Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "...or is you ain't my baby?"

Gavin Breckenridge (unchainedwolf) wrote in darkdividerpg,
@ 2015-03-27 17:01:00

Entry tags:

character: eli lasko, character: max lasko, character: raj lodi, date: 03.07.15

Shattered the lie but you think I don't already know,
Who: Eli, Max, and Raj
What: Getting the truth
When: March 7th, After this
Where: The Stumble Inn
Warnings: Language

Raj wasn't sure what he was going to find out as he walked back into the bar and grill, but he was going to get some answers. He found Eli fairly quickly and told him that he needed to speak to him and Max. Now. He left no room for argument and headed back to the office where he figured Max was. He knocked briefly, then opened the door, Eli following him into the room and closing the door behind him.

Elias shrugged at his brother when Max gave him that confused look. "Says he wants to talk to us both," he told Max. His eyes then went to Raj. "What's this all about, Raj?," he questioned.

"Have you ever killed someone?," he asked them, eyes moving from one man to the other. They could lie if they wanted to, but it would do little good for them to lie to him. "Tell me the truth."

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unchainedwolf
2015-03-27 10:56 pm UTC (link)

Raj's blood ran cold when Max started to explain. He wasn't sure what he thought might have been a good reason to kill people, but Raj wasn't satisfied with what he heard being any sort of good at all.

He immediately suspected this man of being another hunter, but he didn't know what to make of that. If he was a hunter of supernatural beings and knew he was a wolf, why hadn't he just killed him right then and there? He felt a little like a pawn in a game he didn't quite understand. He took a step backwards towards the door, mostly so he knew he had an evacuation route and to make sure that he could see both of the brothers instead of having his back to one of them.

"Some guy," he said simply. "Said his name was "Michael". He knew things about me. My family." He wasn't sure why he was even letting them know anything at all. Hunters. He'd heard the boogeyman-like stories over the years about hunters, but he'd never expected to have them masquerade as people he could trust. It made him sick to his stomach and it made him worry about his family. Max and Eli knew his family too.

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the_vagabond
2015-03-27 11:03 pm UTC (link)

No, it wasn't good at all. Max and Eli weren't proud of their pasts, and had tried to put it behind them. They had moved on, started actual lives. They should have known the past would catch up with them eventually. Max was far more worried than he let on. Especially for Jayne and Tabitha.

That was superbly unhelpful. "He say what he wanted?" Max asked. "This is important, Raj. Because we don't want you or your family caught in the middle." The werewolf was lucky to be alive if the guy knew that much about him.

Dammit.

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unchainedwolf
2015-03-27 11:08 pm UTC (link)

"Said he had "business" between himself and Eli. Wouldn't tell me what it was. Said it was between the two of them. Saw him in a vision or some shit like that. Said that he could see things... see what was close to a person's soul. He knew my name. Saw my sister, her kids. Told me to keep my nose out of it or I might get hurt." Recounting it made him feel more sick to his stomach than he wanted to admit. "Said he was Romany. Didn't have a home. That's really all that he said."

Eli remembered the man that Raj had been talking to at the counter. That familiarity about him that he just couldn't shake. "I saw him," he said. "Earlier, he came in for a drink," he explained to his brother. "Looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. Dark hair. Tan. What the hell kind of business does he have with me? I haven't talked to another hunter in... ages."

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the_vagabond
2015-03-27 11:14 pm UTC (link)

Romany? Max started wracking his brains for the term. The fact he said he had business with Eli made his gaze to go to his twin. "Wait, he had visions?" That could be good or bad. Especially the 'seeing what's nearest someone's soul'. "Yeah, well, he's right. You need to stay out of it and let us handle it." No matter who this hunter was, the young werewolf didn't need to get involved.

Dark hair, Romany, no home, visions. "Oh fuck," Max breathed when he put the pieces together. "It's the fucking Gypsy." Michael. "Mikhail." He didn't know if that was even the guy's name, but that was what people called him. "Fuck, Raj. You're lucky to be alive. He's insane. Even other hunters are afraid of him."

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unchainedwolf
2015-03-27 11:20 pm UTC (link)

Eli's face paled considerably. Max was right. It had to be Mikhail. The Gypsy. Nothing else made sense. He wasn't certain that Mikhail was his name either, but he knew exactly who his brother spoke of. But why did he have business with him? That part still didn't make sense. Eli nodded. "Max is right. You're lucky you're breathing. If you see him again, please tell us. I don't know what he's here for, but I can tell you it's nothing good."

Raj felt dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what to say or what to make of what he'd been told. "Insane?," he asked. The man had hinted that he could be insane, or leading him into a trap. He wondered if he'd been being completely truthful about that. "What are you going to do?"

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the_vagabond
2015-03-27 11:25 pm UTC (link)

There were a lot of rumors about Mikhail floating around hunter society, but no real facts. His mentor kept him isolated, Max didn't know anybody who actually ever met the Gypsy. But he was rumored to be everything from a mental patient Rich Johnston had trained to kill and locked in a cage, to a demon the old vampire hunter had bound to himself. While neither or both of those could be true or not, what he did know was that Mikhail was dangerous.

"Even better, avoid him," he added. As for what they were going to do, Max was still figuring that out. "He won't confront us at the bar. But we're gonna have to be careful until we know exactly what he wants with Eli." Maybe his brother's visions could help there. Not that they were reliable.

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unchainedwolf
2015-03-27 11:30 pm UTC (link)

Eli's attention turned to Raj. "If he wanted to hurt you, he would have. Just steer clear of him. If you see him somewhere, just go the other way. We'll handle it." He wasn't sure how, but they would have to figure it out. Fast. Eli was already worrying about April and Jayne. If Mikhail knew what he did about Raj and he wasn't a part of the situation, then there was no telling what else he had picked up by way of information.

Raj didn't know what to say. He was confused. Horrified that the man he'd been working for was a hunter - present tense or otherwise - and uncertain of what to do next. "Are you going to kill him?," he asked after a hesitation of a breath. He wasn't sure if he wanted that to happen or not. The fact that he had to ask the question at all made him feel ill.

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the_vagabond
2015-03-27 11:35 pm UTC (link)

Max nodded in agreement with his twin. "Thanks for telling us," he said to the young werewolf. "I know this is confusing and fucked up. But we didn't not tell you to hurt you. We've been trying to put that part of our lives behind us." Which he hoped was obvious since his wife was openly a witch and many of his personal friends were weres and witches.

That was a good question. "That depends on him," Max told Raj honestly. "If he tries to kill one of us or any of our friends or loved ones, we won't have any choice."

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unchainedwolf
2015-03-27 11:42 pm UTC (link)

Raj knew that Jayne was a witch, but it was still a lot to take in. His stomach was so hard and tight that he felt like there was some sort of brick sitting right in the middle of it. He nodded at the thanks, but he didn't know that he'd really done something good. It was hard to decide whether he'd helped someone or hurt someone. He didn't know Mikhail, but he was realizing that he didn't really know Max and Eli either. There were too many things that he didn't understand.

Elias let out a breath. "We don't want to kill anyone," he offered. "But sometimes we don't have a choice."

Raj looked between the brothers and, upon feeling more than a little overwhelmed, he turned and left the office. He didn't know what to say or what to do, but he did not want to be stuck in an enclosed space with two hunters either.

By the time the door shut behind him, Elias was already trying to pick his brain apart for reasons that Mikhail might want his attentions. "Do you think it's a trap?," he asked his brother. It wouldn't be beyond the man, they both knew that.

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the_vagabond
2015-03-27 11:50 pm UTC (link)

Max didn't try to stop Raj or explain further. If the werewolf really wanted answers, he'd come to him after he had a chance to digest the information. It was never easy to tell people and even harder for them to learn the truth. But Max had to protect his family. His wife, his brother, his unborn daughter. People might attack them in revenge for his sins.

He turned his attention to his brother. "I always think everything is a trap," he quipped without his usual humor. "That's why I'm still alive." Then he shrugged. "I don't know. I'd have to talk to the guy myself to figure out his angle. And even them, I can't guarantee it. Especially since we don't know shit about him."

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followthevision
2015-03-27 11:54 pm UTC (link)

That was the problem and Eli knew it. He let out a breath and sunk into the chair in front of his brother's desk. "You're going to have to warn Jayne," he said. "If he's crazy enough to approach Raj, there's no telling what he's going to do next. I'll have to tell April. Soon. They need to know to be on the look out for this guy."

He brushed his hair back from his face and shook his head. "I want to know what sort of business he wants me for," he said. "And why he didn't just come up to me for it. Feels like he was feeling out the place," he admitted. "Came in here, talked to Raj, it just seems out of place. There's something going on with this guy and we gotta figure it out fast."

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the_vagabond
2015-03-27 11:58 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah," he said. "I'll call her in a minute. She should be okay tonight though. She's at home and it's warded. Is April home?" They'd moved into the apartment Max and Jayne had lived in when they'd moved into their cottage.

Max thought for a moment. "Can we look at the security feed?" he said. "You said you saw him. At least we'll know what he looks like to warn the girls." He was confused why a hunter would tell a werewolf his plans. Especially if he was casing a place. It just didn't make sense.

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followthevision
2015-03-28 12:05 am UTC (link)

Eli checked his watch. "She should be," he said, nodding. "I'll text her to make sure." Not that he couldn't just run up the stairs to check. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to her to let her know to stay inside til he got there.

Turning his attention to Max again, he nodded and got up to grab his laptop from his bag. "Yeah," he said. "I can pull it up and we can see what all he did while he was here. I saw him talking to Raj at the bar, then Raj went after him when he left. I figured it was just an old boyfriend or something," he admitted. Pulling his laptop out of his bag, he flipped it open and turned it on so he could tap into the security feed for the video. "We can print out a picture for them so they know what to look for," he said.

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the_vagabond
2015-03-28 12:10 am UTC (link)

Max nodded, texting his wife to make sure she was home as well. Luckily, the weather had been bad enough his very pregnant princess had little interest in contending with ice and snow and was happy to stay home in front of the fireplace with a stack of old movies and her spoiled familiar while he was at work. He didn't want to make her panic, but he needed more answers before he spoke to her.

"Wait, he left and Raj followed him?" Max said. "Jesus, and I thought I took stupid risks..." He turned his attention to his brother's laptop. They had designed the security system so neither of them could defeat it. There was no way they didn't have have a picture of the guy.

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followthevision
2015-03-28 12:14 am UTC (link)

"I didn't know to stop him. He just headed out after him and I figured it was his turn for a break anyway, so I didn't say anything. I mean, the guy looked vaguely familiar, but I never figured it would be that crazy gypsy," Eli said as he brought up the security cameras and selected the right time frame.

"There," he said, shifting it a little on Max's desk and pressing play so he could watch Mikhail come into the bar. "There he is. The dark haired guy right there. Just goes right up to the bar and gets a drink. Wasn't even there for long," he said, tilting his head as he watched the interaction between Raj and the man. "Maybe we should start recording audio too," he muttered, shaking his head. That was practically impossible, though. The crowd would make most of it too mixed up to really be of use.

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the_vagabond
2015-03-28 12:22 am UTC (link)

Max shook his head. "Okay, there is no way he had enough time to tell Raj any of that," he said. "Fuck, I'd have considered killing him if followed me if I was casing a target." This was making less sense. "I don't get why he tried to warn off Raj."

He nodded. "Get a copy of that so we can email it to the girls," Max said. "Play it again." He was studying the Gypsy's body language, trying to learn as much as about him as he could. "From when he walked in. I'm trying to get a feel for him."

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followthevision
2015-03-28 12:38 am UTC (link)

"Raj has got to be out of his goddamned mind following people he doesn't know," he said, shaking his head and doing as his brother asked. First he got a copy downloaded into a file he could send to both of the girls, then he replayed the tape back once more so that Max could study Mikhail as he came into the bar and then eventually went back out again.

"I don't understand that part either," he said. "He could have just killed him. That would have got our attention just as well as sending him back in here," he said. "Do you think Raj will spill the beans about us?," he asked. "Maybe that's why he did it."

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the_vagabond
2015-03-28 01:05 am UTC (link)

That was an understatement. Max watched the hunter as he entered. The way he paused was telling. "He doesn't like crowds," he said. "You see the way he seemed almost overwhelmed?" That was something they could use in their favor. "Make sure there's always people around. That'll be a good deterrent."

He kept watching. "He's looking into that glass like he's watching something." For a long while. "Think he was having a vision?" he asked his twin. Eli knew more than Max did about that kind of stuff. "He looks uncomfortable. Raj might have been coming onto him pretty hard."

Max watched as the Gypsy got up with a few words and started expertly through the crowd. "He didn't think Raj was following him, I don't think," he said. "He didn't look back, or at any of the mirrors." Max rubbed his chin. "You got the outside feed too?"

He shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Killing or kidnapping him would have forced us to act directly. I don't know if he's baiting a trap or fucking with us or what. None of this makes sense."

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followthevision
2015-03-28 01:21 am UTC (link)

Eli listened as Max analyzed Mikhail. He nodded in agreement. The man didn't look comfortable at all. He looked like he wanted to get the hell out of the situation. "Yeah," he agreed. "Good idea. Spend a hell of a lot more time here in the crowds," he decided. It sounded like the best option to him.

"Might have been," he said. "Depending on what kind of visions he has, he may be able to control them. He took the glass from Raj. Maybe that's how he got a read on him?," he wondered aloud. "Could be one of those that has to have an object to get information." He was staring pretty hardcore at the glass, but Elias couldn't really say for sure why that was. He nodded. "Maybe," he said. "You know how Raj is."

That still didn't explain why Mikhail had let him live.

"Yeah," he said, flipping the visual to the outside cameras and winding them to the time when Mikhail left. They were aimed well enough to see down the street a decent way. "There he goes," he said.

"No," he agreed. "It doesn't. There's no one on the street. If he wanted to kill him, he could have done it a million ways right there."

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the_vagabond
2015-03-28 02:17 am UTC (link)

"You know more about touch-see than I do," he reminded his twin. Yeah, seeing the tape didn't make anything make more sense. "Maybe he is crazy. Which means predicting or understanding anything he does is going to be impossible."

Max shook his head. "We'll have Ebony watch out for this guy," he said. Their werebear bouncer knew they were hunters, so they could just tell her what's going on. "As for Raj, I'm not that worried. He's just confused now. He'll either come around or quit, but I'll give him a glowing referral because he deserves it. Either way, we've got bigger problems." In the form of a crazy Gypsy hunter with unknown powers. Fucking great.

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followthevision
2015-03-28 02:38 am UTC (link)

Eli let out a breath. "That's about the only thing that makes sense with him touching the glass like that. He looked like he was zoned out for a minute there. Kind of like how I feel when I have a vision. Everything else disappears around me and I can't focus on the here and now. I'd bet that he's got some sort of powers like that. Probably a lot more focused than my own," he told his brother. Seeing the future was different than seeing details of the past or details about a person through things that they touched. "He probably is crazy, but that just makes the whole thing worse," he agreed, shaking his head. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place, that was for damn sure.

Elias took a minute to put the file on a pair of jump drives, offering one to Max and keeping the other for himself. "When you get home, show that to Jayne and explain whatever you want to explain. I'll do the same with April. Until then, there isn't much we can do but try and figure out what he wants."

As for Raj, he hoped that it was the former and that the guy wouldn't quit, but honestly he wouldn't blame him if he did. "Definitely got bigger problems," he muttered. "And the shift isn't even over. I'll do some calling, see if I can find out any more information on this guy," he said. If I find anything else out, I'll let you know."

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