7259/1000 Faces: Meeting of the Minds

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1000 Faces: Meeting of the Minds
Date of Scene: 08 August 2021
Location: The Laughing Magician
Synopsis: A meeting of the minds at the Laughing Magician goes sideways when Frank invokes Nergal's name in Constantine's home. ... in the end, a deal may or may be struck with a demon - just a day ending in Y, innit?
Cast of Characters: John Constantine, Frank Noble, Phoebe Beacon, Tetsuya Wakao, Thea Queen, Morrigan MacIntyre, Jason Blood, Jane Foster
Tinyplot: 1000 Faces of Death


John Constantine has posed:
    It's one of the perks of being the owner - or at least half owner. John can close the bar down at a whim whenever it tickles his fancy. Tonight his fancy was tickled. The bar is closed to the general public, open to those with special invitation. Don't ask how he knows who gets one of those and who doesn't, his methods might be a little creepy. It's magic, even when it doesn't make sense, it works because it's supposed to.

    John - one half owner of the bar - is seated on his stool at the end of the business section. Really, why would *anyone* want to sit on that disgusting stool? He has a bottle mid-shelf scotch, a glass, an ashtray and a pack of Silks at his elbow; glass full, Silk lit in the ashtray. It's a day ending in Y, innit?

    The other half of the ownership, Chas, is behind the bar polishing glasses in that 'zenlike' way he has when he does so. That generally means he's unhappy and trying to not punch his best mate in the face for something or another. Or maybe he's just on edge because SOMETHING IS KILLING DEATH GODS. That's some heavy ass shit.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble begins investigating the death cat phenomena in Prague. This leads him to a magic shop who refers him to a local magical oracular shrine. The shrine, on not responding, involves an increasing spiral circle of random queries until Frank ends up with a local Tree spirit who is highly annoyed the Oracular Shrine, who is normally paid to do this kind of thing, has let this get through but Frank asks the right questions to learn of a Cat Spirit deep in the woods who has no idea what Frank is talking about, but on hearing about the whole thing talks about a Lich a hundred miles to the east. Upon approaching the obviously haunted castle, the Lich, clearly a member of THE FORCES OF EVIL, tried to disintigrate Frank a multiple of times only to fail, temporarily locked Frank in a room and did some divination and back channel inquiries to find out about the meeting happening at the Laughing Magician. A well placed magic mirror spell, and suddenly Frank finds himself outside of the Laughing Magician in full super heroic regalia. Most people, on seeing the Helm of Mambrino on his head as a bedpan and/or Spagetti collander snicker as he walks by and enters the bar, determined to have a Sasparilla before he catches the next plane back to Europe to ask it all kinds of questions about who is causing the problems.

He walks to the bar and taps it, sitting politely on a barstool. "GOOD EVENING GOOD SIR, MAY I HAVE A SASPARILLA OR FAILING THAT A SAM ADAMS BEER. AND A CAN OF SPRITE ON THE SIDE." He leans back looking around the room and enjoying the various bar paraphinalia, various multicolored grenades strapped to his chest in multiple bandoliers like some kind of cartoonish demented Maize. He wears a cape that at one moment looks long flowing silver and regal and the next like he duct taped a bunch of tin foil and hide the duct tape under the flows of his cloak. Its hard to lock down precisely.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Of course Phoebe has gotten herself involved after a bit of business in India, and comes in with her messenger bag and her bike helmet. Her hair has returned to its braids and is bound with a bright pink bit of cloth with a happy bit of sunshine. Since it's not Outsider business, she's not in armor, but she's got grass stains on her jeans. She is definitely not nearly as regal and/or as homeless looking as Frank Noble, whom she gives a bit of a wide berth, but she gives a smile to John.

    She, of course, has the ever-present aura of Light, but she's making a very, very concious effort to tone it down. She had arrived on the back of her newly reminted sport bike witht he saddle bags, colored in dark matte gray. Perfect for running around a city at night.

     "Hello Chas." she greets the bartender with a slightly uneasy smile... still not one hundred percent sure where she stands with the rather intimidating man.

    John gets a brand new bottle of NoDoz, but the look that she's giving to Frank is somewhere between curiosity and worry as the dark-eyed Gothamite just asks for a mug of hot water.

Tetsuya Wakao has posed:
Tetsuya has shown up in his ninja outfit, more or less, and not getting a drink as of yet. He just stares a bit as he spots the... well... weirdo in superhero gear. That he passes on the way in. And eyeing the guard down.

Making his way over to a seat at the bar well away from the weirdly dressed possibly wannabe superhero type of guy as far as he knows.

A nod is given towards Constantine, "Constantine. You called all this, right?"

Reaching up to the porcelain mask, slides it to the top of his head so his eyes and part of his nose are at least visible. Much better than the otherwise scary looking mask that he wears. The young man's definitely dressed in some sort of ninja-like gear, however, which has to be something. At least he's not with the Hand or such. And it's not obvious who's under there, either.

Sighing, he looks at Constantine, "And it's worse than I said before now."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea Queen, also known as Red Arrow in some circles, had been investigating these death cults for a time. A fortuitous meeting that had turned into her becoming more involved with the Asgardians as a whole. Some would say destiny, but for her jury was still out on it. Still, she had received one of those invitations, perhaps due to the Eurovision happenings a few days back and so here she was, ducking her head in the place, careful.

She is dressed in the black and red leathers of her vigilante outfit, Red Arrow, the hood up on her face, the domino mask on. Sword and bow with her of course just in case this turned to be trouble, light footsteps bringing her in and towards one of the tables. She clearly avoids the bar. All that booze. Nope!

So she goes the long way to approach the owner, "Got the invite." she tells the magician, looking at the others starting to gather up, a nod given.

"I trust this is about the Eurovision troubles."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
And there's a Death God running around that doesn't know it. How great!

Morrigan figured that it was a good time to sit in on a meeting about something slaying gods of Death. This was pertinent to her interests. Or well, Morrigan's always been strange. The woman shows up dressed in light washed jeans, white t-shirt and a black suit jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

She waits by the door for just a second, maybe waiting on someone else. The wards here tend to be funny on some others.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood swings in after Morrigan, wearing an expensive Italian suit with a pair of demon-themed cufflinks, emerald and ruby set in gold. His hair is cropped close but one can still see the white streak at his temple, a distinctive marker for anyone who might know him only by rumor.

"Well, well, so this is Constantine's little hidey hole. Smells less like piss than I might have expected. Nice wards, too. He always does good work for a sloppy piece of shit," Jason says, stepping in and smiling amiably at the gathered.

"Jason Blood, at your service. Well. Not your service. Mostly hers," he says, nodding towards Morrigan, "But I'll take the rest of you under consideration."

Jane Foster has posed:
Life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Nice theory in life.

The wards around the Laughing Magician might not particularly like the latest arrival. Or confusion, but that's only to be expected. No pedestrian outside on the busy street pays the least heed to a psychopomp passing by. A touch to the door permits a winged woman past, folded feathers composed of seething energy that more resemble lightning and celestial fire. The style of her silvery helm doesn't reveal much of her face, drawn low to expose her chin and the eyeslits revealing burning eyes. "We have not long." She lifts a gauntleted hand, palm out to reveal it as empty and absent any sort of weapon. Though given the wings, does it matter?

"Let's make the most of it, then." Tilting her head, the Valkyrie's violet braids sway all the way to their psychedelic blue tips. "Long and happy life to you all. I am a servant of Death. Mostly at yours." That smile might actually be warm.

John Constantine has posed:
    "Volume, turn it the feck down, aye, mate?" John grouses from his stool. Seriously, loud is BAD. Did *that guy* really get in invite? He makes a mental note to check his spell work later. Maybe he goofed a word. He snatches the bottle of pills off the bar and tucks them into a trench coat pocket. How much do those the pockets of one coat hold? The world may never know. "Thanks, luv," he murmurs.

    "No, we're just gathered in my bar for shits and giggles," he snarks at Tetsuya. Someone's cranky! Or... more crankier than usual. "It's always worse, innit? It's the way of these things."

    "...that and some," is tossed in Thea's direction along with a long, curious look. Does he know her? Or at least the outfit? He'll figure it out later.

    Chas gives John the 'be nice, asshole' look, but also a little bit of a nose wrinkle and a questioning eyebrow raised 'the bloody hell is Sasparilla anyway?' is what that says. Not that the man hasn't heard of the stuff, but really what *is* it? Frank gets whatever's on tap, including the sprite, they don't do canned soda here. "Sorry mate, best we can do," he offers amiably enough.

    Phoebe gets a smile from the greatest cabbie in the world and a friendly, "Hey, kid." Really, he seems fond of the little glowstick.

    Jason might find it particularly difficult to move more than a few feet past the front door. John's head snaps in the other man's direction. "I may be a sloppy piece of shit, mate, but never anyone's sloppy seconds and that's sayin' somethin'. Stay where ya are though, if you don't mind, until Ms. MacIntyre there vouches and claims responsibility," for any actions deemed unfit for the evening that is.

    "Bloody hell," that's in response to the winged woman entering. Sigh, put upon that, but resigned. "Guess those invites were more potent than intended," he muses. "Do we ever have long?" he asks, rhetorically.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There is a warm smile to Chas, and she accepts a mug of hot water, and pulls out her own herbal tea. Why? Because this place is still stressing her out -- a warm smile to Tetsuya in his ninja outfit, and she was about to open her mouth to greet him properly when Blood walks in, and really, really grates on the edge of her aura. She sits up as John does, one hand drawing down a moment on instinct rather than on any malice, looking from John to Morrigan uneasily -- and then an Actual Valkyrie walks in.

    She raises her eyebrows, and parts her lips to really want to ask questions, but then to Tetsuya she murmurs "... it is, apparently, /really bad/ as an understatement." she states quietly, but then takes out her notebook and a pen, and begins to write, going from person to person.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble cocks his head to the side as he looks around and listens. He is ABOUT to ask 'what volume' but as the subject in question has literally come to him, he is cautiously optimistic that THE FORCES OF GOOD might be here. However, after thinking the cats members of THE FORCES OF GOOD, he carefully considers, suspicious. He does recognize those who helped defeat the FORCES OF EVIL at the stadium so warily looks around, waiting for people to change shape or for illusions to reveal their true selves. Frank, however, is immediately distracted by Chas's question and answered, somehow literally speaking in all small caps managing to 'yell' and yet be at about 25% volume at the same time. Its disconcerting but likely as not headache inducing, "Sasparilla is made from Smilax ornata or other birch plants and was popular at the turn of the 20th century. Most places dont have it but its always fun to ask. He takes the beer on tap and mixes, with ridiculous almost obsessive accuracy EXACTLY one eighth of the volume of the beer glass with sprite. He raises his glass in salute to the barkeep and then sips, "Aaaaaaaaaah. Most excellent Barkeep thank you." He is slightly more convinced that this IS indeed THE FORCES OF GOOD.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look around, distracted by the winged woman for the moment, "A Valkyrie?" she whispers. That was cool to see honestly. Then John is talking about her vouching and claiming ownership of Jason and she realizes that the man can't get further into the LM without it. She looks to Jason for a moment and there's a smile before she turns her gaze back on Constantine, "It's Doctor MacIntyre. And I vouch for Mister Blood and claim responsibility should anything be untoward." she states.

She then turns back towards Jason, "Shall we find a seat?" she asks him with a smile.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea has had quite the crash course on oddity, Asgardians and magic as of late so with all the rather ..., curious personalities gathering up she doesn't oggle too much. She does lift a brow up curiously though, specially at the Valkyrie, "Good evening, all."

She doesn't exactly sit, or at least not formally, instead finding the edge of a table to lean against. And she certainly won't be the one to start up the discussion on what brought them all here tonight. So for now she observes, waiting, arms folding, fingertips tiptapping on the sleeve of her leathers.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood assesses Jane with a long, long look, "Well, ain't seen one of your lot in a few centuries. Not that you were ever going to come to me. I'm not the Valhalla type, I'm afraid."

At Morrigan's endorsement of him, he gives a bow, "I come only to offer my assistance and that of my far more evil compatriot. He promises to play nice and not even try to rip out Constantine's heart. Seems like whatever's afoot here is severe enough to require strange bedfellows. And believe me, I've had some very strange ones in my time."

Morrigan likely sees a different side of Jason here - while he's toned down and calm with her, there's more of an edge to him now, the brutal ruthlessness of a man whose reputation and aura mark him as a blighted and cursed representative of one of hell's worst bastards, whether he likes it or not. Easier to embrace it than fight the tide.

Tetsuya Wakao has posed:
The actual Valkyrie has Tetsuya blinking a few times. Even in Japan, that's well known. And he seems to consider, then sighs. He looks around. "I... guess I should start a bit?"

"For those that don't know me, I am Soryu, a Shinobi of Ryujin. He's the Japanese Kami of the Ocean. Last week, myself and some other local heroes faced down an actual skeleton formed death god. I didn't get a chance to get his name as I was too busy trying to stay alive. I'm told there was more incidents and crazier things going on, and the stuff in Europe's only the start."

He rubs the back of his head, "Ryujin-sama was kind enough to send out agents and find out what was happening in our version of the Underworld after I was... pushed to the Aztec one instead of where I should have been during the fight against the skeleton god. Most of those Kami that are connected to the Underworld are terrified of the Underworld itself. Izanami's agents are leaving agents as gibbering messes or tearing them to shreds. And there are reports of Corinthian columns in the Korean and Chinese areas."

A small sigh is given before he looks to Constantine, "Constantine, you still have that coin I passed at the Prague thing? That's all that whoever that was left."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Exactly as long as you are allotted, no more and no less." The jocular tone for Valkyrie acknowledges the maudlin humour. "Consider this a 'time in a cracked hourglass scenario.' It runs out faster than anyone can afford." She spares the barstools from being scorched to ashes from the licking sheet of white flame at her back, the sword-length flight feathers propped to avoid touching the floor for the same devastating effect. Plasmoid curls still rise off the arched curve above her head. Lounging near a table will be the closest she gets to them.

Jason's pronouncement turns up her mouth in a smile, for a given quantity of mirth obscured completely by the helm. "Under the old system, that might be true, Mr. Blood. The rules that kept us on the straight and narrow were scrapped. Unfortunately, the gentlemen's agreement no longer holds true." She lifts her palm, forestalling any overt threat. "As recent events attest."

John Constantine has posed:
    "Best not even speak of the possibility of it in these walls," Chas pipes up with from behind the bar. He's still polishing glasses, place must have the cleanest damned glasses in the city, really. But there's an edge to him as well, one that's not often seen or heard. A person just doesn't casually reference ripping John's heart out in front of Chas, unless it's... well Chas.

    A testament to the amount of time spent on these wards, it takes but a thought from John, not even a muttered word, barely a gesture of one hand for Jason to be marked 'cleared for the evening' so to speak. It's like a little Mystic boarding pass, that expires once Jason leaves. He doesn't comment on strange bedfellows, pretty sure he won that one with Nanaue.

    "No one really wanted to know that," John informs Frank. It earns him another 'be nice' look from Chas.

    "Aye, astral plane at every site is a bloody mess." John taps the bar top and Chas pulls a map out from behind the bar to hand it to John. Areas marked on it include Prague, the stretch of the Bronx where Tetsuya had his run-in, the sites of the two temples in India... "Here, Baron Samedi was killed," he points to one mark on the map that's about where Oritz Funeral Home would be. "Mictlantechtli, that would be the God you're speaking of Tetsuya. The entire area there is just destroyed Astral side, crows are gone, only dead left there are the murderous sorts, soon eat your face as communicate, trenches everywhere, carved out, empty, dying... a crater." Did John Constantine just shiver? He did, just a little. "Same with the area around the temples. I can only assume that Yama is dead at this point."

    He points to Prague. "It's different here, clearly shite went down, light focused energy's retreating. Maybe what woulda turned it barren was stopped? I don't know."

    From behind the bar, Chas pipes up with, "All we know, so far, is that it ain't good."

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble is now convinced that these people are indeed THE FORCES OF GOOD. He nods, "I shall endevor to avoid discussing the academic or biological origins of softdrinks in the future. Do you know who is doing this?" He asks Jane, straight to the point, "And if you do, do you know how they might be smited..." Smitten? Smittened? He listens carefully and sips his drink slowly. He keeps the "Ah" sound he makes every time he sips quite low, though they are there. He is curious about...something...around himself, Thea and Tetsuya...he waves his hand around him a moment as if trying to see something and then looks at Jane, curiously.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look over some of the gathered and there's a bit of a frown. "You guys..." she points to John, Frank, Tetsuya and Thea, "Have a lot of death resonance spattered across you." she states. "But yours." she points out Thea directly, "There's another layer...like an earthen stain. Like rot and animal musk." she frowns as she tries to puzzle it out. Leave it to the sorceress to make it a bit weird for a moment. "I'm not sure what it means." she states ahead of time.

Her violet gaze goes back to Jason for a moment and she gives a bit of a smile to him, noting the new side. There's no comment on it though. Multi-faceted people just had more sides to deal with than some. "Did you want to sit or is standing for this meeting a bit more comfortable?" she asks him in a whisper.

Then there is a map that draws her attention and her feet towards the bar.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood gives Chas a nod, acknowledging both the man's loyalty and making it clear he isn't himself intimidated. Ah, the territorial rituals of the alpha occultist. If it keeps up too long, they'll all start pissing all over everything. Literally. Blood's seen it a time or two, although it usually required at least one Druid to get things started.

"I imagine no one here's precisely unfamiliar with death, one way or another. Never partaken myself, but I'm told it's quite a popular pastime among the mortal set," he says. He gestures for Morrigan to go ahead and take a seat, indicating that he'd prefer to stand for now, behind her chair.

Thea Queen has posed:
"So they are truly going after death gods? Killing them?" That makes Thea frown, her eyes turning down to the map, following the various locations that are marked there. She dislodges herself from the table and approaches, reaching to place a finger on the map, in this case Sweden. "There was another event here in Uppsala, Sweden. When I first got ..., introduced to what was happening." a pause before she adds, "Hela appeared here, facing off against Sif and Loki. It was during Walspurgisnacht but I believe what *really* happened was that someone went after Morana." she then looking up at Constantine. "And the two groups from the Eurovision? Death cultists, ones belonging to Veles that were the Italians, and Morana was present again, with Volkhv behind it.." a frown, "Are these Gods in some kind of .., battle royale?"

It's when she catches Morrigan's words. She looks at her, then at herself. "Rot and animal musk? Maybe I was too close to them? I felt a similar scent when we were at the Eurovision." she does seem a bit alarmed though. She doesn't like the sound of it!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe has a list of Death Gods. She cross references with the names that John brings up -- Yama. The Baron. Mictlantechtli. She makes a note to review the Prague footage to see if there was anything she might be able to pick up. She looks at the map, reading over the places -- her gaze pausing at India, at the temple. She curls her fingers a moment.

    When Dr. MacIntyre states that death reasonance is spattered, that makes the girl take out a pair of clear glasses from her bag, and she slips them on.

    "... if Yama is gone, who's lining souls up for reincarnation?" she questions, turning to John. "Or does it not actually work that way?--" she draws up a note, and pulls out her cracked phone "India has been hit, so there may be other sites that may be affected in China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Korea -- Japan..." she frowns a moment, and rubs the back of her neck with a pen.

Tetsuya Wakao has posed:
Tetsuya tilts his head, then looks at Morrigan, "I am? Huh. I will have to purify myself later."

He seems to consider, then looks to Phoebe, "China and Korea have also been hit already, I think. Strange pillars were sighted at the temples in those areas. Japan... is not fairing so well, if Izanami's agents are acting as they are. She may be on a full defensive at the moment, trying to figure out what to do. At least with the confirmation of other sites and Underworlds being hit, I can at least guess at that one."

The ninja shakes his head, "I would say more like the bone head is trying to wage war of some sort if he is the one responsible. Mict... whatever his name is. Wow that name is complicated."

Jane Foster has posed:
"It follows that possession is nine-tenths of the law. The court of death can make a claim to any one of you to enhance their own power." A drink might be a nice thing, but the Valkyrie isn't looking for one. She hasn't shifted position once taking up a watchful position near them, a contrapposto stance resting her weight against her hip slightly. Eyes blazing the same blue-white as her wings turn to Thea, helmed profile stamped by the glowing plumage. "They are. Rather a twisted take on as above, so below. The strong among your people look to conquer the weak. Why not the gods?"

Her technicolour braids waver when her head turns, rolling in slow motion, caught in suspension against the rule of gravity. She flattens her lips and looks back to them. Flames caught frozen for a second phase back into burning in silence normally. "No." That much is hard to get out, ground at a distance like a whisper into the air. "Not Underworlds," she corrects Tetsuya. "Underworld. Where were many, now is one."

Arms cross over her chest, fingers curling deep into the metal pauldron sliding over the black gloves reaching almost to her shoulder. The rest of her fitted black outfit would give TRON a run for its money on futuristic shapes.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan reaches out to touch Jason's shoulder gently and then takes a seat and doesn't seem bothered by the man standing behind it. She listens to the conversation at hand and there's something that Tetsuya says that makes her look curious, "Corinthian Columns?" she asks. Just to make sure. Assuming the clarification is made there is a moment she takes to lean back, relaxing for a moment, "Corinithian Columns were historically used by two places. Greece and Rome." she states.

"And the Romans were /obsessed/ with them." she frowns. They were everywhere.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble says, "Is that was this...film...is?" He looks at his arm and then arches a brow at Jane's statement, "The strong preying upon the weak is natural among non sapient creatures. Those who are aware know better and I include Gods among that category. We humans on Earth created institutions, however flawed they may be, to create international law and rules for warfare. The gods didnt have anyone to enforce this 'gentleman's agreement' among them? There is no one to make them answer for these crimes? And even failing that, why do the 'weak' gods not united together against the 'strong'? There is something missing to this equation and likely a mastermind behind it. Someone pulling the strings. If one is ruling the underworld that has killed so many, that being must answer for their crimes."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe looks mildly peturbed by the thought, and she breathes out, reaching to touch the grass stains on her jeans.

    She withdraws, taking more notes. She sets her phone to start recording so that she doesn't miss any part of the conversation.

    "... has anyone checked on Tartarus lately?" she questions, frowning a moment. "I mean, I know demi-gods but they're all daughters of Zeus. I'm not sure if they have good relations with the rest of the family." she breathes out, making a note to check with Cassie and Diana. She switches pen colors.

Jane Foster has posed:
Valkyrie gives John a succinct answer to the same question asked of her by others of who or how. She tilts her helmed head in silence. She spreads her hands. The helm mostly covers it, but the muscle in her jaw jumps, set taut.

John Constantine has posed:
    John marks the map with a red pen provided by Chas and makes a mental note to do an Astral Walkabout there as well. "Don't have all the answers yet, but workin' on a way to find something more concrete." John comments.

    Chas shoots him a *look*. '

    John marks the places Tetsuya mentions, more mental notes, more Walking About scheduled. He briefly entertains the idea of trying to summon Mictlantechtli, presumed dead or not, and files the idea away as 'last resort, but not off the table'.

    Stink of death? Not even on his radar, figures he's probably had that stench about him for a long time now and three times over. He does helpfully offer, "Purification is overrated, innit?"

    His attention snaps to the Valkyrie, "...and you wouldn't happen to know who's *ruling* this One World One Demon place now, would you?" Flagsmashers all over the place would bow to that reference. "Mors making a power play? One of the other Roman Death bastards? Or bitches?"

    Potential visit the 'one underworld' gets added to his possible things to do list. Right after re-order his favorite scotch.

    "I can work a spell, but it's taking a little time to nail down the details, could show us what might be coming next."

    Chas gives John a *look*.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood drapes his arms over the back of Morrigan's chair, crossing them and resting his chin atop his own hands. "I don't particularly care if death gods start to die - powers that be have always slaughtered one another with impudence. Something new generally rises up to pick up the slack. That said, if someone's consolidating their power, then the odds are good that they have their eyes on bigger preys. One underworld isn't enough to go around and anyone wielding the power contained in all the souls of the dead is likely to be an apocalyptic threat."

He isn't likely to get sentimental about any of the fallen. Samedi he'd dealt with a few times and knew to be a twisted individual and most of the others were likely the same. One didn't gain domain over the realm of death by displays of compassion. He makes a smallest violin gesture.

Tetsuya Wakao has posed:
Tetsuya winces at that notion. He looks to Jane. "Seriously?"

He sighs, "That explains reincarnation so much. Underworld fills up, not enough room with just one or two."

The ninja hums, then looks at Jane again, "So... basically shinigami want to kill us four to increase their power? And here I thought nailing the bone head in the proverbial balls would be a good tale."

Shrugging, he looks to the others pointed out to now be 'tokens' so to speak. "Well, I guess we have to go find whoever did this and get rid of it. Anyone got some good ideas or places to look into? Japan's out. I'm not one to be shredded by Izanami's servants."

John Constantine has posed:
    Everyone else sort of fades into background noise as he studies the Valkyrie's face. A man doesn't become a master con-man without learning to read another person's tells. ...even if that person isn't so much a person as a Valkyrie wearing a helm and all it, he still notices the set in her jaw.

    "You do know, you just don't want speak it," he murmurs before pushing himself to his feet. He takes between a swig and a sip of his scotch, swirls it around in his mouth, swallows, and down the rest of it.

    "I get it, there's power in a name and to speak it might just invoke it." His brow furrows, faded denim blues narrowed. "There's gotta be some way around it." A beat. "I can make a list and you can point?" He's only *half* joking there, truly.

Thea Queen has posed:
Once Thea has given her own info about what she found both in Sweden and more recently at the Eurovision festival she then turns to listening, domino mask turning to each in turn as they speak of the Gods, the Underworld, of a battle for dominance happening right under their noses. Affecting humanity. It makes her frown, but whatever they are talking about? Underworld trips? Not exactly something she can help in preparing for.

"That there is a figure behind it all would make the most sense." She agrees, "I am certain these Gods didn't just decide to go to war against one another one day."

Then a glance between Constantine and the Valkyrie before she lifts a brow expectantly. Waiting.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan shudders at something. She was feeling uncomfortable all of the sudden. Like someone walked over her grave. Then she suddenly looks down and is met by FLUFFY dog, "Morrigan." Riordan's mundane shape of choice is a big old Tibetan Mastiff. Because he's so fluffy you're going to die. She jumps, even if she's used to him, "Speak." she whispers. Which he does, but only to her. She shakes her head though, "No, that makes no sense at all." she tells him.

"Hold on a sec." she whispers to the doggo.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble considers, "A good superhero is as non lethal as possible. I do not understand why death has 'marked' me but I do not fear Death. If there is a power you know of but have been constrained from speaking of, that power has broken its oath. Oaths matter and I doubt a 'gentleman's agreement' is something that does not carry consequences." He finishes his first beer and says to Cas, "If I might have a 2nd glass please, this is quite good" somehow seeming to quietly shout.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood rolls his tongue around in his mouth, "King of the Underworld. Gee, wonder who might want that title? Seems like it should be a relatively short list and easy enough to check if they're involved. They tend to have distinct energies and resonances. Certainly not a title for a beginner or an up and comer to aspire for. They'd never be able to hold it, even if they could take it."

Etrigan has seen a lot of wars in hell and chimes in momentarily, one of Jason's eyes flowing blood red and wreathed in frame as the gutteral speech of the demon escapes his throat.

A crown below would not be worth
Much to those from merest earth
Instead seek one already beyond
A piece of some old pantheon
A craven soul, too greedy now
No longer sated by blood of sow
Who aspires to heights they've long since lost
And don't much care what the cost.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... oh. You're one of them." Phoebe states, looking to Frank, and she just breathes out a moment, scratching at her left palm, and she looks between everyone here. Surely she's over her head, what with the dog, and the demonic voices oming out of the prick who insulted John's bar. She looks to Jason, then to Chas, and then she looks down.

    "... Saturn?" she mumbles to herself, rubbing the back of her neck.

John Constantine has posed:
    A quick glance is tossed the dog and Morrigan but John's attention is back on the Valkyrie in a beat. Words, however, are still aimed at Morrigan, "Nothing about this makes sense, if the bloody shade has news, share it with the rest of the class."

    When Jason goes all Demon Voice and Red Eyes, Chas is across the bar in a flash, one hand vaulting him over, the other holding a shotgun retrieved from beneath it. It's easy to assume a shotgun will do nothing against a demon, but then this is a shotgun in John Constantine's home. "Best stuff that genie back in the bottle, quick like, Blood," he growls.

    "He'll use it," John advises without looking the situation dead on, mostly over his shoulder. "Won't kill you, but it'll make you wish you were dead, fair warning, listen to the man." He moves closer to the Valkyrie. "How 'bout one of us says it and you just nod, luv?"

Jane Foster has posed:
Jane Foster says, "No." Valkyrie responds to Constantine with a certain finality there, even if the word tastes like concentrated lemon juice in an open wound. Perfect stillness tends to be uncommon in the living. She doesn't breathe or shift to prevent fatigue or pain in her limbs and joints. "Hiding their victims is hard enough. The departed lack any defenses against the courts of death and their wardens. My duty is to them first and foremost. They cannot act as the living can."

Take the stressed words that shiver with a leaden importance and the distant murmur of gathering thunderclouds over the horizon. She laces her fingers together in something like Jason's position or countless statues of warriors braced on their swords. Her gaze flicks to the ninja in an exaggerated movement, else it might not ever be seen. "You look ichor-stained. Be concerned you are a convenient target to any warden or hunters looking for preferable targets, mayhap."

The dog and Etrigan making their appearances don't startle her. Those wings brighten as white-hot solar flare blown off her shoulders. "You do not have the liberty to find out if that is wrong," she says to Frank.

Really, mead would be lovely now. But no, no liquor when on-duty. Her job sucks. She smiles very faintly when Thea speaks, the first time a smile has come round in a while."

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood shakes his head for a moment, growling as the Demon retreats from the sting of the wards and returns back to the depths of Hell from whence he came, only his laughter echoing in Jason's head, even as Blood suffers some of the aftershock of those wards as well.

"That's as close as he can come to manifesting without my permission. I think he mostly just wanted...to shock..." he says. He grips at the wood of Morrigan's chair and it's clear that he's been debilitated a bit by it, the pain on his face and the sweat on his brow evident.

"You don't have to threaten me. No one wants Etrigan dead more than I."

Frank Noble has posed:
Grenademan begins counting on his fingers, "Hades, Nergal, Pluto, Set, Anubis, Kali?" He's quite methodical when he needs to be and looks at Frank cocking his head to the left curious, "One of...what? A super hero from THE FORCES OF GOOD? Yes that would be me." He looks at Jane again and says, "Honor is a power unto itself. I can't imagine a circumstance where breaking one's oath doesnt leave them vulnerable, even if it is not immediately seen." He says this with such faith and conviction that, true or not, it seems like Polaris in Frank's view.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's attention is drug from Rio to Jason suddenly sounding guttural from just behind her head. "Oh no..." she whispers. Then Chas, bless his heart goes for a gun and Morrigan's eyes start glowing and her fangs are bared in a snarl, "Point that gun somewhere else. I vouched for him." she doesn't yell, she just looks pissed off as she rises from her seat.

She reaches to place a steadying hand on Jason's arm, not sure if she can help. "This really doesn't seem like an Anubis thing." she shakes her head. "But I could be wrong." she whispers.

Thea Queen has posed:
So a dog appears out of thin air. And then there's a demon. All fine and dandy! Damn the day Thea decided to stop drinking whiskey. Really, she could use one just about now. Instead what she gets is an headache. Another unconscious step taken *away* from the bar. A moment later she focuses herself and straightens, looking at the group and suggests.

"When I was at Uppsala, and Hela appeared, she seemed to know a lot more of what was going on than she was letting know." her arms opening to the sides. "Does anyone here have a way to speak with her?" seems like the right place to ask such a question after all! Hopefully it won't involve sacrificing people around a bonfire ...

Finally her eyes go to the Valkyrie, "Have you met with Lady Sif about this situation? Or Loki?" she inquires.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood pushes up from where he was slumped for a moment, "Hey, Constantine, you've got a demon problem. Not mine. Outside the wards but some real ugly death magic just got dumped out along with a devil that ain't no slacker," he says.

He shakes out his hand and bites his lip, using the pain to funnel it into his brain and keep his senses stimulated, alive, focused. "Think somebody might be thinking about breaking up this little party."

Honestly, he doesn't care that much, but he'd rather not have everybody blaming him for whatever was about to drop a steaming death dookie outside.

John Constantine has posed:
    Chas, not so much intimidated by fangs. The shotgun stays leveled on Jason until Etrigan retreats. "Yeah, you did, and he let *that* thing show its face here, rather makes you responsible for that." Maybe not its face, but voice, whatever it's enough. "Keep it in your pants, mate," he tells Jason. "There won't be a warning next time." His lowering of the shotgun has nothing to do with Morrigan's threats and Chas makes sure she knows it by leveling the thing in her direction momentarily before letting it drop again to his side.

    See, Chas is the Best of the Best, he truly is. He is the picture of 'stand-up' guy, the dude everyone can trust with their secrets and the one that'll always be there. ... it extends doubly, more than doubly, to John. ...and Etrigan is a direct threat to John.

    ... a John that is rather suddenly on his knees, he doesn't scream, but it sure looks like he's trying really hard to not do so. Tiny blisters start bubbling up on his arms, his neck, face... "Bloody Hell!" Okay so there's the scream! Lesser man, one with not so much stubborn, would like be all the way on the ground.

    "John!" ...and Chas raises that shotgun toward Jason again. "The bloody hell did you do? What are you doing to him?! John, talk to me!"

Jane Foster has posed:
Outside the Laughing Magician, Hell's Kitchen goes about its day mostly undisturbed while mages, demons, and heroes oh my talk about the underworld. It's New York. Apocalypse-level events happen like clockwork. Slumlords really don't care about Shi'ar fleets in orbit when it comes to making rent. People living there still trudge to and from work, since their bills cannot be paid with exposure nor death gods absconding with your boss' soul. Buses and cars thread by. Residents chow down in apartments and restaurants. With 55,000 people per square mile, someone is gonna crack a few eggs when flinging about a bit of magic.

The bar shakes gently to its foundations. Bombardment begins later. A light shower of sand on the roof is soon followed by heavier objects pelting with irregular frequency, driven outward from the shockwave. Rubber squeals and tearing metal has a distinct sound.

Delayed reactions kick in outside, and no ward or soundproofed door can perfectly swallow up the monolingual translation of screams. Pain and fear, two sides of the same cursed coin.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood curls his lip at Chas, "Back off, boy. I told you, it wasn't me this time. Us," he says, shaking his head. "John, you'd better keep your dog on his leash or I'll stuff that shotgun through his spinal column. He may not know who I am but I know you do and you know I can do it and I won't feel a damn bit bad about it when I'm done," he says.

"Anybody more in tune with the earth than me able to tell us what the FUCK just happened outside?"

Frank Noble has posed:
Grenademan can hear the pounding from outside and immediately runs towards the danger. He doesnt hesitate, not even for an eyeblink and goes out to ...well, blow it up or arrest it or something. Whatever it might be.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"Rio, go." Morrigan shoos her Herald back to whence he appeared from. Then she senses it and there's a soft frown, her lips parting to say something but Jason speaking up first. "What he said. Something just dropped outside. Infernal, death and sacrificial. So it's either here to bring some sort of warning or murder someone." she states.

Chas gets her attention again and there's a bit of an amused laugh, "You're a fucking idiot, Chas." she states plainly.

But John is struggling to breath and she puts aside the sudden unwelcome feeling she gets as she looks to him, "John, what is it?" she asks him. But Chas raising the gun towards Jason again sends her Irish temper to the boiling point. Too much going on. Jason has it so she doesn't step in. "Well, better go outside and see what's going on." she states with a sigh as she heads for the door.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Anubis was Guardian and Guide, and is not accounted for on my list of investigated dogs -- er gods." Phoebe points out in agreement with Morrigan, and she frowns a moment at the mixup, maybe just a little defensive, and she breathes out, and looks to John, and makes a face. She then tilts her head back.

    "... he's also my favorite, incidentally, from that fascination with Egypt that all kids go thr--" she had been muttering, half tired, and then there's the gun raised again. John dropped to his knees. Phoebe jumps up to her feet, knocking her tea over (and the happy rosehip-and-mint liquid spilling out). She reaches for her bag -- and then she hears the screams. She looks to Chas, torn between John and the outside, and unable to assess both at once, she trusts John not to die for the moment, and is getting to exiting the bar and its safe wards, unless someone stops her.

Jane Foster has posed:
<<Time's up.>>

Where was a Valkyrie, no longer. She takes a step forward as those grandiose wings fan open almost to the point of blocking a clear shot for Chas. Whatever else can be said for them, the feathers merge into a burning sheet of light that produces a significant downdraft across the Astral Realm and none at all in the physical world. The unspooling sparks of gold bleeding from her vambrace form some kind of weapon, liquid sunlight filling her hands.

A wink to take flight, and then she is gone.

John Constantine has posed:
    John pushes himself to his feet, but he's still a little bent over against it all for a second. Sheer will, something he has in spades, gets him straightened again. But it's not Jason he goes after, no, it's Frank. "You feckin' *idiot*, invokin' *that* name in *this* bar!" Man looks like he has the *worst* sunburn. "That's right, go fix it, it's *your* doing you bloody fool!" He's LIVID, he is.

    "John, talk to *me*," Chas repeats.

    "Starts with a N..." It's all John needs to say for Chas to go just about as pale as ... well John was for a few days there. "Fuck..."

    When the blistered magician starts toward the front door, Chas is right on his heels. "It's called a friend, mate, not a dog, you wouldn't know of it," he snarls at Jason in passing.

Thea Queen has posed:
It only registers on Thea's mind that there's an actual attack going on when the screams are heard on the outside. It gets her on alert, she reaching behind her to unhook her bow and with a flick of her wrist it opens up, prepared to be used, "I will bet on both." she says to Morrigan's comment on whatever may be outside.

A glance is given down to their host on the ground, then a sharp look around to look for threats before starting to move to the exit as well, at a pace first before it turns into a jog.

Tetsuya Wakao has posed:
Tetsuya is looking towards the door, then frowns. "They found us." He looks to Chas and John, "Back way out of here, or do we go out the front?"

Tetsuya reaches and pulls out what looks like some sort of fancy knife at first. Then it expands suddenly. A full blown jogekama yari is in his hands in an instant. The weapon has a sliver of divine power it seems like. Not a lot, or more like it might still have more than it should.

The ninja shrugs, "I don't plan on letting this neighborhood getting like that funeral home if I can help it."

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood snorts, "Friend? Is that what you call the people who die for you now?" he says to John. "Did you already buy a plot to put him in or are you waiting for Christmas to get a discount?" he says.

He grabs Morrigan by the hand, "Whatever it is, they've got the right idea. Better to scatter to the winds than let it pick us off, whatever it is. There's demon in there and demons are nasty and cruel and vicious, but they're also lazy as fuck and if we make the job hard enough, it'll fuck right on off."

Jane Foster has posed:
Outside the Laughing Magician, the scene rather looks like a normal city street. All except for two gory piles of steaming blood, bone protruding from the flesh ripped open and covered in boils. Bits of their clothing might still be seen among the mess only a couple of feet from the bar's front door. The patterned board shorts belong to the neighbour to the left of the Laughing Magician, though it might take Chas or Phoebe to properly identify the poor sod if John chooses to not come outside.

The whole notion of laziness looks a little less obvious with a proper circle smashed into the five-storey block of apartments behind the Laughing Magician. Balconies hang by contorted steel bars twisted into limp spaghetti noodles. Deep gouges scar the facades, some manner of pattern visible. Broken glass and concrete chunks bounce off the bar's roof and onto the street behind. A pattern proves perfectly visible through the smoke and dust, though it takes seeing the bar back and front to get the full picture. The bottom two stars correspond with the corpses in the front of the Laughing Magician. The rest, behind it.

https://www.the-ekur.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Nergal-Layman.png

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan doesn't make any comments when John takes a shot at Jason about friends. She was going for the door, but someone grabbing her hand makes her turn back. She locks her gaze with his and there's a sigh, he was right. "I have a feeling this isn't the last of this for some of us." she frowns to him. It wasn't like her to scatter, but the others were right. "We were too busy arguing to figure out something was going to happen." she mutters to herself.

Frank Noble has posed:
Grenademan immediately tosses two explosive grenades at it. Those, of course, aren't likely to stop the greater Demon Lord but Frank doesnt stop for a moment as he moves around in a wide circle, moving to throw two paint grenades right at it, the restored magic of the helm now at full strength increasing the accuracy of the rapid barrage of thrown items. They might not damage it, but they will hurt and likely annoy.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood pushes forward to just get them out of the door, beyond the wards. He feels Etrigan fighting in his head, disgusted at the feeling of Jason starting to call out to him again, but he needs to go and he n eeds to go fast.

"Don't you fucking hurt her, you son of a bitch, if you harm a single hair on her head, you ain't gettin' out for a year," he spits blood onto the ground as he and Morrigan come out through the door.

"Gone, Gone, O Form of Man,

AND RISE THE DEMON, ETRIGAN!"

And Jason's body is engulfed in flame, his body splittering open as the sallow claws of the Demon tear open his chest and reach out to swoop Morrigan up into his arms, his cape billowing in tatters in his wake as he swoops up into the sky and carries her back towards Gotham...

John Constantine has posed:
    "It's right next to mine, and I'll be in mine long before him," John retorts, and he sounds confident of that. At least in regards to Chas. Scatter to the winds? No, that's not his style. John walks right out those front doors, challenge written all over his face.

    ...or he tries to. Chas reaches out a hand to snag his friend by the shoulder. "Can't let you do that, John, not with *him*. I can't let you walk out of these wards, mate."

    "And I can't not walk out that door." John jerks away in the moment of indecision the Best Cabbie Ever had, it was that split second that cost Chas the chance to just coldcock his fiend and be done with it.

    ... so out the door he goes. "I'm here!" he says as he raises his hands into the air, protection spell already on his lips between his theatrics. "C'mon, show yourself!"

    Break the seal John, that'll be his next step, or attempt, but for now he's dropping a pretty potent protection spell in about a ten foot radius around the bar and telling Phoebe and Chas, "Stay close, aye..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe reaches the outside, expecting to find injured. Bombardment. People she could help. The young mage wasn't expecting this. She feels her stomach surge upwards, her hands coming to her mouth as she skids to a stop.

    Wounds she can handle. The mass of boils and bone and bodyparts is burned into her vision as she backs up a step, mindful of spatter as she looks to the contorted steel and deep gouges.

    She looks to John, aghast, and she breathes out and stays close.

    John might notice there's a bit more light, and the circle on her left palm appears again.

    "I'm here." she states with grim finality. "With you."

Tetsuya Wakao has posed:
Tetsuya meanwhile moves his hand and seems to disappear as he walks to the door. A slow, casual walk as he shifts the spear to being ready. It might not be as effective if the things can see magic, but at the same... it's a gamble. The ninja needs to know what he's up against. And seeing the overgrown circle has him looking around before moving slowly. His mask is fitted back over his head as he watches around.

With some magic having happened, he's on the hunt now. And he knows that there's probably a demon and some dead things on the loose. Being a Shinobi means that he's on banishment duty, and he's armed. So, time to banish a few things here and there.

The demon thing does make him stare, then he comments from his invinsibility, "Constantine, you have some weird friends." This coming from a freaking ninja.

But yes, the ninja's vanished to mundane sight at least.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's getting pulled for the door and there is a moment taken to look at the puddles of...body that are left. Just to her side there's an angry Brit that's not John telling something not to hurt her.

"Jason no!" she shakes her head. But too late. Etrigan is out. This will be fun! "I need to let him know I can open portals..." she whispers as she tries not to piss off Etrigan.

Jane Foster has posed:
A grenade going off is almost as terrifying as the initial attack. A blast that leaves an apartment scored by chunks missing and destroyed glass is hard enough to comprehend. The grenade isn't. When Frank throws, a man shouts hoarsely, "He's got a grenade! Drop!" Those quick enough to cover their heads or hit the pavement live. Two not quick enough to pay attention aren't so lucky. A car swerves to smack into a parked truck on the side, for roads here as everywhere in Manhattan are narrow. Insurance rates locally spike because of things like this.

The explosives detonate and more debris rains on the ground. Smoke and paint splatter where they will thereafter. Survivors run as they can, and there's nothing to immediately call away that a demon is anywhere.

Yet.

John Constantine has posed:
    His little Glow Worm on one side, Chas on the other... John probably looks the fool, arms still up in the air in surrender? No, it's more like a man calling down the Heavens or some such.

    "I know your home's in shambles, you wretched piece of Hellspawn! Stop the bloody theatrics and fix this mess and you have my help in fixin' it!"

    Not that John wasn't going to already try to do that, really. But he's putting on a show and he's good at putting on shows, he is.

    "We can make a deal! I'll go! We fix this, you and me, we fix this and I'll go with you!"

    Chas balks, just ... for a beat he's left in shock. Then, "Fuck that, fuck no, John, what are you *doing*?"

    "...and if we can't, then what? I'm stacking the deck in our favor." Resigned? Not quite. This isn't the end of the game, it's just the beginning and it ain't over until it's over.

Frank Noble has posed:
Grenademan is confused both at the harm the grenades caused and yet, though insane, completley understands when something evil is at work. He immediately dials and calls an ambulance for the injured and looks around for...a target. ANY target and finds none....he waits.