Assembling an Army

[mucous-magus.livejournal.com]

Almost as if to answer Zachary Zatara's query, John Constantine steps through the hanging beads guarding Madame Xanadu's doorway.

An aura of change lingers about his presence, with more than a bit of taint to accompany it. It's something Zach will likely not pick up on, but Xanadu will have no problems identifying just what Constantine has done.

Of course, if all goes to plan, by the end of this it won't be what he's done, but what someone else did. An idea which should bother him more than it does, but he hasn't the time for guilt. Not at the moment.

"Him? He's the big help you promised me? Her kid-cousin who can't even pull a rabbit out of a hat, magic or no? This is the last time I take your advice without reading your cards myself."

Constantine takes a long puff from his cigarette, and then turns towards Zach, actually ready to address him no.

"Well, like it or not, looks like you get to be the Calvary. Anything to say to inspire the troops?"

Comments

[greatest-zatara.livejournal.com]

Zach's jaw tightens at the insipid interloper's remarks. He storms over and grabs Constantine by the collar, energy crackling about his fist.

"Don't ever call me a kid. I'm going to rescue my cousin, and unfortunately, yours is the only aid I can enlist at the moment." His eyes blaze with ill intentions.

[mucous-magus.livejournal.com]

John's face belies no reaction, especially not the awe or fear Zach seemed to hope to inspire.

Instead, he blows a puff of smoke straight into Zach's face, smoke which produces a much greater coughing fit than one would expect a cigarette to do.

"So you've finally moved in to your big boy pants. 'Bout time. Think you can save all your flashy mumbo jumbo until we get to Midnight's, or do you wanna go ahead and spend it all now? I'm sure Zee won't mind being chained up a few more days, so long as it's your doing."

[greatest-zatara.livejournal.com]

Smoke? Please. What kind of stage magician can't deal with tar and sulfur in his face? Smoke and mirrors were his business.

Settle down Zach. Put the angry showman back in the box.

Swallowing his annoyance, he let the limey go. "Do you have a plan?"

[mucous-magus.livejournal.com]

"Of course I have a plan, though I admit it relied on a little more power than you've got on hand. Still, you'll do well enough."

John takes a seat opposite Madame Xanadu, and picks some of her cards up off the table.

"All right, so the High Priestess here--Zatanna, for your benefit--is being held captive by The Hanged Man--Papa Midnite."

The cards are laid out on the table, and John draws a few more from the deck.

"What happens next is, The Fool barges in--that one's me--and engages the Hanged Man directly. Meanwhile, the Page of Cups--shame, Xana's deck couldn't even give you a Major--sneaks in and free's the High Priestess, all while The Moon back there"--a thumb is pointed back towards Madame Xanadu--"sits on her ass and takes credit for organizing the plan. Don't mind her, she's always a bit of a glory hog."

With the cards all spread out, John gives them each a quick once-over with his hands.

"All clear?"

[greatest-zatara.livejournal.com]

Zach glares venomously at the deck, rather than at Constantine.

Kill you.

No, scratch that. Death is fleeting. Embarrassment is lasting.

"The Page is a figure of entertainment and illusion. Expansion, and a new way of doing things." Zach speaks mostly to himself. He certainly doesn't feel like he has to defend his reputation to the wanker.

Nope, not at all. Surely not.

"I don't have time to come up with a different plan as it is." That's the closest John will get to an admission that his plan is sound enough. "One important question though. Has Midnite taken control of Shadowcrest from her permanently, or is he just holding the power? Even if we free Zanna, if he's severed her bond, we won't make it out."

Well? Let's hear it, adept.

[mucous-magus.livejournal.com]

"Hey, I didn't choose the card. You wanna argue with it, take it up with Xanadu."

He's rather impressed the boy asked his question, though. It's a good one.

"I don't know. The house hasn't been a fan of me for a while, and I don't know what he's taken from her. It really all depends on if he's asked her for it. The curse demands that she's his--whatever he asks of her, she has to do. We won't know until we're there."

His cigarette over, he contemplates taking another from his pack, but decides against it for the time being.

"Still, even if we can't make it out, don't you wanna say that you saved her? 'Cause this plan, it relies on you. I'm just the distraction."

[greatest-zatara.livejournal.com]

Zachary is quiet for a moment, then bursts into snickers. "He turned Zanna into a djinn for his own personal use? Oh sweet rock of eternity..." He wipes a tear from his eye. "She may have destroyed him with his own poorly worded requests by the time we get there."

He cleared his throat and straightened himself up, glancing at Constantine's flickering gaze towards his cancer sticks. He rolled his eyes, then gestured. "Enitocin hctap." A strip of medical latex soaked in medication appeared on the wanker's neck. "Just so you're not reaching for your next drag in the heat of battle."

A few more doses of backwards speech, and his tux is traded for something a bit more practical and mobile. Zanna's costume, he had to admit, allowed for a lot of movement, but damned if he'd ever be seen in it. It wasn't as if this hero thing was going to be a recurring event.

"I don't want to say that I saved her. I just want to save her." Where family was concerned, fame (shockingly) took a backseat. "I'm ready."

[mucous-magus.livejournal.com]

"Poorly worded requests? Kid, you know nothing about Papa Midnite. She's not a genie--she's a Voodoun slave."

The patch gets ripped off, but he doesn't reach for another cigarette. This kid has a lot to learn about Constantine's brand of magic.

A hand goes rummaging through his jacket, and he gives a small bottle to Zach.

"Take this. When you get to Zee, you need to take her by the hands. One hand on top of hers, one hand below, and you pour this over. It's going to burn--it's probably even going to bleed--but you'll be fine. This should get Midnite's chains off of Zee, and when she's free, the two of you can knock out Midnite and restore Shadowcrest."

[greatest-zatara.livejournal.com]

He was serious, looking back at John. "You're right. I don't know anything about him. Which is the reason I came to Xanadu for help, and why I'm accepting yours."

Zach raised an eyebrow, the potion tickling his magical senses even through the glass of the bottle. He didn't trust Constantine any further than he could throw him, and wished there was time to analyze the brew.

But there wasn't.

"Pain doesn't scare me." He pocketed the bottle and cracked his knuckles. The warlock pact he'd forged had him filled to the brim with destructive eldritch invocations. He could scarcely stand the wait to unleash them.

He'd apologize for the likely damages to Shadowcrest later.