Wong was still talking with Anna. It had turned into an impromptu luncheon, the two of them passionately discussing Nepalese cuisine while I sat there awkwardly, completely unable to wedge myself into that conversation.
"Yes, you should head to Vinoliva or Latvior. Their daal is truly to die for. Both have great breads," Wong said.
"Really? I loved the– what was it– the bread they served with honey. Ooh, did they—"
And they just kept going. And going.
Well, at least it gave me time to think.
So how do I broach this?
Magic wasn't exactly hush-hush in the MCU, but it also wasn't advertised. Pre-Avengers, magic basically had no presence in the public sphere. The comics, weirdly, were the opposite: magic existed, people used it in the public eye a lot, and the general public still pretended it wasn't real. No masquerade like other worlds, but still… somehow discreet.
Heck, Doom was mostly the only guy who used magic on a national scale.
Oh god. Is there gonna be a Doom in this universe? I'm gonna quickly ignore that thought because I do not have the mental bandwidth to deal with Doctor fucking Doom.
Focus.
How do I walk up and ask a semi-secret order of magic users if they'll let me in? That was the problem. My brain tuned out the conversation about food as I tried to piece together a reasonable strategy.
The rings, maybe? Make up some bullshit about finding magic rings to get our foot in the door.
There were other magic users outside Kamar-Taj, so maybe that was an angle too—
"Oh! Mr. Wong, do you know a place called Kamar-Taj?" Anna asked, casually wrenching apart every plan I had.
"What a coincidence, I do," Wong replied, perfectly calm. Peaceful smile and all.
"Oh, do you mind showing us? We needed to head there."
He nodded like she had asked him for directions to the nearest coffee shop. "Of course. No problem at all. All are welcome into Kamar-Taj. I have a quick errand to complete, but I can meet and lead you there after."
My brain did a full record scratch.
It can't be that easy. Right?
There is no universe where it is that easy.
The improvised luncheon went on while I was quietly hating the Marvel universe logic because there was no way this should be working. Anna and Wong simply hashed out details while I sat there taking psychic damage.
Wong promised he'd come get us at the hotel once his errand was done.
I stared blankly as he gave a polite wave and slipped into the crowd.
Anna was already gloating about her luck, about us finding someone who knew about Kamar-Taj.
"Yeah. Luck," I muttered, still trying to reboot. I chuckled and then somehow laughed, even as she muttered something about teasing her.
She punched me lightly in the arm.
I let it slide. "So. How was your first time meeting a wizard?"
"Wait. What?" She turned toward me slowly, eyes wide as saucers.
—
The hotel room we had reserved wasn't really a room. It was a full-blown apartment pretending to be one, complete with two bedrooms, a living room wider than my entire apartment back home, and stocked to the gills with fancy furniture.
Anna had claimed one of the super-plush reclining chairs, legs draped over the armrest like a queen lounging in her throne.
Meanwhile, I sat on the cold, very un-luxurious ground with Little Bastard crowing happily beside me, wings flicking at my misery like it was part of my punishment.
"You could've told me," Anna complained as she nudged me repeatedly with her shoe. "My first meeting with a wizard was ruined!"
I laughed and raised my hands. "Good! You gave me mental damage with how casually you met and talked to him."
She huffed dramatically before sinking back into the chair. "So how are we going to approach this?"
"Why not trust in your fabled golden luck, Miss Lucky?" I spread my hands in a mocking little shrug.
Another eye roll. Then she lifted her hands, the three magical rings glinting faintly. "These are magic, right? Should we mention them?"
I paused. "Honestly? No idea. They're magic but… not from here. I don't even know what the sorcerers here would think of them."
"So much for being Mister All-Knowing," she teased.
"It was one time." I rubbed my jaw, thinking. Maybe a magic item or something. Something smaller so they wouldn't nab our rings. Something magical enough we could pass off without scaring anyone.
My thoughts drifted to the bronze ticket waiting in the back of my mind.
Well. No time like the present.
I tore it.
[Schrodinger's cat]
|Common Familiar|
A regular-looking cat, but in reality it is Schrodinger's cat, being able to teleport freely as long as it is not being observed and being immortal as it comes back to whenever its corpse is not observed.
A white tabby popped into existence right in front of us.
Anna squealed and immediately scooped it up. "Oh my god, look at him! Look at his paws!"
The cat purred and pressed against her chest like he'd known her forever. I watched them, feeling a little disappointed. "I was hoping for something with more… you know. Magical."
Anna ignored me completely, busy rubbing her face into the cat's fur.
Little Bastard flapped his wings once, feathers puffing in challenge for this apparent challenger to Anna's affections. The cat sensed danger, launched out of Anna's arms, bolted behind the couch, and then casually reappeared from a doorway on the opposite side of the room like it owned the place.
That was all the invitation Little Bastard needed.
They fell into a backwards game of cat and mouse, the tabby darting behind furniture with perfect timing while Little Bastard chased after him with increasingly offended squawks. The room turned into a blur of wings, paws, and indignation.
Well. That's going to be a sight for the next hour.
Anna giggled as the tabby vanished under a table.
The hotel phone rang. I grabbed the receiver, still watching the chaos between my two little familiars. The attendant politely informed me that a guest had arrived.
Just as I opened my mouth to answer, Little Bastard got blindsided by a perfect flanking maneuver. A tiny white blur slapped him with a paw and vanished behind a table. He squawked in outrage and went berserk.
Anna burst out laughing.
I sighed into the phone and told the front desk we'd be down in a couple of minutes.
Behind me, the chaos reset for the fifth time. Great. I had just invented a rivalry that was going to follow us all the way to Kamar-Taj.
—
Wong—potential future Sorcerer Supreme—only raised an eyebrow as we met him in the hotel lobby. The silence stretched just long enough to be awkward. Anna held Little Bastard pressed against her chest, and I stood there with our newly named cat, Erwin, who had claimed my arms like a personal throne.
"Sorry, Mr. Wong…" Anna began, stumbling over her words. "Kind of last-minute, but we have to bring these guys."
I honestly wasn't sure what I expected. Disapproval, confusion, maybe a polite request to leave the walking petting zoo behind.
Instead, Wong chuckled softly.
"It's fine, young lady. Kamar-Taj welcomes all. Even your furry friends." He gestured for us to follow.
The nonchalance threw me. I'd half-expected him to be the strict, stone-faced type. But maybe that was just Strange's nonsense shaping my assumptions. Anyone forced to deal with a self-important surgeon who broke reality would probably adjust their personality for self-preservation.
We followed him through the streets of Kathmandu. The city shifted as we walked, bright tourist-heavy areas giving way to quieter, worn-down blocks.
Anna carried the conversation without effort, trading food recommendations with Wong. He didn't ask questions, didn't pry, didn't even mention Kamar-Taj outside of directions. It was strangely casual.
Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me.
"Mr. Wong… you're not going to ask why we want to go to Kamar-Taj?"
Another placid smile. "Kamar-Taj takes in any who come to our doors. The sick, the desperate, the lost, the curious. It is not my duty to bar the way for those seeking help."
Wong walking around sounding like a wandering martial artist from a xianxia novel was not on my bingo card today.
"You take in anybody?" I asked. "Isn't that a little dangerous? Teaching anyone… well, anything?"
"I see no danger in teaching a person the secrets of their mind or body's energies so they may better themselves," Wong replied.
Which would have sounded like vague philosophical fluff if I didn't know they taught actual magic.
"And if someone decides to use those 'teachings' for other reasons?" I pressed.
His steps paused. Barely. "Ah. So you are aware. My guess was correct."
"Whatever could you mean?" I said, trying to sound innocent.
"Please, I mean you no offense," Wong said with a small nod. "I do not know how much you know. But it is obvious the two of you are aware of the mystic arts to a degree."
"What? Nooo. Magic isn't real." My tone betrayed me instantly. "But hypothetically, if someone did know about magic, what exactly would happen…"
Wong chuckled. "There is no punishment for simply knowing of the mystic arts. They are obscure, not censored. However, I admit curiosity. Many come to our doors, but very few arrive already aware of what lies within. How did you learn about Kamar-Taj?"
"Magic," I replied flatly.
He stared, then snorted softly. "I know you are not trained. Neither of you have the aura. We are taught to sense such things. Although…" His eyes narrowed slightly. "You do have faint traces of magic on you. If you wish to hide yourselves, I recommend not wearing whatever item you carry. My senses are enhanced, but others equal or surpass my skill. I would advise removing them if you do not wish to be identified by other sorcerers."
I blinked. That was extremely candid. Wong really was the chillest guy in Kamar-Taj.
Ah, screw it.
"I'll be real," I said. "If I told you the truth, you'd never believe me."
"I have seen many things in Kamar-Taj." Wong's grin widened. "Try me."
Alright. He asked for it.
I pointed at Little Bastard. "Hey. Backflip."
Anna barely had time to blink before the crow hopped out of her arms, flapped twice, and performed an admittedly clean airborne flip.
Wong frowned, polite but unimpressed. "Impressive, but—"
"Do a dance," I cut in.
Little Bastard immediately switched gears, landing on the cobblestones and shimmying side to side in something that looked like a samba performed by a bird having a stroke. Wong's eyebrows climbed a fraction as he watched the display.
"Moonwalk," I added.
The crow scraped backward across the ground in a valiant, deranged attempt at Michael Jackson. Wong's lips twitched. He didn't recover before I lifted Erwin.
"Go!"
I tossed the white tabby gently. Erwin hit the ground running, sprinting across the alley, vanishing the instant he passed behind a crate, and reappearing on the opposite end like reality had a glitch. Then he vanished again. And again.
Wong's mouth opened in surprise. "No portals?" he murmured.
I wasn't done.
I switched to Catapult. A boulder the size of a small generator materialized into my hand. Easily a hundred pounds, but I tossed it up like a volleyball. With my free hand, I thumbed my lightsaber to life. The blade ignited in a long, humming line of violet light.
That finally broke Wong's composure.
His eyes widened. His gaze darted between the blade and the spinning boulder. His expression tightened first at the corners, like his brain had tried to reject the visual input and failed.
Anna rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Boys…"
I grinned.
Heh. I win.
***
Sorry for the delay! Caught the flu unfortunately.
Comments and Thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Likes are like a drug to me and boost my creative juices.
I have advanced chapters on my Pa tre on/daisyberry if you wanna read ahead.