bakerstreet | Denny's

Do you tend always get annoyed when someone asks you a question?

[ it was easy to see the irritation spark when he'd asked and he'd waited for a sharp retort and while her tone is certainly razor edged, it's informative enough. ]

I don't think Lucifer would take such a full on approach, really. It would be messy and difficult to coordinate. But no, I probably couldn't handle every single one of them.

[ he leans forward. ]

But I also don't think you and I could handle that. You're talented and you're strong but we are talking about the literal hordes of Hell.

Only when I feel as though I'm being undersold.

[ that hot spike of annoyance dissipates, though, when he pokes a hole in her admittedly-flawed argument, following it up with praise and acknowledgement instead. he does know how to appeal to her ego.

he's still reluctant, she can sense it, but it's not because he thinks her incapable, and johanna presses on in spite of it. ]

Even if it's not the entire horde at once, it will be many. Whatever Lucifer is planning, it will most certainly involve bringing demons into the waking world, I can guarantee you that much. They're always wont to extend that realm's borders — it's why I'm still in business.

And they'll use humans, to get to you. To get under your skin.

And that's my fault for allowing humans close enough that Lucifer can use them to get under my skin.

[ it's not a complaint. but he knows that if he'd kept himself separate from the waking world and merely stayed in the dreaming, watching over those who slept, this probably would not be happening.

he sighs, looking down at the mug. there's a crack in it and he traces it with a finger. ]

It could be years before Lucifer brings this plain to fruition so there's little to be done about it now besides waiting and knowing that it's coming. I trust if you run into a demon, you'd let me know.

[ because they seemed to run into each other quite often these days. he doesn't know if that's coincidence or his own doing. he doesn't think about it too much. ]

Besides, Lucifer isn't my only issue. I can't just focus there.

[ she'd meant it in a more abstract sense, that his general protectiveness toward humanity could be exploited by demons targeting random innocent victims, but his quick-fired response leaves her wondering.

the rest of what he says aside, she's unable to focus on anything else in the moment aside from the idea that he might meet with other mortals like this, as he does with her — confiding in them, sharing information, plans, secrets.

(consolation; comfort.)

she sits forward again to regard him across the table, trying to keep her expression blank — and devoid of any evidence of the bitter sting of jealousy, either in her eyes or in her voice — but some of it might bleed through regardless, despite her best intentions. ]

There's that many of us that you've let get that close, then? That they'd be used against you.

[ unexpected.

he thought she'd latch onto his talk of other things that might be on his horizon but she surprises him. she might try and keep the jealousy out of her voice but he still hears it, just there, edging her words. the only reason he picks up on it is that he is who he is and he's come to know her moods. ]

Why does it matter who I keep company with? I would assume that I'm not the only person that you see on a semi regular basis?

[ not that speaks of very many people just as he doesn't. he'll occasionally mention his family and lucienne but those are all people from his realm, his family. she wants to know if he has other humans that he likes to be around. ]

Are you asking if there's anyone else on the same level as you, Constantine?

[ perhaps that's exactly what she wishes to ask, but she won't.

evasively: ]

...That's not it. And it doesn't matter, forget that I asked.

[ she slides back against the seat again, the misstep she's just made sitting like a rock in her stomach as she berates herself for letting something so foolish slip. she covers it, as she always does, with talking shop. ]

What else could be more pressing than Hell plotting against you?

[ he is not going to be forgetting that she asked at anytime soon. he just stares at her without blinking, trying to gauge exactly what she'd meant by that before he sits back and looks away. ]

Family matters.

[ he knows that desire, for better or worse, wasn't going to just let their meeting be the end of it. his brother had gone to great lengths to try and get under his skin and take him down.

it won't end with this. ]

Sibling rivalry. Just...messy business. I'm sure I'll be dealing with that too.

[ now it's her turn to blink quizzically — perplexed not only from drawing on her recollection of his family, but the fact that there's dissent, discord, among his kind.

...fuck, that doesn't bode well for anyone, she imagines, since she knows from the stories her gran had shared that not all endless considered humanity's best interests worth protecting at all costs.

not like this one seated in the booth across from her does, despite the fact that he may still harbor some resentment for his captivity. ]

...You're feuding, with other Endless? — Why?

I don't know if I'd call it a feud, exactly. But, we're like other siblings, sometimes we don't get along. And Desire has some kind of issue with me.

[ why, he can't really explain but it exists and it's apparently existed for quite some time. ]

But, I would like to hope that he knows better than to not move against me again. I let it happen before, I won't be so kind to him. Then again, he is...him so I'm sure he'll do something.

[ they bickered like siblings but it wasn't over things like using each other's items or not showing up for holidays. no, it was like creating dream vortexes and having children with mortals. normal stuff. ]

[ like siblings, he says. but the irony is that, unlike most human siblings, these beings are bequeathed with excessive amounts of power.

the lord of dreams may or may not be the strongest, among them — she's only met him and not his myriad of brothers and sisters, such as death, destruction, or desire — but if morpheus alone is powerful enough to combat lucifer in a test of magic, a former angel reputed to be second in strength only to god, there's no telling how strong the entirety of the endless are.

for good reason, overpowered siblings having a row with one another sounds rather ominous to her ears. johanna leans forward again, elbows on the table in front of her plate. ]

What did he do? You said he'd moved against you, and you seem convinced he's not done doing so.

Hm.

[ he's definitely not convinced it's the end. desire wouldn't just let things lie especially after how dream had left things. he shrugs a shoulder. ]

You don't sleep much so I don't know if you would have noticed the dreaming and the waking world...experiencing some issues a little while ago.

[ maybe fortunate on her part. but, if she had started sleeping and experienced something vivid and real, well, he hopes that she avoided it. ]

[ her sleep has been fitful and minimal as of late, and she considers how he knows that — only to realize, it's most likely the absence of her presence in the dreaming realm.

been looking for me then, morpheus? she wonders.

but her curiosity about that is short-lived, when he goes on to mention conflict between the waking and dreaming worlds, and her confusion deepens a bit. ]

Gran said Desire is the manifestation of humanity's wants, cravings; no direct power over dreams, though — only suggestion. What does Desire have to do with disruptions between the Dreaming and the physical realms?

Edited 2022-08-24 21:29 (UTC)

That's not incorrect.

[ her grandmother was a smart woman and knew what she was speaking of when it came to the endless. ]

But Desire decided that it would be prudent to have a child with a woman who was supposed to be a dream vortex in the hopes that the vortex would pass down to her descendent. And it did and she nearly destroyed everything.

[ it was only through unity's sacrifice that he hadn't had to kill rose walker, instead sending her off to be with her brother. an ending she deserved. ]

[ ...what the fuck.

there's so much to unpack with this, and her mouth moves for a couple of heartbeats before she can form words around it. ]

...I had no idea that the Endless could have children, much less with mortals.

[ ...all of that 'dream vortex' talk, and this is what she came away from his explanation with. ]

It's not exactly something we do often but we can do it.

[ and desire had. he's quiet for a few moments, looking down at the chipped mug in front of him. ]

I didn't know he'd done it until recently but it makes sense now that I think about it. We spoke about it and I would like to think the matter ended.

[ he smiles thinly. ]

I know better though.

[ she doesn't entirely know what to make of this situation — it sounds as though the 'vortex' threat has been dealt with accordingly, but this sibling rivalry he's speaking of sounds nowhere near over.

and it's concerning on many levels, not necessarily just for humanity in general. she's still leaned forward over the table, and now her voice grows more hushed. ]

Could any of the Endless directly hurt one another? Or worse?

[ she doesn't even want to entertain this thought, but: ] Could you even be killed?

There are ways.

[ he remembers vividly how he'd bled when the two worlds had come dangerously close to crashing into one another, to everything being destroyed. he even gives his hand a shake and then sighs, sits back. ]

But there are some things worse than death.

[ like imprisonment for years upon years. he sits up a little straighter, fixing her with a long, unblinking look. ]

But don't worry, I don't plan on going anywhere for awhile. Desire won't do anything so quickly and my other siblings and I are on fairly good terms.

You tell me of your adventures in Hell, battling Lucifer, and then that some of the most powerful beings in existence are busy starting petty fights with one another, and that you can possibly be killed — and then in the same breath, you tell me not to worry.

[ she gives him a short, breathy laugh and a slightly-amused, mostly-concerned headshake, and then looks down to regard her plate as an excuse to avert her eyes and collect her thoughts, reaching with an index finger to absently draw a circle in the mess of whipped cream before popping it into her mouth.

her brows lift as she glances back up at him, hands folded again on the table in front of her. she's caught the other nuances of things he hasn't said, such as that slight flick of his hand, and that long look after mentioning his imprisonment. so much more left unsaid. ]

You're definitely making up for lost time, aren't you.

I'm trying to.

[ because his realm needed it and those that lived there needed his attention. it had taken some time to really understand that but he thinks he does now. he passes a hand over his face and sits back, shrugging. ]

A hundred years isn't so long in the life of an Endless but it's still long enough that there was a lot of damage to the Dreaming. I'm still rebuilding it in spots, trying to bring those that left back. It's a process.

[ one that might take a century to completely fix. ]

But I will do it.

[ the sarcasm in her expression, that bravado she uses to cover nearly everything she says so that she sounds detached, unaffected, drops again like a veneer when he sits back in his seat looking overwhelmed.

she studies him for a long, breathless moment, her gaze unwavering. ]

...Let me help you.

[ there's a new earnestness to her words. ] You can't do all of it alone.

You have a job of your own and this is too dangerous.

[ as it is, if someone finds that he's been speaking with her on a fairly regular basis, it would put a target on her back that he would not be able to shield her from. he has too many enemies and too many people who would like to see him imprisoned once more. ]

You can't help. It's beyond your scope.

— It's not.

[ her retort is quick, sharp and a little wounded, like the expression in her eyes. ]

That's rubbish — you know it's not beyond my scope, as a magic user, like you know very well that I face dangerous situations on a near-nightly basis.

[ and whether he's saying these things because he doesn't want her around, or he doesn't trust her, or for some other reason — whatever it is, it stings, even if it shouldn't. ]

...You said I wasn't like Roderick Burgess.

[ and she'd wanted more than anything to believe him. ]

And I stand by that. You haven't kept me in a cage in a basement as far as I'm aware.

[ and he's glad of that. he has no wish to return to a state like that. he doesn't think he could withstand it once again. once was...too much. endless or not, he cannot do that again.

he rubs a hand across his face as he considers her words, her offer. she's intelligent and strong, capable of many things but he doesn't want to put a mortal in front of lucifer, in front of other other endless. it wouldn't be fair to her. ]

What you face, though, is entirely different than what I'm speaking about. You cannot use what you can do to vanquish Lucifer or one of my siblings. It would only be putting you in danger.

That's not what I meant, and you know it.

[ she'd of course never seek to imprison him, never try to take his power from him. not only because of what he'd done for rachel, giving her a merciful death, but because she doesn't seek to do that to anyone, mortal or otherwise, unless they abuse it.

but what she's meant by bringing his comment up should be obvious, and the fact that he's being deliberately obtuse about it mystifies her.

her features are hardened, brows lowered. ]

It may be different, and more dangerous. I know going toe-to-toe with Lucifer is more your wheelhouse, than mine.

But if you insist on denying my help in any way, shape or form, then I want you to tell me who it is that has your back in all of this mess.

[ dream's met a lot of mortals over the course of his life but she honestly might be one of the most stubborn, bullheaded people that he's known. it shouldn't surprise him, not when he's known her family for quite some time but still.

it would be impressive if she weren't aiming that stubbornness squarely at him. ]

My other siblings.

[ and while that might be true in whatever happens within his family, he doesn't think he would ask destiny or death to stand with him when it comes to lucifer. that isn't their fight and he doesn't want to put them in the middle of it. ]

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