8369/What a Mess

What a Mess
Date of Scene:	22 October 2021
Location:	Back Room - The Laughing Magician
Synopsis:	Jon and Chas have a chat while cleaning up. Things get a little heated. Secrets are being kept. And Chas comes to a realisation. What will be the fallout of this realisation is yet to be seen.
Cast of Characters:	Chas Chandler, Jonathan Sims

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Chas Chandler has posed:
    Once John and Phoebe have left, Chas starts on cleaning up... again. "Never a dull moment" he says, looking around. "What happened?" he asks the Archivist. "I mean... I knew you went back to England... but specifics weren't exactly given."

    He tosses a messy rag into a bin and moves to a mopsink in the corner.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon /stared/ at Chas at first, at the whole 'come help me look at the books' thing. Wasn't John saying not /five days ago/ that hardly anyone could help with the research? But the lingering effects of Phoebe's healing manage to overcome his awkward confusion, and he goes to help... clean up, at first. He strips off his messy sweater and tosses it on a chair; he was wearing a short-sleeved black tee beneath, and the Night Brigade amulet now visible. He grabs a rag and goes to start cleaning. Not squeamish, this one.

    "We were at an exhibit of... a supposed priest of Khonshu, though she turned out to be anything but." And while they clean up, Jon will relay the story--John taking the potion, the others getting dragged into the Astral, the discussion with Pemesket, John showing her what could become of Phoebe if they didn't get help.

    He ends it with, "...And then he was throwing up, so Lydia smashed the case and grabbed the necklace, Moon Knight went to draw off the security guards, and I helped John get here."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas sighs. "Christ..." he mutters. "I understand the need for speed but... I guess he knows what he's doing. Still everytime I can't be there with him... it puts me on edge."

     He fills the mop bucket with water and bit of wood soap before wheeling it to the main area of the mess that was made. He starts to mop. "And I get it, don't get me wrong. I do. If I was there I'd be in the way, or a distraction. No magic here. Just grit and lot of courage. I'm not saying I have to go out there... I'm saying I just... I envy you and the others."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks up from where he's getting bits of vomit and blood off the chair John was in. "You... /envy/...?" He hesitates. Sighs. "I... suppose I understand. It's... strangely invigorating, this whole business. But don't discount..."

    He bites his lip for a moment, then says, "You're /here/, and he always knows you will be. And you kept watch over Phoebe. That's... important. That he knows he can... trust you, with her."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "I know. And that's important. I know, just sometimes I want to be out there in the thick of it, you know?" Chas saysas he mops a bit more.

    There is a buzzing sound from his pocket and he removes a cell phone. He chuckles after tapping at it a couple of times and then types something on it before shoving it back it the pocket.

    He gives Jon a look before saying, "You're taking to it surprisingly well. Most people would be freaking out and trying to get away after the things you've seen and experienced. You sure this is your first taste of actual--in the thick of it--monster fighting."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon chuckles. "I... did not react all /that/ well to start with. But..." He sighs. "John doesn't believe me, and you may not either, but the... greater contours of this aren't /new/ to me. They really aren't. I have been through life-threatening situations before. I have dealt with emergencies and disasters. I have been very much /aware/ of the fact that there are parts of the world that people don't know for a /long/ time."

    He shrugs. "But... evidently none of that matters, because I wasn't aware that vampires and demons were real until last week." There's... only a /tinge/ of bitterness in his tone. Just a tinge.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas finishes mopping up the mess on the floor. "I... he means well, you know. Most people don't react well to the monsters" he says. "In fact if they survive it most people rationalize it away. It's easier for them to go on that way..." He holds up a hand to forestall Jon's response. "I know your situation is different and that *is* important. He just is trying to be the overprotective git that he is. He was the same with me... all those years ago."

    He shrugs. "And besides... I'm bringing you in this now. Executive decision. If he's going to have me doin' research, I'm going to get a team on it to keep him safe and that includes you. Your memory and your attention to detail will probably prove to be a valuable asset in this because while I'm knowledgeable... I can only hold so much up here." He taps his temple. "You seem pretty limitless in that department."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I /know/ all of that, Chas," Jon says. He taps the side of his head. "I /Know/. I... get it, I do, I just..." He sighs. Shakes his head. "It's... I don't have a /choice/. I'm going to do this, no matter who's around. I don't get to 'freak out and try to get away.' I don't get to /choose/ whether I fight monsters or explore the Astral plane or... or any other mental thing. I do this, or I die. Simple." He shrugs, and goes to sit down in one of the chairs.

    "I appreciate your faith in my abilities," he adds, wryly. "John informed me that only your or his other friend could possibly know what to look for. And... he may be right." Another shrug. There's a lot of shrugging going on with Jon, of late. "I'll do my best to help, though."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas frowns at Jon for a moment as he wheels the bucket back to the drain station and empties it. "You die?" he says. "Like... it's an imperative or..." He shakes his head. "I'm just trying to understand exactly how it works."

    One of Chas' good traits is that he can read people well. Maybe it's part of living so long with John Constantine, maybe it was just something he was born with but he stops and sets the mop aside. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about Jon? I mean... I know I'm not exactly... I mean, we're not as close as we used to be, but... if you want to talk. I can listen."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs, leans back in the chair. He stares up at the ceiling. "What I am... it's not a choice. I didn't choose to be Archivist. I didn't... sign up for a course or make a decision." He pauses. "And I know there are those who have powers and have no choice in the matter, like Phoebe. But being Archivist, it means... it means I am /driven/ to /experience/ things. To seek out Stories, to go to dangerous places and..."

    He sighs. Spins the chair a bit. Shrugs again. "My point is, this isn't just 'I had a dream and I showed up in your bar.' If I leave, if I give up on being John's friend or get driven out... I'm still going to be out there, doing /this/. So I do not have time to... freak out and run away. To be upset by the sort of things John sees and experiences. That's... my life, now."

    After a moment, he looks up and says, "But we were talking about /you/ feeling... left out." He smiles. "Who else are you going to vent to, hmm?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' bulldog mentality seems to kick in and he fires back with, "Maybe me talking to you about things that you're dealing with helps me not feel so left out?" He finds a chair, drags it over near Jon and sits down. "I mean... I'm a cabbie and a bartender. I thrive in listening to people, Jon. And Constantitne, he's my best mate and I know he will tell me everything eventually. But he knows how to avoid my abilities pretty well. Comes with 20 years of friendship."

    He leans back. "This is what I can do for the team. I don't have magic. Or surper strength. Holy Light in my veins. So I research and listen and offer advice..." He adds. "I'm not going to make you tell me. You don't have to if you don't want to. I just... I just feel that I should offer. You're as much a part of the team as the rest of us and that means you need an ear sometimes as well."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, maybe what happened to me isn't something I can talk about," Jon snaps, glaring. "Not to you, not to John. Maybe it's none of your gods-damned business, and maybe, /maybe/, it's not anything I'd want my worst enemy to know existed. And /maybe/ my /entire fucking adult life/ has been about training to listen to and help people, so maybe /I'd/ feel better listening to someone else's problems, too." He stops, jaw tightening.

    And then, after a moment, "And maybe I'm tired of being a damn /burden/. So, maybe I'd like to help someone else, for once."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas blinks and frowns at John. "Why can't you?" he asks. "I mean... talk to me and John." There is a lingering of something else in his tone. A question unasked underneath the question he did vocalise.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Because it's someone else's private business, Chas," Jon snaps, which... doesn't make sense, really, because merely 'someone else's private business' shouldn't be making him so upset.

    "Look, we don't have /time/ for this. Phoebe's in danger, and we're supposed to be researching," he continues. Gets up from his chair. "So where are those books?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas rises from his own chair. "No. Stop running away." His voice is firm and direct. "One, the books aren't here. They're back at the house. Two. What the hell, man?" he asks.

    "Look, I know I cut you off ten years ago, and I am sorry for that. Really. It wasn't fair to you, to Martin, to even myself that I did that. I was in a bad place and I am really sorry. But... you're here now. I thought we had started to rebuild some of the bridge that I tried to burn." He looks hurt. "You're my friend Jon but now I hear me and John are on your shitlist? What did we do to go there?" he asked.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon turns back to blink at Chas. "You're not... 'shit list?' Chas, I wouldn't /be/ here if you were on my... 'shit list.' If... if I even /had/ a 'shit list.'" He laughs and shakes his head. "I'm not... running away. I don't know what you /want/, Chas. There... there isn't /time/ for this, okay?"

    He'd been feeling /so/ much better, after Phoebe's Light. Where did that all go?

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas lifts the heavy chair with one hand and raps it on the ground. "Then we make time." He narrows his eyes. "Is this about what happened last night?" he asks, the cogs in his head nearly audibly turning. "When you wouldn't tell us where you were? When Zee got hurt?" He fixes the Archivist with an intense gaze.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "It's not /about/ anything, because I'm not /talking/ about it, okay? You're the one that's pushing, being all... meddlesome and nosy." Jon glares at him. "Which, I'll admit, is a /rich/ thing to hear coming from me, but irony abounds I suppose."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "Yes I'm meddlesome and nosy because that how friends are when their friends go missing for an entire night and don't talk about any of it" Chas replies sharply, letting the glare slide off of him. "You won't even tell us where Zee was... For fuck's sake, when Phoebe got hurt she was taken to an exclusive hospital and you let us know. But Zee gets hurt with you and you can't talk about *any* of it? The circumstances, who it was, where she is... none of it?" He looks baffled. "Why the hell not?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Because it's /none of your fucking business/," Jon says. "If Zee wants to tell you what happened, she can, but Phoebe's your daughter, and this? This isn't about you, or John. Okay?"

    After a moment, he adds, "Besides, has it occurred to you that maybe I was /trying not to think about it?/"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas pauses at the second statement. Something seems to click in his head. "...It didn't work on you..." he says under his breath. He looks at Jon more directly. "Something so terrible that even Phoebe's Light couldn't dispel it's hold on you." His tone shifts and he asks the Archivist. "What. Happened? What was so terrible that you couldn't even get over it with Phoebe's Light powers?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks away, jaw shifting. "Nothing that you need worry yourselves about," he says quietly. "It was my own damn fault, and it hardly matters. The Archivist had a terrible experience. Another day ending in y, right?"

    The worst part is... he's not being sarcastic, or bitter. He's just... resigned. His shoulders slump a bit, and he stares at the door.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas seems to get something he was looking for in Jon's words. He relaxes and blinks. "Oh..." he says softly. He furrows his brow, his expression going from heated to sympathetic in seconds.

    "Couch again tonight?" he asks. "Or is the mystery house a new safe haven for you? I mean, if it's nicer than my place, I'd understand and not hold it against you... really." There isn't heat in his words.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shrugs. "No, it was just the one night," he says. "I... don't want to wake Phoebe. I'll... I could sleep in one of the chairs? I know... I wouldn't want to worry John." He frowns. "Not that... I mean, he's busy right now, so I don't think he'd notice, but I wouldn't want this business with Phoebe to be done and John to look up and around and find he's accidentally lost a friend to that damn demon, you know?"

    Again, no sarcasm, no bitterness. He... smirks, actually. Like it's a joke, his own mortality.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas scowls at Jon. "No." He says, shaking his head. "You stay in my room. It's soundproof," why does Chas has soundproof walls, "if you scream it won't wake Phoebe. I can stay at the House. But... I don't want you to have to..." He shakes his head. "Just... stay in my room for a bit," he says. It wasn't a question.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks at him. "I... that's... very kind of you, Chas. I... wouldn't want to impose." He laughs. "More than I already am, I mean." He sighs, and runs a hand through his hair.

    He looks around. "Is... is everything clean, then? Is there anything else that needs doing?" In light of the conversation, Jon's need to be /useful/, to be /doing something/, might become more clear. He can't stop and deal with whatever happened to him, so he's trying to keep moving. Keep active and busy.

    That's something Chas can probably relate to, anyway.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas flicks a hand back to the main room of the bar. "Shutdown for the day hasn't been done yet" he says. "You want to help out with that?" He turns. "Bring a broom."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    There's a /terribly/ grateful expression on Jon's face as he grabs said broom and goes to follow Chas out the door. Keep moving. One foot in front of the other. Don't stop, don't think, for gods' sake don't let yourself /feel/. That way lies madness.