milliways_bar | (no subject)

*Plops down beside the older man, his arms crossed relaxedly across his chest. His face turns as if watching the crowd.*

Evening Peter.

"Evening, Tim," Peter says calmly, wondering if Tim is upset about being escorted away from the Rider a few nights back. "How are you?"

*A wry grin as he turns to Peter.*

Pretty good actually. I wanted to thank you again. For worrying.

"I tend to worry about everyone. Lately, anyway." Peter's swift and sardonic grin echoes Tim's, for a moment before vanishing.

"I wanted to run away from the Rider myself. He scares me."

*A small frown.*

Dark Rider? Hmmm.... I actually had already spoken with him. He used a different name.

"Dark Rider. Or Black Rider. He's calling himself Aphelise." Peter looks Tim in--well, in where Tim's eyes should be. His voice strives for light-heartedness but does not quite achieve it. "The Rider wasn't very happy with me, I'm afraid. Apparently it's quite tacky of slaves of evil to quit and start working for the other side."

Mhmm. They do like to think so.

*Frownign to himself.*

Do you think he's going to be a problem?

"Tim," says Peter patiently. "There are a number of formerly evil people in this bar that the Dark would just love to reclaim. There are also a lot of decent people with destinies that can affect their worlds--like you. There are also many evil beings and people in this bar who would be deeply grateful for a chance to be more violent, or to be more overtly evil, than the bar currently allows. I don't see how there couldn't be trouble.

"But I bet you would have a hard time proving that the Rider is doing any business in the bar at all."

Ah. Proof. I think, hereabouts, proof tends to come from the words of people. If respectable people, IE bar staff, actually witness something.... It's a lot easier to get permission to act on it.

*A slight sigh*

But yes, i understand. Heh. Who knows? Maybe the bar brought him here to eb reformed.

"Or to test the resolve of those who wish to reform." Peter frowns. "Still seems awfully risky, though.

"At any rate," he says, abruptly switching subjects, "How are you doing at getting your eyes and magic back?"

*Snaps his fingers. Nothign happens.*

Zip. Bubkis. If i were anyone else, i might be gettign worried.

"But of course, you're not. Because there's nothing to worry about." A suddent thought occurs to Peter. "Do you still have the knowledge of how to apply the magic, if you have it? Or did Raph get the magic AND the knowledge of spells, charms, potions, etc.?"

oh no, i still know hwo to cast spells.... Er...wait.....

*Turns towards Peter.*

What now?

"I was thinking that if you still remembeed how to transfer magic back, You could talk Raph through the actual mechanics of it. And then once you had your magic back, you could retrieve your eyes."

Magic...back? Raph?

*Holds up a ahnd.*

Wait a minute, i think i missed a stop here.

Peter shrugs.

"Heard from a few people about Raph doing...odd stuff. No specifics.

"Considering how oddly magic reacts around him, I thought--well. Worth looking into, anyway. But I haven't seen him to ask."

[OOC: And apologies for falling asleep mid-thread last night. ::blushes and scowls::]

*As Tom walks back from the bar with a fresh drink, he notices Peter sitting in the corner. He smiles and approaches his table.*

Good evening, Peter. I've not seen you for an age.

*He notices Peter's bloodshot eyes and exhausted state and looks concerned.*

Are you alright?

Peter bows his head solemnly. "Lord Ostium of the House of Arch. Good to see you; I haven't seen you about in ages, either. Congratulations and felicitations on your bonding to Lady Door."

He can't help but grin. "Lord Ostium sounds like a much better title than the other. Particularly because that's someone that Voldemort never was.

"Am I all--oh. Yes. Just up late ransacking what medical magic books the bar could provide. I've a new patient. He's immortal and regenerative. Unfortunately, the regeneration doesn't work very well. He's suffered a considerable amount of disfigurement. He's also in perpetual agony. There's a cure for the pain in his world, but it's NOT acceptable; the cure would make him the carrier of a contagion, infecting everyone he met with a fatal plague.

"I'm trying to find a way to end the pain, or at least treat it, without turning the poor devil into Typhoid Mary. So far, though, there's nothing. Almost everything related to medical magic and pain is listed under:'See Crucio.' Thanks ever so, books." Peter sighs.

"By the way...I met a rather unpleasant"--being? entity?--"patron of the bar recently. Calls himself Aphelise. Avoid him if you can, will you?"

[OOC: And again, apologies for falling asleep mid-thread last night. ::blushes::]

*Tom ducks his head, smiling. Hearing others call him by his new name and title will take some getting used to.*

Thank you, Peter. I'm... I'm beyond happy.

I always wanted to rule the world by the time I turned thirty. Not that I rule London Below - no one does - but I can help Door guide my new world. The best bit is that no Dark magic or cruelty or evil was involved in achieving my station. Love - it's truly more powerful than any magic, Dark or Light, that I've ever experienced.

Peter, I might have some books that you'd be able to use - I'll bring them to you. I picked up a wide variety of books over our holiday, including some old healing texts. They're all in medieval French, and I've not had a chance to scan through them yet, but you're welcome to them if you'd like.

As for Aphelise, I've already met him. He seems a right insolent bastard. What do you know of him, besides the fact that he radiates Darkness?

(OOC: I'm putting the Slow in Slow time today - stuff piled up that I can't avoid :( Maybe we can finish this in the evening. SORRY!)

Peter smiles. "You're welcome, Tom. And you look beyond happy.

"You're right about love, too. Do you sometimes wonder how you ever survived without it? Because I look back sometimes at who and what I was, and I can't believe it. I find myself thinking, 'My God, was that me?' This--love's more powerful than any Transfiguration spell I've ever imagined.

He gazes gratefully at Tom as the latter offers the use of the medieval healing texts. "I'll take you up on the use of the books, Tom. And thank you."

He bites his lip. "I hope I can find something. The poor chap's been living without hope for so long that he's afraid to try, now. It's easier for him to just sink into a stupor and endure the pain, because it never ends, and he can't even kill himself to get away from the pain."

Peter bows his head. "It wasn't so very long ago that I...re-living Crucio for years, even in nightmares, can be terrible. And Voldemort took away the option of suicide, long ago. So I have to do something for Raven, you see.

"As for Aphelise," Peter concludes grimly, "I know a fair bit. For one thing, he's not human. I think he was, once, a long time ago, maybe at the dawn of time. But he hasn't been human for millions upon millions of years. Second, he's dangerous. Lethal, or worse.

"And third, he doesn't just radiate Darkness. He's a part of Darkness. His title--or one of them--is Great Lord of the Dark. He's from the world of Jane Drew and Will Stanton...and is Will's opposite number. Will is an Old One--one of the guardians and protectors of Light in their world. Old Ones are immortal and can traverse time and space. It might interest you to know that one of the Old Ones has deeply affected our own world. Will's mentor. Merriman Lyon. Merlion." Peter grins, briefly. "By the way, he doesn't have a beard, and he says that he'll thank us all to stop swearing by his various body parts.

"Will's world had a final confrontation between the Light and the Dark a few years ago. The Light won. Humans got the right to determine their destiny without interference. The Old Ones left the world--except for Will, who stayed behind as a watchman, just in case the Dark tried to pull something--and the Dark was cast outside of time and space. Unfortunately...that's exactly when and where Milliways is. All the people from all the worlds in all the universes--it's a veritable smorgasbord for the Dark.

"Aphelise--I call him the Black Rider, because Will does--well, it's my own fault. I attracted his attention. He was going after Jane Drew, trying to get her to ask him for help with her nightmares. You know how that works. Sometimes evil has to be invited in. Will and Moiraine knew what he was, but Jane...well. And Will and Moiraine were upset and furious and--I had to step in. Even though being around him was like being in a black hole of evil. Even though I couldn't stop shaking and wanted to bolt. God, I hate being a coward."

Peter sighs. "After that, he sought me out. He noticed the taint of Darkness in me, he said. And he couldn't quite figure out what I was doing supporting the likes of Will and Moiraine. He wasn't best pleased that a former slave of the Dark had quit and turned toward the Light. And at the end, I'm afraid I inadvertently made him angry. I told him that his side wasn't worth serving."

[OOC: Considering that it took me an hour to type this post, all I can say is yay, slowtime! Don't worry about it. We finish when we finish.]

*Tom listens thoughtfully as Peter speaks. So this Aphelise is more powerful than he had judged. He hated that - if there was one thing Tom disliked even now, it was not being right. And yet... Aphelise had not thought it worth bothering Tom further. That was a good sign. Perhaps.*

I don't think you were a coward, Peter. After all, you did step in, even though you were terrified. I was, perhaps, not as sensitive to his presence as you were. My comfort level with exposure to Darkness is greater than yours, because my capacity for Darkness is greater. The taint within you was forced - you never sought it out, as did I.

He actually amused me, in a twisted way, oozing over to me with the "what's a charming, up and coming young man like you doing in a place like this" line. Thinking me to be a minion he could sway under his control.

*Tom laughs harshly, but even now he feels the Darkness whispering inside him, awakened from its slumber by Aphelise's presence. He pushes down the seductive sensations forcefully.*

Has Aphelise broken any more of the Milliways rules, besides bothering this Jane girl? He said he's here on a long break, but "assured" me he hadn't brought his work to the bar. As long as he follows the rules, I think keeping a cautious eye on him would be a good course of action. After all, Crowley is technically a part of the Darkness. I cringe to think of the things for which he's responsible in the wide world. Yet here he seems to do well enough, as far as not tempting or, erm, causing trouble.

*Tom reflects on the times Crowley has caused trouble of one kind or another.*

Hmm. I won't swear by Merlin's beard - *Tom winks* - but we might have a problem. Between all of us keeping watch over this latest Dark Lord, we ought to be able to keep him reined in. Moiraine alone should be able to deal with him - I certainly wouldn't want to get on her bad side again. I assume Aziraphael knows of his presence?

Peter looks nothing if not frustrated. "Like I said,you'd have a hard time proving he's doing business in the bar. And he doesn't do business in a violent way. Considering that the bar isn't consistent about punishing those who are violent, I doubt if she's going to punish a creature of Darkness who oils his way into people's confidence.

"And Tom"--Peter is plainly very serious. "To the Rider, all mortals who serve the Dark are minions and slaves. To him, you were no less a minion than I was. You just led a whole bunch of lesser minions, that's all. You have to remember that you are not and never were the Rider's equal, and that most of your magic is useless against him. The Rider has few equals on the Dark side, and fewer superiors.

"He doesn't take kindly to the suggestion that one can resign from the Dark's service, either. I would imagine he wants to get you back very badly. After all, Voldemort was so good at creating pain, madness, torment, guilt, chaos and death. A minor slave, in the grand scheme of things. But such a useful insect.

Peter surveys Tom with a probing expression. "He was most interested in trying to terrify me into serving again. Stirring up my old nightmares, that kind of thing. Well...that did work the last time. After he saw that wasn't going to work this time, he suggested that sometimes you have to serve the Dark out of necessity--one of my oldest rationalisations--or to get what you desire. That last was outdated by a few months. I have everything I want now. But a few months back...yes, it might have worked. My initial affiliation with the Dark might have been forced, yes--but I did a lot of evil freely and of my own choice, once I did join the Death Eaters. Don't ever think that I was guiltless, because I wasn't.

"What did Aphelise do with you?" Peter peers at Tom curiously. "Hit you in the ego? Get you boasting proudly of your power, and how you don't use the Dark in your spells any longer, but you could?

"And don't compare him with Crowley. Crowley's a demon, yes. But he's capable of things like love and friendship and loyalty. He's practically human. Aphelise--the Rider--isn't capable of those things. He despises the taint of humanity. The Rider is far more evil than Crowley ever dreamed of being. The Rider is like a black hole of evil.

"Moiraine isn't around to deal with him right now," Peter adds. "She's retreated physically to the Dreaming for a few days. Faust taunted and mocked her for his own entertainment, then tried to grope her. She bound him in weaves of Air and Spirit, so that he cannot move, speak, do magic, hear or see. He's in the security office now. And, as I said, Moiraine was so upset that she fled to the Dreaming. So she can't guard against the Rider, not at the moment.

"And I have not seen Aziraphale for weeks. I would rather doubt that he does know. And I wouldn't want to test his strength--remember, he could do nothing when Hastur and Ligur entered the bar. The Rider chills me far worse than those two do."

*Tom's face takes on a rather petulant expression.*

I didn't boast about my power. I merely stated that if the issue were forced I would not appreciate it, and I had the power to back that up. I did not say I could use Dark magic, if I wanted to.

*He looks away*

I wouldn't use it. Not unless it was the last option I had to save someone I loved. Perhaps not even then. I might not be able to come back from it...

*He faces Peter again.*

I know you're concerned, Peter, and rightly so. What do you suggest we do about it? There are more powerful entities here that will be on our side than not, Peter. I can speak with Aziraphael the next time I see him.

I refuse to be afraid of this Aphelise. That gives him more power. He will not trick me or sway me.

"Morpheus and Desire will be on our side, if I ask," Peter muses. "Dream already helped get Tim Hunter away from the Rider once. Tim's another one with a destiny, you know. he can either save his world...or destroy. And he hasn't done either, yet.

"In the end, however, I think there is just so much the bar can do. People are going to have to face him, to see how much their resolve means to them. The bar's not much for coddling, you know. If it were, lies and secrets would be much easier to keep around here.

"And I am afraid of Aphelise, Tom," he adds. "And I think there's good reason to be afraid. But I won't let my fear get in the way of telling him 'no.'"

*Tom nods. He is more determined than ever. Aphelise is a challenge to his newfound life, and Tom Riddle never backed down from a challenge.*

Good.

London Below is a place of powerful magic and some of it is within me now. It's extremely ironic, I know, but I will do what I can to protect both you and Liz. After all, you live in the House of Arch. If nothing else, you both will be safe there.

And speaking of your lady, how is Liz?

Peter bows his head in acceptance. "Thank you, Tom. And I thank you for being willing to use your position as Door's consort to protect Liz and me.

"Liz is well," he adds, smiling. "We have most of the wedding planned. We're just debating ceremonies at the moment. I'd as soon go with the ceremony she would have had from the Book of Common Prayer, back in her time. It's simple, and very like the Catholic service. Liz wants something different, though, and I'm not sure what that is yet."

*Tom smiles.*

That's wonderful, Peter. Door and I've not really discussed much about our wedding besides Ingress being flower girl, an appointment which has apparently delighted her to no end. However, since we are, for all practical purposes, married already, the actual wedding will be a pleasant formality. I think there are London Below traditions Door wishes to incorporate. Hopefully they'll not include anymore bloodletting.

*He holds up his palms to show the healed scars from the Ritual and grins.*

Peter grins back. It's good to see Tom so happy.

"I have to ask," he says. "What's it like now, being an Opener? I know it takes training, like any other magic--but...do you feel any different?"

*Tom ponders a moment, his face lighting up.*

It's amazing... It's not so much that I feel different, as I am different. I can't really describe it - not with words. I mean, I'm still me, with all my flaws, but it's like... it's like I'm part of something vast and ancient now, like I'm tapping into a magic much more primal than what we know. I feel that inside me, and when I Open something - and it's damned tricky sometimes, let me tell you - I feel it even more so.

The actual process of Opening is much like Transfiguration. It's as if you're visualizing the change you want, but instead of changing an object, you're seeking something hidden inside of it. Something that very much wants to be open.

Door says my skills are coming along much quicker than she thought they would.

Peter smiles. Tom's joy is positively infectious.

"It sounds like it makes you feel more nearly...whole," he says slowly. "Like you're doing what you were always supposed to be doing, even if you didn't know it. Like something's Opened in you."

I told Door that once, you know. I told her that she had found and opened doors within me that I didn't know existed.

*He smiles again, softly*

That's exactly it - I feel whole.

Peter, it has been very good to talk with you, but I think it's time for me to get home.

I'll owl you those books right away. We'll deal with this Aphelise. Who knows, maybe he'll meet an angel of his own. Stranger things have certainly happened here. In any case, we'll all look out for each other.

"Thank you, Tom." Peter smiles at him once more. "For everything. And good night."

Good night, Peter. Tell Liz I said hello.

*Tom waves as he walks to the House of Arch painting.*

(ooc: Yay! It was much fun! We will do this more often I hope, if I can carve out the time.)

*Bernard rushes over, white as a sheet and stammering.*

Peter--Aziraphael--belladonna--henbane (http://www.livejournal.com/community/milliways_bar/1105037.html?thread=40318861#t40318861).

And Peter dashes off to the poisoned Aziraphale (http://www.livejournal.com/community/milliways_bar/1105037.html?thread=40330893#t40330893), crystal case in hand.