#and with that i'm off to rejoin my braincells

[stewardofningishzida]

Chapter 4: Hello!

The meta-fic continues! Enjoy!

TW: Panic attack mention and pandemic mention

*After fixing the things that Cloak had knocked over, I rejoin Trix and Stephen, who are currently sitting on the couch in the living room.  I’m incredibly nervous from all of the activity and about how the situation might continue to develop.  As a result, I’m pacing back and forth, trying to take slow, deep breaths and stay calm.  Though now I’m thinking about what else could possibly happen.*  

Stephen:  Catastrophizing won’t help.  Sit down with us before you wear a hole through the rug.  I’ll think of something and now your group is backing us up.  Relax before you give yourself a panic attack.  

Trix: Seriously, panic attacks are no joke. For now let’s take things as they come. 

Me:  Okay…Okay…It’s just that if you can come through to here, anyone or anything else can too.  

Stephen:  I can still protect us.  The Sling Ring is merely an item used for transport.  

*I sigh and sit down, breathing in deeply before releasing it slowly.  Then, I glance at the door, listening.*

*four quick knocks*

*I open the door and look.*

Fox: Steward, hi! *unsubtly looks over your shoulder* May I come in? I… *face blanks* ...I should've brought something, but I didn't because I have zero working braincells at the moment. Sorry. 

*I let her in.*  

Me:  It’s okay.  We’ll have plenty of supplies coming in soon.

Fox: *awkward thumbs up* Sounds like a party! 

*Stephen looks at Fox and waves awkwardly.*

Stephen:  Doctor Stephen Strange…and you are…?

Fox, noticing Stephen and waving back: Hi, Stephen! Hi, Cloak! *nervous laugh* So, huh. I'm Fox. Nice to meet you in person? 

Stephen:  Thanks.  *He’s not completely sure how to respond yet.  Everything is still new to him.*

Fox: *looks at both Steward and Trix for help in this awkward social situation. "I am not prepared for this send help" look lmao*

Trix:  Listen, I was just as awkward as you are. Don’t look at me!

*The cloak waves back.*

Fox: Oh!! Hi!! *smile* oh my God you look so warm and comfy. The best blanket in the multiverse. Must have your hands full with helping Stephen. *short laugh*

*Stephen curls his lip, slightly amused.  Cloak practically jumps off of the sorcerer’s shoulders to float in front of Fox curiously, almost like a friendly dog.  It reaches out a corner to shake “hands”.*

Fox: *tentatively reaches forward to shake its "hand", but once contact is made and she does not spook the Cloak she's a bit more confident and smiles* You are so soft… 

*Cloak looks “happy” about this…or as happy as an object without a face can look.  It whooshes back to Stephen.*

Trix: God, relics are awesome.

*The doorbell rings.*

*I pause.*  

Me:  Who is it?

Hana: It's me! I brought Crème Brûlée!

Me:  Oh, Hana.  All right.  Welcome!  

*I open the door to let Hana in.  Stephen and the others greet her.*

Trix: Another for the Stephen Protection Squad!

Stephen:  Who else is coming here again?

Hana: *kind of still in shock* Are you sure you haven't like… dispersed some drug in the air, like that hound of the Baskerville episode?

Me:  As crazy as this is, no.  *Tries to make a joke to diffuse the tension.*  Damnit, Jim!  I’m a cell biologist anyway, not a pharmacologist.  *Small, stupid grin.*

Hana: *actually does laugh at that* *looks at Stephen* wow. *Really doesn't know what to say* um… Crème Brûlée?

Fox, under her breath: Eheh… Crème Brûlée… 

Stephen:  Erm…Maybe in a bit when everyone’s here.  *He shifts awkwardly, composing himself.*  I assume we’ll gather some background information about each other and our respective universes first to determine the best course of action.

Hana: Sounds valid. But we already do know a lot about your universe. 

Me:  Though we need to pinpoint which variant you are without messing up your timeline.  I have a few questions to figure that out.

Trix: I don’t know much about the comics but for the MCU, I’m your gal.

Hana: Well. We could start by how you got here. 

Me:  He said that he was fighting Shuma-Gorath earlier.  The monster managed to smack him through a portal with one tentacle and steal his Sling Ring with another.

*Stephen groans.  This was still rather embarrassing for him.*

Fox: That is a pretty big L…

*Stephen gives Fox a look. Fox looks mortified for a moment and quietly apologizes.*

Stephen:  *Sighs*  It’s fine…That was a rookie mistake.  Wong will never let me hear the end of this.

Hana: *looks at him, thinks. Yup, he's definitely real* Can you do magic here? Our universe isn't really big on it.

Stephen:  I can, yes.  

Hana: Huh. There's probably some cult out there that does this stuff. We could look into it. I suppose they have websites? Or Discord servers in the least? 

Me:  Laer’s on the case.  She’s looking via Tor so we don’t attract too much unwanted attention.

Trix: I know more about psychics and tarot and crystals but no one has mentioned any eldritch magic. Though I’m curious to see if they feel a change in the energy after this.

Hana: Good. Well, I had the most ridiculous day. Just spent the whole day standing in the hallway of the dormitory cuz the warden never showed up. *Sits heavily on the couch* *looking at Stephen*

Stephen:  You go to boarding school?  *He’s curious.*  How did you get here, then?

Hana: *smiles* med school actually. I took a flight.

Fox: Yoooooo, fellow med student! High five! *raises hand for high five*

Stephen (slight smirk):  Heh…Which specialties are you both aiming for?

Hana: *high fives Fox* None, yet. It's my first year. Thinking of Gynaecology though. I don't know yet. Subject to change.

Fox: It's my fourth year and to be honest? Everything looks interesting. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to specialize in. Maybe after some more hospital training I'll get a clearer picture. 

Hana: In which year do the postings start in your country? (US?)

Fox: I technically should have started in a blood withdrawal center during the second year, but COVID happened, so that got… you know…*vaguely gestures*

Hana: I don't know if I am pissed or relieved Covid took my high school years tbh. In my country, postings start from the third year.

Stephen:  Huh.  Good luck, you two.  Wait…Covid?

Trix: Ah yes, the pandemic of the century. Hopefully. I don’t trust other humans at this point.

Fox: Sars-Cov-2. Uhh probably keep an eye on the Hong Kong Sanctum. Wouldn't want to start a pandemic by portaling all over the world… 

Me:  It’s a long story, but basically, there’s a global pandemic going on.  We’re all vaccinated here, thankfully.  You, on the other hand, need to get your shots or just stay away from anyone outside.  Wear a mask, social distance, etc.  Seeing as we’re helping you go back home quickly, let’s just make sure you don’t go near other people as much as possible.  Oh, you might also want to isolate yourself for 10 days after getting back just to be safe and not infect anyone if you become a carrier.

Stephen (highly concerned):  Point taken.

Fox, zoning out: Would our COVID tests work in your universe or would the virus be different enough to not be picked up by the test…? 

Stephen:  Our viruses are probably very similar if not the same.  However, the mutations could be wildly different.  So, your virus and tests would work in my universe, but any mutations in my universe might change that.  Honestly, I don’t know for sure.

Fox: Hmmm makes sense. I just wondered if we could give you some tests so you get a head start in finding who's infected if your universe also gets that virus. 

Trix:  I have some at home tests as well. We don’t need to set a plague upon another universe.

Stephen:  Probably a safe bet.  I’ll take them back with me.

Hana: Is the cloak here too? *Is decidedly more excited to see the cloak than Stephen*

*Said Cloak gently flutters on his shoulders to make its presence known.  It’s currently gripping the sorcerer slightly more tightly, as though concerned for his well-being.  Stephen gives it a reassuring pat.*

Hana: *starry eyes* It's real!!!! *Waves* Hi~

*It waves back at her.*

Fox, whispering to Hana: It's so soft. *turns to the Cloak* Everyone's going to want to touch you, I'm pretty sure. So… Prepare yourself? 

*The Cloak nods.  It’s still holding Stephen at the moment.

Fox: Unless that Shuma-Gorath is on his way here, there's no threat at all! *peeks at the closest window to check the curtains are drawn* I hope. So… safe enough. 

*The curtains are drawn.*

Stephen:  For now, but once certain entities figure out where I am, there’s a chance they may either attempt to devastate my universe or break into this one to get at me and subjugate its inhabitants, including you.

Fox: Well. That's… Not great. *turns to Steward* So this is an "eldritch monster might level my house" situation, but worse! 

Me:  It appears so.  Though we don’t know when that could be.

Trix: I mean, look at the bright side though: we still get to meet Stephen and Cloak and know they exist! My therapist said to focus on the positives rather than spiral into a pit of existential anxiety! *chuckles nervously to herself while fidgeting with her hands*

Fox: Trueee… *awkward thumbs up*

Hana: I know this is just me making things up but is there some kind of cloaking spell that exists that can… i don't know… hide your magical signature? 

Stephen:  There is, but then Wong wouldn’t be able to find me either.

Fox: Fair. Hmm… What about creating a sling ring? Or, well, enchanting something to work like a sling ring. Maybe. I don't know, movies didn't go that deep into magic. 

Stephen:  I could attempt it, but I’ll need to do some research first.  If there’s any material on such a relic here.  Even then, it’ll probably take a while for anyone or anything to find me since this universe doesn’t have magic.  That’ll act like a sort of dampener.  So, there’s that, at least.

Fox: *finger guns*

Hana: *thinking* This… reminds me of something. Something like this happens in the comics. Well, not exactly this. But close enough. You *looks at Stephen* wake up one day to find Earth has lost its magic. So you go to Tony. He gives you a lovely speech and a pretty spaceship. So basically, in that segment, you don't have any relics. So you make the relics yourself. You made this sword that can cut portals.

Fox: Is this the, y'know… Spacesuit Stephen? And I might not know the comics, but that one panel of the sword I do remember for… Reasons. *short laugh*

Hana: *fully understanding the Reasons* Yeah, it was good. So, can you make relics?

Stephen:  *Raising an eyebrow*  I’ve never done it before, but if I was able to do it in another timeline, I suppose it’s worth a try.

*They ponder quietly for a moment.*

*the doorbell rings*

*someone knocks on the door* 

Alexis: *yelling slightly* “Hey, it’s me, Alexis! I brought soup and some snacks!” 

*I go to answer the door and let her in.*

Me:  Thanks so much!  Erm…Stephen, Cloak; Alexis.

*They both greet her.  Cloak goes to help her put stuff down.* 

Alexis: *looks at Stephen in amazement* “Huh. He’s actually real. Nice to see you, Stephen and Cloak. Have some soup.”

Stephen:  *To Alexis*  Thank you.  *He turns to me.*  Is that everyone so far?  

Me:  For now.  There are others online and those we’ll need to go visit ourselves.  A total of nine people in the loop.  *I get up to place the various foods on the dining table.*  Thanks, everyone.  Let’s have some food for now.  We’ll need energy to keep our heads and figure stuff out.  *I go to get some plates and bowls.  Stephen and Cloak help me set the table.*

Stephen (to us):  Thank you again for your hospitality.  I don’t intend to stay long if I can help it.

Me (smirking):  Just don’t blow up the house or anything else and we’ll call it good.

Tear: *After a couple hours of inactivity, I finally send a new text message.* Hey guys! The last client has finally left, so the bakery is officially clear of any strangers (heh). I just wanted to check in and see if you’ve decided what to do this evening. I want to know if I should turn off and clean the espresso machine or if I should expect your visit after all. No pressure! Thor knows you all are probably still reeling about what happened ;;;;;

*I feel my phone vibrate and check it, reading the message.  Trix, Stephen, the others, and I had an early dinner an hour or so ago and cleaned up.  I reply.*

Me (text):  Awesome!  As tempting as espresso is, it’s probably a bit late for that.  However, Stephen might want some.  I’ll ask him…He’s okay with it.  Caffeine doesn’t really affect him as much as it used to.  He’d like to meet you.  So, I’ll be there in a moment.  See you in about 20 minutes!

**To be continued**

[ilovedyouevenasisawyou]

Please tell us more about your headcanons about Tybalt’s mother

Hooo boy. I'd like to apologize in advance if this turns out to make no sense whatsoever because I've been existing in a constant state of tiredness lately and also I'm pretty sure I left my few remaining brain cells next to my ps4.

So! Tybalt's mother! I don't have a name for her, but I do have two (2) possible origins for her.

The first is that she's the daughter of a foreign merchant (I think I'd decided on either Turkish or Greek, but I can't remember), whom Tybalt's father (who doesn't have a name either rip) meets and falls madly in love with and elopes with.

The second is that she's one of the household servants, whom Tybalt's father meets during the wedding preparations for Lord C and soon-to-be Lady C and, well, I'm sure you can guess what goes here.

I haven't decided which one I like better, but either way it's not a match that either family approves of.

For Tybalt's mother's side of the family, it's that the Capulet name is a good one, don't get me wrong, but Lady C and her brother are so far removed from the main family that all they have is the name and the looks but none of the wealth or prestige. They're also like...one or two generations away from having neither. So basically all Tybalt's father brings to either origin is his name and the looks (which Tybalt doesn't even inherit, but more on that later). For the merchant's daughter, it's that she could do better. For the serving girl, it's that nothing much has changed, because while Lady C's status has been elevated by her marriage to Lord C, Tybalt's father's has not.

For the Capulets, I can imagine that they'd be more accepting of the merchant's daughter's origin, except for the fact that I imagine that she's disowned by her father, so they don't even get any of the benefits from this match. With the servant origin, it's like, she brings in even less than Tybalt's father gives her, but not by much. Plus there's the added expectation that he was supposed to marry well, like Lady C did, but then didn't. Lord C mostly ignores his wife's side of the family, but Lady C resents her brother's wife, convinced that Tybalt's mother tricked Tybalt's father into marrying her. She doesn't say anything outright, because that would be beneath her, but she doesn't make Tybalt's mother feel welcome either. I imagine that the rest of the Capulets aren't exactly rude, but they're somewhere between Lord C's polite ignoring and Lady C's veiled comments and don't go out of their way to make her feel welcome either.

While their marriage is initially a happy one, eventually Tybalt's mother's treatment begins to wear on her, and her relationship with Tybalt's father becomes strained, because he refuses to see that anything is wrong or even address the situation in any way. Even so, within a couple years of their marriage, Tybalt is born. Lady C resents Tybalt's mother even more for this, because Tybalt is strong and healthy and a boy whole she and Lord C are having trouble with the whole having kids thing, and it'll be years before Juliet is born.

But, as out of place as Tybalt's mother feels, having him makes it better. He might be a Capulet, but he's hers first and foremost. His dark hair is hers, and the freckles across his nose, and the shape of his mouth, and so many other things about him.

And then, when Tybalt is (roughly) seven or eight, she gets pregnant again. This time, things don't go quite so well. She gives birth to a girl, but neither she nor the child live for long after.

Tybalt's father takes to drinking after this, because alcoholism is apparently as much a Capulet trait as blond hair, and dies not longer after. For the first but not the last time, Tybalt is completely alone.

It's at this point that Tybalt is brought into the main Capulet household by Lady C, because he is still her brother's child, after all, and she owes her brother that much. Tybalt promptly imprints on Juliet, sort of like a baby duck, partly out of misplaced affections and partly because other than his mother, she's the only one that loves him without any caveats. Tybalt is received by the Capulets as a whole better than his mother was, but he always knows that he's different, that they don't see him a true Capulet, not like they do Juliet and Rosaline and all the others.

His mother is gone, and so is his father. All he has left is the name of the family that's barely his.

So he overcompensates. He trains harder, he fights more, he angers quicker on their behalf. Anything to make sure no one doubts that he is as much a Capulet as his uncle is. He wears the Capulet name as much as a brand as he does a badge of honor.

We all know how well this turns out for him.