Nathaniel Holter's Story

Ash shrugged, her silver eyes opening as she gave a smirk, "Sounds fine to me. One on one, with the occassional group date perhaps. You know, to let them know they're not completely isolated from eachother. I think I'd want to see a familiar face every now and then if I were in such a situation. It'd relieve the stress and allow them to see they're not being tortured or killed off one by one. If they think we're such monsters, we need to assure them they aren't in any real danger from our kind unless they don't change." She bit her lip, "We need to befriend them, as hard as it sounds. They see us as anything but human, not even as people." Her thoughts went further than what she spoke out loud, how she'd do this herself. Then, how it would also depend on the person they each took as their responsibility.

"Someone has to say it... who's taking who? Do we draw straws? Papers from a hat? Match the Hunter's stubborness to the Supernatural's drive to convince them? A Hunter with a deeply-rooted belief in whatever they believe in won't work too well with someone that's not too eager to go through with this." It held an obvious but subtle hint towards Alia, not meant to be rude at all, just cautionary. With another slight moment of forcing herself not to sleep she stretched and yawned before sitting up straight, "And we that feed off human-related things have to be careful when we feed if they're to follow us everywhere, show them we don't kill... and to be sure they don't kill us. I know I would be vulnerable to attack, I'm dead asleep when I feed." Another pause and Ash spoke again, "I might have to hold off feeding for a while then. No matter how hopeful I am of this working, I know it's foolish to trust a Hunter in such a situation, especially after they were just imprisoned."

A sigh escaped Ash's lips. This was becoming more difficult than she thought. If she could have a protection charm or someone to guard her for such times it would be great, but she didn't want to bother anyone and she was sure Hunters had a way of getting through every sort of charm or spell. "This will definitely be interesting," she mumbled to herself.

Nathaniel Holter, called Nathan or Nate by his friends, had simply listened and watched most of the event. His eyes scanned the many seated monsters within the room, following the gazes of seemingly shocked and disgusted monsters at once to the group that would supposedly to be watching them. He remembered their faces from when they were captured. Though it had happened fairly quickly, he remembered it easily, except he couldn't figure out if they had fallen into a trap or if their own trap had failed and ended in being captured themselves. Well, either way their trap had failed. And he felt a great shame for what he didn't know. He should have been able to fight better, take at least one down before he was captured, should have been able to escape and get help for the rest of his team. Or even better, he should have been able to help defend his team and not even have risked getting caught.

But here he was, chained like a dog in the yard for biting his owner's neighbors. Well, this would be embarrassing if any others witnessed it. But he was with his team, who failed as a team and would win as a team. And probably felt shame and fear as a team... it was corny but probably tru. He didn't know, it wasn't like he'd tried to talk to them about feelings the amount of time they'd been awake and dragged to this meeting of the outcome of their lives. This was probably the longest Nathan had actually stayed quiet. But now, he finally spoke, "Well... this is unfortunate." He made the corners of his lips turn upward into a small smile, one that was to hide how nervous he was, "They're trying to train us. I'll bet one of us gets a nickname like Biter or Mr. Stabs-a-Lot by the end of the month." And there he went, trying to put something amusing to the difficult situation ahead... the six month long situation if they didn't figure something out.

Bennett paused, letting them talk briefly before she finished up the meeting, "That is our verdict. The Hunters will now be returned to the prison. You can follow them and begin or remain here to discuss the matter further. It's entirely your choice." Which was perhaps the only choice they had in the matter. She was anxious though. Her fingers wouldn't stay still, and it did seem as though she had something she needed to tell them.

Though, on the other hand, it they started now, they'd have more time to wear the Hunters down, and try to change their minds about Monsters in general. And looking at those very much not remorseful faces, it would appear that they'd need every minute of it.

It was no time for jokes. Helpless in enemy hands with no clear way out, Artemis hated just how useless he felt. But he'd been with Nathan long enough to know the reason behind the man's humor, and he couldn't bring himself to be angry at his teammate. Not in this situation. Not right now.

Instead he let his shoulders go slack, tired of fighting the magic ties. They weren't going to give. "Dibs on Stabs-a-Lot," he tried to jest, taking a deep breath to calm himself. It didn't work. With knitted brow and a grimace that reached his eyes, Artemis couldn't stop the anger thrumming in his chest, the shame tightening his throat. His sigh hissed out through his teeth. "Goddammit."

Nicole was right. They were fucked. Their best bet really was to make a break for it once allowed outside, and who knew when that would be. No, he couldn't start thinking that way - their chance would come. They'd escape, make a report, and come back with reinforcements. Then they could burn this hellish city to the ground. Until then, to his endless agitation, Artemis was going to have to grit his teeth and wait.

He didn't struggle nearly as hard being taken back to the prison - only just enough to make it clear that he wasn't giving up. Now that the immediate fear of pending death had passed, he could think just a little more clearly. There was no point in fighting a fight they couldn't win. They would save up their energy for a real chance to escape.

Anthony nibbled on his lip as he glanced at his comrades and then the prisoners. They were allowed to stay and discuss what they should do but he wasn't sure how they were all going to decide who watched who. He would suggest picking hunters and supernatural based on who would probably get better with who, but there was a problem with that. He didn't know the personalities of the humans sine he hadn't really spoken to them and he hadn't fed off them to really know them and their thoughts. He would assume the others would have the same dilemma. He glanced at Calum and gave him a nod. That was a good plan at least. That way everyone had their backs covered when they were the most vulnerable and the hunters were never going to be alone. If a hunter tried to overwhelm Calum, the other person could easily wake up and provide aid.

"Well we have our backup thanks to Calum and it seems like none of us are really particular on who takes who. So how about we pick straws with the hunters' names?" he suggested. "We could easily ask them their names and once everyone has piked, we could go on our way trying to teach them. Other than that, I am not sure how to begin."

As Jayde was being escorted back to the 'prison' (she liked to view it as a guest room, instead of the cold floor and bars it was), she couldn't help but smirk. She was ecstatic, which was strange, as she had never felt happy on a mission before, and she knew exactly what was causing the giddy feeling; for the third time in her life, she was going to be able to interact with the supernatural without the stress of having to kill them. To be honest, though, even if the council (as that was the only word she could describe them as) of strange beings had decided to kill them, she still would be happy. As long as she doesn't have to kill again, she would die with a smile on her face, though she could never let the hunters that she was currently walking with know. The one time she tried to share these thoughts with another human, it did not end well.... Jayde shook her head, trying to get the dark thoughts of her past out of her mind before one of her fellow hunters figured out something was up, though they would probably think that she was just nervous from being around 'monsters', as they called them, instead of the actual truth of her just trying to protect them.

It wasn't until she heard one of the other hunters, Artemis she think his name is, finished talking with his friend, did she realize that she was lagging behind. She increased her step and caught up with the rest of the rag-tag group, full of people with various talents. She looked around the strange collection of hunters, trying to decide if it was smart and worth her while to speak up about their current situation. When she saw the grim looks on all of their faces, like they were lambs being sent of to slaughter (though, if they were, they would have deserved it, considering how many people they have killed, Jayde included), she figured she had to say something. They kept on walking for a few long, grueling minutes filled with silence until they got to the cell where they were being momentarily held. Jayde waited for a couple of seconds in the silence until she was sure that the guards were not close enough to hear.

Clearing her throat, she closed her eyes to get up the gumption to speak for the first, and likely last, time that night. "You know, we could have had a worst fate." She faltered when she felt all of their eyes on her, likely filled with surprise or malice. Opening up her eyes, she put on her usual hard-ass demeanor. "What I mean is, are you all really scared of a couple of monsters?" She spewed the word 'monsters' like it was venom, the group likely thinking it of hatred of the beings described, instead of her hatred for the word itself. "You really can't handle yourselves for six months? Wow. I knew I was dealing with a bunch of weaklings, but this is just sad." Now that she had established her persona, the tricky part came- trying to convince them to give the supernatural a chance without completely giving away she had a soft spot for them. Her smirk grew bigger when she realized the perfect way to do just that.

[#color=009AC5]"I for one, think we should wait a little bit before we try to escape. You know, gain their trust, learn a couple of secrets. Give it a few months, pretend to be... cooperative. Then, and only then, we can plan an escape."[/color] She let her words stir in the air, hopefully giving them ideas. Her plan meant that the non-human beings didn't have much time to try to convince them, but at least it was time. She only could hope they were smart enough to use it wisely, and prevent anyone- humans and supernatural beings alike- getting killed.

"Oh yes, we're all terrified which is why we've all just given up," Nicole rebutted, "Absolutely freaking terrified. Nah, it can't have had anything to do with the fact we screwed up that we're behaving this way. Honestly Jayde. We're going to have to wait to escape."

The female Hunter paused, lips pursed tightly together, as she reluctantly agreed with the other, "Though, you're right. What seems like the best way would be to make them think they're convincing us; to listen to them, play friendly, and everything else. Gain their trust, and then either wait for an opportunity to escape. We have to get the others information about this place. They let us in. Which means if we can get out, we can lead the others back here."

Nicole had no doubts about her job. She'd been raised to think of the supernaturals as monsters, and you didn't feel regret when you killed something like that. It was like feeling pity after squashing an ant. Most Hunters, Nic included, didn't think about it any differently. Mainly because she'd never spoken to or listened to rather, a supernatural long enough to know differently.

Anthony sighed when Gaia began to speak up. Really? She had to go on talking about the humans like they were pets? Had to insult her 'peers' at the same time when they tried to settle the matter civilly? He didn't much like the way she spoke to them but there was no use getting into a verbal debate over the terms and what not. It would get them no where and would lead to just aggravating everyone as if this situation wasn't stressful enough as it was. Well, it seemed like there was nothing to it but to do it. Oh man he hoped he picked a human that he could get along with. If he and his human couldn't get along... well the whole project would be fucked and they'd never get anywhere useful during their time together.

"I agree with Gaia and Alia then. Just picking our human partner seems like it would make things simple enough," he stated out loud.

Anthony followed Gaia and Alia down to where the humans were being kept and waited while Alia went second and picked her human. He didn't want to waste any time down here so he moved closer to the cell door and looked over the humans as he debated. He didn't want to grab one of the men. Men were far more stubborn in his opinion and harder to reach a tie with. Though it probably made him look weak, he had a much easier time getting to know women regardless of which gender he took on himself. He nibbled his lip and his eyes strayed to the pretty brunette.

"Well, I guess I'll go with her," he said and gave Nichole a nod, indicating to everyone else who he was choosing.

Ash had already left and was waiting for the others down amongst the cells for the others. She didn't really have a pen, it'd been part of the miniscule joke she'd made, so if they'd actually chosen to draw papers they were out of luck. Luckily, as they appeared, they seemed to have decided to just randomly pick and that actually worked well for her. It really did, she didn't want to leave it completely up to chance that she'd end up with someone that would actually make her want to kill them. It could prove amusing for certain others in the group, but useless when it came to convincing the Hunters of the innocence of Supernaturals. Then again, she often trusted her luck, and it often payed off for her. So, through the childish solution of 'Eenie-Meenie' running through her head, she came to one of the male hunters.

"I'll take him, then," she said, nodding in Artemis's (though she didn't yet know his name) direction. He'd seemed like one of the more spirited ones at the hearing before, "The apparent drop in such energy somewhat worried her as she studied him from outside of the bars, drops in spirit were not usually good. She'd seen such things lead to suicide, and no one needed that right now. Especially not with the job they were responsible for now.

---

Nathaniel had been opening his mouth to speak, most likely more words fueled by his coping mechanism. But that's when the Monsters began arriving, the first seeming to simply wait before others showed up. These were to be the ones "changing" their minds, whispering lies and orchestrating events to get into their heads. Then, they began picking them out, like picking kids for a team, or more like picking a toy to play with. He stayed silent, his usually nice enough gaze becoming an obvious glare.

Listen to them. Play friendly. Didn’t they know how dangerous it was to listen to monsters, even for a moment? Some creatures were just born with serpent tongues, meant to slither into the mind with pretty silver words that tarnish inside your head. Monsters could manipulate like no other, and Artemis wasn’t about to give them the chance.

But in his head, Artemis knew that Nicole and Jayde were right. Their best bet was to act the part, let the monsters think they were cooperative. He just couldn’t help it that, emotionally speaking, he couldn’t tolerate the thought. So he came up with a compromise. “I refuse,” the hunter said straight out, glowering at the ground. “It’s a good idea. You guys go ahead, but it’ll be suspicious if we’re all suddenly meek and open-minded. I’m just volunteering to be the bad guy.”

He wasn’t about to change his mind on this. It was a solid plan, if a little dangerous on his end, but it was what he felt most comfortable with. Besides, if he could make his teammates seem more cooperative in comparison, it would just give them a better chance to get out of this hellhole. Of course, these were just excuses to justify his careless actions – the thought of giving into these monsters was making him lose his cool – but if the others had anything to say on the matter, they didn’t get a chance, because the monsters started to filter in one by one.

Oh look. It was the one he couldn’t identify. The one that seemed so sickeningly human. He was disgusted to think of how many innocents it might have lured into false security with such an unassuming form. “I’ll take him, then,” it said with a nod towards him, and Artemis grew dark, narrowing his eyes. He had his gaze cast downwards – he knew better than to make eye contact with unidentified creatures. For all he knew, gorgons weren’t the only things that could turn people to stone with a stare. He stayed quiet and still, simply observing, waiting for any slips of information. Identifying this monster was top priority in order to stay alive.

"Oh," She had said in response, a bit stubbornly, "In no way am I going to be meek and completely open to them. Of course we have to be a bit stubborn, at least initially. Else it won't seem right..." Nicole hadn't wanted to even listen to them, like Artemis, but reason was reason, and she hadn't any other options.

'I'll go with her'? Seriously? Her face deadpanned as she listened to him speak. They were talking about them as though they weren't even there, and that irked her. It seriously irked her. She couldn't tell the majority of these creatures' species, as most were humanoid, but she could pick out a few defining features on some of them, which allowed her to guess at their species. Without their equipment though, identifying a lot of these things would be near impossible.

Every inch of her being just itched to be let out at them, years of instincts and teachings telling her that this wasn't how things should go. But Jayde was right, upsetting as it was. And damn her if she screwed everything up.

Jayde looked up in surprise when a small group of supernatural entered their holding area- she would have thought that they were going to wait until tomorrow to start to engage with her group. Her surprise turned into confusion when one of them- a women with short hair and an abundance of tattoos over her arms- stepped out of the loose band of 'monsters' and went over to stand in front of her (well, as much as she could, considering there were long metal bars, and a good 6 feet of space between them). The woman looked her up and down and said confidently, “You look like you could be fun." What could the strange woman mean by that? However Jayde's befuddlement only grew as the woman (who had no visible supernatural characteristics) continued to convey her apparent interest in Jayde by adding "Fancy a romp out on the night?”

Jayde blushed slightly, both embarrassed by her being singled out, and the strange words coming out of the supernaturals mouth. Nonetheless, she knew she couldn't let anyone (including the person in front of her) know that she felt anything but distaste for the situation she was in. She cocked her head, and willed away her blush, responding with, "And what the hell do you mean by that? I'm not your toy, or something, and I'm not going to be fun." Jayde put as much contempt and loathing into the words as she could possibly muster, but realized that she might have stretched it a bit too far. Oh well. Too late to change her words now.

Gaia pursed her lips, "Ooo, touchy, touchy." She smiled then, all gums and teeth, an endearing goofiness that seemed out of character to Jayde. "It's gonna be a long 6 months, doll. You can either make it miserable or tolerable. I think you'll come to find that I'm not as bad as you're led to believe." Jayde simply shook her head, opting to not say anything. She still didn't know quite what the women was talking about, but decided to not make a fool of herself again by being too aggressive.

Ash waited then, watching her new responsibility with curiosity. Responsibility... funny. The only responsibility she'd ever really had in life since her family passed was herself. Now she had to suddenly try and ease the poisoned thoughts of this human's life teachings out of his mind, and educate him in the truth all Hunters seemed so oblivious to. Subconsciously leaning back on a wall, her gaze wandered and one of her left arm went to rest against her stomach while her other hand rested at her clavicle in thought. What exactly would happen to these humans, state-of-mind wise, if they were to realize all of their mistakes. They'd been murdering innocent (for the most part) creatures simply because some adults told them to and fed them age-old lies. What if they were overcome with grief and resentment? What if depression took place of the fire in their souls? What would saving their lives have done then, other than sentence them to another of self-loathing if they were emotionally and mentally strong enough to handle it. But of course... these were Hunters... she probably had nothing to worry about with them despite them trying to escape and/or kill the Supernaturals in their way.

Ash snapped out of her thoughts then, not wanting to go to much darker depths than that. She ate nightmares, dealt with them each time, she'd seen a lot of horrible things in both the Dream and Earth realms. But a young dreamwalker with a heart like hers could only take so much darkness. She slid down the wall now to sit on the floor, her gaze once again moving to her charge to visually analyze him. Around her age, dark haired, dark eyed, a glare of cold steel, and what seemed like an impregnable stubbornness. Yeah... yeah, this guy would be alright. With this uplifting thought, a small and nearly unnoticeable smile tugged the corners of her lips upwards.

Then realization came to her over why he might be avoiding eye contact with her now... many Supernatural's abilities could activate through eye contact. For example, a gorgon's very literal stony gaze, and her own kind... really those were the only two she could think of off the top of her head, but there were most definitely more. So, with a sigh, she reached into a front pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses before pushing herself up and towards the barred figures with the shades held toward, for lack of anything better to call him (due to not knowing his name), her Hunter.

"Here," she began, "I guess... you'd feel more comfortable with a barrier?" She shrugged and waited for whatever might happen. Acceptance would delight her, but she'd deal easily enough with rejection.