11138/Reconciliation and Recipes: Plan A

Reconciliation and Recipes: Plan A
Date of Scene:	12 May 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis:	A number of the JLD meet in the Velvet Room. Topics of discussion include: dogs, eating habits, alcohol, and relationships. Most noteable, no one had a meltdown!
Cast of Characters:	Chas Chandler, Robbie Reyes, Lydia Dietrich, Gabby Kinney, Cael Becker, Jonathan Sims, Rien D'Arqueness

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Chas Chandler has posed:
    The Velvet Room is a marvelous creation. In its depths was the capacity to be anything for anyone. A study, a medical ward, an alchemist's brewery, a lab--of any number of physical sciences, and many, many more. Chas needed a place to sleep and the castle--which was becoming more and more suspiciously sentient by the week--provided.

    One of the doors in the long hallway opens and the cabbie, turned bartender, turned angel, turned cabbie, steps out. He looks back at the door, uncertain of when or how he managed to get into the small sleeping quarters and nods appreciately as the door closes and fades from view. "Hm. Handy..." he says as he makes his way toward the sitting room.

    Once there he moves to go behind the bar to start continuing the process he began yesterday evening. Finding out what bottles held what liquors and figuring out how the tarot on the cover of the bottle was related to said spirit within.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Though he's made his discomfort with magic and magic-adjacent things fairly well known, Robbie also has to admit that there's a certain appeal to a sentient bar that serves free drinks. Hence, he's parked himself at a stool, leather jacket unzipped, gloves stripped off and set beside him as he nurses a beer and scrolls through messages on his phone. As one does in the astral plane.

Chas's arrival has him glancing up at the unfamiliar face, and tracking his progress across the room. Does he offer a greeting? Nope. He's just gonna stare.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia is in the library when people start filtering into the lounge of the Velvet Room. Her acute hearing picks up the door, the footsteps and the faint clinking of bottles. She folds the book that she was studying closed, and makes her way into the lounge proper and looks rather surprised when she sees that it's Chas.

    "Oh! Hello, Chas," she says. The last time she saw the man, he was inhabiting the gates of Heaven as a living doorknocker. "I didn't recognize your scent." She pauses uncertainly before heading towards the bar. The last time she actually /spoke/ to him was back in the Laughing Magician where she castigated him for his folly. "How have you been holding up?"

    She tilts her head curiously once she gets closer to Robbie, detecting the faint scent of brimstone. "Hello, there. I don't believe we met. I'm Lydia You must be a rider."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
It wasn't Gabby's first time here. It was her second to be precise. While she'd explored a good chunk of the magical astral castle the first time she knew from experience that 'magical castles in the astral plane' could on occasion be less than regular in how it arranged itself. So, partially out of curiosity, partially out of boredom, mostly out of a desire to get away from the 'real world' just for a small bit... She's back and exploring once again. Sure enough there's a few doors she hadn't seen before. They were smaller though, so she sticks to the main path through the hallway that leads up to the Velvet Room where she'd first met Cael and Bear.

With a little bounce to her step she approaches the bar spotting Chas there, as well as Lydia. A hand already shoots into the air to wave at them (however needlessly) as she greets, "Hi! Thought I'd pop in for a visit," she starts in greeting the pair before her brain wraps around the word 'Rider' and the fact that there was a dark haired fellow with his back to her at the bar.

She promptly trips over her own two feet.

Stumbling she catches herself on the arm of a chair nearby with her expression flitting between uncertain and guilty. "Uh. Hi Robbie." Surprise? Surprise. A quick look is cast around seeking out something to distract herself. "Soooo what's to drink?" Hopeful.

Cael Becker has posed:
    The door up on the balcony begins to glow briefly, giving a scant second or two's warning before it swings up, allowing Jon to step through, followed by Cael, holding to their hand, a fresh tattoo - red and irritated looking - of a wrench snapped in half on her neck. Cael looks down into the room from their vantage point - her gaze landing on the small group gathered at the bar, and she can feel her heart catch in her throat for a moment - before a large, white, furry head nuzzles a wet nose into her hand, before pushing further so her hand rests atop Bear's head. The pup's attention is focused attentively on Cael - perhaps because of the brightly colored Service Dog vest he's wearing.
    "Uh... yeah, yeah, Bear. We'll see if the bar has any snacks for you. What about a little chicken and carrots, huh?" she offers. She squeezes Jon's hand, then looks aside at them, offering with a forced smile, "Shall we go down?"
    At least they weren't alone. Somehow it helps that there's more people there... than just them, and Chas.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, so much for taking the dogs to the garden," Jon murmurs, as he steps through the door alongside Cael. Another huge ball of floof, this one more grey and brown than Bear and smaller--though still the size of a full-grown dog--follows along in Jon's wake at a soft command to heel.

    He starts for the stairs, heading down and then having to stop as the dog, not used to things like vampires and demons, balks partway down, growling at Robbie, Lydia, and Chas in equal measure. "Lady, /heel/," the Archivist repeats, sharply, and then continues down the stairs.

    "How is everyone?" he asks of the group, not going nearer to the bar until he sees whether Cael is going to deposit herself nearby or away. "Oh, Gabby, you found the place! Good."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas turns and blinks. "Jesus... people..." he says, looking at Jon and then at Cael. He frowns a bit before turning his attenion to the others in the room. Gabby is given an unknowing look as he isn't familiar with the young woman. "New recruit?" he asks, before nodding in moderate understanding, as Jon confirms with his question. Lydia is given a soft smile. "Lydia" he says fondly. "I'm surviving. Even as I get a handle on things. It's a process."

    He rubs at the back of his neck and turns his attention to the Rider in their midst. "You're Robbie, right?" he says. "I... I wanted to thank you. For helping get me off the door. You didn't have to since you didn't know me from Adam, but you did. So..." he sets down the bottle he had in one hand. On it's face is The Hierophant. He offers the man a hand to shake. "Thanks."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia gives Gabs, Jon, and Cael a wide grin when they arrive. "Hey, all." She nods to Jon's dog, "Who's this fluffball? She's adorable!" She doesn't move to go to pet her, though. She knows how she comes across to animals save for a select few. (Like the boys' Guinea pigs. They may not be creatures of the night, but they don't seem bothered by her at all.)

    "I'm doing well," she says. I've been hanging out in the library when I'm not trying to put things together for the wedding, or writing the Book of Lydia."

    "Oh!" She says brightly, turning to Chas. "I brought some things for the bar." She disappears into the library for a moment and when she comes back she has a pack of sticky notes and a felt tip marker. "Here. This might make things a bit easier."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The *thump* of someone running into a chair, of course, draws Robbie's attention thataway. And the look on his face -- while not quite so startled as Gabby's -- does express some surprise at finding her here. Beer bottle tipped to his lips, he finishes the swallow he'd been in the midst of taking, and drags tattoed knuckles across his mouth before licking them off. "Hey," he offers, watching her curiously. "Uh.. pretty sure if you can think it, you can have it." He gestures with his half-empty bottle to the bar where Chas is rifling around.

Then he seems to clue in to the fact that yet another unfamiliar person is addressing him, and shifts his gaze to Lydia. She gets a little once-over before he replies, "Usually people buy me a drink first." Before chatting him up about the demon he's hosting, he probably means.

Chas's offered hand garners a long pause, and then he reaches out to accept it with a solid grip. "Yeah, don't worry about it, man," is offered a little.. tautly.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Yeah, hi," Gabby repeats again as she straightens herself up with a quick slap of her hands against her thighs as if to dust herself off. No one saw that right? Yeah she wishes. At least hearing the familiar voices of those entering as well draws her attention away to grin at Jon and Cael warmly. Nevermind she also eyes the dogs because DOGS.

"Yeah, I did! I met Cael the other day too," she adds with a nod toward the woman. Bear is 'on duty' so she doesn't go over to give him any pets. She's not so sure about Lady given the poor dog was wary of the undead sorts, but she could understand.

With no doggo pettings possible right now her attention shifts back to the bar considering. "Anything huh?" That piques her curiosity as she moves to the bar peering at the arrangement of bottles behind it. "Not sure though, some people get upset when I drink given my age." Her eyes refocus on Chas offering him a warm grin. "Yeah, hi, I'm Gabby. Rien's sister. One of them anyway." With that small introduction and explanation for her presence given she falls quiet looking between Chas, Robbie, and the others trying to feel out the situation just a bit. She'd only heard parts of what had happened.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael and Jon make it to the bottom of the stairs - and while some tension may be apparent in the woman's shoulders and back, she seems to be doing alright. ...then again, her hands don't seem to be straying from resting atop Bear's head on the one hand - and clinging to Jon's with the other.
    "Why don't we, uhhh..." she starts uncertainly. "Well. I'll sit over there," she remarks, nodding her head towards a couch - angled slightly away from the bar. "And you can get me a-" A what? Not a whiskey. Not with the meds she took. "...a cup of tea, I guess. God, you're turning me... //British,//" she complains, flashing Jon a brief smile before she heads for the couch.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods to Cael and gives her a kiss on the cheek, squeezing her hand and then dropping it. As he walks to the bar he comments, "Gabby's new to the JLD, yes, although I've known her for a while now." He gestures at the mutant. "This is Gabby Kinney, our newest recruit... Gabby, this is Chas Chandler and Lydia Dietrich... and you've met Cael and Robbie." Yes, he knows Gabby knows Robbie. He heard allll about that.

    "This is Lady Grey," he introduces the dog. "She's still a puppy, about five months old." Five months and already maybe fifty or sixty pounds? She's going to be /huge/. "She's not on duty or anything, she can be pet." Indeed, the floof-ball is looking at Gabby with very large eyes, since Bear and Cael went to the couch. She doesn't seem afraid of Chas or Lydia or Robbie--quite the contrary, she was trying to subtly angle herself between them and Jon--but having been told to heel she's now looking for attention from the one other person who's normal-ish in the room.

    "The way this castle works, I wouldn't be surprised if marking the bottles makes them shift about, but we can try. Can I get the whiskey and a tea? I'd prefer an old-fashioned but I never know if you actually know how to mix anything." A grin for Chas. "Also, how's your homework coming along? Or is that why you're out here drinking, did Zhuangzi give you a headache?" Yes, he's talking about homework with another grown man.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Contrary. Reading that stuff puts me to sleep a lot of the time..." Chas replies to Jon. "Or well... what amounts to sleep. I just sort of sit there and contemplate what's been read." He shrugs. He takes the felt tip and the notes from Lydia and nods. "It still might be worth it to get an idea of things." Jon get's a flat look. "I know how to make an Old Fashioned. I'm not completely inept."

    He knows at least -one- bottles is a single malt that would go well in the drink asked.

    "As for you..." he eyes Gabby. "If you're Rien's sister... then alcohol doesn't really do anything to you, does it?" he asks, grabbing a brown unmarked bottle of beer (ale more likely) from under the bar and sliding it to the young woman. "I won't tell if you won't."

    Robbie is given a smirk. "I owe you, even if you think I don't. Debts are important and need to be repaid in due time. Besides... I think you're on my homework list eventually" he says, glancing back to Jon.

    Cael is given a noticing glance but he leaves it at that. Part of this whole exercise was to see if the two of them could cohabitate in a single place without one or the other losing their minds about the past.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Hi," Robbie repeats to Gabby with a huff of amusement, once he's gotten his hand back. He at least, doesn't seem inclined to tell anyone what he saw. He gives her a totally stonefaced wink, like, *it can be our secret*, before returning to his beer.

After taking another swig of it, he frowns slightly at Chas. Gives *him* a once-over, too, like he's trying to figure out what the guy's about. "Yeah. Fine." He can't really argue on the repaying debts front. He'd say the same, were he in Chas's shoes. "Wait." His frown deepens slightly. "What homework?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia gives Robbie a shrug and a smile. "Drinks here are free, but I can get you another beer, if you like." She's dressed simply today. A floor length grey skirt, and a black button down blouse makes her look very much like a Victorian librarian. Her pale alabaster skin and ruby red lips, indicate that she may not be quite human, and as always, her ectoplasmic field twinkles about her like so many stars.

    She shrugs at Gabby, "You're a member of the Justice League Dark. I think it'd be illegal for you /not/ to drink, though I caution against drinking too much." She gives her a grin, "You may not be driving home, but temperance is a virtue." Her tone waxes thoughtful and she purses her lips, "Though, getting fall down drunk /was/ how I got my girlfriend."

    "Oh!" Lydia says, snappointing at Chas, "That reminds me. I'm getting married. We haven't got a date set, but you're invited." She looks over her shoulder, "You too, Cael!"

    Cael gets a raised eyebrow at her choice of drink. Not drinking alcohol is something new, though she doesn't comment on it. "Tea isn't so bad," she says. "It's one of the few things I still keep stock of. Face it. You're surrounded by tea snobs, and we won't rest until you become one, too."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The look tossed her way by Robbie just causes Gabby to duck her head with an emerging blush. Welp. So much for hoping no one saw! Lightly she clears her throat to help chase away the embarassment of the stumble. "Hey," she greets back, again, before her attention shifts away breifly. Partly to Lady who was BEGGING FOR THE PETS. Her smile warms broadly in response and her hand drops down to wiggle her fingers temptingly. Once a furry head comes into reach she's giving ear scritches galore while still paying attention to the conversations around her.

She's already reaching out for the beer when Chas starts to hand it over, but it's Lydia's remark that earns a laugh from her. "Uhm, I don't think that's a problem in my case. I was the drug tester for when my old friends wanted to get high and weren't sure if it was laced with something or not." Rolling her shoulders back in a shrug she adds, "If it didn't kill me, then it was probably safe. Alcohol..." Here she pauses letting her fingertips linger on the edge of the bottles' lip, tipping it to one side, then the other, without spilling anything. Her eyes rise up to meet Chas giving a nod.

"He's got it right. I can't get drunk even if I want to." With that she laces her fingers around the bottle neck to lift it up and tip it back for a long pull. While it might not make her drunk she does pull a face at the taste that's gulped down, before placing it back on the bartop. "Temperance doesn't really mean much if you can't overdo something to begin with. And congratulations on getting married!"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Once Cael sits, Bear jumps up onto the couch as well, settling half of his body into Cael's lap, and leaning his head into her chest. "Yes, yes, Bear. You're very good at your job," Cael assures him, scratching at his neck - before wrapping her arms around him for a brief hug.
    "Jon - see if the bar is able to supply a bit of chicken, or carrots, or something for Bear?" she asks,
    Her gaze flicks to Chas for a moment, her fingers tightening in Bear's fur, before Lydia calls for her attention instead. "What - visiting a fake astral wedding doesn't count?" she counters. "I'll, uhhh... see if I can fit it into my calendar," she offers noncommitally.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon gives Chas just as flat a look in return. "Well, get on it, then." Whether he means the drinks or the reading isn't clear. Maybe he means both. "And is there any food, or will we need to go searching? I imagine there have to be garnishes at least."

    He looks over at Robbie. "Chas asked me to be his mentor, and evidently, like a fool, didn't realize that would mean I'd start by assigning reading. Holy books for most of the world's major religions, aside from Christianity--he knows those already--plus Siddhartha and Demian. We can't discuss morality and ethics and personal responsibility until he's got the basics."

    Lady Grey sniffs at Gabby's hand, licks it once, then wiggles happily as she gets ear scritches. Those are the /best/. Well, except for belly rubs, /those/ are the best. Look, when you're a puppy, everything's the best unless it's the worst.

    "Cael's going to have to come to your wedding because otherwise I won't have a date, if nothing else," Jon says to Lydia with a grin. "I'd like to think the tea is just me getting to her, in the same way I went and bought one of those big counter-mounted pasta makers so I can make my own noodles."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas gets to making the Old Fashioned: a single ice cube, sugar, bitters, water, whiskey, and--after much searching and finding not only garnishes but also an extrememly suspicious pair of platters with shredded chicken on them--an orange peel. He places the platters, the Old Fashioned and fills a kettle of water for the tea. "Tea's going to be a bit, but here's three of your entourage taken care of" he says.

    "It's not bad reading..." he replies with a nod. "Though... I have to say the cross cultural religious overtones are starting to get to me. Was there really a world-wide historic flood that destroyed civilisation? Because at least three of the world's religions have something like it. Five though I tend to lump Judaism, Christianity, and Islam into the single group of Abrahamic these days."

    He looks at Robbie. "Once we get the literature out of the way I'm going to need training partners to see know what I'm able to withstand and well..." He gestures, "Rien can cover the Negative Zone and your... more volatile nature can cover the Hellfire."

    He glances to one side. "I'd rather not go to the only other source of that sort of power I know. I'd be more afraid of her turning me into a pet or something, if not ending me outright." He shudders and turns to Lydia. "What can I get you? I imagine... somewhere back here is blood." He looks around under the bar. "I's just have to find it, if you want it."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Lydia's offer of another beer makes the mechanic look over again. "Nah, it's cool. I drink too many of these, and.." Robbie gestures to his head with a flick of his fingers. What he means is, being drunk tends to make him go all carrot top. Which has him looking intrigued when Gabby mentions that she's basically immune to alcohol. "Mierda, lo que daria por eso," he mumbles to himself.

The dog garners his interest then, for a moment. He's pretty sure he's seen the animal before, though not quite this close. He's smarter than to try to pet her, though. He might be able to grow back any fingers he loses, but it'll still hurt like a motherfucker.

But then Jon's talking about books. Books about religion. And that is *so* far from his forte, that he just stares at them like they've lost their mind. "I'm sorry, but.. what's that gotta do with me?" Chas goes ahead and clarifies, which doesn't precisely remove the look of dubious circumspection from his face. "Okay, so you want me to try to kill you, or what?" One corner of his mouth quirks like he might actually smile.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia gets this *look* on her face when Chas lumps Judiasm in with Christianity and Islam. She doesn't say anything but her extreme disapproval hangs heavy in the air. "I'll take a Manhattan," she says. "Blood needs to be direct from the source to do anything for me, really." She looks about the room, "And that's not something I really expect any of you offering."

    She gives Robbie a low chuckle. "I swear," she says. "At this rate you're not a full fledged member of the Justice League Dark until you've died and come back."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney tips her head toward Robbie with a wry grin at his remark to her apparent inability to get drunk. While she doesn't get every word he says, she gets the gist of it. His tone helps a bit as well. All she can do is shrug. "I guess it's good, but I get the feeling I'm missing out on something a little bit as well. Probably for the best, though," she reasons looking back to her drink.

"Is there any rootbeer back there? I know it's not alcoholic but... Kind of like the taste of it." She'd just begun rising onto her toes trying to peer over the edge, which unfortunately pulls her away from petting Lady a bit. Instead she pauses looking over at Lydia with a small bit of confusion.

"Do you need to? I mean..." Looking back to her bottle she tips it back draining it in one last gulp. Then she lays the bottle on its side on the countertop holding it flat with one hand. The other hand clenches into a fist which she slams onto the back of her fist breaking the bottle beneath her hand. It keeps the shards of glass from going all over the place but a good chunk does cut up her hand.

Bloodied from the broken glass her hand lifts up to hold out to Lydia. "I told you if you needed it's not a big deal."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael gives Jon a mildly put-out look, followed by a sigh as she rolls her eyes. She'd been trying to- "We'll //see,// Jon," she repeats in a dry voice.
    ...truth be told, she'll probably end up going.
    She listens to the various conversations without adding further comment, as she focuses on petting Bear, smiling down at the pup - until he tries to lick her on the chin. "Ugh - Bear, really?" she chides him, letting out a huff of air.
    She continues scratching at him though - until Gabby breaks the bottle, and she startles, looking over with widened eyes to see the girl dripping blood. "...what the fuck," she comments simply.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon gives Chas another flat look. "One: please do not lump in three of the major religions in the world as /one/ thing, that's just rude. They may share a common source, but that doesn't make them /literally/ the same. Two: you think you're /ever/ getting the literature 'out of the way?' That's adorable. Really." He picks up the tray of food in one hand and the drink in the other. "Three... you're probably right as to a universal flood. My guess is that it's memories of Atlantis' destruction, but I'd have to do more research to be certain."

    As he steps away from the bar to head over to Cael, he says to Robbie, "Not right now--we can't be certain how Chas might react, and I'm really here for Cael today. But we'll definitely be in touch about--"

    He's just putting the tray down on the table nearest the couch Cael's on when Lady starts barking up a storm and places herself firmly in between Gabby and Lydia, staring down the vampire like she's going to single-handedly hold her off from the mutant. "Lady! Leave it!" A pause, then in a firmer voice, "/Leave. It!/ Lydia's not going to hurt Gabby, you ridiculous creature!"

    The dog stops barking and looks between Lydia and Jon before chuffing and slinking over toward the couch. But it /is/ slinking, as if to underscore that Lady is not happy about the entire situation. At least she gets a bit of chicken for her trouble as she flops down on the floor next to the couch, with Jon murmuring, "What's gotten into you, huh, girl?" Bear gets a bigger bit of chicken, because he's being a good boy and doing his job and listening.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas considers the comment about Atlantis and his look goes distant for a moment. He shakes himself and puts a hand to his head. "Nope... locked away" he sighs. "I guess that's not surprising, really. Don't want too much of what I leanred leaking back..."

    He jerks as well. "Gabby!" he says. "That's..." He sighs and glances at Lydia. "I appreciate the invitiation and I will be sure to attend once the date is set."

    He looks at Jon and frowns. "You know... I didn't entirely think it through, but given where I'm getting my tutelage... you're right. Reading is probably going to go on forever." He sighs again and then drops behind the bar again.

    "Ah!" he says from below and rises with another frosty brown bottle and a clean white handkercheif. Both of these are offered to Gabby. "Please..."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Fifty. Eight. Times." Robbie's mismatched eyes slide toward Lydia's for a few moments, just to make sure that sinks in. Then, huffing a sigh, he tips his beer back for a long swig.

When he comes up for air, Gabby's.. wait, what the hell *is* she doing? Nobody's come right out and mentioned the whole *Lydia's a vampire*, thing. And even if they had, he'd still confused as hell. "Hey-- hey." He tries to reach for Gabby's forearm, so she can't do more damage to herself. And given he could pick her up one handed and not so much as break a sweat doing it.. suffice to say, he's got a pretty solid grip on her. "Girl, what'd you do that for?" Chas's approach gets a glance, but he's staying put.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia nearly jumps at Gabby's sudden crushing of the bottle, and when the smell of blood unexpectedly hits her, her eyes go right to her hand, fixated on it. Her eyes are already red and her fangs are out. She closes her eyes and becomes utterly and unnaturally still for a moment, and when she opens them her eyes are back to their unusual golden color.

    "Gabby," she says, patiently. "Thank you for the offer, but I feed when I get up and that usually lasts me for the day. Also, I have fangs, and don't make /quite/ the mess." She takes a look around the room, taking stock of people's reactions. "It's good to know you've got my back in case I need some in an emergency."

    Her eyes focus on Lady when she moves to intercept her and Gabby, and a kind smile graces her lips. "Good girl," she tells the dog. "You tell that bad vampire what for." She looks up at Jon and just shrugs. "Not all vampires are as nice as I am."

    She chuckles at Robbie, "It's not a contest, though I /am/ sorry you've had to experience so many. Once was enough for me."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney did not expect such reactions as is clear by the surprised look that crosses her face. It all happens at once: Lady Grey is barking her head off doing a hecking protec. Lydia's zoomed in with the vampire hungries look. Cael, Jon and Chas are shocked. And then Robbie has her arm taking hold with that firm grip that she doesn't even try to break free from.

Looking over her shoulder at Robbie she just looks puzzled a bit, mouth opening to speak, but nothing immediately comes out. It's Lydia's words that finally cause her to clear her throat awkwardly realizing how silly she must have been. "Oh. Sorry. I... Sorry." Her hand curls shut on the bloodied mess of her palm to keep from dripping more everywhere.

"I'm fine, Robbie, really. I'm okay." Looking guilty she reaches out with her free hand to accept the handkerchief from Chas. "Thanks. Um. Sorry for ... this then I guess. It's okay, really. I can't feel pain, and I heal. I won't do it again though," she assures sheepishly.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Bear's gaze swivels around to Lady as the pup starts barking away - but aside from offering a single bark in response, he stays right where he is - in his person's lap, making sure she's okay. His head turns back to Cael, leaning into her chest - and offering another lick at her chin.
    "I'm- Bear, I'm fine," Cael murmurs, running her fingers over the dog's fur - but suddenly she's not sure if she is. Gabby had startled here - and then Chas was raising his voice, and Lady was barking, and... "I'm fine," she repeats, though the gaze she turns towards Jon would show hints of the anxiety starting to rise in her as she forces herself to breathe in a slow and controlled manner.
    She's okay. She's safe here - with Jon. With Bear. She's fine.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "It's not that I mind that she started the barking," Jon says to Lydia. "It's that she needs to /listen/ when I say to 'leave it.' As she is, a nasty vampire would probably just snap her neck." He pets the dog, though, offering a bit more chicken. "We're going to need to give you some training too, hmm?" he murmurs down to her.

    He settles himself onto the couch beside Cael and frowns at her for a moment. "/Are/ you fine? Or would things actually be easier with something else to focus on?" He raises a brow.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas isn't upset he's more worried. "I understand and I admire the initiative to help, but maybe... I don't know... look before you leap the next time" he shrugs as he sets the frosted root beer bottle on the bartop and moves behind it once more to get the kettle, just now starting to whistle.

    He's a little rough around the edges as far as Brits go (in comparison to Jon) but he's still a proper Englishman and knows how to serve tea. It doesn't take long for him to make a proper tray with tea steeping in a pot, a small tray of cream and a bowl of sugar.

    He pauses only slightly before taking a deliberate breath and moving around the bar to set the tray on the table among the couches, putting him in close proximity to Cael. He doesn't linger though nor does he do much to focus on her. Just a server passing through and doing a job. Not much time passes before he returns to his spot behind the bar.

    He's got whiskey out but where the hell would be find vermouth. He goes to start checking botttles. Glancing over his shoulder at Lydia he adds, "This might take a moment. I'm really sorry. But... adventure is part of the service here it would seem." He offers a kind and wide smile to the vampire.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's not *upset*, per se. But then, it takes quite a bit to ruffle the kid, given what he is and the shit he's put through on a fairly regular basis. Once Gabby reassures him that she is, in fact, fine-- he releases her arm, glances at the blood smear on his palm, and wipes it off diligently on the thigh of his jeans.

"No," he murmurs to Lydia, "ain't a contest. But someone out there's sure got a sick sense of humour. Fuck." That's because his beer's empty. "So you're seriously a vampire?" Real smooth, Reyes.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia nods to Jon. "I've never actually owned a pet. Unless you count my books, then I've owned a /ton/. I wouldn't know a thing about appropriate behavior." She looks between Jon and Cael and says, "If... if I overstep myself with your dogs, just let me know, okay? Not that they really want to get close to me. I try to keep my distance." She still sounds a bit disappointed in that the only animals that seem to like her are crows. Maybe wolves, if she ever met one. Same thing with bats. Well, that and Guinea pigs seem to be on the friendly list too for some reason.

    Robbie's question catches her attention. "Yup! Seriously." She extends her fangs and opens her mouth in demonstration, running a tongue along the sharp tip of one. "Got the fangs and everything. Happened last year at around October."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney nods a single time at Robbie when he lets her go once more. "Thanks," she mumbles, only to clear her throat. Welp. She just made things super awkward all around after all. The handkerchief is used to wipe up the blood from her hand which was already healed over. That only left the mess on the countertop. She's careful to sweep the glass up into a neat pile using the cloth so she doesn't cut herself again even accidentally, but then she's left looking around for a trash can or somewhere suitable to put it.

The movement of Chas over to deliver the tea causes her to focus her gaze on Cael and Jon with a grimace of guilt. "Shit, I'm sorry," she utters before just clamping her mouth shut entirely. She'd just made things worse for Cael it seemed.

Absently she nods along with Lydia's demonstration. "Classmate of mine was turned the other year so I'm kind of familiar-ish with vampires. She had a bad habit of not eating for awhile before her girlfriend got her to take better care of herself." Lightly clearing her throat she reaches for that rootbeer Chas had found.

"I'll think before acting next time."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "A distraction might be nice," Cael confirms quietly, focusing her attention on Bear. She reaches out with one hand to grip his again, while her other hand continues petting Bear. She's alright, she tries to tell herself. Jon is here, Bear is here, and- oh shit, Chas is bringing her tea.
    She squeezes her eyes shut - but that doesn't exactly help - so she opens them again a moment later, keeping her gaze focused directly and unwaveringly on Jon.
    "Where's our, uhh - next family vacation going to be?" she asks hastily. "Once we get another chance. Your turn to pick, yeah?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Lady appears to have an equal-opportunity dislike of overtly supernatural sorts. When Chas approaches the couches, she lifts her head to glower at him with a golden-eyed stare as hard as any the Archivist himself might give, and a bit of a warning growl. When the angelic man just sets down a tray and then leaves she chuffs, satisfied, and then settles herself down again, letting out a long sigh and looking at Bear almost mournfully. How dare he be /working/ and unable to play!

    Jon frowns at Cael's reactions to Chas. "I wanted to take Agnes to Quito at the solstice, but I don't know if that'll happen. But I didn't mean talking. I meant... hmmm." He shakes his head, and frowns, letting the conversation continue behind them.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances back to the mess she'd made on the countertop, then at herself. A quiet sigh is had before she clears her throat. "I'll... go clean up a bit. Sorry again." An apologetic look is cast toward Jon and Cael before she turns away to trudge off keeping her messy hand tucked against her chest to keep from any other dippings and drops going anywhere else.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods to Gabby. "A good habit to get into when working with the supernatural. Unless otherwise noted... observe before engaging. It was nice to meet you Gabby" he says and frowns as the young woman trots off to clean up. He gives a soft sigh and goes back to perusing the bottles.

    He finds the sixth bottle in a row marked with The Lovers and opens it up. Taking a deep inhale he shudders. "Yeah... that's the one." He sets it on the bar and starts to prepare Lydia's drink: a Manhattan. Whiskey, vermouth, bitters, orange bitters, and a marachino cherry for garnish all go together to make the dark red-brown drink.

    "There we go" he says sliding the drink before Lydia. "All set." He then moves to the notepad and writes down. 'VI: The Lovers - Sweet Vermouth' on a postit. "Three down, nineteen to go."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's still keeping half an eye on Gabby. She's Rien's little sister, after all, and sort of his friend. Insofar as Robbie has friends. "Hey," he murmurs to her with a little upnod. "You're fine." And then she runs off, and he's left watching after her for a moment or two.

Seeing as another beer might be a bad idea, he leans to one side to dig around in his jeans pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Cloves, to be precise. He taps one out, pauses to see whether anyone gives him a dirty look for it. In the meantime, his attention veers back to Lydia when she shows off her fangs. Frowning, he leans in for a closer look. "Huh." The frown shifts to a sudden grin, dimples and all. "Guess I'm safe. Probably taste terrible." Because, you know. Demon.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "It can be difficult at first," Lydia says, with a nod towards Gabby. "I was always overcautious about how much I took from anybody. It was... too easy to get lost in the pleasure of it." She shakes her head. "It still is, but I'm used to it now, so it's easier to be mindful."

    Jon's mention of Agnes catches her attention, though. "How is she doing?" she asks with genuine interest. "I haven't seen her since she was staying at the Midnight Mission. When you all get settled into your new apartment I'll have to swing by."

    She dips her head appreciatively at Chas as he slides her her Manhattan. She takes a tentative sip of it, rolling the liquid around on her tongue to pull flavor out of it. "Mm. Good stuff. At least the Velvet Room doesn't use /cheap/ liquor. At least there's only twenty one bottles. Imagine if they added in the minor arcana, too. We'd be here for /years/ trying to figure it all out."

    "I bet you're pretty spicy," she says with a grin. "With the whole... flaming head and everything. Because it's hot." She suddenly realizes what she says and her eyes go wide. "Not that I mean that you're hot! I mean, you're aesthetically pleasing so I guess if I was straight I'd find you hot. I mean..." She groans, "Oh God," and buries her head in her arms.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Why... wouldn't you get to go?" Cael asks Jon, her attention focused on them, and the feel of their hand locked into hers. "I mean... portals. Even if it's just for the day - you should take the time. You want to - and it's important. To both of you, yeah?"
    She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly - just as Bear licks her chin again. "Bear!" She chides him again, letting out a slightly shakey laugh that takes a lot of her anxiety with it.
    "Here - pass me some of that chicken. He can't eat and lick me at the same time." She pauses for a moment then adds under her breath, "I hope."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I mean, if Mr. 'I stole your daughter's blood and call you a pretender' decides to show up because it's the bloody solstice I can't very well be off in Ecuador, can I?" Jon smirks and shakes his head. "With my luck, we'll wind up in Ecuador anyway and he'll show up and we'll be chasing each other across the rooftops or something."

    Don't tempt fate, Jon. Just don't.

    They grab some chicken off the plate and hand it to Cael while looking around at Lydia. "Oh, she's good... settling in to Lyra's old room, and getting used to going to school. We're thinking of doing a summer program just to get her used to socializing with people her age." He shakes his head at the faux pas around 'hot' and glances back over to Cael.

    "...Should we tell them? About the bottles, I mean. How many there actually are."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' expression falters at the sotto voce to Cael from Jon. "The wine..." he says, hanging his head. "I found the wine cellar last night... I don't..." he shaks his head. "I wasn't a wine sort of person before I ended up trapped in the Silver City and I'm definitely not a wine sort of person now."

    He shakes his head. "I'll test the liquors, but the wines? Someone else is going to have to go through those. I can do 22. I'm not going to do 56 more after it, especially when I've never had the palate for the stuff." He makes a face and grabs a marachino cherry.

    He is almost going to pop it into his mouth when he realizes that his old habit now has no true purpose. He doesn't need to eat so why waste the garnish... even if the castle probably restocks every time people leave it alone long enough.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Good thing Robbie wasn't in the midst of drinking his beer. His expression turns progressively more confused, then amused. And then, straight up mortified. Turns out he not only has a face full of freckles, but the tendency to turn strange shades of red when embarrassed.

Clearing his throat, he proceeds to ignite his cigarette -- with his fingers, no less -- and take a long, long drag off of it. "I've, uh, I've got a girlfriend anyway. I think we're both safe." He tosses her a wink on his exhale of smoke. "Heard you were getting married, too." He gestures to her with the cigarette. "Muchas felicidades para ti y tu chica."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia looks up from burying her head with something of a horrified expression. "There's a /wine cellar/ full of /minor arcana?/" She shakes her head, "My mom could probably tell them all apart, but I've only got the basics down. Red, white, and sparkling." A thought occurs to her, "I bet with my new sensitive tastebuds I could tell the difference, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what's what."

    Something about Chas' expression when he's about to pop in a cherry but falters resonates with Lydia. "Enjoy the cherry," she says, digging hers out of her Manhattan with her fingers. "Unless you can't taste anything, which would be a shame." She holds her up in a silent salute and pops it in her mouth. "I don't get anything out of it either, but the taste is still aesthetically pleasant."

    Robbie gets a glance and she feels at least some sort of relief that at least she's not the /only/ one to be embarrassed by her latest foot-in-mouth disaster. She wrinkles her nose a bit as the clove is lit up. The smell is sharp to her senses, but at least it's a Clove, so it's not too bad. "Thank you, Robbie," she says.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well..." Cael says slowly and thoughtfully. "You take Agnes. I stay here... and if the apocalypse comes," she pulls out her phone. "I beep you." She flashes Jon a brief smile, putting her phone away again so she can feed Bear more of the chicken, which he happily accepts.
    "I say let them discover it on their own." She casts a brief glance towards the bar, but doesn't let her attention linger there. "Though it seems they already have."
    She smiles tightly before she adds, "You two should be able to enjoy yourselves. We can't let these assholes always ruin our fun."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon heaves a sigh. "I can already tell you that most people won't recognize some things," he notes, talking mostly to Lydia but sort-of kind-of to Chas. "The Chartruese is the recipe last made in 1793, for instance. But... yes, there's 78 different bottles and we don't quite know precisely what's in which. I'm waiting for someone to decide the guy with five thousand years of ancestral memory and perfect recall should do what Cael tried to do and try a shot of each." He shakes his head.

    Then he peers at Cael and says, "If it's just me and Agnes, it isn't a /family/ vacation, Cael. That's what you asked about. And... it worries me, to be frank, between the warning Alya gave you and everything else that's gone on. I'm not certain taking an avatar of a sun goddess to the highest point on Earth at the summer solstice is the /best/ idea when Mr. 'I am Amon-Ra even though I work with snakes' is running around maybe wanting more of her blood--or just wanting to get close to the sun himself."

    He runs a hand through his hair. "It's the nature of the life we live. There will be other solstices--they come 'round twice a year, after all." A pause, and then, "We could go to Egypt if you like." Because that's /less/ likely to have lurking guys who call themselves Amon-Ra around?

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie didn't officially introduce himself, but it stands to reason that Lydia probably picked up on who he is by now. "Um, nice to meet you, by the way," he offers, a little awkwardly. "Lydia, right?" He doesn't offer his hand. Vampires and fire don't typically get along, in his experience. And sometimes he runs a little hot, whether he wants to or not.

Mention of the cellar containing 78 bottles of liquor, though, gains his attention. His expression turns slightly forlorn. If only he could partake.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas looks at Jon. "Look, if you want to go down there and start having a wine tasting cermony down there... I'm not going to stop you" he says. "Like I've said before. I just evicted the guy who used to live here, I don't own the place."

    He looks at Lydia and shrugs before popping the cherry and chewing on it. "Things are dulled sort of so. I can't even taste alcohol in any of these anymore..." he says, gesturing to the bottles behind him. "It's like... this cherry. I can taste the sweetness, but I know intellectually that it should be sweeter to my tastebuds."

    He shrugs and grins at Jon. "It's a small price for what I've been gifted with." At least he could look at his powers as a gift now. That is a step in the positiive direction.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia nods to Chas. "Yeah. For me it's like..." She shakes her head as she tries to put things into words. "I have very sensitive taste. I can discern and pull apart all the flavors, but they just aren't /yummy/ anymore. Some things I find are aesthetically pleasant, and there's something about the sting of alcohol that I like, but none of it is fulfilling."

    "At least I get that with blood, though." A small smile passes by her lips and she lets out a little sigh. "It's... /everything/. My whole body is tuned to it, you know? I can /smell/ everybody's blood type. I can hear people's heart beat easier than I can their footsteps. And the taste. Oh my God, the taste. It's consuming... addictive. I don't think I could give that up."

    Her mind drifts off into her own little world for a second there, before she shakes herself out of it when Robbie is addressing her. "Yes. I'm Lydia. It's good to meet you, too," she says with a warm smile.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I... did say family, didn't I?" Cael admits with a wry smile. "But if me staying behind would make things... safer? Or easier? For you and Agnes to go on the trip then- well. No question, you know?" She smiles at Jon, and scratches at Bear again, before finally reaching for the tea she was brought. She pours herself a glass, putting nothing in it before she takes a sip.
    "God I wish this was whiskey," she remarks wryly, before sparing a brief glance towards the nearby discussion of food.
    "Man, can you imagine if I didn't enjoy noodles anymore? That's an awful thought."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I... kind of know what..." Jon peers down at his drink, swirls the liquid around in the glass and then takes a sip.

    "It's not that food isn't fulfilling, and satisfying... it is. Although I'm aware that maybe I don't have to eat as much as I think I do and I'm just psychologically unprepared to risk finding out because..." His hands tighten on the glass. "Starving /sucks/," he says, the sentiment underscored by the odd (for him) word choice. "But statements... like food and alcohol and every drug I can think of, all at once, in technicolor surround sound, and /nothing/ is quite so..."

    He reaches out, like he's groping at a word, and finally sighs. "Perfect. Nothing is quite so perfect, as that moment when someone's laying out just the /worst/ things that have happened to them." Which kind of underscores why he struggles with the concept, clearly.

    He frowns. "And I can /feel/ my mind going 'hey Jon it's been over a week since your last live statement you're not just going to read one off paper, right? You're going to do a live one, right?' Like when I quit smoking and even the nicotine patch couldn't cure the craving to go outside and /smoke/ a proper /cigarette./"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
The door opens as Rien gives a final wave to someone, then steps through and into the Velvet Room, pocketing the key. Once the door is closed behind her, she slumps against it and lets out a heavy breath. "That took more than I like to admit... but, it's done, good night's rest and I'll be good as new, and -nobody- is topping that birthday present." Talking to herself even as scents drift over and let her know that she isn't alone in the room.

Lifting her head, she blinks at everyone assembled, then offers a quick half-smile and lifts her hand in a wave, "Oh, uhhhhh, hi. Wasn't expecting a whole group here!" Clearing her throat, she banishes the exhaustion from her face and straightens up, moving across the room towards Robbie. "Don't mind me, just gonna... hey Chas, hit me with something really strong? Whatever's back there that packs a punch."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas listens to Lydia and then Jon and nods. "I don't have that craving anymore. For anything. I mean... aside from maybe companionshp." He chcukles weakly. "Company was a commodity up on the door." He sighs, again a forced action and then Rien enters.

    He snaps into motion at her request but stops before grabbing for a bottle. He turns and eyes the woman for a moment and then moves to the bottle labeled XIII - Death. He opens it up and sniffs at the contents. After a moment he shakes his head and puts it back before moving to XX - Judgement. He takes the bottle, opens it sniffs and recoils a bit.

    He eyes the stuff again and nods. "This'll do" he says before turning and pouring a suitable serving of the clear liquid into a tumbler and sliding it to the woman.

    "I know you have a healing factor, but don't say I didn't warn you." He places the bottle back on the shelf. "I think I know what that is and the fact of the matter is that my bar couldn't afford it in large quantities and just different have the clientelle."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's seated at the bar with a clove cigarette, not too terribly far from Lydia while Chas bustles behind it. Cael and Jon are hanging out at a nearby couch, and the mechanic has the remnants of a rather potent blush staining his cheeks.

As each of them give their take on their various cravings, he sits there in silence for so long that it seems he isn't going to chime in. But then he does, in a low, contemplative murmur: "I take peoples' souls." Well, they don't call him Sin Eater for nothing. "Ain't two of them the same, like fuckin' snowflakes. Can you imagine that?" He releases a steadying breath, as if -- like Lydia -- he's getting a little too preoccupied with the memory of what it tastes like. "Anyway, I like regular food. But I won't starve if I don't have it. Figure that's the problem, you know?"

Which is about when he happens to look up from his cigarette, and spot Rien strolling over. Oof, how much of that did she catch?

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "I didn't know it was like that for you, Jon," Lydia says. "Yeah. Perfect. There's nothing in the world like it and it hits every spot you know of and some spots you didn't. I'm told that as I get older, I won't have to feed as often because when I get hungry... it's pretty all consuming. You saw what I was like after the Rite."

    She scowls sympathetically at Chas. "That's got to be rough. If you find anything that helps... beyond company... let us know."

    Rien gets an upnod when she heads towards the bar. "Hey, Rien. That bad?"

    She nods at Robbie, "We're all perfect for each other," she says. "Never a finer group of magical misfits have been gathered."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael listens to the various conversations while sipping at her tea, but it's probably no surprise that she fixates on Jon when he speaks, concern and puzzlement showing on her features.
    "I can tell you about the trip to Duat," she offers in a quiet voice. "When we go back to the apartment. It's... honestly, it's not a bad memory. Not exactly. It's not exactly a good memory, either. It's bitter sweet but- I mean, how often do you get to record someone's direct encounter with your Gods, yeah?" she asks, nudging Jon with her foot.
    She shifts her attention to the others as she adds, "Am I the only one who needs to eat? ...oh, and Rien, I suppose. Hello."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon glances over toward Chas sympathetically. He knows something about being alone for an extended period of time. Then a simple nod to Robbie. "All souls are made of the same stuff, but flavored with different experiences. That's... that's what souls /are/, you know? That's what /we/ are. Just... records of experience." He frowns.

    "Don't think it'll be better as I get older. The craving's meant to keep the Archivist doing their job, don't see that it... lets up or anything. Hey, Rien. We're just... talking." The ball of floof on the ground--a puppy the size of a full-grown dog, cream and grey and white--looks up as Rien comes in, sniffs the air, and then pulls herself to her feet to go wander over and see if the French woman will give her attention.

    Jon barely notices this, because he stiffens at Cael's suggestion. "Yes. Well. I... perhaps. That's... perhaps. I'll think on it, okay? Thank you, for the... offer." He downs about half the drink in his glass at once.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Technically, I don't have to eat. Or drink. Not because I don't get hungry or thirsty, but because I won't die if I don't. Immortality means I can't die even when I want to," Rien lifts a small shrug and moves straight to RObbie, wrapping her arms around his waist and thunking her forehead onto his shoulder. Lydia gets a small wave and a muffled, "Used a lot of magical energy enchanting Gabby's claws, and then I couldn't rest because I was entertaining family, and Logan can drink like nobody's business so that lasted -forever- even though I really am glad to have had him over. I also cooked. There's leftovers if anyone wants them. Gigot d'Agneau. Quenelles. Ratatouille. Confit de Canard. Baguettes with raclette and saucisson sec."

She lets out a breath and straightens up, taking the shot poured and knocking it back without so much as batting an eyelash. "Thank you. That was.. surprisingly astringent, lacks a scent other than the alcohol. Good drink." SHe lifts her head to offer a faint smile to Cael, "Sorry. I -should- eat, but I won't die if I don't."

Letting out a breath, she offers, "I can consume magical energy to replenish my own stores. Sort of like a vampire," she nods towards Lydia, "but very specifically for magic. And I don't have to bite anyone to do it. Though I can just as easily siphon from other sources of magic, and prefer that route when it's available. Siphoning magic from people is more complicated." THe dog succeeds in gaining her attention and she'll crouch down to offer her hand for sniffing, then give some pets and ear rubs to the giant floof. "ANd yes RObbie I heard you, it just doesn't bother me." She glances up at him with a faint smile.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods. "Welcome... I think it's polish grain alchohol... it's... pretty much the closest to drinking gasoline as you can get and still surviving" he says. He frowns for a moment and raps on the bar. "But with that serving I think I'll call my time behind the bar satisfied."

    He gives the wood slab a quick wipe down with a clean towel. "I do need to get back to reading, and..." as he moves around the bar he looks to Jon. "If my mentor thinks it's alright. I'd like to spend the night with my girlfriend if I could?" he asks pausing at the door to the Library.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The blonde Frenchwoman shows up, and Robbie.. gets the stupidest smile on his face. For all of a fraction of a second, before he schools himself back to stoicism. "Hey, baby," he murmurs with an answering arm wound around her shoulders, and a tight squeeze. He's careful to hold his clove away from her as he does so.

Then she's off to pet the dog who won't give him the time of day, and.. talk. And talk, and talk some more. He drags off his cigarette, amused as she rattles off various dishes he can't even pronounce, much less guess what they are. He watches her a few moments, before glancing to Jon. "Pretty much guarantee you it won't." Get better as he gets older, that is. As for Chas.. well. He still isn't quite sure what to think of him. But gives him a slight upnod, and a, "Later, man."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Did I say something wrong?" Cael asks in a quiet voice, her brow furrowing with a mix of puzzlement and concern as she studies Jon. Did she inadverantly hurt him with her words? Part of her wants to lean forward and hug them - but she's not certain that's the right response.
    "Bye, Chas," she remarks in a distracted voice, without moving her gaze.
    "Should we go talk?" she asks, her voice dropping to a quiet murmur. "In the garden, perhaps?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    For a moment, Jon manages to be distracted by Rien's list of foods. He knows what most of them are, and his expression brightens. "I mean, I wouldn't mind taking them off your hands if... well." He has food. He has /plenty/ of food. He's /not/ starving. Eesh.

    He shrugs at Chas. "I told you I wasn't making decisions on where you stayed--just suggesting that you stick around here for now. Go see Asariel, you're a grown man." A pause. "But... ahh... thank you, for listening." He noticed, earlier. He just got... distracted.

    Finally, they glance at Cael, and the /hungry/ look in their gaze might explan why they reacted the way they did. It's a visible effort for them to stay in their seat and say, slowly, "We could do that, yes. And if you're /willing/ to give a statement, then... we can do that." It's all too much like the expression Lydia had earlier, and they seem to be aware of that. At least they're trying.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael meets Jon's gaze, her eyes flicking just enough to study every inch of their features, before locking directly back onto their stare. A small smile pulls at her lips - understanding, sympathy - perhaps even hints of concern laced through the expression before she leans forward to give him a soft kiss on the lips.
    "I'm willing. Let's go to garden," she answers. "Bear, off." The pup jumps down - allowing Cael to climb to her feet, setting her tea cup aside so she can walk out - hand in hand with her boyfriend. The Archivist.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Once she's given the dog attention, Rien rises up and moves back to Robbie, snuggling back into his side and offering a small smile to Chas, "Thank you for the drink. You have... a girlfriend? I want to meet her. Sometime, you know, when we're not all..." She waves a hand around airily. Stuff. When they aren't pre-occupied with magical things.

Jon gets a nod and she focuses for a moment, that light blue glow surrounding her for a moment, then fading, "You have some of each in a chafing dish in your kitchen. Enjoy it, please. Should be enough for all of you to have some, too." By 'all of them' she means Cael, Martin, and Agnes as well.

Finally, she's looking up at Robbie and murmuring, "We can go home soon? I want to cuddle up with you and fall asleep watching something."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Ready when you are," Robbie murmurs, putting out his clove into a dish that.. wasn't there a moment ago. He retrieves his gloves, tugs them on, and slings an arm around the blonde once he's climbed to his feet. "You have a good visit with your dad and Gabby? She uh, stopped by here earlier."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods to Rien. "She was there when you helped get me off the Gate, but... yeah, maybe the two of you could talk more than you could while being engaged with an Archangel." He smiles at that and then nodss to Jon. "Then I'll do that tonight. I'm going to get another few pages in and then I'll head out to her place." He opens to door to the Library and ducks inside closing the blue door behind him.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "She's an angel. Chas' girlfriend, I mean. Thank you, for the food." Jon sounds distracted; Cael's offer clearly has his attention, and there's something like relief on his features. It's probably the closest thing anyone will ever see to the openly asexual man desperate to get his girlfriend alone. He returns the kiss and gets up to go out to the garden hand-in-hand with Cael.

    The dog, happy with the attention--wiggles and licks and all--looks between Rien and Robbie and then gives Robbie a single bark as if to say 'you treat her right!' Then she trots off after Jon and Cael and Bear, fluffy tail wagging all the while.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien nuzzles into Robbie, offering a small smile for the pupper before it bounds off after Jon and Cael. Looking up to Robbie, she murmurs, "Should we get you a dog? Bet Gabe would love that." Moving aside just enough to curl around his arm instead of his waist, she gives a nod, "It was really nice. And I got Gabby's claws enchanted for her birthday present. So now her claws are every bit as strong as mine, or father's. And like mine, hers can interact with anything vulnerable to magic." Superman, watch out! The pair follow Jon and Cael out of the Velvet Room, though the door opens to a different place, an apartment in Brooklyn.