* * * * *
Endless horizons are only worth observing if they contain endless possibilities.
* * * * *
* Ian -
Ian was feeling oddly domestic - something he’d not felt since abandoning, and blowing up, his parents old house. Grim was on his period, or something. The cranky apparition retreating into his tome to ‘study.’ The last time he’d studied anything was the one and only time Ian had shown him how to use the internet. Eighty-two viruses, and enough German dungeon porn to kill his libido for a month, later, Ian had thrown the cackling asshole into his old gym bag.
Wringing himself after a rare solo shower, Ian smiled. ‘Life was never boring with him around.’
His phone started moaning in his pocket. Not in the, ‘come-here-and-do-naughty-things’ moan. It was the soft depressing moan of a zombie. A gift from Ember, and another thing he’d been meaning to change. Caller I.D., Bobby.
‘Clean enough.’ Three-pointing the wadded towel into the open-topped machine, he slipped his phone from his jeans. “Hey, Bobby. What’s up?”
“We’ve got a situation. We need everyone to be on the streets or on guard.” His voice was clipped and… almost militant.
“Uh, yeah sure.” Ian rubbed a knot on his shoulder, “Just one problem.”
Bobby sighed. “What is it?” It sounded like this wasn’t the first ‘problem’ he’d dealt with.
“We’ve got a couple extras tagging along,” Ian hedged.
“Oh? Who?”
“The Banshee.” When Bobby didn’t immediately freak, Ian considered that a good sign. “We picked her up at the tail end of the Kin raid. She’s agreed to work with us under some conditions.”
“You have got to be shitting me.” Bobby groaned. “Please tell me you’re shitting me.”
“What can I say?” Ian tried to joke. “I’ve got a way of picking up strays.”
“Does that include us?”
Ian wasn’t sure if that was a serious question, or deadpan humour. He elected to keep quiet.
“Look,” Bobby said, moving to another vicinity - the muffling of the background noises gave him away. “I don’t have time to get into that. The Were aren’t taking our goods till we, aka you, meet with them, and her being there won’t help. Can’t you just… dump her ass somewhere? This is kinda important.”
“I don’t leave people out to hang.” Ian flatly refused. “Besides, she knows where I live and I’d rather not have Tiandihui goons shooting up the place. We just got new carpets.”
“Just tell me you’ve got her under control?” Bobby pleaded.
“Ember seemed pretty sure of it.” He offered the best he could.
Bobby, resigned to the matter, accepted with a weary. “That’ll have to do.”
Ian shrugged to no-one. “Do you need us down there?” Inwardly wondering how he could achieve that miracle.
“No, we’ll come and get you. I’ll explain the play when I see you.”
The call died and with it went Ian’s plans for another lazy afternoon. ‘Least it’ll keep Ember amused.’ He snickered.
“Who was that?” Dani asked as he emerged from the cool, moisture laden air.
“The Shifter's refuse to handle any of the Night Watch supplies until we meet with them," He outlined.
"And by 'we' you mean…?" Mei regarded them.
"Probably the ones seen at the clearing," Grim's disembodied voice groused. Mei jerked, glancing about to identify the source of the unattached voice. “Over here, Cupcake,” Grim said, flipping a few pages. The answer didn’t settle Mei’s jitters.
"Probably," Ember agreed, sashaying towards the bedroom to get dressed.
Dani let out a small giggle. Ember paused in the doorway, hand caressing the sill. "And here I thought today was going to be boring."
A few snorted. Ian was distracted by Ember disrobing in the most seductive of ways.
“We’re bringing her with us.” Ember stated while examining a garter belt.
“Yeah, I already told Bobby. You think they’ll come looking for her?” She gave him a ‘don’t be stupid’ look. “I mean, do you think they’ll come for her ‘today?’”
“Does it matter?” She asked, tossing the garter away and picking up another, equally lacy, item. It ‘might’ have been a bra. If there were more to it, he could make a better guess. “They come to us, we go to them; what’s the difference?” Before he could answer, she’d discarded her latest piece of dental floss with a pouty huff; “We need to go shopping.”
“Ah, eh… huh?” Ian picked up the - yes it was a bra - bra. “Didn’t we just get you all…” He nodded towards the overflowing wardrobe. “That?”
Ember rolled her eyes. “Men,” She grumped. Snatching back the bra and stepping into it - not a bra after all. “You can’t possibly think those three are going to wear those clothes for the rest of their lives, can you?”
He hadn’t thought of that. Eris, Mei, and Dani, were back in their original gear - the temporary clothing Ember had loaned them ill-fitting, and impractical.
“What would you do without me,” Ember slapped him in the chest playfully. “Do you even think of these things?”
“Why would I when I’ve got you around to do that for me?” He teased.
“Watch it,” She purred dangerously from inside the closet. His hand was currently examining all the exposed skin of her ass. “Or I’ll get the crop out.”
Ian chuckled. “I think there’s a severe misconception about who’s the Master here.” But he did remove his squeezing hand from her heart-shaped behind.
“That’s true, Master,” She simpered with a pat to his cheek. “Now be a good boy and put on the clothes I’ve picked out for you.”
He could practically hear the whip noises Grim would deliver to him over this, but he shrugged it away. His ego could take a ‘punch’ if it meant he was making his lady happy. Without comment, he took the proffered clothes.
Then, continuing as if nothing had happened; “I don’t think any Faction expected what we did at Central.” An odd sense of deja vu waved at him.
Ember sat on the edge of the bed, rolling her trousers up her legs. “What do you think is going to happen?”
Her tone was light, uncaring. Yet the slowness of her dressing polarised his assumption. “The Kin have kept their heads down and their yaps shut.” Ian asserted. “They’ve still got fires to put out. And it’s not like Heaven and Earth are gonna advertise getting neutered.”
“Are you worried about the cherry-blossom joining us?” Ember had finished pulling up her leggings and was considering a few tops in the mirror.
“You’re not. Why should I?” Ian outlined his reasoning. “She’s technically already agreed to join us.”
As Ian watched her, Ember seemed to shift - as if she’d been waiting for him to say something just like that. “She hasn’t agreed to join us,” She said, abandoning her pretence. “She’s trying to test you. See if you’ll do what everyone else’s done to her.”
“Alright…,” Ian drew the word out. “And what would that be and how do I not do that?”
“‘I’ can’t tell you that.”
‘The hell?’ His thought must have expressed itself.
“I can’t tell you because I don’t know what ‘it’ will be.” She admitted. “She wants the score to be even. She doesn’t want to owe anything. I could tell she wanted to be put on a level ground. You did something for her, without her asking or paying for it. She doesn’t want-”
“I didn’t do it for her though,” Ian defended.
“I know that you idiot.” Ember's eyes were aglow as her arms folded. She waited.
“Alright, alright,” Ian waved her on. “I get that I shouldn’t hold that over her head.”
“Yes, and you damn well best make sure she knows you don’t hold that over her either.” She brandished a fiendish finger, it’s tip smoking. “If you mess up the… working relationship I’ve got with her, I really will bring out some of my darker toys.”
Ian wasn’t sure if he should like that idea or not. Ember shoved him hard enough to topple him backwards onto the bed. Her laugh was worth it.
“You’re learning,” She accepted, burying him under rejected items. “Now hurry up!”
That was when he saw what Ember was disregarding, and it wasn’t for her. “What's with all this?” He gestured at the pile.
“These are the things you’re throwing out,” Ember told him. “Those have also got to go.” She said, flicking a finger at his current attire. “Strip them off!”
“Keep it in your pants!” Grim shouted.
“You cannot be serious?” Ian griped.
“Then slam your dick in the freezer, we’ve got work to do!” Grim remarked blithely.
“You’re not helping!” Ian called back.
“Hey,” Ember snapped her fingers in his face, “If you’re going to be seen with all of us, you’ll need to look the part. Nobody’s going to believe we’re hanging around some bum.”
Giggling drifted under the door.
“Second,” Ember smirked. “Those look like you’ve owned them for years and got them from a flea market. They don’t even fit you!”
“They’re not that bad,” Ian tried to defend his wardrobe. “I didn’t exactly have a lot of cash for shit like clothes you know.”
“And now you do,” Ember stated like that was the end of it. “Now strip! There’s got to be something good in here.” The screech of many hangars rapidly sliding didn’t inspire hope. “This will do,” Ember cooed. She turned to her mortal lover and pouted coquettishly, “For me? Pwease?”
“And you say I’m cheesy,” Ian muttered just too loud. “Ow!” He yelped when the Succubus swatted him ‘playfully.’ “What was that for?”
“You’re not moving fast enough for my liking.” She lauded. “We’ve got a meeting to attend and we want to present them with a front of confidence, not poverty.”
‘Tough crowd,’ Ian complained, slipping out of his jeans.
“Just do it.” Silk encased tits pressed against his exposed back. “You’ll look good.” But just as she felt him begin to relent, she smirked wickedly, “You’re still getting new clothes though.”
She laughed heartily at his muttered grumblings of discontent. He still got dressed in what she’d selected for him, he knew better than to argue.
“Check out the arm candy,” Grim wolf-whistled obnoxiously when they emerged.
Ian tossed him the finger and quipped, “At least I can pull it off. You'd look like a stripper.”
"’So…’” Dani said loudly, comparing her sniper and the compact HK53. “What're you supposed to do at this meeting?"
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Not entirely sure,” Ian admitted. “As far as Bobby knows, the Were aren’t accepting shipments from us. They demand a meeting and he wants us to show up in case they try anything.”
“You think they will?” She asked.
“What, a Werewolf wanting revenge over an insult? Noooo,” Grim blathered. “Not a chance, never. Not like you put a bullet in the big man’s daughter.”
“That’s enough,” Ian told his mentor. To Dani, ““It’s certainly a possibility, but we have to deal with them at some point.” Dani kept looking guilty. Ian shrugged. “I don’t think they’ll be stupid enough to attack in broad daylight. Not with the cops running around with all the activity we’ve stirred up anyway.”
“Is this to do with all the shipments getting stalled?” Mei asked, recalling the fracaus at the Sponsor’s meeting.
Dani and Eris looked to Ian to answer. For his part, Ian was ahead of the game. “Yeah. We had a disagreement and now it's coming back to bite us.” He noticed Dani wilting at his words but kept the Champion focused on him. “Know anything about it?”
“Depends, where is it you’re meeting them?” Mei queeried, curiosity piqued.
“Some warehouse dockyard place,” He offered up the address on his phone for her to look at.
She studied it and nodded. “That’s one of their typical drop off points,” She admitted. "You do realise this, supposed delivery, is just an excuse to draw you out," Mei drawled with the enthusiasm of a wet cat.
“Don’t be stupid,” Ian’s remark was so quick and biting it took a moment to register with the beings present.
“What did you say?” Mei asked in deceptive calm.
Ian wasn’t cowed. “They know where we are, know where our storage units are and know where our headquarters are. They don’t need an excuse to draw us out. We’re pinned down and everyone knows it.”
Mei kept her glare but said nothing.
“Why then…, do they want to meet with you?” Eris broached to the room.
“That’s the easy part,” Ian smiled. “Her.”
“Me?” Mei looked back and forth between the faces. “Why me?”
“My working theory is they’ve got some kind of informant running around telling them things,” Ian outlined. “The Werewolves can’t have kept their organisation so confined without someone on the outside protecting them - y’know, cutting off end runs at them before they got off the ground.”
Everyone looked at one another. It was good to see he wasn’t the one caught unprepared for once. The way he saw it, a monopoly on the scale of the Shifter’s trade empire couldn’t have been maintained without something tipping the tables in their favour. If they had a competitor, he wouldn’t be so sure on that. As it was, they were the only option. Solomon putting the weight of the Sponsors behind the threat of ‘finding alternatives,’ proved it. Circumstantially, Dani’s tip-off to the two-turned-three party meeting demonstrated the use of back channel dealings - that part however, he kept to himself.
“Playing along is our best bet,” He added. “If we act like the good little lambs they think we are, they won’t be expecting us to go rooting out whoever’s pulling the strings behind the scenes.”
He ducked back into his room to grab his jacket. He’d neither forgiven nor forgotten the chump who’d set him up to die so they could get an early Christmas bonus. Not to mention the sabotage efforts at the Night Watch’s shelter that ‘just-so-happened’ to take place while the main players were occupied.
Eris was nibbling nervously on her lower lip. He saw her wince as one of her new fangs made itself known. "What do you think they want?" She asked when he returned.
Brushing an errant lock of snow-white hair behind her ear, he gave her his most reassuring smile. "Don't worry," He soothed with the gentle touch. "Ember will look after me."
“You’re such a pussy,” Grim chuckled.
“But why?” Eris pleaded for understanding. “Why are you going after Long by yourself?”
"You’re doing what?!” Grim squeaked.
"Mei's coming with me," Ian cut off.
“I will do no such thing!” Mei spluttered, sending the remote and Embers discarded controllers tumbling.
Over his shoulder he asked the confused Banshee, "You’re telling me you don’t want revenge on the bastard that put you in chains?" It took a moment for the meaning to catch up to the Chinese Elementalist, blinking rapidly, then comprehension. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I still don’t understand.” Eris whined.
“That makes two of us,” Grim gloomed darkly.
"I never said I was going alone," Ian pointed out. "You’re coming too."
Eris gaped. Ian noticed her fangs had retracted. ‘Did she do that on purpose?’
“I am? But…,” Eris’s voice became very small. “I don’t remember being invited.”
“You don’t need to be invited,” He told her sternly. “We’re not the type of people to ask. Expect yourself included until someone says otherwise.”
Grim began to cackle, emerging from his book, “Not the type to ask; you got that right.” And in a high pitched, panicky impersonation of Val. “Wait no, stop. You can’t, I’m still-”
“Thank, you, for that input.” Ian said tersely. “My point is, you don’t have to sit on the sidelines and wait anymore.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “That all hinges on your ability to stay hidden. Ember, you mind scanning for her?”
A scan or two later and Ember gave her nod of approval. The young Lich had scrubbed, clouded and dulled her impression to go unnoticed.
“Well that's something," His mentor accepted, sounding no less surly. "Remind me why you're running into this?"
"If we wait, he’s got time to prepare," Ian enlightened. "By now he's got to know his attempt to disrupt our fight against the Vampire’s failed. And with her bonds broken he'll either plan to get a replacement or get out while he thinks he can."
"Pre-emptive strike," Dani put the name to Ian's idea. "But where do I fit into all this?" She asked, suddenly feeling left out.
“And why am I involved? What do you want?” Mei kept her stoic even stare.
“You’re with them." Ian pointed to Scraps and Ember. "Bobby said they need everyone, that includes you. I don’t know if they’re expecting an attack or if they want help while they’re incorporating the new territory. You know the city and know what to be on the lookout for. Mei, we already made an agreement, if you want to back out on that so be it. I’m giving you the chance now, so make your choice.”
When everyone else seemed satisfied with the idea, Grim dropped the matter with typical good grace - bitching the entire time about foolish young Mage's throwing their lives away. Everyone ignored him as they traipsed into the parking bay underneath the complex. Mei’s presence amongst them wasn’t brought up.
Bobby and Val arrived not long after, accompanied by a small convoy of the typical ‘non-descript’ vans. When Grim caught sight of their entourage of ill-equipped teens and kids he kept his thoughts to himself.
The Night Watch Captains began running through the situation, filling in the blanks in Ian's guesses, and shrugging when he couldn't answer their questions. Val began talking with the Succubus in a forced calm. Everyone could feel the tension building the longer the Banshee remained breathing in her presence.
“I can take care of myself." Mei scowled at the questioning looks. "How old are you anyways, like, twelve?" She demanded of a scrawny kid holding a trembling AK. "You're determined I'll give you that, but you're hardly fear inspiring. Without Mr. Gloom, Doom and Decay over here you'd have had the centre of a ring doughnut at your disposal."
Ian sighed as a few people sniggered at his latest title.
“What is she doing here?” Val hissed into his ear.
“We’re her ticket to freedom at this point,” Ian murmured back. “If she tries to pull anything, we’ve got her bent over a barrel, and she knows it. Don’t let her get under your skin.”
“Why… ‘Her?’” Val insisted. “You owe her nothing. She could be spying on us, or leading them straight to you.”
“Val,” Ian tried to be patient.
“Don’t Val me,” She snapped. “It’s patronising and demeaning.”
With more attention than he really wanted, Ian dragged the latina to a far corner. “Do you trust me?” He point-blank asked.
Val looked offended. “This is-”
“Do, you, trust, me?” He pressed.
“It’s not about-”
“Answer the question!”
!Yes! But-”
“Then trust me on this.” He warned her with his eyes. “This isn’t the time to get into it. Just trust me here, alright?”
Convinced, Val did not look. She did, however, drop it. She continued to send loathing looks Mei’s way. Judging by how thin on the ground they looked, and how dark the bag’s under Bobby’s eyes were, the Night Watch needed every asset they had.
Mei’s prattling had run out of steam by the time they returned to the group. Her attention was - thankfully - focused on his Lamborghini, rubbing her palms over the curves appreciatively.
“Sweet ride,” She complimented.
“Doesn’t your side have toys like this?” Ian was genuinely curious. He’d noticed the Kin cars were on the nicer side.
“Ha!” Mei let out a mirthless laugh. “No.”
After a moment; ‘Okay then,’ Asked, and answered.
With everything set and travel arrangements concoct- an argument arose. The pettiness of the one-upmanship was tragic.
Acting on his diplomatic duty, Ian ignored them entirely, planted his ass firmly in his car and left them to figure it out. He wasn’t surprised to find Ember doing the same behind the wheel.
Stroking her hands slowly over the wheel, “It’s no wonder she’s…” Ember trailed off.
He grunted and raised an eyebrow to silently say, 'go on.'
Ember rolled her eyes at him, motioning towards Mei's pink haired head having it out with Val. "You really don't get women, do you?"
Ian smirked, "Hey, that’s your job. As you said, I can just sit and look pretty."
Ember coughed, snorted, then laughed. She was about to say something more but was interrupted, the others having settled their debate. Mei swept into the grey missile, while Val stomped into the rear of one of the vans.
The rest of the early afternoon involved little for the magically inclined Night Watch convoy. For the greater part, Ian remained seated with the window cracked to listen into the negotiations. It seemed this part of their trip was little more than a ‘schmoozing’ run, shaking hands with smiles increasingly fake the longer the talks went on.
The first one was all about getting equipment. Guns, bullets - enchanted and standard - tonics, elixirs and salves. Bobby insisted this stuff was essential. Ian didn’t question it. Mei did. She didn’t get an answer, something about, “You should know all this already.”
Follow up stops were inspections. The fringe territory around Industrial were once Night Watch through and through. Now it was a case of weeding out the neglect, patching what they couldn’t replace, and hauling equipment about. Scraps proved tremendously helpful in this capacity, while Ian and Eris Willed various objects in and out of the convoy.
Ian reappeared with bottles of water for everyone. Most took it without comment. Mei scowled at her bottle, showing little intention of opening it. Dani, Eris and Bobby on the other hand said their thanks. Ember showed her appreciation in a more… physical, way. Ten minutes, and a van’s shock absorbers ‘thoroughly’ checked, later, they were back on the move. Ian was even allowed to drive. Grim’s triple whip crack aside, things were rather dull.
Things spiced up from dreary to dull when it came time to renegotiate the trade agreements. A minority had switched sides and were now under the thumb of another Faction - not unexpected, or so Bobby claimed. A larger portion were a formality of signing on the dotted line, metaphorically speaking, and they were back on their way.
By the end of it all, Ian was bored of sitting and his ears were stinging from Mei’s endless commentary. Under the guise of ‘backing Val up’ Ian - and everyone else - stepped out. The inadvertent show of force apparently helped. Although Mei’s barbed words cutting the elderly figure ‘might’ have been the tipping point. By the time she was finished, debasing everything from his mother, to the dust that was his sperm, he was trembling. He scribbled his signature to the contract in an effort to get away from the demented Banshee.
“That was fun.” Mei practically bounced when they returned to their seats. “Can I do it again? Please? Pretty please? Please with sugar on top?”
“Do you ever shut up?” Ian grumbled while rubbing his temples. Secretly he enjoyed the show she had put on in bartering their client down. But, the oncoming drop with the Were was weighing down on him enough to set his teeth on edge.
The petulant huff that buffeted the air in the cabin was her answering sulk.
When the blessed silence lasted into the third minute, 'Maybe she's finally picked up on the tension.' He groaned as he brushed a hand through his ruffled hair.
The silence grew until it reached uncomfortable volumes, each contested with their own thoughts. Ember bored first, flicking on the radio to drown it out. Ian hardly noticed the side-long looks he was garnering, doing his best to keep his thoughts from dragging him into darker brooding. Only when he felt a spirit probing at his control did he snap from his lethargy, swiping a hand to pull the energy fuelling the ghost.
The stillness was slowly replaced as the speakers pumped out the beat and, sure enough, Mei had begun singing along. As the music drifted away, and the news anchor started his spiel about the ‘epidemic of gun-crime sweeping Seattle,’ Eris commented, “You’re a good singer.”
“Well duh," Mei derided. "That’s like saying water's wet.”
Hurt and confused, Eris whipped her ponytail over her shoulder, folded her arms, and clenched her jaw.
Dani, who was seated on the Lich's other flank, saw the look and provided solace with, "She’s a Siren."
Eris narrowed her obsidian eyes. “A what?”
"You know," Dani continued, circling her hand in her lap as she fought for the words. “Like… luring ships to the rocks and men to their death, kinda Siren.”
Something flickered. Despite the apparent emptiness of her eyes, Dani smiled at how expressive Eris’s features were. The pinching of tweaked eyebrows, how her lips pursed contemplatively to then slacked when the idea registered. Eris regarded Mei with a new understanding. Even Ian raised his head to glance at the grinning Banshee through the rear-view mirror.
“Not exactly,” Mei gloated, wriggling superciliously in her seat. "I’m like, a subsection or whatever. Most of them are, but not me. I’m ‘special.’” Her words started brightly, then slowly distilled into a bitter mumble, “Like that did me much good. Everyone wants a trophy for their collection.”
Mei didn’t continue.
Ember caught the ice-blonde’s eye, “Sirens cast Compulsions through their words. The Inquisition and the other world orders track them and blacklist them from music. Sirens like that more often than not end up working for them. It’s another way they keep people ignorant and Mages where they want them - make people forget what they saw, change memories, make them do things they wouldn’t normally do. She,” Head bobbing back, “Is able to compress the sound and funnel it into an attack."
Ian bolted upright, “Hold on. ‘One’ of the ways?”
“Yeah," Mei said in the same tone one uses when dealing with an irate child. "God, is he always this slow?”
“How are we meant to know?” Eris demanded. “We’re no-”
“Yeah-yeah, whatever,” Mei interrupted. “Look at it this way; they’d never let a known terrorist onto a flight, why would they let a Warlock? Flick of the fingers - boom. No more plane. Everything they give is a way to track or control us.”
Ian half turned. “I’ve seen Mages on flights. They flew one in when they found me out.”
Mei sighed. “Ooh. You got me. It’s not like ‘they’ have rules for them and rules for us. Noooo. Fuck the thought that ‘they’ would send one of ‘theirs’ to offer you a contract."
“I don’t think the paperwork survived the house bombing,” Eris grinned weakly.
“They blew up your house?” Dani gasped.
“No. I blew it up.”
A momentary pause.
“You blew up your own house?” Dani gawked.
"What can I say? I hate packing.” That got a muted laugh. “This world's all kinds of fucked up.”
"Just starting to figure that out?" Ember teased, following Bobby’s van to a halt within a courtyard. To her surprise and slight concern, he remained deadly serious - posture stiff.
Ian said, voice hollow. "I've known that since I was nine."