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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 5:28:07 GMT -4
Iron And Salt was a small, rundown book shop in a Victorian style building and at 1am the only light came from a lamp in the apartment above. Dorian Sheppard was sleeping soundly, propped up against his pillows. A book lay open on his lap, and he had fallen asleep reading it. A sharp knock on the door caused him to jerk awake and he looked around, slightly confused as to what had woken him up. There was another knock on the door and he frowned, throwing the covers off his bed and heading down the stairs to the door next to his shop. He pulled open the door to find a slightly deshevelled Janaya and Nora leaning on eachother and panting. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, opening the door wider and ushering them inside. "What the hell kind of bomb hit your party?"
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Post by Janaya LaMorte on Jul 15, 2009 5:36:50 GMT -4
Janaya smirked when Dorian opened the door, his hair dishevelled and wearing only his underwear and resisted the urge to cover Nora's eyes, knowing that she was far too drunk to be subtle.
"Jesus Christ! What the hell kind of bomb hit your party?" He stood aside and let them in, and shut the door after them.
"I've got to talk to you," Janaya said, struggling to hold up Nora, who slipped in and out of consciousness. "But we should probably deal with this mess first." Dorian nodded and slung Nora's arm around his neck, slipping an arm under her legs and lifting her up. Janaya walked up the stairs, the pair of them in tow and let Dorian lead them to his bedroom, where he laid Nora on his bed before picking up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Janaya folded her arms and leant against the doorframe as he slipped on his clothing. "Some guys came to this party and started some trouble." She sighed. "They killed Val."
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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 5:39:17 GMT -4
"They killed Val."
Dorian froze and turned to Janaya. "What? Why?" She only shrugged in reply and he continued getting dressed. He threw the blankets over Nora and turned back to Janaya. "Did you notice anything unusual about them?"
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Post by Janaya LaMorte on Jul 15, 2009 5:44:00 GMT -4
"Did you notice anything unusual about them?"
Janaya tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "I dunno, Dorian," she said. "Do black eyes and super strength count as unusual?"
The look he gave her was a mix surprise and fear. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped as Janaya glanced at Nora and motioned for them to leave the room, leading the way into the kitchen.
The kitchen was only seperated from the living room by a breakfast bar, the whole apartment was slightly run down but had a homely feel to it. She sat down on one of the stools next to the breakfast bar and he stepped into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water.
"This is going to sound crazy," she said slowly, looking at Dorian closely to guage his reaction. "But I think they were demons."
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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 5:55:22 GMT -4
"This is going to sound crazy, but I think they were demons."
Dorian sipped his water slowly, feeling the cold slide down his chest and into his stomach, unsure whether it was the water or the fear. He put the glass down on the breakfast bar and looked at Janaya, who studied him carefully. "I admit," he said, sighing. "There is some shit in this world that you couldn't even imagine, and I've seen a lot of it." He paused, letting that sink in. It was never a good idea to throw everything on them at once. "When I first found the Supernatural book series, I was stunned. Everything in those books is completely real." He watched the colour drain from Janaya's face, but she kept her face hard. He sighed again, glancing out the window at the quiet street and wished he didnt have to do this. "My family, back in England, were all demon hunters. When I was 15, my family was killed. I hunted down the demon that did it and sent him back to Hell. Then I moved here and met you and Nora." Janaya nodded slowly and he knew she understood what it was like to be alone. "I have reason to believe those guys who came to that party were demons." Janaya shot him a look, raising one eyebrow and he smiled slightly. "You're lucky you left when you did." He looked serious again. "Everyone at that party is most likely dead." He glanced out the window again. "Those demons will probably try and hunt you down."
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Post by Janaya LaMorte on Jul 15, 2009 6:02:01 GMT -4
Hearing everything she'd wished was real was actually real wasn't as awesome as Janaya had imagined it would be. In fact, it felt like her world had shattered and there was no way for her to put it back together.
"Those demons will probably try and hunt you down."
Janaya didn't know which was worse, the fact that an entire house full of people, her friends, were now dead, or the fact that she knew how to stop demons, and she didn't.
"Can I have some ice?" she asked quietly, staring into space as she imagined all the ways she should have helped. Dorian placed and ice pack with a tea towel wrapped around it on the bar next to her and she picked it up and pressed it absent mindedly against her bruised neck.
"Nora and I have to run," she said finally. "We have to get out of town, and run like fuck."
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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 6:12:07 GMT -4
"Nora and I have to run... We have to get out of town, and run like fuck."
"No." Dorian tightened his jaw, but knew she was right. "You're not. You're staying right here." Janaya opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "I said no. You're not bloody going traipsing around the country." He threw up his hands and turned away from her, running his hands through his hair. "This is all just a big, bloody bag of wank."
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Post by Janaya LaMorte on Jul 15, 2009 6:21:55 GMT -4
"This is all just a big, bloody bag of wank."
Janaya snorted with laughter and looked at Dorian. "You are so English."
She took a deep breath to calm her laughter and returned to being serious. "Regardless," she said, bringing the conversation back to the crisis at hand. "There are still two demons after our asses and our only choice is to run like hell or get killed."
Dorian didn't move an inch.
"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say."
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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 6:24:42 GMT -4
"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say."
Dorian gritted his teeth, his fists clenching. Why? Why did it have to be them? He spun around to face Janaya, his jaw set. "Alright. I'm coming with you. I have far more experience than both of you put together. Now go get into bed, I'll sleep on the couch." A smile spread across Janaya's lips and Dorian half-smiled back. "Goodnight, love."
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Post by Nora O'Reilly on Jul 15, 2009 6:34:28 GMT -4
Nora pressed her forehead to the cool linoleum on the breakfast bar and tried to get all that Janaya had just explained past her pounding headache. Running away? From demons? It all seemed like a bad dream. "Why does my head hurt?" she cried out loud. She flexed her right fist and whimpered, pain shooting up her arm. "And why does my hand hurt?" She sat up and stared at her plate of bangers and mash that Dorian had cooked for her and felt her stomach churn, pulling over the bag of sliced bread and buttering two pieces, ladening them with potato and sausages.
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Post by Janaya LaMorte on Jul 15, 2009 6:40:12 GMT -4
Janaya shook her head at Nora.
"Well, your head hurts 'cause you got completely trashed last night," she explained as Nora began to construct her sandwich. "And your hand hurts because you pummelled a demon's face in... Well done."
She picked up her cup of coffee and drank from it deeply, ignoring the searing heat. She flicked through the news paper, finding an interesting article about a family mysteriously dying in southern California.
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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 6:46:36 GMT -4
"Well, your head hurts 'cause you got completely trashed last night, and your hand hurts because you pummelled a demon's face in... Well done."
Dorian looked up from the frying pan and watched in slight awe as Nora piled together a sandwich which would probably end up being bigger than her own head. "I think your headache has less to do with you getting completely and utterly banjo'd last night and more to do with you slipping over and cracking your head open on some kitchen tiles." Nora shot him a faux glare and he grinned. "Though as mad as I am that you even got into a fist fight with a demon in the first place, I can't help but be a little proud." Nora grinned, but he gave her a serious look. "But don't expect me to be completely lenient about your weapons of choice. They were probably too surprised out of their pants to fight back before you two scampered off."
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Post by Nora O'Reilly on Jul 15, 2009 6:50:06 GMT -4
Nora grinned, her heart fluttering at Dorian's praise, but his face quickly turned serious again.
"But don't expect me to be completely lenient about your weapons of choice. They were probably too surprised out of their pants to fight back before you two scampered off."
She raised an eyebrow at his phrasing but brushed it off as more of his crazy English slang. She took a bite of her sandwich and glanced at the newspaper Janaya was reading. "Hey, mysterious family death in southern California," she noted. "First stop on our road trip?"
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Post by Janaya LaMorte on Jul 15, 2009 7:00:49 GMT -4
"First stop on our road trip?"
Janaya looked up at Nora and grinned. "You read my mind," she said and turned to Dorian. "Can we?" She widened her eyes at him pleadingly, but jumped as her phone started ringing.
"Hello?" she asked by way of answer.
"Janaya? Is that you? Are you dead?" her mother's frantic voice floated down the line. Janaya rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm dead, that is how I answered the phone, mother." "Don't talk back to me," her mother said firmly. "I heard about what happened at that party you were going to last night. Those poor kids... nobody even knows what happened... no survivors you know." "Oh, we didn't end up going to the party, we hung out with Dorian instead," she explained. "Nor and I are going to head to college early to get settled in and we didn't want to be tired before our long trip." "Oh, okay... well, I'm glad that you're okay... I'm flying out tomorrow, another big project. Sorry I won't be able to see you off. I'll try and come visit some time, okay? But feel free to visit me any time you want." "Okay, Mom, I have to go now. I'll be home in a couple of hours to pack but I think you'll be gone by then." "Yes, I think I will be. I love you." "You too." She hung up and stuck the phone back in her pocket.
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Post by Dorian Sheppard on Jul 15, 2009 7:23:44 GMT -4
As Janaya answered her phone, Dorian turned to Nora and frowned sternly at her pleading looks. "No," he said firmly, folding his arms. She pouted slightly, giving her best puppy dog eyes and he resisted the urge to smile. "I said, no." He turned off the element, the spitting bangers cooling off. "This hunting business is a lot more dangerous than they make it out to be in the books. People get hurt." He sighed and glanced at Nora. "You know full well that you two are my only family. I'm only letting you run to protect you." Nora sighed and continued eating and Janaya slipped her phone back into her pocket. "After breakfast we'll make a trip by your houses and you," he gestured at Nora, "can explain to your parents where you are going and we'll head off." After Janaya and Nora had noted their acceptance. "Now, I have to ring a friend for a quick chat. You two eat up, breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Dorian slipped away, shutting the door to the living room behind him and picked up the receiver of the red telephone that sat on a small table in the hallway. He dialed a number he knew off by heart and ran his hand through his hair, sighing. "Hello?" "Michael, hi," Dorian said, pacing the hallway. "I have a bit of a situation. Can I meet you in Holtville?" "Holtville? Is this about that family dying? I was going to check that out anyway, so I sure can meet you there." "Jolly good," Dorian said, nodding. "I think I'm going to need your help getting out of this stinker." There was a small silence on the line. "Right," Michael replied finally. "See you there."
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