The Sidhe Bureau of Defense [IC]

[Bela]

OOC

Episode One
Starting Setting -- November 24th, 2012; sometime after 10 pm; 5 days from the Full Moon.
The First Episode will open shortly before the murder of a young Witch in the alley outside the Sidhe-Bar "The Nexus". It will center around the discovery of the demon Asmodeus, and the SBD's attempt at dealing with him. You are expected to partake in this plot line, even if it is in the most minor way. Otherwise you are free to create your own subplots.

_________________________________________

The cool autumn air sent shivers through Katerina Logan, causing her to pull her pea coat tighter as she smoked. She took a long drag before puffing out and letting her hand fall to her side for a moment. Behind her, the Bar’s backdoor stood partially propped open, letting a stream of drunken clamor steadily pour out. It only seemed to get rowdier the longer Katya stayed out there, and she knew she’d get a chewing out if she left the newbie in their by herself for too long. Begrudgingly, she took one last drag and flicked the cigarette to the concrete before stepping on the dying butt with her heel.

Katya pulled open the door, and walked back into the bar that smelt of stagnant liquor and smoke. It wasn’t that they weren’t allowed to smoke inside, which they were; it’s just that Katya preferred to smoke in peace, away from the messes that the drunken Sidhe left in their wake. Her breaks were one of the few things that kept her sane half the time. She was still uneasy in the presence of so many Sidhe, but it got easier every day. Besides, it was easier when she knew she didn’t have the SBD breathing down her neck.

When she reached the bar, she could see the relief return to the new girl’s eyes. She’d only been working at The Nexus for a few days. She was a young and mousy witch trying to pay her way through school. Why the girl, whose name Katya could rarely recall, had chosen a bar of all place, she did not know. She didn’t think it would last to long. The girl wasn’t the type that was used to the catcalls, grabby hands, or the ones that just wanted to talk, and Katya didn’t think she ever would be. Even now as the girl poured drinks for an old and crabby Warlock, she looked ready to bail. Katya rolled her eyes and quickly poured drinks for her own patrons. After a few minutes, she moved closer to the girl and told her she could take a break if she needed it in a few minutes. The girl nodded as finished pouring some shots and started to shuffle away.

As the girl did, Katya spoke again, “Hey before you come back in, take the trash out will ya? There’s already two bags, and it’ll be less of a hassle when we closed.”

With another nod, the girl sprinted of toward the corridor that lead to a few doors and a set of stairs. Up the stairs was Katya’s apartment. Behind the door on the far left was the office, the door on the right closest to the bar was the designated break room, and then the door in the back lead outside into the alley where Katya took her smoke breaks. It was also where the dumpsters were.
_____________________

Thea Parker stepped out of her office, and gave a quick look around. The few offices that occupied this side of the bottom level, where long emptied hours ago. They belonged to those directly below the Director, but they always left hours before her. Few could stand being down here after nightfall. Things always got worse at night. That’s when the screams began, and the mad Sidhe got restless. Of course, the containment rooms were more than powerful enough to protect the agents, but none of them would risk it. Only Thea and the Guards could stand to be down here at night. She wasn’t afraid of them, and there Guards were used to it. It was their job; they had to be.

Stopping at the edge of the corridor, Thea was about to flick the lights off for the night, when she heard something from one of the offices. She took a few steps forward, and realized that one of the lights were still on in one of them. Taking a few more steps forward, Thea snickered to herself. This would be the point in the movie where the audience would be screaming at her to turn around and run away. But this wasn’t a movie. Sure there may be monsters locked up on this level, but there’s no way one could escape and what would it be doing in one of these offices. The only thing kept here were records of all Sidhe containment. What would a crazy rogue Sidhe want with records?

Finally, Thea reached the office door and twisted the knob. A second later a shrill shriek erupted, but not from Thea. Her heart was racing but she hadn’t screamed. After a few short breaths, Thea began to shake with quiet laughter. Sprawled on the floor amongst paperwork was Thea’s very own secretary, a young second-generation werepanther, Lilliana. Despite full moon excursions, the girl was a regular scaredy-cat, and usually the first one out of the offices after her shift ended. It was odd to see her here so late at night, and in an agent’s office among strewn paperwork.

She couldn’t help the eyebrow raise when she finally spoke over her own laughter, “Lilliana, what are you doing here so late, and in here of all place?”

The girl looked up as her breathing finally settled, “Agent Carlson screwed up his filing system when he logged the last few contained Rogues. He’s gone through so many secretaries it’s not even funny. The newest one quit just yesterday, so I got stuck with this mess he’s made. I’ve been in here all day. I thought you’d already gone home, and when you opened that door I…I…I thought one of the Rogues had escaped.”

Thea smiled lightly at the poor girl, “Go on home Lilliana. I know your boyfriend will be worried. I’ll talk with Carlson about this tomorrow, and see if we can’t find a more suitable Secretary. Someone less inclined to take his bullshit”

Lilliana stifled a giggle at that. It was easy to be so casual with Director Parker. She’d never had a better boss. They’d all looked at her with fear simply because of what she was, but Director Parker never once had that look, not even in the face of the true monsters. She was always seemingly calm and understanding.

Thea nodded toward the door with a smile and said, “Go on get out of here. Don’t want you dying of fright, Sweetie.”

She didn’t have to be told thrice, so with a nod, Lilliana was out of there as quickly as possible. After closing the office, Thea followed suit, shutting off the lights at this end and heading towards the elevator. A moment before it arrives, a thought occurs to her, and she begins walking father down the corridor. She'd almost forgotten to take her Nightly Tour of the Maze that was Containment. Since the promotion, she'd started visiting various cells and their occupants. She felt it helped her better in getting to know those they'd captured. Of course there were the lost causes, the ones who couldn't be brought back from the land of crazy, but some times Thea was able to reach a few. Despite her new job title, she was still hell-bent on rehabilitating them. And that "some times" was enough for her.

[KuroTenshi]

In the dark sky above clouds began to roll in from the direction of the sea, late night radio stations dimly noting the sudden change of weather before dismissing it because it wouldn't be a very big storm coming in. However there was definitely a powerful buzz in the air that at first was hardly noticeable for those of the Sidhe kind, but as the clouds grew closer over New York the charge in the atmosphere was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

One such Sidhe, a late night taxi driver, was so focused on the strange abnormality that he almost missed a possible customer. Rain started to drop from the sky just as he pulled to the sidewalk and the middle aged human male got in, only slightly wet. "Phew, that was close." the man breathed in relief, glad to have reached shelter just before the rain started. "Wow that's a real downpour, did you hear about a storm in the forecast?"

The driver grunted in response, really not much for talking to his clients whether they be human or not. "Where to?"

The man gave him the address and then sat back in the seat to wait until they would arrive at his destination. He looked toward the window at the low sound of thunder that rumbled from the clouds, trying to see any indicators of lightning but finding none. "Hmph, hopefully this is just a thunderstorm. I always get nervous about lightning, being that we're in the city..."

And the Sidhe driving tuned out the chattering man, really not enjoying this part of the job. Sometimes customers were happy with a tense, awkward silence, but then there were the ones that had to fill it with their insistent chattering about things that he really couldn't give two shits about. Like fear of lightning, honestly they were in a city for fuck-sake with tall buildings all equipped with lightning rods. There was no way in hell that they were going to be hit by lightning and he wanted to shout that at the human to get him to shut up but he kept his eyes forward and did his best to focus on the rain slick road, gently coming to a stop at an intersection.

Suddenly there was a bright explosion of light that blinded his eyes followed not a second later by a loud deafening boom of thunder. He pressed his hands to his eyes at the harsh sting of light, his pupils contracted painfully in his eyes. He could hear his passenger losing his mind in the back of his seat and that only served to make him even more irritated. Still though he didn't snap and just slowly opened his eyes, blinking them as dark blobs of color started to regain their shapes. When he could see again his eyes snapped wide open at the scene in the middle of intersection. A deep green aura was swirling around a cloaked figure standing in the center of a small crater that had not been there a moment ago with large sprawling cracks originating from it and extending outward past the white lines of the crosswalk.

The green energy coming from the figure faded away and the hood covered head turned to look directly at him, a pair of bright gold eyes piercing through the rain water stuck to the glass to stare at him. He dimly noticed that the rain had suddenly stopped, but that hardly mattered from the dagger like gaze of the figure in the middle of the road. He blinked his eyes and the figure was gone from the intersection. He let out a breath of a relief to no longer have those eyes staring at him.

There was a sudden tapping at his window and he just about jumped out of his skin. He almost didn't want to look but as the tapping continued he slowly turned his head and gulped at the sight of the cloaked figure standing right there. With a shaky hand he rolled down the water covered window to poke his head out and was given a clear look at the bright eyed figure. To the human in the back he would simple see an amber eyed young woman with relatively dark skin that looked like she should be in college, but to the Sidhe the image wasn't so...harmless looking.

Gold eyes that practically glowed in the darkness with slit pupils stared down at him, two tiny points of teeth resting on her bottom lip hinting at the large fangs that surely laid beneath. Power exuded from her and it was taking every bit of self control he had to not shiver in his seat. "Wydda," She spoke, her voice surprisingly soothing though it had a slight gravel to it. A smile spread across her lips, revealing a set of canines far bigger than he anticipated and even though it was a friendly expression he still froze. "Ka uai nfaq qwyly swy riedk ez swos wydhz plyosilyz deny uai?" she asked rapidly in a language he didn't understand, while making a vague motion with her hand. Complex words and sounds rolled effortlessly off her tongue so quick that he hardly had time to wrap his mind around it before she was finished speaking.

"I-I don't understand you." he stammered.

The mysterious being tilted her head to the side, clearly confused. It seemed she didn't understand him either. "Waq ka uai fas nfaq swy dofriory ab adk?" she shook her head and sighed in mild annoyance, "Faq E wojy sa befk zatyafy ydzy sa sydd ty." He blinked and again she was gone from his sight.

In the cracks created from her descent, bright green grass and plants began to grow.

[Card VII]

The night surrounds New York City like a thick, opaque fog. Nothing is clean, pure, or lacking the coating of the black fog except the buildings, cars, and streetlamps that still emit their incandescent light. As the night went on, the black fog gradually engulfed more and more of the helpless light. Though the light truly never went out in New York City, as the constant back and forth power struggle between the two unrelenting forces waged on until the morning each and every night. The lights were slowly dimming, and less and less cars were moving, and the abyss that few dared to peek in to grew and grew. There, monsters of all kinds waded through the thick black fog, and it would soon be their turn in the concrete playground.

A quaint little bar on an unseen corner of town serves monsters of a different kind: dandelions in the midst of flowers, or the other way around depending on how you look at it. They are people who are sprinkled everywhere yet close together; spread all over the globe yet concentrated in their own little groups. This quaint little bar is one of those little groups, the atrium of New York City's Sidhe community. The Nexus' lights still shimmer through its windows, and its neon sign boldly declares that it's open for all the city's beautiful misfits to take refuge. One such misfit lingers in the thick black fog surrounding the bar's walls, outside the reach of its shimmering lights and neon sign. Draped in his own little piece of darkness himself, he wades through the shadows meticulously.

In an alley a few doors down, Sam waits patiently. He waits in one of those bothersome cracks that can't be reached by any mop or sponge, and that remains draped in shadow even at the height of day. A merchant waits at his stall in the backwater of the bazaar, waiting for his customer for a little bartering. Out in the real world, in the overworld, everyone behaves in a certain way, but here in the clandestine depths of depravity, everyone reveals a little bit of themselves no one ever knew. Thus, from the silent streets, comes the merchant's awaited customer. Some chatter is heard outside the alleyway, and the customer enters the alleyway. Watching his back, he approaches Sam, and makes few words, "What have you got?"

The man was aging, and already very old, his face and figure warped by time. His face is twisted into wrinkles, and his hair dulled to a dark gray. He dressed himself in a modest dark beige coat, shielding him from the cold, but what was most noticeable was his entirely black clothing on his lower body. However, it was clear to see that Sam was the most intimidating of the two: a black trench coat, black leather gloves, and additional black garb to conceal himself. The cornerstone of his image was his mask: a face covered only in a dozen pairs of eyes that stud his mask. "The same as before. Not much new lately, but I'm working on it."

Sam parted his trench coat of shadows, and adorning either side are dozens of plastic bottles and bags filled with all kinds of tablets, capsules, and pills. A grown man's candy man, his technicolor dream coat certainly does contain a wide variety of assorted, colorful candies that will make a statue's head spin or, in some cases, stop his heart. The customer's eyes give every product a good, hard look, inspecting all of them very carefully, and asking questions. Finally, Sam asks a question himself "So, how much do you have, exactly?"

The old man scoffed, "Plenty came in the collection box today. You'd think a congregation would be a little more liberal with their money for their Lord and Savior."

Sam provided no comment. He would've at least liked his customers to pay for their own enjoyment rather than have others do it for them, but when working in a business like this, one can't be too discriminate with their customers. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw motion at the end of the alleyway; a moving shadow and a scurrying figure. He looked over to see a small, young boy looking on in fear at him and the man doing their business. His wide, child like eyes should be looking upon fields of flowers, and taking in the wonderful colors of a cordial world, not the grime, waste, and desolation of the world below the surface. To see a child struck something in him, not emotional, yet not rational, but something else. "So, is that your child?"

The old man snapped his head the other direction, his head already on a swivel from paranoia. The child retreated back into darkness with a glance. The man returns his attention to Sam, and words stumble out "Uh, yes, yes that is my son."

Hoping Sam would miss his obvious inconsistency, they continued conducting business. Sam reached into the depths of his trench coat in a slow, foreboding fashion. The old man's beads of sweat almost melted him, as he reached into his trench coat for a weapon. His hand rummages for a moment, but all too soon his executioner's hand returns from the depths of hell with his doom. The man almost shakes himself to death as he stands quivering.

Yet, all that was in his hand was another orange bottle. Within it, contained alluring red tablets that looked more succulent and pleasure inducing than all the other fruits in the garden. "If I may make a recommendation, this one's a customer favorite. I call it 'Rosy Apple.'"

The old man, without thinking about paying for it, meekly takes it from Sam's hand, cradling it in his frail, weak hands that almost shook themselves off his arms not but a second ago. His eyes widen to the size of apples, looking upon the apple of his apple sized eyes, for the candy red pills looked so inexplicably enticing. Not thinking of cost, effect, or even quality of the drug, he knew exactly what he wanted. Sam spoke again, "Go ahead, try one on the house."

The old man felt like he had been blessed by an angel. His meek, perverted little hands used both in dishonest prayer and honest sin, carefully screwed off the cap of the orange bottle. Without the tainting orange lens of their container, the apple red pills looked even more delectable, desirable, and pleasurable. His mind was already taken to new heights just looking at them. He took one of the immaculate pills and popped it into his mouth, as Sam took back the bottle. The old man waited in anticipation for waves of pleasure, for the chills of ecstasy to run up his spine, and for his mind to melt away into a new world of beautiful, wonderful colors, but it never happened. He stood there, disappointed and incensed, when Sam's hands wrapped themselves around his head, choking him into unconsciousness. Meanwhile, the "Rosy Apple" makes its way into the priest's abdomen, where it will make sure he doesn't wake up again.

Sam makes his way to the end of the alleyway, where he saw the child. The little boy cowers behind the corner, his captor having been slaughtered only by a much more daunting and dangerous kind of predator. He tried to shut his eyes, and just maybe if he shut them hard enough he could fold himself over them, and fold himself into a little ball and bounce away. Of course, it never happened. Sam stood over the quivering boy, and knelt down in front of him. He put his hand on his shoulder, and in that instant the boy's ineffective defenses lowered, and opened his eyes to see a much less frightening sight. In his coat of drugs, hallucinogens, stimulants, depressants, and other tools of vice and destruction, he pulled out a small Jolly Rancher. He took the boy's hand into his gentle hand, and put the small candy in his palm.

Before the boy could register all of his emotions, they shared a moment of silence and staring, and the boy ran off, in both fear and delight. With unconditional kindness, the boy was sent into his own new world of beautiful, wonderful colors.

[Catherine]

"Almost done." Ella was almost fully made-over again to look how she always looked during the recorded feeding sessions, bur seemed almost impatient to start, and Sara was having trouble finishing. "I shouldn't be the one telling you to sit still. But we're done now." Sara moved away, out to the room they used for shooting. It was an uncomfortable moment for her, though, as she usually wasn't present for all this, but it was essential for her current research. Even more awkward was walking in on the shirtless man they brought in from the street. She probably would have found him mildly attractive if he didn't seem so orange and ripped. The phrase orange gonorrhea monkey wouldn't leave her head from the second she walked into the room, and she had to hold back laughter. She waved quickly and walked over to the corner of the room. The man looked confused, making Sara move even more quickly to the corner. "I'm doing research, not...participating. Sorry." She tried to disguise what she said as polite, but she actually found the idea disgusting, like when she got the same offer from a lich in containment.

Not long after, Ella walked in and sat on the bed. "Hi. Here's all the forms you need to fill out for us. Legal reasons." She stretched, and continued to speak as she did so. "I'm Ella. I'll be on camera with you. One of those forms is pretty much you promising you won't pass on any diseases. I really hope you're honest when you sign it." Sara looked at her curiously, stopping just before pointing out what Ella was. Ella smiled at Sara first, then the man. "As soon as you're done signing that, we can start. Just sit over there, and I'll do my usual intro!" She seemed excited, but it was all for show. She hated the introduction phase. It seemed like a wasted effort, but her fans complained the one time she didn't do it. It had nothing to do with what was going on, it was just her saying the date, her name, and the name of whoever was involved, then some alone time on camera, usually with her hands just off the screen, while she performed what amounted to just breathing exercises, though her fans always imagined it was more than that; it was the whole reason they got mad at her for not including it.

The man finally stood up, leaving the papers where they were as they were looked over by a lawyer briefly, and stuffed into a filing cabinet just outside the room. The man walked over to Ella and started taking off his jeans. "Not yet, you'll ruin all the fun." Ella's attempt to hide her boredom would probably be believed by most people on the other side of the lens, but everyone in the room except that man already knew she only did this to keep sharp. "Let's start with this..." She pushed him down on the bed and sat just under his chest before she started her usual ritual.

All the while, Sara watched on, with one of three expressions at any given moment: Curiosity, Embarrassment, or Disgust. Disgust was the most common. Whatever she showed, though, she stayed silent at all times, not wanting to interfere. She didn't want to be here, but she'd seen some of the videos, and had to admit that the fantasy was better than reality -- she had watched a few of the videos 'for research', and 'privately enjoyed herself' with them in her room the past few nights to prepare for being here. She took notes now, after anything of note happened and before anything else did. The notes were all short (and on that topic, the word "short" appeared in her notes not long after finally seeing the man naked, even with her limited experience on the subject matter).

When it was all over with and the man left, Sara confirmed with the cameraman that the camera was off, and sat on the bed near Ella. "Are you always that disappointed afterward? Or was it Stumpy's fault?"

Before the conversation continued, the lawyer was suddenly right next to them. "You know he was registered with the SBD, right? He's a werepanther. I'm Amy, by the way." She held out her hand. "I had to have an interpreter read it all off to me. I have trouble with databases and it would take forever to go through the physical files. Next time, let me look into this before you start." She sighed. "Back in my day, you'd have waited for this at least until you were married. Or before if your house was big enough." She shrugged, and with the voice of an old woman, said: "You young people want everything so fast nowadays." She then smiled and dropped through the floor. She walked out through the front door casually, and walked home. She personally wanted to see this succubus contained, based on what she was told, but none of her research showed that any laws were broken (she should know, she was involved in the case, and her side lost).

Back in the rented room, Sara was packing up all her notes while everyone else was putting away equipment. Ella sat on the bed, still bored, but at least now showing signs of satisfaction. She sat like she was owling next to the young kitsune. "So, he was a panther." Akward pause. "Thought he'd be more...primal in bed, you know?" More silence. "If we're exceptionally careful--"

"No." Sara finished packing up all her stuff.

"Can I at least see your notes?"

"No. Can we move onto another line of questions? I'm really not wanting to be here right now." She stood up and walked quickly to the bathroom to empty her stomach of what was once a really good lunch that she'd eaten just before coming here. She had held back until now, but the images in her mind got the better of her gastric control. When she finished, she saw Ella in the door. "You didn't see that. Last thing I need is my parents thinking I have an eating disorder. But...let's not talk about this anymore, okay? Next time, if I say I want to watch, no matter how much I insist...stop me." She rinsed out her mouth with some bottled water from the cooler the filming crew always took with them, but never touched. "Unless it's for work."

[Bela]

The weather had changed so suddenly, rising suspicion among the patrons, at least the ones who weren't already drop-dead drunk. 'Only something Sidhe-related could be to blame', it seemed everyone was thinking. It was inching closer to midnight, and the young half-breed bartender was growing antsy. She was ready to close down and go to bed. The thunderstorm would provide perfect background to her sleep. The noise of the city was something Katya still wasn't used to despite the past few years. She missed the quiet life in Jersey, but too many bad memories remained there. At least tonight the rain would drown out the city life. Maybe she'd get a good night's sleep.

Just as the happy thought emerged a foreign but familiar dread took over. It washed over her like a shower of freezing water, thousands of pin-needles stabbing into her skin. It burrowed itself deep within her gut and began rip at her, inching back up through her body, pushing into her lungs and then up farther. Conscious thought finally broke through the pain, 'Oh God. Not now'. She'd been so careful the past few months. Of course there was death all the time in the City, but she'd always been able to control it. She hadn't wailed in years, not since her mother's death, but now she stood here behind the bar letting the urge force its way up. She'd been about to mix a young werewolf's drink, but now she stood there rigid and unaware of the customer's growing irritation. Drawing up all the strength she could muster, Katya got her muscles working again. She pushed herself away from the bar and began rushing toward the back of the bar, hoping to get away from whoever was about to croak. She'd already reached the back door when she realized it wasn't going away at all. In fact it was getting worse. She started to turn back around when the urge finally broke free. The wail finally let loose, in a painful screech that blared over the bar's jukebox sound system. The built up Keening seemed to never end. Someone had brought the music to a halt, while the majority of the patrons were on their knees protecting their ears from the piercing sound.

Finally after what seemed like years the wail died down and Katya could breath again. Tears streaked her face as she lay against the backdoor she'd fallen against, slowly calming herself down. When the bar patrons could hear again, without their ears ringing, they began to murmur amongst themselves. The once music-filled bar now filled with the concerned fears of its customers. There was no doubt among them that the wail belong to a banshee, but that meant someone was dead. People began looking around, searching for the source. 'Who was dead?' They all seemed to be wondering. Multiple people were dialing 911, but no one really knew what to say. How do you call in a murder, if it was murder, when you don't even know who the victim was? When her strength was back, Katya stood. A few patrons had wandered back there to find the banshee, hoping she'd know who was dead. She shook her head but turned toward the backdoor and pulled it open. Only one was brave enough to follow her out there.

It didn't take her long to realize who the victim was. She didn't even have to see the body. It lay in a distorted position next to a bag a trash and the dumpster. Blood soaked the barmaid's uniform, pooling from a deep wound from her rib cage. Katya immediately turned away and puked. The last body she'd seen had been her mother's, and this young witch's death brought about memories she didn't want to face. She faintly recalled another 911 call being made, this time with actual details. She didn't dare turn back to face the body of her coworker, whose name she still couldn't remember.

[Rose Swan]

Adrian was out of the water tonight and working out at the police station. Laz was out late again, and he was waiting up for her. She had called earlier and said she had a big test to study for and was hiding out in the library doing just that. He had instructed her to come out to the station when she was done, and they’d go home. The fact she was working so hard at such an amazing school made him proud. He would do anything to protect that girl, even though she wasn’t little anymore. It was why he betrayed his father like that. Why he joined the cops. Why he slaved at work to keep her in that nice school, where she would learn about all the things she was curious about. She had a bright future ahead of her, brighter than it would be if her father was around.

While he was sitting at his desk watching a movie on Netflix on his cell phone, since it had been a slow night and that was what most of the other cops were doing, the call came in about a murder at The Nexus. Immediately, Adrian and his coworkers sprang into action. Cops flurried around the room and jumped into their cars, driving towards the station. He’d have to call Laz later and tell her that he wasn’t at the station, and not to wait up for him later. There was something in the back of his mind though that made him worry that it was his sister dumped back there. No, the calls said it was a witch. Not a mermaid. Just as his partner turned a corner though, the thunderstorm started. Shit, now he couldn’t get out of the car without exposing his fins. And Laz couldn’t walk home if she wanted to until the storm blew over. He hated rain while he was working.

In the seat next to him, he heard his partner, Officer Max Smith, sigh. He was a water witch, and they were an excellent team. “Guess this means you’re out of action tonight, Costa?” he asked.

“Yeah. But if you want to bring evidence or something by for me to look at in the car, go for it.”

“Nah, too much hassle. Take the car and go home. I’m not in the mood to make any of my big shields for you tonight. I’ll make you one so we can Chinese Fire Drill, but that’s all. You don’t have to work this case.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. Go wait up for your sister.”

“Alright. Catch you later, Max.” Adrian said with a light nod before getting out of the car under Max’s makeshift umbrella and walking in unison toward the driver’s seat. Once the door was shut and Adrian was dry inside, he turned the car back on and turned to start driving towards his home in the East River.

.o0o.

Laz had lied to her brother for the very first time since she had moved in with him. She had told him she was going to spend the night at the library at Columbia, but her classmates who were Sidhe as well were always talking about this place called The Nexus. It always sounded so cool to go, and she was always curious about it, but Adrian would never let her go. She loved her brother dearly, their relationship was great after she had moved in with him, but he was very protective of her. To the point where it was a little bit too much.

It was tonight of all nights where she finally mustered up the courage to finally show up. She was sitting and having a good time with some friends rather than studying, which she really didn’t need to do anyway. All was well until someone started wailing and screaming. Like a banshee. She looked up in fear, and obviously it meant someone had died, and she looked around wildly to see if it was someone in the room. Her friend Alyssa led them all back in the back to investigate and find the banshee, but it was Laz who noticed the bartender wandering out to the back door and opening it. She saw the blood and the girl in the back, and the fact it was raining. Shit, she was stuck here. There was no way she could get away from her brother when she was at a crime scene, especially when she had lied to him!

Still, in fear, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. If her brother came, she’d fess up and apologize. He’d be furious, that’s for sure, but he’d forgive her. She gave the operator the details, and hung up to return to the bar and give the bartender some space. She seemed shaken.

For twenty minutes she awaited her doom until the sirens of police cars were outside their doors. The red and blue lights flashed in through the glass, and she saw a car with two familiar faces inside. She brought the hood of her sweatshirt over her head in hopes that Adrian would miss it. He was focused on other things, including a Chinese Fire Drill with the police car. Adrian wouldn’t be working the case. She was spared for the moment, at least until Max wandered in.

“Laz Costa, your brother told me you were at the library at the university.” Max chastised, raising an eyebrow.

“Um… curiosity brought me here?” Laz said sheepishly.

The officer sighed. “I’m going to take you home, but I’ll need to ask you some questions before I do. Adrian thought it was you out there behind the dumpster.”

“No, I gave the more detailed 911 call.” she said with a shrug.

“I see. Okay then, tell me what happened…”

Laz told him all she heard and saw at the scene, and cooperated with Max’s questions. She was a witness now, and Max warned her that she may be called into court or called back to the station for investigation. She nodded with a sigh. Adrian was going to kill her. Officer Smith closed his notebook, and headed outside to tell his supervisor what he was doing. He came back and nodded before making his little umbrella and escorted her into the police car before driving her home in silence.

Max escorted her inside, and Adrian immediately looked angry. Hushed words were exchanged, and finally he said “Thank you, Max. I owe you one.”

“No problem buddy. See you tomorrow.” The officer left, leaving the siblings alone.

"What the hell were you doing at the Nexus tonight?” he demanded.

“I kept hearing it was cool. I knew you wouldn’t let me go, so that’s why I lied.”

“Did you take in any alcohol?”

“No, I’m not that stupid! I had a cherry coke. The bartender looked at me funny for ordering it. I had to tell her I was designated driver.” Not a lie.

“Who were you with?”

“A couple of the girls. There were four of us.”

Adrian ran his fingers back through his hair with a sigh. “When that call came in about a young girl being murdered, I was afraid it was you. And now I find out that you were a witness to this? Laz, they could get a hold of your name and then they may want you dead too. Did you see anything important?”

“No, I saw everything the bartender saw. If there was anything of importance, I didn’t notice it.” Laz paused now. “I’m sorry, Adrian. I shouldn’t have lied. It won’t happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t. You aren’t allowed to go to The Nexus again.” He snapped.

Laz knew there was no point in arguing when he was like this. “Alright.”

[KuroTenshi]

She had been looking onto the human world for years now, but just seeing it was nothing compared to actually standing in the heart of human civilization. The buildings looked as tall as mountains and some even brushed the tips of the dark clouds still hanging in the air. She winced slightly under the hood of her cloak now that she could see the effects of her jumping dimensions.

Maybe she should have let father handle the portal.

But being that he wasn't there to scold her she brushed it off and continued to look around at the multitude of buildings that surrounded her. The smell was less than desirable, but even that couldn't damper her awe as she walked down grey stone that lined the streets and staring up at the massive structures. Slowly a grin spread across her face, an idea lighting up her golden eyes. She crouched down, her eyes remaining firmly locked on the top of the building in front of her, one of the smaller ones compared to the others. She jumped up from the ground, crying out in delight as she soared up higher than the building, the hood falling from her head as she began her rapid decent back down. Her booted feet made a heavy thud on the roof when she landed in a slight crouch. She stood back up straight, brushing a lock of raven black hair from her face that had escaped from the pony tail pulled up toward the crown of her head. She looked around at the other buildings, her gaze settling on one that was slightly taller but was a few roof tops away. The grin returned to her face and she began to run towards it.

Finding the guild that her father spoke of could wait a little bit, right now she wanted to have some fun and she had some energy to burn. There was something about being on Earth for the first time since she was 'born' that made her feel giddy and happy. She felt elated, but she also felt more powerful than she had back in her father's realm. She felt fast and stronger and this was why she was running across the tops of buildings, jumping and climbing with her cloak thrown back and the cold wind nipping at her face.

Eventually she did stop running when she finally started to feel a little winded. She braced her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths and letting them out, surprised when she saw her breath cloud in front of her. A laugh bubble out of her throat and she blew out another breath to see it turn into a little cloud in front of her before disappearing. Slowly a pale blue glow started to appear on the roof and startled her eyes swung up to the sky and she felt her breath catch in her throat. The bright full moon was starting to come out from behind the thick clouds and she was instantly transfixed. She had never seen the moon before now and it was better than she had thought it would be.

Her fixation on the moon was shattered though when she sensed something menacing close to her. She spun around, throwing her cloak back to grab the hilt of the sword slung across her back and her eyes glaring sharply into the shadows around her. There were a few moments of long heavy silence before bright white eyes snapped open and a black blur shot out from the shadow thrown by a wall. She unsheathed her sword and with a small step and the flick of her wrist she split the shadow creature in two, the halves flying past her and into another shadow. Well, that wasn't so hard. She thought, sheathing her sword and started to walk toward the edge of the building to restart her search for the guild.

She stopped dead when she heard two identical cackles and she grabbed onto the hilt of her sword again while turning around. Two shadow creatures rammed into her, shoving her off the edge of the building. "Zwes!" She shouted, looking up and glaring at the two cackling creatures. She ground her teeth and flipped herself around so she was falling feet first, doing so just in time because a few seconds later she landed down hard on a parked car. The crunch of metal and soft tinkle of shattering glass were quickly drowned out by a blaring alarm that had her pressing her hands against her sensitive ears. With a pained wince she looked back up at the building and felt her annoyance grow seeing the shadowy imps pointing at her and laughing their heads off. "Uai oly kyok!" She shouted over the sound of the car alarm and jumped up from the car, crushing it further and silencing the loud piercing alarm.

The shadows skittered away from the edge of the building when she landed on it, still laughing even as she drew her sword. One stuck out it's version of a tongue and the tips of her ears started to turn red. An animal like growl ripped from her throat before she charged toward the creatures and they sunk back down into the shadows, but their eyes remained visible making it easy for her to run after them when they started to move and stab at the shadows with her sword.

[CommunistZed]

The cold, that's what he hated most, the cold. It reminded him of home, if you could even call the place home. Cold, wet, and covered with Witch's blood. It was going to be a wonderful evening, just wonderful. It had started out so pleasant, he'd gone to The Nexus, to find another "piece" to add to his "collection". He'd glanced around the room, looking for a suitable one, before he settled on three possible "pieces".
The first one was one of the bartenders, and she would've done nicely too. She was Russian by the looks of it, with ample breasts, that raised her appeal to many of the patrons, and not just him. But it would take a while for him to get her away from the bar, and into a better, more private place. So that one was crossed off the list.

The next one was sitting at the bar, looked younger than the bartender by a few years, barely legal perhaps? It didn't really matter, as it was apparent that she had came with a group, so the possibility of getting her away without anyone noticing would have been hardly an easy task. It was a pity too, she probably would've been an easy one, at least when it came to seduction. How good she would've been in bed, that was unknown to him. And that left him with the final one, and certainly the most vulnerability of the three.
The last one was the other bartender, she was new, the way she acted, he was certain of it. Small and tender, probably in need of comfort, comfort which he'd provide. Satisfied, he took out the metal flask filled with wassail, took a swig, and then imitating the movements of a drunk, stumbled out the front door. After making sure that no one was looking, he concentrated on the girl, and teleported to her location. Apparently, it was near the backdoor of the bar. Shutting it behind him, he approached the girl. She was startled at first, but after he turned on the charm, she began to loosen up.

Minutes later, the girl had already forgotten about what she was supposed to be doing, and just wanted to be with him. Right as he was about to begin, there was an indistinguishable sound in his mind, like a massive ringing in his ears. As it subsided, his eyes widened and whispered to himself a single word: "Paradise". Looking back at the girl, he set to work, ready to leave. After it was over, the girl lay dead, blood leaking from the chest wound he'd given her. Teleporting a safe distance away, he had walked the rest of the way home. That was 10 or 20 minutes ago, now at home, he was busy changing into a clean set of clothes. His doorman paid no mind to the blood soaking his clothes, after all, the man had been working for him for nearly 20 years, serving various roles. He often helped acquire some of the girls for his employer's pleasure, and was paid well for it. Nasir Abdul-Shaitan was his name, a name indicating Devil Worship when heard by other Muslims.

He came from a long line of purebred Islamic Warlocks, many of whom had done deals with Asmodeus' brethren in Inferno to gain power, and Nasir was no different. When Asmodeus clawed his way out of Inferno, it was Nasir who had greeted him. It became apparent that Nasir had been trying to summon a Demon out of Inferno at the same time Asmodeus was trying to escape. In a rare act of gratitude, Asmodeus extended Nasir's life using his magic, as well as performing a ritual with a Fire Witch to transfer the witch's powers to Nazir. In exchange, Nasir became Asmodeus' servant, acquiring bodies that his master could possess.

But that was in the past, and now it was the present. Asmodeus had changed into a more comfortable attire, clothes more suited for the bed than for anywhere else. As he walked through the gallery room where he kept his collection, their frozen and lifeless bodies kept within glass cases, he heard movement, coming from the next room, where he sleeps. Leaving the gallery, he walked to his room, and found one of his harem atop his bed, beckoning. As sounds of pleasure came from his Master's room, Nasir absentmindedly flipped through a book on Arabic Mythical creatures, before stopping on a page labeled with the title Ifrit.

[Catherine]

Amy passed a few alleyways on the way home. She even turned down a few purely out of boredom. It wasn't long before she was near her apartment building, located right above a pastry shop, most likely a cruel joke by the SBD agent who took care of finding a place for her to live in this 'incarnation.' They were closed at night, of course, so at least it wasn't as tempting. She was about to flicker up the stairs and into her apartment when she heard singing in the distance. It was loud, and it was the most beautiful thing she'd heard, and it was only a block or two away. She recognized it as a banshee's 'scream', having heard them before, but, It could be my time, finally. Maybe I'll finally get to be dead. She walked in the general direction of the scream, but the weather had started to turn rather suddenly, and before long, lightning was crashing down. How it managed to hit the street was a mystery to her, and the figure that appeared at the base was...interesting, to say the least.

Before Amy could investigate, the figure had already leapt away. Amy wanted to follow, but these people in the streets had seen enough of the paranormal to last them until their afterlife. But she did have to find this...thing. Amy ran to the closest open building and hid around a corner before begrudgingly teleporting to the roof. In the distance, the figure seemed to be moving, possibly fighting. Annoying! Stay there! She thought, hoping the thoughts would project, but knowing they wouldn't, not without more knowledge about this thing. She 'jumped' from rooftop to rooftop to get closer, but soon, the creature was out of sight again. It showed itself not long after, though, well enough that in the split second before Amy teleported out of its reach, she could tell it was a woman. A strangely dressed one, at that; not at all stylish, like myself. She had to teleport back once more as the blade almost hit her.

"I'd very much like it if you calmed down. I don't know what you're fighting, but it's not me." She held her hands up in front of her. "Whatever you are, I am legally bound to tell you to--" She remembered hearing this other woman speak not long ago. "You don't understand me, do you? Well, first, let's see where we are." She quickly looked around. "Okay, just a few blocks away. If you'll follow me, I'll have the SBD investigate -- Right, you don't understand me. Or maybe you do, and I'm being terribly rude. Sorry about that. I'm Amy. Amy Smith."

[KuroTenshi]

Why were these things? Why were they so damned infuriating and why wouldn't they hold still!?

Dextra cried out in victory when she finally, finally, stabbed her sword into a shadow and one of the annoying imps let out a painful screech before it disappeared in a mist of black. She spun around with her sword to locate the other one, blowing at a piece of hair hanging in her face as she did so. Suddenly a voice spoke up and she jumped in surprise, backing away and nearly tripping over a pipe that ran across the roof. She hadn't heard or smelt the person approach her, there was no way that she had been so wrapped up in trying to kill these little monstrosities that she completely missed someone approaching her directly.

She held up her sword in front of her and started to speak, "Qwos ka uai qofs?" her nose twitched at the air, trying to find some kind of scent coming from the woman in front of her but she smelt nothing. It was puzzling to no end, she could see her and she could sense her, there was definitely some magic there, but how could she not smell her? She lowered her sword when the woman held up her hands to show that she didn't mean her any harm. "E kaf's nfaq qwos uai'ly zouefr." she said with a small wave of her hand. Hearing a snicker she looked down and saw the eyes of the other imp appear in the shadows. "Qospw ais!" She yelled, running forward to push the woman out of the way, but found herself passing right through her and falling onto the ground. "Qwos swy wydd?" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief and looking back up at the woman, trying to process why she just went right through her. "Aw uai oly o zheles. Fa qafkyl uai qyly oxdy sa zfyon ih af ty!" she pushed herself back up and turned her attention to where the wild cackling was coming from.

Annoyance reaching it's peak she chucked her sword at the shadow and grinned when it struck it's target and the imp disappeared in the same manner as the first. "Befoddu." she sighed in relief, dusting off the red skirt of her dress and walking over to the sword to pick it up. "E'jy fyjyl yfpaifsylyk zatyswefr oz offauefr oz swazy ethz." she stated with a bit of a laugh in her voice, a smile on her face and a satisfied twinkle in her bright gold eyes. "E wojyf's yfpaifsylyk zatyswefr oz offauefr oz swazy ethz zefpy swy sety E wok sa xoxuzes swez dessdy uohhefr ofetod. Kou ef ofk kou ais. Ueh! Ueh! Ueh! Ueh!" towards the end she kicked up her voice a few octaves higher to imitate some kind of annoying sound no doubt. "Xis ofuqou, uai oly o zheles!" she shouted turning to face the spirit completely while motioning to her. "E wojy afdu zyyf zhelesz ef swy ihhyl lyodtz, tu boswyl sadk ty swos zatysetyz swyu qafkyl swy Yolsw obsyl kyosw xis E kekf's swefn E qaidk tyys afy za zaaf." she finished talking with a large grin on her face before it slowly fell. "Aw, uai kaf's ifkylzsofk ofuswefr E zou ka uai?" she let out a frustrated huff and scratched at the back of her neck. "Qydd E ohadarecy bal swos." she muttered, sounding and looking apologetic about something.