View source for 12599/15 Fears: Threads of the Soul

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2022/08/27
|Location=Blake House
|Synopsis=The leadership of the JLD confront Pixie about the influence of the Mother of Puppets on her soul. A confrontation ensues and with the only casualty being Thomas' car, it seems that the young mutant is back to her usual fae self.
|Cast of Characters=979,392,384,3387,3364,2481
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake brings in a covered tray and sets it next to the other in the new living room. As opposed to the room he threw his bed and belongings in when he first opened the house. The living room was quite sunny and had a 90's era sofa in good shape and now a half dozen sturdy chairs. The covered trays were now on a large folding recreation table. The new coffee table was on order. Thomas' phone buzzes and he checks a text. The handler got home safely with Rasputin. The tiger was on edge around Megan, having seen her monster out once. Thomas finally brings a large pitcher of margaritas on the table. The smell of cooked meat filled the room. <br><br>"Megan? 'the Hell are you. I said to stay close." Damn he thought she was close! "Megs! Get in here." He casts about for the scent of flowers.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn has been growing increasingly nervous as they approached the day of the meeting. Rafael's Flask worked fairly well to stay the monster, but not nearly as well as when the phantasm cast it and he wasn't around all the time to watch her. She had also been spending more time at Thomas' place, knowing that at least he had ways of subduing her incase she monstered out. He could handle her,she hoped. At least until the big guns got here to..'Cure' her permanently.<br><br>Somehow that Mae her anxious and she spent a lot of time outdoors in the back yard, in nature where she felt a bit more at ease, and that's where she comes in from now as Thomas calls for her, dressed in a simple but cute mint green summer dress and sandals, pink hair looking wind blown and streaked with a bit more black than usual. Wings greyish black and flattened against her back. "I'm coming..Are they here yet?" she asks, maroon eyes darting about anxiously.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Despite the presence of margaritas, Mike steps out of the kitchen, holding a mug. The slight shimmer of heat coming from the top and the refilling whrrr of the single cup brewer in the room behind him betrays how recently the drink was prepped. "Anyone else want coffee?" He asks. A glance is given to the pitcher regretfully but the musician takes a moment to sipping his coffee while waiting for the answer.<br><br>Despite the purpose of the visit, Mike didn't make any changes to the way he dressed in response to it. Being off the clock from his stage persona, his attire is still extremely laid back: Secondhand clothes, neutral tones, and hair pulled back in a half-assed ponytail. Did he not consider the severity of the reason? Does he not care? Or is it because of what is on the menu? Who knows?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas was on point for this meeting. Is that intentional? No. But he is the one Mike's gone to about this so he decided it best if he lead the charge. He's dressed in a black camp shirt, dark blue jeans and his boots. He's left the heavy black long coat in the car. It's only a fraction less imposing without it; being the better part of six and half feet tall and nearing 300 in muscle does little favors for looking imposing, but he's doing his best here.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Remember, we're here on a fact finding mission," he says, mostly to himself rather than to his companions as he approaches the house, "I'd rather not scare the girl into flight if we don't have to... hence the locale as well." That and the Attendants haven't finished cleaning up the sitting room of the castle.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He reaches the door and reaches out to rap out three solid knocks with a large fist. He tries to put on a neutral, if friendly smile. He's not familiar with the man who owns it--he doesn't want much TV as it is--and so the uncertainty has him a bit on edge.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably for the best that they abandoned the original plan for the meeting and came to meet Megan on her own terms. This particular trio is going to have difficulty being non-threatening in the best of times; Jon manages to look short only in comparison to Chas, but even then he's the second-tallest person in the room.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The lanky man looks either nothing at all like one might expect a "wizard" to look, or else maybe exactly on point. His hair is currently bubblegum pink, which makes the choice of sky-blue shirt and grass-green ankle-length skirt all the more eye-popping. And then, of course, there's the magically-summoned arm, deep emerald green, impossible to miss. Bright and colorful, that's Jon, at least at the moment.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"She seemed alright last night," he comments to Chas, fiddling with the one obvious magical implement he brought, what looks like an ankh-topped baton hanging at his waist. "I'm sure it'll be fine." A beat. "Maybe, ahh, relax a bit? If things go sideways we can handle it, but walking in expecting trouble is only likely to lead to, well, trouble."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2481|Rien D'Arqueness (2481)}} has posed:'''<br>Rien is not imposing at all, on the other hand. All of 5'3" of blonde and blue-eyed French woman, she's perhaps the least imposing person in their little group. And yet, there's something about her that have an air of danger. Perhaps its the Howlett genes, perhaps its her advanced age, perhaps its something else entirely. But there's a lot of power contained in a small package with Rien.<br><br>She's in her usual stylish chic clothing. In this case a pair of faded denim 'boyfriend' style jeans with an oversized white linen shirt tucked itno the waist but left open revealing the light blue camisole underneath with the lace edging, and a pair ballerina flats.<br><br>She glances to Jon with a faint smile, then gives a nod and glances up to Chas, "He's right. The more tension you show, the more she's going to respond to it. Take a breath, drop your shoulders, and just wears your best barman smile." She looks back to Jon and murmurs, "I love that skirt, by the way."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake hears the knock and steps over to Megan, putting his arm around her. that shows support and makes it easier for a choke hold of the goddess rears her thirsty head. But he doesn't dwell on the unpleasant thought. "Let's meet your tea... hello? Okay... Mike, can you get the door as Megan's sort of rooted to the spot?" He leans close to Megan and whispers, "Legion of Doom is still taking applications... you may find them less scary... hello? Yeeeeeah." He starts pouring drinks out one handed, hanging onto the fairy. He pounds one back before the guests arrive.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn swallows at the sound of so,some at the door. Someone's. She should be relieved..They're the good guys right?But somehow she keeps assuming the worst. "Uh, yeah, let's just..Can we sit down for a bit? I dunno if I'm ready for this.." he leans in against him, shivering a bit, waiting anxiously for Mike to get the door.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Hearing the stiff knocking at the door, Mike glances over in the direction of the sound. Hearing Thomas's request, Mike gives a nod. "Yeah, I'll get it. " A glance is given over to Pixie, giving a small smile, "Relax, You've got this." <br><br>Words of encouragement given, Mike and his coffee moves over to the door. There is the sound of locks turning to announce to the three heads of their impending admittance. As the door creaks open, Mike makes a mental note to let Tom know about that before he looks to the trio. "Chas, Jon, and Rien." Mike starts, greeting them each with a nod of the head in the order that he sees them. The Wall of angel at the door making him the first to be seen. The bright colors act as the tiebreaker for the second. "Come on in. Tom's made food and drinks. But if you want coffee, tea, or hot cocoa we can manage that too."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas enters first, taking in the 'refurbished' state of the place and nods. "Drinks are fine" he says, still with that neutral smile. "Not a bad place you've got here" he says. "Housing market being what it is in the area," he says, taking a physical measure of Thomas upon their first meeting.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He steps aside letting the two less imposing individuals move in after him and perhaps to deflect a measure of the attention to them. He's the least personable of the three after all and in a meeting meant to convey unity and support, coming full bear angel probably isn't going to help matters.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jon smiles broadly, and it's not put on; it looks quite genuine. He steps inside and offers his hand--the magical one--to Mike and Thomas and Megan in turn. "Jonathan Sims," he introduces himself to Thomas in particular. "The Archivist. And, at least in this context, one of the leaders of the Justice League Dark. Drinks would be lovely."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He focuses on Megan for a moment, brow furrowing, properly /Looking/ at her. Whatever he sees makes the smile on his face falter and fade, and he sighs. "You're afraid," he says, not a question at all. "Don't worry. We're here to help. It'll be alright." He's using 'doctor' voice, much more soothing than Chas'.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2481|Rien D'Arqueness (2481)}} has posed:'''<br>Rien steps through the door last, closing it behind them, then turning to.. blink. "Thomas? Well, I wasn't expecting to see you here, but this is a pleasant surprise. How are you?" She smiles towards him before looking to Megan, "Hello Megan. How are you holding up?" The smile offered to her is softer.<br><br>"A drink does sound nice, thank you," She flashes another quick smile to Thomas before seeking out a place to sit. Because they'll look less threatening if they aren't looming over Megan. She settles in and looks to her, "I'm curious... what are you afraid of, Megan? You saw what was happening with Lydia, and we did our best to help her. Why would we do any less for you?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake greets Chas and Jonathan. "Hello, Rien. Yes I'm here now. How are you? No Gabby? Oh well. Please help yourselves to any of the food or drinks. I have wine and beer as well. I grilled some steaks and sliders and there's a salad though in my book salad is what prey eats. So... what do we do about this goddess taking residence in Megan? I knocked her out once when she took over, but I'm not sure how that will work next time. I used an autoinjector... it was my best estimate of a load to knock out Gabrielle. In fairness, I rather have a means to subdue her harmlessly and not need than do without of she flipped... also I did it after meeting her other sisters. Not you Rien."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn swallows a bit as Mike admits the three heads of JLD. It makes for a rather crowded home, but..She mostly keeps near to Thomas as they greet the three. "Umm...Mister Jon..Chas..Ms Rien.." she nods to each of them in turn, maybe a bit too formally, noting Jon's weirdo hair - was it always that pink? Chas is as big and scary and ever, and Rien is..Rien. Why is she so nervous anyway? It makes her laugh, shivering.<br><br>"Ahh..I'm okay, really..I've been casting Rafael's Flask like Mike taught me, and..Um..No more.,Outbursts.." she glances at Thomas and Mike, wondering just how much they revealed about that incident anyway..<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>"It's Tom's," Mike supplies to Chas, "I live in Manhattan but when down here I'm usually at the studio retreat down a ways." Usually. The musician walks with the trio into the new living room, gesturing over to the covered tray, the pitcher, and the partyware that's for serving with while Thomas makes the invite for them to help themselves. There's a glance to Chas "And after you do, please sit down and make yourselves comfortable." The tone is polite, but the message is clear. No looming in this house. Intentional, or unintentional.<br><br>Mike forgoes the food himself, seemingly content with the mug of coffee currently in his hand. He sips calmly, standing near Megan and Thomas only to take his seat once everyone's had a chance to serve themselves and find their own spots. <br><br>He nods to Thomas and Megan's accounts. Mike didn't really have much detail to give being that it happened when he was called away. But the general account, the damage, and the fact she was already subdued was more than enough to lend credence to the story.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas corrects Thomas on instinct. "Old God. Not goddess... what is infecting Megan is the corpse of an ancient thing that can't truly die. Lovecraft put it to poem pretty well with the The Nameless City, 'That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.' This thing is of the same breed at Cthulu."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His eyes flare a bit more blue at the mention of such a thing but he's doing his best to keep the majority of his shows of power to a minimum here. Her remembers -that- much from the warehouses, and again, no need to scare Megan off here and now... or to provoke her in a setting like this. Too much could go wrong.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He moves to a chair and takes a seat, before clearing his throat. "Sorry" he says, gesturing to Jon and Rien to take the floor so to speak. "I'll have a beer if you don't mind?" Not like any alcohol is going to do anything to him, but there is a bit of comfort and familiarity with a bottle in hand.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jon opens his mouth to chide Chas for his flaring of power, but Chas cedes the floor on his own and he nods. "These things are servants of Nyarlathotep, best referred to as other names. The Crawling Chaos is one, the Black Pharaoh another. Mercy's taken to calling him 'Narly,' which I find appropriate." He smiles. He grabs himself a margarita and a couple of sliders and goes to sit down, though he leans forward a bit as he addresses the others.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Specifically--there are webs all over your aura, Megan. It's clear that you've been heavily touched by the Mother of Puppets. But that doesn't have to mean that you need be afraid. I've been struggling with her for decades now, off and on. She's insidious, and subtle, and there's no shame in having fallen to her temptations, alright?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They look to Thomas. "What exactly... happened? You say the Old One 'took over'?" They raise their brows, tilting their head just a bit.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2481|Rien D'Arqueness (2481)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm doing alright, thank you, Thomas," Rien smiles towards him, crossing her legs and making herself comfortable. She turns that smile to Megan and murmurs, "We just want to see how we can best help to deal with the creature that's attached itself to you." Waving a hand, she makes a beer appear in Chas' hand, while a glass of wine appears in her own. Held by the stem, not the bowl, she's not a savage.<br><br>She looks to Jon, then back to Megan, sipping on her wine as she listens.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake lets go of Megan to get the beer requested. He hands it to Chas, and if he is intimidated, doesn't give a sign. "All due respect... I'm pretty sure this corpse god gender identifies as a female. I have experience in this. She was... insistent when I injected her and I had to finis her off with an uppercut. She's more a lech than a liche. But whatever -doesn't matter. How do we get it loose from her? I'm not having this thing hurt her or ruin what we just started. Unfortunately I had to resort to violence." <br><br>He sits down and nudges Megan onto a seat on the sofa beside him, taking her hand in both of his. Not exactly the look of a dangerous villain.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn hugs her arms tightly as she sits down on the sofa. "Um...Soo I'm just a puppet on strings? How much of my actions are still...Mine? Can I still be saved, will you do to me what you did to..Lydia..?" her voice seems small, a bit shaky, staring down at her feet. "I know, everyone just wants to help but...Will it...Hurt..?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Mike looks over to the Tom seated at the end of the sofa as well when Jon asks him for details of what happened. Perhaps hearing the story again would bring to light details he missed on the first time around.<br><br>After the explanation, Mike looks to the trio, "Since then I've worked with Megan so she's able to use a version of Raphael's Flask on herself should she find need for it. That's helped with issues. The Soul Dagger and portals seem like good indicators. Kind of like a mood ring."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas blinks as Rien brings a bottle to his hands and then he's offered one by Thomas as well. He'll take them both. "I think Megan giving her account first hand would be good..." he says idly. "We need to have an accurate account of what occured so we can know how to go about fixing it."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He cracks open the first beer and takes a draw from the bottle. "I got what I could from Mike, but he didn't experience it in the same way you did. Perhaps... something you say will tip one of us off to something in particular." He shrugs and looks to Rien and Jon for validation of the idea.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Lydia's alright, physically speaking at least," Jon notes to Megan. He shifts uncomfortably, then says, "Lydia had... attacked me. Changed my body, forcibly. The damage has been undone, but..." He stops, and frowns, and shakes his head. "If you've been fighting it, then you'll probably be alright."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He looks between Thomas and Megan. "There's a few options. The first, and best all around, is for Megan to fight it off herself. To... look at her darker side, whatever it is that the Mother of Puppets has attached itself to, and accept that, wholly. A fear of losing control, a secret desire to be in control, addiction--I don't know what it might be, but that's the /best/ option. It's /hard/, though. It took me years to work up to the point I could do that. So, again, no shame in not being able to."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He shrugs. "Barring that... exorcism of some kind, and then doing the personal work later." A pause. "We... can't promise it won't hurt. I'm sorry for that." He looks between Chas and Rien, frowning. "But I think Chas is right, Megan--it'd help to hear, directly from you, what spurred this. The nightmare, how this feels to you. How much of it is you is... hard to say, sometimes, and might be easier for you to tell after the fact. But I will say that these things don't really... the Old One isn't really /taking over/. It's much more what you say, the puppeteering, influencing your actions, causing you to act in ways you might not otherwise act. But you're not... possessed, really, no."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2481|Rien D'Arqueness (2481)}} has posed:'''<br>Rien sips from her glass, setting it aside as she leans forward to look to Megan, "We will do everything we can to help you. To make it as painless as possible. But there is no guarantee that it won't hurt. And that's for either option." She glances to Jon, to Chas, then back to Megan, "We've had to take some extreme measures, some chances, but it's always the choice of the person who is being targeted."<br><br>She smiles faintly, "In my case, I blew the top off of a tower at the edge of the Void... while I was still in it." Rien flicks a glance to Chas, "In Lydia's case, we had to help make it possible for her to overcome because it had gone on too long."<br><br>She looks back to Megan and smiles, "You still seem generally in control of yourself, you're not spinning webs in a lair of some sort... so it shouldn't be quite so extreme for you."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn nods in agreement to Mike's words. "Yeaah...I slacked a bit at first, but Thomas is sooo adamant that I do it all the time, so..Heh.." she laughs nervously, her wings turning slightly pink at the tips at some embarrassing thought. "Everything.l? Uh..Well.." she takes a long sip of her hot cocoa with milk and marshmallows, and a hint of baileys, just the way she likes it. Thomas has it down pat by now.<br><br>"Okaaay, I guess it was just little things, like I had a scary nightmare thingy where I saw myself as an evil scary demonic thing..And it talked to me in my own voice,told me how I would lose control, the hole in my soul would get bigger and bigger til I lost control, It told me it could help me become stronger..And I accepted."<br><br>She swallows, looking away, rather ashamed of herself as she clenches her hands tightly around the cocoa, Thomas offering comfort in the form of gentle back rubs and she continues. "Mike gave me that spell to ward bad dreams and negative influence away..It helped for a bit but sometimes I'd slip just a little..Like when fighting monsters, whenever I relied too heavily on my soul dagger I'd feel a blood rage rising in me, an urge to kill..My dagger would turn red and I'd nearly lose control..Til something pulled me back.."<br><br>An arched brow is tossed at Rien as she mentions something about it hurting a bit. If push comes to shiver perhaps. "Another time I..Kinda seduced Thomas, came on too strong, got Aggressive, dusted him with nightmare dust instead of calming hallucinations...That's when he....Took extreme measures.." she's like Totally blushing now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Mike looks over to the broodingly quiet Thomas as the options are laid out before Megan. As all the questions were directed to Megan and seemed presented reasonably, he didn't offer any further commentary. There is a point. What comes up next is Megan's call. Does she want to take the long and winding path down the gentle slope or would she rather hop off the ledge? <br><br>The mention of doing Raphael's Flask 'ALL' the time does gets a bit of a blink. He glances over to Pixie, then Thomas. Is that just the speech pattern or does she really mean...ALL of the time?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas frowns. "Was it only one thing or were there two of them?" he asks, taking another draw. "Like what was controlling the nightmare, was it a single entity or did you have a choice in the matter?" he asks. He glances to Rien and Jon. "I mean, with all the others, it was two right?" He gestures to Rien. "You have the fog and the thing that looked like you but wasn't..." Then he looks to Jon. "You had the big eyeball and the spider lady?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He shrugs. "I mean, even Lydia and Gabby seemed to feel there were two elements vying for the prize of... well, them." He looks back to Megan and Thomas. "I don't see why they would change their MO all of a sudden. So it stands to reason that they'd come as two here just the same. No reason to change it up yet. Unless they're just getting sloppy."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jon glances to Mike for a moment. "I want to commend you for doing so much to help Megan," he says quietly. "People with literally decades of experience with these things fall and falter. You've helped her get help very quickly. Thank you."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He nods aside to Chas. "Cael had the One Alone and the Twisting Deceit... Lydia had Viscera and Too Close I Cannot Breathe. Gabby had the Risen War and Blackened Earth. And I had the Ceaseless Watcher and Mother of Puppets."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He looks back to Megan. "Well... what would /you/ like to do about this? Like Rien said, it shouldn't be as bad as it was with Lydia."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:2481|Rien D'Arqueness (2481)}} has posed:'''<br>Rien gives Chas an odd look and shakes her head, "There was no... second one, with me. It was /only/ the I Do Not Know You. There was no choice, no other option. I've honestly been a little boggled by the fact that everyone else has dealt with two of them." She lifts a shrug and reaches for her wine, sipping on it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn blinks slowly, "Ummm I don't..Know? I just recall an evil, twisted version of myself. I guess I had a choice to accept or reject it..? That's all I know. As for what I want to do, I just want it out of my system before it can get worse. Bam! One and done." she claps her hands for emphasis.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Mike looks over to Chas, "Do you mean the fog that hit the boat? And the stuff with the mirror?" Right... That's not dealing with Megan.<br><br>Jon's comment causes for Mike to look over to Jon for a moment. "Huh? Uh thanks. I mean It's just lucky I had that song to work with." He reaches a hand up to scratch the side of his nose. Looking to Pixie. "So, your option was Demon or no Demon. You chose no Demon which turned out to be- Mother of Puppets." He looks over to the others, "Honestly, considering the aggression, I was kind of leaning towards entry on The Risen War being it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas frowns. "I... I don't know... Like we've said, they're all... intertwined to a degree. They... bleed into one another in various ways." He shakes his head. "We don't know if it's the Mother, that's just what I suspect, if it's about taking control and coercion." He nods to Megan, validating the examples she gave.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There's... really only a few ways to be sure... but it's... invasive and requires a bit of... release of that very thing that the Mother is so keen on keeping, Control." He sighs. "And I'd rather not go that route, especially if it could result in... retalitory action."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There's webs in her aura," Jon says firmly. "I was first targeted by the Mother of Puppets when I was /eight/. I know her signature. And she can be..." He pauses, and then says, "I mean, it was a giant cartoon spider that pulled a man through a door and ate him. She's subtle, until she's /really/ not." He shakes his head.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then he glances at Chas. "Well... exorcism... can we do that, without hurting her? Do you have any idea how to go about this?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn glances between them all, biting her lip. "Umm....Soo you think it's too dangerous to just exorcize it? I mean, I've been trying hard to suppress it but it's always there in the background. And I'm sure it doesn't help that I already have a hole of darkness in my soul." she sighs, "Is that why I can't just..Purge it easily on my own? Because it's already preying on the natural evil within me?" that makes her sad. And scared. Er.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Mike considers what Jon says and curiousity wins out. "So, do each of these guys do a mark distinctive from the others on the aura they're affecting? Would you be able to see overlapping marks on those approached by more than one?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas nods both all points presented. "It's part of why I put the associations in the dossier. Things that are indicative of them." He gestures to Megan. "Webs in her case..." He lets out a slow breath--a gesture that isn't necessary but conveys his feelings more than anything short of narrating them.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I think, with the techniques retrieved from the prison we might be able to get it out of you... it might try to hold on and it might try to stop us... both of which might be painful, to you or us... but we could do it." He fixes her with a blue eyed stare, the irises swirling with the same blue fire that engulfs his form when he's ready for a fight. "But it's up to you to let go and allow us. We can't force you to do anything you're not willing to do. It doesn't work unless you truly want it gone with every fiber of who you are."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jon shakes his head. "You're not naturally evil, Megan. Nothing is, really, I think. 'Evil' is a word we use for things that frighten us, threaten us. /Everyone/ has darkness in them--it may be more literal for you, but I very nearly got taken over by the Ceaseless Watcher. I was able to handle it because I spent /years/ preparing to. We can do this the fast way if you want."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He nods. "I think maybe you should... let 'her' out. Let us face what you've been suppressing, and we can pull it out and trap it. It might hurt, but it'll be done,if that's what you're wanting."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn blinks slowly at that. "Wait, you really want me to..Let loose? I mean, right now..?" she sits upright, frowning softly, "I mean, I could I suppose but it's..I'm anxious..I'm scared..But...lBut I don't want to feel this way anymore!" pink eyes flash angrily, scared, frustrated that this thing is trying to win her over slowly, corrupt her from within..<br><br>And maybe this will hurt but she's gotta be brave right?<br><br>She nods to Thomas' unspoken words and climbs to her feet, drawing a deep breath. "No, I'm not scared. I'm an Xman, I'm a hero..I can do this..." she draws a hand to her chest and draws the soul dagger, currently pink, bright pink. But as she focuses on the darkness of her soul, on the part where the evil things hide, where the ld god has taken hold of her soul, the dagger is slowly turning red..<br><br>"Dont say I didn't warn warn you.." pink eyes are slowly growing darker pink, the edges of her grey wings turning darker grey as her wings turn almost but not quite red.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Mike, to his credit, doesn't move from his spot on the sofa as Pixie makes the decision on her own and gets up. Catching a glance from Thomas, the pair seem to come to a quiet agreement.<br><br>Due to the proximity to Pixie and the general introduction to what someone under their influence was like just yesterday. Mike's features mirror themselves. Hopefully whatever Chas is planning will work.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas stands up from his seat, setting the bottles on the table a nod from the big man has Rien moving aside the table with a wave of her hand. "I will do my best not to harm you. But I will do as I am bound to protect those present, including myself." After the words he changes and blue flame surrounds his body and fills the holes of his eyesockets.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While his physical form doesn't grow the sheer presence of the angel is something of a marvel to behold. "<span style="color:#87ffff">Proceed as you will, Megan Gywnn</span>" he says, his voice overlayed with a majesty befitting his station. "<span style="color:#87ffff">We will see that you return to those you care about, cleansed of the filth tied to you.</span>" He nods to Rien to keep a steady eye as backup in the case that Megan's weapon of choice--infused with the dark power of the Old One--is enough to subdue even him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You know how to set up the crystal, or should I do that part?" Jon's fairly calm about Megan changing, evidently. He stands as well, his outfit changing from t-shirt and skirt to Egyptian-themed superhero armor in teal and blue and gold. Wings of similar colors flare out from his back, and a circlet on his brow bears a black feather.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Probably best if you draw it out and I do the imprisoning of this piece of the Spider, but--up to you, Chas," he says as he pulls the 'baton' off his belt and shakes it out to its full length. He eyes Megan's form as it changes, frowning slightly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake says levelly, "Listen goddess... you know you're going the blasted out of there in a minute, if Megan doesn't expel you. Why not just leave? You can't hope to profit from this." <br><br>Thomas leans over backwards, avoiding a wicked swipe of the soul dagger. "Okaaaaaay. As you will." He continues to bend in a backflip and comes up knife in hand. "You're not leaving with her."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>There is suddenly a lot of energy in the room. While the old god encourages her to let loose and unleash the darkness in her soul rather than holding back, Jon and Chas put up their own defences as they get ready to subdue it. But of course it's a trap. She snarls, taking a swipe at Thomas as he eggs her on, but that's just a warning shot. And the fun is only just beginning!<br><br>Her dragonfly wings are burning bright red, and..Suddenly they become hideous black bat wings once the light clears. Nails extend into long claws and the beginning of horns poke through her mostly black hair,streaked with only a few streaks of pink now. "You want me? Here I am!" she screeches, flapping her wings with eye blurring speed, showering the area with nightmare dust.<br><br>But of course the threat is real, too real, and she uses the distraction to back away and dart out the back door and into the yard..<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>As Megan and Chas start to get into their respective forms, it occurs to Mike that maaaaaybe they shouldn't be doing this inside the house. But as Pixie takes a swipe at Tom, the musician pushes off of the sofa, flipping to land his feet on the ceiling. Body oriented to aim towards Pixie, just in case.<br><br>And it seems making dramatic statements or speeches is an Old God thing. Granted, not as long as the one that tried storming the castle yesterday, but there's still the posturing. <br><br>Seems ToTC got something right in the characterization.<br><br>As Pixie starts to bolt, Mike seemingly shoves off the ceiling in a manner similar to a swimmer using a pool wall. But appearances seem to be just it. Physics does not explain the phantasm shooting off after the fleeing Fairy. Nor does it explain him going through the wall, bypassing the door Pixie needs to use to get outside. But the end result does have him in the backyard to greet her as she steps outside. All without saying some overused phrase like 'Not so fast'. <br><br>"Leaving so soon?"<br><br>...<br><br>Dammit. So close.<br><br>That show IS a bad influence.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Having no true internal organs the angel doesn't really need to breathe. The dust touches the fires around him and sparks of dark light flicker about him from the psychic energy released in the dust. "<span style="color:#87ffff">Phantasm, Thomas, and I will subdue. You contain</span>," he says as he moves forward to chase the fleeing girl turned demonic creature. He can't do the instant transport that many of his new kind can do, but he isn't slow either and his long legs can eat up a lot of ground in a short amount of time.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once in the back yard he fires a lance of angelic fire along the path of her departure to cut off any further escape and buy them time. "<span style="color:#87ffff">You and I are not finished,</span>" he says stoically. "<span style="color:#87ffff">We can be civil about this or we can remove you forceably. You will have one warning. Depart her form or face judgement.</span>"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jon may not /need/ to breathe, but he still does, and for a moment he's disorientated, blinking at things only he can see. But then the goddess whose power he's drawing on asserts herself, his eyes glow teal, so he can see past the illusions. "Bloody hell," he mutters, and starts off after the others, following Megan outside.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span class="fg_c bg_n ++ c">You can fight it, Megan! If you don't want her to control you, then tell her she has no power over you. There's no inherent evil for her to feed on--you can choose your actions, choose to be a good person. That's what everyone does.</span>"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake begins flicking imaginary objects from his hands and arms with his knife. He works faster and faster and begins scoring shallow cuts and nicks. "N-nononono!" He straightens and runs outside where he runs right to the tiger pen which he falls into with a dull thud. <br><br>"At least I took those damned scorpions with me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn darts and twirls, avoiding the lance of angelfire shot her way. "What makes you think she doesn't like this form?" she hisses, wings still flapping, shedding a blinding windstorm of nightmarish glitter dust, attempting to at least blind or confuse the heroes with their assorted apparent immunities to her nightmare inducing dust. "This is who I really am, why should I stop?!" she laughs, "I've never felt freer..Sihalnovarumchinoth!"<br><br>She yells, opening a particularly large portal, swallowing up a large car as she turns to face them, a second portal opening up above Jon/Chas/Thomas and the car comes flying towards them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>As the dark Pixie uses her magic to fling a car towards the others, the Phantasm uses this moment of not being present on the Fairy's mind to launch himself at her. A hand lifts up with the intent to clamp over her mouth while the sensation of an arm wraps around. Almost hug like. <br><br>Almost. The lack of sensation of a body attached to the arm and hand doesn't work with the visual. "Demon look or not you are still Pixie. And Pixie would NEVER hurt her friends. Pix, Tell that bitch she's got to go."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The blinding dust from Pixie's wings forces Chas to cover his eyes in relfex. Some things about being an angel are harder to get accustomed to than others. Which is why he doesn't notice the car dropping upon him until it's too late. The vehicle lands on him with devastating force, flattening the angel form to the ground. Blue flames lick at the underside of the car which is the only indication of Chas' apparent consciousness for those who know him.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A low groan emerges from the depths and a hand starts to drag itself from the wreckage, it's bought Pixie some time enough to mount another attack or to evade her current captor.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span class="fg_c bg_n ++ c">Whether or not Megan likes that form--that's up to /her/. She can use the power or not, but it should be /her/ choice.</span>" Jon launches himself into the air as the car flies toward them, so it misses him; he hesitates to glance toward Chas, but his friend is moving, so he focuses on Pixie, trying to keep her attention so Mike can get hold of her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The glitter dust does worse to him than the nightmare dust did; he puts up an arm but it's got about the same effect as a flashbang. He flinches away, blinking and trying to recover his senses.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake gets up, a run up the wall of the pen and a leap gets him... in the path of a portaled car! He dives out of the way, thoroughly annoyd by god and hallucinations and... "Sonuvabitch! That was my van!" <br><br>"Megan! I'm calling you on this shit right now! et your sassy butt down here!" Seeing this has about as much effect as giving a time out to a hurricane, he draws and throws a catarang with a practiced motion at the fairy. <br><br>"I said get down here. We need to talk!" He watches the 'rang sail though the air.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>Megan Gwynn narrows her eyes, starting to fly higher in the air. With two of the big shots momentarily distracted, she has bigger plans. The word 'velvet room' and 'prison' is murmured under her breath and reaching a hand to the sky, she once again calls "Sihal Novar---!"<br><br>Suddenly an unseen hand gags her, an arm pulling her back. Eyes widen in anger and confusion at his words. A part of her wants the power, wants to be taken seriously. But..These are her friends..<br><br>Still that voice in her head is hard to ignore, egging her on, they want to stop her from achieving greatness, from helping her control the power within, of owning it..How dare they! She summons her dagger, about to stab The Phantasm..When..<br><br>"Mmmmph!" she utters a Yelp of surprise as the catarang hits her hand, the dagger falling from her grasp.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>Seeing the flash of pink of the dagger, the Phantasm starts to let go of the shoulder. The presence of the catarang is missed until Pixie shouts out. <br><br>Seeing the weapon out of hand, Mike reaches his arm back over, clamping down on Pixie before he kicks an unseen object to push themselves towards the ground.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chas extracts himself from the car in time to see the sliver of the dark pink soul blade falling out of the sky. He takes a few stides and slides forward, catching it rugby stlye. The interaction with his own angellic aura and the blade makes him frown and he instead catches Jon's attention. "<span style="color:#87ffff">Jonathan, catch!</span>" he says, tossing the blade to the Archivist.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He turns to regard Thomas. "<span style="color:#87ffff">Those are rather useful tools aren't they?</span>" he says, giving Thomas a small smile of appreciation for the assistance. "<span style="color:#87ffff">I apologize for the damage done to your vehicle,</span>" he adds, looking and the remains of the van that nearly crushed him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3364|Jonathan Sims (3364)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jon's still blinking away the effects of the glitter dust as Mike and Thomas start to bring Pixie down. He recovers in time to see the dagger flying toward him; his eyes widen and he drops his staff in order to grab it out of the air. He blinks rapidly, staring down at the thing, covered in webs to his eyes.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span class="fg_c bg_n ++ c">Well this just won't do,</span>" they murmur. They conjure up a ball of sunlight in their hand--not the warm afternoon light they use to heal, but the blazing noonday sun of the desert. Sekhmet's power, rather than Ra's. He passes that fire over the dagger, to burn away the webs surrounding it, and as the pieces burn away he reaches out and plucks out the tiny little spider that spun those webs, struggling to get away.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span class="fg_c bg_n ++ c">Oh no you don't. Here.</span>" They conjure up a tiny blue crystal that surrounds the tiny spider, then wills that crystal to the Velvet Room's prison. When it's all done, they'll give Megan back her soul dagger, hopefully purified.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:979|Thomas Blake (979)}} has posed:'''<br>Thomas Blake manages to get under the falling fairy. He beaks her fall, and possibly Phantasm and sinks to the ground. He strokes her black hair. "You have to do the rest yourself. You need to deal with this darkness, without her whispering in you ear. If this is what you are now... I can deal with it. But, you need to come back to me. I love you." <br><br>He hugs the fairy tight, claws, bat wings and horns.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:392|Megan Gwynn (392)}} has posed:'''<br>The dark pink, nearly red dagger flickers and glowed brilliantly, fiercely as Chas catches it and tosses it to Jon..And oh, the webs on that one are quite impressive. He makes quick work of the evil influence thankfully, and the dagger starts to flicker and fade to a lighter pink..But..Is Megan truly ready to reject this evil being..?<br><br>As she lands, thankfully Thomas breaking their fall, she glances around at the damage she has done, the destroyed car that nearly flattened Chas. <br><br>The truth behind Mike's words, and tears start to roll down her eyes. The price of power is not worth this. "Thomas...Everyone! I...I'm Soo sorry!" <br><br>She sons, hugging Thomas tightly, black hair quickly everting to pink..Mostly.<br><br>Even without the god's influence, she will always have a streak of darkness in her soul, just waiting to be corrupted. But maybe now she can control it better.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:384|Michael Hannigan (384)}} has posed:'''<br>As Tom sets out to break Pixie's fall, the Phantasm instead ends up falling through Tom. Hand leaving Pixie's mouth, the phantasm stumbles to a stop before looking back to the reformed villain and the crying Pixie. <br><br>Got to work on those landings.<br><br>The musician looks over to Chas and Jon for a moment before stepping towards Tom and Pixie. Mike's features shift, everything moving back to where they should be. "Pixie? You alright?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:3387|Chas Chandler (3387)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The fire surrounding Chas fades to nothingness and he's back to being the man he was before the tranformation. "I think we're done here" he says to the other leaders of the JLD. "Megan, take some time to rest. To recover. The VR isn't going anywhere and you know where to find us, when you need us. With some work, you could perhaps learn to control that power of yours without the assistance of a dark god."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He nods to Mike and Thomas briefly. "I'll be in touch about any of the damages. Reparations. After all, not your fault that your girlfriend was under the influence of an elder thing." That done he starts to make his way through the home and back the way he arrived.<br> <br>
}}