Wednesday,

February 28, 2012,

11: 51 AM

Upon returning to the first floor, Kane carefully strides into the kitchen, boots (for once) quiet against the hardwood floor to hide his entrance. Sat at the island with her back turned towards him, Sunny laughs with Valli as he refills her iced glass with — what looks and smells like — pure Moonshine from a clear little jar. The host stands off to the corner of the island, to the side of her, a polite distance from the woman. On the center of the counter, directly next to the little basket of fruits, sits the apple pie. Half of it is gone, revealing the gooey, sticky, and steaming crimson filling. Either Valli made it today or he reheated it because the scent of fresh apples and whiskey roams throughout the kitchen, sweet and strong, clogging the back of Kane's throat deliciously. Neither has noticed his tip-toeing presence, too engrossed in the action-packed and dramatic story Sunny is retelling for the millionth time.

Silently, he grabs a paper plate and a plastic fork from a cabinet he found the week he stayed. Slowly closing the wooden cabinet door, not letting it make a noise. Attempting to get in, then get out of the kitchen without being noticed. He doesn't want to hear Ma's stories, again. The glass of the pie dish slides loudly over the marble countertop, stealing away any chance of being sneaky while Ma entertained Valli with her old hunting stories. He purses his lips when the sound pierces into the air and the elder hunter stops her sentence short — right in the middle of her favorite part about how she once killed two Djinns by herself, without being hung up or harmed, much.

Djinn are creatures that feed on the energy sources of humans, be it by blood or a type of aura (lust, happiness — emotions). They string victims up and sink them deep into the human's minds, giving them everything they ever wished out of their lives. If one wished, dreamed, to have a loving family, a good car, or to be single and have road trips with a loved one — they would see it in the false dreamworld the Djinn created to feed off them until there was nothing left. One is difficult enough with supernatural strength and the threat of a single touch to take a Hunter down. Killing two is nothing short of a slight miracle.

Sunny snorts at the sight of the big man trying to sneak the rest of the pie, to take advantage of their enthrallment. Broad shoulders hunched, head tilted down as he realizes his cover was blown. Should've known that would happen, should've picked it up instead, idiot. Sighing, he straightened his spine and narrowed his azure eyes to the smirking woman. Bullshitting out an excuse to look like a little boy stealing a cookie, "I didn't want to interrupt, Ma. You both looked so happy, I didn't wanna make you stop."

"Uh-huh." She hums, chuckling. Between her elbows is a messy, yet cleaned, plate of what was most of the pie. The redden smears and a chuck of crust tell as much. Valli giggles, keeping silent to hear the exchange between the Aunt and her nephew. "I know you heard my old hunts before, probably know them by heart now. Save some of that for Addy, if she wants some." Her thumb jerks behind her, where the witch is leaning on the frame, observing with a tiny mocking smile directed to the large Hunter. "Valli and I already had quite a few pieces. It's too damn good, Son, I'll warn you there."

"Smells good." Kane agrees, honestly. The knife they used to slice the pie is small in his palm, yet he uses it without a problem. Slicing through the middle of the half-pie, taking one massive side and leaving behind at least two pieces for Addy. Then cuts the piece on his plate into three decent-sized slices, filling the paper plate.

"Just have the rest. I can always ask Valli to make me one. I do help him." Addy permits, a finger gesturing to the glass dish from where her arms are crossed.

Without bothering to confirm, Kane shrugs and grabs both the paper plate and the dish into his hands. Booted feet comfortably loud as he makes his way out, calling over his shoulder. "Thanks."

Knowing well it wasn't for Addy, Valli laughs. "Anytime! Just ask if you want another one!"

While the two women and Valli share stories over glasses of alcohol, Kane sighs in contentment from the living room. Sat on a comfortable couch, in a safe home, with a mildly interesting movie on the TV and eating the best pie he had ever eaten — this is my dream. Right here. Piece and quiet, no monster for the moment, just beer and food.

From the kitchen, Valli thinks something similar. Only in his dream, Addy and Kane get along just fine; Sunny could maybe live with him, and teach him more about being a hunter contract; and Kane and he have begun a shy affectionate relationship, confessing to crushes. He knows it's a foolish little dream, a stretch of his imagination to think of a romantic relationship with Kane, but so is wishing he had his sight back. If he can't have the real thing, dreaming is just as good. Kane wouldn't be interested in him, so he'll dream until the crush fades or is crushed. It's a good dream, sometimes. Even if he'll only get hurt by it, by teasing himself like that.

With the Angel sitting in the back of each of their minds, they don't spend all day revisiting old hunts from the past. As much as they wished they could. Laughing and joking with each other, teasing and gasping over a particularly gross detail and unbelievable telling. Sunny loves hearing both Addy and Valli recall hunts, the way the man brightens and giggles when he remembers details or thoughts. The witch remembers the most, adding specific items of note and narrating stories with a flare that entraps their attention. Hours go by, and Kane comes to place the glass dish in the sink to soak and toss the used paper plate in the trash. He retreats as soon as he came, hurrying out at the suggestion he helps Ma recall about a Banshee and gaining hearty laughs from the three.

Sadly, once the clock hits three-thirty, Kane re-enters with a deep grumble. His shoulder drops heavily onto the frame of the doorway, beefy arms crossed over the barrel of his chest. His voice was hoarse, and rough, as if he just woke up from a deep nap on the couch. By the bed head and wrinkled shirt, he had. "We doing shit today, or tomorrow?"

At the counter between Valli and Addy, Sunny groans loudly and stretches her arms high above her head. Smiles at the stifled huff of laughter from Valli from the bone-deep sound released from her body. The words roll out with another low grumble from her, tried from the journey and hunt, then stuffing herself with the pie. "Right now, Son. Wake the fuck up and get down there. We're behind you."

Valli smiles to himself, hearing the huffs and the murmured half-worded grouses from Kane as he obeys the demand. Tracking the clobbering footsteps to the basement stairwell, the man's boots assisting with how noisy they are. The two women slip off the island stools, Addy gliding around to Valli to kiss his scarred temple and to whisper careingly in his ear. "Do you want to join us this time, Amethyst? It may get loud again."

As much as he would like to join them, to hear what the Angel may know, he shakes his head in the negative. His ears have been victims to noisy gunshots, over sensitive from pushing his hearing during training sessions with Kane. Squeezing his aunt's hand to assure her he is okay while explaining himself. "I'd like to. But I think my ears would appreciate a little more of a break. They've been more sensitive, recently. I think I'll just grab some books down there and read up, learn some more about Angels."

Sunny allows her lips to twitch at the small inside look of the witch's relationship with Valli. Reminded of herself when she first took over Kane's guardianship, hyper-aware of his comfort and feelings about everything. She can recall he had to reassure her he was okay, that he liked being with her without his Father around, and that he loved her like a real Aunt to get her to relax with her sudden worry. Kane and William bunked with her here and there over the years when Kane was only in his early teens, Kane being left with her to study for the short school visits he had. With Sophie passing during his birth, Kane never had a mother. William never found a woman he trusted with his son's life (except Sunny), also simply too distracted fighting the monsters to pay attention to the opposite gender. Sunny never had kids of her own, babysitting is one thing, but when William failed to return she knew Kane was her responsibility from then on. The stress of acting as a mother figure pushed her to obsess over his comfort in her home, and how he was handling his father's assumed death at the time.

She wonders if Addy felt the same when Valli was orphaned due to the lifestyle. If the witch was just as overwhelmed as she was, or if Valli made things easier for her. Kane was respectful, yet a wild beast she had to rein in more than once. He liked to push her buttons until she snapped, just to see what she would do. Running out in her truck to break the hearts of girls and boys at the school he barely attended. Disobeying orders on a hunt, and foolishly doing his own thing. Drinking her alcohol cabinet to empty; refusing to read over the books she tried to give him about monsters and good and evil. William trained him before Sunny got to him, and she still curses the deceased man for conditioning his son to hate all creatures — to kill on sight.

Valli appears to be an easy ward, yet Ma knows she is merely witnessing how he matured and not how he was in his younger days. Perhaps she'll find Addy later, learn more about her, and ask how she handled a teenage boy. Maybe they could share stories, and embarrass both men.

In the basement, Kane is messing with the knives and guns on the tables of the armory half of the large room, waiting. Studying how different guns felt in his hands, raising them to check if they were comfortable to aim for him. His favorite handgun is large, the barrel long and the grip fits his wide palms perfectly. He can feel its power when he shoots, the recoil felt in his palm. It's heavy, but he likes the weight and the feel of it. If he has the option, he'll use his customized red-grip Magnum; built by himself and his father specifically for hunting. Curious about what Valli had in the armory, he had busied himself with getting familiar with each gun and weapon on the tables and shelves.

The stairs creak and whine under the weight of the three joining him on the bottom floor. He keeps his back turned towards them, focused on aiming a small handgun at the window. His lips purse and his eyebrows wrinkle when the gun feels too tiny, he can't aim safely when the weight is off. He knows if he tried to shoot it, the shot wouldn't hit the mark because it's too light in his big palms, the barrel too short. If he went out on a hunt, this gun would be left in the armory under the bed of the truck.

"What are you doin'? That's a baby gun. I bet it's reserved for learners or the youngins." Sunny chuckles, the sight of the tiny gun in Kane's hands too amusing to her.

Kane shrugs one heavy shoulder, replacing the gun where he found it on the center of the table against the wall next to the stairs. Nods his agreement, grunting. "Was looking at all of them. Got bored waiting for you."

Addy and Valli direct themselves to the library section of the basement, proceeding to find and pile books, tomes, and leather-bound thin text into their arms. Sunny takes a glance around, expecting an area to hold the Angel and spotting none. It throws her off, seeing only the weapons and bookshelves, little knick-knacks scattered about. Kane nudges her elbow, nodding towards a row of shelves holding cleaned handguns in glass display cases and some laid flat on the wood, a few knives along with them. Her eyebrow furrows, but her nephew simply smirks knowingly as he understands the mild confusion. They are used to obvious torture settings, the secret room Valli has would normally be the entire room. Sunny's cabin has one, the entire bottom floor suited to getting information from creatures.

As Valli settled at the window, stacks of books covering the round coffee table, the witch gestured for the hunters to follow her. Sunny glances back, watching the blind man curl up under a blanket and begin to glide his finger over the letters on a worn leather page. She'll ask about that later, curious if the books are magical. Turning back to the witch, Sunny's eyes widen barely when she spots Addy press down a button on the shelf and the row of shelves clicks open to reveal a door. This is new to me, damn.

From inside the yells and shouts of the Angel flood into the main room, causing Valli to raise his head a centimeter, but keep focused on the words he feels and reads. To the side, Addy rushes the Hunters in with a quick hand, eager to give her nephew peace to study. The first impression Sunny has is that the little room is dingy, the single light casts shadows and flickers occasionally. The tables at the sides of the walls have weapons covering nearly every inch, the low light glints off them in tiny glitters. The Angel is chained, shackled, and magically trapped in the little chair. Runes glow on the chair, brightening the seat faintly. Struggling and fighting against the bindings uselessly, thin lips snarling with glowing eyes, a pure white tinted in faint blue. Ma reminds herself to have Kane help her build a better seat.

Kane moves to the left, Addy perching on the right table in a corner and settling down with her feet curled under her thighs. A basket of knitting supplies appears next to her, and Sunny raises an eyebrow when the witch gets to knitting with pink yarn. A glance at Kane earns another shrug, the man thought it was odd too, more so with Valli in with them last time.

The black woman turns back to the Angel, clapping her hands together. "Let's get shit rollin', eh?" Then, she pauses her eagerness, sparing another peak at the closed door behind her, asking out to the room. "This place soundproof?"

Addy hums, eyes trained on her hands. "Yep. Valli can't hear shit from in here, 'tis why I closed the door. To let him study without hearing her screams." Her eyes slant up, flicking between both Hunters with a glint of mischievousness and a touch of wickedness. "She will scream, yes?"

The Hunters share a look, uncertain if the witch is simply playing or if she's serious. Sunny's gut tells her the other woman merely wants the threat to her nephew to disappear, she'd want to same and she'd do anything to protect Kane. The difference is, Addy will allow them to do the dirt work rather than doing it herself. Most likely because unfamiliar Hunters are here, she doesn't trust them. She's merely tolerating them for the time being. Sunny understands more than she'd like to admit.

Sending a confident smirk to the witch, Sunny nods. "Yeah. I'll make sure of it. We'll get whatever she knows."

"Good Hunters." Addy purrs with a coy little smile, returning to her knitting.

Similar to the demon Jergan, Kane, with the help of Sunny, gets to work. They take turns using special tools Sunny made after the first Angel they encountered, knives, different fluids that would cause discomfort or levels of agony and even a holy fire torch. A medium-sized lighter torch customized to flame out fire made from blessed oil, a substance that can trap and cause significant torment. The Hunters take turns asking questions about hybrids, Gods, or why a human would be in their apparent watchful eyes. Take turns inflicting a degree of agony; slashes with anti-angel knives, flaming a spot of flesh when they receive a growl or hiss as an answer. The Angel screams and curses preaching prayers at them, disillusioned that her Father cares or would save her from death. Claims she was smiting the sins of humans, like God wanted her to.

Screeching bloody murder as Kane continues to shout at her that her God, her Father, doesn't give a damn about any of his children — even the humans. It's the way he saw things, the way all the Hunters think. If God cared, why would he allow all the bad on earth? All the little scared children being murdered, kidnapped —worse. All the crimes on the news, all the destruction to humanity in every direction. No, the Gods don't care for anything other than themselves.

It takes hours, the sun setting through the window next to Valli. Hours upon hours, double what Jergan lasted. The flesh of the vessel is burned to a crisp along the arms and chest, flaking and smelling faintly of cooked meat. The clothes are in tatters, the ends of torn fabric charred and smoking, and soaked from Addy magically dumping cold water on the creature to put the flames out. Sunny has blood covering her hands, streaked across her forehead and along her forearms. The Angel may not have blood to bleed, but the vessel she's wearing does. Dead or not, the body is being run, and the blood acts as it did before the creature invaded. Pumping through dead veins to reach a deadly pumping heart, dripping and spraying with knife slices. Kane isn't clean either, the beard he trimmed days ago is now spotted in blood from his hands brushing through the coarse hair in frustration.

Then, just as Addy was getting bored and the Hunters were exhausted, they heard the Angel begin to speak with a gasp of agony. The creature is limp, head lowered weakly, and the hair of the vessel flakes off the burnt patch of her scalp. The vessel's body trembles, violently shakes, and flinches, squirming. Voice weakened, shaken, she admits tiredly. "I know no man named Valli. Have not heard about him or the Gods." Blinking blood from her eyes, she slowly continues. "All I heard was about a Hybrid. Years, maybe centuries ago. A creature of giant size would walk through the void, to do what, I do not know. I swear upon my father! I fell and thought Father wouldn't want sinners among his precious humans — the better children."

"Finally. That's the truth," Addy announces jadedly, slipping off the table gracefully. Wrinkling her nose at the wet floor, gathering her skirts and long fabric in her hands to steps around the larger puddles the mixture of water and blood created. Apathetically, "You can end her now."

With that, she slips from the room in a flourish of fabric and vibrant hair. Sunny stares after the door clicks shut, mind whirling as she tries to understand the witch. She's interesting, that's for sure. Kane grunts, boots slapping in the puddles to carry him to the bag on the table Addy just vacated. Opening Sunny's duffel bag he brought down before his nap, to grab the Angel Blade from it. The bone knife feels natural in his hand, like an extension of his hand. He doesn't blink when the Angel screams again, a shrill shriek, at the sight of it. Neither Hunter blinks when the blade is plunged into the heart of the vessel, merely shielding their eyes to protect their retinas from the surge of blinding light pouring from the Angels' eyes. After a moment, the vessel drops limply just as the demon's victim did.

"Well. That was better than staying in that lumpy bed during the hunt." Sunny states, a smile twitching on her lips. "I'm hungry. You?"

"I could eat." Kane readily agrees, vaguely wishing there was more pie.

Both move toward the door, only to pause as Ma lifts a finger and tilts her body towards the man. Kane stops instantly, waiting. "Ask Valli to make more pie. He likes you. I'mma see about chatting with Addy, she's..."

"A pain in the ass."

She punches his chest, gaining a short grunt for the weak effort. "I was gonna say dramatically whimsical. But I guess that could work too. If you're aiming to be a rudeass."

Her nephew snorts. "You are a rudeass."

This time, the punch she delivers is real and the man stumbles a few short feet with a painful groan, crimson-painted hand soothing over the sore area of his chest. Ma laughs, "We know where you get it from, then."