Scotch and Soda, Mud in your Eye [OPEN]

[Jophiel]

[joph]"I don't think it's a good idea." It wasn't exactly cheating. Not quite. And okay, it mostly wasn't cheating because Jophiel doubted it would ever occur to the Host to forbid it. Given the choice, the brass didn't like dealing with humans directly, or if they did they preferred to do the whole 'descend on a beam of coruscating radiance' thing, not sit down over a couple of drinks and try to talk them around.

He laid his hand on the back of the woman's wrist, subtly reinforcing the point he was trying to make. "You committed to testify and if you change your mind now everything you're trying to accomplish is going to fall apart. You reported the company because you think what they're doing is wrong, and it sounds to me like you still think that. I know the thought of going to court is scary, but you're already committed, if you don't follow through it was all for nothing. Besides," he added practically enough, "if you back out now the federal prosecutors or whoever it is are probably are going to try to lean on you to change your mind. You'll lose any of the protection they gave you and your family."

The woman he was talking to was named Cindy Regal and she'd once been an accounting assistant for a clothing company that made billions by paying Chinese workers as young as nine years old eighty-seven cents an hour to stitch together jeans that would sell for ninety bucks back in the States. This practice was not, in fact, illegal. What was illegal was the four hundred million dollars it had netted from its 'outsourcing' and then tried to hide from the tax men.

Cindy nodded with her lank ash blonde hair falling in her face. She was a heavyset woman in her mid-thirties, divorced with three kids and a bad haircut and her feet puffed with swelling above the high heels she'd put on tonight to try and cheer herself up by going out drinking and dancing. Instead she'd found herself sitting at a table in the darkest corner of the bar sharing a pitcher of margaritas with what she assumed was a nice gay boy passing through town but was in fact an angelic warrior whose entire purpose in this moment was to protect her from what the company's 'independent contractors' would do to her in four months if she backed out of testifying.

"I know you're right," she murmured into the slushy remains of her margarita. "I'm just afraid. I'm so scared I'm being stupid, I can't believe I came out the night before the trial starts. I can't believe I told you about all of this."

Jophiel patted her wrist, knowing good and well that his touch had a tendency to make humans feel safe. "It's okay. I'm not going to talk to anybody. This is just nerves. I think you already know you're going to testify, you're just...having cold feet."

Cindy nodded again, and this time she looked more sure about it. "I am. How could I ever look my kids in the face if I backed out now? How could I ever teach them to be good people?"

"You're going to be fine." The angel sounded very sure of it, for good reasons. "Everything's going to work out for you. This will be scary, and hard, and when it's done you'll be able to hold your head up high."

The ex-accountant reached over and hugged Jophiel, just a burst of enthusiasm from a tipsy woman who maybe needed a little human contact. She would never understand, nor should she, what it did to the angel to be able to wrap his arms around her for a few heartbeats. To shelter her physically inside the near-indestructible meat of his vessel, to know that for the nine seconds that the embrace lasted his charge was wholly and completely safe because of him. She was so lovely to him, frumpy hair and faded makeup and the soft droop of incipient jowls along her jaw. All humans were painfully beautiful to Jophiel, but Cindy even more so because she was his charge. His responsibility, his focus, the center of his universe for the time they spent together.

When the hug broke Jophiel would have been breathless if it were possible for him. As it wasn't, he just smiled and nodded when Cindy said, "I should get home. Sober up, get a decent night's sleep before tomorrow."

Patting her shoulder both to extend the moment of contact and to add that slight push of safe, the angel asked, "You want me to walk you to the taxi stand?" West Chester didn't have a big nightclub district, but there was a row of bars sufficient to rate a particular street corner where the taxis congregated.

"I'm fine," she promised. "I'm good. Thanks, Joseph. It was really nice talking to you tonight."

"I'm so glad to have met you tonight," Jophiel said, nothing but honest about that.

He watched her make her way out of the bar, and gave her a couple of minutes head start before he headed out himself. The second he was out in the cool, wet night air he lit a cigarette. The smoke tasted perfect, dark and bitter and clearing the acid sweetness of the margaritas off his tongue. He leaned against the low brick wall that divided the bar's parking lot from the lot of the sew'n'vac next door and savored his smoke, a tiny piece of his attention staying on Cindy as she made her way to her taxi but mostly he was just enjoying his cigarette and listening to the night.

Which made it all the more surprising when he sensed someone walking up on him who was distinctly not an average Buckeye barfly. His head snapped up and he scanned the dim parking lot, trying to spot the source of that feeling of not-normal. When he saw it, he didn't relax. "What are you doing here?[/joph]

[gemini]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://tinyurl.com/c3fawm8) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #000000; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable] [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Location: Buckeye Bar Leaving Chance back at the hotel was probably the hardest thing Ellie had done all day. And considering she’d spent the entire day stalking a potential monster, that was certainly saying something. But she knew that there wasn’t a bar in town that would allow her to bring the wolfdog indoors. He would have had a blast, though. The dog was always excited to meet new people, even if they were in the midst of drinking themselves under the table. She sat in the parking lot, leaving the truck idling. Alcohol was definitely not one of her favorite things, and she wasn’t even sure if she really wanted to following morning with the hangover she’d no doubt have. But the day she’d had... Yup. She needed a few drinks. The truck sounded more like an animal growling as the engine died than a vehicle. She knew there was something wrong with it, but she was too damn lazy to take it to a mechanic. Besides, if she could borrow a garage and a jack, she could fix the stupid problem herself. The problem was simply getting the money, time, and desire to do so. Not to mention the willing person to lend her a garage and a jack. She didn’t meet many of those. The parking lot was dim, likely due to the single light being dead. Oh, look at that, she mused as it flickered pathetically. There wasn’t enough juice in the bulb to keep it fully operational. I’ve never taken apart a street lamp before... Her tinkering nature took over, and she stood staring at the light for a few moments. If it was electronic, there was a high chance she’d taken it apart before. She enjoyed knowing how things worked. With a heavy sigh, Ellie shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and began trekking towards the bar once again. She was simply postponing the drinking aspect of her evening. Past experience told her that she was a lousy drunk. Three shots of tequila and she was up on stage taking off her clothes. She shuddered at the memory, bringing her shoulders up to her ears as she glanced around. No. She would sit at the bar, tell the bartender to cut her off the moment she started telling him personal stories. She did not want to make a total fool of herself. Just before she got to the front door, someone asked her a question. She froze, keeping her eyes on the ground. Whenever she was asked that question—especially in that tone—she usually looked up to find herself looking into the barrel of a gun. She lifted her eyes hesitantly, frowning when she took in the man’s appearance. He wasn’t anybody she recognized. So maybe..? She looked over her shoulder. No doubt he was referring to someone else, someone behind her. Yet, nobody was there. She turned back, more puzzled than before. Was he drunk? Should she answer his question? She scoffed slightly, shaking her head. “Yeah right,” she muttered to herself. If he was drunk, it would be far easier to simply ignore his question. Should he decide to get angry with her, she’d just have to rough him up a bit. He may be bigger than she was, but she had a six-inch blade in her pocket that said she’d win that fight. ooc: Urgh... That could have been so much better... [/style]

[Jophiel]

[joph]Jophiel scowled and flicked imaginary ash off his imaginary cigarette. "You're not supposed to be anywhere near here. You're meant to be in Florida so that you can deal with that Black Annis." His eyes narrowed. "Didn't you see the news story about the skinned lambs in Clay County?"

He seemed genuinely offended, or maybe concerned as he studied her. The streetlight flickered again and he flicked his hand toward it irritably. The light came on, clear and bright despite the broken glass globe and the slight bend at the base of the pole where somebody had slammed a car into it.

In the clearer, though sharply angled, light, Jophiel looked more than a little out of place in this rural Ohio bar. Tall and slim, with that arty tattoo on his arm and dressed in a vest over a wifebeater, with that fancy hair and shiny shoes, he looked like a gay hustler, not a guy who should be hanging out in a 'kicker bar smoking a cigarette.

Yet he occupied his space with perfect confidence, like no one would ever hassle him or give him a hard time. And he stared at Eleanor like a chiding teacher, disappointed by her choices. "You need to get your ass to Florida. Right now. If you don't hurry, the wrong people are going to die."[/joph]

[gemini]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://tinyurl.com/c3fawm8) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #000000; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable] [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Location: Buckeye Bar As Ellie made her way towards the man—no, towards the bar—she tightened her grip on the knife in her pocket. She wouldn’t use it unless she felt threatened. Not that some silly civilian could truly threaten her. But a drunk civilian? They were almost as dangerous as some of the monsters she hunted on a regular basis. Almost. When he spoke up again, Ellie came to a standstill. She turned her gaze to his slowly. There was only one person she’d ever spoken to that would know that she was supposed to be in Florida. He had been the one to send her there in the first place. If it really was him... The sudden burst of light caused Ellie to wince, shielding her eyes for a moment. That light had been damaged beyond repair. It was not possible for it to suddenly glow like that. Unless... She got a good look at the man before her. There wasn’t a single thing about him that she could recognize, other than the power to turn on that broken light. Only one person, one entity, could possibly pull such a thing off. With a scowl, Ellie gave him her full attention, crossing her arms across her chest. “Jophiel. Why am I not surprised?” On a normal basis, Ellie would have never gotten herself mixed up with an angel. For one, she still wasn’t too sure he actually was an angel. It was true that he had more power than any creature she’d ever encountered, and he couldn’t be killed with any weapon she possessed (she’d tried her entire arsenal and it hardly fazed him), but he could just be some high ranking demon or something. It was easier to believe that than in angels. The angel was clearly enraged by her appearance at the lowly bar, and, she supposed, he had the right to be. He’d given her an assignment and she’d completely blown it off. Or, rather, put it on the back burner for the time being. Going to Florida meant she’d have to blend in with the crowd. That meant wearing far less than what she was comfortable in. Putting that off until the very last possible moment was back to bite her in the ass. “Oh yes. I should simply put my entire life on hold just to do as you ask.” Sarcasm dripped from her every word. She rolled her eyes, shoving her hands in her pockets once again as she stood her ground. “I have a lead here on a shapeshifter. Don’t you think that’s more important than a Black Annis?” She knew full well that a Black Annis was far more dangerous than a shapeshifter, especially seeing as the evidence she'd collected wasn’t entirely solid. But her pride and stubbornness was showing once again, and she refused to back down in front of this so-called angel. ooc: Oh Em Gee! -has nothing better to put here- [/style]

[Jophiel]

[joph]He gave her a flat, disbelieving look. "Really? A shapeshifter? Forget that the Annis skins and eats children, let's chase up to the midwest after a shapeshifter who might possibly be committing bank fraud or something."

A disgusted shake of the head. "Really, Ellie, I thought you had some kind of sense. Even if you weren't willing to trust my judgment, me being an ancient and ineffable servant of the Powers of Good and thus clearly not as wise as a twenty-four year old hunter with two-thirds of a high school education and a truck full of weapons and dog hair, your supposed native common sense should have understood the priorities."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do expect you to put driving around randomly, eating Snickers bars and staring at pictures of feet on the internet on hold for a few days when I come to you with a heavenly dictum regarding, you know, an evil monster that if left on its current course will cause the death of thirty-four children before it's finally put down. But if you're all that worried about a shapeshifter kiting checks or stealing the quarters out of Kotex machines, go get back in your truck and I'll teleport your stubborn ass down to Florida, then bring you back once you've done your goddamned job." He glared at her, and it really had to be admitted that for an angel? Jophiel had a really good glare.[/joph]

[gemini]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://tinyurl.com/c3fawm8) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #000000; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable] [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Location: Buckeye Bar The glib remark that left the angel’s lips caused Ellie to frown. She should have known he would call her bluff, especially with sarcasm, but the fact that he had was irritating. And when he began insulting her, she grew downright pissed. “I do have sense, thank you very much!” Her shout echoed slightly in the empty lot, and she glanced around to make sure nobody was around. Talking about shapeshifters and Black Annis’ would likely get them both landed in the loony bin. And seeing as Ellie didn’t have the ability to disappear in the blink of an eye, she knew she was the only one who needed to worry of such things. Once certain nobody was paying them mind, she glared darkly at Jophiel. “Don’t make this all about you, Cupid,” she growled. “I don’t trust anybody, let alone someone claiming to be a messenger of God.” She let out a curt laugh, shaking her head. No matter how many times she heard or said it, the whole concept of ‘God’ was humorous. She had stopped believing in God around the same time she learned the tooth fairy and Santa Claus were imaginary. So why not God too? “And for your information, I vacuumed all of the dog hair out of my truck. So ha!” The angel continued with his chiding, calling her out on both her sugar habit and her foot fetish. She let out a cry of annoyance as her face turned red. “I do not look at feet on the internet!” It was the truth. Just because she liked looking at feet didn’t mean she Googled pictures of them. That was just plain weird. Jophiel went on, throwing statistics in her face. Thirty-four children. That was far more victims than this potential shapeshifter had taken. Far more. Defeated, Ellie threw her hands in the air. She’d never admit that his glare was the finalizing piece of the deal. He had one terrifying glare. “Alright, alright, you can shut up now. I’ll be a good little girl and do as God desires.” She pointed a threatening finger at him—though she doubted he found it all that threatening—and glared at him. “You had best bring Chance along for the ride. I’m not chasing after a Black anything without my dog.” Content with her threat, she shoved her hands into her pockets. “And would it kill you to fix up the truck while you’re at it?” ooc: She's being...obedient... [/style]

[Jophiel]

[joph]He gave her a flat look. "You feel the need to be bribed to save kindergarteners from being skinned alive? Sure, why not?"

Jophiel shoved up off the wall he was leaning against and started walking across the lot toward Ellie's truck. When they were about halfway there, Chance appeared in the front seat, barking furiously at the indignity of being teleported and sitting on top of Ellie's neatly-packed luggage.

"Am I coming with you to make sure you don't get distracted by litterers and jaywalkers or have you got this?" He was being a bit harsh and he knew it but that Annis was a serious problem and he was afraid that he'd made a mistake going to Ellie for it. It was rare that swapping favors with hunters backfired on him, but when it happened it was always disastrous. Some of them were capable of digging their heels in so deep that they'd let themselves die rather than face a truth they didn't like. The name 'Winchester' sorta leapt to mind there, Jophiel was fantastically grateful that that particular family was no part of his assignment list.

Realizing that he was being too hard on Ellie had him gentling his voice a little to say, "Call my name if you need me. I'll hear. It's like being Superman without the cape and pecs."[/joph]

[gemini]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: url(http://tinyurl.com/c3fawm8) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #000000; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable] [style=padding: 0px 10px; font-size: smaller;] Location: Buckeye Bar The attitude of this angel was far too similar to that of Ellie’s. It was the main reason they butted heads in moments like this. He knew what was right and she was too damn stubborn to admit that she knew it was right as well. She was usually argumentative just to be a pain in the ass. But she couldn’t say much if he just went along with it. She frowned slightly at his bribery comment, and merely shrugged in response. If she received nothing from doing his dirty work, then there wasn’t much point, was there? Sure, saving a bunch of little kids was always a bonus, but knowing that the angel had sent her there was kind of like he was pimping her out. Ya know. Minus the sex. Jophiel joined her as she walked towards her car, and by the time they reached it, Chancellor was inside, barking like crazy. Ellie rolled her eyes and yanked open the door, letting the wolfdog free of the confining cab. He leapt from the seat, shaking himself off before he raced towards Jophiel. Yet another thing Ellie couldn’t stand about the so-called angel. Her dog absolutely loved him. It must have been the whole ‘divine savior’ thing she assumed angels had. After allowing Chance the attempt to lick Jophiel’s face—which she refused to scold him for—she grabbed the dog’s collar, restraining him with some difficulty while he tried to break free. When the angel spoke up again, with lip no doubt, Ellie scoffed and released her hold on Chance’s collar. The dog sprang forward, once again attempting to lick the angel to death. “Believe it or not, I don’t need a babysitter.” She crossed her arms, smirking as she watched her dog bounce around the angel. “I promise to behave and hunt down the Black Annis, and I won’t return until I’ve got the thing’s head on a pike or something, alright?” Ellie popped an eyebrow when Jophiel spoke in a much more gentle tone. She reached out and grabbed Chance once again, shaking her head as she shoved the dog forcefully into the cab. “Warm and fuzzy looks really disgusting on you, Joph.” She turned to him with a smirk. “I’d much rather you scream and bitch at me for being a pain in your ass. Much more your style.” She took the keys to the truck out of her pocket, walking around to the driver’s side. “I assume you’re going to want to fly there, Superman? Or are you going to trust my promise and let go of my leash?” She actually wouldn’t have minded his company. Even if he wasn’t technically human, having a companion to talk to would be a nice change of scenery. But she was far too prideful to actually go out of her way to say, “Hey, I’m gonna go kill a Black Annis. Wanna tag along?” So, instead, she deflected with sarcasm and humor. That way, if he refused to join in, she wouldn’t feel rejected. ooc: Ugh, this semester needs to end already... [/style]

[Jophiel]

[joph]Jophiel tolerated the slobbery attention the best he could, tugging on Chance's ears and thumping his sides. Try as he might to love all God's creatures equally and blah blah blah, Jophiel had just never been a dog person. Dog angel? Whatever that would be. They were just too enthusiastic, too slavish, and all together too...leaky. He much preferred the sly sardonic affection of cats, or even the matter-of-fact selfishness of rodents. But Chance was a Good Dog, a concept that transcended the human understanding of the phrase. People say that all dogs go to heaven, they don't know how true that is. To be a Good Dog, to carry in that non-sapient heart the loyalty and strength that is the touch of the divine lain on the canine nature, is a powerful and profound thing.

But once that burst of enthusiasm had passed, or at least been restrained, the angel concentrated on the matter at hand. As it happened, after being on earth for literally the entire length of human existence, Jophiel spoke Emotionally Stunted Hunter perfectly well, and so he just said, "I'd probably better keep an eye on you. God knows, you might notice some girl drinking on her sorority sister's ID or teenagers smoking pot in a parked van and decide to bravely pursue that lawlessness instead of dealing with that silly little Black Annis issue."

So he climbed in to the passenger seat of the truck, wrestling briefly with Chance's enthusiasm, and even buckled his seatbelt. "So. Quick trip down south and a truck upgrade? Because God forbid you shouldn't make a profit on saving the lives of innocent children.[/joph]