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Post by Jon Brunner on May 9, 2010 18:51:38 GMT -4
You realize you've screwed up majorly this time.
Jon was once again berating himself for so suddenly leaving Alexis without any explanation. He loved the woman but he felt strangely guilty about hunting now that he'd met her. It'd been so easy before because they'd all been snarling fangs and claws and terrors in the night but now Alexis gave them faces and histories and Jon couldn't second guess because they wouldn't all be like Alexis. Understanding and in control of what they were, in fact a lot of them seemed to relish the destruction and pain they wrought with little care for others.
This current case he was on for example. A pack of werewolves in Portland, ME had been going around. Usually not good except this pack knew what they were and seemed to like the idea of hurting people so they'd sit around nursing homes, hospitals, and anywhere the young, weak, infirm and old could be found, so when they'd transform their first target would be innocent children and elderly who couldn't protect themselves That was low in itself.
"More coffee please", he watched as the waitress poured the brown liquid into his cup. The diner he was currently sitting in was one of those roadside, twenty four hour a day places. He was used to being in these places but as of late he sorely missed being in bed with Alexis and not sleeping in his truck night after night. He imagined what he looked like now, rings under his eyes from not sleeping, a face in great need of a shave and hair that was ever more losing it's color. He wasn't getting younger and for the first time in his life it was getting to him. He couldn't complain to much he was barely over 32 and still in excellent shape but his job didn't help all that much.
He sipped the scalding, bitter drink down and felt it began to perk him up. He never cared much for coffee, the taste or the smell but it did keep him awake. Though he didn't need much help with that, his guilt over abandoning Alexis so suddenly proving enough to prevent a restful night's sleep. He'd been tracking this pack for a while now, losing count of the days quickly. He wanted to finish and get back to her. He knew he should've called but how could he explain he was hunting. He still wasn't sure how she'd react. Their own relationship as Romeo and Juliet as it got, more than likely doomed to failure but Jonathan Brunner wasn't about to let that stop him.
For now he'd let the guilt eat at him and make him try that much harder to get rid of this current job. He sipped his coffee once more and leaned forward on the counter thinking up a strategy to catch these creatures before they struck again.
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Post by Bianca Pagliaro on May 9, 2010 20:19:00 GMT -4
The last few weeks had been nothing shy of rattling, to say the least. Bianca was at least momentarily pleased to get out of Arkansas, but she would worry about those events later.
She figured it was much safer on the East Coast, and New England looked just as good as any place. There, she could at least try to clear her head and get herself straightened out.
Her life consisted of so many diners, she thought maybe she should have started a journal years ago because she couldn't remember ones she'd been to and the ones she hadn't. Therefore, she risked hitting up ones that had been terrible as well as the ones which were excellent.
Now, Bianca strolled into the diner and glanced around. This one wasn't ringing a bell. She didn't have a reason to be in New England, so she might as well just chill out until a case hit her.
But as she looked across the room, Bianca saw a face which was vaguely familiar even though he looked like hell. She hadn't seen him since their first hunt, but Bianca knew Jon Brunner.
"Jon Brunner." She said, as she crossed the room to him. "It's been awhile."
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Post by Jon Brunner on May 9, 2010 20:40:22 GMT -4
Jon sat staring at the coffee machine on the opposite side of the counter, deep in thought when he heard the door to the diner open. Normally he wouldn't have cared much except he didn't expect to see a young woman come strolling in, especially one that looked familiar as she. He silently berated himself for forgetting but Jon had always had a hard time remembering names. He could pick the face of someone he met once ten years ago out of a crowd but couldn't remember the name of someone he had talked to only yesterday.
"Jon Brunner, it's been awhile."
A sudden realization of who she was finally crossed him as soon as he heard her voice.
"It has indeed Ms. Pagliaro, how have you been?"
He normally would've moved from his seat and been much more gentlemanly about things but as of late, he'd found it harder and harder to do much but think of the woman he'd left so suddenly. He hoped she wouldn't think him to rude but he'd apologize later.
"What brings you around here? I haven't seen you since... hmm... I'm terribly sorry but I seem to be drawing a blank of our last encounter."
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Post by Bianca Pagliaro on May 9, 2010 20:59:06 GMT -4
Bianca was actually surprised that the other hunter had remembered her. Given his appearance, she hadn't been certain he'd remember his own name.
"Obviously better than you if you don't mind my saying." Bianca took the seat next to Jon Brunner and nodded when the waitress raised the coffee pot in her direction as well as a question eyebrow.
She waited for the waitress to put the cup down and pour the drink. She situated her bag on the chair next to her. Running her fingers through her hair, Bianca gave Jon another look over.
"What brings you around here? I haven't seen you since... hmm... I'm terribly sorry but I seem to be drawing a blank of our last encounter."
"Goat Man, back in New York. One of the more eluding cases I've seen. What brings you here? Are you working on a new case?"
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Post by Jon Brunner on May 9, 2010 21:44:07 GMT -4
"Obviously better than you if you don't mind my saying."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence."
He knew she was only speaking the truth but he still didn't like hearing it.
"Goat Man, back in New York. One of the more eluding cases I've seen. What brings you here? Are you working on a new case?"
"Goat man... I'm sure I'll remember it later, you'll forgive me but I've had my mind occupied quite a bit. I actually am on a case. Werewolf pack in portland, they sit around outside hospitals and such till they transform so they can go in and eat at their leisure."
He grimaced as the hot liquid burned his throat going down. He hadn't slept much and could feel it catching up to him.
"You're more than welcome to join me if you wish. I have some news reports on my laptop but I can't be bothered to go and get it right now."
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Post by Bianca Pagliaro on May 9, 2010 22:10:58 GMT -4
"Thank you for the vote of confidence."
Bianca smirked. It was one of the few times she had said that to someone else. Normally, she heard it from others.
"Just saying." She shrugged and picked up her coffee cup as she turned to hear what he was doing.
"Goat man... I'm sure I'll remember it later, you'll forgive me but I've had my mind occupied quite a bit. I actually am on a case. Werewolf pack in portland, they sit around outside hospitals and such till they transform so they can go in and eat at their leisure."
Wow. The once put together hunter she had met was apparently on some level of exhaustion-or totally whacked out on coffee. She considered their first meeting. He had been the one who told her she needed sleep.
"Yeah, I'll help you out. I haven't had a good werewolf case in a while. But dude, seriously, you look like you need to get some sleep. When was the last time you slept through the night?"
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Post by Jon Brunner on May 9, 2010 22:34:34 GMT -4
Jon caught Bianca's smirk and remembered back to their first encounter when their roles were practically reversed. He didn't like the idea of someone seeing he wasn't on his A-game. If she noticed then something much worse might notice as well.
"Yeah, I'll help you out. I haven't had a good werewolf case in a while. But dude, seriously, you look like you need to get some sleep. When was the last time you slept through the night?"
Jon sat there as a grin slowly spread on his face as he heard her question but it quickly disappeared when he tried to think about it. When was the last time he made it through an entire night? At most he'd been lucky with two hours of uninterrupted sleep. most of the time, he'd wake up every ten or so minutes until he gave up and stayed up again till he couldn't any more. The last time he'd had a good night's sleep he'd had Alexis in his arms. Now that she wasn't hear all he had for company at night was his pain and guilt over his actions but deep down he felt he couldn't tell her about his hunt. For some reason he felt that it would hurt her and he'd never want that. The thing was that as soon as he heard about the attacks on the weak by none other than werewolves he couldn't resist. He had a lifelong vendetta against the creatures more than any other.
His mind drifted back to Alexis as he thought back to Bianca's question realizing he'd been sitting there for a few minutes without actually saying anything. She probably thought he was losing it.
"I'm not really sure when the last time I had a full night's sleep was", he turned to look her in the eyes trying to see what he was thinking but all he could feel was the exhaustion in his own eyes. More and more he was spacing out for longer periods of time, he'd have to be careful driving.
"So I take it you're interested in helping me then? We can leave as soon as you're ready, if you're tired we'll just grab a couple of motel rooms or something."
He grimaced as the black liquid once again poured down his throat.
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Post by Bianca Pagliaro on May 10, 2010 7:28:47 GMT -4
Bianca raised an eyebrow. She'd seen that sleepy, whacked out look in more than one hunter before (and very frequently herself). It was pretty amazing to see a hunter who had been so put together the last time they'd encountered and now fallen so deeply apart.
This guy took a huge hit somewhere along the way
"I'm not really sure when the last time I had a full night's sleep was"
"You can't hunt in the state you're in. Trust me, I've tried, it never works the way you want it to."
Bianca couldn't believe that she of all people was lecturing others on not sleeping through the night.
Hey pot, I'm the kettle and you're black
"So I take it you're interested in helping me then? We can leave as soon as you're ready, if you're tired we'll just grab a couple of motel rooms or something."
"I'm not that tired, but you are." Bianca slid the coffee cup away from the other hunter. "I'm more than willing to help you out, but you've got to try and get a few hours worth of sleep. If you want, I'll catch up on the case while you do it, you just need to get some sleep."
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Post by Jon Brunner on May 10, 2010 9:42:25 GMT -4
"You can't hunt in the state you're in. Trust me, I've tried, it never works the way you want it to."
"You don't need to worry about me, just make sure nothing happens to you", Jon felt a bit of an edge come in to his voice. He didn't mean to bite the girl's head off but he felt like he was at his breaking point.
Instead of apologizing, he fiddled with the handle on his mug. He could feel his body ready to drop right there. Barely sleeping and even his eating had become almost nonexistent. His diet having turned to coffee, energy drinks and caffeine pills. He'd forced himself to stay awake because his dreams only made him think of her and he decided self inflicted insomnia was the easier ache to deal with.
"I'm not that tired, but you are. I'm more than willing to help you out, but you've got to try and get a few hours worth of sleep. If you want, I'll catch up on the case while you do it, you just need to get some sleep."
Jon felt an unusual surge of anger jump inside him when Bianca pushed his coffee away. He immediately regretted it, being so on edge he practically jumped down everyone's throat for the smallest reason. He pulled the mug back and drained the liquid inside. Standing up he dropped some money on the table to pay for their coffees.
"You don't need to worry about me, I'm plenty rested. Let's just go grab a motel room so we have a quiet place to work. I want to find these beasts and finish this job quickly."
He pulled the keys to his truck out and held the door to the diner open waiting for Bianca to follow. He'd apologize later for snapping at her.
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Post by Kaleb Church on May 10, 2010 10:39:50 GMT -4
Kaleb was pretty certain he resembled a drowned rat but he hardly was worried about his appearance since he had managed to rather expertly expel a poltergeist from an old woman's sink without cheating (cheating he ad long since dubbed was anything that involved his angel abilities)...spirits in a sink was something new even to Kaleb but after nearly shattering the woman's entire water pump his system she was now the proud resident of a spirit free home.Apparently her dead husband had been rather upset she had begun dating the next door neighbor upon his death; he was lucky she had waited till he was dead.
Just the same Kaleb had been able o leave the house with everything save for the woman's plumbing intact and since nobody had died and he had a bit of extra coin in his pocket he would classify the night as a win thus far. These were the simple things in life which made life down on earth a much more appealing option then his other choice. Though if rumblings about he news and small signs here and there were any indication both of his worlds would be slamming into one anther in no time flat. The end of the world was most certainly on the horizon and Kaleb was not yet certain how he felt about that. But now was not the time for that an as he puled his old pick-up truck into the cafe parking lot Kaleb quickly realized t was those little things which kept humanity running. Hell half the time it kept him running. Just the simple fact he had a truck was enough to make the day seem well enough to not hightail it back up to heaven.
Again; it was the little things.
Kaleb had only gotten a few steps towards the little cafe when he noticed a semi familiar face holding the door open. Or well familiar as anyone really allowed themselves to get in the hunting world.
"If I didn't know better I would say that was Jon Brunner...but since Jon is as hard to catch as a ghost I must be mistaken," Kaleb said with a smirk as he neared the older man...or well in theory he was older though Kaleb did have a few centuries on the human.
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Post by Bianca Pagliaro on May 10, 2010 12:23:07 GMT -4
Bianca felt eyes on her and glanced up to see the waitress looking at her with a shocked expression. Bianca smiled and rolled her eye slightly. Cranky hunters wasn't really that odd of a deal. Hunting wasn't the easiest job. Everyone knew that.
"You don't need to worry about me, I'm plenty rested. Let's just go grab a motel room so we have a quiet place to work. I want to find these beasts and finish this job quickly."
"Right dude. We'll how long "we" work before you pass out." Bianca muttered as she grabbed her bag and turned to follow the other hunter, who she wouldn't have been surprised to find passed out on the floor.
But as Bianca reached the door Jon was holding open for her, she squinted to see a faintly familiar figure in the distance. In the neon glow of diner lights, Bianca thought she recognized the guy.
"Kaleb? Kaleb Church? Is that you?"
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Post by Jon Brunner on May 10, 2010 12:30:57 GMT -4
"If I didn't know better I would say that was Jon Brunner...but since Jon is as hard to catch as a ghost I must be mistaken."
Jon's head snapped around as a man called out his name. He wasn't sure he knew the man and that's if it was a man in the first place. Recognizing a demon in a human wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. His free hand had begun creeping towards the gun in his waistband before he heard Bianca say something.
"Kaleb? Kaleb Church? Is that you?"
"I take it you know him? Not to be rude but I don't remember making your acquaintance Mr. Church."
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Post by Kaleb Church on May 10, 2010 13:00:06 GMT -4
Kaleb's grim widened as he heard Bianca's voice filter into the air as well; seemed as if he had picked the right cafe to go to after all.
"Kaleb? Kaleb Church? Is that you?"
"The one and only," Kaleb replied with a smile once he approached the two hunters.
"Not to be rude but I don't remember making your acquaintance Mr. Church."
Kaleb silently cursed himself as he couldn't recall if he had met the man before or if he had seemingly just tapped into a bit of his angel senses aka knowing shit that you probably had no business knowing. Even after the time he had spent away some things came as naturally as breathing.
"No worries Jon I reckon I'm not that memorable," Kaleb covered with a smirk as he shoved hius ahdns into his jacket pockets and then grimaced as his jacket was still very much soaked through; hell he was still soaked through.
Running into one hunter unplanned was luck enough; running into 2 hunters unplanned meant that there was no doubt a hunt somewhere near to be had. A life of solace was what made hunters a rare and sadly dying breed.
"There a convention going 'round these parts nobody told me about?" Kaleb asked inquiring into what the others were up to.
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Post by Bianca Pagliaro on May 10, 2010 13:40:28 GMT -4
"The one and only,"
Bianca was glad to see another ally and another hunter. She hadn't seen Kaleb in a long time, and it was always nice to regroup.
"Hey buddy. How's it going?" She stepped out of the door to meet Kaleb and relieve Jon of his door holding activities.
"I take it you know him? Not to be rude but I don't remember making your acquaintance Mr. Church."
"I talked to Kaleb for some help on our last hunt." Bianca informed Jon. "He's a good hunter."
"There a convention going 'round these parts nobody told me about?"
"We were actually just heading off to do some research on a hunt." Bianca explained, pulling her keys out of the front zip pocket of her messenger bag. "Are you interested in coming along? We could use some help."
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Post by Jon Brunner on May 10, 2010 13:52:20 GMT -4
"No worries Jon I reckon I'm not that memorable."
Jon wasn't sure but he'd let Bianca take this one, all his thinking power was being used to make sure he didn't drop where he stood.
"My apologies, I've had a lot on my mind."
"I talked to Kaleb for some help on our last hunt. He's a good hunter."
Jon stood silently as he watched the two converse with each other. Bianca knew him and that was enough for him to give the guy a chance.
"There a convention going 'round these parts nobody told me about?"
"We were actually just heading off to do some research on a hunt. Are you interested in coming along? We could use some help."
"Could we now Ms. Pagliaro? If you think so then lets get going. You can lead the way."
Jon pulled out his keys and used the remote to unlock his car. He made his way over and opened up the door before turning to the others to wait for them to get in their cars so they could head out. He knew he was probably coming off as a jerk but at the moment he was lucky to be speaking coherently. His mind did what it usually did and drifted off to thoughts of Alexis and he began wondering what she was doing.
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