10914/New Threads

New Threads
Date of Scene:	26 April 2022
Location:	The Midnight Mission
Synopsis:	Jon stops by the Midnight Mission early morning and delivers coffee to Mr. Knight (Marc). They talk about a possible dangerous foe and what death truly means to both of them.
Cast of Characters:	Marc Spector, Jonathan Sims

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Marc Spector has posed:
    The Midnight Mission is quiet as it often was in the earlier hours of the day, it's brownstone facade clean and unmarred by graffiti or work paint that often adorns such structures in large cities. The inside is as tranquil and quiet as usual. The ambient sounds of a distant rolling brook and tropical birds lend the temple a sense of peace that only comes from the most pleasnt of oases in the depths of a desert.

    Moon Knight, under the guise of Mr. Knight, stands before his newest addition to the decor of the temple. Things had changed for the man who was one of his second in command. Jonathan Sims is no longer an instrument of the god of scribes and wisdom and as such Thoth, while revered as a diety of the moon, is no longer in session among their court. Instead the 25 foot statue of a tall female in a deep red sheath dress stands among the statues inside the Mission.

    Ma'at is as replendent as Khonshu and Bast befor her. Perhaps moreso due to the amount of color she confers in contrast to the two other statues. Where Khonshu is stark white and Bast black with gold accents, Ma'at is bronze, and red--flecks of some red gem (possibly ruby) sparkled in her dress as the dim lights of the temple play over it. Her wings, great and outspread, (covering easily as much in length as her height,) are a deep, luminous green. A well versed stonemason would have little trouble identifying the jade, but would likely be absolutely baffled by how much of it was needed for each feather of the great spread vulture wings on the piece. The feather at her head, the mark of her station, is golden and shimmered against the lights of the locale.

    "He'll be here soon" Mr. Knight says to the statue, his tone reverent. "You won't have to be veiled any longer. I promise." While it was unlikely the goddess of justice and truth listens to him, as his voice was that of the Moon, still it was good to pay homage to her likeness.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The Archivist hasn't been avoiding the Midnight Mission, not deliberately. He saw Marc at Lydia Dietrich's birthday party, but otherwise he's hardly seen his fellow avatar nor frequented this area of Queens in nearly two months. The one time he did come back, it was a brief matter, to join the group in traveling to Ravencroft and dealing with the Uraean Brood. Otherwise, he's not been so busy that he refuses Marc's calls or ignores his texts, but there's always an air of 'preoccupied' around the man. There's been a universe to save and a whole other mystical group to oversee.

    Perhaps it's not entirely surprising--after all, when he'd been spending a great deal of time here before, he'd been acting in his capacity as a temple scribe and priest of the ancient Egyptian gods. This had been a temple of faith for him, a place to interface with the deities he's come to serve. In the past few months he's sailed the river of Duat, spoken for the Sun God, merged with Ma'at, and been reborn as her avatar in possibly a more direct manner than even Moon Knight himself. In most ways, the Archivist doesn't need the Midnight Mission anymore. Why go to a temple to pray to his gods when he can /embody/ one of them?

    Being a priest, however, is not merely about serving the gods. It's also about serving others who turn to those gods, or those who need aid in general. It's about being part of a community with the others who serve. Jon may not need an interface to communicate with his gods anymore, but now /he/ is such an interface. So whatever his other duties, he knows he needs to come by this place more often, check in with Moon Knight and the Heliopolitans.

    Besides, he's moving back to the city, and he has portals now. It's just /easier/ to get to Queens these days.

    The deep green cardigan and gold-rimmed glasses Jon wears are things that Marc has seen quite often, but much else has changed outwardly about his friend. His hair's much longer, falling over an undercut in violet-hued curls past his shoulders. Instead of a button-down beneath the cardigan, he's wearing a simple t-shirt, and both cardigan and t-shirt have an empty sleeve that he makes no effort to hide. Instead of slacks and loafers, he's wearing jeans and Converse sneakers. Despite looking far more casual, he walks with confidence as he enters the temple, shoulders held straight, head held high, an unconscious change.

    They're carrying a tray from Starbucks; the scent of coffee wafts through the temple as they come in. "Morning! Coffee? I know you'd have to lower that mask to enjoy it, but--" They cut off, blinking at the statue of Ma'at. It's impossible to miss, after all.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Mr. Knight turns to Jon and peels off the mask covering his features. There's a bit more stubble, but otherwise Marc is as always, Marc. "Raise, actually" he says as he tucks the mask into an inside coat pocket. He approaches his old friend and offers to take the tray.

    "I take it it's met with approval?" he asks his hands taking the tray to steady it as much as to take over the weight "Don't worry. The Jade is lab created, I wouldn't deplinish the world's supply for something like this, it's significant, but not -that- significant." He claps Jon on the arm. "Come. Sit. We didn't have time to talk last time. We can now." He gestures to a small seating area in the shadow of the great cat statue opposite Ma'at.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I... wasn't thinking about that, actually." The provenance of the statue's materials is the last thing on Jon's mind at the moment; it's the presence of the statue /itself/ that makes them gape. "I don't... why..." Their brow furrows and they peer at Marc.

    The tray carries more than coffee; the man brought a couple of croissants as well. Letting Marc take the tray, Jon drops into a chair, still peering at the statue. Finally he manages, "Why not Isis? Why not... Ra? Osiris? If we're... branching out from moon gods, I mean." His brow furrows in a manner Marc's all too familiar with; more than once, in their therapy sessions, Jon looked at his patient as though he were a particularly difficult puzzle to be solved.

Marc Spector has posed:
    "Because the Midnight Mission isn't about the moon. It's about helping people, Jon" Marc replies with a smile as he distributes the croissants and the coffee. "It was only coincidence that all three had ties to the moon before. These three" he gestures to the triad of statues, his hand ending with Bast, "is about who holds power among our group. In this case: Tara, you, and I."

    "I had to make a decision before between Neith and Thoth... I went with Thoth because..." he glances aside and then shrugs as if giving concession to his thoughts. "Well to be honest, Neith is scary. Now... with things changing for you, the connection is more direct and that makes my choice of statuary to represent your power here... easier." He bites into the croissant and sips some of the coffee to wash it down.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon waves a hand as Marc names Neith. "Her name is not to be spoken, you know that. And anyway, Thoth was more appropriate... Neith is on an entirely different level from the others. Literally; if I'm understanding things correctly she's actually an aspect of Gaea, who's a different sort of being an entire order of magnitude beyond the other gods. At least."

    A guilty sort of expression crosses the Archivist's face as he takes the coffee marked for himself and sips at it. "I've been remiss about the duties that come with that power," he admits. "There's only so much time in the day, and this whole 'saving the universe' business..." He shakes his head. "Well, it's done now, but I'd have understood if you asked me to step back or step down. I have the Justice League Dark to think about, and SHIELD, after all."

    A hesitation, and then he says, "I closed down my practice. Don't have the time, really, and... well. I've been having ethical concerns for a while now, you know that."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc nods. "And I don't begrudge you in your other duties. You were helping the entire universe and I'm fairly certain that the gods are understanding if you weren't doing it from here." He shakes his head. "You're not the leader of our little group. You're there to coordinate in case I have any issues or in the case that Steven or Jake or Khonshu himself decides to drive around for a bit. That affords you some time to do other things, like lead the JLD."

    He sips more of the coffee. "Are you happy with that decision?" he asks. "I mean, was it made because of necessity or because you were forced to do it?" This isn't a new game for either of them. Many of their sessions were focused on one questioning the other and it wasn't always Jon asking the questions.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I mean... I'll admit that the easiest way to make sure I keep my license to practice medicine was to shut down my practice before anyone opens an investigation into the fact that I'm dating a former patient," Jon says with a smirk. "I had my own concerns, though, about the feasibility of keeping up an official practice when so many of my patients would be potential friends or teammates. I mean... I'm a member of the Justice League Dark, which attaches me to the Justice League. I've befriended several Gotham vigilantes, and Titans Tower recognizes me as a guest. My girlfriend and her best friend work with the Avengers. One of my good friends is engaged to a leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. I can help people still, but I can't give them the impartiality that the doctor-patient relationship requires."

    He sighs. "Besides... I just don't have /time/. The Justice League Dark got a new base in the course of the fight with the angels, and we need to get that settled. Even if the Chief..." He hesitates, frowns, takes a drink of coffee. "Even if SHIELD /has/ been lax about asking me for reports, I'm still on call. And that's not even thinking about how busy the Archivist is /without/ all of that. I'd offloaded most of my patients as it was." A shrug.

    He looks up and over at the statue of Khonshu. "And even aside from all of that? The man I was died on the end of Saint Michael's sword. The psychiatrist, the healer, the... frightened man who hated violence and sometimes wished he could somehow go back to his quiet life... whatever vestiges of him I still had hanging on me got left behind in Duat. Everyone around me thinks I'm still me, and I suppose I am, but I'm not... quite the me I used to be. If that makes any sense."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc huffs out a chuckle. "Preaching to the choir, Jon" he says. "I've died more times than I can count and I've come back different every time. So... yes it makes plenty of sense. Dying is a process even if it doesn't stick. You discard things that no longer matter you pick up new things that hold more import." He sips his coffee and holds up a gloved hand. "You gain new titles some of the time."

    "What matters is that you keep the core of yourself together through it all. Your beliefs, your dreams, -that- you can't truly let go of. What's outside of all that: hair, clothes, appearance, names... it's all transitory." He bites another chuck from the croissant. "I think you did the right thing, given all that you've told me. And you can still offer advice of a therapeutic nature without having the practice. Sure you call it advice instead of treatment, but it all boils down to the same thing in the end."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon frowns at Marc for a long moment. There's something in that frown, irritation maybe, and that might be why it seems that he chooses his next words carefully, taking time to eat about half his croissant and drink some more coffee before finally speaking again.

    "When you die... do you travel Duat? Even just the first time, did you?" He raises his eyebrows, expression curious.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc frowns. "It's not something I like to talk about..." he shakes his head. "But I suppose you deserve an answer. I get to the Hall of Judgement and then I'm pulled out. Every single time. I don't think Khonshu want's me to be judged. Because I think he knows where I'll go." There's sadness there. "I'm just more food for Ammit in the end." He looks to the statue of Khonshu. "And he's not done with me yet."

    "I've never gone the Path of Kings, but the commoners road isn't a picnic either. Though demons and monsters aren't exactly novel fights for me, even without his blessings I can handle my own well enough." He pauses and frowns. "Why do you ask?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs and settles back. "Because I am a medical doctor, so I know damn well that the heart stopping or even brain activity ceasing briefly is /not/ the same as one's entire body disintegrating. If it had not, if I'd been able to be immediately revived, my soul would have lingered for a few minutes and then popped right back into my body. I wouldn't have lost those pieces of myself that got stripped in the fires and eaten by Geb. I wouldn't have gone down into the darkness and learned things souls are not meant to know until they're dying for good."

    He looks down at his hand, frowning. "I wouldn't have decided to stay down there. It's only because of Cael, and the people who got her down there, that I've come back. I was /dead/, and I had accepted that on every level. And it's just... I keep wondering... did Jonathan Sims really come back? Or is he dead, and Ma'at's just... manifesting him for his loved ones until they're dead too?"

    His jaw shifts. "This isn't even my body anymore, you know? I... I've been wondering if I even /need/ to eat. To drink. Or even if it'd weaken me not to... would Ma'at just step in and provide the energy to keep going? Am I even... human anymore?" He huffs out a sigh. "It's just... every time I talk to someone who's 'died and come back' they brush it off. Death is no light matter, however many times you've faced it."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc chuckles. "You're greatly misunderstanding my meaning if you think I'm brushing off dying" he says. "It's a process and an important one. Being an avatar of a god is different for everyone. I need food. I need sleep. I need to breathe. Even when he's in the driver seat I need those things. Some people don't. You should probably explore that in the times in between. Go without food for a while... see if you get hungry. If you do. You need food. I know sleep is a weird one for you... but I suspect you still need it."

    He shakes his head and takes a longer draw of his coffee. "What I mean to say is that if you want to talk about what dying meant to you... if you need a place to unload all that, I'm fine being that person, Jon. You're a friend and a good one at that. I wouldn't have asked you to help me corrale the other cats in the Heliopolitan's if I didn't value your friendship." He smiles. "You came to me for advice before it happened and I gave it. That's not going to change just because it happened and it's over with. I'm still here if you want advice or an ear."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    For a moment sheer terror flickers through Jon's expression at the mention of going without food for a while. "Ahh... no," he says firmly. "I'll... just keep on eating, that's fine." He stuffs the rest of the croissant in his mouth and starts picking crumbs off the bag it came in, as if that were the only food he was going to get all day.

    Dying's not the only thing bothering the Archivist. It's not even close to the top ten, really.

    "I did want to talk about it, though. We're in a unique sort of position. You're the person I know who's gone through the closest thing to what I have that I'm aware of. I wonder if this was more common, back when our ancestors... I mean, was the Pharoah /actually/ an avatar of Horus or Ma'at or both? Were there avatars walking around regularly...?"

    He looks up after a moment, expression softening, and adds, "Even if... even if you're meant for Ammit... even if there's too much chaos and /ifset/ in your heart for you to pass to the Field of Reeds... that's not oblivion, Marc. Not anymore." He smiles, sympathetically. "We fixed that. Your soul will return to the World Tree and be reborn. You'll have another chance. So don't fear it too much, your final judgement. Souls can't be destroyed. We're all part of the Presence, in the end, and we'll return to Them when all is said and done. Even a potential sojourn in Paradise won't last forever; that's not what souls are for."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc listens to Jon for a moment and then laughs. "Well that's good then... still, I think giving up his tie isn't something Khonshu is ready to do so dragging me from the brink is the plan each time." He shrugs. "You sound more the priest than I do, Jon. You sure you don't want an suit of all white and a mask? We're of a height you could stand in as Mr. Knight here and there on occasion if you wanted. Say you're on a diet... that's something priests do."

    He chuckles to show his joking nature of it all and then sobers. "But seriously. That's good to know that Oblivion isn't what awaits me when it's all said and done. That there is hope for another go on the ride of life." Another sip of the coffee, and he sighs in contentment.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smirks at Marc for a moment. "I don't wear a mask. Didn't you see the interview I gave the Daily Planet? The whole world knows Jonathan Sims is the Archivist, at least potentially. Secret identities are hard for an avatar of Truth."

    They sigh, and glance over at the statue. "It's strange. Sometimes I forget other people... /worship/ Ma'at. Not as much as other gods, but... I /should/ come by and tend the temple. I, ahh... we're moving back to Manhattan. I think Agnes might like to come by more often, too. She needs to be out and about more, you know?"

    Then they focus back on Marc. "How are you? Last time I saw you, you were... very badly injured." They frown. "I should have checked on you, but I was... I was having some issues. Potentially being mind controlled. I hadn't quite settled in myself yet, hadn't become... confident in my power."

Marc Spector has posed:
    "I would be lying if I said I was fine then" Marc replies. "Another trip through the fires and gates. But another jerk back to my body as the Moon set" he says. "Bushman has always been a thorn in my side and adding vampiric powers to him didn't make him any easier to deal with. But... he's gone and so are his followers."

    Morrigan helped me get back to speed on moving around" he adds and then nods contemplatively. "It'd be nice for you and for her to come by more often. Having her here when she was around was pleasant. Added a sense of warmth to the place... for obvious reasons. I think the place could use more than just my of Frenchie's presence. There are a lot of people that come looking for help and I can't be here all the time. More hands on deck to offer comofort or advice would be good."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, for what it's worth... I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'll be around more often." Jon smirks. "Go out on patrol, maybe even. We ought to spar some time, actually. Have you ever used a khopesh?" That /is/ a change from the Archivist Marc used to know; he's /grinning/ at the idea of sparring with Moon Knight.

    More soberly, he goes on, "What are your plans going forward? The Uraeans are taken care of, but I'm worried about the man who had Agnes' blood." He glowers. "Called me 'pretender.' Hmph."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc nods. "I've fought with one briefly..." he replies in response to the kopesh comment. "It's a tough weapon to master. But sure I can see if I can give you any pointers on form." At the mention of the man from Ravencroft he sobers. "He's on my radar. I went back to Ravencroft to see if I could find anything on him... but it was deserted" he replies. "I too am a little worried. Flame focused powers and calling you pretender makes me think he's connected to Ra or Horus somehow... and both of those figure's powers in the hands of a patient in Ravencroft who was influenced by Bushman is not something I want to go toe to toe against."

    Marc sighs. "I think I'm going to take it easy for a little bit though. If he's going to be a true threat, he'll come to me... he all but has to if he wants to get my attention." He runs a hand through his thick hair and shrugs. "What about you? Just going to work with the JLD on your base and figure out what the next mystical disaster is going to be so you can head it off before it becomes earth shattering?" he grins to indicate the jest.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Oh, it's Ra," Jon says firmly. "He even said so, but you were busy with Bushman at the time. 'I am Amon Ra. I am the Sun King. I am the god above gods.' After I pumped him full of ICER bullets." He rolls his eyes. "Threatened to burn me alive, that'll be fun."

    A sigh, and they cross their legs. "I'm going on vacation with the family soon... skiiing in Austria. I need a chance to focus on them, I haven't had much lately. And then... well... yes, getting the base settled, making sure the team's doing well. There's a friend of mine that's gone missing, I'm helping her family track her down. In Wonderland, actually, which... well, turns out an avatar of Order and Balance is... tasty to the Jabberwock?" What /is/ his life now that people wanting to eat him and burn him alive is becoming commonplace?

    "I think we ought to look into this 'Sun King' business, though. They attacked Agnes, mystically, during the Winter Solstice... and summer would be a natural time for a god of the sun to declare himself." They shake their head. "Bloody hell," they mutter. "If it isn't one thing, it's another."

Marc Spector has posed:
    "That's the line of a super hero if I've ever heard one" Marc replies with a chuckle. "I suppose the transformation was inevitable really." He nods. "Then I'll see what more I can find on him and see if Khonshu has any insight on how to fight someone with the power of Ra." He looks minorly concerned. "Last I heard, he was rather formidable. If this Sun King has even a fraction of that power... we might have some trouble on our hands."

    He finishes off the coffee. "You need any help with moving back in? I can have Steven send some quality secure moving trucks care of Spector Corp if you want?" he offers. "As a favor for a friend."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon glowers at Marc. "People keep /saying/ that. I was told I'm a /badass/ the other day." He pushes his glasses up his nose as if to emphasize that he's a /nerd/, thank you very much. "I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around being a... a /superhero/." He sighs. How 'superhero' is weird but 'I spoke for Ra' isn't... well... who knows?

    He shakes his head. "I can make portals now... we'll just move things that way, it'll be relatively easy. And most of the furniture stayed since the place we've been in was already furnished. It's more... going through Lyra's old things, moving in Agnes', cleaning up the old place. It's terrible dusty. But... thank you for the offer."

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc nods. "Well... if you need me, you know where to find me" he says finishing off his coffee, rising from the chair. "I'll let you know if I find anything about this Sun King... either through channels here or elsewhere. I'll prod my contacts up north, see if anything shakes out."

    He smiles. "And I look forward to seeing you and Agnes both more around here. I'm sure they" he gestures to the statues, "will be happy to see you both as well." He reaches back into the coat and pulls on the mask of Mr. Knight once again, but it's clear any facade of Mr. Knight being any different from Marc himself has been discarded. Now, it's just a mask for other's sake more than his own.