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[rehandle]

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OurPowers contact available at: Dr. Stephen Strange (public/business)
Instagram/Twitter contact available at: strangemagic (personal/stealth account)
Implant contact available at: stephen.strange (meadowlark craus only)

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[rehandle]

[ The door swings inward to let him in, and on stepping through he'll find himself in Stephen's study, a small room with bookshelves lining the walls and a faint amber shimmer covering them to confirm that they are, indeed, in private.

Stephen's perched on the edge of his desk, looking like one wrong word might break the delicate thread by which he is holding onto his neutral guise. ]

Yes?

[dothelokimotion]

[ he takes a deep breath. pride means so little when your life has been emptied our and your future cut short by a broken neck. he can't say he cares. sentiment is a dagger strike and he doesn't doubt that the other lokis would carve him out, if the need was great.

his need is floundering. it's harder and harder to be cut-throat, to be cruel when you look back. ]

This power has twisted his memories. I can help in that regard, but I cannot draw it out of him. Can you?

[rehandle]

[ Memories. It's the theory that makes the most sense - that Loki hasn't left this world isn't in any doubt for Stephen. Things may work differently in other worlds, but he understands the limits placed upon them by this one all too well, and if nobody else can get out of here it's altogether too convenient that some random entity has found a way to project others back.

As for the question, though... ]

I don't know. He seems intent on holding on to the deal he made. Unless his mind can be changed, we'll be fighting two battles at once trying to separate them and we don't know what harm this thing can do.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki lets out a low hiss. ]

You cannot change his mind. In this illusion, he has everything he wanted. His life, his brother, his story. He doesn't have enough here that he'll fight for it.

[rehandle]

[ It's horrible to hear - poor kid - but it is what it is so he doesn't linger on it. This Loki isn't the one who needs convincing. ]

Sure. But if you untangle his memories enough that it's clear he was sold nothing in exchange for his soul, we'll undermine the thing that has him. If the deal's off, that's one less player to fight when the time comes to extract whatever entity it is.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki shakes his head, unconvinced. he highly doubts it'll be clear. or that it'll end well. ]

Do you know the cardinal rule of illusions, magician? The one we pass down? Even we are not immune to losing our sense of reality to an illusion.

It may be clear, but he will not be grateful.

[rehandle]

[ A sigh. But fine - he's not going to contradict Loki on Loki business. ]

Fine. We'll have to find another way.

[dothelokimotion]

We can only handle the demon.

The rest is up to him. And the other Loki. It is their history they must confront.

[ they will have to decide. ]