| Big Trouble in Little China Town | |||||
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| What: Constantine and Satana go to investigate someone... things go wrong. | |||||
The day is... less than pleasant. Grey clouds fill the sky, turning it all one hue. Thunder sounds in the background and flashes of lightning streak the sky. The air is warm, almost muggy feeling and a light but steady drizzle falls from above.
The sounds of th city, despite the noise of nature, are as loud and constant as ever. People mill about, some with umbrellas, some not. The constant buzz of many voices lift into the air, adding another layer to assult the senses. Only those vendors out of the sidewalk at their stands stand out when the call out to people in Mandarin and after a while, even that's just another background noise.
The streets are lined with shops of every kind but for today, Satana has one in particular in mind. The succubus, with her red eyes that literally glow and the mane of fiery red hair that reaches her rear end is dressed, as usual, all in black leather from head to toe. Skin tight pants, slightly heeled boots and a long sleeved halter top that leads her midriff exposed.
"She has guts for betraying me, I'll give her that. She had, for the sake of her soul, also have one hell of a reason." Nope. The Demoness is _not_ in a good mood! At least she's managing _not_ to take it out on the man at her side. Anyone else is fair game though.
Anyone else like a reporter hiding under blue umbrella waiting for the light to change? Lois stands under her umbrella, a folded newspaper tucked uner an arm lookin gless than in a good mood herself. Stupid corn huskers and their 'sure I'll listen to you' then not giving her the slightest bit of... She'll show him.... stupid farm boy. Grumble grumble grumble.
John hated China Town.
Not because he had any particular love lost for the people, really. I mean he didn't hate them anymore than he hated everyone else, but these little corners of the city were always on the fairer side of trashy. With their paper lanterns and superstitious leanings, the vigils in the windows, and the trolly carts that carried pedesterians to and from their destinations.
Maybe that was it: He hated those bike taxis.
They were cramped and uncomfortable. And since he relied almost exclusively on taxi services for transportation, it meant he got a first rate exposure to their horrible reliance on 'cultural appeal' over comfort.
Bloody americanized asians. Think they're all better than everyone else.
John walked beside Satana with one hand stuck down in a deep pocket of his coat, head turned down enough that his bangs draped a little across his brow, and a cigarette burning between his fingers. Smoke rolled out from his nostrils and mouth interchangibly... "Oy, she better."
This woman was probably not in good hands here. Besides angering the Succubus, she'd also tried to kill Constantine.
Constantine didn't like being killed.
Adding to the cross-connected scene full of people is the blue-skinned mutant named Talia Wager. Still carrying her backpack over her shoulder, she's perched on a brick wall beneath an awning at the corner of a small apartment building. Directly in the path of Satana and Constantine, as well as across the street from where Lois Lane is about to walk.
A little cold from the rain, she slowly sways her tail while she keeps her slender legs that are clad in ripped jeans close to her chest. Like a little, blue devil eating soup from a bowl, she's busying herself with eating a steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho soup.
She lifts her head, tilting her ear in the direction of Satana and Constantine's approaching conversation.
Superstitions are based in belief and sometimes, they get it right.
The shop Satana's aiming for seems to be the apex where everyone would come into contact. It seems to be a plain and unassuming building and if one peeks in the window it looks to be filled with oddities and trinkets of every shape and size with little to no order to it.
On the window, in gold writing is the name of the shop, written in the woman's native tongue. What seems out of place, however, would be the blackness of the glass door. On this, several scaling runes have been written in... wait... Bingo marker? Seriously?
It doesn't really matter what the wards are written in, the woman within knew she made a mistake when word got back to her that Satana and Constantine had lived through the 'incident' in the park and had taken steps to keep the demoness out.
Once close enough to the door, Satana is distracted enough that she simply reaches for the door. Mistake. A searing pain shoots through her hand and up her arm, causes her eyes to burn a bright red and her to snatch her hand back, hissing at the door. "John..."
Yeah. Woman inside? She has no hope of making it now. Needless to say, Satana reaction is likely to draw more than a little attention.
Lois looks over fo the hiss of pain from the... whoa. Does that woman have glowing red...? holy flying monkies! Superman's eyes are like that right when he's about to shoot laser heat vision! Lois gasps audibly, her body turning to look.
John flicks his cigarette away as they near the little oddity shop at one of the various laylines that naturally run beneath all cities.
There's an order to the way places are designed, even if people don't realize it. Connections to little nodes of energy that spell the success or failure of a civilization. Ever wonder how little hole in the wall towns with no apparent method of sustaining themselves seem to thrive, while some even close to ocean bound water sources floundered within their first couple of years? Laylines.
The benefit of these things are as apparent to the person who knows what they're looking for as would be a school bus full of handicapped gorillas. Flinging shit at passing cars. You know you'd see it.
John sees the lines... and he sees where they're all converging.. And he knows exactly how powerful those wards are because of it. When Satana goes to grab for the door handle, his snaps out to try and grab her wrist, but he's a little too slow.
Now he's pissed. Nobody gets to hurt his succubus but him. It's not really a 'I'm so in love thing', it's more he's selfish... and now he's angry-er.
"Oh this fuckin' bitch..." Rolling up his sleeves with a slow shake of his head, "She's gone and fuck right up, then..." Wiggling his fingers, he takes a step back as if he's about to conjure some horrible manner of magic...
And kicks the fucking door right in... cheap wood baby, cheap wood. So much for wards.
Talia's all-white eyes catch the sight of nearby Satana's sudden outburst, and like any innocent bystander, the blue-skinned mutant leans forward to make sure that she is okay. The bowl of pho (with just the right amount of Thai sriracha hot sauce) is ignored, but the steam rising off of it keeps Talia warm as she rubbernecks.
Red. Eyes. Burning hand on odd metaphysical shop door? The thought immediately occurs to Talia that she's not about to see one of those awkward refund requests that results in threats to call the Better Business Bureau.
"Hey!" Talia can't help herself as the door is kicked. It's the sort of hey that sounds more like 'I just saw you kick in that door'. She sets the bowl aside and shoulders her backpack, hopping off of the wall to try to intervene.
Long distance to Satana: Constantine has a new tshirt desc.
There's not a hint of white left in Satana's eyes and it becomes apparent as she turns to look at the crowd gathering. Even in such a chaotic state, there are those that are calling her Demon... Devil... And so many other names she gets tired of hearing. If only they knew how right they were.
One reaches out to try to grab at Constantine as he kicks in the door, causing the succubus to hiss and reveal pointed and elongated fangs that just... weren't there before. Oh sure, now people start to back away from her. Of course, in doing so, they see Talia and in light of what just happened, she get lumped in there with Satana as far as name calling goes.
"Don't!" Satana snaps the only warning she'll give to Talia when she sees the girl hope off the wall. What a news story this will make, right!? And it's not as if there are a lack of pictures since cameras are going off all over the place.
With the door busted in, Satana turns her attention back on the shop and as she begins walking through the door, her hair parts and a set of horns grows until they've waved back her head. From inside, a woman can be heard screaming in Mandarin which, if one understands such a language, they'd know she's begging for forgiveness while praying for God to save her. The cry from across the street draws Lois' eyes. Talia?! Eyes back to Satana, Lois feels that adrenaline rush of 'you're about to do something stupid aren't you?' flash up her spine. And the nosy reporter moves to step toward the busted down door, her hand reaching for her iPhone. Yes, Lois still uses an iPhone even after being given an sPhone.
Constantine has revalued his hatred for China Town. Now it includes the people who live there.
When they start grabby handing him after kicking in the door, he jerks his shoulder a bit and straightens his coat, "Hey! Back the fuck off, wankers.. I'm a professional, I know what I'm doing." Because that always works in the movies.
The blue demon, the one who was sipping soup through a spoon, she's given a quirk eye... but otherwise he seems as disinterested in polite hell beings as he is the asian protestors.
John steps forward into the shop, ducking his head around the bit of door that's still holding to the frame. His sleeves ar estill rolled up showing the Cross and Ankh on his left and right forearm respectively. His coat opens on one side, hand drops down into the inner pocket, and pulls out a pack of smokes. His wrist turns slightly, bringing the filter up out of the crumpled pack to capture between his lips. A box of matches rattles lightly up against his ear. "Alright lady.. shut the fuck up with that jibber jabber speach..." Even though he understands Mandarian perfectly fine.
Striking the match, cupping his palm up around the flame to take in a long pull of smoke before waving the fire off and holds up the still smoking length of wood, "You've until this touches the ground to tell me who paid you off..." His fingers open to let it tumble down out of his fingers towards the dirty floor.
Talia does stop when Satana snaps at her, but there's something in the desperate pleading that's easily understandable in any language that Talia cannot ignore. Completely misjudging the situation, Talia's heartstrings lead her to square the backpack over her shoulder and shove her way past a couple of people on her way to the door. All the while, Talia ignores the insults from the crowd, putting purpose before rationality for the moment.
Talia catches a familiar face at the corner of her eyes, spying Lois Lane with her iPhone and again, Talia slows. Not quite sure what she's going to do, the blue-skinned mutant holds out a hand, urging Lois back with a look of utmost apology and concern before she storms forward toward the shop's door.
"I don't care who you are or what you're here for, but you leave that lady alone right now." Talia says from the doorway, tail swaying as an angry finger is pointed to Satana and Constantine. She tilts her head back to the crowd. "Someone PLEASE use one of those phones to call the cops???"
An older chinese woman widens her eyes as she sees Constantine walk through the door, eyes darting to the tattoos and then back up to his eyes. She, apparently, knows who he is and seeing Satana in her demonic form? Not helping the woman speak. She does, however, manage to get out, "I do not know his name. He was here when Mistress called and asked for me to listen for her. He say he give me much money if I could help make her go away. My son is sick... Need surgery... I arrange time and place for Mistress to be... He said he handle the rest."
Satana his at the woman, her eyes glowing brighter. "You thought to cross me, mortal? I'll set you soul to deepest depths of hell for this!" And then that fury is turned on Talia and she growls. "You think to challenge me?" Around her hands begins to burn black flames. This is not the best day to catch her...
At least Lois is going to get some great pictures and a hell of story! Assuming she doesn't heed Talia's warning that is.
With Satana distracted, the woman because inching backwards, trying to get within the safety confines of a warding circle on the floor and it's twin on the cieling.
Heed warnings? Since when does Lois Lane heed any one's warnings? Talia's motion is given a faint 'yeeah right' smirk before Lois continues toward the doorway. She does, however, take precautions and put her back to the wall before peeking around. Her iPhone turned to video camera, Lois lifts it to start recording and then spots the black flames. "Oh shi-" she breathes.
Constantine is not so easily swayed, or rather, even if he were... he's a pretty observant guy. Especially when it comes to things like magical warding circles that might prevent him... at least for a second or two... from exacting his cold sort of vengence as applicable.
"Bollicks lady, just tell us who paid you... You don't have to make this complicated." Both hands come up and his lips begin to move in a series of low spoken, spidery whispered words that sound vaguely like something from a movie..
The effect, however, is very real. Items from the shelves hurl themselves at the wall and ceiling. Clattering against the floor, breaking on the hard surface. As soon as they touch the ward, the magic used to move them is broken, but they're already in flight and while they'll never break the seal itself, collecting around the invisible barrier like snow against glass, they are smudging the markings with each smash of glass or plaster.
There wont /be/ a ward when Constantine is done. Also:
The match hit the ground. So, whatever that means.
Turning her side to Satana, Talia enters a fighting stance reminiscent of some form of martial art. She narrows her eyes and flexes her fingers before her, and from the fingers a glowing, red aura forms that carries the distinct smell of brimstone. It's Talia's way of letting Satana know that she's willing to defend the lady inside, with force if need be.
"Yeah, I do. You can't just go busting up some lady's sto--" Talia cuts herself off, eyes darting over Satana's shoulder to the inside of the store. The flying books and bottles filled with oddities crashing all over the place lets her know that the diplomatic window is disappearing quickly. Talia starts toward Satana, threatening to take away some of her personal space. "Leave her alone. NOW!" Talia yells, eyebrows lowering. She doesn't stop approaching. It's do it or fight time.
The match hits the ground, the lines are smudged and the old woman straightens, the tears and the cowering stopping all together. "Fool." Her voice is hard and cold as stone. "She sees all. You will not find her until it is too late and she has siezed the power she wants." The woman snarls. "She knows how to bring you both to your knees." A cold smile curves her lips. "Kill me. It will do you no good. You will get nothing from me, Constantine." She does, however, make the mistake of allowing her eyes to dart to a small chest stuck on a shelf to her right before looking back at the man.
Satana is slowly losing what little grip she had left on her temper. The smell of brimstone hits her and she smirks. "You smell like my father's realm." An idle comment as she allows the girl to get closer. She could throw the hellfire at her but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun as doing it hands on.
There are a few brave people, like Lois, who are also trying to catch it all on camera, muttering things about witches and demons. Others still have gathered outside the store and are chanting prayers for salvation. From afar, Satana hopes it suits thus far. I'm making it up as I go. *blushes*
Lois is braver (or dumber) than most, for as Talia moves in, so does the reporter. Her violet eyes are drawn toward the dishes inside. One glance at the iPhone and the fact that it didn't start recording, makes Lois' shoulders sag. Damn technology!
With a 'hmph!' Lois stuffs the phone into her purse and keeps her back to the wall. If she can squeeze past the dueling demons, she'll be able to get inside the shop and see what's going on... Wait for it, wait for it, ah! an opening! Lois moves to slip under one of Talia's raised arms as the blue-skinned mutant stands like a kung-fu panda.
Constantine has had about enough of this woman. From the moment she called them, sending them to the zoo, he knew she was going to be on his 'go wank yourself' list... This is just the final nail in a very tight coffin. "Kill you? Are you daft? I have no intention of killing you..." The Warlock grins slightly, unwholesomely, as his arms come up, fingers curled pointing down at the floor.
"Father of the broken, bringer of the darkness, let this womans sins be counted like cards in a deck... Her luck is nil, back to zero.. Take from the breath, cage the mysic..." As the man speaks, the wind pushes upwards from the floor, sweeping his hair up in a wave of mystic energy. A light begins to glow in a circle around him, presumably the source of the unnatural wind that's lifting his coat at the tails.
"No, bonnie.. I wont kill you.. You'll just fess up for what you did. Solve my puzzle..." Motioning around on the ground in a wide circle, the symbols etching themself right into the concrete floor, "Do nothing until it is done. You will not eat, sleep, or drink until the answer is found..."
A glance over his shoulder, throwing his palm out towards the flashing of bulbs... his palm mimicing that white blaze as if he's taken a picture with his hand.
He's just taken his and Satana's face from the photos. Instead, there'll be only blurry images on their bodies.
Talia comes to a stop right in front of Satana, and her hand flinches, about to move forward and attack the demonic lady. It's about that specific time that she realizes that the old lady is no longer begging for mercy, and has moved on to taunting about power being siezed. Suddenly conflicted, Talia spares a quick glance over Satana's shoulder again and curls her three-fingered hand into a fist. "Damnit..." She grunts under her breath, switching -back- to diplomacy.
"Please tell me this isn't one of those things where you guys are dealing with something super-powered and are dealing with someone who isn't exactly what they appear to be, and because of this we've got about ten different cameras about to YouTube a demon-fight." She frowns to Satana, shifting her weight to her back foot. "Can we wrap this up peacefully by any chance?"
She blinks, gaze whipping between Satana and Constantine. "What did he just do?"
The magic surges and Satana's eyes flare red, as if she can feel the energy of the spell. That red and glowing gaze turns itself on Lois and she grins, flashing those fangs again. "Tsk tsk. Do you have a death wish?" And then the succubus turns her attention to Talia. "You have no idea in which you have meddled or what you have put at risk and now you ask for peace? You threaten the Daughter of Satan and expect no repricussions?" Is the girl out of her mind?
Contantine's spell has the old woman's eyes going wide with fear. "I cannot betray her! She will do worse than kill me!" And now, now the fear in her voice is real. Her eyes go to Satana. "Lady of Darkness, I beg of you..." but the glare shot to her from the Demoness has the old woman looking back at John. "There!" She points to the chest. "It is how she contacts me! I do not know her true name. She calls herself Ilyeria."
Lois looks to Satana the moment the title is dropped. It's enough to startle her from where she was studying the spells Constantine is tossing around. "Daughter of... Oh, sweet monkey Jesus," breathes the reporter, her back to a wall still. She's inside, where she wanted to be, but yeah... this is getting really creepy really fast. Ilyeria... Lois's violet gaze sweeps back to the frightened woman.
John hears the name, doesn't care about the pleas, and goes for the box the woman indicated. Kneeling down infront of it to eye the latches, which are certainly magically sealed and trapped. "hmmming..." His eyes hover up above to stare at the woman, then pointing towards the markings on the floor. "Every minute you waste, some of the puzzle is gone... I'd hurry if I were you. I've seen bloks get stuck forever in these traps. Real ugly business that..."
The other people gathered to watch aren't paid the first bit of attention now that he's stolen his face from their cameras. Satana can handle the diplomatic affairs while Constantine goes about the business of removing the wards keeping the box from being taken. Once he's figured out that it's safe to touch, his fingers slide along the grooves looking for the indentations mystically hidden in the intricate design of the lid, brow furrowed slightly... "Ah ha.. A gomi box? You sneaky git..." Snickering as his head starts to shake.
His fingers press inward and a shield which was, before that moment, invisible desolves from around the small ornamental box. A box which he scoops up under his arm, inside his coat, and disappears like some sort of stage magician.
Now that this is done... "Ladies and gentlemen, you've all just participated in a happening.." Motioning around him at the various 'red glows', which weren't visible until he pointed at him. Smiling like a gameshow host, "This is BBCs new hit program, fuck america in it's 'cant take a joke' arse." Clapping sarcastically, "Give yourselves a hand, then, you've been fuck'd."
It's rather obvious that Talia is balancing on the tense, razor edge of someone who intends to keep fighting from happening, but so far the worst of everything has been a large number of bottles and trinkets crashing all over the place. So, to try to gain a better position, Talia points her martial arts stance at Satana and tries to maneuver herself between Satan's daughter and Lois Lane and the old lady.
Her pointed ears twitch, listening to Constantine work the crowd, but she can't bring herself to take her eyes off of Satana, who has no doubt promised that something is going to happen between them.
"Look, chick, I don't care if you're the daughter of Satan or the fifth member of the 'Stones'. I'm just trying to keep bodies from being rolled out of here, so as long as you keep it in your pants and get out of here quietly, you and I are square." Talia sighs, shaking her head. "So can you and creepy Ricky Gervais get this on with?"
Lois' words actually make Satana blink those glowing eyes at her and, for a moment, look at her as if she's grown a second head. "I doubt he's going to be of little help to you at the moment." And then there's Talia. This one actually makes her want to facepalm. "I can assure you no one is going to die today." Much to Satana's irritation. She really does want the old woman dead. "Apparently, she is still useful for now." Only thanks to John's spell.
The old woman blinks before she begins moving around the store as quickly as she can, pulling anicent tomes from their shelves and various mystical items being gathered to help aid her in her search. "How shall I contact you?"
Satana's eyes go to Constantine and she can't help but smirk. "Are we done here?" Her anger and frustration seem not to apply to him.
R-.." Double taking back at Talia, almost going back to working the crowd dispite the woman's clearly having insulted him a little, "Ricky fucking Gervais? Really?" Constantine huffs a bit, glaring at Talia in an almost comically sour manner. "You're standing over here looking like a demonic pound puppy and you've the nerve to compare me to that brutish hack of an entertainer?"
Both hands snap his coat back around his waist... fuming just a little as he looks back to the old woman, "You don't.. I'll contact you." Tapping his temple and motioning around her shop with that finger, "I'll know when you've solved it... but don't keep me waiting.."
His arm snakes around Satana's waist, "Oy, let's blow this popsickle stand. Fuckin' smells like boiled cat... I hate china town." As he slips out, through the crowd, who unsurprisingly give the pair a wide berth after what they've seen, "No photos, please. Tell your friends and family you've seen Sting, the new host of Fuck'd... and not that wanker Ricky Gervais..." Shaking his head... Really?
Still, his hand is up, his coat is wrapped around the outside of Satana's shoulder, and any flashes of cameras are met with the return flash from his palm... stealing his image from the device.
Yeah, Lois isn't a religious girl at all. The phrase was little more than just a saying. The reporter straightens, watching the odd couple moving away from the shop, eyes flicking between them and the shop keeper. Okay. Lois needs a vacation. This is getting...weird.
"Sting?" Talia smirks back to Constantine, lifting one of her slender eyebrows. Taking a step back, she gives Constantine and Satana all of the room they could possibly need to get out of the store without feeling crowded by her. It takes to to Lois' side. "Aiming a little high there, aren't you bud?" She smiles, trying to be friendly and unaggressive. She tilts her head toward the door. Yes. It's that way.
Letting out a calming, relieved breath, Talia looks to Lois and then to the creepy shop-keeper lady. One of her ox-blood Doc Marten boots starts to tap impatiently. She leans, speaking in hushed tones to Lois out of the side of her mouth. "I want to get out of her. A lot."
"Of course, Sir." The old woman bows several times before ignoring all else and beginning her research, eyes flickering briefly to Lois. "For the sake of your soul, child, be careful of those three." Yep. Talia's one 'them'.
The moment Constantine's hand wraps around her waist, the glowing in Satana's eyes dies down to her normal glow and the whites are visible again, as is her pupil. The horns and fangs seem to recede and then disappear as well. "Sure, baby." She keeps her head dipped, letting her hair act as veil to keep her face from view. "Food. I need food." Those spells take a lot out of her.
Lois flicks her glance to Talia, and she nods her head quickly, not heeding the crazy lady in the bubble... ruin... cage... what the hell is going on here?! "DOn't suppose you fly," she asks of hte blue-skinned demonness as she side steps to her. Yes, Lois. Because everything blue or green can fly.
Constantine walks out, ignoring the gawks and gaggles of onlookers in the same way anyone who couldn't give a rats ass would. Pushing people at if his way with his extended hand as the pair of him and Satana make their way beyond the crowd towards the open sidewalk. "I'm going to smell like kemchi for a week... This shite just soaks into your pours.." Sniffing his coat with a quiet sigh.
Food, she says? "Oy, I could eat... how about we go by McGuligans? Happy hour starts in twenty minutes. We can get in our bread group for half price..." Smirking as he leans down to kiss the succubus' neck. "Come on, greasy chicken fingers and American horse piss beer is in order, I think."
Talia waits the last few tense moments as she waits for Satana and Constantine to leave. "No we're going to have to hoof it. Wish I did though, oh do I ever wish that I did." She tsks, casting a careful look to the shopkeeper. She frowns to her, and suddenly has lost whatever remaining desire she had to stay. "Come on..." she says to Lois, starting for the door.
Out the door she goes, keeping her head low to try to avoid any photography. Little does she know that her face is likely to still be able to be capture by the phones, which will mean bad things for her. With one hand covering her face, she turns toward the downward angle of the street and leaps up onto the side of a building. Climbing up and over the crowd, she drops back to the street and takes off, running.
The old woman watches as Talia and Lois make their retreat from her now doorless shop, still whispering her warnings at the reporter. The crowd parts, giving the two plenty of room to leave while camera flashes go off like crazy until it begins to thin out or people start to fill the shop to check on the woman.
"It is a rather foul smelling area." And that says something comes from Satana! Look at where she's from! The kiss makes her smile and cut her eyes up to John, nodding her head. "Works for me, baby." And then her eyes drop to her hand and she frowns. "That's going to leave a mark..."
Yeah... Lois is fine walking out with Talia... until the girl leaps up to a wall and climbs... Mouth agape, Lois watches. "I thought he said SpiderMAN! God, I'm so confused right now," grumps the reporter, settling her purse more comfortably and walking out ...into the rain. "OH COME ON," she yells at the sky, before her eyes close and her shoulder droop. This has been a BAD week. Stoppping to take a breath, Lois stops and turns to get a handle of the situation in the area, pull out her notepad and start taking notes for a story. NOt that this is something ANYONE's going ot believe.
-LATER AT THE PUB!!-
You know that place they always talk about, where everybody knows your name? Sometimes, it's not really a good thing.
The television shows make it out like the beer is always waiting on the counter, the faces are smiling, and the same host of three individuals sit at the counter chatting about the dramas of their everyday lives to the whimsical sound track of canned laughter.
As John and Satana slip into the pub, the bartender is already giving the limey the stink eye, "We're not opening a tab for you, John... so don't even ask."
Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, And they're always glad you came.
That's hogwash. John pushes his fingers into his hair and sighs, fishing a crumpled twenty out of his pocket to slap down on the bar. "That should be enough to juice me for a few ours, mate... It's been a day. Don't be like that..."
The money disappears and the bartender sighs... but there's no other customers, so... he nods out towards one of the booths. John flashes him a wink and leads the pair over that way, pulling Satana into the booth beside him to lay back against his chest with his arms around her waist.
Satana watches, in silent amusement, the exchange between John and the bartender. When the latter relents, somewhat, all the succubus can is smirk. Her lips are pressed against his jaw line and several kisses are placed there.
When the slide into the booth, her body immediately relaxes against his and her eyes slip shut. "So what's the deal with the box, baby?" Red eyes open and glance down at her hand again, the mark causing her to growl lightly. "Better have been worth it."
John moves enough to get his arm in beneath Satana and grab the small box which was, somehow, disappeared into his coat. It's set down on the table and his arm goes back to lazily wrapping around the front of her chest by way of her left shoulder. "Not sure yet, love... I've seen one of these boxes before. Tricky sods to get into. Probably take me a few hours, once we're home."
Said as he reaches for her wrist and turns it up so he can gaze at the mark left in her palm by the warded door handle. "Where'd you meet that trolip?" The old woman, brushing his thumb over the small mark burned in her flesh. Probably a little painful, but he's not applying much pressure.
A soft hiss as she inhales sharply comes from Satana as his thumb brushes over it. "Her husband was exceptionally useful and loyal during the few trips I had here previously. She was as well. At the time."
Her eyes go to the box as she settles in. "What is it?" She's never seen anything like it before. "The name she gave... It's not one I'm familiar with right off... And I dunno about calling anyone else. If she got them too... Last thing I feel like dealing with is another setup." Her head tilts and her eyes cut up at him for a moment before she settles into him and sighs, closing her eyes again. " Set.
John rubs his thumb along his brow, just above his eyebrow and pulls out his ever present smokes and a cheap bic lighter to lay on the tabletop. His expression is distantly thoughtful, slipping a silk cut from the pack to lay between his lips, tilting head towards the flick of his lighter for a long, smoke puffing drag. "Ilyeria." Brushing his thumb along Satana's throat lightly.
"Lady of Darkness. I've never heard of her, but I think I know someone who probably does..." Smoke fumes out of his nostrils, holding onto the succubus a little tighter while offering her the cigarette. "It's a gomi box, love. Once placed they have a serious of locks meant to keep it stationary.. those are easy to break if you know what you're looking for, but there's a phrase associated with actually opening it. My mate tried to get someone to utter it once.. they tore their own throat first."
The feel of his thumb against her throat causes Satana to smile. His grip tightens and she presses closer to him, sighing softly. When he begins to speak again, her eyes open which allows her to see the offered cigarette. Her lips close around it and a long draw is taken before her fingers come up to pluck it from her mouth. Thaat end statement has her eyes widening and her head snapping around to look up at him. "John..." The concern... the complete fear is clear in just the way she says his name. Her hand comes up to cup his cheek and her eyes search his. "Baby... Maybe we should find someone else to open it..."
"Oh.. not my mate, love. He tried to force the owner to speak the phrase and they cut their own through before they'd speak it.." John reassures her, as if that's reassuring, with a nod towards the box. "It's magically protected against subversion. That's why I didn't force her to tell us. Only time the word can be spoken is when the other box, the host box, contacts this one..."
He leans forward to take the cigarette with his lips brushing over her fingers, sitting back with his arms pulling her tighter against his chest. Thoughtfully looking at the intricately carved item with smoke bubbling out from both nostrils, filling the little booth with the gray blue filter.
Well, that makes her feel better. "That I can handle. I'd rather kill her myself though." Yeah, Satana's still grumbling a little. "So now it's just a waiting game?" Her nose wrinkles at this. "I'm not a patient woman by nature, love..." She presses back against him, her hand coming up to rest over his arm. "And the longer we have to wait, the more distance she can put between us and herself." And this seems to concern Satana. Her eyes then go to the box, her hand reaching out to brush fingertips along it. "At least it's something though. Better than where we were..." And then her head tilts up to look at him and she offers a warm smile. "How are you feeling?" She can't imagine casting the kind of spells he does and not suffering for it.
John rubs his fingers into his left eye and wobbles his head from side to side, "Oy, more or less, we're on a holding pattern for the time being. At least with this thing..." Flicking his wrist at the box, "I could try and force it open, but there's no telling what'll happen with that.. could tear a hole in the fabric of reality and suck us both into some alternate demension where I'm the girl and you're the boy..."
His brow perks thoughtfully at that, considering it.. "No, no that'd be no good..." Shaking his head and wrapping his arm tighter her chest. "I like you staying just the way you are. No dangling bits, if you please." Smirking just a little, nosing up against the back of her ear. "And yeh, I'm fine. A little tired.. that trolip was a lot tougher than she looked at first."
Satana can't help but laugh at his suggestion of gender switches. Her head tilts as his nose touches behind her ear. "Mm. Johnny..." One hand comes up to hook around the back of his neck, nails toying with the ends of his hair. "I agree. Not changing gender. Holes in reality are bad." And she's now thoroughly distracted. "Do we need to go back to the apartment so you can rest?"
John leans in against those nails, drawing in a cutting drag of the cigarette when they dig a little into the nape of his neck. His head straightens back up and smoke bellows slowly out from the corners of his mouth, "Oy, yeah. It'd be better if we left on a good note with ol crab apple over there.." Motioning with his fingers scissored around the cigarette. HIs palm pops lightly at the side of her thigh, "Let's go back to the apartment. We still got two bottles of John Walker anyhow." Winking, leaning towards her to bite at her jaw playfully.
Satana grins at his creation to her nails, lips finding their place against his neck where she places several kisses. A light laugh accompanies his statement of leaving the pub in good standing. "Home it is then."
The smack to her thigh causes her to laugh lightly and slide from booth to stand. "Mm. That's right! We can just order take out and relax... See what we can come up with..."