John didn't have to walk far to make it to Havaa's Temple. Or.. former Temple would seem more of an accurate statement. He had barely reached the properly line, but he could feel how different the air around the house felt already.
It felt like Silas had worked quite hard to scrub clean Havaa's influence from the building, though it still appeared to be in shambles.
But all he could sense inside the building was Salem, and his father as well.
The house before him looked a little better, somewhat at least. Most of Havaa's influence was gone, although the house was still a mess. John squared his jaw when sensing both Salem and Silas inside the house, what was he thinking!?
Meeting his father was just going to lead to nothing but disappointment and bitterness-!
"Bullocks." He swore under his breath before he headed inside, "Salem?" The blonde called out. "Salem!"
John's shouting for the teenager was lost the moment he stepped inside, drowned out by the loud argument coming from the kitchen, on the other end of the pitifully empty family room.
"-you're outta your mind! Forget it, kid." Silas' bitter laugh carried through the whole house. There was the sound of hands slamming against a table, before- "If it wasn't for me, you'd still be nothing but Havaa's puppet!" Salem snarled harshly. "The least you could do with that newfound freedom is answer my questions!"
"You didn't do shit! It was Constantine and his future break-up that exorcized-"
"Because I wanted to save you, Dad!!"
John could hear Salem choke on a sob. The all too familiar sound of the lad desperately trying to hold it all in.
Oh lovely, family drama. John muttered a few choice words under his breath as he took out a cigarette and lit with his lighter. He exhaled some smoke before striding over to the arguing father and son duo.
"Didn't realize my love life was so popular." The blonde regarded bluntly as he entered the kitchen, soon taking the cigarette out of his mouth to breath out more smoke before putting it back in. "Feel like a bloody movie star." He surveyed the area, eyeing Salem before his gaze landed on Silas. His smile was cold and his eyes dark.
"I'm an idiot for thinking, this was anything but blood,"
Salem jumped when John made himself known. The Imps who sat up on top of the fridge chittered with mischievous excitement when they saw John, but Salem scrambled back into a corner of the kitchen, as if the warlock was there to expell him from the house the same way he did to Havaa.
John could tell that the lad knew he was in trouble for being here.
"Oh yea, sure, just let yourself in, I guess." Silas huffed from where he sat at the table. "What the hell do you want this time, Constantine?" He questioned, his dark blue eyes glaring right back at him. "Or does saying your name too many times summon you like some sort of boogeyman?"
"Relax Silas, I'll get out of here in a minute." John huffed out, some cigarette smoke leaving from the side of his mouth. "Come on lad, you've got a friend who's driving himself into a mad panic." He gestured for Salem to come over. The sooner he got the kid away from his old man, the better.
"I remember when things were simple then, it didn't always hurt this way..."
Salem hissed a little. He should've guessed that Damian would call Constantine.. Not his smartest moment..
"What? No! I'm not-"
"If you want him, go ahead and take him. He's been pestering me about stupid nonsense ever since he broke in." Silas grumbled, completely indifferent to the fact that he was practically asking for a stranger to take his own kid away. It earned sharp, dangerous hisses from the Imps.
It felt like something vital was suddenly ripped callously from Salem's chest.
He'd remembered in perfect detail, everything John and Daniel had said to him when they saved Silas. How his dad felt about him. But Salem didn't believe them. He didn't want to believe them.
But that.. the words his father just spoke..
John went dangerously still at the man's words. He calmly took out his cigarette and breathed out a plume of smoke before putting it back between this lips. "On second thought." He gave Silas another cold smile as he also sat down on the table across from the man in question. "I can wait a few minutes for the lad to ask his old man whatever he wants to ask." The blonde looked the other male straight in the eye, "Must be bloody important to find himself back here when his old man could care less."
If Salem wanted to hash it out with his father here and now, John wouldn't stop him unless his magick got out of hand. But... it was best this happened now rather than later.
"Sometimes the short end of the stick is the sharpest,"
Silas narrowed his eyes at John, scoffing as he made himself comfortable. "You sure you want to play this game, Constantine?" He warned.
For a conman, he didn't seem to be thinking very carefully about his choices. Fine then. If Constantine wanted to get under his skin, then he'd make sure the blonde would regret it.
"Salem."
The teen was snapped out of his thoughts when Silas spoke his name, glancing over at his father from where he was still tucked into the corner of the kitchen. "There was only one time I ever heard Havaa sound afraid." Silas said. "Most folks who are familiar with it already know that magick from the Moon Kingdom and the rest of the Silver Millennium hurts Demons by nature. But if you want to do some serious damage to Havaa, then I'd look for spells from the planet Saturn."
John watched and listened on, his eyes narrowing a bit in though as Silas spoke to Salem. That's what the lad came all the way out here for? To learn some weakness from Havaa? No, he came out here to see his old man too, two birds with one stone after all.
He bit back a scoff when Silas mentioned getting spells from Saturn. Getting spells from the Silver Millennium were difficult as was, but from one of the outer planets? That was down right impossible. Not to mention dangerous. There were plenty of rumors floating about that Saturn was the old kingdom's coup de grâce back in the day. Only summoned when the threat was too great for the mighty Queen Serenity to handle.
"I can't stand another fight, and nothing's alright,"
Salem's eyes flickered over to John for a moment, then back to Silas. "..D'you think a spell like that could kill her?" He asked.
Silas gave another bitter chuckle. "Honestly? I'm not so sure anything could. Definitely not you." He muttered. "Havaa wouldn't have kept you around if she thought you'd actually turn on her-"
The Imps hissed with rage again, and one of them leapt off the fridge and onto the table, biting his forearm.
Silas swore and Salem dove forward and snatched the Imp away in a panic. "Crap- Are you okay-" Salem shriveled in fear when Silas glared down at him. "..Dad..?"
John fought back a smirk when an Imp bit down on Silas' arm, grateful he wasn't the only pissed of by the other male's behavior towards his son. "Oh relax, it's barely bleeding. A flesh wound at best." John muttered as he stood up, breathing out a plume of smoke from the corner of his mouth. "But it's about time I get this lad back to his friend." He placed a tentative hand on Salem's shoulder to lead him out of the kitchen.
The lad didn't need anymore crap from his old man.
He felt Salem flinch at his touch, but he didn't argue, or hiss, or try to stop John as he led him away from Silas.
Taking the time to blow raspberries at Silas, the Imps hurried after Salem and John, climbing up the lad's back and letting out small rumbles of concern for their friend.
Salem was quiet up until they'd stepped out of the house altogether, only breaking the silence to let out a shaky breath that sounded dangerously close to another sob
"Come on lad." John was uncharacteristically more mindful of his tone this time as he led Salem away from the house. He didn't say anything else as he pulled out a key, getting them to the House much more quickly.
Should he say something? Well... what could he say? Comforting words never helped him when his own father acted like a total arse. It'd be an empty comfort nonetheless. "Damian was bloody worried about you, you know." He pointed out. "Looked ready to go to pieces, he'll be glad you're safe."
"Something burns inside of me, anger eats me alive,"
"I'm not going back.." Salem muttered out. He stopped when John got out the key to the House, backed away even so he was out of the blond's reach. "You can tell him I'm fine.. but I'm not going back."
The Imps whined sadly, like they were trying to urge Salem to reconsider. "I don't belong in Selûna. Dame's aunt is already breaking the rules just by letting me stay there. And besides, I need to get my hands on a Saturn spell, and I don't need to drag Dame into any of that mess."
John sighed out a plume of smoke, "Lad, we're just stepping into the House. I'm not taking you to Selûna." The blonde reassured him, "But right now Damian is worried about you, you at least owe him a check-up." Was it wrong to guilt trip him? Yes. But he couldn't just let him wander the streets in a daze, waiting for something or someone to strike.
"But lock us both up in a cage, I'm the one who will survive,"
"No!" There was that hiss of his.
"I left Dame a note for a reason. I left for a reason!" If he saw Damian now then he'd buckle. If he stayed around then Havaa would hurt Damian- or worse!
"..It's better that I'm not around at all. At least until I can find a way to destory Havaa." Salem said grimly. "I don't owe him a check-up. What I owe him is to make sure my mother doesn't hurt him."
"Where do your roots start, and where do your roots end?"
The Warlock breathed out another plume of smoke. "You? Destroy Havaa? Everyone is welcome to their dreams lad, but that's going to be a long while before that ever happens." John pointed out. "I'll probably dead and buried by the time you accomplish that." He remarked. "Listen, your friend summoned me here in a panic, I'd rather not have a hysterical teen wonder what happened to his friend."
"So are you happy now? You got exactly what you wanted,"
Salem glared up at John for several long moments, looking offended by his remarks about his ability to put an end to his mother's tyranny.
But then his expression softened.
"..Why are you doing this?" He questioned. "Why do you even care about what happens to me or Damian?"
John didn't have to give them his card. He didn't have to give Salem a new on either. He got himself free of Jade's leech spell, and that should've been the end of it. They weren't his problem to worry about. So why the hell was he here?
"Clasping tight onto memories I know they'll be overrun..."
John grimaced at such a question, he took one more drag of his cigarette before destroying it with his magick. "'Cause I know a thing or two about having an old man who could give a rat's arse about you." He found himself admitting. Why he wasn't sure. Maybe he just wanted the lad to know he wasn't totally alone in this.
