4429/Witches and Sorcerers. Blades and Cloaks

Witches and Sorcerers. Blades and Cloaks
Date of Scene:	18 December 2020
Location:	Sanctum Santorum
Synopsis:	The Witchblade drags Sara to the Sanctum Sanctorum to warn Stephen about something in India
Cast of Characters:	Sara Pezzini, Stephen Strange

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Sara Pezzini has posed:
Living with the Witchblade can be a multi-faceted pain in the ass at times. It pulses on Sara's wrist as she is admitted into the Sanctum Santorum, the sound of the name resounding into an echo of Grade B movies and vague images of Boris Karloff and the Palace of Versailles for her.

Being a part of the group allowed onto the premises in itself is strange for the young detective. The day the Witchblade elected her as its wielder changed her life so radically that it is a wonder she hasn't floated away on a sea of madness. Sara tugs open her soft woolen scarf and shoulders off her coat. The urging to talk to Dr.Strange was so strong that she has come from work without changing her clothes - a knee-length skirt, slim fitted boots against the weather, and a tweed jacket being the plain clothes look for that day.

"Would you announce me to the doctor?" she asks the young man who let her in the door.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "He's been made aware of your arrival, mu'um." The voice says and yet the young man seems to have faded away into nothingness.

    A booted foot clomps down onto the top step of the staircase to Sara's right and the older man with silver streaks in his hair and yellow gloves that disappear into black near his elbows and reappear in blue around his biceps, stands there as if his large collared cloak wasn't unnatural.

    Stephen's piercing grey eyes look down to the detective and he cants his head at what might be considered her mystical sent. "Can I help you miss Pezzini?" He knows her name?!

Sara Pezzini has posed:
A part of Sara has a sudden fit of giggles at Strange's sudden appearance, looking the part of her grade B movies; she suppresses a smile as she imagines a peel of organ music cascading down the stairs at his appearance and the disappearance of the young man at the door. Her pragmatic side bites down hard on the smile as she looks up at him at a loss for words.

"Call me Sara, Doctor or Pez if you'd like," she nods, recovering, still squashing the smile. "And, I don't know which I guess sounds lame." She holds up her arm which pulls back her jacket sleeve to reveal a heavy silver bracelet set with a red stone, "I was asked to come."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "In you insist Sara." He's not comfortable calling her Pez, not yet, that's too familiar it seems. The wizard doesn't seem to be surprised or bothered by his unusual garb, or the fact that Sara is fighting back a chuckle, even if slightly by his own appearance. There is a warning though, "If you bust into a giggle-fit, I can't promise I'd be able to understand or help-." Stephen stops as she pulls up her hand and shows off her jewelry.

    "You have ... clashing tastes." Stephen says before looking at her directly, expecting to be filled in right about now.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Being caught out despite her hardened detective exterior nearly undoes her. A short laugh and a blush she would kill herself over cover the moment as she takes a step up the stairs to meet him.

She examines the bracelet wryly, glancing between the Doctor and her wrist with a lift of her eyebrows, "I wasn't asked and I won't change my entire wardrobe to suit it though I don't think it would mind." She addresses it, "Vanity, vanity," then shifts her attention back to the doctor and his perceived impatience. It sounds like a New York, 'whaddya, whaddya' albeit more cultured to her ears.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "You weren't asked." Stephen repeats softly as he reaches out to take her hand so he can examine the piece more thuroughly once more. "So you aren't magic but this is, she is..." Stephen corrects himself with a look up to Sara for confirmation on his suspicions. "How did you come upon it- Sorry, that's not what's pressing is it. What does she want me to help with?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Something in the doctor's manner allows him to slip under her natural barriers; she lets him raise her hand. Head bowed, she examines the bracelet along with him as though it was new though it came to her over six months ago.

"No, not magical though some of the other detectives might disagree. I wasn't asked." She meets his grey eyes with a challenge, "At least not right away. I had to accept it, though - a bit of an arranged marriage. Do you mind if we sit? I mean, I can get right to it, if you like." She gestures to the stairs where they stand.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Stephen motions upstairs and without a second motion, the two are suddenly seated in the most plush leather chairs Sara has ever sat upon. The two are face to face with a side table next to Sara, and one Stephen but he leans forwards, holding his hands down and open, expecting Sara to put her hands in his to continue the examination, "There is magic within, thought you seem to be against that idea, there is more within. Do, tell me all you feel comfortable sharing."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
A huff of breath at the sudden change of venue and an eye-narrowed look at Strange are Sara's only comment on their new seating. After a quick look around at the room, still frowning, she proffers her arm to the Doctor, murmuring, "Magic within us? I, yeah, though being brought up a Catholic, you'd think I'd be more comfortable with the idea. The universe is weirder and more wonderful than I ever imagined," she adds with less confidence. "I still have a hard time accepting it because so many of the people around me would never admit it. Nobody I work with, at least."

After a quick intake of breath, she makes the plunge, "My partner was killed the day the Witchblade appeared. Latched on to me. I might have died, too, but it decided I shouldn't. But, sorry. That's not why I'm here."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "Don't be sorry for the past." Stephen says, thumb brushing over the stone in the intricate metal work of the bracelet before he looks back up to Sara and frowns behind his own grey eyes and he turns her wrist over to examine the other side. "Why are you here? Why did she bring you here to see me?" Stephen inquires once again, waiting to see what she's so worried about and what this thing wants with him.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The metal warm from her own skin warms from his touch, the bracelet's heavy silver never tarnishes, only the intricate swirls around the stone setting speak its age.

"Something is coming. Something big is coming and it, well, she, wants you to know. It's like the very lines in the earth are going to shift." Sara looks up from their exploration of the bracelet to make sure he hears the urgency of the message.

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Stephen's face sours for a moment and then takes a pause as he looks up to Sara fully. "That's not good news, but it's the sort of news and dealings I have to take care of on a near constant basis." Stephen nods softly, taking it quite in stride and almost as if he was ready to pass it off and move along in the day. "Does she have any specifics?" Stephen asks sounding almost aloof if not rude in that he's wanting more info about the end of the world.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara's solemn expression cracks for moment, nonplussed at his reaction she laughs helplessly at the notion of her being a harbinger of the end of days and his impatience with it.

Waving her free hand, a smile lingers as she says, "Forgive me. Just, the idea, you know, of how... Well, no, I don't, she has been very vague. I keep seeing prayer flags waving in front of monasteries. At least, I think they are monasteries with mountains in the background."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Stephen purses his eyebrows at Sara's description and he gets up to his feet, allowing her to have her arm and bracelet back from his attention. He walks over to the stack of books and he scans across one shelf with a finger before he pulls out a single book and rifles through the pages and then stops before turning towards Sara and holds up a picture of the Himalayan prayer flags. "This? You were seeing this right?" Stephen requests sharply.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Used to the rough and tumble of a precinct, Sara let's the Doctor's brusqueness roll off of her. She rises to look closer at the book, "Yes. The colors, the writing. I saw some in the streets when I was a kid and the Dalai Lama came to New York. That's what I was seeing. The air feels so pure in my dreams."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    "That makes sense. This is in Northern India... The Himalaya's..." Stephen notes closing the book and setting it on the table next to Sara with a weight suddenly heavy on his face. The man sits in the chair opposite her and slumps deep into the chair. He looks awfully distressed.

    A hard swallow and Stephen looks back to Sara, "Do you have any idea when?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"I thought it might be. But dreams don't roll with David Attenborough narrating the events," she replies with an edge of Brooklyn flippancy. Concern at his distress takes the edge out of her voice, she reseats herself.

"If I hadn't come today, I feel like I would have caught on fire, Doctor. Soon. Real soon. The Witchblade seems worried. I'm worried."

Stephen Strange has posed:
    Stephen takes in a breath and looks up to Sara, "Do you have a way to get to India?" Stephen asks. Seems he's going to make a move and Sara, as novice as she might be, is invited.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"India? Christ." Mouth pressed into a frown, eyes down as she mentally scans her schedule, Sara nods her head. Her gaze snaps to his, "I have leave accrued. I can do it. Ouch," she exclaims, rubbing her wrist.