[20th February 2010]

[Wizards Sanctum, Off the Quays, Dublin]

I collapsed back into the sofa of my 'Sanctum' with a tired sigh. Training was just as exhausting as always I found, but at least there was a steady improvement I think so that made it worthwhile. Well, that and the teleportation circuit I'd managed to establish between here with this lovely comfy sofa, and the cruel, cruel, training grounds at the Curragh that I'd just arrived from. The start of my...well SHIELD's...planned network of such things along with the other two I managed to establish between said army base and SHIELD HQ, and between SHIELD HQ and a secure basement room underneath the government buildings.

Much more effort than I'd originally intended as it had involved some jury-rigging my previous life's known spell-work to local resources and abilities. In the end it was a direct circle-to-circle arrangement between the various sites; though this one of course was restricted access to only a handful of people based upon blood and personal aura. After all this place was my Magical Sanctum of sorts right now, as well as my current home, so I didn't want easy access for the rest of the world into it very obviously.

Honestly the whole thing was an interesting and useful experiment for a future implantation of a larger scale system within the country, and to our embassies across the world most likely as well. Personally I'd love to start a true commercial system based around a 'Gate' system to allow this world to reach its true potential...and for me to make money off it too of course; Lawful Good didn't mean having to be Lawful Stupid after all. At least that's what I mused upon as I flicked on the television and rested my tired feet upon the storage box turned foot stool.

Ah nice cheap leathered storage box covering you are so nice and comfortable to rest upon I mused as I flicked between the various news channels.UK economy was still in the doldrums it seemed even if the new government was settling in after...the troubles...last year. Poor, poor, Tories had suffered a string of massive scandals and mysterious disappearances last year for some strange reason that had brought them electoral disaster despite several leading Labour politicians having similar scandals. I shall weep for them...or not...considering what I'd seen.

Hopefully the current lot of leaders from previous nobodies would be better than the last lot of self-important Satanists. At the very Royal Highness the Prince, and his Family in general perhaps, seemed to have learned his lesson and gotten a healthy dose of fear of that sort of lifestyle. At least my superiors in the Cabinet, and G2 via SHIELD, seemed to be happy about results all these months later and on the performance of our magical organisation in general. Thankfully the cases since then had been nowhere near as bad and relatively easy to handle either by physical force magic, or siccing Father McMillian on a possessed person in one case.

The tingling feel of my wards filed me along with a faint chime from the entrance caused me to glance over in that direction. No need to be concerned of course as I recognised the person's blood-ward signature, though I had thought I'd be able to rest without interruption for a bit after hours of gruelling physical activity. And...of bloody course...the phone rang just as the black haired girl came around the corner.

Theremaybetroubleahead

I thumped answer immediately and had it to my ear "Yes John, she's here, No...you can't come over here, and Yes she'll be perfectly fine and I won't teach her anything about summoning demons or any other stupid shit like that OKAY? Can't you fuck off and let me watch tv in peace for a few minutes?"

Growl. Growl. Growl. Growl. Growl. Nothing intelligent in reply to me as usual I could hear.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...stop bloody growling threats at me ya damned muppet,...yeah fine, grand. Thanks for the pep talk Sensei, have a nice date with Ms. Ryan, so bye now John..." I thumbed the button again to end the call with a sigh "...ya over protective bloody gobshite"

No fucking way was John 'walking magical disaster' Constantine or Brendan 'sold my soul for wine' Finn being allowed access to my heavily warded Sanctum, my personal belongings and arcane projects. Primarily because that could lead to bad things happening in my experience with my two teachers. Evidently something that the girl who was walking towards me's parents agreed with in the 'Not with John' statements that had come with her stay in Ireland. What a messed up world I lived in! I sighed again and glanced up at her.

"That was your Uncle John, he says hi by the way..." I informed her as she stood just across from the sofa and reclining form "...I'm guessing you left him behind on the other side of the circle...at least judging by the attempt to get it activate after you came here" Oh secondary Law based Anti-Constantine wards how useful you are proving to be!

She pouted at me, yep evidently that was the case. Seems idolizing her occasionally visiting 'Uncle John' had last about a fortnight of having to be in his presence on a daily basis. Well that and the whole protective uncle act as well of course, even I found that annoying "He was being mean and not teaching me like he promised he would! And then he didn't want me coming back early to get you to teach me like you promised"

"Heh, that sounds like him..." I agreed with a tired nod "...have a seat and relax a bit first, or not, I've had a long day and need to rest and eat first before anymore magic teaching"

Gemma looked at me suspiciously "You promised to teach me tonight remember!"

"Yeah, and it's like...just gone six o'clock, so resting first for an hour before that. Anyway you got to be hungry as well after your day, right? I'll cook up enough for both of us, relax a bit, and then we'll pull out your spell-book I promise?"

That seemed to mollify her, or at least remind her of a hungry tummy, and she nodded seemingly to herself and eased herself unto the sofa just beside me "What'ca makin?"

"Beef Stir-fry with rice up your alley?"

"Uh-huh, that'd be nice" came back along with a look of 'are you going to do it now or what?'

"Okay then, cooking time it seems..." I replied pushing myself from the comfy sofa with sore arms and legs "...anyway you've got tomorrow and Sunday off, so plenty of time for magic lessons. Anywho didn't any of them teach you anything since you were in HQ today?"

"No, it was all boring stuff and Uncle John wouldn't let them teach me anything interesting!" the complaint followed me from the sofa, along with sounds of the channel changing to some soap opera, as I walked into the kitchen area behind it and started to pull out pots and pans. I could talk and cook after all and now that I was moving I was getting hungry. In the end it was one of the joys of having my home away from home within walking distance once again; easy access to my own cooking over the rations and still rather bland tasting stuff in our 'secret headquarters' underground.

What's worse as we talked I could understand Gemma's frustration with the whole situation for her day off of school and in the HQ instead. I'd hoped that while I was off getting the crap beaten out of me down in Kildare they'd be go through various protective wards and religious backgrounds with her...save it sounded 'Uncle John' and Kit Ryan were more interfering than I'd expected, and his usual...poor...teaching methods evidently applied even more than usual towards family. Truth be told I really should have found this unsurprising with the standard magician training methods of this Earth; or more-so the lack thereof and effect of an unwilling teacher on that training.

Still despite that problem the truth was Gemma here was a bright and eager student of what was placed before her and happy to place aside her interests in the darker aspects till she was more experienced in the Arcane Arts. Ironically...or not, perhaps by deliberately of demonic forces...it was easier to get bad advice, or access to 'darker' arts and tools than it was getting 'good' or 'lawful' aligned magical artifacts.

As the situation in Britain had shown me that stupidity even extended to the upper echelons of 'The Establishment' and *in theory* highly educated and intelligent people. I really needed to do up an advisory handbook or pamphlet to go out when the organisation become public knowledge in the years to come. It seemed even cooking didn't save me from the start of my apprentice's lesson for the day as she turned away from the television and rested her arms on the back of the sofa so she could look at me and bombard me with questions.

I could easily tell she wanted to start learning the more direct spells I knew – such as ones that make things/people go Boom and/or summon scary creatures/tentacles and other such things. But really Abjuration, and Shield in particular, were a better starting point considering her family history and then we'd move Protection from Evil and/or Protection from Chaos. Then, in a few months, we could move unto non-lethal things like Sleep or Disguise Self.

Anyway I was already in the process of producing a protective amulet for her for any of the times I'd have to travel as an escort for a Minister as such. There was already seemingly talk of that in the next few weeks for a US trip however much I wanted to avoid the place till I was stronger. And if Gemma here came along, then so would 'Uncle John' and at that stage disaster(s) (and international ones at that) were almost guaranteed to occur thanks to his mere presence. So where I'd be absent at least the girl would be afforded the best tools and protections I could afford any apprentice of mine. Hilariously the hold up so far had been my choice of 'ugly' materials to place the enchantments on. Everyone was a bloody critic these days I found!

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