Scene #6172: Not at Home

Owner	Pose
Doctor Strange	Doctor Stephen Strange, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, holder of an impressive six proper nouns in a row, promised an audience to Thor Odinson, God of Thunder and crasher of Yakuza interrogations extraordinaire. Ordinarily, this would mean an invitation to the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village. Today, however, Strange has made plans to use the Ad Coelum's scrying pools and extensive library, searching for information his Sanctum may lack. As such, the God of Thunder will find a business card fluttering in his path, landing before him. It simply reads 'Ad Coelum - Space Station Corpus Juris.' The immense craft requires the use of trams--or flight, if he so desires--to traverse quickly. Thor will, funnily enough, find the guy who introduced himself as 'Sorcerer Supreme' in the magical portion of the Compos Mentis, the Ad Coelum's informational and research wing. More accurately, he'll find /two/ Stranges. One is poring intently over a fountain of some sort. The other is typing away at a terminal set into the wall, looking back and forth between numerous monitors. Neither one of them seems to acknowledge Thor at first, as both appear rather engrossed in their work.
Thor	Thor had joined the Paladins immediately after the incident with the Yakuza. He'd already been considering it before he got to Japan, having paperwork ready and talked to a recruitment officer, but seeing the actions of Paladins in the line of duty was impressive enough to sell him on it completely. Now a member, he had access to the Ad Coelum, which was useful, since that was Doctor Strange's offered meeting place for his audience. Even though he had passed up learning about Grail Wars in detail, Thor still had questions. Dressed in his armor and cape, because it was what he usually wore when he wasn't at a diplomatic meeting or walking among mortals, Thor ended up taking the tram, sitting next to a more alien fellow with a single eye, which reminded him a bit of creatures from home. The Multiverse was full of interesting and new things, but at the same time, he was basically an equivalent to a seasoned Multiversal traveler in his world. But the man Thor was meeting was even more seasoned in it. Once the Asgardian arrived at the massive library, he started moving down, and ended up eventually in the magical portion. And he also found not one, but two Doctor Stranges. With his hammer at his side making it clear who he is, Thor expected a reaction, a greeting, but as engrossed in his work as the doctor is, Thor would have to make the introduction himself, approaching the Strange poring over the fountain, mostly because it was the more familiar thing to him than a terminal. "Doctor, I have arrived." Waiting a second to see if he gets Strange's attention, Thor speaks again, glancing around the room. "This vehicle is quite impressive. It'd be quite easy to get lost around here if you weren't careful." If Strange looks at him, Thor seems quite energetic, with a good-natured smile on his face. "Are you finding success in your studies?"
Doctor Strange	Both Stranges turn and look towards Thor. The one over at the computer scribbles something down on a notepad, tears off a sheet, and approaches the one at the fountain to hand it over to him. He then disappears in a flash of green light, leaving just the one at the fountain. He pockets the scrap of paper. "Not yet," admits the doctor. "But I haven't been at it for long." He gestures to a couple of green upholstered chairs, not unlike those one might find in a particularly well-funded public library. They are arranged around a circular wooden table. The sorcerer moves to take a seat in the further of the two chairs, crossing his legs. His footwear stands in contrast to his blue wizardly robes and the red Cloak of Levitation--a pair of black Converses. "I figured the Ad Coelum'd be a good meeting place. It's got resources for me, and you hadn't seen it yet, so." Strange shrugs his shoulders lightly, then folds his hands and lets them rest in his lap. Thor can see that they're heavily scarred--some more precise and surgical than others. They also tremble slightly. "You wanted an audience with a wizard," says Strange, frowning slightly and gesturing to himself. "What's up?"
Thor	Thor stares a little as one Strange gives the other a note and then vanishes. It's weird. It's kind of reminiscent of his brother's sorcery, except being less illusory. As Doctor Strange gestures to the chairs and takes a seat, Thor moves to take the other, only briefly glancing at the strange shoes. It's not too weird, because Thor has no idea what wizards are supposed to wear. "Indeed, I quite like it." As Strange brings up why they're here, and frowns a little, Thor straightens up, expression a little less jovial. "I seek information about the woman called Avenger. While what she is and the history behind it isn't important, /who/ she is, well, that's different. I also want to know if she has any other abilities." A pause. "Other than the fire and the spears, that is. You seem to be quite familiar with these legend ghosts, after all." "I assume it's a wizard thing?"
Doctor Strange	"Sure," says Strange with a nod. "It's a wizard thing. So. Who she is. Let's start there." He pauses for a moment, stroking his goatee with his thumb and index finger. Seems like he's trying to find the simplest way to put it, emerald eyes peering upwards. They focus on Thor for a moment, taking in the armor, the 'do, the hammer. "Okay," begins the sorcerer, holding his hands outward. "She's Joan of Arc, a French hero. And when I say hero, I might be underselling it." His hands fall back to his lap, and he steeples his fingers, tilting his head to make sure the weight of that statement isn't lost on Thor. "The lady was sainted after her death. But. See. It's the death that's the sticking point here." The doctor smacks his lips, searches briefly for words again. "She was betrayed, falsely accused of being a witch and burned at the stake. Whenever a... legend ghost is summoned, they're pulled from a certain point in the actual person's life, and given form and ideas and thoughts based on whenever they were pulled from. So, most of the time, Joan of Arc is not gonna be a 'roaring rampage of revenge' type. But... this one must've been pulled from the point at which she was burned." Strange raises a hand to rub at his temple as if he's got a headache. "Or... after. /Somehow,/" says the sorcerer with evident annoyance. "The Grail does whatever the hell it wants."
Thor	Thor doesn't recognize the name Joan of Arc, but 'French' is something he's heard in context with Earth, and he knows what 'hero' means, so he can piece it together. Sainted is also something he can understand the meaning of, so he's clear she's quite a big deal. When Strange explains how she met her end, however, his face pulls into a frown. "They burned their own hero? That's awful." Strange's explanation is actually simple enough that Thor can understand it. A phantom based off a specific moment in time..."So she seeks revenge for what was done to her. How tragic...but she's a danger to the people of Earth, and I assume other worlds as well. As the Defender of the Nine Realms, I must stop her from causing problems again." Thor brushes a hand through his mane of hair, before bringing it down to his chin. "From the reports I saw, she was an able combatant with incredible abilities. I assume that her history might help us know more about what she's capable of, yes?"
Doctor Strange	The sorcerer nods. "That was a very dark period for predominantly Christian countries like France and England. Nevertheless," says Strange, "Archer has an idea on how to deal with her. Failing that, we'll have to contain or even kill her. I don't like the idea, but she doesn't care who she hurts, and we can't let her just... run amok." The topic of history is brought up. "In the vaguest possible sense, yes. Think of it like this," says the sorcerer. He raises a hand, flicks his wrist, and in it appears a slim, black smartphone. He unlocks it, spends a moment googling something, and pulls up a black and white picture. He shows it to Thor. It depicts a man in 19th century formal attire, with bushy eyebrows, wispy white hair, and faint wrinkles that suggest he's just entered into old age. "This is Thomas Edison, the inventor." Then he bounces his hand as if throwing the phone--it just disappears. With a few hand movements that might remind Thor of Romanoff's more close-range fighting techniques, Strange weaves an illusion. An image of the Edison that Thor actually met. The barrel-chested, lion-headed Presiking. "This is the Heroic Spirit based off of him." Strange gives Thor an expectant, flat look. "See what I mean? The Grail does whatever the hell it wants. Say it with me."
Thor	"Archer, the man who is a self-proclaimed...massive jerk?" Thor is a little bit skeptical, but he ends up nodding. "Well, I wish him the best of luck. If we can avoid a fight, that is all the better." And then Doctor Strange shows off Edison. He looks like a pretty normal guy. Thor nods, and then when they show the Edison he knows and how drastically different they are, Thor blinks. "...Why did he turn into a cat-man?" Reclining a bit into the chair, Thor raises an eyebrow, especially at the hand motions Strange makes. "The...Grail does whatever the hell it wants?" Though, with that pretty much settled, Thor moves to wrap that up. "Thank you, Doctor. I had one further topic I'd like to discuss, after it was raised last night." "My brother's scepter. Do you have any information on it that we may not possess, or any clue of where it may currently be?"
Doctor Strange	Strange nods in approval. Thor Gets It now. He waves a hand and the illusory Edison just vanishes. Sure, there's an explanation--but the sooner one accepts that fundamental principle of Grail War metaphysics, the happier one's existence will be. The topic shifts to the scepter, and Strange now reclines in his seat. "I do," explains Strange. "I know a lot about it. But I'll only tell you what's necessary to keep it out of the wrong hands, because it's something that's dangerous to even know about. So. I'll tell you what I told Stark." "Loki showed up one day and started..." He pops his lips, pantomiming the act of tapping one with the scepter, several times. "Building an army. That's not the only thing it does. It gives the user complete control over the mind. You could... alter memories, create ones from scratch. You could even trick someone's brain into thinking they had superpowers. And if you did it right, they'd actually /have/ superpowers." The sorcerer pauses to let that sink in. "Someone's found it, and they're using it to do that exact thing. Me and Spider-Man ended up fighting a guy who..." Strange stops dead in his tracks. He can't just say 'a guy who thought he was a wizard.' How does he explain it, then? "...who..." Does Thor even know what Dungeons and Dragons is? "Who was casting fictional spells from a children's game." With the biggest hurdle out of the way, he can just explain the rest in high-fantasy terms, since Thor already thinks of him as a wizard. "He had a potion on him. When I investigated, I discovered it could only have been made with the scepter. Stark and Rogers think HYDRA has it. Which means... I dunno. They'll either sell it, use it to make supersoldiers, or both. None of which we want."
Thor	Thor grunts a little when Strange goes 'I'll only tell you what you need to know' but accepts it anyways. This man is the Sorcerer Supreme, he probably knows what he's doing, and he's giving Thor enough information to be helpful. Whatever else may be chaff. "That explains how he took control of my friend Erik." He's referring to Dr. Selvig, a famous astrophysicist, but he likes the guy enough to refer to him on a first name basis. As the part about giving people superpowers sinks in, Thor's face is the one of realization. This is dangerous indeed. "Abilities from a game? Because of this potion? That's quite dangerous indeed." Though Thor's imagining 'what if a knight could actually move forward and three spaces to the left in an instant', because he's familiar with chess-like games, not stuff like Dungeons and Dragons. But on the topic of them selling it, Thor seems to disagree. "I can't imagine anyone giving up an advantage of that magnitude. I would suspect them more likely to have made and sold things like these potions. We will have to track them down and stop this trade as soon as possible." And then, Thor stops reclining. It seems he has the intel he needs, because he's not a guy who needs a complicated plan of attack. If Strange knew which HYDRA base had it, he'd probably tell him so Thor could go punch them, right? "Thank you, Doctor. You are quite wise. I imagine we'll be working together further in the future."
Doctor Strange	Strange rises. "No problem," he says, extending a scarred hand for the God of Thunder to shake. Despite the trembling, his handshake is firm. "And don't be afraid to come to me for help." It seems like he shares Thor's sentiment--looking forward to working together. A flick of his wrist produces a business card, much like the one which led Thor to the Ad Coelum in the first place. This one, however, gives a more specific address. 177A Bleecker Street, New York City, New York. It's handed to Thor. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to do some research." He repeats the gesture he'd used during the confrontation with the Yakuza. Thumbs upon index fingers, one hand crossed over the other, dragging them across his chest and opening his fingers to mimic the opening of an eye. The bronze-gold amulet upon his chest clicks as its latticework shifts to reveal a brilliant, glowing green emerald. Strange disappears in a flash of green light. He reappears in the exact same spot, awkwardly staring. "You're... still here. I thought you were gonna..." He points to the sky--or, rather, the high vaulted roof of the Ad Coelum's research wing. Little arcs of electricity crackle down the length of his arm, and he gives Thor an expectant look. Then he looks up at the ceiling. "...ah. Yeah, we're... in a spaceship... probably not a good idea..." The doctor's gravelly voice just sort of trails off. Ahem. Strange stuffs his hands into the pockets of his tunic. "Alright, well, yeah. See you." He bounces on his heels and goes back to peering into the scrying pool.
Thor	Thor shakes the hand firmly, though he can't help but notice the trembling. When the business card is produced, Thor accepts it, grabbing onto it firmly. When Strange starts his gesture and his goodbye, Thor nods, and is about to get up when Doctor Strange disappears. Well, he'll take a moment to stretch and- Nope, the doctor's back, and that's awkward. It takes Thor a few seconds to understand what Doctor Strange expected, and the Asgardian awkwardly chuckles. "I was just going to walk." And so, when Strange turns back for research, Thor walks off at a brisk pace. He's probably going to check out more of the Ad Coelum, maybe get some food. That was a good meeting. He's actually glad that yesterday happened, now, even if he's disappointed about the outcome. It's good to have allies.