10954/The JLD Wants YOU! ...To Be In Charge

The JLD Wants YOU! ...To Be In Charge
Date of Scene:	28 April 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room
Synopsis:	Jon invites Sara and Rien to step up and join him as leaders of the Justice League Dark. With their new Trinity in place, the three discuss changes and plans for the future.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Rien D'Arqueness, Sara Pezzini

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Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon has called Sara and Rien to the Velvet Room to discuss something important, and he's brought cookies from his favorite bakery because this is evidently tradition now. Also because cookies are delicious. He's sitting at the bar with the boxes of cookies and a travel mug of black coffee into which he's poured a generous amount of whiskey, listening to the Velvet Room's piano playing.

    As the two women enter and get settled, he says, "Thank you both for coming... I wanted to see you together so we could save some time. How're you doing?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien arrives by way of her key, the setting behind her a run-down apartment that could be anywhere but is probably somewhere in New York City. She smelled the cookies as soon as she entered, her smile broadening as she heads towards the bar, "Fresh cookies, you know how to do meetings right." She reaches over the bar to fish out a bottle of water before settling onto one of the stools.

Sara is given a nod and smile as she uncaps the bottle to take swallow. Rien nods to Jon with a shrug, "Getting along. Trying to work some stuff out with Robbie and Eli, so that's interesting. How about yourself? Excited for that vacation yet?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara arrived with a tiramisu in hand, seems she had visited her aunt recently or perhaps her aunt forced the aked goods on her, as usual. She was dressed in her usual jeans, turtle neck with no sleeves and a leather jacket over it all to help conceal her police issue side arm.

"No problem at all Jon," she offers as she sets the tiramisu on the table. "Please eat that," is then added as she moves to get herself a cup of coffee and a cookie, then sits down.

"Things are..." and she stops, staring at Rien for a moment before shoving the cookie in her mouth. She needed a moment to let Witchblade scream through her head, and it's a damn good cookie. Once swallowed she continues speaking. "Good, things are good right now."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon brightens visibly at the tiramisu, reaching over to snag a piece with a bright grin. "Your aunt should open a bakery or something, I would pay a lot of money to get this every day." He conjures up a fork, and adds, "I invited Robbie to be a full-time member, and he accepted... and there's more to say about that." Ooof. "And the vacation...? Yes, actually, I am. It'll be nice to have some time with the family." He smiles. "But first..."

    He looks around at them. "So... Phoebe's stepping down from leadership of the JLD. We've needed a third leader anyway, for a while now, but now we need /two/ people." He gestures with his fork, generally in their direction. "After some consideration, and consulting with Phoebe on her ideas... I've decided to invite the two of you to step up. Not as my seconds--as equal leaders, with the same power I've got. Jointly making decisions, presumably two of us could override the third."

    He raises his eyebrows. "So... first off, do you accept?" He takes a bite of tiramisu while waiting for their answers.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Picking up one of the cookies, Rien nibbles on it as Jon and Sara talk, her eyes lingering on Sara for that long moment of silence. She finishes off the cookie before glancing to Jon with a nod, "There usually is with Robbie. We can talk after if you want." Then she's sipping on her water again and finishing off the cookie because... it's a tasty cookie!

Her brows climb slowly, but at the end of it, she glances from Jon to Sara, then back to Jon, her expression shifting into one of consideration. Weighing things carefully, at least as much as one can in the span of a few moments, then gives a nod. "You know that I am here to help. I'll look forward to working with you both."

"You know it's probably a good thing you landed on two strong personalities. We're not just herding cats, we're herding a group of Schroedinger's cats." Rien chuckles softly and leans back against the bar, "I'm looking forward to this."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Reaching to take another cookie, Sara just holds it for a moment. At Jon's words Witchblade actually shut up, stopped ranting about Eli and Robbie, giving her a moment of peace to think.

"She's been considering opening a bakery," she offers with a grin. "One of those, only open certain days, come get it while you can, make special order places."

Taking a sip of her coffee, she nibbles a little at the edge of this cookie, now that she didn't have to keep her mouth busy to stop herself from blurting out something Witchblade might want said. "Several months ago," she begins, setting the cookie down. "I offered to step up and help out in any way that was needed, at the time it was regarding leadership. That offer remained on the table, even up to this moment in time. So yes, I'm willing to accept."

There is a pause there, her head canting slightly. "Witchblade agreed to follow you Jon, that hasn't changed. When push comes to shove, he will answer to you after me. I'm sorry to be blunt here, but he tends to be that way... he has no opinion on you Rien. He remembers making the blade while in hell, and that you accepted what needed to be done without flinching, but he doesn't know you..." Her eyes shift between the two for a moment as she speaks, but land on Jon. "He and I have a much stronger bond now, so if either of you are concerned about him just taking over... it likely will not happen again, unless something very drastic happens to me."

Sitting back a little in the chair, she crosses one leg over the other, ankle to knee, "She's right about herding cats, though at times it's more like herding Tasmanian devils. It's honestly going to take the three of us to get any kind of team work out of this group."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, congratulations, then." Jon gestures to the cookies. "Those are, ahh, sort of a tradition I snagged from SHIELD. The Chief, Peggy Carter, she..." He stops, frowns. Clears his throat. "She brought me cookies when I got promoted, it's... well, usually she throws a party, but this was right when the siege of Manhattan began, there wasn't time. And then I got some for Phoebe, so it kind of... stuck."

    A shrug. "Anyway! Thank you, too. Honestly. We /need/ strong personalities. For one thing... people who can tell me to take a damn break, people I know will listen to and trust me. For another... like it or not, we /fight/. There were other people I considered, other people Phoebe suggested... but there's a kind of... you need to not freeze in a battle, you know? I mean... you two know that better than I do." He chuckles. "You've both been doing this longer than I have."

    He sighs. "Herding cats, yeah. Gods. That's one of the things... I wanted to know if either of you thought we needed any major changes to how things work. Right now, it's kind of... we decide someone's a good fit, the leaders agree they should be a member, they're a member. Which is a major step up from 'literally everyone the unConstantine ran into getting an invite.'" He rolls his eyes. "But... we've already got some... clashes between members. Do we offer space to work that out? Do we... claim territory and say people have to consult us before operating in that territory?"

    Oh, these are /clearly/ not hypothetical questions. Erk.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"No offense taken, Sara. You're right, we don't have much of a relationship just yet... so that's something we'll have to work on. There will be opportunity aplenty to have one another's backs in bad situations, I have no doubt about that, but beyond that we need to know that we can work together even when everything -isn't- going sideways." Rien offers a quick smile towards Sara, dipping a nod towards her before lifting the obttle of water for a sip. "Admittedly, I'm still learning about people that are... sharing space... but I've been getting a rather good crash course in it, so hopefully that won't slow things down too much."

She looks back to Jon and gives a nod, quirking a faint smile, "For what it's worth, I think you chose well. Sara and I are both well-versed in combat, in magic... but more to the point, we can help orvide balance. Dissenting opinion or alternate ideas, without taking it personally if it isn't our viewpoint or idea that's accepted." Rien shifts slightly and crosses her legs to look keep them both in her line of vision. "I assume you mean Zarathos and Eli. I don't know that that's going to have an easy answer. Eli isn't strictly a Spirit of Vengeance in the usual sense. The others are likely going to find him an affront since he's not like them."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara frowns deeply, finger tapping lightly against the side of the coffee cup. Many of the members of the JLD had their own perceived duties above and beyond the JLD, so Jon's questions were actually very logical ones to be asked.

"We can't have members of the JLD fighting each other," she states rather firm and matter-a-factly. "No reason it good enough. If they've been accepted as a member, then they are part of the team, and the team has to be able to rely on each other no matter what."

The coffee mug is set down so that Sara can stand, and begin the talking pace thing that a lot of cops get into the habit of, it helps with the thinking or so they believe. "What that means for us is that we will have to step in, we will have to set down the law regarding interactions between members. If that means telling them to avoid each other, and making sure they never work together, then so be it." She pauses to look between Jon and Rien again. "But the safety of the majority, of those we protect, the work we do... all of that is /far/ more important than petty shit between members. If someone can't accept that, then they know where the door is."

Pulling in a slow deep breath, she moves to sit back down. "As for actual membership, I agree that prospective members should be approved by at least two of us, if not all three. We all think different, approach a situation from different angles, which means each person will basically be passing the 'test'," she adds air quotes there. "from each of us."

And then she stops, takes another slow deep breath and asks, "What the hell happened between Johnny and Robbie?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I didn't /just/ mean them, although that's immediate and pertinent. Cael's still got a problem with Chas, although that's..." Jon runs a hand through his hair, re-settling the faded violet curls with an air of irritation. "They're both being /mature/ about the problem. I took them to the training room," he gestures to the door to said room, "and Cael laid into him. Didn't really help, but I don't know that anything but time will help /that/ issue. But that, and this Ghost Rider business, got me thinking."

    He huffs, and takes a long drink of coffee and whiskey. "When I went to talk to Robbie about joining up... I could see, with magical Sight, the traces of a fight. Robbie actually thought I might've sent Johnny after him." He sighs. "He insisted he can handle it himself, even when I offered mediation. But... this isn't the first time Johnny's gone off and decided someone was worthy of the Ghost Rider's 'vengeance' on his own. He went after Caitlin Fairchild in the middle of the siege. We had a talk, after that, about working with a team, and... he agreed to try."

    A pause. "Here's the thing: Robbie /wasn't/ a member at the time, and Johnny had no way to know he'd been working with us. But that's just it: rather than double-checking with us when he detected the presence of a demon-tainted mortal in New York, which could /easily/ be someone we're either working with or keeping an eye on... he just went off on his own. And if nothing else--what if he got in over his head? New York is our area of operation if nowhere else is, it would behoove members of the JLD to check in if they're operating in this area, I'd think."

    He frowns down at another bite of the tiramisu. "I'd like to get Johnny's side of the story before I rush to condemn him... two incidents does not a pattern make. Still frustrating. And if we need to start laying down rules about what membership means... we need to give people a chance to back out of their current commitment."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I still need to talk with Chas myself, but I think we're looking to meet up over coffee over the weekend. I don't have an axe to grind or anything, I just wanted to check in with him and see if there was anything we could do to help him out, or reintegrate him more smoothly. Just, you know, a general 'hey hows it going' kind of meet up. Plus, you know, getting to know more of the JLD better overall." Rien lifts a small shrug before glancing between Jon and Sara. She sips from her water and lets out a breath, "I think... if they can work it out between themselves, or with mediation, then we'll be fine there. If one or the other is going to carry grudges, though.. that's going to start being an issue that we'll have to deal with."

She looks back to Sara and lifts a shrug, "I just know that they met, and fought. I don't know the particualrs of it yet, but... I will say this much. ANY Ghost Rider is going to have to accept that they are NOT the only or sole hunter, tracker, or judger of the bad or evil. They aren't even the only ones amongst themselves, obviously. Which means any sort of territorial shit needs to end and fast." Her eyes move between Jon and Sara, "That goes as much for Robbie as anyone else, too. He's new and he's young, and... he's a guy. About everything." There's a quick grin flashed towards Jon, who now understands -exactly- what that means! "But he's going to have to compromise and learn to work with or around other people."

That seems to be everything she can offer information wise on THAT particular issue, though she nods towards Jon at the end, "I would agree to that. We need to set down some basic 'get along' guidelines for the group. Anyone that feels they won't be able to hold to that should get the option to back off or back out. It's not like we can't still call people in to help with specific situations, but as a whole, if people are going to be full members, that means all the time. Not just when we're all on a mission."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara actually smacks her forehead lightly on the table and just lays there, staring at the material it's made of. Of course Johnny went off half cocked on his own... again. This wasn't the first time, and honestly it was more than the two Jon knew about, the other times simply weren't against anyone who lived long enough to complain. Were they possible members? She had no way of knowing, but she also knew that Zarathos wasn't easily controlled. That he saw his purpose as something no one should or could be involved in, see also he was a cocky, self centered Spirit of Vengeance. How much of it Johnny gave in to, she didn't know, but she did know that if Zarathos has an issue, Johnny would back him up... unless there was a voice of reason there to stop him.

"Jon," she begins as she sits herself back up. "I can pretty much tell you how that talk would go. Would you like the long or short version? I'm not saying don't do it, in fact I encourage you to try, but I know how Johnny will handle it. I hate to say this, but I'm really the only person he listens to."

Rubbing her face a few times she shakes her head. "Johnny's been a Rider for years. He's been alone, worked alone, and thought he would be alone til the day he finally dies. He doesn't trust easily, he doesn't give an inch to someone he doesn't know. Zarathos is another matter entirely, he believes himself to have the right to do what he wants to achieve his purpose. I was there when Johnny met Daniel, I was there to watch the two men fighting the Rider's inside until they came to an agreement between them. Two men, two Riders, an agreement made. I had hoped to be there when Johnny met Robbie..." she stops there, and again shakes her head. "Johnny's reaction to everything is fight first, and I wasn't lying when I said I was the only one who can stop him, usually with a calm voice of reason, but this? Anyway, Jon... if you want to talk to him, please let me be there for it. I won't say shit, I'll let you do the talking, but I know how this is going to go."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, Sara... you're a leader now, so it's not like I /have/ to talk to him... but you're also his girlfriend, so there might be some... I dunno, if Cael needed a talking-to I'd probably defer to Rien, you know?" Jon shrugs. "I mean... I get it, about working alone, etcetera. Trust me. My Gran would be /furious/ I've handed the Archive to the people I have. She was determined to keep it independent. I mean..." He taps the side of his head. "I've got five thousand years of 'we judge immortals' up in here, and my bloodline goes back to /Atlantis/. I know all about cocky and self-centered."

    He sighs. "But also... we're a /team/. And, hell, that whole business they do? That's my gig, too. Judging souls, and carrying out the sentence. In fact, they're kind of infringing on /my/ territory, going after angels and the like, but again--we're a team. We've got to work together. If the Ghost Rider's running around carrying out sentences on people in New York without bothering to talk to anyone... then what's the point of being on a team?"

    He frowns. "The thing is... it used to be, you just kind of... showed up and helped out, and... hmm. How much do either of you know about how the Justice League Dark began...? Back when it was the Night Brigade, when the... Demon Constantine was running things? I don't think either of you were around then, but... well, for one, the original leader of this whole thing was a meat puppet Constantine had made that a demon got control of." He shakes his head. "It's... the source of a lot of issues, actually. It's still out there, Phoebe sees it as a... lost father figure and mentor, it mind-controlled Chas, it... hurt me." He hunches his shoulders.

    Then they shake themself. "Anyway, point being... at the start, the unConstantine was just handing out these amulets to anyone that showed up and helped in a fight. That was it--first meeting, and he'd let you through all his carefully-constructed wards. No idea who you were, what you could do. The way it was framed, it was 'anyone can show up and help' and that's... true, to a point. I mean, I encouraged Cael to be part of the group despite being the Muggle-est of Muggles. She shows up, she helps, she deserves her place here."

    A huffed-out breath. "It also means that there are people who are technically members that none of the three of us have ever met. It means their blood is in the wards on the Curio--which Lydia and I were talking about taking down, actually. It means... if we're changing things, laying down new rules, we might want to adjust our roster and... I don't know, move people to being 'allies' until we've met them and are sure of them? Let someone like Johnny back out so he can be a lone operator?"

    He glances to Rien. "I'm glad to hear more people are going to see Chas. He needs it. He... he's blaming himself, and he shouldn't. All this angel business started because of him, yes--but because he was trying to protect Phoebe and Geraldine after he found out the unConstantine had been mind-controlling him. He meant well, you know? And Constantine's just... off on bloody honeymoon." He rolls his eyes.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien falls quiet, she hasn't met -Johnny-, but Zarathos is a known name in Hellish circles. Her circles. She's aware of him and his attitude if she hasn't exactly met him yet. As a whole, she tends to give the Riders a wide berth to let them do their thing while she ignores the evil fighting evil and all the evils should be in Hell where they belong. Nope! Ignoring aaaaaaaaaall that. Not the least of which because she would then be bound to send her own boyfriend to Hell. And that's tough on a relationship!

"At some point I'll need to meet Johnny. Doesn't have to be a long meeting or anything overly complicated... but we -should- have had face to face interaction with everyone in the JLD. That we don't? Is disturbing." She nods to Jon's point on that part. "So I am all for combing the roster and trying to reach out to people to meet up. If they don't respond or respond in the negative, then perhaps it's time to remove them from full membership to a liaison or specialist position. Someone that gets called in to help deal with their purview but isn't on the Christmas Card and doesn't get a castle key."

Rien looks to Jon and shrugs, "I think at this point we may need to take down anything of the 'old' stuff and start building fresh. We can start with the castle. Make sure only full members have keys and start prioritizing fleshing this place out so anything that needs to go from the old place to the new can get moved over. That way, if someone DOES crash the old place... well... it's no longer in use." She looks to Sara with lifted brows, "So... we definitely need to find out where Johnny and Robbie are going to fall on the line, but in the overall it looks like a roster refreshing and a move is in order?"

As far as judging souls, I won't claim that as my 'turf'. Demons, though? That's definitely my raison d'etre. Literally. If it starts coming down to it, I'm not afraid to 'deport' some people until they calm the fuck down."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Me being the girlfriend is why I said you should talk to him, Jon," Sara begins, finally picking the coffee back up. "I just want to be there because I know him. Sure, I'll talk to him myself but it will be as the girlfriend and just a member of the JLD, not as a leader... that wouldn't go well to begin with. And just so you know, no Rien, he wouldn't listen to you either, not yet... that's why it has to be Jon."

Staring down into the cup she adds more solomely, "I was there for part of that Jon. The unConstantine tried to kill me and the group who went to hell to bring him and Dr. Strange back. That left a bad taste in my mouth regarding him, and I haven't seen anything from the real one since then, not really... so I just avoid it and what was started by the unhim. What happened through that... it was wrong, but none of us knew until it was too late. We've started to clean up that mess, and we'll continue to do so."

Looking back up she offers a faint smile. "We need to start fresh, start with a clean slate and work up from the ground. It's the only way to form a team. Right now, we're sort of a team with a bunch if wild cats on the edges, it can't stay like that. I saw it through the entire battle with the angels. People willing to fight, but not listen to orders, reason or logic. That path leads to the dark side... yes, Star Wars quote, sue me."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs. "I'll talk to him. He /did/ listen to me. Sort of. Zarathos... almost listened to me? Maybe he'd be more prone to doing so now that I'm an avatar." A snort. "Or maybe not. Maybe a demon wouldn't have any respect for that. But I'll talk to him, make sure you're there. Get his side of this business, and see what we can do."

    He stirs the tiramisu around a bit on the plate. "It's... it's been... hard. The, uhh. The unConstantine, it... among a bunch of gaslighting and emotional abuse, it accused me of trying to take over. Take its group away, take its friends away. I, at least, have been avoiding doing the work that /needs/ to be done because I was afraid I was proving it right. And Phoebe, well... I don't think she saw the need."

    He glances up to Rien. "But the Curio, well, nobody much has been using the place for months. Phoebe, some, but as Lydia and I discussed she can put up new wards. This place... we need to clean out, yes. Full members get a proper key... the room will know we're all leaders now. I don't know /how/ it knows, but it seems to."

    He sits back a bit. "So... at least two of us need to agree on new members. Go through the roster, see who even responds, who wants to keep being a member, who doesn't, who might fit as a consultant or ally. Guidelines... hmm. Consult with the team before running off and working on your own? At least in New York." He grins. "I /do/ have another group I work with, the Heliopolitans, over in Queens... but I'd keep you two apprised if we had any other vampire trouble or what-have-you. But I suppose that's different, isn't it? Working with another team isn't the same as tracking down some poor bloke and giving him the Penance Stare."

    He frowns, and then mutters, "What's the bloody point anyway? Mortals /die/ in time, their souls get judged in the course of that. Why wander around judging /mortals/?" Maybe somebody has personal issues with the Ghost Riders. Or is misunderstanding the point.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien shakes her head at Sara, "I don't want to talk to him as an authority figure... I just want to meet him as someone in a group I'm helping to steer." She settles back and pulls out her cigarettes, shaking one loose and lighting it up to draw on. Exhaling the smoke, she looks to Jon, "Whatever the unConstantine said, I think you can throw all of that right out the window. You're absolutely right to want to go through the roster and determine who actually wants to be here, and who just wants to have the bragging rights and key to the clubhouse."

She nods her agreement to Sara's assessment, "Exactly. This isn't Constantine's JLD. EITHER Constantine. This is our group, and we need to make sure we can trust the people in it to play by the rules we set down. If they can't, then they probably shouldn't be in it." Rien crosses her legs and looks between them, then settles on Jon, "I'll probably lean on you to help with Robbie, too. He's more reachable, I think, but it takes... finessing. And I don't want to cross lines between who I am as his girlfriend and who I am as one of the leaders of the group he's in."

"I can say that I don't really have any other affiliations. I keep tabs on the mutant world for obvious reasons, but I'm not a 'member' of any of their clubs or teams or anything. So I can focus the bulk of my attention here." Rien pauses and purses up her lips, then sighs, "The point of the Spirits of Vengeance isn't even really altruistic. It's to cull more souls for Hell. More souls means more power, sort of like an evil deeds perpetual motion machine. Which is why -technically- I should be hunting the Spirits and sending them back to Hell. But... they generally do good work in keeping the truly evil from inflicting more pain and harm on the world, so I try to just sort of... skirt around it."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara would like to offer Jon some sort of comfort, but she knows they don't like physical contact any more. With Cael, she'd managed to reach a point where she could offer comfort by laying a hand on her shoulder, no hugs that would be too much, just a hand, she wasn't there with Jon yet.

"Sometimes a mortal makes a wrong choice that links them to darkness forever," she says quietly, remembering one such case only a few months after joining with Witchblade. "Sometimes, their is no salvation for them and their death is the only way to protect the rest of the world. I don't pretend to fully understand how the Riders work, why they go out and judge others, mortals and other wise. The only thing I know, from experience, is that for some people death is justice for the crimes they've committed."

Finishing off the cookie she'd nibbled on, she takes another drink of her coffee. "Clean up the past, Curio being one of those things. Establish a new protocol for membership, and just who gets a key to the palace... er... room. Start trying to get people to interact, work as a team, and all the while, keeping sanity when possible while herding cats. Just what the hell was I thinking..." she laughs now. "Too late to run screaming? Yeah? Thought so."

"I met Robbie before Jon did, I think before you did. I've already offered my help, and intent to follow through if he'll let me," she comments, partly to herself, partly to them. "I think it's important that we as leaders establish right now... we are not leaders to our partners. If there is an issue with Cael, Jon can't be expected to, and should not be the one to handle it. Same for Robbie and you, Rien... and Johnny and I. Other wise we might look to be playing favorites."

Another cookie is taken, but just held. "I am part of SHIELD, I am an active member of the Avenger team, and I'm an NYPD detective... but this," she holds up her wrist to show off the double silver bracelet with two red stones. "He is priority, and the JLD feels right to him."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods to Sara, shifting uncomfortably. "I get that," he says. "Maybe I'm a bit territorial myself." A pause. "Mmm... not me. The Archivist. Though that's more me, these days. Still. I need to tamp it down, too."

    He smiles at Rien. "Robbie's a /guy/. I get what you mean, now. I know the type... he mentioned a brother, but the world he lives in, you've got to be tough and no-nonsense to be a 'man.'" He sighs. "I used to do that posturing myself, in different ways, though I had different reasons. But I get that you've got to... approach it carefully. I didn't even ask how he's doing, really. I gave him an opening and he didn't talk about it, and didn't talk about your relationship. Probably private, to him. I think he'll do well, but it'll take time to open up."

    He nods to Sara. "In the field, I can trust Cael to follow my orders, so I don't have a problem leading a mission she's in, say. But yeah, in terms of 'issues' for sure I'd... well, with SHIELD I'd kick the can up to Falcon, actually. So I think that's a good rule. I, ahh... I'm aware I've got /no/ ability to stay mad at Cael past turning around." He grins, a little foolishly. "I mean, if one of /you/ wants to step in with her and Chas... be my guest. My girlfriend and my best mate being at odds is /killing/ me."

    A glance to Rien. "I'm an agent of SHIELD, although they give me a /lot/ of latitude. I'm one of the seconds of the Heliopolitans, although there's a lot of overlap with the JLD and they operate in New York as well. And I mentor a group of young Gotham vigilantes that I can't say /too/ much about, but that's how I know Red Robin."

    He huffs. "The real Constantine left when we needed him most, so he can get buggered for all I care. Might do him some good, actually. I'm over it, and over him. Phoebe isn't, but we'll... deal with that as we deal with it, I suppose."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien nods to Jon with a smile, "I've encountered a lot over the years, including men who were raised to believe that they had to keep everything inside, never let anyone see them sweat or worry. They can't talk about 'feelings' or anything, and they won't open up without some damn good incentive." Her smiles softens, "But he's a good man at heart. Just... in a bad spot. I can get him to open up, and I don't doubt that he can play by the rules."

She runs her tongue over her teeth and nods to Sara, "I'm not suggesting I speak to him as a leader. I'm suggesting I be there to help.. interpret. And mediate. Robbie isn't going to be the one causing problems. I can keep Eli in check." Rien chuckles softly and adds, "I suppose I technically still consult for SHIELD on occasion but... that's really it."

Looking back to Jon, she nods, "I'll test the waters with Chas. If there's something I can do to help mediate with Chas and Cael, I'm only too happy to."

Lifting her water bottle, she takes a swallow, then adds, "Constantine can join us or not. If he's going to be part of it, he's going to have to follow the rules like everyone else. If he doesn't like that he can shove off."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
At the mention of Cael and Chas being at odds, and how it was effecting Jon, Sara drops the cookie she'd taken back onto the plate and leaves it. She wasn't going to get into that level of personal stuff right now, but the fact that Cael was hurting Jon, and hurting herself, over anger and hatred, it started to chew at the back of her brain again. Witchblade of course was no help, his choice of dealing with the matter would be to confront it and cast out the unneeded emotions, but he didn't fully understand the depth of it, and likely wouldn't for a long time.

"I can't help Cael with Chas," she admits softly. "You know I'm in a similar situation myself, but I know your pain Jon, trust me... I know it." She sighs softly, closing her eyes a moment before she snorts out, "Men." Only then does she open her eyes and add, "Manly men, doing manly things, thinking their macho manly ways are how they're supposed to be... don't get me started. I see it every day in dealing with New Yorker males. All that said... Robbie's a good kid, I've seen the light behind the fire in his eyes. Johnny's a good man, he's just been scarred mentally and emotionally so deeply, that he doesn't actually know how to let go of the pain, not yet anyway. I can keep Zarathos in check," she adds at the end with a nod. "Why that is, why he listens to me, is Johnny. It's a strange relationship between the three of us, but I'll take it."

The cookie gets nudged once, as she finally says, "Constantine can go fuck himself. We needed him, he bailed. Fuck him."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "The trouble with Cael and Chas is... that Cael was tortured at Chas' hands, but he was not in control of his body. And she knows that, but seeing his face hurts her. And he knows it, but he feels guilty." Jon sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "And /I/ am furious, not at them, but at... the situation. The whole bloody stupid thing." He looks to Rien. "Maybe talking to someone else will help them both. I don't know. Maybe it just takes time. My concern is... what do we do about meetings, say? Missions? Do they both come and it's awkward and tense? Does one stay away? /Which one/? My gut says Cael comes and Chas stays, but I hate that, and I know I'm biased."

    He sighs. "Which brings me, also, to Phoebe... Batman's been telling her she shouldn't be part of the group, thinks it's bad for her. I know she feels... awkward and left out. Maybe it won't be an issue, maybe it's just been the whole strain of leadership, but it's something to keep an eye on."

    Then he snorts. "I can keep Zarathos in check, by force if I have to. Well. /Ma'at/ can keep Zarathos in check. But she'd rather not go there, and Witchblade's better suited. Still. Let's find a time to sit down and talk to Johnny, see if we /need/ to talk to the both of them together. I'm wary of... mmm. Robbie might take it as... well, okay, one? Robbie /defended/ Johnny. I'd imagine it's a Rider thing? But we can't..." He huffs. "He said the Riders won't care about our roster, but if that's the case they can't /work/ on the team. But still, keeping Johnny from running off as a loose cannon is my primary goal. Any personal issues..." He shrugs.

    A glance to Sara. "Has Johnny been doing this sort of thing more regularly? Going after people? I mean, hell, it'd be nice to know just so we don't worry if we come on a trail or something."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I'll be glad to talk to them, see if we can't figure something out. Some things can really only be healed with time. But they both have to be -willing- to heal." Rien looks at Jon with the faintest of smiles, "Your girlfriend -loves- to hold onto a grudge. Beyond reason, she wants to hold onto anger. That is something I think you might need to help her with. She needs to have a reason to let go of the anger." She lifts a small shrug, "I'll have to see what's going on with Chas, but maybe they just need... permission.. to let it go. Sometimes it really does boil down to that." She lifts a shrug and sips from her water.

"As it pertains to missions? If they can't be grown adults about saving the world, then the problems are much deeper than we can likely fix. For anything that isn't critical, I would say whoever is better suited should be going and the other can stay home. Perhaps it will provide incentive for them to move past it." Rien leans back and crosses her legs, looking between them, "I don't really know Phoebe, so I don't feel qualified to speak on what to do with or about her. I'll have to leave that to the two of you."

Then it comes back to the Riders and she frowns faintly, "He's not wrong. The Riders are arrogant, stubborn, and rather full of themselves. But. I can keep Eli in check. Forcibly if need be. And Robbie himself, he WANTS to help. He knows he can do good things with the Rider. More importantly, he needs the structure and support of a group. People he can form relationships with, because right now it's just me and his brother."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"You're right, you are biased," Sara states bluntly. "Which is why you don't get to decide. Who comes will be directly related to the mission, and who's skill set is better for that mission. Simple as that.... but only if there is no way for them to work together. I know that Cael has worked with Johnny, despite loathing him, so it might be possible she can work with Chas, but can't deal with him socially. That's something we'll have to see."

One brow raises. "Why the hell has Batman been telling her she shouldn't be a part of the JLD? He's Justice League, we're connected... he think his vigilante ways are better or something?" She spits out, a bit of anger to her tone which she reigns in quickly. Sometimes, Witchblade did bleed through. Continuing more calmly she adds, "Sorry... flash of anger, all better now, but seriously. What's his problem?"

Oh Johnny, why are you such a pain in the ass? There is a flash of anger in the threat Jon dropped about Zarathos, which was Johnny, the man she loved... the two were connected, to control one was to control the other, but she knew the truth... it wasn't really a threat. Registering as such had been Witchblade's reaction and that was why she took a drink of her coffee and let that flash of anger go away without comment.

"Yes Jon, Zarathos has continued his 'job' when the situation for it arises," she returns to bluntness, it was far easier than beating around the bush. "but this is the first time that I know of him going after someone specifically, on his own. We as a organization cannot stop the Rider's from doing their 'job', fulfilling their purposes, we can only hope to aim then away from allies and maybe, /maybe/, drop suggestions instead of letting them just randomly choose. Whatever force put them in this realm, good or bad, they all believe in their purpose, I just hope we can reign them in a little, maybe make an agreement on acceptable territory."

She sighs softly, "Johnny wants to do better, he wants to help as well, but as I said, he's been alone so long... it's going to take time, and if a problem with Zarathos does arise, I'll take care of it."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I have no idea what the fuck Batman's problem is with us," Jon says, glowering. "I'll admit it was more than a little frustrating. He ran around Manhattan during the siege like he owned the damn place, too. Barely checked in with us, did his own thing. Without asking, without... ugh." He shakes his head. "If I wasn't /paralyzed/ by fear of the man I'd call him up and ask what the hell. But, then again... I'm only getting this from Phoebe, so she could be exaggerating."

    He drums his fingers on the bar. "I'm tempted to say New York--the city--is off-limits without the Riders checking in first, unless it's an emergency situation. At least, if they're going to be part of the bloody /team/. I mean, I shudder to think what would happen if one of them decided to Penance Stare Moon Knight." His expression grows sad. "We both know he's bound for Ammit," he says softly, "but he's doing good work while he's here. And if Khonshu, say, got in the mix..."

    The drumming stops. "Listen to me, talking about territory. Fuck, I'm getting as bad as they are." He shakes his head.

    They glance over at Rien and nod. "Cael holds onto anger because it's safer, to her, than fear and helplessness. And some of it isn't even anger. Some of it's flashbacks. But we can talk to them both, see what they can handle. I could be over-worrying, I... do that. I want to protect her from everything that might hurt her, even though I know that doesn't work. And she'd probably kick my ass for trying." He smiles fondly.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Well, if it keeps being an issue -I- will fucking pop in on him and demand some answers. He wants to be the big man on campus when it comes to Gotham.. fine. Whatever. That place is a rolling dumpster fire headed for a trash barge anyways. Just like with Constantine, one man doesn't get to dictate to everyone else, especially when the rest of us are all trying to share the sandbox and he's just running around kicking sand everywhere." Rien rolls her eyes and shakes her head, clearly unimpressed with The Bat.

She looks to Jon and smiles faintly, "I don't think we get to declare New York 'off limits' anymore than SHIELD or the Justice League does. But I do think that there has to be some... cooperation amongst us. Communication. There are so many people it would be a bad idea to Penance Stare that would probably ping on a Rider's radar." She pauses, then smiles slowly, "Though I do have a few suggestions on leads they can chase down if they want to."

Clearing her throat, Rien looks back to Jon with a nod, "And I get that. I do. It's... so much easier to hold onto anger towards someone or something. It -feels- stronger. But it isn't, and in the end it will twist and warp and change her into someone she's not going to like very much if she can't learn to let it go. But. I will talk with her and see what I can find out. I'll offer to share some of my experiences with her so hopefully she'sll be able to see the correlations that exist and from a common ground.. there's potential."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara cants her head slightly, staring at Jon for a moment. "You're afraid of Batman?" She asks with surprise in her tone. "Why? He's just a man in a suit. Got skills, I'll give him that. Saw how he took on Michael, but in the end... he's just a human man. Nothing to fear there... so, if Rien doesn't get to him first, I will."

Finishing off her coffee, she slides the cup away. "The Rider's may need the firm line in the sand about New York," she states. "Communication won't be enough. We can try to start out that way, but they need to realize that they aren't permitted to judge anyone in the Avengers, JLD, Justice League, etc. and honestly, it's probably easier just to say all of New York without contacting us first."

When it comes to Cael, she has nothing to offer. She lives with the woman, she knows that anger, she's had it aimed at her in the past and now it's aimed at the man she loves. Everything she's tried in the past to help Cael has failed, the woman clings to anger to keep from feeling weak without realizing that she makes herself weak by only feeling anger. It's a vicious circle, and she can't help... she's tried and failed so many times it just plain hurts now.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stares at Rien for a moment. Just /stares/ at her. Then the stare gets turned on Sara. "You... you don't understand... I mean, he /is/ just a man in a suit, but... but he's... I mean, he's /Batman/." And Jon's not some psychiatry intern at Arkham anymore, but it still hasn't sunk in that he has power enough not to be afraid. "At the very least I wouldn't underestimate him, 'just a man' or no."

    He glances aside to Rien and nods. "You're right, about territory... but yes, I'm really more concerned with communication. That the first I've heard of Johnny in weeks is that he's going after someone who's been working with us."

    He eats the last bite of tiramisu, frowning thoughtfully. Swallows, and says, "Cael... she's been through a lot. She's changed... a lot. And I... I did wrong by her. I fucked up. I was her therapist, and I was in love with her. Not that I realized it at the time, but... I'm pretty sure I fell in love with her the first time she put on the Falcon wings. She was fierce and free and joyous, and she /burned/ with it, she was so bright looking at her almost hurt." He smiles, remembering. Perfect recall can suck, but it can also be amazing, and this memory is a good one. "And right now... right now, I'm dealing with my own anger. I run away from mine, even when I shouldn't. I try to avoid it, get rid of it. There've been times I should have been angry and I wasn't letting myself and it was like she'd... get more angry to make it up." He smirks.

    "But I think she'll listen. She /wants/ to be better. She /wants/ to heal, and move forward, she really does. Hopefully you can help."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Yes Jon, and you're the avatar of Ma'at. What are you going to fear from -him-? His judgment is no different than that of any other person's. He can't take Ma'at from you. He can't take Cael or Martin from you. What, exactly, is it that you think he's going to -do-? Throw a-a-..fuck, what are they called? A -batarang-?" Rien lifts a brow at Jon, then chuckles and gives a shake of her head. "You're still thinking like a human. He's the boogeyman for the criminally insane, not the avatar of Order."

Shaking her head, Rien looks to Sara, "I think you're wrong on that count. I think that if you try to forbid them from acting in the city it's just going to make them act out worse. We just need to keep them directed. That's not terribly hard. Sara, you're NYPD. I'm a demon hunter. Jon's the Archivist. We are -swimming- in evil souls to throw them at." She lifts a shrug, "Otherwise we risk driving them away by trying to forbid them from working where they live."

Looking back to Jon, she smiles, "Believe me, I understand that sentiment all too well. In trying to protect my sister from hurt feelings, I hurt them even worse. But really, I was trying to protect myself from her hurt feelings, and it still didn't work. I'm nowhere near perfect, Gods know I fuck up all the time. But I think it might help for her to see the results of letting anger eat someone alive from the inside... and the results of when they finally let that anger go. The strength that comes from not letting someone else's actions dictate how you feel."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"I would never under estimate him," Sara states first. "He's a dangerous man, but I'm not scare of him."

Looking toward Rien she considers, "You're probably right, so how about we just set a few ground rules with them. No members of the Avengers, JLD, etc. the other organizations out there. The rest, we can attempt to throw souls at them, but Johnny was gone for two weeks... I have no idea what he was doing, where he was, and that's likely to happen again. Perhaps it needs to be less about applying rules to the three of them, and more about telling Johnny to cool it."

Another soft sigh and she looks like she's about to say something else when her phone screams... literally, the sound of a coyote call which is basically screaming. Pulling the phone from her pocket she looks it over then curses.

"I need to go," she says as she stands. "Apparently some of the rookies at the station thought it would be a good idea to attempt to handle a case on their own and are in over their heads."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon laughs softly. "'Scared' has been my default stance through most of my life. The idea that I don't need to be scared of something that's a threat--and if anyone 'human' could figure out how to hurt me, it'd be him--is... new and unusual. I mean, I suppose you're right, but..." He shakes his head. "I suppose it doesn't help that if he thinks the 'JLD' made a mistake having Phoebe as a leader, that we're 'bad' for her somehow... that's aimed at me. I suppose we'll see if it /does/ continue or not. Maybe it won't."

    He nods. "Redirection sounds like an idea. Getting Johnny to cool down sounds like an idea. But generally... I think generally the idea that if you're getting a key to the Velvet Room and maybe a place to stay--once we're sure of the place--you need to be playing nice, that isn't much of a stretch, you know?"

    He waves to Sara as she leaves and looks back to Rien. "I really would be grateful, of the help with Cael. She's got me, and her therapist, and Sara and Martin, but the latter two... well, I think Sara's afraid of setting her off, and Martin's form of emotional support is mostly based around making tea."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Nodding to Sara as she takes off, Rien looks back to Jon and smiles, "I'm not saying don't have a healthy respect for the man's uncanny abilities. I'm just saying, the best way you can prove to him that you're a worthy leader is to stand up to him and defend yourself. Sara and I can help, he's sure as Hell not going to cow either of us with his glares. But ultimately, if his issue is with you then you need to able to tell him that he's wrong." She lifts a hand, "That said, I think it's a good thing Phoebe is stepping back for now. Watching her through this was like watching someone lose themselves. She's started questioning a lot of things, especially about herself, and until she can find those answers, she's not in a position to lead."

Rien nods her agreement once more and offers, "I'm with you on this one. And that's why communication is going to be key. All the Riders need to understand that they have to 'play nice' with each other when they're around one another." She smiles faintly, "But I still think keeping them busy is going to help."

Rien's smile grows a touch and she nods, "I'm happy to talk with Cael, share some of my experiences with her. I've lived... a very long life already, and I spent a lot of that time harboring a lot of anger towards people that were being as mislead as I was. It turned me into someone that I didn't particularly like for a long time, and I think that it wasn't until I made peace with those people that I really started to come out of that and find myself."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I don't know whether he has a problem with me or not. I would hope not. I suppose we'll see. I'm glad Phoebe has a... family, in Gotham, a place to belong." Jon shrugs. "Like I said. We'll see."

    He sighs, then, and says, "Cael... reasonably, she's mad at Chas, because Chas is there, and Chas messed up. But John messed up, too, making the damn meat puppet at all--that's what scared Chas into summoning an angel. /I/ messed up, not paying enough attention to Chas' pain and fear. At the time, everything was 'oh no how will Phoebe take this,' and that wasn't just me, either. And I mean... she's pissed at Uriel, too, for trying to protect her when I was dying. She just... hangs onto the anger. All she can see is that someone hurt her, and I wish I could help her see beyond that."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Does she? Or has she found a new place to hide? Phoebe seems to be constantly trying to find places and people to hide behind. People that will keep her from... life. She puts so much importance on family and home that she's losing herself to the need to find or create one. She's hiding from herself, and I'm just not sure there's going to be much of 'Phoebe' left by the time she digs her head out of the sand. If she ever does. The Bat family isn't exactly known for their healthy coping methods and growth as people." Rien lifts a small shrug and gives a small shake of her head, "I would watch her carefully, Jon."

Propping her elbows up on the bar, she reaches for the neglected cigarette, tapping ash into a tray summoned from the air. Taking a drag from the cigarette, she exhales slowly and gives a nod, "I know that feeling. Sometimes, it can seem like there isn't anything else. The anger has been there for so long it feels like it's burned away everything else, so if you let go of it you'll just be... empty." Rien smiles faintly, "And she might be, for a little bit. New feelings can be painful, scary. But she has a support system in place to help her through it. To let her see that she's still loved and wanted, and that she's now free to let her wounds heal so she can join you all."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "There's only so much I can do for Phoebe. I don't know that I'd make her a good mentor, and I turned down the choice of stepping in as 'family' for her long ago. And there's a problem between us, that I'm not certain she even knows exists." Jon sighs. "At least at the end, with the unConstantine... she was the Golden Child, and I was the Scapegoat. In a very classic narcissitic way. And I know in the end the Golden Child comes out of that business with the least amount of coping for when it's gone. I feel for her. But she... she doesn't /know/. I think... I think I need to tell her the truth, but I don't know where to start. And if she knew, would she listen? I don't know. But I know she talks about that thing as her /dad/. As her /mentor/. And it makes me sick--for /her/ sake. Knowing what it was doing every time her back was turned." He shakes his head. "Knowing that she's... clinging to that false affection because she's... lonely."

    A frown. "At least I can talk about it without freezing up," they mutter. "That's progress, I suppose."

    He shakes himself, and says, "Cael's... doing surprisingly well, all things considered. Six months ago she wouldn't told you that you were full of shit if you'd said she'd have a boyfriend and a family and be planning a /family vacation/." He smirks. "Chas, though... hits the worst trigger for her. At least we got past the 'punch him in the face' phase."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I know that you don't want to hurt her Jon. And I feel for the pain she'll have to experience. But... trust me when I say she will hate you more if she finds out from someone else and realizes that you knew and never said anything. That you... let her 'act the fool' without saying anything. I know this sucks and I would love to be able to take this from you but.. I don't know Phoebe, and she shouldn't find out from a stranger. She should find out from someone who knows her, who cares." Rien frowns faintly, drawing on the herbal cigarette, exhaling slowly as she murmurs, "She needs to understand that she was being conditioned." She doesn't touch him, but she does reach out a hand out towards him in a concillatory gesture, leaving it to him to complete contact if he wants. "She's not going to want to listen, it's going to be taking something from her, something she still thinks of as good. But you need to be prepared to make her hear you out. And then... make sure her friends are there to be the support she'll need after."

Rien lets out a small sigh and murmurs, "She's only lonely because she's placing importance on the wrong things. She has friends, people who care for her, about her. THEY are her family, they are the ones that she should be focusing on. She needs to find herself as a person before she starts worrying about being a hero."

Smiling faintly, she chuckles, "If you'd told -me- six months ago that I would be dating a Ghost Rider, a man barely old enough to drink, and happily staying at his shitbox Brooklyn apartment? I'd have told you you were full of shit, too. Things change. People change. Things happen." Rien lifts a shrug, "Crazy how these things happen."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon eyes the hand for a moment, and smiles, but doesn't reach out back. He's rather touch-averse, these days. "You're right. I've been... well... she might hate me, if I tell her. But we need to try to take down the wards on the Curio, and she was there for them being put up, so... this is as good a time as ever. And I have to accept that maybe she'll hate me."

    He shakes his head. "Six months ago... I never would've believed I would do... all this that I'm doing. I was still try to get out from under the unConstantine. A year ago... I didn't know the Archive /existed/. Funny how things change, and how quickly, sometimes."

    A grin. "But... I think I made the right choice, asking you two to step up, and I'm glad I did. Gods know I need people around who'll tell me I'm being foolish. And, well, I'll do the same, if you are. I don't know, are you /capable/ of being foolish?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien doesn't seem to take any offense that he doesn't make contact, the point was to show sympathy and consolation, not to actually touch. She lets her hand linger for a moment, then withdraws it with a smile, "She might hate you for awhile. But in the end, I think she'll come to realize that you were doing the right thing. She'll have to come to terms with the rest on her own. That's not something you can do anything about, it has to be her decision to move forward with her life and now dwell on the past."

She gives a small nod and chuckles softly, "You know... I'm over a hundred years old, I've lived the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Twice. And it still amazes me the things that I wasn't prepared for happening. The idea that me, of all people, would develop feelings for another person? Let alone for for a Spirit of Vengeance ridden young mechanic from LA." She smiles faintly and lifts a shrug, "And yet, here we are."

Giving a nod, Rien chuckles, "At the risk of sounding self-absorbed, I'd say you made good choices. There are certainly members with more experience within the group, or with magic, or what have you. But I think you picked the two most -stable- people, and the ones least likely to flip off the handle if something goes sideways." Rien blinks at the question, then clears her throat, "Ah, yes. Yes I am. Though hopefully not overly so."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "If leadership were merely by experience alone I would be at the /bottom/ of the list." Jon smiles. "It is a matter of willingness to lead, and willingness of others to follow. The rest is really a matter of style. I never saw myself as a leader, but I think I'm doing a good job. People listen, and most people have stayed alive."

    He grabs up his coffee and takes a long drink, then says, "I need to be going, though... I need to stop by Queens, make an offering to Bast and Khonshu. Which means I need to go pick up chocolate first. Bast does love her chocolate."

    He smirks. "I look forward to seeing you be foolish. It's... important, I think, as Terry reminds me fairly regularly. Not taking oneself /too/ seriously."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Laughing lightly, Rien lifts a brow at him, "A being of almost pure Chaos endorsing foolishness? Perish the thought..." She flashes a grin and offers, "One of these days we'll set up a karaoke night for the League and you'll get to see me being foolish. Love to sing, not that great at it."

Nodding, she stubs out her cigarette and offers, "I should be getting home anyways. But... we do need to sit down soon and plan out our next steps for exploring this place. Maybe we should break the team into two? One team to handle taking down wards at the Curio, and a second team to do the next push into the castle? That way, hopefully, once the wards are down, we'll have space to move anything into that needs moving. "

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "There's nothing in the Curio to move," Jon replies as he stands. "Not to here. Everything we might need as a group is in the Archive or with Phoebe--it was all in the Laughing Magician. The wards on the Curio, it's more in the nature of..."

    He frowns. Hesitates. "Our blood is in those wards. Mine and Lydia's. Others. Fueling wards on a building that belongs in Liverpool, put up by a pile of dead flesh animated by a demon. Our /power/ is in there. It's just..." He huffs out a breath. "It's in the nature of... I don't know. Cleansing?" He shrugs.

    "Anyway, we'll need to check with some people about it first. We can focus on the Velvet Room just fine in the meanwhile." They smile. "But... I'll /definitely/ take you up on karaoke. I love karaoke."