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Lady narrowed her eyes, glaring down at Dante as he lounged in his chair with his legs propped up on his desk, almost spitefully. She pressed her hands on her hips with pursed lips and shook her head.
“It’s been a whole month,” she groused. “You’ll have to tell us sometime .”
“You see, there’s ‘it’s personal’, and then there’s vanishing for a week right after Fortuna gets attacked, and leaving another town mostly in ruins in your wake,” Trish added, leaning against the pool table.
“Not to mention roping Nero into it, after making such a fuss about leaving him alone,” Lady persisted, shaking her head. “Even Morrison won’t talk about whatever the job was.”
“Let it go, will ya?” Dante interjected wearily, stretching in his chair. “Matter’s closed, the kid’s business out there was his own and as far as I know, everyone else involved wants to bury it.”
“Just tell us what happened,” Lady said, frustrated. “You owe me that much. There was a job I could’ve used your backup for. That’s quite a bit of money I missed out on, not to mention it got messier than it needed to be.”
Dante smiled tartly up at her. “I don’t recall agreeing to be your errand dog, debt or no debt,” he said. “‘sides, the cut from my little job not enough for ya?”
“It’s the principal of the thing, Dante,” Trish said pointedly. “I still want to know what happened. And who you brought back with you. Don’t give me that look,” she added coolly as Dante turned an incredulous look at her. “Morrison does like gossip and even you can’t keep him from letting something slip. You’ve been acting weird since you came back.”
Dante sat up in his chair and sulked at her. “Enlighten me, oh master people watcher.”
“You’re getting predictable so for you to leave the office without a job on the line and not being seen in any of your usual haunts is suspicious. And,” Trish added, interrupting Dante before he could speak, “I know someone’s been here.”
She had a wicked grin on her face and Dante just scowled at her.
Lady blinked. “Wait… really?”
Trish smiled smugly. “Well, I’d love to say it’s because of my fine demon senses, but really, smelling a very girly shampoo in this testosterone-soaked pigsty isn’t hard.”
Lady stared. “A girly shampoo– ”
“I had a client– ” Dante blurted.
“Bullshit, then why’ve I smelled it repeatedly?” Trish said with a grin. “No sane woman would come here more than once!”
“Don’t tell me he got a girlfriend,” Lady said, eyes wide. “Poor woman!”
“That’d be a miracle,” Trish chuckled.
“No way, I can’t imagine him picking up chicks–no woman’s crazy enough to deal with him.”
“I’m right here,” Dante grunted irritably. “Why would you be so shocked if I did ?”
“Because it’s you,” Lady chuckled. “And you getting grumpy over this makes me think we’re zeroing in.”
“I still don’t see why you need to know everything I get up to,” he said quickly. “What are you, my mothers?”
Both women cringed and Lady huffed. “Feels like it that way sometimes,” she scoffed and looked at Trish. “Now I really want to know who this person is.”
“I think it’s who he brought back from that job,” Trish said knowingly.
“I didn’t bring her back, she’s not some kinda trophy,” Dante snapped.
“So it is a woman,” Lady fired back, putting her hands on his desk to loom over him.
“Do I need to remind you about how we got introduced?” Trish chuckled, gesturing between herself and Lady. “We don’t need a repeat of that now, do we?”
Dante grunted and finally tossed down the magazine he had been unsuccessfully trying to peruse for the past few minutes. “I’m starting to resent you two being all up in my business like this.”
Lady bent down lower to get in his face. “Well too bad, and anyway you still owe me a—“
The office’s door creaked open and they all stopped and looked over. Getting a client would be cause for celebration after the dry-spell of this month and yet…
“Um,” the woman at the door hesitated. “Bad… timing?”
Lady caught Dante bringing his hand to his face and exhaling in a defeated manner out of the corner of her eye. The red-haired woman at the door looked… a little unimpressive, not a fellow mercenary-turned-demon-hunter. She was quite small, in jeans and a purple sweater and a leather jacket. She was very pale, face covered in freckles with a puzzled look as her gaze drifted between the three of them. Lady narrowed her eyes a bit, taking her in. She didn’t look lost or confused, just perplexed.
Trish was on the verge of saying something but instead she blinked and stared at the woman, almost like she was trying to put her finger on something. The woman stared back bravely, not quite sure whom to really look at.
Dante sighed. “Depends, you consider interrupting an interrogation bad timing, Twig?”
“ What did you call her?” Lady blurted and Trish started laughing.
“He does that,” the woman sighed. “Don’t freakin’ call me that in front of people,” she added, her face effortlessly dropping into a look of well-practiced deadpan.
“So, who are you?” Lady asked, eyes narrowing a bit.
“I don’t—“ the woman started, then blinked. “Oh hang on. You two must be… his partners? Genius over there mentioned that he works with two others but thought he was being so fucking funny keeping it all hush-hush.”
Dante suddenly got up from his chair. “I’m outta here, job’s calling and if three’s a crowd, four is a corroborating witness—“
“Sit your ass down, we’re not done,” Lady hissed at him, shoving him back into his chair, then turned back to the woman. “Yeah, we work with this dumbass, what does that make you?”
“Besides a witch, that is,” Trish said pointedly.
The woman opened her mouth to speak but Lady was quicker. “Wait—a what now?”
Dante grunted quietly and palmed his face.
“Well, yeah, I am,” the woman said a little awkwardly. “But uh, before we get into that, I’m called Tess. I’ve known that dork for a while.”
“How long is ‘a while’?” Trish asked, amused.
Tess smiled sheepishly. “I plead the fifth for the time being, but let’s say long enough to deserve a medal for it.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Lady snorted.
“I’m right here, for fuck’s sake,” Dante groused.
They pointedly ignored him.
“So he did bring you with him,” Lady said.
Tess grinned. “Eh, I followed him back from Italy. I’m from around these parts but I haven’t been here in a long time. Let’s just say I’m less than welcome across the pond for now.”
“Right, right, Italy,” Trish said, turning to stare at Dante. “And you didn’t bring us back any souvenirs,” she added, chuckling.
“Very funny,” Dante snapped. “This is why I didn’t want to talk to you guys about it.”
“You didn’t tell ‘em about me?” Tess asked, raising an eyebrow. “What the heck, I’m not a puppy you need to keep secret, jeez.”
“You said you wanted to lay low,” he fired back at her and Lady arched an eyebrow at his unusually irritated tone.
“Because I was exhausted and just wanted to get my shit together before anything exciting happened. It’s not a witness protection program, dummy,” the woman sighed. “Were you planning on keeping me a secret until something came up?”
“Sounds like him,” Trish tutted. “He did the same before we met,” she added, gesturing to herself and Lady.
Tess smiled ruefully. “And how did that go?”
“We nearly killed each other,” Lady said with a small smile.
Tess chuckled nervously. “Well, in the interest of avoiding that… you ladies free? I’m buying coffee.”
Lady glanced at Trish, who shrugged with a small smirk, then back at the redhead. “Sure, beats another debacle with grenades and lightning.”
Dante made to stand up again. “Hang on a sec now—“
“Oh, you’re not invited,” Tess told him flatly and walked up to his desk. “I came to tell you about a job you might want; it’s right up your alley and grimy so it’s aaaall yours.”
“Wait, what?” he protested as she grabbed a pen and a post-it stack and scribbled a phone number and an address, pulled the sticky paper off and slapped it onto his chest.
“Came to my attention. They’re expecting you! Have fun, I’m gonna go introduce myself properly to your partners,” she said, tossing the pen and post-its back on his desk, then whirled around to head for the door.
Lady cackled. “I think I’m gonna like you,” she said, heading towards the door with Trish and turning to point at Dante menacingly. “Hey, don’t forget you owe me this month’s payment, better get to that job.”
“Have fun Dante,” Trish said with a little wave as she followed them out.
Dante just groaned in defeat behind them.
The little coffee house was warm and cozy, filled with a soothing scent of fresh grounds and baked goods. Their conversation was drowned by the busy bustle of the place.
“Guess I should’ve paid more attention to those rumors,” Lady sighed over her coffee. “I had no idea it got that wild. Witches, demons and the Order?”
“I’m more impressed that we somehow managed to miss that Mundus made an appearance,” Trish tutted.
Tess shrugged. “I think that’s probably what’s left of my old coven trying to cover their asses,” she said sheepishly. “I can’t really give you the full details but you know the basics now. Old World covens can be strangleholds and they hold grudges, so I decided to cut my losses and come back here.”
“I still can’t believe he managed to keep you a secret for a whole month,” Lady groused. “What have you been up to?”
Tess shrugged. “Sleeping, eating and sleeping some more mostly,” she admitted. “I was really fucked up by the end of the whole thing.”
She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, then cupped her face in her hands. “And it’s been a pain in the ass to find a place to live! I can’t take that fucking motel anymore.”
“Can’t blame you,” Lady commiserated.
“You’d think it’d be easier to find something, with the way real estate is in this town,” Trish said, taking a bite of croissant. “Considering what happens often enough.”
“I know, right? Prices tend to drop when there’s even a rumor of a haunting,” Tess chuckled. “But even with that, it’s been a pain to find somewhere private that isn’t a complete shithole . I’m not like Dante, I don’t want people just barging into my place. I can deal with supernatural shit but I don’t need prying neighbors.”
“I guess if you’re in our line of work, you need all the privacy you can get,” Lady said thoughtfully.
Trish eyed Lady with a raised brow and then narrowed her eyes at the redhead. “So… how long have you known Dante, while we’re at it?”
Tess fidgeted a bit. “Uh… well, I don’t really wanna date myself, but I first met him when we were both around… sixteen? Seventeen? He was a freakin’ punk.”
Lady’s coffee cup rattled on the saucer as she put it down and stared. “ That long? And you’re saying he used to be worse?”
Tess blinked. “Uh… when did you meet him?”
Lady’s eyes narrowed grimly. “Ever heard of Temen-Ni-Gru?”
Tess’ eyes widened. “Oh. Oh. Shit, that was like two years after I had to go to Amaro, or something like that. Was he still a goddamn pain in the ass?”
“Was, still is and always will be,” Trish sighed. “I met him later but he’s been the same as always, give or take.”
“I don’t know why I expected to hear otherwise,” Tess said flatly and Lady cackled.
“I still find it wild that someone knows him for longer than we have,” she said.
Tess shrugged. “If it helps, you definitely know him better. I knew him for maybe 3 or 4 months tops before we had to split and it’s been almost fifteen years since then. We’re practically strangers again.”
“You’ll probably wish you’d stayed that way,” Trish teased.
“So, when you said you’re a witch…” Lady asked carefully, lowering her voice.
“The real deal,” Tess replied, in similar low tones. “I don’t normally yell it from the rooftops but if you work with Dante, I suppose you deserve to know. Between us, I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourselves.”
Lady nodded, eyes still narrowed. “Not the crystals-herbs-and-incense type, right?”
“Nope. Not the demon-worshiping, goat-sacrificing kind either. Also, please don’t ask me about broomsticks,” Tess groaned.
Trish snickered. “Just good old basics, then?”
“Kinda? I don’t exactly have a specialty; seals, curses and wards, that kinda thing. I’m downright old old school,” Tess said ruefully. “I end up dealing with spooks a lot.”
Lady perked up. “Spooks? You mean… ghosts?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah.”
“Most people don’t really notice them,” Trish said with a nod. “It makes sense you might, though.”
Tess nodded. “I notice too many things, if anything.”
Trish smiled broadly at her, with a slight… predatory edge. “Notice anything about me?”
“Yeah, you’re a demon. And I don’t care,” Tess so promptly and flatly that Trish started laughing.
“Well, good for you, sweetheart,” the blonde chuckled. “I have to say, this frankness is refreshing. I like you.”
Lady’s eyes narrowed a little. “How’d you do that? You have some kinda sixth sense?”
Tess stared back, with a look that read ‘busted’. “Uh, I’d rather keep that to myself for the time being, sorry,” she said awkwardly. “You’re not wrong but the less people know about the details, the better. It tends to draw the wrong kind of attention.”
Lady sat back, folding her arms. The redhead looked nervous. “Huh… guess what they say about you people and secrets is true.”
“I can’t really blame you,” Trish said unexpectedly and quietly. “Witches have it pretty hard between demons and unscrupulous hunters who immediately lump them in with demons. You know, like the Order of the Sword.”
“Right… you know, I can never get a straight answer about why demons go after witches,” Lady observed. “I always assumed it was because they just sort of fall in together.”
“If some dumbfuck witch wants to meddle with demons, it’s their funeral,” Tess said. “It’s gross, demons go after witches either because they want pawns… or a snack. Like, literally.”
Lady nodded. “Right,” she said. “I like your attitude. So here’s a little proposition. If you’re gonna work with Dante, like I assume you are, I’d love to see what you’re capable of. And it might help with your housing problem.”
Trish side-eyed Lady and mouthed ‘Really?’ at her.
Tess narrowed her eyes a little. “A business proposition? What, is it a haunted house that you want cleared out?”
“Something like that,” Lady said, resting her elbows on the table, then propping her chin on her linked fingers. “It’s one of those jobs I keep an eye on, even though I can’t deal with them myself – nothing to shoot at, you see. I’m curious about what you could do about it, and a house is a house.”
Tess pursed her lips for a moment, studying Lady and then glanced at Trish who just smiled at her and then sighed.
“This is not how I usually do business,” she grumbled. “I have a feeling you’re just going to piggy-back off me for spook jobs but… fuck it, I’ll roll with it. I’m gasping for a place and it’s not like I have anything better to do. You can keep any payment that comes out of it, but if I like the house itself, you better help me secure it afterwards.”
Lady drummed her fingers on the table, grinning. “You got a deal there, Red. How soon can you get on this, is there any prep you need to do?”
Tess pursed her lips again. “Well… I rarely do spook jobs in one go. Like you said, there’s not a lot you can do in terms of fighting. I have to actually survey the location,” she said thoughtfully. “I can swing by the motel to pick up some things and we can have a look at the place today.”
Lady nodded in approval. “Ah, a professional.”
Trish smiled impishly. “That’ll be a first among us…”
Lady whapped the side of her arm gently. “Excuse you, I am a professional compared to Dante and even you,” she groused and fished a notepad from one of her pockets, then scribbled an address on it before handing the paper to Tess. “This is the place. I’m gonna get in touch with the owner to get us access while you pick up your stuff.”
“Don’t tell them what we’re actually doing but ask them to stick around, I want to see what they really know,” Tess said, standing up, and checked the address. “If you know anything about the place, tell me. I should be able to meet you there in like, an hour or so.”
When the redhead had left, Trish eyed Lady as they headed for her motorcycle. “What do you make of her?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Lady huffed. “She’s… actually difficult to read. I mean, Dante doesn’t pick up random people and she seems reasonable. Sounds like she knows her stuff, too.”
“Cool as a cucumber too,” Trish sighed. “I haven’t run into a lot of witches, but she’s the first to know what I am and not care.”
“Is it really that big a deal?”
Trish shook her head. “I doubt she’ll talk about it, but yeah, it’s bad. She wasn’t kidding when she said demons will eat witches if given the chance. I don’t see the appeal myself, and I don’t want to think about what witch hunters do.”
Lady straddled her bike. “Guess we’ll have to see what she’s made of. That house has been empty for almost two years and it’s been bugging me since we talked to that couple. I wonder what she’ll figure out.”
By the time they got hold of the owner and Tess made it to the address, it was getting late in the evening. Lady watched Tess walk down the street briskly, then stop about a dozen feet away and study the building. It was a relatively small red brick warehouse, probably built around the 30s or 40s to house printing presses. Since then, it had been converted into a loft apartment above a store, both of which were currently vacant in the wake of all the problems surrounding it. If you didn’t know about the rumors, it would’ve really looked like just another unremarkable building in the block.
The redhead frowned and Lady watched her hug herself. She had a small messenger bag that she clung to and Lady thought she looked incredibly uncomfortable suddenly. She walked over to her as Trish arrived with the building owner.
“So… what do you make of it?” Lady asked the redhead.
Tess was still studying the building with a frown. “At the risk of sounding corny, it actually looks like every other haunted house I’ve seen. They have this… air about them, you know?”
“You can tell just by looking at it?” Lady asked, eyebrows arching.
“Not always. Some places are just… really steeped in it,” Tess said. “I mean, you don’t need me to tell you that about this place. To any random Tom, Dick or Harry this might look like a perfectly good loft but… you can tell.”
Lady shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve been to too many—“
Tess looked at her. “You can sense something , though, right? It bugs you.”
Lady pursed her lips at the redhead. There was something about her calm, knowing expression that unnerved her but she stood straighter and stared back at the shorter woman calmly. “I’ve seen things. I don’t know if I’d call them ghosts. Demons, ghosts and whatever just blend together after a while.”
“I know what you mean,” Tess said quietly. “I’m actually impressed. You’re not a… hmm, a sensitive I guess you’d call it, but you’ve got pretty sharp awareness. That’s good in this line of work.”
Lady stared, perplexed. She felt uncomfortable for a moment, like Tess had somehow picked up on something intensely private. “How’d you figure that?”
Tess shrugged awkwardly. “Not magical bullshit,” she said quickly and Lady almost snorted. “It’s just… I know the look of people who have seen things,” she added quietly. “I dunno how to put it, actually, but there’s a look.”
“You know, she’s got a point,” Trish said suddenly. “People in the know do have a certain kind of demeanor. You do too.”
Lady pursed her lips slightly. “Sure, I guess. People who’ve survived demon attacks have a particular look too.”
There was a moment of mutual understanding in silence between them and Tess looked back at the building. “So, what can you tell me about this place?”
“Shouldn’t you be asking the owner that?” Trish asked back.
Tess shook her head. “Not yet. People too connected to a haunted building sometimes don’t think clearly and often try to hide things. In the worst cases… they’re affected by whatever entity is hanging around. I need objective information first.”
“I see…” Lady said and folded her arms. “Y’know, when you said you deal with ghosts, I sort of expected something cheesy, like a seance. But you’re… actually a pro, aren’t you? Not some hack medium.”
Tess shrugged. “Restless dead and other unseen things are part of my life. I’ve had to learn how to deal with ‘em. Method keeps me safe. That’s cheesy enough, I think.”
Trish and Lady regarded her silently for a moment, then Lady looked at the building.
“So, the building itself was part of a complex, a printing house; this part was where they stored printing presses. Most of it burned down in the 60s. Then, just before the big boom of the 80s, it was purchased and remodeled, shop space below and a studio loft apartment on top. It’s still owned by the principal engineer who oversaw the remodeling.”
“Really?” Tess said suddenly. “Interesting. I’ll have to dig through its history before the fire. Go on, tell me about the tenants so far.”
Lady smiled, a little taken aback by the witch’s businesslike attitude. “There’s definitely a type,” she said and pursed her lips. “Looks like a favorite for younger women. Both the shop and the loft. Or the landlord has a type, I guess.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Tess said and leaned to the side a little to look at the building’s owner, who stood by the shop’s door and looked at his watch impatiently. He was maybe in his late fifties or sixties, short and a little portly with thinning hair and rather moist eyes. His casual suit was ill-fitting, likely purchased about ten pounds and at least five years ago.
“His name is George,” Trish said with a knowing smile. “Actually seems almost embarrassed to stare at your tits when he talks to you.”
“Hmm, yeah, he looks like it. And he’s most certainly haunted. Not metaphorically, either,” Tess said and stood straight, looking at the other two. “Something’s hanging over him and it’s hiding. When we talk to him, whatever you do, don’t let anything slip.”
“You can tell just by looking at him?” Lady asked.
“I never said it was hiding well ,” Tess said with a grin. “I can’t tell what exactly it is yet , but I think he knows a lot more than he’s going to tell us. But that’s fine. When I turn some facts on him he’ll probably crumble. I want to dig in some more. Back to the tenants.”
Lady regarded her with a wider smile. “You always do research before you de-ghost a place?”
“Have to,” Tess said cheekily. “The dead can’t stand the truth. The living don’t handle it well, either. Sets ‘em all free and all that.”
Trish cackled and Lady nodded.
“None have stayed for long,” she said almost ominously and listed them off her fingers. “One was found dead in the shop premises after closing; that was written up as her heart condition. Two suicides-- one in the shop, one in the loft. Three presumed missing: George claims two moved out without leaving a forwarding address, another supposedly went on a hiking trip and never came back. That last one’s interesting. It was a guy. There’s a few more who just legitimately left, I’ve talked to a couple of them.”
“Ah ha, I might want to talk to them too. What did they say?” Tess asked.
“Interesting stuff,” Trish interjected. “I remember now, the couple we talked to, weren’t they the ones to bring this one to you? They said that after a while they started to have night terrors and hear noises during the night. The girlfriend said she felt someone watching her constantly and one night she thought someone was choking her in her sleep.”
“Yeah, she forced her boyfriend to arrange for them to move out, she was that spooked,” Lady said thoughtfully.
“What about those college boys? They spent a lot of time in the place but they were high so they didn’t notice things until one of them fell down the stairs inside and swore up and down that he’d been pushed,” Trish went on. “They stayed for only three weeks. But they said they felt like the place wanted them out.”
“Right, right, and then the second suicide moved in, like, five days later. It’s like George couldn’t get a new tenant in fast enough,” Lady said then huffed. “You know, I… actually didn’t really believe these people at the time, I thought they might’ve been exaggerating.”
Tess was staring at the building again. “No, something’s really going on in the place. I’ll have to actually see for myself, but I don’t think this is a garden-variety haunting.”
Lady smiled playfully. “That an official term?”
Tess smiled back. “It is when I say it is,” she chuckled. “But seriously, this is not some spirit with unfinished business or even a hungry wraith, it feels different.”
“I don’t think I ever noticed anything when we checked the place out,” Lady said.
“You didn’t but I felt like something didn’t want me there. It was really vague so I didn’t say anything about it, I assumed I was over-thinking it and we’d just got done talking with those college kids,” Trish admitted.
“That’s why it was quiet,” Tess said thoughtfully. “Most restless spirits shy away from demons. Your presence must’ve unsettled it, or something. I have a hunch but I’d need to see the place.”
“You know, I thought it was just George being a dirty old sleaze at the time, but this all makes it sound more like this thing has a type,” Lady muttered.
“Exactly,” Tess said. “And I think we can use that to our advantage.”
“You got a plan already?” Lady asked, amused.
Tess smirked. “I have the beginnings of a plan. I’m gonna need you to back me up, though. But Trish will have to keep away for a while; if I’m right about it, this thing will be eager for a new tenant and might overplay its hand if it thinks it can,” she said, and turned to Trish. “Would you mind tailing George in the meantime? Whatever hangs around him is rather mindless, so hold onto this and as long as you don’t approach him, it won’t notice you.”
She fished a curiously woven cord of leather, string and some kind of long and coarse hairs, tied into an intricate pattern around an iron nail. Trish stared at it, and looked hesitant to touch it for a moment.
“What on earth is that?” Lady blurted.
“A misdirection charm,” Tess said, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I use something like this to keep things from realizing I’m a witch. I’ve been trying out a version that would work for Dante, just in case I need to get him to help me with a job so I’m pretty certain it should cover you. It’ll keep the entity from picking up on your presence.”
Trish picked up the small object and frowned at it. “Oh, I see. That’s what I felt. You’re good at this, it’s really subtle.”
“What, you feel something?” Lady asked.
Trish shrugged. “Sort of. I don’t think you would. I’d have missed it if she hadn’t told me what it is.” Then she nodded at Tess and smiled. “Alright, I’ll keep tabs on Georgie. I like how take-charge you are.”
Tess suddenly looked self-conscious. “Ah, am I being too forward? I never asked what you guys usually do in these situations. I just plowed right through. Force of habit.”
Lady and Trish both blinked at the sudden change. The redhead looked almost flustered for a moment and there was a touch of pink spreading on her face. They glanced at each other and had a common thought: Oh. She’s a cutie.
It was hard fending off mutual smirks.
“Nah, it’s good,” Lady said with a grin. “You’re definitely a pro at this and I did bring you on board so I’m getting my buck’s worth.”
“Yeah, in fact you sound so competent, I wonder how you could put up with Dante for any amount of time,” Trish added and Tess failed to hold in a snort.
“Ah, well…” she said awkwardly. “I learned the hard way that I can’t afford to leave things to chance or I’ll get myself killed. Can’t just throw things to the wall and see what sticks.”
“That’s fair, sometimes it’s hard to keep up,” Lady said, nodding sagely even as Trish bit her lips to fight off a snicker. “Anyway, the place has been empty for almost two years now and I’m pretty sure George is eager to get a new tenant in.”
“Oh that’s perfect,” Tess said, eyes fairly gleaming. “It’ll make it easier for me. But before we go near the place, I’ll need you to do something for me…” she said and rummaged through the bag.
Lady watched her like a hawk and then raised an eyebrow when the redhead retrieved a tiny cloth bag, sealed tight with blue string and a blob of wax, which she handed to Lady. “What is this?”
“Keep it on your person the whole time we’re around him and when we go into the place and if you sense or see anything, do not react to it,” Tess said seriously. “I don’t know how strong this thing is or what it wants, but if it can drive people to suicide or make them vanish, I don’t want to take any chances. That’s a talisman that will keep you protected from the dead, unless things get really bad. You wanted to see what I can do, this is part of the deal. I don’t mess around with these things.”
Lady and her stared each other down for a long moment and Lady got the impression that this wasn’t some kind of grandstanding. No, this woman had seen this kind of thing before and by the look on her face and the determination with which she was pressing for the precautions, Lady felt she’d seen the consequences of their absence. The huntress may have been proud, but she wasn’t stupid. She took the cloth talisman, feeling it idly in her fingers; it was full of dry plant matter but also something hard and pointed and something metallic. She put it in her pocket.
“You got your own precautions, I suppose,” she said, looking the witch over.
“Let’s just say, if I stripped down to my birthday suit, I wouldn’t really be naked,” Tess replied and Trish chuckled.
“I’ll take off and get ready to keep an eye on Georgie,” Trish said and retrieved her sunglasses. “You girls have fun in there and give me the details later.”
She walked away, making a show of waving goodbye as George rather unashamedly watched her walk away with a seemingly relieved expression.
“Well then, shall we?” Lady said.
“Absolutely, let’s do this,” Tess said and grinned.
The two women marched up to George and Lady made the introductions. “So, George, this is my friend I told you about, who’s in the market for a house. I’ve told her about the place and she’s interested.”
“Wonderful, it’s so nice to meet you,” George said and shook Tess’ hand. He had an unexpectedly small and quiet voice and his hand was large, plump and sweaty. “I’ll be glad to have someone living here again, it’s such a nice piece of property, it’s a shame to leave it empty.”
“Nice to meet you, you can call me Tess. I’d love to have a look inside,” Tess said. “The shop and the loft above would work out well for me, if I like what I see, and the location’s not bad.”
“The subway is right around the corner and there’s plenty of shops and bars and restaurants and coffee houses just a stone’s throw away,” George said eagerly. “I think you’ll like the interior too, the loft has plenty of space but it’s also quite cozy and the shop can easily be remodeled to anything you require.”
“Sounds good. I wouldn’t mind getting a tour,” Tess replied and looked up at the building.
George hesitated and glanced at Lady, who just stood there, arms folded idly and smiled. “Um… have you… told her about the history of the place?”
“Oh that,” Lady said, feigning surprise. “Yeah, I mentioned a few things but like I said last time, nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Yeah, I know about the suicides. It’s sad but I don’t believe in bad energies or ghosts. A house is a house, regardless of its history,” Tess said airily. “I’m just interested in the property itself.”
George rubbed his hands nervously but beamed at her. “Well then, please, let me give you a little tour. Shall we start with the ground floor shop?”
To his credit, George did a hell of a job trying to sell the place as a perfect home and business. He extolled the virtues of the shop space and the renovation that had gone into it, citing the versatility of the modest space that could accommodate any number of businesses. Lady noticed that Tess seemed to simply be humoring him and nodding along, but the demon hunter was sharp enough to notice that Tess’ gaze would linger in certain spots just a touch longer and her eyes would narrow, almost imperceptibly. Lady glanced around the space. She didn’t see anything weird but she actually did feel something… wrong about the place. Like eyes on them. In fact, that feeling grew to become overwhelming. If anything, it felt hungry .
She still made candid conversation with George, about the possibilities of the space, whether it could be converted to a workshop and whether some extra modifications would be permitted. George was almost too eager to agree to almost everything Tess asked and Lady got the bizarre impression that he was breathing a sigh of relief, especially when they moved to have a look at the upstairs loft.
In all honesty, it was a nice little place. It had a full range kitchen, bathroom and even an extra little room under the elevated loft. The large windows faced north, into the street and the place was spacious almost in spite of the narrow construction. Once more, Lady pondered to herself that it was the unlikeliest place to be haunted. Tess seemed very interested in the property, talking at length with George about the renovations, the layout, things like the water main and again, Lady took note of the way her gaze swept over the space. She definitely saw more than Lady did, somehow.
George was very eager to have her move in and Tess declared herself satisfied with the terms and was willing to sign for it immediately.
George left them in the place while he went to his car to fetch the paperwork and Lady was dying to ask Tess what she thought but the redhead gave her a look that fairly screamed ‘not here’ so she made idle conversation as best she could, like how soon she was planning to move in and such. Tess signed the papers and they sorted out a deposit and first rent with a kind of decisive speed that left Lady in awe. Tess had the key to the place, with intention to move in immediately and contact George about potential alterations in the coming days.
As they left the building and George behind, Lady was bursting with curiosity. “I didn’t think you’d just snap up the place like that. Are you sure it’s haunted?”
“Oh it’s haunted up the wazoo!” Tess chuckled with a grin. “Those ‘missing’ tenants? Yeah, they’re very dead and if I can hazard a guess, they’re all buried under the shop’s floor or in the walls.”
Lady balked. “What!?”
“I take it you didn’t see them, but then again they were not trying to be seen,” Tess said almost cheerfully, then noticed Lady shrug uncomfortably. “But you felt something, right?”
“Yeah,” Lady said, irritably.
“They were surrounding us the entire time,” Tess said savagely with a grin. “They’re puppets and I think I know what’s going on. This was amateur work and I bet it’s completely shoddy once you prod it a little bit.”
“What’s amateur about this?!” Lady blurted. “You’re basically saying George is killing people and--and what, enslaving their ghosts?”
“Oh no, not George!” Tess chuckled. “He’s a bit skeevy but he’s as much a victim as the ghosts are and he’s terrified. Did you notice how eager he was to get me to move in? He’s desperate, because the actual culprit has him by the neck, so to speak. Hasn’t had a victim since the last tenant went missing. I think George tried to stop them and failed. More than once.”
Lady blinked at her. “Is… that why he let me investigate the place last year? He was hoping I could sort it out?”
“Very likely. Nothing really came of it though and I think he must’ve resigned himself,” Tess said.
“How… how did you figure out all this?”
Tess’ smile dropped. “I can see auras. And things that hang around people. George has something nasty attached to him, tying him back to the building. He can’t just shirk it or it’ll kill him. Have you noticed how his clothes looked so baggy? He’s lost a lot of weight abruptly and I’m betting it’s over the last year. That thing must be sucking him dry until he brings another victim.”
“Do you know what it is?” Lady pressed her, still trying to digest what she was hearing. “Is it a demon?”
“Yes and no,” Tess said thoughtfully. “I’m not actually certain what it is yet but I have a hunch. This is human– or was , anyway. It reeks of necromancy but it’s amateur, makeshift. Probably some demonic bargains were involved. Which is good, in a sense, it means they can’t do more damage than this. I’m pretty confident it’s tied to the building and can’t move beyond its boundaries. Whatever is attached to George is mindless, like a noose.”
Lady shook her head as they walked. “I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this. It feels more like a bad horror movie.”
“Hey, you deal with demons, yeah? This is just as real as they are,” Tess said with a shrug. “We just fight it differently. And I really, really like that loft.”
“So how are you going to deal with this?” Lady said and stopped at the corner they’d arranged to meet with Trish.
“Move in,” Tess said bluntly. “Well, not really. That thing needs to be baited out and I’m going to give it exactly what it wants. And I’d like you and Trish to come with me.”
“I thought you said Trish would throw it off, spook it,” Lady said.
“It will, but now that it’s had a sniff, I don’t think it’s going to hesitate,” Tess explained. “It waited for two years for a victim. It’s gotta be desperate. We both fit its victim type and technically so does Trish. I think the ward I gave her will confuse it. It’ll bite.”
“Being bait’s pretty damn risky,” Lady mused. “You always this reckless?”
Tess just shrugged. “It’s not as reckless as it looks. I want to get this over with and believe me, it’s not my first rodeo with a necromancer or whatever that thing is. But I am going to need some backup.”
“So what do you want us to do?”
Tess glanced to the side. “Depends a bit on what Trish has to say. I’d like to have all the facts first.”
They waited for a while, Lady idly asking Tess a few things about witches and perked up as Trish arrived on her motorcycle. The blonde pulled up beside them and dismounted, then removed her sunglasses with a cheeky smile. “How’d it go, ladies? I’ve got some interesting news about Georgie.”
“She got the place,” Lady said with a smirk. “And she’s got a plan to clear it out because it really is haunted up the ass.”
“Perfect. So after he left, Georgie drove straight to a church,” Trish said with a grin. “Went in and stayed for quite a while.”
“Long enough for a confession?” Lady asked.
“Probably. He left with a bag and drove straight into a bodega. I saw him pay good money for a bottle of scotch and some packet from under the counter, looked like dry plants, tea maybe,” Trish explained. “And some cloth bag, kinda like what you gave Lady. Just larger.”
Tess perked up. “A talisman and I bet the plants are apotropaics, they’re a layman’s wards against supernatural shit. I bet he got holy water from the church. He’s getting ready for something.”
“Not a dark ritual by the sound of it,” Trish said, amused.
“No, I think he’s trying to protect himself from whatever’s in the building. He knows it’s going to lash out once I move in,” Tess said and smirked. “He bought a whole bottle of scotch and I have a feeling he’ll drain it before the day’s over. He must be freaking out. He knows exactly what will happen. That’s fine.”
“Is it, though?” Lady asked.
Tess shrugged. “Oh he’s as guilty as they come but if anything, I think he’s more of an unwilling accomplice than an actual perpetrator. I’m not sure what’ll happen to him when I confront the thing in the building, but I actually hope he doesn’t die. I think he’s suffered enough.”
“So how are you going to proceed?” Trish asked.
“We’re going to go to the shop tonight and rattle this thing’s cage,” Tess said with a grin. “I’m going to need all the backup I can get, it’s going to be pretty pissed. I don’t normally get hauntings with physical manifestations but this is necromancy, I’ve learned to expect the worst. Bring some firepower. Oh, and… a sledgehammer.”
Trish and Lady blinked. “A… sledgehammer?”
“I have a feeling we’re going to need to do some remodeling to get to the heart of the problem. I don’t want to just blow up a wall indiscriminately, I still want to live in the damn place,” Tess said.
“Any reason we have to wait for nightime?” Lady asked as Trish chuckled.
Tess shrugged. “It’s cliche, but the restless dead prefer the night, they’re more active. I want this thing chomping at the bit so it won’t just fuck off and waste our time.”
Trish grinned. “So we’ve got time till tonight. I’m peckish. Dinner on me, ladies?”
Lady mirrored her smile then looked at Tess. “You’re new to town so I don’t suppose you know of this lovely little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I think you’ll like it.”
“I’ve been eating too much take-out lately, I’d kill for some good food,” Tess groaned.
Nightfall came before they knew it. They had parted ways to get ready. Lady had hesitated a little over her choice of arsenal. She couldn’t bring her rocket launcher, obviously; she didn’t think Tess would appreciate having the building demolished after she’d taken such pains to secure it. Demolition was Dante’s habit, not hers! Tess had sheepishly admitted she knew next to nothing about guns when asked (Lady determined it would be best to take care of that travesty later) but suggested that anything capable of firing chunks of rock salt or silvered bullets might do.
Lady dug up an old sawn-off shotgun she hadn’t used in a dog’s age, with the idea of firing some rock salt stuffed in buckshot casings, and a large-caliber revolver she’d used in a hunt for a werewolf, of all things. She still had some silver bullets leftover. It would have to do and depending on how things went, she might have some custom orders to make for the future.
Trish met up with her around the corner from the building, with a wide grin and a sledgehammer casually resting on her shoulder; the blonde was clearly amused.
“You look like you’re having fun,” Lady said with a smirk.
“I am, in fact. Kinda refreshing to get into a situation where I don’t know what to expect,” Trish admitted.
They headed towards the building and in the gloom of the night, with only the street lights to be had, Lady felt that she might finally be agreeing on what Tess had described as “the look” of a haunted building. There was something… ominous about the building now that Lady couldn’t quite put her finger on. Part of it was certainly her knowledge that it was indeed haunted and what had happened to its tenants, but part of it was also a vague, funny feeling at the pit of her stomach. The only lights were in the ground floor, the shop, but she could swear she could see vague movement along the large industrial windows of the loft above.
When Tess opened the front door for them, she had somehow gotten a whole sofa with throw rugs on it into the shop space, a couple of folding chairs and a table, and set up a few floor lamps. There were two wine bottles on the table with glasses. A gray cat with one eye was lounging on one of the sofa cushions.
“Welcome to my humble abode, ladies!” Tess said cheerfully. “Come on in, everything’s almost ready.”
“Are we ghost-busting or having a sleepover?” Lady said, staring at the layout while Trish cackled.
“Both, why not?” Tess said with a grin. “I’ve done a little preparation and we have some time before the fun starts.”
“What kinda preparation?” Trish asked, propping the sledgehammer against the side of the sofa and taking a seat.
“I had my familiar find some more information about the building and George. Fun stuff,” Tess said, pouring them all a glass of red. “His older brother went missing a few years after the remodeling in the 80s and it seems like he’d been on the radar of the authorities for a couple of assaults. Had a type too, young women.”
Lady grimaced. “Oh, don’t tell me it’s him doing this,” she grumbled. “And… and familiar? What, the cat?” she added, gesturing at the animal.
“I’m rather an old hat at digging up old documents and managing paperwork. Things always need to be in order,” the cat said, half-closing his eye.
Lady and Trish both stared at him, clearly unsure how to respond to that.
“This is Roy, he’s my familiar and part-time supervising adult,” Tess cackled. “Don’t mind him, he’s a little grumpy because I decided to get a haunted house. He’s gotten used to not having to work.”
Roy’s ear flicked. “Because I thought we had agreed we were going to keep ourselves out of any funny business until we were both mended from that shameful affair in Amaro. You were quite adamant I should get more rest.”
“And I still am! You don’t have to do anything, we’ve got this. You could’ve even gone back to your home turf after running me that little errand,” Tess said and pouted at him.
“Hmph. I’d rather have my eye on what happens to the building,” the cat drawled. “Who do you think will be fixing this up afterwards, hmm? I rather like this space, thank you. I’ve got plans for the ground floor, I’ll have you know.”
Then he stared at Lady and Trish. “Please, don’t mind me. I’m only here to see what happens. I’ll stay out of your hair,” he said kindly.
“You talk,” Lady blurted.
“One of my many talents,” Roy purred and flicked his fluffy tail gently. Both Trish and Lady could swear he was smiling.
“Oh you’re cute,” Trish chuckled.
“He’s not a demon, is he?” Lady asked Tess.
“No,” she said, handing Lady a wine glass.
Roy scoffed loudly. “As if!” He then glanced at Trish. “No offense miss, but I think I’m a cut above some random demon cat, don’t you agree?”
Trish almost choked on her wine. “None taken,” she chuckled. “What are you, though?”
“A highly talented cat,” Roy said smugly.
“Don’t waste your time trying to get a straight answer out of him,” Tess grumbled and threw herself on the sofa with a wine glass. “He thinks that just because he’s old he’s got the right to troll the whole world.”
“Cats like our sense of mystique,” Roy said and shut his eye in a self-indulgent way.
“Anyway, I really didn’t invite you both here for drinks and chit-chat, there’s a reason we have to wait,” Tess said. “To get back on track, yes it’s George’s brother, John. It’s impossible to tell if you don’t know what to look for, but the building has all the signs of being the vessel of a ritual. I have no idea how he even pulled this off but I wouldn’t be shocked if demons were involved.”
“You’d think I’d have noticed,” Trish said, looking around thoughtfully.
“I thought so too, but from what I can tell, he actually accounted for that. The bloody bastard didn’t want neither human nor demon to get in his way,” Tess groused. “I tried to get rid of his wards before you arrived and didn’t get very far because there’s something simply renewing them. I just don’t know what yet.”
Lady frowned. “So what are we even doing here, then?”
“Pissing him off, basically,” Tess said so casually Trish cackled. “We’re the dangling carrot–hear that Johnny? We’re onto youuuu~” she crooned into the dark.
“Hey… is it a good idea to provoke him?” Lady said, suddenly a little too aware of the silence.
Tess just grinned at her, with a slightly sinister look on her face. The fine hairs on the demon hunter’s neck prickled up as the air suddenly started to feel colder and at the same time, somehow charged. Lady had felt something like this before but never this intensely and wrestled down the urge to walk out of there… or give in to fear any other way. She reached for the silver-bullet revolver just as the distinct sound of crackling electricity came from Trish, who stood up. It really felt as though the temperature took a nosedive and the lights above started to flicker and dim dangerously. Lady touched the trigger lightly, uncertain what would happen.
“There he is,” Tess hissed. “Come on, don’t keep me waiting, I’ve got what you want!”
The witch drew a knife from a sheath at the small of her back and with a quick flick of the blade, nicked herself in the arm enough to draw some blood.
It was quite sudden, actually, Lady recalled later. They appeared in the flickers of the lights, just before they petered out. They were indistinct but you could tell they were human figures. They moved in a… human-like way, somehow, despite their alien look. There were hazy limbs and glimpses of features. They just stood there in the gloom, almost one with the shadows. They didn’t give off any supernatural light or wail or even loom like ghosts did in movies. They just existed and you knew what they were because it felt like they were what you would someday be and that’s what gave Lady the awful shiver down her spine. Even Trish looked subdued, looking at them.
“These aren’t it, are they,” the blonde said without moving.
“No, they’re the other victims,” Tess said. “He’s using them like a net. It’s on, ladies. Stay calm.”
“Trying to hem us in, huh?” Lady said, cocking her gun.
The slimy noise gave him away. Trish and Lady moved at the same time. Trish raised her arm and Lady ducked away as a blob of something dripped from the ceiling where she stood just moments ago. A zap of raw electricity scorched the aged plaster and something retreated with a low whine.
“I see him!” Tess said and with a snap of her fingers lit about two dozen candles she had placed in various parts of the large room.
In the candlelight, Lady saw something sliding along the ceiling and the walls.
“He’s in the wall!” she said and leveled her gun.
The shot actually hit the dark, slimy thing gliding along the plaster and the crack of the impact was followed by a moan. The substance hissed where the silver touched it. The thing moved incredibly fast and several zaps missed it, leaving scorch marks on the walls as it flew to the ceiling once more and then attempted another swing at Tess this time; two arm-like growths of cloudy flesh and plaster rose out of the paint and swung at her. The witch held up an arm and spoke three words, sharp and cutting like glass. The arms bounced off a barely visible barrier just beyond her hand and the thing retreated, pushed back further by another shot from Lady.
“There he goes!” Lady said as the thing retreated but then surged back with a much greater number of arms that sprang from the floor, the walls and the ceiling.
Roy had ducked under the sofa just in time to avoid the onslaught of lightning blasts, fire plumes and gunfire. The arms were all torn apart by the counteroffensive of the three women.
“I think we made him mad!” Trish chuckled, blasting another arm with a shot of her gun.
“Good, he’ll show us where he is sooner or later!” Tess replied, severing arms with flames.
“There! The back wall!” Lady said, tracking where the main body of this slimy thing was travelling towards at speed.
Two shots pierced the wall and to Lady, it sounded hollow. Trish must’ve heard it as well and snatched the sledgehammer.
“Get it down, his body must be in there!” Tess said, and destroyed another arm with fire.
“His body!?” Lady blurted.
Trish swung the sledgehammer with gusto and the brick wall gave a mighty groan as a big crack appeared on it and the metal tool nearly snapped in two. She discarded the bent instrument and with a feral grunt, drove her heel into the wall which crumbled to pieces, revealing a back room that had been walled off. Both she and Lady retched a little from the smell that poured into the space from it, a mixture of sulphur and decomposition. There was a body in there alright, all dried up in a curious knelt position with arms extended up and out, like a desperate prayer.
“Ah, now he’s angry!” Tess said, as an awful shriek pierced the air.
She uttered a few hard, hissed words and with a flick of her fingers traced a circle on the floor around the three of them, in fiery runes and incantations, just in time for the oozy thing to attempt an all-out assault that revealed it to be more than the pathetic remains of a spirit.
“So it is demonic!” Trish said, watching the mass collide with the perimeter of the circle.
The form that emerged from it was vaguely man-like, composed of a sort of cloudy, almost glittering substance like water and quicksilver, towering over the women. It slammed into the barrier of the circle and reeled back, perplexed.
“How is it not affecting Trish?” Lady asked Tess, reloading.
“Complicated magical bullshit and it’s not going to last!” Tess said. “Really improvised here so time to make it count! That must be the main body.”
“It’s giving me goosebumps,” Trish said, sailing out of the circle to drop her heel onto the entity, which responded by crossing its arms and blocking her assault.
The two clashed in a rapid succession of blows and gunfire as Trish struggled to get a proper opening on the thing and its semi-liquid being seemed to recover too quickly from her strikes. Electricity certainly stunned it each time but not enough. Lady drew a second gun and flanked it easily, looking for a target to aim at.
“How do we get rid of this thing?” she snapped.
“He’s empowered by a demon, so wear him down for now,” Tess said, also looking for an angle. “I just need–aha!”
She traced a fresh circle around the entity and closed her fists abruptly while intoning a series of leathery words like the back of a snake. The circle under the entity flared and it uttered a pair of screams, a human and monstrous one. It seemed to come apart at the seams.
“It has a core!” Trish said, aiming her guns at the pulsing mass revealed by the substance, a milky white thing in the shape of a shriveled human body.
Both Trish and Lady opened fire upon it, though the silver bullets seemed to be the more effective shot of the two. The core was torn apart violently and the entity seemed to crumble momentarily and split in two, the outer substance discarding the core and sliding away to reform into a more animalistic-looking shape. The core unraveled like wadded paper and quivered on the floor.
“I’ve got him now!” Tess said and rushed towards the humanoid shape. “The demon is all yours, ladies!”
She traced a circle around the humanoid shape just as it started to reform and before it could move, the circle bound it in place, making it stand rigid and half-bent, screaming incoherently. The witch arrived before the circle and got to her knees, placing her hand over the scorched symbols and started to chant a series of gauzy words, flowing like water on a strange rhythm. The ghost screamed again, struggling in its bonds.
“Begone!” she said with a kind of finality that made Lady’s hair stand on end.
There was a sense of pressure and a feeling of wind without wind, almost, and the ghost began to violently fold in on itself. It resisted valiantly but the pressure was too much for it, until it shrank to nothing, screaming the entire time.
Meanwhile, Trish and Lady made quick work of the demon half. Stunned as it was, it didn’t put up much resistance. Trish closed in and with a powerful kick, cratered it into the floor, shattering the wood panels of the floor. Without the ghost merged into it, it grew more solid and better-defined, the shape of a hunched lizard-like thing with a stubby fringe all along its back. Holding it down under her foot, Trish shocked it with an angry buzz of lightning that lit up the room and wrought out a shriek from the thing. It lay there in a heap as Lady arrived with a shotgun she had brought just for such an occasion. She cocked it, jammed it against the head of the demon and fired several shots into it, the blasts thundering loudly through the small space.
The body flinched and tensed, writhing momentarily before going limp and curling itself into a pathetic ball that slowly began to shrivel and evaporate into nothing but miasma.
“Phew, I wish they wouldn’t stink this much,” Tess said, waving her hand in front of her face. “This is going to be a bitch to clean up.”
“Nothing a little baking soda and lemon won’t sort out, I’m sure,” Roy said, emerging from under the sofa and shaking himself down.
Lady holstered her guns with a satisfied smile. Trish adjusted her hair and Tess admired their cool and collected response to the whole ordeal. It had been so smooth that not even the wine glasses had been upset.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Trish said, dropping on the sofa. “You took care of that ghost real quick. What happened to him?”
“I banished him. To Hell if there’s any justice in the world,” Tess replied, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip. “Don’t ask for details, I got none. Forced banishment like that sends ghosts to whatever hereafter they get, which I know nothing about, being very much alive, thanks.”
“Anywhere is better than here for that bastard,” Lady huffed and took the wine glass Tess offered her. “Gotta say, this went smoother than I expected it to go. Didn’t even ruin my hair,” she joked. “I had my doubts about you, Tess, but you really showed me.”
Tess grinned. “I’m an old hand at dealing with ghosts and ghoulies,” she said, then raised her glass. “Hopefully I can make a buck out of it here. But you girls are something else with guns, I’m making a mental note not to annoy you. To a fruitful relationship, then?”
“Amen to that,” Lady replied and they clinked glasses.
“Welcome to the business,” Trish said with a grin and sipped some more wine.
“So that’s how I now have this little slice of the city to call my own,” Tess told Dante, about two weeks later. “And made some new friends. They’re awesome, why didn’t you introduce us sooner?”
Dante smiled tartly at her, from her sofa in the apartment. “Because I figured you could all use the workout when it came down to it,” he said. “I was hoping you wouldn’t fall under their bad influence.”
“Bad influence, he says, like he isn’t the worst one around,” Tess cackled and opened another cardboard box. “You never did answer what you think you’re doing here.”
“I came for the gossip,” he said, getting comfortable with his hands linked behind his head. “What happened to the owner after all that? A little birdie told me you and the girls got a little rowdy after the fun went down.”
“I never said anything about rowdy,” Roy said from his perch on a bookcase. “They all had a little too much wine and spent the evening laughing about their work. We paid George a visit the next day.”
“He fell apart when I told him what happened,” Tess said. “He transferred the house ownership to me and pulled some strings to get everything cleared quickly, then turned himself in and confessed everything.”
Dante whistled. “And the cops just let you keep the place?”
“Not much they can do!” Tess chuckled. “It’s my place now and they got busy enough on the ground floor collecting evidence and the like. George blabbed everything to them the same as he did to me; how John got started on his murder spree, how he forced George to help him clean up after his kills, how they buried the bodies under the ground-floor’s basement, everything. I think he was mostly relieved to the point where he didn’t care about what was going to happen to him. I reckon that even in prison he’ll feel free as a bird.”
“I’ll bet,” Dante fired back. “Anyway, Twig, you look like you’re getting settled.”
Tess pushed a few books into place on the bookshelf. “I like the place, it’s cozy and it’s private. Though I suppose if you found it so soon I’ll need to get serious about wards.”
“Hey, I’m good at sniffing out trouble,” he chuckled. “You sure you want to stay in this place? It was haunted.”
“‘Was’ being the operative word. Roy and I cleaned the place pretty good and he’s got plans for the ground floor shop,” she replied. “I finally have a house!”
“The shop will do nicely for a general repair business,” Roy said self-indulgently. “It’s been a while since I got to work with my hands, I’ve missed it.”
Dante smirked up at the cat. “Heh, need to keep busy, huh old man?”
The cat yawned and settled better on his perch. “Better than lounging all day doing nothing.”
“Lounging is Dante’s specialty,” Tess said, putting more books away.
She stopped and put her hands on her waist to inspect her progress. The loft was brightly lit through the large industrial windows and the good day they were having, sunny and only slightly overcast. It was spacious and clean and cardboard boxes were lined up against the stairs leading to the loft bedroom. Ray may have thrown himself happily at the repair and maintenance work but Tess still had to paint the walls, clean the place and find furniture. She was looking forward to constructing all the wards she intended for it, protection and misdirection, warding and concealment…
She liked knowing her house was safe. She was enjoying it already.
“Anyway, you wanna take a break from all that and start this housewarming party already?” Dante said, crossing his legs.
Tess scoffed as he patted the stack of pizza boxes and the beer six pack he’d brought with him when he arrived, just minutes earlier and Tess had been too tired to ask him to leave. At least he cared… or she hoped, because this could as well have been just another excuse to binge on pizza. He’d seemed awfully familiar with her new home even though he hadn’t been there before. She made a mental note to make sure to adjust her wards to accommodate his presence because she had a feeling he would repeat this kind of thing and the last thing she needed was him plowing right through them. She sighed, went to her kitchen and dug out a pizza cutter from one of the cardboard boxes.
“Housewarming party, sure,” she snorted. “We’re not getting wasted, I’m warning you.”
He ignored her. “Gotta say, place looks a bit smaller than I thought it’d be.”
“Yes, well, it was designed with normal sized people in mind, Dante,” she grumbled. “Not mutant giraffes.”
“You’re so funny,” he said with a tart smile.
“As opposed to you, who only thinks he’s funny,” she chuckled. Then she pointedly stared at the other box he’d placed on her coffee table. “Hey Dante?”
“What?”
“What’s with the box?” she asked, handing him the pizza cutter.
He opened a pizza box and smiled, a little smugly. “That’s your house-warming present, Twig.”
“Uh-oh,” she exclaimed, thinking back to his office; sure, she wasn’t ever getting ‘household of the year’ awards, but she didn’t quite want to pin demon skulls to her walls.
“It’s not any part of any demon, I promise,” he chuckled. “Jeez, Twig, what do you take me for?”
She gave him a Look™.
“Don’t answer that,” he hastily added. Then he nudged the box closer to her. It was plain cardboard but he’d made an effort to wrap it in a red ribbon and into a passable bow. “Just open it.”
She quirked an eyebrow and plopped onto the sofa, then drew the box before her. She tugged the ribbon loose and then opened the top. She peeked inside hesitantly and after a moment of confusion, started laughing.
“Oh wow.”
He grinned with satisfaction and picked up a slice of pizza, biting into it triumphantly.
She reached into the box gingerly and lifted out a small cactus. The pot was big enough to fit in both her hands and was wrapped in a bright red paper with a smaller bow. The cactus itself… was one of the ugliest things she’d ever seen in her life. It was close to spherical with weird bumps here and there and textured almost identically to a brain, growing in weird, tightly coiled ‘squiggly’ lumps with odd grooves. It was covered in a fine fuzz and had a strange, green-gray color.
“What is this?” she giggled.
“A cactus. I wanted to get you something with a flower but this thing apparently lives longer,” he said.
She got the impression he wanted to add something to that but he instead just bit down on his pizza.
She hugged the potted cactus one armed and brought her hand to her face, still laughing. “Oh man, Dante, it’s the ugliest plant I have seen in my entire life. And I love it! It’s adorable!”
He grinned widely.
She put the potted cactus down on the table beside them and picked up a pizza slice. “It’s like my very own zombified little brain. I’m going to call it Fred.”
“Put a bowtie around the pot,” he snorted.
“I just might!”
Then she leaned over and pecked his cheek. “This was the best housewarming present. Thank you.”
“So I can come by and say hi to Fred anytime, right?” he quipped.
“Don’t push your luck, mister!”