By the Pricking of My Thumbs

i throw the arm on the pile of corpses and fire a salvo of napalm on it "only one thing to do" i say menacingly then i point my sword theatrically in the air while yelling "Burn them all!" followed by maniacal cackling.

"You are such a charmer," Lily scowls at Ignacy, "Mayhapps we should just give em what they want and be done with it."

I shake my head wearily."Remind me not to let you two do the planning. Let's get out of this alley; it stinks of blood and I don't want to be here when things that smell attracts arrive."

"Not without my money." Lily turns to the cackling rat on his pile of pretties. "Pull yourself together... Two hundred pounds takes my collection."

"I love the idea personally." I say smiling "but after we are done with you getting paid lily, can we eat then go? this made me hungry"

i shrug "you got any better idea im all ears" i look at the burning pile of bodies "we really shouldnt have killed those guys its hard to question corpses".

"Eating sounds marvelous, though you may want to look in a mirror, berserker." She looks distastefully at the blood splashed across Liam's face and torso.

To my surprise, the rat hands over a purse with barely a glance, its focus all on the treasure trove and the bodies. I have a nasty feeling that some of those bodies will be ending up in his cookpot.
In a little time our group has gotten a good ways from the carnage. We must have been quite a sight when we stepped inside the door of a little cafe with the pleasant name of the White Swallow; the cross-dressed barman went so far as to grip the bat he had beneath the bar, at least until we ordered coffee, tea and some rags to wipe the blood off with.
I flex my wounded hand as we sit. It stings, but moves easily enough. It's a relief; I had feared muscle damage. I glance at Mathias, who has been studying me ever since I admitted my lineage in the alley. Not with fear...in fact I'd say it was almost averice...but I'll deal with that later. Beside me, Kaija is smiling and polishing her blade with satisfaction.
"Nice moves in the alley." I say, nodding to her. "At least what I saw before I got...distracted."

*Thanks* I watch to make sure she is able to care for her hand, or to see if she needs help. Turning my gaze around the group, I look from Ignacy to Liam and am glad they are both all right.

i reach into my pockets and pick up the three metal spiders who have taken refuge inside my coat "you guys youve been around the nightside for long no?" they answer in unison "Yeah mate" i stuff my pockets while the barman isnt looking "go to 4th empire street and find a clockmaker named hans tell him the chicken is back to roost" they look quizzically at me "hes into that whole secret agent thing" they give me a mock salute and make their way to the door.

*They're adorable. Who is this Hans guy though?* I think to Ignacy. "So, what's next?" I ask nonchalantly, half expecting that answer to include more violence.

Lily nudges a casually tossed, bloodstained rag away from her. "You lot are barbarians; I expect blood"

i stack my hands as a pyramid "hans is a flammenwerfer from my platoon, charming fellow well except for the disfigurements and the paranoia superhumanism didnt agree with him but he will probably know who the guys who attacked us were"

"OUR lot?" I growl at her. "You are a part of this team, pull your damn nose out of the air or it's blood you will have!"

With an innocent look, Lily turns to Kaija, "I wasn't fighting back there, ripping people limb from limb."

i look at lily "those were nazis you know not church choir boys"

I stare at him, a slow grin on my lips. "THe chicken? Really? The chicken?!" giggling, I take another sip of my tea. Then I glance over at the girls, who are glaring at one another again. "Girls, save the fight for the enemy. And once I've had a little time to let this begin to heal, I think it's about time for that magic lesson. You two are going to need more control if we are going to be facing trouble. You most especially Lily; I could see you in the fight, and considering how focused I had become that's something. You shine like a beacon, and in a dark place that can be dangerous." I turn to Kaija with a grin. "As for you my girl, if your mother knew that you used such language in your head what would she say?"

"Stupid girl! You think that is noble?" I point to Liv's hand "Maybe if you had, she wouldn't have gotten hurt! Defending your friends is far from barbaric. You showed nothing but pure cowardice." I spit out the syllables with pure acid and venom.

"Stupid girl! You think that is noble?" I point to Liv's hand "Maybe if you had, she wouldn't have gotten hurt! Defending your friends is far from barbaric. You showed nothing but pure cowardice." I spit out the syllables with pure acid and venom.

Glaring, Lily spits, "Fighting serves no purpose and is one of the baser instincts; why do you think I got the rat to fight so easily?"

*Liv, my mother was never overly fond of me. My father, on the other hand, would have cheered me on* "Lily, by that token, it is your fault she is injured." I stand abruptly.

i raise a finger "if everyone in the world shared that philisophy youd be long dead" i take a sip from a cup of tea "dont disrespect your meatshields or they might not pay that close attention to your safety in the future"

I sit back, raising a brow. "Enough, you two. You are both right; there are times for cleverness, and times for blades. Neither is sufficient in and of itself. A wise man must know defense, and a warrior must be canny. So quit bickering."

I sit, knowing better than to disappoint Liv and, by default, Liam. "You have a lot to learn about the Nightside, little one."

Contritely, Lily turns away. Her serpent, Eve, slides up her arm to her neck and drapes herself comfortingly around her neck. "Was born here, and wouldn't have lived this long without my wits."