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#51
Old 04-19-2014, 01:00 AM

Eddie paused, stunned, then laughed aloud. "Oh, wow, wow... I thought for a second you said you'd act as bait. As if I work with someone!" He drew his arm over his face and sighed. "Oh, human, you have no idea what you're getting into. This demon was comparible to an infant. And they aren't as numerous as you'd think. The big ones, the large ones, they're prominent. And they're hard to escape. You'll be killed in a second." He crossed his arms, face going grim again. "Now, human, you will for now be safe where you are. For the next couple days I'd say. Then you'll be put in demon crosshairs. There's one way to keep you safe but of course, you said you didn't want to move. So I'm not sure what else I could do." He shrugged, watching the man carefully. Of course letting humans go, knowingly, into danger was against Messenger laws. He wouldn't admit that, though.

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#52
Old 04-19-2014, 01:20 AM

Dylan narrowed his eyes. How unbelievable. How absolutely self-centered could one person be? The journalist crossed his arms and shifted his feet. "So you'd rather watch me walk off, live a few days more, and then die hunted down by creatures I have no way of defending myself against? Man, you're a cold-hearted bastard." Shaking his head, Dylan turned on his heels and spoke over his shoulder. "I'll haunt you when I'm dead. Just you wait." It was horrible thinking about his own end. But the thought of revenge after his demise was quite the comfort.

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#53
Old 04-19-2014, 01:29 AM

Eddie reached forward, sliding the crooked end of the cane around the man's neck and turning him around. "I've dealt with vengeful spirits. One more'll be simple. And as to cold-hearted... I'm realistic. Once you've lived over two hundred years---or, existed, as the case may be---you'll know the difference. I've given you a choice. You come with me, or you go on your merry way. I can't help who doesn't want to be helped and some pig-headed little human won't accept that he simply can't live the same life he's lived now that he's acknowledged that he can see demons and spirits. I won't let you be 'bait' because it's too damn dangerous and our laws go against putting humans in the line of fire. I work alone because I trust very few to accompany me. Now, let's simplify this."

He stepped back, taking the cane and setting it on his arm. "You turn and walk away without a second thought. You live a few more days, possibly manage to go underneath the demons' radar and live a bit longer than a few days. Or. You think about it for a bit. You decide whether you want to continue your uncertain existence and if you decide you're better off without me or my kind around, so be it. And if you decide you want to come with me---to a living arrangement that keeps my kind safe from demons and clinging spirits, I'll find you." He held out his hands as if presenting both options as a physical item. "Which is it?"

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#54
Old 04-19-2014, 01:53 AM

"Your laws are stupid, and don't take into account free will. It could bloody well work, and you know it!" Dylan rubbed his neck and winced. There was going to be a bruise forming there in a few hours, he was sure. "You must be the life of the party," said the young man sarcastically. "I mean come on man, there's more to life and this weird limbo you're living in then chasing down demons and gutting them." Now, why was he trying so hard to convince the man that his life was completely wrong? Because the journalist was pissed off.

He glanced back at the remains of the demon. It stank to the heavens and back. The thing was uglier in death then it had ever been in life. All limp and oozing as the demon was, Dylan couldn't believe no one but him and the Messenger noticed it. "I don't know if I want to go, if it means being stuck with a kill joy like you." Dylan turned his head back to the Messenger. "So you have to promise me you're gonna give me a chance. Got it?" Sure, the other man was going to have to endure him too, but the stranger wasn't the one giving up everything.

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#55
Old 04-19-2014, 02:00 AM

Eddie smirked. "I don't have to do anything. It's called free will, love. So I'll give you a damned chance, but you'd better be prepared to listen to me if I tell you to do something and it sounds even marginally important. And don't go bitching about it." He turned on his heel. "Now, are we going, or are we going to debate a little more? My life, after all, what little there is of it, keeps you and your kind alive, healthy, and safe. Just because it's all I seem to do doesn't make it meaningless."

He stalked away, making sure to take swift, long strides that most had to at least jog to keep up with. He was a few blocks away from his car, and he still had to get the bag he'd stowed off underneath a bush near that little cafe. Once he stepped out of the alley, people resumed their raised-brow glances his way. On a day like this it was rare to see even professionals dressed as carefully as he seemed to be.

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#56
Old 04-19-2014, 02:11 AM

The nerve of that man! Dylan's nostrils flared as he tried hard not to snap out again. He hated having to rely on anyone else, for anything. Now that he looked to this stranger for protection, since he had no choice, well there was no telling how things would go. Life had gone to hell. The young journalist walked briskly after the stranger, and kept glaring back at anyone who crossed his line of sight. There was nothing to be happy about.

After a while, Dylan recognized the fact that they were going back to the place they'd met. He rolled his eyes once they were in the first alley, and crossed his arms with a huff. "You don't need to be so bitchy with me either, you know." Alright, so it was a little late to say it, but the chance had slipped by quickly earlier.

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#57
Old 04-19-2014, 02:15 AM

Eddie rolled his eyes, but knew the man couldn't see. "Well, when you've dealt with this exact same personality more times than you can count, it kind of gets old after a while." He said simply. He made a 'wait' motion and went down the stairs to the bush he'd hidden his bag in, contracting the cane as if it were hollow and stuffed it in. Then he came back up and nodded the man to the black town car still parked where it was. "Besides, I'm still angry that you just had to screw up my initial assault. Next time it'd be nice if you kept your mouth shut." He went around to the passenger side door and unlocked it, pulling it open for the human. "Call me Eddie." He said evenly, passing the guy as he went around to the other side of the vehicle.

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#58
Old 04-19-2014, 02:21 AM

Now that just stuck where it hurt. Dylan fumed. The moment he was settled into the passenger seat, he whirled around to glare at the other man. "Well 'scuse me for being normal! And me, cookie cutter? I beg to differ. Come on, you don't even know me! All you've seen is the worst, and that's pretty damn hard to judge someone on, sine we're all pretty cookie cutter when we're angry, pissed off, and scared. " He leaned back against the seat. "The name's Dylan, in case you bloody well care."

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#59
Old 04-19-2014, 02:27 AM

"Now did I say you were cookie cutter? No, I just said dealing with a stubborn-arse little human is something I've done many a time." He got in and closed the door, starting up the engine. "Besides, I care enough not to want to keep calling you 'guy' or 'human'." He added, and pulled off into the street. "Consider the fact that for the past two hundred seventeen years my life has been nothing but chasing demons that can easily kill me and send me to a place worse than Hell itself. Consider that I have to watch any friend I make age and die and I can do nothing about it. Sometimes I have to lead them to that white light and say goodbye and know I'll never, ever, ever see them again no matter what I do. Consider that I had no choice in this because of the gruesome, disgusting, awful way I died. Why don't you go ahead and imagine having all that done to you. Then let me know if you'd like to deal with someone's shit." He turned a little sharply, the vehicle jostling them about.

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#60
Old 04-19-2014, 02:36 AM

Dylan snorted. "Sure, you've had a shitty time of it. But hell, why don't you consider the fact that I just got told I can't keep living the way I have, when I just started getting successful. It's taken me years! And now I'll need to give my journalism career up cause otherwise I'll get gutted by a demon in seconds. Is that pleasant? Hell no." He glanced at Eddie. "So yeah, sorry to hear about your miserable life, and mine may not compete, but it's been no picnic either." He gripped the seat and winced as the car swung about. "And taking out your frustration on me, well it won't help you a bit."

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#61
Old 04-19-2014, 02:42 AM

"It'll help me feel better." Eddie hissed. "Besides, you brought it upon yourself. I know your kind---always digging, always prodding and poking about where you shouldn't. Always wanting to know more, more, more, and then regretting it when you push too hard and something bad happens. You couldn't just leave well enough alone, you just had to follow me, you just had to acknowledge that demon and put yourself in danger and it just had to be with me, and right when I was getting in good with the Council... How am I going to be able to..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Screw it. We're better off not speaking until absolutely necessary, now shut it and let me drive, damn it." He turned onto another street, glaring stoically ahead.

This was so frustrating. Eddie had a pretty okay something-like-life, the way Messengers did with their semi-constant danger. But now Eddie had a human that could see spirits and demons. And neither sight was productive to living a normal life.

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#62
Old 04-19-2014, 02:48 AM

Dylan rolled his eyes. "How was I supposed to know following you was going to lead to this? I had no way of knowing! So if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not being careful enough." The journalist crossed his arms and looked out the window. More like glared and sulked as he stared out the glass. All his hardwork, all the times he'd put his neck on the line, all done now. His career was down the drain. Dylan felt so stupid. A wince creased his face up when he slammed his foot against the car's floor.

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#63
Old 04-19-2014, 03:01 AM

Eddie pushed down suddenly on the brake and sent Dylan forward a bit. "Cut that shit out! This thing's an original and I don't need a pissy human causin' damage! Fuckin' hell, you think I'm not careful? I don't usually look around for humans that might on the off chance get a nice little glance at what I do when I've crossed the Veil! No one should be able to see me once I've done that, y'hear? And my carefully crafted ideas and plans are burnin' up all a'cause you can't stop while you're ahead! Now shut up, damn it." He brushed his hair back in annoyance. It just wouldn't stop falling over that one eye.

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#64
Old 04-19-2014, 03:23 AM

Jerking forward, Dylan slammed his hands against the dashboard. Disheveled, and pissed off, he glanced up and glared at the other man. "You self centered bastard." If his life didn't depend on staying that car, Dylan would have stormed out. Instead, he leaned back again and settled against the seat. He crossed his arms and hit his feet hard against the floor again. It was a tantrum, thrown by a grown man of all people. Dylan knew it, but didn't stop himself. And he knew that he was acting like a brat, and like the self centered one, but he had no idea how to react.

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#65
Old 04-19-2014, 03:38 AM

Eddie growled. "Child." He spat, but said nothing more. He would have threatened to gut Dylan in a moment, but that would have left a dreadful mess in his car. He turned again, passing a few smaller, older buildings, and they drifted onto a quiet, two lane road walled by large trees. It was a peaceful type of place but he wasn't feeling at peace. He was feeling tense, and more tense as he drove. A few twists and turns hit the road from time to time, and eventually the wall of trees on either side of them opened up to what looked like a gated community. A warm sensation enveloped the vehicle and the iron gates opened up with a quiet creak, and Eddie drifted in. The quiet roads were lined by two-story Victorian-style houses, some fenced in, others with open yards. "So here's where my kind live if you can call it that." Eddie said, his words snipped.

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#66
Old 04-19-2014, 03:52 AM

There was no arguing with that. Dylan twisted his head to stare outside instead. Trees taller then any flagpole shaded the road. Between then, he could see beautiful old homes with charm and personality. They had character, the kind of thing you barely ever saw on the street. "Beautiful place, for a half-life." They were going to kill each other soon. The journalist just knew it. Stuck together for who knew how long ... Dylan didn't know what they would do, how they would come to a truce .

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#67
Old 04-19-2014, 04:09 AM

Eddie gave a snort of derision but said nothing. He turned onto a new street and halfway down, he slowed down in front of a darker home with high iron fences. He pulled up and through the open gates, rolling to a stop halfway up the driveway and shutting down the engine. "So this is my place. Hop out." He didn't wait for Dylan to do so, but grabbed his bag form the back and slid out of the vehicle. The cobblestones led up to his wraparound porch steps and he set the bag on an old rocking chair by the door as he reached into his pocket. "It's a pretty big place. Messengers are all given their choice of home when they become Messengers but they have to live there indefinitely until the Council decides it's time to move." He pushed open the door and stepped into the cool, dark entrance hall. "Might as well come in." He said behind him.

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#68
Old 04-19-2014, 04:22 AM

Belatedly, Dylan followed. It was hard not to stare. The place was not only huge, but imposing and eerily like the Addams Family home to his opinion. The journalist had a hard time imagining anyone choosing to live in such a place. Shaking his head, he hoped out of the car and jogged up the steps. "Looks lonely." It was so dreary and gloomy. Grey and dark, the home felt just like the Messenger. It echoed Eddie's cold exterior, the way he snapped and pushed and lacked any kind of trust. Definitely the last place Dylan wanted to be. He thought back to his simply decorated, warm and welcoming apartment and sighed.

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#69
Old 04-19-2014, 04:40 AM

"Lonely?" Eddie turned to Dylan with an incredulous look. "Oh no, not at all." he reached around, flipping on a light. Immediately the cool was chased from the room. The floor was deep oak wood, the staircase curved slightly. A simple iron chandelier hung from the ceiling and two archways went left and right. Left, the archway led into an expansive kitchen with deep blue tile floors and copper fixtures with intimate low-hanging light. Through toward the back, a six-person dining set sat on a warm red rug and paintings lined the wood-panel walls. To the right, where Eddie headed, a red-walled living room stretched with a large, soft seating arrangement in front of a fireplace, and above the fireplace a television hung. Bookshelves lined the wall directly to the left, and deep ebony curtains were pulled back from large windows.

"I have a lot of friends, I mean. So it's not that lonely." He shrugged, retrieving his bag from the porch and tossing it onto a chair nearby.

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#70
Old 04-19-2014, 04:54 AM

The whole home was transformed. Suddenly it became inviting, and warm. Chairs just begged to be sunk into. Light flooded each and every inch of the place, and not just any kind. It was warm like honey, smooth too. Dylan wandered along. There were antiques everywhere. Nicely carved wood furniture, elegant things, lined the way. His footsteps followed Eddie's, until he too stood in the living room. The journalist stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Right, like I was expecting that." All the other man kept talking about was how hard his job was, how difficult. He kept saying how little he trusted others. Dylan glanced at Eddie nervously. He wondered if they'd been lies, or truths.

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#71
Old 04-19-2014, 05:28 AM

Eddie shrugged. "Well when your back's against a wall who can you trust but someone that's been trustworthy before? I didn't say I had no friends. I don't have many, but I got a few. Hell, Dylan, no one can live---or exist---without even one friend. And if you say you can you're either lying or you're living a pretty crap, lonely life." He waved Dylan in. "C'mon in then. This'll be your place for a while too. Or until you figure out what you want to do." He rolled his eyes. "So take a look around. Don't open any doors that are closed upstairs, don't touch anything that looks halfway important. I'll be downstairs---come through that door and you'll find a stairwell. Go down and you'll find a door, open it if it's closed but only if I'm in there."

With that, he stalked off. He didn't care what Dylan did, if he decided to run off with something or take something, or break something. He just needed to be alone for a while, and definitely not in the presence of Dylan.

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#72
Old 04-20-2014, 01:59 AM

Dylan did as he was told. Stepping inside the house had been like waling into a whole different world. As if seeing Eddie confront a demon, tear its guts out, and then being dragged from his life hadn't been enough. Rolling his eyes, the young man plopped down on the very red couch. He flung an arm over his eyes, and listened. Hard boots struck the floor in an unmistakable way. Definitely, the other man was leaving. Well it sounded more like Eddie was running away.

What did he know about the man? Dylan ran through the list. Eddie was a Messenger. A hunter of demons, and a grouch. There was a sense of constant purpose about him, like he always needed to be doing something. He had plans and goals. There were things he just couldn't stand. Being kept from his goals was obviously one of them, something Dylan had found out about quick as anything else. Now, all Dylan needed to do was to figure out how the two of them could get along without murdering each other.

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#73
Old 04-20-2014, 02:16 AM

His basement was windowless, but large, with high ceilings and various lighting arrangements with different settings and tones. The basement was a bona fide art studio, and he spent most of his time here when he had no other way to really let go. Closed up in the basement Eddie turned the radio on, listening as a chorus of string instruments swelled into life and drowned out any noise that might exist anywhere else in the world. Going around the wood-floored room, gathering empty canvas, piling up finished paintings, Eddie made his way to the occupied easel in the corner of the room and sat on the stool, letting the careful mixing of paint colors soothe him amid the music.

This was going to be a nightmare. Dylan was human, and not only human, but he could see spirits, demons, and Messengers when they crossed over into the Veil. He had probably seen plenty of spirits, but had never paid it any mind because they looked like normal, living people. But he had probably never spoken to a spirit at any time, either. He sighed, mixing the inky tone he wanted for the moonlit forest's backdrop and resuming the half-finished work. If he could just settle down... He wasn't always such a complete ass, but he'd been frustrated, and not only frustrated but worried. Afraid that his carefully constructed world was about to crash down. Again.

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#74
Old 04-20-2014, 02:24 AM

It was hard not to jump up and start exploring through the house. The journalist gave in, but stuck to the entrance, the living room and the kitchen. The place was shockingly well stocked. Metal gleamed over an island at the center of everything. Black marble counters were smooth as could be. Warm wood just invited to be peeked into.

Finding out more about Eddie was just a tad easier to do in there. Everything was in its place. So that meant the other man was organized. He was efficient too. That had been obvious before, but they placement of things in the kitchen only brought that home.

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#75
Old 04-20-2014, 02:37 AM

It took a while for his hand to stop shaking and the paint strokes to become less frustrated. Painting was a release for him, a therapy that few others could hold up to in effectiveness. He finished the entire backdrop in just a half an hour, and finally capped the leftover paint, sitting back on the stool behind him and staring at his work. It looked messy for now, but it would eventually be cleaned up and made to look wonderful. Or he hoped it would look wonderful. Chuckling to himself, Eddie shook his head and raked his hand through his hair again.

"Aw, damn it all." Eddie puffed out a breath and shook himself out. He stood, stretched, and unbuttoned his black jacket as he left the basement room, and tossed the jacket onto a nearby chair. "Dylan? You still here?" His tone had taken a more hospitable tone. He couldn't blame the guy for being insufferably curious, after all.

 


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