“Oh… uh… thanks!” Michael was never one to be speechless or even blush at the comments from girls. He received them all the time! But the mention of her friend loving his music, he could feel the heat rising at the back of his neck. He recognized the girl… Allison… being the one to dance with the brown-eyed angel he picked out in the crowd. Finally Michael managed to recovered his charm enough to speak. He rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. “I'm glad you appreciate both my music, Allie. I'd love to meet your friend, though, if that's alright…” He peered over her head scanning the crowd for the girl. Finally he locked eyes with her waiting at the bar, a glass of water in her hand. Water in a bar…? No less for an angel I think…
Before Allison could answer some putz when flying through the air, landing on some other putz… both causing the place to erupt in a mass swinging of fists. Michael inwardly groaned at the choice of club. The place wasn't known for getting dirty, but it wasn't the best in town either. As security was being called in, Michael grabbed Allison by the arm and lead her safely through the crowd, making sure to deck the lights out of anyone that tried to make a grab at her, or dumb enough to swing at him.
Rishta sipped her water and calmly blinked as a small fight started on the dance floor. By now, all of her friends had escaped (except Allie) and were probably headed to the diner across the street. However, Rishta stayed in her seat, not daring to attempt to cross the dance floor to get to the door. That, would probably be suicide. She wasn't a small person, but she didn't want to get into any fights – or worse, accidentally hurt someone. Rish was more of a pacifist. Wonder if Allie will head here or outside… she'd prolly come here. I'd better not move. Looking around at all the people and authorities, she sat there, trying not to cause any trouble.
“You *beeeeeeeeeeeep*!!! Get your hands OFF of me!!!” Allie screeched as she punched a dark haired man who had tried to steal her away from Michael's solid grasp (which was prolly a piece of heaven right there). Being the stereotypical Italian, she had a very hot temper, even though it rarely flared. But when it did… she'd probably be able to scare the whole world away with that cussing. Meanwhile she hoped Michael wouldn't be offended by her language and actions. Grabbing a hold of Michael's arm, she dragged him off while he tried to protect her. Within minutes, there were at the bar, and out of harm's way for the moment. Smiling brightly at her friend, she gave a slight wink – as though to say she had finally captured HER man.
“Rish, meet Michael. He wanted to meet you.”
“Uh… okay… um, hi. I loved your music – you really are talented.” Needless to say, Rishta was only 'slightly' flustered by his interest, and Allison's possessive grip on Michael's sleeve.
“Evenin' angel… I'm afraid this isn't the best place to chat however…” It was more than a few moments after her spoke that something went up in flames. It seems he wouldn't be doing another set tonight. The others were already packing up their stuff for a quick escape. “Stay.” He ordered both the girls as he dived back into the crowd and made his way to the stage. Katt gave him a curious glance as he quickly shoved his guitar in to it's case, then swung the strap over his neck. If the club was going down, pretty girls or not, he wasn't leaving his baby behind!
Taking only a few moments to swing his way through the crowd, he returned back to the girls. “We need to go! Now!” The fire near the center of the crowd had quickly spread to other parts of the club. The front doors were getting jammed with people trying to escape, and there was something completely unnatural in the mix, though he had not yet met it face to face. He didn't want to stick around long enough to find out either. Taking both girls by the arm, Michael led them from the bar to one of the side exit doors for escape…
It didn't take Ana too long to get to where Trevor had been sleeping; curse her good heart and kindness for allowing her to spend some money that she wanted to spend later on the next day at the lingerie shop. Sometimes, saving money just didn't matter- it would all go away anyway. Arms crossed over her chest, Ana only had to say a few measly words before she was brought to where he had been locked up for the night. “Stay right here, beautiful- we'll go get the keys…” The scary guy that looked like a chemistry experiment gone wrong gave her a toothless grin before slowly hobbling down the dark hallway. Ana was actually kind of scared, and her hand was hovering over Lux. By the looks of it, Trevor wasn't too happy about being there- and it seemed like he had seen a ghost.
“Funny meeting you here.” Ana smirked once Trevor caught eye contact with her, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. She glanced down as a chubby rat skittered past her feet; the girl was tempted to kick it and send it across the hall, but her better judgment kicked in. It also kicked in, when Lux began to speak. Damn interruptions. “Ana…I feel like something's wrong. Grab the hunter that's not Ali and let's get out of here.” Lux's voice was urgent, and it caused her to jump slightly as she waited for a guard to open Trevor's cell.
What…is it Ali? Is Ali in trouble? A strong sense of worry came over the girl just then, and she looked impatiently down the hall for someone to come open up the door.
“Hey…could somebody put a fucking move on? Now?!”
Trevor gave a dissatisfied grunt at Ana. “Yeah. Real funny. This entire trip has been one great big chuckle-fest.”
The guard eventually came back, keys in hand, and calmly opened Trevor's cell door. “I don't know why you're doing this,” he said to Ana, eyeballing Trevor warily. “He's a criminal! Blew up government property, he did!”
“Blow, lardass!” Trevor shouted once he was out of his cell. The guard was obviously upset, but there was little he could do about it now, save shooting Trevor a dirty look, and leaving the room. “I swear, this whole damn country is off its freaking rocker. First that goon in the coat, and now this…I just can't catch a break.” Trevor put his gear back on, and turned back to Ana, tugging on his gloves. “Thanks again for the bail,” he said, still without smiling. “You can just drop me off and Kris' house. All my spare equipment is there.”
Once the two had left the jail, she idly reached for her car keys- fumbling with the lock. Lux's voice hadn't come at all after it had in front of Trevor's cell- but she still had quite a bit of urgency to get back to the club. “Would you mind…if we went back to where I was? I….forgot something there.” Smooth way to lie, even to someone that could probably read you like the side of a cereal box. It didn't matter- because either way, Ana had to get back to that club and check out on that guy in the coat…he was far too suspicious.
While she was starting the car, Ana had a slight sense of de ja vu…”guy in the coat”..wait, no- that couldn't possibly be the same person, could it? she furrowed her brow and hauled ass back to the club, concentrating on that creepy feeling that the man in the club had given her earlier. “…what did the man in the coat look like?” It was a shot in the dark, but the possibilities of the things in London could be endless.
Trevor glanced over at Ana. She had a death-grip on the steering wheel. What was she so nervous about all of a sudden? “He was a bit taller than me, and he had on this long brown coat,” Trevor said, turning to look out the window. Streetlights shot past as Ana sped down the street, headed back to where she had come from–wherever that was. “Dark hair, dark eyes…a real creepy aura, though. It was like looking at a revenant, or some kinda weird demon. He's human, though.”
And he looks familiar.
Trevor pushed that idea out of his head. “Anyway…London's a big place, and I scared him pretty good. I seriously doubt I'll see any trace of this guy for the rest of the trip.”
Ana calmed down as they neared where the club had been, listening to Trevor's description of the man. He was right, it couldn't have been the same person…but it didn't matter- that creep that she saw in the club rubbed her the wrong way and she was about to try and find out why. Human or no- he gave off a really bad vibe.
For some reason, the streets got more and more crowded as they went on- it always made her wonder why traffic went up when she had somewhere to be. It was just another way for God to let her know that he controlled things around here…well, perhaps he was mocking her a little bit too. Ana Gordon always felt the need to help whomever she could, and it was going to take something catastrophic to make her realize that she couldn't always be there.
“I've got equipment in the trunk, if you'd like to use it. Sorry about the little detour…” Her urgency was boosted when she noticed that fire trucks and ambulances were going in the same direction as they were, and she cursed a little under her breath. “Fucking traffic….dammit!” It wasn't a good time to lose her cool, but she couldn't help it- between Lux's nagging and her suspicion about the main the coat, Ana was close to just parking the damn car and going on foot. “I hate this place.”
Belial walked through the crowd, heading to the bar. Something strange was happening and it might as well deserve his attention. Alistaire was still following him. The Fallen hastened his pace and suddenly bumped into someone he recognized before looking at her face. An explosion was heard and the crowd swirled like the tide around them, forcing him to stop to keep his balance. A presence he had sensed before came out with the sound and yet his eyes didn't see the man, he knew who was he. Belial looked at the person he had bumped into as the crowd pushed in the opposite direction. “… what are you doing here?”, Belial blinked slowly in surprise.
“Apparently getting ran over by everything in existance!” she snapped in reply. Her anger was still seething from her encounter with Luc, and then her evening plans had to be dashed by a riot. She briefly wondered why she even bothered to speak to angels or humans alike. Noticing Belial's company, her anger quickly melted away to a mild curiosity. He was not one to interact with others and his current choice of company was a far cry from anything she had expected. Genesis placed her hands at her hips, concealing the wince from the pain at her side. “You have not come to see me for some time, Beltrán. You are past due for an appointment.” she chided. “Will you introduce me to your friend?” curiously she looked over Alistaire.
“….” Belial frowned, annoyed. “I guess I've been distracted”, he said, biting his lip. It didn't sound like an apology at all. He absolutely hated those appointments. He loathed having to report to Genesis and talk to her about his private life – all his life was private by now – plus he didn't take in her counseling all that well… mainly because he didn't trust her too much, just like he didn't trust anybody… but Azrael. And Azrael was never around! It could get quite upsetting. At least his Book was safe from Genesis' scrutiny, for only the Council of their Order and the Council of the Order of Knowledge were given access to it. It was good enough they gave it back as part his test. As far as he knew he could stay on trial forever and he'd have Genesis for psychologist for the rest of his life.
“Friend?” Belial cast a sideways glance to Alistair. “Well… Genesis, meet Mr. Alistaire MacCoule. Alistaire, meet Miss Genesis D'Allesandri”. The crowd was pushing still, smoke coming out heavily from the bar's doors. Belial moved aside so Alistaire could face Genesis. “Mr. MacCoule has a piercing curiosity for the occult”, he said with a sort of smirk, letting it to Genesis' imagination to wonder why this man was following the Necromancer.
Alistaire muttered under his breath as he tried to keep up with Belial through the crowd. The man was quite nimble and agile, and was bobbing and weaving through the crowd far easier than he could. Lets not forget about Stormbringer, either; the massive thing on his back was proving to be far more of a drawback than anything right now, serving him strange looks and making it harder to keep up with the enigmatic man. He kept up, however, and found himself right outside the club and right behind Belial. There came a sudden explosion and Alsitaire jumped out of reflex, ducking his head under a hand and trying to shield himself from whatever may happen. He looked back up after the passing of a split second and saw a fire building up inside of the club. He looked back to Belial and now noticed he was speaking to someone, another woman. This man seemed to have quite a few ladies in his life…
“Yes, I'm Alistaire MacCoule.” He nodded his greeting and offered a quick hand, his Scottish accent as heavy as ever. “A shame we cannae be introduced under lighter circumstances.” He said, nodding towards both the crowd and the club, smoke billowing out of the entrance. “And I dun have a bloody curiosity for it! Well, I do… but I arready know aboot it!” He bobbed a thumb and pointed to a cowering woman who was as pale as they get, with raven hair and ruby red lips and a beauty that could draw any man. “Like her– she's a bloody vampire. Or a wannabe, anyways. Her guy pal prolly just turned her a week or something ago.”
“I see. Quite perceptive aren't you.” Genesis decided he was some sort of slayer and was trained in the arts. Only someone with a trained eye would be able to tell the difference between a vampire and a junkie going through withdrawals. This piqued her curiosity about the man tagging along with Belial. He would have much to tell her in their next appointment. Something at the club turned, and shifted the balance. She glanced over her shoulder with a frown as some dark power was summoned, though the summoner had quickly made their exit. The taint was annoying familiar, and Genesis was well aware that the shift of balance was going to make her soul retrieval all the more difficult. Her anger returned again, this time directed at Belial. His magical genius of soul melding only brought her grief in the years as many tried to mimic his 'sucess' by stealing and melding souls to revive the lost or sealed.
As a more personal interest, Michael was just inside. He had no memory of his past life, and no power to protect himself or the others being harmed. She had a special like for his music, and it would be a shame if he died so soon. “We should interfere, Beltrán. The authorities will not be able to dispel the trouble on their own.”
“Interfere?” Belial frowned, visibly annoyed at the idea. “I am not supposed to interfer! I am not supposed to follow orders from you, mind you. I am not… even supposed to be here!”, he protested in frustration as Genesis didn't seem to care about his objections and walked into the club. Belial's silver eyes flashed in the cloud of smoke as he followed her through the door, in a clearly unnatural way. Let humans deal with their own problems! He had enough problems of his own.
Belial glanced back to see if Alistaire was following. He was gone. All I wanted was a drink…
Like if life in this world has ever been peaceful… It's rather normal, in fact.
We're not supposed to…
Belial bit his lip as his self-conscience split in two again, forcing him to re-focus his mind. Another sign of stress… Maybe he really needed a psychologist.
Genesis walked in to the bar, smoke stinging her eyes, and the screams of the humans ringing in her ears. She could not tell why they were so hysteric, from the fight, the fire, or the creature that man had set loose in the middle of the club. There were two she could perceive. The snake like thing slithering across the floor, nipping at people's legs… and a larger beast out side the club, no doubt doing the bidding of it's summoner. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Michael fleeing with two girls. It was with great amusement she saw the former angel Rishta. It was an interesting twist of fate, something she would think on later. Her attentions were drawn to the creatures loose in the club.
Belial waded through the crowd, avoiding hits from the brawl with amazing ease. The place was filled with smoke and the taint from the beast was multiplying as it infected more humans. Many lamps had been knocked down or broken, and the lighting was very poor. Michael made his exit, pulling tow girls along – Rishta was with him. Belial let out a subtle snort. Belial made his way to the bar and pushed some limp bodies out of his way as he got behind the counter. He ducked behind the thick counter to dodge a flying bottle and when he rose back, the drunk guy laying on top of the counter was not quite wrong when he seemed to get double vision. Aramis left the bar with a frown and Angel stayed where he was, checking the bar's surviving liquors.
Aramis summoned the Staff of Simara in the shape of a walking cane and scanned the floor with it, using the Staff to canalize his awareness to the floor level. He saw the snake, which slithered past Genesis. Aramis passed by her, following the beast. He finally was able to touch its tail with the Staff, breaking the beast into its original Elements, bringing its unnatural life to an end. Aramis moved aside to prevent being knocked down to the floor by the fighting mob and went back to Genesis. “The taint will cease soon by itself”, he said. “Well, in a few hours…” Aramis shrugged. “Let us leave this place”.
Angel joined them with a glass of a yellow, clear liquor. “You don't expect me to clear out the taint, do you? It'll disappear without my help”. He sipped his drink, indifferent to the general fight and the people trying to escape from the smoky room.
“You've done enough…” Genesis replied, as she slowly eyed the room. The presence was fading from the club, though it was strong outside… along with other forces. It was curious, but now that her personal interest was resolved, she preferred to avoid the conflict. And her side still hurt. Genesis trained her attention to Belial. Now spilt as the 'brothers'. This physical manifestation of his alternate personalities was a rare thing to see now. The fact it even happened was a unique case she enjoyed to explore. Another lesser explosion of fire in the building disrupted her thoughts. If she wanted to start a session, this was not the place. “Join me for a talk. Your new friend is a curiosity to me.”
Angel coolly sipped his drink and Aramis made the Staff disappear. Standing side by side they were a reflection of each other, exact to the last detail, but still one of them was Dark and the other was Light. Aramis' angst might have receded in appearance and Angel's hatred had turned into a simmering fire beneath a thin layer of ashes, but their eyes had not changed… much. “You don't need to work extra hours because of me!”, Angel said with a exaggerated expression of surprise, in sarcasm. “I wouldn't want to interrupt your leisure time”. He sipped his drink.
Aramis frowned slightly. “Let us leave”, he told them. “We could talk outside… I have a bad feeling”. A chair crashed on the wall, putting out some blue neon tubes which formed words on the wall. The police sirens could be heard outside, coming down the street. Aramis dragged the both of them to the emergency exit.
Being unceremoniously dragged out of the club through the emergency exit, along with Angel in tow was not the elegant exit she would have preferred to of made, but it made an amusing site nonetheless. Outside the burning club, she straightened her clothing and dusted herself off. The black of the fabric hid the stains, but she had a bothersome smudge on her face that didn't seem to want to rub off. Even in her casual clothing, she couldn't stand not looking neat. “My leisure time was already interrupted before I stumbled in to you. No need to feel guilty about my time.” Still fussing over her disheveled looks, Genesis starting walking in the opposite direction of the club. She assumed Belial would follow, and if not, well… It wouldn't be the first time tonight someone decided to walk away!
“Your bad feelings are justified. There is much amiss. More work for me I suppose…” Between the magical explosion in the background which lit up the city sky for several moments, and Lucifer's sudden strange visit it was no wonder everything was out of balance. Genesis did not like the current coming together of souls. It spelled bad news, and she didn't appreciate anything disrupting the flow of her work.
Aramis followed Genesis, much to Angel's displeasure. He tossed his glass over his shoulder and followed the two. It would be best to make sure Aramis wouldn't speak all their mind out. Aramis pulled his coat collar around his ears. There was a huge explosion and it lit up for several moments; the light was reflected in his silver eyes as he looked up into the night sky. “A dark arts user is at work. I felt a presence earlier… It carried Moloch's taint in his blood”. Aramis's eyes showed melancholy, but he didn't add more.
“There's two brothers with Moloch's taint”, Angel muttered. “She cursed their ancestor”. Angel's eyes shimmered cold, as if he expected Genesis to drop a censoring comment about his past next and he didn't care. “I remember that day”. He wondered where could Moloch be.
“They're going to tear up half the city…” she mused out loud. Genesis was not a fan of senseless destruction. The taint left by Moloch had only grown stronger in the Morris bloodlines over the years. She suspected it was all a part of the balance… fate as many liked to call it. Though the balance was heavily shifting toward the sinister side. Especially if the Morris curse was any evidence of that. Still, the tidings of fate didn't concern her until it began to interfere. If the dark Morris was connected to Azazel as she thought, then it would prove to be a very bothersome problem. Genesis paused, realizing Belial had distracted her attentions from him to her own concerns. She was jumping thoughts too easily tonight. “Your friend, he is an occultist? Did you meet him by chance…?” she asked.
“….” Angel frowned. “Do you have to worry about him now? And what if he's an occultist?” Angel shrugged with elegance. “I don't know yet to what extent he's a practitioner of the Dark Arts. He's a Hunter, if I've seen one. A descendant of Finn Maccool”.
Aramis' gaze was still fixed on the subtle traces drawn in the night sky by the majicks freed in the cold air. “Maybe by chance, maybe not”, he said with a conciliative air. “That's still to be determined…”
Angel crossed his arms. “You look… distracted, Genesis. May I ask what has altered your sempiternal and evergoing routine? You seem out of balance, if I'm allowed the expression”. Angel narrowed his eyes, watching her while Aramis read the signs in the night sky, each brother concentrated on a different target.
“My distractions are none of your concern.” she snapped in retort, with more force than she intended to show. As if she'd explain her 'joyful' chat with Lucifer. Even if she deemed to talk of her private life, no one knew Lucifer was still walking the earth save for her and Azrael. Belial would also be a poor choice of telling, considering the history. The battle only a few blocks over had ceased. There was a dead set feeling that the worst was yet to come, but she hated to get dramatic. Worst or not, she would deal with it. “And all is right with the world once again…” Genesis said with a sigh. “I suppose you are free to go. You should make an appointment and see me this week. I promise not to be so distracted and make sure to have you tell me everything in great detail.”
As they walked next to some pedestrian-level neon announcements and behind these, Angel and Aramis merged back into Belial. He was skilled at this 'disappearing act'. “Well… I guess I should be thankful”, Belial reflexively said yet it was another of his sarcasms. “I'll call your secretary, then. Goodnight, Genesis. May you find some rest”. Belial nodded and left Genesis' side. Belial stopped and turned. Like a flash in the night, he had sensed Azrael was near. He stayed still for an instant, then continued on his way.