Donut Look Now

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nero

Location: Chicago, IL
Skills:Smoke Form

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With the proper motivation, I make it to Chicago and immediately order some demons to start gathering information for me. Crowley might not have been forthcoming with what exactly this pet was, but it did make for an interesting riddle to solve. Already, there sat a stack of reports my subordinates had found. First things first though, I have kitties to appease.

I make sure the food and water bowls are full for the cats and set several inside and outside. Not hesitating with me at all, a black cat brushes up against my leg. Not one to be left out, a white cat uses my other leg to stretch upwards. I pick up both and cradle one in each arm.

”Oh Luci,”I coo to the black cat before turning to the white one. “And Mika. My darlings.” Carrying them both inside with me, I brush my nose against theirs. Don’t tell any of the other cats in Chicago, but these two were my favorites. I place both the cuties in my most recently acquired cat tree that sat in my office and carefully scratch each one under their chin, eliciting a chorus of purrs. Content for now, I head towards the stack waiting for me.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“I think Chicago PD is tired of my face.” I try to joke, but I make a mental note to bring it up to Detective Costa next time I’m able to talk to him. Watching with a curious gaze, I listen as she flips each card over and explains them. I feel my ears grow a little warm at the first card. It’s not that it surprised me, but it was weird to hear it from an almost perfect stranger. Usually people would comment on my compassion after watching my bedside manner or some other similar behavior.

Sorrow and great change. My brow furrows at that card. I didn’t believe that I really chose this path. Those thoughts were interrupted by the last card.

What I am going through will continue to grow… I stare at the last card trying to decipher its hidden meaning. Did this mean my dad is gone too? Biting my lip, I try to stop the rush of despairing thoughts before I cry in front of this person again.

But then she tells me to let it go and my nostrils flare. ”Let it go?” I ask Cassiopeia before scoffing. “Would you do that if it was your family!?” A small voice in the back of my head told me to calm down, I didn’t know anything about her, let alone anything about a family to use against her in this argument. Plus, she wasn’t really who I was angry at. Hot tears start to gather in my frustration, threatening to spill over at any moment.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Watching as she pulls the card piles towards hers, I clear my throat before answering, ”Oh, uh, I’m the head nurse for the emergency room.” I settle back into my chair more before I add, ”At the University’s Medical Center.” Thinking more on my job, I realize something. My mother’s injuries hadn’t been as unique and rare as I first thought. The furrow in my brow returns as I stare hard at the top of the table.

”…I don’t know if this helps you at all, but… I think I’ve had other patients with similar wounds end up in my ER in the past couple of months…” I shift my gaze to Cassiopeia. ”Do you think they’re… uh, related?” I wince at how awkward it was to phrase the question, but now that my mind has gone down this path, I’m remembering details more clearly. They were definitely connected somehow.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I almost want to grab her hand back when she takes it away. The human contact was a welcome feeling that I didn’t realize I had been yearning for, plus her hands were soft. Following her example though, I place my hands on the table, looking down at the mewing cat with a small smile before turning my attention back to Cassiopeia. Now this felt more like the psychic nonsense I had been expecting but her remark about the smoke catches me off guard. Or maybe it was her wink. Set your intentions, Nicholas. I tell myself, choosing to ignore how the small voice in my head sounded like mom chastising me.

I swallow the knot in my throat and take the deck of cards from her, dividing the pile in three piles by drawing the bottom card of the deck. Determined to do this equally, I try my best to make each pile the same amount. Once there is no more cards in the deck, I hesitantly look up at Cassiopeia and wait for her next instruction. I take the opportunity to give Wayland more scratches to help with my nerves.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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My hand engulfs hers as I reach out to shake it. ”It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nic.” I tell her, trying to flash a smile back at her. ”I wish we were meeting under different circumstances of course…” I let the sentence trail off and turn my attention back to the cat. It was mesmerizing to pet Wayland’s bushy fur and be rewarded with his soft purrs. Maybe after all of this is over, I could find myself a cat or some sort of pet… especially if..

Physically shaking my head, I stop my mind from going down that road. I need to hold on to hope that my father is out there, somewhere, scared but waiting to be found.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Something breaks, catching her attention. She quickly excuses herself and I watch as she walks into the back were Caden was. I take a deep breath in my nose and out my mouth before turning my attention back to the purring cat at my feet. Scratching under his chin, I feel a ghost of a smile on my lips. ”Does she treat you well?” I ask him softly. ”She seems like she loves you a lot. I’m sure she takes very good care of you.” I cup Wayland’s head and gently scratch behind his ears.

Hearing footsteps approach, I look up but continue to pet Wayland. ”Everything okay?” I ask.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I nod absentmindedly as she tells me she can give me some to take home. ”Sleep would probably be good for me.” I tiredly agree as something brushes against my leg. Looking down, I see Wayland getting comfortable on my feet. I drink the last of my tea and follow her example of setting the empty cup on the table.

What do I want? Hell if I even knew the answer. I let my left hand droop over my knee and cautiously scratch the cat’s head. ”I want…” I finally look up to look into her eyes again. ”I need to know what happened to my mom and I need to find my dad. I-I need to know one way or the other if he’s alive or-or…” I can’t finish the thought. If my dad is gone too, that would mean I’m all alone… no family left. The thought shocks me and I look down at the cat again, letting the tears spill over and run down my cheeks. ”Please help me,” I whisper. ”Please.” I look up back up at her from my slumped position.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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I sigh and finally open my eyes to look down at her as an eerie calm washes over me. ” I know it sounds crazy, but… Listen I had just been at their place that morning, they were planning to stay in that night and just-“ My breath hitches and I have to stop to take a deep breath. ”They were finally going to watch ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. The last time they had gone camping was when I was a kid.” Taking several deep breaths and take a big gulp of the tea. ”This tea is-is good. I should remember to get some for myself.” I laugh flatly, uncomfortable as I start looking around the shop again, taking in all the tiny touches that had to be hers.

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Nero

Location: Hell Maybe
Skills:

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I give Crowley a look to hurry up and tell me what he wants. He did love to strut around and use a dramatic flair when he needed something, but my attention could only be held so long before I lost interest and stopped listening. “Anyway, the thing is in Chicago and I remember you having a house there or something. I figured you could pop in and get this under control quickly given your extraordinary talents.”

My lips twitch in a smirk. Flattery definitely works on me. ”And what do I get in return?” I ask.

“I’ll let you pick your prize.”

My eyebrows shoot up at this - there were so many things that Crowley had squirreled away over the years and any one of them would be well worth it. This must be a big deal for Crowley to just let me have my choice. ”Say no more.” I wink before I snap my fingers and disappear. The strays in Chicago are going to be so happy I’m back.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden disappears into the back and I release the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. What exactly was I looking for? I slump forward, staring into the cup of tea. ”Five days ago, my… my mom walked into my hospital’s emergency room on the brink of death…” My reflection in the liquid stares back at me and I finally notice how bad I look. Between the dark bags under my eyes, the eyes circled in red irritation, and my hollow cheeks, one might assume I was on death’s doorstep. I shift my gaze to my foot instead, deciding to ignore my haggard appearance.

”She… didn’t make it… I furrow my brows, feeling my jaw clench in anger all over again. ”She had the best trauma team in the city trying to save her and we couldn’t do shit.“ My vision starts blurring as the tears come back again. ”There wasn’t anything normal about how she died… Nothing natural. And the police,” With a snort, I use a hand to run my fingers through my hair and let my head fall back. ”They slapped ‘animal attack’ as the cause of death. I’ve never seen an animal that could do that, but they won’t reopen her case and won’t even look into my father’s disappearance…” I close my eyes and take deep breaths through my nose. ”A camping trip gone wrong… they weren’t even on a trip.” I mumble.

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Nero

Location: Hell Maybe
Skills:

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That got my attention. There weren’t many ‘pets’ that could cause a problem with escaping. ”Vich pet?” I ask, the accent slipping in. ”Don’t tell me Asmodeus finally let the Shedim out.” That was the last thing we needed. Those fuckers made even my skin crawl. They weren’t any fun, just overall terrible and annoying to deal with. Asmodeus had tried to convince Lucifer he could train the shitters once… As if anyone could actually handle them.

“Oh no, not them.” Crowley shudders. “Never them.”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

Nic Wu

Location: Mystic Dreams, Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Grateful that she still made me a cup, I force a smile but know that it didn’t reach my eyes. When she tells me the cat likes me, it takes a good amount of self control not to pick up Wayland and squeeze him in a hug, reminding myself why I was in this shop. I clear my throat to tell her my name when the door opens and an attractive man walks in.

I side eye him as the girl and Caden speak. A well-dressed and attractive man. He approaches and I can see he’s not much shorter than me, we were almost eye to eye with each other. His confidence practically oozes off of his warm brown skin. I swallow a bit of the tea to help steady my nerves while he bends over to pick up the other cat.

”I… don’t know where else to go, to be honest.” I confess, turning my attention back to the girl. Chewing on my bottom lip, I try to think how to phrase the next part. “A-a friend suggested I might find answers here. I’m sorry to say you’re my last resort.” I smiled sadly before sitting down, feeling exhausted.

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Nero

Location: Hell Maybe
Skills:

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Looking like the cat that swallowed the canary, Crowley didn’t respond. I rolled my eyes, sighing, before I asked, ”Vat do you vant?” Brushing the remains of my nail cleaning off my lap, I stand up and walk across the room. I feign interest in anything other than the pompous jackass. “You might be zee King of Hell right now, but I am under no obligation to lishtink.” With the last part of my sentence, I pick up my knife and lazily point it at him.

“Cut the shit,” He responds. “We all know your accent isn’t that thick.”

Making a pouting face, I roll my eyes again. “You’re no fun.” I place the knife back on the shelf and face Crowley, holding my hands behind my back and lightly kicking the ground with one of my feet. “Seriously though, why are you here.”

“We have a problem.” Crowley tells me. “Somehow, one of the little… pets has escaped and is enjoying a buffet of humans.”

Translation of Written Accent

“What do you want?” “You might be the King of Hell right now, but I am under no obligation to listen.”