Session One: Wanted: Dead or Alive

[Anonymous]

Simon Black sighed, walking through the streets of the city, heading for a nearby pub, a cigarette burning out in his mouth. He looked around, sunglasses over his eyes, to block out the burning orb above.

Entering the shady pub, he eyed the inhabitants and sat down, thinking over what happened...

Smokey was the room, the old man looked nervous.

"A pair of troublesome beasts, unnatural spirits, stole my family's treasure. Please, Mr. Black, return it to us! It is of little value, but of great importance to us! We'll give you as much gold as you ask, but you must help us!"

Simon scowled. "I can't work on pennies you know, and i don't do charity."

The old man sighed sadly.

"Of course...stupid demons...I can hear one of them in my head...that high pitched laugh...mocking me..."

Simon grasped the old man's shoulders. "TELL ME! What did they look like!?"

The man shuddered. "I only saw one, a big, blue-furred beast, with the head of a stone mask. It was unsightly, huge and vicious. The other I couldn't see. But, the treasures are trackable!"

"How?"

"Each one has a magic gem in it, very weak, but easily detected for hundreds of miles. You can find them easily!"

"Fine, I'll take the case..."

And now he was here. The demons were either still in, or had recently been in this city. He sighed, looking around the pub. He'd need a guide, somebody who knew the area. He put his feet up and lay a bag of gold on the tabletop, a clear sign that he was looking for assistance...

[Anonymous]

Carounri had been seated at a table, staring into the contents of her drink. It was amber colored, and the smell was... interesting, to say the least. You see, for as long as Carounri had been alive - or even out of her previous organization - she had minimal contact with alcohal. Thus, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the drink. She took a single sip, found it somewhat repulsive and set it aside. Not that she minded, but still, it wasn't the greatest thing. Maybe she should have been more specific to the bar tender? Or maybe she should've went with her gut instinct and ordered stew and water. Then again, she was pretty certain she didn't have enough money to cover those exspenses.

When the door opened for about the billionth time, it seemed, she paid as much attention to it she would a speck of dirt. Actually, there was only a small chance she even heard the door open. But what did catch her attention was when people around her began to talk about the bag of gold he laid on his table. That was what immediately caught her attention - what was gold? Money. Warm bed, food, clothing, and all the other necessities that made life that much more enjoyable. She almost smiled at the buzzing curiousity, simply because it benefited her and they didn't realize it. She turned her head to scan the room, looking for who would surely be attracting eyes... And there! A man, and a bag lain across the table.

Either he was looking for help, or he was very arrogant. She preferred the former, and with a helpless glance to her beer she stood, tugging her long jacket around her firmly and collecting the highly polished mahogany (around) five foot pole (herself being taller than it), silk and cord twined around the upper end. She manuevered through the chairs, her eyes just as serious and professional as the rest of her. She didn't quite seem to look like much, but her eyes said something different, and the it was always a wonder what a simple serious attitude could do to reform a person.

"Excuse me, do you need... help?" Carounri asked, an inquisitve brow lifting as she brushed fluffy bangs from her eyes.

She sure hoped that he was paying if he needed help. She wasn't sure she could afford taking up an offer where she had no gain in it.

[Anonymous]

He looked up slowly, lowering his glasses a bit to look at the woman standing before him. Other then the fact that she hung out in a seedy place like this, she seemed normal enough...yet his gut feeling was going haywire. Somthing was unusual with her...still...

He smiled as warm as he could, which made him simply look like he was tensing up and stood a bit, offering her a hand.

"Indeed, I was looking for some assistance, and you will be paid...miss...uh..."

His voice was smooth, melodic almost, like that of a singer of old Jazz melodies. He paused, not knowing her name.

[Anonymous]

What to nickname him? For all her conservativeness, she still gave people nicknames to call them in her head. What she came up with was along the lines of: Shades, Lenses, Glasses, Four Eyes, and Money Bag. Of course, she never really stuck to calling any person just one thing in her head. If she couldn't remember the nickname, it varied between everything she then associated with that person. At the moment, she associated money with him. So, Mr. Money Bag stood and offered her his hand. Decent enough, especially considering she was in this sort of place. That was definitly something in her favor. She returned it, shaking his hand firmly and briefly, retracting her hand back to herself.

"Carounri," she supplied without missing a beat.

This was her field - at least so far - because she remembered doing this for her previous job. She'd meet people, shake hands, exchange names, and then gather all the necessary information to begin her job. That's how she had operated since she was particularly young, and thus, she felt somewhat at ease with going up to a complete stranger. Then again, for her previous job she didn't need to know more than what she was told by her organization and the person. That's all.

"Assistance for what?" She asked, not allowing a lull of any kind in the conversation.

While his was melodic, in a somewhat... melancholy? way, her own was efficient and all-business. But she was oddly calm - not uptight, but calm with a slight amount of coldness. She just preferred direct, too the point things without having to circle around something and go through inconviencing chitter-chatter about menial things. Because, really, that was all she knew. Other things made her uncomfortable to a certain degree. She just wasn't used to other social things. She just about knew common things, otherwise she had been taught to remain quiet, and if need be feign interest, and mask herself - actually show subtle traces emotion. Which was no real problem, because she hardly ever fully concealed her emotions.

Carounri also figured that the nature of the help needed would need to be told before his name. As far as she was concerned she had to see if she was qualified and willing and then learning the name of her employer. She vaguely hoped he wouldn't take it rudely.

[Anonymous]

He nodded.

"My name is Simon Black. I'm...an investigator for the paranormal. I'm on a case to track down a pair of demons who stole something. After a week of searching, I've tracked one of them down to this city. I need a guide to the area...but these are dangerous beasts...I need to know if you are able to fight well enough to be of any use to me."

He cocked his head to the side, then slowly took off the glasses, his eyes closed contemplatively.

"Are you ready to prove your ability to fight?"

[Anonymous]

Paranormal..? Her brow lifted slightly over a dark eye, skeptism rising inside her mind. Was he serious? Out of his mind, perhaps? Not that she doubted paranormal occurences, but he was in very unconvincing surroundings. Which only emphasized her doubts in her mind. But despite that she managed to keep an otherwise straight face. Ah. Dangerous to her life - now THAT was truly something she understood. That was something she had dealt with very often in her life.

"Pardon - How much are you willing to pay for such a thing?" She said, lifting up a hand in a 'stop' motion.

She didn't care for his name and he was rushing things. Even for her past, she had reasons to do those things. Now, she'd like to know if his reward would be substantial motivation for her to risk her life and be a bodyguard for an absolute stranger. Against two demons? She was confident in her capabilities, but still. Money was the only thing on her mind.

"And not in here," she added, somewhat questioningly and in some form of a statement.

Oh, how safe would it be to fight around a bunch of grappling drunks? Drunks were -always- pugnacious and she was positive starting a fight admist them would mean little good in such a thing.

[Anonymous]

He smiled grimly.

"There's about 4,000 gold in this bag, and you get a good cut of the total payoff for the job. According to the local law...you would get...35%, plus free pick of any bounty found end route, and the full up-front fee. I'm getting paid about 10,000 gold for this, so you'd get about 7000 gold total."

He turned and headed for the door.

"And no, I didn't mean pick a fight with a few drunks. I just need access to your mind for a few moments."

[Anonymous]

Carounri blinked vaguely. She already felt herself losing grip on her familiarity of the entire area. When he headed for the door she peered back at her drink. Someone already swiped it. Although, it was highly unlikely they'd catch anything from her, it still disgusted her that someone would take a random person's drink. Then again, what was sanitary in this place against a free drink? Apparently, nothing could compete with a free drink. Oh well, that was life. She guessed if she was as drunk - or even that desperate she'd be doing the same.

She followed him outside, eyeing him suspiciously. Access her mind? Now, really she was completely out of her comfort zone and she was already feeling herself falter and be absolutely confused....

"What do you mean by that...?" She asked, somewhat curiously and cautiously.

If he wanted a peek at her mind, he could see all the orders she had taken in the pass from the former organization, as a hit-man of sorts. When they told her too kill someone, they gave her general information, connections, and sources, and if current location was known, she was off to investigate. And then slaughter them with her halberd-type weapon which was disguised as a cane. She also used various other weapons, consisting of daggers, guns, tonfa, spears, swords... Of course, her skill loosing much. But it didn't always matter, considering her speed - which allowed her to disappear for seconds at a time - made up for much of that. And she always had handy tricks.

And generally, she wasn't actually human. That -might- have something to do with it.

[Anonymous]

He smiled, raising a gloved hand in front of his face.

"I am a psychic. Regular magics are difficult for me to do, but my mind is a sharp as a tack. I can use it for a variety of purposes, including the ability to read someone's thoughts and memories. It was at first a burdon, but I eventually controlled who and what I read. If you managed to only think of what I want to know, I can avoid prying into any uncomfortable secrets. The whole process will take all of five minutes."

He grinned reassuringly.

"Its not dangerous, its more for my protection then anything else."

[Anonymous]

"Okay." That was all she could say.

She was almost afraid she was wandering into something she should be afraid of. But was there anything to fear but fear itself? Fear could be a restraint - bonds on heart, body, soul and mind. Thus, she gave the expression of readiness as her eyes flickered away for a moment, down and along the road, hopping from each cobblestone to the next, finding a broken one and then skipping to Mr. Money Bag's face.

"Is this what you want to know?" She asked vaguely before conjuring a memory, letting it rise above all the rest in a somewhat vivid video.

The entire area - it seemed an elaborate house - was dark, ample light from a full round moon flickering through the windows. And there was Carounri, walking quietly along the main hall, staff horizontal in her grip. There was little sound besides the rustle of the wind outside, ticking of a clock, and then lights. They flickered on, bright and blinding, only encouraging the guards a fiesty attack against her.

She placed between herself her staff, seeming rather calm despite having two attackers. She took five quick steps back, pulling the binds loose and casting aside the sheath, reavealing a slim curved blade atop the pole. Then she disappeared - and only reappeared after the long sweeping slash through necks, and then only for a second to recoup her speed and wheel on the other. But now, her being was known. She didn't stop nor pause as another wave came, and when she finally came to her destination, she quickly strode to the cowering woman. Her eyes were wide, catching moonlight as Carounri did nothing more but say she was unnecessary and dispatch her head from her body.

She tried to focus solely on that memory, hoping he didn't get jumbled in the tangle of past killings, of when she too struggled to survive in fights she could not win. And that was all she figured he needed to know. Otherwise, he could say if she needed more, all she had to do was bring up more recent memories.

[Anonymous]

He blinked twice, looking at her.

"You'll do. What organization do you work for?"

He sensed so many vibrations in that it was surprising. She had a lot to hide, but no malice towards him. She seemed more naturally nervous, which suited him fine.

[Anonymous]

"They called it Lucius... I am not longer a member," she said, without flinch, but a sense of sadness waved off her for a moment. She stiffened and raised her head, just slightly.

"They were disbanding, when I left, stripping it to the core," Carounri said.

Why? That was unclear. It couldn't have been the scandals, nor the assasins... The many elites... All people shed from the comforting womb of such an organization... Near everyone - at least those who had lived a sheltered like her - were lost. People like Carounri were born and raised inside those walls, no reason to leave unless on a mission, or unless being taught some ways of life.

Carounri, as everyone else of her kind, were to be 'bred' as a certain assassin. One that'd never lose faith. It'd be like killing your own parents - those that gave you life, strength, shelter, warmth, and care... And when it abandoned them, it left them in quite a dismal state. They knew very little, besides what they were raised to do. And that was follow orders - whatever task they were told to do they were to find a way to do it. Or simply carry it out. They had been the laborers.

Really, she was quite lost without those orders. She knew she was pathetic, as a naive person, like an empty vessel, a puppet without it's strings being pulled. But she had greater things to worry about.

".....Thank you," she said. Really, she was genuinely grateful.

[Anonymous]

He blinked in surprise.

"Thank you...? Well, your welcome. Alright, we need to get to work."

He turned, straightening out his suit.

"I have a few leads, but I don't know this town very well. If you were a beast that fed on souls, you'd need a dark, isolated place that had easy access to food..."

He frowned.

"Know any possible places like that?"

[Anonymous]

Agary, as he was going to be called for the moment, raised a lens to his eye and focused on the pair that had just departed. He caught a glimpse of them just standing their, then the whole thing broke apart. Shards of crystals became gallons of water which flowed for a few seconds before being absorbed into one of numerous rings on his fingers. "Damn! It needs a center." No issues of being in public â€" the only people sober enough to notice were the ones who had just left. But he would need something to center it with, a hold for the power... like a demon fang, or a dragon tail. Something that people didn't really understand, something that they would call... "paranormal." Well, there was money involved and that person seemed to have some idea what he was doing. What lucky subjects to test out his observation equipment on! Of course, they were gone now, and he would need to find them.

But not as he was. He would need his other personality, the one he created one long ago to interact with people. He reached for it now, felt his emotions and knowledge shift and lost himself temporarily into a near-void, contained inside himself.

What had he been thinking, waiting around for them to ask for help? Warriors didn't stand around politely, they offered! He rushed out after those two and looked around frantically for them. With a flash of impatience, he realized that they were still right there, just talking. Ah, whatever. He put on his best smile and strode up. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I couldn't help hearing you," since he had been only a few feet and listening intently, but no need to mention that, "and I'd love to go after something mean and dangerous."

[Anonymous]

Carounri's eyes narrowed considerably when he said 'I couldn't help hearing you'. Her mind focused on places that be dark and isolated next, ignoring the appearance of whoever that was. He was not her concern - he was Mr. Mon-- Simon's. She turned away, walking a few steps away and holding her staff aloft so the spiked end wouldn't hit the cobblestones.

She previewed her walks around the town - too much time on her hands, too much too see - and remembered a destitute old-man of a building. It was made home in a gully, leaning forlonly against a tree, like it had nothing better to do. It was at the far end of town, submerged in a tangle of tree and shrubs. No one seemed to notice, as that side of town was the quiet backs of homes.

It was a bit of a distance to it, even at the edge of the town. But she remembered when she had been curious, having saw a deer she almost fell down the gully herself. It was isolated, but she didn't know if a demon of any kind would live in it. But the town was in close vicinity, and it was so easy to snatch a person right from their own. Or any of the people who happened to wander to close to the edge of the woods.

"There is a broken down house in a gully into the woods a ways near the edge of the town..." She paused thinking. "There's a path beside it, down to a lake or something... People are always around there, they've never really realized the house," she said, thinking of other buildings around.

"There's also some rundown house nearby," she murmured, turning the staff around in her hand idly.

[Anonymous]

Simon turned lazily towards the newcomer.

"Just happened to hear us...?"

He smirked. Listening in no doubt, not totally unexpected. Still, the more the merrier. He offered a gloved hand, the other brushing his dirty blonde hair from his eyes.

"My name is Simon Black. As you already know, I'm an Investigator into the paranormal. You'll have to split your earnings with the girl, meaning I can offer you both 2000 up front, each."

He smiled.

"But I have to delve into your mind first. As a precaution."

[Anonymous]

"She can keep the money, mostly. I just need enough to cover expenses for the duration of trip, plus claims to whatever I can take. It'll be fun."

He felt a flash of impatience at the mind reading thing, but got ready nonetheless. In a small corner of his mind, his inner self toiled. He left his intentions open -- he wanted pieces of the corpses to play with, but threw the protection of the ocean around his schematics and plans, designs and weapons. Anyone was welcome to know what he wanted out of this, but no one could have those ideas. Beyond that, neither self bore the odd man -- or anyone, really -- any particular malice. It was convienent for him to go with them, and so he would.

"Go right ahead."

[Anonymous]

A moment passed and Simon then opened his eyes.

"Well, unusual. Demon body parts are never wise to keep, but if any survive, you are welcome to them..."

He turned to the girl, reaching into his pocket and producing a crumpled cigarette, lighting it up and letting out a long breath of smoke.

"So, about this house...can you show me the way?"

[Anonymous]

At the mention of 'the girl', she turned to look at them slightly, dark eyes focused on them. When he replied he didn't intend on using much of the money she just raised her shoulders carelessly. As long as her money bag gained weight, she would maintain staying in this group.

Meanwhile Simon was going to delve into this newcomer's mind she played with the wrappings on her staff, fixing them, rewrapping them, or tying them. They had to be secure so the sheath didn't come off - but she still had to be quick enough to get them off when need be, right? Or how much use would she be.

Apparently, not much.

When Simon was finished she glanced at them. She didn't pay much attention to them until Simon spoke. She lifted a brow over a dark eye at the cigarette but said nothing about it. She nodded, and for a moment tapped the spike of the staff off a cobblestone. She had an urge to step on them exactly - slight obsessive compulsive disorder, you might say.

She headed to the run down house, still tilting it aloft. She glanced at someone - why did they look familiar? ... Oh. She looked away and sped up her pace. That person had employed her once - for a most demeaning job. For... gardening. And cutting back some tangled overgrowth over a path.. It was horrible! But it paid. Carounri could only wonder if she'd ever live that down.

She didn't realize how fast her pace had become until she almost missed a turn - cutting down an alley to the run down house. She stared at it, wondering if a demon would leave in that place. Then again, what did she know?

The house was dark, small, and slouched between two larger buildings. It looked like it had gone through years of neglect and had fallen into serious disrepair, looking like some trap ready to spring if one foot entered it.

(Apparently, you posted JUST BEFORE ME. ROAR. Lmao. So I'm editting.)

[Anonymous]

Simon looked up at the run-down building, frowning a bit.

"It...is kinda unglamerous..."

He sighed.

"Then again, this job is pretty unglamerous too."

He looked at the girl, then at Agary, then at the building. He was deep in thought about the specific nature of what they were about to deal with. Now that he thought it over, he had no clue what type of demon this was, or how they could kill it. In fact, he knew absolutely nothing about it!

He gritted his teeth. How could he have been so short sighted? Now there was no choice but to walk into this building...into what could easily be a trap. Dammit.

He slowly moved towards the building, stepping onto the front steps, a low, long creaking echoing into the air.

"Creepy, cliche house...alright gang, lets split up and search for clues!"