Owner	Pose
Rien D'Arqueness	At the top of the ivory tower, with Nikola's broken and beatific face held between her hands, Rien is faced with a choice. She can let the creature live and go through the work of rehabilitating it... or she can kill it now and call it done. Looking across the Chas, she offers a faint smile, "I know it would be easier to kill her and be done with it but... when has doing the right thing ever been easy?" She looks back to Nikola, infusing some of her own magic into the construct to heal it's broken body. "Rise Nikola. We need eyes and ears out here, and you know what we're looking for. You know these creatures and how they operate." She releases the ringmaster and steps back, "I want you to be those eyes and ears. Show that we can trust you. Safeguard the tower, watch the Void, the Bleed. Alert us if anything is coming. If you are attacked, we will protect you." She looks to Chas, "For now, please gather your forces, assess damages, take care of any dead. Chas and I need to plan how to move forward."
Chas Chandler	The constructed creature rises fully and gives Rien and wary and curt nod. "I... I understand." That she is so readily agreeing to the new alliance seems to surprise even her and as more words come from her lips she seems even more baffled. "I... will do as you ask. Allow me to see to Breekon and Hope and we will assess the situation beyond the Tower's borders... my Queen." She blinks a few times and tugs on her ringmaster's coat to straighten the attire before folding reality in on itself and vanishing from view.     Chas looks at the room, the corpse of the Not-Them smashed and broken against one wall, the sooty ash stain that was Nikola's conjured shadows and sighs. "It's not the prettiest of castles, but with a little elbow grease and some TLC might make a good winter home." There's tension in the man. "So... you're... a conduit" he says, leaving off the big label of 'for an Old One' from his statement. "I mean, I guess I should have known given how easily the power of Nullspace comes to you. Still a bit surprising to see it happen before my very eyes."     He rubs the back of his head and sighs. "Been back for less than five months and already wanting a vacation..." he says, looking back up to meet the blue eyes of the blonde woman he's grown fond of, despite their differences.
Rien D'Arqueness	Rien gives a nod to Nikola, still watching Chas, wary but wanting to get it all out in the open now. Turning towards him, she nods, "To be completely candid... I had no idea. Apparently my aunt was supposed to have told me once I was 'ready', but she never said anything, and then I came here and this version of my aunt... it never happened. None of the events that lead to my conception happened here." She pauses and glances down at her hands, then looks back to Chas, "I knew there was more to me than just... but I had no idea I was tied to... I am... I don't know. I'm confused and afraid, but part of me is also elated to finally just /know/." Stepping forward, she reaches for his hand, "I'm sorry, Chas. This can't be easy. Or.. pleasant." Rien glances up at him, "Maybe... maybe you should take a vacation. I think.. too much has happened too quickly and there's been no time to breathe let alone think. Ever since things started with Michael, you and Jon both were just... put through a lot. And neither of you really got a chance to just try to recuperate from anything that had happened." Those blue eyes watching him, sympathetic to the stress they've been under. "Jon has stepped back. And we shouldn't have pressed you to take on more responsibility so soon after your own.. transformation." She offers him a soft smile and murmurs, "You need time to heal. To deal with everything. To just.. be Chas, for awhile." Rien glances around the tower and murmurs, "At least now I can really turn this into a watchtower."
Chas Chandler	Chas chuckles. "If only it were that simple" he says with a wry smile. "Being what I am, I'm not really entitled to a vacation, at least not one of my own choosing. I have Free Will, sure, but that only accounts for so much. I go where I'm needed and -that- I don't always get to decide. Providence, et cetra and all."     He shakes his head. "While I'm fairly certain you taking away the power from another of The Crawling Chaos' minions has put a deep hamper in his ability to crawl into our reality, the threat of him is still there." He says, gesturing beyond the Tower with a wave. "Still waiting. Which means, I'm still waiting to do what I can to be a first line of defense against his entry."     He looks to one side. "But... I think there's time and the JLD might need to take a few steps on its own without my influence. I've been helicoptering it, willingly or unwillingly since before it was even the JLD. Back in John's demon meat puppet's Night Brigade days. You know?" he says with a thoughtful look. "Maybe they need some time to grow on their own. After handling angels and Old Ones, the occasional demon or ghost shouldn't be too much for them to handle."     He eyes Rien for a while. "I can't go on a true vacation and you can't entirely leave this place unattended, but the astral can be everywhere and anywhere on Earth and if the newest conduit for an Old One decided to take a cruise maybe to somewhere warm and tropical... maybe somewhere Caribean... I wouldn't be skirting my duties if I kept an eye on her." A small smile graces his features. "Maybe a close eye, if she didn't mind."
Rien D'Arqueness	"You may not be entitled to a vacation in the usual sense but.. if you happen to be somewhere that /isn't/ riddled with evil and demanding angelic intervention, and there /isn't/ a call from home to bring you back.. well.." Rien lifts a shrug and smiles faintly towards him. "THe cosmos can't complain that you weren't doing your job." Loopholes, beloved so long as they work in your favor! She looks out the tower towards the Void and gives a nod, "That's why I wanted to get this tower, why I wanted to spare Nikola. I don't believe she was created evil, I believe that occurred over time and influence. I think, I hope, that with time, she will find that it can be just as satisfying to work towards the greater good. Hell, we probably get in /more/ fights for that reason." Chuckling lightly, she offers, "But at least this way we have eyes and ears so if we aren't personally 'walking the parapets' every day.. we still have a forward guard that is." Clearing her throat, she looks up at him and chuckles, "I think they could all stand for some time without.. without anyone looking over their shoulders. Time to grow into themselves. Most of our members are so young and so new to most of this that... it's intimidating having us always /right there/." Nodding, Rien smiles faintly, "So I would agree that they could do without us hovering." Her brows lift as he starts suggesting that she could take a cruise, her smile growing at the suggestion that he should keep a close eye on her while she does so. Rien squeezes his hand and gives a nod, "I think that's a very good idea. And I could certainly use some time to come to terms with.. my birthright. I think having an angel along to help ensure I don't... go dark.. is an excellent idea." She chuckles, "Hmmmmm, is a shared cabin too close? I'd hate to deprive someone else of nicer accommodations when we really only /need/ the one.."
Chas Chandler	Chas smiles. "No. I don't think it would be too much of an issue if we shared a cabin... as long as you wouldn't mind my presence in close proximity to your own. It would be a shame to deprive someone else similar accomodations if they so wanted." He gives her hand a squeeze.     "Outside of that... how are you? Truly. I know drawing in a lot of power can be damaging and what you were dealing with was often more destructive than most." He frowns. "I know your sturdy and can recover from just about anything but..." His face twists a bit as he considers his next words.     "I don't..." He pauses. "I..." More hesitation. "I'd be very upset if you were hurt... beyond a level of your own ability to heal." He's trying very hard to be casual about his feelings, but it's clear that the words he wants to say are more heartfelt than his attempt to nonchalantly play it off.
Rien D'Arqueness	"I wouldn't mind at all. I find your presence.. enjoyable," Rien returns the smile. The latter part has her chuckling and giving a nod, "Exactly. Especially since we've been doing so well. I'd like to see if that lasts through a week or two of close quarters cohabitation." She lifts her eyes towards his and murmurs, "Besides, who else could handle me?" Clearing her throat, she leaves aside the flirtation for a moment and offers, "I'm.. doing alright. Exhausted, which is.. unusual, but it isn't unwelcome. And I am.. wary.. of this newfound power, or rather, it's source. I want to believe that she isn't lying to me about her intentions. But.. given who and what she is? It's difficult to not question it. And the power itself is... draining. Even for my healing it was... rough." Rien blinks at his words, then smiles, reaching up to cup his cheek, "You care." Its softly spoken, almost whispered, but it is also definitely a statement and not a question. "I care about you too, Chas. I didn't want to... I mean, we agreed to.. but I already.. had feelings.. I just didn't want to.. to seem.. pushy, or.. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable." A flush hits her cheeks and she smiles quickly, "Guess you'll have to really keep a close eye, make sure I don't overdo anything."
Chas Chandler	Chas nods at Rien's understanding of his feelings. "Yeah. I think... I think the feelings been there for a while" he says, leaning into her touch, "but me in my juvenile idiocy moved to poking fun at you for silly things instead of realizing what I was feeling was genuine. How very primary school for me, right?"     He moves a bit closer to her, enjoying the warmth her body provides as it meshes with his own. "I think we're both wanting more from this than we originally expressed and... I don't know that that's entirely a bad thing." He says looking at the shorter woman. "Relatioships evolve and grow at the rate they will and we're both a bit... timeless in our own ways. Somethings are bound to move quicker than others to balance it out."     He wraps an arm around her and draws her close for a long, lingering kiss. Once the time passes and they part he asks with a smile. "So where sounds fun for you? I've always wanted to know if the Bahamas are the paradise people claim. But, I'm not above letting a lady get priority for this vacation."
Rien D'Arqueness	Nodding, Rien smiles up at him, "Hindsight has me seeing things that I had... purposely overlooked, or passed off as something else. I didn't want to admit to it, so I told myself it was just.. concern for the team, or that I was curious about you because you're a human-born angel. I poked fun at you to cover for it, to keep from having to admit that I liked you." She flashes a quick smile up at him, "But.. admittedly.. I enjoyed the teasing, too. It was.. exhilarating." She leans in against him, her smile warming as it grows, softening her features as she nods, "Agreed. I know we had said we would take things slowly but I feel like.. like maybe we took things slowly already. All the time we spent just.. not acknowledging how we felt. We got to know each other across that time." She meets Chas's gaze with a smile, "I think we moved slowly enough in acknowledging how we felt, going a little faster now wouldn't be so bad. Like you said, we have.. a lot of time.. to work through anything." Reaching up, she presses eagerly into that kiss, pressing closer towards him. Enjoying, even reveling, in the sensations, she chases his lips for a small kiss pecked quickly to his smile. "The Bahamas sounds perfect. Warm, sunny, and the food is amazing." She grins, "And the rum. I've been acquiring a taste for it.."
Chas Chandler	"That is something we share" Chas replies as he holds her. "Bahamas it is then." He looks around the featureless white expanse. "I suggest you get Nikola or the others to do something about the decor in here while we're gone" he says. "I get that being anonymous is part of their whole schtick but..." He gives her an arch look. "This is a little ridiculous."     He shifts a bit in place. "I've got some steam left to burn off. How about we go back to my place and see how much collateral damage we can cause betweenthe living room and the bedroom." He draws a phone from his pocket. "I'll send Jon and the others a text letting them know we got out safely." He seems unconcerned with the rumors (true or otherwise) their joint absence will produce.