Where Demons Hide

[Kitty Love]

(( Before you join... I'm looking for Euclide to reply, Zi wants Juk to see what Demons are like up close, lol ))



Palabizikorna, being the busy little Missionary that she was, had decided to take this day of no rounds to train her young Pope to be. He needed to be exposed to the demons first hand, especially with more tales of the "Red Dragon" circulating the city. She'd been all over this particular city and knew all the favored spots of most of those deplorable creatures and she knew most higher ranked demons did not tread on the grimy cobblestones of the alleyways. They were dirty, smelt rather odd, or even foul in some places, and held the heavy aura of bad luck. It was the perfect place to begin for surely some scruffy Euclide was lurking this eve.

Zi lead Jukaestus further into the alleys, the two of them looking rather out of place with their colorful, well groomed coats, but she didn't mind. This was all for the betterment of her offspring and she'd accompany him to Hell and back if that's what it took. She peered over her shoulder to see if he were still following or not.

Jukaestus was not all that thrilled with this outing and the feeling of grime beneath his paws made his lip curl in a disgusted fashion. He did not even want to begin to know what he could possibly be walking over at this present point in time, it was disgusting enough without any idea. This was not proving to be anything like he'd first expected it to be... but he trusted his mothers judgment and went along with it in silent dismay.

[Nathalia]

The Masquerade smiled as she walked slowly back to her room. She hummed softly to herself as she swung her hips back and forth with every other step. That Atreju was just too good! She loved paying him visits on nights like this, when everyone else was having a varied amount of problems, so that the two of them could rub their pleasure in the faces of the others.

At least the trio of Lapines hadn't broken in this time...that had been perfectly horrific...

Her long, thin legs moved her along quickly and she soon reached the door of one of her most loyal servants. Her smile slowly and suddenly dissipated. There was a note, stabbed onto a rusted nail in the soft wood of the crooked door. She reached up an elegant, purple scaled paw and tugged the note down.

M'Lady, Furl and I are just heading out to pick up some food for tonight; you said you wanted something fresh for those two foxes, since they decided to stay and all... So we'll be back and bring a human for a jolly good party, eh? Return soon. ~Mulsej

The grin slowly began to tug at the corners of Dayobi's beak once more. It looked like dinner would be sooner than she had thought. Dear Mulsej...he always knew just what she wanted. A knack he had used well to keep himself in her Cast...much less her Court. He would always surprise her with his resourcefulness.

Turning she began to trot back down the hallway from whence she had come, perhaps Atreju was still awake? Only one way to know for sure... Grinning devilishly, she stalked away.
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Chunk! Scraaaappeeeee! Draaaaaaaaag!

Chunk! Scraaaappeeeee! Draaaaaaaaag!

The sound echoed strangely in the dark night. It sounded heavy, hollow, and fleshy. The sound moved slowly down the alleyways, accompanied by a muffled wheezing and soft, excited mumbling.

The Euclides pulled himself around the corner and stopped. He was truly a terrible sight. His red and grey fur was matted and thin with age. His lips hung loosely from his mouth, revealing pointed yellow teeth and rotted black gums. Thick ropes of saliva hung from his maw, constantly slipping from his rubbery lips to further complicate the mats in his chest fur.

His back legs were the cause of most of the noise, they were practically non-existent. One showed a badly splintered length of bone, the other was no more than a pulpy mass of loose flesh. The creature’s forelegs had barely fared better. They looked as though they had been skinned and covered in onion paper.



Mulsej, for indeed it was he, cocked his head to the side; certain he had heard footsteps...definitely not Furl either. He listened hard, and picked them up again, coming around the next alley. He moved as quietly as he could and peeked around the corner...

The colors nearly dazzled him...Amuni. Smiling, he glanced upward. He caught, at the very edge of his vision, a darting shape. Furl was there to back him up. They'd never hear Furl coming with his owl-like silence, it didn't matter if Mulsej made noise, someone would have his back so he didn't mind.

Chatting with Amuni was fun. He loved it. Hauling himself upright, he heaved his way into the open.

"Whell, 'ello, loves. Wha'cha' doin' out 'ere on thish lovely nigh', eh?" His voice was thick, deep, raspy, and pained. He grinned and stuck out a paw. "Name's Mulsej, 'ow de yeh do?"

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The Carrion moved slowly from rooftop to rooftop, his large black wings made no noise as he caught the slight wind and watched the old Torn below him move into the alley. His voice joined the three others that were laughing inside of his head. No sound was made, but an internal conversation carried on.

"Bold, isn't he? Are we planning to watch his back?"

"Heh, of course we are, what would the dear Lady say if we lost her pet?"

"Point to you, then. Furl? Shall we go down?"

The Chiroptae smiled, teeth clenching around the stem of a thick pipe.

"No..." He whispered in his own mind. "Let's see what old Mulsej pulls first, then we'll go play."

[Jenn]

After an unpleasant wake-up in the middle of the night several months back, Maskaeinji had avoided sleeping in alleyways as much as possible, sticking to the outdoors and abandoned buildings, of which there were several he could take advantage of. A pile of discarded rags and fabric that served as a nest for several dozen rats had caught his attention in one alley earlier in the day, however, and he decided to snuggle up in it for the night. It was almost comforting, feeling their little bodies wriggling through the filth around him, claws occasionally catching at his skin. Hopefully some of the fleas on him would take the hint and transfer hosts before the night was through.

He heard footsteps every now and then as the scum of the city passed him by, completely ignoring the unassuming trash heap. They were lucky he wasn't hungry, else one of them would have made a convenient snack. Dozing lightly, a new sound caught at his attention, the quiet noise of shifting metal. Mildly curious, he nosed himself a peep-hole in the rags and caught sight of a brilliant blue form, her silvery armor catching the dim light and gleaming.

Amuni? Here? Probably another missionary, come to offer charity to the homeless and pathetic poor of the city.

He would have ignored her presence, and that of the youngling he soon noticed behind her, if not for a gratingly familiar voice that caught his ears even through his muffling shield. He rolled his eyes in bland amusement, wondering if the old Torn was out hunting Amuni with backup or if he really was just that stupid. Sometimes he couldn't tell. If things turned ugly, however, he'd feel obliged to step in and see that nothing happened to the geezer. They were drinking buddies now, after all.

[Kitty Love]

Rounded auditories twitched and swivelled at the bizarre sound, bone and something fleshy on the streets. Instict told her to be mroe aware now, demons were usually the only ones to, um, fall apart, although in her days she'd seen quite a large array of shameful and gut wretching things from her own kind as well. Amuni were nowhere free from sin, and some Demons were actually mildly pleasant, she wasn't ignorant, but they were still tainted. She'd taken the lives of Euclide and Amuni alike for trangressions that were unforgivable, not just for being what they were. That is where she and Kaerjius differed in views, and she kept Euclide contacts in some areas, it helped monitor populations and the like.

Her expression did not falter when the old Torn came into veiw, his ill fortune in aging nothing compared to what she'd recently seen, however, having her son nearby, she raised her guard a bit, even an old Torn Euclide might be able to pull one over the boy.

Jukaestus, however, had not learned the skill of keeping a blind eye on such things and when he caught sight of Mulsej his lip curled involuntarily. Demons actually LIVED like that? He shook out his fur, clearin hsi head, and adopted a more neutral facial expression. He had been taught that death was a beautiful, cleansing thing and decay, being part of that cycle, was also beautiful and benefitted hte lands. He suddenly had a million questions for this Torn, but kept his mouth shut, not knowing exactly what he was suppossed to do.

Palabizikorna continued ot be undaunted by the old torn and even extended a paw ot him, she was on his territory and would be the kind Missionary for now, unless he made a false move on her boy, then things would change.

The boy has yet to see a Euclides up close and I knwo the alleys usually bring more... agreeable company.I am Palabizikorna, and this is Jukaestus.

Juk peered at Mulsej and tilted his head to the side inquisitively. His siblings would certainly hear about this later, perhaps even that little Amuni he'd met when he snuck out.

[Nathalia]

Mulsej grinned delightedly and shook the lady's colorful paw. It wasn't often that others actually went through the motions of pleasantries with him. He quickly attempted to be a bit more gentlemanly, as opposed to the leering and jeering type of fun, it seemed he would be having an actual conversation...he loved those too.

"Cor, yew've got some pretty an' fancy names." He sad, cheerily, releasing her paw. "Ah, dew love long names, though Ah tend tae ferget 'em...yeh got nicknames?"

He glanced at the boy and grinned, attempting not to look scary...but aware that he did. Oh for the days when he had been young...

"Yeh've got a nice kid, Ah've never 'ad any...prob'ly wouldn't be any good, eh?" He chuckled a bit, voice sounding like sandpaper ragged over a rotting limb. "So, s' yer first time seein' one ahf us, eh?" He asked the boy. "Yeh got any questions, m'lad?"

As he was asking, he reached a paw into his leather satchel. "Ere', Ah don' know iffin' yer Mum'll let yew 'ave this, an' yew aske 'er first, mind yew. Buht Ah know little uns lahke shiny things..." He paused and then pulled out a silver bracelet with three tiny purple bells attached to it. "At least, the little bunnies seem tae like 'em. Allus tryin' tae find more."

He laughed again, and handed it toward Jukaestus.



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Furl leaned on a protruding window frame, watching the goings on and puffing away on his pipe. His companions making snide remarks about Mulsej in his head as they watched him interact with the Amuni.

"Why the Hell's he always nice to 'em?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe he wishes he was one!"

"That worthless old mop? No, he just likes pretty things."

"Hahaha! Yeah, that's why he follows the Lady Dayobi all over, hoping to get a piece of her!

"Well, we all know that'll never happen...what do you think of all this, Furl?"

The Chiroptae blew out a puff of smoke and watched the old Torn smile at the pair. "I think he's got a way with people...and it's not doing us any harm, if anything it's doing some good. Look at that child...does it remind you of anyone?"

"What? No... not really..."

"By Dark, but you're right Furl...do you think they're siblings?"

Furl smiled, smoke curling around his muzzle. "Wait for the pleasantries to be exchanged and we'll find out..."

[Kitty Love]

Zi, remembering what she was speaking with, bit back the usual nickname, and title that she gave others, The Avenger wasn't exactly a pleasant name to give one whose fellows you've slain in the past so she merely gave him the very short version of her name that she rather liked, but not many in the Church used. "By some I am called Zi.' Twas very short, sweet and simple. Her short, feline like tail swished slightly, that onyx cross setting into a pendulum motion before slowly stopping again, sometimes she just had to move, but stepping away would be rather rude so she'd just twitch her tail every now and again, it was a rather feline like quality anyhow.

She turned her head to Jukaestus, expecting him to make his own introduction this time, which he did, feeling a bit bolder now. Well... my sister calls me Juk... He still wasn't sure about that nickname, it just didn't pleasantly roll off the tongue. He'd just have to think of something better someday and make sure she used it, one way or another. He WAS bigger then she was after all.

At the speak of him being best not having children, well she thought that was a good idea but then again her opinion was a little biased. I've actually encountered one that once he ages a bit will be worse off then you, a young Torn Agony cross, he's quite am mess even as a young adult.

As he pulled a trinket from his bag and offered to him, Juk tilted his head in canine curiosity, it certainly was a pretty trinket but then again he wasn't sure if something from a euclides was proper for an up and coming pope to posses. Zi however, hadn't heard of anything terribly tricky or dangerous coming from such a trinket, and her instincts weren't' telling her it was a bad idea, thus she nodded her head to her boy and turned her attention to the old Torn. He can have it, if you swear your life it isn't rigged in any manner... if it is my friend, the wrath of Amunuku shall be upon you swiftly.

[Nathalia]

The old Torn smiled at them, keeping his lips closed so as not to drool excessively, sometimes he really hated his type...it made it so hard to seem presentable...and yet sometimes it could be so fun...ah, well, such was life.

"Zi an' Juk, eh? Ah think Ah kin remember tha'." He scratched at his chin and listened as Zi appeared to be allowing her son the trinket. His ruined ears perked at her warning. He shrugged and actually looked slightly disappointed.

"Nah, Ah don' 'ave any great powahs. All Ah got is mahself, S' nothin' more than a pretty bracelet, yeh 'ave mah word." He handed it over to the boy, the small bells ringing softly. "S'not lahke it'd be smart ahf me tae lie anywhay, t'wouldn't be hard tae find me, ah know mah looks are easy tae spot."

He nodded at the mention of the Torn Agony mix. "Ah, yeah. She's been 'angin' around lately. Cute little bugger, but ain't got much in the way ahf life, 'er dad's a proper wreck, an' no mistake." He turned back to Juk, and extended a paw as though to give him leeway to speak.

"Sah, lad. What'chew wanna know about us demons, eh?"
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The Chiroptae watched as the boy took the trinket. Hmm...Far more accepting than that pretty feline had been, but she had seemed off anyway.

He laughed inwardly at the idea of Mulsej possessing an enchanted item, the idea was laughable...and therefore probably a fantastic thought...he have to be sure to mention t to his lady later. He curled a wing tighter to his side in order to better fit into his surroundings, no need for the Amuni to know of his presence yet. He inhaled the smoke from his pipe and considered the situation.

Let them talk a bit more, perhaps even let the old Torn leave...then he would speak to the pair.

[Kitty Love]

Jukaestus gingerly took the offered trinket, fumbling with it for a bit, not wanting it to touch the grime that was below his paws thus he mimicked his mother and placed it upon his yellow tufted tail the bells jingling all the while. Did Euclides really posses trinkets that cause cause another harm? Did anyone? It was a rather amusing thought, but he figured it possible considering his father's rather... extreme form of punishment. Jukaestus erased that thought as it was unpleasant and made him feel like a bad follower of Amunuku, and a bad son to boot. Even his sister had proven to be a demon hunter in the making, but he wasn't quite certain, not all the way.

Merely a warning Mulsej, the most surprising things can come from the most unlikely sources. Auditories swiveled back a bit at the jingling racket Juk made and she was mildly surprised at how calm he was being in the face of one of the demons even after she and Kaerjius had filled his head with many a tale, it was almost worrisome. Then again, Mulsej wasn't exactly threatening, so it was hard to judge. She, herself, wasn't being very offensive either, so she shouldn't judge anyhow.

As another question was asked of him, or rather re-asked as he'd missed it before, he peered at his mother and then at the old fellow before him. He took a moment to think and then, in his quiet little voice, asked the most pressing question he had. Are you angry at Yuukuj at all for dealing you such misfortune?

[Nathalia]

Mulsej smiled and shrugged at Zi's words...he had never seen anything special or unexpected come out of anyone unless they were somehow important...but he supposed you saw many things when you were in an order like theirs.

He watched the lad slip the decoration onto his tail, pleased that he had accepted the gift...unlike the other. He had never imagined that the Amuni could be so different ...he had always imagined them to all be pious hunters of his kind, but in the last few weeks. He had seen that they were just as varied as the Euclides, which was slightly unnerving...at least these two appeared sane...for now.

He perked up and turned back to the lad to attend to his question, and what was asked surprised him. The old Torn paused, paw to mouth, thinking.

"Whell, lad. M' not sure." He scratched at his chin, and then at the bare folds of flesh on his stomach. "Ah guess ahm not too pissed, ah mean...when yeh think ahf some ah the others, 'n how bad they 'ave it." He shrugged at somewhat of a loss.

"Ah kin tell yeh that there are some what are 'oorible pissed at Yuukuj fer what 'es made us inter, there are some what'd wan' tae kill 'im fer it. Yeh know, lahke the Sins an’ pra’ps the Annihalations…they’re allus pretty angry." He curled his paws slightly and looked at the ground.

"Sure there's also some ahf us what'd be Amuni iffin' we could, lad." He looked at them smile sardonic. "Iffin' ah thought ah could change an' actually git summat outta it, Ah'd go ahead an' do it. Buht Ah know it won' change wha' Ah ahm or where ah'm goin'. Then ther's some ahf us what makes the best ahf what we are, some don' even know who Yuukuj is, at all, y'ken?"

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Furl smiled, large ears picking up on the conversation. His grin widened as he thought of the group that Mulsej was faltering touching upon...the Euclides who reveled in being what they were. Those who thanked Yuukuj for letting them be what they were... He was more of the "don't know, don't care" persuasion. But it really didn't matter; nothing they did could change anything, so why care?

Eyes flicking about in their sockets, he continued to listen to the conversation of the group below, while trying to block out the arguments in his mind.

[Kitty Love]

Zi was mildly curious to the answer to this question as well, kind of surprised that that would be his opening question. She'd never thought to ask that of a Euclides, and it was a good question. however,r her years and experiences lead her down the path of the non-believer when she heard his answers, but she wouldn't express this. It was best to keep most negativity to ones self when not on a level playing field... she was certain there were other demons lurking nearby, she just couldn't place them. However she wasn't even fully aware if it was paranoia or truth, but she did have that itch of being watched, possibly from above. Curious.

Juk tilted his head to the side, over sized auditories perking forward so he could fully absorb the old torn's answers, plus he was mildly hard to understand, amuni tended to speak rather clearly and he wasn't used to anything else. He stored each answer in the back of his ind after mulling it over a bit, making sense of it. He'd been told of blasphemous Amuni that wandered the streets wishing to cast aside their allegiances to Amunuku, so why couldn't a euclides want to do something similar?

However, he couldn't quite grasp the concept that there were some who didn't even know of their own god, even if he was the mortal enemy of his own. How could you just not know who your creator was and be at peace with that? He tilted his head to the other side and spoke again. How do some not know of their god?

[Nathalia]

Mulsej couldn't help but laugh at the boy's surprise.

"Ahahaha! Keh, yeh nevah 'eard ahf a non-believer, m'lad?" He shook his head, still chuckling. "Most ahf us is ahf the pop'lar opinion tha' there en't nah Gods at all, an' tha' those who think there ah, ah jus' insane. Some'll even kill yeh iffin' yeh suggest it."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Then they go an' 'ave kids an' nevah teach 'em abou' any Gods...so they nevah know abou' 'em." He looked at Zi's expression and felt the hair on the back of his neck tingle slightly...that probably meant Furl was about somewhere. He returned his attention to the boy.

"Some jus' don' buy it. They've nevah seen any Gods, sah they feel tha' there mus' nah be any, see? They think their parents made 'em, nah some God. Tha's usually th' Puppet Masters, they don' lahke thinkin' ahf anyone bein' over them."

He looked at the two of them, eyes roving the bright colors. "Yeh two ah good 'uns, yeh don' judge too 'ard. Heh, the las' un ah met wanted tae bite mah head off. Yeh know why? Cause ah was too close to the Park path where humans run." He rolled his eyes. "Ah live ther, s'not like ah kin jus' poke ahf somewhre else, ah can't git very fah. Yew two ah more pleasant, lahke tha' gal...Biatriste. Pra'ps yeh know 'er?"

_-------------------------------------------------------------


Furl's eyes swiveled around to each maggot's hiding spot on his body as they spoke in his mind.

"Shouldn't we just interrupt? We're getting bored here, Furl..."

"Speak for yourself, I love watching the old man try his paw at politeness, look at him try. It's almost endearing."

"Well, now that we know your taste runs toward slovenly old men..."[/i]

"Oh shut up, please."

"Don't either of you ever get tired of bickering?"

"No..."

"Not really..."

The Carrion smiled, keeping himself still. "Fear not, boys, we'll head down soon."

[Kitty Love]

They didn't judge to hard? If he knew who her mate was, and what church she was from he may sing a different tune. She was judgmental, she'd given the Euclides a chance once and look at what they'd done. They'd killed her mentor and ran her family from it's home and over took their church after breaking a sacred truce. She'd rather be putting this creature out if it's misery then be having a pleasant conversation but Juk was here, and she felt those eyes, so she would merely continue to play her part.

Jukaestus, however, was absorbing everything the old mustildae was saying, throwing out bits he just couldn't believe at ll and filing the rest away in his mind, and coming up either theories and even more questions. this outing was rather fun, actually, and he was glad they'd come across a pleasant demon rather then an unagreeable one otherwise he wouldn't be able to expand his knowledge so. He had big paw prints to fill and he wanted to be the best he could be one day and figured this was helping tremendously. Perhaps that's why Yuukuj curses you all so? you don't believe in him and he just... doesn't care anymore? Or perhaps he's a malevolent god and merely likes to see his creations suffer... so many things to ponder... so many things... he was, however, beginning to appreciate Amunuku more then ever.

To Mulsej's question on if one called Biatriste was known, Zi shook her head. "I haven't had the time to associate with many locals outside my own church. I only know of three by name." Two of which were fellow missionaries, even on was terribly, terribly questionable in his allegiances and the other a very odd Patchwork Priest she'd grown up with.

[Nathalia]

Mulsej noticed Zi's eyes become slightly distant and icy, putting his nerves on edge...had he made her angry? He shifted uncomfortably and trained his attention back on Juk in time to catch the next question.

"Whell, Ah suppose tha's a grand conclusion, en't it?" He mused, paw to lip, tapping slightly. "Ah guess tha' would piss off anay creatah, fer yeh tae bother makin' summat, only to 'ave most ahf 'em spit on the idea ahf yeh?...Yeah, tha' makes sense, lad."

He shrugged and grinned. "Ah think 'e may jus' be kinna an ass, though." He muttered, almost as an aside. "Even us wha' believes in 'im 'e treats poorly. Wha' abou' tha' poor li'l tron agony, eh? She's a sweet lil' thing, yeh ken, she believes in 'im. An' 'e don' do anythin' fer her..."

He shrugged again. "Ah'm at a loos on any more ah tha', lad. Ah can't explain 'is motives any more'n yew kin. Eh, though mayaps we're lost 'cause most don' care, we jus' kinna move on wit' it. May'aps 'e figures tha' iffin we can deal, then why do anythin' abou' it?"

He turned to regard Zi. "Ah, I din't really think yeh woulda known 'er...she keeps tae 'erself. Nice gal, though. Iffin' yeh find 'er, try an' elp 'er, she's 'ad some prahblems, yeh ken." He scratched at his neck ruff, it itched terribly...he hoped it wasn't going to fall off any time soon...

"Any way, mos' ahf us demons, ain't 'alf as bad as we're made out tae be...at least, not by my standards, though ah reckon they 'ent too gewd..."

A dark shape dropped quickly down behind the old Torn, it made no noise, not even when it hit the ground. A tall, red and black brindled Carrion stared down at the Amuni. His teeth were gently held together around the stem of a pipe, his eyes flicked rapidly from side to side, though his overall expression was pleasant.

"Good evening, all." He made a sweeping bow; wings extended to the Amuni, then leaned against a wall, smiling genteelly

"No need to trouble yourselves...I'm the only other. I was just making certain you weren't going to maul my friend any further than he is already. Perhaps I can add to the conversation?"

The Chiroptae grinned, eyes still flickering. "For instance, my friend has yet to cover the ideas behind those Euclides who enjoy being what they are, haven't you, Mulsej?"

[Kitty Love]

Zi monitored the conversation with her ears whilst her eyes examined the area. There were signs of the demons everywhere from claw marks in the grime and tufts of fur to even what she believed to be some remains of a previous meal hidden amounts some of the trash. Such detestable things they were... surely forsaken beasts with no purpose. However perhaps this one.. .wait... two... could be useful in a pursuit of hers. Wait... two?

The appearance of the other brought her attention fully back to the demons before them a soft growl finding it's way from her throat. She knew that others were near by and how could she accept that these two were all? They probably had reinforcements waiting just in the shadows.

Juk however, watched the Carrion land without any sort of concern. Really, if he'd wanted to harm them he could of done it already, seeing how silent his decent had been. Well, that's what he figured anyway, Euclide could possibly work in strange ways, he wasn't entirely sure. He was still mulling over the things the torn had said and now another came to volunteer more information? Odd.

He peered up at Zi, seeing as she was becoming steadily more aggitated... at least it wasn't Father, he had quite the temper on him when it came to the enemy. Kaerjius would have already burned the Torn, no questions asked, much less this newcomer. Come to think of it...

He looked over the Carrion and cocked his ears halfway backward. He'd heard mention of this one before. "You were the one who was at the Church aren't you?"

[Nathalia]

Mulsej jumped with fright as Furl suddenly began speaking behind him. He whipped his head around to see that it was actually the Carrion behind him, he then tuned back slowly at the sound of Zi's growl...

"Ah, nahw, Furl... pr'aps we shoul' jus' git goin', eh?" He looked nervously back at Zi, she had narrowed her eyes in suspicion...and he wasn't looking to die...

The Carrion snickered, smoke pouring from the pipe and his nostrils. He looked up at the Amuni again, his eyes darting about in their sockets; they were almost a blur.

"Yes, young sir. I was indeed the one at the Church." He turned to Zi and looked into her eyes, his own freezing; he looked straight at her...then at Juk. He grinned. "Dear Lady," He murmured to Zi. "Am I correct in guessing that you are the wife of the great and terrible Kaerijius?"

He turned slightly to watch his companion's face pale...Mulsej looked as though vomiting wasn't too far out of the question.

"If you are...Then I believe I've had the pleasure of meeting your daughter, as well. My what a diverse family you all are..."

He gazed down at Juk. "You and your sister both have the right ideas about us demons...you know?" He blew out a ring of smoke, eying Zi. "We're as different from each other as you all are... We all have traitors and thieves in our midst... Some of us can be good enough to be trusted, while many of us can't. Just as some of your own are betrayers and evil doers. Just as some of your own will go out of their way to live with us in the hopes of a better life."

Mulsej nodded, he too had seen the evidence of that. He shuffled his paws slightly, growing more nervous.

"But yes, dear boy..." Furl continued. "I was the one at your church, you'll note I took care not to harm anyone. Even though they gave me a less then welcoming introduction. I am not here to hurt, or to hunt. I am here to make a living for myself and the few friends I have."