Owner	Pose
Cael Becker	As they get closer to New York, Cael pulls out her phone again - sending out another quick text. 'Almost back.' Keeping her messages short and simple was... easier for her right now.     Once the Mooncopter was safely back on the ground, she got help carrying Jon as gently as they could, so she wouldn't have to toss their much taller frame over her shoulder, as they head towards the quarters he'd been using in the Midnight Mission. Laying him out on the bed gently, Cael's features are a mask of concern as she takes stock of everything that needs to be done next. Get them cleaned up, and changed into something more comfortable, and tucked into bed...     And then it's just a matter of waiting. Right?
Jonathan Sims	With Ma'at gone from the body, and thus the teal glow gone from his eyes, it becomes clear that there's blood on Jon's face, thin streaks flowing down from his eyes. His lips are dry and cracked, he'll surely be thirsty on waking (and Jon always panics a little about thirst these days). Otherwise he looks... fine. He's wearing his super-suit, carrying all his gear, so he clearly came prepared for a fight. Whatever caused his current state doesn't show on his body. But Ma'at did say he nearly destroyed his mind escaping Jonah's control.     Agnes comes into the room after Layla explains the stasis state to her, assures her that Jon isn't /dead/, and wrings her hands while she looks at him lying on the bed. "What happened? Is he hurt? Why does he have to be in a trance?"
Cael Becker	Cael manages a reassuring smile for the girl - even if the lines around her eyes remain tense, and tight. "Ma'at said something about a need for Jon to... refind balance? They've- I don't really know everything that happened. But they've been put under a lot of strain, and they just need time to recover, so... Well. We just need to look after Jon, and keep them safe and comfortable. Do you want to help clean up their face? I'll find a change of clothes that's more comfortable and- well. Looks like some chapstick might be useful, too." She has a slightly uncertain look on her features. Should they give Jon a little water? Unconscious people can't drink. Don't they... dampen people's mouths a little with a sponge, if they're going to be unconscious for a while?     Well. First thing's first - she gently frees Jon's hair, brushing it all loosely around their face on the pillow, before she goes to find some more comfortable clothes - leaving them lying atop the blankets for the moment.
Jonathan Sims	Agnes makes an irritated sound in the back of her throat, like a cat that doesn't like how someone's touched them. It's a sound she makes a lot. "I /meant/... you were gone all night! What /happened/?! Where did you go? What happened with Elias? Obviously everyone's okay, I was a bit worried about Lydia if you had to go to Egypt, it was sunrise over there. And I barely slept."     Well, 'barely sleeping' explains the bouncy, jittery attitude. She's probably been running on Cael's leftover coffee.
Cael Becker	Cael looks over towards the girl, giving her a brief, small smile, before she pulls open some drawers - digging around until she finds a more comfortable change of clothes. She'll have to wait to put them on, though, until Jon's face is cleaned up so the fresh clothes don't get wet or soiled.     "We arrived at the Temple - just before dawn. I think maybe... it being a 'Sun King' thing - maybe what they were doing was supposed to happen at dawn? Ma'at was... in control of Jon's body. They were already unconscious, and Ma'at was trapped inside a circle. She was naming that Sun King guy as an Avatar of Ra. He was standing in a circle, in front of Khonshu's circle, with Elias beside him." As she talks, Cael's digging around in drawers, looking for chapstick - but she goes still for a moment, staring downwards at the contents of one of the drawers.     "Elias is dead. You don't need to worry about him anymore."
Jonathan Sims	Agnes is busy getting a washcloth and putting warm water on it so they could wash Jon's face. She listens as Cael relays the information about the mission, but then goes very still as Cael says Elias is dead.     "I should be sad," she says after a moment. "At least a little. I... I thought he was my father, my whole life. But I'm just..."     She braces her hands on the edge of the sink, staring at the water still flowing from the faucet. "What's... what's wrong with me? I... I'm..." Her hands tighten on the counter. "H-how did he... who killed him?" There's an odd tightness to her tone. "Did he... suffer?"
Cael Becker	Cael is only still for a moment, before she gives up her hunt for the chapstick, and moves towards Agnes, standing a step or two away from her. Hesitantly, she moves closer, to drape a single arm around the girl.     "I killed him," she answers quietly. "He- it wasn't painless, but it was also- he bled out pretty quickly. But he's dead, and you don't need to worry about him ever coming for you, or spying on you again."
Jonathan Sims	"So he suffered," Agnes says, with an edge to her voice. "/Good/. I... I wanted him to suffer. Everything I've seen him do..." She squeezes her eyes shut, tears falling down her face.     "Thank you," she manages after a moment. "For... for taking care of him." She leans into Cael's arm and then turns to burst into sobs, shoulders shaking. She makes noise when she cries, unlike her father.
Cael Becker	"It hurt... and he was afraid," Cael confirms softly. "I was... very upset with him, on your behalf. On Jon's. For your mother, and Martin as well." As the girl starts to cry, there's again a moment of hesitation, but she does wrap Agnes into both of her arms, holding her in silence, and letting her cry for as long as she needs - a few tears clouding her own eyes.     Jon waited hours on the way home to be cleaned up and changed. They can wait a few more minutes while she makes sure Agnes is alright.
Jonathan Sims	"Thank you," Agnes repeats, a bit muffled. "Thank you." She sobs for a minute or two, slowly relaxing, fear and doubt and tension she wasn't even wholly aware of slowly flowing out of her.     When it quiets done she pulls back and sniffles. "Sorry. I know you don't like... I know hugging is hard. Sorry." She reaches up to wipe at her face and looks over to turn off the faucet. Ooops.     "So, umm. Let's... let's get Dad settled? He should be awake soon, right?"
Cael Becker	"It's alright," Cael answers quietly. "He put you through a lot, and it's- I-" What is she trying to say? "...I'm here for you." She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before they return to Jon's side.     It's awkward work - but it doesn't take long to get Jon's face cleaned up, before the pair change their clothes. Cael unzips and unsnaps the combat attire, sitting Jon up while gently supporting their head, so she can rest them against her body. They get Jon's clothes off, and the clean shirt and loose pants on - with Cael quietly grumbling about how awkward it is to pull arms through sleeves.     Once Jon is dressed, they're tucked into bed, with capstick painted over their lips. Cael sits at the edge of the bed, adding towards Agnes, "You should sleep. I'll sit with them for a while."
Jonathan Sims	Agnes helps Cael get Jon changed and settled, then nods and goes off to get some sleep herself, insisting that Cael wake her the moment Jon wakes. Which may or may not happen; Jon might need a moment, after all.     It's a few hours later--more than 24 hours after he was first kidnapped--when Jon finally opens his eyes. They're still bloodshot--as if blood vessels were popped in them. He doesn't really move at first, just stares up at the ceiling, breathing slowly.
Cael Becker	The room is dimmed and quiet - and at the moment, Cael is sitting in a chair, with Bear at her feet. She has an earbud in one ear - with most of her attention focused on the screen of the portable game console in her hands. It gives her something to do as she waits, her fingers flying over the controls, with her eyes locked onto the game. She doesn't notice Jon beginning to stir - not yet, anyways.
Jonathan Sims	For a moment, Jon just kind of... lies there, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. He sniffles, and swallows, and says in a soft voice, "Cael...?" There's an odd, thready quality to his voice, not quite whining.
Cael Becker	That has her attention in a moment. "Jon?" she answers. A single flick of her finger pauses the game, and she immediately discards it, pushing herself up from her chair so she can sit on the edge of the bed instead.     Her face swims into view above him, peering down with a concerned expression on her features as she reaches for one of their hands. She squeezes reassuringly as she adds in a quiet, reassuring voice, "I'm right here, love. We're at the Midnight Mission. You're okay." There's a gentle, tender quality to her voice that pretty much no one else ever gets to hear.
Jonathan Sims	Jon swallows again. Hard. "I want to go home." He can't quite make the statement as firm as it should be; his voice keep strembling. "I... I don't want to be here. Near /her/." He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to push away the feeling of Khonshu's presence in the place. He wants nothing to do with that, just now. Nothing to do with the gods at all.     "Can... can we go home? Please? I... I just... I want to go home." He sniffles again, gripping Cael's hand /very/ hard.
Cael Becker	"Yeah, love," Cael agrees. "Of course. We'll go home," she promises. There's a moment of uncertainty as she adds, "I can call us an uber - should only take a few minutes to get here. We should be able to get Agnes and the dogs together by then."     Speaking of - Bear is on his feet, tail wagging as he sniffs at Jon's leg, and up towards their torso.     "Do you want a sip of water?" she asks, squeezing Jon's hand back as she reaches into her pocket for her phone. Either she needs to call an Uber, or text Agnes - or both.
Jonathan Sims	"I... I can open a portal. I think. I... think?" Jon suddenly sobs, and leans in toward Cael for a moment. "Oh, gods, I don't know. No, I think... I opened a portal in Wonderland. That's how I got back to the Archive, which is how I woke up. So... so I think I should... but I don't know. I wasn't in the physical plane, and that's... that's the hard part." He's babbling. More than a little.     And wasn't he supposed to wind up in Tawaret's realm? Evidently... he did not.     "Water," he manages finally. "Water... would be good. Oh, gods, I'm /hungry/."
Cael Becker	"I'm here, love. I'm here," Cael murmurs in a quiet, reassuring tone to Jon's tears, and panic, and babbling. "You're safe... and I'm here." A few tears spring to her eyes, and she pulls Jon in close to her, before reaching over to get the water. She'll help Jon sit up, if they need it, offering the uncapped water. "I'll get you one of your coconut water's when we're home, yeah? And me or Agnes can see what we have to eat around the place still. Until we can get some food door dashed." Is she babbling a bit as well? Maybe. But she tries to keep it all reassuring, and supportive as she one-hand texts Agnes a single word.     Awake.
Jonathan Sims	Jon sniffles for a moment, clinging to Cael. "S-sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone in alone, b-but they were threatening you and Agnes and I left things behind and I figure you used that to find me but I didn't know, I thought it was some kind of... I thought it was about the angels. But it wasn't. It was the... the Sun King and... and Elias. Jonah. Y-you saw. And he... and he..."     They stop, and just sob for a minute. Which is when Agnes comes in, and blinks at Jon's state. "Ummm... Dad? Are... are they okay?"
Cael Becker	"It's alright. It's okay, Jon. We found you. We came for you - you knew we would." Cael lets her phone fall on the bed so she can gently stroke Jon's loose hair, holding them to her protectively, and reassuringly. And a smidge possessively.     "Elias is gone. Everything is going to be alright," she promises, her eyes going to the doorway Agnes just entered through.     "They're going to be fine - but they went to return to the apartment instead." Cael's voice is calm, and reassuring - a steady, constant presence in the midst of Jon's maelstrom. "You've got Lady with you?"
Jonathan Sims	Agnes nods, and says, "I'll grab my stuff." She runs back to the other room and, within a couple of minutes, is back with Lady in tow.     Jon, in the meanwhile, manages to calm down enough to focus on things like sitting up, and getting out of bed, getting shoes on, finding the clothing they'd brought over from home. They try to summon up their green arm and put their hand to their forehead. "Ow. That's... let's not... do that. For now. I think I broke something."     Surely by the time the Uber gets here, they'll all be ready to go.
Cael Becker	Cael doesn't bother with gathering anything. She has Bear, and she has her cellphone. Anything else she wants? She can send for. Instead, she stays with Jon, helping them get their things together, and remaining a calming, and reassuring presence in contrast to their obviously distraught mood.     It's a tight squeeze in the Uber with the two pups, and the three humans - but Cael gets Bear settled into the passenger seat of the car, with Lady tucked in under Agnes' feet. She's starting to get too big for that sort of thing but- it's not too long a drive. Cael and Agnes sandwich Jon in the back seat for the drive, with all their gathered possessions in the trunk.     "Thanks for taking the dogs," Cael directs towards the driver, as she puts a large tip into the uber app.
Jonathan Sims	Jon's agitated mood settles into something more quiet as they drive, and he stares out the window at the lights of Queens, the Queens-Midtown tunnel, then Manhattan. He tries to avoid looking at Agnes, and every time he does there's guilt etched in his expression. He does manage to give her a hug, before she goes to disappear into her room, probably to finish processing the idea that Elias is dead.     For a moment Jon just kind of stands there looking around the the living room with a blank expression. "What day is it?" he finally asks. "Nobody's told me yet." And this is evidently a reasonable question.
Cael Becker	"Oh." Cael's tone conveys the fact that she simply hadn't thought to tell them. "Wednesday," she replies, as she goes to the fridge for one of Jon's coconut waters. She digs around in the cupboard for something to eat - coming out with a chocolate and nuts granola bar. She brings both of these to Jon, offering them over wordlessly.     "Do you want to order some proper food in?" she invites. "Kebab, maybe? Unless you want something else."
Jonathan Sims	Jon takes the coconut water and granola bar and grunts. "Sure. I should probably eat. Order whatever you like." They just stand there for a moment, then go to drop onto the couch while focusing on opening the coconut water.     Even when they'd come back from being tortured they weren't quite like this. Depressed, sure, upset, angry, but this half-empty staring at things blankly... not so much.
Cael Becker	"Sure, love," Cael replies. She settles in next to Jon on the couch - her arm pressed against them, as she scrolls through their history of food orders - looking for something that //wasn't// from a noodle places. Because that would be one of the rare times that Jon decided to actually impose their will on the food ordering process. She puts in a request for the same order, then sets her phone aside, so she can wrap one arm around Jon, resting her head on their shoulder.     She lets the silence grow for a while before asking in a soft voice, "What do you need? Do you just need me here with you? Whatever it is you need... You know I'll do it. Yeah?"
Jonathan Sims	"I..."     Jon hesitates.     "I don't know," they manage finally, staring down at the coconut water. "Something's... broken, inside me. Earlier I was terrified, and all I wanted to do was get away from... that place. Away from /her/. Now I... I just feel... numb."     They swallow. "Intellectually, I know I'm dissociating, but that doesn't make it any easier to... deal with. Elias--Jonah--he... he got through all my mental defenses, and he... he..."     His hands are shaking, but his face is still mostly blank, brow furrowing briefly then smoothing. "He beat me," he says finally. "He won. It doesn't matter if he's dead now. He won."
Cael Becker	"But he also lost," Cael points out gently, concern etched on her features again. "Whatever he had planned... He didn't get it." She reaches over to tenderly brush hair away from Jon's face as she adds, "So maybe he beat you - but //you// won, Jon. You left that message for us. You lead us to find you. You out thought him."     She lets out a sigh before adding quietly, "I know how painful it can be... having someone in your mind. I'm here, Jon. You were there for me. I'm here for you."     This is the moment that Bear decides to make his presence known, as well, inserting his head into Jon's lap, and looking up at them with soulful eyes.
Jonathan Sims	"Yes but that doesn't..." Jon's hands tighten on the bottle of coconut water. "He knew his way through every defense. He had... he had a /code phrase/ implanted in my head, the whole time, and it gave him these... these strings to use, he was /controlling my body/, and when I cut the strings he just... shunted me out. Trapped me in a nightmare. And then /she/... she just... went ahead and did it anyway. I fought and I broke my own mind, and it was all for... nothing."     He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll know better than to bother having a bloody opinion on anything with the gods anymore." He doesn't say it angrily; his tone is still dull.
Cael Becker	"Oh, Jon..." Cael murmurs quietly - her voice filled with worry, sympathy, and shared pain as she turns towards them to wrap both arms tightly around their body. What can she say? That she knows how it feels, to fight, and to fight, and to have it all be futile in the end? That she understands the feeling of being violated, and controled?     Somehow she doesn't think that's what they need to hear right now.     "I know. I know. Not entirely, maybe, but- I know." Tears streak down her cheeks as she continues to hug Jon tightly to her own form.     "It does matter. You matter. Your opinion matters. If any of the gods disagree, I'll- I'll fucking storm my way back down to Du'at and remind them myself - even if it does mean eating another fucking beetle. You matter, Jon. You do."
Jonathan Sims	"You don't understand, Cael," Jon says softly. He doesn't resist the hug, but he doesn't lean into it, either. "My whole life's just been... preparing me to be a vessel, to be used by other powers. Gaea, or Ma'at, or Jonah... it doesn't really matter who's pulling the strings, in the end, when you're a puppet. And it's always been that way. Always. The difference now is just that I /know/."     He stares at the floor. "Can we not... look, can we just... I don't need..." He shakes his head. "I don't know. Sorry. I don't know. I just... I don't... something's wrong, and I don't even know what it... is."
Cael Becker	Cael's silent for a moment - her mind busy with thoughts. There's a sort of comfort in giving up. In telling yourself there's no point in fighting. She can understand that. What can she say in the face of that? To repair what's been broken?     "Whatever it is you tell yourself about... Jonathan Sims, the Archivist, or Jonathan Sims, Avatar of Ma'at - there's something I need you to understand." She pulls away enough to try to meet Jon's gaze, to try to pull their eyes towards hers. "I don't give fuck about any of that - and neither does Agnes. I don't give a shit about the Archivist. I don't give a shit about the Avatar of Ma'at. I love //you.// I love Jonathan Sims. You are a good, and brave, and strong, and caring person who's been through far too much for one lifetime - in the last year alone, and I love you. I love ///you,// Jonathan Tiberius Sims. And so does Agnes. And so does Martin. And - fuck, same with Bear, and with Lady and- I think it's time to get you that fucking cat, yeah?"
Jonathan Sims	"Yeah," Jon says softly. "I suppose."     He sighs. "I know you're trying to help, Cael. And... usually I suppose that would. But I... I think maybe... I think something's been altered in my memories. For years. I... I think... I think I have /literally/ been under something else's control, for /years/. I /broke/ something inside myself, getting out from under what Jonah was trying to do, and then... the nightmare he pushed me into, it was... off. Wrong."     He frowns. "Did I... the night Agnes was born, I told you that I called on Neith, right? That an avatar of hers appeared to me, Annabelle Cane. Is... that's what I told you, yes?" His voice shakes now, fear spiking through.
Cael Becker	It worries Cael a little - that none of that seemed to help. She didn't expect it to //fix// things, but- from the furrow in her brow, and her worried, expression that none of that seemed to help at all- She wasn't sure what other levers she can pull, so she settles for brushing her fingers through their hair, and fighting to contain her own tears of fear and concern.     That would not help.     "Yes, that's what you told me," she confirms quietly. "Why?"
Jonathan Sims	"Because the dream kept wavering. I... I was going back and forth between... between Lyra, handing her over to the medic at the shelter, and handing Agnes to Annabelle. And Annabelle kept... changing. Instead of looking like an avatar of Neith, she was... normal, except for this white webbing on her head. And... and I called her /Annie/. I... instead of praying to Neith I said 'Annie, please, I need you!' And she appeared. She called me Jonny."     Jon's voice shakes, the whole time, terror seeping through, the terror of someone who is used to remembering /absolutely everything/ confronting the idea that their memories might be... /wrong/.     "When I told you her name, I said to Martin, 'you remember Annabelle Cane, right?' But he never answered. I told Marc and Lydia I'd met her before that, but... I have /no memory/ of that. And she never introduced herself. So... how did I know her name? Wh-why... why didn't I /notice/ this before? Why is it only now... I've had that nightmare before, so many times. I failed Lyra. I failed Agnes. It's... entwined, in my head. I failed my daughters. It's my fault, that Lyra's dead. It's my fault, that Agnes had such a horrible childhood. But only /now/, that I cut those strings Jonah was using to /puppet/ me, that the nightmare changed. S-so what... what's been... using those strings on me, this whole time?"     He takes in a deep, shuddering breath. "The nightmare drifted near Wonderland. It... became Mr. Spider, briefly. And it was /different/. My oldest nightmare, and there was a girl there, watching the whole thing." He's shaking like a leaf. "Something's /wrong/ with me, Cael. I... I don't... I don't /remember/."
Cael Becker	"It's not your fault," Cael says instantly and sharply.     I mean - yeah. Handing Agnes over was a little bit his fault, but fuck if she'll ever //say// that to him.     "Jon..." She shakes her head, this sort of thing - it's so obviously deeply entwined with magic, and possibly with Gods - it's so beyond her understanding... What would she even say? She hated seeing Jon so afraid, so troubled - but what can she even say?     "We'll figure it out, somehow," she promises. "We'll make sure whatever it was... that they can't do that to you again. And we'll find you the answers. We're not powerless. We have friends. We can't change the past - but we can find you answers, and we can protect you better going forward. Alright?"
Jonathan Sims	"W-what if..." Jon blinks, tears suddenly falling, and finally looks up at Cael.     "What if I'm not the person you think I am? The person we both think I am? What if... you say you love /me/, but how can you even /know/ me? I don't... I don't even know /myself/. Who is Jonathan Sims? I don't... know anymore. That's... that's what broke. I don't..." They press their hand to their chest. "Something that I'd built myself around for years and years is just... /gone/. This phrase Jonah implanted in me, 'you are nothing without someone's hand to guide you'... or did he implant it? Was it already there? I don't... know. But it was... /core/, somehow, and it's /gone/ now, and I don't..."     They draw a deep, shuddering breath, bloodshot eyes very wide. "W-will you... do you love me... even if... even if I'm not... even if I change? I don't... I can't trust... anything. Do I even like cats? Kebab? I don't... I don't /know/."
Cael Becker	"That phrase was never true," Cael counters - and she sounds certain of that fact. "They may have implanted that //fear// in you. ...but that doesn't make the fear true."     She takes Jon's hand, kissing it, then cupping it first to her cheek, and finally to her heart. "You are mine, and I love you. Do you love me - even if I change? We all change - right? I'm not the same person I was six months ago. You're not either."     Her eyes remain locked on Jon's eyes as she adds, "I'm not going anywhere on you. I'm not abandoning you, or Agnes. We're... family. Yeah? We're family."     Bear decides this should be punctuated by a single bark, as he nudges his head in for attention.
Jonathan Sims	Jon stares at Cael for a moment, bloodshot eyes full of tears, sniffling. Then they laugh, and lean in, and give Cael a kiss, lingering, though they're still shuddering.     Then they lean their forehead on Cael's. "I'm not okay," they murmur. "I'm not going to... be okay, for a while. Maybe not ever. But... but I'll try. I'm not giving up. I /didn't/ give up. I fought him. I couldn't stop him, but I wouldn't let him use me for whatever horrible plan he had."     Very, very quietly, he says, "But I should warn you, that... that some part of me wishes I could die. I'm not going to listen to it, but it's there. I feel so... hopeless." A sniffle. "But that's... it's just... it's pretty bad. That nightmare, it felt like I was trapped in there forever, watching my whole world fall apart, over and over. And I couldn't... nothing I did got me out, /nothing/. It took Kaida Connolly to save me. I... I ought to go thank her, when I'm able."
Cael Becker	Cael returns the kiss - a few tears streaking slowly down her cheeks.     "When I wasn't okay, you were there for me," she reminds Jon. "When the thought of killing myself to stop the pain wasn't- such a ridiculous idea. You were there for me, every day, whenever I needed you. I'm here for you now, Jon. I promise you. Thank you so much for telling me, I'm here for you now." She keeps their hand close to her heart, while her other hand gently strokes their cheek, and their hair. "You don't have to be okay. But... I'm going to be here, so hopefully... most days are a little easier than the one before. Yeah?"     Still leaning in against Jon she adds, "We're going to go get that cat tomorrow. Alright?"
Jonathan Sims	"Alright," Jon agrees. They relax under the touch; that seems to be helping at least a little. "Alright. A cat. Agnes will be happy."     They sigh. "The tattoo worked. That's... that's good. That's something. I... I remember what happened." A shaky, almost shrill laugh. "I remember things that happened when I /wasn't even in my body/ but I can't remember..." They stop, close their eyes, and lean in to Cael's hand for a moment, to try to still the shaking.     "Thank you," they add. "For killing Jonah. For making it hurt. Thank you."
Cael Becker	"Wouldn't have it any other way," Cael murmurs softly, still stroking Jon's face and hair, trying to soothe them as much as she can.     If Jon was in this bad of shape... They'll need her with them. Beside them. She'll have to get over her fear of what //might// happen. She'll have to rely on the tattoo.     "He was afraid - I could see it in his eyes. In pain, and afraid. Fuck him, yeah? I- Agnes already knows. She seems okay with it."     She's silent for a moment before she adds quietly, "You're going to be okay, Jon. I know you can't see it right now - but just trust me, right? You're going to be okay. You're going to get there. It's going to take us a while, but I'm here, and you're going to be okay."
Jonathan Sims	"Good," Jon almost growls. "Good fucking riddance." His arm tightens around Cael for a moment.     "I trust you. Thank you. So much. For... for everything. I'm sorry I can't... be more supportive while you're dealing with... what's happening to you. But I will. I'm here. I'm just... having my own problems." They laugh. "It's a good thing it's not just the two of us, right? We'll... we'll both get help. We'll figure things out."     For a moment, they just sit there, holding Cael. The numbness seems to be gone, at least for now. "I need my prosthetic. And I need an appointment with my therapist." A pause. "And I need a damn cigarette."     They frown. "Where's my lighter, anyway?"