9374/History Consultation

History Consultation
Date of Scene:	30 December 2021
Location:	Oblivion Bar
Synopsis:	Jon asks Atrun-Rai to meet him at the Oblivion Bar to go over a few details of Atlantean history--specifically pertaining to Michael.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Atrun Rai
Tinyplot:	Path of Glory

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Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's getting all his ducks in a row, making sure he's got everything in order for his potentially impending date with Michael taking him away for a few days come the 6th. He knows he'll live through that, but he's not sure in what state. Best to get as many things done before then as possible, if for no other reason than to be in the best mindset he can be when it happens.

    To that end, he decides not to wait around on calling on Atrun once he's decided to ask the man from Atlantis some questions. He invites the sorceror to come have a drink at Oblivion--in the normal part of the bar, no favors for Midnite this time--and is sitting at a table flipping through an ear-marked and written-in copy of the Bible, waiting. King James Version, because the language is florid and flowery, even though one of the bigger ones in plainer language might be easier for research.

Atrun Rai has posed:
    The Man from Atlantis does indeed come - on time, smiling, just as always So polite. "Mister Sims," the sorceror affirms as he arrives in the back room, gesturing in that respect-mudra way of his. "I am come, as you have requested. Good evening." He moves to sit, then, hands folded atop the table.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks up and nods. "Jon is fine," he says. "Dr. Sims if you must use a title." There's no rancor in his tone for the omission, more an acknowledgement that the man may not know about his particular title. "Did you want something to drink? I didn't want to order before you arrived." He closes the book and sets his pen aside, neatly capped.

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "I know that you are a physician, Doctor Sims," Atrun-Rai says, his brows arched. "We had a conversation about it, do you not remember?" A shake of his head, then, and he looks past him to the bar. "Nothing for me. You are most kind to ask."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's eyes glaze over briefly. "Ah," he says. "Yes. My mind doesn't work like most people's do. Sometimes the memories take a moment." He flags someone down and orders a pint of some kind of beer, then turns to Atrun with a tilt of his head.

    "I don't quite know what to make of you," he admits. "People tend to be my forte--understanding them, at least, if not always relating to them. You are... quite the enigma. To be expected, I suppose--you come from a very different time and place. How are you settling in, here?"

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "I am from forty-four thousand years ago," Atrun-Rai reminds him. The smile he gives Jon now is apologetic. "A different time. Very different. I know must be angry with me."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon blinks at Atrun. "Why should I be angry? Oh, the business at the meeting?" He shrugs. "You voiced your opinion, which I'd asked for. Why should I be angry with you for that?" Indeed, he doesn't seem remotely upset; his expression is curious as he regards Atrun, taking the pint as it's delivered and then taking a sip.

Atrun Rai has posed:
    He shrugs. "There are some who would be," says the Atlantean. "Very much so. So long as you understand that I am pleased that you are in leadership, simply not /sole/ leadership. For now. You simply need...seasoning, in my opinion. But it is there within you."

    That said, he cants his head slightly. "Well. What would you want to know? What can you not make out about me?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I'm relieved about it, if I'm being honest. I should have thought of the 'Trinity' idea myself." Jon smiles. "I... think perhaps you misunderstand my intention. I was not seeking power, nor sole authority. My intention was to deal with the leadership question, regardless of the outcome. I was stepping up because /someone/ had to. I trust John and Zatanna with my life, and the lives of my friends, and I'm just as glad to know that if something happens to one of us, there will be two others to take up the slack."

    He sighs. "I think I just need time, and knowledge about the culture you come from. Which is, in a way, why I asked you here. I'm working on my own methods to deal with Michael, and a conversation I had yesterday reminded me what /my/ methods are. I'm still new to performing conjuring magic, and my knowledge of ritual is... interested amateur at best, just now. But people? I understand people. And particularly those with inflated egos who think they deserve to destroy and/or save the world. Which is what Michael is, to a certain extent."

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "Very well." He smiles still, looking over the man. "Pride is why I thought, perhaps, he had Fallen already. But of course we know that he has not. So. What can I do for you, Doctor?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sits back a bit. "I'm working on a theory, and I need some extra data points to confirm it." He reaches over to tap the cover of the Bible on the table. "Much of what I know of Michael comes from this, and the Apocrypha. I have my own observations, both when he was within Chas and out properly, as it were. And something's been sort of... nagging at me. Call it a dedication to the Copernican principle--the idea that there are no privileged observers in the universe. I cannot believe that a couple billion humans here on Earth /happen/ to be the ones that are most right about the archangels--and yet, that's /precisely/ what my current data leads me to conclude."

    He takes a sip of his beer, then says, "I'm curious... you know of Michael, from your time. What was he like, then? What were any of the archangels like? What did you even call them?"

Atrun Rai has posed:
    Atrun-Rai lets out a long sigh. "Well," he says, "That's...a heavy subject, as they say. In those days, you have to understand, early Atalyente was a wild place, filled with wild magic; the gods spoke often with the most powerful sorcerors, and their power oft seemed so similar as to mean no differnt. And aside from the gods, yes, we did speak with the Archangels, for they were willing, and good sources of lore and magical instruction. Here, then, is what I know of Mikha'el, for that is what we called him in those days - as the Hebrew language does today." A pause. "He is the ultimate military authority. Master of weapons, magic, and tactic. Able to blend the three into terrifying patterns. In the early days, Mikha'el was called upon to instruct on these matters - and, so long as you did not attempt to bind him, he could be of great help." A long moment. He shakes his heade. "Clearly, there were those who tried. They met horrific ends."

    Atrun-Rai frowns again, tapping at his chin. "I know the spells to summon them, now, but it would not be possible - they are in flight, their minds are against us. But. He is...a force. If he gets here, I do not believe that we can defeat him. Certainly not with conventional means. In the end, we will have to resort to something other than violence. Violence is but a containment measure for the Hosts, and nothing more."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods thoughtfully. "Most of that tracks. Michael is a warrior in everything I've read. Do you have a, ahh..." He opens the Bible and flips to the back. "One of the key things in Christian thought is that Michael is meant to lead the armies at the End of Days. Fight the 'dragon' or Satan--which most Christians take to be Lucifer--and ultimately triumph in the name of God and Christ. What I'm trying to figure out is how much... credence I should be lending to that story."

    He glances up, raises his eyebrows. "Do you have... any of that? Did you even have a Christ figure? Crosses, crucifixtions? Shedding of blood for remission of sins? Did you... /care/ that much about sin?"

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "We don't have that sort of thing," he says with a shake of his head. "Certainly, plenty of evils, but you have to understand - we didn't have to /believe/ in the gods back then, we /saw/ them. We /talked/ to them." He laughs softly. "Not a lot of atheists in my day. But we didn't worship, usually, either. Why do that when you could literally call them up and thank them personally?"

    He adds, "As for 'sin'...we had the law. Law of nature, law of morals. We knew right from wrong. And we knew of demons and Oblivion. The wicked went where the wicked went, but we did our best to try and make amends beyond the law as passed down by the Kings and their judges."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon chews on his lip, frowning down at the book. "Hmm. So, perhaps... entities that have a general form with certain fixed attributes, but with the /specifics/ affected by those they are dealing with. I wonder if he'd be acting differently if he were coming to a different part of the world...? Would he be arriving at the Epiphany?" He drums his fingers on the pages of the book, still frowning.

    "I am certain violence will not be the ultimate answer to this," Jon says after a moment. "I am certain of that because, as you point out, I have /no/ experience with war. I am... rather opposed to the idea of killing people, generally, if we can help it. And yet..." He huffs out a sigh. "And yet, they've seen fit to put me at the center. And by 'they' I mean the Great Mother and Uriel; I doubt the Presence cares much, one way or another." He shakes his head.

    "So... I will do what I do best, which is try to understand our enemy. Figure out his goals, motivations... weaknesses. It may help our battle tactics--we can't seem to avoid a fight, as much as I wish we could. But it will also, I hope, lead to figuring out whatever the key to this whole mess is, whatever thing we're going to do that will bring the universe back into balance."

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "We are /all/ at the center," says Atrun-Rai, his brow lifting faintly. "The moment you allow for weight to be placed on your shoulders only, you are not a part of a circle, you are a point. That is unacceptable, regardless of what Gaea and Uriel have intended." He grunts, then, shakes his head. "It is the Justice /League/, is it not? Not Justice Jon. We will all live together, or our ashes will mix in the same pile."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon chuckles. "I have been told, flatly, that this ultimately comes down to me and my choices. I am not happy about the idea, and I would rather it didn't. I am told... that the person in that role could have been any one of a number of people, but I happened to be the one there, who made the choices that led to that position. I was reminded, none-too-subtly, about certain people dying in the course of world-saving, so I think that's the role they have in mind. I don't intend to die if I can help it, though."

    He sits back a bit. "I have no doubt that everyone will be needed. Not just the League, but many, many others. Perhaps that's all they meant--that I need to bring enough people together to fix this. I certainly hope so. But, you see, that's part of the story Michael's following, I think. One man steps up and saves the world by suffering and dying nobly." He rolls his eyes. "It's a story I've rejected more than once. It's a ridiculous thing to put on one person. But if that's how it is... then that's how it is, and it implies something, I think, about how we get out of this. Because if they /did/ put me at the center, well, they're going to have to deal with me calling on others. And I'm certain there are other roles in the play--I refuse to let this be a monologue. But as I said--whatever focus I've been given is a hint, I think. Understanding and compassion being the way out, as opposed to mere violence."

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "I find it stupid that you are one man with the choice of the universe." He shrugs. "But this entire thing is stupid. And it is, of course, why it is a cosmic trial." He shrugs again, becuse what can one do? "I've alread died to save my homeland. It's a good end. Sometimes you even get to come back." A gesture to himself. "But yes. Violence will contain the Legions, if need be. Otherwise, Michael dramatic notions will need to be satisfied."

    That said, he drums his fingers upon the table. "So. Is that all? What else can I answer?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I think you've given me what I'm looking for, or at least another data point. I /think/ that the archangels are influenced by the belief of those around them. I'll be curious to see what an alien or an athiest sees in them." Jon smiles. "And that means that I can dig into American Christian eschatology, particularly Catholic, /particularly/ any groups in and around the Tri-City area to try to figure out his plan. I'll let everyone knows what I find."

    A pause. "The only thing coming down to me is this specific business. The rest of all we spoke of? Bases, and longer-term plans? That's an 'us' thing. I would rather be part of the circle than the point, you need not worry."

    Then he shrugs. "Unless you have questions for me, though... I would gladly listen to more about Atlantis, but I only have so much time. I have to go find my daughter." A tight smile. "You've met me at one of the bad points in my life, I'm afraid. But actions speak louder than words; I hope my actions can prove my worth, in time."

Atrun Rai has posed:
    "I know that you would," he says with a shake of his head. "But I have other things that I must tend to - in order that our efforts might be continued. Worry not, we will speak again, and sooner than later. I have minds that I must speak to before progress may be made."

    That said, he gets to his feet. "Be well, then, Doctor. And if I may be of assistance finding your daughter, you need only ask."