14037/Where all past years are-

Where all past years are-
Date of Scene:	05 February 2023
Location:	American Museum of Natural History
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Terry O'Neil, Kian, Gar Logan, Rachel Roth

---

Terry O'Neil has posed:
~The world is full of stories about brave heroes, magical events, and fantastic beings. For thousands of years, humans everywhere-sometimes inspired by living animals or even fossils-have brought mythic creatures to life in stories, songs, and works of art. Today these creatures, from the powerful dragon to the soaring phoenix, continue to thrill, terrify, entertain, and inspire us. We seem to catch glimpses of these creatures all around us: hiding beneath the ocean waves, running silently through the forest, and soaring among the clouds. Some symbolize danger. Others, we think, can bring us luck or joy. Together mythic creatures give shape to humankind's greatest hopes, fears, and most passionate dreams.~

That was the blurb that accompanied the intro for the mythical creatures exhibit publicity. In truth, it was an exhibit that had been part of the museum's prior roster in the late 90s, but which the museum thought fitting to bring back... with some updates to reflect, well, more recent happenings.

Such as the fact that there were Amazons in the world, and that they could attest to the existence of, say, pegasi. And that Terry's uniform camera captured images of what was definitely Cerberus being petted by Waspette and Robin. The museum had reached out to certain individuals to provide consultation in the curation and updating of the exhibits. The Themysciran addition was... sizable.

"I admit this one looks a lot more fearsome than the Cerberus /we/ met... but only because it was being a Goodboy at the time," Vorpal muses. This particular statue was on loan from the Themysciran embassy. The impressive marble is listed as having been created by the sculptor Basilia. On the information plaque there is, in fact, mention that the Titans did, indeed, meet Cerberus. Although there is no mention of the use of a giant bouncy rubber bone. Because of the Amazons' involvement with the exhibit, Terry suggested that a small group go and partake of the exhibit- after all, if the Embassy had been involved, then that means Donna must have done her fair share of paperwork and consulting. At least this is one exhibition that she has been involved with that /won't/ get trashed.

"I am disappointed that they didn't reach out to me about information on the Cheshire Cat," the cat tells his Titan friends, "We are pretty mythical."

Kian has posed:
    Kian chuckles.  "Aren't you the one who's always telling me not to call things 'mythical' because they have some grounding in reality?  And the original Cerberus looked plenty scary.  This statue has the advantage of not moving."
    After a moment's reflection, he adds, "Or slobbering."
    The phoenix holds his attention for a while, and he gazes at it as if it's familiar somehow.  "I don't want to be mythical or legendary.  That's way too close to being avatar for my liking."

Gar Logan has posed:
"It only makes sense they'd do something like this," Gar says, dressed in comfortable, casual attire. A polo shirt that's purple, tucked in! Slacks that are black! And, his custom sneakers with the paw-print pattern on the soles. "And I've been a few of these, myself."

He nudges Vorpal in the side, adding, "They're probably working on a completely separate display for him, or you, or whatever. You don't really want to share the spotlight with all of these creatures, do you?"

That phoenix pendant is worn as well, and he turns it back and forth absently a couple times. "I'm already legendary," he informs the Akiar.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Convincing Raven to leave the tower is a daunting endeavor. One must first gather the courage to speak to her in the first place, which is a herculean feat in and of itself. Then, the hurdle of finding something to do that Raven would even care to do is a high enough bar that most do not even attempt. Finally, it requires persistence. Even from Donna the level of persistence required to make Raven budge is tasking.

    Yet, through a combination of their own wills and individual talents for unending annoyance, the thruple of Gar, Kian, and Terry have managed the task. Inviting her to an exhibit of mythological proportions, literally and metaphorically, is just enough that she doesn't teleport them into the nearest septic tank.

    Thus, she is here behind them by a margin, making sure that she is keeping appropriate distance to converse if needed, but deny association at any opportunity. They linger at the statue of Cerberus, and Raven considers it for a time. "It certainly was less ferocious in appearance when we met it. That was our fault. I am sure it prefers this depiction."

    Her head turns to regard Terry, and there is a singular, raised brow. "Oh yes, because you could provide a single immutable fact about the Cheshire. You are an expert."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpak returns the raised eyebrow, "Well, it's either me or Gar, and you remember what Gar was /like/ when he was the Cheshire." He gives Gar a glimpse. Perhaps Rae has forgotten Cheshire Gar's interjections during the case of the Alternate Troia- such as that glitter-written love confession.

Let's be honest: we know she hasn't forgotten, she is merely biding her time. He glances at the Cerberus statue again. "You know... I'd love to visit Themyscira again. I wonder if they'll ever invite us back..." he speaks with a certain wistfulness.

He glances down the exhibit. There's a reproduction of Moretto da Brescia's painting, 'Saint Justina with the Unicorn,' in the Unicorn exhibit. "That's something I haven't seen yet- a unicorn. Hey, after this exhibit we could go down to the next one, there's an exhibit with newly-discovered artefacts of Agrippa and-"

His cat ears twitch for a moment.

"Did you guys... hear that?" he turns to the other Titans. But there wasn't any audible sound. Or one heard by animal ears, even.

Kian has posed:
    "Terry was a reporter.  He knows how to differentiate reporting from... not reporting."  Yes, Kian says this with a completely straight face.  "And I'd like to visit Themyscira again too.  Even with all the military practice, it was a very peaceful place."
    And then he looks up sharply glancing up toward the next hall.  "Did you--"  He blinks at Terry.  "Hear, no.  Sense, yes.  A mental signal.  It didn't say anything, just a sort of ping."
    Automatically he starts walking in that direction.  He's been on Earth too long.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan boasts, "I was a natural. Sort of like when I'm like you, Kian." He mimes flexing, as if it's a matter of strength, but he doesn't carry on about it. There are things that are better left in the past when it comes to how he acted when he was the magical feline of a green purrsuasion. Not the glitter bazooka, though. That was worth it.

"I'm sure we'll be back there sometime. We /are/ heroes, after all." He keeps an eye on Raven because that's just what you do when she's around. One never knows what she'll say or do, and being aware of her at least gives the illusion of having a chance to flee.

Shaking his head, he reaches up to lightly bat once at the back of Vorpal's head. "Nope. Didn't hear a thing. Better get your tuning checked, because..oh." Kian's confirming that something's going on, and he peers from face to face before starting after the birdman. "Look at you, walking right into whatever it is."

Rachel Roth has posed:
    "If you had been clever," Raven explains, "You would have understood that I asked if you could name an immutable fact about the Cheshire. Paradoxically, the only immutable fact about it is that there /are/ none." Her tone is chiding- this is the sort of thing she feels Terry should know, after all.

    "I would not be surprised if there is a plaque in Themyscira with your names on it that explicitly forbids you from being invited back. It would be a unanimously supported policy." Sure, as long as everyone there thinks like Raven and shares her opinion, something that she could make an island do if it really came down to it. However, she has not had to yet- because they have not invited Terry back, and she has not had to change their minds.

    It is as she's saying that that her head turns towards the next exibit. Her eyes narrow, and the shadow in her hood seems to deepen. Sure, it could be nothing, but it's never nothing, there has never been a happening of any kind that has been nothing, and it's always /something./

    That she is here to have to deal with it is blamed squarely on whomever of the three is closest to her at the time, and that blame will likely shift to Vorpal as events come to pass if it hasn't already, as Raven begins walking further into the museum.

    "Something is certainly about to go very wrong."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The next exhibit down the hall is a little different, but arguably it could be thematically linked. Science And Mysticism: Agrippa and Paracelsus. It is dedicated to the life and works of Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, two polymaths of the Renaissance who were also renown for not only dabbling into science, but also mysticism and occultism. It is full of the expected accoutrements, with mentions of astronomy and astrology, a recreation of Paracelsus' alchemical library with smatterings of his writings, some other relics belonging to the great men, and musings by Great Experts of the dichotomy of believing both in science and mysticism-

They clearly have not reached out to Doctor Strange to update this particular exhibit, clearly.

"... why is it always museums?" Vorpal asks, following after Raven and Kian, giving Gar a look.

There is nothing to see here, to the naked eye. However, there is one particular item, an astrolabe displayed with some of Agrippa's belongings under glass is particularly notable for its beautifully-elaborate setting featuring winged creatures of some elegant and grace.

But it's also notable for the fact that, to Raven's eyes, there is a figure slowly emerging from the tool. It shimmers lke moonlight, and it appears to have the semblane of a transluscent young woman. As she emerges further from the tool, a noticable breeze suddenly runs through the halls, upsetting pages, moving hair. And there's that crystalline laugh.

And suddenly, the lights dim significantly, and /she/ becomes bright enough that suddenly she can be seen by everyone. Her eyes fix on Raven, and then on the others, and lets out another giggle.

"... Ich fuhle mich genug besucht!" she exclaims, her voice full of delight.

Kian has posed:
    "It was just a mental ping, it didn't feel like it meant any harm," Kian calls back over his shoulder to Gar.
    Spoken like someone who grew up on a world without threats and still has trouble identifying them.
    Kian of course notices the winged creatures on the astrolabe first.  Because he would.  And then he backs up first one step, then two more, as the psychic presence begins to overwhelm him.  Hopefully he doesn't back into Rae.
    "Visited enough?"  Three cheers for translator technology.  He glances over his shoulder for his teammates.  "This is not normal, right?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Oh, you say that all the time," Gar chides Raven in a light manner. "I have a bad feeling about this," he adds, in his own Jedi-like way. Not that Raven's senses are wrong all that often.

Museums? He returns the look, hands going up for a moment. "Because the gods - or whatever you actually believe in, even if it's a giant space whale or a talking raccoon into heavy weapons - are mocking us?"

The greenest Titan squints at the new display, a half-step back taken as a breeze blows through. "I think I saw something like this in Ghostbusters," he says, dryly. "So to go back to that again, you know what to say if someone asks us if we're gods."

There's no answer to Kian at first, but when the lights go down and the strange being that's now visibly glowing shows up and speaks to them, his brows scrunch together. Kian's translation or not, he remarks, "And Ich bin ein Berliner, to quote JFK. Uh, who are you?"

In a stage-whisper he adds, "Oh, no, by now this is starting to feel /very/ normal."

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven had been excited for this section of the exhibit. Agrippa and Paracelsus are scholars by nature- their knowledge and dive into the occult was not born of magical parentage, but rather thirst for it. They learned everything they could of it not because of some predestined need to discover their own nature, but to explore the nature of things outside of their own.

    It didn't really end well, but at the same time, their accomplishments are some to be lauded. "It's always where we happen to be at the time. We just visit a lot of museums." Raven notes, her tone taking on that slightest hint of dismissively irate that she gets when something weird and likely silly and probably dangerous and almost certainly strangely stupid is about to happen around her and Donna isn't there to make sense about things.

    The being that emerges catches Raven's eye, and it then becomes self-evident that Raven is entirely upset. At first, she was hoping to entreat with the spirit, discuss its nature, and make it not there anymore- or at least make it not dangerous, if it was. She is able to identify it as a Wicht, and immediately it is everything Raven dislikes, all at once. As if they were now facing down someone with Vorpal's self-identity and maybe not his powers. The slightest twitch enters her left eye.

    "It is a fae. Likes mischief. Probably wants to play. This looks like a job for... The rest of you."

    Raven wants nothing to do with these shenanigans, whether they are in German or not.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The woman's face shows deep puzzlement at Gar's speech, and Vorpal gently elbows him in the ribs, "Love, please let us not antagonize the unknown-" and then Raven speaks "-okay, the /known/ faerie entity here. The fae don't take kindly to being mocked. Or rudeness... wait. Why is there a /fae/ living in Paracelsus' astrolabe... or is that Agrippa's? Oh... oh no..." the feline's eyes go wide.

As he is saying this, the woman's face becomes slightly distorted in a richtus of displeasure, as if she could understand Raven's words. "Solche Unfreundlichkeit," she says in a voice that is tinged with sadness. This solemn expression lasts only for a little while before a mischievous expression replaces t. "Wir werden eine Lektion erteilen!"

She touches the metal of the astrolabe, which sparkles with a bluish light, and then suddenly-

Screams.

The baying of hounds. Three. Maybe more? There are also hooves, and glass breaking.

"Uh-oh..." Vorpal says.

The Wicht sticks out her tongue and vanishes back into the astrolabe. The apparatus then flies upwards and /through/ the glass, and zooms off out the door, torwads the other exhibits, the silvery tinkling of laughter following it.

Kian has posed:
    "/Kya/!"  Kian twists out of the way of the possessed apparatus.  "Come back here!  You're supposed to be an exhibit!"
    Hey, it might work.  He doesn't expect it will, but hope springs eternal.
    "I have no suggestions," he says a little blankly.  "Even by our standards, this is weird."
    Well, maybe one idea.  He doesn't know what the thing is made of, but hopefully enough iron or nickel to make it responsive to magnetism.  Gentle tug.  He doesn't want to break a museum piece if this works.

Gar Logan has posed:
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Raven. Really," Gar states, almost as flatly as she often speaks. "Of course it's a fae, because why the heck not?"

He nudges Vorpal back, without much thought. "This is, of course, your fault. Somehow. There, for once I said it before she did." He nods toward the team's sorceress. "So..what did she just say this time?" Then comes the screams. The hounds. The hooves and glass. And the thing flying off into other parts of the museum.

His shoulders slump. "The bill for this is gonna suck. We'd better, you know, do something, and fast."

So, he races after the weirdness. It's how he ended up with Vorpal and Kian, after all.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven, deadpan, regards the fae as it zooms off. When asked, Raven responds: "It called me unkind, and is offering to share a lesson. Probably in history. Which means, if I had to guess, it is going to start animating things in the museum such that the place becomes dangerous."

    Hooves. Glass breaking. The noise of dogs. "It has done this very quickly." she notes, looking back towards where the noise is coming from. There is a short period of silence from her, as the others start running off.

    "I'll stay here and make sure that none of the other exhibits are possessed." she states, as a matter of factly. Holding position, the rest leave, and she lingers there for a time.

    "Damn it."

    Floating into the air, Raven flies towards the previous exhibit after the astrolabe, having fought internally a very difficult war to leave this matter to three very capable heroes who definitely aren't always in over their head, and deciding to do her job regardless.