Owner	Pose
Rien D'Arqueness	It's been some days since Chas was rescued from Heaven's Gates (literally), and while some changes have been being made to the structuring of the JLD, Rien has been making an effort to reach out to members she either hasn't met or has really only met under duress. Chas himself is one of the people on that list, and a meeting has been arranged at the newly acquired Velvet Room. Presumably, Chas has gotten a key by now, otherwise Rien will ensure one is sent to him prior to the meeting. When he arrives, it will be to the sounds of classic rock songs being played by Nameless. And of course, the current melody... Free Bird. What is different is that someone seems to have, at least temporarily, enchanted a 'ghost band' to help out. Main guitar riffs are still being done by Nameless itself, but the bass line, the secondary guitar, and any other instruments are chiming in in the form of literally ghostly instruments appearing as pale imitations with smoke roiling off them, each instrument brightening slightly as its 'turn' comes before fading back to intagibility when it's part is finished. Rien is sitting at Nameless, watching the enchantment closely to ensure that her magic will stay attuned to Nameless. She's making sure there are no 'skips' to the record, so to speak. But there's a smile on her lips, and she's enjoying the music. An herbal cigarette is smoldering in an ash tray on top of Nameless, occasionally picked up and drawn from.
Chas Chandler	Chas has been to the Velvet Room a couple of times. Once in spirit, to secure it's transfer to his friends from it's previous owner. A again in the flesh to acquire his own key and get subsequently pummelled by Cael Becker for his hand in her torture. As it stands he received a call from Rien and from his new home at the Thrones art complex produces a door that leads to the sitting room balcony.     He stops as he hears the music and snorts softly before making his way to the sunken floor. "I'm not entirely sure that's one that Philemon ever envisioned being played in this room. But it fits all the same..." he says as he finds a couch and settles down into it.     He rememebrs Rien only vaguely. He remembers her conflict with his body under the control of the deranged Michael. He remembers all of reality ending when two portals to the Negative Zone were connected and a gate to Oblivion was opened. He remembers her shackles searing his skin as he was held fast to the board that was his pillory before the transferance of his presence to the Gates. Those chains would be forever seared into his mind. A reminder of the power the woman commanded with relative ease.     But she wasn't his enemy now. Not at all. She was Michael's former enemy... before the new one stepped into place. But to him, she was a teammate; and now, a team leader. He smiles openly to her, though sadness lingers at the edges of the expression. "What can I do for you, boss?" he asks conversationally.
Rien D'Arqueness	"The Philharmonic lacks imagination. There are so many excellent rock and pop songs that translate well to piano..." Rien murmurs her response absently, watching the flow of the magic for any abnormalities. When nothing seems to be out of place and the two 'entities' are able to play together nicely, she smiles and runs a hand over the top of the piano, "Thank you, Nameless." Rising up, she picks up her cigarette and ashtray and moves towards the bar. Towards the bar she goes, looking over her shoulder at him with a faint smile, "Please. Rien has been serving me well for over a century now." She starts looking through what exists behind the bar and asks, "Can I get you anything?" There's a glance up from the liquor bottles, the smile a little fuller this time, "Actually, I was hoping that we could get to know one another a little better. And I'd like to get your thoughts on anything you'd like to see change or improve in regards to the League." Rien purses up her lips and murmurs, "And recommend something very good and very expensive. I have no frame of reference for choosing alcohol..."
Chas Chandler	Chas grins at her misunderstanding of the former owner's name and rises to move over behind the bar. "I was a bartender for several months... but you know that already." He reaches up to the top shelf and pulls down a couple of bottles. He looks them over and frowns. "These aren't labeled. At least, not in any way I know of. They look like..." he turns one in his hands. "Tarot cards? Hm. Interesting."     He shrugs and grabs a tumbler and pours a measure of the amber liquid into the glass before sliding it to the woman. "I'm not sure what it is... but I don't think that the Castle would offer us anything that would harm us. At least not in the public venue of this area." He doesn't serve himself, instead saying. "I... don't really need to eat or drink anymore. Part of the 'upgrade' package I was given for my time in Heaven" he says. His grimace and gesticulated inverted commas are enough indicator that he's still getting used to the change. "I'm for all purposes one of the Hosts... I think. Maybe."     He shrugs. "As for the League. Changes or improvements?" He smiles. "Cohesion among cats would be a good start," he says flatly. "I mean, you guys worked well enough together to battle off the Hosts and Michael but even so..." he shakes his head. "From my vantage point, I saw too many times rogue elements going their own way and getting in over their heads. As many magi as we have, things should be streamlined to work together. Even if the magics are employed differently, the power--when used in tandem--could be incredible and do wonderous things."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien lifts a brow towards Chas, an amused smile tilting her lips, "I did?" She looks back as he starts looking over the bottles, the second brow joining the first, "What sort of... hm." Letting out a sigh, Rien murmurs, "There's so much that we still don't know about this place. It needs a thorough scanning and categorization so we know what we're dealing with and how to proceed." Reaching out to catch the sliding glass, she stares down at it for a moment, then looks back to Chas with a shrug. "I don't get any effect from alcohol, but it was suggested that I drink it for the taste? But... I am hesitant to drink something unknown. Even if it isn't -harmful- that doesn't mean it will be -good-." Rien leans against the bar, watching him, listening. "So... one of the Earth-born Angels, perhaps? There have.. been a few." There's a small laught for the suggestion of cohesion amongst cats, though she seems to agree with him, given the nodding she does. Turning the glass slowly in her hand, she murmurs, "We are working on that. It was actually one of the first points that got brought up at the first ever meeting of the new triumverate." She looks back to him, "So hopefully, we can work up some good base guidelines, and when they are set down, we will give active members a chance to step back if they feel they are unable to act in accordance with those guidelines. No harm, no foul. But you're correct. When things are happening, we need to be able to trust each member to do what they are told... not what -they- feel should be done."
Chas Chandler	Chas sighs and takes down a tumbler and pours a bit of the same liquid into the glass. He downs it quickly and swallows. "Single malt. 8... no... make it 12 year. Pretty good. Probably a for or five hundred dollar bottle if it was anything labeled." He sets the glass aside and smiles at her. "Happy?" he asks before gesturing to her glass.     He shrugs. "That's a good idea. When Consta--" he sighs and takes a breath. "The leadership has been pretty scatter shot to say the least. I mean, Jon did alright. Phoebe's position wasn't one I was comfortable with but the necessity was there and she was active so..." he pauses, letting the silence speak for itself for a moment. "But I think you, Jon, and Sara will do a better job together than anything that's been in place before."     He frowns. "I'm in, if you and Sara don't have any issues with me being a part of things. I know I buggered everything up before but... I'm going to try and do everything I can to help and I'm working on getting handle on just -what- I can do."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien lets out a small laugh at the actions and shakes her head at him, "Its not... my senses are dialed to 100, all the time. It's hard to enjoy much of anything when there's so many... chemicals and preservatives and unnatural, manmade 'additions' in them. Cael suggested that I might try for an expensive liquor as it would be less likely to use more modern techniques to create the liquor." She lifts a shrug and picks up the glass, takeing a swallow. Her expression holds that strange look people get when they try something new for the first time and aren't sure if they like it or not. She looks down at the glass as she swallows. "Hm. Well, they seem to use all natural ingredients, though I could wish the steel of their mixers were a slightly higher rating, I get some faint metallic points that interrupt the corn, rye, and yeast." Shrugging, she looks back to Chas and smiles faintly, "Thank you." Nodding, Rien murmurs, "Jon told us about the start of it all, and what happened with the... unConstantine. And subsequently with Phoebe. I am hoping that this time off will help her to realize that she needs to find herself, independent of mentors or family. But we shall see." Reaching for her cigarette, she draws on it and gives a nod, "I'm hoping that together we can turn the League around and provide a stable counterpoint to the JLA, to handle the mystical, magical, and otherworldly threats posed to the world." Her brows lift and she smiles, "We'll be glad to have you, Chas. Admittedly, I did want to see how you were doing, in part to see what your thoughts were regarding membership, so I'm glad that you want to stay with use. We -all- fuck up at some point. Some of us more than once, or just really badly. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get the chance to do good."
Chas Chandler	Chas chuckles. "Most people's fuck-ups don't end up jeapordizing the stability of Creation" he says wryly. "Mine did." He sighs again, the action clearly a forced on in his frame. He doesn't breathe either, Rien's physical senses would be able to tell that he hasn't -needed- to breathe in the same way most humans did anymore. Her magical senses would check him as a walking fountain of magical energy. Energy that fuels the fundamental functions of the universe. If tapped... he could be a formidable source of power... or an equally formidable weapon.     "unConstantine? Is that what we're calling it now?" he asks. "Good a name as anything I guess., It's still out there, as far as I know. We should track it down sometime... dispose of it." His jaw tightens as he says the next sentence. "Pretty sure John's busy with being married to a faerie princess and doesn't feel the need... but well... we should get rid of it, to put a nail in the coffin of that chapter so to speak."
Rien D'Arqueness	"Mmmmmmmmmmm, happens more often than you might think. Maybe not at the -source- but... universe-wrecking phenomenon are far more common than people might think. They just... get averted before they actually wreck the universe." Rien lifts a small shrug and offers a wuick smile towards him. Lifting the glass, she offers, "So... cheers to joining an elite club you never wanted to be part of that is a dubious honor at best. Your t-shirt will arrive by mail in approximately 666 weeks." Now that she's teased him, she takes another sip and murmurs, "I can almost taste the dirt the hops were grown in... they were fresh when used. That's nice." "That is apparently what Lydia calls it, which Jon has taken to calling it, and is better than calling it 'the demon wearing Constantine's cloned body'. Because that is just a mouthful." Rien lifts a shrug once more and gives a nod, "I agree. Jon was hesitant because Phoebe still believes that to have been her... mentor. But I think it will do everyone a world of good to have that monstrosity scrubbed from the world." She sighs and murmurs, "Well, Constantine seems to make it a habit to hink with his little head more than the big one, so that tracks."
Chas Chandler	Chas chuckles. "I'll keep an eye out for the post..." he says before sobering. "It's something that we're going to need to deal with one way or another. Phoebe will... she'll heal. She's not alone. I'm here. Batman and his extended family are also there for her. It'll hurt for a while, but she won't be alone for it. Which is what matters."     He frowns for a moment. "Can I ask you a question... it might be hard to answer but it's something I'm looking at for a long term project." He glances around as if looking to see if there are any prying eyes or ears in the room.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien grins when he plays along with the gag, nodding. He's okay, he can crack jokes. The grin fades as she gives a nod and offers, "Jon recognizes that, too. He was just hesitant to bring it up when it was just him, because there was some tension with him, Phoebe, and the unConstantine and he didn't want Phoebe to think he just wanted to hurt her." She lifts a small shrug, "I can understand his reasoning, but he has Sara and I to help now, and I think.. yes, exactly. I think this will be the itme to remove that particular stain from the world." Her brows lift and she follows his glance around, then looks back to him. "Of course. Please, I want to know everyone's thoughts and ideas for the League. Or even if it's just a personal project you think we could assist with."
Chas Chandler	Chas leans aganist the bar and asks his question. "This is more a personal project for me specifically..." he prefaces. "How do you do magic?" he asks. "Like... what is the process for it, for you?" He pauses only a beat before he clarifies. "I'm trying to learn about what I can do with this new body and what powers I can employ. I know what the Hosts can do... but not exactly the how of it. But in order to understand the ins and outs I'm going to need a partner to teach me."     He makes a face of concentration. "Phoebe's helping me get a handle on things on the base level. I'm probably going to ask Jon about figuring out a lesson plan at the very least. But I'm pretty sure how I do things is vastly different from both of them though. But... if I can find someone who does magic in a way that..." he shrugs. "I don't know, 'resonates' with me then I can put that forward as part of said lesson plan. So I'm asking those I know." He gestures to the woman across the bar from him. "Case in point."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien smiles faintly and gives a nod, encouraging him to continue. She sits back to listen, only to blink at his question. That is an EXCELLENT question. And clearly one nobody has actually asked her before. She takes a few moments, thinking about how to best put it to words, idly sipping at the whiskey as she considers it. Finally, she looks to Chas and smiles, "You are the first person to ask me that. So, pardon me if this is a bit... meandering." Motioning to herself, she starts, "I generate magical energy internally. As in, I am my own source. Which is not to say that I cannot draw on outside sources, it's actually quite useful if there is another well from which I can tap. But I generate my own source of magic. I couldn't tell you exactly why, and the people that could have, are either dead or in another timeline."" She takes another sip fromt he glass, then muses, "As to how I approach it... I suppose it's not terribly different from channeling. I draw on the power within and focus my mind and will to bend it into the form I wish it to take. I don't need words, though if I am performing a ritual created by another I tend to follow their method for best results. Nor do I even really need gestures, though they can help to focus the will on what I am trying to do. The shaping of it is more a... an abstract that holds meaning for me. Perhaps a symbol, or a picture. But it allows me to manipulate and shape the world around me as I see fit. Or to concentrate the energy into a physical manifestion to aim at something. If I were to, say, need to bypass a locked door... I might envision a key turning in the lock to let me open the door. Or I could think of smoke and steam to make myself intangible to pass through it. I could get mad and form the energy into a blast to shatter the door apart. Realistically, the only limit to what can be accomplished is one's own imagination." She looks to him with a smile, "I hope that helps."
Chas Chandler	Chas listens intently and pauses once the woman is done. He nods. "Actually... it does. A lot more than you might think." He frowns. "You're different than others... and different than what I do. I think. I'm still going to need your help in the future... if you're willing." He pauses and looks around. He'd feel more comfortable with a towel in his hands to polish the bar, but it doesn't look like there is one around. Something to look into. Why do they have a bar like this... without a bartender?     "I... I'm going to need to know what can and can't hurt me and from what I know there are only two people I know of who can channel the energy from the Negative Zone. One is Constantine," A beat. "And one is you." His mouth presses into a line. "I'm not entirely comfortable seeing John just yet so, when the time comes, if you'd be willing to try and use that energy--even a trickle of it--on me? To test if I react in the same way the Hosts do against it."     He holds up a hand. "I know that's asking a lot. Using that power comes with it's own host of issues. But, I have to know if I'm going to be any use to you guys" he says. "If a Shogoth manages to get out of there, we need to know whether I'm completely useless against it or a walking demolition machine, or both?"
Rien D'Arqueness	Nodding, Rien seems pleased that she was able to help even if a little. Mention of her being different has her chuckling, "To be fair, I wasn't simply a 'happy accident', but rather a deliberate creation that was carefully monitored by a clan of sorcerers and sorceresses. Magic was infused into my very being, and has merged with mutant cells to become something.. different." She lifts a small shrug and smiles towards him, "But I am all too happy to help with whatever you might need." She glances over him and back up as a towel appears on the bar in front of him. Sipping from her glass, she hides the smile for that little bit of magic. Rien stays quiet as he speaks, though she nods along with the logic he presents. He is something of an odd duck, which means while extremely powerful, there isn't exactly a 'mentor' figure he can go to for help in learning his limitations or weaknesses. "I can fully understand that, and I will help you when you are ready for it. Channeling Null Energy is... painful.. but pain is something that I am quite used to. It will fade. You are right in that you need to know how you can and will function. When you're ready, we'll go somewhere remote and erect some barriers and do some careful testing." She's already planning where would be the best place to test his limits. She smiles faintly and shakes her head, "I've already pissed off God once. At least this time He will know that it is strictly used as a means to ensure your safety and to aid you in learning how to use the powers you've been given."
Chas Chandler	Chas laughs at that and takes the towel with a bit of an inclination before he stops and blinks at the towel and then Rien. "Don't know how I know you're responsible for this but... I just did..." He shakes his head. "Weird." He starts polishing the bar, even though it doesn't need it. Maybe it's a nervous tick, or old habits die hard.     "Thanks. I mean it. For... well... for everything. For agreeing to help. For allowing me to stick around. For kicking my body around while Michael was driving it around. Haven't had a chance to thank you for that bit of help." He smiles softly. "It means a lot to have that acceptance from you guys. More than you probably know or realise." He sniffs a bit. "So, thank you. Truly."
Rien D'Arqueness	"I can answer that." Rien holds a hand up, a light blue outline covers her hand, the magical energy lining the limb, "Magic is.. individual to each person. Even people that follow the same study, each cast will be.. imprinted.. with the caster's particular 'signature'. Sort of like having an ID for magic. Work with a caster enough and you'll get to learn their 'signature'." She drops the glow and smiles at Chas, "Or some have the innate ability. Though I'm unsure of how yours will work. For me, I can recognize a signature, but if I'm unfamiliar with the caster, until I have a name and face to put to it, I can recognize the signature later, but I won't necessarily know who it is until something happens to link the one to the other." Rien offers a warm smile, "You're very welcome. to use a terrible analogy, I don't blame a puppet for the acts of the string-puller. You were not YOU when you did things. That falls squarely into Michael's lap." She pauses, then chuckles, "I can't say that anyone has ever thanked me for hitting them before but... you're welcome for that too." Rising up, she approaches where he is, stopping in front of him with a smile, "You don't get out of the League that easily." Winking at him, she chuckles softly.
Chas Chandler	Even as Chas towers over the woman there is a sense of deference to her. He offers her a hand to shake. "Good to know" he says. "I look forward to working with you from here on out. However you need me. I'm not the most knowledgeable of encyclopedias but I have a good handle on how to kill most things that we're going to run across. Sort of what you pick up when you run around with John and, I guess the unConstantine, for a couple decades."     He looks at his watch. It's a good indicator to have as the mechanics of the device are unaffected by the astral plane and can keep time just as well there as in the natural world. "I should be getting back. Asariel and I have a dinner date tonight..." he folds the towel neatly and places it on the bar. "Unless there was anything else you needed?"
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien flashes a grin at him and offers, "I have no doubt that you'll be of great help, Chas. And... it was nice to finally meet you. Like... meet you meet you." She may be tilting her head really far back to smile up at him. But. She's short. It's a family trait. And he isn't! Stepping, back, she shakes her head, "Please, far be it from me to keep you from a dinner date. I'll look forward to work with you. And I'm hoping to set up a karaoke night when Jon and Cael and Martin are back. So hopefully we can all have a little fun before the next round of what the fuckery." Turning, she starts toward the door and calls out, "I've left my number up behind the bar. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"