Owner	Pose
Jonathan Sims	The trip back to the Triskelion is quiet, for the most part. Jon thanks Charlie for her help and apologizes for Agnes' tendencies toward arson, which gets him a roll of the eyes behind his back. But other than that sign of relatively normal teenaged attitude, Agnes is quiet. Which is normal-ish, for her, not that Martin or Cael have really interacted with her, but it's just different enough in quality that Jon keeps eyeing her askance.     Jon's already told Peggy about Agnes, so it's not hard to get her into the Triskelion and into their normal suite, which is a little dusty and cold from having been mostly left unlived in the last few weeks. Jon goes to start fiddling with the temperature controls as soon as they're in there, clearly... nervous.
Cael Becker	Cael watches Jon with some amusement - though truth be told, she isn't sure quite how to behave around a teen this young, let alone one so important to Jon. Someone that Jon had unilaterally and unequivocably declared to be 'family' to her. What do you even make of that?     "So, ummm... welcome to the Triskelion," she says a bit awkwardly as the small group enters Jon and Martin's flat. "I, uhh... I'm Cael, like I said before. Cael Becker." She hesitates a moment, her gaze flicking again to Jon at the temperature controls, and then back once more to the girl before adding, "I'm friends with Martin, and Jon and I-" The girl's whole life has just been thrown upside-down. Is this really a good time to go into their rather unusual relationship with a young teen?     "...we're close."     Great. Well done, Cael.
Martin Blackwood	Martin likes kids and having been a father to one not much older than Agnes is now it's easy for him to fall into old habits of 'caring adult figure.' He rolls his own eyes this time and says. "What she means is that she's Jon's girlfriend. And yes, I know it's not what society universally sees as 'normal' it's what works for us." He snorts softly.     Honestly, Agnes is a teenager, not 6. "It's best to get it out in the open now so as best to avoid confusion later. If she's going to be living here she should know the arrangement we have. All of us."     He eyes the girl and asks. "Can I get you anything? Food? Tea?" He seems like he wants to go and make tea for the girl, but he didn't want to foist it off on her without asking, it's only polite after all.
Jonathan Sims	"The last two months have proved to me that I have very little idea what society universally sees as 'normal,'" Agnes says in a tone all-too-reminiscent of Jon as she goes to sit down, looking around politely. "Tea would be lovely, yes, thank you." She smooths her skirt, frowns down at it for a moment. "It's nice to meet you both. Thank you for... coming and finding me."     She keeps peering at Cael, and after a moment blurts, "You hair is /rainbow colored/. How...?"     Jon actually laughs, if softly, and looks at Cael. "Yes, it's... there's not much point in hiding things. Not if... well... yes. She'll be living here, I suppose. Martin can, ahh... commute to Grand Central until the invasion is over."
Cael Becker	Cael simply gives Martin a //look// - then sighs and shrugs. "Probably right about that," she admits. "I'm not used to having a boyfriend, okay?"     She runs her hands through her hair - just as Agnes comments on the rainbow of colors it reveals, prompting her to blink in surprise, and then respond with a broad grin. "Oh, I - uh... Got it done in Hawaii. They pinned up the top layers, and then painted the colors into the lower levels - and had to wash it out carefully to keep them from bleeding into each other too much. I could always take you somewhere to have yours done sometime - if you liked."     Sure, probably best to ask a kid's guardian before offering to let them dye their hair outrageous colors - but she doubts Jon would have a problem with it.     Of course - there's also a sketch of flames across the back of one of her hands - a bit faded at the moment, but something she's grown so used to she barely even thinks of it anymore. She really should just go ahead and get them tattooed on...     She turns her attention to Jon next as she adds, "I, uhh... I suppose I could help out as well - since I'm still staying here. At the very least, Agnes could have my number to call - you know. For whatever."
Martin Blackwood	Martin had moved into the kitchen the moment the girl asked for the tea. He busies himself with making it. "I can commute, I doubt I would have trouble getting clearance to be in the area with well..." he gestures to the residence. Fifteen years with SHIELD, even if he is still clearance 5, comes with no small amount of clout in the organization.     "I had been wanting to discuss it to be honest" he adds. "I want to make sure Lady Grey knows -this- is her home and not Grand Central."     He starts as he sets the kettle to boiling and moves back into the living area. "Speaking of... you're not allergic to dogs or anything are you? Do you even like dogs?" he asks the girl, sudden worry creeping in his features. He hadn't even thought of that. What if the girl didn't like dogs?
Jonathan Sims	Agnes keeps staring at Cael's hair, hands going to her own dark auburn curls. She frowns, as if considering whether to dye her hair. But what she says is, "I've never had a dog. I'm not allergic, though, no." She looks at Jon. "Do... can I really... dye my hair and have a dog?" She says this with very wide eyes. Like those are things she'd never even considered. "And... have a phone to have people's numbers to call? And live... here?"     Jon finally turns away from fiddling with the environmental controls. "Yes," he says. "Elias isn't going to come after you here; he's not foolish enough to risk coming after SHIELD. And legally..."     He hesitates, then says, "My grandmother had your birth certificate in a vault in Bucoda." He flicks a glance to Cael and Martin. "Annabelle had given it to her, evidently. Proof that Agnes is... /my/ daughter, not Elias'. Legally, he has no recourse."     Agnes doesn't look /remotely/ surprised by that revelation. She just nods thoughtfully, like it's confirmation of something she already suspected, and shifts her focus to Cael's hands.
Cael Becker	"I'll book the next available appointment in the hair salon then," Cael replies with a broad grin.     "And if you don't want to wait for dog - I could always go down the hall and fetch Bear. He's my service dog - one hundred pounds of good-natured fluff, and the best dog in the world. Sorry Martin."     Giving Jon an amused look she adds, "It's nice to have all the paperwork in order - though I'm sure all the people we know - we could have made it work anyways, one way or another."
Martin Blackwood	Martin smiles. "Your Grandmother still giving the middle finger to Elias even in the afterlife. Putting something -that- significant at the first site on the list..." he shakes his head and fishes his phone out of his pocket. "Here... you can at least see her." He opens up his instagram, which the first 5 or 6 lines are filled with various pictures of the dog with people (mostly him or Jon) for comparison of size." He offers the phone to the girl before moving back to ensure everything is ready with the tea.     As he's filling the strainer and getting the pot and cups ready--it's his old set since the blue one from Cael is still at GCS--that he says to Cael. "Give it time. Bear's had more experience at being a dog. I imagine Lady Grey will at the very least match his skill at being a good dog. In the meantime, I appreciate his influence on her." He gives Cael a smile to indicate his own intent is friendly banter.     He's not going to try and compare his dog with hers, competition of that nature doesn't compute to him. All dogs are good, in his opinion. It's their owners that are terrible sometimes.
Jonathan Sims	"All dogs are good dogs," Jon says with aplomb, voicing Martin's sentiment aloud. He goes to sit down in one of the chairs, and says, "Perhaps let's wait on dyeing hair until the world isn't ending...?"     Agnes reches out to take Martin's phone and carefully scrolls through it with her fingers, clearly not nearly so used to technology as a normal teenager would be. "She's very pretty," he compliments the dog. "I... wouldn't mind meeting Bear. Elias mentioned 'saving the world' but he didn't really... explain."     Jon frowns. "Of course he didn't," he mutters. "Well... Bear might be useful, then, because... we /do/ need to explain what's... coming." His impending death, for instance, and the chance the Archive might pass to her if they can't figure something out.
Cael Becker	"I'm sorry - what does the end of the world have to do with a girl dying her hair?" Cael asks dryly. "The world's ending - and I have an appointment booked at a tattoo parlor." But that's for her mental health.     At the suggestion that she should, indeed, fetch Bear, she conceeds with a nod. "Hey, Alis?"     "Yeah, yeah. I'll get the dog..." Comes the voice the teenaged ghost as Alis briefly appears - complete in slightly grease-stained coveralls. "Hey, I'm Alis. Dog-walker extraordinaire, apparently," the asian girl remarks. "I'll be right back." She starts towards the wall - disappearing just short of it and, one presumes, walking right through it.     "...that's my sister, Alis. She's dead," Cael explains simply. "I thought she was proof that my life couldn't be weirder. I was wrong."
Martin Blackwood	Martin frowns as Jon brings up the things to come and his expression sobers considerably. It would be a hard talk, but a necessary one for the girl. And... he suspects, for him as well. Though, he thinks helping Anges through it might be better and easier than having to juggle it himself, especially if it is fore--     No. He won't even entertain that idea. Jon -will- be coming back. No matter what. He takes the kettle, boiling as it is now, and goes to pour it over the strainer in the teapot. He finds comfort in the repetive act, it's his happy place.
Jonathan Sims	"I don't... I mean... isn't there some kind of... age limit...?" Jon honestly doesn't know. When he was thirteen, his grandmother would have had a conniption if he'd even /mentioned/ dyeing his hair.     Agnes watches Alis go back and forth, eyes wide. "Oh, I've never seen a /real/ ghost before! How does she manifest? How--" She catches Jon /looking/ at her and flushes, clears her throat. "Ahh... sorry. That's... rude. So, ahh... the world's ending?" An /excellent/ subject change.     Jon sighs, and while Alis goes to get Bear he briefly sketches out the situation in Manhattan--the invasion of the angels, his own role in the defense, an idea of the stakes. He'll let the other two chime in and help if they want.
Cael Becker	"Look, I walk in with the girl - they'll just assume I'm her guardian. It's not like you need to present a birth certificate for a hair dye," Cael says in a dry voice. "I mean, //really// Jon." She smirks at him in amusement, and doesn't seem particularly phased by Agnes' question. "To be honest? I don't really know how it works. I know she couldn't do it for...what, nearly eight years? But now she can, and I have my sister back. Sort of."     She lapses into a more serious silence as Jon starts to talk about the angels, staring down at her hands for a moment, but not elaborating about //that// for the girl. "The threat is very real," she adds seriously. "But we're a stubborn lot. We're gonna win this thing."     That said, she rises to her feet as she hears a chime at the door - and the teenager seen briefly in the hall fades back out again, releasing Bear who circles around Cael, tail wagging, before settling in at her heel. "Come say hello to Agnes, Bear," she invites, as she leads the dog over towards the girl.
Martin Blackwood	Martin busies himself with tea. He doesn't know how Agnes takes hers, he has ideas, but he'd rather she make it herself first. To get a feel for it, so he manages to bring the tea and four cups along with a creamer and a sugar tray.     He sets it down in front of the girl and takes a seat on a chair nearby, watching her with interest. For him, how the girl takes her tea is something that is required for him to know if he is to be an adequate guardian for her. He gives a smile as the large dog arrives with the ghost girl.     Another thing he is going to have to come to terms with the size of their family growing. Though, having read dossiers on Alis, he is more inclined to think of her as a co-worker than his husband's girlfriend's dead sister and he greets her as such, with a soft incline of his head.
Jonathan Sims	Agnes quietly fixes her tea, a little more milk than Jon does, two sugars... then she hesitates and adds a third like she's sneaking something in there. She sips the tea and smiles a little before tentatively reaching out to let Bear sniff at her fingers. She's obviously intimidated by the sheer size of the dog. He's a big puppy!     Jon nods in agreement with Cael. "We're going to win. There's no real alternative. But..." He'd been deliberately waiting for Bear to be here, to say this part. "I'm going to die, in the process. I'm not certain when, but... I plan to come back. You know the Amduat, the Twelve Hours of Night? That's the route I intend to take, if at all possible."     It's a good thing Agnes had put her tea cup down or she might have dropped it when Jon says he's going to /die/. She blinks at him, eyes very wide. "But... you're not a /Pharoah/," she protests.
Cael Becker	"We're making plans to go down to the afterlife, find him, and bring him back if we have to," Cael says fiercely, as she picks up her plain, unsweetened tea, and takes a sip. She's heard Jon talk about his death often enough that it doesn't have the sting it once did - but that doesn't mean she enjoys the conversation. She frowns into her cup, then lets out a heavy before she adds, "And no matter, and I'm sure Martin will agree with me here, you'll never have to be alone, Agnes. Jon would never forgive us that. But the truth is, I'm one of the most fuckin' stubborn you'll ever met, and I have no intention of losing Jon to this bullshit."     After sniffing at Agnes' fingers, Bear gives a quiet whine at the risiing tension in the air, setting his head beside Agnes on the couch.     "He likes it if you rub his ears," Cael offers helpfully.
Martin Blackwood	Martin listens to the conversation as he makes his own tea. He's rather proud of himself for keeping the peal of sorrow that soars through him silent. Instead he says, "I think part of this entire thing is to turn the rules of the world on its head, Agnes. With these... creatures... attacking earth, things are already broken enough already. In order to win against them, we're going to have redo every natural order of things we can. This is Jon's area of expertise... and I trust him." He smiles at hi husband.     "In the meantime, you, I, and Lady Grey can sit back an watch and cook marshmallows if we want" he offers the girl a wan smile. It's not ideal, but it is what he's agreed on has part. He will be there to take care of Agnes while Jon goes and does... whatever it is the man has planned.
Jonathan Sims	Agnes huffs. "It's not that... you can't just... okay, you /can/ go down into the afterlife, but you have to know where you're going, and it's... /Pharoahs/ go on Ra's barge. Common people just... go." She sort of waves a hand, vaguely.     "I have some theories about that, actually," Jon muses. "About the... nature of the Pharoahs. More than humans but not quite divine, bridging a gap between the worlds. Often depicted conquering enemies, and unifying disparate groups into a cohesive whole. Imbued with mantles of power that they didn't always live up to." He raises his brows. "Sound at all familiar?"     Agnes frowns thoughtfully. "You... think that a... 'superhero' might be the modern equivalent? That's... shaky. For one thing, you don't really fit the normal definition of a superhero, even /if/ you're right."     Jon sighs. "I know... Batman or Superman would be better candidates for that kind of thing, but it's what I've got. I'm sooooort of hoping my status leading the resistance will qualify me as enough of a 'war leader' to fit the technical definition. And that the gods are willing to work with me."     Agnes frowns. It's clear that she, as much as Jon, has to /understand/ what's going on in order to be satisfied. She reaches over to rub at Bear's ears. "I've never had marshmallows," she muses. She looks between Martin and Cael. "You're going to be out there with him, right? I... I'm used to being alone. It's okay."
Cael Becker	"Oh my //God,// Jon, and I don't think I fit the definition of a superhero either. That's... Cap shit." And definitely not her at all.     As Agnes says she's never had marshmallows, however, Cael takes a moment to simply //stare.// "...I should jump on my bike and get us marshmallows immediately. This girl has not yet lived. I mean-" Never had a marshmallow. Jesus.     Of course, at the same time she's thinking this - she hears a quiet whisper in her ear. 'On it.' ...where the hell is Alis going to get marshmallows? Does she even want to know?     After a glance towards Jon, she meets Agnes's eyes as she adds, "I'm supposed to be out there with Jon, yeah - watching his back. There's, umm... Something we need to pick up, so I can do a better job of that."
Martin Blackwood	"I'm on medical duty" Martin replies. "For personal reasons." He sips at his tea. "It... this entire thing doesn't sit well with me and I've had my crisis of faith already, I don't need another one."     He takes another sip. "So that's why I'll be with you. That is... if you're alright with that?" he asks hesitantly. He opens his mouth, "I think I have--" and then Alis is gone. He guesses his own stash of marshmallows is safe for the most part with Alis on the job.
Jonathan Sims	"I didn't mean... that's not for the people going to the gates. It's for /me/. I'm hoping that /I/ can go down the way Ra goes, because Ra comes back up without having to be a mummy." Jon frowns at Cael. "And anyway, Ma'at's connected to all of that."     Agnes blinks at him. "Oh, that's right! She is! That... might actually work, then," she says thoughtfully. Then she looks at Cael. "Thank you. For taking care of my father. It... it means a lot."     Jon almost chokes on his tea as Agnes says 'my father.' It's true, and he's /known/ it's true, but it's still... new.     To Martin, Agnes smiles. "I... don't mind. You... could tell me about my mother? Elias never... told me much, and you knew her, right?"
Cael Becker	"Yeah, well, he's important to me - so... I'd do it regardless," Cael replies - flashing the girl a brief smile, while Bear nuzzles at Agnes' hand to keeep her still petting.     Cael's eyes shift to Jon next, a shrug of her shoulders as she adds, "You know I don't get this whole afterlife thing. You're going to need to draw me diagrams. Or my a diorama. Maybe a stop-motion youtube video using Legos," she suggests with a grin.     That's when Alis reappears - a bag of marshmallows in hand. "Got some!"     "How did you...?"     "Sara's within range of a store," Alis answers in a bright tone.     "Did you pay for those?"     "....maaaaybe? Hey Agnes! Want to learn about //s'mores//?" she invites in a bright tone, before heading towards the kitchen.