Welcome to Gaia! ::

When Zia had texted that first Thursday date was going to be a no go, Jada had promptly replied with a confirmation that it was A-OK, a fact she was extra grateful when she barely slept the night before. Something that didn't get any better for her. Hella Bells, what sleep she could get was fitful at best.

Zia showing up in tears and promptly asking for booze- taking one look at the wild-eyed woman, who might be as tired as Jada herself, caused the dark-haired girl to nod and close the door behind them. "In Dad's study," she said, and bent down to admire the puppy. "Hello you." He was A++ cutie!

Leading Zia up the marble staircase and down to the left wing of the mansion, Jada opened the door to her father's study, gesturing to the leather chairs. "I suspect you may have the capacity to lie," she said cheerfully. "Seems to be something all us magical freaks have in common. I am exhausted, actually, and rather wish I was back in a Tartarus-induced coma so at least I wouldn't have to deal with my body."

Castor stalked into the room, attracted by the scent of intruder. He spurred to Zia, possibly faintly remembering her, possibly just approving of the fact it was a female hoo-mun. "Watch out for him, he has been attacking people lately. He tried to jump out the window at the gardener and climbed up the leg of a couple staff applicants." Male, but she wasn't going to risk giving no warning.

As she opened the cupboard on the side, revealing a selection of beverages, the feline hopped up on the desk, glaring at the floppy canine. "Whiskey, port, sherry, brandy? Vodka? She pulled open the mini fridge, eying what was inside. "Wine? Champagne? Midori?"

"Whiskey," Jada agreed with her friend and promptly opened the mini-fridge and pulled out three cubes of ice. Chucking them in a glass, she filled it to the brim with the last of her dad's bottle of Chivas. "If you don't like it, I have Glenfiddich or Macallan." She brought the bottle to the table, along with her cell phone and her own beverage of choice- a large glass full of water. For now. "Pizza or Chinese on demand, I haven't hired a chef yet."

Sitting down across the table from Zia, she grabbed Castor and hauled him into her lap, away from the puppy and the house guest. She lifted the water towards her lips, taking a drink. And then setting it down with a loud thump and an incredulous stare at the other human in the room. "Tartaros? You found it? How do you-" She paused, as she remembered her own experience in there. And what had been lost, on the waking.

Jaw clenching, she let the toyger hop off her lap to go strolling towards the puppy and the houseguest, purring as though he were the most adorable thing in the world. "How did you find it?" First question first. Was Zia off doing stupidly dangerous things without her?

Clinking glasses with Zia, Jada's head tilted to the side as she watched the other woman chug. And people thought she had a drinking problem? "You know it has been a bad week when it culminates in watching someone chug 6 ounces of 50-year old brandy." Standing, she moved to the cabinet and brought out two bottles of the Glenfiddich, setting one down on the table and opening the other, refilling Zia's glass. "Nurse this one."

Sitting down, she tried to modify her interest in the story. She knew Zia had loved Helen deeply, but Jada had known Dylan- Alexandros- the better of the pair, and (obviously) Johnny. Ares had been the only Parallel she had gotten particularly close to, not having had the chance to know Helen much at all, and Gaia not having had a host who had been close to Jada and so more... driven? She supposed that was a good word for it.

"Helen's mirror?" She wanted to make sure she understood. And- Zia had been looking for a way home all this time? Well, home for- for Zirconia, and Laocoon, now. Ares was corrupted, if she was still around, and Gaia- she didn't know what had happened to her. Aphrodite and Hector were both dead. As far as she knew, those were the only parallels to have made it over.

".... Dy- Alex's- sister?" Alex had been the- Cavalier of Oblivion. Made sense his sister would be the priestess of Tartaros. Hells bells. She took a long swig of water, emptying the glass, then tossed the ice into a potted plant and poured her own glass up with whiskey. "You're not a failure." She swallowed, mimicking Zia's own action with the first glass.

"What did you tell her?" she asked, once she was able to breathe again and her eyes had stopped watering.

The regret would be lingering for some time, Jada sensed as she blinked watery eyes at her friend. under the table, the cat bumped his head up against Zia's leg, and then rudely hopped into her lap, purring.

"In his sleep." Jada snorted rudely. "In his coma." Something bitter there? Maybe. Maybe not. With a shaking hand, trying to hide the look of complete disgust on her face, she poured a half glass of whiskey for herself and topped off Zia's own.

It was a clever trick that she had used to open the mirror. "It isn't your fault, Zia. Helen couldn't know that after she was gone everything would go to-" she laughed dryly, "To Tartaros, I suppose? More fitting than calling it Hell." the liquor was going straight to her head, and Jada leaned forward, letting her own thump against the table. "When you decide where to go, tell me. I owe Alex something I was never able to repay him." Not like Cassandra could lay claim to that debt from her side of the mirror, and not like Jada could do much to help her, but helping Zirconia get home? That was something she could do, even as a civilian. She tilted her head on the table, gazing at the Cat-possessed gurlfren solemnly.

And then heaved a large sigh. "As for a huge a** mirror, I have a few of those. They'd gotten set up for Dylan and Fallon, but they're still all around the place. If you find keeping it in the basement isn't... secure enough, or whatever."

..... "Half youma? What- they are breeding now? With humans? And your-" Jada pursed her lips. "So are we drinking til we pass out, or are we going to take a chill pill and find another room with a bit less alcohol in it where you can rant all night and I validate how bad the men in your life suck?"

"Did you ever see my scars?" Jada asked curiously, now that they were on the topic of reminiscing, she was going to go all out. Zia was busting herself with petting Castor and he didn't seem to be ripping her face off, so Jada didn't move from her position to do anything more than refill their glasses.

Some of the scars were still there, the faintest of lines. Senshi healing had saved her life, and yet some of it still haunted her. They were lower down though, lingering around the carefully placed BMC tattoo.

"As the oldest sister to five," well, four, now, "I have to say I can sympathize with her feelings. It was hard enough finding out Kayley had been murdered because of me. If they had all..." She closed her eyes. "I would want revenge. I still do, but I am never going to get it. And she can't even hold their bodies." Taking a sip of the whiskey, Jada nodded to Zia. "Well, if you need any help with it, or want company... I am here now."

The bitter laugh was almost as surprising as the news that followed. "They are insane," she said lowly, "And they still have a foothold here?" More than a foothold. The Negaverse was going for a large, greedy handful. "I still have the crystal I snatched from the... Corpse. I think. I haven't seen it since I last powered up."

Eying her friend, Jada came to a decision. "I vote we go beat up your ex. Somehow I think that is a no, though. So let's just keep going as we are going. Might want to switch to something other than whiskey though, if we want to want to live in the morning.

Zia got another refill. "We were both tossing a little bullshit at lunch though. A restaurant isn't exactly where you rant and rave about magical politics." Or the lack of them. "I am glad you cracked a bottle over his head. Did you keep hitting him, or was one enough?" Jada nursed another sip, debating going and grabbing more water.

She probably would have kept hitting. Just on principle, though probably not with a bottle. That was a long time to end like that!