[Manhattan] The Monkey, the Sorcerer and the Sanctum

A few weeks seemed like such a long time, but also a very short one at the same time. Sun Nao had been given his own room at the Sanctum, which was not what he had expected, but he still was happy about it. He also made good use of his ability to be in more than one place simultaneously to keep things going with his family... he did not want them to be suspicious. Well, his grandmother had figured things out when he returned the first time, but that was to be expected. At least he had not broken anything... too important, even if he had caused Strange a few headaches over the course of the weeks... but never maliciously, and only due to one factor. Impulsivity. Not to say he did not warn the doctor beforehand... because he did.

Sun Nao stepped out of his high school classroom on Tuesday morning in New York. He glanced at the time and cursed to himself in Mandarin. He did not want to be late... but it had been difficult to get out of class, and he could not well poof another himself out of thin air in the middle of math. Still, he should be on time if he hurried now. Quickly diving into one of the school's bathrooms, he pulled out a strand of hair and, with a flick, summoned a copy of himself. With his other self returning to class, Sun Nao gracefully climbed out the bathroom window and summoned his cloud.

Now, straight for Strange!

Well... almost.

"I'm here!" Sun Nao burst through the door, maybe with a little too much force, as the impact of the doors hitting the walls caused them to shake painfully, and a few objects fell from their shelves. The young Chinese boy was carrying a bag over one shoulder and was trying to shove his school uniform into it as he walked across the room. "I was trying to hurry but was sidetracked. So, I had to make a quick stop on the way... I did get some....". He pulled out a pack of Brazilian coffee beans but froze as his eyes turned to look at Strange and found him not alone but with a lady. He had never seen her before, not that he had seen a lot of people here at all, apart from Strange and Wong, and Sun Nao really liked Wong. They even spent some time making dumplings together, so that was a nice bonding experience.

"coffee" He finally managed to say. Sun Nao also completely forgot if he should hide his tail... so it was very much visible, swaying behind him. His bright eyes looked between the two adults curiously, and something like a playful smirke appeared on his face. It was a clear indicator that he might have the wrong idea of what was happening here. "Am I... interrupting something, doc?"

Both the sorcerer and the witch could immediately sense that Sun Nao was not alone, or there was something very much alive upon his person somewhere, something small.

Strange had that mischievous smile to him that proved popular with most ladies he met. A dimple here, a twinkle there, a look in his eyes. The man had it down to its minutiae. His charisma had a similar effect on Prudence, albeit with an "old friend" clause stamped over it. But it was the shameless flirting that ran concurrent with being close colleagues. Particularly when both were as versed in the mystical as those two were. Peers through and through.

A pleased smirk adorned her face, hearing his "attempts" at taking her advice. She didn't expect him to follow her guidance, stubborn and clueless like he had a tendency to be. All meant with admiration, naturally. It wasn't something Prue had to voice aloud.

"The Sanctorum takes after its owner. You needn't worry, I'll have a chat with Wong about this later."

Her reaction to him conjuring a favourite of hers was unsurprising. An expression of flattery, gently grasping the glass. Even through her gloves, she felt the intricate textures of the vessel holding its contents. The full-bodied, fruity nectar coated the entirety of her mouth in an instant as she took a healthy sip. A murmur of approval escaped her lips, a sound that said more than any tome. Prue wasn't one to neglect a simple pleasure. After all, a healthy consumption of wine was supposed to prolong one's life and youth.

"Nonsense, dear! Courtship finds its place among even the most preoccupied of us."

She had listened to his honey-coated words about her and at the same time, fixated her gaze on the chair he gestured towards before. She essentially glided towards the piece of furniture at the same time Sun Nao made his explosive entrance. She didn't give him much notice until she had examined Strange's "attempt". A gauche looking chair, she immediately realized what he tried to accomplish per her instructions. And yet, he either lacked or disregarded the necessary level of finesse needed. In addition. he merely changed one chair, instantly clashing with the rest of the space. Indeed, Wong would prove much more useful to her vision of this place.

Prudence took Stephen's words to Sun as the moment she would turn to face the youngling proper. He didn't look much, save for his prominent tail. She did feel power radiating off of him. Prue had her assumptions and suspicions as to what he was, but knew she wouldn't have to do much guesswork. The answers were bound to be delivered. An interesting figure, it seemed. Aside from the characteristics of a standard hormonal young man.

Taking another sip, she let her eyes settle on Sun as Stephen introduced her. He added impressive adjectives that she didn't disagree with. Rather, she took them as affirmation of her being, as was intended. Her glass emptied quicker than she realized, feeling a pleasant warmth radiate through her body. But since she had to, very likely, be an example of a seasoned witch, Prue dismissed the glass into the void with a slight flick of her wrist. She gradually made her way closer to the pair, beginning her personal introduction mid-motion.

"Dr. Strange's flattery continues to be a boon of his. Powerful, yes. Frightening? Only when I choose to be."

Stephen's gaze would've likely followed her. Once she reached Sun, she extended her hand, proposing an official greeting.

"Prudence Wharton, dear. My esteemed colleagues and a veritable, small... cabal of fans often refer to me as Madame Moon."

Prue's tone changed slightly, yet noticeably enough mid-sentence when beginning to explain her return to the city.

"The essence of New York beckoned my return! And... there is a matter we need to discuss soon."

The witch's eyes communicated enough as her attention was on the Sorcerer Supreme for a moment. An important matter, yet nothing that couldn't wait for a while longer. The world wasn't burning, yet. Prue returned her curiosity towards Sun, a plethora of questions occupying her mind. Though it was best to start small.

"Tell me, pebble. What circumstances lead you to this bastion of arcana?"

Strange watched Pru move about the Sanctum. She had a way to make herself at home all at once, and in such a fashion that made it a solid fact. She did belong here, and always had. He smiled to himself as she inspected his attempt at interior design. In truth, Strange had never been good at it. He had paid other people to be good at it, back in the days before he had shattered his hands and left that kind of materialism behind.

And yet, and yet... something was troubling Strange about his friend's return. That subtle shift in her voice was one he had come to know, and dread. Pru wasn't the kind of person to make an unexpected house call without reason, and a reason for Pru meant trouble. He allowed the two to talk, his mind wandering as he waved his glass away, frowning to himself, hand tugging at his goatee as he always did when he was troubled.

Strange came back to the world when the conversation came back towards him. He chuckled slightly, still pleased with the way he had introduced himself to Sun Nao. He and Wong had laughed about it a lot, but it had also proved that this kid was alright. Brave, insightful, and, most importantly of all, not afraid to laugh.

He looked gently at Sun Nao, his keen innocence shining through. Sure, he wasn't a fully fledged member of Darkwatch yet, and he was still just a trainee Sorcerer, but Strange already held him in high esteem. Not that he would tell him, of course.

"Nonsense. Anything Pru wishes to tell me is something you can hear too. If you're going to be my Apprentice, I need you to know of such important matters."

He turned his head towards Pru, eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to read her unreadable face. Strange felt unease in the pit of his stomach. He tried to wave it away, motioning towards one of the doors that lead through deeper into the Sanctum, where a room would be laid out ready for three, cozy and filled with the smell of freshly brewed leaves, spices and other interesting nasal curiosities.

"But it can wait until after we've had some tea, of course."

Sun Nao did not know what to expect as a reaction to presenting himself, but this was not what he had imagined upon someone hearing his status as the son of the Monkey King. He did not even use the Monkey Prince title. Prudence's gleeful response made the young Chinese teen's cheeks slightly pink. "I guess it's all really new to me if I'm honest." He replied but still straightened his back a little. "I'm honoured that you recognize my position. Not many would, apart from the Monkeys. Which reminds me-" He paused as his eyes looked to Doctor Strange. "I got a- I guess the best word would be a distress call on my way here- which was why I ran a little late. There were some rather- mean people, and she was alone and- well." Sun Nao made a few gentle sounds that instantly made the mind go to a monkey, albeit it was difficult to pinpoint what kind of monkey. A pair of minuscule hands appeared as a very, very small monkey peeked out from Sun Nao's collar; she was furry and had bright brown/green eyes that curiously examined the two magic users.



"They were going to sell her, had her in this really cramp cage..." Sun Nao explained, as a finger reached for the monkey, who carefully touched him and let out a small chirp-like sound, something Sun Nao replied with one of his own before looking to the others.

He also listened to Strange and, afterwards, Prudence, who both assured him he should stay, so he did.

"I know," he replied to Prudence's words about family, "Grandma is the only one who knows about, well, everything, and she is a witch... so she knew about it well before I did. Ma- well, Ma's working a lot, so she rarely even hears when I talk about my life unless it's about my grades... or failures." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "But, that's my trouble to deal with, never mind me. Compared to the guys who took down Enchantress, my problems are nothing. " He smiled at her; he was starting to recognize her now. Sun Nao had seen her before inside the vision Strange showed him from the fight with the Enchantress, and Madame Moon had been among them. He joined the witch in the next room and was starting to get familiar with the Sanctum now and also got the sensation that the building liked him... in spite of his carelessness with the doors.

Sun Nao gracefully made himself comfortable in a soft armchair. "We got some fresh fruit, doc?" He asked as the little marmoset climbed out onto his shoulder before making her way onto his head, grasping his hair tightly. Someone more perceptive could instantly tell, or sense, that the little monkey was also pregnant. "I can do some things..." He replied with a bright smile, happy to the change of subject. "Before I started training with Strange, my divine father focused on teaching me Yōjutsu, mostly about transfiguration and replication. I'm rather good at the latter, not so the former." He began to think about what he should add, leaving the details of his current lessons to Strange, and he decided to explain his other powers first. "I can also throw a car as if it were a baseball. I don't need to breathe, and I can topple people over if I blow really hard. Grandma also told me that my body has been purified from toxins, and I'm very resistant to poisons, toxins and diseases. I can summon a cloud to fly on... uh... oh, and I can talk with Monkeys." He reached to scratch the marmoset.

His position withstanding, Sun Nao was indeed just a boy, having the natural reactions a teenager would. As well as the plights that came with living at such an age. A journey of finding oneself, particularly when part of you was veritable royalty. Granted, those titles carried varying meanings and levels of importance. The title was obviously important to the young prince. One that Prudence had no desire to ignore. Her attention was turned to the miniscule monkey, giving her a playful smirk, accompanied by a wink.

Prudence had never had a pet of her own, aside from the familiars she conjured or those who made their own way to Miss Robichaux's. But she knew for certain that animals were among the purest creatures to grace the planet. Just as complex, if not more, than the homo sapiens and its various sub-species. Hearing of the prince's rescue efforts confirmed her assumptions about his nature. And she supposed that his affinity with everything simian (and otherwise) had a little something to do with it.

Sun Nao was certainly dutiful in satisfying her queries. His open nature spoke volumes. She could only hope the same went for the line of work he had signed up for. Time would tell. But it was clear that the youngling wasn't without his own share of baggage. It was endearing, not just an eager pupil wrapped up in a furry tail.

"Darling, matters of the heart carry equal importance to the global calamities that so often threaten us. Neglecting either can bring untold ruin."

Prudence's words echoed with wisdom. She spoke with experience. Difficult not to, at her age and the path she had walked on.

She took a seat, the fabric of her dress mimicking the one of the comfortable chair. Prue removed her beige, suede gloves, resting them on the table beside the cup she then grasped with an exciting anticipation. The warm tea coated her tongue with the flavors she requested. She let out a satisfied breath as she took note of Sun Nao's description of his abilities. Not exactly magic in the traditional sense, though demi-gods had the benefit of having a plethora of other abilities bestowed naturally through magic. It was, after all, a primordial force, capable of being... anything.

Prue was about to comment, when Strange chimed in. She turned her head towards him, slightly tilted. Like a curious animal, trying to form a semblance of sense from the words he had just uttered. Now, the innate ability to speak to animals wasn't as common as many expected, yet...

"You need to get out more."

She sounded like something akin to a scolding mother. The Sorcerer Supreme and so limited in seeing what isn't directly in front of him. Perhaps a lesson was in order for more than just the aspiring prince. The took a mental note of it, saving it for later. Now focusing on one of the reasons why she returned to the Sanctum in the first place. Indeed, her business wasn't of vital importance yet. However, it was one that could soon grow into one, if left unchecked. Since Stephen made his interest clear, Prue decided to satisfy that.

"Very well. During my stay back in New Orleans, my beloved Cordelia spoke of, what could only amount to being, a travelling circus. Their tents simply appeared on the edge of the city, disappearing a few days later. We don't know what their goals were, their doings expertly masked by magic. Delia was certain it was dark magic. The aura of it directly clashing with that emanating from the academy."

Taking another sip of her tea, she cleared her mouth before continuing.

"Her investigation bore little fruit, unfortunately. The only thing she managed to gleam was the murmur of a name: Brother Night. The dreadful name notwithstanding, we found nothing on the man. Yet he is someone to keep an eye on. With magic seemingly as strong as he seems to possess, him and his followers could become a problem. I asked Cordelia to keep me informed, should she detect something similar elsewhere. Powerful dark magic, with the added step of concealing most of their goings? My concern is palpable."

Prue let the words settle for a moment.

"Yet I recommend caution and patience. We will invoke the others should this prove to be a larger problem. Until then, I will try to learn as much about him as I am able."