A Hard Man to Find

[oldmanemerald]

High in the atmosphere, a small green flame glows, unseen except only by those with the exceptional vision granted to them by satellites or genetics. The green light is stationary, and within that green light is Alan Scott. He uses the ring to reach out, trying very hard to contact the man he had been trying to get a hold of for a long time. he had

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[toolateformagic]

The man in question was in a tenement house in a small town a few hours out from Star City.

Something was brewing again and he was off his game. Had been ever since he'd come back to the world at large. Paranoia and worse brewing and Gotham and he'd had no taste for it beforehand. All the godlings going mad and weird things bubbling in the emotional strata.

He was almost afraid when the invitations started pouring in. Addresses unused and mystic seekers held off by complex wardings. But something was stirring. And if he wanted to get back on the synchronicity highway instead of being roadkill on its side, he'd have to get back into action.

So he got up from his meditation and slid into his coat, lighting up a cigarette. He took a long drag, letting smoke fill his lungs.

He felt the eyes searching. And for all he was good at not being found, he imagined this was not the time to go entirely underground. So when he finally exhaled the blue-grey smoke, it drifted up and up and up and up, holding together far longer than it should have as it drifted up toward the stratosphere.

If they were combing as hard as it felt like they were, they wouldn't be long now.

[oldmanemerald]

Alan looks around intently, feeling the subtle ebbs and flows of the magic the world over, trying to get a singular glimpse of-

Suddenly, something comes to him. It's a singular puff of smoke, somehow traveling farther than smoke would. It has the distinct taste of cigarettes (taste is the best way to describe it. There's no word for how Alan can tell), in an area a good distance outside of Star City. It is held together by a subtle spell, and everything about it screams 'Constantine'.

Alan drives farther into the atmosphere, the Green Flame burning brightly around him as he speeds to the source of the smoke. If anyone in the direct vicinity of the smoke were to look up, there would be another star, a bright green one, twinkling and getting bigger.

Within view of the source of the smoke, Alan slows down, allowing just enough of the flame to hover outside the window of the tenement house.

"John Constantine," he calls to the human-shaped shadow in the window. "You're a hard man to reach."

[toolateformagic]

For a moment, before the other man saw that it was him, he was going to pull a fast one. Before his face was known, he could be anyone and he might as well be any one of a thousand people at that last minute.

But the shadow shrugged and opened the window. "Been off my game," he replied, gesturing the hero inside. "Now get in here, you great glowing pillock, before you convince one of these poor wretches that you're going to abduct 'em."

Turning and moving deeper into the dark room, Constantine continued, "Reckoned I might want to stay out of things for a little until I got my head on straight." At that, the magician smirked, "But then I realized that if I ever did that, I'd just quit."

A couple wisps of smoke, tinted green by the Lantern's glow, drifted out of his nostrils as he regarded Alan. "So, all that looking. Feels weird saying it, but what do you need?" Weird because he should have known.

[oldmanemerald]

When Alan is brought into the room, Alan makes sure to keep his glow to a minimum. It's difficult to do when one is composed of pure green energy, but he keeps the glow to a minimum, trying to keep Constantine at ease so he could deliver the invitation.

"I know the feeling of being off your game. Happens when you're my age," Alan says. "but you're a younger man than I am, so you should get into the game sooner than I could."

"And that's what the invitations were for, what my visit today is for. I've decided to offer you a spot in the Justice Society. Someone of your skills and...unorthodox methods would be an asset, especially with what has been planned."

[toolateformagic]

"Younger," smirked the magician. Been a while since he was called that. But he'd heard of the famous first Green Lantern before he'd even heard of the Pistols. But it was hard to think of one's self as young when you had a kid or four (depending on how you wanted to look at it). Even if not a one of them was really completely yours.

"I do my..." he was about to say something calm and self-depricating and just stopped.

He almost chuckled, the sound coming out more like a strangled cough.

"You what?"

[oldmanemerald]

Alans face is still the look of serious business, but catching Constantine off guard was a pleasant surprise. From what Alan had heard of the man from Jay and several of the people with whom Alan talked to, Constantine was a fickle, sarcastic, and at times unreliable ally whose blasé attitude could grate those around him.

To catch this man off guard with an simple invitation was an small but amusing triumph for Alan.

"Several of my compatriots said the same thing. But, during my time within the Starheart, i had time to think. Although the Society and the league have done great things, battles and wars have been lost because of a wild card."

"I had an idea, to make the Justice Society a place to nurture and teach the newest generation of heroes starting out. I came to realize something: predictable isn't always the best thing to be. Dr Fate may be more powerful than either of us and has been a member of the Society before, but his magic comes from the artifacts he wields. So, I decided to try something unorthodox."

"That's when your name came up. So, I repeat myself: Would you be interested? If not, just say the word and I won't bug you again for the spot. If you are, you'd be getting back into the game running."

[toolateformagic]

He could almost hear the smug swelling inside the superhero.

"Heh," he said finally, taking another drag from his cigarette, "So off my game, I thought this might be a different kind of 'John, we need you' call." The magician laughed again, eyes looking the superhero over as he began pacing. "And 'unorthodox' is about the word, innit?"

The mention of Fate was interesting. They couldn't ask for two different kinds of magician. No poncy robes or Shakespearian diction from John. But no fireballs or glowing magic walls, either.

"Don't have to get any tights, do I? Change my name to 'Captain Magic' or any of that bollocks?"

Apparently the magician had accepted.

[oldmanemerald]

Alan couldn't help but chuckle at the "Captain Magic" remark. he had heard a lot of things from Jay about this man and his biting and mean-spirited sarcasm. But Alan was just amused by it.

"No, Mr Constantine. You can wear whatever you're comfortable with."

Alan then concentrates on his ring, finding the list of possible recruits and notching "accept" by Constantines' name in the construct.

"Would you like a ride to Manhattan, or would you prefer you're own way to get there?"

[toolateformagic]

"I'll find my own way," said the magician with a shrug and a slow exhalation of smoke. "When's the first clubhouse meeting?"

[oldmanemerald]

"Good man. I know how you are with organizations in general, so I won't expect any kind of normal time spent. just duck in every once in a while, and maybe help out with any magic users we may have at the time. That's all we ask," Alan said as he turned his attention to the small transciever in his ear.

"Alan here. Just talked with Mr. Constantine."

[toolateformagic]

"I can do that," said Constantine with a half-smirk. "You know me, always glad to help."

At the touch to the tranciever, John raised an eyebrow, "What's all that about, then? You got a higher-up to answer to?"

[oldmanemerald]

"I'm the Chairman, so I don't have a higher up. We have other guests waiting at the brownstone. Its to let them know I'll be on my way back."

Alan turns to the window he came through, but before going through he turned back to john.

"If ever you need it, the brownstone has a warm bed and some fine meals. I hope to see you there."

[dcn_injustice]

Before any response is made, there is a flash of purple in a small row of trees to the south of the building. It was bright enough to be seen from the window Alan came through.

[toolateformagic]

One of Constantine's eyebrows went up and he placed his cigarette between his lips, a scowl on his face. "Never one to turn down a free meal, me," mused the magician as he moved toward the window, not caring much for most odd or random flashes of light and curious about what it could be.

[oldmanemerald]

"Good to know, Mr. Constantine. I'll be off then. I know your reputation, so I don't expect to see you soon. I would like to see you around, though."

Alan moved to fly out the window.

"Take care, young man."

[dcn_injustice]

When the original Green Lantern clears the window opening, a blast of coalesced energy purple in color strikes him, sending him skyward.