The Kitchen

[stephen_strange]

Doctor Strange's kitchen is large and spacious in the manner of a kitchen built around a coal stove that's been retrofitted- the kitchen table is clean and empty.

"Wong, if you could be so kind as to bring my medical kit?" Doc asks as he leads Spider-Man in through a dimensional portal. "And if you could have a seat, please, Spider-Man."

Comments

[spinsaweb]

Peter smiles a little under his mask as he perches all spider-like on the most appropriate-seeming stool. He'd only lived here a week, but once he got used to the floating books and mysterious changed objects, well ... it was sort of homey.

Crazy, drug-addicted homey, but homey.

[stephen_strange]

"I am going to put on some tea- the herbs in it should help with the discomfort," Doc tells Spidey, gesturing to the stove; the kettle floats to the sink and fills itself, then settles onto a lit burner. "So. I feel that it behooves us to pay a visit to Mr. Osborn."

[spinsaweb]

"Uh-hunh," Spidey says, trying not to watch the kettle warily. He's a little on edge without his spider-sense. "You say he's ... different? Different like eating people?"

[stephen_strange]

Doc pauses a moment, considering that. "...is this something he does?" he asks, curiously- apparently, he's been a bit out of touch. "Different as in... seeming energetic, or perhaps too... unfocused."

[spinsaweb]

"He did, at one point. Hermes encouraged him. I - yeah, that's the reason the whole thing with the Engine?" Peter has no more fear or anger, but he does have some guilt, still. A little flattened out, but that's like saying the Alps are lower than the Himalayas. It's true, on average, but it doesn't mean a whole lot.

After another moment, he takes off his mask. There's a long, bloody scrape down one side of his face, to add to the obvious gunshot wounds on his right arm and a slightly dog-savaged looking left ankle.

[stephen_strange]

Doc frowns. "What exactly did happen to you, then?" he says, tsking a bit as Wong silently sets the medical kit down and goes to do... er... dusting. Since he's evicted from the kitchen for the nonce. Doc gets the teapot, and sets tea to steeping- then gets some clean cloth and wets it, with the purpose of wiping down the bloody injuries. "You are a mess, quite frankly."
The teapot, and two teacups, set themselves down on the kitchen table in reach of where Peter sits.

[spinsaweb]

Peter has the grace to look a little sheepish. "Uh, just the usual, but it's a little harder without spider-sense. Or fear, I guess, since self-preservation, that's basically fear, so ... it was kind of refreshing in a painful way."

"You know, I really appreciate your help with this." He ducks his head.

[stephen_strange]

"...your spider-sense is gone? And your fear?" That gets a scowl. "when did this begin?" he asks as he takes a seat facing his guest with a bowl of warm water and the cloth- he dips the cloth in. "The tea should be ready," he notes absently, which is apparently an instruction to the teapot- it lifts, and tips itself to pour two cups. "Drink one of those, please."

"And no thanks are necessary! You fight the good fight, and make my own load lighter by doing so. This is a skill I have- I am glad to share it." He smiles at Peter.

[spinsaweb]

"And my ... anger? There was an attack by a polymorph at the dear_multiverse Nexus hub. It's like ..." he tilts his head thoughtfully, "... a shapeshifting psychic vampire, I guess. From the Red Dwarf universe. When did my life get like this? Hips said the emotions should grow back but it might take a while."

Finally, Peter shuts up and sips his tea. To his credit, he's polite enough to just make a face instead of spitting and gagging, and attempts a smile.

[stephen_strange]

"...hmmmn. Something that devours emotion? Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice..." He considers a moment. "Oh! there is honey there in the middle of the table, if you'd like to sweeten that some." A sheepish smile. "I forget that some people still have taste buds, I fear."

[spinsaweb]

Peter gratefully dumps a truckload of honey into the tea, which does make it better. At least he no longer feels like he's trying to eat his own tongue.

"Yeah, Question-lady and I tried to catch it, but it bounced out of a portal just as we were closing in. It got at least twenty people ... most of them are okay, I think."

[stephen_strange]

Doc considers this. "That is most troubling. Should we see if we can repair that damage as well, then?" He dips the cloth, and reaches to daub at Peter's injured arm- to watch how he responds to the sensation.

...er, to what sensation, precisely? By now, the psychic block tea that Doc's employing has done its job.

[spinsaweb]

"I think it's fine, really. It's been interesting. If they don't come back in a couple of days, maybe..."

Peter looks down at his arm. "Wow, that's some tea. Do you need me to take my shirt off?"

[stephen_strange]

Doc pauses, and says "yes, if you're injured somewhere that it covers. I'm going to get the bullets out of your arm, and we will see what can be done about healing your injuries. Hopefully, we can do this without stitches- I would think you have enough scar tissue for your tastes already." He lifts the already-slightly-bloodied cloth.

[spinsaweb]

Peter nods and awkwardly pulls off the red-and-gold top. "Tony's gonna kill me," he jokes.

Yeah, more scrapes and bruises, and those gunshot wounds are pretty livid.

[stephen_strange]

"...you do recall me spending a great deal of effort bringing you back from the dead, yes? Because the way you are treating yourself, I might suspect you had forgotten that, as well." He's smiling as he says it, though- it's apparently a joke. He tsks, examining the wounds- "this is more work than I had thought it would be."