{ wow. That was actually a really beautiful speech by arminos than! }

Sophia followed him towards the stairs and sat with her back against a railing, her feet up on the same stair she was sitting on, next to Arminos. She refused to look at the puddle, not only because she was scared of what she might see but also because she was more facinated by the shifts in emotion on his face than what was actually shown. His words seemed far more interesting and full of images she didn't need the visions ti see the rolling sand dunes and Egyptian pharoahs to know he was telling the truth. She crossed her arms again and frowned slightly as his words sunk in. She couldn't speak, couldn't even think. For the first time since she had met him she fully believed what he was saying, the pain in his voice and tears in his eyes were proof enough of that.

Putting one foot on te lower stair she shook her head, refusing ti snap when all she wanted to do with ht bm for being so stupid. Put of the corner of her eye she saw shivering in the puddle an image of herself, younger with long black hair instead of the shorter hair she had now, and two large black wings, dressed in a soft and bright fabric she only saw in books of goddesses and gods she read. She Kay a hand on his shoulder as she meant in and lay her bead lightly on her shoulder, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry Arminos. I didn't know." she tree her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly herself

Arminos sat speechless for a while. He'd never imagined she'd have responded so well to what he said. Emotions collided in his mind as the pain from the memories mixed with the joy of her holding him now. Unsure of what else to do, he threw his arms around her, pulling her close. He lowered his head bury it in against her neck, and, without any chance of controlling it, wept like a child, clutching her tightly against him all the while. All the sorrow and regret for the things he'd done, all the pain of watching her die before, and all the joy and ecstasy of the wonderful times they'd spent together and of finally holding her again now, came boiling out of him in one giant, crumbling, moment. After a long moment he finally released her and wiped his eyes.

"I wish I could say everything was in the past now... I wish I could say we could just move on, but it isn't over yet." He hung his head once more, one arm still around Sophia, the other resting on his knee at the elbow and supporting his head. "I'm in way over my head Illi. I don't know what more he wants of me, but I can't just stop, not without putting you at risk. But, if I keep going, I'm signing everyone else, you're friends, your new companions, maybe even all these people we don't even know... I don't know how far this is going to go. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't even know who I am anymore."

****

Over an hour had passed since the two sets of people had broken off, leaving Jason and Martin to sit in the living room. Jason paced eagerly back and forth, unable to rest as he should be doing.

"What's taking them so long... either of them. Do you think we should go check on them? I swear if he does anything to her..." his voice trailed off as he tried to think of anything he could even put on the end of that sentence. Realizing he couldn't, he leaned against the wall in a huff.

Martin watched him pace impatiently across the floor of the rather small livingroom. He'd seen his sister do the same thing when she was in one of her moods. It was nerves; it was anxiety. Not being quite so receptive as Adja, Martin continued with the cool exterior. With the ladies out of the room and no one to tell him otherwise, he lit a smoke and held it loosely between his fingers.

"You're wound pretty tight, ain't ya bro," he said casually after exhaling. He held up his package of cigarettes as an offer of something to help him calm down. While he wasn't the best host (merely out of lack of practice,) he did try his best to keep the guests he had comfortable. And pacing did not seem comfortable.

He got up and hovered around the kitchen. "I've got booze, too," he offered. "Hope you like Jack." He thought it was kind of funny that all the weird angel guys just kind of dropped the humans here in the livingroom, like they weren't also a part of this big plan. He laughed quietly, pouring a shot of whiskey for himself. This, he thought. This is how you're supposed to deal with stress. He poured a second shot for Jason, regardless of whether he wanted one or not. In Martin's world, everyone wanted whiskey.

"You gotta trust your woman," he said, handing the shot glass to him.

Jason held up his hand to pass on the cigarettes, and even hesitated for a moment on the whiskey, but eventually took the shot glass from Martin. He stared at it for a long second, not wanting to admit he was a pretty big lightweight, the raised it out toward his host to offer a pointless toast.

"To the world, and it's end as we know it, all caused by angels demon and women as far as I can see it."

Back in the study, Lixi and Adja had been studying on in silence for some time. Adja still hadn't responded to Lixi's earlier request to ask a personal question, presumably, Lixi thought, because of her deep focus on the task at hand. Being the overly curious creature that she was, she proceeded with her question anyway, hoping not to make the girl angry with her.

"You and your brother seem to watch out for each other a great deal, yet there seems to be some tension there. I can't help feeling it stems from something in the past. May I ask what happened?" She looked up from the latest book she'd been perusing and focused on the girl. They'd been at it for almost an hour now, and her eyes were starting to bother her. From her end, at least, it had been tedious and almost fruitless, yielding plenty of questions and leads, but no true results. Perhaps it was time for a break. This studying never was her strong suit.

((I must have completely skimmed over said personal question. One moment while I read back... >_____>

Oh. I see. I logged out but still had the page up and it didn't update until I went to the next page. FFF! xD))

Adja had ignored the request to ask a personal question, partially because she was in no mood to answer anything personal, and partially because she was entirely focused on the task at hand. She was looking for those key words she had mentioned, particularly the word 'crone.' Crone, crone, crone, she repeated over and over in her head. Witch, old woman, hag, crone... Rifling through her notes, she worked to find what they might be looking for, but they all seemed incomplete. Dead ends. Still, she put potential connections in a pile to the left, discarded irrellevant matters to the right. Her usual tools sat next to her: thumbtacks, a skein of string (yellow), a pen. The definite leads she tacked up on the wall, connected them with the string to follow, wrote footnotes on where to find further information. She had been following the mention of a gypsy woman, unnamed. She had been mentioned in story after story as a medium, but only briefly. Still, she could not shake the idea that she was the same person in each story.

But in her wandering amongst stories of people long gone, she had been asked a question that brought her straight back to the ground on which she stood. She had already been asked once, and ignored it. If she blew Lixi off again, she may become impatient, and now was not a time to make enemies or keep secrets. With her face to the wall still, she began to answer.

"Martin is dangerous," she began enigmatically. No, that wasn't right. Martin wasn't dangerous; the thing inside of him was. "What I mean to say is," but she hesitated. The last time she had tried to explain this to someone, they had tossed her into a padded cell. She had to stop and remind herself that, although she did sound crazy, her company would more easily understand. She took a deep breath and turned around. Start over.

"Look, it isn't any secret that I'm not normal," she said, starting again. "And I have never been. I have always been... followed. By no one, by everything. They thought I was just paranoid because of the town we lived in, but even as I learned how to defend myself I couldn't help but see only shadows behind me. They were waiting. She was waiting." She glanced up from her reverie to look at Lixi, but looked down again as if changing her decision to meet her eyes. "Finally, when I was thirteen, she got tired of waiting. Up until then it had only been little pranks: chills up the spine, goosebumps, the occasional voice. She... she tried to take my body. She wasn't prepared for me to fight back, and I did. I cast her out, but it doesn't help to cast something unless it has something to go into, or it'll just come back and try again. So... I... I threw her into my brother. He was five. I don't think he remembers."




"To the end of the world," Martin returned. He slouched down against the wall next to Jason. "Us humans are kind of getting the short end of the stick here, ain't we," he continued, knocking back the shot. Regardless of what people might have thought, he didn't really drink all that much. If anything, the only reason he kept whiskey with him was because it made a good sterilizer if he was in need of it. "I mean... we're mixed up with angels and demons and shit like that. Think about that, man. This is just another day at the office for them."

He felt a slight nudge. Someone was talking about him.

Sophia smiled softly as she looked at Arminos crumbling before her. She shook her head, "To be honest I don't care what happens to me. Tell me what happened." She put a finger to his chin and forced him to look at her, "What deal did you make? Why can't you just 'opt out' so to speak?" She tilted her head, she was sure it couldn't be any worst than some of the stuff she had seen. Images of swinging chains and wipes entered her mind and she stiffled a giggle as dirty thoughts crossed her mind.

((uh...*bites tongue to repressed overly sexual comment on sweets post*...ahem.. ur...uh yeah.... moving along. Sweets hunny do you wanna take back over voicing Jason? I feel bad talking for 3 people right now. I just kinda was trying to keep him going in your absence. I'm not god in this world :-p It's you guys too! I don't wanna crowd anyone out.))

Lixi nodded to show her understanding to Adja as she listened to her story. How terrible it must have been to have been left with that decision so young and to have been strong enough to have done as well. She though to herself that she'd been right, Adja would make a powerful ally in this. So would Martin and his passenger for that matter... at least if she could figure the thing out a little better and at least make some alliance with it for the time being. The knew knowledge only peeked her curiosity with both of them all the more. She wanted to ask Adja of how they grew up, what circumstance would have lead her to be that strong so early in life, or even if she knew where she'd picked up her 'follower' to begin with, but she could tell how little Adja cared to talk about private things, and thought it best to drop it.

"Well that makes sense then. Perhaps I should have a talk with 'her' before very long here then. Well, with Martin, but her at the same time. Don't worry, I won't tell him what you've said, the last thing I'd want is to cause any more tension due to the issue. I just need to find out if she, whatever she may be, is going to work against us in this. Last thing we need is to get up there and have her take over and push one of us off for Joel." The two went back to work in silence once more.

Lixi had somehow found herself once again staring into the dust old christian bible she'd found hidden under countless other books on a bottom shelf. It looked like it hadn't been opened in years. Truth be told she wasn't quite sure what she was looking for herself. Most of it was gross misconception that had been so poorly translated and manipulated during reproductions throughout the ages, yet she still found herself flipping through the prophesies of revelations. Maybe I can at least get a refresher on the next few stages of this. It's better than nothing. She looked up for a moment at Adja's string work, maybe she was onto something. Lixi thought it would be best to let her keep going without distracting her more.

After what felt like ages of silence, she couldn't take it anymore. The energy of the coming event was making her too antsy, she needed to do something. "Adja, do you mind if I step out and leave you to this? You seem to be on a roll, and I think I may just impede you. If you find or need anything I'll gladly come back. I may go have that talk with Martin and his brain buddy actually, if that's alright with you." She'd already begun inching towards the door, mulling over what she might say to Martin in her head. By the time she finished her sentence she already was at the door, hand resting on the knob.

*****

Arminos turned abruptly and took Sophia firmly, but carefully by the shoulders and gently turned her to look at him. His eyes were gravely serious and full of a stern passion for what he said next.

"No, Illiana no, loosing you again is NOT an option for me. Don't you get it my love? You were dead. Completely, and truly, dead. Our kind isn't supposed to be able to come back from that. We don't go on to better or worse worlds as the humans do. We just... stop. Yet he somehow kept you from disappearing. He put you back in your body, brought you back to life. He claims he can take it the life he gave you away again just as quickly. I can't risk that. I can't risk you. Besides, the worst of the deal is already over. The things he had me do to bring you back were the truly heinous part. Sacrifices had to be made... literally... But I don't care. It was worth it, it was all worth it hold you again." he wrapped his arms around her and boldly pulled her in for a long impassioned kiss. She felt so warm in his arms, which was so peculiar for her still being one of them even without the memory. The warmth of her body against his still shirtless chest was engrossing to him, intoxicating. He kissed her over and over, till finally he had to break away for fear of loosing himself into the moment.

"As to what I still owe, I'll be done with that soon. He asked me only to keep an eye on your friend in there. He has some ancient hatred for Lixi. She apparently killed his lover, or lead her to her death. I'm a little fuzzy on the details there. He said that it isn't why he's doing all this, but he wants her to suffer in it as a byproduct. I don't think he means to kill her. She's weak, powerless more or less, and has been for thousands of years from what I understand. I think if he meant to do that, he'd have done it by now. His hatred is chiefly towards the humans though. The spite he has toward this entire planet is overwhelming. I believe he intends to go around and open each of the gates to hell, this is only the first."

"I appreciate that you keep this conversation confidential," Adja said quietly. "Its hard enough to get him to believe that I do care about him; I don't think he would take this news well... or that I told someone else before I told him." With that, she solemnly turned back to her work. Though the truth was a sobering matter, it felt good to tell someone, finally, that she was responsible for her brother's spiritual state. Someone that believed her, at least. The psychologists didn't count. The nurses didn't count. Their father... didn't count. But that was the last she thought of the subject before she dove back into her work. There was no point in dwelling on things already gone when there was important research to be done.

So indulged in her task, was she, that she did not even notice when Lixi was gone. She was busy counting, threading, writing... following a path of knowledge that only she seemed to know the map to. When her compatriot left the study, the only sound she made in recognition of it was a unconscious "uh-huh" before continuing on along the yellow thread. Upon pinning a note to the wall to reference to a Celtic text by the name of Death of Crimthann son of Fidach (which in itself was a stretch, but to her merit did mention a witch) she noticed that this was not the first time that she had brought this text to her attention. Thumbtacked to the note was yet another string: a navy blue one, quite old, fraying at the end. Clearly, it had been a long time since she had thought about this path on the map, and she could not for the life of her recall what navy stood for.

She ran a finger along the string... keeping in mind where she had left off with her yellow one. She followed the name "Mongfhionn," a name she found to be as dreadful as it was hard to pronounce. A witch, as it were, who in an attempt to kill her own brother met her own end by poison herself. From that stop, the navy string continued on, stopping in 18th century France, 16th century Norway, ancient Rome, then Hellenistic Greece, Egypt. The string did not so much stop at Egypt as it did become a tangled mess; not from lack of care, but from so many connections... stemming from one name. Scribbled on that aging post-it note, in what could only be assumed the rushed chickenscratch of someone who had no time and thought little of the name, was "Haidar."

She took a step backwards, tripping over a pile of books, landing with a loud "THUD." The vibrations caused the unsteady books to topple, and she found herself buried in books. But her mind was still reeling from the journey and where it had lead her. Hiadar. Haidar Mayhir.

"Father."

As she walked back out the hallway, Lixi thought she heard Adja mumble something, but kept going. If the girl needed her, she would say so. When she got to the living room, she felt a little confused. Sophia and Arminos still had not returned from the porch, but she could here the stifled mumble of Arminos voice, and knew they were still there. At first glance she didn't see Martin or Jason either. The clink of a glass hitting the floor drew her attention to the kitchen, where she found both of them sitting on the floor with a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels. Jason had apparently had a little to much, for he now sat, head tipped back, moth hanging open, sound asleep against the wall. Lixi almost laughed as a loud snore escaped from the human.

"How much have you guys had?" She asked Martin, who had yet to look up at her, or even acknowledge her presence. She took her coat off for the first time since she'd been dropped on the roof of the church by the mysteriously vanishing demon days ago, and rolled it up. Carefully she knelt in front of Jason and pushed him over, cradling his head against her arm till he hit the floor. The coat, while no down pillow by any means, was at least a soft leather. She hoped it would make a better pillow than the floor at any rate as she slid it under his head. Martin still seemed unresponsive, so she shuffled across the floor a short distance still on her knees to square herself directly in front of him, and pulled the bottle from his hand.

"Hey. You'd better still be here with me buddy." Lixi reached out and took his cool jaw carefully in one hand and tipped his head up, forcing him to make eye contact with her. She could tell he was still breathing, and his eyes were open, but she still felt the need to make sure he was alright. "I thought you may wanna have that chat I promised earlier." After she though his eyes had at least locked onto hers long enough to know he was conscious, she withdrew her hand and sat back on her heels.

Turning her own head upwards, she took a long swig out of the bottle. Alcohol didn't have quite as much of an effect on her kind as it did the humans, but it still did a little. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do right now, but she'd already thrown caution out the window lately, why bother suppressing reckless urges now. After she'd downed probably two shots worth, she held the bottle back out to Martin. "Hope you don't mind. Your friends passed out, and I couldn't let you drink alone."

"Homeboy had like... two shots," Martin drawled incomprehensibly, with a look of superiority. "Lightweight," he scoffed. He, who had also had two shots, was superior in the sense that he was still sitting up. A goofy grin, which in his mind looked much more smooth and intentional, slid across his face. He was about to offer the bottle to Lixi when she took the initiative herself. This, he thought, is a party. Alone was the only way he really could drink. He'd been ordered strictly against drinking while on the job by his boss, and his partners never really became friends of his enough to drink when they were off-duty. Adja never touched the stuff. The Voice didn't get drunk, only murmured darkening lullabies in his head while he drifted off to dreams of power and wealth.

"You know," he said, pointing at her with the hand that held the empty shot glass delicately between his middle finger and thumb, "I always had a thing for gingers." He eyed the way her hair made its own halo in the tungsten light of his shack. The halogen bulb that lit their kitchen made the color more vibrant, but unfortunately made it glaringly obvious how dirty everything was. "'s got a nice... uh... je... jenessie...." Je ne sais quoi. "Right... right... je ne sais quoi about it... yaknow?"

Lixi smiled warmly and suppressed yet another giggle. He was drunk, but still, his flattery made her blush. The last human to have complimented her in any way had long since died of old age, if nothing else had gotten to him first. She usually didn't stay in their sight long enough for any of them to get a good look at her. She wondered where someone like Martin would have picked up that term, let alone thought to have used it to describe the undefinable still movement of the flow of a persons hair.

She suddenly became aware of how tattered her t-shirt was from the last time she'd brought forth her wings. The back of it was literally in shreds, and the wall she'd leaned back against was uncomfortably cold, even to her already cool skin. She reached out and caught the arm he'd extended toward her in both hands and stood up, tugging lightly at him to do the same.

"Come now, one drunk fellow on the floor is quite enough I think. Lets go sit and talk somewhere more comfortable than a floor. Besides, Jason is probably exhausted, best we just let him sleep." She stood still for a long moment and waited for him to make some form of movement, not wanting to drag him to his feet. Truth be told, she just wanted to find her way to the couch. Her body still ached from the recent events of the week, and the cold of the wall on her skin had left her feeling oddly chilled. Even the worn fabric of the couch surely had to be more comfortable on her exposed back than the wall.

"Ahhhh," Martin said lazily, clearly not wanting to move from his position on the floor. Though, a seat on something that wasn't a cold, hard floor was tempting. Very tempting. Slowly, he unfolded his legs, trying his hardest to find them. Using the wall as leverage, he pushed himself up, for the first time having proper enough posture to reach his full height before sinking back into his normally hunched position. His unnaturally long legs made it hard for him to walk after a few drinks; he felt as though he were on stilts and about to fall. Though, none of this would be something for him to admit, and he tried his very best to be a smooth operator.

Miraculously finding his feet (which were, surprisingly, attached to his ankles) he walked Lixi towards the couch. Oddly enough, he felt more inclined towards gentlemanly procedures when he was 'tipsy,' and thusly offered her a seat before dropping down on his own. After they had settled in, he felt so at ease that he rested his arm around the back of the dilapidated couch. It had been a long time since a woman that he wasn't related to sat on that couch. This was a moment to take advantage of. Savor.

He smiled dreamily at her for a moment, but understood just how awkward it was for someone to just be staring at someone else. "So," he said. "You wanted to talk to me 'bout somethin'?"

Lixi met martins gaze with yet another warm smile, this one filled with gentleness more so than amusement. He's drunk. She reminded herself, and blushed in embarrassment at her own reciprocation of the admiration he now looked at her with. Not 2 hours ago he looked at you with horror, like the monster you are. He's just drunk. And lonely... and human. She plucked up the bottle that he'd carried in along once more and took a quick gulp. Maybe it was the embarrassment, or the alcohol, or maybe just the mild rush she felt from being looked at so tenderly for the first time in ages, but Lixi became distinctly aware of the flush that had come to her own cheeks. Best to get to talking, try to distract herself by sussing out what was hiding behind the dark eyes that now stared at her affectionately.

"Here, I think we may as well work at killing this bottle, don't you?" She handed the bottle to Martin once more. He seemed affected enough by it already that it shouldn't take much more to render the human less than functional. She hoped this would bring forward whatever lie within, letting her speak freely to it without upsetting or even alerting Martin to it. In addition she hoped that whatever was there wouldn't look at her in quite so sweet away. She'd always been a very physical person, and that usually came out as either violence or sensuality. She'd gotten to where she knew little else of what to do. Even then she pondered nestling herself in against him and resting her head on his arm. Every movement he made was asking her to. Comforting though that may be, she knew it wouldn't help her with the tasks that lay before, instead she settled for a happy medium, and reached to lay a hand on his arm, in almost the same manor she had earlier when her icy touch had terrified him. "Martin, why were you so frightened of me earlier? I know it wasn't just that I'd drawn a hand to strike you. What was it that bothered you so?"

----------

((D'aww :-) Martin's got lixi being sappy))

He gladly took a swig, seeing as the bottle was his anyway and as long as she was offering him his own booze it would have been stupid not to oblige. At this moment, he was feeling warm, happy, and about to doze off. He wasn't fighting to stay awake, and would welcome sleep when it took him. But she had asked a question and he was in no state to ignore the request of a lady. He laughed at her formal way of speaking; like she had stepped out of a book written centuries ago. "'Drawn a hand to strike me,'" he quoted, chuckling. "Man, you sure are somethin'" He took a breath, letting the laughter fade, coming down to the real issue. Why had he been so afraid? He looked at her, staring at her for a long time, keeping his eyes from going cross or staring at his giant hooked nose.

"You're kinda a scary person, Lixi," he began. "When you were asleep, you looked dead. I could feel could cold your skin was, and I wasn't even touchin' you. Your face lost color, even your hair started fading. And then, just suddenly coming back to life like that... and your eyes all black and shit... its not something I was expectin'." He stopped. That was a reason, yes. But it wasn't the reason. "You're stronger than any chick I've ever met, and it ain't that you're physically strong. Like... you coulda hit me, and it woulda been just like anyone else hittin' me. But comin' from you, it ain't the force behind it. Its the reason. You weren't lookin' at me when you woke up. You were... you were off somewhere else. I seen that happen before with my sister and it scares me when she does it, too." His voice cracked in an unplanned moment of candidness, and he began to say something else... but found that he didn't have anything to say. Instead, he took a swig from the bottle in hopes that it would help him forget the memories of the night terrors.

Be happy, man. There's a girl on your couch, and she's actually talking to you. She's showing an interest. Don't fuck it up with your stupid sob story.

Don't be a fool, the Voice rose again, somewhat nervous. She's an angel. Only thing she feels for you and your people is pity. Its all an act. She'd never been this close to something divine before, and it scared her. Martin could feel a nervous tension in his gut, despite the whiskey. What would happen if they spent too much time... this close? She'd already established that her presence had been known, but she didn't know what she could do about it. But between the angels and Martin's witchy sister, the company now had her more than a little anxious.

((I was about to retort with "its okay, they're all human" and then I realized that that was a lie... xD))

She watch observently as the drunk man wavered from comfortable to anxious. The thing within gave off a presence that was like silent static to Lixi's perception. It clouded over him like waves of white snow on a tv with weak signal. Whatever it was, it wasn't about to willingly show itself without martin presant. She needed to do something.

She watched as he took another drink, then turned to get one knee uner her on the couch. Martin was tall enough that she'd have been eye height wwith his neck that close up, and she needed more mental leverage than she could get without eye contact. She took another swig of the bottle, but held the burning liquid in her mouth this time and gestured for martin to have more. If she was lucky, he'd settle and take one last drink. Judging from his fading alertness already, she hoped the final sip would be enough to put him under. If not, she had a plan, though she hoped not to have to use it.

Her silence concerned him, but he read it as understanding rather than pity. The offer of more booze seemed to seal that idea firmly in his mind, and once again he took the offer, draining the bottle. The motions she was making were leaving him speechless, and between the whiskey and the thought that she might actually be flirting with him, his pale face was beginning to turn pink. The lingering anxiety dissolved, overpowered by this feeling of comfort. His breathing deepened, and he felt himself sink into sleep... welcomed it. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was the bright hue of her hair.

((short post. xD))

A quick gulp downed the liquor she'd held in her mouth once she knew for sure martin wouldn't need to be forced into drinking himself to sleep. Lixi watched for a few long minutes as his breathing settled, then leaned forward to whisper quietly in his ear.

"You can come out now. I know you're there." All embarassment or shy softness was gone from her voice. The whisper, while it may have appeared to be sensual, was ment only to test the thing withins bounds. A cold confidence behind her voice chased away any of the remaining flush to her visage. "Its alright. For his sake i'd not confront you now, I wish only to talk. Besides, you've given me no reason for quarrel. I simply wish to know who I'm in the company of as best I can. Then, when we part ways, I may even be able to help you better cohabitate with your human, who knows, possibly even smooth things between you and the other sibling too."

With this, Lixi leaned back to a more relaxed position, and waited to see if the thing could or would respond.

((Its ok :-) sometimes short postes and more exchanged dialog are better in the grand scheme of things for info exchane))

Martin didn't move, but for breathing. In fact, there was no indication at all that what Lixi had said made its way through to Voice. She stay silent for awhile, knowing full well that her presence was already known, yet still hesitant to do anything that might compromise her position. She had the feeling that she wouldn't hurt her host; she seemed the kind of person with that sort of weakness. But there were far less things that could happen other than pain. Far worse.

"If you're expecting a big show of things, you'll be sorely disappointed, I'm afraid," said Martin. No, not Martin. It was the same voice, true. Still the deep, scratchy voice of a man who smoked a pack a day. But even so, it was not the same person as a few moments before; the vocabulary had changed, and it spoke with a lyrical quality. Still no movement aside from his lips, and yet the difference was more than audible: it could be felt through the air.

"Ah, the Angel wishes to create peace in a man whose very existence reeks of corruption. How droll. How expected. I already have this street urchin's cooperation, though he hardly knows me. The dolt thinks it normal to have a voice in your head that is smarter than you. Not hard, I suppose. Any voice in this one's head would be smarter than him. So your offer for cohabitation will go quite unheard." She paused, a small smile forming on Martin's face as she thought about his sister. "Now... Adja... there's a gem. Such a pity what happened to her, I say..."

Cocky... very cocky. Lixi half smirked as the voice spoke, though it felt more like a snear from within. "No. Do not mistake my intentions for trying to create anything within anyone. I simply mean for them to live. I'm not here to interfere with whatever it is you're trying to do. Facilitating your assimilation with your host was simply my chip to barter with. Call it my attempted at a peace offering to you. I don't know what you are, and I don't really care. I'm fairly confident that this one will fallow me to what's coming, I just want to know that you won't be the one pushing me off the building when I get there."

She thought long and hard about her next statement, for dealing with spirits, especially those who needed or chose to use possession as the means to their purpose, was always a tricky thing. She caught herself looking kindly at the face of the spirits host for a moment, distracting her from the matter of the spirit within. He was by no means a male model, and it was evident by his appearance that life had not been gentle with him. His crooked nose gave him the look of a scrapper, and the general rough demeanor would be enough to push most people away, but there was something more there, something Lixi couldn't put her finger on, that was somehow comforting, endearing.

"There is no need to be hostel, is there?" She finally said, pulling herself back to the creature she was dealing with. "I'd rather not have to upset Martin by fluttering about and trying to tell him he's got something more than his intuition guiding him, just as I'm sure you rather I not do so either. Also, I'm certain you probably know more about me and my kind than I'd care to have him know. While I may never be able to fully extract you, or even convince him to fight you, surely you know I could make life difficult. All in all, what I'm getting at is, we could either make life needlessly frustrating for one another, or we can agree to be civil to each other. I'm not even asking you to help me. I'm just asking you not to hinder me, or work against me, and I'll do what I can to assist you should you want or feel so inclined to ask for it."

She wanted to ask the thing what it meant by what happened to Adja. The question burned in the back of her mind and played at the tip of her tongue. The warning bell that went off in her head now though was the same one that went off so many years ago when the stranger first entered there midst in heaven and began spreading discontent and rebellion in the ranks of the angels. This thing sought to bate her into hearing something that may have been formulated only for it's own purposes, and Lixi wasn't quite sure she was willing to hear it just yet.

"Oh, I see," the Voice replied, feeling quite superior. Though, it was safe to assume that feeling superior was a constant state. Living inside Martin's head from prepubescence on up generally gave one a jaded feeling of other people's intelligence. Sort of like being a big fish in a rather cramped pond. If only her original host hadn't been so damn clever. But no sense in quarreling over the past when there were bigger things at hand. "Helping the poor soul out for entirely selfish reasons. No wonder you're down here and the rest of your lot are up there." She smiled. "But its for the best, I suppose. This 'Heaven' of yours is just as corrupt as the world it governs. Why anyone would want to be so close to that bigoted 'God' of yours is beyond me." Though Martin's eyes were closed, it was clear that his eyes would be rolling at the word 'God.' "But that's inconsequential, now isn't it? Don't worry. I won't tell him anything he doesn't need to know. The fool has been in the dark for so long that even if you tell him outright what's going on it takes a brick to the forehead for it to settle in." Though, she would never suggest an actual brick. What she didn't want them knowing was that despite the body not being hers... she still felt his pain. A physical body was useful for some things, but there were so many drawbacks. "On that subject, try not to beat around the bush with him. He's used to direct orders."

Lixi couldn't help but laugh a deep cynical laugh, the spite she suppressed slowly seeming out into it. "God? Ha, only a handful of the loyalist up there have ever even been close enough to feel his presence. For all I now he may not even be up there anymore. He may have left just like all the gods of the ancient world have. Hell, for all I know, we're all alone in this anyway. So tell me, is it really so shocking that I'd be a little selfish all in all?" She thought about what she said, a slight pain of guilt stabbing through her. She hadn't meant it, and she knew it. Part of her told her she should, that she shouldn't care what happened to any of these people...

...yet she did.

Her mind mulled over what the spirit within the boy in front of her had said about him. Life must have been far from fair for Martin and his sister, even without this thing tagging along. And oh how this thing must treat him. It was bad enough being from a place where people who were barely your superior looked down on you as trash, how much worse would it be to have that malevolent spite living within you.

"Do not mistake this affection as being towards you." She grumbled to the spirit within as she allowed her body to relax against the back of the couch and brought her head to rest on the arm Martin still had draped over it. "As for ordering him around, orders aren't really my style. I suppose he'll just have to get used to being gently asked by me at least." She reached forward the gently touched the human's cheek, sympathy in her eyes, but not pity. I'm sorry Martin... I'm sorry for all that's befallen you, and for what's to come. she whispered into his mind, hoping that he would hear at least that past the creature he carried. "So, what should I call you? Don't worry, I'm not asking for your true name, not that you'd give it to me, just A name. Something I can say that you'll understand is me directing a thought to you. Something subtle. I'd just prefer to be able to differentiate between the two of you if you don't mind."

Lixi new she was still exhausted, sleep was close for her as well, though there was little time for it. A gate to hell was opening not 20 miles away. Knowing Joel, he'd already be halfway through the next seal by now. They had 2, maybe 3 days at best to stop him, but for now, the worst of it would have subsided. The city would be in chaos from the zombies, but, at least that would draw them all to its center, and away from the small house they now sought refuge in. Perhaps now would be the most ideal time to sleep.

Sophia was still outside with Arminos, perhaps once she was done talking with this thing she'd ask Sophia to keep watch, and wake her if anything happened. Adja would surely come get her if she found anything. Then, they could switch off in a few hours. Adja and Sophia could rest, she would stand watch and study anything Adja gave her to look through. Maybe Jason would even be awake by then. She was fairly certain he still had his cell phone, maybe he could even get through to someone in he and Sophia's network for some leads, or at least some back up with the Zombies.

Yes, that sounded like a good plan. She'd go talk to Sophia and Adja to clear it with them when she was done here, and she'd ask Adja for a blanket for Jason, and a pillow, that way she could reclaim her trusted coat. She'd had that leather trench for over a decade now. Then she, and her coat, which would serve as her own blanket, would come back here, and fall asleep. Perhaps I'll use Martin as a pillow. She smiled as she mused over the thought, wishing teh creature would answer her sooner rather than later so she could excuse herself from it's presence.

The Voice smiled a sly smile. You think the Ancients have all left, she thought, but did not dare speak it all out loud. Best not to reveal everything at once, particularly if the angel didn't give her the same courtesy. No matter; all in due time. A time drawing nearer by the second. They are merely sleeping.

Name. Name... It had been a long time since anyone had asked her about a name, rather than just assigning one to her. She'd been given the courtesy to offer a pseudonym, thankfully. What was a name that was fitting, but not revealing. Martin had always called her 'Voice,' but that hardly fit. She was much more than just a voice. "Vulture," she decided upon finally. "You can call me Vulture."

The comforting movement jarred Vulture and she could feel a blush rising in Martin's cheeks, though he was quite asleep. She could sense that he was resurfacing and thought it best not to push her luck tonight, though she was quite tempted to take advantage of Lixi's drunkenness and act upon the resentment she held towards Lixi's kind. But instead she let it go. Now was not a time to do something that she might regret, and Lixi at least seemed somewhat useful. And so, she released control; signified only by the soft sound of snoring from Martin's enormous nose.



Meanwhile, Adja continued her research. What was it that she needed to look up? Cthulhu Mythos? As silly as it seemed, she started on the pile of books that Lixi had left and dove into a the Lovecraftian world of tentacled gods and insanity: the latter she knew all too well. She felt like a fool, reading these in seriousness. Everyone knew that these books were fiction and the only reason she even kept them is because they were something to laugh about, though she did find solace, perhaps, in that she wasn't the craziest person in the world.

But she couldn't concentrate. Father.... This connection that she had made, she didn't quite understand it. This forgotten navy string...how long had it been there, waiting for her to lead back to it? What was she looking for in past sessions that would cause this incestuous set of interconnections? Had she blacked out once during a study fever?

She looked up from her mound of books, staring lost at the potted plants which lined the map to her mind across the wall, as if they would offer her a pat on the shoulder and tell her that it was alright. She couldn't continue reading this nonsense about great gods and The Nameless City. She looked down at the open page in futility, about ready to scrap it and look for something else, when she noticed that one of the pages had a bookmark in it. She froze. She didn't use bookmarks; she made notes and tacked them to the wall. Making a note of where she stopped in her research, she turned to the page.

It did not take long for her to find what she was looking for: it had been underlined.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die."

It was attributed to Abdul Alhazred, The Mad Arab.

This book had belonged to her father. She felt lightheaded. What was her father doing, researching the Mad Arab? The more she learned, the less she knew. Before the thought could get lost, she wrote the name, the passage, and where she found it, and tacked it to the wall, next to her father's name. She twisted both the yellow and navy string together, and wrapped them around the tack. Taking a deep breath, she stood back and viewed the web. She felt dizzy. Perhaps she should sleep on it; all of this at once was too much to process.

Glancing back at the bookmark once more, as if it contained a spirit itself, she exited the study, locking the door out of habit.

"Vulture. Got it." Lixi muttered in response to the creatures name. The snore escaping from Martin was clear enough a signal to Lixi that the conversation was over, but she didn't mind, she'd nothing more to ask of Vulture for that night at least. Temptation washed over her to use one of the few remaining angelic powers she had to peek into Martins dreams, try to see what he thought of, perhaps even try to clue him in to the presence of the thing while he was in the dream world within his mind. The parasite within him should have no control of him there, as that which possesses rarely has the ability to enter the dreams of the subconscious. Lixi was simply to tired tonight however. "Sleep well human." She whispered instead, and kissed the large nosed mans forehead, silently praying restful protection and peace into his dreams.

The half helled stood lazily to fumble back the hall. From the kitchen, Jason's loud snores let her know he was still sleeping soundly, and Arminos boisterous voice cold still be heard coming from the back porch in a muffled drone. No sooner had she begun her journey then she heard Adja coming out the study door. She watched as the girl looked the study behind her, but began speaking quickly after so as to avoid alarming her. "I was just coming to speak with you Adja. Have you found something?"

Adja froze, despite Lixi's attempts to avoid startling her. Right now, just about anything could make her jump. It was like she was seeing ghosts again, hearing voices; little pinpricks in the back of her neck. Her normally dark face had lost most of its color, looking much like a ghost herself. Her eyes glazed over, like she was off somewhere else. She may be out in the hallway, but her mind was still in the study, daring to touch the embroidered bookmark of a man long gone as if it would bring him back. Though she had told herself that it would be best to sleep on it and let it mull over, the futility of it was beginning to settle: there would be very little sleep tonight, no matter how hard she tried.

]And with strange aeons even death may die.

She leaned against the wall and buried her face in her hands, pulling them across her hairline as if that would bring her back to Earth. "How much do you know about Lovecraft," she began, not looking at her. She hated looking at people when she was talking about the supernatural. It didn't matter that Lixi used to be an angel, or that they were fleeing from zombies. Things that were fiction ought to stay fiction.

Truth be told, it wasn't about the end of the world anymore. Her father was more important to her now, and something in this passage linked him to these "strange aeons." Her mind was flooded with memories of herself as a child; none of them useful. She needed to sleep; to rest her brain and filter out the substance from the fluff.

"Lovecraft?" The hair on the back of Lixi's neck bristled a little at the name. "I know of him... nastey stuff in that mans head. Not a bit of it false either. Not even my kind were ever meant to know the things he saw. It was said that he had a parasite spirit living...in him... shit." Something clicked in Lixi's mind. No, there was no way... why would it it resurface again in someone like martin. But then again, it hadn't picked martin, it had picked Adja... and she, she was right up there with lovecraft on the crazy smarts level. Lixi began to wonder if anything could ever just be a simple coincidence in life.

The girl infront of lixi looked anout like she was ready to drop, so maybe this was a discussion best left for another day. "Adja, you look exhuasted. You should rest too. I was actually just coming to look for you to ask you for a pillow and blanket for Jason. He's sleeping on the floor, and your brother is asleep on the couch, so I figured it best to ask you. I'll ask sophia and arminos to keep watch so we can all get some rest. Something tells me they won't be sleeping any time soon.