8764/A Good Wine Always Helps

A Good Wine Always Helps
Date of Scene:	12 August 2019
Location:	Felicia's Home - Tribeca, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Stephen, with the patience of a saint, learns just why he finds Felicia with an entire bottle of wine to herself.
Cast of Characters:	Black Cat, Doctor Strange

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Black Cat has posed:
Needless to say, the plan did not go as planned. Despite Felicia's best efforts, a trump card played by the God of Tricks left her exposed in her disguise as the Sorcerer Supreme and the triumvate responsible for judging his seat chimed in accordingly.

The Cloak of Levitation was left behind as she out-right ran -- what else to do when faced with such abject failure? It meant that someone //might// have seen what appeared to be Stephen Strange swinging away through the city and parkouring over rooftops, given she hadn't thought to remove the magical make-up giving her the illusioned appearance. Upon arriving at home, the Cat had immediately showered off, regained her normal appearance, and broken into her wine cellar, all while weeping pitifully to herself. How hard her pride and self-confidence is now bruised.

She's fairly easy to find. Just follow the quiet rise and fall of sniffling and soft sobbing in the backyard where she's curled into a lawn chair tucked against the wall of her stone-tile porch. Wearing a pair of soft sleep-shorts and a tanktop in black, a wine bottle is lifted to her lips. It's almost empty...of her own accord.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Felicia Hardy of Flushing, New York." A voice says, coming from everywhere speaks, a source is impossible to find until in Felicia's back yard a pair of feet lower down through the air and rest on the stepping stones with a pair of arms crossed before a toned chest covered in deep sky blue tunic and leather wraps around the wrists and up the forearm.

    "Since when do you run away from problems?" The wizard asks, his facial hair cleanly shaven as he seems to have take Felicia's opinion into account when he was grooming. The silver in his hair streaked back with the rest of his hair. "Is this how you behave?" Stephen asks calmly.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia hugs the wine bottle tighter to her chest upon his arrival, as if there were imminent risk it were to be taken from her. She sniffles and knuckles at her eye awkwardly, the disjointed nature of the motion telling as to how much of that wine is in her system even if the nearly-empty state of the bottle explains easily enough. Tear tracks glisten on her cheeks.

"You know...I expected maybe a hug. Maybe a 'baby, it's gonna be okay'. Pfffft." A hiccup squeaks from her. "This's ex//actly// how you behave when you fuck over your boyfriend so badly, his own bosses show up and threaten to fire him. It was working! I was doing so great!" the thief quibbles, her lower lip wobbling and her eyes filling with tears again. "I tried, Stephen! I did!"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen steps closer towards Felicia, stepping under the awning and into the shadows. He approaches the blonde slowly and motions for the cloak at his back to stand off to the side near the doorway before he puts his grey eyed attention onto Felicia. "Tell me what happened?" Stephen says as he moves to kneel down on the hard stone next to Felicia's chair and his scarred hand reaches out to take one of Felicia's off the bottle to hold between his.

Black Cat has posed:
Stephen must wait through another minute-long round of drunken half-sobs, but at least he does manage to get one of her hands pried free of the bottle of wine. His patience is rewarded with her finally sniffling loudly and attempting to explain as best she can.

"So, I was in disguise as you, like we talked about, and went to go offer Loki what you said, that he could be in the Sanctum-house if he gave back the two stupid-ass Orbs. Then we'd have four Orbs and the world would be all sunshine and stupid rainbows, but then he -- he -- " More hiccuping and a huff of a sob. "I was being you and doing really good at it and he then was like, "Oh, let's bring in friends" and I was good, I didn't say "Fuck you, sir, this is our conversation, we don't need no peanut gallery", but he summoned up people anyways. No, these creepy foggy beings from nowhere and they had loud voices and he was like, "Judge the Sorcerer Supreme" and they di-hi-hid and it was me-hee-hee and not you, so they got ma-ha-had and he made them doubt you and I'm sorry-hee-hee...!"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Felicia, I need you to look into my eyes." Stephen says calmly, and yet there's that magnetism in his voice. The wizard has a certain charisma that's unique to him and him alone. "You know even if we have the orbs, the earth and the sunshine and the rainbows will never be safe and happy. There's always something that's going to destroy or control or devour the earth and or those that live on it." Stephen says with a sigh before he looks up to Felicia and shakes his head.

    "Who showed up? Do you remember their name?" Though the way Stephen asks, his face betrays a sense of fear as he seems to have a great idea as to who she's talking about.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia does, in fact, meet his eyes. Her own appear greener yet, lined by red as they are, and heavily glossed with tears. "That doesn't help," the thief says brokenly as of his pragmatic truth shared of the world's state. "How can you sleep at night?" Her mumble is nearly impossible to translate, given it half-disappears behind her palming at her eye again. The wine bottle is tucked between her thighs now.

Licking at her chapped lips, her expression then crumples again. "It started with a Z. No, not a Z. Shandi. Sh..." The sound is elongated and then broken by a sharp sniffle. "Anti, like in cards. Ante up. Your bosses, Stephen, the big ones -- I don't know how Loki did it, the stupid FUCKING bastard, I'm going to-to-to kill him myself, I'm so DONE with him!" Rather than crunch Stephen's hand, she lets go of it and then squeezes her hands before her chest until her knuckles whiten. A growl leaves her and then peters off into another sob. "I 'member now. Vishanti," she whispers before burying her face on her hands and weeping soundlessly.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen reaches up to Felicia's face and places his hand upon her cheek before replying softly with a sigh, "I usually don't." Stephen says simply before he watches Felicia's incredible strength be focused entirely into herself, thankfully.

    Stephen's eyes go wide as he figures out the name of his bosses that Felicia slowly remembers. "So the Vishanti showed up and judged the sorcerer supreme and found them, you, me, lacking." The sorcerer says with a frown, "So... what else did they say, Felicia?" Stephen asks, his voice starting to rise slightly with worry and concern.

Black Cat has posed:
"I don't remember-her-her-her," she replies, her voice nearly shredded now. "Can't you j-j-just -- poke around in my head and look for yourself or something? I can't, I was panicking and-and-and-and I wanted to run, but you don't run, you're strong and brave and..." Her palms run down her face again and she lets her hands fall to her lap in a tumble, uncaring. Her head hangs.

"Something 'bout judgement not being made yet and being not worthy and they talk to y-y-you first about stepping down and-and-and I just..." She falls silent, her shoulders limp and defeated. "'m sorry."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen looks to Felicia and frowns, even a non-empath could tell that she feels horrible. "Okay Felicia, it's okay. Come here, and hug me." Stephen says as though she was a kitten looking for a place warm to cuddle and survive the raging storm outside. Stephen will deal with this as soon as he leaves her place, which he will do when she is safe and calmed down. She's his chosen world.

Black Cat has posed:
The wine bottle is set aside and clatters to fall over. Felicia doesn't seem to notice. Its contents spill out over the stone tile, sure to dry in the sun of the next day and be scoured by the rain or a hose, whichever comes first. She pushes herself out of the lawn-chair so hard it shifts backwards to hit the wall and stumbles forwards, needing to reel back in order to avoid face-planting. Then, sniffling more yet, she flops against Stephen in a disjointed bundling of limbs and the scent of Cabernet.

Trying to pull her knees up to her chest, she nuzzles into his lapels and continues crying silently. Her voice has finally given out. Somehow, the thief manages to curl into a small ball.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen makes room for Felicia to curl up however she likes and once she's still, Stephen reaches his arm under the crook of her knee and around the small of her back in order to stand up with the thief and hold her in the air. "Okay, we're going inside." Stephen says softly as he walks to the back door and steps inside.

    With a motion of his semi free hand the nearest wine bottle in the place is lifted through the air and starts to follow behind the sorcerer's back as he makes his way towards the living room to set Felicia down on her couch and let her onto the more comfortable fabric. Over his shoulder Stephen lifts his hand and grabs the bottle of wine and with a finger pointed down into the cork and then without touching it he pulls it out and passes it towards Felicia.

Black Cat has posed:
No 'eeep' of surprise this time and bless Stephen for his patient strength. She's not impossible to handle, just a life-sized broken doll for all she attempts to have any sense of self-dignity. Upon realizing she's been set on the couch, she rights herself and grabs up the nearest blanket. Once the thief has all but disappeared into its near-mummifying depths but for her face, an arm slinks out to take the bottle.

"Oh, this is..." Hiccup. "Did you refill the other bottle? You d-d-d-di'n't have to," she replies, giving Stephen a beseeching look. "Y-Y-Y-You're leaving? Don't leave, p-p-please." There goes the lower lip again, quivering away.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen slowly gets down to face level on the floor next to the couch and smiles to Felicia, "I'm not going anywhere." Stephen says, a subtle lie as he sits down next to Felicia's couch. He will leave, as soon as she starts to calm down, but for now, he's present in the moment for the woman he loves. "And no, I didn't refill the bottle, that's a new one Felicia." Of course the Sorcerer Supreme is going to let his girlfriend get drunk.

Black Cat has posed:
"Oh." The thief then peers at the label and does it ever take her a second to parse the wording on it. "Oh, this's the other Cabernet Sauvignon. It goes well w-w-with pasta, you know," Felicia informs him, sounding markedly more calm already. Even if she does appear the louche, she tips back the bottle and takes two solid slugs. A small cough follows, then a sniffle, and then she holds the bottle out towards him.

"D'you want some?" she rasps, blinking at him. "...what are you going to do...?" This question is far more quiet, full of hurt for him.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "No, I'm good." Stephen says, pushing the bottle back towards Felicia as he turns to sit his back against the front of the couch and he laces his fingers before his chest and rests them in his lap. "I'm going to do my job." Stephen says strongly.

Black Cat has posed:
"You're very good at your job, Stephen, don't let anybody tell you otherwise," the Cat insists in the emphasis of the inebriated. She takes another slug of wine and then fumbles the bottle onto the side table, luckily not spilling it everywhere on the rug. Getting more comfortable, she then reaches out and tries to fix his lapel over his shoulder because...drunken logic?

"You're the best...'nd I love you...'nd..." Eyelashes flutter as the wine and the exhaustion of her crying catches up to her quickly. Her hand becomes a limp weight on his shoulder. Not a minute later, Felicia's out like a light, impossible to rouse in her stupor, and it's all too easy for the Sorcerer to depart to do whatever he deems necessary. After all, his world's bundled up in a blanket on the couch, safe as can be at this time.