Chasing Shadows[M]{Damonique&EerieWillows}

[Damonique]

Carrow slapped his hand to his face loud enough for it to be heard throughout the room and started shaking his head while Brooklyn got that little tirade out of her system. Two rookies, and they were both so self-righteous. Sing had his holier-than-thou enlightenment shtick, and the girl was an entitled brat throwing out accusations left and right. Great. Honestly, the Agent was surprised that Benoit didn't just kick all three of them out then and there.

He was surprised to find the harshest objection to come from Eerie, though. The way the witch laughed sent an involuntary shudder down his spine, and he was so very glad not to be in the little blonde's shoes...or Landry's, for that matter, as he saw any attempt for the rakish man to compromise get soundly swatted down by the intimidating woman. How in the world did these two even live together without a murder taking place?

Carrow wisely held his tongue throughout, knowing nothing good would come from butting his two cents into this conversation. Most of it was just between their two hosts...there was an odd dynamic there, that was sure...he supposed the proximity and the solitude with one another had brought that about. He and his wife had argued so similarly before she'd finally ditched him for good. Whatever prior relationship these two had, it seemed profoundly unhealthy on both ends. But then again, most were.

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Kasimir didn't waste a second standing up and doing what he had been told needed to be done, collecting the last few dishes from the table and heading to the sink. Even Brooklyn herself seemed surprised, as if she hadn't actually expected her outburst to actually have an effect on any of them. But the Sikh had himself half-a-lifetime of sins to make up for, and was ashamed to admit that he owed the most apology to the fairer sex.

He tuned out as much of the quite personal conversation...or fight, whichever it was, it was hard to tell with people so...unpredictable, that Eerie and Landry had gotten themselves embroiled in, robotically washing and scrubbing without a trying to get a word in edgewise. He couldn't help but turn and stare at the witch when she found a way to toss ever more unmasked flirtation in his direction. Rather than take the teasing in stride, like he had thus far, his soft amber eyes narrowed and hardened at the woman beside him, staring intensely, and not in the playful way he had before.

Kasimir knew when he was being used for something, it had happened to him all his life. First the gangs, then the military...he was a convenient blunt instrument to be thrown at other people's problems, and usually, he didn't care.. Now he was being used some more, this time to get under someone's skin...though he couldn't be sure weather the intended target was Landry, Brooklyn, or both. And he didn't like it one bit....even less because the temptation was very, very real. Just imagining Eerie all dressed up in one of those skimpy, silky faux french-maid getup's was enough to put some sweat on his brow. He and her might have to have a talk about that, or a fight if she tried to make it one. One look at the witch told him she was no innocent...probably never had been. She had the same hard killers-eyes he saw looking back at him from the mirror each morning. He'd like to say he wasn't looking forward to the confrontation, but he'd be lying if he did.

But now wasn't the time for that, so after she not just asked, but ordered him out of the kitchen, he glanced from the alluring woman to the small girl who'd managed to draw her ire, decided there was no real danger there besides for hurt feelings on Brooklyn's part, and went back to the table to take his seat without a word. He felt a bit of guilt at the way the little blonde looked up at him as he went, hope turning to disappointment as she realized he wasn't jumping to her rescue this time, following the witches orders instead. Not getting involved just seemed like the safest move for everyone here.

---------------------------------------------

When Eerie laughed at her, Brooklyn looked back at her aghast, like she'd been slapped. What the woman said made sense, it turned out this was an egalitarian household after all. If that. As she went on, it felt more and more like the diminutive witch was running things. A part of her had a firm respect for that girl-power, another woman running the show...but honestly, the blonde wondered if that label even applied to Eerie. For all she knew, the 'weapon' didn't consider herself much of a human at all.

And then, before she even got the chance to defend herself, the conversation rolled right past her and became a private affair between their two hosts. Apparently, the 'shut-in' as she described him in her indignation, had even more problems than showed on the surface, and insomnia was one of them. Brooke could sympathize...she had trouble slowing her own brain down enough to get a good nights rest, usually finding herself still online at three in the morning, body tired, mind awake. There was always more to people than they let on.

For once tonight, instead of just embarrassed, Brooklyn felt extraordinarily guilty....she'd judged too quickly, and too harshly. She didn't know these people any more than they knew her, and it wasn't as if either of them had got up this morning expecting to be hosting three strangers for the foreseeable future. Brooklyn supposed she could some little things slide while everyone was still getting their bearings, and so she dutifully returned to the sink at the shorter, wiser woman's instruction. The washed and rinsed in silence for a moment before the blonde managed to get a word out.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a pain tonight, but this is all just....overwhelming. I thought I had my head on straight when I said yes to the Agent, but I guess it took actually getting here, meeting you two and all the crazy that's happened since for it to really sink in. This is my life now, and I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing with it." The blonde stated somberly...she was only now beginning to grasp just for deep over her head the water was here, and that she'd jumped in without a lifejacket or even knowing how to swim. That was going to have to change, or there was no way any of the rest of them would want to keep her around.

[EerieWillows]

The Soldier’s look was not lost on her, firing one back in his direction in the same way. Hers however, was far more playful. That had gone exactly as she planned, she could see it in his eyes. Perfect, a little fun teasing was never a bad thing. Letting out a slight chuckle as the men left, she turned back towards the dishes. Good, he hadn’t gotten too far before she’d intervened. There was still time to relax before this inevitably became too real for the group.

Quiet laid over the working pair, that was until the girl spoke up. The witch happily listened. Hm, this was exactly what she wanted to hear. It was an apology and explanation. It was adequate considering she wasn’t in too much trouble, just needed a bit of reigning in, much like her younger companion had when he was a bit younger. They were all in a new sort of situation, she seemed genuinely remorseful of the situation, So all was good.

Drying her hand on her shirt, she moved and put a warm hand on the girl’s back, patting it softly, reassuring, albeit a little scary considering just how authoritative she had just been. The icy look she’d given her and the ginger had softened, returning to the gentle smirk from before. The girl was a fish out of water, floundering like crazy and trying to get a handle on things. Oh, how it reminded her of herself all those years ago, just after it’d all happened. Well... to tease her in front of everyone else so openly, perhaps she’d been too harsh... No harm done. Setting those deep lines was important.

“No harm done, Little miss. Just had to stop you before you let those ideas of yours settle. Besides, I’m sure red is just as stressed as the lot of you. My fault entirely. Just give it a bit of time. It’s overwhelming and different, but you’ve got some bite, and some backbone. You’ll be fine.” Assured the woman before she moved to grab the gumbo pot, dishing up the remainder into glass dishes and sealing them before setting the pot in the sink and scrubbing away. “...You have to have bite and a spine for this job. It’s not pleasant, it’s not easy, and there’s risks involved. Lots of them. But, There’s reward too. Just keep your chin up. you’ll find your legs soon enough.”

With the girl’s help, they soon finished, the nicely cleaned dishes stored in the drying rack to the side. Thanking the girl, Eerie went to retrieve her coffee before a familiar throat being cleared caught her attention. Leddy stood at the kitchen archway, watching the two of them for who knows how long. Damn, he was quiet. He simply gestured towards the living room. They’d spent enough time with girl talk, now it was time to get down to business.

--

Not pleased with being bossed about like he was, but too tired to fight her off, Landry simply tossed the files down onto the coffee table, muttering to himself as he put out the last bit of his smoke in the ashtray and looked about. He needed to move a few things, and just after he’d finally gotten it ready for a pow wow of sorts. But that was when he thought he was getting experienced men and women. Now, now he needed move things to be a bit more... open. Pull out his projector and use the white wall above the fireplace as a screen. Great. More work. He was too tired for this shit. Not that he was going to ask for help either. Fuckin’ didn’t need that nonsense.

He seemed to be mapping things out in his mind, motioning things from place to place and muttering to himself. Any other day he’d have been less obvious, but he was less than with it. Perhaps the long days had finally taken it out of him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a huff of irritation. Who could blame him for not sleeping? What had come home the few days previous had nearly given him a heart attack. You think he’d be use to it, but seeing the state she was in without any sort of regard for the damage was always able to get him all sorts of fucked. There were still emotions attached there, even if things weren’t how they’d been those years back. He still relied on her, and she on him.

Finally getting to the heavy mahogany chair he always sat on, he grumbled and pulled out another cigarette, his lighter finally retrieve, the strange symbols on it shining in the dim light of the fire as he lit the damn thing. It was a wonder he wasn’t dead of nicotine poisoning by this time in his life. Lord forbid any other monster got to him first. He tried to move the damn thing himself, curses spilling past his lips as he strained against it, teeth grit and face turning red from the strain.

“Fuckin’ witch could have done this with her fuckin’ shadows in like two minutes but took the easy fuckin’ way out and did the god damn dishes with the little pipsqueak god DAMN this thing is heavy!” Snarled the man under his breath, lips moving too fast for anything to be really understood except the cursing at the damn chair. Thankfully, he managed to move it just out of the way and against the wall. Looking at the two gentleman, he motioned to the various resting spots. They could reat a bit while he set things up. His projector was easy enough to fish out, as with his laptop. Once that was set, he looked up to see if the girls were back. Nope. Not yet. Now he had to go and get them.

Muttering the whole way, he leaned against the arch of the kitchen, waiting patiently until they’d gotten their asses in gear and moved out to the living room.

--

Hips swaying as they always did, Eerie plopped herself down into Leddy’s chair. Watching him like a cat from the corner, her smirk grew more and more amused as he gave her a dirty look for trying to stir the pot. Now his chair? He hadn’t wanted to sit anyways. Though, perhaps that would have been the better option for this all. He was looking more and more haggard by the minute. Who know how long it’d be till he just dropped. Again.

Letting them get settled between the love-seat and sofa, Leddy got himself set. Clearing his throat, he looked them all over and motioned for the witch to kill the lights. She happily did so, yet another show of her power, the shadows licking at the dimmer till they were nice and low, leaving nothing but the fire to light the home.

Swirling his glass about, Benoit looked between the lot of them. There were a few questions he had to have answered before he got into this. If he was to do this as cleanly as possible, he needed to know where they were at. Carrow he knew, with their discussions he’d gleamed he’d been taking on lower level hunts, things that were far more corporeal and hunted alone. But these two kids? He didn’t know squat except they were hellishly under-informed. And being uninformed was dangerous for all parties informed.

“ Pipsqueak, Singh. Before we get into this, I gotta ask. Just what DO you know about all this... nonsense. I need to know, otherwise this is gonna sound a helluva lot worse than it already does.” Started the man in a rather calm, even tone, motioning his glass towards the old agent before continuing. “ Carrow, you and I have already had it out. But I wanna hear from these two. What exactly have you been told. One at a time, I don’t need this headache getting any worse. Just what have you seen. What have you done.”

[Damonique]

Kasimir followed Landry into the sitting room without needing to be asked, positioning himself like a statue in the corner until he saw something he could do. That came when the slimmer man started cursing at a heavy armchair. The Marine walked over without a word to join him, placed both arms on the frame, and gave it a shove, shifting the whole thing a few feet to settle against the wall.

When Benoit looked at him, wearing an expression that offered anything but thanks, the Sikh shrugged and stepped off to take his place on the far side of the couch. It didn't bother him...the other man just wasn't used to having him around, and probably wouldn't for a good long while. And given the tensions earlier, added to whatever history the ginger had with Eerie, anything and everything Kasimir did could be taken as an intentional slight, a play for dominance. And in a way, it was, but only because that was how men were made. It didn't have to come to anything unless one of them lost their cool, and Kas was steadfastly determined to keep his for as long as possible.

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Carrow filled his glass to the brim before going to join the other two in the den, and debated with half on just bringing the bottle. It was going to be a long night, and whiskey might make it just a bit shorter. But he erred on the side of caution there and left it on the table. He took his place in the center, beside Singh...maybe that would spare the soldier the discomfort of Brooklyn's inevitable attempts to get cozy on him. Just a decade or so younger, and the old man would've been jealous, but instead he just fell a bit bad for the younger man, who's world seemed to be conspiring to throw him off the wagon.

A Carrow knew for sure that it was better for everyone if that one stayed on that goddamn wagon. The self-righeous atoner would be a lot easier to deal with than whoever Kasimir had been once that made the teachers and neighbors he'd spoken to turn pale and suddenly not want to speak to him when the Agent had been digging up some details before springing the kid from lockup. If it weren't for his glowing service record and clear change of heart, Carrow would have left him to rot and called it justice...just not for the crime he'd gotten caught for, but the ones he'd gotten away with.

Carrow had a few things to say to everyone himself, but Benoit beat him to the punch, bluntly asking the two youngest members of their little household to tell them exactly how much it was they knew about the business they'd been dragged into. It was a good question, that was for sure, so the Agent just paid close attention, wondering which would speak up first.

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Brooklyn really was running the gamut of human emotion tonight, now feeling profoundly touched by the other woman's affirmations. No-one had ever accused her of having a spine before.usually, in every group she'd ever been in, she'd always been the odd one out, trying in turns to desperately be noticed or remain invisible depending on the whims of her 'special' brain chemistry. Usually, neither worked out all that well for her. A part of her couldn't help but think the raven-haired woman was just humoring her, but the thought was still nice.

"Thank's, Eerie...I think I needed that. I swear I'm not as useless as I look, though. True-idetic memory, so I don't have to hear or read anything twice...once it's there, it's there. Math, numbers, probabilities....I can sort all that out in my head, and if you get me in front of a keyboard, I'm magic. There's not a cipher written I can't crack....except maybe your boy Leddy's, but I haven't gotten a good look at his method yet." The blonde went on, back to her chatty self. She even gave credit where it was due to the woman's partner, trying not to let on how much it irked her. Brooke just knew that she was smarter than him, and she'd learned a considerably less dated curriculum, yet somehow his jank-ass, half-self-taught bullshit code had stumped her time and time again.

The two finished washing the dishes in a much more comfortable atmosphere, exchanging few words besides idle chatter. Despite what she had read, and the creepy vibe she gave off, she found the witch was a lot easier to talk to than she'd expected. When the last bowl was rinsed off and set in it's proper place, they headed for the door to the den, but the blonde stopped at the door and turned to her companion, wearing an uncharicteristic grin.

"This has been fun, actually...it almost reminds me of doing chores at home. We should get together and talk more, I know we have at least one common interest that warrants extensive discussion." Brooke stated with a smirk, going so far as to add a little wink and a nod of her head towards where Kasimir was sitting like a statue...intense and withdrawn, as usual. The blonde was surprised by her own boldness, there....maybe a bit of Eerie's confidence was rubbing off on her already.

Finding Carrow occupying the spot on the couch that she'd really wanted, the blonde let out a huff and flopped herself down on the loveseat, stretching like a cat to take up all of the available space, and waited for the 'show' to begin. Landry had even set up a projector...how very professor-ly of him. She got the feeling that somehow, he was going to make real-life supernatural monsters almost as boring as comp-sci lecture.

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Once they were all settled in, Landry wasted no time tossing out his first question...and it was a hell of a question, cutting right through the bullshit and straight to the point. How much did his two new 'students' know. What had they seen, what had they killed? One glance at Brooklyn told him that she was in no way eager to volunteer, so Kasimir sat up a bit straighter and decided he'd have to open them out. Following Landry's example, he didn't waste words, going right back to the worst night of his life....and Kasimir had lived through a lot of bad nights.

"My second round in the sandbox, Afghanistan, about a year ago. Things in a cave, like smoke with eyes....and teeth. The locals called them ghul, some sort of Djinn or dark spirit or something..." He started in an even, monotone, like reading off a script, almost managing to hide the pain of the memory. He'd lost brothers that night, but even worse was the sight of those children, lying dead, mangled on the stone. The ones he couldn't save. He shook his head twice before going on.

"...I don't know about all that, but I do know that bullets went right through them, but they didn't much care for a taste of iron." He punctuated the statement by whipping out his Kirpan in a smooth, practiced motion almost too fast for the eye to catch. Most Khalsa these days carried blunted, ceremonial weapons, adorned with decoration and incised with lines from the mantras. Not Kasimir, though...his own was a wicked piece of metal, seven inches long and with just enough to curve to it to both slash and stab with equal effectiveness, sharpened and oiled to a mirror-sheen that seemed to drink in the reddish-orange light coming from the fireplace, making it look already-blooded. Kasimir stared at the ritual object, wearing a somewhat unsettling smile for a moment, before turning back to the man who had asked the question.

"That's my first an only experience with this sort of thing...but it stuck with me. It felt right, like justice. That's why I'm here, anyway. To get another taste of that, follow the righteous path. Let me do that, and I'm all yours." He finished, sliding the blade back into it's decorative sheath at his hip, turning his eyes from Benoit to Carrow and back again, wearing a line of grim determination that said he meant it. Not Eerie, though...she wasn't right either.

He knew the witch-weapon-monster killed the things, that she'd had been doing it for longer than he'd been alive, if the little cues he'd picked up on were correct. But the question was why she killed them. Shame, over what she was and what she'd done? He could believe that. One look in her eyes showed him sins that would take a river of deserving blood to wash off. Or was it just because she liked it, and the Watchers gave her carte blanche to do what she liked? Time would tell....and if one day Kasimir found no righteous choice but to drive his blade deep between those perfect breasts, he only prayed to the almighty he'd have the courage to go through with it.

[EerieWillows]

Keeping quiet, Benoit simply watched the Sikh. It was hard to hold back his scoff when Kas flashed the dagger like it was something the other's hadn’t seen before. For effect. Prick. Iron was useful, but it didn’t kill everything, in fact, sometimes it pissed things off. Hopefully he’d learn that quickly enough. Still, there was something in his eyes, it reminded him far too much of the witch. Was it safe to have the two of them out there? Would he try to off the witch on his ‘righteous path’? Fat fucking chance that it’d do anything other than get her going. He didn’t want her to have to eat him alive, but there was little he could do on his part if something like that happened. Rolling his whiskey around, Leddy pondered for a bit before speaking.

“So you fought off some Ghul with your Kara and Kirpan. You’ve seen the ugly looking things. The things that look like monsters and nothing else. This is gonna be a nasty shock in a bit... Hm.”

His voice trailed off as he took a look towards the girl, who was still very much silent. Such a kid... Considering his own exposure, she’d be far less innocent had she seen much. The thought suddenly occurred to him. A phone call about him taking over the whole of their storage, given the proper facilities of course. Something about cyber terrorists getting in, and more and more often their own workers files were compromised while Leddy’s were not . The thought passed through his mind a bit before he figured out what might have been the reason for the little lady’s presence. Yep. That had to be it.

“And YOU are one of the little shits that’s been trying to get into my network. Got your nose in where it didn’t belong. So now you’re stuck in this.” His tone was harsh, his finger pointed towards Brooke with frustration and irritation behind it. Her reaction said it all. Yup. Fucking kids. “God Dammit. Usually people who see too much get shot for that I hope you know. We’ll see why they kept you alive. If the old man there is to be believed, you’ll be useful in at least fixing things up to make sure no others get in.”

With that out of the way, the man stood back while looking none too pleased with this all. Fishing a remote from his pocket, he turned the projector on. It was old, but it flickered to life soon enough. It seemed he was at least running on the most modern OS system, albeit it was modified to all hell. The files he pulled up seemed to number in the thousands, Different initials and dates beside each. It made sense to him, but to anyone else it’d be an absolute disaster. Good. Hopefully it would frustrated the shit outta the kid and keep her from digging in too much farther without supervision.


“Well, this is going to be less than ideal... Might as well get right to it. “ With that, he selected a video from a seemingly random file.

It was modern quality, albeit shaky as hell. A young man from the sounds of it. Panting, panicked breath and crunching leaves and twigs. Wherever this person was, they were not happy to be there. Suddenly, a human voice called out from off screen. It started high, female, calling out to whoever would listen. Then, as the man’s terror only seemed to take control and send him running, the voice changed. Primal, snarling and hissing grew seemingly farther away, until something knocked hiker over. The little living room was filled with the horrific screams and agony the poor man was facing.

Even as the screams died and turned into guttural, gurgling noises, Benoit was not phased in the least, instead, his focus was on the three others. It would happen soon enough, he’d had to watch this video many times before for research on that case. They’d just finished it up, after all. He watched the colour drain from their faces as ‘it’ finally came into view.

A human-esque face. Grey, ashen and skin pulled taught with a massive, gaping maw. Eyes sunken in and deathly white with it’s teeth dripping blood onto the small camera. One more sickly, gurgling scream ran through, and then nothing at all. Whatever the camera was attached to was now in the monster’s gullet. Before it could continue on any further, Leddy paused it and addressed the group.

“We’re sent files like this quite regularly.” Explained Eerie, her sing song tone entirely unexpected as she watched with a rather displeased expression. “There’s a reason people go missing in national parks. Mostly it’s these sorts of creature.”

“ Depending on their size and ferocity, what created them and how long they’ve been around, we call them different things.” Explained Leddy, the next picture upon the screen the creature again. This time, it was very much dead. A giant hole where it’s chest once was, burned out by some unseen force. It’s head nearly torn off and limbs broken in every which way. It wasn’t the same camera as the initial video, but it was just as grotesque. “This is how you take care of that problem. Believe you me, despite the fact that this thing runs faster than a god damn cheetah, can vocalize in a near human fashion, and is smart as fuck, it is an easy kill. Burn it’s heart and break it apart. It won’t come back as long as you throw salt over it.”

Selecting another video from somewhere else, Leddy continued this little demonstration. Shock them hard, and show them what they’re in for. This time, it seemed to be a bunch of kids poking as a sickly looking dog. Dumb teenagers and that sort. That was, until it’s skin started to split apart, eyes, teeth and flesh where there ought not be any. The people filming understandably lost their absolute shit as the eldritch horror unfolded before them. Once again, Landry and the witch seemed to be more than immune to the carnage. The sickening sounds of bones crunching, gurgling and gasping breaths and shrill screams not even getting a flick of the brow. Even the sight of one of the victims being torn apart on screen didn’t earn anything other than a huff from the witch.

Then a picture of the same creature, riddled and torn apart with bullets, a glow from each hole. It was, like the previous one, very much dead.

Next.

This seemed to be the start of a vlog video of sorts, A young man sitting in his car late at night unboxing something when a knock sounds at his window. Seen just past the glass, a pair of kids in hoodies. Slipping into a trance like state, the man opens the window as the video begins to artifact and malfunction. Whatever fear the man felt was palpable even across the screen. The kid has solid black eyes, it’s jaw unhinged as it pulled something mist-like right out of the poor bastard, leaving a corpse that looks more like a mummy as it stared down at the camera and pushed it’s jaw back into place before leaving.

Next.


One after another, each growing progressively more violent and malevolent. A woman’s body from the torso up, entails hanging beneath as it flew through the air and dive bombed whoever was unfortunate enough to stumble across it. A human-esque figure ripping the throat out of a victim as it drained their blood. A group of seemingly normal women in the woods, yet the moment they’re approach they tore the victim into pieces. Lights in the sky targeted a farmer’s herd in broad daylight before it’s attention turns to the poor man filming. The horrors went on and on till he came to one final video, his brows furrowing as he watched the group before him. Even the witch’s smirk seemed to have faded.

An arctic vessel, an ice breaker, the camera pointed off the side. A massive, pale beast beneath the waves, it’s terrifying hand coming up to grip the side of the boat and pull itself up. A massive humanoid creature that sent the crew into a complete panic. Pale and white, it’s human-like eyes staring down at the crew as their heads simply exploded, It’s attention moved to the camera before the sound that came out of the laptop seemed to send the floor vibrating beneath them. Leddy could feel it in his core, especially as the laptop began to malfunction. Nope. Enough of that. Turning off the video and getting the witch to turn the lights up, Leddy looked out once again over the group and took a drag off his cigarette.

“Things beyond our understanding or control are killing us. With the diaspora of peoples and cultures, things have started popping up on our territory. It’s the job of hunters like us, to kill them before they rack up too high of a body count. I tend to rank these things on 4 major factors. How human is it. How smart is it, how does it kill you, and how many does it kill in one time.” He flicked the butt of his smoke into the ashtray with surprising accuracy, taking a swig of his glass and sighing. “I’m not taking the time to explain shit tonight, I have papers than you’ll be welcome to read later if you want to get familiar with the notations and organization. Took me years of developing that damn system, I’ve explained it far too many times to be bothered to do it again.”

“Your job, will be to hunt and kill these things, to make sure whatever I give you is good and dead. Picture clarification is often the best method for that.” The sheer volume of files seen on his computer... How many were his own? Were they all? Before they could ask, he continued. “I’ll spare you those till the morning. My job, is to give you the jobs, then the tools, resources and back up from behind the scenes to get it done. Get the cops off your back, clean up whatever collateral damage there is. Make sure that the motel doesn't have bedbugs. Deal with hospital bills and finances. You get the drift.” His explanation was clear enough, then he gestured towards the witch with a broad, sweeping motion. “And she... is to make sure that we have as good a chance of keeping your asses alive as we can get. I’ll be dealing out the jobs based on the work with previous jobs.”

“Except you.“ His irritation coming through once again as he looked at the mousy little pipsqueak. “Until I do a few simple hunts around this area with you, your staying here. You’ll die in seconds out there like you are now. You’ll be put to work, things like keeping this network safe from kids dumb enough to try and access my networks, and whatever else I give you job wise.” Taking another cigarette, his third in this presentation and pressing it to his lips before lighting it and moving to lean against the bookshelf.

“I’ll be honest, things are getting smarter, people are getting dumber and sticking their necks out for a brief chance at fame. Not only that, something is targeting us hunters. We’re dying in record numbers. So. Time to bolster forces I guess.” A thin hand ran back through that mess of red atop his head as an exasperated sigh passed his lips. “ If you have questions, spit em out whenever. I’ll be around. I’m always around. Can’t guarantee you’ll get an answer from her though... Not one you’ll understand at least. Speaking from experience.”

[Damonique]

Brooklyn watched Kasimir's...story, play, rendition of a memory in a sort of awed silence, her entire wold shrinking until all that compromised it were those amber eyes, sharp cheekbones, and that even, foreign-but-familiar at once accent of his. If anyone had their eyes on her, they would have noticed her sit up, playing ever closer attention, leaning forward in her seat like someone watching a particularly fascinating movie.

She'd known he was a soldier, sure, followed his career through the service records she'd hacked into the afternoon she'd gotten his full name...but none of this was in any of the files. It had to have been one of the sealed records she hadn't had the time to break into...yet. Hotel Wi-Fi wasn't exactly the most reliable for collapsing DoD firewalls over. But this was better than any dry government report, coming straight from the source. It was almost as if Brooke had been in the cave with him...at least that was the way she was picturing it.

The spell suddenly stopped when he whipped out the knife, though, faster than the blonde could follow, bringing his tale to a close and getting down to his reasons for 'signing up', as it were. She jumped halfway out of her sheet and let out a minute squeak that drew her some attention, but for once she didn't care enough to feel the embarrassment. Both of those sky-blue eyes of hers were only for Kasimir. As enraptured as she was, she still couldn't miss the way he looked at the blade resting in his hand. It was different than the guarded but affable front he usually showed. Instead, he was intense, almost eager, perhaps even a bit angry.

It scared her...but more than that, it excited her. When it was all over, without a seconds pause, the diminutive blonde eased back in her seat and close her eyes, running the the memory back over a half-dozen times in less than a minute. This...replaying...wasn't something she usually did in front of people. Doing it all the time was what had singled her out as 'special' when she was in grade-school. And back then, it hadn't been meant as a compliment. But she just couldn't help herself, this time.

Eventually, she had to let herself back into the 'real-world', slow down her racing heart and take a few deep breaths. Goddamn, was that the good stuff...Brooklyn honestly wasn't sure if she could handle much more. Only then did she catch Landry's voice, rising in volume and aimed directly at her. At first, she had thought he was asking what was wrong with her...people usually did when they caught her in a session. But no, this wasn't concern, it was an accusation. Her brain caught back up with her ears and she realized what it was.

"Guilty as charged..."She stated nonchalantly, with a bit of newfound brazenness, catching the redheads blue eyes with her own, smiling a self-satisfied Cheshire smile. Finally, some recognition. She didn't even mind the way he played it off like something she'd just stumbled her way into. They both knew that wasn't the way it was. She'd thrown a lot more at the Watcher's carefully-decentralized system than just any script-kiddie could have managed. Brooklyn had meant business, and even though there were plenty of files that she hadn't been able to crack before they were moved or deleted, she'd forced them to react to her. And eventually done enough damage to make them reach out.

Her cheerfulness subsided just a bit at the comment he made about getting 'shot for trespassing' by their employers, though she suspected he might have been exaggerating to scare her a little. Still...some of the emails she'd received before Carrow had caught up with her had been more than a little threatening. None of that really mattered now, though. They were all on the same side, and she'd be showing the Illuminati how you keep things secret in the 21st century...make them seem boring, mundane. Hide important things in the minutiae of insignificant ones. They could have been swapping these files around in the base code of cat .gif's and had better luck staying out of sight than stashing it all on big servers with intimidating redundant security of the kind that just screamed to the hacker in her that there had to be something worth seeing behind the curtain.

Before she got the chance to absolutely tear into Leddy, dropping hacker lingo left and right to back up her assertions, though, they were moving on. And oh how they were moving on.

------------------------

The videos that Landry used as 'teaching aids' to explain himself had profoundly different effects on the three people exposed to them. Carrow showed the most normal reaction. A healthy fear for the creatures, though he'd seen their like before, going pale with disgust at the sight of their victims, the things that were done to those poor fools who'd never even seen their deaths coming for them, and wearing a grim smile when the proof that whatever-it-was had been put down came on-screen.

He was especially proud that Benoit had decided one of his own kills made the highlight-reel. He'd been the one who'd shot the dog-thing...although he'd never seen the footage of it's young victims. Just been told where to go, what to look for, and been given the right kind of bullets to use. The damn thing had taken a magazine and a half, but the Agent was a damn good shot, despite his age.

Kasimir, meanwhile just watched intently...in fact, the single-minded, edge-of-his seat focus he showed the horrors being displayed on-screen in all the gruesome detail was remarkably similar to that Brooklyn had shown him when he'd shared his little story. This was the real deal...all the proof Kasimir needed to know he'd gone into the right line of work. These things killed innocent people without a care, just because they could. And they could be killed like anything else with the right tools.

He felt for the victims, in a sort of somber, detached way...but that didn't make watching them get eaten, mangled, and torn apart any less riveting. But for once, he had something pure to channel that morbid fascination into...the idea of revenge. There was no moral quandary here, no need for debate or study of the scripture. Just things that undeniably needed to die, and took a lot of work killing. On the third video or so, he studied Eerie warily, hoping to catch some glimpse of where this imagery took her mind...but the witch was unreadable, watching in expressionless silence, as if she just didn't care.

And last, there was Brooklyn. She'd read plenty of reports, and seen things...like this before, but never so many, never in such clear detail, and never without the opportunity to hit pause, close out the video, and bury herself in a cuddle-pile with her 'pets' until she stopped feeling sick, knowing she'd never be able to get anything she did see out of her head. Ever. This time, though, she was forced to watch every terrible detail. And while eyes may not have been on her before, they sure as hell were now.

So she gritted her teeth, trained intelligent blue eyes forward, and watched. And watched. And watched. She could taste the acid burn of her recent meal trying to make it's way back up her throat, and swallowed it back down again. But despite her best efforts, nothing she did could change the way she involuntarily hugged her knees to her chest, started chewing on a lock of her hair, and shivering in her seat. She'd known to expect this kind of thing...but knowing wasn't the same as seeing. It was all real, and it was all terrifying.

She was too relieved to raise objection or even feel belittled when Landry made it clear that she wouldn't be joining Kasimir, Carrow, and Eerie in the field. At least not yet, if ever. Instead she'd hang around the compound with him, doing tech-support and handling whatever the ginger considered small enough for her 'pipsqueak' self to handle. The things she could have felt, shame at being the 'weak link', envy at the thought of her bronze protector out on the road with the raven-haired temptress beside him, or annoyance at being given a job that sounded remarkably like 'assistant' to none other than Benoit himself....none of that bothered her at the moment. She was just glad to know she wouldn't be coming face-to-face with any of those things any time soon....what she'd seen tonight was already enough to haunt her nightmares for weeks.

[EerieWillows]

Yep, that’d about done it. A good enough introduction considering the circumstances. There was no point in hiding it, and video was a hell of a lot safer than one out in the field. His eyes moved from person to person, starting with the girl. Her reaction, something in his gut just twisted as he saw the terror in her. Perhaps a softer hand should have been used. After all, she was just a dumb kid who’d gotten into this mess through being nosy. He remembered how that felt, but justified that it was better than a face to face with god knows what.

The soldier though... He was practically chomping at the bit. Icy eyes narrowed his way as he took a drag off his cigarette and mulled things just a bit more. Every second he watched him he was concerned for the witch’s well being. He’d been watching her, feeling her out far too much. Guys like him were usually a hairline trigger when pushed hard. Would he see her as a threat and act on it? Probably.... He’d have to talk to her about that. In private. There was something to those eyes. He’d seen that look before, far too often. Nothing he could do about it now though. Nor did he want to deal with it. Flicking yet another butt into the ashtray with surprising accuracy, he stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders to loosen up.

“Alright, That’s enough for one night. Don’t know ‘bout you three, but I’m done. Time to hit the hay.” Remarked the man, the exhaustion with it all out in full force as he pinched the bridge of his angular nose. “Do NOT leave the house without the witch or I as supervision. Lord forbid you’ll end up dead and I'll have to replace a string of land mines. I don’t want to do that. Make me and survive, and you’ll wish you had died. Salt mines are expensive as shit.”

Nodding to her fellow expert, she turned towards the group and leaned against the armrest, making sure to posture herself just right as she watched them. “Daylight hours are easier to get around in. Best wait till then to get shown around. Otherwise lord knows what we’ll find.”

Even the redhead couldn’t do much other than nod towards her before gesturing behind him and sighing. “Kitchen is free range, ‘Cept the stash of cigs in the freezer. Shower is downstairs in the door in the kitchen if you need it, There’s a washroom upstairs as well, toilet and sink only. I suggest you lot hit the hay soon. Tomorrow’s going to be one hell of a day, you’re gonna need the rest. If you need, anything, grab her and she’ll grab whatever until I get up in the morning. Now... if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, the man turned and headed towards the kitchen and stairs, heavy footsteps trailing up them and down the hall. It sure was a noisy house. Older than hell probably. Making his way towards the once master bedroom, Leddy let the door creak open and looked around. He couldn’t focus much. Perhaps he’d pushed it a bit far. Four days use to be fine, perhaps not so much now. Or maybe it was the audio of that last video... The deep sea beasts always messed with his head a little bit. It only got worse as he made his way towards the bed, the dizziness taking over and sending his whole world spinning.

The witch stayed up, watching as the others made their way after the ginger and headed upstairs with little to no fuss. Even then, her few moments of peace without a soul around here precious, another coffee poured, another night set to start. Despite the pain in her chest and back, she’d promised she’d do a perimeter sweep that night. It was the only reason the redhead had headed off really. It was a good hour before she followed after the others, careful footsteps kept her ascent secret. No need to let the others know where she was, or where she was heading.

The door to the master room was unlocked with her shadow, violet eyes peeking around the heavy oak barrier to see the poor bastard laying half on the bed, breathing harshly where he’d dropped. God dammit. He couldn’t even get his dumb ass into bed. Least he hadn’t hit his head. She would have mocked him for that in the morning. Muttering to herself, the witch strolled in and lifted the man’s legs like they were nothing. Once she had him in place and at least under the quilt, Eerie was finally able to let out a sigh of relief. Now was the time of peace.


Delicate fingers trailed over the various stacks of books and albums. Each labelled and curated with care. Funny, for someone who cared so much about their anonymity, he sure had plenty of photographs. She’d always been interested in them, countless times they’d gone through the albums on cold winter nights, remembering jobs, the times in between. How long had it been since they’d done that. A year? More? Time was a fickle thing. It never made much sense to her, not in the last ten years at least. A heavy sigh passed those pursed lips as she found her way to the chair near the window, various papers strewn about and whatever else the man was tinkering with on his sleepless nights. This time, it seemed to be replenishing his medical supplies and organizing them. That was probably her fault.

Flopping down into it’s comfortable embrace, the girl found one of his half used smokes and pressed her finger to the bent tip. The spark that came off seemed to barely flicker before she gave it a good pull and crossed her leg. A little bit wouldn’t hurt. Not while she worked. The ring in her eyes was vibrant, glowing with and unsettling intensity as the shadows beneath her began to strain and move beneath her force of will. Slithering up from behind the couch was the form of a small black cat once again, it’s eyes violet swirls of light and dark, spirals within seeming to move with an arcane energy as it walked around freely.

“This is a ragtag bunch.. isnt it? Will they be of any use I wonder...” Pondered a deep, masculine voice, the creature strolling out and making it’s way towards the bed.

A low, growl sounded in the woman’s throat as she reached out, grabbing the creature by the scruff and hoisting it up. She knew his game, and there would be none of it right now. They needed their rest, not to be harassed in their sleep. Her grip held firm, despite the scratching and snarling of the creature in her grasp.

“Dont. You. Dare. Touch any of them tonight, and I’ll make us both suffer.” Hissed the woman, trying her best to keep quiet while the man slept.

The source of her inhuman laugh from earlier revealed, the creature cackled in her face, sharp teeth revealed within it’s abnormally wide smile. It’s eyes flickered with glee as she finally released it, letting the shadow melt back into the floor before it snaked up the chair to perch above her.

“Motherly instincts already? Aren’t you too young for that, Eerie?” It’s mocking tone only earned a threat of a cigarette put out upon it’s face, her hand moving too fast for even it to react.

“Can it.”
“Mmmhn. You’re tired too. Any other day you would have simply inflicted the burn and not cared about your own comfort. Do we need to rest? You know I can’t feel your flesh unless you let me out and about more than an hour a day.”

“You wouldn’t be out if I didn’t need you.” Snapped the woman, crushing the cigarette in her fist before settling it in the ashtray and shaking her hand out. That’d given her some clarity.

“My... So very tired tonight.” It teased, ignoring the idle swat angled at it. “ No matter, this is part of our contract. Then how can I be of service, My lady.”

“A House sweep, Make sure they’re settling.” Eerie mused, her leg bouncing as she stared over the sleeping form of the ginger, brows knit together and eyes narrowed. “Then, the grounds. Something stinks like my last hunt. It’s time to make sure we’re all clear before we take the new ones outside. “
“ Yes Ma’am. So mote it be.”

Jumping from the back of the chair and slithering along the ground like the shadow it was, the little beast made it’s way through the home, checking the halls, scanning each room with those strange eyes and checking over each without being seen. By this time, they were either asleep or so out of it they didn’t notice the little beast. Good. Locks on the windows were checked, seals under the furniture and such all maintained without so much as a sound. Only when it began to approach the young miss did the witch react. Her unspoken threat heard from rooms away. It relented, sliding back under the door without notice and back towards the stairs.

With the creature checking the lower level, Eerie took her moment of peace to change, getting up and giving the ginger one last look over before leaving the room with a weight over her shoulders. Time for a change, perhaps a short shower before continuing on for the evening. Yeah, That’d clear her head a bit.

The room across the hall from the master’s was her own, kept clean while she was gone. It was basic, she didn’t have much. After all, she lived out of her side bags, only changing things up when she needed to. No trinkets, no additives. Just a basic white room with a bed and some storage. It was all she needed. Her toiletries were spread out over the top of her dresser, Clothes peaking out where she’d been too rough grabbing new ones from the drawers. It wasn’t often used. While she slept on the regular, she often found herself on the couch or stealing the bed in the master suite when the redhead wasn’t in there.

Once in her little space, the witch took the opportunity to strip down, the massive line of stitches and irritated flesh obvious now that she wasn’t in something skin tight and forcing her breasts up and together. A messy slice, from just under her sternum to her belly button and held tight by whatever hand done sutures were there. A mirrored slice was on her back. Painted fingertips traced over the line. Yeah. Needed to be cleaned a bit. It was healing nice enough, but could be better. Irritation flashed over her fine features as she remember the beast that’d given her such damage. She’d torn it apart, leaving less than scraps for the wolves. Not that any animal would bite into her victim. Better to let the earth reclaim it than take it into her. Again.

Gathering fresh clothes and some towels, The woman made her way downstairs, assured of her privacy as soft feet patted against the hardwood floor. Her trip was done quickly enough, the shower calling her name as she scooped up the last of the whisky on her way in. Bottle in hand, she slipped into the bathroom for her own little bit of peace.

Hot water and liquor, the two joys of the modern world she frequently imbibed upon. Relief for her aching core was only matched by the sting of the hot water on her irritated flesh. She did not linger long, the creature meeting her in the room, returning to it’s master as she finished cleaning herself up. Loose Cargo pants and a tight black top were her choice for the day. Once she’d been allowed out of skirts, it was hard to go back. She didn’t bother with drying off much, slipping out after finishing off the bottle and setting it on the counter.

With her heavy leather jacket fetched and her combat boots strapped on, the woman called out her little beats once again, opening the back door and slipping down off the porch. If she used her shadows, she could easily complete her rounds without too much exertion. The damned cat was right, she was getting tired. At least the peace and quiet of the night gave her time to reflect on the day without the need to harass the newbies distracting her.

That old spook... He was probably the most reliable. From what Leddy had said, he had handled the jobs they’d sent his way fairly well. He’d not had to call in too many favours or anything. So, that itself was a relief. Anyone else would have assumed a man of his age would be dead weight. In comparison, the girl was weak now, but showed some promise. With work and investment, perhaps she could prove to has as much of a knack for this as her brat did. He’d surpassed her and the brothers within the first five years of his time. Perhaps it was time to pass the torch to him. Let him take her under his wing and see how it turned out. Promise in it’s own way. And It’d ensure the man had some companionship if anything did end up happening.

That only left one person. The Soldier. She had to pause her sliding upon the shadows to ponder things further. Her distraction hadn’t gone unnoticed, the feline at her side pausing to look back at her. Something about the way he’d inspected her earlier hit a bad cord. She was the one to be doing the inspecting. Not him. His eyes, The way he seemed so fixated on revenge against the unnatural. Pulling her coat tighter around her, Eerie narrowed her eyes up towards the moon. The only thing that brought her attention back to earth was the cackle of the creature that’d climbed it’s way up to her shoulder, speaking into her ear in a sensual, low tone.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared, little witch. Do you really think he could hold a candle to our power? “ There was mockery in it’s tone once again.
“Not with just iron. But I doubt he wouldn’t try given the chance.” Huffed out Eerie, violet eyes meeting the strange feline’s in a staring match. “Something in those eyes has me worried. We’ll have to watch him.”
“Not that he’s hard on the eyes.” It’s rumbling purr, clearly it was just as pleased as she was. “We could watch him alllll day.”
“Well... he is quite a treat, that is for sure.” Softening her tone, she found that common ground their internal debate often landed on. “ But with that stick up his ass, I doubt we’ll be getting any from him.”
“Just get on the bike and show him what we’ve got. I’m sure we can change his mind. We’ve dealt with holier men than him after all. Just look at that preacher back in Indiana. Dumb fuck still thinks he’s got a chance.”

The little, near human outburst from her companion earned a hearty laugh from the woman, her pace once again picked up as she took a running start before sliding upon the shadows once again. This had turned out to be quite the day, the future was unsure, but at least things would be interesting. Surfing above the ground, she easily cleared the perimeter. By the time she made her way back, it was about an hour to sunrise.

Steam was escaping the cracked bathroom window. Hm. Someone was up. Continuing to slide about, the witch made her way to the frosted glass, shadows creeping up to inspect just who was there. Catching the slightest glimpse of dark hair and richly tanned skin, she retreated. Marines. Figures he’d be up at the crack of dawn. Hopping off of the obvious mass of darkness beneath her feet, the witch contently trotted up the back steps, slipping inside with that all too wolfish smirk plastered upon her lips.

The moment the door to the outside closed, the bathroom door pulled open, her smirk only growing as she leaned back against the counter and chuckled. He was surely in for a bit of a shock.

“Mornin’ soldier boy. Hope you slept well.”

[Damonique]

The video reels finally came to a stop, and the lights came back on suddenly, snapping the Agent back into the moment. He turned a flat scowl towards the ginger...not wholly upset, it was a point that had to be made, after all. But one look at Brooklyn, set up in the fetal position, told him it had been too much, too fast. They'd be lucky if the girl didn't want to shake all of this like a bad dream and run along home after all that.

While that would have probably been for the best, it wasn't an option anymore. She'd seen too much, and that made her 'company property', as they would have called it at the Agency. Which meant they'd have to keep her, and keep her useful, by any means necessary. Carrow hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. Coercion, force, whatever you wanted to call it. Benoit had been in the game long enough to do whatever had to be done, and Eerie...well, the Agent doubted anything troubled her conscience any more. But with the Sikh in the mix? Who knew how his 'code' would come down on that.

Tossing back the last of his whiskey, the older man stood up and took a few slow steps towards the poor girl, who didn't respond in the slightest. She was staring straight at where the projection had fallen moments before, not showing the slightest recognition to Landry's words as he stumbled his way, apparently, to bed. Clearly no help from that corner. Eerie was explaining house rules, what was where, but seemed unperturbed, off on her merry way quick as could be. Both of them must have figured she'd snap out of it on her own, but knowing the girls psychiatric profile, the Agent wasn't so sure.

Carrow glanced at Singh, who was standing now, looking in their direction, wearing an expression that might have belied concern, but there was no way of telling with him. Honestly, the Marine was probably the most likely of them to get through to her, knowing the way the girl looked at him, but feeding that fire wasn't smart. So the old man dug deep into some of his more pleasant memories and found a shred of fatherly instinct to show, reaching over to place a gentle hand on her shoulder.

-------------------------------------------

Brooklyn was stuck, trapped in her head, trapped in hell, it felt like. Instead of moving on the whatever was actually happening in the now, she was just replaying the scenes she had just witnessed, over and over and over and over and over...with no end in sight. Until finally, something, the barest touch. It was just enough to snap her out, and the present came flooding back.

She didn't show any outside signs of it, but the experience was painful, a bunch of delayed footage getting shoved back into her head in a near-instant, all jumbling together. She thought this sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen anymore. On instinct, she recoiled away from the calloused hand, jumping nearly to the other end of the loveseat, until neurons started firing and connections started being made.

A face, grizzled and silver-haired, the source of the touch. The Agent. Carrow. Old-fashioned and grumpy, but a good guy for all that. She relaxed a bit and looked around. New Home. Landry and Eeries' place, but neither of the duo were in attendance. She was alone with Carrow and...Kasimir. Kasimir Singh Barq. Sikh, Saint, Safety. He was looking down at her...always down, he was so tall. Those oh-so-perfect almond eyes were sharp, alert, and as guarded as always. She wished he'd let her behind that wall he always kept up.

Carrow held back for a moment before going for another approach, dropping to a knee and offering her a hand, tilting his head towards the door and saying something that Brooklyn was sure she'd remember soon, but right now was just noise. Instead of taking the offered hand, she stood up on her own two feet and took a few wobbly steps towards the Marine, and then stumbled. On purpose, actual. She was afraid she'd over-acted a little, but it worked anyway.

Without time to think, he threw out those toned arms to catch her, and as soon as they were around her, she didn't need to fake letting her knees give out and collapse into his effortless embrace, burying her glasses against his chest, breathing that unique 'cologne' of his that was just half-sweat and half-oil. It was just as good as the first time, when he'd thrown himself atop her, trying to save her. That had been, Brooke would be ashamed to admit, the most physical any man had ever gotten with her in her short life, and she just hadn't been able to get it out of her head. There had been boys, sure, a touch here and there, eager and fumbling, but they had never made her feel like this.

It was exactly what she needed to shove the...horrors...she'd just witnessed into the background, where she could pick them apart with distance and logic. A more self-aware person may have seen something fundamentally wrong with using him like that, but Brooklyn had never been know for her self-awareness, just self-consciousness, so she was free to just enjoy it. After several seconds that went on forever, she regained her feet and looked up with big blue eyes, literally batting her eyelashes, not that he'd be able to notice past her glasses, and finally say something.

"Could you...walk me to my room. It's all just...too much. I need to reboot, plug in. Turn it all off and back on again..." She whispered softly...that last part was the truth, at least. Brooke needed screen-time, and she needed it now, for sanity's sake. Getting to revel in her golden savior's presence a bit longer was just an added bonus.

-------------------------------------

Kasimir felt...perhaps an twinge of concern for the petite blonde's predicament. She seemed sensitive, and sensitive people weren't prone to handling the sort of thing they had all just watched very well. Himself, he'd been almost disappointed when it finally ended. So many monsters, so many different ways to take care of them. So many new skills he'd have to add to his repertoire. Those were his thoughts. But then, he'd never been accused of being sensitive.

Carrow seemed to have it well in hand, though, having something of a fatherly, or moreso, grandfatherly aspect to him. Which was fine with Kasimir. The Khalsa would do anything, everything, including laying down his life to protect the ever-so-vulnerable girl, but there was nothing he could do to save her from demons of the mind. Or at least, so he thought.

When she stood up on her own, he'd thought the 'episode', whatever it really was, had passed, and had been ready to say his good-nights and head to his newfound bunk when he suddenly found a weight, not much of one, but a weight, in his arms. He hadn't even registered the blonde walking towards him, just saw her falling and caught her...and once he had Brooklyn in his arms, he couldn't just drop her. She might get hurt. Or at least, that's what he told himself.

Truth be told, he was enjoying far too much for comfort. He'd forgotten how this felt. The warm breath on his neck, the smell of citrus shampoo, crisp and clean and feminine. And her request, stripped of the tech-head jargon he hardly understood, stirred the sort of thoughts he kept buried behind iron discipline, aroused a half-animal instinct...and a few other things as well. Thoughts about just how easy it would be to carry her off to whichever room he wanted...hell, the kitchen table would do just as well. Soothing words, kisses, a flick on the tongue, a nip on the ear and the helpless little geek would just melt to his whim. His, completely, for a night or a year.

It was the discomfort of his Kirpan sheath digging on something else, equally hard that finally snapped him out of it, reminded him he was Khalsa...that was, if he even deserved that title. He shoved the girl away, rougher than he intended, just another helping of guilt to add to the mountain. Thankfully, Carrow was there to catch her...he hadn't even considered the man in his twisted fantasy. Next he saw, the two were facing him together. Brooklyn, tears already in her eyes, confused and hurt, clinging like a lost child to the older man, who looked riled like a mastiff, glaring with surprise that quickly turned to suspicion. Kasimir faced the accusing eyes without flinching, shrugging his shoulder's almost nonchalantly.

"Brooklyn you're a sweet girl. Odd, but sweet...but I can't do that for you. I'll save your life, from teeth or claws or crazy redheads with shotguns, but otherwise, I'm not touching you. I can't. Just....can't" And with that, he bolted for the kitchen, up the stairs, and into what was his room now. He immediately prostrated himself before the diminutive copper idol and began turning his Kara bracelet about his wrist, reciting a mantra with each rotation. It took nearly an hour of that before he finally stripped down to nothing but his sash, dog-tags, and bracelet to collapse into bed.

-------------->The Next Day

The Sikh woke before his alarm, as he always did, and shut it off. It was a bit before five-thirty. He glanced at his turban on the bedside, but decided to forego it today. He'd probably have to forego it for a while. Part of the work they were supposed to do would require keeping a low profile, and a large middle-eastern man in a turban tended to catch people's attention, nevermind the knife.

He pulled a pair of jogging shorts, a threadbare USMC tank-top, and his small toiletry kit from his duffel bag, and headed out into the hallway. All was quiet...he was the only one awake in the house, as far as he could tell. That was good...Kasimir had no idea how to handle the others this morning. He hoped the night before could just be remembered as an awkward mistake of the moment. Brooklyn would forgive anything, he knew...which was a part of the problem. But Carrow, the look he'd given him. If the Agent hadn't already suspected that there was something wrong with him, he was sure, now.

Kas didn't have a problem with that...in fact, he was almost grateful. At the very least, the old man wouldn't hesitate to put him down like the dog he was if too many lines were crossed. And hopefully, wouldn't miss, because if he did, things would get bloody. Thoughts, principles, knowing it was no more than he deserved....none of that would matter until the Agent was dead. Just letting a man face him with murder on his mind and keep breathing? Kasimir wasn't wired for that.

Those grim thoughts followed the man into the shower, where he turned the water up as hot as it could go, letting the scalding water both cleanse and punish him at once, and began reciting mantras. Prayer of Awakening, Prayer of Observance, Prayer of Temperence, so on and so forth. He'd need all of the divine intervention he could get through each day, from here on out. He was in the midst of these observances when a voice cut into his serenity. A voice that did not belong on god's time.

Amber eyes flew open and Kasimir turned to see precisely who he knew it was. Eerie. The witch, come to tempt him, surely. Most men would move to cover their nudity, but not Kasimir. He went straight for his knife, never far, both Kirpan and Kara resting together on the sink counter. He hadn't locked the door, that was all, and so now he was standing face-to face with the succubus, buck naked, while she was dressed exactly as one would expect. In all black, leather and metal. It was one hell of a sight.

The ex-soldier had the ritual dagger halfway out of it's sheath before something about the way the dangerous woman looked at him told him he wouldn't get the rest of it out before something bad happened. So calmly, almost robotically, he rammed the blade back home and set it aside, reaching for a towel to wrap around his midsection. Not that it did much to conceal the evidence of his shameful reaction to the sight of her.

"Expecting to be invited in, witch? I don't know how our red-headed friend would feel about that." Kasimir stated in an even tone, staring her down, not giving an inch, aiming the barb with precision. He hadn't failed to note which room she'd stalked off to the night before.

[EerieWillows]

Well well well, Wasn’t this just the best night cap there was, a real treat. Violet eyes raked over the man’s rakish form. From his ebony, luscious hair down the trail of his chest and then some. Not an ounce of restraint in the woman, was there? A sly tongue ran over her lip before she met his eyes once again. His amber gaze was sharp, less than impressed with her intrusion. If he thought it was threatening, he was about to learn otherwise.

Chuckling softly, she let her weight rest against the wall as he rushed for his knife. There was no way he’d get it out in time, Her own eyes narrowed towards him, the slightest bit of aggression. He’d be a puddle of gore on the floor before he could get close. It seemed he realized that, and closed it, still holding it like he intended to use it. Really, what sort of dog did the old man bring with him. War mutts had a certain... bite to them. She’d had it before, and oh, was it something she liked. Not only that, the weapon leveled at her really wasn’t the blade she was interested in.


Much to her dismay, he covered the goods. What little modesty it provided earned a little moment of pouting from the witch, She would have continued to eye him up, that was, until he opened his mouth. The mention of her redheaded companion had her cocking her head in confusion. What the hell did red have to do with this? The gears slowly cranked and turned as she tried to process just what he had implied.

Then it hit her. Oh....Oh how cute. Her grin returned, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she snorted before laughing. Of all the assumptions this group had made, this was the only one that had merit, yet it was still so very wrong. Wiping the tear from her eye, she corrected herself and cleared her throat. For that to be the first thing out of his mouth, flattery. Flicking her bangs out of her eyes, she leaned into the door frame once again. It took a moment, but she regained herself and sighed.

“Jealous are we? You take my playing so seriously. I don’t know if I should be flattered, or concerned for the future if you’re so easily teased.. ” She held back her laughter yet again, waving her hand as if to brush him off ever so slightly. “As for big red... Hm. He has no say in what I do, or who I play with. We’ve not been a set for a few years now... Bout five? Ask him yourself, though I doubt you’ll get any sort of pleasant answer. Apparently I play too rough. Too hard for most boys your age to handle. “ With every word, she seemed to encroach upon his personal space, eyes locked upon his, her lips curled in the corners and pursed. He was too fun. More fun than she’d had in ages.

“I simply had to make sure he ended up in the bed and not on the floor.” She explained. “ Thank god I did. Poor boy black out half way there. I wonder what caused him to pass out so quickly. ” She stopped for but a moment, her hand on her hip and smirk wide once again.

“You seem tense, little soldier boy. Relax. The door was unlocked, I was simply seeing who was inside, wanted to grab something. Here I thought with all the steam it’d be little Brooklyn, was going to offer her to join me for some morning brew. And yet, here I find you. “He could have stabbed her right then and there, but the way she paid so little attention to the seven inch blade implied she was not the least bit intimidated by it. Her head cocked to the side in a playful manner. Oh, she prayed he would break out into a sweat. That or shove her against the wall. Hard. “ I must say, Not many men seem to be able to handle scalding water like that. What are you trying to burn off I wonder.”

“Regardless of what you’re doing in here....” The witch moved past finally, rummaging in the cupboard to grab some ibuprofen. Perhaps that was to be the reason for her intrusion. “ I’m starting coffee, you’re welcome to join me. Or are you to abstain from that as well? “

Brushing past him once again, Eerie left the man to himself. Winking back at him over her shoulder and chuckling as she shut the door. A slender shadow seeming to move from within the handle to lock it for him behind her. A wise idea in the future. You never knew when people would be up and about. Without skipping a beat, She knocked back a few of the pills and set them on the counter. They’d take effect soon enough, Take the edge off her core as it healed. Once they were down, she sought out what she needed to make the brew of the gods. If there was one thing she could do, it was make coffee. Something the Ginger had always said, picky bitch that he could be in the morning.

While the hot brew percolated in its machine, Eerie settled herself on the counter. Any other day Leddy would have beat her with the paper for sitting on what he’d worked so hard to clean, but it’d be a miracle if he woke by noon. So there was time to spare. She’d give it a quick wipe later to save his mind. Beside her rested two cups. They were the only ones awake after all. It was up to him if he wanted it. And if it was finished, she’d just start another pot. The top she wore had a damper spot in the middle, it seemed her wound was none too pleased with the constricting fabric. Perhaps she should have wrapped it. Another thought for later. Another shower perhaps. Letting her mind wander, the witch waited for the dark haired stranger to emerge, staring off into the corner and casually toying with one of the cups.

[Damonique]

Kasimir looked at her like a wounded animal cornered by a predator...in a way, that was what he was. Frozen, wary, with nowhere to run and nothing to say. It was an unusually vulnerable look for the ever-so-stoic Khalsa. None of his usual methods would work to keep her away. If she thought anything of his religion, it was an amused disdain, at best. And if he took a more....physical approach, well, a part of him suspect Eerie might enjoy that even more than he would. If she didn't just kill him, that was. So there he was, stuck standing in the cooling steam, rivulets of sweat and water running off the battered pair of dog-tags around his neck to catch here and there on the thickets of wiry black hair that trailed down his chest like guide-line further south.

Now that the witch finally had a good look at him, Kasimir wasn't quite the perfect statue promised at first glance. There was damage everywhere, of every sort...cuts, burns, bullet and shrapnel wounds. It looked as if he'd spent all three of his tours overseas just looking for grenades to jump on and gunfire to dive in front of, and that assessment wouldn't be far from the truth. He was even missing a piece, albeit a useless bit. On his breast, where his left nipple should have been was an ugly mass of off-white scar tissue and imperfect stitching. A reminder left with him by the Ghul....and the soldier had little doubt he'd find himself with many similar 'presents' once they got to work.

Five years...that was how long the temptress claimed it had been since whatever spark there was between she and her partner had gone out. Not that he believed for a second she'd gone without for so long. Apparently, she played too rough for the ginger to handle...goddamn did the way she said that, like it was a challenge, get him going. A year ago, Kasimir would have already had the little minx bent over the counter, face to the mirror so she could see just how rough he could play. Never could resist a challenge...and he could see in her eyes she knew exactly where his mind was wandering. And from her smile, he knew she was of the same disposition.

But he thanked the almighty for a distraction from that wicked impulse, in the form of the question she tacked on at the end. What was it he was trying to burn away? His answer was immediate, as if rehearsed. Strange how he could think all the wrong things but still knew what he was supposed to say. It was something he'd learned long ago, that others never had to know the evil that went on in his head, so long as the right words ushered from his lips.

"Sin. Piety is of no use to the perfect. We're all just base creatures, ruled by instinct and desire. I'm no exception...in fact, I think I'm worst than most. But I've made the choice to fight the demons, both within and without." He stated with as much conviction as he could muster, studying the witch for any glimmer of reaction at the sharp edge to that last word, emphasizing her inhumanity. They had been dancing around it since they first met...everyone had, but no-one who really looked could mistake Eerie for a flesh-and-blood woman. She'd lived past her natural span, and there was a creeping chill, a black aura about her that was no less wrong than than the evils he'd faced in the cave or seen on-screen the night before. She was one to watch...just not too closely, if one didn't want to fall into those teak-and-amethyst eyes.

And with that, Kasimir reached over to shut off the water, and began to towel off and change, utterly immodest. If the vixen wanted a show, so be it...at least she wasn't trying to force intimacy, tug at his better half, like a certain blonde. Perhaps bored, knowing nothing was going to come of it in the here and now, that the Sikh was locked down under a heavy chain of guilt and willpower, Eerie finally collected what she came for, and sauntered off on her merry way. The door shut off it's own accord a moment later, just a little reminder that she didn't follow this world's rules.

Kasimir finished dressing in his workout clothes, twisted his long hair into the three long wind-braids that kept it out of his eyes, cinched his sash and dagger at his waist and his Kara around his wrist, took a deep breath, and stepped back out into the house. In the kitchen, there she was again, lounging on the counter looking for all the world like a model...the sort posed in leather corsets and nothing else, a streaming mug in her hand and another sitting unattended beside her.

Kasimir glanced from the tempting beverage to the tempting woman and back again,then moved to lean against the counter beside her, close, but not too close, and gave nonchalant shrug before taking into his hands, not bothering to blow and drinking it steaming. If the worst vice he indulged in today was caffeine, god would have little reason to complain, and if he abstained, it was just more ammunition for Eerie to use to taunt him. And truly, the indulgence was worth it...whatever else she did, the witch made a far better cup of coffee than the Marine Corps ever had.

He and the woman-weapon shared several long moments of uncharacteristic silence and serenity then, side-eyeing one another between sips of their beverages, as if brokering an uneasy peace without the need for words. For all their many, many differences, they both spoke the rare language of those who had faced death enough times to become numb to it, a kinship he usually felt only towards fellow veterans.

Though he supposed the witch was one, of sorts, just of a different kind of war than the ones he'd fought in...the one he was heading headfirst into the thick of. And she's been fighting it much, much longer....he he was going to need her, weather he liked it or not. Carrow was a cool operator...but he was old, getting, and unlikely to last long, truth be told. But the two of them could do some real damage, so long as they stayed on the same side. Setting that immutable fact in his mind, the Khalsa finally opened his mouth to speak.

"So, I've got to go for a run...mind pointing out the minefields for me so I don't stumble into them? Been there, done that. Not a fan." He asked out of the blue, so much as letting the corners of his lips curl up in something almost resembling a smile, clearly

[EerieWillows]

There were a few moments of silence that the witch could enjoy. Her mind soon found itself repeating his statement of the piety is not for those who are perfect. Just what was perfection. A witch was far from perfect, yet the oneness with a god was something she could understand. Leddy was more into the research of all of these sorts of things. It held little interest for her. To each their own path, and hers was one littered with blood and those she cared for passing long before her job was done.

The click of the lock pulled her attention away, she feigned frustration for but a minute, as if he had kept her waiting. She didn’t linger on that long though, far more content with the quiet company the man promised. It was different than the quiet she and the red-head often shared. A deeper understanding there beneath the surface.. One that showed that he to, had demons within. She could see it in his eyes every time theirs met. While curious, there were things that were better left for a later date.

Instead, she let her gaze wander once again. Her smirk grew even wider, knowing that the little blonde pipsqueak upstairs would have killed for the sight she’d just witnessed. Dark skin littered with scars and divots of every sort. Gods, she could only wonder what would happen if she trailed her hands over each one of them. Were they sensitive? Uncomfortable? Or did they become something that would rile the man. That long hair, Did he like it pulled? Or was he a puller himself? Hm. No matter. That wouldn’t be something she’d be testing. Not for a long, long while at least.

Despite the sombre mood, there was peace in the small moments. He seemed to be coming to the realization that she meant him no harm, Major harm at least. These times were few and far between. A drink in a bar after a bloody night. The time spent on the road when it was just starting to rain. A hot cup in the morning while looking out over her ‘home’ of sorts. Imbibing upon things too strong for mortals while wandering the woods in the lagging pursuit of some evil creature. She welcomed all she could get in her long life.

Words suddenly passed between them, violet eyes focused on the man as he informed her that he wanted to go for a run and avoid the mine fields. Her lips twisted into her usual smirk once again as she leaned back and powered down the rest of her drink, moving to set up the next pot so that it would be ready by the time they got back. Once she was done, she turned towards the soldier, her arms across her chest as a chuckle passed those plush lips.


“Unfortunately, the whole lot is an electronic minefield. All rigged to a main system here in the house. Leddy is the only one with a code ,but, I can get you around without disarming it. You’ll just have to trust me a bit.” Her sultry purr rumbled in her chest as she gave the poor man a wink. Moving and grabbing that cropped leather jacket of hers, she looked back over her shoulder. “Finish up and I’ll meet you on the front porch.

With that, the woman slipped back on her heeled boots and grabbed heavy sunglasses. While the pain in her core was slowly becoming tolerable, her head was beginning to pound from the lack of sleep and abuse of coffee the last few days. No matter, she’d head to bed soon enough. The red head just had to be up before she did so. Without waiting for the man, she slipped out to sit on the railing of the back porch, looking out over the old barn and fields. Where was a large garden nearby, she often helped with it when she was around. Something of her past that could be of use.

Only when the soldier emerged did she jump down. The first ten or so yards were free of mines, j ust so he didn’t have to undo the system every time he unlocked the door. It gave her a bit of room to put on a show. Hips swaying from side to side, she raised her hands as the sun peaked above the mountains nearby. Slowly, her shadow began to grow, move and swirl about. It bubbled up, like something alive from the very ground itself. Soon enough, it was solid enough that your foot could rest atop it, like a textured glass of sorts. Skating around by moving the shadows themselves, the trail left behind her would be more than enough for the soldier to walk on.

“Better hurry up and get on, Soldier boy, I move fast, And I expect you to keep up.”