black magic woman.

“You know what they say, the truth is strange-r than fiction.” Jessica bit her bottom lip, letting a soft chuckle escape. “Okay, fine, bad joke. But if Clea Strange thinks my story is fake - then what luck do I have convincing anyone else?” Jessica shakes her head, slumping into her seat. “But it’s the truth. I was replaced by a skrull and my ‘son’ is my clone. Now whenever he calls me ‘mum’ I get a full body reaction.” She paused, kicking her feet up on the table. “It wouldn’t be so weird if you were born yesterday.”

                  𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚   𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝   𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬   𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞   with   a   chuckle   of   her   own.   she   then   extended   her   hand   out   toward   jessica   in   an   attempt   to   soothe   her   worries.    ❛❛   skrulls   are   tricky   creatures.   ❜❜   the   sorceress   assured   her.    ❛❛   it   isn’t   too   far   fetched   ,   i’m   only   teasing.    ❜❜   clea   quirked   a   brow   ,   ❛❛   how   is   motherhood   ?   is   it   treating   you   well   ?   ❜❜

“ you are correct to not believe me, ” danger replied, nodding slightly. “ i saw the probability of you believing it to be 60/40, but i took a chance. perhaps i should sharpen up my fabrication skills… ” damn ! she was usually decent ! “ would you like a turn at this ‘truth or lie’ game that i have heard many humans enjoy wasting their time with ? ” 

                  𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐬    ,    𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬    .    .    .    𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚    𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲    is    reminded    of    wong.    who    ,    unlike    most    was    better    with    balancing    the    odds.    they    push    strands    of    silver    locks    past    their    expression    ,    still    confused    as    ever.    ❛❛    truth    or    lie    ?    ❜❜    she    repeated    with    a    furrow    of    her    brow.    ❛❛    i    believe    i’ve    heard    of    it.    i’d    love    to    play.    ❜❜

·.·☾      " 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭  𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞  𝐭𝐨  𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞  𝐦𝐞,  "    young  witch  replied  with  a  nonchalant  shrug   ,   “  it  doesn’t  change  the  story  –    is  a  telepathic  dinosaur  really  the  weirdest  thing  you’ve  heard  today  ?  “ 

                ❛❛    𝐢𝐭’𝐬    𝐦𝐲    𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞    𝐟𝐨𝐫    𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠    underneath    the    assumption    that    earth    is    a    normal    place.    ❜❜    clea    exhaled    a    sigh.    ❛❛    of    course    i’ve    heard    and    seen    weirder    things    ,    but    it’s    almost    always    been    on    another    planet    !    ❜❜

“  …  it’s true  ,  actually  .  improbable as it sounds  .  ”  scott is used to people taking his stories with a grain of salt  ,  but man  ,  he thought everyone knew that one  .  “  the entire universe legitimately owes everything to a rat from the bay area  .  ”

                𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞      𝐢𝐧      𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜      𝐰𝐚𝐬      just      about      it      for      clea.      who      was      for      more      interested      in      the      cosmos      than      the      equations      humans      made      to      understand      them.      however      ,      with      her      residency      permanently      on      earth      she      had      no      choice      but      to      ,      at      least      ,      acknowledge      those      equations.      ❛❛      i      don’t      like      thinking      about      that      stuff      .      .      .      ❜❜      she      admitted      bluntly.         ❛❛      existing      for      the      sake      of      existing      is      enough      ,      for      me      at      least.      ❜❜

❝      believe   whatever   you   want   .       ❞      barbara   shrugs   .      ❝     but   ,      gotham’s   a   weird   place   .      and   kite   man   isn’t   even   the   worst   of   them   .       ❞   a   beat   .      ❝ there’s   also   condiment   king   .       ❞

                𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡      𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝      𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬      𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚      tucked      a      closed      fist      underneath      her      chin.      though      she      had      her      suspicions      ,      she      couldn’t      deny      the      other      was      a      good      storyteller.      ❛❛      condiment      king      ?      ❜❜      she      asked      with      a      lift      in      her      tone.         ❛❛      good      gods      ,      what      does      he      do      ?      ❜❜

              ❛❛   𝐲𝐨𝐮    𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲    𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭    𝐦𝐞    to    believe    a    story    like    that    ?    come    on    ,    i    wasn’t    born    yesterday.    ❜❜

          HE  SETS  DOWN  HIS  DRINK  .  only  for  him  to  grab  it  and  take  another  sip  .  is  it  awkward  ?  yes  .  maybe  .  he’s  not  sure  .  he  was  ‘  dead  ’  for  five  years  and  well  ,  he’s  still  trying  to  process  that  .  his  smirk  widens  when  he  notices  the  slight  tinge  of  red  on  her  cheeks  .  “  from  the  looks  of  it  ,  i’d  say  you  did  .  ”  at  their  question  ,  he  pauses  ,  reaching  for  a  piece  of  bread  .  “  i’ve  grown  accustomed  to  your  presence  ,  ”  he  opts  to  say  .  but  stephen  is  a  prideful  man  and  would  never  admit  it  out  loud  .  translation  :  he  did  miss  her  .  “  get  up  to  anything  in  the  five  years  i  was  gone  ?  ”

                𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞    𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧    𝐚    𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝    but    a    best    friend    ,    clea’s    heart    ached    that    things    weren’t    how    they    used    to    be.    with    the    weight    of    their    responsibilities    it    was    difficult    to    make    room    for    .    .    .     them.    and    while    clea    knew    this    was    the    consequence    of    marrying    a    sorcerer    in    line    to    become    the    next    supreme    ,    her    urge    to    be    satisfied    as    his    wife    was    still    present.    but    her    stubbornness    that    rivaled    his    own    placed    their    relationship    at    a    standstill.    stephen’s    response    caused    clea    to    roll    her    eyes    ,    but    she    understood    his    sentiment.    he    was    never    the    type    to    wear    his    heart    on    his    sleeve    anyways.     ❛❛    hmm    ,    ❜❜    she    began    with    a    mischievous    expression.     ❛❛    well.    i    wouldn’t    want    to    make    you    jealous.    ❜❜

Things click into place, as she explains- and introduces herself. Thor smiles, easily, and nods. “Well, then, Clea Strange. It truly is”. And he isn’t just being polite- anyone who can go toe to toe with Strange is worth sitting up and taking notice of. “I’m more ashamed that I didn’t know of you sooner. Your husband neglected to mention you- though, granted it has been 5 years… so perhaps I can forgive him, in the case I was simply… absent”.

It’s mostly teasing, though. Sorcerers and mages occupy a place in Thor’s mind of respect, along with healers- disciplines he himself has no real skill in, and thus he has a vast amount of respect for.

“…May I ask if you are also… magically inclined? Or would that be incredibly rude of me?”

                𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚’𝐬    𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞    𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝    𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨    a    light-hearted    laugh.     ❛❛    forgive    him.    ❜❜    she    assured    the    god.     ❛❛    don’t    tell    him    i    said    that    though.    ❜❜    clea    quickly    added    with    a    wag    of    her    finger.    the    smile    on    her    face    softened    ,    clea    nodded    her    head.     ❛❛    mhmn.    ❜❜    her    response    is    quiet.     ❛❛    and    no    ,    it’s    not    rude.    you’re    probably    familiar    with    magic    users    already.    i’m    surprised    you    haven’t    picked    up    a    trick    or    two.    ❜❜

           "  you  have  disney+  ?  i  heard  it's  been  streaming  for  about  a  year  now  -  “   she  drawls  out  ,   bitter  pettiness  leaving  her  lips  as  she  speaks  .    "  i'll  get  tired  of  it  ,   when  people  start  leaving  me  alone  .  ”

                𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠    𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡    𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡    𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥    beings    had    become    such    a    common    occurrence    in    clea’s    life.    it    was    almost    suffocating    ,    and    while    clea    wasn’t    directly    responsible    for    healing    mistakes    she    felt    an    obligation    anyways.    clea    scoffed    at    wanda’s    response    ;    offense    clearly    ridden    on    her    body    language.     ❛❛    we    don’t    have    it    in    space    and    i’m    convinced    stephen    changes    the    password    when    he’s    mad    at    me.  so    i    missed    the    last    few    episodes.    ❜❜    she    joked.        ❛❛    i    mean    ,    you    could    fix    it.    then    they’d    start    leaving    you    alone.    or    is    that    too    hard    for    you    ?    hm    ,    cleaning    up    after    your    mess.    ❜❜

The voice has him looking up from his introspection, and at his guest. The furrow of his brow would suggest he’s searching his memory for her face- and not having much luck. Though, given his reputation, being known without any previous contact isn’t too unusual. It’s happened before, when he’s forgotten to use his magic to disguise himself.

“I… am terribly sorry, but… I don’t think I know you”, he offers, politely. “But I do appreciate you keeping things… quiet, as it were. The last thing I need right now is a fuss”. Thor smiles gently. “…To whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

              𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚    𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝    𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨    𝐭𝐡𝐞     park    bench.    in    doing    so    she    exhaled    a    soft    breath.    her    arms    crossed    over    her    chest    ,    ❛❛    no    no    ,    don’t    apologize.    ❜❜    the    mage    assured    the    god.    ❛❛    i    get    it.    my    husband    ,    ❜❜    she    trailed.    ❛❛    gets    enough    attention.    he    helped    you    with    the    big    purple    man-child.    ❜❜    she’s    careful    not    to    name-drop    for    the    sake    of    her    own    pride.     ❛❛    clea    strange.    ❜❜    she    responded.   the    surname    was    a    dead    giveaway.     ❛❛    is    it    really    that    much    of    a    pleasure    ?    ❜❜    she    added    with    a    tease.

The nice thing about a city as large as New York is that people rarely pay attention to others around them. Meaning he can take the time like this, to sit amongst the hustle and bustle, and just… watch.

They’re so resilient, these Midgardians. Time, and time again, have their lives been thrown to chaos… and they survive regardless. They thrive. He is proud to have favored them from the start.

And of course, there are those he called friends… ones he hesitates to see, even now. Grip tight on the ‘umbrella’ in his hand, more than anything, he misses them.

…What would he even say? If he were faced with them? Thor doesn’t know. So much has happened… and yet he feels both changed and exactly the same.

Too caught in his own thoughts, he is unaware, when someone takes the time to look, and recognize him through his simple disguise.

@reshieldedstart​

            𝐚𝐬    𝐚    𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠    𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧    from    space    ,    earth    couldn’t    compare    to    the    beautiful    views    she    once    had    the    privilege    to    experience.    nevertheless    ,    clea    had    accepted    new    york    city    to    be    her    home    far    before    the    appearance    of    the    portals    ;    only    on    the    basis    that    it    was    the    only    planet    that    guaranteed    her    safety.    though    clea    was    glad    to    be    in    safe    hands    she    couldn’t    help    but    to    carry    the    weight    of    unwanted    survivor's    guilt    ---    so    she    often    found    herself    looking    up    at    the    sky    ;    day    or    night    ,    wondering    .    .    .    longing    for    her    home.

       (  @reshieldedstart​  !  )     “  i’m  not  an  avenger  ,   i’m  not  a  superhero  ,   and  i’m  certainly  not  what  you’re  looking  for  .   i  don’t  have  answers  ,   so  go away  .  ”  

             𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚    𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝    𝐡𝐞𝐫    𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬    ,    she    scoffed.    ❛❛    sorry    ,    sorry.    just    missed    a    few    episodes    of    your    show.    ❜❜    the    sorceress    responded    teasingly.     ❛❛    don’t    you    ever    get    tired    of    playing    that    tune    ?    ❜❜

“  ah  .  ”  her face falls briefly at the woman’s admission of her own lack of knowledge  ,  though lights up again at her next words  .  “  you’ve been to space  ?  well  ,  now i don’t mind if you can’t find where the quantum physicists hang out  ;  mind telling me what space was like  ?  ”  she’s done some research on this universe  ,  on its heroes and villains  ,  but she hasn’t found time yet to explore their science  ,  the advancements they’ve made that differ from her own world  .

              𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚    𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝    𝐡𝐞𝐫    𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬    with    an    inhale.    she    exhaled    while    dropping    her    shoulders.    her    relationship    with    space    was    a    complicated    ordeal.     ❛❛    well.    i’m    from    space.    ❜❜    she    started    a    bit    unsure    about    sharing    such    information    publicly    but    ,    with    a    portal    opening    up    it    didn’t    seem    too    dangerous    to    share.     ❛❛    it’s    nice.    not    too    different    from    earth    ,    except    for    the    diversity    in    species.    ❜❜    clea    attempted    to    explain.     ❛❛    so    are    you    one    of    those    people    who    fell    from    the    portal    ?    what    was    that    like    .    .    .     ❜❜

matt cocked his head to the side. he was bristling already, and certainly wasn’t interested in anyone making his already shitty day worse. he wasn’t trying to be an asshole—he rarely was—but he usually ended up being one anyway. it was probably a mix of a strict catholic upbringing, having a boxer with a severe case of sailor’s mouth for a father, and having the level patience that most new yorkers had—very low. he pressed his lips together, dropping his hands to his hips when he spoke. 

“listen, i don’t really care what you do with yourself, but i’d really prefer it if you backed up at least ten feet. better yet, you could just start walking down the street.” he grumbled, turning away from where he had heard her voice. “calling me poor thing like i even asked for her opinion,” he muttered to himself. he needed coffee. maybe some advil. probably both.

              𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚    𝐡𝐚𝐝    𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝    𝐡𝐞𝐫    fair    share    of    combative    personalities    but    ,    she’d    yet    to    grow    an    immunity    to    them.    and    being    the    bigger    person    was    a    lesson    she’d    yet    to    learn    the    value    of.    first    clea    responded    with    her    expression    ,    a    slow    blink   followed    by    a    slightly    opened    jaw.    she    scoffed.    ❛❛    if    anything    you’re    the    one    in    my    space    ruining    the    energy.    i    understand    ,    you    had    a    bad    day    but    you    don’t    have    to    make    it    everyone    else’s    problem    too.    ❜❜    she    suggested    with    a    sharp    tone.    

          SILENCE  SETTLES  BETWEEN  THEM  .  nimble  fingers  wrap  around  his  glass  of  whisky  .  eyes  are  focused  on  the  food  in  front  of  him  .  the  two  of  them  have  never  been  perfect  .  far  from  it  .  and  maybe  ,  just  maybe  ,  that’s  what  drew  him  to  her  .  if  he  were  to  tell  his  former  self  that  he’d  end  up  married  to  a  half-faltine  /  half-dark  dimensional  being  ,  he’d  never  believe  it  .  he’s  acutely  aware  of  their  observations  .  bringing  the  glass  up  to  his  lips  ,  he  smirks  .  eyes  shift  up  ,  locking  with  their  gaze  .  “  don’t  tell  me  it’s  because  you  missed  me  ,  clea  .  ”

          clea   swallowed   her   portion   of   bread.   her   stomach   doesn’t   ache   for   another   bite   ,   even   if   the   display   of   food   before   her   was   tempting   enough.   clea   brought   her   vision   up   to   provide   stephen   a   full   view   of   her   expression   .   .   .   a   jumbled   mess   of   emotion   that   was   too   difficult   to   decipher   as   one   feeling.   he   smirked   and   her   heart   jumped.   internally   clea   cursed.   ❛❛   don’t   flatter   yourself.   ❜❜   she   warned   him   with   her   cheeks   flushed   in   a   soft   tint   of   red.    ❛❛   did   you   miss   me   ?   ❜❜   she   asked   shyly.