With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[DAT_NOOB]

If you mean "they can't arrest people outside of their jurisdiction, while on holiday or something." Then yes, that's true for all cops.

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I feel like we're talking past each other a bit and I'm a bit nervous about getting too specific here cause it gets a bit close to rule 8 for my liking.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'or', I think.

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Thank you, corrected.

Actually, that is a question, can British Police actually arrest you if they catch you while perpetrating a crime? I've heard in some jurisdictions police can't arrest you if they see you committing a crime in front of them.

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To the best of my knowledge, yes. I haven't ever been arrested myself and we don't really have patrols in my area so I can't ask one, but... I can't imagine them not being able to. Assuming that they're on duty and in uniform and suchlike.

 

[Pez]

I always assumed that Darkseid knew that our Graven wasn't Actual!Graven when he put a piece of Anti-Life in him back in the mountain. Now, the idea of him thinking he was just a clone of Grayven from this planet makes sense. He was impressed enough that he survived (and even removed) Anti-Life from himself to 'reward' him.

Then, if this cloning facility was some kind of research lab created by Darkseid, why's it shut down? It doesn't seem like Apokolips would leave a resource like this intact. Why didn't (the one we treat as) Actual!Grayven care? And why wasn't this on Apokolips?

So, is this perhaps a way for Darkseid to research Anti-life? That would jive with what he did to Grayven the first time they met after the Jade thing. As practical as our Grayven is, I doubt he'd use these fetuses as a way to test out his Omega Effect. He's not a monster.

 

[DAT_NOOB]

He's not a monster.

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I'm pretty sure he literally is.

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
18:28 GMT

"Mister Chandler!"

Francis Chandler takes a sip from his polystyrene coffee cup and then looks around. "Alright Lantern."

"I don't like to make definitive statements about things like that. I thought I was, then Pluto happened."

The other cab drivers are watching our exchange with an air of cautious curiosity.

"Yeah. Wound Renee right up, messin' with the horoscopes."

"I doubt that a giant alien starfish bodes well for anyone." It's still there, actually. Not like we could move the blasted thing. "How have you been?"

"Had a bloke triple over the inside o' me cab Saturday."

"Triple?"

"Yeah. Pissed himself, shit himself and threw up, all at the same time. Don't s'pose that happens much in your line o' work."

"No." I wince, raise my left hand in the direction of his taxi and.. deal with the remaining residue in a wave of orange light. "Thankfully not."

"Cheers."

"Not a problem. Look, I know I've asked before-."

"You still not found 'im?" Mr. Chandler frowns. "How's he managing that?"

"John has long been cunning, but now he's cunning and powerful. He didn't-. I don't know, leave an emergency chest, or emergency letter, or anything like that with you, did he?"

"He gave me a spare key t' his gaff once, but that place got burned down five years ago." He shakes his head. "John gen'rally turns up when he turns up."

"Right. Well, again, let me know if you hear from him. Or if he's asked you not to talk to me, please pass along my best wishes."

"Will do."

"Thank you." I raise my right hand to my forehead,

sight the familiar bundle of desires and

30th October 2012
13:30 GMT -5

reappear next to Zatanna as the wards around the site glow white for a moment.

She frowns at me as I switch into more casual clothes and then take off my rings and put them into a warded ring box.

"You put out a lot of power when you do that."

I slide the box into my pocket. "When you say 'put out', what exactly do you mean?"

"You.. temporarily make the Plane of Avarice part of the material universe. If it wasn't for your tattoos, any magician on Earth could track where you go. Even with them it's not exactly hard."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not immediately. I don't know what the long term effects would be." She frowns. "Earth's thaumosphere should be fine, but there'd probably be a short term disruption to magic use in an area… Of a couple of blocks?"

"Not a lot of American magic users, and the Atlanteans are used to adjusting for disruption. Is there anyone it would be a real problem for?"

She folds her arms across her chest.

"Me."

"Ah. Sorry. But you've adjusted now, right?"

"I just don't cast complicated spells while you're doing it."

"Is there anything I can do to make it not do that?" She raises her left eyebrow. "Other than only doing it to warded locations like this one?"

"Probably… I can try and research some sort of gateway charm?"

"It doesn't sound like it's a high priority, but if you could I'd appreciate it." I gesture vaguely to the runes with my right hand. "Will these be alright while we're away?"

She nods. "They'll fade after they've-" One to the right of me disappears. "-had-. There we go. And once we use them again they'll erase themselves. Someone who knew exactly what they were looking for could work out that something happened here, but everything will be too mixed up for them to tell what."

"Good show. Shall we?"

We step out of the vacant shop in Hub City, into a street largely populated with similarly vacant shops. Between the ludicrous crime, corruption, and the Sheeda ship that sat here for a month without anyone noticing because the disappearance rate didn't change significantly, there's a serious Bill before the state legislature calling for the city to be torn down. If it comes to that I think I might just find a dedicated architect and offer them a ring, because I'm interested to see what happens and they can't exactly make the place worse.

Ah, the delightful crunch of needles underfoot.

"How's school?"

"A chore. But it makes Dad happy." She looks around. "What would it take to fix this place?"

"A major industry forming a locus of wealth generation, combined with replacing every part of the local civil service and government."

"Is that something you can do?"

"No. Introducing a new industry to an area would require a lot of time I don't have to spare, and no one has the authority to just order the sort of cauterising that city administration needs."

"How about magic?"

"As a new industry?" She nods as we cross the street to avoid a small cluster of delinquents. I smile at one who appears to be assessing me as a mugging target, and pull my coat aside just enough to flash my gun holster. He gets the idea. "This doesn't look like a place that's got any sort of mystical significance at all. I'd suggest almost anywhere else."

"I bet the subsidies are good."

"I bet they don't outweigh the costs."

We enter a still-functioning café showing not-so-subtle gang colours, order drinks and.. a sandwich, because I'm not risking anything else, and then sit down to wait for-.

Johanna Garrick walks in, ignores the serving counter in favour of coming straight over to us. This doesn't appear to strike the gangers sharing the space as particularly strange, since they don't bother to give us more than a quick once-over.

"Hallo, friends."

"Johanna. Any news?"

"I'm going to rub myself in alcohol once ve leave. Vhat did you vant to talk about?"

"Uncle Sam."

 

[Ngamer11]

"Is there anything I can do to make it not do that?" She raises her left eyebrow. "Other than only to it to warded locations like this one?"

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That should say 'do'.

 

[Doccer]

than only to it to

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do

 

[Darko]

I doubt that a giant alien starfish bodes well for anyone." It's still there, actually. Not like we could move the blasted

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You could just send some of your Lanterns to get rid off it.

Mister Chandler!"

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Ahh, back to looking for Constantine.

burn down five years ago." He

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"burned"

but there's probably be a short term di

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"there'd probably"

Earth's thaumosphere should be fine, but there's probably be a short term disruption to magic use in an area… Of a couple of blocks?"

"Not a lot of American magic users, and the Atlanteans are used to adjusting for disruption. Is there anyone it would be a real problem for?"

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Your allies could find it problematic.

We step out of the vacant shop in Hub City, into a street largely populated with similarly vacant shops. Between the ludicrous crime, corruption, and the Sheeda ship that sat here for a month without anyone noticing because the disappearance rate didn't change significantly

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Ahh, Hub City, it truly is a shithole.

because I'm interested to see what happens and they can't exactly make the place worse.

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Things can always get worse.

"Hallo, friends."

"Johanna. Any news?"

"I'm going to rub myself in alcohol once ve leave. Vaht did you vant to talk about?"

"Uncle Sam

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Planning on attacking him?

Well Joanna would probably have the most experience with fighting Uncle Sam, or at least a version of him.

 

[Mr Zoat]

That should say 'do'.

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"burned"
"there'd probably"

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

30th October 2012
18:28 GMT

"Mister Chandler!"

Raymond Chandler takes a sip from his polystyrene coffee cup and then looks around. "Alright Lantern."

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And finally, he's tugging on the leads to John Constantine. Don't know how good of one Chas is, but if John's needed anything, he'd have been one of the first people he looked for. Wonder if John's keeping an eye on him? Like, a standing alarm if anything mystical happens to or near Chas...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"I don't like to make definitive statements about things like that. I thought I was, then Pluto happened."

The other cab drivers are watching our exchange with an air of cautious curiosity.

Click to shrink...

Probably a bit of 'Bloody 'ell, how's our Chas know a ruddy superhero, then?'

"Yeah. Wound Renee right up, messin' with the horoscopes."

"I doubt that a giant alien starfish bodes well for anyone." It's still there, actually. Not like we could move the blasted thing. "How have you been?"

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Give it a year or two, Pluto should reform nicely. A bit of change to the surface maps, but it's not like anyone's bothered about that.

"Had a bloke triple over the inside o' me cab Saturday."

"Triple?"

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No doubt something utterly disgusting. Taxi drivers see it all.

"Yeah. Pissed himself, shit himself and threw up, all at the same time. Don't s'pose that happens much in your line o' work."

"No." I wince, raise my left hand in the direction of his taxi and.. deal with the remaining residue in a wave of orange light. "Thankfully not."

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..Well, that guy was either heading home after a hell of a party, or to the hospital, if he was that sick.

"Cheers."

"Not a problem. Look, I know I've asked before-."

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Bet he gave the engine a tune-up at the same time. Could easily put it back in a brand new shape if he wanted to.

"You still not found 'im?" Mr. Chandler frowns. "How's he managing that?"

"John has long been cunning, but now he's cunning and powerful. He didn't-. I don't know, leave an emergency chest, or emergency letter, or anything like that with you, did he?"

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To be fair, he's probably been avoiding Chas. He's playing on a new level now, and no doubt the enemies he faces are much nastier.

"He gave me a spare key t' his gaff once, but that place got burn down five years ago." He shakes his head. "John gen'rally turns up when he turns up."

"Right. Well, again, let me know if you hear from him. Or if he's asked you not to talk to me, please pass along my best wishes."

Click to shrink...

Along with a 'Hey, orange lad's looking for you. Think you should go see why?'

"Will do."

"Thank you." I raise my right hand to my forehead,

site the familiar bundle of desires and

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And now where's he off to? Bet that's made quite the impression on Chas' mates.

30th October 2012
13:30 GMT -5

reappear next to Zatanna as the wards around the site glow white for a moment.

Click to shrink...

Let's hope they're functioning as intended. Delicate spellwork and OL get along about as well as water and phosphorus.

She frowns at me as I switch into more casual clothes and then take off my rings and put them into a warded ring box.

"You put out a lot of power when you do that."

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Not surprisingly, really. He's basically pulling physical matter into a realm of pure emotion and back.

I slide the box into my pocket. "When you say 'put out', what exactly do you mean?"

"You.. temporarily make the Plane of Avarice part of the material universe. If it wasn't for your tattoos, any magician on Earth could track where you go. Even with them it's not exactly hard."

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So the greediport isn't as quiet as we thought it was, huh? At least, without OL's unique protections...

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not immediately. I don't know what the long term effects would be." She frowns. "Earth's thaumosphere should be fine, but there's probably be a short term disruption to magic use in an area… Of a couple of blocks?"

Click to shrink...

What's a brief exposure to a little more Orange Light, when the light of Life shines from within the planet?

"Not a lot of American magic users, and the Atlanteans are used to adjusting for disruption. Is there anyone it would be a real problem for?"

She folds her arms across her chest.

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Really, OL. I would think even you could realise the answer to that question.

"Me."

"Ah. Sorry. But you've adjusted now, right?"

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After all the time working with him? I would hope so.

"I just don't cast complicated spells while you're doing it."

"Is there anything I can do to make it not do that?" She raises her left eyebrow. "Other than only to it to warded locations like this one?"

Click to shrink...

Which kind of defeats the whole purpose of using it for precise rapid transit.

"Probably… I can try and research some sort of gateway charm?"

"It doesn't sound like it's a high priority, but if you could I'd appreciate it." I gesture vaguely to the runes with my right hand. "Will these be alright while we're away?"

Click to shrink...

Worst case, learn not to arrive directly on top of someone without an emergency reason to? Flying a few hundred meters generally shouldn't be an issue.

She nods. "They'll fade after they've-" One to the right of me disappears. "-had-. There we go. And once we use them again they'll erase themselves. Someone who knew exactly what they were looking for could work out that something happened here, but everything will be too mixed up for them to tell what."

"Good show. Shall we?"

Click to shrink...

Well, good to know you're not leaving messes behind you?

We step out of the vacant shop in Hub City, into a street largely populated with similarly vacant shops. Between the ludicrous crime, corruption, and the Sheeda ship that sat here for a month without anyone noticing because the disappearance rate didn't change significantly, there's a serious Bill before the state legislature calling for the city to be torn down. If it comes to that I think I might just find a dedicated architect and offer them a ring, because I'm interested to see what happens and they can't exactly make the place worse.

Ah, the delightful crunch of needles underfoot.

Click to shrink...

...Ah, Hub City, home of the Question. Founded by a pirate, run by the corrupt for the corrupt, and one of the few places in DC America worse than Gotham. How bad is it? Their most well-know sports team, for Ice Hockey, is called the Slashers.

"How's school?"

"A chore. But it makes Dad happy." She looks around. "What would it take to fix this place?"

Click to shrink...

An orbital laser strike? ...Hey, it worked for Detroit in the Champions Universe.

"A major industry forming a locus of wealth generation, combined with replacing every part of the local civil service and government."

"Is that something you can do?"

Click to shrink...

Why would he want to bother?

"No. Introducing a new industry to an area would require a lot of time I don't have to spare, and no one has the authority to just order the sort of cauterising that city administration needs."

"How about magic?"

Click to shrink...

Ask Gotham how well that sort of thing went...

"As a new industry?" She nods as we cross the street to avoid a small cluster of delinquents. I smile at one who appears to be assessing me as a mugging target, and pull my coat aside just enough to flash my gun holster. He gets the idea. "This doesn't look like a place that's got any sort of mystical significance at all. I'd suggest almost anywhere else."

"I bet the subsidies are good."

Click to shrink...

Yeah, this is one place where 'open carry' would be considered a survival tactic instead of a crime...

"I bet they don't outweigh the costs."

We enter a still-functioning café showing not-so-subtle gang colours, order drinks and.. a sandwich, because I'm not risking anything else, and then sit down to wait for-.

Click to shrink...

Vic Sage? He'd be the most obvious person to meet, but...

Johanna Garrick walks in, ignores the serving counter in favour of coming straight over to us. This doesn't appear to strike the gangers sharing the space as particularly strange, since they don't bother to give us more than a quick once-over.

"Hallo, friends."

Click to shrink...

Either cowed in submission thanks to a previous encounter, or not wanting to shit where they eat, so to speak.

"Johanna. Any news?"

"I'm going to rub myself in alcohol once ve leave. Vaht did you vant to talk about?"

"Uncle Sam."

Click to shrink...

Interesting. Seeing what she knows of the Earth-10 equivalent, or..?

Hmm. I wonder where this is going? I can't imagine her knowledge of her universe's Uncle Sam could be applicable here, what with the whole 'not fighting a guerilla war for seventy years' thing. Or is this a follow-up to the Alliance thing they were looking into earlier? Because that's tying into the Uncle Sam thing too... Feels like a major subplot slowly coming to fruition...

 

[Ngamer11]

Raymond Chandler takes a sip from his polystyrene coffee cup and then looks around. "Alright Lantern."

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I double checked, and his name should be Frank William "Chas" Chandler. Is this a mistake Mr Zoat?

 

[Darko]

To be fair, he's probably been avoiding Chas. He's playing on a new level now, and no doubt the enemies he faces are much nastier.

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Ehh, his previous enemies included Satan, so his current enemies may not be all that different.

Granted, they previously may have underestimated him, which he could exploit, but now that he has power, they may be more wary and actually use their brains.

...Ah, Hub City, home of the Question. Founded by a pirate, run by the corrupt for the corrupt, and one of the few places in DC America worse than Gotham. How bad is it? Their most well-know sports team, for Ice Hockey, is called the Slashers.

Click to shrink...

Now I want to see a slasher movie with an evil hockey player.

Interesting. Seeing what she knows of the Earth-10 equivalent, or..?

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Or to get her to help fight the fake one in their universe.

 

[Ganurath]

Now I want to see a slasher movie with an evil hockey player.

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How do you feel about goalies?

 

[RichardWhereat]

This doesn't appear to strike the gangers sharing the space as particularly strange, since they don't bother to give us more than a quick once-over.

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Gangers, or gangsters?

 

[Vaermina]

LePaul really is going full on minimum effort for actually finding Constantine...

 

[Sorrow]

Well! A city even a Nazi thinks of as filth!

 

[Mr Zoat]

I double checked, and his name should be Frank William "Chas" Chandler. Is this a mistake Mr Zoat?

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Thank you, corrected.

You can tell that a wiki's useless if they don't have a character's full name on the character page. No idea where I got 'Raymond' from, though.

Gangers, or gangsters?

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Gangers. Gangsters are more sophisticated.

 

[Sockmonkey]

You can tell that a wiki's useless if they don't have a character's full name on the character page. No idea where I got 'Raymond' from, though.

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Your subconscious was thinking of this guy probably.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler

 

[DAT_NOOB]

"You still not found 'im?" Mr. Chandler frowns. "How's he managing that?"

"John has long been cunning, but now he's cunning and powerful. He didn't-. I don't know, leave an emergency chest, or emergency letter, or anything like that with you, did he?"

Click to shrink...

Well... You haven't really been looking for him Paul, that's how he is doing it.

Well! A city even a Nazi thinks of as filth!

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I imagine even a fairly liberal Nazi (god that's an oxymoron and a half) like her would think of a fair few cities as filth. Hell, I'm not even a Nazi and I think my city is filth.

 

[RichardWhereat]

Gangers. Gangsters are more sophisticated.

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Huh. I thought gangbanger would have been more accurate then, but Paul is a nerd, since he's your SI.

Also, neat. Never come across that term before.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Huh. I thought gangbanger would have been more accurate then, but Paul is a nerd, since he's your SI.

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I generally think of a 'gangbanger' as someone on the majority team during a group intimacy event. The other meaning gets me rather confused.

 

[Duke Long]

I generally think of a 'gangbanger' as someone on the majority team during a group intimacy event. The other meaning gets me rather confused.

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For the longest time, whenever I saw it used to refer to a criminal I assumed that they were being painted as a rapist or some kind of degenerate. Really surprised me when I found it it's just a generic word.

 

[Ganurath]

Well! A city even a Nazi thinks of as filth!

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One of the many problems with Nazis is their unreasonably strict standards for what makes a city filthy, rather than a laxity thereof.

 

[Pinklestia]

Your subconscious was thinking of this guy probably.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler

Click to shrink...

If you ever wanted to do a modern Day Noir Detective in DC, Hub City is your place.

 

[Bud-E]

A couple of men lifting weights in the 'gym' part of the room glance my way, then dismiss me as a weedy manlet unworthy of their time.

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Is Paul reading their desires here? Or is he projecting his insecurities?

 

[Coda]

gristly

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This word means that your dinner is full of connective tissue. You're looking for "grisly."

 

[Cuchulin]

I generally think of a 'gangbanger' as someone on the majority team during a group intimacy event. The other meaning gets me rather confused.

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It's slang, that means it doesn't have to make much sense. Just look at Cockney.

 

[Mr Zoat]

30th October 2012
13:33 GMT -5

"The mad bomber from my Earth, or the grinning fool from this one?"

"The local chap."

"I have been trying to avoid him."

Zatanna frowns. "Why?"

"You know vhat the version from my Earth has been doing?"

"Leading a rebellion against Nazi control?"

Johanna looks like she finds that sort of comment tiresome. "No. The National Socialist Party rules Greater Germany. America is an independent country. Ve don't control them. They make perfectly good fascists on their own."

"So he's fighting American fascists."

"You could say that. But America has been fascist for sixty years. Just about everyone is fascist, or nationalist, or at least neutral. Mostly, he just murders hundreds of civilians vherever he can, American, German, or anyone else."

"What? Why?"

"Because their grandparents failed him? Because the country thinks that he vas on the wrong side of history? Or perhaps he just doesn't like being reminded that he lost? Or perhaps he is in denial about all of the genocides that America carried out before National Socialists got involved? I don't know."

"Much as I enjoy mocking America, that's not the version we'd like to know about."

"I know he's on the contact list, und I saw a photograph of him mit Vincent Edge vhen I visited his office. Do you vant me to ask about him?"

"'Ask', probably not. Just try and find out what he does. I assume that you've told people where you're from?"

"Jah. And many negro men have hit on me after being told." She gives her head a small shake. "It is very strange."

"They're probably just trying to annoy you. Or get you to say something that would make the Alliance kick you out."

"Or they think they can convert you."

"I am villing to not call for them to be deported to Africa, but let's not go crazy."

"Ah, but think how much it would piss off your creators."

"Psh, please. They vere purged years ago. And then the people who purged them vere purged. Unt I think that the people who purged them vere purged also." She takes on a slightly more serious expression. "If I did that, I vould not be going back. Unt if I do not go back, then Overgirl's oh-so-secret plan to change our society fails. So even if I meet a very nice negro, it vill not happen."

"But you accept the idea that there could be nice negroes."

She shrugs. "Sure. If you can accept three nice National Socialists, I can accept nice negroes."

Zatanna kicks me under the table.

"It's more that I hope that I can encourage you to stop being a National Socialist."

"Unt have a nice negro boyfriend?"

She sounds… Not angry, exactly; I'd see that. Irritated? Disgusted? "That's up to you. Or, will be. Hopefully."

"Even if the Reich reforms to a degree, sixty years of racial education vill not just vanish."

"Yes, I can hear that in your voice. I'm not sure what you think I'm suggesting that's so-" She looks away, giving her head a small shake. "-offensive, but I'm pretty sure-."

"No, no, I vas.. overreacting. I'll… Ah. I'll go back.. to vork."

I reach out with my right hand. "Johanna, it's not-."

She pushes back her chair, not meeting my eyes. "I vill go. Goodbye."

She doesn't walk out at super speed, but she does walk quickly and with purpose.

"Um."

Zatanna puts her sandwich down. "What did you expect? Even if she's not super-committed to being a Nazi, she still grew up in a Nazi country."

I nod. "And having run out of other types of subhuman, they probably use 'negro' as their main racist insult. And she just got hit with culture shock combined with cognitive dissonance." I sigh. "This is one of the times when I shouldn't go after her, right?"

"I think that's probably best. You can phone her tonight or something."

I nod, taking a bite of-. Why do they do this? Why do sandwich shops mix mayonnaise with tuna? Shouldn't a cheap café like this go easy on the mayonnaise and not turn the contents of the sandwich into tuna-flavoured mayonnaise gloop? And I can't even get rid of it without using my rings.

"You don't have to eat it."

"That would be rude."

But darn. I swallow.

"Do you have any advice on the situation with Persephone?"

"Tell Hades that if he's even pretending to be a good person he should just let her go. I can't imagine what it would be like to be married for thousands of years to someone who terrified me like he does."

"Yeah… I'm leaving that for.. plan C."

She frowns at me. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Hades is actually doing a good job at his main job, and going by the actions of the other Olympians, Persephone isn't missing out on much by spending time in Erebos. There's no overt offence. Sure, other factors aside I'm inclined to agree with you. Hades hasn't done much wrong but it's clearly never going to be the relationship that he wants it to be. But I'm not all that good at persuading people to do things they don't want to get things they don't want, and Hades doesn't want to completely lose Persephone."

"He's already completely lost her."

"I just wish I understood why she was so scared of him. He's never seemed that intimidating to me."

"You're not most people."

I smile warmly. "Thank you. Neither are you."

She smiles, rolling her eyes. "That's not what I meant. What would you do if you did find him scary?"

"Depends. Being slightly scared of an authority figure isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it was a problem for me… Get stronger until I didn't? Find a new god?"

"Could Persephone do that?"

"Euanthe did that, and she was far weaker than Persephone a couple of years ago."

"Could you help Persephone out the same way?"

"I suppose I-."

My phone rings and I pull it out of my jacket. It's Zagreus.

I guess it's time, then.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is Paul reading their desires here? Or is he projecting his insecurities?

Click to shrink...

The SI is not insecure.

This word means that your dinner is full of connective tissue. You're looking for "grisly."

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

It's slang, that means it doesn't have to make much sense. Just look at Cockney.

Click to shrink...

I'd rather not. They're an uncomly folk.

 

[AmericanNumbers]

So it seems strange to me that Paul would be willing to not help Persephone get what she wants. He can clearly read her.