Owner	Pose
Jonathan Sims	The Call of Khonshu is a subtle thing, that spreads out across New York and beyond from the Midnight Mission. Those who feel it find themselves drawn to Queens, to a brownstone there, prodded gently by the Egyptian god of the moon. Or urgency, no rush, just a gentle urging to go there once one has time and ability. It is strongest when the moon is in the sky, of course, and so at this time of month, most often those who follow the call find themselves on the steps of the brownstone some time after dark.     The scent of citrus and cinnamon, honey and wine, wafts out from the doors of the Mission as they open. There's ambient music, a traditional Egyptian tune presumably recorded by someone more modern. Candles keep the shadows lower down at bay, but the statues in the main hall cast darkness on the high ceiling.     Jonathan Sims has taken to spending more time here of late, tending the ancient rituals when Mr. Knight is busy. So he's there, dressed in green cardigan and black slacks, sitting in a chair beneath the statue of Thoth, flipping through a book he found in the office. /Carefully/ flipping, the book is quite old, leather-bound and probably with the pages hand-sewn. His right arm's in a sling, but he's managing to use that hand to prop up the book.
Tara Tsabedze	A panther lays curled at the foot of the statue of Bast, a large fluffy looking cloak laid out on the floor beneath her. There is nothing special or extraordinary about the panther save the silver chain around her neck, and the pendant that hangs from it. She seems only half interested what Jon is doing, but the truth is she has been watching his every move in case he needed assistance, and not in the 'shedding on him' variety.
Zaya Abdelkader	Since that moment in Herakleopolis not long ago, a lot had changed for the recently graduated college student. She had moved to New York City, got a job as a curator at the Metropoitan Museum of Art; and oh she had ben inhabited by an Egpytian Godess. So many changes and so much she was still adjusting to and coming to terms with. Life was different being the Penthouse for Neptthys. Sure for the most part she was able to live a somewhat normal life. The Goddess had allowed her this, on the condition that Zaya without resistance served the Goddess' purpose. Oh sure there were the benfits and flaws that came with her new tenant; but the adjustment had not been easy. It had started a few days ago, a strange urge to visit a building she had walked by numerous times and paid little mind to. Yet, she could not shake the underlying need to pay it a visit. This was only confirmed by Nephthys, telling her that she could not deny this urge and she was going to visit the mission one way or another. Thus, on a dark night when the moon was almost full, Zaya left her apartment and made her way to the Mission. For a moment she simply stood in front of it before finally approaching the door. Her first raised to knock on the door, pausing before doing so and murmuring to herself. "You're sure about this?" An internal reply and she let her fist hit the door. When the door is opened, Jonathan and Tara would see a young girl standing in the doorway; a pair of jeans, black hooded sweatshirt and a yankees baseball hat. Over one shoulder is a small leather backpack and in her left hand restd a gas station coffee cup. Upon seeing Jonathan she bites her lower lip and softly states. "Hey. This is going to sound crazy, but I was told to come here." She peers past him to the large cat laying at the base of the statue, raising a brow. "Wow." Her eyes slide back to Jonathan and she manages a slight smile.
Jonathan Sims	Jon leaves the book next to the offering plate under the statue of Thoth, carefully, then goes to answer the door. He looks the young woman up and down, in an assessing sort of manner, nothing leering in it at all. Then he smiles.     "Actually," he says, in a crisp English accent, "it wouldn't surprise me at all. Please, come in." He steps back to allow the young woman to come into the room. "Did you feel called by something external? Or did you, ahh, have an internal prodding?" He raises a brow.
Tara Tsabedze	The panther streeeetches out, butt lifting up and front legs sticking out in front of her, then she stands up and pads toward Jon and this new person. Part way there she takes a breath through her nose and mouth at the same time, scenting this new person in the way that large cats do. Once she reaches the two, she rubs the length of her body along Jon's leg for no other reason than she can, then looks up at the new comer. There is a tingle to the scent of this one, something internal, but she can't quite place it... so she will stare at the woman with golden feline eyes and look the part of a panther and nothing more.
Zaya Abdelkader	Strangely enough she feels at ease inside the Mission, even somewhat at ease taking with the man she had just met, and even at ease with the large cat laying at the base of the statue she clearly knows as Bast. Yeah degree in Egytology and some loans to thank for that. She considers her words carefully and her reply is once again delivered softly. "Um...something external. Yes most certainly something external." She takes a sip of the coffee and accompanies her words with a nod. It is then that her head tilts to the side as she appears to be listening to something unheard. A murmured word then escapes her lips speaking seemingly to someone else and not Jonathan. "No. I'm not telling him that. I'm here, am I not? You got what you wanted." She smiles again, this time a bit more fake, oh the days of modeling and looks back to Jonathan. "Sorry. As I was saying...an external calling. Like something drawing me here." Again, her eyes narrow and she appears to be listening once more to a silent voice. It is then that she finally relents and raises a finger to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "She told me to come here." No name revealed; yet.
Jonathan Sims	Jon peers at the woman another moment, then reaches his left wrist over to the right hand, still in its sling. He twists the bracer in a particular sort of manner, and his eyes glow yellow-gold for a moment before his clothing changes entirely. There's a beaded bodice of sorts, gold and faience beads colored blue and teal, with a notched neckline, over a white linen tunic. There's a necklace, too, a fan of the same faience beads, with citrines dangles along the bottom. There's a cape attached to the necklace, shimmering and pleated, the colors ranging from gold into blue and then teal, the effect looking somewhat like feathers. A sash of blue linen with citrines sewn into it in eye-like patterns holds up a yellow-gold pleated skirt, ankle-length, over trousers of the same material. There's a mask on his face now, covering nose up to forehead, the main part of the mask gold and the long beak and feathers along the sides black. A golden circlet on his head holds a stylized ostrich feather, gold overlaid with black lacquer. The bracer on his left wrist has duplicated on the right and grown leather elbow-length gauntlets, each studded with a large round citrine, and he's now wearing golden sandals on his feet. He looks... well... like a picture in the book he left open at the base of the statue of Thoth, except he's replaced multiple instances of gold with citrines.     Zaya, with her Egytpologist's eye, can see that the outfit is a bit of a mishmash of periods and styles. The beaded bodice is First Intermediate, where the pleats in the cape and skirt are more New Kingdom. The mask is clearly that of an ibis, but he's wearing Ma'at's feather and the eye motifs are more... Horus, maybe? And there's mixed gender as well--that bodice and cape are much more something women would wear, but they would've worn an entire dress. Somehow it meshes, though, as if it's something that had grown and changed over time.     The Archivist peers at Zaya for a long moment. "Nephthys," he says finally. "She... inhabits you? Much like Tara, or Mr. Knight." His voice has changed subtly, and Tara at least would probably be able to tell there's a mystical aspect to the transformation. He bows rather formally, right arm held to his chest and left arm spreading out, right foot forward. "Welcome to the Midnight Mission. I am Jonathan Sims, the Archivist, servant of Thoth." He gestures to Tara as he strengthens. "This is K'Tara Tsabedze, Kivuli of Bast. It seems Khonshu is gathering allies still."
Tara Tsabedze	The panther shifts on her front feet, then walks around the new arrival slowly, tail flicking behind her before one again moving around to stand beside Jon. "There is no question," she says in a soft voice that is touched by an East African accent. "Nephthys resides with this girl." And then the panther bows. "Welcome." That done, she paces back to where the cloak lays on the ground, the panther's body beginning to glow with a silvery white light and by the time she reaches the clock, she is no longer a panther but instead a humanoid with feline features. Over her fur covered body she wears an Egyptian sheath dress, white leather sandals and a head piece of intricate gold and silver beads that hangs down her back, and yet even the clothing is a fleeting image as she is actually wearing white Dashiki with silver and golden thread forming an intricate design on the front, and a kaba over her legs. "I think there may be a slight difference between she and I however, as I was born to this and there is something different about Nephthys inside of her," she then offers before turning back to the two by the door.
Zaya Abdelkader	There is a a moment during his transformation of appearance that Zaya even blinks. Her expression is one of suprise and reverance. In fact at one point she had to think to close her mouth. Her eyes dart to every little aspect of his regalia and she is softly muttering to herself as she spies a different aspect. "Ma'at's feather. Horus' eye..." Her voice becomes softer as she seems completely entranced by what she is witnessing. At his expression of who he is and who he serves her eyes light up even more, his bow actually causing her to blush a bit; clearly she is not worthy of such from the figure in front of her. At the introductions, she peers past him to the large panther, a smile forming once more. "K'Tara Tsabedze, Kivuli of Bast. That makes a lot of sense." It is clear that her head is spinning. "Khonshu? Like the Egyptian God of the Moon? He is here? In this building?" She shakes her head a few times and tries to process all that she is seeing and hearing. She raises a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose and then once again she speaks to herself. "Alright. Alright. I will let them know." She then drops to a knee and starts to open her backpack, taking out a small vial of water. Her eyes raies to the Servant of Thoth before her and she states. "She wishes to talk with you..." The vial is opened and she takes the smallest of sips, corking it once more and setting it in her bag before standing again. Her eyes close and when they oen again there brown pools have been replaced by solid black orbs. Her arms hang at her sides, but when she raises them out horizontally, multi-colored feathered wings hang beneath them. Her expression is fairly stoic and when she speaks, it is Zaya's voice, but not as soft and certainly more direct. "Greetings Servant of Thoth." Her head turns to the Panther. "Bast. I was wondering where you had gone." Again, the black eyes turn back to Jonathan. "Allies he will need. Forgive her intial reluctance. She really is wonderful host. Given what I have heard, you will need all the Allies you can. I...well I mean /we/, offer our services." It is Zaya now that slightly bows in return, leaning forward, the wings folding before her.
Jonathan Sims	The Archivist blinks for a moment at the woman's transformation, taking it in. It's /bright/ to his eyes, at least for a moment, a flash of mystic power that leaves him briefly dazed. He clears his throat. "Ahh. Well. Welcome, Nebet-Het, Lady of the House, to the home of Khonshu. An aspect of him resides here, yes." He takes a step aside, to gesture toward the statue of Kohnshu, tall and central within the room.     "The Midnight Mission is run by Mr. Knight, servant of Khonshu, and serves as a base of operations for Moon Knight, the Fist of Khonshu, and those he is gathering under the moniker of 'Heliopolitans.' We stand watch over those who walk in the night, protect them from unseen dangers." A pause. "That... is not my only role, but Khonshu called to me long before any of the rest. Long before I became the Archivist, even."     He looks to Tara thoughtfully. "So far as I'm aware, you're the /only/ one born to this, although I suppose I was technically always an option for the role, whether or not my cousin was around. It /is/ interesting, however, that it's... new to her, I take it?"
Tara Tsabedze	Now that the change is complete, Tara walks back over to stand beside Jon, offering Zaya a broad smile that reveals her elongated incisors. "It is not a common thing," she admits, her tail flicking as her right ear twitches slightly, making the silver hoops tink together. "Bast requires a specific body for her avatar, and so..." she gestures toward herself. "I was called here to speak to the Moon Knight, Bast insisted, I believe that is how it has been for each who has come, but Jon, The Moon Knight, and yourself are the only ones I have met."
Zaya Abdelkader	The Goddess' eyes slide to the large statue of Khonshu, taking it in before turning back to Jonathan and the newly transformed Bast. Her arms are lowers and the wings seemingly fold into themselves and become almost undetected. "The Archivist is a most revered position. It can be traced quite far back, but I am telling you things you already know." Her attention now turns to Tara once again starting. "It is so good to see Bast. It has been quite a long time. You look...good." Her eyes scan the woman once more. "We have much to talk about." She quickly then changes the focus. "Zaya did not choose this. Nor did I choose Zaya. Well not directly. She was excavating one of my temples in Heraklopolis. The team she was with disocvered the inner tomb of one of most deciated priests. Untouched by grave robbers. While others saw to the sarcophagus, she read the inscription below. An inscription I had left on a simple clay tablet. "A spoken word of written verse; upon the reader Nephthys' curse. In desert wind, on blazing sand. Once again I walk this land." And that is when I inhabitated her." She waves a dismissive hand. "Oh there is much more to it. Yet a conversation for another time. Be patient with her. She did not ask for any of this. And yet she finds herself unable to escape what her life has now become. You have our service Archivist...Bast." She looks to the statue. "Khonshu." A smile comes to her lips as she regards them both. "I am going to let her come back now. Do not underestimate this one." Her eyes close and when they open again, Zaya blinks a few times. "So....yeah. That was her."
Jonathan Sims	The Archivist blinks for a moment at the Goddess. "Ahh... thank you," he says. He's still not used to people recognizing him. He listens to all of that quietly, nodding. "I see. A similar origin to Moon Knight, though I have reason to believe he was chosen as a child. And... I know something of being, ahh... shoved into service." He smirks, expression otherwise unreadable.     Aside to Tara, as Zaya changes back, "Actually, Lydia and Red Arrow had both heard the call. I haven't run into anyone here who /hasn't/, as of yet. Khonshu's gathering an... interesting group."     He turns to look back to Zaya. "And how are you? Any questions?" He fiddles with the edges of his cape a bit, still not used to the thing.
Tara Tsabedze	There is another shift of her weight, Tara's tail starting to flick behind her as she studies Zaya, but the tail is a result of Jon's words. He may not realize that his words are bordering on insulting, it's not an obvious thing, but one does not tell a goddess that a god has 'gathered' her. Choosing to step away toward the statue of Bast again, Tara has to take a moment to lower the level of anger before speaking. Bast might be aggravated, she Tara was not, but still her ears flatten slightly. "I am seeking a polite way to say that Khonshu is my brother and has not gathered me in any way, shape or form," she says quietly, an edge of anger to her tone. "Bast and Khonshu stand together in this fight, he does not stand above her, nor her above him. The Moon Knight understands this," she looks toward Jon, that tail flicking almost violently behind her. "I would hope that the Archivist of Thoth would understand this as well."
Zaya Abdelkader	Awkward. Zaya wis about to reply to Jonathan, but the mood change of Tara causes her to stay her words and wait until she feels it safe to do so. However, when Tara steps away and continues her with her concerns, Zaya softly murmurs. "Kitty got claws." Another bit of her lower lip leads to some nibbling. "What fight are we talking about here? Neph has not exactly informed me of everything, perhaps she does not know." Once more it would appear she is getting a message in her head. "Then just tell me then if yo know." There is deep exhale and she then takes a deep breath. "Oh I have a lot of questions. And I seek a lot of answers, but in the end I know I am not going to be allowed to simply walk out of here." She kneels down to grab her coffee from the floor where she had set in when doewn there, taking a sip as she rises to her feet. "Neph wishes to be involved in whatever this is or whatever its cause. Yet I fear she feels it is best to treat me on a need to know basis. We are working through this." A feigned smile accompanies her words." She then starts to slowly make her way over to Tara, the young girl extending of her gloved hand to her as she looks over her shoulder. "If I am to stay. I want a room near hers." She raises a brow to Jonathan as if this is a non-negotiable. Are they her words are told to her by Neph, is unclear. "Whatever this fight is...you need me. Well you need who is inside me. Now what are we fighting?"
Jonathan Sims	The Archivist blinks at Tara. "I didn't mean any offense. I just meant... we are gathered here. A gathering." He makes a sort of general circular motion with his hand. "The Heliopolitans. My apologies."     He takes a moment to twist the bracer on his left hand again and his outfit goes back to normal, the Archivist's regalia just... fading as if it had never been. "There are rooms in the basement," Jon says. "I'm certain Mr. Knight won't mind if you take one. I don't live here, myself, but I'm around, and I usually check in when I'm in my office anyhow. I'm a psychiatrist."     He looks to Zaya. "As for fight? Vampires, at the moment, though I will note not all vampires are our enemies--two of our number are vampires, in fact. There may be other threats as well."     He hesitates. Then, in a soft tone, eyes showing concern now that the mask is gone, "I... was thrown into this myself, just a couple of months ago. I didn't know the Archivists /existed/ until mid-September. Now I have power and enemies and..." He shakes his head. "I'm not ungrateful--I actually enjoy this business--but I /do/ understand. If you need to talk to someone, I'm glad to listen."
Tara Tsabedze	Tara looks back up at the statue, sometimes having to express a pissed off goddess was not her idea of a good time, but it was her place in life and so she had done it. "I apologize Jon," she offers before looking back to him, ears standing up again though the tail still keeps the flicking it lacks the violence. "Sometimes she is easily upset by the silliest things, but in this regard she felt you needed to know. Understand it was not offense, it was..." again she looks back to the statue and actually chuckles. "... a pissing match." She's pay for that later. Flipping the cloak around her shoulders, she pulls the hood up over her head. "I will be moving into a room in the basement soon, but for now I stay at a hotel in Bushwick that converted several rooms into apartments. If you would like Zaya," and now those feline eyes shift to Zaya. "You are welcome to stay with me until you are ready to move into a room here."
Zaya Abdelkader	"Vampires. Oh wonderful. This is going to be fun." There is a hint of sarcasm in her words." She looks once more to Jonathan and nods. "Thank you. I have a lot of questions and I trust I will get the answers more easily from you than from anyone else. I do appreciate it, seeing as apparently I am going to be involved now in whatever it is you have yourselves wrapped up into." She walks over and leaning down picks up her backpack, flinging it over her shoulder and adjusts her hat, tugging it down a bit. "I might take you up on that offer Tara. I have a place in the city, but my lease is tehcnically up at the end of the month and if I am going to come here I do not wish to re-new it." Her eyes drift to the large statue once more and there is a affirmative head nod given as she then walks over to Tara once more. "I'm tired. You got a couch?"" And with that she moves to follow, calling back to Jonathan one final word before she departs. "I am supposed to tell you..and i have no idea what it means." She pauses in her step and once more titls her head as if she is listening to more. "Your succesor as Archivist is closer than you think. And you'll find her in the archive? If that makes any sense." She moces to exit the door murmuring once more. "There. I told him."
Jonathan Sims	Jon waves a hand at Tara idly. "It's fine," he murmurs. "No worries. I try to stay out of that stuff. I think Thoth does too, generally." He moves over to the statue of Khonshu, going to light some more incense.     "I'll be around," he calls to Zaya. "Just give me a ring, Mr. Knight and Tara have my number."     Then he stops and turns to look at her as she walks out the door, shock on his face. "Wh...at?" Whatever that meant, it makes him go to sit down heavily in the chair below Thoth's statue, once the incense is lit. Frowning thoughtfully.