Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

The detective gave a slight smile when Kay said the sight of the unconscious Noah brought out the maternal instinct in her. There was a sadness to it though as he thought of Noah's own mother and the accident, wishing (not for the first time) that she was still around. She would have been able to keep Noah on the straight and narrow and would have stopped him getting involved with the gangs and by extension with John. Though on a more personal level Singh missed his friend and colleague.

The hurt edge in Kay's voice didn't go unnoticed and Singh, out of habit, filed it away in his head. He saw straight through Kay's diplomatically worded in 'the last few days we've not really been in sight of each other' knowing what she was really saying was that John had been isolating himself from everybody as he drowned himself and his sorrows in an entire distillery's worth of booze. Singh knew about Elliott's murder, Nat had told him earlier that day after he'd made a 'dragged backwards through a hedge' comment. So reading between the lines, Kay had been in the building ever since the murder. There was no way John was taking visitors, his best mate wasn't around and it had taken thirteen calls from Nat for the phone to be picked up. Which meant Kay had been there when the murder had happened, maybe she'd even witnessed it. She was obviously important to him in some way, John wouldn't just let some random stranger stay in his weird magic house while he grieved. Was she some close friend he' never heard of? Couldn't be. John was shutting those out while he grieved. Family? Not by blood, his sister was blond, parents dead (he'd found that particular detail out when he pulled John's police file, along with a many other..... unsavoury details). Elliott had been an orphan with no past. That only left one real possibility, John and this woman had some kind of relationship, meaning the baby was his. Which was, well, he didn't know what to think of it. John was hardly the 'settle down with a white picket fence, a dog and two and a half kids' kind of guy. Shag around and have fun, but no lasting deep connection was more his style. hardly the type to hang around afterwards either. John was reckless yes, but surely not reckless enough to accidentally knock somebody up as an adult? There was something else going on.

As he mused, he listened to the rest of what Kay had to say and couldn't help but let out a slight 'huh' of surprise at what she was saying about Nat, though he didn't elaborate. His eyes narrowed slightly at the phrase 'open book to a certain extent'. That confirmed his suspicions, there was something else going on, something bigger at play. Something this woman felt she couldn't talk about without John's express permission, which meant it was ether illegal, supernatural or both. He'd seen this caginess before when interviewing suspects- a sure sign whatever was going on warranted further investigation. "I'm a police officer, it's my job to have questions" he replied with a smile. She was willing to answer him, which made his life easier, but the joke would ease her into it. "I suppose the obvious ones are how do you know John and how long have known him." A pause then casually, as if it had only occurred to him at that moment "and how much John has told you about myself, Noah and Nat. Might need to set the record straight if he's been talking shit or add some context if he's doing his broody and mysterious bullshit wizard act." He smirked slightly, though not maliciously at 'bullshit wizard'.

 

[MzHyde]

Looking at Singh as she spoke, she could tell he was logging everything she said in his mind, something she knew meant she'd have to be super careful what she said, just like she always did for years, hells, even when she and John very first met she felt she had to be careful what she said until John got what he needed out of her information wise and she knew she could somehow, trust him. The real meaning behind her words were meant to be understood, so judging Singh's body language and reaction she saw that he did get the hidden meaning.

The moment he said he stayed he was a police officer it all made sense why it was clear he was logging everything she said mentally, as well as the manner of his speaking. She had a feeling he was of some intellectual job wise, and being in the police force made perfect sense. She gave a smile back and a nod of slight amusement at his quip whilst she too logged into her memory everything he was telling her. If he was going to make a point of memorising her words, she was going to do the same damn thing to him. The first question really wasn't a surprise to her, she was actually mostly expecting that question to be the first one before looking at him act as if another question just came to him. An old tactic used but still an effective one, that much she had to admit to herself. "I've known him a little while now, to be honest time is kinda lost on me at the moment, but I'd say a few months? He saved my life by getting me off the streets when a couple of asshole demons decided to ambush me and attack me in the alleyway I was hiding out in for the night. I guess he was in the right place at right time or something, I still got hit pretty hard and was passed out in his apartment for about three days before I came round." she smiled, twisting the truth by leaving out the whole 'demons had tracked me down because I'm the last phoenix and they want me either dead for my soul or more appealing to them- Hell's weapon', but still telling the truth enough to be believed. "I guess we just...I dunno...got on enough for him to keep me around" she softly lightly chuckled. "But in all seriousness, we did hit it off, we got...something" she added. Then she thought about the second question he asked, she tried to think back on the stories he had told about his friends or contacts during the happier days and nights in Attil but they were all just muddled up.

The 'bullshit wizard' comment did make her laugh lightly, as she was sure she'd heard worse things said about John in jest by either Elliott or Chas, hells, even by John himself and even she had reminded him he's a self proclaimed asshole. "He's told many stories over the time I've known him about various people, but I gotta admit, they're kinda jumbled up in my memory. You said earlier...Nat and John were partners? Do you mean in the sense of....a relationship?" She replied, ending her reply with the one question that had been burning in her mind. She honestly couldn't remember if Nat was the ex girlfriend or the bartender and she felt rather foolish for not being able to remember clearly. She actually felt like a shit girlfriend/partner/whatever word her and John were to use for her right now but those thoughts could be shook from her kind for the time being. The second question also made her briefly glance back toward where John and Nat were and wondered how much of their story he was telling the other woman, before glancing back at Nat. If she had a remote inkling John was admitting the unborn child in question was his and what she was, then she would tell Singh, but right now she just didn't know and she had been stabbed in the back by friendly people before so she had to keep her guard up slightly. Even all this time down the line and it still hurt her university room mate Ethan betrayed her and revealed to be a demon and tortured her after pretending to be her friend for so long.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Singh listened quietly as Kay told her tale. It didn't surprise him that her meeting with John had been tainted by darkness and the supernatural, he suspected that was how most people met John Constantine. Sleeping rough on the streets- that surprised him, but he didn't let it show. He flinched at the mention of demons- his mind briefly thrown back to that ruined building where they'd found Noah. Hearing the demon's voice come out of the young man's mouth had been one of the most horrific experiences of his life. The screams (both from it and Noah) as the demon was exorcised and gruesome sight of it bursting out of Noah's body- he never wanted to see anything like it again as long as he lived.

One demon had been terrifying enough. There mere thought of multiple had him feeling faint. Kay had been lucky, there was no other word for it. He didn't even consider the possibility that Kay, like Noah, had been attacked for a reason. As he saw it demons simply enjoyed the suffering of others, they didn't need to pick a target. Kay had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gave a slight smile when Kay confirmed his suspicions that she and John had something.

He wondered if Kay was being cagey, if she actually knew more about the three of them than she was letting on. But a feeling in his gut told him she was telling the truth and John had said next nothing about them. Hardly surprising, yet somehow saddening. It was the emotion in kay's tone as she asked her question that really caught his attention, a mixture of fear, jealousy and worry. Singh wasn't a betting man, but at that moment he would have bet the contents of his wallet that if Kay had been only allowed to get one question answered, this was the one she would have chosen. Who was Nat to John? And the unspoken implication- was she a threat to whatever Kay and John had at the moment?

He considered his words. "I meant it more along the lines of 'partners in crime', Nat still investigates things in her spare time, she has quite the side hustle as a private investigator these days, and when John was living here the two of them would investigate the......" he hesitated, looking for the correct word "occult things going on around here. She was the hired muscle for lack of a better phrase. As for anything romantic or sexual...." Singh shrugged "to be honest, I don't know. I've never been quite sure about those two. It would certainly explain a lot of things if they are or were. But neither of them really like labels and to be honest, I'm not that close with the both of them, I've always been a sort of third wheel in their goings on. It's a whole other story" which I'm not going to elaborate on unless explicitly asked as it's nothing to do with your question "Nat I get on well enough with, she's always got an ear to the ground and is a good source on the less than legal things going on 'round here. We've got a deal worked out. John on the other hand" he shook his head disapprovingly "I try to avoid to him. He always stirs things up and bring the wrong kind of trouble in his wake. Which means more trouble for my team, more overtime and more paperwork and more lies. Make no mistake" he looked her straight in the eyes "I'm here because of Noah, not because of them."

 

[MzHyde]

Just as Singh wanted it, Kay had no idea that he found it surprising she was living rough on the streets before John came into her life. For her, she just figured it was of no surprises to him that someone on the run had successfully avoided any kind of law enforcement for worry of being taken back to the one place she was running from. In her case, it would mean either taking her back to the university to get more information on her, or taking her to the station, gaining more information and shoving her back on a plane to Seattle to her adoptive parents. If they were even still alive, of that she didn't even know which wasn't a shock considering she didn't even know Sam was still alive and Sam was in the UK like herself. She noted the flinch of he made when she had mentioned demons, seeing that with Noah and the fight they just endured, he really didn't want to deal with anything demonic ever again in his lifetime. Something she really couldn't blame him for, as if she had a choice in the matter, she wouldn't like to come face to face to them ever again either but she knew with her life, destiny and future with John that wasn't ever going to happen.

With the only question she had on her mind since his 'partners' remark and seeing how Nat felt completely comfortable in talking to John the way she had done asked, she waited for Singh to answer, seeing how he was clearly considering his choice of words before he spoke up which just put her slightly on edge even though she had trust in John, something she figured over these times, he didn't get given much of. She then listened intently to his answer, carefully logging every word he spoke into her memory bank, whilst internally sighing with relief when he clarified he meant partners in crime. She picked up on the whole 'i won't elaborate on things' cue from him in his tone and just accepted his words for what they were. She nodded in understanding at him explaining what kind of person Nat was, easily getting that vibe from her whilst also finding it surprising that Singh actively tried to avoid John, though she didn't let that show. What wasn't surprising was the comment about John always stirring up trouble wherever he went for Singh and causing a lot of extra work for him and his team at the station. John never once made it a secret from her that he rubbed people the wrong way and had gotten into a fair amount of trouble in his time.

When he looked her straight in the eyes to say his next part about Noah, she nodded. "I can understand that. I got instantly how protective you are of him and that I can fully respect" she told him truthfully. "There anything else you want to know about me or anything?" She then asked as they were talking, and figured that when the other two were done and ready, John (or possibly Nat) would come out and let the two of them know. "I mean, I don't know how much I could possibly tell you but it's not like we got anything else to do other than talk....and I can't imagine knowing how I know John is your only question that's on your mind" She added with a shrug, before letting a tiny flinch in her eye appear briefly as her child kicked.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The House//present day
Singh nodded back, glad she understood. He'd made the same thing very clear to John when they first met, albeit in a much less diplomatic way- a threat to hunt him down and castrate him should he drag Noah into any more trouble. Crude and far from his usual style, but it got his message across loud and clear. "Good, because my loyalty is to Noah, no mater what kind of mess he gets into, I'll do my hardest to get him out. The kid deserves better than all this. He's had it rough these past few years and I don't want to see him throw his life away by getting in deeper with the gangs or any of this magic stuff." There was a disapproval on the detective's face and also fear, making it clear to Kay that Singh's only experience of the world of magic had been bad ones and the detective was -at least in part- blaming John for getting Noah involved in that world of magic in the first place.

"You're right there, I have many, but this isn't a police interview where I need to know every minute facet and detail of your life in the hope it may hold some clue that will crack the case wide open. Usually I would want to know everything" outside of work Singh found it hard to turn that desire off. "Particularly when there's so clearly a big secret being kept from me." He held up a hand "don't bother denying it, there's something else going on here, something much bigger than just a demon possessing a young man and going on a murder spree. What I'm trying to figure out is how much do I need to know. No matter how much I want to know, when it comes to John there's a lot of things I'm better off not knowing, it's a hell of a lot easier that way." He sighed, the conflict showing on his face for the first time. "Do you know the story of Pandora's box? It's kind of like that for me. Once I know it, I can never not know it." Another sigh. "You don't know how much John would want you to say, and I don't know how much he thinks I need to know and neither of us want to overstep that. I suppose, what do you think you can say that won't cross the line?" Singh didn't usually leave the ball in the other person's court, he liked to be the one in control of the conversation, but this situation was different.

---

Chas' House// Present day
Trish was in the kitchen putting on the kettle to make herself some tea when the knocking came. She cast her eyes upwards, listening for any sign of her parents moving to go and answer the door. Nothing. They were probably still asleep she thought. She had no urge to wake them, sleep had been hard to come by this past week... at least for her. Nor did she have any urge to answer the door, they weren't expecting any guests (she'd told her school she was sick with a bad bout of 'flu). Whoever it was outside, it couldn't be important. She turned away and busied herself getting out the mug, milk and teabags. It was as she was reaching for the biscuits that the knocking came again.

Trish let out a sigh of frustration, glaring at the front door. She didn't want to see anybody, didn't want to talk to anybody who wasn't immediate family. It wasn't, couldn't be John outside, his knocking would be much more frantic. She poured the hot water straight into the mug with a tad too much vigour, causing it to slop onto the countertop. The knocking came again, just as insistent. She swore under her breath, cursing whoever was outside and their damned persistence, they clearly weren't going to just give up and move on. With a reluctant sigh she stood up, pushed the loose strands of hair from her face and padded towards the door, mug in hand.

She yanked it open "whatever you're selling, we're not ........" her words trailed off and the mug fell to the ground, smashing into pieces. She blinked, unable to believe her eyes. "Oh Hells". The exhausted looking woman standing in front of her looked so much like Elliott that for a brief moment she'd thought the woman was Elliott. Cal stared back, equally dumbstruck by just how much Trish looked like her father. "My brother isn't dead and I know how to prove it!"

 

[MzHyde]

Listening to Singh talk, it was clear to her that he thought incredibly negatively of the magic world and truth be told, she couldn't blame him. He made no hint in anything he had said that he had witnessed anything positive or good when it came to the magic world, especially as it seemed to revolve the kid Noah and wanting nothing more than to keep him safe from it all. "I know this would be difficult to believe right now, but not all magic is bad. I don't doubt that you probably at least partially blame John for the trouble Noah has gotten into, and I'm not someone that will try and convince you otherwise, you've known him longer than I have. Of that much I'm also sure. I'm also fully aware what an utter ass he can be" she said to him, her last words making her smirk ever so slightly. "I do hope you get Noah out of this world though, or at least find a way to keep safe 24/7" she added honestly. She honestly couldn't imagine what she'd be like if her child got into the kind of trouble this Noah seemed to have gotten into, and this was dispite knowing she was going to bringing a child into this world and no doubt would get into trouble at some point. Just because of who her parents were and her bloodlines. She then listened to what else Singh had to say, as he confirmed that he did have many many questions but he wasn't going to ask them all and make her feel like she was in an interrogation.

She also appreciated that he was aware she doesn't fully know just how much John would be happy for her to disclose. She didn't want to anger him, especially now he was still in some degree grieving for Elliott. She still remembered clear as day how he hid her from Bruce Wayne when he visited the apartment to possibly call on John's expertise on something. She was about to say something when he mentioned about a big secret being kept from him, but the raise of his hand told her to shut up before she even spoke. She knew better than to try and fool a detective. So instead she continued to listen to him speak, before nodding to show she did in fact know of the story of Pandora's box. Hells, sometimes she felt like a walking version of said box as she kept her true identity a secret with John and her existence to a certain extent. Yet she still got a bit surprised when he put the ball in her court when it came to telling him anything she deemed safe for him to know. "Well I can tell you've been wondering if this baby is John's, I've noticed the glances and deep in thought off to the distance looks when I caught up to you. The answer is yes it is his and no, neither of us planned it. But we're both prepared to own up to the situation and raise this kid, even if we're both absolutely terrified" she told him first and foremost. "And yeah, there is a big fat ol' secret between me and him that I can't and won't disclose unless he wants to disclose it himself, either way I trust his decision and that trust has kept me safe all this time. So I have no reason to stop now, even though I know he's not perfect whatsoever." She explained.

"The secret is to keep me safe and alive, that's all I can say in any kind of elaboration" she then added with a small sigh as she leaned against the wall herself, relieving the weight off her feet and swollen ankles, one foot at a time. "I'm sorry I can't be more specific Singh. I wish I could be" she told him sincerely. "What else can you tell me about yours and Nat's connection to John? Any stories you can tell me about the man I'm making a life with?" She smirked with a light warm chuckle, trying to make light of rings after saying what she considered heavy things.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The House//present day
Singh looked skeptical at the idea of there being good magic out there, but didn't challenge Kay on it. He'd believe there was good magic when he saw it. He couldn't' help but smirk with Kay when she called John an ass. In his mind this was proof Kay was the most sensible one in The House, she wasn't so utterly besotted with John that she couldn't see his many, many flaws. John was dangerous and being oblivious to that, she wouldn't just be putting herself in danger, she'd be putting her unborn child in danger. He gave a slow nod when she confirmed the child was John's, just as he's suspected. he felt a pang of annoyance that he'd been such an open book, that Kay had been able to read his thoughts so easily. He knew it was because he'd been running himself ragged the past week and the stress, bad coffee and lack of sleep were finally catching up with him. What didn't surprise him was John being terrified of being a parent- actually having to take responsibility for and see the consequences of his actions. Would he stick around, stay with Kay through it all, or would it be like with Nat and Noah where he fled with no warning occasionally checking in from a distance? He didn't voice or show those thoughts, Singh wasn't a cruel man, Kay had just confessed she was terrified, no need to add to her worries any more, she had more than enough to be dealing with.

He gave another slow nod, this time of quite triumph when Kay confirmed that his hunch was right. "I won't push for details" he assured her "it's just makes a welcome change to have my suspicions confirmed almost straight away, usually it's denial, denial, denial on the part of the suspect and getting confirmation is like getting blood from a stone and takes days or weeks." He pulled a slight face.

"Suppose how we met him is a fairly neutral place to start.... Needless to say John's appearance caused some trouble among the local gang, particularly the Ri-Boys. So I tracked John down, cornered him and threatened him, told him to stay away from Noah or at the very least keep him out of trouble. He's done maybe a half of those if I'm being generous. John and Nat on the other hand? They met in possibly the least surprising place possible, a pub. She chucked him, and I do mean literally threw him out of the place after he started insulting everybody and threatening fights. Nat's a bouncer and a good one at that. They got talking and smoking outside, then somebody John used to know, who he'd screwed over pretty badly back in the day appeared, started to make a scene and so Nat beat the shit out of him." He gave Kay a look, "don't get on her bad side, she holds grudges and she's somewhat protective of John." though I can't for the life of me see why. "They started teaming up to look into the occult, bringing Noah along with them far more often than I think they should have. They worked out a pretty good system, started making some money out of it, bought the pub and the rooms above it, Nat branched out into general private investigation work, pays better apparently. I might be in the wrong career, who knows?"

He then smirked and reached for his phone. "Hold on, I think you'll like this." He unlocked it and scrolled through the gallery then passed the device to Kay. It was a photo of John, soaked to the skin, his clothes covered in river sludge and stringy bits of seaweed. There was what appeared to be a half a dead fish stuck behind his ear and he was scowling at the camera. In the background were Nat and Noah, both clearly laughing their heads off at John's bedraggled state.

Chas' house//present day
"Wwwwwhat...." Trish stuttered when she regained her senses. Her voice was small and filled with confusion. "Hhhhow... hhow's that even possible? There was a body, blood, Dad saw it happen with his own eyes!" She stared at Cal disbelievingly. She hadn't even registered there was another woman with Cal, an equally exhausted looking woman with blond hair and a bulky backpack slung over one shoulder. "It was faked, the whole thing was one big ruse." "Who are you?" Trish snapped suspiciously, yanking her eyes away from Elliott Cal. Cliff gave a small smile, this girl had spirit, she may have spent the last week grieving the man who was like her brother, but she still had fight in her. Cliff gestured at Cal "her wife.... Elliott's sister-in-law if you want to get technical about it".

Trish blinked, her dad had mentioned that they'd found Cal and even been at her wedding, but the loss of Elliott had overwhelmed everything so much she'd paid that detail no attention. Too stunned to do anything else, she just stared. "Could we come in?" Cal asked. Trish stepped back, kicking the shards of mug to one side. "Yyyyeah... 'course." Her brain finally clicked into gear. "I s'pose you'll be wanting my Dad?" The two women nodded.

Trish turned towards the stairs and bellowed "DAD! MUM!" Cal and Cliff exchanged glances, surprised and impressed by the volume. A few seconds pause, then Trish yelled again. This time there was a muffled reply, a cranky request to keep the noise down, that now really wasn't the time. "NO SERIOUSLY, YOU GOTTA COME DOWN. ELLIOTT'S SISTER AND HER CUTE WIFE ARE HERE!" "WHAT?!" "OH JUST COME DOWN DAD, IT'S IMPORTANT!"

 

[MzHyde]

When Singh gave Kay the skeptical look about there being good magic in the world, she wished in that moment she could show him. She was new to it all herself but the fact she herself was of somewhat a magical being, she wanted to prove there was good in it, but knew she couldn't. She hoped one day though that she could show him, prove to him that not all magic was dark and bad, that it could be a symbol for good and protection. The smirk he then proceeded to give her when she said she wasn't oblivious to the fact John could be an utter asshole and as blunt as a rubber ball that bounces back and hit you straight in the face at full pelt, didn't go unnoticed to her and she was glad that she could get it across she wasn't some smitten naive female whose all over John for his looks. She had never been that small minded or shallow and she didn't intend on starting to be now. Yes, she found John incredibly attractive, and yes she did love him, but she wasn't just about that.

As for the noticing him wondering if their child was John's, she merely only noticed because she prided herself on being observant of people's body's language. The fact he nodded which told her she was right in assuming such a notion, told her she hadn't lost her touch when it came that very skill. If he had of told her to be prepared for him to leave her and their child alone, she probably would have firmly told him where to go with that opinion and that she would be prepared to prove him wrong, that people CAN change to certain degrees. She had full faith John would t abandon her, not after everything else they had been through together, especially as John never once left her side when she got given the news she was pregnant, when she fainted in the hospital and during the fight, he got her out of the line of fire without a second thought. To her, that was enough to show her he wouldn't leave them for the demons or hellspawn or any other downworlder to grab them and use them as a weapon or straight up kill them for money. Luckily for her (and Singh) however, she didn't have to defend her growing family. Instead she found herself chuckling in understanding at his comments about it being a nice change to get answers easily and not go on for who knows how long fighting for said answers.

She listened to how the two of them met John and when he mentioned how Nat bought the pub he once threw him out of, it all clicked into place in her memory as she nodded with an expression of recognition to the story, now she was putting faces to the names John had once told stories about. She held her hands up when he said not to piss Nat off, "oh I kinda get that vibe from her and I have no plans to piss anyone off. I'm not a confrontational type unless I think it's completely justified." She told him with a smile, just before he remembered about a photo and went to find it on his phone and showed her. The moment she saw the filthy state of John, she couldn't stop the laughter from escaping her lips, the first genuine laugh she had done in days and it felt so refreshing to be able to do such a thing again. "Oh my gosh! That's absolutely brilliant! He looks such a wreck!" She laughed, the amusement clearly showing in her eyes.

"Oh it feels good to laugh again..." She sighed. "Thank you Singh" she told him genuinely and warmly before glancing back at the direction where the other two were, "I wonder how they're getting on and if they're close to being done talking" she mused out loud.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The House//present day
Kay reacted in exactly the way Singh expected she would, with laughter and delight. It was a brilliant photo, a beautiful candid shot, the addition of Noah and Nat laughing their heads off in the background made it even better in his opinion. He smiled as he took the phone back, not surprised she hadn't laughed in a while. Murder tended to do that, particularly when the victim was related to somebody you cared deeply about. No doubt John's grief had dragged down the mood throughout the whole house.

"And he smelled as bad as he looked, that river is filthy." Singh chuckled. "And the best part is, he fell in by accident. It wasn't because he was in pursuit of some hell-creature or anything like that. Nope, he simply wasn't looking where he was going, skidded on some sludge along the bank and fell right in with a splash." He shook his head and grinned, properly grinned at the memory. "He squelched the whole way back to the pub. He gave up trying to be dignified about the situation pretty quickly and spent the whole walk back scowling." Seeing John in that grumpy, bedraggled state (and unable to do anything about it), Singh took it as a form of divine compensation for putting up with all of John's other antics.

Singh gave a shrug. "I couldn't say, she was pretty pissed off with him, it depends on how good his answers are I guess. Although.... hold on." He'd caught sight of a flicker of motion out of the corner of his eye. He took a few paces down the corridor to get a better look out the window. "Well John's putting that demon Vestibulan back in the phone... about time" he gave a shudder. "And Nat's there was well.... she doesn't look like she's furious with him..... they're stubbing out cigarettes..... I'm going to take that as a good sign.... Oh wait, yes.. she's giving a thumbs up.... we can go back in."

Chas' house//present day
Like her daughter, Renee stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Cal. She couldn't help it, the woman looked so unmistakably like Elliott, the same hair the same cheekbones, same golden eyes. She could feel the tears welling up, but this time there was happiness mixed into the sadness. "Oh it's good to see you two again" Chas told them, the expression on his face was the closest to a smile it had been the past week. The two women nodded their heads in agreement, then Cal introduced herself properly. She'd held out a hand, but found herself pulled into a firm hug by Renee. "You look so like him." Renee murmured, to which Cal could only nod, not trusting herself to speak. Cliff found herself pulled into a similarly tight hug.

"Tell them what you told me!" Trish interrupted impatiently. "You might want to sit down first." Cliff said gently "this is going to come as quite the shock."

 

[MzHyde]

John's grief did drag the whole house down, just as Singh suspected but what he didn't know was that it was her own grief as well as she not only grieved because she cared about John, but she did truly care about Elliott as well. She never once lied to John when she said she saw Elliott as her own family as well as John himself, so for her she lost someone very dear and that grief only escalated when she realised their kid would grow up never knowing Elliott and what an amazing guy he was. She spent days remembering how happy Elliott was, even if he showed it in a much calmer manner about having a younger sibling and saying how he'd gladly accept them in his life, be there to help whenever needed. Now their kid didn't have that sibling to go to whenever they wanted or needed to get away from either herself or John. It broke her heart knowing that. Shaking those thoughts from her head once more, she laughed more when Singh told her that it was through sheer clumsiness that John got into that filthy horrendous state and yes, he did smell as bad as he looked. She could easily imagine how grumpy that would make John and could just as easily imagine how smug the other three must have been knowing they didn't slip and get themselves absolutely covered. She began to wonder if there'd be days she'd witness that sort of situation herself with their son or daughter so she could have her own photographic memories of such scenarios.

"That's just brilliant. It's really not hard to imagine him majorly grumpy over that at all. He can be pretty serious and grumpy at times, but I guess that's just John" she chuckled, before their conversation moved on to wondering how much longer the other two would be. She let Singh take a closer look and explain what was going on that he could actually see before confirming that they could reunite with the two of them. "Phew coz my feet are absolutely killing me now." she said with a soft smirk, pushing herself off the wall and heading back to the others. "Everything alright now between you two?" She asked Nat and John casually, looking between them both. As Singh said, she noticed Nat didn't looked absolutely pissed off at John which she took to be a positive sign, even if she was curious to how much he told her and if it was on par with what she told Singh or if he told more or less than she told Singh. As she waited for either or both of them to answer, she headed to the closest seat to herself and sat down with a sigh of relief. She was fully prepared to properly introduce herself to Nat when the opening appeared, but right now she just wanted to be rest assured they were all on neutral ground with each other and she was firmly off her feet. Yet despite everything, she had to admit it was nice seeing more faces again and even more nice being able to see John again.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The House//present day
By the time they entered the entrance room John and Nat were already seated. John was perching on the arm of the couch where Noah lay while Nat was in one of the other chairs. The spiked baseball bat was gone, as was the blessed sword, however the cricket bat was still there, leaning against the couch. Nat's teeth were gritted in pain and concentration as she slowly eased her boot off her foot. Her ankle was swollen, most likely sprained and in places there was blood soaking through her sock. She looked up at Kay's question, regarding the woman through narrowed eyes. There was no malice in her gaze, just suspicion. A few short seconds later she shrugged "John answered my questions" she replied. "And while I cannae say I entirely agree" she shot a pointed look at John, who pretended he hadn't seen it "with 'is choices, I can understand 'em. Which I guess counts for somethin'."

John turned his attention Singh, the only person who'd chosen not to sit down. He was dead on his feet exhausted and knew if he sat down, he'd fall asleep, something he didn't feel comfortable doing in John's magic house. The place gave him the creeps. "So, how much did Kay tell you?" he asked. "Not much, we realised most of this is way above my paygrade. Including the big secret that you're keeping from us because it protects her." Singh replied. John's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Don't bother denying it, I know there is one. I'm a detective and Kay confirmed it exists, thought not what it actually is". Nat shot John a look, to which he shook his head. Nat smirked in realisation before sitting back in the chair, resting her injured foot on her thigh.

"I know you two met because there were demons after her and you saved her life. You've got some undefined relationship going on, the child she's pregnant with is yours. Judging by the fact she's here in this place.... she was there when Elliott died, and knew him well enough to also spend this time grieving. And also that you never mentioned anything about us lot here. Which means you haven't said anything about your little side businesses here". John nodded slowly, relieved that Kay had kept her true nature secret. The rest of the information was pretty basic, and there was less of it than he'd expected given how long he'd been explaining himself to Nat. "That's all true. There's also a magic bond thing neither of us understand thrown into the mix."

"Well Tommo's going to be fucking distraught." Nat smirked. "Not only is it not him who fate has flung in your path, she's actually good looking." Singh pulled a pained face. John pulled one of disgust and gave a faux shudder. "Euck.... Nat, I really didn't need that reminder!"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay had to admit to herself, she was impressed that John answered questions that Nat had, whatever those questions were. She was half expecting all truth be told that Nat would have said John barely said a thing and refused to answer most of her questions. Though the fact Nat said she didn't agree with his choices entirely did make her curious which of his choices the woman didn't agree with. Though she couldn't say she knew Nat in the slightest, she would respect that if she said it says something in the fact she understands them. She also had to give the woman credit for seeming to be taking whatever John told her pretty well, which was another plus in Kay's books. Noticing the state of Nat's foot, Kay had to feel sorry for the woman, and if she hadn't already sat down she would have offered to get the woman some ice for it to try and help, but now she was sat? She weren't getting up for a little while. It was now she realised a good chunk of her painting before all the drama appeared at The House, that she found herself standing which added to the standing around whilst talking to Singh and just before that, she realised it was no wonder why her feet were killing her.

She looked between the two men as John spoke to Singh next, to figure out how much she said and something in her just knew he was wanting to know how much of herself could she have kept a secret. Glancing between them both, something told her that John was relieved she didn't say what she was, and if they were alone discussing between themselves what was disclosed to Nat and Singh she probably would have said "I'm a messy painter not an idiot" or something of similar lines. She knew not say what she truly was, hells, she hadn't even known herself for long in the great scheme of things, and knowing how many beings out there wanted her for one nefarious reasons or another, she wasn't even going to risk telling a detective who hated the magic world. When John confirmed with what she said to Singh whilst adding that they have a magic bond with each other, Kay realised when she was talking with Singh, that the bond had completely slipped her mind due to wanting to confirm his suspicions of the baby being his and that yes, there was a secret being kept from them but it was for a very valid reason. As Nat reacted to the bond news, Kay assumed it was because not even John had mentioned the bond earlier to her but it also got her wondering 'who the hell is Tommo?' considering it got a very distasteful reaction out of John, the comment of Nat's calling her good looking slipping by in her mind completely.

"Who is Tommo that got John writhing so dramatically?" She had to ask out loud, unable to keep the curious thought to herself, especially when John's reaction got her smirking in amusement. There was a story there and she most definitely wanted to know it if it made John react the way he did. "And what did John tell you? If you don't mind me asking that is. It's only fair I know what's been said as well after all" she added straight after, looking at Nat in particular as she asked the second of her questions. Beneath all of the curiosity and amusement however, she was also just glad to be in the same room as John again finally, something she wanted to make the most of incase he disappeared again on her when Singh and Nat left. An action she very much hoped wouldn't happen but wasn't naïve enough to think it wasn't entirely possible.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John and Singh replied in unison, each with a different answer. "A bloody annoying arsehole with an ego the size of a planet" John replied with a slight scowl while Singh went with "another mage we know, whose kind of the opposite of John in almost every way". John gave the detective a look, to which he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not denying that he's completely full of himself and can be annoying sometimes" "only sometimes?" John snorted in disbelief. "But I've met far more annoying people." Singh continued "and he's not a destructive to the peace as you are."

Before John had a chance to retaliate, Nat jumped in. "Tommo's an old friend... a' sorts. We were a crew of five back in the day- me, John, Noah, Singh an' Tommo. Think of everythin' that bad or annoyin' aboot hipsters, crank those up to seventeen, add in a posh as fuck accent, ensure there's a beard and a manbun, add in a habit of hugging everybody he meets and ye've basically got Tommo. He's obsessed wi' John an' I do mean obsessed. Like worships the ground John walks on obsessed. It's no secret he wants John to fuck his brains out, not that he's got much a' them mind you." John couldn't help but smirk while Singh pulled a face, clearly not comfortable with how deliberately crude Nat was being. "Sure he knows his stuff when it comes ta magic and can drink a pub dry, but he's quite the twat. He's not used ta things goin' wrong for him, but he does have a lotta connections, so he has his uses."

"Where is he anyway? I was expecting him to ambush me the second I stepped foot in that pub or give me one of his hippy speeches on the wonders of group grieving or some such bullshit." "He received a mysterious summons ta Kathmandu shortly before I started tryin' ta call you." The implications behind her words were clear, Nat had got rid of Tommo because she wanted John around to find Noah. John gave a bark of a laugh, the first time he'd laughed since Elliott's slaughter. "Nat, yer a bloody star!" "And yer still an arse."

Nat and John smirked at each other before Nat answered Kay's second question. "It's nae much ta do wi' you really. Most a' it was John explainin' some lose ends from our last case and why he upped and left wi' no warning the last time. An' some details aboot Elliott's death- he slept on my couch for a few weeks an' helped oot with some of the really weird magic shit I was hired ta look into. He was a good bloke, even if he would nae get pissed wi' us in the pub after a long day."

 

[MzHyde]

When both Singh and John answered at the same time, Kay only just about heard what they both said, their words making her smirk as they couldn't have been further apart in styles of describing someone if they tried. She looked between the two of them as John gave Singh such a reaction that made Singh defend his words and agree this Tommo was utterly annoying. After what Singh had hinted about how he felt about John, she could easily imagine John was one of those people he was alluding to before confirming her suspicions in his very last comment. She had to admit, John was destructive at times but she wasn't going to say anything, she had seen him actually be a man of a plan and think things through, as well as avoiding being destructive to the peace as Singh so eloquently put it. She then turned to Nat and listened to her describe this bloke, thinking he sounded like a character that she most certainly did not want to be introduced to. She could only imagine how someone like this guy could use her for their own gain if they were that much of an utter arse. She also wrinkled her nose in distaste at the level of obsessed Nat described he was with John, but not because she would be jealous, but because she hated that kind of obsession in people. It was a trait she considered very much a negative one and knew that level of obsession can only lead to bad scenarios. "Sounds....awful" she replied, trying to think of an appropriate word to use before just using the word she did.

She listened in on John asking where this Tommo was before Nat made it clear that she did all she could to get him as far as away from John as possible and she was glad the woman did. She got to hear John truly laugh again and that made her smile to herself. She didn't think she'd heard that laugh again for a long time, so the fact Nat got him to laugh made Kay feel thankful. Their friendship was clear to Kay and if Nat was able to get John to smile and laugh again then she would get along just fine with Nat she decided. She then listened to Nat explain what was spoken about and nodded, surprised and yet at the same time not surprised that John kept most things about her out of the conversation with Nat. It was also nice for her to hear someone else talk about Elliott and explain how Nat knew him outside of being John's adopted kid. "That fair" she replied simply, Nat's words making her remember the times Elliott didn't drink around the rest of them or reminded her he didn't drink really when she was feeling like the only one not drinking when they found out she was pregnant. His simple words made her not feel so alone and out of the party, which now she thought back on those times it made her miss him just that bit more. "He never was a big drinker, but yeah a really good guy" she mused in memory. Snapping out of her thoughts, she realised, once glancing down at her hands, she was still very much looking a Jackson Pollock painting but she figured it was too late to truly care now.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The fond edge in Nat's tone as she talked about Elliott caught John by surprise. Until she said it, he'd entirely forgotten that Elliott had spent a few weeks at Nat's place. It hurt to think about Elliott, the pain and grief threatening to overwhelm him once again. But he choked it down, John was not going to let himself break down in front of Singh and Nat. The humiliation of them seeing him brought so low was too much for him. So he gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes when Nat remarked on what she clearly saw as Elliott's biggest personality flaw- the fact he didn't drink alcohol at all. John had never personally understood why. It wasn't that Elliott had had a hangover so horrific he'd sworn off booze forever or that he couldn't stand the smell of taste of the stuff. It was rare, but there had been a few times where Elliott had gone all out and cooked something really fancy involving a wine based sauce. John hoped it wasn't anything to do with his own drinking and binge drinking as a coping mechanism (he'd never had the guts to ask and now he'd never be able to). "Kid had standards and principles, what can I say?" John smirked, with more mirth and lightness in his tone than he felt.

Singh nodded while Nat smirked, then the room fell into silence. Elliott wasn't exactly the best topic of conversation and it didn't look like John was going to be offering up any more information about himself and/or Kay, certainly not without some prompting. Eventually for fear the silence would become oppressive Nat spoke up "so what's with the paint- fashion statement or bad technique?"

 

[MzHyde]

If Kay had any inkling that the mention of Elliott so fondly was setting John back again emotionally, she wouldn't have said anything further on Nat's comment, yet at the same time she almost needed it herself to remember something trivial but positive about Elliott. She knew the conversation wouldn't last, but a little mention here and there wouldn't hurt too much she figured. She smirked and softly chuckled as John said the kid had standards, of that she couldn't deny. Even in the relatively short time she had known him, it was clear he did have some principals compared to the rest of their group as she dubbed her new found friends and family. She knew however despite how he said those words, it had to have been difficult for him to muster up that tone. She wasn't naïve enough to think John would just stop grieving and being depressed over Elliott just because two people he knew had shown up. The silence was yet again deafening to her, she hated it just as she did these last days of not being around anyone other than her thoughts and the occasional word said by Fee.

She also knew that whatever conversation came next, it wouldn't be John so casually mentioning any information about her. Yet of all the things that did eventually get mentioned, her paint covered self wasn't the first thing that came to mind surprisingly to her. "Oh! Right..yeah, well to occupy myself whilst leaving John alone and you guys taking him to rightly get Noah, I continued work on a piece I'm doing. Though as John knows, I'm not the neatest painter in the world. I just get so involved in it when I'm listening to music that I sort of just end up with paint on me. Wouldn't exactly call it bad technique but rather.... A personal technique" she smirked slightly sheepishly. "Always been the same and can't see me changing any time soon" she added with a shrug. "But other than all that I caught my brush at the wrong angle earlier and it flipped into my face splattering me with paint" she then admitted, deciding that making light of her own clumsiness would be better for everyone to focus on, especially John than thinking on Elliott.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John nodded, he'd only seen Kay paint a few times, and each time she'd always ended up splattered, though he hadn't really thought much of it at the time. Elliott had been a much neater artist, but he'd preferred to work with inks and pencils. Even when he'd used charcoal he hadn't ended up as grubby as Kay was now. But there'd be no more of those sketches now, Elliott was gone.

Nat couldn't resist a smirk at Kay's admission of clumsiness. "Never been particularly mad aboot art myself. Closest I ever came to paintin' was some attempts at graffiti back years ago. Didn't have much success wi' it mind you, never end up lookin' right or even good." She finished with a shrug while Singh gave a sigh of mock annoyance. "How many times? Don't confess your past crimes in front of me. I can still have you arrested for them you know." There was a teasing edge to his tone and a hint of a smile. The detective then addressed Kay. "I'm no artist either, my strengths were more towards languages, but I like to think I can appreciate good art. What kind of things do you paint... if you don't mind me asking?"

 

[MzHyde]

Kay was one of these artists that if she did any kind of art with pencils or pens, she'd be neat, precise and remain clean the entire time yet the moment she broke out her paints, that's when she got messy and far from clean. She figured it only noticed on a large scale because she drew with pencils more often than not, and she really had to be in the mood and working on just the right piece to bring out the paints. She also knew that if she tried to deny that this was pretty normal for her, John would have probably called her out on it anyway if he so wished so saw no point in denying it. She listened to Nat speak and somehow wasn't entirely surprised to hear she wasn't an art type of person. Kay couldn't help but get that vibe from her and knew you either enjoyed art or didn't. She smirked at Nat confessing she tried graffiti but it never fully took off for her, nodding in understanding. She did however stifle a chuckle when Singh reminded Nat not to confess illegal activities in front of him as he could still arrest her for it. A reminder toward Nat that she herself noted to never do herself, knowing she had history of petty theft to survive the streets and breaking into abandoned houses to get out of the cold winter nights.

As Singh turned to her to add his two cents about art, whilst giving a tidbit of information of himself she looked at him back to listen. Knowing languages was a ln admirable skill in Kay's eyes and she always wished she knew more languages herself, but never got round to learning to any, or have the time to learn. Art was her lifeblood and if it wasn't art, she was either reading some book or another or listening to music. She never really expected Singh to ask her what kind of art she did, but at the same time she felt quite chuffed that someone did. "A bit of everything really, whatever sparks the inspiration but I tend to lean toward either realism portraits or fantasy based art the most." She explained, though in her head she was thinking 'is it even considered fantasy anymore now I know what I know?' she also couldn't help but remember the time she drew on the wall at AJ's diner with Elliott, the fantasy assassin woman, looking out at the world below her or the time she was in Cal's workplace and drew her as she worked on a sword whilst sitting beside John that time. She was pretty sure that was the first time John properly saw her work and when Cal got taken aback by the fact she was the point of inspiration, to the point her and Cliff wanted to keep the drawing. The memories flashing through her mind made her miss those two women so much, but instead of dwelling on the past, she mentally shook the thoughts out of her mind. She then remembered she had a couple of photos on her phone of not only the work in progress of what she was currently working on, but also finished sketches.

Pulling her phone out, she opened her gallery and pulled up a sketch of John she had done in Attil that he knew about first and showed Singh. "that's my pencil work, swiping to the left will show the work in progress of my canvas painting that is the reason for my current appearance." She explained to him.

Spoiler: Kay's art she's working on

just imagine it like partially painted.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Singh wasn't just asking out of politeness or because he wanted to prevent another awkward silence he was genuinely curious about Kay's work. The array of colours of paint splattered on Kay didn't exactly narrow it down. The fact she was drawn to fantasy didn't entirely surprise him, though he couldn't explain why he thought it did. It was just one of those feelings. He took the phone from Kay, one hand reaching to his inside suit pocket. Finding it empty he swore softly, the first time he'd done so since meeting Kay. The "dammit" was quiet, but it was enough for both John and Nat to turn and look at him, varying levels of concern visible on their faces.

"What?" the detective asked, surprised to be the centre of attention. "John and I swear like there's no bleedin' tomorrow. You don't, it's like... your thing." Nat replied. Singh couldn't help but chuckle slightly. If only he'd known all he needed to do to get John and Nat to actually focus on him was to swear it would have made his life a lot easier. "I don't normally, but it's been a long two weeks and to top it off I left my glasses in my office." "Since when the fuck did you wear glasses? John asked, genuine shock in his voice. There was an amused edge in Singh's tone as he replied "longer than you've known me. I'm longsighted, I only need glasses for reading files and paperwork and even then my eyes aren't that bad." To demonstrate the point he held Kay's phone out at arms length, just as he had earlier when finding the photo of John drenched and soaking to show to Kay.

While Singh admired Kay's artwork, John shook his head in disbelief as he tried (and failed) to imagine the detective with glasses. Nat was less bothered by the revelation, her focus was on her sprained foot. Singh eventually handed back the phone. "That's very good, you've got skill."

 

[MzHyde]

Singh's interest in what kind of art she did, did end up making Kay feel quite chuffed that someone was taking a genuine interest. She felt like she hadn't truly had that for a while, maybe even not since she was last with Sam. That wasn't to dismiss the reactions she had had since mind, it was just refreshing in this particular moment of time. Part of her wanted to put her feelings down to still making the most of not being on her own, wondering if she would feel this chuffed if she hadn't been isolated away from another being. Though her thoughts were interrupted when she too heard Singh curse in frustration, seeming not being able to find what he was looking for in his jacket pocket. It didn't even occur to her that he may have needed glasses for close up reading or observing of something, even when he had pulled the photo out to arms length distance earlier on. She also noticed the shock on both John's and Nat's faces at Singh's little quiet outburst, making her come to the conclusion that this was a rare moment for the man. Her concluded opinion confirmed as Nat spoke up. As Singh explained why he cursed, it was then and only then did she realise the man was long sighted.

The shock in John's voice told her all she needed to know, that he really didn't know Singh needed such an item. It seemed that as much as John kept from Singh, Singh managed to keep out of John's knowledge of him. She let Singh look at the photos of her work of differing styles, whilst she couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly at John attempting to picture the detective with glasses but clearly failing to do so. She also noted how Nat seemed to not care either way whether Singh wore glasses or not in comparison to John really struggling to imagine such an appearance. When the detective handed her back her phone, she took it from him, closed the gallery and put it back in her pocket. "Thank you, hoping the work in progress will be finished soon" she replied sincerely whilst thinking 'i need it to be finished soon. It's my way of finding the light in this dark time and finding hope passed the grief'. She didn't always do pieces that were metaphorical to how she felt, or the feelings of those around her but this felt different. Her grief and isolation and John's grief was overpowering she needed to let it out through her brushes.

She then looked across at Nat checking her foot out, then briefly over toward Noah to check on him and finally back to not looking at anyone or anything in particular. She didn't know exactly what to say next before she then glanced at Nat once again, "need anything for your foot?" She asked, feeling pretty certain there'd be ice or something in the kitchen.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Nat considered Kay's offer for a few seconds, then sharply shook her head. "Nah I'm good, it does nae seem to be broken an' none a' the cuts are deep enough tae need stitches. I'll bandage it and strap it up later". The 'I don't need to be worried about' was implied in her tone. She was Natalie Stirling, the world had thrown far worse things at her than a sprained ankle and a bloody foot and she'd survived them all. Nat didn't need the help of some woman she'd barely met half an hour ago. A few minutes of civil conversation and some basic details from John weren't anywhere near enough for her to drop her guard. Nat didn't trust people, not until they'd proved themselves. Kay may be John's significant... whatever, but that didn't get her special treatment and it certainly mean Nat would just trust her without question or let her help. Nat could and would deal with her injuries on her own.

There was a flash of disapproval on the detective's face- Singh was a firm believer in getting any injuries checked out by a trained professional- but he knew Nat well enough to know she wouldn't budge on her stance and so he said nothing.

John attention was caught by movement on the couch. Noah's outstretched hand twitched slightly, then wiggled before curling into a fist. Noah then coughed, a dry, almost rasping sound. Slowly the young man pulled himself into a sitting position, wincing at the pounding pain in his head and the foul taste in his mouth. He reached a hand to his temple only for it to stop half way, his brown eyes widening in shock at the blood on them. He flipped his hands over, they were covered in blood, fresh blood and there was flecks of something caked under his nails as well. Looking down he could see splatters of blood on his clothes as well. His eyes widened in horror and understanding- the taste in his mouth was blood, the stuff under his fingernails was skin. He'd torn somebody or something apart. He didn't scream, didn't yell, didn't mutter in anguished voice 'what have I done?' (though the thought was visible on his face). His hands started trembling as he looked up, staring at Singh, then Nat before entirely bypassing Kay and settling on John.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay wasn't surprised that Nat refused her help of getting her something so she could see to her foot herself, she knew what it was like to have a personality that meant you didn't trust people, especially if they were new acquaintances easily. She didn't trust easily either, but she did feel she had gotten slightly better at it just of late, though far from instantly trusting someone. So because of that, she didn't take offence to Nat's refusal for some kind of help. She certainly got the implication of the woman's tone, not that long having that kind of tone herself if someone asked if they could help in any way. She remembered one time on the streets she gotten injured climbing a tall gate to escape shop security who were chasing her for stealing food, she lost her footing as the gate was much more slippery than she anticipated, fell on the other side but in turn scraped her leg up pretty bad. Limping to a safe place where fellow homeless people were hiding out to stay warm, she sat in a corner and hoped it would heal soon. In that moment she recalled having one guy come over with stolen medical supplies but because of her lack of trust, she snapped at the guy and told hi I'm to fuck off.

Snapping out of her memory, she missed the look of disapproval from Singh toward Nat and instead of saying anything further she remained silent until Noah seemed to stir back to the waking world and look freaked out by the state he was in. She could easily imagine what the poor kid must be thinking or going through in this moment of panic. She saw how he looked at everyone but herself, which wasn't surprising in the slightest. He didn't know her and he would have been only used to seeing the other three when in trouble for one reason or another. 'glad to see him awake' she thought to herself, knowing that the other three would know how to deal with Noah in this moment. If she wasn't so thankful for the seat she was currently on to relieve the weight off her feet, she would have left them to it to calm Noah down in peace, but she was determined to stay put.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John had been expecting horror in Noah's gaze, shocked disbelief when the boy realised what had happened. The sheer terror in them caught him entirely by surprise however. "Noah, you didn't do it, that wasn't you" he told Noah in a tone he hoped was calming and reassuring. If anything John's words had the opposite effect, the shaking of Noah's hands only increased and his breathing quickened- he was on the verge on a panic attack. John got out of his chair and approached the couch, crouching in front of the couch, so that Noah had little choice but to look at him. Noah himself could feel this and was beginning to curl in on himself, drawing up his legs and wrapping his arms around his waist. "It wasn't your actions" he repeated, this time more firmly "you weren't in control, none of this shit is on you. You were possessed by a complete bastard of a demon. There wasn't anything you could have done to stop it."

It wasn't clear whether John reached for Noah first or Noah reached for John. Either way John ended up on the couch with his arms around the young man, Noah's face buried firmly in his shoulder. Noah didn't say anything as John continued to explain it wasn't the boy's fault. The minutes seemed to drag on, but eventually the shaking subsided and Noah drew away from John slightly, enough that he could see John's face and read the sincerity in it. John had meant every word, he didn't blame Noah for the murders and he would fight anybody who thought otherwise. John still kept one arm around Noah's shoulder, just as he'd done countless times with Elliott.

Noah's question [what happened to the demon?] was signed at John, but it was Singh who answered in a steely tone. Like John, he was very protective of Noah. "Dead" the DI replied "or whatever counts as dead for a demon, it was ripped apart and consumed." "It's gone" John confirmed. Noah nodded slowly, then signed another question [and the things I... it ripped apart?]. "They deserved it, this one seemed to have a taste for consuming corrupted souls, which I guess is why it didn't consume you." At that Noah's eyes narrowed, John's words sounded very much like a backhanded compliment, saying that despite everything he, Noah Ikumelo was still a good person. John shrugged in a 'you can take it or leave it, but I ain't taking it back' sort of way.

Noah looked up, taking in his surroundings properly, eyes trailing over the mismatch of architectural styles on display inside the The House, widening as he tried to guess the sheer scale of the place. [What the fuck is this place? Your gaff?]. "I don't usually live here. I won this place in a duel- it's magic, got a whole bigger on the inside thing going on and is somewhat sentient, so don't piss it off." Noah shook his head in disbelief 'of course it is' he thought, before turning back to look at the rest of the people in the room. He gave a sort of wave at Nat who smirked and gave him a thumbs up in response "good to 'ave ye back wi' us kid." Singh he regarded with more suspicion. On a good day eh thought of the DI as meddlesome on a bad day, he was the enemy and was going to chuck him in a cell and throw away the key. But it was a relief to see Singh nonetheless. Some kind of unspoken understanding passed between them before his focus fell onto Kay. He regarded her first with surprise, then with suspicion. [who the fu...] he started to sign, before correcting himself [who are you?]

 

[MzHyde]

Kay couldn't help but watch on as John instantly stood up and went to Noah's side and speak some comforting words as much as he could muster. She watched as Noah initially curled away from John before John managed to get him to seek comfort in him. The sight before her made her think of the one time she witnessed the bad nightmare of Elliott's and how John just knew what to do to comfort him. In her eyes, what she saw before her showed her that John was capable of being a good father figure even if he would deny it or try and counter that opinion. Because of that reason, she knew she would always keep that opinion to herself as just an observation. She knew deep down that John would be able to calm Noah as she had seen it with Elliott and hells, even herself and when she saw Noah slowly calm and look at John before glancing round the room to take in his surroundings. A moment that she just knew wouldn't be long before he wondered who she was.

As she predicted, he looked around wondering where he was, to which John explained again after having earlier explained it to Nat and Singh. What she wasn't expecting was how Noah looked at Singh with suspicion slightly, considering how much the kid clearly meant to Singh. She didn't even think that Noah would have a complicated opinion of Singh, and just assumed the kid liked Singh just as much as Singh cared for the kid. The suspicion he gave her was the least surprising thing out of everything after how he reacted when he woke up. When he signed to her who she was, she recognised the signs from having spent a decent amount of time around Cal and Cliff. "I'm Kay, I'm with John. It's nice to meet you Noah, just wish it was under nicer circumstances." She said calmly, politely and almost soothingly, not wanting to freak the boy out even more. Yet she also wanted him to know she was friend not foe by saying she was with John, figuring that if he trusted John, he'd trust John's instincts for who he let into his life. She also meant it when she said it's nice to meet him, albeit the circumstance being less than positive. The last thing she wanted to do was give Noah the feeling of still being amongst a threat when that's as now far from the truth. All she did have to hope was that whilst he was earlier possessed her name wasn't known to the demon to possessed him and he heard of whispers of the hunt for her.

She didn't know what was and what wasn't possible in Hell and amongst the demon kind, so she always found herself thinking of every single possibility to try and keep herself safe. It also didn't hope that Fee had drilled those borderlines fears into her for years in an attempt to keep her safe. Yet she also didn't find that her sole thought process was about herself. She did want Noah to be alright first and foremost even though this was her first meeting with him.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Noah gave a nod in response, nobody else in the room seemed to be put out by Kay's presence, so he supposed that made her safe or safe enough. [I'm Noah, obviously. Good to meet somebody who doesn't pretend they know no sign]. [Still haven't forgiven me for that one have you kid?] John smirked, not at all affected by the barb in Noah's words. [people who grow up on crummy shit poor estates don't exactly know other languages outside of English or their family's native one.. It makes a nice change that's all.]. A brief pause, as realisation hit Noah that John hadn't said the words aloud, he'd signed them, something John had never done before around Noah. Normally John would simply not bother, Noah was mute not deaf, he could hear every word being said, John didn't even need to be facing the kid. But spending so much time with Cliff had rubbed off on him and he found himself slipping back into old habits.

[That's new. What happened, did you have a midlife crisis decide you were going to stop being an arsehole or something?] Singh snorted in amusement, not even trying to hide it. [Fuck no, nothing quite that drastic, I'm an arsehole for life me]. John signed back, before switching to English as he knew Nat was nowhere near fluent in sign and this was something he felt comfortable telling her. "Turns out I've got a... I guess she's sort of my daughter-in-law and she's deaf". "What crazy person decided marrying into your family was a good idea?" Singh asked. "Well to be fair, she had no idea I existed at at the time. She just thought she was marrying Elliott's sister. Elliott was declared legally dead, their mother is actually dead and their father might as well have been dead".

"So you're saying you showed up out of nowhere into this woman's up until then peaceful life, brought a whole load of chaos into it and probably crashed her wedding?" Singh asked, clearly wanting to bury his head in his hands. "Pretty much yeah" John shrugged, before smirking "though Cliff's a highly-trained doctor and her wife- Elliott's sister- is a military guard currently working for the royal family, so I wouldn't say they had a peaceful life before we showed up. And we were invited to the wedding. Kay can back me up on that- she was there" This time Singh did bury his head in his hands, tip his head back and sigh through them, internally cursing John and his ability to remain so blasé about it all.