Owner	Pose
Alexander Aaron	Alexander reached out to Doug earlier in the week, found a time that was convenient for both, and planned a meeting at the Hellfire Club of all places, which he cryptically described as Neutral Ground. Once the awkwardness of the ice had been broken, Alex got into the meat of things. "Couple times now I've been cornered by these things." he explained.
Doug Ramsey	Doug is wearing a tuxedo, slim-cut, fantastically expensive; he seems to have been here before once upon a time and he dressed appropriately. He has a glass of champagne in one hand, though he isn't really touching it. Everywhere around them, it's libertarianism and poet shirts. "Must be something, for *you* to feel pressed by it."
Alexander Aaron	Alexander Aaron was similarly dressed, but his hair and unsettling eyes seemed to impart his youth and inexperience onto the attire, rendering it less of a maturing thing and more of a thing he was temporarily inhabiting. "I don't know exactly what they are, I wanna call them demons." he glanced at a nearby libertarian for emphasis. "One of them sort of attached itself to me in the middle of fifth avenue and tried to make me walk into oncoming traffic. Then there was this ambush at a library...anyway, I feel somethings going on and I don't have any good intel. So I heard about this..." he paused and then tilted his head almost in disbelief. "...did you know Hell has a Lawyer?"
Doug Ramsey	Doug rubs the back of his neck, and says, "Well." He says, "I'm sure there's some jaded rich-man Satanism going on here, but in my experience the New York branch of the Hellfire Club was more about more standard debased human appetites." He drains his flute of champagne and then sets it down. "I did. If you need to deal with demons, I know an expert, though she's fairly busy these days. Also there are demons, and then there are demons-"
Alexander Aaron	Alex shifted his weight, Doug was more well informed than he had originally hoped. He considered the man for a few moments in silence, his eyes had the effect of seeming like prisons, something which allowed something behind them to pear out at Doug. After a long tempo, "Is she free now?" he wondered, seeming cautiously optimistic.
Doug Ramsey	Doug rubs the back of his neck, and then clears his throat. "Ah... no. I don't think so?" He says, before he clears his throat. "...We used to date. I mean, we're not on bad terms? Old friends. But it's always kind of awkward to ring your ex;" He coughs, and then he says, "...Also Illyana is - tempestuous. But she does know a lot about demons, she rules an entire dominion." He offers Alex another flute of champagne, and then says, "But maybe I can help. I've got a lot of exposure to this sort of thing; tell me more?"
Alexander Aaron	Alexander sighed with a sort of impatience you would assign to the Godlings, but he recovered quickly enough. "I got a lot of ex=es." he admitted smirklessly, as if many of those still stung and he was in someway ashamed of his own behavior. "I was kind of just hoping you would listen in, be there, just kinda chime in when you see me miss something, keep me from making an ass of myself."
Doug Ramsey	Doug considers this, and then says, "I've made an ass of myself plenty of times. But I'll try. You know it occurs to me it could be some aspect of you that is drawing these things. You're the god of fear, dude. You have an aura. Compelling, but uh - uncomfortable. It makes people cross to the other side of the street when they see you. Does it bother you? That you frighten people?"
Alexander Aaron	Alexander Aaron shrugged after a pause that was either made to indicate to Doug that he thought about it, or he actually thought about it. "No." with a mild petulance. He lead Doug over to a table where they would shortly be joined by a slick looking lawyer type. The dude was upsettingly handsome, it was hard not to react to him with either of the polar extremes. The Sinister Advovate, l'avocat de la main gauche, looked between the pair and then chuckled politely. "Not a pairing I would have guessed, given half the chance." he immediately sat back, looked entirely too comfortable, and crossed his legs. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Doug Ramsey	Doug gestures. "He's the one here to negotiate you. I'm just a language expert; Mutant Master of Fine Print. I'm here to read over any contracts you give him before he signs them, and check for any linguistic traps; you know, internal surprises." He looks around and then says "I suppose that this would be the kind of place that suits you. I'll tell the Demon Queen of Limbo that you said hello." He pats Alex on the shoulder, before he says "Phobos is dealing with a problem. Harassment from some demonic realm, possibly due to resonance with his own divine nature. Fear-demons are attracted to him, that sort of thing."
Alexander Aaron	The Advocate listened carefully to Doug and then rolled his eyes back into his skull, showing only the whites. "Well I can tell you right off the bangle, its not us. Your dealing with extraplanar entites for sure, you wanna call them demons, well thats fine. We don't make claims on those basis, your free to call them what you will. But its not us." he said, steepling his fingers together and smiling handsomely. "Anything else I can help you lads with?" Alex looked from Doug, who seemed to be all business, to the Advocate as he spoke. His expression turned sour until, "One of these things tried to make me walk into oncoming traffic. Do you know why it would do something like that?" he said, trying in vein to salvage something from this meeting. "I do." said the white-eyed Advocate, and the he smiled even more brightly in silent expectation.
Doug Ramsey	"...And what sort of deal would you like to negotiatate in exchange for your asisstance?" Doug says, making a 'get on with it' gesture, before he rocks back on his heels, his expression once agan studiously bland, betraying neither interest or annoyance. "Bearing in mind that Phobos is a god and you have no claim on his soul - not that *any* infernal contract with a soul as the price is actually valid. Souls aren't a fungible commodity." He asides to Phobos, "That's Hell's big lie."
Alexander Aaron	"No Mr. Ramsey we deal in favors, these days. A little quid pro quo." explained the advocate. "If Mr. Aaron is willing to owe us a small favor down the line, we'd be happy to provide our insight." he said looking between the pair prospectively. "A little task, details to follow. Nothing too compromising, but within his skillset." Alex looked appropriately uncomfortable, "It has to be conditional on the usefulness of your information. I need some kind of assurance, right Doug?" said the youth, looking to Doug and very nearly dumping the decision on his lap.
Doug Ramsey	Doug gestures. "He's established his terms. Bear in mind that Phobos is the son of Ares, grandson of Zeus. He's a Hercules-level demigod. You tell him what you want him to do *before* he agrees to sign any agreements binding him into it. He could always go to his grandmother, who as goddess of Fidelity, has the power to nullify any contract, even one made with Hell." Can Hera do that? Doug crosses his arms, and raises his eyebrows. "So I suggest whatever you want from him, make the terms favorable."
Alexander Aaron	"We have someone in our circle of influence whom would benefit from being...temporarily immune to fear." he said, divulging details that might lead an intelligence person to believe that he was talking about a politician, but he wasn't getting specific. Alex got increasingly agitated, but he wasn't one to emote it outwardly in a way that anyone aside his friends could tell. "Fine." said Alex, "Now please, out with it." "Well, Mr. Ramsey, you noted that Alexander is Phobos but thats not precisely true is it Mr. Aaron. Phobos is a mantle belonging to his Pantheon, which he is destined to assume when his mortal form dies. Sure, he can play Phobos from time to time, but its not quite the same thing as being Phobos. When he dies, he will be presented to the Gods of his pantheon to be resurrected into the true for of Phobos. And won't that be something to see." said the Lawyer, pausing for a salacious smile. Alexander waved him on, seeming to tire of being told something he already knew. "Ok?" he said capriciously with the last vestiges of his teen years not too far behind. "There's a loophole of sorts." explained the Advocate, "If for any reason the destined party arrives to the resurrection with even an indication that they took their own life, the Pantheon is forced to respect that decision and the mantle becomes....vacated. Vacated and up for grabs."
Doug Ramsey	"So if he commits suicide - which he has no plans to do as far as I know - then the Olympians have to select a new god of Fear." Doug says. Of course the Sinister Advocate - one step below the Devil's Advocate? - is getting to something, but apparently he likes to leave things hanging. Doug gives Alex another glass, though this one just has ginger ale in it, and then he finds a table to half-sit on and he folds his arms across his chest. "And people in Hell want iced tea. What's your point?"
Alexander Aaron	"Well, it'd be like another Nyx situation." explained the advocate, assuming they knew the Nyx situation. "The Olympians get first dibs, but after that the audience widens a bit. They have very vested interest in the young master's success, because if he doesn't pass over the divide correctly, there could be another infiltration episode." "Another?" Alexander said, glancing to Doug and searching his face for recognition. The Advocate smiled and explained, "We'll be in touch, Mr. Aaron. Mr. Ramsey, a pleasure." and his eyes finally rolled back from white to handsome and he stood to leave.
Doug Ramsey	Doug looks down, and then he narrows his eyes. "That one's a new one on me." He says, "But we can ask someone." He flattens his mouth into a line, and then pinches his nose. "I should've brought Beto with me. I don't know how he does it, but you would've walked out of here owning Mephistopheles' yacht." He sighs, and says, "Listen. Don't take any deal with the mindset that you're at a disadvantage here. You're the grandson of Zeus and Hera and the son of Ares. You've got clout, and you've got connections." He gestures to the Sinister Advocate. "Next time... pick a different club. The champagne selection here is overrated."
Alexander Aaron	Then is was Doug and Alex sitting together in the wake of the Devils information. "No, I know Doug. I'm not worried about the favor. Not worried about the demons either, the other thing though; that's something I gotta look into. Why did he bring up Nyx. No one talks about her in Olympus. Ever. I've never even seen her."
Doug Ramsey	"Nyx was the greek conceptualization of the Night. Mother of light with her husband Erebus. I remember from the Iliad that even Zeus defers to her if she chooses to make her desires known." He gestures. "She would be... your great-Aunt." He helps himself to one more glass of ten thousand dollar champagne, and drains it all in one sitting. "Could be he was trying to rattle you. What makes fear uneasy? The unknown."
Alexander Aaron	"Wow." he admitted "Getting Zeus to..." but he paused short of anything blasphemous and settled back into his seat to think. "Yeah I suppose." he agreed. "Well, maybe now I can ask the right questions at least."
Doug Ramsey	Doug looks around, and then says, "...You know what? I hate this place." "I'd much rather drink Labatt Blue at Harry's Hideaway until I puke."
Alexander Aaron	"Well lets go then, sorry I dragged you here. This just seemed like the place where you go to meet dirtbag lawyers from Hell." he said, standing up to leave with Doug, he couldn't wait to get back into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. "You know almost everyone in the world think's their immune to fear." he said recapping the previous conversation. "Problem with fear is, you need to be smart enough to imagine consequences."
Doug Ramsey	"In a way you're also the god of survival." Doug muses. He's not going to change out of his tux until he gets back to the mansion; which will make him massively overdressed for a bar in Salem Center, but it's not like he hasn't been massively overdressed in there before. "I'm scared just about every day. I just do it anyway. Fear can be addictive, too."
Alexander Aaron	"So when I die your going to have me cremated so you can snort my ashes." he said blithely on the way out. "And then some demon is going to take ma jerb."
Doug Ramsey	"Oh, please." Doug says, "If that happens I'll make sure Negasonic Teenage Warhead gets pushed in the door ahead of Hell, the Olympians will hire her on the spot." He grins. "You'd like her, but she's not into guys."
Alexander Aaron	Alexander Aaron gave Doug an eyebrow worthy of a TV series. "What you must think of me." he said in tepid despair. "Conveniently I'm not into Teenage Warheads." as they passed through and out into the city night. "I'm taking a break from dating, I think I over did it." as if that kind of thing were even possible for an Olympian, much less the son of Ares.
Doug Ramsey	"It's a name, it sticks. I mean, they gave me a name that means "Nobody Important" and I'm making the most of it." Doug strolls out of the Hellfire Club and onto the curb, and waves down a cab. "Yeah, take a little 'you' time. I mean, what does the God of Fear do when he's not scaring children and old people?"