Owner Pose
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe had a Bad Night.

    She probably shouldn't be 'out and about', but the Velvet Room was a place that she could be reached if Chas wanted to talk, if anyone wanted to go over what happened.

    And in lieu of anyone who wanted to talk about it, it was a place she could study, so she was tucked away to the side, on the floor, with a penlight in her mouth as she looked through a pile of books. A very cold cup of coffee sits next to her. She's wearing a tank top, showing off all her scars, and what look like a pair of pajama shorts and Wonder Woman flip-flops, her hair wrapped in an orange cloth as she attempts to work.
Cael Becker     The door at the top of the stairs starts to glow, and as it opens, out tumbles two balls of fur - they grey mass that is Lady Grey dashing out first, tail wagging furiously, with Bear close on her heels. The pair thunder down the stairs while Cael is still stepping through, pausing at the top of the balcony to watch the pair careening cheerfully about the bar's sitting room.
    It's immediately evident what's up - Lady Grey is carrying a large floppy rabbit toy, and Bear is intent on winning it back from the younger pup.
    It takes Cael a moment to spot Phoebe, sitting quietly with her books, and she smiles down with an apologetic look. "Are they bothering you? I can take them out to the garden..."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney hadn't heard all the details. In fact, she'd heard almost none, simply that Phoebe had been hurt during... Something. A breif notice no doubt sent to those in the Outsiders that were teamleaders, or about to be, or... Or maybe it went to everyone. She wasn't really sure. She didn't really care. All she knew was a friend was hurt, and she was worried.

And according to a certain butler when she'd attempted reaching out, Phoebe was 'out' at the moment. That left only a few places to check. The first of which is the Velvet Room, naturally. It was a safe place after all and one easily reached with the keys that they had.

She arrives just in time to get a whiff of dog fur and stale coffee as the others arrive, too. A grin is flashed over at Cael while she resists the urge to jump in and chase after the dogs. Not now. Serious time nao. Play later. Wordlessly she makes her way over to the bar fishing around for coffee. THAT she knew how to make at least.

"How's everyone doing?" She asks cheerily even as she steals a glance toward Phoebe. "More coffee or would you prefer tea? Maybe some snacks, too," she murmers while digging around searching drawers and boxes and anything else that might magically have items appear behind the bar.
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe looks up as the door at the stairs begins to glow, her dark eyes narrowing a moment, bracing -- but when the two dogs explode in clouds of fur and furry flurry fury, she allows her shoulders to relax, watching as they make a bit of a ruckus. Phoebe was familiar with Bear, but Lady Grey? That's a new face. Err. Dog.

    Phoebe gives a quiet wave to Cael, and shakes her head.

    Phoebe then spots Gabby coming through - sans the recent pink hair. That gives her a little smile as she gives a wave to the leader-in-training, and she gives a little shrug of her shoulders, reaching to remove the pen light from her mouth, and with a a motion of her hands, the light is suspended in air.

    Freakin' cheating mages.

    She looks down at the coffee cup, blinking as if recognizing its existence for the first time in a while, and she raises the mug up, giving it a shake, and then drains the old stuff.
Cael Becker     "I wouldn't mind coffee. Splash of whiskey in it, if you can. It's in the 'High Priestess' bottle," Cael offers helpfully, as she comes down the stairs.
    Bear's gotten ahold of his bunny now - and the two dog are crouched down, growling at each other playfully, and occasionally shaking their heads while the toy gives out pitiful squeaks. "Lady. You know it's //Bear's// rabbit, right?" Cael remarks in a dry tone - but other than the grey pup swiveling her ears towards Cael there's little reaction to the comment.
    "How've you both been?" she asks.
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney pauses at that only to glance left, then right, then back to Cael at the very suggestion. High preistess, eh? Whiskey, eh? The fact that she was asking a minor to do it... That just made it all the more amusing.

"Coffee it is!" She agrees as she moves to set the pot on to brew while reaching for the bottle in quetion. The top is taken off and she dips her finger just around the edge to lick her fingeritp. And scrunch her nose. Whiskey was not for her apparently. It's given up rather quickly as she gets some mugs together, splashing whiskey into the bottom of one, before putting the bottle away again.

"I'm doing good. Just some small family issues lately, nothing serious or anything." A look toward Phoebe is given as she asks, "How are YOU doing, bookworm?"
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe watches the dogs at play a moment, the side of her lips quirking up as she holds up her right hand and gives a 'so-so' hand motion in response to Cael's general question. She shifts her weight a little bit as she leans back, trying to find a comfortable way to sit against the floor. Coffee was brewing. Coffee was good. Sweet, sweet caffeine, lie to us about the world being okay --

    Though 'Family Issues' get a rise of Phoebe's eyebrows to Gabby.

    And then Gabby pointedly asked her how *she* was doing.

    Phoebe makes a flat, grumpy expression, and then draws up a scroll to open it, hiding her face and expression from everyone in the room. If she can't see them, they can't see her. That's how invisibility works, right?
Cael Becker     "...you're awfully quiet," Cael remarks. "Did you take a vow of silence when I wasn't looking?" She drops onto the couch and then - abruptly - decides to test the astral plane. If she reaches into the couch cusions, could she find-
    Her hand comes out with a toy rope. Huh. "Neat," she remarks, before giving it a toss. Lady Grey abruptly drops the rabbit to pursue the rope - leaving Bear to retreat towards Cael with his favorite rabbit toy in tow.
    "How's Chas been holding up?" she asks casually.
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney watches the reactions from Phoebe with mild interest, and more alertness than one might realize from the usually hyperactive girl. There were times she could focus. And times she could let loose and just BE. This was the former. As the scent of newly brewing coffee starts to fill the air she laces her fingers together, props her elbows on the bartop, and leeans forward likely stood up on her toes to gain the height to do so.

"Nothing serious," she assures Phoebe. "My dad just seems to think I have issues with my pain tolerance." The way she says it. It sounds so odd. Angry? A bit. That he was making fun of her for that instead of recalling her issue with pain to begin with kind of chaffed more than she really wanted to admit out loud. Yet it was clear Phoebe needed a change in topic at least for now, so she offers that out.

Glancing over to Cael she can only shake her head slightly. "Something happened the other night. She got hurt--but I don't know how."
Phoebe Beacon     The scroll comes down, and Phoebe's brows knit, her nose wrinkles and her lips purse as she gives a look to Cael, then huffs out and creakily says "Sore throat." as the explaination for her quiet. She listens to Gabby's explaination, but that just makes the other eyebrow rise up -- she's never met Gabby's male genetic donor, but hey. She can make a few guesses given Laura's abilities and Gabby's abilities. She narrows her eyes a moment at the dark-haired slightly-younger teen, and then breathes out.

    "Last night... this morning?" she squints her eyes a moment, her head tilting back "Brief trip to Hell. Or Adjacent. Weird time." she lowers her scroll, looking a few more lines in.

    "Dreamed of my cousin."
Cael Becker     "...sounds like a weird time," Cael agrees, watching Phoebe with a wrinkle brow. The truth is - she doesn't feel like she //really// knows the girl - so she's not sure what else to say for a moment, as she leans over to ruffle at Bear's fur, and scratch at his neck. "Who's a good boy?" she murmurs to the dog, getting a cheerful wag of his tail in response.
    It was nice having those moments when she can just... enjoy having a dog, instead of //needing// Bear to keep herself sane, and calm.
    "Need to borrow a dog for a bit?" she offers Phoebe with a wry smile. "Lady's a good pup - even if she's still pretty energetic." Lady was cheerfully mauling at her rope at the moment, shaking it viciously back and forth while wagging her tail.
Gabby Kinney "Limbo or Hell proper?" Gabby asks as if she knows the difference. Maybe she does to some extent? She was here after all, clearly she had some experience with the supernatural to be here. Besides just being willing to help out. Whatever the answer might be though she digs her hands down into a box humming to herself imagining she was going to pull out a bag of Phoebe's favorite flavor of hard candy. Or throat lozenges. Or something honey based to help the throat. That helped right? A bag of SOMETHING candy-like is pulled out with a small 'Ah ha!' of triumph.

"We can help the sore throat at least, a little. Coming around the side of the bar she heads for Phoebe to offer them over like a normal person instead of doing something like trying to throw them individually into her opened mouth. "Here, see if these help. Coffee is almost done." She pauses before adding, "Lady and Bear are very good doggos."
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe just gives a defeated, quiet look, and then she shakes her head a moment, and accepts the lozanges. They're Orange Elderberry. You can't get them anymore elsewhere; the plant closed down.

    "She takes a deep breath, and shakes her head at the dogs "I'm okayw ithout a dog at the moment. Idu is at home." she states quietly, and draws up her knee a moment.

    Phoebe expected Gabby to throw it. This is very surprising in development, and she quietly considers a moment, then shrugs her shoulders.

"There was a place I was monitoring since last year. Old meat factory. Readings started going way up, and Red Robin and I called up Jon, Robbie Lyds and Chas... Chas came. And I met some guy named Nick Droggo. Also apparently a good doggo." she recalls quietly.

    "Red found a Witch Bottle. Might have been a trap."
Cael Becker     "What's a 'witch bottle'?" Cael asks without any comprehension, before adding, "You always got to assume I'm a complete idiot when it comes to magical things. Because I'm a complete idiot when it comes to magical things."
    She's still rubbing at Bear's neck and shoulders when Lady Grey trots over - offering the rope to Bear with a playful growl. The next thing Cael knows, she's holding a wet, slobbery bunny in her lap while the two dogs wrestle over the rope.
    "God, dogs are so gross..."
Gabby Kinney "Drago," Gabby corrects without thinking about it only to pause and clear her throat with a blink. "Uh. I know him through another friend. It's been awhile though," she has to admit with a thoughtful frown as she tries to remember if Mike fought or not. Usually he was just... Not. "I used to be tagged into doing under the desk bodyguard work for him along with Thomas. Part of how I have so much money in spite of my age. Thomas trusted I knew what I was doing." She won't mention this 'Thomas' happens to be Catman.

There's a particular 'ding' to the coffee maker indicating the brew is done, and she turns to go back. "Gross, but honest!" she chimes in with amusement as she sets to filling the mugs. "Sugar? Cream? Whipped cream? Oh I should get some whipped cream." Even as she contemplates this she gestures at Cael in agreement. "Yeah I want to know what that is, too."
Phoebe Beacon     To the question of how she wants her coffee, Phoebe just motions to her complexion, and holds up her cup with a wry smile.

    "Witch bottles are kind of... stored spells. Usually protective. Iron nail, sand from a cemetery, piece of a church pew, some rosemary and a cork -- bam. Instant protective spell. Bury it in the North wall of a foundation." Phoebe replies quietly.

    "This one is mixed with the dried and powdered body of a man who nearly killed me, my blood, the intestines and liver of a black lamb. They were used to try and force necromantic creatures into being after my Da--" she pauses, and she exhales "After the fake John bound my aura so that they couldn't find me." she gives a low swallow "I thought we destroyed them all."
Cael Becker     "Just the whiskey is fine," Cael answers. Her gaze is on the pups for a few moments, a smile playing across her lips, before she returns her attention to Phoebe. "Destroyed them all? All the bottles?" she asks - a frown on her features. "Now this one's gone too, yeah? And everything's... fine now?" she suggests - her tone uncertain.
    "Looking over your shoulder's a tough way to live - believe me, I know. Though... practically living with someone who can open doorways to other places for me has- certainly made it easier."
Gabby Kinney "That... That's pretty gross. The cremated ashes of someone." Gabby crinkles her nose with a little shudder as she can almost mentally smell the concoction and doesn't like it one bit. "Ugh." Her head shakes firmly as she pours cream into one, and just coffee into the other. When things are all situated she carries the mugs out for each of them normal as can be.

She's careful not to get in the way of wrassling puppers though. That would be dangerous for them. "Is there a way to see if there are anymore so we can knock them all out, just in case?"
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe's expression falters.

    "I don't know. Necromancy isn't... really my speciality" Phoebe replies to both Cael and Gabby alike, and she looks over the books. One's in latin. One's in Aramaic. One's in Middle English and there's two in varying forms of Ancient Egyptian, but reaches up to accept her mug of hot black bean tincture. Mmm. Coffee.

    "This is a time I would have asked John for help tracking them down. Trying to find what we missed. There's no clear way to do it with tech. Blood magic? 'S messy work" she states, and she reaches up to the pen light and turns it brighter. Her eyes are sunken in. She's got bruising against her cheeks that even for her complexion can be seen. Her lips are dry and chapped and split.

    She looks sick.

    "I didn't even sense this bottle. I'm not sure if it's for the fact that the entire warehouse felt wrong, or if it's been warded. If there are warded bottles against being picked up by magical senses, how the shit can we find them?" she breathes out, and then brings her head down, using the coffee to warm her hands.

    "I'm pretty sure it was Big H Hell, and not Limbo. Chas went all Angel on everything. Jon was calling people to get out. Red... Red Robin... he..." she trails off. "... but we got out. It's fine. I'm fine. Just... have to be more cautious next time is all."
Cael Becker     "There's always a way. We can't always find it, true, but- there has to be a way." Fuck - was Cael actually... secretly an optimist? In her own way?
    Of course not.
    "I'm sorry you all had a bad time with things. I- well, if I knew how to help, I would. But you've got Jon, and... Chas." She frowns at the thought of him going angel again. She'd seen it happen recently - and it hadn't sat well with her. Not at all.
    "I don't know. I don't know what to say. Glad you all made it out alright, though."
Gabby Kinney Angel? That was news to Gabby though truth be told she was the newcomer to this entire group. She hadn't been around while they had all been dealing with the Angels. Only toward the end after her own issue was coming to light.

So she goes quiet, listening and thinking as hard as she can while reaching down to pet Lady's head scritching between the ears. It's then the random thought strikes her. "What about dogs?" She pauses, glancing between the two. "Like a blood hound. I mean these bottles have to have a certain smell to them. I don't think anyone would have thought to hide a scent even magically. Maybe one of the dogs... Or..." Here she pauses, huffing out a breath. "It's still new to me, but I have enhanced senses I'm learning to control. Maybe if we used some magic to help me hone in on that particular smell I could hunt it down."
Phoebe Beacon     "I'm not expecting you to help, Cael. You hardly know me. I'm just some girl with daddy issues that your boyfriend can't treat and a chip on her shoulder." Phoebe replies in a genuinely sour tone, her voice still rough in spite of the lozenge. "The way is blood magic. Last year we were able to track bottles and faked artifacts to several different places around the world. My Other Team helped me track them down while I was in recovery from getting stabbed through the shoulder, but we had to use the Other John's magic to get the job done." she replies quietly, and then she takes a breath, and lets it out slowly.

    "I don't know if you'd be able to smell the blood in a sealed bottle. The remains of last night's were lost to the Pit. I don't expect I'll get another sample before another trap's sprung." she replies, and she reaches up and scratches at her chest. "And short of being confined to one place again, it'll happen at some point. I can't risk Chas going into a rage. I'm not risking T-Red Robin again. Not again. Never again." she whispers, cradling the new mug of coffee in her hand.
Cael Becker     "You know that might be your choice, right?" Cael asks in a dry tone. "If I told Jon I wasn't risking them - they'd tell me to go fuck myself," she remarks flatly.
    The dogs are flumped over now - Lady's tale wagging happily as Gabby scratches at her. "Look. When you're in trouble, you rely on your friends. You make a plan. You tackle it together - that's how you get through shit. And- fuck, I sound like such a hypocrit saying all that," after so many years alone, pushing eveyone away, "but otherwise, you run off half-cocked and alone, and you get yourself killed, and I have to deal with Jon crying over you for weeks, or months. So don't do that to me, huh?"
    Yup. That's all she's worried about - Jon getting sad. ... sure. She lifts her coffee to her lips, taking a sip of her drink while she lets that sink in for Phoebe.
Gabby Kinney "Maybe, maybe not. That's where the magic can maybe help," Gabby points out with a shrug as she continues to load all the lovings on Lady. And Bear if he's close enough for her other hand to get. She ends up sitting on the floor to do this easier splitting her attention between the two.

"Look, you guys yelled at me for trying to find my sister alone, and for not mentioning I was dying intermittently. ... Still wasn't aware I was, but fact was, I *was* and I should have brought it up way sooner than I did. Because we're a team, yeah? We help each other. And by not at least keeping each other in the loop we make it way harder for us all."

Glancing back toward Cael she flashes her a grin as well. "You're only a hypocrite if you KEEP doing that. Otherwise it's learning from your mistakes."
Phoebe Beacon     "I'm not running off half-cocked and alone. Chas doesn't even know what the hell he even is anymore. Jon's got a whole what, seven months magical experience and rewrote core foundations of existence. Me? I'm a nothing that someone just has a hate-on for." Phoebe replies, and she shrugs her shoulders. "I'm not going to make a bunch of baby magic things contend with actual demons. That's... that's how Constantine got people killed. Chas himself warned me about following him. So..." she flounders a moment, and then drinks her coffee.

    "I'm not putting my friends through this again."
Cael Becker     "Your //friends// aren't going to leave you in danger, alone," Cael points out bluntly. "That's all I'm saying. You guys all went through hell - literally, apparently - so take some time to recover. Stay somewhere safe - like, your home, wherever. I, uhh- I took a day off, and Jon sent me to Yellowstone for the day," she suggests with a wry smile. "Bear had a blast. Maybe do something similar? Because it helps a lot."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney just stares blankly at Phoebe with one of those 'oh really?' expressions. "Not your choice," she states, finally. "We all decided to jump in and help. Maybe not all at once, but we made these decisions already. You have been really in the trenches lately though, so maybe take a break, yeah? Let yourself heal. Mentally, spirtually, whatever. Rest some."

Another scritch is given to the dogs before she stands up to head back over to the bar to grab the coffee she'd left behind for herself. "I've dealt with demons before, way before you guys. Take me then. I'm least likely to up and die."
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe flatly looks around, and then points to her face.

    "You realize that this should have been done by the time Red got back with me to the Batcave for medical observation. It negated my magic. Neg.Ate.Ted. " Phoebe states, and then she turns back to her books, "I'm not taking chances with other people's loved ones. That is final on it. And you're welcome to keep it to yourselves, likely as it isn't, because the minute I can figure out this things name, I am going to summon and bind it the way I was taught. And then it'll be over. Done. Finito. Fin. And I can go back to just piddling around and being the Happy Phoebe everyone bloody expects me to be."
Cael Becker     "Wait. It... negated your magic. So you're going to... summon it alone and face it alone? Without any help? Without anyone looking over your work, or backing you up, or- I'm sorry. That kinda sounds suicidal to me," Cael replies - her words just as blunt as ever, as she turns to stare at Phoebe.
    "Don't fucking do that. There's people that care about you, and want to help you. Don't shut them out. Trust me on that."
    She keeps her gaze on Phoebe a few moments longer, while Lady pads after Gabby - bringing her rope toy with her. Cael then pulls her phone out of her pocket, thumbing through apps, and tapping away at the screen.
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney glances over at Phoebe with concern at the talk of negating anything to begin with. "What she said," she has to agree while lifting her chin to nudge in Cael's direction. "Honestly that sounds like all the more reason to get people involved. Maybe not the *same* people as before," she hastens to add. "Maybe there'd be some others better suited. But yeah. Not alone."

She plucks up her coffee to take a long gulp off the cooled concoction as Lady comes over to beg her to play with the pull toy. Her free hand grabs it giving a little playful 'grr' while grinning at the doggo.
Phoebe Beacon     "Because ritual magic isn't the same as my magic. My magic, the inborn stuff, that's hwo I heal and purify and do all the happy glowy stuff. Ritual magic doesn't depend on me being happy-glowy-shit. It depends on me connecting all the lines in the mandala correctly, and if there's one thing that I definitely, *definitely* learned how to do from my dad it was a perfect fucking mandala. I've never worked so bleeding hard for a vampire smiley sticker in my life." she breathes out, and tilts her head back, reaches up, and shuts off the light above her, which then disappears into the aether.

    "I'm naturally magic. It's literally in my blood. It's like..." she holds her hand up, and motions "On one side, I'm a black girl, born in Sudan, natural healer and Light magic." she states, and then she holds up on the other hand "Gothamite, former Catholic, Ritual Magic exorcist and investigator. What I was born to versus what I have learned. They definitely can affect one another, but I can still do ritual magic while my body is rebuilding bits of me that kinda froze fast."
Cael Becker     "So. What you're saying is the thing can't negate a mandala?" Cael asks in a confused voice, a frown pulling at her lips, not sure she really understands what Phoebe is saying here. "And that makes going it alone a good idea... how exactly? Or not having your work double-checked when it's //life and death// shit?" she asks.
    "Do you think I make assault plans in a vacuum, without having others check out the plans and discuss them? Getting a second perspective - a second set of eyes - is //necessary// - or more people die. People run in to save you, or avenge you - unprepared. Emotional - and what happens to them then?"
Gabby Kinney "That's... Phoebe. Seriously. If this were anyone else you would yell at them for not bringing backup of SOME sort," Gabby points out with a frown. She wasn't as experienced in the magic thing. She'd just tagged along with those who knew, and become a bit familiar. It was a lack she knew and admitted readily rather than attmepting to go outside her area of expertise. "Is there anyone you can tap to help out that might know more than us newbs?" She hesitates before mentioning, "What about that Zatana lady?" A sore spot perhaps. She'd heard Phoebe mention her before though.
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe takes a deep breath, looking like she really, really just wants to scream. To lash out.

    She sets her coffee cup down.

    "Zatanna, I don't think, would approve of it at all. The last time we spoke it was somewhat of a disagreement regarding an old boyfriend of hers who currently resides somewhere where it's Very Warm." she explains, not about to air out any of Zee's dirty laundry. She breathes out, and her head hangs.

    "And she's Charlie's mentor and... she tried." she adds softly, and then she winces, and goes to push herself up, closing the books as she goes.

    "I'm training under Red Robin. Layers of plans. Like if the changeover didn't work, I had a plan so that Agnes didn't get the Archives before she was ready. If something happened, and Red was at risk, I had a backup plan. And I was willing to set down the cost for it on my own." Pheebs exhales, and she looks at her left hand, to the tattooed circle around her left wrist.

    "I have a plan. And it's... just best if the people who don't understand stay as far away as possible. That means you two as well."
Cael Becker     "I'd say consult with Rien," Cael suggests. "What I know of her - what I know of her past - trapping and killing demons, using magic - it's all very much part of what she //does.// And she doesn't die easy - if at all."
    She shakes her head and adds, "Having contingencies is good. But it's not the same as another set of eyes. It's not the same as having back-up - which might //negate// the need for a cost, or a sacrifice. Seriously, Phoebe... listen to reason. Please. You're hurting yourself, and risking yourself, when you don't need to. The people in your life? They don't //want// to be protected like this. They're not infants or invalids. Let them make their own decisions - or they'll resent it, even if it does work out alright.
    "...and if it doesn't? Then they spend years in pain, second guessing, and blaming themselves, and wondering what they could have done - what signs they missed... Don't do that to the people who care about you. It's fucked up, no matter how things turn out."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney has a momentarily stunned look of surprise on her face when Cael speaks. Because she should have thought of that. Really, she should have. She knew her sister's history and it was HER SISTER. Perhaps in her desire to not recall the family dinner of the other night she had just kind of willfully blanked on that fact.

"Yes, Rien then." A long sigh comes as she reaches up to scrub her hand over her face willing the coffee to work. It doesn't though. It never did. "Fuck. One of these days... Can magic work like coffee?" She mumbles more to herself than the others. There's almost a hopeful glance cast to the bar wondering if it could pull SOMETHING out of it's vast stores in the astral plane to find a way to give her a boost. Probably not.

The coffee mug is set down as she moves instead over toward Phoebe. Reaching up she catches Phoebe's face between her hands, smooshing her cheeks together and rubbing so that she makes silly faces.

"Stop trying to be the sacrificial loner saving us all! Ask Rien, she'll help, and she'll know better than any of us. She was raised as a demon hunter killer thing."
Phoebe Beacon     "I'm not going to consult with anyone I don't know well enough, and watching Rien tear out her heart definitely doesn't count as knowing well enough. I'm fine." she breathes out, "It's going to be fine. I just need the Name. All the books I have in my possession state the same thing. The Name, the right circle -- I have the circle. I have it. It's in my book. I just need the name. John was working at it with Midnite when I got hurt." she states, and she takes a deep breath. Her John. Her dad. The Other One.

    And she turns to answer Gabby "There's several things, most of them REally Not Healthy for you. When I absorbed a whole bunch of Celestial Will I didn't sleep for like, a week and --" she pauses a moment, and Gabby makes her approach.

    Gabby puts her hands on Phoebe's frostburnt cheeks.

    Phoebe's eyes show exactly how she feels about this interaction, brows knitting and nose wrinkling as Phoebe'es cheeks and lips move to make very silly faces at Gabby.

    "You are *so* lucky I like you and I'm terrified of your family." she remarks with no venom to the statement, and she lifts her head away from Gabby.

    "It won't be a sacrifice! And even if I fail, with the backup plan within a week of my death no one will even remember me. There's not going to be anything to miss or feel bad about, just some..." she brings her head down, her eyes closing, her nose bridge crinkling again as she rolls her hand in the air "Vague memories without names or emotions attached to them. The Jar of Hearts spell was a great study for it. I know what I'm doing. Gods, you'd think I didn't spend six months eating breathing and probably shitting magic theory!" she complains.
Cael Becker     Cael goes from looking frustrated - to abruptly looking angry as she pushes herself to her feet, glaring at the two girls. Well - glaring at one in particular. "Look. You want to ignore the advice of friends and get yourself killed - FINE. Your fucking choice, your fucking life. But you do //not// have permission to mess with my fucking memories," she spits out in anger.
    "You do //not// know what you're doing. You're fucking with other people. Other people's memories, and emotions, and- you do not have their okay. This is //not// okay, Phoebe! //Shit//!"
    Bear and Lady both have their attention fixed on Cael as she starts to pace - her fingers flying over her phone's screen.
Gabby Kinney "What?" It was rare Gabby got upset. Actually upset. This wasn't her mock anger or teasing. This wasn't her crying her eyes out over a movie. This is actual, livid anger that fills her gaze as she regards Phoebe with a look of sheer frustrated anger. "What the HELL Phoebe!? And you think this is what any of us would WANT!? TO FORGET YOU!?"

Her hands clench at her sides as she had allowed herself to be pushed off of holding Phoebe's face without complaint. Now though, she's forced to whirl around stomping away from the other woman while her teeth gnash together. "You complete and utter ASS! You're our FRIEND and we care about you! Even if something bad does happen to you--WHICH IT BETTER NOT--We do NOT want to FORGET you!" A huff of air is blown out as she whirls around again, hand raising to wag a finger in her direction.

"Seriously! What. The. FUCK. Phoebe."

Her eyes close tight as Cael also tears into Phoebe, and she turns half away willing herself to calm down. The rages, the anger, that her family was known for--She was just as suspetable to them though she did a very good job of hiding it behind her silly exterior. After a few breaths, she speaks calmer, yet still with a tight voice, "Isn't this the sort of thing we're supposed to avoid doing? Making decisions for everyone else thinking we know best?"
Phoebe Beacon     "And what would have happened if Red Robin hadn't interrupted a couple of startled gang members when they spotted me at fifteen? What if I never walked into the Laughing Magician? What if you never joined the team?" Phoebe asks, and then she gives sort of a flippant shrug. She plasters a neutral smile on her face. She learned from the best how to do it when under duress. "Or Michael hit me with the disintegration and caused me to Cease to Exist? Or Leksandra killed me when she killed my uncle in Gotham? A thousand little decisions could have removed me from this very moment -- not the least of which would have been me keeping my idiot mouth shut." she states, and she goes to slide her hands into the pockets of her shorts.

    "One week, to the minute. And then it's all gone. No memories --" she looks between the both of them "no pain. Nothing else changes, there's just a gap that might catch someone's mental toe every once in a while. But no one gets reminded when they get a whiff of a flower or a taste of something that reminds them. No one feels that stab in their heart years later when they want to talk to me. Nothing. Making people not feel that pain if I failed this is the absolute most kind thing I can do, because if there is one thing that I learned while Sandalphon had my strong feels turned off -- it's how quiet my chest felt when I didn't miss what I couldn't have anymore."

    And Phoebe swallows thickly, looking between Cael and Gabby and definitely feeling the anger in the air because they were both absolutely and rightly angry with her, she purses her lips, and leans over to pick up her books.

    "I can see you two are a little tense at the moment, I'm sensing some hostility going on here so I'll... just head back to one of my many places where there's probably still a bed for me."
Cael Becker     "What has any of //that// got to do with being an idiot?" Cael shoots back. "How does a series of close calls justify throwing your life away? Turning your back on the help of people who care about you?"
    She stalks towards Phoebe as she shoots out with frustration, "This isn't you being kind to //us.// This is you trying to tell yourself it's okay to leave. You're not making it easier on us. You're making it easier on yourself to die. THAT is what you are doing. You don't just need help with this demon thing - you need //help.//
    "Fuck, I- Will you listen to Sandalphon? Is that what it'll take? Because we can still summon the Archangels down here." Yeah. You know it's bad when Cael considers turning to an angel for help. She continues to glare at Phoebe, her gaze only faltering long enough to glance at her phone and tap out a response - while the pups keep their eyes locked on her, a rope chew toy between Lady's forepaws, and a floppy rabbit dangling from Bear's jaws.
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney purses her lips together tightly, thinking, hard. Hard, and fast, and trying to come up with some logic that would throw a wrench in Phoebe's 'logic'. Because she knew it existed. There was never such a thing as a clean getaway even if you covered as many paths as you could.

"What about Idu?"

It blurts from her lips as soon as she considers it. And she rolls with it. "Who would take care of him? Better yet, WHY would any of us take care of him? Just some random dog. No one important. It's not like he belonged to someone we once knew."

Turning around she shrugs her shoulders, hands held out wide at her side. "Probably end up putting him in a shelter somewhere. Maybe he'll get a new home. Maybe it'll be a good one. Maybe," she continues, "It won't. Could end up chained outside by some raggedy old dog house, barely paid any attention to. Forgotten at times."

"All because we never knew that we knew you. Because you didn't think we could handle having known you."

Glancing back with a stern gaze she states, "I know I'm the youngest, but don't you dare talk to me about how losing someone hurts. I've watched eight of my sisters DIE. All of them. Dead. And it hurts, hell yes it hurts, but I would not give them up for the world! I'm better because I knew them. Don't think it would be different from knowing you."
Phoebe Beacon     "... Idu is an extension of my village." Phoebe explains quietly. "If anything happens to me... he'll probably cease to exist as well since then there's... no one left." Phoebe replies quietly, and she holds onto her stack of books, sticking her scroll under an arm.

    Phoebe, with sunken eyes and freeze-burnt lips and cheeks and ears because they haven't quite healed yet considering the damage done inside her body, has a placid smile plastered on her face. Her eyes are half-closed, the bridge of her nose wrinkled just so. She's been taking the abuse slung at her, all manner of names and not-so-gentle accusations at the idea of making others forget about her after a week. She holds her books to her chest tighter, like a shield -- like armor, that smile not faltering.

    Because she learned from who was supposed to be the best, her fingers curling against the spines and pages of the books.

    "You're right. I don't have to explain to either of you what it feels like to have someone you love die. You've already suffered it enough -- the both of you." she pauses.

    "All of you." she adds softly, the practiced smile faltering just a little bit. "And I don't think I could take Sandalphon's advice on this one, since he kind of helped me work the logistics of some of it."
Jonathan Sims     The door up on the balcony glows faintly, and Jon comes through it, looking slightly frazzled. "Why are we calling Sandalphon? What...?" He frowns and peers down at the three down on the main floor, and the two dogs, and then heads down the stairs while putting his phone away.

    "Cael texted me," he says, looking between the three of them. "Good lord, Phoebe, you look a mess. I thought Red took you to get treatment?" His tone is more bewildered than accusing; he can't fathom that Tim wouldn't have made sure she was okay. "Do you need healing? Or is whatever you got dipped in resistant to that?"
Cael Becker     Lady Grey is all tail wags as Jon appears, picking up her new rope chew toy that appeared - courtesy of weird astral magic - so she can carry it over to one of Her People.
    Cael, meanwhile, just grits her teeth as she stares at Phoebe. "Got an excuse for everything - yeah? Can't take the help of the people who care about you - because you don't want to hurt them. Can't take the help of Rien - because you don't know her. Can't accept help from Sandalphon - //because he might know what the shit he's talking about//." She throws her hands back, and turns to stalk back towards her coffee.
    "Fuck, Jon, you talk to her. I've got nothing."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney purses her lips firmly at that response as well. "All the more reason to make sure you don't die as much as possible. Idu doesn't deserve that fate." It's all she can really offer though as she glances away scowling with frustration. She'd cry but she's too angry. And it's about someone she cares for, so she can't lash out more than she has either.

When Jon arrives she glances up hopefully only to state, with such a forlorn voice, "She's being self-destructive."
Phoebe Beacon     "I'm being self destructive again." Phoebe replies with feigned enthusiasm in her tired, cough-roughened voice "This time for having plans in place to ensure that if something happens to me no one goes over the deep end to try and wreck revenge, like diving into the dark," she looks up, her lips pursed "unknown chasm of inkly blackness based on suddenly being some sort of prayer candle." she remarks in an oddly specific circumstance, and she draws herself up.

    "Sandalphon has zero reason to come down and see me. It's not as if we're friends. Chas sent him. I don't have any friends on that side. There's no one who's cheering me on from afar. That I got to find out first hand." Pheebs states back to Cael, and she looks over to Gabby and... just has nothing to offer. Because she agrees. Idu deserved a better fate than being leashed to her.

    "But like I was about to say -- I should get going. Long night trying to unfreeze my spleen, and I'm sure that there's at least two people in Gotham right now who are right pissed about me wandering about after sticking the key in a closet door and coming here for peace and quiet."

    And she looks down at herself, then up to Jon.

    "Whatever it hit me with last night in the dark is making the healing powers take their time. There was... a lot of damage. I didn't update anyone on it."
Jonathan Sims     Jon frowns. "Plans in place? What does that mean?" A beat. "Is this about the demon? That's all Cael mentioned. That you were planning on summoning and binding a demon that can negate your magic on your own. Which sounds dangerous, not least because if you cannot handle it on your own and it gets out, then we'd have to put it down /anyway/. So if you could at least tell us what it is? So we can prepare for that eventuality?"

    They crouch down to offer Lady pets, still looking up at the others. Peering at their auras. Then, gently, "Phoebe... the chill of that place touched the /soul/. I can still feel it... lingering. Whatever you're planning, whatever you're doing... don't make any big decisions right now, okay? You need time to recover. Talk to Tim, see if that can warm you some. If Chas came to visit, could he get in past the butler?" Clearly he's thinking of making sure Chas does just that.
Cael Becker     "Michael fucking owes me," Cael remarks simply, looking from Phoebe, down to Jon. "What odds you put on an Archangel showing up if I yell 'hey asshole get down here' with intent, up at the ceiling?" Because she'd put money on it working.
    Dropping down onto the couch she calls over towards the bigger of the two dogs. "Bear - up." In an instant, the pup is on his feet - trotting over to jump onto the couch next to Cael - draping his chest and forelegs over her lap. "Good boy. Who's the best boy? Yeah?" She rubs at his head - then takes a sip of her coffee, trying to calm down the anger she's feeling.
    "And definitely don't set off any spells that're going to fuck with my memories. I'm not okay with that shit. I don't care what you tell yourself - you don't have my consent for that."
Gabby Kinney "Nor mine," Gabby states in response looking over her shoulder to watch Phoebe even as Jon speaks. He was with her then. Mention of the cold touching her soul does earn a small wince--If there was one pain she knew it was that of the soul. A deep breath is drawn and exhaled slowly so that she could get her own tumultious emotions under control.

"Yeah. Yeah, if it affected that much... Sleep. Rest. Heal. Please don't make any large decisions just yet. Besides," she adds looking back with deep concern. "Fighting while not fully healed is never smart."
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe's aura is bright as ever, strings around her in constant orbit, like unraveling yarn floating in syrup. Except that area about her heart. The injury is still there, festering, trying to decide if it wants to actually heal or not, darkened like a sunspot, with the tiniest little bit of red.

    "That's not a decision anyone has. That's the way the spell works --" she could almost hear the unspoken 'luv' from how it was explained to her in a smokey bar she was definitely not supposed to be in.

    "I know what I'm doing. It's not the first demon I've bound, just will be the first one without help. I don't need anyone around to distract me, and I'm pretty sure -- ninety-eight or something -- that Midnite might have the name. The demon Leksandra was working with. It's gotta be them." she states to Jon, and gives a shrug. "Or I'm wrong, I get evicerated and in a week everyone forgets I exist. Win/Win. Bind the demon or suddenly it stops mattering because if I never existed then there's no reason for anyone to be mad about it, is there?" she asks, rocking on her flip-flops. "I've got eeeverything under control. They're just a bit miffed about the deadman switch spell that'll stop anyone from getting ideas like 'oh-em-gee we have to avenge our Peebs'." she breathes out. "It's all for the best, you know?"
Jonathan Sims     Jon stares at Phoebe, then states simply, "I highly doubt you can touch the Archive, Phoebe, not in any kind of permanent sense. It's changed since you attached it to Tim. /I/ will remember you existed--or Ma'at or Uriel will, and remind me. And then I will make sure everyone /else/ knows you existed. You do /not/ have everything under control. If you did, you wouldn't be telling people, so that we can potentially stop you. Because you have to know that I am going to tell Tim, and Alfred, and Chas, and the entirety of the Outsiders about this. And so is Gabby. And Cael texted me. I am a psychiatrist. I know a cry for help when I see one."

    He shakes his head. "If I ever track down John Constantine the first punch is going to be for what he did to you. That jackass is not anyone you should be modeling yourself after. Do you know where he's been while we've been saving his supposed best mate? On honeymoon. Quit trying to be him. He's not worthy of you. He never was."

    He takes in a long breath and lets it out. Pushes the anger from his voice. He's not actually angry at Phoebe. "Go get some rest, Phoebe. Please. Have Alfred cook you something, curl up with your dog, let your body work through healing. I'll make sure someone gets on looking into the demon." A pause. "And... if you ever want to talk about John, and the meat puppet, and all of that... maybe we should, sometime. Okay?"
Cael Becker     "Then //unmake// the fucking spell," Cael counters fiercely. "No one you know is going to be okay with this, Phoebe. No one. It's not Win/Win - it's Lose/Lose. You're really okay with violating everyone you ever cared about - against their will? ...because that's pretty fucked up. I'm telling you, again, this spell is not for //them// - you're doing it for you. Because it makes it easier for you to think about dying."
    She shakes her head, scratching at Bear's shoulders as she adds, "Not only is this the first demon you'll find //alone// - but you'll be doing it without most of your abilities. And you call that 'under control.' Please, stop. Please. You're not okay. And- hell, neither am I. None of us can help you until you're willing to say 'I'm not okay.'" She nods her head towards Jon as she adds, "Jon'll help you if you let 'em. Fuck, they probably saved me from hurting myself back in- back in December."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney remains quiet at this point just thinking. And listening. Her path is made back toward the bar where she idly cleans up the coffee she'd made for them all not so long ago, and she pauses to grab that can of whipped cream she'd managed to manifest to top her own drink. Tipping her head back she spritzes a good glob straight into her mouth to gulp down before she risks a glance back over.

"Wait the Archive is in TIM now?" This leads to a bit of confusion to her as she thought Jon was the one that had it, being The Archivist. Or perhaps it was another situation entirely. There was still so much she didn't know about all of this it seemed. It does cause her to consider though.

"Hang on. You were talking about your mandalas and how the lines have to be perfect. If something has changed with one aspect of a potential spell... Isn't that like altering the lines?" She looks back with a small frown. "So even if it was set up prior, it isn't going to work the same as it was intended at this point... right?"
Phoebe Beacon     Phoebe freezes. She puts her books and scrolls down, and her voice is more hoarse, her eyes red at the corners as they narrow, but she's not looking at anyone.

    "I am very. Keenly. Aware. that Constantine fucked off to Faerie and left us behind. First thing he told me upon meeting me was that I had /responsibilities/, and Chas was one of them. So I fucked that one up big time. Least I could do was get him back for Geraldine and Asa. Got a Family Chat plan and everything -- but when I asked for the knowledge to make the puppet and how to power it, he came through for me. And when I asked about powering it, he gave me the knowledge in exchange for a bottle of whiskey. Leave him out of it. He doesn't want any *further* involvement with *me*, probably because who wants that kind of //baggage//."

    Her hands tremble, Her fingers curl against her palms.

     "And I don't want to talk to you about John. Or the Puppet. Because there's nothing worth talking about with it. It's gone. The one I called Dad never was anyone but a fake that saddled Chas with me. And that's not fair to Chas, hand off something cursed and living, like an animal that leaves messes on the rug because it just doesn't know any better. It was annuled anyway, because illegal British national can't adopt locally, it had to go through federal. My case worker thought it was *so sad*." Phoebe hisses.

    "I know if I can... if I can find the Name. I can handle it. I don't need help. I can do it on my own." she breathes out, and then she pauses, and she turns over to Gabby "Ah... no... that's why Tim was in Iceland. He was holding onto it for Jon while Jon was dead because I do horrible things in the name of fourteen year olds not getting magic powers." she pauses, and she flattens her expression. "This one's not so easy as changing a few lines." she breathes out, and she tilts her head back, giving a huff out.

    "And if you tell them, I'll just leave. I can end up anywhere."
Jonathan Sims     "Then leave," Jon says, firmly, but gently. "That's your choice. Mine is to let your friends know what's happening. That you're scared, and hurting, and need help. Chas doesn't feel 'saddled' with you, Phoebe. He cares about you. So does Tim. So do we. You do not get to take people's choices away in the name of there being less pain. Pain /sucks/. Trust me, I of all people should know. But pain is part of life. Avoiding it never leads to anything good."

    A slow breath in. A slow breath out. "John made the meat puppet that you called Dad. John made the meat puppet that drove me mad, that hurt me so badly I nearly killed myself. John made the meat puppet that mind-controlled Chas and scared him so badly that he summoned an angel and wound up on the Gates of Heaven. /John/ did all of that, and then hasn't been around to clean up the mess. That's what he does. That's what you're doing, right now."

    He sighs and shakes his head. "Go home, Phoebe. Go /home/. And rest. Or go somewhere else, and run away, but know that people care about you, and love you, and that's not about paperwork or magic or healing or anything else. We care about /you/."
Cael Becker     "Pain sucks," Cael agrees. "But there's nothing in my life I want to forget. And nobody in my life I want to forgot. Not you, or my sister, or my mother, or... the fucking asshole who shot me in the neck." She glances towards Jon, flashing him a tight, sad smile. "Not even the shit Michael did to me. All of that shit is what made me who I am, and I'm pretty okay with who I am. So... fuck you for trying to take that choice from me. Undo the spell," she insists.
    "And get some rest - and talk to your friends. Especially Jon. Talking to Jon helps when you're in trouble. ...and sometimes we need to talk about the shit we don't walk to talk about."
    She continues scratching at Bear's neck with one hand, and takes a sip of her coffee with the other - not sure what else she can add.
Phoebe Beacon     "Which home should I go to? The one that Bernie burnt down? The Curio? The only one I ever felt safe in since someone tried to burn my house down and kill me? Which one, Jon? Tick tock, clock's running. Which broken hope do I get to re-fucking-turn to?" she asks in a snarl. "Maybe if I don't get a happy ending, everyone else can move *on*. Without me. And that's fine by me." she states, and she bends down, shoulders her books again, and looks between everyone.

    "I'm sorry. I should kept my dumb mouth shut." she mutters, and goes to get up the stairs and get out of the place.
Jonathan Sims     "Cael," Jon says softly, "if she doesn't want to talk to me she doesn't have to talk to me. It's fine. You're pushing, love."

    He looks back at Phoebe. "Go back to Tim," he says, firmly, as Phoebe leaves. "Just... please. Don't..." He stops, and shakes his head, and then reaches around to hug his dog. At least dogs aren't so damn complicated.

    "I hope Chas has some idea which damn demon this was," he grumbles under his breath.
Cael Becker     "Well - to someone. She should talk to //someone,//" Cael asserts, letting out a frustrated sound, and adding under her breath, "If she ever admits she needs help."
    She scratches at Bear's neck - then sets aside her coffee, extricating herself from under the pup to move towards Jon and wrap her arms around them.
    "...thanks for coming, at least," she adds wryly. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."