[12th November 2008]

[Camden, London]

'It'll only be for a fortnight I said, best get it done I said, I'm sure it'll be fine I said' I snarked at myself as I sat in the pub under an illusion and watched the television. Gods above I could do with a drink, especially everyone else managing to have one. What's worse it seemed I was the responsible adult amongst this lot and their combination of personal drama and supernatural horrors. Really I could have expected all this madness but my own enthusiasm had gotten ahead of me. Most likely the combination of only having to fight Hippies not evil Fey on my first real proper case followed by having to study for boring second level exams; getting back at the magic was high on my list of priorities. Well I'd said it was time to start into a more detailed explanation of the local magical scene and this certainly counted as practical experience now didn't it?

'Certainly shows the wisdom of having me do the training here now doesn't it?' popped into my head as I glanced over at the rest of my companions for the day; a cabbie, my other (idiot) magic teachers ex, and that walking disaster area in a trenchcoat and of course my 'minder' for this little trip from the ARW. On the bright side I supposed John had stopped whining about the burning down of his favourite pub and resultant fallout from that fire. Boy was this going to be a fun little report to write up for myself and Cpt. McKeana between now and when we got back home; yes we did indeed have to live out a ghost story. One of those vengeance from beyond the grave one's...also this burned out pub in London will be rebuilt because of said spirits. Let's just call it a useful note/warning for future visitors to the area I guess.

Oh...and the whole cleaning up the scene of the crime thing. Because that'd certainly been super fun-times, even if using magic to have the corpses walk themselves from their deaths and then into the fire to dispose of them had saved alot of time and ickiness of dismemberment. Ah Doctor Ned, still helping me from across time and space with your helpful lessons on necromancer and battlefield clearance services. My only happiness on the big giant mess was the fact none of this lot had been involved in any of those vengeful-ghost induced deaths of criminals who'd burned a woman to death.

For insurance money of all things on the pub the woman wouldn't give up. Honestly I felt very little sympathy for any of that lot and really would preferred if magic was accepted over here and the whole thing could be dealt with through proper channels. Then again...have a bunch of Satanists as part of your political elite and one probably shouldn't expect active or honest investigation into supernatural events. Bloody ridiculous that the Irish government was going to have a more detailed report on these events than the London Metropolitan police...I almost wanted to sigh. A few months with John Constantine and I was already disposing of inconvenient dead bodies in the wake of his problems. Gods damn it!

And there was all the drama between trench-coat idiot and my fellow countrywoman living over here, who was my other idiot teacher's ex-girlfriend. Which the seemed to talk about in-bloody-cessantly after a few drinks despite the constant flirting with each other, it was...annoying to say the least. Though perhaps some of my dislike of her came from the fact she very apparently didn't like me very much from the start, and even less when the whole Constantine's 'apprentice' and necromancy thing became know.

Well, at least after she' half-begged, half-scolded, me about getting involved in magic and best to leave it all behind. I'll admit some of my feelings that she was an absolute and utter moron for thinking one could just 'ignore' all the dangerous magical crap going around us must have shone through the disguise and my tone. But in my defence...it was a fucking stupid attitude to take with cosmic horrors - 'Just ignore the dangerous lunatics, if we pretend not to see them they don't exist!'

Comic book 'logic' that drove me up the bloody wall. These were real creatures, provably real too with effort, and the response was burying our heads in the sand was the answer just...annoyed me. Yes John Constantine was a walking disaster, and yes it'd did massive damage to his life...but only because everyone else wanted to live in fantasy land and leave the dangers to him. Ms. Kathyrn Ryan got to enjoy her life and ignore such occult murder-horrors because this trench-coated idiot was around to handle such things when people needed it dealt with.

It was one of the reasons I'd gone to the government and then worked to convince them of the need to establish a professional unit, or authority, to handle such things. People were dying whether they believed in these things or not, and I didn't want to have to rely on the likes of myself or John Constantine than as more than a stop-gap. Or heavens forbid the likes of Mr. Sells-Soul-for-bloody-wine back in Kiliney. This little adventure here in London to the 'Northampton Arms Case' as we'll call it had merely reinforced the idea that leaving such situations up to random magic dudes who blundered on the scene was a bad idea. Nine Hells the only reason we'd gotten involved was because the trio sitting with we me and my minder had considered the place their favourite pub. And had gone there to meet up as a group before hand...what if that hadn't happened?...would innocents have gotten killed as well?

"Yer gone awful quite there ya know mate? Gone past yer bedtime eh? hehehe"

I shrugged back at the rather drunk seeming 'teacher' of mine "Ah just thinkin' on how'd it be so easier things would be if...ya know...we had relevant authorities here to go to and sort out this kinda thing"

"What can' ya do lad *hic* crooked da lot of'em around here, and they'd have us all in the mental afore could say boo bout' it all"

"Yeah, that's sort of the problem John, gonna have to avoid that back home..." I muttered back as I glanced up at the television as they showed something going on for the Justice League. At least the BBC existed in this reality I found, and was decent enough for showing quasi-accurate reports. I still preferred the Irish stations but for international news, or like now, out of the country, it was something to watch "...and speaking of magic and magicians, seems someone's getting a promotion!"

I finished nodding at the telly and the colourfully dressed dudes upon it. I'd like to be able to pull off a tuxedo and top hat like that Zatara fella did even now. Still I'd happily settle for my scary body armour as it felt like a much better protection choice alongside magical defences rather than just upon such spells. Seemed the others had at least a mild interest, or were just bored, as they glanced at the screen as a pretty looking reporter stood outside the Hall of Justice with costumed heroes behind a throng of press. There was Giovanni Zatara just as his report had shown standing alongside an attractive blonde woman in a blue jacket and some black leotard-bustier combo. Something drunken Johnny McTrenchcoat noted only to earn a punch in the back from his 'friend' Kathyrn "Woof, look at er'. Best lookin' of the lot of'em ain't she luv?"

I ignored the mistimed comment, or attempt at inducing jealousy, as the rest of the 'new league members' were introduced one after another after Zatara and Black Canary. Captain Atom looked basically as my memories from various DC comics seemed to indicate; maybe a bit less bulky than I expected for some reason. I blinked. Uff, John Steward seems a bit buff in this reality, and no green jacket either it seemed. Always liked him as a character my brain vaguely indicated, well more than Mr. Ego Lantern who'd been a pilot and wore the stupid triangle mask. Next was a robot...I had no idea who Red Tornado was being honest. Hmmm needed to look that up and correct my ignorance...wait a minute. I did know something about this dude; wasn't he in the Justice Society back in 40's?

'Wow, long lived' I mused as he gave a greeting to the reporter and polite answer about the honour of the position like all the others. Standard Party Line New Employee vibe there. Honestly bit weird he was so loyal considering the Americans rather shitty attitude towards AI's and...well...non-visibly-humans in terms of taking people. Maybe he was Canadian?

Needed to research him like all the other new additions; was useful homework after all...

'Oh it's Billy Batson' I noted as the big burly frame of Captain Marvel appeared in front of the reporter and gave a rather energetic and cheerful description of how happy he was to be a part of the League. I'd always liked Captain Marvel in that past life, at least in the various cartoons, even if I found the idea of a wizard giving a child superpowers and sending him out against the likes of Black Adam to be a rather evil bloody act. Like serious, honestly, messed up decision making there. Even the rest of the Justice League had waited till their meatshi...sidekicks were my current age before chucking them at psychotic lunatics looking to kill them and their heroes.

And been honest I had two lifetimes worth of memories to draw upon there so the whole thing seemed weird to me – after all orc-me had wanted the younger boys trained fully and old enough to stay alive on the battlefield. Yes child soldier could be a thing...but it was generally a sign of a desperate and losing side in a war. Billy Batson...that just seemed wrong despite my respect for his Marvel persona; he'd likely crush me in any straight up fight after all. I shook it off and listened as they continued. Hmmm...still no Teen Titans in this universe it seemed, and John was muttering something about Zatara and knowing him. Oh and something about all those 'lucky jumped up twits in tights' he was going on about. Hopefully he'd have sobered up by tomorrow morning to get some proper study done on occultism...

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