Fantasy Earth's Waltz [Closed]

[Auralunabella]

Charlie followed Darius out the front door, possibly for the last time. It saddened her, but there was nothing to be done about it. This would be the first place Mia would come searching for her, but it wouldn't be the last. She could only hope to stay a step or two ahead of her until she, no they, had a plan. She had to reconcile the fact that Darius would remain with her. It would be fine, as long as she didn't allow herself to fall back into the same routine of him taking care of her. She was a big girl now, and she would take care of herself.

When they reached the car Darius popped the trunk and tossed his bag in; she followed suit and closed it, making sure it was latched properly. It wouldn't do to have all of their gear flying out the back as they drove. She remembered the last time that had happened; they'd lost a week's worth of groceries to the highway due to her stupid mistake. She was determined to be better about things like that. Small mistakes would cost them a lot more than groceries now.

She was terrified, but a small part of her was excited as well. She knew she probably shouldn't be, but it did feel like kind of an adventure. Her life had been more or less uneventful; it felt good to be moving, doing something for a change. It would be a hard road ahead, she was aware of that, but it would be good for her. She felt that she was on the verge of unlocking something crucial to her development, as well as coming closer to finding information about her father. If Mia was still alive then her father could be as well. She had to keep telling herself that, even though there was danger, this could be a good thing. The most important thing was finding her father, or his body, though she wouldn't let herself think in that direction. It didn't matter to her if she died trying. She just wanted to bring him home again. She could die happy knowing that he was alive and safe.

Charlie hopped in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. She turned towards Darius. "So, how long will it take us to reach Galena?" she asked. She had heard of the place, but had no idea where it was. She hoped it wouldn't take too long; she felt more and more anxious as each second passed. She was eager to be out of there.

*

Andrew smiled apologetically when he saw Mia's reaction to the room. "Sorry," he shrugged, "but they take cash and they don't ask for ID. I figured it was the best place, all things considered." He arched his brow as she emphatically claimed the beat up couch over the bed, but he said nothing. It was of little importance.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked her, ignoring her suggestion that they order in. He was fine for now; there was no way he could stomach food after all the excitement. Still, it gave him warm fuzzies to know that she cared enough to consider his comfort.

He tossed his bag on the floor and sat on the side of the bed. "I have questions, obviously, but those can wait for now. I need to tell you something first." It seemed like a good way to break the ice. If he opened up to her first, perhaps she would have an easier time of it. He knew from experience she didn't like to share things about herself.

He had expected that he would be more nervous about sharing his secret; he had never told anyone about it before, but he didn't feel nervous at all. He was perfectly calm. He just wasn't sure where to start. He decided to keep it short and sweet; she could ask her own questions if she felt so inclined.

He cleared his throat. "Well, the easiest way to say this is, you aren't the only one who can... do things." He avoided her gaze and continued, untying his boots as he spoke. "For as long as I can remember I have been able to sense and manipulate people's emotions. You may be familiar with the concept if you've ever watched those cheesy teen vampire movies; one of them could do it too. It's different with me though. I can do more than just that, though I'm not sure how to describe it." He paused, racking his brain for the right words.

"I can not only manipulate emotions. I can kind of do the same thing with energy too. Not any energy. So far it has only worked on people. Meaning, I think can give you what you normally have to take. And it doesn't require actual contact. I can kind of... send it? I don't know how to explain it. Basically when I feel other people's emotions, it leaves a sort of residue, which I absorb, and it gets stored... somewhere. It's not intentional; it just happens. It doesn't make much sense to me. I've been able to hone it a bit, being around you. Your emotions are something else entirely. I've never felt anything so intense." He coughed, feeling a little embarassed, and glanced at her.

"Shall I show you?" he asked.

 

[Lucyfer]

The tension was palpable as Darius waited for Charlie to join him. When she did, he managed a quick, fleeting smile, before he keyed the ignition and started to back them out of the driveway, carefully checking each mirror to make sure they didn’t back into anything. He got the car out onto the road, and then began to drive towards the country highway, as he liked to think of it. ‘A long drive….’ And not the last of them.

He’d rather be flying.

“It’ll take about two hours,” he answered Charlie. “Let me know if you’ll need to stop anywhere, or need to grab anything.” He added, hitting the first red light and sighing with it.

His mind was still reeling a bit with the emotions of guilt and self-pity. He tried to think only of the drive, but it reeled back to the unanswered questions in the house, and so, as it turned green, he went over and over her accusations and questions again. She had asked about the locket, and he hadn’t answered her about that.

His eyes briefly left the road to see if it was still on her, before his eyes returned to it, and turned them down onto the highway, “That locket you have…it’s more than a locket. Your father entrusted both you and Mia with it. It’s a key to Hell. It’s what he used to shut the doors, too, before it broke.” Obviously, it wasn’t a normal key. It was used in a ritual, rather than just simply by inserting it into a lock.

Darius didn’t know that ritual. He never wanted to know it. He had no desire to open the doors to Hell, but apparently, Mia did. Which meant she had to know she’d need the other key if her goal was to open the way. “It was meant to become just a useless piece of jewelry, forgotten to the ages,” Darius added. “You and Mia were not supposed to know what it was….” Poor planning on Micah’s part.

~***~

‘How are you feeling…I need to sleep, I need to eat, and I probably need more energy because shotgun pellets are the worst, but not as bad as fragmentation grenades.’ Mia didn’t say any of that aloud, she just answered, again, “I’m all right,” because of course she didn’t want Andrew to tell her she had to take energy from him.

When he sat, she took her own seat on the couch. He wanted to talk first, and she was curious as to what he had to say. ‘Are you a member of the Order? Are you a demon? What have you been hiding?’

Mia wasn’t even mad when he shared he had a talent. She knew what it was to hide, she knew how unaccepting others were, so it was no wonder he thought he had to hide it around even her. She’d been hiding much from him. Fair play. He was an empath, it seemed. Rare among humans. Any talent was rare among humans.

She gave a slight nod to explain she understood, though she did feel a hint of anger and mistrust when he mentioned he could alter the emotions of others. “Before I let you try anything,” she spoke lowly, “Have you ever altered my own emotional state?” She wasn’t sure if she would have recognized it if he did, but the thought that Andrew had done such a thing was infuriating. Had he manipulated her back when she had nowhere to stay?

Had he manipulated her into keeping him around, stringing her along with the strange sense of care she had for him?

The anger stayed under the surface as always, and she hated the fact he would know it, but she could do nothing. She could hide the emotions from her actions, she could choose whether or not to listen to them, but she could never stop feeling them.

 

[Auralunabella]

Two hours. I should have used the bathroom before I left. There was no way she was stopping though. The fear was overwhelming and she just needed to feel safe again. She could do that when they got there.

It felt like time was suspended somehow. They were moving, but it seemed like the world was standing still. All she could see in her mind was an image like blips on radar. Two little blinking dots, one chasing the other; the one in pursuit moving at about twice the speed as the other. Mia versus them; a race to safety. She wondered if Darius could drive any faster, but didn't say anything; he was already going twenty miles over the speed limit.

Charlie didn't say much on the drive. She just watched out the window and listened to Darius talk. He was talking about the locket. Apparently it was some sort of key, broken into two parts which, when used together, could seal the gates to hell. Great, she thought. It would appear it could open them as well, since that's what Mia was using hers for. Why does she need my half when she is already opening these doors on her own?

She voiced the question aloud, along with, "How did she find out what the necklaces were? And how does she know that I have half of it, and that she needs it for whatever she's plotting? What is she up to?" Another thought occurred to her. "Why didn't you tell me what I possessed? I could have hidden it somewhere safe. I've been wearing it every day like any regular piece of jewelry. What if I had lost it?"

Yet another thing Daruis had kept from her. She wondered how many more secrets would be revealed now that he had been forced to tell her the truth. She was fairly certain that, had Mia not been after them, he would never have told her anything. He would have allowed her to continue to live in oblivion. She didn't know if she would ever be able to trust Darius again. He had kept so much from her, and not only that, what he had kept from her was crucial knowledge. Knowledge she should have been given. Things would be different now if he had just kept her informed.

Charlie sighed and shook her head, not sure she wanted to hear any more excuses. She had heard enough for one night. "From now on you keep me in the loop. I need to be aware of anything that happens, any new developments, and you need to fill me in on anything you may have left out. It won't do any good for you to keep me in the dark out of some false sense of protection. You actually accomplished the opposite. Do you realize that?" she inquired, unable to keep the anger from her voice. She couldn't help it. She was pissed, and afraid, and they each amplified the other. "No more secrets," she reiterated.

*

Andrew was nervous. He had altered her emotions once, just to see if he could. Hers were so strong and intense that he wasn't sure if he would be able to. One time, when she was particularly angry about something, he had attempted to calm her down, and it worked. It was more difficult with her; he had to concentrate completely and it was difficult to maintain. He knew she wasn't going to like it, but there was no sense in lying about it.

"Once," he told her. "Just to see if I could. It was difficult, but I managed to calm you down one time when you were extremely angry. I don't even remember what you were mad about at the time. You're always mad about something," he chuckled. "But it was only that one time, and for no other reason than to see if it was possible with you. Cross my heart." He made the motion across his chest. "I wasn't sure I would be able to, as fiery as you are, but I managed it. It doesn't work with everyone. Not that part. I can sense everything, but some people can't be influenced or altered; I'm not sure why. I would like to know, actually."

He pondered that for a moment. It didn't make any sense to him why it worked with some and not others. None of it made sense to him really, but he knew there had to be a reason, and he wanted to know what it was.

He hoped she wouldn't be too upset. He was telling the truth, but he knew it was a violation of sorts. Still, he'd had to know. Curiosity and what not. It was something that could come in handy one day. But he could feel her anger seething under the surface even now; she couldn't hide it from him. She was trying, it was muted, but he could still sense it. He hoped she would be able to get past it. He needed her to be able to trust him. He needed her to be able to start taking energy from him. It was the best way for everyone.

"I won't do it again without permission. You have my word."

 

[Lucyfer]

Darius would have been happy to drive in peace, but he wasn’t to be given that. He likely didn’t deserve it, there was much he could have changed and he knew it. However, he did not feel he deserved to shoulder all of the blame, and the pitch of her anger did cause his lip to twitch, his nose to wrinkle. Momentary, but he knew his own anger sparked a bit under the fire of her words, wanting to alight, as well.

‘Your father asked much of this of me.’ He wanted to say, but he didn’t want to just shove off the blame. He was capable of making his own decisions, and he’d chosen to listen to her father in this situation. He had never thought they’d actually be in a situation like this. Who else would know of the necklaces?

“I haven’t spoken to Mia, Charlie,” he reminded her, “I have no idea how she’s come by her knowledge. I know that Micah didn’t tell her,” that didn’t mean anything when it came to Sirena, though. Her mother may have figured it out, or maybe Mia did herself. He hadn’t heard from her in years, how was he to know what she was planning or thinking? He was just as clueless as Charlie when it came to that.

She had spoken of losing the locket, and he shook his head as he sped on down the road, taking the curves without slowing down, “Back then, if you had lost it, it may have been fine. You wouldn’t know where it was, Mia couldn’t find it – but we never really planned for anything to happen like this. We thought it was done with.” The ‘We’ of course didn’t actually mean himself. It meant Micah, though even he didn’t truly know what Micah expected. Only the few things he’d been told as a child.

Protect Charlie.

Don’t tell her about the necklace.

And so much more he learned not from Micah, but from Micah’s Order. “The necklaces were supposed to be forgotten for what they were…they’d never be a threat that way. Micah never wanted you or Miah to know, and so I didn’t want to tell you. It’s not an excuse, it’s just…why I didn’t tell you. Perhaps it was wrong, but it seemed right at the time. It didn’t seem like there were going to be any issues or threats, there was no reason to worry you, or anyone, and I’m sorry that it’s turned out like this, but you can’t blame me for that. I’m not the one chasing you down for the necklace, I haven’t accomplished putting you in danger – that’s your sister, not me.” It was that part which caused some of the anger to appear in his tone, though he couldn’t truly express it.

No, he had to keep focused on driving and not wrecking. He was managing that well enough, at least, but he wasn’t going to take the blame for endangering her. No, he had no part in that. He wasn’t the one trying to kill or harm her, so he was not endangering her. That was other people, and he was getting her out of harm’s way.

~***~

Once.

It was a damning enough word, but Mia did not lash out as she may have with others. Were he anyone else, she would have cut him in twain, and right then, she wasn’t sure if that was his manipulations or her own affection. She wanted to believe him, but how could she? She had not recognized it when he did it, and fell victim to having her emotions manipulated, as so many men had fallen prey to her mother’s charms.

She didn’t like it. At all.

Nor did she like hearing there were things that could resist, and she wasn’t one of them. Envy grew a little – she wanted to be as them. She wanted to be wholly unaffected, though hadn’t she always? Emotions were a weakness. That’s why she did not express what she felt.

She wanted to order him out, but he paid for the room. She considered grabbing her things and storming out. He didn’t have her phone number any longer – not since she lacked a phone. The connection could be easily severed. Some time away would help her to figure out if he had manipulated her, wouldn’t it? ‘I don’t know….’ Emotions were tricky. She only knew she didn’t like them.

“If I ever realize you have manipulated in any way, again, I will kill you.” Mia left no room for argument or hesitation, but she decided not to leave. He had confessed, and that had to be difficult enough. Perhaps that was evidence enough that he was telling the truth. “I can maintain my emotions on my own. Perhaps not that I feel, but…I do not act upon them alone. I do not let them rule me, so there is no need to manipulate them.” She wasn’t so foolish to let such things get in the way of her ultimate goals. “I’ll forgive you the once, but I cannot tell you why others are not so affected. I do not know myself.”

 

[Auralunabella]

I am my father's daughter.

It was the first thought that crossed her mind. Charlie could sense Darius's anger, could hear it in his voice. Perhaps she shouldn't be putting so much blame on him. It was Mia, after all, that was the problem. Perhaps she was more angry at herself than anything else, for not living up to her family name. She really didn't know. Maybe she was lashing out unnecessarily, but the fact of the matter was, she was upset and he was there. She didn't have anywhere else to channel her anger. She couldn't suppress her fear. She was trapped in a small vehicle and they were more or less running for their lives. She felt like a caged animal.

She supposed she should apologize to Darius, but she wasn't ready yet. She first needed to process the situation in it's entirety before she could separate her feelings. She would apologize later; she knew she would feel terrible because this was not her way. She hadn't been herself lately, and this was probably a side-effect of that, but right now it was all she could grasp onto. That and her questions. She had so many.

Ignoring his irritation, she asked, "The Order doesn't know how she figured it out? And what exactly does the Order do?" It seemed like some big, secret organization; even the name sounded mysterious. Obviously it had intel, which probably meant spies of some sort. What was it, some supernatural version of the CIA? She almost laughed aloud at the thought. SIA. Supernatural Intelligence Agency. She had watched crime shows before and wondered what else it did besides gather information. Was there a clean-up crew that took care of unruly demons? Or angels? Were there ever any unruly angels that needed to be handled? It all sounded so far-fetched to her, but then, most people didn't believe in things that existed right under their noses. Even she was one of them, with her quarter angel. Not that it amounted to much.

Charlie held her hands up before her then, trying to harness the magic she had buried deep within. All she could manage was a dull bluish-white glow in her palms. This was her healing power, and it should have been much stronger. She should be able to unleash it from afar, but as of now she could only manage it in small doses, and only then with physical contact. It would come in handy, that one, if she could ever figure it out. Especially now.

Her thoughts drifted to the locket as she struggled to maintain the soft glow. It was powerful; a key to hell. She wondered if it had any other attributes that could possible help her. It had come from her father after all, and he had always been a very thorough man. Mia seemed to be able to harness it in some way; she was opening gateways all on her own with only half of it. Hmm... Charlie took the necklace off then and held it in her hand. As soon as she broke concentration, the glow in her palms faded. She wrapped the chain around her wrist securely, positioning it so that the chain ran through her fingers and the actual necklace was in her palm. She glanced surreptitiously over at Darius, but he was focused on the road.

Charlie began to concentrate then, in the same way that she would when trying to tap into her magic, only this time she focused on both; the well within her and the locket. Nothing much happened, just the same dull glow she had always been able to drum up. She sighed softly. Go figure. Well, I've got nothing else to do for the next 90 minutes. Might as well practice. She closed her eyes and concentrated harder, again focusing on her magic as well as the locket. She visualized the locket being the source of her magic; it held the power within it, rather than herself. Still nothing. She tried again, this time with a different image in her mind. She visualized the well within her glowing a deeper blue than before. Then she expanded the image to include the locket, also with a soft sheen around it, white, which extended outward towards her in a thin beam, connecting to the spot deep inside where her magic was contained. She felt the locket begin to warm in her hand. Something's happening! She opened her eyes then and was shocked; her entire body was shimmering with a deep blue aura, the locket in her hand radiating an almost blinding white light. She watched as the colors intermingled, becoming one with each other, until she could no longer separate them. She felt her entire body start to warm and tingle and gasped with the intensity of it. As soon as she did that, the connection was lost and everything went dark.

She looked over at Darius in awe, eyes wide, and whispered, "Darius, what else can this necklace do?"

*

Andrew understood Mia's anger; he had expected it. He was surprised, though, by how much she held back. Once he could feel her emotions start to boil, he was sure he was in for a pummeling at least. That was not what happened. She merely threatened to kill him if he ever did it again, and forgave him. He almost smiled. It was all somehow endearing to him. He knew better than to let on, however; she might actually kill him if he did that.

"I give you my word," he promised. "It's all I have, and you can trust in it."

He was not surprised that she didn't have any information on why he could manipulate some but not others. He was a little disappointed, he couldn't deny that, but human abilities were rare; just because she was more than human didn't mean that she would know anything about it. No one really did.

His mind ran over all the questions he had for her; he didn't want to bombard her with all of them at once, so he sorted through them and chose the ones that mattered most.

"Okay so, you know I have questions, but first let me say that no matter your answers, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me until you banish or kill me, and that is what you'll have to do to get rid of me. I've decided to see this through with you and help in anyway that I can."

He watched her face for a reaction, but she was locked up tight. He was even struggling to get a sense of her emotions; they were muted and hard to decipher. He touched on what seemed like anger and a bit of anxiety, but not much else. She would be happy to know it, but he decided not to tell her yet. If she really worked at it she may be able to learn to shield herself from him one day, and the thought of it left him feeling cold and empty. He had grown used to being able to feel her. He would work on it with her later perhaps, he told himself, when he was sure she wasn't going to run away and leave him.

"I have two questions to start with. One: What is your purpose? You have obviously done this sort of thing before and you must have some end goal in sight. I want to know what it is. Two: What happens when you accomplish your goal?"

Andrew kicked his boots off then, having forgotten them when Mia asked if he had ever manipulated her before. The question had unnerved him a bit. He then rested against the headboard of the bed, propping his feet up. He had a feeling they would be there a while. Her answers would just spawn further questions, he was sure; he might as well get comfortable.

Maybe they should have gotten take-out first.

 

[Lucyfer]

Darius let out a sigh. “No, so far as I know, the Order doesn’t know. The Order isn’t even sure if it is Mia, only that it is someone using her locket, and that article showed up…it could be someone impersonating her.” It was unlikely, but it was a possibility, all the same.

As for what the Order did, “The Order monitors and hunts rogue demons, more or less, while keeping it out of the public eye,” it was a lot more than a group of hunters. That’s what most organizations were, loose groups of hunters, brought together by the harm of the supernatural. Most didn’t deal solely with demons though. There were other creatures out there, vampires and werewolves, that were enough trouble. Those who did deal with demons, rarely knew what they were getting in to.

Those that killed Sirena had not been Order members. The Order wouldn’t have touched Sirena, or Mia, before….

The Order had connections that spanned the world, ties to the media outlets, and much more. They were intelligent, and well-organized to make sure much was considered in combating the demons left on Earth, or that escaped to Earth through the openings. They found such openings, and did their best to minimize the damage they could do. “They try to keep Earth free of demons, and make it so humans never have to fear them again. That’s the job Micah charged the Order with.” And they did their best.

No one ever really thought of angels, or vampires. Angels weren’t considered troublemakers. Vampires were once-humans. Out of their jurisdiction.

As Charlie didn’t respond to his words, he slowly grew less focused on her, and more on the drive. As such, he didn’t really notice when she started to focus on her magic. He assumed she was drifting off into a nap, or thinking about everything. This was a lot all at once, after all. He wouldn’t blame her for taking some time to try and think through it all. It wasn’t until there was a bright light out of the corner of his eye that he started to take notice of what she was doing, after several minutes had passed in silence.

He was grateful then that it was day. If she had started to glow like that at night, he would have had to pull over on the side of the road. The distraction would have been too intense.

Darius stayed silent, though. He didn’t want to disturb her from channeling magic. She did need to get better. When it all suddenly faltered, he did glance away from the road, to her, and then back to the road as she asked her question, shaking his head, “No – all I ever knew was that it was half of a key,” he offered. “Why? Did it help with…that?” He wasn’t sure exactly what she’d been doing, only that she’d clearly been using her magic. He wasn’t sure to what use; she hadn’t looked injured, and there was no one to attack.

Hopefully.

Unless she was thinking of attacking him for his lies.

~***~

‘No, I really can’t trust it.’ Mia didn’t say that aloud, though. Andrew had work to do to earn her trust again, but she was at least extending the chance to him. That was more than she’d do for most, just as offering to give him answers was more than she’d ever do for anyone. She let him speak, rolling her eyes as he insisted he would stay at her side. ‘You can’t say that when you know nothing.’

Saying that would just lead to an argument. Better to show her disbelief non-verbally. He couldn’t argue with an eye roll. Actions would speak louder than words. In time, he’d either prove himself true, or prove himself a liar.

The half-demoness nodded when he indicated two to start with, and she took both in, silently letting him finish both queries, and then making sure he was done talking, before she would answer, “To your first question, my goal is to open up the way to Hell. I have been opening up smaller pathways to make sure that it was possible with the knowledge I had, and to distract those who would mean me harm by giving them things to run after. I will need the rest of the key to open the larger pathway, but I am en route to it.”

She recalled where Charlotte had lived. It wasn’t far. If she wasn’t there, she knew where the Order was in that town, and she’d just wring the information from one of them.

“My end goal is fairly simple…unite the two worlds. They were united before, Hell and Earth one. There is no reason for them to be separate, like Africa and America. In a similar vein, Earth shut Hell out because of the perceived dangers and problems with Hell, and many now refuse to take any responsibility for it, believing things should have always been separate, and should always be separate. Hell should deal with its own problems, and Earth its own. My kind doesn’t belong on Earth, and never did, despite our expansive history here.” She gestured out, before she leaned back into the couch. “As for what happens after…at the very least, I get to go home.”

She’d never been to Hell, and yet she thought of it as home. “See my family. And then see how this works out,” there was the touch of a smile there, but it was not happiness. It was vindictive. In truth, she hoped Hell would wreak havoc on Earth, bring humans down to a lower position, as humans had done to cows and other creatures. She was not sure if she wanted any part in it, or if she only wanted to retire somewhere quiet and leave everything behind. “It will be a reckoning for humans, that much is certain.” And she felt no sympathy for them. Not as a race, not as a whole. “Are you so certain you wish to support that, Andrew?”

 

[Auralunabella]

"It - it did something," she told him. "I'm not sure what but..." she trailed off. "Darius, I think it can help me use my magic!"

She thought about what she had done and how she had felt. It had felt different than all the other times before. It felt deeper, stronger, and more fluid. There was something in this locket that could help her, she was sure of it. She had never been able to do that before. Not only that, but it wasn't her healing magic she had accessed. She knew what that felt like. She hadn't really been concentrating on any certain type of spell; she just let the magic flow and it did what it wanted to. She wasn't sure what it had been, but she knew she wanted to do it again. And again, and again; she had to practice. Now that she knew what to focus on, now that she had some idea... she had to learn about this locket and what type of magic it contained. And even more than ever she knew she could not let Mia get a hold of it. If it could do this for her, alone, without the other half... she shuddered. Charlie could only imagine the kind of destruction Mia could unleash if she had both halves. She was already causing enough trouble with just the one.

"I need to find out everything there is to know about this locket, and the magic that my father bound to it," she insisted. "There has to be someone who knows, at the Order perhaps." Or Mia. Not that she could ask her. She wished she could; Mia obviously already knew more than the two of them. Perhaps there was a way to find out what Mia knew. She kept that thought to herself however; it would only make Darius worry. Besides, it was a ridiculous idea. Wasn't it?

She still had her mother. Once they were safe she would call her. She had already decided, fruitless though it might be.

And she had Darius.

"You have to help me," she told him earnestly. "You have to help me practice. I tapped into something just now that I have never felt before, and the locket is what allowed it to happen. I don't know what it was or how I did it, but when I focused on my magic I visualized a connection between myself and the power within the locket, and something... happened," she explain as well as she could though she was sure she was making a mess of it. "I don't know Darius, but you - " she paused, considering her next words. Nodding, certain that they were accurate, she continued, "You are the only one I can trust to help me do this. I don't know any of these people we are about to meet. I don't trust them. I dislike that you kept things from me, and I am still angry with you, but assuming you had your reasons, what it boils down to is, you are the only one I trust, in spite of everything."

She sat back in her seat then, and closed her eyes. She had a lot to think about; a lot to plan for. And she wasn't sure she wanted Darius to know all of her plans. She trusted him, yes, but she knew him well. He would not like all of the thoughts she was entertaining.

*

Andrew sat in silence, letting it all sink in. It wasn't exactly what he had expected to hear, but then, he wasn't sure what he had expected.

Was he willing to support her plan to reunite the worlds? Heaven and Hell? Angels and Demons and humans and whatever else all coexisting in one plane of existence? He didn't know that it was possible, for them all to exist peacefully with one another. They couldn't even do it now, and Hell was sealed off, or, parts of it were. However, people had been warring against one another as long they had existed, and other creatures even longer. That would never change. It would only get worse, as time went on. That was the pattern of history; it was doomed to repeat itself. And what history had proven time and time again was that after the war there was always a time of peace. Things always settled for a while. Sure, it was all doomed to happen again, over and over, probably until all the races killed each other off. That was the way of it.

But for a while, there would be peace. Once everything had run it's course, if he were to survive, for a little while there would be peace. Most likely for the remaining time that he had left. Andrew liked the idea. He had been living a wanderer's life for so long now. He would like to settle down and just live for a while. Perhaps, if he helped her, she could secure him some position of power somewhere and he could live out the rest of his life with purpose; somewhere to belong.

Maybe even with her.

It had been his dream for years now. Andrew loved Mia deeply, even now, in spite of all these new revelations. In spite of her seemingly nefarious plan. She was still Mia to him, and he had always dreamed of settling down with her somewhere and living a relatively normal life. Of course, that was certainly out of the question now. The normality of it, that is. But the rest? Why couldn't they? If he could prove his loyalty to her; if he could prove his love, perhaps then she would accept him. Perhaps she could learn to love him too. He had reservations, any person would, but he knew he would do just about anything to gain her love; for her to see him the way he did her.

Andrew took a deep breath.

"Yes." He nodded. "Yes, Mia, I am willing to support it, because you support it. I would help you, if you would allow me to. I only have one thing to ask of you, and that is, I would really appreciate if you would try and keep me alive long enough to see this play out." And take me with you when it's all said and done. But he didn't say that. He'd bring that condition up later, at a more appropriate time. He was pretty sure he had to earn some trust back before broaching that subject. It would take a little time, but he would.

 

[Lucyfer]

‘It did something.’ Darius repeated the words in his head, and he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, but he was. In truth, he was not too familiar with magical items from use, but he knew of them, mostly because of Sirena. He remembered the one time she’d leveled a sword at his neck, and he felt how his neck prickled. Princeps, the sword of Lothario, and a weapon that almost had a mind of its own. It was a terrifying blade in the right hands.

Sirena had never been the right hands. She was not her father’s child, or she never would have let Micah leave her grasp alive. It would have all ended there, when Sirena seduced Micah, but it hadn’t. Sirena had wanted her own escape in a way, and that was why the Order never went after her. She was a demon. She killed…yet they knew, for her, it was like humans killing chickens.

Food.

It became difficult to reconcile that uncomfortable truth, and yet, they did, but only for her. Then, she was killed, and supposedly Mia with her. ‘But she wasn’t….’ Which meant most likely, Mia had Princeps and Mia had half of the locket, and was wreaking havoc with both.

He sighed at her insisting words, “I know you do, I know,” he agreed, “but I don’t know everything about it. I’m not sure if Micah entrusted anyone with that information. Maybe your mother, if…assuming Mia may have gotten information from Sirena,” it was the only thing he could think of, but that was partially because Mia would have demanded information about what the hell her daughter was going to be given, in case it was a trap. “But she might not know. Sirena was…she was a demon, but she knew magic. She may have just examined it herself, or perhaps Mia has, I don’t know – you and Mia were never supposed to know.” Darius wanted that clear.

He wasn’t told everything, only a couple things. He had no idea the locket had magic, “But, I do know a bit about magical items, and I have some ideas as to how to use things like them to channel magic, so I can help you with that.” He was glad to hear that she trusted him that much, and he’d try – he had to try. If this necklace could help her with magic, it would be useful, but with any luck, still not necessary.

Perhaps someone else would deal with Mia. He would try to keep them in hiding and keep them away from Mia.

He glanced up as another green sign came up. “We’re about there,” he noted the miles. 10. She must have been meditating a while.

~***~

Silence.

Mia did not disrupt it. She remained as she was, sitting and waiting for Andrew to consider all that she had told him. As always, she expected this would be the end. This would be the point he decided he could not continue any further and support someone who wanted to release hostiles onto Earth, who threatened the entire human race.

Yet, he did not.

She canted her head, and this time, her expression actually shifted to one of open confusion. There was no sense in him supporting her, or that was how she viewed it. There would be a few humans who understood and supported, but she had not cast Andrew in that category in spite of all this, and it showed in the moment, was felt in the moment.

He explained why – because she supported it, and there was a spark of understanding, momentarily. It was not that Andrew supported it because he believed it was good. It was because of his affection for her, and only then did she conclude how deep that may run. She was not sure what to do with that new information, that new revelation. He offered his energy to her. He offered his help to her. He was basically offering himself to her, his life and his future, and it was…uncomfortable.

She didn’t know how to reconcile it. She was not one who gave into affections or emotions, after all, so to witness another doing so, even after taking a moment to think, was strange. “I see.” She swallowed down some of the discomfort as best she could, not wanting to acknowledge it. He wasn’t stating it, best to pretend she did not understand. “I’ve no intention of having you die, as I stated at the hunter’s bar. It will remain that way. I am doing what I can to keep you out of harm’s way, you would be wise to actually listen to me now that you know. I’m in no danger. I can handle far more than most.”

Quite a few bullets, apparently. “Since we’re on the same page regarding my mission, then tomorrow we will head out from here to a town where the key should be. If it is not there, there is an organization created by the Nephilim Micah – a half-angel, half-human – in that town that should be able to…assist with pointing us in the direction of the key.” They wouldn’t assist willingly. That was implied heavily in her tone. She did not think of him as a father, and did not refer to him as such.

She may have mentioned her father’s name before, off-handedly, to Andrew. She wasn’t sure.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie sat in silence, absorbing his words with only part of her mind. She had the beginnings of a plan, but she didn't know the first place to start, or how to keep it from Darius. If he found out what she was plotting, well, that would make things nearly impossible. They already were as far as she could see, but if she could just... She pushed the thought away for now. There was much preparation to see to before she could even conceive of what she was thinking, but if she could end all this without putting anyone else in harm's way, that was the choice she would make.

Darius didn't know about the locket. She didn't know if she believed him, but she had no choice for now. He either actually didn't know, or wasn't talking; either way she had no choice but to accept it. They could learn together, or she would figure out what she needed to know on her own. She definitely had to touch up her investigative skills; they were weak at best, as could be seen from the lack of progress in locating her father. Or knowing that Mia was still alive. That was okay though, she had ideas now. The wheels in her mind were turning now, faster than they ever had. She would never have thought herself capable before, and even now wasn't as confident as she would like to be.

Darius could help with that. He was a well of information, she knew that much. She would take full advantage of that now, soaking up all she could, like a sponge. Hopefully the members of the Order could help as well. They may not know her as anything but Micah's daughter, but that alone could be the leverage she needed. She was a naive little girl after all, who was just fearful and curious, and wanted answers so that she could sleep better at night. Or so they would think. That was who she had been, but she had felt a shift within her back at the house, and while she was still the same old Charlie in a lot of ways, she knew that she would continue to grow, and could never go back to being the same carefree girl she had once been. Not with Mia on her tail and lives on the line. She felt a strong desire to protect, which was new to her, but difficult to assuage. She thought of the few people that she still had that meant anything to her. Darius. Amelia. Herself. Even Mia, when she allowed herself to be completely honest. She was still family after all, by blood if by nothing else. That had to count for something.

Her eyes fluttered open at Darius's mention of their impending arrival. Almost there. So much to do. They wouldn't be staying long, he had said, but she needed to take advantage of what little time they had. She would be meeting these people for the first time, these people that had known her father quite well, she imagined. She gathered herself began to mentally prepare. She had no idea what to expect, and it would be obvious, which would work in her favor.

Charlie stretched, glancing at the time. Two hours exactly. "I'm so ready to be out of this car," she yawned sleepily, hoping Darius would think she had dozed off. "What exactly can I expect from this place?" she inquired anxiously. The anxiety was authentic; she had never met anyone from the Order before, and she was still afraid, in spite of her thoughts.

*

Andrew wanted to laugh aloud at himself. He didn't, but he easily could have. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, and he didn't even care. His own recklessness should have surprised him, or logic should have intervened. He had more or less just pledged his life to this part angel, part human, mostly demon woman. Not just to her, but to her plan to basically release Hell onto Earth, and all of the consequences that came along with it. He should have been terrified, or running for the hills. Instead he felt relieved, and more than a little excited.

It was surreal to him, like an epic story from one of the classics, and he now had a role to play in it. He wondered if this made him Mia's evil minion, and almost laughed again. He felt giddy, and he couldn't understand why. Was it because she didn't kill him or send him packing? Was it because she would allow him to remain by her side?

It had to be that. He had come very close to confessing his feelings for her, feelings that he had been suppressing for a very long time. If she was smart, and he knew she was, she had probably figured out his motives. That was fine with him. He would prefer for her to know without him having to tell her. He had never quite come up with the right words, and didn't expect to. He had honestly never expected her to know, but it seemed it was the time for sharing, so he didn't try to convince his reasons were pure. He would just let the implication speak for itself, and she could do what she would with it.

He wanted to understand her more, that much he knew. He had trouble believing that her motivations were purely evil. He felt certain there was more to it than she was letting on, something deep-rooted within her that was her driving force. He wondered if she would ever divulge that information. He doubted it, but that was the Mia he wanted to know. She may have demon blood running through her veins, and perhaps she was more demon than anything else, but she was also part human and part angel. She had a family at one time; a mother and a father, though she never spoke of them, aside brief mentions here and there. She had once been a child, a little girl; he wanted to know that Mia. He didn't believe that just because she was half-demon she was inherently bad. He wouldn't allow himself to. He was determined to find out her real motivations. For now, though, he would just help her carry out her plans.

"Okay Boss," he quipped, winking. "I'm happy to know you aren't planning to kill me off any time soon." He grinned, feeling childishly happy. "Does anyone, erm, expect you?" he inquired. "It seems like most people might be against your idea of a united world, so if they were to say, catch wind of what you're planning, could they have removed this key somehow?"

He thought about that for a moment. What was this key, and how hard was it going to be to acquire?

 

[Lucyfer]

The thought of nearing the haven of the Order shifted the conversation, and Darius considered, brows knitting. “I haven’t been to this spot for a while, but when I was in Galena last time, it was basically just a networking center. It’s the top floor of an office building in Galena’s downtown – which isn’t saying much, it’s just a three-floor building,” he laughed. It was nothing like Chicago or other towns with dizzying skyscrapers. “They don’t have to deal with much of the fighting, so they just analyze patterns, keep everyone in touch, and try to move people to the right areas.”

The ones that did most of the fighting were in the larger cities, like Chicago, because more often than not, that was where the demons flocked to in order to blend in or go unnoticed. That had been Sirena’s logic. “So I guess…expect a room full of cubicles and a bunch of nerds,” he laughed a bit, but it wasn’t inaccurate. “A couple of guards, probably, but Galena tries to stay on the down-low. There’s also a pretty decent library, lots of books to scan into the archives, so they’re probably the magical experts.”

He couldn’t completely vouch for it.

He knew one of them was heavily into alchemy, or trying to figure out alchemy. Last Darius knew, it was to no success. “Most hunters operate out of run down bars, or in basements…the Order is trying to be a bit more…professional,” Darius said. “It doesn’t help if you go up to a reporter in flannel and jeans, you know? So they all tend to look like office workers or body guards, depending on what they do. Some look like scientists – a lot of those interested in magic or alchemy do.”

He knew the Order was an unusual thing for her, and she was likely expecting them all to be badasses in league with Micah, but the truth was that while the Heads of the Order were certainly that, the majority had never known Micah and were recruited through various means or through Hunter groups, or Occult groups. They may have heard of Micah and respected his legend, but that was all the majority knew – his legend, his legacy, not him.

“They’ve all heard of you, Charlie…so I’m sorry in advance if any of them act a bit weird. You are the daughter of a great hero, after all,” and they all had come to revere him. They were all, at least, aligned with Micah’s dream.

Darius flipped his blinker on as he took the ramp that would take him into Galena, and then began to hunt out the turns towards the downtown area.

~***~

A wry grin twisted itself onto her lips at the term boss, and Mia shook her head a bit at it. Boss. Sure. When he asked if anyone was expecting her, the grin almost became more wry. Twisted. Her eyes lifted back up to him, “I hope so.” It was likely an odd statement, but in truth, she had been working towards that, slowly but surely. They would be expecting her, or someone like her, and that meant one thing: they would all be monitoring where the key was. Every part of the Order was going to be watching it, every part of the Order would know where it was, if Charlotte was not at her home. “The only way to ‘remove’ the key, as you put it, is to destroy it. There is no question they will try to move, or protect it. It is a nuisance but a necessary one,” she shrugged her shoulders, but did elaborate.

“If I did not make it obvious, then there would be a chance the Order I went to investigate would not know where it was, and then I would have wasted my time. By making a fuss…,” she gestured out, “everyone in the Order is going to be on alert. Everyone is going to be keeping tabs on the key, which means, someone is going to be able to tell me where it is, or where it is going, and then I can simply follow the trail until I catch up with it. Assuming it isn’t as easy as going to its last known location, of course.”

Mia could hope for that, but she was not going to count on it. The Order could be stupid enough to just put a bunch of guards there, lambs to the slaughter. She’d be content to give them the hero’s death they craved.

“That does remind me, though. I suppose we won’t be flying out there. I have a motorcycle in storage here,” perks of this being her hometown, she supposed. She kept a storage unit. The motorcycle might need a bit of a tune-up though, it hadn’t been on in a while. “I need to check it. You will need a car,” carry luggage in the trunk, make sure he was also a bit more protected by the walls of the vehicle. “If you don’t have other questions for me, I think we should begin those preparations.”

If he had more questions, though, she would wait for them. If not, she preferred action. She didn’t like just waiting, and she was rested enough to at least go out and prepare.

Besides, shaking hands with car salesmen would help, a bit.

 

[Auralunabella]

Perfect, Charlie thought. Hopefully I'll be able to do a little digging here. A library sounded promising; she wondered how current it was. She made a mental note to ask. It seemed like a haven for information, which was what she was after. Had she known much about the Order before now she might have thought to inquire at a place like this sooner. She was light years behind in her knowledge, and wished she had enough time to catch up, but that was not the case; she would have to focus on key points. She was most curious about these patterns Darius had mentioned, namely any leading up to the day her father had disappeared, but also any that would clue her in as to what exactly Mia was planning. Darius had told her they weren't even sure it was Mia; they thought it could possibly be an imposter, but that was not what Charlie believed. She was sure it was Mia, in the flesh, and she had a strong feeling that anything she could find out about Mia would help her to uncover the truth about her father.

Charlie wanted to have a look at these patterns, and what those who had discovered about them had deduced from them. The ones concerning Mia she could follow in both directions. She wanted to possibly stay ahead of Mia and figure out what her next steps would be once she discovered they had gone into hiding. She would have to get Darius to help her with that; research wasn't exactly her forte and she was terrible at analyzing. She also wanted to co-align the patterns, if there were any, leading up to her father's disappearance with those of Mia's, to see if they overlapped at any point. If they did, perhaps she could trace them back and see if there were any key points she had missed when searching for her father. She had never considered this angle before because she hadn't known it was a possibility. Now that it was, she felt that perhaps she could uncover something that she had missed when she only had one path to follow. Also, she should probably consider that if Mia were involved, Sirena probably somehow was too, at least prior to her passing, and see if there was any overlap there as well.

Charlie was in so far over her head she felt like she was drowning, but she was eager and excited because she felt like she actually had a plan of action now. Information was the first key. She couldn't get anywhere without learning more. Sorting out her magic was the second. She would never be able to carry out her other plan if she was unable to harness the full power of her magic. She would never survive it, and if she died, it would all be in vain, and someone else would be left to carry her burden. That person would probably be Darius, and she would not allow that. He had endured enough.

"So do they have accommodations for us here?" she inquired. "If it's just a glorified office building, will they be able to keep us safe?" Darius had mentioned magic experts and alchemists, but to her, while she wanted to glean as much information as she could from these people about her magic, it didn't make her feel particularly protected.

She only wished they had more time here. They were only staying one night, or so Darius had said. Perhaps, if it was safe, she could talk him into staying a bit longer. "Do you think Mia knows about this location?" she added.

*

Of course she has a motorcycle. Andrew could not dispel the image of Mia tucked into tight leather roaring down the road on her motorcycle, off to open the gates of Hell. He smiled, enjoying the image as he thought about attaining a vehicle for himself. He had not owned a car in a while, preferring public transport which was more reliable and much less traceable, albeit more of an inconvenience. He liked the idea, though he would have preferred to ride on the back of Mia's bike with her. He didn't think she would be as enthusiastic, however. I am really glad she doesn't have my ability, he mused, feeling his face growing warm. He had not allowed himself the luxury of these types thoughts in her presence, and wished he had controlled himself better on this occasion. He hoped she hadn't noticed.

He concentrated on the thought that wherever they were heading, Mia expected trouble; welcomed it even. This would be interesting. He had always been such a passive participant in the lives of those around him, Mia being the odd exception. He would be a lot more involved now, possibly in ways that he might have shunned before. So be it. It would make for a much more interesting life than the one he had previously lived, ante Mia. He owed nothing to anyone, aside from perhaps her. She had been the only constant in his life for as long as he could remember. What did he have to lose apart from her?

Andrew wondered if Mia even realized how much he could offer her. He could be of great assistance if she would just allow it. He could sense the overall feeling of a person or place before she ever had to encounter it. He could manipulate the emotions of those around them to make it easier for her to get what she wanted, providing they did not happen upon a place like that horrible bar, which had blocked everything. He wondered if she had been blocked there as well, but decided to ask later. She seemed intent upon action, and he was feeling eager as well. All the pleasantries were handled; there was no need to sit around and waste time. If this key was so important that an entire order was keeping guard over it and its movements, every moment was precious.

"Fair enough," he agreed. "We should get moving. Let me just have a quick shower, and we can be on our way. Why don't you check on the bike, and I'll get things together here, and then we can head to the nearest dealership. I don't need anything fancy, but I would prefer a standard, something in blue perhaps?" His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "Should I meet you there or do you just want to come back here when you've got it all sorted out?" He wanted to come with her, but sensed she didn't want him hovering over her offering his help with every little thing. She had a strong sense of independence, and he didn't want to impose upon it. She would never allow him to help at all if he constantly smothered her.

 

[Lucyfer]

“Well, define accommodations…,” Darius started, but then shook his head a bit and sighed, “It’s going to be more like a cot and a blanket, or something like that. This isn’t a safe house to stay in, this is just away from where Mia would probably look first. That’s why we’ll have to leave soon,” Darius explained. “This place is going to protect you, simply by keeping you ahead of Mia.”

They would move to somewhere safer, though no where was really going to be safe until the threat was done away with. “Even then…we’ll likely want to continue moving.” Movement was key. Staying ahead, especially if it became obvious that they were being pursued. If so, then at least they could start to set traps in the path of their pursuer. “There’s no real safety in the building, except a few people and myself.”

He wouldn’t lie to her. This wasn’t the best place to stay, but that was why they weren’t staying.

He pulled onto the street that took them into downtown, which had a few tall buildings for the many office workers or the few governmental workers. He turned them into a parking garage, “I don’t know what Mia knows,” he reminded Charlie. “Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m not going to underestimate her. She probably knows about all of them. That doesn’t mean she knows which one we’re at. That would take some sort of divination.” He was fairly certain neither Micah nor Sirena were capable of it, so he doubted Mia would be.

She may be good at guessing, though. If she checked the house, she may determine the most likely place they’d run, and follow them here.

He slipped the car into a parking spot and put it into park, before turning it off and moving his hand to the door to open it, “Come on, Charlie,” he smiled to the pink-haired woman, trying to remind himself briefly that yes, she was a woman. He had to think of her more as that, and less as a girl. Less as just someone who couldn’t control their own fate. It was the only way he’d find it easier to start providing her with information, though he didn’t want to consider what thinking of her like that could also do to his mindset.

“We’re not going to get caught here, so it is safe,” he tried to reassure her, “We’ll be long gone before anyone comes up here to look.”

Though the implication was clear: they’d be gone, but not the rest. Even Darius felt a pang as he thought about those who would end up in the way of any pursuer, and what their fate may be. ‘We all signed up for this.’ For something that they all knew could end up dangerous. Well…this was the day. This was the time. The danger had finally caught up with Micah’s progeny, and they all had a job to do.

~***~

Mia did recognize the blush that was coming over Andrew’s face, but as before, refused to comment on it, or acknowledge it. For all she knew, he was embarrassed over something, or angry. There were many reasons for a reddened face. At least he agreed with the plan, though it seemed he wanted to split up. “You do recall I do not have a phone, correct?” Not that she minded, but she figured he would as soon as he realized it.

Even so, she wasn’t about to let him take it back, and she rose. She could have changed out of the overlarge t-shirt, but wouldn’t, “Take your shower. I’ll return here once my bike is running again,” assuming it caused her any problems in the first place. “Then we can go get your car,” as she said it, she turned to her luggage and opened it, pulling out a small wallet. She never kept much on her.

In there, was all her ways of paying for things, but also the keycard to the storage unit. She stood once she had it in hand. “Whatever color you want,” Mia really didn’t care.

She wasn’t riding in it. Though, blue was a nice color.

With that, she would move to walk by him, to let him be to take his shower while she would head off to her storage unit and navigate the traffic and transit system once more.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie was disappointed that she would not be able to spend more time here, but at the same time, she was not in a hurry to face Mia; not yet. She wasn't ready. She would just have to make good use of what little time she had. She would spend most of her time in the library, if she could.

It concerned her a bit, how unsafe this place actually was. She wasn't so much concerned for herself as she was for the people they would leave behind when they left. Mia would eventually find her way here, and she would want to know where they had gone. She didn't remember Mia very well, but remembered that she had a cruel streak as a child, and shuddered to think about how much that had evolved over the years. She feared for the safety of the people who were graciously taking them in for the night. It could only end badly for them, and the thought made her heart ache. There was nothing to be done about it, but that didn't alleviate the guilt she felt.

Charlie moved to exit the vehicle, feeling apprehensive. She went around to the trunk and grabbed her bag, clutching it tightly. She was eager and scared and excited and dreadful all at once. It was hard to process. She looked up at Darius, who towered over her, and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

She was feeling homesick already, but did her best to push it from her mind. Hopefully one day she would be able to go back to her home; it held a lot of memories for her, good and bad, but for now she had to accept the fact that she had no home. She was "on the run" like an outlaw or a criminal, and the one pursuing her wanting much more than to just apprehend and detain.

They walked towards the building together; Daruis was right, it looked like your everyday office building. There was nothing obvious to allude to what it contained within. She took a deep breath. And so it begins.

*

"You do have a phone," Andrew stated, as Mia made to leave. He caught her arm gently as she was about to reach the door. "I picked one up for you at the drugstore. It's nothing fancy, but it will do until you decide to replace your old one. I wouldn't have suggested that you go on alone otherwise. Here, hang on." He released her arm then, and walked over to where the plastic bag lay on the floor. He rummaged around inside it for a moment, then brought it out, offering it to her.

"All you have to do is call and activate it. They are prepaid so you just add the minutes, which are included, and they are also very hard to trace. You can just toss it when you're through with it. It was very cheap," he informed her.

No way would he let her out of his sight without some way to contact her, not only for her safety, as well as his own, but he feared she may decide to ditch him and carry on alone, especially with the knowledge of his ability and how it worked. It was a fear he had always had, even before he knew about her; that if she knew about him she would want nothing more to do with him. Knowing how much she disliked the idea that he had manipulated her once, only once, he felt that fear even more now.

"If you would rather I go along, I can always shower later," Andrew offered hesitantly. It seemed like she was annoyed by his suggestion that they split up, though he wasn't sure why considering all of her previous emphatic suggestions that she could handle herself. It was just a trip to a storage unit, after all. He just assumed she would want some time to herself after all the events of this morning, and he really did need a shower; he had left in such a hurry this morning he hadn't bothered with one, and it had been a few days.

 

[Lucyfer]

Darius did lead the way, but he stayed close to Charlie as he did, not wanting to get too far from her. He knew the actual office was on the top floor, so he ignored the others in the building on his way up, except for a passing smile. At the top floor, the door was protected by a pinpad for a passcode, and a wooden door. Hardly protection enough for someone who wanted in, but protection from those other office-goers below them.

Darius reached out and pressed the button by the pinpad, and a few moments later, a voice spoke out to them. “Name and business?”

“This is Darius Landau with Charlotte Solomon,” he said, “We’re expected.” Of course they were. There was a click.

“It’s open.”

Darius reached for the door and turned the knob, finding it was now open. He would let Charlie step through first, into the room of cubicles, though there was a bit more openness to them in here, than down below. They didn’t raise up as high, for one. Second, there simply weren’t as many of them. There was more open space in this office, more plants, and more side doors and rooms, rather than just rows and rows of cubicles.

A woman quickly approached them, dressed smart in her heels with her red hair pulled back into a bun. Darius was actually surprised to see her – she was usually stationed up in the larger city, Mia’s former home. “Nina?!”

A smirk came to her lips briefly, and then faded, “Yes, well, when you said you were coming here I thought I’d come to meet the two of you and make sure you got out safely, as well,” she offered as answer to his surprised tone, before she offered her hand to the pink-haired woman, “I’m Nina Dovak,” she introduced herself.

~***~

Mia had forgotten about the phone, but sighed all the same when it was given over to her. “Don’t worry about it, Andrew,” she told him once she slipped the phone into a pocket, “Shower. Call me when you’re at a dealership you like, then, and I’ll show up to help get you a nice, blue car.”

Like he wanted.

That way no time would be wasted picking him up to go to a dealership. He could go right after his shower, and once she got the call, she’d head out that way.

Then, she was finally able to pull away, and a bit of something like happiness did touch her. She’d forgotten the phone – would have left without it, in truth. She had forgotten Andrew still cared enough to want to keep in touch. A little thing, but he put it all so thoughtfully together, a phone that would be hard to trace – even before he knew the full story of her.

It was enough to remember she did actually like his presence, even if she hated how she’d been manipulated before.

Mia navigated the transit system to her storage unit, quietly hoping it hadn’t been raided by hunters. When she got there, she was pleased to see that no, in fact, it had not – and her black motorcycle was still there, along with the few other notable items she kept around. “All right,” she murmured to herself, “let’s see what issues you’re going to have now.” Probably battery and oil. At least she didn’t care about this shirt.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie studied the woman as she approached. She was stunning; dressed to impress, her red hair neatly coifed, yet she wore the smile of a person reconnecting with an old friend. Which was appropriate, as it would seem that she and Darius were already acquainted.

"Of course they would be," Charlie thought. Daruis had been involved in the order for as long as Charlie could remember. He probably had many friends and acquaintances that she had never heard of. Still, the way they were so familiar with each other; she didn't quite understand how it made her feel, but it did make her feel something. She pushed the feeling down for now though; the woman was speaking to her.

“I’m Nina Dovak,” she introduced herself, extending her hand towards Charlie.

Charlie looked at the woman's hand as if she wasn't sure what to do with it, then looked back up at her. "She wants you to shake it you silly girl," she chided herself. It was not the time to show any weakness or indecision; she wanted them both to see her as strong and capable. Charlie took Nina's hand and shook it, well aware that her own hand was embarrassingly clammy. "I'm Charlie, nice to meet you," she said, nearly choking on the words. She wanted to appear confident before this woman but she was still reeling from recent events and her voice faltered. She cleared her throat and continued, "Thank you for offering us sanctuary, especially considering the risk."

And the risk was great, should anyone become privy to their location, or even the fact that they had passed through. Charlie was sure Nina was well aware, but she couldn't help feeling a deep sense of guilt for putting her, and anyone else in the building, in harm's way. The Order would of course have protections in place, and people who were willing to die for the cause, but that didn't make Charlie feel better about it. People were going to die, possibly soon, and definitely because of her. Or rather, the necklace that she carried, though at this point they seemed to be one and the same.


*


Andrew smiled as Mia departed, careful not to let her see him do so. He was unusually happy considering all they had been through the past few hours. He hopped in the shower, as he said he would, and washed himself off as quickly as he could. He typically didn't care much about his appearance or hygiene, but things had shifted between him and Mia today, and he wanted to stay in her good graces. Smelling like a pubescent teenager was something he figured he could try to work on, for her sake.

Once he was finished he exited the bathroom, dripping water all over the floor; he hadn't bothered to towel himself off. He rummaged around for the cleanest pile of dirty clothes he could find, slipping them over his still-damp body, and sprayed a bit of cologne for good measure. He stepped into his shoes as he pulled out his phone, which had survived the incident at the bar. A quick Google search found him the nearest car dealership only a ten-minute walk away, so he grabbed his hotel key and headed out, making sure the door locked behind him.

The walk was pleasant and the air was much fresher than the stale air in the hotel room. Andrew barely noticed his surroundings as he walked, however, too lost in thought to pay anything any mind. He kept going over everything that had happened between deciding to follow Mia and now, everything that had led him up to this point. Before he knew it he had reached the dealership. Looking around he saw a bunch of flashy sports cars that he knew Mia would love, and briefly considered getting one of those. That was not what he wanted, but he did like to make her happy. That would be counterproductive, however; he wanted to blend in not stand out.

A salesman approached him then, his name tag reading Allen. "See anything that interests you?" Allen queried, eyeing him closely. Andrew laughed inwardly; he knew what he looked like and figured the salesman assumed he didn't have much money to spend.

"Actually yes," Andrew told him. He gestured towards a dusty blue Taurus towards the back of the lot. It was old but looked sturdy, and more importantly, it was nondescript. "How much you want for that old boy?" he inquired, his eyes smiling as Allen balked at his request. "Sorry, buddy, no big commission today," he thought.

As he and the salesman worked out the details, he would be paying cash of course which made things a little easier, his thoughts drifted back to Mia. He hoped she was safe and staying out of trouble, though he knew better than to expect that from her. He tried not to worry, she could reach him after all, but he hoped she would join him quickly and they could be on their way. He didn't want to stay in this town anymore; no longer than he had to at least.

 

[Lucyfer]

It was evident that in front of Nina, Charlie was full of nerves, though Darius wasn’t sure why. Of course, to him, nothing about Nina seemed out of the ordinary. He was accustomed to her prim and proper attire, accustomed to her no-nonsense demeanor. ‘She’s just overwhelmed, and finally somewhere safe…ish.’ Somewhere Charlie might be able to actually feel everything, not in the confines of the car.

Nina shook her hand, and let it go. “You’re welcome,” Nina said, stepping back.

The area behind Nina did indeed resemble an office. There was a reception desk, and two guards stationed on either side. Behind the reception desk, were rows of cubicles. Darius knew somewhere behind them would be a library, and likely a conference room with cots. Hopefully, there was also a breakroom somewhere.

He shifted the bag on his shoulder in discomfort.

Nina continued, “One of the conference rooms is reserved for your use. I can show you both to it, there’s little else to see here. We will maintain an active guard, in case anything should happen.” Nina turned to walk ahead and lead them passed rows of cubicles to the conference room, near the back, along the western wall. All the curtains were up, covering it from sight. “I am sorry to be meeting you in such circumstances, Charlie,” she added, glancing back over to the girl.

Sympathy.

And pity.

The office was mostly empty at this hour, though a few remained at their cubicles, researching, and running reports for the various other members of the Order. They didn’t even look up, though, when they were passed.

“We will make sure to handle it as quickly as possible so you can return to a normal life, as your father wanted. We can discuss the next heading tomorrow, but I am sure this is a lot to take in and you need time to adjust,” Darius could hear the notes of pity, far stronger than anything truly sympathetic, or even empathetic.

Darius remained quiet as they reached the conference room and Nina opened the door for them. The room was indeed rather bare; cots, blankets, and little else to provide comfort. Not even a television for background noise.

~***~

Mia did miss her phone for one reason: music. The burner didn’t have her accounts already stored on it, and it really wasn’t the sort of phone to blast music from, anyways. Mia worked on her bike in silence, though it didn’t take long to have it up and running again. She’d overestimated the trouble it would give her, and how much maintenance it would need.

Oh, it needed its oil changed, and the battery needed charged, but beyond that, it was in good shape.

Mostly, the silence gave Mia time to consider if she truly wanted to continue with Andrew or not. After learning he could manipulate her emotions, she still felt a bit…frustrated. ‘Once. And if he truly wanted to….’ Despite his own apparent feelings for her, he had not attempted to manipulate her into feeling stronger towards him. He had not attempted to further that relationship by unnatural means.

Doubt hung heavy, though.

Mia knew what those kinds of powers could do. Her mother had been an expert at wielding something similar, after all. Charm and lust were potent, and made people do foolish things. Shifting her anger to anything but, could also disrupt plenty. No matter how much she wanted to believe she kept a level head at all times, she knew emotions still ran their course.

She knew she still made decisions based on them.

She slammed her fist into the ground, near the phone, but didn’t shatter it.

Tempting as it was, she instead let out a breath, and found Andrew’s number in the phone. She was done with her bike, so she may as well check if he needed her help with the car situation; she assumed he would, blissfully unaware of his riches.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie was frustrated with herself for her behavior. She had resolved that day—or was it yesterday? Time was a blur—to be stronger and more independent. Yet, here she was, stumbling over herself like a timid child. Darius was accustomed to this; he had witnessed her at her worst, and she was at ease with that. However, with Nina, Charlie inexplicably yearned to demonstrate her worth. It was illogical; she barely knew the woman and would likely never encounter her again. "She'll probably be dead before dawn," Charlie thought darkly.

She let her hand, now free, drop back down to her side, absentmindedly wiping it on the leg of her pants. She was unaccustomed to being touched, by anyone other than Daruis, and that was mostly during training. She may have realized her actions could seem impolite, but her attention was solely on Nina. She was addressing them, yet Charlie felt the words were intended mainly for her. Darius didn't require reassurance, nor was he the target of the pity evident in Nina's gaze. She remained silent, yet she offered the woman a smile.

When the pair began to head towards the room they would be staying in she followed along quietly, taking in her surroundings. It was uncanny how much it resembled a typical, everyday office building when one considered the secrets that lie within. She noticed a few people working amongst a sea of mostly empty cubicles and couldn't help but wonder if they knew who she was or why she was there. Did they pity her too? The thought rankled her.

It was almost Charlie's last straw when she heard the pity seeping out of Nina's voice as well. She felt on the verge of a meltdown. She was not some pathetic little creature that everyone had to mollycoddle. They were making her feel that way though, and she was not handling it well. She did her best to remain calm on the outside, but inside she felt a rage beginning to build. At those pitying her and at herself, because right now all she wanted to do was go home, hide under the covers, and cry herself to sleep.

Instead, she said nothing, and finally, they reached the conference room. Nina opened the door to let them in, just enough to where she could see past the threshold; it left a lot to be desired but she wouldn't complain. These strangers were putting themselves at great risk for her, and she would never be able to express her gratitude.

"Again, I want to tell you how thankful I am," she reiterated, addressing Nina. "I know the danger you've all put yourselves in by helping me like this." She purposefully excluded Darius from that statement. He could handle himself, and she could not. The facts were simple. She bowed her head and entered the room, choosing a cot for herself and plopping down on it. She didn't want to talk anymore tonight. She was tired and all she wanted to do was get her hands on a book, but she didn't know if she would be able to stay awake long enough to read one. "A quick nap," she thought as she lay down and closed her eyes, shutting everything out.

If only she could shut out the nightmares.


*


Andrew kept checking his phone periodically, willing Mia to call him. Meanwhile, Allen the Salesman, as he had come to call him, was over in the office drawing up the paperwork for his purchase. The car was cheap, which was what Andrew wanted, and blue, his favorite color. The problem he was currently facing was that he wasn't sure he had enough cash on him to complete the purchase. They had left their things at the hotel, and while he did have cash he'd saved from the odd jobs he worked here and there, it was not on his person. He was hoping he could convince her to swing by the hotel and pick up his envelope, though it would probably take a lot of convincing knowing Mia. He supposed he could just call her, but that usually annoyed her, and he didn't feel up to handling Angry Mia. Angry Mia was formidable.

He sighed and tapped his foot impatiently. Across the lot he could see Allen the Salesman emerge from the office, a sullen look on his face. He could almost smell the man's disappointment. Andrew wondered how many of his coworkers Allen had tried to pawn him off to. Clearly, none of his bribes were substantial enough. Andrew chuckled.

The man approached Andrew. "Sorry to break it to you, buddy, but your stuff doesn't check out," he said with a gruff tone. Annoyed now, Andrew responded with feigned respect, "What seems to be the issue, sir?" His mockery was evident, and he made no effort to conceal it. Determined, Andrew was set on leaving with the car, with or without the paperwork. His confidence might have been overly inflated, believing that if any trouble arose, Mia could simply bail him out.

"Well," the man cleared his throat, thrown off by Andrew's blatant disrespect. "The numbers don't match," he stated.

"I'm not sure I follow," Andrew said, his voice edged with a subtle threat. He extended his senses, attempting to grasp the essence of the exchange. The man seemed... sticky. It was an odd sensation, not quite an emotion, but it was the only word that fit. Doubt began to take root in his thoughts, and with a defiant resolve, he grabbed his phone and called Mia, gesturing to Allen for a brief pause. Allen remained, his gaze fixed on Andrew with an intense glare.

 

[Lucyfer]

Nina did, in fact, notice the way that Micah’s child wiped her hand after contact. It wasn’t something she would comment on, however. The gratitude that Charlie offered seemed sincere, and though Nina was indeed still in the depths of pitying the girl, she gave her a warm smile and nodded, “Do not worry about it,” though of course, they wouldn’t go through these lengths for anyone else.

The necklace had to be protected, as did Micah’s only true daughter.

If Mia was yet alive, as many began to suspect, she was not worth protecting. Only killing, at this point.

“We’ll worry plenty, but thanks, Nina,” Darius said, and shut the door as the conversation seemed over. He anticipated more, even opened his mouth, but Charlie went right to a cot and laid down. His gaze was soft as he watched her bury herself into it, “Good night,” he offered, walking to his own cot, and getting things out to plug in and charge up his phone.

He wouldn’t go to sleep nearly as quickly.

He would leave when he was certain the sound of his departure from the room wouldn’t disturb anyone, to find Nina in one of the spare offices. He knocked lightly on the opened door and she looked up, then sighed and gestured him in.

Darius sunk into the chair opposite her, “So, what are you thinking?”

Nina shook her head and turned from her computer screen to look at him, folding her arms over the desk, “I’m thinking we should put you both on a plane to Australia, and hide you until we’ve dealt with this situation.”

Darius snorted, “Australia? The spiders will kill us,” he tried to joke, but he knew this was no joking matter. “Do you have confirmation then? That this is….”

Silence.

“There was an attack at the 7th Heaven. It wasn’t destroyed. Video footage confirmed this is Mia Pietus. We’re working on locking the area down to prevent the demons who come from the portal, from getting far, but it’s evident her goal is to open the main passage to Hell,” Nina said, “and we’re certain she is coming here. Is there anything left in the home that could help her?”

“No,” Darius shook his head, “No, I left nothing – I don’t keep that stuff at home.”

“Good,” Nina relaxed. “We’ll leave it to her to find. We’re going to move this base tomorrow – as much as we can – and all the others nearby.” She shut her eyes, “we’re going to have to move all of them to stay ahead of her, but right now we have to focus our efforts on the closest ones to prevent her access to information until we can kill her.”

~***~

As Mia picked up the phone, it rang, before she could even dial the number. She frowned a bit to see Andrew’s name, even if that was who she was going to call. No matter, she answered it, taking a seat on her bike.

“Mia,” she said, staring at the wall, “What is your situation?”

She didn’t imagine that Andrew would have much to report other than his success at getting a car, and where they could meet up. That, or she’d taken too long with the bike and he was making sure she was all right.

Idly, she wondered if he could sense her emotions over the phone.

She wouldn’t ask that, of course, just wait for him to provide additional information on his situation, so she could determine what needed to be done. She just wanted to get back to the hotel and sleep, now that they had a plan. Now that he knew what she was striving towards.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie was surprised when she awoke just a short while later. Given how exhausted she was, she had expected to sleep for hours. Glancing at the clock on the wall she was surprised to see only about forty-five minutes had passed. She wondered what had woken her up.

Sitting up in bed Charlie yawned and stretched, looking around the room. It had been thrown together for them hastily she could tell, the long conference table pushed haphazardly against the wall, chairs stacked on top. It was as you'd expect any room in an office building to be; sterile and minimalistic. There was no art on the walls, just some generic prints, and a plant in the corner. She swung her legs off the bed and stood, wanting to take a closer look; Charlie loved plants and flowers, anything that reminded her of when she was young and would spend days upon end playing make-believe in the fields near her home.

The plant was real enough, she was pleased to see, and looked well cared for. It was of a species she did not recognize, but it was green and full and beautiful to her.

She then walked over to Darius's cot. She could see that he had unpacked the few things he needed; phone... charger. His cell was currently charging, which reminded her that was something she needed to do as well. Charlie wasn't sure why she needed a phone as she didn't talk to anyone except for Daruis, and in rare instances, her mother, but he had insisted that she was reachable in case they were ever apart. "And traceable," she thought. He did like to know where she was and what she was doing on the rare occasion she ventured out.

She quickly plugged it in and sat it next to Darius's. Even their phones were opposite; his the standard sturdy top-of-the-line model while hers, though also quite pricey, was smaller and a delicate shade of pink. She shook her head at the sight; it was just another reminder that she was small, weak, and delicate. She was determined to prove them wrong, as well as assuage her own doubts about herself. All she needed was a little time. Too bad that was the one thing they were currently very short on.

She padded around the room a little more, stretching her muscles, settling eventually on her bed. "Cot," she corrected herself. She was not at home and this was most certainly not her bed. It was comfortable enough, but she was already feeling the sting of homesickness and knew she wouldn't be able to grow comfortable here even if the circumstances were different. They weren't even staying a full twenty-four hours to her knowledge.

She wondered where Darius was. She wanted to see him. She had questions, but more importantly, she wanted to find a library. She could probably have found it herself but it felt a little too impositional to go wandering around in someone else's place of business, if it could even be called that. Technically that's what it was, but they conducted a different sort of business here, and Charlie was curious about it. She had a wealth of information before her yet so little time. She hoped Darius would return soon, she so wanted to ask him about it, but if he took too long she would just go looking herself. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but time was short.

She leaned over to pick up her phone deciding to play a game while she waited for Daruis to return. She checked the clock periodically. She would give him an hour, then she would find the library herself. It couldn't be that difficult.

*

"Hey Mia," he responded quickly, grateful that she had answered AND that she was okay. Well, okay enough to answer her phone at least. That didn't necessarily guarantee her safety. "Listen," he rushed, "I'm having a little issue here at the dealership." Andrew turned his back on the salesman and then walked a few steps away. He felt uneasy being that close to him. He kept his feelers out for any change in Allen's emotions. The guy felt off and he wanted to be prepared in case anything happened. He didn't really think anything would, but Allen the Salesman weirded him out.

He lowered his voice and explained, "Sorry to bother you. I forgot my cash at the hotel room, and at first I was just going to ask you to please swing by and grab it for me," he tried to sound placating as he did not want to set her off. "But now," he continued, "this salesman is saying my information doesn't check out, and I'm not sure what exactly he means." He doubted it was a mistake on his part. The guy he got his documents from was well-known in the "industry". He claimed they would stand up under the most rigorous inspection. He would have to have a talk with him if this were somehow related to that.

"I don't know what's going on with that but there's something else," he lowered his voice even further now, to just above a whisper. "This guy feels off," he confided. "And not in the usual way." He described it to her the only way he knew how. "He seems sticky. I don't get any emotion from him. I would expect anger or irritation or something along those lines. No one has ever felt sticky to me before." Even saying the word left a foul taste in his mouth, though it was certainly all in his head. He couldn't actually taste anything. He never had before.

Andrew took a breath and then hurried on, not even giving time for her to respond. He wanted to make sure she fully understood him. "Everything is probably fine, "he reassured her, "but I was just wondering how much longer you think you might be. I'm not trying to rush you but your assistance might be helpful in speeding things along."

He stopped talking then, anticipating her irritation. He wished he could reach out and feel for it but he wouldn't. He made a promise, both to himself and to Mia, and he fully intended to keep it. He hoped that one day she would allow him to share his gift with her, but he didn't count on it. If only she would think logically about it. It would benefit her so much, and who knows what he could learn about his own ability by sharing it with her?

He glanced back over his shoulder at Allen, who was still standing there though he was no longer glaring at him. He was more kind of staring off into the distance. He seemed to be lost in thought, but Andrew doubted there was much depth to it. "That's good at least," he thought, moving one step further from him. He still gave him the heebie jeebies.

 

[Lucyfer]

Kill.

Darius wondered how much Charlie might protest the intent the Order had for Mia. They hadn’t known each other long, or even well. Certainly, the only one who had spoken well of her had been Micah. ‘You wouldn’t be proud of her now.’ It was hard to imagine Charlie’s mother had much to say about the child of Micah’s mistress.

Well, fling

Mistake.

Still, perhaps only for Micah’s sake, Darius asked, “Is there no other way?”

Nina’s stare was dull, without sympathy, “She’s killed many. She plans to destroy the world as we know it.”

“Maybe she’s possessed. Or just…doesn’t actually understand. Sirena could have lied to her.”

“We don’t have the luxury of time to chat with her,” Nina said, and Darius sighed, slumped more into the chair, before he pushed a hand back through his curly hair, “If it’s obvious she’s possessed, we’ll try to save her. But that’s it.”

Darius nodded, and straightened back up. He supposed he couldn’t argue it, really. Not with what was on the line. ‘You have to tell Charlie.’ His throat tightened on the thought. Of course, Charlie tried to swear him to tell her everything.

He wasn’t sure he could.

Would it really be better if she knew Mia was alive? Or would she run headlong into trouble, run right to Mia with some stupid thought she could talk sense into her? Darius doubted it, but the doubt nagged at it, “Well, I think I’ll sleep while I can. We’ll be out of your hair soon,” he rose.

“Good night, Darius,” Nina said, offering a weak smile.

He barely returned it as he went back to the room, and noticed Charlie on her phone. “Hey – shouldn’t you be asleep?” the same could be said about him, as he went to the cot. He knew she wanted to research more, “They’re joking of sending us to Australia.” He wasn’t sure how much of a joke it really was, though, as he took a seat, “I guess there’d be plenty of time to sleep on the plane.”

~***~

Mia listened, silent, as Andrew expressed his issues with the dealership. She felt a headache growing already as he explained the salesman seemed strange, and it wasn’t going well, “You can leave it, Andrew,” she almost sighed it out, shaking her head even if he couldn’t see. “There are other dealerships. If they’re going to hassle you about paper we can go to another. My credentials should be fine.”

Given she didn’t lie about them and still had functioning bank accounts.

That might come to an end if the Order started to be a pain, but right now, she did use her real identity to keep getting grant money for the various papers she wrote. She had always been hiding in plain sight.

Andrew had taken to hiding long before he ever really knew he needed to.

It did make Mia wonder why – wonder if he was running from something with how quick he was to throw his life away to join with her, in so many ways. “If you’re concerned, tell me where you’re at, and then let the salesman know you’ve found a better deal while keeping me on the line. If things go south, I’ll be there shortly.”

Otherwise, they’d meet at the hotel, and head to a dealership together to get this figured out.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie looked up as Darius entered the room, completely abandoning her phone mid-game. She wasn't into games much anyway, casually using them here and there to pass the time, and besides, she had more important things to worry about.

Ignoring what he said about her being asleep she exclaimed, "Australia! We'd be in more danger there than we would here!" She couldn't help but laugh despite their situation. It was a running joke between them, how the wildlife in Australia was far more dangerous than any demon or beast they could ever come across. Not that she would mind going there; Charlie had always longed to see more of the world. She'd spent the majority of her life cooped up; under lock and key like some precious treasure to be guarded and protected. She would be grateful for the trip were the situation different.

"So, what were you getting up to? Did you happen to find the library while you were gone? I'd really love to spend some time there, there's so much I want to know." She wasn't sure she would find the answers she needed in those books, not the ones she had access to anyway. Charlie was pretty sure all the important information was kept somewhere hidden and safe. Still, it would likely be easier to glean knowledge from a book than it would be to get Darius to answer her questions. He wasn't particular to being forthcoming, she had noticed.

"Also..." Charlie hesitated, not sure that she wanted the answer to her next question, but this was the important one. The answer to this question would determine everything. "Did Nina tell you...I mean..." It was difficult to get the words out for some reason. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Is it Mia?" she asked simply. There, it was out there. Whatever happened next was out of her control. Well, for now.

Charlie blinked her eyes a couple of times trying to keep herself from tearing up. She didn't know why she was suddenly so emotional. And she didn't even notice the gentle glow from beneath her shirt.

*

"I'm just right up the road from the hotel, ten minutes, tops," Andrew said. "Hang on." Andrew looked at his phone and typed his location into the GPS. He shared it with her. "I just sent you my location, I'll go talk to the guy now." Andrew looked back at where the salesman had been standing only to jump back in surprise when he realized the guy was standing right behind him. "Whoa there buddy!" he half-shouted. He hadn't even heard him walk up. Andrew took a few steps back, holding his free hand up as a barrier. "What are you doing?"

The salesman, Allen, didn't even seem to register that he spoke; he just stood there, watching him. He still wasn't glaring, but the vacant expression he had been wearing was gone, replaced now with a look of fierce determination. Andrew reached out to touch his - its he corrected himself - essence, once again getting nothing more than the feeling of warm glue, like when you would rub it on your hands as a child and pull them apart to see the wet strings connecting them together. That's what the guy felt like.

"I think I've changed my mind," Andrew told him politely, not wanting to upset him further. "It seems my partner's preferences differ slightly from mine," he said, trying to slowly and inconspicuously back away. "We think we may just look elsewhere, but thanks for your time! You have a great day!" He tried to remain as cheerful as possible, but he could see that his efforts were in vain. The salesman was beginning to... change. Where his form once appeared solid, it was now becoming slightly blurred around the edge. Andrew wasn't sure what he was seeing. The man's form was starting to undulate, like some amorphous blob found in the deepest depths of the ocean.

"Uh, Mia," Andrew began cautiously, unsure of what he was seeing but now certain that it wasn't human. "I think you should get here sooner rather than later," he spoke quietly but hoped she could hear the urgency in his voice. His eyes were drawn to the man's right arm. It was changing right before his eyes. Where once there were fingers there was now the tip of a bone protruding through, wetly, dripping blood and bits of flesh to the ground beneath him. A finger dropped to the pavement, splattering blood on his pants leg, as the bone grew outwards, lengthening and reshaping itself into something resembling a scimitar, but made of bone and bits of flesh. The man - thing - began to advance on him, his smile widening unnaturally, wider than any human creature ever could... and he doubted this was an angel.

"Demon," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Mia to hear. The creature kept slowly advancing, its shape morphing and re-morphing into bits and parts of various horrifying creatures, smile never faltering. Andrew all the while was backing away, arm still out in front of him. "Mia, you better get here pretty quickly actually," he told her nervously. "I think it's about to attack me."

It surely did appear that way. It was almost as if the creature was possessed, but assuming this was a demon, how would something possess a demon? What would even want to? Andrew's eyes darted around wildly, looking for an exit. He was not prepared for any kind of altercation, human or otherwise, and this definitely qualified as otherwise. "Get here now!" he whispered harshly, ending the call and putting his phone back in his pocket. He was pretty sure he was about to need both of his hands. Andrew prayed Mia got there fast, as he braced himself for the impact. Right as the creature was about to strike he juked to the left and sprinted towards the lot entrance. He was no match for whatever this thing was.

He reached out for Mia as hard as he could as he ran, doing something he had never done before. He reversed his power, opening himself up to her. It wasn't exactly a violation of his promise, though he was sure she would still be quite miffed at him, but it would help her to know where he was, he hoped, which made it worth the risk. He needed her help. Where before he would have balked at the idea of asking her to protect him, he was not ashamed to admit he needed her. At least this time. Hopefully she would understand. So he opened the channel between them as he ran, doing his best to project to her clearly a feel for where he was. He didn't really know if it would work but he had to try because if he stayed there waiting for her he was going to die.

He wasn't ready to leave Mia yet. So he ran.

 

[Lucyfer]

Darius couldn’t help but chuckle at Charlie’s exclamation, considering he’d said much the same. Of course, the problem of drop bears now seemed inane compared to the problems that were chasing them. They’d do better against all the snakes and spiders in Australia – or at least, their death would be a bit more hilarious in Australia than it would in these circumstances. He wasn’t sure that made it better, though.

No death was good.

He shook his head, “I didn’t,” he admitted about the library, though he doubted it would be hard to locate. “I just checked in with Nina on our options and what more they had reports on,” he wanted to say it wasn’t much more – because it technically wasn’t – but Charlie interjected with a pointed question.

Well, he couldn’t get around it now, could he?

“Yeah,” he confirmed it, trying to keep it light. As if he was answering if it was raining outside. A simple fact. Yet, more spilled out of him, “She was seen on cameras in one of the Hunter’s bars. She…killed them all.” He didn’t have the names yet. He didn’t know if it was someone he knew, and his fists clenched at his side, before he closed his eyes and shook his head, missing the glow in his attempt to keep himself somewhat calm.

“She opened the portal that bar was protecting.” He dropped his head into a hand and sighed out, pushing dark strands of hair back as his hand slid up, “Australia might really be our best option.”

~***~

Mia heard the ping of the location being sent, but stayed on the line as Andrew went to speak to the salesman. It was obvious the situation wasn’t going the way he wanted, before fear tinged every syllable, and he murmured the word demon. Mia didn’t bother to stay on the line to hear what else he might say into the phone. She hung up, plugged in the address to a map, and started her bike.

She kept the speakers loud enough to hear the instructions blaring over the engine as she took off, heedless of speed limits.

Although, Mia doubted she’d arrive in time to do anything. So what was the point in rushing? Andrew’s singular talent wasn’t going to save him, unless he could force a demon into tears – but he’d indicated he couldn’t do much with this one.

It was as Mia blasted through a red light that a sudden wave of something hit her. She couldn’t quite define it, but it was startling enough she nearly wrecked her motorcycle by missing a car that came out in front of her. She managed to bring it to a full stop just in time, and she sat on her bike a couple of seconds fighting with that strange sensation.

The GPS continued to blare instructions at her.

A siren from a cop she’d drawn attention from caught up.

But Mia felt where Andrew was, like an instinct, and she understood. She would deal with him later for doing that.

‘Or you could abandon him and he’ll know in his last moments….’

She had promised death. But not for this use of it. Only to use it to change her emotions. She’d just have to add this in, as she kicked the motorcycle back into gear just as the cop was getting out of their car to approach.

She ignored his cursing. His entire existence. If he followed, she’d deal with him, too.

She caught up to Andrew and managed to skid the motorcycle between him and the demon, bringing it to a full stop before stepping off the motorcycle and staring down the demon as she reached for her blade.

“You should consider your next move very carefully,” she spoke to the demon, uncertain if it had the intelligence to realize it fucked up and recant its actions. Sure, it probably needed to eat – it just chose the wrong prey.

This didn’t have to be personal.

She'd rather give a demon a second chance.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie couldn't help but smile when Darius laughed. She loved to see him happy, and there had been far too little laughter between them lately. Her cheerfulness was short-lived, however, quickly replaced by a sense of disappointment. She would have to look for answers on her own then she supposed. He had not come across the order's library, but surely he had been to this place before. He had been working with the order for years, he had to know where they kept the information she sought. That was her thought process anyway. Maybe he didn't know, but she found that hard to believe. Charlie didn't hold it against him, however; she knew Darius meant well, he was always trying to protect her. She was simply tired of having to be protected, and no longer wanted to be treated like a child. She was a woman now, by her family's standards. She wanted to be treated as such.

That sentiment was momentarily forgotten however as Darius answered her next question. So it was Mia, and it had been all this time. "She's alive?" Charlie asked timidly, overwhelmed by a flurry of mixed emotions. She didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she was thrilled that her sister was alive no matter what feelings the girl harbored toward her. Charlie had been under the impression, whether she chose to believe it or not, that all of her family besides her mother was dead. Then a realization hit her. "If Mia's still alive, maybe that means my father is too!" she exclaimed looking up at him. Her eyes were filled with child-like glee. Of course that could also not be the case at all, but she didn't allow herself to think like that. She focused on the one thing that she had not had in a very long time; hope.

Charlie's mind didn't even register the fact that apparently, Mia had also killed some people. She was too excited about the chance that she might be able to one day see her father again. Her thoughts drifted back to the plans she had been making before she and Darius had left to come here, a trip that she now found to be completely worthwhile. Australia would not be an option now, not for her. She needed to figure out how to get Darius on board with her plan, no matter how much she knew he would try to talk her out of it. And if he wouldn't listen, well, then she would just have to handle things on her own for once. Mia was family, surely she could be reasoned with no matter what she had been up to these past years.

"Did Nina tell you anything else?" Charlie asked eagerly, ready to soak up any tidbit of information she was given. "I'm sure if she's opening portals she has a good reason for it," she continued naively. She still tried to see the best in people no matter how many lessons life decided to throw at her. "We just need to talk to her and let her know that what she's doing might be hurting people. I'm sure she'll listen. We could all work together on whatever she is trying to accomplish and get things done more safely!"

Charlie was sure this was the solution. Family was for life and then some, her father had always told her. They needed to meet; Charlie needed to see Mia for herself and talk to her. She was a woman now too, but they didn't even know each other anymore.

Charlie could hardly contain her excitement. The library was forgotten. Books could wait, Mia was much more important. So much so that she was still blissfully unaware that her locket was still glowing under her shirt, even when it began to blaze even brighter.

*

Andrew heard Mia before he saw her, the loud rumble of a motorcycle growing louder in his ears as he ran. He wanted to turn his head to look for her but he also didn't want to run the risk of falling flat on his ass with a monster on his tail. She made her presence known soon enough, however, skidding to a halt right in front of him, barring the demon's way. He slowed his pace and turned to face them then, catching his breath. He hadn't had to run for his life in quite some time. In the distance he also heard police sirens, and they appeared to be getting closer. He hoped the sound wasn't related to Mia's fast appearance, though he somehow knew it was. They would deal with that issue when it caught up with them. For now, he waited to see how this was going to play out. He had every confidence they would come out on top, but at what cost?

Mia dismounted from her vehicle and spoke to the beast then, while also reaching for her blade. “You should consider your next move very carefully,” she said to the creature, staring it down. It had stopped its pursuit of Andrew when Mia cut it off and now it was just standing there, its form continuously transforming, bits and pieces falling to the ground around it. Andrew thought it was looking at Mia, studying here, as if trying to come to some sort of decision. Finally, it spoke, if you could call it that.

"I'm here for the human," It hissed thickly, sounding like it had a mouthful of wet marbles. The creature was difficult for Andrew to understand. He wondered if Mia had the same issue. "I have no quarrel with you, Siren," the demon continued, it's disdain apparent. "My orders were to find and kill the human. Give it to me and be on your way." The creature stopped talking and waited, presumably, for Mia to acquiesce.

Andrew just stood there, stunned. He had no idea who or what could have reason to send a demon after him. He'd never been mixed up in such things until Mia, and he hadn't even known about her until just recently. Sure, he hadn't lived the most savory life, but surely there was nothing to account for an assassination attempt. By a demon none-the-less. Who he just happened to run into at a car dealership right down the road from where he was staying. Whoever sent it would have had to have known that, as well as the fact that he was heading out to purchase a car that day. "Are we being watched?" he murmured quietly.

Andrew looked over at Mia and shrugged, alert and ready should he need to act. Not that he would be able to help much, but he would at least try.

 

[Lucyfer]

Charlie's joy was at odds with Darius’s fury. Her ability to read the room was lost to it, and it was terribly jarring. All the hatred Nina felt seemed to flood him as she celebrated the possibilities, not at all counting the losses. But why would she? She didn't know them. Darius might not even know them – but he knew the job.

He knew people like them.

Even if they were wary of him being Nephilim, they were his allies. Friends.

He wanted mercy for Mia but not absolution, as Charlie's tone sung with. So he opened his eyes with a bit of horrified surprise. “Charlie, she's killing people! She's releasing demons! She knows what she's doing!” Mia wasn't just accidentally killing people or accidentally releasing demons. “These are hunters – people who know how to defend themselves.” Just to drive it home that it couldn't be a mistake. “Didn't you hear me?” Micah being alive didn't matter right now.

What mattered was protecting Charlie and the glowing necklace. “And stop using that – she might be able to track it or something.” He didn't know it wasn't intentional, although he should have guessed since she didn't know how to use it.

He didn't know how to use it.

~***~

The demon was intelligent, but not intelligent enough. “Succubus,” Mia corrected when she was referred to as a siren. She understood the confusion well given her mother's name, but unlike the siren, she didn't have to eat the flesh of her prey to gain nutrients. Blood, yes, but not flesh. “I am afraid this human is mine to devour at my leisure. There are numerous others for you to feast on. If you are willing to drop the name of whoever asked for this one, I'll see to it they do not remain a threat to your life for failing to kill him.”

This was a business transaction, after all. If this demon had no personal stake in it, they'd just have to decide who they feared more: the succubus in front of them or whoever hired them.

Mia would step away from her bike to get closer to the demon, but not enough to be within striking range of her sword. Just enough to make sure it would have more of a problem getting close to Andrew.

He really should be stepping back, dispersing into the gathering crowd of cars screaming to a halt and police sirens. The car that had chased her arrived, the cop exited, but was stunned upon exiting the vehicle.

Mia casually motioned that way. “That one would end many problems.” Police. Such a nuisance.

 

[Auralunabella]

Charlie heard what Darius was saying, it just didn't seem to carry the full weight for her that it did for him. She understood that people had died, but her mind wouldn't reconcile that information with the perpetrator being Mia. She knew the gates were being opened, she knew that Mia was the prime suspect for all that was happening, and the reason for this trip. She supposed she'd just always thought in the back of her mind that it wasn't true. She had no real reason to feel that way, all the evidence said otherwise and now Nina, a member of The Order, had confirmed it to the best of her knowledge. Perhaps it was her childish naivety or simply the mostly sheltered life she had lived, but Charlie couldn't help but to think there was more to the story. Each new bit of information she received only strengthened this belief in her, and there was only one person now who would have the answers she sought. She had to get to Mia before anyone else did. They might not allow her to live if she were found and captured.

She couldn't let Darius know what she was planning, though that would certainly prove difficult. He had been chosen to guard her for a reason; he was very good at what he did. It would be nearly impossible to get away from him, but it would be even less possible to sway him to her way of thinking. She was also not known for her acting skills; Darius could usually see right through any of her ploys which was why, past a certain age, she never bothered. Still, she had to try something.

"I'm sorry," she conceded hoping to calm his concern. "I know what it looks like and you might be right but Darius, we have to at least try to talk to her. There might be things that we don't know that only she could tell us. She might even know about Father!" Charlie couldn't help but reiterate her previous statement. She knew Darius didn't want to hear that from her, but it was how she felt. Another thing was that Mia most certainly knew more than either of them did about her necklace. If what the Order said was true, she was out there using it for its intended purpose, while Charlie didn't even know what that purpose was or how to harness it herself. Mia was leagues ahead of them in that department.

She felt herself growing annoyed. Of course he wouldn't listen to her. She was just a silly little child after all.

She sighed, wishing she could just go back to the way things were before all hell had broken loose.

"Stop using what?" she snapped at Darius. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

*

Andrew knew it was probably not in his best interest to stick around. Not to mention he would be more of a hinderance than anything. He couldn't help himself though, his curiosity had him in a chokehold. He needed to know who sent this demon after him and why. He'd dealt with shady characters before, but to his knowledge they had all been human. Andrew was not above breaking the law when it suited him but he was quiet and he was clever, or so he thought. He never left a reason to be remembered.

He spoke to it then, good old Allen the Salesman. "Who sent you?" he demanded, perhaps with more confidence than he should have had. He felt stronger now knowing what he did about Mia, and believing that she was in his corner. Maybe it was a belief he should have reserved for later after having possibly confirmed it; she was never shy about showing her annoyance towards him. He wasn't thinking about that though, he just wanted answers.

The demon didn't even acknowledge that Andrew spoke, it just continued to sneer at Mia. The thing must have had a death wish to risk offending her like that. "I must leave with the human," the demon hissed, flecks of spittle joining the spattering of blood and bits of flesh on the pavement beneath him. "You cannot promise safety from my master, Siren," the demon repeated, pointedly. The demon lowered its stance then, readying itself, whether to attack or defend Andrew didn't know. He looked at Mia again, wondering what he ought to do. He didn't want to leave her there to handle a demon and the cops by herself, but he wasn't sure how he could help.

"A distraction perhaps," he thought, assessing his surroundings. The crowd was growing, perhaps if he created some sort of diversion Mia would be able to get the upper hand on the demon and the cops would have something else to focus on, something that they could wrap their minds around. His mind made up he did the first thing he thought of. Andrew took off running straight towards the beast, shoving it to the side as he ran by. He then ran up to a man who was standing near the closest police car and punched him full force in the face. The man staggered back, palm to his jaw in utter disbelief. Andrew just stood there waiting for one of them to react, and sure enough they did. The cop went to reach for his weapon just as the man he had punched got his wits back. Andrew ducked as the stranger swung at him, just in time as he felt the fist breeze past his cheek. He lunged at the man, tackling him around the waist, and they both fell to the ground. The cop could seem to decide on his gun or his handcuffs, he just kept patting around on his utility belt. Andrew reached out then, feeling for the sense of both of the men before him. Upon touching them he conjured up in his mind a feeling of rage towards himself, hoping to keep their attention on him and not on the two demons having a chat across the way. People did tend to see only what they wanted to; he assumed it wouldn't be any different this time. Andrew projected the feeling then, causing them to strengthen their efforts. As the man climbed on top of him, effectively pinning him to the ground, Andrew hoped this was buying Mia whatever time she needed to handle things.