"I'd be delighted to help you with anything you might require," Malachi replied. His smile faltered a bit as he continued, "I think I've seen enough blood over the last few months to have lost any squeamishness I might have had.

Malachi turned to glance at Zaref as he exited the chapel. The mage raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised.

"I hadn't realized vampires were in the habit of marrying."

Thomas frowned and stopped his tapping. "But . . . they could be useful in the investigation," he persisted. He paused a moment before standing abruptly. "I'm going after her," he stated in a voice that demanded no argument. He had been practicing his "kingly tone" apparently. "You can come if you want," he added after a brief pause.

He moved around a couple tables and headed for the door, one of the large bodyguards peeling away from the wall to follow the young prince as he sprinted across the street toward the alleyway.

----

Melanie smirked. "Cyrano, I think it's perfectly sweet of you to worry about me, but I'll be fine. I know Kung Fu. And Tae Kwon Do. And Jiu-Jitsu." She winked playfully. "Betcha didn't know that, huh?"

----

Selena could not help but grin as Zaref returned briefly to his old hyper persona. However as soon as he left her smile slipped and soon disappeared. Glancing sidelong at her reflection in the mirror, she gathered her dark hair in her hands once more and pulled it to the top of her head, studying her slender neck and her pale face closely. With a sigh, she released her hair and went to find some pins.

----

After forty-five minutes or so, Caerwyn got out of the tub, cleaner than he had ever been in several hundred years. Wrapping one of the enormous (to him anyway) towels around himself, he took his clothes to the laundry room to dry them. It took him a moment to remember how a dryer worked but soon they were thumping along like they were supposed to. Another thirty minutes passed before he took them out and got dressed. Running a hand over his shaggy dark hair, he decided he would have to do without a hair cut this time and made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

Verity? he called gently before he stepped into the room, wondering where she was.

----

Sparrow lifted her head and observed Dellan impassively. "You are awake," she said flatly. "How do you feel?"

P.S."Brooklyn!"

How can a headache be described as nothing else other than sensational? For that was what this intense pain ripping his forehead apart was, was it not? A sharp awakening to sensitivity in all human awareness.

Sensaaational.

However extraordinary the experience, a groan still escaped from the lips of the dignitary. He could not deny his body the relief of voicing its own opinion about his agony and obliging it by bowing his head. The artificial light in the room was intolerably harsh, and even though he liked to expose himself to meager livings he was still having a time adapting his body to everything he thought to be advancement to worldly experience.

Under the shadow of his frame, he raised his arm and took note of the time. There was a certain degree of which succumbing to patience can be tolerated by a man, and he wondered when impatience would irritate his nerves before Miss Smithson decided to finally have their weekly meeting. Normally he was not so confounded to haste, but development of Unnaturals in the woods made him uncharacteristically eager. He had to know if anything changed, and not just generally but specifically.

An unlatching of a door made the dignitary turn, expecting and hoping it to finally be Miss Smithson, but when viewing it was Cotton he frowned. His headache was suddenly worse than before.

Sidestepping out of the more direct rays of the synthetic light, his right eyebrow scrunched as he scrutinized the bounty hunter. "Thought it was finally time to collect your money?" he inquired before Cotton could say anything or run away. Since he was the main sponsor of the Society for Purging Unnaturals, the group who hired this incompetent head hunter, it was the most logical greeting he could give to this Mr. Raha.

((I hope that this is alright, Marshy. ))

~~~~~~

Dusk was the worse time of day in the woods. The shadows moved more loudly at night than during the day; unwary they were of making noises or lowering their voices. At every evening Fanny would pray to the heavens to make the shadows and spirits vanish, for they frightened her. Only a few times did she get a response, and then she still wasn't sure that she wasn't dreaming about it, too.

The voices. Squeezing her eyes so tight like raisins, she willed the spirits of the wood to leave her. So many in the dark. Muttered conversations carried on a breeze. What are they saying this time? Why must they torture me so! What is this place that I can’t leave that talk to me but never shows themselves! Oh, heavens . . . Help me.

These were not new wonderings making a whirlwind in her head, rather they were a loop of thoughts she always fearfully entertained this time of day. For she could never sleep at night, not while the spirits were roaming about; she was too afraid that one night they would trip over her in the dark and discover her and do horrible things to her, if she wasn't on her guard.

She narrowly escaped that chance nearly a month ago, but it was at broad daylight that first time. A tiny spirit had happened upon her and almost carried her away with a taller, pale spirit. It was the most frightening experience she ever encountered—well, second most frightening . . . and she still did not know how she managed to escape. One minute, they were there, making ready to grab her, but the next, vanished. She could only thank the heavens for that blessed intervention.

Fanny tried not to whimper as the voices in the woods grew louder and something of a scuttle began. Huddled in her hallowed tree, she knew that she was relatively safe in her shelter, and despite her fear of shadows, hiding within the darkness was the best thing she could do for concealment, oddly enough as the spirits seemed to favor it as well. But there was always that slim chance, like the first time, of being found. And the darkness was on their side.

((If anyone would like to find Fanny by all means be my guest.))

Elisabeth scowled at Thomas as he left and shook her head, turning to watch out the window again. She was sick of this new authoritative streak he had found. It was bad enough knowing that Thomas would be King one day while she was married off in some political bargain without actually experiencing what it'd be like to have him order her around.

With a sniff, she took the last drink of her tea but made no move to follow her brother out.

---

"Well no...I didn't know that. But Melanie, all of that won't help against high-tech security and a group of guards with guns. I think you should just stay here and help us figure out this mess without doing anything illegal," Cyrano answered quietly.

---

Basil entered the bar, hand already in his pocket and searching for the correct coinage. It'd been a long day. Quietly, he set his money down on the counter and ordered his usual before taking a seat on an empty stool.

---

Cotton's body was all on edge. Every muscle tensed at the sound of Taylor's voice, the urge to flee filling his senses. He knew this must be one of Ruth's backers. "I wanted to see if there was anymore work for me," he finally answered, meeting the man's gaze briefly.

---

Pepper looked back at Mark passively, "I'm a zombie- I don't get fear, or caution," she replied and made a move to walk back towards camp.

"Caution- escapee located in hall of truth. Caution...Caution..." the female human voice echoed through the building as Pepper ran under the archway and out into the main atrium. There was the noise of the weapons system coming online. She knew it wouldn't be long before the whole place would be filled with people chasing after her. It didn't matter- she'd seen the truth and there was no way she was going to let something happen to Edmond.

The zombie winced at the flashback as she found herself again in the glade. Like all the other memories, it made no sense. The zombie couldn't remember a time being in that place or feeling that scared. She let a breath out slowly.

"Well, well, what brings you two so far out of bounds?" Mr. T. asked as he trotted up to the elf and zombie. His tail swished back and forth as he sat and looked up at the two with curious kitten eyes.

"I banished Eslatar," Pepper answered, trying to concentrate on the present, "He almost killed Satin...I thought it best."

Mr. T nodded and headed through the trees back towards camp without another word.

---

Satin glanced at Malachi, "Well I don't think they do...typically," she thought for a moment, "Though back when I was running 'Blood and Tears' there was a married vamp couple that stopped in now and again."

"She's well- I think," Zaref answered with a smile, caught a bit off guard by Neal's interest. The man seemed decent enough but Zaref got the feeling that he wasn't much for vampires. "Satin were you going to get the blood going?"

"Yeah, I was about to get started. Zaref this is Malachi, Malachi this is my friend Zaref."

Zaref nodded at Malachi, wondering what had brought the man to the Unnatural camp. He was about to ask that very question when his eyes strayed past the group and towards the forest where two figures had just emerged. If he hadn't been white as a sheet already, his face would have gone white.

Satin turned to see what her friend was looking at and froze at the sight of Talullah and Wystan. She hadn't planned on seeing either of her captors ever again after the stint she'd spent with the coven months ago. The idea of them being here sent a chill down her back. How had they even found the place?

Smiling with girlish delight, Talullah skipped forward towards the group, dragging Wystan along by the hand.

Satin backed up a step, for the second time in that day very afraid of vampires. She'd seen too much of what Talullah could do to think any of them were safe with her around.

"We came to congratulate the happy couple," Talullah offered with a cheerful smile as they stopped about a yard away from the others, "Wystan doesn't take his duties as sire very seriously but the least he could do was come to your wedding Zaref and of course I insisted on tagging along. As your grandsire I'm practically family," she explained with a giggle.

Wystan watched and waited, eyes hidden by his usual pair of shades.

---

"Um...something wrong love?" Udi asked as he peeked into the hallow tree at the young woman huddled there. He couldn't quite tell in the darkness but she seemed to be quite upset. Having found no modern conveniences in the Unnatural camp, the Satyr had headed out into the woods to relieve himself. He hadn't really expected to come across anyone, especially anyone as interesting as this one seemed to be.

---

"Awake," Dellan answered, looking across at Sparrow. He was unsure of what to say after the night they'd had. He was sure she wasn't thrilled about being stuck with a new cellmate anymore than he was thrilled with being abandoned there. "You said last night...you could make me stronger. That we could escape..."

---

Naomi looked over at Josh. "The security patterns seem to be running the same today. We should know the full rotation by today. There's no doubt that they're in that building though. The house doesn't have a single guard assigned to it. Savage must not be to worried about his own pack's safety."

---

"I'm here," Curse said, coming into the kitchen behind Caerwyn. She smiled as she looked him over. "You look much cleaner," she offered with a slight laugh and ruffled his hair. "Emmaline said I can go if we're careful. She's not sure if she'll be coming when Mr. Hook comes home or not but we can go ahead."

"Glad to hear it." Neal replied to Zaref catching the feeling that the vamp didn't quite feel comfortable around him. That's a new one.... the Darkling thought as he looked over at the two figures that had just emerged from the forest. Neal's expression and posture quickly shifted from easy-going to alert and ready for a confrontation once he recognized the pale skin of the two visitors. Blasted vamps again. And not the friendly kind either. he thought as the two bloodsuckers approached.

"Acquaintances of yours?" Neal whispered to Satin as he walked up behind the ex-tavern owner, placing his right hand cautiously on the revolver holster strapped to his upper leg.

Thomas was not entirely surprised when he glanced back and saw that Elisabeth had not joined him. She was such a bore sometimes. Well, most times actually. Shaking his head, he looked over at the bodyguard who was tailing him and wondered how he could shake the guy. It would not be easy, but he wanted to make sure he did not see the Unnatural girl . . . Katie was her name? Although the guard was duty-bound to simply protect and not ask questions, Thomas did not want to run the risk of the guard mentioning the Unnatural to anyone who might hunt her down.

For being an Unnatural she sure did not seem very dangerous. Obviously there was no need to lock her up or send her away.

Taking a deep breath, Thomas ducked quickly into an open doorway and started running as fast as he could. He could hear the guard shouting for him to come back, but he only ran faster.

((Marshy, if you want Kanti to run into Thomas (or vice versa) that would work well. ))

----

Melanie's eyes lit up eagerly. "You mean you'll let me help?" she asked, lifting up on her toes excitedly. "You won't send me away because I'm too young or a girl or some stupid excuse like that?" She had to grab his arm lightly to keep her balance as she remained on tiptoes and stared up into his eyes.

----

Her hair done up in a somewhat messy bun, Selena stepped out of the chapel, looking for Satin. When she saw the two new vampires however, she froze, her eyes widening. Quickly shaking off a feeling of intense foreboding, she moved to stand beside Zaref, taking his hand and watching the two vampires warily.

"Tallulah, I presume?" she said coldly after a moment, staring at the small, child-like vamp.

The short person yelped when the two vampires came into view and leaped into the nearest bush, which quivered faintly.

----

Sparrow tilted her head slightly. "Sparrow can make you stronger, but she cannot promise escape. However she will do her best in any case." Uncurling from her position, she moved over quietly so she was kneeling in front of Dellan. Her eyes looked over his body and she pursed her lips slightly.

"It's your choice," she added softly.

----

"They're in there," Indigo said, his jaw working back and forth tightly. "I spoke with Brick last night." He looked over at Naomi solemnly. "Lark's pregnant," he said flatly. "Looks like their going to experiment on . . . it." Even he had trouble calling the baby a child.

----

Caerwyn smiled back at Curse and took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. Moving toward the kitchen door, he led the way out the door and into the woods. As he walked a thought struck him and he looked up at Curse with a thoughtful frown.

I bet you're wondering if Indigo will be there, he ventured to guess.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

"Pepper... If this is who I think it is; he's more powerful than any of us" he said shaking his head, then stuck his sword in its sheath and added "Lets go" as he started walking forward.

"Who the heck- oh great two more vamps just came into the camp" he said "judging from the thoughts of Satin... They have quite the past with the girl... We'd better hurry and get back there" he said as he laid his and back to his holster. He hadn't of course went into her mind, just heard her thoughts.
---
"Idiot..." muttered Josh "He will protect what he calls experiments yet he wont protect himself and his family? What kind of Psychopath are we dealing with?" he asked.... "And now he've crossed a human with a werewolf... He's insane!"
---
Steel saw another man walk in the bar and sit next to him, so turned his head away from him so he wouldn't be able to see his face then downed his drink, tipped the man tending the bar and stood to walk out quickly.

Lifting his face slightly higher, the dignitary's features smoothed as he let out a breath. "Ahh," he said, letting Cotton's reason seep into his tone with derision, and he nodded, "I see."

He dipped his face again, finding instant relief to his headache away from the light, as he turned and methodically walked over to a chair. With a hand raised to rub his chin, he moved slowly to sit, as if it took great pain but really he was relishing every moment of anxiety he could give the bounty hunter. It was little moments like these that made him happy to be alive.

Finally sighing with comfort, the dignitary crossed his leg over the other and started to unbutton his suit jacket. "Well, I would say no to that inquiry," he replied, "since you can't be trusted anymore after your . . ." He paused as he pushed a flap of his jacket back, his brows crinkling, and pointedly thought of the right word, "'fumble' with your last assignment. But seeing as I already gave Miss Smithson this month's check, there's still hope she will be more generous than me." As if trying to sound sincerely hopeful, he smirked up at Cotton petulantly as he crossed his arms.

~~~~~~

Now it had been a long time since Fanny had heard a voice that was directed towards her. She heard the spirit voices all the time, but most of the time she did not know what they were saying and when she did understand they never spoke directly to her. So imagine her surprise when a dark shadow passed over the hole of her shelter and spoke very politely to her, rather sounding like a heroic knight.

Or at least she would have noticed that he had spoken very politely to her, rather sounding like a heroic knight. Fanny did not get as far as that, for when the shadow passed over and spoke she immediately screamed her head off.

Malachi was about to respond to Zaref when the latest arrivals to the camp entered. Judging by the way everyone was reacting, Malachi had a feeling these new people were very bad news. It took him a few seconds to realize that both were vampires. He felt perturbed at the thought that someone had turned a child. Malachi had nothing in particular against vampires, but subjecting a child to an eternal unlife seemed somehow more horrible than the same fate befalling an adult.

"Satin, who are they?" he whispered, regretting it as soon as he spoke. He was almost certain they must have heard him, with their preternatural senses.

Malachi briefly recalled the one time he had encountered a vampire. He had been thrown into a cellar by an Unnatural-hating town watch who had captured him while he was sleeping. To his surprise and horror, there was a half-starved vampire cowering in the corner of the cellar. The smell of Malachi's blood had been too tempting to resist and the half-crazed vampire had attacked him. Malachi had been forced to burn the creature to ash to survive. Malachi had a feeling these two vampires wouldn't be so easily disposed of should it come to blows.

Kanti stumbled back as a quickly moving figure crashed into her. "Excuse me!" she began and then noticed who the 'figure' was and that he was being pursued.

"Your Majesty?" she began and then realized now was not the time for questions, "Come on!" she said and grabbed Thomas's hand to pull him back on his feet and down the alley.

---

"Of course," Cyrano sputtered and looked over at Ian with a slight 'help me' glance.

---

Cotton moved his mouth, trying to think of something to say back to this infuriating man. There was no time to think though, the door behind them had opened. The bounty hunter tensed, hearing the sound of a gun cocked before he could even turn. The point pressed into his back, cold metal chilling through his jacket to his skin.

"You must have a death wish," Ruth said with a scowl as she looked the ragged man up and down. Glancing to the side, she saw her other visitor and offered him a brief smile before turning her attention back to Cotton.

"I'm desperate Ruth...I'll do anything, just give me a job, you can kill me after."

---

"Yes, why don't you introduce all of us Satin dear?" Talullah asked with a smile, "As this clever one has deduced, I am Talullah," she added, looking at Selena for a moment, "And this is Wystan."

"She's Matriarch for the coven staying in Eslatar's mansion," Satin offered angrily, "And he's the head of security," she nodded in Wystan's direction but didn't look at him as her hands bunched up the material of her skirt.

"Speaking of Es- where is he?" Wystan asked, smirking inwardly at Satin's discomfort.

"Manners Wystan," Talullah said sharply, breaking character for a moment as she shot him a glare. "He's your grandsire despite his disloyalty."

"Where might Eslatar be-"

"Gone," a voice piped up as Terrance trotted in, tail waving. He looked at the two vampires with distaste, "He's gone now, so if you came to see him then you're out of luck."

"We came for the wedding," Talullah said with a wary look as she eyed the kitten. "And unless you'd like some trouble to mar this lovely occasion I suggest you let us attend peacefully."

"I don't think you're in the position to suggest anything," Satin muttered.

"Oh come come, it's not like we were so desperate for your company that we came to kidnap you back little girl," Talullah shot back, her voice becoming that of a world-weary creature. "As I remember it we gave you enough memories of true vampires to get rid of all your idealism."

Zaref shook his head, upset over the whole ordeal. At this rate a dangerous fight would break out and though they did have the numbers, people would be hurt. "Fine- come, be quiet and then leave."

"Of course," Talullah answered, giggling, "We'll be so quiet you won't even notice we're here."

"That seems unlikely," Pepper commented as she returned to the glade and passed the whole group, uninterested in the vamps. "Come on Satin, let's get the drinks ready."

---

"Whoa- whoa there," Udi offered, startled by the girl's sudden and violent reaction. For all of his charm, the Satyr was feeling like all the women in the world were against him today. Backing off from the stump, the Satyr raised his voice slightly, "Look I know the horns are a bit of a turn-off at first, but really they're not that bad," he pressed the button on his watch that made his animal-like qualities promptly disappear from sight.

"Would you like to come out of the tree now love?"

---

Dellan nodded, "Yes...please," he replied with slight hesitation. He stared back at Sparrow wondering what exactly would happen.

---

Naomi's eyes widened at the news, she hadn't expected something like this. "Did Brick have any idea of what the layout inside is like?"

---

Curse frowned slightly, I'm worried about him. He hasn't come...I know he's sad about Brick and Lark...I wish I could help somehow.

This is Tallulah? was all Neal could think as he watched the impish little vamp and her bodyguard/attack dog talk with Satin and Terrance... more like sparing actually. The Darkling lightly put his left hand on Satin's shoulder in a comforting gesture seeing as how the girl was obviously distraught over this sudden turn of events.

"So, you're Tallulah, eh?" Neal said with a raised eyebrow as he glanced over the little vampire and her follower. "I always pictured someone..... different."

Mark walked up beside Neal and said "Same here... I always thought you'd be... Well taller" he said while he two laid his hand on his holster. Brand... Why don't you, introduce yourself? he thought to his dragon who was sitting in a clump of trees, a smirk growing on his face.

Brand replied Sounds like fun as he stood up and walked as quietly as a dragon could- which by the way is not at all quiet. Luckily he only had to take three steps to place his head above the two vampires he growled lightly and drooled a bit, dropping boiling spit next to the bigger vamp.
---
Josh's eyes grew large at the news "That’s horrible, does this man have no remorse of sanity? Is he completely insane!?" he growled and thought for a moment "If my brother was here he could simply turn invisible or something and infiltrate the complex really easy"
---
Adam tested his strength by slaming his fist into the wall, only slightly denting it and resulting in a fist full of bloody nuckles "Dash it all" he muttered and slumped back against the wall, leaning his head against it when he heard "promise escape. However she will do her best in any case" he pressed his ear against it then said "Hello?"

Thomas could hardly believe his luck when he ran into the detective and she helped him outrun the guard. Ducking into an abandoned office building, he pulled up suddenly, taking Kanti with him as he crouched behind a dilapidated desk. Though it was unnecessary, he gestured for her to be quiet as the bodyguard finally caught up with them and stepped into the room.

Thomas tried his best to calm his breathing. It was not fair at all that the bodyguard had been running just as hard, and he seemed to be not even in a sweat.

The giant of a man scanned the room closely, and his eyes fell on the desk, but before he could investigate he got a call.

"No, he's not here," he said to someone on a tiny cell phone. "I'll return immediately and gather more men. I think he had help." His eyes scanned the room one more time before he turned and left.

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the desk. After a moment he turned and looked closely at Kanti.

"You're the detective that got bitten by the vampire," he realized. "I saw you die . . . and then you came back."

----

Ian could not help but chuckle softly at his enthusiastic sister.

"Down, Mel," he instructed from his chair. "Quit smothering the guy."

Melanie blinked blankly for a moment before seeming to realize how close she was to Cyrano. She did not blush, but she did step away quickly, letting her hand drop to her side. Moving around Cyrano to Ian, she flicked his ear lightly.

"He said I could help," she told him with a smug smile.

Ian held back a sigh. "I guess you can then," he said reluctantly.

Melanie squealed and happily clapped her hands, which seemed very out of place considering her current attire. "Thank you, brother!" She grinned and dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. He waved her off and turned back to his computer.

Melanie turned to Cyrano with a wide smile, moving close as if to kiss him as well. But then she seemed to remember Ian's proximity warning and stepped back, holding out her hand to shake his.

"You won't regret this," she promised, her eyes shining.

----

Selena clenched her fists, but kept her face carefully impassive. As long as the vampires behaved themselves, she was not about to start anything on her end. However she would be glad when it was all over and Tallulah and her watchdog left.

Now that the sun was setting (and almost gone at this point), Pavel ventured out from behind the chapel. He looked at Tallulah and Wystan with some fear even as he stepped forward.

"Um, if I could, um," he stammered out hesitantly. "W-would you h-happen to know where Gwen is?" He bit his lip gently, doing his best not to flinch under their gaze.

----

Indigo shook his head slightly then paused. "He's kept in a cage with one door that opens into a tunnel which leads to a small, outdoor environment. He and Lark are allowed outside sometimes. However I don't think they . . . had any conscious part in this . . . new development." For some reason he had a really hard time getting that out. Not because he was embarrassed, he told himself, but because he was so upset over the whole thing.

----

Sparrow nodded and reached forward, letting her hands hover over Dellan's chest. Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard. Little golden sparks covered her fingers and then sank into the Mrina's body, sending currents of strength and healing through him. Unfortunately Sparrow could only sustain the healing for a few minutes before the strain of it caused her to fall back, gasping.

"She is not as strong as she used to be," she admitted hoarsely. "This might take a few tries."

----

Caerwyn was silent for a moment. I'm sure he thinks that he's protecting you, he said finally, rather absently. Noble of him, I guess. He shrugged but there was barely concealed contempt in his expression before his face smoothed out into an impassive look.

Glancing at the sky, he moved faster through the forest, tugging lightly on Curse's hand. Come on, it'll be starting soon.

He did not really like to talk about Indigo with Curse. It was obvious that she was falling in love with the werewolf and Caerwyn was afraid that if the two of them ever got together, he would be pushed away. He could not let that happen. He could never leave Verity's side again. Never.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

"Dangit! Why does my hearing have to be so much better than most people!?" he muttered and slumped down against the wall "I really hope Josh and Mark come up with a plan soon" he said as he let his chin fall against his chest.
--
As Steel got up and walked out he was stopped by yet another man.

Matthew who yelled "YOU AGAIN!" and drew his gun quickly and went to squese the trigger before. Steel reached forward, grabbed the gun and twisted Matthew's hand around; putting him in a chicken wing once more. From his position he saw Basil sitting on the bar stool "Little help... I'll let you have fifty percent of th-oww!"

The dignitary did not move a muscle while Ruth came in and took Cotton captive but remained calmly where he was, comfortably relaxed and ready to watch the show in his chair. His gaze met with hers for a moment of recognition, but his expression was standoffish as Cotton had his full attention. Like in the fine moments when water slowly froze into ice, his stare hardened when the bounty hunter started to beg. Somehow he thought it would take longer to get to this pathetic point, and that almost disappointed the dignitary.

"Why should we?" he demanded of Cotton, quietly but forcefully. Setting his crossed leg down on the floor, the dignitary leaned forward in his seat, rested his elbows on his knees, and pressed his fingers together over the space between his legs. If it were not for his tone, one would think from his posture that he was trying to negotiate with the bounty hunter. "You can't be as desperate as all that. You have a chance to start all over, forget about us, and make a decent living," here he gestured with his compressed hands to the world outside their room, "like the rest of humanity out there. What's brought you back to this?

"Is it your conscious?" he suggested, tilting his head slightly and plucking his chin out. He watched Cotton for a while, patient as he was for his desired reaction, before he leaned back into his chair with a sigh. "With that workload you've put on yourself with helping the Unnaturals," he went on in a drawl, turning his attention away from Cotton and mused himself with tracing the grain of the chair's arm, "I wouldn't blame you if you forgot what is important here."

~~~~~~

Her panicked scare had excited Fanny so much that it took her a while to calm down. With her body pressed against the hallowed trunk of the tree, the realization was dawning on her while she gasped for breath that her hideout was more of a shelf-made trap than a sanctuary from the spirits of the wood. There was no possibly way for her to run away from this spirit while he stood in front of the tree's hole, the only way in or out.

"No!" she cried out of reaction to his request. The thought of seeing the horns of which he spoke of unnerved her. Were there devils in these woods, too? She trembled as her thoughts raced to think of a way to get rid of her devil. "Please, d-spirit," she amended quickly, not wanting to anger him by calling him that while she was not sure if it was offensive to call it a devil, "don't harm me. I didn't mean to upset your woods—you-you must know that! I am lost, so I am not trying to intrude on your grounds purposefully!"