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Constantine had the hole place half tossed but weirdly it was at least mostly… sorted in a way Strange might've done. Was Strange here? That remains to be seen but the Sorcerer Supreme wasn't in the habit of housekeeping for his residents, on loan or not. What was certain was the work table was clean; scary clean. The wizard in question was sitting in front of the fireplace that was not moving as it out as the flames stayed parted in the middle forming almost a ring. John was writting a letter using a book on abyssal flora as support.
Lindon is just the sort who would notice that rearranging, too. Keen eye on this one, when his head isn't in the clouds. He knocks on the door and waits. There's something odd about the look of him. The eye wants to slide off his form and look past him like he's not there. It's not an invisibility spell, rather more of a 'no see 'em' concoction. Lindon is there, but he's not important enough to focus on. It's an effect someone who knows him can counter well enough, but it's certainly disconcerting.
Constantine couldn't be arsed to get up, and usually wasn't this flagrant but the lock and knob spun and slowly the door fell to open. "It's open." were the words from teh Englishman. Well he was talking today and there was no chanting and summoning up nether things. Calm for a Friday around here. Without looking up he pointed, "Kettle's over there Lindon." Not that Lindon spoke or that he looked up from his letter. The near empty bottle of sctch may have something to do with this.
Lindon steps in and looks around, pondering the way things have been arranged. He closes the door behind him and makes his way over to the kettle, a little awkward as he helps himself to the cupboard for tea and a mug. "I thought I would check in on you. Besides, it's good to get out of the house. I was going to Lambert's once in awhile, warded all the way, but his father turned me into a satyr and it seems dangerous now."
Constantine commented, half distracted, but with his usual opinion on these things for Lindon all the more as the man had a way of pulling words out of him, "Never trust a man that kids about goats." There's your three-way pun for the day. Still the wizard was pouring over his work and called to reach the following room. "Have somethin' for you before we leave."
Lindon barely suppresses a laugh at the turn of phrase. John is clever, and that alone means Lindon approves of him. "I'm just glad to be back to normal. I think my primal self is a bit domineering." He makes his tea, then brings the mug over to the table, helping himself to a place to sit. "Where are you going?" he asks.
Constantine finished the letter in fountain ink, and let it dry. "Away. To take care of somehting I should have almost twenty years ago, mate." And with that he set it aside, and called a bit of the fire out of the fireplace and up to his cigarette to light it. Flashy bastard. He nodded to the other chair and looked ruefully to Lindon. "Sit. There's some things we need to discuss which involves how this all started, why we're hunted, and how Aloys fucked us both… and I helped him."
Lindon watches the summoned fire with interest. He's quite a bit more understated, but these flashes of, well, flashiness? They intrigue him. He takes a seat, cupping his mug of tea in both hands. "That sounds like quite a story," he says. "I'd be interested in hearing it." Sure, he could rifle through his mind if he wanted to, but there's something better, something more organic and personal to hearing it from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
Cassidy comes down from upstairs.
Cassidy heads up the steel staircase
Constantine had finished cleaning up the downstairs a little too organized for John M.F. Constantine. Be that as it may, he did. Last two days he's been building folios to leave with interested parties it seemed, and presently, aletter with ink drying on it was sitting now on the small table beside the fireplace chair where his arse was parked. "The short story is you remember when we met, well… a bit there after, my ex- tried to kill me in this flat?" Nope. Not awkward at all.
Lindon sits at the same table, sipping tea from a mug he holds in both long-fingered hands. He's always pale, but these days he's gotten a little whiter. He hasn't spent much time outside under an open sky, hasn't felt the sunshine on his face save for glimpses through windows. "I do," he tells Constantine. "I mean, I know of it. I don't remember the details of being there. I just know what they are." He grimaces at the mention of the ex trying to kill Constantine. That is rather awkward.
Cassidy comes shuffling down the stairs, muttering something to himself in gaelic that is nonspecific and too low to really be heard. He makes his way into the room and starts poking about here, and there, and then he pauses and asks, "Did you bloody clean?" He eyes John, squinting. "Since when do /You/ bloody clean?" It's almost accusatory. No, it's most certainly accusatory.
Constantine was about to answer Lindon but turned a defiant squint to Cass instead. "I'm trying t'see if it's bloody possible to give the dead a heart attack. it's for bloody science, ya wank." Okay, that… actually cheered him up a bit. The scotch was almost gone but all the same he picked the bottle up with two fingers and idly offered it. "I ran the math Lindon. Aloys tried t'kill me to gain my power…bloody ingrate. But, thre years after that tells meI'm on some list and people are coming for me and he hangs up becuase he has a plan and poof here you are… in order to know about the list? He had to know the people hunting us and swallowing souls was never in his skillset. I sure as bloody hell never taught him…He kept trying to get me to teach him but I didn't… Lindon, Aloys was with them. That's how he knew about me. That's why he made you. He was trying to steal Hargrove's research and make a play… and it didn't work when I didn't die and it tipped his hand." He didn't say why it didn't work precicely.
Lindon offers the vampire a shy smile and says, "Hello Cassidy. I brought you something." Lindon wasn't sure if Cass would be home, but just in case, he produces from a deep pocket in his voluminous coat a bottle of whiskey, which he sets upon the table. Sure, Cass gets gifts. At least John gets his full attention. The Archive listens, rapt, and he winces. "Oh, John, that's terrible. I mean, thank God you're alive, but what you went through." He doesn't have John's calloused heart. The idea of that kind of betrayal leaves him looking stricken.
"Oh, well that fuckin' explains it. Spite cleanin'," Cassidy says as though that definitely explains it all. He waves off the scotch, and continues his rummaging because now everything has moved. Finally he comes up with it, a small bag of something that gets shoved into a pocket before he turns to face them both. "Oh, hey Lindon." Then he raises both brows as a bottle of whiskey is produced and he ambles on over to accept. This, he opens up and takes a swig straight from the bottle, sitting his ass down as though he were invited.
Constantine didn't not-invite Cass. This was a bit of a catch up for him and it only took John how long to talk about it without risk of catching fire? Fun stuff. "Yeah considering how long we been riding that trolley, and when the huntings started? I'd say he was with them for the run of it until it seemed he decided to skunk on teh deal. Enclosed in teh sealed file is the copy of the ritual they're using and all the notes of Aloys' I could find. But I'm taking off to go speak with… his other accomplice."
Lindon's eyes move as though he's reading the air, and the distracted Archive doesn't reply for the moment. Eventually, he shakes his head and says, "The rite was stolen, but I don't know from who. I'm not surprised. These people are nothing more than glorified murderers and thieves. They've got nothing but death in them, no will to create." His brow furrows as he looks at Constantine. "Promise you'll be safe." He glances to Cassidy, not speaking the words, but trying to garner a promise from him too; protect this cavalier train wreck of a wizard.
Cassidy says "Thanks," and nods toward the bottle of whiskey, setting it down next to him. Then he falls silent just to listen. He's heard the story. There's a wry tug of a smile at the edge of his lips at that look from Lindon and he glances over at Constantine and then back. The look says it all. He's always around with a cup of tea and a fire extinguisher whenever his friend needs it. His friend. Yes, John Constantine had a friend, such as Cassidy was. He lifts the bottle of whiskey again and takes another swig. "Oi, well if I don' make sure he keeps himself at least relatively in one peace I'm goin' to have to find another place to crash and this place has kinda grown on me."
Constantine was… yeah cavalier trainwreck…on fire. Good summary. Without missing a beat he nodded, "Safe enough. They haven't counted on what we are and tso I can promise you I'll be safe. THey'll be sorry…" He paused and looked to Cassidy sharing to him what LIndon already knew and offered, "We aren't quite human. There've been… updates. Like a kit car… that sometimes catches fire." Concluding on that he said, "There's a woman of particular interest I think to Kent and… likely Strange. The chap, Sterling? He and I are going to have a talk he's not much going to care for. But… Michael's fine on his own again and… I trust if the world goes pear shaped he might call you up Cass. Have a note. Says Cheers… inbetween all of the bitching about the world as it is." Back to Lindon there was… empathy. They had a weird connection that started with being screwed over by teh same man and then being hospital bunkmates. "This has to end. You able to take care of Cohen?"
Lindon simles at Cassidy with gratitude. "It makes me feel better to know you're taking care of him." He takes a drink of his tea, watching Constantine as he speaks. He nods as he says, "Sure, we're taking good care of Mr. Cohen. Elmo's watching his shop to make sure no one ransacks it, and Mr. Cohen has his own room, where he prefers to stay. Elmo brings him scrap to make things out of. He's eager to get back home, but for now he's all right."
"Really. You don't say?" Cassidy says blandly when John mentions that they're not quite human. The vampire shakes his head slowly and takes another swallow from his whiskey. There's a slight loft of his brow at someone calling him to complain about the world, but he shrugs his shoulders. "Alright." Then he looks over at Lindon and laughs, "Oh fuck, I don't take care of'm. I just hit him with the fire extinguisher every so often."
Constantine even had to crack a grin at that one and snicker. Both eyebrows arched in amusement watching the Irishman before looking back to Lindon admitting, "It's really more for the furniture." He smirked and shook his head. Less comicaly he offered to Cass, "Just in a pinch, mate, I'm a bad snack that apparently disagrees… with every-fekking-thing. Likely moreso after our chat. Either way, Lindon, I wanted you to have all teh answers before we took off. I told you I'd find you out how and why. I have. Can't say I'm much a fan, but I have. now we level the field."
Lindon licks his lips, then says delicately, "It's a kind of caretaking." He's willing to stretch the definition for the sake of making a point. John gets a look of such gratitude. Lindon deploys the puppy eyes, he has no mercy. "John, thank you so much. I know I shouldn't but I will worry about you til you get back." At least someone would miss John Constantine if he shuffled off his mortal coil. "I'll see what I can glean from what you told me."
"I don' make a habit on snackin' on friends, even in a pinch, unless it's a pretty bloody severe pinch," Cassidy says to John with a bit of a smirk. Then he says, "So, I assume that we'll be road tripping this one?" Did he just invite himself along with Constantine? Yep, seems that way. "And should I be bringin' a bat with me?" Louisville Slugger style.
Constantine paused and looked to Cassidy a bit surprised without being at all surprised. He took a deep breath and nodded. "He's a ways out. This ain' gonna be one of those fun trips. Hell I can't even begin to say Im've plans to be nice to him at all, but I'd welcome the help." Looking back to Lindon he gave a solomn nod. "I also made an updated copy for Lamont… what I did. What I would've changed when we bound you together and again and… I included the original spell he used to make you…well as you are now. You'll know if I succeed, mate. We'll be free of this madness soon enough. Maybe then you can sleep for real instead of pretendin."
Lindon deploys the puppy eyes again. "Thank you so much, John. You've been so good to me. I want you to know that, whatever has happened, as far as I'm concerned you've given me a life I would've otherwise never had." There's no blame here for the fit of the knowledge in his brain, only gratitude. He finishes his tea and rises to his feet. "I should get going before the ward wears off, but thank you so much, both of you."