The sound of the ghoul biting into his victim drew Jareth's attention, and he swore again, taking a few steps away.  Amuné didn't even glance at the grisly scene.  "Kabuto...that's a new name."  Her eyes narrowed and she gave the man a quick, scrutinizing look, starting at his feet and working her way up.  "It would explain why I've had to deal with more than usual, the past few weeks."  Her posture went from battle-ready to merely wary, and she put the knife away, though it was still in easy reach.  Apparently she made some sort of decision, because she spoke over her shoulder to her friend.  "C'mon, Jareth, he's buying us lunch."  To the man, she said simply, "Follow me."

It was several minutes' walk, and the young woman lead them off campus and into the downtown area.  "Where we're going, it's neutral ground," Amuné said, pausing by a florist's sandwiched between a post office and a small cell phone shop.  Faint magic surrounded the place that spanned the second story of all three stores.  "Pick a fight here, and you'll regret it."  She flashed him a cold smile, and headed to the staircase that lead upwards.  There was a faint tingle as they entered the magic's field of effect, and Jareth shivered, rubbing his arms.  The Seer acted like it was nothing, opening the door and holding it for the two behind her.

They stepped into a restaurant with only a handful of other diners present.  One part of the room seemed like it might be a dance floor, but at the moment it was set up more like a coffee shop, with small tables and even a few cushioned chairs.  The main area had the sort of booths and tables one would expect of a restaurant, and a bar ran the length of the side wall.  The host was a muscular man, with a mop of tightly-coiled ringlets that hung in front of his eyes and a bushy beard.  "Don't usually see you at this hour on a Friday," he said, reaching for the menus.  "Those two with you?"

"Yes, they are.  Something came up, Curly, and I figured a meal off-campus would be nice."
"Right this way, then.  ...You know about Mond'y, right?"  The hirsute man turned to lead them to a booth.
"I do...Curly, meet Jareth.  He's the one I keep mentioning.  He knows -- and I trust him.  It won't be an issue."
"Ah!  It's a pleasure, man."  He clapped Jareth on the back, making the considerably smaller man stumble.  "Ah...Likewise, Curly."  The poor boy was clearly out of his depth, but he slid into the booth before his friend, and opened the menu.  Privately, he wondered what the heck he Amuné was getting them into, and why she'd never mentioned the place before.  And...had that guy really taken a bite out of the goth with the scales?  No...he must have been seeing things.  Yeah, that was it.

Curly took drink orders -- water for Amuné, diet Coke for Jareth, as well as whatever Tsitua wanted -- and then left.  The Seer, though still far more cheerful after greeting a friend, dropped her smile and turned her focus back to the stranger across from her.  "So.  A demon organization, and relatively new to town, or stepping up their activities.  Targetting me, or so you claim."  She wouldn't be surprised if he was correct, though she hoped otherwise.  If word of her had somehow leaked to where serious organizations were finding it, she might be in real trouble.  "And you're a demon hunter.  But who are you working for?  I know your type.  I doubt you came in blind, and you certainly aren't working alone."

(([@TheMinorFall]  that took longer than I intended.  ^.^;; But there was the puzzle for today, and some Shadowrun complications.  Also a politics debate I didn't want to have.  X.x  The Upstairs is now the local hangout for non-mundanes, and I'm amused that it sorta parallels Anteiku, though I'd had the idea for it and the Daily Grind -- probably a generic coffee shop in this iteration -- before I saw it.  ^.^;;  ))