12083/Tea with an Angel

Tea with an Angel
Date of Scene:	17 July 2022
Location:	105 W 29th - Jon and Cael's Apartment
Synopsis:	Chas finally meets Jon's daughter, Agnes, and they have a talk about his past and the JLD's current predicament.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Chas Chandler

---

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Having collected everything from the hotel in Bournemouth and checked out, Jon just opens a portal for Cael to head to her apartment in Brooklyn, then another one to take him and Agnes home, along with Chas. He explains the glowing eyes to Agnes briefly, glossing over some of the details. The girl is quiet during the conversation, nodding here and there, focusing her attention on packing and taking their things back home.

    Once in the Manhattan apartment, there's happy barking and Jon nearly gets bowled over by a large fluffy dog that's nearly as big as Bear. "Yes, yes, Lady, we're home. Did you miss us?" The dog barks in response, almost as if she understands the words, and then looks at Chas with wide eyes and wagging tail. She doesn't seem to register him as a threat, at all.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "I see you're growing at an alarming rate, Lady" Chas says as he extends a hand for the dog to sniff before giving her a gentle, if thorough headscratching. "Yes. I know you're happy some of your family is home. Bear and Cael wanted some time alone for a night. They will be back soon enough, do not worry. In the meantime, I will be spending the evening here... if that is alright with you." He pauses as if listening for an answer and then nods. "Of course I will play with you. I'm not cruel."

    Smiling to the Agnes and Jon. "I don't really need to sleep so... if it's alright with you the couch is as good a place for me tonight as any." He smiles to Agnes. "And as long as you don't mind me sticking around for a night."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes peers at Chas. "Wait can you... actually talk to Lady?" She's also greeted the dog by now, and started to lug her suitcase toward her room.

    "Chas is an angel, so... I imagine if anyone can talk to animals, hmm?" Jon frowns, and runs a hand through his hair. "Ugh. I still have cobwebs in my hair. Agnes, would you mind getting Chas some tea while I take a shower? It'll give you a chance to talk for a minute."

    "O-oh. Okay. I can... do that." The girl, wearing gloves despite the summer heat, fiddles with the edge of her skirt, then finishes tugging her luggage into her room and shuts the door. That done, she heads toward the kitchen while her father disappears into the master bedroom.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles as the girl departs and moves to sit on one of the high chairs against the bar separating the kitchen and the living space. When she returns he is peaceful, serene even. "You don't have to be nervous around me. I have a daughter of my own. She's younger than you... significantly, but I also helped a teenager transition into adulthood as well so I'm not completely clueless."

    He watches her as she makes the tea. "I expect, if you are anything like your father, you have a lot of questions, concerning what I am and how I came to be what that is... you can ask them if you want." He gestures absently, coaxing her to speak. "I don't mind. Ask away."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Actually," Agnes says as she goes to fill the electric kettle with fresh water, "I was going to ask how you knew my father. He says you met in university, through another friend, but he doesn't like to talk about that other friend. I think they must have had a falling-out. Dad's pretty keen on his friends." She flashes a brief smile at the man, and then sets the kettle back and flips a switch to get it heating.

    She goes to pull out loose leaf, adding, "We've a whole variety of teas, umm... Dad usually likes Earl Grey in the afternoon but there's a breakfast blend and the Assam Dad uses for masala chai and... oh, a bunch of other varities."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Earl Grey is fine" Chas replies as he contemplates how much to tell the girl. On the one hand, she had every right to know. On the other, it was a significantly traumatizing part of Jon's life. He weighs the pros and cons of each option before he frowns and starts to speak. "John Constantine was my best friend" he starts. "He met Jon, your father, through various circuits of musical influence. Your father is a musician, he's told you that much, yes?"

    At her nod he continues. "After a time, we all grew apart. Life... adulthood... that sort of thing. John--our old friend--being heavily steeped in the magical community and your father having his own... concerns about that sort likely didn't help."

    He pauses to let that settle and chooses his next words. "When you father inherited the Archive, he came looking for John and I. He found us but... at some point in the intervening time, something else had taken the place of John Constantine. A demon puppet that Constantine had constructed to act on his behalf while he was paying off a debt. As demon's are wont to do, it corrupted his friendships and used those close to him to enforce that corruption. I was subject to such things. As was your father. For me, it was mind control. For your father it was... psychological torture."

    He could go on, but decides that term is safe enough to stick with. "Eventually, Constantine returned from his payment prison but he still wasn't..."

    He scowls. "Usually when push comes to shove, Constantine would be there to help out. He'd always have your back, but... when he returned he was absent. He let things just happen, with no outward support. When the angels invaded Manhattan and your father turned to him for assistance, he... he left. He abandoned your father and in the same gesture, abandoned me." He looks up to see the girl's contemplation on the matter.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I've overheard him talking about 'the demon' once or twice," Agnes says, frowning slightly as she fills a strainer with loose leaf Earl Grey and drops it into a teapot. "I... thought it best not to ask after the details. Demons are generally bad news." She says this with the kind of casual surety most teenagers would use to talk about fashion or the latest memes. Demons are just an accepted part of her worldview, evidently.

    "So--" A pause. Then. "So is--is that why Dad--" She deliberately takes her hands off the teapot and clenches them at her sides. There's a bit of smoke rising from them.

    "If your friend, this John Constantine, if he'd helped--would Dad have had to die, to save the world? Is--is it his fault?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' expression is sympathetic but he shakes his head. "No. Your father's death was... preordained for the sake of the universe. In order for salvation, one must die and be reborn. That much of the myth is true... even if most the rest is not." He folds his hands on the bartop. "What's important is the latter part, the rebirth. I would not have wanted your father to have to sacrifice himself for me permenantly... even if I know he would have if it was to save another."

    He smiles. "John Constantine's abandonment hurt him, but was not the catalyst for his sacrifice. In all honesty, I think, even through the pain ridding himself of that man's... burden is ultimately for the best." The grin turns wry. "There are people in the world who are good to have at your back, and people who are bad to have at your back. Constantine is, unfortunately, the latter."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "That sounds like so much Christian /bullshit/," Agnes mutters, hands tightening in fists again. "That's--that's not what Dad's rebirth was about. It's just--the sun rises. It's just the other side of life. It's just..."

    She shakes her head, because the kettle clicks off, and she takes a few deep breaths to settle herself and make the smoke stop rising from her fists. Then she goes to pour the water into the teapot.

    "Alright, so--and that demon is why you summoned the archangel, yes?" There's a brisk, crisp tone in her voice that's reminiscent of Jon, even if her accent is far more London than Southern. "The mind control, I mean. Dad told me some of that."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas can't help but smirk at the girl's response but he lets it lie. Better to let her have her opinions than to get into a debate. Instead he acknowledges her inquiry with a nod. "Yes. An... error in judgement and an even greater error in direction." His expression is pensive, self-deprecating. "I thought if a demon had been the cause of hurting me, then an angel would be a cause to help... I was wrong."

    Her line of question has him formulating a question of his own. "Are you... are you angry? At me? I mean, what I did kicked off your father's death, ultimately. I would understand if you are. I probably would be as well." He pauses. "But I would like to know, just the same."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes blinks up at Chas. "What? Angry? No. Why would I be? The archangel tricked you. It's hardly your fault--I hear summonings go spectacularly badly most of the time. I mean, I suppose it was a terribly /stupid/ thing to do, but Dad says it would've happened to /someone/. If--if it was fated, then it's not really your fault at all. So why be angry at /you/?"

    She turns to the fridge, and asks, "Oh, umm, d'you want milk? Martin taught me to pour the milk first, it stops there being a skim on the top."

    Whatever the answer, she pours milk into her own cup, and says, "Dad told me he wants me to spend some time with you and Robbie Reyes' brother, Gabe. Because of all this... Old One business." A pause. "He might not admit it, but he's terrified. Not for himself, I don't think, but for the rest of us. For--for Cael."

    She frowns down at the cups for a moment. "Can you--can you protect Cael? She's... magic's new to her, and... and if she were gone, Dad would be... he'd fall apart. And I don't know if I could put him back together." She swallows. "Besides, umm. I'd miss her, too."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods at the milk question and then frowns. "I... I cannot transfer my power to other people, yet" he replies. "I don't know how. Perhaps in time I will be able to bestow..." He furrows his brow. "I don't want to call it 'blessings' but for lack of a better word..." He shrugs. "In time I'll be able to tranfer what I am to others to shield them from harm, but currently... I'm unable to."

    He sighs. "I cannot promise that I will keep Cael safe. But I will do everything in my power to help her keep herself safe. I will do -what I can- to protect her from these creatures. If our theories are correct, I might be the only member of the JLD wholly immune to them... so it will fall upon me to beat them back if it comes to it." He nods. "And I assure you, with the utmost sincerity, that I am up for that task should things go astray."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Can you protect /us/ from the Old Ones, then? Mr. Reyes' brother and me, I mean." Agnes pours the tea, not looking at Chas right off. "That house with the crack in reality... I was born there. I have some kind of... tie to the other side. Dad told me not to worry too much, that /this/ is my reality now, but I still--"

    She frowns down at her hands. "Something about my fire shook Dad out of the nightmare. He was trapped, he couldn't wake up, even when he gouged out his own eyes. I burned the threads trapping him. But it felt... I don't know? Different? Maybe I just /thought/ it was different. But I'm... I'm afraid. I was created for something specific, and maybe I'm touched by the Old Ones, and..."

    She bites her lip and shakes her head, dropping sugar in the tea and then stirring it before handing it over to Chas.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas takes the tea and just holds it for a moment. "Proximity to me and my home should help insulate you some, yes" he replies, watching her closely. "It is possible... there is a strength in you. Whether that is a product of what you are or what you will be, I cannot say. But it is there. That will protect you as well."

    He smiles softly; reassuringly. "I would know if there was a tie to them in you" he says tapping the side of his nose. "The site of your birth would not make you some sort of... I don't know... conduit. It would take more than that. Constant use of the power they provide? Perhaps, but you are wise enough and cared for enough to know not to do such things."

    He sips his tea. "Relax, Agnes. I made a promise to Jon and Robbie and I intend to see it through. You will be safe."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I thought it was the power of an Old One that burned Dad out of that dream," Agnes says quietly, looking down at her own tea cup. "If it was just that it /was/ fire... or even Sekhmet's power... then I suppose that give us some hope for stopping them. Well... it gives /you/ some hope. Dad says, very firmly, that I am not allowed to do /any/ kind of superheroing until I am 16."

    "I said we would re-visit the subject when you're 16," Jon says, coming out of the bedroom while still pulling a pick through his curls. "I would very much prefer it was 18, or even 'after university,' but I'm painfully aware if I try to lay down that kind of rule you're apt to just start sneaking out to save people on the streets and then where would we be?" He shakes his head.

    Agnes looks up from her tea, dark eyes suddenly snapping. "Once you teach me to heal, I could--"

    "No, Agnes."

    "But the Titans--"

    "Agnes." Jon smiles at her, fondly, but there's worry in those glowing green eyes. "You are /13/. Let's get you into high school at least before we discuss it much further?"

    Agnes harrumphs. "I'll be 14 in a few weeks," she grouses, and picks up her tea, going to quite literally flop herself onto the couch in a huff of teenaged irritation.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles after the girl. "That is one thing I am glad I do not have to contend with at least for another 5 years... if ever" he says sipping at his tea once more. "I am fairly certain that Geraldine is no more magical than this teacup." He says tapping a finger to the cup lightly.

    "Feeling better?" he asks, peering at Jon. "I know a shower can do wonders for a body. Water, grounding element, cleansing stream... why am I having to tell you this? You're the one who taught it to me?" He chuckles and sips some more, finding comforting in quality tea is something he's been missing in life, even if the flavor is a bit dulled.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon rolls his eyes. "I'm surrounded by young people who think they know more than I do." As if Chas isn't a mere /year/ younger than he is. "Anyhow, 14 is /not/ old enough to be a superhero, and /do not/ bring up the Robins, I have met two of them and neither is remotely well-adjusted. Red Robin hides it better than most, but I worry for him much of the time."

    "I wouldn't be well-adjusted either if I came from /Jersey/," Agnes mutters in tones of deepest derision.

    Jon, in the middle of pouring himself a cup of tea, half-chokes and peers at the girl, then clears his throat and says, "Well, perhaps after we go to Themiscyra--"

    "WE?!" Agnes sits bolt upright. "Wait, what? Since when?!"

    Jon winks at Chas. "Donna Troy extended the offer to the both of us. She thinks Themiscyra would do me good, and she's probably right. And offered for you to go as well. So. If we can hold off on the discussion until then..."

    "Oh my /gods/," Agnes bubbles, and suddenly puts down her tea cup. "Hold on, I have to go text Sydney." And then she's bolting from the room, probably to get her phone from her luggage.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas sips more of his tea and smiles. "Quite the honor. You've more than deserved it, that's for sure" he says. "You going to take Cael or was she not offered the same courtesy?" he asks, arching a brow. "I'll admit, from what I know of her the idyllic paradise of the Amazonian homeland might be a bit boring for her."

    He smirks into his teacup. "You seem better already" and sets it down gently on the bar. "So what's the plan for the evening?" a wry smirk creases his features. "Aside from letting your daughter get the general lay of me as her future sitter?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "That depends on whether you're more up for watching documentaries or video games," Jon replies with a smirk. "Agnes goes back and forth, and on occassion has me sit and watch some sitcom with her, although she's started to get annoyed at me pointing out the plot holes. At least with video games she can say 'well clearly this was an excuse to have this boss fight."

    Look, he knows the term 'boss fight!' He's learning!

    "Anyway... thought I might cook something, and see what it does for your taste buds. Or the angelic energy masquerading as taste buds?" He ponders for a moment. "I'm sure you've had murgh makhani--butter chicken--but you haven't had my particular recipe. And I'd like to try a theory I have--see if the flavors come through more if I use my summoned water in the cooking."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles. He's played his share of video games, being more inclined to the millenial lifestyle than Jon. Even so he nods to Jon's suggestion. "I am up for that test..." he says brightly. "As for which way we go? Let's let the kid decide, if she ever decides she's done bragging to her friend." He picks up the tea and finishes it off. "It will be nice to have a quiet night for once." Or rather a calm before the storm.