Cassiel Davis's Story

Phoenix could feel Jaiden’s gaze on him, and it wasn’t exactly happy. He’d probably get an earful from her about this at some stage. But right now, he just couldn’t stay there. He wouldn’t, couldn’t be of any help. If he stayed there any longer he felt like he was going to crumble in to pieces. And Cas needed help, as much as he was going to insist otherwise. Cas tried to insist that Phoenix stayed with his friends but Phoenix just numbly shook his head and practically dragged the man out of the alley with him, back towards his apartment.

And then suddenly Cas stopped, and wouldn’t meet Phoenix’s eyes. The words he was saying didn’t make any sense. Phoenix could feel the frustration building in his chest and could feel the tears burning behind his eyes. But he refused to abandon Cas here. There was something wrong. Cas was hurt, clearly emotionally and physically, and what he was saying didn’t match with his actions.

“Cas. Just... just stop, okay? I don’t claim to know you that well, I don’t know what you did before you got here. But everything you’ve done since you got here? Cas, you just freaking put your life in danger for some reckless idiot that ran headlong into danger for no good reason.” He said with a small grin at himself. “I’m pretty damn sure you saved all of our lives tonight. You definitely saved mine. I don’t know what put it into your head that you don’t deserve this. But for god’s sake, Cas, I just want to make sure you’re not bleeding out on me and maybe even make you tea. And also I really don’t think I’d be able to patch up my shoulder by myself,” he said with a smirk. “So just... just let me do this for you, okay?”

Phoenix found himself wondering where Cas had come from. Who he was. Why somebody so cool and composed the rest of the time somehow fell apart at the thought of someone looking after him. Was that it? Or was there something more to it?

Evelyn felt so entirely useless. The hunter was still completely out cold, so it wasn’t even like she could deal with him. One of the girls from earlier- the one in the steampunk gear- she spotted Evelyn hovering on the periphery and told her to go home, that somebody would check up on her. Evelyn wanted to help. She did. But the smell of blood was just unhinging her control and she refused to let her hunger win. So she nodded, but grabbed the hunter and started dragging him by his coat.

It wasn’t easy, he weighed significantly more than her, and his dead weight made him hard to manage. She abandoned his unconscious form in the woods. If he survived, he survived. If something found him... well, good riddance. She panted a little and straightened up, looking around her. The forest was quiet, but not the peaceful quiet that she usually loved. Nothing in town was peaceful any more. And then there was that smell again, blood. But it was... faint. Evelyn found herself stalking towards the smell, mostly to check that it wasn’t somebody who was hurt. Instead, she found herself emerging on to a lake... and finding a familiar form. She knew the smell of blood wasn’t coming from Markus, but instead from the water.

“Did somebody fall in to the lake?” She asked Markus, frowning. But a look at the water and at the clouds of red made Evelyn think of something more sinister. But Evelyn held back, watching the surface of the water with a frown. She didn’t know of anything that tended to live in lakes, but she doubted it was anything good, anything that she wanted to cross. So for once, she stayed quiet, and just watched the surface of the water. Watching. Waiting. Curious to see what or if anything would come from it.

Phoenix was glad when Cas just agreed to go back to the apartment with him. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he had the energy to argue any more. He just wanted to go home, but he also didn't want to just abandon Cas there. He could feel himself relaxing as he got in to the building and started up the stairs to his apartment. Here was comfortable. Here was safe. Here was home.

He let himself in to the apartment, the light and the warmth welcome after everything that had happened. He locked the door behind them and headed in to the small kitchen in search of the first aid kit. After the first caramel burn incident, he'd learned to keep an extremely extensive first aid kid in the kitchen. It contained enough for most of the baking inflicted injuries he seemed to sustain, but he found himself questioning if it would be enough for this. He grinned at Cas as Cas said it was very him. "Thank you. It's not much, but it's home. Please ignore the excess of lavender around the place, it got... a little out of control and there was only so much I could give away as gifts." All those nights when he'd questioned why he was doing this to himself, why he couldn't just... stop thinking about those eyes and the grin that so often accompanied them, and he'd just poured his energy into his plants in the hope he could exhaust himself or that something good could at least come from it. "Just take a seat wherever, move any plants out of the way if you need to." He called as he found the kit and pulled it out.

He sat beside Cas and opened the kit as well as he could with one hand. "I know I said I wanted to check you weren't dying, but even if you are, I don't think I'd be much use to you like this. So you're going to have to help me patch myself up, I'm afraid," he said with a bit of a smile. "I can handle the silver burns, but I'm going to need you to help me bandage it." Phoenix pulled away the blood soaked gauze from his shoulder, having to push down the vague nausea that arose in him at the sight. He wasn't particularly squeamish, but seeing that much of his own blood would make anybody feel uneasy.

The feeling of Cas' hand running over his bare skin seemed to leave phantom sensations behind; the feeling of skin brushing against skin, the cold contact, the shock of contact. It left him feeling a little dazed, more dazed than he wanted to admit. So when Cas asked about removing the wings, Phoenix just wordlessly nodded. A shock of pain as Cas pulled the strap from the wing away brought him back to reality.

He watched Cas examine the wings, curious about that brief flash of an unidentifiable emotion. But the man seemed to recover quickly and started to clean the wound. Phoenix inhaled sharply at the sting of the alcohol wipe, but found himself quickly entranced by the man in front of him. The white blonde strands of hair that fell so perfectly in to that face, the look of concentration, the strong but gentle ways his hands worked, wrapping around his shoulder. He knew that some of the others were suspicious of this stranger, they were hesitant to let him in. But Phoenix couldn't believe that hands that gentle, that careful, a face so focused... he couldn't believe anything bad could come of that. Cas' words that he didn't deserve Phoenix's help came back to mind, but Phoenix couldn't believe them either.

He released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding as Cas finished, grinning a little at the joke about Davis' hospital. He studied Cas for a moment or two as he insisted that he was fine, that he just wanted some painkillers and some tea. There seemed to be a little more colour back in his face, and his demeanor was more relaxed. So Phoenix sighed and nodded, getting to his feet. "Sure. Give me a minute to go it." He stood up and headed in to the bathroom, his own reflection making him jump a little as he switched on the light. For a moment, he had thought there was somebody there, somebody waiting for him. Somebody back to finish the job. Phoenix had to put his hands on the sink for a moment and give himself a minute to regain his composure, to slow his racing heart. Was this just what it was going to be like now? Jumping at any sign of a bang in the night? Constantly afraid of the stranger, of the strange? He shook that thought out of his head and retrieved the Advil, heading back in to the sitting room. He put the Advil down on the coffee table and went back over to the kitchen.

"Usually, I'd ask what blend of tea you want, but I have the perfect blend in mind. It's kept me going when I've needed it most." The tea itself was simple, a blend of some herbs with strawberry and mint to cover the more unpleasant tastes. He'd made it himself, so it was particularly potent. But on the evenings when he'd pushed himself a little too hard, either trying to grow some plants or just baking, he'd found it was good for restoring that energy. His hypothesis was just that Cas had pushed himself too hard, using... whatever his ability was.

He brewed two mugs of tea and pulled out a tin of cookies, all trial recipes he'd tested for the café that he was still trying to perfect. "Blended the tea myself and baked the cookies. You can't say you don't get the homely touch here," he said with a grin as he put the mug down in front of Cas and sat back down beside him. "You sure you're okay, though?"

Phoenix just blushed a little as Cas told him he worried too much. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that. Because as reckless as he could be with his own heart, his friends were a different matter. He'd do anything for them and they all knew that, and frequently teased him about it. So when Cas abruptly stood up, saying he needed the restroom, concern flashed through Phoenix all over again. It was probably nothing, he told himself. Probably nothing.

The time ticked by, Phoenix growing every more uneasy. It had only been a few minutes, according to his phone, but those few minutes felt like hours. Scenarios flashed through his mind as he did his best to ignore them, telling himself that he was just overthinking things. He tapped a nervous pattern on the edge of his mug, trying his best to keep his calm. He could almost feel the nervous energy flickering around him, and he forced himself to take a deep breath. It was probably fine.

And then he heard Cas' voice, calling his name. There was an initial rush of relief followed by a pang of first confusion, then concern as Cas' words processed. Sutures. The asshole was more injured than he'd let on. Phoenix practically ran into his bedroom, seeing that Cas had the bathroom door open, just a crack. "Jesus Christ, Cas, I thought you said you were fine?" He said. The door was only open a crack, not enough for Phoenix to see the full extent of the damage. Almost definitely intentional.

"Just... just let me see where you're hurt, okay? Just let me see if it's bad enough that we have to get you to a hospital or a healer, or... something," he practically pleaded. He was trying to keep the thoughts of Alex out of his brain already, the amount of blood there had been, the way that Phoenix had just left him there because he'd been too goddamn scared...

He couldn't face the thought of it happening to someone else he cared about.

He knew that stitches didn't necessarily mean life-threatening. But right then, right there, his brain was not in a rational place. Hunters didn't do minor damage. All they did was destroy and hurt and harm and put people in more danger than they ever deserved to be.

Evelyn had to stop herself from visibly reacting as a woman surfaced from the water. She'd seen a lot of strange shit since she'd started living among the supernatural, but she'd never encountered a... a what, a mermaid? No, her senses told her. This creature was associated with danger. This sure as hell wasn't a fairy tale mermaid anyway.

Evelyn didn't buy her story about not having seen any hunters nearby. The smell of blood was probably covered by the fact that they'd probably been dragged into the water, but the smell was strongest here. That said, if it was a hunter that had been drawn in to the water... Evelyn would be willing to turn a blind eye. Markus didn't seem to believe the story either, but he chose to just move on, apparently. He promised Evelyn the chance to feed, and that was almost enough to make her turn away.

But she couldn't resist the chance to let the woman know what she was dealing with. Hunters were fair game, but Evelyn got the feeling that this dangerous creature mightn't distinguish between them. So she took a few steps closer to the woman and dropped into a crouch, so she was nearer to be able to look the woman in her eyes. "I can smell blood through water, you know," she said. "I know there's been blood shed in this lake. And for tonight? Tonight, it was probably a hunter, so I guess I can look past it. But if you kill again... I'll know." She warned, before straightening up with a grin. "Lovely to meet you, by the way. I must swing by and get to know you a little better," she said, before rejoining Markus.

"No humans. I don't feed from humans, no matter who they are. That includes hunters," she warned him. "Any big animal should do, though."

Cas' reaction to the hospital made Phoenix recoil ever so slightly, the burst of force taking him aback a moment. Cas had always been so composed, and that reaction seemed... almost out of character. But Phoenix told himself to take hope in that. If Cas really didn't want a hospital, then it couldn't be that bad... right? But the anger disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and Phoenix felt that concern settle in the pit of his stomach all over again.

"Okay. Okay, no hospitals," he promised. It was a promise he intended to keep. Cas had to have some reason for wanting to keep these wounds a secret, and while Phoenix himself didn't exactly think it was a good idea, he wasn't going to push. He wasn't going to betray that secret. If he'd learned one thing over the years, it was that people tended to have their reasons for wanting to hide. People came to Greythorne all the time in search of an escape.

There was a moment where Phoenix was shocked at how... collected Cas seemed to be, considering his outburst moments before, but given what he'd seen of Cas' character, keeping calm in a crisis shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. "Okay. No questions," Phoenix confirmed.

He didn't know what to expect as he stepped in to the bathroom. A stab wound, probably. Something... well, not normal. But as close to normal as things ever seemed to get around here. But he saw Cas' back, and he froze. It was a mess of scar tissue and of bleeding, freshly open wounds. The blood on Cas' back made Phoenix's head spin- or maybe it was just the fact that he suddenly realised he couldn't remember the last time he'd taken a breath. He forced his lungs to expand, contract, and felt his head clear ever so slightly. His mind was a whir of questions, but he remembered his promise not to ask any questions. He knew that no questions didn't mean no reaction, but he couldn't think of a way to react that didn't involve giving in to the panic that was rapidly starting to build in his chest or that didn't involve asking a million questions.

That hadn't happened in the hunter attack. That much he knew.

"I... I don't think I can-" He stammered out, before remembering his promises, and forcing himself to breathe. "I don't think we really have enough room in here, I'm standing in my own light. Can we move out to the bedroom?" He said. "I can clean it up at least, I... I don't really know how to suture but I can try, if that's what you want." The temptation to just give in to the sheer confusion, the panic, the fear that this evening had instilled in him was almost overwhelming. But once he did, there was no way he'd be able to help Cas. And right now, that needed to be his priority.

Something about the woman's reaction made Evelyn grin. Finally, someone who could match her. She still knew this woman was a threat, but she at least seemed to be fun. She had to stop herself from staring as the woman's tail turned back into legs, and she stepped out of the water. Instantly, her curiosity was piqued, and she knew that she would be back to the lake. The fact that she offered them advice unprompted didn't go unnoticed, either. This woman seemed interesting. But she was still a monster, Evelyn reminded herself. She had attacked the hunter earlier, and Evelyn wasn't foolish enough to think that it would have been a painless death.

But she nodded and went back to Markus, who remarked on the dark history of the lake. Evelyn looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but decided against asking too many questions. They didn't seem like the type of questions he wanted to answer anyway, so she just brushed herself down a little before following him in to the woods.

"You don't seem surprised that I don't want to attack humans," she remarked after a while. "Every... When I was travelling around, people seemed surprised to learn that about me. They assumed all vampires are bloodsucking monsters, and they... they looked at me differently. Why weren't you surprised?" She asked quietly as they walked, conscious to keep her voice low so that they wouldn't scare off any prey. She'd met a handful of vampires who were like her. They had been the ones who told her she could survive like this, survive off of the blood of animals instead of humans. But they'd all just looked at her sadly when she'd asked about a cure and had just advised her to get used to her new life. But goddammit, Evelyn had spent most of her adult human life trying to change things she'd been told she couldn't change, and she'd always made progress. Sometimes, she'd even succeeded. She refused to accept this life as the only one she would ever know. She would find an answer.

Phoenix just nodded as Cas said to clean it and he'd bandage it. Phoenix took one look at Cas' face, how he seemed to be even paler than normal. "Hold on," he said, disappearing back out to the sitting room. He retrieved Cas' tea and a cookie, heading back down in to the bedroom. "Here. Drink your tea. And sit," he ordered, before disappearing back in to the bathroom to get a damp cloth. He sat cross-legged on the bed behind Cas. "I'll be as gentle as I can," he promised.

He started with the damp cloth, gently wiping away the blood that had smeared around the wound. This was the most surreal thing he had ever done. It felt like a dream, or perhaps that was the shock of the whole thing. It also had occurred to him that this was the first time in a while he'd had a shirtless guy in his room, and this was not how he had imagined it. He had to stop himself from laughing at the absurdity of it all. "Okay. It's looking a little less gory now, but I'm just going to give it a quick clean with an alcohol wipe, okay?" He started wiping gently at the wound, wondering what had done this. It... didn't look like any weapon Phoenix had ever seen.

"Cas... I know, no questions. But... whatever did this? Whatever you're running from? You don't need to run any more. I know... after tonight, it's hard to believe it. But... this is a safe place for people like us. We dealt with them tonight, and we'll deal with them again. We'll protect you. No matter what." He finished with the alcohol wipe, and pulled the bandage out of the first aid kit. "All done. I can help wrap it, you don't want to pull the wound too much. He carefully started wrapping the wound, passing it around to Cas to wrap from the front. When it was done, he moved around to sit beside Cas. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, a genuine question. He had so many questions; but if Cas didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't force it.

It was oddly comforting to hear Markus' experiences. To know that there was a monster fighting inside him too, and that he was winning. It gave her hope. Hope that, if she really was condemned to this life, she could at least maintain her humanity. She already considered herself a monster, but she refused to become a murderer. She was still a person. She wouldn't lose that, she promised herself.

She frowned as Markus heard the story about the lake. She wanted to ask more questions, but knew that now mightn't be the right time. This was a different, softer side to Markus, one that endeared him a little to her, and she liked seeing it. She didn't want to ruin it by possibly making him grumpy again. "You really look after her, don't you?" She remarked, smiling at him. However, at the mention of prey, she shifted slightly, shifted in to hunting mode.

"Something... big, but not too big. I think..." She fell silent, listening. "Deer. Up ahead." She broke into a sprint, knowing she was leaving Markus behind and smiling at that thought. A stag practically ran out in front of her and she attacked, killing it as quickly as she could. This was then when she had to let the monster win as she fed. She hadn't realised how thirsty she had been until now, now that she started to drink. There was something vaguely intoxicating about this feeling, and it was almost terrifying.

She finished feeding, and wiped her face, conscious of how bloody she had to be. She took a deep breath, feeling herself shift back to... well, herself. She turned to look at Markus. "Do you need to feed?" She asked. "Sorry, I... don't really know how the whole... Lycan thing works."

Phoenix would have been lying if he said that he wasn't disappointed that Cas agreed to tell him... what was happening. But he could see it in his face that Cas really, really didn't want to talk about it. And he wasn't going to push it. Not after the night they'd just had. Cas taking his hands was such a genuine, almost surprising gesture, and it almost took him aback. But he appreciated it, not realising how much he needed the physical contact. And, to be honest, the thought of sleep was incredibly tempting right now. But he didn't want to just let Cas go. He couldn't. So instead, he offered his couch and his coziest blanket, leaving a change of clothes to hand if Cas wanted it.

The minute Phoenix was alone in his bedroom, everything seemed to catch up with him. Alex bleeding out, the carnage of the attack, those scars on Cas' back. He didn't cry or panic or outwardly react. He had no idea how he didn't do any of those things, but instead, he found himself lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He found himself texting the others, making sure they were okay, apologising for leaving, promising baked goods as an apology, anything to occupy his time and his brain.

He must have fallen asleep with the phone in his hand. He didn't notice himself falling asleep, only found himself waking up with the light streaming across the room. He hadn't planned on opening today anyway and was glad for that, because his limbs felt heavy and his mind felt groggy. But he was awake, and he knew sleep was completely out of reach. So instead, he showered and got changed. He'd almost forgotten about Cas until he walked back out in to the living area. Assuming that he was still asleep, Phoenix was as quiet as he could be. He was so used to being by himself that having to be mindful of other people was a strange experience. He usually blared whatever mid-2000's rock/emo playlist was suggested to him that day when he cooked or baked, but that morning, he made the pancake mix in relative silence. He found himself idly humming as he started to make the blackberry sauce though.

Evelyn didn't need sleep, not any more. It was more a habit than anything, a way of passing the daylight hours. But this morning, she decided not to sleep away the daylight. Instead, she layered up, pulling on a pair of gloves to cover her hands and the biggest hat she could find to cover her face. She pulled on a pair of aviator sunglasses and headed out in to town. She was so used to the hustle and bustle of big cities that she found it strange how late everything opened here. Or maybe that was just the day after the festival. Or the day after everything that had happened. The smell of blood still lingered in the air, but fainter now, more bearable.

She found herself helping to clear up a destroyed stall. Masks from the night before lay covered in splinters, still wearable but tainted by the events of the night before, so much so that she was sure nobody would ever wear them. Still, she carefully cleaned them off as well as she could and stacked them into the box. The hunters hadn't just tried to kill them. They'd enjoyed the destruction, ruined people's lives. This wasn't as much about trying to eliminate them as it was asserting dominance, striking fear in to their hearts.

Which meant that this was only the beginning. Evelyn knew they could be expecting something else. Maybe more subtle murders. Maybe another mass attack. Evelyn would have been lying if she said that the thought of leaving, of finding somewhere safer, hadn't occurred to her. But... she didn't want to. It was that simple. Markus was the closest thing she had to a friend right now. She knew he'd protect her, so abandoning him didn't sit right with her. Not after their discussion about their humanity. And so... she would stay and fight alongside them and help them clean up the mess when they won. And then she would decide what to do next.

Phoenix heard Cas moving up and around, but was mostly too engrossed in his cooking to pay any attention. Well. He was processing the evening and attempting to use the cooking to take his mind off of things. He shouldn't have left.He shouldn't have left Alex like that. But he'd just been... so afraid. He hadn't been thinking straight. He had felt so powerless. And he'd let that get the better of him. Dear God, Alex's abuela was going to kill him if she found out.

He jumped a little at Cas' voice behind him and grinned as he felt his presence behind him. He caught a glimpse of the mischievous look on Cas' face before Cas reached over to swipe some jam. Phoenix went to swat him away with the tea towel but found himself laughing. It was only then that he looked at Cas properly. Cas was still shirtless, just the bandages wrapped around his chest, and his usually perfect hair was curly, a softer, more gentler look. He found himself blushing almost, before turning back to the jam and pancakes. "Always better when it's straight out of the saucepan," he remarked with a smirk. He plated up a few of the pancakes, still warm, and tipped a few spoons of the jam over them before handing the plate to Cas and plating up some of his own.

"Did you sleep okay?" He asked as he sat down at the table. "How's your back?" He asked. And now that he'd mentioned it, all the questions he'd had from the night before came rushing back. Something like that had been brutal and damaging and on a selfish note, Phoenix just found himself hoping that whatever had happened to Cas wouldn't be coming for them. Not after last night. But he wasn't going to push Cas on it either.

Evelyn just grinned as she heard a familiar voice behind him, handing him one of the larger pieces of debris. "Morning. And, well, I wasn't exactly up to anything else," she responded, getting to her feet and brushing her hands on her jeans. She sighed, looking around. "And, well, I couldn't do much to help last night. But I can help now," she said. She felt guilty, and she didn't know why. This wasn't her town, wasn't her home. She shouldn't care so much. But she felt like she should have done something given that the knowledge that they'd had, even if they hadn't known the full extent.

"We need to do something, Markus. Something to... to stop this from happening again," she remarked, looking around. "I mean, I know we're good, but even we can't do this alone. But I refuse to just sit by and let all of this happen again. I don't know how. I don't even know if anyone would help us. But we've got to try, right?" She said, shoving her hands in to her pockets.

The fact that the town wasn't sinking in to misery, wasn't shutting themselves away in their homes to hide and ignore the bad things that had happened, endeared her to the town even more. Instead, they came out to tidy up, to help each other out, to do what they could. She didn't know if anyone would help. But she got the impression that somebody would.

This habit of taking on huge projects whenever he was emotionally distressed was starting to become a bit of an issue, if he was being perfectly honest with himself. But in his defense, Friendsgiving hadn't initially been a huge undertaking. It was more a case of... spiraling out of control and suddenly he had found himself making a spreadsheet of what exactly everyone was bringing and what he had left to do. He'd been awake at 3AM last night cleaning and decorating the apartment and attempting to move around furniture to make some space.

He wasn't thinking about that conversation over breakfast. He wasn't still trying to wrap his head around the whole idea of angels and a higher being and... everything that came with it. And he certainly wasn't trying to come to terms with the fact that he'd had a massive freaking crush on a literal angel. And for once, Phoenix had done what was probably the sensible thing. He'd told Cas that he needed some space to process things. It had been the last thing he'd wanted to do when he finally looked at those goddamn eyes, but this time, his head had won out. His heart had gotten a compromise by inviting Cas to the Friendsgiving dinner, but if Phoenix was being honest, he didn't exactly have high hopes.

Why had he held the dinner in his own damn apartment? Alex's abuela probably would have let him take over her kitchen and hell, probably would have helped in return for an extra large slice of Phoenix' pecan pie. It was too small. Really, it was too small for anyone other than him, Alex, and Jaiden. But no, he'd invited more people than that, and he was stressed. The four cups of extra strong coffee he'd had that morning to try and combat the three hours of poor sleep he had wasn't helping things, sure, but it was either that or risk messing something up, and that was not an option. Everything had to be perfect.

He had no damn control over his own life, and so he was going to take control over this damn dinner if he had to give himself a caffeine-induced heart attack doing it.

Evelyn had only a vague idea of who this Phoenix person was, and she had even less of an idea how she'd ended up with an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner. She had never really been to Thanksgiving. Her family just never did it. But Markus had said he was going. She got the impression he wasn't quite sure why he was going either, but he'd said she should go to "make friends" or something like that. She'd retorted that excuse back at him.

She didn't even know what one brought to Thanksgiving dinner, so she just had a bottle of red wine and a box of chocolates. She didn't even know what to wear so erred on the side of "festive". But she would have been lying if she said that she wasn't kinda looking forward to it, to meeting the various people this peculiar little town had to offer. From what she'd seen so far, she knew it would certainly be interesting.

She knocked on Markus' door, her trademark aviator sunglasses and large hat shielding her face from the sun. She'd been spending most of the time out at night lately, patrolling the woods and the sleeping town, looking for... something. Things had been far too quiet, and it was making everyone uneasy. Evelyn got the impression that they were gathering their strength and their forces, waiting to strike back at them and this time, with enough force to overwhelm them. Evelyn felt like they should be preparing, doing... something. But she was an outsider, it wasn't like she could whip up her own team of patrols or impose a curfew or anything. And so she was stuck in limbo, waiting for something to happen and praying she could help.