11245/Training Sessions: Stage 2 - Stress Test I

Training Sessions: Stage 2 - Stress Test I
Date of Scene:	19 May 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Training Room
Synopsis:	Chas and Jon decide to utilize Rien and Robbie for some training regimens for the new angel on the block. Needless the say, the dimensional mystic and the Ghost Rider proved very effective in showcasing some of Chas' latent flaws in his new form.
Cast of Characters:	Chas Chandler, Jonathan Sims, Rien D'Arqueness, Robbie Reyes, Cael Becker

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Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas has been busy doing his homework. Reading is all fine and well, and it's been more than a little enlightening, but there's only so much a man can take before he needs some action. So he's called Jon and Rien (with the additional hope that Rien would be able to get ahold of the Sin Eater in some fashion) and asked them to meet him in the Velvet Room's Training Room.

    The room itself hasn't changed much as it's default state fit the man's desires well enough. He only hoped that the previous owner would've warded the stones and earthen ground against energies such as those he was likely to call on this evening. Only one way to tell, really. He smirks, in a way, this test will be as much for the castle itself as for his new form. It's poetic in a way, as they were acquired around the same time.

    He stands in the middle of the room, hands in the pockets of his jeans. He's got a short sleeved buttoned shirt of slate grey on and his usual well worn boots covering his feet. The sense of peace and tranquility around him is an almost tangible thing when combined with the man's stillness and the heavy silence of the training space.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks around the room as he comes in, wearing jeans and a bright green t-shirt that matches his hair, newly dyed. There's been a warm spell in New York, so no cardigans or jackets. He shakes his head and comments, "Really, Chas? We have a magic castle and you don't bother to change the format of the room?"

    He shoves his hands in his pockets and turns around in the middle of the room, thinking to himself purposefully. As he does, the room changes. Dirt floor becomes light-colored hardwood, and the brick walls become bright white. The center of the room becomes overlaid with blue and white mats, slightly raised from the rest of the room. Weapons line the walls in a dizzying variety--swords, axes, lances, brass knuckles. It's like a very large gym for wrestling or martial arts, if modern gyms had melee weapons on the walls.

    There's also three chairs and a water cooler off to one side; Jon grabs himself a cup of water and sits down, wincing slightly and shifting his shoulder. "Much better. How's the reading going? Did you actually get through anything?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Thankfully, getting ahold of the Sin Eater is as simple and nudging him and asking nicely if he'll join her with helping with Chas' training since Robbie's magic is fair unique to.. well.. like three people right now, but still! So when Rien arrives, its with her arm tucked into Robbie's and smiling up at him for being such a good sport about the whole thing.

They head to the Training Room, and as they enter, the blonde's fashionable chic attire fades to black and silver armor that looks like a mix between ninja and Greek soldier. She turns a smile towards Jon and Chas even as her own will imprints itself on the room. A light blue and gold fleur-de-lis patterning on the walls, the door turns into large double doors like you might see on an old French chalet leading out to a balcony, a chandelier hangs from the ceiling, and a warm breeze moves through, scented with lilies and fresh grass and hay.

"Hello Chas, Jon. I hope we're not late?" Rien leads Robbie towards the chairs so they can sit or stand around the water cooler

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie would never consider what he is to be magic. Perish the thought. And technically, he's not *quite* like the other two Ghost Riders, in that his particular brand of demon affords him a few extra.. abilities.

He's dressed down a little today. No leather jacket; just a worn black hoodie with the hood drawn up, and black skinny jeans shoved into steel-toed boots. He's got his usual grouch face on, at least, and is checking the place out critically while Rien greets the other two.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shrugs. "I mean... it worked for the time for me" he says glancing at the touches of the others. "Careful now, this much blending of English and French design and people might actually get ideas about the pair being friendly with each other." He's joking... mostly.

    He shakes head at Rien. "No. We haven't even started really I just finished the fourth book in a list of..." he looks at Jon, "what was it? Twenty you gave me to read over?" he chuckles. "I understand the meaning behind a lot of the Hindu beliefs on a fundamental level and I understand the path they're suggesting for Nirvana, but it seems like a lot of extra work to me. But I'm getting a handle on it" he adds to his instructor.

    He nods to Robbie and the tension between the creature residing inside the young man and what Chas himself is can already be felt rising in the air. "Robbie. Good to see you once again." A simple greeting and more than enough to try and be pleasant even with the tension. He turns his attention to Jon. "I'm going to get it out of the way, so... I can use my abilities for the purpose of this training exercise, right?" he asks. He hasn't actually done anything direct with his skills since that afternoon with his daughter. Rules are rules, after all. But he knows at the very least how to access the latent power in him if he so needs it.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smirks at his friend. "Enlightenment isn't /easy/, Chas. If it was, everyone would be enlightened. I was more concerned with you knowing and understanding the concepts than agreeing with them, though. You need to understand what I mean when I say that what you've become is part of your kharma if we're going to get anywhere."

    He glances around at the room, nodding to himself at the changes Rien makes. "Very nice. Hello Rien, Robbie. Not late at all, I just got here. I'm nursing a bad... err... I banged up my wing the other night and evidently that translates to shoulder pain. So I might be observing more than anything."

    He looks between Robbie and Chas and nods. "That's the idea, yes. I don't know how much you two know, but... Chas has become an angel. Not 'like' an angel, an actual angel, although with free will." He sighs. "We don't know much about how his powers work, exactly, or how he can use them. I /do/ know that if he's pushed too hard and goes nova, I can contain the explosion. But we both figured on having him spar with people who can provide the energies angels are normally weak to--Nullspace and Hellfire--and see how he fares."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Enlightenment also isn't confined within religious beliefs. The journey each consciousness takes is intensely personal and can follow a myriad of beliefs, or none at all. Which is why it is good to expose yourself to as much as possible, to see if anything resonates with you personally," Rien smiles between the men before moving to get water for both herself and Robbie.

She passes one of the cups to Robbie and keeps the other herself, sipping from her own as she looks between the two. Jon's mention of injury has her lifting both brows, "May I?" She motions to his shoulder. Then to Chas, she chuckles, "Twenty books seems like a lot for a short period of time, I hope you're pacing yourself."

Rien looks back to Robbie and smiles, then back to Jon with a nod, "An Earth-born Angel. They're rare, but not unheard of. I would be extremely interested to find out just how it came to happen, but I'm guessing that you," she glances to Chas, "don't know and nobody else has been forthcoming?"

The explanation of the session gets a nod from Rien and a glance to Robbie, "Definitely better than a movie on the couch..."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Ah, so *that's* what he's here for. Robbie turns slowly when Jon speaks, but it's Chas he has in his sights. His lip twitches, ever so slightly; and there's a ripple in his energy like the demon stirring awake. Light calls to Dark, after all; Chas can probably smell the demon on him. Bitter and corrosive, a thing that burns without end.

"I know what he is," he tells Rien, and eventually accepts the cup of water with a murmur of thanks. About half of it is downed in a single swallow. Then the rest is tossed back, the cup set aside, and he breaks off his intent study of the other man to glance at Rien. "We gonna stand around and talk, or what? I don't know how long I can keep him quiet." They probably all know who 'he' is.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas laughs. "Oh, I know how and why... even if I'm not entirely comfortable with it" he replies to Rien. "Can't be stuck on the door of Heaven without being a denizen and not much else besides angels and a few really old gods live up there. So... Michael. The old Michael, in his 'infinite'" he actually uses the finger quotes, "wis7dom, decided to reshape my physical form to match what was needed. So... angel me."

    The young man's impatience is noted and he smiles to him. "I think we can get started whenever you feel ready..." he says and power swells in him. A soft gold and silver light surrounds his form and he jumps back away from the water cooler and chairs. He sails high into the air and drops effortlessly. Landing back at the center of the room he holds out his hands.

    "I'm going to admit, I'm not sure what will happen to me against Hellfire" he says to man, that luminous power growing and extending the aura around him another couple of inches. "And while, I'm more than a bit of a novice with what I can do I'm not going to hold back and I wouldn't expect you to either. No point in stress testing without seeing the full capacity, right?" He grins over at Jon and Rien, hoping the former has his mind set on a containment field it if comes to it.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon hesitates for a moment, then nods to Rien, shifting in the chair so she can take a better look. "Twelve books. It was /twelve/ books. And he can't sleep anymore anyway. He's the one that asked /me/ for help, I don't know what he expected besides books." He snorts and rolls his eyes.

    As Chas and Robbie move to start sparring, he raises his hand briefly and summons up a sort of blast shield in front of the chairs and water cooler. It's tinged with the same emerald color as his arm, but it's more like slightly green-tinted glass, easy to see through. "Just in case," he notes.

    He focuses on the pair rather intently, dark eyes firmly fixed like he's... well, like he's trying to gather all the information he can. Which he is. "The new Michael confirmed he's pretty much a Dominion. They seem... embarrassed by the whole thing? The angels, I mean. Evidently the old Michael just assumed nobody was going to come get Chas." A brief roll of the eyes and then he's focusing again.

Cael Becker has posed:
    The door opens again and, perhaps unanticipated to some, Cael steps through. She's been working up the nerve to enter the room - not to mention given her medication time to really kick in. But there was no point in delaying any further.
    She was either going to do this, or she wasn't. She she'd been determined to try, since Jon casually mentioned the sparring session.
    She glances around the room, visibly staggered for a moment by the sight of the glow coming from Chas. The white dog at her side, in his brightly colored service vest, inserts his head under Cael's hand, and leans against her legs. She stays there a moment before moving further into the room, headed for Jon with an entirely forced smile on her features. "Hey," she greets the others. "Nice, uh... decor," she remarks, as if there's nothing else worth commenting on in the room. Reaching Jon, she slips her hand onto their good shoulder - so each of her hands rests on the two most reassuring presences in her life.
    This is //fine.// Right?

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien moves over towards Jon to get a look at his shoulder even as Robbie is asking when they can start. She smiles softly, then nods to Chas as his power swells and ripples, "There you go babe, have at. I'll be along in a moment, you says something if Eli starts acting out too much, okay?" Looking back to Jon she murmurs, "I can probably heal this if you want. Make sure you're at full working status in case you need to step in."

She watches Chas for a long moment, then back to Jon with a sigh, "That sounds distressingly just like the old Michael." Shaking her head, she turns a small smile towards Cael, then back to Jon, "You might want to make that shield a bubble. This is going to go 3-D really fast."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie certainly isn't the most even-keeled person. And Eli? Well, he gets off on chaos, bloodshed and straight up torture. And he really, *really* doesn't like angels. They can smell him. They can hurt him. They can sometimes kill him, if they're crafty or just plain determined. And it terrifies him.

"Nah, not gonna hold back on you," murmurs the kid with a twist of his lips like he wants to smile, but it sort of eludes him. He tugs his hood off, pauses to meet Rien's gaze a moment, and nod once. Then he's prowling out to the middle of the ring, got that hungry, feral animal look to him. Like he hasn't eaten in a few days, and here's a juicy steak being dangled in front of him.

He cracks his neck, left then right, and his eyes light up like he took a match to them, FWOOMP. "But you better not have any fuckin' angel swords on you, or I'm gonna be real pissed off. Takes me fuckin' days to heal from that shit."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shakes his head. "Like I said, knew to this sort of thing so maybe I have a sword somewhere... but if so I haven't a clue of where or how to get it." He shrugs. "What I can do is throw a mean punch..." He holds up his right fist, that same golden light surrounding his hand as much as the rest of his person.

    "And also... now that I Have a better handle on it, this" he says holding up his other hand palm extended toward the man across from him. A small ball of white hot energy, about the size of a baseball, coalesces before the extended palm and shoots forth toward the Ghost Rider.

    It blazes like a tiny star and holds all the hallmarks of being about as hot as one of it's comparable size. It's going more major league pitcher in speed, rather than anything hypersonic. Given the Ghost Riders' physical prowess, he could probably dodge it. But curiosity might get the better of him to see exactly what Chas is made of, Earth-born angel or no.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I tried healing it myself, but I don't know enough about bird anatomy to feel entirely comfortable; clearly that's an area I'm going to have to study more in-depth. I'd appreciate the help, though." Jon focuses for a moment, summoning up his wings, and it becomes clear that the left one is damaged, hanging at an odd angle. Not a broken bone, really, maybe wrenched tendons or something. Not that it matters if Rien's healing abilities don't depend on actual medical knowledge the way Jon's do.

    A glance up at Cael as she arrives, and he reaches up to put the glowing arm on her hand even as he extends the shield up and around over the top of them. "Glad you made it. Think of it like watching an MMA match, just one with a lot of power behind the blows."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It's still messed up?" Cael asks. She focuses on Jon and their wing for the moment, concern on her features. "You think you can help with it?" she asks Rien hopefully. Freeing her hand from Bear, she maneuvers one of the chairs even closer to Jon, so when she sits her leg can touch theirs, as she clearly seeks reassurance in their presence. The moment she's sitting - Bear jumps up to drape his chest and forelegs across Cael's lap, as the woman lets out an exaggerated 'oof' in response. "You're too big, Bear," she complains good naturedly, one arm around the dog, and other still clasped over Jon's shoulder, and inside their own hand.
    "...not a huge fan of the golden glow he's making," she admits to Jon quietly, her voice and expression tense."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Nodding, Rien's hands start to glow a light blue as she takes a step back so Jon can summon the wings. She doesn't actually touch him, just holding both hands out towards the oddly hung wing. The concentration required for the healing is commensurate with the damage being healed. Thankfully, this doesn't look too bad. That light blue glow will outline around the wing where it attaches to Jon and he'll feel a soothing warmth envelope the area, like a pair of gentle hands lifting the wing and holding it in place while the damage is repaired.

It only takes a few moments before Rien drops her hands with a satisifed smile, "Should be good as new now. Be careful with those low bridges and sharp turns. Wings mean having to account for a larger body space than usual." Chuckling, she looks back to the fight and the light blue glows quickly envelopes her body, "Guess I better get out there and make sure things don't get too... heated."

Easier said than done with a Rider! Stepping out of the protective bubble, Rien launches off the floor and up into the air. Hey! When did Rien start flying? This is going to be interesting, as Rien starts to channel the Nullspace energy. Sweat actually pops out across her forehead. Nullspace isn't a pleasant place and Null energy isn't pleasant to deal with... but if there's one thing Howlett's are used to, it's pain. Pushing the pain to the back of her mind, Rien aims a blast of that energy directly towards Chas, almost like an anti-star, it pulses and seems to pull everything into it... light.. hope.. everything.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's hardly a speedster, but he's got considerably better reflexes than a human ought to. If only his curiosity didn't get the better of him for a fraction of a second-- which is all it takes to make the difference between successfully evading the ball of light lobbed at him, and having it graze his arm as it hurtles past.

He hisses angrily between his teeth as the attack sears off a few layers of skin; and as he whips his head back around, the transformation takes over in a matter of seconds. Flesh ripped open around hairline fissures that appear along his face. His nose and cheek and ear burned away, sparks and hot ash coming off him as everything suddenly ignites; he roars in pain, but there's nothing for it but to see it through. Until all that's left is the alien looking metal skull with its narrow vents and elongated fangs, hellfire streaming out of it like a pyre.

"Come here, and try that again." The voice is like metal shearing apart, overlaid atop the young man's own voice. He attempts to circle closer, and take a hard swing at the angel while he's distracted with Rien's attack. The type of swing that would crush the skull of a normal human.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas takes note of Rien's emergence onto the field and the blast of simply void coming for him. He fires off another sun-ball to it and pales at the ball is simply consumed by the entropic force of Nullspace coming for him. "Ummm... yeah... no..." he says as the beam comes for him and he jumps away from his current location. He's barely able to avoid it and a black tear appears beneath one eye, as even the proximity effect of the energy is too much for his body

    A pair of faint silver wings appear behind his form, they seem almost intagible and his clothing isn't affected by their emergence. They're only visible for a moment as he dodge takes him well into range of the Ghost Rider's punch. The hit connects and the Ghost Rider can feel the resistance to it as it hammers against the golden aura of the man.

    Energy ripples out from the impact point as the aura bends under the tremendous strength behind the blow and while some of Chas' abilities defy physics, this is not one of them. He flies back from the blow, and his body bounces off the rugs and hardwood, disrupting both before he slams into one of the walls, the brickwork cracking and buckling from his point of impact.

    He pushes away from the wall, looking mostly unaffected by the punch. "Nice!" he says to the man. "Phoebe doesn't have strength like that... so I didn't know what it would be like to be hit. It's not terrible, really."

    He rolls his neck and reaches up to touch at the black mark on his face, wincing as he jerks his hand from the almost burn like result of the proximity. "I... I think if Nullspace touches me... I'd die. Especially since this..." he gestures to his face. "Hurts more than anything I've ever felt before."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Thank you!" Jon calls after Rien. "It was rolling around on the ground tussling with a werewolf, though, not a low bridge." A chuckle, and he flexes his wings, then makes them disappear and settles back in the chair.

    He stares at the now three-way confrontation, eyes wide, with something akin to hunger in them. This is a thing no Archivist's ever witness--or if they have, it's buried /way/ down deep in the ancient layers of the Archive. So he's terribly curious to see how it'll go.

    That's probably why he sounds vaguely distracted when he says to Cael, "You've got this. I'm putting most of my concentration into the barrier. They can't hurt you, unless you decide to get out there and join them." A brief smirk; he doubts /that's/ going to happen. "You didn't have a problem with my healing energy glowing golden like sunlight."

    He's been watching the fight; he frowns and calls to Chas, "Die for good? Or die and be reformed at the Silver City? Important distinction, there."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Fucking werewolves, man," Cael remarks in a wry tone. Her fingers are scratching at Bear's neck as she alternates between looking towards Jon - and flicking momentary glances towards the fight. Was that an uncharitable smirk on her features as Chas gets tossed into the brickwork?
    Maaaaaybe.
    As Jon comments about the light he created, she frowns - hesitation showing on her features before she finally offers, "Yeah, but- it was //you.//" That seems to be all the explination she needs to offer.
    And Jon doubts that she trusts him...

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien drops the channeled energy, sending it back from whence it came with something akin to relief, "Oh good. I can maintain it as long as I need to but it is NOT pleasant to do..." There's a quick glance towards Robbie, keeping an eye on the Rider even as she offers, "I can, ah, channel from the Dark Dimension... which would match the Hellfire that Robbie's using?" The nice thing about being an interdimensional sorceress is having multiple realms to draw from.

She touches down on the floor, releasing the telekinetic flight even as she keeps her attention on the RIder in the room, just making sure things are still... chill-ish. "We can test your tolerance of that realm's energies to see what the limits are?"

She flicks a glance towards Jon and offers half a grin, "Well there's your problem, tussling with werewolves with your wings out." Cael gets a wave and a called out, "Hi Cael! Hi Bear!"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Chas goes flying into the mortar, and the Ghost Rider lets out a completely inhuman sound. Like a guttural roar and a harpy's scream jumbled together; mouth open, metal fangs glittering as flames stream out of its maw.

He paces in closer, burning pits for eyes fixed on the angel, left arm still trailing pungent blood-smoke as he advances on his opponent. Chill? Not really. This demon is pissed off, hungry, and in no mood to banter. If Chas doesn't try to dodge, the Ghost Rider will stop in front of him, crouch down, and attempt to wrap his hand around the angel's throat. Then pick him up like he's lifting a doll, and hurl him against the opposite wall with another roar. He's either playing with his food.. or Robbie's exerting control to keep him from doing his worst.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas, curiosity getting the better of him, let's the Rider toy with him. "I... don't know and frankly not sure if I want to find out with something -that- volatile" he says as the Rider grabs him by the throat. The pulses of light around his aura ripple at around the grip points. His voice is a little taxed from the pressure of the grip as he says to Rien, "Let me and the Rider get a bit more acquainted for a mome--"

    He doesn't get the last bit of the word out as he's tossed with superhuman strength to the opposite wall. Again, he hits it with crushing force, and the mortar and brick crack and crumble against the impact of Chas' rather large form smashing into it.

    He doesn't hesitate to react this time though. Again, those silver wings emerge from whatever invisible plane they reside in as he lauches himself off the wall, right back for the Ghost Rider his body racing over the distance in seconds as he accelerates to just shy of supersonic levels.

    If force is equal to mass times acceleration, the punch that comes for the Ghost Rider is nearing the forty thousand newton range. The aura around Chas' fist blurs as corruscations of golden light peel from the wind sheer of the strike aimed for his opponent.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon frowns and says, "I think we can presume Nullspace energy is a thing Chas should avoid at all costs, given everything we know. Dark Dimension should work just fine, Rien." A pause, and he adds, "And I had my wings out because I jumped down on him from the rooftops and wound up tangled up. Didn't have time to put them away." Superhero'ing is a skill! One he's still learning.

    He glances at Cael, briefly, and smiles. "Good to know I don't trigger problems for you," he murmurs, and reaches over to give Bear a scritch or two.

    But then his gaze his pulled back to the fight; he winces as Chas goes flying into the bricks again and then /blinks/ at how fast Chas accelerates. "Holy /shit/," he breathes. "I'd say that shouldn't be possible, but... magic." He braces, watching to see how Robbie will take the punch.

Cael Becker has posed:
    As Rien calls his name, Bear's tail wags happily - even when on duty, and with imporant work to do, he's still just a happy dog. Jon scratching at him gets a similar response, though he keeps his attention focused on Cael, nuzzling into her chest, and lifting his head to lick at her chin.
    And there's cause for his concern, as Cael begins to freeze up, her form stiffening as the group continue to echange blows. It's the light coruscating off of Chas, however, that causes her to look away, her grip on Jon's shoulder tightening, and her breathing picking up an uneven rhythm before she forces herself to breathe slowly and more evenly, her gaze turning away from the spectacle of the fight.
    "I've got this. I'm okay. I'm safe," she murmurs under her breath - not intenting her for her voice to carry, though she didn't mind if Jon overheard her.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien nods and steps back, staying on the field but keeping out of the way as she watches the fight unfolding between Chas and Robbie. The blue glow remains, however, giving her a measure of protection, both from the debris and the combatants themselves. Her eyes following Chas for a few moments, then jumping towards Robbie to see if he's going to need help.

Leaning up against an unbroken bit of wall, she calls over to Jon, "From the little bit I know of the Nullspace and it's energy it's... sort of like a black hole for anything and everything. Takes everything in and gives nothing back. Like... like being unmade. Which would make sense for what it seems to do to Chas."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The Ghost Rider's eyes glitter with firelight, more flames pouring out of the narrow vents in his skull. He's all ready to follow up with a second attack, when Chas comes launching at him like a-- well, maybe not a bat out of hell. But a very fucking fast angel.

His quick reflexes aren't quite quick enough to help him out here; the strike hits him full force. A blow one would expect to disintegrate his head on contact. But no. It staggers him back hard enough for him to loose his footing and go down on one knee, metal skull crumpling.. then reforming again almost instantly.

Rien, lounging nearby, is watched for a second or two with that empty stare. And then he climbs back to his feet and cracks his neck again, hands dropping to his sides, palms unfolding from fists. Now it's Chas he's watching, approaching again, as chains manifest one in each hand with a hiss of flame racing along their length. Chains tipped in long, curved scythes, flipped around once, twice, sending up sparks when they hit the ground.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' eyes aren't the bright blue of his usual hue. Something else has taken over inside him, the nature of what he is fighting against an entity that served an ancient foe. His eyes blaze with gold and silver flame. "More than a worthy adversary" he says, his own voice changing in verbiage and cadence. It's still Chas' voice and the inflection is still that of the man, but the angelic energy in him is more a driving force at the moment.

    Which is why the next action isn't possibly as unexpected. He holds out a hand and the golden light materializes and forms into a greatsword sword made of the same energy. "Come, Rider, let us see how formidable your flames are against the manifestation of creation." Swirling symbols and shapes start to form in his aura. Enochian script manifesting in visible conjurations of defensive energies against the chains of Hell produced by the Sin Eater.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon doesn't look away as Cael starts to panic, but he doesn't need to. He reaches out an arm to wrap around her, not so tightly that she can't get away if she wants, enough to reassure. "Chas is not going to hurt you," he says softly. "If Chas ever hurt you on purpose, I'd break my promise to Donna and get hold of some negative energy to rip him apart." A pause. "Or I'd ask Rien to do it. And I imagine he'd let us. You're /fine/."

    He takes in a long, slow breath. Lets it out. He replies to Rien, in a louder voice, "Yeah, it's... not great. The whole problem with the universe that we fixed turned out to be that souls were getting sent there, instead of back into the cycle. Hijacked by the 'Old Gods,' which are exactly what you think they are." He shakes his head. "I don't know much else about the place, but I don't want to. It sounds awful. that thirty seconds or so we spent there when we chained Michael was enough for a lifetime, for me."

    Then Chas changes, and Jon stands, pulling Cael to her feet. "Go," he says to her, firmly. "You don't need to push yourself this hard. Go." Also because he and Rien /might/ have to intervene, and it'll be better not to worry about the mortal in the middle of everything.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I know, Jon. I //know// that - but knowing and feeling..." Are two very different things. Cael leans into Jon's presence, grateful for their support. She's trying - they know she's trying. And more than anything else - she's trying for //them,// because she knows how much the rift between Chas and herself pains them.
    The sound of Chas's voice as it alters, and the briefest glimpse towards the man, though, blanches her skin, and causes fear to grip at her heart. Jon is here. Jon is here. Jon is here, and you're fine, and he's Jon's //friend// for fuck's sake...
    "Y-yeah," she answers Jon, letting them urge her to her feet. "I'll be, umm... At the bar. With a tea. I'll be alright," she promises.
    After a brief, but tight hug, she turns to stride from the room, with Bear remaining close at her side.
    Nope. That was enough of this shit for one day.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien looks right back at Robbie, flaming pits and all.. and smiles. She's here, she's not going anywhere. 'Love you' is mouthed towards him before he's standing back up and maintaining control even as the chains manifest. Her smile widens. She's such a proud girlfriend right now!

But then -Chas- changes and the broadsword comes out. She straightens from her lean and goes on full battle alert, claws out and everything. She isn't launching in just yet, but she's ready to at a moment's notice. This is officially no longer a spar to test Chas' powers. This is now a fight between ancient mortal enemies. And that rarely turns out well for both parties.

She keeps a laser focus on Chas and Robbie, ready to intervene if needed as Cael and Bear make good their eascape, then sidling over towards Jon and murmurs, "I'll take mind and you take yours?" If they need to intervene, it's good to have a plan for who goes after whom. Keeps people from tripping over each other or both going for one and leaving the other free to act...

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"I am going to tear you apart piece by piece, and let you burn for the things you've done," screams the Rider, something between a khalkotauroi and a harpy; but using Robbie's voice box. The chains are flipped and flipped again, sending up showers of sparks as the blades hit and wing back into the air again.

Then he attacks, whipping the left in a quick backhand intended to catch Chas around the neck and hold him fast; then a wrist snap with his right that sends the scythe slicing across the angel's midsection, roaring with hellfire.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' focus is on his foe before him. Jon, Rien, Cael, they're all background noise to the true threat in his vicinity. The first scythe is caught on the sword, blade being used to wrap and hold the chain in place. Angry red sparks fly from the combination of heavenly and hellish fire warring for surpremacy.

    "You will try... and fail" Chas says, his voice modulated by the heavenly force of his being. "And when you do, I will be there to send you back to the prison where you belong." He jerks, his own strength warring against that of his foe, their wills evenly matched.

    But while Robbie's had close to 6 years with his power... Chas' has had a little over 1 month. In the end, experience wins out and the second scythe strikes home. The aura around Chas prevents him from being evicerated by the blade, but even so a deep cut is scored across his middle and the light goes out from his eyes. The sword winks out as well, letting the chain fall.

    He jumps back in an attempt to disengage and puts a hand to his stomach as blood a bit too bright and thick to be human spills from around his hand on the wound. "Oh... blood hell... that... that burns. Oh God it burns..." he says, dropping to a knee and curling up on himself to hide the wound.

    He's as good as a sitting duck for the Rider to advance and take him out... if no one intervenes.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon relaxes visibly as Cael leaves the room, even though he's on full alert. The green 'blast shield' disappears as wings spread out and circlet of Ma'at appears; an emerald khopesh appears in his hand as well. "Sounds like a plan," he replies to Rien, as he twists one hand and a close-fitting shimmering shield appears around his form.

    In the time it takes to crouch and launch himself he's in the air, not directly swooping in, more sort of hovering along the sidelines, at first. He's about to raise his voice to call Chas to back down when the sword disappears and the light goes out from Chas' eyes. So... that's a thing they'll need to talk about, but for now...

    Jon swoops down to plant themself firmly in front of Chas, wings spread wide, sword held ready should the Rider decide to try to come at Chas through them. "Enough! If you two can't keep your ridiculous animosity at bay long enough for a sparring match, then you /both/ need to be sent back to primary school for some basic lessons in fair play!" The goddess' overlay on his tone makes him sound like a schoolteacher scolding children more than anything.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
As soon as blood is drawn, Rien is launching herself towards Robbie, one hand going from open palm to clenched fist as she tugs towards her. That blue glow outlines Robbie and freezes him in place even as she lands in front of him and stares up into those burning pits. Unafraid, she reaches up and touches his cheek, not even wincing at the flames that surround her hand. "That's enough Eli. You've shown you're stronger."

Her eyes search the pits where his eyes would be as she shifts her hand up to where those dark curls would be, "Robbie. Send him back. You can do it, you know you can. Remember, we promised Gabe we'd bring ice cream back when we finished. You know you can't break a promise to Gabe."

She doesn't turn away from him for a moment, even a second's loss in control is all that Eli will need, so she focuses enitrely on him. Exerting her own will and bolstering RObbie's to help send Eli back into his cage.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The clash of chain and sword makes a thunderous, crystalline melody. Dark and bright; hellfire exploding with motes of sunlight, almost too bright to look at directly. The Ghost Rider's first attack is stymied, but then there's a sickening silence after the second hits home. The blade clatters to the ground, hot with blood, and he yanks the other chain back. Drags them both along with him, *SKREEEEEEE* as he closes in on his downed prey--

And stops dead as Rien's spell folds over him and all but roots him in place. He pants and snorts angrily, spraying hellfire through the slits in his skull. The voices of his friends and lover all start to meld together, so he can barely make out one from the other; but one thing manages to get through to him. *Gabe*.

The fire gutters, then goes out with a wash of smoke, and Robbie closes his eyes and grits his teeth through the pain of his burned face repairing itself slowly. "..fuck. Fuck, I'm sorry," he mumbles.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shakes his head. "My fault too, mate. Didn't know that coming to blows with... well, you would shift control to whatever that was..." he says from his crouched defensive position. He's grimacing as his dark blood soaks the rug beneath him, turning deep blue to a vaguely purple color. "Still, one hell of a fight" he says through clenched teeth.

    "I concede and... probably going to need some medical here unless you want to see what the insides of a Earth-born angel look like..." He tries to rise but only manages a little before another gush of dark blood pours out of his wound and he slides back down.

    "Yeah... definitely going to need that medical..." he looks up and gives Robbie a nod. "I appreciate the help. From both of you... really. It was, more than informative," he says, wincing a little at the pain of the Hellfire made opening.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon only turns away when Robbie begins to come back to himself. Not that he doesn't trust Rien, but if Eli had slipped past, Jon would've been the last line of defense between him and Chas. Once it's over, though, he spins to face his friend, glaring down at him, opening his mouth like he's about to deliver an angry lecture.

    Instead, seeing how bad the wound is, he drops to one knee, summoning up glowing light. "Hold still," he mutters, tone still carrying annoyance. "Let's see if this works on angels as well as it does on humans."

    He shakes his head. "'Whatever that was' was just /you/, Chas. You as an angel, or maybe you overlaid with some kind of gestalt 'Dominion' consciousness, but... /you/. Same aura and everything. What were you feeling when it happened? Angry, scared...?" He puts his hands out over the wound, letting the sunlight try to heal the Hellfire-made gash.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien smiles brilliantly up at Robbie when he comes back to himself. Releasing him from the hold spell, she wraps her arms around him, drawing him in and stroking her fingers through his hair. "You did well, Robbie. Maybe a little overzealous at the end, but that's why we're here, to make sure if -either- of you went overboard that we could reel it back in." She soothes him as best she can and presses a soft kiss to his cheek.

Glancing towards Jon and Chas finally, she murmurs, "If you need help Jon, just say the word and I'll put a little oomph behind the healing." She wasn't watching the blood, but she could smell it. Can still smell it. Same with the fire and brimstone. And whatever scents Chas blasts off when his inner Michael jumps out. But the blood is the sharpest scent at the moment.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie all but collapses into Rien's arms as the spell is lifted. Arms sliding around her, head tucked against her shoulder. He's silent for a while, just focusing on her warmth and her scent and the soothing sound of her voice. He's *aware*, surely, that Chas is over there bleeding like a stuck pig; and furthermore, that it's his doing. But he seems.. disoriented at the moment. Like he's not entirely certain how he got here, or what the last thirty seconds or so of that fight entailed.

"Is he gonna be okay?" he murmurs eventually, voice gone scratchy like he's been yelling for twenty minutes straight. Despite Rien's offer to help, he's made no effort to release her yet.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas let's Jon tend to him, wincing as the tissues of muscle and skin knit themselves together under the spell. There's resistance, as if Jon might have to work a bit harder to put it just right, angelic perfection being something of legend, but the Archivist manages.

    "I felt..." he thinks for a moment. What he felt in the immediate. "I felt exultant. Righteous? It was strange. Not like when Michael took over, I was aware that what I was doing was for the greater good." He looks over at Robbie and frowns. "No offense."

    There was the adrenaline fueled feeling of battle and a sense that the struggle between Robbie or well, whatever your Rider's name is... and me was a struggle that was eternal and intended." He shakes his head. "It felt... right. It felt good. Until I nearly got torn open that that chain."

    He looks around at the expanding pool of blood. "Oh, Christ... made a mess of things, didn't I?" he asks once the wound is sealed. "I liked this shirt too..." The smell of the blood is something odd. It doesn't have that same copper-iron tinge that human blood has. Instead, there is an almost ozone laced essence over it. The smell barely noticable by human means, but for Rien the closest experience would be standing in the immediate vicinity of a lightning strike.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    For a moment, it's not just Jon's hands that glow; as he pushes that last bit to get it /perfect/ his whole body glows like he's letting off the light of the sun; to Rien he might smell different for a moment, like a warm field on a late summer's day. Then it's done and he lets out a long sigh. "I can fix the shirt," Jon murmurs, sitting back on his heels as he lets the light fade away. It's getting easier every time he does it, though he /did/ have to push. "Just give me a moment to catch my breath."

    He looks around at Rien and Robbie. "He's fine. Well, physically, anyway. Angels are close enough to humans that it was more just getting that last little bit of oomph." He wipes at his brow, beads of sweat forming there. "It had to be /perfect/ evidently. Ugh." He shakes his head.

    He sighs, and says, "We're going to have to talk about that. Was it just because of Robbie's connection to Hell, or are you going to pop into that every damn time you're in a conflict?" He actually shakes a finger at Chas. "But you are /not/ allowed to exorcise Robbie or anything of the sort, understand?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
She doesn't let go of Robbie, just holding onto him as she gives a nod, "Yeah, babe, he's gonna be fine. It's okay. You're okay." Stroking a hand through those dark curls, she keeps hold of him and glances over towards Jon and Chas, "From what I understand of Earth-born Angels, it's not terribly dissimilar from how a Rider and their Spirit work, only... there is no Spirit. Or rather, the Rider IS the Spirit. It's more.. harmonious. It's that Angelic side coming to the fore to face off against it's eternal enemy. It's meant to give you a boost to carry you through battle. Not unlike an adrenaline rush when you get put into a fight or flight situation."
R
ien waves a hand towards Chas, that light blue glow flashing briefly before the blood disappears and CHas' shirt is repaired like the tear never happened. "Least I can do, since Jon got the healing done. Your blood is different now, Chas. Its like the air before a lightning storm.. full of ozone and charged. What I imagine pure magic would smell like..."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas runs a hand over the shirt and smiles at Rien. "Thanks. I... I remember something like that before I got put on the door. The Silver City... it... it resonates with that scent. Strong. Pure. Heady. It's..." He shakes his head as the memory eludes him after its brief flash. He looks to Jon. "I think it might be because of what Robbie is. Like I said, when I was with Phoebe there wasn't anything like that."

    He thinks for a moment. "But the Ghost Riders are all tied to Hell in some fashion and well... Heaven fights Hell. That's sort of the whole thing, right? The lesser forces fight against Hell and the Fallen and the Archangels fight against the Demon Lords and keep watch if the Old Ones ever try to cross the barrier."

    He frowns. "You said Michael compared me to Dominion? Judges. Arbiters of judgement of souls that pass through the Gates. Sounds about right if I was put against a demon or a Hell lord or..." he gestures to the young man. "But I think that maybe... a balance can be achieved and we can work together if there is a common enemy. We don't have to be at each other's throats the whole time."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shakes his head. "Terry and I are polar opposites in some ways, but /very/ similar in others--just like you and demons. Our energies react oddly to each other, and in many ways he represents the kind of Chaos I'm supposed to be overcoming to keep Order--but we're friends, we work together just fine. On some level, you both have to decide to put away the ancient enmity for a greater good."

    He sighs. "Arbiters of judgement on souls... well, I can help you figure out how to handle /that/. Including tamping down the desire to judge every soul you come across that might..." He hesitates, then says slowly, "It'll pull at you, when you feel it there. The weight of a soul needing judgement. But it doesn't have to consume you, or overtake you. We'll work on it."

    He glances to Rien. "Thank you. Can you get Robbie home? I think I might insist this bloke come eat something with me, remember he started out human. Pizza, I think. Even an angel can't turn down New York pizza."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien gives a smile towards Chas, then a nod to Jon with a faintly amused smile, "I can get him home. You two enjoy your pizza and we'll see you soon." Keeping her arms around Robbie, the pair don't move, they simply vanish into thin air with a brief flash of that light blue glow enveloping them both.

A small portal opens a few moments later, with Rien poking her head through, "I can't say that I'm any real 'judge' or 'arbiter'... but there's few enough that are going to be more well-versed than I am in demons, devils, and the corner of the Dark Dimension in which Hell resides. So.. feel free to hit me up sometime." She flashes a grin, then pulls her head back through the portal closes.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas after Rien. "I will. Thank you" he offers before the portal closes. He looks at Jon and frowns. "Not the best test, but, like I said informative." He smooths his shirt over his front, the lingering effects of the Hellfire still a memory in his head. The slight mark on his face remains despite any healing. It seems that Nullspace energy doesn't seal up as easily as hellfire. And that too is good to know.

    "Pizza huh?" he says. "Yeah, I suppose I can indulge that. Maybe the amount of grease can overcome the dullness of the taste." He looks around the room. "Geez... we sort of made a mess of this place didn't we?" he says. As if in answer the visual change fades and the training room returns to the blank slate it was before. No sigh of damage or blood or destruction remains.

    "Huh... that's..." He is about to say 'helpful' but he shakes his head. "Yeah, no getting around it. That's strange and disconcertning. Let's get out of here and get some grub and you can tell me about how to not feel like I have to be St. Peter all the damn time."