12166/The Last Archivist: What Comes After

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The Last Archivist: What Comes After
Date of Scene: 24 July 2022
Location: Chas' Apartment, Gramercy Park, New York
Synopsis: Cael and Chas return to Chas' apartment to inform Agnes about her father's missing state and to offer words of encouragement on his return and her involvement in his life once he returns.
Cast of Characters: Chas Chandler, Cael Becker, Jonathan Sims




Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas isn't out for as long as one might expect. Maybe 3 minutes after Rien tosses him into a private room he emerges, looking only moderately confused as to how he managed to get to the Velvet Room from the field of battle. "I guess it was success--" he starts before noticing the one who isn't around: Jon. "...oh bugger all..." he mutters.

    He frowns and approaches Cael. "Think you can fill me in and then we can go tell his daughter? She deserves to know and hearing it from both of us will help her process it some... I hope." He pauses and seems to consider the situation a bit more before adding, "We're going to get him back... one way or another." There seems to be no question of that in his tone.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael was just stepping back in through the door at the top of the stairs, hoping to check in on Chas. She's changed clothes - and by changed, she's //put clothes on// after turning wolf-like had de-clothesed her. She's now dressed in comfortable sweats and a loose tank top, and has used a wash cloth to quickly brush off some soot. She's barefoot - and carrying some bandages with her, intent perhaps on bandaging her hands and feet which seem a little worse for wear, and her hair on her left side is partly scorched away - she's going to need a new haircut. Bear pushes in behind her - intentional or not, there you have it.
    "Oh, you're... back up. Yeah, uh- if you can help me with the bandages, I'll explain."
    She settles down on one of the couches, offering him the bandages and a burn cream as she goes over the explination of events, from the fight, to Jon and Annabelle willingly leaping through the gap. "He spoke in my head," she concludes. "He said he's coming back. I don't think he can lie psychically anymore than he could vocally."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Burn wounds are rough, even even with the healing of the were-ability in her, it's going to take some time given the source. But Chas is more than familair with the stuff. He applies it accurately as he listens to the tale. When she offers the closer he nods. "That helps then..." he replies. "Bloody Balrog play that is... I swear..." he mutters as he packages up the remains of the bandages and cream.

    He rises from the seat and moves toward the door to the library. He removes his velvet key from his jeans' pocket. Inserting the key into the door allows it to open onto a modest looking appartment. "You coming?" he asks, gesturing for the woman to follow. "I'll call you a cab, or an uber if you want to be a bleedin' contractor, once we're done."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "A cab - sure," Cael agrees, letting out a brief laugh. She's trying not to let her worry show - Jon believed they'd be okay, and asked for trust. She... would have to trust. She pulls on some socks, awkwardly, once the bandages are in place - and follows Chas through the door with Bear on her heels - only to have the pup let out a happy bark as he immediately greets Lady with some playful springs, excited to see his friend. "Yes, yes. You've missed Lady, we know," Cael says in amusement as she steps through.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas apartment is... different from what anyone would expect. It's not like the penthouse Cael and Jon have, but there is a sort of comfortably homey-ness to the place. Two bedrooms, Chas has given Gabe his room for the duration (not like he needs the bed) and Agnes has been gifted the spare bedroom. There are a number of accoutrements that are decidedly Chas.

    The tapestry of the Union Jack behind a comfortable looking, but definitely secondhand couch, and a pair of equally secondhand sitting chairs, screams British ex-pat. A couple of flags for a few Premier Leagues and a pair of crossed longswords above the bar separating the small kitchenette and the living area are very much telling signs of the cabbie turned supernatural warrior. The entertainment system, with a pair of gaming systems beneath a large flat screen TV are more millenial than one would expect, given everything else but all in all it's clean and does a good job of conveying a sense of home.

    "Agnes?" he calls as he enters, letting Cael step into the place before pulling to door shut and pocketing his key once more. "You around?" He gives the dog a ruffle scritch on her head before continuing in. "Can I get you something, beer, water, juice?" he offers Cael. Despite the grim word they have to deliver, no reason to not be a polite host.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes is on the couch, curled up around her phone, staring at it without really seeing it. She knew where Chas was going went he left, and wasn't happy about having to stay behind. So she's been sitting up, even while Gabe's in the bedroom sleeping. When Lady gets up to go greet the others, Agnes looks up with relief in her eyes. "Chas! Cael! You're back!"

    A pause. Then, slowly, "...Where's Dad?" Her tone's switched from happy relief to dread all at once. Her breath's already coming faster. "He--he can't be dead. I'd know. Right? I'd know. The... the Archive, I'd..."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Beer'd be good," Cael agrees - before the anxiety in Agnes' voice takes all her attention. "He's not dead," she confirms immediately, moving towards the girl to join her on the couch. She sits beside her, putting an arm around her to gently pull the teen in towards her shoulder - if she allows it. "Look - we found somthing unexpected - a tear in reality, basically. Jon went through to seal it up from the other side. They promised me - they promised //us// - that they'd come back. They loves us both, and they'll be back. We just have to trust them, okay?" she says encouragingly, trying to put every ounce of hope and faith she has into those words.
    Jon'll be back, because they can't lie. They can't.
    "Chas - can you also start a pot of tea?" she suggests.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    In point of fact, that was the first thing Chas had started when he went into the kitchen. The pot was already on the stove and heating. He goes to the fridge and gets a dark bottle before popping the top off with the proper tool and setting it before the pair on the coffee table. He uses a simple wood and cork coaster--nothing wrong with a little civilized touch to his lifestyle.

    He nods to agree with Cael. "He'll be back... think of it like..." he pauses. "You've read Tolkien, right?" he asks. "Gandalf and the Balrog. We fought the Balrog, but couldn't take it down. Your dad stayed behind to finish the job--which he will--and when he comes back he'll be right as rain. Better than that even." He frowns and looks to Cael, wondering if they should reveal all of it to the girl. How The Blackened Earth wants her for its own.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Gandalf /died/ when he fought the Balrog," Agnes protests. "He came back different. Gandalf the White. That's not--that's a terrible example." She shakes her head, pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, putting her chin on them. She does go ahead and lean into Cael, but she's staring into the distance a little.

    "He keeps leaving," she says softly. "I mean, it's /always/ that he'll 'be back.' Of course he will. Eventually. Someday." She sniffles. "S-sometimes I think Elias was right. I think he's--he's too busy saving the world to--" She suddenly buries her face in her arms, shoulders shaking silently.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Jon already did the dying and coming back changed part. If they go and do that again - well. It starts to become a cliche, and Jon's not the cliche type, are they?" Cael answers Agnes - trying to keep her tone light. She gives Chas a brief nod, then reaches forward for the beer - but before she can even take a sip, Agnes is crying.
    "Hey..." she says in an unusually gentle tone. "I know it's scary. I wish things were more stable - especially for you, but Jon loves you. He told me to tell you... that they love you. And I'm here and - hell. Chas's here, too. You're not alone. You have a family, and a community, that loves you for //you.// And not for what you can do for us, you know? And we all want you to have a chance to go to school, and be a teen, and fall in love, and all of that. You know?" Her arm gives Agnes a squeeze.
    "This thing we were fighting - this 'Balrog' - it wanted to burn the whole Earth to cinders. We had to get rid of it, and seal it off but- I mean, as much as you and I want Jon here, with us- they did this for us. To protect the Earth for us, and everyone else on it. Jon wants us to trust them, and- well. That's my plan."
    She's silent a moment before adding, "But it fucking sucks. You know?" That said - she takes a swig of the beer.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas winces as he is reminded of the error in using that metaphor. "It does but..." he sighs. "I think that your dad had a lot hanging over his head. Loose ends to his life. Things he needed to take care of and this... this is the end of it."

    The pot starts to whistle and Chas moves back to the kitchen. "I know it's a bit late but... I'm sure he'll be more attentive to what you need and what his family needs" he says as he prepares two cups of tea, one for himself and one for Agnes. Does he know how the girl likes her tea? Absolutley not, but he's going to try. He makes it a touch less sweet than he makes Geraldine's, with less sugar and cream. It's more robust and more sophisticated... which is how he sees the girl in comparison to his Sunshine.

    He sets Agnes' tea before the girl (again with a coaster) and settles down into a chair next to the couch with his own. "I just... I know he loves you and part of this fight was... for your sake as well as his own. You're in this world, without you... he wouldn't be fighting as hard as he is against these things from his past."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "That's not--" Agnes lifts her head a little, just enough to be audible, without really raising her face so the adults can see it. "Everyone else at school, their parents are /normal/. They have, you know, jobs, and they go to work and they come home and sometimes they're working from home or whatever but they're... /there/. Sydney never has to wonder if their dad's just going to disappear for the weekend to go halfway across the world or to /Wonderland/ or... /fall out of reality/..."

    She sniffles again. "It's just not fair." Oh, the eternal lament of the adolescent. "He's not going to /stop/. He's a /superhero/. And he says I can't be, so I can't even--none of my friends understand, at /all/, they think it must be /brilliant/ to have the Archivist for a Dad. They don't /get/ it. Nobody /gets/ it!" She clenches her hands into fists.

    "I'm supposed to just--just sit here and wait, and wonder, and /wait/, and /wait/, and it's just..." She presses her face to her arms again, gloved hands clenching even tighter.

    "What if he misses my birthday?" she half-mumbles in a tiny voice.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It's not fair," Cael agrees. "You're absolutely right." She smiles sadly as she adds, "Does it help at all if I understand? Because- yeah. I fucking hate this." For just a moment, she lets a little pain leak into her own voice. "I don't want to sit here wondering where they are right now, and what they're going through, and- just when they'll be back. But- But what other choice do I have? I love Jon. So... we wait, and we trust together. It's better than waiting alone, at least."
    She gives Agnes' shoulder a squeeze as she adds, "If they miss your Birthday, then we'll celebrate twice. And it won't be the same, and it won't be right - but it's what we can do."
    Bear has finished greeting and sniffing at Lady, and has noticed the pain and grief in the room at last. He lets out a little whine, coming towards the couch so he can rest his head on it, nuzzling Agnes' leg, and licking at her arm.
    Cael, meanwhile, glances at Chas for a moment, then back towards the girl as she adds in a quiet voice, "And for what it's worth... I do love you, too, Agnes."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas pretends not to hear Cael's admission of affection to the girl. Cael's allowed her secrets. He busies himself with sipping his tea. "There's... another thing about it that we should tell you" he says fixing the girl with a more direct look. "This thing we fought. This balrog... it was... it had a name. I don't know how much you know about Sumerian myth but it was goong by the name Asag... but it was from... it was an Old One."

    He pauses, letting the girl focus on it. "It was a manifestation of The Blackened Earth... or so it claimed. I imagine that is one in line with the things attacking our group." He sets his tea down before him and leans forward. He wants to paint this as gently as he can but sometimes... there isn't a gentle way for some information. "And it caught me in a lie. Or well... an error more than a lie, I guess. It wanted you. You as the Archivist. So that then it could take you and use you to destroy the Earth and then... everything else."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Agnes leans into Cael a bit and sniffles. "At least you get to be /with/ him," she mutters. "You're a superhero too, and all." Which is the crux of the issue: she's not on her own team of teenaged superheroes, or at Happy Harbor among other super-powered teens. So she feels left out, left behind. But how can she explain that when Jon has been /so/ adamant she's too young?

    She listens to Chas' statements and then just curls up further. "Why would I destroy the world? I /like/ the world." She shakes her head. "Why does everyone want me to destroy the world? I want to be a /hero/. I want to--to /save/ the world. If--if Dad saving the world is more important than spending time with me, then--that means it's /really/ important, right?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    After another swig (and a brief frown at Chas - she really hadn't planned on taking that choice from Jon,) Cael sets down her beer, and turns towards the girl, wrapping both arms around her, and resting her head on her back, while Bear continues to nuzzle at her and whine.
    "There is nothing more important to Jon than you are. ...and that include me and Martin. And I firmly believe that you're going to grow up to do //amazing// things. Whatever you put your mind to."
    She lets out a sigh before she adds, "I know it must be hard to be left behind - I'm sorry. In a few years, you'll be fighting alongside us, if that's your choice. I know that feels like forever, right now... But in the meantime, you can practice and train if you want." She's silent for a moment before asking, "Do you want to start leaning hand-to-hand?" she offers. "I don't think Jon can protest that. The more you know to keep yourself safe... the better. And then in a few years, you'll be more prepared. Yeah? And we can keep doing the firearms training. And do a little more time on the track with the motorcycles..."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shakes his head. "I don't know why they want you... I'm sure your father has some idea, or at least can figure out some idea... but Cael's right" he says. "What's important right now is that you focus on what's important to you. If you want to start training in more ways to defend yourself, then we can start training--either now or once he comes back, that's between the three of you."

    He smiles. "I just... I felt it was important for you to know that he's out there doing everything he can to protect -you-. That you're not forgotten. That you're not brushed aside. You are first and foremost in his mind." He sips his tea. "And I'm sure he'll say that very same thing himself when he returns. Which I am certain he will."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You really think that?" Agnes murmurs. "That I'm... the most important thing? I don't... feel like it." She sighs, and slowly pulls herself out of the curled-up ball into which she's forced herself. "I don't want to /train/. I want to be /out/ there."

    Then she lets ot a long breath. "But I guess... umm... it /will/ be better to be trained than not. So... yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." She smiles, just a little, and reaches up to wipe at her eyes.

    "Do you... do you think they're okay? Even if they can't die all that easily, they can get hurt. They can be scared. I just... I'm /so/ worried..."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You and me both," Cael admits, giving Agnes a tighter squeeze for a moment, before she pulls away slightly - just enough so that she only has one arm draped around the teen, rather than two. "But the best thing we can do is trust in them, and get through this together, and be there for them when they get back."
    She smirks as she adds, "And if there's one thing Chas and I agree about - it's how important you are to Jon. You'rre always first in their thoughts.
    "Now - I'm not going to go easy on you with the training," she adds, giving Agnes a nudge. "So you better be ready for that. It's hard work - but it's important if you're going to be safe out there."