Into the Lion's Den

With Xanadu's permission, Constantine removes a small piece of chalk and etches a doorway onto an empty wall.

He takes a deep breath and encourages Zach to do the same, and then pushes onto the chalk door, which opens directly into Shadowcrest.

The first thing to hit Zach is the smell. It doesn't feel tainted, or corrupted. It feels like it's always smelled this way, but the smell is wrong. Deathly. The smell that comes when a Voudoon king has occupied a place so fully that it has become his--or at least, occupied its owner.

And speaking of, she should be the next thing Zach should see. She's not bound physically, mind you, but her posture has a certain bend to it, as if a hand has shaped it too often the past few months.

And of course, the last thing he should see is the very angry face of the Voudoon king as he sees the intruder's in his home--though Constantine provkes a special ire.

The first magic blast slams both of them against the wall, and the second is readied. If the two thought this would be easy, now might be time to reconsider.

Assembling an Army

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?"

Time in Stitches

The younger Mordru returns to the Rock of Eternity - greeting his elder counterpart with a curt nod.

"Constantine will do as we require. We can use Nimue Ravensong as the substitute. Have you made the preparations?"

His older incarnation nods in confirmation, and speaks. "I foresee that we will also require an extra pawn, amongst the heroes. I have selected an agent that we can pull from the threads of time. His.. condition will necessitate placing him where he has access to someone with vast scientific acumen."

Both men moves towards the slumped, chained figure of Billy Batson - raising their hands, allowing the electrified power of Shazam to course through them, in unison.

"This will not go unnoticed, you realize."

"I would be a fool to assume otherwise."

Acting as one, the twin selves of the Chaos Sorcerer plunge their hands into the raw essence of time itself - and pull.

Darkness Rising

He's back in London. In Hyde Park, specifically, on the edge of Serpentine Lake. It feels somewhat appropriate, if he's pegged who's been watching him lately.

There is no incantation, no spell to summon this guy up. But then, John isn't coming to him, either. This bloke's been scrying on him for weeks, and John's just finally sick of it.

"All right. Take flesh, I command thee, blah blah blah. Stop watchin' your damned mystic tele and just bloody tell me what you want."

Why no, it hasn't occured to him to show more respect to someone as powerful as Mordru.

High Price for a Favour

For someone so demanding to go unnoticed, Thessaly seldom actually fits the bill. Everywhere she goes, she interacts with the world about her. Whether taking classes at a local university, or becoming regular customers at small cafes, there's always a few people who can say that yes, they know a quiet girl with mousy brown hair, thick glasses, who doesn't seem like the sort of person they should cross.

This time, the girl of that description has taken a part-time job as a waitress in a small diner. She's not nearly as friendly as the other waitresses, but she gets the job done and always gets tipped well regardless of who her customers are.

Of course, the man after her now doesn't know that description. He's never seen her before. But he'll know her when he does. Many of his peers don't even believe she exists, but he's too smart for that. Like all urban legends, the story of the last of the Thessalian witches of course holds true.

The danger, of course, is that she'll know him, too, as well as his reputation for getting everyone involved with him horribly killed. And she doesn't take well to being threatened, regardless of intent.

She's the first waitress at his table. And before he can order, or even say anything, she's thrown a drink into his face. No one but those two seem to notice.

"It reacts to magical energy. The smallest amount leaks out of you, and it'll burn straight through your skull. You have ten minutes to explain yourself, John Constantine, or I'll make you use magic."

(no subject)

One favor down, a couple to go. He thinks he has a line on the second one and something tells him the third is being taken care of. But that won't solve everything that needs to be taken care of. Just because he'll have put Papa Midnight and Zee back on equal terms it won't get the Bokor out of the way permanently.

His immortality made that a problem. But it may just be he has a line on how to take care of this one.

Which is why he ends up travelling to find a certain someone he'd helped get into Hell.

ssenkarD gnirehtaG

Papa Midnight's club is a popular scene for those who know what they want. In his perennially familiar back room, the Bokor has been busy. He stands over the remains of a goat's entrails on the exotically tiled floor. He's not liking what he sees.

Behind him, on a shelf, rest his works in progress -- poppet dolls of those whose identities Zatanna recently revealed to him. They are important tools of the trade, requiring but a small piece of their owner -- a hair, a drop of blood, a nail clipping -- to render them fully effective in his dark magics.

He flicks some ash from his cigar over the bloodied carcass, watching the blood as it seeps and trails, watching what it will tell him. It's a murky and clouded path. He considers summoning his sister to see what she can obtain through the carnal favors of her own damned soul once more. It makes him uneasy, even as intangible as it is.

He needs insurance. Papa Midnight looks towards the altar, the intricate veves bright in flickering candlight relief; his visage reflected in the glass holders, distorted and grotesque. When he feels uneasy, it means he has to take it out on someone.

Two words is all he needs.

Zatanna. Heel.

A tough job for a tough woman...

So.

She's here, at this house to meet this guy.

None of the information she has is too specific but Constantine said she didn't want to know what it was inside. Not specifically at least. The bundle is safe with her but it is fantastically creepy.

She doesn't want to know what is inside of it but what she does want to know is what is the fastest damned way for her to get it into the hands she needs to get it into and for her to get what Constantine to him.

So she can move on and deal with the huge mess that her life has become.

Friends don't let friends go crazy

"Oracle, patch me through to the Flash. Private JLA channel." She waits for the go-ahead, then plunges forward. "Flash, this is the Black Canary. How's Zatanna holding up? Are you still at Shadowcrest?"

Life sucks for everyone right now...

But Zatanna's gotta be at the top of the list.

Was a time Wally wouldn't have been a good candidate for this job of making sure Zee hasn't flipped her lid, but ever since that one night... and a few days afterwards... that they found each other in need, needless to say some kind of bond formed.

He only hopes it's enough. It wasn't the last time they spoke - she was closed off and a bit cryptic.

Now, he's here at Shadowcrest in Gotham City, ignoring the temptation to try to vibrate through the door, as the magic booby traps are likely out in force.

"Zee?" he greets, over a private line established by the League communicator - although chances are she can hear him no matter where he is on the property.

"Zee, it's me. How are you doing?"

The tone is worried, but trying to be steady.

For whom the notes toll

Washing dishes. It's about the only peaceful moment she has left what with her "houseguest" and all. Papa Midnight has no interest in physical labor so she's left alone when she's cleaning. Well...when she has time to actually, physically clean, and not just magic the chores done. Getting to do the hands on bit only happened when Midnight was busy with putting what she's shown him into practice, like he's doing now.

Gods....Midnight using my kind of magic. Jeezus, John! What were you thinking?!

She rakes her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face and leaving small mounds of suds clinging to the strands. A small sigh escapes her as she looks out the window over the kitchen sink into the yard. She's let the garden go to weed. Ivy has begun creeping its way through the flowerbeds, and fallen leaves have begun to litter the walkways.

She allows herself to get lost in musings of self-pity, comparing the garden's shoddy state with her own situation, but the moment is interupted. Her brows lower as she thought she heard something, a series of...musical notes?..off to the left in the yard where she can't see from here.

Dishtowel in hand and brows furrowed in suspicious confusion, Zee goes out Shadowcrest's garden door to investigate.

Loosened lips

"eldnac etingi"

The long tapered wax candle slagged into a molten pool, marring the antique table and the rug beneath. The wick remained untouched and unburnt.

Rubbing his eyes, he left the other candle as it was. Setting the practice aside selected a new cigar. Lighting it, he considered his recent visit.

He had a feeling the things were going to go south. Nothing concrete. Just a feeling. All things being equal, it seemed smart to plumb as much as he could while able.

"Zatanna, heel."

Reach Out

A conversation like this isn't held over an unsecured line. Ascertaining the magician's current location takes a single inquiry and several moments. The information gives him reason to pause. Shadowcrest was the last place he expected her to be. Nevertheless, the number dialed corresponds.

"Zatanna."

Moody's in New York City.

Wally West doesn't drink much. When he has to, though - say, after he learns his ex-wife is officially remarried - he comes to the Apple.

Where he used to live with the original Titans. Where they'd get bored and list off bars in the city they'd go to once they were 21, but never really got around to the full list. So Wally keeps the quest going on these rare occasions of intense sorrow drowning.

The name of the place fits his state of mind.

Information streams

--Die DemonstrantInnen beabsichtigten, beim Zug durch Benrath mit Zwischenkundgebungen die Bürger--

--of the Green Party has demanded An Garda Siochana scrap an allegedly racist rule--

--Oracle, I'm moving towards the Bogatago border. Can you confirm no hostiles in pursuit?

Alerted to her callsign, she checks. "You're clear. Do you require any further assistance?"

"No--as long as I can keep running. Let the Burdlesons know their daughter'll be home soon."

"Acknowledged. Oracle out."

All in a day's or night's work. Then a different signal attracts her attention, and she shunts traffic monitoring over to the appropriate AI. "Oracle here, Aquaman. Go."

One golden glance of what should be

A certain esuoh on a certain teerts in San Francisco. A certain igam is jogging up the few stairs to the porch, humming under her breath as she fumbles with the front door keys to let herself in.

It's the first time she's been back since Arthur returned. Some of the stuff she had at Shadowcrest while she was researching how to get him back got sent back here, and now was a good time for her to unpack it while Arthur was dealing with business. She planned on being back in Sub Diego in time for him to get home.

That plan seemed to turn into the smoke she smelled inside her house as soon as she got through the door. Her heart gave one wild thump before she frowned darkly and made to storm into the living room, the source of the offensive odor.

"John, I swear to every god there is! If you think-"

And she comes to an immediate halt once she rounds the corner and spots the man who is decidely NOT her ex on her living room couch.