11407/Welcome to the Velvet Room

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Welcome to the Velvet Room
Date of Scene: 31 May 2022
Location: The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis: Cael, Jon, Gabby, Dex and Michael meet in the Velvet Room. There's a doll inhabited by the spirit of a little Japanese girl - who just wants to be warm and cozy - and talk of blood monster.
Cast of Characters: Cael Becker, Jonathan Sims, Dex Alruin, Michael Hannigan, Gabby Kinney




Cael Becker has posed:
    All is quiet in the sitting room of the Justice League Dark's private astral castle. Well - other than the piano playing music all on its own to one side of the room. The sight of Cael hunched over the bar is not an unfamiliar image to those that know her - nor is the large, white dog at her side a surprise, as Bear leans in against her leg. But rather than the scent of whiskey, the scent of tea fills the room. She lifts her mug to take a sip, setting it down in front of her as she reaches down to scratch at the dog's head. "Who's a good boy?" she murmurs softly - earning a few thumps of the dog's tail in response.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "--Like this." Jon has gathered up a couple of the people he wants to suggest for full membership to the JLD and brought them to the Velvet Room, both to see the place and to introduce them to other people. He's opening a door somewhere in New York, and leading Dex and Mike into the sitting room of said private astral castle.

    "We're stepping into the astral plane physically," he explains. "The realm of dreams and thought and possibility. Normally people only come here when asleep, and ghosts appear to be attached to this plane as well, but... well, what better base for a group who fights mystical threats than a place most people can't get to?"

    He leads them down the stairs, toward the bar, where two keys have manifested, and grins on seeing Cael. "Hi! Gentlemen, this is Cael Becker, my girlfriend and a member of the Justice League Dark. Unless you've met...?"

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex blinks as his surroundings go from 'familiar New York' to 'bluest place to ever blue'. He steps into the room behind Jonathan, eyes adjusting to the sudden color shift as his adjusts his glasses. "Astral plane..." he says, voice quiet and mystified. As he listens to the explanation, he feels a bit underdressed for what seems like a formal area, a black t-shirt and blue jeans feeling out of place here. However, he looks around, noting the piano playing by itself and the woman and dog sitting at the bar. He blinks a few times, then nods. "I suppose that's true. Does being here mean we could accidentally end up inside someone's dream?" His eyes widen as he asks the question, glad he has his Proto-Shot in case he gets an answer he doesn't like. However, he merely follows the leader over to the bar, shaking his head. "I don't think we've met," he replies.

    "Dex Alruin," he says, offering a small bow to Cael before his attention to Bear. "And who's the good doggie?" he says, his voice taking on 'dog talk' tonality. He blinks again, then straightens up and clears his throat. "I... Uh... I mean, what's your dog's name, Miss Becker?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike glances around the room, a brow raised. "...It's very." He thinks about the ways to describe the place. Unreal? Interesting? Oh hey! Piano! But of all the possible descriptors that come up. Only one makes it past the filter. "-Blue."

The explanation does not go ignored as he looks over to Jon. "It's kind of interesting how so many terms get used for the same place..." Leave it to the Phantasms to tag everything with the word 'dream' in it.

Mike looks over to Dex at his voiced concern, "Well, if you do, there are those who can pull you out. Just, if you end up in a solitary dream world, don't piss off the dreamer."

Looking to Cael, he gives her a nod. "Good to see you again under different circumstances."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
A moment or two after the potential new guys are led in and introduced to Cael, there comes another racing into the room. Gabby pauses to throw the door behind her shut--The one that led to the library. It's here she pauses letting her eyes flit around the room taking everyone in as she raises a hand, finger up.

"First of all... Hey Mike, long time no see. Second: I think I made a mistake."

From the door behind her there comes a sound of growling, gnashing teeth, and what sounds like fingers being scraped against the door. "Anyone have a box?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Hey Jon," Cael greets her boyfriend - a smile on her lips. Though as Dex approaches - and 'Miss Becker's her, some of that warmth chills immediately.
    Oops.
    "It's Cael, or Agent Becker," she corrects him. "Or 'Ms.' if you absolutely must." After letting out a huff of air - recognizing that perhaps Dex was not deserving of all of her irritation, she extends a hand to accept his, adding, "Nice to meet you. And Bear, here, is my service dog." Even if he isn't wearing his vest at the moment. Michael is greeted with a simple nod of her head, and a brief smile.
    Bear thumps his tail a few times, happy to have been addressed - though as Gabby runs into the room he cocks his ears and his head in puzzlement.
    Cael studies the door, and the girl, then looks towards Jon. "Tag. You're it," she remarks. "I've dealt with my monster for the day."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Worries about formal wear might be unfounded, given that Jon himself is wearing jeans and a t-shirt and sneakers. He runs a hand through fading green hair and shakes his head. "You won't wind up in anyone's dream from here, no. Dreamers do touch the Astral, but there's a lot more to the place than that. This place, specifically, is mostly protected against intrusion. I suppose someone astrally projecting or lucid dreaming could come here, but just anyone who's asleep...? No."

    He's about to response further to Mike when Gabby comes out of the library. Turns toward the door, and opens his mouth. Closes it. Frowns.

    "...Gabby, if whatever's in there is eating the books..." Would they just reappear? Maybe. It's a magic castle! "What's going on?"

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex sighs in relief, nodding. "Good. I'm not sure how well I'd handle that, given how strange my own dreams are sometimes..." He shudders a bit, then snaps to attention as Cael corrects him. "Yes, I'm sorry, I meant no offense!" he says, shaking the offered hand with a bit of a tremble. "Nice to meet you too. And he is a wonderful animal. A good dog, clearly." All dogs are good dogs until people get involved, after all, so far as he's concerned. He nods toward Mike, smiling a bit. "That's good, because..."

    Because what? The world may never know, the archer slinging his Proto-Shot off his back as the growling and scratching at the door begins, the hardlight string appearing in his fingers and his eyes narrowing. "What's going on back there? That sounds... dangerous."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Hearing the sudden entrance, Mike turns his head to see a familiar person burst through the door. As she gives a halting gesture with her finger, Mike is quiet in response to her greeting, giving a nod and a slight wave. His attention shifts over to the door. "...This isn't a repeat of the sewer rat thing, is it?"

Mike doesn't reach for a weapon. Nor does it appear that he shifts in any form. But that door does get his attention at the moment.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Eating the..." Gabby glances to the side behind her at the doors considering this before shaking her head. "Pretty sure it's not. I was in there doing some research and maybe shouldn't have brought it to the astral plane to begin with. I think it juiced it up."

Juiced WHAT up? A quick tug on the door ensures it's still shut in spite of the grrring and scrabbling on the other side. "It's small, really. It's a doll. A, uh. Haunted doll. See, I was on Ebay..." Already this story probably doesn't need the details filled in.

It goes quiet a moment, and then the doorhandle moves sliding the door open which causes Gabby to leap away. "Box!" She calls out again while making a dive for behind the counter were, often, things you need could appear mysteriously.

Once the door finishes swinging open there's a maybe two foot tall traditional Japanese doll standing there looking pretty. Totally innocent other than the shavings of wood caught under it's tiny fingers.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Bear is regarding the doll with curiosity - which quickly turns to excitement. Is this a new toy?! The pup pops up to his feet, tail wagging as he lets out an excited bark - advancing a step towards the doll. And perhaps - letting a large white dog maul the doll would take care of the problem.
    Or perhaps it would put Bear in harms' way.
    "Bear - down," Cael commands firmly - and in response, Bear immediately lays down, letting out only a brief whimper of disappointment.
    In the same moment, Cael pulls a pistol out from under her leather jacket, and aims it at the doll with a steady, firm grip. "Do I shoot it?" she asks simply.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Oh good lord," Jon mutters as the doll comes out of the library, glancing around at the others. "Alright, note to self: 'don't buy haunted *anything* on eBay' is high on the list of subjects in our Magic 101 class."

    He stares at the doll for a long moment. "There's a spirit in there," he notes. "A... youthful one? Maybe a child? Damn it. Dex, Cael, keep ready but don't shoot. Umm..." He glances over at Mike, raising a brow. "Can you see it? The spirit, I mean."

    Over their shoulder, "Gabby, if the Room provides you with a box bring it out but let's not... ahh... antagonize it /just/ yet?" Maybe this is wishful thinking. Maybe the doll is just going to jump and attack someone.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex immediately draws back the string as the doll appears in the door, an arrow humming to life in the bow as he steadies his aim. He can feel his fingers itching for release, but Jon's words keep him steady, nodding as he rescinds his arrow, keeping his bow in a ready position but saving his power. "A child spirit?" he asks, "That thing was acting like a... child having a tantrum, now that I think about it. Damnit..." He stares at the doll, the unsettling notion of it standing under its own power causing a shiver down the normie's spine.

    "Just say the word," he says, though far less enthused than he had been before. Everyone's gung ho to kick doll ass until it turns out it might be a kid. 'I can't shoot it if it IS a kid... can I?' he thinks, his face mildly green at the thought.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike's attention shifts over to Gabby as she explains what she brought. "You bought a haunted doll- and then brought it here?" Ok he's not exactly a magic scholar but even to him that seems like a bad idea.

And he's a master of bad ideas.

And here Jon is more or less asking for ideas.

This will be interesting.

"I see dreams. Not sprits." Mike corrects, "Uhh... If you want I could try the call on it but if it isn't demonic it won't do anything but maybe piss the doll off more."

Dex's comment about it acting like it is having a tantrum does make him wonder. "If it's just having a tantrum, wouldn't it tire itself out after it is allowed to throw a few fits? Just make sure it doesn't break anything in the process?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"It's an old doll, I thought maybe there might be something in a history book about it so I could learn more. And it didn't DO anything until a bit ago," Gabby has to admit while glancing back over at the doll that was just standing there. Maybe coming in on a group of people had caused it to pause? She wasn't sure. Either way she sloooowly pulls her hand from beneath the counter with a box in it now pausing to glance from the doll to it, and back again.

"So there is a spirit in it. ... Now I feel guilty." The box is dropped back with a little bit of a sigh as she tries to think of something else. "It's, uh, a funeral doll for children that have died or something like that, so far as I researched. The hair is real."

The doll goes from standing still to it's head swiveling to the side apparently looking around the room. Right toward Bear.

"... Maybe it wants to pet Bear?" Hopeful.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "If it can scratch the wood from the door - it can tear Bear to shreds," Cael points out in a tense voice - ignoring the looks Bear gives her and Gabby upon hear his name. "Bear - stay." Coming down off her stool, she moves around the doll, to flank it - allowing others to approach without getting in her line of fire. "It's... what, Chinese?" she asks. "Umm... Nihao?" she asks the doll. "Anyone speak Chinese?"
    An expert on asian cultures, Cael is not.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon narrows his eyes for a moment. "I don't know that I'd bank on the doll... tiring itself out. It's the /spirit/ of a child, not a child itself." A pause. "Japanese, not Chinese, which... shit, I don't /speak/ Japanese. A little bit of Cantonese and Mandarin, but... the Archivists haven't spent a great deal of time in Japan." Hardly surprising. "Do any of you speak Japanese? Just a little?"

    He takes a step forward and then kneels down, trying to distract the doll maybe. "Hey there. Can you understand us?" He's speaking in his best 'soothing Dad voice' so that's... something.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex shakes his head. "Not a skill I was able to learn, unfortunately," he says, "They didn't offer it where I went to school." He steadies his aim again, eyes locked on the doll with a mix of confusion, concern, and steadfast readiness in his gaze. His glasses glint with the light of his Proto-Shot, and he takes a step forward as well, lowering his bow a bit. "Maybe it thinks its playing a game. I don't suppose that listing had any information on how the child that provided the hair died, did it?" he asks Gabby, body tensed and muscles starting to grow sore.

    "Well, this certainly is an oddity of a first encounter..." he says, smirking and trying to break the tension that maybe only he is feeling.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Cael's question gets a headshake in response. "Unless that child wants someone to order it a beer, get food, locate a bathroom or just wants a general greeting. I am of no use with foreign languages." Mike admits with a sigh, looking over towards Gabby, "Although thanks to a voice changing cat causing for some added confusion. I am trying to learn more Italian."

Interesting. But still of no use for this situation.

He rubs the back of his head, "...Uh. Dammit." He was just THERE for a show... which one is it? "Hello, Hola, Hallo, Ciao, Ni hao, Konichiwa? He pulls out his phone and starts to unlock it.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances around at the 'adults' who were pulling out phone apps with a bit of amusement. Having grown up around Noriko, and Yukio, she probably knew a few more phrases than they did. Generally though she was the sort to ask them how to swear in Japanese.

Letting out a sigh she nods toward Mike when he hits on the correct phrase. "Konichiwa. Ogenki desu ka?" The way she says it is with a particular lilt to her voice as if she were emulating the accent and higher pitched voice of another. Maybe she was.

With a grin she speaks from the side of her mouth, "Hurry up Mike I haven't spoken Japanese in probably a year."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The doll turns it's attention away from Bear toward Cael when she attempts that Chinese greeting. Maybe it was simple enough that even an old Japanese child knew it? Or maybe it was just becuase it sounded a bit more like her own language as opposed to this English everyone was speaking.

Konichiwa from Mike earns a snap of her head in his direction and that little painted on mouth opens. It. Opens. With a dusty sound of air escaping in a quiet 'Saaaaaaaaaaaah' of exhalation. No words yet, but it was apparently something that was understood. Moreso when Gabby asks how it is in Japananese that was probably well out of date to IT's version.

The doll arm lifts to point to one of the couches where there were nice, big, fluffy pillows. And that ghostly voice, tiny, and small, and childlike, utters, "Hoshidesu."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh. Japanese? Are you sure?" Cael asks - she sounds uncertain. But when it points at the couch, and speaks, she frowns thoughtfully. "Well. That's not... aggressive," she remarks. "Whatever it is." Looking dubious, she gestures the doll towards the couch. "Uhhh... Go ahead, kid. You can sit on the couch. It's fine."
    She glances towards Jon for a moment, then back to the doll before asking quietly, "Should we be leaving some kids apirit... trapped in this thing? You think it's happy like that...?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "That's... probably a question we should ask it," Jon muses. He looks to Gabby and Mike. "Can you ask whether it's happy as it is? I can understand what's being said but I don't know the words myself." He sounds... vaguely frustrated by that. The idea of a phone app genuinely hadn't occurred to him, but he nods encouragement to Michael.

    He straightens up, slowly, gesturing to the doll, then gesturing to the couch, and nodding. "You want to sit? Or you want a pillow? It's alright either way," he adds, making his tone soothing. "You can sit there."

    A glance to Dex. "At least it's not actually violent for the moment."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex keeps his eyes riveted to the doll, lowering his bow further before, against his screaming instincts, clicks the battery pack off and allows it to power down. He watches it, then nods as it responds to the Japanese opening, not understanding its words but its gesture. He steps back, grabbing a pillow from the couch before stepping forward again to his original position. "These are nice and cozy. Here," he offers, holding it out in offering as his bow is slung back to his back with his free hand. As Michael pulls out his phone, he blinks and nods. "I have an idea for a project," he notes to Jon, "For situations like this." He smiles back at the doll, offering the pillow and even stepping forward a bit more from his awkward pose.

    Everyone likes creature comforts after all, right?

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As Gabby takes over translator duties, Mike gives a sigh before he brings up the translator app. His brows raise at the bars. "...Nice signal here."

He presses the button in time to pick up the 'Saaaaah'.

There is a pause. And then the phone speaks up "Here we go."

Mike blinks, and holds the app out for it to pick out the rest of what the doll says.

"Want it."

Crap. It's a case of the 'Mines'.

Jon's question gets a look from Mike. and he first looks over to Gabby to know if she knows how to say that question. "Do you want to field that or use the app?" If not, they COULD try with the app.

But apps can do some Craaaaaazy things.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Ahm." Gabby just glances over to the others with a bit of a helpless shrug in respone to being the translator. "Unless it's food related, or how to swear, I don't know much beyond that. And I did ask how it was doing," she adds a bit ruefully while staring at the doll once again. Apparently it hadn't answered that though.

While everyone is busy saying the doll can sit the doll merely keeps pointing. Up until Dex picks up a pillow to bring over. THIS apparently is the right move for the doll because she clambers onto the pillow now well within her reach. It was a suitable size for it to lay down on so it does with another little sigh. Amazingly tired doll perhaps? Or perhaps the creature comforts WERE what it wanted and not that box it had been shipped in. For now? It settles down.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The doll adds after a moment, "Watashi o doko ka attakai basho ni oite kudasai."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The phone speaks. "Please keep me in a warm place"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Dex may have lowered his weapon - but Cael has kept hers trained on the doll steadily all this while - until it just... curls up on the pillow like a cat. Well, more or less. "Oooookay," she remarks, slowly lowering the weapon. "We have a doll with a - little girl presumably? - inside of it, that wants to be kept comfortable and warm. But what do we... //do// with it? Do we just let it //exist// like that? Is that the kindest thing?" she asks. There's doubt and uncertainty in her voice.
    "I wonder if Alis would have been able to- I dunno. Interract with it... somehow. Reassure it. Mentor it." But they'll never know now. "Doesn't seem right leaving her trapped in a doll, thogh."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "It--no, /she/--is..." Jon starts, but the phone translates for the doll and he blinks at it, looking faintly annoyed. "Well, fine," he mutters. "But at least I've got free will."

    Does Jon have some kind of /beef/ with the cell phone? Really?

    "Right. Okay." He looks to Mike. "We need to know if she has a name, and whether she's happy as she is. I wouldn't... antagonize her by suggesting we exorcise her. If she /likes/ being a doll, she wouldn't want to stop being one." He looks to Cael and adds, "She may not view it as being 'trapped' at all."

    A glance to Dex. "A project, hmm? What sort?" A brow raised curiously.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex... Dex can't help but smile when the doll curls up on the pillow, watching it like a hawk. It almost wasn't fair, being so charmingly disarmed, but the young man can't help it. When the phone translates its next request, he smiles and looks around, then picks up the pillow with the doll on it and moves it back toward the couch, setting it toward one end and, at a loss for any sort of blanket at the moment, takes a smaller pillow and tucks it around the doll to build it a tiny fort.

    He reinforces this with some other pillows, making sure it can still see out and speak to them if it needs anything else. "... Guys, this thing is kind of precious," he says quietly, "Can I get a blanket?" He turns his attention back to Jon, nodding as he does. "Seems we may need some sort of translator. An earpiece, maybe. There might be some on the market, but I think with a bit of time and resources, I might be able to make something a little more... this group."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike frowns as the phone speaks up with what the doll humbly requested. He looks over to Jon, giving a nod before he speaks into the phone. Trying to keep his tone pleasant but coherent enough for the app.

"What is your name?"

'Namae wa nandesu ka?'

"Are you happy?"

'Shiawasedesuka?'

"Do you like being a doll?"

'Anata wa ningyo ni naritaidesu ka?'

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney even has to admit that was darn adorable. She leans against the bar watching Dex settle the pillow back down comfortably with a nod of approval, while thinking. "Maybe we just need to figure out what it wants. I mean," she glances back toward the library door which had a few scratches but was otherwise completely fine. "Like you said it was like a kid having a tantrum. And," she adds a bit sheepishly, perhaps feeling guilty now, "I did just have it laying on the table right out of the shipping box in the library."

As for the doll? It ignores further questions for now. It had a soft spot, and was relatively warm, and seemed content with that. For now.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Really, Jon?" Cael responses to his annoyance - a fond smile on her lips. As the doll goes still, and quiet, she reluctantly returns her gun to her holster, muttering under her breath, "At least it doesn't seem to want a flesh suit." God, there HAS to be a story there, doesn't it? She returns to her place at the bar, touching her tea - which has chilled a little. She frowns at it, positioning herself so she can keep her eyes on where the doll rests - incase it starts to move again.
    "Okay, Bear. You're good. Just don't go near the doll, alright?" The puzzled dog doesn't understand everything that's said - but he does resume his position beside Cael.
    "Jon - is reheating this tea something you can do?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The Velvet Room, it seems, provides. A blanket appears on the table next to Dex, soft and fluffy and just the right size for the doll. Maybe the locals understand the needs of dolls? Or just like to be helpful.

    Jon sighs as he watches the doll fall asleep. "Well," he says, "that's a thing we'll need to deal with. But it makes a good point that not everything we run into needs shooting at. Plenty of magical creatures or people are misunderstood more than malevolent. Even something like a faerie is often just operating on rules most humans don't understand when they try to trick people or what-have-you."

    He glances to Dex. "A translation earpiece or something of the like is an excellent idea. I could double-check with you--Mike's app just asked if she /wants/ to be a doll, not if she /likes/ being a doll." He sounds amused. "I understand pretty much all languages humans have ever spoken, I just... can't speak them all myself."

    He goes to sit at the bar, gesturing with the glowing emerald green arm and summoning up a small ceramic coaster. "Put the tea on that," he murmurs. "It'll provide nice, even heat while you're drinking the tea. I think Martin would dive back over here from Nilaa if I just summoned fire to re-boil it like sticking it in the microwave." A smirk, but it's brief. "Had a hard day, love?"

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex smiles as a blanket appears, and though the doll already seems satisfied, he breaks the pillow fort up a bit to tuck the girl in with the fluffy blanket. That will more than qualify, he thinks, and he rebuilds the fort just to keep it a bit more protected. It no longer responds to inquiries, and so he lets out a small sigh as he smiles and stands up. "Poor kid," he says, "Is there a way to put her back in a body, let her have a second chance? I know it's against nature and all that, but... surely she wasn't that old before she ended up like this, right?" He sounds a bit sad, eyes shining before he shakes his head. No, best not to push that for now.

    "I'll have to do some studying, but I'd imagine there's a readily-available set of libraries to pull from. It should just be a matter of programming the right recognition software and accounting for accents. The issue would be the reverse translation. It would need an output to take what you're saying into it and translate that on the fly for someone that doesn't have a device. Tricky, maybe, but not impossible." He begins to murmur to himself, glancing back at the fort every so often as he does.

    "And it might be out of what I'm capable of. I'll keep you posted." He moves to the bar, taking one of the two keys there after confirming he's allowed and slipping it onto his keyring. "I don't suppose time passes slower here than in reality, huh? Might be nice to be able to work on it without burning all of the midnight oil..."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike considers the doll that has gone quiet. "Ok it looks like she's asleep or something like that."

'Kanojo wa nemutte iru yode-.

Mike turns off the app before looking over to Dex. "The earpiece idea sounds good, especially if you can get it to also translate our words to them. Like a real life functioning babelfish. I like it. Definitely helpful."

Dreams aren't always in English after all...

He looks over to Gabby, "In the meantime, you probably should get a translation app on your phone. She's your doll after all."

Jon's mention of the mistake the app made doesn't go unnoticed but the musician simply smiles. "We usually just have local handlers when we're traveling but in a pinch, that app is better than nothing."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "If it were that easy to put spirits back into bodies - my sister would be here today instead of me," Cael remarks without any further explination as to what she meant by //that//. She does give Jon a brief smile for the tea-warmer, though, as she sets her mug on top of it.
    Cael's hand goes down to rest atop Bear's head, staying silent for a while, allowing Dex and Michael to talk. When there's a lull she remarks quietly, "Chas and I fought a... screaming congealed blood monster that was killing people to make its own meat puppet to inhabit. Did you and Agnes have a nice time?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    For a moment, Jon just looks toward Dex with something heavy in his dark eyes. Then he says, "I know it's hard to deal with dead children. Trust me, I know." He sighs. "If she wants to move on and not be in the doll any longer... that /is/ what she gets. Another chance. Everyone does, eventually, even those who go to paradise realms or punishment realms like Heaven or Hell. So if she asks us to help her move on? That's exactly what we're giving her. Another chance at life."

    His shoulders slump and he peers at the bar. Then he conjures up a floating hand to start grabbing things--the High Priestess bottle behind the bar, the bottle of bitters and the sugar container, the muddler. He starts muddling bitters and sugar in the conjured glass, commenting, "We checked out all the schools in the neighborhood. Agnes has decided she wants to go to public school this year, but we're still considering Happy Harbor for high school. I don't like her having to hide what she is, you know?"

    A pause, and then, "...Screaming congealed blood monster? Wait, you and /Chas/ fought it? Why you and /Chas/?" That's evidently a shocking idea; his eyes widen quite a bit.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex nods, his eyes downturned. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Can't mess with the natural order like that and such... Still, man..." He crosses his arms, then moves to sit next to the doll again, looking at it sadly. What a tragedy, the death of a child, but he knows it happens. So many times. But now, faced with the direct result and knowing she can only choose remaining a doll and moving back into the cycle? It hurts. But he knows that this is a group especially familiar with the mystical aspects. The fact that even if she chooses to move on that she gets another shot? He can smile at that. Maybe they could meet again.

    As Jon starts mixing a drink and Cael says something Dex can't even fathom attempting to push on, he leans back against the couch, smiling softly. "I want to do what I can. I know I'm a bit of a fish out of water here. Just some guy with a strange bow and no mystical persuasions, but I can see what we do here is important. I like that. And I'm glad you've all welcomed me like you have." His attention shifts over to Michael, nodding eagerly. "That's the plan. I'd like to have something that will translate languages both incoming and outgoing, that way we can maintain conversation much more easily. I'll have to have a way to update it, though. I mean, I doubt there's a library out there for... I dunno, Demon? Werewolf?" He offers another soft chuckle, then goes quiet, seemingly staring at the ceiling.

    At least until his breathing evens out out he lets out a small snort. ... He's gone.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"I don't think 'demon' would fit into one dialect if any." Mike ponders, "The ones I encountered spoke English. Or at least I could already understand them. So they might fit under regular languages based off of where they're hanging out most frequently. Or they auto translate when they want to be understood."

Mike pauses.

Want to be.

"Demon's good."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well. You were spending time with Agnes, Sara's busy with her unit, Rien went straight to voice mail, I don't really trust Robbie without Rien there, Johnny's just //no,// Gabby's just a kid, Phoebe's //insane,// - do you really need me to keep going?" Cael remarks in a dry voice. "I worked my way down the list and- well. Ended up with Chas."
    She lets out a heavy sigh before adding, "I found out that someone who retired from the Bureau earlier this year went MIA and I was trying to track him down. He was working a missing person's case but- ...he and the girl are dead now. Chas and I are going to check the wreckage of the thrift store tomorrow morning to see if there's any conclusive //proof// of that but it seems the only, well, reasonable assumption."
    She picks up a cup of tea to have a sip then adds quietly, "It was pretty awful, Jon." She seems to have no comment on the talk of demons for the moment, however.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You know you could have called," Jon says softly, finishing his muddling and pouring amber liquid into the glass. An old fashioned, if that's whiskey. "But I suppose it gave you a chance to get used to working with Chas, hmm? I'm sorry about your... friend? Colleague?" A pause. "If you need any help, just ask. Okay?"

    He sighs and lifts his glass, noting, "And Phoebe's... gone. After Chas talked to her she... well. She was leaving, evidently. She left. I don't know where to. Hopefully she'll be back someday." There's melancholy in the tone.

    They look around, noting Dex with a raised brow and a vaguely nostalgic smile. Then they focus on Michael. "Most demonologists I've met use Enochian to bind the demons, but that /could/ be because that's the language of the angels. If anyone knows it'd be Rien; we can definitely ask her."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike's brow raises at the mention of the language of angels. He turns his head to look over to Jon, "Is that a set rule? My lyrics tend to be in English." He pauses, "Come to think of it so was the Demon's...I think."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You and Agnes need time with each other," Cael answers firmly. "And I- well. I have my panic button. If things got bad... I'd've called you." She flashes Jon a small smile. "And I honestly didn't think this would be such a big deal. I didn't expect a screaming congealed blood monster. It's just a missing persons case... I thought it'd be a psychopath with a gun. I mean- Gotham, you know?" She lets out a sigh and leans in so her shoulder presses into Jon's - glad for his proximity, and wanting to comfort him about Phoebe.
    "People need to want help. They need to ask. You know? I asked, and you were there. Yeah?"
    Her attention shifts towards Michael finally before asking, "Are demons making a fuss lately? Now that the angels are sealed off in Heaven?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shrugs. "Demonology is /not/ my area of expertise. I suppose angelology has become one such, but demons... mmm. Aside from the way they show up in various world religions, not as much. So I don't know if it's a set rule, per se? I mean, the wards I made against the archangels used Sumerian for the names; if I were making wards against Hell Lords I suppose I'd... check with Rien first." He smirks. "But barring that, since I don't know Enochian, I'd make do with Sumerian or Hebrew."

    He sighs. "Enochian is the language of the angels, but it's also the language of... /creation/. It creates Order, with a capital 'O.' Reverses entropy. A lot of ritualists know at least a little bit of Enochian, a word here or there to give some /oomph/ to their spells. I don't, but I really ought to learn, given... everything. And it can be a /powerful/ language. We had Asariel Basotini translate 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' into Enochian and played it to the angels and it drove them into absolute disarray. Pretty much /anything/ done in Enochian is going to be stronger and more powerful than any other language possible. So worth study if that's how your magic works."

    The whole time they're leaning against Cael, glad to provide a measure of support and taking the comfort, thankful.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike looks over to Cael as she asks about the timing. "Oh, this was like a year ago when I started my tour. Most of my concert delays was because of that asshole and the one that hired them. But it was sufficient motivation to finish one of my songs."

He considers Jon's explanation. "Hmm. Think it'd still have to be adjusted to rhyme if it got translated?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...wait. Your concerts were being attacked by demons? Is that what you're saying?" Cael asks with puzzlement. She wraps one arm around Jon now, using her other hand to sip at her tea. God, she wants some whiskey, though...
    "You're //sure// I'd stop breathing if I drank whiskey?" she murmurs in an aside to Jon - a hint of wry humor coloring her tone.
    Bear, left to his own devices goes to snuffle at the doorway where the doll had been standing, and then starts to follow it towards the couch. "BEAR. Leave it," Cael commands in a firm voice, causing the pup to slink back towards his owner with a disappointed look on his features.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I don't know that you'd stop breathing, but as a medical professional I cannot recommend the idea," Jon notes softly with a wry grin. "Let it run its course and you can have some, hmm?" He sighs. "I'm sorry about... I mean, congealed blood monster meat puppet? That... /what/?" He shakes his head.

    He frowns, then, at Michael. "I... don't know, honestly. I don't know /any/ Enochian, not even the smattering bits of it ritualists tend to know. I do most of my spellwork in ancient Egyptian dialects."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Oh No. They waited til AFTER I spent several hours performing in a concert to attack me when I was tired." Mike corrects, "Seems they didn't want to miss the shows either. Either way. Got help. Issue resolved. Got a song out of the deal. Then we had to pause again because of the angels."

Jon's admission to not knowing Enochian causes for Mike to nod. "Ok. Well, I'll consider it. But being the only song I started off writing with the intent of it becoming a spell was the one I wrote for you guys, I might just continue writing them in English. No point going full power until you know what you got."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I didn't take it to deal with the blood monster," Cael replies with amusement - before turning her head to give Jon a brief kiss. "I took it to deal with //Chas,//" she points out, before letting out a sigh. "Though. ...it did drip on me. Fucking blood monsters are gross - for the record. Can't really recommend them."
    Then, despite Jon's words, she lays claim to their drink - taking she smallest of sips, and letting it roll around on her tongue for a while before swallowing - and returning Jon's glass to them. "I suppose that'll have to last me for the night, then," she remarks, still savoring the flavor while keeping her hand simply cupped around her mug on the warming plate.
    "I suppose I'd be pretty put out if something attacked me //after// a mission. That's just rude."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs as Cael steals their glass and leans over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Rude," they mutter, but their eyes are sparkling and a smile hovers about their lips. Someone needs to put in a 'no PDA' rule in the Velvet Room or something.

    He picks up the glass and takes a sip, then says to Michael, "I'll admit I don't /entirely/ understand how your magic works, though I've been just sort of assuming you're something like a bard from D&D." A pause. "Which makes me... a dual-class conjuration wizard and... order domain cleric?" He frowns. "I think I preferred being a druid, but I don't do the shapeshifting aside from the wings." A sigh. At least he's not a warlock, right?

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike lifts up a hand as Cael sounds out the key thing about the whole thing. "I know right?! Just - Give me time to get changed first. Take a-" A pause, "Well get changed at least. Maybe down a bottle of water. Just- It was so irritating when they did that!"

Hearing Jon express that he doesn't understand the musician's powers gets a shrug from the rockstar. "That's ok. I don't really understand all of it either." Mike admits, "It's more like I had a book stuffed into my head and half the pages are stuck together. Uh, I've figured I can do spells when I'm not phantasmed. And the Phantasm part, well kind of varies based off of how tired I am, mood. What I'm thinking." "I think the spells might be more of a side effect. There's nothing in my head about those." He pauses. "I know D&D is a game. But I've never played it. "

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Love - you've known I'm rude since like- the day we met," Cael points out in a dry tone. "...but thank you for the sip." She picks up her tea for a sip now, still keeping her arm firmly around Jon's waist - still largely out of need.
    "...a conjuration wizard and an order domain cleric? Huh?" she asks in amusement. "And what would I be? Hrm?" She knows just enough to know he's refering to one of those nerdy games she never got into - and honestly, it doesn't really surprise her that Jon's interested in that sort of thing.
    "Well. I'm glad you survived their very rude attack," she adds towards Michael.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's expression turns sympathetic at Michael's confession. "I know the feeling. I got the Archive when my grandmother died--woke up with visions and telepathy, other people's voices in my head, powers I didn't understand... if I didn't already have experience with magic and superheroics I would've thought I was going mad. As it was..." They trail off, then sigh. "As it was, my initial few months were... difficult."

    He looks at Michael curiously. "I take it the Phantasm is something others have had or been in the past? Is there any way you could... learn about it? I was able to find a mentor myself, in the end." Even if it's an archangel.

    A glance to Cael and a shrug. "I didn't say you being rude was a /bad/ thing. And... you'd be... a fighter or a rogue?" A beat. "Maybe a barbarian?" He smirks, but then his eyes widen. "...You've never played D&D? You might enjoy it! I mean, you enjoy video games, right? Imagine if you're... mmm... telling your own joint story, with similar sorts of characters?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"I don't know. There's really not much I've found on the topic outside of what got shoved in my head. Maybe it's in the stuck pages. I didn't get an introduction course. There was no ceremony. I basically picked the wrong bar and woke up on the floor with powers and that asshole bartender gone."

The question regarding D&D causes for Mike to tilt his head. That seems to be another thing lacking in the musician's education. "No video games either." Mike pauses, considering the question, "Books, sketching, climbing, ninja course, cooking, drinking, and music. Those are my main sources of entertainment."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You want me to play nerd games?" Cael asks - there's a bit of a dubious tone in her voice. "Maybe. Fighter, rogue, or //barbarian,// huh? Do I really strike you as barbaric?" She smirks at Jon in amusement.
    "Asshole bartenders, huh? Got no experience with asshole bartenders," Cael remarks in a dry voice. She lifts her mug towards her lips, pauses, then remarks, "Oh, I shot Chas," before taking a sip.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You /rage/ at things, love," Jon says rather patiently. "Think berserker. Sometimes taking damage to do more damage." He glances at her hands, significantly. "You know."

    A glance to Michael. "My grandmother didn't approve of video games, but tabletop was acceptable, because it was /creative/." He shakes his head, looking amused. "I do several of those other things, myself, though. Plus the magical study."

    Then Cael... throws him for a loop. "You... you shot Chas? Well, I'm certain he's fine, but... but /why/?! What did he do??"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Oh my mom and aunt wouldn't have been able to afford them. The library was the main option for entertainment growing up. Sketching was fine. Cooking was necessary. The rest was later."

If there was ever a conversation bomb in a discussion of powers origins, demons, and meat puppets. It would probably be the tossed at the end comment about shooting the person that you had previously stated you had been working with to deal with said meat puppets. Mike's eyes shift to look over to Cael rather quickly.

...Say what?

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael smirks with amusement at Jon's reaction. This was, apparently, what she'd been going for. "He told me to," she answers. "He was holding the thing back, and told me to keep firing, that he could take it. I tried //not// to hit him, actually but- well. I was also trying to hit the joints of the mannequin the congealed blood monster was puppeting so- yeah. I shot Chas." She takes another sip of her tea. "I mean, he's fine."
    Glancing back towards Michael, she gives a nod of acknowledge. "Money was tight growing up. It's tough."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stares at Cael for a moment and then shakes his head. "Well, that... sort of makes sense, actually. He's always been the one that takes the hits. The people he's hung 'round all his life are the sorts to let their mouth write checks their fists can't cash, and he's had to come to the rescue of some drunken idiot or another more than once." A brief, fond smirk. Sometimes that drunken idiot had surely been Jon himself. "Now that he can just... take the hits, well." A shrug. "Why not let him? He'll heal most anything aside from Nullspace energy like that." He snaps his fingers.

    Then a sigh. "Granny wouldn't even let me go play at the arcade down by the boardwalk, even if it would've been a better way to keep me busy than buying books from the charity shop bargain bin. Would've cost about the same, too. I think that's part of why she preferred D&D. Buy just a couple of books and I'm out of the house playing with /other people/ on the regular and leaving her blessedly alone."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As Cael explains it was actually something Chas suggested, Mike gives a slow nod. "Ah huh. Well. Let me just state for the record I will prefer not being shot but ..."

He bends his arms, displaying the forearms and consequently the scar that's on his right. "If the scar is here." He gestures to where the scar is, "Don't shoot." He gestures to the left, "If it's HERE. At least don't let me see it coming."

The arms lower as he looks to Jon. "Your Granny sounds a bit like my aunt. She couldn't stand me living with her. But I couldn't blame her. Neighborhood wasn't very kind to us when I moved in."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I generally prefer not to shoot my allies," Cael agrees. "...but I'm willing to make an exception for Chas." There's amusement in her eyes as she says this, though she turns her attention towards Jon to add more seriously, "We're, uh... trying to work it out. I told him not to go angel around me, but... I told him that if he could glow - you know... blue. Or just anything //not// gold, that would be better. So he's going to keep that in mind."
    Looking to Michael's arms, she gets a puzzled look on her features. "Why does your scar move? And why is it okay to shoot you if it' on the other arm?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs. "Granny was done raising children and then both her son and her daughter-in-law died and she got saddled with what I am certain was a /deeply/ annoying child. ADHD plus homo magi who doesn't know he has magic plus budding Archivist was... a lot. Mostly she just tried to keep me out of her hair, unless we were cooking together." He frowns, and shakes his head.

    Looking to Cael, he says, "I'm glad you're working it out. And... thank you. Really." A smile.

    Then he notes, for Michael's sake, "Chas Chandler is one of the members of the Justice League Dark and... well... an angel, now, though he wasn't before. I'm sure you'll see him around here at some point."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Because the phantasm is at times a reflection of myself." Mike states, lips thining out into a mildly amused smile. "In a literal sense. Although, come to think of it, I've already been shot by a centaur's arrow, and that hurt like hell. So if those are magic bullets, I'd ask you not shoot those either."

He looks back to Jon. "My aunt had no kids and she got saddled with me when my mom died. And wh-" He pauses, shaking his head, "I'll just say she was glad when I was old enough to move out. And dropping everything to try my luck with a band was probably the best option I had." He doesn't expand on that.

He looks curiously to Jon, "Wasn't he at the warehouse in Gotham?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Generally - no, they're not magic. They're just bullets," Cael replies with an amused smile. "I only have special ammo when we have time to prepare for it. Like when we go werewolf hunting, or plan on killing an archangel because - fuck Michael. He's the worst." She finishes off the rest of her tea, then stares at her empty mug for a moment with a gaze that's not hard to read. She wishes it hadn't been tea. Oh well.
    "Am I allowed one more sip?" she murmurs to Jon - meaning it as a genuine question as she studies Jon's features. At what point do mere 'sips' starts to constitute a 'drink'? She's not sure.
    "Three orphans walk into a bar..." There's got to be a punch line there somewhere.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Oh that's right! You were both there. When Phoebe got dragged into..." Jon's expression gets dour, for a moment, and then he eyes the Spirytus.

    No, Jon. Don't go drinking /that/ much on a weeknight. Even if you're upset.

    He sighs, and puts his head on the bar for a moment, and holds his drink out to Cael. "Go on, then," he murmurs. And just... sits there for a moment, reining in the desire to get blindingly drunk. It's not like it'll make him /forget/.

    Then a sigh and he sits up. "Sorry," he says to Mike. "It's just... been a hard..." Week? Month? Year? "...It's been hard, lately. That bit in the warehouse in Gotham set off a chain of events that... well. Phoebe's taken off for gods-know-where to try to fight a demon on her own, refusing all help. Chas is her adoptive father, and my best mate. It's a bit of a mess."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Maybe Two. I think my father's alive." Mike offers up in correction, "Haven't heard anything to indicate otherwise." Despite stating drinking as a pasttime, Mike hasn't taken a drop from the bar.

He gives a soft smile as he hears the complaint. "Things are going to be messed up a lot of the time." Mike agrees, "But. The funny thing is, sometimes the messed up stuff is what leads to the good stuff. Or helps you recognize it when it's been hiding right in front of you."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh, well, whoever the fuck got my mom pregnant might be alive out there," Cael replies with a shrug of her shoulders. "Doesn't make him my father." She could take one of those ancestry tests to try to find him. But- why would she want to find him? What was the point?
    She accepts the cup from Jon, breathing in the scent for a moment, her eyes closing. When you can't //drink// you really have to //savor// it. Sh finally takes that sip though, once more letting it roll around on her tongue before she swallows, and hands the glass back - and gives Jon a kiss on the cheek in thanks.
    "Maybe she'll come back to him," she then murmurs quietly to Jon. "You both tried. We all tried. Now... we wait and hope, yeah?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles, leaning in to Cael a bit. "Oh, it does," he agrees. "In some ways, things are very good. But in others..." He huffs out a breath. "Well. We'll get through. We always do."

    He takes a long drink from the glass and says, "I think you'll need to brief me on this 'blood monster' business. It sounds fairly awful. And I should... hmm. I'm going to have some... visitors in the Archive. I may need more sleep than normal. There's a lot to talk about." So maybe they should head home and talk about it?

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Seeing the lean towards Cael. Mike's smile strengthens a little. "Just be sure to send us home first before you two go." Mike points out. After all, no key.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You mean those keys over there?" Cael remarks, indicating them with a nod. "They'll take you out wherever you first arrived. Easy peasy to use." Her arm, still around Jon's waist, tightens for a moment in a reassuring squeeze.
    "Let's go home and talk some more," she agrees quietly. "I'll- hrm. I'll make cocoa with mint chip. You want some too?" It's a remarkably comforting drink for her - even if it is a bit childish.
    "Com'on Bear," she says to her pup as she climbs to her feet, moving towards the stairs in unison with Jon.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods, drains his glass, and goes to make sure that both Mike and Dex have a key, writing a note to Dex and leaving it there beside the sleeping man. Both his glass and the coaster beneath the tea mug disappear as well.

    "The door will take you back to where you were, every time. So, Cael, let's head out separately and I'll portal to you and then portal us home, alright?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike blinks, looking over to the bar, "Oh, those are for us?" It appears someone wasn't paying attention when the keys were manifesting. "Okay." Taking the key as he's handed it, he studies it for a moment before sliding it into his pocket. "Sounds good. Thanks." He looks to the pair, "Have a good evening."

As the pair start to head off, Nick glances back towards the zoned out Dex and then upon the piano.

Hmm...

Maybe later.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I //was// home, love. I had to take a shower. //Congealed blood monster,//" Cael reminds him with a note of disgust in her voice. After another kiss she murmurs, "See you at home," before stepping through the door.