[She was, and so are the people she mentioned, but they weren't exactly what he considered threats on the city. They proved that they were on the side of the city, but good or not, people with powers tended to attract trouble none the less. He kept an eye on them in case the trouble they attract was more of his league than their own. Otherwise, he trusted them to take care of the more physical threats on the city. Though, he would always be there to help, if needed.]
That's good to know. We all can't be everywhere all the time.
[Her gesture managed to pull a chuckle out of Strange and he thanked her with a nod of his head before he drained his first glass.]
Well, I did have his brother in the Sanctum at the time. Which is the only reason why I let Loki go in the first place: Thor gave me his words that he would bring him back on Asgard promptly.
[Not to mention that Odin himself was on Earth at that time as well. Strange was cocky, but not stupid enough to think he could take on three Asgardians at the same time.
Still, he leaned closer to Jessica, with a small smirk curling his lips upward:]
Between you and me, I did consider leaving him one of those portable toilets on a nearby construction site.
[It was good that he was checking up on the Defenders. To be honest, battling the Hand had very nearly killed all of them. They weren't really ready for a global kind of threat, that was more up the Avengers' alley. Or whatever they were calling themselves these days. Defenders were more of a local defense for New York.
While he drained his first glass of bourbon, she took care of her first beer and ordered another]
Yeah, no need to start a war over petty bullshit.
[Except it wasn't petty. A lot of lives had been lost, but time had passed and newer, more dangerous threats had begun to emerge. Loki wasn't so high on the pecking order these days.
She laughed at his last suggestion, trying to picture Loki landing in a situation like that]
Patient, but not without a sense of humor. Huh, so Loki's out of our hair for now. That's good news I'll drink to.
[Physical threats on the city were not exactly his forte, so he was relieved that the group of powered people he knew in his city were on the people's side. And they were rather discreet at it, to boot. The less attraction brought on the city, the better.
Strange chuckled dryly at her remark:]
Yeah, well I admit I just didn't want to have my ass handed over by the God of Thunder. Plus they were interrupting my precious training time.
[He added with a sarcastic tone, his mind going back to Wong's lesson about the Infinity Stones. It couldn't be a coincidence that so many of them six had found their way to Earth at one point or another. Indeed, Loki was far at the back of his list of possible threat to their universe.
He raised his glass at her words.]
Here, here. That conceited ass called me a second-rate sorcerer. [He said, giving Jessica a fake pout, before his lips turned upward in a smile that he was obviously trying to contain.] I don't think my ego has recovered yet from that. I really should have gone with the portable toilet, in hindsight.
[Stephen drank another sip and gave Jessica an amused look:]
What about you? I mean, beside playing corseted Valley girl for a rich client? Although, I'm curious to hear more about that, too.
sorry this is so late, rl ate my wil to tag this week
[She laughed at his fake pout. Honestly, she had no idea what constituted a 'second-rate sorcerer, but she knew it was an insult. Hell, she wouldn't want to be called a second-rate private investigator. Especially not by the likes of Loki.
Her smile faltered when he asked what she had been up to. What hadn't she been up to was the better question? The last few months had been a wild emotional rollercoaster ride]
Had some family issues pop up. But, well, that's not a problem anymore.
[Her mother. God, just thinking about it made her order a shot of whiskey before she'd even finished her second beer. Jack Daniels]
To tell the truth, this last client I took on is the first real job I've had in a couple of weeks. Maybe a month. I only took the job because it came with the Rand credit.
[Which meant she could basically do what she wanted and charge whatever she wanted. Danny had said as much when he got in contact with her. So some bills were being paid and the rent was secure for up to a year, even if she'd lost some of her fucking dignity wearing that corset]
[It was an insult, but Strange figured the demigod was simply angry at being bested at magic by someone he had never heard of. So prideful, these Asgardians.
It was easy to pick up that her family issues ran deeper than she seemed to be wanting to let on, from the way her smile faltered. His turned partly sheepish:]
I'm sorry, didn't mean to remind you of unpleasant memories.
[He chose to go for a shot as well when she ordered one, adding a glass of water to his own order. Even if he knew a potion to counteract the alcohol in his system, Strange didn't plan on matching Jessica's drinking drinks for drinks. No matter how much he used to be resistant to alcohol, no doubt she'd drink him under the table, and he wasn't exactly ready for that blow to his ego, yet.
He whistled lightly as she revealed her client, impressed:]
Rand as in Rand Enterprise? Good for you! But now I get it: they're probably the only pockets other than Stark's deep enough to afford getting you in a corset.
[Stephen leaned in again and raised an eyebrow, amused:]
Which reminds me, the picture you sent was really really nice, but can I get to see you in it for real? Like, for my birthday or something?
[He was teasing, yes, but at the same time? Not so much.]
[She held up a finger to stop him from talking just for a few seconds while she knocked back her shot of whiskey. There. That was better. Some people went to therapy, others found solace in AA meetings, but Jessica Jones managed to silence her inner demons with a heavy dose of alcohol. It wasn't something she'd advise others to get on board with, but it worked. She wasn't a screaming lunatic or locked up somewhere. At least not yet and with the shit she'd been through, who could blame her?]
It's fine.
[She didn't say anything more on the subject of whatever family issue had driven her straight to hard liquor. It would sour the mood if she got into details and that wasn't what this evening was supposed to be about]
We all do favors for friends. Anyway, Rand needed someone who could be discreet, could look harmless, and could knock some heads together at the same time if things didn't go smoothly. I happen to check all of those boxes.
[She laughed when he teased her, leaning close enough that her shoulder brushed his]
It's not exactly outside the realm of possibility, but you do have to give me some incentive to wear it.
[Stephen was certainly not the kind of person to judge her choice of poison to silence her inner demons. He certainly couldn't cast the first stone: throwing himself into the study of spells and the workings of the Infinity Stones was definitely better than musing on how the path he chose had cost him dearly, and on how it would be a lonely one.
That thought alone was enough for him to down his own shot of whiskey, grimacing at the awful taste of the liquor:]
Blah, I forgot how bad that whiskey was.
[He promptly washed away the after taste with some bourbon.]
No offense, Jessica [he said, chuckling lightly], but I have a hard time imagining you as harmless.
[He meant it in a good way. She could change her appearance all she wanted, there was something in the way she walked and moved that spoke of strength. And it was something he rather liked in a woman.
He arched an eyebrow, intrigued and pleased by her words:]
Oh? You mean my pretty blue eyes aren't enough for you?
[She chuckled when he grimaced at the taste of cheap whiskey]
Sorry, never got a chance to refine my palate. The cheap stuff gets you drunk just as fast and the more you have, the less you notice the taste.
[She finished off her second beer, very pleased that Stephen Strange couldn't see her as the harmless type. She wasn't very tall or particularly ripped like some powered individuals, but she liked to think she projected an image that told everyone else around her to back the fuck up and leave her alone]
Yeah, but like, if I talk like this and smile a lot, everyone just assumes I'm just another dumb pretty white girl.
[Said with a very heavy valley girl accent, which was probably the strangest thing to hear coming from the likes of Jessica Jones]
Hate to break it to you, but pretty blue eyes don't do much for me.
[There was some chemistry between them and hell, it had to be lonely being shacked up with a bunch of dusty books]
Mmm, good point. [He said before another shiver of distaste ran through him, causing him to take another sip of his bourbon.]
I honestly can't tell if it's that bad because it's been too long period, or because I spent too much time having better whiskey in the past.
[He didn't like to admit it, but he did miss some of the finer things he used to enjoy when he was a famous neurosurgeon.
It was impossible not to laugh at her use of the valley girl accent: it seemed so far remove from who she really was, and the alcohol running in his vein was clearly making it harder to keep a straight face.]
All right, I can see how weaker minds can be fooled by that.
[He tilted his head to one side, clearly intrigued despite her dismissal of his blue eyes, even if they were one hell of a set.]
So tell me, what does it for you, then?
[Stephen shook his head lightly:]
Nah-huh, you are not getting me in a corset. It's the one fashion trend I really don't think I can pull off.
[Hearing him laugh coaxed a grin from the private investigator. Strange was so rigid and serious, it was interesting to see him loosen up a bit. Although, she'd wager the alcohol was definitely helping in that regard.
Jessica didn't even have to look up or catch the bartender's attention. Another shot of Jack Daniels was placed in front of her and her hand automatically reached for it, though she didn't knock it back just yet.
Now they were starting to drift into dangerous territory]
Something a bit more exciting, for starters.
[She held his gaze for a moment, that small grin of hers turning a bit wicked and coy. It was easy to flirt with Strange, but it was never really supposed to go beyond that. This felt a bit more like seduction even to her]
Nothing like that. I've got my kinks, but that's definitely not one of them. Let's just say you can cross anything that's slow or gentle off the list too.
[Alcohol definitely helped with him loosening up, but it wasn't the only reason. The company he kept had something to do with it too: there was something about Jessica that made it easier to lower his guards for a moment. Nothing was complicated with her: what you saw was what you get, at least from his point of view. And after months of reading old texts and trying to connect dots that might not be connected, it was nice not to over-analyze everything. That too, helped: the thought of this night being a much needed break from trying to save the world. No matter how hard he tried, tonight was the kind of night where he'd think of himself instead of the whole world.
Stephen tilted his head to one side playfully:]
So, what's more exciting than a sorcerer?
[To make a point, Strange lowered his gaze to the glass in her hand. By now, Jessica might have felt how the size and the weight of it had changed in an instant: instead of holding a single hot glass, she was now holding a whiskey glass with a double shot in it. It was his way to return the favor for the drink earlier.
Stephen hadn't exactly expected for Jessica to take his question seriously, but when he saw her smile turn coy, he knew he might be opening a can of worms. And the problem was, that he didn't see any problems with that. Seduction was a muscle he hadn't stretch in a while, but he found that he still had a good 'muscle' memory from before his accident.
Amused by her answer, he smiled as he drank from the glass of water by his bourbon:]
Somehow, I am not surprised by that.
[He wasn't a fan of slow and gently either, but probably not for the same reasons than Jessica. It was something too close to intimacy to Strange's tastes, and intimacy was synonym of relationship to him, and that he couldn't do. He had never been interested before, much to Christine's chagrin, and now, he simply just couldn't afford one.]
[She glanced down as soon as she felt the weight of the shot glass change, only to find it had morphed into a larger glass and the amount of Jack Daniels had changed. Not trusting her eyes at first, her brows furrowed for a moment as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. It didn't take long at all for her to glance back up at him. She wasn't proud of it, but her jaw might have dropped. Just a little bit. It was probably just a parlor trick to him, but it was definitely something way different from Danny's glowing fist, which was about as far as she had ventured into the world of spells or 'Mystic arts']
That is without a doubt the sexiest thing a guy has ever done for me.
[Ofcourse she had to bring a bit of humor to the situation, but there was a tiny hint of truth to that statement.
She tipped the glass to her mouth and drained a few mouthfuls before setting it back down on the bar, laughing and shaking her head because out of all the things he could have done to impress her, that was sheer perfection]
Probably a good thing I can't do that. I'd abuse it too much and too often.
[Jessica didn't do intimacy or relationships either. Well, maybe she did, but it didn't come easy for someone with such a complicated and dark past]
Good, for a second there I was afraid you mistook me for the cuddling in bed type.
[Her voice was riddled with sarcasm]
I wouldn't want to intrude too much. That cloak of yours might get jealous.
[He saw her jaw drop, as subtle as it was, and his own smile turned rather smug at that. He didn't exactly show off often enough, and while it was indeed an easy trick for him, he still was rather content with her reaction. And her comment, whether true or not, still managed to make him chuckle slightly:]
Really? Clearly, you need better dates. Or you need to hang around me more often. [He added with his most charming smile, not entirely teasing her there.
It wasn't too hard to figure out that more transmuting more booze into her hand would have been the right way to impress Jessica. There was a thousand other things he could have done, some flashier than others, but given the fact that she'd seen strange things in her life already, or at least he assumed she did, flashy wouldn't have been the way to go.]
I'm sure you'd learn to be responsible with it. Plus, it's not like I can create things out of thin air: I can only transmute matter, it has to come from somewhere.
[He stopped himself there, not wanting to bore Jessica with the detailed workings of transmutation and its dangers. Unless she asked for it.
He then gave her a faked offended look:]
Oh, come on. I'm a better judge of character than that!
And contrary to popular beliefs, it seemed, I don't take it to bed.
[Although, she was drawing a point there. He couldn't even say if the cloak could get jealous or not. The Ancient One did mentioned that it was fickle, but surely not that much?]
[If the first time they met he had been quite punctual, this time around he's early, and already waiting for Irene in her parlor, leaning against the door way with a book in hand. The tunic he's wearing today is far more simpler than the last time they met, and whether he chose to wear it for it's simplicity in fastening (and unfastening) is a secret he'll take to his grave. The red Cloak, for once, is nowhere to be seen.
Stephen looks up when he hears Irene approaching and arches an eyebrow lightly at her attire (though his gaze thoroughly appreciates how the silk rob clings to her figure):]
[Closing the book before dropping it on the table by the armchair in the parlor, Stephen straights up from the door frame and walks over to Irene, closing the distance between them as an eyebrow raises in amusement:]
Confident, aren't you?
[He asks, his hands reaching for the ties around her waist. They pause there before pulling to undo the knot, waiting for her implicit permission to do so.]
I have no reason to not be confident, you're here aren't you?
[He had arrived early and everything. She gives a slight nod when his hands reach the belt, she didn't buy new lingerie for it not to be seen.
The bra and knickers are fine French lace, showing teasing hints of pale skin between the spaces of the lacework. Irene has never had any reason to be shy.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nomadeupname) wrote2018-04-08 11:08 pm
TFLN - for selectiveconscience
[She was, and so are the people she mentioned, but they weren't exactly what he considered threats on the city. They proved that they were on the side of the city, but good or not, people with powers tended to attract trouble none the less. He kept an eye on them in case the trouble they attract was more of his league than their own. Otherwise, he trusted them to take care of the more physical threats on the city. Though, he would always be there to help, if needed.]
That's good to know. We all can't be everywhere all the time.
[Her gesture managed to pull a chuckle out of Strange and he thanked her with a nod of his head before he drained his first glass.]
Well, I did have his brother in the Sanctum at the time. Which is the only reason why I let Loki go in the first place: Thor gave me his words that he would bring him back on Asgard promptly.
[Not to mention that Odin himself was on Earth at that time as well. Strange was cocky, but not stupid enough to think he could take on three Asgardians at the same time.
Still, he leaned closer to Jessica, with a small smirk curling his lips upward:]
Between you and me, I did consider leaving him one of those portable toilets on a nearby construction site.
no subject
While he drained his first glass of bourbon, she took care of her first beer and ordered another]
Yeah, no need to start a war over petty bullshit.
[Except it wasn't petty. A lot of lives had been lost, but time had passed and newer, more dangerous threats had begun to emerge. Loki wasn't so high on the pecking order these days.
She laughed at his last suggestion, trying to picture Loki landing in a situation like that]
Patient, but not without a sense of humor. Huh, so Loki's out of our hair for now. That's good news I'll drink to.
no subject
Strange chuckled dryly at her remark:]
Yeah, well I admit I just didn't want to have my ass handed over by the God of Thunder. Plus they were interrupting my precious training time.
[He added with a sarcastic tone, his mind going back to Wong's lesson about the Infinity Stones. It couldn't be a coincidence that so many of them six had found their way to Earth at one point or another. Indeed, Loki was far at the back of his list of possible threat to their universe.
He raised his glass at her words.]
Here, here. That conceited ass called me a second-rate sorcerer. [He said, giving Jessica a fake pout, before his lips turned upward in a smile that he was obviously trying to contain.] I don't think my ego has recovered yet from that. I really should have gone with the portable toilet, in hindsight.
[Stephen drank another sip and gave Jessica an amused look:]
What about you? I mean, beside playing corseted Valley girl for a rich client? Although, I'm curious to hear more about that, too.
sorry this is so late, rl ate my wil to tag this week
Her smile faltered when he asked what she had been up to. What hadn't she been up to was the better question? The last few months had been a wild emotional rollercoaster ride]
Had some family issues pop up. But, well, that's not a problem anymore.
[Her mother. God, just thinking about it made her order a shot of whiskey before she'd even finished her second beer. Jack Daniels]
To tell the truth, this last client I took on is the first real job I've had in a couple of weeks. Maybe a month. I only took the job because it came with the Rand credit.
[Which meant she could basically do what she wanted and charge whatever she wanted. Danny had said as much when he got in contact with her. So some bills were being paid and the rent was secure for up to a year, even if she'd lost some of her fucking dignity wearing that corset]
No worries! I know that feeling well!
It was easy to pick up that her family issues ran deeper than she seemed to be wanting to let on, from the way her smile faltered. His turned partly sheepish:]
I'm sorry, didn't mean to remind you of unpleasant memories.
[He chose to go for a shot as well when she ordered one, adding a glass of water to his own order. Even if he knew a potion to counteract the alcohol in his system, Strange didn't plan on matching Jessica's drinking drinks for drinks. No matter how much he used to be resistant to alcohol, no doubt she'd drink him under the table, and he wasn't exactly ready for that blow to his ego, yet.
He whistled lightly as she revealed her client, impressed:]
Rand as in Rand Enterprise? Good for you! But now I get it: they're probably the only pockets other than Stark's deep enough to afford getting you in a corset.
[Stephen leaned in again and raised an eyebrow, amused:]
Which reminds me, the picture you sent was really really nice, but can I get to see you in it for real? Like, for my birthday or something?
[He was teasing, yes, but at the same time? Not so much.]
thanks!
It's fine.
[She didn't say anything more on the subject of whatever family issue had driven her straight to hard liquor. It would sour the mood if she got into details and that wasn't what this evening was supposed to be about]
We all do favors for friends. Anyway, Rand needed someone who could be discreet, could look harmless, and could knock some heads together at the same time if things didn't go smoothly. I happen to check all of those boxes.
[She laughed when he teased her, leaning close enough that her shoulder brushed his]
It's not exactly outside the realm of possibility, but you do have to give me some incentive to wear it.
no subject
That thought alone was enough for him to down his own shot of whiskey, grimacing at the awful taste of the liquor:]
Blah, I forgot how bad that whiskey was.
[He promptly washed away the after taste with some bourbon.]
No offense, Jessica [he said, chuckling lightly], but I have a hard time imagining you as harmless.
[He meant it in a good way. She could change her appearance all she wanted, there was something in the way she walked and moved that spoke of strength. And it was something he rather liked in a woman.
He arched an eyebrow, intrigued and pleased by her words:]
Oh? You mean my pretty blue eyes aren't enough for you?
no subject
Sorry, never got a chance to refine my palate. The cheap stuff gets you drunk just as fast and the more you have, the less you notice the taste.
[She finished off her second beer, very pleased that Stephen Strange couldn't see her as the harmless type. She wasn't very tall or particularly ripped like some powered individuals, but she liked to think she projected an image that told everyone else around her to back the fuck up and leave her alone]
Yeah, but like, if I talk like this and smile a lot, everyone just assumes I'm just another dumb pretty white girl.
[Said with a very heavy valley girl accent, which was probably the strangest thing to hear coming from the likes of Jessica Jones]
Hate to break it to you, but pretty blue eyes don't do much for me.
[There was some chemistry between them and hell, it had to be lonely being shacked up with a bunch of dusty books]
Gotta match me tit for tat somehow.
no subject
I honestly can't tell if it's that bad because it's been too long period, or because I spent too much time having better whiskey in the past.
[He didn't like to admit it, but he did miss some of the finer things he used to enjoy when he was a famous neurosurgeon.
It was impossible not to laugh at her use of the valley girl accent: it seemed so far remove from who she really was, and the alcohol running in his vein was clearly making it harder to keep a straight face.]
All right, I can see how weaker minds can be fooled by that.
[He tilted his head to one side, clearly intrigued despite her dismissal of his blue eyes, even if they were one hell of a set.]
So tell me, what does it for you, then?
[Stephen shook his head lightly:]
Nah-huh, you are not getting me in a corset. It's the one fashion trend I really don't think I can pull off.
no subject
Jessica didn't even have to look up or catch the bartender's attention. Another shot of Jack Daniels was placed in front of her and her hand automatically reached for it, though she didn't knock it back just yet.
Now they were starting to drift into dangerous territory]
Something a bit more exciting, for starters.
[She held his gaze for a moment, that small grin of hers turning a bit wicked and coy. It was easy to flirt with Strange, but it was never really supposed to go beyond that. This felt a bit more like seduction even to her]
Nothing like that. I've got my kinks, but that's definitely not one of them. Let's just say you can cross anything that's slow or gentle off the list too.
no subject
Stephen tilted his head to one side playfully:]
So, what's more exciting than a sorcerer?
[To make a point, Strange lowered his gaze to the glass in her hand. By now, Jessica might have felt how the size and the weight of it had changed in an instant: instead of holding a single hot glass, she was now holding a whiskey glass with a double shot in it. It was his way to return the favor for the drink earlier.
Stephen hadn't exactly expected for Jessica to take his question seriously, but when he saw her smile turn coy, he knew he might be opening a can of worms. And the problem was, that he didn't see any problems with that. Seduction was a muscle he hadn't stretch in a while, but he found that he still had a good 'muscle' memory from before his accident.
Amused by her answer, he smiled as he drank from the glass of water by his bourbon:]
Somehow, I am not surprised by that.
[He wasn't a fan of slow and gently either, but probably not for the same reasons than Jessica. It was something too close to intimacy to Strange's tastes, and intimacy was synonym of relationship to him, and that he couldn't do. He had never been interested before, much to Christine's chagrin, and now, he simply just couldn't afford one.]
no subject
That is without a doubt the sexiest thing a guy has ever done for me.
[Ofcourse she had to bring a bit of humor to the situation, but there was a tiny hint of truth to that statement.
She tipped the glass to her mouth and drained a few mouthfuls before setting it back down on the bar, laughing and shaking her head because out of all the things he could have done to impress her, that was sheer perfection]
Probably a good thing I can't do that. I'd abuse it too much and too often.
[Jessica didn't do intimacy or relationships either. Well, maybe she did, but it didn't come easy for someone with such a complicated and dark past]
Good, for a second there I was afraid you mistook me for the cuddling in bed type.
[Her voice was riddled with sarcasm]
I wouldn't want to intrude too much. That cloak of yours might get jealous.
no subject
Really? Clearly, you need better dates. Or you need to hang around me more often. [He added with his most charming smile, not entirely teasing her there.
It wasn't too hard to figure out that more transmuting more booze into her hand would have been the right way to impress Jessica. There was a thousand other things he could have done, some flashier than others, but given the fact that she'd seen strange things in her life already, or at least he assumed she did, flashy wouldn't have been the way to go.]
I'm sure you'd learn to be responsible with it. Plus, it's not like I can create things out of thin air: I can only transmute matter, it has to come from somewhere.
[He stopped himself there, not wanting to bore Jessica with the detailed workings of transmutation and its dangers. Unless she asked for it.
He then gave her a faked offended look:]
Oh, come on. I'm a better judge of character than that!
And contrary to popular beliefs, it seemed, I don't take it to bed.
[Although, she was drawing a point there. He couldn't even say if the cloak could get jealous or not. The Ancient One did mentioned that it was fickle, but surely not that much?]
TFLN - for msadler
[If the first time they met he had been quite punctual, this time around he's early, and already waiting for Irene in her parlor, leaning against the door way with a book in hand. The tunic he's wearing today is far more simpler than the last time they met, and whether he chose to wear it for it's simplicity in fastening (and unfastening) is a secret he'll take to his grave. The red Cloak, for once, is nowhere to be seen.
Stephen looks up when he hears Irene approaching and arches an eyebrow lightly at her attire (though his gaze thoroughly appreciates how the silk rob clings to her figure):]
Am I too early?
no subject
There was no need to find a dress, not if it was likely to end up discarded rather quickly.]
Not at all, I just didn't want to bother with some designer frock, far too many zippers and buttons.
no subject
Confident, aren't you?
[He asks, his hands reaching for the ties around her waist. They pause there before pulling to undo the knot, waiting for her implicit permission to do so.]
no subject
[He had arrived early and everything. She gives a slight nod when his hands reach the belt, she didn't buy new lingerie for it not to be seen.
The bra and knickers are fine French lace, showing teasing hints of pale skin between the spaces of the lacework. Irene has never had any reason to be shy.]