Midnight. The city was dark, but no less busy than it had been a mere six hours earlier. Dark shadows fall across the streets. Demons are out there somewhere. Spreading corruption, sowing seeds of chaos and likely killing people who will never, ever be found. These were dark times to match the dark skies, but all was not lost. The night brought with it an influx of Gaia's defenders as well. The Zoanthropes were out there, making life better one Demon carcass at a time.
Asia sat on the edge of the closed dumpster idly spinning the blood from her batons. They were a Christmas present from her father last year. Light and strong, as titanium tends to be. Great combined with her Escrima skills. Fast and deadly, just like the girl herself. The heap of flesh that was once a Demon was already starting to decay in the urban coffin under her butt.
"You shouldn't have come alone, you moron." she spoke to the corpse, collapsing the batons and sliding them into her oversized, baggy pants pockets. Always a tomboy, Asia had little respect for what was considered 'womanly' and what wasn't. "Thought I was just some helpless chick, didn't you?" She laughed and hopped down, retrieving the men’s leather jacket she'd discarded when the fight started. Her ribs still stung, but she'd heal. "I may be a girl, but look who just kicked your ugly ass."
She wandered away from the scene, knowing to stick around might just be a mistake. And as she did, she cringed slightly. "Dorian is not going to like this." She dreaded the conversation, but she knew it would be better to tell him straight away. She was off to find Dorian. This attack was more brazen than most, and he needed to know.
Ender was vaulting the rooftops - one part constitutional, one part going his rounds. He caught a familiar whiff and took a turn and went south a block until the scent was strong in his nostrils. He swung down the fire escape with practiced ease and found the dumpster. Inside, the carcass of a Reeler was already turning to dust. Ender wrinkled his nose and let the lid clang shut, picking up another scent below the stench. He shook his head and took off down the alley towards the street, keeping good pace and hoping to catch up with her.
Asia was already a few blocks away from the alley and the dumpster. She was headed towards Dorian’s apartment, but she wasn't exactly hurrying. She was trying to make a little sense of what just happened before she got there, to add a theory or two of her own. She ran over the facts in point form with each step and shook her head. It didn't make the most sense to her even now. The attack was brazen and senseless. Even if she was a weaker Were, she could probably have taken it out. She might have more wounds to show from it, but she'd have still killed it. It probably could have taken out a fresh, unskilled Were, though. Maybe its intel had been bad. "Demon intel?" she muttered to herself and chuckled slightly. She got a weird look from some guys walking past and cut the laugh short, jamming her hands into her pockets. Her fingers touched the cool metal of her batons again. She felt like she was being watched.
She stopped in front of a convenience store and pulled out a cigarette, trying to pretend she was unaware. A thought blasted through her skull as she lit the cancer stick and took a long draw. What if the Reeler was sacrificed so that she'd kill it and then go running to Dorian? Leading something, or somethings, bigger and badder to where he lived. It was still a stupid plan in her mind. Dorian was bad ass, and usually Ender was there too. The two of them could likely handle whatever was thrown at them. She hoped.
She started walking again, one hand in pocket on a baton, the other handling the cigarette. She slowed her walking pace to even more of a casual gate and waited. Maybe she'd catch glimpse of whatever was watching her. Maybe she wouldn't. But she needed to buy a bit of time, just in case.
Ender was keeping up a brisk pace, but he didn't want to full-out run. It was better not to bring too much attention to himself. He followed after Asia, knowing her scent, and after a block and a half caught sight of her, the thin trail of smoke from her cigarette, the slouching walk. He shook his head and jogged up to her.
"You really should quit that... Bad habit." He muttered as he drew up to her. He knew better than to sneak up without announcing himself. He'd gotten cracked in the jaw with her nasty batons before. It wasn't a fun experience. He leveled with her and saw the bruises on her. "You alright?" He asked, instantly concerned.
Asia didn't flinch when Ender caught up to her. She knew better. She sensed him, or at least sensed another Were, close before he joined her. Still, his appearance had caught her off guard a little. Especially since she still felt like she was being watched. "Yeah, I know, but smoking relaxes me. And I could use a little calming right now."
She turned and looked at Ender with dark eyes peaking out from under darker hair. Her short cut was tousled as usual with the bangs sweeping down to cover over one eye. In the oversized clothing and the way she carried herself, she just kept showing the world how much of a tomboy she still was. And likely always would be. "I'm fine. Just some bruises and maybe a cracked rib. Stings when I take a deep breath. That bastard blindsided me when I left the club after the set. Luckily he was almost useless and didn't know who he was dealing with." She assumed Ender had found what was left of the Reeler. He had a habit of that kind of stuff. Especially this time of night.
"That's good." He replied, in response to her being okay, but then he frowned a little and swept his glance down the street. "I don't like it, though. It's not right at all. There was no sign of a rebel being on the loose. Too bad it was a Reeler...they don't talk much." Ender pursed his lips in the characteristic way he had when thinking aloud. He stood still in the street for a moment, smelling the air and listening. He liked this sort of murky night, made his vision all the sharper. "Let's get out of the open." He clenched his fists closed, feeling the cold spark in his palms. Be ready, just in case.
"I don't like it either. That’s why I was heading to Dorian." She explained as they walked. Ender was right. It didn't make much sense. And he just confirmed that it wasn't a rebel. Or at least not one that he'd heard of, so likely Dorian might not know about it either. That was not good.
She tensed as Ender stopped and smelled the air. "You feel it too. We're being watched, aren't we?" She threw down the cigarette and stomped it out, trying not to act too suspicious. She jammed her hands into her pockets and felt the metal of the batons come to rest in her palms. She nodded as Ender requested they get out of the open, her eyes already scanning for both a place to get out of the public eye and whatever, or whoever, was watching them. "How long do you figure until we have company?"
He nodded to her first question, not really saying much. She put out the cigarette much to his relief. It took a few breaths to clear his nostrils so he could smell again. He tried to pick up a whiff of whomever - or whatever - was watching them.
"If we were going to have company, I'd say it shoulda been here already. We're being watched for observation. I don't think we should go see Dorian." He kept walking, casually stopping at a crosswalk and waited for the light to change. He had switched course, but to anyone who didn't already know better, it wasn't anything to raise eyebrows at. "Let's head down to Mickey's Automotive. If there's something planning on starting trouble, they'd be ill-advised to bring trouble there. You up for a gamble?" He asked, sliding his glance her way, his Channelled eyes reflecting the lamplight.
"Always." Asia replied. She loved to gamble. She rarely won, but that wasn't the point. The point was the thrill of the risk balanced by the tease of reward. The only time she won on a regular basis was playing pool. She was a nine-ball queen and a snooker natural. None of the other games mattered to her much.
She shifted course when Ender did, maintaining the illusion that they were headed where they always were headed. Ender basically confirmed what she had thought earlier. The Demon was quite possibly sacrificed to her, in hopes that after disposing of it, she'd run to Dorian. He was probably the real prize. Not her mediocre life. "What do you have in mind?" She asked as they made their way towards Mickey's Automotive. She'd only been there a few times, so she didn't really understand the purpose of the visit, except that is wasn't Dorian's place and at least one other Were worked there. Seth. Asia smiled slightly at the thought. She was attracted to rough around the edges guys, and Seth was definitely rough around the edges. She pushed the girly thoughts away and focused on Ender. She went Channelled as well, enhancing her senses and growing little ferret claws at her fingertips. They were short enough to still wield her batons without getting in the way, and Channelled she could swing them that much harder should things get hairy.
Ender tossed her a grim smile, the sort that made folk know he was ready for business. "Few months back," He began, keeping his tone casual and light. "Some fool Demon decided to start some trouble, got hungry and thought Reese looked like a good snack - nice, strong, male stripper type. Perfect food for a Succubus." He calmly turned a corner as they approached the right intersection. "Trouble with that being two-fold: firstly, Reese has no interest in women, and figured something was up, and secondly, he was at his day job - Mickey's." Ender turned to look at her full-on. "Seth's not the only one of us they've got, and Mickey himself is a bad piece of work if you bring trouble. I just happened to be by, because Dorian was visiting Joel, who was visiting Seth." He shrugged. "That's usually the sort of atmosphere at Mickey's: a whole lot of hard people willing and ready to watch each other's backs." He drew to a stop in front of the neon sign, Mickey's Automotive. "That's the sort of atmosphere I'm looking for. You ready?"
The doors opened and a young man came through with a beat-up crate of scraps. He stopped on the threshold when he caught sight of them, his shoulders swelling for a brief flash before he recognized them. "Oh, hey Ender... Hi Asia." Topher carried the crate around the side of the building and stacked it with a countless number more and then returned to them, wiping his hands on a greasy rag before stuffing it into his back pocket, coveralls rolled up at the sleeves, snaps undone around his throat. He looked from one to the other, and paused before speaking. "What uh... What brings you here?" He tried not to look at Asia, keeping his glance firmly on Ender. Ender he could handle, he was a straightforward sort of guy. Asia... ah, better to not think about it. "Er, you wanna come in? We're closed now, but I'm sure it'd be okay..."
"Yeah, sure. I'm following your lead." Asia nodded her head to Ender. She'd heard stories about Mickey's and his crew, but figured most of it was bullshit. But with Ender backing the stories up, she rethought things. Ender wasn't the lying or exaggerating kind. A straight shooter if there ever was one. She kind of looked up to Ender in a big brother kind of way sometimes. Aside from Dorian, he was the most physically capable Were she knew of. "What, or who, do you think is playing spy? Demon or something else maybe?"
Her hands tightened on her batons as Topher came through the door abruptly. From the look on his face, he was gearing himself up for conflict himself until he realized who he was standing in front of. Asia relaxed a bit and smiled at Topher. She'd only met him a few times, but he seemed a decent enough kid. Didn't know he'd hooked up with Mickey's crew. Interesting. "Hey Toph. You're a working stiff now, huh?"
Ender smiled, seeing Topher. The guy never said a whole lot, but what he said he meant, and Ender appreciated that. He wished Topher had stuck on with his training. He could see a lot of potential in him. Still, he popped by now and then for training, so perhaps there was hope yet. It wasn't like he wasn't doing his own sort of training. He was a good, strong runner, Ender had seen first hand. So when this Bear invited him in, he nodded.
"If you would, thanks. We've got a head's up for you lot..." Ender gave Asia a meaningful look, as if to get her confirmation. After all, it had been her who'd been in the fight, not him. He wanted to get out of the night and into the safety of the warehouse. Anubis had put a warding on it a ways back - like a scrambler to listening Demon ears. If they were going to discuss the fact that there was a spy on them, he'd rather the Demons not learn how much they knew, or who was discussing it here.
"Uh...yeah..." Topher replied to her, holding the door open. Ladies first, after all. "Had to earn my keep somehow. I'm pretty much useless so far, but Mickey's teaching me about machines. It's good, to work with your hands..." Topher trailed off, not having much more to say on the subject. But it was, he was really enjoying it. There was straightforwardness to dealing with machines. No BS, just parts and function and design. Topher could appreciate that. He followed them into the Warehouse and gestured to Mickey, but before he got a word of explanation out, the burly head mechanic-owner hollered at him.
"What's all this, Bier? Am I paying you to goof off with your little friends, or what?" A harsh, hard voice, but the man was grinning around his licorice stick.
"We're closed, Mickey... You haven't been paying me for the last four hours." Topher replied, the first smiled he'd displayed since the other two arrived, a small, almost shy thing. He turned back to Ender and Asia, hands on his hips. "You want privacy, or is this something you want to tell Mickey too?" He asked, knowing that Mickey was keen on Weres. Still, the man sometimes said it was better not to know too much of what was going on behind the scenes. Just point him and let him loose, he'd say. Topher had to hand it to him, he could handle himself all right.
Asia had noticed that Ender didn't answer her question. She had no way of knowing about the ward placed on the garage to keep prying ears out, so she didn't know he was waiting to get inside before discussing things further. She just thought that Topher's sudden appearance was the reason she'd gone unanswered. As Topher held the door for her, she smirked. She hated being treated differently just because her genitals were different and she had bigger breasts than most of the guys around here. Still, she passed through the door ahead of Ender. Only because she wanted to get inside, not because she was a she.
"Yeah, something's going on." She affirmed when Ender looked to her for confirmation. "Something hinky." She didn't care who in here was a Were and who wasn't. As far as she was concerned, you fight with the Weres against Demons and other bad things, you're part of the extended family. And all the family had the right to know if something was up.
"This everyone?" She asked out loud, looking to see who all was there. She didn't know about Ender, but she knew she hated to repeat herself needlessly.
Once Ender was inside and the door closed, he turned back to Asia. "It's fine with me if Mickey listens in. He's got a right to be prepared." Ender began, looking for something to pull up as a chair. He sat down on one of the roller-beds and sat, brawny arms propped up over his knees. "Okay, now that it's safe to talk freely," He directed this at Asia, "If a Reeler was sent as bait, or as a test, I would say the chances are 90% that we're up against Demons. It isn't common that a Human would have enough influence over a Reeler to get him to do what they wanted him to do. As for a rogue Were - out of the question. Reelers would rather slaughter Weres than listen to a proposition." He paused, rubbing his hands together. "So, if we assume that it's a Demon gathering intelligence, the real question is - who and why?" Ender turned a slow glance around the room. "I think you might be on the right track about them hoping you'd lead them to Dorian's...But just to cross out other possibilities, can you take us through exactly what happened?" Ah, business as usual for the Night Watch. Some small part of him remembered a day when all of this would have shocked the hell out of him...yet, here he was, calmly asking these questions: cool, collected, clear.
Topher shrugged at Asia's question. "Seth was here too, but he ran 'round to drop off an engine a guy ordered. He might be back or might not..." Topher pulled up a stool for Asia and sat down himself on a toolbox near the door.
Then Ender started talking. Topher listened quietly, that pensive, intense look on his face whenever he was concentrating. Unlike the Racoon, he wasn't as calm about this yet. Demons were one thing, but organized Demons still scared him. "Woah, wait... A Reeler was sent after you?" He asked, wide green eyes riveted on Asia directly for a change, instead of averted. "Are you okay?" He asked, reflexively. I mean she looked alright... but from what he knew of her, she was tough...probably wouldn't admit to being hurt if she didn't have to. Still, he knew first hand what happened when you pretended you were okay - and weren't. He didn't say anything else, just waited for her to speak, fully and openly listening.
Asia stayed standing. It wasn't some protest to being treated like a woman, but more that she had too much energy in her still to simply sit. Adrenaline was still surging a bit at the moment but when it wore off, she'd know it. "Yeah, I'll live. Damned thing blindsided me. Got a few hard hits in before I could get my wind." She pulled the men’s leather jacket aside and lifted the side of her t-shirt, showing off the deep purple and blue bruises on her ribs to Topher. "I think a couple are cracked if not broken. It still hurts to inhale deeply." Thankfully the thing hadn't managed to pierce her skin. Lending more credence to the theory it was sacrificed to her and not intended to kill her outright.
She turned back to Ender and Mickey, letting her shirt and jacket cover her side again. She nodded as Ender asked her to recount the events. Couldn't hurt. Especially if it would lend insight as to what the hell was going on.
"Me and the guys had finished our last set at the club and I stayed behind to tear down my drums. Jack, the owner, was getting some guys in tomorrow morning to make some stage repairs, so I figured getting my drums out of the way was best for all." She started, glossing over most of the irrelevant details. "I ducked out the back and usual and BANG!" She punched her hand with a balled up fist, making a loud, fleshy smacking sound for emphasis. "I get blindsided by a Reeler. The thing was thrashing and beating on me, but come to think of it, it wasn't going for the kill. Once I went Anthro and pushed it off of me, I got out my batons and we started to really dance. Long story short, the fight didn't last much longer. I beat the life out of it and tossed it in a dumpster to decompose. Then I decided to tell Dorian ‘cuz this isn't normal for Reelers." She knit her brow, looking from Ender to Mickey to Topher. "And since Ender told me he hasn't heard anything about a rogue, I'm guessing I was set up. Nearly fell into the trap completely. If Ender hadn't caught up to me, who knows what would have went down."
She staggered in place for a second, the adrenaline starting to wane. Asia took the stool know, before anyone else started talking. She looked at Ender, curious about what he thought about the events. She also wished she could remember the fight a bit better, but the fog of animal’s instinct made her rational human memory a little spotty at best.
Ender listened carefully, logging each detail - knowing Dorian would want to have a damn photograph of the event when he heard about it. "Well, if it knew where to find you, it was given directions. Reelers aren't that good at waiting, and its camouflage would only have been appropriate for specific climates, that means, it's limited to Earth, darkness...are there any big windows by there? Because if so we could be looking at a Water Reeler. That narrows down our suspects a bit." He thought for a moment and then looked up at Mickey. "I brought her here instead of Dorian’s. I figured you guys would be able to handle a direct assault better. There's usually quite a few strong guys around here, and at Dorian’s there's a few young ones training right now. I don't want to put Vincent, or Samson, or Lilith, or Benedict or anyone else in danger. I hope that's alright?" Ender went quiet again, thinking, fingers fidgeting with the seam of the roller he was on. Something still didn't make sense to him. Why now? Why the sudden interest in Dorian? They'd known he was a Crew leader for some time now. Hell, they'd come after Ender himself a few years back. So, what had changed? Why were they now interested in finding Dorian... or, if there were dealing with a clever Demon, perhaps the whole focus on Dorian was a ruse to expose someone else? Hrm...
Topher frowned when he caught sight of that bruise and stood up without a word. He took a loping stride to the back of the shop, opened up a cabinet and pulled out a first aid kit. He rifled around inside it and then grabbed a tube. Then he stepped over to the "kitchen" a counter with a hot plate and a coffee machine plugged in, a decanter of hot water and a few tea bags. After a moment or so of tinkering he came back towards her with the tube of muscle ointment in one hand a piping hot cup of chamomile tea with a slice of lemon and a healthy dollop of honey in it.
While Topher busied himself Mickey nodded, crossing thick arms. "You're always welcome here. You guys saved my ass more'n I care to remember, and I like having these guys around. I owe you all."
"Here..." Topher murmured, eyes flicking up to Asia's face, both items outstretched to her. Then he turned away, back to the conversation at hand. "They know about us too. Seth's brought a few here over the months I've been here. And, I've heard stories about Reese and a Succubus..." Topher trailed off. Then he resumed, having collected his thoughts. "Either way, they're looking for a fight. Could it be someone's picking trouble to get some attention on their side? Anubis once told me that the politics in Hell are really cut-throat. If a Demon had enough standing to have underlings to expend, and was competing for a promotion, they might use us as an example of prowess." He stopped, and looked at Ender. "Or, they're testing out intelligence they received. Seeing if something is working. You know, casing a place for its defenses."
Asia knit her brow again and ran a hand through her dark blue-black hair. "There are a few large windows. Maybe three or four and all at least four by six feet in size." She had no idea what windows had to do with Water Reelers, but she wasn't entirely sure she cared either. "I didn't stop to ask what kind of Reeler it was; I just kicked its ass."
She eyed Topher as he trotted off and gathered things. She didn't know what he was doing, though she guessed part of it. When he returned with the ointment and tea, she took the ointment. "Thanks Toph." She replied, ignoring the tea for the moment. She once again lifted her shirt and did her best to hold it and the ointment and apply it to the bruised area. "Why couldn't I be something with extra arms or a prehensile tail instead of a ferret? It would be useful right about now."
As she applied the ointment awkwardly, she glanced back at Ender. "Sorry I almost led whatever hell back to Dorian and the younglings. I didn't even think."
"Do you want help with that?" Ender asked, watching her struggle. He offered a small, thankful smile to Topher for his concern and shook his head at Asia's comment. "No harm done. I'm sure Dorian would be able to handle it. It's more an inconvenience than anything, but we've averted that, at least for now." He thought over Tohper's comments carefully. "If they're trying to show an example of their prowess to their own kind, they're probably not making a very good impression thanks to this firecat." Her grinned at Asia and then shrugged. "Er, fire-ferret?"
He looked back to Mickey and then Topher. "But your second idea might just have something to it. We'll have to talk to Tavis, and Laertes and Anubis. Between them we might get some insight into what's boiling down there. If something is starting, I'd like to get our defenses ready." Unconsciously his hands shifted, channelled claws and fur rising over his knuckles, the crackle of black anti-matter flickering between his palms for a moment.
Topher didn't offer to help Asia put the cream on. She could manage that - she wasn't a baby. Beside, who else but her to know where it hurt. He kept his glance on Mickey and Ender while she applied it though, no need to gawk.
As Ender voiced his opinions Mickey and Topher exchanged a glance. "Asmodai's gone back." Topher blurted, speaking directly to Ender. "Anubis said he disappeared a couple days ago. He'd been running from them forever. We still don't know if he got snatched or if he went willingly. Either way, he knows a lot."
Mickey piped up then, scratching at his stubbly jaw. "Anubis won't hear of betrayal, a'course. Loves that Demon Prince an awful lot. And...gotta say, I wouldn'ta thought Asmodai would ever go back. The way he talked about the place...it gave a grown man like me the willies. Still..." His look grew dark. "They play tricks like that, some o' the Demons."
Asia shook off Ender's offer of help, she'd managed to juggle everything enough to get the job done solo. As she dropped the side of her shirt again, she tossed the cream back to Topher. She'd dropped her Channelled traits when they entered into Mickey's. No threats here that she knew of. She couldn't help but notice how fluidly Ender shifted though and wondered if it was natural talent or a skill like any other that allowed it. At a different time in a different place she'd ask. For now, she shifted into her mental 'unanswered questions' folder and moved on. "I have no idea who you guys are talking about. Care to enlighten?"
She took the cup of tea from Topher with a small smile. She'd rather a beer, but chamomile was better than nothing. Besides, it might help ease the adrenaline withdrawal some. "Thanks for the drink, Toph."
Their comments put a dark look on Ender's face too. He was pretty good at reading people, if he could toot his own whistle. And Asmodai had seemed genuine. An arrogant, stuck up, spoiled brat, to be sure. But what else should one expect from a Demon Prince? He shook his head. This definitely required Laertes and Pyrrhus' help.
At Asia's question, he looked up and offered. "Asmodai was a Demon Royal, a prince training in the Magus arts. A year or so ago he showed up in front of Anubis. He'd been practicing his arts and caught a flicker of Anubis' spirit and used it as a locking point to escape. Turns out ol' Telamon - a.k.a. the male stripper known as Anubis, Reese' friend, was an Offspring. He's part Demon. Now, those Half-Breeds born on Earth aren't necessarily evil. If they aren't Seeded, and aren't claimed, they're like Warlocks or Witches. For all intents and purposes they’re humans with unusual skills." He paused, thinking over the events of the last year. "Anubis said that he felt some connection, that some spark in whatever had sired him was connected to Asmodai's soul. There was speculation that he was the reincarnation or the descendant of the Demon Prince's previous lover. Either way, Anubis took him in. He'd been helpful - extremely helpful. He'd been able to tell us about the higher ranks of Hell, the levels we'd up until now only been guessing at. Asmodai had said that he'd give us any information we wanted so long as we kept him safe because he said he'd rather die than return to Hell - and for a Demon that would live forever, that's a lot of life to sacrifice."
Topher was motionless as Ender spoke. Listening attentively. He'd almost forgotten he was holding the tea still when Asia accepted the cup. He nodded his head to her when she took it, but didn't say anything else. He was too concentrated on the conversation at hand.
"Tavis never trusted Asmodai." Topher interjected. "But I never put a whole lot of stock in it. When he found out that Anubis was an Offspring he started disregarding his gifts as well." Topher frowned. "Tavis is racist, so I never paid much attention to his suspicions about them. I sincerely hope he's wrong..." Topher thought of what it would mean if either Asmodai or Anubis or both of them were spies or traitors or had been taken unwillingly back to Hell. "It's too elaborate a set up. Too much time wasted when it could have been done so much more covertly and efficiently, and directly. Hell is nothing if not impatient, as far as I understand things."
Asia listened to Ender and Topher in equal parts. She'd heard many of the names bantered around the Were circles a few times, but never really pressed to understand who or what they were. It seemed Anubis and the Demon Prince were names she should have known. Was she that far out of the loop since she stopped training, and hunting, with Dorian? Had she stuck her head in the sand for the last few months and missed anything else noteworthy? Ever since her father was arrested for assualt with a deadly weapon, her mind had been off the cause and on more personal matters. Her father was fine now, serving the first of his three year sentence, and there was nothing she could do about it anymore. So back to business.
"It seems we have no shortage of theories and hearsay, but we're short on real facts. Trying to guess Demon thinking is like trying to predict the winning lottery numbers. A crap shoot at best." She voiced to no one in particular, though she looked at Ender. "We need to turn the tables on whoever is spying on us. A little covert action of our own. Maybe we can at least find out something of an agenda. Or at least what's out there watching." She took another sip of tea and stretched out her legs, waiting to see what anyone else thought.
Ender paused, rubbing two forefingers against his lips in a nervous habit. "Well, there's always..." He paused, knowing already what Tavis would say. "We could always ask one of the Witches or Warlocks to put a Spirit on the case... Outside help might be the best chance of remaining undetected." Ender shifted uncomfortably. It was true that they had that sort of help through certain contacts, but for the most part he tried to fight his own battles alone. He didn't like drawing in other people if he could help it, especially not when it likely meant putting them into danger that wasn't rightfully theirs. He looked up at Topher. "We could tell Harper...."
Topher visibly jerked at that, unfolding his arms and eyes widening. "Oh, hey... That's asking for trouble. Sure we can't predict Demons's thoughts, but we can predict their actions even less. Harper's a loose cannon. I don't think he'd be helping the Hellions any time soon, but helping us is a totally different kettle of fish. Besides, he'd be as likely kill them as sneak about spying for us." He shook his head adamantly. "I think that's a last-choice, personally."
Asia sat bolt upright, wide-eyed and already shaking her head before she uttered a single syllable. "Whoa… whoa... whoa! I'm with Topher on this one. Harper is waaaay too unpredictable. Using a Demon, even one that may be on our side, kind of defeats the purpose. It's not Harper's issue to deal with, it's ours." She'd never met Harper, and never wanted to. She'd heard the stories. How he'd been the right hand to the Monarch of Hell. Got turned into a Devourer for some plan they'd had and then, when he was too much of a threat to their own regime, cut loose. He now was out for vengeance. Vengeance leads to blood in the streets when you're dealing with Harper’s kind. No thank you.
"I had meant for us personally to do the spying. I have trouble sitting here doing nothing when I know something is going on. It's counter-intuitive and against my instincts. I'm a curious ferret after all. And I think I can be sneaky and stealthy enough. Unless magic is involved..." She frowned. No matter how in tune with the inner ninja you were, certain common magicks could still flush you out. "Now if we had magical assistance..." She let the implication hang in the air, seeing how it was received by all present.
Ender glanced at her. "That's a gamble... If they're already spying on us, they'll be watching your moves quite closely." He didn't try to dissuade her though, Ender knew better. And besides, she had a point, it was their problem. Gaea hadn't granted these gifts for nothing. Then he spoke again, aloud to all in the room. "Laertes and his Darkling are on assignment in Australia at the moment. That leaves Tavis, Robyn or..." Ender looked pointedly at Topher. He knew Topher was the one with best ties to Meredith, but their relations were awkward at the best of times. He didn't know how well things were going recently.
"Or Meredith." Topher replied, a little hollowly. He took a deep breath through his nose and held Ender's gaze. Meredith... Topher felt himself frowning just thinking about her. But Tavis likely would simply want to flush the Demon out and kill him right away, and that wasn't any good. Robyn was good - for his age - and might not be strong enough to stand up against demon magics on his own. Finally he sighed, shoulders slumping and shook his head. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his blackberry.
"...I'll call her." He murmured and wandered a little ways away from the group for some privacy.
Mickey watched him go with raised eyebrows. He chewed thoughtfully on his licorice stick, but didn't say anything. He'd heard of Meredith but never met her.
Asia smiled. "You said yourself that anything Demonic can't hear or see us while we're in here. So they have no idea what we could be planning. Are you gonna tell me there is only one way in and out of this place?" The wheels were already turning in her brain. If they could slip out through a bathroom window or something. An exit that normally wouldn't be watched very carefully, they could get out without being seen. And if they could be cloaked, even temporarily, they might be able to get the drop on whomever or whatever was watching. Assuming it was still our there. It did hinge on the use of magic, which she knew next to nothing about. It might not even be possible.
"I'll leave it to you guys when in comes to the magician types. I know squat."
Ender made a face similar to a wince and shook his head. "If we knew what sort of Demon was watching us, I'd be more willing to go with that." Ender sighed. "There are too many kinds of Demons who can sense us, just as well as we can sense each other. If that's a Seeker out there...and there's a good chance it is... As soon as you step foot outside of here, it's know where you are. You can't sneak up on them. We could use you as bait, knowing it would pick up on you, and jump it...but again, all this--" he waved his hands in emphasis. "Is just conjecture. We don't know what we're up against."
Asia frowned and slumped in her seat. Just sitting around chatting about what could be happening and what it could mean was driving her nuts. She wasn't much of a sit back and wait sort of person. Apparently Ender was. She didn't think he would be, but she guessed he was a more prudent person than she. "So what then? We sit and wait?" She asked dejectedly. Her gaze shifted to Topher and he sighed. "And what about him? Can't whomever he is talking to help shield us from detection? I thought that was the point of making the call?"
Asia took another sip of tea and waited. Already her legs were twitching and she kept staring at every window, door or other means of slipping from the building all stealth-like. "Sorry... it's just driving me nuts knowing something is out there right now and our only plan seems to be sit and wait for it to go away."
Ender smiled a little ruefully. Now and then, he forgot that she was older than he was. "Ah, young grasshopper, I said sit and wait, yes, but not for it to go away... We must be stealthy, like the spider..." He dropped the wise old man accent and shook his head. "Meredith may be able to help, yes. Let's wait and see what Topher has to say."
Mickey tossed a glance side-ways at them. "Y'know... I might be able to help. If they can sense you guys, it means I won't be showing up so good, eh? When the shit hits the fan, count me in. I've got crowbar, steel-toed boots, and a world o' hurt at my disposal."
Ender grinned up at him. "I expected you to say that. I wouldn't dream of turning you down, man. I know you haven't had a good fight in a while, and I wouldn't dream of asking you to sit this one out. You're in. We could use you."
Topher returned, shaking his head and slipping the blackberry into his hip pocket. He flicked his glance between them and shrugged a little.
"I explained the situation to her." He began, frowning at the toes of his shoes for a moment. "She said to give her about ten minutes or so, and she'd phone me back with some info." He made a vague wiggle with his fingertips. "She's doing her thing."
He leaned his back up against one of the steel girders in the place, unconsciously rubbing his shoulder into the hard metal, like a bear scratching itself on a tree. Topher, more than any of them, seemed to have no qualms whatsoever about waiting. Say nothing of Topher Bier if he was not patient to a fault.
Asia visible relaxed just a little. It seemed the chance that they might get some action after all was all she needed. A small smile crept across her features, angular and sly... ferret-like. She still fidgeted from time to time, but knowing that there was more to the plan than sitting and waiting for whatever it was to get bored and go away made her feel less twitchy. Besides, if it was a Demon, they were immortal, they could wait forever in theory. Most she’d heard about would get frustrated, though, and do something. Immortal didn't mean patient.
"Alright then. That's better." She couldn't help a chuckle at Ender's wise old sage voice. "So what is Meredith doing anyways?"
"Meredith is a Witch." Ender replied to Asia, not knowing how much she knew about Meredith -- or Witches, for that matter. "They have magic, obviously, but it isn't quite like Demon magic. It's more subtle, more rooted to this planet. So, it's sometimes harder for them –that is, Demons - to pick up. Mind you, it also isn't as powerful or as fast as a lot of the Magic the Demons have at their disposal. But, I think it will be right for this situation." He smiled at her, a small, crooked thing.
"What exactly is she trying?" He asked, looking up to Topher where he stood.
Topher focused his far-off glance back on Ender when the Raccoon asked him a direct question. It took him a silent moment to bring his thoughts back to cohesion, then he replied slowly. "She's dowsing, I think. Trying to pick up on the Demon out there. If she can pin-point it, she'll be able to tell us what kind it is, where it is, and if there's any magic present. Depending on what it is and the situation, she said she might send one of her Dryads to help us out."
Topher shrugged as he said it. These things were not new to him. He'd seen Meredith's skills before. He knew her competency, her thoroughness, her patience and eternally collected approach. It was somewhat comforting to know that she was taking care of her side of things. Freed him up to just focus on his own actions. Just deal with the situation - with the Demon and not be worrying over her. He flicked his glance to Asia, then to Mickey, then back to Ender. He was sure they'd all be able to handle themselves. Just like a proper crew. He gave a small smile.
"Any idea of how long we're waiting to see what she... dowses? Is that a word?" Asia twisted her face up in indecision about her word choice. It just didn't sound right, but she couldn't think of the proper word at the moment. "Whatever the word is, any timeline?"
As she waited she watched the others and drank the rest of her rapidly cooling tea. She knew Ender was a true warrior and if even half the stuff she'd been hearing regarding Mickey, whether he was human or not, he was no slouch when it came to fighting either. Topher on the other hand, had the air of someone not accustomed or dedicated to fighting. She knew he'd studied under Dorian, so he knew how to defend himself at the very least. Chances are he could fight to save his life or when pressed to do so, but he didn't strike her as the 'take the offense to them' sort. He had a more passive vibe to him. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it was a moot point in thinking about it, but if she had to stand shoulder to shoulder with the youth against a Demon or Demons howling for their blood, she wanted to know he could hold his own.
"Hey Topher. I know you studied with Dorian some. How far along are ya in his training regime?" She asked, knowing Dorian had basically three levels. Self defense being the first and Ender being an example of the last. She had stopped after the second level, unable to fully commit to the style of training needed to go much further. "No offense. I'm just curious."
Ender looked to Topher for confirmation, he's the one who'd talked to her, but he'd made it sound like ten minutes. "She said she'd call back in ten to let us know what she's sorted out, right?" The Bear nodded back, pensive and quiet. Ender smiled at Asia. "Is ten minutes too long to wait, antsy-pants?"
When Asia questioned ability to fight, Ender grinned to himself. Topher was fun to watch fight. He had a habit of surprising you, in all stages of his Beast. Ender just hoped that Topher would stick with his training this time. He'd started and stopped three times already, and he had so much potential, he really hoped that Topher would rise to the task. He just had to get over his fear of what happened when he really put forth all his effort...
Topher blinked when Asia asked him a direct question. His expression opened up, a boyish honesty, straightforward and earnest. "I'm not offended at all. I finished Stage Two a year ago. I began Stage Three again last Tuesday." He replied softly, not proud or boastful. He paused, then grinned, a little sheepishly. "I'm not too bad, you know. I am a Bear after all...hear me roar." He jested.
He looked to Ender. "Ask him, he's the one training me. I'm not a complete lost cause, eh? At least I haven't failed anything."
Asia smirked. "I know she said she'd call back in ten minutes, I'm not totally deaf. At least not this long after a gig." Her smirk turned into a cheeky grin as she stuck her tongue out at Ender. "I meant, assuming she finds anything useful and decides to help out, how long would her help take? I know squat about magic and such, so this is all out of my frame of reference."
She nodded when she heard about Topher's training credentials. "Cool, then you're one up on me kid. I washed out after Stage Two." She looked to Ender and smiled, knowing that was not exactly true. She knew it and he did too. But the full reasons she never went on to Stage Three was not something she advertised. And here and now was not the time to delve into that dark corner. "Fair enough then. If you're training with Ender, you must be decent. He taken you free running yet? It's quite the workout." She remembered free running with him, and missed it. Maybe she'd start back up again.
Ender laughed easily. "I'd thought it was an odd question." He rubbed ruefully at his jaw for a moment as he thought. "Well, the dowsing should only take about 8 to 10 minutes. Hence why she'll call us back then... But as for if she sends a Dryad? It depends on who she sends and how compatible the elements are and all that..." He trailed off and grinned at her. "Sounds wishy-washy and mumbo-jumbo, but that's Druidic magic for you. Depends a lot on the planet for how helpful it can be. But I shouldn’t think it'll take the Dryad more than 15 minutes to get here, assuming she deems to send one. I'm sure she'll fill us in when she calls back."
Ender smiled at Topher and gave him the Nod, that 'I appreciate what you've done, so thank you' nod.
Topher nodded to Asia's question. "Yeah... It's alright. I prefer just regular running, though. I'm not really into flying over leaping chasms of cement. We Bears, we're riverside, tree climbers, don't do so well with stone and concrete." He looked up as Ender snorted. "Well, and I tend to do too much damage free-running. I uh...I'm a bit strong in form."
Ender began to tell a tale of when he tore a drain pipe clean off the side of an industrial building a few months back, and Topher grimaced. He was about to protest the tale when his blackberry trilled and he excused himself to go answer the phone, stepping away from the group again and lowering his voice to a hush.
Asia nodded as Ender explained the magic lady's hocus pocus as he knew of it. She'd never really been interested in magic, not like Tavis was, but she knew it had its uses and was glad they'd cultivated some magical contacts for times such as these. She had no idea what a Dryad was, but asking seemed pretty pointless. Besides, she didn't really care to know either, so she just let the question fade back into her mind. Instead, she leaned back and just listened to Ender's story of Topher's free-running adventures. At least, until Topher's phone chimed and he excused himself. Things got a little quieted then as they waited for news.
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