Owner	Pose
Chas Chandler	Chas has decided to use the sitting room instead of the library for his reading location. It saves Cael, who -might- be getting drunk the hassel of operating another door. He's reading over a first edition, leatherbound copy of Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, with only minor vested interest. He's read it many times before, but he's making sure he didn't miss anything.     Next to him is a small glass of a yellow liquid on fire. He turns the page, picks up the glass, blows the flame out and takes a tentative sip. "Never could manange to get this one down right when I was human," he muses to himself. "Good to see that being more than has more than just martial advantages." Another sip is taken before he sets the glass down on the nearby end table and returns to the book in his hands.
Cael Becker	The door opens - and Bear barrels through it ahead of Cael, the large white dog without his vest, as he carries a ball in his mouth. It's not the ball he came with, and Cael has simply decided not to question it.     Cael follows after him, the bottle of High Priestess still in her hand. She //hasn't// found the bottom of it, but she's definitely feeling the affects of knocking back so much of it. She gives Chas a nod as she heads to the bar - setting the bottle down, and looking up to the ceiling as she remarks, "You might want to do- whatever it is you do with a dirty bottle." Her attention returns to Chas as she adds, "We should get one of those tags - you know? Like they do in some asian bars? Put 'Cael' around the neck of it. Easier for everyone involved, yeah?"     AFter this 'inside' she walks around the bar and starts fixing a- cup of tea? Seriously?
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien opens the door to the Velvet Room and steps through, smiling over her shoulder and offering behind her, "Don't forget to grab the cake tray!" The smell of baked goods is wafting out from the place she entered from (good bet it's the safehouse), and she has a covered tray in her own hands as well. She'll hold the door for Robbie to come through, presumably with the cake tray, then lets it close behind them as she follows him into the room. "I made entirely too many baked goods, so I'm foisting some off on everyone!" It's announced as she heads towards the bar to set the tray down, "Also, I dropped some off for Gabe and Agnes already, so Chas your place miiiiiiiiiight look a little bit like a bakery right now. Just a little bit." Rien uncovers the tray to reveal... cookies! And mille-feuille! And cream puffs! And rather a good selection of a large variety of pastries. There's even some baklava to be found! Robbie's tray has triple layer genoise cake with light whipped cream filling mixed with a different berry between each layer and covered with the same whipped cream frosting and each of the berries on top. "I may have let the baking get away with me."
Robbie Reyes	Forget? Robbie? Cake? Fat chance of that happening. He does look slightly comical, bearing a tray of fancy French pastries however, in that getup of his: leather jacket, ripped jeans and gauge earrings like the punk he is. Something unintelligible is mumbled in reply as he follows her in; unintelligible, because he's in the midst of eating a rather large bite of genoise cake, from the slice he absconded with off the tray. Look, he's just making sure it's fit to eat.
Patience Alperen	Another door opens and Patience enters, the sound of Madison Avenue spilling in from behind her till the door closes again. Then the noise levels return to where they were. A curious glance about the room shows a bit of surpise. She wasn't expecting many to here, perhaps. Walking farther into the room she nods and smiles. "Hello everyone." A sniff must be made and her eyes fall on the baked goods. "Oh it smells amazing! Umm. Is there a party?" She looks worried she forgot to bring something she was supposed to.
Chas Chandler	Chas watches as Rien and Robbie come bearing pastries and pointedly -does not- mutter somthing obnoxious about the French. But he thinks it, absolutely. "Rien, Robbie" he says in greeting. "Nice to see things are back in the swing for you both." He closes his book and sets it on the end table next to his Blue Blazer and lifts it to take another sip. It's a strong drink with a lot of complexity to it and one his angelic taste buds are finding rather enjoyable.     To Rien's comment of his apartment being bakeried he grins. "I'll have to find extra space to put it all, but fair enough." Being as The High Priestess left the sitting room another has appeared on the shelf where it should be above the bar. "Pretty sure Igor or whoever controls the place already has it covered, Cael. So that bottle is yours now. For as long as you're here. Not sure if they can leave the castle though. Haven't really thought to try. The books can't, that I learned already."     As Patience arrives he smiles and waves a hand to her. "No. No party. Just Rien being French, which isn't new." Okay, maybe he doesn't avoid all obnoxious commentary on the French. "How have you been Patience?" he asks the wandering paladin.
Cael Becker	Cael leans against the counter, staring at the hot water kettle as she watches it heat. How does it work? Not electricity, surely - though it is rather fast. The sound of Rien's voice behind her causes her back to stiffen - before she forces it to relax. //That// was a //ridiculous// reaction. This is the real Rien - their voices don't even sound the same. There's no need for her subconscious to get jumpy aroundd the real Rien - so she turns towards Rien and Robbie, greeting them both with a brief smile. "Hey. How are both of you?" she asks, leaning back against the counter.     Towards Chas she adds, "Well - I'll give it a try and report back." She doubts it'll work, though.     Patience also gets a greeting, though it's a simple brief nod from the woman with the short, and rather dramatic hair style.
Balder	Elsewhere... The God of Light stands atop a dark creature from elsewhere, as if it were a being of only bones and death. A death God had attempted to rise from their ruin, only to meet Balder the Brave in single combat. With Svraden, the mighty war axe, in his hand, Balder looks upon his foe and smotes his demise, or rather, the demise of his servant. Balder's eyes soften and a frown covers his face. "One day, peace will reign again." Then...Balder vanishes ina flash of light. The next moment? He appears there, in the Velvet Room, covered in glistening armor and his weapon in hand. His cape traces the ground he walked upon and he looks upon all gathered. "Hail."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien can't help but chuckle as Robbie has already snitched a slice of the genoise cake, shaking her head with a smile, "I left one at home so you wouldn't feel the need to eat all of this one, silly. It's chilling in the refrigerator and will be set and ready to eat by the time we head out." No, she's not actually mad, just teasing him as she does. Cael gets a warm smile with no attempt made to enter the other woman's personal space, "Cael. I'm glad to see you again. Would you like something? There's a whole selection here, please help yourself." She is working on fixing up a plate, but leaves the platter there for Cael to pick and choose from as she wants. Turning, she starts towards Chas with a small plate, only to pause at the mention of Rien 'being French'. She sniffs, then sets the plate down for him, "Then I suppose you /don't/ want these." 'These' being a trio of tarts (Bakewell, curd, and treacle) as well as a half dozen homemade Jammy Dodgers. Patience, however, gets a warm smile, "Ah, hello! Please, come in, no, no party. I just got into a baking mood today so there are entirely too many pastries at the house and I thought people might appreciate them." She offers that same smile to Balder, "Ah, hello again! Help yourself to pastries!"
Patience Alperen	Patience Alperen relaxes a little when it is mentioned there is no formal party/thing going on. "Okay. That does make me feel better. I was worried I'd missed something and showed up without contributing!" She laughs and shrugs. "I've been well Chas. Thank you. A few interesting, well, encounters regarding my.." She glances down at the icy heart shaped stone in the pendant she wears. ".. well /this/ Artifact. And it's oppsosing artifact and its current bearer. Nothing dangerous, as yet. Otherwise, it has been largely quiet I suppose." A smile is offered to Cael. Her brown eyes take in the hair cut and coloring. "I really like your hair Cael." She has no idea what prompted the change, but it is very striking at the least. A smile is offered to Baldur as she moves toward the offered pastries. "Thank you Rien. They smell and look amazing. I miss living in Paris, but at least there is a pretty good little French Bakery near where I live now. So it's almost as good. But bad for the waistline.."
Jonathan Sims	Sensitive ears might pick up on the door from the hallway out to the garden opening, first. Which might be alarming, as there wasn't anyone out in the garden besides Cael. Does the Velvet Room have alarms for intruders? Would they even know, if there were intruders? Someone /could/ conceivably just... fly over the garden wall and come in from out in the Astral. Not easily, but they /could/. Maybe.     Then the door to from the hallway to the sitting room opens and a figure stumbles in, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a heavy camping backpack with a bedroll strapped to it, dressed in some kind of loose robe over--wait, no, that's segmented gold boots and a glowing green right arm. And the eyes are brown again, not green, but it's Jon's eyes that scan the group in the Velvet Room, blinking slowly.     "Oh," he says. "Lot more people than I thought'd be here. Sorry I took so long." A pause. "What, umm... what year is it?"
Lydia Dietrich	The door to the Velvet Room does that little flashy thing it does when somebody activates it and opens to find Lydia bustling her way through. She's got some notebooks tucked under her arms and she stops short when she sees exactly how many people are here.     "Oh!" she says, surprised. "Hello, everybody. What's the occasion?" She comes into the sitting room fully, and closes the door behind her. "Jon!" she says, giving him a grin that doesn't quite touch the eyes. "It's been about a week."     She sets down her notebooks on the bar top and moves behind it to start fixing herself a Manhattan. "So... how was your trip outside the universe?"
Chas Chandler	Chas rolls his eyes as Rien takes offense to his, admittedly, offensive statement. "It's fine, Rien. I apologize for being British..." he takes up one of the jammie dodgers and takes a bite. "These are rather good actually." It's been -ages- since he's had an actual one and the memory of them is close enough to what he has in his mouth to make it worth the dulled taste.     Balder's arrival moves him to stand. "Who... who are you?" he says, having never met the axe wielding god before this day. The interuption of the Norse god is further interupted by the arrival of the Egyptian demigod, in Jon. "Oh... Jon, you're... you're back! It's... the same year you left, the business with Asag was 10 days ago."     He frowns. Really only 10 days. So much in so little time. She shakes his head and frowns at Lydia. -Something- about her tickles at the back of his senses, but placing it has been increasingly difficult. Whatever it is he doesn't like it and does his best to contain the raging storm of angellic energy inside him that wants to come out in reply to so many unknowns about.
Cael Becker	"Oh, uh- thanks. It'll go great with the tea," Cael answers Rien, flashing her another smile. She moves towards the tray to pick a few things out, glancing towards Patience with a brief smile. "Thanks. It was... time for a change," she says easily.     Anything else she might say, including any greeting to Balder, is completely waylaid by Jon's return as she turns to stare, and then drops the pastry she'd picked up back onto the platter to dash for the hallway door. "Jon!" Bear lets out a happy bark, dancing on Cael's heels as she bolts towards Jon, completely ignoring Lydia as she wraps her arms around them tightly in an unrestrained hug. "Mariposa... What are you //wearing//?"
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien flashes an unrepentant grin towards Chas and all is forgiven when he enjoys the treat, "Thank you. And that is Balder, Asgardian God of Light, Peace, Friendship, and.. am I leaving anything out, Balder?" She looks towards the god in question with a lifted brow. Looking back to CHas, she chuckles, "You really should make more effort to socialize with the rest of the group. He joined us some weeks back, before I was, ah, temporarily relocated." Jon's arrival is heralded with happy cries and barks and hugs, but Rien stays back and simply smiles warmly towards him, "Well hello there. I was wondering what was keeping you." She takes him in and lifts a brow, "Looks like you have quite the tale to tell. There's tea and pastries. Why don't you sit down, have something to drink, to eat, and we can all talk?" Then she's moving back across to where RObbie has set himself up, tucking herself in at his side and slipping an arm around his waist to smile up at him.
Robbie Reyes	Robbie's at one of the couches licking whipped cream off his fingers, one at a time, and pauses when Balder makes his grand entrance. The Asgardian gets a little upnod of greeting, and he's about to comment on the fact that cake at home doesn't preclude cake now-- but then Jon waltzes in. In a straw hat and camping backpack. As one does. He finishes licking whipped cream off his little finger, and releases it with a *pop*. "Hola, Jon. Que tal? Prueba el pastel." He gestures at the tray of cake. The fact that he's been sending occasional glances Lydia's way suggests that whatever 'it' is about her, it hasn't escaped his notice either. But discretion, for the time being, seems the better part of valour. "The cake's amazing," he informs Rien as she cuddles up next to him.
Balder	"Thank you." Balder's voice has a naturally calming effect on people around him...though it may have alternative or a complete lack of effect on others. He looks at the pastries and he shakes his head. "None for me, thank you. I remember Paris. Though it did not always bear such a name." Balder's eyes drift to the suddenly alarmed Chas Chandler. "I fought beside you against Asag. Have you forgotten me?" he seems confused by Chas, but perhaps other things have happened. Then he realizes...he never actually offered his name. "My name is Balder Odinson. Prince of Asgard." alongside a serious list of other titles that seems unnecessary to state at this time. Though he looks at Jon and he smiles. "He returns. You must have a story to tell. It is the same year, yes, though..." he looks over Jon concernedly. "You must have been busy." He looks at Rien. "Maybe a few, but those titles are just that, titles." Yeah, right.
Patience Alperen	Patience Alperen nods to Cael's reply on her hair styling and color and leaves it at that. Instead she pauses to consider which backed good she is going to choose. It does not take her long to select a croissant from the plate. Grabbing a napkin to help avoid making a mess, she moves ove to fix, not tea, but a cup of coffee for herself. By the time she has finished it might well be a dangerousy over sweetened substitute for syrup on pancakes or waffles. As Jon arrives she looks up curiously but keeps silent to let the others greet him. She does offer a nod and smile his direction however.
Jonathan Sims	The first thing Jon does is hug Cael. He wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her hair for a long moment, closing his eyes while people talk and greet him. "Ten days," he murmurs. "Ten /days/." He starts to laugh, and then starts to cry.     "Sorry," he says, finally looking up and blinking back tears. "Umm. Sorry. I... it's been... quite a bit longer, for me. But, so, things are... good?" Doesn't let go of Cael, but at least he's looking around at the others again. "You got Rien back. I--I'm sorry, I didn't..." He shakes his head. "There's a lot, I think. Umm. I'll... maybe sit. Yes. Tea would be lovely. And real food."     /Now/ he finally pulls back, only enough to wrap an arm around Cael's shoulder and head toward a couch, murmuring, "It's a long story. Well, short story--I got tired of having to clean my super suit quite so often. It's all magic anyway, it'll disappear once we go back to the real world."
Lydia Dietrich	At the mention of food, Lydia gets a sparkle in her strange off pink eyes. "While you were gone I was experimenting with something!" She doesn't even get a chance to maker her Manhattan before she rushes to the exit and opens it revealing her living room. She disappears for a moment into the kitchen and comes back with a loaf of bread that's.... faintly glowing gold. "Ectoplasm infused baking!"     "Last time we talked you had mentioned that things in the Astral seem to sustain you more and I got to thinking that if I could get some ectoplasm to stick into the dough that might help!" She eagerly sets down a cutting board, a bread knife, and a butter dish. "It's been a few days, but I think the ectoplasm is keeping it fresh. Everybody try a slice and tell me what you think!"
Chas Chandler	Chas opens his mouth at the mention of Balder and the fight with Asag. Had there been a new face there. He remembers but a lot of it is blurry. "I... you're right... sorry. When I passed out it..." he shakes his head. "Hail, Balder, son of Odin. I am Chas Chandler, there are a slew of additives I could give but it would likely bore people here so we'll save it for another time."     He settles down into his seat and takes a longer draw from his Blue Blazer. "Been a lot going on, yeah." Lydia's departure and return is given an arched brow, which sharpens as she reveals the 'special ingredient' of her bread. "Is that... is that safe?" he asks curiously. "I mean... I understand it's just spiritual matter made manifest but..." He shrugs and isn't going to stop people otherwise going for it.     "Just how long are we talking?" he asks Jon, turning to give his friend a curious look. He's not going to comment on the straw hat and travelling robes, you do what you have to do when you're roughing it.
Cael Becker	It probably surprises no one that Cael (figuratively, and literally) only has eyes for Jon, in this moment. She holds them tightly, a few tears of her own leaking out, while Bear dances around the pair, barking, and licking at any parts of Jon he can reach. Dogs have enough intelligence to put a few simple facts together - Jon was missing, and Cael was upset. But now Jon is back!     Cael pulls away, but only far enough to look up at Jon's face, as she brushes tears away from their face, and peers into their eyes with concern. "...your eyes," she murmurs quietly. Before she can be coaxed to move, she gives Jon a good, firm kiss, then starts to guide them towards a couch.     "And- yes, why don't you tell us how long you've been gone?" she asks. "...and where you've been? Are you okay, love?"     There's a momentary pause before she adds, "Wait. ...when we go home, are you going to end up- ...naked?" There's a hint of humor dancing in her eyes at this question. At least her sense of humor is quickly reasserting itself with Jon's return.     Or maybe that was all the High Priestess talking.     "Rien - would you mind bringing us the tea and pastries?" Because she's not moving from Jon's side. No fucking way.     Of course, the baked good that arrives is not exactly what Cael is expecting, and she responds with, "Uhhhh..." Nope. //She's// not going to be the first to try it.
Balder	It was always good to watch a heart-warming reunion like this. Jon returned from the land that nobody comes back from. Balder just watches. Listens. He smiles like an idiot the entire time. It was a rare thing for mortals to come together in such a way as to have such a happy ending to a long journey, only for another to appear immediatley behind it. But mortals have this thing that most Gods don't possess: Hope. Chas's words are greeted with a smile. "Then another time, I would hear it." He chuckles, permitting that wave of friendliness to escape him and into others. Though he seems happy that Cael has found happiness in Jon's return. He gives the slightest of greetings to Robbie and Rien, no more than how he has greeted others. Though, he chooses a corner and he finds a moment to rest, setting his axe down and having a drink. He's listening, but he won't take center stage. It was not his place, but perhaps listening...observing his newfound teammates will help him understand more about them.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien laughs softly and shakes her head, looking towards the bar and waving her hand. The tea service gets itself put together before it and the tray of pastries float their way over to the couches to settle on a table. "You can just ask the Velvet Room to do it, Cael. But then, I suppose that's not much different from asking me to, it's accomplished in roughly the same manner." Hence the amusement on Rien's part. She tilts her head back to smile up at Robbie and gives a nod, "Good. I'm glad you like it. I'll make sure to remember so I can make it for you again." Rien turns back to the group and then over to Lydia's bread. Her head tilts and she purses up her lips, "I'm not sure that would be very... fulfilling, for me at least. I still eat normal food. Astral matter wouldn't sustain me, I'm fairly certain." She smiles, "But it looks very nice!" THen its back to Jon, settling in to hear about his travels, curious if what she'd seen was true or something that Nikola tried to use against her.
Robbie Reyes	Robbie has a funny little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watches Jon and Cael reunite. It's smothered a moment later when he leans forward to reach for a jam tart, and devours about half of it in a single bite. He's curious to hear about what Jon's been up to, and settles back against the couch with his unencumbered arm slung around Rien's shoulders again while he listens. The invitation to try Lydia's.. well, whatever that is.. meets with skepticism from the others; but curiosity tempered with indifference from the Ghost Rider. "Sure. I'll try a slice. What's the worst'll happen?" It's not like it'll kill him. Probably.
Patience Alperen	Patience Alperen pauses halfway to taking a bit of croissant when Lydia offers the curiously glowing bread. She considers what sort of effect ectoplasm would have on her as a mere mortal with no true ties to the astral plane and comes to the personal conclusion that discretion is probably the better option this time. She pops that bite of croissant into her mouth in lieu of a slice of the glowing bread and follows that with a sip from her coffee cup. As with Balder, she feels more at ease in the moment letting the others talk and reunite and so keeps silent as she enjoys her more earthly sourced pastry.
Jonathan Sims	"Change 'days' to 'years,'" Jon replies. "For me, it's been ten years." Which explains the way he's clinging to Cael like he's afraid she'll disappear if he lets go. And the way that, despite not having visibly aged, his eyes look different. Older, maybe. "I, ahh--the majority of that was spent in Hell. The last three years, trekking through the Astral plane. I couldn't open a portal or anything--I tried, more than once. But someone or something seemed to want me to... experience certain things. Find certain things, I suppose."     They peer at both the tea set and the bread Lydia offers, then reach out to take a slice of bread. "I've been 'roughing it' for the past few months. Closer to the mortal world the Astral is much more rugged, but nearer to the heart, it's claimed by--oh, all sorts of powers. Faeries, gods, spirits, things I can't even name. So it wasn't all bad, outside of Hell. And there were a couple of Circles--I was in the Dante version--where they were quite nice to me, really. Didn't have anything to punish me for." A brief smirk.     "Six and Five, though--and /Three/--oof. No fun at /all/." Jon takes a bite of the bread, and raises his eyebrows. "Huh. That's pretty good."
Lydia Dietrich	At Chas' question she looks at the loaf of bread she'd baked curiously. "I... don't know. I would think so, since ectoplasm is mostly inert. I don't think it'd hurt anybody here since we're all more than human." She nods to Rien. "It's made with mundane flour and yeast and all the other bits. I just worked some ectoplasm into the dough as I was kneading it, so it's a bit of both."     For anybody who tries the bread... it tastes weird. Not bad, per se. It tastes like good homemade sourdough bread but it's got this kind of tingly quality to it, like you get with mint, but without the taste.     She gives Balder a nod in parting. "It was good seeing you again." It sounds more polite than heartfelt, though. There's just something about the god that... doesn't work with her.
Chas Chandler	Chas smirks at Robbie. "You're asking that... here? Worst case is you go insane and try to slay us all... but I don't know that Lydia's bread would do that. Then again... you never know..." Still Chas keeps his eyes on the Rider and Jon as they try the bread.     Jon's explanantion gets a low whistle from the angel. "Ten years. That's... harrowing, to say the least." At the mention of Hell, Dante Alighieri's Hell, he blinks.     "You mean... Divine Comedy Hell? Inferno? That's... that place is antiquated. It shouldn't even be used anymore." There is a note in his tone that states he is aware of insider information. "What the... why did you go there?" he asks. "I mean sure, as far as brimstone lands go it's one of the safest but still, not the sort of place you usually try to vacation in."     When Jon and Robbie don't immediately start convulsing he shrugs again and takes up a slice of the bread. It doesn't smell strange, unlike its maker, but his first bite is hesitant and exploratory. "It's... actually not terrible. Strange lingering taste in it though. Like menthol."
Cael Becker	Ten years - seven of them in hell. Cael's concern is palpable, as she reaches up wih one hand to rest it on Jon's cheek, her gaze searching their face and their eyes for signs of distress. "Are you okay?" she asks bluntly.     "Love... Anything you need, whether it's company, or space... Whether it's a listening ear, or someone to listen to, or just silence - you only need to ask me. Alright?" Leaning in she gives them a second kiss, this time more gentle and less desperate.     "And it may have been only ten days for us... but I missed you, and Agnes has missed you. We'll have to go see her after this. If you're up to it."     She watches the others with the strange bread, pulling away from Jon enough to fix two cups of tea - her own is black, but Jon's has cream, and an excess of sugar. Chas gets a curious look as she stirs, before passing the cup off to Jon - but no comment.
Rien D'Arqueness	"...so it /was/ real. I wondered. The circles of Hell made me wonder, that... well, as Chas said, that hasn't been in use for a very long time." Rien muses, mostly to herself, then shakes her head and looks to Jon with a smile. "I may have scryed on you while I was trapped in the tower, but I wasn't sure it was working because the Hell I saw you in was... well.. not the Hell I'm used to. /Any/ of the Hells I'm used to." She watches Robbie, Jon, and Chas as they eat the bread, watching them, then reaching for one of her own pastries instead. A bit of mille-feuille is just what the magi-mutant ordered! Taking a bite for herself, she offers a bite up to Robbie with a smile, then looks back to the group, "Which reminds me. If and when everyone is ready, I do have some information I managed to taunt out of Nikola. It might be worth knowing."
Robbie Reyes	"Hmm." Robbie turns the slice of ecto-bread over in his hand a moment, lips pursed in a considering moue. Chas's observation merely earns a brow waggle from the younger man. Then he takes a bite out of the bread, pauses to chew and swallow, and decides, "Ain't bad." Another bite. "Little weird on the tongue, but." He polishes it off. "I'm still me, right?" That's an aside to Rien, and.. largely a serious question. It's Robbie; sometimes his head is on fire, and he spontaneously grows horns and claws. He does obediently lean in to snag a bite of the mille-feuille, which is.. considerably better. "Far as I understand it, Hell ain't about punishing anyone. They all punish themselves. Still don't recommend it as a destination." He shoots Jon a dry look. Ask him how he knows.
Jonathan Sims	Jon returns Cael's kiss and then, for a moment, merely rests his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "I missed you, too," he whispers. "Right now... I just need... let's rest, and then go home? I need to see Agnes, and Nimue, and Lady. But in a minute."     He pulls away, reluctantly, to take the tea and sip it. Only a /touch/ too sweet, but it's been so long since Cael made him a cup of tea that he just beams with happiness. He glances to Chas and Rien. "It's still in use," he says quietly. "Father Langston--Malcom Langston, the vicar of St. Peter's in Bournemouth when I was a boy--was there. Fourth Circle, Greed. He cared more about the tithes to the parish than the spiritual well-being of his parishoners." A pause. "But he didn't belong there. He /betrayed/ us. He belonged in Cocytus, the frozen lake. So I sent him there."     He says it calmly, this fact that he condemned a man he'd known to a potential eternity locked in ice.     Then he shrugs. "Of course, who knows but that he got sent there because I was going to go there eventually? A lot of the Hell Lords /did/ seem awfully bored. Maybe that was why--Annabelle made the portal to Cocytus that got us back into reality, but I got the feeling she might have been, ahh... guided to that? And bored Hell Lords who don't get many souls any longer are probably more likely to take some time out to talk to a passing demigod from another pantheon. It wouldn't be the first time God decided to pull some strings so someone could get the proper personal growth for whatever they're supposed to do with their lives." He smirks.     "Most of the souls down there did believe they /should/ be, yes--or at least were unwilling to change. I got out of the flaming tombs by pushing through the fire, see, and clawing my way out. I thought I was a heretic--but no one with the true courage of their convictions is /really/ a heretic. Everyone down there could get out if they'd just /try/ to change." He shakes his head. "It was the same for the swamp in the Fifth--I was choking on my anger because I wasn't accepting that I /do/ get angry, and working with it instead of giving into it or holding it back. It was like therapy, in a lot of ways. Really, really /awful/ therapy."     He makes a face. "Could've done without getting /eaten/ before I realized I'm just /fine/ being a glutton. Damn dog." He sighs, and glances at Rien. "I don't know what you saw, but--probably a lot of that, yes."     After a moment, they add quietly, "I have some information as well. I know why the Old Ones are after us, what they're trying to stop us from interfering with. It might be best to call an official meeting, though, and lay it all out at once."
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia purses her lips as she listens as Jon describes his experience through Hell. "That makes sense," she says. "Jews... we don't really believe in Hell. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. They go to a kind of Gehinnom, which... it's /like/ hell, but it's purpose isn't to punish the wicked for all eternity, but rather, to cleanse the wickedness out out of the soul so it can be returned to God."     She goes back behind the bar and starts making herself a Manhattan. "Think of it as a kind of washing machine. You're a ... dirty pair of panties, let's say, and when you 'die' you get thrown in the wash. The process of washing involves a lot of heat and a lot of tumbling around. It's a pretty violent process, but you need to be violent in order to scrub out the worst of the stains. By the time you're washed and dried you've... gone through Hell, but you're clean once again."     "This is why Jews are kind of big on redemption," she explains. "You sin in life. Everybody sins to one degree or another, but you can also make reparations to those sins that have harmed others. Learning from your sin, and making yourself a better person from it is kind of a big thing."
Chas Chandler	Chas nods as Jon relays his experiences in the defucnt Inferno and continues to nibble at his slice of the ecto-loaf. "I can't image they're terribly happy that their leader is up here living the high life while they have to continue to torment those who end up down there."     He frowns a bit though as he understands the full implications of what Jon did to the Vicar. Does he agree with the action? Yes. Does he feel that Jon should've been the one to do it? Jury's still out. It's not like it matters now, what's done is done.     "There's probably a lot that needs to be covered and laid out both from the victims themselves and those who've overcome their experiences in one way or another. I think I'll ask Lavenza to expand the size of the library to accomodate more people than usual and we can hold our meeting there. Maybe... tomorrow?" he asks, looking at Rien and Jon to see if that's a good idea.     "Get everything out in the open. Maybe put up a white board... I mean, it's clear this is a full on invasion and with who knows how many of them coming at us we're going to need some way to keep tabs." He snaps his fingers. "Binders! Binders are good."
Cael Becker	"Sounds like a plan," Cael agrees. "Because whatever you need - I'm here."     She falls silent to listen to all Jon has to say - a faint frown on her features as she tries to make sense ofher own feelings about all of it. It //sounds// like Jon is okay with what they experienced, though? And that's a good thing, at least. Still - she's going to insist Jon have a session with their therapist - and soon.     Then Cael practically explodes with, "//Eaten??!//" Cael exclaims, a frown fulling ather lips. "A dog fucking ate you? How is any of that-" Nope. She's not happy about this at all. She gives Jon a little squeeze, then lapses into silence for the moment.     As Chas mentions people sharing their own experiences she adds quietly, "Had a visit myself - but I'm okay," she reassures Jon.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien nods first to Jon, then to Chas, agreeing with both. "Tomorrow works for us." She falls silent for awhile, just watching everyone in their interactions, in Jon's telling of his tale. She sets aside her plate and snuggles up to Robbie, quiet but contemplative. Cael's outburst has her murmuring, "It was Cerberus... which is strange, because he shouldn't be outside of Tartarus. But that also suggests that I could potentially get a cerberus puppy without having to barter with Hades for it. He's /notoriously/ hard to barter with." That last part is said mostly to herself, though she smiles towards Jon, "I didn't stick around to watch the whole, ah, journey. But I made sure to peek in at you after, just in case. The whole thing was so.. strange."
Jonathan Sims	"I don't think it was Cerberus, actually. I think it was a demon that /looked/ like Cerberus." Jon shrugs. "I would expect the real Cerberus is in Tartarus still. I genuinely have no idea how much of any of that is /real/, I mean--I discovered, while trying to take statements, that some of the 'people' in there are just simulacrums. Constructs made to make the actual sinners feel their punishment more keenly." He nods to Lydia. "I think Hell might actually be much the same--it's just that the Church had to make it all /worse/, you know? 'Without Jesus you are condemned forever!' Ridiculous."     He shakes his head. "But none of that is really--yes, yes, I was eaten by a dog, I grew back. For me that was four years ago." His eyes suddenly shine and his voice gets--eager, excited. He /beams/. "What I /want/ to tell you about is the Astral Plane. There's a city on a mountain full of Faerie Lords and gods and spirits, a great river that flows through all the lands... I rode on the Milky Way as a river in the sky and fished for starfish that glowed with the light of the stars, and nebula crabs we'd need a special net to catch, and--"     He turns to Cael, still smiling. "I want to share it all with you, and Agnes, and--everyone, really, but I just--look, what happened, it happened, and I'll talk about it, but I'm /home/ now, and that's all that really matters." A pause, and the smile fades. "I--you had a visitation? I'm sorry. We--we should talk about that."     They clear their throat. "Whiteboards, yes. Corkboards. Push pins. Binders, potentially. I'll, ahh--I'll make sure we have everything we need." He flushes a bit more darkly, but stands resolute. He /does/ know how to unravel a conspiracy, after all. If mostly from being driven half-mad by the attempts.     "Importantly..." He glances to Rien and Chas. "I managed to be mostly rid of the Old One influence on me. It was... not an easy thing, but I think I have an idea how to help everyone else, going forward."
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia listens to Jon impassively with only a polite smile on her face. If anything, the mention of cleaning people free of the influence of the old ones causes her smile to falter for the briefest of moments.     "Well," she says, when Jon is finally done. "It certainly sounds like you had quite the adventure. I'd love to hear about it and get it down on paper and make another book out of it. A kind of ... /reverse/ Inferno."
Chas Chandler	Chas snorts. "Listen to you" he says looking at Lydia. "You sure you're going to stay a fiction writer and not move into esoteric theology instead? The Book of Lydia, this -Inferno Contrarum-. Next you're going to be putting together -Superiorum Clavicula Salomonis-" he says picking up his copy of the Lemegeton next to him, "which gives detailed understanding of the Old Gods and their place in the greater scheme of things."     Quickly he adds, in a flat tone, "Don't do that, by the way... they're not named for a reason. It was just an example." He grins. "Still, it might be worth it to have a manuscript of such things." He nods to Jon and Rien. "Then we'll make sure it's all together and laid out for tomorrow. I'll see if Lavenza is back from her errand to help me out in the library."
Cael Becker	"I want to hear about it," Cael agrees. "And- it does sound beautiful, I'd like to go see it." She leans in to give Jon a playful peck, before turning back to her tea, and nibbling at pastries.     At Jon's concern about //her// she adds, "We can talk about it," she promises. "But- I am okay. I'm still the same woman you left... ten years ago." Ten years. Fuck. They'd only known each other for 6 months, but for Jon it's been- What if he'd moved on from her in all that time? What a terrible thought, thoughit didn't seem to be true.     "And for the record - in 6 months, you don't get to claim our 11 year anniversary," she remarks in a dry tone. "No creative accounting, Mister 'It's been half a year in June,'" she teases.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien smiles towards Jon and gives a nod, "That's good. Getting rid of the influence, I mean. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to kill mine. Which reminds me, that is something you can get in on. We still have to dispatch the fake me, and then there's Nikola. You'll hate it, but thankfully, I'm going to kill it shortly after." Blowing out a breath, she pushes up to her feet, "Okay. If we're going to have a big pow wow tomorrow, then I think Robbie and I will head out now so I can try to make sure I have everything down correctly. Please, take any of the pastries you guys want, we have a bunch at the house and more at Chas' place. Agnes is in homemade jammy dodgers for at /least/ a week." She offers a smile towards Lydia, "He has a good point, by the way. Becoming a writer of more esoteric subjects would be a boon all around. And certainly some of the texts, tomes, and scrolls that have been around for the past centuries could stand to be... modernized. Some should be challenged with new findings." She nods to Cael, to Jon, to Chas, then to Lydia, "All right. Off with me, I want to get it all written down. GLad to have you back Jon, we should talk soon." Then to Chas, with a faintly quirked smile, 'And you.. are not bad for a Brit."
Jonathan Sims	Jon beams at Lydia. "I'd love to. I'd be /quite/ glad. I, umm, actually!" He reaches for the backpack that, yes, he /did/ pull off when he sat down. "I should--I /think/ these should--hmm. I may have to transfer it all somehow. Rien, do you happen to have a spell for automatic writing?" He pulls out several leather-bound journals, far more than should really fit in the backpack unless that's all that was in there. "I /think/ I made this able to last outside the Astral Plane--and come to think of it, they'd be ectoplasm anyway, right? So you can probably keep them solid until you can copy them down. But! These are my notes, from my trip." He offers them out to Lydia, smiling. "If they disappear on you when you go home, let me know and I'll provide proper copies. I need to make more durable copies for the Archive anyhow."     Whether or not Lydia takes the journals--and if not, he'll just put them back--Jon reaches over to run a hand through Cael's hair and says, "New look, but yes. I was--worried. Worried I'd missed Agnes growing up, and..." He sighs. "Anyway, that was an /honest/ bloody mistake, and no, I'm not--I'm not going to skip all the important dates just because..." A pause. He frowns. "I think maybe some of this was... getting me used to the idea of having to do this. Go off for years or decades to fix something, and then come back to the people I love. According to Lavenza, it was... personal growth, becoming the person I should have been, if not for the Spider's intervention, but--" He shakes his head. "Doing it this way, well--like I said. It felt like preparation."     He glances at Chas. "You met Lavenza? She's been traveling with me off and on for three years, under the name 'Lily.' Greeted me properly when I stumbled into the garden, and told me who she really was. They've been guiding me home this whole time. The Velvet Room people, I mean. The blue butterflies. She told me... well. Things I'll share tomorrow, I think."     They turn to smile at Rien, though it's a little sad. "Thank you for the pastries. And--we need to talk. Soon. I'm sorry that I didn't see--I'm sorry. But we can discuss that more another time, hmm? /Soon/. You, and me, and your herbal cigarettes, and a bottle of--whatever you actually drink." He clears his throat, blinking away tears.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia can't help but chuckle at Chas. "Why not both?" she asks with a grin. "What's reality to us might as well be fiction to the average Joe." She nods and adds, "It might, if nothing else to just have a copy here and in the Archives for future residents. I did the same thing with my notes on the Great Seal. That kind of knowledge..." she shakes her head. "It would be immensely dangerous if the seal was undone, and if my notes got into the wrong hands, well, who knows what might happen. So I had Jon, here, add it all into the Archive and then burn them to ash. That knowledge just.... shouldn't be lost. It should be *safe*."     She audibly gasps when Jon pulls out more notebooks than reasonable. "You /didn't/," she says excitedly. "I could kiss you, you know." She doesn't. People would complain. Instead she takes all the journals and sets them down besides the ones that she brought in with her from her apartment.     "I'm kind of doing that anyway," she tells Rien before she departs, kind of half paying attention. "With all my notes and everything. I'd just have to organize them so other people can read them without getting confused." She looks up from Jon's journals to state, "I'd still have to make money which means that I have to keep writing my books, or take up a night time teaching job."
Chas Chandler	"So it's settled then?" Chas asks pushing himself from his seat. "We collect and prepare for tomorrow and come at it fresh and rested all of us?" he asks. He downs the rest of his Blue Blazer without even batting a eye. It's hard to burn inside when you're containing the power of literal suns inside your body.     He shakes his head at Lavenza's interaction with Jon. "Of course she did and, she didn't tell anyone where you were because of course she didn't. I swear are any of them trustworther further than they can be flung." He sighs.     Heading toward the library door he stops and turns back to Jon and Cael. "Jon, do you want Agnes still at my place or should I have her pack to move back with you and Cael?" he asks. "Not tonight of course, girl needs her sleep. But tomorrow I mean."
Cael Becker	"Yes, well - I set my hair on fire, didn't I?" Cael says wryly, tilting her head towards Jon's touch. "So I didn't have much choice." There's a momenary pause before she asks, "You like it?" He has to live with it more than she does, after all. She's not usually looking at herself.     "Agnes has been worried that you'd miss her birthday. She'll feel better as soon as she knows you're back - even if that does mean waking her. I think she'd just- prefer to know. She'll sleep better that way."     Under her breath she adds, "If they knew where you were, and approximately when you'd be back, and just let us //suffer// in the uncertainty then- well. //Fuck them.//" The thought genuinely makes her angry as she tightens her hold on Jon, and finishes off her tea.     "We really should go see Agnes. The longer we delay - the more annoyed she'll be when she finds out."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien pauses at the doorway after shuffling a sleepyfaced Robbie through it, smiling gently at Jon. "It's okay Jon. I don't hold it against anyone. The whole point of the one that came after me is it's insidious way of tricking the people closest to the ones they take. I consider it a compliment of the highest order that you were fooled all the way through. It means that we have a very real friendship." "Oh, and yes, I can set you up with a scribing pen! SO useful. Attune it to a person, speak a simple cantrip and it will transcribe your thoughts to paper. You can pause it or end it with your thoughts as well. If you pause, it picks back up when you indicate readiness, but if you end it, you have to speak the cantrip again to get it going." Rien flashes a quick grin towards Jon. "Lavenza visited me at the ivory tower as well. Just to help keep me sane and reassure me that you all were coming." Rien lifts a shrug, "So far, while they may not tell us /everything/, they at least act benignly towards us when not actively helping." She glances to Chas, "Do you mind if Gabe stays with you a little longer? Robbie hasn't really, ah, worked through whatever his 'thing' is. And we'd rather not have Gabe in harm's way while there's the possibility of a blow up."
Jonathan Sims	Jon keeps beaming at Lydia's reaction, and is he tearing up a little? Maybe. Just a little. "I really did miss you all," he says, and reaches out to drink down his tea and have another bite of the ectoplasm bread.     Then he shakes his head. "I don't know that Lavenza knew precisely where I was or when I'd be back. Her 'master,' well, I don't know. But they all appear to be Faeries, or at least adjacent to the type. It's possible they /couldn't/ say anything, even had they wanted to." He sounds--defensive, almost? Maybe a little. "I'm certain they're trying to help."     "As for Agnes--I want her home. This business with the Old Ones, it's too late to try to stop it spreading, and I'm fairly certain I know why they want us specifically. And I--well. I miss my daughter." A pause. "But... in the morning. Let her sleep, and I want some time alone with Cael anyway."     A smile for Rien. "I'm still allowed to feel bad. But I'll assauge it by helping you deal with the monsters, hmm? And I'd /definitely/ appreciate such a pen. Even /my/ hand gets cramped, writing longhand so much, and I have--" A laugh. "Well, not /doctor's/ handwriting, but only because I /work/ at it."     He turns to Cael, then. "Let's go home? I--I've missed you. /So/ much." A pause, and a sniffle. "And, umm. Well. We should talk. Maybe, umm--maybe we can get Thai for dinner?"