13933/Sidebar - or possibly sandbar...

Sidebar - or possibly sandbar...
Date of Scene:	06 November 2021
Location:	Sinister's Lab, Egypt
Synopsis:	A visit to the pyramids of Giza and a secret hidden by Apocalypse, leads to some interesting conclusions. Then one of the local deities sheds light in the darkness. Or should it be darkness to the light?
Cast of Characters:	Sinister, Lucifer, Constantine

---

Sinister has posed:
So the morning was a write off. Not that anyone is going to be protesting this, but it's approaching noon by the time 'work' actually gets achieved. Sinister slipped off to get some things prepared, or rather "...to find where the bloody hell I put the damn thing..." because apparently he is occasionally complex confused. As in, he can't remember which place he put something in which laboratory. However, eventually, he is apparently ready. FOr what? "I cordially invite you to accompany me, if you would like. I have to use a particularly... interesting piece of equipment to study my DNA at the level I want to study it. It should be an adventure..."

And thusly, for once, Sinister gets to use his own funky teleporation other than the tentacular rings. Dressed in loose cotton shirt and cargo pants with many pockets and sporting waistcoat, fedora and funky as HECK looking crook-cane with a spindle shaped ruby on the top, he opens a 'stargate' style ring in the Institute and heads on through into a heatwave.

Lucifer has posed:
It's sometimes hard to remember where the 'bloody hell you put the damn thing' when you have so many places you could put it. So at the extended invitation to join him on the search, he gives a smirk and of course agrees to join him. "Of course I want to join you on such an adventure. I am admittedly curious into what you will find as well." He offers this much, appearing in simple jeans and a tee shirt since he's not quite sure where they're going.

The teleportation device gets a look up one way and down the next before he spies Nathaniel in his own chosen outfit. "Well, at least it seems I dressed the part. Where, precisely, are we going? Or is that a surprise?"

Sinister has posed:
There is something quite lovely about being the partner of a being that is both as old as the cosmos, and yet has only ever had vacations on Earth before his extended stay. It means that some things are still remarkably fresh and new -- Maybe this is one of those things; what assaults the nose on the other side of the gateway is the baked heat of the desert. It's a very specific kind of smell, the smell of land under Sun, dehydrated, dessicated and made to smell juuuuuuuuuust a little like an overheated computer. It's the silicone. Then there's the other scents; age, the tang of sterilizing equipment because they're still in a lab on the other side, just a rather small one. Office, work space and a door. There's a ceiling fan... and there's the smell of spices, cooked meat...

"Welcome to Giza. Tourist trap extraordinaire, but this is a little office I keep as ... well, a first aid spot actually," Sinister alters the pack on his back and his face to resemble human again, tanned, grey eyed, but otherwise unchanged. "It's tourist season. November is actually not that bad for the heat." Yelling in arabic, hawking and other signs of market commerce can be heard as the door opens.

Lucifer has posed:
The smell is definitely the first thing that assaults Lucifer's nose once they step through the teleportation gate. On the other side, into that small lab space, and he tilts his head one way and then the other. "That is a...peculiar scent..." He offers. "Like being in a clean room but a cesspool at the same time. It smells like clean dirt." Or something along those lines but that is the best way that Lucifer can describe it. "This lab is...well I have to say it's the least impressive of the ones you've taken me to thus far..."

Then Sinister welcomes him to Giza. Ah. Egypt. That may explain the smell just a little bit. "Oh, I see. But it's here that you can do extensive testing on your DNA?" He asks, a little confused, and perhaps he misunderstood something. None the less, he looks around, listening to the sounds from the outside and then blinks when Sinister goes to open the door. "We're going somewhere else?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister nods to Lucifer with a very wide, white-toothed grin. "It's a secret place and it's not mine. I just earmarked it. I couldn't build an actual lab there if I tried. But it's not far. You ever been inside the great pyramid?" He winks, holding the door open for the devil and yes, the sea of humanity is diverse during tourist season at the Giza site. Little buildings exist here, to hawk wares, to act as a first aid station (ahem!) to sell tickets and provide a much needed cooling station with water offered in bottles at probably exorbitant prices. And of course, there's street vendors, but the Egyptian government is quite strict on keeping the site intact and /clean/. It does generate enormous revenue, as well as being a national and global treasure. One can see pictures, but to be there, the structures literally /tower/ over mankind.

And all made with the hand of slaves, mathematics and a lot of whips and beer. No joke about the beer, either.

"Have you ever been here before?" is asked as the scientist blends in with the tourist crowd, heading toward the lines to get into the ancient monuments. Funny how people get out of the way though.

Lucifer has posed:
"Inside the Great Pyramid? No." Lucifer offers as he steps to the door and beholds the Sea of Humanity that is the tourist season within Giza. Likely people here to obtain goods and such only found in Egypt, or Giza specifically. Water stations, street vendors, pretty much the works here. Lucifer glances around, but also stays as close to Nathaniel as he can in the moment. It's the sight beyond that makes one catch their breath. No matter how it's described, or pictured, it never beats seeing it in person.

"No. The desert, yes, but never got around to actually coming and seeing one of the great wonders of the world. And you have a place inside it?" He follows, and notes how the sea of people seems to part for him. "You some mystic here or something?"

Sinister has posed:
"No, my love," looking over his shoulder, Sinister just taps his head, the corner of his eye fixing on the Devil with a smile. "Your partner knows how to use his mind like a blunt instrument or a delicate scalpel, depending on the need. Come on." Hopping to the front of the line is easy when everyone just ignores you, including the security guards. He leans in, gives a quick peck on the cheek and steps up into the claustrophobic depths.

One must ascend to decend and that is what is done, going up to the first shaft and looking upwards, he nevertheless steps downward toward the heart of the last surviving great Wonder of the Ancient World -- beneath the central point of the pyramid is a chamber which scientists have been debating the purpose of for centuries, for although the other pyramids were a tomb, the Great Pyramid of Giza was never used to house the dead. The chamber has a shaft that angles upward and on a certain time of the year, the light of Sirius the Dog Star shines down the shaft into the chamber below. It's made of a radioactive granite, down there and seems to do odd things to sensors.

Waiting for a tourist group to leave with a slight nudge, Sinister looks to the Devil, then as the great weight of sandstone above thier heads becomes heavy with its presence, he takes out a small gadget and calibrates it for a certain quality of light, sets it to hovering to immitate Sirius and moves to touch a specific portion of the wall in seven specific points. It opens a chamber, with very dusty steps, which he motions to as he regathers the device. "Get a wiggle on, we want it shut before any other punters pop on in..."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer ah's and gives a nod of his head while following the man as he continues to wade them through the sea of people. Past the security guards even and they make their way towards the great Pyramid itself. That peck on the cheek gains a soft smile before they climb their way into the depths. It's a good thing that Lucifer is not claustrophobic.

It's almost like taking a tour in the Willy Wonka Factory, up to go down, left to go right, forward to go back. It's all topsy turvy but it also makes sense to come degree. And then Nathaniel does all this really cool sciencey futuristic techie stuff that reveals a hidden pathway and they need to get their wiggle on. So. Lucifer literally wiggles his ass for a brief second before following Nathaniel in and down - making haste so no one follows and the door can shut.

How dark will it get once the door shuts, one wonders.

Sinister has posed:
Absolute pitch black. Nothing can be seen, until Lux begins, in a kind of phosphorescence that comes from lines in the very walls of the pyramid itself. Glyphs that halo the tunnel downward. And then, just to spoil it: "Lights..." in spots down the tunnel, low level lights pop on at the command to reveal the steps, so one doesn't go arse over tea kettle down them in the dark. "As far as I can tell," says Sin in a very low tone as the door grinds into place behind them and seals them in "...this was crafted by a Celestial entity. Not a god, but an astral being of some ilk. En Saba'Nur was able to harness its powers, but I dare say that it had a lot more capacity once upon a time. THe Pyramids were supposedly gateways to the afterlife, in Osiris realm... I think they were also gateways to the stars, without the silly mumbo jumbo."

Lucifer's hand is reached for, to help steady the steps down, for one man has been here before more than once and the other never has. Beneath is what would be considered under normal circumstance, to be a burial chamber. It has all the hallmarks and PERHAPS due to the radioactivity and strange shielding properties of the chamber above that people DO know about, it has never been discovered because of it. The walls look as if they are lined with gold and there are three 'plinthes' for individuals to line upon, as if they were beds. The gold plates on the walls are covered in heiroglyphs, some of them egyptian and some of them alien. "I don't suppose you have a rosetta stone in your head, do you? I've always been curious as to what these -ACTUALLY- say. No record I've ever been able to cross-examine with has come up with a parsable translation."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer pauses as it goes pitch black, but he's the Lord of Hell, so there's got to be something written somewhere that says he can see in lack light conditions. Never the less, Nathaniel speaks a word and lights begin to come on in the lower portions. As his hand is taken, he accepts it of course and carefully navigates the steps with Nathaniel's help. "Osiris and Anubis, actually. People forget that. And Thoth. Him as well. Weighing, measured, and kept either way. It's no surprise that something within the pyramids would be thought to lead to those realms, or to the stars themselves."

"Unfortunately I can only really understand any and all spoken languages. Written ones...well...I could study a few books and come back?" He offers with a smirk. "Not now, but later, I mean." A glance around to where beds - or what seem like beds - are within the room. Things lined with gold and made to appear like this is a tomb. Or the mummification room. "Impressive place..."

Sinister has posed:
"It is. You have to take your hat off to the ancient powers, honestly. They did have a certain panache," but then Nathaniel's giving Lucifer a good side-eye and then the walls with a look around. "It might be worth it, just for the sake of arguement. Still..." he comes up close, kisses again and this time on the lips, before heading to one of the walls of heiroglyphs, touching three with his palm. He hastens pronto, back to the central plinthe to lay down before motes of golden light burst from nowhere and begin to hover around him like a swarm of iddy biddy fireflies. "I'm pretty sure you see, that this thing does more than just what it's about to do. I don't think En Saba'nur cared much for the rest, but without any frame of reference, I don't know any of the other functions." This is explained as the golden aura of light motes closes in around him and hovers right up close and personal, to his skin.

Glyphs light up, but what also happens is a holographic (Or perhaps not, you never know) matrix of the human genetic helix. Certain genes on the chain are highlighted, with a pinkish purple aura, which moments later expands again, to show the ribo nucleic acid chains aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall around them in a photon halo.

Looking up at this, Sinister extracts two things from his pockets, holding them in his hands, left and right: One red feather and two white. The holo light projects this DNA too and at a blinding speed, seems to compare them with a brighter yellow-gold halo surrounding matching genome sequences. They match on all four genomes.

"HAH!" well, that's helpful.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer accepts that kiss on the lips and then smiles. "Well, perhaps I will look into it then. Especially if it means unlocking more secrets of a place such as this. Maybe we'll discover something no one's ever discovered. That wound be cool." Offering this while he watches as Nathaniel goes and presses certain hieroglyphs in a particular way. What happens next comes with no explanation. Lights sparkle, move towards the man, almost touch his skin but very soon after one can see floaty DNA strands. Then Nathaniel pulls out feathers, both his and Lucifer's own it seems. A tilt of his head while he watches what goes on. How the feathers are scanned and projected as well.

Lucifer begins to walk around, as if he could understand any of this stuff anyway. He can't decipher it, but he's trying. Perhaps trying to ascertain why Nathaniel suddenly shouts 'Hah' in a sort of 'Eureka!' format. "Find an answer to your question?"

Sinister has posed:
"In a way, yes!" Nathaniel states, looking over as he checks micro-fine information on the shafts of the feathers he holds. They're put away in turn as he differentiates them. "Please do, if you have such material to do so... and /please/ feel free to share with me, if you feel inclined. It could be a learning experience for the both of us."

But then he'd holding up the red feather. "Icarus, aka: Joshua Guthrie, a mutant from a mutant family line. All the Guthrie offspring are mutants." A white feather. "Warren Worthington the third, aka: archangel, first of his family to display the gene." The third white feather, which is presumably Lucifer's except: "...Shannon, x-man in training, healer." Oh.

It might strike Luci's consciousness now, that despite the wings having come out many times in Nathaniel's presence, every time he's taken a feather because it was loose or fell off, or was on the floor... he has never, ever, once, taken one. Maybe because he didn't have permission. Who knows?

"All of them have mutations along the same genome chain. As does..." he highlights one in the multi-thread of genome components "...Mine. We all have wings. We all have at least a similar mutagen or stressor in our past. I can conclude... Celestial DNA, blood or mystical contact or whatever you care for, is itself a mutagen. You have the power to catalyze power in humans, Lucifer. Or rather, your species does. I've no great desire to meet the others, I don't much like them, but..." he rises from the plinthe and pulls up the DNA which is EXACTLY the same.

"That's why I grew wings. You have a carbon copy paper attached to your nature. Each time it's imprinted, it's far, far more likely for wings and similar ilk, to pop up. Oh, hells, I can never share this."

Lucifer has posed:
"You know who might have such material and it's likely a bit more readily available than me? As much as I won't mind scouring my library and other such archives. And I really hate to give him any sort of credit..." Lucifer begins before giving a shrug. "But Constantine might have the answers you seek. If you don't mind letting him in on this place, and can stand his desire to attach Biblical nonsense to everything." There's a shrug of shoulders then before Lucifer listens to Nathaniel.

And as he does, he listens to everything the man says and watches what he's shown. He understands the basics and the visual helps him put things together. His DNA is classified as a mutagent - he can get behind that. Though that begs the question, "So, these other people... Joshua, Warren and Shannon... they have a bit of Angel in their DNA construction?" He asks this and then seems to consider a moment.

In that next moment, he looks to make sure there's room and then flares out his own wings. Reaching one around, he plucks a decent main feather and then steps forward to hand it over to Nathaniel. "I suspect if you have my DNA, this would bring a further conclusion to your results? Please. If it will help..." He has a way of simplifying everything and then trying to help in his own fashion. It's a thing.

Sinister has posed:
"Ohhh, good point. I can tolerate the biblical, in Egypt it's almost ironic." Sinister replies, reaching into the pocket of his cargo pants to pull out a small wallet of cards and IDs. THey're helpful to have, for certain things, including the beyond platinum credit cards he has. One is a folded up coaster and he concentrates on it, then tosses it on the floor to do its thing. A faded name with a faded number on beer-soaked cardboard but it'll do the trick.

Then, stilling as he watches the wings brought forth, he gazes at them for the length of time that they're there, before taking the feather and holding it up to the holomatrix to do its thing.

It's much, much slower at trying to extrapolate the genome of the Devil himself, but it manages it after a while. This technology was made by Star people, after all, not by mere human hands. In this case, the golden 'halo' of glimmering motes hovers around the matching genome on Sinister's DNA, but also on the end-caps of the gene, the telomeres, which is appropriate. There's also randomly two or three other spots that have matching genomes, but not enough to show more than distant connection. Magnifying the true matches with a gesture, Sinister pulls over the others, those from the mutants he'd gathered feathers from and gazes at them. Same genomic root, slightly different spots on the genome are mutated. "Looks like. Probably not yours, yours only matches mine. But it does look like there's celestial in them somewhere way back." He laughs softly, then pulls up different strands of the DNA, comparing them and making them larger. A gesture is made to them. "And these are all neanderthal. Mankind is truly a mongrel species."

Constantine has posed:
The coaster wiggles and jumps for the floor, moved by a surge of mystical forces. Could also be a consequence of the beer stain in it reverting to its former liquid state and eating the cardboard. More like... foaming up and turning the cardboard into more beer, more foam? And the foam bubbles as they burst make the most crystaline of musics, Plink! Plink-Plink! following a random but tri-tonal mode. The transmogriphication accelerates, the pool of beer now growing and its edges defying gravity, reaching for the ceiling where it coalesceses into a golden cloud. Sparks of static light up the cloud, throwing muffled warnings of thunder.

SCREESH! In a great flash thunder strikes and keeps striking. The electric arc is dancing, its end licking the floor and leaving some kind of residue. Faster and faster, layer by layer, a John Constantine is put together just like if the whole thing was a 3D printer. At the same time, the beer cloud is melting away until... Constantine is whole. "Hnnng."

John takes a knee, a hand holding his forehead, which is preferable to sprawling.

Lucifer has posed:
And so a Constantine is summoned. Lucifer eyes the coaster for a moment before his attention goes back to Nathaniel. He notes the gaze upon his wings for the time they're out. "You know, I would keep them out all the time so you could always see them, but then I feel that would take away from...something special..." Which he had words for a moment ago and then they sort of whisked themselves away.

As the machine works it's magic on Lucifer's wing, the length of time it takes makes the Devil curious. Though as it finally reports it's findings, and Nathaniel translates the details, Lucifer almost looks...relieved? "So my kin were often naughty in the past... how interesting..." He offers this and then shakes his head. "Humankind is indeed such..." He won't argue the point.

As Constantine appears, Lucifer gives the man a side eye and then gives a nod of greeting. "John."

Sinister has posed:
The ghost of a smile colours Sinister's expression for a moment at the comment regarding the wings and he looks from where they were to Lucifer's face, then casually askance to the coaster. He actually watches the entire transmografication process with curiosity, only to comment. "And that must be the hangover to end all hangovers. Honestly, I think arrival by origami frog was probably better. You'll be smelling yeasty for days," he nods to the man. "Constantine. Welcome to Giza." The feather that Lucifer had handed to him is floated free of his fingertips then, drifting via telekinesis back to the being it came from, with a gracious nod of gratitude. "But yes. Your kin were naughtier than they ought to have been. A bit of how's your father and the results are one heck of a paternity case. It would be next to impossible to tell origin for certain, unless the angel was female. Mitochondrial DNA would show a celestial mother."

Pause. "Here," from his backpack he removes a micky of whiskey and floats it over to the trenchcoat wearing magician, taking another out to float to Lucifer. He came prepared, it seems. "Now that you're reconstituted and possibly about to mix beer with liquor, would you happen to have any rosetta stone type books in that library of yours?"

Constantine has posed:
John lets out a small fermented belch. While he notices the greetings, he needs a moment to assess his new location and count appendages, as well as stand up. "Giza?" he asks. He frowns at the feather in play, then at Lucifer and lastly, Nathaniel. A hundred observations about the customs of the Celestials, the creation of humanity and all of that big God mess pass through his eyes, yet he prefers to press his lips together.

"Party favors, thanks. Good to meet you again, both." John secures the bottle behind the lapel of his trenchcoat. How much alcohol can this coat carry? Is it 'bigger on the inside'? Is John? "So Giza-Giza. Huh. Believe it or not, I do and... be ready for a surprise." From around his neck, he pulls a chain. On it dangles two rings, one silver one gold, both engraved with various characters on the outside. "Rosetta rings. You line up the characters then look through the eye et voila! Translation. The Greek didn't become the center of all science in antiquity randomly." He returns the chain to its hiding place. "Please tell me we're not after the Ark or the Covenant?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer grins at the bashful expression he gains from Nathaniel with that one comment on wings. When his own feather is floated to him, he tilts his head and floats it right back to Nathaniel. "Keep it. In case you need it for...something else. Or something. Perhaps it will make a nice addition to your first aid station. Just in case." He offers this much and then smiles. Attention turned to Constantine as the man answers about rosetta books. Instead, he has rings. Then he asks about the Ark or the Covenant and Lucifer just sighs.

"You know, just because I'm the Devil and my partner in love is some wonderfully genius geneticist and we're always working on something when you find us... does not mean that anything we're doing is looking for some world destroying divine book or apocalypse bringing prophecy. We want to translate heiroglyphs. In this room. You really do give me a headache with this whole you're here so it MUST be some holier than your britches scheme we're playing..."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister arches an eyebrow and forms his mouth into an 'o' shape, about to reply to Constantine, when the rings are provided. He stares at them, floats them over, then accepts the primary feather that was return-floated and inhales deeply. It's laid against his left forearm reverently and melts beneath the skin there, absorbed as if flesh were naught but water. His mouth parts, again about to speak as he lifts up the rings to inspect them, guaging the languages around the circumferance one by one... when /Lucifer/ does the replying and all he can do afterwards is get a small case of the giggles. THe 'hnnnn hnnnnnnn!' kind as he turns to face the walls, holding the rings up to examine things one by one.

Constantine has posed:
Against all odds, Constantine's frown melts into a contrite expression under Lucifer's accusations. "You're right. I'll tone it down. You've been both gracious hosts, loyal friends and great travel buddies. Nothing to do with the usual customers I deal with in back alleys. Damn it, I'm stuck in a groove." If there had been more chairs and friends, this might have turned out to be a successful intervention too. But... no. John is taking a sip from a flask. "Just be careful with that feather. Like, triple careful with a cherry on top."

He directs his attention to Nathaniel. "There's a monkey paw: you'll get a translation every time but you'll miss out on the sense and context, the customs and hermetic traditions. They almost do not work at all on alchemical text or Rosicrucian litterature, for instance. Or Charles Manson's book for that matter."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer was actually expecting Constantine to bite back a little, so when he doesn't... hackles are lowered. Slightly. "I know you have good intentions, John, but it's just that I feel I constantly have to defend my every move. I appreciate the notion of you backing down a bit. Cause you're right. We're friends. So...yes." That said, his attention turns back to Nathaniel, watching as the man uses those rings to have a look around the room. "Do you need help with anything, Nathaniel? Any...bricks I should press for you to see what they do?" Okay, so maybe there might be something slightly bad that could happen here. They're dealing with stuff made by Star Men, so who knows! "Also...can I smoke here? I really feel like a cig...what about the two o of you?"

Sinister has posed:
"I can't imagine that cigarette smoke will have much of an effect on everything else, so have at it. And light me one, too. Oh, wait a moment." A shrug of his shoulders and he unfurls two more arms beneath the first set, so that he can place his cellphone in one and hold the other out for the cigarette, whilst still looking through the rings. "Constantine, if you observe, I was giving back the feather that was given me. It was then gifted. Despite being the devil's lover, I have never taken one of his feathers as my own. And any littering I've found, which I -have- found by the by, I have incinerated. I understand caution, but you do not actually have to tell -me- that." He stares at one heiroglyph, turns the spectacles, turns them again and grunts.

"Actually, I wonder if pressing things at random wouldn't be helpful here. These things do not know what those are. It's not so much lack of context as absolute gibberish."

And from the very back of this chamber, a voice informs in a very quiet, but accented english, laced with egyptian twang "...that is because that is not a language from Geb." The voice makes Sinister stiffen and possibly surprises the heck out of the Devil, because all of a sudden an unfurling of 'god' in the room bloomed from absolute darkness.

Constantine has posed:
Already in the process of lighting one for himself, John passes it to Lucifer like an olive branch, lights another he flicks toward Nathaniel with confidence it'll be snatch by telekinesis and wedge a third at the corner of his mouth. All of this in seconds and without even producing the usual crumpled pack of Silk Cuts. "...who tha..." questions the magician when an uninvited person materializes. Not only they appear but they refuse to unfold from an origami frog or walk through a magic door! Even the cigarette in John's mouth is taken by surprise, so much so it looses its grip from John's lips and plummets for the ancient ground.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer procures his cigarette case and takes out two, lighting them both with a snap of fingers which bring forth a spark of hellfire. He floats one over to Nathaniel so the man can have his own and then takes a long drag off his.

Then, Celestial senses tingle and Lucifer's gaze is drawn to the darkness from which the 'god' appears. For the first time ever witnessed by anyone, the Devil is suddenly humbled and lowers his head in respect. When he speaks, the language that flows from his lips is Arabic as that is the spoken language in Egypt now and he addresses the god. "Sutekh. What brings you to honor us with your presence?" All else in the moment forgotten, or at least, put aside.

Sinister has posed:
It's a plethora of cigarettes. They're coming from all sides. Nevermind the deity in the corner...

To describe the individual as having a presence is not wrong. But it is a presence that does not seem to fit with the appearance. He's short, approximately five foot five, but once that was considered tall. He's also lean of frame, has a face with very shrewd golden eyes in tanned complexion, clean shaven, with very even, white teeth in a smile that seems friendly enough. And his hair is bright, bright red, the colour of fresh blood or powdered terracotta. He appears to be dressed normally, except for the seven foot tall golden 'crook' that he holds in his right hand seemingly with ease. The end of it looks more like a simplified goat head though, than a traditional shepherd's crook.

One of the loose cigarettes floating about is brought forth to the short redhead and is brought to his nose, inhaled with a smile and set to lips as he looks to Lucifer, then Constantine, lastly Sinister and then to the images on the walls. "I am thanking you for the offering of ritual smoke. There is no substitute for it and very few bring it to us here. That was reserved for the American gods." He sniffs it again, smiles as the flavour as he drags deep. "This one is here again." He indicates Sinister. "I came by to... observe him. The last time he was with my nephew and it was... strange. Humans do not talk to the gods as they once did."

Constantine has posed:
Constantine's expression morphs into an uneasy smile. "You surprise us, Ancient One. Luck must be on our side for we came ladden with gifts." That bottle he just got from Nathaniel he offers, bowing his head to hide the pinch of regret that twists his grin. "I actually don't know if you can accept fermented liquor but I assure you, this one would be covetted by the Fathers of the North. I mean no offense." He takes a knee, which allows him to rescue the cigarette he dropped. "Perhaps we should trade names?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer shifts his gaze to Nathaniel for a moment before returning his gaze to Set. All the other sudden floating cigarettes are brought back to him - regardless of who they belonged to. Lucifer produces a gold cigarette case, puts the once floating cancer sticks into the sides and then shifts forward to set it, and a lighter, on the closest flat surface nearest Set. "Well then. Have some to tide you and the others over, perhaps. The American God...frowns upon these anyway." He says and smirks.

"Humans don't talk to any gods like they once did. Now it's all for the sake of their own personal sanities, and most think they have to have one path to save all. It's..ridiculous." Says the one who is written, a couple times, in the Book of God. Or something like that. "I hope we haven't done anything to upset you." All THIS has been spoken in English.

Sinister has posed:
The deity had been speaking... well, it was ancient Egyptian, actually. But in the manner of most of the divine, that language is all languages and the brain translates it to English. He smiles, "Ahh, so generous. You are the one that denies the Host, I think. You and I, we share commonality." Looking at the case, then the human in the room, there's a pause. "I am Sutekh, ben-Geb. A pleasure, I think." The whiskey is regarded, with a shake of his head. "Wrong one. He can drink as much as he likes, he is not Allah. Allah has come to the land of Khem and he is no friend to us. Excuse me," he clears his throat a couple of times, coughs out a handful of sand and discards it "aah, much better. It is I, and myself, not he and himself these days, yes? I have been dabbling in walking down among for a while, since I saw you last Nathaniel Essex."
"Oh yes? Well good for you."
"MMmmm, I felt quite liberated by the duty being passed on."
"No doubt."

Ok, that was weird. Sutekh glances at the walls once again. "The usurper built on this, after the Celestials left Khem. We buried it."

Constantine has posed:
"Sutekh," Constantine repeats, pensive. "John Constantine, the Hellblazer." Even though the bottle was initially left alone by the incarnation of Sutekh, John leaves it on the ground. It's been gifted and will remain gifted. Hopefully, Nathaniel will see no offense in that. He rises, takes a step back and lights up, all the while listening the exchange between the 'grown ups'. He eyes the coughed up and sowed sand with professional interest, too. "My knowledge and wisdom fail me, Sutekh. Why burry this chamber? Is it forbidden to read from it?"

Lucifer has posed:
"Referring to yourself in the third person isn't quite as common these days, but we understand it well enough, I think." Lucifer offers and then chuckles. "And yes. Well, I defy the Host is likely a better way to put it. I can't quite deny he's there, since he's my dad and all, but I sure as Hell don't like him." At the conversation between god and Essex, Lucifer shows curiosity but doesn't question it just yet. He does turn back to Constantine though, and nods to the question asked. "Probably less forbidden and more... perhaps only meant for worthy eyes maybe?"

Sinister has posed:
Is Sinister listening? Oh, you bet your bum. And smoking the cigarette that was floated to him, slow but methodically. He's rarely so quiet!

There's a laugh that seems inherantly black, from the God of Darkness. Go figure. "I disliked my brother. My mother and father were less of a concern for me. When you are born to be the outcast, it is a trial. There have been many trials. But I always like you visitors. When the world is good, I am revered. When the world is bad, I am reviled. At least there is constant symmetry." He shrugs, then considers the rest, advancing on one of the walls with the crook tapping loud punctuation on the stone floor. "Worthy eyes. Hmm. Forbidden, no. That would suggest we cared that much. More that it was troublesome..." Sutekh replies, reaching up the crook in hand to reach far beyond his head to tap several glyphs with the end of the golden rod. A column of light appears in the center of the room, the same golden motes that glittered around gene markers to highlight them and Sutekh turns to look at it, head tilted. "Dangerous in the wrong hands and impossible to destroy, without danger to anyone trying to do so. The power source is the same kind that empowers Celestial travel and the folding of space. Destroying it could destroy our world and when they left, mankind hid from the dark by making lamps of oil and death by preserving the flesh. Our people here advanced mystically far quicker than they did scientifically. That is the right term no? At least in the harnessing of forces. To map the heavens is still a feat."

Constantine has posed:
Intaking air sharply through his nose, Constantine curbs his gaze to scratch behind his ear. Since he used his 'cigarette hand', some ashes fall from the tip, tumble on the shoulder of his coat and flakes as it races for the floor. Will the God of Darkness rush to lick the spilled soothe? Only time will tell. "The Sun Chariot," he offers. It's a good reference as any other, at least. "Forgive me Sutekh... are you saying the Gods of Egypt left to travel the stars?" Now he gives Lucifer an inquisitive look. "Should we give weight to the Hinid belief in some planets being the head of demons, gods and titans?"

Lucifer has posed:
"That's assuming one doesn't already give weight to such, and I do... I always have. My dad wants people to think he is omnipotent. The only one. He's a very jealous deity..." Lucifer offers. "Yet he is not the only one. As we can plainly see. And others out there in the heavens, not literal heaven, but the skies. Where the stars reside and other planets call home within galaxies of our own and others... we're visited by those who live beyond Earth and they all have their own planets and systems and beliefs. It's a stupid concept to believe in the singular when the plural exists... but I digress..." He smirks then and walks towards Nathaniel, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "My dearest. Are you alright? You've not said a thing for a moment..."

Sinister has posed:
"Hmm? Oh, yes. I'm fine." Sinister replies, eyes on Sutekh as the god had been chatty, he turns them on Lucifer. "Good children should be seen and not heard..." he says in a low tone "...and sometimes, that's because you learn more that way." But with a squeeze to the hand on his shoulder, he speaks up. "Am I to understand it then, that this chamber was a... laboratory? To study the life that lived here and analyze it?"
Sutekh looks over his shoulder at the doctor. "I suppose so. And also the junction point between here and there." the god looks up into the column of golden light, then over to Constantine. "No. We did not leave. We just occupied space differently. The celestials came from there." He points upward "A long, long time ago. Some of them remained, most returned to where they came from. Ahhh, I see the issue." He laughs, this time a little LESS darkly. "Celestial as in from the stars, I think... somewhere near what we called the Hunter's dog. Not Celestial as in the beings of the heavens. Semantics, I fear are a complicated beast." He pauses, considers. "I have not been in here in a very long time, not since it was buried. I suppose a little jealousy was had here, on our part. We were born here, they came from someplace else and left their toys just lying around for anyone to find. So." He pantomimes a squishing with his free hand, with a 'boooogh' of collapse and burial.

Constantine has posed:
John also looks up the light. He summons Hellfire in the round space formed by his pointer and thumb touching tips then speaks softly in words not meant to be legible. The fire is tamed into a lense and armed with that spectacle, he looks up the column again. He mumbles more words and each time the lense changes colour. When he runs out of rainbow he opens his hand, breaking the spell. What he saw, he says nothing of. "The affairs of the higher beings are best left ignored, most of the time, aren't they." His tone is grim, his rethorical comment meant for the whole room. "How does one become worthy of this here... wisdom? Through study? Through feats of combat? With great religious fervor?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods his head to Nathaniel as the man proclaims he's fine. "Well, I know you're fine, but my question was, are you alright?" He grins, playing off the words and then proffers a kiss - in front of Set and everyone. Gods be damned! None the less, his attention goes back to Set for a moment, listening and then he waves a hand. "I knew what you meant, really. The difference is subtle but there. After all, it's likely fair to consider that Angels such as myself come from the stars or there abouts I think." He grins then, but says little more, as he's not sure what more to say.

Sinister has posed:
Sutekh watches the demonstration with a wicked little snicker. "You are like the Olympians," he informs Lucifer with a waggle of his crook that way, looking down and up the pair with altogether zero in the way of any kind of censure. He then approaches Constantine and gestures toward Sinister. The rings bestowed by the magician are yanked from the scientist's possession whilst he's being well... kissed. Right up and close and personal, the god of Darkness and Foreigners holds the rings in hand, brings them up to his eye and gazes through. "Greek cleverness. /Egyptian/ wisdom," he shakes both rings like they were dice, rattling them in his palm, then proffers them back to the magician. They're a good half an inch wider, which is saying something. "May your papyrus scrolls be thicker. And may foreign tongues be kind upon your ear." The crook is slammed onto the stone and it makes a thunderous rumble, quaking the earth a little.

Up above, there's going to be a lot of scrabbling to close the tourist site, given that a sandstorm just blew in from nowhere, but meteorologists will be poring over that for weeks. Act of god. And not act of Thor, either. He wasn't the only god of storms. "Carry on being clever and you will end up worthy. Become complacent and it will be your funeral. Guardianship of a thing is a sacred trial. Now all three of you are guardians of this place. I will see you." He steps back several paces then, raising his chin. And for an instant, his form swells up so his shape and size matches the massive crook he carries, long triangular ears above his head, a beast's head upon a tall and powerful body, a mane of brilliant flaming red around his head and neck and skin as black as coal. And then he vanishes, leaving the afterimage of golden eyes watching the trio.

And the kiss breaks. "I vote for a reconvening at a later time and that we get the hell out of dodge. Constantine, if you hold the charm I gave you, I will hear you if you think about me. But we probably ought not be here." Given that the ceiling is shedding sand, that's probably wise.

Constantine has posed:
At first Constantine is surprised by Sutekh's antics but then a wily smile rises upon his lips. "Thank you, Sutekh. Your gift will not remain hoarded and my thanks will find their way to you, as long as my memory will hold." As the Egyptian God vanishes, Constantine speaks more alchemic words and empowers a ring of smoke with Hellfire, blowing it to the ground. Where it lands, a band of orange light the size of a coffee mug burns itself off, leaving a charred circle, then nothing. The bottle he'd left for Set? Gone. Maybe it's for the best. He smacks his lips with thirst.

"You're all welcome to stay at the Manor. The library provides to those who know what they are looking for," John says, reaching for that invisible doorknob and pulling. The door is open. He sidestep inside, his foot keeping the door from closing for a moment so they are free to decide. His shadow stretches eerily, bringing alcohol to his mouth.