Nate, Doctor Strange - Monday morning
Aug. 9th, 2004 10:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_daytripper posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsNathan comes across Strange trying yet again to bring back the kids. They talk, mostly about Amanda, and Strange surprises Nathan with an apology and a request for a favour.
The softball diamond was an unlikely setting to find Stephen Strange in, but that was just what Nathan did. The magician was seated on the ground, legs tucked under him Indian-style, heedless of the dust accumulating on his suit pants. He had his eyes closed, and his normally-calm expression was pinched and exhausted looking.
Very, very tempting to turn around and run back to the house, Nathan thought. But he had been avoiding Strange on his previous visits, and at some point pride did finally kick in. Besides, he ought to do the courteous thing and find out how the man was doing. He stopped just on the edge of the baseball diamond and waited.
He didn't have to wait long - Strange's eyelids flickered, and he gave a kind of tired sigh and seemed to slump in on himself. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rubbed his eyes and looked up, momentarily startled by Nathan's sudden appearance. "Oh, sorry, I didn't sense you there. Miles away. Literally." With a grunt he began climbing to his feet, brushing dust off his pants as he did - his jacket was slung over one of the bleachers, along with his tie, and his shirt was rumpled and a little sweaty. "She was right here, on this spot. I can still sense her. But I'll be damned if I can't reach her."
"I was sensing something strange in the air, right after it happened," Nathan said quietly, knowing perfectly well what 'she' Strange was referring to. "It went away by morning. Odd disturbance in the air molecules... maybe a residual energy signature."
"It was a powerful spell - I'm not surprised you sensed something. Stronger than either Amanda or Illyana could cast, either alone or together, should that unlikely event ever happen. Someone else did this." Strange winced and rubbed the bridge of his nose again. "I believe the same 'someone' is blocking my probes - Ms Wisdom and I between us managed to locate the children, but we can't effect a summoning spell."
"Lovely," Nathan muttered, and then absorbed Strange's obvious weariness. "Are you all right?" he asked, more business-like. "You look a little unsteady."
"Actually, no. I haven't been taking my own advice, it seems - too much magic on too little rest. Recent... events took their toll, I'm afraid, and now this..." Strange managed to make it to the bleachers and sat down heavily. "What kind of teacher am I that I can't protect my student?" he asked, mostly to himself.
Nathan came over and joined him. "There are a number of us asking that question this past week," he said. "None of us have managed to come up with an answer yet either."
"It seems I owe you an apology," Strange said ironically. "When I accused you of harming Amanda... I was wrong. I understand now."
Nathan stiffened a little. "You don't owe me an apology," he said, keeping his voice even. "I would never intentionally harm Amanda, no." Never. "But I'm not a particularly good person for her to be around - I think events have demonstrated that."
"By that logic, neither Ms Wisdom, her brother or myself are good people for her to be associating with either," Strange replied. When nathan gave him a querying look, he went on. "Mr Wisdom's line of work is neither stable nor safe - Amanda was barely here two weeks before the attack on the school by her 'uncle's' former employers. As for Ms Wisdom and myself... magic is a dangerous business. A business a girl Amanda's age should have nothing to do with, let alone at the level she is at. But that's the hand she's been dealt, and the best I - the best any of us can do - is to try and help her deal with it, to keep her safe. I just hope my training and Romany's amulet are enough to do that whilst she's out of reach." He gave Nathan a piercing look. "And when she and the other children return, I will be expecting you to help us."
"How?" Nathan said, not reacting to the 'correction'.
"You told me at Columbia that your former employers would target her, having seen what 'she' had done, even if she wasn't exactly herself at the time." Strange's voice took on a hard edge. "I know little of military tactics and mutant powers, but you do. I can teach her magic, but I can't teach her how to effectively use it in such a situation to protect herself, and others, if she wishes. You can help me with that."
Nathan was silent for a long moment, remembering the rather heated discussion he'd had with Dom on this subject, before she'd left. "I have been, already," he said slowly. "Self-defense. Incorporating the magic."
"You have? She didn't mention it. Possibly because she didn't want me to forbid it, I suppose..." Strange frowned slightly, feeling oddly disappointed that there were still things Amanda felt she had to hide from him. "But yes, that exactly. With my input - Amanda knows far more magic than she realises, but she's afraid to use it in case she does herself harm with the threefold rule. There are ways around it, but I'd prefer to be guiding her on those, rather than she work it out for herself." With a sigh, the magician looked out over the empty diamond. "I cannot allow what happened to those people that came after you to happen to her."
"I'll do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen to Amanda," Nathan said, his voice very low. The image of her at Mistra was still haunting his dreams, even now that she was somewhere else and possibly in even more danger. "Anything I can. Just... you'll have to tell me where the boundaries are."
Strange nodded. "Of course. I can give you a couple of books - magic primers, really - that outline the boundaries and what is considered magically allowable. And you've studied law, I believe? Think of it along the same lines of reasonable force."
cablewriter: Nathan frowned a little. "Amanda mentioned that?" he asked a bit doubtfully. "That I'd studied law, I mean..."
"Actually, no, not exactly... Moira may have mentioned it udring one of our talks..." A slight blush tinted Strange's normally-composed face. "We've been conferring about Amanda's training as well, and her addiction issues."
Nathan raised an eyebrow at the blush. "Ah," he said, a slightl smile playing on his lips. "Glad the two of you are putting your heads together."
If anything, Strange's discomfort grew; he practically squirmed in his seat. "Moir... Doctor McTaggart is quite the remarkable individual. And she certainly knows much about mutancy, an area I must confess my skills are sadly lacking."
"She is, isn't she?" Nathan asked almost cheerfully. He was a very, very bad man. "As brilliant as she is attractive. Very hard not to get swept off your feet... or at least, that's been my experience."
"Ah, yes, indeed. Um, well, I've done all I can do for now, and it is rather warm out here... I think perhaps I shall go and avail myself of some cold water... A cold drink, I mean..." Strange's awkwardness was almost comical to watch, and belatedly he remembered Nathan was a telepath and was emjoying himself way too much. "If you'll excuse me...?"
"Dr. Strange," Nathan said apologetically, raising a hand to forestall his departure. No verbal apologies, though - he got the sense that it would probably only make the man more flustered. "I am glad the two of you are consulting about Amanda," he said, meaning it. "And I'll take those primers of yours gladly." He smiled a bit faintly. "She's... very important to me. I want to do what I can to help her in general, and I'll do whatever's humanly possible to keep her away from Mistra." His expression turned more somber. "I wouldn't want to see an enemy go through the sort of thing I did. Let alone someone as dear ot me as Amanda is."
"On that, I think, we can agree." Strange scooped up his jacket and tie and stood. "And I can see how dear she is to you. She... she's a very special girl."
Nathan got up, making the executive decision that Strange would be accompanied back to the house whether he wanted to be or not. They couldn't have one of the only people who really understood what was going on keeling over in an inconvenient place or anything. "Part of the family," he said quite seriously. "And I'm not being facetious."
"Of course. I'd know if you were." Strange gave him a slight smile, glad for the other man's presence - the combination of sun, magic and fatigue was not helping his head. "You're not the one with that advantage. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know whether Amanda left any of that willowbark tea of hers around?"
The softball diamond was an unlikely setting to find Stephen Strange in, but that was just what Nathan did. The magician was seated on the ground, legs tucked under him Indian-style, heedless of the dust accumulating on his suit pants. He had his eyes closed, and his normally-calm expression was pinched and exhausted looking.
Very, very tempting to turn around and run back to the house, Nathan thought. But he had been avoiding Strange on his previous visits, and at some point pride did finally kick in. Besides, he ought to do the courteous thing and find out how the man was doing. He stopped just on the edge of the baseball diamond and waited.
He didn't have to wait long - Strange's eyelids flickered, and he gave a kind of tired sigh and seemed to slump in on himself. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rubbed his eyes and looked up, momentarily startled by Nathan's sudden appearance. "Oh, sorry, I didn't sense you there. Miles away. Literally." With a grunt he began climbing to his feet, brushing dust off his pants as he did - his jacket was slung over one of the bleachers, along with his tie, and his shirt was rumpled and a little sweaty. "She was right here, on this spot. I can still sense her. But I'll be damned if I can't reach her."
"I was sensing something strange in the air, right after it happened," Nathan said quietly, knowing perfectly well what 'she' Strange was referring to. "It went away by morning. Odd disturbance in the air molecules... maybe a residual energy signature."
"It was a powerful spell - I'm not surprised you sensed something. Stronger than either Amanda or Illyana could cast, either alone or together, should that unlikely event ever happen. Someone else did this." Strange winced and rubbed the bridge of his nose again. "I believe the same 'someone' is blocking my probes - Ms Wisdom and I between us managed to locate the children, but we can't effect a summoning spell."
"Lovely," Nathan muttered, and then absorbed Strange's obvious weariness. "Are you all right?" he asked, more business-like. "You look a little unsteady."
"Actually, no. I haven't been taking my own advice, it seems - too much magic on too little rest. Recent... events took their toll, I'm afraid, and now this..." Strange managed to make it to the bleachers and sat down heavily. "What kind of teacher am I that I can't protect my student?" he asked, mostly to himself.
Nathan came over and joined him. "There are a number of us asking that question this past week," he said. "None of us have managed to come up with an answer yet either."
"It seems I owe you an apology," Strange said ironically. "When I accused you of harming Amanda... I was wrong. I understand now."
Nathan stiffened a little. "You don't owe me an apology," he said, keeping his voice even. "I would never intentionally harm Amanda, no." Never. "But I'm not a particularly good person for her to be around - I think events have demonstrated that."
"By that logic, neither Ms Wisdom, her brother or myself are good people for her to be associating with either," Strange replied. When nathan gave him a querying look, he went on. "Mr Wisdom's line of work is neither stable nor safe - Amanda was barely here two weeks before the attack on the school by her 'uncle's' former employers. As for Ms Wisdom and myself... magic is a dangerous business. A business a girl Amanda's age should have nothing to do with, let alone at the level she is at. But that's the hand she's been dealt, and the best I - the best any of us can do - is to try and help her deal with it, to keep her safe. I just hope my training and Romany's amulet are enough to do that whilst she's out of reach." He gave Nathan a piercing look. "And when she and the other children return, I will be expecting you to help us."
"How?" Nathan said, not reacting to the 'correction'.
"You told me at Columbia that your former employers would target her, having seen what 'she' had done, even if she wasn't exactly herself at the time." Strange's voice took on a hard edge. "I know little of military tactics and mutant powers, but you do. I can teach her magic, but I can't teach her how to effectively use it in such a situation to protect herself, and others, if she wishes. You can help me with that."
Nathan was silent for a long moment, remembering the rather heated discussion he'd had with Dom on this subject, before she'd left. "I have been, already," he said slowly. "Self-defense. Incorporating the magic."
"You have? She didn't mention it. Possibly because she didn't want me to forbid it, I suppose..." Strange frowned slightly, feeling oddly disappointed that there were still things Amanda felt she had to hide from him. "But yes, that exactly. With my input - Amanda knows far more magic than she realises, but she's afraid to use it in case she does herself harm with the threefold rule. There are ways around it, but I'd prefer to be guiding her on those, rather than she work it out for herself." With a sigh, the magician looked out over the empty diamond. "I cannot allow what happened to those people that came after you to happen to her."
"I'll do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen to Amanda," Nathan said, his voice very low. The image of her at Mistra was still haunting his dreams, even now that she was somewhere else and possibly in even more danger. "Anything I can. Just... you'll have to tell me where the boundaries are."
Strange nodded. "Of course. I can give you a couple of books - magic primers, really - that outline the boundaries and what is considered magically allowable. And you've studied law, I believe? Think of it along the same lines of reasonable force."
cablewriter: Nathan frowned a little. "Amanda mentioned that?" he asked a bit doubtfully. "That I'd studied law, I mean..."
"Actually, no, not exactly... Moira may have mentioned it udring one of our talks..." A slight blush tinted Strange's normally-composed face. "We've been conferring about Amanda's training as well, and her addiction issues."
Nathan raised an eyebrow at the blush. "Ah," he said, a slightl smile playing on his lips. "Glad the two of you are putting your heads together."
If anything, Strange's discomfort grew; he practically squirmed in his seat. "Moir... Doctor McTaggart is quite the remarkable individual. And she certainly knows much about mutancy, an area I must confess my skills are sadly lacking."
"She is, isn't she?" Nathan asked almost cheerfully. He was a very, very bad man. "As brilliant as she is attractive. Very hard not to get swept off your feet... or at least, that's been my experience."
"Ah, yes, indeed. Um, well, I've done all I can do for now, and it is rather warm out here... I think perhaps I shall go and avail myself of some cold water... A cold drink, I mean..." Strange's awkwardness was almost comical to watch, and belatedly he remembered Nathan was a telepath and was emjoying himself way too much. "If you'll excuse me...?"
"Dr. Strange," Nathan said apologetically, raising a hand to forestall his departure. No verbal apologies, though - he got the sense that it would probably only make the man more flustered. "I am glad the two of you are consulting about Amanda," he said, meaning it. "And I'll take those primers of yours gladly." He smiled a bit faintly. "She's... very important to me. I want to do what I can to help her in general, and I'll do whatever's humanly possible to keep her away from Mistra." His expression turned more somber. "I wouldn't want to see an enemy go through the sort of thing I did. Let alone someone as dear ot me as Amanda is."
"On that, I think, we can agree." Strange scooped up his jacket and tie and stood. "And I can see how dear she is to you. She... she's a very special girl."
Nathan got up, making the executive decision that Strange would be accompanied back to the house whether he wanted to be or not. They couldn't have one of the only people who really understood what was going on keeling over in an inconvenient place or anything. "Part of the family," he said quite seriously. "And I'm not being facetious."
"Of course. I'd know if you were." Strange gave him a slight smile, glad for the other man's presence - the combination of sun, magic and fatigue was not helping his head. "You're not the one with that advantage. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know whether Amanda left any of that willowbark tea of hers around?"
