7221/Age of Despair: Confessions and Plans

Age of Despair: Confessions and Plans
Date of Scene:	13 April 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	John and Willow talk about the state of Superman and Willow's visit from the Nightmare Nurse. John lies to save Willow but fills her with doubt instead.
Cast of Characters:	Constantine, Willow Rosenberg
Tinyplot:	Age of Despair

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Constantine has posed:
John Constantine is in his library, not something that really fits with the man's image, dedicated study, no, John gives off the illusion of just conning his way into magic knowledge through, and that's part way true, the rest? Well that's like getting to Carnagie Hall, practice, practice practice and witha good deal of study before it.

So John sits at one of the round tables that form a line down the center of the main floor a lamp burning at its center, while John flips through the pages of some hoary tome of arcane knowledge.

"Bah," he says slamming the book closed and reaching for the mostly empty bottle of whiskey beside it. "Bloody Sumerian..." he grouses. "Always makes my eyes go sideways."

He's alone in the sprawling and eldrich mansion that is the House of Mystery, but he'd given Willow a key, which when taken in hand summons the House's door with a thought and he left a trail of taped up index cards to point the Library should she come for a little research of her own.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Meanwhile, Willow had not only not slept a wink since the night before, she'd been wandering about her apartment (Thankfully Buffy was gone!) muttering to herself, debating whether or not to use the key. Not only did she really not know if it worked, but did she really want to go there and confess to John?

Even if she knew she had to, and really, ultimately, she'd not done anything wrong... She'd just thought about it.

Then again, that was also what she had to confess to John, or so she thought, because what if it really was the solution? What if that really was the way to fix Superman? Didn't they all owe it to the world to do what they could, and didn't that mean her, too?

Of course, a small niggle said in the back of her head, she might just be convincing herself of the very tempting choice..

Come morning, long before someone like John is usually up, Willow bites the bullet and takes the key in hand, looking to visit the House of Mystery. After all, if he's not awake, she could honestly say she tried, right? Right?!? Plus there was that library..

Constantine has posed:
John knocks back some whiskey makes a face and sets the bottle down. "Bugger this, I need a cuppa'," he says getitng up from the table and wandering out of the library down the hall to the kitchen. Despite the gothic look of the rest of the place, the kitchen looks exactly like the one in his old flat in London, small, slightly dingy, with cracks in the tile floor. Despite all that, it had a vaguely homey feeling, at least to John, enough that John is whistling as he puts the kettle on and sorts through his bags of tea trying to decide what might be best to carry him on to hours more of studying.

He was about to settle on English breakfast tea when he hears the front door opening. "Bloody hell, really? Visitors now?' he asks the house forgetting for the moment that he;'d given Willow that key.

Storming out of the kitchen John shouts, "Oi, no visitors today, I'm busy, sod off."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
There's a guilty little startle of a slam of the door as Willow's attempt to sneak in and justifiably claim that John wasn't disposed to visitors is squashed. That, and he surprised her. Of course, now what does she do?

"Darn and fiddlesticks," she curses on the front step. "Why couldn't the key take me right to the library?"

And, of course his place wasn't anywhere near a bus stop - wait, did the key work both ways? Did it? She couldn't remember?

Constantine has posed:
Spotting who his visitor is, John blinks, oh right, the key! He'd given her a key didn't he.

"Not you," John clarifies. "The House sometimes brings me guests whether I want them or not..." but the door has been slammed closed.

"Bloody hell," John grouses and marches over to the door to yank it open. "Not you," he starts again. "You can visit, the house sometimes snatches up people it thinks I need to talk to, it's a bloody nuisance. Anyhow you, you I wanted to talk to, come in I'm making a cuppa."

He turns and starts marching back to the kitchen. "Need your help with the research."

As it happened the key was a one way deal, though after some effort John had worked out a pathway between the House and Willow and Buffy's apartment to get her back without cab fair, it was through a broom closet off the sitting room, a little critique on the House's part at the size of Willow and Buffy's apartment.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Once again, Willow startles as the door is thrown open and she's caught standing on the doorstep trying to figure out a way home (also cursing, even if it is Willow-style cursing). "oh," she says in a small voice. "I guess I was kinda hoping you did mean me."

Even if he had given her a key. And even if she really couldn't put off talking to him any longer - well, not much longer at any rate.

"Wait, your house just invites people over? Isn't that kind of rude?" To her mind it was a little like being haunted, or you know, having ghosts and demons just show up whenever they pleased. Really annoying. "Can't you make it stop?" He knew how to ward, didn't he?

Constantine has posed:
John frowns and tilts his head. "Hoped I meant you?" he asks. "What'd you do now?" it was the logical conclusion, for a Jewish Wiccan, the girl carried guilt like a Catholic.

Not that the question stops him from heading back to his dingy little kitchen to rescue the kettle, it was whistling away and ready to be poured into the pot.

"An' yeah, part of the deal, can't do a thing about it, they're never dangerous guests, but they can be annoying especially since the House doesn't seem to know what /hungover/ means," his eyes turn towards the ceiling, his way of talking to the House. "Best I can do is keep 'em out of my part of the House, well, except for Dream, but he's a bloody Endless, not much I can do about him either."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Nothing.." Willow prevaricates, thinking 'yet'. Which was nothing more than true. "But I should probaly talk to you about a couple of things."

Now that she was here, there was no sense avoiding this discussion, the petite red-headed witch padding after him as he goes to rescue the kettle from singing itself to death in the kitchen. "You actually have a whistle kettle. I thought only my grandmother had one of those."

Willow both looks and sounds pleased by the oddity of the thing in this otherwise technologically forward century. "Could I have some tea too? And gosh, that sounds really not fun at all, other than maybe you shouldn't drink so much. I mean, you said your house invited people it thought you should speak to, maybe it's trying to tell you that, too."

Sound logic. If you bought into a sentient house.

Constantine has posed:
"Nothing, eh?" John says shaking his head. "Likely story."

"And oi, I'm nobody's bloody grandma," he grouses good naturedly as he goes and gets his old school kettle off the burner. "I'm just British."

John fills the teapot and puts a tea bag in, then at Willow's request gets down two cups for tea. They're good china and floral patterned, which pokes further holes in his 'not a grandma' story. Not that he notices.

"Not the first or last to say that about the drinkin'" he remarks. "An' tried that too, didn't take, the talking to her, she figures it's all fate of the world stuff."

So far she'd only been right there a couple of times, but then the House was Immortal so who knew just how these chance meetings would play out in the long run.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow grins. "My grandmother would be feeding you right now. Knishes and Kugel. Chicken soup with Matzoh balls." Wisely, she doesn't say anything about the cups, but she is giggling inside. Very much so.

"I guess?" Willow ponders about the drinking and the house. "I don't really understand your house all the much, but I suppose it's kind of like portals that have all come together and decided to be a person or something. You probably shouldn't drink so much, though. It's going to kill you, you know that, right?" Not to mention the smoking. And the women. Or the types of magic he tended towards.

"I didn't do anything.. well, okay, I did a thing, but I didn't do a bad thing... Yet." He'd get it out of her eventually. She may as well come clean. AFter all, she couldn't help Superman unless she did. A typical CAtch-22 .

Constantine has posed:
"Sounds like a good lady your gran," John says as he leans against the counter letting the tea steep some. "Mine was like that too, always trying to stuff our faces, liked my sister better, but she still made sure my pockets were full of sweets when I left her flat." There is something of a fond smile at the memory.

"An' yeah that's pretty close to the truth of it," he says of her assessment of the House. "More like the House is something like a major fault line between a whole bunch of dimensions and they're all rubbin' together, pieces of them sliding in and out of the house seemingly at random. Thas' why the House is never the same twice, save for this part her," he stomps down on the floor of his living quarters. "First owner figured that much out, the rest just sort of passed it on."

He skips the part about his habits, pushing on to, "So what happened then? Might as well tell me the whole story. Can't help if I've don't got all the facts."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
John's explanation of things seems to do it for Willow, who stops pestering him with questions about the matter of the house past, "Why haven't you looked into how to make more areas permanent, then?" More idle curiousity than concern.

As the tea steeps, she gathers her thoughts on how to continue the conversation. "I went back to visit Superman, because they'd tried everything else. I guess I should have waited maybe for you, but while I was dispelling the ooogy feeling in the air, I dispelled something else and he wasn't alone. I don't know how they got in, though. I thought we'd closed those holes up and warded them."

Her brow furrows in concern, even if there were many reasons how it could have happened, including the fact that if Superman himself was the focal point of popping in and out they could ward against it, but it became exceedingly harder to do, and not a guaranteed thing even so.

Constantine has posed:
"What am I? Magical Bob Vila?" John asks off the suggestion of home improvement. "Or what's his name the guy who grunted all the time? Was in Toy Story." Yeah, those reference date John, hell they carbon date him, but there they are cementing his reputation as John Constantine Warlock Grandma.

John listens though, frowning, "Who was there, Willow? The Enchantress?" he asks, worry showing through in his tone, he thought they'd patched the holes too. "An' what happened then?" he asks as he leans towards her looking her over with his Sight.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow just looks lost and confused at the ancient pop culture references. "Uh.. yeah. Sure." Because if it made him happy, she was all for nodding and agreeing. "I don't know. I guess if I lived in a house I'd like to know more of it wasn't just going to go away the next time I turned around."

Her head is tilted consideringly at him, "You don't really like yourself much, do you?" Because so many of the things about John were beginning to add up to that, including the fact that he seemed to be content to haunt a few solid rooms in an every changing house when there were possible and probable solutions.

Who was there, indeed. There's a shake of head from the little witch. "Nooo. I thought it might be her again. Well, no, that's not true either. I thought it was someone working with her, and /then/ I thought maybe it was her possessing someone. Instead it was her brother, Incubus, in another person's body - they knew you, actually. Said you'd made a decent choice for once in your life."

Surprisingly, Willow looks pleased with herself as she says that.

Constantine has posed:
"Nah, doesn't work that way," John says. "House isn't just going to vanish one day, she an' I are bonded at the soul, part of me willingly taking the deed I won, it's like a devil's bargain, not easy to break, though one day or another I'll meet the person who's supposed to have the deed next and the house will be yours, jus' the way it is. 'sides wouldn't be the House of Mystery if I knew all of her secrets," he says fondly patting the counter.

"What? Nah, like myself fine," John lies with the ring of truth to his words. "Though just for that you can pour the tea," he says trying to pass it all off with a joke.

John listens to the rest, "Bloody hell, now it's a family affair," he says of Incubus joining his sister in the magical fun. "Really should play him some of the band he shares his name with's music, might get him to question his life choices," he jokes dryly and without much feeling. As for who's body... what Willow had said left a lot of choices, "Who was it? Did they give you a name?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Sure you do," Willow nods agreeably, even if she doesn't believe him. She's not really invested in convincing John otherwise. That is until her brain catches up with what he says, "Wait, until the house will be mine? You don't actually mean me, do you?"

Willow isn't sure if she's excited or horrified by that thought.

"I guess it's a family affair? He said they were trying to get back together, and then we'd never stop them. Only if I joined them, they'd tell me how I could save Superman. I don't know, John. Everyone has tried everything else. What if that really is the way? What if I just pretended to be on their side and got the answer for us. Aren't we supposed to do everything we can to save him?"

Because even if Superman wasn't the only powered person going, he was so iconic that everyone seemed to look up to him as a measure of how safe and well the world was doing. If Superman fell, deep in Willow's heart, she believed humanity would fall too.

She's about to say more when John asks about the woman's name. "Oh, her? She said her name was Nightmare Nurse. Superman broke her hand. I don't know what happened to her after that."

Constantine has posed:
John blinks; did he say 'yours', bloody hell he did too. "Slip of the tongue, not sure who's going to get it, so got as good a chance of being next as anyone," he says.

The other gets considered, "No," he says of it being the only way. "Better to let him die than go over with that lot, Big Blue'd say the same himself, I bet. Wouldn't want anyone damning their soul just to get him back on their feet, an' that's what you'd be doing, damning yourself."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he says, "Promise me Willow, you're not going to give in to that lot," he says. While he does his index finger sketches a sigil on her shoulder while his pinky sketches the same mark on his palm. A little monitoring charm, to warn him when danger is near to his apprentice. He tries to be subtle with the working, but it might well be detectable.

Regardless it's a short term measure, lasting for one whole day, time enough for him to put a more permanent spell in place.

"Nightmare Nurse?" he asks, frowning. "Oh, Asa what have you gotten yourself into now," he shakes his head mournfully. "She free of the possession when she left?" he asks.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow listens patiently before pointing out that the tea is likely done steeping. "It will get really bitter. Don't squeeze the bags, either. My grandmother would slap the back of your hands." All before a well known red trait pops up and the girl's back straightens and she puffs up a bit, "You don't get to decide for me. You or him, or Red, or anyone. I don't think it's okay if he dies. I don't think its okay for anyone. He's important, John. Everyone looks up to him for hope. If he dies, then we lose something big. Something everyone can see and know it's going to be alright. If I do this, I can be part of that. I can make it better for everyone. Sometimes you gotta do the hard thing, or sacrifice yourself."

AFter all, wasn't that what the Slayer creed was all about? Knowing you'd die in the service of others? Willow didn't see this as very much different.

"I don't want to promise.." Willow begins when John starts drawing the sigil. "Hey! Stop that. What are you doing?" Only she's got a *really* good idea of what he's doing. "You can't just do that to me without my permission. How is that bettter than what she's doing?"

Okay, maybe a tad histrionic and idealistic, but she may have a point.

"She was fine. He'd left her," Willow's answer comes petulantly. "Superman had already crushed her hand then." Willow doesn't share /why/ he had. That would only help John's case.

Constantine has posed:
John nods about the tea. "I'm British, don't you think I know that," he complains before Willow gets all self-sacrafic-y.

He lets out a breath. "Doesn't help to sacrifice yourself if all you do is become another bad thing, a counter to all that hope Big Blue would be spreading, 'sides how hopeful do you think he'd be if he knew you damned yourself for him, eh? You be happy with that if your mate Xander turned himself into a vampire for you? Or Giles? Same bloody thing, I get you want to help but sometimes, there's nothing you can do."

It's why he carried a gun in his exorcism bag. Sometimes the bullet was the kinder solution.

He sighs about the spell. "Just a percaution, a warning in case you got into any trouble."

The news about Asa though, that gets a sigh of relief. "Well that's something at least, she can mend that hand of hers easy enough."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Oh, I already thought of that," Willow says with a much too happy smile about the matter. "See, he can easily take me out, so we'd all get him back and you'd not have me as a problem. I mean, okay, so it would be maybe not so nice to be dead, but that's what it's all about. He'd die for people. This isn't any different."

Not that she's happy with the sigil. "You still should have asked before you did that," Willow complains, rubbing a hand along where the mark was made. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem right." Looking over, "And who is Asa? If it's that lady, how does she know you? She was, I don't know, kinda like she thought I was cute and funny, and maybe there was a joke behind it." Certainly the sort of joke Willow didn't make or likely get, having to do with observations about John's usual choice of woman.

Constantine has posed:
"You sure about that?" John says of Superman easily taking Willow out of the picture once she's turned. "You've got a lot of power locked up in there," he says. "Power that an eviil you wouldn't be afraid to use. Given how Enchantress did a number on Supes already, adding you to her and her brother, not something I am sure Big Blue can manage, even with the other two supers with him."

Now there was a revelation.

"'Fair nuff," John says about the sigil, eager to push the whole matter off.

"Asa's her name, the Nightmare Nurse..." there's a pause. "We used to date. Well if you could call it dating," he says with a bit of a fond and distant expression as if recalling exactly what they'd gotten up to. "Bet she thought we were together," he says with a dismissive shake of his head. "Or wanted you to think that she did."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Ewww, I did not need to know you did that with her," Willow says making the same face she'd made when Asa had suggested she was John's girl. "Just.. ew. No."

Despite her protests to the contrary about whether or not it was a good idea, she does listen to him though. "But I wouldn't really be joining them. That's the part. I'd just be pretending long enough to get the solution."

Of course she's not really aware of the Superman's vulnerabilities to magics. And she's not really thought what failsafes the others might have put in place. What she has thought about, though, has her asking, "Why do they want me anyway?"

Constantine has posed:
John chuckles at Willow's disgust. "What? It happens," he says with a grin.

Though he is more thna happy to leave it there and move on to the rest.

"Dunno, guess they see that power in you and want it for their own, maybe something els.e That sort, they like to mess with people's heads. It's like getting a pint and watching footie to them. Just a fun afternoon. Though that they tried twice now, that's... troubling. Might want to stay close for a bit, not miss your classes and what not, but keep that key handy, and if you sense any trouble use it right away."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Well, that certainly wasn't the answer Willow wanted to hear. She'd been entertaining some small hope that maybe she did have the potential to be *powerful*, that maybe that's why they were courting her, but when he says maybe they're just messing with her head, that sounds ever so much more likely to her. Sure, she wasn't a slouch, but that powerful that they'd be interested in /her/?

It made a whole lot more sense now.

"Sure," Willow says quietly, and more than a little defeated. "I think Red and Kara want you to check me for being possessed again. And then I said we'd try to find a way to see if Superman was, or how to break the spell on him. If you don't mind, I think I"ll take my tea and just go sit in the library."

Constantine has posed:
John nods pouring the tea.

"Sorry for the bad news, luv, but yeah, better to hear the truth than just 'ave me blow smoke up it," he says.

"An' sure, can give you another check, and then maybe we ought to head up to the 'tower and see what's going on with Big Blue. Give him another look, see if we can get a way to wake him up."

He slides Willow's tea over to her, in one of those granny cups.