Darnies leaned his chair back even further, his arm dangling over the back and a smirk firmly in place as he looked to the man across the table to him. He looked like he was going to either start sweating or throwing punches if Darnies didn't do something, so the boy took pity on him.

"I recommend you fold, friend." He said, never loosing his posture or smirk. The man looked to him in disbelief before looking to his two friends and laughing as he waved his cards.

"Yer the one gonna be wantin' to fold, boy. And I ain't yer friend." He said, drunken words slurring his speech. He threw his cards face up on the table. "Full House." He declared, reaching for the money before Darnies' chair legs slamming the ground made him freeze, startled. The boy leaned his weight on the table and sighed as he stood.

"Shame we ain't friends," He spoke up, flipping his cards and dropping them to the table, swiping the money in the process and stuffing it in his jacket's inner pocket. "'Cause, y'see, I share with my friends." The red hearts in the Royal Flush reflected the older man's complection.

"Damn...Damn! Fuck!" He growled, swiping the cards off the table and onto the ground.

"No, it's DarnDarn. If you're gonna say someone's nickname, say it right. And there are kids in this bar so you should really avoid sweari-" The man grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward, causing him to lose the support he had from the table and pinwheel to gain his balance back.

"You cheated somehow you little shit, now yer gonna give me back my fuckin' money or my boys and I'll-"

"You'll what." Darnies replied, cutting him off and grabbing his wrist. His dark eyes showed no mercy as he grabbed the man's thumb and bent it back until the man was kneeling in a submissive position to lessen the pain. "I don't like threats, Hamor." He swore, keeping the man in place. The whimper of pain that followed must have woken his friends from their stupor, because one hauled back and threw a punch at Darnies seconds later, forcing the boy to duck and grab his cane before dancing out of the way.

"Get 'im!" The man on the floor growled, cradling his hand to his chest. Darnies held his hand up, signalling off the other patrons who stood up to help him, and swung his cane to catch Man 2 in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, but the satisfaction was short lived as man 3 football tackled him, knocking the air out of his lungs and knocking the both of them right through the bar's front window.

The unforgiving concrete didn't come, but unforgivingly hard arms did. Shoulders cradled in one of these arms, he looked over to see Man 3 in a choke hold of the other.

"Hey, Chasa." He grinned up at the woman, and she somehow manage to look both concerned and judgmental.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! Sore losers at poker, is all. You mind standing by the door so they don't leave yet?" He questioned, grin still in place even as blood seeped out the corner of his mouth. The woman sighed, but nodded. That was one thing she wasn't too fond of from her Golem's half; should a Jewish person-especially a Witch- ask for help, she felt compelled to comply. Not that she wouldn't have helped regardless, but the vague tingling beneath her skin bothered her. Noticing her slight grimace, Darnies flinched. "Sorry, forgot. You only need to help if you want."

She smiled, nodding again as the tingling subsided and let him go, pushing Man 3 ahead of her and into the bar where the first two cowered upon seeing her intimidating figure fill up the doorway with Darnies at her side. He leaned against her for support as he picked his cane up once again.

"I hope you guys didn't lose all your money to me." Darnies mocked slightly, looking to Chasa as her eyes brightened.

"That's right," She spoke, causing them to flinch. "Because you're paying for Bec's new window." She smiled at them, crossing her arms and nodding to the red headed woman. They watched together as the men handed the money over the counter to Rebecca before scurrying out as she stepped aside, catching Darnies as her sudden support disappeared. She gave him a friendly glare.

"And you," She spoke, causing him to looking at her. "You're paying for my new groceries." It was his turn to flinch as he turned to look outside. Among all the broken glass, there were two brown bags, one with milk spilling out of the container, the other with eggs scattered around it. He groaned in dismay.

"Not that I won't pay for them, but why did you have groceries if you were coming to the bar? It's 4 blocks from the apartment and the store is the other way..." he trailed of, his questioning tone turning concerned when the girl began looking nervous.

"Let's get a seat, DarnDarn," she said, leading him over to one of the booths in the corner. Once they were seated, Chasa let out a heavy sigh. "A detective caught up with me right in front of my door when I got back from the store; one of your neighbors told him we were close and that I'd know where to find you..."

"He's questioning all of Grayson's neighbors," Darnies put together, grasping his Magen David necklace and whispering a blessing for the werewolf that had been killed in apartment 2-M, just three doors down from Darnies.

"Yes, and I had to tell him where you were so he could question you too, but my Nature said you not knowing he was coming was a danger, so I didnt even get the chance to put my groceries down before I was moving in your direction. Guess you were in a different kind of danger," she looked over to the broken window, then back to Darnies where he was sliding a particularly large piece of glass out of his arm before he wrapped the area with one of Rebecca's old bar rags. With anyone else, that probably would have made her sick to watch, but she'd seen Darnies get in plenty of fights since they met, and they often end with some kind of glass being shattered and making it's way into his skin, so she just sighed instead, especially when he left all the other smaller pieces in his skin and just held another rag to make sure he didn't bleed on Rebecca's furniture. "This is the third time Rebecca's window has been broken by you."

"Hey!" Darnies frowned indignantly. "It's not my fault drunks think their untouchable in some card games. At least I never play with the regulars, I'd have claws and teeth in me instead of glass," he huffed, causing Chasa to laugh. "I'll be fine, I doubt the cop suspects me, and even if he did I got like 12 people in here that can place me here getting in another fight at the time of Grayson's murder."

Chasa sighed at the fact that his alibi was a bar fight, but the information was enough to convince her Nature that she didn't have to be on protective alert for him.

"What's he gonna say about a nineteen year old getting in bar fights?" She asked him as he got out of the booth and limped over to the broom that Rebecca seemed to keep against the back wall just for him. He made his way out the bar door and began sweeping up his mess, and she leaned on the door frame behind him.

"Well I ain't drinkin' and I ain't the one throwin' the first punch- got witnesses for that too- and this is a family bar, yeah? It's got food and a kids menu and everything," he said, relaxing a bit now that he knew the situation could be handled. "He doesn't need to know we were playin' for money. Drunk men will always get angry when they lose to a kid." He let out a distracted chuckle before looking out to the rest of the mess he needed to clean. "This is gonna take a while..."

"In that case, I'm gonna go sit at the bar until you're done," she said, patting his head gently once with a smile. "The detective will probably show up before you're even done."

"Joy." He responded humorlessly, catching some blood trailing down his arm with the extra rag before he went back to sweeping. Chasa knew better than to try and help patch him up unless he asked, but the slight glare she gave him told him she'd be pulling out her giant first aid kit when they got back to the apartment building tonight.

---

Hamor=Jackass

Rebecca winced at the sound of breaking glass. Windows were expensive, for crying out loud, and Darnies' actions weren't exactly helping. Still, she had to admit he was right. Technically. And the assholes were paying, which she'd take gladly.

As the drunks rolled around on the floor, the lich noted their extreme inebriation. Time to have a little fun. She bent down, putting her face right next to the lead moron, and flicked her necklace. Just enough to reveal her true form for half a second. The tough's face turned so pale, he could have passed for undead himself, and his eyes were wide as saucers. "I don't take well to anyone who starts fights in my bar. Don't. Come. Back." They scrambled out the door as best they could, and Rebecca smiled with self-satisfaction. After all, who's going to believe the guy who's so lit up he's already seeing pink elephants?

Turning to Darnies, she shook her head in dismay. "You know, I'm pretty sure you were using some magic yourself there, kid. Two royal flushes in a week? Nobody's that lucky. You can whip the locals all you want, just do it honestly. My insurance rates are going to go through the roof as it is."

Detective Scott Greenfield had seen death before. Car crashes, tragic accidents, even murders. But this? This was something else. He could only shake his head as he looked around the inside of Apartment 2-M. The room was covered in yellow evidence tents, and several CSI investigators were looking through every nook and cranny, searching for anything they had missed. Scott turned his eyes away from the dead body at the corner of the room, and turned to the man next to him, one of the CSI people. "Find anything new?"

"From what I can tell, you were right." He said, looking over the dead body. "This was a premeditated murder, not a botched robbery. Victim was sleeping at the time, but was woken up by the blast."

"Blast?"

The CSI man turned and pointed at the door, which had a hole where the lock should have been. "We found explosives residue on the door. Perp used some sort of breaching charge to get it open."

Scott nodded. "Some people said they were woken up by a loud bang."

"Right. Then, our guy walks in, shoots the victim five times, and then shoots him in the back of the head to confirm the kill. Didn't try to steal anything, either." He pointed to the night stand. "We found a watch, phone, and a wallet in the night stand, untouched."

Scott grimaced. This was no accident. This was a cold, calculated murder. He didn't even know what hit him. Looking away, he began to step outside. "I've questioned everybody here, but there's still one more guy I need to talk to. Call me if you find anything."





The drive to the bar gave Scott some time to think about the past few days. The police department was struggling to deal with the sudden influx of homicides, all of them involving some sort of strange weapon or method. He was willing to bet that the bullets used in Grayson's murder hadn't been normal bullets, but he'd have to wait for the autopsy report to come in before he could be sure. Was it a deranged serial killer? A group of criminals? Some sort of cult? He didn't know, but he needed to find the truth, whatever it was. Hopefully, this Darnies guy would know something. He might have known the victim, and therefore might know any suspects.

As he drove closer to the bar, the first thing he noticed was the smashed window. The hell? He couldn't see or hear a fight going on, though, which calmed him down. I'll have to ask about that... His thoughts were interrupted as a group of men, obviously drunk, ran from the building like the Devil himself was chasing them. Oh. That explains it.

Parking his unmarked Crown Vic, he looked inside, and could see plenty of people. Walking into the building, he scanned the room. Two things stood out to him-the woman from the apartment, sitting at the bar, and a man with a bloody rag around his arm, sweeping up broken glass, who happened to match the description he was given. He stopped for a moment to listen to a woman-presumably the owner- talk to him. Two royal flushes in a week? Hoo boy... He wasn't here to prosecute him for scamming people in card games, though. There was something more important now. Doing his best to look non-threatening, he approached him with a slight smile. "Mr. Magula?" He took out his badge. "Detective Scott Greenfield, Gravette Police Department." He put away his badge. "Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Ah, c'mon Bec you know I don't like cheating," Darnies called back to her, taking no offense to her statement. "I try to get them to let me shuffle but they're always drunk and possessive. I tell them I'm a better shuffler given their inebriation and what do they do? Say I'm gonna cheat and then barely shuffle before dealing. I give 'em a chance," he gave a lazy smirk. "Not my fault they don't take it, I got rent to pay, and Chasa's groceries to buy, now." He set the broom against the wall, leaning against it himself for support while he wiped off a little more blood that was dripping down his arm. Before he could pick the broom up again, the Detectice Chasa had warned him about made his appearance, asking for Darnies's time.

"Uh, sure Detective, let's sit down." He bypassed the broom and leaned down the wall a little further to pick up his cane, shifting his weight onto it and pushing off the wall. He began heading back to the booth he and Chasa had been sitting in earlier, and he grinned at the girl as he passed her spot at the bar where she was holding another old rag out for him, not even looking his way. When they got to the booth, he set the cleaner rag on the table and allowed his arm to rest on it.

"What can I help you with, Detective?"
-
Chasa let out a small sigh as she glanced to where the two men had sat down before turning her attention back to Rebecca.

"You know next time he stops by he's going to have a whole new bag of rags for you, right?" She asked, chin in her palm and a small smile on her lips.

Darnies was a good kid, Chasa knew this, but she be damned if that boy wasn't the biggest trouble magnet she'd ever met in her life. But he'd saved her life, he'd made Rebecca that talisman so she could live as normal a life as any other Supernatural in Gravette, free of charge. She couldn't figure out if he overcompensates for any damage he might have caused or if he really is just that kind; she truly feels it's the latter. Whether Darnies himself would agree was another matter.

Sitting down in the booth, he couldn't help but notice the rag, and the blood. "I assume there was a fight? I saw the broken window." Taking out a small notebook, he began flipping through it. "Well, I won't judge. That's not what i'm here about." He flipped through his book until he reached a certain page. "Your neighbor, Eric Grayson. I'm sure you know what happened by now." He looked Darnies in the eyes. "Now, before I say anything else, I want you to know that I am not accusing you of anything. Everyone already told me that you were nowhere near the crime scene when he was murdered. I'm here because I think you can help me find his killer."

He was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. "One second." Taking out his cellphone, he put it up to his ear. "Greenfield speaking...really? Alright, thanks." Hanging up, he put the phone back in his pocket. "I'm sure you're aware of the recent killings, usually involving...strange weapons. I just got a call saying that Grayson was killed by silver bullets."

"Now, I don't need to tell you how strange this all is. I want to know what's happening, and who's behind it." Looking through his book, he flipped to a different page. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've gathered is that Eric was on good terms with everyone in the apartment. He was well-liked. So, tell me...did Eric have any enemies? What kind of person would hate him enough for them to kill him?"

Darnies kept his eyes on the Detective both when he mentioned the fight, and when he brought up Eric Grayson. When he said that he thought Darnies could help him find the killer, however, the boy tensed; somewhere in the back of his mind, he hoped that the Detective didn't notice that all of Paradise's regulars suddenly got quieter after it was said, and stayed quieter up until the man's sudden phonecall was over. He was positive that he didn't react enough to the man telling him that silver bullets did the deed, because his mind was still stuck on, "I think you can help me find his killer."

"Listen," Darnies spoke up once the Detective had gotten his questions out. "It was like you said, Gray was a good guy, and everyone liked him. He didn't have any beef with anyone in the building, he didn't go looking for trouble. Hell, the guy manned the grill at every rooftop cookout the building had; he could grill an imitation steak for him and Chasa just as well as he could a real one. The guy was a saint, and he's still dead," his eyes were colder when he met the Detective's again. "So, tell me why I should get any more involved in this than talking to you in the first place. And while you're at it, who the hell told you I could help you at all in the first place?"

Darnies knew that there were other Beings in the apartment building, whether the Hunters did or not. He also knew that if any of them gave the Detective his name for anything other than routine questioning, the next rooftop cookout was going to be charged with even more negative emotion than it already will be with the loss of Eric Grayson.

Scott could have sworn that the bar went quiet when he started speaking. Ignoring the feeling, he listened as Darnies spoke. He looked him in the eyes as he finished speaking. He knows something. "Nobody said anything like that. I thought that maybe you might know if anyone wanted Eric dead. But I think you know more than that." He paused, letting that sink in. "Tell me, Darnies...who are they, and why are they killing people? Do you know who they are?"

He leaned across the table, getting closer to him. "Have they gone after you, too?" His voice went down to a whisper. "You can tell me. We can keep you safe. You can be a confidential informer, you'll never have to appear in court. You won't meet the same fate, I can promise you that." He leaned back. "These men are killing innocent people. But you could help us stop them. If you know anything, anything at all...tell us."

He spoke up a bit, not whispering but still talking in a low voice. "I'll give you some time to think about it." Flipping to the end of his little book, he ripped out a blank page. Taking out a pen, he wrote a number down, sliding it across the table. "If you don't want to tell me in person, call this number." He shut his book, looking up. "If you need to talk to me, I'll be there. We can work something out."

Rebecca glanced at the detective. Of course she knew who was committing the murders, at least in a general sense. But she couldn't just come out and say, "Gee, officer, I think that it was a bunch of monster hunters." She'd sound like a madwoman, at best. Still, it couldn't hurt to be nice to the cops.

"Good to see you, Scott, though I wish it was under better circumstances. I'm not going to waste my time offering you booze on the clock, but maybe you'd like a soda and a burger." She gave him her warmest smile, honed over the centuries.

As she started up the grill, Rebecca chuckled at Chasa's commentary. "Truth be told, the rags aren't too bad. I'd much rather have help with the taxes and paperwork- it never ends." She started to think, though- if she could somehow get into that apartment, maybe Eric himself could give them something. After all, who better to finger a murderer than the victim?

Scott looked away from Darnies, seeing Rebecca walk up. He gave her a smile. "That would be lovely. I'll have a Coke for the soda, and medium is fine for the burger." He hadn't eaten much, having skipped lunch in exchange for a granola bar and a coffee, and he didn't realize how hungry he was until food was mentioned. Besides, this place had good food. He'd only been here a few other times, and those were a while ago, but it shouldn't have been any different.

Looking down, he took out his notebook, and began to go over the notes he had taken. Apparently, there was a camera in the front of the apartments, and people were busy looking over the footage for any sightings of the perp. Other than that, they would have to wait until the autopsy was complete until they could get any more info. They could ask the media and get the public involved, but he was unsure if anyone would know anything. Better than nothing.

---

"All right...Darkness Is Rising goes here and A Darker Shade of Magic goes here.." Emily was just putting back some books after the readers give them back to the library. After putting all books where they belong, Emily get her coat and her keys and go home but after locking the library for tonight, she hear a loud of a window crashing. She turn to see a bar window broke in pieces, Someone throwing something at the window, probably. A bar fight, most likely. Emily thought to herself.

Emily try to ignore the scene from the bar and headed home, Emily think she like to go to that bar sometime. Paradise, she thinks that's bar named, Emily like to go there to, you know, hang out and meet new people but due to her very awkward and shy nature, she doesn't have the strength to go there, and beside she doesn't like beer, it taste terrible for the first time she try to drink it.

Emily have made it home.....Ok, it's a Apartment but it still home. She enter her room, put on her pjs and lay in her bed. Before she go to sleep, she check on her phone for news and found one in Gravette and it about the recent murders. Emily parents hear about it and they are extremely worried about her, they call her everytime when another murder happen. Emily told her parents that she ok and everything is fine but in all true, Emily worry herself about the murders, like why are they happen and what the cause of people killing another people? I mean, there got to be a reason, right?

---

Anahi was in some gas store, while Alberto was waiting outside, hoping that his sister won't get caught by the clark. Anahi was only one at the store beside the clark, Anahi take few stacks and few water bottles and stuff them in her backpack, she know that it is wrong to steal but what choice does she have, she have to take care of her brother and keep him alive. after zipping up her backpack, she ahead toward the door "Hey. Stop right there" Crap Anahi thought, she be caught and she was frozen where she stand next to the door. "I know what you are trying and you think you are smart? Well let me tell you, there in no way you are not stealing anyth-" the clark stop talking and look out of the door window to see Alberto head pop out. the clark sigh "......Ah hell, I didn't...Look, you and I know that stealing is bad but if you need to take care of someone and yourself, well that an't bad at all" the clark said. Anahi sigh in relief, thank god he is not calling the police or worse. The clark handed Anahi five twenty and few coins, Anahi say thanks to the clark and her and her brother walk away from the gas store.

Anahi and Alberto have been walking for what feel like hours. "Um...Sis?" Alberto ask Anahi "Are we going to sleep in some alleyway again?" Alberto ask "Yes." Anahi say with a sigh, they have been on the run for one year for now before running away to Gravette. "Um, I hear about place call the Paradise. Maybe they have some rooms" "Yeah but I saw some police drive over there, so no, we are not going there." But also because Anahi doesn't trust anyone. "Probably someone got murder over there." Anahi say "Don't say stuff like that, sis! Probably someone got really hurt." Alberto tell Anahi "Yeah, sure" Anahi say with a smirk "Ok there a alleyway over there, Let's go" Anahi and Alberto walk toward alleyway.

Anahi and Alberto pull out sleeping bags from their backpack and slip in to the sleeping bags and watch the stars...There was silence between the two until Alberto broke that silence "Hey, Ana?" "Hey, Al?".....There was a small silence for a while ".....Do you think we will see our cousins again?" Anahi froze when he ask that question, what her answer? I mean, she doesn't know if her young cousins are still alive and all she know that their older cousins are dead along with their parents, their aunts, their uncles-.....When Anahi think about her and Alberto uncles, she think about her uncle J, she hated him since after what he did on at night, she should kill him where he stand if he was here right now.

Alberto is still waiting for her answer, Anahi sigh, she have to tell him, tell him that his cousins are most liking dead. She turn on to her belly and look at him in the eyes, Alberto still have those young eyes of his, his eyes still have that spark of hope which Anahi have not that spark in her eyes anymore. Anahi takes a deep breath and say "Yes, of course we will see them again." Alberto smile warmly to that answer, "Thanks Sis, I hope we meet them soon, good night" and with that, Alberto went to sleep. Anahi say good night as well but instead, she look at the stars, hoping to see her cousins again as well.

---

---

It had been a long day, blood slowly puddled into his faded utility jacket from a near-miss, luckily it wasn't deep and could be fix easily. His plan didn't go off without a hitch, but luckily he had a few contingencies, and soon the Wendigo's disgusting flesh sizzled out of existence. Luckily a family friend had tipped him off this 'unique' Wendigo, whom seemed to have a distinct look to him compared to the normal fleshbags. It didn't matter much to Akio, it burned just as well as the others did. Still, a worrisome thought loomed over his shoulders, the Wendigo's seemed to be faster in this neck of the woods, vicious too, and even more bold than normal.

Brooding over these thoughts, he remembered something, Damn, I ran out of alcohol a few days ago. A personal tenet was not to drink at all, booze slurred the mind, and a slow mind lead to a creeping demise. Instead, he used it as a quick, and cheap disinfectant. Wasn't always effective but it got the job done, and it was always found everywhere he went. Seeing as he was still new to town, he did not know his way around, and seeing a passing bar, decided to get in and procure the strongest alcohol he could. Luckily at this point the bleeding had ceased slightly, but his jacket was still soaked in blood and his arm was still rather numb. Akio really lacked something in personal courtesy to not really care about it though.

He could feel a few eyes gape at him as he entered the bar, he walked through their gazes and towards the counter,

"Hey." he called out, ignoring the man who had a notebook out, "Two bottles of your strongest alcohol." he felt a bit peckish too, but figured it best to pick up something at a convenience store, not wanting risk an infection decommissioning him again.

The tall, hairless man stepped onto the city sidewalks with a wide smile, dressed in a visibly expensive casual suit, although it's style and color scheme made it seem as if it was purchased for a punk-themed funeral. It's use of leather and vinyl was balanced perfectly, complete with a pair of fitted biking gloves. The man had headphones in both of his ears, and he was playing it far louder than could be considered safe, as passerbys could hear his music clearly.



Harry sauntered in rhythm to the beat of his music, a quite stark contrast to his aesthetic appearance and as he walked several pairs of eyes noticed him. Well, it was either the irony of a hairless man in a black suit practically dance-walking to an upbeat 90's pop-rock ballad, or that Harold himself was a rather infamous character on the streets of Gravette that caused stares to follow him as he carelessly made his way down the sidewalk. He knew he wasn't particularly liked by the humans, or other supernatural at that, but at least the supernaturals had a decent reason to avoid him.

These thoughts however were far from his mind, as he was far too focused on an interesting development in the fair city he called home. A murder; now of course Harold was aware that this incident was hunter-related, which meant he was relatively out of harms way, but he still had to exercise a bit of damage control regarding the supernatural in Gravette. Luckily enough, he had reason to believe a certain detective leading the case was visiting a local bar looking for persons of interest. Harold had always been fond of Rebecca's Pina Coladas, and it was five o'clock somewhere; so he had a feeling he would be a winner no matter what.



Harry couldn't help but sing along softly to himself in a voice that carries the slightest hint of some sort of Eastern European accent, if one asked him where he was from he would simply respond with a gleeful grin and perhaps a quite chuckle before shaking his head. He wasn't particularly fond of giving out information regarding himself or his family, but he loved teasing people with such knowledge.



Seeing that the bar was up ahead, along with a interesting pile of shattered glass on the sidewalk, Harry picked up the pace a bit in excitement for the potential Pina Colada, and as he did so he reached into his jacket pocket and removed a silver handgun, with an equally polished silencer attached to it. He pulled back the slider to check that a round was in the chamber, and upon discovering there was, he flipped off the safety and returned the gun to his hidden holster. He then repeated this process with a second handgun he pulled from the opposite side of his jacket. Both of them were fully prepared for the possibility of an altercation, however Harry hoped it wouldn't come to that. He knew the owner was hoping to make the bar a neutral location, but what happens happens.



Harold holstered his handgun just as he stepped into the bar, something a well trained eye would notice, and removed his headphones from his ear and neatly wrapping them around his fingers as he awaited those inside to fully process that Harold Stein, the Librarian, had just entered. For the more cowardly creatures hiding within the bar, this would be reason enough to leave immediately, but the psychotic grin on Harry's face would only encourage them to pick up the pace.

"Hello Rebecca, A Pina Colada please." Was all he said as he took a seat at the bar, his wide brown eyes staring unashamedly directly at the detective a few seats away from him.

Darnies kept his mouth shut as the Detective continued on, the young Witch pressing his lips together in distaste at the empty promises. "You don' know anything, man." He spoke up, rubbing at an old scar on his good shoulder absentmindedly. If the detective could see under it, he'd see a harsh and puckered scar from a bullet. What he wouldn't see is that it was laced with Angelica, Betony, and Rue; a Hunter's typical mix to slow a witch down or- if it hits a vital area- kill them. If Chasa hadn't moved in upstairs a week before with all her plants, Darnies wasn't sure he'd have been able to save himself.

He startled at Rebecca's appearance and blatant honestly before realizing the Detective probably thought she was joking. He dropped the hand from his shoulder and picked up the piece of paper as the other man put in his order with Rebecca, who'd stopped by their booth. When she went back behind the bar, Darnies spoke up again. "You can't promise to keep me safe because you don't know who did it, or the full extent of their capabilities. You can't promise me you'll catch them even if I did give any information you seem to think I have. I can't tell you anything like you say I can, because I don't know you, I don't trust you, and I don't want to get mixed up in any of this." Darnies paused in his speaking when he saw a man with an arm bleeding about as much as his own walked into the bar and quickly ordered two bottles from Rebecca. He saw Chasa tense and quickly make her way over to him, pushing him further into the booth so her size hid him from view. He put up no protest; he was sure all the Beings in the bar felt the shiver from his wards telling them the man had willingly killed Supernaturals before. It had taken him almost four months to fine-tune that ward and now he was kind of glad he did.

The murmur of conversation all around the bar took on a tense edge, and Darnies found himself lowering his voice to finish what he was going to say to the good detective. "Don't make promises you can't keep in situations you don't understand, Detective," he all but whispered in warning, wary eyes flickering to the other bloodied man repeatedly. "Maybe it was a racist, maybe it was his ex-boyfriend, I don't know." he was starting to get fidgety with the most-likely-Hunter over at the bar. "Innocent people die all the time, it's not a reason to jump in and get yourself killed too. Gray never would have wanted me to get involved."

And he wouldn't. All the Supernaturals in the building had gotten together to go over what to do if something like this happened, and they came to a consensus: bury your damn heads in the sand.

"DarnDarn..." Chasa said quietly, making him look up again to see Harry entering on the tail end of tucking a gun back into his waistband.

"Aw, fuck." He sure hoped Harry wasn't looking for a fight today.

Fable was sat in a dark corner of a bar at an hour past midnight. What was she doing here? She wasn't entirely sure, but she knew she hadn't been able to sleep. She'd walked down a path and that path had led her here. To picking at a meal she didn't really want just to avoid drawing attention, thinking about how another person had just been murdered for the same reason she might be, how the murderer would most likely be her own twin sister, and how a few months ago, she'd have done the same thing and not thought twice about it.

---

Elise was walking the dark streets of Gravette late at night. She was impressed with Fable for coming to this city. It was the most obvious location to head, as they'd both known about the higher concentration of Supernaturals here for years. This made it the last place to be worth looking, and therefore an excellent hiding spot; a double bluff. Elise had lost several weeks checking all the other likely locations, but how she'd found her sister again. Well, not exactly. Fable was in the city somewhere. More specific than that, Elise didn't know.

That was why the purification of the creature named Eric Grayson was perfect for Elise. Though this crime may have baffled normal humans, to Elise it was obvious that Grayson had been a Supernatural, most likely a werewolf. Why else would her kin have used silver bullets? Anyway, it was not difficult to find out who Gray's friends were, since so many of them lived in the same block of apartments. And when Elise discovered that several of them frequented the same bar, a place called Paradise, it seemed all too obvious to her - this was one of those establishments that pretended to be genuine, but was really just a hiding place for the monsters that plagued this world. Elise had seen a handful in her work. The only reason she wasn't going to burn this one to the ground was that she didn't know if there were any humans inside.

---

Fable realised that a teenage girl sitting in a bar eating macaroni at midnight would come off as a little strange to the local populace. Since she had now finished her meal, she figured she probably had passed the point of no return in that regard. So, rather than trying to play off her weirdness, she decided to try to come across as weird in that amusing, friendly sort of way that some people were so good at. So, she sat next to the creepy man with the gun, sitting directly between him and the detective he was staring at, so she would be directly in his field of view.

"You seem like fun," she said, wearing her best smile. "Have you ever shot anybody with that? I saw you putting it away as you walked in. Stories with guns are always so exci-" A flash of black hair visible through the broken window, moving quickly. Without a word, Fable got up and went to use the restroom.

---

A moment later, Elise walked in. Taking a position where she was visible from anywhere in the room, she spoke loudly enough that anyone who cared could hear her. "I'm looking for a girl. She looks an awful lot like me, except-" Elise pointed to her left eye "-her left eye's green. Anyone seen her?"

Scott stayed silent as Darnies spoke. To him, it was becoming more and more obvious that he knew something. It's fear, isn't it? He's afraid. It was obvious that he doubted the police's ability to protect their witnesses, and their ability to find criminals. Scott couldn't help but feel like he'd just stumbled upon something that was far bigger than him. Before he could make a rebuttal to Darnies points, he felt a wave of unease wash over him. As Darnies stopped speaking, and Chasa moved over to their booth, he turned behind him to see a man covered in blood walk in. That's him, he suddenly thought. He's a killer. I can feel it.

Before he could do anything, Darnies started speaking again, whispering this time. From the way he kept looking over to the blood-covered man, Scott was sure he felt it as well. Looking at him as he spoke, his words only confirmed Scott's beliefs that he was too afraid to tell the police what he knew. Before he could say anything, he heard Chasa, and saw Darnies look up. Looking in the same direction, he wasn't able to see Harry putting his gun away, but noticed him looking right at where he was sitting.

He knew of the man, and was aware of some of the rumors surrounding him. He didn't expect him to show up. But, judging by the way Harry stared at him, he knew Scott would be here. He's looking right at me. Turning back to the two people across from him, he closed his notebook, and gave his best fake smile. "Well, it was wonderful catching up with you. If you don't mind, I need to use the bathroom real quick. Be right back."

Putting away his notebook, he quickly walked over to the bathrooms, entering the male bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he took out his handheld radio. "This is Greenfield. I have a possible suspect at the Paradise bar. Send plainclothes officers, no lights or sirens." Putting his radio away, he leaned against the wall, taking another deep breath. He walked out of the bathroom, just in time to see Elise walk in, and was immediately hit with the same uneasy feeling he got when the blood-covered man walked in. He had, in fact, seen a girl like that go into the bathroom a few moments before he did, but his mind told him to say nothing. Nodding his head no, he uneasily walked back to his booth. Backup can't come fast enough, he thought.

Harry's eyes narrowed on the girl that had taken a seat directly next to him, in-between himself and the detective. Immediately, Harry was aware that she wasn't a human, but that wasn't enough to pinpoint what she was or if she was a threat. However, old habits die hard and as she spoke he began to subtly reach towards his chest-holster; until she grew even paler (somehow) and left towards the restroom without a word. He turned his focus back to the detective, who seemed to have the same idea as the girl and bee-lined for the John. Naturally, this Irked Harry a bit, and it showed as he crossed his arms; however his pouting was soon interrupted by a girl, nearly identical to the one before, coming through the front door and demanding answers.

Ah. Changling with a Hunter for a 'twin.' That's a new one.

"Huuunnteeer." Stein called out in a playful singsong tone, removing a necklace from his jacket pocket. The necklace's centerpiece appeared to be an ancient leather pouch, which hung near his chest. Then, he turned himself around completely, leaning back against the bar and 'accidentally' revealing his chest-holster.

"I hope you're lost, most hunters know not to sneak around in the Stein Library's Backyard." He stated casually with a wild smile, his raspy voice ringing throughout the bar. "Wouldn't want to be caught by the Librarian, I've heard he's a little... out there." Stein continued, chuckling a bit at the last two words, then quieting himself to give her a chance to respond. 'Oh, the Detectives back.'

---

---

Akio had thought that everyone became more tense after he entered, but doubly so when the odd, pale man entered the bar. Everyone seemed to hold their breaths too. His eye caught the woman who pushed the younger man further into the bar, as if to protect him. Akio slowly began connecting the dots, and it was all but confirmed when another woman brazenly announced herself looking for someone. The words 'hunter' coming from the strange man just cinched it. A frown began to form on his face, Places like this existed too then? he thought, unconsciously letting out a sigh, Rumors do come from somewhere. Just my luck.

"Hey, Nosferatu, probably not best to blatantly announce yourself and instigate something, right?" he called out, answering the man's taunt, flapping his own jacket to the side to reveal his revolver, "Police, you should leave."

Well honestly, Akio was already thinking up of a plan to leave incase it got hairy, it would be next to impossible to fight this whole bar coming back from a hunt, he was fatigued, and injured, plus he had little to no idea of the prowess of this girl who had just selfishly barged in.

Darnies found himself blinking as the Detective suddenly vacated his spot and made a beeline for the bathroom, leaving him and Chasa to stare at the empty seat for a second before returning their eyes to Harry and the man who set off the wards. Nervously, Darnies started using the blood from his arm to sketch a Barrier Sigil that covered the entire back area of the bar; the area more focused on the family aspect of the bar. If he could keep the barrier up, the few families and the bar's other regulars could get out the back door. The guy didn't seem to want a fight, or even know what type of bar he just walked into but Harry was unpredictable and-

-And his wards went off again, making him quicken his pace as the girl he swore he had just seen at the bar without setting off his wards announced herself and what she wanted. The Detective slid back into the booth and Darnies gave him an uneasy grin, not even bothering to cover up his little project.

"Ah, uh, Detective...I figured you'd leave after you went to the restroom," He said quietly, not wanting to draw either Hunters' attention anymore than Chasa coming over to protect him already did with the bloody man. Why did Mundanes always find out about the Supernatural this way when they were around him? Could he not introduce the idea to people peacefully?

"No," his mind supplied just as Harry turned around and immediately tried to make situations worse. "because if they weren't in possible danger then you'd never tell them in the first place.' He sighed, conceding to his mind's point as he finished up the ward just as the Hunter man revealed his own weapon.

Chasa was taut as a bowstring next to him. There was a shimmer in the air to show the barrier had been erected before it cleared again and all the Beings on the other side quickly made their way to the back exit, children huddled in the center for protection. Now all that was left were anyone in their booth, at the bar, or in the bathrooms.

"Chasa, protect the Detective."

Chasa shivered as Darnies's order took hold of her, and she felt almost betrayed; not because he gave her an order, but because he was giving her one to protect someone other than himself. "But Darn-"

"Chasa!" Darnies hissed, flipping the second latch on his cane to allow for the easy removal of his hidden blade should he need it. "He is a Mundane in a situation he doesn't understand, I need you to guard him. Get him out if he wants to leave, but don't let him fight or he'll die."

The order doubled and the Chai on her chest shimmered in response to the first True Command the young witch had ever used on her. He had always tried to tell her that she only had to listen to him or help him if she wanted, but he was giving her no wiggle room this time. She felt herself moving to the other side of the booth, leaving Darnies exposed and blocking the Detective from leaving his seat, her large body barring him from any possible bullets. Her thought process felt like it was halting; all she could bring to the front of her mind was, "Protect the Detective, guard him."

Darnies slid from the booth as Chasa stayed sentry by in front of the Detective. He felt guilt twist his stomach at having used her Nature against her wishes, but at least Darnies knew how most Hunters fought if it came down to it. As it was, the nineteen year old licked his lips nervously as he stood, leaning his weight on his cane fiddling with the bloody rag in his other hand.

"Librarian, I really don't think Bec would appreciate another fight in her bar today," Darnies avoided using Harry's name even as he made a last ditch attempt at peace, but kept his personal shield around him just in case. He doubted either Hunter had bullets to kill witches- they rarely do, these days, with him being the only one left. He absentmindedly wondered if the Hunters had any bets on who would take the last True Witch out. He still didn't want to take the chance of not having his shields up. "Let's all just agree to leave the bar alive and live to fight each other some other day." He let his power surface and the crescent moon appeared below his left eye as the air around him took on a green shimmer to reveal both the strength of his magic and the shield he had around him. Chasa's eyes and tattoo shimmered in response to the display of power. He addressed the Hunters in the same calm tone, but his eyes held warning.

"I don't think you two are equipped to fight what's left in this bar."

Rebecca quickly whipped up Harry's drink, as well as Scott's meal. "Here you go, loves. Enjoy, and don't forget to tip." Then, the shit hit the fan. Oh, boy. I'd hoped it would never come to this, but it seems that it has.

Taking off her necklace, Rebecca revealed her true form in all its gory glory. Even in this sort of company, a walking corpse was probably the sort of thing that would attract everyone's attention. Her voice was a low growl, lacking any sort of warmth. "Ladies, gentlemen- though it seems there's not a representative of either here- I don't know if you saw the incident a few minutes ago, but I refuse to tolerate any fighting in my establishment. That goes double for hunters and supernaturals. I suggest you find a nice, peaceful way to settle your problems, because the first person to do something is going to have to deal with me. I could always use a zombie thrall."

It all happened so fast.

The first thing he noticed when walking back was that everyone had started taking out weapons. When he slid into the booth, he saw Darnies doing...something. Something that he had never seen anyone do before. Before he could question anything, Darnies ordered Chasa to protect him. Why does he mean by 'mundane'? Watching her move to block him from leaving, he noticed that her chest was glowing. "What the hell is going on?" He asked, to nobody in particular. He could only listen with confusion as everyone spoke, as he was unable to see what was happening.

What was a Hunter, or a Supernatural? Why was the owner talking about zombie thralls? He didn't know, but he could tell that a fight was about to break out. Looking at Chasa, he gave her a desperate look. "The police are on their way. If they don't stand down, it's going to get ugly." He would have asked her what was happening, but everything was moving so fast that he didn't even think of it. "Tell them that. Maybe that will get them to stop." Maybe they would run away, if they knew the police were coming. Then, he could track down the perps and get them into custody without worrying about civilian casualties. And then, he could ask what the hell was happening here.