The Ancient Sorceress ~Loki x Bucky AU~

Chapter 85

Strange was startled out of his slumber when he heard a crashing noise in the distance. He shot up in his bed, gripping onto the old wooden frame. He could faintly hear an echoed sound, so soft like a whisper in the breeze. Rustling movements made his ears aware that there must be someone outside his room. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Strange slowly draped his legs over the edge of the bed and put on his slippers, ones kindly left to him by Master Mordo.

He groaned as his body ached, clearly wanting more sleep from his burdensome journey, and wrapped himself in the robe that lay on the chair next to his bed. It was definitely chillier than it was when he first fell asleep.

Strange tried to remain as quiet as he could. He tiptoed to the door and carefully pulled it towards him. No light filtered into his room, covering him and his movements like a shield. The sounds continued, almost like someone was dropping teacups onto the cobblestone and old wooden floor.

Stalking through the hallway, Strange was beginning to feel as if something was wrong. He hadn't heard a single voice. Maybe he had just woken up a bit earlier than the others.

As he made it to the end of the hall where it led into the main tea room Strange had been in the night before, he put his weight against the wall, carefully peeking around the corner to see what was causing this disturbance.

He couldn't make out anything specific. The tea table and chairs were still there. Nothing littered the floor. It was clean.

Strange let out a breath, confused as he stepped into the open. Puzzled at the silence, he glanced around his shoulders, wondering if someone was pranking him. He stood straighter as there was no sign of anyone being awake.

Turning back towards his room, ready to go back to sleep, he jumped as a prominent clinking sound bounced towards him. He jerked his head back towards the open room and spotted a small, dirty tea cup rolling towards his feet. It bounced off his slipper and spun till it balanced itself back on its foot. Strange carefully bent to the ground, hands shaking as he grasped the delicate dish-ware in his fingertips.

His eyes studied it, noticing the intricate but faded designs of stars and what looked like swirls of magic much like in a common cartoon.

"Do you like it?"

Strange yelped as a voice popped up out of nowhere. He, out of fright, threw the cup and tried to protect himself with his hands. A woman, average in height and almost translucent stood a couple feet in front of him. He took a hesitant step back, not sure what was going on. The figure reached out for the cup, calling it back into her hands. It floated just above her palms, not quite touching her transparent skin.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry." Her voice was so soft and angelic. Strange stood up straighter as he noticed her downcast frown.

"Who are you?" Not sure if that was the best question to start out with, but Strange couldn't stop it from leaving his thoughts.

The woman slowly looked back up at the man in front of her. She cocked her head to the side, now looking almost as confused as he was earlier meeting an empty room.

"I'm not sure we've met, but...you seem familiar." Her voice trailed off as she studied him. Strange wrapped his robes tighter across his body, the frigid air nipping at his exposed skin. He watched as she carefully put the tea cup on the table next to her, frowning like it was a lost toy she needed to give up. Strange moved to sit in a chair at an opposite table. "Doe...my name is Doe. Like a deer."

Strange nodded slowly as his eyes stayed locked into her movements. He didn't respond. His mind was racing with all the unknowns. She started to wander around the room, looking at every book or piece of furniture that was within her reach.