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New Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Trailer | Sci-Fi Jubilee

"I'll commission a miniature statue, to remind you to stay like this."

Once they step inside she pulls him close, draping her arms around him. She likes this Stephen a lot, it seems.

He waved his hand and the door closed. He pulled her close and kissed her, not bothering to say much else, because why? The quieter they were, the more unlikely they were to be noticed or disturbed.

He gave her a bit of a hug before he released her to explore.
"You might want to see the relic room, but I'm not sure if you can take anything with you."

That kiss is nice, and it warms her. When her Stephen died she had closed herself off from affection, focusing on work, now she was remembering how much she missed it.

"I wonder how they will react to me. Some of the relics we have can be touchy." All of the ones with some level of sentience were picky.

"Here too, definitely. Cloak doesn't mind you, and Cloak is rather fickle."

Stephen wondered though if Cloak knew how much Stephen liked the counterpart in this universe, and therefore was supportive.

"Cloak might be able to pick up your emotions regarding me." Some of the relics have surprising traits.

She reaches out to lightly pet the fabric.

Cloak definitely fluttered at being noticed, moving a little closer.

"Probably." Cloak definitely knew he liked Christine immensely.

He went to go up the stairs to the room of relics.

It is incredibly amusing to see Cloak react to her, they seem pleased by the attention.

"I'm very curious to see what relics are in both universes." Likely plenty of them.

"I would guess the Brazier of BomGalaith is similar," he referenced the weapon she'd used against the spirits - before she'd assured him to use them.

The relic room was definitely full of rather interesting objects.

"The Brazier is very useful." She nods. She had been greatful she knew how to use it.

"Before he died, my Stephen said he was going to start training me, that I needed at least some basic protection."

"What else do you feel you need to learn, considering - there's no Illuminati on your world? There's Mordo but I doubt he'll be capable of training. He was barely patient with me when I was a novice."

"I want to make a portal. They look so convenient." Which is probably the initial point of them.

She is already looking at some of the relic cases.

"He thought it might be important for me to be able to fight, with the whole multiverse situation."

Stephen slipped off his sling ring. "Here. Try it." He handed it over like it wasn't a meaningful gesture for anyone to hand over their sling ring and that it was an extension of trust.

He wondered about fighting. About her fighting style, she probably just wanted to flee so she didn't have to kill anyone.

She is sure it's a personal thing to be handed his sling ring, it's not the sort of thing you let anyone try.

"What place should I think about? I don't want to try to make a portal between universes." She doesn't think she would be that good, but also wouldn't want to risk it.

This Christine is a bit more likely to put up a fight if needed, she would never want to use lethal force, but she would be willing to do some damage to protect others.

"Maybe the street corner we just passed. Front door if you want. Across the hall is my room." He shifted and tried not to seem too awkward about it.

"Imagine your bedroom?" She teases.

Christine focuses and does the circular motion she's seen so many times. She gets sparks, but no portal at first.

"That's all I got at first too. Took a while to get anything. Started feeling hopeless and my mentor told me to surrender to it. I disagreed, got myself stranded on Everest until I figured it out. Now it oddly comes almost naturally, and I don't think about it a lot. I think Wong has said to the novices to slow down and concentrate. I guess... really think about it, visualize that it's front of you, and then ... relax because it is. Or - do your own thing. Sure you'll figure it out, and I'm not stranding you on Everest if you don't figure it out. I'm sure when you need it, it will be there. As for shields or weapons, it depends on what comes easiest to you. Wong conjures swords and rope darts. Some use shields as weapons. A mentor conjured fans."

He tried to explain it but wasn't sure if he did well in that regard.

"You could strand me on Everest if I don't get it in a few tries." She listens to him, nodding.

"Wait. I know what to do. I'm going to the entry way, I'll be right back."

To combat the unfamiliar location, she's going to try to use Stephen as a grounding, it'll be easier to paint the picture of the relic room because he is there.

She bounds out of the room before he has a chance to argue. She must look insane, standing by the front door, trying to make a portal.

She imagines Stephen, her desire to be near him; the portal forms crisp and easily.

"Excellent!" He's genuinely impressed by this. Maybe a bit embarrassed about her picturing him in the relic room.

She likes him, still. Even after losing her Stephen.

She steps through the portal with a wide grin.

"You helped me picture it. Since you're much more familiar than this Sanctum."

She does still like him. She's sure every Christine loves a Stephen even if they are truly terrible at making it work together.

He's touching her cheek without really thinking about it. Followed by pulling her a bit close and kissing her head.

"You're amazing. And I'm not just saying that cause I'm biased."

She rests her forehead against his.

"You're different, there's a humbleness about you that is very, very attractive. You may actually let me hold the knife."

"Attractive." Stephen tested the word, leaning his head on hers. "Well, I've - learned that I don't have to be the one holding the knife for things to be successful. That also means I don't get the credit, but that's - alright too."

Edited Date: 2022-05-21 01:55 am (UTC)

She brushes her fingers along the nape of his neck. He learned the lessons she had always hoped her Stephen would come to grips with.

"You're incredible."

"Why? Because that's how we get to be happy, in another universe, if not this one, isn't it?"
He touched the texture of her hair in his slightly shaking hands, memorizing the shine and the feel of it under his fingers.

"If I learn it, then another of my ... variants will be capable of doing it, and so on... also it's not ... so incredible, you're giving a lot of credit."

He softly kissed her cheek, determined to hold on to whatever few moments the universe allotted him.

"Shut up and take a compliment." There's a tiny chuckle before she is kissing him again.

They may only have this one time, and she is going to make the most of it. To pretend that maybe they are the Stephen and Christine that figure it out.