Owner	Pose
Cael Becker	What do you say to people who died 58 times - while you hid in a stairwell and tried to pretend it wasn't happening? That was the question on Cael's mind, as she sits at Josie's bar and sends out the text to Robbie and Rien to invite the both to join. Not one to wait, she's already sipping on a whiskey, sitting at one of the tables by the wall, with a large, white dog curled up at her feet. She stares at one of the many advertisements put up about the brands of liquor on sale as she thinks, a scowl pulling at her lips.
Robbie Reyes	Robbie doesn't recognise the number that pops up on his phone, and he's got reasons to be suspicious. Plenty of reasons. None of them, it turns out, worry him enough to thwart his curiosity. So, once he's gotten Gabe squared away for the evening, he heads out to Josie's. Which is just about dive enough for him to fit right in. He shoulders his way in smelling of the cigarette he smoked outside, hands jammed into the pockets of that battered leather jacket and a hard, guarded look on his sharp features. The dog catches his eye as he wanders up to the bar to order a drink. "Cerveza, if you got any," he explains to the 'tender.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien is oddly used to texts and calls from unknown numbers. Her 'family' tends to go through cellphones at an alarming rate. So when she enters the bar, she's holding the door open and exhaling a plume of smoke as she flicks one of her home-rolled cigarettes towards the ashcan outside. Letting the door fall shut behind her, she sweeps the place with a glance before making any moves away from the door. Recognizing two faces, she ambles first towards Robbie, nudging him lightly in passing and offering a wink and a quick flash of a smile before rapping on the bar. "Bourbon. Angel's Envy if you've got it, neat, straight, double." Money is set under an empty mug for the bartender to collect and then she's strolling over to join Cael. Dropping into a catty-corner chair from Cael's, she sends a sidelong look towards the woman, the dog provoking a bit of a smile, "Hey. That's a good dog you have."
Cael Becker	Just as striking as the dog's large size, was the brightly colored vest he wears labeling him as a Service Dog, and explaining his presence in the bar. "Their drinks are on my tab tonight," Cael calls over to the bartender as she sees her two guests arrive - and with a nod, the bartender pushes Robbie and Rien's money back towards them.     Hey, free drinks? And they only had to die 58 times for it?     "The pup's Bear. He's- yeah, he's a good boy. He usually stays with me, if I'm not on a job." Hearing his name, Bear lifts up his head and gets a scratch from his owner, before settling back into his place again.     "I hope you don't mind me messaging you - Jon shared the numbers with me."
Robbie Reyes	Robbie's not going to argue with free drinks. That was money he needed to pay bills, anyway. The bank note's shoved back into his wallet, and his wallet's shoved into the back pocket of his jeans. He collects his drink with a murmur of thanks, and ambles on over to where the two women are seated. Rien's watched for a beat or two, before he sinks into the free chair between them with a lazy spread of knees. "No es un problema," he replies to Cael with a twitch of one side of his mouth. "You okay? Seemed like you had a pretty rough time the other day." Yep, playin' it cool. He reaches down to let the dog sniff his hand, and give him a ruffle behind the ears. His phone goes off right about then, and he digs it out to answer it.
Rien D'Arqueness	Shaking her head, Rien smiles, "As the man says, it's no problem. I'm always happy to share drinks with compatriots." She settles in, crossing her legs and letting her hands rest in her lap. Gaze dipping to Bear, she moves to lean forward so he can sniff at her as well, then retakes her previous position. "Is there anything we can help with?" She nods to Robbie's response, eyes following him for a few beats when he wanders off, then returning her gaze to Cael. "You did seem to take it pretty hard, that last one. I hope you know that none of us think less of you for it. Eveyone has their demons to fight."
Cael Becker	"I, uh- I appreciate that," Cael admits, her expression going wry, and a little uncomfortable. "I'm alright now," she answers Robbie, "But that was actually why I wanted to talk to you. To- to thank the both of you, and offer a bit of explination, because I think after what you both went through... you're owed it." She knocks back the remainder of whiskey, steeling herself for the rest of the conversation, and then lifts the glass to get the bartender's attention. She gets a nod in response as the man begins pouring another glass for her.     "I wouldn't want either of you to think I couldn't be relied on in a pinch."
Robbie Reyes	The mechanic returns after a brief interlude, and a conversation in rapid-fire Spanish. He's wearing a pensive look on his face as he settles in again, and checks his messages a couple more times before shoving his phone away. "Don't owe me nothing," he points out, lifting his glass for a sip. "And uh.." His eyes flit sidelong to Rien, then back to Cael. "I ain't too used to working with other people. So I guess it'll be a learning experience for both of us." He's curious, of course, about what she wants to explain to them. But Rien knows her better; he'll let her handle this.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien turns a brief, quick smile to Robbie, "You did really well for not doing it often." Then her attention goes back to Cael and she nods her agreement with Robbie's words, "I have to agree with him. You don't owe us anything. I volunteered because... I've died. A lot. I know how to handle it. I would guess Robbie volunteered for similar reasons." Rien's smile warms a touch, lifting her glass towards the other woman, "That said, if this is catharsis for you, then by all means. You have my attention." Sipping from her glass, she settles in and does, indeed, give the full of her attention to Cael.
Cael Becker	'Catharsis.' Cael smiles wryly, and reaches down towards Bear, who sits up properly to nuzzle his head into her lap. "Well. I can't help but feel that I do - you guys carried a heavier burden because I couldn't help. And Jon - he would have helped, but he knew how I would have reacted to that." Not well. That's how she would have reacted to that.     Her hand continues moving over Bear's head as she nods her head towards Rien. "It was because of what Michael did to me." Her attention shifts to Robbie as she adds, "You may have heard some of the news reports - about the 'Papal Killer' who was crucifying and murdering people here in Hell's Kitchen. How- how it turned out that that was the work of the Archangel Michael, just prior to his invasion. I... was the tenth and final victim. The only survivor, in part because of Rien. She and a few others - Jon, Sara, and Asariel - came for me. I'd- he got in his victims' heads, you see. He made me... believe I was wicked, and could only find peace through the absolution he offered. I literally nailed myself to that cross. And the thought of willingly flinging myself onto those spikes- brought me right back there. PTSD's a bitch."     As the talks, despite the weight of her words (or perhaps because of it), her expression remains... almost flat. A little tension shows in the corner of her eyes, and some tightness in her jaw - and her hand keeps moving over the dog's head, as he whines quietly, and inches a little closer to her.
Robbie Reyes	The dog's all but faded into the background, now. Robbie's attention is on Cael, whom he regards steadily as she explains about the news reports, and.. Michael? Yeah, of course he's heard about what happened. The gruesome killings, the guy calling himself an archangel. The kid wisely steered clear of it all, being what he is. Not that he didn't -- and doesn't -- have a mighty itch to come face to face with the fucker and see exactly what he's made of. "I'm sorry for your pain," he murmurs lowly. Rien likely knows him well enough by now, to spot that twitch of muscle in his jaw. The one that means he's having a little conversation in his head. A conversation that's starting to turn heated, by the looks of it. He sips his cerveza, and averts his gaze from the pair of them, gazing instead out the grimy window.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien nods a little when Cael says she might remember. She absolutely remembers. There's a reason she volunteers to handle the really nasty things. Quiet, letting Cael speak, leaning forward at the end to pat gently at her knee, "Nobody blames you, Cael. Nobody. And if I can save the rest of you pain by taking it on myself? Then I will do so, without hesitation. That goes for all of you." Smiling faintly, she straightens to sip her drink. Eyes sliding sidelong towards Robbie, she leans to whisper to him gently in Spanish, squeezing his free hand lightly and offering a smile. Then she's straightening again and looking back to Cael, "We all have an axe to grin against the Asshole Supreme.. and I for one look forward to planting mine right between those fucking wings of his."
Cael Becker	Cael stiffens at the touch - but doesn't jerk away, even if she is clearly uncomfortable with the contact. "I blame me," she offers in wry response. "Jon has had some choice things to say about that, of course." Her whiskey is delivered at this point, and she picks it up to take a drink from it, grateful for the burn down her throat, and into her stomach. "Anyways. I just thought - after what you both went through... I should at least explain myself. I don't usually have reactions like that, thankfully. That's the first time it's happened in the field, hopefully it doesn't happen again."     Giving Bear another scritch, she murmurs to the pooch, "I'm okay, Bear Bear. You're a good boy." Her gaze returns to Rien as she adds, "I'd be the last one to suggest Michael deserves any mercy. For myself, for the other nine victims, for everyone who died in this battle //he// started... for everything he did to Jon. I don't think there's enough pain to make up for everything he's done." She takes a deep breath in, and lets it out slowly before she adds, "But Jon believes we can't forge a peaceful future with vengance in our hearts."
Robbie Reyes	The touch to his hand distracts him from his thoughts. Robbie works his jaw a little, and nods to Rien. "I'll be there," he tells her with certainty. He's stayed away until now, but the time's come to step the fuck up. But as Cael continues, he starts to look more and more discomfited by what she's saying. How many people has *he* killed in cold blood? How many souls destroyed, sent to Hell for their sins? He grips his glass more tightly when she mentions vengeance, but doesn't speak a damn word.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien gives a small nod to Cael, quirking a faint smile, "It's hard not to blame yourself for a perceived failure. And yes, I will say 'perceived'. Because you are the only one that thinks you failed. Trauma is not something you get over quickly, or easily. And in our business? There's a lot of trauma, and it just keeps on coming." She draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, "We don't often get the time we need to properly deal with things." Her eyes lift to Cael's once more, "But that is why you have teammates. So we can assess and understand and take our share of the burden. So we can all be fucked up together." There's a wink and grin before she takes a swallow from her bourbon. For Robbie, she doesn't say anything at all, just reaching across the space and taking his hand, giving it a small squeeze, then holding it. Her own thoughts begin to drift to her past, to the horrors, the failures, the battles... and then she forcibly pushes them aside. Letting them linger in the background, quiet whispers and flashes of images.
Cael Becker	"When all of this is finally truly over... Jon and I are taking a vacation. A ski vacation, maybe - I've never been skiing. It sounds fun, and there must be //somewhere// that has snow in April..." Some of the tension seems to be easing out of her - or at least, Bear has stopped whining. The damned dog was a very visible and audible mood barometer, much to her chagrin.     "Are you planning on coming to heaven with us?" she asks Robbie. "That's our next step, anyways. To get back Chas Chandler. He started all this - inadvertantly. And if it hadn't been him... well. Michael was just looking for an excuse." She rolls her eyes at that. "Fucking archangels..."
Robbie Reyes	Heaven? Robbie narrows his eyes at Cael, gaze assessing for a moment. Like he's trying to figure out whether she's serious about that. Yep, seems pretty serious. "Uh.." Rien's hand curled around his bigger one seems to smooth away a little of the tension in him, the rougher edges he normally has. "I, uh. I'm not sure I'm too welcome there, chica." He tries to crack a smile, but it doesn't quite hit his eyes. Noticing how quiet the little blonde's gotten, he leans in to murmur something to her in kind, then downs a swallow of his drink.
Rien D'Arqueness	"The French Alps. Snow all year round on the slopes, wonderful chalets. I would highly recommend it," Rien offers with a warm smile towards Cael. She glances to the dog that's gone quiet and her smile widens a touch. Lifting her glass for a sip, she murmurs, "I can even save you the airfare if you'd like." Looking to Robbie, she chuckles and murmurs, "I don't know that any of us are going to be strictly -welcome- there, querido. Big an axe as I have to grind against Michael, he's got just as big of one to grind against me. Trust me, you won't be the only one with a target on your back. Or face. Or ass." She gives his hand a small squeeze and murmurs a response to him.
Cael Becker	Cael lets out a snort at Robbie's objection. "I'm pretty sure I'm not welcome in heaven, either," she remarks in an amused voice. "I've made more than my share of mistakes in life - I've hurt people. I've killed people - and not just in the course of my duties to protect the public. I'm not sure we're going beyond the gates, anyways. The way I understand it - that's where Chas is." She takes another swig of her whiskey, her hand simply resting on Bear's head now, as the dog's head continues to lie on her lap.
Robbie Reyes	"This thing inside me, it's--" He's quiet for a moment, jaw gone hard again. "It's worse than that." He *did* literally sell his soul to a demon, after all. A demon that's bonded to him now. He raises his eyes to Cael again, watching her from under his dark lashes. "And it's hungry." He releases Rien's hand, unless she objects, and finishes off his cerveza with a quick swallow. "Thanks for the drink. I'll see you again soon." Then he's climbing to his feet, practically knocking his chair over in his haste to get out.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien doesn't object, but she does knock back the rest of her bourbon with a quick swallow, setting the glass down. Watching Robbie for a moment, she looks back to Cael, "I believe that's my cue as well. I'll make sure the demon doesn't swallow him. Thank you, for inviting us out. And for inviting us in. Next time though, the drinks are on me." She smiles faintly, "See you at the Stairway." With that, the small blonde is loping after Robbie, intent on ensuring the Rider doesn't hurt the wrong people.
Cael Becker	Cael looks about ready to ask a question - but then Robbie is out, while she sits there pursing her lips together in a thoughtful, puzzled expression. Does Jon know about this demon, she wonders?     There was a time that proclimation would have alarmed her, she muses. Or- more like, she'd have thought him insane. How time's change.     "Yeah, sure," she agrees. "Next time," she agrees. "Take care of yourselves - and see you soon. Hey and- if I never said? Thanks for coming after me, and helping to save my life."