19066/Tulips and Roses

Tulips and Roses
Date of Scene:	13 September 2024
Location:	The Laughing Magician
Synopsis:	Rien's back on board with the JLD and his name probably isn't Bert.
Cast of Characters:	John Constantine, Rien D'Arqueness

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John Constantine has posed:
Downtime - John hasn't had a whole lot of that lately, so whenever he does he can be found at The Laughing Magician - unless he's spending time with his daughter. From time to time he's considered doing both at the same time. Then he grows a brain and realizes that it's probably not appropriate to play tea party with one's little girl in a bar.

The college kid that's still struggling with a bit of an acne problem - the one that serves as what seems to be the *only* staff John has - he's actually hanging in the middle of the bar today. It's a good sign, John must be in a decent mood if the kid isn't hovering at the opposite end and sneaking sideways glances of fear in his boss's direction.

Of course, the proprietor of the establishment is set up on his little pauper's throne of a bar stool with a clear view of the door. Someone - probably the man himself - decided it would be funny to hang a neon red 'No Smoking' sign right above that stool. The neon red lights make the smoke that wafts up and around it all pretty and pinkish. Silk cuts and ashtray at his left elbow, glass of scotch at his right - he's actually reading a book. It's a big thing, and while it doesn't look *ancient*, it does look old.

The jukebox, set on 'blues' for the evening is turned down a notch compared to its normal volume level.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien had warned him that she still wanted to talk. The last one got pleasantly sidetracked by Cain, less so by the foul mood the Hellblazer had been in. But it's been a few days and she made sure he was okay with her swinging by before popping in on him. Always a nice touch to ask rather than just show up. Nod of respect to the magus.

Rien steps inside the bar, one brow lifting up at the sight of... Brian? Bob? Billy? at ease in the middle of the bar. Normally the kid is jumpier than a box of fidgets. It's a good sign, though, so she makes her way towards where John is seated, offering a smile to the kid in passing.

Sidling up, she settles onto the stool next to his and pulls out the slim case of her own special homerolled cigarettes, setting it on the bar. "A little light reading, cher? Or research, perhaps?"

John Constantine has posed:
John watches Rien approach - maybe that was a quirk of a smile on his lips? Hard to say around the cigarette dangling there. Once she's settled, he calls out, "Oy! Bert! Get the lass what she'd like, on the house." His name probably is not Bert.

But he answers to it and moves a little closer for Rien to place an order.

"Oh, this?" John offers as he closes the book. "Just a little light reading, luv." That's a lie - no one reads magical tomes that big as 'light reading', not even John Constantine. "You wanted a chinwag, ey? Guessin' it's about the whole Justice League dark thing?"

It should be noted that right before he asked that last bit, the music and the noise of the few patrons in the bar became muted and muffled. Stands to reason that the same goes in reverse - what's being said between Rien and John will go no further than the two of them. Used to be he cast a spell for that - but now it seems he has an auto silencer somewhere, probably on that stool of his.

He plucks the Silk Cut from between his lips and stubs it out in the ashtray. He doesn't *immediately* light another, but that's only because he chooses to polish off his scotch first.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Looking towards Bert-Not-Bert, Rien flashes a grin, "Angel's Envy. Bring a rocks glass, leave the bottle." It isn't super top shelf bourbon, but it isn't well liquor either. And it's her preference for when she's drinking just for herself.

"Uh huh." Chuckling at his evasion, she leans an elbow on the bar and reaches for her cigarettes, lighting one up and drawing on it before plucking it free to point at him with the slowly burning end, "And people say you don't listen..."

She doesn't glance around, there's no startling. She can feel the magical effect settling in around them and just enjoys the comfortable sensation of magic buzzing around her. Still. "Getting fancier now, are we? I've been meaning to ask... you said the bar isn't paid off. Are you looking for investors?" Steady income streams are never a bad thing.

Not that that's why she's here, but it's a good question to ask while she is! As soon as Not-Bert arrives with her drink, she winks at him and pours out a few fingers to sip on while they chat.

John Constantine has posed:
"Who says I don't listen?" John actually seems just a tiny bit offended. He may not act like it all of the time, but he's *always* listening. So many people don't realize that behind the chain smoking, pickled in scotch, 'don't give a fuck' veneer is a mind sharp as a tack - he barely made it through upper sixths, but genius isn't only measured in the three 'Rs'. What's up with that anyway, writing and arithmetic do not start with 'R'.

Probably not Bert serves up her glass and her bottle and refills John's glass without being asked to. John's trained the boy well it seems.

He looks around the bar, like really looks - thoughtful, and then turns his attention back to Rien. "I dunno, luv. I rather enjoy havin' a place that's just *mine* - well, one that doesn't lock me out or hide my shoes when she's pissed with me."

This place means something to him - it's evident in the fact that it looks *exactly* like it did before it was almost destroyed. Maybe it really was plucked from a corner in Liverpool? Whatever the reason, John Constantine is attached to the place.

"You sure you want back in, luv? Now? Things aren't exactly tulips and roses - in fact a lot's about to just go tits up."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Laughing, Rien grins at him, "Anyone that you ignore? And don't act all offended, you purposely like to make it appear as if you're never paying attention to anyone or anything, as much as it suits you." She Lifts her glass to his, touching them together in a small toast before taking a swallow. She can't say anything about genius. She cheats. Damn mutants with magic. She also completely skipped anything that even might have been a 'regular' education.

Lifting a shrug at him, she draws on her cigarette, exhaling the pleasant-smelling smoke before glancing at him, "Up to you, cher. I'm offering to put in to make sure you don't have to worry about making rent each month. I have absolutely no interest in running a bar. It's all yours to fuck about with all you like."

She's not going to just GIVE him the money. He'd be offended. But there are other ways to take care of one's friends and see to their continued survival! She takes a swallow of the bourbon and lets out a low laugh.

"When are things EVER tulips and roses, John? I've come back from hunting demons to find angels invading New York, finished that, got a new HQ for the JLD since you were off playing house and the House of Mystery wasn't an option... oh except THAT also came with horrible things attached to it. Got to find out that's been fucked off on. Really makes all the effort we went to to secure it and all feel really worthwhile. Face it. There's never NOT some insane world-ending happenstance that's just around the corner. Hell, I was literally bred and born to combat that exact scenario. For all eternity. Yay."

John Constantine has posed:
John's brow furrow slightly. He downs his glass of scotch in one smooth motion. He stares straight ahead when he says, "I wasn't off playing house, luv. Not in the way you're makin' it sound. Something made me *forget*. Not about the Justice League Dark - no, not about *it*, just about how important it is - about how much it's at the core of me and my purpose. Sara asking me to step back up, that did it, it all came back. My best guess is that some bloody cunt wanted me off the board without being obvious about it."

He's yet to tell anyone about that outside of the JLD's current leadership and even there it didn't go much further than it has now.

"Right then, you want back to it, that's fine with me." He's happy to have whatever help he can get - it also helps that he actually *likes* Rien.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien leans on the bar and looks at him, watching him. Her brows pulling together a bit as he states why he wasn't around for a goodly chunk of time. "Gonna do this all by yourself, then?" The seeking out the why and the who and taking them apart. Of course, now that she KNOWS, he's going to be hard-pressed from being able to keep her from just 'showing up' to help. But they've done that dance before too. "You know I'm going to help."

Still, that's for another time. He's in a good mood and she's not about to ruin it with tactical magic strategies and diving into research mode. That can come later.

Tapping the glass on the bar, she lifts it towards him and takes a swallow. "Sounds like a party. I'm happy to jump in wherever I can, you know me."