Owner	Pose
Lydia Dietrich	Tracking where Lydia had gone to ground after what she did with Jon had been difficult as best. She had scattered little bits of bone carved in runes and wrapped in her hair and left them throughout the city, leading those who could track her on merry goose chases. It wasn't until Clarice brute forced locating her the other night with Pete that they had finally narrowed down where she was hiding to within a block or two.     She's holed up in the Tenderloin district in one of a couple of warehouses in the area. From there Rien's sensitive nose was able to pick up her scent and followed it to this one standing before the party. It's an older warehouse, looking rather abandoned, save for the smells of Lydia and various exotic animals coming from inside. The place is also teeming with magic, enough so to make it hard to determine what the magic is for.
Rien D'Arqueness	It had been a frustrating time, trying to track down Lydia across the city with those damnable false trails she kept spreading around. Enough so that by the time they get her located within a few blocks, Rien is very ready to have this over and done with. But, there's still the chance for Lydia to be saved, and she intends to see Jon gets that chance to pull her back around. So it is that she's standing in front of the warehouse, wincing as she views it through eyes attuned to the magical energies. "I didn't know there was a visual equivalent to nails on a chalkboard, but I think we just found it. Whatever she's been doing, it's either very big or there's a lot of it." The smell of the animals makes it even odder and she glances to Gabby, "You smell it too, right? We can expect a nasty fight." Looking towards the others, she clarifies, "There's animals in there, and Gods only know what she's done to them. Try not to kill them if you can, it isn't their fault. And we might be able to fix them and send them home after."
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn was trying to lay low, but she was also trying to be helpful too and upon learning of Lydia apparently going rogue, she was determined to help however she can..Even if it means laying off her soul dagger as much as possible. So once Rien finds the place, she is here, ready to go in and confront..Whatever lays ahead. "Sooo what's the plan..?" Mention of animals causes her to frown, "Okaaay, are we talking big animals or like, cute bunnies..?" somehow she suspects it's not bunnies they're talking about..
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney has been hunting a lot lately herself. The Not-Rien. Missing friends. Now Lydia as well. Though Rien had done the most of the hunting in this regard she'd come across a few of the false trails herself while out and about so she made sure to let others know it was a trick. Now she was back here, helping to find Lydia once more along with the others. When Rien mentions the other animals to her she can only nod a time or two with a crinkle of her nose. "Smells bad," she agrees with a quiet sigh. "Didn't she do something to a cat, too, last time?" Poor kitty. "But yeah, no hurting the animals if we can. I'm good with that." Tipping her head up she sniffs again. "Or are they food supplies? Guessing not if she went full sippy-sippy."
Jonathan Sims	Jon had a moment where his arm tried to reassert itself as what Lydia had turned it into--not even an arm, but a full-on wing with black feathers and all. He bathed his shoulder in summoned sunlight, which made it disappear, and then just left the sleeve of his t-shirt hanging there. Now, standing in front of the warehouse, he summons up his green magical arm as he magically changes his clothing into his superhero outfit. There's even a little teal glimmer as he does so.     Yes, he's got a magical girl transformation. Feel free to imagine spinning and sparkling, even if nobody's going to see that.     He hesitates a moment as he checks things over, and glances toward Rien and Chas. "Staff or sword?" he muses. "I know--" Sigh. "We're supposed to stake her, right?" Why is this so hard? "Should probably be the staff, hmm?"     At least he's not having a breakdown. That /was/ a possibility, before he left the apartment earlier.
Chas Chandler	Chas is there in his usual plus sized glory. He isn't a tracker, not of someone as skilled at covering her tracks as Lydia, but when push comes to shove he's very much there to shove back. Hard. "Anything worth doing is going to be difficult, Jon" he says, quoting some of the reading his mentor has given him over the past few months. "But yeah, probably go with staff since we're going to attempt diplomacy to start."     He releases the safeguards on his senses and the blue flames of ancient stars surrounds him and fills his eyesockets. "Which is why I am going defensive in what I produce." He looks at those gathered and his eyes narrow at the sight of Megan. "When this is over, we will need to have a talk," he says to the much shorter young woman. There is no threat in it, no animosity, no sense of danger. Just words and an implacable promise that what he suggest -will- happen.     Turning to the plus one of their little coterie, Clarice, he asks a question. "You know her better than most... any chance of us catching her off guard? Or do you think she is already aware of us being here? If we're walking in more of less announced that changes the stakes a bit."
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice is here - and she's ready to do anything she can to help bring her sister home safely. The brightly, magenta-hued woman is dressed in the green attire she often wears to fight - perhaps hoping to ensure she is as familiar as possible to her sister, to draw on sentimental heartstrings if at all possible.     Was it at all possible that Lydia could have struggled free of the confines within her own mind?     She carries with her a quiver filled with the strange, silvery javelins she uses in battle - as well as an added, small metal rod and matching wooden rod. If it came down to it - she'd do as her sister asked, and teleport something into her heart. She wears a grim, determined expression on her features as she remarks, "I can teleport creatures clear of need be - I even know a few places where we might be able to contain them, if that turns out to be necessary."     As Chas speaks, she turns her attention towards him, her expression grim. "Honestly? I worry that Pete and I alerted her when we invaded her mind yesterday. But perhaps she wouldn't expect me to bring you lot, or to have waited so long before coming. But... I'd be surprised if she didn't have some sort of warning system set up. I think she'll know we're coming."
Lydia Dietrich	The warehouse stands there, ominously silent. Once the group of heroes decide to go inside, they're met with high stacks of crates that wall off the entrance, leading them through a single path into the heart of the building which opens up into a large area.     In the back there's a throne made of bone, sinew and flesh. God only knows what it used to be before Lydia had gotten done with it. Lydia herself is seated there, looking regal with a matching crown resting on her brow.     Flanked on each side are two.... creatures. One was once a bear, but now more of a hybrid of ursine and scorpion. It's huge, and it has chitinous plates protecting its hide, and a large scorpion tail reaching up over its back. Softly glowing runes have been carved in the chitin giving the monster a menacing look. On the other side is a large cat with spotted markings identifying it as a cheetah. Its long and lean form is marred by an extra set of limbs growing out of its shoulders ending with wicked looking scythes up over its head. It too has softly growing runes carved into her flesh.     "It's about time," Lydia says, idly scratching at the cheetah-creature's ears. "Took you long enough. I could have kept running, you know. But I guess there's no helping it. You would have kept coming after me." Gesturing at the arena she had built she says, "Might as well have our grand final showdown right now and be done with it."
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien doesn't hesitate, moving down the path even as she murmurs to her sister, "Be on the lookout for surprises, whatever we see is not likely to be the only thing she has to throw." Then she's entering the open area and letting out a slow breath. There's sympathy for the poor creatures that have been so altered. Looking towards Lydia, she lets out a 'tch', "Really? Monologuing? Isn't that a bit gauche?" She lets her head cant to one side, "You know, you picked on Jon for being the one closest to the woman's whose face you're wearing. But even Lydia herself would tell that I have no such attachment. And I've already blown up part of the Astral Realm just to get rid of one of you. If you think I wouldn't again, you are sadly, laughably, mistaken." She may be trying to keep "Lydia's" attention on her, letting the others fan out and set up as works best for them. "Can you scrape yourself back together from nothing? I can. I /have/. What do you say, shall we test it?"
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn keeps her distance from Chas, finding him scaaaaary under the best of circumstances. And oh yeah she's aware of his little recent chat with Mike regarding her but..But that's a matter to deal with later. She just swallows, shrinking away from him, biting her lip as her wings wilt back to a greyish blue tinge, and she nods wordlessly, not entirely sure what he has planned for her..Maybe she doesn't wanna know.. Anyhoo, there are more immediate matters to deal with at the moment, and she follows the others inside the warehouse, slowing down considerably when she sees just what kinds of..lAnimals they are facing. "Meep.." she manages to squeak, frozen in the spot. Really, nothing else comes to mind and she keeps to the back, letting the others handle this unless otherwise directed. Seriously, she'd rather not be made a snack of.
Gabby Kinney	"Right," Gabby responds simply. Quietly. Her hands clench at her side a time or two letting her fingers flex in the half-gloves she wore which left the backs of her hands open and free. It was so much easier having these when it came to using claws. Less replacing of gloves later on. Yet there's a little twitch to her left hand... When Chas powers up as it were she looks over toward him and Jon with a soft, sad sort of smile. "Hey," she offers simply. "We're not giving up on Lydia yet. She's in there somewhere," she assures with a firm nod. Someone had to believe. A lot of magic was about belief after all. As for Megan, she reaches out to give the timid girl a pat on the shoulder reassuringly. "Not giving up on you either," she states pointedly with a sterner gaze. "You-know-who would kill me. Or cry on me. He's an ugly crier." Though she might want to reassure further there was the more pressing matter at hand of dealing with Lydia. A deep breath is drawn, nose crinkling again at the unpleasant mix of scents, and she moves forward. Sticking to the side. Eyes scanning up and around, and down, and not just straight ahead.
Jonathan Sims	Jon's in no mood to quip with the villain, instead taking a couple of steps to one side to separate himself out from the others. He's taken his staff off his belt and shaken it out to its full length, but it's clear he's letting Rien and Chas take point on this. He's here more because he couldn't stand the thought of staying at home wondering what was happening than anything else.     The reassurances... do not seem to reassure. The sight of the animals makes his brow furrow for a moment.     "Do you have any humans here?" is the only thing he says, quietly but firmly.
Chas Chandler	Megan's wilting away from him doesn't seem to foster any comment from Chas but he does scowl a bit at Clarice's comments. "Alright" he says finally with a nod. "When we find her, no one look directly at me unless you want to be blind for the duration of the confrontation," he says before they trek into the warehouse. He keeps his blue flame aura limited as they move through the maze of crates that has been set for their arrival, expression darkening by the moment. He doesn't like being filtered--makes him feel like cattle being lead to the slaughter, which is (probably) exactly the point.     When they come upon the Bone Throne, its occupant, and the beasts of brutality he sighs. He lets Rien and Jon offer their threats and inquiries and releases his own introduction by flaring to life.     Or at least that was his original plan.     The moment his flames swell a symbol on the ground flares to life in dark green and pink light. It's not carved into the ground, but the working placed there is solid. The Kabbalistic sefirot pulses and Chas' flames simply wink out. He drops to a knee, his energy essentially reduced to what is needed to keep his body from falling apart entirely.     "You cheeky bitch..." he says, barely managing to raise his head to glare at her with entirely human eyes. "I should've figured you use a bastardized version of this against someone like me." He tries to stand but it only forces the working to pulse brighter with pink light and drives him to his hands and knees as it works to subdue the Celestial forces animating him.
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice moves forward - straight up the center towards Lydia, her gaze cautious, and each step subtly feeling its way - as she worries about the possibility of some sort of trap. She remains constantly alert to the potential need to get herself and everyone out immediately.     "Lydia," she addresses her sister. "I know you're in there. You have to fight - you have to free yourself. No one needs to get hurt today - we're here to help you. Pete and Theo miss you. You haven't heard any of their new music - just think of everything they composed after we started going to the West End."     Her eyes flick to Chas - only for a moment, before fixing onto Lydia again. "Let him go. We're here to help you. //You// know that, Lydia. You know these are your friends. We're //family.// You need to come home." She keeps moving closer, one slow step at a time, seeming to pay very little attention to the monsterous animals flanking her friend.
Lydia Dietrich	"Clarice?" Lydia says in surprise, her glowing pink eyes fading for a moment. "I..." She stops herself and shakes her head, clearing it, and her eyes resume glowing. "No. You'll fall with the rest of the JLD."     Turning to Jon, Lydia says, "Perhaps." Rubbing one of the bony arm rests of her throne, she continues "If there are any, I assure you they could barely have been called human in the first place. Humanity would scarcely miss them." Her grin grows ever larger at Rien. "Maybe I'm stalling for time. Waiting for you to stand... right... *there*."     Her eyes gleam maliciously when Chas steps into her trap. "Just like that. Get them, kids," she says waving a hand at the party. That's when the two monsters move into action. The cheetah moves so fast that it might as well have teleported from where it's at to right in front of Gabby, the runes carved into its skin flaring. It pounces her, slashing out with its scythes. The bear moves quicker than it looks, rushing Jon. It lashes out with its claws, and tries to strike them with its tail.     But that's not all. From the darkness of the crates a dozen normal looking squirrels rush the party. One gets to Rien first, climbing up on her back. Before she can react to it, its belly expands, glowing red, and explodes with massive concussive force, like a grenade. Soon, the group of heroes are swarmed by these suicidal explosive rodents.
Rien D'Arqueness	The explosion isn't an unfamiliar sensation, but it still isn't a pleasant one. Rien lets out a cry and hits her knees as flesh and muscle are seared away, exposing her spinal column. Even as she grunts and puts a hand to the floor, her head lifts, and she offers Lydia a grim smile, "Really? That's what you brought? Exploding squirrels?" One can /watch/ as the muscle and flesh knit back together as she lifts the palm from the floor and /slams/ it back down. It will leave a nice handprint in the cement, with cracks spidering off from it that carry the light blue glow of her own magic. Portals begin to pop off and fizzle out all over the warehouse, crackles of that light blue energy that sizzle and wink out with a puff of smoke. "I'm not here to fight you directly. I'm just making sure /they/ get their chance." Leaving her hand on the ground, she starts /drawing in/ the power feeding the wards and runes, channeling it into her own reserves and starting to sap the magic feeding them. Weakening or erasing them as she does. It won't be immediate, but it will give them a slowly growing advantage.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn blinks at Gabby, wondering just how much she knows, "...Huh? I'm fine, really, but thanks.." she seems vaguely distracted but turns back to face the enemy, teeth gritted, hands clenched as she gets ready to summon her soul sword..But will that make things worse for her? And while she lets Rien and Gabby take point, the moment Chas utters that warning, she swallows and shrinks back even more, deciding she'd very much rather not get on his bad side, if she hasn't already..Trying not to look at his scary glowy form, right up until he winks out, and she blinks. "Huh, what? Are you..Okay?" And that's when Megan takes a cautious step towards him, magic gaze sweeping around the area, searching for a dampening field, or maybe a ward or a barrier of some sort..Surely something caused that..? And that's when they're attacked by cute fluffy..Squirrels?, She yelps, and darts back as they begin to explode, revealing some rather graphic and bloody innards of Rien which she'd rather wish she hadn't seen. "Gah!" she pulls out her steel dagger this time, one she's been practicing with Catman lately when she sees portals cracking and fizzling off like that. Wait is this an anti magic field or what? All the same, those squirrels are jumping at them and she does her best to try and swat them away with the flat of her blade, stretching out her wings to dart and zip between them before they can get close enough to explode and splatter her too!
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney swept her eyes forward to watch Lydia as the talk commenses. A few more steps are taken only for her gaze to drop down to a short necklace she wore. The glow from the stone was only able to be seen by her, and she doesn't have enough time to call out a warning when Chas' ends up de-igniting thanks to the ward on the floor. She assumed, at least, that it was a ward. A quick flex and pop of her claws brings out the moonlit glow of the enchanted bone as she steps forward intending to do what her family was known for: Destroying something. In this case she'd begun to swing her hand down intending to try and cut through whatever symbols may be on the floor causing Chas such difficulty. Unfortunately she's got a cheetah with multiple arms coming at her earning a yelp of surprise. "Lydia!" The name breaks from her lips even as she allows her legs to collapse under the weight of the cat seeking to let it's momentum hopefully carry it along past her. If she could get to the belly before it got to hers, she can slice up under that tender spot throwing her arms forward to really dig in.
Jonathan Sims	"That throne... used to be human." Jon sighs. "Right, then. Okay. Your show. Try not to kill her." And he closes his eyes.     What follows... may be unpleasant for Lydia, because there's a pulse of sunlight from Jon--yes, sunlight, summoned from the Astral Plane--and then wings flare out and circlet is on their brow, and it's Ma'at that stands there, not Jon at all. /That's/ why this has been so hard. Why he's been so angry. Because /Ma'at/ is furious.     The goddess raises the staff and projects a barrier of teal light, managing to keep the bear's claws and stinger at bay, though she's hard-pressed to do much else since her focus is elsewhere. "Lydia Dietrich," she says, "these mortals wish you to survive. I have no such qualms, but in honor of your service to Lady Isis I will give you a chance. Prove yourself strong enough to bear the blood of Hatshepsut, or your life is forfeit. Ovrecome your baser nature, even but for a moment, and prove you can handle the burdens of the life you have chosen."     A pause. "But that Beast of yours is going to go. It hurt my avatar. It cannot be allowed to continue."     Yeah, the goddess is /pissed/.     For the moment, though, she has to contend with a big scorpion-bear-thing. The fact that she's giving Lydia a chance to overcome the Beast for at least a moment is the main reason she doesn't just take the whole building down around their ears. She starts to sidestep around the bear, staff held forward, almost all of her power going into that barrier to hold off the monsters. The squirrels swarm the barrier, exploding with concussive force, enough to make her stumble a bit, but she doesn't stop her movements. But it /does/ drive her right toward the wall, which will potentially let the bear corner her and test the strength of that shield.
Chas Chandler	Once the fight breaks out Chas is powerless to aid his allies in their struggle. But he's not powerless to aid himself. He can't move. His reserves and expressions of his power are silenced by the Seal beneath him, but his connection to the Source is infalable.     One of the things that separates Chas from other Dominions is that they have a cap. Their very Purpose stops them from drawing too much power and growing too strong. Chas doesn't have that Purpose. So he concentrates, finds the fountain of absolute power, and draws on it. And draws on it. More and more and more. Allowing the power from the Presence itself to pour into him like a bottomless flask.     The pulsing of the Seal grows and grows in velocity, surging to contain what it had not anticipated. Chas, almost bursting with power contained, jerkily raises his head to fix his eyes on their foe and a small, vicious smile spreads over his lips.
Clarice Ferguson	"Please, sister! It's me. You're better than this. You're //stronger// than this," Clarice urges the vampire. "You became a vampire, and you were still Lydia Dietrich - my sister - and that's who you still are today!" she insists - as the creatures charge past her, and the squirrels start their attack. She turns to toss javelins, attempting to teleport away any of those that avoid Ma'at's barriers - her eyes widening as the purple energy of her portals only flickers briefly, to no effect. "Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit!"     Luckily, the impact of the javelins cause some of the squirrels to detonate before they reach their targets, and Clarice immediately flips over into a handspring, tumbling hastily away from the explosions.     "Lydia, what about Theo, and Pete? Don't orphan them again! If they lose us both..."
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia growls and rises from her throne. She didn't expect /so many/ people to come to fight her. With a smaller group she would have had the upper hand, but between all of her opponents, her preparations are failing quicker than she had imagined. "No! You will not be able to take me!" She steps forward and lashes out a tentacle of ectoplasm like a lance, heading straight towards Rien to keep her from draining the magic of all her wards.     It never gets to her, though. Ma'at's brilliant light causes her power to flicker off and send Lydia reeling back, holding her hands up protectively over her eyes. "AHHHGH! No! You can't have her! She's *mine!*" It doesn't sound so certain, though.     The rush of squirrels quickly run out, having been able to capture, train, and modify only so many, leaving her opponents free to do what they need to do. When Gabby lashes out at the cheetah, she doesn't hit the vital parts of the underside, but she /does/ slash it's hide, cutting and disrupting some of the runes that are carved in it. It howls in pain, and pounces, trying to pin Gabby down and slash at her face with its scythes. The bear continues to slash and jab ineffectually at Ma'at, but it /does/ pin her against the wall, effectively putting them into a stalemate.     Between Rien sapping the power of all the runes and circles on the floor, and Chas going Super Saiyan, the binding finally breaks letting him loose in all his angelic glory. His light proves to be too much for the vampire. She screams in pain, and her skin starts to sizzle and blister as she falls to the ground and scrabble backwards.     The sudden blast of pain that's directly assaulting Lydia's Predator is enough for her kinder nature to take temporary control. "Quick! Stake me! Before it takes over again!"
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien keeps that grim smile in place as she keeps drawing on the magic in the wards and runs, more and more of the portal wards popping and fizzling out as she keeps drawing on it. Chas' release earns a flinch, her head turning away from the sudden flare before she mutters, "Just a few more... almost have it..." Her fingers clench into the cement flooring as she pulls on the last bit of the magic fueling the portal wards. Just as Lydia is falling back and crying out to be staked, Rien clears the last of the wards. "Clarice! Do it! The wards are gone!" Pushing up to her feet, she flings a hand out towards the bear going after Ma'at, starting to draw on the magic of the runes inscribed into the creature's chitinous bits.
Megan Gwynn	Megan Gwynn blinks, and shrinks back at the searing light erupting from Jo-Ma'at..Somehow that makes her..Afraid, very afraid..And she does her best to stay out of her way..And the rapidly charging Chas, knowing either or both might or could just flatten her..Maybe even enjoying it. Instead, she focuses her attentions on the cheetah as it leaps on Gabby, and her eyes widen, rushing at the monster from the back, summoning her soul dagger finally, slashing at the monster with both metal dagger and magic nulling shard of her soul..But why is it red..? "Leave her alone!" she snarks, going into a bit of a berserker rage on it, probably uncharacteristic of Megan..
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney feels the hide slice beneath her claws in a satisfying way. Yet she was still in one of the absolute worst positions to be in when dealing with a large cat. On the ground generally meant dead or about to be dead. You don't babysit a tiger without learning such things, quickly. Tucking her legs up against her stomach she kicks out trying to force the modified creature off and away so she can regain a better stance. Maybe it would just be sending the cheetah toward the rushing Megan. "Lydia! These things are like Labrynth--They have no power over us if we don't let them!" She cries out once she hears Lydia, the actual Lydia, speak up begging to be staked.
Jonathan Sims	"Dominion Chandler! I think now is the time! Burn out the Beast and let us be /done/ with this!" Evidently Lydia begging to be staked was good enough for Ma'at. "All staking accomplishes is immobilizing something that should be /gone/."     Rien flings out a hand to the bear, and Ma'at abruptly lets the barrier contract, so that it's focus around the torso, to protect Jon's heart from the bear. Which... lets the bear in, to maul her. And she lets it. She drops the staff. Lets herself be vulnerable. Jon will heal from whatever happens here, so long as his heart is intact.     She grabs the bear as soon as it comes in close enough, with both real hand and magical hand, and begins to channel sunlight over its form. Not enough to touch Lydia at all, just enough to undo what Viscera did to the poor thing. The power of Amon-Ra, an Elder God in his own right, undoing the damage done by the Old God.
Chas Chandler	Chas rises from the destroyed ruins of the Lesser Seal and walks forward; a blazing ball of superwhite heat and light. Squirrels jump for him and are incierated into component atoms one after another before their detonators manage to activate. The ball of blue light encompasses Lydia but does not incinerate her.     Inside, Chas' expression is sympathetic. "Lydia Dietrich, do not be afraid" he says, his words laced with the bells and chimes of what was now his native tongue. "I know it is difficult for you to handle, but here... allow me to lessen the burden from you." He reaches out and touches Lydia's forehead. There is a flicker of something golden that flows between the tips of his fingers and Lydia's forehead. A stream of holy light and power that is meant to annihilate anger, hatred, suffering, and restore what was lost in a moment of rash decision. "You can win. Now go and make amends for the damage caused in error. I believe in you."     Then, with sudden swiftness the walking star flcikers and winks out. The warehouse and it's combatants are plunged into relative darkness once more and Chas drops to the ground, drained and exhausted from the movement of so much power at once.
Clarice Ferguson	Staking her sister is one of the last things Clarice wants to do - but she had already granted the necessity of this moment. A series of quick acrobatic tumbles propels her towards Lydia - but since she had dodged away from her only moments before, it's Chas that gets there first.     Clarice has a thin rod of metal in one hand - not quite as thick as the width of a chest. Something she could teleport into Lydia'a heart, leaving it imbedded where it could not be easily pulled free. It remains in her hand, though, as she shields her eyes - and as Chas releases her sister, Clarice is immediately at the woman's side, one hand gripping her shoulder.     "Lydia. Answer me - are you alright? Please... I promised Theo and Pete I'd do everything I could to bring you home..."
Lydia Dietrich	The bear roars in fury and pain, as the protective runes on its chitin fizzle and pop, making it vulnerable to physical attack. It whirls on Rien, leaving Jon alone for the time being, and charges at her, ready to maul the magical mutant. It stops halfway as Ma'at's healing light engulfs the animal, causing the chitinous plates to fall from it's hide, leaving patches of bare skin exposed to the air.     Gabby is able kick the cheetah off her, but not before one of the wicked scythes cuts through her shoulder, which gives Megan an opening to slash and cut at it with her daggers. Mewling in pain it quickly retreats, limping on three paws as one of its hind legs have been severely cut.     Chas is able to get to Lydia easily enough. In her weakened state she's unable to bat him away as he reaches to her and touches her forehead. Beams of golden light pour out of her mouth and eyes, as if her brain is being lit from within. Soon, it's over and the woman collapses, unconscious. The smell of Viscera's taint is nearly gone, barely noticeable. Whatever's left, Lydia will have to fight off on her own but, due to Chas' efforts, it's a fight she'll likely be able to win.
Rien D'Arqueness	Using some of the stored up magical reserves, Rien heals any lingering issues for the bear, the fur still regrowing even as she clenches her hand and teleports it to the nearest zoo. Reaching towards the cheetah and clenching her hand to send it to a small stasis dimension where it can rest until they can see to it properly. She looks towards Lydia, but doesn't interrupt Clarice, only smiling faintly that they managed to save her after all. Chas gets the next dose of attention as she approaches and murmurs, "Need a hand?" One is offered to him as she glances back towards Ma'at, "You're okay?" Gabby and Megan are next on the list for check-ins, looking between them, "Gabby, Megan? Alright?"
Megan Gwynn	A bunch of epic stuff happens, and Megan's eyes widen in fear at the continued display of power from both Jon/Ma'at and Chas and the others. It's almost enough distraction to draw her attention away from the cheetah and she yells as it staggers back, darting out of the way, about to give chase with that mad look in her eyes, before noting how it attacked Gabby with that scythe. "Gabby! You okay?" she calls out to her, dissipating her soul dagger, slipping the other one away. But as Chas purifies and cleanses Lydia of the ancient god, a strange fear grips her and she staggers back, turning and fleeing quickly without another word..
Gabby Kinney	Gabby Kinney lays on the ground a moment just staring up at the sky with a slow, deep breath. Her arm hangs limp at her side where the shoulder had been injured. The cut went deep, through muscle and nicked into the bone of her shoulder, collarbone, arm. So she just lays there with her other hand drumming fingers against her stomach lightly as Rien and Megan check on her. "Fine, just hard to sit up," she assures with a gesture of her good hand to her shoulder. "Can't quite lever up right now. Give me a few." Megan vanishes from her sight after a terrified look which causes her head to lift to blink after the girl. What in the world...? Frowning at the retreat she can only wonder just how bad the dreams have gotten for her. There were other things to check though. With some difficulty she hefts herself up to sit in spite of the dead weight hanging off half her body at the moment. "How's Lydia? And everyone else," she adds glancing to Chas, and Jon with a slight nod. "Hello again Ma'at," she greets because let's face it, always be nice to gods right? Right.
Jonathan Sims	Ma'at blinks rapidly as the bear just... disappears from beneath her hands, but shrugs, and goes to pick up the dropped staff. She looks around the room with a furrowed brow.     "Hello, Gabrielle Kinney. I apologize for my abruptness. This needs putting to rights," she says. "Dominion Chandler--?" No, he's collapsed. And so is Lydia. She sighs and shakes her head.     "Reine du Rien, please see to the others? I will sweep this place and make certain..." She pauses. "I do not know that I can restore everything Viscera changed. I do not know that I /should/. But I can at least put what is dead out of its misery, and set wards to keep out prying eyes. And then I will send Jonathan home to his family."     She looks around at the others. "Of course, any who wish to stay and help are free to do so. I will not stop you. But as Jonathan noted--that throne was a human being, once. You may not like what else we find here. But if you ever needed proof of why our cause is just--this is the sort of world the Old Gods would encourage, where they do not wish to merely eradicate it entirely."
Chas Chandler	Chas looks up at the vaulted ceiling of the warehouse with calm, but unblinking eyes. "I learnred a valuable lesson today..." he says, reaching up to take Rien's hand to help him to his feet. "Going to that Well is a last resort for a reason..." he says. He actually sounds -tired-. Exhausted.     "Even so..." he glances over at Lydia and Clarice. "I think today was a necessary use of it... regardless of how long it keeps me down." He nods to the violet skinned woman. "Get her somewhere safe... but keep an eye on her."     He frowns and sniffs a bit. "I'm not sure exactly what effects what I did will have on her, but we will need to speak with her soon enough. That thing is subdued in her, but not entirely gone." Looking to Ma'at he sighs. "I don't know what offer I can give, the tank is pretty empty right now. But I'm here if you need something lifted or moved and it's not like I'm queasy, I lived with John Constantine for years, pretty sure I've seen worse with some of the shite he brought home."
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice's arms go around Lydia's shoulders, partially lifting the unresponsive woman to a seated position, and then pulling her in towards her chest, to cradle her there. "I'll keep a close watch over her," Clarice promises. "And I'll stay in contact about her condition and progress. Feel free to contact me as needed."     She looks between the gathered mutants and supernatural heroes as she adds, "Thank you. I know she has a lot to answer for, but- thank you."     With that, Clarice and Lydia both vanish in a flash of purple energy, seeking refuge in a remote safehouse - where Lydia would be unlikely to cause much harm if she does somehow awaken in an uncontrolable state of mind.
Lydia Dietrich	Searching the warehouse proper reveals more runes and traps, but since Rien drained all the power of them, they're completely harmless. It's only when they search the office in the back to they find something of note.     The office has been cleared save for a desk a chair and something horrifying hanging from the wall. It, like the throne, was a person, once. Now it's nothing more than a tear-shaped torso hanging from the ceiling, its belly distended with huge throbbing veins. Bite marks litter what would have been its neck, signifying this was how she had been feeding herself since she had fled her apartment.     On the desk are several art pads, in which are sketches of various monstrosities. At the beginning the lines are clean and neat but as the books go on it tells a story of somebody beset by madness who is desperately trying to get gruesome images out of her mind. By the end of the artbooks all that's left is mad scribbling of horrific landscapes made of bone and flesh. Clearly some part of Lydia was fighting Viscera's influence but, ultimately, failing.