11952/In the Aftermath

In the Aftermath
Date of Scene:	09 July 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis:	The Justice League Dark is in a rough place. Rien's slowly disappearing, Robbie's upset, Gabby killed someone, Daniel never knows where he is. Jon tries to help, and has more luck with Gabby than Rien. Mercy accidentally brings pizza, and Cael brings Bear.
Cast of Characters:	Rien D'Arqueness, Robbie Reyes, Gabby Kinney, Daniel Ketch, Jonathan Sims, Mercy Thompson, Cael Becker

---

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Between the fire at the apartment two days ago, the investigation yesterday, and the fact that Rien hasn't slept in close to two weeks... she's holding up remarkably well. Her hair is a bit messier, not expending the magical energy for 'perfect hair', her clothes are a bit more subdued, a simple blue top paired with khaki shorts and hiking boots. What's more concerning is that her personality seems to have taken a hit as well. No more the bright smiles or light laughter, that aura of calm that seemed to surround her like a halo is gone. She looks no different than ever, there's no trace of her exhaustion or upset to be found in her face. But it's as if something were missing from her.

Rien is determined that she won't give in, however, and so she and Robbie are at the VR today, to catch others as they show up, to try and be social, to tray and warn anyone that isn't already aware. She's posted up at the piano, playing something soft and haunting and classical, a glass with bourbon in it set atop the piano. Trying to distract herself from dangerous lines of thought.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's looking not quite himself, either. The kid always seems a bit underslept, but the events of the past week or so have sent him spiraling into Bad Mood Country. Between the scowl on his face and the slouched shoulders, it's not a wonder that nobody's really approached him over there at one of the couches near the bar.

He's listening to Rien play the tune on the piano with a glass of what looks like hard liquor in one hand, and his phone in the other.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Fire. There had been a fire. Gabby found out not from her sister, or Robbie, but because she had driven by the apartment to find that it no longer existed in any livable form. It was one more straw in a list of many that were wearing on Gabby as well. She'd been keeping busy--Perhaps too much so. And while she really, really wanted to just take her mind off of things for awhile this new development meant that she wasn't going to be able to do that in any way that she may have hoped.

The light of a door opening indicates her arrival as she rushes into the Velvet Room key still in hand. The other has her phone grasped tight. Just as she hears the piano music drawing her in, both Robbie and Rien's phones are likely to go off with a series of frantic texts asking if they were okay, and what happened.

She draws up short just looking at the pair a moment with a furtive, quick glance only to blurt out, "What the FUCK happened?! Are you both okay!?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien doesn't halt her playing, though she does wince at the decibel level of Gabby's exclamation. "No, Gabby, I'm not okay. But if you're asking if anyone was physically injured? Then no. We're at the safehouse, and I'm trying to get Logan to agree to watch over Gabe and Agnes somewhere away from here for a week or two while we deal with what's happening." Looking up to her sister, she gives a small shake of her head, "Don't ask what it is, I'm not going to get you involved. Every time someone tries to help it fucks with them too and I'm not doing it."

Her gaze travels over to Robbie, watching him for a long moment, "I already brought it to Robbie... now it's gotten hooks into Jon.. maybe even Cael and Lydia." Looking back to Gabby, not a smile to be found, "I won't set it at your feet too."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie was just texting Gabby now, as a matter of fact. He's about halfway through the message when the girl herself blows into the sitting room like a pint-sized storm. His gaze darts toward her at the shout, and then he goes ahead and hits send anyway: *Hey Gabby, something happened. Me and Rien might be awol for a bit.*

The phone's tossed aside, and he takes a long swig of his drink, swallowing before pointing out to his girlfriend that, "You know she don't like being treated with kid gloves, babe." As far as 'fine' goes.. well, Gabby's well aware by now that they both are incredibly hard to kill, or permanently injure. Emotional damage.. that's another matter.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney draws in a deep breath as everything is sort-of-not-explained. Rien continues to get a concerned glare up until Robbie speaks earning a nod of agreement to his remark. "Of course I don't. I'm *not* a kid. And what do you mena it's spread?" Even as she asks the question she quickly shakes her head, lifting a hand to press to her forehead. "No, no. Rewind."

"First off, what happened to the apartment? What is it you're trying to keep me out of? Secondly... Dad is a *terrible* babysitter." Though he was an excellent bodyguard. THAT made her all the more suspicious.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
Looks like the Velvet Room is growing and it probably should be called the Velvet Hideout or the Velvet Astral Place. It even has a magical library. And who goes to libraries?

Flaming skeletons dressed in black leather with metal spikes, apparently. No one has ever seen the Spirit of Vengeance reading a book. He has this image he cultivates, you see. Yet he is coming out from the library room, walking with a purpose. Someone, somewhere, is going to get avenged. Then he spots the trio by the piano and pauses.

Slooooowly, his hollow gaze roams over Rien, Robbie and Gabby. He says nothing. No greetings, no pleasantries, just silent judgement.

And then he moves forward. His target is not Robbie, as everyone would expect. No, he looms over Gabby, instead. "You..." he starts, his voice an eerie bass, "are haunted. By guilt. Have you committed murder, young warrior?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"It has nothing to do with kid gloves, Robbie. We shouldn't have involved any of the others. I shouldn't have involved you. As soon as Elizabeth said I was a gateway, I should have left town," Rien shoots a look towards RObbie and shakes her head. "We're getting Gabe out of the city specifically so we don't involved loved ones, and he's older than Gabby."

She looks back to Gabby, "Robbie burned the apartment down, I contained the fire so it didn't spread to the whole building. I'm still not telling you because this has -nothing to do- with your ability to -fight-. There -is- no defense against this, Gabby." She stops playing to point to Robbie, "And if you try to drag MY sister into this then we're going to fight. Really fight."

Then there's Daniel, and she simply nods to the Rider before going back to playing the piano, "Logan is actualy excellent with kids, especially ones that need protection. And Gabe adores him. And he can handle Agnes." The mention of guilt and killing has her looking towards Robbie, "And this is why we don't drag Gabby into this. She's got a whoooooooole mess of her own shit to deal with."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"You didn't fuckin' involve me," Robbie counters. "And like Jon said, this thing might've found the rest of us whether you left town or not." Then he quiets as Rien explains what happened.. and it certainly doesn't paint him in the best light. Jaw tight, he swipes his phone off the couch, knocks back what remains of his drink, and mumbles something about 'needing some air'. The other Ghost Rider is shot a *look* as he stalks past, but nothing more.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Though Gabby wanted to stalk right over and hug Rien she had a feeling judging by Rien's remark of 'we're AT the safe house' that they weren't really here. It wouldn't be beyond her sisters power to astrally project them both into the astral plane in the first place. She's tempted to however as she stands there clenching her fists at her side with a growing sense of frustration. And anger. And just... Pure... Helplessness. It was so similar to what she'd recently went through while in the Tarot card room where she'd been unable to help those she cared about.

The arrival of the Ghost Rider... a ghost rider? Causes her to pause as he stalks menacingly toward her to make that declaration. The anger that had almost managed to distract her from that ache in the pit of her stomach crumples rapidly under his accusation.

Before she can answer, Robbie is stalking by, and she reaches out toward him without success as her hand falls short. "Robbie... Rien.... Who the hell is Elizabeth?" So much she didn't know still. So much she couldn't know unless they told her. Pressing her lips together she nods, stiffly. "You didn't know about this 'shit I'm dealing with' before this Rien, so you can hardly claim to be keeping me out of it because of it. We're family. Even if I don't directly help you I need to *know* these things because keeping secrets is a sure-fire way of causing more fuck ups."

So many fuck ups. Her eyes drop to stare at the leather jacket of the tall Rider in front of her, finally facing him though she hadn't really moved. There was no running from this. Quietly she asks, "Does it count as murder if they're also trying to kill you?"

The question hangs a second before she crosses her arms over her chest hugging herself with her head glancing aside to stare at the floor.

"No, nevermind. I still did it. I went for the killing blow. I... I did try to reason with them but... And I was told they were synthetic copies. I thought they meant robots not..." Fingers dig into her arms as she pauses to grit her teeth so tight her jaw pops. "I should have found a different way."

Daniel Ketch has posed:
Does it count as a murder if... X, Y, Z?

That is a question for the lawyers. The Spirit of Vengeance was around before lawyers. In fact, he was around long before law was set in stone tablets. Although he looked different.

"You are to find out," he speaks to Gabby. "Or doubt will burn your soul, as surely as would the Hellfire." He briefly glances to Rien, but as it happens, he never asks the important questions, instead nodding and walking towards the bar. Coincidentally the opposite direction Robbie took.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Oh, I didn't? You just HAPPENED to be the second person affected by this? The person I live with? The one person I spend more time with than anyone else? Total coincidence, right?" Rien folds her arms over her chest to stare at Robbie, daring him to contradict her. Jaw tight, holding her position at Nameless, watching Robbie stalk off.

Resting her elbows against the edge of the piano, she drops her face into her hands and scrubs at it, fingertips rubbing along her forehead. "Elizabeth is the blonde figure that's been at each of the training blocks we've done. She's one of the figures that live in the castle. You were there when she said I was a gateway."

Dropping her hands, she sends Gabby a droll look, "I still get -news- you know. Funny how that video you took of the person aping Robbie just -happened- to be in the same block of the city where a massive fight broke out. You've been dealing with fallout from that lab that had you for months, and you've been agonizing over your upcoming birthday, Gabby. You -always- have some traumatic shit going on."

Lifting the glass from the piano, she takes a swallow and sets it aside, "You want to save yourself trouble? Stay away from reflective surfaces. Any reflective surfaces."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Oh, but if this isn't the most fertile of ground for Robbie's latent rage to assert itself. Eli could just sliiiide right on in without any resistance at all. And with Daniel already gone flame up, that's a disaster Robbie knows well enough to avoid at all costs.

The look he casts Rien on his way by is about as hurt as it is angry. And then he's gone; stormed off to the Garden to try to burn off his agitation with a cigarette. He doesn't even pick up on the fact that Gabby's killed someone.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"I know." Gabby's quiet rejoiner to respond to Daniel's Rider with a soft nod of acknowlegement. At the least, she felt guilty. That meant she hadn't become a cold blooded killer. It was a small reassurance, yet... that didn't mean she didn't feel guilt for what she'd done. It hadn't been a fully informed choice. Just as easily she could have just cut off limbs which could be survived. Perhaps.

The argument between Robbie and Rien earns a disgruntled noise from her. It was a distraction at least, and she makes her way to the bar to grab a drink for herself. "I think he means that, because he loves you, YOUR problems are HIS problems -- And not your fault. It's not like you did whatever this is to him intentionally, Rien." A glance is cast off toward where Robbie stalked only to sigh faintly. This was a mess.

The bottle she'd grabbed of she-knew-not-what is twisted open while looking back toward Rien listening to her listing issues she had. "Okay I am NOT freaking out over my birthday." That was at least true enough. "I'm actually looking for an apartment and stuff." The rest? She just shrugs a little. "Yeah well Clayface is a dick and deserves all the punching. As for growing up in a lab and being tortured most of my life, I think I turned out pretty okay. I just... Had a bad reminder of it recently was all."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    The door up on the balcony glows briefly and then opens, admitting Jonathan Sims and a dog. The dog is huge and shaggy, grey and cream coat mixed to make her look like an oddly-stirred cup of tea. Jon is wearing a sky-blue ankle-length skirt and a green shirt that matches the arm he summons up as he walks through the door, yawning.

    "Oh, Rien, Robbie, you're here. Good. Lady, heel." The command is given because the dog is growling deep in her chest, golden eyes swinging around the room as if she's sensing the tension. It makes Jon raise a brow, too, as he comes down the spiral stairs two at a time while Robbie is... walking off. Hmm.

    "...Everything okay?" They sort of hover at the base of the stairs, looking around at everyone. "Your auras are all..." He waves a hand in a circle. "Roiling. Well. Not..." A glance at Rien and then back to Gabby and Daniel, and Robbie's retreating back.

Daniel Ketch has posed:
Meanwhile the Ghost Rider has reached the bar, and his aura is flickering. Jon might be able to get a good look, or maybe not, as whatever the Rider was doing at the Velvet Room it is done. So, he just leaves, returning Daniel from the void where he puts him when he walks the physical world.

Since the transition is about as pleasant as setting yourself on fire, Daniel promptly falls to the ground with a muffled curse, and scrambles to his feet clumsily a few seconds later. "Here? What was -he- doing here?" As usual, the Spirit of Vengeance is not explaining anything to Daniel.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien watches as Robbie disappears out onto the balcony and shakes her head, "I know what he means. And I love him for saying it. But this -is- my fault. I was selfish, I wanted to stay where I had a father. I wanted to get away from the Clan that didn't care about me." She flicks a glance to Gabby, "Long before any of you were born. Or made. I set things into motion that everyone is having to deal with now."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she closes her eyes, then startles almost immediately, eyes flying open again. Shaking her head, she mutters, "I know Jon. My aura is barely there. There's less of me than ever. I don't have a lot of time left until.. something happens. I don't know what, but I can feel it. Looming." Rien looks towards him with a bleak smile, "So no, everything is not okay."

To Daniel, she offers, "He was in the library, reading."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney pauses holding a bottle of ... something. It was one of those card bottles but she hadn't bothered to actually look at what it was, or even what the card was. There was too much going on. The bottle had only been opened, not yet drunk from, when the Rider retreats from Daniel leaving him on the floor in pain.

Stepping forward she offers a hand out to him to help him to his feet, her mouth opening to explain what had happened--But Rien beats her there. At least she doesn't explain the rest of it. "He was questioning me on something," she adds. There was no reason not to be honest about things when she'd just been chiding others for keeping secrets.

Jon's arrival earns a tired, wan smile in his direction. "I killed someone last night during an op. Kind of raw over it," she explains matter-of-fact before she strides for Rien.

By god she was gonna hug that woman.

"YOU did not set it in motion, your mother did. Your clan did. YOU deserve every right to be around people who love and care for you because they sure as hell didn't," she blurts out as she leans in to strike for a one armed hug unless stopped.

"Problems are rarely solved by running to try and handle them alone."

Daniel Ketch has posed:
Daniel looks at Rien in mild disbelief. The Ghost Rider can read? Well, yes. Of course he can. But he prefers to run people over with his motorcycle. For vengeance. The idea he want to the Velvet Room to do some reading is weird.

Him coming to harass Gabby sounds much more beliable to Danny. "I am sorry. He shouldn't... why did you kill?" Daniel is just not cynical enough for this kind of talk. But since Gabby offered him a drink, he will take the bottle, while trying to follow the other conversation happening. Normal family drama? That is almost refreshing.

But not his business, so Daniel sneaks away (with the bottle) while the others are arguing.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs. "We don't know precisely what's going on here. I'm involved somehow too, remember? But Rien..." He hesitates, like he's trying to find the right words. "You're not alone, okay? And if you didn't... if you hadn't..."

    They swallow, and look at Rien /quite/ firmly. "This is the only universe Cael exists in. The /only/ one. You helped save her from Michael. So don't... don't go saying..." They pause, hands flexing at their side. "Just... I'm glad you're here. Okay? It's /good/ you're here. We'll deal with the fallout."

    He stalks over toward the bar, giant dog coming with him, and all but flops into a barstool, taking a moment so fiddle with the skirt. Sitting in skirts is different than trousers, and it's new. His gaze finally tracks to Gabby. "Killed someone? That's..." A pause. "Do you want to talk about it? I've got some time." His tone is softer. Worried.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    That's when the hallway starts to flicker and flash as opposed to the usual glow that happens when someone enters with magic. It sticks a bit until the one on the other side shoulders it and stumbles in. A woman with dark hair a large meat lover's pizza and about five sets keys atop it stumbles in. She looks around the room and those there. Down at the blue key in her hand next to hear apartment key she was trying to use to get home with. "Crap. I knew that key was trouble." Standing up as the door closes behind herself. "Uh. Hi?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I prevented myself from being born in this universe, Gabby. My choice to step through into this world, to stay... ensured that I would never be born here. I interrupted the cycle that was meant to happen. I fucked up this timeline enough that the TVA very nearly erased me from existence..." RIen sighs softly, "Maybe they should have." She lifts her glass, drains it, then stands from the piano.

Her eyes turn towards Jon, "Thanks, but we have no idea how much my existence here changed the fabric of this universe. How much might have been different had the Rien from this world been allowed to live. Now I have a mother and father, but neither of them actually remembers -me-. Logan does now, but for years he had no idea how I was claiming to be his kid. My mother... understands, logically, but there's no feeling there." She steps away from Nameless and murmurs, "These are -my- chickens coming home to roost Jon. You don't get to just take that away. Make it okay. It's not okay. It shouldn't be okay." Rien rubs at her eyes and moves for the door, "I'm so tired..."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
After taking a few minutes to clear his head and mindlessly stare at green, growing things, Robbie puts his cigarette out and moseys on back inside. He heads straight for the bar, and requests Igor give him 'something strong'. To which he receives a glass decanted from the Magician.

And.. yes, that is indeed strong. "Heard you killed someone," he offers to Gabby, pinching the bridge of his nose as the tequila burns a swath down his throat. Eyes on Rien throughout, and that little twitch in his jaw when she practically stumbles her way to the door. "C'mon, I'll take you home," he tells her, pushing the rest of his drink away. "Sorry," he mumbles to Gabby and Jon, "Guess I'll catch up with you both later." The younger woman's shoulder is given a squeeze as he passes, and the arrival of someone new -- with a pizza clearly not intended for them -- garners a pair of raised brows.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Is she all right? The question from Jon causes Gabby to glance his way with her mouth beginning to open... Nothing comes out though. There's just a momentarily stricken look flitting across her features as Rien speaks again and rises to leave looking so, so much worse than her. Her jaw shuts tight. "Here if you need me, Rien," she offers out.

Robbie's presence along with that simple statement earns a stiff droop of her shoulders. "Yeah," she begins only to falter again. There were more important things going on. The pat to her shoulder is met with a nod and an equal sentiment of, "Keep me in the loop."

The smell of pizza, the new person here, earns another stiff press of her lips as she forces a smile. A single deep breath is drawn to push down all those feelings she hadn't been able to express properly or deal with yet. "Hi! Welcome on in," she greets Mercy with a little wave. "Sorry for the chaos, we can explain. Right Jon?" A glance is cast toward him along with a strained smile. "I'm fine. It can wait."

Stepping toward the bar her gaze sweeps over the bar toward Igor there along with a quiet request of, "Something that works if only for a minute. Please."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Rien, that's not..." Jon stares at his friend, eyes very wide, blinking back tears. Not at her words, but at the way looking at her is like watching someone waste away right in front of his eyes. "I'm not trying to take anything away. I'm not. You have a responsibility to fix this. But gods damn it, that means you have to /be here/ to fix it. I just..." He shifts his jaw. "I refuse to be /upset/ that I met you. Okay? I just... refuse. Whatever the consequences of your actions. Maybe it's not okay, but I don't bloody /care/ if it's okay. You're my /friend/. And I don't..."

    He stops. Takes in a long breath, and lets it out. Shakes his head. "Look, let's just... let's... you need to rest. Okay? Umm, Cael and I are taking Agnes to England for a few days, and then we'll send her on to wherever you're stashing Gabe for the time being. So I'll be in touch, alright, Robbie?" A pause. "Take care of her." It's a request, more than an order, and one Jon knows he doesn't even need to voice to see it happen. Robbie's going to take care of Rien regardless.

    They sniffle, and turn away to dab at their eyes with a handkerchief they pull out of a skirt pocket. Yes, Jon is the kind of guy that carries handkerchiefs. "Whatever's going on, Gabby, I can talk. And I can explain..." They gesture toward Rien and Robbie as they leave. "People putting their shit aside because 'more important things are going on' is the exact bloody reason the world nearly got ended by angels six months ago. I'm not... I'm not losing any more friends to... that sort of thing. So feel free to vent."

    He puts the handkerchief away and gets down off the stool to go over to greet Mercy. He'd ping her magical senses like crazy--well, the whole place would, but Jon's not entirely human anymore, even aside from the summoned-up magical arm. He smiles to the woman, though, and says, "Ahh... you got a key, hmm? Well... welcome to the Velvet Room, I suppose. We're the Justice League Dark." Complete with declarations that maybe it'd be better had they not existed in this world and teary goodbyes.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Doing her best to balance the pizza, Mercy scoops the sets of car keys to stuff into a pocket before she drops them. Eyes going from person, to person, to ghost on a couch, to person in turn. She steps to the side a Rien looks to be heading for. When in a new place and unsure how to get OUT play nice right?
    "Pretty sure this isn't my home. Not unless I got a lot of new roommates that remolded faster then I could get a pizza." She looks at the single pie, "I need more pizza." She can tell she interrupted something and and if she could tell how to leave she may just back out of here until Gabby speaks to her. "I'm not trying to cause trouble," Mercy knows how to assume non-threatening body language.
    Mercy doesn't have really any ability to 'sense' magic per sae and she's relying on mostly scent, and what her eyes are telling her. Mind you that's far more then most get. "Sounds very much like a Vegas Ultra Lounge," she tells Jon. "I'm Mercy. This key was in my drop box." Not sure what all is going on, "so someone want a slice? I got some to have for tomorrow but I can share. I mean carbs and cheese often help my mood."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Problematic conversations aside, Gabby was still likely the least threatening person here. Or maybe the ghost of a six year old girl on the couch was. Either way, she looked like she was barely out of her teens--Or not out at all. Hard to be too threatening at that age, and height, which was still shorter than Mercy. The attention that was on the bartender shifts away with a sigh of, "Figured," as she swivels on the seat to face the newcomer.

"Yeah, you're in the astral plane. That key opens any door to come here." The explanation is made as she fishes her own blue key out of her pocket to dangle it on the little cat-facepalming keychain she had it on. "It works in any door but it'll bring you right back to where you used it in the physical world. Though we ARE physically here," she adds as the key is tucked back into her jean pocket.

"... Is that meat lovers? Oh man you are a LIFEsaver," she gushes before recalling her manners. "Oh, I'm Gabby, nice to meet you. That's Jon, and over on the couch is Hanako but she doesn't speak much English yet."

The little ghost girl hears her name and looks up to blink. The doll she was attached to does the same which is perhaps more eerie since it's just a doll shadowing the movements of the ghost there.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You're not causing trouble," Jon says to Mercy, tone even and calm. "It's, ahh... things are a little... hectic around here of late. But yes. I'm Jon. He/they. This is Lady Grey." He indicates the dog who's /much/ happier now that the Ghost Riders have disappeared. "If you got a key I'm presuming that means you're... meant to be part of our group. Which is... perhaps a mixed blessing. Do you fight supernatural creatures?" He raises a brow.

    A glance aside to Gabby, who's probably drinking Spirytus since that's what Igor would offer. He chews on his lip briefly, considering something. Then, softly, "I presume you're here and not in Gotham because you don't want to tell Red Robin?" About killing someone. Who'd /want/ to tell Red Robin about that?

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Love how some people will say stuff like that as if it is absolutely normal." Mercy smiles in spite of herself in reply to Gabby's explanation. The lid is lifted and she offers again, "Go for it." The ghost gets a friendly nod, "~You speak German,~" she'll ask the ghost in said language.
    "Since you all seem okay with a ghost, don't suppose you know anything about that one in Bludhaven the other day? Possessed a severed head to um... fly away?" If you can't talk about this stuff to this crowd, who can you tell it to?!
    "Fight? No I mostly try to stay out of their way. But you know, trouble finds you sometimes." She shakes her head, "No I mostly stay in New York. Gotham felt a bit more claustrophobic to me. But I got there or other places from time to time in my work." She nods to the box, "Slice he/they Jon?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney hadn't yet taken a drink of the drink Igor offered. It's merely held in the cup a moment staring at the concoction that may or may not actually make her tipsy for a few minutes until her healing factor kicks in. Jon's introduction of Lady does draw her attention back to the dog whom she'd not entirely overlooked, but hadn't really acknowledged. This at least earns a genuine smile from her and she reaches a hand out to wiggle her fingers in offer of tempting pets.

Jon's question quiet as it is draws her attention his way with a little smile. "Red Robin is dealing with Phoebe. We found and recovered her recently," she explains. "Alive, not quite well. I haven't seen him in over a week or more." Not since they DID get Phoebe back. She knew from Phoebe that he was very upset over the situation that his sister had put him in.

The offer of pizza has her slide off the stool to stride over and snag a slice with a grin. "Thanks. And yeah... I'm sorry. I'm usually a bit more 'with' it when it comes to stuff, but I'm ... I'm tired." She admits simply.

The doll/ghost on the couch just stares blankly. "She speaks Japanese," Gabby explains. "I got her off of EBay. Haunted doll auction. Apparently she was tied to that doll because they used her hair to make it. I figured she was lonely."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "In our defense," Jon notes with a smirk, "it /is/ entirely normal for us. I spend a good portion of my time on the Astral Plane, awake or asleep. But I live in New York the rest of the time." He ponders the pizza, then shrugs and takes a slice. "Thank you." A sigh. "As for a ghost in Bludhaven...? No. Is it something that needs looking into?" He frowns. "We should put up a board for things that might need taking care of. And maybe get together a hotline. And ads? Hmm."

    Lady, though she's eyed Mercy warily, is /very/ happy to get pets from Gabby. She snuffles at the hand and then licks it and butts her head at the fingers for pets. Jon said 'heel,' he didn't say 'no pets,' after all. And she's still a puppy.

    Jon takes a bite of the pizza and says to Gabby, "It's good to hear Phoebe's alive. I'll pass that on to Chas. I... had to step back from her, myself. The last time I saw her, I had a flashback to... mmm. Interactions with a demon. It wasn't pleasant. But... well... you can tell me what happened. I promise I won't judge. I... killed my first person, a couple of months ago, and it's still tearing me up. It's not an easy thing to handle."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Sadly Japanese is not one of my languages." She looks at the ghost pursing her lips and says, "Maybe she could pass on if you were to cremate her hair? Or see if she can write something?" Mercy shakes her head, "Sorry. Not my business. I do that, curiosity and all that." Giving Gabby an apologetic expression. "Don't worry about being with it. I rarely am."
    She will snag a slice of her own and take a hungry bite out of it. Chewing it down before talking to answer Jon, "It was really angry and seemed it might be heading the poltergeist route. Some big guy was carrying his head in a box. I was trying to figure things out when some boys showed up to say racial insults. There was gun fire, the head fell out of the bag. Ghost jump into the head and flew off. I don't have wings and really didn't want to get asked by the cops questions."
    Mercy doesn't reach for the dog. She owns a cat and also she tends to freak canines out and really isn't looking to stare down someone's pet. Hearing what the others are talking about, "sounds like you two get some of my luck at times." She stuffs another bite in her mouth. She's hungry and feeling a bit on edge with this whole 'astral plane' stuff.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"She went after the demon again the other day. Saw it," Gabby says simply to Jon as she sinks down to sit on the floor. Pizza is kept in one hand while the other reaches out to wrap around Lady giving the dog all the pets as she leans in against her. Gabby always had been a touchy feely one. Lately there'd been no outlet for that. The young dog was a welcome change of pace for the evening.

"It had so many faces."

The thought is shaken off to focus on Mercy again grinning apologetically. "Sorry. Don't know anything about that in Gotham. As for Hanako, my sister can speak Japanese so... And Jon can understand it even if he can't speak it. She's happier. I play cards with her sometimes, and give her food. Er. Kind of. I don't think she's ready to move on just yet."

The pizza is chomped into, and she chews until she's down to the crust. A shifty glance is shot back toward Jon before she sneakily nudges the pizza bone toward Lady.

"As for what happened to me. Uhm." Here she pauses, eyebrows furrowing. "I was in a fight. You know my sister-in-law, Inez? You might not. The guy we were fighting made duplicates of us all. Her, me, everyone there. Rather than fight our doubles we all just..."

The words trail off as she sinks her fingers into Lady's fur letting her face turn in against the dog's side. "Thought they were robot duplicates. They weren't. I killed her, and then watched my double get killed, too."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Don't blame you," Jon murmurs as Mercy says she didn't want to answer police questions. He considers for a moment, then says to the air, "Can I get both a large whiteboard, with dry erase markers in several colors, and a corkboard with pushpins on the wall next to the bar? And can we leave them there? I think we need a way to keep track of things people might want to look into."

    The items just... appear, and Jon gets up to go over and write down 'Poltergeist in Bludhaven?' on the board. Lady, in the meantime, eats the pizza crust and then puts her head in Gabby's lap, looking up at the mutant with big, soulful eyes. More pets? This dog is obviously just /starved/ for pets. (Uh huh. Sure. No dog has ever been pet, just like no cat has ever been fed.)

    Does he /want/ to ask about the demon? He frowns slightly, considering that, and then--at least for the moment--just says, "Inez is Wade's wife, right? We met once. I... gods, that's got to have been..." He drums his fingers on the marker, thoughtfully.

    "Normal therapy probably wouldn't work for you," he says slowly. "But I think, given Red Robin asked me to look after the mental health of the Outsiders..." He turns to look at Gabby. "I think I'm going to insist you talk to someone, at least once a week. It doesn't have to be me. You've met Chas a couple of times, and he's really very good at listening to this stuff. But... dealing with whatever shit Phoebe got into, /and/ killing some duplicate of a relative? And this business with fighting Clayface..." He sighs. "You're going through a lot, clearly. And your family's... going through their own shit. Something... something is /eating/ Rien, metaphysically." Deep breaths. Not the time to panic. "Anyway. Go on, tell me how you felt about it all? I'm listening."

    Aside to Mercy, "I don't know if it's 'our luck' so much as the natural consequence of working in the spaces we work. People summon demons, people see horrific things, people... get targeted by Old Ones." He sighs. "Are you at least willing to step up and defend the world from supernatural threats? Because that's what the Justice League Dark does."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy can tell the girl is hurting and stressed, hell she smelled it from across the room. But she doesn't know here and only somewhat follows what is being talked about. Until they get to that whole 'murder yourself' part. That she can understand. She'll pull out a second slice one with a fair bit of meat and hands it over. "I've had things try to mess with my head like that before. Don't beat yourself up for not just accepting death. Remember, death doesn't make you a murderer. There's a big difference between murder, and defending yourself or someone else."
    Look at her being all mature and insightful. Then watch it all disappear as Jon asks for something and it appears, "Can I get next months rent in unmarked nonsequential $20s?" Looking up in the same area Jon did. Naturally it isn't going to just appear. "Ghost, not a poltergeist yet, Jon. My experiences the former is tied to a place. This was definitely tied to his body and they died violently and recently. Could be the guy just wants his body whole." Though that's a disturbing thought on its own.
    She considers the question posed to her carefully. "I'm not a fighter. That's just not me, and not really sure how much I can help. That said I'm happy to lend some help here and there when I can. I don't like ignoring those in need of help. Some of us were born into this world more then others." She keeps vague where she falls in that line.
    Mercy has a large pizza meat lovers that she has shared with Gabby and Jon some as they talk. She herself is dressed casually enough, and her clothes are clean. She snags another slice of pizza to chew saying before she does, "pretty sure I'm useless against a demon."

Cael Becker has posed:
    The door at the top of the stair glows blue, and then it opens - revealing a blonde haired woman in a leather jacket over jeans, and a simple graphic t-shirt featuring a starling with the caption 'I'm a goddamned delight.' A silver chain disappears beneath her shirt. Her blonde hair is dyed - or at least, the lower few layers are, in bright, rainbow hues that show through her natural blonde locks when she moves. Cael also has a trio of tattoos - a line of flames running across the back of each of her hands, rising up from her knuckles and licking towards her wrists, and a wrench that's been broken in two on her neck. And a large white dog padding at her side, easily a hundred pounds in weight, while she mutters quietly under her breath. Was that something about 'Gods' and- well, some of that language shouldn't be repeated around children.
    Good thing Gabby didn't really count.
    "Oh, Jon, hey. Gabby. And- uhh... someone. Oh, we've got pizza!" She makes her way down the stairs to join the others - only pausing long enough to give Jon a brief kiss before she claims a slice.
    "Zaya says hi."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Hurt. Sick to my stomach. And unable to do anything about it," Is Gabby's reply to 'how did it make her feel.' Sure the others knew she'd killed someone but she hadn't even had a chance to explain the doppleganger situation that made it even more twisted than simply killing someone during a fight. Maybe she would be taking it easier if not for that. Maybe if they hadn't been clones--like her--she wouldn't be feeling such anguish about the situation.

Reaching up for the extra slice of pizza she takes it with a grateful nod. At least comfort food was something that could help fill that cold pit in her stomach for a bit. That, and the dog on her lap who she was quite content to pet with her free hand while ensuring none of the toppings fall on Lady.

"Thanks. I know it was probably necessary. I've been in a ton of fights before. I've seen people die before. I've just never been the one to do it." Even if she had rationalized leaving people in exploding buildings or cutting off limbs before. She could rationalize that. They COULD live. She wasn't the direct source, she didn't look them in the eyes...

The thought is torn from her head when the door opens again revealing Cael in a t-shirt that she could appreciate. From her spot sitting on the floor, with Lady's head in her lap, she glances up to offer her a smile. Were her eyes a little redder? Talking of it was making her heart race and eyes start to flood with tears.

"Hey, Cael."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods to Mercy, erases 'Poltergeist' on the board and replaces it with 'Ghost.' "Knowledge is good. Knowledge is power. I say 'fight,' but directly fighting is usually last resort. 'Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting,' after all." He really does like that quote. "Which is to say... if we can protect people and deal with a supernatural threat without having to /fight/ anything? All the better. So someone who knows about, say, ghosts and spirits and knows how to help them instead of battle them... well... that's useful."

    Then he walks over to crouch down next to Gabby for a moment. He hesitates and then leans in to wrap an arm around her and give her a squeeze, a brief side hug, but more than he's given most people recently. "Sounds about right," he murmurs. "Even if you had no other choice but dying... it doesn't make it easier, the first time. Hopefully not any time." A smile. "But I mean it. If Red Robin's busy then I'm pulling rank as unofficial mental health officer. And Justice League Dark leader. I'm going to make sure you're talking to /someone/ regularly, okay?" He doesn't say that it's partly because he's afraid, now, that maybe whatever's coming after Rien and Robbie will go after Gabby, too. Let's not scare everyone, hmm?

    He sighs, squeezes Gabby one last time, then gets up to accept the kiss from Cael. "Hey, love," he murmurs. "Zaya's back? That's good, it's been a while. Evidently they found Phoebe alive, but she'd gone after that bloody demon. And Gabby's... going through some things. And Mercy here got a Velvet Room key, probably from Igor or something." He nods to her. "And Rien's... not well. At all. Hopefully I can get her back 'round to talk to Chas before we head to England."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    It's the smell of silver that draws Mercy's attention before the registering of a door opening. Eyes flick up and she looks at the newest arrival. The scent of the woman reaches the mechanic just as she's admiring the woman's ink. She is forcing her shoulders to stay square and head up but not challenging as the woman walks up and grabs a slice of her pizza.
    "This place is getting thick with canines," comments Mercy as her eyes maybe linger on the new girl some. "My name is Mercy," she offers. The pizza has maybe a slice or two left. No left overs for Mercy but she wrote that off as a lost cause earlier. She may not challenge Cael but will give that big dog a bit of a glare down if he gets too interested in sniffing around her. "Nice ink by the way." Mercy herself is not lacking in some body art to say the least.
    "You're really close to a PSA with talk like that Jon. That and in need of a rainbow tailed star." Mercy has polished off her second slice but won't reach for a third right now, instead licking her fingers clean and pulling a well used soft cloth from a back pocket to wipe it up. "I know just enough to get my butt into trouble bigger then me." She adds to Jon's report about here, "almost positive it was about that ghost business." The whiteboard Jon was writing on helping to fill in some more details.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "The more you know," Cael sings helpfully - a rare occurance in and of itself. Her gaze locks uncertainly onto Mercy as she comments on the place being 'thick' with canines - her free hand dropping down to rest on Bear's shoulder. "I only see the two," she remarks a bit cautiously. Bear, for his part, leans in close to Cael, his attention shifting towards Mercy for a moment, before lifting his head up towards his owner for more pets.
    "Hey Gabby," she adds having appearantly overheard some of what was being said. "I can lend an ear too - if you need. Yeah? I mean, I don't have the chops Jon earned, but..." Sometimes all it takes is a friendly ear.
    "Welcome, Mercy. I am - as Gabby mentioned - Cael. And your ink's not bad, either." Mercy may have seen Cael before - on the news, fighting angels alongside Jon.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney is a little surprised at first when Jon leans down to offer her the hug as small as it might be. The hand that had been petting Lady reaches up to rest lightly on his shoulder in turn accepting the hug without complaint. She did need that. Even more than she thought she did.

"Thanks. I will. I'll talk with Wade, too, and Inez. Maybe Neena." She might understand. She was certainly apologetic about having to shank HER double.

With a little grin she glances over to Cael at the sing-songed PSA notice. More imporatntly though the mention of canines has her look blankly at Mercy a moment. Then her head tips back as she sniffs deeply smelling the air.

And her face scrunches with a look of complete confusion glancing from Mercy over to Cael with her head tipping to the side. "That... You smell really different, Cael. And you..." She looks back to Mercy a bit confused as well before she just sighs and reaches up to rub her nose. "Nevermind. I'm not used to this yet."

"I'll talk to Chas or someone," she assures Jon with a slow nod. "Normally I'd go to Rien but. Or even Logan. He's not great with emotions though."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon flushes at the commentary about PSAs and Cael /singing/, his cheeks and the tips of his ears going darker than usual. "I... I didn't... does it really sound like a PSA? I meant to be... informative. Maybe a bit inspiring. Do I really sound like that?" This is said almost plaintively to Cael, as the attempt to be 'leadery' slips a bit.

    He clears his throat, flushes even darker, and hunches his shoulders. "Ahem. Well. Ahh. Yes. Cael is... yes. Cael, do you want to explain that? I will. Ahh. Umm. Yes. Rien's... not in a great place. And also not, you know, trained in this sort of thing, and it's literally the job Red Robin asked me to do, so." He pulls out his phone and starts thumbing through it, making notes.

    "Oh, Mercy, can I Venmo you for the pizza? I... well. You showed up and fed people, rather generous of you."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy can't help but grin at Cael, "Well two is still a third of the living in the room right now. Or do we need a greater then half the room before I can say 'thick' as a descriptor." Mercy mentally kicks herself. She's a guest effectively but sometimes she can't stop snarking or making comments. "Thanks." She looks at her arms, "I thought of getting more, but they have to do more then just look good for me. Right now my favorite is covered up," tugging at her top to indicate it's under her onw shirt.
    The comments on scent from Gabby earn a small smile, "Train that nose up if you got it. I work in a garage so harder to get at until you know what to look for." She taps her nose and says, "maybe I can give you some tips sometime." She motions to the girl on the floor. "Go on, you can say what you noticed about my scent. I won't get upset." She can't change who she is. Besides for all she knows that magic door has an ID rune for new comers.
    "You guys can keep the last bits of pizza if you like. Just point me the way out and I'll see you all later I guess. Though not sure how often I'll come back here." Mercy will put the rag back into her back pocket after folding it up carefully. She smiles at Jon's reaction, "PSAs are kind of meant to be informative and sometimes inspiring. You do realize it right?" She waves off the need to explain. "If she wants to tell me anything she can. I may or may not already know." She shakes her head, "I don't have a Venmo. It was a pizza and it was a good week, someone came in needing a new tranny. If we meet up again it can be on you or someone else." Life has too much going on to stress over a few pizza slices.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Mine all have meaning," Cael remarks. "Meanings... rather steeped in trauma, if I'm being honest, but- I don't know. They help." She lifts her hand from Bear, to brush her thumb over the wrench for a moment, her gaze going sad, and solemn. That expression quickly changes, however, to something more closed, and guarded, at Gabby's comment - followed by Jon's slip.
    "I am - at the moment - a were jackal," she states flatly, since there seems little point in hiding it at this point. "Jon and Lydia have been researching it to see if they can find a way to cure it. And Jon-"
    She turns her gaze on him, her expression still a little forboding - but it abruptly morphs into a smile. "The PSAs are endearing. To me, anyways. I wouldn't worry about it. Besides... mental health's important. If you're gonna have a soap box..."
    Her head nods to the door at the top of the stairs as she adds, "Put the key in it. It'll take him back where you started from. Thanks for the pizza."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney holds up her hands when Cael looks her way at that only to add, "I wasn't gonna say it," she assures. It's Mercy's own remark that has her look back toward the woman thoughtfully. "You don't smell human either, but I can't quite place it. It's similar, but different, than Cael right now. And yeah, I do have the senses," she adds with a little grin. After years of denying having them--Because she didn't--It was amusing that she now had developed them. "Only for a couple months now so it's still very new to me. Still not good enough to outright identify things by smell. Unless it's familiar," she reasons while she shifts to push up to her feet.

"Thanks for the talk, Jon, and the distractions. And pizza," She adds with a tired but genuine smile. "I'm going to go...." The words trail off. There was no 'home' she was realizing lately. Just places she slept and stored stuff. A little sigh comes.

"Gotham. I'll be in Gotham."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks up at Mercy at 'I don't have a Venmo,' flushing again. "Ahh. Well. Thank you. We'll see you around, I hope." He rubs at the back of his neck, mouth quirking up to one side. "Good to meet you." He does sound like he sincerely means that.

    "I'm going to check in with you," he says to Gabby. "So no hiding. Got that?" He smirks, faintly. Not that he thinks Gabby is the type to hide from getting help, but he's dealt with so many people who /are/ of late...

    He leans in to wrap an arm around Cael and briefly buries his face in her hair. "Really need to go home," he murmurs. "Just... just to /see/ it. You know? I love America, but gods I /ache/ for home, now that I can go back safely."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Thanks Cael. If you do find an answer let me know. It be good to remember for others. That said if you want some help with this whole 'now I have fur' life situation. I can maybe help with that too." She nods to the pizza box, "There's a slice or two left. Help yourself." She feels a touch guilty, about outing the girl obviously, and a bit satisfied. Maybe more satisfied.
    She waits for Gabby to say her piece and curious to see how she does with it. "I'm not human, least not like most humans. Still consider myself part of humanity and all that though." She motions to herself and says, "I'm a Walker. Big dub ya." She says a bit firmly, "NOT a Skinwalker. That's a screw up people who don't understand stuff came up with. Mostly white people way back in the day." Every story she knows of 'real' skinwalkers has them as evil spreaders of disease and death. She watches Gabby going and that urge to pick up strays tugs at her heart. "Look me up in New York if you want lessons Gabby."
    You can't force people to take help in her experience. "Looks like the party is breaking up. I'm sure we'll meet again or something." She pulls out that blue key. "Let's see if this works."
    Mercy will jog up and try to pass Gabby, "hang on and make sure I don't screw it up?" Best to get an experienced person to help. Mercy will slip the key and turn it. The key catches a bit, the glow trying to start. It may remind some of a car not starting smoothly. Then she gives it a more firm tug and the light will glow as normal and the door opens. "Smells like home," she'll get ready to step through. One last wave to them all on her way out.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...yeah," Cael answers Mercy quietly. "Maybe we'll do that." Maybe that would be good. She lets out a heavy sigh, and nods to Gabby, before wrapping one arm around Jon, pulling them close.
    "Then what's to stop us from going right now, love?" she murmurs, trying to steer him towards the door. "I'd say we could get fish 'n chips, but-" she takes a bite of the pizza she still holds in her hand, as she guides Jon towards the stairs - a pair of large dogs at their heels.