He's been attending church a little more regularly recently.
Chantinelle is doing the metal album thing of praying at a ruined statue in the middle of the ruin. I… I don't really know why. I've checked up on her a few times since we…
Honestly, there's been a few moments in OL's career that would have made amazing fantasy art. Or Sci-fi, depending on tastes. Things like a man falling like a fiery meteor to smash a god made of water, for instance.
What's a polite way of saying 'mutilated'..?
Realigned her soul. And she was making herself useful in a variety of minor ways, acting as a counsellor at large to people who her new magical senses tell her need it. I have no idea what she did while the Earth was under the influence of the Anti-Life or why she's here… But if I want to track John down she's probably at least a part of the solution.
I bet the Anti-Life couldn't really touch her, overrun with
Love as she is. More likely she laid low, helped where she could...
I don't muffle my steps, but I do hang back a little and wait for her to finish her prayers.
After thirty three seconds she stands, her wings morphing into a long coat and her more inhuman features concealing themselves. She looks me over for a moment.
Very 'Devil May Cry' of her. There isn't a
plastic chair sitting around nearby, is there?
"I didn't think you could find me."
"I can't scan for you directly, but your magic has a unique signature. Indirect detection and crude sensors work fine."
Fortunately, the people she really had to worry about finding her are all inactive right now, last I remember.
She nods. "What do you want?"
"What were you..? Doing?"
"Praying."
Pretty obvious, really. Though whether that was for herself or on the behalf of another...
"What for?"
"I want to help more. I want to earn my way into heaven. I want to-. Be more right."
...Well, that's one hell of an uphill climb she's set herself. No speed-running
that one.
"Remind me. You didn't fall, right? You were born in Hell?" She nods. "Ah, well, I don't think prayer does anything in and of itself, but if it helps you, go for it. Is there anything that I can do to help out?"
"Perhaps… If you could find people in need for me. Nothing else. I need to earn this myself."
Maybe put her in touch with Zauriel, maybe he can put in a good word for her?
"I'm not a theologian, but I don't think that's how it works. You're judged based on who you are, not what you've done. Striving to help others is good, destroying yourself isn't. But I do have a friend would might benefit from talking to you, so there's that. Oh, and the producer of Queen Hera's old television series needs a new star. You might find it a little commercial, but she made a lot of people happy."
If nothing else, she's probably a
very photogenic lady.
"I've been helping reunify families that lost each other during the… Dark time. Or comforted the bereaved. Mid-day television isn't quite the same."
"A public platform can be used to further virtuous causes, but if you want something hands-on then it isn't for you."
And I can just imagine the backlash about it from the god-botherer types. A succubus running a show for romantic advice? Heads will
explode.
"Why have you come looking for me now?"
"Why do you want to get into Heaven, specifically? I'd have thought that you'd find Zamaron more satisfying. As you are now."
There's being surrounded by love (and hot orange space boys and girls.) Then there's being with the one you love...
"Tali would have gone to Heaven. And so would our child."
"We.. could just ask Zauriel for some clarity on that. The Angel Kings have been rethinking a lot of things recently."
Assuming the two of them weren't
recycled somehow, or shoved in those weird thaumaturgic pods OL ran into...
"Death is part of existence. I don't want to pull Tali's soul away from God. I just want to.. see for myself that he is alright."
I snort, shaking my head. "Sorry. I think I'm too far into the orange part of the spectrum to comprehend that answer. As long as you're happy, I guess."
Heh. Too avaricious to comprehend such selflessness in love. I doubt Empathic vision helps much, since she'd be a big beacon of
Violet that occasionally pulses brighter when she mentions her mate and child.
Not as if I actually need her there to ask Zauriel myself.
My face falls as for a horrible moment I consider the idea that Noriel is their offspring. No. No, she's far too old. And there's no demonic magic in here. We checked.
Unless there's some temporal fuckery going on, it's highly unlikely.
I'm going to double check.
"I'm not. But I will be, someday. What do you want, Paul?"
Best to cross the '
t's and dot the '
i's anyway.
"The island John Constantine was on hasn't reappeared. Given your long history with the man, I was hoping that you'd have some insight."
She frowns. "Didn't you help him become a Lord of Chaos?"
Which is a worrying thing, even setting the matter of John aside. There were Amazons garrisoning it, after all.
"Yes. And a Lord of Order."
"Then I think he'll turn up when he wants to."
She should well know that a Constantine who's out of sight is bound to be up to no good...
"Right, and if he wants an indefinite holiday in the Lands In-Between then he can just go back their once we've checked up on him. But he wasn't the only person on that island, and the others aren't super-powerful wizards."
Though, being Amazons, they might appreciate the change of pace. But maybe John Constantine is a bit of a steep 'change of pace' curve.
Unless said change of pace is an eternal war where they get killed only to get back up, Valhalla-style. That would get real boring real quick.
"I don't know what you think I can do. You know him better than I do."
"If I could find him using my own resources then I'd have done that by now. I have an approximate idea what he can do. You understand how he thinks better than I do."
And even a little bit of insight might prove the vital clue to track him down.
"I'm not sure that's true anymore. But… The other people on the island. Are the Amazons?"
"Yes."
Which means they have loved ones on Themyscira. And such a bond has great mystical Sympathy that can be traced...
"Then I might be able to find them through their bonds." She frowns. "Why haven't you asked the Star Sapphires?"
"Neither of them know anything about magic. And they haven't met any of the people involved. But if it'll help then I can ask them to come."
They and the Green lanterns are much more
scientific in their approach, for the most part.
And it.. might actually be worth asking them to have a look at her as well. Just in case I got something wrong.
"Do you think that it would be better if he wasn't found?"
Ooh, OL having some second thoughts about tuning her up? I'm guessing that's been worrying at him for a while now.
"No."
She studies my face for a few moments.
A Constantine that you know where they are is a lot safer...
"Having obtained ultimate power, John Constantine has no one watching him. Does that sound like a good idea to you?"
"No." That gets a small smile. "It doesn't."
...Safer than one that you don't know what they're getting up to.
"Are you available now, or do you want to schedule it for later?"
"I'm volunteering at a local primary school. But I can try finding John this evening."
Hopefully none of the parents of the students are having certain thoughts about her. If they do, she probably nudges them back to their partners.
I nod. "I'll come and pick you up. Thank you."
I-.
It's a date, then. Well, not that kind of date. His
Love should be shining brightly to her amidst the
Avarice.
"Paul, before-. You go. The father of one of the children got one of his arms torn up my the sheeda. It's giving his daughter nightmares."
"I suspect it's more the association than the lack of an arm, but if you think it would help I'm happy to replace it. Why don't you introduce us?"
And seeing a superhero put her daddy back together might help
break some of those fearful associations.
