Taipan // Doctor Strange

Chapter 15

JUST A HEADS UP- 3rd person is so much easier for me to write, so I will be slipping into that when you see *** between two bodies of writing.

That's all! :)

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I sat at the small wooden table to the side of the kitchen, where students made their own breakfasts with an urgent rush to get to their classes. Still, I was unused to the idea of the title of Master, which Wong had given to me the day before in the accordance of giving me access to the Master's section of the library.

"Alaria," a familiar female voice lifted my eyes from my bowl of frosted flakes, which I had taken from Stephen a week ago.

"Oh, I sighed, grabbing a spoonful of my food and eating it. "Hey Fuou."

"Yea, hi!" she smiled, seating herself across from me. "I heard you're a master now?"

It wasn't a friendly question- it sounded accusative.

"No," was my stern response, "I'm not a master."

"But Master Hamilla sent me to ask you-"

"Well I'm not a master."

I admit, perhaps my tone was cold and cut off from her facade of warm behavior, but I knew our unspoken feud. My feelings for Stephen Strange weren't exactly- hidden. It was easy to tell in the way of who I spent my time with; who I often asked for the location of.

"Okay." Fuo said slowly, tucking a piece of fallen black hair behind her ear. "Master Hamilla still referred me to you for my question."

My mouth involuntarily released a drawn sigh, a temptation itching at my attitude to roll my eyes.

"Stop being rude." It sounded like a past voice in my head; a sound that felt rooted in who I was.

"Yes?" I asked, touching my temple as an abrupt ache began to pulse.

"Well I was wondering- how the relics hold their power? Like Stephen has-"

"Doctor Strange," I corrected abruptly, my hands growing warm at the girl using anything but his proper calling in the temple. She paused to stare at me for a minute; I saw the pretend nice disappear. "Go on."

Fuou continued, "You know, actually," alarms blew in my thoughts- She can't back out of her question!

Suddenly, there was an inkling inside me. Something told me she wanted to know about my snake. "You want to know about my  creature." My words stopped her from standing.

"How did you know-"

"Just the vibe I got." I shrugged, a bit thrown off by it myself. "Now what about my snake."

I had improved with conjuring this golden animal; my hands no longer needed to move in that slithering pattern to create it's body. Now all I needed to do was look at where I wanted it to appear- Stephen had expressed the conjuring as a 'great feat'.

***

"Well, I mean," The Asain woman was flustered by Alaria's knowledge, intimidation etching away at her confidence as her cheeks began to flush in embarrassment. The new master took notice and couldn't help the feeling of victory seep into her puffed chest. "I just don't understand it."

She didn't understand her question either. "Please elaborate," Alaria encouraged, folding her hands together beneath her chin and peering expectantly at the student.

"Why can't anyone else conquer the energy like you? Why can't we conjure animals at our will and make them bite people?" Fuou didn't skip a beat. "What would happen if your creatures died?" She knew the answer to that one, but still her chest began to tighten with anxiety of someone questioning her. The girl abruptly grew angry, her finger pushing into the wooden surface of the table as her jaw visibly clenched. "You killed a zealot with your eyes. I want to know how."