12216/PONIES

PONIES
Date of Scene:	29 July 2022
Location:	House of Mystery
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	John Constantine, Meggan Puceanu

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John Constantine has posed:
Never let it be said that John Constantine doesn't spoil his little girl.

Of course, spoiling when you're The Laughing Magician is something very different. One might imagine that Zatanna Zatara was spoiled in a similar way when she was a small girl, though perhaps with a bit more mindfulness from her parents because John is a fucking lunatic.

At the moment, Cissy -- C.C.? Ceecee? Cici? -- and her father are in what passes for the House of Mydtery's "backyard" and the young girl is riding a rather large horse.

Okay. It's not a horse.

It's a unicorn.

It looks perfectly happy to be giving the girl a ride, but it's looking at John like it wants to gore him.

Wonder why.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
My Little Pony isn't a thing in Britain. It never was. Ponies mean actual pointy ears, hay-swilling, brumpy bastards. Flashy tails that sway back and forth, attitude all around given a short take on the world. When they're knee-high in a world of high cornstalks...

Of course the little one has a ton of names. The one whispered in her ear by Gaea's daughter is a ribbon of lyrical promises, shining bright and soft. A twinkle is a name, a shimmer of wind and water.

The arc of a smile brightly dances on Meggan's lips watching the unicorn. If the whole 'go near a pure person' thing applies, then the child is the only one pure enough to come near because a faerie goddess sure as hell isn't. She's /been/ in Hell and merged with it. The Hellblazer is Cici's father.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she asks John brightly. It's no point to ask in another language. Her palms are open, the woman floating cross-legged in front of the unicorn. "Did I ever show you the book by that Polish writer? Oh, the one about the Witcher. He's like you but... well, I'm the one with the sword, not you!"

John Constantine has posed:
"For her? Aye, she's entirely safe. For us?" John wobbles his hand a little bit. "I'm fairly certain that thing will try to kill us if we try to take her back from it before she's done enjoying herself a ride, but that's all right. She needed to get tired out anyway." John steps up behind Meggan and slides his hands around her waist while she floats in mid-air, putting his chin on her shoulder. "It'll die to protect her, even from us." He rolls his eyes. "Pure pureness or whatever. When she's older, I'll get her a nightmare to ride, so she can have some real fun."

As to the Witcher... "I played the video game for a bit. It was fun. Interesting choices for the supernatural creatures."

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
Meggan's smile gets that much brighter as she curls her fingers and uncurls them. Fitting the needs of the moment, she flexes her shoulders and the weight of her gossamer wings stretches behind her in rainbow profusion. "I hope she enjoys the gift from you. So thoughtful."

Her bright green eyes shift back to the unicorn with their golden-haired girl, with John's faded-blue gaze too keenly turned to the world. "I appreciate you, unicorn friend! You've no need to kill either of us. Mum would be just delighted to know you're taking good care of her granddaughter. Mum's approved him, too." She pops her thumb over her shoulder, poking John in the chin. Totally by accident, as the horse turns a liquid eye their way. Cici probably just giggles, primly aware of the conversation.

"Right at the gates of the Garden, 'cos Mum can't really come /out/. That's the badge of approval, innit? I hope we'll get yours too." Probably not, but a girl full of hope is an eternal thing. "Besides, the house will keep her safe too, aight?"

John Constantine has posed:
"Your mum's got less stringent requirements than it does, luv," Constantine tells Meggan with a snort. "Or, at least, her requirements are flexible in the long-run. Unicorns are hard-wired; he can't like us anymore than he can _not_ like her." He shrugs, letting his shoulders press against the back of Meggan's. He turns his head and kisses her temple, turning back to the girl riding the unicorn. "She's 'aving fun though, so it's worth it. I still think she'll enjoy the nightmare more when she's in'er teens, aye? Really dig into that rebellion."

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
Meggan tips her head playfully to the unicorn, those wings still folded flat. She floats without them, after all, but they're a functional aspect of her motherhood now and then. Her arm curls around to find his waist, supporting John if he wants to be ground-bound or up with her. "But as he's his own temperament, I've mine, and you yours. Cause I adore pretty horned equines like any of the Aes Sidhe or the light elves or my cousins." Her eyes crinkle up playfully in a brighter grin. "Oh, we don't go introducing nightmares /yet/. They're for Samhain. You've already factored in I shift Unseelie then, right?"

Dig rebellion? She's married to him.

John Constantine has posed:
"Factor it? My love, I'm counting on it. I'm not going to wrangle a nightmare all by meself. Lucky someone owed me a favor to get this one here," he says, nodding to the unicorn. "Nightmares are whole other creatures. But you Unseelie will have an easier time. Besides, you start dressin' a certain way," he admits, catching the pointy tip of her ear between his teeth and nipping at it. "Look at'er, she looks so happy riding that one-horned murder'orse around." And he couldn't be happier than watching it.

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
"I never took you for a horseman. You don't like flying." Meggan must see these synonymously. No one really needs a winged nightmare, do they? She cracks into a sunny laugh all the same, basking in the summer weather with an odious ability to never overheat. Proof she isn't actually from Britannia or the Otherworld, weirdo. The unicorn goes through its paces, Cici squeaking from the back and giving suggestions rather than actual commands. There's no need to cling because being a broad-backed horse with nimble prancing steps makes for a pretty stable platform, plus having some inner gyroscope from the fae heritage is bound to be helpful.

"You reckon she's going to want a pony? Aren't all girls eager for it?" She isn't sure, the tone clouded by an absence of certainty. "We used to have horse fairs ages and ages ago. People would come and the Travellers actually got some acceptance. Long as they brought good stock, otherwise they were all blamed for being thieves as usual. Bet you would've swindled thrice as much from everyone and never known." Her thumb curls around his cheek as she turns to John's nip. "Just look at that, one of you ne'er-do-wells riding a prancing pony. Does that make us Hobbits or you Aragorn?"

John Constantine has posed:
"I'd rather not be compared to any of those chaps, thank you very much. Tom Bombadil all the way. At least, until it's time to actually do something about the evil lord. _He_ decided to just fuck off. Ponce." John is watching his daughter, eventually taking a long breath and then shrug. "I hope she doesn't. Horses are annoying to maintain. Though if she does, it will definitely be her responsibility. I'm not taking care of a horse because she wanted one and then couldn't handle it." John is strict! He already has so many responsibilities, right?

Meggan Puceanu has posed:
"Tom Bombadil was the greatest evil in Middle Earth, you do know that?" Conspiracy theorist Meg, that's really true. "He wasn't fucking off, he was the darkest darkness since Morgoth got punted to the outer dark. Goldberry had crap taste, you can't deny me that." She gives a serious look at John, who is busy watching that their daughter doesn't get skewered. "I'm talking a unicorn, not a horse. Proper horse is plenty dumb as rocks, trying to kill themselves way more than they ought. A unicorn at least could babysit her while we're dealing with problems, like demons and devils and such. I also realize that you've not been able to do all you want that way. I mean, with demons. Reckon you've plenty of work that way?"

John Constantine has posed:
"Well, I'm not bloody Gandalf, I'll tell you that much," John says with a frown and a grump. "I don't think getting her a unicorn permanently is in the cards, though. For starters, they're considered at least almost sentient, and even if we could, they're prohibitively expensive. I don't have enough of me soul left to buy one on the darkest of markets." Not even a used one! "But we'll be figuring out babysitting potential soon. I was thinking to talking to Blue Devil's sidekick, but that kid wouldn't survive a minute with Cici, regardless of how fireproof he is."