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Description
August 16, 2016; Seattle, Washington

The rain poured down relentlessly that night. Grant it, she was used to spending nights in the rain, but it still got on her nerves when she actually had a sheltered destination and it was taking her forever to get there. She kept her hood pulled tight over her head to try and keep as dry as possible while she walked and walked.

The lights shined around her and the sounds of the city hummed around every road she walked beside. But she wasn't here for sightseeing. She knew her destination would be as far away from the stimuli of human activity as possible, tucked away on some distant street corner where only people like her would go to meet.

Thunder rumbled in the clouds as she wandered farther and farther away from the downtown area as possible. She eventually wandered into a small little neighborhood of small crumbling houses and stores who's neon signs were flickering their last lights. The only sign left of the big city was the Space Needle way off in the distance.

People that rivaled her in shadiness gave her looks as they caught sight of her making her way down the streets, but they seemed to have the mutual sense to just leave one another alone to their business. She simply strode onwards through the rain, until finally she came upon one of those shops with dying neon signs, a bar specifically. She smiled to herself and didn't waste time standing around in the horrid weather. She pushed her way through the door and let it creak shut behind her.

She stretched and shook to get the water off her leather jacket. Good Lord she was glad to finally be out of that storm. She took a look around. No one seemed to look up upon her entering, even though there were only a few people sitting around the restaurant. Grant it, it seemed at least half of them were passed out drunk on their tables. She scanned the room until her eyes locked on a man in a dark coat sitting at the bar, staring into the glass that he held in his firm hand. She smiled, and didn't hesitate to stride right up and sit herself right down on the seat next to him.

She smiled at him, but he gave her no response. He simply stared into space, his dark eyes highlighting the wrinkles on his well-groomed bearded face. He certainly gave off an odd vibe to her. He looked like a man who took his professionalism and image very seriously, too seriously, and yet something about him, just his being in general, seemed to resonate a feeling of something deeply somber and malevolent buried deep within the very fibers of his soul.

She looked at him, and still got no response. So she simply shrugged and pulled a dollar out of her pocket to hand to the waitress, an old quiet woman who simply took the money and handed her a full glass of alcohol before turning away to do dishes while the broken fan hummed and creaked above them.

She began to drink her glass, letting the warm burn of the booze embrace her insides after such a cold trek through the storm.

Then suddenly, “You're late.”

She almost choked when she finally heard the man next to her speak. She put down her glass and looked at him. He hadn't moved at all. His glazed eyes were still locked firmly onto his glass. She shrugged and pulled a passive face. “I kinda got caught in the rain. I would've drove but my car kinda had the previous owner in the driver's seat and I really wasn't in the mood to deal with dead-body-smell tonight.”

“Hmm,” the man said. He then slowly leaned back and took a long sip of his drink. He set it back down with a firm clink, and still refused to move his eyes away from the glass at any point. “I have little tolerance for excuses, Ms. Sheol.”

Sheol pulled her hood off of her messy hair and made a face. “That's kinda sucky then because I make a lot of excuses,” she chuckled.

“Hmm.”

The man took another sip. He still didn't look at her. Sheol looked back and forth, a bit confused on what to do next.

“So… this gig?” she asked. “What's it all about?”

“Order, Ms. Sheol.”

“The kind of order where I get to blow stuff to achieve it?”

“Initially.”

She smiled. “Alright sweet that's all I need to know! I'm in already, boss!”

“That was fast.”

“Eh, I get bored easily.”

“I see.”

He took another sip.

“So boss, give me the specifics. Because like I'm in, but you gotta be able to hold my attention if I'm gonna stay in. Like I just said, I get bored really easily. I've been laying low for way too long after that night I got stabbed by the Assassins in Indianapolis and I'm itching to get back into the swing of causing some mayhem!”

“Our goal is to end mayhem, Ms. Sheol. I realize that the Order has fallen far from that ideology, but that is why we are here.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard it all before from Otso Berg, boss. I'm just here to tag along for the ride.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“I take it you've got some big plan for the world? I mean based on what I've heard about you, it's gotta be big.”

“Indeed. It will be… global.”

“Awesome! When do we start?”

“I do not know yet, Ms. Sheol.”

“What? Why not just go now?”

“I do not have all the components I require yet, nor the Piece at the center of this entire operation. Not to mention, there is still the issue of that Ava girl.”

“The kid that stabbed me and killed Lucy? Dude I can probably just go pop some lead in her skull.”

“No. Not now. There are still forces at play, factors that require her services in order for us to succeed. She lives until I say she must die.”

“That's lame.”

“I could simply kill you here if you wish not to participate.”

“Eh… nah I tried death before. Too boring.”

“Then I suggest you listen to what your Father of Understanding says and follow my plans.”

“Uggghhh. Fine boss. But I'm still gonna do side jobs if you're gonna make me sit on the back burner for this specific gig.”

“I care not what you do as long as you do not get in my way.”

“Awesome.” Sheol gave a thumbs up and took another swig of her drink. She noticed her new boss’s eyes shifting slightly, though still not towards her. His gaze lazily drifted towards his arm.

“You're absolutely certain this will be a big gig?” Sheol asked him. “I mean if it's gonna take so long to get started, that makes me think I'm getting overhyped. I mean the last gig I had I literally worked with the Devil himself to blow up the universe. What makes you think you can top Lucifer?”

Then he finally began to slowly turn his head to look at her, his neck swiveling like an owl in the night eying its prey. He fixed her with his cold, dead eyes, and he began to roll up his sleeve to scratch an itch on his arm. Sheol looked down at his arm, noticing something very odd about the veins in his flesh. They had a slight golden glow to them, and the light seemed to intensify on the area he was scratching, on a small little symbol that glowed like a malevolent moon in the dark contrast of the bar. A simple little cross. And as her gaze was hooked on the glowing mark on his arm, he gave her his answer.

“Because I am not as careless as my teacher.”

Description
August 16, 2016; Seattle, Washington

The rain poured down relentlessly that night. Grant it, she was used to spending nights in the rain, but it still got on her nerves when she actually had a sheltered destination and it was taking her forever to get there. She kept her hood pulled tight over her head to try and keep as dry as possible while she walked and walked.

The lights shined around her and the sounds of the city hummed around every road she walked beside. But she wasn't here for sightseeing. She knew her destination would be as far away from the stimuli of human activity as possible, tucked away on some distant street corner where only people like her would go to meet.

Thunder rumbled in the clouds as she wandered farther and farther away from the downtown area as possible. She eventually wandered into a small little neighborhood of small crumbling houses and stores who's neon signs were flickering their last lights. The only sign left of the big city was the Space Needle way off in the distance.

People that rivaled her in shadiness gave her looks as they caught sight of her making her way down the streets, but they seemed to have the mutual sense to just leave one another alone to their business. She simply strode onwards through the rain, until finally she came upon one of those shops with dying neon signs, a bar specifically. She smiled to herself and didn't waste time standing around in the horrid weather. She pushed her way through the door and let it creak shut behind her.

She stretched and shook to get the water off her leather jacket. Good Lord she was glad to finally be out of that storm. She took a look around. No one seemed to look up upon her entering, even though there were only a few people sitting around the restaurant. Grant it, it seemed at least half of them were passed out drunk on their tables. She scanned the room until her eyes locked on a man in a dark coat sitting at the bar, staring into the glass that he held in his firm hand. She smiled, and didn't hesitate to stride right up and sit herself right down on the seat next to him.

She smiled at him, but he gave her no response. He simply stared into space, his dark eyes highlighting the wrinkles on his well-groomed bearded face. He certainly gave off an odd vibe to her. He looked like a man who took his professionalism and image very seriously, too seriously, and yet something about him, just his being in general, seemed to resonate a feeling of something deeply somber and malevolent buried deep within the very fibers of his soul.

She looked at him, and still got no response. So she simply shrugged and pulled a dollar out of her pocket to hand to the waitress, an old quiet woman who simply took the money and handed her a full glass of alcohol before turning away to do dishes while the broken fan hummed and creaked above them.

She began to drink her glass, letting the warm burn of the booze embrace her insides after such a cold trek through the storm.

Then suddenly, “You're late.”

She almost choked when she finally heard the man next to her speak. She put down her glass and looked at him. He hadn't moved at all. His glazed eyes were still locked firmly onto his glass. She shrugged and pulled a passive face. “I kinda got caught in the rain. I would've drove but my car kinda had the previous owner in the driver's seat and I really wasn't in the mood to deal with dead-body-smell tonight.”

“Hmm,” the man said. He then slowly leaned back and took a long sip of his drink. He set it back down with a firm clink, and still refused to move his eyes away from the glass at any point. “I have little tolerance for excuses, Ms. Sheol.”

Sheol pulled her hood off of her messy hair and made a face. “That's kinda sucky then because I make a lot of excuses,” she chuckled.

“Hmm.”

The man took another sip. He still didn't look at her. Sheol looked back and forth, a bit confused on what to do next.

“So… this gig?” she asked. “What's it all about?”

“Order, Ms. Sheol.”

“The kind of order where I get to blow stuff to achieve it?”

“Initially.”

She smiled. “Alright sweet that's all I need to know! I'm in already, boss!”

“That was fast.”

“Eh, I get bored easily.”

“I see.”

He took another sip.

“So boss, give me the specifics. Because like I'm in, but you gotta be able to hold my attention if I'm gonna stay in. Like I just said, I get bored really easily. I've been laying low for way too long after that night I got stabbed by the Assassins in Indianapolis and I'm itching to get back into the swing of causing some mayhem!”

“Our goal is to end mayhem, Ms. Sheol. I realize that the Order has fallen far from that ideology, but that is why we are here.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard it all before from Otso Berg, boss. I'm just here to tag along for the ride.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“I take it you've got some big plan for the world? I mean based on what I've heard about you, it's gotta be big.”

“Indeed. It will be… global.”

“Awesome! When do we start?”

“I do not know yet, Ms. Sheol.”

“What? Why not just go now?”

“I do not have all the components I require yet, nor the Piece at the center of this entire operation. Not to mention, there is still the issue of that Ava girl.”

“The kid that stabbed me and killed Lucy? Dude I can probably just go pop some lead in her skull.”

“No. Not now. There are still forces at play, factors that require her services in order for us to succeed. She lives until I say she must die.”

“That's lame.”

“I could simply kill you here if you wish not to participate.”

“Eh… nah I tried death before. Too boring.”

“Then I suggest you listen to what your Father of Understanding says and follow my plans.”

“Uggghhh. Fine boss. But I'm still gonna do side jobs if you're gonna make me sit on the back burner for this specific gig.”

“I care not what you do as long as you do not get in my way.”

“Awesome.” Sheol gave a thumbs up and took another swig of her drink. She noticed her new boss’s eyes shifting slightly, though still not towards her. His gaze lazily drifted towards his arm.

“You're absolutely certain this will be a big gig?” Sheol asked him. “I mean if it's gonna take so long to get started, that makes me think I'm getting overhyped. I mean the last gig I had I literally worked with the Devil himself to blow up the universe. What makes you think you can top Lucifer?”

Then he finally began to slowly turn his head to look at her, his neck swiveling like an owl in the night eying its prey. He fixed her with his cold, dead eyes, and he began to roll up his sleeve to scratch an itch on his arm. Sheol looked down at his arm, noticing something very odd about the veins in his flesh. They had a slight golden glow to them, and the light seemed to intensify on the area he was scratching, on a small little symbol that glowed like a malevolent moon in the dark contrast of the bar. A simple little cross. And as her gaze was hooked on the glowing mark on his arm, he gave her his answer.

“Because I am not as careless as my teacher.”