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ACT ONE. NEPTUNE.
CHAPTER 7: TINKERBELL.

STEPHEN OBSERVED THAT IT WAS TRULY DAYTIME, he had rested very little during the night, he admitted that he was somewhat afraid to sleep now, but it was one of the things he had to endure if he wanted to return to his previous life since at that point he was already resigned to whatever it takes to get his hands healed, his old lifestyle, his job and Christine.

In one of the rooms there was a sleepless, tired and tearful Claire, her remorse of having done something wrong was consuming her. She got up after meditating all night to contain her luminous energy so as not to harm anyone, she was unsure whether to go out to take her lessons with all the commotion from the night before and the protection spell only served to make her feel caged.

She did not understand her feelings at all, she had always felt suffocated with the mere idea of being locked up, closed doors were a punishment for her, despite the rule of not leaving the sanctuaries, at least she could freely go anywhere in them.

She remembered that she was a teacher too, so she had to expect anything from the Ancient One, then the memory came to her of assuring Strange to repair his watch. How would she face him now? If he really approached her, what she didn't know was that his ego and sense of know-it-all were bigger than any rule that was imposed on him, a prohibition would only tempt him to break it.

"Don't be afraid of me, Mister Strange." She babbled as she brushed her long hair in front of the oracle mirror.

She didn't feel like showing her face that day, her face was drooping with shame, despite that, she couldn't allow herself not to face her problems. She was about to braid her hair when she heard the footsteps of someone approaching her door, she left the brush on the small dresser where she was sitting and went to the door to hear more clearly the thoughts of the person behind, closing her eyes she visualized his figure, it was him, walked from side to side, restless, as if he wanted to do something. Claire raised her hand about to undo the spell when she heard other footsteps.

"Mr. Strange," she spoke to him slowly, "are you lost?" From a philosophical point of view, it was a very difficult question to answer, in spatial terms, it might seem that the answer was 'no'.

Closing her eyes again, she could see them talking.

"No...Yes..." he muttered, confused, he glanced sideways at the door and as if his pride had brought him back to his senses, he stood firm "Where should I take my lessons?" He asked him confidently emphasizing the 'my'.

"Follow me." The Ancient One began to walk and the doctor followed her without looking back.

Claire sighed heavily, went back to her place to braid her hair, undid the spell to leave and headed towards the room where she would train with the Ancient One, she would have to see him, despite the security with which she walked through the corridors, the gazes were directed to her making her feel more and more embarrassed, since everyone knew that the Bearer of Light had lost her temper last night. Entering the room where they were receiving the lesson, she couldn't stand it and she lowered her gaze.

"Master Sheridan, it is always a pleasure to have you in the room." Both eyes focused on her, the sorcerer smiled warmly at her, when the brunette looked up at her mentor, Strange took his eyes off the brunette.

She walked over to the Ancient One and silently watched as he began to explain to Stephen the entire process by which wizards conjure Eldritch magic. The Ancient One formed the mandalas in the air, moving and spreading the ramifications of it on a large scale.

Despite having those same abilities, Claire loved watching people conjure magic, it was a sight for her eyes, watching the different shapes her teachers formed was interesting to her, they had unique ways of connecting to their magical elements, she would not tire of it even if she saw it a thousand times. She could tell that Strange was also impressed by her mentor's skills.

"But... even if my fingers could do that" He said raising his outstretched hands slightly "My hands would just be waving in the air. I mean, how do I get from here to there?" Claire felt an unease between Strange's feelings, his need to run before he could walk.

"How did you get to reattach severed nerves, and put a human spine back together bone by bone?" "Strange could do that?" Claire wondered, she was impressed at her knowledge, but of course it wasn't time for praise just yet.

"Study and practice. Years of it." He said with doubt in his voice, he should definitely go back to the start.

"And Claire Sheridan will be your Master, her skills will undoubtedly complement yours, Master Sheridan, could you please guide Mr. Strange with the first volume of books?" She snapped out of her own thoughts. She was stunned, she thought they would be apprentices, now was she her teacher? "Master Sheridan?" She caught her attention again.

"I'll do it gladly" The brunette got up to go to the door, she thought that Strange would follow her until she turned to the threshold of the door.

"She's forbidden to read your mind again if that's what you care about." The Ancient One murmured to Strange, obviously she had heard him perfectly, he got up unconvinced and went to where she was.

They walked down the corridor in silence to show him where the texts that he should begin to study would be, the Ancient One did not allow any of his disciples to be pragmatists, they had to know the bases of the mystic arts analyzing in depth through theory if dared to get to practice.

"So..." Strange mumbled, unable to formulate a topic of conversation "Are you something like Tinkerbell?" Claire frowned, no one had ever given her a nickname, she didn't dislike it, she even understood why the comparison ", like the fairy in the book" He muttered this last.

She turned to see him over her shoulder from top to bottom analyzing him in a passive position, in her gaze you could see her panic at being feared by him, Claire was transparent. Strange interpreted it as a derogatory sign.

"Well, you're not exactly a child, you could be Captain Hook with those mood swings." Stephen inevitably looked at his hands at the comparison of the young woman, making the apprentice who had disliked his answer clear his throat, she slowed down to go along noticing his hurt face "Sorry, it wasn't intentional, I don't usually talk to many people actually, but I have read the book, for me you are still Mr. Health."

She said trying to be kind, anxiously rolling up the fabric of her uniform between her index and ring fingers of her left hand, showing that she was slightly embarrassed, passive-aggressive comments were handled, but they were not frequent, there was something in Strange that made her feel nervous. He just nodded.

"How long have you been here?" He asked, trying to strike up a conversation that didn't require apologizing like Mordo had told him. Claire asked herself as well, it was a very simple question that she hesitated.

"I guess I've always been here" Doubt settled in the black-haired man at Claire's hesitant answer. They crossed the pavilion where there were more students, some greeted Claire referring to her not only as a master as the Ancient One had pointed out, but also as "Bearer", which aroused more doubts in him.

"About last night..." Claire had meant to apologize, but her grief wouldn't let her, so she changed the subject as soon as she got her companion's attention, "If you let me, can I still fix your watch? " She asked doubtfully. He nodded silently again.

They went to her room where she had some of the texts she was rereading, she invited him in. Seeing that it was a room like the one he had, he went through. He feared it was some kind of dungeon where she tortured people to punish them as she had suggested that night, but in the end, she was just as human as he was.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll start right away before the lessons." She pronounced in a hurry opening the windows to feel the bustle of the people, she liked to feel accompanied although she never really was.

"You don't have any whips or instruments of torture here?" he asked sarcastically as he surveyed the room, though it was obvious he was making fun of her.

"Corporal punishment isn't to my taste." He explained in more detail playing along, Claire was given to punishing behavior she considered unethical, but he was safe for now.

"And mental punishment is? You'll kill me in my dreams like Freddy Krueger?" He mentioned it, alluding to the nightmare of the previous night. Claire turned quickly to face the doctor, her brow furrowed and her mouth slightly twisted, a funny gesture for Strange. She only knew about Nightmare, still very far from Stephen's understanding. "It's an old horror movie" he explained to make her understand.

"Although I'd rather you were in other kinds of dreams." Claire tried not to read that thought, however, it was inevitable, it had almost been a mental scream. She didn't know how to react to that and she just ignored it keeping her promise to her mentor, her blush gave her away anyway.

"I've never seen that movie." The brunette shrugged her shoulders creating an awkward silence that Strange enjoyed, it caused him an inexplicable satisfaction to see her face blushing at her comment "Anyway, I hope you like to read, because that's what the mystic arts are all about." She narrowed nervously. He nodded with a broad smile.

"Sounds like studying medicine," Strange said cheerfully. Claire smiled hurriedly at the comparison, she just wanted them to begin getting along.