Convergence

[Nox]

Nox growled. The little girl was blackmailing him. Nox looked over at Raffe. "Her father sent me a scathing message about contacting her again." Nox would have pulled out his wallet and shown Raffe the message, but his hands were full and he wasn't about to let go of Raffe's hand, and the other arm was precariously balancing the lotus plant on his arm with a weave of air. "She shouldn't be here." Nox didn't want to say he could get charged with kidnapping out loud. He didn't want to put the thought in someone else's head that something was a miss her.

This was a cousin he knew nothing about. He knew her name, and how old she was and that was about it. I sighed. "How about I promise to have lunch with you when I'm feeling better. But you have to tell your parents. They should come too." The little girl looked up at him with a frown. Nox was fairly certain she didn't like that idea at all. Nox groaned and looked over to Raffe pleading with his eyes. Why? This girl was going to put him in jail. He was no good with family and he certainly wasn't very good with kids. Especially little girls who disobeyed their parents. Though she sounded very much like him. He had never listened to his father either. It sorta ruined his life. Nox sighed. "I didn't listen to my father either as a kid. He punished me pretty harshly for it. So much so that I pushed away part of me that I'm only now just finding. I get that you don't want to listen to him, but he's your father, he only trying to raise you in the best way he knows how." Nox sighed inside. He hated his father as much as he loved him. And he regretted many things, but never that his father taught him what he did. He'd been hard and harsh and had beaten him for things that Nox couldn't exactly control. But he had been a good man and a great hunter. Nox was lost in his head. The memories flooding and flashing before his eyes. His only anchor to reality was the hand he gripped tightly in his only hand.

[Raffe]

An amused smile played on Raffe’s lips during the exchange, but given he was on the outside of the dynamic he mostly left them to it. Sterling was certainly headstrong, and he actually gave a low chuckle at the implied threat. His free hand rubbed at the scar. Raffe had not had a father to disobey. Even parental figures had been sparse in his youth, and there had certainly been no one looking out for his best interests. He suspected the kid’s father was right though -- Nox was probably not the best company for his daughter given his precarious occupation. But shoving her away would only make her cling tighter.

The grip on his hand tightened, and Raffe glanced at the other man, for a moment sure it was the pain. But he seemed quiet instead, drawn inwards to whatever memories spilled from the confession. Raffe’s thumb stroked absently, but it was to Sterling he spoke. She had frowned back at Nox’s suggestion, probably because the idea of her father’s presence took the sails out of the fun in a little rebellion. “That seems a pretty fair deal.”

[Jacinda]

Jacinda watched as Ten slipped in the contacts, only feeling a mild discomfort. The idea of touching her eyeball was a bit difficult to be cool with. Which totally sucked because she was starting to notice that she wasn't quite 20/20 anymore. So far, it hadn't really slowed her down. But she did squint a bit when trying to read distant lettering like on street signs or buildings.

Jeez, I'm getting old! Not like it was a surprise. while her injuries from the hunt of Durante were mostly gone, occasionally she felt a twinge in her lower back, still. 10 or 15 years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. She usually mended up no worse for wear. Nowadays, though...

She gave a half-smirk at Ten. "Fuck, but it's gonna suck having to get contacts. Better than me getting glasses, though." Still, not by much.

The Inquisitor touched a few panels and her face ballooned up on one of the screens. "Yikes!" she laughed. Yeah, talk about a close up.

She realized her playfulness felt a bit forced. She felt a twinge of worry. Another alien thing. Tenzin was cautious rather than impulsive. She wouldn't seek out Durante, let alone confront him. But this much she knew. Shit could always happen. Once the hunt was on, you could never predict. Jacinda, Yoshi, Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumber had gone up against the guy with advanced weapons and surprise- and they had still lost.. They had paid in blood too.

Ten was just one person. She touched the staves in her boot, nodding slightly at the woman. Voice pitched low, "You got this." Contradiction. "Be careful." She hoped the woman saw the affection in her eyes. She didn't want to lose her first partner, her first friend in a long while.

[Jerry]

Jer didn't like the idea of them doing this for him. He didn't need their help but they were here might as well use them. Yet a name was still not offered up much to his dismay. He was tired of these three women very quickly. The contacts did what was necessary and they could hear everything too. No one was going to fuck this up for him.

He gave them a nod."Kali will go. Only if to see her quarry. This is the second time you've been very interested in my mark." Was it a coincidence or was there something else going on here. He'd get to the root of the problem eventually but first Durante needed to be found.

Kali grumbled as she got out of the van, bit there was a smile on her lips by the time she was standing outside. "Let's see if we can find Nox."

Jer climbed out after them and headed for the side entrance. His own contacts would relay to the van as well. His sensors were more defined than what he'd given the woman mostly because he didn't have a second pair and he didn't actually want to lose his equipment, sometimes people who worked for him thought because they were all Atharim that their equipment was all Atharim. Jer's was not so. He had his own contacts from his father, and there was of course the poisons and alchemy equipment he had in his own labs. Jer wondered if he'd ever get to use his talents on Durante. That could be interesting, seeing how a god reacts to various poisons and drugs. How exactly where they different? Maybe later he thought, but for now he had to find, then capture the boy god traitor.

[Nox]

Kali didn't like the Jer was so far away and completely ignoring her influences. But he had been right, even though she didn't need medical attention, the bleeding had stopped and her nose wasn't likely broken, a chance to see Nox again was always welcome. He was a simple sheep to the slaughter. Jer was mindful of something, she could feel his wariness.

She looked at her escort and waited for the woman to exit the van. She didn't need her help. Finding Nox would be easy. A simple touch of the receptionist's hand and she was hers. She'd do anything for her. Anything at all. Including giving her confidential information such as where a patient was when she wasn't family. And then she only had to talk to him, she could bring the boy straight to Jer, if she so desired. But she wanted to play with him. The last time had been glorious, he was so eager to please. So lost in his head that he was simple prey. And definitely a player - he deserved everything she gave him. He was much better prey than Jer who was just a challenge.

"Shall we go?" Kali didn't wait while she walked across the street to the hospital proper. She didn't go in the emergency room and she could only hope that her escort would follow and join her. There was no point in lying about her needs. She wasn't going to need to lie. The door opened with a quiet whoosh and as the cool air hit her Kali saw him. He was just standing there with another man, hand in hand, and the little girl from before with them. He didn't look happy to see the girl.

Kali didn't hesitate. "There is he. Look at our luck!" She didn't listen to the warnings that Jer had given them. This boy was hardly dangerous. She walked up to him with a bright smile. "Nox." Her eyes trailed along his body like she had missed seeing him. He looked worse for wear and her eyes landed on the bandage and the plant balanced precariously on what should have been his hand. Kali made to move and touch him...

[Sterling]

Raffe was nice. She liked him. Her cousin, on the other hand, was grumpy. And she didn't want her father to know anything about Nox. "But why do they have to know? They won't understand why I want to talk to you."

But before she could agree or disagree a woman came up to Nox all friendly-like. Sterling turned on her heel and glared at the woman for interrupting their conversation. "Excuse me. We were talking here. What gives you the right to interrupt us so rudely." The next thing Sterling knew was she was forcibly moved behind Nox and Raffe with unforeseen hands. She struggled against something but she saw nothing. She stared up at her cousin with wonder as he stood in front of her. He even positioned himself slightly in front of Raffe. He had gone on all protection mode without a cause. Sure she was rude but she was just a woman.

[Nox]

After Sterling bumped into Nox, he became hyper-aware of everything else around him. The power was being used as a tool now for his senses much more so than before. He'd been pushing it all away except for the feeling of Raffe's hand in his. Beads of sweat formed on his brow with the strain of it all. He was tired. He needed to heal. The doors whooshed open and Nox glanced up from his little cousin who was still fuming about his suggestion.
A brunette walked in followed by another. Kali? What the fuck was she doing here. He didn't expect to see her ever again. And she saw him and made her way to them.

"Nox."

"Excuse me. We were talking here. What gives you the right to interrupt us so rudely."

Kali was eyeing Nox and she went to touch him, Nox grabbed Sterling with a weave of air and pulled her behind him stepping in front of Raffe but not letting go of his hand. He didn't need his limbs to protect anyone even as tired as he was. "Don't touch me." Nox pulled away from her touch before she touched him. The reaction was almost violent, but he hadn't felt that way before. Something pushed at the edge of his memories. Something important. Something he should know. A pair of green eyes floated in his mind and he blinked back the memories. Aria...

Nox wove a thin wall of air between himself and Kali, it wouldn't stop anything for long but it would keep her from touching him without time to react to it. He didn't remember why he shouldn't let Kali touch him, but he wasn't going to let it happen now. "What are you doing here Kali?"

"We were just visiting an old friend. Weren't we?" Kali turned to the woman with her.

[Tenzin]

Tenzin’s lips hitched a quiet smile for Jacinda, more eyes than mouth. A small nod but no words marked her departure from the van. Apparently the woman was not dissuaded from the task, despite the danger. The inquisitor’s open-palmed acceptance of her into pack stunk of compromise, but that was a problem for later. She would rather not have to reveal the girl’s abilities to those who would slit her throat for it.

Outside her long stride followed, grounded in silence despite how quickly it became apparent the plan was dust in the wind. Tenzin’s hackles shivered, eliciting some faint inquiry from a pack far away, smoothed away as two-leg business of little interest to wolves. The hospital smelt sharp, flaring her nostrils. A grumble sank low in her throat, but it served the inquisitor right for sending a civilian. Sentients controlled emotion, they didn’t erode common sense. He ought to have recognised it in himself before now.

She kept a careful distance -- from the target and from the woman both. The inquisitor desired to know Nox’s injuries, and it seemed they did not need subterfuge to reveal them. He would see it through her eyes. He would see, too, the immediately defensive stance. Two innocent faces to protect. Tenzin did not relish relaying that information but it could not be helped. Her teeth wanted to bare at the complication, but her severe expression did not crack; if it came to it, she could not survive against a hostile channeler. She had only come because of the young girl caught in the inquisitor’s web. At least Jacinda was watching her back.

Nox did not appear to welcome Kali’s presence, and of Tenzin he would recognise a predator when he saw one. She made no effort to disguise it. Her dark gaze was unblinking but she did not move closer. Both hands rose palm-out at stomach height, a silent gesture of peace unseen through the contacts. She was standing on a knife-edge, aware his reaction would be monitored. “Friend, yes,” she said lightly. Her skin was prickling, aware the other woman might be on the verge of doing something stupid. She finally turned to look at her. “We go now.”

[Raffe]

“Better to be honest,” he said to Sterling. He might have added more, but Sterling whirled on the sudden interruption. Nox shifted as another approached. Popular, wasn’t he? Though Raffe saw no reason for the defensiveness, he tasted the strain on the air -- and he trusted the other man in a way he couldn’t really put into words, enough to keep both quiet and watchful. His expression was both open and curious as he looked at the two new strangers. For a moment something strange crossed his vision, but it was fleeting and forgotten in favour of vigilance. Some bad history was his presumption. He squeezed Nox’s fingers. The man’s shoulder blocked like he intended to protect Raffe as well as Sterling, though from what who could say. Another woman tailed behind the first, hands held like she beheld a wild beast. A bad feeling was growing in his gut.

[Jacinda]

Jacinda watched the feed quietly, the feeling of worry churning in her gut. It wasn't motion that did it despite the fact that Ten was clearly watching everything. Motion sickness wasn't her thing. No, it was worry. She tried to forget the memory of that night with Durante, the spikes and explosions, the raw fire and destruction that seemed to emanate from him despite the obvious damage and pain on his body. A wounded animal lashing out violently.

Her heart jumped as suddenly they both stopped and there Nox stood, along with the girl and some guy. "Fuck!!" she hissed. The scars on the man's neck tickled at her mind, but it was Nox that held her attention. Not just the fact that he could channel. Where his arm below the elbow should have been was nothing but a wrapped stump. He was wounded- AGAIN!

The look he gave to Jerry's friend said it all and the stance made it clear. She was an enemy. Her hand went to her staves and she tensed, ready pull the door open. Then she paused. If she went it, Nox would see her. That would definitely get Tenzin and the little girl killed. Not to mention others in the hospital.

"God damnit!!", she swore. "We can't do anything without getting everyone hurt or killed!" She watched the feed, hoping Tenzin could defuse the situation.

No, it wasn't just worry. It was fear. Jacinda was afraid, as afraid as she'd ever been. She didn't want to lose her. She couldn't lose her, not now, not when her heart was finally working again.