Ashes to Ashes (Izzy)

[ivan]

Rain. Why did it always have to be rain. He hated being cold, he hated being wet, and most of all he hated being cold and wet at the same time. It was one of those little things that had the potential to make him start bouncing off the walls. Tugging the collar of his plain dark colored coat a bit higher, the man let his eyes snake out across the dark dreary alley. The sights sank in one by one, though the emotions imprinted upon them hit him like a ton of bricks over and over again. The sights got old, but the raw emotions attached to it never got any easier. The anger, the hatred, the lust and desire; sometimes the job got easier, other days it took steps towards being more and more unbearable.

Before him lay two bodies, both female, both young. One had her throat slashed open, a vicious wound that looked more animalistic than it did anything else. They other had a face that was barely recognizable. Glancing from one corpse than back to the other Ivan only let out a small sigh, his eyes closing for the briefest of moments. "Alright, bag 'em up and get 'em out of here. This rain is already washing away anything halfway useful so we can catch whatever twisted son of a bitch we have runnin' around here." Almost as soon as the words danced their way from his lips they were obliged. Forensics Teams and the City Coroner both moved in, gathering all the information they needed to before they moved the bodies. Ivan cast one last glance to more savagely butchered of the two girls. His eyes lingered upon her mauled face, and in that moment his eyes rang with nothing. A hollow, empty space.

Shoving his left hand deep into his coat pocket Ivan produced a pack of cigarettes and a plain, unmarked book of matches. Slipping a cigarette between his lips the Detective struck the match to life, being careful to drop it back into his pocket after putting it out. Rule number one, never contaminate a crime scene. Taking a drag from the cigarette, he felt the familiar burn as the noxious smoke rolled down into his lungs. Exhaling a continuous cloud of toxic smoke from his nostrils, he swayed on his heels to look upon the crime scene, now free of the two corpses. Squatting down, he narrowed his eyes as he took it all in.

The blood splatter was unusual in murders. Instead of staining the surrounding area, common in cases of such brutality because the killer is usually within a frenzy. However, the blood was pooled by the corpses, the blood spray minimal and indicated a savage enough attack only to drop them, the rest was methodical. Though the markings upon the girls weren't any that a serial killer taking his time would have left, or even a simple murderer. No, the work was methodical, but not symbolic. Instead it looked as if something had....eaten them. It was almost like something had been in the throws of feasting and for some reason had suddenly decided to abandon the meal.

Standing to his full height, Ivan ashed his cigarette as his mind reeled with thoughts. "Try not to get lost, Mercer." The familiar voice brought a smile to Ivan's lips; Kel. Turning around, Ivan let a grin split his lips as he looked upon his partner. Kelsey Setter. The man stood closer to the entrance of the alley, a few uniformed cops standing around him. "Go on, boys. Get to it." Jumping to life the uniformed officers began taping off the area with the all too familiar "crime scene area" yellow tape. As they set to work, Ivan and Kel strolled side by side out of the dark alley. They both knew they needed to wait on ID's from the victims before they could really get the ball rolling, and for the moment they both just wanted to be away from the grotesque scene.

"What the hell happened back there? Awfully brutal to be random." Kel spoke with a level, calm tone that many people thought made him the model cop. Everything was always taken in stride when it came to Kel. "Honestly? I have no god damn idea what the hell happened back there." Ivan wanted to add something a bit more, like 'and we both know this isn't the only weird shit to happen lately.' However, he decided that now wasn't the right time to vent such frustrations.

For a moment the two stood in a comfortable silence. Kel watched as the crime scene came to life with bodies working to solve the puzzle before them. Ivan, standing beside Kel, watched as well. However, as he continued to take drag after drag from the cigarette he found his thoughts a bit darker. Killings like these, they were becoming more and more common. People always wanted to blame movies or tv, they always wanted to saw the weird shit was just something being re-enacted from what they had seen. Ivan wasn't buying the bullshit,

That had been almost four hours ago.

Now Ivan sat at the bar of The Ol' Fisherman's Pub. The place wasn't great, but it was a decent spot to get some peace and something to drink. Plus, a couple of the bartender's knew he was a cop and gave him drinks on the house. So as he sat there, drink before him and cigarette burning in the ashtray beside his glass he still found himself off center. Something about those bodies, about the wounds on their faces. On their necks. Shaking his head, Ivan grabbed the glass and tipping his head back, took the shot in one fluid motion. The familiar burn washed down through his body, the delicious burn on the cigarette chasing it. He wasn't piss drunk, he was barely even buzzed; all he was doing in that moment was trying to understand something that he couldn't.

Watching as the bartender poured him another shot Ivan offered a small, distracted smile. His eyes were focused on the window, watching the dark night and listening to the tap tap tap as rain fell upon the roof of the building. Yeah, it was another regular night in the city. He just didn't really know what that meant anymore.

[jocelyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) enough :3 ( TAGGED ) IVAN ^^ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE These things are common in Manuka, the slaughters, the blood pools, the missing hunters, the full moon ebbing its power into the city. It was nothing for them, the ones like her who had seen much more than they let on. Even when the rain came and attempted to wash everything away, there still lay that feeling that something wasn't quite as clean as it could be. That it literally meant that nature was just attempting to clean Manuka of the blood bath it saw monthly. That would never happen. It hadn't happened in decades and it certainly wouldn't happen any time soon. Perhaps a bit pessimistic, but she knew the truth. The rain hit beneath her feet, as the pair of arms crossed over in front of her chest, eyes locked on the scene before her. It had spiraled down to the final part. She'd witnessed a vampire going after these young women, and had stopped him. He took off, leaving his meal only half-eaten, while she, remained there and ended up cleaning up after him. Imbecile. The brunette shifted calmly, eyes looking to the soft glow around the girls, before sparks danced and soon shot up into the sky, vanishing after a few moments. Good. They were gone and peaceful now, the pair of humans now out of their misery, out of the suffering a supernatural had put them into. As the vampire had scurried off though, soon she too vanished. Not like him, by running, merely making sure she did. As the young woman faded from sight, someone spotted the blood and bodies, and within the hour, cops and a detective pair were there. How they had changed since Kira was around. Cocking an eyebrow curiously, eyes gleamed brightly upon hearing the male detective speak to what she figured was his partner, another woman. Kel by the looks of it, from what he'd called her. Tilting her head, she gasped when someone stumbled through her. Damn, thanks for those memories, she thought to herself. The man's memories of his first born child, him marrying his wife, and discovering she was a shifter, one that turned into a swan. He stayed with her, especially for their child. Good man, she mused silently to herself, before speaking, "They were slaughtered, you detective." Which fell on deaf ears. Supernaturals couldn't hear her, only others like her. Especially not these humans, they wouldn't be able to unless she wanted them too. A pair of white, feathery wings ruffled slightly as the young woman approached the deceased women, muttered a pray before tossing her hair over her shoulder. Nothing wet yet, which was good in this physical state, she could watch over the scene, as well as keep dry from this rain. The rain Manuka attempted to clean itself with. Curious eyes followed this man, this...detective calmly, he would piece it together. She recognized him from before, no angel for some reason. Wonderful, knowing her luck she might get stuck with him. Hopefully not, right now her main job was to keep an eye on the other angels with charges. Which was what she was supposed to do anyway. Wrinkling her nose in disdain, she then unfurled her wings slightly, allowing blood to flow back through them, waking them up as she did so. Time to her, became nothing. Time meant nothing to an angel, to many supernaturals. It was frozen for them, and they would never need to worry about getting grey hair, getting crow's feet, which was a thing many human women sought these days, immortality. Beauty forever. Easy thing to do was make a deal with the devil, but that was never a good or easy route to go down. Suddenly, the man, as he sucked on a cancer stick, she called them, the guardian angel vanished for a few moments, though soon reappeared in front of the pub. A jean jacket found its way over her shoulders, as the young woman pressed her hand on the wooden door, and flung it open. No feathers peeked out from her jean jacket, she was without her wings as she desired in this physical form. The form that was like a human, weak, vulnerable - to many people's eyes. Deceitful? A bit, but it paid never to feel the pain of a blow from a vampire, or from a bullet. Green and brown eye scanned the place. There he was - at the bar, at the counter. Carefully approaching him, she was aware of someone brushing her shoulder as she walked by, but she didn't acknowledge it completely. She didn't feel it, and therefore, why bother? Sitting smoothly next to him, she inquired, "Mind if I join you?" she flashed a soft grin in his direction, drumming her fingers lightly on the counter before asking for a virgin cosmo. Just because she didn't drink, didn't mean she could indulge on the wonderful flavors they offered. Placing her chin on her palm, her elbow on the counter, she held out her hand in a formal shake, "I'm Jocelyn, slightly new around here. And you might be?" any and all notes can go here

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ivan]

Rhetorical questions. What was the point of asking them? No one ever waited to hear what the answer was, no one ever cared. The question was almost more of a way just to announce actions behind the facade of being polite. Than again, he was in an over-analytical mood so it was more than possible Ivan was looking into everything a little too deeply at the moment. Glancing over to the woman that had spoken to him, Ivan allowed the faintest of smiles to fliter across his lips before taking the cigarette from the ashtray that held it. Taking a drag, the Detective glanced down to her outstretched hand and listened as she introduced herself. A single brow cocked as he looked at her, his eyes flashing with something a bit between curiosity and alertness.

No one was this polite anymore. No one walked up at a bar and for no apparent reason offered their name and asked for one in return. Without so much as a smile across the place? Without any contact? No, it was a cold approach and it was something Ivan didn't like. Or was that just him getting a little too over analytical again? Exhaling a large cloud of smoke, the man reached out and clasped her hand within his own. "Jocelyn. I can honestly say I don't know another by the name." Flicking the cigarette Ivan released her hand, glancing back to her with another polite, albeit slightly forced smile. "The name's Ivan. If you're new to the city ask around, there is never a shortage of men looking to show a girl a good time."

The words weren't spoken brashly nor where they thrown with venom or hatred, they were instead spoken like a defense mechanism. Ivan was the kind of man so wrapped up in his own world that anyone else who possibly tried to enter it in any way, even a strange merely saying hello, was cause for alarm and a reason to get them away. The woman was a shining example, she had done nothing wrong but upon their first meeting he'd already hinted at another being more interested in her presence than he could have possibly been. It wasn't intended as something hurtful or insulting, it was simply the way he was.

Replacing the cigarette within the ashtray, Ivan reached out to once again claim the shotglass, and repeating the motions from only moments before proceeded to take another shot and wash the burning liquor down with a drag of his cigarette. The alcohol was starting to be enough to effect his thought process. It wasn't like he was about to give himself over to a drunken stupor by any means, but his thoughts were beginning to become more lucid, more flowing in their connections and boundaries. As sad as it was, under the assistance of the Devil's Drink was typically how Ivan solved the harder of his cases.

Watching as another shot was poured and left before him, waiting for the moment Ivan decided he needed more, Looking over to Jocelyn Ivan decided to be a little more outgoing, or maybe better put was a little more Human. "So what is it that brings you to this place?" Going off the tidbit she was knew brought forth his question, than again it was also an age old and stereotypical police question to ask. If she had said she was here to sell a kilo of cocaine he wouldn't have cared, it wasn't his job he was homicide, it was just his nature to always have an ear to the ground on what was happening; on who was coming and going. Some might have called it obsessive, but he preferred to call it prepared to insane extremes.

[jocelyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) enough :3 ( TAGGED ) IVAN ^^ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE She wasn't sure if all humans were like this - the ones she'd been around had been pretty open-minded and actually knew about supernaturals. Even if they only knew about three or four species of the supernaturals in the world, that was still better than most humans currently. Most humans now got too panicky, not understanding something and the minute that happens, they freak out. This guy certainly seemed to be one of those who thought before he spoke. She appreciated that, it could mean a better, more thorough and interesting conversation. Keenly keeping an eye on his mannerisms, it took a lot of her self-control not to take the cigarette from him and snuff it out - he definitely had to have more, and she knew that wouldn't lead a good first impression on this man. Ulterior motives one might ask? Never. None that she would admit to anyway. Jocelyn tilted her head, feeling her hair shift as she did so when he took a moment to react before speaking back to her. Right, the name. Course it was an "older" name but that didn't mean it didn't happen, plus with it being more French that didn't help the case either. A soft shrug followed his comment, "Good, maybe be easier for people to remember." she flashed a quick smile towards the bartender, bringing up her slight heels onto the little ledge beneath the counter for feet. Feeling the hard material beneath her feet, she felt much better. The nerves that worked in humans, didn't work with angels, which was why it never hurt to be too careful and too sensitive to what was going on around oneself. Such as this male and the surroundings, if someone bumped into her, she'd need to react if it offended her, or for example when they shook hands, not to squeeze to tight or too soft. It had to be just right, much like for interviews. Ivan. Replaying the name back in her mind, putting his name with his face, Jocelyn made a quick note to keep an eye on this man. Being a detective, that could be dangerous. That meant this man would need protecting. If he was worthy of it of course. As their hands touched, she allowed some quick memories to bolt up her arm like electricity and into her mind, where she got a gist of what this man was like. Protective. Analytical. Obviously he was good at his job though. Good for him. Eyes glanced down swiftly to see if she could spot the shiny gold that would be his badge, before fixing her gaze back onto him, sipping the Cosmo, "I think my definition and their definition of a good time is quite different." she lazily worked with the cup, forcing the gold-red liquid inside to swirl around the glass as smoothly as angels could fly on a wind current when they caught it just perfectly. "It's nice to meet you, Ivan. I'll admit, you're the first Ivan I've met, I have met a bunch of Daves or Davids, though." Her eyes fell from Ivan for a brief moment upon catching movement beside her, on the opposite side of the counter, and her pair of eyes met another pair. Looking this way, nothing malicious just...curious. Like checking things out over here. Men these days. Sometimes they didn't want to do any work. Sorry bub, she thought quietly, I was raised in a different era. Her thoughts drifted back to the male beside her quickly when he spoke, "Not sure." her admittance came as quickly as the look of annoyance fell upon her eyes meeting the other man's for a moment, then back to Ivan, turning her body so more of her was facing him. Simple psychology in action. "I haven't been here before, and felt like expanding my horizons." Jocelyn pulled a quick smile, her mind working carefully, while she allowed her smile to work its way onto her lips. The whole little act. Every girl had it down to par most of the time, she was no exception. At least interacting with humans. She had to tone down the whole "I'm an angel, and this is place of inequity" and all that. Biting her tongue, she inquired, taking a sip of her drink, allowing the refreshing splash of liquid go down, "What about you? Taking a break?" she then paused, and gestured over her shoulder to outside, "I saw cop lights earlier...a few blocks from here, did you see anything? They had already gotten everything pretty much taped off when I got there." Boom, she thought, ease into it. It wouldn't be as difficult if she didn't know there were other supernaturals here, and some were on guard with an angel around. Probably because they were vampires. Ridiculous. Keeping her attention on Ivan, Jocelyn eagerly waited for his response. any and all notes can go here

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ivan]

People and their questions. It was inevitable, that much was certain in his line of work. Where people saw sirens they had curiosity. None of them would admit to the fact that their curious nature had ties to a sadistic entrancement to evil. Oh well, such thoughts where better left to a time when he was alone to ponder them. However, the thought process itself stemmed from the fact she was asking about the crime scene. It had been over four hours since he'd left, what did that mean? Was it a complete coincidence that someone happened to ask him, the Lead Detective of the case, about what was happening? Well, Ivan didn't believe in coincidences and for that reason he was the type to always air on the side of caution. It was easier, it was safer and it was smarter. You never knew who was attached to what crimes or for what reasons. Sometimes things were more than they appeared.

Taking a final drag of the cigarette Ivan stamped it out in the ashtray, turning to look Jocelyn in the eyes as he spoke. "Nah, I didn't see much. In fact I didn't really even take a look. Big city like this, people wind up dead. I try not to bother myself with it much." The lies came dancing smoothly off his tongue. He didn't know who this woman was, and for that reason he had no desire to share anything with her. It was a mixture of professional integrity. The victims were people, their families deserved to know the details before a curious woman in a bar did. "What about you? Hear any juicy details?" His eyes shone with something close to amusement at his words before he glanced down to the drink before him.

The change of her body language hadn't gone unnoticed to him, but they had come across the wrong way. Within the mind of the detective she was simply coming off as a woman asking the wrong questions and trying to use a little of her God Given talent to chase an answer. The first thing that came screaming to his mind was one singular word; journalist. Biting his tongue at the flash of annoyance that went screaming through his mind like a bolt of lightening he reached down, his hand clasping around the shot glass. Downing the drink, Ivan held a hand up as it was moved to be refilled again. The last one would already push him to something close enough to drunk in a few minutes and with a woman like this he didn't want his walls down any lower than they needed to be.

Eager to press the conversation away from the crime Ivan decided to flip the script and instead push her a little harder. "So, you come to a city like this without really being sure why? I feel like a few pieces of the jigsaw are missing." Glancing over at her Ivan gave her a look that screamed of questioning. He was taking her in, studying the smallest of details hunting for a clue to who she really was. All he knew at the moment was she had offered a name, whether it was real or not was beyond him, and she happened to have a scary coincidence to linking events to jobs. Something wasn't panning out with him and he couldn't let it go.

Some people might have called him paranoid, and they would have probably been right, but after tonight he just felt like he couldn't fight it anymore. Things were different, whether they were just now changing or he'd finally awoken to it he hadn't figured out yet. All he knew was that everyday he felt more and more out of place, like he was blind to something that was happening before him. Glancing to his pack, wondering if he should light another, he found himself slowly slipping away into such thoughts of mystery.

What the hell was going on?

[jocelyn]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color: #343434; padding:20px; border-top: 10px #af9390 solid; border-bottom: 10px #af9390 solid;] repair your broken wings ( WORDS ) enough :3 ( TAGGED ) IVAN ^^ ( STATUS ) COMPLETE Jocelyn remained poised with her attention to the man in front of her, Ivan. A detective. A human. A human that obviously didn't know about the supernatural. Either way that didn't mean she couldn't hold a civil conversation with him, which was what she was currently doing, albeit she needed to pay keen attention to every word not only she said, but he said as well. So he didn't know about the crime. If she didn't know about it first hand. Bloody vampires. Thinking they owned the place. Hopefully he wouldn't get too stupid and pissed to come after her. That would only end bad for him. Eyes darkened slightly before she played it off, running her hand patiently through her hair. Of course, confidentiality and all that. She knew. Doctors and their patients, so it probably went the same for cops and such. Or...detective, since he wasn't dressed like a cop, which she had just seen enter the bar, in street clothes of course, but nonetheless Jocelyn kept up with the ploy, allowing him to think what he wanted. It didn't bother her, she had bigger fish to fry, but in reality, Ivan was in her sights, and because his scent would be all over them, the vampire would probably come check this detective out, and she preferred to be around when that happened. Protect humans? Of course, but no way would she dare to bother protecting a vampire, unless of course it happened to be like a child or something, otherwise, never. Humans over supernaturals was what she'd been taught, another reason why the hunters don't try to kill the angels. Even if the only other being that could kill them would be other angels. "True, but Manuka seems to have them at weird times, you know?" she commented slowly, turning her body back to face the counter slowly, her eyes locked onto Ivan's for a brief moment, gauging his reaction to the comment. Crossing her right leg over her left in the jeans, the angel shrugged, "A few, but only from a friend of mine to be honest, not like I can do much with the details anyway, so I usually just wait till the news." Which was partially true when something happened and she wasn't around for it. This just happened to be by chance. Guilt washed over her for a brief moment, what if she had gotten there sooner? Could she had saved at least one of the girls? Maybe the one who had gotten her throat slit. Not so much as slit as it had been opened to allow more blood to escape. Shaking that thought from her head, Jocelyn then paused her worried thoughts when Ivan opened his mouth, and she couldn't help but laugh slightly at his inquiry. Come to Manuka? This was the central highlight of supernatural activity, plus the Plague had put its headquarters here, therefore that meant plenty of angels were here too with their charges. Not her. She made ones like her into Fallen. Ones like Tessa, Ryden, Caden. Jocelyn toyed with her drink as she tilted her head back towards the door upon hearing it open. Good, not the vampire from earlier. He'd probably bolted by now. Jocelyn looked to Ivan and answered, "My job brought me here." Lying? Not technically, just the selective truth to be honest. Jocelyn didn't prefer to lie, but she would definitely lie if it came down to someone discovering what she was when she didn't want them to. Much like his fellow here. Biting her tongue, she then asked, "What about you? Why did you come here? Or were you raised here?" any and all notes can go here

table by CALIFORNIA DREAMING of CAUTION 2.0, lyrics by maroon 5

[ivan]

Her words brought a small smile dancing across his lips. Weird? Yeah, that was one way to put it for sure. People being found torn up in alleys like a fucking lion was out roaming the cities, corpses drained dry of their blood. Things where getting weird, he'd definitely noticed that one happen. But he had no idea what any of it was, what any of it meant. It was like some giant curtain right in front of him, he knew something was right in front of him, he knew something was starring back into his eyes with a smile of it's face. He just had no fucking idea what it was and it was starting to get under his skin, it was starting to drive him insane. He had to know what was happening, but who do you ask when all you have is a feeling, when all you can say is something deep down inside of you screams you are being lied to?

Looking over to the woman beside him he allowed her eyes to fall upon her for the first real time. He had yet to look at her beyond suspicious glances and stealing details from the things she did or said. However, as the alcohol slowly whittled away at his natural need to study everything, so did it destroy his need to keep himself walled in. "Job brought you here? What is it you do? Work for a funeral home?" His words where a little bitter, not towards her, but instead towards the situation that continued to fall apart around him. He was becoming more and more jaded everyday, and as the alcohol darkened his mood he found it harder to pretend like he gave a shit, he found it harder to hide his anger.

In fact he found himself not really caring about keeping it in check.

Was he raised here? What brought him here? The question sent his clouded mind dancing with memories, bringing them to the surface. Orphanages, his life in the Czech Republic, war, death. Blinking a few times, Ivan looked back over to her and forced a smile. "Adoption brought me here. Stuck around, got a job and now it's a good a home as any I guess." Shrugging his shoulders lightly Ivan reached down to the cigarettes before him and slid another between his lips. He wasn't the kind of guy to ask people if it bothered them, they could walk away or they could manage for the five minutes it took him to smoke. The match burst to life and ignited the end of his cigarette, the toxic smoke swirling down into his waiting lungs.

A loud clap of thunder sounded out, the bar shaking gently for a moment. The storm outside was showing no sign of letting up anytime soon, the rain sounding as it pounded onto the roof above. Looking out the window he starred into the dark city, the rain pounding down. He wished he could believe it was something beautiful, like a cleansing downpour, but in his heart of hearts he knew that was nothing more than wishful thinking and hopes. The dark night was now a place for predators and hunters, a place where the common where no longer safer. A night like this served to only show what the soul of the city had become. Dark and violent, twisted to the core.

This was his City, a place he was suppose to be willing to lay down his life in service of.