Uninvited guests were an interesting thing. Originally, both Pearl and Rodney had been thrust upon me without my desire to seek them out. As time went on, they had become family to me, no longer an oddity in my life - despite the strangeness they represented. The appearance of Gunther’s patron didn’t have the same flavor of potential found family. It was an ugly worm in the precious apple we held dear on such a fragile day.

Wight screeched the chair around slowly to face the skeletal patron.

Pearl stepped from the kitchen with her eyes narrowed. “Who’s this asshole?”

[This is The Watcher, a patron demon.]

“Does he always appear uninvited? Don’t you need permission?” Her scowl deepened, and it looked as though she wanted to switch into her combat outfit.

My eyes narrowed. “I think that’s vampires. But I agree; what are you doing here?”

{Ah. Normally I would not intrude. However, I bring an important message.}

Wight had his feathered arms crossed, and although I couldn’t see his expression, I expected it to mirror my own distrust. In fact, the whole energy of the room was hostile towards the interloper - and he could feel it.

{It’s great to see you have found your Form, Wight. Eric, Master hopes you are doing well.}

“We just got back from a funeral.” Sure, it had been a few hours by now, but the whole endeavor was still raw in our minds and hearts.

{Ah. How impolite of me. Had I known…}

“Where’s the message then?” Pearl shot daggers with her question.

I wasn’t sure whether it was the breach of privacy that had gotten her riled up - this was her home too, of course - or whether she sensed something untoward. I certainly did. Gunther had seemed nice enough when we first met, but then he had also assassinated one of the Hunters sent with me at the factory Quest without issue.

{It’s here, but it’s for Eric only.}

In his skeletal hand, he held a piece of paper. Folded and plain.

“You can read it; I trust every ear in this room.” Played it cool and stayed seated. Eyes were weary, I hadn’t the emotional energy left in me now to play any games.

{…Master was insistent I give it to you personally.}

[I smell bullshit.]

‘Yeah, I know how his ability works.’

I sighed. “Thanks, Watcher, but I think you’d better leave. I already know what it says.” He squirmed at my words, losing the shine of his normally stoic professionalism. It was interesting to see him on the back foot.

{You do?}

[It says that there will be an attempt on Eric’s life soon.]

With my index finger, I gave a little finger gun to my patron. Nailed it in one. Whether it had more specific details, I didn’t even want to know. Why ruin the surprise? It’s not every day someone tries to murder you. Might as well relish the opportunity when it comes around. Although, it was perhaps every other day in my case already.

{Correct… I… Master didn’t know if you were aware.}

Slowly, he put the piece of paper away in his waistcoat pocket. He now stood a little awkwardly, having intruded for no reason. His emergency was just a mundane nugget of information we were too full of living to digest.

“Just because I am lower Level doesn’t mean I don’t know when things aren’t right.” I parsed this sentence out slowly for him. Not insinuating anything, but leaving enough doubt in the air that anything untoward was three Hell Shots away from being a frazzled pile on the floor.

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{Of course. My apologies to you all. And my condolences.}

[Goodbye, the Watcher.]

The skeleton gave an awkward bow and then stepped out into the hallway. Pearl stormed off out to make sure he had really gone and returned with the scowl still on her face.

“What was that all about? Are we going to have Org assholes popping up whenever they feel like it?”

Her anger was warranted, and I could see she was more frustrated at the situation rather than blaming me for their existence. I certainly wanted that no more than her.

[I feel like that was very close to being bad.]

“Yeah.” I pressed my hand to my forehead and scrunched up my eyes. The potential streams of outcomes were whirling around and starting to get overwhelming in my exhausted brain. I opened them up with a sigh and turned towards Rodney. Half expecting him to have slept through that, he instead was wide awake and staring at the doorway.

“Rodney?” I asked.

“Why could I see him?” His question was not leveled at me; it just popped out of his head because he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I am supposed to have to give patrons consent, right?”

[That is how it was with me, the Rodney.]

“Do we know how that particularly works, though?” I scratched at my chin and gave Pearl a hopeless grimace.

She gave me a nod, which meant she was going to make coffee, and went back into the kitchen. Although I only had some telepathy with Wight, our weeks spent together had given Pearl an expert read on my gestured needs. Anger rose up again within me as I thought about how the patron had just walked in here.

“I had a look into it after we realized I could see normal demons just fine.” The Blank closed his eyes and deflated into the recliner, trying to find the information hidden away beneath layers of morose mud. “I cannot see patrons who are acting in accordance with their written pact. I think.”

[So he was acting outside normal parameters?]

That seemed to make some sense. Wight had certainly tried to push the boundaries and escape their contracts - bend the rules a little to offer me more power. If he was capable of that, then it would be no surprise that other patrons were capable of the same.

“You think he was trying to kill me, then?” I needn’t have asked, really. It should have been clear to most in the room.

[High degree of likelihood.]

“What? How do you mean? Why would he….” Rodney scoured my face from across the room, trying to pick the answers from my expression.

“The why? No idea. Perhaps the Org wants to hit their two action figures together and see which is the strongest. Maybe they found out Pearl and I hadn’t had our lovers quarrel-“

“Yet,” she called out from the other room.

“-and they are trying to force the issue.”

[He did seem surprised to see the Pearl. He also thought that this was my Form.]

I tilted my head. “Is it not?”

[Not entirely; this is just what makes me feel… happy.]

Huh. Happy. For some reason, that seemed like an alien concept when it came to my patron. There hadn’t been many times where he had shown genuine human emotion, least of all to say that he currently felt some form of joy.

Although the truth was staring me in the face. Eric Redd the Corruptor. Perhaps egotistical of me to assume as much, but if I had allowed Pearl easy passage to the normal life, then perhaps I was also weakening the things that separated Wight from being able to feel as well. Either that or more of himself was slowly trickling in as he tried to circumvent the Org’s written word. As long as he was happy, I didn’t care what the reason was.

“It seemed odd that he expected to go up and take it from him. Thanks, Pearl.” I nodded as she brought in four mugs. She placed three on the table and placed her hand briefly on my arm with a smile before taking the last over to Rodney. It was the little things. “I only witnessed it once, but I believe I know how one of his abilities works.” I cupped my hand around the mug to feel the heat. “If Watcher touches the target, then Gunther can snipe them from however far away he is. Through walls and buildings.”

[I had come to the same conclusion.]

Pearl shook her head. “Asshole. Did he come here to kill you? Or attempt to; I doubt he would have had much luck with a full house.”

“Not for certain.” I exhaled from my nose. “Don’t want us jumping to conclusions, but it seems like something the Org would do. I am currently their least favorite toy soldier.” I smiled at Pearl as she sat in the chair beside me.

“If the Org wanted it done, it probably wouldn’t be going against his pact, though?” Rodney was looking up at the ceiling. “They would know it was the funeral today, and we’d be together - they may even have had eyes on proceedings. If they wanted you gone, then they’d do it when I couldn’t see it.”

“Valid points.” I frowned into my mug, allowing the steam to cover my glasses. If the Org didn’t send him, then who? It didn’t seem likely that Gunther would want to kill me for his own reasons - Hunters may not get along well, but we kept well away from each other as we worked for the same side.

[This situation makes me not happy.]

I smiled at Wight as he mimicked staring into his coffee mug. The interaction had not only left us with questions but also a malaise on an already dour day. It brought uncertainty. My found family no longer felt safe within these four walls.

Well, then, I would have to do something about that.