~B&B~
 

It was late as she left the church, and the rain was already coming down in sheets. Carol had been hoping to get home before the storm hit, but a student wanting to talk to her about one of the scriptures had delayed her. That lucky student had a ride, but Carol had to walk home in the cold, wet, night. It was only a few blocks, but with this weather, she knew it was going to be a very unpleasant trip. "And me without an umbrella," she muttered to herself, shifting her duffel bag filled with books, priest robes, and other various religious items. She sighed, looked up the church, and headed down the steps, pausing to say a quick blessing.

The church was a beautiful building with large stained glass windows and intricate designs carved into the heavy wooden doors. It was old, just like the rest of this town, left over from the Victorian ages. She loved the church, and the people in it, and frequently stayed late and arrived early. The students adored and respected her, and her fellow ministers and priests found her charming. The trees surrounding the average-sized town provided a false sense of isolation and privacy, without actually being far from the next larger town (a mere fifteen minutes drive east). The weather was normally warm, though the past few weeks had been, for the most part, pleasantly cool (save for the storm passing through that night). Yes, she loved it here, more than anything.

As she walked, her footsteps echoed somewhat ominously against the darkened renovated buildings, and the rain plastered her dark blond hair to her face. After several feet of brushing it away only to have it fall back, she stopped, set her bag on a dry patch on the side walk, and tied a good chunk of her shoulder-length hair up with a dark green ribbon her mother had given her. To match your eyes, she'd said. Mother didn't say much anything anymore. Well, anything that made sense, that was. Her mother had been slowly giving way to dementia over the years, and Carol had begun taking the necessary measurements to prepare for a funeral. Her father was extremely distressed, but hiding it well. Only his daughter knew just how truly broken up he was.

After thirty years, who could blame him?

As she bent to pick up her bag again, a groan escaped her lips. It had completely slipped her mind that the turtleneck she was wearing was white. The rain had made it nearly see-through, and Carol thanked her Lord no one was around to see her as she was. Tightening her black zip-up coat around her (the zipper was broken), she hurried on her way, bag gripped tightly 'round her wrist. The rain was coming down harder and her black slacks were starting to stick to her legs in a most uncomfortable fashion. It also hadn't escaped her that, being only 5' 3", 100 lbs and dressed as she was, made her a promising target for an attack. Church or no church, this city had crime just like any other, and she really didn't feel like being a victim of it that night.
Just a few more blocks, she thought earnestly to herself. Just a few more.

Jin gave a sigh of boredom as he walked through empty allies and back streets, kicking cans and trying to think up something to entertain his time with. His tall figure and broad shoulder somehow failed to cast a looming shadow as they should have, and his messy red hair fell into his face. His blood red eyes, matching, scanned the next ally, but it was his ears that found entertainment rather than his eyes. He froze, listening. Breathing. Too large to be an animal, footstep too light to be a man, he’d guess a woman then. He stretched slightly, his long limbs and slender figure not constricted by the loose fitting black casual clothes he wore. He leapt from trash bin to awning to roof, making his way towards the sound.

He leaned over the building to spot what had become his prey. A young woman, and better yet it seemed, a priest of some sort. He smiled as he closed his eyes, his eyes changing from red to gold, his hair to white, and his clothes to draping white robes. He couldn’t change much more than that, his human for was pretty set, but it was enough. He perched himself comfortably at the corner of the building, plotting the rest of the evening.

It was fairly simple. He’d conjure a few men, they didn’t have to be anything more than puppets, let them rough her up a little, and then play the shinning hero. Thus, in a very fairytale like manner, he’d win her trust ad affection. Better still, being a believer, he’d feed her some bullshit story about being sent by god to save her and what not. He’d take it as far as he could, and once she started doubting him, he’d be rid of her. He had more important things to worry about anyway, however he had some time to kill before they happened.

With a bit of concentration three figures appears just past the next corner. Three men, burly and straight out of day time dramas in their leather and jeans. If he focused his attention on each in turn, he could control them with ease and make them tangible at will. Maybe he’d feed her some bullshit story about needing to impregnate her with the next savior or something and get laid along the way. She wasn’t hard on the eyes.

(( XD I feel like a jerk just typing that.))

Carol paused, a strange sensation running through her. After a moment of listening, she hesitantly continued, cursing herself for freaking herself out with her thoughts of crime. As she neared the end of the street, the foreboding feeling increased and her steps slowed until she stopped completely just a few feet away from the men, yet still out of sight. The frigid air stung her lungs as she took a deep breath and dug into her bag for her Bible. "This is silly," she said softly, but the book comforted her slightly. "...Father in Heaven, I'm sorry for wasting a prayer, but please protect me tonight. Amen." The prayer was sloppy and quick, but enough to calm her. Bag slung over her shoulder, she clutched the book to her chest. Another deep breath, a quick count to ten, and she once more headed on her way.

A small cry of fearful surprise escaped her as she turned and came face to face with three men many times bigger than her. For a split second, her mind was filled with all the thousands of ways she could die right there, of all the things she hadn't done. Then, it was empty. She could feel herself going pale; knew her knuckles were white from clutching the book so tightly it hurt. She couldn't see them well, but it didn't matter--their menacing prescense was enough to terrify her.

After several seconds of simply staring, she composed herself and muttered a quick, "Good evening. Excuse me." Prayer after prayer, verse after verse running through her mind, her heart pounding, she moved to go around them. Please just let me pass....Please Father, please just tell them to let me pass. But even at that point, she knew she wouldn't be so lucky. Father, please just let me be okay.

That look of fear was perfect, like just the right note to begin an orchestra. Clinging to that damned (or un-damned, as that was the problem) book, his skin nearing the shade of his robes, he couldn’t have hoped for better.

The men instantly noticed her having been waiting for her anyway. One drew near, “Hey there, now –that’s- a lady…” He said in an eerie tone as he loomed over her. “Wanna let us walk you home, sweet cheeks?” He asked, his dirty fingers grabbing her face as the two behind him laughed. “Or maybe you’re gonna go home with us tonight…”

Jin had to admit their dialog wasn’t the greatest, but they served their purpose as he focused his attention on each of them as needed. The question now was how to make his entrance. He could drop down and kick some ass, but that wouldn’t be terribly angelic, and would most likely frighten her more than assure her. He could swoop down and just carry her away, but that would probably terrify her. No, he needed something much more… heavenly. He’d freeze them, as if freezing time itself, appearing in a shower of golden lights, he’d bow and ask, ‘May I walk you home?’ before extending a friendly hand, and looking up at her with the glassy blue gaze. The true arrogance and glam of an angel, and just enough jazz to send the woman’s pathetic little mind spinning.

Plan in place, he watched the scene play out from above, as any real angel might, waiting for just the right time to interfere. Maybe he’d float down on a cloud… he could do that right? Angels could, hell, why couldn’t he? To experiment he snapped, trying to make a cloud puff, but only exceeded in a face full of soot. He cleaned the mess, looking back to the commotion below, allowing the men to close in on her with jeering comments and wandering hands.

Jin smirked, a phone? Right, like she'd get any reception in this place. The man grabbed her wrist, forcing her back against the wall and pinning her hands above her head. "And here I was trying to be nice and offer to walk you home, and you have to go and threaten me?" He pinned her hands with only one of his, his other hand moving to grope at her chest. "I think you owe me an apology, don't you?" He said, his eyes resting on her white soaked through shirt.

Jin's attention had been caught as well, but he kept himself focused as he eyed her body. Maybe he'd break her, use her and just break her down to nothing. Or maybe he'd draw it out, keep her for a while as he wanted her...

The man pulled her away from the wall rather suddenly, and with more force than needed he tossed her to his friend who tore her bag away from her before shoving her to the third man. He rifled through, confirming she didn't have a phone as the third man moved to push her to the ground.

Jin chose that moment to jump, flashes of light illuminating the ally as he landed lightly, the men becoming entirely motionless. "Well now..." He said with a soft smile, the perfect 'nice guy' expression, "Are you alright?" He asked, changing his plan a tad. "It might be better if I walk you home, don't you think? After all, it's easier to watch over you from down here." His eyes stayed on hers, haven already gotten a good view of her chest from his seat on the roof.

Carol struggled the entire time, but she might as well have been just lying there for all the good it did her. When everything stopped, she was shaking slightly, her eyes wide with terror. “Wha…What just happened?” She murmured. “Who are you?” Unsure of whether to run away or towards him, she simply froze, adrenaline coursing through her veins and putting her on edge. At the slightest movement she was ready to bolt, but it didn’t seem he was going to harm her.

She calmed slowly, and as her sense of logic returned, she began to assess the man, paying almost no mind to what he’d said. Unusually tall, slender…less menacing than the other men but he could take her down just as easily. I really need to start lifting weights or something… Finally, she moved to pick up her bag, her eyes never leaving his frame. Quickly, she looked through and made sure nothing was damaged before returning to him. After a few moments, she frowned, his words finally starting to sink in.

“What do you mean ‘watch over’ me? Are you spying on me? What are you? How did you do that them? Will they be okay?” She rattled off all these questions in one breath, then took a step away from him. “A clever serpent, perhaps?”


Trust was the one aspect of her religion she’d never been able to embrace. She doubted everyone and everything, save for her God and her family. There had been a point in her life when she had no religion, no faith, and skeptical tendencies from that time had never faded. Sometimes they'd caused her trouble, especially with her fellow ministers, but most often, especially at times like this, they served her well.

Jin was slightly surprised by her reaction, "A serpant? Myself? Of course not. Are you not devoute? Do you not recognize what you see? If you doubt my intentions and wish me to leave, I shall, howver that leaves you with much less... pleasant company." He nodded to the three men. "They'll be alright, time has just stopped for them. Once you're a safe distance away they won't remember ever meeting you, and they'll mosey on thier way. And I'm a guardian angel, I don't 'spy', I simply watch over this world and it's occupants. Had I not been, you'd likely be servicing the scum of the earth."

His motions slow, so as not to startle her, he lighly took hold of her jacket and pulled it closed over her, "It's best not to put on display what men of sin may desire." He warned, "I ask you once again, may I walk you home?"

"I do so not out of kindness but out of pitty for one to blind to disregaurd a heavenly figure." Jin said bitterly, more torn at the seeming failure of his plan. "However, now haven been seen, I cannot leave your side until banished, and if bannished, it means I have failed to serve you and will be cast to hell. I hope for my sake as well as your own that you do not choose that path. Our world is not confined quite to the inturpretations of your good book." He said as he followed her.

The three men behind them began to move again and wandered away, no longer posing a threat. "It seems you're safe now." He informed. "I should also warn you, currently, you are the only one I am visible to."

She glanced at him. "So basically no talking to you around others, lest I want to look like a crazy person. And I haven't disregarded you. You're coming with, aren't you?" She reached in her bag and pulled out the afore spoken book. "And this is not our book...It's the Father's book. For a...." She cleared her throat. "A, uh, 'heavenly figure', you don't know a lot." Insulting him was most likely not the wisest thing, she knew (if he was a demon, he could tear her up. If he was an angel, well, she'd probably just really angered the Father) but it was hard not to.

"What do you hope to gain by following me, anyway?"

"I don't exactly have a choice. By allowing myself to be seen, I've made a bond I cannot break. Unfortunately it was my own mistake. I'm still very new at this, and I didn't fully understand the rules I suppose. There's not a manual, it's sort of instinct, and mine isn't terribly strong. And that book was not written by the lord, but by man, repeatedly, veering quite a bit from the original scripts. Very little would still be accurate I would imagine." He rested his hands behind his head, "Although you haven't seemed to believe anything I've told you so far, I suppose I'm wasting my breath." His eyes followed the buildings around them, “I won’t sink to having to prove myself to you however. It’s bad enough I’m stuck here…”

Jin had to admit, he was terribly glad he wasn’t stuck anywhere, following this girl was growing tiresome. She wasn’t about to fall as easily as he’d hoped to, but she wasn’t making the power struggle any more entertaining. Maybe he’d just leave her and find something else to do… or torment her and put her through all hell first. Then again, messing with a man, or in this case, woman of god was risky. If he drew attention from an angel he’d have a lot more to deal with than he wanted. Technically, neither side was supposed to interfere with the mortal world.

"Yes, well....man does have a way of messing things up." She put the book back and looked up at him. "Aren't guardian angels supposed to be kind and such?" She narrowed her eyes. "This doesn't make sense. You show yourself to me and now...what, you're my pet?" This idea brought a smile to her face. "Do I get to boss you around? I normally don't like these sorts of things, but you seem like you could use a good humbling." At this point, she was quite certain he wasn't a worker of God, in which case she had nothing to lose by taunting him, save her life. But had he posed any real threat to her, she supposed God would have interferred. That was what he did. "Why did you really save me? I'm not buying your angel bit for a moment." As of yet, obviously, she hadn't connected him to the actual attack, and was merely curious as to why a demon (or whatever else he might happen to be) would randomly decide to save a human. "Which, by the way, thank you for saving me. I'm very grateful." She laughed. "Normally I'm the one doing the saving, and I must say I prefer it that way." She had forgotten the rain for the most part, but as a particularly cold breeze blew by, she shivered. "Do you have an umbrella?"

Jin's smile turned to one of amusement, "I do have a talent for bullshit." He said as his appearance returned to it's usual look. "And white really isn't my thing." He said as he adjusted the robes to some more modern clothes. "Most mortals would be stupid enough to fall for that bit, so congrats on being smarter than the average idiot. But don't thank me, I put you into that situation, and with minimal effort on my part. I should have just sat back and let them do their thing, you've got some mouth." He turned to face her, grinning broadly. "But as things have changed, there are a new set of realities. First, true to my word, you are the only one currently that can see me. Second, if you try and go against me I'll do horrible things to you before killing you. Quite dead. Third, forget what I said about not displaying that figure, because you've got one hell of a figure." For now he decided to relax, having nothing better to do for the nigh and feeling rather tired. "Being earthbound for the time being, I need a place to stay. Probably not for long, care to volunteer your home, or do I need to threaten your life to encourage you?" He looked to her, his red eyes flashing, “For now and tonight at least, I mean you no serious harm as long as you do as I say.”

She stopped, rage filling her eyes. "That was your fault?! I was terrified! I thought I was going to die! No you cannot stay in my home and I don't want your eyes looking anywhere other than my face or the scenery. Actually, don't even look at my face. Just leave before I decide an excorcism is in order!" She gave him one last glare before storming off, cursing herself. How could she have been so stupid?! A demon shows up at just that right time, claiming to be an angel...of course the incident would have had something to do with him! "I can't believe this night...all because of that kid...oh, his parents owe me big time! Oh, for goodness--" The rain had nearly doubled in strength and due to her hold up, she was still not even half way home. "All that and still no umbrella...I want a shower and some hot food, then I'm going to bed and pretending none of this happened." Mental note: stop talking to self. Soaked, angry, and just all around very uncomfortable, Carol wanted nothing more than for this night to be done, over, and forgotten.

Jin laughed, following her, "You really are stupid. I'm not the sort of creature you can be rid of." A single scaley black wing sheltered her from the wind and rain momentarily, "You didn't die, I made sure of that, and beter yet, you've probably leared not to wander around alone. You made yourself a target." He vanished from her veiw, continuing to follow her. He'd just follow her home and collapse on her couch or something, and if she bothered him, he'd shut her up.

When he vanished, she spun once, confused. "I guess he went away..." she muttered, then continued on her way.

About ten minutes later, she let herself into apartment, dripping wet. "Dear Buddha," she sighed, peeling off her coat and hanging it next to the heater. "This has been a terrible night. Lord, bless me and give me the strength to deal with these past events. And to not send that child's spirit to your holy land before schedule." As she moved through the house to her room, she removed her top layer of clothing and set them on her bed, then slipped into the bathroom to shower.

Jin followed her in, raided her kitchen, and then stepped into the bathroom, eating an apple. "Wow, I was right, one hell of a figure." He commented, making himself visible again. "This apartment would be much more welcoming to me without you, belieive me, if you want to live don't test me." He said, his nails lengthening to claws and his eyes flashing dangerously. "I told you I meant no harm, but that offer didn't appeal to you." He said, instantly much too close to her. He put his hands against the wall behind her, "Let's see your God get you out of this one."

"Please step back." Her face was flushed bright red in embarrassment and anger. "Why me?" She asked, her voice filled with quiet rage. "Why did you choose me to bother? I mean, why follow me and threaten me...What do you want from me?" She really just wanted him to go away at this point. Her eyes met his, her gaze firm. "If I give it to you, will you leave?"

"Are you sure you want to make that sort of deal with a demon? Esspecially when you don't know what it is I'm after?" He asked, finding the situation much more entertaining than sleeping in the rain. "For now, I just want a hot meal and a place to sleep for the night. Maybe a bit of company even, if you understnad. Grant me that and I'll be gone by dawn."

Her eyes narrowed and, had she not been a woman of God, it would have been downright terrifiying. "You may eat my food, and sleep on the couch. You can find your own company. Now, please," she ducked under his arm, grabbing a white towel off the rack and holding it to her chest. With her white bra and panty set adding to it, the whole thing seemed a representation of just how pure she was. "Leave so I may take a shower. Your antics tonight have left me feeling less than clean."

Jin smirked, "I can live with that, for now anyway. I want meat byt he way. Steaks maybe, and alcohol, I have had a real drink in days." With that he left the room, leaving the half eaten apple behind, as if to remind her he was still there. "And hurry up, I'd like to clean up too." He said form the hall, remembering that a mortal body needed to be cleansed differently than that of a demon.

"Wha-? I never said I would cook for you! If you want meat, you fix it! And I don't keep alcohol in the house." She grabbed the apple and with a look of disgust threw it in her trash before undressing completely, tossing the clothes into a hamper next ot the sink, and stepping in the shower. About twenty minutes later, she climbed out again, emerging from the room in a light blue, fluffy robe. She glanced around for him, then headed to the living room with a soft sigh. "This is not going to be a fun night," she muttered.

"You promised a hot meal, or maybe I should just move in for a while?" He looked up at her as she entered. "Ah, you look nice in blue." He commented, saying nothing about the busty half dressed woman that had him straddled on Carol's couch. She had told him to find his own company. Two curling horns sprouted from her temples, currently the only sign that she was anything but human. "For my guest as well please."

Carol's face turned vivid red and she slammed her hand down on the kitchen counter, making a loud bang that echoed slightly. "No!" She yelled at him, "I work for the church, not for some demon housemaid service! And I don't care who you are, you're not going to come into my home with your....sinning little...whatever friend and boss me around! You can either leave, or send her out, make your own food, and leave me alone!" With that she gave a cry of frustration and stormed back down the hall, past the bathroom, and into the last room on the left, her bedroom.
"I swear!" She complained loudly to no one. "This whole day has been a complete disaster! Just getting worse and worse--I'm about ready to go mad!" Her room was fairly simple, the walls a soft pastel purple colour with dark blue curtains in the window. A large bookcase took up the far wall, and a closet the one acrossed from it. Against the wall with the window was her bed, and across from the bed was the door, a fairly large television set, and a very extensive collection of CDs. There was one stuff rabbit on the bed, but other than that, there were no personal touches (though the hall was lined with photos of her and her parents).