8808/Late Night at the Midnight Mission

Late Night at the Midnight Mission
Date of Scene:	24 November 2021
Location:	The Midnight Mission
Synopsis:	An impromptu meeting at the Midnight Mission
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Jonathan Sims, Thea Queen, Tara Tsabedze

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Despite being something so ostentatious as a temple to Khonshu built from three brownstones there's something comforting about it for Lydia. It reminds her of the home of her coven in the Oasis, a place not on any map situated in the middle of the desert, two days ride on camelback away from civilization. Sure the Oasis is dedicated to Isis, and this to Khonshu, but there's something about the vibe that's familiar.

She's standing here, in the middle of the night, looking up at the hieroglyphs holding onto the ankh pendant her sisters at the coven gave her to welcome her. She needs to go back down there and find out what her status is since she can no longer practice ma- no. Let's not think about that.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    It's the middle of the night, yes, but Jon's schedule went a little wonky the other day and his husband's on the night shift anyhow. And besides, he doesn't really want to sleep without Martin around. The dreams just... keep getting worse.

    So when he's exhausted the possibilities of magical target practice and food at SHIELD Headquarters, he finally decides to let his restless feet carry him to the Midnight Mission. He brings offerings--a bottle of wine for Khonshu, some chocolate and honey for Bast, and a nice fountain pen for Thoth. (Presumably the Midnight Mission can use a nice fountain pen.) Also, incense. He clutches the offerings, all in a paper bag, to his chest as he steps into the brownstone.

    He hesitates on seeing Lydia. "Ahh. I wasn't expecting--well, that's foolish, I should expect people here in the middle of the night. Good evening."

Thea Queen has posed:
Ever since her battles and struggles against certain Death Gods that Thea had been feeling a call towards the Mission. And after all those tribulations, how could she deny magic existed? Even if she felt she might be going a little mad. But then again when you go against Gods while sporting a bow and arrow one better have a certain madness to them. How to survive otherwise? It's a madness that had been rewarded by she meeting Moon Knight himself the first time she had set foot here. And she was eager to learn more.

So dressed in her black and red leathers, short bow on her back, she makes her way over to the Mission, opening the door quietly and stepping in, gaze curiously taking in the people gathered. Somewhat awkward with her being dressed in her superhero getup but .., it's not like she can go around flaunting her identity. Too many years of being drilled by her brother that revealing her identity to people is a bad thing!

She approaches, a look to both Jon and Lydia and inclines her head, "Good evening."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Of course Lydia heard Jon and Thea before she saw them come in. At night and by herself her senses are tuned so finely that the should hear a scarab scrabble up the temples walls. Footsteps outside the Mansion, first and when they enter, their heartbeats. It always comes down to blood, she muses darkly to herself. Their smell comes next. One she recognizes, the other is new to her.

She lets go of the pendant and turns to face the newcomers giving them a pleasant smile. She's dressed warmly, even though she doesn't feel the cold. A grey woolen skirt hangs down to her ankles, and a black thick cable knit sweater hides whatever blouse she might be wearing and over all of that is a trenchcloak with a high collar. Her skin is deathly pale, and her lips are ruby red which gives a hint to her supernatural nature. As always fat black flakes of ectoplasmic ash fall gently around her, evaporating as soon as they fall onto anything solid.

"Jon! How's the arm?" she asks. "I told Phoebe I'd kick you in the butt for not going to her when you broke it, so consider your butt kicked."

She nods to Thea, unphazed by the costume. "Good evening," she says, walking up to the woman and holding out a hand to shake. "I havn't had the pleasure. I'm Lydia."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks at Lydia. "How did you know about that? Did Zed just... /tell/ people?" He shakes his head, slightly, irritated, but then sighs. "I suppose Phoebe doesn't know my husband's been doing healing magic for over a decade, and his spell couldn't heal the arm when it was able to handle all the rest of the damage." He shifts his stance a bit. "The method that caused the damage is impervious to Phoebe's healing. And besides--we weren't /telling/ people." He huffs out an irritated sigh. "If she had a problem, she could have just /told/ me the other night..."

    He shakes his head, then goes toward the altar to Khonshu, setting down his paper bag and pulling out the bottle of wine.

    "Good evening," he adds over toward Thea. "If you're looking for Mr. Knight I think he's out, just now. I'm Jonathan Sims, and I, ahh..." He glances up toward the statue to Thoth. "I technically help run this place, I suppose. Can I help you?" Moon Knight hadn't exactly given him a list of people to be on the lookout for, but he figures most people who show up are likely to have been drawn here somehow.

Thea Queen has posed:
Just a brief tension of shoulders is visible on Thea when she notes the deathly pale skin, eyes trailing to the ectoplasmic ash. Still, at least she doesn't scream out or otherwise react like she would had a while back, before she had a 'crash course' on the supernatural. Just a general sense of being uncomfortable. Yet it's a kind of uncomfortable feeling that starts to fade as Lydia starts to talk, and even goes and introduces herself. Surprise under the domino mask but a faint smile comes up.

"I am Red Arrow." Her gloved hand extends and she shakes Lydia's hand, letting out a more relaxed breath, "Good to meet you.", a beat, "You look rather.., distinct."

A pause when Jon and Lydia get into that discussion about the arm. And healing magic. It makes her quirk a brow but she isn't the type to barge into other people's discussions so she folds her arms, hip resting against a nearby table.

"Good to meet you as well, Mr. Sims. I have met Moon Knight a few nights back. I was hoping he was around, but on hindsight -maybe- I should had asked for a phone contact instead of just assuming he might be around and just dropping in the middle of the night." a faint chuckle escaping her lips, "And .., I am here to learn. After all that has happened I thought I might be going crazy but .., no. I was being called here. I am still trying to figure out the exact reasons as for why.."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia chuckles at Jon, "I didn't realize it was supposed to be a secret. Regardless, I offered to help in any way I could."

Her attention turns back to Red Hood. "Oh, you mean this?" she asks waving a hand in the ectoplasmic ash. "I'm a mutant. Unfortunately, it's not something I can turn off, but it does have its uses." She holds out a hand, and the flakes fly towards her palm and form a solid black sphere in it. Then, with a nod of the head, the sphere turns into a rather good likeness of a crow, and then shifts into the form of a spider.

She drops her hand and the spider evaporates out of existence and the fat black flakes of ectoplasmic ash start popping into existence again. "Look at me," she chides herself. "Showing off like that."

She takes a step back and nods. "We all were called here at one point in time. There are evil things in the world and it's our mission to stop them."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    As the women meet and greet and talk, Jon bustles about setting the chocolate and honey at the base of Bast's statue, and then the the fountain pen at the base of Thoth's. Then he pulls out the incense, a modern version of kyphi or kapet, handmade and found in a little occult shop down the road. The incense, once lit, has a light scent, citrusy and cinnamon, with wine and honey underneath. He stands there for a long moment, staring up at the statue, having some kind of communion with it, perhaps.

    "I wasn't called, myself," he murmurs while still looking up at the statue of Thoth. "Moon Knight found me, years ago. Before I even became the Archivist."

    Then suddenly he spins to stare at Thea. Snaps and then points at her. "Chicen Itza! And that meeting at the Laughing Magician. You were involved in that business with the Death Gods." Which Jonathan Sims most certainly was /not/. So... how does he know?

Thea Queen has posed:
As Lydia goes about showing the uses of the ash Thea lets out a soft, good-natured laugh. "I didn't mean just /that/." she rectifies. Is she trying to be polite? But then a nod. "I am impressed though. But then again, all that involves magic pretty much does. Her gaze briefly goes to the food being set at the base of the statues, "Are we supposed to bring offerings?" damn it, Bast! Taking all the good chocolate to themselves...

"But .., yes. That is what Moon Knight told me." Thea says to Lydia, "To fight the evil out in the world and--" she blinks as Jon starts speaking of Chicen Itza and the rest, "Yes..." head canting to the side as she regards him more closely. "Also Sweden, and then Eurovision and ..." a sigh. "Yea, involved." with all the consequences that came after.

"I don't recall you there though. Someone told you of it?" she asks, curious.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Still," Lydia says to Jon, "I would think that Khonshu would count that as being 'called'." She shakes her head, "Regardless, you're tangled up with the bunch of us now."

Thea gets a shake her head. "This isn't /magic/," she explains, trying to keep bitterness out of her voice. She had magic, once, but that was taken away from her. "It's just a regular old effect of being Homo Superior."

"I've only heard bits and pieces about what happened with all the Death Gods, but never the full story."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Whether it was some sort of urge or a calling, or perhaps someone texted, never know these days, but Tara steps through the main door and flips back the hood of her jacket. There is no mistaking her for a human, though humanoid she is, feline would be the most accurate, though she is a mixture of the two.

Noting others present she pauses to offer a nod to the faces she has seen before, but says nothing. Interrupting would be rude.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    There's offerings beneath each statue--wine beneath Khonshu's, chocolate and honey beneath Bast's, a fountain pen and incense beneath Thoth's. The incense has a light, citrusy smell, with cinnamon and wine and honey threaded through the scent. Jon's standing next to the statue of Thoth, pointing at Thea. He drops his hand, and sighs.

    "I was not there, no. But, ahh... someone else /did/ tell me, in a manner of speaking." A pause. "I'm the Archivist. A servant of the Egyptian gods, particularly Thoth. I... record things, take statements. A demon posing as John Constantine--you may have met him--recited those events to my grandmother, and thus they wound up in my head."

    A pause, and then, "What happened with all the Death Gods is not over, if I'm correct. Something is still broken in the Underworld. If you were involved, then... perhaps you're meant to be involved again."

Thea Queen has posed:
A faint mmm leaves Thea's lips at Lydia's reply about calling the ash shaping as magic. A nod is offered in return. "Sorry, didn't mean to be inaccurate." did she notice the bitterness? "It still looks great, magic or not." an apologetic smile on her expression.

"Not even I know the full story about all that. And I am still trying to wrap my head about all of what did happen ..." pause, "Wait, did you just said a demon posing as Constantine?" that's clearly news to her. "Are you saying that guy at chicen itza was a demon?" she looks a touch unsettled by all that, one hand raising up to her forehead as if she had just gotten an headache. She lets out a sigh. "Every time I feel like I won't start drinking again ..." she murmurs, mostly to herself.

Yet she doesn't seem as surprised about the situation with the Death Gods not being over, offering a sharp nod shortly after, "Have you figured out what may be broken still?" she questions before she catches a glimpse of the newcomer by the door..

A glance is given over, then to the statue of Bast, then back, offering a nod of greetings to Tara.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia scowls. "That's not good. There's supposed to be a balance in all this." Tara's arrival catches her attention, though. Giving the cat lady a warm, friendly smile she greets, "Good evening, Tara. I hope the night finds you well. How's Hank? I haven't seen him in a while."

Thea gets an apologetic smile, once she realized that she kind of snapped at her. "I should be the one to apologize," she says. "I didn't mean to be so testy."

She shakes her head, "Drinking won't help it all make sense, I'm afraid."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
At the nod from Thea, Tara offers her a broad smile, exposing the sharp, elongated canines as she does, then her feline eyes shift to Lydia and Jon before she says, "Am I interrupting something?" There is a definite East African accept to her voice, but it is light enough to permit her to be understood easily.

"Hank is well, merely busy with his work," she then offers to Lydia as she steps more into the room, to extend her hand toward Thea.

"I am K'Tara Tsabedze, Kivuli of Bast," she states with pride and perhaps a hint of mirth in her voice. "Hello and welcome."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks to Tara and nods politely. "No, just, ahh... gathering. People talking. I recognized Red Arrow here from a memory, is all. A memory of battles with Death Gods."

    He looks to Thea. "As for what's broken? I'm not certain. I know I probably need to go to the Bayt al-Hikmah, the House of Wisdom, in the Underworld, but other than that...?" He spreads his good hand; his right arm is in a sling. "I mean, I have to wonder if it's related to..." He pauses, frowns.

    "Lydia," he says slowly, "what exactly did Zatanna tell you about what happened when I was injured? The, ahh, circumstances surrounding it?"

Thea Queen has posed:
"Apparently those Gods don't much want balance when there's a chance they can have it all..." Thea says over to Lydia, shaking her head a bit to herself, "Greed and deceit aren't only human flaws.." then a smile that has no mirth to it about drinking, "Oh, I know. Temptation is always there though.." like a little gnawing demon having at her, bite by bite.

Turning to fully look at Tara she nods her greetings, now taking a few moments to watch the feline one fully. Hand extends to shake hers, "Good to meet you, K'Tara. I am Red Arrow." faint smile on her lips, "And yes, we were mostly talking, of past, present and ..., apparently future too." gaze straying over to Jon.

"Doctor Strange was there, but you probably know about that already. He might be able to help with that travel." Even Thea knows that's the sorcerer supreme!

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia glances at Tara and Red Arrow in a silent question. Isn't this supposed to be secret? Still, she answers. "Tim's father turns out to have been an occultist who happened to have a very, very evil book. The kind of book that sends people into a murder spree should they even touch it. I don't remember if she said exactly /how/ you broke your arm, only that it was broken while trying to contain it."

She gives Thea a knowing smile about the temptation to drink. "Indeed." She, too, has her own gnawing little demon, only the urge isn't for alcohol.

"It doesn't surprise me Strange was there. This is ... big." Boy that's an understatement.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's eyes widen at what Lydia says. "She--she /told/ you that?! /All/ of it?!" Everything else seems to go out the window--the Death Gods, talking to Doctor Strange, all of it. "What the /bloody hell/ is she thinking?!"

    It's a /visible/ effort for the man to get control of himself. He's /shaking/, and Lydia at least can surely smell his fear. Stark, mortal terror. His heart's beating incredibly fast. He takes slow, deep breaths, turning to stare at the statue of Thoth.

    "Okay," he says after a moment. "Okay." He looks to Tara and Thea. "You two /never/ heard that. Do not mention it to anyone. Forget you heard about it. That book is dangerous to know /exists/. Christ, I shouldn't have asked, what is /wrong/ with me?" He runs his good hand through his hair and looks at Lydia. "Does anyone else know about this? Have you told anyone?"

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara's eyes shift to Jon with an expression of concern. She didn't know the man all that well, but the little she knew put him as much calmer than he just exhibited. She wouldn't argue the point that knowing such a book existed may be dangerous, but not knowing about it when it could come up and be looked at or read was far more dangerous. Instead she looked to Lydia, who seems to also know about this book.

"I clearly missed something," she offers calmly, then back to Red Arrow her eyes go and the smile returns.

"Red Arrow, I assume this is some sort of nick name, or Hero name?" She asks, only to add, "You may call me Tara, no need for the full name."

Thea Queen has posed:
Evil books? Red Arrow looks between Jon and Lydia with a raised brow as they talk about that, "Reminds me of the Khushu Idol.." she murmurs. Maybe she knows more of magic than she lets know! The reaction from Jon gets a more guarded response out of Thea though but she nods when she's asked to not speak of this. "No worries on my end." She says, "Secrets are the bread and butter of the Arrows business." some bitterness there on her tone? Maybe.

A look back to Tara and a nod, "Hero name. Used to go by Speedy but, you know, wasn't exactly a really great hero name." a pause, "... and maybe I shouldn't had shared that. You serve here in the Temple too? You mentioned being a Kivuli." a grimace, "Apologies if I seem like an ignorant. This is all still very new to me."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyes narrow as Jon starts to panic. She steps up to him and lays a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," she says evenly, calmly. "This is the first I've spoke of it since Zee told me about it. I'm surprised Phoebe didn't...." she shakes her head, realizing that mentioning that Pheebs was there when Zee was talking about it probably isn't a good idea and will only cause him to worry more.

She looks over and gives Tara an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. This seems to be a 'less you know the better' kind of situation, and I apparently, know too much."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Another broad smile is offered to Red Arrow. "Kivuli is the word of my people," she explains. "The direct translation to English is Shadow, which to my people is the same as saying avatar."

Now she looks over to Lydia and Jon, a slight frown touching her lips. "Fear of a thing gives that thing power," she offers as she steps over to Jon. "Knowledge is power, you of all of us should know that. Fear of knowledge from someone like you... now that is alarming. Is there anything Bast can do for you Jon?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shakes his head. "Phoebe? Good /lord/. Okay. Okay. I'll fix this. We'll fix this. Talk to Martin, and... we'll fix this." He looks up to Lydia. "I'm sorry you even heard of it. Nobody was supposed to know." There's a haunted shadow in his eyes. "I have to talk to Zatanna. But that's later. Later."

    Deeeep breaths. He laughs, shakily. "It's not unreasonable to be terrified of a thing that holds power over you. I'm not certain how Bast can help, really. It's just... a thing I'll have to deal with. If I have to destroy the Archive to wipe the information I got from that book, I will." He glances at the statue of Thoth. "Oh, shut it," he glowers. "That's a last resort."

    He glances back to Lydia. Smiles. "Thank you," he says. "It'll be fine. I'll fix it." And then he almost visibly pulls up the veneer of calm around himself, all the more obvious as a lie now that it was dropped.

    "Death Gods!" he says, with false cheer. "A /much/ better subject. Which is what drew you here, you think, ahh, Red Arrow?" A pause. "I think Speedy is a perfectly fine superhero name, but then, I'm 'the Archivist' so what do I know?" Oh, yes, pretending to be okay. And he was aware of what was going on even through his panic.

Thea Queen has posed:
"As they say, the cat is out of the bag now.." This to Jon. Which sort of makes her smirk, giving Tara a look. Cats. Hah! "So if you need any help you can count on the people here I am sure." she gesturing to the surrounding mission. She cants her head to the side just so as Jon goes on about destroying the archive, "Somehow that feels like an important thing to keep intact. The truth should never yield to evil."

The subject shift has her then nodding slowly. "Speedy was fine, in a way. But was still attached to a different me of the past.." a lift of her shoulders and she not going ahead with explaining much more on that. It's when there's a 'buzz' from within her leathers, she reaching into a fold to retrieve a communicator, she looking at the screen. "What the..."

"Turns out my visit here will need to be shortened. The Green Arrow calls.." a roll of her eyes at that but then she inclines her head at them. "It was good to meet you all, hopefully we can talk more at length soon. But as for now..." a wave of her hand and she is making her way to the door.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyes go wide in alarm. "You /read/ it?" she hisses, not willing to let the matter drop. She waves a hand to forestall any protest. "No, no, no. I know. Not on purpose, it was an Archivist thing that happened." She pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. "It's not going to be /fine/. Nothing like this is ever /fine/. Please tell me you've got people helping you with this. /I'll/ help you with this too, if I can."

She turns to nod at Thea as she departs. "It was good meeting you. Have a pleasant night!"

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara lays her clawed hand very gently on Jon's shoulder, her golden feline eyes watching his face and his eyes. She could sense the terror in the man, something beyond fear controlling him. It worried her greatly.

"Jon," she says softly and yet with a firmness born in who she is. "You are not alone, and therefore you do not have to deal with it alone. /Never/ assume you are alone in these things." She removes her hand, not wanting to be too familiar as she doesn't know him all that well.

Her eyes shift to follow Thea as she departs, then she looks back to Lydia. "I believe Jon would very much like for us to let the subject drop, he believes that he must face this alone. We will of course be ignoring this, yes?" A smile plays at the corner of her lips as she looks back to Jon, the only indication he's going to get that she was dead serious in informing him he wasn't alone.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Bloody /hell/," Jon grumbles. "Everyone wants to help. Of /course/ you do. But... it's being handled, okay? It was /already/ being handled. I'm not alone, there are other people handling this already. It's just a... a... containment breach, is all. Unless Zatanna was deliberately going around looking for help, which..." He shakes his head. "I'll talk to her. It'll be fine. I'll talk to her. Figure this out."

    Of course, the question of whether anyone's helping him with whatever the book /did/ to him is another matter entirely. And one he doesn't address.

    He looks up and around to watch Thea go. "Damn it," he mutters. "I'm going to have to sit down with her and find out what she knows, sometime soon. I'm certainly not walking into the Underworld alone." That he's doing it at all is... a bit much, perhaps, but, such is life these days.

    He goes and drops into a chair near the base of the statue of Thoth. "So how have you two been? Less busy than me, I hope."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks rather unconvinced and folds her arms. "Hopefully they're helping with what it's doing to you, too," she says. "Good lord, Jon. You got it in your /head/. You don't want evil poking around in there. I'm rather fond of your head."

She sighs and lets her hands drop. "I'll help you with the Underworld too, you know," she says. "Though... if I go and the trip is going to last more than a day you'll need to bring people who are willing to be snacked on." She scowls. "And I have no idea how the undead are viewed by the denizens down there. Maybe it's best I didn't go."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara lifts a brow, head canting slightly, "There are way in which things can be arranged, Lydia. If you can help, then I'm sure we can all come up with a way to keep you.... healthy." What a nice way to say fed.

Now she looks Jon over again, having to fight back the nagging inside her known as Bast to try and protect him, to look at him with magical eyes and see how he really is. Sometimes when you carry the protection Goddess inside you, you have to argue with yourself until one wins.

"Jon, are you attempting to protect us with your desire to keep it all to yourself and Zatanna?" She finally asks.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks away almost guiltily when Lydia says 'helping with what it's doing to you.' "Martin knows about it," he mumbles. That's not an answer. He hunches his shoulders a bit, wincing. He shouldn't be moving the right one, but it's instinctive.

    "If you're meant to go to the Underworld, you'll go, and we'll figure it out. I'm operating on orders." He glances up at the statue of Thoth.

    He peers at Tara, and sighs. "Partly, yes," he admits. "The thing is dangerous. The plan is to destroy or hide it and then /mindwipe/ ourselves. Everyone who knows it exists is one more person who might know too much." He shakes his head. "Partly? I was asked not to talk about it by the man who brought me into the matter, and I've done my best to honor that. If /he/ wants more people involved, he can make that decision, but /I/ am not going to go around... recruiting help unless he asks me to. Nor airing his private business." He'd told SHIELD, but that had been because he felt like they needed to know.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods in understanding when Jon glances up at Thoth. There are higher powers at play here, only time will tell if she ends up being their plaything. When he explains his reasons behind the secrecy and not finding more help she nods. "Very well," she says, relenting.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara has made the decision, she was not going to press any further. She was preparing to step away and pick a new topic when she just stops moving for a moment, completely. Really she looks like the statue of Bast in the room with how motionless she is. That's when it happens, the demeanor of her entire being seems to shift and change, and her golden eyes begin to glow a gain silvery white.

Turning slowly she looks back to Jon, not speaking merely looking. Her movements as she walks around Jon are sultry and graceful, tail swishing behind her, then she rests a hand on Jon's shoulder.

"Poor child," she whispers, the East African accent gone and replaced with one that Lydia would recognize, Old Egyptian. "Such pain... such sorrow..." she walks around to stop in front of Jon, then leans to place a tender kiss on his cheek. "Rest easy child, I am with you."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks rapidly, staring up at the woman. He recognizing the accent too; he hears it often enough in his sleep, as his ancestors try to break through the wall of nightmares he's been experiencing. "I..." He reaches up his good hand to touch his cheek, blinking rapidly.

    "Thank you," he says softly. "I..." He shakes his head, blinking back tears. "Thank you."

    He looks up at the ibis-headed statue under which he sits. "Fine," he mutters. "You were right. You usually are."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia watches with fascination. She's never seen an avatar actually avataring. She wonders for a moment what it would be like to have a god puttering around in her head, but comes to the conclusion that she has enough trouble with the beast always snarling and hungry in the back of hers that she'd probably be better off without it.

Instead she fidgets with her fingers as she watches Bast make her circle around Jon and just nods when she's done.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
A gentle hand reaches up to caress Jon's cheek, then the glowing eyes shift up to look at the statue of Thoth and she winks, honest to all the gods and goddesses, Bast winks at Thoth and that's about the time Tara looks back down at Jon, noting how close she is to him.

"She did it anyway," she says softly, her own accent back before she steps back, almost looking embarrassed, perhaps sheepish is the best way to describe it. "I am glad we could assist you Jon."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "She protected my dreams. For a time, at least. I would guess a lunar month?" Jon quirks a brow at Tara. "I've been..." He swallows. "I have nightmares every night. I wake screaming a lot of the time--and that was even before the Book. Being the Archivist is... hard." He sighs. "Without Martin there, it's worse, so I... don't sleep unless he's there. He's on night shift, and I have to be up for training at 7am, so..." He smirks. "I've been running on caffeine and cigarettes, mostly."

    He sighs again, and looks to Lydia. "I'm going to ask the young man at the center of this business if he wants help. I'll let you know if he does." He gives her a smile, far less tired than it was before. "You'd be high on my list, anyway."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia lets out a small sigh. "I guess one of the good things about being undead is that I don't get nightmares anymore. I don't even /dream/ anymore. Anyway." She's still not sure how she feels about that. While it's nice not having nightmares she still feels like losing the ability to dream just removes her one more step away from humanity.

She nods at Jon, "Thank you. I hope he finds the help he needs, even if it doesn't come from me. From what I understand...." she shakes her head. "That thing needs to be destroyed."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
To the quirked brow question, Tara nods once. Bast was being her usual, capricious self but at least it was only for a moment. Last time was three days and Tara remembered nothing of it.

"She wants you to know that no body can function without sleep," she continues softly, now smiling. The moment of uncertainty gone. "If you continue to experience troubles after the lunar month, I am to return. She feels that your position and place with Thoth is far too important to be bogged down by 'mortal' issues."

There is a pause here while she takes a moment to separate her thinking from Bast's, it happens all the time so she is used to it. "In regards to the other matters, the not being talked about and the Underworld, if there is anything I can do to assist, you have my number. I can tell you that I cannot accompany you to the Underworld, but I can be ready for your return to heal those who might be injured... and if an emergency arises, I can join you very briefly to pull some out... but I cannot stay."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs. "Some portion of my position with Thoth is all about experiencing mortal issues. The dreams, the nightmares... they're part of being the Archivist. I just... was supposed to learn to control them better, first. I was supposed to learn a lot of things."

    The incense has burned down. Jon stands, rolls his good shoulder, pulls out his phone. He smiles. "Martin's shift is done. I'd better head home." Alone, on the Hyperloop. It's a terrifying thought, just now. Maybe he'll take a cab.

    He looks to the feline woman. "Thank you for the offer, Tara. I hope we won't need the help, but... well. Better safe than sorry. Tell Mr. Knight he's welcome, for the wine."

    Then he turns to leave.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods at the departing man. "Have a good night, Jon," she tells him. She turns and gives Tara an apologetic shrug. "I should probably go myself. I wasn't doing much more than moping when everybody got here. Have a good night, too," she says, and turns to take her leave.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara offers them both a nod and smile. "I hope you both have a wonderful evening," she comments then waves. "Call if you need anything. I will be heading out myself in a moment, now that I figured out why Bast wanted me to come visit."