Random hits of hot breeze seemed to bring with it the scents of downtown. In other downtowns in the world that might be more bothersome than it is on Oahu, though, because it really only caught the scent of sun lotion, tropical fruit, flowers, and the occasional burst of food scents from the breakfast time food trucks that were giving over their delicious wares to the masses. Well, as long as the masses had money. Due to the clean up initiative, the days of piles of trash on the street were over, and the number of homeless openly resting in random doorways and at the mouths of random alleyways was so severely dwindled that they pretty much just blended into the throngs of visitors to the island. The sun hit the street with intensity when it wasn't filtered by the fluffy, giant, clouds in the sky, and it left the shadows between buildings long enough to provide shade to their neighbors, at least for now, since it was so early in the morning. Despite the hour, people were definitely out and about. While it was only just after 8am on the island, for those on island time, many of the tourists in town were from time zones that considered this closer to noon. And others still were coming in to work or slipping out for their first coffee run of the day, just trying to get everything started.
The tide is low and slack.
Wednesday mornings just after 8 am were not a time for being idle. At least, not always. And today, it would seem that it was indeed not a time for being idle for Eve. Out in the morning sunlight, standing with a coffee in one hand and some sort of delicacy wrapped in a paper to go bag from whatever breakfast nook she'd stopped at, she certainly looked like she was armed to defeat the day. Add to that her armor of clothing, and she was likely going to straight up destroy the day ahead of her. Taking a sip from her hot coffee left none of her lipstick on the lid and Eve's eyes scanned around the city street for a moment, catching here and there as the sun dictated, or as some shining bright person caught her attention.
Dressed like something out of a 'you wish you could wear this to work' catalogue, Eve had on a shirt, pencil thin skirt made of some sort of thick, supple, silk that was the color of deep, burgundy wine. The hemline of her skirt ended only about 4 inches below the curve of her ass and left a hint of the thick line of black at the top of her thigh high stockings which only really flashed more surely as she walked and the back slit of the skirt gaped just enough to flash creamy, pale, thigh. Her long, black, sheer hose led down to a set of Farragamo heals that easily added 5 inches to her height and were black as well, finished with a slight sheen. On top, Eve had on a deceptively simple, silk wrap shirt that alternated between black and deep blue streaks. The shirt itself was cut with a low V-neck and hung over her shoulders like a wrap instead of a shirt, silken and decadent, while leaving her arms bare save for the thick, platinum bands on her wrists which matched the small, platinum studs in her ears. As for hair, Eve had gone all out, or had her hairdresser go all out, and it was up in an insanely perfect french twist without a single hair loose, smooth and almost regal, leaving her pale gray eyes in sharp relief with their smokey black kohl around them. On her lips, a burgundy stain that shimmered only slightly, and had the good sense to stay within the lines of her lips without even thinking of stepping outside.
Coffee. The most important meal of the day, well at least for Damien at this moment. While having a constitution that saves him from the ravages of all but the most horrific of hangovers, he still finds it a wonderful way to start the day. Wearing his 'work casual' attire, he can't be mistaken for a tourist, not with the well established tan and his apparent comfort with the temperature. He's pale polo-shirt, the breast pocket artfully inscribed with the logo of a select retailer. The shirt is carefully tucked into a belted pair of pale chinos, the silver buckle of the belt looking ancient but still shining. A silver wrist watch is worn on the left wrist, the only visible accessory and quite functional.
Waiting in line at one of the breakfast stands, he taps his boots to an unheard beat, watching as people go past and in no apparent hurry. The old woman running the stall is hurried but still polite, asking after each customer as many appear to be regulars. While not in that much of a hurry, the smells coming from the different stalls are doing a number on his stomach and he finds himself counting the number of people in front of him in the queue, his gaze drifting towards the front of the stall and then outwards as he continues to wait. Spotting Eve, he offers her a wave and a smile, gesturing helplessly to the queue in front of him and trying to articulate that he'll be right over to say hello once he has been served. This results in an interesting array of hand gestures and facial expressions that he can only hope Eve understands.
The sun beat down on Heath as if G-d had selected the finest of crystal magnifying glass of ozone penetrating human-ant igniters and focused it where he stood, and the Soleil sun-glass wearing man was actually smiling at it. Black designer jeans, t-shirt with horizontal navy and white strips with lipstick on his collar, a gray blazer, and bare feet, it was clear that he had ignored the concept of Wednesday morning as anything more than an extension of cocaine fueled client meet-and-welcome. The Regius Double Corona between his teeth was still burning though it was two-thirds gone, as he drew that sweet and spicy smoke into his mouth, only plucking it from his mouth to exhale. The smoke did little to hide the old alcohol seeping out of his pores, and scent of rented pussy that hung around him. This was a man dangerously close having another trip to rehab, and therefore, Heath was exactly where need to be.
That intermittent hot breeze continues along through the streets of Oahu, carrying more scent of breakfast as people continue lining up for local delicacies, enough that even the most nose blind would be hungry by now. Though.. other than that things seemed fairly normal, the scents of the city.
Not far from where Eve was standing with her coffee and breakfast, and therefore not all that far from Damien, a woman in a white sundress blinked at Damien and furrowed her brows, looking utterly confused. She raised her hand shyly and waved back to him, blushing furiously. Her feet were clad in classic, white, leather, strappy sandals, which she shuffled slightly, as she brought her arm down, realizing she definitely didn't know the man, but she kept looking back at him and grinning despite herself.
Eve, while taking a sip of her coffee, fixed her gaze to the form of her waving son and gave him a slight nod as she swallowed. Rather than moving on from her spot, she stayed planted, looking like she could stand there forever despite the towering height of her heels and the heat of the breeze buffeting across the silk of her shirt. Her eyes tracked to the young lady that had waved to Damien, and Eve looked her over curiously, noting the unfettered, long, brownish blonde hair, the white dress and sandals... and the obvious youth. A slow, dangerous smirk tilted up the corner of her lips, which she licked in some sort of anticipation, as a rather predatory glint took itself to her eyes and rested there like a coiling snake. Of course, as Heath came into her range of view, Eve turned that look his direction, and scanned over him like he was bringing himself to the plate as well.
Well aware of the lethality of the social faux pas of waving back to someone who wasn't waving at you, Damien winks and smiles at the woman in the white sundress, hoping to ease her pain a little and perhaps getting an eyefull at the same time. Speaking of eyefulls, it doesn't take long to notice Heath, the wave of 'fuck the world' he gives off are hard to ignore, as well as the cigar smoke. Grinning to his brother, he adjusts his order at the counter and after inquiring about an errant grandson that the stall owner is having issues with, he walks away with a little tray carrying two coffees and a selection of danish treats. Stepping over to Eve, he walks around the Woman in white, offering her a quick 'Aloha' and a smile as he navigates his way around the pedestrians. Stepping over to Eve, he plants a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning Mother, the burgundy suits you. You look set to sack Carthage this morning, I do hope everything is going well?"
Heath left the cigar to linger in the air, waiting for the wind to die down for the ribbon of smoke to rise along his face and inhale it through his nostrils. Shivering at the sensation, the man finally took a moment to actually look around his immediate area. His eyebrows arched over the sunglasses as she spotted Eve, and Heath reached into the inside pocket of his blazer to get out his phone. Thumbing through the menu, he sent off a text, then slipped the phone back into his pocket. His boyish smirk reappeared. Focus drifted to Damien and the girl in white. Heath returned the cigar to be trapped between his teeth and showed both his palms to the sky, in the universal gesture of 'What the fuck?' Sucking on that cigar, tossed the cigar on the sidewalk and walked straight up to the girl in white. He wait at the perfect distance to allow that girl's nose to understand exactly what sort of man she was dealing with. "I know what you're thinking right now... You're asking yourself if you could bring my night to perfect end by being number five." Spoken like an asshole.
The young woman with the white dress and long, dirty blonde, hair, smiled broadly at Damien and if possible, her blush deepened as she did her best to tuck her wind blustered hair back out of her face and behind her ear. "Well aloha to you, too." Her voice was gentle, touched with a bit of embarrassment and shame, and carried with it a delicate accent reminiscent of the Southern united states, lilting and slow rolling. Biting her bottom lip the young lady did her best to look away from Damien, but the curiosity was piqued and her apparently wood-brown eyes fixed to Damien when he kissed Eve good morning and called her 'mother'. As she had no coffee in her hand, and no breakfast, really nothing to do with her hands but hold her hair out of her face and keep her flowing, white, sundress from blowing up with a gust of wind, she seemed a little awkward, but remained where she was, looking decidedly torn between whatever options were flitting through her youthful head. Then, of course, there was Heath. The poor girl blinked as he came into close enough distance to truly offend her olfactory sense, and she coughed, covering her mouth and looked at him with a bewildered expression. Horror and understanding dawned on her with like timing, and she took a step back, toward traffic.
Eve kissed Damien back comfortably, smelling of coffee, peaches, and what could only be exotic spices meant to scent a bedroom, not food. "Good morning my darling, you look lovely today as well. And I can't recall a better time for sacking Carthage, so I may as well add it to the list." She winked to him, though the smile on her lips remained subtle, it did, as always, grow more into a true smile for Damien than it did for almost anyone in the world, other than a select handful. "Are you coming to visit me this morning, love? I'm not used to seeing you near my office unless you're stopping by for one of our lovely visits. I would have fetched you breakfast so you didn't have to stand in line if I'd known." Eve glanced back to Heath and raised a brow as she watched him, then her somewhat warmer smile for Damien slipped into a full on smirk as the situation unfolded. "Ah my other most wonderful of darlings. It's as if Carthage is kneeling at my feet this morning rather than making me take the time to go to it. How kind."
The tide is low and rising.
"I was in the area and felt was indeed a good time, I wasn't expecting to catch you outside though." Damien grins, clearly in a good mood and not quite used to hiding it. "I was intending to drag you out for some breakfast but you seem to have beaten me to the punch. I don't see why we can't do the coffee and walk bit of the morning like civilized people before the pillaging begins." Turning as he hears Heath, he finds his eyes almost watering in sympathy as he approaches the woman in white, giving her his full attention. "Five? Five! Bloody hell Heath, no wonder you're looking a little under the weather this morning." He smiles as he watches the awkward reaction from the woman in white, his eyes going a little wide as she steps back into traffic. He finds tensing slightly, his focus drifting to Heath rather than the woman whose olfactory sense he'd been assaulting.
Heath's jaw opened slowly like an 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' sound was going to ooze out of his mouth when he heard his new. His focus didn't go to the girl or his brother, rather he stepped quickly towards the car coming down the road, waving his wave and point his finger at the car. "Fucking aloha! You can wait your fucking turn!" So yes, Heath in his infinite wisdom headed out into traffic farther down the road to charge a car, because he decided he was invincible.
As the woman in white continued to back away, looking less horrified and more considerably worried, the situation changed. Heath stepped out in front of one of the better drivers on Oahu, who stopped with plenty of room to allow Heath to cross the road without getting hit, though the man driving looked at Heath like Aloha was indeed a very, very nasty 4 letter word. The cars behind that more attentive driver, though, were another story. The screech of brakes was heard, a loud squeal to cut through the morning, and then the fairly specific sound of metal crunching against metal as the car rear ended the conscientious driver rather solidly, popping the hood open on the car that had so thoughtfully avoided running over Heath. As the accident unfolded, traffic came to a halt and people on the sidewalk started dialing 911 almost immediately, as they were told they were supposed to do if they're good citizens.
The young lady crouched down and covered the sides of her head, letting out a scream of panic as the cars came into contact with each other. Her wood-brown eyes darted around and she searched with fear for whether or not another car was coming, having unknowingly walked into the road, it was a bit of a shock. Scuttling backward in a crab walk, flashing white panties without the more adult regard to such things, as she was obviously not in a place to really care who saw her undergarments at the time.
Eve sucked in a breath and held it, watching as her sons both managed to simultaneously walk a young, white clad woman into traffic and then caused a car accident during morning hours in downtown Oahu. A little gleam could be seen on her eyes for those watching, because really.. the ambiance was one that was a little too delicious for Eve not to take notice. As the cacophony subsided, Eve slowly let out her breath, though it shuddered a bit, and finally took another sip of her coffee, trying to wash down the lump in her throat that all of that lovely despair was causing. "Oh for heaven's sake, Damien, get the poor girl out of the road." Eve said it calmly, but only after she took that swallow of coffee, priorities really.
Eve then reached into a very slim pocket at the side of her skirt, pulling out her phone to look at it with a raised brow. A dark, rather dangerous looking smirk tugged at her burgundy lips as she used her thumb to deftly reply to the text.
Setting down his tray of coffee and danishes, at the same time giving the world in general a look that suggests dire things should they be taken, a now smiling Damien nods to Eve as he steps out towards the woman in white. Gently grabbing her by the upper arms, he lifts her to her feet and goes about helping her get her balance. "Are you okay? Didn't twist anything I hope?" He speaks calmly, trying to project an aura of general helpfulness. "Lets just get you out of the road shall we? People do see to be in a hurry this morning." Glancing to his right, he notes that no-one is in a hurry anymore while also looking for Heath to make sure he isn't wandering into more danger. "Lets just step over here, oh look, I have coffee. I can't say it'll help soothe the nerves but it might be just what the Doctor ordered, no?" The veil of small talk is all used while setting her to her feet and getting her out of the road and onto the sidewalk, trying to create as little fuss as possible.
When the first car came to a haul, the immortal Heath was unmoving, holding his index finger on the driver as the second car smashed into it. "And that's a text..." Heath reached into his blazer pocket for a pocket, thumbing a menu and sending off a text to his lawyer. He thumbed to the girl that Damien was ushering out of the road for the sake of explanation to the driver, then Heath just stood in traffic, leaning over slightly to spy the driver in the second car to make sure he was moving as well. A droning sigh slipped out of his mouth, and he scratched the back of his head as he took several pictures of the surroundings and people.
The girl in white, her long, dirty blonde, hair looking no worse for the wear, was none the less shaking like the proverbial leaf when Damien reached down to grab ahold of her arms. The girl was sleight, like she weighed less even than her trim frame made her appear to weigh. She stood almost in reflex, blinking her brown eyes up to him with obvious tears sheeting them and threatening to pour over and down her cheeks. Swallowing as if she were choking on her own throat, the woman nodded her head and let out a shuddering breath. "Th-thank you, sir. I don't know what I was doin'... Is he alright?" The woman's voice still had that gentle, soft, twang of the southern country, rolling through her words that were now more breathless, but no less delicate. "Is he... taking pictures?" Adrenaline and fear, and now confusion, and the young woman was decidedly shuddering. "Uh... yeah... I think a little somethin' to drink wouldn't hurt, if you're kind enough to offer, I'm certainly not going to decline, that would be rude. And I imagine I'll have to talk to the police when they arrive, so I can't just run away." The woman was obviously wishing she could do just that, but instead took shaky steps toward the coffee and danish tray that Damien had relinquished when he went to fetch her.
Eve took in a breath and offered the young woman in white a thin, placating smile, as Damien brought her back to the relative safety of the sidewalk. No monsters here, folks. She nodded to him and softly rubbed along Damien's arm with the back of her hand once he was close enough, as one didn't rub someone with their cup of coffee or breakfast sack. "Thank you, darling. I was beginning to worry that she'd walk herself to the other side of the road and Heath would end up actually being struck by a car trying to walk the little chicky to the other side.
Eve looked over at Heath and gave him a meaningful piercing, gaze, before nodding to the sidewalk. "I imagine we'll all have to wait here for the police. I'm sure they'll have a plethora of questions for all of us."
"I'm not totally sure what he's doing, I mean aside from hating the world." Damien frowns as he looks over to Heath, rather wishing he'd get out of traffic sooner. The threat is lessened for sure with the pile up but there's still pillocks on motorbikes to worry about. "I believe he was trying to stop traffic, quite successfully as it turns out. Always rather dashing, I think he was trying to stop you from getting hit by a car. Good fellow all round really." Leaving his tray where it is, he takes out the cups of coffee and hands one over to the pale dressed woman. "I'm Damien, pleased to meet you." He says, in that subtle way of asking without asking for identification. Looking up, he addresses Eve. "As a rule of thumb, it's never helpful to talk to the police, that's why we have lawyers." The other cup of coffee handed over, he reaching into the back pockets of his pants and pulls out a ridiculously slim phone which he slips open and then after a few moments deliberating over numbers, selects an entry and starts typing out a quick message. "I do so love the 5th amendment." Finishing his message, he looks back up. "I have an acquaintance who should be able to help should there be any problems. I don't foresee any in this day and age of unreliable CCTV cameras." Letting out a sigh, he looks back to Eve. "I suppose we can still go for a walk after though."
Heath watched Eve for a moment, put his phone back into his pocket, exchanging it for the billfold. Picking out a couple of his business cards, he pass two the driver of the first car. "I'll be on that sidewalk, but that has my name and contact information on it, so you know I'm not going far." The man dutifully headed to the sidewalk to wait like a good little citizen that knew fully that he was about to be arrested. "It is such a lovely morning to be out and about." The man flexed his bare toes on the side walk and stretched his arms over his head, interlacing his fingers to settle his hands on the top of his head. Heath's eyes went to Damien and the girl for a moment and back to the cars trying to occupy the same side. "Someone was following entirely too closely."
The sun shines overhead, bracketed by puffy fair weather clouds.
The woman in white blinked at Damien with a total lack of understanding, the bewilderment completely suffusing her minor shock as he spoke about Heath. Her brows rose and she just nodded and said "Sure. I'm sure." She cleared her throat and accepted the cup of coffee, taking a slow couple of sips from it as she tried to get herself centered again. "Oh, yes, a pleasure to meet you M... Damien. I'm Billie." Despite everything, the young woman looked almost ready to blush again as she introduced herself, which is likely good, as it relieved a little of the wan paleness from her face. Billie risked a glance up at Eve, who stood more than a full foot taller, as her eyes had somewhat dried from the risk of spilled tears. She nodded to Eve. "Aloha, ma'am." The casual Hawaiian greeting mixed with the southern 'ma'am' made the greeting almost formal.
Eve watched Heath for a moment, then turned a rather darkly amused expression to Damien, one of her brows raised. "Such kind words for your brother, Damien. I'm going to go check on him, please, enjoy your coffee." She looked at Billie and nodded her head. "Aloha, child." She greeted the young lady as though Eve looked like she could be someone Damien's age's mother... which was not the case, but Eve carried it anyway, with all the gravitas of someone speaking to an infant. Then, she finally moved, long, slinky steps over toward Heath, her heels clicking sharply on the sidewalk as she made the trek. "Good morning darling." She spoke the words with a wry mirth flitting through them despite the fact that her smile was mostly contained in her eyes, and less so in the cruel smirk on her lips. "It's sweet of you to try to feed me breakfast, but why don't you have a little of what I already got for myself, hmm? Surely you could use something aside from what you put into your stomach so far?" Eve held her coffee out toward Heath as well as the little to go bag with its breakfasty contents.
Seeing Heath, Damien nods. "Far too close, or at least that is how it appears." Relaxing a little now that Heath seemed to be out of immediate danger, Damien looks back to Eve. "Of course. Tell him I'll be around should there be any problems. I know he's probably phoned for a lawyer for himself already but on the off chance that he hasn't, I've called for one." Looking back to Billie, he flashes her a warm smile. "I shouldn't worry, you might have to give your name to the Police but that's as far as you need go." Finally getting to sip from his own coffee, he lets out a content sigh. "Well worth the wait! How are you feeling Billie, any better? Also, if I might be a little nosy, are you here on holiday and if so are you enjoying your stay so far?" Glancing towards the wreckage on the road he adds, "well, baring this morning of course."
Heath's boyish smirk returned upon hearing the click of heels coming towards him. "I felt the outcome were desirable regardless of which direction it went." He took the coffee from Eve, "You are looking positively radiant at the morning, I had thought the sun came up, then I spied you coming out of coffee shop." Taking a sip of the coffee, he swallowed down the coffee. "Both drivers are up and giving me dirty looks. No apparent injuries, adequate delays, almost perfect really..." His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses, "And yet, I heard my name... Am I being too responsible? I fear I might be." A chuckle slipped out of him, "Would you prefer to inform Henry, or shall my lawyer? Such moments cannot go to waste." He took another drink of coffee, "What is it that say about absence? I always forget." Heath's eyes stayed on the cars and drivers, taking another drink of the coffee. "I do like a cup of sweetened milk first thing in the morning. Always did."
The tide is high and rising.
Billie's eyes were wide as she watched Eve walk with her back to them, her jaw dropping slightly. "Your mother is... well she doesn't look at all like she could be your mother. You must have some impressive genes in yer heritage, M.. Damien." Billie gave a little grimace of distaste. "You can take the girl outta the south, but you can't take the south outta the girl, or so my Momma always said. I'm just not used to calling people by their name without Mr or Ms ahead of it yet. Years of growin' up knowin' that you'd get looks if you didn't have left thier mark." Billie smiled shyly up at Damien and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm just visitin' for a couple of weeks, but I really wish I lived here. This place, it's so beautiful. And the people are so nice, an' lovely. I can't imagine how nice it must be to live here all the time." Now that she had stopped shaking, Billie seemed a little less lost, and her friendliness radiated from her like a warmth. Of course, caffeine always helped loosen the tongue of those that weren't previously caffeinated. "Even this mornin' isn't all that bad, I didn't get hit by a car and uh.. neither did your..brother?" Billie looked between Damien and Heath curiously. "Did I interrupt your breakfast with your family, Damien? I'm so very sorry if I did."
Eve gave a dark little chuckle. "It's fresh from the breast of the lactating woman I had at my home last night. I'm glad you enjoy it." The cantaloupe-milk quality could likely be recognized once it was pointed out. "You look like someone that took the moon to bed and managed to escape with his hide, impressive. As for your father, I'm sure he'll hear before either of us has a chance to tell him. You can easily see where we are from my office, and no doubt he's got plenty of friends in the building." Eve's dark chuckle had turned into a dark smirk, which she turned on the man that looked like he was about to walk up to Heath. The man chose to instead stay by his car, and wait there for the police. "At the very least, it's not a boring morning. Your brother seemed to be reminding me not to talk to the police." Eve glanced back to Heath and gave him a lopsided smile. "I should tell him how much I enjoy riling them up, it would cause him to try to walk me back to work before they got here." Eve's smile melted off of her face, though, as her eyes caught something moving, on the other side of the road. "Heath." She spoke his name quietly, like a breath, almost sub-vocally. "Do you see that? Across the road, trying to hide behind the bus stop... The very tall man?" Her eyes moved as if to guide Heath's vision, but she didn't point, or lift her chin, so as to not notify said tall man of their attention.
"I imagine its something in the genes, I've certainly not had cause to complain." Damien takes another sip from his coffee and regards Billie for a moment. "It really is a lovely island, the people are friendly and the weather is amazing. Breathtaking views, wonderful nightlife. Yeah, there's a lot to like here." Looking to where Heath and Eve have ended up, he spends a moment making sure they're okay before looking back to Billie. "Half brother and it's fine, we were just enjoying a lazy morning while we waited on coffee and sweets. Are you okay though? You are looking a little better now and don't seem any worse for wear. The heat doesn't help of course, it hits you like a brick if you're not used to it." It's all small talk really but he does keep a close eye on Billie, rather curious as to how she ended up on her backside in the road in the first place. "Have you seen much of the island yet? There are quite a few interesting tour companies that do treks and the like if that is your cup of tea."
Heath's eyebrows rose above the frame of his sunglasses for only a split second as Eve explained what was in the coffee, and took around another thorough drink of the coffee. "I was considering I was trying to get one of those for last night, being informed they were out of stock makes more sense now." The man glanced in the direction of Eve's building, "I do appreciate everything the Henry does to stay involved in our lives, it almost feels nurturing." The man tried to follow Eve's indication of tall men, and settled for a tall 'No Parking' sign. "I'm going to have to take your word for it. I'm so dehydrated that it feels like I blacked out at the bench and attempted to nose my way into a hole. I mean there was plenty of nosing, just now at the beach." Heath attempted to spy the person Eve indicated, but his attention shifted back to Damien, then back to Eve, "Did he say tour companies? I swear he fucking said tour companies, why is he not offering to take her himself?"
Billie seemed pleased at the concept, or at least comforted, that she hadn't interrupted anything as important as a rare family meal. "Oh I'm definitely doing better, yes, thank you kindly. The heat's not bad, I'm used to hot, really. It's positively sweltering in the summers where I live. This is beautiful here, like the finest spring days we get back home." And in truth, Billie didn't look like she was sweating in the slightest, and her arms hadn't been clammy to the touch when Damien had picked her up. "I only got here two days ago, and my first day was mostly wasted on me staring at the ocean from the beach, realizing how big everythin' really is when you get it from a different perspective. One of my favorite things, really, how wide and open everythin' seems here." Hazarding a glance over at Heath at hearing him speaking to Eve, Billie then glanced up at Damien and offered him a little smile.
Eve managed a small, cool, smile and nodded. "I had a couple of them, we were going for a theme. There really aren't that many for hire on the island at any one time, and I quite enjoy bathing in it, and drinking it... nothing quite the same as having someone knelt near the tub and conditioning your bathwater after you have someone else fill the tub with warmed Evian." So Eve had herself quite the night it would seem, in Eve fashion, that ended with her looking like she could cut glass with her legs if necessary in the morning. Apparently breast milk infused baths were really good for you. Who knew? "He's staring at us." Eve mentioned it off-hand, the frown that didn't show on her face was clear in her words. "Not paparazzi staring, either. He has no camera. No notebook. And he looks... a little rough. Very unkempt, and obviously on the less used side of the razor, with an unfortunate amount of facial hair." Eve glanced over at Heath and grinned slightly. "Do you still owe someone for last night and decided to make a game of it this morning to have them send their muscle after you?"
"I spent a lot of time in New York while I was younger so it took me a while to adjust to the level of heat here. Once you do get over that it's the view that takes you in as you have noticed." Damien smiles, taking a sip from his coffee, spending a moment savoring the taste before swallowing. "While going overland is the usual holiday fare, I must admit to never getting past the resorts or the bars for that matter. There's a really good night 'scene' that I'm quite into when I'm not working and when the hours permit of course." He winks to Billie, rather hoping she'll get the gist but still assuming that she might not. "By brother Heath is the man to talk to when it comes to entertainment, it's something to do with what he does for a living. Possibly why he was in tip-top shape when you first encountered him this morning. He's a real gent once he's had his first cup of coffee and quite dashing as I think you've already noticed."
Heath frowned a touch, "And that would be the cost of working last night, I miss all the special moments. Excuse me while I allow that to sink in fully, coring me out a bit." He took another drink of the coffee, though his expression melted a bit. "It is really doing phenomenal things for your skin, which sadly lessens the sting." Heath tried to sort out the man once more for that sake of knowing. "It was a client last night, that means everything being itemized for the sake of expense reports. I learned early on that you pay for that in advance of the night, except for the tip. If he's eyeing me, he either wants my wallet or I fucked his wife, sister, daughter, or mother. Unkempt tends to make me think it's more about the wallet." Reaching into his jacket, he took out his billfold, picking out his ID, he raised his wallet high above his head. "Do you know how much it would help if I got robbed right now? Immensely, mostly because I wouldn't have the means on me to bribe the cops."
Billie glanced back over at Heath and then raised her brows, looking up at Damien quizzically. "While that's real sweet, trying to help me find something fun to do, Damien, I'm pretty sure that the kind of fun he knows about isn't even in the same ballpark as the fun I know and want." Billie chuckled softly and shook her head. "Thank you for the coffee, I should let you go be with your family though. I'll be fine just sitting until the police arrive." Billie nodded to Damien and took a firm step back from him. "Aloha and it was nice to have met you, Damien." And with that, Billie turned on her heel and started walking toward the bus stop on the same side of the street they'd been on, since it was the nearest place to set down and wait for however long it would take the cops to arrive. Once settled, Billie took a deep breath, lifted her coffee, and looked out at the traffic and the area across the street, sipping her coffee, and watching.
Eve's hollow chuckle was mirthless but somehow not quite biting as it might normally be. "He just ducked back and I can't even see him now... I can't imagine how someone so large can move so carefully." Eve didn't do any of the nervous shifting on her high as hell heels that others might have, she just waited, watchful. Opening the little bag of breakfast she'd gathered, Eve pulled out a Madeline, still warm, custard filled, and offered it over to Heath. "If he's on his way, you should be eating something, if he takes the bait of an offered wallet. Then you can get it on his face and in his beard. Or his atrocious sideburns. Something that makes him more obvious to people." Eve scanned the area looking for the man that had been so oddly successful in hiding behind the bus stop, even though the area for hiding wasn't all that grand a space. "How very odd."
Extracting the bag of danishes from his tray, Damien takes his bundle over to Eve and Heath, raising an eyebrow at the odd gesture Heath is making. "Morning Heath, you look like last night was epic as always. Are you aware that you have your wallet on your head?" There's a quick glance as Damien tries to work out just what Heath is on, if anything. "Billie seems to be fine, she's just having a breather by the bus, no harm no foul and all that. How are you feeling? Okay? You didn't get clipped by anyone? That was a bit dangerous wandering out like that you know." Taking a breath, he offers Heath a smile. "I'll stop nagging now, honest." Looking over to Eve, he follows her gaze and on seeing nothing asks, "everything okay I hope?"
Heath took a few steps to set his billfold on a table for the sake of convenient. "It's officially, Eve. Legion has caught wind of the plan, and they have showed up to end it all. It was only a matter of time." Turning back to Eve, the ID changed hands to be put into the inner pocket of his blazer. "Yes, Damien, I am doing my best to get robbed, isn't it fucking obvious?" His cocksure smirk had returned, "I will do my best to keep the knife out of my liver and lungs." Heath shrugged a shoulder, and a laugh slipped out. "When the choice is between spooking a girl off a curb into traffic, or potentially getting hit by a car... Well, neither option is that great as there may be illegal substances in my system, though the blood-alcohol levels are definitely manageable." His eyes narrowed at his brother, "Did you decide that you didn't like pussy? Because as I recall coming in that hit and fast while on fire was the queue for defending her honor. So what is this important meeting you have that you were so distracted that you failed to notice her blush extending to her labia?"
Billie stayed comfortably seated at the bus stop, drinking the coffee that had been provided to her. Until she wasn't. There was a brief sound, something akin to a squeak... and then Billie was gone, but a spilled cup of coffee clattered and then rolled on the sidewalk.
"If it's officially legion I wore the wrong outfit and I should have left panties out of it entirely." Eve spoke of the concept like it somehow might have been exciting for her. Eve always was a woman of odd tastes, anyway. Eve grinned slightly and looked at her son, raising a brow. "Not your type? I thought you wanted someone that you could bring home to mommy?" She batted her eyelashes playfully, though it looked disturbingly like an advertisement for mascara. Looking back over at the bus stop across the street, Eve's smile left her face and she sighed. "Perhaps I'm seeing things, I could swear I saw a very tall, hairy looking man over there hiding by the bus stop, but then he just stooped and was gone... He was staring right at us." Eve glanced around, as if she might catch some sight of the man, and her lips turned down into a remarkably lovely frown, perfectly framed by her burgundy lips. "Did the girl seem afraid of the police coming?"
"I guess I'm just in a funny mood this morning." Damien shrugs his shoulders, looking to Heath and flashing him a grin. "There was just something a bit..." He sighs, "I don't know. She seemed a bit too skittish for me I guess." Damien considers this, trying to work out just what bugged him so much. Looking to Eve, he grins more widely. "It would have to be someone a lot more quaint and possibly in a bonnet to truly wind you up and today wasn't that day mother." At her words, Damien looks across the road to the bus stop but can't see anything out of the ordinary. Billie being brought up does cause him to look over and it takes him a moment to notice the empty cup. "She did seem nervous about the whole thing? I can't guess as to her motives but she does seem to have taken her leave. Wasted a damn fine coffee in the process, never mind. Danish anyone?" Always one to look to the bright side, he holds up a bag of pastries.
"What's this about a legion and why would that be a sans underwear moment? It sounds like a club thing, potentially a fun one at that." Damien grins, looking to Eve and Heath.
Heath chuckled darkly, "Panties allow for the cloth burn on your thighs and labia. It's the shade of red that excites them, so I think you're perfect, Eve." Heath picked up his wallet to shove it in his jacket, "Wasn't eyeing me", the man offers off handed. "I think that's where you're wrong, Damien. You are just the skittish, from what I can only imagine from being diddled in the lavatories at board school. If you're going to play the role of playboy, no one is too skittish. If you want to play the white in shining armor, you knock your little brother in the jaw and make sure his lip is bleeding." Tilting his head to the side, Heath have it a push to get it to pop. "I rather think you'd do nice with a sweet girl, and Eve would be both relieved and horrified, and that would make her miserably happy." And without another word, Heath was off to the races, heading drop the block on bare feet.
The sound of sirens could be heard, but they were going to have a tough time getting to the wreck considering traffic, and that sound could mean minutes or hours more waiting for them to actually arrive. Things seemed to be going on like normal otherwise, though, as people simply moved around and waited, or left the area as the excitement was over. As Heath took off running, the driver of the car that was rear ended popped his head out and called out "HEY! Brah, Whatchu doin?!" But didn't get out of his car, just thumped the door with his elbow and made unhappy noises. The cup that had been dropped on the ground was picked up by a native islander and thrown into a trash can, which were conveniently all along the street, which was also spoken clearly by the native's eyes as she stared daggers at the haoles around that hadn't picked up after themselves.
The tide is high and slack.
Eve smirked a little and shook her head. "If it comes down to it, I'd tear them off too fast for them to burn anyway, darling boy." She frowned a little when Heath mentioned that he wasn't the person being scrutinized, and it caused her to look around again. "I suppose that's both a good and bad thing." And then Heath took off, and Eve's frown deepened. "He's right, it would be both horrifying and a relief. I can't decide which of those two is a worse torment for your dear mother, Damien." Letting out a sigh, Eve pulled a Madeline out of her bag of them and started walking after Heath. Her long legged strides in the heals ate up almost as much terrain as his running steps, and Eve seemed well accustomed to moving very quickly in mile high shoes. The clack of her heels was a solid notice for anyone ahead of her to get out of the way, or be walked over or used as a step ladder.
"Why am I punching who?" A bit confused, Damien's mental state doesn't clear up any as Heath takes off running. "Okay then..." Glancing at Eve, he smiles. "One day I'll find someone homely enough, I promise." His grin stays as he picks up pace to follow after Eve and Heath now, having to half jog to keep up with the stilts his mother is wearing. "I Heath left his card with everyone so this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Best make sure he's okay though, even if it's a bit odd." Best he can do is follow along, while not wanting to stick around and answer questions he's wondering just what Heath is up to now. On the plus side, he's on the pavement which is a nice change.
Heath picked up a good clip, dodging through foot traffic, while managing to keep up on the balls of his feet and saving himself from skinning his toes as he headed half way down the block before turning into an alley and heading down it panting. "Alright! I am quickly getting towards being hungover as the morning drags on. So you can at least have the courtesy to beat the shit out of me or kill me before making your getaway with the girl... Cause I'm fucking persistent and I can get WAY fucking loudly if need be."
As Heath enters the alleyway, the denser shadows seem to blot out most of the walls, and make hiding behind bins and barrels far more easy than would have been if it had come to be noon yet. Still, though, the white of the girl's dress and sandals makes her easy to spot, even if he can only see part of there. And there she was, over halfway down the alley, pinned to the wall by the throat as a man easily a foot and a half taller than her, and easily half a foot taller than Heath, menaced her with growling and spittle in her face. Her kicking and twisting meant little to the much larger man's strength as he repeated over and over to her "GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"
Billie, on the other hand, was choking. Her face was red, she had tears running down it copiously, and when she was able to speak at all it came out as a croaked "It's not FOR you!"
The approach and calling of Heath coming down the alley triggered the very large man to turn his head in Heath's direction. He had a nearly grotesque face. Hairy was an understatement as his sideburns were thick as a mane and the hair on his forehead seemed to almost grow down into his eyebrows. Luminescent, sickly green eyes shined as he stared at the approaching human, and when he bared his teeth they were far more akin to those of a lion, yellowed, sharp, and vicious. "Leave this place, this is nothing to do with Man."
Eve was one of those modern marvels of a woman, and she kept up with Heath as if she were sprinting, but did it with simply hurried steps done in long stride, like she was late to a subway in Manhattan. She reached the alleyway not two or three steps behind Heath and walked in without so much as a grimace for the dark shadows or possible filth. "For man or not, I don't think she wants to be manhandled by you, big guy." Eve's voice carried the quality of a slithering python. Waiting, looking, determining how quickly she could coil and crush her prey.
He might not have Heath's keen eyesight but he can at least hear his brother as he runs ahead, the reason for the sudden sprint suddenly becoming clear. "Just wanted a damn coffee and a bit of time with the family. Too much? Apparently..." The grumbling aside, this little bit of adventure does have Damien's blood pumping, his stride long enough now to catch up with Eve as they hit the mouth of the alleyway, Damien marveling at her ability to do this while wearing heels. "You're choking her, put her down *carefully* and then we can get you back to whatever zoo it was that you broke out of."
Heath sighed as he continued down the alley towards the pair, a devilish smile forming on his lips. "Are you really so sure I'm a man? And him? And her? That all three of us, in spite of seeing you, aren't running the other way, screaming... Nope, I'm coming right to you." There was no doubt in his voice as he continued walking, in fact, his word had a tonal quality that just seemed musical to most, but it was more than for those of a demonic natures, like Eve and Damien, the words seemed to have more meaning and weight them. Not the sure of meaning that their human minds could define. "So maybe we talk about the situation, but it comes to blows and neck snapping?"
The tide is high and ebbing.
The very tall, very hairy man turned his attention more solidly on Heath as he apparently wanted it. And so, he let out a roar, dangerous and murderous. It wasn't something you'd hear at a zoo, because it would have sent the other animals into a frenzy.
Meanwhile, while held against the wall, Billie's eyes bulged in shock, aside from the fact that she was being slowly strangled to death. She blinked, gasped... and started to glow.
Eve, not at all unaccustomed to the notes that rang in her head, cocked her head a little to the side and looked at Heath's back with arched brows. She sighed, then rolled her head a bit to the side to crack her neck with a very audible POP. While Eve's body didn't quite start to glow, her eyes took on a silver finish, shimmering and casting their glare of brighter light ahead of her. When she saw Billie start to glow, though, Eve stopped walking forward and stared at the girl, frowning deeply. The glow wasn't cool, and empty, but warm. Like sunlight. Not eerily chilled, and almost blue white in tint, no silver to it, just.. warm buttery gold. "Heath... don't sing please." Eve's concern was clear, and her focus now seemed more on the girl than on the tall man, as if he was somehow inconsequential.
"We are very quickly approaching the point where we can't just walk away." Damien speaks evenly, trying to keep the hostility out of his voice. "Put Billie down and disappear. That really does seem like the best option for you now." He puts on his best public defender guise, he's only missing the half rim spectacles. "This is starting to... oh..." Clamming up, Damien watches as Billie starts to glow, not a familiar glow either, especially given his mother's reaction. Stepping closer to Heath, Damien moves carefully, quite concerned about spooking the hulking man and more than a little concerned about what Billie is up to.
Heath kept his eyes on the hairball when Eve spoke up. "I was sorting out the easy answers first. Still love you both." There was a momentary smile as he pushed down his glasses, "Just one second..." He raised his index finger to indicate the hairball with his focus on the glowing. "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby... That's probably not you--" He paused to glance at his brother, "I have changed my mind, this is the perfect girl to bring home to your mother." His glance went back to Billie, "Did you pick up Grace somewhere? I mean if you're holding it for someone that gifted it to us, that's one thing, otherwise that causes all sorts of problems." His gaze went to Hairball, "While yes, that does NOT belong to her, I don't know if you're supposed to have it either. So let's pretend I'm human... Use the small words please."
"You have no say here, Men. Leave. I tell you this final time, or this will be worse, worse for everyone, even for this foolish thing." The hairy man turned his attention back to Billie, and snarled in her face. "Do you see what you've done? What you've caused? IT IS MINE... Give it to me! MINE.. By right, it is mine. You have this last chance before I rip it from you, and if it's damaged, I'll find you in the hell you should be rotting in and rip you to pieces again, you foul little cunt!" beyond rage, the huge man started to squeeze harder on Billie's throat, the bruising already obvious on the girl's fair skin both above and below his hands.
Billie's limbs started to flail more urgently, and she made horrific gasping, broken sounds that sound like she was near to passing out, either from pain or from lack of oxygen. Either way, the red color on her face got darker and darker until she was turning a lovely shade of aubergine.
Purple, gold, and vermilion clouds grace the western sky as the sun descends toward the west.
Eve listened to what Heath was saying, but her attention was still solidly on the girl that was soon going to die, or at the very least go unconscious, which would essentially be the same thing. The rising moon inside of her that filled her eyes and then her skin with the glow of cool, harsh, silver spilled out to dispel shadows to either side of her. "Ah, pet. I'm afraid... this just isn't your day. You see... I am ever so not human." She cocked her head to the side and took a step closer. "You're going to find that you're not up to the task, I'm afraid, of leaving this alley. And you are definitely not up to the task of destroying this child while you're here. Every part of you is going to become inept, decrepit. You're going to be mewling and kissing my toes within the next 10 minutes, begging me to put a leash on you, just so the punishment for your foolishness stops. And I won't stop the punishment. Even after you're in your leash like a proper hound."
Listening to Heath, Damien grins. "And here's me being gay for a day. Damn." The words come out at a glib clip, his smile then vanishing as he sees what is happening to Billie. "Let the girl go you fowl smelling ape. You don't belong here. Go sniveling back to whatever dung heap you came from." Whatever tan Damien might have had before he walked into this alleyway is now go, his face is almost as silver as his eyes now. A faint glow emanating from him, mirroring his mother and helping to drive any lasting shadows away from them. "You had your chance, it's just a shame you're too stupid to quite while you're ahead. It must hurt being that thick. Even the other idiots point at you and laugh, you make them feel better about being stupid. Well done you." There is no humor in his voice, only contempt.
Heath considered choices of cocaine, alcohol, and the number five. "For fuck's sake!" And Heath just ran to cover the last of the distance and threw his body at the arm holding Billie's neck, forcing his hand away with all his body weight. When his blazed shoulder hit the world, he turned to Hairball. "Listen, you dumb fuck! Her territory!" He pointed to Eve, then to Damien, "Family!" He pointed to himself, "And the asshole that was invoked in accident with her. A-K-FUCKING-A! No one needs a corpse. Now your ass is going to be on that fucking while you explain things, and I'm going to be praying for a sign. TALKING WAS AN OPTION!"
The impact of Heath rushing him obviously wasn't expected, as Scout was knocked to the side and lost his grip on Billie. Throwing his head back in a snarl of outrage, the man that was clearly not a man shuddered with the pure sense of fury and frustration that he was being caused. "That thing... this girl... she stole our spirit. Now she carries it. It is OUR spirit. Mine by right, and she's taken it. She claimed it for herself with NO RIGHT." The heaving breaths coming from the not-so-man caused his entire body to shudder, the clawed fingers of his hands laboring as they clenched and released with the need to finish strangling the dirty-blonde girl.
Billie, for her part, fell away from the wall the second the hand was removed from her neck and proceeded to crawl in an ungainly fashion back toward Eve and Damien. Her breath was struggling to enter her body, and she was gasping and gulping for air in a daze on the ground.
Looking somewhat impassive, if not for the glaring rays of pure light leaving her eyes and seeping through her skin, Eve watched Billie crawling toward her. There was no movement forward to help the girl up, but she was in some fashion making sure the girl was still going to live. "Get your breath, child. Then you need to be utterly honest in what you say."
Eve glanced over at Heath and nodded. "He seems to be telling the truth at least, we'll see what she has to say before we go further."
Stepping up to Billie with a cheery smile on his face, Damien helps her too her feet, keeping hold of one of her wrists as he does his best to keep her stable. "This is getting to be a bit of a habit." Helping to dust her off, he does his best to sound gentle which is probably for the best as he's not looking one hundred percent human and the glow certainly isn't helping. "We're going to have to ask a couple of questions and I can't stress this enough but you're going to need to be super honest with us." The grip he has on her wrist is gentle enough but she's also unlike to just rip her hand away, there's no give with this silver flesh.
Heath gave a slight nod to Eve, before inclining his head. "The woman is the maestro of manipulation, I accept that... And thank you for your honesty." The man walked up to Billie that was getting collected and held by his brother. "You're a tourist, so I'll tell you a story, The Broken Paddle. A Hawaiian King was united the islands, and he and his army invaded another island. The king came across a fisherman who, in fear, broke a paddle over the king's head, splitting his skull. The army wanted to kill the fisherman, but the king said no, because he was an innocent bystander. So, bystanders can lay on the street in front of an advancing army and the army cannot touch the bystander. The law holds here for everything not strictly human. Humans don't glow." Heath leaned in close to the girl, and all emotion and boyish cheer drained. "That means if every one of your holes are violated, and we break you... No one is going to care." His voice got real quiet, "And I will stare into your eyes, waiting for it to happen, if you fucking lie at this point, and this shit can't end really peacefully."
The Hairy Man paced back and forth as Heath left him to go and talk to Billie. Rage continued to seethe from him as if there wasn't an end to the font and it would just continue to spill out. He hit the wall a couple of times, just to unleash a little of the pent up aggression in his hands, then ran his fingers roughly through the long hair on his head, somehow making it look messier, not more organized.
Billie was still attempting to get her breath as Damien helped her up. She attempted to give him a little bit of a smile, but it was short lived, as she realized her wrist was shackled by his fingers. And then of course, Heath came up to inform her of her situation. Tears fell anew down her face, dampening her dress and cheeks like she too had an unlimited well, but this one was filled with salt water. Her free hand moved to her throat, rubbing it softly as she croaked a little, then coughed as if parts of the inside of it had been shredded. "I... had to..." Billie made a strangled sound of pain, then lowered her head, sobbing hard enough that she was likely snotting herself up a bit.
Eve watched the threats made to the girl, then listened, every part of her seemed utterly relaxed, if one ignored the way her eyes sharply fixed to whatever she looked at. When she looked back over at the Hairy Man to watch him hit the wall, she pursed her lips slightly. "What is your name? I imagine it's better than me calling you Fido."
"We're going to need some details please Billie." Damien turns his head to look to Billie, a motion that almost looked out of place given how still he was being, very much resembling a silver statue in that alleyway. Keeping his tone as even as he can, he does his best to coax more details out of her. "I'm also rather curious about what you are as well now. The glow was fascinating for reason which I'm sure you're finding obvious right now." He smiles, trying to be reassuring.
Heath seemed unimpressed by Billie, "I get it, your throat hurts, you don't want to talk. I believe in choice above all else. The power of choice allows humanity to do things that no one else can down. Creatures that live by their natures will be only that... Until they mean there end, wherever the wind dies." He held his index finger, "You made choice... You felt you had to, and you did. So now, the double edge of choice is owning them, and living with the choices you make. I expect natures are very much being held in check right now. One would be happy to rip you open, and others see you so thoroughly broken that you will never recognize yourself... So talk, because I have a fucking hangover now."
The tall, hairy man looked at the people talking to Billie and spat at the ground, his distaste for the girl obvious. "The name you can call me is Scout. The names of my people are sacred, but that name is what I use in the world of Man." His pacing continued, the sheer energy contained within the man hinting that he had more than could simply be seen from his physical body at the moment.
Billie blinked at Heath, her tears not at all slowing. Her arm twisted a little in Damien's grasp, but it was a solid hold, and not one she could just hop away from. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak. "I had to rescue the angel from their den. My mother is waiting for the help I got for her, and the task I had to complete was rescuing the angel they had trapped. It wasn't hurt, it wasn't angry with me. When I freed it, and told it what was happening, it came with me." Billie's voice was rough as all hell, but she talked as best she could to explain. As she mentioned that the Angel came with her freely, she rubbed her chest, where the light had originated. "I need to get back, I was on my way... I need to get back before it's too late."
Eve gave a long look to Scout and nodded to him. "Scout. Very well, though I won't lie, it's not much above Fido on the scale. Still, better than not knowing." Eve then turned her attention to Billie and frowned. "Billie. How on earth did you even know where to go? And what sort of insanity made you believe you could take something that is obviously very precious to a people and get away with it without being hunted down? I'm shocked you got this far..." Her voice held an echo of empty, hollow, disappointment. "What a foolish thing to do."
Eve sighed and looked between Heath and Damien. "At the very least, she believes it."
"I'd potentially do something stupid to help my mother, I can empathize with you there." Damien glances from Billie to Eve and then back again. "Details Billie, we're going to need details. Just let it all out, it's good for the soul from what I hear. Why does your mother need this help. Who told you where to go. Why must it be an angel. Why the rush, why would it be too late?" He uses a friendly, encouraging tone, doing his best to urge Billie to make with the information.
Heath listened to Billie explain, going silent as he leaned his head to look at Scout. "Spirit or Grace, Scout? Cause the latter doesn't not fall into your hands, so... Why was it given to your good people for safe keeping? Pray tell." Heath looked back to Billie, "Billie... Choice. It is not in an angel's power to change the appointed time. Any promise like that is bullshit, and more so, the attempt would get those wings crispy in very gravity heavy way. This is what you do... You realize that bad boy, and the owner can decide where it goes." Heath looks at Scout once more, "It is yours, right? You know where it's supposed to be. She opens the box, it goes a running home. It goes with, you hound, sniff, and foam, but she does her task without intervention from you or your people."
Scout gave a gruff sound and let out a choked bark. "The innocent do not alert us to their presence. They're welcome in our den, in our place. We treat them as beloved, because they have not yet fallen to the way of Man." Scout motioned to the woman in white. "It's how she was able to pass through, and how she was able to run. It was very difficult to track her around the home but I could find her more easily here, in the realm of Man. Where everything stinks except for her, and you three smell worse than many others." Scout was obviously bristling, but now, the understanding that it was partially disgust at the overwhelming 'scent' of the world of Man... might explain some of his spitting and heavy breathing through his mouth. "It was given to my people many of your ages ago, for safe keeping. It has been kept safe all of this time, and has kept our people blessed. I have no idea what your man words mean, when you speak of spirit or grace. Grace is for dancing."
"When I begged for help, a man came to me. He asked me what I needed, and what I'd give. I told him I'd give anything I could for my mother to be healthy and really alive again. She... she's just laying there, in that bed. She only moves when the doctor or nurse moves her. And they keep talking to my aunt about turning off the machines keeping her alive." Billie sobbed desperately. "He told me to wait at the bus stop after I returned, and that he'd be there to collect me by 10. But he said if I was late I'd never see him or hear from him again. If I rescued the grace for him, he'd save my mother, and make sure she lived a long and happy life, even saw her grandchildren when I had them one day..." Billie looked up to Damien and shuddered a sob. "When you waved to me... I thought you were him. I thought maybe I remembered what he looked like wrong... I wasn't sure, but then you were nice..." Billie sniffled and looked over at Heath. "And then you came up and... well you surprised me, because I know WHY I could go into the den, and if you were trying to do something to make it so I couldn't be clean enough to go into the den.. what if I lost it? Right before he came to get it?" Billie looked back and forth between Damien and Heath. "Wait.. no... I have to give it to him. I have to!"
Eve shook her head softly. "There has to be a way to find this man that made such an offer to the child. Perhaps we take her back to the stop, so she can free it in his presence, and it will go back to where it's supposed to be?" Eve looked at Heath, then over to Scout. "Surely, you would want your spirit to be where it needs to be, yes? You wouldn't keep it against its will since you were keeping it safe."
"I'm going to defer to my mother on this one, she's much wiser in matters such as this." Damien looks to Billie, his expression a little sad. "Sorry about this but there are rules you see, even for things like us." Looking back up again, he looks from Scout to Heath. "Is there a time limit for beings to hold such a thing as this?" He indicated Billie with a nod of his head. "Feel free to fill in any details I might have missed. Don't forget I went to boarding school, it was all soggy biscuit and very few lessons."
Heath laughed, "I'm not feeling very vessel for an interception here, Eve. Humans can carry Grace, Angels can carry Grace. If Billie here, fucks up, someone goes from Angel to Demon. But Billie knows that now, she doesn't want to risk. Drop every ounce of despair in her lap, and it would be that the decision that would break her." Heath grinned at Scout, "You should smell by dick right now, I'd put these two to shame. Cracking this vessel isn't going to help you, Scout, not getting it back. Freely given and all." Heath sighed, "She may break, but probably not... Unless she broke the grace, and giving it to a dude that can't go into virgin land is going to break it."
Scout frowned hard, then shook his head. "If it's freed from her and would return to where it is meant to be, it would either choose to come back to our lands or would return to where it can be safe and home. I can't claim to be alright with the idea of it being gone from our lands, but I also would never stop our spirit from finding its path, even if that path leads it through the lands of Man on the way. Surely the spirit would never choose to remain in such a place, but would move on to somewhere more fitting of its self." Scout looked at the four people and finally nodded. "She can take it and free it in his presence. It will return to where it's meant to be."
Billie looked at Heath and shook her head. "Come with me then, come talk to him. You said if it leaves me it goes to where it's supposed to be, right? Just walk with me to the stop, I won't run away from you, but I can let it go and if its supposed to go to him it will, or it'll go where ever else... that's fine! I'll still have held up my end of the deal and he can't back out of his end!" Billie was sounding a little histrionic now, panicked. "But please, we have to go now, before it's too late!"
Eve took a deep breath and looked at Heath, shrugging her shoulders. "Free range it would just go back to its home, right? It's not as if someone else can force it. It has to be given, yes? So... she could just let it go... will there really be any harm in her freeing it?"
Damien listens intently as Heath speaks, doing his best to follow the conversation. "This does all seem a bit time sensitive. As we have agreement from scout shall we move on?" Billie isn't really asked at this point, Damien looking from Heath to Eve instead. "Of course, I'm rather curious about who we are going to find at his bus stop. That's possibly a worry for another day though."
The tide is low and rising.
Heath reached up to rub with temple, "It's like trying to recall someone I was introduced to during a bender. Called grace fuel isn't completely inaccurate, it's the power of an Angel--" He regarded Billie, "And to reiterate, it cannot save your mother if it is her appointed time. So gifting it to that man, or attempting it yourself just fucks over an angel. Beyond that--" He thumbed to Scout, "That guy was ready pop your head from your head from your night, I would imagine Falling an Angel would likely bring a similar response, and once again putting us back in the same position of dead body in our backyard. So..." Heath took off his sunglasses to regard Billie. "I can suggest the best course of action. You pass the Grace back to Fido, and walk away to make peace with your mother. There's so bonus points about fucking over the snake oil salesman, cause Damien wants to know the who, and I would be disappointed in not having someone on a leash after this is all said and done."
Scout shook his head. "We don't carry the spirit, the spirit has a place to rest in our lands. I can't carry her into our lands or I would be attacked by those that defend the innocent from harm. She has to choose to come back to deliver it to the resting place. If she must go to this man, I will go with her, and ensure no one sees if there is something as a body of one of your putrid fellows fallen to the earth." He growled under his breath. "Though we should go soon, either way. I'm fairly certain that no matter the reasoning behind wanting the spirit returned, the time seemed important enough that the girl's mother is going to have to be seen quickly, if final peace is to be made before the time expires."
Billie sobbed harshly, snot and tears mixing on her face down along the sides of her cheeks and dripping from her chin onto her previously pristine white dress. "I don't know how it works, all I know is that he said it was binding, and that if he didn't keep up his end, his suffering would be beyond anything I could imagine. He smelled like fresh baked bread, and had a very kind voice. Said he loved me because of my fragile human ways, and it was the same reason he loved my mother. He said he felt proud of someone who would want such an imperfect being alive and well with them, even if there was suffering in the past. Please... please we have to go meet him. Even if it's whatever you're calling it... A snake coil? We have to! If there's even a small chance! I don't want to be given to my aunt and uncle, they're cruel and cold! Please... Please!!!" Billie beseeched all of them and fell to her knees, gripping her hands together as if she was praying to them, and it looked awkward, as her wrist was still shackled by Damien.
Eve took in a slow breath and cocked her head to the side. "Perhaps we simply ask the man to leave the street with us when we meet up with him. As long as she's there by the appointed time, this should be fine to get whatever chance there is. And it should be helpful to have her with us, vessel as she is, in case he can see such a thing and would simply leave because he saw she no longer had the Angel in her." Eve pointed that out with a cool, calm, voice, then shrugged gently. "Either way... we have.." Eve moved one of the white gold cuffs on her wrist to reveal that hidden in a little sliding window was a watch. She raised her brows high. "3 minutes."
A thick layer of stratus clouds cloaks the sky at mid-day.
Damien loosens the grip on Billie's wrist, looking to her as he does so. "This is mainly so we don't look like we're skipping down the road but I also think you're in dire need of a handkerchief." With his other hand, he offers one across to her. "Please be sensible, running off would be bad for all sorts of reasons." He smiles as he says this, hoping to take the bite off the words. "So his suffering will be rather terrible if we're not there in time? I wonder who he made an agreement with? Curious. Also, I'm aware this must be a bit rude but surely you're over 18 Billie? There's no reason for you to stay with your aunt and uncle if you don't want to." Still trotting along at a reasonable pace, he looks over to Heath. "How does an entertainment guru learn about Grace? Or were you really not kidding about how extreme some of your parties get?"
"Neither one of you are really in a condition to deal with a potential asshole, so..." Heath indicated Scout and Billie, then pulled out his phone and opened a finger painting application. "When people want someone and drop an ultimatum of 'One time only', it's a tactic to force people to make rash decisions. That why you hire lawyers to do this kind of shit." Drawing 'GRACE' on his phone, he activated the app to cause it flash in multiple colors. "So you're going to give me your ID, and my brother a dollar..." A chuckle slipped out, "My dearest Eve, you get to bask in their misery in the meantime and make sure they stay here." His bloodshot eyes shifted Damien. "I have a master's in Religious Studies, Damien. Yes, I didn't waste my time in college." His shit eating grin returned, and he held out his hand towards Billie, "This is about as good a deal you get, because this is just win-win if you stall."
Scout continued his pacing and heavy breathing through his mouth, looking agonized and like he was in a sulfur pit while waiting for execution. "Do what you will, bring him here, though, I am curious what this vile Man is that would send someone to steal spirits in the form of innocence."
Billie clutched the kerchief that Damien offered her and quickly went about blowing her nose, wiping her face, and doing her best to clean up the white of her dress. "I... I am not. I turned 16 last week." Decidedly so, she had appeared young, but she didn't look 16, then again... many a teenager in this day and age can pass for 21 without much effort at all. Billie bit into her lip and looked up at Heath like she might start the water works over again. "I.. I think I have a couple of dollars... I have some change for the bus." Using the hand not full of hanky, she reached into her top and pulled out a handful of quarters she'd had on her for bus money. Handing it over to Damien, they were still quite warm from skin contact, as she'd obviously taken the advice of keeping her money in her bra while in Oahu. "So.. I wait here, you go get him.. and you're my lawyer, Mr. Damien?" Billie looked up at Damien, her eyes limpid pools of moisture gathering anew. "Thank you..." She pulled her ID out of her bra as well, and handed it over to Heath, it, too, was quite warm to the touch.
Eve sucked air in through her teeth and eyed Billie for a moment, the silver gleam on her eyes and skin hadn't really toned down so much as it had solidified, and when she licked her lips it was like watching someone bask in a feasting hall before partaking. "Very well, I can wait here with them." She glanced up to Heath, and gave him a grin that spoke of many a canary having been swallowed whole. "Don't be long, darlings." She looked over at Scout and her grin slanted to something a little more wicked. "At the very least there's plenty to keep me busy."
"Wait, you actually learned something? I was of the opinion that you hid in the attic with a couple of hookers and made Jonathan go to class for you." Shit eating grin is responded to in kind by Damien. Accepting the dollar from Billie, he offers her a warm smile. "Thank you and yes, I guess I am. I should probably give you a card but it'll have to wait." Looking to Eve, he reflects for a moment on the silver that he must too be showing. "It's just Heath and I going out to meet someone strange. A scenario that we've gone through many, many times before." Winking to Eve, he strides off to join Heath. "I'm assuming there's some form of significance to the dollar or have a really just taken Billie's allowance? It's not the lowest thing I've ever done but it'll probably be in the top ten, no twenty."
Heath took the ID, and looked at it, before bringing it to his nose to sniff. "Oh, you're legal in this state, there's still hope." He looked to Eve and all her glowing glory, "You are insatiable, but may linger, I may not... Absence and all may be necessary." He winked, and clapped his brother on the shoulder, "Pro Bono would need a contract drawn up, too much time. And I trust us to handle this meeting to get him to this, or if it is a mob, to another alley." Taking a deep breath, Heath heading back out of the alley and towards the bus stop, holding the ID up over his head, and the phone that say 'GRACE' in multiple colors over his head all the way, turning them to show everyone.
Scout eyed Eve and gave a low, guttural growl under his breath, but kept pacing, biding his time until he had the situation resolved and he could get out of his horrid stench. While he paced, he muttered under his breath in some language that was decidedly not English, and decidedly nothing local.
Billie got up onto her feet, shakily, and looked between Eve and Scout with eyes big enough to serve a dinner on. "I... I'm just going to wait over here." She moved over toward the side of the Alleyway, and leaned against the wall, cleaning herself up a bit more. Heath's words had her giving him a shocked expression, and her eyes followed the two men leaving the alley with a disturbed mix of relief and fear.
Eve stayed in the alley, though her attention was on Scout, and the fact that she had to swallow her saliva as if it had started to flow more surely was likely audible to the beast man.
At the bus stop, many of the people had changed. Gone were the dagger eyed local and the random others. Police had still not arrived, but the accident had moved to the side of the road, into parking places, and the drivers of said vehicles were now sitting on a nearby bench, drinking coffee, looking perturbed, but enjoying the sunshine. From the powdered sugar on the driver of the first car's shirt, it looked like they'd also had a bite to eat. Traffic was moving again, blessedly, so the cops might actually get here today.
Only a minute passed, and then the 10 am hour hit. As the bus driving down the line came to a stop, people exited. Among them was a man dressed in a white linen leisure suit. He looked comfortable and confident even in the heat, and walked with a languid sort of looseness to his joints that suggested he was very comfortable in his 6 foot frame. Shoulder length, blondish hair fell from his head in an effortless cascade that was styled to look playful and somehow adult, or at least suggestive of adult content. His bright, stunningly blue eyes scanned over to the people waiting at the stop, and an easy smile rested on his far too lovely face. When he spotted Heath with the phone over his head, the man in white let his head fall back and let loose a laugh to the sky, amusement and warm humor making it infectious. People near him giggled, smiled broadly, or just barely caught themselves before they outright laughed as well, and watched him walk by with curiosity glinting in their eyes.
As the man in white approached Heath and Damien, he looked them over, the soft tapping of his white, cotton, dressy shoes making almost more sound than they ought to, like he was walking on something shimmering and glassy instead of the sidewalk. "Well then, this is a pleasant surprise gentlemen. What a treat to have the day bless me with the presence of none other than the Idle boys." His voice was honey for ears, and stroked like velvet as it passed over flesh. He glanced up at the phone then back to Heath, meeting his eyes comfortably. "It looks as though you two have come into quite a windfall, either that, or you've got yourself a lovely girl that might be running late?" He glanced around, scanning the crowd, then looked back to Damien and Heath.
"That actually made sense, thank you." Somewhat more cheerful now, Damien heads off with Heath, leaving his mother and the all you can eat buffet behind. Arriving at the bus stop, he watches the gentleman in white exit the bus, doing his best not to show surprise when they are addressed. Studying the other man, Damien takes a breath through his nose and narrows his eyes just briefly before re-assuming his usual jovial self. "I am representing Billie, you are free to send any questions my way, I will of course be conferring with my brother should the need arise. Speaking of question, you seem to know who we are, perhaps you could introduce yourself?" Damien puts this in such a way as to seem so very polite, imagining the rudeness of the other party not introducing themselves as some sort of oversight that he was being gracious enough to ignore.
Heath allowed that infectious grin and laughter spill from him as the blond man came walking up to him and his brother. The cellphone and ID came down to his side. "Late? Not at all, I was holding the signs, and my brother here is acting as her representative, she hired him." His laughter reeled in to be a snicker, and Heath shook his head. "Good luck with this one, Damien. I'll give you the shorthand version of the rumours: He negotiated his independence from Hell against all their lawyers." The snickering rose to outright laughter once more, "You may need to call the legal team to go over the contract."
The man in white gave Heath a wide smile, then walked closer and wrapped his arms around Heath at the waist, lifting him up in a hug that was... overly affectionate, to be sure. "Oh you clever little boy, look at you. You smell divine... what was it...4... oh, and 2 watching? You devil." The glint in his eyes spoke worlds. "Oh wait, that title's taken... you scamp." He set Heath down after the aggressively affectionate embrace, then looked over at Damien with a rakishly handsome smile that would give the impression that Damien had just been thoroughly disrobed. "My oh my, your mother does do good work when she properly lets herself get fucked, doesn't she, Damien? And my apologies, the name's Lu." He offered his hand out to Damien to share, the skin was warmly tanned and looked almost lickable as freshly made caramel. "I certainly hope you won't hold back, I enjoy a good challenge, and I feel like this might be one of those that it's worth getting up for in the morning."
Shaking the offered hand, Damien is a gentleman after all, "that's quite the grip you have there." Taking his hand back, he stares at it for a moment before looking back to Lu. "Independence from Hell meaning you were an actor on their behalf at some point? Interesting." He looks from Lu to Heath. "You being on hugging terms with a gentleman from the deep South is not actually surprising, although it does add to the mystique a little. Just a bit." He turns his gaze back to Lu, returning the smile with one that is at least a little friendly. "I can't say I've had any complaints, my inherited genes do seem to be treating me well. While I'd love to spend more time getting to know you, I believe time is of the essence so I'd best get to it. Lu, do you have any sort of contract with my client, a written document or was it purely oral." He makes the last word sound absolutely filthy, possibly in honor of the company.
Heath was happily embraced by Lu, and the... Man in return, patting his shoulders as he was put down. "It is important that clients to know the all the perks of choosing to join the Idle Industry family." Heath pressed the cellphone to his heart, "And what kind of host would I be to do otherwise." Shaking his head at the thought, he slipped the phone and ID into the inner pocket of his jacket. He looked to his brother, considing Lu's words. "Speaking of Damien's mother, you could have simply called ahead if you were going to meet here, but now the situation is as it is." Heath sighed with feinted disappoint. "Now, you have cops, and under the circumstances, our father has already been informed or will be. Calling it a mess..." His tongue clicked in his mouth. Heath chuckled at Damien, "It is customary to start all meetings with a hug in Hawaii. My current regard is my state of hydration and rest. Another rumor... The GREATEST parties ever." He indicated Lu.
The tide is high and rising.
Lu grinned "Some parties for the books, to be sure. Some of them were even annulled from history." He looked between the two men, then glanced around and shrugged comfortably. "Police don't tend to be much of a problem for me I'm afraid, but you have my condolences for having to deal with that mess." Lu looked back to the Idles and chuckled in that decadently touchable way he had and shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm not nearly as accustomed as I should be to calling ahead. It does take some of the spontaneity out of my life, and I'd be sorely sad to lose that little bit of surprise I take such delight in seeing on the faces of those I happen upon. Or within." The crinkles on the corners of Lu's eyes increased slightly with his rather cheeky green. Finally, though, he affixed Damien with more solid attention. "Ah yes, the question of contract. Bound I'm afraid, not through simple word, but through promise and a kiss, as well as a touch of blood. As she's provided people to meet me at the appointed hour, I find this acceptable, though we now have to retrieve the property she was delivering so that her portion of the contract is fulfilled. Have you two fine gentlemen appointed an office for us to adjourn to out of the street, or will we simply find her hiding among the masses, waiting for a signal?"
"Annulled from history? That's quite believable all considered. Damien grins, regarding Heath for a moment before looking back to Lu, all smiles and calm. Blood and a kiss? Interesting, I can see why my client might have been a bit shy of bringing that up. Teenagers can be rather anxious when it comes to matters like that." Letting his head dip for a moment, he considers the facts as he comes to know them. "Just so I'm fully aware of the stakes, would you mind letting me know what will be happening when the Grace is handed over and what the consequences would be for my desperate, impressionable, naive young client?" This is followed by a polite smile. "I'm also afraid that we don't have an office to adjourn to, just a little more notice and I'm sure we could have arranged something."
Heath chuckled, "I think that is the polite way of stating epic. Problem would be overstating it, messes take time, she stepped into traffic, fender bender, just time consuming." He rolled his eyes, glancing at the sun for a moment. "Verbal contract sealed with a kiss, it does make some things easier, though with some of the individuals I held with, somewhat distasteful. What was it, collect and deliver in exchange for the health and well-being of his mother. Angels seriously get the short end of the stick being only able to intervene when appointed days are not reached. It really gives the other side a leg in the competition. There's no Sword of Damocles in place on her or her mother, correct? The issue being the tag-along." Heath again rolled his eyes, "The previous owner happens to be engaged in this matter, which complicates things, and she was not going to make the meeting if not for our intervention."
Lu tipped his head back and gave a delighted chuckle, then shook his head and continued looking at the sky with some boyishly playful glint in his eyes. When he looked back to Damien, Lu waggled his eyebrows teasingly. "Oh my, teenagers, so precious, so precocious. Of course, I'm afraid people don't grow out of that all that much. There really isn't as much difference between a child of 16 and an aged old crone of 101, when you get down to it. What will happen to the package is of no concern to you, as it's of no concern to the girl and was not at all a part of our original negotiations. The consequences for not turning over the item as procured will be that her mother will continue on the path she's currently on and will pass from this world..." Lu looked back up to the sky and stared directly at the sun as if its brightness meant nothing to him. "In a very short amount of time, even as our dear Billie measures it." Clapping his hands together in front of him and rubbing his palms together eagerly, Lu let out a happy little chuckle. "As for the office, more's the better. I prefer to be out among the humanity anyway, offices are so often very cold and impersonal." Lu turned his smile to Heath and nodded. "The fortunate turns of fate smile on us all, even those that sometimes play footsie with it under the table. Shall we fetch the girl so this can be concluded? I'm in no real hurry, but the time of the meeting was set due to the time sensitive situation in question, health and life being one of those things people take for granted only when they have each in abundance and all that."
"Thank you, that all seems pretty seem to be all the details, or at least as I understand them." Damien nods happily, bouncing on his feet a little as he processes the information. "In which case I'm sorry to inform you that Billie will not be carrying out her side of the bargain. It's terrible that she'll lose her mother but that seems unavoidable now. She'll mourn of course and while I have a soft spot for someone who'd go through just about anything to help a dying mother, I'm of the opinion that she'd not exactly have got to spend much more time with her anyway, Grace delivered or not. It's a pity that you trip out has been for nothing, although it's still a lovely day outside so not a complete waste."
Heath looked down at his bare feet, then looked up at Lu. "Most wouldn't appreciate what I would track into their office anyway, so this covers most of it. Yea--" Heath quieted as Damien spoke up, his brow coming together as he processed the words, then shrugged slightly. "I mean bestowing immortality is incredibly difficult... I fully expect our father is just continue on." A snicker came out as he regarded Lu, "What is the going rate for a one shot pregnancy? I mean quiet like... Like putting it on someone else, that the next time they have vaginal to penis intercourse, they get pregnant."
Lu raised his brows slightly, amusement running thick as his smile broadened. "Very well then, I'll not extend her mother's life until the point she'd have seen her four grandchildren born of Billie. Contract terminated." Lu snapped his fingers and there was a notable sensation in the air for all of those that could feel power, like something had dramatically shifted. "And I'll just go ahead and uncloak Billie from the angel who owns the grace so he can know who to smite." Then there was a wash of further sensation as Lu moved his hand gently like a graceful bow in the air just to the side. "Done and done, pleasure doing business with you, Damien. I'm sure we'll see each other again in the future." Lu nodded jovially to Damien, then turned his attention to Heath. "Ah.. wanted or unwanted? If Will has to be surpassed in the vessel it takes a little more... tenacity in the pregnancy, unless of course you didn't care if it was terminated shortly after conception?"
The tide is high and slack.
"Thank you Lu, I'll just be getting along to my client, forms to fill out and all that, you know how it is." Damien smiles and nods to Lu, almost heading off until he processes just what Heath is saying. "Heath..." There just isn't the time though, the impending smiting of his client seeming like an important issue. He's off then, heading out at a brisk trot until he's cleared the mouth of the alleyway and then presumably the sight range of Lu and Heath. Hopefully he is wearing boots of a quality that they don't squeak too much when he hits the 'fast' button.
Heath didn't seem to flint when the deal was closed, but shook his head. "That angel isn't doing any smiting, Lu, it doesn't have its grace." Heath shook his head, "What? No, no... No superseding will, because that is all sorts of fucked up. And if she wants to terminate the pregnancy, that's a choice as well. I mean more like a shot in the dark oops surprise, and that panic setting in even though there is birth control involved." Heath raised a hand to his departing brother, and then reached into his inner pocket for his wallet to dig out a business card. "Seriously, we can I'm curious, but this day is not the day for the deal, because I don't need that sort of sword hanging over me at the moment... And it may not be the day for it, cause I may be getting arrested, not sure yet." He offered the card to Lu, "Just send me an email, so I have you on my contacts."
"You seem to be confused, little brother. That's alright, though, I don't expect you to remember everything in your current state." Lu reached out and brushed Heath's hair back from out of his eyes, or out of his sunglasses, reverently. "Darling boy, I'm excited to see how things go for you in the future, and I'm so very excited to be there at the end for you. For that, I'm definitely not warning you before I show up." He winked at Heath and then reached into his lapel pocket, pulling free a pure white card that looked like nothing was written on it. handing it over, Lu smiled warmly. "The information will be there when you need it, Heath. Let's go say hi to Mommy, shall we?" And with that, Lu started to whistle a jaunty tune, took a little side skipped step or two then began walking along with a little lightness to his step toward the alley.
In the alley, Scout was still pacing, back and forth, waiting with what could only call impatience. The scents of the world of man were quite clearly making his skin crawl, and with it, the tall manimal looked like he was going to split free of it any moment, like a pup infested with fleas.
Billie was still near the wall, waiting, her eyes huge but no longer damp with tears. She watched scout for a few moments, then would go back to leerily looking at Eve, concern evident in the crease between her youthful eyebrows.
For her part, Eve was standing fairly equidistant between Scout and Billie. Her glow had managed to reduce somewhat, making her just look positively radiant rather than like some sort of only slightly dimmed bulb of pure light making up for lost moons. She was quietly speaking to Scout, asking him questions apparently. As people came within earshot, the question most recent could be heard "So then innocence is not only about sex but about purity of thought and deed? Your realm must get far fewer visitors than you realize."
Doing his best to slow to a jog once he gets close enough, Damien isn't really breathing hard when he finally comes to a stop. "Just met the most delightful chap, seemed quite fair when it came down to it. Heath is doing okay, I think he's just catching up with the fellow, I think they have a teeny bit of history." Speaking quickly but clearly, Damien finishes addressing the group at large before turning on Billie. "Billie? I'm going to need you to let go of the Grace. This is quite time critical as I believe smiting was mentioned and I didn't hang around long enough to find out if it would be single target or area of effect." Looking back up he looks to Scout and then to Eve. "The deal was sealed with a drop of blood and a kiss. Not a terrible amount of wiggle room when it came down to it." There is a hint of sadness to his voice as he looks back to Billie. "Part of being a lawyer is doing what is in the best interest of their client, do you get that? Letting the Grace go really is the better deal, even if you don't think so right now."
Heath's eyebrows came up at Lu's word, "So this is that lingering that I met you on bender? That sort of explains it." Taking the card and his own, he placed them both into his billfold to be replaced in his blazer. "I think jaywalking requires crossing the street, but I'm not sure to be honest." Turning on the ball of his foot, he followed after Lu to head back towards the alley containing all the peoples. A smirk returned to find a place on his lips, "And the going rate for a threesome? Then is definitely not one of those need situations, more what are you doing tonight? Or now for that matter. I feel like Eve really needs some things worked out."
The tide is high and ebbing.
Lu reached his long arm over to loop it around Heath's shoulders, laughing darkly and with enough force that it shook him bodily. "I would almost feel as if I should charge, but for a night sure to be as entertaining as that, I would be there out of the kindness of my heart. Provided, of course, you two visit where I'll be this evening. I'm afraid it won't be on Oahu. I can promise you, though, that we'd have a very fulfilling night on all fronts." Lu's smile was ungodly beautiful, and he shone with pleasure and carefree happiness as he walked with the still night-clothed Heath, like the angel wandering along with the devil, his pure white suit showed not a sign of any dirt having clung to it throughout the day so far. As they continued on toward the Alleyway, he moved his legs over and forced Heath to do the 'Monkees' walk, looping legs over each other and stepping wide to the side, causing free floating laughter to tinge the world around them.
Scout stopped his pacing and turned to face Damien, his chest heaving in heavy breaths through is open mouth. He just kind of looked between the Lawyer, and Billie, and then Eve, his annoyance having grown with the latter enough that it was almost palpable. "It's true, our visitors are very slim in number."
Billie looked up at Damien and gave him a smile as he first came into the alley. "Is he ready for me?" of course, then Damien spoke. Billie frowned slightly as she listened to him, her confusion showing through on her face as clearly as if it had been written there with indelible ink. "Wait, he wants me to just let it go here without him? That doesn't make any sense, though... did he already save my mom?"
Eve's smile warmed slightly as she saw Damien come into the alley, and she turned a bit so that the poor Scout was no longer the primary focus of her attention. "Ah darling, very quickly done indeed. I trust you came to sufficient terms if he's accepting delivery from you instead of the girl?"
The night is moonless and starless.
"Well, it came down to two options. Damning an Angel and young Billie here or simply not. If we had accepted, I'm fairly sure my Scout here would pop Billie's head off and then she'd be straight down to Hell, her mother wondering where she'd gotten to." Looking down to Billie, Damien adjusts the tone of his voice, trying to be soothing and rather dreading the possible outbursts that his news will break. "I believe your mother had already passed now, I'm truly sorry Billie. You need to let the Grace go, to free it. The Angel it belongs to is looking for it and you're no longer shielded from it." Turning his attention to Scout he adds "This might take a moment longer, your patience is appreciated."
Heath's arm going over Lu's shoulder to match the Monkees walk, as they rounded the corner. "I mean I can totally call for the plane to get fueled, if you want to name the place. Granted, that would require the place to have an airport, but I just can't see you operating in countries with pre-1900s technology." His eyes bounced from Eve to Scout to Billie to Damien. "Wait what? Billie's soul is intact here, holding doesn't corrupt a soul, and if she was damned, I'm pretty sure that Fido would think she smelled like shit with lavender poured on it." He cleared his throat, and looked at Billy, "Your soul is fine... Unless you're looking to be number five, because that is still on the table, once you don't have the Grace. There are levels of defiling, I'm not willing to cross." Then his expression grew confused, "Wait a second... You confused my brother for Lu?"
As Lu and Heath came down the alleyway, Scout turned and wretched against the wall, spattering it with a thick, heavy, vomit that didn't so much stink as it smoked coming in contact with the stone. "My insides are trying to claw their way from this flesh!" He screamed it as another violent surge of sickness took him and he fell to his knees, vomiting more.
Billie looked wildly around, her eyes far too wide, and far too white, like they were about to start rolling in her head. "Wait... my mother's... dead?" She went pale as a sheet, reaching for the wall as she stumbled a bit to the side. "You.. you let him kill my mother because you thought scout wouldn't honor his deal and would take my head off? WHY would it send me to hell? I haven't done anything bad, I've never even watched a rated R movie!" The confusion had reached that epic boiling level, teenage angst, anger, rage, and sadness creating a little ticking time bomb. "You killed my MOM.. and now you want the GRACE too?" She screamed it loudly at Damien, the grace in question starting to glow like a little super nova, hot and loving, sweet and entirely pure as it shined from within her chest. "And should I just say something like, here Damien, the grace is yours? How does it work... do I spit it up and shove it down your throat? How did you think this was best for me? You're doing this for YOU!"
Lu laughed darkly and shook his head, peering down the alley as they began moving along it. "No need, I can bring the two of you there. It would require far too much fuel for it to be worth a single night, and I'll be leaving after, which means you'd just be wasting so much time. Better to travel fast, to enjoy the most of our time together, really." Lu then looked at scout as he poured his stomach contents into the alleyway. "Ah, poor guardians... they were truly not built for this world." He raised his brows high as he heard snippets of the conversation, then threw his head back and guffawed into an uproarious laughter that should have sounded villainous, but just sounded far too jovial for that. "Oh heavens... how dramatic! so many assumptions! Her mother is living out the rest of her life... it's not long, to be sure, but it's not something I'd end prematurely because you broke your contract, child. Your lawyer was kind enough to let me know you were no longer interested, and so, you now have the last of your mother's time to spend with her on this earth. Though it all really depends on how long it takes you to get there, and whether or not my other client is willing to wait a little while for his vengeance." Lu shrugged, which kind of dragged Heath closer for a moment, then moved him away, giving the term 'jostle' good showing.
Eve's hackles seemed to raise, watching as Scout went into his fantastic pyrotechnics of the belly. She looked at Damien, some horror dawning as she heard not just him, but then Billie, and Heath, and Lu, all speaking about the situation. "Wait... you cancelled the whole thing without talking to your client?" She lifted her hand to smooth her skirt and shook her head. Then she looked to Lu. The momentary flash of recognition had her eyes back to glowing at full beam, and she closed them for a moment. "Lu. Should have known."
"I was under the impression that this was time critical. I was also going under the misapprehension that trading in the Grace would be a bad idea? I seem to have gotten a bit confused about the other bits, working from limited time as I was. Everything was a rush." Damien sighs, looking to Eve and shrugging helplessly. Turning to Billie, he listens to her as his eyebrows raise. "Doing this for me?" Closing his eyes he take a long breath, waits a moment and then opens them. "Heath, just popping her head off wouldn't free the Grace would it? Just so I'm sure?" His gaze flicks to Scout for a moment, Damien sizing him up as he waits for an answer.
Heath was caught up in the laughter with Lu almost to the point that he didn't notice anything that was going on. He shot a boyish grin to Eve, "We may be having a threesome on the other side of the planet, hope your schedule is open." The vomiting escaped him, but the glow in Billie's chest cut through the haze of hangover and lovely Lu. He grimaced, weaving his arm from around Lu to step forward. "Damien, I need you to listen to that inner demon of yours so you don't accidentally self-combust, okay? Breath in the misery." His eye glanced at the vomiting Scout, and he focused on Billie. He took a deep breath and hummed a tune, before his lips opened to form the sound into Enochian.
Heath gestured to the vomiting Scout, "Do you need more evidence?"
Lu cleared his throat and lifted his hand, then snapped his fingers. "There now, let's take a moment, as I've never been accused of being an unreasonable sort." His eyes glinted a bit, then he outright beamed. "Well... perhaps I have, but I'm never unreasonable when it comes to those lovely members of the humanity I find so very luscious in their every single aspect, the good to the bad." Things in the Alley seemed pretty normal.. mostly. There was no breeze now, and no movement in the air, like everything was still. Scout had gone still, as had Eve, as had all of the cars that could be seen moving, the traffic seemingly stopped dead, but there was no honking of horns. No sounds, really, save for the breathing and now sobbing of Billie and the others in the alley. "We have a little extra time now, time for better decisions. Perhaps time for better negotiations, if they are to be had. Namely, the item in question still needs to be delivered. It will happen, one way or another, but I would prefer not to lose part of one of my favorite vacation spots to the incoming smiting of Araquiel."
Scout was frozen mid heave, and looked to be rather piteously situated. the poor fellow.
Billie almost looked as though she was about to join Scout in vomiting, her body was shaking and she was trying to wrap her head around the situation, with as much success as one might expect a 16 year old to have in the moment. "Please, I want to renegotiate. I don't want to keep the grace. It's not mine... I just... I want to save my mom." Billie sobbed and dropped her face into her hands, the emotions too much for the young lady as she was overtaken by them. The Grace in her chest was glowing brightly enough that it was a little sun inside of her, and the area around her was very heated as there was no longer a breeze whipping any of the heat away. Anyone close enough was likely starting to feel very uncomfortable, especially those susceptible to the finer and truer things, such as Hope, Faith, Love, and Good. "What would God tell me to do right now?"
Eve was frozen in a moment in time, leaving her crystalline silver eyes closed, though the silver glowed through her eyelids vividly. She looked like a perfectly crafted statue, hyper realistic, and utterly unmoving.
"I'm more than happy to let Billie conduct her own affairs at this point, I seem to have missed every single point of note and would only be a hindrance otherwise." Shrugging his shoulders helplessly, Damien smiles amicably to those assembled and then turns on his heel. "Good luck everyone, I'm going to get a drink while I wait for the big 'smite'. Damien taps his pockets to make sure that he has all the essentials and then starts to move, eyes looking towards the exit of the alley and the nearest possible bar. "Mother it was fantastic to see you as usual, I'll be around tomorrow if that works better for you?"
The tide is low and ebbing.
Heath glanced at the lack of movement from Scout, then farther down the alley to Eve, and the cars. Heath looked at his brother, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "I think your heart was in the right place, Damien. You did a good thing, and I'm proud of you for that." He nodded to his brother, and took a knee on the alley floor, letting a groan of pain. "Still way too hungover. Araquiel, one of the five angels that deliver the dead to the afterlife, helps the dead comes to terms with the afterlife. Rough job to be the guy that has to explain why there is so much shittiness in the world, so much death." He looked to Billie, and gestured. "Stopped the world for the sake of this conversation, but came to you in the most dire of times... WAITED until now to do something." Heath reached into his jacket, fumbling with his billfold to show the blank business card. "He gave this to me, told me his contact information would appear when I needed him. Why don't we ask him how offer he tells someone to check their brake fluid, rather than wait to freeze time when the car is touching the tree and you get to notice that your passenger isn't wearing their seat belt. That's not helping, that's preying on those desperate for intervention." Heath shook his head, "I am the last person in the world that should tell you what G-d would tell you, or maybe it's a good time to ask." Heath extended his index finger and pointed upward.
"You wound me... if I were woundable, I suppose, you little Heathen." Lu used the pet name for Heath with far too much ease. "Likening me to an ambulance chaser... Are you trying to start this threesome right here in the alley with the girl watching? I mean... That's not outside of my range of a normal Wednesday morning, but it seems a little like something you'd only do if you were still high from the night before, as blessed as her little frame is right now." Lu laughed brightly, amused beyond all measurable reason as things were said and people conversed. He walked up to the still frame of Eve and slid his hand slowly over her leg, just below where the skirt ended, so he was touching the silk of her stocking. "And really, I think I'd want her reacting... as lovely as she is, her power wrests in that ever changing level of reaction..." His head turned sharply to the retreating Damien. "Damien! Don't leave us, this is good for you to see... if we meet each other over the negotiating table again. I never mind giving extra armaments to my opposing counsel, it makes the day worth waking up for, really." Lu winked at Damien. "And I'm certainly not opposed to it being more of a family affair this evening, really, if you wanted to join us at the little soiree."
Billie was slowly starting to get herself together, dashing tears from her face with the handkerchief that Damien had given her previously. She looked like she was musing things over in her head, and it was a deep pit of things to stir with just a toothpick. Finally, Billie sucked in a deep breath and went to her knees, bringing her hands up to pray. As her eyes fell shut, the glow of the grace within her filled the alley, side to side, and seemed to beam up into the sky like a laser.
Damien looks over his shoulder and smiles to Lu. "At any other time I might be interested. Just not a good day for me I feel, thank you very much for the offer though. Billie is in good hands I'm sure and I'm quite sure she doesn't need or want my representation any longer. It really has been an adventure though, thank you." Turning as he has, he's there to see the Grace go home, that or he mistakes it for an orbital bombardment type smiting. Pausing for a moment and noting with some relief that he is still quite alive, he nods to himself before setting off again.
Heath stretched out of his legs in front of him, casting a tired smile at Lu. "At the very least, you should take the panties, you would appreciate the abuse." A happy sigh escaped Heath, "I don't know what ambulance chasers evolve into, Lu. Perhaps there's no name that comes to mind because you are in a league on of your own." A chuckle escaped him, and he got his billfold out. "This has clearly been my prop for the morning." He re-added the business card to it, and got out Billie's ID and his own business card. "I don't know what the future will be, Billie, but you'll have your answer, because even if it's silence, you are trusting in your faith." He showed the two cards as he stood up and set them in front of her, "If your aunt and uncle are fucking intolerable, call me or send an email. You'll get a family lawyer, a job, and a place to get emancipated. No charge."
Lu smiled gently and walked over to put an arm around Heath's shoulders, before mussing his hair. "Let's let her talk to him alone, shall we? I think, perhaps, she is in as good of hands as she could have been. And this will be far kinder than a smiting. Prayers invite the gentler things. Not that he'd let us see it happen, anyway." Lu unlooped his arm from around Heath and walked over to Eve, scooping her up into his arms like a bride as he started walking for the mouth of the alley. As he moved, she slowly became less of a mannequin in his arms and draped more naturally. The sound of retching started up again as Time started moving, the cars passing in the street at the end of the alley as if everything was absolutely normal. "Hello there, beautiful, did you enjoy your little nap? I certainly hope so, as we're going to be quite busy for the rest of the day..." Lu chuckled and gave Eve a wink as he continued walking with her in his arms, accepting what was likely quite the glare, which only made him laugh all the harder.
Billie continued to pray, and the air around her was almost electrified, thick with heat and light and then little sparks. A few moments passed like this, though she did reach down to grab the card Heath had left, because well.. one had to be somewhat practical in the world. Sure enough, though... one moment the girl was there, and the next there was no one. Like she hadn't been there at all.
Scout, as he continued retching... finally staggered to his feet, pressing his head against the wall in a spot blessedly free of puke. The shudders that ran over his skin were slowing, and as he looked around, he let out a soft growl under his breath. "At least the spirit is gone. You Men deserve no thing such as this." And with that, he walked the direction decidedly opposite of Lu. Quickly, too. Like he had somewhere to surely be.
Heath walked back towards Eve and Heath, but when Scout spoke up, he laughed. "Guardian of Grace pins girl to the wall. Ain't that something to read down. Fuck, my head hurts." He replaced the billfold. "My dearest Eve, I do believe someone needed to be in a leash today, and we are out of people, so I think your work schedule on empty, and likely you may just have to watch as Lu and I fuck in front of you. I would to see that perfect pale shade of fuckable on you. Though I'm not against being in the leash to watch either, I just need my hands bound so I can't jerk off. We should let it be Lu's choice, because the second I said it caused flutters of nerves." Raised a hand to wave to Scout, "And fuck you again!"
Eve took in a slow breath, unaccustomed to being standing one moment and moving in someone's arms the next. When she realized it was Lu that had her, she did in fact give him a look that would freeze glaciers. "I suppose that I can have a free day. Though if I need more than that after to recover, I'd ask that you maybe set up some sort of natural disaster so I at least have a plausible excuse." Eve settled in against Lu and simply let him hold her, she didn't even bother wrapping one of her arms around his shoulders, as if he dropped her, she'd likely skewer him on the spot with one of her many glares. "It seems you have Heath all aflutter already, where is it exactly that we're going?"
As if Lu was waiting for his cue, he just threw his head back and laughed, taking an abrupt turn to the right, and walked into a wall... though they passed through it into some sort of shimmering surface, as could Heath if he followed.
Heath followed through the shimmering surface, "My dear Eve, I'm not going to let you even look at your cellphone at all. You'll hear the texts. Those important tasks for the day are just going to remain unfinished and unanswered. I rather enjoy the idea of it being just beyond your reach... And as a bonus, everyone at job will have to scramble in your absence, questioning themselves as to whether they have failed up. Your despair, their despair upon your return, it all sounds too perfect really." Heath grimaced, "Fuck! I left my coffee." The man shook his head before his hand impacted on Lu's ass and gave it a thorough squeeze. "I want pictures of this ass to show Jonathan."
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