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[thewarningafter]

@beyonce

You've reached Dr. Stephen Strange. Leave a message and my secretary will get back to you.

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[thewarningafter]

If you think that one's good, clearly I need to tell you that my teacher's title was Sorcerer Supreme.

[And his, in another world. Stephen still wonders about that other Strange.]

[cahooted]

[Okay, that makes him laugh. Which is good. Some lightness after the past days is... really good.]

"Sorcerer Supreme"? Come on, now you're just showing off!

[thewarningafter]

No, really. And we all called her the Ancient One because no one knew her actual name.

[cahooted]

[Stephen.

Stephen, look.

He's from a world with very corny and clichéd names but you're kind of taking it to the next level here.]

The Ancient One. That's... a bit rude, don't you think? I mean, I could understand if you didn't know her age, but, uh.

Did you ask her for it? Her name.

[thewarningafter]

[Scoff.]

Of course I asked for her name. That was the first thing I asked. It's just what she was called; she had the whole...immortal thing going on.

[A sad little pause.]

Semi-immortal.

[cahooted]

You have one of those, too?

[He doesn't really mean to say it, it just slips out in surprise before his brain catches up.]

I mean had.

[Okay, that just made it worse. He stutters for a moment, clearing his throat.] Sorry. That was, I'm...

I'm sorry.

[thewarningafter]

[Oh god, Flynn, why. Stephen has to laugh, almost, at how utterly tactless that was. He makes the executive decision to pretend it didn't happen.]

Who's yours, then?

[cahooted]

[You're such a good person, Stephen. Flynn didn't mean it and he feels horrible. It does prompt him to talk a little more openly about Judson than he normally would, though.]

He's... he works at the Library.

His name is Judson. He pretends to be all nooormal, like he doesn't know what I'm talking about when I'm prodding him about it? But I know better.

[There's a certain... fondness creeping into Flynn's voice that isn't meant for colleagues or even mentors. They're diving straight into father figure territory with this one.]

[thewarningafter]

Oh, well, mine always just played cool and mysterious. I don't think normal was in her vocabulary.

How long's that place been around?

[cahooted]

Oh, he does mysterious. Cool... not so much. More like tossing a riddle out here and there. Smiling like he's all innocent, things like that.

The Library? Oh, forever, over 2,000 years. ... Which is not forever, yes, but, a very long time.

[thewarningafter]

Huh.

And you're sure none of you are sorcerers?

[It's just an awful lot of similarities, Flynn.]

[cahooted]

Pretty sure. I can't wield any magic, not without a magical artifact. And I never do that, we don't use the artifacts, we just guard them.

I guess Cal is a bit of an exception but I don't take him with me, he always stays at the Library on guard.

[thewarningafter]

Too dangerous? Or you don't know how?

[cahooted]

We don't use the artifacts for our benefit.

[That's right, he ventures out to find/fight magic stuff without any magic. It makes sense in his world and is suicidal folly only 75% of the time, really?]

Too dangerous, too, yeah. What if somebody saw him?

[thewarningafter]

You'd be surprised what people can explain away.

[cahooted]

Are you speaking from experience?

Did someone see your cloak and complain about the wind?

[thewarningafter]

Yes, but no. I was thinking more how I tried to tell the Ancient One she was full of it when I first met her.

[cahooted]

Oh. [He grins.] I just asked if I'm on hidden camera.

Which means you have a point I guess.

[thewarningafter]

Here's the kicker: I already believed in aliens. Seeing as, you know, they invaded New York back in 2012.

[cahooted]

[He blinks into the stunned silence that follows. You were looking forward to drop that on him, didn't you, Stephen.]

Okay, that's a little obtuse.

[thewarningafter]

In hindsight, maybe a little? But it was all, you know...science and technology. Even the whole Norse gods thing, that's just Clarke's third law in action.

[cahooted]

Right, right, you're a doctor, aren't you? I guess getting into the mythical aspect of things must have been trying.

With the-- You're telling me you have Norse gods?

[thewarningafter]

I'm telling you one of the neighboring dimensions has Norse gods. As far as I can tell it's really only Thor and Loki who've paid us any visits during my lifetime.

[cahooted]

Oh.

Well, we got Mjölnir lying around somewhere I'm pretty sure but I don't think its owner ever paid us an actual visit.

[thewarningafter]

You...might not want to store that near anything breakable.