(no subject)

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

Date: December 12, 1999
Status: Public
Setting: The lobby
Summary: Chantinelle arrives at the Manor.



It had been tugging at her for more than a day now, and after an increasingly irritated jaunt across the suburbs of London, she'd finally tracked the faint, maddeningly familiar sensation here, to its source. More than an hour she had stood here, gazing up at the worn masonry of the Manor house, nerving herself up to go inside. The powers she sensed within clashed like sharpened metal on slate, making her teeth ache; it would have been off-putting even if it hadn't been so frighteningly familiar, on more than one count.

Constantine had told her about this place, a little, but he hadn't been very specific about his business here or who else was involved. Now she understood why. If what her senses were telling her was true, she wouldn't have believed him.

Eventually, Chantinelle squared her shoulders and raised her chin defiantly. So she might run into the Snob, or one of his brethren, or her former employer. She answered to no one now. A reckoning was inevitable, sooner or later; with the rumors that had been coming down the grapevine of late, it might as well be now.

She pushed open the great doors and stepped inside, casting about for the source of the slight but insistent pull.

(Continued in the Christmas tree thread)

Comments

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

(Continued from the Christmas tree thread)

Adam decided that now he had a spare moment it might be a good idea to take a look at some of the gifts under the tree. He didn't mind the horsepeople of the apocalypse putting trash on his tree or giving each other gifts, but anything that could make the other guests ill definitely fell within his self-appointed scope of things to look out for.

Just as he came off the stairs and rounded the corner, he came face-to-face with an enraged succubus.

"Hallo, Ellie. I expected to see you here sooner or later. Can I help you with anythin'?"

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

Ellie skidded to a halt, her temper derailed by a burst of pure terror at Adam's sudden appearance. She backpedaled a few steps, prepared to flee until the young man's question and her own senses corrected her erroneous first impression: this was not the Morningstar, only someone who looked very much like him--and who shared something of his imposing aura.

"I...was looking for someone," she said cautiously, studying the not-entirely-human boy with a suspicious frown. This could only be one person, really, and she made a mental note to hand Constantine his arse for not telling her the Antichrist had set up shop in the area. "...Your Highness," she added sardonically, inclining her head slightly. She no longer gave Hell her allegiance, but this one was after all a Prince of This World, so she supposed she must now fall technically under his jurisdiction. "A man named Constantine. Is he here?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

He made a wry face and laughed.

"Please, call me Adam. And yeah, John's around here somewhere. But I'm not sure exactly where just now..."

He looked at her expression and spoke mildly.

"I should prob'ly tell you that you can't actually hurt anybody while you're here. But then again, they can't hurt you either. Well, not physically, anyway."

Adam shook his head and changed the subject abruptly.

"You know, I'm not like Him Below. There's genetics and then there's raisin'..."

Ellie stared at him.

"Never mind. Is there anythin' else I can do for you?"

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

Ellie tilted her head quizzically to one side. He wasn't what she had expected, this son of Lucifer. Then again, from everything she'd heard, nobody knew quite what to expect from him.

He did look very like his father. But the more she studied him, all golden curls and clear, earnest blue eyes, the more she realized it was an old resemblance--to the angel Lucifer had once been, not the twisted, hateful creature he'd become. Amazing. I had almost forgotten.

"You're kind of cute," she said with a dazzling smile. Reaching out to pat the boy's cheek with a slender hand, she laughed low in her throat as he unexpectedly blushed. Oh, they're so sweet when they're young. This could be fun...

"I think I'm good, for now." She backed up a few steps, hands clasped behind her back, smiling coyly. "But you never know, I may think of something. I'll let you know..."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam smiled kindly.

"I'll be around if you have any questions. And you're welcome to stay at the Manor as long as you like. John is here and Aziraphale, too. I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing another cup of tea."

He turned serious. "You'll need to be careful, though. There are demons here who can and probably will report your whereabouts. No one can get you while you're in the Manor, but I can't promise anythin' if you leave..."

With that warning hanging in the air, he left.

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

Ellie watched the young man go, a slight frown creasing her delicate brows. Well. He promises to be a challenge...

She wondered uneasily just how many other demons were in residence. It was frustrating being cut out of the loop; she missed the gossip almost as much as she missed her sisters and the fire-gardens that had been her home.

Most humans and many other demons would have told her she was insane; but home, she mused, was where you made it. She was doing all right, here on Earth; it was a pleasant enough place, and without a doubt, the ample supply of eligible males (not to mention the lack of towering male egos with the metaphysical clout to back them up) was a welcome change. But she missed the familiar reaches of Hell, the company of her kin, and the vast white expanses of Limbo where she'd gone to tryst with her lover before they made their great mistake.

The Other Place, she'd put out of her mind a long time ago.

Well. No sense dwelling on it; for now, there was Tadfield Manor to explore, and if both John and dear Aziraphale were around, then maybe the elusive Mr. Crowley whom they both seemed to find so engaging would be here too.

Ellie turned and strode off into the depths of the Manor, her slim hips swaying seductively despite the lack of an appreciative audience. She had considered herself officially retired for some time now, but old habits died hard.