Constantine - The Laughing Magician Presents; Life in the Real World

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Chapter 11: Lie Lie Lie

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Song fic style Serj from Soad. You know it!

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~ Now, listen to this; Lae and her uncle hadn't spoken since he moved to the mainland, while the rest of her family was given things to support them by this benefactor that was a menace to both man and ghoul.

He ran the underground as a barracuda, to me. Same dogged expression he had on im; as any who'd gotten too deep into the lust of that industry. No wonder Lae's hairs stood up in his office like they damned well did! She's got something to tell us, and dear ole' Johnny will not sleep tonight without an answer to this puzzling gamble Lau has us playin' by his hand.

The Triads? Are we three blind rats really, serious about stopping an illegal – magi political matter without notifying the high ones or some crap like it??

I'd best not say to you, as you'll discover Lau's intentions to be all but pure at heart.

Oh, on with it then! I'll be getting stiff in my joints sometime now, if you can't turn the bleedin' page –

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So, the Trese Cassandra, stayed the whole long while. For what it's worth, she is the most peculiar out of our lot of crime solving investigators. London could use one more, knowing her history. She'd draw a kelpie to climb out of the water.

Dare that be the case, no kelpie didn't offer me a palace of swamp grass and merriment.

Perhaps if I'd been born in another life…We can't all decide what hoodwinking shite dearest" fate" might pull on us as a species. Man has too many attachments to consider that he should believe in what cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Yet, mates? I've done it. Not surpass myth and legend, but Merlin's welcomed to call me up to party in Camelot any time he finds the time. With Mordred plucking that half fae from the time it has, I imagine Arthur is quite bored up there on that charming cloud of pixies and dancing –

"John?"

I'm awake, but not as long as the train can keep a bloke. I open one eye and bare my all to catch Cassandra's nose in it.

"Yes, luv…. what can I do…. you fer…" I'm obviously too bloody exhausted to even speak without slurring my speech. Lae is back to her old form, a more formal wear to her attire and I'd been asleep since….

"We are about to get off at the station here." Cassandra told me in a direct manner.

"Sure, then." I shrugged and rose from my seat. A woman in a face mask coming home from her cram courses was eyeing me down. Was I smelly? Did the cats follow me onto this train? I quirked a brow at her, then the spot got a vacant seat.

Trese didn't say much as Lae was forever on her feet.

And I even offered to pay the lunch tab…oh dear…

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What else could we find lurking in Shanghai if we so much as turned a boulder?

I wanted to take a peek and see about some shops in the district that had em, so Lae was convinced that we should "arm" ourselves with relics to protect ourselves from the ones who'd not be aiding our cause.

As if I needed to explained that from start to end, mates.

We walked about and found a shop; one masquerading as a curio and herbal medicine "den," yet I was onto it. Water and mud. There was no waiting around.

"Welcome." The owner had eyes hidden by long bangs. Was a wraith moving this castle from town to town? I scratched my head as Cassandra stepped forward to ask the shop keep her many questions.

" Ni hao. We are here to search for charms. Amulets for protection from, evil spirits. We are aware of the costs and –

"The cost is a bit steep…" The old hag chuckled at us – the audacity!

"You'll be paying by cash or…. with something of equal measure?" She asked us three.

Rubbing her mits together, I could have sworn I'd seen her grinning below that lanky mop. She wasn't dressed for the times. Had to be a witch. No way there was any difference in how they did business anywhere else in the world over…

"We can, and it will depend." Lae stepped up to pitch and…I held my breath.

"We aren't like these, mortals. Your eyes tell you plenty, and you also have a way to face the curse holding the Phys of myth hostage. I know; you are one of my brother's clients. He, unfortunately passed due to the curse…" She let her knuckles grind into mounds at her side, rather remorseful as the witch with a perm, nodded.

"Oh, dear…. aiiya…I believe I have something left of his back orders. He was destined to fail. They all are…"

Lae's eyes flashed up in deceit. "Are you saying that my brother was right to lose his very life??"

I just huddled with my hands to my pockets, eyeing the goodies and "eyes in a jar." Dragon's fang, things that went bump in the night for a warlock.

"No, no. It was just what HE was after than was going to kill him. I even told him not to barter with that chimp, Lau. The man is madness…I do not trust such an unscrupulous creature. His sins are grand. Your family, brother, got into the mess to support you." She explained to us. "I may not look it, but my village was very close to that of your own. We were born of the same fate. I do not wish ill onto you or your task." She apologized? More than I can say about the vampire maidens that want to suck my life force away!

"I'm very sorry to interrupt, yet the bloke who was killed was coerced we believe into a smuggling trade run by one of the demons of my time. My, past. I want to apologize as well for the inconvenience, yet Lau has us on a hunt for the triads in charge o –

"That clan of mad men!!? Secret dogs?? You are going to have trouble if they find out!" She gasped.

"I can give you a reason to fight, but the reason is your own. The Trese. Word, travels." She bowed to Cassandra, while Lae and I had to fend for ourselves.

"Yes. You are wise, grandmother…We are here to fend off the ones harming the culture of protected Phys. The Triads have some hand in the occult and we are here to put a stop to this offense. I will be reporting all of my happenings to the spirit council.

I blink. She can contact them at will? Damned better than Norse gods! They refuse to talk about anything hectic…

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We leave with a good set of scrolls and a talisman, on the house as she said it may, be our last fight.

I'm up to rumble with an underground magical gang but, the Triads??

It could be messy…

Quite.

Lae and I stand before the amulet Cassandra has up in the air. A portal. A way to skip the preamble.

Brilliant!

The words spoken unanimously, we set forth to cripple some …hem, incapacitate some gun – men. The bobbies won't bother us at the dock yard as I see the most formidable Triad member on his cell in the dark.

We were just….

~We came back to where we'd started?? ~

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