Realistic or Modern The Witching Hours [Closed]

[awkwardradish]

Emmett gave a wry grin at Pia’s response. He wasn’t going to go out and buy a burner laptop, he had all the information he needed tucked safely away in his brain. Pia, however, might want to see the files.

“I meant for Terrance to send you the files. I’ve already studied them, and I’m fully aware of your blood brother in Salem.” He chuckled to himself, shoving his hands into his coat pocket as he made way for the door of the room.

“Six pm.” He repeated. That at least gave him time to sleep, if he could get any. “I look forward to it.”

~***~

Jasleen averted her gaze quickly when Asher looked up at her. She’d been studying him. She blew out a breath as she considered his question. “Because it’s powerful, like you said.”

Oliver meowed, moving over to Jasleen now to beg for attention. She laughed the tiniest bit, before she joined Asher in the floor. She crossed her legs and Oliver climbed into her lap as she scratched his ears.

“It’s powerful and it undermines the power and authority of the covens, even if I don’t use it.” She went on. “Even then, I’m sure he’d spin it to make me look untrustworthy.” She stared down at Oliver, her jaw tightening. “They try to paint me as some rabid animal who can’t be trusted. And maybe I… am difficult,” she admitted quietly, “but I’m not some scheming lunatic like Landon or the others. I just want to live my life.”

 

[Lucyfer]

“Mmm. I can text you a good email for Terrance to send things to,” she allowed before moving towards the door and looking for him to head out along with her. “Try not to make much of our relation in Salem. He will not hesitate to cause you trouble if he takes offense, and trouble of the legal kind which is always exceedingly tedious and boring.”

Something she didn't think Emmett wanted to waste his time with. “Unless you like dealing with fifty pages of legalese to pay a $500 fine, of course.”

She'd lead the way back to the entrance with no detours and no change in path. She was quite conscious in letting him see only a limited view of her home. He clearly knew too much already. He didn't need to learn anything else.

But she did, “Is there anything I should know in communications with Terrance?” Not that she foresaw any responding, but just in case.

~***~

Asher felt some guilt at turning her gaze away. He averted his own gaze a bit, following the cat as it moved to get attention from her. Following her fingers as they offered.

“I'm sorry you're being hunted for being powerful. It's a shit reason.” He said, fully believing that. Existing shouldn't be a crime. “I don't think any of us have seen you as unreasonable.”

He didn't.

Not enough to be committed or otherwise contained against her will, at least. She was running from harm. That was a perfectly sane reaction.

“We'll deal with them so that you don't have to worry about them again.” He'd do what he could, just as he knew Pia would.

Not as a good person – perhaps she protested that too much – but out of her own fears. It was motivation enough.

 

[awkwardradish]

“I’m perfectly capable of conducting well behaved business transactions when it suits me.” Emmett chuckled softly. He hated playing that part, but he’d do it when he had to. After all, that was part of the job.

And being heir to the Astor legacy.

He nodded his head once more. “I’ll have him send you the files, and that’s it. Terrance isn’t a people person, it’s why we keep him behind the computer. Any questions or issues, get in contact with me.” He loved Terrance, but he’d either piss himself trying to talk to Pia or piss her off completely.

“Sleep well. You’ll need it.” He told her as he stepped out the threshold.

~***~

Despite refusing to look at him, Jasleen had seemingly accepted his presence well enough to relax in the floor with Oliver.

His words spurred something in her that she wasn’t quite sure how to react to.

“Why?” She said suddenly. Her gaze found him, despite the fact that it made her nervous. “Look, I’m not trying to be rude, but you shouldn’t give a shit what happens to me, or why it does.” It was a bit harsh, but it was true.

She went on before he could answer. “I didn’t mean- I mean, I’m not-“ She sighed, taking a moment to compose herself. “I just… don’t understand. That’s it.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Pia made the note not to address Terrance directly if it could be avoided. She didn't need to cause undo trouble, and she likely didn't need too much explanation from Terrance, anyways. “Very well,” she accepted it gracefully.

Though, she rolled her eyes at the request to sleep. It was unnecessary. She did, of course, but it wasn't a requirement. With meeting Edwin on the horizon, she wasn't likely to sleep anyways. She had to prepare to deal with him.

“Sweet dreams, good hunter~,” she bid in a sing-song, touched with that damnable charisma for her own amusement, “try not to dream of me.”

Perhaps it'd be a subtle enough influence on his last thoughts that he would. Perhaps not. She wasn't likely to know unless the dream made him awkward, naturally. She shut the door behind him, and retreated to the lounge, to take the head and start cleaning it of gore.

Sure, she didn't know what to do with the skull, but cleaning it was a start.

And licking the blood off her fingers was like an electric thrill.

~***~

Asher wasn't surprised by the question at all, though the outburst startled him. He leaned back onto one hand, this time making sure he was looking at her as he answered. “Society isn't like the group you came from. There's still assholes, but most people are indifferent, or want to help.”

He knew this.

He believed this.

“The degrees they'll go to are different. I have a lot of means, so I can help a lot more than most. And I try. I don't have to care about the kids, but I do. The animals…I could have gotten any number of jobs that would keep me from interacting in a caring fashion, but I didn't.”

He wasn't cut out to be someone behind the scenes crunching numbers.

“I know it's different. And strange. And you want to protect yourself because of what you learned in that society. I see it a lot with the abused kids,” too much, “but there's whole systems and groups out here in the world set to help people who have been hurt. Some aren't great, they all could be better…but humanity, generally, cares. Even if I hate generalizations like that, it's been true a lot for me. And now that you're out of there it should be true a lot for you.”

She shouldn't give up faith in the world and people.

“Though, generally, I don't like most people. And plenty will rip you off. I'm just trying not to be one of the people I hate.”

 

[awkwardradish]

Emmett chuckled softly to himself as Pia shut the door behind him. He wasn’t sure why he was enjoying their banter so much, but he was, and that was dangerous.

His dad would be pissed.

Even more reason to continue.

He once again whistled to himself as he made his way to his truck to hopefully get some sort of shut eye. He would wait for Pia to send him her email address before he called Terrance, lest he snap at him again.

~***~

Jasleen was quiet as she listened to him, and for once, she didn’t shy from his gaze- she held it. She wanted to make sure she could believe him.

Could she believe anybody?

As he spoke, though, she found herself softened by his plight. She realized she had been viewing him- and everybody else, for that matter- as if they were the same as Landon. She couldn’t do that anymore.

Well, she didn’t want to. Putting that into action was a different story.

She studied him some more, for so long that it almost felt like she would reply. “Did you just compare me to battered children and animals?” Her tone was joking, and the corners of her mouth twitched, like she wanted to smirk at him.

Of course, she was a battered child- but he didn’t know that. And then again, she did act more like a feral cat than anything.

 

[Lucyfer]

It was only after Pia had taken the skull to her room and gotten a few supplies that she remembered to text her email over to Emmett, before she inevitably had to get her hands dirty.

She couldn't let it just rot, though. That may decay the bone structure as well, which was so nicely preserved!

The process of cleaning it and sanding it could at least be started. Then she'd consider plating it in some metal. She didn't really know or care about the individual, so it didn't have sentimental value other than some reckless hunter brought it.

A thought she paused on, frequently, through the process.

People never took that request literally anymore. They used to. ‘Did I enthrall him?’ perhaps a drinking glass, though it was so cliche.

~***~

Asher couldn't help but laugh a bit himself, softly, at her joking tone. “I don't have many adult human examples,” he offered as way of apology for the comparison. “I don't mean to say you are childlike, just that the trauma response has some…similarities across age groups.”

Although he could imagine she was mistaken for younger than she was just by her size alone. That had to be annoying – something he thankfully hadn't dealt with in years.

“Don't worry. I'm not expecting you to change or trust overnight. You don't know that anything I say isn't bullshit covered in glitter, to be a bit crude,” he noted, “but you can ask questions and demand answers on things, to get comfortable with your new situation. Especially…going back.”

That was dangerous. He knew he couldn't talk her out of it, though.

 

[awkwardradish]

Not long after Emmett received the email, he placed a call to Terrance and gave him simply instructions to send over info to Pia. He had to dodge some questions, but he trusted Terrance’s loyalty. To him, at least.

Soon after, Pia received an email full of attachments. The first was an entire file on her, most of her history with Frederick, though there were parts missing. For the most part, they had pretty accurate information, even about her ability.

The next file was on Frederick, which was significantly smaller, and only contained basic information.

The next was on Jasleen. It went into detail about her parent’s execution for treasonous magic and Jasleen’s official excommunication from the coven, which had sense been proved wrong.

The next was a quite large file on the coven itself. It contained the names of all the Elders, including Landon, who was now head Elder. It contained information and abilities from the rest of the coven, as well as the history of the coven itself, meeting points, rules, and anything else notable.

~***~

Bullshit covered in glitter. Jasleen made a mental note to stick that one in the bank and use it later.

“Honestly?” She spoke quietly, her fingers still running through Oliver’s fur. “I was going to leave town. Go somewhere else, let Pia and the hunter handle this. But then when Nick showed up…” She once again felt her stomach churn, and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

“I don’t know. Something changed, I guess.” She shrugged a little. “I’m tired of running. I’m tired of…” She shook her head a little. “It’s just time to get it over with. I just want it to end. Maybe they’ll die, maybe I will, but either way it’ll be over.” She turned her eyes towards Oliver again.

 

[Lucyfer]

It would be a while before Pia checked the email. Not until she had to set the skull aside, and by then, it was daylight. That was the best time to go over tedious bits of information, and so, she began to that, deciding to end on her own file. She made a note of the locations that were in the Coven’s log, adding them to her phone’s GPS as quick locations so she could get to them easily enough, as well as the rules, and much else.

Getting in touch wouldn’t be terribly difficult.

Even if the coven despised vampires – and it seemed, they did from their rules – there were public spaces. ‘And even if not, I know where Frederick and Corydon are buried.’ Those might be her first stops. Any good necromancy would want remains.

Grave robbing might be the first thing….

She went on to Jasleen’s file, but took it with a grain of salt for the false information.

Frederick’s was…short. She couldn’t help but scoff a laugh at it to herself. She knew…so much more about what he was capable of. ‘You need to tell them.’ And she could have sent a message to him on Frederick’s specialties, but she figured that could wait until the plane.

Instead, she took an interest in her own bio, amused, but not surprised, they knew about her talent. She deserved that, really, after the rampant abuse of it. They’d known about Ishara – though, that could have led them to believe she had other talents. When she’d been paired with the demon, she could take on the power of any she sacrificed to Ishara, so she’d sought out the powerful.

It'd been glorious. ‘Stop it.’ She had to take a breath.

She still couldn’t help but send a message to Emmett:

You all are obsessed with me by that file, and I haven’t even been a threat for centuries. Did I enthrall one of your own way back then to stir this obsession? ​

Possible. She forgot all of them.

~***~

“They likely could handle it, if you want to change your mind again,” Asher offered, though it was a half-hearted offer with no teeth behind it. He knew Jasleen had made up her mind, and he wasn’t there to change, as the cat enjoyed the affection he was getting now.

It was nice to see.

He really hoped the cat liked flying, though. Otherwise it was going to be a menace on the plane.

“It’s understandable. Running is exhausting. I never liked cardio,” a small joke, as they seemed to be weaving them in, bit by bit, as some semblance of comfort grew between them, “but no, it makes sense. Confronting things adds a finality to it. And you won’t die. I’ll—we’ll—make sure of it.”

When all was said and done, he hoped she would find peace.

“And we’ll make sure it’s over.”

At least, for her lifetime. He supposed for the immortals, there was always the chance of something resurfacing, but that wasn’t his problem. Nor Jasleen’s problem. They’d have peace. He ignored the way his mind strung that as if they’d have peace together; no doubt they’d part ways after this.

She’d want to get away from everything that reminded her of the situation.

 

[awkwardradish]

Emmett was eating some version of a greasy breakfast sandwich when he heard his phone ping. He assumed it was Terrance, complaining once again, but he found a big grin spreading across his face as he read Pia’s words.

You’re kind of infamous in the supernatural world, you know. It took us about an hour to put that file together.
​

That was a big lie. They’d been watching Pia for a while, ever since there had been rumors of necromancy on the horizon. It had taken much longer to put together that information on her than he’d like to admit.

Still, it was always fun to tease.

~***~

Jasleen couldn’t help but snort a small laugh at his joke. She didn’t want to- it just came out. She kept her eyes downcast onto Oliver as he spoke more, until he assured her that she wouldn’t die. That he would make sure of it.

She watched him a moment, also feeling the small moment that passed between them. “I’d rather die than go back there.” She said genuinely. “And I will. They won’t kill me, because they have uses for me… But I will die before I serve that purpose for them.” She looked at him seriously. “I’m sorry if that’s grim. But there are fates far worse than death, and being a slave to Salem is one of them.” Her voice was once again small, but she seemed determined.

 

[Lucyfer]

Pia doubted it was that easy, if only because the supernatural world wasn’t that willing to talk to Astors. Still, she humored it.

Did you bribe Edwin or Sekhnu?
​

Those two would have the amount of information the Astor’s wanted. Sekhnu was simply a wildcard so far as whether he wanted to humor others, but Edwin could be bought and negotiated with. It was, after all, just who he was. He enjoyed a good deal – and that meant a deal where he came out on top somehow.

But it didn’t really matter.

They had the information on her, and that meant they could become quite a nuisance if they opted to not align. She’d have to ask Trystan to hack their files later to see who else they knew a substantial amount about.

Perhaps purge their library.

~***~

“Then, we won’t let them get you. We won’t let you serve their purpose,” he stated, but frowned, “what…purpose do they have in mind?” Asher asked, “I know he wanted to marry you for power, but is there more to it than that?”

He wondered if there was, or if she was just guessing. Or if the marriage was enough. It would be for most, since any marriage a person didn’t want involved in, led to a rape to solidify the union and produce heirs. An archaic attempt to lock a person into the relationship against their will.

That would be a horrendous fate some would consider worse than death.

But perhaps, even if she hadn’t known of any plot to revive Frederick, she did know of other plans that Landon had for her power.

 

[awkwardradish]

Emmett smirked once more to himself. Bribery? What kind of man did she think he was?

In all honesty, he wasn’t sure where the information came from. Emmett could barely send a text message, much less deal with the tech like Terrance could. He much preferred the wilderness to modern technology.

I’m not a part of the tech team. I’m sure they have their ways of finding information.
​

Unreliable information, unfortunately. Now that he knew a lot of his information was wrong, he was beginning to question just how much of his information was correct. He was confident Pia wouldn’t tell him.

~***~

Jasleen once again averted her gaze. She’d never met somebody as bold, yet gentle as Asher. Usually, people liked to ignore the bad parts of her and her past. It was ugly, it didn’t paint a pretty picture. Asher wanted to dig into it. He pushed, but only just enough.

She didn’t know what to make of that.

“Landon has staked his claim on me since the moment we were children.” She explained quietly. “Yes, he wants to marry me. But by marrying him, I become his personal slave. And Landon is a… violent man.” She continued to run her fingers through Oliver’s fur. It seemed to be the one thing that was keeping her grounded.

“And of course, I’d be expected to produce an heir.”

 

[Lucyfer]

‘Doubtful.’

Pia didn’t think it was a tech thing. This wasn’t recorded history. It wasn’t written down or easily accessible in that way. Someone bribed someone, or threatened someone, blackmailed someone – either way, it wasn’t achieved by snooping on the internet.

She almost sent a message back, then caught herself. She had nothing of importance to say, and texting was so tedious. ‘Oh God.’ Did she just want to communicate with the damn hunter? The smile that crossed her lips at the audacious thought only made her laugh, and she set her phone aside.

Apparently so.

Well, she had other things to do.

He could wait.

~***~

Staked his claim. Asher let the disgust show as he shook his head at the mere idea. Even werewolves didn’t do that, despite what popular media would suggest about fated mates and marking. It was a repulsive idea to Asher to imagine free will could be taken in such a manner, and that others would want to, to begin with.

Then again, he learned more about the depravity of people every day.

This was why he preferred animals.

“Well, he’ll be gone soon, I’m sure,” he didn’t like talking about killing as if it was just routine, even if it seemed to be in this world. He didn’t know how they managed to cover it up so well. Didn’t know how Nicholas would be covered up, but it would be.

So would Landon’s death.

And all the others, no doubt.

“Then you can live whatever life you want. You should start thinking about that,” he suggested, “you’ll be free to start it soon.”

 

[awkwardradish]

Jasleen considered his words. She hadn’t ever allowed herself to consider what kind of life she might want outside of her usual. After all, leaving her coven so young had left her without education or job experience. Even if Landon was gone, she’d still be struggling to scrape by.

She shouldn’t be getting her hopes up anyway. There was a good chance none of this would work, and she’d be dead tomorrow night.

“Did you always want to work with animals?” It was a sudden change of subject, but Jasleen didn’t want to talk about herself anymore. At least not the morose parts of her life.

But then again, were there any other parts?

“Sorry.” She apologized just as quickly as the question had left her mouth. “I don’t mean to pry.”

 

[Lucyfer]

The shift wasn’t all that sudden to Asher. It made sense. He was talking about creating a future, and Jasleen had never considered that for herself – so now she had to find out how others came about it. “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do,” he said, “I got a scholarship to go to college on football, but I didn’t want to do that. I knew I wanted to help, but people annoyed me,” he admitted.

“Animals…it was different. Their owners might annoy me, but they never did. I think I’d like to work at a zoo one day,” less owners, and more research, “I haven’t decided. When I was changed, a lot of things sort of…slipped out of my plans as I adjusted.”

He supposed it was about time to start reconsidering for his own future, too. He didn’t think he’d be living here after Salem.

“It’s fine to pry,” he added, “I don’t have any secrets. My life was boring. Only child of two divorced parents. High school jock. College scholarship. Stalked by a werewolf. Vampire bodyguard,” he gave a shrug as a smile pulled on his lips, “you know – normal stuff.”

 

[awkwardradish]

Jasleen hadn’t pegged him for a high school jock, and the surprise showed on her face. Then again, things were different in Salem. They didn’t have many jocks, so she could only make assumptions based on the things she read or saw in media.

She smiled the tiniest bit at his mention of being annoyed by people. “That, I can relate to.” She uttered softly.

As he went on, she found herself thinking about what it might be like to go to college. She wasn’t even sure she’d be accepted. She had no doubts about her academic ability, but she technically didn’t have a high school diploma to go off of.

She had Landon to thank for that.

“Schools are different in covens.” She explained softly. “Or at least, in mine. And I ran away before I could technically graduate, even if I was ahead of my class, so college is probably out of the question.” She shrugged a little, trying to seem like that didn’t bother her.

She smiled a little back at him. “Completely normal.” She agreed jokingly. Oliver mewed, as if joining in on the joke.

“My dad was a professor.” She admitted. “Not for witches. He taught Chemistry and Physics at the human college.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Asher’s expression screwed up a bit as she suggested college wasn’t an option, “That’s a lie,” he said, “you can get a GED, and then go to college. They have community centers where you can study for it if you need to. Once you have that, you can apply anywhere you like,” he encouraged, if that was what she wanted. “Well, that, and the SAT – I think,” it’d been a bit, but he was pretty sure he needed an SAT score to get into college.

Or was it the ACT?

Regardless, it was another test.

It sounded like she came from a college-oriented family, after all.

“Would you want to go into the sciences, like your father?” he asked, canting his head a bit. He could definitely imagine how chemistry could relate to magic. It probably helped with potions, somewhat. At least with ratios, and making sure nothing was going to explode in one’s face.

Biology of all sorts had been necessary for his degree.

And far more math than he expected. He still wasn’t sure he used most of it. The machines did a lot of that for him. It was probably still good to know it, though. Just in case it ever did come up.

 

[awkwardradish]

Jasleen stopped to think for a moment. Sure, it seemed easy speaking about it. But studying for a GED, or even taking the test, required time away from work that she couldn’t afford. Even then, how could she manage to put herself through college? There were too many unknowns.

That wasn’t Asher’s problem, though.

She shrugged at his question. She *had* always liked science. Her father was pretty adept at potions, she’d wanted to follow in his footsteps. But that was a lifetime ago.

“Maybe.” She admitted. “I always did like helping him weave spells. Design potions and tinctures.” The corners of her mouth tilted ever so slightly at the find memory. “I always kind of thought I’d do something medical. Like nursing. But it’s kind of late for that. Besides, I’m not sure I could work with the public much longer.” She half joked, a soft sigh escaping her.

 

[Lucyfer]

Jasleen focused on the positives, at least. It even brought a smile as she reflected on the good times with her father. ‘Have you had time to mourn?’ He wondered if she had, on the run, or if she’d remained too tense and afraid for such a luxury as mourning. He didn’t really know how long ago it was that she was 17, after all.

He wouldn’t ask that.

Asher didn’t want to tarnish the mood.

“It’s not late,” he reassured, “but we can look into options later,” he barely noticed how easily he linked himself into it, “even if you don’t want to go that route, there’s other ways to be involved in medicine and help others,” nothing was coming to mind in the moment, but he was sure a google search would provide results.

“Though I agree about the public,” he chuckled, “it’s not my favorite thing.”

Though he still had to.

And they both had to prepare for confronting Salem. He shifted his weight back, not quite rising, but preparing too, “I need to go get some things packed and get some rest. Will you be all right?”

 

[awkwardradish]

"but we can look into options later."

Asher's words sunk into her. She hadn't missed the use of the word we, but she tried not to let it show in her face. Finally, she realized the strange emotion she had around Asher: Hope.

And hope was a dangerous thing.

She was pulled from her thoughts when he shifted his weight, and she simply nodded quickly. She should probably get some rest as well, but there for far too many scenarios running rampant through her mind, and the last thing she wanted to do was wake the whole house due to one of her nightmares.

"I'll be fine." She assured him quietly. "Oliver here is a very talented guard cat." It was an attempt to direct the attention away from her... lest Asher stir up some of that hope within her again.

Oliver looked up at Asher and meowed proudly, as if agreeing with Jasleen's statement.

 

[Lucyfer]

Although Asher doubted Oliver’s abilities as a guard, he still chuckled, “I’m sure he is,” if nothing else, he’d be a decent alarm, presuming any number of Pia’s alarms didn’t go off. People didn’t break in without damaging something that was likely to set off an alarm, and then, well, they were usually met with a gruesome fate.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

There couldn’t be any action taken, beyond research, until then.


Not that he was impressed with the research when he found Pia later that day, after resting, and eating a bit.

“You cannot be serious,” he grumbled the complaint, “You’re writing, at a time like this?”

Pia shrugged, tucking her laptop into her luggage, along with far too many other things. He was fairly certain the vast majority of it was clothing. She was even dressed outside of her norm – the flowy and almost innocent attire of the college student she feigned being was replaced with a far more form fitting dress navy dress, and sharper angles, with heels that definitely didn’t speak to an amateur walker.

And somehow, he knew, knives were hidden.

“It’s not my fault werewolf novels happen to be in, and seeing you protective over Jasleen gave me ideas,” she shrugged, “besides, Witch’s Familiar has a nice ring to it, with an overly burly werewolf on the cover. Maybe on a leash.” Asher let out a loud groan and covered his face with his decidedly human hands.

“You said you wouldn’t write about me.”

“I said your life was too boring to write about,” she hefted a backpack onto her back, slung a side bag over a shoulder, and then finally closed the wheeled luggage up and got the handle in hand, “now it isn’t.”

“I hate this.”

“You don’t have to read it. Are you packed?”

He nodded.

“Good, set your things near the front, Trystan will be here soon.”

“Why is he driving? I can drive us to the airport.”

“You could, but then we’d have to leave your car, and pay a fee for that, and honestly we don’t know how long we’ll be in Salem.” She said, rolling her luggage towards the entry.

“Is that why you packed so much clothing?”

“Mmm,” she hummed agreement.

 

[awkwardradish]

Jasleen, as predicted, hadn’t slept a wink. In her defense, she had tried to rest, but she just couldn’t shut her mind off. Couldn’t stop the endless train of thoughts in her mind. She was terrified of seeing Landon again. What would he say? What would he do? What part of his sick, twisted plan was he expecting her to play?

Then, there were the others. This was no longer her battle alone. Pia, who she had an odd sense of respect her, and Emmett, the cocky bastard. They were both involved.

And Asher. Maybe her only friend. Could she even call him that?

Would he run when he realized just how deeply Salem had burrowed into her soul?

By evening, Jasleen had developed bags under her eyes. It wasn’t abnormal for her. On any given day, she drank her weight in caffeine regardless. She knew that realistically she needed to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she was plagued by haunted memories and new fears alike.

Emmett, on the other hand, slept like a baby. After he filled his stomach up with some greasy fast food, he set his makeshift alarm on the door and dozed off. He didn’t wake until well into the afternoon, when Terrance sought revenge by waking him.

“You gonna tell me why I just sent all those files to the Baptiste vampire?” He prodded.

Emmett grunted. He was not yet awake enough for this. He checked the time, then stumbled into the bathroom to relieve himself. It was almost time for him to meet Pia, anyway. “Because I asked you too, and you’re my little bitch.”

Terrance scoffed. “Ha ha. Very fucking- Holy shit, are you pissing right now? Dude!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, don’t be a prude, Terrance.” Emmett was grumpy when tired.

The other line was silent as Emmett finished and began gathering his things. “Look, I know it’s weird, but this isn’t an us versus them thing. We’re going to have to make allies, and these could be powerful allies to have.”

Terrance was silent again. “Alright. You know I trust you. Just be careful. I have your location on my phone and I expect you to check in.”

“Yes, mother.” Emmett smirked a bit as he grabbed his things and headed to his truck. “Gotta go. Can’t be late.” With that, he hung up, and promptly made his way back to the vampires house.

First, he stopped for coffee. He bought five, since he wasn’t sure if Trystan would make an appearance, but he was willing to bet the witch would be joining them now.

He held the coffee, a smug smirk on his face as he knocked on the door.

 

[Lucyfer]

The timing was almost too perfect as Pia set her things in the entry when the knock came. It was still light enough out that she opted to step out of the room and let Asher answer it, an act that occurred without question.

Asher pulled the door opened and looked at the hunter. The pleasant scent of coffee wafted up to his nostrils and he could almost forget how annoying the hunter was. Almost, but not quite. Enough that he sighed and motioned the hunter in. “We’re leaving soon,” he said, “Trystan is driving,” he counted and recognized there were five cups.

Two for the vampires? Well, it seemed he knew there would be five of them, at any rate. And he was just informed of Trystan!

When the door shut, Pia stepped back into the room, “You’re welcome to leave your vehicle here if you like, but if you would prefer to have it elsewhere, Asher can follow in his car,” Pia noted, “I think Jasleen is still sleeping,” she’d need to be woken soon, but that was a problem for later. “I’m sure the coffee will help her,” she reached to take a cup, thinking she could go wake Jasleen with the coffee. “I’ll take this to her. Thank you." It hadn't been asked for, nor considered. It was a strangely nice thing for Emmett to do.

Though, Pia didn’t reach for a cup for herself.

Much like Trystan, she preferred not to indulge in human foods often. She didn’t really enjoy vomiting it up later.

 

[awkwardradish]

Emmett smirked in greeting at Asher, nudging the coffee towards him. “Down, boy. I brought you a treat.” He really couldn’t help himself.

As the door shut, and Pia stepped out, his eyes roamed over her figure. Emmett didn’t exactly have intentions of fucking her, but he could appreciate, couldn’t he?

He waved his hand. “I’ll leave it here. If somebody wants to steal that piece of junk, they can have it.” He said nonchalantly. It was a piece of junk, but he’d probably be a little pissed if somebody stole it.

His father had been pressuring him to get something nicer. He said it didn’t look professional for an Astor to drive around in that piece of junk. Emmett supposed he continued to do so out of spite.

“Alright. You wake the beast, I’ll stay and make sure he doesn’t pee on the carpet.” Emmett smirked, jabbing a thumb in Asher’s direction.

 

[Lucyfer]

Asher glowered at the comment, though he still took a cup of coffee. If it was a peace offering, it was a poor one given the following comment. “Careful, he doesn’t like men,” Pia advised, before she left the two on their own and went to the room she knew Jasleen had been lent.

She knocked on the door. “Jasleen,” she called into it, “there’s coffee. We’re leaving in about half an hour,” she said, though she’d wait patiently by the door for a response from Jasleen, before even considering opening it. She heard some movement that didn’t sound like it was the cat, and the last thing she needed was to open the door on Jasleen while she was indecent.

That would hardly help the situation they were all in.

~***~

Asher didn’t follow.

He needed to keep an eye on Emmett, not the other way around. He did opt to ask, “Are the two extra coffees meant for Pia and Trystan?” Perhaps this was another thing the hunters weren’t clear on. Asher knew some vampires did eat human food more frequently than others.

Some were still stuck on the routine of it. Others liked to blend in. And still, some, just loved the taste. Food didn’t become terrible just because of the change; some vampires were willing to deal with a little sickness to dig into a hamburger.

“You know it makes them sick, right?”

Perhaps he didn’t.

 

[awkwardradish]

Jasleen heard Pia’s voice. She had been gathering her things, but there really wasn’t much to do save for pace nervously. She hesitated a moment, before the door carefully opened.

Jasleen looked a little worse for wear. There were dark bags under her eyes, but other than that, she’d managed to get dressed and make herself somewhat presentable. She eyed the coffee in Pia’s hand eagerly, but didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, her eyes flickered back up to Pia’s.

“Thanks. I’m ready.” Her voice wasn’t near as harsh as it was with other strangers. Even without Pia’s charismatic spell, Jasleen trusted her.

Maybe blindly. But Pia at least understood what it was like to be a woman.

Oliver mewed from the floor, coming over to rub himself against Pia’s legs.

“Ah- Oliver.” She scolded. “I’m sorry. He’s enjoying all the attention that Asher’s been giving him, and… uh, yeah. Sorry.”

~***~

Emmett chuckled softly. Asher was so serious, it was so fun to poke his buttons. “I do know that.” Emmett said. “I’ve spent my entire life studying the workings of different creatures. It’s basic knowledge at this point.” He sipped his own coffee, his tone more conversational.

“More often than not, the vampires I meet are willing to purge just to enjoy the taste of human food.” He shrugged. “Pia didn’t strike me as the over-indulgent type, but it would be rude to assume. I’ve met vampires that eat, purge, and eat more.”

He nudged the carrier towards Asher again. “More for us, then.” He was no longer antagonizing Asher, instead, he seemed to be trying to make genuine conversation.