| Double, Double Toil and Trouble | |||||
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| What: John Constantine visits Epiphany again. | |||||
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Epiphany was currently brewing in her lab, kneeling next to the counter to observe this glowing green liquid boil. She checked over her notes, making sure everything was still on schedule. The joys of alchemy, everything must be precise and it's all about timing. And because of this she was a pretty good cook too, actually.
She was currently dressed with her goggles and white lab coat. Underneath Epiphany wore a black clinging sweater with horoscope print leggings and ankle boots.
And there's no one in the doorway.
Then there is.
John leans in the doorway, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. There's a bemused smirk on his face because he knows what he's doing, that thing he does where it seems like he pops out of nowhere. It's a trick he's picked up along the way. No, he won't tell you how he does it.
He speaks, amid the smoke, voice English and drawling, "Double, double toil and trouble - fire burn, and caldron bubble."
A smirk. She kept her eyes on the brew, "That's witches, you arse. Aren't you more of a witch?"
Epiphany turned it down to a simmer and moved to face towards him, her arms crossed in front of her chest, "You cause a fire and I'm sending an invoice."
She reached for her purse on the counter, and pulled out an E-cig, "You try that potion?"
Constantine shrugs, "Actually, I'm more of.." a pause, "of.." and a blink, "I don't know what the fuck I am, honestly. Some poor sot who finds himself in the right places are the wrong times more often than not." - he stays in the door way for now, playing it cool. "Well, not yet..but that's not to say I don't keep it close to my person at all times." therein a lingering smirk.
At that Epiphany laughed, "Never know when you need somethin' extra right? Better to be prepared, a right boyscout you are."
In the corner of the lab is a twin size bed, next to a pile of folded laundry and a computer desk. She hadn't quite gotten around to buying a dresser yet. She grabs the computer chair, swiveling it around and sat with the back in between her legs, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Constantine walks through the doorway and into the room proper. He finds a place near where Epiphany is sitting and leans. Hey, it's what he does. Only the Batman has looming and brooding down better than he does, and he doesn't need a suit of black rubber to do it.
"I dunno..just thought I'd see if you were in the neighborhood, I guess..last time we talked, I found my curiosity raised a bit." a pause, "Make what jokes of that you may."
Epiphany grinned and let out a blow of water vaper. She preferred the real thing, but those times when she can't get out of the lab she found this to be a decent replacement, "Too obvious. I'm above it."
She ran her tongue on the back of her lip piercing as she looked him over. He didn't need the rubber suit to look sexy. "You piqued mine. Who would have thought I'd have run into John Fucking Constantine in the states? What made you leave, anyway? Right place at the wrong time sort of thing?"
Constantine shrugs, "Well that's a funny story," he says beginning to tell his tale, "I was dead, for a brief time."
He pulls a flash out of his trench, hits it, and offers it to Piffy.
"I came to, and the first place I found myself was the Oblivion Bar. After a half bottle of Bushmill's later, I walked out and found myself in fucking Gotham of all places." he pauses, smokes, then continues.
"So I said, "Fuck it." and decided that whatever Powers That Be wanted me stick around a spell, because that's how that works. So..here I am."
Epiphany took the flask and sniffs at it before taking a swig. "Sorry for your loss? Huh. Here's to livin' eh?"
She tossed the flask back to him and moved to open a mini fridge. Inside was all sorts of samples, and surely some vials of blood and something that looked like a finger. From this mess she grabbed a beer and opened it, "Oblivion bar...fuck I'd love to go to that. Even if you died and all...glad to hear you survived. And now we are hanging here with the cape and cowl Americans in Gotham. Should be fun."
You need to vote for other players before voting for Tessa again.
Constantine shakes his head and laughs a little, "Cape and Cowl Americans..isn't that just right? Leave it to the yanks to channel all their mommy and daddy issues into ridiculous costumes. But, yeah, it might be good for a couple of laughs. So what brings you to this side of the pond?"
Epiphany kicked closed her fridge and moved to take off her lab coat, tossing it onto the bed. It wasn't until just then she realized she was still wearing the goggles. Talk about looking ridiculous. She then tossed those aside as well. Piffy sat back down, crossing her legs in front of her, "My story aint as dramatic, but wanted to get away from dear old Dad for a bit and his fucking craziness."
She glanced over at her mobile. Just a few hours ago he called her asking if she could express ship a potion, "Regardless of the spandex crowd, heard there as a fair amount of occult followers in Gotham. And here I am."
She looked about the lab. She didn't even have a second chair save for a stool in the opposite corner, "Sorry the place looks like shit. Haven't nabbed an apartment yet. Work work work."
Constantine smiles softly and shrugs, "S'alright, you should see my squat. Makes this look like bloody Windsor in comparison." he nods at her assessment about Gotham, "Yer right there, too. I wasn't expecting such a supernatural crowd here. Some are fucks, but there's a few else that know what they're doing." he moves over, and sits on the edge of the bed.
Epiphany's eyebrow arched, very slightly. Constantine on her bed. Wasn't quite how she pictured it, but the thought was still pleasant enough. She rolled her computer chair a closer, and propped her feet up on the edge of the bed, "Already met this Godling...thing, a half-demon and a succubus. Gotham sees some action, I'll give it that."
She pictured his likely bachelor pad. Likely piles of empty cigarette packs and bottles. Epiphany wondered if his lips always tasted like nicotine as she brought her e-cig to her lips, "And now us. Cheers."
Constantine raises an imaginary glass, "Cheers." and smiles. "So did you get the name of this godling you met? Maybe we've met the some people and just didn't know it." - his thoughts aren't as sensual, but that's because not only is he male, he's also John Fucking Constantine and that means he needs more a cement brick than a two-by-four upside his head to get a damn clue about attraction.
Epiphany actually keeps a brick underneath her bed. You never know when you'll need one. Well that, and a bat, a gun. And other toys wouldn't likely share at the moment. She needs more booze.
She finished off the beer and placed it aside. Epiphany ruffled through a drawer on her desk and pulled out a card, "Balor. His name was, even got his bloody card. The two demons were Daimon and Satana, they are a right riot."
Piffy moved to sit on the bed, and reached into his jacket to take out his flask. Her finger dragged across his chest as she pulled it out, "Saw a couple other folks at that magik shop. Rain, Pete Wisdom, and this other bloke whose name I don't remember."
Constantine chuckles, "I think that's the Hellstrom kids, Daimon and Satana. At least I think so. Don't quote me on that. But yeah, Rain's a sweetheart she is, and Pete..is Pete Fucking Wisdom. I'm pretty sure we'll end up causing the end of days, he and I, probably on a pub crawl for shits and grins."
That nail drags across his chest and for a moment, he stops breathing.
He covers it up well enough, though. "Right. Well, I'm sure you'll run into him again at some point. Crowd this small, we always will."
Her eyebrow quirks again. She takes another swig from the flask. At least he carried around the good stuff. "Heard that Rain is havin' this magik garage sale. Want to go as my date?"
Her body moved a little closer this time as she put the bottle back into his pocket, her chest bumped up against his shoulder, "Unless you don't like me."
Constantine looks at Piffy and smirks. "If I didn't like you, I wouldn't let you drink my booze." and he presses his shoulder gently against her chest where she pressed against him. "And yes, I'll go to this garage sale thing as your date, if you want." he raises a single eyebrow, "Unless, that is, you don't like me."
Epiphany looked him over, "Wouldn't let you sit on my bed if I didn't like you. I am a lady, and all that."
A lie if there ever was one. She took one more breath from her E-cig before placing it aside. Epiphany blew out the water vapor towards his face, it smelled of cloves, "A garage sale date. What a catch I am."
She reached out to touch at his arm, "I want to see a John Constantine trick. I've heard this sleeve is full of them."
"I want to see what my dad hates so much about you."
Constantine turns to face the young woman and cants his head slightly, "You realize they're two entirely different things, yes?" he asks, holding his empty palm up so she can see it, then closes it, and when he opens it again a silver dollar sits in the middle of his palm. He lets the coin slip between two nicotine stained fingers and then flips his hand knuckles up so he can float the coin along them. "A trick like you want to see.." he says, his voice taking on a soothing, calming timbre, "..is easy. Simple. A little but of distraction, a touch of misdirection.."
He opens his hand, and the coin is gone. "..and you've got yourself a very convincing career as an illusionist. Some might even call you a magician."
He looks into her eyes and smiles, "But what your ol' da hates me for..well, he doesn't like to be told he's doing something wrong, or that what he's planning won't work. Espcially where family's involved."
He reaches out to do the whole taking-the-coin-from-the-ear trick as he speaks, and pulls back nothing but air.
There is now a feeling of warm metal between Epiphany's bra and flesh.
"But he hates it even more when he can't clean up his own mess..and that's why he hates me, because I was the one who said 'I told you so'."
Epiphany slipped off her sweater, revealing a black tank top underneath. It was short enough that he could see that she had a belly button piercing as well. She reached into her bra to procure the coin, "Nice trick. Taking this as payment for the potion."
She smiled at him, her eyes had a bit of a wicked gleam to them, "Why I think you've got quite the career ahead of you, or behind. You geezer."
Constantine clears his throat a bit, "Yeah, well..with me you can never really tell if I'm coming or going. But..taking that coin as payment..." he trails off, voice lowering softly, "Wouldn't that be like going to your own restraunt and picking up the tab?"
"What with my staff." Epiphany glanced about the laboratory. She had considered getting some sort of pet, like a cat. But then she pictured it knocking over bottles in a comedic fashion. She would be more of a fish or snake girl.
Piffy slid the coin back into her bra, "You are more than welcome to take it back."
She played again with the back of her lip piercing before speaking, "I can see why my Da didn't quite like you. Good thing I aint that fourteen year old no more."
Her mind flashed back to the werewolf in their living room. That wasn't John right? Even if it wasn't, lovely memory.
Constantine bites a lip now, breathing deep. "I have to agree with that. I'm glad you're not either. Otherwise, I'd be feeling pretty scummy right now."
Epiphany moved closer to him again, so close that her face was just next to his. Then he felt the flask sliding against his chest as she brought it back to her lips, "Good thing then. Doubt those thoughts are PG. PG-13, even."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek as Epiphany returned it to the pocket. Piffy then rose from the bed, stretching out her arms. Sure, her leggings were borderline gaudy, but they didn't particularly hide much. She looked over at him over her shoulder, "I really should be getting back to work. So Sunday? I've never had a date for a garage sale. You should keep that potion handy, you never know."
Constantine exhales slowly, deeply, letting his eyes move quite deliberately over her form since she's going to the trouble of showing it off for him. "You could go all the way to R18, and I still don't think that'd cover it." he reaches to the same pocket the flask was just placed in and pats it gently, "I will. it's always right. in. here. And Sunday..Garage Sale. Don't worry, you won't be out of place. I've never been to a garage sale, much less a magical garage sale."
Epiphany turned to look towards him and placed a hand onto her hip, "I never fit in. Daughter of a crime lord, was a prodigy alchemist, and now am...whatever I am. I like standing out, it's where I'm comfortable."
She bent at the waist to check on her brewing potion, she turned back on the heat, "Be a love, and toss my jacket and goggles. Safety first."
Constantine is now not even being coy about checking the young woman out. He snags both and walks over, and if she stays bent over, steps with just centimeters of air between the two..and even then she might feel that it's less than that. "Yeah." he says, "Safety first, always. Well..mostly."
"Always a gentleman." As he stood so closely behind her she slowly rose back up straight and turned to face him, taking the equipment from his hands, "Doubt the word 'safety' is a part of your vocabulary,however."
She stood with her face towards him, only inches away as she placed the goggles on top of her head, "Sunday morning. If you stand me up you won't like the results."
Constantine leans in and kisses her. More than chastely, but not too forward either. Then he says softly, "If I stand you up Sunday morning, it's because I'm dead or some other plane of existence has me."