|Supernatural: S1| Acolytes of Azazel

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××× i'm a paper doll, you can t e a r m e u p,​

× The teenage girl gripped at the black gloves that covered both of her hands. What kind of powers do you have? Her heart beat quickened, and she gave one look at Adam before closing her eyes shut. Do I tell them? she thought to herself, immediately throwing the thought away from her mind. They'll find out soon enough anyway. Just tell them. But something inside of her refused to let Tatum explain what she was; how she really saw herself. "I'm nineteen," she managed to reply, a slight stutter in her voice. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't still taken aback by this question.​

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× Attempting to compose herself, she stood up from off the bar stool and paced back and forth. Stopping with her back facing the group, her eyes darted for something to pinpoint on - to put her into some sort of daze. Landing on a fly, Tatum watched its wings buzz furiously. It would fly from one spot to another, and then back to the previous one. She wondered what it was doing, trying to get her mind off of everything, but nothing could shake the desperate desire to explain what type of power she was capable of.​

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× "I don't really know where to start," she began, the previous stutter she had suddenly disappearing. Instead of tearing the band-aid off slowly, she wanted to rip it off fast. "I was eleven, in New York City, and alone. I had run away, and to this day I don't remember why, but I wish I hadn't." Every memory of that day came flooding into her mind, and before she knew it, she felt her cheeks begin to get wet with tears. Still facing away from the group, though, she hoped they wouldn't notice. "But I touched a man on his arm, and I watched him die." The band-aid was off. They all knew. "I kill people just by touching them." She let out a stifled laugh. Hearing herself say that almost made it seem unreal and that this was all a joke.​

 

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Alexis had been sitting put as she watched the brief exchange between Mulligan and Tatum.
"Exactly. You know what powers you have because you'll have already used them." she added in before Tatum had a chance to tell her story.
Alexis remembered her own discovery of her powers well...
She had been just eleven years old at the time. Lenny had told her when he found out this fact about her past that he had never heard of an Acolyte using their powers so young before, thus having made Alexis the youngest recorded Acolyte to use her powers.
She was snapped out of her own remembrance when a change in Eliza's facial expression caught her attention. It was brief, but Alexis was known for catching things like this and reading people. It was one of the skills that was vital to her survival when on the streets.
And then came Tatum's story. And... Alexis didn't have much to say admittedly.
But again, she could tell something had affected Eliza, and she had the feeling that this meant Eliza's past wasn't just like her own and Luce's, but also could perhaps relate to the others in some different ways.
"I'm gonna guess that you won't share easy, because in your shoes, I wouldn't either. But I'll ask anyway for what your story is then." she directed at Eliza.
Of course, Alexis hadn't even shared her own story with her 'older siblings'. All they knew was that she was from the streets and possibly stuff that Lenny may have let slip depending on how much he knew. That's why Alexis made sure that Eliza knew that she didn't expect her to share, because after all, why should she?
Alexis knew she wouldn't likely be sharing stuff any time soon, if ever. That's just how it was.
Alexis was an empty shell, and that hard shell wasn't going to let people through the wall she set up.

 

Lenny looked up when Scott walked in. He felt a small shiver and made a note to turn down the AC later. "No, you're just in time, actually," he told Scott, noticing that he looked sick...at least sicker than when he walked out. 'Withdrawals,' he guessed, scolding his Acolyte silently. It was no secret among the four older Acolytes that Scott enjoyed Demon Blood more than they did. Lenny was never sure how to deal with it. Sometimes, Scott would not be allowed on a mission so Lenny can keep an eye on him, making sure he detoxes. It's almost as bad as a woman's period, Lenny thought...almost. "I have an idea."

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Adam narrowed his eyes at Scott as his nostrils flared. 'Damn it, Scott,' he growled in his mind. He always feared that Scott's addiction would be a problem, but it was bad timing. Adam has had withdrawals, too, so he knew the symptoms. Of course, he's seen Scott go through more of them. It was apparent when Scott was itching for more "DB," as Adam called it. "Oh no," Adam snapped to the conversation, his head now hurting. "Really? That's what we're going to do?" Adam immediately knew. His premonitions have been getting stronger the last few months and he would get a quick vision of the next few minutes, something that was starting to annoy him. It wasn't that he could control it, and it never seemed to work when he needed it, but he could sometimes "hear" what a person would say before they said it, or what they would do. It freaked the patrons of the Roadhouse out when Adam was working the bar and would start making a person's drink before they ordered it. Adam simply told them that a good bartender could tell his customers' drinks. Though he always wondered if they believed that, no matter how plausible. Most of the Roadhouse's patrons were hunters. Only Lenny and the Acolytes knew their own nature; other hunters wouldn't understand...Acolytes were exactly what they hunt: monsters. Adam knew that Lenny was trusted and loved in the hunter community...but could the hunters tell something was off about him? Just as the people surrounding their childhoods could tell that the Acolytes weren't normal kids, could hunters tell the same? Adam always believed that they could...it was their job to do so. "Fine," Adam said, crossing his arms, "But she has to go first." He nodded towards Eliza. There was an awkward pause while Adam realized that nobody else had 'heard' Lenny's future comment. "The ol' man wants lifestories. Newbies first." He said it with a growl. Adam hated repeating how he killed his adoptive mother to new people. It was a matter of trust...and he wasn't sure that they trusted him.​

 

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Eliza didn't know how to react to Tantum's revelation, it was like her own story if not worse. It made her start to doubt, they'd all clearly gone through some pretty bad stuff, maybe they wouldn't judge her as she feared if they'd been through similar. Still she was unsure, she didn't want to ruin her new start. She was snapped from her thoughts as Alexis called her out. How did she know? Had it been that obvious? "Me?" She asked slowly before looking down to hide her face. Did she really want to share her past? What did she tell them? She feared what they would think of her, people had seen her as a monster before, she really didn't want them to do that too.​

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She got a brief break as Adam spoke up, replying to something that hadn't been said. She looked at him as she wondered what he'd heard to have a reaction like that, although if it drew attention away from her she didn't mind whatever it was. That hope was short lived as he turned to her, putting the spotlight firmly back on her. She didn't mind attention normally, she could deal with it but right now it was something she could happily do without.​

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She took a deep breath, "My story? Well I can control electricity, see?" Eliza grinned as she pointed a finger up in the air and a small spark flew out of it. She'd be lying if she said she hated her powers, she didn't, she loved her powers and the buzz she got from them. Although her eyes dropped to the floor and her face sobered, "But when I first got my powers, it didn't go so well either." She paused, wondering if she should say any more. She shook her head as the memories came flooding back, despite trying hard to not think about it. She still hated herself for that day and doubted it would ever stop haunting her.​

 

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Alexis looked up as Scott came in too, and also noticed what the other experienced family members had noticed, albeit... not as quickly as they did.
She herself had never had Demon Blood before, but she'd seen Luce under the influence of it before and also seen how the older Acolytes had withdrawals now and then, and Scott was going through that right now.
She had to wonder how long it'd be before Lenny busted out the red stuff to give to him, if he did at all.
Personally, Alexis wasn't eager to try the stuff. It's like what she had said to Mulligan about smoking once. 'It's easier to not get addicted by not starting.' or something like that.
But she also remembered the promise they had made that when she tries Demon Blood for the first time, because regardless of any case, she'd eventually have to... that Mulligan would also give her her first cigarette, even more of a good gesture since Alexis knew how personally fond of those smokes that Mulligan was.
Anyway, the situation in the Roadhouse suddenly changed as Mulligan realised something that Lenny had been intending.
Life-stories?
God... the old man was insistent. Alexis only knew a few details about the other Acolytes. She knew Luce came from the streets and other stuff that she could only tell because of her similar background. She knew nothing about Scott's past other than his sword was a part of it and that he didn't like to talk about it either.
She knew more about Mulligan's past but only because he had yelled it out in a rage after a revelation from Lenny last month just after she had joined.
Eliza started telling her story, and Alexis could tell that the girl didn't dislike her powers.
Liking your powers was a unique thing to each acolyte. Luce hated hers, everyone knew that. Mulligan likely wasn't all that fond due to his past. Again... Alexis wasn't sure about Scott.
Alexis would have to guess that Tatum wasn't too fond of her 'death touch' if that's what it could be called.
As for herself. Alexis was indifferent. Her powers had kept her alive, but at the same time, they were why she was different. Without them... it would mean she'd be dead, but all the same, without them it'd mean that Azazel would never have tainted her, killed her Mother and put her into her current life in the first place. But Alexis wasn't the type to dwell on what-ifs and if-onlys. The fact was... Alexis had these powers. It was as simple as that. Her life had been fúcked up because of that but it had also been saved because she had been able to adapt and survive. And now she was here.
Would she give up her powers to have the normal life she never got? Maybe. But that offer would never exist anyway, which is why all she could say is maybe. What did it matter?
Alexis stood up anyway once Eliza's brief and uncompleted story had finished and headed to the door herself. "Sorry Lenny, but this sharing our stories thing isn't going to sit with me. I'm not gonna tell people mine, so I have no right to listen to the others despite things I may have already heard."
She gave a glance to Adam knowing (aside from it being easy to tell anyway) that he didn't appreciate being put into this situation as well. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this. So I'm gonna stop wasting mine and everyone else's time."
Then she glanced at Scott and the new Acolytes, her eyes settling upon Eliza last. Then she looked back at Lenny. "There is no point of making people tell the stories they don't want to. Not only will it make them tell it half heartedly, but that in turn will also bring un-ease into the group. These are matters that should be decided upon by the individual and not forced."
Her hand rested on the door handle as she pulled the door open, her voice was cold and void of emotion like usual as she continued to speak. "I don't know about everyone else, but I won't feel forced over what should be a matter of trust."
Leaving that final note in the air, she started to walk through the door.

 

"You're right you know... Telling a story about someone you used to be...about how your family was shattered and about how many people you've killed since then...it all depends on how well you want to know the person and how well you trust them not to use that information against you." Luce spoke from beside the door outside. Since she'd just been standing there listening, hearing Alexis leave wasn't a surprise. The girl was more like her than she thought. Luce never took her eyes from the grass, despite the sad smile on her face, "That kid...Tatum...won't last if that's how she still reacts to her powers. The touch of death...what a convienent ability...don't you think so?" Luce and her makeshift family all knew she had the very same ability. She was good enough with it that she could probably pull a very sick and wrong Halloween ghost trick.

 

Fine by me. Zeke thought as the conversation went on. Personalty he didn't care whether or not they knew about his past or how he found out about his powers. To him they were just memories, some he didn't care about and other he would never forget. But, Tantums reaction to to her powers was completely different to his. While it does make him sound like a psycho, but he enjoyed having something that gave him an advantage over other people.

 

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"Murderer." ​

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It may have been as quiet as a pin dropping, that tiny voice in her mind but to Eliza it may as well been a scream, burning it's way through her mind and branding her a monster. She wasn't a monster, was she? What she'd done was an accident, it wasn't intentional, her powers had been uncontrollable, there was nothing she could of done. But did that still make her a murderer? Anyway, it wasn't like she had benefited from it, the opposite in fact. Hadn't she'd been punished enough for that fateful day already? They'd all had hard lives too, maybe they wouldn't judge her, maybe they'd not care about her past.​

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"Nobody wants a murderer looking after their backs."​

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Scott's words cut through her like a knife. Or maybe they would. She couldn't let them know about her past, they'd never trust her, she'd never belong. Was that day destined to ruin her new start here as well? No, she wouldn't let it. If she was a murderer or not, they would not know. Her secret, her ghost, her burden to carry forever. Surely it was about time for something good to happen to her, even if it wasn't perfect, she had to make this into the fresh start she'd been hoping for. Through this entire internal struggle, her little smile remained on her face hiding all and determined to not let anything show.​

 

"But it opens a door," Lenny emphasized, as he ironically shut the door after Luce before anyone else could walk through it; he'll talk to her later. Luce was...an acquired taste. Hopefully, after hearing everyone else's testimony, the new Acolytes would better understand Luce. Though the door had shut, Lenny hadn't moved from the counter. He chuckled, "I guess I didn't tell you earlier," he said as he held his hands up, "This is what Azazel gave me." He waved his arms a bit and a few bottles started to hover in front of the shelves slowly. "All of you, or at least, most of you can do this, just not as easily. It seems to be a shared ability among Azazel's children, a secondary one." He waved his hands and the bottles carefully slid back into place. "I understand this will be hard, but we can't judge each other for our pasts..." he looked down and shook his head, "We won't. Too much is at stake here. We've all had horrible pasts and we all have scars, but...we have to be a family. Tell you what," he made a decision that he thought he would regret, "You tell me your lifestory, I'll tell you mine. Not just my hunting background, but...everything."

There was a pause as he looked around. "Is everybody shy all of a sudden?" Lenny said, eying Eliza. She had seemed eager to speak earlier, but now...he couldn't blame her. In his 40+ years of hunting, he knew that most hunters came from a background they weren't too fond of. Those that were children of Azazel...even less. "Alright, let's get the older Acolytes to start off," he sighed, looking at Luce, then Adam, then Scott. "Remember, guys, we're a family now. We have to trust each other. Out there, with vampires and ghosts out to kill us, we can only rely on each other." He stopped to take a sip from his drink. Gulp. The burn of the alcohol went down smoothly. "We need to know that we have someone looking out for us. Eventually, you'll be able to guess what your fellow Acolytes will do. We need to be at that point. But if we keep secrets," he shrugged, "how can we trust each other?"

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Today seemed to be a holiday. Eye-Narrowing Day. It seemed that every sentence someone said caused Adam to scowl at them. 'Trust? Really? From you?' He thought, knowing that Lenny could hear his thoughts. The relationship between Adam and Lenny had always been rough. It was true that Adam was fond of Lenny, he was like a father to him. But a father whose life lesson seemed to be 'you'll understand when you're older.' Adam shook his head. "Fine," he said, strolling towards the middle of the counter, where he would be the center of attention. "I'll start," it was a semi-growl. Adam didn't hide his past, especially from other Acolytes, but it didn't mean he enjoyed talking about it. Certain days, especially that fateful day, he relived each and every night in his nightmares. He couldn't help thinking about them at night, so he strayed from thinking about it during the day, but he knew the others. Luce was....well, Luce. Her childhood had made her into this perpetually angry badass with a temper that would scare Satan himself, Adam was sure. She didn't expect sympathy or understanding from anybody. By speaking before her, Adam hoped that he could ease the others into Luce, so to speak. Scott, on the other hand, rarely talked about his past. Sometimes, Adam wondered if he even had a past. Out of all them, Scott was the most...cheerful? No, that wasn't right. He was the...least angry, there we go. It annoyed Adam. How can knowing that a Demon that murdered your mother and made you into a monster not piss you off? How can knowing that you can never have a normal life because you know things other people can't even understand still give you some bright outlook on life? How can you still even tolerate most other people when you know that you have some role in some hellspawn's twisted chess game? Scott was a puzzle to Adam...though he was easier to get along with than the other two. Then there was Alexis...She was Luce without the reactions. Similar background, but too emotionally dead to be angry about it. It seemed that if anybody was to break the ice here, it would have to be him. Maybe afterwards, he could finally get some information on Lenny and Scott. "Because of Azazel," Adam sighed, crossing his arms, "we have a lot of...shared history. One thing that put us here, where we are now, it's what Azazel did to our mothers. But that's where I stick out," he leaned back, and looked away. "Azazel did kill my mother, hung her from the ceiling and cut her stomach open before burning down the entire house. He did it to all of our mothers. But that's where I stick out," Adam closed his eyes, "Azazel killed my mother, but I murdered my mom."​

 

Luce had heard Adam's hastily said story before. Out of sheer rage, he'd spewed it all out as if he couldn't stop. She wasn't about to give out her empathy to the boy since he handled it well enough...at least in her book he did. While Adam spoke, she faded out of reality and back into her head. The little boy bothered her...the entire mission before bothered her. It was much too easy...and frustrating that random monster encounters had nothing to do with Azazel and yet they still went on those missions.
Pushing it aside, she tried to listen to Adam again. Only barely catching the words...'mother' and 'mom'. Though she'd been a baby when it happened so any memory of a mother in her life were of other children's mothers hastily steering them across streets in the rain and making sure their coats were zipped up. Though at that time, she'd longed for the coat more than the mother.
Luce glanced to the side, briefly looking at Scott before scowling at the reflected image of herself off the bar stool's metal legs. Horribly silver hair, dull blue eyes, and a body that was far too curvy for her own taste. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Adam. She almost had something in common with him...almost. The pack of ciggarettes in her back pocket weren't exactly brand new or untouched. Smoking...no, she didn't smoke. She just liked the smell...and the sensation of the burning bud on her wrist.
"I hope you mean good on your deal, Lenny... I think we'll expect to be paid in full."

 

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××× i'm a paper doll, you can t e a r m e u p,​

× The word murder, a noun. The killing of another human being. Their lives were all similar; Tatum had assumed that from the moment she stepped foot in the Roadhouse. But did she want to know about it? No. She had skimmed through her "life story" by only stating how she had discovered her powers. The nineteen year old didn't want them to know anymore, and she didn't want to know anymore about them until they were actually comfortable enough to share delicate details of their life with her. Who knows how long that would take, she thought to herself, an abrupt laugh followed shortly after.​

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× Tatum tried to tune them out as they began speaking, but her listening lingered towards them, and it got to the point where it was impossible to not hear their words. Everything being said wasn't so much life stories as it was them discovering their powers. It seemed as if they had all found them the same way - at least the ones who spoke up. An unfortunate event occurred. For some reason, this settled well with her. It wasn't that Tatum was glad that the others had discovered their powers identical to hers, no. She wasn't happy with that at all. It just allowed her to know that she was not alone. That there were others out there that went through what she did. Maybe they all didn't react to it the same, but that part didn't matter. What did was that she wasn't as much of an outcast here as she was at home.​

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× Part of her was hoping that the rest would chime in with simple descriptions of their life, just to hear Lenny's. "That's awful," she muttered underneath her breath to herself, mad at herself for thinking like that when just before she had wanted nothing to do with the others lives. But Tatum would be lying if she said she wasn't extremely curious. "Lenny..," her dark eyes darted towards him, and she gave him a half smile. "I think you should go. Us explaining how we discovered our powers or telling our life stories won't get us anywhere. But you telling us your life, maybe it would help explain everything and put it into perspective." Maybe that came off as too forward. Shaking her head slightly, she added, "I really don't want to pry and I'm sorry if I am. I just want to get as much information as possible." For some reason, all of this was bringing out a different side of her. She usually never spoke unless spoken to. But, Tatum was still slightly confused, and if Lenny was able to tell her and the rest of the group something, she would appreciate that.​

 

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Alexis was a tad surprised that her and Luce had actually agreed on something for once, but before she could even respond, interruptions occurred and Lenny shut the door once Luce was inside, before he made them an offer... a more than tempting offer. It was an offer that any of the older acolytes (including her) would pay nearly an price for... An offer that despite even Alexis's earlier resistance, that she realised none of them would refuse. And so... Adam began his story, and even though Alexis had already heard it in his outburst that one time, she paid attention again out of respect to how hard telling his story must be.
Then Luce made a comment that again, Alexis herself agreed with, but she could tell that if Lenny was offering this of all things... then he meant it.
Tatum suddenly spoke up and asked if Lenny would just go. "No." she spoke out to the girl. "Lenny clearly has reasons for this if he's going to reveal his past to us. You haven't been here long, so it's natural you don't understand... Lenny's past is something he wouldn't reveal lightly. Us older Acolytes would give what little we have left to hear even a few words about it. So... we'll make good on this deal. If he's going to these lengths to get us to share, then we'll humour him and go first like he asked." she looked back and forth between the other older acolytes knowing that she wasn't alone in her thinking here.
Indeed... even Luce had said it. All of them knew that Lenny wouldn't take this deal lightly. He knew that in them revealing their stories, they'd accept nothing less than being paid in full.
Alexis moved back over the bar and took her former seat, glancing at Adam, her eyes meeting his. He after all, had volunteered to go first. Alexis could tell his intention had been to break the ice, he had worked it out before any of them that no one else would share as easily. It was the same as staring at an empty page... starting to write is the hard part, but once you've started, the rest is easier so they say. It was the same here. With Adam starting... it'd be easier for those who follow.

 

"Don't worry about that," Lenny replied to Tatum, "You will get everything from me." He looked at Mulligan and instantly felt bad for his 'son.' There was a slight raise in the temperature as Mulligan looked the other way, his eyes lowering as he did. Lenny knew the others couldn't feel the heat that he did; it was his other 'special' ability. Lenny could sense the paranormal, a useful tool in hunting and an even more useful tool in locating his Acolytes. Each monster and each Acolyte gave him a different feeling, depending on their abilities. For Mulligan, Lenny could feel fire. Normally, there was only a slight feeling of heat or the image of a flickering light, but whenever Mulligan would use his abilities, Lenny felt and saw fire coming from him. Though now there wasn't any show of Mulligan using his abilities, Lenny had realized the truth: Mulligan was hurting. The abilities that Azazel's blood gave to all of the 'special children' was tied to their emotions. Moments of stress would give one a short burst in their power, though the stress had to be extreme and the burst would usually result in a nosebleed. The emotional aspect of their abilities gave Lenny a different...'thread' to feel from each Acolyte, something he couldn't feel from other paranormal creatures. The fact that Mulligan was not accessing his powers and yet Lenny could sense his heat meant that Mulligan's emotions had spiked. And, even though Mulligan would kill him if he knew what Lenny was doing, Lenny read his mind and heard the phrase 'Goddamn interruptions. Do you think this is easy for me?' though he doubted that he would need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. Mulligan was...an open book. He didn't hide much...it was too difficult for him. "For now, let's just let Mulligan finish."

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"Whatever," Adam muttered, not correcting Lenny on his name. "Let's try this again, then," he said, facing forward, but still looking at the ground. "Long story short, I don't remember my birth mother and my dad offed himself when I was...I don't know, guess 5 or 6. Barely remember the old fart, either," though he disregarded his father easily, Adam winced when mentioning him. It was easy to disregard the mother he never knew, but his dad...he couldn't remember him, but he still remembered that he was there. It was the difference between calling her 'mother' and not 'mom' and calling him 'dad' instead of 'father.' Adam sighed, "I ended up at Mother Bernice's Home for Wayward Boys until this...this..." He struggled, 'Damn it, what's the word?' What do you call someone who saved a 'wayward' kid from ending up a statistic? "This...angel took me in..." Once again, Adam used the Lord's name in vain as he felt his eyes sting, as if they were shrinking. "Whatever, I don't care if you know then. Like I said, she took me in and I murdered her. This douche that she thought was 'the one' pushed me too far. He always treated me like dirt, but never when she was around." Without being aware of it, he raised his left hand to his chest, right over his heart. "He was smart like that, I guess. And me? I wasn't going to ruin her happiness. I wanted her...I needed her to keep loving me. What if...what if she chose him over me?" He didn't hide it, he felt his eyes water, but it didn't matter. They were family now, right? A family of monster-hunting monsters. They'll see each other bleed, they'll hear each other scream, why shouldn't they see each other cry? Besides...he hadn't cried about his past in years...maybe he couldn't hold it anymore. "Then it happened," he growled, narrowing his eyes once again. "That bastard pushed me too goddamn far and I exploded. Literally. My powers came out and burned the entire house down, including him and including...her. There's not a single night, not one freakin' night that I can't hear her screams. I...was on the streets for a while. I did some things that I'm not proud of while I was there, things I had to do to live, but nothing like Luce there," he nodded towards his 'older sister' as he felt his tears stream down his face, "Or Alicia, either, I guess." He nodded towards his younger sister. "When Lenny found me, I was...scared. Scared of what I did. Scared of what I've been doing. Scared of what I could do. I thought I was a monster. I know now that I'm a Demon, or at least the spawn of one. Azazel killed our mothers with fire," he felt his skin heat up as he balled his hands into fists, "And I plan on doing the same to him." He stopped, letting it sink in and thinking he was done. "Ah, I guess...there's more. I studied for a bit...tried to be normal. It didn't work out."​

 

Luce avoided even looking at Adam's face as he spoke. Though she knew the entire story from earlier, she could never bring herself to watch as her 'brothers' and now 'sister' were in pain. She knew before it started that Adam was going to cry. The strained sound in his voice, the occasional small pauses. Suppressing the urge to knock him unconscious...since people can't cry if they're not awake...Luce waited patiently for him to finish. "You done? If so...dry your tears and strengthen your resolve, little brother." she shot him a malicious grin, "If you want your shot at Azazel...your resolve to murder every creature that stands in our way and even Azazel himself will have to be stronger than mine. I'll be taking his head...and his blood while I'm at it. Blood of the one who made us what we are...how much more delicious can it get?"

 

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The petite blonde girl listened to the other's stories silently. She wanted to curl up into a ball as she listened and hug her legs, it looked like she wasn't the only one with a bad past. She didn't though, she just sat and listened while fiddling with whatever her hands could get hold of. She didn't really know how to react to what was being said. She felt like going up and hugging Adam, she wanted to tell him it was all okay, wave a magic wand and make everything better. She was well aware that things were never that easy though and she just stayed quiet, she'd only just met him so if she tried to just hug him it might not be so good.​

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Then there was Scott's story. What could she make of that? It was just something else entirely. It scared her a bit, no doubt about that but still she found it a little interesting. The way he said it, well it made her wonder about the way she used her own powers and the feeling she got from it. Also, how he'd just changed his mind, changed his ways, just like that. That amazed Eliza and cemented her optimism even more, if he could do it just like that, then surely there was hope for them all.​

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As more and more came to light about those around her, he doubts began to return. They'd got bad pasts too, so maybe they wouldn't judge her for her past deeds. Maybe she wasn't so different from them, perhaps she might just be able to belong in this group. If she told them now, it would stop them finding out without hearing her side. Yet still, she was scared. How was she supposed to tell the people she's just met that she's a mu- had things happen to her. She couldn't even say the word in her mind, she didn't want to accept the fact. That made her into a monster, it made her evil and that scared her.​

 

OOC: So I had a decently sized post and my laptop decided that it wanted to turn off before I finished. So...here's a shorter version of it.


Lenny sat on the bartender's side of the counter, staring at his half-drank glass (Lenny didn't like terms like half-empty or half-full. He preferred "half-drank" or "needs to be topped off") while his cigar rested between his lips. There were several thoughts running through his head (ranging from Mulligan's self-blame to Luce's sadism to Scott's amnesia) and he could tell the Acolytes were in the same boat. Lenny turned to face Scott and rubbed his temple. Lenny's Mindreading ability allowed him to dive into the memories of others, usually his Acolytes. He could insert himself into a memory, recreating the environment they were remembering. He would then remove all of the "fuzziness" and subjectivity, recreating the scene as accurately as possible. Everything they saw and heard, even if they didn't notice, was still in their minds and he would bring it out. In theory, it was a form of time-travel, or at least time-viewing. He's been able to see things that they missed (which worked out great when teaching them how to hunt as he could see their weaknesses) and even access repressed memories, helping them remember things that they...simply refused to. However, Scott's sword was an anomaly. He had been just as curious about it as the others and had tried on several occasions to see when Scott obtained it, but the memory simply wasn't there. Memories were like a video to Lenny, a video that he was immersed in. However, whenever Scott obtained his sword, that instance was missing. His memories simply skipped to Scott having it. It was as if the memory was removed.



Lenny never told Scott, or the other Acolytes, any of this. They knew the gist of his abilities, but not how it worked. When Lenny entered their memories, they would be in a trance; they couldn't enter with him. They had no idea how deep Lenny can go and, though he wanted to tell them, he didn't know how to explain Scott's missing memories.

​

Adam said nothing as he walked around the counter. He had started to regain his composure, or at least was on his way to. He had plenty of things to say, but he held back. He really wanted to tell Luce that she was wrong and he would be the one to take down Azazel. He really wanted to ask Scott how he could not remember waking up with an oversized-steak knife. He wanted to tell one of the new girls to stop staring at him with those puppy-dog eyes. But for now, he just wanted a beer. That would make things better. It always did...or at it helped. He walked to the cooler, which was next to where Lenny was sitting, and reached in, pulling out a cold bottle. He placed his left hand on it and easily popped off the cap. Adam wore several convenient things. He had a choker on his neck and several thicker braces on his left arm. Two rings on his left hand and a golden bracelet on his right wrist. Each served a purpose, mostly for Demon-hunting, but they have helped hunt other things as well. The choker and braces were not only great for restraining someone's arms, but their clasps were made of iron so that any Demon-constrained by it would be in pain. His golden bracelet was also made of iron, simply painted gold, but the insides were etched with several exorcism symbols. Adam had once managed to place it on a Demon, hurting it and immobilizing it. However, his rings were for a different purpose: they were bottle-openers. It hurt his fingers a bit, using them, but he's been through worse. "Alright then," he said as he took started drinking, "That's two down. Luce is up."​

​

 

Luce shot him an overly tired look and back to the newbies. Leaning back on the bar she touched her bottom lip. Settling into what looked to be an uncomfortable position, she rested her elbows on the bar behind her and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. "My, my...where do I begin. Well...we all share the beginning in common... Azazel murdered my mother and burnt down my house... My father, kinda like Scott's, didn't snap his own neck immediately afterwards. No...he raised me until I was six. It wasn't a fun six years... There was no, scrape your knee and daddy comes running." "How sad..." "My sixth birthday consisted of only a few things to mark the day. A walk to the park alone...a fight...and a whole lot of crying. You know how walks to the park are...admiring the flowers...the trees...alone with your thoughts...something like that. I...was never able to make friends. As a child, this was probably my biggest worry." "You're lying...you never wanted them as your friends." Luce swallowed, her palms already sweating. "I won't go into the boring details....but...there was only one person I killed on accident when I was six. A girl that day...thought, I don't know, it would be funny to make the silver haired girl with no mommy cry. Whaddya do when you're just a child? Believe it or not...I was a crybaby when I was little." All expression left Luce's face as she remembered, "I never meant to.... All I wanted was for her to stop talking. All I ever did was touch her....and she died at my feet. Heh...face first into the sandbox. It would've been comical if I wasn't just a kid and she wasn't really dead." Luce flicked her eyes around the room, 'That's right...I never meant to kill her...' "You're lying again. You wanted her dead...just as much as you wanted the other children who had moms dead." "A-Anyway...everyone who saw would probably lie to you today and say it was a freak accident. But back then...I was labeled a freak...a monster...a murderer. It was after that...that my nightmarish life started...truly started. My father was never a gentle man. Never one to give hugs or praise. It wasn't a week after I'd killed that girl I was abused by my father. Of course since no one cared what happened to the little murderer...he never had to hold back...hide the bruises." Crossing her legs and uncrossing them, Luce uncomfortably unrepressed his face and smiled at them like she was looking a pair of shoes she wanted. "When I was eight years old my father kicked me out of the house...drove me out," her gaze flicked to Scott, "With rocks...and he hung himself in the kitchen. I always thought it was a fitting death for a man like him..." Exhaling, Luce paused, trying to find a way to progress. "After that...I lived on the streets. The first few months went by somewhat well...for a street urchin with a bit of things to sell for food. I sold my possessions...things my father left behind that were valuable...my clothes...and..." She hesitated, frowning. Admitting what happened to everyone...including Lenny, was going to take a lot more than she had. "Well...what else do you sell when you've sold everything? I met...a man in the back alley of a Macy's...said he'd give me a good deal if I did something for him." Luce's smile returned in less of a menacing way, "You'd think people who come out of Macy's are nice fellows...until they tell you to lie on your back and spread 'em." Luce heard a growl in her head. Who the hell was growling on her behalf? "I don't really remember what happened after he left. Just that I was bleeding and I felt sick to my very core. Repetitively, I bathed in a nearby lake...but I couldn't wash the feel of his hands on me away." Luce was starting to regret agreeing to this deal...even if knowing Lenny's past was a once in a lifetime deal. Better to make it fast even if it was painful. "Since I'm twenty-one, I'll make a really long story short. By the time I was twelve I'd been raped by thirty-nine different men...each of them came back twenty times each in a month. I believe...it was number twenty-four that brought the switchblade the first time." Feeling numb, Luce lifted and pulled off her shirt without a single hesitation or blush. "Seven hundred and twenty-eight slashes later..." Luce's stomach, sides, and back were covered with the same jagged, uneven scars. There were only about seven thinner lines that drew down past the waistband of her jeans and eight lines raking across each shoulder. "You can always tell how much a man enjoys carnal bliss by the way he scratches your shoulders in his time of absolute need. The rest...I'd say I disappointed them." Fiddling with her shirt in her hands until she had it the right way and slid it back over her head. "Besides that...I ran out of food...and if I'd thought selling my body would give me any sort of money...I was wrong. It wasn't until I was nearing eighteen that I told them to well...in nicer words, leave me alone. I lived in a box...malnourished and sick. That..." finally she lifted her eyes to Lenny, "was when Lenny found me. Gave me a home...clothes...and food." She suppressed the urge to walk over to him and rub against him like a kitten seeking comfort.