[sub]in collaboration with [@Meiyuki] and [@shagranoz][/sub]
[center][h1][u][i]"Grim apprehension"[/i][/u][/h1][/center]
It was dark, cold and wet. Water dripping from leaves and branches higher up above the giant's head were a constant reminder of the rain that was still petering out. However Andri was not in the position to complain about the weather, there were other things going on in his mind: Had he gone too far ? He had basically thrown away everything the ordinary hunter's doctrine told him - and most of what the hunter he still was an apprentice of had told him. He had made contact with witches. [i]Non lethal[/i] contact! If Medusa und Lorelai would stick to their words, he would even have helped prevent a war that would have been very beneficial for the cause of the hunter community in general. And for what ? For what he [i]believed[/i] to be the morally correct course of action. If any of the leaders in Seren's Folley would get a hunch on this, he would be beyond being screwed. Beyond because there was another problem. One that he had acquired in that damn cathedral and that had gone silent several hours ago, much to his surprise. Perhaps it was because even Khan had to accept the fact that there were no women around in the midst of this forest, but only the horse his host was riding on. Apparently sex with animals didn't count to his repertoire of perversety. At least not yet. Andri felt that this pesky demon likely was very adaptive in his thoughts, and emergencies, whatever kind they were of, always provoked unconventional actions.

The spires of Castle Bloodrose now were rising above the horizon, gradually filling up the space between the rows of trees where the dark sky could be seen touching the ground. The assassin urged the beast to go faster, he couldn't wait to arrive there. Not only because of Liz, but because he had important business to do. Witches' paradise wasn't a place he felt comfortable at, not with Bobby and the Digards around. Multiple of his as-yet-colleagues knew about Khan or at least had reason for suspicion. Finally, he stood in front of the massive iron gates that were blocking his way.

It didn't take long for the metal to defy the laws of nature as Andri knew them. There could not have been a clearer sign for him that the coven's leaders he had spoken to were very well aware of how to get from Seren's Folley to the castle. This was the right place, but... it was so big. Where the hell should he start searching for... what ? Did witches have offices like normal administrators had ? If he was honest to himself, he didn't know a shit. There was no other way than to ask his way through it, hoping that none would think of him as an enemy that required immediate attention...

Andri had been clever enough not to come here while wearing his leather armor. Instead, he was wearing the very same pieces of cloth he had put on before meeting Rebecca the second time and attending the diplomatic meeting. The first question now was: Liz first, or Medusa first ? Or Lorelai... He decided for the second option, though it was pretty much random. As friendly as he was able to, he tried to ask for the way to the coven's current leader. Finally standing in front of the door, his heart was beating like hell. It felt like being on the verge of a point of no return, and perhaps it was exactly that. He knocked at the door.

Medusa's clear alto called from the other side.  [color=ed1c24]"Come in."[/color]

She looked up from a veritable tower of documents,  her face broadening into a smile as she spied Andri's hulking frame in her doorway.  She set her spectacles to the side and gestured to one of the lavish armchairs in front of her large oak desk.  [color=ed1c24]"I'm pleased to took the opportunity to visit Andri.  Please,  sit."[/color]

Andri was a bit hesitant, but then he finally ducked down under the doorframe and took the seat he had been offered. He tried to smile at Medusa, but he could feel his ears getting hot even before he had finished the wording of what he wanted to say now. He blushed, and the way he rested his enormous hands on his upper legs he probably looked like a schoolboy who was intending to confess something in front of one of his more influential teachers. [color=00a99d]"Hello Medusa. Thanks for spending your time on me."[/color] He paused, kneading his lips. [color=00a99d]"I... have a problem."[/color] And then, finally, it came out fast as if he wanted to get rid of it: [color=00a99d]"Does 'Khan' mean anything to you ?"[/color]
[color=fff79a][i]NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You bastard![/i][/color]
It felt like an electric eel had intruded his brain, following an internal urge to fry it. Andri's pain was obvious from outside as his face temporarily turned into a grimace.

[color=ed1c24]"Khan?"[/color]  Medusa tilted her head quizzically.  [color=ed1c24]"Yes,  If I recall correctly Lorelai was... displeased with a Khan a year or so ago."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"I never really asked what she ended up doing with him."[/color]  She shrugged.  [color=ed1c24]"Why do you ask?"[/color]

Andri was aghast. Medusa talked about this as if it was absolutely ordinary. Oh well... he was in the midst of a coven, likely this [i]was[/i] absolutely normal here. Should he hope that they were indeed talking about the same Khan or should he hope that the Khan Lorelai had been displeased with was another one, perhaps a normal human being ? There weren't many alternatives to find out: [color=00a99d]"He's in my head now."[/color]

Medusa blink several times as the hunter stated his predicament simply.  [color=ed1c24]"In... in your head?"[/color]  She surveyed him with facination,  as if she might somehow divine the meaning of those words with sight alone.

[color=ed1c24]"I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate.  Is he a demon?  Come to possess you?  A lover that haunts your thoughts?  Or..."[/color]  Medusa gestured for Andri to explain.

[color=00a99d]"He... he appears to be a demon worm. I don't know what he looks like because when he made his way into my head, it was completely dark and I..."[/color] He paused again. So many thoughts were arising simultaneously that he didn't just feel emotionally overwhelmed, but according to his eyes becoming glassy and fluid accumulating around them waiting to break away from their adhesive bond to his skin he actually was. [color=00a99d]"I was lying in a coffin, buried alive. And since then... poof, poof, whores..."[/color]
[color=fff79a][i]Oh oh poor, poor Andri. I'm feeling embarrassed for you! I'm a gift! A gift of fate! For you! I'm pumping so much effort into you to improve your performance in bed and what are you doing ? I expect you to be more appreciative![/i][/color]

Rebecca had just been passing by, when she heard something about a demon worm. Knowing that this was the kind of conversation that couldn't be missed, even if she wasn't the curious type, she made her way inside. "Don't mind me, but what's all this about a demon worm?"

[color=ed1c24]"Andri here was telling me about... some unfortunate turn of events that lead to him being buried alive with a... Khan."[/color]  Medusa thought for a moment.  [color=ed1c24]"Which is a very Lorelai thing to do to someone who displeases her,  now that I think about it."[/color]

She laughed briefly,  her eyes staring into space for a moment as she seemed to recall some previous event.  She shrugged and returned her attention to the giant.  [color=ed1c24]"I can have him removed if you'd like."[/color]

[color=00a99d]"Lorelai ? She put Khan down into that coffin ?"[/color] Andri got very, very close to being angry, especially since he had just saved Lorelai from a civil war a day before. But it never came to an outburst of him, as he became aware that it would likely not have mattered at all where the witch would have placed Khan. It had been Charon who had put him into that coffin, and if Khan had been around somewhere else, he would simply have put him to that somewhere else.

[color=00a99d]"Removed..."[/color] Khan was raging in his mind. It slowed his thinking and speaking considerably. "Several hunters already know about it. If I go back to Seren's Folley and claim that Khan has been removed, they'll ask where and how. If I go back to Seren's Folley with Khan still inside my head, they'll probably kill me, expell me or whatever else... Either way, I'm stuck." His voice was sad, very sad.

"I have an idea for something you can tell them. You captured a traveling witch who figured out you were possessed and traded an exorcism for her freedom. The witch left, headed for God knows where." Rebecca shrugged. "Even if you don't say that, though, I'd still advise removing the little parasite. There's no telling what sort of havoc he could be wreaking inside you."

[color=fff79a][i]I'll poof you back to hell if you don't comply! You won't decide to have me removed! And think of all the advantages I can give you![/i][/color]
[color=00a99d][i]Sex ? A bigger wang ?[/i][/color]
[color=fff79a][i]Yes! But I know you are not ready yet to accept that as an answer, so I am willing to offer you my little abilities![/i][/color]
[color=00a99d][i]And how many boobs do I have to grab before I could get the next bit of my share of this trade ?[/i][/color]
[color=fff79a][i]I saved you and Mr. Wolfbreath from Charon! You claim to have moral ideals ? Hah! Now you want to get rid of me because I'm no longer useful ?[/i][/color]
[color=00a99d][i]You are afraid of Lorelai, aren't you ?[/i][/color]
The mental clash was going on, depriving Andri of the attention span he required to speak to the world outside for a considerable amount of time. He really didn't like it, but Khan had made some points he couldn't deny. And there was an argument even Rebecca's proposal couldn't get out of the way. Slowly, he turned his head towards her familiar face. [color=00a99d]"Do you think Fenros and the others will actually believe me that ? He was close to killing me outright."[/color] He spoke out Fenros' name not being entirely aware of the reputation he had along witches.

Medusa shared a brief look with Rebecca.  She'd known Fenros was in the area for some time,  but expected the revelation to be a small shock to the lich.  Mustering her most reasurring smile she spoke.  [color=ed1c24]"Yes,  we know how he favors that sword of his over his higher functions."[/color]

She thought for a moment as she appraised Andri's character.  [color=ed1c24]"Perhaps... "[/color]  She sighed.  [color=ed1c24]"Perhaps you could remain with us then.  If you were to find a sponsor,  and two senior witches to vouch for you you could take the oath and become one of us."[/color]

"I will gladly sponsor him, and tutor him in the ways of the coven. Even if he doesn't have any magic, he should at least be taught in how it is used." Rebecca smiled at Andri. "This is an honor I have never heard of any coven offering a human, much less a hunter. You should be proud that Medusa trusts you so much, Andri."

[color=fff79a][i]No magic ? Tell this Rebecca that her brain must have already completely rotten away! But... let's see if I can remedy that...[/i][/color]
Before Andri could even tell a word, there were two sounds coming from different locations in the room at the same time. The first one emanated from right in front of Medusa's desk and was accompanied by the rustling of both a few papers being blown from their stacks and of Andri's clothing that was no longer supported by its owner's hulking body. The second noise came from right in front of Rebecca. It was pretty close. Andri's embarrassement was near perfect. He stumbled backwards as fast as he could, covering that holy grail of Khan with his hands by instinct and being saved from falling on the floor by the wall.

Medusa stiffled a laugh as the giant of a man stumbled naked away from the lich.  Evidently Khan could teleport,  a rare gift indeed.  [color=ed1c24]"Well... it seems there are some advantages to having a demon worm in your head hmm?"[/color]  She glanced over Rebecca briefly.  [color=ed1c24]"Although I'd encourage him to refrain from such spectacular performances in the future,  lest my mirth run dry and he catches my wrath instead."[/color]

"Indeed. It seems to me that this was Khan's doing, not yours, Andri. Tell him to keep his libido in check, or else he'll find himself in a world of trouble." Rebecca let out a groan. It appeared that men were all the same, whether human or demon. All the thinking went on below the waist.

[color=00a99d]"Advantages ?"[/color] Andri spoke out the question in a tone that clearly indicated that he was in disagree with that statement. [color=00a99d]"So far this teleportation served only Khan himself in easing his way to the next whore or preventing me from doing things he believes would make me less attractive."[/color] Andri's face was totally blushed by now and he didn't dare to approach Medusa's desk to grab his clothes from the chair in front of it.

Medusa stood to retrieve the poor man's clothes,  tossing them to him before she returned to her seat.  [color=ed1c24]"If you find a way to work with him,  instead of simply appeasing him,  that teleportation could come in handy hmm?"[/color]  Medusa shook her head as she returned to the task at hand.  [color=ed1c24]"But we were talking about you joining the coven weren't we?  Rebecca here has been kind enough to offer her sponsorship,  you'd have my vote."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"All you need now is Lorelai's."[/color]  Medusa looked mildly concerned for a moment.  [color=ed1c24]"That, however, may prove more difficult to secure.  Our Lorelai's a hard woman."[/color]

[color=00a99d]"Khan's constantly threatening me to start eating my brain, or to wreak havoc on other of my body's functions."[/color] He could not just stop 'appeasing' him, as much as he would have liked to do that. He could clearly see the point in being able to teleport, but this wasn't [i]his[/i] ability, but the demon worm's one. A very important difference, at least in his mind.

[color=00a99d]"Join the coven ? Erm..."[/color] He hesitated. Medusa had just totally anticipated the real reason for him having made the journey to the castle. [color=00a99d]"I have to admit that you are somewhat correct about that. If I extrapolate the reactions of the other hunters that know about Khan or at least suspect something... I think it's more likely than not that my days as a hunter in Seren's Folley are numbered. The worst thing is that Fenros knows all about it."[/color] Did Medusa know that he was not the type of hunter that killed everyone on sight and without going through some kind of selection process first ? It appeared so, because otherwise she probably would not have offered voting for him in the first place.

[color=ed1c24]"Quite."[/color]  Medusa could imagine the man's situation.  Most hunters tended to be the 'kill first, question later' types.  Andri, however, had assisted Rebecca in a bid for peace to save the lives of witches.  For that aid alone she owed him at least the opportunity to find a new life amongst them.  [color=ed1c24]"Very well then.  For now you may stay in the castle for one week while you attempt to acquire Lorelai's backing."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"You may also want to discuss your Khan problem with her,  she's the foremost expert in demonology after all."[/color]  Medusa rifled through a drawer in her desk until she found a small key.  She handed it to Rebecca smiling.  [color=ed1c24]"Rebecca,  why don't you show our guest to his room.  Gook luck Andri."[/color]

Rebecca gathered her cloak around her and took the key from Medusa. "Yes, she probably knows something that can help you, if you wish it. Follow me, Andri. The rooms are upstairs." She beckoned Andri to follow her.

[color=00a99d]"Thanks."[/color] he answered wholeheartedly to Medusa before leaving her office and after having put his clothes back on. Andri followed Rebecca, being surprised and glad at the same time that he actually had found a refuge here, though it was yet unclear if it's temporary nature would suffice or if things would go so bad in Seren's Folley that he would have to succeed in making it permanent. Time would tell once he had gotten back there.