11957/Completing a Triangle

Completing a Triangle
Date of Scene:	10 July 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Library
Synopsis:	Chas agrees to join the leadership of the JLD, completing the triad!
Cast of Characters:	Rien D'Arqueness, Jonathan Sims, Chas Chandler

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Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
With identity crises flying around like mosquitoes in a swamp, the need for a third leader in the JLD has grown larger. They can't put it off any longer, and the most likely candidate has been chosen... now they just have to convince him to take the job.

Rien and Jon have asked Chas to the library at the Velvet Room, a place of comfort, quiet, and study. And in this case, quiet discussion. Rien's liberated some drinks from the Sitting Room to bring along into the library, imagining up a small setting that's almost more like the large corner booth at a nice pub. Some of that art deco lighting is providing soft illumination that really draws out the warmth of the wood and leather. There may also be an ale or two that was smuggled in from the real world. A dark stout, a hops and head, and a red ale that's a bit on the dry side but has an excellent flavor.

Seated in the booth, she's just conjured up an ash tray and is setting her cigarettes on the table.

"There was this pub once, in Germany. No, it was in Austria. I used to love it there. They had old books on built-in shelves lining the walls, even above the booths. The walls were nothing but books. There were tables, booths, quiet places where you could settle in with a good book and a pint. And a few larger corner booths where groups could gather to discuss literature or current events, so long as they did it quietly. Great place. Went under in.. '95? '96? I miss that place some time. But this library reminds me of it."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I don't suppose you could just ask for whatever book you might need," Jon says with a smirk. He's still wearing that sky-blue skirt and green shirt as he comes into the library and settles in a chair. "That's the thing I like best about this library. Being able to just... find pretty much any book I might want, and more that I didn't even know existed."

    They pull out their own pack of cigarettes and light one up, then reach for a glass. "This time tomorrow I'll be in England, which will be nice. I haven't managed to go home aside from from grandmother's funeral and the occassional hop back over for... over a decade? Even if New York feels like home now, well, I still do miss Oxford."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Well that makes one person..." Chas says wryly as he enters the library with a small grin on his face. He's dressed in a slate grey polo with a sheen on it that makes it shimmer a bit and rugged boot cut jeans over his rugged work boots. He takes in the art deco style and shrugs. "Could be worse... a lot of people don't like art deco... I'm not one of those people. Not my favorite, but it's not terrible either."

    He settles into the booth and folds his hands together before him. "So... business, right?" he asks, looking between the leaders of the JLD. "I know there's a lot going on" he eyes a moment Rien and inhales slightly. For most people it wouldn't be perceptable, but for someone who rarely breathes it's significant. If he gets a whiff of anything he doesn't give expression to it.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Giving a rusty sort of chuckle, Rien shakes her head, "Afraid not. That wasn't a magical library. But then... this one doesn't have that wonderful smell of old books and hops and candle wax either." She settles in with that dry red ale and glances at the art deco with a shrug, "It's a bit gaudy and ostentatious for my tastes, but whoever created this place certainly had some very specific tastes. Strange ones."

Rien's no stranger to 'sniffing out' problems, giving Chas a sidelong glance, "Trying to smell the lingering Old Ones funk? Lovely perfume, don't you think? Like rotten meat mixed with oil, ash, and that particular metallic tang that comes from the Nullspace. And all of it woven together with pure Evil." Lifting her mug, she takes a hefty swallow, then nods.

"So. Business. Jon's goin on a much-needed vacation. I'm slowly being eaten alive from the aura inward with no idea of how to fix it. That's leaving the JLD in a pretty bad spot. Especially since Robbie's now been infected by this interdimensional fuckery, too. And a Ghost Rider out of control is the last thing anyone wants or needs." She reaches for her own cigarettes, lighting up and drawing deep on the smoke, "We need a third. We'd been trying to give people a chance to step up but... you've already stepped into the role, just out of habit." She quirks a faint smile, "You're probably the most capable of us at this point, and one of the few people that Jon and I can both say we could trust implicitly."

Rien turns her gaze to Jon, "I don't think I'm wrong in that statement."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I... rather like art deco," Jon murmurs, flushing a bit and clearing his throat. "It's flashy, sure, but... I like flashy." He eyes Chas. "And /you/ don't get to comment regarding Oxford. You're from /Liverpool/." He says this as if it settles the entire matter, and looks to Rien, nodding along as she speaks.

    "My first thought for somewhere to send Agnes during all of this was to Chas," he notes, and shrugs. "I've known him longer than anyone else here, and aside from the bit where he wouldn't take my calls... he's always been there for me. And he had good reason for that."

    He looks to Chas. "And you said you're... willing, right? Willing, able, maybe even kind of /need/ to step up?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas blushes a little under Rien's jabs about him smelling the -thing- on her. "Sorry..." he mutters a bit embarrassed. But he listens to her words and Jon's acceptance and agreement. "I don't know that I could do well by your little girl, but I would try..." he says softly. "As if she were my own." Because without Renee in the way, and Constantine in the way, he might actually be a good father.

    At Jon's mention of his own words he nods slowly. "I did. And do. It's part of who I am and one I've been... neglecting. Dominions... what I am now... are meant to lead. Maybe the JLD isn't a battalion of the Hosts... but I'm not a mindless automaton either so..." He shrugs. "After my waltz through Hell for a few weeks--yes, I had to go to Hell, literally, for a couple weeks. Or at least a couple weeks for me a day or two you you all--I realized that leading people is something I'm just prone to doing now. Go figure."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien nudges at Chas' arm lightly and smiles, tapping her nose, "Don't be sorry. A good nose is a good thing to have. It's saved me more than once. I'm just.. not happy about the smell of it. It certainly doesn't add to my current 'sunny disoposition'." There's a wry twist of a smile there as she flicks the ash from her cigarette into the tray. Looking to Jon, she shakes her head, "I'm not trying to deny you your likes. I just prefer something a little more... subtle. Understated?" She lifts a shrug, "I've gotten a little bougie."

Then she's letting out a breath, "I wouldn't mind sending Gabe to Chas either, but we'd have to convince Robbie. His Rider is -not- going to be happy about an angel," she glances to Chas, "any angel, having his brother. But I think I can get him to agree. And that would let Logan off the hook." Turning back to Chas, she stares hard at him, "Gabe is a wholly normal 19 year old guy who happens to be in a wheelchair. He's absolutely capable of doing most things for himself and will ask when he needs help. He's.. been getting something of a crash course in... all things supernatural and magic and craziness. So some normal would be -really- good for him. Video games, movies, board games, that sort of thing. Would that be an issue?"

Reaching for her ale, she takes another drink, then gives a nod towards Jon, then again towards Chas, "I could tell. That's not a bad quality, and frankly, it's one we need. So... yeah, absolutely. I'm on board with you as our third leader." She flshes a brief grin that's ALMOST like her usual self, "You realize this makes all three leaders of the JLD immortals, right?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon snorts. "Agnes thinks /magic/ is normal. Video games and movies and board games... she hadn't done /any/ of that before she moved in with us. But she'll certainly talk someone's ear off about the difference between Western Occult practices and ancient Kemetic magic."

    Then a chuckle, and a shrug. "Does it matter that much? Really? I mean... would it be good to have a mortal in leadership? Sure. But we don't have /that/ many true mortals, and those who are, they're either too busy to lead the JLD, or not a good choice--at least not right now."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shakes his head. "I've got a place that I call home. It's a little out of use--since I've been staying with Asa--but I could house a couple kids there for a time" he replies. "Or well... a young man and a girl. And it'll be quiet and safe, which is the most important things. I'm more a card man myself, but I like games both of the board and video variety."

    At the mention of all three being immortals. "It ensures consistent guidelines across the board with regulations and rules. Consistency is good--when it come to group cohesion." He rubs the back of his neck a little and offers a half-shrug. "As long as we listen to the membership if our policies become too Byzantine I don't think it's a bad thing at all."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Well then, they'll have a lot to teach each other then, won't they? Agnes can help him to better understand magic and its various uses... and he can introduce her to a whole world of pop culture and normalcy." Rien seems pleased with this potential arrangement and gives a nod to them both, "I'll talk to Robbie about it. He was right, we do need to get them somewhere safe and out of the way. And realistically, there's not many things that are going to try to fuck with an angel. So.. I think I can talk him around to it." She looks to Chas, "You'll have to meet him, Gabe I mean. Separately from us just... bringing him over to your place. We need to make sure he's going to be comfortable with you."

Then back around to the JLD, she offers than wan smile, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, more that I'm amused by it. But I agree that so long as we don't close ourselves off to the others in the group, that we listen to them and one another, and keep outselves open to changing rules and refulations.. it's actually probably a good thing to have that stability in leadership."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I'm taking her to England first. I... we need to..." Jon rubs at his face. "I need this. I just..." He sighs, and shakes his head. "I can't quite... explain it? I suppose if I had active Old One residue on me it'd be different, but..." They shrug. "But after that, well, she's needed to meet Chas anyway. I met his daughter, after all." A smile.

    They take a long drink and then say, "I'm worried, though, about... I know you think this is all on you, Rien," they hold up a hand, "and I'm not concerned with blame or lack thereof, just now. But that statement I took, it... however it /started/, they're coming after the Justice League Dark, generally. That... that's the sense I got. I don't know if we should... mmm... I tried to warn the others, but I don't know if anyone listens."

    He blinks. "Oh! But, Chas, we... need some angelic help, I think. With the apartment, right?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas frowns as he listens. "Wait... you... hold on, angelic help..." He shakes his head. "Okay," he mutters, mostly to himself, "first day on the job and you're getting an order for a Commonwealth, sure." He takes a breath and lets it out slow. A nervous gesture but an important one.

    He pinches the bridge of his nose for a moment and holds out a hand to forestall any interruption. "Okay, first question," he looks between then, "what do you need?" Second question," he fixes his eyes on Jon, "what -statement- did you take?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I'm not saying don't take your holiday. Gods know you've earned one. I'm just saying... for Gabe, it would be a matter of talk to Robbie first, then to Gabe, then have Gabe meet Chas. All goes well? Then we can move forward on his end. I will never, ever, tell you how to handle things with your daughter," Rien smiles faintly, then glances to Chas, "You have a daughter?"

When the subject turns, even that faint smile flees her face and she looks down, nodding. "I know they are, but that isn't going to remove the guilt of having... brought the JLD to it's attention." She lifts a shrug, then clears her throat, "I doubt many will. Everyone wants to believe they're untouchable. That nothing can get to them." She rubs at her eyes.

Looking to Chas, she chuckles dryly, "Okay. So. I started out by having this sort of... waking dream. The last lucid moment I remember I was brushing my hair in the bathroom, looking in the mirror. The next I'm in.. nothing. It's just this blank, dark area, dim illumination coming from nowhere specific, fog on the ground... and me. Only.. it's not me. It's a warped, fucked up version of me. And it's trying to get me to agree that I'm nothing and I should let go, let go of the people I care about, the responsibilities I've taken on.. and just.. be nothing." She draws in a shuddering breath and reaches for her cigarette, sucking on it like a lifeline for a moment. "Anyways, when I woke from the nightmare, I'd shattered the mirror, scared the shit out of Gabe, and Robbie. That's what Elizabeth was talking about when she mentioned my being a gateway. Because a... door, for lack of a better term, opened in the apartment. Where the mirror was. And this thing.. got to Robbie. And he dreamed some nasty shit and, well, lit the apartment on fire. We got everyone out and I contained the fire to just the apartment but then we had Jon and Cael and Lydia come to help investigate it. And we... saw it. A small part of it. So we want to ward the fuck out of the apartment so it can't get loose into the city. And we thought maybe having some angelic blessings around it wouldn't hurt to help keep it contained."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon licks his lips and says, softly, "I took its statement. I... I couldn't help it. I tried not to, but..." He swallows. "It's Old Ones. Nullspace entities. The same kind of thing that was siphoning souls, that caused the problem that was broken in the universe in the first place."

    A glance at Rien. "The problem /I/ fixed. I think that's why I'm the key. I think it's... related to that, somehow. It's the thing that makes the most sense. I took away their flow of souls. They... must be pretty pissed at me, you know?"

    He sighs, and looks down at the table. "But if we can keep it contained? Keep it to just us? If we can keep this from getting out and hurting some... random civilian? That's... probably a good thing."

    Then they blink rapidly. "Oh, fuck. We need to warn Hope, and Caitlin."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Hope's going to laugh at you the moment you tell her something's coming for her" Chas replies flatly looking at Jon. "You know it. I know it. Caitlin... she might listen," he shrugs and then turns to Rien. "As for the apartment. I can probably ward it. I'm familiar with wards, seen enough of them performed. Funnelling what I do into them will be... new, but I'm not against it and if anything will hold them back it's..." he gestures to himself.

    "These..." he swallows, "-things-." The glaring names of the Imprisoned run through his mind, a litany of all the dead gods, and forbidden demons, and entities with no true name and no true purpose run through his mind. A catelogue of hate and despair that he fights to keep contained. "They're strong, but not invincible. They like to play dirty, but if you can catch them in their own game... you can beat them. Or if you have one of the very things they're against on your side."

    He frowns. "It went from you," he gestures to Rien, "to Robbie. Jon took its statement. Did it tocuh Lydia or Cael? And..." he lets out a breath. "I hate having to ask this..." and focuses on Jon, "did you get a name?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien looks back to Jon and gives a nod to acquiesce to his statement that he might have pissed them off." She doesn't say anything, but the internal litany is still there in her stare as she looks down at the table. Her fingers drum lightly on the tabletop as she lets out a breath. "If Hope wants to act like she's invincible, that's on her. She's only the 'Mutant Messiah' in her own universe. Here, she's just another mutant with a fucked up childhood."

Looking up to Chas, she shakes her head, "It didn't touch them, exactly. Lydia was right there when it made it's appearance, threw up a shield to keep it in the bathroom. Cael wasn't touched. But it -saw- everyone. It spoke. They heard it." She looks back down to the table with a frown, "Gabby was asking about it today." Her eyes lift to Jon, "What did you tell her about it?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks at Rien. "Mutant Messiah? Lady Death?" A pause. "I mean, I /do/ imagine she'll laugh at the concept of being /worried/ about the Old Ones, I just... y'know, seems proper and neighborly to warn her. Given she helped with Michael and all."

    Then he sighs. "I... didn't, really. There was too much else... a woman named Mercy showed up, seemed she'd gotten a key on her own. Cael came by. Gabby was talking about..." He swallows. "She killed someone, the other day. And watched a dulplicate of herself die. She's in a bad place, and Red Robin's too bloody busy helping Phoebe dealing with the consequences of her own mistakes to notice."

    He rubs at his face. "I'm supposed to be helping the mental health of the Outsiders. So I'm going to rather insist she /talk/ to people. I'll give her your number, Chas." A pause. "Oh, and Phoebe's alive. Not well, evidently. But she hasn't bothered reaching out, so..." A shrug.

    "As for names? The One Alone, I Do Not Know You... and something else, that I stopped myself from getting. Maybe that was a bad idea, but I just... this wasn't a /normal/ statement. It felt... different. It felt..." He hesitates, then shakes his head. "It felt like something else was using my voice. I've... only felt that once before, and that information is locked in the Archive and ought to be removed."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas frowns at Rien and shakes his head. "I think you're thinking of a different Hope. Hope is--was--Lady Death's name, when she was human. She's not a mutant at all. She's a psychopomp and the avatar of True Death from what I gather if that Scythe is any indicator" he shrugs. "But... anyway..."

    He turns to Jon and contemplates what he's said. "That's fine with Gabby." He pointedly ignores the information about Phoebe. Ignoring the spiteful part of him that wants to innocently ask 'Who is Phoebe'. He's not immune to dark thoughts. When you offer a helping hand and the offered slaps it away... Well, one can be forgive for thinking dark thoughts. "I can help her if she wants my help."

    The rest garners a frown and he thinks. He frowns more when those names don't come up with anything in the folds of his mind. As a Dominion, he has a record of who the enemy is and the names it can go by in a variety of languages. He opens his mouth and -sounds- come out. Chiming and bell-like with an emotional resonance over them that lingers and tingles along the spine of those who are not of the Silver City. Enochian. True Enochian. He scowls further after that. "That's... unusual. And you're -sure- they're Old Ones?" he asks Jon and Rien. "Completely certain?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Looking to Jon, Rien blinks, frowns, then nods, "Right. Right.. different Hope. Sorry. It's been... well, you know what it's been." She lets out a heavy breath and rubs at her eyes with thumb and forefinger before blinking them back open. Nodding, she offers, "It's alright. Again, this just highlights why we need a third person. There's too much going on for just us."

She frowns over the news about Gabby but gives a nod, "I'll talk to her soon. She's family, so I'll make sure she gets some help there." Leaning back, Rien looks towards Chas and gives a tired nod, "Very certain. That smell. What we've seen. What we've experienced. This -reeks- of Old Ones. I can understand why they would be delighted to find me. I'm a perfect gateway for all sorts of things. I lack a True Name, I'm from another time and place, so I'm an outsider in many respects, as alien to this world, but also part of it."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I maintain that doesn't make you any less--you can belong here even if you weren't born here. You're just an immigrant from... really, /really/ far away." Jon's expression is concerned, but he glances to Chas as he moves on from that.

    "That's... disconcerting, do you know that? As for the names--statements that touch on Nullspace are... they /hurt/, in a way I can't quite describe. And they usually drive me a bit mental. Maybe the Archive just... refused to grab the real names. Or maybe something's obfuscating. But it felt like that, it felt like..." A gesture at Rien. "Old Ones."

    A beat. Then he sits forward a bit. "I mean, think about it. We know names of Old Gods. We know some of their attributes. If it's one we've heard of, one we know--then maybe it's trying to hide itself. Maybe to keep us from figuring out how to defeat it."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas purses his lips in thought. "It's not that disconcerting" he says in response to Jon. "No more than any of the other things I can do."

    He taps his chin with the knuckles of his right hand. "Possibly... even so, angels... specifically Dominons and above know all the names of the Old Ones. We can't speak them... their names don't translate to angellic language. So these monickers could be pseudonyms... but could that override the process of a statement?" he asks, arching a brow at Jon.

    He glances at Rien. "Might want to look into getting one if you don't have one. Not having a Name is dangerous... and for all the benefits it affords you. Present situation shows just how many detriments it has in kind."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Jon, I deeply appreciate what you're saying, what you mean... but this isn't a matter of what I -feel-, this is simply a statement of fact. I'm out of place enough here that the TVA is keeping tabs on me to ensure that I don't damage this timeline. I had to avoid my father for forty years before they deemed that little enough had changed with my presence here that I could interact with him. Forty years. Just to be able to be around my father." Rien lifts a shrug and offers a small shrug of her shoulders. "I'm not planning to leave, but I'm going to have to look at taking larger steps to cementing my place in this timeline."

Shifting her attention back to Chas, she quirks a faint smile, "It's not that simple, Chas. I don't even have a name-name, a True Name is... I couldn't even begin to try to seek one right now, I can barely keep myself together and upright and sane." Reaching for her cigarettes, she lights up a new one, drawing on it, "Most people are named at birth. Hard to have an identity when you were named 'nothing' at birth. That has been my identity, for over a century."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "It's the sound. It's..." Jon pauses. "Cael's not the only one with PTSD about angels, okay? I just... well, I've had PTSD since I was eight or so. I figured out how to handle it and function a long time ago."

    Then he hesitates, and says, "I don't know how you can possibly not have a /True/ Name, that's... /everything/ has a True Name, right? Even the Old Ones, even if angels can't speak those words. That's not about your parents naming you, not entirely. That's... Enochian. That's your... place marker in the source code of the universe, sort of, as far as I understand what's going on at the deepest levels." They look a little shaken at the idea that something could... not have a /Name/. "Maybe you just need to find /that/? Or... we can help. And if you /don't/ have one... then we get you one."

    A smirk. "We'll get you through the universe immigration process, hmm? One way or another. That's all I mean. We'll figure this out."

    He takes a drag on his cigarette. "As for overriding a statement? Potentially. I... don't entirely understand..." He frowns. "Some of the way the Archive's put together doesn't... entirely make sense. Gran was actually trying to figure it out, when she died. Statements that touch on Old Ones and angels almost /hurt/... but that's precisely what we're meant to /judge/. Why do we have dreams of the statements? Why do we /crave/ them the way we do? I mean, Rien doesn't /crave/ demon-hunting, and she was /created/ for that." He shakes his head. "Something /weird/ is going on, and I'm starting to think that Gran was killed because she was getting too close to something, because I got pretty deep into Jonah Magnus' mind and saw /no/ hint he killed her."

    He sighs, and rubs at his face. "Sorry. That's not important right now. Point is--yeah, I'd bet they could. It hurt, maybe it was the substitution that hurt. Or maybe it was a protection. I don't know."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shakes his head in dismay at Rien's situation. "Possible... just one more thing on the pile I suppose." He lets out another sigh; more a gesture than a need, but that is often its use, to be honest. "What is important is that the JLD is back to three leaders and we can be fairly certain that I am all but immune to these invasions. Being what I am is anathema to them, if it -is- from the Old Gods."

    He looks to Rien and frowns. "My first bit of advice... find a way to sleep. I don't care if it's magically assisted or what. Healing factor or no, you're going to destroy yourself not sleeping. You're immortal sure, but you're still made of the same stuff as humans... blood flows through you. And that stuff still needs a moment to rest and reset." He looks to Jon. "See what the Archive has on these things if you can. Not what you looked into at their place. Things before that, less recent. Less raw. We're going to need information if we're going to fight them. Especially without the Hosts on our asses."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien lifts a shrug at Jon and smiles faintly, "I am the payment of a debt owed, I don't think there was ever any intention for me to be anything but what I was created for. I wasn't expected to be a -person-, just a -tool-. A means to an end." Giving a nod, she chuckles, "Mutli-dimensional immigration... should be fun. But yes, Old Ones first." Stubbing out her cigarette, she responds, "Things that touch on Nullspace or Null energy tend to hurt because Null energy is just... the anti-creation. It isn't destruction, it's -unmaking-. At some level, that comes through as pain. Even if you aren't physically touching it, your mind, your soul... they can also be unmade."

Shaking her head, she sighs, "I guess I'm just saying.. be careful. Everything can be unmade. Meta's, psychopomps, angels, Gods... doesn't matter. Everything can be unmade." Rien looks to Jon, "I will be -very- cross if you start unmaking yourself."

Then she's turning to Chas and giving a nod, "I'll deal with the name thing after we've taken care of the Old One. But those are highly personal, its going to have to be something that speaks to and resonates with me." Flashing a brief grin, she adds, "Technically, I think I could go eternally without sleep... but I think that might put me in the position my father deals with. The mind can only accumulate so much trauma, and our healing factor kicks in to protect from that... which usually means a full wipe of what came before and starting with a blank slate. And I'd rather not get to that point." Pushing up to her feet, she smiles faintly, "Thank you. For closing the circle and giving us the third we need."