002. [visual] in debt to the earth

[antisaint]

John Constantine has inherited a bowling alley.

In a burst of bizarre irony - perhaps even the kind worthy of giant hamsters God's sense of humor - the man who owned the place had not a week ago died of bees (and Balthazar), so were he in other circumstances he might have approached this by like ...finding a new apartment. One not above a bowling

Comments

[voice]

[mightyfallen]

Sorry, I'm only versed in the outer workings of Hell and several of its subsidiary companies--though if you've any interest in a more earthly Gehenna, we're well acquainted.

[voice]

[antisaint]

Christ. [not unfriendly!] Thanks, but I've got those breathing down my neck already. It's like they don't have a 'do not call' list in Hell.

[is....he kidding.]

[voice]

[mightyfallen]

And I bet unlisted numbers are completely out of the question. [Reasons to hate Jack: he has never actually had to deal with a telemarketer.]

I wish I had more to offer, but I really prefer alcohol to blood these days, and the only dead language I know is the same old Classical Hebrew everyone and their brother flunks out of in prep school.

[voice]

[antisaint]

Yeah. I tried that. It just encourages them to get creative. And trust me, no one wants that.

Thanks for the bar, by the way. My apartment is set up near this ...club; if that was my only option I'd start preferring blood out of self-defense. [such distaste, John, don't you love being surrounded by teenagers?] And that's the old standard, I wouldn't turn you down. But I already owe you a favor.

[for the bar, you see.]

[voice]

[mightyfallen]

I'm glad to have offered a better refuge. Buy me a drink there one of these days and we'll call it even, hm? I'm not really the kind of guy you owe favors to.

And my Hebrew really isn't bad, by the way, if you've need of it. My father would've slaughtered me on an altar if I'd actually grown up unable to read scripture.

[voice]

[antisaint]

Buy you a drink. [with what money, his voice suggests.]

God might have deigned to step in; it worked for Isaac. But far be it from me to assume he'd be paying that much attention. To any of us, he's a busy guy. My Hebrew is only passable, anyway, I don't have much head for languages. So if I need you I'll shout. Or try to figure out voicemail on this fucking thing.

[voice]

[mightyfallen]

Or whatever it is we do around here without a monetary system.

Mn, I'd bet He'd pay attention to that, but I'm not Isaac. [he huffs half a laugh, a little bitter.] So are you some sort of closet bibliophile? Do I need to worry about leaving you alone with old religious texts?

[voice]

[antisaint]

[wryly] Sounds like I'm more used to that than you are.

What's the Latin root for 'really not fond of but familiar with by necessity'?