Paint the Town Red

"17 minutes and 32 seconds." At this point, Eevi wasn't even surprised anymore, just disappointed. If this is how long it was going to take, then she might as well have walked across the street instead of running if the delay was going to be this long. With a sigh, Eevi stops the timer on her wristwatch and continues her watch as the police cars pulled up to a defenseless and brutally slain coworker's home, readying themselves for a terribly long night on the job.

At least, that's how the story will be spun: a noble, retired police officer had been mercilessly cut down on his own porch in the dead of night, with so many walking home passing right by the scene of the crime, unaware and ignorant of the tragedy that had befallen all of New York City with the undertaking of such a vicious act. It didn't matter to her, though; being exposed for corruption post-mortem or martyred by the community wouldn't affect her pay for this job either way the wind would blow.

It had been simple, really. Frantic knocking in the middle of the night, during a terrible blizzard, followed by the desperate voice of a woman was all Eevi had needed for her trap to spring. Hook. First, she saw the lights turn on in the upstairs bedroom window and follow the same pattern down into the entryway. She pulled her right glove off with the porch light turning on. Looking as pitiful as she could muster, Eevi appeared soaking wet and shivering in the snow, poorly dressed for the weather on purpose, holding her arms close to her chest, and looking over her shoulders frequently to portray fear and nervousness. She heard no voice on the other side of the door but around a minute later she did hear the doors lock slide open. Line.

"Click." The light given off through the opening took only a few seconds to adjust her eyes to, and when they did, it was exactly who she was looking for who had opened it. A confused man in his mid-60s stared at the girl freezing in the torrent outside. He stared a mixture of confusion, concern, and weariness, that last look no doubt from the sleep Eevi had certainly just taken from him. The cozy, blue NYCPD robe he wore, almost certainly custom-made for him, provided this man a source of warmth, as well as a comfortable final attire to die in, albeit somewhat undecorated.

"What're you doing out here in the cold like this girl? You'll catch your death standing around like this." Sinker. With a flick of her hand to the center of the man's chest, index and middle finger pointed right at the facet of his sternum, Eevi's feigned helplessness dropped, and the predator showed its true coat. His eyes met hers as his face now turned to annoyance and rising anger. Before any words left his mouth, however, he was met with the last words he'd ever hear.

"Pop."

The same, familiar, sickening, and pulp-filled crunch vibrated from the man's now suddenly caved-in chest. A silent gush of blood was all his last attempt at words could muster. The shock in his eyes traced up to the ceiling as they followed the trajectory of the rest of his body meeting the floor. Dead before he could properly realize it, completely silent and alone in his last moments. Running down the steps of this, effective immediately, now former home, Eevi crossed the street to the dumpster she had marked out in her initial scope of the street that was so conveniently located directly across it in an alleyway.

Right where she had left them, Eevi donned the warm jacket and picked up the umbrella she had left plastic wrapped next to the dumpster. Grateful for the warmth, she deployed the umbrella and leaned back on the brick wall of the alley while, with her free hand, she activated the timer on her wristwatch and waited.

4 minutes and 46 seconds. That's how long it took for a fellow New Yorker, some teenage girl presumably running home in the snow, to notice the odd sight of an open door in this cold as well as, upon their approach, the crumpled body on its back and bleeding profusely past said open door in the home. With the expected scream that had first alerted the now-growing crowd in front of Eevi, the call had been made for NYCPD to come out. For one of their own had been slain. Once the crowd had become sizable enough, Eevi left her private watching space in the alley and joined the rising number of citizens. She didn't need to listen for any witnesses or acquire extra evidence about the man she had killed, though. It was simply a fascination of hers, a game even.

How long since the timer's start until someone expressed what a shame it was that such a barbaric act could happen in this neighborhood, of all places? 7 minutes and 19 seconds. How long until someone chimed in about a suspicious boy they had seen walking by the other day? 8 minutes, 34 seconds. Could that mystery delinquent be the one behind this? What if they are a superhuman? Not even 10 seconds following the last statement. The remorseful chiming in that such a good friend of theirs had died in such a manner. 9 minutes and 52 seconds. All different people, and all strangers to the man too from what Eevi had observed in the week leading up to this night. Seldom leaving his home, the officer only had two things he would regularly emerge for. One being taking out the trash. And the other was more curious to Eevi. Letters.

Every day, every few hours, the entire week. With such a frequency as that, Eevi had seen him leave his home and dumping a bundle of letters into his mailbox and quickly returning back inside. And with these two sole examples of a routine for his small time in the open air, she had observed none of these new faces approach or speak to the now-deceased man. It was the click of police sirens pulling up to the home that snapped Eevi out of her pondering over the frequent and strange letter habit of the target and facetiousness of the gathered crowd. The police had finally arrived at the scene of the crime.

Checking her watch, Eevi frowned and stopped the time on it, preparing to observe how these individual officers would conduct themselves at the crime she had committed. She was disappointed at how long that all had taken. "17 minutes and 32 seconds." Shaking her head in disappointment, Eevi pulled her sleeve back up over her watch. She had suddenly lost all interest in this scene. A strange ennui had taken residence in her and ruined the mood of this night. "Well, I need a drink I suppose.”

With a turn, she disappeared into the streets of New York in search of where she would find said drink.

The first hunt after the siege of Terni. Rai shifts uncomfortably in her armor, grimacing at the scraping against the raw bone of her spine and the digging the ill fitted leather gave to semi-fresh wounds. Never had the thought the armor she lived in would suddenly feel so alien to her. Then again, never did she think the Dis she was willing to lay down her life for would turn on her so violently for simply doing as she was commanded by whatever profane creator made her. Yet here she was out in New York city in the middle of the night, amongst people who could also choose to return her to her pyre and finish the job should they wish. With a heavy breath into the cold winter she pulls her cloak around her with burn scarred hands and ducks her horned head.

A demon had been terrorizing the night life in the shadows, leaving a trail to dead ladies of the night and homeless in its wake. The police had chalked it up to a serial killer of epic proportions, but with minimal evidence, dropped it to the bottom of their caseload. No matter, the police had no hope of catching such a beast no matter how much they tried. A lemure could be anything and anyone at any time, so even if they had evidence, all it took was it to change its face and the person they were looking for no longer existed. However, to a reaver a lemure had no hope of hiding amongst the humans.

Rai herself had no hope of being inconspicuous either, though. Her pale white skin floured with inky black markings like lace on ivory. Her horns spiraled like a crown from her hair that rolled from soft curls to black smoke about her waist. Her leather armor and black cloak definitely set her apart from the bar goers, however it seemed each time a human would venture too close she found some reason to be detouring around them, never glancing at the same person twice. It was on her way that a gathering crowd did catch Rai’s attention. Another victim of her target? She shyly pulls her cloak around her further and ventures closer to listen into the murmurs. A dead policeman, shot it seemed? Either way the fact that the body was seemingly in one piece was enough to tell her it wasn’t what she was looking for. A damn shame for the human, but since his death seemed to be a human affair, it was not any of her business.

It was when she passed a particular bar with a carved sign that said “Tipsy Turtle” Did the tell tale flash of color amongst the sea of souls catch her attention. There it was! Right there in the middle of the bar. Shamelessly chatting up any human it could sink it’s claws into and propositioning anyone.

Her fingers teased the handles of her scythes as the familiar rage boiled her blood. She wanted nothing more than to send it’s filthy head rolling across the dark oak floors, however the crowd gave her pause. This was not Dis, she could not start a fight in the middle of a pub in this world and it be seen as socially acceptable, especially while it was charading as human. Her muscles clenched with restraint as she took a seat at the other end of the bar, staring daggers at the lecherous man flirting up a storm. Seems he was too distracted by a young woman to even notice how much danger he was in. Rai waves the bartender off, never prying her eyes from the demon as it continues his parade around the bar. All she could do was wait.

Eevi stepped into the "Tipsy Turtle," her attire more suited for the harsh winter outside than the warmth of a bar. The door's chime tinkled softly as she entered, the contrast between the cold night and the heated interior palpable. Her gaze scanned the crowded room, and she found an unassuming spot at the bar.

Wrapped in a heavy winter coat and a scarf that shielded her from the biting cold, Eevi took a seat, the leather of her gloves creaking softly against the bar counter. She gave a nod to the bartender, signaling her desire for a drink that could help stave off the chill that clung to her.

The warmth of the bar made her slightly uncomfortable in her layers as she settled in, her demeanor an enigmatic blend of detached observation and an unspoken acknowledgment of the world outside.

While she sipped on her drink at a corner high-top by the window, a peculiar sight occurred to her. A woman wearing what looked like armor and a cloak over her head had entered the bar. She stopped in the middle of the floor and stared at a pair at the bar. A couple, or a man soon to make it very lucky tonight if the girls complete attention on him was any indication. Her gaze lay on them for a long moment before she carried herself to the end of the bar alone and sat. All the while keeping such a hateful aura.

Usually an observer in her hobby always staying on the outside, Eevi had to experience this and guarantee her front row seat. Picking up her lager and cocktail she moved to join this stranger at the end of the bar.

Sitting on the woman’s side opposite the objects of her ire, she laid both drinks in front of her newfound interest. “You know I don’t think bar fighting needs to involve actual armor now eh?”

She gave a mischievous half-smile at the woman and continued “They both seem rather happy with each other, smitten even. I am not someone who pries so I should just let you know. Staring at someone with that much anger can not be healthy for you.” Taking a drink of both glasses, she continued. “So, what’s the story then? He cheated and now you’re out for blood that he’s still enjoying his time like this? Kept the cat, the couch you bought together, and changed your streaming services login even though you paid for it that month?. Or maybe… she broke your heart? She couldn’t handle your sapphic affair anymore and needed once more the strong embrace of a man like him. Regardless” she pushed both drinks forwards with her fingers.

“I find action better then staring like this or hypothesizing incorrectly like me so here you are. One is for drinking the other is for pouring on their head either before or after you take your drink.” Considering the drinks no longer hers, Eevi signaled to the bartender for another drink.

Rai was so hyper fixated on the devil before her, snake-slit eyes nothing more than tiny black lines on bright blue orbs watching his every move. She didn’t even notice another woman sitting next to her nor did she register that someone was actually speaking to her until the word ‘armor’ came up. She’d forgotten this world would see that as strange and therefore the only person this could possibly be directed at would be her. She winces lightly realizing the proximity then shifts uncomfortably as an aftershock of pain shoots its way up her spine, causing her previously taught spaded tail to droop limply behind the barstool.

She listened for a moment, pointed ears twitching as she refused to pry her eyes from the demon across the bar. It did not shock her at all that this person thought the man was human, lemures were wonderful at pretending. However in a world of human souls, the one demon was incredibly obvious to someone with a reaver’s vision. Her head jerks up at the idea that she was interested in either one of the people at all with shocked horror.

“Aish, voice down. It might hear you.” Rai mutters in her heavy accent under her breath before eyeing the two glasses. She couldn’t discern color, but one certainly smelt better. She opts for the cocktail, taking an experimental sip before covering a cough. It was incredibly strong and assaulted the reavers tastes as it seemed most of this world’s drinks did. Soda, Coffee, Alcohol, everything was so much stronger here than at Dis! However, she now felt she had to continue drinking it as it was a gift.

”Your imagination is wonderful, but you're very wrong.” She perks as soon as another woman joins the conversation with the demon, both of which were hanging off him like a coat. The woman next to her seemed too confident to be fearful of whatever horrors this world had to offer. She smelt of blood and violence, which only spurred Rai to rope her into the loop.

“If he leaves this bar with them, he’s going to kill them. He is not as he appears.” Rai blinks before exhaling. She knew humans couldn’t see what she could, however she did know of one trick to prove she was right. With a grimace Rai downs the rest of the cocktail before taking the glass and holding it up to Eevi’s eyeline. Through the lens of the empty glass the man’s shape now replaced by some awful mass of blackened fur and dripping with a tar-like substance. His face was replaced with the head of a goat whose mouth was jammed full of teeth and tusks that protruded in every direction. The figure twisted and distorted through the glass like ashes rising from a fire. “If you focus your senses, you might be able to smell the sulfur on him. That is a demon.” Rai sets the glass back down and slides it to the edge of the bar. “I’ve been informed that I am not allowed to kill demons in such a public place if they are hiding as people … so I have to wait for him to decide to leave… but it looks like that could be a while.” Rai taps clawed fingers along the wooden bar. ”I am Rai” She hums, continuing her death stare of the devil on the other end of the bar.

“Well I don’t see how he could kill them unless that charm he’s putting out greatly oversells his—oooooooly shit I see the problem now.” With the reveal of his true form through the glass, Eevi’s entire view on the situation changed. People lied, people pretended, people stole and took when they wanted. But this thing wasn’t a person, it was a parasite pretending to be human. A bottom feeder. That went against every part of Eevi’s beliefs.

“Eevi, no questions asked on my part about your explanations. If that thing is your target, then we are a hunting party.” Offering her tattooed right hand, already showing two empty casings from the nights previous work, Eevi gave it for a quick handshake. When that exchange was done she prepared a set up. ”No better way to kill someone’s night than embarrassment right?”

When the bartender came around for another drink order, she instead ordered three drinks for the target and his two unsuspecting prey and told the bartender not to let them know who purchased them. Three sex on beach cocktails, extra sweet. As soon as the drinks were made and set with the predator and its prey, Eevi watched and waited.

”Maybe this will help his smell?” The moment this imitation of a man picked up and moved to take a sip of his drink, Eevi enacted her plan. With a hushed voice she used her powers “Click, pop.” Aiming at the base of the chair, Eevi fired a completely silenced shot of force from her finger tips with the intent of collapsing this things chair out from under it hopefully spilling its drink on it and causing a scene. Eevi hoped anything like this would break concentration it had to charm these girls and make it leave for new grounds to hunt.

Rai apprehensively takes the offered hand after a moment of stalling out. Her skin was cold to the touch and a bit more solid than living flesh should have been, but encircling each wrist was a seared scar that was still somewhat fresh enough to not have fully healed. The idea of a hunting party brought a smile to her face, Reavers never fought alone in Dis and sometimes in this world fighting alone began to drag on her.

Besides, she wasn’t fully confident in her ability to actually take down a demon solo anymore. It was something she had to discover for herself. Rai was the only Reaver actively hunting this world, Molly was dead set that he didn’t want to ‘look for trouble’ and while she was out of commission the demons in the area seemed to take that as a free pass to do whatever they pleased in her absence. Evie would likely be able to make sure she didn’t get in too deep over her head if she was still too weak to fight.

Her attention lifts as Evie moves into a strange hand gesture and the devil collapses flat onto his back. Both girls begin laughing and giggling as Rai rises to her feet. Her ears twitching in interest, like a cat watching an injured mouse. Her tail swishes from side to side as the demon attempts to wring the liquor from his coat. He straightens attempting to pull himself together and laughs it off, but the two girls are now completely disinterested in the lemure. It was like watching a man just deflate before he suddenly locks eyes with Evie. Rage washes over his features but then he traces back to Rai and his complexion immediately pales. He has a moment where he is a deer in the headlights before he quickly does an about face and heads for the door.

“Come.” Rai breathes as he opens the door then bolts with speed no human should be capable of. The reaver matches his pace with her outline blurring a bright green. Pain blossoms up Rai’s spine as she runs, the impact of each step jolting raw nerves. She could only hope Evie was keeping up, however Rai saw the opportunity to catch this guy. Rai draws a scythe from her belt and sends it flying hilt over blade into the demon’s hip the moment she was too far from the bars for it to draw too much attention. The scythe slices clean through the meat of his calf tripping him up and sending him crashing into the pavement.

The mask slips away like water revealing the goat-faced devil for what he was as he scrambles to get up, shouting in devil tongue as he attempts to bolt down a side street. Rai slows, taking deep breaths as her leg locks up. She felt the tell-tale moisture of blood seeping into her armor from her back as it’d scraped itself against the eyelets on her armor enough to bleed again.Luckily the need for running was over and she could slow down and take her sweet time catching up and just follow the ever growing trail of blood along the pavement. There was a subtle rage growing within Rai as she realized she couldn’t just jump all over him anymore and had to resort to a riskier take down method, but this was how it would have to be.

Rai cleaves her scythe from the pavement as she walks past, replacing it on her belt. “That was good. Thank you. If he’d have stayed too much longer I might have had to risk a fight.” Rai was in no shape for a real fight, especially not a fight in which she had to worry about people getting in the way. As the corner rounded the demon had collapsed, hands clenched to his bleeding leg.

“Horse fucking bitch!” He screams, dragging himself further from the approaching reaver to no avail.

“Always so loud.” Rai groans, fingers going back to her scythes before her fingers lock up and refuse to move. This perks the demons interest as his eyes trace back to the burn scars.

“Its you. The fuckin’ silver winged bastard? You fled here of all places?” The demon straightens seeing weakness. He stands weakly, lowering his head and drawing a magic sigil in the air as the area lights with devilish energy. Rai winces before lashing out with her scythe,catching him in the ribs and flaying upward to take off his entire arm with the cleave. It flops to the ground with a wet thud and leaves the demon whimpering and doing all it can to get away.

This had to be the messiest kill Rai had ever had the displeasure of taking part in, that was supposed to split his head in two, not leave another piece of him in the street! The numbness in her arm caused her precision to dip and was making this more difficult than it had to be. “Son of a bitch.” Rai groans. Either way, the demon was going nowhere as of right now.

A chase had been just what Eevi needed tonight. Running through the doors after Rai, Eevi kept what pace she could in this supernatural pursuit with her newfound ally. Tailing just behind the two with what speed she could match with them as an average human, she observed the small tells of pain and discomfort troubling Rai and the limp-like movement that took her leg to accommodate something troubling it. Her weapon was effective enough to compensate however, wounding him once was all the two needed to ensure he was their’s even if he had escaped in this moment.

Nodding towards Rai at her thanks, Eevi walked past her to the creature crawling away and observed its pitiful form. Squatting down on her haunches she took a smell. She had been entirely incorrect, the syrupy, overwhelming sweetness of the drink had done nothing but enhance the foul smell she had focused her senses to. “Mmm, nope. Was hoping for more of a pie in the oven smell off of you, not this burning fruit field recently fertilized with manure kind smell.” Her tone betrayed a mocking glee at the demon. While only playing the smaller roll in his inevitable demise, the part she played none the less brought her a thrill at the idea of killing something that was harmful to the world for once.

Inclining her head back at Rai, Eevi asked her a question. “Are they all so foul mouthed as this one?” Before she could get her answer though, the demon began to rise again which cause Eevi to cautiously fall back to Rai’s side. She hid her concern for Rai behind her usual detached facade when she seems to freeze for a moment and held her breath. When the monster moved to create some effect with his magic all Eevi could do was shield herself by raising her arms, but that effort would be pointless as she quickly learned from Rai’s response. The quick act of her fellow hunter effectively brought their hunt to a close with such a fatal blow being delivered to the demon by Rai’s scythe.

“A bit messy for a final blow but don’t worry about it, I’m no stranger to the art of coup-de-grâce. Please, allow me.” Stepping up again to the demon, Eevi pointed her fingers at his head and followed his writhing, squirming form around like she were tracing the sky with her fingers. It’s pitiable form utterly disgusted her. “Could you at least die with some final dignity and grace. Isn’t your kind supposed to have a stubborn pride and sense of superiority? Cause right now I’ve seen actual barnyard animals die better than you. Fine then, I shall give you a ‘dignified and quiet’ end.”

Glee and elation washed over Eevi at the chance to wound this creature. To not just kill it, but insult its pride and very existence. To make it lesser than her. With her fun had she prepared her “honorable send-off”. “Click. Pop.”

Rai sits on the curb for a moment as the muscles in her back suddenly tense down tighter, sucking the breath out of her. Luckily she had no need to breathe, but pain still made her want to draw in air. Her ears twitch as Evi moved in to dispatch the problem. The urge to kill stirred in the reaver however she did think she could act on it at the moment. If Eevi wasn’t here the demon would probably have to sit with her for a minute before earning it’s death.

“This is tame for them. Usually they’re louder.” Rai rolls her shoulder and cringes as the rubbing of her armor scrapes against raw bone. She sucks in a breath before forcing herself to stand. She was certain if she stayed sitting she’d be there forever. “I am just getting away from being um…” She searches for words for a moment accent growing heavier as she tries to find the English equivalent for what she was thinking of. “On bed rest?” She thinks out loud even if that wasn’t quite what she was thinking off.

“Downed by Dis’ whore. Should have died on the pyre.” Rai’s eyes drift to the dying devil with sheer disinterest. Used to be a time where she’d have been able to jump on this creature and tear it limb from limb. It leans up, showing a maw full of jagged teeth dripping with sticky venom. It unhinges its lower jaw as Eevi ventures closer. It sat up as its eyes reduced to nothing but white pinholes in his blackened face. It lunges, moving to clamp its jaws down onto the human’s hands, however its head suddenly splits open with the impact of Eevi’s false bullet. It slumps back and begins to smolder into smoke leaving nothing but a pile of ash and a black outline on the pavement.

“Thanks, Dignified and quiet is something their kind knows nothing of.” Rai shifts scythes sheathed back at her hips. “This… used to be easier.”

"Some things never should stay easy." Giving the strange white-skinned woman as comforting and reassuring of a pat as Eevi believed she were capable of on the shoulder, she spun on her heels back around to her recent kill and perched down over the pile of smoking remains. "Certainly not killing. Yes, this one deserved it as much as anyone can deserve to die, but the act of killing should never be a bed accustomed to resting in." Beginning to search the soot pile for anything of use still yet concealed in it, Eevi turned her head back to Rai and gave her a sad, sympathetic smile. "Can forever change some people." Turning her attention back towards her pillaging, she set about looting it's ashen remains. Cheapskate barely even had actual money on it but just a handful of, now useless, cards that were charred in its fiery demise.

"Of course I'm not speaking about the same thing as you. You used to be able to kill them on your own and effectively without someone like me having to 'aid' you." With a shrug at her train of thoughts, she threw the creatures burnt and still smoking wallet over her shoulder into the street between them. Maybe Rai could find something useful by learning the name it used in this form, maybe even help to discover more beings like it hiding in the city. "Still though, mayhaps you needed to hear something like that this time of year? Can never be certain with strangers after all."

In death it smelt even more foul then what she had dealt with in it's life. Fetid and putrid could only be used so intently to describe it's stench in life before their impact lost some meaning. Still so, rummaging through corpses was nothing unaccustomed to Eevi. Digging through ashen remains was new however. Wiping away some blood from her cheek, she dug deeper in the ash piles that used to be something. With ease, Eevi gave a triumphal declaration under her breath and pulled out the car keys of this thing from the pile. Holding them over her head as to show them to Rai, Eevi stood finally and turned to her companion. "How about we find this and have some fun to celebrate a job well done on your work tonight eh?. Throwing the keys at Rai for her to catch, Eevi let a smirk cross her face. "If we go to crazy tonight the owner of the car is right here to answer for it after all? Just a bit dusty."