[18th January 2011]
[Bunker, Beneath the Temple of the Shrouded Lord, Tropico]
"Hi, I'm John and I'll be your...well, I'm not really actually. Interrogator?...no, not really, hmm...Hi I'm John, and your Maria"
She stared back at weirdo they'd sent into talk to her, some Paddy fella dressed like he'd been out for a jog rather than in...wherever the fuck they'd locked her up really. Cameras everywhere, the creepy perverts, as well as these nasty runes and sigils on the walls that made her feel weak, or hurt if she touched them, or used magic; though that's what the collar and bracelets were too apparently, along with a 'temporary' tattoo on her back.
Not that was all bad...it was certainly a really nice prison cell compared to the torture she'd been expecting, they'd given her actual, normal-people, clothes unlike Mother and Grandfather.In truth meeting Da...young Da, had been a little weird now that Mother had...had...had...died. It was like all her surety on the way the world word was just gone in an instant. And Da...hadn't even recognised her, the useless bastard!
His own bleedin' daughter and he stares blankly at her for a few minutes then getting all pale an' shite before running out the door like a stupid little girl. God! The useless wanker was useless in whatever life, or whatever age, he was at...oh, and the weirdo was still looking at her in awkward silence as she fidgeted irritably on her chair. Certainly wasn't like the gold-blue fella with the creepy aura, or the big bearded...thing...from yesterday and this morning...so she settled for settling back into her chair, giving a not-nervous-at-all nod.
"Oight"
He frowned back "Ugh, okay"
Awkward silence persisted as he scratched at the side of his cheek and Maria continued to fidget in her seat as the clocked seemed to tick by loudly with each passing second. The chair was soft and leathery, surprising really as it was fairly comfortable despite being bolted to the ground beneath it, just like all the furniture in the room; likely for fear she'd try and use it or something. Like she'd be able to f-all when they defeated Grandfather and Mother with their crazy blood knight guy, magic bearded God dude, and of course the fancy dressed super-wizard.
"Sooooo? You gonna...I dunno, interrogate me or stuff?" she muttered deciding to end the silence folding her arms across her chest "...loik, what'ch'ya want me to say. Lasso Lady made me spill, and ye got all them fancy blood tests an' whatnot so ye know me who me Da is, loik his runnin' off like a little bitch earlier on shoulda shown"
"Heh! Oh, yeah, that were hilarious, good on ye!" he announced suddenly cheerful and giving a thumbs up sign to her as she blinked in confusion at the response "...damn, but the crap he's been dumping on our laps and it's finally his turn to run around like a chicken with his head cut off. Oh, and yeah, I've read the reports, and you've got the charming Constantine personality demon or no. Anywho, I'm here all about your happy-crappy childhood, and what are we all to do with ya, and stuff like that basically"
"Oh, simple stuff then, roit..." she uttered rolling her eyes "...better not faint when I tell ye about how I first killed as child, and then..."
"How you killed your first person at ten when dumbo the brat tried to rape, and then worked you're up too murdering homeless people with your imaginary friends because you're a bloodthirsty little psycho..." the strange boy replied giving a shake of his head and resting back in his chair, one leg coming up over to other seemingly at ease despite what she was, and what he was saying about her "...yeah, yeah, heard all that last time"
Now she gave him a confused looked, one he seemed to pick up on "Ya know, when Wonder Woman did her whole magic rope of tell us everything trick"
"Wha?"
Great now he was gesticulating in seeming exasperation "Guy in armour, fiery sword...I captured you, you dumbass! Boss above where's my respect!"
Maria froze, a dozen thoughts going through her mind; terrifying magic blood knight versus student back from a jog in front of her for one. For another he didn't have a fiery sword of golden awfulness, nor that unnerving aura like the bearded guy who called himself a God...Maria was pretty sure she could take him if she had her powers and no 'restraining bolt' on her. Still, her mouth moved with her thinking as she pointed at him "You grab me arse, ye big armoured twat!"
"I did not!"
"Yeah ye did, when ye threw over yer shoulder ya big creepy fucker!"
He threw up his arms "Holy Fuck! That's your first...what is wrong with your family and priorities! Lord!" he motioned into her "...look it was to stop you falling off with all the wriggling"
"A likely story, yer probably lookin' through them cameras at me when ah..."
"Oh for..." he muttered pointing at her as she felt herself saying dangerous things to the dangerous person who had nearly killed her "...right. No. I've had quite enough of the Constantine distract from things through nonsense talk already today thank you very much. See here's the thing Maria, people up the chain will decide what to do with you and I'll be honest, alot of people would want to lock you away forever and ever, and then throw away the key"
That...had been on her mind, along with being violently killed by a fiery sword, since they'd thrown her into this place; dominating her dreams last night as she struggled to decide what was worse. Still she refused to show fear to...the guy she'd already showed massive fear to when he'd captured her...Oh, well...she scratched the back her neck "Oi, yeah, loik the thought crossed me mind ya know"
"Yeah, so, let's not faff about cuz it's in your interests and I'm kinda willing to give you a break at least...compared to a few others anyway"
"Sure ye'are, just gonna ignore all ye heard roit? Gonna be super-best friends now are we?"
"Phhhht, no, you're a cambion as my patron would call you, and more demon than human so I'm not overly shocked by the childhood presented..." he replied brow furrowed in apparent seriousness as he focused on her, sitting forward slightly "...and, being honest, you're a Constantine yer Da does terrible, terrible, things both intentionally and by accident without someone running interference. That and your childhood was basically a simulation setup to encourage you down that path...which is honestly impressive on your mother's and grandfather's part for making use of a deal...so, there's that"
Maria was feeling a little confused by all this "Wot? Like...you don't think I killed enough people or sumin?"
"No...well, sorta?" he replied frowning "...for the circumstances? Well, anyway, it leads into the situation of it all being not real, completely fabricated and never actually occurred outside a magically induced dream...well, nightmare fer John...space"
Now she winced, ever so faintly, shifting a little in her seat and looking at the table as he continued "...which leads into a) you never legally existed, b) you didn't kill a boy at ten, nor killed a whole heap of helpless victims with yer bunch of murder-mate and right now c) ya got no family other dear old Da thanks to the First of the Fallen, who may or may-not come after you if your outside our protection. So, we know you're a psychopath...well, have murderous psychopath instincts, but we can work around that maybe"
"You know I'm loik an Evil Demon roit?"
"NO, your demon blooded...really demon blooded, but I teach your cousin already, and your dumbass Da teaches me...in theory...so I'm well aware demon blood and Constantine family members. It just means you need more self-control and such compared to normal folk sadly..." he replied shrugging "...as to Evil. Well, depends on the type of Evil really don't it? Plenty of evil people out in the world living perfectly productive and societally beneficial lives ya know. And if you can't by without killin' well, then there's lines of work, legal ones, which let you do it too. Always some folk who need a good killing for the good of everyone else"
Wha...
"Are ye like an evil conspiracy or sumtin?"
"No" he huffed back "...we're fighting for the greater good actually, hence the giving you a chance. Currently you're bound to obey our commands, forced demon binding when yer Ma..."
"Mother" she correctly immediately, then feeling stupid as Mother was dead and not around to enforce the rule, and the fact she and Grandfather had sold her like a cow at market to these lunatics...before dying "...er, sorry, Ma, was...look Mother was Mother"
"Um, okay. Anywho...you're bound to obey us basically, but we're willing to give you a choice into moving to a voluntary binding of some sort. Master-Servant, Teacher-Student, Master-Familiar even, there's a number of options really; not with your Father by the way, it'll be me or Doctor Fate, or the Pagan God who likes drinking and partying, as there aren't exactly many lining up for such a role beyond maybe Etrigan's host maybe. And I doubt you'd like that"
Etrigan was...oh...she shivered "Nah, thing I'd pass on 'em boss man. Not loik I've any choice innit now would I? Or a difference?"
"Honestly there is, you might be able to wiggle out of the current binding you know in the years, decades, to come even locked away. You're a Constantine, and he did train you a small bit already in that dream-world so you might if you hold out hope. Maybe. But it'll be much harder to break a Pact freely entered, nigh impossible really, and there's higher standards expected...but that'll be the trade off in the years to come. You can have a life, a family, training for your revenge on the First...but not us obviously...whatever you want, within reason of course. A proper deal between two parties, the level of your binding based upon what you offer up in exchange to some degree"
"I..." Oh, truth was forced out of her "...yer daft ya know?"
"Eh, probably, but you've time to think about it and then we can negotiate over the days to come; now what do for entertainment, that's not murder, and we'll see what we can do. Least give you something to do between you being questioned..."
--
[18th January 2011]
[Shadowcrest Manor, New Jersey, United States of America]
...the trenchcoat clad monster shoved forward a blonde girl who was dressed in clothes that just screamed trailer trash "Look Giovanni! Me Apprentice went inta Hell and turns out...I hava daughter with a demoness! Who'd thought it!"
...the blonde girl grew horns, smiling evilly like a Constantine always did before horrible, terrible, things happened thanks to them "Hiya! I'm Maria! And I started killing when I was ten, and now I torture helpless puppies and homeless people! Me Da is gonna teach me magic now! Nothing bad will happen from this! Pinky promise!"
...as the skull faced apprentice jogged hurriedly into view, taking off his face and letting out a relieved sigh "Guys, good to see you all. Good News, Bad News time. Good News; I just punched Satan in the face and stole his stuff. Bad News; he's kinda mad and looking to seek his horrible vengeance upon the world...anyone seen Gemma?"
"I'm Here Oh Crazy and Insane Teacher!" the other Constantine girl bounced into view dragging an abomination against nature behind her "...Ugh, little help, spell sorta went wrong!"
"Hhelllppppp meeeeeeeeeee" the piteous creature wailed flailing around in it's part cat, part person, part monster and part unknown slime thing "...kiillllllll meeeeeeee"
"Oh God Gemma what happened? Who's that?"
"Sorry said the wrong word and Boom! Villain into...whatever this is. Was supposed to be a cat" the girl replied with embarrassment and the other three of Team Constantine gave a collective sigh of relief. Fortune nodded, patting her on the head with a smile.
"Oh it's only a villain! They don't count, so we can do horrible, terrible, dreadful things to them and everyone else around them, up too and including innocent bystanders"
Trenchcoated Bastard nodded "Yeah, that's called Collateral Damage in the Biz, now somebody get a mop ta clean up all the blood. There's always so much blood"
"Dad! Dad!" his beautiful baby girl came into view waving at him, getting far, far, too close to the monsters in the room "...I've decided to go on a holiday, alone, with John! Maybe Cuba..."
"We're going to conquer it and build a Magical Skull Fortress in my Dark Name"
"...and I'll wear scandalous clothing that the Constantine Girls picked out! We're all friends now, and the Crazy Skull Faced Boy my boyfriend"
Giovanni fell to his knees in horror, head to the sky "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
...his head jerked up "Dad?"
"Hmph?" he managed to muttered out eyes shooting open and looking at his pyjama clad daughter. Oh, thank God he was safe at home and it all just a horrible nightmare. Too much stress and exhaustion of late it seemed "...sorry my dear one, I seemed to have dosed off"
She smiled back tiredly at him "I know Dad, you said to wake you so you didn't sleep in the chair again tonight"
"Hmm, I do believe I did" he smiled back pushing himself out of the comfortable chair and to his feet, the spectral flames of the undying fireplace illuminating and warming the study "...the difficulties of such a busy schedule of late"
"The Team could...help?" Zatanna asked politely, once again attempting to be the dutiful daughter. He sighed, patting her on the shoulder; too brave and helpful in his opinion, but it was clear she would push boundaries even more unless he allowed her to be helpful in some manner.
"I know my dear, and your friends shall aid the League in the days to come, perhaps in Gotham as magic persists there, cloaking its streets"
And how frustrating it had been to be unable to break the spell; reducing it, weakening it, but in the end it would bounce back in that veiling fog. Another side effect of the events in Star City he suspected, there had been several flare ups of magic in the past few days since that mad ritual, and his friends and colleagues in the magical community had reported of other similar events from the Mists returning to Avalon, to new practitioners of the craft appearing.
Between that, and general outbreak of criminality across the continent, there had been other matters of greater matter to focus upon than a magical fog where the true danger were those hiding within the city. Of course letting his little Zatanna near Gotham or Bludhaven was something he'd rather avoid, but unfortunately with the League so pressed, there were areas they could patrol to free up others.
Or just simply to keep young Fortune away from charging into Hell itself in vengeful fury apparently...letting his baby near the boy was worrying, but not having some reins on John Constantine's get was even more terrifying really. Because that situation was causing him nightmares sadly, along with the fact Constantine had made a Pact with Nergal then a number of other beings including an Old God, before nuking Hell and killing Nergal it seemed. It was all...so terrifyingly ridiculous as always with the man.
"Oh, that's good Dad, everyone just wants to help, Robin vanished off there and John, well, stuff"
"I know child, but patience..."
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