Though his eyes never strayed from the scenery ahead, he knew her gaze was on him. It hardly came as a surprise, most everyone stared and whispered under their breath when he was in public. At first, this attention annoyed him, stirring harsh glares and brusque comments from the normally calm man. However, over his long years on the physical plane, he learned to adapt and ignore it. Instead, he focused on keeping a brisk pace as they walked past the darkened shop fronts and other evening wanderers. When she spoke up again, his bright eyes swept across the street, taking in anything and everything with vigilance. In the shadows of another side-street, bestial figures stirred. This made him frown again, lips curving downward ever so slightly. His eyes darted to the left as they passed an alley. More of them were pushing at the boundaries of the planes, he could feel it. This girl was not just a random target, was she?

After a few more moments of silent thought, he responded with another simple, straightforward statement. "Somewhere safe." He had decided that simply leaving her in her home with wards would not be enough. Something was wrong with the entire situation... it was not too uncommon for a single creature or small pack of them to slip into the physical realm corporeally, but this amount was unheard of in modern times. Why would so many of them risk death to get at her? Regardless of the answer to that question, he would take her to his home. He had talismans, wards and spells over the entire building- plenty to conceal her from the entities, as well as pretty much anything else. 

Sliding his hands into the pockets of his wool coat, he continued his watchful guard and lead her along, a turn taking them down another store-front lined street. Neon signs glared past the various wares displayed before the windows, the unnatural hues casting an eerie glow over the concrete.They were close, close enough that he could feel the energy that radiated from his home. However, he also knew the creatures were closing in again, clearly driven enough to show no fear of his power. Gritting his teeth a bit, he lead the young woman to a small alley between an antiques shop and a coffee house. The two businesses contrasted in a bizarre manner. The cafe was open, well lit and sleekly decorated with modern touches, like a sign proclaiming free wi-fi. The cluttered curio shop, on the other hand, proudly held ancient sculptures, books and artifacts; all laid across fine, but weathered arabesque cloth. Behind the protective iron gating, the words "El-Amin Antiquities" was painted in ornate script, only able to be read due to the soft lighting that illuminated the front displays. The silent Arabic man paid no heed, however, simply slipping between the brick walls and into the darkness.

Disposal bins and litter dotted the precarious walkway, where half-frozen water from vents made the ground slick. As he dodged the first collection of bags and boxes, the hairs on the back of his neck started to raise. Just a bit further- they just had to make it to the back door. As his eyes scanned the alley, his fingers clenched into a fist, heating as energy was once again called forth. In a tense silence, they had made it half-way down the narrow path. Suddenly the shadows in front of and behind them coalesced, twisting and churning as the entities forced their forms to be tangible. Samuel swore under his breath and ripped his hands free of his coat, red-orange glow already pulsing off of them.