June 2nd 2016 The Nightside 9:00 PM EDT

The actual bar area in Strangefellows was fairly eclectic. Haphazardly strewn about tables and booths from a variety of times and places covered the floor of the stone pit at the bottom of the steps, each of them occupied by some strange or unusual being. Werewolves, Zombies, Fishmen, and weirdly, an actual Cyborg, sat next to office workers and parking attendants, sipping a variety of beverages from an equally wide variety of differently styled mugs and cups. The whole place looked so weird and mishmashed that it actually looped back around to being harmonious, like it was impossible for this much variety to happen on accident.

John of course strolled through the place without a care, walked up to the bar and knocked on it. The bar was long and mahogany and looked old, in a well cared for way. The man behind it was just as odd as the rest of this place, tall and thin and pale, with wild dark hair that stuck out to the sides and a beret perched on top, along with big dark sunglasses despite the dim lighting in here, and a scowl I suspected from context clues was permanently etched onto his face. John gave him smarmy grin (I suspect he didn't know how to do any other kind). "Hey there Alex. Looking for the boss, he been in tonight?"

The annoyed looking man turned to glare at John, a glare so obvious we could see it through his big dark lenses, and said with a voice dripping with disapproval. "Well, if it isn't John Junior. Hello JJ, I can't say it's good to see you again. I seem to remember you swearing loudly to never come back after throwing a bottle of my best brandy at your boss. I was actually proud of you for once." He just sighed, continuing to rub a glass with a rag so dirty I was pretty sure it precluded any actual cleaning. "He's in the back over there."

He chucked his head over at a back corner where a tall man with messy dark hair and a pale weary face sat at a table in a long tan canvas coat that looked an awful lot like our John's. Said young Constantine scowled at Alex. "I thought I told you not to call me that. I am not his..." John trailed off. "And you're not listening anymore. I bloody hate this place." He turned angrily and stormed over to the table in the corner. We just kind of awkwardly waved the bartender, who stoicly ignored us all, just rubbing the glass I could swear was actually getting dirtier.

We followed a seething John over to the table, where he unceremoniously pulled out a chair and spun it around, sitting backwards on it and staring at the unconcerned dark haired man, who mostly ignored him and sipped from a foamy beer stein. He sat and glared at the older man for a minute until John the elder sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh hell, I'd hoped you might just give up and go away, but I've never been that lucky. Hello Junior it's...mediocre to see you again. I take it business hasn't been going well out on the brightside?"

John (our John, who I was going to keep calling John because I met him first and the other one would just Taylor) sneered. "Don't call me that. Business has been fine. I had a certain friend to whom I owed a favor, and she asked me to babysit her ex and his gaggle of fresh faced teeny boppers as they tour about the Nightside looking for this one's wayward cousin." He hooked a thumb at me, ignoring Artemis's glare at his back as he called us teeny boppers. "You know the friend." He flicked his eyes downward meaningfully, and Taylor's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

He sighed and drained his tankard in a few long pulls, slamming it back down on the table and looking at John in annoyance. "Go get me another pint while I talk to your friends. You know what I drink." John sneered, snatching up the tankard and stalking back over to the bar. He gave us a relatively bland but not unfriendly smile and gestured for us to sit at the table in the flickering light of the old lantern sitting in the middle. "Apologies. Junior has a chip on his shoulder about not being taken seriously. He'll get over it eventually and come back." He paused. "Or he won't which would probably be better for him in the long run."

I looked over to see John park himself at the bar and fill the huge mug, which he then proceeded to slowly nurse. Taylor just chuckled. "I did miss the little bastard. Place gets dreadfully boring without him." He paused again. "Well, no, that's not true. But it isn't the kind of exciting I prefer either. Anyhow, despite what he might have said, Junior wouldn't bring you here if he didn't want to actually help, so I suppose I should at least give an effort. Tell me about your cousin. Finding things is what I do after all. No leaving out details. I'll know."

I shrugged, sitting down, the girls and Jim joining me at the other chairs. I looked back over at John. "Is he coming back...or?" I shook of the question, getting back to the meat of the matter. "Right. Kit. Her name is Kitrina Falcone, she's about my age, maybe a bit younger. Nineteen or twenty. last I saw she was...slightly possessed? Red skin, horns, that kind of thing, but she did it on purpose, so it was ok. We had a bit of a falling out, but I wasn't really upset with her, and last I heard she and her boyfriend were traveling together. He had the same basic features I'm told, red skin and horns and stuff."

Taylor reached out for a mug that wasn't there and scowled, looking over at John whose eyes squinted in glee as he nursed the mug. Taylor rolled his eyes again. "Passive aggressive little shit. He's going to drink that whole bloody thing in small sips before he fills it again and brings it back. He probably put it on my tab too." He shook his head slowly, a small smile on his face. "As for your cousin, I can ask around. The whole demon look is less distinctive here than you might imagine, but it's not exactly the majority either, so there's that. Do you happen to have any idea where in the Nightside she's been? A place to start would give me a trail to follow, which will really cut down on our work."

I took that to mean he was taking the job, which was...nice. I was pretty sure he was doing it for John. They seemed to dislike each other much less than their words might lead you to believe. I'd seen the dynamic before. I didn't bring Kit's letter, but I had a photographic memory so I didn't need it. I scanned back over it in my mind, recalling all the details. But there hadn't been any specific places mentioned. She just said she was in trouble and asked me to come find her, and that she'd explain when I got here. Suspicious maybe, but the page had been stained with her aura and the handwriting matched so who I wasn't about to ignore her.

Seeing that I had nothing to contribute Taylor sighed. "I was afraid of that." He slipped out a pack of cigarettes, tapping one out and then lighting it, taking a long drag and then smiling mockingly across the bar at John before looking back at us. "Sorry, inside joke. Junior hates my brand. He smokes those appalling Silk Cut abominations. If you don't want tar in your lungs why bother? Anyway, I can ask around with a few friends to try to get a lead on your cousin. It would help if you knew why she was here...any idea? The Nightside isn't exactly the preferred vacations destination for honeymooning teens."

That I had no answer to. The only thing I'd heard about Kit since being back was that she helped out the League while we were gone before vanishing and that she'd been upset by our disappearance. She had to know we were back if she sent that letter though, so other than that I had no idea. I just shrugged. "I heard something about her boyfriend being kid of demonic too like I said? Maybe it had something to do with that? Is there any place in the Nightside where you could find someone who deals with demons?"

Taylor actually burst out laughing, cackling so hard he choked on his cigarette and had to pound the table, coughing and hacking for about a minute before he could breathe again. "A place...gods kid, that might be the funniest thing I've heard all night. You should do stand up. You can't spit in the Nightside without hitting some kind of demon spawn, though admittedly some of them are kind of into that. But no, that doesn't narrow things down at all. Can you get me any information on exactly WHICH demon they might have been asking about?"

I looked at Jim, who had been pretty quiet. "You were around at the time boss. You ever meet Kit's boyfriend?" I blinked, realizing I hadn't introduced him, or any of us actually. I turned back to Taylor and offered my hand. "Oh, and sorry I forgot to introduce myself. Morgan O'Malley, that's Artemis, Dreamer, and Zatanna. This is Jim Craddock, the Gentleman Ghost." I figured Taylor might know Jim given he was from London and Jim was kind of a big deal, but he completely ignored the specter as he stared at Zee.

He swallowed hard. "You're Sindella's girl." Zee's eyes widened, and she wasn't alone, all of us were shocked by his knowledge of Zee's mother and by his tone. "I knew Sin when she was younger. She spent time here when I was growing up. We were...we were good friends. I was devastated to hear of her passing. I'm sorry for your loss." His voice was thick as he spoke about the departed woman, and I was pretty sure they had been more than friends, not that I would bring it up.

Zee was...floored. She'd always avoided talking about her mother for too long. She'd loved her fiercely, but her dad had made it a taboo subject when she was growing up and she'd never lost the mentality. Aside from the occasional brief mention she hardly ever brought the woman up. "Hi. I...thank you. I didn't realize there were any of her old friends still around. I'd love to hear some stories about her sometime. If we get the chance. But for the moment I'm just really worried about my friend. Can you help us find her?"

Zee was a hard person to say no to at the best of times, and despite her obvious changes and inhuman nature Taylor still clearly saw at least a bit of her mother in her if the grief that flashed across his face was any indication. He nodded. "Yes. I can do that." I wondered briefly what he was feeling, and considered opening my aura sight, but as usual since coming here I got the impression it would be extremely unwise. I had a feeling that I might see things here I could never unsee, and I had enough of that shit after I saw inside Gilotina.

Jim spoke up, taking the whole reveal of Taylor knowing Zee's mother in stride. "If you don't have any ideas on a starting point I may. I have an old friend in town that I haven't seen in quite some time. He tends to have a finger on the pulse of whatever area he might be in. I suspect if he is around he'd have a decent idea of how we can proceed." He folded his hands on the table, leaving his cane literally standing on its own in midair. "So, do you know where we can find Julian Advent?"

June 2nd 2016 The Nightside 10:00 PM EDT

We headed out to the cobbled street with Taylor and John accompanying us. I half expected us to get jumped by someone when we came out, but standing in the gas lamps under the massive moon the street was completely empty. Taylor looked both ways, obviously considering which way to go, before giving up and putting his fingers to his mouth, letting out a loud cabbie whistle like you see in old shows about New York. We all looked at him in confusion (except John) for a second before we were interrupted by the sound of...hooves.

I blinked. The whole horse and carriage thing definitely fit with the vibe of this neighborhood, but seeing one in person was weird. It wasnt a fancy stylized thing either. The horse and carriage was well worn and beat up, and the old man in the bench seat was holding an absolutely huge blunderbuss, and no reins at all. The carriage drew to a stop in front of us. Despite the obvious bait, we did NOT ask about the horse and carriage, mostly because John was obviously waiting for it and I didnt want to give him the satisfaction. He was having far too much fun watching us react to things and I refused to play into it.

We climbed into the roomy carriage, Taylor stopping to say hello...to the horse, which I also ignored, despite that fact that it responded in English. Once we settled down Taylor called out the name of the place we were going (The Hawks Wind) and we set off at a brisk trot. Once we were on the way, he turned to Jim. "So, you knew Julian back in the day. Not many people from that day and age around...well, not ones that go out in public. The real power players are much older but they tend to stay in the shadows. Life expectancy for minor players is much shorter...though I suppose-"

Jim cut him off, and I could HEAR the eye roll in his voice. "Yes I'm dead. Very clever of you to notice." He'd dropped his glamour on the train so he was literally just a walking suit with a monocle, and pretty obviously a ghost. Taylor just shrugged, conceding the point. "To answer your question though yes. Julian and I were friends when we were younger. I never spent any time in this deathtrap aside from the night I was murdered, but he frequented London proper quite a bit more back then. He was a good friend. A good man. I'd wager he is still both."

Taylor gave a fond chuckle. "A wager you would win, though not a tough one to make given who Julian is. Though I have to ask. You knew him before right? Before the formula? Before he became a hero? What was he like?" It was odd so see Taylor, this hardboiled devil may care detective type, looking so wide eyed and fascinated. But I guess we all have our idols. Jim's friend Julian was clearly somebody special, even to someone like Taylor.

Jim's low chuckle was wistful. "Julian was always a hero. Even when we were boys. Not the type most people think of mind, but the quiet kind. Julian always did what was right, even when it was hard, he was always there for his friends, even when they didn't make it easy, and he never gave up. When he got his heart broken he lost his way, but the formula helped him find it, and so much more he never knew he had inside. He was the best of us, from day one, and anyone who tells you different is selling something."

I'd never heard Jim say anything like that. My mentor was many things, loyal, strong, sometimes kind, when the mood struck him. But he was never soft, not like that, never sentimental. Jim Craddock was a walking hurricane. He did what he wanted, went where he felt like and damned be the consequences. He was selfish and stubborn and ruthless and so many other things. But this version of Jim sounded...sad. Wistful. Julian had clearly been a dear friend, and I had to wonder why he'd never tried to look him up before, aside from the whole living in hell on earth thing.

Artemis was the one who finally decided she'd had enough of the references to something we knew nothing about. She raised a hand, a formality it seemed because she proceeded to just blurt out. "Ok, what the hell is this formula you keep talking about? You told us plenty of stories about Julian, but you never mentioned anything like that. I feel like that was a big detail to leave out when you mentioned all his adventures."

The snort that Jim let out showed exactly what he thought of that. "Which is why I didn't mention it. I told you, Julian was always a hero, the formula didn't turn him into what he was, it just made him more...him. I wanted you lot to know what Julian was really like. Who he was deep down. But I suppose with everything you've already heard you've formed a solid opinion. The truth was that Julian collapsed after his love abandoned him. She broke something in him that none of us knew how to fix."

He sounded distant as he spoke, like he was living it as he told the story. "So Julian fixed it himself. He created a formula for a drug that separated the best and worst of a man. Made him an absolute. It was a risk, you see. If most men had taken it they would have become monsters. It brought out the deepest, truest core of a person. Human beings are rotten at heart, nearly all of us. But not Julian. My friend was a hero, and taking that formula stripped away all the doubt and fear and sadness and anger and made him...whole. Made him who we always knew he was inside."

I couldn't even imagine what someone like that would be like. Someone with no flaws or negative traits, someone perfect. I was really looking forward to meeting this guy. I paused for a second. "Hey, wait, didn't you leave the city in like the late eighteen hundreds? That formula sounds familiar. Wasn't that the basic premise behind Doctor Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde?" I'd heard rumors that book was based on a true story, but I never thought they were accurate. Though the story wasn't exactly right.

Jim scoffed. "Oh. Henry. He was a friend of Julian's back in the day. I never liked him much. Smarmy little fellow. He was Julian's lab assistant when he was working on the formula. When he saw how well it worked he decided to try it himself. As expected the little weasel didn't have the same success as Julian, though his bumbling caused the drug to be half as effective in any case. Probably for the best considering what it turned him into. If anything Hyde was even more unpleasant. Julian trounced the brute and threw him out of town."

We were all pretty entranced by the idea that Jim had known Doctor Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. I wondered if he had met any other figures from around that time. "Was he the only famous person you met? There were a crazy amount of novels based on that time, I know some of them were partially true. Did you know Captain Nemo? Or Jack the Ripper?" London in the late eighteen hundreds had been pretty nuts thinking back on it actually. There were probably a bunch of stories I'd never even heard that were even more insane.

My mentor, it seemed, was not as enthralled by the old stories. "No. Though Blood met Nemo a few times, and claimed he was a blow hard. I've yet to meet a person more pompous than Jason Blood so that's actually something of an achievement. I left London before the Ripper case became particularly noteworthy. I knew several important figures, though most of them wouldn't be relevant to you. Perhaps the most interesting man I ran across was the consulting detective himself."

I did an actual double take. "Hold up, you knew Sherlock fucking Holmes? How have I never heard this story before? You've been holding out on us, boss. Usually the only time you tell stories about your past is when we run into some crazy sorceress you used to bang. Which admittedly happens substantially more often than one would expect, but still, this seems like something you should tell your apprentice."

Jim just shrugged. "It's not much of a story. I met him at a pub. He and his Doctor friend were dragged out to celebrate after they foiled the attempted assassination of Queen Victoria. This must have been...oh eighteen eighty six or so? I remember it being big news around the criminal underground because they stopped the rapid ascent of Professor Moriarty, who was something of a rising star at the time. Naturally I got out of there as quickly as my feet could carry me. No rational thief would willingly spend time around that...bloody machine."

I wanted to ask so many more questions, but I had to stop because the carriage pulled to a halt. Taylor hopped to his feet, pushing the door open and letting us out onto the street. "Right, that's enough reminiscing kids, time to get this show on the road. You can thank me later. In the meantime lets head inside. Julian is nearly always here. When he woke up after being betrayed he was in the sixties. He still prefers the era, and at The Hawk's Wind, every day is the sixties." He stepped down off the carriage, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a carrot he fed to the horse who thanked him politely.

The rest of us crowded out into the street, and once we were out the carriage rolled away, leaving us all standing on the decidedly not cobblestone road and staring up at...a place. I didn't have much of a description for The Hawk's Wind except that. I'd never really gotten into history, and the sixties in particular wasn't a decade that caught my attention much. It became obvious looking at this place that the reasons for that were never being around any sixties stuff, because there was no possible way anyone wouldn't have their attention caught by this place.

There were a ton of really weird posters, day-glo and neon and so bright they hurt to look at, all stuck up on and around the hindu latticed doors, which swung open politely without us touching them when we approached. When we stepped into the actual bar things got even more crazy. For one thing the place smelled weird. Aside from what I could vaguely recognize as patchouli (there were old people in Gotham who still used the stuff) there was a dozen other smells I didn't know, all carried along on a haze of multicolored smoke as music I'd never heard played through to jumping club.

There was lots of flashing lights and crazy neon colored furniture, and the weirdly scattered labyrinth of tables and chairs were all brightly colored plastic of a design that looked like it belonged in the same decade as the rest of this stuff. Taylor stepped in, taking a deep breath and sighing with contentment. "I love this place. Come along, lets get a table, we can have the waitress bring a note to Julian to tell him we're here." He headed off into the crowd, slipping easily between all the brightly colored dancers.

I grabbed my girls by the hands so we didn't get separated and left Artemis to pull Wally along as Jim flitted lightly between the moving forms, barely seeming to be effected by the heaving bodies until we finally got to a table. When the waitress showed up Taylor had us all order. He got a coke, while Zee, Artemis, Wally and I all got Pepsi, to his absolute disdain.

I got a weird chocolate themed Pepsi drink from the sixties called Devil Shake, because that sounded weirdly delicious, and Taylor passed a note to the friendly waitress with the silver bob wig. Once she took our order she bopped off into the crowd and we all sat back to take the place in as we waited to meet Julian Advent.

June 2nd 2016 The Hawk's Wind Bar and Grill, The Nightside 11:00 PM EDT

The man who strode up to sit down at our table was...impressive. He was tall and imposing. His hair and eyes were both pitch black, and his features were handsome in a serious and resolute way. He was wearing a waistcoat and a vest, a blue silk cravat the only splash of color in a sea of dark fabric, and there was an old fashioned opera cloak slung across his shoulders casually. On anyone else it would have looked silly, but much like Jim, Julian was a product of his era. His clothes fit him, and to hell what the rest of the world was wearing.

I turned to look at my mentor, and saw that his glamour had reasserted itself. I could see the face he must have worn when he was human, with its goatee and mustache, and a monocle over one eye. He stared up at the taller man who was standing over us for a moment before rolling his eye. "Well? Sit down you absolute lout, it's frightfully rude to just loom over us all like a big shadowy goon. You'd think you buried your manners next to my corpse after I died." I was somewhat appalled at the joke, given how serious a subject it was, but it seemed to be exactly the right way to break the tension.

Julian tipped back his head and barked out a laugh before pulling out a chair and slipping into it urbanely. "My manners? I haven't heard so much as a whisper from you in nigh on a half century. I expected a letter upon my return, instead I hear tales of you gallivanting around the world like a common cutpurse, taking up with every villainess under the sun." He grinned and held out a hand and the two of them shook boisterously. Once he released Jim's hand Julian leaned back with a wide smile. "It's good to see you James. How have you been?"

Jim shrugged. "Some days are better than others. I have a pair of lovely ladies I've become quite smitten with. I suspect my carousing days may be behind me. My Paula is quite a hellion, though Claire keeps us both in line with a kind word and a patient smile. I'd introduce you to them, but I'm never bringing either of them within a thousand kilometers of this nuclear dumpster fire of a city." Artemis looked..surprised, when he said that. I don't think she knew how serious Jim and her mom were getting.

Julian laughed again, a low baritone chuckle that spoke of friendliness and camaraderie. "James Craddock settling down. I never thought I'd see the day. I might be willing to brave the modern world for a chance to meet the women who subdued London's most infamous gentleman dandy. I don't know what our childhoods would have looked like without your womanizing. Though I suspect whatever it was it would have been a shade more peaceful than either of us would have been satisfied with. I always said it would get you into trouble, though I suppose you fulfilled that prophecy and then some when we were lads."

My mentor narrowed his eyes at his old friend. "I'll have you know that I regret none of my time as a young man. Every dalliance I had was a shade of brilliant color in an otherwise humdrum existence." He paused. "Except Rebecca. And Candace. Martha may have been a mistake. Louise too. But none of the others. Well..maybe Marjorie. " Julian was trying not to snicker at his friend's verbal fumbling, and Jim clearly didn't want to give him the satisfaction, so he cut himself off. "Regardless." He said sternly. "I'm past all that now. I like to think I'm older and wiser."

I elected not to mention that I was pretty sure he'd tried to bang the daughter of the head of the League of Shadows a few years ago, mostly because I didn't want to interrupt his reunion. Julian it seemed, was more than willing to be the one to end the good times. "Despite my glee at seeing your face my friend, I doubt you've come here in search of fond stories. Loathe as I am to say it, Mr. Taylor's presence is rarely the bearer of good tidings." He gave Taylor an apologetic smile. "What brings yourself and your young friends to this establishment old boy? You more than most have reason to give the Nightside a wide berth."

Jim's smile faded into a stoic expression. "Quite right. Though I suppose it would behoove me to introduce my wards." He pointed to me and Artemis. "My apprentices, Artemis and Morgan, and their lovers, Wallace, Dreamer, and Zatanna." I saw Wally wince at the use of his full name, but he didn't mention it out loud. Jim continued without seeming to notice however. "We've come in search of Morgan's cousin. A young woman named Kitrina, who recently sent Morgan a letter expressing her need for aid. Her location was not forthcoming, our only information is that she is in the Nightside."

Taylor cut in. "Aside from being the life of the party and a man people can trust, you also run the only reasonably functional news organization in town. We figured if anyone could tell us where to start it would be you Julian. The young lady is nineteen or twenty years old and accompanied by her boyfriend. Both of them are of the more...infernal persuasion, at least physically. Red skin, horns, you know the sort. Granted they may have purchased glamours for themselves, lord knows there are enough for sale, but still might you have heard anything?"

Julian reached down to pick up a cup of tea that I hadn't seen anyone bring him, and I wondered if he could just conjure them like Jim seemed to be able to to. He took a long pensive sip. "Nothing springs to mind, but I have certain sources I might tap. I'd be willing to ask around for an old friend. It may take some time for me to contact my sources however, and while the everpresent moon may dull the awareness of it, the hour in the outside world grows late. I can offer you lodging at my manor, if you have no alternative for the evening's repose?"

I hadn't actually considered probably did need to sleep at some point, but most of this shit hole was too awful to even consider it. Plus I was half ghost half devil, I was substantially more resilient than most creatures with my two hundred fifty vitality. But while Zee and Artemis were elves now, they didn't have anywhere near me vitality, and Dreamer was a goddess but Wally was still human and needed sleep. I looked at Jim, who was looking at me questioningly and nodded.

He informed Julian we would be accepting his off and the adventurer clapped his hands together once in delight. "Splendid! Let order our meals and we can retire for the evening." I could already tell that I was going to get seriously thrown off my sleep schedule by this place, but he was right. Our drinks had just come, and I accepted my Devil Shake from the waitress, popped the top, and then took a sip. It was...weird. Kind of a like a yoohoo but not exactly. It wasn't bad, though I wouldn't say it was good either. I probably should have just gotten a milkshake.

Once we got our drinks we all consulted the oversized menu and decided what to get for dinner. I hadn't been alive during the sixties, so I recognized like...half of the things on there. But I did recognize them, so I ordered something pretty safe, and got the Swedish Meatballs. Julian ordered Beef Bourguignon, which Jim seconded, Zee and Artemis got a Shrimp Cocktail, Wally got Chicken ala King, Dreamer got Fondue, and John got Ambrosia Salad. Taylor ordered nothing, preferring to sip his coke, and the rest of us settled in to wait.

Julian in the meantime, wrote a series of notes on a pad and pen in his pocket and passed them to a passing waitress with day glo pink hair and gogo boots along with a tip so generous she almost teared up before running off to make several calls. Turning back to us to sip his tea again he gave a polite smile. "I've reached out to a few of my best sources to ask about Kitrina and her boyfriend, though I'm curious John, why not use your gift to find them?" It took me a second to realize he was talking to Taylor and not our John, but then I turned to the older PI as well, curious what he meant.

Taylor sipped his coke with a shrug. "These days my gift is more of an announcement than a useful tool. Too many people keeping an eye out for it. I'd rather not get the kids jumped by my enemies, thanks very much. No, this particular case I'll do the old fashioned way. I still know how to find people without my gift, as useful as the damn thing may be most of the time." He took another long pull of his coke, closing his eyes in bliss at the taste. I wondered if coke from the 60's actually tasted better. I'd heard they changed the formula, I was almost sad I hadn't gotten it myself, until I remembered I was a pepsi fan.

John noticed our confusion about the whole gift thing and decided to elaborate. "The boss has an ability to find things, regardless of where they've gone and where they came from. However, it's fairly loud psychically speaking, not to mention he needs a starting place and we don't have one. Once we have a lead or find somewhere they've been he might change his mind, he usually puts off using it, but don't worry, if we hit a dead end he'll do it anyway. His professional pride won't let him do any less."

I neglected to point out that Taylor wasn't getting paid so this wasn't exactly a professional matter, but we were clients if only because he'd known Zee's mom. Or because of John. I wasn't sure why he hadn't brought up payment, but I'd probably mention it myself once this was over. It wasn't like I was low on funds or anything. Once the food arrived we spent about twenty minutes eating. The meatballs were amazing, though Drea had to chase me away from trying them dipped in her fondue because she didn't want the sauce mixing with the cheese.

Once we finished we headed outside and called another carriage. John came with us, as did Taylor, who insisted the chance to stay in a manor instead of sleeping in his cramped office on a cot would be a welcome change of pace. Though he did want to stop in and check on his secretary after we woke up. He didn't like to leave her alone for long periods of time because he was worried what she might do to the property values. I noticed John looked a little uncomfortable at the mention of her, and wondered what that was about, but didn't ask because it wasn't my business.

So we all piled into the carriage and rode back to Julian's full and in a pretty good mood. Granted the Nightside was nuts and awful in some places, but it wasn't ONLY nuts and awful. The Hawk's Wind showed us there were some pretty cool parts of this whole mishmash of crazy too, and I was cautiously optimistic we might see some more fun stuff mixed in with all the existential horror and abominations. Still, I was worried. This was going a bit too smoothly so far. This place was known for its crazy, and I had a feeling the worst was yet to come.

June 3rd 2016 Julian Advent's Manor, The Nightside 12:00 AM EDT

I felt my another five thousand points drop in, bringing me to one hundred fifteen thousand, even as we finally arrived at Julian's manor. As we pulled up outside I had to admit, it was pretty fucking nice. Manor was a bit of an overstatement. It was definitely fancy and Victorian, but it was more of a really big townhouse crammed into a row of other buildings. Still, I was impressed by how beautiful the architecture was. It definitely fit with the once again cobblestoned streets around us, and I could even see a pair of small but intricately carved gargoyles up on the eaves of the house.

The place was gorgeous. Four stories or so, with thin, tall windows and a high sloping roof. It kind of did look like someone squished a manor between to buildings. Jim adjusted his bow tie as we climbed out and stared up at the place. "Is that...it can't be." He walked up and rapped on the facade of the building a few times before turning back to Julian. "This is the same place. How the bloody hell did you get your entire house moved into this deathtrap? They literally shoved it into the vacant spot between the flats here didn't they?"

Julian shrugged, a devil may care grin painted across his face. "You can get anything done for the right price in the Nightside. After I vanished Blanchard Hall went into a family trust. It was held in conservatorship for about four generations because I had no living blood relatives available to inherit. When I returned I tracked down my old solicitor, and, with the help of some documents I had squirreled away, reclaimed ownership. From there it was a matter of getting it transported, and that was surprisingly cheap all things considered."

Wally whistled as he stepped out, putting an arm around Artemis. "Damn, this kind of makes me want to upgrade our digs babe. I wonder if we could buy some big mansion and have it jammed into a spot between two buildings back in Gotham." I expected Artemis to elbow him, but she was looking at the admittedly gorgeous house with a speculative gaze that made me a bit worried I was going to be dropping a million plus on a manor house as an engagement or birthday present pretty soon.

Taylor snorted from behind us. "Not without serious favors to call in. Work like that is infinitely more expensive long distance." He looked at Julian. "I assume this was the Sceneshifters? Reality manipulation is the best way I can think of to arrange this kind of thing." He got a nod from the Victorian Adventurer. "Thought so. You couldn't get them to do it anyway. They stopped existing a few years ago. Most people don't even remember they were real, heard they had a nasty run in with a Drood."

Wally turned to stare at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean they stopped existing? And how do YOU remember them then?" He seemed half intrigued and half terrified of the answer, which seemed like it was a recurring theme in this place. I however, was more focused on that last part. The Droods were the people who originally had the torc armor I wore. Jim had mentioned them ages ago, but he hadn't brought them up since we got here and neither had anyone else. It seemed they were still active. A good reason to keep my torc under the collar so to speak unless I needed it.

Taylor just shrugged, a gesture he seemed to use annoyingly often when he answered questions. "Things like that don't usually take around here. At least not for people like me. Some of the low level players forgot about them, but for the most part anyone who is anyone is protected against that kind of reality editing. I find it's best not to think about it too much. Better for your sanity. Still, there are others who could do the same kind of work, though not nearly as neatly or cleanly. I'm not surprised they didn't charge Julian much though. They always were irritating little suckups."

The eye roll Julian gave him was pretty inconsistent with his urbane gentlemanly persona. "If you're all quite finished, I suggest we make haste getting inside. Lingering in the street is hardly a wise choice even in this relatively upscale neighborhood." He stepped up, rapping smartly on the door in a quick staccato pattern before stepping back to let the large ornate wooden barrier swung inward of its own accord. "Please, make yourselves welcome in my humble home, remove your shoes as your enter if you will, several of the rugs are Persian and I will not abide scuffs."

We all filed in, slipping our shoes off and leaving them in a very polished looking mahogany rack by the door before following Julian inside. I was half expecting candles, but his place was wired for electricity, but even so the lightbulbs were in sconces and chandeliers. Like he'd said the floors in the front hall were dark wood with gorgeous looking Persian carpets. There was a single dark wood table next to the entryway, and a set of stairs off to one side leading up to the next floor, while the other side of the hall showed an open door to what looked like a large library or reading room.

It was surprisingly modern actually, but with plenty of small flourishes that seemed old world without making the more up to date touches feel anachronistic. Julian shut the door, and the flipped about sixteen latches, switches, deadbolts, and chains to secure it before turning to gesture us further inside. We walked past the library and the steps and came out in an old fashioned drawing room, a large open space full of couches and small tables, with a chandelier lighting the room dimly and a fire already going in the fireplace.

Jim slipped off the mantle around his shoulder and slipped it over a coat rack before leisurely dropping into one of the chairs with a sigh of contentment. "Oh this is lovely. I haven't been in proper accomodations in eons." He glanced at me apologetically. "Not that the island isn't lovely dear boy, but your particular tastes remain predominant in it's decor, and we never really felt right changing things. It is your home after all, not ours. Even so, being back in the old drawing room again is...rejuvenating."

There was a low chuckle from Julian as he walked to one of the book cases and took down a large wooden box. "I never thought you'd see the inside of the old place again myself. This calls for a celebration. Would anyone care for a brandy? I have an absolutely lovely bottle of Napoleonic Cognac I've been saving for just such an occasion. A bottle of Massougnes from eighteen oh one. I picked it up at auction several years ago but never had a sufficient reason to crack it open. The return of absent friends seems like a perfect excuse."

I wasn't really a drinker, but it seemed rude to turn him down. It occurred to me that him offering teenagers brandy was odd, until I remembered that he was from the late eighteen hundreds, and also London where even in modern times the drinking age was eighteen. Besides, we were all far past normal human norms. There was no way the stuff would actually effect us, even if we drank enough of it to do the job, which I doubted would be the case with everyone having drinks from only one bottle. So I accepted, as did everyone else, even Wally, to my surprise.

Julian was delighted, and unlocked a cabinet under one of the wooden shelves to pull out yet another box, which he opened to reveal a series of well cared for crystal glasses with golden trim along the edges. He put the box on a table and began taking the glasses out, cleaning them with a rag from the box before pouring a measure of the gorgeous amber liquid into each glass, one after another. Once that was done he pulled out a filagreed silver light and flicked it to life, running it under the base of each glass for a bit, back and forth, before passing them out to each of us.

Jim took his gingerly, inhaling the scent of the strong fruit based alcohol. "Absolutely lovely indeed. I've not had a proper cognac in a dogs age. These are the bohemian cut crystal glasses your mother gave you for your engagement to Abigail, aren't they?" His voice was soft as he asked the question, as if worrying about bringing up old wounds. As he spoke he swirled the cognac in his glass before taking a long sip, sighing in contentment at the taste. "A shame you never developed an appreciation for a proper cigar, that would be a splendid pairing."

The rest of us were passed our glasses, and Julian looked...sad, but wistful as he answered. "Yes. I never had the heart to throw them away, even after what she did. I'm a sentimentalist I suppose." His eyes landed on Jim as he passed the last glass to Artemis. "I am not, however, a barbarian. Cigars are a filthy habit, regardless of how many of our compatriots tried to convince you otherwise. I will not allow those wretched things in my home, not when we were young and not now."

I hid my smile at the byplay by taking a sip. The cognac was...odd. I didn't drink, as a rule. I disliked the idea of compromising my faculties. But since my vitality was so high there was no chance of the alcohol actually intoxicating me, so I decided to give it a try. It was unusual to say the least. It tasted kind of like hazlenut, but with other nutty flavors mixed in and an undertone of straw or grass. It was lighter than I expected though, and though I wouldn't say it was GOOD exactly, it wasn't terrible. I neglected to mention my lack of appreciation to Julian, it seemed rude.

We spent the next hour or two sipping our cognac and talking by the fire. Jim and Julian regaled us with tales of their youth, several of which we had already heard from Jim, though Julian's versions tended to leave out the grandiose exaggerations and included far more dumb ass shenanigans from my mentor, much to our amusement and Jim's consternation. Even Taylor was laughing along, and he and John had joined Jim for a second and third glass, though none of them seemed buzzed or anything close to it.

I'd kept to nursing my first, having no interest in drinking any more of the stuff. Finally at what would have probably been about three AM back in Gotham (apparently it's ALWAYS three AM in the Nightside...for some reason) we all decided to head up to bed. Julian told us he should hear back from his sources tomorrow, and that after we had tea and breakfast we could set off on the next step of our journey, provided we actually managed to learn anything from his people, though he seemed hopeful about that.

Zee, Dreamer, and I shared a room of course, and the huge soft bed was a relief after everything that had happened today. Zee cast a few basic security spells before we slept just in case, but once she took a few precautions we decided to trust Jim and his friend to keep us safe, at least enough to fall asleep. With that one last thing taken care of I pulled both my girls close and drifted off to sleep, happy in their arms. The Nightside might be scary and awful at times, but as long as I had my girls I could handle it. After all, when we were together, I was always home.

June 3rd 2016 Julian Advent's Manor, The Nightside 10:00 AM EDT

I actually slept better than I expected in Julian's house. For some reason I'd expected to be tormented by strange and disturbing nightmare visions or something when I slept in the Nightside, but I felt pretty refreshed. Granted I was feeling a bit weird because to my internal clock it was ten in the morning but the window still showed that it was the middle of the night, but I'd already been warned about that. In the Nightside it was always three AM and the moon was always full. I'd have to adjust my circadian rhythm a bit but I'd get used to it.

The girls were both up by the time I woke. They'd slipped out of my arms without my notice and apparently headed downstairs to have breakfast. I could smell bacon, which was always nice, so I got changed into a fresh set of clothes (spatial rings are the best) and headed downstairs to meet up with everyone to eat. When I entered the large dining room I found Julian, Jim, the girls, Artemis, Wally, Taylor, and John all sitting around an expansive breakfast digging in.

When I came in Artemis spotted me and snorted loudly. "See, I told you he wouldn't be far behind the smell of bacon."

Since I was a guest in someone else's house and it was above my dignity to engage in childish bickering with her, I flipped her off and stuck out my tongue at her before dropping into the seat between my girls. They had thoughtfully saved me a heaping mound of food. Not just bacon, but also eggs benedict and a huge heaping helping of hash browns that looked to be homemade. I took a big bite and moaned in delight, washing the whole thing down with a sip of coffee after adding cream and sugar. "This is fantastic, who made this?"

Julian chuckled. "I did, and I'm glad you like it. James and all of our other friends were always hopeless at cooking, I became the designated chef since I never drank enough to get in my cups like they did. My eggs benedict was always quite popular with our drinking companions, even Ab- ahem. Many people were fans." The fond smile on his face died as he started to mention the woman who I assumed broke his heart. He forced it back on his face in short order however. "In any case now that you're awake I can give you the good news. We've found traces of your cousin."

I choked a bit, having to take another sip of coffee to clear my throat. "That's-" I coughed a few times. "That's fantastic. Where is she? Is she alright? Thank you so much Julian, I really appreciate your help." The others all looked various shades of relieved and happy, but I noticed Taylor and Jim both seem reticent to get too excited. Their discomfort had me worried enough to calm down a bit and actually wait for the answers to my questions.

Julian held up both hands. "Peace, my friend. I apologize if my wording was misleading. When I said we found traces I meant just that. We don't know where she is or her current status. I was simply able to get in touch with someone who got in touch with someone who saw her recently. She and her boyfriend were last spotted entering the Prospero and Michael Scott Memorial Library. Now, I don't know exactly what they wanted, and granted there are plenty of pieces of information they could find there, but I only know one person worth visiting who spends time in that place."

Taylor sighed. "They went to see Sinner. That's...not ideal. He's a peaceable enough sort, especially by Nightside standards, but that lady of his has a nasty temper. If they picked a fight I can't imagine them coming out of it intact...or at all. Vanishing after entering the library is a bad sign. Granted, they could have just been murdered by one of the terrible things trapped in the books there, which ultimately might be preferable to what Pretty Poison would do to them if they tried to hurt Sinner."

I glared at the morbid detective. "How about we don't assume my cousin is dead, or that she randomly attacks people who don't deserve it. Also, who the hell is Sinner? I can't help but notice his name doesn't exactly evoke feelings of good vibes and happy times. Exactly how peaceable is 'peaceable enough for the Nightside'. Because from what I can tell this place is basically Gotham with rabies."

That got a snort of amusement from Taylor. "Gotham wishes. But no, Sinner's name isn't exactly his own fault. Basically he used to be this hotshot magic scholar. He dedicated his life to studying the dark arts, but when he was around thirty or so he realized he didn't actually have anything to live for. He decided to try to experience everything he missed out on, so he put together a ritual and summoned...something. Some say it was the devil himself, some say just a low level demon, but the point was he made a deal. He sold his soul for true love."

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief at that, about to make a comment, but Zee pinched me, her eyes full of starts at the intriguing story. Taylor noticed and smirked a bit but continued. "Anyway, the next day Sinner met the love of his life. They got married fast, it was a whirlwind courtship. For the next decade Sinner was blissfully happy, until finally, his debt came due. The devil, or whoever he made his deal with, showed up to claim his soul, and when they did they gleefully informed him that it had all been a lie, that the woman of his dreams was a succubus who never cared about him at all."

That made me wince. "That sounds...heartbreaking. Also pretty on brand for demons, but that doesn't explain how he's at this library. Wouldn't he be in hell?" I tried to imagine finding out Zee was some kind of demonic puppet made to trick me into thinking I was loved and even the thought of it was horrifying. I really felt for the guy, and clearly Zee felt the same way, because she took my hand in hers and squeezed, even as Drea grabbed the other. I turned to see my goddess giving me a reassuring smile, as if she knew what I was thinking.

Taylor, naturally, ignored our emotional affirmations. "He would if that was the end of the story. But when the devil told him what his wife really was, he didn't care. He said he always knew she wasn't real, but she was real to him, and that was enough. The devil was annoyed and dragged him back to hell to be tortured for eternity, entrusting the task to the very succubus who had been his wife. Except the stubborn bastard didn't care. She tortured him and tortured him, and he just kept on loving and forgiving her. Eventually the constant positivity made the environment so toxic the devil threw him out to stop him from ruining the atmosphere."

The smirk on his face was full of respect as he finished the story. "Since he sold his soul he couldn't get into heaven, but he couldn't go back to hell, so Sinner is stuck on earth, impossible to kill or harm. But here's the kicker. The succubus he married? She was so confused by how devoted he was to her even after everything she did that she followed him back to earth to try to understand him better. She's been with him ever since, watching over him, as if he even needs it. So yes, if your cousin went there with good intention he would have spoken to her civilly. Either way, the only way to know for sure is to ask."

I...didn't know how to react to that story. Any of it really. That was a level of devotion that I wasn't sure I was even capable of, but I didn't know if I should be impressed or feel sorry for him. Was he a saint for keeping that kind of love in his heart after literally going through hell? Or was he an idiot for not letting go of the lie? The question was too heavy for me, especially this early in the morning. I shook off the thoughts. "Well, whatever the case we'll find out when we get there. I assume you know how to get to this library?"

Taylor snorted. "Boy, I know how to get wherever I need to go, and if I don't I can find out. Yes, I can take you to the library. However, I somehow doubt that's the only information Julian managed to glean from his little ask about. He's far too uncomfortable to be done telling us all the bad news, aren't you Julian?" His tone wasn't icy exactly, more like demanding, but it was clear he expected an answer.

The Victorian Adventurer sighed. "Yes, I did get some rather...disturbing information. I'm not the only one who has been making inquiries about your cousin. Someone else has been trying to find her location, and I'm not entirely sure how successful they may have been. I can't tell you exactly why, given I still don't know what information they're here for, but I suggest asking Sinner as quickly as possible. Whatever they came to the Nightside to do someone doesn want them to do it."

I was already shoveling down the last of my breakfast and draining my coffee cup as I stood up. "In that case we don't have any time to waste. I appreciate the breakfast Julian, and I appreciate you putting us up for the night, but we have to go." I looked at the others. "You all ready?" Most of them were finished eating, though Wally was on his tenth or eleventh plate it looked like, and he was gazing mournfully at the rest of the table as he finished shoveling the last of his into his mouth.

Despite the hangdog expression he didn't say a word though, just stood up with Artemis. Everyone else was ready too. We thanked Julian again and headed outside, where Taylor whistled for another carriage. I was nervous as we waited...antsy. My feet were shuffling and my fingers were tapping. It was one thing knowing my cousin might be in some kind of danger, but knowing for sure, even if incompletely, that she was in immediate danger, was driving me nuts. I desperately wanted to get to this library and find out what was happening.

Drea reached down and took my hand, stopping my twitching. She gave me a gentle squeeze and a warm smile. "Peace, love. I know you're worried, and I understand, but this isn't helping. You're doing everything you can to get to her as soon as possible. You need to trust that your cousin can take care of herself. She was fine only recently, and this...Sinner, seems like a decent sort. I doubt he took exception to anything she said. Chances are she was merely moving stealthily when she left to avoid her pursuers."

I forced myself to calm down, taking long, slow breaths to sooth my racing heart, and then sighed. "You're right." I focused on my ghostly powers, tapping into the icy nature of my spectral aura, not to intimidate, but to calm myself. It took me a few seconds to really sink into it, but I managed. By the time the carriage came down the road I was standing perfectly still and more than ready for what came next. Whatever we found at this library, I would be more than prepared to deal with it. I had some things to say to my cousin when we found her, and I needed her to be alive.

I love writing the Nightside. Glad I could add Sinner in, he's one of my favorite Nightside characters and he didn't get enough time in the series. That said we're going to see a lot of the more mainstream characters from the series as well, I have big plans for this arc. As usual pat-reon has the advance chapters at that site /malcolmtent. Hope you all enjoy, and let me know what you think so far.