Demon Blood (IC/PG-16)

[yui 574]

OOC

"Gather round!" This was one of those things Shawn tried to do to improve his image as a director instead of just an unbreakable weapon to point at demons. Weekly updates with the teams working at his branch. Today, it was time for this week's update, and Regional Director Shawn "Dusty" Carter had called the hunters of his branch together for precisely that. For a regional branch it was pretty small, but to him, that just made the place easier to manage. It wasn't like he was working with a hundred or so people; just a couple dozen at most. It also made it really easy to get everyone accounted for just by looking at the small crowd that had gathered in response to his announcement earlier, that it was time for a weekly update.

"Thank you all for making it," Shawn said, with oomph in his voice to spare. "Over the last few weeks, we've seen a lot of people come and go from this branch, and while I can't lock anyone into working here, what I can do is extend my appreciation to those of you who've stuck with me this long, and continue to welcome those who are newer additions to the DHA's ranks. That said, the amount of traffic moving through our branch is abnormally high, even if the trend has died off lately. Enough so that it's caught the attention of our National Director, Phillip Kramer. I just got off the phone with Kramer this morning, and he said he'll be paying us a visit within the next few days. If I were a parent talking to his children, I would tell you all to be on your best behavior. But that's not what I am at all. Instead, I'll ask that all of you just act natural. Kramer's got a sharp eye, and hates kiss-asses who try to play themselves up just because he's in the neighborhood. Next up..."

Shawn turned his attention to a rough stack of papers on the cheap table between himself and everyone working under him. This branch wasn't underfunded of course. He just picked the table up from a yard sale one day was all, because he was getting tired of moving furniture around every week and grabbing a cheap folding table seemed much more convenient. "There's also the matter of... due to some Gift abuse by a few of our Hunters, gambling with each other for actual money won't be permitted within this branch any longer. Lastly, we... wait, this one's from last week, let's skip that." Blunder aside, Shawn gathered up the papers, and folded up the table. "That's all for this week. You're dismissed!"

---

So much for that.

Now, was it Dayna's fault that she cheated? Absolutely. But was it her fault that nobody else considered she was capable of it when they forced her along to stupid dice & card games? Of course not! She had more important things to do than look at what cards everyone happened to draw, and she'd figured that would be a good way to ensure they never dragged her along again. It seemed to have worked better than intended. There was lots of research to be done, not the least of which was to get a better understanding of her fellow hunters at the northeastern branch. In the weeks since transferring here, she'd been assigned a partner to hunt with due to understaffing on the branch's part, set some time aside to understand his Gift as best she could, and that was what the notes she was reading off the screen of a tablet in her hands were all about.

There were still a few things she wanted to test with Patton's abilities. The problem, however, was finding him. Some people were easier to find than others. Dayna was usually in the lab (which wasn't nearly as exciting of a place as its name implied, much to the disappointment of a few curious hunters), Vera was generally in her room when she wasn't in Regional Director Carter's shadow, and Dayna usually found Derick wherever people weren't. But Patton? He was - ironically for such a great tracker - impossible to track down. Which was why Dayna had situated herself in the kitchen, waiting. He'd have to get hungry eventually.

And, if she was being quite honest, she was a bit peckish herself. Not enough for a full meal, but something simple to keep her stomach occupied until later would have been nice. Like an apple. Sliced, of course. "What sort of barbarian doesn't slice these before eating them?" she quietly mused.

OOC

Spoiler

We're live, folks. Take this opening round to do some interacting with your fellow hunters. Both I and my cohost are happy to answer questions if you've got any.

 

[Blake 312]

"G-Great job again this week, sir!"

Vera waited just out of view as Shawn gave his address, clasping her hands together in front of her. Her usual melancholic wings were nowhere to be seen, instead radiating a hot pink aura around her, as she shifted a little nervously. The teen followed him happily, humming a little tune as she did. Everything was right in the world. Shawn was here and paying attention to her, even with his boss coming. Vera was on cloud nine, though, her legs did hurt a bit... She wasn't very used to walking or standing as much anymore. But it was okay! As long as she had Shawn, she was safe, she was needed, she was wanted, and that was all that mattered.

"So, um... I was wondering if you had some extra time free today? I managed to make a meal in the kitchen... It's not much, but I made the kind of sandwiches I know you're fond of, and I was hoping to see if I, ummm... did a good job, yeah!"

She shuffled about nervously, the aura changing colors for the briefest of moments as she did. Oh gosh, this was so forward, he was so much older, he didn't even seem to realize how she felt, her mind was screaming aimlessly as a slight blush crept onto her face. Hopefully the kitchen was empty, too. That would be perfect...

[LordCowCow 839]

Kira stood, cradling her kanabo as though it were a teddy bear, listening with a dull expression as Mr. Carter spoke to them all. She had gotten there early, not having much better to do, and wound up at the front of the group. As it turned out the report given wasn't even anything to do with her. She certainly wasn't trying to use her "gift" for anything like that and why wouldn't she act natural no matter who was showing up?

All in all she regretted having come straight there when they got the call. Because now she was stuck in this room filled, for her standards, with people. The doorway was right over there but there were enough people between her and it to make it awkward to just walk around and ignore them all.

She spent far too long standing there and glancing longingly at the door. Imagining herself walking through it. Then she finally worked up the resolve to put the dream into reality. She fully turned and started to go around the circle of people in her way and immediately bumped into someone.

Kira recoiled as she did and gave the person a slightly panicked look before saying something that might have been anything from a curse to an apology for how unintelligible her mutter had been. She stood there for a few more moments before asking them to please step aside so she could go to the door and out of the room. Or rather that's what she intended when she spoke up with "Move."

[Mr. Hyde 204]

He had gotten here early, as always.  He stood against one of the walls of the room, barely paying any mind to all the other hunters who showed up.  Honestly, it was surprising to him that most, if not all of them, were actually here in attendance.  There were a lot of people here who he detested for their lack of punctuality.  But then again, they were all mostly just a bunch of kids.  Derick's sword hung at his hip, as he rested an arm on the top of it, listening to Shawn drone on.  Apparently, a director of the Demon Hunter Agency was on his way here.  As pointless as the information was for him, he would like to see what these higher ups had in terms of ability, if anything at all.  The second part of the agenda made Derick grind his teeth, because they had already talked about the incident the week before.  This time he'd take the effort to scold those who were partaking in such activities.

"Misusing your gifts...almost like the real deal would."  Derick said, cheekily glaring over the crowd.  "At least act like you're better than the enemy.  You're Hunters for god's sake.  Act like it!"  His voice boomed.  He was growing frustrated, as he tapped the kashira of his blade.  They could do what they wanted, to him it didn't matter in the end.  As if to stop himself from getting too heated from being around all of the idiots, he decided to rush off.  In his hurried state, he didn't notice that someone had bumped into him.  

It was Kira, the resident powerhouse of their branch.  The girl looked flustered, muttering unintelligibly to him.  It made his left eyebrow go off the fritz in annoyance that this girl insisted on being in his way, even though the brat had bumped into him!

"Move."

Derick's teeth grinding began to intensify.

"Normally, you'd apologize to one you just ran into."  Derick stood in front of the girl like a brick wall.  "Why don't you apologize first."  

[ChampionZero 62]

"Yeesh, chill out, bro!" Kane sidled up next to Derick, propping an elbow on his shoulder and flashing a toothy smile.

As always, Kane looked like he was on vacation-- barefoot, wearing an open, bright pink, floral print shirt that did not match his cuffed black jeans in the slightest. He wasn't carrying a weapon like his partner, but anyone who knew him knew that didn't mean he was unarmed.

He'd been tossing an apple between his hands during the meeting, which he now took a bite out of. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, D." He turned his eyes down toward Kira, his grin widening. "Ri~ght?"

[reparoni 161]

 

Ray simply smiled as he stood in the back of the room, listening as Shawn droned on about how grateful he was they were here or some shit. Apparently they were getting a visit from a higher up, as he told them to stay on their best behavior. Apparently he didn't like kiss asses, which made Ray chuckle. Maybe if an amateur was doing it - the whole point of kissing ass is to not come off as an ass kisser. Gambling being shut down because people were abusing their Gifts made him frown. He enjoyed gambling, even if some of these guys were cheating bastards. Of course, Ray was too, but he had a more conventional take the whole ordeal. "We're surrounded by rookies." He said, tilting his head towards Maybelle. "Shame. We were makin' bank on the side with that." Fortunately for him, when they paired up people he got paired with his partner in crime. It was good to have someone you could trust in this sea of bastards.

There seemed to be some type of confrontation happening in the way to the kitchen. Shame, Ray was feeling peckish. He knew better than to get involved in whatever shit storm was brewing over there - anything Derrick and Kane were involved with, he wanted nothing to do with. it was kinda fucked how they were paired up; the two got along like water and oil. He was just glad he wasn't paired with either of them, honestly.

"Well I'll be in the break room if ya need me." He said, patting his partner's arm before making his way across the room, pulling out a deck of cards from his jacket. At the door, he turned towards the others. "Anyone up for a game of cards?" He said, a smirk stretching across his face. "No gambling, of course!" He said with a wink, putting his finger up to his lips in a shush motion, before going into the room.

[Chaos Sonic 442]

"Over the last few weeks, we've seen a lot of people come and go from this branch, and while I can't lock anyone into working here, what I can do is extend my appreciation to those of you who've stuck with me this long, and continue to welcome those who are newer additions to the DHA's ranks. That said, the amount of traffic moving through our branch is abnormally high, even if the trend has died off lately. Enough so that it's caught the attention of our National Director, Phillip Kramer. I just got off the phone with Kramer this morning, and he said he'll be paying us a visit within the next few days. If I were a parent talking to his children, I would tell you all to be on your best behavior. But that's not what I am at all. Instead, I'll ask that all of you just act natural. Kramer's got a sharp eye, and hates kiss-asses who try to play themselves up just because he's in the neighborhood. Next up..."

The next part was something about people misusing their Gifts and apparently gambling. A weird thing to mention, but at the same time, one that made sense. If someone else had a supernatural ability to assist them in winning almost anything, who wouldn't jump at the chance for that? Unfortunately, that wasn't what Masako had. Bubbles weren't going to help her win a gamble of any kind.

Once the blonde left the room, pretty much filing out with the rest...she'd notice that this crew was a pretty lively one if any...as this display was namely shown off by Derrick and Kira, the girl she had the "honor" of calling her partner.

"Move."
"Normally, you'd apologize to one you just ran into. Why don't you apologize first."

Now...I coooooould just not get involved with this. Watch them duke it out, buuuuuut I have a sinking suspicion that it'll look bad on me for letting my partner do that. she thought, before sighing. Better go try and get her to stop. With that, as Kane attempted to quell the situation, Masako made her move.

"Oh but of course she didn't!" Masako said in her normal, bubbly manner. "It's obvious that what happened here is just a simple accident. Isn't that right, Kira?" At this point, she didn't even let Kira answer. "So if anything, it's water under the bridge. So I think we can let bygones be bygones with this little happenstance, am I wrong, Kane? After all...we really shouldn't have our partners fight each other..."

She paused, before giving a bit of a smirk as she moved some of her hair out of her eyes, both of them showing a slight glint of excitement. "...that just wouldn't be...daijoubu..."

[Cappuccijoe 17]

"AW HELL!" Maybelle threw her hands up at the ban of gambling "Them hicks down at the bar aren't gonna believe this!" She turned to her partner in crime, literally, with a scowl, "Which one of them there knuckleheads you think gone and put our weekly game 'a cards out to pasture?" She looked back to the crowd, disapprovingly.

"We're surrounded by rookies." He said, tilting his head towards Maybelle. "Shame. We were makin' bank on the side with that."

Maybelle sucked her teeth and shook her head in response, "Well tie me up and put me on a spit." She continued shaking her head. It wasn't long, however, until her partner made his way over to the break room with a deck of cards in his hand. A smile crept across her face, nearly ear to ear. She simply grabbed the loop of her jeans and strutted over with the typical gait of a cowboy's.

"Cards?! Well now you have gone and gotten my interest. Gin rummy! If I see you cheatin cards, boy you're becoming target practice now, you hear?"

Maybelle was mostly uninterested by what had transpired around her, as the cowboy led a simple life. She couldn't get all caught up in whatever these hoity toity city folk were saying. Besides, there was a game of cards to be played, and Maybelle NEVER missed out on a hand of cards. It was why most nights ended with a few too many beers and an empty wallet, but she didn't mind too much. As long as everyone had a good time and there were only up to 2 bar fights.

"Anymore than that and you got yourselves 1 bull short of the whole rodeo. Reckon it'd be a riot or something." She spoke to herself, mostly, as she approached the breakroom door.

 

[CatmanDaGamer 12]

“That’s all for this week. You’re dismissed!”

Ugh, that’s all? It didn’t even have anything to do with me. I rushed over here for nothing.

Alice couldn’t believe she slept through her own alarm and almost missed the meeting. She’d only been here for a little while and didn’t want to make a bad impression on the other hunters. After throwing herself out of bed and rushing out her room she barely made it to the meeting. She barely even had time to make herself look presentable. All that for what?

By now the rest of the people in the building began to disperse, leaving to take care of the day's business. Well, most of them were at least. Some went into the break room, others were starting a fight on the other side of the room. As for Alice, a drink sounded really nice right about now. She headed straight for the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge.

[LordCowCow 839]

Kira was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. It was bad enough that she had ran into someone but that it was Derick? And he was clearly going to make a bigger deal of it?

"I already did." She muttered. Why was he asking her to apologize when she had done so just a few moments ago? It wasn't her fault if he didn't hear her. It wasn't even her fault that she bumped into him really. But she wasn't too surprised he didn't just let it be. She wasn't comfortable with that man. She always felt he was sizing her up for some reason. It was creepy.

To make matters worse Derick's too-outgoing partner had joined too. Kira took a step back as she tensed up. Now there were two of them. Looking at her. Both wanting her to engage when all she wanted to do was get out of here.

"Oh but of course she didn't!"

"Oh no." Kira said as her own too-outgoing partner came up as well. Now there was THREE people talking about her.

She hadn't been sold on the idea of partners to begin with. Having someone forced to stick near her during missions just felt wrong. She firmly believed that no good could come from having anyone near her while she "worked" but the higher ups were insistent on this "buddy system" of sorts.

Kira glanced away from Derick, looking at the part of the floor she wanted to go, and took a hesitant step in that direction. "I just...want to be not here." She told them.

[Mr. Hyde 204]

"I already did."

"Like hell you did!  Why don't you show a little respect and speak up, for once!"    

"Yeesh, chill out, bro!  I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, D.  Ri~ght?"

Derick's, forced upon him by this god forsaken agency, partner came sliding up to him.  He propped his elbow on Derick's shoulder, whilst cheekily taking a bite out of his apple.  Derick jabbed his elbow into Kane's rib cage, hoping to dislocate a few, knowing it wouldn't matter due to his gift.  Still, he hoped it had hurt at least somewhat.  No one in this room could even attempt to emulate how much this man frustrated him so.  It was like they matched Derick with the polar opposite personality type in hopes that he would slay him where he stood.  He'd come close to doing it many times before now, but this moment might have been the one to break the camel's back.

"Oh but of course she didn't!" A ray of sunshine then stepped into the mix.  This girl was annoying in her own right, but at least she wasn't some deranged psycho like the rest of these 'hunters'.  "It's obvious that what happened here is just a simple accident. Isn't that right, Kira?  So if anything, it's water under the bridge. So I think we can let bygones be bygones with this little happenstance, am I wrong, Kane? After all...we really shouldn't have our partners fight each other..."

Derick looked to Masako, before turning back to Kira.

"I just...want to be not here." 

The sentiment made his stomach sink, almost showing a glint of regret in his eye.  After closing his eyes, he took a long pause.  He took one deep breath in, and taking his time, breathed out.  

"Whatever."  He said, striding to the side of Kira and moving past her.  "Just make sure you watch where you're going next time.  You could run into somebody way worse than me around here."  With that, Derick had left the meeting room, and made his way for the training room.  This weekly briefing had been interrupting his hourly 10000 sword swings.  

[Doggo 218]

At Shawn's call to attention, Richard Sartre looked up from his general disinterest in the room. Nicholas, his pet cat, occupied his shoulder comfortably and protested some at the man's movements to step a bit closer to the meeting. As one of the older hunters in the room, the man had to smirk at the primary points of concern of the meeting. Transience came with the job. Hunters moved about all the time for all sorts of reasons. Richard himself was happy to settle in wherever he was needed. Wherever he was working, whoever his partner was, nothing much seemed to matter. Well except making sure Nicholas was happy with the situation. The cat purred softly at his shoulder, it clearly wanted to take a nap but the current perch made that somewhat precarious.

News that Kramer was arriving was somewhat exciting at least. That their branch should have such special attention was nothing to ignore. Even without Shawn's warning, Richard would have been himself of course. There was no one else for him to be after all... usually. And that left the final humorous note o the meeting being the banning of gambling around card games due to the abuse of a gift to win. The man had lost some to the gift in question of course so he was pleased to see it being punished. He would have gladly used his own gift to cheat if it were easier hiding his entire being disappearing to possess something. Ah well, the opportunities were gone. At least the ones with money anyway. There were yet offers on the table. From Ray and soon joined by Maybelle.

"Cards sounds lovely." He started with a smile as he approached the other obviously-not-gamblers-to-be. "No money on the table, naturally." he cheekily echoed Ray's initial disclaimer they would definitely be following the directive they'd just received.

[ChampionZero 62]

Kane scoffed, watching Derick leave yet maintaining his 'leaning' position where he was, despite the sudden lack of any support. "Well, that handles that... I guess. Ladies~" He mimed a salute, then turned to where Ray and May were starting up a card game. "Yo, Ray! I'm gonna grab a drink, I'll be right with ya!" He turn turned again and made for the kitchen, where he could pour himself a cup of coffee-- one of his primary sources of sustenance besides, obviously, demon blood.

It was once he'd reached the kitchen that he found himself alone with one of the colleagues he hadn't spoken to much... Dana or Diane-- he was usually bad with names the first few times he spoke to someone.

Tapping the kettle quickly to see if the water was hot-- mercifully, it was-- he gave her a side-long look and a nod, by way of greeting.

[(o ×) 228]

Apex Predator

While everyone else was in some stupid meeting, Patton Grisaille was in the basement. He didn't have time for that dumb stuff, and The Big Boss Man knew it would be a waste of military effort to try to make him show up. Instead, he got to use this time doing what he did best.

Absolute destruction.

A pair of targets popped up on either side of Patton. In a flash, far faster than an ordinary human could perceive, and barely within the perception of even one with a demonic gift, his arms were crossed in front of him, and the targets shattered by a small steel pellet, from a small bucket that Patton stood within. Chunks of porcelain rained around him as more and more targets popped up and we're promptly destroyed. Behind him. Over the shoulder. Hanging from the ceiling. These automated courses are always too easy…

Patton had practiced in this place hundreds of times since the DHA took him under their wing so forcibly. Though the course was randomized, he knew every possible location a target could pop up. Out of only 42 options, it wasn't hard for him to pick up on the patterns and predict where the next one would be. Dayna would say something like "it's a procedurally generated sequence built from a pseudo-randomized seed" but he knew the truth. It was a stupid target, and he knew it's instincts better than it did. Target after target was destroyed, as the air seemed to be more shrapnel than open space, but each of Patton's attacks still met their mark.

"And the last one…"

CRASH

"will be…"

CRASH CRASH CRASH

"THERE!"

Whipping around, the rain of ceramic target fragments suddenly began spinning and orbiting around him, traveling complex intersecting pathways before being launched forward down both of his arms, embedding themselves into the large target before it was even half-way up.

"This is why we need moving targets. Shit's too easy." Looking up at a security camera, he rose his voice, "YA HEAR THAT, ARMOR-SKIN MOTHERFUCKER? GIVE ME SOMETHING MORE CHALLENGING!"

It wasn't long before Patton found himself wandering into the break room. The meeting must have been over by that point, so maybe Dayna had fixed him something to eat. She had a habit of doing that. She said it was to observe his digestive habits and how caloric fuel is converted to the energy output of his demonic gift, but he was pretty sure she was coming onto him, in her own creepy scientist way.

Unfortunately, there were plenty more people in the room than he had hoped for, including The Boss himself. Patton emphatically scratched at his explosive collar as he made his way up to Shawn, noticing the sandwich that clearly belonged to him. With a look to Dayna that said Hey, watch this, Patton picked up the sandwich, turned his eyes to Shawn's, and took the biggest bite he could. Even if he had his head blown off for this, it would be right into the jackass's face.

After he finished chewing, and laboriously swallowed it all, he glanced and saw the girl in Shawn's shadow.

"Oh, hey Vera. Nice to see you out of your room."

Edited July 14, 2020 by (sans Geico)

[yui 574]

"Oh, hey Vera. Nice to see you out of your room."

I suppose he would be the type to not slice an apple first. That answers that question. And it wasn't like Patton was the only person here. Rather unsurprisingly, quite a few of this branch's lackluster numbers had gathered in the break room. There was the Regional Director of course, and Vera who was seldom far if he was anywhere to be found. Ray and Maybelle, the pair who had been recruited as a pair. Dayna had always wondered what their deal was, but at the same time, she didn't really care enough to ask. Kane and Alice as well, and of course, her own partner, Patton. While she didn't often agree with the guy, there was one thing on which she absolutely agreed. Even if she was pretty sure Patton was just being an ass instead of saying it with any sincerity.

"It is," Dayna echoed. "Staying cooped up in there all the time is bad for your mental health. With a Gift like yours, taking good care of your mind should be a high priority." One could make the argument that Dayna wasn't really one to talk; if she wasn't in her room, it was a pretty safe bet she was likely in the lab doing research or in the training room to specifically study other hunters. But at least she kept herself cooped up in three different places to vary it up a bit. "I've been wondering about that, actually. Director, can I get clearance to work on some sort of pill or drink that stimulates emotional responses for use with Vera's gift?"

"You may not," Shawn responded. He did seem a bit miffed about the sandwich getting stolen from right under his nose. "With any medication comes side effects, which could have serious consequences with such a Gift, both for other hunters and Vera herself." Turning his eyes to Patton specifically, Shawn concluded "We wouldn't want any mistakes blowing up in our faces when it matters most, would we?"

[reparoni 161]

 

Ray walked into the room, deck shuffling in his hands as he spotted a certain pair of people. Patton and Dayna, these two were trouble. The former was a ticking time bomb - almost literally - and the other one rubbed him the wrong way. He wasn't sure why exactly, but it didn't help that she was the whole reason gambling was now forbidden. "Shit!" He thought, as he turned his head to face the boss himself. Well, this put a damper in his plan - unbeknownst to the boss and, hopefully, to everyone who had wanted to play cards with him, he did in fact intend on gambling. He stored the cards in his hand quickly into his coat.

"Hey, Shawn! What's good, my dude?" He said casually, turning his head towards the other two. "Patton! Lovely to see the you here." He turned towards the other figure he had missed. "And Vera too! It's a whole party in here!" He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Why are there so many fucking people here!?" He thought to himself, turning back towards Dayna. "And you, Dayna. Shame about that gambling ban. Maybe don't be so obvious next time!" He said with a laugh, although he was basically staring daggers at her, before turning his attention back towards Shawn and Patton. He decided that he wasn't going to mention his game of cards to any of these clowns, each for their own specific reason.

[ChampionZero 62]

Slowly, casually, as if trying not to be noticed, Kane produced a mug from the cupboard, made his cup of coffee (one teaspoon of sugar) and stirred it for a few moments while it cooled.

Honestly, it was turning into a clown car in this kitchen. It looked like one of those plays with all the doors, and people running in and out of them, getting confused and misunderstanding one another at every turn. He'd seen one back he was in school, it was very funny.

Deciding he didn't want to be caught up in whatever situation developed here-- regardless of how funny it was-- he took a sip of his coffee and promptly wove between his colleagues and out the door.

"What a shitshow, 'uh?" He chuckled, to nobody in particular.

[Blake 312]

"Oh, hey Vera. Nice to see you out of your room."

Vera had watched in shocked horror as Patton shamelessly ate the sandwich she had made, her heart falling to her stomach. No. Nonono. No. She didn't mark it properly. She shouldn't have left it in the kitchen. She never did anything right. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Her bright pink aura began to turn darker and reshape around her body as the others continued to talk to... well, about her, and other topics. That made sense. She didn't deserve their attention. She was just an extension of Shawn. That's all. Something to make his life better. Somehow, their treatment managed to cause her aura to form into dark purple wings once more, that familiar, lonely sense returning. She glanced at Shawn, who was paying her no mind, and her mind began to feel at ease. He had defended her being treated like a lab rat. He didn't have to. She could take it if it helped him. But it... felt kinda nice... 

The wings seemed to shrink on her back as they lightened up once more, ending in a pair of tiny amethyst wings on her back, as she hid in his shadow, muttering quietly.

"I-I made that for the director... I kn-know it wasn't much, b-but..."

[Chaos Sonic 442]

Thankfully Derrick left the room not wanting to do any murderlizing on Kira...that was a word right? Masako didn't know nor care about it if it wasn't, shrugging slightly. Kira really did need to learn to stand up for herself...but that definitely was for another time.

"Well, that handles that... I guess. Ladies~"

"All's well that ends well...thanks for keeping your partner there on his leash, Kane." Masako smiled, giving a bit of a wave at the young man. "Well, guess that means you need to take a bit better care of yourself...and maybe stand up for yourself next time, Kira." The young blonde began to pat Kira's shoulder some, only sighing some. "Honestly, you don't need to be all shy and quiet about this."

Kira, in her eyes, was one of those awkward individuals and since getting to know her since she arrived here, Masako noticed she wasn't like her...a social butterfly. Which to be fair was actually one of those things that would make sense to her, since everyone had their own styles and ways of handling people...though from the looks of it, Kira didn't have any of that down packed.

Well, here's hoping that she'll start to break out of that mode while she hangs out with me...make it my duty as her partner. Masako thought, smiling as she fixed her hair some before pulling out a cigarette and moving over towards a window, opening it and immediately lighting the cigarette and taking a puff from it. "Oh and boys, make sure you don't cheat! Cause I think Ray is definitely a cheater when it comes to playing games like that." she called out, a devious smirk on her face.

[yui 574]

"Hey, Shawn! What's good, my dude? Patton! Lovely to see the you here. And Vera too! It's a whole party in here! And you, Dayna. Shame about that gambling ban. Maybe don't be so obvious next time!"

"Living the management dream," Shawn had answered. For anyone who knew the man beyond "our boss" and the northeast branch's situation, though, it was very clear that he was in fact not living the management dream. Before there was more time to worry about the sandwich thief, however...

"Signs of demon activity detected," said an automated voice, over speakers scattered across the base for everyone inside to hear. "Location: Approximately ten miles northeast. Number: Unknown. Size: Unknown. Hazards: Unknown. All hunting personnel, prepare for combat."

"Alright, folks, you heard the announcement. I want you guys on the scene, ASAP! Hunters, roll out!"

---

For all intents and purposes, the trucks the Hunters had gotten into were perfectly regular vehicles. The only point of note was that the frames had been specially reinforced, but even that was something one couldn't tell just by looking at it. As the trucks got closer to the scene of the "crime", a monitor inside each lit up, opening up a video call of sorts with the Regional Director. For those that weren't on their first job under him, this would be a pretty normal thing.

"I've gotten the crew back here at base to do a bit more looking around in the area you're looking for. We haven't spotted anything that looks like a demon, so be wary of anything that isn't one of yours. Could even be a false alarm for all we know. Much as I'd love to be out there with you, I've got some paperwork to finish up, and even more paperwork to do if there's something up there. Find the target, get rid of it, then come back in one piece! Ramirez, I'm putting you and Anderson in charge of coordination for this mission. If anyone's got any questions, ask now; you're almost at the site."

[LordCowCow 839]

"Like hell you did!  Why don't you show a little respect and speak up, for once!"    

This was why she wanted to get out of this. She didn't really respect him much, nor most of them, how could she? She barely knew them and the only really accomplishments she knew of any of them was killing demons. Which was something they all did. There was being polite and there was showing respect. Maybe to some there was no difference but to Kira it was incredibly important. Claiming respect for someone you didn't have much feeling towards just felt dishonest.

Thankfully, she supposed, she was saved the need to respond because of the rest of them.

"Just make sure you watch where you're going next time.  You could run into somebody way worse than me around here."

"Yeah. Sure." She said as she watched him go. Followed soon by his partner.

"Well, guess that means you need to take a bit better care of yourself...and maybe stand up for yourself next time, Kira."

Kira tensed up as the girl patted her shoulder. Is that what she was thinking? That she was being shy? "Me standing up for myself is different than for other people." Kira muttered as the girl pranced her way out of the room. If she were to not act 'shy' and push back someone was liable to get hurt...

She soon realized that she was now the only person left in the room that she had been so desperate to get out of. "Oh. Um." She looked around with some uncertainty showing on her face.

So...was there really much reason to go out there? It was actually somewhat peaceful here now that it was empty. Maybe she's just sit down and relax a bit before heading out to...wherever she felt like going next. Maybe the kitchen/breakroom for some food if it was clear by then.

Before she could pull up a chair the alarm went off and she sighed. Well, at least she knew what she would be doing next. It didn't matter much to her that the enemy was unknown. All she had to do was smash it. It was a simple existence, she supposed, even if...

She shook her head and hurried along her way to the trucks. She wondered if she could reach their faster herself if there was enough open space but she didn't actually know where it was they were going.

Nor did she ask. She didn't have to know after all. So she settled into the back of one of the trucks. Kira tucked her weapon between her legs and gazed out the window while she waited for the truck to fill up.

[ChampionZero 62]

Kane, having "changed" into black jeans, a white tank top and a cropped black jacket, was driving one of the trucks, but kept an ear out for Shawn's briefing. In truth, he was wondering why Shawn had deployed everyone at once. They wouldn't need everybody, and if they did, then it'd be sketchy as hell that Shawn knew.

He strummed his fingers on the wheel. Well, either way he wasn't going to just sit on the sidelines and watch. His last mission, the one in Maine, had been physically painful for exactly that reason. Smiling, he piped up. "I got a question: why am I never in charge?" He was joking, of course-- being in charge would wreak merry havoc on his nerves-- but it was good to keep the mood light.

Edited August 5, 2020 by ChampionZero

[Chaos Sonic 442]

"I've gotten the crew back here at base to do a bit more looking around in the area you're looking for. We haven't spotted anything that looks like a demon, so be wary of anything that isn't one of yours. Could even be a false alarm for all we know. Much as I'd love to be out there with you, I've got some paperwork to finish up, and even more paperwork to do if there's something up there. Find the target, get rid of it, then come back in one piece! Ramirez, I'm putting you and Anderson in charge of coordination for this mission. If anyone's got any questions, ask now; you're almost at the site."

Masako was only humming to herself, tightening her soap laced gloves some. This was one of those moments she was hoping to have today...despite the slim chance that this would be a false alarm, the fact of the matter was that there was the possibility of some action going on. That in itself, was enough to get the young girl as giddy as she could be.

Ohhhhh I can't waiiiiiiit for this! she thought, wearing the biggest smile on her face.

"I got a question: why am I never in charge?"

This elicited a laugh from Masako, before shaking her head. "C'mon Kane. You? In charge? And have us lose one of those 'secret weapons' of ours?" she said, rolling her eyes. "That'd be one of those stupid ideas to do. Then again, that might also be one of those ideas where it wooooooould possibly get you used as bait for the demons. Hmmm...honestly, I think that sounds great!"

[Doggo 218]

The branch's venture into a good clean game of cards was short lived as it happened. Not that Richard had been expecting a quiet day, given the line of work. Nicholas raised a meow of protest as the alarms sounded but the hunter himself seemed almost entirely untroubled. Instead he calmly put down his hand before reaching for his feline friend to set him down gently. The cat seemed to know what was about to happen. It happened often enough after all. Besides, Nicholas hated car rides. Richard could spare his friend that much. A dark shadowy aura surrounded the man and passed to the cat as Richard faded from view. Now possessing his friend, Richard stretched his temporary feline vessel and shook himself out. Off to the trucks it was.

Richard didn't care much for the lack of details. He hadn't expected much better given the state of the branch. No matter what they knew going in, how effective he could be was always a matter of getting to the scene and observing anyway. At the least he could occupy Nicholas' body for the moment to have something to work with on arrival. It was always humorous how much stronger he proved possessing something, even his small feline friend. In his boredom, Nicholas caught sight of Kira and took note of how distracted she seemed. Maybe distracted wasn't the right word. She was so distant. Simply going through the motions perhaps. In any case, it was enough for Richard to poke at. Literally.

With a practiced meow, Richard moved in his cat host to Kira's side before gently pawing at her. He'd spent enough time possessing his pet to act convincingly as a cat but not perfectly. If one was listening or observing closely they'd notice it. Of course there was also the fact Richard himself wasn't in the truck but his cat that never left his side was. But that was all part of the fun. One could think of it as a test. Just how distracted was the poor girl?

[yui 574]

"I got a question: why am I never in charge?"

"Hah! Maybe someday. I probably shouldn't give a joke question a serious answer, but since we're still short-staffed, I prefer to give the lead to hunters with field experience and good teamwork. Ramirez and Anderson have been killing demons as a team long before I hired them, so they're the best we've got for that. Looks like you're just about there now. Good luck, hunters. Try to all come back in one piece, alright?"

As the trucks pulled over deep in the woods, Shawn hung up, leaving the hunters to their own devices. As each of them stepped out of their respective vehicles, the presence of something demonic was very much recognizable for anyone who had even a little bit of field experience killing demons. But it was something diluted, as if the actual target wasn't even a demon to begin with. With a bit of tracking done by hunters capable of it on the team, the group headed deeper into the woods.

It was there that everyone finally found their demon. Very much dead, and only a few bits and pieces of it left to prove there was anything here to begin with. There was also a distinct smell. Besides the smell of dead demon, that is. Following that and the trail of blood, the hunters moved deeper into the woods, where things kept getting weirder. Fallen trees, smoldering embers, and finally, a pawprint that was far too big to belong to anything that was supposed to live in these woods.

That's when a deep roar shook the ground beneath the hunters, and looking toward the source of the sudden sound revealed what it really was that tripped the DHA's radar. A bear. One that stood as tall as the trees, carelessly knocking them down as it moved directly toward the hunters. Smoke billowed out of its mouth as it looked down at the hunters, before opening its massive maw and preparing to exhale a wave of fire directly at the bunch.

OOC

Spoiler

Combat start. I'm going to take a page from cow's playbook here and urge you to contact me when doing a fight post so that I can supply you with enemy actions, both to make the fight less clunky and to make your posts more interesting.