Combing the Grid

[Aria]

Damage control was never her strong suit, it required the ability to lie and lie well. She never really could manage that. Besides, the truth always sounded crazy and no one would ever believe her anyway.

Aria slowly stood up. Her pants soaked in blood. Thankfully the leather coat had escaped mostly unscathed. Aria wiped the blade upon her pants, it was the best she could do right now. The blade would have to wait till she got home for a proper cleaning.

Once Aria was satisfied the blade had been rid of some of the blood she slid it back in the sheath. The soft ring of metal on metal was always an alluring sound, and sad all at the same time.

"That was an Ijiraq."
The new comer then asked the most curious question of all and Aria didn't know if she should tell the truth, after all she was suppose to be hunting two of the three men here. Aria pushed up her sleeves, the edge of the her tattoo peaked out before the sleeve fell back to it's natural state when she let go. Aria sighed but was thankful that it never stayed, it was still very cold, and her body was beginning to feel the cold air on her skin. Her pants were starting to give her a chill.

Aria tried to look like she was curious about the other two, but she knew she failed, but it was not her secret to tell and she wasn't about to tell these two men they might be gods reborn.

"I'm Aria. But that's about as much as I'll tell you about who I am. As for the other question"
Aria lied, "I have no idea."

[Giovanni]

Giovanni approached and gave the injured man a nod. There was a sort of kinship between them. They had and would have the same struggles. The woman was answering the questions, but Giovanni caught the lie.

She had directed the channelers to use their powers.

You are an interesting woman.
Giovanni thought.

Giovanni turned to the new man, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm Giovanni."


Giovanni's thoughts went back to the visions he had seen - himself in a sandstorm and killing a green skinned man named Osiris. He even remembered speaking in strange languages that he didn't know. Perhaps some research would help him find the meaning of the visions.

He flipped the sword around and passed it back to the woman. She took it nonchalantly from him.

She was an interesting woman indeed.


Edited by Giovanni Cavelli, Mar 19 2014, 03:18 PM.

[Jensen James]

Blood. Blood. The body splayed on the ground was not of spirit nor demon. It was a man. With blood.

Blood that soaked through the woman's pants. Aria. She said her name was Aria.

Blood that chugged out of a fleshy red disc that was once a neck.

Jensen watched the blood pool around the body. The head rolled some distance away and came to stop with the eyes turned toward Jensen, laying with his cheek to the pavement much as Jensen himself did.

Conversation ensued. Jensen was able to sit up, but only to put his head to his knees and wrap his hands around the back of his hair. The taste of rot wet the back of his throat. His stomach heaved, and every drop of blood poured from his face. He was locked in place yet the world tilted and tossed. They were asking questions above him. Who were they? Names? His mind raced to keep up, to focus on something besides -

A gust of wind rustled sweaty hair and the sensation was too much to handle. He threw himself aside and vomited in the gutter.

So much blood; blood on his hands.

It was a wet, disgusting sound that left in a man in complete and utter vulnerability, a prisoner in an unresponsive body. Every muscle seized, his back arched, his fingers gripped, all to expel juices of half digested food, thinned by coffee and warmed by a body cavity ripped open like those children had been beneath the vulturous claws of the Old Woman.

When it was done, he wiped his chin on his sleeve and slumped back, defeated. Tony was right. 'I won't kill anyone though. Even if it means my life.' It had been mere days since their conversation, and he was already doing it.

He put his eyes to his palms, shaking.

[Aria]

The name rang a bell, but Aria couldn't place exactly where. It was a common name in Italy, and else where, but there was something nagging at her that she couldn't place. Aria doubted she wouldn't believe him. She already knew a pretty big thing about him. But it wasn't her secret to share though for the sake of the third man who had arrived she hoped she'd not have to kill these two. Though, she didn't have any clue how she's manage that any better than she had a mundane way of killing an Ijiraq.

The man who had been attacked was looking worse for wear. She couldn't determine if it was from the attack or the drama that had happened. She walked over to him and waited for him to finish emptying his stomach of the prior contents. Thankfully Aria's constitution was not that weak and her stomach contents remained inside.

Aria knelt down next to him. "You okay?"
She looked up and around at the others. "You all look unscathed."
She turned her attention back to fallen man. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what was wrong. Aria was careful not to touch him. The last thing she wanted was to become incapacitated with two god power wielding men near by. No matter what they had just endured together Aria was not going to make matters worse.

There was far more time to think now, and Aria had to push the thoughts away. Too many questions ran through her mind. Too many. Moscow was turning out to be the perfect place for another headquarters, Aria wondered if there was more than the reasons she was slowly picking out now. But now was not the time to think on the secret society lest it be secret no more!

Edited by Aria, Mar 20 2014, 11:48 AM.

[Connor Kent]

Now that everything was done, he found his thoughts sluggish and dense, as if the break in reality he had seen had been too much for him to consider except peripherally. He found himself focusing on mundane, banal details, to latch on to the reality of specific movements, observations, and words to avoid the abnormality that surrounded him.

The blond man seemed concerned about the dark man next to Connor- cementing his feeling that they knew each other- but he sidestepped the question, saying his name was Giovanni.

The woman stood after a moment, blood having soaking her pants. She wiped her bloody blade on her pants. She's a cool one, He thought. Having that creature's blood all over the lower half of her body, coagulating in the cold. seemed only to make her cold, not disgusted. She was...interesting. She introduced herself as Aria and the creature as an....Ijiraq? He'd never heard of it. And then just as quickly disavowed any knowledge of the other 2 men and their role. They had seemed to work as a team- them as the ones to occupy the mist-creature, to weaken it- and her to giving the killing stroke. If they didn't know each other, then it was an impressive display of impromptu team work.

The blood gave him pause, though. His mind latched onto that, ready to process that information. That creature had been mist...but when she had cut it, all too quickly it became a man- who'd had his head chopped off.

Connor had never seen a person killed before. He'd held his son as he died, his heart being emotionally ripped from his chest. The lifeless body in is arms a physical memory that he could viscerally feel whenever he thought of it.

But he had never seen carnage before. He was still crouching by the dark man, who'd leaned forward with his hands behind his head. Connor followed his gaze to the head that lay close by. The man suddenly began to vomit, leaning over, his face whitened. Connor realized how young he was, the haunted look in his eyes tugging at him.

Connor put a hand on his shoulder, more to comfort him than anything else. "It's okay man. Let it all go and you'll feel better.
" The acrid smell hit his nose, mixed with the iron-tinged blood smell in the air, along with the garbage on the street. Vomit did not bother Connor. As a child, Hayden threw up a lot and Connor had gotten used to cleaning it up. The dark young man emptied his stomach of everything. When he was done Connor gently pulled him on his shoulder, to let him lie down. "It's ok. Just breath for a minute. You'll be alright bud.
"


Aria came near to him and knelt down, concern on her face. "You okay?
" She looked up and around at the others. "You all look unscathed.
" Oddly, though, she kept her hands to herself, clearly avoiding touching the man.

Connor watched her, deep in thought. There was more going on here. But answers, at least for the time being, seemed unattainable- at least from them. Connor's eyes drifted back to the creature. It occurred to him that the 4 of them being found with a decapitated human might bring some trouble. His time in Moscow had already been fruitless and he had been warned once. Suddenly, he felt like they should all get away and talk.

"We all should go,
" he said, looking around at all the windows in the buildings. "It's not exactly private. And that Iji-whatever
"- gesturing to the body- "doesn't look like a mist anymore. We could be in trouble. Let's all go somewhere and at least get cleaned up.
" Then he remembered that they claimed not to know each other. "Well, at least get out of here.
" He touched to dark man's shoulder. The color had returned to his face. "Come on. I'll take you wherever you need to go.
" He looked at the other two- Aria and Giovanni, they had said- waiting to see what they decided to do.


Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 20 2014, 11:20 PM.

[Aria]

The newcomer still had not said who he was and it felt awkward not knowing who he was but he was right they should go. Aria stood up. "He's right you should all go. I'll take care of this."
Aria nodded towards the mess. Clean up was all part of the job. And technically she should kill the lot of them, well except the new comer. Aria sighed and looked up into the buildings. It was late, the sun was still far off.

There was still a peculiar feeling in the air. Something was still out there. Aria couldn't pin point it but they were safe for now. "I think something is still out here."
Aria turned towards the men. "It's really not safe tonight. Go home, all of you.


Aria started towards the Ijiraq, burning the body would be the best option. It always was. She picked up the cold lifeless body of the Ijiraq underneath the arms, it was heavy for being a mist monster. She smiled at the irony. It almost felt like she was dragging around a very large piece of lead. She tried to focus on the body and her task at hand, but two of three men in her vicinity could kill her in a blink of an eye. How does one kill a being who can wield powers unseen, unheard. Aria had only the advantage of their emotionless state before they could rip her head from her body in one foul swoop.

Such thoughts were dangerous. Maybe it was time to look into other ways to kill these supposed reborn gods. Not all of them would be safe, not every human was safe. Aria sighed, and some monsters weren't really monsters at all but humans who got the raw end of the genetic deal. Furia were almost on that list, and gone rogue you were.

((Jensen if you want your harpy to show up again go for it, the more monsters the merrier lol)


Edited by Aria, Mar 21 2014, 07:44 AM.

[Connor Kent]

"He's right you should all go. I'll take care of this
," said the woman- Aria. Then she looked up and around, as if worried. "I think something is still out here. It's really not safe tonight. Go home, all of you.
" Then she walked over to the dead body and picked it up under its arms.

Connor watched her as she seemed to struggle with the dead weight. It was a quick and dirty way to pull someone away, but wouldn't do if she had to take the body any sort of distance away. A fireman's carry was ideal for transport, but she was only about shoulder height to him.

Connor sighed. You can't just leave her out here cleaning up this mess. Not if there are other...things out there. Or if the authorities come. He looked at the dark man and he seemed to be doing better. Color had returned to his face and he shifted as if he were getting ready to get up.

He went over to the woman. "Let me help,
" he offered. The thought of the thing bleeding all over him from a severed neck as he carried it wasn't exactly pleasant, but the woman was already soaked in its blood and wasn't complaining. He shrugged to himself, deciding. "I don't know where you want to take this thing, but I'll carry it.
"

He wasn't sure why he felt like involving himself with any of them. He should've just gone back to his aunt's house. But what would he do then? Drink? He was certainly in the mood to have a drink- now more than ever. But even so, nothing would have changed about why he was there. Bang his head against bureaucratic walls? Go back to America? Then what? He felt adrift, lost. But being here- part of something, even as strange as this- felt good.

"I'm Connor.
" He looked at Aria, then at Giovanni and the dark man. "But whatever we're going to do, we should probably get moving.
"


Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 21 2014, 10:57 AM.

[Jensen James]

Jensen weakly looked up. He'd certainly been better. The man that told him to focus on breathing had done the right thing. Slow, steady breaths pulled cold night air in and out of his lungs. The sweat that burst out of every inch of his skin tingled frosty, but his stomach was empty. In fact, in the absence of explosive cramps rippling across his abdomen, he felt quite numb now that it was all over. Even the frigid night air didn't seem to bother him as much.

Two blank eyes followed the others as they gathered the corpse. He watched them drag the lump of dead weight off of the street, but soon his gaze fell to his own palms. His brows furrowed down, confused without knowing what to do. He'd heard, although not necessarily comprehended, the order to depart. Yet there he continued to sit until he just started looking around, lost.

His eyes pressed themselves together, needing to block out the view of this nightmare, but no matter how tight his lids, he knew something continued to stare back at him.

The next thing the others would know, Jensen was standing right behind them, having followed on soft footsteps. He offered out the severed head, which he'd gathered on the way, while yet was oblivious to the flesh caking his palms.

"You forgot the head,"
he said.

When the burden of weight was relieved of him, his shoulders slumped. For a moment it seemed he might vomit again. Or maybe just pass out. The blackness of ignorant sleep would have been welcome.

Instead, he introduced himself. "I'm Jensen,"
and with a quiet breath followed the rest, like an afterthought he wasn't sure were actually true. Was any of this true? He couldn't say any more. "...James."


Jensen James. That sounded right.

He turned to leave. Though he had no idea which way to go.


Edited by Jensen James, Mar 21 2014, 07:47 PM.

[Connor Kent]

The woman-Aria-didnt protest as he came over the her. Taking the....man's body by the arm he crouch down and pulled the the corpse over his shoulder. He stood with ease. He'd done this many times before both in serious and in play. A playful memory of wrestling with a girlfriend came to mind. Weird how the mind goes to strange places when trying to deal with.... he wasnt sure what it was dealing with. He certainly didnt feel like mist, even missing 8 pounds of head.

Connor followed Aria to the alley, unsure where she intended to take the corpse. She paused snd he stopped, looking at her expectantly. Suddenly, the dark man was behind them, holding out the head.

"You forgot the head
," he said weakly. He looked unsure on his feet. Though color had returned to his face, he kept closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. Connor looked at him with concern and the reached out to take the head with his free hand. He ignored the imagery of him holding the head by its hair, like Perseus holding the head of the Gorgon Medusa he'd seen in that old movie he'd seen with his dad- Clash of the Titans.

"I'm Jensen....James
" said the man quickly. The name tickled his memory. Then the man turned as if to go.

"Wait!
" Connor said. He was at a fork in the road. He was carrying the corpse of a monster for a woman for whom this was old hat. But leaving her to take care of things was not thinkable. He just couldnt do that. But this young Jensen guy looked like he was two seconds away from vomitting or passing out. Given that the Giovanni guy seemed uninjured while this guy still looked worse for wear, he could only guess that the creature had done something bad to Jensen. Leaving him to die from injuries later was not an option.

Instead he made a decision. He looked at Aria and Jensen firmly in turn. Giovanni was content to wait out on the street so he wasnt involved in this conversation.

"I have no clue what is going on...or what the hell an ijiraq is and why it was also this man on my back and whose head I am holding. I dont understand how you made hail
"- looking at Jensen- "or how this seems just like a normal days work for you
"- to Aria. "I get it. This doesnt involve me. Except that I am here and
"- to Aria- "unless you have a posse up your sleeve youre gonna need help getting rid of this thing. And you
"- to Jensen- "look like you are going to pass out in about 2 seconds. So I am telling you know that as of now...as of right now- I am involved and I am going to help both of you.
" Maybe it was too blunt but he was way passed caring. Another way the mind dealt with stress he guessed. "So lets do this. Lets take care of this thing first. Jensen, you come with me. Along the way maybe I can get you some help...or at least help you get home safe. What do you all think about that.
"

Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 24 2014, 12:44 PM.

[Jensen James]

"WAIT!" Connor yelled.

Jensen turned to look behind him. The man had hefted the corpse onto one shoulder. The head dangled from his other hand. He looked like a firefighter carrying a victim from a burning building. Although it was a vicious fire that decapitated its victims.

Jensen's stomach turned, but already empty of contents, there was nothing to vomit. It didn't stop a chill running down his spine, though.

It was unclear whether or not he actually listened to the string of logic that followed, but he didn't leave, either. He tucked his hair behind his ears and waited.