A/N: Poor Zatanna v.v
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Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Zatanna had been running herself ragged these past few days in preparation for her first lesson with Cole. She'd done everything she possibly could to make sure it would go smoothly. Ultimately, given her first impression had been less than stellar, Zatanna had wanted to make her second impression straight up out of this world.
She'd been working so hard, up to the minute of Cole and Raven's arrival, that when they made it to Shadowcrest's front doors in record time, she'd had to sprint to get there so they didn't wind up spending minutes waiting for her to get there. Basically, Zatanna had thought she would have more time… alas, she didn't.
Still, in the end everything had been going well. Cole was an attentive student and though she felt like she was getting a few strange looks from Raven throughout the lesson, Zatanna had focused her efforts entirely on her apprentice… or rather, her 'mentee'.
That was the other reason she'd wanted to do a good job here… she'd told Cole that it wouldn't be a full apprenticeship, but the truth was she wanted to take him as her apprentice. He would be her first and she'd been thinking about it for some time. Suffice to say, Cole was the best candidate for an apprenticeship she'd come across yet.
But now she needed him to ask for it, because otherwise she would look desperate and needy given that she was the one who suggested a more relaxed situation in the first place. So yes, Zatanna had really needed today to go well.
Unfortunately, in the midst of all of her preparations and all of her frenzied rushing about as she worked to get ready for Cole's arrival, Zatanna had forgotten something… potentially the most crucial of all the things depending on how you looked at it.
John Constantine.
To be fair, it wasn't like she'd invited him over or anything like that. Nor did they have some sort of prearranged meeting today at this time. But… Zatanna also hadn't exactly revoked his access to Shadowcrest in the first place. And while that might have been a little bit over the top, she could have at least told him to stay away today.
If only she'd thought of that, because now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, with Constantine trying to make his way to her location and Shadowcrest, the Zatara Ancestral Home, holding him off because it can tell she instinctively does not want him to find them.
Shadowcrest is not quite as sapient as the House of Mystery has turned out to be, but it does have its own rudimentary intelligence to it, a budding genius loci that has been growing throughout generations of Zatara over the centuries. It's connected to Zatanna and knows what she wants.
… Which is why it's a bit bad that her first instinct is to have Constantine kicked out altogether. Fortunately, she manages to rein in that impulse before she can let it go through. As much as he gets on her nerves and as much as she does not want him here right now, kicking him out like that would just piss him off and also make him more suspicious than ever before.
Constantine definitely wouldn't accept the excuse that she was 'entertaining other guests' if she had Shadowcrest magically eject him from its premises.
The other option, of course, was to leave Cole and Raven alone while she went and got Constantine to leave. That was, at both first and second glance, the most appealing of her options truth be told. Zatanna really did not want to deal with the headache that Constantine represented today, let alone deal with him interacting with Cole and Raven for the first time.
… And yet, when she really thought about it, trying to hide them from him was probably an exercise in futility. Constantine wasn't just about to let the 'theft' of his home go and would probably continue to hunt for it intermittently until he discovered what had happened.
Now, Zatanna didn't necessarily think telling him outright that Cole was the new owner of the House of Mystery was the best idea. However, if they could be introduced now and maybe Constantine could get a decent first impression of the young man, then he might be less inclined to blow up later on.
Zatanna knew how the universe worked. Karma, unbeknownst to most people, was a real thing. And at certain times, the harder you tried to stop something from happening, the more the universe would try to make it happen.
With a sigh, Constantine's voice still calling out in the background, Zatanna finally turns to Cole and Raven.
"That's a colleague of mine… John Constantine. It might… behoove you to meet him now in more controlled circumstances."
Cole narrows his eyes at that.
"If he's a colleague, why was your first reaction to his presence to curse?"
Letting out another sigh, Zatanna rubs her forehead.
"… Because John Constantine was the one who owned the House of Mystery before you."
When Cole's eyes widen in alarm, Zatanna hastens to explain.
"He's not a villain or anything like that, Cole. Hell, he was actually helping me track you down for a bit there. We got into a fight against an overweight demon outside of your old apartment together last week. It's just… well, he'll guess pretty quickly who you are in that regard, but I have no clue if he'll figure out you're also the one who…"
Cole arches a brow.
"… stole his house?"
Zatanna winces at that before forcing a resolved expression onto her face.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Cole. And whenever Constantine finds out what happened, even he'll be forced to acknowledge that. The House of Mystery chose you. Full stop. That said, he doesn't need to find out today. I think it would be best for you both to meet, but I won't tell him anything about Mystery if you don't want him to know yet."
When Cole still doesn't look too certain, Zatanna glances towards Raven.
"Constantine is… very well-versed in all things demon. He might be able to help us with our Demon Lord problem and getting his agents off of your collective backs as well."
Or he'd make things ten times worse just by being involved, but Zatanna doesn't say that. Constantine could be a real shit ally sometimes, but he was still an expert in his craft. This chapter is updated first at novelping dot com.
After a moment longer of indecision, Cole finally sighs and nods.
"… You're right, it sounds like it's better that we meet in a controlled environment and hash this out now. Alright… fine, bring him in."
Did that mean Cole was going to announce that he was the House of Mystery's new owner? Zatanna couldn't say for sure, but in the end she just purses her lips together and wordlessly instructs Shadowcrest to stop delaying Constantine. A moment later and he barges through the door like he's been running, only to skid to a halt when he sees them all looking at him from their places in the classroom.
Narrowing her eyes, Zatanna frowns.
"John… have you been running in my halls again?"
Constantine straightens up and adjusts his trenchcoat before scowling right back at her.
"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if you were a little bit more welcoming, Zee. I don't exactly enjoy the 'eternal maze' act. You know that."
She did know that. But it was one of Shadowcrest's more effective nonlethal deterrents, especially against mundane intruders… or magical intruders who weren't looking to do too much permanent damage.
Regardless, Constantine's eyes slide over to Cole and Raven and he slowly blinks as he takes them in.
"… Who're the brat and the half-demon supposed to be?"
Cole frowns while Raven bristles. Zatanna just sighs and valiantly resists the urge to cover her face with her palm.
"These are Cole and Raven. My new mentee and his familiar. They lived in that apartment we scouted out last week."
Constantine gives her a distinct Look at that.
"Mentee, huh? Not apprentice?"
Now its Zatanna's turn to bristle. Of course he knew that she'd been considering taking on an apprentice. But damn it all, what was that tone about? He certainly better not be judging her right now!
"John Constantine."
Cole suddenly speaks up, causing the older man to look back at him.
"What's up, brat?"
"… You absolutely reek."
The bewildered look on John's face almost has Zatanna busting out in laughter. He's just so taken aback and Zatanna's shoulders shake as she represses her mirth. Not enough though, he definitely notices and scowls.
"Yeah? Well someone stole my house a bit ago, so I've been working on getting it back."
Ah. Well this situation just became a bit of a minefield didn't it? Except Cole just shakes his head.
"It's not that. Or rather, not just that. May I… clean you?"
Zatanna watches Cole lift up a hand in offering. She watches Constantine look between the hand and the younger man's face, utterly bewildered. And then she finds herself thinking about both men for a moment, Cole's cleaning magic that was a lot more than cleaning magic and Constantine's circumstances.
She blanches.
"Uh, w-wait just a moment! That might not be the best idea!"
Both Cole and John give her weird looks at that but Zatanna doesn't back down. See, here's the thing… it might sound a little cliché, but there was a general belief among some people in their line of work that with enough time you became an amalgamation of your experiences both good and bad, for better or for worse.
Zatanna had even heard one particularly edgy, darker hero throw out the incredibly cringy line 'I am my scars!' once upon a time. And as cringe as that was, it wasn't entirely wrong. Not for that individual… and certainly not for John Constantine.
John had been through a lot. He'd survived more than any man could really be expected to survive. But he hadn't come out unscathed, far from it. And he also hadn't come out the other side without making numerous sacrifices, some of which were still haunting him to this day.
The thing was, knowing John better than most, Zatanna not only knew about some of the things haunting him… she also knew about some of the things keeping him going. Put bluntly, Constantine's scar tissue had become loadbearing… and Cole had already proven that his magic did way more than just clean things.
Looking between Cole and John, Zatanna huffs as she gives John a particularly meaningful glance.
"Cole here is exceptionally skilled at cleaning magic, John… but it's not just cleaning. You felt it, both at the bodega and the apartment."
The bodega that John couldn't even enter and the apartment he'd been drawn to investigate but also hadn't been willing to step foot in. Zatanna can see understanding dawning on the man's face, even as she gestures to Raven and really drives the point home.
"He's also managed to use his magic to completely block the metaphysical connection between an extradimensional Demon Lord and his offspring." This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Constantine stares at Raven blankly for a long moment before letting out an explosive breath.
"… Yeah. Probably best if you keep your magic to yourself, brat."
But Cole scowls, narrowing his eyes.
"First of all, I'm not a brat, I'm eighteen years old. Second, I don't understand why you wouldn't want my help. It sounds like you could use it."
Zatanna winces, even as Constantine snorts derisively.
"First of all, eighteen years old does make you a brat, brat. Second, help ain't always help. Fancy yourself a hero or something? Well, here's a free bit of life advice for you… don't rush in all willy nilly. You might think you're saving someone only to make it worse."
Ugh, while it's not necessarily a bad lesson for Cole to learn, Zatanna can immediately tell that this is the worst person trying to teach it in the worst possible way. The mocking words, the condescending tone… she's not really all that surprised when Cole glowers and…
"I can see why Mystery and Zatanna both left you."
Zatanna's palm finally does meet her face, even as Constantine tenses up, any trace of humor dropping off of his rugged features in an instant. The older man's eyes narrow and his jaw sets as he stares Cole down.
"Excuse me? The fuck that's supposed to mean?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Cole juts out his chin.
"Exactly what I said. But if you need me to spell it out for you… nobody stole your house. The House of Mystery decided she wanted someone better, someone who would actually care for her. That's why she gave her key to me."
From the crux of his elbow, Cole pulls forth the large iron key, flashing it in John's view. Zatanna can only groan quietly off to the side as the tension in the room ratchets up several notches. Constantine stares at the key with an unreadable expression on his face for several long seconds before finally his features twist into anger.
"You little…"
Of course, the instant she feels Constantine's magic rising along with his fury, Zatanna steps in, calling upon Shadowcrest's wards to apply a whole lot of pressure.
"Enough."
When both men turn to her, Zatanna's eyes blaze with power.
"You will not commit violence in my family's home."
John's face twists up.
"But Zee, he-!"
Zatanna sighs, letting some of the power flow out of her voice.
"He's telling the truth, John. I've already spoken to the House of Mystery myself. She made the choice, not him."
"That's ridiculous! That's not how this works!"
For fuck's sake, did they need to open a door and have Mystery herself break up with him to make it official? On the one hand, Zatanna felt like that would solve this issue the quickest. On the other hand, having had to break up with Constantine herself in the past, she fully understood the desire to just ghost the man.
… Ugh.
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The Vote:
[X] They leave Shadowcrest for the moment so that Mystery can properly break up with John herself - 89%
[ ] No, Zatanna just tells John to leave so she can continue Cole's first lesson - 11%
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