Owner Pose
Rien D'Arqueness It's amazing how worlds can be so small even when it's so large. Rien reached out to Coulson to get hold of Steve to set up a good time and date for that promised beer. She also asked if it would be alright if Robbie joined them, since it would be rude to just leave him at home while she goes off drinking with an old war buddy. Once everything is set up, Rien does nothing simply. She and Robbie meet up with Steve, and she opens a portal into a back alley, glancing towards her fellow aged person with a sheepish grin, "So... uhhhh, there were some things I neglected to mention during the war... but if you ever wondered how I managed to get so many people out of line of fire so quickly... or crossed so much ground without being seen... weeeeeeeeeeeeell.."

Then she's ushering them through the portal and into the alley. From the alley, they go to the street, turn the corner and lo and behold, there's an honest to God old time pub. Something Steve would probably be more familiar with. Plate glass windows with the lettering painted on, wooden floors so tread upon they've gotten that mellow flow to them, a couple booths at the back, some tables, seats at the bar, and a handful of pool tables and dart boards. No tv, just a jukebox that probably hasn't been updated since the 80's. Right around when records went out of style.

Leading the men towards a booth at the back, she slides in and waits for them to get settled before flashing a grin. "Only British or German beers here, all on tap, no bottles, no cans. They have some harder liquors, but I'd stick with whiskey if you want anything above well." She glances from Robbie to Steve and smiles, "I'm assuming you two already know each other, so no introductions need to be made?"
Steve Rogers     The portal is the weirdest part. Steve doesn't really have a /ton/ of experience with magic, after all. The pub is much more familiar--he's been adjusting to the modern world in the past few years, but places like this are like going back home, just a little.

    He settles himself in the booth and nods. "We know each other, yeah. This past couple months it's been, what, a mission, and then the ball game. You both have some kind of... magical stuff, right?" He raises his eyebrows, looking between them. "I mean, I don't know the details, I just remember a car and lots of flame."
Robbie Reyes Robbie's perhaps a little more familiar with the experience of teleporting from one place to the next, but familiar doesn't translate to comfortable. There's probably some grumbling about how they could've taken his car, but he'll go along with it in his usual ornery fashion.

The young man is dressed for.. well, it's hard to say what he's dressed for, because apparently the notion of formal wear eludes him. Tonight, it's the same battered leather jacket, a hoodie underneath it, and skintight black jeans shoved into scuffed combat boots. His hands are shoved into his jacket pockets, and he's pretending not to be ogling Steve as they duck into the pub.

"Yeah, that's my alter ego," he jokes to the other man, trying on an awkward smile. Because it is, strictly speaking.
Rien D'Arqueness Chuckling lightly, Rien glances to Robbie and smiles, "Robbie's magic is tranformative in nature. Mine is more actively tapping into the magical energies both within and without to work my will on the world." She glances around, then conjures up a small glowing orb that she rolls around her hands, moving it fluidly back and forth before palming it into a fist and opening the hand to show that it's gone. "I can utilize magic in multiple ways."

She reaches over and lays a hand over Robbie's giving a small squeeze as she smiles, "But! We're not here for magic lessons. Those are being scheduled through the JLD." Looking back to Steve, she grins, "So lets see... Luckenwald... that was right before the TVA caught up to me. You see, I'm not originally from this timeline. And in fact, in this timeline, I don't technically exist. My mother and father never hooked up and I was never born. In part because I arrived here before the time of my own conception and due to circumstances, prevented the situation that would have lead to my birth."

Pausing as a barback shows up, Rien orders a Weheistephaner for herself, glancing to Steve and Robbie for their orders. Once the man leaves, she looks back to Steve. "Oddly enough, I actually outage you by virtue of going through the timeline twice. First in my original universe, then in this one. The reason the TVA took issue, is because I'd made and kept contact with my father from this timeline. You'd have known him as James Howlett, I believe. He goes by Logan these days, though."
Steve Rogers     Steve nods as Rien talks about magic, trying to look like he has the faintest clue what she's talking about instead of being pretty much clueless. He orders himself a porter, then keeps nodding along like any of this makes sense at /all/. He's wearing a t-shirt and jeans, himself, but he's dating a fashion billionaire--it's simple, but it looks /really/ good on him.

    "So, okay," he says slowly. "You're from another timeline entirely? Stuff happened, and you lived, and then you went back in time and changed it, so that stuff never happened... and that's the timeline /we're/ in?" He raises his eyebrows. "Do I have that right?"
Robbie Reyes "Just gimme whatever you got on tap," demurs the.. well, considerably younger man that Rien's shacked up with. He settles into the booth beside her with a rustle of leather and metal fastenings, letting Steve claim the spot opposite for ease of conversation.

Like a cat, his eyes faithfully track the glowing ball in Rien's hand until she opens her fingers, and it's like it was never there. He slides her a look in askance, then surreptitiously watches Steve while he waits for his beer. He isn't staring, precisely.. but he isn't not, either.
Rien D'Arqueness Laughing lightly, Rien shakes head, "I didn't purposely go back in time. I wasn't the one that opened that portal, my mother was. I don't know if she knew where and when she was sending me, she was just trying to get me a way out of Hell." Pausing, she lets out a small breath, "That doesn't sound any better. Let me see if starting from the beginning helps. My mother is from a clan of magi in the French Alps. My father is an.. extremely powerful and long-lived mutant. And I have inherited both their traits. I am both mutant, and magi. I was born for a singular purpose. To fight, and banish a demon called The Truth, forever. To that purpose, I am immortal. Actually immortal, not just functionally so."

She rests both hands on the tabletop and looks to Steve, "The Truth cannot be killed. So my family needed someone that could not only fight it, but banish it. And who, like the demon, could learn and grow more powerful with each encounter. So my mother was tasked with seducing my father for the express purpose of creating me. And I trained every day of my life towards my purpose. In -my- timeline, it was.. 2008, when my mother and father and I all ended up in Hell, trying to cage this demon. So my mother opened a portal to an earlier time, when another version of The Truth was rampaging through Germany. The two versions of the demon began fighting each other, and we were able to cage them both. My parents used their lifeforce combined to lock the cage. And I went through the portal... into -your- 1944. Where I met my father again. Your Logan. I stayed with his contingent for awhile, wanting to know him. And that's when we crossed paths. But the TVA caught up to me and said that if I wanted to stay in this timeline, then I needed to stay away from Logan until enough time had passed that I had... fully integrated. Which is when I disappeared from the battlefield."

RIen lets out a breath and offers a faint smile, "I know, it's.. ridiculously complicated. But in the end, I am... 123 years old, with eternity to look forward to, and now I fight demons for a living. More lately, I've accepted a leadership position with the JLD. A good group, they've been through a lot recently."
Steve Rogers     Steve nods along some more, listening to all of this. And he may not know magic or demons, but he's a smart guy, and a religious enough guy to understand, y'know. Demons bad.

    "Okay, first question, why was the demon called The Truth? Is that just a name or is it actually... 'the Truth' or something?" He raises his brows.

    "The rest of that sounds... not as crazy as it probably should." He grins. "Just because I don't really understand it doesn't mean... well." He shrugs, and says, "So now you can see your family and friends and you're heading up a branch of the Justice League. Very nice. And... well... you probably know /my/ story." He shrugs, affably. Most people do.

    He looks to Robbie. "And what's /your/ story, with the alter ego?"
Robbie Reyes He's heard some version of this story before, clearly, given the lack of anything resembling shock on Robbie's face as he listens to Rien speak. Though a few of the details may be new to him. He does look pointedly amused for a moment when she concludes with the bit about fighting demons for a living, though.

Thankfully, the drinks have arrived, and he's got something for his idle hands to focus on. He's just taking a sip of his beer when Steve asks the question about his alter ego, and the kid nearly sputters on it. "I, uh." Stop blushing, stop blushing. "Got mixed up in a gang turf war. Shot me nine times and tried to burn the body. Didn't take."

Eager to talk about something *not* himself, he hitches his chin to the super soldier. "So how old *are* you? And uh, what should I call you?" Because Mr. Rogers just.. doesn't work.
Rien D'Arqueness Rien nudges at Robbie gently and smiles at him, leaning in to murmur something softly before looking back to Steve with a chuckle, "Yeah, though to be honest, I didn't put two and two together until the party. Steve Rogers isn't an uncommon name for Americans, I didn't know anything about the serum or any of that when I popped out into this timeline. You were just... a soldier. I won't say 'just like everyone else', clearly not, but still. You were a soldier. And I've seen people do weirder things than throwing a shield like a frisbee."

She takes Robbie's hand, lacing her fingers through his and smiling, "But yes, now here I am and enjoying having friends, and family, and work that I enjoy." She chuckles softly and gives a nod, "Magic is an odd duck already, when you start adding extra dimensions and time travel, it gets downright confusing."

THen she's lifting her beer for a swallow and blinking, "OH, the demon? No, that was quite literally it's name. And... it is ONE representation of it, yes. The ugly side of the truth." She glances to Robbie, perhaps trying to see if he'll blush again.
Steve Rogers     "Hey I am a /champion/ frisbee player," Steve says with a grin. "But yeah, I mean... 'Steve' is fine. 'Cap' if you must. I know I got the serum and I'm famous and important but I'm also... a pretty normal guy, other than that. I definitely wasn't created specifically to become Captain America or anything." A wink to Rien.

    Robbie's story is clearly intriguing; his eyebrows go up, and he takes a drink of his beer. "Hey, if you don't want to go into the details that's fine. A lot of people keep some kind of secrets. But you're going to become better-known, being with the Avengers. It's weird, but you get used to it."

    Another pull on the beer, then, "Huh. The ugly side of the truth? Guess that makes sense. You really can't kill that."
Robbie Reyes For such a street smart punk, Reyes sure struggles with social skills. Boy couldn't charm his way out of a wet paper bag; lucky for him, he's somehow managed to land this stunning blonde, who's both deadly and perspicacious.

He runs his thumb along the rim of his glass as he listens to the pair speak. He's got some sort of ink marched along his knuckles, Roman numerals or something, and what looks like the tip of an arrowhead terminating at the back of his hand. The rest is hidden by his sleeve.

"Cap, then," he agrees, along with an attempt at a smile. Though that 'normal guy' schtick doesn't seem to be fooling him. "Just prefer to keep the Ghost Rider separate, you know?" None of them need reminding of that little incident with the fan who was demanding a picture, as well as to know which Avenger he was.

Rien's whisper gains her a briefly considering look, but nothing more for now.
Rien D'Arqueness Rien chuckles at Steve and shakes her head, "No argument there. I will never challenge you to a frisbee game." She pauses, then smiles faintly and offers, "Trust me, you were better off volunteering for a risky science experiemnt. I don't recommend growing up knowing you only exist to fix someone else's mistake."

Clearing her throat, she pushes past that and flashes a brighter smile towards him, "Robbie has... a good reason for trying to stay lower profile. And I'll help him with that. Thankfully, the JLD isn't as... flashy. So we don't get as much press and I can help him keep his face out of the papers... at least, barring baseball games." She smiles at Robbie, "He loves the game."

Looking back to Steve, she smiles, "So you have to tell me... how did you get from Peggy to Janet?"
Steve Rogers     Steve shakes his head. "I'm mostly okay with what I am. I mean... it gave me the chance to do what I always wanted to do anyway. It let me protect people, it let me stand up against bad guys. So I'm not angsting about it or anything... but I think it's important to try to remember we all put our boots on one at a time, you know?" Maybe 'normal guy' isn't a shtick. Or at least not a conscious one.

    Then he chokes a bit on the beer at the question about Peggy and Janet. "Okay. Well. Okay. So... look... I woke up and Peggy... wasn't around. She was /alive/ and all, but... I didn't know..." He shakes his head. "Can't really share the details, but she was... asleep, kind of, for years. Woke back up about a year and a half ago. Didn't believe I was me at first. But... she'd fallen for another guy in a meantime. She'd had a whole life, without me in it. And I was with Janet by the time she woke back up."

    He sits back a bit, sighs. "And honestly...? Daniel's good for Peggy, and Janet's good for me. Not gonna say we wouldn't have worked, me and Peggy, but we're both /happy/, you know? We go on double dates. It's like... sometimes you think about what could have been, sure. But that was then, and this is now, and Janet's /amazing/. Smart, funny, gorgeous, and she can take down the bad guys like nobody's business."
Rien D'Arqueness "Speak for yourself, I'm magic. Clothes are mutable and I don't struggle with them when I can snap my fingers," Rien lets out a small laugh and lifts a shrug at him. "Don't tell Janet, but I rip off a LOT of her designs because I don't have to actually -buy- my clothes." She clears her throat and glances around, just in case Janet might be somehow lingering nearby before looking back to Steve. "Besides, being a demon hunter... I mean, it pays decently well, but mostly just because I don't pay taxes and my mother's family owns the place I live at, and I don't really have much in the way of expenses."

Lifting her glass for a swallow, Rien smiles towards him and gives a nod, "Hey, I'm not judging, I just remember... you were really hung up on Peggy back then. I'm pretty sure you blushed redder than a tomato when I kissed you that one time." She chuckles and takes another drink, glancing sidelong to Robbie with a grin, "He's been the only real relationship I've had so..." She looks back to Steve and shrugs, "I don't really have any room to talk."
Steve Rogers     Steve quirks a brow, and then grins at Rien. "My lips are sealed, don't worry." He winks. "I mean, Janet's got so much money it's practically just keeping score at this point."

    Then he chuckles. "I was, yeah. It really... she's /great/, you know? And we've got a special bond, that's never gonna be replaced. But... she's pregnant, and I felt the baby kick the other day. And I didn't feel remotely jealous, just... thrilled for her and Daniel. Things are good."

    Then he raises his eyebrows. "Wait, how old did you say you are now? 123? And /no/ real relationship yet?" He glances to Robbie, looking impressed.
Rien D'Arqueness "That's really great," Rien smiles towards Steve. "I mean that, it's so great that you two are still friends and close and can share that sort of relationship." She glances towards Robbie and flushes hotly, even if it starts to fade almost immediately before she looks back to Steve with a small shrug, "In my own defense, the first 50-odd years were spent as a prominent figure in what amounts to a cult. I'll tell you about it some other time. It can be sort of.. bleak." She offers an awkward smile before looking down into her beer.

"But yeah, Robbie's my first relationship." She looks back to Robbie with a fond expression, "He got me... by not trying to get me. If anything, he kept trying to keep distance between us." Rien looks back to Steve and shrugs, "I've been chased by guys all over the place. More than I can shake a stick at. I'm sure you remember what some of your guys were like." She flashes a brief grin. "So having someone that was trying to keep me at arm's length? It was like... a lure."
Steve Rogers     Steve snorts. "Yeah... I remember. I mean, they were like that... a lot. Even some of the guys who had someone back home." He rolls his eyes. "Sometimes they'd just go on and on about the /French girls/, you know?" He shakes his head, but raises his beer to Robbie. "Well, congratulations, the both of you. You look happy together."

    He furrows his brow. "So... you fight demons, huh? Were there a lot of demons in the area during the war, or were you just there... helping out?"