Chapter Text
"Looks like we're not a moment too soon," thinks Steven to the others, as Moon Knight soars to the highest point of the little town. It's all hills upon hills, rows of charming colorful houses clustered along steeply-angled streets, until you get to this mansion...and there's a whole throng of locals facing off against the half-dozen sorcerers trying to quarantine the building.
"Y que lo digas," mutters Jake. (As usually happens in Spanish-speaking countries, he's been firmly in front since they landed at Matecaña International.)
It's deep into the night, and the big house doesn't have any lights on except a candle in a window, but there's a surprising amount of brilliance coming off the new magic fence around it. Jake lands on one of the Spanish-tiled rooftops on the lower side of the road, and searches for familiar faces behind the gold.
A familiar face sees them first. Part of the shield gets shorter, and when they look, there's Wong beckoning them through.
Jake takes a flying leap (getting just enough lift to make sure their cape does a cool flare), lands in a three-point stance beside the Sorcerer Supreme, and gives him a polite nod as they stand. "Hola, El Supremo. ¿Qué pasa?"
"Oh, thank all the Fates, you speak Spanish," says an exhausted Wong. "All our fluent sorcerers are handling a crisis in Peru. Will you please help us convince these people that the House of Shadows cannot be allowed to remain in their town?"
"That's the House of Shadows?" echoes Jake, shifting his brain awkwardly back into English. "The one that's not actually a house, it's a shapeshifting psychic monster doin' a house impression? The one Strange keeps banishing from this dimension? It's a fancy country villa with a rainbow paint job an' flowers all over?"
"Yes!"
"Keeps coming back, huh," thinks Marc bitterly. "Maybe it's just too stupid to realize nobody wants it around."
"Sounds like these people do want it, though," counters Steven. "Maybe it could just...stay here, this time?"
Out loud, Wong is still talking. "Strange will arrive shortly. Probably. We simply need to keep all innocent bystanders at a safe distance until then."
"Sure. I'll talk to 'em." Jake gestures at the shield like he's opening a sliding door. "Can you just..."
Once he's on the same side as the locals, he starts asking questions. What's with the full-blown midnight protest? Has the House turned over a new leaf, and started making friends with humans, instead of luring them inside its walls and slurping out their minds like a juice box?
...No. No, it hasn't.
But the town, already a scenic tourist attraction, has been booked solid ever since it appeared.
And they've decided the rush of extra income is worth a few brain-slurped foreigners (the count is already up to three) who never come back out! Still all-around safer than hosting a drug cartel. Or a call center full of cryptocurrency scammers. Or a rich American expat with clinical paranoia.
"Los turistas?" echoes Jake, looking back up at the House. What's the appeal? Sure, it's a pretty building, but...
He sways in place under the force of an urgent infodump. From...Ruby?
"Hey, Wong!" calls Jake through the shield. "What if we don't wait for Strange? What if we just...sic Disney's lawyers on this thing?"
The Sorcerer Supreme looks baffled. "For what purpose...?"
"You don't watch those movies? Never put 'em in your marathons with Madisynn?" Jake gestures to the House. "This thing's doin' an unauthorized cosplay of the house from Encanto."
Three stories. Walls in yellow, pink, and lavender. Flowering bushes piled all over the tiered rooftops. Friendly green door. Candle in the window. Yeah, that's a dead ringer for Casa Madrigal.
One of the shield-maintaining sorcerers, a dark-skinned woman with short fluffy hair, gapes at them. "Khonshu's Fist of Vengeance is a Disney guy?" Then, awkwardly looking for help from the next initiate over: "Khonshu's Fists are a Disney guy?...are Disney guys?..."
Oh. The reveal of "all three Moon Knights live in the same head" is just...common knowledge with the sorcerers now.
The Knights share a flash of angry suspicion -- did Wong tell everyone? Did Strange break his word? -- but no, that's not fair. They've been in so many multi-sorcerer fights by now, doing a range of floridly-plural things, and they weren't exactly briefing every single witness with their cover stories afterward. Co-workers gossip. Of course people were going to put it together.
With the most brisk calm he's ever faked, Jake announces, "Khonshu's Fists of Vengeance sometimes have to babysit an eight-year-old."
(He doesn't add "the sometimes-eight-year-old also lives in our head." That part, at least, is still need-to-know.)
☽
They do some negotiating. Jake helps the locals convey that they could settle for a permanent Casa Madrigal illusion, as long as the photo op is still good. Then helps the sorcerers convey that even the full might of Kamar-Taj doesn't want to tangle with Disney's lawyers either.
About half an hour into this, Strange portals onto the scenic hillside. Wielding the silver amulet that glows pink with the Spells of the Omnipotent Oshtur. Ready to go in.
"Actually," says Jake, when Strange asks if Moon Knight is coming this time. "Is it cool with everyone if we go in alone first?"
"Uhhh." Strange exchanges an unsure look with Wong. "To do...what?"
"Warn it that you folks are standing out here with the Necklace of the Amazing Whatshisface. Give it a chance to leave peacefully on its own."
"It would be completely irresponsible of us to allow that," says Wong firmly.
Another sorcerer, androgynous with a shaved head, murmurs a question to him in Sanskrit.
"The multiplicity of souls is no defense against such a foe!" scolds Wong. "It will simply give this creature more to eat!"
Strange keeps his attention on the Knights: "...Unless you guys have a plan for that."
Jake nods. "We do."
"Any chance you want to fill me and Wong in?"
No, not really. If the sorcerers knew the full plan, they'd probably call it crazy. Probably be right, too. "Mysterious moon things."
Wong sighs. "You may have half an hour. Then Strange is coming in to rescue you. If that is still possible."
Strange rolls his shoulders; the Cloak of Levitation hops off of them. "And if you're making the rest of us wait here...it's dangerous to go alone. Take this."