KiraVanhelsing

Intergalactic Space Adventurers- [ISA]

Ursa slowly walked, or rather limped down the hallway. She spoke evenly with the young cowboy about the visit to the Theonia, and the rubble that was left. Needless to say, she didn't have enough information to help and it still slightly mystified her that she wanted to. When they reached the med bay she almost whimpered in relief. The pain from her leg and the arm burns were becoming worse as she kept on her feet. When she arrived she moved over to Mac telling him to leave Mr. Wylder alone, even though his suspicions were correct. He gave her a look that signified he wasn't happy that she was cooperating with him, but the bottom line was it was her ship and her rules. She gave the matter no more consideration then limped over to Emmett, "I know how you feel about cops but on this ship. He is just as much a guest as you are. You touch him and I throw your ass into deep space. Got it?"

She looked up at Emmett through her one good eye and tried to make her threat seem menacing, even though she was slowly swaying from side to side. After a few minutes, she gave up letting her threat hang in the air as she walked over to Taylor. Taylor was a small battle set Medical Android, which they had found from an old SC-17 Battleship. He was in pieces but Kira, the ship's mechanic found some fluorescent pink parts from the same model in the black market along with a few other small alterations so that he became the Ranger's sole medical practitioner. Ursa hoped on the bed, slowly turning so that Taylor could scan her fully. Taylor shook his head, "URSA COOPER. PATIENT 3217. LOADING MEDICAL HISTORY. SCANNING FOR INJURIES! ...PATIENT IS DEAD! HA HA HA! TAYLOR IS COMEDY ROBOT!"

Ursa blinked, "Taylor, as much as I appreciate your attempt at humor, just please get on with it."

Taylor lifted his arms, "PATIENT 3217 DOESN'T APPRECIATE GOOD COMEDY. DAMAGE TO FUNNY BONE...VISIBLE. PROCEEDING WITH MEDICAL ASSISTANCE! PREPARING ANESTHESIA! OUT OF ANESTHESIA! PROCEED WITHOUT DRUG?"

Ursa shut her eyes slapping the bed angrily, "Fuck. I knew we were low on it. Do we have any..."

Mac shook his head giving her a look of pity. She pinched the bridge of her nose as Taylor began again, "PROCEED WITHOU.."

"YES. Proceed without the fucking drug." Ursa shouted angrily as she moved to lay down, her eyes focusing ahead of her when suddenly she saw Juniper beside her asking if she was alright. She was about to speak when Jean spoke up talking to the room, but mainly Emmett. When he was done, Ursa gave her a warm smile, happy that the young lady wasn't hurt too much because of her, "Yeah...sorry. I usually am more careful when I am transporting my passengers. I'll be fine, once I am all patched up! Are you okay? That bruise on your shoulder looks like it..aaahhh.."

Ursa let out a cry as Taylor began to stitch up her leg. Her body immediately tried to move away from the needle but Taylor clamped down on her leg so she couldn't move. She shut her eyes gripping the edge of the table as she began to shake slightly, a few tears running down the sides of her cheeks. After he finished stitching up her leg, she sunk to the table, breathing heavily as she looked over at Juniper, "...hurt."

She turned to the right whimpering slightly against the table after Taylor placed the bandage on her sore and swollen, but newly stitched leg, then he moved up to her stomach and arms and pulled her back into position before he got back to work. Ursa tried to listen to Jean speak, but the pain was taking up too much of her attention. She just turned her head so she was facing the wall, trying not to let the handsome policeman, Draykon or even Juniper who she felt very protective over for some strange reason see her so weak. It wasn't even the wounds that made her lose it, it was all the violence. People had tried to kill her before, but 80% of the time she could talk or pay her way out of it. The fact that she had tried to be killed three times and that they were succeeding in at least catching her off guard made her feel out of her element. Her thoughts also went to Yondi and Maria, whom she had dined with, laughed with, and even trusted at some point. Now they were both dead and she was the one who ended them. She never hated being a smuggler, but she absolutely hated herself for taking the life of another person. Logically she knew what she did had to be done, but she detested the whole action none the less. More tears flowed down her cheeks when finally Taylor was done. She was mentally and physically exhausted, and after Mac waved away Jean's cigarette he walked over and gave her a hand. She paused for a minute turning to look up at him. He just gave her a warm smile, knowing exactly how she was feeling as he always did. She let out a breath and then nodded, wiping her eyes before she took his hand and sat up, her yellow eyes turning to look at Juniper, the last Theonian. Emmett was right, she was the one who found the girl so she was responsible in helping her any way she could. She turned back to Jean, her voice barely audible behind her shaking body, "All I know is, that the only one I met was Gertrude Skranger who provided me with half the kredits for the transport a phone number, and a file to be given to Emmett. She only mentioned Bob once and it was in reference to hiring the best for this particular mission. I never even looked at the file. Just gave it to Emmett and the number."

She turned to look at Emmett, swaying slightly as Mac came over steady her. She leaned against him, as she tried not to pass out or fall asleep, "Your turn."

Intergalactic Space Adventurers- [ISA]

Ursa turned three shades of red before she let out a slight breath. She brought up her beer and took a swig as a means to hide her nervousness. She shook out her hair and turned to both Mac and Emmett whispering lightly, “Let me do the talking. I don’t want either of you to incriminate yourselves..and no violence Emmett. If he is a cop. He’s not dying on my ship.” Or ever if I can help it.

She blushed again at her thought then walked into the room, straight past the cowboy to the opposite side of her desk. Her guns remained in her holsters, for him to see as she opened the desk drawer to pull out a metal box with a red cross on the top, “Oh...Well to be fair. I wasn’t really planning on guests.” She mumbled before she fell into her seat, opening the box harshly as she began pulling out some gauze and cloth, “Look, Mr. Wylder, I am not entirely sure what Mac told you, but I ain’t really looking for a new bed partner. I MEAN...trading partner.”

Ursa sunk back into her seat as she began to undo some band-aids to cover her knuckles, biting her lower lip in embarrassment. Jean felt his cheeks redden at Ursa’s word fumble despite himself. Even the stoic rough rider couldn’t keep the heat from rising in his face. Leaning back on his heels the sheriff coughed awkwardly, his mind racing for something profound to say. He was hopelessly stuck on ‘bed partners’ and no amount of metal reaching could formulate an intelligent or clever quip. “That’s unfortunate…” Jean managed at last, biting lightly on his lower lip.

Ursa looked over at Mac’s guarded face and Emmett’s amused one and gave them both an awkward shrug before she ripped off the two blood-soaked bandages on her arm and flung them over to the garbage. She continued more somberly, her attention still on her desk,“Plus Mac here, has an inkling that you are law enforcement, which you very well could be. With my luck today, you probably are. Oh by the way...you are correct. My name is Ursa Cooper. Mac has been careful enough to refrain from using it, in case you are recording me. I am telling you this because I want you to be fully aware that I have absolutely no fear that any audio will make it off this ship.”

She finished her last bandage up, then looked up putting on her serious tough guy glower, to show she was willing to kill him if necessary. After a few minutes though she immediately regretted it, blushing all over again. She dropped her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. She felt like a creepy she goblin, ready to pounce. She never found men attractive. In fact, she found them more a nuisance if anything else. Emmett was just as good looking but when she looked at him, there was nothing. Looking at the cowboy was different though. There was just something about this one that lit something within her. It was like seeing an original edition of her favorite book, bound in leather just waiting on her desk. Her eyes just went green. What she saw she wanted. Regardless of her lack of experience and the fact that she quite truly thought he was a cop, she wanted this man, and somehow she would have him. She was sure of that.

Remaining quiet for a long while Jean studied Ursa a little closer admiring her for more than just her looks. They were clever folk them. He supposed one didn’t become so infamous by being a dullard. Still, he was right. They did strongly suspect him to be undercover, and Mac had somehow even picked up on the recording device. How? Jean couldn’t even begin to guess. Apparently, the big man was more astute than Jean had originally given him credit for. But if they thought he was law enforcement why hadn’t they plugged him and dumped his corpse in the nearest asteroid belt? Perhaps that’s what they still planned to do, he could hear the muted engines of the ship firing up, and feel the slight change in the artificial gravity as it took to the sky. Maybe they just wanted to make sure no one else would come after them. Or they wanted to know what he knew. Either way, it was going to be a serious chore trying to gain their trust, especially Mac’s. Jean would have to watch his step around him.

Sighing Jean sat down, interlocking his fingers together and sighing dramatically. “It’s a shame y’all don’t seem to trust me. I ain’t-a cop, there isn’t a recorder, no badge, no hidden motive. Sure I know who ya are Ursa Cooper. That I feigned, I’ll admit. Famed smuggler, roughish outlaw you’ve got an eight-digit bounty hoverin’ over yer head gal. But I don’ want no trouble. I just want to talk business. Lookie ‘ere see.” Reaching down with two fingers Jean eased his revolver out of its holster, placing it on the desk and sliding the weapon towards Mac. Even the slow movements caused the room to spark with tension. And now disarmed Jean knew he was playing a very dangerous game, and he had no more aces up his sleeve. Just a very incriminating hidden badge and recording device...

“I know y’all ain’t on th’ search n’ peek for a new tradin’ partner. But how ‘bout a one-time deal? A one n’ done as they say it on Tejaxs. Seein’ as ye’ve already taken’ off with me onboard, how far out o’ y’alls way would it really be to take a detour an’ smuggle some merchandise for me. Shouldn’t be too much trouble to make two stops along th’ way to wherever y’all are off too. Not in any which way I sees it. If I make it work your while.”

Ursa watched Jean with sharp eyes as he spoke about who she was and her bounty. She remained calm only until he lifted his gun and placed it on her desk, her body turning rigid at the moment. Mac took it without question, not trusting the young man for a second. Mac didn’t trust anyone though. He was the closest thing to a conspiracy theorist before actually going nuts. He trusted his instincts and in the early days of smuggling, he had saved Ursa’s life multiple times with that same instinct. If Mac didn’t trust, Mr. Handsome. Neither did she, but still the thought of spending more time with this charming devil was something she desired. Maybe...just this once she could give him the benefit of the doubt. She grabbed her beer after her upper arms were re-bandaged. She would need stitches but for now, at least they were clean. She finished the rest of the beer then tossed it into the bin raising an eyebrow at the cowboy, a smirk moving up her busted lip, “Worth my while?”

She shrugged standing up only to pull up her shirt and began pulling down her pants exposing some simple white briefs underneath, completely aware that three men were paying attention to her. A large gaping red cut was on the left side of her leg, the wound that had basically soaked her pants. She placed her hands on the table and turned to Mac, “Go get me the needle and some tongs please.”

Mac gave her a long look, which she reciprocated before speaking slowly, “I will be fine. Go.”

Mac gave the cowboy another hard look before leaving, taking the cowboy’s gun with him. She then turned to Emmett, “Perhaps you can go to Medical and check on our guest as well? I want a few words by myself with Mr. Wylder here...if you would be so kind. If I’m not there in fifteen, come back here and check on me. Thanks..”

Ursa knew that Emmett would do whatever the fuck he wanted and if that included leaving her to die, he would, so she didn’t have a right to ask him to check on her but she figured that regardless of her denying their friendship she trusted him to be on her side if things went down. After a few moments, he left the room and Ursa turned back to Jean before slowly sitting back down, pain moving up her features, “Look..Mr. Wylder I don’t know what you have heard about me but I am a rather simple person. I do my job and on most days I am actually quite cordial with newcomers, but you caught me on a bad day. So let me be blunt. I don’t have time to focus on what the fuck you are, and I sure as hell don’t have the time to help you with your business. As for it being worth my while. I am pretty damn sure that you can’t afford it. However..because you have been so accommodating.” She paused, her inner voice chiming in, ‘And for being such a stud. No man can be that pretty and a cop. No. My luck isn’t that bad.’ She blushed, “I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I will help you with what I can for transport but as for your business. I really don’t have the time...”

She suddenly saw her book at the opposite side of the table and gave a wide smile, “Oh you like Tolstoy as well? Well, look at that.”

She stood up slowly reaching out to grab the book when suddenly her leg gave out and she knocked the jug of water over, most of it spilling on Jean. She jolted over the desk, “Oh shit...I am so sorry about that. I am such a damn clutz..I…”

Suddenly she noticed a slight indent and wireline under his shirt and her yellow eyes met him with a cold fury. She reached down quickly to grab her guns only to find that they were still lying on her blood-soaked jeans. Her eyes moved up to Jean’s and she opened her mouth to call out instinctively for Mac, even though Emmett was probably closer, at the top of her lungs,

“Ma-”

Reacting fast Jean reached around her neck cupping his hand over her mouth silencing the cry before it could reach full fruition. Both the now ruined book and empty water jug clattered to the floor as Jean bucked upright squeezing Ursa’s throat with his free hand. Pressed in close to her hair Jean could smell the strong scent of shampoo and blood. A million questions flashed through his mind as to what she might’ve been doing before returning to the Ranger. But that was a question for another time and Jean focused instead on the rapidly deteriorating situation playing out right at that moment.

“Miz Ursa, I’m real sorry ‘bout this but I’m gonna need you to not be hollerin’ up a storm, alright.” Jean relaxed his hold on her, just enough so she could breathe and talk, but not enough to let her attempt to yell out again. “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. I’m mighty feared o’ that big bruiser first mate you got, especially disarmed as I am. And if he hears you yellin’ yer head off ‘bout wotever it is he’s gonna come stormin’ in here shootin’ first an’ asking questions later. And I don’t wanna die. So, if you would please not be making life difficult we could ‘ave a pleasant and civil chit chat about Theonia Z17. That’s it, that’s all I want. Then we c’n part ways an’ forget this ever happened.”

Jean felt a slight twitch in his gut at those final words. A part of him didn’t appreciate the idea of just forgetting Ursa. Even if it was a statement of point not a reflection of reality. Just the inflection of having to disregard Ursa’s existence on the front of a gambled negotiation tactic caused an unwanted sense of regret, that even Jean couldn’t quite place. He’d never felt that way before, even after uttering those same words countless times in many similar scenarios. It was strange and foreign and Jean wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

Ursa panicked when she felt something behind her. She was pulled close and her breath was cut in half with his hands at her throat and mouth. The back of her legs hit the edge of the desk as she pounded on Jean’s chest frantically before grabbing at his hands. He was way stronger than her, and after the fight with Maria and the car chase, she was in too much pain to put up much of a fight. After a few seconds, she slumped listening to him speak. Her eyes rested on his shoulder as he began to speak in her ear. Theonia Z17? Juniper’s planet. She automatically felt defensive, her guard up when it came to her stowaway.

When Jean explained that all he wanted was for them to chat and then he would leave, something made her heart jump. ‘He couldn't leave. Not after she had just met him.’ The thought came out of nowhere and when he finally relaxed his hold on her she let out a slightly choked breath attempting once more to pull away from him. She didn’t get anywhere. She sighed speaking softly, into his own ear, “Alright. I won’t call him, but if you want to have a proper chat, let alone get off this ship alive you better not lie to me again. I don't react well to people recording me. So you better fess up and tell me who you are!”

She paused, not understanding why she wasn't furious right now, or trying to get him to release her. She shut her eyes letting out an exhausted groan, “Look. If your worried about us killing you. We won't. I have a strict no killing cops policy, and Mac would never break orders, but..if..if you hurt me…”

She shivered, finally realizing that he could if he wanted to, “Y..you will be in big trouble.”

“I feel like you n’ Mac are th’ kinda people who’d back that up.” Jean said releasing Ursa from the choke hold. He kept one hand on her shoulder, concerned her leg might give out again or more importantly she might go for the kill. “There ya are, free. But you go for them pistols there and I’ll make sure yer passed out on th’ floor in eight seconds easy. You’re in no shape to be fightin’ right now, so let’s call a truce an’ leave th’ killing out of the equation.” Increasing the pressure on Ursa’s shoulder Jean guided both Ursa and himself into chairs, all the while keeping an eye on the door. Mac could return at any minute which gave him precious seconds to ensure his own survival. Reaching down Jean snatched up the fallen book smoothing out the soaked and crumpled pages, hoping this act of goodwill would reinstate some mutual understanding.

“That’s fair enough Miz Cooper, I’d say you caught me fair n’ square. I’m a Sheriff from Tejaxs, with the Long Range Galaxy sheriff’s department, the ranger some call me.” Opening up his vest Jean unfolded the hidden flap in the fabric withdrawing the wire bug, turning it off in the process. Placing the small device on the desk, he pushed it towards Ursa inviting her to inspect it. “I was orbiting Theonia Z17, monitoring th’ situation and following up a lead when I watched your ship break off from th’ main shin-dig an’ fly here. I assume you’re workin’ for th’ head dogs an’ they’re paying you well. Let me assure you th’ Galactic Federation c’n pay better. An’ I c’n pull strings and make people forget things. Important things if you get wot I’m sayin’.”

After a few words, Jean let go placing his hand on her shoulder and guiding her to the chair. She tried to reset her footing grabbing his arm and shuffling over to the seat which she happily collapsed into. She kept her eyes on him the whole time, heeding his warning ongoing for her guns. She rubbed her neck lightly, looking slightly pale after the slight scuffle. She took the book from him cautiously, remaining quiet as he started to explain who he was and why he followed her. When he handed over the recording device she pulled it slowly over to her, her bandaged fingers pulling it close to her side of the desk so he couldn’t take it. She leaned back against the seat and considered how she should approach responding to him. She kept her eyes on him as she spoke, “I make a good couple of kredits doin.g what I do Mr. Wylder, and as for wiping the slate clean, I have never even considered changing my career or regretted my choices. Honestly, it’s a pure coincidence you found us leaving that rock. I didn’t even have a job there.”

She leaned forward against the desk, trying to keep her voice even as she omitted the part about finding Juniper, “We just heard about the attack and figured they weren’t using their resources anymore, and us smugglers can’t necessarily walk into any fuel hub easily, so we picked through what we could find. Which didn’t include any survivors...or invaders mind you. Just rubble and corpses.”

Her expression turned sad, but she pulled away trying to hide her emotions a bit better so that he wouldn’t catch on. Juniper was just a young girl and she wasn’t going to readily hand her over to someone whom she did not know let alone trust. Even if he was handsome.

“Damn.” Jean sat back in his chair causing the structure to creak in protest. He had no reason disbelieve Ursa on this point, not significantly at least. It made sense, the way the ship avoided the invasion fleet and warped to a seemingly random planet. They were just smugglers going about their business. This meant that his time here was being wasted, he’d followed a bad lead and was no closer to finding Bart’s boss because of it. The mastermind behind this grand criminal scheme couldn’t have planned it any better. Sighing Jean drummed his fingers on the desk’s top trying to collect his thoughts. He needed a ride back to Zaron, and he could only hope that by some miracle Leeroy and the Bessy Girl were still there when he got back. Then he’d have to contact the Director and report that the lead was a failure. Which meant that was Bart getting free early, and by the time he returned to Theonia Z17 the invasion fleet and any evidence would be long gone. So much headache and all for nothing.

“That’s a stinking pile of spugheffer shit.” Jean ceased tapping his fingers ending off by slapping the desk and making his hand smart. “I’ll be honest Miz Cooper. Normally I’d try and get something out of this whole debacle and take you in to collect the bounty. But I’m thinking I ain’t too far off in assuming that ain’t gonna happen. So instead I’m putting my cards on y’all’s anti-cop killin’ sentiment. Which is shit because Bob’s gonna walk again leavin’ me with naught. Guess I put to many eggs in one basket on this one.”

Ursa couldn’t help but smile at his cursing, happy he didn’t question what she said. Juniper was safe...for now. She crossed her arms at the mention of dropping her off, her expression an obvious, ‘fuck no!’ to that statement. She was just about to put his mind at ease when an easter egg of a name popped up, “Bob. How the fuck do you know about Bob? THAT SON OF A BITCH JUST TRIED TO HAVE ME KILLED!”

Once the words were out of her mouth she sunk back into her chair, her cheeks going red. She shouldn’t have said that. This would just lead into a whole new range of questions that she really wasn’t prepared to answer. She decided the best course of action was to maybe beat him at asking questions, “Is Bob related to what happened on Theonia Z17?”

Surprised by this sudden burst of passion Jean leaned forward, a fresh spark of interest shining in his brown eyes. “Not to be th’ bearer of stale news ma’am, but there could be a quintillion Bobs in this universe. Still, how many are th’ heads of massive criminal conglomerates, and have a stake in murderin’ big name smugglers?” Jean mulled this new information over, wondering whether he should indulge Ursa on his suspicions or not. She could be playing him, but something told him the wounds crisscrossed across her body spoke the truth and innocence of her curiosity. “Are ya well acquainted with this Bob who tried to kill you?” Jean countered, breaking the short silence that had fallen. “I ‘ave reason to believe he’s involved at Theonia Z17. Though I ain’t even sure if that’s his real name, or jus’ an’ alias he or she uses. Th’ Bob I’m referrin’ to has been frustrating in his avoidance of th’ law. Similar to you actually.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Ursa’s lip at his comment about her evading authorities. She debated answering him openly about the mission and decided that it was perhaps in her best interest to introduce him to Emmett and Juniper. Emmett would know way more about Bob then she would, being a direct client of his and if Jean tried anything on Juniper, Emmett would be able to take him out with ease. She frowned at the thought, not liking the idea of the cowboy hurt. She shook her head then spoke evenly, “I do my best to stay under the radar. As for Bob, I think we should extend this conversation to some more of my….guests. They might be able to shed some more light on this particular topic. Plus...I really should get to the med bay.”

She stood up slowly, gripping the table tightly as she began to walk over to the door, reaching forward to lean against the wall as she pushed the button. Her left leg was feeling numb and with every movement pain seared through her. She opened the door and turned around to lean against the wall extending a hand, her words slightly gaspy, “You first. Mr Wylder.”

Silvermoon Pier Alliance: SPA.

Jax walked through the woods with the rest of the group remaining cautious, her hand itching to touch her scythe at the instant of danger. When they reached the guards she listened quietly with Ophelia and Roxas, her expression curious. When the guards reached for their swords, her hand reached up to touch her weapon, annoyance filling her features. Morthos seemed to calm down by mentioning that he was a lord. Jax let go of her scythe and looked at him differently, seeing him in a new light. The friend she had eaten tacos with, trained with, and watched cartoons with was also a noble in his own right and she knew that but it didn't really stand out until now. She knew he was a lord...she just didn't see that when she looked at him. He was just Morthos. Seeing him in a new light also made her see the distance between them. She was a special motherfucker and she knew it, but she was also just a poor commoner, and she wouldn't understand the world he grew up in. The distance between them was something she never considered and she didn't like it either. She came out of her thoughts when he spoke about an uncle coming down. She put on her signature smile, "Uncle Fear eh? Is he the same uncle who sent me those demonology books?"

As she waited for an answer she noted Roxas' body language change from slightly annoyed to rigid. Out of the corner of her ear, she also heard him say, "She's here."

The words were not meant for her but she turned quickly to stare at him before turning to Morthos who seemed to be just as confused as her. She took a few steps away from the group, looking out into the fog to see if she saw anyone. She relaxed after a moment and turned to Roxas, her tone even, "Roxas, if there is some crazy bitch following us, I want to know who she is and if she is a danger to the team."

She was about to push for more information when she noticed the guards were heading back. She gave Roxas a look, "One thing at a time I guess. We should hold this convo in private, but we need to have it sooner rather than later. We are going to have more than enough on our plates with this arch-demon mess."

Silvermoon Pier Alliance: SPA.

Jax listened to Morthos discuss how the teleportation worked, trying to remember if it had been gone over in class. It was a magic she had no affinity for so she probably had nodded off. She paid attention now though, then walked over to Morthos who took her hand. Roxas was on the other side of her and she gave her sister a wary smile, still sorry for making Roxas angry. When Morthos began counting, Jax steadied her feet preparing for the right number when he surprised her by finishing early. Suddenly she felt like her body was being stretched to the limit as bright neon colors filled her eyes. She gripped both of the boy's hands roughly, whilst leaning into what she thought was Morthos. Suddenly her feet hit the ground and the world was normal. She caught herself just before she fell over, trying to stay on her feet. Roxas grabbed her, shoulder to keep himself steady, which in turn helped her stay on her feet. She heard the demonic voice come out of him and spoke back in an annoyed voice, "Oh shut it. You little..shit. Roxas, you okay?"

When he nodded at her she turned to Morthos who seemed relatively fine but was looking around as if he was slightly confused. She took a minute to notice the fog around them and the sign. Jax placed her hands on her hips as she watched her sister go off to throw up, "You guys are hilarious. It wasn't that bad!"

She walked over towards Morthos but as she walked her body lilted and her feet got twisted as she hit the ground, nausea pounding in her head. She rolled over looking up at the tree line which seemed to be moving in circles. She shut her eyes taking a few minutes to calm down before she sat up and then followed behind Morthos and the group, "It's not funny, Ophelia!"

She twitched her nose before she walked up slowly to walk beside Morthos, her feet urging her to walk diagonally, which she tried her damndest to fight. After a short, while she spoke up, a seriousness in her tone, "The fog smells like sulfur." She turned to Roxas speaking softly, "It's like a hot bed of demonic energy surrounding this place. I've felt the sensation only once before. Whatever archdemon it is..it's strong."

Intergalactic Space Adventurers- [ISA]

Ursa kicked open the door of the car shouting loudly in an angry voice, "COOPER TRANSPORT. GET THE FUCK IN!"

As soon as Emmett and Juniper were in the car, she slammed back the clutch and reversed backward hitting a few of the assassins running towards the others before she cranked the wheel and headed down a side alley when suddenly three other hovercars were following. She looked horrible, one of her eyes was turning black, her lip was busted and part of her jeans was growing to be soaked in blood. She drove at high speed, moving out into the city before weaving through cars, before speaking in harsh tones to Emmett,"You were right about the coincidence. They sent Maria to kill me. Bitch almost succeeded to. You know how many times I transported that bitch! GOD DAMNIT! Sorry, I am just really pissed off right now. Thank god you guys are okay."

She rolled down Emmett's window, as shots began to fly at the back of the car. She reached behind her grabbing out a thick plasma gun and gave him it, "Compliments of your fellow assassin. Make sure your hits counts and get rid of those three before we reach my ship.

She hit the break, curving to the right as she rolled down her own window. She pulled out her gun letting off a few shots as she turned down another road. Her knuckles were raw and bleeding and she turned to Juniper with a pained smirk, "Hope your aim's good kid. Use whatever you find back there and blow them a new asshole."

She suddenly felt shots plunk on her side of the vehicle and she grunted, curving to the left to smash into a bunch of garbage. People on the sidewalk screamed diving out of the way as Ursa tried to retain control. She grits her teeth, going back on the road. She kept weaving through the cars, trying to keep steading and figure out the best way to make time to destroy these fuckers and make it back to the ship. After Emmett and Juniper had dispatched of the three cars, Jax let out a sigh. Suddenly one more car was behind them. Jax turned to Emmett who showed her that there was no more juice in the gun. She turned down another road her eyes scanning ahead as her thoughts went into super drive. Suddenly she saw a large white truck with the words 'Daisy's PANAMA Cruiser Oil: Best in the Galaxy.' She turned to Emmett, "When I say duck. DUCK."

She turned left quickly her arm darting out to let a few cover shots out before she slammed open her door and leaned down, hooking her leg around the back of Emmett's chair and the seatbelt as she let go of the steering wheel. She duck out her head, letting out a breath as she closed one of her eyes as the world began to slow way the fuck down. Her black hair scrapped across the dirt as she aimed at table sitting just at the edge of a cafe. The car to the right of them, a poor blue hover car who just happened to get caught in the mix. She had to make this shot to make this work. She smirked waiting for the angle to hit just right when she let out a shot, the table leg exploding as the contents of the table fell out onto the street. The blue car swerved trying to avoid it as it slammed into the car behind them. As Ursa's black hovercar turned left she leaned back around coming up to shoot at the 'Daisy's' truck which swerved a few times before suddenly a soft pop filled the air. Ursa came back up grabbing the door screaming, "DUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!" as a warm blast exploded to the left of them, taking the assassin's vehicle to hell with it.

The blast let out a wave of energy that pushed Ursa's black stolen car off its hover route, the windows blasting apart as the car rolled into a hydrant before it hit the side of a building with a large crash. Ursa slammed into Emmett before falling back into her seat. The car was luckily right side up. She sat quietly for a few minutes, pieces of her jacket were scorched as she looked outside. She reached out adjusting the mirror before pulling back in pain due to the heat. The mirror fell to the ground a few minutes later and she blinked turning to look at Juniper then Emmett,"Well that was nice."

She hit the gas and turned into the road, making her way to the ship. When she arrived she hopped out of the car, motioning for Juniper and Emmett to follow. Mac ran up to meet her, "Oh god. You look like shit."

She flipped him the bird,"Oh I feel fucking fantastic. TAKASHI! Get us in the air..we stay on this rock any longer than necessary and we are gonna have an army of assassins on our ass, and someone get me A DRINK!"

Damian looked at the two behind her, "What about them?"

Ursa turned to look at Emmett and Juniper, "What about them. They are coming with us. Aren't you?"

At their response she smiled then hobbled in, ripping off her jacket to expose her blood soaked bandages that covered her arms. She flung it against the wall as Mac ran up, "Um...Ursa we can't leave yet. Someone came aboard earlier and I don't..."

Ursa gave him a look interrupting him, "I don't care if we have the president of the galaxy on this ship. I want us off the ground and I WANT A DRINK!"

Anna gave her a bottle of something. She popped the cork and took a slug before she tossed the woman a thankful look. She moved down the hallway heading towards her office, to grab her medical kit, Mac on her heels trying to explain something to her as she got closer. She grunted ignoring him as she opened the door walking in to see a young cowboy holding one of her books. She paused, her one good eye widening, as Cutting Crew's, 'Dying in Your Arms Tonight' broke through her thoughts. The world turned foggy except for the handsome cowboy who moved almost in slow-mo. She whispered to Mac, "Can you hear that music?"

He gave her a strange look, "What music?"

She blinked and the music was gone, clearly only heard by her. She gulped before speaking, moving her scabbed fingers up to fix part of her hair, "Uh...who..what are you ship? I mean...who are you and what are you doing on my ship?"

Silvermoon Pier Alliance: SPA.

Jax knew she said something bad when she heard Roxas' tone. She then looked at Ophelia who was stabbing her with her eyes. Jax blushed three different shades of red and tried to look sympathetic when suddenly Morthos burst through the door. She thanked the gods for this gift, falling just a bit more in..love with Morthos at his interruption. She stood up as he began to talk, catching a few of his words. Her expression immediately going into something more serious as he began to burst out random words. He was a mess not being able to function properly as he was lost in his thoughts. Roxas tried to give some 'calm' words even though he was obviously livid. Ophelia tried to use her calmness to get him to relax but still, his mumbles were carrying on. Jax walked up trying to speak but she kept being interrupted. She suddenly let out a sigh and slapped Morthos across the face, "JESUS BLOODY NEPTUNE, MORTHOS! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

Her eyes widened as her green eyes met his orange ones, "Sorry. Now I am going to phone the school and put our names on the mission form. If your mother is in trouble with an archdemon then we better get there as soon as possible. If you want to leave tonight, we should be ready to go in the hour. Roxas, you and I are the only two who have faced arch demons before, I am counting on you for guidance on this mission. Morthos you know the lay of the land and the territory, plus you mentioned ley lines. I don't understand the magic in using them but use whatever mission money we have to get what we need for traveling. Ophelia, you are the strongest out of all of us so again you have to do some heavy hitting. We can discuss logistics when we get there with Morthos' mother. Everybody got it?"

She nodded then turned grabbing her phone, before turning to Hargul, "AND Hargul, don't eat all the ice cream."

She shot him a look before she headed to her room, dialing the SPA bureaucratic offices. She began the process of signing up the team for the mission whilst pulling out her rucksack stuffing it with some old demonic tombs, her weights, some loose clothes before she changed into her classic jeans, thigh high boots, blue jacket and white blouse. When the paperwork, so to speak was done she came out and spoke evenly, "The mission is ours. They are sending the documents, through everyone's email. Hopefully, we have some time to read everything over." She let out a breath, walking over to Morthos with an apologetic smile, "Again..I'm sorry about slapping you..."

She leaned up giving him a strong hug before pulling back to look at his face speaking softly, "I will go back to hell before I let anything happen to your family. You have a good team here, so whatever we need to do. We will do it! Okay."

She paused, realizing their proximity and took a step back blushing, "So...ley lines?"

Silvermoon Pier Alliance: SPA.

Jax watched her sister with slight wonder, as she danced across the large stage. Ophelia always, since they were little, had a sort of grace or inner peace that Jax was always jealous of. Her dancing showed this flawless elegance and beauty that seemed almost religious if one cared to use the term. Jax squealed like a soccer mom when she saw Hargul fulfill his small role. Even if the demon was 376 years older then her she felt a certain maternal pride over the little beast. She turned to pat Morthos' hand, her smile widening as she watched the ballet with amazement. When the curtains had finally closed, Jax hooted out with the crowd before following Roxas to the lounge area with Morthos in tow. She was chatting about how insane the choreography of the performance was when her sister came out in one of her gorgeous gowns. When she asked what they thought Jax barked first, "IT WAS INCREDIBLE. You both were soooo good. Mom would be so proud. You were stunning up there Ophelia. I swear you almost had me crying in the second act." Suddenly Hargul jumped on her shoulders, "And you my little muffin! YOU WERE AMAZING. You were the best frog I have ever seen! Plus might I say you looked so dashing with those scales of yours."

Hargul hissed wildly in giggles, "OH MISS JAX. YOU TEASE. YOU TEASE. HARGUL WAS BEAUTIFUL? YES?"

Jax giggled, "Always beautiful. Sugar pie."

Hargul jumped past her onto Morthos' shoulder, "BROTHERKIN WATCHED AS WELL! HARGUL AND MISS OPHELIA WORKED HARD TO DANCE PRETTY. SHE SAYS SHE WANTED IT TO BE GOOD FOR SHITSPOON."

Jax blushed, "Hargul...Shitspoon's name is Roxas. He's been around the house enough for you to know that now."

Hargul lifted his tutu at Roxas, "HE SHITSPOON...FOR TAKING MISS OPHELIA AWAY FROM DRESS SHOPPING!"

Jax covered her mouth in giggles before listening to the other's talk about the performance. After that, a gorgeous vampire woman came over and mentioned that Ophelia was needed at the after party. Jax was a bit miffed that she was not invited to the said party, but she understood that Roxas was now going to be taking that role from her when it came to her sister. When her sister mentioned a new mission she shook her head. She had been checking the board every day but nothing for a group size had come up. They had each done some missions in between but it had been awhile for something large enough to come up. When Roxas and Ophelia felt it was time to go Jax called back to her, "See ya later. Love ya as well."

She turned to Morthos and in an old woman's voice, "Ya know when I was beautiful I would be invited to parties. Now that I have this scar..no one wants to take me to the ball."

She stuck out her tongue at him. It had been a month and she had been incessantly teasing him about her eye scar, bringing it up at very inappropriate times, just for fun. It was one of their things. During the last few weeks, their friendship was better than ever and a calm normal had spread between them. Jax always enjoyed hanging out with him and with her sister growing closer to Roxas it was nice to have a friend who she could count on. She headed out the door with Morthos beside her, the cold instantly hitting her legs below her nice blue dress. She paused looking down the street parts of her long copper hair trying to escape from her updo. She turned to Morthos, pulling her black shawl tighter around her shoulders, "Going to see Mel again tonight?"

At his response, she nodded trying to hide her emotions. It surprised her that even now after how well she had been in keeping it 'friendly' she was downright jealous of Mel. She really wanted to be nice to the girl and honestly, she could see a potential friendship with her, but she couldn't get past the fact that everytime her slimy fish stick finger's touched Morthos she wanted to hook line and sink her. She sighed after his response, "Ahh...perhaps I will head over to the bar than for a late night snack. Might snag a cutie for kicks. Try not to stay out too late we have training in the morning."

That they did. Since they had arrived back they have been training every day together. Jax hated to admit it but Morthos was getting better too. She was always ahead, but he was getting faster and his punches were stronger by the day. She hailed down a cab then turned back to Morthos, waving Hargul over. He jumped on her shoulder and she gave Morthos a small smile, "Also if you see any missions on the board on your way home. Text me! See ya Sparky!"

She gave him a small wave then headed into the cab, giving him her address. She wasn't going to the bar. In fact, she hadn't gone to the bar since a month ago, let alone been with anyone else. She didn't know why but she just lost the urge...LIES AND BULLSHIT...YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY...because all the S level men are taken...OR YOU COULD BE MISSING SOME BIG RED...tomatoes we have to buy tomatoes and some BEEFY RED SKINNED BOY WHO HAS BECOME QUITE TONED WHILE WORKING OUT. SHAAAAAAAAAAMMMMEEE... Jax blinked, "NO! Stop that.." Hargul looked up from the seat beside her, "YOU ARE LOSING IT, MISS JAX."

Jax rested her head on her hand which was set up against the window, "You eat glue, and hump teddy bears. Don't judge me, little man."

Hargul gasped, "WHAT HARGUL DOES WITH MR. FLUFFY IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN. WE ARE IN COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP."

Jax threw a disgusted look his way, "I am never touching that bear again.."

When the two got home Hargul headed towards the bathroom to go wash and clean himself and Jax got into her pajamas and pulled out the Ben and Jerry's before putting on her favorite show Robo Goblin. She followed the episode word for word quoting her favorite character Captain Rigzod Rogers the handsome goblin space captain who seemed to always face danger with a smile and a witty catchphrase. She spoke up loudly, "ALRIGHT FIZBO. YOU BETTER GIVE UP AND FACE THE OVEN, BECAUSE TONIGHT...THE CHICKEN IS DONE!"

She almost choked with laughter when Ophelia came in finding her and Hargul snuggled on the couch. He took the ice cream from her and she turned to Ophelia quietly after she had gone to grab some pajama's, a worrisome expression on her face, "Oh really? Vamp thing you think? Hey, you don't think it's that sleeping thing you take. I can phone mom and ask what she thinks about it?"

Intergalactic Space Adventurers- [ISA]

“Pangalactic LOVE baby! Hold down the button and blow up the stars. OOOooooOOoooOo.” Ursa sang loudly, her voice carrying up with the steam to fill the wooden banners supporting the single bathing room. She sunk into the suds, the wire from her old yellow headphones cascading down into the water before connecting to a CD rom beside her. It was old technology but the bathhouse itself was centuries old with bricks from ancient times hosting the warm stone bathing pools. The owner, Angelica Mataeo was an old soul and hated new music, so anything from generation X era was her jam. If it couldn’t be played on a CD she didn’t want it. Ursa became fast friends with her, even providing transport for some illegal drug induced bath salts that only high paying customers indulged in.

She lifted her toes up out of the water, balancing back against the rim of the large bathing pool, letting the stress of the last few days soak out of her with ease. See this is the life. The meaning of life. The simplicity is all I need. If only I had a book this would be perfect. Also a Leroy to give me a backrub to. Yeah, that’s the good stuff. She shimmied a little closing her eyes as she hummed to the tune when suddenly she heard a small little noise from behind her. She didn’t know what came over her or why she decided to move but she sunk down immediately as a bang shot off and a small projectile erupted into the water just in front of her barely missing her head. She twisted diving down towards the bottom of the pool while staying near the edge. She swam for her life barely dodging two more shots before her lungs demanded she leave the water immediately. She reached the other side of the small pool and pulled herself up to the rim, where she knew a small stool was located. She grabbed a leg pulling it down to block one more shot before she pulled herself awkwardly out of the water. She ran towards the wall, pulling down a table of candles to hide her naked form. Shots followed her, one grazing her leg, as blood began to spill out onto the stone. She hid behind the table swearing profusely when a voice made it’s way through the steam, “You better come out from behind there Cooper before I really hurt you. I promise if you surrender it will be quick.”

Ursa shut her eyes. Maria Delgado. Like Emmett, she was one of the top assassin’s of the galaxies and incredibly lethal. Ursa had, again like Emmett, transported her to many of her hits, shared plenty a drunken night with her and one some would say lesbian experience. She looked down at her leg then spoke back with a bored voice, her yellow eyes scanning the area around her, “Ugh Delgado. You know I hate fighting. I mean seriously...YOU are going to make me fight for my life naked.”

Maria laughed, her voice slightly closer, “You could always not fight. Makes my job easier.”

Ursa rolled her eyes as she scanned her area looking for anything to help her survive this encounter. She knew her chances of survival were in the 15% range and that was being generous. She was naked, without a weapon and injured. Also, Maria was a good fighter, completely skilled in multiple martial arts. Ursa could hold her ground but she doubted she would play the offensive field often. Maria was fully armed and moving her way over. They were in a closed area and her clothes and guns were over by the door that Maria had entered, currently, about 5 to 10 feet from where she guessed the woman was now. She adjusted her footing knowing that her chances were bad. Alright Ursa. What have we got? Candles. No. Towels. No. Headphones, soaked. Table Leg. Useless against a gun. Come on you asshole search..search. GOT IT!

Ursa spoke up, grabbing a few of the candles before speaking up, listening intently to the footsteps to the left of her “Not funny Delgado. Come on, as sisters of the criminal persuasion, I think we should support each other in…”

She stood up quickly and bolted a candle towards where she had guessed Maria was. Thank the gods, she had great aim. The candle hit the assassin square in the face giving Ursa some time to run to the opposite side of the pool, whilst throwing two more candles hitting Maria in the arm and then, unfortunately, the wall behind her. Maria swore as she let out two shots that barely missed Ursa. Ursa jumped over to the only other table located in the room. It had a collection of soaps, bottles of salt, and a few other bath essentials. She hit it hard on a corner and tumbled over, bruising her arms and legs as she moved the table to cover her body. She didn’t give herself a moment before she started digging through the soaps to grab one. She let out a breath before Maria suddenly spoke about a few feet to the left of her, moving towards the table quickly. She had two black eyes already beginning to form around her hazel green eyes which made her furious. Maria was from Mars, like Ursa, and like most Martians on the eastern side, unlike Ursa who was from the Northern parts of the planet, she had beautiful olive skin, deep auburn hair and a thin physique. Ursa grit her teeth as the gun let out a few shots, one grazing Ursa’s arm as Maria roared,“You throw a candle at me? I come all the way here from Omeron Eight to get a candle thrown in my damn face! I was going to go easy on you Cooper but you can forget it now.”

Ursa raised an eyebrow. Omeron Eight? I’ve heard that before..FUCK!

Suddenly the table was raised and a gun was shoved in her face. Ursa stood grabbing the barrel as she shot the shampoo straight into Maria’s face. The gun went off and Ursa screamed, the shot grazing the top of her shoulder before she kicked forward forcing Maria to let go of the gun. She turned it around quickly taking a shot at Maria but the gun was out of bullets. She raised her nose in confusion, “Ahh shi..”

She was mid-sentence when Maria let out a sucker punch right in Ursa’s face, knocking her back on her ass. She twisted to the side just as Maria kicked out knocking her back again. She gained some footing barely dodging the second kick as she threw a punch herself, her knuckles hitting Maria in the gut. She doubled over for a second, not prepared for the punch and partly blind due to the soap. Ursa took the momentum and ripped her elbow around and up into Maria’s jaw knocking her back a few steps. She rounded around taking the advantage as she landed a solid punch into Maria’s face before Maria was back on her game and kicked out knocking Ursa into the wall. She snarled, “I will fucking kill you, Cooper.”

Ursa hit it hard letting out a painful gasp before she tried to stand. She slipped on a bottle falling down onto the rough stone just as Maria shot out a punch her fist hitting the wall angrily. Ursa twisted to the side, pain searing through her bruised body as she reached out to grab anything useful to fight with. Ursa let out a small gasp, as Maria grabbed her leg meaning to pull her back to her just as Ursa grabbed a bag of soaps and slammed it around to knock Maria to the side. She stood up whipping the bag up and down until Maria stopped getting up. Ursa was breathing heavily, her hair sticking to her face as she took a few steps back to look at Maria who was letting out rough scratchy breaths, but was very much alive and preparing to stand up. Yellow eyes met hazel ones before they both shifted to the gun in between them. A small pause filled the space before Maria jumped for it and Ursa jumped backward grabbing at her holster. Maria was ready with a new set of bullets. As soon as the gun was in her hand, Ursa took a shot and Maria’s shoulder was blown backward, just as Maria raised her newly reloaded gun. Maria dropped her gun falling back on her ass in pain as she looked up at Ursa with a bored expression, “Good shot.”

Ursa kept her gun poised as she licked her busted lip, “I play a lot of video games. ”

Maria spoke evenly holding her bleeding shoulder, “You going to kill me?”

Ursa remained in shooting position, “I don’t want to. Who sent you?”

Maria shook her head smiling, “Oh no, babydoll. You know the code. Never snitch on the client. I love my job more than I love my life..you know that. Your gonna shoot me long before I tell you that.”

Ursa sighed, “You assassin’s and your codes, and you think that my job is difficult. Fine. You like your life more than your client. Fair. Do you like pain more as well?”

She let off another shot in Maria’s other shoulder, making Maria scream out an anguished cry, “YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

Ursa aimed the gun towards Maria’s leg, “Who sent you?”

Maria glared angrily up at Ursa, “Fuck you.”

Ursa let out another shot and Maria let out another cry tears streaming down her face, as Ursa calmly spoke, “Who sent you?”

Maria breathed heavily biting her lip before she spoke softly, “His name is Bob.”

Ursa blinked, understanding and panic reaching her eyes before pulling the gun away, “Thank you. Maria.”

She turned towards the door reaching for her clothes when Maria spoke harshly, “I will find you..you know. I WILL HUNT DOWN YOU, YOUR ENTIRE CREW AND THAT OLD ASS BASTARD YOU CHERISH SO MUCH. I SWEAR COOPER I WILL.”

Suddenly she slumped down in death as Ursa lowered her gun, the smell of gunfire breaking through the smell of shampoo after she loaded a slug into Maria’s head. After a second Ursa sunk down and a few sobs left her frame as the full weight of her wounds came over her. The adrenaline rush over. You couldn’t have just shut up, could you? You couldn’t have just shut the fuck up and let me walk away. FUCK!

Ursa collected herself moving towards the door, knowing that the front desk would have some bandages for such an occasion. Miss Angelica wouldn’t be happy about a dead body in her establishment but she knew that if you go into business with high criminal clientele it was bound to happen. She would deal with the removal of the body and provide Ursa with a few spare bandages to get her by but that wasn’t what was on Ursa’s mind. It was the name Bob. She knew the name alright. In fact, she was hired through the grapevine..by said Bob...and so was one other person she knew. Emmett Draykon. She had to get out of here fast and warn Draykon that they were being set up. If she was almost killed just for transporting then Draykon and Juniper by association were going to be in deep shit as well. She stopped just before leaving and turned to look at Maria, moving towards her slowly before she reached into her pockets to pull out some keys and a wallet. She looked around before she pulled out what money was inside and dropped the wallet into Maria’s cold lap. She headed to the door, limping slightly, “I am soo..going to hell.”

Silvermoon Pier Alliance: SPA.

Jax heard Morthos' voice and turned around, not hiding her expression at all. She wasn't crying but she looked and felt exhausted and defeated. She gave him a shake of her head, "I'm fine. Just a bad day. Exorcism went bad and lost another innocent soul to a fucking de.."

She stopped, not wanting to insult Morthos' heritage. She knew not all demons were evil and she didn't want her angry words to be misconstrued so she changed the subject, "Anyways, I shouldn't have gone and done it. My soul wasn't strong enough tonight to save her and she passed on. It was what she wanted, but I hate it when the demon wins. I just need to get stronger."

She cocked her head looking around the area, "So..uh why you out so late? I figure you would be at home or at the library tonight. Enjoying our night off, so to speak?"

She was diverting. She didn't want to talk any more about her want to grow stronger. It just made her feel selfish and honestly after their earlier discussion she felt it was like stabbing the wound with a stick. She brushed her fingers through her hair and looked past him to see a couple young teenagers walking down the opposite side of the street gig

Silvermoon Pier Alliance: SPA.

[color=39b54a][/color]gJax kept her eyes closed as she was letting forth a babble of whispers in Latin, her posture rigid as she gripped the wall in front of Maria. The disheveled woman was crying and screaming extremities, in order to sway Jax to let her go. Her words went unheeded and after awhile Jax stopped speaking the wall behind her disappeared, fading into a deep black darkness, but you could still see the opposite walls in a reflection as if a mirror was blocking off the darkness, the truth was visible but only if you looked at the opposite image. Jax opened her eyes the green luminescence narrowing in on Maria, her voice was cold and sharp, “I walk the valley of the dark and the light. Choosing no path but the one I build myself. I worship no god but the job. The duty of my faith. You have forgotten the face of your creator. I invoke his punishment as a means to know your name. What is your name demon?”

Maria's body contorted as she stood up straight, her expression turning malicious, "Why can't you just leave me alone! YOU FILTHY WHORE. She wants this. That's why she keeps calling me back."

Jax gave her own malicious smile, hiding her true emotions. Now, most people think that being able to summon demons makes a good exorcist but it's not. It's definitely beneficial, but it isn't even close to the key ingredient. It's a healthy dose of bravado, cockiness and a whole lot of narcissism. You want to beat the devil. You better be fucking confident enough to outsmart him. Jax spoke evenly, "She wants her husband, you prick. You're just an insect trying to leach your way into our world. Now tell me your name demon, before I call them in."

Maria took a step backward, her chains tightening, as something began to crawl forward behind Jax in the deep blackness. Slick almost wet black shapes came forward. The smile on Maria's face faltered, as a hint of a demonic voice crept through her words, "No. Not them...anything but them. I WILL TAKE THE BITCH WITH ME TO HELL!"

Jax took another step forward, her voice strong yet calm, "I walk the road of two worlds. Hear my voice demon as the voice of your father. Here my voice as the retribution of the holy creator. You may not respect me but you will respect power. NOW, what is your name demon?"

The demon crouched as the figures took a step forward, barely shown through the translucent image, words ripping through her throat harshly, "Laxeron. My name is...Laxeron..."

Jax let out a breath, relieved that the demon was of a weaker variety. She had spent hours in this room trying to remove the last demon and she was worried that this would be a repeat. She was lucky this time, the demon falling right into her hands. Her smile fell away leaving a discouraged serious expression, as she slammed her hands together with the light from her pentagrams intensifying as two figures rushed out to slam into Maria. Jax used latin incantations of power to strengthen her power, making sure that the soul rippers were well aware who was in full control. They tore and bit and clawed the dark spot of Maria's soul, black oozing blood from the demon covering the room as Jax continued to speak. When the last bit of the demon was ripped apart Jax let out a gasp, before taking a few step forward to catch Maria so she wouldn't hit the floor, her body giving out on her. She grit her teeth, bloody tears falling down her cheeks, one staining her bandaged eye with blood as the soul rippers were pulled back into the darkness. Jax felt them ebb away but knew she had to hold out until she was entirely sure they were in the loss. When the moment was right, she let go of Maria and stood up turning to close the gate when a somber-faced man with pure white skin and large dinner plate eyes hid just behind the mirror. Jax stopped, reaching out into the darkness, preparing to take a step towards him when a hand came up to cover her eyes pulling her backward. Jax's strength was gone as a whisper formed, "Etro..."

She felt a whisper in her ear, "You can't save them all child..and this time...she has earned her slumber."

Jax shivered, pain and anger visible in her voice, "I promised.."

The voice was so soft yet the weight of eon's of life made it seem so powerful, "You kept it. She is at peace and she will find whom she is looking for. Keep walking the road...the time that we all face is coming closer for more than you think. Be ready...your time is coming."

Jax was about to speak when suddenly she hit the dusty floor softly, the room turning back to what it was. She let out a gasp sitting up and looking for any sign of Etro. He was gone..and when her eyes hit Maria she realized that she was too. Douglas entered a few moments later and Jax stared up at him with tears in her eyes and a sob in her throat, "She's..."

Douglas looked at Maria with a deep sadness as he moved down to Jax, "Gone. It was her choice. You couldn't change her mind anymore. You can't save everyone."

Jax shut her eyes pulling herself back from the edge of hysterics. After the events with Morthos and her family, she wanted to just curl up and cry. Instead, she stood up and looked at Douglas with an exhausted expression, "I'm going home."

She walked past him opening the door to see the two other priests and an older dark haired woman with soft brown hopeful eyes. Jax was about to speak when the woman looked past her and burst into tears. Jax's heart sunk. She had so much to say but knew that it wouldn't mean anything so she just gave a shake of her head, "I'm sorry. I tried."

She shut her eyes, wiping the blood from her nose as she took her coat from Douglas who came up behind her and walked towards the door, her focus on going home. He called out quickly before she headed out to the main hall, "Tomorrow morning?"

She turned back nodding, "Always."

The main hall opened up around her as she exited the hallway, brushing past a man who had just entered the church. She looked up into solid grey eyes and for a split second she felt a stab in her brain and an image of hell came up like a geyser. She shut her eyes letting out a gasp at the same time the man did. She came to faster then he did and pushed him towards the pews her eyes lighting up to green, "Try that invasive shit again and I will make you regret it, asshole. I'm fine Douglas. See you tomorrow."

She shook her head fixing her jacket before she exited the church giving the man one last angry glare before she left, heading into the night with thoughts of Maria coming into full focus.