her head quickly. She heard a small laugh enter the room. The laugh belonged to Bucky Barnes, because he was immediately amused with what he heard.
"So...you three know where he is?"
Bucky pointed toward the three amigos. Stephen, Tony, and Steve all reacted in their own ways, but Bucky kept his comment going.
"I'll have to report that."
Yeah sure. Bucky was actually joking. He was one of the only members of S.H.I.E.L.D. that was against the constant surveillance of Ezekiel Stane, and the witch-hunt that never seemed to end. It sometimes put him at odds with his own ... girlfriend?
His relationship with Natasha Romanoff didn't have a label, but they clashed on how to handle the Ezekiel situation all the time.
Natasha basically wanted him dead, while the not-so-winter soldier sympathized. Bucky always thought that he was harmless, until the bastard went and killed someone. He held a small shrug, because the conversation carried on around what he said.
"We know exactly where he is. He and I are going to have a conversation about Victor, later."
At that point, Stephen hadn't conversed with Ezekiel about anything. There hadn't been a single word exchanged between them regarding Victor. Hearing Stephen in that moment put a few people on edge, and his younger sister was the first one to speak up.
She wanted to know what sort of "conversation" he planned to have, and Stephen abruptly said that he didn't want to be questioned.
Great. Just friggen great. It began to feel like there were way too many arrogant cooks in the kitchen, because Stephen and Donna were very similar. They could have been mistaken for fraternal twins, but everyone in that apartment knew them individually.
They liked to challenge one another, but the issue finally had to do with their baby brother. They both wanted to do what they thought was best, and it kinda felt like a storm was brewing...
Those two could squabble and bicker all damn day. Donna Strange told him that she planned to question his every move, because anger wasn't what was needed with the current situation.
Stephen did sound angry, so the squawking about Victor began to escalate.
Luckily, a quiet voice eventually came into play. Clea had heard enough of their noise, and she softly reminded Stephen that it was Sofia's birthday.
Clea stepped right up to Stephen, and she easily pried his focus back in her direction. The sorcerer was struck with a bit of guilt when he actually returned to the room with her.
He did that a lot, and he quietly told her that he was sorry.
Their daughter being there with them for an entire year meant everything. She wasn't technically "born" from Clea, and the reality of that still brought her an emotional pain.
Sofia Strange was removed from her. Taken before she was born, and carelessly gambled away on a clever trick. Stephen stared at his wife, and...
"I have a gift for you, young lady."
The sorcerer refocused and gave his daughter all the attention that he had. She really was star-like. Sofia held a smile, and she waited for her father to conclude what he was saying.
She felt the pain going on beneath the surface of her parents, but she also felt it when the emotions passed. Her heart raced a little, because Stephen gave her the gift. He told Sofia that she finally had a jurisdiction of her own to watch over. Hearing that brightened her up even more, and she rose up a little as he spoke.
Sofia was actually hovering up over the floor.
Her jurisdiction was called the "Brimstone Dimension". It was splintered off of the Dark Dimension, and it had a good amount of inhabitants for her to protect. Stephen planned to monitor her, and guide her along of course, but the gift completely changed the mood in the room.
Sofia seemed very happy. She looked happy in that moment at least, as her mother gave her another gift. It was from her uncle Victor, but he wasn't there to see her open it.
Victor missed the whole thing, and he kept pouring what he felt into a senseless video game. Doing that was easier for him, and way more entertaining.
Chapter: END Thanks for reading.