I could really use a wish right now

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Elle really wanted to believe what Lily told her; especially since the woman’s eyes sparkled even more like gemstones at the mention of her love, but honestly the girl just couldn’t find that kind of faith within her…anywhere. Her father had told her mother that he’d loved her; two minutes before hitting her across the face hard enough to bust her lip and draw blood. Her father had told his daughter that he loved her and then raised that same hand in anger and misery when her mother wasn’t there any longer and he’d had a little too much whiskey for dinner. Her tears had been diamonds across pale alabaster cheeks but he didn’t much ever care for shiny things.

The off-duty waitress didn’t really mind when the woman purposely blew off the inquiry about her profession. People were allowed to keep their personal business to themselves and she knew this better than anyone, though it didn’t stop her mind from wandering just a little in curiosity about what Lily did. Was she an exotic dancer working to support a child? Was she some kind of contract killer like the ones Elle had seen in movies from time to time? The unfathomable woman was a mystery and it only added to the enjoyment the willowy blonde felt just being with her.

So Elle wasn’t really the pushy sort of girl. Okay, that’s a lie, she totally was. But she wasn’t pushing Lily as much as she was pulling her into the area of darkened hallways dimly lit with black lights where a handful of people were pointing science fiction looking weapons at the vests they wore across their chests. As they entered Elle didn’t waste a single minute grabbing up two guns and shoving one into the maybe-exotic dancer slash possible contract killer’s hands before pulling on one of the padded vests with glowing sensors.

“Just one round, I promise.” She told the brunette with a guilelessly impish smile as she helped the woman into her own vest and pranced further into the play area. “We’ll show these stupid boys that girls really are better than they are…”
And then she darted off in the semi darkness; the sound of her gleeful laughter the only thing her new friend had to track her by.

She snuck up on a wiry boy with red hair and blasted him square in the back, and erupted with clapping and laughing when he turned around scowling at her.
Elle then stole along the wall as she followed a trio of teenagers who were too busy passing what she assumed was a cigarette (but really wasn’t) to notice the blonde aiming at a sensor on their torso.

Unfortunately for the girl, -she- didn’t notice another figure creeping around in the shadowy corridors. It was the very thing Lily had been there hunting; the monster who used the darkness in order to steal away with the distracted children playing tag.



(( I know you said you didn’t have a real hunt in mind, but I thought it would be funny if some creature really WAS in here with them and Elle, bless her soul never even found out. If you can’t decide what you want to hunt, I’ll describe something in my next post, yeah? ))

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Begrudgingly, Lily threw on the vest, took the gun, and slipped silently into the darkness behind Elle.

A cold worry seemed to creep into Lily as she snuck through the darkened corridors, systematically and easily dropping kids without even breaking a sweat. She hated the thought that someone might get hurt while she was here playing, but at the same time, Lily realized that she was actually having a really good time. This day had been more fun than she'd had in a long time, and she tried to push her fears aside and simply enjoy the moment.

Ahead of her, the hunter saw Elle take out a group of boys, smiling to herself as the younger girl bounced up and down in excitement, clapping her hands and basically giving herself away to everyone on the course. As two more players leaped out from around corners to take Elle down, Lily crouched and fired lightning fast, the red lights on both of their vests flashing as they were taken out of the game.

A grin played across Lily's features as she moved quickly to stand behind Elle, nudging the girl a bit and gesturing down a nearby corridor. She'd heard movement there, and thought that maybe they could catch someone off guard and score a few more points. Leading the way, Lily crept soundlessly through the dimly-lit hallway, Elle moving not-so-silently behind her, and just as the girls neared their targets, a blood-curdling scream from the other end of the course sent chills down Lily's spine.

Tearing her attention away from the game, Lily's hand fell to rest on the handle of the gun she kept concealed within her jacket, her eyes darting around until she found a side-corridor that led toward the sound of the scream. Ignoring the questioning murmurs and shouts of the other players, the hunter grabbed Elle's shoulders and whispered to her.

"Stay here and don't move, got it? Take the vest off and toss it somewhere far away from you, so the light doesn't give you a way. Hunker down, stay quiet, and don't move, no matter what you hear." She looked around, finding several more frightened faces watching her and nodding at her instructions. "You guys spread out so you're not so noticeable, but don't stray too far. Just keep low, and keep quiet. I mean it."

Without another word, Lily slipped off her own vest and vanished down the hallway into the relative darkness, praying that she wouldn't be too late...

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Yeah, you could say Elle was having as much fun as the proverbial kid in the candy store. She didn’t give a rat’s ass that her giddy bouncing and cheesy fist pumps were calling attention to her, which was the very opposite of how you should play the game of laser tag. She especially didn’t notice that her celebrative dancing had drawn two players behind her… that is until Lily came out of nowhere and shot them both square in the blinky red vests.
A cocky grin spread over Elle’s guileless face and she propped a hand on her cocked hip; a thin blonde brow lofting over laughing cobalt eyes. “Okay, I thought so. You’re either a lady cop or one of those femme Nikita assassins like I’ve seen in movies…” The willowy girl told her new champion as she followed after towards the darkened far corridor. Her movements weren’t near as graceful or stealthy as the brunette’s and she kept exchanging the laser gun from hand to hand because she hadn’t quite found a comfortable way to hold it, but none of that mattered as the teenager’s heart beat quickened and she felt the excitement of another landed strike looming somewhere in the distance.

The scream from within caught Elle off guard and she froze, her eyes growing wide like two azure moons. Even when Lily grabbed her thin shoulder and leaned close to murmur significant instruction, the girl couldn’t focus. Elle let her imagination get the best of her. Was someone hurt? Had a real gun been used instead of a fake one? Someone’s idea of a sick joke?

Only after Lily had taken off into the darkness did the blonde regain her awareness. She watched the other kids do as the woman had instructed; taking off their vests and casting them aside, and so she followed suit.
Of course, Elle had never been one to do exactly as she was told. Instead of staying put she tip-toed in the direction the brunette assassin had gone, oblivious to the fact that the fiend that had caused the scream was a real, honest- to-goodness, straight out of a horror movie, monster.

Creeping silently up behind Lily, Elle tapped her on the shoulder and whispered a little too loudly, “Hey, what do you think is happening back here? Some creepy old guy trying to rape some young girl?” The blonde was ignorant to the fact her disobeying Lily might make her angry or could very well be the death of her. All she knew was it was awful scary in the dark and she felt a lot safer in the presence of the lithe dark haired woman. “Can I help?”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily had, of course, heard Elle approaching.

Rather than scold her right away, though, the hunter used the few moments that it took the younger woman to reach her to let her temper cool. She had told Elle to remain behind. She had given her instructions on what to do, how to try and remain unseen. She had expected Elle to listen. Obviously Lily had been mistaken, and Elle hadn't taken the hint to stay behind. Now she was in danger, and though Lily was incredibly frustrated with her at the moment, she didn't want to lose her temper with the inquisitive blonde.

"Shhh," she silenced Elle, lifting a finger to her lips. "I don't know what's going on, but I plan on finding out, okay? I'm perfectly capable of handling the situation, but I can't worry about that and about making sure you're safe at the same time. Please, please stay here and don't follow me. This is way too dangerous for you." Reaching out, Lily patted Elle consolingly on the shoulder, smiling a bit to take the edge off of her words.

Praying that the girl listened, Lily turned her back to her and continued down the darkened corridor, finally drawing out her gun and holding it ready before her. From up ahead, the faint sounds of something being dragged could be heard, and Lily furrowed her brow and stopped, listening closer. Yes, it was definitely the sound of dragging, and something heavy too... Her first suspicion--a body--seemed to be the most likely. Keeping her gun ready, the hunter plunged ahead into the darkness.

Suddenly, Lily was assailed by a sickly-sweet stench that she knew all too well: rotting flesh. Mixed with it, though, was the scent of damp earth, and the pungent odor of decay, all of which immediately made her mind turn to a single possibility: she was dealing with something undead, and more than likely just recently "risen" as well. Well, that made sense, as the disappearances had only started a couple of weeks back. This fact also made Lily realize that she'd need to change her tactics a bit, and she returned her gun to her holster, getting rid of it in favor of a long silver knife that she drew seemingly from thin air.

A few more feet and the smell became almost unbearable, and there was that same dragging sound...

Turning a corner, knife held out before her defensively, Lily saw the form of a person silhouetted against the dim, flickering red lights. It appeared to be a woman, average in height and weight, her long hair tangled and scraggly, and her movements jerky and uncoordinated. Behind her she drug the unmoving form of a teenage boy by his ankle, and Lily was unsure if he was dead or just unconscious.

This was all the hunter needed to see, and without any warning or sound to give herself away, Lily tore down the corridor swiftly and silently, adjusting the knife so she was holding the blade reversed, and ready to take the creature down before it got anywhere with its latest victim.

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Elle had always been a careful girl. She wasn’t courageous, she didn’t have dreams of being a heroine, and she would have traded super powers for a life time supply of pre-made pie crusts any day. Still, she wasn’t ready to let her new friend disappear out of her life, especially if it involved some sicko that might try to get fresh with her before he killed her…or vice versa. Screwing up her face when the woman ordered her to stay put for the second time and then patted her on the shoulder like a child, Elle crossed her arms over her chest in a show of defiance. The lithe blonde was well aware that Lily was some kind of Wonder Woman and could very well take care of herself but maybe -she- wanted to watch the female in action so she could pick up a few pointers on how to take care of -herself-.

Besides…it was dark in here…and pretty scary…and Elle would definitely rather be right behind the Woman Woman than by herself in case there was more than one assailant. Moreover, Lily wasn’t her mother and she really didn’t HAVE to listen, because well, the brunette hadn’t waved a badge or anything and oh shoot…now she was just making excuses to herself as to why she was currently disobeying the woman for a second time and sneaking up behind her.

This time Elle actually made an effort not to make too much noise, using a hand on the wall to lead her through the shadowy winding hallways. The deeper she went through the corridors, the sourer the air became, and the willowy waitress had to put a hand over her nose and mouth to keep from gagging.
‘Ugh. What was that stink?’ The teen’s blue eyes watered and she almost turned back around. Almost. If she hadn’t spotted Lily just before her, and the figure of another woman beyond that, she probably would have.

And then it all happened so fast, it was like watching a horror movie rather than real life playing out before her eyes. The stinky woman spotted Lily and moaned, dropping the body she’d been dragging in order to move deliberately (albeit slowly) towards the slender brunette. Elle gasped in terror, watching as Lily deftly leapt at the aggressor with a gleaming blade and nimbly took her down.

A blood-curdling scream echoed piercingly through the halls, so loud that the blonde covered her ears with her palms. It took the young waitress a moment to realize the shrill noise was coming from her own lips and flashing Lily a wide horrified glance when the brunette’s gaze landed on her, Elle took off towards the front of the arcade.
Once back outside, the lithe teenager relaxed against the brick façade, out of breath, but otherwise unharmed.

She was torn; wanting to run away, to get as far away from the horror movie come to life, but too worried about Lily to move. Had she really killed that stinking woman? Was the body that said woman had been dragging really dead?
Elle was likely to have nightmares from all of this, being a careful girl that didn’t ever watch scary movies and all, but she decided to stay. She needed to hear the explanation from Lily herself…that is if she was okay…

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily leaned back against the wall, wiping sweat from her brow on the back of her hand.

She'd already gotten on her cell and called her erstwhile partners, Heath and Adams, and they'd be here shortly to dispose of the body. Errr... again. Whatever. Anyway, with the immediate threat taken out, Lily knelt down and cleaned the blade of her silver dagger off on the rumpled clothing of the dead (again) woman. Thankfully, the blade had been long enough to decapitate the revenant, otherwise Lily would probably still be fighting with it...

Sighing, she turned her attention to the body of the most recent victim. He was, of course, just a kid, barely fourteen or fifteen years old. Just another one to add to the list of people she hadn't been able to save... people who'd died because she wasn't good enough, wasn't strong enough...

"Sorry, kid," she said softly, reaching down to absently pat his shoulder.

Moments later the commotion really began, with arcade officials, kids, and even a local cop or two coming barreling down the corridor, curious and demanding to know what had happened. Sighing wearily, her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world was resting on them, Lily stood back up and drew out her FBI badge, flashing it and commanding everyone to stay back.

She'd keep them at bay until Heath and Adams arrived to take care of the corpse. Until then, she'd play the part, and pray that wherever Elle had gotten herself off to, she was okay...

***

Stepping out into the cool night air, Lily hung her head.

The young boy's death would be with her for a while, she knew that. And she was used to it. In fact, it happened more often than she'd like to admit. It seemed to Lily that more people ended up dying on her watch than surviving sometimes. As always, this particular admission struck her deep, and she had to bottle up and ignore the desire to just break down and cry.

A sound from just a few feet away startled Lily out of her brooding, though, and she jumped a bit, her hand instinctively going for a weapon, as it always did just after a job. She'd be jumpy and nervous for a while before finally settling down, and when she finally manged to get to sleep (either by the natural way, or by drinking herself into oblivion) the nightmares would start, and she'd end up going through the same thing all over again.

The sound, though, wasn't another monster come to terrorize someone, but Elle, who had gently cleared her throat to get Lily's attention. Smiling sadly, the hunter found herself genuinely relieved to see the girl. Leaning her shoulder against the wall, finding herself feeling more tired than she had in ages, Lily sighed heavily, then asked softly:

"You alright?"

[Elle Nora Taylor]

By the time the cops and the crowd begun piling into the arcade having gotten wind of the commotion, the willowy waitress was hyperventilating. Still leaning against the wall, Elle wiped at the moisture escaping her brimming cerulean eyes, thinking there was no way Lily was going to be coming out of there. The attacker must not have died right away. He/She/It must have turned on the petite woman and caught off guard, the assailant must have gotten a leg up on her. The off-duty waitress wanted to weep, but instead she focused on the partition practically holding her up because she sure as heck felt like fainting. What she wouldn’t have given for a paper bag right then.

Elle didn’t think she would ever be able to catch her breath, but when the coffee haired woman appeared at her side none worse for the wear, the blonde just about choked on all the air that she sucked in.
Blinking in disbelief, it took the girl a moment to realize she was indeed seeing her guitar hero/assassin/new friend beyond tear blurry eyes. Suddenly, and with no warning to Lily, Elle threw her arms around the female and clung for dear life.

“Lily! You’re alive!” Elle squeezed the slight woman, moving them around in an excited circle. “I saw the police and things and was sure you’d bit the dust or somethin’!”

She hugged and bounced and spun her new friend for a few moments before letting Lily go to catch her breath. And then reverie of what she’d actually seen hit her, and the capricious smile slid from Elle’s pale face, and she wrapped her lithe arms around her shaking frame.

“I really saw you kill that…person.” Elle whispered tensely, and tilted her head to the side when she lifted her eyes to Lily’s once more. “And the other kid…didn’t make it did they?”

Quivers began to crawl their way up Elle’s spine, and she felt it go to jelly. “You gotta’ excuse me a sec. Lil’.” She told the female and held up an index finger before turning away. “I think I’ma be sick.”

And so she did.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily couldn't help but smile as Elle clung to her and all but danced around.

She'd always been able to make friends easily, or rather, people seemed drawn to her at any rate, but she'd never really felt much affection for others. In fact, until she met Brennan, Lily had never felt any emotional attachment to anyone, other than her long-dead adopted parents that is. Even Sastre, her birth father, didn't really elicit any sort of deep emotional response in her, though in the time they'd spent together she'd come to respect him as a man and as probably the best hunter she'd ever known.

Elle, though, had somehow managed to worm her way past all of the defenses and safeguards that Lily had erected over the years, past her stony facade of indifference. Lily found herself genuinely enjoying the younger woman's company, and even seeing a little of herself in Elle. Well, a younger version of herself, from before her whole world had been turned upside down, anyway. It seemed like an eternity ago that Lily had ever been so carefree and happy, rather than just a decade.

When the waitress pulled away and spoke, though, her words caused Lily's stomach to twist more than a little. Yeah... that kid was dead, because she hadn't been good enough to save him. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting the grief wash over her for a moment before taking hold of it and bottling it up deep inside. She'd deal with it later. Or she wouldn't.

"It's alright, Elle," Lily told her, rubbing her back comfortingly. "It happens to the best of us." The truth was, Lily felt a little sick herself, though she'd never allow herself to throw up like that. Hunters just didn't do that sort of thing, after all. Smiling a bit, Lily patted Elle's shoulder lightly, asking, "You gonna make it?"

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Elle proceeded to throw up the entire contents of her belly, and then some, until it became painful as the fluid leaking from her turned from digested food to yellow stomach acid. She moaned, replaying the scene of her new friend dispatching the shuffling woman in her head, which only caused the nausea to continue, until she had to lean against the brick building to keep from passing out on the sidewalk.

Everything hurt. Her chest hurt from indigestion caused from the vomiting. Her heart ached at the thought of the other soul that had been robbed of life. Her soul ached at the reveries of her own loss; the memories of her mother and father she had worked so hard at trying to push deep, deep down.
Witnessing what she had tonight was like a storm that broke the dam. All of the misery she’d been trying to ignore rained down on the young woman until she felt like she might drown in it.

Her nose was running and her azure eyes brimming with tears when Elle finally pulled herself up to stand and nodded an affirmative at Lily’s question. She wasn’t lying, she really would be alright, just not tonight…probably not for a few days. She imagined the nightmares that had kept her up since the death of her parents, the ones that had begun to come less and less, would make a reappearance; for the imagine of the execution that had just taken place in front of her eyes wasn’t soon to be forgotten.

Wiping the back of her hand across her leaky nose, Elle wrapped her arms around her middle as if to hold herself together. She swallowed thickly past the lump that remained in her throat and searched Lily’s face for something, anything that might scare her enough to run away. She could find none.
Elle didn’t understand what had just happened in there, and she probably didn’t want to understand it, but she felt an unexplainable bond with the female that was hard to fathom. THAT was the only thing she wanted to comprehend.

“Can we go somewhere Lily?” Elle asked, and was surprised at how small and young her voice sounded. “It’s so cold out here and I can’t quit shaking…” The blonde shook her unruly curls and let out a sigh as if she were about to say something she knew she would regret later. “Coffee…I think we both could use some coffee. And pie. Pie always makes me feel better...”

(( ...aaaand I figure this could be our out. Going to get coffee. OR you could take us out-- ooorrr...you could take us to the coffee shop. I'm easy, really. I just know that I'm gonna' be replying at the 'funeral' which might freak me out if I'm still in play wif her. ))

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily watched Elle's reaction, heartbroken.

It had been what she expected really. Hell, it had been the normal reaction that any sane person would have shown after seeing what poor Elle had just seen. Lily wished that it hadn't happened, she wished that Elle had listened to her and stayed behind, she wished she'd been a better hunter so that the poor kid back there might have lived...

But she'd learned a long, long time ago that wishing never really got you anywhere.

Lily wanted to comfort Elle, but in reality, what could she say? There was no way she could ever explain what had really happened back there, and no way she ever would anyway. Doing so would open Elle's eyes to what was really out there, and would more than likely destroy her innocence forever. Lily wouldn't be the one responsible for that, not ever. One of the reasons she hunted was so that other innocent people wouldn't get pulled into this life, so that they could remain blissfully ignorant about the goings on around them.

Wondering what the younger woman must think of her, Lily leaned back against the exterior of the building, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't sure if she should stay and make sure Elle was really alright, or should she just take off? The latter would probably be the smart choice; if she just left right now, then Elle wouldn't run the risk of getting too deeply into what was going on, and Lily wouldn't have to lie to answer the inevitable questions that the girl would ask. So, leaving was obviously the best choice.

But was it the right one?

After only knowing Elle for a short time, Lily felt strangely drawn to her. Admittedly, Elle reminded Lily a lot of herself, back when she'd been younger. The blonde was fun, and just refreshing to be around after spending so much time among hunters. And it was strange for Lily to watch her and wonder, if things hadn't gone the way they had in her life, would she have turned out like the waitress? It was definitely something to think about.

When Elle recovered at last and asked Lily if she wanted to go somewhere else, the hunter was taken aback. She really still wanted to be around her, even after what she'd just witnessed? Lily had no idea what Elle must think of her... Still, she knew that she didn't really want to leave, even though it might have been best. Lily liked Elle, and she could already tell that a real friendship was developing between them. Real friends were something that Lily didn't have a lot of, and she didn't want to throw this one away before it even really got off the ground.

"Yeah, I'd like that, kid," she said, smiling. "I"m sort of new around here, so if you've got a certain place in mind, let's go. I'm starving." Heading around the building to where her jeep was parked, Lily beckoned for Elle to follow after her. "C'mon. I'll drive."

Hopping in the jeep, she turned the key and waited for Elle. Once the slender blonde was seated beside her, Lily backed out and tore off down the street, her mind blessedly not focused on hunting for a change.

Well, for a little while anyway...

((Finished, then?))