Demon

Devon inhaled a deep breath. "Hope I'm not making the biggest mistake of my life," she said before shouldering her bag and heading for the front door.

The demon was standing just outside, his back to the door and staring straight ahead as though keeping guard for the occupants inside the house. When he heard the door open, he looked over his shoulder, fixing the group in his bright gaze from the corner of his eye.

"Are you prepared?" he asked. His tone suggested he had enough patience for one answer.

"Looks like it," Devon said, already debating the merits of drawing her gun, killing the demon, and fleeing.

Vincent silently hoped that Devon would have enough patience to fallow through with their plan. He felt like he could read most of Devon's emotions like a open book, but then again. She had surprised him many times before.

Colt just gave a short nod in agreement, keeping close to her two friends. She had no idea what was going to happen, she just hoped . it wasn't as bad as working for Villie was.

The demon led them away from the house in silence, his gait stiff and formal. Devon watched him with a calculating eye as she followed, leaving some distance between herself and the demon. She wished she had gone through the book of demons more thoroughly, so she might have some idea of whom she was following. Then again, the knowledge might not do her any good.

The demon stopped a short distance from the house. "Hold still," he said, making a short gesture with his right hand. A thin circle of light blazed suddenly in the grass, and then, without warning, they were teleported away.

When they reappeared, they stood in an empty room. It was a cozy foyer, decorated with expensive, flashy furniture in wine-colored hues of red It even went so far as to have a modern brick fireplace, with flames crackling cheerfully within. Once she regained her senses after the disorienting transport, Devon looked around with a thinly-veiled expression of distaste.

"Thanos will speak with you on his own time," the demon said, turning to face them again. "Unfortunately, I cannot predict when that will be." His brows raised a fraction of an inch, hinting at disdain or resignation. "In the meantime, you will wait here." WIthout another word, he turned to leave, clicking the door shut gently behind him. There was the scrape of a key in the lock afterward.

Devon sighed heavily. "Well, Thanos seems like a pretentious little bastard," she said. She wandered over to the coffee table, where bottles of water and gilded silver plates of crackers topped with some unidentifiable paste were set out. "Trying to win us over with sparkling water that costs more than my average paycheck . . . Nice."

When the group was left in the fancy room Vincent couldn't help but smile just a little. He couldn't help his rich tastes that he had grown up with. Though he loathed who was responsible for it, he enjoyed it just a little and tried to hide it by turning away from the girls, acting as if he was just glancing around.
Colt visibly shivered, this place reminded her too much of Villies place. Cept his was a big darker is most of the colors and a little less cheerful.
"Let's hope we don't have to stay in here long, specially now that we are locked in..." She mentioned as she moved over to the door to test the lock. It was locked pretty soundly. She crossed her arms over her chest and took to walking slowly around the room to see any weak spots to escape at if needed. Her stomach silently twisted from anxiety and hanging onto the shock of being teleported.

"Let's hope," Devon agreed, plopping onto the sofa and slouching into the overstuffed cushions. "Dear lord, I'm going to get lost in this stupid couch . . ." She watched Vincent a moment, wondering what he was thinking. She still wished he hadn't come along--regardless of his age or experience, he didn't belong in the line of fire.

Five minutes passed, then fifteen, followed by another thirty. When Devon was getting ready to shoot the walls out of impatience, the time was reaching the hour mark, and footsteps approached the door. There was the sound of another key in the lock, and the door swung upon to reveal Thanos.

He wore a white suit this time, which, in Devon's opinion, only served to make him seem more impossibly smug. From the white shock of his hair to the perfectly-polished dress shoes that caught the light, he dressed an angelic role that he did not play.

"How nice of you to join us," Devon said, lifting her head from the back of the sofa.

Thanos just gave a serene smile.

Colt had taken up a seat next to Devon on the couch after waiting in the room for so long. Vincent, though, had remained standing. His hands smashed into his pockets as he stood next to the end of the couch Devon was on. When Thanos entered the room he watched him carefully, peering his violet eyes through his black bangs. This man wasn't threatening in the least. He expected someone like his brother, a menacing, threatening, commanding presence. But all he was a dapper human who seemed a bit smug.

Colt sat up a bit when Thanos entered the room, she quickly looked him over and tried to act confident. White is a good color to spill blood on... She thought to herself to make herself feel better. Oddly, it worked.

Devon sat up straight as Thanos stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "No funny business," he said, his smile perfectly serene. "Saizel's been instructed to keep watch over our discussion and--well, you've met Varel."

Devon glanced around the room, wondering how one hid a seven-foot armor-plated demon. "Yes, well," she sighed when she was unsatisfied, "since you've kindly dragged us here and left us waiting for an hour, maybe you'd like to explain what's going on? Last time we met, you tried to kill us, and now we have half the world on our asses because of what you've done."

Thanos shrugged. "I'm sure Varel gave you a bit of a rundown before coming here," he said. "Given this chaos you seem so concerned about, well, I'm sure you'd rather be on my side than the other."

"Not if your side is killing innocent humans and disrupting the balance," Colt sneered, glaring up at the human. She was convinced they could easily kill him, but not so much about the demons. And suddenly, she wished Drake was there.

"What is your reason for doing all of this anyway? Power? Money? Glory? Or just to be an annoyance?" Vincent dared to ask, sounding much more confident then he really was. Vincent wasn't completely powerless, and he was sure he wouldn't die anytime soon. But putting his friends in danger was not on the top of his list of what to do today.

"Well, power, certainly. Can you imagine what it was like when I realized there was an entire world more powerful than my own boring, human one? One that I could even control? Of course I'm going to want that power." Thanos laughed, as though telling an amusing joke.

"Really now," Devon said dryly. She wondered what the demons in Thanos' employ really thought of the matter.

"Besides," Thanos continued over Devon's remark, "everyone is just so ignorant. It's depressing. Nobody knows about your kind and ignorance is hardly bliss. Shouldn't everyone know?" His eyes flickered over everyone in the room, lingering on Vincent. "Oh, you're new . . . shall I guess a vampire? I hadn't seen you the last time we all met."

Vincent narrowed his eyes slightly, he wasn't surprised that Thanos could tell so easily what he was. His pale, face, old clothes, slightly slitted eyes, pointed ears and fangs could give it away to anyone who was really paying attention and would consider such a thing. But the stupidity of humans never stopped amazing him.
"Yes, you would be correct. A vampire I have been cursed to be for many many years, longer then you would think. And you think you are the first human to discover our secret world? Or the first to try and control it?" He asked, his tone obviously annoyed. "I have seen many many humans try to control things stronger then themselves and it has never worked out well for the human. What you don't know will be your downfall, it always has been... Humans are too rash to think things through..."

Colt was a little shocked by how Vincent addressed Thanos and spoke of humans. She had never heard him talk so poorly of humans before.
"You think that showing everyone that blood thirsty monsters exist is going to go over okay?" She asked, "the population will become terrified and defend themselves anyway they can."

Devon regarded Vincent from the corner of her eye, silently surprised by his attitude.

"Oh, come now, you act as though you were never human before," Thanos said, with a simpering veneer of lament. "But! None of that matters. Considering you all must have agreed to my offer before you ever came here, I think we're veering off-topic and getting off on the wrong foot here. All this talk of what will happen--I have it all figured out, don't worry yourselves. All I want is the knowledge that you're with me rather than against me, which, despite your protests, seems to be the case."

"Under protest," Devon said dryly.

Vincent decided to say no more. He was confident that this human would fall just like all the others. But how much damage would he do first? He had already done much further then any in the past. Then he thought about being human once. He was, though he could barely remember what it felt like to be human. He didn't miss it much anymore, being a vampire was just so normal and easy now. Even as a human, he would have never fought for power like this or like his brother. He would never have hurt innocent people for any reason.

"You didn't give us much of a choice. What is it that you want from us anyway? Or are you just afraid we are going to kill you?" Colt asked, growling lightly at the last words from her mouth. As much as she just wanted to change and launch at his throat, she knew it was not the wisest idea.

Thanos clasped his hands behind his back. "Well, it's always helpful to have powerful allies," he said. "Obviously, there's a reasonable amount of talent in this room--Saizel is not a demon easily killed, and the fact that any of you did any damage at all is a surprise to me. I admit I feel better having you here, but I wasn't particularly worried that you would kill me, no." He eyed Vincent critically and arched a thin brow. "Although I'm uncertain what to have you do, since I wasn't looking for a biting criticism of my humanity."

"There are other hunters," Devon said. "Not just us. Others who won't want to work for you, and someone who will eventually track you down."

"Yes, but I've gotten one of the good ones." Thanos smiled again, this time at Devon. "I've heard of you before. Bit hard to miss the scars or the reputation."

Colt glanced at Devon, she knew she was known all over, but not how much. Devon used to also hunt with Drake, and his reputation was one to stand on it's own as well. The only known vampire demon hybrid, plus a hunter. Colt was a little known when she was under Zack, but it had been a while since she even saw Zack. And it wasn't much further then getting good merits from the other hunters that Zack had known for a long time.
Colt would never admit that she was a little jealous that Devon was so know for her abilities.

"Seems like a lousy deal on our end. What do we get out of being on your side?" Colt asked after a second of thought.

Thanos laughed quietly. "I'm not sure you really need much else when you're on the winning side," he said. "But I won't have you killed, you'll get to enjoy the power that comes from being here, and who knows what else will come along? Sounds like a good deal to me."

Devon exhaled a sharp breath through her nose. She wondered if they would have been better off killing Varel while they had the chance and fleeing the continent.

"Well," Thanos said, checking his watch, "I'm sure you'll all want some time to think this over and prepare, yes? I discourage too much wandering throughout the building, but I'm sure you'll find everything you need just in this wing. I try to take care of my guests."

Colt glanced between Devon and Vincent, hoping they would have some idea of what to do.

Vincent pulled his hands from his pockets and wrapped his arms loosely around his chest. He couldn't help but think getting close enough to Thanos to find his weakness or get more info on the situation would be harder then he thought it would be. But he also thought it smug to invite two hunters and a old vampire into his domain. Maybe he was more powerful then they thought? But in the end he was only human still.

"Well, if that's all," Thanos said pleasantly, reaching back for the door. "Do have a pleasant evening. Try not to get into the trouble the first night here--I'd hate to have to kill you on the first night, before we've even had the good discussions."

The door clicked shut behind him as he left.

"Oh my god,, he is a prick," Devon said when Thanos was out of earshot.

"Tell me about it..." Colt sighed as she rolled her eyes.
"And quite arrogant," Vincent added with a short nod.

Colt flopped back onto the couch, wondering what Zeke was doing right then. He was probably still in bed... "So now what do we do? Just hang out?" She looked up at Vincent, "I didn't expect something like that from you..."

"Hmmn? Oh. Well I am trying to warn him. I have seen a lot of men and women fall horribly from trying to control something they couldn't. But he is so far much more prepared then the rest.." The vampire explained lightly, shrugging his shoulders softly. "Men like that give all men a bad name."

"I can't tell whether he actually has everything under control as he says he does or not," Devon said, flopping onto the couch wearily and draping her arm over her eyes. "I've never heard of a third-tier doing anything a human says, especially not several. Either he's stronger than he sounds, or they all have their own agenda... I have no idea."

She sighed heavily. "I need to communicate with Drake somehow, too. I don't know how much he knows."

"Since he is in the demon world you would think he would know what is going on... I wish he would just come back though." Colt said the last bit a little more quiet. "I feel like he would have more of an idea as to what we are dealing with since his dad is a demon and I'm sure he has been learning more about Chance to try and be stronger then hi-... Oh god. I hope Thanos doesn't get Chance on his side...." she nearly gasped. Chance had been dormant for so long that she had nearly forgot about him and the threat that he held. "Wait. What if he can control Drake?" She looked over at Devon again, worried again.

Vincent remained quiet, wishing the conversation hadn't turned to Drake and how much they had missed him. Yes, the hybrid could be very useful now, but that didn't make him like the fact of it anymore.

Devon tensed. She hadn't given that a thought.

"I don't know," she said at length. "I think--it looks like he's focusing on the truly powerful ones, demons who've been around ages. I don't know if he'd go for Drake. God, I hope not."

She slouched against the back of the couch. "Fuck. I really need to talk to him."

"Well he did send us those letters, so I'm sure he will figure out a way to contact us... I hope." Colt tried to reassure Devon but it was hard to reassure her when she was in doubt too.

"I have no doubt that Drake is fine. Being a vampire also, I do not think Thanos will be able to use him. Though I would like to know how he is doing this all. I have an idea, but I am not so sure.." Vincent said thinking aloud, trying to change the subject.
"Perhaps we can look around and see if we can find any clues.."

Devon took a deep breath, getting her nerves back under control. She could not afford to show even a hint of falling to pieces while she was here. Not while everyone would be relying on her to make sure the world itself did not fall apart.

"Agreed," she said, getting to her feet. "Doesn't seem like he expects us to just sit here anymore, so we might as well have a look around."

"As carefully as possible..." Vincent reminded with a nod.
Colt got back up from the couch and looked toward the door. She wondered what was on the other side of it, or where they were actually at. But she couldn't just sit here wondering. They had to figure it out the bets they could. She headed to the door, behind Devon but in front of Vincent.

((AND HERE COMES THANOS BEING A GIANT DOUCHE))

The door led out into a wide hallway, more tastefully decorated than the room behind them and entirely empty. Devon frowned as she clicked the door shut.

"I doubt he's not watching us," she said quietly. "Unnecessary, but likely."

--

After his conversation with the group (worrying, but promising), Thanos made his way from the top floors of his extravagant home toward the basement. The basement door was locked with no visible key. He placed his hand on the door and a set of runes blared to life in the wood, blindingly blue, and the door swung open in silence.

The room beyond was his study. It was decorated in much the way one would expect a haphazard wizard's study to be: books (all unread) stacked up on a sturdy oak desk with a half-melted (yet never lit) candle stuck to the surface; another bookshelf crammed with tomes (some read only out of necessity); a small table littered with bottles of herbs and incense and inks of varying colors (though he did almost everything in bloody red).

The middle of the floor was spread clear, and a detailed, circular array was drawn in chalk, waiting to be altered and used again.

Colt and Vincent walked down the hall with Devon, glancing around, but both trying not to look like they were looking for clues. Trying not to attrached attention to themselves.
They paused at the stairway, Thanos's smell lead down it as if he had just passed through there, heading down stairs.
"Should we fallow his smell?" Colt whispered.

----

Villie merged from the shadows of the basement room that Thanos entered into. He had not been there before, moving in the shadows was something older vampires could easily do if they wanted to.

"I can't seem to get the sickening smell of wolf out of my nose..." Villie mumbled as he grabbed a book from the shelf and broadly flipped through the old pages. It looked like something his brother would read.
"Do we have guests?"

Devon shook her head. "If he catches us following him fifteen minutes after that big speech, he'll be suspicious." She kept moving, though she itched to know what was downstairs, away from the house. "We'll want to avoid him unless he seeks us out, at least for now, until we're a little more comfortable with him. Besides, he's probably locked himself in."

--

Thanos started and inhaled a sharp breath, only barely managing to bite his tongue. Snapping at the vampire would likely only result in his own injury.

"Yes, actually," he said stiffly, moving across the room to pull a different book off the shelf. He flipped it open, revealing pages of runes and inscription references. "A couple of hunters whom I think I have convinced to work with us, at least for the meantime. I doubt they'll stay around long, but I'd rather have them out of the way somewhere I can watch them."

Colt nodded, this is was why she felt most decisions to Devon. Colt tended to not think things through or rush it. As they moved away from the stairs, she lingered, staring down them for a moment. She could feel something, or maybe someone... She hook her head before falling back in line with the others.

"I wonder what he expects us to do.." Vincent wondered quietly.

----

Villie made a thoughtful face, snapping the book closed. A couple of hunters? He couldn't smell Drake. All he could smell was wolves and Drake had such a odd smell he was easy to spot. He must have still been in the demon realm. Perhaps it was Colt that was with Devon then? He couldn't help but smile a bit.
"Perhaps I shall hang around a little more. I have personally delt with these hunters before and taking your eyes off them for a moment might very well end with your sudden death." He replaced the book on the shelf and sighed.
"Who do you plan on calling out this time?"
He had been trying manipulate Thanos on calling out Chance, and he had been hiding the way how to do such a challenge. He knew something about it that Thanos couldn't find in any book.

Devon shrugged wearily. "I have a feeling he's collecting," she replied, pausing in the doorway to the kitchen. Blissfully, it was empty, though she had half-expected cooks and maids, and seemed well-stocked. She worried her lip, debating whether raiding the kitchen would be appropriate. "Like Saizel and the others. Probably will want us to fight or do things for him that he can't accomplish."

--

Thanos nodded absently to Villie's warning, confident that he and the other demons could handle a ragtag group of hunters with little trouble.

"The one you mentioned--Spirus, was it?" Thanos asked, taking a piece of chalk off his desk and beginning to add geometrical figures to the circle on the floor. "I hope to start getting some real power under my wings soon."

"Wow.." Colt said in awe as she walked around the kitchen, looking in the cupboards and at all the expensive food.
"all the stuff Devon wont by," she laughed.

Vincent glanced around and decided to stand idly off to the side.

----

"Yes, Spirus would be the closest you could get to the son of the devil..." Villie nodded and dug into the pocket of his inner coat. He took out a very old, crumpled, folded, stained paper and held it out to the human.
"This may help you a little. I took it many years ago from a very old vampire, just before I killed him.." He smiled to himself, remembering the feeling of killing this vampire. On the paper was exact symbol to draw to summon Spirus, his name hastily written in the top corner. It looked as if it was torn out of a book and saved for many many years.
"He is the oldest demon left, been around since before earth, so I hear.."

"Well, if you'd like to try buying caviar when my checks are slow in coming, I'd like to see you try," Devon said. She sat herself on the smooth marble countertop and lifted a bottle of wine off a rack. "Wonder where he's getting all this money from. Figured he was too busy doing demon summonings to get an actual income."

--

Thanos delicately took the paper from Villie, studying the rune. It was one he hadn't seen in any books before, and he had a feeling he would not have gotten very far without it.

"Wonderful," he murmured as he leaned over, careful not to smudge the chalk lines, and drew the symbol in the middle of the circle. Afterward, he stood, dusted off his hands, and set his book to the side.

"Caviar ew!" Colt laughed, "no way." She grabbed a couple things to eat and pushed herself up on the counter and dug into them with out hesitation.

"Are you sure that is such a good idea?" Vincent asked, making a face. Food just became more disgusting year after year.
"Why not? If he's making us work for him, he's gotta feed us." Colt shrugged, mouth full of food.

----

Villie took a cautious step back from the drawing on the ground. "Do you have some extra precaution to keep this one reined in?" He asked, suspecting the human foolishly didn't think he needed it. As much as he would like to see this all back fire on him, he was in it to get something as well.

"He did say everything we needed would be in the wing. This is part of it," Devon said with a shrug. "It's either that or he starts paying me to go to Wal-Mart on the weekends." Not particularly hungry herself, Devon set the wine bottle back on the counter and looked out through the wide kitchen window. The visible area looked like grassy foothills, empty and far too serene for what was going on in the house.

--

"Of course," Thanos replied. "I assure you, I'm not as incompetent as you seem to think." He picked up another book, a heavy tome filled with writing, and flipped through until he found the proper page. He began a murmured chant of recited Latin, reading straight from the book, and the circle began to glow a dull blue.

Colt glanced out the window as well, "I wonder where we are at..." She leaned to the side a bit to try and see anything else, but nothing looked familular.

"Probably somewhere that it would be hard to escape from..." Vincent sighed lightly. He felt so uneasy about the whole thing. He knew the girls did too, but they hid it better then him.

---

Villie wasn't convinced about the humans competence, but he said nothing as he began to call the old demon.

Unlike any other summoning, thick grey smoke slowly swirled around the array, seeping out of each chalk line as if it were a crack in the floor. The smoke remained centered in the chalk lines, growing thicker and thicker until nothing could been seen past it. The floor shook lightly and a low growl fill the air, what ever was coming out seemed big.
But as Thanos finished up, the smoke swirled around a smallish figure until it was just a haze lingering in the air. Where the smoke once was thickest stood a fairly normal looking human to the untrained eye. His hair was grey like the smoke, shaggy and cut unevenly. His eyes were a dull blue and half lidded as if he was tired, coupled with a frown and a cigarette hanging from his pursed lips. His attire was normal and drab, mostly covered by his long trench coat on hunchy shoulders.
He blinked a few times, bones cracking as if his true form was still settling into his human form.
"Well... a human and a vampire.... Why do I get the feeling that this is going to too much work..." He groaned, his voice only monotone and lifeless, but obviously hiding a deep growl.

"Somewhere remote," Devon agreed with a sigh. "Seems like we're pretty far out. Dunno how easily we'll get out of here, if we have to. We'll have to scout the grounds later and try to get some idea of where we're at."

She leaned back on the counter and closed her eyes, trying to think. She wondered if she could get to any of her contacts in the hunting business, or retrieve any of her other items, or get back in contact with Zeke and Ronnie to ensure they were alright.

--

Thanos contained his grin in a thin smile as he snapped the book shut and set it on the desk behind him. "Well, all the best things are worth working for," he replied lightly. "I'd ask your name, but since I already had it just to get you here, I'll skip that bit of pleasantry. You can call me Thanos." He clasped his hands behind his back, tucked flush against the crisp white material of his suit, and waited.

Vincent paused and looked at the ground, "do you feel that?" He asked he girls. Colt stopped eating and paused as well.
"Like you can't breath very well?" She asked, hoping it wasn't just her.
"Yes. The tension... It almost feels like a demon is breathing down my neck.."

----

"What you have is my human name... You do not carry the talent to pronounce my real name..." Spirus said, unamuzed as he stepped from the circle, glancing around the room.
Villie remained silent, normally making a point to not speak to the demons Thanos brought to earth.
"So you must be the guy taking all the stronger demons from our world and letting them loose on the earth..." He sighed heavily, his body heavy as he walked. Each step her took made a louder thud then it should have. As if he was incredibly heavy.
"Then I am glad you called me..." He stopped in front of the human. "Thanos was it? What makes you think I won't just kill you right now? You did research me didn't you? Usually when humans summon a demon they take the time to research the one being summoned..." He didn't hardly seem like he cared about anything. "Do you know what my name means in my tongue?" He looked down on Thanos, standing over 6 feet tall easily.

((Wanted to give you a heads up cause I know Thanos would at least know a little. Spirus means "human lover" in his original tongue. But hardly any demons, save the really old, speak it anymore. Spirus has never had the hunger for power like all other demons, and generally doesn't like to hurt humans. He has protected the human world in the past and was so given the name Spirus to shame him. And he was also cursed to never walk on earth again unless a human found a way to make him. Like being summoned. He has 2 demon forms after his human form. His his half demon form he can mostly control his actions, but still being a demon, he like to kill things. And in his full demon form he can barely control himself at all and just goes nuts, cause he is still a demon at heart, no matter how much he tries to act like a human. And being in his human form is very tiring for him, and hard to do, mostly cause he's fucking gigantic in his natural form. So it's hard to keep all it reined into human skin.
Can you tell I have given this a lot of thought? ))

Devon sat up straighter. A shiver made her tighten her shoulders before it could shudder down her spine. She could definitely sense the difference--a crackle of power, something almost physically straining the very air as though it could shatter with enough pressure.

"I don't know what he's doing," she said quietly, "but I doubt he actually knows what he's fucking around with."

--

Thanos smiled, a saccharine sweet expression. "Of course," he said. "Sounds like you're quite literally a 'human lover,' which could be construed a few ways, I suppose, but I get the gist of you. Despite being a demon, you like to think yourself above your instincts and all those other lowly things." He waved his hand idly. "You could try to kill me, if you wanted, but there would be some opposition to that." He glanced down at the floor, and the circle inscribed with runes for binding and shielding.

"I don't like this anymore... This is a worse feeling then all the other demons we have seen so far.." Colt admitted, putting the food on the counter next to her.

"I smell... smoke?" Vincent said as if he was confused. It didn't smell like something was burning, that was a different smell all together. It was just smoke. "I feel as though I should know what demon has just be released."

-----


Villie was almost impressed by Thanos's research into Spirus.
Spirus lazily glanced down at the array. "What in the world would bring you to think that bringing the human loving demon to work for you, the person who has had demons slaughtering humans, was a good idea?" Spirus asked, his cigarette flopping in his lips, his tone still lazy and uncaring.
"If you think some chalk lines will save you forever you are sadly mistaken..."

Devon lifted her nose to the air and immediately caught the heavy scent of smoke--thin, diffusing through the air, but present nonetheless. "That or he's summoned something that's about to burn his pretty little house down," she remarked dryly. "God, I wish I could go see what he's doing."

--

Thanos' smile immediately became strained. "Well, I thought perhaps even you would be interested in helping install a new world order," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "This is not something that would benefit only me, but the entirety of your kind, should I get the help I need."

Colt frowned, "do you think something could go wrong... If this house goes up in flames I don't want to be in it." She glanced around the kitchen, as if she was going to see fire just pop up or something.

"I don't smell anything actually burning..." Vincent tried to reassure the younger girl.

----

"To be truthful I have wondered what your plan is..." Spirus said, taking a step back away from the human. "If you can try to rule the humans with out having to slaughter them, I would be interested."
He looked over at Villie, "why do you look familiar?"
"It's hard to not look familiar after living for 200 some odd years," Villie shrugged to which Spirus nodded as if he figured out where he knew him from.

"Nah, we're fine. As well as we can be under the circumstances, anyway." Devon hopped down from the country and exhaled a heavy breath. "And sitting ducks, for now. Not when we know he's got demons hovering." She took her glasses off and rubbed her hand down her face. This idea was seeming worse and worse by the second, regardless of the lack of alternative options.

--

"Well, you can hardly make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, as you know," Thanos said, letting his smile spread back across his face. He spread out his hands theatrically. "But, well, the fewer, the better, and that'll be easier if I get some true power on my side. The ones I have now are brilliant, make no mistake, but they certainly aren't of your kind."

"Yeah I don't like it." Colt agreed, "I wish we could do more. I feel so helpless." She got off the counter as well, plopping down on the tile.
"We should keep looking around," Vincent sighed lightly, feeling useless himself. He tried to push past the feeling of the very powerful demon breathing down his neck.

----

Spirus cracked a small smile, "brilliant?" He asked, making a small huffing sound that seemed like a half hearted laugh. He looked upward as if he heard something in the upper end of the house. His eyes narrowed a little and he looked back at Thanos, "do you have werewolves here?" he asked, raising and eyebrow, "didn't think such smaller demons would be of any use to you..."

Devon sighed too and replaced her glasses on her nose. "We should," she agreed. "At least so we don't get lost in this massive place later on." She hopped down from the counter and started out of the kitchen, going for a corridor on the opposite side of the room.

--

"Werewolves, no. Hunters, on the other hand, are of more use," Thanos corrected. He glanced upstairs in the vague direction of the parlor in which he had originally left the group. "Those who know how to fight and control demons, who have access to underground resources in the demon world--well, not only are they useful, but they're not in my way if they're with me."

Colt and Vincent fallowed Devon back out of the room, though Colt seemed to keep getting distracted as if she felt something else.
"Is there something else bothering you?" Vincent asked, walking next to her.
Colt shrugged lightly, "I don't know, I just have this weird feeling.."

-----

Spirus made a humming noise in thought before sighing deeply. He couldn't deny the tugging on his brain to fallow Thanos. It was probably some kind of spell like how he was summoned. He could tell it wasn't himself feeling this way, but he couldn't help but want to go along with it just so it would stop. It was a very harsh, strained feeling.
He puffed in his cigerette that seemed to never get any shorter, letting the smoke bellow out of his nose in circles.
"I will work with you for now..."
Villie didn't expect it to be that easy, so he wondered what could be pushing Spirus to work for Thanos. Though he couldn't argue with the out come.

"Something up?" Devon asked, turning back to look at Colt. "Probably shouldn't ignore anything while we're here, since God only knows what's actually going on." She half-expected to turn a corner and be ripped to shreds by one of Thanos' pet demons as it was.

--

Likewise, Thanos was also slightly confused by Spirus' willingness to help, but simply chalked it up to the magic of his wards and spells. "Wonderful," he said, clapping his hands together. "Always a joy seeing a new face on the team. I've nothing that needs doing right this minute, but I anticipate you'll want to make yourself comfortable here."

"I don't know," Colt shrugged lightly again to Devon. "I just keep getting this feeling. It's kind different then what might be another demon... I have had it since we left the first room..." She looked down at her hands that were tembeling a bit.
"Maybe it's just fear of the unknown... But I just keep getting this nagging feeling that we need to leave and my heart keeps racing off and on and I just can't breath almost, and my legs are numb an-"
"Sounds like you are having a panic attack," Vincent cut off the wolf girl softly, putting a hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her. But saying that she might just be panicking, scared her even more.
"Why would... No I've never had once before, I just-" Colt couldn't even think of the words she wanted to say and as she thought about it more and more her chest tightened as if her muscles forgot how to relax and her heart raced harder, making her sick to her stomach. She couldn't be having a panic attack could she? Was she that scarred? She had been in worse situations and never felt like this before.

-----

"What other demons do you have here?" Spirus asked, almost having a tone as if he already knew the answer but wanted to see what Thanos would say.
"A lot of demons don't like me, and a lot tend to just want to kill me for my position..." He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, "that would sure be a pain in the ass.."

Devon swore softly and glanced sharply around the corridor they were in, as if an answer to Colt's panic would spring out of the woodwork. Devon didn't have the faintest clue how to begin stopping Colt from having a panic attack, other than not repeatedly chanting "calm down."

"Okay, um--you should probably sit. Come on, we'll go back to the room, get you settled," she decided, choosing action over standing around stupidly waiting for it to end.

--

"Oh, a good number. Saizel's my right hand, and there's Varel. Balth, Kin, a couple other lesser-knowns . . ." Thanos trailed off with a shrug. "A good few I know will be of great help to me."

"No no.. I don't want to. I want to find clues and stop this. I don't want to sit uselessly in a room any longer..." Colt rambled a little, starring down at the floor as if ti was giving her all the answers. But she was becoming a little frustrated with herself panicking over nothing, and not being able to convey her emotions at all.
"I just have this feeling something horrible is going to happen."

Vincent on the other hand was very very calm in this situation, as if he had handled it a million times before. Though he had never seen Colt panic like this, he had a feeling he knew what he should do to help, just because of her character. He just smiled softly and grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her in closely for a firm hug.

Colt immediately became still, and dropped her arms limping to her side. She was much shorter then Vincent who was a few inches over 6 feet and Colt was barely 5'8". But none the less she leaned into his embrace, hiding her face in his coat. And he didn't need to say a word, just holding her tightly as if it was going to be okay. And though it wouldn't work for most people, it seemed to work for her.

------

"Saizel has a good head on his shoulders..." Spirus mumbled with a short nod. He turned around, running his hand from his neck and through his messy grey hair. He looked toward the doorway of the room as if he was growing crampt.
"I will not be working under any other demons. The only demon I take orders from no human can summon or control... And I am not working under you... I am working WITH you. I want you to remember that." He stated these words very firmly, not giving a glance back.

Villie crossed his arms, growing a bit board. Though he had plenty he wanted to say to Spirus, or even ask him, he made a point to not speak to any of the demons, or be around with Thanos was telling them what to do. This was the first demon he ha witnessed being summoned.
When this thing came crashing down, he didn't want to have all the demons thinking he was trying to control them and maybe go after him to. though Villie knew he could handle himself with most of these demons one on one, he didn't want to be out numbered.

Devon pressed her lips together into a thin line and looked off. "Right. That works too," she said shortly. Clearly, she was out of her depth when it came to these things. It was probably good that they had Vincent along, after all.

--

A muscle at the corner of Thanos' mouth gave a little twitch, but otherwise there was no indication that he had anything to say against Spirus' declaration. "Fair enough," he replied, and scuffed out a line in the chalk diagram with the toe of his shoe. "I hardly expect anything else."

After a moment passed Vincent held Colt out at arms length and looked at her with a soft smile, "better?" He asked.
Colt took a deep shaky breath and nodded, "yeah.. I still feel like something bad is going to happen but I think I'm calm enough now..." She wouldn't deny that she was sightly embarrassed by how well just a simple hug worked for her. The first person to ever hug her was Zack, and she always remembered how strange it first felt. She never knew what a hug was before that. Maybe that was why it worked so well, because it was something her biological family never did.
"Let us keep searching then," Vincent smiled a bit wider.

-------


Spirus barely let Thanos finish talking before heading toward the doorway.
"I have to admit, I am impressed by how far you have gotten," he stated, pausing by the door for just a moment before heading out. His pace was a bit quicker as if he was growing antsy.