James gave Dale a odd look, but shrugged a little. "A short blond Fox, not sure what kind. I was out front having a smoke when she stopped and asked for one, so I handed one to her then we talked a bit then she left." He said, then leaned back into the couch. "If that's all boys, I think I have a store to run now." He said, standing up.

_________________

He gave Maya a small, reassuring smile, like everything would be just fine. She looked almost like she was studying him for a second, but the moment quickly passed. He replied to her question easily, doing his best to keep her in a good mood.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure he'll grade us just fine. He does have to have some qualification to be a substitute, right? Besides, I'm sure the teacher would look at everybody's grades, and if everybody got a low grade, it would probably raise some questions on her part, and we could just explain that he graded us too hard. Oh, and I'm sure we'll be just fine in presenting it, I mean, all we really have to do is just kind of read it off of the projector screen, that shouldn't be too hard."

He bit into his second piece of toast, using it to sop up the left over yolk from the eggs.

"Hopefully we don't have that one suckish sub we had that one day. Y'know, that one that gave Jacob a detention for 'back-sassing' him when he asked why factoring that way works after the teacher explained it? I still don't understand how he even could have seen that as him being rude in any way. That guy was just a little bit... I dunno, I think crotchety would be a good word to describe him."

_________________

Record store lounge

Dale sighed heavily. Trying to get answers from James was like trying to find a lost contact lens on the beach.
Not very forthcoming. Then again, it was only the first day. He supposed he shouldn’t have high expectations. Even if the boy did know anything at all and he was innocent in the whole ploy, it was unlikely he’d be awfully open about it.

He stood up and stuffed the note pad in his pocket, before forcing a smile in James direction.

“Good you’re eager to hold the fort!” Dale encouraged James as he shook his hand “we’ll be heading off now. However, we will be back to ask some further questions once the case has been opened up properly.”

Kip got up as well, giving James a hard and nasty look.

“In other words, you ARE a suspect son!” Kip sneered, before turning around to walk out the room.
Dale put his face in the palm of his hand, before straightening up.

“Nothing’s official yet son. Try not to let him get to you…” Dale said, referring to Kip’s attitude on James. However, Dale knew Kip had spoken what he everyone was thinking.

Something wasn’t right about this man.

James rolled his eyes slightly "you guys can call me whatever you want, but the truth still reminds. I was here all night." He said, walking them to the door. He looked at Kip as he walked towards the door "by the way, you don't just come out and say I'm a suspect after telling me a man who I have knew for a very long time is dead. That's just mean buddy."

James smirked a bit after he said what he said, he could easily tell what would happen if he said that. But now he is wondering if he is dumb enough to actually punish him.

_________________

Aaron's house

Maya felt a sense of confidence when Aaron had given her that smile of certainty. During times like these, she always felt a pang of guilt for ever doubting him in the first place. Being Aaron’s friend was sometimes a bit of a rollercoaster ride for her, nonetheless.
One minute he had it all figured out, the next he’d seem far removed. In the end, he always seemed to get it together though.
However, she wanted to make a point of posing some questions to him later on. Perhaps after school. At the very least, after they give their presentation.

Maya drank more of the hot chocolate, before obliging to some buttered toast that was given to her by Aaron’s mum. She always felt very welcome here given the hospitable nature of both Aaron and his mum.

“Ok Aaron, if you say so…” she gave in, watching the cat dunk the toast in eggyolk “and yeah, I remember that sub.” She rolled her eyes, hoping to god that they wouldn’t be left in that unfortunate position again.

“I really dunno what his problem with Jacob was. His verdict on giving him a detention was just too militant,” she said shaking her head with a light scowl upon her soft features “hopefully we don’t get that geezer again.”

“I’m sure our institute have learnt their lesson,” Aaron advised, getting up to place his plate and mug in the sink. Rinsing them with medium flow lukewarm water “besides, these are our final assessments coming up. Students and parents are going to complain about lack of consistency if it comes to it and our school is not gonna want to deal with the trouble.”

“Yeah… good point. It makes sense,” Maya agreed, pulling her weight by bringing her cutlery to the sink to have them thoroughly cleaned and rinsed.

Once Aaron and Maya had done their courtesy chores, Aaron’s mother stood up and performed a single clap with her hands held together.

“Well, I think it’s time you young ones got going… the bus will be outside any minute now,” she said, looking between the two of them.
Maya checked her watch. Her calm expression creasing somewhat.

“Looks like we have 2 minutes to catch the bus…” she gritted her teeth.

Behind the counter, besides the stairs leading up to her tiny bedroom and bathroom, was a door at the base of the stairs--like Harry Potter's cupboard, she remembered fondly--that was converted to a small laundry room, and a door on the wall that lead to her small kitchen. That's where Olive was.

She wasn't good with cooking. And that was okay, since she, as a half-panda, could happily live off bamboo all her life, and she had a few types growing in her garden. Humans didn't really eat bamboo.

Olive fortunately knew the basics of cereal, and had an instant coffee machine on the counter. Fiddling with it with one hand, she brought her attention to the collection of letters and mail she'd recieved the day prior. Mostly bills, a magazine or two....and then her heart plummeted.

A pink envelope lay smack right in the middle of the pile, covered in doodled hearts in a sickeningly sweet fashion. And at the top was a name in the stamp.

Liat D'Becque.

Her sister, the family favorite, the main reason she'd wanted a duty on earth just to escape her, had left heaven to do her next job here. On earth. In Los Angeles.

And she was coming to visit her baby sister.

---------

Nathaniel, after only a few short hours of sleep, was at the hospital, helping soothe concerned families and loved ones, giving directions to interns and others who needed help. It was funny how much they admired him. But the cover he held as the respected, polite, dare he say handsome--and unattainable--Dr. Forbusche was one of the strongest personas he'd created in all his years.

Now then. To get to actual work. On his break, instead of going out for a little 'bite', Nathaniel had arranged it so he could have a little check in the mortuary. To see if that Billis kid was ready yet.

When he entered the room, a wave of unease hit him. And he wasn't quite sure why. Opening the door to Emile's body, Nathaniel's eyes widened. No. No! Someone had tampered with the body! Although his skills at finding auras were not so precise as some others, he had enough ability to realize there was a strange blend of angelic and human prescence there over the now stirring body.

But that was impossible! The only way that were possible is if the someone tampering with his claim had been a....Nephilim.

Why oh why, couldn't they go back to simplicity? Keeping track of angels was hard enough, but oh, add in Nephilim, pesky human authorities and whatever-that-was on the docks last night....

He was getting to old for this.

Nathaniel swore under his breathe and felt anger bubble up inside. He had two choices now. Destroy Emile before he awoke, or take the chances that he might turn to the enemy for guidance.

The choice was quite simple.

When he got back to work, Nathaniel was in the bathroom, washing the blood off his hands. The body was little more than several pieces of limbs and chunks of flesh, thrown in a bag and now at the bottom of the sea.

Wings were helpful. He'd been able to travel very quickly, just in time to get back to his shift.

--------

Liat admired herself in the mirror of her small shoe-box apartment. Cute, and professional! After using some 'heavenly' influence, she'd managed to get herself a job at a nearby school as a teacher. She loved kids! Also, being around them 24/7 meant she could easily document any weird behavior with parents, the students, staff body, blah blah blah....

She was taking over some history class of some sort. Just as a sub for now, but hopefully as a full-time teacher! From her understanding of the curriculum, she was just to grade some presentations today for their finals. And who better to grade but Liat, considering she was probably there for whatever event they were discussing?

Tying her hair off in a ponytail, Liat nodded to herself and checked the calendar. Oh, shoot! She also planned dropping in on her little sister after work. They hasn't seem each other in a whole year! The entire reason she'd wanted to come to grungy LA was to see her!

Liat was psyched. Olive was probably dying to have their touching family reunion, too!

_________________
☆〜（ゝ。∂）Everyone's equal when they're dead.

- Gavroche from Les Miserables

His eyes widened, as he turned to run up the stairs. He ran up, heading straight into his room, rushing towards his scattered books and backpack. He quickly organized them and put them in the bag, setting his laptop next to it. He grabbed a piece of blue chalk from his desk and ran over to the door, drawing a small pentagram, one point facing upward, on the top of the door, right in the center. He quickly drew the astrological signs at the points, then threw the chalk to his desk. The symbol was a ward, banishing any evil spirits or beings that may try to get into his room. He wrote the symbol every morning, and his parents knew that in the event of something attacking, they could get the family into his room for a safe-haven.

He grabbed his laptop and backpack, slinging the bag over one shoulder, the messenger bag containing his laptop over the other. He came back down the stairs in a hurry, nearly tripping at the bottom. He walked over to his mom, giving her a hug before he and Maya walked out the door, the bus coming no more than fifteen seconds later.

"I should probably start packing my bag the night before, huh? Oh well, but hey, we made it!"

He followed her on to the bus, smiling at the bus driver. They sat down in the seat, and he put his backpack down by his feet. He looked over at her, still kind of wondering why she seemed to have been looking at him weird earlier like she was studying him. He decided he'd ask later, but for now he just sat there, looking out the window.

_________________

Record store lounge

Dale knew that this ‘James’ character wasn’t going to take the news too well. That there would possibly be a follow-up visit. Actually, there was no doubt about it. There certainly would be a follow-up visit.

Dale gritted his teeth somewhat. Especially since James had to turn around and provoke Kip. Those two really needed to be kept apart. With something larger than a bargepole!

“Hey man… you got something… say it to my face!” Kip walked up to James. Standing as tall as him with his fists thrust down by his sides.
______________________________________________________________________________

School Bus

“Very well,” Maya raised an index finger “basically, the book is centralised around a young man. One who is elegant, handsome- quite hot, long story short. Anyway, an artist who paints portraits is fascinated by his looks so offers to do him a self-portrait.”
Aaron listened on. At least Maya wasn’t acting all suspicious now. For the time being anyway.

“Anyway, a friend of the artist, Lord Henry, sees this portrait as well. He remarks that the only two things worth pursuing in life are
‘beauty and fulfilment of the senses’.”

“…this irks Dorian somewhat and he expresses one wish. Namely, he wishes that his portrait would age, as opposed to himself. ”

“…and his wish comes true… but there were consequences.”
Aaron smiled and shook his head a little bit. Giving Maya a quizzical look.

“How can that wish have an ironic twist?” he asked.

“Well… he indulged in a life of gluttony, greed and debauchery. And with each sin he committed, the ugly traits would appear on his portrait every time he went home to look at it…” the dog bit her lower lip.

“…if you ask me… I think these ‘novels’ we’re studying are booooogus!” the student in front of them turned around. He had overhead their conversation.

It was a rat. Someone by the name of Smuts. Everyone knew his father was a dodgy dealer who sold anything obscure and shady he could get his paws on to sell on the black market.

“Smuts…” Maya narrowed her eyes unimpressed.

“Hey Aaron…!” the rat twitched his whiskers as he turned to face the anthromorphic cat “my dad just got his hands on the greatest thing. Ever. Wanna hear more about it?”

James looked at Kip and nodded "yea, when your around 25 you'll die in a shoot out. You'll bleed to death and no one will be able todo a thing you ****." James said, then pushed Kip out the door. "Please don't come back now you ass!" He yelled, then looked at Dale. "If he comes back here again and is a ass, it will be his fault I punch him." He said

Once the two man left, James went back to his normal post. But he really wasn't even looking at the store anymore, he was talking to death. But no one knew he was, since they can talk in his head. Witch was a little creepy at first for a James, to hear this voice besides his in his head. But now he has gotten use to the other side of him self

_________________

Athena sat on a stool next to the bed that Declan was laid upon. She had actually drifted a sleep. Her head back at a 45 degree angle to her neck which was being supported by the wall.

She suddenly woke up. Gasping and breathing hard. Before casting her eyes from side to side to take in her surroundings.

It was just a dream. A really bad one. One which was obviously a mesh of all the events from last night.

She groaned as she placed her throbbing head in the palm of her hand. All the sleep deprivation from the past month really starting to catch up with her.

She didn’t want to turn into an insomniac at this rate. Where she’d need anti-depressants or ECT to get her back to having mundane routine.

Once she had some time to think and found a moment to relay the events of last night to headquarters, she could hopefully take the day off and go home to sleep.

Her eyes flitted to the bed as she noted some stirring.

“..Ath.. Ath… Athena…” Declan had already turned his head meekly to one side. Eyes opening up gingerly. Exhausted “where are we?”
He tried to get up, but found himself pushed down again by the female fennec.

“Just rest!” Athena insisted “it’s been a long night which barely ended 2 hours ago!”

“But we need to send a search party… something attacked me last night!” Declan’s eyes widened, the repercussions of last night kicking him up the backside.

“No kidding!” Athena remarked “do you know how much blood you lost? We almost took you to the hospital!”

“ ‘We’ ?!” Declan questioned, sitting up this time.

“Olive,” Athena said, earning an even more confused look from Declan “ ‘flower girl’.”

“Ahhhh…” Declan nodded, holding his chin with his bandaged arm. He turned his grey eyes to look at Athena again.

“We need to talk about last night, about what we say…” Declan suggested.

“Save it for later…” Athena replied, turning to go out the door “you need to eat.”

Athena went down the stairs. Wondering how Olive was doing with the breakfast or whether she’d need a hand.

He hid his irritation at the rat's butting in on their conversation, turning to face him. He raised in eyebrow in an exaggerated state of inquisitiveness, talking with a voice showing insincere excitement at whatever the rat had to say.

"Why I would be ever so honored to hear what your dad stole from somebody to sell to somebody else who'll probably get arrested for possession of stolen good! Please, tell me what amazing artifact your father found, I lust to hear what you have to tell to me!"

He followed up the statements with a bit of a sarcastic smile, leaning forward, putting his elbow on the desk, resting his face on his hand and staring at the rat.

He looked over as Maya gave him a look like 'Oh come on now...". He just smile obnoxiously back, turning back to Smuts.

"What'd your dad find?"

_________________

Considerably paler than she had been before going downstairs, Olive carried the tray of Cocoa Puffs and too-bitter coffee, grunting as she bumped into Athena. Luckily nothing spilled too much, just the milk and coffee splattering a bit on the plate. "Hey. How's Declan doing?" She asked, voice more clipped and back straight, taut like a wire.

She was going to be sick.

"There's food there for you too. It's not gourmet or anything, but it'll do to fill an empty stomach," she mumbled. Olive held the tray out, almost shoving it into Athena's arms. It wasn't like she meant to be rude on purpose. She jut wasn't thinking clearly.

She needed to read for a while, drink some tea, unwind....right after she made sure the officers were okay.

_________________
☆〜（ゝ。∂）Everyone's equal when they're dead.

- Gavroche from Les Miserables

The Office of Dr. Julien Summerfield:

Jess had kept her eyes on both Julien and Carly while she spoke, watching for any sign, any signal that would spell the end of a purely verbal exchange. Carly continued to remain inert and apparently dead to the world, whilst Julien remained seated. His expression was composed and distant, but his eyes were glowing red; alert and vigilant. The narrowing of his brow and the dark smirk that passed across his features were the first warning Jess had that time was up. That warning was swiftly followed by the Luker suddenly rising and striding across the room to stand before the mirror. Though the words he spoke next were spoken very softly, Jess could make them out plainly, since the angle he now stood at enabled her to see his reflection in the mirror, allowing her to lip-read. Seven words, but they confirmed all that she suspected: "I know where you are, my dear". As Julien suddenly turned, hurling a blast of wild, crimson energies to the floor in front of him, and disappearing amidst them, Jess swept the rooftops with her keen gaze. He could reappear anywhere! However, the sounds of a void opening, accompanied by a smokey red aura manifesting, soon gave her an exact location. She rose from her position by the skylight, standing to her feet and taking a combat-ready stance just seconds before Julien appeared, rising to stand tall as the piercing red light that had marked his arrival faded.

Skyscraper Rooftops

“Have we approached a time of reckoning?” Julien asked, threatening undertones in his voice. He eased up a bit as he studied Jess more closely. “Your kind seems familiar. Perhaps not purely one or the other of what I had in mind,” the amethyst beast smirked lightly, before hardening his gaze “how about you enlighten me with what your motives really are before I proceed and plague your very existence?”

Jess noted the darkness and gloom that arrived along with the Lurker. The moonlit tiles were now almost the only source of illumination. The light from street-lamps, which reflected up the sides of buildings did still provide some illumination, but much less than it should have done, far less than mere moments before. The encroaching darkness wasn't her largest concern though. The Lurker's presence seemed to bring with it a more insidious problem. She flexed a hand lightly, experimentally, as Julien spoke, seeking to confirm the suspicion forming in the back of her mind. She was still quick, lively, but the action was fractionally slower than usual. It wasn't that she was tired, or that Julien's presence was draining her but... it was a suppression field. A proverb came to her mind: 'If the axe is dull, more strength is required'. That about summed up the nature of the suppression field Julien exuded. Designed- as far as she could tell- not to leech power, but to blunt it, to cause an opponent to work harder to get the same results- fighting with a blunted edge. It wasn't even that it blunted much, just enough to be noticable, but the effect of having to fight under such an adverse condition over time was a gradual skewing of the odds in Julien's favour, unless she had the stamina, power and endurance to out-last and out fight him. Jess still placed the odds at fifty-fifty, but there was still Carly to consider. Out of the corner of her eye, through the skylight, Jess noticed Carly starting to stir. She hid that observation, keeping her gaze on Julien as she answered his challenge.

"Coming to visit me out of office and dimming the lights?" she remarked, "you do move fast Dr. Summerfileld; makes a girl feel special don'cha know? I don't meet your expectations though? Doctor, doctor, I'd be offended if I weren't your walk-in girl! As for my motives-," she paused dramatically before continuing, "Should I really tell you Doctor? I know you're a respected psychiatrist and all, and of course you'd give me your assurance of client confidentiality. However, you weren't entirely honest with me about your plans, were you Dr. Summerfield? Or do I just call you Julien now you're out of office? So I'm afraid unless you're planning on being more forthcoming with me, I can't be more forthcoming with you- an answer for an answer Dr. Summerfield. Plus, a girl's gotta have her secrets after all! For the moment, suffice it to say doctor, I'm here to waste your time".

Throughout the exchange, Jess kept her eyes on her opponent, watchful for any moves, sudden or subtle, that would suggest an attack. Inwardly, she hoped that Carly had at least had the wherewithal to make a bid for freedom while the going was good. She met Julien's red eyes with a level gaze from her own silver-blue ones as she spoke again. "Plague my existence you said? That's hardly friendly for a first date doctor. Are you sure you don't want to get to know me better first? Perhaps we could chat a little more- or maybe you'd care to dance?"

Outside the Record store

Dale was unimpressed with James’ recent manner of behaviour. He wondered if he realised that any threats, true or ridiculous and out of this world, were still threats. And thus, punishable behaviour.

“Did you hear that sir?!” Kip demanded, looking to Dale for any command to go back inside and give that kid a piece of his mind. And his fist, for that matter.

Dale was ignoring him. His mind drifted back to the last question James had answered:

"A short blond Fox, not sure what kind. I was out front having a smoke when she stopped and asked for one, so I handed one to her then we talked a bit then she left."

Dale scratched his head. There were many blond foxes in this city.

It was a long shot but he made a note of perhaps asking one of his colleagues, Athena O’shea, if she had popped by at the record store last night. He knew that she had tried to quit smoking several times. However, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had fallen off the rehab wagon again.

“Sir???” Kip had his glaring sunshades on again, looking to his boss “did you hear anything I just said??”

“Schott… pull yourself together…” Dale grumbled “we have what we needed. Some cassette tapes and a possible alibi. Try not to get your boxers in a twist… we need a clear head about this situation.”

“Excuse me…?! We’re you even LISTENING back there?!” Kip asked incredulously “he practically threatened me back there! Looked into the future and said I’d get shot?!”

“Kip… the kid’s a loner…” Dale smirked, starting to walk off down the dawnly painted street with the German Shepherd trying to keep up with him “are you going to mistake some bereaved child for a psychic now???”

“…No but…”

“Listen…” Dale raised his voice, before holding an index finger to his lips to shush him.

“…he is a suspect. And there is something REALLY wrong with him. I’m with you on that rookie. However, now is not the right time to strike. Let sleeping dogs lie… until we’ve collected some other pieces to our… missing mystery…”

The Officers stared at each long and hard. Some contention between the young Officer and the older and wiser one.

“Coffee…?” Dale offered, gesturing towards a nearby café “my treat!”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Olive’s Florist store

Athena noted that Olive looked somewhat queasy and gave her an inquisitive look for it.
Her eyes widened as she caught the tray of breakfast goods. Namely an assortment which consisted of Cocoa Puffs, and black coffee. With some milk cast aside in a small container.

She couldn’t complain about the latter at all. She needed it. A dose right about now would’ve been great.

“…there’s more food…” Athena heard Olive say, before she was able to answer her question on how Declan was doing.

“It’s fine… this looks great,” Athena reassured Olive, taking the tray upstairs whilst Olive followed her “Declan is awake and looking well.

All thanks to you…” Athena nodded and gave her a look of approval.

The two entered the room and found Declan sitting up in bed. Smiling and waving in a child like manner.

“Thanks so much for all your help flower girl… it’s appreciated!” Declan said straight away.

“…she has a name!” Athena frowned, placing the breakfast tray on the bedside table. She picked up the bowl of coco puffs and handed it over to Declan. Who in turn supported the bowl with one hand and leant the rest against his knees.

“Olive… I mean Olive…” Delan’s eyes widened, gritting his teeth at the prospect of annoying two possibly hot headed females. Athena at the very least would come across that way.
Olive, on the other hand, looked quite queasy at the moment.

“Are you alright…?” Declan asked, eyeing her whilst scooping some cereal out of the bowl and swallowing a portion.

“She’s fine…” Athena replied dubiously, looking to the half panda girl. She figured she might appreciate not having too much speculation on her for now. Maybe she got a phonecall from an angry customer or saw a nasty bill in the mail.

“Anyway… Declan…” Athena narrowed her eyes as she turned to him, sipping some milky coffee before putting it back on the bedside table and folding her arms.

“What happened to you last night?”

“I should ask you the same thing… you weren’t standing where I last left you…” Declan frowned somewhat.

“Well… you took a long time… and I heard a scream- which is why I ran off somewhere… to the docklands peer!” Athena explained. Declan’s brow frowning even more suspiciously.

“You were somewhere else before that.”

“Ok…” Athena laughed incredulously. Was she REALLY being suspected by her close colleague and friend about something.

“I walked over to the record store and talked to a guy,” Athena explained “he was tall. Heavy build. Something seemed off about him…”
She wasn't about to confess she also asked for a cigarette.

Declan ruffled his head a bit. Opening eyes wider as if to beckon Athena for further explanations.

“I can’t explain it!” Athena gritted her teeth, before turning to Olive.
Her complexion hadn’t improved whatsoever.

“Seriously… do you need a moment to lie down? Declan and I can take this conversation back to our office. We really don’t want to overstay our welcome…” she said to Olive.

James sighed and went back to sit down, something told him that either that blond girl or cops would show up again. Then go digging in his life, something that he never wanted to happen. Cause if anyone found out what time he was born in, watch would be pretty hard. His whole world would come crushing down like a plane being shoot down. Just a fireball and taking everyone who went digging with him, sure if someone tried to kill him he would be like that guy from X-men and just pop back up after a few minutes. But death would take some of that too, he was one who was harder to heale even for a angle. It could take years just to bring death back to his power when they first met, and that I what is happening. Death is being healed, and getting ready for the war that is so to come. It will swallow this world and make it a hell, before it will be over more lives will be lost from all three of the worlds. The demons, the angles, and the wins who don't even know it's coming. The humans, they will take the biggest lost. But that can be good for this world, give them more room to breath.

James sighed as Ramble on came on, he smiled a bit. Most if Led Zeppelins songs were about woman, but he liked this one the best. It's pretty much what he has todo with his life till either people stop dying or he stops breathing. James sat in a chair and closed his eyes, taking his cigrents out and lighter. "At least these things can't kill me." He laughed to him self, then sat back and waited.

_________________

School bus

“Wowees… someone likes to assume. Nyap nyap,” Smuts spoke in a quirky and caroon-like manner. He twitched his whiskers as his beady eyes flickered whilst looking at Aaron “who says my dad stole it?”

“Chances are, he really DID steal it and then you stole it off of him,” Aaron replied incredulously.

“Nyap nyap… true… that may be what happened…” the rat student considered “but he gots loads of it anyways. Sure he won’t remember me taking nothing!”

Smuts hoisted over his duffle bag which caused Aaron and Maya to back away. Not so much that it may be full of weird witch craft but because, quite frankly, it was about to hit their face.

“Ahaaaa!” the rat said proudly, before pulling out what he was looking for. Tossing other things aside including a dream catcher, a snake skull, a tooth necklace amongst other bizarre objects.

“Behold!” Smuts said, holding out a doll whose body consisted of hay which was stitched together with nylon, and had buttons sewn as eyes. The most prominent aspect of the doll was the red ribbon around it.

“You brought a doll?!” Aaron exclaimed, albeit dully.

“Not just any doll Aaron, nyap nyap….” Smuts eyed it, holding it by the leg before yanking it up and down like a yoyo.

“…it’s a Voodoo doll!”
Maya looked at the object. As ridiculous and absurd as this situation seemed, she didn’t find it funny.

“How can it be a Voodoo doll if you don’t know who the subject is…?” Maya asked.

“Beats me… nyap nyap. Some say it has something to do with the red ribbon though!” Smuts jittered excitedly.

“Well Aaron! You interested now? We can make a trade of some sort!” Smuts proposed, awaiting his answer.

He raised an eyebrow at the preposition. Why would Smuts think he would be interested in attempting to trade it to him? Did Smuts know more than he appeared to? With all the stuff in the duffle bag, he could very well be practicing witchcraft. He might even be a lurker. Either way, some voodoo dolls actually worked, he did know that, and it being in the hands of the rat probably wasn't the best thing, in case it turned out to be a functional one.

"Eh, why not. If nothing else, I can give it to my little cousin. She'd think it was cute." It was a quick excuse, and he thought it was pretty decent for a reason to trade for a voodoo doll. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small trinket, a charm of the Leviathan Cross. It was made out of silver, but had really no value to him.

"Here, how about this. It's a Leviathan cross. It's also used as the alchemical symbol for sulfur. Some woman gave it to me in an antique shop."

The last part was a plain out lie. He'd gotten the thing off of what was left of a lurker that he had lured into his labyrinth. He had carried it in, so he figured it must have some kind of importance. He spoke to another angel asking them about it, but it turned out it was just a normal trinket. Either way, he was careful to study Smuts' reaction to it, seeing if he actually knew anything about it.

"Deal?"

_________________

Skyscraper rooftops

Julien narrowed his eyes purposefully at Jess. A streak of red crossing through his irises as he observed her.

Her feisty attitude was beginning to wear thin on him. However, he could sense from her earlier covert tactics that she wasn’t all words. She was buying time to assess his powers. He smirked in his own mind. He was doing the same. That’s why he was suspending this scenario on puppet strings for as long as he was. Sooner or later though, he’d grab the cords and suffocate everyone in his wake if he wanted to. Create a theatre of tragedy.

“Dance you say?” he laughed incredulously “you talk to me like you’re flirting with death. Yet I think you have this all wrong my dear…” he said straightening up. The smile of a handsome devil upon his face.

“I’m not your respected doctor, dance partner… and certainly not your date!” Julien threw out his hand to reveal the 3rd eye which was surrounded by a perimeter of his clawed fingers “you already know what I am. And behind that spirited, young and so-called ‘headstrong’ personality, you’re just a scared little girl. Aren’t you?”

“Answering my questions with a question is obviously your fogging technique into confounding me to buy time for something… or someone,” Julien said explicitly. A dark shadow passing over him, before his purple form was made more apparent again. Eyes smiling as well as his teeth.

“Why don’t we cut to the chase and find out what you’re REALLY up to?” he snarled.
A void of silence fell upon the scene. Ambient motions portrayed by distorted crackles.
Another blanket of shadow veiled the scene. The distance closed as Jess found the devil standing right next to her now. Behind her, for that matter.

Wrists snatched. Vice-like grips before she was able to perceive the motions.
The numbing effects of Julien’s grasp were instantaneous, cold, and sharp in the areas where he was gripping Jess’s wrists which were beginning to pale. Clawing at her skin which left gashes. The sky darkened with no limit to his summiting height. All sound of life from late night stragglers or home bound cars completely absent. An unnatural quarantine.

He was reaching out for her forehead with his left hand. A devious expression on his face as he did so.

He’d get into her mind. Find out who she was, what her powers were, what makes her tick… then, he’d bite her. Sink his teeth into her neck. That soft white throat.

Something was wrong.

He ignored it at first. Perhaps out of unfound tenacity or inflexible admission.
His skin was burning. Boiling and sweltering. Similar to what had happened earlier during her assault on him. And it was occurring beneath the palms of his hands where he had gripped her. The purple hues of his skin being bleached to an ashen lilac with areas of necrotising blue macules.

He pulled away. A snarl on his face as he shook his hand free from the wounding heat.
Jess backed up a bit herself. Shaking free from the straggling feeling of cascading sharps that felt like it was left lingering through her veins. She turned around in wonder to look at a silent Julien who was considering the sight of his own hands. She tilted her head to one side and couldn’t help but smile.

The surrounding scene became ever so slightly lighter. The surrounding hotel flags could be heard fluttering in the distance.
“Wow doctor, if I didn’t know better… I’d say you’d just breached another one of your calls of duty,” Jess remarked “isn’t that regarded as battery?”

Julien ignored her. Looking at his hands with morbid fascination. The wounds closing up haphazardly, forming tertiary scar tissue before reforming to their former appearance.

He was hoping she’d spare the joke of being ‘too hot to handle’.

“Interesting,” he muttered, before smirking lightly in her direction “haven’t had this happen before…”

Now it was becoming clear to him what she really was. Resembled, spoke like and portrayed practically every manner of human. Yet she had an aura about her that resisted his imposing and overwhelming presence. There must’ve been something about her soul that gave her sanctuary from him. Or maybe he needed to build up tolerance towards the quintessence of holy light.

Whatever it was, he knew there was a way around it. After this session was done for tonight, he’d be sure to investigate her kind and a way to get around these minor problems.
She was a Nephilim. No two ways about it. A creature he admittedly didn’t know as much about. Simply because he hadn’t come across any in this world until now.

His ear suddenly twitched followed by his head lowering to one side.

The girl… she was running away. He couldn’t feel her presence from his surgery any more. Nor smell her or hear her heart beat.

“Hey, it was battery!” Julien jumped back onto the subject erratically, feigning defeat as he threw his arms up in the air briefly “what are you going to do? Sue me?!” he laughed.

The darkness closed in on Jess again. Visibility as close to pitch black as ever.

“You’re brave for taking me on to protect the girl, my dear. But you’re also a fool.” He announced menacingly, before turning around. Disappearing into the night. Leaving Jess in the maze of darkness he had left behind.


______________________________________________________________________________

Medical hallways

The labyrinth of clinical hallways were long and monotonous. No rhyme or reason as to where the exit may be. The only sounds being the pounding of her own heart and heavy footsteps as Carly was stumbling through the hallways. The vicinity seemed to hold its own breath in pensiveness.

Dr. Julien Summerfield. Her own doctor who she had been seeing for almost a year now. That… that monster. It was all making sense now. Something wasn’t right about him.

She almost tumbled forwards as her feet ice skated around a slippery floored corner. Grabbing onto the edge of the corner wall for support. She only just caught herself. Her heart felt like it was about to explode out of her chest. He lungs choking dry of air.

The hallways lightings were a diffusion of black and bleached cyan. A clinical setting that felt dispassionate and starved of character. Furthermore, the veneered bricks were beginning to spin before her eyes.

A lone syringe had been left on the floor. Unseen by the running girl as her thought made contact with the body of it and tripped her up.

Landing sprawled on all fours. The friction grazing her skin.

Her breathing was high pitched and strained by now. A mixture of frantic panic and fear closing in on her consciousness.
The syringe rolled down the hallway. Echoing louder and louder as it fleeted mockingly.

’Nononononono…. she fell to her knees and clutched her head. Nailing her fingers into her head. Anything to keep her awake and conscious.

She looked to her side. Her heart skipping a bit as she saw a luminous green sign.

‘Fire Exit’

She was a nurse and remembered what she had been taught in fire training.

Dark green was what you saw before you lost consciousness. Here was a way out. Hopefully the stairs wouldn’t be too long way down.

Without giving herself too much time to think, she crawled over quietly now. Suddenly paranoid that all the noise she had made earlier would draw him to her.

A shadow passed her peripheral vision, causing her to freeze. She sat up carefully on her knees as she turned her head over her shoulder ever so slowly. She shuddered violently.

She knew he was here. His black silhouette was leaning against the wall. Red eyes piercing through the darkness

“Carly,” Julien called out “you’re here at a strange hour.”

The cat girl’s fur stood up as she plucked up the courage to swing her torso around and gaze at the devil looking down on her. Her ears lowering as her eyes widened.

The look alone rooted her to the ground.

“I g-g-g-got lost… heh…” Carly forced a laugh, before looking away timidly.

“Well…” Julien deliberated, unfolding his arms and walking over to her “can I… help you up?”

Something wasn’t right again.

Carly’s eyes were dipped towards his shoes. Shadows following his march. The stride wasn’t calm or reassuring. The footsteps were more hounding.

She screamed as she found herself wrenched by the arm. The force nearly dislocating her elbow from its socket.

What was worse was the grip. The pain was excruciating. Not just from the force but the numbing and deadening sensation that stripped her whole arm from control. Her veins feeling like they were being shredded with growing, malignant thorns.

She hung like a writhing rabbit Whimpering and struggling to break free as Julien continued to secure her.
He sniggered at her cowardice, before shaking his head and tutting.

“How much do you know?” he demanded “or do I need to find out the hard way?!”

The eye within his free left hand was emerging and began to blink sinisterly. Palm slowly reaching out for her forehead.

School bus

Smuts looked at the leviathan cross with due anticipation. He practically dropped the doll and tried to snatch the talisman off of Aaron.

“Hey hey HEY!” Maya quickly leaned over to object towards the rat’s greedy ways “first the doll… then the cross… deal?”

The rat twitched his whiskers and muttered something incoherently silly and cartoon like under his breath. Causing Aaron to look at him dubiously.
What was he dealing with?

“Deal?” Maya reiterated. Her eyes narrowing coarsely despite having a soft face at heart.

“..nyap nyap… pft fine… deal! Take it!” he picked up the doll and tossed it to Aaron, who caught it deftly. Maya beckoned for Aaron to pass her the cross, just after he had put the doll in his own bag.

“Friggin neat!” Smuts grinned toothily as he held the cross with both hands. Staring at it like a piece of cheese he had just scavenged.

“Hey… use it wisely…” Aaron lectured “better still, maybe put it in a safe place.”

“….likewise…” Smuts drawled “pick your target wisely with that there doll…”
Maya and Aaron exchanged looks. Mixtures of doubt, suspicion and incredulousness in transition.
When they turned around again, they found that smuts had mysteriously disappeared.
Then it occurred to them both that the scenery outside had come to a stop. Through the windows, stood the country sides, school walls, and the front gate. Students of all sorts making their way to the institute. Some with a spring in their step whereas others looked like they had a ball and chain dragging them down. The enthusiasm for school was really mixed amongst the plethora of students going onwards.

“Well… guess this is our stop…” Maya said, getting up, whilst eyeing the voodoo doll that was now iN Aaron’s position.

“You don’t think that thing really works right?” she asked.

Skyscraper Rooftops

Despite the unpleasant sensation, like sharp shards of something starting to crawl up her arms from her wrists, Jess smiled a small smile to herself as she noticed the Lurker's own hands starting to boil and burn. Either the doctor had little experience of her kind, or he'd grown rusty from too long dealing only with lost and vulnerable souls. She wrenched her wrists free of his grasp even as he pulled his hand away from her wrists, backing up a little to allow herself a moment as she shook off the lingering effects of his grasp. As she did so, the sleeves of her bodysuit rippled and oozed forwards, flowing over the gashes Julien's claws had left before surrounding them and tightening, applying pressure. It was a function of her suit; to close uninfected wounds, keeping pressure on them while her recuperative abilities did the rest. She could already feel the flesh knitting back together, even as Julien examined his own maimed hands. She spared the doctor a glance, noticing as she did so, that the darkness had faded somewhat, and that the sounds absent a moment before had leaked back into the formerly silent space. “Wow doctor, if I didn’t know better… I’d say you’d just breached another one of your calls of duty,” Jess remarked “isn’t that regarded as battery?”

Julien ignored her. Looking at his hands with morbid fascination. “Interesting,” he muttered, before smirking lightly in her direction “haven’t had this happen before..". That little snippet of information told Jess that the doctor was indeed unfamiliar with the Nephilim. If he'd known a thing about them, he'd have known better than to lay hands on her in the first place- if he'd wanted to avoid a burning anyway. As for what she imagined he might have been planning with that third eye of his- well, that would certainly have been a far nastier surprise for him than her. He'd have ended up meeting The Maker a lot sooner than ever he might plan to. She noticed his ear suddenly twitch, his head lowering to one side- he knew his patient was making a bid for freedom. That wasn't good, it meant the situation was about to escalate again. “Hey, it was battery!” Julien jumped back onto the subject erratically, feigning defeat as he threw his arms up in the air briefly “what are you going to do? Sue me?!” he laughed. The darkness closed in on Jess again; visibility as close to pitch black as ever. “You’re brave for taking me on to protect the girl, my dear. But you’re also a fool.” He announced menacingly, before turning around. Disappearing into the night. Leaving Jess in the maze of darkness he had left behind.

Jess smiled a small smile again, speaking although she knew he hadn't stopped to listen. "The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God greater than human strength," She remarked in cryptic tones as she assessed the situation. She needed to get out of the darkness Julien had left her as company, and quickly, or get around it, in order to catch up with him before he had time to start another one-to-one with Carly. How best to do that though? She needed the solution quickly. She felt an inward stirring, as though someone- or rather Someone- had just whispered in the ears of her very soul and a piece of scripture came to mind: Walk by faith, not by sight. Flashing a larger grin than her previous small smiles, Jess closed her eyes on the darkness and began to move. Four paces to the 10 o'clock position- yes, that was it, she felt the tip of her boot brush against the edge of the skylight. She went into a crouch, letting her fingers glide across pane and frame as she examined the window. It was still open, exactly as she remembered it. She hooked her legs to the edge, allowing herself to hang suspended head-first into the room again. Remembering the scene when she'd discharged her pistols earlier in the evening. Desk over there, some seats over there, mirror, fireplace... empty floorspace that way and a few metres straight down. Jess released the grip her legs had on the sill, descending headfirst before flipping to land catlike on her feet, on the floor of the office- still with her eyes tight shut. Door at twelve o'clock, seven paces. Jess rose smoothly to her feet and took measured strides forwards. Her questing hand found the door handle. The door was slightly ajar. Jess pulled it swiftly but soundlessly open and stepped out into the corridor. As she felt a change in the ambient atmosphere she opened her eyes. The unnatural darkness was gone, and so too was the supprssion field Julien exuded. She was firing on all cylinders again! Jess allowed herself a few seconds of bouncing on her toes in victory before that inward voice reminded her the job wasn't done yet.

Medical Hallways

She still had to rescue Carly before the Lurker got to her more than he had already! As Jess began to move- this time at speed- she felt that inward voice say something else. Since the Lurker now knew what she was, it wouldn't hurt to be a little more- overt. A steely look came into Jess's eyes as she sped down the corridor; she understood full well what that meant. The Lurker had attempted use of a suppression field, darkness and fear. Well, he wasn't the only one capable of projecting a field designed to weaken an opponent. Darkness gave him shadows to move and hide in- how would he like a little light? H'd tried to find fear- too bad for him; Jess had none he could use, thanks to the life she had led. As she continued to accelerate through the corridors, her outward appearence changed.

She didn't engage in a full transformation- the corridors weren't suited to a 12-foot giantess-but it was time to look a little more the part. Light began to emanate from her- not a pixie-trail of sparkles, but a bright, brilliant light that drove away every darkness it touched. Her hair started to float around her head, as though caught in an unnatural breeze, glowing like a radiant, ruby halo, as her eyes began to blaze. And upon her back, the most significant change of all became apparent. Gradually rising up and fanning out, four huge wings emerged, in an approximate 'X' formation. Wings that slid through the substance of her clothing as though it were not there, or as though they were slightly out of sync with material reality. Wings where every feather, from largest to smallest seemed to be wrought of a different hue or colour of brilliant, pulsating light.

Jess smiled wider than ever as her pinions drifted lazily through the walls of the corridor as she spread her wings to full span. As much as she loved her parkour and free-running, nothing compared to the sensation of taking wing. It really had been too long since last she stretched her wings. A swift, sudden downbeat of her wings accelerated her further, rapidly eating up the distance Julien had put between herself and him. As she rounded the next corner, she saw Julien and Carly ahead in the distance. It looked like Julien hadn't only caught Carly, but was about to use that sinister third eye again! Pausing briefly, Jess placed herself slightly out of sync with the material world. There were a few advantages to doing such a thing: Firstly, when not truly in synch with the material world, when out of sync by a fraction, you enabled yourself to cover much greater distances in a fraction of the time- it was a technique just a step away from true teleportation. Secondly, it allowed you to do so unobserved until you properly reconnected with the material world again. The disadvantage was that the greater percentage of the supernatural war between Heaven and Hell was fought in the supernatural world, but there were always supernatural beings- good or evil- close to the skin of the world without actually being in it, and to constantly de-sync and sync would draw their attention. However, in this instance that point was moot- with the show Julien had already put on tonight, it was safe to assume their attention had already been drawn. With a clap of her wings, Jess shot, unseen, towards the doctor and his wayward charge.

“Carly,” Julien called out “you’re here at a strange hour.” The cat girl’s fur stood up as she plucked up the courage to swing her torso around and gaze at the devil looking down on her. Her ears lowering as her eyes widened. The look alone rooted her to the ground. “I g-g-g-got lost… heh…” Carly forced a laugh, before looking away timidly. “Well…” Julien deliberated, unfolding his arms and walking over to her “can I… help you up?” She screamed as she found herself wrenched by the arm. The force nearly dislocating her elbow from its socket. The pain was excruciating. Not just from the force but the numbing and deadening sensation that stripped her whole arm from control. Her veins feeling like they were being shredded with growing, malignant thorns. She hung like a writhing rabbit, whimpering and struggling to break free as Julien continued to secure her. “How much do you know?” he demanded “or do I need to find out the hard way?!” The eye within his free left hand was emerging and began to blink sinisterly. Palm slowly reaching out for her forehead.

Suddenly, the entire corrdor was lit up in a glow that put sunlight to shame as Jess synced with material reality again, appearing with the swift suddenness of a bolt of lightning between Julien and Carly, wings flared so that she seemed to fill all the available space with her presence. Her silver-blue eyes locked Julien's with a piercingly keen gaze for a second before she spoke. "Adding assault and intimidation to your list of misdeeds for the evening doctor?" she enquired. Her voice, though still containing the light-hearted tones it had carried earlier that evening, was now almost unrecognisable as it resonated with the authority of Heaven. Her piercing, sweeping gaze took in both Julien's face and his hands before she spoke again. "I believe that all adds up to malpractice doctor- you could lose your licence for that. That isn't the most important thing you could lose tonight though".

As Jess spoke she extended her hands, allowing a blade of brilliant light to appear in each. She brought one to within an inch of the palm of Julien's left hand before she spoke again. "Release the girl Julien," she said, "I think you already know what I hold in my hand- the Sword of the Spirit; no mere material blade but one 'living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow and the thoughts and intentions of the heart'. You already know that you'll burn if you touch my skin, so take a guess what'll happen," Jess said as she purposefully adjusted the blade trained on the Lurker's left hand, "if you get an eyeful of this".

OOC: Well, that got long again! Hope it works for you Kha? ^^ Assuming these links work, for the sort of wing layout Jess has, see this image: http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt99 ... /angel.jpg
Now just imagine them glowing and seemingly made of light, like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RvaQA6Pjj4&hd=1
But multicoloured rather than just one colour