The surprised… I want to say 'cultist', but this might actually be an unusual but accepted part of Hinduism for all I know, so… 'Ritualist', loses hold of his goat, which writhes in his grasp, smacking him with its horns before freeing itself and making a break for it.
"-license to butcher that goat?"
I picture it butting him in the crotch, for added hilarity.
Unlikely, but
amusing.
The ritualist takes a moment to take stock of the situation, then straightens himself up and brushes some of the goat hair off his robes.
"I do, actually. So-."
He's remarkably
calm about getting caught in what no doubt looks like a satanic ritual.
"Doesn't look stunned to me." I look around the… Rented business unit? Reminds me a little of the place John set up that withering spell to try and weaken Nabu. "And this doesn't look like a licensed premises."
"I've got a religious exemption."
I rather think splashing about a few pints of goat's blood would waive your security and cleaning deposit, if nothing else.
"No you don't. If nothing else, because those stopped existing the moment Doctor Balewa finished explaining to the Select Committee how ritual sacrifice could be used to power certain types of spell." I drop to the floor. "Now, de facto, I'm not sure how well that law has actually been enforced, but in this instance I would respectfully suggest that now is the time to fold."
"Right, fine." He pushes back his hood, revealing a face covered in ritual face paint. "What do you want?"
Or, to use a classic British line: 'You're nicked, mate.' I'm sure OL will be willing to overlook this if you're
helpful.
"I'm trying to find John Constantine. Unfortunately, I've been getting nowhere."
He frowns, paint flaking slightly as his brow furrows. "Though you and him were pretty close."
Not that close. You clearly know what happens to John's
friends.
"You know how that goes with John. I take it you haven't seen him?"
"Not since just after that thing with that Lich."
...In other words, after he'd been slapped with the mantles of both Klarion
and Nabu. Bet he was a little bit
twitchy.
"'After'?"
"Yeah… He.. just sort of turned up in my flat. Like he does, you know?" I nod. "Asked me about a couple of rituals… Don't know why he bothered if he can just talk to the Atlanteans about it."
There are some places the Atlanteans won't go, and things they won't or
can't do...
"Most likely because the Atlanteans study magic scientifically, building their understanding in a gradual, controlled way. There are any number of rituals and evocations they don't know about and probably wouldn't try."
"Uh." He nods, actually looking a little pleased.
Like, say,
whatever you were planning with that goat. Pretty sure they have
opinions about blood sacrifice.
"What?"
"Well, with the those Dolmen Gates and.. things, people like me… People have been trying to set up… Professional standards and that. But no one gets that we can't do that stuff." He shrugs a little self-consciously. "Just nice to hear there's stuff we can do that they can't, too."
Give them time, they'll work
something out.
"Not to… Harsh your mellow, but… They're magical scientists. They'll get it eventually, and then they'll be better at it because they'll understand how it all works. Particularly if they can study other people doing it so they've got somewhere to start."
"And they pay for that?"
...That would be an interesting thing to list on a resumé.
"Um. Probably? I'm not sure if they've got a system for hiring locals, and… Atlantis doesn't exactly have large reserves of foreign currency, but I can introduce you if you want?"
He nods. "Sounds good."
I'm sure he wouldn't mind being paid in gold. Let's hope he has a decent water-breathing spell in his books somewhere.
"But going back to John..?"
"Oh yeah, he wanted to know this spell… Okay, you know how the soul goes through multiple cycles of life, death and rebirth?"
Well, in
some faiths, anyway.
"I'm Lord Hades's marriage counsellor."
He frowns. "Who?"
...Uneducated
lout...
Honestly, no appreciation for the Classics.
"Ancient Greek God of the Dead."
"Oh. Do Greeks have samsara?"
Not quite... Though I wonder if more of his subjects would elect to give it a
try these days.
"No, reincarnation is voluntary and random, and it's more… Because you're bored of the underworld than any sort of journey of spiritual discovery. But I'm familiar with the idea."
"Right, well, the soul retains… Development between incarnations, but it doesn't keep most of the memories. There's some leakage, but mostly… The new incarnation is a new person. That's the whole point; you can't learn if you're constantly doing the same things."
A pity most people can't manage it.
"Alright."
"But it's hackable."
Oh, is
that what he is? The mystical equivalent of a script kiddie?
"Reincarnation is hackable?"
"You can't change-. You can't reliably change where you reincarnate." He shifts awkwardly. "I mean, I've read scrolls which say you can, but the system picks up on it and makes your next life miserable, and there's no point because you don't remember it anyway."
Sounds like a good reason
not to try and mess with it.
"Karma's a bitch."
"No, it sounds fair to me." He shrugs. "But it's not just that. Because the soul does retain development, the memories of all your past lives have to be encoded in it, right?"
I would presume so. Significant bits, at least. And probably not the things
we'd consider significant, like marriage, children and the like.
"Not all of them, but… Yes? That's where past life memories come from."
"But it encodes more than people remember. There's rituals you can use to get more access. Even talk to your own past incarnations, if you want."
Sort of like cracking into a secure file in your operating system.
"And that's what John asked about?"
"Yeah." He shrugs. "That was the main thing. We were talking for a while, and I don't remember… It was mostly about that."
Why do I not doubt that he left a little treat for the guy to 'encourage' him to forget or at least misremember things?
John's past incarnations? I don't remember anything about that in the comics. Sure, there were other Constantines, and other synchronicity wave travellers… This is more than I've gotten from anyone else.
"Do you remember anything else about his visit?"
How peculiar. I wonder where he was going with it?
"He had a Tesco bag that glowed the whole time."
"What colour?"
A shopping bag? No class at all. Use a
briefcase, at least.
"White, with blue and red-."
"The glow, not the bag."
Though I find it amusing that he felt the need to lug the Helmet of Nabu in a plastic bag, like the day's shopping.
"Gold."
I nod. "Did he say where he was going?"
Evidently Order wasn't to his taste, then. As we know, since he fobbed it off on John Quinn.
"No. Didn't even say goodbye, I just turned around and he wasn't there anymore."
"Mind if some colleagues of mine take a look at your apartment? We're really quite eager to make sure that john's alright."
...I suppose with all that power, it makes it a lot easier for him to pull a Bat-disappearing-act on someone.
"Sure." He shrugs. "Sure, no problem. Ah, about those Atlanteans?"
"Do you have time now?"
Not a wise idea to refuse someone with as much power as OL has, I suppose.
He glances in the direction the goat fled in. It's gone.
"Might as well."
Yeah, I'd say any plans you had for the evening have fallen through by now.
