[HH] Bones and Hammers (Sammy & Jordan)

[prolixity]

"True enough." Jordan had no intention of attacking right now either. He suspected that their mutual animosity had come primarily from having met in the wrong place and time. There were Halloween creatures who were monsters in mind as well as in body, and he'd encountered more than a few, but others were almost human in their outlook and ability to empathize. Without a reason to fight, there was no point in wasting the energy on conflict, particularly when a second pair of eyes could help them get out of this place.

He mulled over her words. "My other liked yours," he said. "She was efficient and effective. Guess it shows how much circumstance can affect your perception of another person." He didn't think twice about using the word person; having Ferros in his mind had long since shown him that Halloweeners were indeed people.  

[Miliardo Kason]

Sammy had learned a lot thanks to Red and constant interactions with hunters. They where people too. Person. They had different terms for it, some of them where creeple, others people. They all lived to complete their dreams. Sammy was all for fighting, but lately she had indeed gotten tired of doing it for no reason. They had bigger reasons to fight lately.

"She liked you too, Ferros as well. Actually really admired the later, great fighter she thought." She smiled at the person comment as they walked. "Yeah... circumstances change a lot of things indeed." She stopped at the edge of the stairs, they wrapped around a corner and she took the first step before peeking back at Jordan who was now below her. "You wouldn't believe that Red's the other half the reason I'm here now."  

[prolixity]

Thank you, Ferros said with dignity, though Jordan could feel the undercurrent of quiet pleasure at the compliment. "He says thanks," he relayed.

He stepped around the corner, riding out the wave of dizziness as his equilibrium settled. "Was she?" he asked as it passed. "I didn't know her well. But she taught my group when she was posing as a human." He still felt ambivalent about that; as far as he knew, Red had infiltrated Deus to gain intelligence about the structure and location of the hunters' home, but she'd been genuinely helpful as Aria, and had at least seemed to care. And she'd bonded with a weapon. He wondered, sometimes, how she'd been able to take the bond and hold her weapon. He'd seen and felt the way weapons ate away at Fear.  

[Miliardo Kason]

Sammy chuckled, "More then welcome big boil." It was likely the first time she had ever directed comments to a weapon and had their hunter respond back. An awkward game of telephone to say the least.

Walking along their new path Sammy nodded her head, "She has an odd fondness for some of the hunters she worked over. Not anything creepy, but the same feeling you get when you work with someone risking your neck. You tend to grow attached." Along she went shrugging, "Candace hates to be reminded of it. She looked like she wanted to cut my head off when I pointed it out. Red isn't a bad guy, less so then your leader Caelius. That's bad. Medea. Is bad."

"Having Red rip me a new one everytime we talked about hunters is the reason I'm not fighting you. The others memories make it an easier pill to swallow. Seeing you and your boils as cats in the haunted house. Makes it an easier pill to swallow."  

[prolixity]

They came to a crossroads, and Jordan looked along both paths before picking the leftmost one, which led towards a chamber with what looked like it might be an indoor garden. He nodded at the comment about Candace. "I think that's a division thing," he said. "I would've felt pretty angry myself if it turned out my division lead wasn't what he seemed to be, and Aria's hers. Most of the leads take good care of their people. Aside Caelius." He shook his head. "He doesn't seem to like humans much more than he likes Halloween, and it's better if he doesn't notice you."

He left out his private speculation about Circe's influence. What he'd already said was knowledge that at least some of Halloween already had, and Caelius's disregard for his underlings wasn't hard to see.

He gave Sammy a sideways look. "I don't have a problem with you when you're not trying to hurt humans," he said. "You're obviously not an idiot, and there's at least one world where you and I got along."  

[Miliardo Kason]

Sammy didn't object to his choice, simply shrugged and followed after him towards the garden. Said garden was also hanging on a 'wall' so to say based on their current perspective, but it was a garden chamber at least.

"I can see where it opens old wounds but you unlike her, acknowledge that in her time working as your superior she didn't do anything to bring harm intentionally to you." She only snorted at the mention of Caelius. "And yet he's still the leader? You all have weapons. Why not fight back? Of all of them him and H are the two hunters I would rather see dead. Regardless of what Candace feels about the doctor they pose the biggest threat to everything."

She might have also had some personal issues with H due to a version of the future she saw that she was VERY determined to avoid.

When he mentioned hurting humans she held up a hand, "I'm not an idiot, and I thank you for the compliment in that. However I want to be very clear. I don't ever hurt humans. I've never once raised a hand towards a human in violence for the sake of fear." She pointed now at him with a bone finger, "I hurt hunters. You and I both know regardless of what our other selves did that there is a very big difference to us at Amity when it comes to humans and hunters. You're dangerous to us, as we are to you."

She walked past him turning around, "The real question is, are their bigger threats then both of us?" She didn't have to say it, she didn't know what Jordan had been through, but they had seen the island fall.

Horsemen where the real problem.  

[prolixity]

Jordan glanced back at Sammy, his expression unreadable. "It would be very stupid to do anything along those lines without being very sure you had a lot of reliable backup," he pointed out. There were a lot of reasons that it wasn't a viable plan, but he wasn't particularly inclined to discuss them. This one revealed the least information and was straightforwardly logical.

Some hunters might have protested the distinction, but he didn't see any point in arguing it, particularly since he'd long since come to agree with it. The weapon bond set them apart from the rest of humanity, making them into something else. "Some creatures don't feel as you do," he replied. "Normal humans can't defend themselves against Fear-based predators. But that's not really what we're talking about." It wasn't a question.  

[Miliardo Kason]

"Well should you all ever decide open rebellion and new leadership is required I'm going to side with the group that wants that mad mans head on a stick. I know it might seem.... offending? To talk about a human or a fellow hunter like that but I do still hold some grudges against your people as much as you might hold against our own."

It's shame Amrita was the one in the middle of that, thank Jack Sammy didn't mention that and ruin the otherwise civil conversation by bringing up a bad streak for both of them.

"I do notice, you all like to keep things very close knit, you never give details. It's frustrating almost, like only having half a conversation." Even Jordan was short and too the point, granted much more polite then Candace about avoiding details and telling her to mind her own business.

"You're right, not everyone thinks like me. Most people don't even know you exist, some that do want you dead on principle alone. Those that attack humans however. Well, our law and your hunting should keep them in line. I prefer you didn't kill our kind but I'm going to have to admit certain situations might be out of a boogiemens hands and end up leaving you to solve the problem."

She stopped looking back at him as they now where at the archway leading into the gardenchamber.

"To be blunt, it's the horsemen, those following Medea. The ones who would wipe out your kind and hurt my kind in the process by killing off the largest source of fear being living humans. I said the same things Red said to me to Candace but she didn't seem to care much. If things get out of hand, if what happens between Amityville and Hunters becomes to widely known it would give the Horsemen the perfect chance to unleash all of Halloween on a witch hunt while they sneak by and take the hunters on in person. Balance would be lost, the world would end, and we all get the short end of the stick."  

[prolixity]

"I do recognize he's dangerous," Jordan said. "I also recognize that saying so openly is dangerous if not suicidal, and I'd prefer to keep my head on my shoulders." He shrugged. "No offense intended, of course."

He stepped up and into the chamber and paused to let the dizziness pass. It was definitely getting more bearable. He still didn't want to get too used to it. "Again," he answered, "that's partly self-preservation. If I let something slip that turns out to be dangerous for our safety, not only am I putting my friends and colleagues in danger, if it gets traced back to me ..." He trailed off, letting Sammy fill in the blank. "While I don't think you're planning on going back and reporting every detail of this conversation to someone, I can't afford not to be paranoid."

"We've been dealing with Horsemen more than rogue creatures," he admitted. "And I don't know if you're aware of this, but there's some degree of cooperation between our people and the Boogeymen. I know, and so do at least a few others, that the Horsemen are the real threat, even if they've been weakened." He gave her a steady look. "But bear in mind that keeping that fact in view requires those of us who hold those opinions to be alive and active rather than stuck in a pod."  

[Miliardo Kason]

"Well rest assured I won't be running off to tell anyone you said that. Especially not another hunter. I think maybe a grand total of two of you are willing to actually talk to me? I still haven't seen Jerry since the other world or Harrison. Rep is somewhat willing to talk and well, we all know what Candace thinks of me. Something about a terrible b***h...?" She smirked at the last part.

Standing at the chamber she waited politely for Jordan to get his bearings before wandering into the small hanging garden. "It's self preservation yes, but at the same time I'm trying to in some way, work with you. Not against you. I'm not going to run off screaming your name and dark secrets into the night that just leaves me with one less hunter I can almost trust."

She paused for a moment studying Jordan, "You where the cautious one, in that world and this one. I guess some things really don't ever change." Turning back to the plants she poked a few hanging pots as she walked along.

"I'm very aware of it, at first I was very upset by it, but again, Red and recent events are making me adjust my view on things such as hunters and Halloween working together." Pivoting on her boot she faced him in full arms crossed smiling, "Well lucky for you Jordan, I don't plan as I've said before, on getting you killed, podded, or in trouble. I think we can both agree that each side of this conversation has people we don't want to see harmed and outside of that we have no real reason to fight each other. Is that true?"  

[prolixity]

Jordan smiled faintly at the comment about Candace. "Candace can be a good friend," he said neutrally.

"I've always been the careful one," he agreed, a shadow of sorrow gathering in the corners of his eyes and his mouth, there and then gone. He followed more slowly, reaching up to touch a fern that recoiled in slow motion, rolling its frond into a tucked-in curl. "Survival mechanism. Not really a Sun thing, but then again, it's kept me alive the past two years."

He gave the statement the careful consideration it deserved before nodding. "I don't think we're working at cross-purposes," he said. "We both want safety for our worlds, our people, and the people we personally care about, and we can agree that the Horsemen are a threat to both sides of that. I won't go after any other Halloween creatures without good reason. Self-defense or defense of what I want to protect." The corners of his mouth pulled down as he thought of Robert. He'd promised to take care of the issue; would that come into conflict with the agreement he was offering?  

[Miliardo Kason]

"Not really trying to judge, but she should think about what she says about me and take a look in a mirror once in a while~" She paused, "Ghoul has good taste in boots even if said boots could chop a limb or two off."

For a moment she caught the look on his face, her own mirroring a hint of sympathy for the Hunter, clearly they where walking a thin line of emotion for him. "I'm not exactly the cautious one." She looked at her bone fingers flexing them slowly. "I tend to rely on my bodies natural ability to absorb pain and damage." She looked up towards where she fell; case in point.

Wandering by the plants she watched as some opened, closed, and shifted slowly in their pots the presence of outsiders before looking to Jordan when he spoke. "Self-defense and protection of others. Fair enough." She however didn't miss the frown on his face. "Is there something more?"  

[prolixity]

Jordan's mouth quirked. "She does enjoy her shoes. I wonder if that's why Atropos chose her." Probably not, but it was an amusing thought, anyway.

"I've noticed," he said dryly, remembering her tendency to throw herself headlong into battle every time they'd run into each other. "I prefer to stay out of the infirmary if I can manage it."

He sighed. "You're sharp," he said. "A good friend of mine came home from the Haunted House pretty close to dead not that long ago. He'd had his guts torn apart. Took some time to recover. While he was drugged up, he kept telling me he'd had his coat stolen, I assume by whatever creature tore him up." His mouth flattened into a thin line. "We expect to get ripped up out in the field. It's a job hazard. But taking his coat, that's an insult. I promised him I'd get it back, and I don't expect that to be easy." He cast Sammy a troubled look. "I'd rather not start s**t unnecessarily, but he's like a brother to me, and I made a promise."  

[Miliardo Kason]

"All about boots hunter, a good pair of boots never steers you wrong." She gave a tap of her foot, the skull on the front of her boot made of good metal thunking happily on the ground.

She smirked at his dry response, "Oh don't be so bitter, could be worse I could be trying to knock your head right now but I'm not am I?"

When he finally revealed more she kept her face level, only an eyebrow slightly raised as he continued to speak. "Now you understand, there are reasons some of us do that. Some of us lost friends to your weapon program. Hell I'll openly admit if I find the hunter wielding Israfel? I will kill them or rip that weapon away from them. And I'm being very honest about that. He was my friend, you took him. As for the coat do you know who did it?"  

[prolixity]

"I favor boots myself. Good foot protection," Jordan agreed.

"Am I complaining?" he replied with a faint smirk. "I don't hear myself complaining."

He nodded seriously. "I can understand that. There's bad blood there, and I won't claim the grudges are undeserved." At the mention of Israfel, he went silent for a moment, thinking of Solia; he didn't know her well, but he hoped, quietly, that she wouldn't run into Sammy, at least until she was decently equipped to defend herself. It wasn't her fault that Israfel had chosen her after his weaponization, but he doubted Sammy would be swayed by that thought. At the question, though, he shook his head. "I don't know. I need to ask him for a description and do some investigation of my own." He sighed. Golems weren't his favorite thing.

I chose this, Ferros said suddenly. Tell her that.

Are you sure you want me to?

Tell her, Ferros insisted.

"Ferros wants me to tell you that this was his own choice," Jordan relayed, keeping his tone even.