bakerstreet | Get your gen texts~

( Duncan looks incredibly unimpressed, which amuses John. There’s nothing that really indicated that the ghost wasn’t who he said he was, but there was nothing wrong with making bloody sure he wasn’t set up to look any more foolish than he likely already did! Duncan repeats the words, as does John to Paul (the dearly departed needn’t John repeat the request). After John reports to Paul, he takes a swig of his drink - which begs him to ask: ) Thirsty lad?

Course yeh are, we’re in the bloody desert. ( John waves down the bartender and points to his companion. ) Bring us a drink, luv.

[Paul seems relieved that the ghost's identity is confirmed, and moves along once John offers a drink. It's not a bad idea, and it's a way to loosen the tension a little before moving business along.]

Don't mind if I say yes. Where I come from, I don't know much about the rules in your world, we don't exactly have a drinking age. So either works for me.

Something more substantial for us than the nuts wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

[Food and drink. Probably more things for people on the other side to envy.]

( Paul’s words draw John’s interest back to him. He looks over the kid and considers his age being close, or younger, to what he previously thought. What’s that got to do with the weight of a kingdom (or was it world… or was it plural, such as this world and whatever world Paul’s from - Calada---??) on the boy’s shoulders. John wasn’t one to judge what a boy got up to, least of all put in their own body - especially lads of royalty, of legend, of … What was it that Duncan said now? Albatross… no, but it had something to do with flying… Red Hawk, that’s it, that’s the bird. John’s eyes shift between the astral visage of one passed and Paul who was to be, as described, the new leader, a legend. So, did John bloody hell care what he got up to, no, he needn’t! Paul will find no protest from John, and when the tender comes and goes, it’s with orders of food and drink for the both of them. )

I think we ought to keep ourselves quiet, we’ve cleared the dead but we ‘aven’t much investigated the living. ( To Paul’s credit, the young man had come in carefully and wasn’t flashing his face about to anyone, and John? He looked just plain out of place with his trench coat, shirt, and tie. John takes out his pack of smokes, lights himself a stick, and inhales the tobacco like it’s the first breathable air he’s had all day. He looks over to the youth and offers the young man a smoke. )

Fancy one?

Don't mind if I accept.

[When in Rome, do what the Romans do. Paul nods, taking the offer. He's growing to trust Constantine - and his trust does not come easily or lightly. He's naturally wary in an environment like this, though he's better able to defend himself than he looks, and anyone who takes him for an easy mark because of his youth and features will get a nasty surprise. He hasn't grown into what he will become yet, there's still some time before that, but a young snake can bite.

Still, it always pays to be careful, especially surrounded by strangers. The following words are hushed.]

When you look the way I do, as young as I am, it has its advantages. People don't take me as seriously as they should.

( John’s impressed that Paul takes the smoke, and he leans in for the youth’s words as well as flicks his lighter, and offers Paul the flame. He couldn’t agree more: ) Ah, I know something about that. Ne’er judge a book by its cover… loads a’folk get into nasty bits of magic and silliness based off looks alone.

( John smirks. ) Needn’t worry, if I do wrong by yeh, Duncan promises to keep me from sleep till I crack.

[Paul accepts the flame, breathing it in, following John's lead and leaning a little closer. He doesn't seem bothered by the smoke.] It plays into my interests that people underestimate me. But you know better, and you had my respect from the first words for that. And I'm interested in learning new skills. Your proposal - and the arts you know - had my interest immediately.

I knew Duncan Idaho in life, and I believe both of you that he would. [A faint but sincere smile.] But that won't be necessary, I'm sure.

( John chuckles. He’s heightened by a flare of excitement from connecting with someone on this strange world that isn’t dead. He teases, both pair of ears will hear: ) He needn’t ruffle his feathers o’er me one bit, b’sides, I already cracked long ago. ( He promises, after a drag of his smoke. ) Still useful, still am. ( He also notes that it feels good to have a role in this world, something to concentrate on that isn’t the obvious worry about his predicament. There’s not a lot he can do about that, but what he can do here - well, he’s pretty interested in that as well as Paul!

There seems to be a steady atmosphere in the tavern of chatter, cutlery, and the shuffle of feet. He feels safe in the familiarity of a pub. ) Where yeh stay’n t’night?

[What could be laughter, quiet but barking, before Paul sobers again. He's already tasted stronger and stranger drugs than nicotine, so he brushes the effects off rapidly, barely affected by the smoke in his lungs.] Glad to hear he's still looking out for me. He brought you here to help. That's a favor enough.

[A sincerely meant warning:] If you're staying with me for a while, I suggest we find an alternative for a few days. The Fremen are wary of strangers, and I don't want any misunderstandings.

If you travel between here and wherever you're from...I could come with you temporarily, if the rules permit that.

( He can’t help feeling a bit nice after that appreciation. It’s so often that John faces a bit of flack for his presence, ridicule for his suggestions, or anger for his helpful demeanor - but Paul’s been nothing but pleasant to him since they’ve started, so yeah, John delights in the appreciation for a good moment. ) No misunderstandings. ( John agrees. Though, he thinks about the way he’d come about here. It seemed like he was just having another dream, he could even be convinced he went way out on his last astral projection - like, way out… but, in reality, he didn’t have the first clue how he got here, nor how to get back and take Paul with him! Perhaps Paul’s accustomed to portals, black holes, or parallel universes, the youth seems to have accepted John’s misplacement here. Of course, Duncan had filled John in about there being other inhabitable worlds besides this one - which, John had to nitpick, what it meant to be habitable. To no one’s surprise, least of all John’s, the departed had no tolerance for John’s quipping nature. )

I’m afraid you might be needing to help me first, before I do you any good. ( John can charm, can get into people’s minds, but he just needs to know where and who to do it to. ) I can ask the tender for a room, might have ‘em here, yeh think?

Help you first?

[It sounds as if the rules of interdimensional travel - such as they are - are complicated. Another thing to note down and figure out how it works later. Learning rules is important for wielding that kind of power. It's not hard to peg John as an outsider even by this universe's standards. Other timelines, places where history plays out differently, or where the universe plays by different rules. Anybody would be interested by the implications of that.]

Your plan could work, for the time being. Meals and drinks would be covered with room and board.

Ta. ( Just like that, Paul was helpful in John’s need for direction. ) I’m needing to navigate this world, culture, community, whatever, and you’re the one with information enough to help me. ( He didn’t think it was going to be a problem for Paul, smart as he was - after all, John got the assurance that the boy was environmentally clever, keeping up to date with all the information of the climate, terrain, and people gathered here. That sort of information is priceless, John’s sort of magic had a price, relatively low and not always worth the bother.

He idly wonders if Paul would have any interest in that one time John saved the whole bloody human race back in ‘88. Nah, prolly not. He chuckles and takes another drag. )

It’ll give us more privacy to talk, as well, yeah? ( This was another reach for information: did Paul know the tavern’s rooms to be safe, or were there ears to the walls? )

Edited 2021-11-18 04:47 (UTC)

So it's a matter of information. I'd like to learn a little more about where you come from, and I'll tell you what you need to know about this place. That might, if I have the rules right, strengthen whatever binding there is between your world and mine.

[Knowledge is power, and he genuinely is curious about what kind of world Constantine came from. His own guess is some time in humankind's earlier history, but that's only from contextual clues - clothes, technology. An information exchange could be a good idea to help both of them.]

The rooms should be...safe enough. I'll try and see to it that we get the best positioned ones for what we need to do. But I still suggest speaking quietly and taking care, for caution's sake.

( John softly nods, his eyes sweep the room, and he leans back for a small exhale. It’s not long till the tender comes around with their requested plates and a refill. John will take the boy’s lead, either Paul does the talking or he will - and he’s glad to know there’s something workable available to them.

Sharing stories of his world is relatively harmless, Paul sharing his own stories would be what likely draws unfriendly attention. John will first introduce the boy to music. He talks about the bands from the 70s, the 80s, and he even talks about his own beloved Mucous Membrane, they had a strong few years (as in they were able to book gigs), but that was it. They never hit it off, got big, or went anywhere, they put all their charm and luck into their single “Venus of the Hardsell” had a video out on the tube and everything, but no… it didn’t do well. John skips the details of why the band broke up, in fact, he doesn’t really delve that much into his band but instead talks about some other artists that he was fond of.

Of course, he couldn’t help but mention the Swamp Thing - there was a pile of green mush on his plate that he just assumes originated from plant life. He kept it sweet and simple: ) Got a big ol’ green guy, calls himself Swamp Thing, back home, we’re mostly on, but we got a few odds between us. Ever seen a walking, talking vegetable? Sort’a like that. A humanoid figure covered in moss, flowering buds, and the like.

Not everyone knows about him, though, not everyone knows about the magic. So happens that power on Earth comes down to money, to wealth. I imagine it’s not much different on any world.

[A tilt of the head. Swamp Thing. Sounds...distinctly alien, but John is telling the truth. If Duncan sent this man to help Paul, he trusts him to know what he's doing. He listens attentively, processing and digesting the information John gives him about his world and culture. The food is picked at, but slowly, surely disappears, washed down with the offered alcohol.]

If I ever see where you come from, I want to hear some of your music. The music here is good, but probably not what you're used to and might sound better to my ear than yours.

[A gentle warning about cultural differences. Human culture has changed a lot since John's time.]

I had money, once. That's changed. My family is a powerful one, and we made powerful enemies.

( John can’t help the big grin forming at Paul’s attention to the music. John loves music, a sure fire way to get John to open right up is to talk about music, to sing, to play, to explore music. He’s touched by the sentimental expression from Paul: that he might not be into what constitutes as music on this world, time, place, whatever. John’s eager to hear what Paul’s taste of music is, he could appreciate loads of different styles and kept an open mind. He liked to think so, anyway!

John takes another puff of his cigarette, a clump of ash falls from the burning cherry, right onto his chest, but he doesn’t mind (enough to notice, that is). His smile fades with the next concept broached between them. That’s the same ol’ tune on any world, innit? There’s nothing to smile about from Paul’s situation. )

Well, you made powerful friends too. ( John gestures to himself, including himself for the count even if he hasn’t shown Paul any power yet, he certainly means to! )

A good place to start.

[The curiosity is mutual, as well as ways to strengthen the bond between them and therefore the connection between their worlds. Paul is starting to have a better idea of how what Constantine does works, though it's still incomplete knowledge. The best way to learn is to keep asking questions. If Constantine can do this, he might be able to as well, with the right training and the proper know-how.]

For you to come here from where you come from, you must be powerful.

( John feels himself reaching out for that appreciation like a starved little babe, so eager to latch onto the warmth of the compliment and the nourishment that it does his ego. It’s not right though, it’s not in the least bit right. Paul’s a good kid, giving him something so kind to hold onto, but John’s not any bit responsible for coming out this way - least, not how he thinks Paul thinks he was.

John does suppose, however, that there’s a reason he was dragged through the wormhole as opposed to another wielder of magic. It may just be his soul was the weakest out of the bunch? John wasn’t eager to get down in the dumps about his choices derived from the instinct to survive, but his loosening grip on his morality and sometimes body may have been what done the trick! Then, perhaps, Alec might’ve come… or Richard. Ah, hell, I’m buggered to question! )

I don’t know if yeh’d like it on Earth, but I’d wager you’d like it more there than where we’re at now!

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<font face="courier"<small>[Maybe Paul sees a flicker of Gurney somewhere in Constantine, or maybe he's impressed that Duncan managed to call such a powerful ally here from the grave, all the way to an alien world and an alien time. That's strong magic, whatever happened, and strong magic is something that he can learn to wield, too. This man can call ghosts to his side and cross the depths of time and space themselves. That deserves respect.]</small>

There's a lot for us to learn about each other on both sides. I look forward to it.

( An easy smile spreads again on John’s face. Paul’s a curious one, and John just likes enough the sound of his own voice that he doesn’t mind offering the other just what he’s looking for. Information to feed the insatiable beast of curiosity, there are worse afflictions to be starving from, that’s for sure, and he’s glad to not be up against Mnemoth. Although, the thought of a sandworm as large as the royal palace is enough to give him second thoughts on going out of the protective waves of safety. He hasn’t quite got the confidence to persuade the worm elsewhere, should it burrow up from beneath his feet. “They know, they can feel you.”-- something like that came from Duncan, who taught John to stumble, hop, and sweat until he managed to find this tavern.

John gives the surrounding a glance before he suggests: ) If yeh finished, we can go someplace private, talk more freely.

Next time you visit, bring me some music from your world. I'll tell you what my favorites are.

[Earth won't be as immediately dangerous an environment as Arrakis, Paul's sure, but it probably has its own variety of dangers. That, and it'll be a challenge to blend into a strange culture and a strange time. But part of him relishes the challenge. He looks over the empty plates and mug, gently patting his stomach to let John know he's had his fill.]

Yes, I'm done - we can move if you think it's time.

( John takes the lead in the transition, from one room to the hall, to a set of endless doors. They journey, just the two of them, following the word of the bartender as to where about their room is. He’s glad there are ample rooms, and hopes for a comfortable suite with accommodations for the weary traveler. Once inside, they’ll find a dustless room (which, in all honesty, impresses John first and foremost as they’re on a planet covered in sand), with a comfortable bed, couch, table, and washroom. It’s dimly lit, warm, and comfortable enough, there are items and stations within the room that John isn’t familiar with and is likely standard in any Arrakis home. Perhaps Paul will clue him in on some of the unfamiliar.

John takes his coat off and tosses it onto the couch. First thing’s first, he inspects the washroom and finds a basin-like sink with - (because why not) plumbing and a bathtub. He wonders how they keep the sand from clogging up the plumbing, but the curious thought dissipates as soon as he walks back out into their room. He looks to Paul and gestures around them. )

Will this work?

Edited 2021-11-21 09:22 (UTC)

Get your gen texts~

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