12068/Explanations are Required

Explanations are Required
Date of Scene:	18 July 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis:	The Justice League Dark have conversations in the Velvet Room, about meeting and greeting, and current events.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Patience Alperen, Cael Becker, Gabby Kinney, Balder, Rien D'Arqueness

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Jonathan Sims has posed:
    So there's been Old Ones coming after various members of the Justice League Dark--three of them directly, for sure, one possibly, and several others tangentially by virtue of having been in the area. The longest-serving leader of the JLD is back from vacation, in large part because the Old Ones refused to just leave them alone and insisted on infecting every part of said vacation. And anyway, the Velvet Room has a /really/ good library.

    Except that this particular library has /nothing/ on anything Jonathan Sims is trying to research.

    "Really?! Not even Lovecraft?! I've /read/ Lovecraft, that ought to be on the bloody list of--augh!" That voice that sounds like it swallowed the BBC is clearly irritated, just now. They stalk out of the library, sky-blue skirt going swish-swish-swish at their ankles. Which is a fun thing, but not distracting the Archivist, not today. They're carrying a stack of books, which they bring over to the bar and slam down like said books have personally offended them.

    "There are books in there, whole /shelves/ full of information on the nature of the multiverse, on the personal lives of the gods, books in languages no human could ever reproduce--I'm /pretty/ sure there's a couple of books written in /Enochian/ in there. Or something very close to it. But not a bloody /scrap/ about the Old Ones. Nothing. Zip. Which seems like a pretty bloody /huge/ oversight given what a pain in the /ass/ they are to deal with!" He's complaining to his girlfriend, Cael, who's been sitting at the bar while he digs out books.

    "I need a drink," he mutters, and goes around behind the bar to grab the bottle marked with the Hierophant.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen had been in the Library herself. Just in a different part. It somehow felt really.. big in there. She hadn't found exactly what she was looking for, herself. Yet. But she was certain it would be there. Jon's displeasure with the noted lack of books on the topic he was after jarred her back to reality. She looked at the time and blinked. She had been in there for three hours?

Rubbing her eyes she gave up for now and made her own way out to the sitting room. Seeing Jon and Cael, she moves toward the other end of the bar, offering a quiet smile. "Hi..." she looks to get something to drink herself.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Speaking of the multiverse - are we sure we have the //right// Cael? Because this one actually has a book out herself - and is... reading from it, while sipping her whiskey. The book she has in front of her is a philosophical treatise on our perceptions of reality, and from the glazed-over look in Cael's eyes, she's not exactly having an easy time with it. If she was hoping to find a solution to the problem facing her... she doesn't seem to be getting anywhere.
    Tucked in underneath //that// is a book about werewolves - one that she hopes delves into the cures. Maybe she'd get further with that book?
    She takes another sip her whiskey while regarding Jon with a small smile. "You sound like I feel whenever I have to do research," she remarks. "Why don't you get Nameless to play one of your favorite songs while you're drinking, huh?" She gives them a brief smile - her gaze going to Jon's unnaturally green eyes and sliding away for a moment, before she forces herself to focus back on them.
    Those eyes were a constant reminder of just how much was wrong in their world, at the moment - but what could she do about it?
    Patience' approach at least gives her a good excuse to look away as she turns towards her and offers a nod. "Hey," she greets her. There's a moment of puzzlement on her features - why would someone she didn't know be in the library? And then- "Didn't we meet? During that whole... angel thing? Or am I thinking of someone else?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
After a rather tense meeting with someone, Gabby had opted to return to the Velvet Room. It was becoming a safe retreat for her when the smell of cities, crowds, and other things became to much. When the noise just needed to be less. When her head was throbbing--Not in pain due to her inability to feel it, but just... Pressure. It was the closest thing to a splitting headache she could have and still unpleasant in it's own head-leadening kind of way.

The youngest of the JLD comes in with hands caught up in her hair as she was working it free from the ponytail she'd had it in most of the day. The dark length is finally freed to shake loose with a sigh. "Hi! How's everyone tonight?" She asks cheerily as she approaches those already gathered from the other, not-the-library, end of the room. The unfamiliar Patience is glanced at with a hand lifting to wave in greeting in spite of being. Uh. Right there. It was kind of a 'her' thing. "Hi, I'm Gabby. Haven't seen you before so... Hi!"

With that she leans over the bar, arm streeetched out to blindly reach for something. "Come ooon Velvet Room Lottery."

Balder has posed:
Balder has been here before.

In the Velvet Room.

An old friend of his, Rien, had brought him here as an invitation. He learned much...but he has much left to learn. Whether the JLD needed or wanted an actual deity on the team is to be left to their leaders. But Balder walks through a doorway he had created in Asgard. It's like he approaches out of light itself.

He's dressed in the ifnest of Asgardian armor, colored purple cloth and golden armor. Silver gauntlets cover his arms and a fur cloak descends from his shoulders until it touches the floor. An axe of uru holstered on his back.

He sees a few people he knows...and a few he doesn't.

"Hail." Balder's voice rolls with that Nordic gruff speech, yet...it reaches the ears sweeter than a lover's touch. Odd.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Oh, research is always like this. You can't find the book you want because someone shelved it wrong, there's a replication problem with every study in the field you're digging into, the researchers buried their conclusions in a pile of technical jargon..." Jon shakes his head, grumbling as he pours himself several fingers of scotch over ice he summons by magic. "Are you getting anywhere?" He peers at Cael for just a moment, those neon green eyes not blinking /quite/ as much as they should. It's probably a bit unsettling.

    Then other people are arriving, and he smiles broadly--not a put-upon smile, but a genuine one. "Oh, Patience, right? Welcome! And..." Those overly-green eyes blink slowly at Balder. "Ahh... hello. Welcome... to the Velvet Room." For a moment, teal bleeds into green, and he says, "Welcome indeed," in a voice that resonates with, well, somewhat deific overtones. The Egyptian gods don't walk around the mortal world on their own, after all--they work through avatars.

    Jon blinks away the teal, and says, "Ahh, I'm Jonathan Sims. The Archivist. And avatar of Ma'at. Can we get you anything?" He grabs a bottle at random and holds it out to Gabby--the Sun, as it turns out. "And I thought /you/ didn't drink, hmm? Bad day?" A pause. "Maybe I ought to quit this 'Archivist' business and become a bartender. It'd be easier." There's no real rancor in his voice; more a kind of wry amusement.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen looks to Cael and smiles a little. Her voice is quiet, with just a hint of what might be a Canadian accept, but with a wee bit of Irish lilt to it. "Yes.. Hello. Patience Alperen. I was also at the Pride Parade." She was the one in back, who left earlier than most of the rest of the Justice League Dark partying on Danny the Street.

A blink, then a wave to Gabby. She smiles. "Hello Gabby. I'm Patience." She looks toward Jon, nodding. "Yes. Hello Jonathan." She looks to Cael then the other two, "It's nice to meet... remeet? all of you."

Somehow a pint of Guiness has arrived? She was not sure when or how. But she was ever so grateful.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh! Right, sorry, Pride got- crazy." Cael gives Patience a smile, then looks back towards Jon, giving a shrug, and a small shake of her head. "Getting nowhere - and taking forever to do it. Not even sure what to research. I know you think the problem is with my memory, but-" What wants to at least //try// to look into other possibilities. She lets out a frustrated huff of air.
    As Balder enters, Cael gives the man a puzzled look, offering a simple, "Uh... Hi." What's with this guy? she seems to ask Gabby with a single, silent look.
    Sitting on one of the velvet couches, a large white dog that weighs a little over a hundred pounds watches the goings on - while periodically licking and gnawing at this feet.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney grins broadly over at Balder's arrival. With a quick, cheery greeting of, "Helloooo nurse!" that perhaps shows she's been catching up on her 'pop culture' training. ie, the tv/movie list. More seriously she offers, "Good to see you again, Balder. Plenty of drinks here if you want to try something."

The whole 'teal eyes and diefic tone' cause Gabby to stare at Jon a moment. But only a moment. Then she flashes a grin, lifts her hand to waggle fingers in his direction while offering a cheery, "Hello Ma'at!" Hey if a diety is peeking in there's no reason she shouldn't get a friendly greeting, right? Right.

With that done she lifts her head to sniff with mock indignity when Jon hands the bottle over toward her. His arms were longer so it was easier to reach such things after all. Lightly touching fingertips to her chest she responds, "Of course I drink! ... I just haven't found anything I *like* to drink yet." A little grin is given after to show she was just being melodramatic, and she reaches to accept the bottle sniffing at it thoughtfully. "This smells like citrus mouth wash."

That done she hops herself up onto a stool to gain a bit more height to enjoy her questionable drink. That was the plan at least though meeting new people was far more important at the moment. Her 'random drink lottery' is put on pause in favor of smiling toward Patience. "Oh yeah, I think I saw you at Pride," she recalls. Not the most work-related of reasons but it was still a good evening.

Catching the look Cael shoots her she offers quietly, "Thor's brother. I think. That's right, right?" Surprisingly she DID try to do some research on dieties and such. At least the ones she'd met before.

Balder has posed:
Balder's eyes peer at the man named Jonathan Sims. The Velvet Room had welcomed Balder some days ago, the God did not act through an avatar. He, like other members of the Norse Pantheon, was far more direct in his actions. But, they all play by different rules. The second voice that echoes from his body is met with a slight nod from Balder, acknowledgement of the power channeling within.

"Well met." Balder is often the peacekeeper between teh Asgardians and other Gods.But he doesn't know them all. He has communicated least with the Egyptians, AKA...barely at all, since the incident with the underworlds and death gods trying to cause trouble.

"Ma'at...interesting. Well met, Jonathan Sims. My name is Balder, son of Odin." A host of other titles here. "I never thought in my journeys that I'd meet an Archivist..and your duties?"

He looks at Patience then, a smile. "Hello. Patience is a strong name. A mighty omen."

Gabby is who he resides on for a moment. "Hello again. Gabby, yes?" He smiles at her in kind tones. "Yes, Thor is my brother. He has been busy of late."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
A portal opens into the VR, lined in a sickly, putrid green magical energy. From that portal steps Rien! Well, the new-old Rien. The one everyone remembers... except Cael. She still looks very, very, very wrong to Cael.

"UGH. I cannot remember where I put my key and it is driving me nuts! I swear I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached!" Her head turns at that odd angle, almost as if having sensed Cael's presence. A wide, wide, wide smile grows on her face, "Cael! I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry if I upset you the other night. I was glad to see that you two were okay that I forgot you don't care for physical contact."

Despite that, she moves in for hugs with eeeeeeeeeeeeveryone else. Jon, Gabby, Patience, even Balder. All get hugs! Nice, tight squeezes that last just a heartbeat longer than is comfortable. And each time, her head shifts, watching Cael witht hat too-wide, too-bright smile.

"Jonathan! I'm glad to see you still have those eyes. Now we can be eye color twins! Gabby, always a pleasure to see you, you should stop by the safehouse and have dinner with us some night! Patience, how great to see you again, I'm sorry if I've been absent, things were a little rough for awhile there. Balder, I'm so glad you've decided to come back, are you thinking of joining us full time?" Each time, she stands just a little too close, gets inside that personal bubble, and always with that too-wide, too-bright smile. Really, it's ridiculous how wide her mouth can spread. The Chesire Cat would be envious!

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "It's Jon, please. Rien calls me Jonathan and it makes her sound like my bloody grandmother." The Archivist says this with the kind of fond exasperation one might have for a friend who they suspect does a thing purely to annoy them. "Thor's brother, Odin's son... august company for us to be in. Welcome, Balder, and... ahh... we don't have much around that's really likely to do much for a god, but I think one of the bottles /is/ mead. The World, I think." He gestures at the bar behind him.

    "My duties... well... technically my duties as Archivist involve keeping an eye on immortals to be sure they're not abusing their power and hurting mortals. As Ma'at's avatar... trying to put the world back into balance." They smile. "/Here/, though... as one of the leaders of the Justice League Dark... helping people feel welcome, coordinating, making sure we all stay alive." Then they come back around the bar to /give Rien a hug/. Deliberately! "And make sure my fellow leaders aren't taking too much on themselves in my absence, hello Rien. I... owe you an explanation for the other night. You and Gabby both."

    He gestures at his eyes, glowing green as they are. "It's not as bad as it seemed! I promise. Just a little deal with an Old One, it'll be /fiiiine/." He's /clearly/ joking, there, to diffuse tension about that whole business.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney is ignoring her drink for the most part even though she still holds the bottle in hand. Maybe the smell had put her off to it. Or maybe it was the arrival of so many at once. Either way she keeps glancing down to a little copper and beach glass pendant she wore, rolling it between her fingers now and again. Mostly after the hug with Rien.

"Hmm? Right, of course, we should do dinner again soon. It's been awhile. How's Robbie doing?" Even as she asks she slips off her stool to land square on her feet. The bottle is placed back, and she makes her own circuit of the room pausing to hug Cael, then looking back to her necklace.

"I'm going to get going, I've got patrols tonight. I'd say don't work too hard, but..." Stepping toward Jon she inches closer. Closer. CLoooooOOOoooseeeeer. Until she bumps against his side with her eyes narrowed peering up at him.

"Yeah you BETTER explain," she utters with a jab of a finger at him. Only to sigh as she turns to head for the exit once more. "Seriously though I do have to get going. Place to be, people to protect, you know how it goes. Good seeing everyone again!"

"Oh, and yes it's Gabby," she agrees with an easier smile toward Balder. "Sorry to run like this. And good meeting you, Patience!" With a wave she heads off--Still fiddling with that darn pendant. Maybe this is why she rarely wore jewelry. She plays with it too much.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen was about to reply to the others when Rien shows up and goes along the line for hugs. She'll give one even if she wasn't expecting to do so. A little puzzled. "It's.. okay Rien. I've been kept away with things myself.." she offers with a quiet smile.

To Balder she grins. "I'm not sure if that is exactly what I am. But I won't argue. Thank you. It's nice to meet you Balder." With that she falls a bit quiet and sips at her pint. Because there are a lot of people she hasn't spoken with before, who all know each other. It's better and easier to listen and learn.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh - //Thor's// brother," Cael responds - giving Balder a smile. "I know Thor," she says easily, before taking another sip of her whiskey. She's enjoying the distraction from her research - which let us be honest, was getting her no where.
    Unfortunately, the peaceful break she was experiencing is abruptly shattered with the arrival of the sickly green portal. Her posture tenses, as she watches the woman go from person to person for hugs - and she can practically feel her hackles rising as Jon goes to //her.// No. NO. //Her// Jon should be staying away from that-
    "It's... fine, Rien. Heat of the moment," she offers uneasily. Her gaze flicks towards Jon for a moment, as she sits there withher hand clutching tightly to her whiskey.
    Bear, ever Cael's most obvious tell, pushes down from the couch, dropping onto the floor so he can pad his way over to her, nudging at her leg, and empty hand with his nose, giving a quiet whine.
    Perhaps this is why Gabby comes in for a hug, which only compounds the issue as Cael tries to shove the girl off of her - towards Balder. Abruptly, she's on her feet, retreating from the bar and t owards the piano, which quitly plays by itself, so she can pace the room in aggrevation. "How hard is it for people to remember - I don't like to be touched!" Bear follows on her heels, putting himself in Cael's path.

Balder has posed:
Balder was just having a conversation with Jon when a wild Gabby is shoved in his general direction. Balder doesn't move an inch, letting Gabby bump into him. Closer inspection detects a hand to catch her and redirect her elsewhere so she can be on her way. He's not throwing her in another direction, just catch and release. He looks at Gabby, then back to Cael. "It's not uncommon to have a desire to not wish for physical contact." But she knows Thor! Good things. "It pleases me greatly to know that you're friends with Thor. He knows many and it makes him all the better for it."

"Nice to meet you, Patience." He smiles at Gabby nd waves when she exits. Sims is focused on as he explains his duties. "A noble profession." He doesn't know if Jon actually likes his job or not. "Then I greet you as a leader. It's an honor." He then turns to Rien.

"Rien." He says her name, but he's being hugged. Tightly. Little longer than comfortable. "Good to see you too."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Once everyone has been hugged, Rien can head to the bar to look over the bottles before reaching up to pluck the Magician off the shelf. She manifests a tall shot glass and fills it with a doubleshot, knocking it back quickly and letting out an 'ahhhhhhhhhh'. Turning that cheshire grin towards Cael once more, she bobs her head agreeably, "Still. It was my fault. If I can make it up to you at all... please let me know!" She holds that stare on Cael a few moments longer, then turns and nudges lightly at Jon with a laugh, "Oh that? I'm already over it. Anger is so destructive you know? No place on a team, amongst friends. But I appreciate that! Whenever you have the time would be great. I'd love to get up to speed, maybe I can offer some insight!" Holding that grin on him for another beat, she turns and pours another double shot of the tequila.

Looking towards Balder, she laughs, "Sorry, I should have warned you. I'm a hugger once people on the inside. The VR said you're good, so you're on the inside!" Then she's knocking back that shot and looking back to Cael and Jon, "Oh! Update. I've been able to sleep here and there without the nightmares. I'm worried that it's largely finished with what it needed me for and is starting to move on to others. We should be really careful moving forward."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon rolls his eyes at Gabby. "Yes, yes," he murmurs. It's what he gets for making spur-of-the-moment decisions, after all. Explaining everything /after/ the fact. Rien gets a grateful smile. "Well, good, but I'd still like to explain. Keeping everyone in the loop keeps things safer, you know?"

    He nods to Balder, then. "Thank you. I tend to think so." But even as he says this, he's coming around the bar, leaving his drink there, to head over toward Cael.

    They both out both of their hands, gently, slowly. "Hey," they say. "Hey, it's okay. We can talk to Gabby about, you know--personal space." As if she's a particularly skittish animal.

    "I think Rien's right. They've come after me already--and even if I wrested control of one of them, that may not last. And others might not--I have experience, and training, in confronting and accepting fear. Digging out root causes, things like that. It's hard work, for /anyone/." His brow furrows at Cael. "They're coming after you. Probably others. Everyone's potentially susceptible except /maybe/ Chas. We need to be careful. But, hey... deep breaths, alright?"

Balder has posed:
Smiled at Rien. "It's alright. Peaceful assembly is a favorite of mine. I like hugs, I just don't suspect them anymore." too many people try to kill Balder to let him have the luxury of assuming hugs, even if he wants them. Though all these talks of Old Ones makes him frown. "These talks of Old Ones are distrubring to me. I will help with this, so long as it's desired." Balder was a god, yes, but a fairly respectful one. Sometimes, people don't need the help of a deity and can handle it on their own.

Other times, not so much. But he maintains his attitude. Friendly and hospitable. He smiles at Jon and Cael's interaction, but he doesn't interfere betwen them. Things are happening that doesn't require his input.

But he turns his head, as if to some far off distance. "Forgive me, warriors all. I'm needed elsewhere." Even a rare prayer still reaches his ears.

"I will return shortly." Without another word, Balder seems to quite literally disappear in a flash of light.

Peace's work is never done...nor is the need for light to shine in the darkest of places.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen waved to Gabby as she turned to leave, offering a smile. To Balder she smiles. "And you. I.." She blinked as her phone chirped at her. "...erm.. I guess I'm going to have to excuse myself as well. Someone I've been trying to track down has just offered me some time. Research waits for no woman I suppose." She offers a smile of apology to everyone still in the room. "It was good to meet or see everyone again. I.. hope to speak with you all again soon."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Jon coming towards her - and Bear throwing himself in her way, manages to slow Cael. She stops when she reatches Bear, turns away for one more pass, then comes back again, coming to a stop and staying in place for a moment - before she steps in towards Jon, for all her talk of not wanting to be touched, to lean into his chest. "I'm sorry," she murmurs quietly.
    Behind Jon, she knows Rien is still there, with that wide smile that is //not// friendly, with that sickly green cast to her magic, with her strange touchiness. "She called you Jon," Cael murmurs quietly. "She always called you Jon. I know you think it's just my memories. I know you and Chas want me to-" She falls silent, not seeming to react at all as Patience and Balder leave.
    But she's not oblivious to the fact that that leaves just her, and Jon, and Rien in the room...

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"It's okay, Cael. I know just how bad it can get when they're after you. How everything twists and turns and you barely recognize someone anymore... I get it." Rien's hearing is -exceptional-, and this is no different. She pours out another double-shot and leans forward to offer that wide smile towards Cael and Jon, "You need to work through whatever you need to work through. No harm. No foul. I'm sorry if this is putting a damper on our friendship, though. I'd thought we were finally starting to get to know one another."

The smile kicks up another notch, and she glances up at Jon, "Whenever works best for you, Jonathan. If tonight isn't convenient, then just name a day and we'll sit down and hash it out." Knocking back the shot, she sets the glass on the bartop and looks at the bottle, "Excellent tequila. You can really smell the agave, I can practically smell where it was grown."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon wraps his arms around Cael for a moment. "This is what they want," he says softly. "Exactly this. You so worried and anxious and /scared/ that you're pulling away from everyone. Sowing seeds of doubt amongst us. I can /feel/ the..." He actually looks away from Cael, toward Rien. "I can /feel/ the damn Watcher feeding on the fear. There's holes in her aura now, just like there are in yours. At least yours isn't getting worse anymore."

    He leans down to plant a kiss on Cael's head, and then turns away to go back to the bar. "Let's talk about this, though, because--well, the others all left, and Rien should know--I'll admit I'm not 100% certain I can actually handle this thing I've attached myself to. The Ceaseless Watcher. It /is/ a decision I'd planned to go over with you all, but in the moment it was..." A huffed-out breath. "She was going to make me kill Cael, if I kept fighting her. She wanted me to give in to her, and then everyone would be safe. Instead I made a deal--the Watcher can look through my eyes, until we get rid of these things. And I can use its power--mostly to fight the other Old Ones. Maybe not a /great/ plan, but..." He shrugs.

    He grabs up the glass of scotch and takes a long drink, then looks at Rien with those unsettling too-bright eyes. "It /is/ funny, though. If I straightened my hair we could pretend to be siblings." A smirk.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's hand clings to Jon for a moment, as they turn to rejoin Rien. She doesn't want them to go to her - it feels- wrong. It feels //dangerous// - but she lets them pull away and slip through her grasp in the end.
    Cael doesn't follow, however, as she retreats to a couch instead, pulling up her feet - and burrying her fingers into Bear's fur when he jumps up with her.
    She remains silent, simply watching the pair together, logic and emotion warring in her mind. After all - Chas and Jon were making a lot of sense. And yet-

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien lets out a short laugh and gives a nod, "We could! We could pass for twins! Wouldn't -that- be something?" She gives a nod to the suggestion they talk and looks to the Moon, pursing up her lips. Corking the boottle, she replaces it and grabs the vodka instead. "Igor? Martini ingredients, please and thank you!" Once they appear in front of her, Rien will start mixing up a vodka martini.

Glancing over to Jon and Cael, she flashes a grin, "I never did enjoy the astringency of juniper berries. So I'm a heathen vodka martini person." She peels a strip of lemon rind, rubbing the rim of the glass, then dropping the peel into the bottom. Giving the martini a good stir, she pours the mix into the glass and nods, "Okay! I am fortified for the conversation at hand!"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, I just discovered I had a best friend I didn't remember--why not a secret twin from another reality? A /French/ twin who doesn't like /gin/ like a bloody /heathen/." Jon winks at Rien, just like this is normal everyday banter. Just like Rien has always had black hair and bronze skin and green eyes, and been taller than Cael, and didn't like gin. Yes. Always. And she's his friend, and he's not going to doubt her, because that's what the Old Ones /want/.

    Except now he's doubting Cael. Ugh. He frowns at the glass he holds for a long moment.

    "Alright, well, anyhow... first of all, the Mother of Puppets has been coming after me for years. I will not be surprised to discover the Old Ones have been coming after other people for that long, too--I have a theory that whatever they're after us for is something we have yet to do and this is all wibbly-wobbley timey-wimey stuff." Yes, he said that with a straight face. "But in my case... she tried to get at me through a children's book, which my grandmother's handyman took from me, and took my place. We found his body in the chip shop the other night. The second was..."

    Long, deep breath. Long drink of scotch. "My best friend gave me food poisoning to take my place in an experiment meant to trap me and force me into the Old Ones' servitude. A few years later, she removed my memories of her in return for saving my husband's life and giving my daughter a safe place to live." A beat. "Except she handed my daughter right to the man I was trying to /keep/ her from, so I intend to find out what the hell /that/ was about. But, the other night, I finally /remembered/ her. Whole chunks of my life have just been... gone. Bloody annoying, really."

Cael Becker has posed:
    While Jon and Rien - (she's not Rien, she's //not// Rien!) - are talking at the bar, Cael is seated on a couch a short distance away. Bear is up on the couch as well, half-crawled into her lap, and nudging his head into her chest. Cael's fingers grip at his fur, but slowly she begins to loosen her grip so the can scratch at his shoulders.
    She's fine. She's safe here - isn't she? Jon and Chas have to be right. It's her memory that's wrong. It makes so much more sense than everyone being wrong. She just has to- see through it somehow? Force herself to get past it? Force herself to ignore the sense of //wrongness// screaming at her, unrelentingly?
    She remains silent as she lets Jon tell the tale, focusing her attention own on Bear instead.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Listening to Jon describe what's been going on with him, his memory loss, his best friend and what happened with them. She nods a little here and there, sipping on her martini. And listening. Watching him with those cool mint green eyes. "So... do you think perhaps the Watcher is why you have perfect recall, then? Both clearly want you, there's little other reason for them to have struck even a temporary alliance. Outsiders... Old Ones.. don't tend to like... anyone else, really. Cooperation, /sharing/, is an anathema to them. It would make sense that the Watcher would have marked you in some way if they intended to lay claim to you. An eidetic memory is a pretty good marker. It's not exactly common."

Her eyes flit to Cael and she smiles widely, that big, too-bright smile that threatens to pull the edges of her mouth right up towards the lobes of her ears. As if she knows that Cael is on edge, why she's on edge, and is /delighting/ in it. Something about that smile is just so /wrong/.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks at Rien slowly. "I... hadn't thought of that, actually. It's... well... I mean, latent Archivists always have /something/, some piece of the power they'll eventually be granted. Agnes can pull statements off of things she touches, my cousin Sasha was a telepath. From what I gather, the gods skipped over Sasha and chose me because of the encounter I had with Mr. Spider, although I'm not sure /why/. To protect me from the Old Ones? Because I was meant to fight them? I don't... know."

    He winces, visibly, as a spike of fear courses through him. Because--what if Rien's right? What if it /is/ the Watcher? Has /always/ been the Watcher? And he can feel that fear feed the thing he attached himself to and--

    "Stop that," he mutters. "Just--back the fuck off, would you?" He rolls his shoulders, shakes his head. Eugh.

    "As for temporary alliance, it's--you remember that other reality you saw through the crack? These things--or, well, the form they're taking--they're connected to that other reality. And another version of me served the Watcher, but was manipulated by the Spider. They /did/ seem to want me to choose, but... I don't know."

    They shake their head. "What I'm more concerned with is how they're connected to everyone else. I think they left that reality and came here, and I suspect that's where you come in. You're the 'gateway,' right? So you provided a way for them to get a foothold here. And something I did back with binding Michael, something about the double circles,... I don't know. Unlocked something? I... I don't know."

    He picks up the glass and downs all of the scotch, all at once. "This is /so/ hard to research. And for good reason, I suppose, but they're /here/, so we have to deal with them, like it or not. I'm intending to ask around with some experts on dimensional weirdness, see if they have any insights."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael continues to scratch at Bear's head and shoulders not looking towards Jon and Rien at all. She feels a spike of fear whenever she looks at Rien - and she's not supposed to feed these things. Right?
    So don't look at Rien.
    "Didn't it have to be you, though?" Cael asks. "Because it was you in the other reality. Isn't //that// why you were really- well, //destined// to be the Archivist.
    "I don't know. I just don't understand these things."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien lifts a shrug and smiles that too-big smile of hers, "It might not be that! I just... they were both fighting over you, and when the Master of Puppets went to grab you it was halted by your.. handyman, which doesn't seem likely unless he was /compelled/ into it, and that left an opening for the Watcher to mark you for later. So the Master of Puppets couldn't touch you, because you were marked. But then when everything started happening with you dying, and the Ma'at thing, and all that... the mark went away. Because you died. Not just died, you were -gone-. No body. So once you came back, you were fair game again." She sips from her martini and considers the issues.

"When we... bound Michael... the combination of.. well, everything that was happening, might have been just enough to open a crack. Between the two dimensions. Just enough for that sliver of light to get through and catch their notice. So they started peeking through the crack, working to widen it, little by little." Rien gives a small, slow nod, then adds, "I'm the gateway between of my.. unique background and abilities. Not only am I conduit for different energies, I'm something of a.. well, blank slate. In a metaphysical sense." Pausing, she turns that smile towards Jonathan and reaches up to ruffle his hair, "Not that I'm saying I'm nothing, Jonathan. Just that I make a -very- good conduit because there's less baggage cluttering the doorway."

She lifts her glass for another sip, her eyes straying back towards Cael, watching her for long moments even as she speaks to Jon, "I -am- an expert on multi-dimensional weirdness. I'll be reaching out to a few contacts, see what I can dig up. They aren't all very happy with me, so it might take some time, but I feel confident I can get us some more information!"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well..." Jon hesitates, then sighs. "Much as I hate to speak ill of the dead, Matthew was--he was ten years older than me. 18, to my 8. And he was a bully. He'd break my things, shove me around, called me all sorts of names." A pause. "I lied to Gran about where the bruises came from. A broken bone or two. She didn't believe me the first time and I didn't want to worry her. But... the /book/ compelled him. He came up and swatted it out of my hands, and then picked it up. Regardless--the Mother had her hooks in me already, /before/ I died and all the rest."

    He shakes his head. "I don't think it's--I don't think one protects from the other. If I'd given into the Mother, or the Watcher, I don't think it'd protect me from other influences." A sharp laugh. "There's enough fear in me to go 'round, you know? In fact, in the other universe, the Spider had marked that Jon /first/, and then sent him into the Watcher's way, to suit her needs. There's something--" He frowns. "There's something I can't... see. Can't quite... something /important/." He reaches out a hand, feeling at the air, and growls in frustration.

    Then they shake it off, and look to Cael. "I've been thinking about that, actually. Maybe it's true. Maybe I'm destined to be the Archivist. I've been... thinking, a lot, about... about handing all of this knowledge and burden off to other people. About the retention rate for Archivists. About... giving Agnes a bloody coin flip on dying in the first six months, no matter how much I help her prepare." They stare across the room for a moment. "Is that... right? Forget other realities for a moment--/this/ is the one I live in. And here, now, can I really look at my descendants, my child and grandchildren, and say 'well sure I'm immortal, but you get this burden whether or not you're prepared, because that's just how it's always been?'"

    A sigh, and they reach out to pour another couple of fingers of scotch. "I don't know. I've just been... thinking, a lot. A /lot/."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael glances over towards Jon, mouth open to speak - but she ends up gritting her teeth at the sight of Jon so close to Rien.
    Her Jon. //Hers.// She wants to get them away from that thing!
    But instead, she buries her fingers back into Bear's fur, and pulls him closer, so she can hide her face in his neck for a moment. At least Bear didn't change. She could rely on Bear to be Bear - and to always look after her first.
    "Maybe," Cael finally answers Jon. "Maybe you have a very good point there. Do you think you should have that discussion with Agnes, though? When she's older - not now, obviously."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I didn't say it would /protect/ you from the others, only that it marked you as theirs. Sort of like.. like pre-ordering something. No, no quite... a reserve! There we go. Like putting a reserve on something. Saying that you have 'first dibs'. That doesn't stop someone or something else from undercutting you, or taking it from you... and it certainly doesn't prevent you from giving it away later... or even just /seeming/ to give it away, but you've marked it as 'this is what I want'." Rien lifts a shrug and offers, "Old Ones are, well, old. And the world is much bigger than it used to be. And there's more in it. All these dimensional splits, and different worlds, alternate timelines... even for them it can be difficult to keep up with a single being out of all the possible beings they could see. So they mark you. Put a reserve on you. And then when they're ready, they check to see if they can still get you."

She doesn't seem to have any response to the Matthew part, that's a bit confusing all it's own. What she does react to is the suggestion that Jon was destined to be the Archivist. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm... I would be careful about that. Destiny is.. tricky. Fate isn't always tied to a person but rather the title or position. Sort of like how... there's always a Cap, but it isn't always Steve Rogers. It is quite possible that the Archivist is destined to go through these trials and tribulations.. but that doesn't necessarily destine /you/ as Jonathan Sims to be the Archivist. In another reality, it could be Sasha. Or Agnes. Or another person in your family because in that dimension they weren't all killed off. Fate is fickle like that.." Rien shakes her head and lifts her glass for a sip.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "The other version had the same face and voice and name and a very similar background and personality," Jon replies, somewhat wryly. "But that's part of what I want to go talk to Ms. Chavez about, if I can find her. Whether it's worth bothering trying to dig into all of that or whether it might just exacerbate the problem if it isn't just a waste of time. Whether there might be answers worth digging for."

    He tilts his glass to swirl the liquid around, watching the way it coats the inside of the vessel. "I suspect I know what Agnes would say. That she's willing to take the risk. Willing to take on the burden. I mean--she looks up to us, and to Martin. To the Titans, and the Justice League. Donna suggested I should bring her to Themiscyra, d'you know that?" He sighs. "But to that I say--she's homo magi. She has power, and it doesn't even take power to step up and serve the community. She doesn't have to be /Archivist/ for that."

    He looks over at Cael for a moment. "Remember what I said the other night? That ultimately it was my choice? Well, this is too. I don't /have/ to pass on the Archive unless I die--and actually dying looks less and less likely, these days. I could choose to ensure no one is ever in the position I was in last September, ever again. Because it's not just about Agnes--it's about her children, if she has them, or whatever distant cousin might get the Archive if she dies without children. It's about what /I/ think is the right thing to do, and trusting myself and my own judgement."

    An ironic thing to say to Cael, maybe. If she were to trust her own judgement above everyone else's, just now, she'd be dragging Jon out of the room.

Cael Becker has posed:
    A lot of things are going through Cael's head.
    Ever. They're talking about... forever. Never giving up the Archive, and- generations and generations of- They'll live that long? They'll //never// die?
    While she waits in the Field of Reeds? While she waits there - //for them//? Something that'll never come? The only reason she'd wanted to go to the Field of Reeds - the only reason she'd gone to Duat, the only reason Alis was there now...
    And even with all that - she doesn't overlook the fact that Jon is suggesting following their own instincts - while telling her to ignore her own.
    And is it really right for Jon to remove that choice from generations and generations of descendents?
    And- ...ever? No one else will //ever// be the Archivist again?
    "...I need some air," is all Cael says, abruptly rising to her feet, to start for the hallway, so she can go out to the garden, Bear on her heels.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien lifts a small shrug towards Jon, "I didn't say /none/ of them would be similar. I just said that things tend to attach to titles and positions, rather than people. There's a universe where T'Challa never becomes King of Wakanda. He becomes Star Lord instead. Creates the Guardians of the Galaxy. In that universe, his sister becomes Queen of Wakanda instead. There are universes where I am not born at all, either because my grandmother does not summon the demon to save my mother, or because my mother refuses to sleep with Logan just to produce a child, where the Clan decides to jointly become the magi-warriors to fight against The Truth and keep it from rampaging. There are some where I am born, but I am raised differently, treated differently. Somewhere I am raised similarly and... well, I don't like to visit those ones."

She lifts a shrug, "I'm simply saying that you cannot assume that because this is happening to you /here/ that it is /you/ who are fated." Rien pauses as Cael abruptly stands and runs off, watching after her with a contemplative expression. Turning back to Jon, she smiles, that wide, wide rictus of a smile. "You should go after her. Talk to her. We're down to theories and ideas. And as someone in a similar spot, I don't think she's too keen on the idea of her dying while you live on forever." Rien winks, leans in to give them a hug, that one that lasts just a beat too long, then pulls back and winks, "We can talk theory and fate more later."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon doesn't go after Cael right at first. Instead he stares after her, expression suddenly haunted, and says, "They're coming for her, Rien. They're coming for her, and I don't know how to stop it. I don't know if I /can/. She has to be strong enough, to hold up in the face of the fear."

    He closes his eyes and actually leans into the hug for a moment. "At least you're still here. I was so terrified they were going to just... eat you. Take you away entirely." He pulls back and smiles at her. At his /friend/. "Promise you won't go away, hmm?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien watches Jon as he watches after Cael, her expression something between concern and glee. But by the time he looks back to her, it is of course, properly just concern. Even if she can't keep that smile off her face. Really, it's like it's stuck there. She glances in the direction Cael ran and she offers, "That's the rub of all this, Jonathan. None of us can really do anything to help the others. We all just have to... muddle through on our own accord. I've had to deal with my identity crisis, you've had to deal with your past coming back to bite you... Cael will have to deal with her own inner demons. Same as Robbie with his. It kills me to see him so on edge and not be able to help. But it's.. internal."

She queezes him tightly and that smile grows wider, trying to be comforting even if it's still a touch ominous, "Oh Jonathan. I'm immortal. Good luck getting rid of me."