Demons Among Us

Status
Not open for further replies.
"A report. I know it's early, but…. " Letting out a low breath, Kei rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. "Let's just say I have a very interesting roommate. Not interesting the way Bobby was…" Bobby had been his roommate on his last mission, but there was absolutely nothing supernatural about him. He had just been extremely loud, emotional, obnoxious, demanding, and sexually insatiable. Not a good combination when paired with Kei.



Iris would remember Kei's reports getting more and more terse and irritated as time went on, until he finally threatened to cut Bobby's manhood off and magically attach it to his forehead if he was kept from doing his work one more time. Bobby had a habit of finding him wherever he was and trying to drag him off to solve his problems. Kei had remained totally oblivious to the fact that Bobby was that obnoxious precisely because he was interested in the tall, dark, mysterious demon slayer.



Peter was such a nice break after that, despite the weirdness surrounding him. Kei was still feeling the effects of him touching the rosary, which made his nerves and muscles tense. The demon slayer gave his superior a brief, concise account of everything he had witnessed, then waited for her response. He wasn't just going through the motions of rank, either. Kei respected Iris, and her wealth of knowledge.
 
Iris was silent for a while, considering what he had told her before speaking. "I think you may have stumbled across a rare asset." She said carefully. "It used to be, long ago, that we hunters worked with the clergy of human kind. They used to hold power-- real power. It's why hallowed grounds are considered safe. even if they aren't today-- a Church, for instance, used to be nearly impenetrable for a demon to enter." She thought for another moment before voicing her conclusion. "I think you may have come across an exorcist."

She sounded both impressed and... excited?

"You do realize what this means, if the boy is an exorcist, don't you?" she prompted.
 
"An exorcist?" Kei blinked, frowning down at the screen of his tablet. The red-haired woman was looking back at him with that usual fire in her eyes- it meant either that she was on the warpath, or some interesting nugget of history had her attention. "I thought they all died out years ago."
There were large pockets of humans in the Rockies and Southern California who seemed to be immune to supernatural attacks, and to have power to protect others against them just with their presence, but HQ considered them something different. They didn't go out and actively battle supernatural forces the way exorcists were said to have done, seeming to be peaceful barriers and influences, rather than warriors.

As iris got excited, his attention shifted back to her, his own expression dubious. "Given what you just said, you think he's supposed to help me." Kei shook his head. "If he's an exorcist, he either doesn't know it, or wants me to think he doesn't." His fingers stroked over his own scalp, unconsciously mirroring the places where the faint marks had been on his roommate.
 
" Well, we thought they did. But by nature an exorcist isn't born-- it's created. A mortal touched by darkness with an abundance of faith. The issue is so many humans now-a-days lack any real faith in anything. What they read, hear, even what they see on television-- humans doubt it all. That said, it's likely he doesn't have a clue what he can do-- or what he's sensing. Air conditioning? In Idaho?" She scoffed. "I doubt it. You did mention scarring on his head and headaches.... We'll set that on the back burner for the moment. He seems to be a trouble magnet. If I remember correctly, an exorcist has a strange set of powers-- no two alike. Their power doesn't come from themselves-- so supernatural entities smell it, but don't know why. It's like a drop of blood in an ocean full of sharks. It gets their attention even if they don't know what for."

She frowned suddenly. " It could bring trouble to you... Rather than a help, he may well be a hindrance without meaning." she crossed her arms shifting gears. "If that's the case you need to be careful. In the presence of a holy man, your magic will be effected-- and until you know how I think it would be best for you to use none at all, other than when necessary. Considering the amount of activity in the town, I would say we made a good choice in sending you. You mentioned a Sidhe as well... Were you sure it was a fae creature you saw?" She asked doubtfully. "They don't usually hang around those parts. It's another red flag."

She stopped talking for a moment, reeling her own thoughts back in. "Looks like you've got quite the puzzle laid out in front of you, Kei." She said sympathetically. "Be careful. There's a chance this Peter isn't an exorcist, but something else. If he is an exorcist and being controlled, he could very well kill you."
 
Most humans certainly fit that description, apart from some strong groups scattered around the place. As the faith of the world in general shrank, and the darkness more powerful, their faith only seemed to grow stronger.



"Humans put their faith in the wrong places." he shook his head, remembering the talisman. Misplaced faith was sometimes worse than having none at all. Peter seemed to have something, if the rosary was an indication, though the thing itself had no power. Maybe Peter's faith made it a conduit? Or maybe Kei's mind was just wandering.



The demon hunter listened to his superior, though she was talking almost more to herself than him, theorizing aloud. He still stored her words away for later, feeling they would come in useful. The nature of Peter's powers, if he had any, would explain why the Seelie woman was so interested in him. Kei groaned slightly at Iris' words about Peter being a magnet for trouble, though he was starting to suspect the same thing.



"I'm less worried about him finding out about me than I am about him dragging every non-human in the area in this direction. And yes, it was a Sidhe….Seelie, with antlers and wings. In a supermarket of all places." Once more, he rubbed teh bridge of his nose, a sure sign he was perturbed. "Her presence here has my guard up, too. And she was way too interested in Peter for my liking, especially now I know what he could be. I dunno…. the guy's from Florida, but him being here, in addition to the Seelie, and who knows what else? I think this might be bigger than even Brian thought." Brian was their superior, and known for being more than a little paranoid. However, he had been right enough times that they couldn't always dismiss his hunches.



He shifted, holding the tablet on his knees, nodding to Iris' warnings. "So far, I've only used level one charms to set up a perimeter. In this place, that shouldn't raise any alarms, but I'll keep myself on the downlow. In the meantime, is there anything else I should look out for? Any other signs that would give him away as an exorcist, or something else? How do I figure out if he's being controlled? Maybe I should move…hmmm…." He could change his 'housing arrangements' very easily and make it look official. However, even as he said it, another thought came up. "Maybe better stick with him, for everyone's good. If I move now, he may get suspicious, or whoever is controlling him might...."



Kei didn't like the odds that he could be killed himself, but that was always the danger. Half-breeds like himself were tougher to kill and longer-lived than humans, but not immortal. By the same tiken, he was starting to feel a little responsible for Peter.
 
"If he's an exorcist and he's living in the same dwelling as you, you'll know it in about a week. " She assured him. "I worked with one once-- any house he was in was almost instantly a home with a threshold most creatures can't pass. Those class one charms of yours will fizzle and he'll have likely unknowingly built up a much stronger defense. But, if you need a sure fire answer, send in some bait." She said simply. "Catch yourself an imp and bring it inside. See how it reacts."

Imps were lowly little demons. They clung to humans like lint, feeding them negativity while sucking dry their positive emotions. Most people diagnosed with depression likely just had a big imp problem and didn't even know it. They were like the tumbleweeds of the demon world. Mindless little troublemakers, literally blind to anything non-human or demon. Saying they were easy to hunt was a joke in and of itself.

"As for telling if he's being controlled, unless you knew him ahead of time I'm afraid I don't have any advise. Have you felt any sort of pressure in the air while talking to him? If he's being influenced, it's strong magic, and you would feel it. Even the best at that sort of thing can't just hide the amount of energy they're tossing around. It isn't something you can toss a va--" she paused mid word, apparently considering something.

"I think I ought to call Brian." she decided aloud. "It could be something Fae that is pulling strings. They can cover that kind of power, easily. And it would at least give that Sidhe reason for being where she was." she suddenly sounded serious. "I think I might be coming to Idaho very shortly."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"An imp." Kei wrinkled his nose in disgust, but nodded. Imps were not terribly dangerous, especially not to someone like himself, but they wreaked unbelievably irritating kinds of havoc. Plus, they tended to gnaw through power cords and leave sticky little fingerprints all over everything. To humans, of course, they were much worse trouble. Not that Kei wouldn't give it a shot. At least Peter wouldn't have to deal with it after Kei had got his use out of the thing. Imps, though numerous as cockroaches, were easy to kill if one was a demon hunter.



Kei listened to Iris talk about Peter possibly being controlled, but so far, nothing like what she described had happened. "Yeah, better call him. The only thing I ever felt with Peter was when he touched the crucifix. But we weren't talking or anything, and the rest of the time, I've felt nothing from him."



When she said she would be making an appearance, Kei bit back a grumble. He wasn't exactly excited to have her coming to 'baby-sit' his mission, but he didn't have much choice. The demon hunter just knew he'd hear about it back at HQ, that "little Kei-baby" had to have "auntie Iris" come save him. She had done that once on his first mission, when a class eight demon suddenly showed up to something routine, and never since. Yet, they wouldn't let him live it down. No matter how excellent he was at his job, no matter how thorough, the others still wouldn't forget that he was just a half-breed. So far, no half-breed had ever been as powerful as a full demon hunter, but Kei worked harder than any of them, as if hoping someday to prove them wrong. At least no one could say he hadn't surpassed everyone in his age group, even the full-bloods. Maybe that was why he continued to be such a target for ridicule.



Once more, Kein rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'll grab an imp and try that on Peter, but I guess I'm waiting for you before any other experiments happen." He looked down at the screen. "Any last words before I go back to playing house with a possible exorcist?"
 
"Have fun." She advised with a devilish grin. With that, the call ended.

When Kei went back inside he found the blond reading a book on his bed, lazily resting above his covers. His hair was drip drying onto his pillow where he lay. It looked like a novel of some short, and he seened perfectly contented to skim the pages and let his room mate be, only lifting his eyes long enough to give a nod of acknowledgmen.

He had set up his belongings. A small rosary on his night stand coiled around itself at the base of a small desk lamp with an alarm clock and book mark haphazardly placed as well. The box of books had been emptied into the modest book shelve hanging on the wall. He had left plenty of room for Kei in their small apartment, which in and of itself was somewhat of an accomplishment.
 
Kei let out a soft groan of frustration. Not that he didn't enjoy a good mystery, but this one could very well leave him powerless, and that was not at all an attractive prospect. Kei would need to take a 'roof run' later to get his mind off of things. This would also serve to get a better look at the town, and the kinds of things that went on around here.



Kei returned to the inside of the house, and his room, where his possessions stood in stark contrast to Peter's simply because they didn't exist. Kei noted that his roommate had made sure to give him room, but the hunter had nothing to fill them with. No pictures of loved ones, no books that he didn't just have on his tablet. Nothing, really, but some clothing and bare necessities. It was easier to deal with less, not to get too involved with extraneous things. Kei had never had or needed much.



As he dug through his half of the tiny closet for his jacket, Kei thought about the events of the day, and what Iris had said. Maybe he should look for an imp while he was out…get that over with, anyway. When he turned around to zip his jacket up, attaching his phone to a chain in his pocket, he happened to look up and see some of the other books that Peter had set up on the shelves. He'd read a few of them himself, but hadn't heard of the one he was reading now. Usually, Kei didn't try that hard to get acquainted with others, but he needed to find out more about Peter. Small talk would probably have to do for now.



"What's that you're reading?' he asked, sliding the hood up over his head, then bending down to tighten the laces of his shoes. They looked ordinary enough, but were excellent for his type of 'workout'.
 
"It's a detective novel." He said simply. "Kind of early to tell 'who done it' yet. So far all i know is it takes place in Chicago and some poor couple apparently had their hearts ripped out." He looked up blinking. "Kind of morbid way to start out a book series."

Most of the books on his shelf seemed to be detective stories. Some classics, others a bit more obscure. Two books that stood out were both old. One, a bible. Typical, really. It was a well worn leather bound printing, emitting the same modest hum as the rosaries Peter owned. The other of book, upon closer inspection want older at all, just weather worn. It looked like a journal, hard covered but bound in cloth rather than leather.

He seemed to notice Kei preparing to head out and set the book aside, sitting up. "You run?" He asked.H had mentioned earlier that he enjoyed sports, so it seemed normal for him to be interested. Judging by three fact that he had apparently just skeshowered though, it seemed unlikely he was about to invite himself along.
 
"Is it?" Kei tightened the ties to his hoodie, looking rather unimpressed with the idea. Perhaps he'd seen too much in his young life. Looking over at the bookshelf, he noticed a theme. "I think Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote for readers like you." Frankly, he hadn't ever gotten into mysteries that much. Then again, either he hadn't found the right ones, or he'd been living with mysteries so long he was sick of them.



Kei's blue eyes went from Peter to the shelf again. The Bible was no surprise, but Kei didn't touch it. Not that he had ever been bothered by them before, but after the thing with the rosary, he'd rather not try.



Hearing Peter's question, he turned back to regard him with mild surprise. Peter actually sounded a bit interested. Just a bit. "Parkour." he shrugged. That was the closest he could get to a word for it. Anyway, Peter couldn't have kept up with him even if he wanted to come along. There were certain advantages to being part hunter.
 
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Free running is fun, but do you skate?" He asked, something akin to hope in his voice.

Peter never could get up the side of a wall without the help of wheels-- but on a board he could close to fly. It accounted for a number of the scars he had, though not all. He thrived on the thrill of street and water sports. Field sports like Soccer or football never caught his attention the same way.

What was more, Peter seemed eager to find someone else with similar interests. In a place so different than his home, it made sense, and it potentially could serve Kei as a door way into knowing the blond a little more.
 
Kei shrugged. "Never tried it before." There were so many other modes of movement open to his kind; skating looked rather mundane. Still… "I'd be willing to try, though. I'm sure you could teach me."



He gave the other a small smile. That little bit of hope in Peter's voice was intriguing. Why the human would want to spend extra time with him was beyond Kei- most people didn't bother with anything beyond the surface. If there was more than the professional interest in getting closer to Peter, he didn't acknowledge it. Friends were not something he understood.



The hunter decided to delay leaving for a few minutes, and leaned against the door jamb, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You like other sports?" he asked casually.
 
"I wouldn't mind teaching you if you want to learn." he said, though sounded a bit disappointed. "I like moving fast... So not a huge multitude of them." He admitted. "Surfing, skating, biking, running and Taikwando are really about it." It was an interesting list of activities. On one hand, Taikwando involved discipline, and on the other skating was typically assumed to be the pass-time of deviants. He seemed to simply like the idea of a good challenge-- which would explain his disappointment in learning Kei did not skate.

"What about you?" Peter asked. "You strike me more as the type to go hunting and the like more than practice parkour."
 
"I'll give it a try." the hunter shrugged, wondering how fast he could go on skates. "I'm a bit of a speed junkie myself." Which was why Peter couldn't come with him when he went 'roof running'. Peter's idea of speed and Kei's idea might be somewhat different.



As Peter listed off the things he liked to do, Kei's smile turned into something close to a grin for him. "Taikwando? We'll have to spar sometime, see if you're a challenge." He hadn't studied that exact brand of martial arts, but something like it. Near enough that they could face off in friendly competition without too much trouble. Kei would have to lock down his extra-human abilities, but that was only fair. He wanted to see how good Peter was on his own terms, and anyway, that would be part of the fun. Kei needed to strengthen his human side.



The hunter smiled at Peter's assessment, eyes flashing slightly with amusement. Very perceptive… "My kind of parkour is more exciting than it sounds…. You have to keep on your toes and have your wits about you. You're right about me being a hunter, actually, but I like anything that gives me a challenge." He especially liked the adrenaline rush of destroying demons, as well as the cleansing feeling that came afterward. More than exercise or movement for its own sake, his hunting had a concrete purpose and result. With his kind of hunting, many different disciplines came together, which was why he liked it the most.
 
Peter nodded. "Whenever you feel like it, I'm up to spar." he promised. "Maybe one day I'll join you for a hunt... If you think I have the stomach for it." he offered a small friendly smile.

It was almost eerie that Peter had pinned him for a hunter-- and what was more he had offered to join him. If only he knew what Kei really hunted-- or perhaps he did and wasn't letting it on? It was only seeming to get harder to read the blond. Either he really was oblivious, or perhaps he had overheard Kei's conversation after all.

"Anyway, I won't keep you any longer." Peter said. "Enjoy your run."
 
"Sparring would be great." Kei said, watching him carefully, "But I prefer to hunt alone. No offense." Unless Peter was some sort of demon killer himself, he definitely couldn't handle it. Anyway, Kei didn't much like how precise Peter's guess about him had been. Not that he fully trusted the human to begin with, but this put him more on his guard.



Outwardly, however, he gave no indication of how he felt, hiding everything under his usual calm mask. Only Kei knew what was under it; not even Iris, who was arguably the closest person to Kei, ever knew just what was going on inside Kei's head. So long as he did his job and didn't whine about it, the arch-hunter didn't care. The fact that Kei kept everyone else at arm's-length was his own business.



"Will do." Kei gave his hand a little flick- half a wave -and headed out, his mind very much occupied. He had a lot to think about….and an imp to catch.



(Should we cut to him bringing an imp back? or to another day?)
 
[ooc: I think we did enough for day one of their meeting, but it's your call :p]

Peter turned his attention back to his book just long enough to finish the chapter he had been on. After words, he closed it, placing his book mark in the pages carefully. He picked up his rosary and said his nightly prayer before dimming the lights-- not wanting to turn them out and leave his room mate in the dark-- then turned in for the night.

When Kei arrived back home, he found his minor alert-ward gone. There was no trace of magic on the small apartment at all.
 
(I think we did, too. Kei can bring back an imp the next day, or day after. I'm fine with skipping time and assuming things happen. Whatever you think!)



Kei frowned deeply at this, putting the wards back up, as well as his guard. It hadn't been down that much to begin with, but Peter's unassuming personality- or the one he put on, anyway- had eased him out of high alert. Kei had to smile at this- if Peter was just a front for his true self, he was doing a marvelous job. Either that or he was genuine. This was partly why Kei didn't really trust anyone; he'd seen too many facades in his time.



With the ward back up, Kei made his way carefully to the bedroom, peering in before entering. Peter was asleep, or seemed to be. The hunter moved to look over him, closing his eyes for a moment to sense what the other man was feeling. He could feel the human's slow heartbeat, paired with his active brainwaves. Just little pings of excitement in the air, a change in the electrical field around all living creatures. He was asleep….for now.



Still, as Kei kicked off his shoes and fell into bed, he made a stronger ward around himself, which would wake him up instantly if Peter or anything else crossed its threshold. Or if it suddenly vanished without his consent. The demon hunter lay on his side for awhile, watching Peter sleep, wondering what he really was. It couldn't have been a coincidence for them to meet, but until he knew the answer to that first question, it would still just look like coincidence. Kei fell asleep with these thoughts on his mind, and his nightmares were troubled by them.
 
The next couple of days Peter was in and out of the house pretty quick and quietly. His collection of items had grown slightly as well. He'd bought himself a second blanket-- a bigger and thicker one. Apparently even the fall air was too chilly for the blond. And sneakers. On move in day he had been wearing flipflops. At least he was smart enough to realize the faulty thinking before it got him sick. According to a receipt Kei found, he also ordered doors for his jeep.

The morning after their initial meeting, Peter had gotten up and out quietly. He'd even made himself breakfast, leaving a note written in horrible hand writing for Kei stating that he had made too much and he was welcome to the left over scrambled eggs and bacon in the fridge, which he'd put on a plate and covered in tin foil.

Today was their third day living together.

Peter sighed, flopping down on his bed with a sigh. "To think I used to look for stairs back home to stake on." he mumbled into his pillow. "Florida's flat. Back home we can't build over three stories due to hurricanes. Here, everything's got stairs." At first, Kei might have thought he was voicing his complaint to him-- but upon closer inspection, the blond had a cellphone to his ear. A cheap little flip phone.

It was the first time Peter even indicated he knew other people to talk to. He had not mentioned family yet, and never mentioned friends from back south either.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.