Shadow Takes All

[Irulan Flores]

Prompt List

• Family
• Shadow
• Dance
• Gift
• Zen
• Pain
• Fight
• Professional
• Magic
• Daddy

[Irulan Flores]

P R O F E S S I O N A L

Irulan paced in her office. Lily had come to Crimson, and therefor, was under her care, but Christ if she didn't want to give her straight back to Indrani. It was rare that she was rendered speechless, but the things that girl had just told her, paired with her having been given the case files from Indrani the previous week...  She didn't often feel like she needed a drink, but she felt like it in that moment. She rubbed her temples, fingers moving back to run through her thick, dark hair. She saw a shadow outside of her office door, and went to it, pulling it open right before the Guild leader knocked.

"Hey," he said, a little surprised that she'd beaten him to the punch. "Can I come in?"

She didn't say anything, just opened the door further to let him in, and then shut it behind him.

"So, how's my new Onyx transplant? I heard she came with a little baggage, crazy programming thing aside," he said, turning to face her where she still stood at the door.

"I think you need to sit down."

"Oh. That bad, huh?" He obliged her, sitting down in the chair across from her desk, but she didn't go to it, instead going to her couch, where she dropped with a visible release of weight. "Irulan?"

"It's that bad, and then some," she admitted, pressing her lips together and rubbing them, thankful she'd put on balm moments prior to this. "I don't know how much I can tell you without grossly betraying her confidence," she admitted. She looked at him, dark eyes plainly displaying concern. It wasn't just in her eyes, either - Irulan was a very elegant woman, lithe and nimble. She was a Serpiente, so it was sort of expected. That being said, Connor had never seen her so knotted up before; she sat, elbows on her knees, and hands clenched together. Her shoulders were rolled forward, causing her to slouch, and she looked, well, tense.

"Listen," he said gently, "I'm not here to pry into her business. I just need to know if she's going to be okay to work. She's a good hunter, her track record alone says as much." If you ignored the times she'd been benched while they tried to decide what to do with her, of course - but both Lucien and Grayson had blessed off on her, and Connor was inclined to believe the combination of them. Lucien and he had always stood on rocky ground, but after the attacks from Midnight, they'd formed a much better relationship. Connor believed that the leadership had to stay on the same pages if they wanted to continue to move ahead, and he wouldn't have been wrong.

"It's - aaaah," she cried, lifting her hands up to make a strangling motion. "It's hard to go through this and stay professional at times, you know?" she said, surprisingly candid. Nobody saw her drop that veil often, so Connor was a little taken aback. Still, he didn't judge her. They all had their limits. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just - Connor, I think she's a risk. I think we traded down," she admitted, finger to her palm to emphasize her point.

"Okay," he said. He sat back in the chair, and Irulan saw that he wanted to process the information. She stood up and went to the mini-fridge behind her desk, finally giving in and pulling out a green bottle. It had Korean writing on it. She opened it, then poured herself half a paper-cup's worth, and drank it. She made a face, then poured herself another, and drank that, too.

"Jesus," he laughed. "It's not that bad. We can talk to Lucien in the morning. Call Capri. She's covering down for Christian while he's on leave, we can talk between us and I'm sure they'll agree to move more people around." He paused. "As much as I don't want to play musical chairs, we don't need any theatrics in this guild."

"No, you misunderstand me. I don't think she's fit to be a hunter at all right now."

Whoa. Now that was serious. "Okay, but if you're going to say something like that, I do need to know why."

"Well, let's see," Irulan said. She held a hand up and began ticking things off. "First and foremost, her dead boyfriend is resurrected from the grave, and we find out he's been in Midnight this whole time. He's still messed up, by the way, but Indrani is working with him because of my caseload and he does have light at the end of his tunnel, she feels - better you get that assessment from her, but I'm confident in saying he's not a lost cause from where we stand right now. Secondly, she's been involved off and on with Zaine in the interim, which, I know that you mostly stay out of the business of other guilds, but Connor, he is not a good person."

"Irulan, we hunt the worst of the worst. I'm hard-pressed to believe most of us would be considered 'good people'," he countered.

"Oh, I agree - which is why I say that of the ones that I think I'd put to pasture, he would absolutely be the first. Now, maybe that's my personal bias as a woman, but I don't know. You know that story, you were there.That when there was a planned attack downtown involving Midnight, Lily spotted the "dead" boyfriend and went after him, only for she and Zaine to get into a knock-down drag-out fight that ended when he bit her? He bit her, Connor. He's an incredibly lethal breed of Serpiente, even without all of his skills as a hunter."

Connor nearly choked on his own spit. He remembered the incident, but never followed up. "Wait, rewind - she's still involved with him?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "And, moreover, I think - ugh, I think he's trying to - " She physically gagged, unsure if it was the two shots of soju she'd had or the thought of what she was trying to express.

"Okay, if whatever you're about to tell me is literally making you gag, I think that's all I need to know. Man, how are either of them still active hunters?"

"I have no idea! Zaine doesn't talk to Indrani, at all, from what I'm told. He and Lucien have some sort of relationship, I think back from when they were young, and that's - I mean, it's a Serpiente thing, but clearly whatever it is, it's enabling him more than it's mellowing him out."

Connor sat forward in the chair, and now it was his turn to rub his temples. "This is exactly why I have you around to interview people. I just wish I'd known some of this sooner," he muttered. He took in a deep breath, and looked up at her. "I'll talk to Capri tonight. I don't want to cut Lucien out of this deal, but, she is my wife; he's not exactly having conversations on the couch after we put Anya to bed."

"I do worry," Irulan said, holding a hand up before he had a chance to get up, "that cutting her completely could be the worst thing we could do right now."

"We can't have unfit hunters, Irulan. Remember what happened to the hyena a few years back?"

"Yes, I do, and I believe that needs to be taken into consideration along with other factors. If we cut her, it could mess her up even more. Who knows, maybe that asshole will convince her that she's better off and just keep her pregnant and barefoot," she scoffed.

"Wow, Irulan. I don't think I've ever seen you have such a visceral reaction to someone before."

"Listen - I appreciate that you're human, but next time you're face to face with him, just watch him. He's not our normal garden variety sociopath hunter, Connor. He's a full blown psychopath. Frankly, she's safer here than on her own, but this also isn't the Home For Wayward Girls." She sat back down on the couch. "See why I said this is bad?"

"I never doubted that it was when you said it, but your expanding upon it has only left me with a really nasty feeling about all of this. I don't want any bullshit in the guild." He paused. "I do appreciate your candor."

She nodded. "Everything I told you is, sadly, common knowledge. At least I didn't break any confidentiality," she sighed.

"Sure," Connor said. "But if what you've told me is this rough and I could get this from anyone, what do I not know?"

"Indeed," Irulan replied. "Let me know how it goes with Capri."

"Christ," he muttered. "I'm sure it'll go swimmingly." He got up from the chair, and she stood with him, walking him to the door. He gave her a reassuring smile, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Irulan. Until then, just keep doing what you're doing. Maybe, maybe, we don't have to implode all the guilds over this, but honestly, we should have been cutting people after Midnight, and we just didn't. It might be time."

He left, and she closed the door to her office, then sat down at her desk and poured herself another shot. She was never a drinker before this job, but boy oh fucking boy, she sure as shit was now.

[Irulan Flores]

D A D D Y

After the thing with Midnight, Irulan had been changed. She felt cut off from her sister, especially after the vampires had tried to re-enact Saw and have Irulan and Rhona cuffed together, telling them that one had to cut the other's hand off in order to be free. The way Jeremiah had looked at her, like he knew she would be the one to do it, had told her more about herself in that moment than all of the education she'd had thus far and self-reflection. Because, he was right. She'd almost done it, too, until they'd been interrupted by someone. Or something. It had been more of a presence, really; she couldn't tell what was going on because she was having trouble thinking straight through all of the pain and panic, but whatever it had been, it had caused Jeremiah to immediately free her specifically, then warn Scarlet in no uncertain terms that playtime was over.

She didn't like to think about that, though.

She had submerged herself in the large bathtub she had, trying to just relax, but clearly, that wasn't in the cards for her tonight. She sat up, not quite gasping but still breathing hard, a combination of holding her breath and the pressure of her thoughts forcing her to breath heavily as she collected herself. She sank back, allowing her head to rest against the tub, and sighed. The bathroom was dark, lit only by a few scented candles. She lingered for only a few more moments before realizing that this wasn't it, and got out of the tub.

Once she'd dried herself off, she retreated to her bedroom, where she stood in her silk robe before a dark-glass mirror. Perhaps she'd speak to the Father about how she felt; maybe he had something to impart upon her that would make her feel better. He usually did. She pricked her finger and traced a symbol on the mirror, then stepped back to her bed and took a seat. Then, she waited.



  In stark contrast to Rhona, who had only become more Catholic after the events of that night, Irulan couldn't shake the feeling that the presence she felt was with her, always. It wasn't that holy light that Rhona sang about in hymns, either, it was something dark and burning. But, and this was the strange part, it wasn't evil. No, EVIL had been those two vampires. And so, after she'd been freed, and far after things had died back down, she did some soul searching, and decided that perhaps she needed to investigate further.

The black church had come into her life rather by accident. It wasn't so much a "church" as it was a mass gathering of covens in the area, and though Irulan was a Serpiente, she had no magic otherwise, so she had almost immediately gone as quickly as she'd appeared. It was only when someone stopped her - a vampire, which was incredibly off-putting, to be sure - but the woman had followed her through the parking lot, calling her name.

"Irulan! Wait!"

Irulan had waited, against her better judgment, but she clutched a the small knife that Connor had given her behind her back, holding it at the ready in case this went any other way than well. When the brunette had caught up to her, she wasn't hissing, nor was she attacking, or anything else even remotely similar. She was holding her hands out to her, smiling.

"I'm so glad you decided to come," she said. When Irulan didn't greet her with similar kindness, she had dropped her hands, sighing. "Listen, I understand your hesitation. But the Father has informed me that you would be coming, and he - he wants to speak with you."

"The Father?" She couldn't hide the curiosity in her voice, and her grip on the knife loosened just a hair.

"Yes," the woman assured her. "We mean you no harm - you've actually come at a good time. We don't usually gather like this - it just happened to be today. But it also means that you have a rare opportunity to communicate with him." She paused. "My name is Abigail. Abby, if you like," she offered. "I know that the fact that I'm a vampire is making you nervous, but I promise, I have no intention of harming you. None of us do - quite the contrary, actually."

When she saw Irulan relax whatever she was holding behind her back more, Abby knew she was getting through to her. "Listen, just come back. Ten minutes, that's all I ask. I promise, my sisters would very much like to meet you, and the Father has requested your presence by name. If you don't like what he has to say, you can leave, and that will be that."

Irulan made a face as she considered this. On one hand, she wanted to get into her car and leave, but on the other, something about what Abby was saying resonated with her.

"He was there that night," Abby said, her voice dropping low so that only Irulan would hear her. "I don't know what that means, but he said that he was there."

"Alright, I'll follow you in," Irulan said rather suddenly, She sheathed the knife back into its spot at the back of her pants, adjusting her jacket to cover the hilt. "Ten minutes," she warned.

The experience had been... Well, Irulan had never felt anything quite like it. She was greeted by woman of all colours, shapes and sizes - some of them were shifters, though she saw no other Serpeinte that she recognized immediately. There was a smattering of vampires, but again, not anyone she could recall seeing before. That was probably good, though - the few she'd encountered, she never wanted to see again.

"Sister Abigail, it's ready," a woman said, and bade them to follow her. They did, Abby assuring Irulan that everything was fine. When they stopped, they were before a door to a dark room, the inside of which Irulan could see just barely. There was a massive mirror inside, as well as a short table (a tea table, perhaps) that had on it candles and a bowl.

"Okay," Abby said, turning to Irulan. "Go inside, shut the door. Here's the hard part - you'll need to disrobe. First meetings are always as you were made. It's a little less formal after that."

Irulan had never balked at the prospect of nudity before, but now she found it such an alien request that she immediately began to protest.

"Here, take this," Abby said, handing her a thick, black robe. "Use it to cover yourself if you like. Rather you show up out of sorts than late," she advised. Then, she ushered Irulan into the room before she had time to think, and the door was shut behind her.

Irulan stood alone in the room, the mirror looming, clutching the robe. She made a face in the dark, and then threw the robe aside, walking as she was to the table. A cursory glance told her nothing about the items on it, except what she'd seen before: bowl, candles. She made a sound of quiet frustration, wondering why she'd followed the vampire in from the parking lot. Another glance was given to the mirror, which she was sure was a mirror, but upon closer inspection, the glass was far darker than she'd initially realized. She got closer to it.

At once, something appeared in the mirror, and caused her to jump back several feet, almost falling over the fucking table. She went for her knife again, this time fully drawing it and holding it tightly, ready for an attack.

But nothing attacked her.

She looked at the mirror again, and her own reflection stared back at her, but it wasn't her.

"What," she managed.

"I'm so glad you came," her reflection said. "I apologize for my appearance - I wanted to take a form you'd recognize," she explained.

"Well, could you pick another?" Irulan huffed. "That's really disturbing."

"Certainly." And with that, her reflection was gone, fading to nothing. Another form took shape, this time of a rather good-looking man in a suit. "Is this better?" he asked.

"They said I should be naked," Irulan informed him. "What's that about?"

He laughed, and it startled her how sudden the sound came. "Oh, those girls - tricksters, still after all this time." He waved his hand. "Ignore them, they mean no harm. They just wanted to play a prank. Though, I must say, each of my daughters possesses a beauty that I do enjoy. There's a distinct lack of it where I am, you see." He shrugged. "But I digress."

She was still tense, now pacing the room, which was much smaller than she had initially realized. The candles created dancing shadows that gave the impression the walls went into infinity, but that was not the case.

"Child, come here," he called, his voice coaxing her towards him. "Let me see you."

She did as he requested, though she didn't fully know why. He asked that she remove her jacket, and she did, but when he asked her to let him see her scars, she hesitated.

"You have such shame for these wounds you received," he observed, his voice almost sad. "You should know better than anyone that it wasn't your fault. It is my sincere regret that I could not lift you out myself. I did what I could, but without having the ability to physically manifest in your world, I'm afraid I could only do so much."

Irulan dropped her arms in surprise, forgetting that she was supposed to be hiding the things Jeremiah had left on her body. "You?" Her brow furrowed. "Why?" she spat, unable to hide the disbelief in her voice. "I'm nobody."

"But you're not," he urged. "You were always different from them, Irulan. Even as a girl. You knew it, and your family knew it. You were mine long before you were theirs, and it didn't matter how many times they dragged you to church and forced that stupid Bible down your throat, your nature would not yield to them. My children bow to no fiction of God."

"So you're saying that you're the devil and I'm one of your children?" she asked.

"Precisely."

"Alright, well, this has been great fun, but I'm going to go. It was nice to meet you, Satan," she said, giving him a wave and turning to leave. Fucking nutcase, she thought to herself. She was going to be in therapy for weeks after this.

"When you were thirteen, you set your sister's dress on fire. You blamed the candles on her birthday cake, because she was standing on a chair and the fabric was flammable, but you never told anyone that you felt like you had done it," he said, his voice matter-of-fact, just as her hand hit the door.

She stayed still, then slowly looked over her shoulder. "I literally have never told anyone about that," she said softly. "Nobody. Rhona brings it up, she says that one of the boys pushed her into the flame, but I just know..." she trailed off.

"You were mine before you were ever theirs," he said again. "You are my child. Mine. You can leave, go back to your apartment, and never speak of this to anyone, but in your heart of hearts, you know this is true. You were always different. Your mother prayed for you and someone answered, but it wasn't God."

She stared at him for a while, and then shook her head. "This is crazy." With that, she pushed the door open and left the man in the mirror behind.

"Sister Irulan!" one of the women called. "How are you feeling? Did it go well?"

Irulan pushed past her. "I'm not your fucking sister," she snapped.



She had waited for a while now, but nothing happened. That was unusual, to say the least. Granted, the Father was a busy man, but still, he'd always had time for some of his daughters, and Irulan had virtually had him on speed dial over the last few years. She was clearly a favourite, and had become quite a talented witch, though she hid that from everyone she knew. Fucking Lucifer help her if the guilds ever found out what she was. She didn't even know what she was, honestly. A daughter of night, he called her.

After an hour, when still she had nothing, she got up and wiped the mirror clean. She whispered a few words to make the dark-glass appear as though it were a normal mirror, and left her bedroom for the kitchen, where she had a wicked craving for some chamomile tea. As she reached into a cupboard to retrieve the box of tea bags, she heard a knock at her door. The clock on the microwave told her that it was after 11 PM, and she hesitated, wondering if she should check her phone and see if there had been a problem at the guild.

Still, something drew her to the door, and she went, tea forgotten, phone forgotten. She looked in the peephole and saw Trevor Browning standing outside in the hall, something behind his back. Now, she only knew Trevor's face, but had never spoken to him before, so this was quite confusing for her. She opened the door, though, understanding that he shared the same alignment as the guilds, and therefor determined him to be no threat.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, giving her a charming smile. From behind his back, a bouquet of flowers - peonies and white roses.

"I... don't understand," she said, making a face that reflected what she was feeling.

"What? Come on, my own daughter doesn't even recognize me now? What's this world coming to?" he asked, waving the bouquet around as he spoke.

"I think you have me confused for - "

"Don't tell me you would deny your own Father," he said, leaning in to her.

When the slow realization began to creep across her face, he smiled more broadly, laughing his characteristic laugh. "That's my girl. How about a hug for your dear old dad?"

"Oh my god, how are you here, how are you here right now?" she cried, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She pulled him into the apartment before anyone in the hall saw them, shutting the door swiftly and locking several locks. "I was just summoning you and I waited an hour but nothing happened, and now you're - you're here? Standing here? And you brought me flowers?" she squealed.

"It's a very long story, sweetheart, but before I tell you, I gotta ask - do you have anything to eat? Because I am starving."

"Of course, daddy," she said, guiding him to the kitchen table. "I'll cook you something up right now."

"Ooh," he said, shaking his head. "Daddy hits different in this body, for sure." He rocked back in his chair, making a face at her.

Irulan rolled her eyes. "Don't be foul," she warned him, pointing at him with a spatula.

[Irulan Flores]

Z E N

Every so often, Irulan needed to go see one of the other guild mental health professionals in order to ensure that her own head was on straight. After having constant thoughts about that night, she found that even attempting to discuss it with her Sisters of Night was proving difficult. As she understood how PTSD worked, she knew that she needed to hit the next step of her process, and that was to talk to her dear friend, Indrani Rashana. That had been the entire reason she was at Onyx for the day, and so because it was out of step for her normal weekly visit of Thursday (it was Tuesday), she was met with a lot of curious glances. Of course, having just had Onyx hunters and Crimson hunters swapped back and forth, naturally people might have been curious about what was going on.

Her session with Indrani was brief, but more or less got to the heart of what her current issue was. She didn't need "help" or medication, she just needed to talk it out with someone who wasn't herself. After Indrani laid out the details of why her knowing she would have cut her sister's hand off didn't make her a bad person, just someone who survives, she was able to re-adjust her thoughts out of the 'I'm a horrible person' sinkhole to the 'People do horrible shit to survive, but the situation is designed to take away your humanity so don't apply it' mentality. Unfortunately, that mentality also brought her pragmatism into focus, and that was in and of itself another problem. Her Father said a good witch should be pragmatic, but it bothered her to know that she might make choices (such as the above) and excuse them as "survival".

"Thank you," Irulan said. She enveloped Indrani into a full hug, dropping her head to the woman's much shorter shoulder. "I'm so glad I have you to help hash things out." It was true, of course, despite the fact that hashing out one problem had created another mental dilemma for her - but this one wasn't yet something she would be comfortable discussing. Indrani hadn't been through something as violent, and she admitted that right out of the gate. She wondered if maybe Dev might be a good person to talk to about the things she was thinking. She knew Indrani would set that up in a heartbeat if she brought it up, she just didn't.

"Of course," Indrani said. She pulled back from the hug. "Do you want me to walk you out?"

"Oh, no, that's fine - this ran late anyways, I'm sure you have other things to do," Irulan said, waving her hand. "Give Dev my best, yeah? I'll see you." She kissed her fingers and held them up in departure; oddly something she'd seen her "brothers" do, and it had caught on, though she'd feminized it quite a bit to look more akin to the goodbye kisses women blew.

She shut the door behind her, and decided to pop into the large cafeteria for a quick snack before she left. She was famished. Having to talk about your feelings made you hungry. Maybe that was why she was so skinny - because she never talked about how she felt.

As she passed a table consisting of two hunters she knew well and one she only recognized, she heard a song. "Raven hair and ruby lips, sparks fly from her fingertips," the hunter she didn't know well began to sing. It was soft, but she had a suspicion he was singing it at her, because otherwise he was serenading the rather large wolf to his left, and she felt like that wasn't what was happening. When he hit the chorus, and she heard the words 'Witchy Woman', she realized she did know the song after all. 

Hunger forgotten, Irulan turned, walking the short distance back to the table and directly up to the man in black, sitting on the table top with a bright red apple in his hand. "I'm sorry, do you have something you want to say to me?" she asked, and her tone was not the usual friendly way in which she spoke.

"Yeah," he said, his voice betraying an accent. "You look like a bruja when you dress in all black." He took a bite of his apple.

Behind him, Shannon nearly spit out her Coke. "Los, I wouldn't,"  she warned. She noticed Irulan held her hand up, signaling for Shannon to stop - she wagered it was because she didn't need Shannon's help, but still, it wasn't in good practice to openly challenge the staff.

Irulan stared at him for a long second, dark eyes trying to assess how much of a threat he was, or if he was one at all. Of course, the transplant from Onyx SA who had stuck around after the Midnight fiasco should not be a threat, as she didn't feel threatened by any guild members, but something in her spine tingled when she looked at him.

"It suits me," she said darkly. Her hunger was forgotten.

"It does," he said. The look he gave her was - well, he was certainly noticing her, that was for sure. "It really does."

She didn't know how to take that, so she looked past him to his friends. "Shannon. Xander." She said their names in both greeting and departure, and then began to walk away.

To her back, she heard his voice again. "See you 'round Doc."

It was the way he said it that gave her chills; she wanted to go back and hit him with her purse. Actually, she wanted to hit him with her fist, but she felt like the purse would better serve as a blunt instrument for an opening attack.

Once she was in the parking garage, she got into her car and made a call, letting her vehicle idle as she thought. On the third ring, someone picked up.

"Hey," she said warmly, "it's me. Listen, do you know an Onyx hunter named Carlos? He'd be a transfer from Onyx South America."

"Hmmmm," Capricia's voice on the other end said. "I do, but not well. I had him over to instruct weapons courses while Axel went on vacation with his daughter. He's pretty good, though - why, what's up?"

Irulan made a face to herself. Of course he'd be good. "No, no reason, I just was at Onyx today and had a run-in with him. Didn't really know anything about him, though. Caught me off guard, that's all."

Capri laughed. "Every interaction I have ever had with him could be described that way. He's intense. But, I like him. Connor does, too. He's just - "

"Interesting?" Irulan offered.

"That would be a word, yes."

"Alright. Thanks, Capri. Are we still having lunch this week?"

"Of course. I'm ready to destroy those from-scratch biscuits that place makes." They said their goodbyes, Capricia adding that Anya would be coming down to Crimson to visit Connor today, and if she was back in time she might get to see her. Everyone adored their daughter, and though Irulan didn't necessarily like children, she'd make an exception.

She sat in her car after the line had disconnected, thinking to herself. Interesting? She didn't know about that. Still, she was wary of anyone who so openly accused her of brujeria, regardless of how much their colleagues thought it would be a joke. Irulan? A witch? That was laughable. She was lucky that was laughable, too. She didn't want her business getting out there.

"Alright, Carlos," she muttered to herself, putting the car in drive and pulling out of her spot. Great. This would bother her for the rest of the day. So much for her introspective zen time. Fucking asshole. And she was still hungry.

[Irulan Flores]

F A M I L Y

Dinner had been DUDE'S idea, and naturally, both girls were hesitant because they hadn't really sat down as a group since he'd been in his new body. They'd been run through the absolute fucking ringer in terms of helping him get that new body, too, and frankly, they were too exhausted and too busy to make room in their schedules for it. Then he'd given them the most fucking colossal guilt trip of all time, and - well.

Bambi picked at her salad, making a face that didn't go unnoticed by DUDE.

"If you want dessert, you will," he said, causing her to stuff her mouth with what felt like an entire head of lettuce. He hadn't even been looking at her, and yet still caught her trying to rearrange her dish to make it look like she'd eaten more than she had. And since Bambi had never really had a father figure before, she felt inclined to listen to DUDE. He only wanted what was best for her, after all.

Eating her nasty lettuce was better than listening to him fucking grill Irulan about her work, though. At least the Serpiente held strict to her code of ethics, refusing to tell him any of the private on-goings of the guild. It became obvious though, after a while, that he wasn't necessarily asking her about work, but about things at work. Apparently it had gotten back to him that she'd danced with a certain individual at Halloween, and there had perhaps been a kiss (Bambi told him this, and it was a lie). He was interested in that supposed kiss.

"It doesn't matter if we did or not," Irulan said, unwilling to answer him. She felt her wine glass getting lighter the longer this went on. "And he's just a guy I know. I mean, I like him, but I don't think it would go anywhere," she added quickly.

"If you don't think it would go anywhere, then why would you bring it up?" DUDE asked.

"To make conversation? To help you to take an interest in my life?" Irulan guessed, gesturing with her now-empty glass. She raised it to get the attention of the server, who came over to refill her.

"I just don't want you dating someone unless I approve," he said, giving his characteristic light shrug. His voice was neutral and soft; he wasn't chastising his daughters, he was trying to impart up on them that he cared about their futures.

"You didn't pre-approve of Bambi's boyfriend," Irulan challenged.

"HEY!" Bambi shouted. "Leon is wonderful!"

"You met him in a bar," Irulan countered.

"And Carlos was the one who plucked you from perdition," Bambi snarled. "It's only natural you'd have feelings for your rescuer. Isn't there a term for that? Transference?"

"First of all, that's NOT what transference means, and secondly -"

"GIRLS!" he yelled. Bambi and Irulan both stopped bickering, but continued glaring at eachother. Bambi was younger than Irulan, but not by much, despite what looking at them suggested. It wasn't that Irulan looked old; rather, Bambi looked young, and she certainly acted like it.

"My darlings, I just want what's best for you. Yes, it is true I didn't meet Leon beforehand, but I also hadn't met Bambi before, either."

"Groupie," Irulan muttered from across the table. She was, of course, referring to Bambi being bound to him by way of the Blake lineage.

"Daddy's girl," Bambi hissed back.

"But Leon's a fine man and I certainly do approve of him. I don't approve of whatever that power struggle thing is that he's got going on with that sorceress, but I hardly think that's something I can't assist with, either."

Bambi nodded, but this was the first time DUDE had actually SAID he approved of Leon, so she felt a smile creep across her face as she sank down into her chair.

The server came, whisking away their empty plates and depositing the dessert that only Bambi had found fit to order. She greedily dug into the massive pile of ice cream and whipped cream, glibly eating as she looked at Irulan seething across from her.

"You look like a child," Irulan hissed.

"And you look like a single woman in her thirties," Bambi countered.

"It isn't that I don't like him, Irulan," DUDE said, speaking with the copper mug that signified he'd been drinking a Moscow Mule. "It's just that I don't know him. I know his kind and the idea of some vampire-shifting-warlock just... It doesn't seem like a good fit."

Irulan felt like smoke was going to come out of her ears. "I'm not trying to date this guy," she said, fists clenching and unclencing as she spoke. "If you'd have listened to me at the beginning we could have avoided this whole conversation! I just - I just MET him, I was telling you ABOUT him." Fuck sake, they were driving her to drink. She'd already killed two glasses of wine and would have had a third except her work phone buzzed in her bag, catching her attention.

"Oh, does big sissy have to go play babysitter to some sad hunter who hates his job?" Bambi taunted as Irulan read the message on her phone.

Irulan was quiet for a minute, the look on her face sobering enough to make DUDE and Bambi both sit up a little in their chairs.

"What?" Bambi said, voice now devoid of all taunting. "Iri, what is it?"

"It's a mass text to all guilds from our central emergency system," she said, blinking rapidly. She looked up, eyes wide. "One of our hunters that we thought was MIA was just reported as being taken by Midnight." She was still for a second, and then she grabbed her bag. "I have to go in, now - Bambi, you get back to Leon, and you stay there," she said, suddenly snapping into action.

She grabbed Bambi up in a tight hug before the girl was fully in her jacket, sensing the chaos that was coming for them. "Sister," she whispered, and the girl clutched her tightly for a moment in silent acknowledgement.

"Dad - " she began, but he held his hand up.

"You two go on. I think I'll sit this one out. We are a family though, don't forget that. Call if you need, girls. Call if you need."

[Irulan Flores]

D A N C E

Irulan had not worn a costume. At the last minute, Indrani had thrust a headband with cat ears into her hands, giving her a Look while they stood in the elevator waiting for the doors to open. She'd fled before Irulan could give them back, at least in her opinion. Indrani felt she was walking away at a normal speed, but she also made a point to step directly into a crowd of people as soon as she could, and if Irulan couldn't catch up - well, that was not her problem.

She sighed, considering the possibility that she could abandon them in the bathroom and someone would inevitably pick them up, but she hesitated to actually do it. All this while she stood in the bathroom, politely ignoring one of the hunters she knew as she chatted with someone she didn't recognize. The woman she didn't know looked gorgeous, and Irulan wondered what she was supposed to be. They left, and Irulan stared at herself in the mirror, face pulled into a frown as she looked at the headband. Begrudgingly, she slipped it on, fixing her hair. She thought she looked ridiculous, honestly, but it was dark in the area where the immediate party was happening, and she told herself nobody would notice.

As she exited, she struggled to decide whether she should go to the bar and get a drink, or attempt to find some of her friends to talk to. She settled on a drink first, figuring it would probably make her more talkative; as it stood, she wasn't sure she could keep up with the bubbly drunk that most of her colleagues got. While she waited for her drink (the bar was busy, understandably), she tried to mentally draw out the path she'd take through the room. One drink, which she'd keep half-full in her hand - to look like she was having fun, of course - and then she'd stay long enough to be seen. She wagered an hour, tops, and she'd be on her way back to her apartment where she could get into bed and watch Riverdale. She hated that she was so obsessed with the show, it was clearly just silly drama, but it was so entertaining. She couldn't help herself.

Drink in hand, she spotted Connor standing with Dev and Zoe, and went straight to them. They were deep into a conversation about the benefits of a glass of wine a day, which she felt she could offer some expertise with. She hadn't had a day where she didn't need a glass, especially not with all of the shit flying back and forth with guild transfers and hunters getting benched for being little shitweasels.

"Irulan! You made it!" Connor said, holding a hand up to greet her. The trio spaced out accordingly, allowing her room into their fold, and Irulan ended up next to Zoe, who she'd never actually spoken to before.

"Hi," Irulan said, holding her free hand out to the blonde. "Irulan Flores. I work with Connor," she greeted - meaning, of course, she was with Crimson.

The blonde looked at her critically, and then smiled. Whatever test Irulan had just taken, she'd passed. Zoe shook her hand. "Zoe," she said. "I work with Christian. I actually transferred over from the UK branch."

"Oh?" Irulan replied, genuinely surprised. Zoe had no accent that Irulan could hear.

"Yeah - oh, no, I just travel a lot, it's easier to put in transfers when I'm ready for a change of scenery," she laughed, sensing the reason for Irulan's question. "Besides, I hear you guys are playing musical chairs right now, so I figured I'd get in while the gettin' is good."

Irulan looked pointedly at Connor, who rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, listen, I tried to avoid it, but let's just call it what it is," he said, referring to the 'musical chairs' remark. "Anyways, it's at least given us the rare opportunity to mix it up. Here's to keeping it interesting, I guess," he said, raising his glass. Beside him, Dev laughed heartily.

"So, Dev, I've been meaning to ask - I noticed you have a new guy over there. Carlos?" she asked, squinting a little.

"Ah, yes," Dev said, nodding. "He's an incredible asset."

"Yeah, so I'm told," she muttered, thinking back to her conversation with Capricia a few weeks prior. "What's his deal?"

Dev glanced to Connor and Zoe, who were passionately arguing about a movie, and then looked back at Irulan. "Well," he said, drawing out the word. "What exactly do you want to know?"

Irulan glared at him. Dev had formed a mischievous smile on his face, and she sighed, finding refuge in the rather strong drink she'd been holding as an accessory.

"I'll take it that this is a social inquiry and not a professional one," he concluded.

"What? No!" she hissed, nearly choking on the ice she'd pulled into her mouth to gnaw on. She spat it back into her glass, a rather inelegant gesture, and then looked around the room. "He's not here is he?" she asked.

Dev laughed again. "Yes, he actually is. He's right over... there," he said, pointing with his beer to where Carlos stood.

She followed his line of sight, figuring that she'd be blocked by enough people on the dance floor that he wouldn't notice her peeking. No such fucking luck, though, because as soon as she spotted him, she realized that he was looking at her. Not in her general direction, either, he was looking dead on in her fucking eyes.

"Well, shit," she said flatly.

"Looks like you'll be able to ask him yourself," Dev said, completely amused. "Here he comes." And with that, Dev walked away.

"What? No! Dev! You motherfucker, don't abandon me!" she hissed. When she turned back around, she was face to face (almost exactly - she was 5'8, but 5'10 in her heels, and he was even with her) with Carlos.

"Catch you at a bad time, Sabrina?" he asked. He smiled at her, but it wasn't exactly a friendly smile

The fucking irony of him calling her Sabrina when she had a relationship with her witch-sibling who was blonde and also petulant like Sabrina was enough to make her clutch her drink like she was preparing to hit him with it. She knew - knew - that he was doing it on purpose, and what for? She wanted to ask why he knew, or rather, how he knew, because as far as she knew, NOBODY in the guilds knew ANYTHING about her, her private life, or, for that matter, her lineage or practices.

She wanted to come back at him with something equally derisive, but instead, found that she couldn't think of an insult fast enough, and said only, "I need another drink." She pushed past him, intending to head to the bar, but felt a gentle tug at her arm when she had gotten about two steps from him.

"Come on, don't run away," he teased. "I know that you know I know, so why bother acting like I don't?"

"Get your hand off me," she said, speaking slowly and clearly, her voice low. It was a warning, and it was his only one.

He let go of her immediately, which was a point in his favor, but he didn't allow her to dismiss herself either. "Dance with me," he said.

"I - what?" she sputtered. She was unable to hide the shock on her face, or the disgust. "I will not."

"Please, dance with me?" he tried again. "Is that better?"

"You know, I don't know who you think you are - "

"One dance," he insisted. "I'll tell you anything you want to know, but the condition is that we're dancing. Take it or leave it, Samantha," he said, holding his hand out to her.

She stared at him for a long minute, heel tapping with irritation as she ran through all the reasons she should hit him with the glass that was still in her hand. "Oh, for fuck sake," she said. She slammed the glass down on the table that held Halloween-themed snacks, and took his hand, practically dragging him to the dance floor. "ONE dance," she warned. "And you keep your hands above the equator."

"Wouldn't dream of anything else," he said with a grin. He allowed himself to be dragged, but once they were on the dance floor, he gave a light tug, pulling her into him. It was actually funny how little effort he had to make to move her around; she wasn't weak, but she wasn't used to being handled, so to speak.

"Is this okay?" he asked sarcastically, hands placed lightly on her.

"It's fine," she growled.

"Great. So, let's play a game - You can ask a question, and then I'll ask a question," he suggested. "Sound good?"

The song changed to something slow and ambient, giving Irulan time to think without being assaulted by the heavy bass that had just been thumping. "No," she admitted. "No, but I'll agree to those terms."

"So formal. Okay, go."

"What are you supposed to be?" she asked, gesturing to his attire.

He snorted. "The Devil," he said smoothly. When she gave him a Look, he stepped back so that he could display himself. He was sharply dressed, in a black suit with a deep crimson shirt beneath. She could see the hint of a tattoo at his neck, but couldn't make out what exactly it was. He stepped back in. "Don't you think it suits me?"

She nearly snorted. "Not at all," she admitted, holding back laughter.

"Why, what does he prefer to dress in? Let me guess - The Gap?"

She did laugh then, and while she was laughing, she missed his expression soften just slightly. "Absolutely not," she replied, but offered no further explanation. If he said he knew, than she didn't feel the need.

"Okay, my turn. What are you supposed to be?"

"A cat," she said, taking her hand off of his shoulder to point to her headband. When he stared at her, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I didn't have a costume. Not didn't go get one, just didn't wear one. Dressing up isn't really my thing," she admitted.

"Oh? Would've figured you'd have dressed up like one of the Sanderson Sisters," he joked.

She snapped her focus back to him, the laughter that had still shown in her eyes flicking off like a light had been switched. "Could you stop with the witch jokes?" she asked. "Seriously. You don't know me. At all," she added, for emphasis, like it had been needed.

"You're right, I don't know you - isn't that what we're doing right now? Getting to know eachother?" He lead her hand up, putting her in a slow spin, and then pulled her back to him. "Anyways, it's your turn."

"What are you?" she asked, point blank. "Why do you know so much?"

"Ooh, sorry doll, you only get one question a round. Which one do you want me to answer?"

"Christ, it's like talking to a Fae," she muttered.

"Hey, you agreed to the rules before we started," he reminded her.

He was right, and she nodded, showing her concession. "Well, let's settle on, 'What are you'?"

He sighed, dropping his head for a moment. "It's complicated," he told her - like that meant anything.

"Listen, complicated is some of the shit that my hunters are wound up in on a daily basis. Trust me, nothing you say could surprise me at this point in my life," she assured him. Still, she did feel a little nervous for his answer - she couldn't read him, and to the best of her knowledge he wasn't a Fae, nor a Triste, nor a Vampire or Shifter, so what was he?

"I don't think you'll like me if I tell you," he told her, which made her laugh again. He felt a little accomplished at this - he was getting to her with that charm of his. He hadn't even tried to use any magic on her - rules were rules, after all.

"I don't like you now," she said, and her tone was slightly playful this time.

"That's true. Okay, bruja, I'll tell you. I'm a Tlahuelpuchi."

She just stared at him for a moment. "What the fuck is that?" she asked, and for a moment, she forgot that she was supposed to be playing harsh with him.

"Ah, but you already asked your question for this round," he said, matching her playful tone from before. "It's my turn now, mija."

"Okay, shoot," she said. She braced herself, feeling like she was going to pay for going right in on him.

"When I found you in that warehouse a few years ago, when I got you out of there, you told me that you 'almost did it'. What did you almost do? I have to admit, this has been on my mind off and on since that night," he told her, a brow arching as he spoke.

She stared at him for a second, aware that she'd gone completely stiff in his arms. She stopped dancing, and he did, too, making no effort to try to push or pull her from where she stood. She felt rooted to the spot, suddenly feeling the need to just disappear. The room felt crowded and hot, and she couldn't manage to breathe rather suddenly. She wasn't looking up at him any more, but down and away, like she'd just caught a blow to the face and was still frozen from it.

"Irulan?" he asked. The charming, flirtatious aspect of him seemed to wash away, replaced quickly with more the more grounded hunter that he was. "Hey, Irulan?" He placed both hands on her shoulders to brace her - she looked like she was either about to faint, or go into a panic attack. He didn't know which, but he wasn't taking any chances with her cracking her head on the floor or crumpling into a ball. She was far too elegant for either of those scenarios, and he maintained that she would keep that elegance regardless.

She looked back at him, dark eyes bright with an emotion he couldn't discern. Rage, perhaps? No, pain. He could see it plain as day, he didn't have to intrude on her with magics to recognize it. "Forget it," he said. "Forget I asked."

"Right," she said, voice bitter. She shook her head a little, as if shaking the paralysis off of herself. "Right," she said again. "I'm gonna go."

And with that, she pulled away from his grasp, turned her back on him, and began cutting through the crowd. As she walked, she slipped off the stupid headband that Indrani had given her, dropping it into a trashcan on her way out. She no longer had any desire to be there, or to speak with anyone, and she definitely didn't have any need to further engage that man in any sort of witty repartee.

Carlos watched her leave, unwilling to follow her for two reasons - one being pride, and the other being caution. He felt a slap on his back and turned to see Shannon, who was dressed like Beetlejuice, complete with green hair, holding a drink up to him.

"Bro," she said. "Here, I got this for you. Did you just get rejected?" she asked.

"Bigtime," he told her, taking the offered drink.

"Eh, her loss. Listen, Xander, Gabriel and I are gonna try and get the bartenders to let us bring a keg up here for kegstands. Are you in our out?"