178/That Weird Uncle..

That Weird Uncle..
Date of Scene:	28 April 2017
Location:	Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Summary needed.
Cast of Characters:	Tara Maclay, Amethyst, Constantine

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Tara Maclay has posed:
A lazy, quiet day in Bludhaven, New Jersey. Righ tnow tara Maclay is sitting on the bed in her little dorm room, staring down at a txt book with her brows faintly furrowed. She's wearing little, sensible brown shoes, slightly faded blue jeans, and a white blouse with a dark red floral print that somehow brings out the blue in her eyes. There are no words to be said. The track playing through Tara's earbuds extolls her with the virtues of an entirely different set of dead poets. Studying two things at once. Sounds like her.

It's a fairly ordinary dorm. A heavy, small wooden desk with ltos of drawers, pictures on the wall- though they are authors, writers, dead poets, and the occcasional female led band rather than what would be seen in nearby dorms. The door to Tara's dorm is let partially ajar. Just enough to see the girl inside while she fails to write anything on the sheet of notepaper she's tucked into this volume of T. S. Elliot's 'The Wasteland'.

Amethyst has posed:
Walking down the street with John, Amethyst at least mostly blends in. The tall girl has her hands tucked into a leather jacket she prefers over a dark purple top with dark jeans tucked into black boots. She does nothing to disguise her amethyst colored eyes as she looks at John. "Remind me what we're doing out here again?" She asks. The pair of them have been walking for a minute, headed towards a college campus. She seems a little perplexed at what business John might have at a school, keeping the obvious jabs to herself.

Constantine has posed:
Simple enough, really," he offers to the odd-eyed girl at his side. He pauses on the street corner to fish a battered pack of Silk Cuts from his jacket, and he lights one up. he takes a long drag and turns to peer up at the dorm building. A passing student pauses to tell him that this is a Smoke Free Campus, and the look the Hellblazer gives him sends him scurrying. "I got family stateside, you see? Had a few siblings, and not all got on as well as me sister and I. One ended up out this way with a severe hatred of lil ol' me." He crosses the street, ignoring the crosswalk. He dodges a passing car.

"Now, their family went all Puritan-like. Hated magic and anyone involved in it. They popped out a kid eventually, and from what I get, they were pretty shit to her. Don't know the details. What I DO know is that she got involved in our side of the world, and when they came down on her she ran off."

He opens the door to the dorm lobby and holds it open for Amethyst before slipping in behind her. He steps up to the desk with the attendant working behind, and John flashed a smile, and his eyes went slightly glassy.

"Mathilda, remember when you told me you were going to tell me what room Tara McClay was staying in?" The woman blinks slowly and then nods. "OH! Right. Um, of course. Sorry I forgot...Mr...uh..." "Elliot." "Right..."

She rattles off the room number and John leads Amethyst up the stairs. "So...they call me in hopes I'll track her down and send her home. But you think I'd let someone with my blood live like that?" The elevator door opens, and he locates the room in question with the Amethyst-eyed-girl's help. he peeks inside and flashes a smile.

"April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain. Tara, I take it?" his accent is thick, and poor lower-class Brit.

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Winter kept us warming, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding a little life with dried tubers," Tara responds absently, her gaze on a page that is utterly blank. Her own notes on the poem. Slowly blue eyes widen and the young woman is looking upward with a wide-eyed stare that captures John first and then slowly shifts toward the doorway as if to chedck for other people. Amethyst, perhaps, though it isn't clear if she's seen anything.

"O-ooh, I... Hi. Um." The stutter is thick and immediate, a complete contrast to how carefully the young woman had been reading T.S. Elliot's lyrics only moments before. "H-hello. I, um. Who are- that is, Um. That is me. I... Who- are y-you...?" After a moment of studying John Tara swallows, hard. She looks a little pale but quicklly recovers. "Th-theres, um. There's another Tara down the way. Well, it's Tamara, b-but well. You know. Um."

The girl reaches up and brushes the hair back from her face so that she can clear her gaze. It starts to slipf orward again immediately. She flashes a weak smile that only contains moderate overtones of 'Oh god, oh god ,why are there people here?'

Amethyst has posed:
"Well, you terrified her." Amethyst announces and looks at Tara. "Lucky for her, you don't look much alike." She comments and eases the door a little more open. The young woman has an easy going posture that contrasts her more direct study of Tara. "Hi! I'm Amaya, this here is John Constantine. He doesn't much like your folks." She provides helpfully. "Soo, you seem perfectly alive and well. Case closed, John?" She asks wanting to avoid scaring the girl more.

Constantine has posed:
"Lucky for Tamara, we aren't here for her."

He slips fully into the dorm, likely to Amethyst's chagrin, and glances about the place as if he had been welcomed in. Skinny jeans, combat boots, a button-up shirt and a coat. Big, slightly clunky silver rings on his fingers. He cut quite the image. "The lass is right, Tara. Don't much like your folks. BUT I'm here because of them. THey reached out to me, y'see?" He takes a long drag on his cigarette, smoking inside. He makes his way over to the window and opens it, before peering out of it.

"Your folks ever mention your dear old Uncle John? Unlikely."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"M-mom, um." Tara swallows, hard. "Mom died a few months ago. In an accident." Then the girl pauses for a second and licks her lips as she shfits back on the bed. She slowly closes the book in front of her and takes a deep breath, blue eyes wide while she studies John's face. Amaya gets a brief nod, in that doe-eyed sort of terrified way that she had previously received for John. Terror goes boh ways.

"I know all of my Uncles. There's Beth's d-dad and, um... Wait." A beat follows. Tara swallows, hard. "You're mom's brother?" That's whispered with the sort of abject reverential terror one might regard for the grim reaper. Tara swallows and then nods very slowly. "We never talked about you, no. Not any of mom's family, really. Dad said..." She trails off there and brinks a couple more times.

Amethyst has posed:
"Ooof, family division. That's rough." Amaya says from the door. She steps in enough to close the door so they aren't making a scene for poor Tara. She looks down at herself to make sure she isn't in her armor, trying to suss out the reason for her scared looks. "So umm, why don't you and John just chit chat a bit, I'm sure you two have some catching up to do." She offers and walks over to the window to glance out with some curiousity.

Constantine has posed:
The man blinks when he is told that his sister is dead. He doesn't respond for a long moment, until Amethyst makes her way over to the window he is standing at. he flicks his cigarette out into the street and steps away from it, turning his attention back to the girl.

"Yeah, that'd be me. Uncle John Constantine. She's dead, then? What happened?" He keeps emotion out of his voice as he asks, seeming only curious. He wanders about the room as they talk, looking around and taking everything in.

Tara Maclay has posed:
The room is very much that of an artsy social sciences major, from the portraits to the posters. She has an old 'Tegan and Sara' band tee on display over her dresser and a large stack of books on her desk. It's more lit homework mixed in with gems like the first volume of the 'Principia Magica'. Every young witch's bible. Ritual candles sit at the back of her desk, none of which have been burned.

"Well. There was a car accident," Tara responds slowly, watching as Constantine prowls through the room. Amaya gets a relieved nod from the girl but then she is twisting to sit with her back all the way against the wall, legs sprawled on the bed, hands folded into her lap. No, if subtly, the girl's gaze is glued to Amethyst while she speaks.

"I'm sorry. I would have thought you'd know... I just- mom called you? You look a lot like her." The girl asks, as if to confirm. "She never said anything. She was worried dad would get upset, I guess..." Tara bites her bottom lip for a second before looking over at Amaya one more timeand folding her fingers together delicately.

"Did you come to take me away somewhere? Like, I don't know, some kind of school for witchcraft or a, um. A pet store Uncle John, what are you doing? B-be careful with the post...er... please?"

Amethyst has posed:
"Excellent questions. That's sad to hear about your mother. Whether you got along or not losing a parent is rough." Amethyst murmurs and looks at Tara a moment before glancing at her clothes. "What? Is my illuison down?" She asks John and grabs at her jacket curiously. Glancing back at Tara, she shakes her head "Don't worry about me, I'm harmless, just sort of handy when your uncle needs a hand with things."

Constantine has posed:
"No, it's up," John offers idly to Amethyst. He is quiet for awhile as he simply moves around the room, finally finishing up near the door. He closes it.

"Your mum and I didn't exactly get on well all the time, but she was still family. She lived through the same hell I did as a child. Your father, though, is a right wanker. He wants you back so he can continue crushing your soul." John fishes out his pack of cigarettes and lights up another one. "I don't have much interest in that happening, y'see. Magic is rare enough in this world. You should be around likeminded folks, not people who step on you. And no...no school. No...pet shop?," he offers, with a hint of confusion in the second reference. "But I know other folks you might fit in with. Teens, mostly. But...involved in the world you're just peekin' into. I can help you become a full member of it, if that is what you want."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Mom always protected me. Dad- never put hands on me or anything," Tara insists, suddenly sounding soemwhat concerned. She takes a deep breath then and looks between Amaya and John a couple times, slowly. "She just taught me how to detect ma- ... Oh! a full glamour. That explains all the- um..." She gestures vagely over her head before dragging her fingers through her hair. "Anyway! Right. So."

"It's too bad about the pet shop," the girl murmurs with a lopsided smile. "I always wanted a cat." She shrugs then, rolling her shoulders and nodding slowly as she does. "There are other people around here like... me?" Tara asks , the stutter finally beginning to dissipate. "I was going to try this local Wicca club and see if anyone really knew anything, but I don't even think that'd... Anwyway." A beat. "You're not lying to me," she concludes slowly. "I truust you, Uncle John. Did you visit? When I was little?"

Amethyst has posed:
"Oh, you can see this? Slick." Amethyst says impressed. "House Turquis illuion magic is supposed to be pretty hard for you Earth types to notice." She whistles. "She won't even need to touch me John, you got yourself a live wire there." She leans against the window frame and crosses her arms under her chest impressed. "I'm a catalyst, I super charge other magcians like your Uncle John here. I wonder how you magic." She considers, fascinated by Earth magics.

Constantine has posed:
"I did. You were...4, I think. Maybe 5. I showed up and tried to do a little magic show for you and the kids. Didn't go over well. Doesn't help that I got piss-drunk and got into a fight with one of your other uncles. Knocked him right on his ass."

"Yeah, I know some others. Witches, Vampire Hunters, Otherworldly Princesses...all of it." He takes another long drag on his cigarette. "I can't take you to them today, but...soon. Wanted to make suire you were doing okay..." He glances sidelong at Amethyst and smirks a bit. "Amethyst, like she said. She happens to be the Otherworldly Princess I mentioned."

Tara Maclay has posed:
Tara Maclay says, "@emit "You broke Uncle Robert's nose," Tara recalls, smiling sweetly as shedoes. The girl puses her lips for a second and then nods once, slowly. "I mean. I have witches down. I know what those are like," Tara responds sheepishly before slowly letting her gaze drift over to Amethyst.

"I mean, I saw you had a glamour but I can't see- through- it. Are you purple too? Like your clothes and things." She blinks a couple times at that. "Since Uncle John just said you were... An... Um, an alien. I Guess." She blinks repeatedly now and then crosses her arms over her chest. "Earthlings. Right.I mean. I could do a little magic." She nods quickly looking between John and Amaya as she does. "If you wanted to see, I guess." She is slowly climbing to her feet now."

Amethyst has posed:
"Well, I mean, not alien-just from a different plane. My people came from Earth, just-magic was being hunted and killed so a great many of us and magical beasts fled-history lesson later." Amaya waves off the thought and looks at Tara. "I would love to see a little magic, how about you John?" She asks and kicks at him lightly. "You really didn't have to bring up the Princess thing yet."

Constantine has posed:
"Well, he desevred it," grouses John as he puffs on his cigarette. He smirks at Amethyst when she kicks his leg, and he sits down on the windowsill. "She would have found out eventually. Why not now?"

He turns his gaze to his neice, shrugging a shoulder. "Sure. But nothing too grandiose, alright?"

Tara Maclay has posed:
"N-no. Nothing grandiose. I mean. I like my apartment and I don't think the school need a haunting after what Mr. Anderson did to the third floor bathrooms... Okay." Tara takes a deep breath and then straightens where she is sitting. She is concentrating a bit. Her books start to reorganize themselves and slot neatly onto the shelves, a few at a time. Then the papers are stacked up and slide into the girl's bag. Said bag leaves the back of Tara's door and moves to sit next to her on the bed.

"Maybe we should... Get some air. This room is a little bit for three people..." Again Tara smiles- a relieved one for Amaya in particular- and slides to her feet. She bites her bottom lip for a second. "Okay."

Amethyst has posed:
"Cleaning magic? Oh man! John, your house needs that spell HARD CORE." Amaya sighs with envy. "I do crystal magic-I guess that's the simple way to put it." She offers and nods at the suggestion to go outside. "Before John runs out of smokes." She agrees and rolls off the window easily. "Besides, I'm starving. I don't know about you two."

Constantine has posed:
He nods a bit as he watches the magtic, looking suitably impressed. He then glares at Amethyst. "Hey, I know where everything is in my apartment, alright? And the House cleans itself." He puts a strange emphasis on the word House, as if it is meant to be capitalized. He flicks his cigarette out the window and nods, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I saw an Indian place on the edge of campus. I would kill for a decent curry. Lead on, ladies."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Indian? Oh, um. Alright. And it's... More telekinesis than a full cleaning spell. Kinetomancy is one of the easier disciplines of magic to study, right?" The girl is still speaking in what is essentially a whisper but but does smile at both of her companions as she approaches the door. Her bag goes over her shoulder and then she takes a dee pbreath. "Okay. Indian place." Tara nods and emerges into the hallway.

Amethyst has posed:
"Ohh, yes. Spices! Man, the food here never gets old. Don't get me wrong, I could go for this dish they do in Citrine lands, it's spit roasted something like a lizard in like dates and spices, it's weirdly sweet but amazing." Amaya chats, offering some conversation to fill the space. "Nothing beats a good deep dish pizza-that's my usual bribe with John. Earth meals-since I don't exactly have many resources on your plane of reality."

Constantine has posed:
"Every discipline is different for everyone, kiddo. We all have areas where she shine...and areas where we suck." He shrugs at that as he follows them out into the hallway. He glances up and down the hallway as they go. "She may be a princess, but one thing she lacks in is taste. I keep trying to convince her that deep dish is the world of the Devil...and I should know. I've met him." She smirks and is likely joking....right?

Tara Maclay has posed:
Tara takes a slow breath in and then n nods once. There's an unusually solemn cast to her gaze as she looks up at John briefly before starting though the door and toward the stairs. "Deep dish is okay," Tara offers then. "I like all kinds of pizza. Pizza is amazing, you know? Even the cheap boxed ones." SHe shrugs her slender shoulders at that. "I don't normally have Indian. thanks, Uncle John..."

Amethyst has posed:
"Ok, some day I'll bring food when you pull me through, and you'll see why deep dish is the food of gods." Amaya counters to John and considers jabbing at him again before looking at Tara. "You're about my age right? Cool. I don't know many girls my age."

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine chuckles. "Well, it's good to step out of your comfort zone now and again," he tells tara about Indian Food. He moves along with them through the dorm and out onto the campus. "You'll be meeting others soon, Amethyst...once I bring you in to meet the other Scoobies with Tara. I feel you'll all get along like a house on fire."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"So, people will smother and pass out then everyone will die?" Tara asks John in response ot the metaphor, blinking her eyes a few more times. Then she slowly turns toward Amaya and nods. "...Yeah. I think so. You're eighteen, right?" She takes a deep breath. "Out of my comfort zone. Right. Okay." With no more words tara leads the way. She might not eat there but she knows exactly which shop John was referring to.

Amethyst has posed:
"Yes? There abouts." Amaya shrugs. "We aren't on the same calendar there." She ambles alongside Tara for a change of pace. "Sooo, aside from your uncle starting family grudges at your birthday parties, what got you into magic?" She asks. She glances back at John and mouths "What the fuck?" at the analogy of getting along like arson.

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine shrugs. "Guess that metaphor hasn't made it across the pond yet." He lets the two chat as he walks along, idly glancing at female co-eds as they pass, flashing smiles and winks here and there. He lets Amethyst and tara get to know one another. He figures both of them could use a friend, so keeps his trouble-starting trap shut.

Tara Maclay has posed:
"My mom. She said our family had always been heavily involved in magic. My dad didn't like it but I had talent and she wanted me to learn." Tara finds herself whispering again, though she does so in a fairly companionable way.

"It was just like, um, a thing we'd do on the weekends. I didn't really have very many friends when I was younger. Dad din't think it was very safe. Nathan wasn't really much help either." she shrugs one more time, continuing to speak at a fairly animated pace. Like she forgot to be shy for a moment. "My brother. he takes after dad honestly." She ventures a glance at John at that statement finally breathes a sigh. Th e group leave the campus and turn on to the busier street, the exhaust and noise of passing vehicles assaulting the senses. Tara takes a left and starts toward the little restaurant nearby.

"Were you just- born with magic? You said gems, and talked about a 'Citrine' area and thigns like htat. Your plane was, like, split between the gems of magic you used?"

Amethyst has posed:
"Weeeelll, yes. Magic in my world is inherited along houses. We all have an affinity to the stone our house is named for-Amethyst in my case-though my dad was a prince of House Turqois-hence illusion magic. There are other houses all of various strengths, mine rules them all, and I am their leader." She explains simply, looking very interested in shop windows. "Granted, I grew up on Earth in hiding for a long time-I've only had magic the last few years."

Constantine has posed:
"I pull her from Gemworld now and again when I need her help on things, and then she tends to stick around for awhile," John adds. "If she needs to go back whenever I do that, too." He shrugs and brushes his fingers back through his pale blonde hair, his combat boots thumping along on the sidewalk.

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Gem World? I've never acutally read about a- I mean, I was doing research on dimensional planes and, well..." Tara speaks fairly quickly, blue eyes blinking twice as she walks toward the Indian restaurant. Now Tara is cutting through the parking lot,saving the group from having to circle at least a quarter block further. She doesn't really slow down as she speaks, still holding her bag against her. "I wonder if I could open a portal to it," she muses then before quicklY adding, "That sounds really interesting. About all I am good for is a bit of fire and, um, a telekinesis spell or something, I think..." A beat. "What kind of magic does Amethyst do? If Turquoise is illusions."

Amethyst has posed:
"Constructs, light, it's aligns and purifies. So if say...Lord of Ruby has a stone wants to use for whatever, we can imbue it through the catalyst and then they can use it to amplify their magics." Amethyst offers and looks to Tara finally. It's hard to tell if she's rosy cheeked from walking or a little embarassed. "There is one crystal that concets to Gemworld and your Uncle is trusted with it's care-gods help us all." She jokes and looks back at John with a big, cheesy smile. "My plane is a sort of pocket plane between here and Faerie-as I understand it."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Oh. Faerie? I can find Faerie," Tara responds quickly nodding her head. "Well, I mean- I have n't tried to find Faerie but I read about it in a book once and I think that I- could..." She slows as the group is approaching the doorsto the restaurant. "Anyway. That is reallly interesting. I would love iif you told me more about it sometime. What do you do for fun in.... Amethyst territory or whatever it is' called?"

Amethyst has posed:
"I...you know, rule a nation...so-I guess Earth is my fun time?" Amethyst shrugs. "I dunno-my whole life has been training, gemology, reading crystals, combat training, horseback riding-oh we have pegusi, I guess flying is fun." She offers and rakes her fingers in her hair for a moment as she considers. "You?"

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Training and learning magic and all of that stuff...? Yeah, gems sometimes feature in my magictoo. Just not-" The conversation is going quite swimmingly until unicorns arem entioned. That is when Tara simply starts to stare. She seems to have forgotten she was speaking or else forgotten how. Could be either one.

Amethyst has posed:
"Are you...ok?" Amaya asks and looks at Tara with concern as she stares. She checks her clothes again and leans over to wave a hand slowly in front of Tara's face. "Hey....you still in there?" She wonders and looks at John quickly. "Let's just get in and eat, I think your niece is going to faint on me." She says and hooks an arm under each person's and tows them both with considerable strength along.

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Pegasi?" Tara squeaks after a moment. Then she's being dragged through the door and suddenly bolts back to reality. Tara is quick to scamper with Amethyst and John into the restaurant where they are soonconfronted with a sign to find their own seat. She seems tofavour a corner booth toward the back of the restaurant. "Are there unicorns too, or is that not a thing? Because, I mean, well." She reaches up and brushes away a stray lock of brown hair. "I mean. Let's have lunch. Something spicy, you said. Sounds... Good."

Amethyst has posed:
Following to the corner, Amaya shrugs. "I mean, I've seen dragons, and some other weird things. No unicorns yet, but I don't doubt they're there." She smiles. "I guess it was pretty weird to me at first too. I'm a fair hand at scry magic, maybe I can show you some time-Gemworld. It's how I keep things going there when I'm stuck here with John-scrying back to the Amethyst Palace. Personally I like Turquois' better, it's by the water, much prettier than my purple monster of a home."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"It's a nice shade of purple at least," Tara offers gently, noddding as she does. "Dragons? No way. I haven't even seen a- badger yet. They're out here somewhere." Tara glances around and then shakes her head slowly. "The dorms won't evenlet us have a cat. I was thinking of sneaking one in and maybe hiding her under the bed with a glamour..." It does nto tkae long for a waiter to ask them about drinkss, of which Tara orders a simple cup of green tea.

Amethyst has posed:
"Green tea!" Amaya agrees as the waitress takes their drink orders. "That's not a bad idea. Or like, get a fish maybe? Fish are pretty cool I think. I never really had pets either." She tells Tara. The three of them are seated in the restaurant in a back corner, the waitress just came for their drink order.

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Definitely a cat. Cats remind you to feed them," Tara responds quietly, with a rather sheepish smile. The tea arrives in short order and she accepts her cup with two hands, inhaling gently through her nose. "I'm going to name her Max or something..."

Amethyst has posed:
"Why Max?" Amaya asks and takes her own tea and blows on it a little as she watches Tara. "And what kind? A black cat?" She pokes, grinning a little at the question as she sips her tea gingerly.

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine makes his way out of the bathroom and glances about to try and locate the girls. Once he does he makes his way over and sits down, before snagging a menu. He orders a beer from the waitress before she leaves, and then he glances between them. "When you order you chyoose the type of curry, and also the heat level," he explains. "If you get the curry. Other things here, too..."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Well, what I really want is a little black cat with white paws," Tara admits quietly. She sips her tea, recoiling a bit as her hceeks turn red and she finds herse squeezing her eyes shut for a second. Then she shakes her head and settles back agiainst the bench behidn her once more. "And I don't know. Max is... A name," Tara continues sheepishly. "What I, um, was thinking was possibly naming-" And then there's John. Tara's eyes snap up from the table and to the approaching exorcist. She takes a deep breath. "I have no idea how to order mine," she admits, tilting her head slightly. "I don't usually have spicy food really, though." She tilts her head, studying the menu fairly closely.

Amethyst has posed:
"Same. I mean, doesn't chicken tikka masala or whatever have curry? Close enough." Amaya shrugs and smiles at Tara. "That'd be a pretty cute cat." She agrees and sips at her tea again slowly. "Granted, everything always tastes a little odd-two very different flavor pallets Earth and Gemworld. What other places are good in the area Tara?"

Constantine has posed:
"You can get that here," he offers to Amethyst. He leans back in his seat and gets comfortable across from the two girls. He glances about the restaurant, taking it all in idly. Eventually his gaze lands on tara again.

"Well, might not be a bad idea to add a bit of spice. Start small and work your way up. Expand your life. Stretch yourself. It's good for you."

Amethyst has posed:
"Do they? Awesome." Amaya tells John and shifts her focus as Tara starts to smoke from her ears a little thinking about Unicorns maybe. "I think magical princess was a little much for her first go. Maybe should have started with something easy-like those things that hide your stuff all the time-piskies? Peskys? Something like that."

Constantine has posed:
"Magic is something that is hard to ease into. I knew a girl in my youth who wanted to only partially be involved. She literally faded away, because she was not part of one world or the other. Magic or mundame. You can't have both." He thanks the waitress as his beer arrives, and he takes a long pull from it.

Amethyst has posed:
"I mean, are you ever given a choice? It seems like once magic has you, that's it, you're swept into that world-and other worlds." Amaya points out and watches John drink. "It could have been a fluke, being caught in the middle. GRanted, it could be different on Earth-it's not some force that flows into you and it's just there-is it?"

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine shakes his head as he nurses his beer. "It isn't a force, no. But they are like two worlds living side by side. Most people don't see the magical one. Your neighbor could be an Imp, but you wouldn't even think of that unless you were In. There are ways to ease in, but...if you don't -choolse- one side or the other you get Lost, like she did."

Amethyst has posed:
"That's brutal. I'm sorry about your friend." Amaya offers and drinks her tea. Leaning back in the booth she pushes her hair back. "On our side, it's a blood trait, goes down family lines and when one person who has it dies, it passes to their heir or heirs in most cases."

Tara Maclay has posed:
Tara watches both of them and slowly nods her head. She takes a deep breath and then exhales slowly. Once, then twice. A small hand is held out toward John then as the girl studies the man's features. "I guess I have to.... Choose one," she states then, slowly. "Or are you here because I already did?" That becomes a shy smile. "Oh. Look. Food. Flatbread? Oh, I saw this on the menu... Naan? Hm."

Constantine has posed:
"COming from magic does make it more likely that you'll be in, too...and it could effect how natural you are at it. Like Zatanna. Doesn't always play a factor, though." He glances at tara and considers. "You haven't chosen yet. Most people who dabble in magic never push past lighting a candle. But...you've gone further. So, your choice is never casting another spe3ll...in which case I stand up and we never talk again...or you come and join the gang. Naqan is bread, yes. Very good."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"No, I'll join. You're wrong. I already chose. I just iddn't know it was a, um, specific thing I had to do or fade from existence." A weak, breathless laugh fro MTara over that and then she shakes her head. "I turned on my dad and Nathan over it. I guess it's just a matter of learning more?" She shifts her gaze to the arriving food. naan on the table first. Then Tara takes a deep breath and reaches for her plate. "Okay, okay. Let's eat and then we can go meet people or you can show me a new spell or..." She shrugs then, taking up her fork.

Amethyst has posed:
Amaya sits back, looking between Tara and John. There are choices to be made it seems. She sips her tea, slurping a little as she waits to see how things are going to play out at the table and blinks her large purple eyes at them both. After a moment she sets her glass down and narrows her eyes. "I don't know that I've seen John his helpful with out expecting something."

Constantine has posed:
John ends up ordering a curry that is QUITE hot. "Well, there you go then," he states to Tara. He brings his beer to his lips and then hesitates when Amaya says that. "What? That is offensive, Princess. I am always helpful." He sips his beer and sets it back down, before reaching out to snag a slice of naan. He chews on it as he glances over at Amethyst. "Besides, she's -family-."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"From Tara? I mean, from Nathan. I guess from myself too, but... Um." Tara shakes her head slowly and then looks down at her food then, poking it with her fork. "Uncle John... If things go bad you'll save me?" She asks in a fairly small voice. it is soon followed by a bite of curry. The bite of curry is soon followed by Tara breathing fire. She turns bright red and her eyes start watering. There's a few hoarse breaths involved and the girl is suddenly perfectly upright in her chair. She slowly takes a second bite despite the fact one can nearly see the steam curling from her ears.

Amethyst has posed:
Amaya uses the Naan to put chicken and sauce and rice together in a bite. She takes a few small bite before looking at John. "Must be the family thing. Not saying you aren't helpful, John. But there's always a price." She points out and shrugs. "A businessman magician." she comments and slides the naan to Tara. "Eat up cool your mouth.

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine gestures to the bowl of hummus. "That helps, too." He eats more of the curry, seemingly unaffected by the intense eat as he noms away.

He glances sidelong at Amethyst, but the man does not reply to her accusations. Not one word. Nope.

Tara Maclay has posed:
There's no response froom Tara to all of this. She eventually recovers form her overly spiced curry and then returns to eating it with a surprising amount of gusto. Bread, rice, curry. She follows Amethyst's example, though some hummus is being sampled as well. The girl's expression is thoughtful while she eats. Tara actually has quite the appetite despite her size. Nocomments are made, however, not a word spoken as the girl is considering everything that John and Amethyst have to say. it's listening time, children. Tara might be taking the dicussion about costs to heart.

Amethyst has posed:
"Ok then." Amaya says, backing down fron John's side eye and working on her meal. She glances to Tara as she powers through the spice impressed. "Brave, I couldn't do all that spice at once and just power it down." She admits and drinks her tea more.

Constantine has posed:
"Well, you face down dragons, so we all have the thing we're brave about," grunts John. He finishes off his beer and raises his hand for the waitress to bring him another one. "So. You have magic. braco. But...what do you plan to -do- with it," he asks Tara as he scoops up some hummus with the naan and takes a bite.

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Fffs goot," Tara manages in am uffled voice before shaking her head. She swallows and continues with, "It's good, looking down at her plate with wide eyes. "My face is on fire and I think the sensation of having more than one eye is an illusion of pain but... It's nice." Tara looks down ath er food again and stares at it for a long moment after this, remaining quiet. Then she adds, "I don't want to feel helpless again. With the right magic I can help people I care about- or... protect myself." She frowns gnawing at her bottom lip. "But I don't even know what I am going to be able to do when I am done. I can't guess what I a mgoing to end up doing with it for real. Not yet. What do you want to do with magic, Uncle...?"

Amethyst has posed:
Oooh, excellent questions. Amaya is queit now so they can talk and gets more of that naan and chicken before it cools down. So good. She sighs, delighted at the simple meal before leaning back and sliding the plate away in favor of her tea.

Constantine has posed:
"Eh. What I want changes by the season, luv. But...what you want? Protect yourselves and people you care about? It is a good start. A very good start. I started getting into magic out of jealousy. A senmse of self-importance. I was abused. not going to go into details, but...your grandfather was a piece of work. I've calmed down my Work since then, but...your start is much better then mine."

Tara Maclay has posed:
Tara stabs the last of her chicen with a fork, nodding slowly as she does so. "that can't be anything good," she agrees quietly as she cleans her plate. "But you're here now," she finishes simply before taking a deep breath. "Okay," Tara continues with a deep breath. "We should- err, probably..." She collects all the empty dishes together neatly and hands them over to the bus boy as he stops at the table. "Get ready to go," Tara finishes in that whisper of hers.

Amethyst has posed:
"Agreed, I am stuffed." Amaya nods and looks at John curiously for a moment. Is that sympathy? She shakes her head and drains her tea, setting the glass down with a content sigh before offering the uncle and niece a smile. "That was delightful. I quite enjoy Indian."

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine leans back in his seat, also full. He works on his beer as he glances between the two girls. "I need to get in contact with the Gang first, before I bring you two in. So...this works as a first meeting, you know?" He sips his alcohol. "I'll swing by and bring you both in soon, though."

Tara Maclay has posed:
"Okay." Tara nods slowly at that and then reaches up to carefully pull her hair away from her shoulders and arrange it to fall down her fack. Then she is standing up from the table and looking between Amaya and John. A moment later there's a hundred thirty pounds (including books) of teenage girl throwing themselves at the exorcist for a tight hug. No more words. What is there to say?

Amethyst has posed:
That's Amaya's cue. "See you at the House John!" She offers and wiggles out of the booth to bail and let them family in peace. The princess shoves her hands in her pockets and starts to hustle from the restaurant.

Constantine has posed:
John Constantine is caught off-guard when he is hugged. He winces and the, after a moment, hugs the girl back. He even light pats her on the top of the head, as if unsure exactly what he should be doing. He isn't used to hugging in a non-sexual way! He doesn't have much social contact, give him a break!