Owner Pose
Chas Chandler     The door had appeared a week before. IT looked exactly the same as the other 2 that came before it. Blue wood, a blue stone plaque above it with the words "II - THE HIGH PRIESTESS" on it in a stylized font. It was only today that a CLICK sounded through the entirely of the Velvet Room and the door had vanished into a curtain of blue morpho butterlies roiling and blocking any view beyond the doorway but not leaving the confines of the frame itself.

    Chas had been reading. He did a lot of that lately. Looking through a number of volumes that were tucked away safely from the Laughing Magician's back room. When the click happens he looks up and closes a volume that at casual glance looked like some sort of arcane bestiary. He sets the book on one of the tables in the Library and makes his way towards the hall. "'Bout bloody time" he mutters, the Liverpool accent heavy in his words, as he makes his way from the sitting room to the hall. "Was thinking it was never going to open up." He moves down the hall, his heavy boots making resonant sounds on the tiles of the hall as he stops before the curtain of butterflies.

    He is, as usual, casually dressed. Sung fitting jeans and a black button shirt done up with the top two left open and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He shoves his large, work worn hands into his pockets and rocks on his heels. "Definitely not going in there alone, that's for damn sure," he says as he pulls out his phone and sends a group text to the members of the JLD that he has stored in his phone.
Lydia Dietrich     Another door opens. Lydia glances at the text on her phone and lets out a soft sigh. Time for the next card. She gets up and pulls out the VR key, and goes to her bathroom door, and uses it to walk into the VR proper.     
    
    She's dressed for summer weather in a peach cream sundress and brown strappy sandals. "So I guess this is it," she says to Chas when she meets up with him. "Let's see who else shows up."
Rien D'Arqueness Rien takes a few minutes before she responds to the text, but does give an affirmative response. She dresses in something casual and quick, athletic shorts and top with an oversized sweatshirt tossed over top of both, running shoes, and she heads in to the 'office'. She doesn't look haggard, but there's a sense that she's... not been sleeping as much. No dark circles or red eyes or any of the rest, just a sort of drawn expression she can't seem to shake.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, things have been... hectic. Who wants to do the honors this time?" THe simple, quiet greeting is another indicator, no cheerful smile and can-do attitude.
Gabby Kinney With a flashy tell-tale like that it was rather easy for Gabby to know when doors opened up at least. She was in New York at the time having popped over to visit Logan the past few nights, and now, she makes her entrance to the Velvet Room through the dorm room door lock.

She's wearing a bit of a sundress herself, though she still had her favored hightop sneakers on. She pauses to regard the others with a quick grin. "Hey. Didn't miss anything did I?" Wordlessly she steps over to hug Rien without thinking, offering, "Dad says hi. Wants to hang out soon."
Jonathan Sims     Jon seriously considers just not responding to the call from the Velvet Room, either the key or Chas' text.

    He stares at his phone for a long moment, frowning, considering just... not showing up. Let them handle things. Who would really fault him? He's had a rough week or two. Rien can surely handle things.

    When he finally sighs and sticks the Velvet Room key in a door in the apartment he shares with Cael--leaving his daughter with the dogs and the new cat--it's more for himself than any sense of obligation. Maybe the timing is coincidental, but he could surely use some self-discovery just now. Maybe it'll be helpful. It probably can't hurt much.

    They took off the prosthetic before coming to the JLD's base, so they only have the one arm. They hesitate a moment while working on summoning up the green one, rubbing at their forehead. "Sorry I've been gone. S'pose it's time to deal with another one of these, hmm?" They seem... less than usual. Less energetic, certainly. Kind of dull in tone and expression. But... they're here.
Cael Becker     They're here, and with Cael close at their side - even more than usual. She'd gotten the text as well, of course, and had offered Jon a quietly murmured, "We don't have to." But when Jon makes the decision to go, she doesn't question it, showing up with one hand twined in Jon's left hand. She offers the others a simple nod, and a small smile - without any explination for Jonathan's mood. Reaally, it's their business who they want to include.
    She stands for a moment regarding the curtain of butterflies, dressed in her usual jeans with black books, and a leather jacket over a casual t-shirt. This time the shirt sports the Avenger's A. Branded materials - ugh.
    "Well. We're here, might as well. Right, Mariposa?" she asks, flashing Jon a brief smile, before she simply steps through.
    After all - it's not like they're going to opt not to go now that they're here.
Robbie Reyes Robbie's a little late to the summons, on account of a Buick that needed to be towed into the shop, and the argument that broke out between he and the owner of said Buick. And the 'take the rest of the night off' that his boss advised, since everyone but the Buick at that point had some idea of the way things were going.

But he's here now, changed out of his grease-stained coveralls, freshly showered, and sporting his usual leather jacket, faded tee shirt and shredded jeans. And a big ol' scowl that eases only slightly when he spots Rien.

He wanders up to her, slides an arm around her waist, and murmurs something in her ear, not seeming wholly interested in the door at this precise moment.
Chas Chandler     Chas doesn't miss much, especially with those he looks to for leadership. Rien's drawn look is given a long scrutinization before Jon shows up and also seems less. He shakes his head and shrugs. They have their respective partners. If they want to talk to him, it's not like he's going anywhere. "Looks like it" he says. "No time like the present. Let's see what's on the other side, shall we?"

    Without waiting for the others he steps into the flowing curtain of butterflies and passes into whatever mystery awaits them on the other side. When he emerges from the curtain he is what looks like a manmade stone cavern. Carved pillars line a scrubbed flat walkway that curves around larger stalagmites that try their best to meet their source stalagtites from above.

    After 30 feet the passage opens up to a pair of pillars. One pillar is pitch black with a word in white written on it: BOAZ. The other pillar is marble white, with a word in black on it: JACHIN. A curtain with what look like ten pomegranates arranged in a rough circle with a divine geometric shape connecting them hangs etween the pillars. To one side of the pillars and the curtain is a woman in robes stands behind a rough stone slab with a number of items on it: A pair of lit candles, a number of large books, (tomes for the archaic minded, and scrolls. Also on the altar are a pair of silver crescents looking like the waning and waxing phases of the moon. The woman is looking over a scroll covered in a strange text, a few of the JLD will definitely recognize Hebrew lettering.

    As the group approaches she looks up.

    It's uncanny to those who have been to the previous doors will no doubt recognize the young man falling from the cliff from the Fool door as well as the mature Magician from the Magician door; only now he is a she. The mature looking woman clad in voluminous robes with her face painted with fragrant clay stares at them for a moment as they approach. "Come to try your hand at the mystery of the High Priestess, have you?" she asks. "Many come this way, many fail. We will have to see if your spirits are strong enough to pass through the gate and onto the greater mysteries beyond."

    Chas stops a the woman speaks. "Umm... any of you want to speak for us?" he asks, looking mostly to Rien and Jon, but others are clearly welcomed to do so if neither of the leaders seem up to it.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia gives Jon and Rien a worried look when they come in. "Are you all okay?" she asks. "You don't look too hot." Jon she can understand but Rien's haggard look is something unexpected. "There's enough of us here that you can sit this one out if you like. I can bring you a souvenir."

    Then Chas and Cael have stepped through she gives them an apologetic shrug. "I should go in with them," she says before stepping through the threshold. She follows the path until they get to the two columns which she stops short upon seeing them.

    "Boaz... Jachin..." she says quietly. "These would have been the words written on the pillars of the First Temple in Jerusalem." She turns to look at the rest of the group. "The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to have been housed there, you know."

    When Chas asks who's going to lead, Lydia looks nervously at Jon and Rien. "I probably know the most about this kind of stuff, and I can translate the Hebrew for you." She takes a few steps back, making it obvious that she's not suggesting that she lead, merely to advise.
Rien D'Arqueness Returning the hug from Gabby, Rien smiles faintly, "If you see him first, tell him I say hi back. I'll see about stopping by soon, I really do want to try to keep up with him more." Then Jon's arriving and looking worse than she feels, and that's saying something. Shaking her head, she offers, "Nothing to be sorry for, you already said you were taking some time off to deal with personal matters. We should probably sit down in the next few days, though. Just touch bases." Offering the brief flickering of a smile, she draws herself up straight and lets out a soft breath. It's going to be A Night.

Robbie's arrival provides a light spot, making her smile as she leans in against him and offers a soft response, brushing a kiss to his jaw. "Alright, well, Cael and Chas have already gone through, no going back now." Then she's giving Robbie's hand a squeeze before stepping through herself. Lydia's question earns a small smile, "I'm fine, not sleeping as much as I should be, but it's nothing to worry about. Just a lot of irons in the fire at the moment." Looking around the area, she notes the pillars, the crtains, the candles and tomes, the silver crescents. Her eyes are drawn back to the pillars and the curtain with its pomegranates and design. Then finally to the woman.

"We have." Rien studies the woman, eyes narrowing a touch, "What is your mystery for us to solve?" Half-turning, she looks back to the others, "FOr anyone not familiar, the High Priestess is aobut.. stillness, inner reflection, and trusting your instincts. Your senses will almost certainly fool you here, and things will not be as they seem." Something she's been getting intimately, unfortunately, familiar with. It has her hackles up a bit as she looks around the area again.
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney regards Rien a long moment as well uncertainly while she hugs her. Robbie's arrival causes her to step back so he too can greet and hug Rien who, frankly, looked like she needed it. Her attention shifts to the doorway watching the others go through with a slow nod. "Here we go again!"

Leaping through the doorway herself she comes into the pillared area glancing around thoughtfully. The symbols and words meant nothing to her, but when Lydia recognizes it she glances over flashing her a grin. "Sounds like you're the lead then, Lydia. Though if it involves eating those," she adds pointing to the pomegranates. "That's gonna get messy. Those things are sooo hard to eat."
Jonathan Sims     Jon shakes his head to Lydia as he follows Cael through the curtain. "At least one of the leaders should be here, and the point doesn't merely seem to be for the group to solve these... puzzles. It's for us /all/ to learn something about ourselves. And I could certainly use some self-discovery, just now."

    He looks over the symbols quietly, squeezing Cael's hand gently as he regards the High Priestess quietly. Focusing on listening, for the moment, rather than pushing forward too much. Whatever thoughts are going on--and he's definitely thinking a lot--he keeps them to himself.
Cael Becker     "If we have to eat them - I nominated //someone else.// What a lousy fruit." Cael leans her shoulder into Jon, as she studies the cave, pillars, and the woman, as well, a thoughtful frown on her features.
    "What sort of mystery, huh?" she asks the woman bluntly, Then she adds, "Isn't the Ark the thing that kills all those Nazis in that one movie? I doubt we're running into any Nazis down here, though. I mean, otherwise we should call Cap." She smirks for a moment.
    Maybe she's trying desperately to lighten the mood - with Jon and Rien both struggling so much.
Robbie Reyes It seems Robbie's not the only one who's had better nights. He watches Jon for a few moments with something akin to concern, cracks a small smile Gabby's way in greeting, then follows Rien on through the doorway at a smooth prowl.

While she's addressing the woman, he lags behind slightly, reaching up to try to touch one of the stalactites with a gloved hand. *He's* sure as hell not volunteering to speak for the group; Hebrew mythology is not in his wheelhouse.
Chas Chandler     The stone of the cavern seems real enough. The stalagmite in Robbie's hand is just that, wet stone, piled up by decades or centuries of sedimentary build up from the drip above.

    The High Priestess regards those gathered impassively. "No. This is not for you..." she says, rolling the scroll with Hebrew script up and setting it aside. "That was was for me." She gestures to the pillars and their curtain. "These are those very pillars, Ms. Dietrich. But the Ark is not here. You have much to learn before you are ready to see such marvels. As for the test? It is simple enough. Go through the curtain and emerge on the other side. What awaits you there is for you alone. I cannot be the arbiter of that... for I am not you."

    She smiles serenely. "Know that what is there is different for each individual and will require... as you said," she said inclining her head to Rien, "internal wisdom and self-reflection. If such things are beyond you? You will not survive the trial and will be forever lost inside your own mind. A terrible fate, but merciful compared to what awaits you further on the journey."

    Chas whistles apprehensively. "Let me get this straight? We go through the curtain... face something that only we can face and if we overcome what is there... we survive and can procede, if we can't face it... we're lost forever... in here?" At the woman's nod. He snorts. "Love that," he mutters and looks to those with him. "Well... any volunteers to go first?" he asks, biting his lip nervously. He's definitely not volunteering to go first. Not with no clue what he might be facing within.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia's laughter slips out of her. "Raiders of the Lost Ark, yes. The Ark of the Covenant melted their faces. It was pretty gruesome." The High Priestess gets another little laugh. "I wasn't looking for it, and I certainly don't want to get my face melted if we *do* happen to find it. Some things should stay lost in time."

    When the Priestess explains what's going on she shrugs to Chas. "Honestly, after the first two trials I don't think I'd expect anything less." She considers the curtains and takes in a deep breath, holds it for a second, and lets it out in a controlled manner. "Okay. Let's do this." And with that, she steps through the curtains.
Rien D'Arqueness Moving towards Robbie, Rien takes his free hand, curling her arm around his and leaning in against his shoulder. She offers a small smile up at him and gives his hand a squeeze before drifting back towards the table and the mutable figure that's greeted them through every door. Rien levels a long, stern look at the 'High Priestess' figure and mutters, "If I see a single mirror, I'm coming back out here and taking your head, and I am both stubborn enough and powerful enough to figure out how to make it happen." She holds the stare for a moment more before breaking from it to turn back to the group.

"This is going to be a nasty one, guys. Anyone that doesn't want to go through the curtain, don't feel you have to. Inner demons are the hardest to face, and nobody will think any less of anyone that isn't up to facing theirs on a whim." Rien draws in a deep breath, lets it out slowly, then gives Robbie a kiss before stepping through the curtain after Lydia.
Gabby Kinney "I don't think we get an option to head back though once we're here, do we?" Gabby stares at the High Priestess with a suddenly very, very serious expression. As the others begin to head for the curtain she pauses, standing stock still, with her arms crossing over her chest. Lately memories had not been so great for her. Perhaps it was just the too-perfect timing that the High Priestess was the trial right now given the reflux of memories she'd been experiencing of late.

Could she? Should she? After watching Rien go through she purses her lips tight debating. Fidgeting. And finally she glances to the side sharply taking a very deep and slow breath. "This is going to suck. A lot. Very much a lot." Before she second guesses herself again she bolts forward to charge through the curtain after the others that had already gone.
Jonathan Sims     Jon... /laughs/ at the High Priestess' statement. "What can you /possibly/ show me that will be worse than what I've gone through this past week? I'm rather fascinated to see what can top being trapped for 24 hours in a nightmare of losing my daughters." For a moment raw pain cracks through his tone before he reins it back in, rather than letting too much dribble out in front of everyone else.

    He shakes his head, and looks to Cael, leans down to kiss her on the forehead. "I'll understand if you don't come along, love... but I think I need to do this." They smile, and squeeze Cael's hand, then drop it to turn and go through the curtain.
Cael Becker     Cael flashes Lydia a brief smile as she supplies the name of the movie - but Jon quickly reclaims her attention.
    So much for any attempt at lightening the mood.
    "We go together, Jon," she answers them - worry in her gaze as she studies their face. She reaches up to grab hold of their shirt, just below the collar, giving them a firm kiss before adding, "See you on the other side. Yeah? We'll both make it through just fine."
    Then, releasing their shirt, she'll walk hand-in-hand through the curtain with Jon.
Robbie Reyes When Rien draws close, she's briefly pulled against the leather-clad Rider, before being released again. He watches the smaller woman draw away, then cracks his neck. Left and then right, and a roll of his shoulders. "Right behind you, babe," he murmurs. Because this seems to be their thing: following one another into certain danger.

Through the curtain he goes; cautious, though unhesitating.
Chas Chandler     "Guess that's that then..." Chas mutters before following the others into the curtain. The High Priestss rearranges everything before her and snuffs both candles plunging the cavern into dim spectral light shed by the pillars. She regards the pair of them for a moment and then follows suit into the trail beyond.

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    Lydia is plunged into darkness immediately as the curtain touchesw her face. There is light to see by but it has no source. Her memory is foggy. How did she get here? What was she doing before being in this place. It's unimportant really. She continues and a figure appears before her. The figure is taller than average and has vibrant red hair, cobalt blue skin, and vivid solid golden eyes. Her fiancee: Reven. The look on the woman's face is unreadable. Which is strange. Usually Raven is openly affectionate when seeing Lydia. This... impassiveness is a little unexpected. Before Lydia can really get a word in the cobalt woman aspeaks. "Look, before anything let me just get this out of the way. What we had... it's unimportant. You know that right? Our realtionship was really just for the betterment of mutant kind. I don't really love you. Not in the way you think. You're a pawn, just like everyone else is. I just felt I should tell you that before you got your hopes up." She turns to walk away from the vampire woman and stops. "Oh... here. You should probably have this back." She tugs the engagement ring off her left hand and tosses it at the feet of Lydia. It doesn't bounce or roll. It lands solidly with a resounding thud of emphasis. Mystique continues. "I suppose you deserve to know, I've found a better way to advance our cause that doesn't require any sort of farce like..." she gestures between them, "this. Goodbye." And with that Mystique steps away into the darkness.

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    Rien finds herself in the dark the moment the curtain hits her face. There is light in this place, but where it's coming from is unknown. Unimportant really. How did she get here? That's strange, she could've just sworn... no. It's unimportant really. Nothing for it but to continue. As she proceeds through the dark a slow curtain of misty fog settles over the ground. It thickens and grows, higher and higher until all she can see is fog. "It's terrible isn't it?" a voice says. She knows the voice. It's -her- voice. It's the voice she heard in her dream the night before. Taunting, mocking, but so -so- right, in its claims. "All alone in this place. In this life. In eternity. It's no use forging connections really. You know that you'll outlive them. You know that they will be leaving or die out long before you get to make anything lasting with them." The voice laughs. "Why not just give up trying. Cut all the ties. It'sll be easier to go through life alone. Without restraints, without responsibility. A frail husk of life... but life nontheless. After all. That's all there is going to be for you when it's said and done, right?"
Chas Chandler ******************************************************************************

    Gabby is engulfed in darkness the moment the curtain hits her face. There is light but its source is ambiguous. Nebulous. She can't remember what was going on before she entered this place. Nothing for it now, but to continue on, right? As she moves forward through the dark. A scent lights on her nose. Blood. Lots of blood. It doesn't take long for her eyes to find the source. Lydia lays in a pool of the stuff, her body eviscerated and torn, twisted and burned, her head removed at the base of the neck by something that did not cut but ripped the woman's face from her shoulders. Her expression is locked in a rictus scream of pain and agony and will forever be that way, eyes glassy and empty of any sign of vitality, living or unliving. Not far from her is a pile of clothing. The clothing Rien was wearing. Black ash covers the clothes and a sooty residue stains the ground beneath them. The lost daughter of Logan, reduced to biological residue and ashes by some source. Further in, Jon, pierced by a number of spears and swords, laying atop of puddle of his own fluids as they run down the blades and staves that support him. Further on, is Robbie and Cael, both with their throats slit, their faces stuck screaming silently for all time. Finally on, encased in a crystaline shape is Chas. Most of his body is in the middle of exploding, his clothes shredded and torn with bright blue light erupting from him. The fires of ancient starts is also frozen in the crystal. Suspended in eternal agony, unable to die and reform as is the way of angels. Effectively, dead. They're all dead. Every single one of them died when they entered this place.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia shakes her head trying to clear the cobwebs that're clouding her mind. What was she doing before this? It was something important. Why does Harrison Ford come to mind? Where did that come from?

    She looks up to see Raven here, and her face lights up in delight to see her. "Hey, there sweetness! How was your day?" When Raven doesn't immediately respond and just regards her with that impassive expression that she reserves for when she's hiding her feelings her face falls. "Sweetness? What's wrong."

    "Wait," she says, confused. "What do you mean unimportant?" Her brows furrow as Raven continues to speak. "Better for mutant kind? I don't understand." She stands there, mouth agape as Raven... no, this is Mystique now... continues to talk, but it really doesn't register.

    When the engagement ring hits the floor it was like a slap to the face, and she stares down at it, numb. Golden eyes look up at the retreating form of her .. well .. her ex, and she reaches out a hand. "Raven! Mystique! Wait! We can talk this out! Tell me what's really going on! Please! Don't leave!" And then she's gone. Lydia falls to her knees, tears of blood falling down her cheeks. "Don't go..." she says softly. "Don't go."
Rien D'Arqueness Well... there's no mirrors. So that's a good start. She starts walking in a random direction, glancing this way and that to see if there's any changes in... anything, the farther in she treads. What makes her pause, however, is the creeping infiltration of that damnable fog. She stares at it for a long moment, just long enough for the voice to start in. Letting out a sigh, she starts walking again, "You need to fuck off. I'm not giving in to you, it doesn't even -sound- appealing." Shaking her head, she starts to walk faster, jaw clenching. "You don't know what you're talking about. They aren't all mortal. And even the ones that are, are still worth knowing."

This is the waking world, that ethereal, mysterious, fearful atmosphere of the dream is gone. She forces herself to slow her pace, going back to a normal walking stride. And she starts to sing, a husky contralto that's probably better suited to a blues and jazz club than the disco number she starts in on. "My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender... Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way." Focusing on the song, the lyrics, ignoring the voice and just letting her feet lead her where they will. "The history book on the shelf.. is always repeating itself."

Her steps start to hitch with a little shuffle and slide, feet picking up and putting down in rhythm, "Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war... Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more... Waterloo - couldn't escape if I wanted to... Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you... Waterloo - finally facing my Waterloo..."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney the scent of blood is rather heavy in her lungs before she's even come through that haze to see what lays before her. She knew that smell even before her enhanced senses had emerged. It was a scent that always clung to one or another of her sisters, or it was theirs as they died from the experiments. From injuries. Her eyes already begin to gloss over with unshed tears by the time she comes upon Lydia's grissly visage which was so very, very familiar to the work that Venom had done in the alley to that mugger the week prior.

Fear floods her. But more than that, the emotion her family was singularily known most for, the one she repressed the most: Anger.

She crouches down next to Lydia reaching out one shaky hand to press her fingertips over her eyes to shut them. She only lingers a few moments, breath coming quicker in spite of the overpowering smell of blood and death it brings to her. Rising to her feet she strides on, finding more. Finding Rien's ashes which set her teeth to clench, grinding together. Her sister. ANOTHER sister lost. ANOTHER she couldn't save.

Her hands instinctively clench at her side flicking out her claws which only serve to brighten the area in a pale wash of dim light. Her steps grow quicker, faster, and as she approaches Jon's she reaches out to yank one of those spears free of him. It's twirled over her shoulder as she continues on. Past Robbie and Cael's corpses where tears slip free to roll fat down her cheeks, and then finally toward Chas frozen in ice.

Fear is buried under the heat of anger and rage as she finally just... Lets it all slip away with an almost feral scream.

Someone would die for this. It wasn't going to be her.
Chas Chandler ******************************************************************************
    Jon drops into darkness the moment the curtain brushes his face. There is enough light to see by in this place but where 'this place' is if up to debate. How he got here is foggy in his mind. Which is odd. BUt he -has- been under a great deal of stress of late. Maybe it's affecting his memory too. It's strange and more than a bit terrifying really. Memory is part of who they are. What the Archive is. Not having that connection in this situation is... not normal. But there really isn't anything for it than to moe ahead, after all , where else could he go. There isn't an exit to be seen. As he traverses the dark place looking for an exit a sound touches on his ears. It's usually an innocuous sound. The sound of someone knocking on an old door.

'Knock, Knock'

    It's not a familair sound. Jon doesn't knock on doors often. For a reason that's buried to his childhood. But now there is a knocking sound. It comes again.

'Knock, Knock'

    The sound is followed by whispered words. Words that are hard to truly make out. But Jon has them memorized by their cadence.

'Knock, Knock' followed by 'Who is it, Mr. Spider?'

    The passage starts to have another sign of habitation. But it's not habitation Jon ever wanted to see. Webs. Lines and lines of thick spider's webs; criss-crossing the passage before him is a tangled mass of spider-webs. And again those sounds, closer this time.

'Knock, Knock' 'Who is it, Mr. Spider?'

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    Cael passes into the darkness the moment the curtain hits her face. There is light enough to see by, after all, her eyes are made for the darkness. THere are scents too. The smells of prey to hunt after. Of meat to devour. Her prey is close, she can smell them. She takes off into the dark after her prey. This is what life was truly about. Hunting prey, the quick rush of blood that touches her tongue when her teeth sink into flesh. Then the eating. She continues to chase her prey, they're faceless here in the dark space. After all, food is food. What does it matter if it looks different than the last meal. She's gaining on them and then she overtakes them. A quick swipe of clawed paw and they fall. She buries her muzzle into the soft tissue of their gut, where the sweetest flesh is kept. Gorging herself on this meal is what is right and true. This is what living is. Once finished with her prey's insides she turns to go for their throat. It wasn't the best meat, but it was a ritual for her, taking the throat of her prey. It reminded her of something. Something important. She tears at the throat of her prey and the haze of blood and the hunt clears enough to see the face of her prey. The dark skin, the long black hair, matted with blood and dirt, the brown eyes. A name comes to her mind: Jon. Her Jon. Her prey. That which she feated on and tore into with abandon, was her Jon.
Chas Chandler ******************************************************************************

    Robbie passes into the dark the moment the curtain brushes his face. There's light here but his nebulous and undefined at its source. What was going on before he entered this place? Was it important? Not really. Probably some mumbo humbo mystical stuff that he wouldn't be able to fully follow anyway. Best to just go forward and get through... whatever it is he was doing. As he travels a sound hits his ears. The sound of flesh burning away. The sound of Hellfire consuming a figure. Light bloosoms from the flames of the skull-faced horror before him. Long horns curl up from their forehead. It's a face Robbie is all too familiar with. The face he so often wears. But now it's before him. THe Ghost Rider stands in his way. "Oh, poor poor boy. It was only a matter of time" it says, its words dripping with malice. The voice is familiar too. Eli Marrow's voice lingers in his mind all too often these days to be forgotten. "It's mine now. You came here and now I can take over for good. I can get back to my good work." The Ghost Rider stalks forward and punches Robbie in the gut. Usually this would be the time he could call on the Rider's power. Become that which he faces, except... it's not there. The call of the Rider's spirit doesn't answer. He's just Robbie Reyes, normal young man and the strike to his gut hurts so much. "Don't worry too much about Rien... I'll be sure to take good care of her in your stead. She has her usefulness, after all." Eli laughs as Robbie drops to his knees trying to catch the breath that was knocked from his lungs.
Jonathan Sims     Jon swallows. Hard. Not remembering is terrifying enough, but then the knocking starts up and he freezes, breath caught in his throat.

    "No," he whispers. "You're not... you went through the door, with Matthew." That was his name, right? The bully who'd disappeared through a door, taken by a huge spider from a children's book? Jon can never remember his name clearly. It makes sense--he only got the perfect recall after Mr. Spider.

    He takes a deep breath, and lifts his glowing green hand, summoning up fire on his palm. Fire will take care of webs, fairly easily. Hopefully it will take care of giant spiders too.
Cael Becker     What? No. No no no no no no no. "Jon?" Cael asks - her voice breaking with grief, with fear, with guilt. With self-hatred. It doesn't sound like //her// voice. It's garbled, indistinct, harsh and gravely. "Jon, please..." Her hands reach out to try to staunch the blood - but there's so much missing, it's futile.
    Nor is there a pulse of life against her monsterously shaped fingers - just a slow oozing of dead blood. A slacken, empty look to Jon's eyes, and the gape of their mouth. Had they called out to her? Called her name? Beggd her to stop, to come to her senses? "Noooo..." Her fingers move over their face, over those familiar lines. She closes their eyes, tries to compose their mouth. It's all they can do. All they can-
    Shaking her head, she turns abruptly, and she runs. She runs through the darkness without heeding where she's going, trying desperately to escape what she's done. What's happened.
    She's a monster. She's a monster. Jon had been wrong, they'd all been wrong. She was too dangereous, and they'd all been blind to it.
Robbie Reyes He paces forward slowly, tender-footed like he's an animal afraid of making a sound in the underbrush. Like some terrified prey, rather than the apex predator he's become. The Avengers and their lofty ideals, their costumes and press conferences; they don't need the likes of him. He's no hero. Just an animal, and it's kill or be killed.

He opens his mouth to say something to Eli, to the thing that uses his body, burrows into his voicebox and makes him crave the heat of his fire. Opens his mouth, and that fist slams into his gut, and his knees buckle as he retches onto the ground for a few seconds.

"No," he rasps softly, lifting his eyes to the demon. Another awful sounding cough, and then he smiles. "My, my. I tried to hold you back, but you were stronger." The words are spoken at first, and then he pushes to his feet, and starts to sing. Tentatively, slightly off-key. "Oh, yeah. And now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight. And how could I ever refuse? I feel like I win when I lose.." Now he strides toward Eli, facing down his hellfire. "Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war. Waterloo, promise to love you for ever more."
Chas Chandler     How long Lydia cries there is up for debate. Could be a few minutes. Could be a few years. The darkness closes in on her, the sounds of Raven's voice echoes in her mind. "I never loved you" and the thud of the ring hammering on the ground. It replays over and over in her mind. And then in reality, more Raven's come and spit on the love they supposedly shared. Turning her away over and over again in a repeating unending pattern.

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    As Rien continues her song and dance number the fog lessesn and eventually she passed from the darkness into the cave once more. Memory floods back into her. She remebers it all. The High Priestess; the darkness; the fog; the tantalizing threat of her own voice. There is no sign of the High Priestess. Instead is a doorframe, but no door. Atop the door is a place for another of those strange cards that signify the end of this journey. But the frame is solid rock, the card is missing and there are still those in the darkness of the trial within.

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    As Gabby coninues forward a figure comes into view. The figure is tall and clad in black with a long black cloak. His skin is bone white his heair charcoal black, his eyes evil red orbs. He smiles, showing the smile of a shark, all pointed teeth. "It's good to see you again, my wonderful Test Subject" Mr. Sinister says to her. "I'd so hoped you would come along soon enough so we could continue our experiments."

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    The webs part easily enough under Jon's firey hand. But even so they only get thicker and thicker as he goes. Another sound comes to his mind the skittering of something large and ungainly along the webs. The weight of the web shakes and shifts with the passage of that great form until it lowers itself to the ground before Jon. It's almost comical in it's appearance: an oversized round body covered in dark hair with a small head atop the bloated form. Atop the head is a small black bowler cap. Eight long spindly limbs protrude from the massive shape and the words come again in the dark.

'Knock, Knock' 'Who is it, Mr. Spider?'

    The words that come from the hulking swollen form are garbled but clear enough. "It's the Archivist... and they've brought us our next meal."
Chas Chandler ******************************************************************************

    Cael runs. And runs. And runs. It could be minutes, hours, days, years, that she runs. BUt soon enough the hunger overtakes her again. All she can think of is the blood. The hunt. The meat. The flesh. Her mind consumed by the hunger of the beast that's she become. She finds another victim. She kills them. She feeds. And they again turn out to be Jon. Again she flees. Only to repeat the hunt again. And again and again. OVer and over she hunts, feeds, and kills Jon.

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    The Ghost Rider, Eli Marrow turns, the fires of its eyes raging in anger. "No... you die here" it says, stalking forward with rage and murderous intent. As it swings a fist to Robbie's face in what would be a deathblow for sure, it turns to dust and ash and Robbie passes through. He emerges on the other side of the pillars with Rien. The stone frame there with its waiting card slot. None of the others have made it out it would seem. From the look of it, they leave together or they don't leave at all.
Lydia Dietrich     Blood flows from her eyes like twin streams of crimson. God, she wishes she could sob, but since she doesn't need to breath, all she has is this unbearable pain in her chest. She reaches out with shaking hands and picks up the discarded ring and holds it close to her heart. "Why?" she croaks. "Why did you do this? Why so long. I /loved/ you!"

    <You don't need to love. Love is a human weakness and you're not human> whispers a voice to her. It's not a /literal/ whisper. It's... a thought that comes unbidden in her mind. A thought that comes from deep inside from a part of her that she had only grudgingly accepted as part of herself. A thought that could only come from The Beast.

    "No," she says, aloud. In her books, when tragedies like this strike, she's always made it so that even though it might end in heartbreak, the time spent in love was worth it. <But is it really?> Is it? This is the worst pain she's ever felt in her life. Could /anything/ be worth this pain?
Rien D'Arqueness Rien waits at the gate, anxious to see who will come through the veil of darkness next. The sight of Robbie emergin lights up a bright smile on her face as she launches herself at him, arms and legs wrapping around him to plant a firm kiss to his lips and murmurs, "Knew you'd come through, my Waterloo." After a moment, she clears her throat and eases herself down off him, though she keeps one hand tucked into his, fingers laced through his. "Looks like we're the first... Gods I wish we could help the others. But I suspect if I tried, we'd all be penalized for it. Not supposed to help on this one, everyone has to do it for themselves." Letting out a sigh, she looks up to him and smiles once more, "But I think if we can manage it... I think they can too."
Gabby Kinney Be good, Gabby. Be good. Do as they say and look for a way out. But be good. Don't act out, don't lash out, don't become more of a target.

This is how she dealt with being a test subject in the past. This is how she ensured she kept her and her sisters alive. They weren't alive anymore. They were gone and she was free.

Be a good little test subject until you can escape or else your friends might die.

Their corpses had already been walked past. There was no need to be good to protect them if they were already gone. She couldn't save them--She couldn't. She could avenge them though. She could save herself, and keep going, so that others wouldn't feel the same pain.

A rather rabid grin comes over her as she hauls back the spear to throw it straight for Mr. Sinister. No sooner has it been thrown from her fingertips than she's already racing for him claws out to follow up with a further attack.

"I survived you once! WE ALL DID! I don't have to protect anyone else now, I CAN fight, and I don't mind the thought of killing you!"

In fact it was... It was a relief. She didn't have to hide her feelings or her motives. This was someone that deserved her wrath if anyone did.

It wasn't her fault they died. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault.

"Fuck you!" She laughs out as she slashes across the figure of Sinister with her claws feeling a bit of glee at getting to rid herself of him. She wasn't that same, overly cautious kid she used to be.
Jonathan Sims     Jon winds up giving up on trying to burn away all the webs, and finally just walks along them further into the passage. Thus it is that when the giant spider reaches him, he's right there on the web, a fly stuck to the sticky stuff as the giant spider appears before him.

    For a moment, he's overcome with terror. This thing wants to /eat/ him.

    Then he suddenly glowers. "No, you know what? Fuck you. I /am/ the Archivist, and I don't have to sit around being terrified of a cartoon from a fifty-pence children's book anymore. You want me for dinner? Go ahead and eat me. I hope you fucking /choke/. I am /sick/ of being terrified of you and everything else that wants to use me for its own ends. Fuck you /and/ the web you skittered in on."

    As the spider lunges forward, mandibles clacking, Jon casts the fire at his feet, neatly cutting through the webs between him and its giant bulk. Before it can fall, he twists his hand and throws a shard of ice at it, piercing the round body with ease.

    If cutting the webs means he falls, so be it, but he's not just going to cower there and let the thing eat him.
Cael Becker     Cael kneels over Jon's form, fingers again brushing over their face, and smearing it with blood, and gore. Tracing streaks like the trails. No... no. How could this be happening? How could she do this to Jon without realizing?
    This time, as she crouches over Jon's body, she also begins to sing - a song that brought her comfort, once before, in dark and seemingly hopeless times.

Dos oruguitas desorientadas
En dos capullos bien abrigadas
Con suenos nuevos
Ya solo falta hacer lo necesario
En el mundo que sigue cambiando
Tumbando sus paredes
Ahi viene nuestro milagro

    Her voice isn't made for singing, not in this body, and it's far from a beautiful thing - but the song wakens a determination in her. She can get Jon back. Can't she? They're supposed to be together. There must be a way to get Jon back... She gathers Jon's still form into her arms. "Nuestro milagro, nuestro milagro..."
Robbie Reyes For a terrifying moment, Robbie's certain this is it. He's always known he'd have to face Eli eventually, and he's always expected to lose that fight. To be utterly consumed, until all that's left is the demon's rage.

But Eli swings, and instead of obliterating him, the fist cracks and shatters; and when the young man opens his eyes, it's only ash wafting to the ground like snow. He looks at his hands, touches them to his face, finds no blood. No broken bones. And the next step he takes, he spots a solitary figure standing amongst the pillars.

"Rien!" He steps forward quickly, and gathers her up in his arms as she launches herself at him. The kiss is enthusiastically returned, and he whispers against her lips, "Rien, carino, ahi estas. Pense que te habia perdido.." Then she's released somewhat reluctantly, his fingers weaving with hers. He looks back the way they came. "Hope you're right. Or we're gonna *have* to find a way to go back in and get them." Because like fuck he's standing by, as his friends are lost here forever.
Chas Chandler     Lydia continues to cry in the dark and the Beast witin her grows bolder, the whispers in her mind more direct and more insistent. Giving her the means of escape from this absolute torment she's exeriencing. It's a rational reaction and follows a line that her mind hits on. 'Intuition.' She'd have to be careful, but she's lived this long in direct opposition with her Beast. Working with it this time wouldn't destroy her. In fact, it might give her some insight into the concept of coexistence.

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    Gabby fights. Gabby fights with everything that she has. The rage of the animal she takes after coming through in full force. Even the mighty Mr. Sinister can't continually cope with the onslaught of a rage fueled Honey Badger. Disposing of the spear thrown at him was easy enough, but her charge... that was another matter entirely. Her claws rip and tear, gouging furrows in his flesh that bleed with black, tar-like blood. It doesn't take long before he reaches up a blod stained hand to try to push her away... and is met with a sharp claw through his skull. His body falls limply to the ground under her. Through the rage a new smell reaches her nostrils. Stone. Water. And familiar scents. Robbie and Rien. Are they alive?

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    Jon does fall, but nets of webbing break his landing well enough that he only receives the most minor of bruises from it. Mr. Spider, on the other hand, lands with a splat and a hiss of agony escapes it's bulk as it thrashes. Green and black ichor seep from around the shard of ice it is impaled on and it tries to make a grab for the webs that it calls safety, but it can't. It's too weak. And after a few more moments of thrashing it stops moving altogether, just another lifeless monster.

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    As Cael sings the form turns into a mass of golden butterflies that flutter around and over her. When the last of them fades from view, her hands are her own normal human hands. Her face is a human face. Her senses are human senses. And with the change comes an understanding. No matter what she is, there are people she cares for and those people will be with her no matter what form she takes. A breeze of cool cave air reaches her nostrils. It was time to go.

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    Robbie and Rien's reunion is interupted as another figure emerges from the curtain. It's the High Priestess herself. She looks haggard and weak but resolute. "I have emerged. I will go on. I will continue. I wish you and yours the best. Perhaps we will see each other again." And then, without a sound she just vanishes from view.
Lydia Dietrich     <Let me into your heart,> the Beast whispers. "No," Lydia protests weakly. <You're a predator. You are strong and I have helped make you strong. How many times would you have died without me?> Too many times. Too many times. <You are better than this, crawling on the floor, weeping.> And she is. She knows it. She just needs the strength to go on.

    <I am that strength,> it whispers. "Yes...." It is. The Beast had given her the strength to take on a Seraphim. To /eat/ a Seraphim. <You have been fighting me too long.> "Yes..." she has and at times it's been /so hard/. How easy it would be to just let it in. How easy it would be to lose that bit of humanity that let her love and hurt.

    And in her weakness, in the dark, clutching the ring that Mystique discarded, Lydia stopped fighting. A coldness washes over her, and the pain recedes. Love. Sympathy. Empathy. These things will keep her from her purpose... her /true/ purpose: To feed. To hunt. To /survive/.

    Guttural laughter escapes from her lips as she gets to her feet, letting the ring drop to the floor. She won't need that anymore. She looks down and takes the engagement ring that's on /her/ finger off and just unceremoniously tosses it aside. She won't need that either. The feeling she gets from this is... freeing. The laughter grows as a song comes to her head.

    Don't you mess with a little girl's dream
    Cause she's liable to grow up mean

She starts walking, towards the pillars that she knows that she'll find all the while singing,

    Surprised you to find that I'm laughing
    You thought that you'd find me in tears
    You thought I'd be crawling the walls
    Like a tiny mosquito and trembling in fear
    Well, you may be king for the moment
    But I am a queen, understand?
    And I've got your pawns and your bishops
    And castles all inside the palm of my hand

    While you were looking the other way
    While you had your eyes closed
    While you were licking your lips
    'Cause I was miserable
    While you were selling your soul
    While you were tearing a hole in me    

    I was taking control
    Now I have taken control (I have control)

    She steps out into the light looking like some kind of horror show. Blood has run rivulets down her cheeks, like somebody had torn out her eyes, but her smile... she's /beaming/.

    "Well," she says, with amusement in her voice. "That was enlightening." She nods her head to the High Priestess, "Thank you for this. I feel /great/." And yet... there are threads of red entwined in her eyes of gold.
Rien D'Arqueness Rien is smiling brilliantly at Robbie, about to say something probably very personal and mushy, but then the High Priestess arrives, making Rien blink. She stares after the figure and mutters, "I really do owe that one something particularly nasty." Shaking her head, she looks back to Robbie and smiles, "I knew you could do it. You and me."

As other forms start to emerge from the darkness, she gives Robbie's hand a squeeze, "Look... see? I told you... nothing to worry about. some things just take longer to work through... and some demons are buried deep, so they surprise you when they pop out."
Gabby Kinney The claws slash and rend tearing apart the figure she had feared for so long while locked behind those cell doors. An agonizing two weeks of being imprisoned so soon after she'd gained her freedom from the prior labs had left her knowing what to do at the time, and yet... She never got to work through that. Never got to vent her frustrations because she was busy taking care of the others that had been in the same situation.

It's like a weight off her chest even if the rest of what she had seen left an ache there. An ache that fades as soon as she smells the familiar scent of clove cigarettes and Gojo handsoap.

She stumbles forward out of the fog using the light of her claws to help guide her toward the stone room and that door. A few blinks of her still watery eyes helps clear up her vision as she spots the pair with an overwhelming sense of relief.

"Robbie, Rien!" Her voice almost cracks as she rushes toward the pair to give them a hug in spite of the fact that it may be ruining a moment between the two. She'd seen enough in that nightmare that she needed a good hug and she's selfishly getting it while she can.
Jonathan Sims     Jon actually starts laughing as the monster thrashes, and takes a moment to spit on its corpse. "Kindly fuck off and don't bother me again," he says in an oddly lighthearted tone for how spiteful the words are. He's not okay, he's not /remotely/ okay, but at least 'not okay' doesn't mean lying down and giving up anymore.

    He flips off the spider's corpse as he walks by, just to really drive the point home.

    He's humming something that sounds like 'Drunken Sailor,' though the cadence is a bit off. When he sees Cael, he immediately goes to spin her around into a little dance, laughing and singing:

Way, hey, the wormhole beckons
Way, hey, the wormhole beckons
Distant stars a-waiting

    Cael's the only one who would've heard /that/ particular version before. Well, Cael, and Chas... but he hasn't emerged yet.
Cael Becker     Tears streak slowly down Cael's face, falling on Jon's still form. But as the body gently glows, and then explodes into a mass of butterflies, her voice changes and becomes more her own. She stands, looking up into the swirling mass of butterflies as they circle her, and then begin to lead her. She follows - and the butterflies begin to fade from view just as the room, with its pillars fades into view, as does, "JON!"
    She flings herself towards them, only to be swepts unceremoniously into a brief dance, being spun around. At the end of the dance, though, she wraps her arms tightly around them.
    "Oh Jon..."
Robbie Reyes Robbie bristles slightly as the High Priestess emerges from behind the curtain, clearly having gone through some ordeal of her own. Rien's hand is released, but only so he can wrap his arm around her protectively. Not that she, of all people, needs protecting from anyone. His lip twitches slightly at her muttered remark like he wants to bare his teeth in commiseration, hooded gaze narrowing as the Priestess disperses into mist.

And then Gabby stumbles toward them, clamouring for a hug. He folds her in between he and Rien, palming the back of her head and delivering a fierce squeeze. "Yeah, well, for some of us the demon ain't just a figure of speech," he mumbles to Rien.
Chas Chandler     With everyone else out that leaves only one of their number missing. It's another few minutes before Chas emerges with a bellow of "I REFUSE!" he comes from between the pillars. He doesn't look well at all. His angelic nature has seeped through, the blue flame of ancient stars surrounding his form and coalescing into a blade of living flame in one hand and the fury of Heaven in his eyes. His wings, silver and majestic spread out behind him in semi-transluscence. Soot mars his face, arms, and clothes.

    He looks at those gathered with that dangerous countenance and then sees his surroundings. It's the latter that brings him back and the blade and fire around him flicker out as he suppresses the natural form. "Sorry... I just..." he looks haunted and can't seem to bring himself to meet their eyes. Whatever he experienced in his own trial toolk a toll on him in it's own way.

    The doorframe flares to life with blue butterflies filling it with their shimmering flutter of wings. Also, above the door is the card of the room. A woman in a high collared robe in profile with a headpiece with the letter B on the side and a crescent at her brow with the numeral II at the base of its frame.

    Chas looks at the door and sighs. "Let's just... let's go... I've had enough introspection for one day..." he mutters as he makes his way toward the fluttering doorway.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia watches as everybody but her and Chas pair off with their loved ones. Somewhere inside her there's an echo of hurt, but really? Let them have each other.

    "Yeah," she says to Chas. "I think they need some 'them' time. Besides, I need to freshen up. I /hate/ crying because... well..." she waves a hand to her face, pointing out all the blood. "/This/." She, too, then turns and walks out through the butterfly door.
Rien D'Arqueness Rien, who is looking much more her usual self now, fisnishes the family hug with Robbie and Gabby and pulls back to clap her hands once, sharply. Enough that even she winces over it. "OKAY! Anyone that needs to talk, or wants a drink, or just wants to be around people... into the sitting room! To anyone that needs alone time, I will reach out and touch bases with you over the next couple days."

She looks at everyone, smiling, "This one was rough. Really rough, and it's taken it's toll on us all. BUT. We did it. We pulled ourselves together, and came through. I could not be prouder of everyone." Rien looks to Robbie and smiles, "I know, I'll see you at home. Be careful." To Chas, she offers a soft, "You go get some rest, I'll catch up with you tomorrow." To Lydia, she also offers, "If you want to talk, I'll be here, but I understand if there's other people you would prefer to reach out to as well."
Gabby Kinney Gabby Kinney gives a firm, tight hug to both, leaning her head in against Robbie when he grabs the back of her head. It was a nice hug from the pair. Once the hug is broken she steps back letting them both be free once more while Rien makes her declaration of what she intends to do. Even as she listens to Rien her gaze skims over to poor Chas and Lydia who look worse for wear. They all did, but those two certainly came out looking rougher, physically.

It's shaken off with a repressed sigh as she turns her attention to the newly opened door. "I... might stick around. I don't know." She'd decide once she gets to a couch at least as she too heads for the butterfly door.
Jonathan Sims     Jon leans down to hug Cael, then looks up and around at the others. Everyone gets a concerned expression, particularly Lydia and Chas. "I'm available to talk as well, in future--Rien's older and wiser, but I have training in helping people with this sort of thing, so it... sort of balances out?" He grins and winks at Rien, even if the grin doesn't /quite/ reach his eyes. "I'm back, I suppose is the point. And I'm proud of us--we all made it through, however rough things got. That's the key thing, really. However bad things are, we've made it this far."

    He calls after Chas, "Oi, mate, you and me--we need to touch base, okay? I'll text you."

    He shakes himself. "I /definitely/ need a bloody drink. /So/ many drinks. And a cigarette, or five. C'mon, love, d'you want a drink or do you need to go beat the shit out of an innocent punching bag somewhere?" This to Cael.
Cael Becker     As if the image of her killing Jon, again and again and again wasn't enough for her - Chas emerges in Full Angel, and Cael's arms tighten around Jon a little more - her breath catching in her throat. Thankfully, Chas gets a lock on it pretty quickly.
    "I, uhhh- I'm going to go drink the whole God damned bottle," she answers Jon, her voice briefly following Lydia, before she untangles herself from Jon just enough to link arms instead, and start towards the bar - perhaps a bit hastily.
Robbie Reyes Be around people? Talk? Does Robbie ever enjoy socialising? Well, occasionally. But whatever he saw in his trial has him more agitated than usual. Rien seems to get the hint, and lets him go; he nods slightly to her, digs his hands into his jacket pockets, and prowls off without another word. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see the violence bleeding off him, looking for an outlet.