Owner	Pose
Stephen Strange	After an involuntary trip to a reality that featured a gigantic little brother and a disturbing talking head, the Sorcerer Supreme is back to the proper realm. At least, it certainly seems that way. Thanks in no small part to the brave women that avoided bus-sized sneakers to rescue him. As such, an invitation has been extended to come to the Sanctum for Strange to offer proper thanks. And....what is proper thanks? Well, whatever people wish, of course. Though, for the moment, it seems that it would be tea and proper cucumber sandwiches. Which, incidentally, was what Illyana wanted as the two were on that train in the first place, which caused the whole mess to occur. So, it may be a two-fold purpose. An offering of thanks...as well as an offering of apology. After all, when one's significant other is a Hell Lord, it is best to keep her happy.
Mary Jane Watson	Mary Jane Watson is present as well. And feels vastly over her head with everything going on. But cucumber sandwiches are a nice apology present. Doesn't make her feel any less confident going into things, but the intent is there. So she's present, with Red Sonja having excused herself on general principles on 'dealing with wizards'. So she's arrived wearing a Spider-Man t-shirt and a Fantastic Four hoodie, glancing about the place as she would arrive. Sonja's blade from the previous encounter is gone.     Those looking at her would easily notice a pair of reinforced police style batons with charge prongs on the ends of them inside her sleeves.
Illyana Rasputina	A head is a guest, though one stuffed in a box to prevent his commentary from intruding on the adults. The head also might be a captive, severed by Red Sonja's blade, and therefore spoils of war. At least Illyana thought to stuff a t-shirt inside the box, giving some kind of comfort. There might be other protections that they feel suitable to stifle its ears or keep it out of conversation. The irritated Demon Queen has relaxed some given the Sorcerer Supreme is out and about, no longer hidden in another dimension or locked away from them inside a gem. She doesn't hover or demand his attention, but proximity soothes the savage beast a little. That must matter somewhat to her not freaking out -- good, considering that cat is out of the bag on who Strange is to her. But she's a lot more concerned about the stick crafted from the blasted oak that Ororo Munroe taught her beneath, the staff shaped as once she crafted her own soul into the Soulsword. "It has a will of its own. I can sense that much. When it was in proximity, it would have fought me, if it could." Her eyes narrow, thoughtful.
Elsa Bloodstone	Let's see, what has been happening recently. An old scandinavian sounding wizard attacked a subway station with stone monsters and a steel dragon train. The Sorceror Supreme disappeared and the ladies on the scene, including the doctor's wife followed through a portal into a memoryscape. A dwarf was decaptitated by Mary-Sonja Watson. The staff the wizard had, with the reality stome embedded into it was claimed by Elsa for safe keeping till it could be claimed. The guitar case is with her to conceal thhe spoils of their little jaunt and the contents being the reality stick is kept from glowing or being handled directly. That leaves Elsa dressed more casually in a loose fitting leather motorcycle suit in black leather with oragne stripes down the arms and outer legs. Sensible and comfy and less likely to leave asphalt to be picked out if she fell off her motorycle parked a block away. Glad to have eventually handed the staff over. Elsa keeps a little more a relaxed stance. "Soo just how big a bloody target did we paint on our backs with this thing?"
Stephen Strange	"Well, when one speaks of such things, then I would say a rather large target." Of course, Strange would know what he is talking about. Considering that a certain green stone is somewhere kept safe in the very building that Elsa is in now. "In my experience, there are always those who would seek out such power. Our little guest is just one of many." Yes, Strange called the talking head 'little' After all, it is true, even if the wizard head would be understandably upset if he heard. Which...he probably did. But, does Stephen care? No, not really. After being trapped in his own little Dickens-esque world with shades of Baum, Stephen is a little lacking on the compassion for enemies.
Mary Jane Watson	Mary Jane Watson would fold her hands together, "So, for those of us that are not in the know.." By which she means herself and Sonja (whom probably doesn't are, it being a wretched artifact of wizards). "Can you explain everything that was going on there? And what that was?" A vague expression of fingers being given voer to the stick. "Because I'd like to know what I'm up against with you all." She doesn't know anyone here but she's involved. And she's not backing out of it no matter what. She's stubborn that way. Less stubborn than Sonja. but still enough to be willing to see this out no matter how out of her league it would be.
Illyana Rasputina	Illyana's eyes are frosted pale, even the pupils faded into the arctic chill of the surrounding Baikal lakewater. She ventures away from the box and seeks a cup of tea. In tea there is profound civility and restraint against the wrath of the world. Even Communists tolerated a proper cup, though they did not use an antique silver samovar to produce it most often. Others will be offered the same once she brews it blacker than the Carpathian forests. "It uses a type of magic I am unfamiliar with." Her statement holds a heavy weight. "Between the Doctor and I, what magic we don't know can fit in a sugar cube." One dumped into the tea to dissolve slowly. "It is old, maybe before the universe exploded into this form. Maybe it is from many universes before, always there or come to the moment. I don't know." This is a woman who doesn't like admitting that. Mary Jane and Elsa might sense the discomfort; for Strange, her aura bleeds with fracture lines that rub up against one another. "This thing brings great danger. Power, da? Someone will want it for control, for power." Her lips arc a black, bitter smile. "You do not need to die for pretty rocks. You can kill to defend city from being hurt by idiots who like conquest. You see? In you, noble and daring souls. We need that help. To make sure this goes back somewhere it belongs out of reach, or does not become the cause of war." Her fingertips twitch. "Can you guard it, Strange? Put up more wards? Invoke the Vishanti? Hide it in my boots?"
Elsa Bloodstone	The mention of the stone in the staff being older than this univers makes the redheaded Elsa idly stroke her own throat and the choker and the gemstone embedded in it, and directly into her neck. "Soo that sounds too familiar." Elsa ponders. "Things that old keep turning up." she states. "I know mine has a few contemporaries in it's set. But pretty bloody damn logical it is not the only set of mystical gemstones." she posits as she snags herself a seat and folds arms across knees while hunching forwards to look at the floor between her feet. "Guess we can't be so lucky that they're not all on Earth?" she asks hopefully. "Bad enough we need to scour every damn mystical gem in case we find another."
Stephen Strange	"Guard it?" That is a notion that Stephen considers. And, honestly, it isn't the first time the thought crossed Stephen's mind. However, because of that, he has some reservations. "This is akin to Gandalf being offered the One Ring to hold for protection. While yes, I could certainly put wards up and attempt to, if you pardon the expression, keep it secret and keep it safe." The sorcerer pauses, perhaps for dramatic effect...but more due to the gravity of the situation. "And I would be able to keep it safe, for a while. But we know that my wards can be breached, with great effort. And, it would be too tempting to have something that powerful so readily available."
Mary Jane Watson	Mary Jane Watson would look back and forth, "So.. It's an extremely powerful magical item the likes of which.." Shew ould point at Stephen, "Scares you and you're afraid of it being corruptive and.." She would turn over to look at Illyana, "And is something bad enough that you want to have it gotten rid of or protected from anyone who would go after it. You can't defend it, you can't hide it, you can't banish it.." She would close her eyes, "Uh.. Can you send it to like a.. Don't the Fantastic Four have ways to go to.. Other realms and places?" She would very tentatively offer. If you can't hide it on this reality, send it to an entirely different one? "Or just.. If it's so dangerous then just destroy it? Teleport it into a quantum singularity? The black hole nexus at the center of the galaxy?"
Elsa Bloodstone	"Do we want to try disposal or destruction?" Elsa asks. "Only other places I know where we can store it, let alone try destroying or at least defusing the power is my home. But I will not risk my sister if it's too much for her and the Nullgem." she suggests with a pinch of her nose as she sits up right. "Most magical stuff, yes but somethings have limits. Even other mystical anti-magic artifacts from time before recorded in this universe." she posits, "If we hide it. We just take it back to Bloodstone Curios in Boston. No one cares about Boston unless you're from there. And even that is a stretch." she suggests.
Illyana Rasputina	Guestimations of age only go so far. Illyana's limitations rest squarely in the reach of her knowledge, curtailed by other certain problems. Foremost that she sips the tea, eyes thinned in suspicion, thought, and sheer desultory satisfaction at her suffering easing a bit. Russians make terrible Buddhists. Their black humour serves times like this well. "For the moment, it needs guarding. I want to see if it wrecked my tree." That tree is personal. She scours Stephen with a pointed look. "There is no destroying it, da? No more than you destroy time. It contains reality, a whole universe. All and everything. It cannot be left out like a trinket. Maybe for gods it's a trinket, but someone will use it badly -- someone hungry for power, ignorant, afraid."
Stephen Strange	The look is met unflinchingly. Stephen does acknowledge Illy's affirmation that the stone needs guarding regardless with a nod. "Yes, it does need guarding. And yes, we can guard it." Not 'I', but 'we'. Strange knows that this is going to be more than an individual effort for this. "Perhaps in the London Sanctum. Perhaps elsewhere. Maybe a rotating series of random moves, so that no one is truly aware of where exactly this gem is at. There are mainly different options to explore. Perhaps even hiding it somewhere in this universe would work, for a time. However we go about it, I do know one thing." "We need to decide quickly. Or else we risk another threat upon creation as we know it. And I for one do not want to deal with that sort of thing again." Thinly veiled reference to a certain archangel aside, Stephen sits down and claims a cup of tea for himself. This is a time for consideration...and tea always seems to help with that. "I do not know if we can destroy it. And disposal is only temporary. This isn't something we should take light-heartedly."
Mary Jane Watson	There's a worried look on Mary Jane's face, "Like.. Reality? As in a concrete, not abstract thing or concept?" This is where some of the physics lessons she had while in training to be an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. come in handy to understand that they're literal.     There's a shift in her body language as she suddenly goes tenser, more alert. Sitting up. While Mary Jane had been thoughtful and leaning forwards while the group had conversed, she's suddenly sitting fully up and full straight, back tensed. Face shifting over.     "They told stories of such things in my time. Things which brought about acts of whimsy and murder. An ill spoken phrase wiping the wielder from existence. A thought unmaking everything. Even the madmen like Kulan Gath, whom would end existence in devotion to his lunatic legacy and patron, would have hesitated had he taken such a thing. For a moment." Before greed and pride took over that of course such a thing could be controlled and he was the man to do it. And his 'patron', the elder being called in some timelines Shuma-Gorath.     Mary Jane goes into thought for a moment and frowns. Her body language would relax, and it would change once more as she reasserted herself. "So all you can do is hide it for as long as you can since it's inevitable someone will be after it. Weeks, months maybe?"
Elsa Bloodstone	"I've heard those names. Dad went on and on about some of them Shuma Gorath was the nasty one. Use to wish he had access to some of the weapons he had now back then." Elsa chimes in. "Doctor. If you have a place in London. I might suggest decoys, Anyone out for our little trinket. Probably will aim at you. Callous as it sounds. We can work that. Store it at my manor, act like it's at yours. Same with here. Between us we can keep the staff moving. Switch things up. Here, Boston. My Island Full of wild monsters. So on. I'm sure we can all contribute hidden places for it no one might consider looking." she says and smiles to Illyana and Sonja-Jane. "Movement does not even need to be done by our lovely Hostess. I've got enough teleportation stuff to help throw off any trails. Never use the same manor twice in a row."
Illyana Rasputina	"A shared burden. Moreover, we should ask what more are like this. We have the head to ask." A matter that rather sucks, all in all, given their unfriendly wizard might provide more insights. "Others, maybe, but to ask invites uncomfortable questions. More important to /guard/ against unwanted interest for now while we buy time." Illyana's teacup is empty too soon. She rises to the samovar and pours more, gaze sharp on Mary Jane as she shifts into another posture and personhood. Such oddness is taken in stride. Takes one to know one. She doesn't look directly at the Sorcerer Supreme, but then, she probably doesn't need to. "Maybe before the fall of the Hittites next week. After that, Great Zimbabwe keeps it. Or the vanished people in the mid-Amazon? Good to have options." Elsa's decoy suggest warrants another thoughtful nod. "Best choice is not to let on it is here. The connection already exists with Ljott, and the woman before him. Only time unless the stone can be convinced to hide itself. That means mastering it. Risky. I prefer moving it through time and place."
Stephen Strange	"Decoys are possible. Shunting it through time and space is also possible. It does sound like we have at least a tangible grasp on possible solutions." A sidelong glance is given to the receptible of wizardly cranium remains. "Let us not have to ask our esteemed guest unless absolutely needed. I do sincerely doubt he would be as cordial to us, considering he lacks quite a bit of substance at the present time. Maybe if we restored his form, he would be more willing to cooperate, but I really do not want to even consider the possibility of a fully realized wizard intent on revenge, even if it was for actions that he himself was the cause of." Because right...sensibility comes so easily for wizards. Strange should know, considering. Magic is hardly a sensible construct.
Mary Jane Watson	Mary Jane Watson would shrug her fingers together, "Well, can't you command it to randomly go about? The point of decoys if you're playing a proper game of chase is no one knows where the real one is. Tha tincludes us. That's a double blind." In the case of a scientific study, where the person running the experiment and the one analysing the data didn't know which group was the placebo, and which was the real one.     "And.. Look, I'm not like the rest of you. I don't have the experience. I.." SHe would lcose her eyes, "Give you permission if you need to put in some sort of a block in my head so I don't talk about it or risk giving something out on it."