8202/The Archivist's B-Day Bash

The Archivist's B-Day Bash
Date of Scene:	25 October 2021
Location:	The Laughing Magician
Synopsis:	Party was great, until John ran out of booze in the backroom and let his anger get the best of him. Probably another day ending in Y these days.
Cast of Characters:	John Constantine, Chas Chandler, Tara Tsabedze, Nettie Crowe, Jonathan Sims, Mairin Moran, Jubilation Lee, Noriko Ashida, Tynan Ireton, Henry McCoy, Lydia Dietrich

---

John Constantine has posed:
    The Laughing Magician is all set up for the party John had planned, at least as much as John 'sets up' for anything. There's a banner over the bar that reads: Happy Birthday Jon. Balloons are tied here and there, blue and black, maybe a dozen in total if that. The cake's store bought, one of those blank things to start with, sheet sized with Happy Birthday Jon scrawled upon it in John's handwriting. If nothing else, the man has nice handwriting.

    The stage looks as if it was set up for a band to play this evening, but the lights above it are out and the jukebox is playing in the corner next to it; the usual musical fare. The guitar in place for whoever would have been fronting that band might be familiar to some here. It's battered, nicked and bruised, a little like its owner, John Constantine. It's the same one he played when he was the front man for Mucous Membrane.

    The chips and pretzels are out along with a few store bought platters of crackers and cheese, veggies and dip.

    The Pauper's Throne at the end of the bar is suspiciously empty. John himself is in the backroom, door open about halfway, at the big table, surrounded by books, notes, a scrying map and the pendant to perform such things. ...and of course, all the usual supplies - Silks, ashtray, bottle, glass.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas is manning the bar, as usual, his apron on and a rag busy polishing the surface with long circular strokes. He seems in good spirits. Better than he has of late, that's for sure. The reason for it isn't clear but whatever it is, he's whistling along with the tune blaring from the jukebox.

    There is another table with a folded piece of paper with the word "GIFTS" scrawled on it in a not-as-nice script. Chas doesn't have the prettiest handwriting. On it currently is a simple envelope with the words "Happy Birthday, Jon" on it in the same scratchy scrawl.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
A birthday party. Tara had never actually attended one before, at least one outside those in her tribe, but from what she understood, those were entirely different. The tradition of a present given had lead her all over New York looking for something for a person she barely knew. All she had to go on really were memories of his ancestor, and that wasn't much at all.

In the end a present was selected and wrapped, with a nice bow on top of it. Arriving to the Laughing Magician with package in hand, she wore a brightly colored Dashiki in purples and greens, and a pair of slacks that look like bell bottoms, but really are just loose legged. On her feet is a pair of flat sandals, all in all she looks comfortable.

The package is added to the stack, and if there is one, she starts it by setting the package on a table. Tradition complete, she offers nods and finds a chair to sit herself in.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie sweeps in, her gray hair newly cut and stuffed under a black watch cap, wearing a multitude of gray skirts, a corset top, and a light jacket over the whol eensemble. Over her shoulder she has perched her ever-present bird, Corvax over her shoulder, and underneath her arm is a blue-and-silver wrapped package. Her bright aquamarine eyes are searching about as she makes her way over to the bar, bouncing with longish strides and leans over to Chas.

    "Hallo Chas! Birthday boy about yet?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas shakes his head. "Not yet." He eyes the blue and silver package and nods to the table with the envelope and Tara's gift on it. "I got a table set up for that if you want to add it to the pile." He waves to Tara. "Nice to see you again, thanks for coming! Can I get you anything?" Always the pleasant host, Chas is.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
A stool at the bar was a good choice to sit, tall enough for her longer legs and allowed for her tail to be free and not trapped in a chair... her tail /hated/ being trapped by chairs.

"Thank you Chas," she knew him by name only, because John had used the name in her ten second interview. "I would not mind some tea, iced or hot, if it is available."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon almost wasn't going to come to the Laughing Magician today. He's been pretending it isn't his birthday, keeping busy with various projects and a visit to the Columbia campus and the like. What he /should/ be doing is going out with his husband, who would've set up a whole evening, but since said husband is (supposedly) dead whatever the plans were they're not happening now.

    When Chas tells Jon to come to the Magician to 'talk about something important' he naturally thinks there's some terrible emergency. Not the sort of thing he wants to deal with today of all days but it's an excuse to avoid the empty apartment. So he comes to the Laughing Magician wearing an emerald green sweater and brown slacks, hands stuffed into his pockets as he pushes his way through the door.

    He stops on entering and... blinks at the decorations, at the people, at the gift table. He looks... rather stunned, in all honesty.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin walks into the bar still in her work clothes, having just come from there. She has a small package in her hand, wrapped with green and silver. She pauses just inside the door to scan the room, then makes her way to the present table to deposit her package before turning around to see Jon in the doorway. She gives him a cheery wave and a smile as she walks up.

    "Happy Birthday Jon." She shakes his hand, then moves on to make room for others who want to say the same.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas had started to set the water to boiling in the eletric kettle when Jon entered. "And there's the man of the 24 hours!" he says brightly. "Hi Jon. Told you it was important, didn't I?" he says with a smile. "Come on over, have a seat!" he gestures to a chair at the middle of the bar with a small placard that says "RESERVED" set before it.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara stands as Jon enters and offers a broad smile that shows off her extended canines. She had no idea this was to be a surprise, but the expression on his face says it all.

"Happy anniversery of the day of your birth, Jonathan Sim," she offers, then let's Chas get down to telling Jon where to sit.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The door to the Laughing Magician opens and Jubilation Lee steps inside without her usual fanfare or buffoonery. Instead, she slips in quietly with both hands occupied. In one, she holds a gift wrapped with green paper, tied off with a silver ribbon. In the other, she holds the hand of her plus one.

    Either unsure of the dress code or totally uncaring and wanting to look attractive, Jubilee wears a black charmeuse mini-dress with a lacy hem and a low, plunged neckline and a pair of black flats. Her hair is down, falling perfectly straight about halfway down her back. Her makeup is dark, with black winglets drawn into her eyes and black lipstick.

    Instead of announcing herself or making a scene, Jubilee instead turns her head and smiles at the owner of the hand threaded in hers.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Hand?  Well, anyone would really be hard-pressed to call those gauntlets that encase Noriko up to the elbow hands...except for Jubes of course.  The strange mechanical gauntlets the girl wears take a small amount of attention from her electric blue hair.

The girl is wearing a pair of high tops with tight dark jeans, a black small blazer over...something that may or may not be a v-neck shirt, and a black leather jacket with a purple-dyed hoodie attached.  She can't help but smile back to Jubilee.  Noriko's makeup is not as elaborate or stark as Jubilee's.  A little mascara, and eyeliner, and something between chapstick and lipstick and you know those weird hybrids.  "Where do we put the presents?"  Noriko asks before looking.  Of course.  She points to a pile immediately.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon just kind of... wobbles in the doorway for a moment, looking a little dazed as he shakes Mairin's hand. "I... you didn't... have... to..." He seems to give up, shaking his head and heading over to sit where indicated.

    "How did you even /know/?" Oh, come on, Jon, it's not like figuring out people's birthdays is /hard/. Even aside from magic, you're on LinkedIn.

    "Thank you," he murmurs to Tara.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie sets the foil-wrapped object on the 'Gifts' table.

    "Jon!" he gives a bright smile, and a wave to the archivist.

    "Joyous tidings on this, the day of your birth, lad! Enjoy it with friends and family about!" she smiles, and glances to the pauper's throne, and then to the back door.

    When Jubilee and Noriko walk in, she brightens again.

    "Hello Miss Lee! Goodness -- look at that dress. That violates at least six dress code rules from my home town!" she teases, apparently in a grand mood.

    "Who's your lady friend?"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin sort of hovers out of the general flow of things, before eventually going to sit down by herself, somewhere she can watch the comings and goings. Her, ever present, moth friend flutters from her shoulder down to her hands, and she strokes it's back gently as her eyes flit from person to person.

    And if they hover a little longer on Nettie... well that's nothing to do with anything.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty recieved a phone call while on a job. She was asked to come to the Magician after her job. And well, lets just say the job was the kind that involved a little bit of mud. So, Ty asked her employers for the job to assist her in getting a good outfit. They provided her with a black silk with red highlights cheongsam outfit, with some black spartan heels and a small handpurse. They offered makeup, but Ty refused. She's already not comfortable with the outfit.

    The woman carefully walks into the Magician. She blinks a little bit, and coughs a bit. The woman blushes a little bit, and heads over to Mairin. "Hey, Mairin, did you get a card?", she asks. The woman looks into her handpurse, and mutters. Well, there is a red evelope, so she looks in there. The merc bites her lip, thinking a bit.

John Constantine has posed:
    As more people start to file in, John - still clad in jeans and high Docs laced halfway and folded down from the earlier jam session with Major Arcana - reaches out with a booted foot to kick the door to the backroom the rest of the way shut without standing from where he's sitting, book opened.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee doesn't bother to answer Nori's question about where the presents will go. The speedster is likely to---there it is--answer her own question. Jubilee grins and nods. She gives Noriko a little tug towards the presents table with a gleeful, fangy smile. Jubes places her gift on the table in front of the others, stares briefly, and then moves it into a different spot she determines to be better.

    Nettie's greeting draws some surprise from Jubilee. "Oh! Hi, uh, Nettie," she replies, glancing sideways at Noriko. She had warned Noriko earlier that Nettie is scary but, apparently, that's not true and Jubilee is...surprised.

    "Noriko Ashida," Jubilee introduces, gesturing to the speedster with a flourish of her hand, apparently finding that gregariousness she might very well have left at home. She stands tall, proud, and smiles broadly.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin looks up at Ty with a happy smile.

    "I brought a present. It's on the table." She points Ty to the gift table. "I'm sure he won't mind if you didn't bring anything, though."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Stepping in with Tara, is Henry. He's got on a nice pair of black slacks, and a simple cream colored polo shirt. He looks to be stepping with caution, completely outside of his element as he wanders into this new territory. The man looks to the woman he'd arrived with, a curious look on his face.
"So who's birthday are we celebrating?" He wonders, helping to carry anything Tara had brought with them.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles. "I, one, have a good memory... and two, looked you up. The internet is a fascinating tool for some things" he replies. "What can I get for you? In fact, that goes for everyone!" he calls out.
    His own eyes track to the backroom door as it slams shut and he sighs with a shake of his head. Yes, John had set this up, but if the man was still at odds with Jon, he would take the credit to avoid any unpleasantness. He was tired of unplesantness.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Thank you, Nettie," Jon murmurs. He blinks over at the door to the back as it closes and sighs heavily. There's so much to do, he doesn't blame John for being busy in the slightest. "Scotch is fine, Chas."

    Oh good lord there are /people/. At his party. Technically his party. Another heavy sigh, and Jon gets back up off the stool to go over to Jubilee and Noriko, because if John and Chas went to this much trouble he's going to be polite if it kills him.

    He puts on a smile. "Thank you for coming. It's good to meet a friend of Jubilation's."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Now that Jon is here and greetings are made, Tara takes hold of Henry's hand and sort of him guides him around. First to Chas, since he's right there at the bar, "Chas, this is Dr. Henry McCoy," she beams. "My boyfriend."

From there she moves to Jon, then Nettie, Mairin, Ty... each person she knows the name of gets the same style of introduction. Their name said, then introducing Henry as her boyfriend.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"It's so nice to meet all of you," Noriko offers a smile and her eyes are suddenly pinning Jubilation as if they could shoot messages down the lasers coming out.  No really, she looks more confused than anything, like wondering if she's in a bad dream and needs to pinch herself.  Then her eyes widen.  "Uh."  She points to Henry.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nevermind that the lady that Jubilee said was scary has a big black bird on her shoulder, whose red eyes narrow a moment at Noriko and at Jubilee.

    "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Ashida, how do you do?" Nettie gives a bright, warm smile as Corvax, rolls his eyes, and says, "Welp. I'm going to go hang out with the only other adult in the room." the crow states, and flaps off towards the bar, juuust to the right of John's usual pauper's throne to save Nettie's seat and calls out "OI CHAS! Whiskey I can dip my bill in, mate?" he calls out.

    NEttie just gives a smile. After all, everyone here should be in the know that this is... not exactly a normal group. She spots Something Blue, and uses the distraction to produce the other package she had carried in. It's taped, sure, but in a brown paper shopping bag. And looks to be some sort of frame. This also goes on the Gift Table, and she gives a mischevious little hum.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee feels those dagger eyes hitting her. She glances at Noriko, just briefly, but she knows exactly what's being communicated here. Neither of them are telepaths but that's hardly necessary. Jubes knows what's troubling Nori. First Lady friend. Then simply friend.

    "Girlfriend!" Jubilee shouts, rising up on the balls of her feet to make sure it carries as far as Nettie herself. She lowers herself back down. "Girlfriend," she says again, softly, this time to Jon. Jubilee's eyebrows rise as she studies Noriko, silently asking 'better?'

    "Happy birthday, Jon!" Jubilee exclaims suddenly. She leans in his direction, tippie-toes, and plants a kiss on his cheek. She looks like she's about to say more but then Nori points at Hank. Her words come slowly, quietly, just barely above a whisper.

    "What the fuuuuuuuu..."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Oh! I'm sorry," Jon says. "It's a pleasure to meet Jubilation's girlfriend. I... didn't want to assume." Who else are people going to bring to parties, Jon? Not everyone's dating history is as threadbare as yours.

    Jon goes around to greet Henry as well--he only blinks briefly at the skin and hair, and then merely offers his hand to shake as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "Thank you for coming, Dr. McCoy," he offers.

    Then to Tynan, who he barely remembers from he one time they met, he walks over to offer his hand, eyeing Mairin briefly as he does. He can save the 'mingle for gods' sake' lecture for later. "Ty, yes? I don't believe I got your name properly."

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty nods to Tara, and gives a small bow to Doctor McCoy. "Doctor. Even in places such as Madripor, your name is spoken in high regard.", she states. The woman looks to Jon, and blushes a bit. "Aye. Tynan. Most people just stick with Ty.", she states with her irish brouge. Which seems strongly out of place with her appearence.

    "We only met briefly I do believe.", she says. The woman offers her hand to Jon, and then pulls it back realizing how many callusus she has on her hand. Ty will so have to remember gloves next time she has an outfit like this.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas busies himself with getting drinks for those that asked, including the Corvax (against his best intentions). He smiles as he watches Jon make the rounds as well as the others mingling. Not much could mar his mood this evening.

    He sets a cast iron tea set, porcelain cup, and an assortment of teas before the seat of Tara for when she returns after introducing her boyfriend who was a surprise but isn't unwelcome. He's far from one to be prejudiced against mutants.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko is squinting harder, about to answer Nettie, mouth open in fact! when the crow SPEAKS.  "I didn't take a pez did I?" slightly leaning to Jubilee.  Then she blinks and realizes she still hasn't answered Nettie, as if her mind jumped or rewound back on itself.  "Oh.  I'm okay I think?  Are my eyes dilated?  Your crow just flew off for whiskey."  Her eyes are not dilated.  Is she asking Nettie or Jubilee?  It's unclear.

"I just thought it was funny everyone thought we were friends.  We were.../before/.  So I tricked you.  That's not your fault," Noriko assures Jonathan with a lazy cat-like grin.

"I know...I know." Noriko sneaks in to Jubilee quietly while she locates the exits.

Henry McCoy has posed:
A nod to Tara, and a smile to those he's introduced to. The offered hand from Jon is shook, in a friendly method. "Pleasure to meet you, Jon. Glad to be able to make it." He grins, toothily. "Many happy returns and all." Henry chuckles. The man looks proud as punch at the introduction and his new label. Boyfriend.

A pause as he meets Mairin. "Doctor Moran? A pleasure to meet you. I've read some of your work on Quantum Mechanics. Fascinating reading." He beams. A look to Tara, and a grin. "Seems a few familiar names... and a few faces." He comments, spotting a couple of younger women from his classes.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon doesn't seem fazed by the calluses. He'll shake Ty's hand if she lets him; if not he merely nods politely. "Well... thank you for coming. It means a lot, that so many people have come, when they don't know me." He laughs. "...Of course, then, /I/ didn't even know this was happening..."

    He glances over to Noriko. "Magic," he says helpfully. "It is, I /think/, a magic crow. That drinks whiskey, and talks." He frowns slightly. "Actually, I'm going to have to ask about that sometime." He really does need to talk to Nettie! Maybe in a minute here now that he's greeted people.

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin blinks... then blushes. "Oh... Well thank you, Dr. McCoy. I've read some of your work on Biophysics. I'd love to talk with you more about--" She glances at Jon and gicves a sheepish smile. "Perhaps you could come by my office sometime?"

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty laughs. "Nobody expects a birthday party.", she says. The woman takes a second to elbow into Mairin's side a bit, and leans over to whisper. "Stop flirting, he's taken.", she giggles a bit. Then woman takes a moment to look over at Corvax now. "Oy, Corvax, you better be ordering me a whiskey if you're getting some.", she says.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara lifts one brow slightly, her trail flicking a bit adamantly behind her as Mairin invites Hank to her office. She's no expert on this sort of thing, but the body language that Mairin had going, coupled with them knowing about each other, the jealousy raises the fur on her body slightly.

Stepping in closer to Henry, she slips her arm around him in the classic 'this is mine' move known all over the world. "We would love to," she then says boldly to Mairin, offering a charming smile that does not at all look feral, but her eyes do at they look at the woman.

"Hank, the tea is ready, would you like to join me at the bar for some?" She then asks, subject shift achieved.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie breeze back behind Jubilee and Noriko.

    "Same difference when you were born in Victoria's reign, poppet. I had a wife once." Nettie cheerily replies to the two, and she mozies over to Jon "No, Corvax is the soul of of a damned man that I brought back by feeding a crow the entrails of a hanged man, bound him to be my servant. I'm actually surprised...." Nettie looks a little surprised, her lips pursing. "He's not asking for rum."

    Corvax gives a happy squawk as he's given two fingers of whiskey, and does, indeed, dip his bill in, then looks to Tynan, then looks to Chas "An' bottom shelf for the pup. They don't know the difference." he states.

    Nettie looks around the room full of strangers, rapidly getting a bit closer, and she takes a breath, and she takes a couple steps back from the crowd, looping her shawl over her hands, and she makes her way to the back door of the place. Her two pups were being social. Corvax was having his moment. Even Jon seemed to be having a good time, and she turns, and gives a small knock to the door marked Private.

    "John? You in, boyo?"

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin, of course, is pretty oblivious, however. She just brightens a little more at Tara's inclusion of herself. "Oh! Even better. I'm in the engineering building. If I'm ot in my office just ask anyone there, I'm probably in the lab." Then she waves as the couple walks away.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "It's ma--" Jon got it. The only explanation for the bird is simply 'magic' and, well, Jubilee has had her fair share of it lately.

    While Noriko seems to be looking for their exit strategy in the face of a teacher from their school, Jubilation's face sours. She doesn't break her stare in Hank's direction. "Is he seriously just acting like we're not here? Like he doesn't know us?" Jubes mumbles to the speedster.

    "Whatever," is her summation of that. "C'mon, let's find...Huh. Where's....?" Jubilee's gaze drifts until it stops on that closed back room door. Her eyes narrow and then relax. Nettie's got it.

    "Come meet Chas. He's the one who has the food and drinks, so..." Jubilee, not being a fool, tightens her grip on Nori's hand, fully expecting the speedster to zip as soon as she hears 'food'

John Constantine has posed:
    "Busy, Nettie!" John calls through the door. Answered the question anyway, he's definitely 'in', the room at least. Perhaps, however, judging by this tone not 'in the mood for it', whatever 'it' may be.

    Not that his mood's ever stopped Nettie before, but there's a first time for everything innit so? He's hoping for a first time.

    He might have called, 'I'm naked in here!' if it were anyone *but* Nettie, alas he's tried that before with her. It didn't work.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon gives Mairin a discreet thumbs up. Making friends! Like they talked about! Or quasi-professional connections. Whatever. Getting to know people is the point.

    He goes to sit back down at the bar, grabbing up the scotch Chas had poured and trying to look sociable. "Damned soul in the body of a bird, got it," he murmurs to Nettie's explanation.

    He takes a moment, to close his eyes and try to stop being aware of the emotions around him--the jealousy, irritation, fear. It's, well... it's a lot.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    After a bit more mingling and drinks being passed to their various owners, Chas looks around the room. Noting Nettie was trying to make contact with his best mate he decides to move things along.

    He claps his hands together. They are large enough and he uses enough force that it echoes over the area. "Alright people!" he says, in an announcer voice. "I think we're all here for one reason and that's the celebrate Jonathan Sims' birthday." He gives the man of the night a fond smile. "As is usually the case with birthdays, we give gifts to the honored guest and I am glad to see that people didn't disappoint with the haul tonight."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Not ignored at all. The pair were seen, after all. Introductions were being made to new people. Henry's hand goes to the small of Tara's back, calming and soothing. "That would be fantastic. I've had a few rather interesting items come up that might benefit from an expert's eye on your speciality." He grins to Mairin.

Eventually, his gaze does match Jubilee, the man offering a tip of his head. "Evening, Miss Lee. Miss Ashida." He calls over to them, still grinning.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Really, that's only more reason to go in for Nettie if he were to call out he was naked. If only because the damn lad never eats and she would give him grief.

    She tries the door, as Chas calls everyone together, leaning back against it to open it a crack.

    "About to open gifts. Need help finishing up so you can see him open yours?" she inquires gently, and goes to slip into the back room.

    "HERE HERE!" Corvax caws out, flapping his wings. "Bring on the birthday boy for slaps and gifts!"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I didn't even know you were born till I was invited.  I get it."  Noriko says with an easy grin with a dash of faux flabbergastness.  "Bye!"  she says to Jonathan before being sucked more into the teacher drama.  "Maybe he's trying to get laid."

"Hmm?"  Noriko looks around with Jubilation when she notices the girl's gaze drifting, which is quickly.  No idea what's transpiring.  "Food?"  That got Nori's attention.  Yes.  Predictably, Noriko weaves them around until she finds the person who must be Chas, using process of elimination using the Guess Who clues she got from Jubes on the way over to the party.  It's not super fast, but it's definitely an abnormal thing to do, and those closely watching might notice that she starts like a blip, her acceleration so fast it is easy to miss in these casual encounters as it rolls up into a normal gait so quickly.  "Are you Chas?"  And then she realizes there is an announcement to be had and shuts up.  Food will have to wait.  Chas will have to wait.  HER PRIORITIES ARE NOT SCREWED UP.

"Oh hey look Doc finally noticed us."  Noriko holds up a friendly peace sign in return to Dr. McCoy so she doesn't talk over the activities.

John Constantine has posed:
    "Nope, I'm good, Nettie." John's standing now, in front of that map that *was* just one of the US. He's expanded his search it seems, now it's a world map.

    He turns his attention back to what he was doing. His eyes close. He taps into the wards that are exclusive to this room only, the ones that add fuel to the fire of things like scrying and research spells.

    They flare a bit, but not enough to really be seen as anything more than a soft glow through that little crack.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara settles back onto a stool at the bar, looking through the tea choices and finding the one she will brew up. She never expects places in America to have the good stuff, so she's learned to settle and gets the tea brewing. She remains quiet while the announcement is made, getting the cups ready for when the tea finishes steeping, but she looks toward Chas and Jon with a smile.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks up at this and groans. "Is this to get back at me for punching you? Good lord. I would've been fine with a bottle of scotch, you know, Chas." He's clearly the sort that isn't entirely comfortable being the center of attention in this way.

    He waves a hand. "Right, right, let's do this so people can get fed. The teenagers are hungry, Chas."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin just watches the going's on from her out of the way spot. But her gaze continues to flit more and more to Nettie at the back door as her head titls in curiosity. God, but John is an ass...

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    And it still didn't stop Nettie from going into the backroom as John works, closing the door behind her.

    "Then don't mind me as I escape the crowd. Getting a bit close for my tastes." she mutters as she leans against the door from the inside, and she breathes out in a quiet breath, and looks to ehr hands. "Had I known there would be normal people I would have better warded or worn some gloves..." she looks to the map -- and shuts up, her eyebrows drawing up as she watches John work.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Moving to stand near Tara on her stool, Henry returns the peace sign to Noriko. A look to the other felinoid person in the room, and a grin. "So... what are steeping tonight? What sort of tea?" He wonders, his voice hushed as celebratory slaps and gifts are announced.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles to Jon and shakes his head. "It's not for the punch, this has been in the works for a bit before that" he says as he moves around the bar to the table labelled 'GIFTS' and picks up one.

    It is Jubilation's gift and he walks and presents the gift to before Jon (being sure to not jostle the snifter of scotch--it's the good stuff and not cheap). "Sparks" he says looking to Jubilee. "This one is yours right?" he asks the young vampire.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara has no idea what celebratory slaps are, so she's paying attention to find out what they are. As Hank speaks, she leans closer to speak quietly.

"English Breakfast," she replies about the tea. "As for which place, mine, it is closer and I do not know how late this party will go. I will have to you back to the school for classes in the morning."

John Constantine has posed:
        That pendant spins faster and faster, smaller and smaller circles and then John feels a 'tug', he lets go immediately. It stands on its pointed end and he opens his eyes to look. "That doesn't make any sense," he murmurs under his breath before he picks the thing up and starts *all over*. Maybe something got in the way?

    Because why would what he's looking for tag in Liverpool?

    Same result about a minute later like the crystal's saying: Look, I already showed you *once* dumbass.

    It leaves the Laughing Magician looking perplexed, but he knows the spell didn't botch *twice*.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "He's sweet, right? Like I said," Jubilee says to Nori with a grin, just as Jon heads away from them. Her smile fades as the speedster suggests Hank's plan is to get some. "Eeeeewwwwwwwww," she drones, dragging the sound out as long as she can, her face looking like she just drank the blood of a lemon. She gives the teacher a matching peace sign, still holding that disgusted expression on her face.

    And then.... Nori takes off with their hands entwined! "Slow down, slow down, slow down!" Jubilee cries out, getting dragged along in the speedster's wake, in her frenzied quest for food. When they come to a stop, Jubilee's hair is all over the place and the back of her mini-dress unfortunately folded up. She reaches down to fix the problem and shakes her head, hamming it up a little.

    And now she's somewhere else and Chas is calling out for her. Jubilee rakes her fingers through her hair, trying to fix it as best she can, and raises herself on the balls of her feet, squinting a little. "Yes! That's from me!" she confirms with a thumbs-up held high. "Happy birthday, Jon Without An H!"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie comes a little closer, the dimunitive old witch in that young body coming up on John's left. Her eyes narrow as the pendant falls int he same place, and she looks up to John.

    "... coming across Mary Jessop's employer?" she asks, "Or is this your mum murderer?" she asks quietly.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles as he reaches out to take and open the gift. "Thank you, Jubilation," he says, because even if he's grumpy he can be polite.

    Under the green-and-silver wrapping is a leather-bound journal with the initials 'J.S.' monogrammed into the cover in gold lettering. He brightens as he flips through the pages. "Thank you!" he repeats, more brightly this time. He is, indeed, the kind of guy who likes monogrammed leather journals, Jubilee surmised correctly.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty shakes her head a bit. "Leave it, Wabbit. We're here for the birthday boy. Let Nettie deal with the Saint.", she tells Mairin. The woman claps for Jon a bit. She moves over to a wall, and watches. She collects her whiskey, sniffs it. "Hey, Wabbit, here you go.", she says. "It'll help you loosen up a bit."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Rabbit looks over at the glass and makes a face. "No thanks." And of course Nettie's gone now, so she just focusses on, Jon opening presents. A small smile on her face.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Yeah.  He's cool...and just don't look," Noriko finally weighs in.  She slips her arm/gauntlet around the young vampire and squeezes.  She whispers to Jubilation, "You know what's funny?  I keep wanting to offer you something to drink.  Old habits...Looks like he liked the gift."  And of course, her stomach growls, but Nori doesn't say anything.

John Constantine has posed:
    "Mum murderer," John replies in a soft, distracted voice. He picks up a book and flips to a page he had marked with a post-it. "I'm pretty sure it's one of these what did it." The picture is one of a mostly normal man, save for the thing coming from its forehead that looks like a grotesque twist on a sucker fish.

    "They're called Olmak, they're ... like skin walkers. They use that thing on their head to, bloody hell, I guess the only way to describe it is to suck the memories from their victims. The mum had wounds like what they leave on her arms, defensive I guess? Anyway, I got some the tissues from the wounds..." - don't ask how he did that! He's a consultant for the NYPD, but that was still probably not legal. "...and this is where it's tracking now."

    There's a little niggle, a nudge in the back of his mind, a tickle. It's just too odd for something to jump from here to *Liverpool* in the matter of a day. Maybe it's just coincidence?

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Corvax looks at Ty and Mairin, and dips his bill again into the whiskey, tilting his head back a moment. He weaves a moment. "For god's sakes, bunny Rabbit, have yourself a drink an' maybe unclench yer jaw! Bein' turned down ain't nothing to worry about!" he crows out.

    Nettie frowns a moment, and she frowns.

    "Well. If you need a hound's help, this bitch still hunts for the right scent." she states to John. lightly touching on his arm.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas reaches behind him and has another one of the gifts in his hands. He continues to place gifts before the Archivist one at a time, allowing for the man to admire, thank, and move to the next in a steady stream. The entire time, he's careful not to jostle the snifter of the good scotch near the birthday boy.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Noriko's gift to Jon matches with Jubilee's--it's a fountain pen, and he actually takes a moment to fiddle with it, eyes lighting up. Yes, he is /precisely/ the kind of nerd that enjoys notebooks and fountain pens. "Thank you, Noriko!" he calls.

    Jon takes Tara's gift and opens it: a hand woven basket with a lid, stuffed to the brim with food and alcohol from Africa. He smiles up to the woman with an oddly grateful expression. "I appreciate it," he says.

    Mairin's gift... turns out to be a small box with a handwritten note and a tape. Jon blinks down at it, swallows at the note. "/Oh/," he says. "Thank you, Mairin."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Mairin smiles and waves to Jon, ignoring Corvax completely. Because drinking is literally the last thing she needs to do right now.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty looks at Mairin, and cackles a bit. She looks at Corvax. "Little Wabbit got turned down? Oh, she really does need a drink then.", the young Merc teases a bit. And Ty thinks its exactly what Mairin needs right now. Of course, Ty is the one that misbehaves a lot.

John Constantine has posed:
    "I've only ever encountered one of these things personally. They're secretive and reclusive, usually *do* flee once they've gotten a new life. I'd bet half the 'ran off to escape life' cases out there is likely one of these. They don't stick around. It didn't get what it wanted though, if it did... the mum would still be alive, just in a vegetative state..." A beat. "... forever."

    His brow furrows, faded denim blues a little distant, it's that lost in a memory look. "It was... like six months before..." Astra, Ravenscar. The things they always end with 'before' and not the total of it. "We cornered it in a warehouse." It's always a warehouse innit? "We were young and inexperienced, it got that sucker thing attached to my head. Chas shot the thing... the sucker thing. Then we burned it."

Mairin Moran has posed:
    Her present opened, Mairin makes a quite exit. She came, she mingled, she may have even made a new friend. Jon can't ask for more than that.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Nettie's gift, in blue-and-silver, is in the same vein as Mairin's, technically: a blue journal, with her handwriting inside. He has to visibly stop himself from just reading the story /right then and there/, because people are waiting. He glances toward the back door. He'll read that later when people aren't hungry.

    Chas' gift is in a business sized envelope. He pulls out an 8 x 10 photograph of four men, three of them clearly younger version of Chas, John, and Jon himself. There's another man there, shorter and with glasses and dark hair. They're all smiling. Jon smiles as well, looks up at Chas. "Thank you," he says, choking up a bit.

    Then, finally... John's present. It's in a brown paper bag, and appears to be a canvas print of a picture. Jon being dragged to the dance floor of a punk bar by the shorter dark-haired man. There's flowing script across the top: 'True love spans any distance and never stops leading the way.'

    Jon breaks down at seeing this. Just starts sobbing silently, which is maybe awkward, and might be a good time for Chas to move things right along.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Watching as the gifts are received, Henry keeps near to Tara - out of his element in the magical might that is in the room. He finds a stool next to where she is sitting, both waiting on the tea. A genuine smile at the obvious emotion at the gifts, the man happy to see someone so blessed.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
There's fashionably late, and then there's fashionably late. Lydia is one of the two. "Sorry I'm late. I had business I had to attend to..." She trails off as she sees Jon in tears. She looks around worriedly, "Is everything okay?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee grins, leaning into Nori as she feels the speedster's squeeze. "Yeah," she whispers, grinning as Jon seems to also like the fountain pen. Jubilee holds her fist out in the air, apparently to get bumped in celebration of their mutual success with birthdaying.

    "Chas actually keeps, uh, you know, here. He microwaves it for me and puts it in a glass," she whispers to Nori, grinning a little at the thought. More words might come, but Jubilation's attention is drawn to Jon's reactions to the gift from John. Her mouth closes, grin fading to a subtle smile, a happy one, as she tilts her head and rests her cheek against Noriko's shoulder. Jubilee's gaze lingers on the door to the back room.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie keeps her hand on John's arm quietly, listening as she narrows her eyes. "Aye, well then, we know it starved, don't we?" Nettie states in the driest sarcastic voice she can manage, looking up to JOhn with her inhuman eyes, but she gives his arm a gentle squeeze.

    "If it's there, we can track it down. You've got a sample of it. Won't be but a tick to find it in the old stomping grounds... /Liverpool/. Why isn't it ever Dublin or Edinborough or Inverness? Nooo." she mumbles glumly, and she pauses a moment.

    Corvax, full of whiskey, flups to his belly on the bartop.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas moves forward, knowing that Jon might need a moment upstairs after the two pictures he received. "Alright everyone, let's get to cake!" he calls over the silence, drawing all attention to himself.

    He moves to the sheet cake and lights the five candles aranged in a star formation on it before starting to sing the traditional song arranged for the occasion. As he sings, he focuses on keeping his balance as he presents the cake to the guest of honor.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Buuuuuump.  "Oh yeah?  I would think it'd be better heated up on a stove," she muses.  "Do you want any?  Or is it like an emergencies only private thing?"  She shuts up promptly when John's gift makes its impact and Jubilation's head comes to rest on her shoulder.  Her gaze is meandering for an answer to the one thing that increasingly consumes her attention.  Hunger.  "Oh my god cake," she whispers, eyes glazed, when Chas breaks the silence.

John Constantine has posed:
    John's expression turns all sour and cranky at the sound of Chas's voice yelling outside, but he shoves it away and focuses on the task at hand. It's easier to deal with than all the crabassery he's feeling over that party.

    "I don't know, Nettie. I feel like I should track its movements for a day or two, we could step through into Liverpool and it'll be gone again or something. I got that meeting with the team coming up, trying to get that all organized so..."

    ...when he disappears to hunt bigger things alone, they can hold the line of defense here. But he cuts that thought off right quick. No Nettie cows need to be born tonight.

    "Something isn't... something doesn't track." No pun intended regarding the literal 'tracking' spell.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon manages to pull himself together enough to roll his eyes in seeming irritation at the singing, and blow out candles, and all that business. Singing, good /lord/.

    When that's done, he flips his hand at Chas again. "Get them fed," he mutters. "And... thank you for all of this. Really." He glances to the back door. He /ought/ to go thank John, too, but he's debating whether or not this is the time. Will it just irritate the man more? Hmm.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "... well. Maybe it's not tracking because you need cake." Nettie states, and she gives John a little tug on his arm.

    "C'mon. Five minutes. Jon can thank us for the gifts, and maybe we can work something with the cards or crystals to get a new bead on it." Nettie gently states to John.

    And she looks up to him with a little smile. "Jubilee brought her girlfriend. Tara brought her boyfriend. It's just a quick nip out for a piece of cake."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Seeing that Jon is going to be okay, for the most part, Lydia moves into the pub proper, she sets her bag off to the side and pulls out a couple of presents for the birthday boy, both wrapped neatly in wrapping paper. She waits until the birthday song is sung, and the candles are blown out before walking up to the birthday boy.

"Happy birthday, Jon," she says, handing over her presents. One is about personal journal sized, and the other is just right for a paperback book. "I know you like stories, so here you go."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Pouring two cups of the tea, she offers one to Hank and keeps the other for herself. A touch of honey does into her cup, with a dash of cream and she stirs the mixture quietly.

Watching Jon open her present, the expression offered to her is given a nod. Food is never a bad gift, but this was a little taste of memory offered and she was glad that he liked it.

"Would you like anything in your tea Hank?" She asks, sliding the condiments over so he has access. "Tea goes nicely with cake, I think."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon has wiped at his eyes by the time Lydia hands over her presents, and he opens them so that will be done. There is a book, Cat's Cradle, and a filled-in journal that he flips through and has to, /again/, stop himself from just reading right there.

    He beams up at Lydia. "Your golem story! Thank you!" he says. "I /very/ much appreciate this."

John Constantine has posed:
    "Nah, I'm good. You go on out," John insists and he really doesn't seem to be budging on the matter. Nettie knows him well enough to know when to NOT push and this is one of those times. Something has his feathers ruffled, he's pissed... or more likely hurt by something and hiding it behind pissed.

    "I have Poptarts." He points to the box over there on the shelf. Strawberry even, not those nasty blueberry.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shoots a grin at Jon. "I hope you enjoy them." Eschewing the cake, she takes a step back to take in the rest of the room. Spying Tara and Hank together she makes her way over to them. "Tara! Hank! I see you two know each other. How find you this evening?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oh, no, no, I'm okay," Jubilee whispers back to Noriko. "I just, you know, think it's nice that he has that. Everyone really is very nice, even when they're not..." Her gaze returns to that closed door and the backroom it leads to.

    As soon as the speedster says the word 'cake', Jubilee grins, nodding her head. "Yeah... Birthday cake," she repeats, the words sounding almost alien to her. Her arm tenses, slipping around Noriko's waist so she can try to prevent her from going sickhouse on the cake before it's time. Just in case.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Once the candles are blown out Chas proceeds to cut the cake and starts doling slices out to the guests on paper plates with biodegradeable forks.

    Once that task is over he looks around. "Alright... are there any vegetarians in attendance?" he asks, "Or is everyone okay with steak sandwiches?" He points at Lydia and Jubilee and nods, he knows what they want and what he will give them.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry adds a touch of cream to his tea, stirring the cuppa with his spoon. "It was a lovely gift." He offers over to Tara, grinning. "And yes, tea goes wonderfully with cake." The man agrees. "Hopefully the flavor of the cake will mesh well in this instance."

At the greeting from Lydia, he smiles. "Evening, Lydia. Yes, K'Tara has been making me blush by introducing me as her boyfriend - a fact I cannot, and will not, refute." He grins. "Doing well, how about yourself?"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    No, this time Nettie's not going to push. She knows something went awry, but she gives a small smile, and a nod. "I'll bring you a piece then." she states gently, and she gives another little squeeze to John's arm. "Don't go it alone, John." she gives a gentle admonishment, and releases his arm, and turns to go out the room -- pausing just a moment to look back at John, and then steeling herself, she wraps her hands in the drapes her shawl, and slips back out.

    ... and looks at the drunk familiar spirit. "... tch."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara beams a smile at Lydia as she approaches. "Yes we do!" she chimes, then gestures to the tea pot on the bar top. "Would you care for some tea? There is at least one more cup in there."

Now that she has her tea, her free arm goes back around Hank. "Of cours e I introduce you as my boyfriend, male friend sounds to informal, guy friend sounds like something you say about a former boyfriend you still know and this is the guy I have sex with is often considered rude and T.M.I."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    As Nettie slips out of the back room, Jon puts his own piece of cake down on the bar and goes over to murmur quietly to her. "I... ahh... for one... thank you, Nettie. For the gift, I mean. Really."

    Then, after a hesitation: "Do you think... I... was going to go say thank you to John, but..." But he seems like he's in a bad mood. And by Jon's expression, both baffled and guilty, /he/ at least seems to think it's his fault. Or partly his fault.

John Constantine has posed:
    John settles down into the chair at the head of that big heavy table. Recently he replaced that wooden thing with an office chair if only because... they spin.

    He slouches in it now, hands clasped loosely on his chest, right about where he still, and always will, bear a scar in the shape of an eight pointed star caused by the sprouting of a seed of destiny from his heart. His lanky legs all stretched in front of him, he kicks the ground with one foot to spin the chair, his gaze on the ceiling.

    His wheels are turning as much as the chair's spinning. What's he missing?

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty sips the whiskey as she watches. This is all so wierd to her in a certain sense. She takes a moment to shake the whiskey, stirring it slightly. The merc keeps her back to the wall, while watching Corvax, mostly to make sure he doesn't do something bad. He's passed out, so Ty went back to watching things. There's just this itch on her back that she's not used to. Mostly cause its a social event, versus what she's more adjusted to.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I eat meat!" Noriko volunteers with a touch of eagerness she may not have intended.  Ugh.  She puts her gauntlet over Jubilation's arm and leans back, more at ease when she feels Jubilation keeping her in check against impulses she forgot to pre-quell before the event.  "Thanks," she she leans back to mumble gratefully.  "I think I almost bit someone there," she teases, as if she were Jaws or some giant mouth attached to legs that just ran into someone.  "Hey can we hit up a food truck on the way back?"  Noriko finally obviously notices all the back room door ogling.  "What?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyes glitter in delight. "You're her boyfriend, eh? Lucky man. You two look good together." She holds up a hand and shakes her head. "No tea for me, but thank you. How long have you been together?"

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie gives a smile, and she gives a little shrug. "It's a story that others have heard, but ... the more complete version. It's... it's all right, really. John's idea was tape recordings, but I didn't have a recorder, and it seems gauche to E-mail you a recording." she gives a smile to Jon, crossing her arms a moment, leaning against the door.

    "John's working on an investigation. He's a bit preoccupied. Tried to get him out for a spot of cake, but even my feminine wiles and pouting couldn't move the man." she waves a moment, as if dismissing the idea. "I'm sure if you leave him a nice note and a pack of silks all shall be forgiven for not thanking him in person." she smiles to Jon.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon darts a worried glance to the door, but nods. "I'll... do that, then." He sighs, rolling his shoulders. Less tension out amongst all the people now, so that's... easier to handle.

    "Written down by you should work just as well as a recording, Nettie. Thank you." After a moment, he adds, "...Since I never manage to get 'round to your shop, ahh... I've been meaning to come 'round and see about... I know you train people in magic." He flicks a glance back out at Tynan and Mairin, then back to Nettie. "Obviously that's a more in-depth discussion but I wanted to at least... put the bug in your ear, so to speak? Find out if you even have time to take on another student, or if I should look elsewhere."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee's eyes practically disappear as she silently laughs at Nori's outburst. Always so eager for food. The laugh fades into a smile that can only be fueled by affection and familiarity as she looks upon the other girl. "You're welcome," she says simply, grinning now from ear to ear, fangs loud and proud.

    "Yes, of course we can," Jubes whispers with a smile. "But, it has to be one that's nearby. I have a surprise for you after all this is over." She hadn't told Noriko about the Curio, yet.

    Jubilation lowers her cheek back down to rest on the speedster's shoulder as she asks about the back door and its capture of her attention. "...John," she mutters. "With an h. He hasn't come out." It's a near whisper meant just for her ears. There's nothing implied by her tone other than uninformed concern.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Tara takes a moment to go get a piece of the cake for herself, and one for Hank, and once she sits back down she says to Lydia in a soft tone, "About a month, perhaps a touch less, but it is close enough. He is a good man, very considerate, and let is not forget model handsome."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas starts working on steak sandwiches for all but two of the attendants. While the steak sizzles on the flat iron grilltop behind the bar he moves to the microwave and opens it to withdraw two glasses full of dark red liquid. These he takes and offers to Lydia and Jubilee in turn. "I hope you don't mind quick heating" he says to the pair of them as he gives them what their vampiric nature's crave.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Oh? You're interested in becoming a student as well?" Nettie states, and she takes the whiskey that her familiar hasn't drank -- and drains it. Her face makes the 'oh that was a mistake' expression, and she looks at Corvax, who is happily sleeping on the bartop and comments: "your taste in alcohol is still awful."

    Turning back to Jon, she gives a smile.

    "You're welcome any time at the Candle, Jon. We can go over lessons."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Thank goodness for fur! It's obvious to any who know him, or body language, that Henry is blushing on any number of subjects being discussed. "You flatter." He winks to Tara. "Yes, about a month." He agrees with Tara's assessment. The man sips his drink, grinning.

"She certainly makes me look dashing, with her at my side. Beauty tends to glow over to those they are with, and she is certainly ravishing."

John Constantine has posed:
    Finally, the backroom door opens and John steps out. His hair's all mussed and tousled, shirt untucked and half unbuttoned - far enough that it reveals that eight point star of a scar right where his heart beats. He's wearing *jeans* and Docs that should ride calf high, but they're only half laced and folded down.

    But he's only there long enough to yell, "Nets! I know we got all distracted by my rod..." - it's what he calls that little pointed end, cylinder shaped crystal, honest! "... but did you bring that shite you said you had after you sent the puppies on the hunt?!"

    ...then back in he retreats. ...with a slam of the door behind him.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Well, I have access to a veritable library of spells up here," Jon taps at the side of his head, "that I cannot figure out how to cast. It's like knowing what a derivative is when you can't do algebra. I need the basic theory, and practice, and... probably to devise my /own/ ways of casting rather than--"

    Jon blinks at the opening and then slamming of the door. Closes his mouth. Then murmurs, "I... suppose you should see to that." There's worry in his expression, and a kind of resigned slump of his shoulders.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Nearby?"  Oh so no zipping out to find her favorite roaming truck.  Draaaat.  As much as Noriko can pack into a day, major diversions do tend to shift the direction of them, and Noriko doesn't protest when she's given parameters. "Deal.  Wait.  You have a surprise?"  NOW THE NIGHT JUST GOT INFINITELY LONG and Noriko can't figure out if that's a good or bad thing.  She's met some interesting people.  "I should have introduced myself to the magic crow," she regrets aloud as she spots him passed out on the bar.  "Feels like a bucket list thing."

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty just raises an eyebrow, and looks at Nettie. "So...Magical mushrooms you had me hunt for was for what and who now?", she asks. The woman shakes her head. "I'm starting to think I may need to charge for that mission if you had me go get you something for that...", she laughs, sipping her whiskey.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Thank you, Chas," Jubilee replies with a smile, reaching out to take the glass in her hand. As she turns to look up him, her attention is briefly taken by John storming in, shouting something about his rod, and then storming out. Naturally, her eyes dart to the Archivist. "One second," she murmurs.

    After taking a sip of the blood, Jubilee sets it down on the bar with a clink. She spends that sip on a burst of blurry speed and appears at Jonathan's side, her hand resting on his shoulder. "Jon?" she says softly.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's nose twitches as soon as Chas uncorks the bottle of blood. Curiously, she watches him put it in the microwave, for a few seconds to warm it up before being served it. "Thank you," she says, taking the glass, not having the heart to tell him that she can only drink fresh blood. Still, she doesn't want to be an ungrateful guest so down the hatch. Gluh. Stale.

"Oh come now," she tells Hank. "You've always been dashing and a perfect gentlemen whenever I've seen you." Her eyes are still glittering in delight. Being a romance novelist she's always happiest when they happen to good people that she knows. "Really. I'm glad you found each other."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie was about to comment on the sleeping crow, who rouses just in time to see the back door open, and sees John come out all verklempt.

    "Jaysus, Johnny-boy. Did everything but bite it did they?" he asks, tipsy, and then he sort of caws, and nestles back down.

    Nettie was about to say something, and in fact she raises one hand, her mouth open, and then she closes it.

    And she looks around the room.

    "... John is not a 'that' poppet, and sundew aren't mushrooms, they're carniverous plants." she states, and she reaches for the bag she stashed at her seat, and smiles at Jon. She gives him a smile.

    "Have patience with others as well as yourself, lad." she states, and giving a wave to the assemblage, she goes to duck back into the back room -- with two pieces of cake.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles a bit ruefully at Nettie. "I do tend to try," he says. "I'll drop by the Candle later."

    Then, Jubilee's at his side and he peers down at her, frowning slightly. "Jubilation?" he returns. "Something wrong?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I'll just be here," Noriko assures Jubilation.  The speedster stares at the blood she is left all alone with.  Curious, she quickly gives it a sniff and shrugs.  "I wonder if she can taste the different blood types.  I'll have to do a blindfold test," Noriko muses to herself, not really thinking through how she would acquire all of these different blood types and feeling pretty pleased with her idea.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty finishes her whiskey, and sets the glass down. She nods her head to Chas. The woman pats Jon on the shoulder. "It'll be nice to have a younger puppy in the shop. Mairin and I are just getting our timing down in the field.", she says. "Either way, happy birthday. I got to go, since I got a job in the morning. THere's a plane waiting for me already, and the pilots are probably using every russian swear they can think of..", she smirks.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "No," Jubes replies with a shrug, looking up at Jon. "Just..." She falls silent for a moment, juggles the different choices in front of her -- one of them being just calling attention to the elephant in the living room, perhaps to put it out of its misery.

    "Just... Great party," Jubilee blurts out, manufacturing a smile to complete the sentiment. "Everyone's having an excellent time." Without waiting even a moment, she's on her way back to her spot at the bar next to Noriko and the glass of blood she left behind.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stares after Jubilation. Opens his mouth. Frowns. "Ahh... good! Thank you, for coming!" He looks... confused.

    Then he peers at Tynan. "Puppy?" He quirks a brow. "I'm thirty... four, today. Thirty four. My bones have stopped growing and my testosterone levels will be plummeting soon. Hardly a 'puppy' to anyone around here but Nettie." He seems vaguely insulted by the statement.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Listening to the various conversations going on Tara, as usual, is lost. She doesn't understand the context of the words being used, as people weren't puppies, nor did she know what any of them did for Nettie or with Nettie, honestly she didn't know Nettie save for the very brief introductions at the Curio.

Sitting back to sip her tea, one arm still around Hank, she remains silent and attentive to the conversations. Eventually she would get a clue, perhaps even get a chance to know a few of these people as more than passing faces with which she knows the names of.

Tynan Ireton has posed:
    Ty laughs a little bit. "Mairin said the same thing. You'll get it soon. It took Mairin a bit not to get insulted by her name. Nettie calls me Kitten. I can deal with it. Suits what I do. Stealthy, and I hide my claws fairly well.", she says. The woman stretches. "Either way, catch everyone later.", she states, as she heads out.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee fills her pointless, vestigial lungs with pointless air and exhales it all out as a sigh. It's all a very careful exercise that the living take for granted, but for Jubilee it's a specific set of actions, all carefully practiced for mere effect. She knocks back the rest of her not-a-bloody-mary and sets the glass down.

    Jubilee briefly looks forlorn, perhaps moved by the tension between the Jo(h)ns. After wading in that feeling for just a couple seconds, Jubilee shakes her head. "Sitting here worrying about this would be a true waste of this dress," she mutters to anyone within earshot. Jubilation gently bites her bottom lip and then darts her mouth so it's hovering just a whisper away from Noriko's ear.

    Jubilation brings her palm up to cover her mouth from any lipreaders and whispers something to Nori through a toothy smile.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Nettie's an entirely different matter," Jon grumbles, then adds, "Thank you for coming, though, Ty."

    Then he settles down to organize the presents into a neat stack and eat a sandwich. He doesn't understand the tension any more than Jubilee does, but there's still that faint slump of his shoulders.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Finishing his tea, Henry gets to his feet. "We should be going..." A grin to Lydia, his arm extended to Tara. "Early morning teaching class." A look to Jubilation and Noriko. A smile again to the hosts, then Lydia.

"Shall we?" He offers to Tara, before heading with the tall woman towards the door.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko isn't blind to Jubilation's preoccupation with the two men, but she's swimming in a room of strangers she has no context to pin their actions to, a bit adrift in her thoughts as she surveys all of the tiny expressions blossoming in slow motion while she stays almost nearly still, letting it roll by her.

Then suddenly she feels Jubilation's closeness, something whispered.  Something that makes her eyes shoot wide.  "WE'RE GOING!"  she declares,  "We're going now thank you it was nice to meet you!" she says quickly to the pub at large and then starts to drag Jubilation out.  She's hungry and THINGS WERE WHISPERED.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon watches the couples leaving with a kind of nostalgic smile. "Thank you for coming!" he calls. Because even if he didn't set this up, it's his party. Technically. "Have a good night!"

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Finishing the last of her tea, Tara stands with Hank but looks to Jon.

"Happy Birthday," she offers again. "Thank you for the cake and the company everyone, have a good night."

Then she heads out with Henry.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation grins at Noriko's reaction to her whisper. "And I didn't even have to glamour you," she mutters fondly. Pause. "Not that I ever have. Or ever would!" That's settled.

    She rises to her feet and waves her hand in the air. "Goodnight, everyone! Happy birthday, Jon!" She waves it in the air a couple more times as she starts pulling Noriko towards the door that goes out.

John Constantine has posed:
    The bear pokes its head out of the backroom again. This time it even comes all the way out. It's out of scotch back there and that simply won't do when there's a when *he* has an entire shelf dedicated to the stuff out in the bar.

    Man can he stomp in those boots. And he does just that, he *stomps* across the room, behind the bar, *snatches* a bottle and turns to *stomp* right back out.

    He might be overheard muttering, "Hope they all enjoyed the party in my offensive gentrified bar..."

    STOMP. STOMP. SLAM.

    John retreats back to his cave.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia watches with an amount of amusement as everybody starts filtering out the door. "Well," She says. "Looks like I arrived just in time for everybody to leave."

She watches John come out, be a bit pissy and then go back in. "What the hell is /his/ problem?" she asks. "I mean, other than generally being a miserable bastard."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs and rolls his eyes. "Ahh. So /that's/ the problem." He gathers up his things, and shakes his head. He's /not/ going to apologize for /that/. His Irish grandmother would roll over in her grave if he did so.

    He turns to look at Lydia. "He evidently takes offense to /my/ taking offense to him replacing historic buildings--this was once an Irish working-class neighborhood--with his own personal haunts from Liverpool. And you know what? I don't bloody well care. Hell's Kitchen does not belong to John fucking Constantine alone. I made /one/ comment. So if he wants to pout? Let him. Bloody fucking English /wankers/."

    Which might be funny, considering how very, /very/ English Jon himself sounds.

    He sighs, and adds, "I appreciate the party, but I am not going to sacrifice my principles for someone else's feelings."

John Constantine has posed:
    "Get the fuck out of my bar then, Jonathon!" John yells from the back room. "I bled half my fuckin' blood volume into those walls to keep the people behind them SAFE, including YOU and all you can do is INSULT ME over it! Fuck OFF and GET OUT!"

    He sounds like he means it this time. Like really means, like might come out and force the issue if the man doesn't leave.

    "I have the RIGHT to have TWO FUCKING THINGS IN THIS MOTHERFUCKING GOD FORSAKEN CITY THAT HOLD GOOD MEMORIES FOR ME! SO SOD OF WITH YOUR BULLSHITE!"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You know what? Fine. I will go." Jon removes his Night Brigade necklace, and tosses it on the bar. "If you cannot handle a single teasing comment? If you think /you/ are so much more important than the people who lived and were born and died here? As if your blood is the only blood that is ever shed in defense of this city? Sod right the fuck off."

    He looks to Chas. "Let me know if you need help, for Phoebe. I can tell when I'm not wanted. Thank you both, for your hospitality."

    And then he turns, and walks on out.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas wanted to have a nice night. He wanted to have a good party to cap off what had been a good couple of days for the cabbie/bartender.

    The party started out good. Jon got some good gifts. People had cake. And now...

    He sighs and clenches a fist. It's not *just* John's bar. He could say something.

    But what good would it do. The pair were clearly not meant to work together. He watches Jon leave and nods in silent response, staring at the amulet left on the bar.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"So /that's/ where that building came from," muses Lydia. "So does that mean that there's an Irish brownstone somewhere in the middle of Liverpool?" She never gets an answer because Jon and John are too busy yelling at each other.

There's a part of her that wants to try to smooth things over, to play the mediator, but you know what? They're both being pretty pissy today, and she just wanted to come and have a good time.

She goes and sets her empty glass on the bar and lays a comforting hand on Chas' shoulder. "I guess I should be going, too," she says gently. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. I'll see you later."

With a parting pat she turns and picks up her bag and heads out the door.

John Constantine has posed:
    John waits until he's pretty sure the other man's gone and then sticks his head out long enough to say, "Sorry you had to hear that, luv... but I'm *not* going to be made to feel like an arsehole for wanting *something* in my world that makes me feel, even for a moment, happy," to Lydia.

    The first building he and Chas ever shared a flat in and this bar, the one around the corner from said building. Oh the stories the walls of this place could tell if they could talk.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods to Lydia. He gives John a long look, his expression unreadable then he takes a deep breath and nods. "Lock the place up when you get done in there, mate" he says to Constantine without added inflection. "Don't forget..." he gestures to the amulet on the bar. "I'm going to call it a night. Been busy these past couple of days for me."

    He gives John a sad sort of smile before turning and also heading out. He really ought to figure out a way to the loft from the main floor. It'd save him a number of steps getting home.

John Constantine has posed:
    "Aye, I know, mate... I'm the areshole, he's the saint." Since everyone else is leaving, John comes on out of the backroom to settle onto his Pauper's Throne to drink his scotch, in peace... alone.