40 || assistance from (a) strange(r)

"Like it or not, Miss Marnell, you desperately need my help, or you won't stand a chance against Absinthe."

New York Sanctum Santorum, November 2016-

Alison officially hated portals. It wasn't until after going through one that she had agreed on the fact that she really hated portals. Stephen Strange had forced her into one (well not really, she had eagerly leaped through into to escape the weird reality that she was stuck in) and she felt like she was going to barf.

That, and she hated that was in pitch blackness after being transported through the portal, seeing nothing but feeling her stomach scream at her that portals did not mix with super speed superheroes. The darkness was like sleep, and Alison was confused as to where she was even going. When the man had appeared into wherever she was earlier, he looked to be coming in from a building, not from pitch darkness.

In an instant, all of Alison's confusion was cleared up, as the pitch black gave way to a building that was soft in colors, and a blend in modern shapes and sharp edges with an almost rustic wood feel. Stacks of worn out leather books were stacked on the coffee table right below Alison, the girl waking up on a sofa in the middle of a place that she was unfamiliar with.

Sitting upright, Alison looked around, trying to take in the weird clash of the modern and rustic tones that was surprisingly working. As she scanned the room, the brunette's eyes landed on the huge circular window, where her "rescuer" was standing, looking off into the New York skyline.

Hearing the girl rustle awake, Strange turned around to face the girl. "Nice to finally meet you in the real world, Alison Marnell." Stepping towards the girl, it was almost like he was floating just above the ground, his red garment behind him carrying him, or maybe levitating him. "The name's-"

"Stephen Strange." Alison yawned, stretching her arms as she looked at the man with a knowing look. "Yeah, you told me that." Looking at the man's outfit, it looked like he was some sort of monk, or at least his clothing gave the appearance of one. Well, except for his big red cape (cloak? Alison didn't know the difference) floating behind him.

"I wasn't sure if you'd remember. I had to do some spells to make sure Absinthe didn't meddle with your brain or curse you, anything of the sort." Strange explained, gesturing with his scarred hands towards her head and then to the couch. "Might I take a seat?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say anything about meddling with my head, and just trust that you won't kill me." Alison muttered, talking underneath her breath. She looked at the empty sofa next to her for a second, before shrugging at the man. "Go ahead."

The man, hearing her remark, pulled up a chair from the other side of the coffee table, scooting it closer to the sofa Alison was sitting on. "So, Alison, I heard that you had a little problem with- what does she call herself now?" He stopped for a second, his pointer finger resting at his temple in what looked like a frustrated yet natural position.

"Absinthe." Alison answered, sucking in a breath through her teeth after saying the woman's name. She wasn't sure if the villain would come crashing through the huge circular window after speaking the woman's name, kind of like Voldemort, so her eyes were trained on the window.

"Right." Strange nodded, the name coming back into mind. "Now, I realize that Absinthe has been giving you somewhat of a problem." Pausing for a second to see Alison nod in agreement, he continued on. "I'm here to help you with that problem."

Alison laughed, shaking her head. "Unless you can figure out a way to stop her powers, or a way to stop her in general, there's no way that you can help me. The woman's trying to make my life hell and then kill me after." The girl's dry tone was one of disbelief, not believing the man for a second.

"What if I could offer you information to you about how to defeat her?" Doctor Strange offered, his hand dropping to the side of his chair. His expression was serious and unmoving, looking almost formidable with his stare. "Would that serve as a way to help you defeat this death threat?"

Alison leaned forward, her arms coming to rest on the sidearms of the sofa, her chin resting on top of her right arm. She was intrigued, and any clue that would lead to taking down Absinthe was useful, especially after the woman just invading the apartment that Alison lived in with her family. Again. "I'm listening."

"Great." Strange gave a small smirk, a look of pleasure breaking through before he turned stoic and serious. "Absinthe's story is one that is much like many others, including yours, but didn't end with the happily ever after your did."

"Absinthe was born an Asgardian, with the birth name of Arnora. She was the daughter of Farnara and Jacobi, sister to Lady Sif." The doctor explained, conjuring up a small projection of the glittering planet of Asgard before them. The planet was beautiful and golden, the glare of the Sun shining against it giving it an almost dazzling look.

In the vision, there were two girls playing with ebony and brown hair, one a few years younger than the other. They looked happy, laughing and running through the streets of the main Asgardian city. The girls played with wooden swords, jousting each other with a joy and imagination that only a child could have.

"Arnora was the Goddess of Nightmares on Asgard, and as you may know, every citizen has a part to play in the society. Just like Thor is the God of Thunder, a more major demigod, Arnora was tasked with the burden of creating nightmares and warnings for the people of Asgard." Strange paused, clearing his throat as he continued. "She was afraid of her powers, and never used them. She just played with her warrior sister Sif and tried to forget about them."

Alison looked up at Strange with a new knowledge glinting in her eyes. "So that's where she gets her powers from! That makes so much more sense. Why she can conjure up visions and nightmares and the like, I mean." She muttered, her voice trailing off as she realized that she was going off on an unneeded tangent.

"Right. Continuing on now. The girls would go to foreign planets with their parents, who were diplomats, to learn about the different cultures that were across the universe." Strange continued, the vision shifting to the family touring the stars and going to many different planets. "Now, when the girls were in the age of what Asgardians consider teenagers, they stumbled upon a planet called Rathura."

"Rathura?" Alison questioned, watching the huge planet come to view on the projection that the Doctor was conjuring up. The man's hands were no longer resting at his side, instead controlling the projection the was showing Alison the backstory behind Absinthe.

"Yes. It was a planet that was inhabited by Rathians, a calm race of people that enjoyed nothing but tactic and skill." Strange explained, his eyes focused on Alison's reactions, flitting occasionally to the "hologram" he was conjuring up. "Now, when the family of four were on a diplomatic mission to the planet, the planet was attacked by the last titan from a planet destroyed long ago."

The peaceful view of a beautiful nation soon gave way to burning building, and a side of the people (or what Alison assumed were the people of Rathura) dead. The sight was awful, the rest of the race that had survived crying and gasping for their loved ones. The screams were unbearable, many of them echoing through the projection.

The sight of others looking so horrified by whatever they had seen made Alison's heart drop. Was there truly a person out there that did such horrible things? Did they have no soul? Before she could react any further, the projection changed to a spaceship leaving Rathura.

"Lady Farnara and Jakobi fled the planet with Sif before they could have any harm inflicted on them, but Arnora was left stranded on the planet. That's when my knowledge on her ends, but I can assume whoever took her helped her harness her powers and adopted her." Strange finished, closing up the vision with Arnora (Absinthe) taking the hand of a shadowed person and walking towards their ship.

As the projection stopped, and Stephen Strange stopped talking, Alison looked up at Strange with confusion. "I don't understand, how is this supposed to help me defeat Absinthe? Don't get me wrong, all of this information is very useful, but I have no idea on how to use this to my advantage. Or how to use it, at all."

"Well, from the information I have on her from my list of people to watch from different realms and planets, her weakness is exactly what I just told you, or at least a clue on how to stop her." Strange shrugged, unsure of what else to say to the girl. "I only told you what I read, and am trusting what the list said completely. But it said that the information I just told you is something that Absinthe fears, and doesn't like mentioning."

Alison sat back against the sofa, her back plopping loudly against the soft cushions. "Huh." The girl commented, the remark coming out naturally. Looking over at Strange, her eyes scanned for some hint that he was lying. When she couldn't find any, Alison spoke again, realizing something. "Wait- what day is it? Please tell me it's still Thursday, and Charles is okay, because if he's not-"

"He's just fine." Stephen interrupted, his hand gesturing in a reassuring manner. "And for the date, it is Thursday, but not the day that Absinthe attacked you on. It's November 24th, a week from when you were attacked." He stated the words calmly and slowly, trying to let the girl process what he had just said.

"A week?!" Alison exclaimed, sitting up from her comfortable seat with shock. "You're telling me that I was in that vision for a week?" She asked, her mind not believing that such a thing was possible. It felt like just hours before that she had just driven Charles home, hours earlier that she had found the apartment had been broken into.

"Well, technically no." The man answered, his New York accent coming through with every word he spoke. "I got you out of the vision, hm, maybe two days ago, and then had to make sure no trace of Absinthe was on you. Those spells took about two days."

"You mean I was in that vision for five days?" Alison fired the question at the man, firing countless others at him afterwards, answering her first question as soon as she asked it. "Does my family know that I've been gone that long? How'd I even get over here?"

Answering more of her questions, Strange breathed in a small sigh. "Yes, you were in that vision for five days. It took me a whole day to try and figure out a way into the vision that you were in, as I had to figure out a way that wouldn't harm you in doing so. And yes, your family knows that you were gone. Your guardian Jackie walked into the apartment when I was trying to cast a spell to get into your head. I gave her quite a shock." The man remarked, amused.

"What about Charles?" Alison questioned again, concerned for her younger brother. "Was he okay after he came in to see me in Absinthe's grasp? Did he get hurt by her?" Her mind was racing with questions, more about how she had missed a week of her life than about the information she was told about Absinthe- who she could now nickname Abby the Asgardian.

"Charles is fine. Absinthe wasn't even in your apartment when he came in, she fled after forcing you into the vision. She could control the vision remotely, and go in and out of the vision as she pleased. That's why she showed up in that- that alternate reality." Doctor Strange searched for a word to use other than vision, getting tired of saying that word.

"Okay." Alison's mind was reassured after hearing her brother was okay, half the questions in her brain (most of them what-if scenario questions) disappearing quickly. "Well, today's Thanksgiving, isn't it?" The girl stated, standing up from the sofa. "Guess I have something to be thankful for."

"That you're close to figuring out a way to stop Absinthe?" Strange offered, standing up from his own seat in a smooth and fluid action. HIs cape followed behind him, moving so fluidly with the man that it was like the piece of outerwear was a part of the man's body. "Because that would be a very good thing to be grateful for."

"Thank you for that-" Alison said quickly, the remark almost automatic at him mentioning the information he had just given her, pointing her finger at the man. "But I have something else to be grateful for, and that's the fact that I'm not dead yet."

Strange nodded, his face showing no surprise when she said that. "Well, as great as it was to meet you , I do believe it's time for you to go back home." Slipping on his sling ring, Strange opened a portal to the Anderson-Marnell apartment, gesturing to the other side of the portal, which was Alison's empty bedroom.

When the doctor said the word home, Alison's mind flashed back to the vision Absinthe had put her under, a smile coming to her face. "Actually, before I go back home, do you think you could do a favor for me?" She asked, her eyebrow quirking up with a devilish smirk.

Doctor Strange closed the portal , slipping his sling ring back into the cloth belt that was around his waist. Curious to what Alison wanted, the doctor looked over at Alison with an expectant and curious look.

"What do you need?"

<~*~>

well

guess who had their first high school dance of the year tonight

this gal

also I published a plot shop so that's neato

this was a bit of an exposition dump, Strange is good for that kind of thing. but since Doctor Strange doesnt know that Thanos adopted Absinthe, cause he doesn't know Absinthe, that means that the woman herself will have to explain her backstory a little herself

well this was more of a filler chapter, although there really aren't going to be any filler chapters anymore, we only have twelve chapters left, then my other books will be my main focus (cough cough ash and dust and legally blonde)

we're almost to the climax so get excited

I'm excited for the next two chapters

anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter!

bye

-ash