An Unexpected Debt

[Castleofbones]

"Oops. I let that slip. The getting out of Simon's house alive was the easy bit all i done was summoned a wooden stake, threw it at his heart while he was checking the money and walked out liked I owned the place. If I needed to then I would've jumped into the demon realm and then quickly back to the human realm. Oh and I'm just your normal everyday Incubus. But I haven't laid my hands on Xeiro if you're worried about that. He'd try and kill me if he thought that I wanted to prey on him" I smiled, happy that at least Archer didn't feel like killing me straight away since he felt relaxed.

[Envy]

Archer chuckled and shook his head.

 

“I'm not worried in the least. Xeiro can care for himself. You're right though, he'd beat you within an inch of your life if he thought you were trying to harm him. Most hunters would slay you as soon as you turned your back. Xeiro would want you to see it coming. He's fair minded like that.” he told the incubus.

 

“But I'd be careful who you tell about your staying with him. If the Guild leaders find out, he'd get into a lot of trouble. Not to mention he's made some hunters jealous, so they'd use this as an excuse to make him pay for whatever imaginary slight they can come up with.”

[Castleofbones]

"Ok then. I lied when I said Xeiro was letting me stay with him. Really what's happening is that I'm threatening him into letting me stay with him with his secret that would get him kicked out of the guild and killed. And the reason you aren't attacking me now is because I threatened to kill everyone in this bar before dying. Does that sound better?" I said winking at Archer and drunk a bit of my drink.

[Envy]

Archer shook his head a little

 

“Not by much.” he said on a slight chuckle before he took a long drink and looked back to the incubus.

 

“Look, the younger ones normally come in about this time, and they aren't usually as tolerate as us more matured hunters. You obviously like trouble, but I don't think this is the type you should be trying your luck with.” he said.

 

He didn't want the incubus to have to end up defending himself from the stupid kids the Guild sometimes employed. If Xeiro was found out to be harboring this creature after that, it'd be no telling what their leaders would do to him.

 

Though the demon didn't seem to take this very seriously.

 

“Maybe just keep away from them all together.” he suggested.

 

He doubted the guy would leave if he asked him to, so he didn't waste his breath.

[Castleofbones]

"Hmmm... Perhaps seducing them could be fun. It could be a game, how many hunters can I seduce without being found out that I'm an incubus" I mused at the possibility

 

"The great thing about being an incubus is that I know what people's true desires are and how they are feeling. Even yours Archer. So don't worry about me. I'll know if they work out i'm an incubus because I will feel a wave of hated. I'll also only target the ones that are sexually frustrated, which is a large proportion of hunters considering their job." I said scanning the room for potential victims

[Envy]

Archer opened his mouth to argue that the incubus should just look for his fun somewhere less dangerous, for him and Xeiro, but only ended up groaning when the door opened.

 

Three men and one woman walked inside, each dressed in black.

 

One man was as short as the woman, his hair a bright blond that was cut short and spiked from his head. The woman was a slender thing, with reddish brown hair and a lovely face and large brown eyes that made her look innocent. The other two men were tall, at little over six feet each.

 

They looked identical with the same short black hair cut and spiked like the blond, and build and face and hazel eyes.

 

The four walked towards the bar, the blond leading.

 

Seeing Lance ad Archer, the bland man smiled, his gray eyes lighting up as he leaned on the bar beside Lance, his companions lining up on his other side.

 

“Who's you're new friend Lance?” he asked his eyes moving to the tall incubus with a raised brow. “I haven't seen him around before.”

[Castleofbones]

"I just arrived. My name's Zak. I'm a friend of Xiero, nice to meet you..?" I smiled friendly as I asked for the blonde man's name.

 

I assessed my chances of fighting if any of them clicked onto me being an incubus and the odds were about even. It would definitely be close so best not to talk myself into a fight if I could help it.

 

However, this was a good chance to have some fun and past the time while Xeiro was at the Guild.

[Envy]

The blond quirked a brow at the new man before his smile began to grow a little more.

 

“Xeiro huh?” he said “I heard he was dead. Been missing for the last week after vanishing on a mission. So if you're a friend, I'm sorry to tell you.” he finished, not looking the least bit sorry at all.

 

His companions didn't look the least bit sorry either. The twins both tried to hide the smirks on their faces at the idea of the older hunter not coming back. Ordering themselves drinks from the bartender when he moved to them.

 

The girl remained stoned face, her eyes going to the blond briefly when he spoke, but otherwise she remained unmoved by anything around her. She was a complete still presence, no emotions what-so-ever.

 

“The name's Nico. The twins are Vince and Griff. “ the twins acknowledging their names with a nod or a brief raise of their hand.

 

“And the silent one here is Resha.” he said gaining the woman's attention for only a moment before she turned back to her drink.

 

Nico ordered his drink next. “So, Zak. I hoped I didn't ruin your day with the bad news.” he said looking back to the incubus with a lifted brow.

[Castleofbones]

I put a look of shock on my face when I heard them say that he was dead.

 

"He's... dead?" then I smiled "What are you talking about ruining my day? You've made it! I owed that guy a favour BIG time which is the reason why I came here. We had organised to meet here an hour ago!" I continued grinning and I flawlessly adapted my story for the new guild members that had joined.

 

I caught on to the situation that these people did not like Xiero at all. In fact they looked like they hated him enough to sell him to that vampire Simon. An interesting development. My thoughts wandered towards the idea whether I could get some information out of Nico as he seemed confident and was the most likely to brag. I wondered whether I could seduce him.

 

"So, what brings you to this pub other than to make my day?" I asked, trying to start up some conversation.

[Envy]

Archer looked to the incubus and then the younger hunters and shook his head before he went on drinking. He tried to warn the creature, but if he liked playing with fire, then he wouldn't say anything else.

 

Nico gave his head a small nod at the demons words before lifting the glass that he ordered to his lips . He chuckled at the mans reaction to his words. Another Xeiro hater. Good.

 

“Well I'm happy to be of service.” he said after he swallowed.

 

Looking back to the taller man he gave a smirk

 

“Just came back from a mission. Decided to come here for a victory drink for a job well done.” he said in answer to his question. “Now that certain of us are missing... or dead... the more higher profile cases are being given to over looked talents.” his smirk growing bigger before he took another drink.

[Castleofbones]

"Indeed. But since the missions are more high profile, surely they must be more stressful. How do you relax? Besides having a celebratory drink in the pub?" I asked hinting at other activities humans have been known to indulge in, such as the reason for my existence.

 

I decided to stand up straight, showing the two twins that I was taller than them and probably stronger. Not only did it help intimidate the twins, it also showed Nico his masculinity.

[Envy]

Nico looked up when the man he was speaking to stood to his full height.

 

He blinked, stunned on how tall he was. He knew he was taller then himself, but he didn't think he'd be over a foot taller.

 

“Uh....” he started before he shook his head and knocked back to his drink “ Depends really.” he answered.

 

He slid his glass back to the bar tender for a refill, before he looked up at the much taller man. “So, how long are you planning on staying in town, now that Xeiro isn't here?” he asked him curiously

[Castleofbones]

"That depends on if there is any good company around and if there is anything to entertain me." I smirked, taking another gulp of my drink as well.

 

"Do you have anything to keep me amused here?" I asked Nico. "Besides wondering if your company has any brain cells between them?"

[Envy]

Nico snickered at the comment though the twins looked at one another and began to argue on who he meant, while the only female was quiet as she drank her next shot, as still as before.

 

“Yeah, I'm sure I could find something that might interest you.” Nico said with a growing smile.

 

Downing the last of his drink, he tossed some bills on the bar top and motioned for the tall man to follow along as his team all trailed behind him.

Xeiro walked into his apartment hours later, uncharacteristically tired.

 

He guessed he wasn't completely recovered from his week long vacation at hotel Simon as of yet. His body was still sore and a bit stiff sitting in the chairs at the guild as he spoke to one person after another.

 

Rotating his right arm, he closed the door and locked it. The place was quiet and dark before he turned on one lamp by the couch like always. He slipped off his jacket and boots near the front door before he walked into the kitchen, remembering that he had absolutely nothing to eat as he reached for the door handle of the fridge.

 

Grumbling under his breath, he turned away and shuffled towards the bedroom area and to the large walk in closet.

He was much too tired to go out and find some food, so he decided he'd just drink some water and forget about his stomach for tonight. After grabbing a clean towel, he headed to the bathroom.

 

The silence of the apartment greeted him like before when he stepped into the main room again. He found himself frowning a bit. The stillness of the place seemed somehow... odd. Like he was forgetting something.

 

Shrugging he went to take a shower, standing under the hot spray of water, letting it help relax his tense muscles. This day had not been a easy one. He had been probed and poked at since he walked through the Guilds doors as if he was some foreign creature that had suddenly sprang up in Xeiro's place.

 

The cool water broke him out of his thoughts and he washed himself thoroughly before he stepped out of the tub shower combo.

 

Drying off he, he walked out, feeling once again the stillness around him making him frown lightly.

 

What was he forgetting?

 

Why did it feel like something was missing?

 

The sight of his bed had him pushing the thoughts out of his head once again. He was just tired, that' what it was. He needed sleep, and since he was off the next week with pay, he intended to get as much as he could. Tossing his towel into the closet to be picked up tomorrow, he climbed into the bed, the smooth sheets feeling nice against his naked skin.

 

Immediately his eyes closed as he snuggled into the sheets and pillows. Sleep came up to claim him and as he allowed the heavy lethargic feeling drag him under, there was one thought on his mind.

 

What was missing?

[Castleofbones]

"Hmmm... " I said as I followed Nico out of the bar, casually slipping my hand in my pocket and summoning a piece of paper and a pen into the hand and began to write a message for Archer. However, It looked a bit messy because of the angle I had to write at, but at least it was legible.

 

It wrote "Tell Xerio if he wonders where I am for a few days that I'm keeping my friends close, and enemies even closer - Z"

 

"Is it honestly necessary for those brainless zombies to accompany us? Surely you are strong enough to walk around with me without them. Besides, I can protect you from those nasty things in the night" I said casually wanting to be alone with Nico, since my chances of fighting with him and surviving where a lot higher

[Envy]

Nico smiled up at the taller man as they exited the bar.

 

“Yep.” he answered him as they headed to the parking lot on the left side of the building.

 

The twins beat them to the large dark SUV parked in the first available space.

 

“They're my team, so they go where I do.” he explained as he opened pushed the key pad to unlocked the doors “Hop in the front, more leg room.”

It was the insistent pounding on his door that woke the hunter out of his dreams.

 

The rough sound dragged him out of his deep sleep, the heavy feeling of exhaustion gripped him but his conciseness pushed to the surface, his brows furrowing as he struggled to open his eyes. His apartment was filled with the sounds of a fist on the wood of his door once again.

 

Groaning, he turned over onto his stomach as the knocking never ceased.

 

Throwing the covers off himself, he climbed out of bed, and stumbled his way to his door, forgetting he was wearing absolutely nothing in the fog of being half awake. It wasn't until he had his hand on the knob, calling to the person on the other side to identify themselves, that he happened to look down.

 

Sighing he turned and grabbed the blanket on the back of his couch and wrapped it around his waist as he frowned when he heard who was at his door.

 

Confused, he switched on a light and opened his door to find Archer standing on the other side.

 

“Archer...?” he asked lowly.

 

The older man took one look at the kid and sighed “I'm sorry to have woken you up. But, I wanted to let you know. Your friend Zak went off with Nico and his team.” he said, noting how the boy looked even more confused before what he was saying registered and his eyes shot back up to his.

 

“Do you know where they went?” he asked the older hunter.

 

He was going to go find the dumb demon before Nico and his minions realized what he was. Drag him out of whatever he had gotten himself into.

 

And then... he was going to kill him.

[Castleofbones]

"Thanks" I said, suddenly thinking that being stuck in a car with 4 hunters wasn't such a good idea afterall. I had a bad feeling about this but it was too late to back out now... Or was it? Hurriedly I thought of an excuse to leave right now.

 

"But no thanks. I thought we were on the same wavelength, obviously not. I was looking for some fun with you tonight but I don't like spectators or guards, so I'll pass for tonight and come out with you when you're ready to venture out on your own, child"

 

Ok, so maybe calling him a child wasn't the best thing to say in this situation but it had just slipped out of my mouth before I realised what I had said.

 

Turning on my heel, I started to head towards the bar where I would tell Archer that I decided not to go and then meet Xeiro who would be back by then.

[Envy]

Xeiro face was impassive as he walked down the street towards the last place that Archer had seen the darn incubus.

 

Maybe someone there knew where they had gone off to. Or maybe seen them and could give him a place to follow to. He was seriously tired and right now, angry. He tried to explain to the demon that hunters were dangerous playmates.

 

But had he listened to him?

 

No...

 

He had run off to the bar where they hang out, and even left with a team of them.

 

What the hell was he thinking exactly?

 

And why should he be the one getting out of his bed to track down a creature who liked to flaunt himself in front of the very people who killed his kind?!

 

Why did he even care?

 

He should have crawled back in his bed as soon as Archer left him. But here he was... storming down the street because he was worried that the damn hard headed creature could have gotten himself into more trouble than he may be able to handle!

 

By the time Nirvana came into view, he was suppressing his jaw to keep his teeth from grinding together.

 

He walked in and stopped just inside the doorway.

 

It wasn't hard to spot the tall demon, and he felt a sense of relief go through him at seeing he was smart enough not to go with Nico and the others. That didn't mean he was off the hook though. Walking into the crowded room, he made his way towards the incubus, determined to drag him out of there before anyone else figured out what he was.

 

Once he reached him, he narrowed his eyes at him “I think it's time for us to have a little talk.” he said just loud enough for the other to hear.

[Castleofbones]

I only noticed Xeiro when he stood next to me looking up and glaring at me.

 

Ah. Looks like I got caught.

 

Trying not to let his icy tone bother me, I quickly asked "Where? Your room or a hotel? Both is fine by me"

 

A gave him a little wink which probably did not help Xeiro's mood whatsoever. Well, If I'm going down, I might as well go out with a bang.

[Envy]

Xeiro narrowed his eyes at the incubus even more.

 

He wasn't in the mood for this. Sighing he decided he wasn't going to deal with the demon sober. Right now he was so tempted to pull his gun and shoot the incubus, so he figured he'd calm down before he started home. Muttering under his breath, he turned and made his way to the bar.

 

He handed the bartender his credit card and ordered their strongest bottle of alcohol. Dropping into the stool he rubbed at his temples. A stress headache was pounding behind his eyes steadily and when the bottle was placed before him along with a glass, he opened it, poured and downed it in one go. He refilled the glass as his throat and chest burned, but the second drink it was dull enough to keep going.

 

He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, but he remembered a few people coming over to talk to him, sticking around to have drinks saying how happy they were that he was alright and not dead like they all assumed.

 

He was half way done his second bottle when one of the huntress crawled into his lap for a make out session, was even drunk enough not to care. She apparently wasn't too drunk at all and wanted to take him with her when she was ready to leave.

 

Smiling she coaxed him out of his seat. He stopped long enough to just down the rest of the bottle, and put it back onto the bar, and surprisingly, he could keep his balance when she gave his hand a small tug.

[Castleofbones]

I had left Xeiro alone a bit since I felt that he just wanted to get drunk and be alone for a while. Instead, I happily chatted to some different hunters who were milling around near the seating areas.

 

A couple of hours later, I felt a strong wave of malice from out of the ocean of other emotions that were milling around the area. I looked around quickly, to see if anyone had found out that I was an incubus but everyone around me acted normal so then I could assume it wasn't aimed at me, which was a nice change. Since I was curious about the powerful hate that was only growing, I decided to try and find the source of it because it was so unusual. I hastily said goodbye to my new companions whose names I couldn't even remember, and began to explore the bar area.

 

Surprisingly, it was coming from around the area that Xeiro was sitting. I was surprised to find Xeiro with a women on his lap and making out with the said women. He normally hates other people's' company right? I felt slightly frustrated because I could tell where the source of the malice was coming from in the crowd of people surrounding the main bar area. I stayed near the area to watch out for Xeiro, who was highly likely, plastered.

 

The women sitting on Xeiro's lap, whispered something to him and got off him and began to lead him out of the bar.

 

I followed the duo out of the doorway since I was worried for Xeiro's safety since he wouldn't be able to protect himself if he was attacked and I still didn't know who the source of hatred belonged to. When they had walked away from the bar a bit, I could finally focus on Xeiro and the womans who was next to him emotions.

 

As it turned out it was the worst case scenario and the women, surprise surprise, who the hatred belonged to. I hastily tried to catch up with them and stop the women before it was too late.

[Envy]

It wasn't until they were two blocks away that Xeiro seemed to remember why he had went to the bar in the first place.

 

Sure wasn't because he wanted to get drunk. He had forgotten Zak and he meant to drag him out of there. He was about to stop when he was suddenly being tugged along as the woman hurried her steps with a smile on her face as she looked at him.

 

“My place is on the other side of the alley.” she said, hugging his arm closer.

 

Looking at her, he gave his head a nod as he kept walking, thoughts of the incubus pushed away once again. But something kept nagging at the back of his head, and the more he tried to remember, the harder it ran from him.

 

He couldn't remember what he was suppose to be remembering.

 

His head was a mess at the moment, the bottles he had finished, not to mention all the shots he had because his co workers wanted to buy them for him since he wasn't dead and all...

 

He really didn't get why they were all so happy to see him in the first place. It wasn't like he was super friendly to them or anything. He only spoke when they spoke to him. He hardly went with any of them on missions. And when he did, he was the quiet one. He didn't hang out with them after work either.

So his popularity with them all confused him.

 

Again he was getting off track...

 

What was it he was suppose to be remembering again?

 

The sound of someone hurrying behind them made him look back, the woman looking as well. The really tall figure made him frown.

 

God that guy was a giant.

 

He blinked when he recognized the person.

 

Oh yeah! He remembered!

 

“Zak... “ he said as he stopped walking, successfully stopping the woman this time.

[Castleofbones]

"Xeiro, if you are sexually frustrated then I will happily help you with that. You don't need to go with a random whore who looks like she wants to kill you right now" I said when Xeiro finally noticed i was following him.

 

"Oh and not to mention, halfway down that alley she's trying to drag you down are 3 other people just waiting to ambush you and with the sorts of things they're feeling and dreaming up, going home with me actually seems like paradise. Now if you don't mind, we'll be leaving" I said to the women as I put my arms around Xeiros' to steady his walking and started to leave, but I summoned a throwing knife into my other hand that was in my pocket, just in case she caused trouble. Which was highly likely considering her emotions right now.

[Envy]

Xeiro frowned at the incubus as he spoke.

 

Kill him?

 

Surely the demon was mistaken. He opened his mouth to speak but he was being tugged along again,this time by the incubus. His frown got even more pronounced and he started to say something, but again he was being yanked by the back of his leather jacket.

 

He stumbled and would have fallen if Zak hadn't had his arm. The way he had been pulled, he saw the flash of her weapon, a long curved knife coming his way.

 

Even drunk, he instinctively responded and the next moment the woman was on the ground, out cold from a hit to her solar plexus. He looked down at her for a moment before he looked up at Zak again.

 

“It's too bad. She was kinda hot.” he said before he started to walk again.

 

Once they reached his apartment, he took off his boots and jacket, going to his bed and crawling into it face down. Groaning when the room spun as his eyes slid shut. While he was outside, he seemed fine.

 

Now...

 

He rolled onto his back, throwing an arm over his eyes. “Why is the room moving?'

[Castleofbones]

"It's not. I'm honestly amazed you were able to hit someone with such force in the state you're in" I said amazed.

 

"Will you allow me to take care of you and get you changed since it doesn't look like you're going to moving around anytime soon?" I said hoping to get some skin to skin contact and maybe even get Xeiro to change some of his rules while he wasn't in his right mind and as being true to his desires.

 

Who knows, it might even work.