It is about 60/i/span/i>15C) degrees. The mist is heaviest At Birch and Lake/span>/span(Your target comes upon an NPC being targeted by a group of supernatural hunters or a lone vigilante. They need to try to keep them safe for long enough for help to arrive.
)

Matias is eating ramen in a cottage core style kitchen of living wood floors and walls and a stone counter between himself and Eloa. The latino man looks at her curiously with noodles slurping into his mouth and chewing before asking, “If Hale is to tired to meet up, why would he come for coffee. Man just want to sleep.”

“Because maybe he too tired for dual but not too tired to come talk?” Eloa asks Matias with a lift of her shoulder as she twirls more ramen around her chopsticks until she forms a ramen popsicle and then jams it into her mouth.

It is at that moment, the front door’s lock clicks and a young man with dirty blonde hair makes his way in and closes the door behind him. His white shirt is stained with dirt and his grey slacks have a tear in the pant leg as he pants, staring wide eyed at Matias and Eloa. “Please! You have to hide me!” He begs as he turns to lock the door although.. given how easily he broke through the lock it’s probably not going to keep him safe from whatever is after him.

Matias looks past Eloa as the front door begins to open, apparently thinking maybe the wind had blown it open only to see a young man come in. There is a frown as he asks Eloa, “Did you invite a student over?” and then he is asking to be hidden and the latino man puts his chopsticks into his bowl and walks around the ground adjusting his blazer, “Hide you from what, are you hiding from the Fae Lord running around?”

“No-o!” The man cries as he goes to shove one of those high backed chairs against the door, although it probably doesn’t work quite as well as in the movies. Scrambling over to Matias and Eloa, the man gets on all fours and tries to hide under the counter! “Please I think her name is Eve… she’s like a general or lutienient of those people wanting to create hell! Please!” The man begs, putting his hands ontop of his head as if he can just hide and everything will be fine.

Meanwhile, Eloa frowns a bit and looks over to Matias for guidance.

Given the counter is supported by a solid underside his hiding is more behind that or the stools. “You are hiding from a 63rd Legion member.” Matias speculates as he looks down at the ground and this either homeless, escape psyche ward, or roughed up young man. There is a look to the door then and he just pulls out his saint minted coin. “Eloa could you just keep an eye on him. Figure out what happened.” and he begins casting a warding spell on the home to protect it from forced entry until dawn.

“Um okay.” Eloa moves down from the counter to crouch down by the man. “Ola My name is Eloa. What’s yours?”

“Adrian… Please please.. she wants to hurt me… Oh god..” The man is a squeaking puddle on the ground as he trembles hard enough to vibrate Matias’s kitchen counter, almost like had a big cat for a pet that’s purring! Except no where near as fun.

As Matias starts to cast, he hears the creek of a window in one of the bedrooms. More likely – his bedroom given that the spell takes a while to cast and soon all three come face to face with this so called Eve as the door to the kitchen swings open.

Dressed in a latex catsuit, a woman with eyes of blood red opens the door to Matias’s haven. His sanctuary. Her hair is the color of spun rubies to compliment the blood red eyes and although there is a sword in a back sheath behind her, Eve isn’t holding anything in her hand. “Ahh.. Pretty people for me to torment. Thank you Adrian.” She coos as she beckons towards Eloa with a hand. Eloa is immediately yanked through the air with a scream until it’s cut off by Eve’s hand on her throat while Eve holds her against her own body. “Now now.. Put that arcane focus down. We don’t want anyone to get hurt do we?” The blood eyed woman purrs as a dagger appears in her hand is and slowly brought up to Eloa’s throat.

Matias watches as Eloa is likely telekinetically yanked into a supernaturally strong grip and a dagger is produced. There is a quiet sigh as he dismisses the building ward ritual already pointless with Eve the catsuit and blood-eyed woman in his home. He does not put the arcane focus down so much as tuck his hand into his pocket and offer a polite smile that does not touch his face. He kicks Adrian in the ribs and tries to force him out into the open with another kick… “Take boy, give girl.” he suggests and half demands as those slate-grey eyes look out from low-set glasses the professor seeming defensive but open to doing as he is told.

There is a pitiful cry from under the counter as Matias connects with something soft. Adrian sobs as he cops another hit and then slowly crawls out from under the counter, on the kitchen tiles. He’s still on all fours and shakes his head. “Please don’t give me up please!” /line /line Meanwhile, over at the doorway, Eve smiles like the cat that got all the milk. She drags the dagger down Eloa’s cheek, who is whimpering and not sure what to do, hazel eyes huge as the latina looks over at Matias. Matias can see how hard Eve is gripping Eloa’s throat, knows that supernaturals can snap a neck just like that. And the dagger.

“Why would I want just one boy.. when I can have the suffering of all three of you?” The likely demonborn asks, laughing softly as she casts Matias a slow grin like they share a secret, “Give me my suffering and…” The hand tigthens, making Eloa make a small squeaking noise as her air is cut off. “This one doesn’t get hurt….. too much.”

There is a pitiful cry from under the counter as Matias connects with something soft. Adrian sobs as he cops another hit and then slowly crawls out from under the counter, on the kitchen tiles. He’s still on all fours and shakes his head. “Please don’t give me up please!”

Meanwhile, over at the doorway, Eve smiles like the cat that got all the milk. She drags the dagger down Eloa’s cheek, who is whimpering and not sure what to do, hazel eyes huge as the latina looks over at Matias. Matias can see how hard Eve is gripping Eloa’s throat, knows that supernaturals can snap a neck just like that. And the dagger.

“Why would I want just one boy.. when I can have the suffering of all three of you?” The likely demonborn asks, laughing softly as she casts Matias a slow grin like they share a secret, “Give me my suffering and…” The hand tigthens, making Eloa make a small squeaking noise as her air is cut off. “This one doesn’t get hurt….. too much.”

Matias considers the threatening woman quietly and shows teeth for a moment before stating, “Fine. You want suffering, that is fine.” and he steps away from the counter putting Adrian in front of him as she cowers on the ground, Eloa is between them and with one hand in his pant pocket the other brushes through his dark hair with a sigh. “You want me to beat the boy? I have no problem. He broke into my home, got my girlfriend attacked, it is plenty of suffering. He is almost pissing himself already.” clearly trying to focus the 63rd members attention on her original victim.

Thunder and lightning make a great backdrop for Eve who stares over at Matias with those glowing blood red eyes. She laughs softly as the lightning cracks, lighting up the room in brilliant flash. Pulling Eloa over closer to her, the woman turns to lick down Eloa’s cheek, making Eloa cry out and close her eyes, still choking a little because of the hold on her throat. At least Eve is giving her little tiny breaths. At the offer of seeing Matias beat up the whimpering man still on the ground, the woman in the cat suit smiles slowly, cruely. “No. That would be too easy. I want you to take one of those kitchen knives. And pin your hand to the counter.” Her voice is wicked, husky, the voice of a seductess and would make for great phone chat line voice. “You are an arcanist. I wouldn’t want any problems in your…” She gestures her free daggered hand around. “House.”

Eloa meanwhile, whimpers and shakes her head at Matias, staring at him worriedly, “D-don’t..” She squeaks before the hand around her throat tightens.

The latino man looks down at Adrian and informs him, “You had better hope she takes you with her when she leaves because bringing this kind of mess into someones home is not a way to inspire forgiveness or mercy.” Matias says in a dry and warning baritone of a voice. With the threat made he makes his way over to the cutting board and knife block, he draws out a flensing knife. With the sharp blade in hand, he places his right hand on the cutting board and holds up the knife. “Knife in hand is really all you need?” he sounds skpetical but he flips the blade and holds it over his hand, as if an executioner awaiting the nod to finish his victim.

Struggling with the hand at her throat, Eloa’s hazel eyes look pleading at Matias as if begging him not to do it to himself. She shakes her head even as she has to close her eyes because the hand crushing her windpipe tightens more, her hands helplessly clawing at the hand.

“Oh no. I enjoy… lots of suffering.” The demonblooded woman advises Matias with a turn down of her head even as she holds the much shorter Eloa against her chest. ”

Struggling with the hand at her throat, Eloa’s hazel eyes look pleading at Matias as if begging him not to do it to himself. She shakes her head even as she has to close her eyes because the hand crushing her windpipe tightens more, her hands helplessly clawing at the hand.

“Oh no. I enjoy… lots of suffering.” The demonblooded woman advises Matias with a turn down of her head even as she holds the much shorter Eloa against her chest. “But I can assure you.. That if all three of you suffer like I deem. I will leave you all here.. and safe… For whoever else finds you. If you don’t want to take that easy bargain well…” The hand holding Eloa shakes her about a bit. “I will have to see how much you suffer if I end the life of this one won’t I?” Those red eyes gleam with dark amusement as she finally allows Eloa a breath and then looks expectantly at Matias’s hand. “And to the countertop. I want you pinned. Not … connected to a chopping board.”

“Has anyone ever told you, that you are very particular about your maimings?” Matias says flatly as he turns back towards the riverstone counter in the middle of the kitchen and looks at the flensing blade and then the stone and then Eve. He does not point out the obvious (to someone who cooks) that there is no way this knife will pin him to a -stone- counter but his hand goes down and moments later the blade jabs down and through the back of his hand and palm into the stone with a *schtnk* sound as he lets out a hiss. His entire body curls forward and his hand shakily grips the hilt of the cooking knife to keep it upright as his skewered hand begins to bleed onto the counter. It is painful, any stab wound is, but the man straightens up already beginning to sweat with face paling. “What you do if, I say kill her and you have no leverage?” he asks in a pained and tight brazilian accented voice.

“Noo! Matias!” Eloa cries out in horror as Matias actually stabs his own hand, struggling a bit in the demon’s grasp but unable to do much as she starts to cry. Meanwhile the suffering that Matias is feeling makes Eve moan, gasping in pleasure as her body physically reacts to the suffering in the air much like one does when one gets a strong hit of their drug of addiction. “Beautiful.” The cat suited woman purrs, cuddling Eloa liked a loved one she’s teaching. Eloa’s head is pointed towards Matias, “See how he suffers for you? Looks like he actually loves and cares about you. How disgustingly sweet.” The woman spits a little then through back her head to laugh before turning to Matias’s words, still laughing. It seems like she’s in a very good mood now. “If you say kill her… I will tell you how slowly I will kill her.. bit by bit.. How I will put needles under her fingers… and then pull the nails out.. How I will cut her skin inch by inch.. until she dies from blood loss from a thousand cuts. Is that what you want to hear?” The demonblooded woman asks Matias, face full in chesire grin. “But good job darling. Now… Since you have such anger towards poor Adrian there… Why don’t you beat him up… with your hurt hand. I thought you were going to pin it to part of the countertop that was wooden but.. I guess not.”

Matias pulls the flensing knife out of his hand and tosses it into the sink while lifting his hand from a palm print and pool of blood on the counter. Fortunately no major blood vessels severed so aside from the steady flow of blood and radiating pain of a stab wound, there is no immediate risk of death. “You are not very good at this whole… Suffering thing, if it was going to be that bad and I was so in love. Would I not just shoot her in the head, kill you, and bring her back?” he suggests clearly trying to keep Eve talking even while walking around the counter towards Adrian. Despite Eloa’s tears and reaction to his suffering, there is a notable lack of looking at the latina or talking to her. Perhaps downplaying or simply being incredibly stoic.

Laughing at Matias’s response, Eve doesn’t seem to mind his hypothetical about shooting the woman in her hands in the head. “Because then you would waste precious little resources that you don’t even need to. Your hand will heal in a few hours. I just want my suffering.” Her thick lashes flutter as she looks over at the man, “I do love men in pain. There’

Laughing at Matias’s response, Eve doesn’t seem to mind his hypothetical about shooting the woman in her hands in the head. “Because then you would waste precious little resources that you don’t even need to. Your hand will heal in a few hours. I just want my suffering.” Her thick lashes flutter as she looks over at the man, “I do love men in pain. There’s just… something about them. So stoic. So mmmm..” She puts taps her lower lip with the tip of her dagger. “Delicious. Don’t you agree?” Eve asks Eloa who just whimpers and shakes her head, crying as she looks over at Matias.

“Now get to it. The sooner you hurt Adrian. The soona you can hurt this little Bella here.. And I can be out of your hair. That /is/ what you want right? Me to leave?” The woman asks pressing a shoulder forward as if wondering if Matias wants her to stay.

It seems that being completely obedient to the demoness is not Matias’s preferred option and his right hand, the unstabbed one, simply draws a pistol from his back and he shoots Adrian in the knee. It is sudden, abrupt, noisy, violent, blood sprays, and it probably hurts like a bitch. Putting the gun away almost as quickly he lifts his hand, curling the arm and making a loose fist so the blood begins running down his forearm. “I do not heal in hours. Neither, I think, will this one… He may never walk normally again. Drink it in and then leave.” he says in a pained but unbent baritone to Eve.

The poor pitiful man on the ground screams as he’s shot in the knee. The screams and cries of pain make Eve gasp in pleasure, fluttering those eyelashes. “Delicious. But you’re going to need to hurt this little Bella here before I go.” The demoness smiles slowly as she caresses Eloa’s cheek with her dagger again and Eloa soon finds the lower half of her body floating, suspended in the air by telekinesis so that her feet are pointed towards Matias but her throat is still within the demonness’s control. “There. We don’t want you getting too close do we?” The woman asks with no shortage of glee in those cruel eyes. “Now how do you plan to hurt her so I’ll let you go?” She asks amusedly.

There is a very deadpan look at Eve and her gimmick now as Eloa’s legs are stretched out his way. “I think the girl has suffered enough.” the man states very bluntly his bleeding hand flexing as his face is growing paler, his forehead dappled with sweat, his neck slick with it. Pain and bloodloss at not time friendly issues to be suffering from. “I will make you a deal. Cut her loose, walk away, I do no look for revenge. I do not come find you. I do not kill you and let the demons you bargained with take you screaming to Hell. Press this and well, someday you will not have hostage to hide behind.” Matias says darkly.

“Oh you are so sweet my dear honey. Who I don’t even know the name of.” Eve happily sighs as she caresses Eloa’s cheek and then rightens Eloa back up. Eloa is flung telekinetically into Matias, sending them both sprawling into the far door- and falling in a tangle ontop of Adrian who is screaming bloody murder still. “I look forward to you coming to find me.” She waggles her fingers and blows Matias a kiss. “See you soon.” There’s a soft cackle and the woman turns and disappears, presuambly jumping out of the bedroom window!

A bit out of it and tangled up with Matias, Eloa moans softly, her throat red from the strangling, “Are you okay?” She whispers hoarsely.

“On second thought..” Eve’s head appears in the window and the screaming Adrian is yanked up from underneath the two to be dragged kicking and screaming through the air out the window. “I’m not done with this one yet.” Waving at the two, the woman disappears with adrian’s screams soon lost in the noise of the thunderstorm