@shylarah"Good to know we have an understanding of one another." Tsitua replied, his voice fueled by potential promise for the future. "We would have followed you anyway." He added. He stood, leaving his food half-eaten. Had it been transported to his table by less revolting hands he might have finished it, but he could already tell that the processed food of earth's restaurants would probably harm him more than fuel his body. He set a one hundred dollar bill on the table and nodded to Orion.

Turning back to Amuné, he held an expression of relief. He had expected her to be much more combative about the whole situation. "Well, let's go." He said, having no intention of leaving her alone.

Amuné nodded. "Yes, I figured as much." She finished the last bit of her salad and slid the bowl a few inches further away. When she did, Jareth dropped the fry he was playing with and looked up. Usually he ate like he was starving, but concern about what was coming had made him misplace his appetite. The young lady noticed, her eyes taking in the mound of fries that remained, but she made no comment, instead getting to her feet. She said farewell to Curly on their way out, who gave them a cheerful wave.

As she descended the stairs, the college student pulled out her phone. "What's your number?" she asked Tsitua, swiping her thumb across the screen to unlock it. "I'll be ready by six thirty, but I'll need to let you know where to meet me." Amuné figured he or his cronies would be keeping an eye on her, but she didn't want to set the location in advance. The less time he had to scope the place out, the harder it would be to pull off an ambush.

((can add to if needed, but do need to know if he gives her a number @TheMinorFall))

Tsitua walked beside the girl, descending the stairs at her speed while she talked. "Ah, that lack of trust." He commented, mostly to himself. "Victor will sync your phone to mine. You lack the coding for me to just input my number."

As if he was listening as they spoke, a set of characters appeared in the space where he would have typed his information. To Amuné they would probably just look like a jumble of marks not unlike Asian characters, but more foreign. More ancient. The information locked in, and Tsitua gave her a hard look. "Share that with anyone, especially government, and the consequences will be great. Our anonymity is vital to maintaining peace on this world." He had purposely hinted at her that this was not the only world, but it was unlikely she would pick up on that just yet. "A very select few in powerful places know about us. We are under orders to keep it this way." He shifted his pace, descending the stairs ahead of her.

He stopped outside on the sidewalk and lit another cigarrette, drawing deep and letting the chemicals perfuse into his system. "Oh, one more thing.." He looked around, cut his audio connection to his team and spoke in an extremely low tone next to her ear, "Can you direct me to a flower shop?" He asked.

****

Orion caught his Leader's nod, as well as his neural message. Once the others had exited the establishment he popped the next finger just as sickeningly at the last. In truth, it was one mannerism that he had never been able to shake. It had stayed with him, and probably always would. These days were good. As long as he stayed fed, he was fine. Other than his usual, solemn, almost sad and quiet demeanor, he was fairly sane. The problem was, ever since his change, he no longer craved humans like before. He still needed them to survive, but the real cravings were for the flesh of demons. They were the fillet mignon of people. He had to have one a month, along with a human body every week, or the hunger would come. Normal ghoul's survive for a month on one body, but the amount of chakra that his body used with his.. line of work caused him to need to eat more often

He let out a quiet sigh through his nose and hailed the vampire waitress, "Excuse me, miss?" He asked, attempting to beckon her over to him. He didn't particularly like this, but as a full fledged Blood Warrior, and holder of the legendary nickname "Blankface", Orion would escape and evade whatever they threw at him.

Blankface was who Orion was before all of this. Before Jack, before Aurian, before Sybil, he was the most famous ghoul since Centipede. He wore a blank, white mask, and was known among the Doves as the fastest ghoul alive. He could hit Mach 1 back then. He was even faster now. @shylarah

Amuné pursed her lips as a member of Tsitua's team demonstrated their utter disregard for her privacy. She had to remind herself that they were probably leery of otera as well, and perhaps did not realize how it appeared to her. She couldn't let dislike cloud her judgement. "I have no intention of sharing your private information with others. And if you think I have any attachment to the government, you couldn't be farther from the truth." Government officials, human or otherwise, ranked rather high on the list of people she did not trust at all.

The mention of a flower shop got a lifted eyebrow, but she waved a hand at the compact storefront a few feet away. "Right there," the young lady said. "Thank you for lunch, and I'll see you this evening." With that, she turned to walk off. Jareth gave a wave and a mostly cheerful farewell, then followed suit.

"So what do you think?" he asked, once they were a couple blocks away.
"I have no idea what to think," his friend replied, furrowing her brow. "But one thing is certain, trouble is on its way." Amuné shook her head. "Looks like I'd bwetter make my excuses for classes, shouldn't I?"

~~~~~~

The waitress came over to the Orion's table. "How're ya doing, cutie?" she asked, flashing a wide smile at him. "I'm Cera, and I'll be taking care of you. Special today is elf -- a young one, actually, so that's particularly rare. Donated, of course."

@TheMinorFall

@shylarahOrion blushed, his pale skin turning a faint pink at his cheeks as he looked down. Jack was the only one who had paid him compliment. "I'm not.. I've eaten." He sighed. Was this place a local neutral zone, or was it under the Blood Pact? The Blood Pact was a protection laid down by the ancient blood warriors. If it was, he wouldn't have to break any rules. "Listen," he's said, getting over his natural shyness, "I'm looking for the Queen." He brought his old mask up from out of sight and set it on the table in front of him. The girl likely wouldn't know his name, but seeing that she knew what he was, it was likely that she would know who Blankface was.

The ghoul he was looking for, Queen, was the most wanted ghoul in the country. CCG files have no photos or records of sightings, only rumors from ghoul prisoners. Her lacky, Wolf, was famous, however. If this girl knew anything, it would probably lead to him first.

Queen had something he needed.

[whats this???? A side plot?!?!?!?! *flails*]

"Ah, that's shame." Cera shrugged. "Let me guess, here on work then?" Her gaze shifted to the door, which was just swinging shut behind Amuné's group. Her brows shot up in surprise as the rather unassuming ghoul in front of her set his mask on the table. "Well, I didn't know we were hosting a celebrity." Her smile was quick to return. "It's a shame today is Bart's day off, he's always all over it any time news of you hits the net." Her expression clouded as she turned her attention to the Queen he'd mentioned. "There's been a rumor of a ghoul going by that name, but nothing solid." She changed her position and glanced back at the entrance to the kitchen. "Look, I really shouldn't be passing information while on the clock, but if you're after her...I'm sure there's a reason. Gimme a minute, okay?"

The vampire turned and vanished into the kitchen. When she returned, she no longer wore her apron. "C'mon," she said, gesturing for Orion to follow her. "I'm taking my fifteen, so we can talk.” She headed around a corner and out onto a small balcony area overlooking the alley behind the building. Aside from putting on a pair of sunglasses, she didn’t seem to have any trouble with the afternoon sun, though she did choose to stand in the shade instead of directly in its light. “So there really is a Queen, huh?” Cera leaned against the railing around the balcony, crossing one leg across the other. “Lots of people claim they’ve seen her, but no two stories match, so I had doubts.” The waitress tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear and considered. “There’s some guy called Wolf that works for her, though. Him I know more about. Very well known, that one. Seems to be a lieutenant, or maybe her second. I’ll tell you what I can, but I don’t know how useful it’ll be. What do you want to know?”

~~~~~~

Back on campus, Amuné and Jareth headed in separate directions. The latter had a class to get to, and the Seer needed to let various professors and instructors know that she was going to be missing class. Then she headed back to her dorm. Her roommate was there when she opened the door, and leaned her chair back far enough that she could tip her head to look at Amuné upsidedown . “Hey, there! How’d that test you mentioned go?” she asked around the piece of gum in her mouth.
“Oh, it was cake. Somehow the prof left all the hard stuff off, so I spent that time studying for nothing.”
“Man, I’m not surprised. You always get good grades, ‘Ne, I’m so jealous.” Kirsten blew a bubble and popped it. “Whereas the rest of us actually have to work to keep our GPA up.” She laughed, but her grin faded when Amuné only returned a distracted smile. “Something up? You seem troubled.”
“Oh...yeah, I’m sorry. A good friend from back when I was still in foster care, he’s in real trouble, and I’m the closest thing he has to family. He’s out on the west coast, so I’ll be flying out there. No idea how long it’s going to take.”
The other girl gasped. “Goodness, I’m sorry to hear that! Yes, you go -- gosh I hope things get better for him soon, but at least he has you, right?”
“Thanks Kirsten.” Amuné smiled. Her roommate might seem a bit ditzy on the surface, but she was very compassionate and always willing to help out. “Hey, could you give me a hand packing? I need to be on my way by six so I can head by my parents’ place and get a ride to the airport.”

((I can skip that scene ahead to meeting Tsitua whenever you like, but I don't want to have Orion too far behind.))

@shylarahHe followed the Vampire out to the balcony. She was going through a lot of trouble to help him. He wondered if the 'cutie' comment had been sincere, but was pulled from such thought by the name "Wolf". He flashed back for a second, remembering that metal mask like a wolf's snout. The blood splattered on its surface, those teeth... he looked down and then at the street below. He had Tsitua's permission. It was time to end this.

"There's more at play here than you realize. She's not a rumor, she's a person -a ghoul- and only three people have seen her." He looked at Cera with cold eyes, "I am one of them." He held out his old mask to her. "Here, I don't need it, I have a new one. Your friend can keep this, and I'll promise to come meet him. In exchange, could you help me find Queen?"

[lets go back and forth with Orion and Cera for a bit and come back to them. I've never done a sub-plot before, but this seems like a seamless way to stitch it in! C:]

((@TheMinorFall sounds good to me~))

"Even if she wasn't real, people are doing things in her name. That would make her real enough." The offer of the mask made Cera's eyes widen, but she took it with a smile that showed far more sharp teeth than a person ought to have. "Oh, Bart'll be over the moon. You'd do that?" Her expression shifted a bit as she looked him up and down, reassessing her opinion. "Seems what they say is true, you're not a bad sort." She sighed. "I know it's serious, particularly if you think she or her followers are around here. The Upstairs, this town...we live quiet, y'know? Yeah, there's a bit of killing, can't help that, but for the most part it's live and let live. That only works if we don't go drawing attention to ourselves. The Queen and her lot, they make a racket. And they want reasonable things, but their methods draw a lot of attention, and a lot of anger. I don't think they're going about this the right way." The vampire grimaced. "Then again, I don't have a counter suggestion, so." She shrugged, and looked down at the alley below for a long moment.

"That Wolf, he's a nasty piece of work. Vicious, violent, and from what I hear it's only the Queen holding his leash that keeps him from causing total chaos. Not that he doesn't make a mess, but at least it's somewhat directed." The waitress brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear again. "They makes it worse for all of us that prefer not to kill humans. You want help, you got it. And not just me. I know more than a few that'd be more than happy to have her out of the way." This time Cera's grin was not friendly. "Those that don't respect life don't deserve to have theirs respected. If it comes to an all out fight, I imagine the majority around here would pitch in." She tilted her head at Orion, and her expression turned serious. "You might be better off leaving who you are quiet, though. There's some that think you're little better, what with your time in Aogiri." She tapped her fingers on the railing in thought. "I've not heard any word of messy kills lately, not like that. There was a nasty murder earlier this month, but neither of the bodies were...missing pieces. Not that didn't turn up later, that is, and no messages or anything. I wouldn't think it's connected, but it's somewhere to start while you're waiting for something more substantial." She turned to face the ghoul fully again. "So other than keeping a finger on the pulse of the city, what can I do to help? Oh, and do ya got somewhere I can reach you if I find anything?"

@shylarah"Yeah," Orion said, "that mask isn't who I am anymore." He let her take the mask and returned to a slightly more relaxed posture. His messy, silver hair tossed in the wind as he listened to her.

"I think we need to keep this as quiet as possible. Like you said, not everyone is fond of Blankface. I don't want anyone getting hurt trying to help or even get in my way. Even you will stay here. When I find Wolf, I'm going to kill him and it's going to be worse than you've ever seen. I don't want you getting mixed up in all of this and getting into trouble." He said, placing his hand on her like a big brother to a little sister. After a moment he took his hand away and looked out at the city as she spoke of murder.

It all seemed like the right MO, but the recent activity was more like common ghoul activity. That meant some one from the Royals was staying in the city, probably scouting it for Queen's lieutenants to make their next move. If the murder was about a month ago and there were no missing pieces like she said, it was probably collateral damage from a feeding, or the feeding itself. It was just like the Royals to be unafraid of leaving a trail. Cocky bastards Orion thought to himself.

He looked to Cera again when she asked what else she could do. "I'll need to find a place to lay low and sleep. If you know a place, that would be helpful. I'll also need a guide around the city."

[omg this post feels like it sucks...]

Cera looked at him with an amused expression. "You speak like I'm some powerless mortal," she chuckled, though she seemed more flattered that he cared than offended. "I doubt it would be that much worse than some of my experiences." She looked a little guilty. "I was rather...wild, as a fledgeling. Hung out with a mixed bunch -- a rough crowd, and we thought we ruled the world. It was a game to us. It may be bloody, but worse...?" She shook her head, falling silent. "I'll say I'm not happy you think I should be left behind," the vampire continued after a moment. "However good you may be, you're still only one, and you don't even know if your Wolf, or whoever is here, is working alone. You should take someone with you. If you don't want me, I can find someone better. After all, it'd be a shame if you got that cute face smashed in." She said it lightly, but once again she seemed sincere.

She pushed off the railing, taking a step closer. "Yeah, I know a motel where they don't ask questions. Not precisely /safe/, but if you want to lay low, that's the spot. They don't take plastic there, though. It's not exactly easy to find, there's a lot of dead ends and one-way streets in that part of town. Makes navigation interesting. I gotta get back inside, and I'm not off until four, but if you don't mind swinging by again I can give you a lift when my shift's over."

((@TheMinorFall Debating who I might have be the guide...though Cera might just do it herself. Probably will for at least one day. ^.^;; Also debating just how interested in him she is. It's obviously not anything deep, but she called him cutie for a reason.))

@shylarah"It's not that I don't believe in you." He said, looking down again, "I just don't want you to get hurt. The people of this world are precious to me. All of them. Even the ones I have to kill." He thought about it for a moment. Tsitua said he would have to end the matter without their help, but that didn't mean he had to go alone. Maybe she was right. "No, you'll be fine. I don't need someone better." He said, looking away to hide the blush from being called 'cute' again. He stayed quiet as she continued talking and stepped closer. He blushed a little more, but collected himself.

"Well I'm not doing anything until then, maybe I can help out around the place. No need to get paid. I can make coffee for people if you like. I used to work in this little coffee shop in Japan from time to time." He said reminiscently, leading the way to the door to go back inside.

****

On the other side of town, in an abandoned warehouse full of forgotten pallets of materials and stock, two men stood facing each other. One was average height, with slicked hair and crystalline, blue eyes that were brought out by his graphite-colored, pinstripe suit. His tie was a bold shade of blue to match. His hands were gloved with the cleanest of white gloves that fit him perfectly as they lay clasped at his back. He had a playfully authoritative look on his face as he gazed into the eyes of the ghoul before him.

The ghoul's nickname, given by this "CCG" was rather appropriate. He even had the half-faced mask to support the theme. The mask was made of stainless steel, shaped smoothly into a wolf's mouth and snout. It wrapped around the back of the ghoul's head and clasped with a padlock bearing a blue crown symbol. His eyes were the only part of his face that was clearly visible, although the mask seemed to be designed to be able to come apart with his jaw to aid his bite. Those ghoulish, black and red eye gazed emotionless back at the suited man from under Snow White, razor-layered hair. The rest of this ghoul was hidden under a dark maroon cloak.

"Do you know why I am here?" The suit asked, his smooth, regal baritone voice echoing softly through the empty building. Wolf remained silent and unmoving. " I am here to help your queen. My name is Kabuto."

Wolf's eyes narrowed. His head tilted slightly forward, as if to say 'I'm listening'.

The vampire's smile broadened. "Excellent~ In that case, I'd be happy to serve as a guide, when I'm not working. You're lucky, I'm off tomorrow." His offer of help was met with a raised brow and a thoughtful expression. "Hm, well...can't have you working with the food -- liability issues, you know. But there's always dishes that need washing." As Cera stepped inside, she pulled off her sunglasses. "If you're serious, follow me." She headed back through the door to the kitchens, sticking the shades in a purse and snagging her apron from the hook where it hung.

"What's he doing?" a sharp voice snapped as she turned to head farther in. The source was a short and rather goblinish man, his skin grey-green and his ears pointed.

"Wants to help while he's waiting for me to get off work," Cera replied, her tone blythly unaware of the scowl he fixed her with from beneath heavy brows. He looked at Orion, then back to the waitress with a snort. "And what do you think he'll be doing?"

"Washing dishes."

"...Fine. But if he breaks any, it comes out of /your/ pay," was the snapped reply. "Look here, boy. Wash your hands, follow the rules, keep your nose clean. /Don't/ break anything. No slacking. And if you get in the way, you're out. Got it?" A reply in the affirmative elicited only a frown, and the man turned and stalked off, grumbling.

"Don't let Grimly intimidate you too much," the vampire said softly in Orion's ear. "He acts far worse than he really is. Not that you want him actually angry with you, but he's not so bad once you get to know him." She held out another apron, and lead him to the sinks. "Here you go, cutie~ I'll see you in a couple hours." She gave him a smile and a wink before hurrying away.

---

((time to skip both of them. I have only a little more for Cera and Orion tonight, most likely...unless he seems amenable to her...ah, sticking around.))

Shortly before six thirty, Amuné texted a street corner to Tsitua. It wasn't in the center of campus, but it wasn't so far away that it wouldn't have people around. She'd said her farewells to those that mattered, including her parents by way of video chat, and taken care of everything she needed to. Now she headed out of her dorm and toward the meeting spot, pulling a small rolling suitcase behind her. When Jareth fell in beside her, carrying a gym bag, she was taken aback but somehow not very surprised. "What do you think you're doing?" the young woman demanded. "You're not going to come with -- what about your classes on Monday?"

"You and I both know that if you have nobody familiar around, you're going to shut yourself in your room and refuse to talk to anyone," he replied.

"I'm not that bad!"

"Well no, but you're hardly much better. Relax, just for a day or two, until you get settled in, okay? Then I'll head back."

Amuné opened her mouth to give a biting retort. Didn't he know just how dangerous being around her would be, until things were resolved?! But something made her stop, nothing she could pin down, just a vague impression. "Alright," she agreed grudgingly. "Let's go."

@TheMinorFall

@shylarahOrion took the apron reluctantly, unsure of its purpose for washing. He donned it anyway, guessing it was some kind of uniform. The goblin-looking... thing was almost comical, but he took all the information in and and nodded, "Got it." He couldn't help a smirk when she told him not to be intimidated.

He went to the dish sink and got to work. He couldn't go too fast or he would make a mess, but his speed was still impressive. He found himself waiting most of the time for more to come. He moved almost too fast.

It was nice to do something that wasn't killing demons or training. The very nature of the work was calming. He hoped Jack was finding peace in her vacation.

****

Mouse was waiting on the street corner when Amuné and Jareth showed up. He was his usual self, a loose tank shirt and parkour pants with high top shoes and a flat billed hat. His hair hung down as he sat cross legged on top of a public mailbox, leaned over with his elbows on his knees. In his hands was a game boy that he was intently focused on. Little sounds were emanating from the device as his thumbs hit the buttons almost frantically. His tongue was out, toying with one of his snake bite lip rings in a tick of concentration.

People would turn head to him as they walked by. Some even took pictures on their phones. But he didn't care. He really needed to get to level 65, and a crowd of humans were not going to stop him.

The Seer paused when she rounded a building and caught sight of Mouse for the first time. He was bright, painfully so at first, and it took her a moment to adjust. But he wasn't someone she recognized. What were the odds that someone else that was more than merely human and practically a beacon just happened to be on the corner she'd designated? Slim to none. Still, just the fact that it wasn't Tsitua made her more wary that she would have been otherwise, and her hand never strayed too far from her knife.

"Waiting for someone?" she asked the man. He was handsome enough to be drawing stares, hardly discreet, but she supposed it worked. There was no way she could miss him, not even at several yards.

((@TheMinorFall short. -.-))

@shylarah"Uh, yeah. You, dummy." He said playfully, not breaking concentration from his game. As an angel, he figured he might be blinding to a perception based chakra user, but Lord Tsitua had insisted. He looked at the young girl with shimmering, golden, cat-slit eyes, but only briefly, as the ogres in his game were attacking his character. He furiously tapped at the buttons. "No! Come on!" He stood up, still on the mailbox, holding the handheld game up like Simba as he fended off the forces of virtual evil. A moment later a victorious melody chimed as he passed to level sixty-five. "YES!" He exclaimed, backglipping off of his perch and onto the side walk. People were staring now.

He tossed he gameboy behind him, but it never hit the ground. It was just gone. He held out a hand to shake, "My name is Zariel, Angel of Passage, but you can call me mouse." He flashed a big smile showing off his three sets of fangs.

To the boy, he was just a guy with fangs and weird eyes. Amune's perceptive chakras, on the other hand, would let her see the ethereal wings at his back and horns hovering over his forehead, both made of heavenly light. She would be able to see the purity of him as an angel. He figured Tsitua was counting on this.

****

He was.

Tsitua was perched about half a mile away on a very tall building. The monocular scope he held on his palm brought to his eye the angel and the seer's interactions. Through meeting her, he had made a dossier profile on his neural hard drive. Above all things, Amuné trusted her visions, despite the fact that they had a tendency to be vague. He had deduced this by her mannerisms and behavior throughout his encounter with her. She was reserved, yet willing to explore. Some part of her recognized him, yet she was wary. He needed to find a way to show her what side they were on that she would believe with little question. He believed that inviting her to meet the legendary Angel of Passage would do this. Clearly she would know nothing of his legend, but that didn't matter. It was his nature, not his story that would turn the tides of her trust.

He looked to his right just as Lya landed. Lya, his third-in-command, was a gorgeous woman. She stood around five feet, six inches tall with just the right amount of curves. She was the same rank as Orion, despite her positional authority, so the left side of her head was shaved. The rest of her hair was waist-length, sky blue waves. Blue was her natural hair color, du to the fact that she was from He'Lé-Änn.

She shifted her weight to one hip as she looked toward the seer, "You really think she's the one Nunque has been rambling about?" She asked, unsure of his deduction.

"Trust me," he answered, returning to his surveillance, "I speak Hellish a lot better than you. This is the girl."

((I though Lya was his second. She got demoted. =P))

She did indeed see the wings and horns, once she was able to look at him properly. But Amuné did not believe in the divine. If gods and angels existed, they were not infallible, nor above suspicion. So her smile as she shook the offered hand was thin. What had Tsitua been thinking, sending someone who made such a fuss? "Mouse. A pleasure, I'm sure." She did not offer her name in return, despite her decision to accept Tsitua's offer, though that was more due to her habit of sharing as few details as possible with those she didn't know than because she didn't want him to know it. "I've decided to accept Tsitua's offer in its entirety." Her expression flickered and she frowned, closing her eyes to better focus on the sensation of being watched. A glance in the right direction didn't help, with the observers being so distant. "The faster we get out of here the better." She hesitated, her gaze sweeping Mouse from head to toe, her senses seeking any impression her magic would give her. But nothing significant came loose in response to her query. "Someone's observing us," Amuné added, figuring that if she was going to let them help protect her the least she could do was keep them informed of the situation.

@TheMinorFall

@shylarah"Yup, its the boss. He and the rest of the team are keeping distance to intercept any potential threats." He said, munching on a bag of tobasco and wasabi flavored chips that came into existence by the time Amune's eyes came back up. "And rest assured, none of these people will remember the three of us. Perks of being an angel." He added with a thumbs up and a friendly smile.

As he stood there, smiling and chewing, he allowed some of his natural wards to weaken. She was prying, so why not let her. He allowed her mind to be almost overwhelmingly flooded with visions of his past of traveling in the mountains of Heaven Prime in the Divine system, fighting the third demonic war, and his favorites: years of pranking Marcus. He re-strengthened the wards before her feeble human mind was destroyed by visions of divine beings, and dropped his grin for a confused look. "That's weird, I could've sworn-"

He was cut off by a dark figure grabbing him and throwing him into the street. It was another demon like the one from before at the school. It glared at her hungrily, but it was short lived. The demon that is. Mouse was suddenly in front of Amuné. He gently placed his palm on the demon's forehead, causing it to disintegrate into nothing.

He turned to her, dumping spicy crumbs into his mouth. "Lefs go." He said through a full mouth as he led the way toward a subway entrance.

She saw the flashes of distant places, the bits of battles, and...a friend? A rival? It wasn’t clear. But none of that was significant, none of it told her what kind of person he was. Some of what she saw burned, like drinking tea before it had a chance to cool. Amuné shook her head to clear it, and frowned. There was something dark there, after all -- perhaps she shouldn’t trust Mouse. But then the demon sent him flying, and she realized she’d misjudged the source. Next to her, Jareth yelped in surprise, falling back several steps and looking around to see if there were others. The Seer had dropped the handle of her bag and now stood ready to fight, her knife in her hand. But there was no need; Mouse handled the demon, turning it into dust.

It was a moment before she could finish processing what he’d just done, and slid the knife away. “What the heck did you do to him?” Jareth was trying, without much success, to keep from goggling at Mouse.
“...Actually, I’m rather curious about that myself,” Amuné admitted, watching their escort as she retrieved her suitcase. I’ve not seen many attacks able to do that, not without needing time to prepare.” She heaved it up so she could get it down the stairs better and she and her friend descended after Mouse into the subway.

@TheMinorFall

@shylarahMouse brought up a glass of kook-aid from nowhere and downed half of the contents. As it disappeared from Amune's line of sight with his turn to face her, it vanished entirely. "You mean you've been watching me this whole time, you see my residual aura and you think I need to prepare spells like a human? Who do you think taught magic to humans to begin with?" He took the suitcase from her out of chivalry -whether she like it or not- and carried it down the steps as he talked.

"A long time ago, long before your Jesus walked the earth, Angels coexisted with humans quite flawlessly. We nurtured you, guided you and taught you things. We taught you to make tools, to hunt, to farm. We taught you to build things and map the stars. Every religion, culture, and ethnicity has a debatably similar belief or story, all based on what we taught ancient people before you were mature enough to go on your own. Some of your scientists say it was ancient aliens, most of your religious leaders say it was divinity." They reached the bottom of the stairs and he offered the luggage back to her. "They are both right. Angels, aliens, gods. Different beliefs call us different things. We call ourselves Aheila, so I guess angels works too." He led them toward a platform and stood still, waiting for the next train. "Anyway, that's not the point. Point is: I don't have to take time for prep because, unlike most humans, I have a direct connection to what the boss man calls 'chakras'. Magicka, magic, ka, chi, whatever you call it, it's all the same thing. Aheila are living chakra. Energy in a sentient form. We only occupy bodies. This one belonged to a sacrifice from an ancient culture. I kinda like it too." He looked over himself. "See, Aheila only claim bodies of recently deceased, and only under direct order of Ärch Aheila Gabriel. The D'vemonü take the bodies of the living and consume their chakra heart, or soul if you will." He put a lollipop on his mouth as a train pulled up. "That's why they look all messed up, and I am beautiful." He flashed a grin and stepped on the train. Orion was there already, sitting in a seat almost conspicuously. The rest of the length they were in was nearly empty, only a few civilians and one demon. It was Ziik.

Mouse dapped Ziik and gestured to the empty seats for the girl and her friend just as Lya and Tsitua followed them on board.

“He’s not /my/ Jesus.” Amuné scowled. “There is no such thing as a god, and from what you say, you are not an angel either, whatever word you may choose to use. And if aliens is truly correct, then divinity of any nature would not be. Religion is a tool -- perhaps a necessary one, and one I will not deprive others of, but make no mistake about my beliefs.
“Easy there,” her friend murmured in her ear, before lifting his voice to address Mouse. “She gets pissy when people assume she’s religious.”
“I get understandably annoyed when people forget not everyone is like them,” Amuné snapped, but she relented with a sigh. “Sorry. ...A species that has easy access to magic like that is interesting, I suppose.” And frightening, she added mentally. Even if they were generally good, something she had no reason to believe, a single one that wished to wreak havoc could cause so much destruction.... The thought triggered something, a brief vision, but what she saw didn’t seem to have any bearing on what was going on, so she discarded it.

She was not fond of the subway. She’d learned, long ago, that it was best to always have an escape route, and an underground train had very limited options, none of them very good. Not to mention being underground always made her vaguely uneasy. Still, Amuné followed Mouse onto the train. Orion was not unexpected. The demon was a surprise. She put her case on the overhead rack before sliding into the seat after Jareth, glancing over at Tsitua and the unknown woman as they arrived. Despite believing that she’d made the right choice, the young Seer was tense. Was she being forced out of her depth? And if so, how far?

@TheMinorFall