Strange Connection (Stephen Strange x OC)

Chapter 13

That evening (New York time) they crossed the portal threshold into Kamar-Taj. Arianna was beyond excited and was secretly hoping a certain sorcerer would show her around Kathmandu while they were here.

"I'll take you to your quarters to get settled in. Wong is going to see to the transport of your supplies to the library." He was determined to help her with her luggage and held as tight as his grip would allow to the two duffel bags on either side of him. They approached a door, right next to the one they had entered to discover the router. "Here we are."

She grinned. "Right next to yours? You are staying on site, right?"

"I told you I would."

"I just wasn't sure if you'd sneak back to the Sanctum, to your plush accommodations there."

"I would not 'sneak off' and leave you here, Arianna. Hence why your quarters are right next to mine. You are under my protection while here. I promised Stark—not that it would take a promise to him to make me want to protect you. Do you mind getting the door?"

"Of course not," she said, feeling a faint blush. She opened the door and gasped. The accommodations were still simple, but it was obvious some modifications had been done. "You—you did this?"

"Just a few things to help you feel at home here."

"You made the bedding purple?"

"Purple makes you happy. I want you to be happy while you're here."

"I'm fairly certain the company will take care of that, but, the color does help. Thank you, this was very thoughtful of you."

"It's my pleasure. I really am grateful for your agreement to help with this project."

"Thank Mr. Stark, he's the one who's paying me."

"Mr. Stark knows he'll eventually get repayment for services rendered. You, however, could have turned down the job. Could have done the initial repairs and walked away. Personal feelings aside, Arianna, your skill and work ethic are impressive."

She outright blushed now. "Thanks."

"Can I leave you to get settled in? I'm going to go see that Wong has done his job and be sure the Masters are prepared to meet. Can you find your way to the library in a half hour?"

She swallowed hard and nodded.

"Don't be nervous. You're going to be amazing."

"I'll do my best."

"Then it will be phenomenal," he said, allowing himself to momentarily raise his hand to brush her cheek. "See you there."

She smiled and nodded. "See you there."

**—**—**

Twenty-eight minutes later, Stephen did his best to hold back the smile that wanted to come forth at the sight of Arianna entering the library. She wore her black combat style boots with purple socks peeking up above them, black leggings, and a purple wrap-tunic that reminded him of the common style of tunic worn by himself and many of the residents of Kamar-Taj. Had she gotten that especially for this project, he wondered?

She stepped in and glanced around, taking a deep breath when she saw him standing to the side. One by one several of the Masters noticed her and then all turned to face her. She glanced again at Stephen who nodded for her to begin.

She cleared her throat and stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Masters, thank you for allowing me to be here today, and thank you to Doctor Strange for bringing me in for this project. I appreciate the value of your time and will attempt to keep this as short as possible." She stepped forward, placing her tablet and a small device down on the table in the middle of the crowd. "Today the Doctor has asked me to present to you all the plan for the equipment upgrades I'll be making this week here at Kamar-Taj." She tapped her tablet and the 3D image of Kamar-Taj materialized above the table.