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Clancy had little to say on the matter of the conjoined girls. Both victims of a parasite, and now...

Layla [i]claimed[/i] there was no force in the matter, but Clancy had been for long enough to know that force went beyond the physical. Sweetened words, promises, threats... some had tried it on him while out foraging, and come to [i]regret[/i] their tastes shortly afterwards. Leon, now back to normal form, had a [i]literal[/i] devil on his shoulder, whispering poison into their ears.

Clancy knew that he himself was proof they couldn’t be trusted, and both Luca and Lila’s circumstances had only reaffirmed that view. [i]Parasites, through and through.[/i]

But it was done, and there was no separating the two now. He could only think over the names being bandied about.

Scott Reese. That meant nothing to him, as far as names go, other than he seemed to be difficult to [i]deal[/i] with. Monstrous or not, raw strength by itself did not make him pause.

Be, Todd.... he hadn't known much of them.

Auri, the flower girl. She had meant more - had been closer to Ashley at one stage - but even so, Clancy hadn't much to make of her. She'd tried to organise them, and by all accounts had struggled doing so, given the divisions between the old coven. Much of his attention and subsequent suspicion had been reserved for Britney. Even now, even after the cautious [i]agreement[/i] that he'd proposed. The only thing he could trust was that she didn't particularly trust him.

The dangers they spoke of carried weight.

None of it particularly [i]frightened[/i] him. Even the prospect of facing the hitwoman and associated [i]agony[/i] did not stir fear in him, not like that. It was [i]failure[/i] that made him wary. The prospect of failing to [i]end[/i] Father Wolf. That he would kill the rest of Ashley's friends.

[i]Some[/i] of them weren't assholes, and didn't deserve to die that way.

That gave rise to another thought, buried at the base of his consciousness, for in truth there was a selfish element to keeping close to Luca, Lila and the others.

Whether he wanted it or not, as long as they were alive, if not well, they served as [i]bait[/i], the prospect of an attack dangling over their heads. While Clancy was with them, there was the hope he could [i]stop[/i] the killing once and for all. Part of him might have even hoped Father Wolf would try, if only so he  could [i]gnaw[/i] on the murderer's bones for what they had done to Ashley. For taking that last vestige of family away from him.

[b]"You're [i]serious.[/i]"[/b] Clancy finally noted, and there was no sarcasm or incredulity masking his tone. It was an acknowledgement that they had [i]something[/i] of a plan. [b]"I want Father Wolf. Some of you probably do, too."[/b] He didn't clarify his meaning, and left [i]that[/i] open to interpretation. [b]"You've... seen what I can handle. Some of you, anyway. I don't know if they'll smell me from a mile away, but if Sh-... if the old man's hired woman knew, these people probably will too. What's the plan for getting in?"[/b]

Clancy leaned in, ready to ask a few more probing questions. [b]"Elite. Heard a little but not much. Who are they? Names, faces?”[/b] For a moment, he considered the matter. [b]”Same for House of Cards. Names and faces.”[/b]

He was, after all, still a stranger in this town, even if he’d found a [i]shade[/i] of trust in some people here.

[b]"What's the dog supposed to be, big?"[/b] Clancy's mind thought back to the dog-like creations that [i]asshole[/i] biker boss had sicced on him, a chimera of dog, deer and sheep. [b]"If it gets in the way, I'll [i]deal[/i] with it."[/b]

If it was anything like [i]those[/i] creatures, it would take a beating, throw him around, gnaw through the facade, but he didn't tire, and he didn't hurt in most instances, it would be a matter of breaking it down until he was the only thing left intact.

Layla's question about who would make it home had reminded him of another concern, perhaps a little more urgent to him. [b]"How do you make sure the things we need to find him make it off? Who takes them?"[/b]