6798/A Tea by Any Other Name

A Tea by Any Other Name
Date of Scene:	08 March 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Black Cat, Doctor Strange

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Black Cat has posed:
This time, the knocks on the front door aren't loud or quick. Instead, light and almost jovial in their recognizable patterning: shave-and-a-haircut...two-bits.

It's Felicia on the front stoop of the Sanctum, shivering against the bite of the afternoon wind that tries to cut through her black beanie and royal-blue scarf wrapped multiple times about her neck. She tucks a small grocery bag against her chest as she waits for the door to open. At least her knee-high boots are fur-lined and warm! No sign of the tail on the //outside// of her black peacoat. It's probably wrapped as a belt about her waist internally, if only to spite its existence by turning it from a hindrance into a fashion statement.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    The door once again opens up on it's own volition, and a warm blast of hot hair rushes against Felicia's legs and face, anywhere where a breeze could make an impact, it does and it's warm.

    Invited inside by the very House, Felicia finds the familiar empty foyer and the large empty room with many stair cases and hallways branching off this central hub.

    A voice rings out from one of the hallways, "Felicia Hardy. What are you doing in my home at this hour?" The familiar and yet booming voice asks.

Black Cat has posed:
"Oooh, toasty," murmurs the cat-burglar as she quickly crosses the threshold and quietly closes the front door behind her. Rubbing her gloved hands together briskly, she then slowly walks down the short entry hallway and into the massive foyer. Her off-green eyes leisurely scan it and mark the old vases and displays tucked into alcoves in the walls. Things of worth -- things that would be rude to 'borrow'. She checks her own curiosity with a small titter under her breath.

Felicia turns on the spot within the bounds of the central design on the foyer floor and looks around towards the side halls as well as the upper level upon hearing the Sorcerer's voice. "Thought I'd bring you some tea, Copperfield! You seem to like it. It's cold enough. You know...tea?" she finishes a little more quietly and with some uncertainty. The little bag is offered out to the empty air and crinkles as plastic might.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "You brought me... tea?" Stephen asks suddenly behind Felicia with his hand lifting up as he walks past to pluck the back from her fingers. He walks past as if this was the most normal thing. As Stephen passes, the cloak on his shoulders leaves them and drops onto the shorter and better smelling Felicia to give the girl a welcoming embrace of magic clothing. "I thought you wanted me to focus on your curse and ... your personal spell?" Stephen inquires as he walks down a hall and ends up in the kitchen with a kettle belng filled with tap water.

Black Cat has posed:
For the combined efforts of the sneaky Sorcerer and the affectionate cloak, a series of 'eeeps' from Felicia. Still, she turns on the spot to watch him go with her hand pressed to her chest as if to check that her heart is still where it should be. Then she tries to frown, but it ends up as more of a wry smirk of her red-red lips.

"Hey you," she says quietly to the crimson cloak and gives one of the pointed collars a friendly little tweak followed by a patpat of her own shoulder, where it lies across them. Then she's the Sorcerer's shadow as she follows along to arrive in the kitchen. The sound of the water being directed into a kettle is surprisingly mundane to her. "I do want you to fix the curse, Copperfield. It's just..." She sighs and shucks each black glove one finger at a time, looking down at them as she talks.

"You said it was going to take some time, so I'm being patient -- that //both// things are going to take some time. Magic can be crazy, gotta be careful, I know, I know," Felicia grouses as she gestures with the two gloves in her hand. She stucks them into her coat pocket and then looks up at Stephen through her lashes.

"Plus...I mean...look, don't take this wrong, Copperfield, but you said you wanted some friends. I know we're business associates, but nothing's stopping us from having some tea. Friendly tea, you know? It's blueberry."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Yes Felicia, I can read." Stephen says, lifting the packet over his shoulder and pointing at the blue stripe that says 'Blueberry' and Stephen chuckles to himself, though she's having to talk to the back of his head as he fills the kettle and drops it on the stove before turning the burner on and then stepping to the cabinet, he does a double take at Felicia but then keeps getting down a pair of ceramic mugs to pour the hot water into before steeping.

    As the water boils, Stephen sits down at the tiny little hand hewn table and invites Felicia to join him. "You are full of surprises Felicia. Not many things surprise me any more, so it's a welcome change of pace." The sorcerer notes, a sort of soft kind smile gracing his face as he looks deeply into Felicia's eyes.

Black Cat has posed:
"Aw, shucks, Copperfield." Felicia waves one of her manicured hands as if to shoo aside the compliment. Regardless, she does glance to one side in a moment of true shyness before she regains her aplomb. "If I'm being predictable, it's bad for my image and my hobby." Thievery is still apparently a 'hobby', not a bad habit.

Her attention shifts briefly to the cloak and she asks quietly, "Lift a second, I'd like to take off my coat." Presuming the friendly garment does as asked, Felicia then quickly unbuttons her peacoat to hang it over one of the chairs at the small kitchen table. She's in black leggings and an emerald-green sweater-dress belted around the tuck of her waist with a wide length in brown. "You can come back if you want. You were just the right amount of warmth," she explains with a wink towards the crimson garment. The cloak is invited to perch again before she sits down primly. A boot lifts to allow her to cross her legs and she then interlaces fingers about her knee.

"What's the news on the magic then?" Stephen is given her equal attention complete with those lingering ovaloid pupils not gone entirely vertical just yet and a small expectant smile. The time-slowing spell lingers about her yet.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "The spell you wish me to creat for you to learn is taking a great more deal of effort than I first anticipated, plus, I needed Wong to go buy some surveillance cameras, to test the spells effects, I've had some, mixed results." The wizards notes with a shrug of his shoulders, watching the cloak obey Felicia so politely almost as if it enjoyed her frame more than his own, but Stephen couldn't doubt the garb.

    "The spell to release you from your curse however is still proving to be tricky, as understanding the curse itself is also proving to be a misguided search...." Stephen trails off, then looks to Felicia, "If I were to advance the curse, using local time once more, I could put you at the end stages of the curse and find out the true wizardry behind it, but that puts you at great risk..." Stephen says with a hand lifting to brush his chin in thought.

Black Cat has posed:
As she listens to his reports, Felicia looks down at the fall of the cloak around her. She presumes to draw its two drapings of fabric from at her sides to over her lap as one might a blanket. Her manicured nails touch carefully at its fabric lying over her thigh before she smoothes over the spot as if to soothe what she potentially mussed.

The Sorcerer's last suggestion has her arching a brow at him and pursing her ruby-red lips. "You mean completely turn me into a cat rather than let me suffer with ears and a tail. Look, it's an option, I know, but...you said there are risks. I'm not about to be stuck as a little white hairball with delusions of grandeur. I have places to be and things to do! I'm busy when I'm not indulging my hobby." She explains it as if to imply it's silly to consider her to be anything BUT important. "Is the tea ready?"

So much for claims of patience.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Now, Felicia, hear me out, this curse may not make you full cat, you may already be at the final stages, or it could make you into a full blown house cat. We don't know, but if we do push the time forwards and learn what the spell truely is, then I could undo it much faster than what I have been doing lately which is testing different spells on the hair you keep leaving in my house." Stephen explains with a look over his shoulder just as the tea begins to whistle.

    Stephen gets up and spins around to take it off the stove and turn the burner back off before he carries the kettle to the table and begins to pour the hot water into each much, careful and mindful the whole time of Felicia's position and his own. No one needs to get hurt. He's delicate, poigniant and precise, this is a great joy in Stephen's life and Felicia can tell by the way he's silent and purposeful at pouring the water. It's an art he's learned to respect and enjoy since his hands got injured so long ago.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia is silent as she watches him rise to get the kettle as well as the mugs of tea. Her lower lip slowly begins to slide out as he returns. Then it begins to tremble just enough to be visible. Then comes the gloss of unshed tears. Still, she watches him at his work and glances from the glistening arc of water to his face. The tears recede without drying entirely.

"...I didn't know that I was shedding. How embarrassing," she says very quietly. "I'm sorry for shedding. I can't help it...I guess." Her hands are left in her lap as she continues watching him, the line of her bottom lashes glittering. "Can we go back in time too? Reverse it after we go forwards and see what happens?"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "That's something that can be uniquely dangerous." Stephen explains after a long pause where he finishes pouring the water into the mugs. He talks as he walks back to the stove to set the kettle on a cool burner plate. "Time does not like to be messed with so frivolously." Strange explains as he takes his seat back and then opens the store bought tea bag, freeing it from its plastic bag. "Everyone sheds Felicia, hair folicles simply fall out. It's the way of life, it's not like your shedding like a house cat would." Stephen smirks and laughs even.

Black Cat has posed:
The cat-burglar sits up straight in her chair. "...oh. Oh, //not// like a cat would. Oh...oh, thank god." She leans her elbows on the table to bury her face in her hands. Her loose platinum-blonde hair falls fowards from her shoulders in its lazy waves. A little sniff and Felicia seems to have composed herself once more as she appears from behind her fingers.

The black beanie is set to one side and she indulges in a little scalp scratch before letting out a humming (purring) sigh. "Shedding like a human is fine. We all do it. I need to clean out my hairbrush weekly." With a brush of her hands, she pushes her hair back to fall down to her mid-shoulders. "You probably don't have as much of a problem," she jokes lightly with a little cheeky smile.

Growing more serious again, she holds Stephen's eyes. "But...you said that it would be dangerous to turn me back, sooooo...why would I want to try it? If you can't...oh wait." She pauses. A finger points at him, though not to accuse. "You think that you can solve the curse faster, like, REALLY faster if you see what happens. I might not be stuck for long at all because of this. Right? Am I right?"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I thought I said as much. If I knew what the curse truely was, I could fix it that much faster. That's why it's taking so long now because I'm having to guess at so much of it." Stephen explains, hoping he wont get asked about that too much more, that's not something anyone wants to see. He holds the bag into the water and lifts it up, then drops it back in, steeping his tea a good amount before he looks back at Felicia. "Instead of taking months, it might take a few days. Or maybe even a single afternoon. Depends on the spell." Stephen says around the rim of his mug.

Black Cat has posed:
"Aw...but Copperfield, come onnnnnn..." Felicia lets the consonant linger in a grousing tone. "That means I could still be stuck as a cat for a few days! Me? A house cat?" She spreads both hand across her collarbones and looks beseechingly at him. "You can't see me as as house cat, can you? Come on. This curse is so //stupid// in its irony. It's ironic and I //hate it//."

Regardless of her grumping, she snatches the box of tea bags over to herself. One is plucked out and daintily dropped into the steaming water before she puts the box down beside herself with another irritated 'hmph'. Arms fold beneath her chest as she glowers down at the darkening water as the tea bag steeps.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I think the irony is the best part. What's the point of a curse if it isn't to teach a lesson?" Stephen asks, and then adds without time for Felicia to answer, "Other than to kill or harm or to ... do a multitude of nefarious things." Stephen squints his eyes at his own train of thought. "You'd be a fine house cat, though a thing to consider is if you'd keep your mind or if it would shift as well to something more feline in nature. That would be worrysome, but you wouldn't know what's going on either way. You'd be a true cat." Stephen says then takes another slow pull from his dark blue mug, "Though of course neither of us want that to happen."

Black Cat has posed:
"No, we don't," the cat-burglar agrees, biting through the words. By how she handles the tea mug, it becomes clear that she was at least exposed to proper mannerisms at a young age -- perhaps as a child in the parlor of some grandmother or great-aunt. She sips at it without sound and continues glaring at her colored reflection within its undulating surface.

"Fine." The single word is expelled on a sigh. "Fine, Copperfield. There's time. Alllll the time in the world," and Felicia rolls her eyes. "Let's...let's get it over with. Anything to make this all go away faster," she grumbles before sipping her tea again.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "You don't want to do it." Stephen reminds Felicia with a raised black eyebrow with a smirk hidden by the mug in his hands. "But if that's how you want to do it, You're the one at risk here..." Stephen says, reaching out with his eyes to try and comfort Felicia, though the cloak at her back will likely do a better job than Strange can.

Black Cat has posed:
Now a finger gets pointed at him with emphasis. "Hey, buster, you're the one going on and on about how things'll get solved more quickly if we fast-forwards time. All I need to know is that I'm not going to get stuck...or lose my mind." Her ire collapses at the reminder. She leans a little into the comforting squeeze of the crimson cloak and sips at her tea again.

"But you can't guarantee my safety...so...mmmmfffff..." It's pure frustration taken form plus a feline hiss to boot. "I dunno. What would you do? If you were in my boots?" Felicia tilts her head to one side and gives him another imploring look, complete with winsome look through her dark lashes.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Oh, you will be safe, you have my word, but you may resent me at the end of all this." Stephen says with a soft sort of frown, "I would if I were in your shoes. But that's how magic goes." The wizard says with another frown before he finishes off his tea.

    "But I do want you to be happy Felicia, you deserve that much." Stephen counters, looking back at the thief and a smirk grows upon his face, tugging at his facial hair. "But like I said, I can't really rush things without risk."

Black Cat has posed:
His statement about the end results has the blonde woman giving him a more searching look, her gaze shifting between his eyes. She smiles at him in passing for his biddings in happiness and her attempt to hide most of it behind the edge of her tea mug is for naught. Demurely, she sets the cup down and settles her hands in her lap again. The cloak is given another gentle smoothing where it lies across her thigh.

"You...it's really nice of you to wish that for me, Copperfield. Happiness. Not many people want that for me. Most want me to go away." The shrug implies helpless acceptance of this. "Or to borrow my skills and short-change me. You've played entirely fair, don't get me wrong," Felicia is sure to add. "It's just...you surprise me too."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "There was a reason this house called to you, and it's a reason that goes beyond my understanding. You're a special woman Felicia, and you know it, but make sure you don't forget it." Stephen says as he stands up and moves to grab the kettle once more and turns back to the table to pour the rest of the water in Felicia's mug, she gets a second cup of tea, she's the guest and the provider of the leaves today. She earned the second cup.

    "I'm not wishing anything upon you however, I simply want what you deserve from life. That's not selfless of me or anything of the sort." Stephen then places the kettle into the sink to be cleaned later as he turns to Felicia and lowers himself to a knee to be closer to her face level though a bit below, "Is there anything else I can do for you while you're here?"

Black Cat has posed:
As Stephen pours out for her own mug, the woman is looking up at the ceiling and around her in general. The Sanctum called to her? Whoa. By her expression, she's trying to figure out how she feels about a sentient house. Felicia then wraps her fingers around the warmed tea mug and holds it close to her chest as she lets out another pensive sigh, her attention diverted towards the stitching on the outer lining of the cloak still kind enough to warm her in its draping.

Movement to one side has her glancing over and then giving Stephen one of those owlish looks he keeps receiving from her when the thief is surprised. "Oh." An adorable small sound escapes her. "Um." She pops her lips once before licking them. Gosh, he's gone down on one knee. Her cheeks pink. "Uh."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I'm not proposing Felicia, I'm just asking if I could help you any more." The wizard asks, his hand even without his knowing reaches out to take her wrist and cups her hand in his own, covering it with both hands as though it was a small bird. And he's as delicate as such too.

Black Cat has posed:
Rather than slosh tea all over herself, Felicia attempts to get the mug to the well-loved kitchen table. She makes it but for a small splash upon the wooden surface rather than the cloak or her own sweaterdress in its emerald hues. She leaves her hand where it is and by the way the cat-burglar tries to look away but simply can't, she's terribly charmed by the whole behavior on display. It leaves her giving Stephen a coquettish canted look complete with dimples of a smile not entirely hidden yet again.

"Gosh, Copperfield, you're going to make me blush," she complains in tease even as her own words seem to conjure a full and comely flush to her cheeks. "You're a modern-day white knight. Can I come to you if there's a dragon to slay?" Without thinking, she gives his own hands a gentle squeeze back.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "If you find a dragon before I do, yes, you can come to me, but I'm not as ... white as you might think Felicia." Stephen then slowly gets back to his feet and slides her hand out of both of his. He nods curtly. "Thank you for the tea, but I really must be getting back to my work Felicia. Like you said, you're ready to be free of your curse." Stephen says, before he moves out of the kitchen and allows Felicia to roam about as she will, or do what she chooses.

Black Cat has posed:
"Thanks...Copperfield." Felicia turns in her chair to watch him leave with a quietly perplexed quirk of her pale brows. Turning back to her tea, she considers it and taps a fingernail against the clay mug. "...good job, Fee." Her self-remonstration is no louder than a mutter before she takes one last long sip of the blueberry blend. Her boots make quiet click-clicks on the kitchen floor as she walks the cup over to the sink and sets it within, by the tea kettle.

"You should probably shoo," she murmurs to the cloak with a small half-smile of good humor towards the garment. Left on its cloth will surely be the warm near-caramel of her perfume with its lighter notes of vanilla and jasmine. Once her shoulders are free, she gathers up her peacoat again and slips into its black warmth. Walking out into the foyer, she calls out in a surprisingly even voice,

"You're welcome for the tea! Don't think too hard, Copperfield. Text me." The offer's echoes are dying even as she briskly walks to the front doors.