11948/The Last Archivist: Weaver

The Last Archivist: Weaver
Date of Scene:	16 July 2022
Location:	Bournemouth, England
Synopsis:	The Justice League Dark go to the address provided by Annabelle Cane and find a chip shop of horrors. Nothing's wrong with Rien--really!--but Jon takes control of the Watcher and there's spider goop. It's kinda gross.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Megan Gwynn, Robbie Reyes, Rien D'Arqueness, Gabby Kinney, Chas Chandler, Cael Becker, Lydia Dietrich

---

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Bournemouth is a popular vacation spot, with beautiful beaches, picturesque plazas, gorgeous views of the Channel out over sweeping vistas from the cliffs, etcetera, etcetera. It's also home to nearly 200,000 locals, people who live there year-round, and has plenty of out of the way spots that are less than savory. The Justice League Dark find themselves at one such spot today, an abandoned chip shop situated above an oddly lonely stretch of beach.

    Jon and Cael spent part of the day walking not the usual tourist roads but ones Jon's so familiar with he doesn't need the use of his eyes to navigate them. Wearing sunglasses and pretending he can find his way just fine, thank you, Jon leads Cael and Agnes through his old neighborhood, pointing out the house where he was born, the house a few blocks away where he moved in with grandmother when his mother died, at the age of 6. The church he grew up singing at, the primary school he attended. There's a growing sense of unease in the Archivist throughout the day, one communiated to his family without his needing to say a word. He's slowly remembering things, and the picture is... maybe not alarming, but confusing, at the very least. He can see the shape of the hole in his memories, and it is a shape that requires a single person to occupy.

    Ultimately, they get Agnes and Bear back to the hotel and then head for the address given by Annabelle Cane the week before. Which leads to this abandoned chip shop, which is maybe a twenty minute walk from the house where Jon lived with his grandmother.

    "I know this place," Jon says, adjusting the sunglasses he wears to hide the empty eye sockets left after his nightmare on the full moon. "I don't mean--obviously I know the whole area, but this--" He swallows. "This is where Matthew disappeared. This is where... Mr. Spider lived. My first encounter with..." He takes in a long breath. Lets it out. "My first clear memory. Gods. Why'd she bring us /here/?"

    It's a rhetorical question. Thus far everything about tracking down Annabelle Cane has been an exercise in re-living all of Jon's worst memories. So why /not/ the place where a children's book ate a man in front of an eight-year-old child, which somehow caused said child to gain perfect recall?

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn is late to this little search party and has a lot to catch up on, so she mostly trails in the background, enjoying the sightseeing tour and surprisingly saying very little as she tries to catch up to speed on current events. Really, she needs to stop spreading herself thin..

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's foregone his usual leather jacket today for a Rodrigo y Gabriella tee that shows off his tan, paired with his usual shredded jeans and a pair of cheap sunglasses. He's got a cigarette burning away between two inked fingers and a speculative look on his face as he loiters a short distance away, watching the distant shapes of a man taking his dog for a run along the sand.

Jon receives no reply from him, at least, regarding why they're here. Presumably they'll find out soon enough.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Another figure joins Robbie, bumping his hip before stealing the cigarette to take a drag from it. The woman is about 5'7", with looooooooooong hair that's straight as a pin and black as pitch. Her skin is a rich deep bronze, her body type isn't so much 'fat' as sturdy, curvy, and dummy thicc. Her features are stong, with a full mouth and large eyes in a cool mint green color. Her current style is Rockabilly; wearing a cap-cleeved body-conforming top with a deep squarecut neckline in black with stripes of blue and white around neckline and sleeve hems, and a pair of high-waisted, tight-fitted darkwash jeans rolled up to the calf, paired with bright red spike heels.

Oh look! Rien has arrived!

She grins broadly, far wider than her mouth really should be capable of, and moves towards Jon and Cael with arms spreading wide for obvious hug intentions. "Jon! Cael! So -good- to see you both again! We've been terribly worried about you, we have. Yes indeed. Just -fussed- over how you were both doing! So -good- to see you're both alright." She will hug Jon without hesitation, a tight squeeze that lasts just a moment longer than is strictly comfortable, before turning with clear intent to do the same to Cael.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Trailing not far behind Rien is of course her little sister. Gabby stretches her arms overhead with a little groan though it wasn't as if she was exactly stiff or sore. Just tired, and a good stretch was a good stretch. "Hey," she greets Robbie with a grin only to watch as Rien heads off over to Jon and Cael as well with a little shake of her head in amusement.

"You should know to keep more cigs on you by now, she always steals them," she points out to Robbie with a laugh before tipping her head toward the others. "Come on, let's catch up and see what we need to do tonight." Her hands stuff into the pockets of her own jeans while she lets out a sigh watching after Rien. "She's so lucky she got the height gene."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Speaking of height brings a mountain of a man around the corner of the abandoned building. "This is the place?" Chas asks, looking at Jon and Cael. He gives a nod to the rest of them. How he got here probably isn't too much of a mystery after his displays the week prior. "We're following your lead here, Jon... so what's the play?"

    He makes a bit of a sour face. "I will say though," he adds, tapping the tip of his nose. "It doesn't smell right. Which isn't surprising given what we felt last week." He eyes the building warrily, a frown creasing his features. "Did the letter give you any idea of what to expect in there?" he asks his best mate.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...oh, great. Just what I was hoping to see on our tour of your childhood home," Cael replies in a dry tone. She gives Jon a supportive squeeze, one hand wrapped around him as she considers the building. "Well. We're in this together - and we'll get through it together," she promises him. "No matter how shitty this gets." Because the last time got pretty god damned shitty.
    That's about when the others are joining them, and she turns to regard them all, offering nods of greeting - though the stranger puffing at Robbie's smoke gets a puzzled look. As she then closes in on her and Jon, arms wide for a hug, she voices in protest, "Jon doesn't like to be- ...hugged." She's baffled and confused when Jon accepts the woman's hug. Who //is// she? Is she from Jon's childhood? But then how does she know Robbie, and why is she acting like she knows //her//?
    "Don't you //fucking// touch me," Cael says fiercely in the face of the 'threat' of a hug, leaving the others ignored for the moment.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia shrugs at Jon as she walks in to join the crew. "Maybe she just likes dredging up bad memories," she says. "Maybe it's the best way to bring back some of those memories you lost." She shakes her head, "I don't know. She's playing some sort of game and I don't like it."

    She scowls at Cael's nearly violent reaction to Rien's hugginess. "Cael," she says placatingly. "Relax. It's just Rien. She hugs /everybody/. You know how it is."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon returns the hug from Rien--he's still working on hugs from most people, but Rien definitely gets hugs! "She's a little on edge, given... everything," he says to Rien, regarding Cael. "They got to me, too, a few days ago. I evidently gouged out my own eyes with magic to escape them." He lowers his sunglasses for a moment, revealing empty sockets where his eyes should be. "They'll regrow, but... well... it's been stressful. At least we can add 'Ceaseless Watcher' and 'Mother of Puppets' to the list."

    He adjusts the glasses back and turns to the chip shop. It's a simple building, painted dark blue and bearing a hand-lettered sign that reads CHIPS. A single story, plain brickwork, with a single door and two small windows on either side. "This is the place," he says aside to Chas. "It's been abandoned ever since I can remember. Abandoned because it's evil makes a great deal of sense."

    They turn their head toward Lydia, almost as if they're looking at her. "I think you might be right, though, I've been starting to remember--I used to think I had no friends, but there's someone there, in my memories. Someone I ought to remember." He sighs. "I don't want to go in, but I know we should. I suppose it's polite to knock." For some reason, that makes him /giggle/, nervously.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia gapes at Jon when he reveals that he has no eyes. "Good God, Jon!" she says stepping up to get a closer look. "Why on earth did you do this?" She looks at her friend uncertainly, "You said they'll grow back?" She shakes her head in wonder, "How is this our lives now?" she mutters.

    She takes a step up to the front doors of the shop, her nose twitching as she takes in the scents. "The place smells of the dead," she says, turning back to the others. "Literally. Don't be surprised if we find a few bodies here."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks, peering around, laughing nervously, "Heh, looks like everyone's here.." she sees so,e familiar faces but still feels like the awkward newbie around these parts..Like what's going on again? When Gabby offers hugs, she giggles and opens her arms wide to the other mutant, at least she's familiar with her. When Jon reveals his eyeless sockets though, she gasps and takes a step back. "Ouch! That er..Looks painful.." she cringes and swallows.

"Sooo...Who are they? And how do we stop em? I guess that's why we're here, huh?" drawing a deep breath she follows suit after the others towards the shop, inhaling expectantly..But the place is Abandonned. And doesn't smell like chips at all. Lydia is given a slow and wary look, wrinkling her nose. "The dead? Ew.."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's reaction to the sudden aggression from Cael is a bit of a puzzled frown. What's up with her, anyway? Gabby gets a slight smirk for the comment about carrying more cigarettes on him, and he rakes his fingers through his hair before moseying over to the others. Still a bit of distance kept between them, though, while he waits to see where they're headed.

"What happened to you?" he enquires of Jon with a perplexed look, once Lydia draws his attention to the missing eyes. Maybe it's a testament to the amount of weird they deal with on a regular basis, that he looks more confused, than shocked.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
The Not-Rien looks briefly hurt, then puzzled at Cael's fierce response to the offered hug. Then contemplative. Staring at Cael for a long moment as a smile slowly, slowly grows. Wider. And wider. And wider. She reaches up and pats Jon lightly on the shoulder, 'oh, it's okay Jon. I know -exactly- how she feels. Out of sorts. Unsure. You start to question... everything." Those mint green eyes never once leave Cael, that rictus of a smile lingering as well. Really, she shouldn't be able to smile that wide, her lips should be cracking, bleeding. SOMETHING.

"It's okay, Cael!" Rien cheerfuly chirps. "I know just how unsettling this sort of situation can be!" Did that smile turn just a little menacing? If so, its only visible for that brief instant before Rien turns away from Cael entirely. "Gabby! Megan! Hello! We really should hang out more. I know, lets go dancing at a club sometime this next week! Just us girls, hm?"

Moving towards them, arms open once more to enfold them both into a hug. Each hug lasting just a beat longer than is strictly comfortable. Then she's pulling back to grin at them both, "I know this -divine- dance club on the Lower East Side. We can dress up, make it a girls night out!" THen she's pulling back to rejoin Robbie, slipping her arm through his, leaning in against him, head on his shoulder, "Maybe you can organize a poker game for your buddies at the shop the same night?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney raises her eyebrows at Cael's rather loud outburst when Rien goes in for a hug. Though the surprise fades quickly with a small 'oh' of her lips pursing as if she'd realized what the issue may be. "Is it your time of the month, Cael?" As soon as that rather invasive question is asked she tips her head back to stare into the night time sky seeking out the moon to figure out what phase it's currently in. Unable to see it just yet, with the buildings around, she shrugs slightly and continues on. "You know, jackal time. It's probably making her touchier than normal. Give her some space, Rien, it'll be fine."

The revelation of Jon having no eyes causes her to shudder while staring at him. "I mean I'm glad it's gonna grow back. But. Uh. Might want to keep the glasses on? Keep bugs and stuff out." Her attention shifts over toward Lydia's approach to the door and mention of smelling like the dead. Her nose crinkles instantly. Reaching up she tugs the collar of her shirt upward trying to cover her mouth and nose. "Ugh, give me one of those cigs, Robbie," she pleads.

She might have been more insistant on that, but Rien's come over to give her a hug now, and she leans in to reciprocate with a chuckle. "It's okay, I know you're busy lately. That sounds good though! Haven't been out dancing since... God, not since Julian I think."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas winces at the mention of 'them getting him too' and the reveal of Jon's lack of eyes. "Fucking hell..." he says and rolls his shoulders uneasily. "That explains only a portion of it I guess..." He arches a brow at Jon's chuckle. There's a story there, but now's not the time. Maybe later. Always a later, right?

    He closes his eyes and releases a modicum on his control to tamp down what he truly is. A pale blue glow surrounds his form, as his angelic power manifests. He gives Megan and glance, his eyes glowing with the same blue energy as some of the largest stars. "An old associate of Jon's is leading us on a wild goose chase and we keep running into things that shouldn't be here."

    "Outsiders..." he says, his voice gaining a dual layer to it. "Creatures that exist beyond time in the realm of Nullspace. They are worse than evil, dead gods driven insane by their imprisonment. And if my senses are any indicator they've touched this place. Best to hit them hard and fast and don't let them get the drop on you." His expression turns grim. "If they do, chances are you won't be around long enough to regret it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael watches as no one protests to the woman being identified as 'Rien' and since cruel pranks aren't the norm for the group, she forces an entirely fake smile onto her features as she takes Jon by the hand, and draws him off a short distance for a moment. "Uh... yeah, my 'time of the month.' Exactly. You guys just, uhh, start without us for a moment," she encourages them. "You got this, Chas." Nothing to see here. Move along.
    "Jon," she hisses quietly but urgently. "I don't know what's gotten into everybody. I- I don't know what's happened, what //spell// has- That's not Rien. That's not Rien, Jon. She doesn't look anything like her. She doesn't sound anything like her. She doesn't //act// anything like her - that isn't Rien." So where's the real Rien, then? What's happened to her? "Oh, God, that thing that was eating at her-" Did they fail her? Was she... gone? Just gone and replaced? Did they lose Rien?

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon snorts at Gabby. "'Bugs and stuff.' I'll remember that. After all, I wouldn't be able to /see/ them coming." Yeah, he's... definitely a Dad, because that was one of the /worst/ kinds of Dad jokes.

    But then Cael's drawing him aside, and he frowns at her. "I don't--are you okay?" He takes a moment to actually sort of feel the air around her, like he's trying to feel out her aura. "They haven't touched you yet. But maybe--maybe that's... I mean, maybe it /is/ catching, sort of? Maybe it's--Rien told me that the thing, it looked like her but not /quite/ like her. So maybe it's making you see her differently? Or remember her differently?" There's concern in his tone. "But she--do you think a spell could affect the Archive? Affect Ma'at? /And/ Chas? And her sister, and Robbie...? That'd be... quite the spell. And why leave /you/ out?"

---

    The front door of the chip shop is unlocked, the front room filled with counters covered in dust. There are cobwebs up in the corners, but otherwise it's oddly empty. No chairs, no signs or papers hung up. Just counters, an antique register, and a door leading back into other rooms. And from back there, faintly audible, the sound of rhythmic clacking.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn will attempt to hug Gabby with a giggle before they all head in, grinning and nodding to Rien's suggestion, "Sounds lush! Count me in!" she grins and winks at her, and really, she doesn't know her well enough to notice if anything is different, even if it was. A lot has clearly happened since she assisted JLDark..

But social indulgences will have to wait til later, and she arches a quizzical brow to Cael..But with a shrug, she hops into the building, following the others, "Alrighty, don't take too long!"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's got his nose up like a scenthound, brows furrowed as he studies the run-down exterior of the chip shop. "Here," he murmurs to Gabby, digging out another clove, and lighting it with a brief flare of ignition from his fingers. It's passed over with a caveat: "I want that back."

Rien's drawn close when she returns to take his arm, a kiss dropped to her temple, and narrowed eyes sent Cael's way. That faintest flicker of anger, like stoking the embers of a fire gone dormant. "The hell are you talkin' about, Becker?"

After some hesitation, he attempts to draw Rien along with him, and inside the chip shop. "Don't listen to her, babe. Uh, you hear that?" The clacking, he probably means. He heads for the back of the abandoned structure, cautiously.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien giggles up at Robbie with that too-wide smile, "Aw, leave her be, sweetie. She's right to be on edge! It's been a wild few weeks, lots happened, lots more probably going to happen before figure it all out." That too-bright, too-wide smile is turned slowly towards Cael as she lifts a hand and twiddles her fingers at the other woman, "See you inside, Cael! You'll see, everything is going to be Just Fine. We'll fix this whooooooooooole mess. And then we can get back to being friends!"

With that last, almost ominous-sounding promise, Rien turns to head in with Robbie, taking a drag off the clove before offering it up to him, "Oh! My manners, here you are, sweetie. I totally forgot to give it back!" The question has her cocking her head to one side, then smiling wider and nodding eagerly, "Oh sure! Its like.. like a loom. Old-fashioned weaving machine... man, I haven't heard a loom in AGES." She looks up at Robbie, "Let's go check it out!"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney hugs Megan in turn with a laugh. "I'm not a huge party girl but I enjoy some fun as much as anyone. Plus I mean... Good place to meet people." Then she gives a rather knowing nod when Cael drags Jon off to the side. She's about to say something, but then Robbie does produce the clove to hand it over to her. With a look of utter relief she catches hold of it to draw it to her lips for a long, slow pull. Smoking wasn't something she was used to but cloves beat out the smell of bodies for sure. It was one of those things she was going to have to get used to.

"Eh, cut her a bit of slack, Robbie. I've been talking to Mercy and her about stuff like that. Probably the jackal is making her edgy after Rien hugged her 'turf' being Jon and all." A little grin comes as she waggles fingers in their direction already heading for the shop as well. "Give them a moment alone, it'll calm her down, she'll be fine. Don't take it too personal, Rien," she adds apologetically. "Apparently there's this whole animal territory thing that can rear it's head at times."

Another drag on the clove is taken before she reluctantly hands it back toward Robbie. "Thanks. That helps cut the smell a bit. Tongue is all tingly too." The tongue in question is stuck out to cross her eyes trying to stare down at it getting used to the sensation of clovey goodness. It's a small distraction before she ducks inside with the others to hear the clickety clack of... "A loom?"

It didn't take knowing or smelling or hearing things to know that was not in the right place if that's what it was. Looking over to Chas she questions, "Ah... do any of these 'Outsiders' do anything with weaving? Like the Three Sisters of Fate or something?" What? She knew a little mythology!

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas gives Cael and Jon a look befor ehe follows in with the others. His glow pushes against the oppressive atmosphere of the place. "Not sure. They don't -do- anything... not like that at least. They're not like the Greek or Norse pantheons or Native American spirits, they don't govern things. They're more 'unmake reality and destroy everything with their very existence' sorts."

    At Rien's enthusiasm he shakes his head. "Don't go too far... last thing we need is to be separated if this is a hive..." The general feeling of the place bothers him. "We were sent here for a reason... and I don't know if we should plow ahead without Jon."

    He adds, "Not saying don't go investigate... just... take it slow. Easy. -Careful.-" He closes his hand and the hilt of blade made of pure blue flame appears in it. He heads further in, trying his best to ignore the clicking from the back of the structure.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I - what?" Cael asks. She grips tighter at Jon, as if for balance - as if she could feel reality literally shifting under her feet. A moment ago she'd been so certain - she still felt certain. That's not Rien. It's //not// - and the creature seems to know it, the way she was grinning at her, the way-
    But Jon is talking sense. A lot of sense.
    "No no no no no..." she murmurs quietly. It's not Rien. It's //not.// Is it? "Rien is- she's small, shorter than me. Blonde. slim, pale skinned. With bright blue eyes. She- she can make portals, she has these- these claws in her wrist that come out. That glow. And she can smell things stupidly well and- Let me see your phone - you have to have a picture of her somewhere on your phone - don't you? Wouldn't you?"
    As Jon hands over their phone, Cael spends the next several moments thumbing through photos - her head shaking and her eyes wide as she's faced with image, after image of a dark skinned, dark haired woman - one with her standing right there. Right beside her. "No. No, no, no - this is all wrong. Jon... why- what's happening?" she asks. "I don't remember - I've never-"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Some of that's Rien, yeah," Jon says, eyebrows raising slowly as Cael speaks. "She's great with portals, she can smell almost anything, she has the claws, although they come out of her fingers and not her wrists. I--" They have to swallow back a bit of panic. "Hey. Okay. Hey. Let's--we'll deal with this, okay? I believe that you remember what you say you remember. I don't know why it's different. Let's... once we're done here, let's go home. Rien can portal us back, with Agnes and Bear. And we'll figure out what's... what's going on with you. Okay?" Don't panic. It's fine. It's just something... affecting their girlfriend. Fuck.

    "C'mon. Let's get inside, before Mr. Spider decides to eat our friends?" He smirks, but his voice is a bit hollow.

    ---

    The door to the back of the shop is also open, and leads to a hallway lined with huge amounts of webbing, enough that someone's going to have to slash through it. There are doors leading off the hall that lead to various rooms--what used to be a kitchen, a break room, and so on. Each is filled with what look to almost be cocoons, hanging from the ceiling or attached to walls. Large enough to be bodies, perhaps. Human bodies.

    The rhythmic clacking is coming from the door at the far end of the hall.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Keep it," Robbie murmurs distractedly to Gabby, regarding the cigarette. He's focused on the clack-clack-clacking coming from that back room, and something about it is like nails on a chalkboard to him. It just feels *wrong*.

The clove from Rien's accepted back with a flickered smile, though left to burn, forgotten between two fingers for the moment. "Don't worry about it, babe," he assures her. About the cigarette, presumably; not the menace that they're converging upon.

Chas's blade comes out, and the Ghost Rider's nearly limned in latent power just *waiting* to surge, like a flash fire in dry brush. You wanna get that?" he asks Rien without looking over at her, with a nod to the webbing. And then they're going in-- and he is SO very glad he isn't an arachnophobe. "Shit." Cautiously, he goes to investigate the nearest of the cocoons for signs of.. well, life.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien's head turns at an awkward angle to flasha too-bright, too-big grin at Chas, "No worries! No sweat, I can teleport, remember!" Then she's moving deeper into the hallway. Stopping at one of the coccoons, she studies it for a moment, then shakes her head. "Nah. There's nothing we can do for them. They aren't alive. I know dead when I smell it." Then she's pushing deeper, leading the way down towards that door at the very end, where the clacking is coming from.

Calling back up towards the front, pitching her voice loud so they can hear her, "Hey! You might want to get Jon in here for this! Whatever's at this loom is behind this door! Might be important to him!"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney pauses in the doorway to the back room as she finds herself trailing behind the others just a bit. The clove that Robbie assures her she can have is held onto with a small nod. Absently she reaches up to use it's ember to burn through one bit of cobweb. Her eyes however are on the bodies wound up in webbing. Instinctively she edges a bit closer to Chas. It somehow felt less oppressive around him.

"I... I don't think that..." she begins with a little shudder at the coccooned individuals. Rien gives her the information tnough: They were dead. Most likely. Her gaze flicks over to the door Rien had gone through with a frown. "Mr. Spider?" She hazards.

Even so. Even if these were dead... She lifts a hand to flick out one claw. The moonlight glow it gives off chases back a few more shadows as she moves to cut the nearest body down. Dead or not she was curious WHO they were. If she could even tell.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    It seems that Gabby isn't the only one with a heavy heart about the bodies dangling from the roof. Chas moves in and starts cutting them down with a simple swing of his sword. "Hate monsters who can't clean up after themselves" he mutters. "Better they have the chance to lay to rest when we're done here."

    The grim look in his face says that he's about ready to level this place in the same fashion as the house on Hilltop Road when he's finished. He takes a glance into the hall. "Oi... Jon... hurry your arse up, will ya?" he says with a hissed whisper.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "They don't come out of her fingers," Cael insists quietly. She stares at the phone for a moment longer, then tucks it back into Jon's pocket, before hugging them fiercely. This is //wrong.// Why had Rien smiled at her like that? This is wrong. But what if Jon was right?
    "Let's- go in," she agrees. "But I don't want her fucking touching me," she adds fiercely.
    Keeping her hand twined with Jon's she moves into the chip shop and through the door where the others had passed. She follows along the web-coated hall, letting out an 'ugh' of disgust, a look of pity cast to the still coccoons. Poor fucking bastards... "Whatever's in this place - we kill it," she says simply - trying to keep her mind on that and not-
    ...not the woman standing in front of her. She could see the back of her smooth, dark hair and her mind continues to scream at her just how wrong that is.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The fire that Gabby presses to the webbing works better than she might have hoped. Just that tiny ember starts a flash that flickers down across strands of web and burns away a whole chunk of what's in the way. Too much fire is liable to burn down the building, though. Maybe not best to keep using it.

    The bodies that Robbie and Gabby bring out of the cocoons look... dessicated. Almost mummified, but not quite. As if they had all the blood drained from them. They're in various stages of deacy--some look very old while one or two are quite fresh. A few are missing an arm.

    Jon comes into the building and hurries to catch up with the others, making a face and waving at the air. "Eugh. Webs everywhere. What's--" He stops near Gabby, and even though he doesn't have eyes, very much seems to /look/ at the corpse she's unwrapped. "Matthew," he breathes. "The, umm--he saved my life. I had this children's book, 'A Guest for Mr. Spider,' about, well, a spider asking flies into his parlor. For dinner. Matthew was my grandmother's handyman. He stole the book from me, and brought it here. Put it on the door, and knocked, and--a giant spider appeared and dragged him inside. I've always figured it was /meant/ for me. A... creepy evil book that lead people to their doom."

    He shudders, and turns away from the body, and looks down the hall. "Well... let's go see what's lurking in the parlor, hmm?" His voice sounds more confident than he truly feels. Long strides catch him up to Rien, and he smiles at her briefly before pushing open the door.

    The back room holds a wooden loom, and a middle-aged woman sitting there with sunken eyes in a haggard face. She works the loom with amazing speed, or so it seems at first. There are tiny bites all along her arms and legs, and the threads of the loom are woven into her skin through those holes. As if, perhaps, the loom is working her more than her working the loom. There are tiny spiders scuttling up and down the threads, and into and out of the holes.

    Worse yet--not all of the threads lead to the loom. Some of them lead up toward the ceiling, and up on the ceiling is something horrible, a nightmare made real. A spider, bulbous body larger than a human torso, but its legs are not spider's legs. They are not legs at all. They are /arms/. Eight arms, each different, and the head is a /human/ head, a woman's face that peers down at the group as they start to enter. Each arm holds a thread that leads to the woman working the loom, and the not-quite-spider on the ceiling is working the woman like a marionette.

    And one other thing, the most immediately pertinent: the loom is weaving a tapestry showing a giant spider. As the door opens, in the space it takes for them to take all of this in, the image on the loom suddenly bulges out to become an /actual/ giant spider. Jon, at the front, yells in shock and stumbles backward, raising his arms to try to summon magic that refuses to come.

    The spider-thing on the ceiling laughs. "The Archivist, and his friends. Gateway and Guardian, Hunter and Assassin, foolish Pixie and the poor, tortured mortal." A pause. "You could protect them, Archivist, if you'd just let us take up the strings again. You'd get your magic back."

    "Shut /up/!" Jon shouts. The giant spider that came off the loom is scuttling toward them, even as the loom creates a new image. "Kill this fucking thing!"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The dessicated body clearly is a long, long way from having signs of life; and this is hardly the time to be trying to sort out who it might have been. Robbie releases what's left of the body -- missing an arm, curiously -- and after a glance Jon's way, follows him into the back room.

What they see there is, in a word, horrifying. Even for someone without a particular phobia of arachnids. The tapestry warping, distorting, pushing out a spider like it's giving birth.. well, he barely has a choice in what happens next: the Rider asserts itself, turning his eyes into burning, smoking pits, then igniting the rest of him with an utterly inhuman sound. Even before the transformation's complete, he's manifesting a bladed chain in one hand. Then lunging forward, attempts to drive the wickedly sharp knife into the creature's head.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien seems to be studying the eight-armed, human-faced spider on the ceiling, eyes narrowed in concentration. After a moment, she grins, "Interesting!" Then Jon's screaming to 'kill that thing!', and chaos erupts as a giant spider comes off the tapestry. Robbie Rider's Up and manifests his weapons. Rien lets those wickedly sharp fingernails grow until they're about a foot long and razor sharp. The glow is there, but it's a sickly, almost putrid green rather than the light blue that Cael remembers.

Leaving Robbie and the others to deal with the spider, Rien starts towards the loom, and the old woman. But it's not the woman she attacks, rather, she moves to swipe a hand up overhead, trying to cut the ties that bind the human/spider hybrid from the loombound old woman. Perhaps if she cannot be puppeted, nothing more will be woven to attack them!

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances back at Jon when he identifies the body she had freed from the cocoon. She'd heard at least about the title of the book but she hadn't known exactly what had happened. Just that someone he knew had disapeared, potentially been killed, by this creature from the book. Hearing more of it now causes her to frown deeply with worry, and sympathy. "We can put him to rest properly later," she suggests. For now though... She heads for the other room as well to see the horrors of what lay within.

The sight of the marionette-person, the loom, and worst yet the many armred creature on the ceiling she finds herself shuddering again. Both claws slide out fully. The hand that had the cigarette is clawed now making her shift her angle of holding the cigarette. As Rien goes for the strands she glances up herself toward the flame-headed Robbie already attacking the loom-spider.

"I think we need to...." Would it really be bad to do that? She runs forward, tucking low, to attack the loom itself. The still-glowing cigarette comes down onto the remnants of the tapestry hoping to set it alight.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    As the creatures emerge Chas' aura flares wildly, vivid blue fire pouring off of him like a living thing of its own. "Vile filth! You do not belong!" the unchained Dominion intones, his voice ringing like a bell through the din of battle. "Allow me to send you back to your prison where you belong!"

    He swings the sword of heavenly flame in a flourish and thrusts it upward to the ceiling, sending a lance of blue fire toward the spider-esque creature that is huamn limbs and a human face above them, hoping to end the battle quickly before it has a chance to do more damage to reality with its very presence.

Cael Becker has posed:
    As Jon identifies Matthew, Cael's hand claps onto his shoulder briefly, before they continue further into the building.
    The door is opened, and they are assailed by horrors - and as Rien and Robbie spring into action, Cael draws the pistol that she very much should not legally have with her in England - but there it is. She draws it up to bear, and for a moment - it seems like the weapon lingers on Rien's back.
    And as Cael has often told Agnes, never point a weapon as something you don't intend to shoot - even if it's unloaded. Never.
    Rien is wrong. Her claws are wrong. All of this is wrong.
    A moment later, the gun continues on its path, up towards the spider-monster on the ceiling, as she begins emptying her clip into the center of its body - her teeth gritting against the toll of Chas' voice. Drowning that out with repeated gunfire is just good sense.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Chaos does indeed erupt. The Rider's blade bites into the spider's head, but this doesn't quite kill it--these things are tough. It makes it easier to pull toward him for further battering, however. A second spider is loomed up and jumps out at them before the swipe of Rien's claws detach the woman from the spider overhead. It hisses and leaps at Rien as if in retaliation for the offense, even as the woman who had been working the loom collapses.

    Which is when those with sensitive hearing might notice that she never had a heartbeat. The /only/ sound was the clacking of the loom. Without that, the room is silent save for the scuttling of spiders and the sounds the Justice League Dark are making. The tapestry flares as Gabby sets it alight, burns away to nothing. No more giant spiders will come from there, at least not for the moment.

    The spider on the ceiling merely laughs as the strings are cut. "You can't escape, Archivist, twist and turn though you might. You were always going to come back here. You knew that, didn't you? This was meant for /you/."

    Jon shakes his head. "Shut up," he repeats, edging out of the way so the others can actually fight the monsters he can't see. "That's not--I'm not listening to you anymore. Shut up."

    Another chuckle, as the spider scuttles away from Chas' attack, Cael's bullets bouncing right off that horrible carapace. She's heading toward Jon. "Annabelle may have tried to replace you, but the fool girl thought it was a matter of one or the other. She didn't know that it's always been both. You are /ours/, Archivist. Just like she is. Always has been."

    And then the strings dangling from the spider's hands lash out toward Jon--but not to lash around him, oh no. Threads grow out of /Jon's/ skin, and join the threads coming from the spider above, tying themselves together even while he struggles.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Ohh yay. Spiders. And whatever that big spidery-humanish..Thing is. Maroon eyes narrow, summoning her dagger as she peers around hickory, shivering at Jon's story. "The heck? That's soooo creepy.." shaking her head, Pixie follows Gabby and stabs the loom with her dagger. Maybe it's controlling everything. "Jon..What happened to the book? if it's here, if we can destroy it, maybe this will all go away?" but then suddenly he's snagged wuth webbing and she gasps, rushing at him, trying to slice at the threads trying to joking him to the puppet master. "Hey stop that!"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
What's better than one blade?

Well, two. The Ghost Rider's other hand swings around, closing into a fist just as a second khukri manifests in his grip, streaming ash and hellfire, and he drives it home again. And again, and again, trying to blind it, trying to sever its head from its body.

Then in his peripheral vision, he spots Jon's predicament-- and hesitates a moment. The demon's in charge, after all; and what the demon wants to do is kill. But he tears himself away long enough to lash out with one of his flaming chains, to try to sever the threads attaching themselves to the Archivist with a roar.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney has a momentary sense of satisfaction when the tapestry on the loom goes up so quickly. Even with using some puppeted corpse (ugh) it would take some time to build a new one. That meant, hopefully, the onslaught of monster sized spiders would be tapered off for now.

The one that had emerged though is now her target as she flicks the leftover clove cigarette toward it expecting that in this case it would just bounce off the thorax or whatever it was that spiders had. The not-attack is followed up immediately by her lunging toward it to slam both her clawed fists down at the larger part of it's body.

The intention is to let her magically imbued claws sink in before simply slicing out to cut it apart. If the claws themselves ran into issue, the moonlit imbued magic to help dispell supernatural or magical creatures might do the job. She hoped.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' eyes flare with irritation as the creature simply avoids his attack. "Bugger that" he mutters and then moves in. His motions are not the riotous movements of someone on the field. Instead they're fluid, smooth, and almost elegant. He spins around Robbie and the spider he is engaged with before slashing out with the flaming blade of heavenly light at the other spider.

    "Cael, if any vestige of your reason remains... go after the big one we'll clean up the rabble while you protect Jon" he says as he slashes once more at his foe, the sword singing with chiming sounds as it slices through the air.

    Each swing of the blade is accompanied with a strobe-like flare of blue light through the room, catching the JLD and their foes in a snapshot of conflict with each practiced strike from the angel.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Perhaps it's the stress from NotRien. Perhaps it's the spiders. Perhaps it's Jon being threatened directly - perhaps it's all of those things, but abruptly Cael's fingers and limbs begin to elongate, as her face grows out into a snout. "Don't you //fucking// dare," Cael growls out at the monsterous spider-woman, as her clothes are pulled appart and shredded to accomodate her growing mass, and the gun is allowed to simply clatter to the ground.
    And then she leaps, her digitgrade legs propelling her upwards until she collides with the horrific creature - her teeth seeking purchase on the woman's face, as her claws try to tear apart the large, bulbous abdomen. It's unclear if her target was chosen out of rage, or reason. But does it matter?
    Her claws search for any weak points in the creature's shell. Anywhere she can find purchase to tear into what is presumably its more tender interior.
    Just fucking die.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Megan jumps right at the strings and gets struck by Jon for the trouble, a burst of magic flaring out, pull by the spider above them. It sends her flying, knocked out though not badly damaged, one would hope. The Rider kills the first giant spider, turning it into a charred mess on the ground. Then Robbie asserts his desire to help Jon, and lunges at the strings, and between him and Megan they manage to sever the strings trying to wrap around Jon's throat. The question, of course, is--will that be enough? Will just his voice be enough?

    Gabby's claws, enchanted by Rien, sink into the second spider. Chas comes to help, and between them that one, too, becomes a nasty oozy mess on the floor. As if in response, the tiny spiders suddenly swarm, trying to attack Robbie in particular, still coming after the threads, but also Gabby and Chas and Rien, down on the floor.

    Cael... something about Cael's claws hits home on the thing in a way the bullets did not. The spider screams, and wrenches its head around at a /horrible/ angle to bite at Cael, horrible fangs sinking into the werewolf's flesh. Stolen arms tug on the threads still holding Jon, yanking him around, trying to get him to fire more magic at the rest of his friends. At Cael, whose weight threatens to pull the spider off her ceiling.

    "No," Jon growls. "No, no, I'm not--I won't let you--" There's an answer, a way to grab power and destroy this thing, he /knows/ there is, but--he was supposed to talk to Chas. He was supposed to /think/ about this.

    There isn't time. Cael's going to be /furious/.

    "CEASELESS WATCHER!" he roars in a voice that nearly shakes the damn building. Word rise up from memory of another world, bubbling up, offering the way to grasp power. Power to stop this thing. "You who watch and know and understand none! You who listen and hear and will not comprehend! You who wait and wait and drink in all that is not yours by right!"

    The building /does/ shake. A huge glowing eye appears behind the Archivist, and its gaze burns away the strings holding him. His own eyes regrow, glowing the same color, that odd almost neon green. And then all three eyes--the Watcher's, and both of the Archivist's--turn to look at the spider on the ceiling. Their voice reverberates oddly, with a kind of choral humming.

    "You have drawn in countless victims. Drawn them here, sucked their life dry, used them to weave your webs and your schemes. Poisoned this town with your filth, spread fear like a disease. No more. Feel it now, the horror of your victims, their screams as they died."

    The spider drops the webs. She starts to scream.

    "Ceaseless Watcher, turn your gaze upon this wretched thing!"

    A beam of light fires from the glowing eye, right at the spider on the ceiling. She screams, but she does not die.

    "Going to need more power!" Jon shouts in his own voice. "/Kill her/!" Which is, presumably, the cue for everyone else to help.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Mutant healing factor aside. Adrenaline rush aside. Everything that had happened tonight was striking chords in Gabby. When Chas used his voice, when Cael shifted, and now the giant floaty EYEBALL OF WHAT THE HELL, JON. It would make most people scared naturally. For her it does so as well, but that fear is quickly followed by anger. Something it seemed ran deep in her family even if she was rather adept at keeping it at bay.

Anger she could use.

The goop from the felled second overly large spider is shaken off of her claws as she starts to move again to help with the main threat. The smaller spider-sized-spiders that start to swarm at her are met with a quick sweeping slash of one claw hoping to knock some away before she simply runs to leap into the air, ontop of the damaged loom. Another bunch of her legs lets her leap further up toward the ceiling where that monstrosity resided currently grappling with a shifted Cael.

So many things were happening at once. Cael was thrashing and fighting and biting. The thing was biting back. The Watcher was ... being a giant eyeball, and the Rider's chain was thrown while she was in the air as well.

So as to not harm Cael her claws retreat back into her fists. Instead she tries to grapple one of those stolen arm-legs leaving her hanging there as well so she can deliver a few quick punch-stabs as her claw comes out again into the side of the creature. Even if it didn't work perhaps the added weight would help bring it off the ceiling.

Gravity was certainly already having it's way with her as she finds her grip slipping, too.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The Ghost Rider is no man; only a killing machine. Possessed of none of Chas's glory or brilliance, he is in many ways his polar opposite; lean and savage, his blade coated in the fires of hell rather than that holy blue flame.

The pair do a little dance around one another, with Chas pivoting away to attack the second spider while Robbie finishes off the first with a bellow as he rips his knives out of its charred, smoking body. A couple of the smaller spiders are swatted off him, and another tries to latch onto his head.. but is incinerated quickly. Then he looks up when Jon calls for help. Flaming head tilted as he considers the massive.. thing trying to cling to the ceiling. The third eye opening up nearly gives him pause; nearly has him turning on the Archivist himself.

But as the blast hits the spider, he spots his opportunity. Stalking closer, he whips the bladed end of his chain around a few times, and wings it at the spider's exposed abdomen; aiming to wedge it in deep, and ignite the thing from the inside.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas was ready to destroy this place but he needed time. He jumps back from the fray and lands next to Megan's prone form. The tip of his blade is planted in the ground and energy courses down its length. Suddenly in a circle around them similar blue flame rises from the ground; a barrier for any of the smaller spiders that hope to try and make a meal out of his ally or him.

    It's not a perfect position but it's what he has. He starts to gather his will, the divine command that flows in his very being. This place was a cancer and would need to be purged to fully heal the land. His purpose was to be the beacon for that purge, a calling point for the Hosts to rain absolute destruction down on the foes that threaten reality. The energy pools at his feet and collects within him.

    He extends a hand toward the creature on the ceiling, he's going to have to time it just right to not obliterate any of his freinds. The energy collects at his palm as a small ball of blue-white fire blooms. "Begone!" he says releasing the miniature sun toward the creature, focusing his will to weave and dodge in between his allies to strike true upon the spidery creature.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien had gone after all the little spiderlings once the strings were cut. None of them could escape. Not if they wanted to be sure. That sickly green glow spread outward from her, farther, farther, encompassing the room, the hallways, the chip shop. Until it covers the entire building. And as the glow spread, it sought out each of those little spiderlings, searing it to ash, ensuring none would escape.

Once she was sure, she pulled that power back inward, channeling it to her hands, turning it, spinning it around and around until she found her opening. Chas threw that miniature sun, and at the same time, Rien released the ball of energy, sending it straight towards the human/spider hybrid breature. Flanking. Capturing it in a 'damned if they do, damned if they don't' moment of choice. Die by the holy sun, or by the ball of pure, lethal energy that's being directed towards it.

Cael Becker has posed:
    The spider's human-looking teeth clamp down on Cael - and though the bite stings, the werecreature seems largely unaffected as she continues bite, tear, and rend herself.
    Though - does she growl something out in the gravely, inhuman voice?
    And was it a single name: 'Jonathan!'?
    Maybe someone has not overlooked the creepy eye staring at her as she continues to fight, claws tearing free chunks of the woman's form, and hurling them aside. She seems determined to cling to the form - determined to mete out more and more damage upon the creature until it is bereft of any signs of life, no matter what else may be going on around her - including balls of deadly, seering energy.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The tiny spiders die, one way and another, by claw or fire or magic. Between Gabby and Cael's weight, the spider starts to fall off the ceiling, forcing those aiming blows at it to aim for a falling target. Gabby's claws pierce the carapace as Cael's do, and some nasty, sticky purple goop begins to spill out. Eww. Robbie's chain bites in, and the goop starts to incinerate from the inside out. As the spider falls, screaming, the Eye tracks it downward, continuing to force horrible pain upon it. A miniature sun and a ball of sickly green energy both hit the spider, crash into the thing as crashes into the loom with Gabby and Cael still clinging to it. There might be some splinters. Bruising. Ow.

    For a moment, it looks like the energies colliding and merging might take out more than just the spider. But even as Jon's been rallying the others to the cause, he's reached over beneath his t-shirt, twisted the mechanism that holds his prosthetic to his shoulder, and yanked it off. Within seconds there's a glowing green arm in its place, and he tosses the mind flayer-created arm toward the spider. A gift from his husband, paid for with Martin's second-best memory, but it's too much of a liability, given its provenance. And hopefully, with his magic back, he won't need it anymore.

    "Heads up!" he calls. Then a bright green shield of woven energy envelops the spider and the balls of energy both, pushing Gabby and Cael away. The shield contains the explosion, and when it's done, there's no hint of the spider-thing left. The giant Eye behind Jon closes and disappears. The only sense of the power from Outside that's left is the vague sense often hanging on Rien, and the lingering scent still on the Archivist from whatever deal he just made with the Watcher to gain its power.

    Jon staggers back, breathings heavily. "Everyone okay?" he gasps. "That was... a lot."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
The spider explodes in a massive blast of goop, thankfully contained by Jon's shield; Robbie was not looking forward to cleaning that out of his hair.

After the cacophonous battle, they've all got a minute to regroup. And, once the Rider departs in his usual manner, he notices.. pain. Not the usual pain of his burned flesh repairing itself. But a different, more awful pain. Glancing at his left leg, he notices the patch of seared, exposed thigh. Boiling with blood and blackened around the edges in a way the Rider.. doesn't seem able to heal.

Gritting his teeth, he clamps a hand over it. "What the fuck was THAT about?" he snaps at Jon, approaching him at a slight limp.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Whoa! Sweetie! Take it down a notch. Healing first, yelling after." Rien turns quickly and moves towards Robbie, inserting herself between him and Jonathan, reaching down and pressing a hand over his. THat sickly, putrid green energy spreads out across his leg, working to knit the flesh and muscle and sinew back together. "There... there now. That's better, isn't it sweetie?" She offers that too-bright smile towards Robbie.

Turning her head, an almost impossible angle. That too-bright smile growing a liiiiiiiiiittle wider. "Now Jonathan. REALLY. Was all that completely necessary? We're supposed to be truthful with each other. Help each other. And you just... go and make a deal with an Outsider??" She clucks her tongue and shakes her head, "Your behavior of late is very erratic, my friend."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney already knew she was going to fall one way or the other. The ichor that comes from her stabs was disgusting, the smell sickening. Between the weight of the creature coming down as well as her own grip slipping, she barely manages to hit the floor in a way that doesn't break anything. The wind is knocked from her lungs with a sound of discomfort if not outright pain, but before she can regain it to MOVE--The magic moves her by throwing her across the room into the wall. She hits, then rebounds to roll on her back where she remains for several long moments just catching her breath. It was over.

"The icky lichy spider went up the wall to shout, Down came the PAIN and wiped the spider out. o/~"

"Also..." Her head lifts up from the floor where she still lays on her back. "What the HELL, Jon!?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas frowns as he notes Robbie's injury, he'd have to take action to apologize in due time to the man. But right now other things are necessary. He turns to Jon, flaming sword still in hand and speaks. "Jonathan Sims" The voice is not just Chas' voice speaking, it's also the voice of an angel.

    His wings emerge from whatever realm of transluscence he holds them in and he levels the blade toward Jon. "Explain yourself... quickly. You know what I have promised you, and you are skirting dangerously close to the line where I will have to act on that promise."

Cael Becker has posed:
    The only reason that Cael is clear of the spider when everything goes up, is because Jon throws her clear. She rises to her feet - bruised, with a few massive splinters of wood sticking into her, and bleeding from the bite she received, and a few cuts. The were-creature stands facing Jon, glaring at him - a snarl pulling up the corners of her lips for a moment - before she abruptly turns away. The gun she dropped is scooped up, and she stands facing the wall - arms hugged across her chest as her form begins to shrink, and change, the thin hair and fur that was covering her fading away until it's only Cael once more - her clothing shredded and destroyed as she stands there - more or less unclothed, with a tattoo of Hebrew letters oon her back. She stands with her head turned just enough to keep Rien in the corner of her eye.
    Near Jon's feet, the leather cuff she usually wears on her left wrist has popped free, and lies on the ground.
    Jon's on his own to explain this one - though Chas's words do cause her back to stiffen in response.     

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon draws himself up as Robbie turns on him, as Rien chides him, and he's clearly preparing to respond to them and Gabby too when Chas levels that sword at him. Bright green eyes widen, and he raises his hands in defense. "I was going to talk to you before--but there wasn't time. I'm still me, okay? Just..." Deep breaths. Chas doesn't /want/ to hurt you. Deep breaths, and /explain/.

    "I had a dream, of the Old Ones. The Mother of Puppets and the Ceaseless Watcher. They've already influenced me before, in a past life but also in this one. The only way I knew for sure to get away was to..." They raise their right hand, the glowing one, touch the side of the face right next to their eye. "...remove these. But when I did that, I lost /all/ of my magic. How could I fight these things, that way? How could I help /stop/ them?"

    He shakes his head. "I wasn't--I didn't /like/ the idea. I still don't. But the Watcher, it's /stupid/. Maybe the most foolish and stupid of all these things. It takes in information without /thinking/ about it, like a--a camera. I thought maybe I could use it, trick it, but I was /going/ to talk to you! I wasn't just going to do it, but then--"

    He glances toward Megan's form on the ground. "She made me hurt Pixie. She... she was going to make me hurt the rest of you. Hurt /Cael/. I couldn't cut the strings, but I could call to the Watcher. Make a deal." A beat. "For the duration of the conflict. It gets to use me as a conduit /for the duration of this conflict/. See? Once they're sealed away it's /done/. And you can watch me in the meantime. Make sure I don't--don't lose myself to these things."

    They swallow, shuddering. "I remember--everything. I know who Annabelle is, to me. And--these things, they've been after me all my life." A glance aside, to Rien. "She's the gateway. I'm the key. Remember? They used me, somehow, to come after the JLD. They came at me before, and my best friend sacrificed herself in my stead. The Mother, she's had her hooks in me for /so/ long, and I--I can't. I won't let her use me like a puppet any longer. I /won't/. If that means you kill me--" He looks to Robbie. "Or you do that Rider business on me--so be it."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie stares up at Jon for a few long moments. Yes, up. The kid's about six feet of lean Latino, but Jon and Chas still fairly tower over him. He works his jaw a little, glancing away for a moment when Rien comes over to heal the gash in his leg. His expression softens slightly for her. "Much better." Like that foul green sheen washing over his skin was totally normal. Like the smell of evil on her is nothing he's not accustomed to. "Thanks, babe. Owe you one."

After a beat, he turns back to Jon, nostrils flared, upper lip looking about an inch away from baring his teeth. Then he turns abruptly to go help Gabby up off the floor instead, and bend to reach for Pixie's unconscious form. "Ain't gonna kill you. Because you're--" It's hard for him to admit it, to put himself out there like that, but.. "--you're my friend."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien turns back towards Robbie and leans up to peck him on the cheek, "Give and take, sweetie!" That too-wide smile is so very saccharine sweet and she moves to help Robbie. By which she kneels down to lets that sickly green energy wash over Pixie, knitting her wounds closed, letting the mutant go from unconsciousness to sleep as wounds knit closed. Turning towards Jon, she lifts a brow. "Didn't have time? Jonathan, you've been here. We were just at the other place a few weeks back. How did you -not have time-? You spent all day today with Agnes and Bear and Cael. Here. You cannot say you didn't have time. You didn't -make- time."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas keeps the sword leveled at Jon for a moment. He lowers the sword and lets it vanish. "He means..." his voice retunring to normal, "that between the dream and his vacation he hasn't had a chance to find me. Admittedly, I was a little out of contact for a time too."

    He slips off the coat he's wearing. It's a leather number that goes to his thighs. He tosses it toward Cael--it will likely reach the middle of her calves given the height difference. "Put that on for now... at least give you some modesty" he adds. His eyes go back to Jon. "In the moment you made a decision. I get it. Been there myself. Got put on a door for four months for it."

    He lets another sigh escape him. "I don't like it, Jon. And I -am- going to watch you. Like a damn hawk if I have to. And I'm serious. One step out of line..." He swallows. "We've talked. You and me. You, me, and Rien. If it comes it... you know what I must do."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "We're not talking weeks. We're talking days," Cael confirms, after Chas's clarification, her voice and posture tense, her back still turned to the others, in her unclad state - and her head still turns to keep Rien in the corner of her eye. "He only realized all this when- he took his eyes. It happened the evening of the full moon. He spent most of that day in the hospital. And yesterday, he //promised// me he would talk this over with Chas before a decision was made." Biting, bitter anger colors her tone. Jon had promised.
    In a more tired tone she adds, "He meants the promise, or he wouldn't have been able to say it. But he did... talk to me about it."
    She stoops to retrieve the coat that was tossed to her, covering herself back up before finally turning back towards the group once more, her expression still tense, and angry.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Yeah, well, that's why I was talking to Cael. That's why I'm talking to you /now/. I know what /not communicating/ winds up doing. Case in bloody fucking point." Jon gestures at Chas, at... all of him, and then immediately bites his lip.

    "Sorry. That's... that's not... well, maybe it's fair, but it's not... kind. I'm just..." He runs a hand through his hair. "I'm a little, umm... it's all a little much, just now? But I'm--I'm not--I'm talking. Okay? Maybe we can go get a pint, all--" He glances between Rien and Cael, and sighs. "Never mind." His shoulders slump. What was the point, when the Old Ones have them distrusting each other anyway?

    They turn to Robbie. "Thank you," they say, and they mean it. "That... means a lot. I appreciate it. I do." Their expression is as sincere and earnest as ever. "Maybe, umm... maybe you can get Rien and Gabby and Megan home? I'll make sure this gets cleaned up." He gestures around the room.

    Then he leans down to pick up the bracer, and carries it over to Cael. Offers it out to her. "Sorry," he murmurs. "I--it's not--" He swallows back tears. "Sorry."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
His face is still healing over a few burn marks from his little sojourn as the Rider. But the cheek kisses are accepted with a blush; and a bit of a dopey look in his eyes as he watches her. Because he's in love with his gorgeous raven-haired girlfriend and her adorable, cheshire cat smiles.

Robbie waits for her to finish doing her magic with Pixie, and then hefts the sleeping woman up in his arms, preparing to get them out of here. And, one supposes, to the VR. He's not going to weigh in any further on the subject at hand; but they all know what he is, and what he does. If things spiral out of control, and the Rider decides he wants a piece of the Archivist, he will hunt him down and get it. Whether or not Robbie happens to approve.

For now, a firm nod in agreement with the request. "I'll get them home safe," he promises. A hitch of his chin to get Gabby's attention, and then he's trying to collect his girlfriend and head back out to the beach. Where Rien can hit them up with a portal out of here.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien sends a hurt look towards Jon, even as that rictus smile remains firmly in place. "You didn't tell -me-, Jonathan. You didn't tell me any of this. You asked me to bring my friends, my family, out here to help -you- but you never bothered to talk to me about -any- of this." She lets out a breath, then blinks and brightens that smile a bit more, "But I forgive you for that. Because I know you won't keep leaving me in the dark. I'm sure you'll sit down with me, with Chas, and we'll talk this all through." Wrinkling her nose adds an extra level of creepy to that too-big smile.

"Because we're -friends-, Jonathan."

Then she turns that unblinking stare towards Cael and the grin ratchets up another notch, "All of us." Turning, she throws up a hand and that sickly green energy rims the portal leading to the VR. "Okay gang! Through the portal, time to go home and get some food and celebrate a job well done!"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods to Rien. "We'll be here shortly enough" he replies to the dark haired woman before turning to look at Jon and Cael. "So... we go to your hotel, she get's some new clothes and then we talk?" he asks his friend. His words are not heated or sharp. In face he seems relatively calm all things considered.

    "Oh... for what it's worth Jon" he says with a small nod. "You're right. Not talking -is- what got me here. After all that pain was caused in my name." He shakes his head. "Sometimes... the truth isn't nice, but it needs to be said in order to take a measure of your own position in life." He smiles. "Pretty sure that was in one of the books too."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's expression is tense, and closed as she studies Rien with a tightened jaw, then she turns back towards Jon as the cuff is offerd out to her.
    Rather than take it back, she wraps both of her arms around Jon, pulling them in close as she buries her face against their neck. "Just be alright, Jon," she whispers quietly. "Be alright." Because if they're not... then Jon's friends will hunt them down and end them - and Cael will be left caring for an orphaned, grieving Agnes until Martin comes back - while stuggling with her own grief.
    She lets the others move through the portal - as she continues to hold tightly to Jon, whispering into his ear, "Her magic is wrong. //She's// wrong." But will Jon ever believe her? Will Jon ever believe that //his// vaunted perfect memory can be wrong, while hers is correct?
    She pulls away then, finally taking her cuff back from Jon, to nod at Chas. "We talk," she agrees.