LOVE + FEAR | Damirae

SHAMPAIN

— M A N Y    H O U R S    L A T E R —

— H O U S E    O F    M Y S T E R Y —

The loud knock reverberated through the wood. It took a few moments for the door to open. When Constantine's head popped out, his eyes bugged out of his head. "What the bloody hell is this? What did you do, mop the pub floor with her?"

Raven waved, leaning more into Ivy. She was the only thing keeping Raven upright. Harley snickered from behind. All three of them were covered in soil and gunpowder.

"Harley got me drunk," Raven pointed an accusing finger at the clown (or tried to; it pointed towards Ivy instead), "You said if I ever got drunk, I should sleep it off here so I don't rack up property damage."

"You're such a good father," said Ivy.

"I'm not her father —! Hand her over, thanks for this special delivery. In the future, I prefer gift baskets," John rolled his eyes as Raven was passed from one person to another. Even with the help of vines that sprouted from the ground, Raven stumbled into him. The familiar smell of cigarettes and aftershave filled her nostrils.

"Happy hangover, Ray! Join us next week —!"

"Bugger off!" The door slammed shut. Harley's spasms of laughter faded as they left.

Raven started down the corridor but Constantine held her in place. His hands grasped her shoulders. Creases adorned his forehead.

"This is bad timing, love. I don't know how coherent you are, but I'm hosting a Justice League meeting. Which means I can't watch you closely. Take some of those old sleeping potions you have stashed around here and sleep this off. But I say this for Rational Raven's sake:"

John's face inched closer to hers. The room swayed from his abrupt movement. "Do not make a fool of yourself. Keep quiet, alright? The most dangerous thing about being drunk is not having control. That's how people do things they regret. Don't make yourself feel that later, love."

Raven struggled to grasp half of what he said. Her attention was diverted by a nose hair that poked out of his nostrils. Gross. She forced herself to nod anyway, bored of simply standing there.

John paused. "How many drinks did you have, by the way?"

Raven's head cocked to the side. "Why?"

"I didn't raise a house full of lightweights —"

"Oh my God —" Raven leaned out of his grip and attempted to navigate the ever-winding hallway. Soft murmurs from deeper inside caressed Raven's ears, but she wasn't sure if it was the House's magical properties or her own dazed senses.

"— Darkseid sent in drones this evening. This is dire!"

"Don't be so dramatic. Scrotum-head is spying on us. So what."

"This is a very big deal! So big, homework will have to wait..."

"I say we reopen the Flashpoint dialogue —!"

The room fell silent when Raven entered. An ebony round table was set before the blazing fireplace. Members of the Justice League were bathed in gold: Clark, Diana, Victor...

Raven noticed that the crackle of the flames were the only noise in her presence. She waved shyly, "Hi."

Half the table awkwardly waved back at her. "Hello."

Constantine wasn't far behind. "Don't mind us. This one is just stopping by..."

Clark's nose scrunched up. Could he smell the alcohol? Everyone looked at her. The only one uninterested in her appearance was Batman. He sat far from the reach of the flames, curled in shadows.