Banzai Was Lead? Good For Him. John Felt A Strange Amount Of Pride For The Young Man--who He Met When

John had put that magical event out of his head. Mostly. Every now and again he'd think about it. It was strange--he knew about strange magic in Swynlake but hadn't experienced it himself. It was good to be back to the town proper, though. This place already had enough magic flowing through it that sometimes the sensations could get overwhelming. He was glad to be gone from that world made of magic.

He wasn't thinking about it at all while waiting for his drink at Hatter's, until he saw a familiar face. It didn't register as familiar at first because he'd never met her here, but at a second glance he knew exactly who he was seeing. When her gaze turned to him, he gave her a small wave.

"Oh, hey," he said with a grin, sidling closer to her. "As good of a look as the armor was, you do look a lot more comfortable without it."

@officer-judy-moon

Hey Stranger || Fox Hop

The only reason he was in Chapter Three was to listen. Hear chatter, listen for gossip. Belle owned it, right? Or something? He couldn't be bothered to recall. Just knew she had ties here, and she was one people were keeping an eye on. Not to mention, with her being married to the mayor, it was always a good idea to be looking for dirt on them.

Of course, he didn't see her around today, which was annoying, but he figured why waste a trip, so he just kept his ears open anyway. John leaned on a shelf, flipping through a book that he had no interest in like it was the most interesting thing in the world when he saw someone who was definitely interesting.

She looked like the bookish type, but also like she'd never been here before which led him to believe she was new in town. And those were always the most intriguing sorts of people.

"Hey," he called over to her, holding up the book in his hand so she could see the cover. "Have you read this one? Know if its any good?"

@wintersselene

Chapter Three | OPEN

"No, not fully," he said with a wave of his hand. "Campaigns are more for the broader image, or when people know its you. We're just trying to be preemptive and keep the cameras pointing the other way, so to speak, so we don't have to do a full on campaign."

This was about the reaction he expected. John usually got this reaction from people. And this was Angel, and he thought she was great, but definitely a tougher nut to crack.

"That's the spirit," he nudged her arm as she let out the most disinterested groan he'd ever heard. "You wouldn't have to do much. You work somewhere, right? The Lucky Cat, right? I just want you to start by making sure you're always on time, saying please and thank you, greeting customers with your most annoying customer service smile, you know, all the basics." John pulled out his phone, scrolling through to find something he'd saved. That was a downside to Pixie's, it was so dark in here sometimes he felt like he couldn't see a thing. And he didn't want to blast his brightness, that just made things worse in a different way.

"Here, look at this--you only need to focus on the second slide," he showed her the phone. Maybe he was being a little bit of a smart-ass here, but whatever.

He switched his tone back to something a little more genuine. "Things like this matter, Angel. If there's a chance people see you as aloof or too antisocial, they can start connecting dots or making up their own stories. Not necessarily ones that'll direct them back here, but as information grows and spreads, news comes out, people figure things out. Especially in a small town. Especially when you bloody write out MAFIA in the ashes." He didn't think that touch was her specifically, but he's trying to make a point.

"Point is, love, just don't want you getting into trouble, okay?" And he did mean that. "The bad kind of trouble, that is. You can get into all the fun kind of trouble you want, so long as it's done safely and nothing escalates to fire-starting levels."

@angel-milano

Putting Your Best Paw Forward || Johngel

JONATHAN BAILEY

Who What Wear (2024)

Something John had always been good at was listening to conversations that didn't concern him. He loved some gossip, he loved some drama, and as soon as he heard the woman talking to herself trying to work something out, he was hooked and invested and needed the whole story. Because to hear 'in my defense ya're kinda annoyin'' was the best response for an apology he'd ever heard and was immediately obsessed.

And how lucky he was to get offered a seat at her table as he walked nearer. John happily sat with his tea, leaning an elbow on the table. "Thanks for the seat. Couldn't help but hear some of that rambling--sounds like you've got a lot on your mind. Sometimes it's tricky to find the right words to say to someone you don't like," he said, "but, lucky for you, it's my job to make people like other people, so maybe I could help ya out?" He glanced at her page and saw more scratches than words on it--definitely seemed like she could use some help.

"So, what happened, if you don't mind my asking?" It must've been something good if she had to write an apology letter.

@pepper-doyle

How To Apologize | Open

(x)

"He should," John agreed. What he should say, John wasn't going to get into that. Especially only knowing this girl's side of the story. "And he probably will. That's what a good relationship is built on, right? Good communication?" Or not. Or maybe this was a rocky one. He didn't know.

"I think it'll go better than a letter that says 'Sorry you're so annoying'," he grinned. "There's no telling what she'll say or do, really. Hopefully she takes time to process and consider your words. She might not get over it right away, and she might not even tell your boyfriend. But looking like the bigger person is gonna benefit you more in the long run. Because if you keep trying to be the bigger person and all she does is continue to be shady and annoying, who's going to look worse to your boyfriend, right?"

@pepper-doyle

How To Apologize | Open

He took the beer. He listened to the rant with a furrowed brow. This poor kid. All of these things he felt responsible for, that he'd put himself through. Yes, he deserved to be seen and recognized for all he did, but was it worth it? Was giving up half himself worth it?

John had to hope so.

"At least they're not brand new recruits," John offered. "It's good to know your teams strengths and weaknesses, and it sounds like you do. They'll fall in line because you'll get them to."

John let out a sigh, leaning to clasp Banzai on the shoulder. "You need to relax, though, kid. What is this, day one of your promotion and you're already feeling vindictive about it?" He wouldn't point out that Banzai is just as much a kid as the others. Even if it was true.

"I've seen you go through shit to get here, I've seen the light fade from your eyes and turn to smoke. You know that? That you don't look the same as that kid all those years ago. If that's a good thing and what you were after, then great. But just--" John shook his head. He wasn't going to get into this with Banzai. Not now. "I'm glad you got what you were after."

The laptop was protected by a PIN and after a few attempted at what could be significant dates for the old owner, he was in.

"Other than the crew, how was it leading a mission? Karen said it was a big one," John asked as he started going through files on the computer, scanning for names and dates that may stand out.

@banzai-bungu

in the details // Honest Jackal

"Haven't been there in a while," John returned the grin. Karen was always a good time to hang out with. Maybe it was their way of buttering people up to like them more, but hey, if it was, John wouldn't say no to the benefits of that.

John took the phone, squinting slightly to read the words. Big article, big names. A Magick activist attacked, and the anti-magick public figure that was blamed for it all.

"I have now," he replied, skimming through the article. He processed. So they were doing this now--attacking activists? Isn't that friendly fire? John wasn't going to question it, he was smarter than that. And that was his job, right? They all got to be as messy as they wanted and he got to do his best to smooth out the wrinkles? Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting one.

"So what're you looking for from me--are we looking to boost support for the activist, maybe send some anonymous gift baskets or donation to their next fundraiser, or are we out to smear this fucker for this and even more shit?" He handed Karen their phone back.

"That was a bold move, I will say. Could've backfired on us big time--I'd say it still could, but I'm good at my fuckin' job. So I'm just glad it went off without a hitch." He looked at them again. "It did go off without a hitch, right? Please tell me no one tagged the scene again."

From the articles it looked like it did go smoothly, but who knew what people were keeping under wraps. However, usually people jumped to throw MAFIA's name into the ring if there was a reason to. Right now, it was all on Michael Anaclet, which was good for them. Until Michael started talking and throwing out his own thoughts and theories...

"No wonder you invited me for a drink in Queens," he said with a playful grin and a glare as he took out his own phone, ready to start writing down notes and ideas to make sure this mole hill didn't become a mountain.

@into-the-voyd

The PR Game || Voydfellow

Putting Your Best Paw Forward || Johngel