Owner	Pose
Chas Chandler	Chas is in th Training room. He needed to blow of some steam. The angelic power coursing through his entire body did not come with the tranquility that was usually afforded the Heavenly Hosts. A winged beast, best described as an imp, screeches from overhead down on the man, claws splayed and viscous saliva dripping from its maw.     The tell-tale (and yet new) glow of blue-white light surrounds Chas as a pinpoint of the same energy flickers to life above his palm. He extends the arm toward the oncoming imp and a needle thin string of holy fire slices cleanly throught he imp, bisecting it at the middle of its torso. The two halves flutter to either side before disappearing in a cloud of black ash.     Chas closes his hand and lowers his arm as the blue energy fades from arond him. There is a look of weariness in his eyes. "That... took more concentration than I anticipated" he says to the room. "Let's stick to lobbing baseballs for the time being." He wipes at his brow and takes a few unnecessary breaths to resettle his focus.
Jonathan Sims	Jon's come looking for Chas specifically because he has a mission. A minor mission, perhaps, but a mission nonetheless. He's looking for evidence that Cael's bad moods are caused by Chas. Will her aura be any different with him around? Will she still be fearful, or just angry? Or will she take everything in stride, with equanimity? He really doubts that last one, but... who knows?     He's sort of secretly hoping Chas is the problem. The other obvious option is that they just moved in together and Jon is too giddily happy about living with Cael to want to give that up, though he'd certainly give her whatever space she needs.     "/What/ are you fighting?" they ask as they come into the room along with Cael.
Cael Becker	Cael enters beside Jon, Bear walking at her heels with his brightly colored service dog vest. Her steps falter for a moment as the catches the tail end of the blue-glow from Chas, prompting Bear to bump his head into the back of her leg. Whether this was accidental, from her sudden break in her pace, or a purposeful attempt to reassure her is a little unclear. There's a spike of adrenaline that she tries to shove away, as she forces a smile into place.     "Hey Chas," she greets the man, her hand at her side inviting Bear beside her. The pup bumps the top of his head into her hand before she starts forward again. "How've you been?" she asks, trying to keep her tone light and casual - and doing a decent job of it.
Chas Chandler	Chas turns as Jon and Cael enter the room. "Oh... hello Jon, Cael" he says gesturing up at the mass of writhing demons. "Nothing much... just standard imps." He calls to the room. "Pause." The imps overhead simply stop moving in place, they hang there suspended and frozen in time. "What brings the two of you by?" he asks.     He's dressed modestly. Green tee, jeans, boots. To one side is a light jacket of grey leather and a hat. "Looking to get some training in yourselves?" he guesses and gives a glance to Cael. "I can leave if you'd like" he says, his tone hesitant, wary. He and Cael are better, but they're still having occasional issues... even with the new blue glow.
Jonathan Sims	"Actually, no... we're here to see you. I wouldn't say no to a bit of training, might be a good way to work off some steam and focus while we talk." Jon isn't wearing his superhero outfit, but he shrugs and summons up a glowing emerald khopesh nonetheless, looking up at the imps.     "Cael's been... oddly angry, of late. We're not sure why, but we think /maybe/ it's all the exposure to you. I wanted to see you two interact and watch her aura. So far, so good, hmm?"
Cael Becker	"I keep telling Jon I'm fine," Cael replies, her tone a bit dry as her scratches at Bear's head. "But they insist on worrying."     She shifts her attention towards the imps - rather than looking at Chas as she considers them uncertainly. "Do bullets kill them?" she asks. "And do you think the room can account for me... 'firing' an unloaded weapon? I'd rather not use live ammunition. Or maybe it can create a simulated gun for me to use?"
Chas Chandler	As if in answer to Cael's suggestion a rack with a number of firearms ranging from small caliber pistols all the way to military grade rifles. Chas looks at it and shrugs. "That answer your question?" he asks. "Pretty sure those will likely account for the situation and will only hurt what they are intended." He pauses and adds. "Friendly fire is off, as it were." He isn't completely inept with the video game terms if would seem.     He frowns. "So you want to see if me going angel triggers her aggressive tendencies" he asks, looking skeptically at Cael. "And you agreed to this?" he asks the woman incredulously. It seems he doesn't believe that Cael would agree to that sort of experiement, especially given her past couple of instances with him and his glowing transformations.
Jonathan Sims	"Worry is part of my nature, love, like being pedantic and loving tea." Jon smiles at Cael, even as he's loosening his wrist and shoulder, moving through a few exercises with the khopesh.     "I suspect that maybe Cael is humoring me," they admit as they turn to look at the imps. "But you two /were/ working together on a case, right? You can hardly work together properly on your own if she's constantly having problems with you."
Cael Becker	"And honestly - is it better to test this shit out here, with Jon, and Bear - in a safe environment? Or out in the fucking field?" Cael counters, with her attention on the weapon's rack. She picks out a pistol, then crouches to scritch at Bear, and give the pup a hug. She did feel better having him there. Her gaze remains off Chas as she rises, pointing Bear off to the side of the room as she commands him, "Go sit."     She studies the weapon while her dog complies - then levels the weapon at Chas. "Should we test out that 'friendly fire' theory to be sure?" she asks.     Never point your gun at something you don't intend to kill. How many times has she told Agnes that? But at least her finger's on the trigger guard, and not the trigger - as she lowers the weapon to the ground.     "Weight on it's good."
Chas Chandler	Chas is still dubious as Cael levels the weapon at him. He's fairly certain that it couldn't hurt him, even weren't he not empowered with the same durability as the angels. He trusted the Velvet Room and despite the realism of some of the simulations this room generated, he was -mostly- certain it wouldn't deliberately hurt him or anyone else who called the place home.     "Alright... I mean... if you're sure" he says. "Resume!" he calls and the blue glow suffuses his form once more as a trio of the impish creatures dive from the sky towards the combatants. "About that... I contacted River again..." he says as he summons a blade of blue flame in his hands and skewers the imp coming for him. "She sort of... hired me in lieu of your former colleague." He flings the beast away as he it blackens and flakes away to nothing. "Seems she's got more leads to work with concerning possible missing people."     There's a tension in his voice, an uncertainty that Jon would pick up on. Something about the arrangement itself isbothering him more than just the premise for it.
Jonathan Sims	Jon rolls his eyes. "Cael, if you want to shoot Chas just /say/ so. Although that reminds me, I had an idea--death's power worked pretty well against the angels, but I think that's because they had never been mortal and so didn't /understand/ it. I'd like to try channeling it at you sometime."     He glances between the two, curiously, as River is mentioned, but focuses for now on holding off an imp with a parry and then using the energy of the motion to move in a smooth arc to slash at the creature.
Cael Becker	"Yeah, well, don't go repeating Charlie's mistakes..." Cael mutters under her breath. "I'm not sure I trust this 'River' person. Isn't River Song a criminal?" Look - she lives with Brits. She hasn't been able to //avoid// Doctor Who.     As she's talking, she swings the pistol she claimed off the rack up at the imp swooping towards her - firing off three quick shots - not sure how much damage these creatures can take before they go down. Or if the damage will even make them go down. A grin slowly grows on her features - an almost feral delight in response to the thrill of combat.
Chas Chandler	The imp Jon reels from the attack of the Archivist screeching in pain as blood pours from the wound across its chest as its body blackens and flakes to nothing. 1Cael's gun seems exceptionally effective as all three shots hit the creature. The first puches a hole in its torso, the next tears through the flimsy membrane of its bat-like wings, and the third slams hard into its head dropping it to the ground as it too flakes away.     Chas arches a brow at Jon's proposition. He didn't like the idea... but better to know what he can't handle than not. Another trio comes these faster and more vicious than the last. Chas swoops out of the way of a jagged claw attack from his opponent, moving with more grace than his large frame has any right to before slamming the creature to the ground with a violent elbow smash to its back that snaps its spin before he shoves the flaming sword into its brain, reducing to ashes quickly.     "I don't plan on it. If I find something I'm likely to call you in then and there. It's just..." he pauses and shoves the scattering imp's form aside with a rough kick. "I feel that It's strange. I was always the guy who held down the fort, or tagged along... back when it was Constantine and I agains the dark things out there. Now -I'm- the one taking on the investigative jobs?" His tone is enough to show his own insecurities at the prospect.
Jonathan Sims	Jon doesn't really think about it, but almost subconsciously moves to Cael's side, not quite back-to-back with her yet, but trusting that she'll cover him like he'll cover her. A moment's thought and he conjures a shield up around them both with a twist of his green right hand, just so they won't get 'hurt' in this business.     "/Really/, Chas? Are you... do you think... wait, okay, back up. You're nervous because you think you can't do this investigative business without John?" His tone can't manage to hide his derision to the concept.
Cael Becker	"Learn by doing. The training wheels are off," Cael agrees, amusement in her tone. Another imp swoops at her as she stands to Jon's back - and she fires off more shots - but it's not a simple trio of shots, no. It sounds like she's intent on testing the capacity the gun - and were some of those bullets aimed to injure, instead of kill? Or did she simply miss?     "Axe!" she commands the room, without pausing in her firing on her imp - or should it flake away to nothing, then Jon, or Chas's. "Double-headed."
Chas Chandler	It takes about 12 shots before there is a single click but without missing a beat the next fired shot is just as true. Is if the gun reloaded itself when it realized it was empty. Even so... the imp is still alive. But it's swing at Cael is weak and lacks any real speed or strength given how mangled the beast is after the onslught of wounding shots rather than surefire kills.     Cael's call is answered as a double bit axe--a labrys--materializes and in the air and flies end over end before slapping into the hand that summoned it with comfortable heft and power.     The imps are growing more agitated, but Chas' been through this exercise a few times already and he's ready for it when they come. Instead of a trio a wave of them, close to 10 total swoop in from multiple directions, hoping to surround the three combatants.     "Well, I've never been on my own in this sort of work before, Jon" Chas says as he dodges one imp and takes the hit from a second, gritting his teeth against the demonic creature, doges a third and catches a fourth in his free hand. There is a roaring sound as the light around him intensifies and the imp's throat simply burns away.     Cael's original opponent falls at her weak, its lifeforce spent but she has plenty more that come for her from multiple directions, Jon as well faces what might have been an overwhelming force... before the angelic invasion. But now... it's hardly a warmup for the seasoned veterans.
Jonathan Sims	Jon shifts himself to more properly be back-to-back with Cael, swinging his khopesh in a similar manner to Cael's axe, though with some of the thrust moves a sword would use too. "Alright, sure," he says in response to Chas. "I get that. That's not what I mean. You really think you... /tagged along/ with John?"     He sighs, and frowns. "Well, maybe you did, from John's perspective. But /everyone/ 'tags along' with that ass. He's the star of the bloody show and everyone else is around for him to use in his cons. Why do you think I figure we're best rid of him? We're trying to build a team here, not a stable of magical talents for Constantine to exploit."
Cael Becker	With the axe in her hand, Cael grinds her foot into the weakened imp that falls at her feet, and quite literally swings into action, aiming her weapon to disable imps by removing wings and limbs. One of them is eviscerated - but not cleaved in two, and another swoops in to scrabble at her arm and shoulder - and ends up being battered roughly with the butt of the axe's handle, as she thrusts it back towards him. She's fallen silent as she moves, leaving Jon to talk to Chas as she simply revels in the fight, and the carnage.
Chas Chandler	Imps die in droves. Some get incinerated. Some fall to Jon's kopesh, but many are felled by the axe in Cael's able hands. When it's over the rest of the imps, only a handful have scattered and faded from sight. The program looks to be ended as the light comes back into the room. "I get what you mean... and yeah..." he hestitates before nodding, "I agree" he says to Jon.     He looks at the strewn and mangled ashy forms that have piled up around Cael and he blinks. "Wow... umm... you been holding back some aggression, Becker?" he asks with an arched brow as his own glow fades from view. He looks at Jon as if seeking an explanation from him as well.
Jonathan Sims	For a moment, as they're fighting, Jon turns from where he's back to back to Cael and watches her fighting, his breath catching in his throat. He really does think she's beautiful like this, fierce and powerful, in her element in many ways.     Then he actually notices her aura, and frowns deeply. Something's /wrong/ there. Very wrong.     As the program closes, Jon frowns as he catches his breath. "Your aura's out of balance," he says to Cael. "It's... the source is... it doesn't look natural."
Cael Becker	As the imps retreat, and the program ends, Cael is breathing heavily - but is still very much aroused and ready to continue the fight. The disappointment that the fight is over shows as a brief flare of frustration - but in the end she tosses the axe up into the air, letting the room reclaim her weapon.     "What do you mean?" she asks the pair a bit irritably. "I just enjoy a fight - and I haven't had a good one in a while. I needed that." She paces back and forth for a moment, breathing heavily and deeply as she tries to rein herself back in. "We worked pretty well together - the three of us - and I didn't even shoot Chas. Bonus."
Chas Chandler	Chas frowns at Jon's expression and explanation. "What do you mean, not natural?" he asks. His own concern is higher than Cael's (which is borderline indifference.) "Like... someone is in her mind?" More alarm shows on his features. He has his own qualms about mind control alone. But mind control on Cael is a step further than he is remotely comfortable with handling.
Jonathan Sims	Jon shakes his head to Chas. "No, I don't... think so? I mean, everything is /hers/. Like... you're right, love," this turning to Cael, "you /do/ enjoy a fight, and you /haven't/ had a good one in a while. Nothing you're feeling is anything you might not normally feel, to some degree, and I don't think you'd do anything that... I don't think you'd attack me, say. But..."     He frowns and chews at his lip. "It's like there's... a lowering of inhibitions? A heightening of the primal instincts? In physical terms I'd say it's like your frontal cortex is being put to sleep and your amygdala pumped into overdrive. But whatever's causing it is... supernatural. Did you... has anything... weird happened lately?"
Cael Becker	Cael stops pacing - and fixes her gaze on Chas. "Nothing is //in my mind,//" she practically growls out, her hands tightening at her side. Nothing is. That's not happening again. She keeps her gaze locked on Chas for a few moments longer, then turns away abruptly, to resume her pacing.     "What?" she asks Jon. "No. I mean- nothing you weren't //there// for. Or- I mean, that I didn't tell you about. There was the blood monster, but it didn't //do// anything to me. I mean, it dripped on me, but I took a shower. Because... ewww!"
Chas Chandler	Chas blinks at the mention of the blood monster. "Cael... it was -on you-" he says. "That thing was unlike anything I've ever seen... and it touched you... was that when this started?" he asks, looking to Jon.     "I thought it was a slime at first... I've thrown down with sentient oozes before. But this thing... it," he shakes his head, still confused by the creature he encountered. "It animated a manequin and was building a homonculus out of disparate parts it managed to cobble together." He shakes his head. "None of them have been able to do that... not to mention it died from fire. Instead of water."
Jonathan Sims	"Why would fire instead of water matter? Fire's a cleansing and purifying agent. Far more effective than water in burning things out, a lot of the time. Hell, if I wanted to purify something I'd probably use boiling water."     He's staring at Cael, though. "I... it... I mean, it... this thing, Chas, do you remember what it... looked like, magically? Was it an... infection?" He actually presses his hands to his stomach, to try to quell the roiling tension suddenly there.
Cael Becker	"I am //fine,//" Cael insists, looking between Chas and Jon - but there's a hint of doubt showing on her features. "I was just- craving a fight, is all. A challenge. It was a fun... scenario." Her eyes dart back, and forth one more time before she adds, "You both are really worried."
Chas Chandler	Chas is still dubious. "Should we not be? Jon's over here saying your aura is odd... and we encountered that thing with River. It could've affected you more than any of us anticipate" he replies. He sighs. "And now I've taken on a job to maybe hunt more of the same things..." he mutters. Still, her nonchalant nature seems to pacify him a bit.     "Look... if you're aching for a fight that much, I am here most days." He shrugs. "The cabbie company is a bit overstaffed with Jake coming back to work, so I don't have much else to do other than train and practice. If you need to let off steam..." he rubs the back of his neck. "Don't hesitate to come by. Okay?" He grins softly to Cael, hoping to molify her own concerns as well with his offer.
Jonathan Sims	"Jake coming back to--ugh." Jon shakes his head. "No, nope, not commenting on it. No." But he glowers, for a moment.     Then he looks to Cael and the glower softens to a frown. "Yes. I'm worried. Look, maybe... maybe you avoid being in the field for a bit, until we figure this out? Whatever's going on... it could be this blood monster, but it could be something else. I don't know, and it's worrying me."     He suddenly moves to wrap Cael in his arms. "Whatever's this is, we'll figure it out, and fix it. I promise." He really /is/ worried.
Cael Becker	Cael had been about to take their hands - but she finds herself wrapped into a hug instead. She leans into it, putting her arms around Jon in return. "I'm okay," she murmurs to them. "Really. And if anything were wrong, you'd figure it out. We went through hell, and came out the other side..." And things are supposed to get better. That's how it's supposed to work.     After a few moments leaning into Jon in silence she adds, "I'll keep that in mind, Chas. Thanks."
Chas Chandler	Chas nods. "Just... keep me posted and I'll keep you posted too. About this thing with River" he says and chuckles. "Look I had to get some job to maintain myself. Can't let Asa cover everything... so a PI contract with her seemed like the best option." He forestalls any warnings of caution (from either of them) with a hand.     "Don't worry. I'm not going to do something stupid without calling in backup first. I'm not married to some idea of noir ideology like you're old colleague." He shakes his head, still baffled by the stupidity of that man's death.
Jonathan Sims	Jon considers for a moment, then looks down at Cael. "You want another go-round? Or are you hungry now?" He nods to Chas. He doesn't look worried. Quite the contrary; he seems to trust his friend to do what's needed.
Cael Becker	"I'd //love// another go 'round," Cael agrees - obvious relief in her voice at the question. She squeezes Jon tighter for a moment, then gives him a brief, playful peck before she pulls away again. "Axe, please!" she calls once more to the air - summoning back the weapon she'd so casually tossed aside a few minutes earlier. After a few swings with the re-summoned axe, she plants her feet, and grins with eager readiness.