Team Paranormal

[Argus Steele]

It was only after she'd gone into the bathroom of Steele's apartment that the reality and gravity of situation truly set in. Eve unbuttoned the overshirt and stripped it off, leaving just the white tank top beneath. Draping the white button-down over the shower curtain rod, she eyed the numerous reddish brown stains grimly, then glanced down at herself. A coffee stain on the tank top, a little of it even on her jeans, but it wasn't so noticeable. The kicker? She didn't have any spare clothes with her. On the way there, the thought hadn't even occurred to her.

'One problem at a time, Eve.'That was really the worst of her worries right now. After scrubbing her hands and arms clean beneath the hot water from the sink faucet, she leaned over and splashed her face with cold water, then stood still. Hands braced on the sides of the basin, eyes closed, water dripping from her chin. Breathing...and not looking at the mirror. The young woman had avoiding that down to an artform - well, almost. Morbid curiosity would get the better of her sometimes, and she'd look, and she'd always regret it.

Blotting the water away on a towel, she took a moment longer than necessary, squeezing her eyes shut. The images she'd Seen at the frat house were still burned into her mind too well; it assured she wouldn't be sleeping tonight. Thus far, everything was just...unreal. Reality had gone into a slant again, but if that man - Steele, he'd said his name was - was right, it was in her favor. Sort of. In the very least, it meant she wasn't crazy; at the most, it meant she might be able to gain some kind of control over it.

And then there was the fact that he thought someone might be after her...

It was an idea she had a difficult time getting her mind around. Someone after her? It just seemed so...strange. But stranger had happened. In order to confirm that, all she needed to do was take a good look at her life to this point; she'd spent years in therapy, five of them committed to a mental institution over her...disability. Perhaps it wasn't so much of a stretch at all; the only difference might have been that these people didn't think she was crazy.

The button-down was too dirty to put back on, and the stains would be a constant reminder of the crime scene. Not what she wanted all night. Once she emerged from washing up, she tossed the shirt in the garbage in the kitchen. She felt oddly naked without sleeves, but it would do for now. Folding her arms as if chilled, she stood still, taking her first real look around at Steele's apartment.

It...was definately a guy's apartment. Clean, but with a lot in the unusual. The girl took a moment to stand in front of one of the bulletin boards, eyeing the newspaper clippings full of UFO sightings, odd occurrences, and some things that looked like they'd come out of the tabloids. Oookaaaaay...She'd been under the impression that he'd been working with the police somehow, might have been a detective or a private investigator; now she wasn't quite sure. Why hadn't she asked before? 'Stupid, Eve.'

The magazines scattered around looked normal, but the articles circled inside weren't; she confirmed that after picking up one and flipping through it. Serial killers, the unexplained, the occult and cults. A glance up confirmed that even his movie collection was odd; most dealing with the preternatural and science fiction. Shooting a grey eyed glance at the door with the X-Files poster on it, she rolled her shoulders in a shrug, then tucked her hands into her pants pockets. Well. Wasn't this interesting? But alright, everyone had their vices, their obsessions; maybe these things were just his.

Things were getting the better of her now; call it morbid curiosity along with a feeling that she was on a need-to-know basis here. If her life could actually be at risk, why not? Tap-tap at the door with the poster, and once he emerged, she canted her head just a little, her delicate features still as she looked at him. "I want to know what you know." Her voice was quiet, even, and deadly serious. It was a gut feeling that he might not have told her everything; Eve listened to her instincts, and she wanted to correct that right now.

[Argus Steele]

He stared into those stormy greys almost as if he were trying to look into and read her very soul. The silence was almost, how do they say? Deafening? Well, save for the muffled sounds that were coming from his room. His lips twitched slightly, before letting out a deep breath. "Careful what you ask for, frail. C'mon in and have a sit down."

Yeah, he called her that again, but that was what he called females. It wasn't deemed to be an insult or anything like that, though it was how many of their gender considered it. Inside the room sat two large computer desk, all filled top and bottom with flat screen monitors. Several had various local news on them, while others had...chat rooms?

On the walls, were posters of films from the 20th - 21st century. Close Encounters of the 3rd kind. Alien. Predator. Alien vs Predator. Silent Hill. The Hellraiser series. Fear Dot Com. Matrix. Just to name a few. Along the left wall were more file cabinets that one want to count, a mini fridge in the right hand corner, and yes an Xbox 360. All work and no play? Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.

"There's some diet cola and bottle water in the fridge." Sitting back in his chair, Steele picks up his cell phone to finish up a conversation. "Sorry about that Rico. My...guest has made it known that she wants to know what I know. As far as it concerns her? Yeah, I'm gonna tell her. You still gonna...You saw a what? No fucking way!!! I thought those things were seriously obsolete!! Oh well, besides that, everything cool? That'll work. See you in the morn, then, bro. And it's your turn to buy breakfast. "

A pause, and a glance at Eve... "Yeah, her too just in case. Later." Folding the phone back up, he tosses it on the file covered desk, before turning his chair around to face Eve.

"My thoughts on the matter? I think there's some sort of Government cover up which involves those like yourself that have these talents and gifts. You ever seen a show called the 4400? Anyway, that file I showed you earlier was a fraction of kids, teens, and adults that have been deemed mentally unstable in one shape, form or another."

"Dumb them down with enough drugs to suppress those abilities, the side effects usually causing those to take their own lives, or seriously close themselves off from reality. Well, there's another faction involved, that knows the potential you all have, and the government is arranging accidents, vanishings of those they feel can help them with...certain issues."

"Then you have others, like yourself, that are placed on a short leash, and are observed to study you out in a so called normal society. And to see how you handle those pills that are supposed to help you cope with your mental issues. I was able to get a hold of some of that crap they're passing out, and I can tell you that 85% of it is nothing more than a inhibitor... Can't have your kind out there realizing your true potential right? Better to keep you all in the dark, and be guinea pigs for the good of the cause."

"But another faction decided that your type were too dangerous to keep around. You mentally enhanced types are sensitive to their kind, being able to see through their... Human form. Case in point? The two that made a visit to your coffee shop. I'm willing to bet you felt something the moment they walked inside. They were familiars, sort of like in the Blade vampire movies? Humans that are given a touch of Daemon ability in return of total servitude."

"What's a Daemon, you were getting ready to ask?" Steele would then give her a most... peculiar grin, while reaching for several marked dvds.

[Argus Steele]

Years of therapy and time spent locked away had taught her a thing or two the hard way - like how to keep her expression perfectly neutral when she was listening to something - or someone - she had doubts about. Government conspiracies. Daemons. Familiars. Eve drew a deep breath, threw a glance around to find a place to sit down and did so, crossing her legs at the ankles.

"It's something very unpleasant, I'm sure." Hands fell neatly into her lap, back and shoulders straight. A very proper posture. "But it was my folks that had me locked up. When you're three and have an imaginary friend, it's cute, gets you out of their hair. When you're ten, it's a psychosis. Can't have their kid seeing really gruesome things that 'aren't there' after all." Alright, alright...so she was a little bitter. It was hard *not* to be in a situation like that. She dropped her head back momentarily, drawing another deep breath to balance, then moistened her lips with her tongue.

"If the things I See are honest-to-God real, then yeah...I see how it could pose a problem. Especially if you consider that there are people that are probably...ah...stronger." ...And probably more screwed up than she was, but that was beside the point. "The medications you're talking about? They didn't really do a damn thing for me. Killed my appetite, killed my ability to sleep, hospitalized me once, too, but aside from that? ...I think maybe it helped keep me from getting so worked up about it." Her lips quirked just a bit, but there wasn't any humor in the smile. "...Then my doctor claimed that the emotional flatness came from the schizophrenia. Quack."

She reached up and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair, giving her head a quick shake to loosen the strands. She had big, soft curls, and it had gotten a little longer since her release, about mid-back now. "I'm not on anything now; Doc keeps trying to medicate me, but I won't take it. I've had enough to last a lifetime." A slow roll of her shoulders, thoughtfully playing with the elastic band. "...But I guess after living through it, I've got my own views of the entire mess."

Sliding the band around her hand finally, she leaned forward a bit, propping her elbows on her knees. A glance at the DVDs he was picking up, then she looked at him once more. She had a general tendency to look down, or at a wall, or take a lot of interest in her hands. Habits hard to break. "Ah...but keep in mind that I've been pretty heavily sheltered most of my life. Even before I was locked up, they didn't let me watch or read a lot of things because they thought it fueled my imagination. Some thing I know the basic jist of, others...nada." A shrug, full mouth curving into a self-deprecating little grin. "So don't be disappointed if you relate something to a movie and I just stare at you blankly. But yeah...give me the awful details of what a Daemon is." Not that she was looking forward to it, mind you, but she figured she might as well get some things out of the way now. And maybe figure out a way out of the whole mess.

[Argus Steele]

What is it about those certain type of frails that do the 'let the hair down and shake it loose in slow motion scene' that makes me grin every time I see it? The only thing that was missing was the librarian or secretary getup. Hell, she was cute in that paranoid schizo sort of way... "You don't happen to wear glasses do you? Sorry, I was thinking out loud."

*Cough*

After mulling over her reply about being heavily sheltered, I hoped showing her this would not end up doing more harm than good. Okay Eve, it this gets to freaky for you, just give me a signal ... Wave, shout ... Mmmm, run out of the room, and I'll shut 'er down, we cool with that? With a wink and a nod, I insert the first movie, titled The Thing...

-An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog crashes leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realizes that an alien life-form with the ability to take over other bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over.-

I let her digest that tidbit of gore fest before continuing by offering a little theory of mine... "I noticed of late a lot of these movies were made dealing with us mere mortal always being possessed, copied, duplicated, yadda, yadda, yadda. Here's a perfect example. This is a remake called Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You okay with this? You sure? Mmmmkay then..."

-The first remake of the paranoid infiltration classic moves the setting for the invasion from a small town to the city of San Francisco and starts as Matthew Bennell notices that several of his friends are complaining that their close relatives are in some way different. When questioned later they themselves seem changed as they deny everything or make lame excuses. As the invaders increase in number they become more open and Bennell, who has by now witnessed an attempted "replacement" realizes that he and his friends must escape or suffer the same fate. But who can he trust to help him and who has already been snatched?-

BUT, on the other hand, this was nothing compared to what she would experienced if one of those cult groups got a hold of her... I'd place the several pages of movie plots in her lap ... Then I kneel in front of her, making direct eye contact, while giving her leg a reassuring squeeze, speaking to her in my best confident sounding voice. "You're gonna get through this, okay? You're a lot tougher than those nutty not a very nice person drug giving doctors think."


"I'm grabbing a shower and calling it a night. If you need anything, just holler. I'm a light sleeper. Giving Eve one last grin, before heading to the bathroom, my cell phone goes off. Upon entering the bathroom, I closed the door behind me, then turned on the shower. Disrobed while I talked...

"Yeah, I can talk. She's in my media room, getting a strong dose of reality. Nah, I don't think she'll bounce on me. Because I know some of her background, and I haven't treated her like some sick freak. I'm playing the whole truth card with her. She's gonna have to trust me with what is goin' down. What? Aw, c'mon man, I have not che .. I didn't lo ..Well, yeah, she's a cutie. Yeah crazy hot, in that gothic sort of way, if you get my drift. Got a serious stare with some killer gray eyes. You done fantasizing? Now can we get down to business? I need you to run a check on..."

Mental note...I really need to get that bathroom door fixed, because it has a tendency not to stay closed if not locked. Didn't need Eve hearing me talk about her...Right?

[Argus Steele]

She'd been expecting for him to break down the gruesome details of what a daemon was, had even been braced for it; even though morbid curiosity would get the better of her sometime, Eve had to admit privately that she was glad not to hear it now. At his query about wearing glasses, the young woman gave him a surprised, dubious stare.
"...Huh?" Alright, not the brightest thing she could have said. A shake of her head, quickly recovering herself. "Glasses? No, not me. Why?"

Not that it mattered. Next thing she knew, he was putting in a movie and asking her if she was okay with it. Eve found her lips curving up into a smile that was only partly fueled by humor. "I think I'll be okay. If you hadn't noticed, Steele, my life is sorta like a horror movie." A moment of quiet, in which she considered it a little more. "Probably a bad one, too." And the smile changed a little, brightened her face. Yeah, she thought that was funny, whether he did or not.

The young woman sat through The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers without complaint, though she didn't seem horrible enthralled with either; in fact, she seemed to be watching both with an almost academic detachment. Once the second movie ended, she gave her head a little shake, sitting up straight from her slightly leaned forward position, unlacing her fingers from where she'd had her chin propped on her curled fists. "Creepy, but I can handle them."

Granted, she was a little surprised when he knelt down in front of her after giving her some reading material...Her brows rose just a little, and she tensed just briefly before stifling the instinct to withdraw from his touch. Physical contact just wasn't something she was used to. "Yeah...okay." Eve's mind could be strangely flexible, sometimes; since her release, she'd been able to form her own opinions about the things she Saw and Felt. Not having someone breathing down her neck and telling her that she was crazy made a world of difference, and helped in the flexibility of her own mind.

After he left the room, she sat still for a moment, considering, then picked the papers up from her lap and gave them a tap on her knee in an effort to line them up right. Well, she had something to do instead of torturing herself by trying to sleep, didn't she?

Eve left the room, closing the door behind her, and was on her way to the guest room when she noticed the bathroom door ajar with the water running. Pausing, she tucked the pages under one arm and reached out to pull it closed, meaning to do so quietly...and hesitated at hearing his voice. It took her a moment to realize that he was on a cell ('duh, Eve')and...and to realize that he was talking about *her,* picking up around "...don't think she'll bounce on me."

It was wrong to eavesdrop, but she had a hard time making herself ease that door too and move on. It wasn't often Eve got to hear someone talking about her firsthand; thus far, she trusted him..at least to a point. She had some serious issues when it came to trust, but he *seemed* to have good intentions in mind, and hadn't said anything incriminating yet.

But..but hold on. She found herself pulling back from the door a little, blinking with surprise. 'Cute? Crazy hot?' *Her?* Okay...she'd never thought of it that way, or really even considered the physicalities of things too much; at some point, she'd decided she was outside the normal way of things, too odd to ever really be looked at in such a way, as if it were stamped on her forehead for all to see. Even a crush was an exceedingly rare thing for her, simply because it took more than a pretty face...even though he *was* very good looking...

Don't *even* go that route, Eve..

She shrugged it off and pulled away from the door entirely then, leaving it cracked open as it was. She had other things to worry about, right now. Like...reading the scripts and maybe even trying to get some kind of rest. Then figuring out the situation, and what, if anything she *wasn't* being told.

[Argus Steele]

It was one of those nights where I couldn't sleep, so all the Televisions were on, as were the computers with various chat room themes. Believe it or not, those rooms were my best sources of info, simple due to the fact that practically everyone in them were NOT who they pretended to be.

Works for me. Just don't ask me about the electric bill.

I was using this sleepless time on my hands to do some serious deep researching on one Ms. Eve Nora Lizt, by using a little trick taught to me by a unnamed hacker that will remain so. -Grin.- Gotta love those Doctors that feel they have to keep up with the masses by having all the info on their clients placed into data banks.

Shaking my head too many times to remember, it was amazing in itself that she was able to hold it together this long. At least she stop taking those mind breaking pills they prescribed. What was I looking for? Any clues as to why Eve made the most wanted list. My lucky streak or not, I bought the frail only so much time before those familiars would eventually track us down.

I had did a little cleaning up the media room after my shower, so it made it easier for me to roll my chair across the room where I needed to be. Beneath my main desk, and under the rug was a small trap door where I kept my ... Tricks of the trade. No, it's not silver bullets, and holy water!! More like a illegally crafted high power police taser, a specially made dart gun with glass tips that contain concentrated corrosive acid. And a bunch of assorted gadgets that would make Batman/MacGyver proud.

But I once again ramble.

I decide to expand my search, to see if there were any others in/about of her old neighborhood, making sure she wasn't an isolated incident. I also do an extensive background check on not only her Doctor, but any that had contact with her during her childhood all the way up to now.

Yeah, I know, it's a wee bit on the extreme side, but I like to leave no stone unturned.

(m) "Somebody out there knows more about you, more so, what's inside that pretty noggin' of yours. Then it's up to me to keep you from becoming another missing persons stat."

That's the easy part. How do you tell someone that's trying to live a normal life, that she may have to not only leave that behind, but start over, unless she wants to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, or on the run.... Gah! That sounded like some over used movie or comic book plot!

Hopefully I locate that rumored secret underground where someone more qualified can give her the who-what-where-how-why to those abilities. Huh. I just had a thought.

I could ask her about her ... experiences ... Then try and match them up Google style. Worth a shot, right? Crap. A yawn followed by a passing glance at my watch telling me it's You better try to get some sleep or you won't be good for either of you time.

Reaching for a unnamed cd and popping it into one of the computers, I reach for my headphones, kick my feet up on the desk, recline back and shut my eyes. If I'm lucky, I'll actually sleep without dreaming anything crazy.

[Argus Steele]

The bedside lamp was the only light in the room, though the radio on the alarm clock beside the bed played softly. Under normal circumstances, Eve liked to have the drapes or blinds and windows open for some fresh air; paranoia made her leave them closed tonight. The papers Steele had given her had remained stacked neatly on the bed for a few minutes as she paced, stretched, rolled her neck and shoulders in a effort to work some of the tension from them. The muscles high on her shoulders ached, burned, and generally made a nuisance of themselves each time she turned her head. Too much stress.

It had been a day gone wild, to say the least. Everything had been normal, or as normal as things ever *were* for her - until Steele had showed up. Blessing...or curse? The young woman had yet to decide, and only hoped things played out for the best.

Of course, the possibility that all chance for normalcy might now be over *had* crossed her mind...

She was trying no to think about it, all truth told. It made her feel vaguely sick, and essentially was a big let-down; it meant that everything she'd been through was pretty much for nothing. Then again, if what Steele had told her was true, then much of what had already happened was for nothing; the only thing she'd ever really needed was some understanding.

"Better not to think about it." Murmured softly to herself as she sat down on the edge of the bed, giving up on pacing. Leaning forward, she unlaced her sneakers and put them neatly aside, socks quickly following, then sighed and glanced around the room. Not bad for a guest room, but she missed her little apartment; and more to the point, she missed her clothes. Getting a hot shower and pulling on something really comfy would have been great right about now...

Caution had brought her to leave the door cracked just enough to hear any movement. She didn't think she'd be sleeping much, if at all; on top of the day's events, she was in an unfamiliar place. Maybe some reading would make her tired? Finally picking up the pages again, she swung her legs onto the bed, and propped a pillow or two behind her back. A shuffle of the pages gave her a better idea of what she was looking at.

'Poltergeist.'
'The Blob.'
'Doom.'
'The Mummy.'
'The Exorcism of Emily Rose.'
'Childsplay.'

A pattern? Or did he just have a thing for horror movies?

Eve skimmed through each, getting the basic jist before finally deciding that was enough. Groaning softly, she pressed her fingers to her closed eyes, releasing a sigh. Well, that had killed an hour or two, anyway...and she still wasn't tired. Maybe a shower would help? Yeah, and she'd sprout wings and fly away.

Still, she found her way to the bathroom again and pulled the door securely closed, listening for it to snap into place. Her apartment had doors like that - old, a little worn in. Just took a firm hand to get them to close properly.

Most of what Eve did in life was relatively normal - except for one thing now. She made it a point to locate a towel big enough and did everything she could not to look at the mirror. She almost had to climb up onto the sink to do it, but she got the towel over the mirror, tucked it in at edges enough it wouldn't fall away. The girl had an innate dislike of mirrors; what was always there looking back at her disturbed her, though she'd never actually told anyone what troubled her about it.

With the odd task over it, she turned the water on, adjusted the temperature, then stripped down and climbed in. She'd have to put those clothes back on, but maybe she could convince him to go back to her place in the morning so she could pick up more? Or he could even go, for all she cared. Was she even going to work tomorrow? It was the first time it had came to mind, and she couldn't answer it. Eve was guessing the answer would be no, or not without him tagging along. A girl had to make a living, though.

[Argus Steele]

Jared Van Rico

Eve would wake up to a familiar sight: her suitcase was laying by the foot of the bed. Upon opening it, she had several changes of clothing (including those fun dame under garments), and whatever he could find in her bathroom. Her key was on the nightstand next to the bed. The clock would read 8:49 am, and there was a lingering smell of coffee in the air.

And of course there were the voices.

Muttered. Muffled. Stifled.

Only this time those voices were actually legit, and coming from Steele's media room, where he and another man were comparing notes from the recently titled "Dorm Room Massacre" by the local news. Scattered throughout the room were countless pictures of the runes and symbols that covered the walls, opened books pertaining to the cult and occult and Demon and Daemon lore.

On several computers featured web sites of gothic clubs, tattoo parlors dealing in demon ink, and other sites pertaining to the Book of the Dead. On his plasma was a paused anime cartoon of a tentacle creature involved a in some rather...kinky position with several females...
Steele would address the other male in the room Jared, while conversing on his cell phone. And munching back on a sausage mcmuffin with egg. Quite the multi tasker. Upon seeing Eve in the doorway, Steele would mouth the word morning, and tilt his head over to the bag that contained more breakfast sandwiches and orange juice and coffee.

Jared would turn long enough to offer her a salute with his index finger... "Welcome to the jungle, luv. We gots eats over dere on de table." He then returned to working on a map of the city with various lines, circles and words scribbled on it. His features offered a ethnic Asian background, shoulder length dark brown hair, and a physique that screamed daily work out. His style of clothing was top of the line, and though he dressed like a militant, his mannerisms were total opposite.

On a computer monitor that had been off when she was there last night, a web cam sat on top of it, a face of a female could be seen on it, and she not only seen Eve enter, but smiled at the young girl, and offered a top of the morning greeting to her which could be heard through dual speakers, and sub woofer.

"Eve, that's Jared Rico, my partner in crime. The frail on the screen there is Amber. This is Eve, the one I told you about. She had that...Sight back at the dorm, last night."

<font color="#FFFFFF"><font size="1">[ October 04, 2007 02:31 PM: Message edited by: Tohmaz A. Steele ]</font></font>

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ October 04, 2007 02:37 PM: Message edited by: Tohmaz A. Steele ]</font>

[Argus Steele]

Amber Lynn

It had been another nightmare that startled her from sleep. Eve was no stranger to those, and had actually expected a new horror to be inspired the by the events of the previous day. She had figured on the frat house, given that it had been so strong, burned into her mind like that. This time, though, it hadn't been that; it had started with a mirror. Still disturbing, to say the least.

She'd dozed off in an odd position, half-curled on her side on the bed and reading one of the scripts; her neck had a kink in it now. After catching her breath and reality set in once more, she had the frame of mind to look at the clock. The last she recalled, it had said 4:30 AM. Not so long, then.

The sight of the suitcase at the foot of the bed and her apartment key on the nightstand beside her made her brows knit momentarily. She didn't like that. Eve was usually a light sleeper unless she was drugged, or utterly exhausted. She didn't care for the idea of someone coming into the room while she was out. The young woman trusted Steele, but only to a point; he seemed to know more about her than she did about him, but she was sure that was mostly thanks to her medical files. Preferring caution, she was still forming her opinion of him.

But she did have to admit it was nice to have her own stuff; brush her teeth, change her clothes, comb her hair. Was it her imagination, or did she smell coffee?

After dragging herself more full back to wakefulness by going about that little morning ritual, Eve dared to venture out into his apartment. For a moment she stood listening, trying to decide if it was the TV or not. But no..Stepping into the doorway of the media room, one hand rose to touch the jamb, hoving just over it briefly before making contact. It was habit, to let her hand linger over something before touching. Bracing, sensing, then trying or denying it.

It had looked like he'd picked out most of her better clothes; the jeans she'd pulled on had a dark wash with a butterfuly in white rhinestones on the back right pocket, her light purple shirt long sleeved and fitted to follow the curve and flair of her waist and hips, and she'd put a few pins in her hair to draw her curls back from her face enough to keep them out of the way. It made her look a little younger than she actually was, and her wide-eyed gaze didn't help that out either. She could pass for sweet and innocent easily, if she could do something about that vaguely haunted look around her eyes. That stormy stare fluttered over the room now, taking it all in, pausing to arch a brow at the images on the TV. "...Yeah, good morning. Isn't it a little early for tentacle porn?" Yeah, she knew what it was, but that didn't mean she liked it. But there were hints of a smile at the edges of her mouth, lingering there teasingly. Guys would be guys.

As Eve saw it, it was still too bloody early in the morning for food - and the nightmares were still too close. But she peeked into the bag, considered the options, then took a bottle of orange juice. A few shakes, nodding at the introductions, then gave her head a little shake at his explanation to Amber. "Just say it. I Saw, and almost freaked out and threw up on the crime scene." Popped the top, had a drink, then winced a little as the tartness hit her. Still, nothing beat it. "That was some really awful stuff to pick up." She wasn't embarrassed by it, or apologetic; she didn't see any reason to be so. But she *was* going to have to question Steele sometime about why he kept calling them 'frail'..."Nice to meet you both."

[Argus Steele]

"Porn? Wha'? Oh, dat. Not exactly bein' used to whack off on luv, more like a reference tool to be better describin' wha' had its way wit' de college kids. Scary part tho'? It's out dere .... Somewhere. Duuuun dundundun duuuuun ..."

-THWAP!!- "Owww!!"

That sound would be the result of a book flying through the room, striking its intended target right on the back of the head, before falling to the floor, and Jared rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"Play nice Rico, or I have plenty more books to throw at you, and they're a lot more heavier too. Ahh, I see you saw the suitcase, figured a change of clothes might ease the nerves a bit."

Amber would give them both a roll of the eyes, before redirecting her attention back to Eve. "Then come have a sit down near the screen, hon. Let the boys watch their...Porn, while you and I do a bit of girl chat."

Eve would discover that Amber had several talents like herself...Second sight, and a low level telekinetic. These lucky little gifts started coming along right around puberty. estranged from her family who considered her a freak of nature. Ridiculed at school endlessly until a near nervous breakdown until she cut loose with a uncontrollable telekinetic burst that was regarded as a rare Poltergeist event. By her junior year in high school, Amber had become totally withdrawn, while developing a third talent which involved reading certain objects by touch, which was the least liked, for it left her unable to sleep more often than not. Steele had rescued her close to a year ago from a ledge of a bridge, no longer being unable to cope with the voices and hallucinations any more. She looks to him like the brother she never had.

Amber choose her words well, keeping a straight posture, that slightly haunted look in her eyes. The monitor was large enough to allow Eve to notice the girl kept her fingers tightly interlaced when conversing. Remind Eve of any one else? "Tohm told me abo...."

"Argus."

(m) "Sigh. A-R-G-U-S. Better?"

"Stupendous, sweety."

A roll of dark eyes, quickly followed by a shy smile, as she continued. "Anyway, Steele told me about what happened with your reaction. You handled it waaaay better than I did. Couldn't sleep for days, and I'm just getting used to watching the telly again. So are you joining our jolly little band of misfits? It would be shxxs and giggles to have another of the same gender to talk with, y'know."

"Hey Eve ... Need to know what you're gonna do from here. Y'know, as far as the job thing. They'll be looking for you there."

"Jeez Steele, quit tryin' to coddle her ... It's like this, luv. Any thoughts about havin' a normal life? Nada. Not unless you want to enjoy the non stop thrill of constant relocation, an' trust me. Dat gets old verra fast!"

-THWAP!!!-

"Wha'? Quit wit' the books already! I'm bein' honest wit' her!!! Jus' like Amber, she's got the gifts, an' that puts a big ole bulls eye on her back! Ain't about no frakin' fairytale endin' luv. Yer best bet is to learn wha' ye' hav' and learn how to use it."

And Steele's reaction? A few muttered choice words under his breath, then turning back to reviewing the books once again. (m) "The choice is hers either way."

Anyone have a knife, because the tension in that room right then was seriously thick.

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ October 04, 2007 02:44 PM: Message edited by: Tohmaz A. Steele ]</font>