Not Until We Are Lost

"Well, the hits just keep on coming." Jack laughed as she woke up again in some place new. She would have preferred waking up with a certain dancer, or even alone curled up in a comfy bed. Waking up on a couch that seemed a little too much somehow, fully dressed, in a room that was airy and bright and all too sweet and perfect was not her ideal. It was almost like the resort, yet not.

"Hey." She looked to the side, seeing a very familiar face. The hunter reached out and lightly swatted the werewolf's thigh. Jack didn't think he'd mind, seeing as she'd spoken before touching him. Hitting werewolves without a warning was probably a bad idea. "Wake up, sparky. Stop dreaming about your librarian babe. We got somewhere new to explore." She felt pretty good, and the newness said adventure! She needed a little bit of adventure and maybe a little intrigue. It was time to do something more than feel warm and fuzzy. She might have needed some action, in almost any form she could get it.

"If you don't wake up, I will molest you, and we both know where that ends up." She laughed, moving a little closer to the sleeping fellow, if he was really sleeping.

Jack was concerned about the dancer and Diana - she hadn't seen that woman in a while. Yet, she could handled the concern, seeing as she had an expert finder right beside her. Now to get him up and going.

Jack stretched out and sat straight up when her feet hit something soft and squishy. It was disorienting to feel so very warm and cozy when she'd gotten used to the dry, hard ground that was pretty damn cold at night. There was a scent of...something familiar. This was not a shifter preserve.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Jack mumbled to herself as she crawled almost reluctantly out of bed. The thing begged for her to stay; the soft knit pjs weren't helping. With a soft sigh, she started looking through the small cabin. There were times she really wanted to wake up without needing to go through a new living situation. The aliens could leave her things in a bag at least.

"Nothing can be...ooooh." She paused as she saw what was waiting for her behind door number two - her closet. "Jackpot. Okay, I will forgive you for now." Her Army surplus jacket was right there. So were other things, but the jacket really was all that mattered for the moment. And the boots. Jacket and boots and jeans. Only thing that would have made it all better was a certain Hunter and weapons.

Jack took a quick shower even though she felt rather clean. Maybe because she felt clean - she didn't want to know who had gotten her to her particular state of cleanliness and attire. No. A quick shower, some quick dressing, with a little bit of snacking from the fridge - if they weren't supposed to eat it, they should have been warned dammit - Jack was ready to go.

She got as far as opening the front door to step out. There was what looked like fresh snowfall on the walk, and there were little people walking around. Actually they were dancing around, all singing the same song. They seemed to be winding down; it certainly had that end of a musical number feel to it.

"Well, shit."

He woke up naked.

Again.

Evan very carefully assessed his surroundings before he decided to move. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby, and there was no overwhelming smell of blood indicating that he'd slaughtered poor, innocent petting zoo creatures again. He slowly sat up and had a look. His nose filled with the scents of others. Other animals that were just animals, but other animals who were more along the lines of himself. A quick glance informed the new wolf that he'd been left with absolutely nothing.

Slowly, he stood. Slowly, he brushed himself off. He was waiting for some kind of trap to be sprung, if he was completely honest with himself. Or for somebody to come out of the foliage, laughing and holding a video camera. Allowing his senses to do their thing, he eventually realized that he was alone in the immediate vicinity.

The only thing to do, then, was walk. And walk he did. He passed a strange sign in Latin that gave him some information that made him more than a little uneasy. It rolled through his head again and again. Why would anybody do that? What was the point? Was he a zoo animal now? He hoped they got fed regularly.

A breeze lifted up and two peculiar scents. They were mixed up in with human things. Evan guessed that they had to be like him somehow. They were close by. Evan, quite boldly, stepped into the path so that they could see him.

The pirate ship hadn't been as bad as Diana had first imagined. Long voyages were a common thing to her people, large ships a familiar sight. She also believed firmly in helping where she could, doing anything in her power to ensure people remained safe and she felt responsible for each and every person she came in contact with. She didn't have to feel that way, nobody told her that it was her responsibility but she wasn't the type to just sit back and let something happen without stepping in to prevent it. Between her and Clark, Diana knew the ship would be safe.

Her descent from the Crow's Nest was an easy one, flight made so many things possible. By the time she had gotten to her quarters to sleep, it was only a few moments later. She collapsed in to her sheets and dozed heavily. It was an energetic task keeping clear focus on the waters. But something changed in the duration of her slumber and when she awoke it was different. Everything was different. No longer was she in pirate garb, she was now clad in more modern attire. Clothes she was used to seeing on people in cities like Metropolis for instance. She sat up, pushed the sheets back and cursed Hades probably a little bit louder than she had intended.

But she was alone. A glance around the area told her that she was all by herself in some unfamiliar quarters. The arrangement of the place was simple, it reminded her of modern abodes some called apartments. The floor plan was open, connected together by rooms. Only a door separated the bathroom from the rest of the place. That seemed the only private enclosure. Even the one bedroom was open some to the social areas. A counter blocked part of the kitchen space. There was an oven, a microwave, a refrigerator. Dishes in the cabinets. Utensils in the drawers. Tables and chairs.

On the desk in her bedroom was a laminated ID badge with a lanyard. Apparently she was employed at this place. A Physical Education instructor. She could handle that but it was still very strange. Her closet held modern clothes in a style that suited her. Even her costume was there, complete with her lariat, bracers and tiara. That was a relief.

Dressing in a pair of athletic shorts that stopped at her mid-thigh, a tank top and a track jacket that she left unzipped, Diana placed her lanyard around her neck and ventured out to explore.

All around her there were teenagers and young adults in various stages of activity. Some sat alone studying or reading, listening to music or drawing. Some sat in groups, talking and laughing. Diana knew none of the faces though she was earning attention of any one she passed by. The unfamiliarity was unsettling and she hoped that she had not strayed too far from the rest of the group.

Narrowing her eyes the Goddess paused on a small grassy knoll, placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the area of the quad to search for anyone she might recognize.

A hard breath.

Diana squinted her eyes closed tightly for a moment as she inhaled a sharp breath.

When she forced her eyes to open again her vision was at first a blur. Then it was met with sunlight creeping through a porthole in the wall. It was unlike the window she had been so used to seeing, the quadruple panes of glass that made up the beachside view...

A push from the bed and she sat up slowly, mindful of the feeling that something hovered over her head. Her eyes tilted from the window, upward, and she beheld a series of wooden slats with what seemed to be a mattress atop. There was a body there, above her. She could hear the twist and turn of the last remnants of sleep.

Not far beside them another warm body lay restless.

Diana didn't like this at all. Not in the slightest.

They weren't in the resort, this felt safer than that. And the gentle rocking motion suggested that there was a ship of some sort instead of actual ground. Diana knew ships of all sorts, her own people had built such vessels for travel. She was quite familiar with them.

Sitting up, the tall warrior goddess minded the slats and she realized the strange garb she was wearing. It was unlike her usual attire, though somehow she had managed to keep her bracers and the tiara. What had become of her lariat, however, was a good question indeed.

"By Hera..." She breathed, tugging at the tight fitting clothes, the miles of skirting rumpled and coursing up her legs as she moved. What was this trickery?

Evan was upset about what had happened with Niks. It shouldn't have gone down that way. He was unnerved by her willingness to jump into the sack. Not because he minded it, or thought that women shouldn't be that way, but because it wasn't her. He felt like if they'd done just that, that she would have regretted it. For one reason or another, she wouldn't have been happy about what had happened.

The one thing he did not want to do while in this current mood was run into Simon. The fairy would suss out that there was something wrong and find a way to figure out what it was. Then he would mock Evan for being an idiot. Possibly while incredibly angry that she would want to do such a thing with such a lowly creature as a werewolf. The fairy had stated that things had changed since Evan had been manipulated, but Evan didn't feel like they had changed enough to get the fairy to like him. In fact, he felt like it might have made things worse. Evan was no longer a pathetic, short lived human.

He was actual competition.

He skulked around in the restaurant for a little while, then found his way to the bar. Happily soused in a short amount of time, Evan decided to wander around the grounds for a little while, get a better feel for what kind of situation everyone was in.

For the most part, it was all pretty peaceful and nice. He wondered if they would get to stay here long.

Evan was looking at the big clear sky while he walked, his nose picking up various scents, most of them lovely - even the gross ones that his human nose wouldn't have enjoyed very much.

"Yes!" Jack fistpumped the air as she stood in the window. "Yes! Finally! Fuckin' a!" She didn't care that she was standing in little more than a tanktop and boy's shorts. She bounced a bit longer before settling down. She'd caught a brief look out the window and got distracted.

"Shit." She knew she had more important things, but they'd ended up on a ocean side resort. How could she not be a little happy about that? Unless there were landsharks and man eating turtles. She shook that image off and continued to look around. The hunter found the letter; she'd also found some information about the resort.

"Shit. It had to be something." There was a list of the amenities, and they were nice, very nice. Then there was the description of the protection barrier and the warning about not going outside its boundaries. Her nose wrinkled. "Couldn't just send us somewhere nice and relaxing? Had to send us somewhere with a wall?" She looked up at the ceiling, as if the aliens would hear and see her disdain and disgust any better.

"Fine." She started digging around again, and found clothes. Couldn't walk around the place in her next to nothings, unless she was wearing a bikini. She wouldn't do that because she really wasn't in the mood to explain the tattoos and scars. Hunting didn't always give a gal a bikini body.

Capris, sandals, and a somewhat frilly tank under the loudest Hawaiian shirt she could find, that was what she was going for. She did find a letter opener, and hoping it was pure silver, she tucked it away to go find a certain woman. She didn't like that she hadn't woken up with Kai; it felt strange not having her there, even if one might question Jack's need to find the Hunter when she reacted so happily to the surroundings.

"There better not be landsharks." She muttered as she started down the hallway. The hunter didn't have a plan, but knowing the Hunter, Jack would guess the woman would be somewhere near the wall. Walls were rarely a sign of good things, right? Jack just hoped she'd find Kai before getting too far.

Jack stretched, and stretched, and stretched. She thought she'd reach the end of the bed eventually, but nothing ever happened, other than reaching the edge of the bed. It wasn't that she had a small bed, but it was smaller than the one she was currently in. Her eyes opened slowly to what looked like a high end hotel room; she had stayed in a few before Kai, but it wasn't the usual. It was a high end hotel, or one really well done apartment. Either way, it wasn't her carpentry shop.

The hunter climbed out of bed and did a quick search for what she had in the room. Clothes, phone, weapon, all were around. Running water was a good thing, and she considered taking advantage of it before it disappeared on her again. She opted for a quick face wash and teeth brush - she'd missed this.

Jack got dressed and headed out her bedroom after checking her phone for what it might features it might have - say like a very nice contacts list. The hunter pocketed the phone and tucked away a few weapons, just in case. She came to a full stop as she saw the common area. Well, at least she knew it was a hotel now. A glance at the door across from hers, she'd bet it wasn't the way out. There was a third door to the side.

"What's behind door number 2?" she asked herself. To go searching or to wait.

Jack had made some inquiries; it was what she did. She did it rather well while selling her wares. It took her some time, and since she seemed to have a good bit of it here, she didn’t feel all that rushed. Concerned, but not rushed. Not exactly.

Sam had worries, and being Sam’s friend, even if it was an odd alternate reality version fried, she was going to try to relieve some of those worries. Sure, he knew how to deal with generic angel, but he had a specific one to handle. So, Jack thought what better way to help than to get the boy some information.

One night, late towards closing time, Jack walked in to inn, dressed in darker than usual clothes but not so dark they’d catch too much attention. Sure, they were a little tighter, but that would be okay too she hoped. She sat down at a table and waited, an almost impish and pleased smile on her lips. Now, all she needed was Sam to show. Hopefully he didn’t have any plans for the evening.

( ---- )

Jack had finished a commission, if it could be called that: a simple box meant to keep a few personal secrets. There was place to put a lock, and the box was made of sturdy material. It would take a great deal to get inside the the secrets, but Jack didn't believe anything overly serious would be placed inside. It was meant for a child, or that was what she thought.

The hunter was more than a little disheartened when she discovered the box was meant for some lady's husband to keep his trinkets in. The way the woman had described her husband had left Jack with the impression the gift recipient was a young boy who liked to keep treasure, and she found that the "boy" was a man in his mid-forties who giggled and tittered and did not seem to mind being arm candy. In another setting, Jack might have found this display somewhat amusing, but in the end, it disgusted her. She was more than ready to get off this planet.

To cheer herself up, and possibly spend a little of the money she'd just made, she went in search of a certain tall fellow who just started his ride on the crazy train. She hadn't seen him since the party, and Jack thought he might be good for a little venting and drink.

Jack wasn't all that pleased to find Sam had taken to his bed. She asked for access to the large Winchester's room, and was somewhat surprised that she was allowed up.

"Sam?"

( 'You know, if you wanted to frighten the women away, you could just grow a beard and stop brushing your hair. You’d look like some Grizzly Adams wildman type. ' )

The doors of the palace were thrown open. The grand ballroom was decked out with silver and blue decorations, crystal snowflakes hung from the ceiling and the palace entertainers played merry tunes to greet the guests. The aromas of the feast wafted out the door and down the street. The Queen herself sat at the head table with the princess at her side. The princess didn't look entirely happy at the moment, though there was speculation that she wasn't the sort to settle down and the Queen had been the one to decide that now was the time for the princess to narrow her sights to one single suitor.

Most of the kingdom turned up in their finery. From lords and ladies to peasants, all could be seen dining and drinking and after dinner, dancing.

Those that were the abductees had been invited as well. The Queen had even arranged with the aliens to keep one, should the princess decide that she fancied one of the group that had come to temporary fill the open job positions. Oh, it had taken some diplomatic posturing, but it was her hope that those from other worlds might hold her princess' attention more than those native to this one.

After dinner, the princess stood at the edge of the dance floor as a line of gentlemen were introduced to her. Those who attended had more than the princess to focus on, however. The minstrel strolled through the crowd as he played, and various other entertainers were stationed throughout the ballroom. Wine flowed generously, which resulted in some of the guests sliding towards entertainment themselves.

Jack had moved much of her stuff to Kai's room; the Hunter insisted, and the hunter didn't mind. Their sleeping schedules weren't set by the sun or moon anymore, so they slept when they were tired, usually curled up with each other in Kai's bed. On rare occasions, they'd find themselves awake when the other slept, like most...couples, if they could be called that.

Both women had learned their blades were of little use, as they couldn't pull the weapons from their sheaths. It was damn interesting and damn frustrating. Yet, Jack still strapped a few on; they were part of her usual gear. She was felt comfortable with a weapon or three on her persons, and she wasn't going to give them up even if they were pointless bits of metal.

The hunter needed a snack, and since Kai was sleeping, Jack decided to leave the Hunter that way. Jack headed to the food area on the social deck. She 'ordered' two apples and a paring knife; her smile was bright at seeing the blade with the red and green fruit.

She settled down at a table, set the apples in front of her, and picked up the knife. She could have used one of her own perhaps, but she knew exactly where those blades had been. Jack scooped one of the apples and started to peel. She had a goal - one long continuous peel. She knew it could bed done, and she was going to do it.

Jack woke with a start.

"Dammit. What the fuck." She hadn't expected to wake up yet again in another place in another set of clothes. Just because it happened often enough, it didn't mean she had to expect it. Or like it. Even if or especially if she was now staring at her own car before her.

"That's not right." For a moment she waited for it to move as if it were humping cushions; she even waited for "God" to speak to her through braces she did not have. "Nope." Nothing came or moved, so she got out of bed and trotted over in nothing more than her underthings. A quick peek in the car and the trunk told her nothing was missing. Everything was where it should be, without being where it should be.

With a shrug, she gathered some clean clothes, hopped into a shower, and got dressed, combing her hair to leave it to airdry. She was more than happy to have her Army Surplus jacket it back. It was something of a comfort when she had the distinct feeling she was forgetting something. It wasn't until she saw some letterhead she'd snaked from the place in Electric City that she realized what was missing.

"Fuck me." The hunter was out the door as soon as she had her shoes on and her jacket pockets and other hiding places filled with the essential for someone in her line of work.

Rather than being daunted by the doors, Jack went hunting. She knocked on door after door, not caring if she interupted something or woke someone up. She got a little frustrated when she got no answer, but quickly moved on.

"No, no one by that name. Is something wrong?" A blond woman answered. Jack didn't have the same dislike for cops as some hunters did, but she just shook her head and let the cop get back to whatever cops did. Even when they weren't exactly cops.

"Nope! Go away!" Catboy yelled at her before she could even ask anything. He didn't stay in one place long enough for Jack to ask more, and the hunter wasn't sure the little dick could answer anything anyway. He didn't seem all there.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I know of anyone by that name." The blond man with curly hair smiled slightly. "Do you know you have interesting eyes? Have you been looking for this woman long?" Four eyes was a little too curious for Jack's liking, so she shook her head and excused herself. She didn't exactly have time for a chat; plus, he was probably in a state of shock - he wasn't familiar.

It took her longer than she thought, to get round one side of the hall and up another. She hadn't gotten far unfortunately, just to the room across from her own, but she wasn't going to give up. Take a break maybe, seeing as her stomach was starting to complain.

"Okay, okay, soon." She talked down to her own body before pounding on the door. "Kai! Kai, are you in there?"

Speaking with Lucifer had left Cas angrier than he'd been in quite some time. Whether or not it was the Lucifer who had once held him captive and had dragged Sam Winchester down into the Pit, was not withstanding. Given the chance, this Lucifer would also destroy humanity for his own selfish gain and that was never going to be permissible. Despite his past actions, Cas had always loved his siblings, but that...Lucifer was the only sibling he outright hated.

Knowing that arguing with such a being was useless, he'd simply walked away before he did something he'd regret. Despite all of it, he knew Anna would not want him getting killed without a justifiable reason for it...and considering how he'd nearly died numerous times in the past, he felt all of them would've been a better fitting death than being killed for arguing.

He'd retreated to a more secluded part of the beach. He had no real desire to speak with anyone for the time being, aside from knowing that they were all right. Beyond that...he'd found a sharp rock and some branches he could sharpen. Until he found better tools, he would have to make due with what he found. They would need to eat and he would need to contribute, after all. These people, while few were regarded as friends, were still his people and he felt it was at least partially his responsibility to care for them. Discussing Lucifer would have to be done at a later time when they knew exactly why they were on the islands. He expected that to arise in a matter of days, given that no planet or reality seemed to take long in that regard.

His knuckles bled slightly, but that was still from the tree he'd punched earlier. He simply kept whittling away at the sharpened stick, working at it until it came to a fine, but crude point. It was enough to kill a fish. Or something larger...at present, he didn't care so long as it wasn't a human being or a supernatural creature he had an affinity for.

He didn't notice the person approaching.

Jack mumbled softly as her body grew warm. Evan had always run a little hot, but he was burning up. The evening's activities had managed to wear her down enough that she lightly pushed on him and told him to roll away. He felt a little fluffier than normal, but she chalked that up to comforter, duvet, something that was big, fluffy and way too warm.

Moments later, her body was cool again, and she slipped back into sleep. The hunter would have stayed there, but there was noise elsewhere. She groaned softly and sat up to investigate.

"Evan. Evan, I'm going to go shoot a robber." She stood, grabbed her gun - leaving the safety on - and headed toward the sound. Hunters rarely avoided those strange bumps in the night, and even in her dazed moments, she was aware enough to know that those noises weren't exactly demons coming to get them noises. She hoped they weren't. Usually demons were quieter killers.

Jack had had every plan to threaten whatever was in the living room, but she wasn't prepared to catch what she thought was the end of a tail slipping out the door. It was too high to be a normal dog's, but then Evan hadn't had any dogs.

Rather than getting dressed or waking Evan, Jack chased after whatever she'd just seen, only to end up standing out in the hall in little more than a slip. There was nothing to be seen. She raced to the stairs, nothing. She raced to a few public windows. Nothing. There was a moving darkness, but that could have a strange shadow or her eyes playing tricks - her eyes rarely played tricks, but it could happen.

The plan was to go back to the apartment, wake Evan, and get dressed. Her gut said something had happened, and she'd fallen down on the job. She should have been more aware, more prepared. Jack returned to the apartment only to find that the door was closed. She tried the door, soon sighing at how very locked it was. It wasn't her night. She could have pounded on the damn door to wake Evan, but she didn't want to draw attention. Also something said Evan may not be that much help.

Rather than try anything more, she grabbed up a pair of shoes that were sitting out to be shined and made her way down to the street to head home. She'd have to explain her current state of undress to Kai, and she was already working on a story should she get stopped by the police. At least she had a decent weapon with her just in case that moving darkness decided to attack.

"This just isn't my night." Jack sighed, moving quickly as her ankle would allow. Her final destination - home.

Finding Max's place was as easy for Evan as just thinking that it needed to be found. He didn't even have to pay attention to where they were going. Evan just continued the conversation that they were having, the same type of banter they always had. It felt like they were faking it just a little bit, not wanting to talk about whatever it was that Jack had in mind.

Evan could only imagine what she was planning to put him through. He'd read things in all kinds of books, ancient texts, ways to test for vampirism and voodoo curses. Archaic things that were painful. To find out if somebody was a witch, you had to essentially drown them. He could only hope that she had some more modern tests. Some things that weren't invasive and horrifying to his flesh.

He let Jack in, got her a drink, let her have a look around the place. He took off the tie and the suit coat, tossing them onto a chair, had his own drink, and waited for her to start her explanations and experiments.

Jack stood quietly to the side, feeling out of her element. She hadn't felt that way in a very long time, and yet it wasn't going to stop her from doing what she thought she had to do. It had taken some doing to get Kai to agree to letting her go on her own. The other woman knew Jack had been doing hunting on her own of and on her whole life. It simply was the way of things. Of course, this was a totally different time, completely crazy.

"Is that really real? All that blood?" Her voice took on the tone of a very curious and ridiculously clueless person all with the hint of fear, or what some thought of women in general. "I would have thought things like that only happened in horrible tales in those awful comic books." She had put on a simple dress, simplest she could find, and sensible shoes to look a part.

She had looked over the scene as much as she could before she got caught, saying she'd come out here to see the living animals that were now unfortunately dead. She'd even brought a small bag to show she had made a trip of it, so she hadn't heard the bad news. Not even a little. Whatever the reason, she got lucky in that they believed her enough not to send her on her pretty little way or keep her locked up out of the way.

In her bag, the hunter had a few tricks of the trade. It didn't matter how quiet things were, she would always have a few things prepared: holy water, rock salt, and quick made charms.

The door to the building swung behind him ungently. The crack of thunder in its frame - and the uncomfortable shuffling of the door man beside it - called to Ilyien to stop and center himself. After a moment's forced and careful calm, he turned back to the door man and nodded once in apology before heading down the street.

His anger ran deep, nearly as deep as the pain. He walked briskly, pressing his feet hard against the pavement with each step, forcing his mind through a series of elementary focus routines. Throughout it, he kept his mind carefully separated from his fellow phoenix. Sabev would know his presence; he couldn't close her out so completely, even now. But he could allow no true communion with her now. The anger was breaking his composure, dredging up the past, stabbing into the wound his lifemate left behind when she burned through her final flame.

The audacity, the sheer, blind stupidity of that human! How his Sabev found friendship with such a treacherous creature, he couldn't fathom. The woman was so certain of her words, certain when she knew nothing of the phoenix, nothing of the suffering their race had endured at the hands of her kind. Because of the greed of humans, of all other races, his people had been hunted nearly to non-existence. Creating new phoenix was a rare and dangerous process. When his people first retreated to the deserts of Caeleste, there had been so few of them that there was a true concern that they would yet fall into history.

It took centuries, centuries on centuries, to return the phoenix to a stronger population. One city became two became three, as their remembrance in the Outer Realms turned to legend and then myth. It was how it must be. The wealth the phoenix carried in their blood and in their tears was enough to begin wars and blood feuds. The wealth of the phoenix was enough to turn good men into brutal butchers. Kyla Trinian, his beautiful lifemate, had fallen to a group of those men. No, that human had no concept of what she so arrogantly suggested was "what must be."

His skin was dangerously hot. He realized it when he stopped beside a bench and put his hand on the metal. The paint bubbled under his palm. Gritting his teeth, he wiped his palms together and drew his skin back to its human-like temperature. It was a wonder his clothing hadn't begun to steam. He took a hard breath and demanded that his calm return to him. This was no way for a Knight of the Obsidian Circle to comport himself. This was no way for a follower of Tyr to behave. He shut his eyes.

Kai's senses were turned up as high as they could go, and had been since the alien had appeared in the circle in the big man's living room. Though the voice wasn't there, wasn't telling her that it needed to be killed and how to do it, all the instinct she'd learned because of it, and at Jack's tutelage couldn't be ignored, that instinct was geared to full throttle.

So when her awareness recentered itself and she realized that they were no longer in the house at all, Kai went into overdrive. She'd been sitting, like one would do in a diner booth, but she didn't stay that way. In a beat, Kai was standing, the table knocked back, and she was ready to fight. There were lots of things in the room that had that voice talking, the same things, Kai knew, that had been in the house with her. Not quite friends, definitely not enemies. It took a lot to keep herself from lunging at any of them, especially with the way she was feeling. Already on edge, she wanted to fight.

It didn't even occur to her to look at herself and see the calf length, full skirted dress that she was wearing, or the wrist length gloves, and heels. Ridiculous getup for fighting in. Kai's brain only dimly registered the lack of color. Her eyes darting here and there, brain moving too fast to process any of it.