Owner	Pose
Jonathan Sims	Jon doesn't get to the East Village much, but then until the past couple of weeks he didn't get to Manhattan much. He had his apartment and his office in Queens and his nice little routine in his neighborhood, and things were not so chaotic and confusing.     But now he needs to talk to a witch, and her shop's in the East Village. So he comes to the Candle the day after his birthday, looking like he's barely slept. The little bell over the door jingles as he enters. He stops just inside, as the warmth and the smell of rose hips and dragon's blood assaults his senses.
Mairin Moran	Mairin, asleep in the reading chair surouded by a candy corn colored afgan, jerks awake at the sound. Either that, or the sound itself, also startles what at first glance appears to be a cat out of her lap. The cat walks languidly up to Jon, stoping about six feet away and appraising him with green eyes. But, of course, this isn't really a cat. But a machine cleverly desinged and built to look and behave exactly like one.     Meanwhile, Mairin jerks upright as she sees Jon in the doorway. "Oh... Jon!" She shuffles to her feet, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "It's so good to see you. Are you here for anything?" Likely it will take her a few more moments of waking up and processing to note the man's obvious appearance. This is, after all, Mairin.
Jonathan Sims	"Oh, hello there," Jon starts, looking at the cat as though it were an entirely real cat. He offers his hand out for it to sniff if it likes. Naturally he likes cats.     Then he peers around at Mairin. "Oh, ahh... sorry to wake you. Is Nettie about? I... needed to speak to her." He's wearing a blazer and a button-up shirt today, making the lack of a sapphire amulet around his neck slightly more apparent than it might otherwise be.
Mairin Moran	YAAAAWN. "Oh.. excuse me." Mairin shakes her head a little and leans back against the counter. "No... I haven't seen her all day. She told me to come here to get some sleep and that she'd be back as soon as she could." Mairin shruggs, "Which could be whenever. You know how her and John are." It's meant as a shared joke, but it likely falls a little flat.     She smiles down at the cat. "That's Emily. I made her for Nettie." Emily, for her part, sniffs Jon's hand, processes all the ones it can descern, then apparently decideds Jon is good, because she starts to rub her head against said hand.     "WHat did you want to talk to her about? Maybe I can help." Yep, Mairin's not good at detecting things like the subtle, I need to talk to her about something personal, assuming that's even the case.
Jonathan Sims	Jon blinks at the cat. "/Made/ her...? Impressive." He goes ahead and gives her head scritches, though, because evidently he likes cats whether robotic or otherwise. "Well, she's quite lovely," he says.     After a moment, he adds, "I was speaking to her last night about magical training. I need to find out if that's still viable, given my... situation." He says it in that 'delicate matters' tone.
Mairin Moran	Of course Mairin blushes. "Nettie likes her.." And that's all she has to say about that.     "What situation is that?" She walks behind the bar to make herself some tea, becuase no matter what situation it is, it needs tea. Must be all that English in her.
Jonathan Sims	Jon... actually blanches at the tea pot, and takes a step to one side. "Ahh... I... that is, I..."     He sighs, lets his shoulders slump. "I am no longer a part of the Night Brigade. And I wanted to know if that would be a problem, if Nettie were to give me magical training."
Mairin Moran	Mairin stops mid pour and sets the kettle down before turning around, her face showing all of the disapointment that's in her voice. "What did *he* do?""
Jonathan Sims	"Oh, it wasn't him," Jon says rapidly. "It... well... alright, it /was/, but it's really my fault. He... has his issues, and I exacerbate them. It's better if I'm not about, really." He shrugs, uneasily, pulling away from the cat.
Mairin Moran	Emily watches the conversation for a moment, then wanders over to jump on the counter so she can be the center of attention again.     "But Jon..." She goes back to pouring tea, for both of them, shaking her head as she does. "It just isn't right that you're always the one who has to appologize. Who has to accomidate *hi* ego." She turns with the cups and sets them both down on the counter. "I'm just... I'm so sorry to hear it. I wasn't wrong, you know. We need someone like you around. Someone who can..." She looks around the room for the right word... "Anchor us. You aren't leaving the city are you?"
Jonathan Sims	Jon frowns. "I /live/ here," he says. "I've lived here for over a decade. I don't have anywhere else /to/ go."     He sighs, peering at the tea cup and blinking back sudden tears. "It... look, I'm not going to apologize for what I said. I made a comment about gentrification, because he's replacing buildings in an /Irish/ neighborhood with ones from Liverpool. It was a joke! A bloody stupid joke, because I couldn't just... swallow that whole. But that was /all/ I was going to say. That was it, the one joke. And he could've... I don't know, he could've shot back that /Liverpool/ is hardly gentrifying anything." He snorts, rolls his eyes.     "But instead he got his damn back up, and nursed the resentment, and... in retrospect, I think he's..." He hesitates, then says slowly, "I... don't think it's... that /specifically/. He's not well, and so I can't /blame/ him for his attitudes. But I make it worse. So." He shrugs. "It's best if I'm not... around."
Mairin Moran	Mairin sips her tea as she listens, but she frowning between sips. "I don't know. I think it's just going to make it worse. He's like a child throwing tantrums and everyone just lets him have his way and every time no one stands up and--" she pauses, suddenly thinking better of what she was going to say. "Every time no one stands up to him, it just reinforces to him that he can act however he wants. That he can treat people however he wants."     She sighs deeply. "But then I'm not one to talk, because I'm one of those people letting him do what he wants."She takes another sip. "He's a wilful brutish child. And a bully. And we need him."
Jonathan Sims	Jon shrugs. "And I am standing up to him, by leaving. There are other people that fight the darkness. Just because people aren't aware of them, doesn't mean they don't exist, which I have been trying to tell John to no avail. I will find another way to help people, one where I am not... in the way quite so much."     He doesn't /quite/ seem willing to just... say that his friend is a bully and throwing tantrums, but... he didn't disagree with Mairin, either.
Mairin Moran	She gives a weak smile and reaches over to pet Emily. "Well as far as I'm concerened you'll always be welcome here. Or in my office. I hope you wont be a stranger." She shrugs sadly, "And I'm sure being away from John will help you too. Even if it has to hurt like hell right now." She knows just how much it would hurt to leave Nettie like that. She's not sure she could even do it.
Jonathan Sims	Jon nods. And hesitates. And then says, softly, "You don't /need/ John. No one person is the sole and only person who can solve all the world's problems. That... is part of why I'm leaving. I cannot..."     He stops. Frowns. Then says, slowly, "I have known, and heard of, /so many/ people who risk their lives to protect the world. Who go out there and fight the darkness. Who have died in obscurity, their names never known. And I just... I could not sit there and listen to John act as though he were the grandest martyr in history, as though he and he alone were the one who knows what he knows, fights what he fights. He's not. The Night Brigade is not. But most heroes don't go around telling their business to everyone who walks through the door of their bar. I'm not going to tell you to leave--I'm not going to tell /anyone/ to leave. I think the Night Brigade is doing good work. I just... if you think it's a real issue, well..."     He runs a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I really don't. Maybe it's just me, and me leaving will make everything run smoothly. I hope so."
Mairin Moran	Mairin considers this, warming her hands with her tea cup. "You're right. I mean, obviously. I didn't even know there were *this* many people doing this. It only stands to reason that there are a lot more. But, no. I won't leave unless Nettie does. Whatever.... else.. I may be. I am her apprentice. And I take that very seriously. Not just because I want to learn what she knows, but because I trust her, and I know she's a good person. Sure, she might have her moments of stubborness. But she's nothing like John. And I'll follow where she leads."     She takes a long sip and sets the cup down. "I know there are so many people who need you Jon. Who need the help you can provide. Hell, you could spend your entire life just helping the people of Gotham. It's a boil of misery. I know you'll be ok. And I know you're doing the right thing."
Jonathan Sims	Jon nods. "Like I said, I'm not..." He huffs out a breath. "I'm not... staging a coup or something. Whatever John thinks." He rolls his eyes. "I just... I know myself. I could spend my whole life, and all my energy, pouring into trying to keep John stable and sane and looking for the tiniest /scrap/ of attention and thanks, and have nothing to show for it. And it wouldn't even be his fault, really, it just... would be how it is. I think I said that, yesterday, and it continues to be true."     He sighs. "I like John. I want to be his friend. I think he wants to be mine. But... I've grown up, and in a lot of ways, he hasn't. And I don't know how to help him do that, if he even wants to. And... frankly, I don't have time to sit around wondering if I should be coming on the next mission or not because of all this... interpersonal drama."     He hasn't touched the tea. He can't seem to bring himself to do so. "It's good that you know your own mind. And there's nothing wrong with staying. There's enough bad in the world, more people fighting it is always a good thing. But that means the group has to gel, and if I'm fighting with the leader all the time..."     It's like he's trying to justify it all to himself. He doesn't /want/ to leave--hell, maybe he was hoping Nettie would be here and figure out how to smooth it all over.
Mairin Moran	"I understand completely." Mairin goes to wash her cup out and put it back, talking as she does, even as Emily takes the opportunity to snuggle up to Jon. She doesn't have that feline sixth sense about sorrow... but it sometimes seems like she does.     "I agree, too. That you don't need to be here, doing that. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I don't know how Chas does it. Or Nettie. I just..." She shakes her head. "Don't worry about us," she says as she sets the cup to dry. "John will be John... nettie will look after him. And the rest of us will look after each other. For now, Maybe you need to look after you. And I don't think that's a bad thing. Life is too short to waste it."
Jonathan Sims	Jon sighs. "Well, that's rather the problem I've been having, of late. I'm not all that good at looking after myself." He laughs ruefully. "Martin always did that. My husband, I mean."     And then, finally, he reaches out and takes the second cup. Scritches at the cat's ears while he drinks it, and /somehow/ manages not to just make it salty by crying. Progress!     With that done, he says, "Will you tell Nettie I stopped by? I will certainly understand if teaching won't work out, but I don't intend to burn all the bridges behind me."     After a hesitation, he adds, "He /trusts/ Chas, and Nettie. He doesn't trust me, and I'm not certain he ever will. And that... is what it is." He shrugs. "Gods know /I/ don't trust anyone, really."
Mairin Moran	Mairin nods slowly. "I understand. I'm... not very good at taking care of myself either apparently." She laughs a bit. "Demona had to come in and order me to bed while she cleaned my appartment. Not exactly the finest adulting moment. But I'll tell Nettie. I'm sure she'll understand." She pauses. "And Jon? You have at least one bridge that you can't burn down. Us loosers have to stick together, right?" She gives a wry smile.
Jonathan Sims	"Well I intend to /talk/ to Nettie, if I can ever catch her. But thank you. And yes... we do have to stick together." Jon grins, and sets down the tea cup. Gives the cat another scritch.     "Be well, Mairin. And make sure you don't burn yourself out, alright?"