Friday,

February 3, 2012,

3: 01 AM

The hisses and shrill screams from the creature bound to the chair irritate Valli's sensitive ears, and his expression crunches into a wince. His nostrils flare in the silent sigh as the clangs and rattle of the shackles on the ankles and wrists accompany them while the demon struggles and withers in agony. Kane had just injected the second syringe of holy water into the bloodstream of Adam's body, and the clear blessed water ignites flames through the veins—the creature pants heavily, limbs trembling and vibrating, the chair rattling with the harsh struggles to get away from the burning inside the meat sack. Jergan groans, screams, and whimpers curses at them, continuing to mock and taunt between the exhausted pants and cries of rage, pure anguish.

Injecting holy water into a demon burns the creature inside the human, however, the human is in danger of not recovering. Similar to the massive pentagram circle on the floor under the chair, it keeps the demon trapped, unable to use his strength to break the cuffs or the chair. The water paralyzes the sinful monster and scorches the hell-spawn with three-degree burns that steam and smoke, on the surface (face, flesh of the arm, etc) upon contact, the water would instantly cause suffering with a quick splash. In the body itself, in the very veins, the liquid can traumatize the human system and slowly kill them. The only consolation to this method is that the possessed person can not feel the torture being implemented on their body, the death is quick if they aren't strong enough to handle the demon either dying or being forced out of them.

That is what Valli recalls Grandfather Cerulli explaining the details of this method, while the scarred man had prepared the tools for Joseph, he had not participated until he was in his twenties. He doesn't have much experience with torture, the accident (attack, hunt) was shortly after he began following his father's and grandfather's footsteps in these types of situations. The older men with him had only wanted their young counterpart to watch, gather supplies, and learn how to properly put them together to cause any pain supernatural creatures could legitimately feel. The man is much more comfortable in the middle of a dark forest or cave with a gun and knife in his hand, hunting monsters than he is in the room they occupy now, listening to the suffering of Jergan.

Addy is quiet in her corner, he had heard his Aunt settle back on top of the table, her draping shawl and skirts fluttering around her legs. She kissed his temple after placing the syringe she was opening for the man down, mumbling a soft warning of the noise into his ear, tender slim hand on his shoulder. The witch knows Valli had witnessed this type of scene before, he heard the screams years ago. However, he has been unused to them in recent years and he appreciates the warning, as he had to prepare himself for the intensity. The host is stood next to Addy, leaning against the table, feet away from the main event. His arms crossed, an ice statue of an expression over his normally open smile.

For the past few hours, Kane had been casually pacing a circle around the chair. Repeating questions, dealing out punishments for taunts and cruel words directed at each of them. For every response that isn't a direct answer, the hunter unpredictably inflicts immediate pain between the holy water injections. The knife is still in his hand, handled confidently and professionally. Darting out to stab into a shoulder, a piece of flesh on the thigh, or to carve the pentagram symbol to a section of the upper left arm he ripped the sleeve of the t-shirt Adam wore off of. Kane had stripped the thick military jacket he wore, revealing the long-sleeve black henley he had thrown on at the call he received. Besides the commotion falling from Adam's (Jergan's) lips, the only sound in the room is the dull thud of the large hunter's combat boots landing on the wooden floor as he menacingly rounds the creature.

"You're killin' the boy, ya know?!" Jergan shouts, the gradually fading holy water agony allowing him to find control of the vocal cords.

Addy sighs jadedly, a wicker knitting basket magically appearing on the table next to her hip with a silent puff of air, filled with a bundle of yarn in her favorite colors; pinks, pastels, and deep purples. A light tap on Valli's shoulder prompts her nephew to turn his head towards her, his scarred and grayed eyes briefly gazing past her before correcting to her form, and she taps the roll of pink yarn on his arm. A vague quirk of a smile twitches on his lips, habitually holding the yarn on his index fingers so it won't roll away from her. She pats his shoulder to show her silent appreciation, leaning back against the wall to begin to knit, ignoring the happenings with disinterest.

Kane snorts at the scene, smirking at the demon with a gesture of the knife to the pair. "Guess they don't care." The stare of a raging ocean is directed at Jergan, the waves of frustration and anger beating against the irises. Thunder is in the man's voice, loudly pounding against the demon's ears. "What brought you here?! Only stupid low-level fuckheads come waltzing into a Hunter Motel without backup." Sarcastically offering mercy, "What? You got a death wish? I'll end you right now, say the word."

The creature snarls, inky smokey eyes glaring harshly. "Go fuck yourself!"

Rather than responding, Kane merely slashes the raw material knife down the left side of the possessed man's face in a quick downward motion. From his temple down to his chin is now a long gash of fresh blood, the sizzling of the knife burning the flesh, yet letting streaks of blood leak down onto the bloody, weakened body. The demon screams, shrill and piercing in the tight room. Valli winces once again, his ears ringing, his eyes rolling, yet he doesn't move his position. The struggling and writhing last moment or two, the burning fading to allow the creature a slight rest from the suffering. The second he stops whimpering, holy water is splashed onto the slash, flaming the heat and flooding the gash with the blessed liquid, doubling the agony and incapacitating the demon.

Jergan barks in frustration, the human he rides in is weakening. Dying. He doesn't have much of a choice; revealing the truth or not, he dies for real or goes back to hell, where he will be dealt with again. "Fuck!!"

Valli's ears perk, head calmly turning back to face the concealed scene. The yarn on his fingers rolls slowly as Addy gets further into her knitting project, her eyes focused on the expert, effortless, repetitive motions her hands make and the yarn. The younger retired hunter can feel the sharp gaze of Jergan dig into his skin, and Valli flicks his eyes to the area he remembers the chair being, the faint shift in dark shapes in a jerk has him assuming he found the correct shadow of Jergan. The only other vague shade he can make out is stood and broader than Adam's body, Kane.

"Shit, you're creepy." The grumble he hears from Jergan gains a hummed chuckle, glad he still can be slightly unsettlingly.

"I do try. Thank you." Addy snorts, her knee nudging the man beside her for his dry retort.

The demon hisses when Kane digs the knife into the throbbing gash on his face, gritting his teeth as his black eyes snap to the man towering over him. Kane has his eyes narrowed, lips in a snarl of his own. Irritated, the words are said in a low growl. "You wanna talk to him? Sure."

A sharp inhale pierces Valli's lungs suddenly as he finds the yarn snatched from his grasp, the witch gasps when it lands on her, hands stumbling to catch it before it tumbles on the dusty floor. The shocked inhale exits in a rush of a light heave, his wrist gripped in a firm yet soft fist and his form dragged away from the stabilizing table he was content to lean against. His legs stumble, unprepared and unbalanced. Addy shrieks, outraged. "Kane! You can't just—"

A second later, an intense warmth blankets his back and another gentle grasp on his shoulder warns Valli that the mentioned hunter is standing directly behind him. The hand clutching the knife is settled on his right shoulder as the other wide palm rests on the left. His back is heated like he is in front of the fire upstairs, Kane's body so close to his is scorching, and his eyes blink rapidly in pure shock at the man tugging him so near. A confused hum echoes in his throat, eyebrows wrinkling the scars as they furrow, and his head snaps to the side to reveal his profile to Kane. Hazel dulled gray eyes wide, stunned.

The frustrated man doesn't give himself time to feel guilt for man-handling the younger, not that guilt seems needed. Valli isn't mad and doesn't tense or struggle from under his loose grip, he could break away if he wanted. Merely ignoring the unspoken, but loud inquiry of what he plans and Addy's upset on Valli's behalf. The overhead light hung above them dances dangerously in the cold, hardened angry cobalt gaze of the larger man digging into Jergan. The command is directed to the slender form under his palms. "He wanted to talk to you, guess I'm too scary for him. So talk."

The order earns a little puff, and Valli twists slightly to face the form behind him, feet planted to the spot Kane tugged him on. It's oddly endearing to glance down and catch the striking scarred, gray eyes gazing at him, simultaneously puzzled and cool, undisturbed. "If he didn't answer you, why would he listen to me?"

Jergan raises his eyebrows, flicking midnight eyes over the two men, wondering where this is going and if he should be concerned or not. The blind man did throw a knife at him (and hit his target) he surely isn't as useless as his appearance suggests. With all the soft clothes and passive nature (with the stabbing an exception), the demon doesn't see the man doing much else or why he would be needed. The rumors don't add up, did I make a mistake? He fights to keep his relative composure, wanting to avoid the hunters catching any giveaway his body language may reveal. No. He's the only blind hunter, alive that is, and this is the only Hunter's business in the country.

"You're nicer than I am." Is Kane's simple retort, using a thick, callused finger to poke Valli's jaw and turn his head towards the demon. He notices the pursed lips of the younger creates at the response, but there's no protest.

Sighing, Valli shrugs a shoulder, head dipping sideways. "That is true." Then turns that unsettling stare on Jergan, unable to discern the cringe he receives. Flicking his eyes down to the creature, his ears clocking the shifting cuffs at the ankles and the wrists to assume where he needed to look. "I'd apologize for stabbing you, but then again, I don't hear much good coming from you. And Kane did much worse." He adds the afterthought, gesturing vaguely downward to the legs of the bound monster. Continues, allowing his curiosity to show. "I am curious though, why you would choose Adam and come back here. Surely you knew what kind of business I run, and for whom."

"I knew. I was curious." Is all Jergan offers, accustomed to being difficult. He knows he should risk coming clean, to try to save himself. It's just hard.

To prove the point, Kane delivers another quick slash to the right forearm. Jergan wheezes, the heat back with vengeance, throbbing harshly as the burn spills throughout the limb. His head thumps against the back of the tall chair, the spasm of muscle and veins in torment distracting from the ache the thump created. The man growls, low and sinister. "Answer him."

Valli locked his muscles to hide the determined shiver that fought to overtake his body upon feeling the rough growl against his spine, the vibration of it shook his ribs deliciously. He thickly swallows, surprised at himself for the little reaction. It's been years since he had reacted to something so small as a voice, but it seems he has more than a simple crush. Which may make certain things difficult. Why me? I just want simple, not difficult. After a short second, he consciously relaxes each muscle with a long, soft exhale through his nostrils.

To the side, on the table, with a floating yarn roll and busy with her knitting, Addy smirks enigmatically. Her all-knowing dark eyes slip back down to her fingers and her project, away from the intimate closeness of the men, of which neither appears to realize just yet. She listens carefully, ears alert, but is merely in the room to observe. Interested in how Kane works, if the creature has valid reasons to show up on her territory, or how it knew of Valli. However, she disguises this in a cloak of genuine disinterest in the torture and current conversations. The manhandling of her nephew is the only exciting scene so far. She'll have a chat with that damn hunter afterward.

Jergan groans through a clenched jaw, furious and attemptedly anxious. He's stuck in two hard places, death is possible on both sides of him. Squeezing his eyes closed, he forces a careless shrug. "Nothing to say. I was curious, that's it. I heard some shit, figured I'd come to see what the deal is."

Kane steps from behind Valli, his empty hand staying firmly in place on the slim shoulder to keep him in position in front of the chair. Settling on the side of the creature, the knife glinting in the dull light as a reminder to keep speaking. "What kinda shit is being said about this place, about him? Can't be much, because he's fucking retired."

"Look, man! I swear! I don't know!" The demon raises his hands from where they dangled off the armrest, the cuffs limiting their movement. "Some stupid rumors were going around about some blind hunter, the name Valli and vague mentions of Gods, some bullshit about Voids or something. Nothing I heard of before!" He cackles abruptly, finger pointing up to the still build of Valli, the man's head tilted as he listens. "Seriously, you think I'm told anything official? I got taken down by him at his damn door! I'm just low-level scum to the others down there!" The demon ducks his head sheepishly, resigned to whichever fate he receives. "The only reason I'm riding this meat sack is because he was stupid enough to follow me and some others to a motel. We jumped him. They left, and I had the memories from this dude so I came for a visit. You can see why I'm stuck at a low level, I'm fucking stupid!"

"Yeah. I can. That's pathetic." Kane agrees, rolling his eyes and setting the knife down on the table with a sigh. He uses the grip on Valli to softly tug him, acting on the protective nature grown into his being, directing the blind man without a word. Following trustingly, Valli allows himself to be guided back to the table, the hand steering him around Kane's broad build. Once he's rested in his previous position against the table, next to Addy, Kane stands at the chair again. Arms crossed, annoyed. "Tell us more about the rumors."

"That's all I know. Gods, some type of Void and that guy, Valli, right?" The mentioned man nods, sensing the questioning stare. Jergan whimpers quietly, the festering wounds itching and smarting. "I might have caught something about him walking through the void? I'm not sure, everyone fucks up the details when shit is spread. For all I know, he could be wanted for some experiments on hunters! He is the only known blind hunter, that I heard of being alive at least."

Slowly, Addy replaces her knitting supplies in the wicker basket, sliding off the table. Her long, graceful fingers skim the back of the steel chair as she rounds to the side opposite of Kane, looking down at the black eyes that reflect the bright vibrant purple hers now glow with. Her shawl cape and skirts flowed and flirted with her ankles. Softly, deceivingly kindly, she asks, leaning close to the creature's face, smooth hands on his right bloodied arm. "Any specific God's name? Any mentioning of a Mother or a Father, perhaps? Which direction did these rumors come from?"

Staring into the old white, powerful magic inside those illuminated eyes sends shivers down Jergan's spine, head quickly shaking. "No, Ma'am! No mention of that, not that I heard! But— There was a slip of some Greek God, I don't know the name, I swear! And I heard from some crossroads demons, I'm not sure where it came from!"

She hums, smiling patiently. "Is that all you know? There is no tiny detail you overlooked?"

Gulping, the demon shakes his head. "That's all."

Without warning, the witch's hand slaps onto the forehead of the creature with a sharp fleshy noise, vibrant violet light brightening the room from her palm. Kane curses loudly, covering his eyes with his elbow in the sleeve fabric of the shirt he wears, feet stumbling back a few steps. The human body screeches at the top of its lungs, eyes shooting blinding beams of purple as the smokey demon inside is burned by pure white magic. It lasts a moment, the writhing body of flesh slumps lifelessly a minute later. Blood sluggishly leaked from wounds, and the holy water dried and dampened the clothes. The woman kisses her teeth, eyes fading to pretty brown as she stands straight. She smirks self-satisfied at Kane's bewildered stare.

Valli huffs, "You did the thing, didn't you, Aunty?"

"I couldn't help myself."

Head snapping between the nephew and aunt pair, Kane interrupts, confused and irritated he didn't get the kill. "The fuck she do?"

"She killed him. For real. She likes to show off, we don't get much demon excitement here." Valli explains blandly, that the scene hadn't disturbed his position at the table and stood just as calmly as ever.

"You can do that?" It slips Kane's lips without thought, but he's too shocked that the witch can kill a demon with her bare hands. It takes him hours, and a hint of jealousy spreads in his chest.

"Why, of course!" Addy laughs, pacing towards Valli to cup his cheeks in her warm palms. The arrogant tone switches to concern easily, the volume low as if Kane wasn't feet away, listening and watching. "Are you okay, Dear?"

"Yes, Addy. I'm kinda hungry though. Should I make breakfast?" The response doesn't please either Addy or Kane, both disliking the dismissal and unbothered reaction to what was just revealed.

"This doesn't fucking bother you? Gods and demons talking shit about you?" Kane demands, stepping closer unconsciously.

The tender grasp on his cheeks tightened for the woman to peer into unseeing eyes, firm fingers holding her nephew's head tilted towards her. Worried, but puzzled. "They're planning, Valli. Something is happening. Why are you asking about food?"

The man sighs, forcing his jaw from her with a light pull back and shrugs. Resigned, just as the demon was. "Monsters coming after me were bound to happen eventually, it always does with people like us. I see no point in getting worked up over it." He chuckles, "Besides, I can't do anything about it. I'm a sitting duck. If they come for me, I'll fight, but I won't be winning."

Addy is silent, the younger man can hear her breathing to calm the no doubt dramatic reaction. Then, she simply walks away. Out of the room, his ears track her to the window in the next room. The returned grasp of Kane's rough palm on his upper arm doesn't shock him this time, allowing himself to be dragged from the room back into the main basement area. Rather than gentle, the man jerked and tugged without much care. It shows how upset Kane is. No breakfast for me then.