Archangel

[Lykaios]

Constantine was furious still, at Garret's warning; but quickly agreed with the slightest of nods of his head to Garret's reply. It was true, after all. If Archangel Raphael chose to kill them, there was an impressively high chance it would be flashily executed, and either quick and painless, or slow and excruciating, to make an example of them. It was only when Garret made the point, that Farlius even managed to realise that his words were more than likely audible, even at his barest whisper to the Arch. Afterall, incredible powers usually included exceptional senses to what was going on in the world. Feeling suddenly ill, Constantine eased off, lowering his gaze to the untouched glass of orange juice before him. He'd even lost his appetite in that moment.

He felt instant regret at his words, too. As vile as he'd sounded, he realised at that moment that he could easily have broken any chance at befriending the three colleagues he now possessed. It couldn't be helped, as in that moment of anger, he was at his worst; untrusting, violent and deadly. He noticed that Sierra still hadn't fully comprehended the things he'd been saying, as though still under the spell of the Archangel, Garret seemed highly frustrated with Constantine, and looking at Allire...she looked ill.

Love is a noose. I can't have friends. I don't need friends. he thought, returning to his motto, to try and comfort himself. It was odd that he even cared for their thoughts of him. He cringed at his own uneasiness. He'd been content in Australia. Everyone assumed he was uninterested in human interaction, which he was adamant that was the truth.

But he lost the trail of thought as he smelt an awful reek in the air, approaching them. His mind went vicious, cold and calculating once more. Vampires... he thought, not knowing how many, only really feeling one. But there was an even worse stench in the air. So much more pungent than the vampire he knew was coming up to their table. He couldn't place it...until...Raphael revealed he'd been Made the day before.

"Malaka," he winced, turning to face the two vampire new-comers. His glare went ice cold. The sight of the newly Made vampire almost unreasonable to him. The pungent odour had intensified and he felt morbidly curious, about who exactly Made this one, for it to be actively walking around so soon. He was appalled.

"What is the purpose of this, Archangel? Is this our test? To see how we react to the newly Made? Or do you have more in plan for this? Because he reeks to the very core. I almost feel sick. IF you had plans to make us Hunter-born feel ill, sir; you well succeeded." he asked, his tone straining to stay neutral, when clear edges of anxiety, neausea and frustration were sneaking in with every word.

Constantine wished now, as he always had, that he hadn't been born a Hunter-born. Though he would never admit it, he was envious of Garret and Allire, of their inability to smell what he could smell.

He felt like he would vomit.

[Arcane]

Allire glanced quickly from the newborn vampires to the Hunterborn, who looked ill. She nearly spit the orange juice back out, but forced herself to swallow it down. She'd tried conciliation, and it had seemed to work, kind of, but this was just...disgusting. Really, the rational part of Allire snapped back at her, Are you that narrow-minded? All vampires started like this. These...things were once human. They're not disgusting, their master is, if he had any idea of these vampires would affect the Hunterborn.

"Showing off your pets?" Allire asked with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't going to lose her temper again. Her apology tasted bitter in her mouth and, while she certainly didn't want to die, she felt no desire to ever apologize to this...creature again. Calling out at the creatures as they left, Allire offered, getting up to follow them, "Hello, Erik. Hello, Bernal."

Erik looked horrible, more human than animal, and Bernal had looked terrified, simply petrified of the Archangel even as he looked like...that. It was horrible, as cruel to them as to the Hunterborn and Allire needed a second to herself. The instant she left the roof, stepping into a glass waiting room, something eased inside her head, an uncomfortable pressure she hadn't recognized let up. She took a deep breath and suddenly felt less paranoid, less irritable and her apology no longer seemed so horrible. It had been necessary, what she had to do to survive, and Allire wanted to survive.

Taking a deep breath, Allire forced herself to turn around. She didn't run, didn't hide and she could handle anything Raphael threw at her. Sure, he was a bastard, screwing with Constantine and Sierra, but she wasn't involved, there was no reason for it to bother her. It had just been that...pressure, making her snappy and irritable.

The elevator clicked open and a well-put together looking vampire walked out with a click of high heels. It was the spy from before and the contrast between her and the...creatures from before was astonishing. She looked Allire over with distaste, coolly raising an eyebrow. Well then, Allire thought with a huff. She thought she liked Bernal and Erik better after all, "Are the two newborns from before all right? Is there anything I can do? Erik looked...barely human."

"No need to pity him," the vampire offered in a neutral tone, "He will be Immortal. This is nothing you can offer him, mortal, besides your blood."

"I'll do it," Allire offered hurriedly, "I'm a hunter, I'm tough."

Anna Sophia laughed icily, looking over the human before her. She certainly didn't seem particularly intelligent, likely wouldn't last a minute. It was very fortunate for her indeed that she would have a vampire watching her back, although Anna Sophia would have as soon seen her wandering off unprotected, with that dopey idealistic look upon her face. There was pity in there and the Made didn't need sympathy from mere humans.

Breezing onto the roof, Anna Sophie spoke breezily. Her cool professionalism was unlikely to win the trust of the Hunters and she needed their tolerance, at the very least, regardless of how much it irked her, "Raphael, Sir, your Hunter here just offered to feed Bernal. Perhaps she'll do an admirable job after all."

[Sparkles]

[Lykaios - you wouldn't be able to smell Erik. I was hoping you'd pick that up in my post. Don't mind editing it out but just to know that]
“I didn’t think a hunter would be so disturbed at the sight of the just Made.” Raphael’s face appeared oddly shadowed, until she realized he’d raised his wings slightly. He was addressing Constantine, who, she had to admit, was over-reacting a bit. Yes, the smell was disgusting; enough to make someone sick; but it was their job to smell and track vampires.

Wondering if that implied focus or anger, she put down the glass. “I’m not, not really.” True enough now that that first, instinctive flash of disgust had passed. “It’s the smell…like a coating of fur on your tongue. No matter how hard you scrape, you can’t get it off.”
Open interest showed on his face. “If I asked you to track Erik, could you?”

She shivered at the memory of those almost-dead/not-quite-alive eyes. No wonder people believed those stories about vampires being the walking dead. “No. I think he’s too young.”

Raphael looked over the table to where Anna was now, and past her, to Allire. "Yes.... young enough to dismember, mutilate and use your friend as black pudding without even realising what he's doing. You may want to caution her of that before she does something rash."
His attentions then swapped to Anna and his blue eyes turned to ice. "Do not interrupt me again, Anna. This meeting is a private affair."
Frowning, he decided to deal with the hunters separately. Together, they were too defensive, "Take Allire and Garret to the dining room." His voice was frosty, but as of now, he was done being disobeyed. He may need these four hunters for convenience, but they were, after all, disposable.

[Elario Luminus]

Garret tensed up when he heard the oddly alluring sound of Anna's voice. 'Curse that vampire...'
Turning to look at her, he had a hard time keeping his gaze neutral, let alone friendly. Nodding once, and as casually as he could, the hunter rose from his chair and pushed it back under the table.
"Thanks for breakfast, Raphael. Have a nice day," Garret said as sincerely as possible. The memory of the newly Made vamps still haunted his minds eye and he suppressed a shudder. Watching his hunter-born allies with a careful eye, he approached Anna. Upon realising he'd unconsciously stopped walking and had ended up mere inches away from her, he grimaced and moved back a full step. In a transparent gesture of chivalry, he motioned her towards the door from the roof.
"Ladies first, Anna."
With a final, guarded look behind him to Sierra and Constantine, he stepped in after Anna.

Being all kinds of unhappy with his current situation, what with being within feet of something he both despised and, to his own horror, was attracted to, Garret gently toyed with the catch on the dagger he'd strapped to his lower back. It might be completely ineffective, but damn him if he was going down without a fight. As such, he said nothing to Anna as they moved.

[Lykaios]

Constantine frowned as Raphael questioned him. He thought it obvious enough as to why he was mortified by the newly Made, but for some reason Raphael just didn't understand what made the Hunter anxious, and that concerned him. He either didn't understand, or was in actual fact toying with him. Those damned Angel's...noone toys with me. he thought, his mind awhirl.

"It isn't obvious why? I'm upset because they've just been turned. Did they choose it, or did their master choose for them? I find immortality alters a being into thinking they are as a God. You don't know how many vampires I've had to track, after they escaped; with the thought that they were too powerful and important to belong to any other being." Constantine supplied, still hesitant to believe that this Archangel was uncomprehending.

He watched as Allire and Garret left with the female vampire from earlier, Anna-Sophia. He only wished he could leave too, because he was over this meeting entirely. He'd had more than enough of the Archangel's to last him for all eternity. Pompous creature, that he was; Constantine assumed they would all be just like him.

Why am I here, again? he asked himself.

[Arcane]

Anna Sophia nodded coolly at Raphael's scolding. She had deserved it, had been overstepping her bounds, but the hunter had rubbed her the wrong way. "My apologies, Sire, I allowed my emotions to overcome me momentarily. I will be sure to do the utmost to protect my...friend. Garrett, Allire, right this way if you please. We can speak in the Dining Room."

Taking a deep breath, she brought her emotions back under rigid control and flashed the hunters a professional smile. Maintaining that facade, however, proved difficult as Garrett walked over to her, standing too close, close enough to set off the little alarm bells in her head. She didn't like have strange men, men she didn't trust, standing so close to her but she managed to keep the strain out of her smile. Suppressing her horror as she recognized the little skip in her heartbeat as attraction, however, proved harder.

Deliberately keeping her distance from Garret as he opened the door for her, Anna Sophia offered cooly, "Anna Sophia, please. And thank you, Garret. I trust your breakfast was pleasant?"

Anna Sophia pressed the button to the elevator, doing her best to ignore both of the hunters standing besides her. She would respond if either spoke, but no more, offering no more than was required of her. It was her duty to win their confidence, to gain their cooperation, but she wasn't entirely sure how to even begin, when she could hardly tolerate the presence of either.
----
Allire's face was burning as she walked to the elevator besides the vampire and the hunter. Damn, that woman was a frigid bitch, had humiliated Allire completely and utterly. Perhaps her sentimentality had been foolish, but she'd been trying to help, at the very least. She doubted either this vampire or her master even understood the compulsion anymore. Cold as ice, the both of them. Sure, perhaps she'd acted like an idiot, but at least she still was capable of feeling something, still human. Digging her nails into her palms, Allire walked into the elevator when it arrived with her head held high. These people might be classy, sophisticated in a way she wasn't, but they needed the Hunterborn and Allire doubted Sierra would cooperate if they simply killed her and Garrett. Perhaps Constantine would rebel as well. Allire hoped he would, hoped her death would bother him on some level, but she didn't truly know him. Not enough to even guess.

"My breakfast was lovely, thank you. The bread was excellent," See, Allire could pull calm, cool and collected as well. Well, except for the unchecked rage in her voice and the scarlet flush on her cheeks, but it was a start. And soon, they'd be back in the field, doing what Allire did best.

[Sparkles]

Raphael turned his attention back to Constantine. "They are what they are, however those who get a god-complex need to be reigned in. That's why the world has its hunters, is it not?"

Without waiting for an answer, he dove back to the point, “What about Bernal?”

“He’s on the bottom floor of the building right now.” The barely-Made vampire’s odor was so noxious, it permeated the building. “In the lobby.”

Golden tipped wings spread to shadow the table as Raphael put his hands together in a slow clap. “Well done, Sierra. Well, done.”

She looked up from the table, belatedly aware she’d just proven how good she was when she should’ve flubbed it and gotten them out of this, whatever “this” was. Shit. But at least he’d given her some idea of the job. “Do you want us to track a rogue?”

He rose from his chair in a sudden, liquid movement. “Wait a moment.”

She watched, transfixed, as he walked to the edge of the roof. He was a being of such incredible splendor that simply seeing him move made her heart squeeze. It didn’t matter that she knew it was a mirage, that he was as deadly as the filleting knife she carried strapped to her thigh. No one, not even she, could deny that Raphael the Archangel was a man made to be admired. To be worshipped.

That utterly wrong thought snapped her out of her dazed state. Pushing back her chair, she stared hard at his back. Had he been messing with her head? Right then, he turned and she met the agonizing blue of his eyes. For a second, she thought he was answering her question. Then he looked away…and walked off the roof.

She jumped up. Only to sit back down, blush reddening her cheeks, when he winged upward to meet an angel she hadn’t seen until that moment. Michaela. The female equivalent of Raphael, her beauty so intense that Sierra could feel the force of it even from this distance. She had the startling realization that she was looking at a mid-air meeting between two archangels.

“Sara’s never going to believe this.” She forgot the stench of young vampire for the moment, her attention hijacked. She’d seen photos of Michaela, but they came nowhere close to the reality of her.

The other archangel had skin the colour of the most exquisite, fine milk-chocolate and a shining fall of hair that cascaded to her waist in a wild mass. Her body was quintessentially female, slender and curvy at the same time, her wings a delicate bronze that shimmered against the richness of her skin. Her face… “Wow.” Even from this distance, Michaela’s face was perfection given form. Sierra fancied she could see her eyes—a bright, impossible green—but knew she had to be imagining it. They were too far away.

It made little difference. The female archangel had a face that would not only stop traffic, it would cause a few pileups in the process.

Sierra frowned. Despite her appreciation for Michaela’s looks, she was having no trouble thinking straight. Which meant the damn arrogant blue-eyed bastard had been screwing with her mind. He wanted her to worship him? They’d see about that.

Starting to feel a bit of a partnership with Constantine at this moment, she turned slightly in his direction. "Is it just me or is he the most arrogant SOB you've ever met?"

No one, not even an archangel, was going to turn her into a puppet.

[Elario Luminus]

Though able to keep his head, Garret found it increasingly hard to not stare at Anna. Her features, particularly her lips and eyes, spoke volumes of sensuality, hidden though it may be behind a professionally cool and collected visage. He'd always appreciated the old-fashioned beauty that was around, constantly discovering most women in todays century too forward and immature to be properly fulfilling. While he couldn't help but apreciate her beauty, Garret warred with the fact that she was a vampire. Cursing to himself in his head, he decided to come back to those thoughts later.

Realising perhaps a few seconds too late that Anna had asked him a question, he smiled pleasantly enough before answering. "Breakfast was nice enough, though the bantering and question-dodging was getting a little...tiresome. No offense to your Sire, or anything, though."
Garret frowned a little when he remembered Raphael scolding Anna.
"While I realise he has basically total power over you, don't you think Raphael can be a bit...oppressive? There's command, and then there's control."
Still frowning, he asked himself why he was asking these questions to a vampire, even an incredibly attractive one such as Anna, his frown deepening.

[Lykaios]

Feeling an urge to strangle the Archangel, for his persistence at avoiding Constantine's questions; he was quickly squashing the thought. Letting thoughts like that propagate in the presence of the Arch, was a dangerous admission to death. Somehow, whenever the strange thoughts of treating the Arch with respect - which were obviously not his own - that he somehow was 'owed' popped into Constantine's mind, his mind managed to laugh it away.

If I ever respected this son of a bitch, I'd have to kill myself for my blasphemies. Archangel nothing. He wants respect: he has to earn it, like everyone else. And worshipped? Dream on, malaka. he thought.

However, when Raphael asked about Bernal's location, he waited until he and Sierra had concluded, before he intervened with his own.
"He's been to see Suhani at the desk, but he's being led off by a vampire I don't recognise. I have nothing on Erik...somehow, I feel I've missed something. Maybe he's far too young..." he said, the look on his face showing his disappointment in the only ability he possessed that was usually perfect, even without a means to train it.

It seemed as though, Raphael was disinterested in his own evaluation, as he seemed to have a greater interest in leaving the roof. Scoffing slightly at Raphael's sudden need to leave, he paused as he realised there was a magnificent Angeless waiting for him above. He was stunned he hadn't seen her sooner. Were they truly able to cloak themselves? He wondered to himself, as he took in the female angel's inherent beauty. Dumb-founded by her curvacious and full-bodied - yet slight - figure, he couldn't help but to stare, until his conscious mind kicked back in. She had dazzling green eyes, he was sure...yet he could not actually see her eyes, so he wondered how he knew that. It was strange, how powerful angels could be.

Coming back to himself as Sierra lent over and spoke to him, he considered her for a long moment. Clearly, he had been influencing her mind. Making her say and do things particularly uncharacteristic to what had just come out of her mouth. He only wished his ability to toy with people was as great as the Arch's. The creature was on an entirely different level. Though, he supposed supernatural magicks offered that as standard, which really did not make it a fair game.

"Yet, here you are; utterly entranced by it. Arrogant, yes. Son of a bitch; I wouldn't know. Do Angels even have the ability to breed?" he asked, not really expecting a response. But before she could reply, he added something else that sprung to mind.
"I just want to get told what our job is, so we can return to Allire and Garret; and begin. I'm tired of his games."

He was clearly frustrated, only simply wanting to leave now, and never be in this Archangel's arrogant presence again...

[Arcane]

Anna Sophia stepped into the elevator as she chewed over Garret's question. No, it didn't bother her. She was a vampire, it was her place and it was a good one. It was her honor to serve and serve well, gave her both a purpose and a home. Without her place in the Tower, Anna would have gone mad long ago. The question bothered her, however. He didn't understand, couldn't understand the depths of the ties that bound her to her Sire. He was human and a hunter, thoroughly independent and used to clinging to that. So how was she expected to work with him?

"He is an Archangel," Anna Sophia finally answered simply, settling on a Vampire's typical answer to an outsider's challenge, "He is held to different standards. And I am a vampire. It is my place to serve him, as simple as that. You are not Tower, so he must be watchful around you, must ensure you are safe. All those who live and work here are under his protection. It's not a burden undertaken lightly."

Anna Sophia tapped her foot as the elevator descended. Was it always this slow?

"And Raphael saved me from a fate worse than death," she added softly, a faint hint of a German accent in her voice, "For that, I owe him a debt that can never be repaid."
----
Allire tilted her head at Anna's words. Huh, she wouldn't have thought Miss Manicure understood depts, wouldn't have thought she had any cause to be indepted. Well, it was a good thing Allire wasn't. Whatever shit Anna had gone through, and Allire had met enough Vampires to know many had, almost unavoidable with that sort of lifespan, it clearly didn't allow her to see Raphael clearly. Allire didn't doubt he was a decent Archangel, he'd held New York for centuries, after all, but all she could think of was a man who'd summoned two helpless Vamps into a room full of predators for her own amusement and had yet to tell her, well, anything.

"Not that this lesson isn't entertaining or anything," Allire interrupted, "But do you have any clue what your Arch wants with us?"

"No. He is an Archangel. His demands need no explanation," Anna Sophia replied in that calm way of hers, with yet another one of her fake accents.

[Sparkles]

(I could just hug you for being kind to Raphael. Everyone else is so judgemental. Gosh people. However, I can't see your positions changing for a little while. )

It only took Constantine the time it took him to open his mouth for Sierra's feeling of comraderie towards him to slump back to almost zero. Agreeing with his sentiment about the contract and Raphael's games, but deciding to concentrate on his previous comment for now, Sierra ground her teeth slightly before replying, "I am not entranced..."
Having more to say, Sierra decided not to pursue it at that moment. Now wasn't the time to get into a quarrel with the new guy.

As if he’d heard her defence, Raphael said something to his fellow archangel and winged back down to the roof. His landing was a lot more showy this time. She was sure he paused to display the pattern on the inside surface of his wings. It was as if a brush dipped in gold had started at the top edge of each wing and then stroked downward, fading to white as it neared the bottom. In spite of her fury, she had to face the truth: If the devil—or an archangel—came to her and offered her wings, she might just sell him her soul.
But the angels didn’t Make other angels. They only made blood-drinking vampires. Where angels came from, no one knew. Sierra guessed they were born to angelic parents…though, come to think of it, like Constantine, she’d never actually seen a baby angel.

Her thoughts derailed again as she watched the fluid grace of Raphael’s walk, so seductive…so perfect.
Standing up, she sent her chair crashing to the tiles. “Get. Out. Of. My. Head!”
Raphael came to a standstill. “Do you intend to use that knife?” His words were ice. She felt blood scent the air and realized it was her own.
Looking down, she found her hand clenching on the blade of the knife she’d drawn instinctively from the sheath at her ankle. She’d never have made such a mistake. He was forcing her to hurt herself, showing her she was nothing but a toy for him to play with. Now she understood why he'd sent the other two away; they, unlike Constantine, she assumed, would have protested. Especially Garret. Instead of fighting, she cast a determined glance to Constantine and squeezed harder. Enough was enough and she was leaving if he played with them any more. “If you want me to do a job for you, fine. But I won’t be manipulated.”
His eyes flicked over the blood seeping from her fist. He didn’t have to say anything.
“You might be able to control me,” she said, in response to the silent mockery on his face, “but if that would’ve gotten the job done, you’d have never gone through the farce of hiring me. You need me, Sierra, and the rest of us, not some of your little vampire flunkies.”
Her hand unclenched in a violent spasm as he made her release the blade. It fell to the ground with a thud cushioned to softness by the blood that had pooled below. She didn’t move, didn’t attempt to stem the flow.
And when Raphael walked to stand less than a foot from her, she stood her ground.
“So, you think you have me over a barrel?” The sky was a seamless blue but Sierra felt storm winds whip her hair completely out of its coil.
“No.” She let his scent—clean, bright, of the sea—settle over the lingering coat of vampire on her tongue. “I’m ready to walk away without a backward look, return the deposit you paid the Guild, and suggest the other three do the same”
“That,” he said, picking up a napkin and wrapping it around her hand, “is not an option.”
Startled by the unexpected act, she closed her hand to help slow the bleeding. “Why not?”
“I want you to do this,” he responded, as if that was reason enough. And for an archangel, it was.
“What’s the job? Retrieval?”
“Yes.”

FINALLY!! Some progress!

((Lykaios - if Constantine would have reacted in a way that would have changed that convo then let me know and I can change the post. Just wanted to speed things up a bit for you, so I assumed any reaction would fit in with this.))

[Elario Luminus]

Garret had to say he agreed with Anna on the point of Archangel's having their own rules. That said, the rules they ran with were perhaps a bit volatile for Archangels as well.
"Well, I suppose that speaks for your strength of character then, for you to be loyal beyond him being your Sire." His opinion of Raphael, while being mostly neutral, changed for the better. He clearly had compassion enough to save people from what he deemed unnecessary circumstances, and that spoke volumes to Garret. The corners of his mouth curving only a little, he glanced at Anna, again appreciating her beauty despite the his rational mind shrieking at him.

"It makes sense that Raphael shouldn't feel the need to divulge all information from the get-go. Honestly, to believe he should is stupid beyond belief; I'm surprised Constantine isn't screaming in agony right now, or dead. If I were Raphael, the world of the Archangels, and by some small extent angels, is a secret one, full of dark and deadly twists and turns, and I wouldn't want mortals knowing them. Bring it on, I say. I'd like to have a challenge," he grinned, his face full of daring and danger. Garret chuckled to himself as he thought of something ridiculous.
"Imagine if we were hunting a human. Oh no, one of our own!" He laughed again, this one a bit sarcastic. Hunters, both human and hunter-born, took care of any rogues that may defect. It was hard, but it was necessary.

[Lykaios]

Constantine frowned at Sierra's grumbled reply to his observation of her entrancement. It was a second before he smirked at the conclusion that she wasn't seeing what he saw when he looked at her. This Archangel Raphael was playing games with both of their minds; but it seemed his tricks were either more focused, or more effective on the girl. Farlius saw through it now. The Archangel left their immediate vicinity, or he stopped playing with them for a moment; and it was clear. He had truly been inside their heads; forcing them to say and do things they would normally keep under control.
The Arch's power was unimaginable.

Before Constantine could respond, he felt the now familiar feeling as the Arch's powers returned to his mind. Of course, it was subtle; but having had time to settle his thoughts, he noticed a tendril of thought that wasn't his own. Turning his attention to the two Archangels; he saw Raphael return. The Angel made a particular show of displaying them his wings for a pause, as he came toward them. It was obvious he was playing it up, but that was not the point.
It was power, that he showed them. Power they could never have.
He growled low in his throat at the unfamiliar thought. He'd never been jealous of an angel's wings before, so why would he start now?

As if that moment wasn't enough; he gave pause, standing himself in a combat stance, when Sierra roared at him to get out of her mind. Easing out of the fighter's stance, he frowned and arched a brow when Raphael questioned her about her blade. He knew most Hunters went everywhere armed; but he didn't on the basis he was just as deadly with his own body, as with any other weapon. But he hadn't anticipated her to reach for her own. He smelt her blood; her fingers on the edge of the blade itself. It wasn't like her to grab a weapon blade-first; it wasn't like anyone to do that. Until he realised; Raphael must of had something to do with the event. His eyebrow rose even further, choosing not to involve himself in this. This was not his fight, and he was quickly finding new interest in this breakfast party. However; he still wished the Angel would just give them the job, so they could get started. And by extension; leave.

Looking at Sierra, he noticed a gleam of determination in her eyes as she stared back at him for a few moments. He knew that feeling. This was not his fight; it was hers. And she was fighting it. More blood dribbled from the tip of her blade as she squeezed harder and inwardly he prayed she broke free. He had nothing more to do with this anymore. While the Arch had been far more vague than a porn mag, missing all it's pages; Constantine had nothing to gain from interfering in this. His fight was over. Sierra's was truly beginning.

He listened as Sierra dictated her terms to the Arch. It was clear by the expression on Raphael's face; that he was mocking her for her bloodied hand, which he quite obviously held a part in. She continued, her face a stony veil of what her emotions were feeling; so he couldn't see anything other than outrage that directed her thoughts in this moment. Her second comment was dead on: the Archangel couldn't deal with this problem on his own? Why would he need Hunters if he could do it himself?
The knife dropped to the floor; the clatter of it's landing shrouded by the pool of blood. She'd lost more than she could afford to already, and would continue to lose blood. She was doing nothing about it; and though he was loathe to admit it: he was worried she'd pass out shortly. He growled low again; grabbing napkins to use to stem the blood; as he watched the Arch step in front of the girl. Cursing in his mind, he waited a moment as they spoke. He watched with mute interest as the Archangel collected a napkin himself and placed it in her hand to slow the bleeding. Amazed and shocked, Constantine dropped the napkins he had collected; except for a couple. One was not going to sop up enough the blood so a few more for when the first was spent was wise.

When they concluded their curt chat; he stepped over to the pair and stood beside Sierra, facing the Archangel as stoically as was possible. This Angel was finally getting to the point of the matter, and Farlius refused to be forgotten for it. As subtly as possible, Constantine stuffed the other two napkins into Sierra's hand and took hers into his to keep the hand locked tight to reduce further blood loss. Even as he stood in her blood; he didn't care. He wasn't about to let her lose any more in this. Maintaining his stoic expression was hard, but he kept the real expression he wanted to display veiled.

"So, Archangel. What is this job you wish us to do?" he asked; staring at him with a hard expression that said 'I'm here too; don't even think about forgetting about me!'
"If your reputation is anything to go by, Raphael; I would assume it to be an older Vampire. But as has already come to my attention; only the young Vampires are bold enough to try and exit a contract with an Angel. Are we to assume, then; that we are targetting a human, or an Angel?" he stated his question as though he had it all figured out. He wasn't quite there, but he had listened out for enough information to get some grasp; even if Raphael was intentionally vague.
"Whatever way it goes, Archangel. I shall participate, and Garret has said he will too. In the least; you have the two of us. So, why don't we cut to the chase." he said nonchalantly, though he fully expected repercussions for his boldness.
"As Sierra said: you need us. So what are we to do for you, Raphael?" he finished, not wanting this to drag out any longer than it already had.

Excusing himself with a polite bow for a moment, Constantine returned to the breakfast table and poured orange juice into Sierra's empty glass, and brought it back to her; completely oblivious to the slight trail of blood left by the edge of his left boot from where he had stood in her blood-pool.
"Drink, Sierra. You've lost enough blood, already." he said forcefully; pushing the glass into her good hand. It was a clear indication he cared enough to keep her on her feet.

[Arcane]

Anna Sophia offered a small, charming but professional smile to the Hunter man, Garret. He seemed more sensible than the others, a bit less lost in his own adrenaline and hot-headedness. She would focus on him, as he appeared to have some semblance of rational thought, "It is not a human, I am certain of that. While I do not fully understand the mission as of yet, an Archangel would hardly require a team of hunters to dispatch a single human. That could be handled more easily, and discreetly, from within. Whatever this is, it's bigger than a single rogue. I've seen rogue hunts before and none have been like this."

Anna Sophia walked out of the elevator and led the two hunters into a small room off the edge of the hallway. It was one she preferred for meetings, as it was small enough to make her guests feel comfortable and lower their guard, while still formal enough to befit Raphael's status. She doubted the Hunters, accustomed more to fighting than refinement as they were, could appreciate the gesture, but all the same. With a sweeping gesture of her arm, deliberately kept smooth and graceful, Anna Sophia directed the two hunters towards seats facing the broad windows, with some of the best views of New York to be found anywhere, while seating herself across from them, "Please, take a seat. May I call for any refreshment? Please forgive me for our rough start. It's been a trying few weeks."

It hadn't, not particularly, but Anna Sophia wasn't above lying to maintain the facade of the Tower. She had slipped up a few times and, better they think even the polish they had been presented with, was merely a mirage of its typical splendor.
----
Allire had to give it to the Vamp, she picked a nice room. Unlike Raphael, she seemed to have given up on stupid power games and had found them somewhere actually comfortable to sit. View was pretty good too. The sort Allire hoped to have some day, perhaps when she'd finished this job and had enough cash to set up an apartment of her own. Chandelier was pretty too, as was the wallpaper. She wondered where they'd gotten this stuff from, if she'd be able to afford the like shortly. But she wasn't sitting. Allire needed to pace, to think. She was edgy and nervous, despite the change in scene, and the Vamp was too polite by half, not Allire's sort of people.

"No thanks, I'll stand. But I'd take a cup of coffee, if you don't mind," Allire wasn't particularly hungry, or thirsty for that matter, but to betray that was to hint at nervousness, which meant Allire would continue to accept every drink, every morsel she was offered.

"Of course," the Vamp replied with that perfectly coiffed voice and the smile that wasn't really a smile, slender fingers tapping at a mobile phone.

[Sparkles]

Sierra heard Constantine's light foot steps as he approached them, and was mutely surprised when he added another few napkins to her hand. There wasn't enough blood to make her feint; she'd been hurt much worse than this for a lot longer and managed to stay on her own two feet in the past, but she appreciated the gesture more than he probably knew, mainly because it wouldn't have been something Raphael would have expected, and she was getting the idea that a wedge in the team was exactly what he had wanted. 'I guess not everything goes your way, does it?' she thought in a mildly cocky manner.

She wasn't worried when Constantine poked and prodded the Archangel, as she was getting a slightly better idea of where his limits were now; where the 'do not cross' line was situated. Right now, the Archangel's attention was closed around the both of them; both her and Constantine, which was probably for the better as she could tell her sort of friend....? team-mate..? accomplice...?.... was getting irritated at how Raphael's attention kept brushing over him. In all honesty, she wouldn't mind all that much if she would just hand all the lovely attention she was getting over to him and be done with it; but that wasn't in her. In all reality, she'd accepted the job by merely coming here.

In any case, they were finally getting answers. Relief began to wash through her like the rain she could feel so close. But no, it was his scent, that fresh bite of water. “All we'll need to start with, is something the vampire wore recently. If you have a general location, even better. If not, I’ll get the Guild’s computer geniuses on tracking public transport and bank records etcetera, while we hunt on the ground.” Her mind was already at work, considering and discarding options.

“You mistake me, Sierra. It’s not a vampire I want you to find.”

That halted her in her tracks. Was Constantine right? She'd dismissed the idea of a human right away. “You’re looking for a human? Well, we can do it but we really don’t have any advantage over a good private investigator.”

“Try again.”

Not vampire. Not human. That left…“An angel?” she whispered. “No.”

“No,” he agreed and, once again, she felt the cool brush of relief. It lasted until he said, “An archangel.”

Sierra stared at him. “You’re joking.”

His cheekbones stood out starkly against the sun-kissed smoothness of his skin. “No. The Cadre of Ten does not joke.” He was addressing them both; playing at no more than business levels now.

Her stomach curdled at the reference to the Cadre—if Raphael was any example of their lethal power, she never wanted to meet that august body. “Why are you tracking an archangel?”

“That, you do not need to know.” His tone was final. “What you do need to know is that if you succeed in finding him, you’ll be rewarded with more money than you can hope to spend in your lifetime.”

Sierra glanced at the bloodstained napkins. “And if we fail?”

“Don’t fail” His eyes were mild but his smile, it spoke of things better not said aloud. “You intrigue me—I’d hate to have to punish you.”

Her mind flashed to that image of the vampire in Times Square, that broken mess that had once been a person…Raphael’s definition of punishment.

'Run!' her mind screamed at her, but she couldn't do it. If she was by herself, sure, she'd stayed alive so far by listening to and obeying her instincts, but Constantine and the others were here to, and she would never ever leave anyone behind; friend or not.

Lifting the orange juice only now to her lips, she took a very small sip; not to add back to her sugar levels, but as more of a distraction. While she did this, Raphael surveyed them both like a hawk, making her feel no less uncomfortable than he already had.

Raphael's next comment was addressed more towards Constantine than Sierra; not because it was only meant her him, but because he had decided to give the girl a small reprieve. "You will be protected"

[Will get Constantine's reply and then will proceed to go get the others.]