InsaneJournal

Who: T’Challa and Stephen Strange
When: Mid-May
What: T’Challa visits Sanctum Sanctorum.
Rating: G.
Status: Complete.


T'Challa had been meaning to drop by Sanctum Sanctorum for a while. School and fencing classes had taken up a lot of his time lately. He was grateful for the end of the year so he could have some breathing room in his schedule.

The tall African pushed open the door to the strange looking shop and slowly started perusing. He wasn't looking for anything in particular.

Stephen didn’t really ever leave the shop. He was there almost daily, open to close, with the few employees he had that all met his standards. It took a certain sort of person, after all, to work in such a specialized shop.

As such, he was behind the desk, reading a book on mystic arts, when he heard the door open. For a moment or two, he let the stranger wander, then Stephen went around to greet him. “Hello, welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum. I’m at your service if you have any questions.”

T'Challa looked up from a strange looking charm carved in bone full of runes and into a familiar face. He was taken a bit aback. This was actually his other reason for coming here: curiosity. He'd been dreaming again recently and realized the man who had posted about a Sanctum Sanctorum named store seemed to bear a similar resemblance to the man from T'Challa's dreams. But there was a big difference between internet avatars and seeing the person in the flesh.

"Stephen," he said with familiarity, and extended a hand to shake.

It made Stephen frown for a moment, but he shook the man’s hand with an inquisitive look. He knew that they hadn’t met face to face, so he searched his mind for possible options, coming up with the network. Ah - yes. He smiled.

“Sorry, forgive my rudeness. It’s … T’Challa, right? I hope I didn’t somehow butcher that.”

“That is correct.” he smiled. For a millisecond he thought perhaps Stephen had remembered him as well, but then he inwardly chastised himself, realizing it was probably just from Valar. “I am the one that must apologize. You see, I have been dreaming, just as you have. In my dreams, I believe we have met, albeit, briefly.”

Stephen smiled as he listened, because, really, these dreams were fascinating. He’d already heard he had other people to look forward to meeting dreamwise, but it was nice to add to the list. “Did we? How fantastic. I just began dreaming recently. I haven’t met anyone in real life yet, but it seems I have a lot to look forward to.”

“Ah, yes, I remember you posting something about being a master of the Dark Arts.” T’Challa replied in kind. He smiled a little. “Ah, so I am the first from our world you have met in person? Have you spoken to any others on Valar?” So far T’Challa only knew of two: Kitty Pryde and a man named Logan. The first had given him a window of description of their world, and he’d stopped her short of telling him his future. Logan...well, he didn’t seem the chatty type.

“You are.” It was delightful, honestly. Stephen wondered how long it would take for him to catch up. “I’ve spoken to a couple on the network, but this is better. Are there a lot of us, then? From this particular dreamworld?”

T'Challa frowned a little in thought. "I don't know. I know of two for certain. Whom have you spoken with on Valar? I have met Kitty Pryde and Logan." T'Challa tilted his head to one side as he studied Stephen a bit more. "It is most uncanny. You look precisely as you do in the dreams, though your - ah - costume is much more, elaborate." He smiled good naturedly. It was one way of putting it. How does one describe such a vibrant, high collared, flamboyant cape?

At least one name rang a bell. “Kitty! I do believe I’ve spoken to her. Nobody else ever bothered introducing themselves. Young was another young woman as well, though.” Stephen looked sort of delighted at T’Challa’s comment, then laughed. “It is a bit showy, given my brooding habits. I’m learning quickly that no one has a subtle costume.”

“She seems to be the most open and friendly that I have found, thus far.” he smiled. He wondered if she had shown Stephen her special mutant powers of phasing. It had certainly thrown him for a loop.

T’Challa laughed as well, relieved Stephen knew what he was talking about. “Ah, so you have dreamt of your costume already! Tell me, have you received it? Here? I woke up to find mine in the closet a few weeks ago.”

“You’ve woken up to your costume?” Stephen blinked for a moment. “I couldn’t even imagine. Waking up to that. There’s a lot that seems to go into my costume that I’m not sure I’m ready for. All seeing eyes and what have you.” He snorted for a moment. “I guess we’ll see. What do you dream of being?”

"I did indeed. I couldn't resist trying it on at least to see what it truly felt like to wear it. It was....snug. Flexible, amazing fabric, there are elements to it I haven't figured out yet - like how it's so breathable yet practically impenetrable. I believe they actually wove Vibranium into the fabric!" He was still fascinated by it. "It also happens to resemble a Black Panther, which is what I go by in the dreams." T'Challa admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.

"Oh, my dreams have me as the king of an African country called Wakanda. Very insular, isolated country with a hybrid culture that is both traditional with tribal elements and has high technology. The sort that surpasses that of even the United States. I believe also I may be a superhero, as there are people called the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four who go around the world protecting it from threats and occasionally I help out. They all have special abilities." It sounded so silly as he said it, but it was the best way of explaining it.

Stephen listened with no shortage of interest. If he thought his own dreams were peculiar, T’Challa definitely had him beat. But then - “Ah! The Avengers. I know them, or of them, in my dreams. I’ve had some dealings with Thor and Loki. And I’ve dreamt of the Fantastic Four, as well.” The novelty of this was what appealed most to him. “I guess our world is full of superheroes.”

T'Challa's face lit up as suddenly they had more in common than either realized. "Indeed! It’s even stranger to count oneself among them. I have met Thor, though not Loki. Surely you have met Tony Stark, called Iron Man? I do have to say that I am fond of the Fantastic Four. They are good people, and quite the family.” He smiled. “So far in the dreams I have only met you briefly, during a crisis on Earth and then after, when Mister Stark approached me in Wakanda with you and several others to form a group called the...Illuminati.”

“I do know of Iron Man, but haven’t met him yet. I’m not sure I even knew it was Tony Stark!” Stephen laughed. It seemed the dreams would have a lot in store for him. “I’m afraid my dreams so far centre quite a lot around New York City and a few other realms now and again, but I haven’t gotten out much beyond that. I’m quite looking forward to all this. I hope I get there soon.”

T'Challa smiled along with him. "I was like you at first. Most of my dreams were in and about Wakanda. Now finally I get to see the world outside of it! Tell me, Stephen, what do you do in New York in your dreams?" T'Challa was insatiably curious about all of this.

“I think eventually the momentum will start.” Stephen smiled and shrugged. “I’m just … Doctor Strange.” Another laugh. “That’s all people know me as. I have a home in Greenwich, my sanctum sanctorum - isn’t that the oddest thing?” Then again, what wasn’t odd about this place? “I’m never not Doctor Strange. I suppose my dream counterpart doesn’t see much stock in secret identities.”

T’Challa chuckled along with him. “I suppose not.” He glanced beside him at the oddities surrounding them. “Well, I think it would be rude of me if I only asked about your dream life and not this one. Please, tell me, what are some of these things?” Already, T’Challa knew that here in this life at least, it seemed like they were going to become fast friends.