Who: Dr. Strange, Nick Fury What: touching base When: October Rating: Green
It had been a while since Fury had seen the caped magician. They weren’t friends, although Nick had to admit they were friendly. Friendlier than they were before anyways.
Friendly enough that Nick felt comfortable going right to the Sanctum (and the Sanctum actually being visible for him) without letting Strange know beforehand….although really, what happened in the world that Strange didn’t know about?
Stepping into the almost museum like building, Fury looked at the random artifacts, hands clasped behind his back. He was in absolutely no rush, and he knew that STrange would come and see him whenever he was ready. Besides, this was a unique opportunity to see magical items and tomes -- not that Nick was going to touch anything. He knew better than that. You never touch something unknown.
That was a good life lesson in general.
The answer to that question about things Strange didn't know was: not much.
That was why the doors opened when Fury approached them and he was allowed to enter. They closed behind him too, as if by unseen hands. Once Stephen finished what he was doing, he made an appearance by floating over silently and waiting behind Fury. He looked at what Fury was staring at, an ornate brass dagger in a cabinet. His head was craned to the side to see, and began talking in a non-intrusive tone that wouldn't be too jarring to those unaware, almost like he was there as a tour guide, even if it was only temporary. Dr. Strange typically didn't have the patience for anything more than an explanation or two.
"That's a phurba, a Bhuddist magic dagger. The three sides to the 'blade' represent transformation of the three poisons, attachment, ignorance, and aversion. It also represents bringing the three spirit worlds together into one, in order to destroy otherworldly foes or obstacles. In certain esoteric texts, it's known as the Diamantine Dagger of Emptiness.
"The lower half is usually covered in cloth to protect the uninitiated. This one has been tainted, which is why it's kept here." As the soles of his boots finally met the floor, Stephen attempted to be a good host, "Care for some green tea with honey, Nick?"
“Please.”
Nick turned and gave a nod to Strange. Something about the solemnity of the space leant itself to a warm, comforting drink rather than an alcoholic beverage. And because it was Nick, he was happy to sit in silence until Strange showed him to a table where they could sit down and talk.
“It’s been a while since our last touchpoint,” Nick started. “And since then, we’ve had time speed up, we’ve had terrorists and floods, and we’ve discovered how to bring someone back from the soul stone.” He cocked a brow and allowed a brief smile. “Well. The last was purely accidental, and probably wouldn’t happen again. Regardless, we’ve done a fuckton of things and I wanted to know if you have any information for me.”
He picked up his cup and blew on it lightly. “We’ve all been playing nice together.”
"Definitely an accident. That price is a very steep cost." Stephen showed them to a couple of old wing-backed chairs up in the gallery in the blink of an eye. There was a comfortably warm cup of green tea in Fury's hand, as though they had been sitting there holding it for the past five minutes, rather than five seconds.
"If by playing nice, you mean everyone continuing to do our own things?" Strange finally answered, "Then yes, we're playing nice. Everyone's expertise is vastly different and I specialize only in the vastly different, mystic threats to this world. That's not so wordly as what all of you have been dealing with. The Masters of the Mystic Arts have vanquished around ten thousand magical or inter-dimensional threats this year. None of which are terrorists, and I was only involved in the floods out of immediate necessity. I'd have to float the Sanctum to keep what's in here from floating out."
In other words: Whatever Stephen knew, he was keeping to himself. Specifically one thing in particular, to protect Wanda from any scrutiny.
"I'm intervening only if it's paranormal, or if it poses a worldwide threat," Stephen said, blowing on his own newly conjured tea before taking a sip.
Nick processed Strange’s words while sipping on his own tea. It was true -- there were very few things that melded the two worlds, that of the mystical supernatural, and that of the mundane world. And Nick didn’t actually expect Strange to get involved in anything other than the very specific realm of mystical arts.
It didn’t hurt to ask though.
There was silence while he enjoyed the quiet. One reason he did like speaking with Strange was there was no sense of pressing need to solve a problem, or discuss minutae. In fact, Nick was fairly certain if he even attempted small talk, Strange would make some sort of non-commital noise, and ignore Nick anyways. Which would be exactly how Nick would handle the situation.
“You know, I’ve never really been in here before. An impressive array of artifacts. That tainted dagger you mentioned. .. the history must be long and interesting. I can think of several professors who would literally cut an arm off to be allowed access here.” Nick gave a smirk, one that said ‘and yet here I am, with both my arms’.
For Stephen, it was very much a 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's...' approach. His job was making sure that all things magical didn't intersect with all things mundane. If the two states rarely crossed paths and those in the mundane world were living none the wiser, then that was all the better for everyone involved.
Being no stranger to quiet and without a shred of tolerance for small talk, Stephen sedately sipped his tea. He had learned from hours of meditation that silence was golden...around those times that he was actively trolling Wong via portal. Wong was drier than he was, and so it was a personal mission to see if he could get that guy to laugh again. So far, no luck.
With Fury, he knew that this was someone who was going to fiercely hold onto secrets, and actively sharing what they both knew was not going to be a two way street. The Mystics weren't Avengers. While they would show up to help protect the world, they were their own secret sect. Their secrets remained their own.
Stephen gave the super spy a smirk in return. It clearly made it known that Fury was only there because he let him be there, out of whatever kernel of kindness hadn't been snuffed out of existence yet. Then he said, "They can keep dreaming, since they'd never find the front door. And if they did manage to get in, there would be a lot of...travel issues involved."
Stephen didn't outline what that was. It was guaranteed not to be pretty, a one way trip with no refunds. And since the dagger wasn't going anywhere, he was free to talk about it, cupping the tea gently in his ruined hands.
"That dagger vanquished a vengeful spirit that was plaguing a village, about five hundred years ago. A young monk took it from the Lama he was assisting, and used a powerful wrathful mudra he read about to vanquish it. It wasn't considered a balanced action, and so it's said to be tainted by that spirit's intent. And since any misuse accrues serious negative Karma, the young monk died immediately. It's essentially cursed, and was sent to the Mystics for safe keeping."
And once again, Nick simply listened and absorbed what Stephen was saying. He was no stranger to mystical relics and following one rule had always saved him:
Touch. Nothing.
“I was about to ask if you find it hard to reconcile the astral world with this one, but when one can see all timelines at once…” Plus, it was a probing question that wouldn’t necessarily work on Stephen either. It’d been a while since Fury felt he was fully with an equal . Not that Talos or Carol weren’t -- it was different though, having the weight of the universe on one’s shoulders.
Officially or not.
Another sip of his tea, and he cocked his head. “This must be Vadham.” No Lipton tea here. “I suppose living all over the world has given you more of an appreciation for fine tea.”
Stephen smirked slightly at the probing, but wisely said nothing. Giving too much information would endanger the natural course of things, and it wasn't as though he knew every small detail. Destiny often boiled down to a sudden decision to sharply veer left instead continuing straight ahead. When the fate of the world wasn't in the balance, things needed to simply run their course.
"No, actually. This was a gift from a tea estate near Nepal," replied Stephen, without giving away that location. "Over time, I've developed a decent appreciation for tea. Hope knows tea better than I do, if you want a good recommendation."
After he took another sip, Stephen tilted his head and squinted ever so slightly. He doubted Fury was there for tea time and esoteric history lessons. Instead, he was waiting to see if Fury would ask what he was wondering about, or continue poking around for information.
So that neither of them were wasting their time, he told the SHIELD director, "I don't have anything new for you, Nick. The ship's afloat and in no danger of sinking. Yet. The rift that created this universe still exists. But I will be going on a working vacation very soon. Hopefully things will continue to remain quiet."
Speaking of quiet, if they could quietly enjoy their tea...well, that would be a blessing too.