Owner	Pose
Chas Chandler	The pieces of the blue panneled door that accompanied a number of the boards to the stairway had been assembled. When the pieces were first fitted together, nothing happened. It was just a strange door. There was an almost butterfly-like pattern in yellow on the hard surface, but otherwise it was just a door.     That is until today.     Early in the evening the door began to glow with an ethereal blue light. Signals and alarms alerted Jonathan Sims to the presence of transport magic in his vault, the one specifically made to house the physical artifacts of the Archive. He did the only sensible thing he could given the artifact and its origin.     He took it to the astral.     In the astral, the light around the door was brighter and when the Astral Key (given to the JLD by the Archangel Uriel) was in proximity in this land of imagination and dreams, it too glowed with ethereal blue light. It seemed the pair were a match for each other. The door was freestanding, without frame or support,but even so it looked ready to be opened.
Jonathan Sims	Jon sends out a general message to the Justice League Dark, asking them to gather to come through a door into the Astral Plane. The door that they use the key on is to one of the public bathrooms in Battery Park, which Jon seems to find amusing. "Whatever this is, it's connected to the Wellspring of Earth, it looks like," he notes.     As soon as they're in the Astral Plane he summons the power of Ma'at, his outfit changing to a long red tunic and gold trousers, multicolored wings unfurling from his back and a circlet with an ostrich feather on his head. He gets the blue-and-yellow door set upright with help from whomever's carrying the thing, then steps back and frowns. "I think the door is from Chas like the pieces of the stairway were," he says to those assembled. "I've no idea what it's for. The pieces have been inert since we found them. Magical, obviously enchanted, but I couldn't tell what until they started glowing."
Cael Becker	Cael eyes Jon's outfit, as she sets down her end of the door she'd been helping to lug. "We're taking another nap after all this is over, hrm?" she asks - her voice dry, but also accepting. This is her life right now. She's dressed in SHIELD fatigues, on the off chance that they were stepping into trouble - but only a single chain disappears beneath the armored attire. At one wrist is a leather cuff with a butterfly design, and her hair is, as ever, dyed with vibrant hues in its lower levels - purple, green and blue, matching the purple hue Jon's added to his own hair.     "Because Chas toying with magic never goes wrong," she remarks, before studying the door with a wary expression, as if the thing might suddenly bite. "...how do we make it 'work'? Can you 'open' a door that's just... balancing in place?"
Phoebe Beacon	Phoebe was in a state of Done. She had arrived at Battery Park wearing the abbreviated hooded shirt with an athletic sleeve over her burnt-in circles over her left arm, hood up and go-bag slung over her shoulders. Her dark eyes looked over the door with some measure of dubious belief, like it might be some trap, and she reaches up to rub at her left shoulder, as if trying to work out a knot after helping to set it up. Muscle and all that.     "It's different when he's the one sending it with a better understanding than what we have." she points out to Cael with a sour note in her voice as she looks to the Salt of the matched seasoning set of Jon and Cael -- protective, a little, of poor Chas.     And she takes on the wry voice of reason. "Well. Generally doors open when you've got a key, a password, or you knock." she states, pacing a little bit as she looks to the door. "We're already building the Stairway. If the door's 'closed', stands to reason that With a Word we can get what we came for." she remarks quietly.
Rien D'Arqueness	"With magic, most anything is possible. Even doors without jambs opening. Really, it may not even open in the traditional sense... it could roll up like a carpet or brush aside like a curtain, or even just disappear and leave the doorway itself open." Rien looks at the door curiously, then back to the trio. "And you say you collected the steps from confrontations with Michael, but that you believe Chas was the one leaving them for you? Most interesting. I truly have missed a lot." She steps back and looks to Robbie with a brief grin, "Ready to take the Stairway to Heaven?" A Ghost Rider in Heaven, that alone would have gotten her to come along!
Robbie Reyes	Robbie prefers to be in the driver's seat, so to speak. So the fact that Rien managed to convince him to ride backseat on her bike? Well, it's probably a sign that he likes her at least a little bit. Ghost Rider, Sin Eater, Carrot Top; he's got more than a few names due to his propensity for fire and slaughter. But tonight he looks fairly unassuming; just some poor Mexican-American kid in a grungy hoodie and jeans, and black leather racing jacket. Oh, and the length of heavy, industrial-grade chain gathered up and slung over his shoulder. You know, just in case. Once they're stopped, he swings off the bike and casts a look around before prowling off after the blonde. Questions, he has plenty of; but for now, he simply follows her dutifully through the door.. and squints as they're faced with yet another door. Rien's comment simply garners a smirk. Nope, nothing to say to that.
Chas Chandler	The door stands imposing and unassuming and as much as Phoebe's quip about the lyrical absolutes inherent in their quest, it seems that a word is -not- the answer for this door. The Astral Key fits the hole on the door easily and there is an audible click even without a turn of the artifact.     The blue door swings open to reveal a bascule bridge dropped over a wide moat before an ancient and ornate looking castle. The land around the castle is grassy and clear... and situated on a floating island high above the clouds.     There are a number of arrowslits and windows of stained glass marking the facade of the great structure but all are dark at the moment. The gate of the castle, on the other side of the bridge is open and inviting as if it waits for someone to come and claim it as their own.     To those who have magical senses turned to their enemy, there is no sense of angelic presence here or anywhere near the castle itself. If someone already owns the building, its clear that they are not an angel. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any indication that any sort of magical threat around or inside the castle itself. At least none that are active.
Jonathan Sims	Jon frowns at Cael. "Phoebe's right. Chas is in a very different position than he was back then. He can see... quite literally everything, I think. At the very least he can see what we're doing." He nods to Rien. "Saint Michael was trying to keep us from getting the pieces of the stairway, though he didn't know precisely what they were. Trying to block us from getting to Heaven. I think that's done now. And this..."     When the key's been put in the door and the castle is revealed he blinks slowly. "This is... impressive." He frowns and goes on through the door and onto the bridge, tentatively, like he's expecting something in the castle to start firing arrows at them. "I wonder why...?"
Cael Becker	Cael crosses her arms over her chest, regarding both Jon and Phoebe with dubious expressions. A golden thread of light extends from one of her wrists, near where a line of flames is tattooed across the back of her hand, towards Jon's - the tie never seeming to grow taut or constrict their movements, no matter the distances between them. Irregardless of their ties with Chas - she has cause to view the man and his actions with mistrust, and it would take quite some time for him to dig himself out of that hole - if he ever did. "You really think we solve this with a 'speak friend and enter?'" she asks - before wince. God, she's been around these people too much if //she's// the one making Tolkien references.     It's almost a relief when Jon uses the key to open the door, and she steps through to study the castle with a cautious expression. "...are we going to have to battle another dragon? Only I've left my big fuck-off sword at home." Because she doesn't relish the thought of burning her hands //without// her healing abilities. Look, she's not a complete masochist. She nods the others forward as she adds, "I've got our rear."
Phoebe Beacon	"I know they're from Chas," Phoebe states, without turning her face away from the door for a moment, though she turns and looks over to Rien with a smile that doesn't touch her dark eyes. "Rien. Good to see you, hope you've been well. Robbie, right?" the black girl in the midriff-baring hood gives the same polite smile to the Ghost Rider, and then she turns to the opening of the door, hanging back a moment as she looks at the castle with some measure of dubious expression on her face as she steps a li ttle bit forward, looking at the place.     She narrows her eyes.     "... if a Frenchman pops over the parapet I am running in the opposite direction, just so you all know." she offers as a joke.     "And no. I don't think Dad was much of a LOTR fan. Otherwise he might have caught me speaking Elvish to Red Robin early on." she murmurs quietly, and she looks to Jon.     "I'll take point." she states, flexing hre red-gloved fingers, and she goes to stride forward.
Rien D'Arqueness	Nodding to Jon, she runs her tongue over her teeth, "He's going to be unhappy to see me again..." Lips curve up into a sharp grin, "I can't wait to see the precise expression." Not that they're expecting that -here-, but Rien can anticiptae! She frowns a little, however, when the door opens to display the bridge and castle. Looking to the moat first to see if there's anything that seems -alive- within it. Sniffing at the water, the air. Turning an ear towards the castle. Trying to pick up any hints of anything that might be waiting to ambush them. "This is too easy. Nothing is ever this easy..." She glicks a glance towards Phoebe, one corner of her mouth curling upward, "As the Frenchman of the group, I -almost- resent that. But really, I'd just feel sorry for the inevitable cow. That said, maybe I should take point.. just in case." There's not much the tiny blonde can't facetank and keep on going. It will hurt like Hell, might even drop her for a bit, but you can't keep a Howlett down! She looks to Phoebe, "You're welcome to first blood but... let me make sure it's safe for everyone to cross?"
Robbie Reyes	Robbie should've been paying more attention in English Lit. Not that he needs a high school diploma to tell him that castle is bad news. His jaw hardens, and his fingers flex around the length of chain draped over his shoulder. "One and only," he returns to Phoebe without looking over. But pleasantries can wait until later. Right now, his senses -- both human and not -- are on high alert for any sign of trouble. When she announces her intention to take point, however, he's already plodding forward. Looks like it'll be a vanguard of two.
Chas Chandler	Whoever makes it across the bridge, be it Phoebe or Rien or both, find nothing of note to warrant the need for caution. At the other side the large wood and iron doors stand open with a small dagger embedded in a thick parchement stabbed into the hard wood. On it, in precise fine lettering that Phoebe would recognize as her father's writing, is a note.     "Esteemed Members of The Dark Justice League. Welcome to, what I hope, is to be your new base of operations. That is if you manage to succeed in getting to the inner sanctum. Don't worry, there are no dark masters or evil wizards who reside here. They are long dead and have moved on, with a bit of convincing from your's truly. That said, there are a few traps and tricks left over than could not be dispelled. I don't think it's anything too dangerous, and I don't think you can truly die in there, even if it looks like you might... so good luck. Wishing you the best, Chas" At the bottom of the page is a hastily scribbled addendum. "P.S. - Remember: the blue butterfly is a sign you're on the right path."     The chamber inside is a open hall with a single corridor leading deeper into the castle istelf. There are lamps that light up the great entry hall, they flicker with pale blue light and cast odd dancing shadows along the walls, but still nothing comes out as dangerous.
Phoebe Beacon	"You've missed a lot, Rien." is Phoebe's dry reply to the offer for the other demon hunter to take point, but she shares.     Until she spots the dagger and parchment. Bit on the nose, isn't it?     Phoebe cautiously walks forward, and reaches up and pulls the dagger, with some difficulty, out of the door to take the parchment, her eyes going wide as she realizes whose handwriting it is.     "It's from Chas!" she calls out, her hands actually trembling a little bit, sliding the dagger into her belt. She's keepin' that one.     She reads the words out loud -- adding in 'It's Justice League Dark, Dad' to it and she goes through it, word for word --     "P-S -- Remember, the blue butterfly is a sign you're on the right path --" she states, and she wrinkles her nose a moment, and looks to Jon and Cael.     "Looks like you two are on the deed to the place." she states, rolling the parchment and handing it off to Jon.
Jonathan Sims	Jon lets the others take point; not that he couldn't heal from most things, himself, but he's not particularly tough. He frowns as Phoebe reads the letter, and says, "I doubt that's what..." His brow furrows. "I don't think he'd care about /that/, it's... private between us. I'd guess it's more to do with general butterfly symbolism. Butterflies are often a symbol for the soul or rebirth." Which is the reason him and Cael have latched onto them between the two of them, of course.     "There were butterflies carved in temples all across the ancient world, from Egypt to Teotihuacan. And of course there's the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland. But it brings to mind Zhuangzi's 'The Butterfly Dream.'" He gestures with his glowing emerald arm while he takes the parchment in the other. "We're in the realm of dreams, and yet we're awake. That would seem to underscore the idea that the distinction between waking and dreaming is a false dichotomy." He looks around, trying to spot the symbol as noted in the message.
Cael Becker	"And I rather dislike the idea of him pre-empting the symbol," Cael adds with tension in her voice, and in her expression. "I mean - to... imply Jon and I. That isn't for //him.//" It was rather personal, and it left her feeling... exposed. Her right hand rubs almost unconsciously at the leather cuff she wears, as she looks around at their surroundings, and deeper into the castle as well.     "We gain nothing by standing around here, though. So. I suppose... shall we continue on?" Since she doubts the others have any intention of thumbing their nose at Chas's attempt at a gift, regardless of her feelings about the man.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien has less immediate or visceral connection as the trio, so while they talk about the note, she nudges Robbie and nods towards the open doors. Heading in that direction, she's still moving carefully, cautiously. Reaching out with all of her senses as she prowls into the castle. "Jon's right," she calls back over her shoulder. "Butterflies as symbols exist in multiple cultures across the globe, ancient and modern alike. Nobody 'owns' the butterfly." She's checking from the more obvious types of traps, pitfalls, darts.. and enchantments or hexes. Lingering effects that are set to trigger on the appropriate stimuli. "Hell, even the movies use butterflies for symbols of life, death, afterlife, and the soul."
Robbie Reyes	Robbie's hanging off to one side, poised like the hunter he is for any sign of prey; and really only half listening to Phoebe as she reads the contents of the note. None of this makes any kind of sense to him; he's the brawn, not the brains of this outfit. But he seems to know well enough to keep his mouth shut and follow along, when Rien nudges him. Into the castle it is, chain links scraping one another as he hefts the thing on his shoulder and takes up a position near the rear of the party.
Chas Chandler	The hallway beyond is innocuous enough though the floor is what catches the eye. There is a wing and insect motif in the tiles of the floor. Some have just the wings. Some have a body. Others the entire form. It's all done in a deep, almost violet blue with accents of yellow throughout.     Another thing of note in the corridor is raised aspect of the tiles with the full butterfly on them, ten in all. They seem to be a bit more solid than the rest, almost like pressure plates. Though to get from one to the next would require a great deal of jumping strength (or the ability to fly) for a normal human figure.     The scent of the castle is strange, a mix of ozone and incense that lingers on the nostrils and leaves those with heightened olfacotry senses a little light headed. At the far end of the hall is a door not much unlike the door that allowed them passage to this castle: deep violet blue wood with a wing and antennae motif on it in gold. The only difference between their entry point and this door at the end of the hall is the lack of glowing energy around the frame and stonework for this exit point.
Cael Becker	"Look - I get that butterflies mean something to people all around the world and aren't //mine// to claim. I just meant- if he's using them //because// of what it means to Jon and me... Then I have an issue with that. //That// isn't his to- well, it isn't //anyone's// but ours," Cael clarifies in a tense tone, as she studies the room in front of them, her gaze locking onto the ten raised tiles.     She studies them, then the rest of the floor, before saying a bit uncertainly, "It looks like we're supposed to play a bit of leap-frog. I only trust those ones," she indicates the raised tiles, "to stand on. But- now sure I can make those jumps." She looks towards Jon, with his wings. "Think you can help me out?" she asks.
Phoebe Beacon	"No one can take a joke in this outfit." Phoebe complains, the teenager looking over the room as she comes to the same decision that Cael has as she looks over the tiles, and gives a click of her fingers.     "Like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Phoebe replies to Cael, looking back to the tethered woman, and then to the tiles.     "What if pushing them all down makes it safe?" she questions out loud -- and she brings herself forward. She concentrates her power, the circle beneath the wrapped leather strap and the webbing-and-charm bracelet on her left wrist emitting light as a symbol shines through the fabric on her back, and transparent, rose-gold colored wings like those of an owl appear about her.     And she gives a flap, coming to set her foot and some weight on the first tile to see if it will drop down.
Chas Chandler	As Phoebe touches down the tile depresses and an audible click is heard in the corridor. The only result is a very faint blue glow surrounding the door at the end of the hall. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Jonathan Sims	Jon frowns as he peers across the room. "Well, touching the tile makes the door brighter... I don't know about touching them all at once?" He flaps his wings, once, and though that shouldn't be enough to pull him into the air it is. He hovers for a moment, then says, "There's not enough of us to touch them all at once, but..."     He frowns and thinks of bridges between the tiles, carefully made to only touch the raised tiles and arch over the others, sturdy enough to carry people walking. If someone wants to try touching them all at once, they'll have to summon something else up, but at least everyone can get across to the other door.
Chas Chandler	One by one the five make it across, depressing the ten tiles doesn't seem to create any failsafe for the corridor and the only difference once the tenth is depressed by winged figure or construct is that the door glows brightly and swings open. Revealing stairs up.     The stairs are simple and untrapped in any way, turning in on themselves as they go. The door at the top of them is much like the one at the base. The same blue and golden motif that seems to permeate the castle's decor. It swings open of its own volition as the group approaches.     The room beyond is large and circular with a small dias overlooking an expanse of spikes in the pit beneath them. On the far wall is another door, this one closed and without the glow that signifies activation in this place. There is a heavy weight in the room as if the gravity of the area is higher than normal. It's clear to those with the power, flying in this room would be difficult, even possibly impossible.     Even so a single butterfly flits and flutters at the egde of the raised outlook. It starts across the pit. The moment it leaves the safety of the platform something pushes it down and it is obliterated on the spikes below. Without any notice another butterfly appears on the platform and starts to flit across... only the be destroyed as easily and quickly as the first; its corpse lying atop the one that tried the passage before it.
Jonathan Sims	Jon flies across the room, himself, then heads through the door and on up the stairs. When the reach the top, he stares across the pit, watching the butterflies fly off, die, and... start again? "That second butterfly is identical to the first," he says slowly. He watches it again, frowning. "And... the third. So I think... I think we can't actually /die/ here."     The frown deepens. "That doesn't mean it wouldn't /hurt/ though. I... don't like the implications here." He looks around at the others. "Maybe... maybe some of us could survive the crossing, but then how do we get the others across...?"
Cael Becker	Cael sees what Jon sees - and she hates it, with a sickening //lurch// in the pit of her stomach. "...Yeah. We //think// we can't, but I really don't want to test the notion. Do you?" she asks in a terse tone. She's... frustrated, as she looks for some other solution to the problem. "If we can't fly across - would you bridge work again? I like that idea //much// better, she asserts firmly. "'cuz I don't intend to get impaled today."
Phoebe Beacon	Phoebe lets her wings settle, and then fade away with the plinkoplating of shattering glass shards, and she narrows her eyes a moment at the repetition of the butterflies, and she tilts her head a moment.     "Well. I mean. I'm supposed to die by throat slit, so I'm pretty sure I'll survive this." she remarks, and she looks about the room, and lifts one of her throwing knives to roll it over the back of her hand in thought, taking a couple of steps back as she settles herself, and her stomach.     Chas wouldn't send her to die, Right? That'd make Geraldine sad.     And she takes a running start to test what she'd seen with the butterflies and attempts to jump part of the pit.
Chas Chandler	Phoebe's leap in impressive, the skill and training of one of the Outsiders shining through in the action but then that gravity hits her and slams her to the pit. Spikes pierce her legs, arms, torso, and head with sickening crunching sounds and then Phoebe corpse is there lying on the spikes. The process was painful, but quick. Like getting a tattoo over the whole of one's body.     But then, just as the light dies out from her eyes, she is there on the platform once more. Whole, unhamred, and with everything that she had to begin with. Her corpse still bleeds on the spikes, but its an empty vessel, no more her than a doll of her would be.
Phoebe Beacon	Phoebe was entirely aware that the moment someone figured out what she was going to do, they were going to try and catch her. Gravity, however, takes the     CRUNCH. A new way to die.     And as Phoebe comes back to the side of the platform, looking to Cael, Jon, Rien and Robbie, and makes an unpleasant face, the bridge of her nose wrinking as she hitches her shoulders up, looking beyond them and to the other side of the room.     "Well. That *sucked*." she states, gags, and then turns to evacuate what was in her stomach, out of sight of the others.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien followed everyone up the stairs and into the next room, watching first the butterfly, then Phoebe. Shifting around so she can look into the pit to where Phoebe landed, she purses up her lips and seems to be doing some mental calculations. What she comes up with is pretty clear when she looks back to the group, "I can handle that. It will suck but... I've had worse. Not -recently- but.. worse." Rien looks around at the others, "Unless anyone else has a less macabre plan, you might all want to like... turn around, or sit at the top of the stairs. It's not going to be pretty."
Robbie Reyes	When Rien asks for other, less macabre plans, Robbie just shakes his head and continues staring into the pit. And Phoebe's lifeless 'body' lying there impaled on the spikes. He takes a breath, unslings the chain from his shoulder, and drops it so that it pools on the platform. Then, "Let's do this." A glance toward her. "I'll help."
Chas Chandler	As if to emphasize a point another butterfly floats across the pit and is slammed down onto the spikes below. And another and another in repetitious cycles. Waiting for the butterflies to fill the pit would take years, decades even, but Phoebe's body is still there, still seeping blood and it seems that Rien proposes to join her in the creation, if not facilitate it all herself.     There is a very faint tinge to the frame around the door at the far end, the math is brutal and macabre but in the end, its not a permanent end; only the memory of quick pain and quick respawn. It -is- a solution though and one that makes the most sense if one has faith and understands the old adage, no pain, no gain.
Cael Becker	As Phoebe makes her leap, Cael dashes for her, reaching for her- and just missing, as the woman leaps into the gap, and is propelled downwards with force. Cael's jaw goes slack, her expression freezing in horror for a moment, before she starts backing away from the pit. It's unclear if she even registers Phoebe's return as she, likewise, turns to evacuate the contents of her stomach onto the stones and then, pale and shaking, contines her retreat from the edge of the pit.     "No," she says quietly. "No no no no. Not again." Again? In what way is this 'again?'     But in Cael's mind, all she can think of is her own memory, of happily nailing herself onto a cross in self-sacrifice.     "No," she repeats quietly as she backs herself into the far corner of the room, turned away from everyone, arms hugging across her own chest as she stands turned away from everyone.     This can't be happening. This can't be right. This is so... wrong.
Jonathan Sims	Jon, too, tries to reach out as Phoebe leaps, but it's about what he expects--she's shortly back with them, but neither she nor Cael seem... okay. He closes his eyes for a moment. "Chas, mate," he grumbles under his breath, "we are going to have /words/ when you get back, about /emotional/ dangers. Good lord."     He turns away and says to Rien, "Do what you need to do." His tone is heavy and sharp, though surely he doesn't mean the snappishness for Rien. It's not /her/ fault the puzzle works this way.     "Phoebe, are you okay?" He says this while walking over to Cael, who he /knows/ isn't okay. He hesitates only a moment before wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and pulling her close.     "It's alright," he says softly. "Just... don't look, okay?"
Phoebe Beacon	Phoebe ventures a look over, and she sees her own body.     "... no. No I am not." she mutters to Jon. And she flumps down to her butt.     "I need a couple minutes."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien looks to Robbie and nods, then looks back to Jon. "You might want to take them out of the room. This won't be something they'll want to watch." Once he's gathered up Phoebe and Cael as best he can, she looks back to Robbie, "Well. Bet you didn't guess the first date would go this way, huh?" It's a terrible joke, but thankfully, she won't have to hear the groan as she's already throwing herself over the edge! Let the body count begin.
Robbie Reyes	The blonde gets a humourless smirk at her attempt at a joke. No, this wasn't precisely what he had in mind for his day, period. *Come along*, she said, *we could use your help*. Nobody mentioned magical death pits. Fucking magic. Robbie rolls his shoulders, cracks his neck to one side and then the other, like it'll help him limber up for what's about to come. And then with a mutter of, "let's do this," he jumps on in. One.
Chas Chandler	Rien and Robbie aren't the softest of individuals. Rien's bloodlike gives her a near limitless ability to heal from anything short of atomization (and even that is suspect to actually kill her.) Robbie is an altogether different beast. The demon that fuels his transformation as a Sin-Eater gives him an almost limitless lifespace. But this castle, here in the astral, filled with magic and power beyond the scope of reality doesn't care about any of that.     As they cross the threshold of the pit, gravity more powerful than anything on Earth smashes down on them, pressing them both onto the spikes with sickening brutality. The sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bone are muted, but still audible from the confines of the stairwell.     They die. Over and over and over again they die. With each jump into the pit another husk that bears their likeness joins the others within. It's a long process and the sounds and pain are not lost on either of them. Each pitfall brands them with a new and unique form of brief, yet noticable agony as they feel the death just before they are restored at the platform's center.     After fifty-eight deaths each--one hundred and sixteen total--a bridge is formed. The majority of it is made of the empty bodies of Rien and Robbie; but there at the very bottom, unseen, but not unnoticed, is a single empty husk of Phoebe supporting the foundation of the bridge. As the deaths mount the glow around the door brightens until it is a brilliant ethereal blue and the door itself clicks and swings open on more stairs. Another climb to another chamber.
Jonathan Sims	Jon does indeed pull Cael and Phoebe out of the room so they don't have to hear the crunching or be tempted to watch the deaths. It'll give Phoebe her couple of minutes and more, and hopefully give Cael a chance to recover. He doesn't say that he'd have volunteered to take on a portion of the deaths, sparing Rien and Robbie some of that agony, because doing so would just bring Cael /more/ agony.     Nothing comes without a price, right? Fucking magic, indeed.     "I'll carry you across when it's done," he says to Cael, "and you can keep your eyes shut." So she doesn't have to see, presuming she doesn't want to. A reasonable presumption.
Cael Becker	"This is wrong," Cael breathes quietly in response to Jon's words, tucked in against him, trembling. It's hard to banish the memory once it's surfaced - and oh so easy to wallow in it, lost, and frightened, and overwhelmed.     Breathe, she reminds herself - forcing herself to take in slow, deep breaths through her nose, breathing in Jon's scent as he- as they hold her. She slowly unclenches her fingers from around her own shoulders, and locks the fingers of one hand onto Jon's clothes, the other hand going to his head, her fingers burying themselves in Jon's hair.     Jon came for her. Jon would always come for her. That was the past, this is the present.     "I'm sorry," she adds softly, as she continues to cling to Jon for stability. For safety. For sanity.
Rien D'Arqueness	It is.. not a pretty sight. That many deaths, no matter how clean, are going to be ugly. It will take its toll on the psyche, but more, just the sight of the bodies is going to be grisly. Still at the other end of the room, Rien is fumbling in her jacket to pull out the tin holding her cigarettes, lighting one up with trembling fingers so she can suck down some of the herb-scented smoke. And hopefully banish some of the smell her overly keen nose is almost sure to detect. Propped up against the open doorway, she looks at Robbie, "We're having like... all the drinks tonight. I may buy the bar just to get it's inventory."
Robbie Reyes	Even the Sin Eater, veteran of more depravity and slaughter than the average powered creature can attest to, is looking a little ill once it's all said and done. He clutches his chain tightly as he finishes making the crossing, and tears his eyes away from the veritable welcome mat of bodies they've left behind. "No argument from me. Whose idea was this, anyway?" Oh, right. Hers. "Steal a drag?" he wonders, scissoring his fingers for her funky-smelling cigarette.
Chas Chandler	The stairwell beyond is almost identical to the one before, turning in on itself at a midpoint before rising to another glowing violet blue door. The door clicks and opens on the next chamber. But this one is different than all the others.     The room is large and circular with a raised balcony above a centralized area. That is where the door opens up on, the balcony. Nearby are a set of stairs that lead to the middle pit and it's comfortable arrangements. Everything in this room is deep blue in color and accented by that same golden yellow. There are comfortable chairs and couches, a piano that plays a soft melodic tune of its own accord, a bar filled with all manner of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and so many bookshelves filled to the brim with books on perhaps any subject imaginable.     Throughout the room are several doors like the one they entered from. Each glows with its own light and that glow, with the addition of a large blue-crystal chandelier hanging over head provides adequate and comfortable light to the lounge. In the center of the room, surrounded by a pillar of white light, is another board; the final piece to their Stairway encased in a field of energy that holds it in suspension as a centerpiece to the decorum, even if it is a somewhat odd icebreaker out of context.
Jonathan Sims	"Not your fault, love," Jon replies to Cael. "An entirely reasonable reaction, given... everything."     The pit full of bodies may be macabre, but Jon has walked the Underworld and, quiet literally, seen worse. So he helps Cael across and says, "Noodles. Alcohol and noodles seem in order."     Once they've climbed the stairs into the next room, Jon looks around with a slight frown. "We're going to have to redecorate," he decides. "The color scheme's a little one-note." He eyes the final piece to the stairway, considering. Is it as easy as going over and picking it up?
Cael Becker	Cael hates feeling weak. Even more - she hates feeling like a liability. If she'd reacted like this in a //combat// situation...     She allows Jon to guide her, and help her across the bridge of bodies, still holding herself close to him with every step. Once they're in the next chamber, though, she does hazard a cautious look around - her gaze predictably locking onto the bar and staying there.     "...is that real?" she asks. Because yes - she agrees. She wants a drink. Badly.
Rien D'Arqueness	Nodding, Rien shares her cigarette with Robbie, passing it over and clapping him lightly on the shoulder with a weak smile, "All in all.. I've had worse first dates." The joke is still weak, but she follows it up with a quiet, "Thank you. For helping. I would have done it but.. it would have been worse. I owe you one." Then the others are crossing the macabre body-bridge and she's straightening up, tossing her hair over her shoulder and letting them take the stairs first so they can get away from the grisly sight of death." Rien, nods for RObbie to precede her as well, taking up the rear point, assuming correctly that this the end of the trek to find the room they sought.
Robbie Reyes	Robbie actually seems to have fared the best of them, emotionally at least. He may be the youngest Ghost Rider, but he *has* been to Hell and back. Literally. Killing himself fifty-eight times ranks as a difficult day in the office, but not the worst he's had to endure. He ducks his head to take a pull from the strange, herbal smelling cigarette before passing it back again. Smoke pours from his lips and nose in a steady stream as he exhales. "Gonna have to tell me what you put in those," he murmurs. As to her appreciation, he manages a quick, crooked smile. "So this *is* a date, huh? I should've dressed up." Bad joke, meet worse. He steps through ahead of her, gaze passing briefly over the others before he turns to survey the room.
Chas Chandler	Decorating the room may take time if it's even possible. It's a project for another day though as the end of the journey floats before them. Reaching out to the board is met with an arc of small electricity as the hand approaches the field. It's no more than a static shock, but it's clear it's going to take more than just reaching out and taking it to get the board.     Phoebe's quip at the beginning of this trek comes to mind. Chas may have not been the largest Tolkien fan, but he was and is a fan of British Classic Rock. And the lyrics of the song are pretty clear. 'With a word she can get what she came for.' It's possible that Tolkien's riddle could be modified for the non-initiated and holds true even for this little test.
Jonathan Sims	"Well," Jon says, after reaching out to get himself zapped. "I think the bar is quite real, yes, Cael. Go ahead." He huffs out a breath and shakes his head, then looks around at Rien and Robbie.     "We've been sort of... passing around taking down the boards and putting them on the stairway. Rien, you were here at the start but you haven't yet... and Robbie, you're new... either of you could do the honors. But, ahh, I think Phoebe was right. I think we have to ask for the board."     He rolls his eyes, then sings, "When she gets there she knows / if the stores are all closed / with a word she can get what she came for..." He shrugs, with a wry sort of expression.
Cael Becker	Cael only gives the board a dark, angry look - her gaze shifting towards the bar instead as Jon suggests she 'go ahead.' There's a moment of hesitation, though, as her gaze lingers there, before going back to Jon once more, a question in her eyes. She gives a gentle tug, and only when they begin to walk with her, does Cael move towards the bar.     Apparently she wasn't yet willing to venture away from Jon's comforting presence.     Once at the bar, she pours to glasses of whiskey. Her first glass, she knocks back immediately, pouring a second glass which she sips more slowly with her back turned towards the board in question.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien flashes a quick grin to Robbie, "Never let it be said I take guys anywhere boring." Sure, they each died 58 times tonight, but that was NOT boring! Taking the cigarette back, she draws on it again and glances to him with a nod, "I'll show you how to make them. Good for dulling too overt of smells, and for warding off minor ghosts and spirits." Mostly. When they enter the Velvet Room, she just clucks her tongue and shakes her head at the decor. The piano playing has her lifting a brow, but when the song hits repeat, she sighs, "That is going to be so very annoying. First task, teach the piano new songs..." Her attention turns to Jon and she gives a nod, "I can do it.." This offered softly with a nod for him to attend to Cael. Approaching the the board, she lets out a small sigh, exhaling a plume of smoke as she says, "Please." And holds out her hand to take the board.
Robbie Reyes	"Tienes razon," Robbie drawls, sotto voce, with a lingering glance for Rien's grin. Then he's ambling off a short way to take a look around. Not too far, mind, but the place is weird as shit and he's a curious cat. A gloved finger tap-taps the chain slung across his shoulder as he slowly wanders, with half an eye on the blonde about to take the board and hopefully finish their journey.
Chas Chandler	'Please' is definitely a word and with the request the field around the ash board disapears and the object floats slowly into Rien's waiting arms. The room dims a bit with the absence of the field but a table beneath the field materializes and holds a five keys. They are all blue and silver in color and have a stylized mask as a handle. They all glow with vibrant light and pulse.     A voice comes from somewhere in the room, the sound of it seems more automated and magical than from any direct source. Perhaps the previous owner left a recording for the future tennants. "These are simply the first. Bring those you wish to have access here with you and more will be provided." There is a flash and the message is over. One of the doors on the lower floor opens up of its own volition. Beyond is the same astral mirror of Battery Park that they came from and the tell-tale shimmer of the Stairway to Heaven waits for its final piece.
Jonathan Sims	Jon goes along to the bar with Cael, looking around. "So... we have a base now, I suppose. We're going to have to poke into the corners, disarm any other traps. Put in wards." A pause. "Good /lord/, this is going to be a lot of work." Work he's suited for, though; he sounds excited more than anxious.     He frowns at the voice, and peers over at the table. "I think those are for us," he notes to Cael. "I'm going to make sure we're rid of that last room /first/, to make it... palatable to come back here." He smirks over toward Rien. "And then, yes, teach the bloody piano new songs. What... /is/ that, anyhow? It's not a piece I know."
Cael Becker	Cael doesn't answer Jon - though she does lean in towards him, so her head rests against his shoulder. Her drink is held in one hand, and she sips from it regularly, while staring down at the bar's counter.     It was a pretty safe bet that Cael would end up rather inebriated before bedtime rolls around.
Rien D'Arqueness	Hefting up the step, Rien looks it over, then looks to the keys, reaching out and plucking one of them off the table to pocket for herself. She holds out another two towards Jon with a quick smile, "Let me know when you want to get started on.. cleanup and safety. I'll pitch in there. And.. maybe we don't need to get -rid- of the room, but make it safe to cross for us... and not for anyone that wishes us harm. It might take some work, but, I think I have an idea for that one. If you're interested." Rien winks, then moves towards the doorway that's opened, finding that shimmer of the Stairway to Heaven. Kneeling down, she grasps the step in both hands and slots it into place, setting the final step into the stairs. Rising back up, she steps back and glances up, "Coming for you.." Is she talking to Chas? Michael? Both? In any case, it's down to time now.