Just a Whiskey Day (Open)

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Anna let out a sigh as she threw her tool bag into the bed of her black f-350. She opened the diver's door and slid into the seat. ”I need a drink.” She muttered to herself as she lay her head on the steering wheel for a moment. She loved her job at Pat's Mechanic Shop, but sometimes the customers were just too much bear – especially the stupid ones that demanded impossible things like a turbo upgrade designed for corvettes on a station wagon. Anna pushed the day's work from her mind as she started up her diesel truck. With a quick push on the clutch and a little jiggle on the stick, she was down the road. It wasn't more than a ten minute's drive to the bar – thankfully. Parking, Anna got out and locked the truck then headed inside. ”Hey there, Martin, can I get my usual?” She inquired to the bartender as she sat. He nodded and poured her a shot of Jack. Downing her drink, Anna turned to watch the others who were also relieving the stress of a work day. Some people sat alone, already well drunk; some sat in groups, laughing and joking; and of course men were hitting on women and women hitting on men. For a moment, Anna thought she saw the shimmer of silver in a man's eye. She nearly reached for her silver knife but thought better of it and instead turned back to the bartender, ”Martin, I'm just going to get a whole bottle tonight.” For two years she had been living a normal life, but every once in a while her hunting days would catch up with her. Days like that were just better when treated with plenty of whiskey. But still, Anna couldn't shake the feeling that someone not human was definitely in that bar. ”It's none of my business anymore.” She thought to herself as she poured herself another shot.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar Music: The radio decides Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: None

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] "He's not hunting you." The skinny guy sitting two stools down and nursing what looked like a gin and tonic was giving Anna a sleepy, knowing smile. "He's not hunting anything tonight, except maybe a light drunk and a willing woman." He sorta toasted her with his highball glass, raising it an inch toward her before taking a sip. "He's assistant manager at a CVS. The face he's wearing is copied from his sixth grade teacher. Not all of them are raging psycho rapists. Some of them are just grateful for a chance to look normal, be normal." The guy broke off, cocked his head a little to the side and gave Anna a wry smile. "Did that sound preachy? It did, didn't it? Gets away from me sometimes, I think it's a hazard of the trade. But anyway, if you were worried, he's not planning anything evil or mayhem-y tonight. Unless you count sex in the bed of his truck with a diner waitress." Another of those wry, easy smiles, like he was mocking himself as much or more than anything else in the world. "The one you actually want to worry about, if you're in a mood to worry, is the strung-out human guy over there by the jukebox. He's out of cash but not done drinking, and if he doesn't think of something clever he might try something stupid instead." The methhead in the corner was why Jophiel was here, one of the possible outcomes of the guy's dryout led to a robbery gone wrong in a liquor store around the corner, and a teenaged boy that was one of Jophiel's would take a bullet to the brain--not die, but go vegetable and sure as hell never open a string of nineteen schools in Cote d'Ivoire.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, somewhere in the US Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: Sometimes he just likes to fuck with people a little bit.

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Two years Anna had gone without so much as speaking to someone or something that she thought might not be human. It was a track record that the ex-hunter was quite proud of. But like all track records it would eventually had to come to an end. And the end came from a skinny looking man sitting two stools down from her. Blue eyes snapped from her drink to him as he spoke to her about the man with silver eyes. ”Well back at square one with the record.” Anna thought to herself as she poured and downed another shot while the man talked. Apparently silver-eyes wasn’t dangerous, but a mere mortal was? Anna could easily understand that. Half the time as a hunter she had questioned who was really the evil one – the creature or the human that had summoned or provoked it. ”Well I can understand the desire to be normal. I was on a pretty good run of normal until just now.” It came out a little harsher than she had intended, but it was too late to take it back and apologizing to a total stranger wasn’t happening unless more alcohol slid down her throat. ”Worrying is not on my agenda this evening, but when I see people with silver eyes it just tends to get my attention.” The words rolled off her tongue with a distinct tone of sarcasm. Another shot was poured and downed, ”But what does it have to do with you anyways? Better question is: what are you?” Even without an answer or much of a clue as to who or what this man was, Anna’s hand was once again on her silver knife. It might not kill him, but it would slow him down so she could get the hell out of there. For a moment though, Anna studied the man by the jukebox. He certainly looked quite unstable. ”At least people are easier to stop than most creatures.” She thought as her full attention returned to her ‘friend’.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Nothing Outfit: Same Notes: None

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] Gently, compassionately, "You're never going to be normal, hon." There was a lilt to his voice that mimiced the affected non-accent of the American gay male culture without quite being it. "At best, you'll manage to run away from it for a little while at a time. But behaving like a civilian doesn't make you one, and two seconds after spotting him across the bar you were fingering a knife." Happily ignoring the question about what it had to do with him, since any honest answer to that question would probably get him stabbed, he went with the second. "And I'm a Guardian. Spotting trouble before it happens is one of the skills of the trade." All quite true, and flopping the word 'angel' around tended to make people twitchy. He'd stick with vagueness and smiling, Jophiel got a whole lot of mileage out of smiling and giving vague answers. "You enjoying your vacation, then? I keep thinking of trying for one myself, but some crisis or other always comes up." And wasn't that the truth?

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, somewhere in the US Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: It's not technically lying.

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Anna arched an eyebrow. His voice made her think of, well a gay man. But who was she to judge? Most people who didn’t know her thought she was a long-haired dike so judgment was not something she could pass. A little sigh escaped her lips. She knew that being normal wasn’t something she could ever be, but at least she could pretend as best as possible. ”Yes, thank you for the reminder that being normal is something I will never achieve.” This time the sarcasm and the little twinge of harshness were entirely intentional. Anna didn’t need a reminder that her dreams of being normal, finding love, and having a family were pretty much out of her reach forever. The answer Anna received about what any of this had to do with him was far too generic for her taste. He most certainly wasn’t giving the full story. Then again she was giving him no story, so what could she really say about it? ”A Guardian you say? Well I hope not a guardian angel, because just about every angel I’ve had the displeasure of meeting has been a prick. I would hate to think you would associate yourself with such a lot.” She paused and sighed softly, ”Sorry, it’s been a long day.” She apologized, but that was only because she was being a bitch with no given reason to be one. More whiskey got poured and drank. ”I wouldn’t call this a vacation. More like a desperate attempt, but I suppose they can be the one and same.” She stared at her shot glass a moment. ”If you do take a vacation from whatever it is you do, take my advice and make sure you go somewhere so out of the way that no one will find you. I would suggest an abandon island, because if you know about unnatural things, then you know they always find you, always.” She was speaking from experience and it was more than she had intended to say. She finished her sentence with another shot, which still was not giving her the pleasant buzz she was looking for.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Bring Me to Life - Evanescence Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: Sarcasm <3

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] "You're welcome. Free of charge, one small reminder of reality from me to you." It was nearly impossible to actually make Jophiel angry, at least without violence or a whole lot more self-pity than Anna was managing after forty-five seconds of conversation. "And," he went on, very cheerfully, "I sure better not be an angel, huh? Because if I were a being spun up out of the will and love of the Lord God and shaped into by the pure ideal of the concept 'guardian', it would sure be a shame if a hunter pretending to be a mechanic disapproved of me on the basis of pure racism. Might tempt me to act like kind of a dick, becuase if you're going to be despised anyway, why not earn it?" He took a sip of his drink, never losing the smiling good cheer. "I think it requires umbrella drinks to be a proper vacation. Otherwise it's just hiding out in the midwest. Have there been umbrella drinks? Because I could buy you a Singapore Sling, if they have the mixers here. Me, I don't get vacations. Not even holidays off. But the dental plan's fantastic." "On the other hand," he grinned a bit, pulling the lime out of his glass and touching it to the tip of his tongue, enjoying the tartness. Extremes of taste and sensation entertained Jophiel, he liked pushing at the edges of things. "If you're so sure that the 'unnatural things'--and I'd like to know what your basis for comparison actually is--will always find you, why try hiding in the first place?"

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, somewhere in the US Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: If it's not about violence against innocents, it's nearly impossible to get him angry.

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Anna rolled her eyes, ”Well at least I know I’m not the biggest smart ass this side of the Mississippi.” She put down the bottle of Jack; suddenly getting buzzed didn’t sound as nice as it had just fifteen minutes ago. With a little a sigh she looked at him, ”So you’re an angel then? I’m not the best judge of things, but the way you talk sure makes you sound like one – or an angel sympathizer. But I’m leaning more towards you just being an angel. And I am not racist; I have just never been given a reason to like angels. However, I have been given plenty of reasons to dislike them.” Anna leaned back in her seat, her eyes shifting from the man, who’s name she still hadn’t bothered to ask for, to her hands. The grease on her skin and dirt under her nails stuck out for some reason. ”Being a hunter, even a so-called ex-hunter, never really gets a vacation either. Always looking over your shoulder, always sleeping with a salt gun and holy water under the bed – but hey let’s take a make believe vacation because it’s the closest we’ll ever get.” He posed a question to her that she had never thought of before: what was unnatural? ”Well I will give you points for asking a good question…” She trailed off a moment, thinking about her answer. A couple seconds and a little lip nibbling later Anna replied, ”To me an unnatural being is one that God did not make directly. For instance, a vampire was not made directly by God; nor were werewolves, ghouls or skin walkers. As for spirits – well in a way they were made by God which is why I only hunt the ones who hurt people. Have I made mistakes and hunted the wrong spirit before? Yes. Have I always tried my best to ensure I’m hunting the right one? Yes.”

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Bring Me to Life - Evanescence Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: Came up with that off the top of my head

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] "Wait." He was trying not to grin, but failing miserably. "How is prejudging an entire group of people based on their inherent nature and weighting history over present evidence or future possibilities not racist?" Yeah, he lost the battle not to smile, especially when he added, "And given what you've keenly deduced about me, are you sure you want to be making proclamations about what God did or did not create?" He gestured the bartender over. "Martin, I want to buy this nice lady a Singapore Sling. And put a paper umbrella in it, okay? It's the last night of her vacation, she should really live it up. And I'll have another gin and tonic, okay?" Turning back to Anna, he said, "My name's Jophiel, and I want you to do a job for me."

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, somewhere in the US Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: It was probably inevitable.

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Did he really just challenge her like that? Anna sat there in disbelief of his words. ”Why you arrogant little – “ It was too late for her rebuttal, he had just ordered her some drink she had never tried. ”If this shit is fruity, I’m going to be so pissed.” She thought to herself as she crossed her arms, she was not in a pleasant mood at this point, but at least she was controlling herself from lashing out at the others around her over the irritating angel that sat two stools down. Ocean eyes watched Martin mix up the drink, she couldn’t see everything that was in it, but she just had the horrible feeling that this was going to be some fruity little drink for those who couldn’t shoot whiskey. But along with ordering her drink, this man had proclaimed it was the last night of her vacation. Anna didn’t ask what he meant, nor did she really care. At this point he had confirmed that her deduction had indeed been correct and that he was an angel so she gave little care of what he thought. Job? He had a job for her? Her attention snapped back to, this man, Jophiel. ”I do believe I have made it very clear that I am no longer in the old business. That being re-said, you must know I will not accept any type of job that would be related to it.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone as Martin sat her drink down in front of her. She sighed, ”Please don’t let this be fruity.” A odd statement for such a time, but it allowed her mind to focus elsewhere besides Jophiel for two seconds.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Bring Me to Life - Evanescence Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: So matter-of-fact

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] Jophiel just grinned and didn't answer until the bartender came back, bringing with him a gin and tonic for the angel and a vivid red concoction in a tall glass, topped with fruit and three different paper umbrellas. The angel handed over a fifty to cover not just the drinks but the amount of shit he would take from Anna for having actually complied with the order. "Gin, cherry brandy, lemon juice, grenadine and club soda. You'll love it." A challenging grin as he lifted his glass and took a large swallow, then he reached over and snagged the top square cocktail napkin off the stack on the bar, slid it over to sit right in front of him. He tapped a fingertip against the center of the napkin in some odd kind of emphasis as he said, "Their names are Phillip and Jennifer Carlson. They've got an four year old son, Owen, and she's pregnant. Girls, fraternal twins, though they don't know it yet." He flipped open the napkin along the center fold, there was a wallet-size photo in it, a Sears portrait-style family grouping. "See, the way it works is, I get sent to protect one person. In this case, the boy. And I'm not allowed to help the others if it'd put the target at any risk whatsoever. I do that, I get smited." Jophiel arched his eyebrows. "You ever been smited, Anna? Or smote, however you want to apply the tense? I have been, and it's not fun. But the wendigo's not gonna come at them all at once, let me protect the whole group of them as part of protecting Owen. They don't work that way, they're all about picking off the stragglers. So I need someone else there to help. To mind the family when I can't." He slid the photo over to sit directly in front of Anna, lifted his fingertip away pointedly. "Spend a weekend keeping a nice family alive. And I'll owe you a favor. Is that really so bad?"

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, somewhere in the US Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: Singapore slings are actually shamefully delicious.

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] She shot Martin a glare as Jophiel explained what was in the drink. Martin ducked his head down a bit, taking the fifty and then in a wise choice stayed clear of Anna’s reach. With a sigh Anna took a little sip, and sure enough it was so sweet she almost gagged. Of course after so long being a straight whiskey drinker, a fruit drink was twice as sweet as normal. However, the after taste was rather pleasant and despite the sweetness, her drink slide down her throat with surprising smoothness. ”Alright, this wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I still prefer my whiskey.” To end the statement, she took another sip of the Singapore Sling. Oh the shit Martin would be hearing about this later. As she slowly sipped more and more of the odd drink, Anna listened to Jophiel talk about a family. The wife was pregnant with twin girls – Anna felt a twinge of jealousy and depression upon hearing this, but showed no outward signs of it. ”Alright so let me get this straight, you are going to protect the boy, but you want me to protect the rest of the family?” Anna wasn’t confused at all, she was just a little shocked that she was sitting in some bar in Kansas talking to an Angel about babysitting a lovely family so he could do his job. ”Why do you care about the family’s wellbeing if the boy is your assignment?” Despite the words seeming harsh, her tone was much softer and far less sarcastic than it had been previously. ”More importantly, why do you want a retired hunter to be the one to help out? There’s plenty of up-to-date hunters that would probably jump all over this job and yet you ask me…the retired one. Why?” Sometimes Anna’s curiosity was a curse, but it was also a good point to ask. There had to be a motive for asking her and not another. Her fingers handled the photo with care as she examined the family. All of them had such sweet, happy smiles upon their lips and it provoked a small, brief smile from Anna herself. She lay the picture back down, her attention once again returning to Jophiel after another quick sip of the sling.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Bring Me to Life - Evanescence Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: I feel a little rusty

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] "Because despite the rep that some of my oh-so-charming siblings have earned us, not all angels are stone-cold sociopaths. Because no family ought to get eaten by a wendigo, but I can't save all of them. I can save this one, though, if I can get a little help." Another swallow of his drink, he glanced over at the methhead who seemed to be successfully scamming a very, very drunk guy into paying for his shots. Long as that kept up, Jophiel could stay here trying to talk Anna around to his way of thinking. He looked the hunter over and his voice gentled slightly as he explained, "And I want you because whether you do this or not, whether you want to be involved or not, there are events coming that are going to pull you back into the life, or at least back into the battle. They're not because of me," he hastened to explain, "and I can't stop them or start them or hurry them along. But I can see them, and I can see that they're going to end up affecting your life. So I figured why not come talk to you first? See if I could talk you into helping out with this, just to get the kinks out and maybe remind you that there are things about the job that aren't dark and depressing. Sometimes you save a family. Sometimes it's a clean fight against an unequivocal evil." A shrug of those skinny shoulders under the heavy leather jacket. "You can say no. If you do, believe it or not, I'll take off and not bother you again. At least not until the larger events shove us together again. But I picked you 'cause you're out of the game, and because you don't get to stay out for all that much longer. Thought maybe it would be nice if somebody at least tried to offer you a moment of choice."

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, somewhere in the US Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: His view of 'Free Will' is a bit skewed. You know, angel.

[Arianna Caligo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #bdbbb4 url(http://i55.tinypic.com/oi4xo3.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 1px solid #4e4b44; border: 0px; width: 500px; height: 600px; padding: 0px;, bTable]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] A sigh escaped Anna’s lips as he explained what she had feared from the very first day of being a so-called ex-hunter. She had always known her old life would catch up with her, but now an angel was telling her that big things were afoot and that she most certainly would not have a choice about being thrown back into the world of hunting at some point or another. Anna could only finish the sling then pour herself three consecutive shots of whiskey as she pondered his offer. In all reality the idea of saving a family was nice and she wanted to say yes without hesitation, but at the same time the two years she had fought to be normal would be instantly flushed down the drain and she’d be back at square one. Finally after the third shot she gave Jophiel an answer, ”Very well, I will help you and help this family. Wendigo’s are easy game for me, so with any luck this won’t be too difficult.” Her words came out with far more confidence than she was feeling. Anna was rusty, and she knew it, which made her uneasy with the idea of holding lives in her hands again. ”Anna, you’re crazy.” Her mind screamed as she sat up a little more straight, ”Arianna Caligo, at your service, just tell me when and where.” Normally she was a little more sarcastic, but her sarcasm had left her mentality for a while in light of recent news. Instead, Anna’s thoughts were now swamped with questions about what was coming, what would happen, why an angel was warning her – her head began to throb from the mix of alcohol and the conversation with this angel.

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Bring Me to Life - Evanescence Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: Forgive the crap-tastic post - long night

[Jophiel]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, background: #0a0a0a url(http://i56.tinypic.com/adm9sg.jpg) center bottom no-repeat; outline: 4px double #937869; border: 0px; width: 500px;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px 0px 20px; color: #937869;] "Nice to meet you, Arianna Caligo," he said, all smiling politeness. "I am Iophiel, Beauty of God, prince of Heaven and chief of the choirs of the cherubim. But seriously, call me Jophiel. It's just easier all the way around." He gestured Martin over for another gin and tonic, sometimes Jophiel really wished it was possible for angels to get a buzz. But he loved the taste of the things, like limeade and Christmas trees, the best of summer and winter together. He picked the lime up out of his emptied glass and bit the end of it, "It'll be two weeks, they're going camping at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota. They'll get there on Friday the twentieth. Meet me there that afternoon at the Kettle Falls Hotel? We'll catch a boat out to the site where they'll be, scout around a bit to get a sense of the environment." The angel looked Anna over, a vaguely worried look in his eyes. "You ready for this, Anna? Not the wendigo, the rest of it. You've been running and hiding for all you're worth for a while now. You ready to step back into the game?"

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 290px; padding: 10px 240px 60px 30px;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: Leave Out All the Rest - Linkin Park Outfit: A plaid shirt and jeans with a battered leather jacket over top Notes: He is capable of compassion, in a detached sort of way.

[Arianna Caligo]

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[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, padding: 0px 20px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Anna listened as he told her where the family would be and when. He suggested meeting at some hotel then catching a boat to where they would be needed. Vaguely she wondered why he didn’t just zap them both there but she figured he had his reasons. As Jophiel talked, Anna just ordered water, no longer in the mood for alcohol. She swirled the clear liquid in the glass, her mind mulling over the adventure she had just agreed to undertake. ”Sure, I can meet you there.” Was all she could think to say. Anna sipped her water a moment before the angel spoke again. He caught her a little off guard with this sudden show of compassion – however detached it was. She ponded his question, after all there was no use in lying to him – angels had a habit of knowing when lies were being told to them. A sigh escaped the woman’s lips, ”Its been a long time since I’ve hunted. I’m a little concerned about hold the lives of a family in my hands when I’m so rusty. And I don’t like to fail – failure to protect innocents is one of the things that turned me away from hunting.” Well there she was, sitting in a bar, spilling the beans of her feelings to some angel she hardly knew. Anna wanted to blame it on the alcohol but truthfully she knew that alcohol had nothing to do with it. After all the things she had seen and done, being able to talk to someone who didn’t think she was crazy was actually kind of nice. Perhaps the life of a hunter was her calling, but she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel on a normal life either,

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style, height: 345px; padding: 0px 30px 160px 210px; color: #282724; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #bdbbb4;] Location: Bull and Bear Bar, Kansas Music: All That I’ve Got – The Used Outfit: Black tank, blue jeans, leather boots Notes: Alright so she’s a softy