Fresh meat

Charlie was wearing rather casual clothes; a long sleeved black turtleneck and some high waisted pants in a dark green color. On her feet she wore plain black sneakers, and over the entire outfit she had a pretty big grey coat to keep her warm. Winter was here, but it wasn't too cold. As a child she could remember the large heaps of snow always covering the streets, yet these day they were lucky if even one snowflake fell from the sky. She had been given quite direct orders to meet with a tall man named John in Southside, but not much more information. Walking down the street she hugged her jacket a little closer. She might be a witch, but she wasn't immune to the weather. How was she supposed to spot someone she didn't know how looked, but then again she knew how the man Prideux worked. She had originally been introduced through his brother Cetas, and showing how capable she was had landed her here. She stopped, looking around for a bit before she spotted a rather tall man. He was almost towering over all of those passing by, and she suspected some might've even taking the guy for a building. Walking up to him did take a bit of courage, but who wouldn't be a little taken aback by such a colossal man? "I'm looking for a John?" she asked with a relaxed expression on her face. She wasn't too scared of him now that she saw him up close, she realized he was simply a man.

She couldn't help but be a little excited as he looked at her. His voice was deep, almost raspy, and she felt like she was reminded by something almost nostalgic as he spoke. However she had never met him before, so it must've been the vibe he was giving off. The way he spoke gave her a strange sense of needing to stay on her toes, as to not let him outsmart her or let loose his hidden anger. His question made her scoff, placing her hands in her pockets as she made a small shrug. "I thought this was a no-ask-no-tell kind of situation," she replied with a small smirk. Although he was very big, she was quite the small woman, so she knew she was probably more limber than him. His muscle mass hinted at the fact that he worked out, or that he at least did a lot of physical activity. "But if you must know I think it's because of my wit," she confessed, looking over her shoulder as she heard a loud noise of a motorcycle driving by. Strange how sounds could still make you nostalgic even though she believed herself to have put that behind her. "I guess he hired you for your mass," she chuckled a little sweetly.

He looked at her as she scoffed, not really seeing what was so silly about his question even as she replied. His dark eyes just looked into hers, shifting between the blue's before he made a sigh. He wasnt the kind of obidient man that would just obey like a good dog - At least not anymore. "Your wit," he repeated a little coldly as he seemed to think about it. He couldnt know what Samuel saw in her but he also wouldnt make any assumptions till he had seen how she would behave. Her chuckle was sweet like music but he didnt seem fazed by it. The charming man he had once been was buried somewhere behind all the cold and harshness that already showed on something as simple as his resting expression. "I'm not hired," he said as he watched the traffic pass by. "I'm simply a dog who has shifted from one owner to another," he added before nodding in the direction they had to go, waiting for her to move before he followed. Walking side by side he seemed to blend in with the mass compared to how much he stood out with his height and broadness. "Ms. Winters, I'm no man of secrecy. It's not what I'm here for," he then said as they walked, eyeing the people they went past. His tone implied that he wasnt the talking-kind but yet he still seemed to look for something to talk about.

Charlie just looked at him as she narrowed her eyes slightly. There was just something about this complete stranger that made her want to know more, even though they had a job to do. Samuel had been quite explicit in the matter of keeping something safe for him. Whatever it was, the witch knew that failing was not an option. As John replied, she looked rather surprised, mostly because she hadn't expected a reply. "I see ... Not hired, but bought," she said, her full lips displaying a soft smile. She looked at him with calm eyes, her iris displaying the blue in them like calm water. She had always been told she was like water, fluid and ever moving. Perhaps that was why she had sought so long for a place to belong. He nodded in a direction and she followed gladly, taking calming steps and closing her eyes for a while as she enjoyed the small wind tickling her cheeks. They probably had gotten some color in them as well, but it just came natural with her fair complexion. John spoke again, wrinkling her nose a bit, but it was mostly because he misspoke her name. "I think I've got too many secrets, so perhaps we are a great match," she said, smiling as she opened her eyes and looked ahead. She might've seemed distant, but she actually wasn't. She was awfully aware of her surroundings. "I was told I was to protect something important, along with you; Being the brain to your brawn, as mr. Prideux put so eloquently," she said. To be honest she was growing more and more curious as to what she was supposed to protect. If Samuel had already hired - or rather bought - John, then what more could he need? The guy was a literal wall of a demon.

Walking beside him didn't really scare her, but Charlie was not the type to get easily scared. The things she was scared of she kept at a distance and made sure to protect herself from it. Samuel had hired her, or rather given her some sort of apprenticeship, one which she couldn't quite understand the full meaning of. The man had an heir, but perhaps it was more so to build up a strong relation so that she would be loyal for the rest of her life? Knowing what went on in the soul demon's head would be tough, but she had seemed to impress him anyhow. At John's mention of his protection she couldn't help but let out a small giggle, mostly because he kept sounding so serious. Not that she minded it, to her it just seemed so different from the people she surrounded herself with. He seemed like a real military man, following orders. Looking over at his walk she felt even that looked a little stiff, so maybe she had been hired to loosen him up a bit? "You don't have to shoot it down already; and please just call me Charlie, it's much more casual," she said in the same breath. People were already starting to take down the Christmas decorations, and she couldn't help but feel rather grateful for that. Holidays for her was always a bit tougher than other times of the year. Maybe it was because she didn't have as much contact with her family or maybe it was just the fact that she got jealous of others spending time with their loved ones. She would never be so lucky, that much she knew, but she couldn't help but dream about it sometimes. "Where are we going exactly?" she asked, but she wasn't nervous that the guy was leading her astray.

"I wasnt trying to shoot it down, Ms. Winters," he said, looking at her with serious eyes. He wasnt the kind to be on firstname with people that easily so it would take him some time as long as she was persistent. He looked up at a man that was pulling down some christmas lights from a pole. He hadnt really been out when the season was at it's highest, as far as his memory could recall he was training at that time. He glanced at her at her question, his expression unchanged from the moment he met her, "To the drop-off point. From there we'll escort the target to a chosen location by Prideux himself," he explained, looking at the street names from time to time to make sure they were heading in the right direction. He wasnt thinking that things would get tough, but he could be wrong this time. "Why would a girl like you choose to join the forces of Samuel Prideux?" he asked, sounding monotone almost dull, but he was genuinely curious.

Charlie bit her tongue as he misspoke her name once more. Perhaps he had gotten the wrong note about her name or maybe he hadn't cared enough to read it carefully. She distracted herself by watching the people they passed. She was looking forward to New Years, probably because she had plans to go to Nelinha's annual party. This year she had been promised the days off, so she was really looking forward to it. His explanation was blunt and straight forward, but it didn't really answer much of her need to know what this target was. Or maybe it was more a thought of whom? She couldn't think of anyone that Samuel would want so heavily escorted, unless it was his daughter, but she had her own private personnel, being led by a human no less. It was a little strange, but she hadn't really given it much thought until now. She noticed how he made sure of the street names, but she didn't really need to. She had been learning about the city quite extensively to prove herself worthy. It was like a wired in GPS by now. His question made her chuckle, raising an eyebrow at him. "You ask a lot of questions for one that seems not to like conversation," she remarked with a faint sly smile on her lips. "I'll tell you when you indulge me on what girl like me refers to," she said, a faint spark in her eyes.

"Maybe you just assumed that I wouldnt like conversations," he answered her remark that didnt carry the tone of how he was teasing her for her assumptions. She wanted to know what he meant but before he could tell her, they arrived at their destination. He looked around for a bit before he looked at her. "We're here," he said before he looked up and across the street. He waited a while before he grabbed her hand and pulled her a little closer to make them seem like a couple. "When I said escort, I meant follow," he corrected himself before he crossed the street to follow a man walking down the street. He had been ordered to say as little about the mission as possible, which could explain how he had been quite talkative about anything but what they had been sent here to do.

His answer made her scoff softly, but as his demeanor seemed to change she knew they were close. His words made her nod before she frowned a little at the fact that he took her hand and pulled her closer. Was this all she was reduced to; A pretend girlfriend for a following mission? Either way she would have to deal with it. "Okay, but first rule of couples; you don't hold hands like that," she said in a soft whisper, as if she was whispering sweet nothings to him. She moved their fingers slightly, entangling them in a tight grip, yet not so tight as to make it uncomfortable. She then smiled at him, leaning her head against his arm as her other hand found it's way to their hands, placing itself against his. "Then let's get going, honey," she said moving along. Looking at her you would think she was a young woman in love, especially with the way she was holding his hand. Maybe that was the reason Samuel had hired her, she looked to innocent to actually have any bad intentions. "Tell me about this surprise," she said casually, smiling at him as if it was something she could do forever. "I'm very curious, you know that," she giggled sweetly. She might've seemed inattentive, but in reality she was very careful about always keeping the man within her field of vision.

Her soft whisper didnt faze him as he watched her entangle their fingers. She may have adapted to her role right away but John seemed to have a harder time doing so. "You'll see," he just told her as he looked at her with calculating eyes. She played her role well, he had to give her that. But this wasnt just as simple as she may have thought it to be. It seemed rather boring with the target ahead of them seemingly going nowhere, which only sparked John's impatience once more. He wasnt the type to wait for long and he wasnt sure he would get used to waiting ever. He felt his jaw twitch with suppressed anger as he frowned deeply looking down at the ground to calm himself. He looked at Charlie's hand in his for a moment before he pulled his hand from hers to create some distance between them. Looking at her with uncertain eyes, he decided to keep his attention at the guy walking further down the street. He just kept quiet for most of the walk after pulling away. He couldnt fake affection, he just couldnt and it annoyed him. The target suddenly stopped at random, making John turn as he inspected a window with electronics displayed. "Fuckwit," He grunted some other angry words to himself before he glanced at the man that seemed to scout the area with his eyes for a while. "We just have to figure out if the intel matches this guy. If it does, we are to kill him," he mumbled as he stared at a new smartwatch being displayed.

Charlie didn’t mind playing her role up, as that had been what John had hinted at. Following another man was easy, at least in the witch’s eyes, but as the demon by her side seemed to get increasingly more angry, it was a little harder. He removed his hand, making her frown a little in confusion, because was he not the one who had started this? She didn't feel hurt, just a little confused by the way he was acting, but she decided not to comment on it. Their mission was clearly more important. Instead of holding his hand she moved her hand up to hold his arm, making it a more casual way of touching, rather than that intimate. Perchance that was the reason as to why he had pulled away. As the man stopped she turned relaxed to look at the display in the window. "What do we need to know?" she asked. She might have a plan, but it all depended on what type of intel they needed.

The way he spoke made her smile, because she had never met anyone so stoic. Even Samuel's eyes had shown at least a glimmer of something from time to time, but John just seemed ... Empty? She didn't know if that word was the most fitting, but it was what she went with for now. Moving with him, she seemed to barely look at the man, looking rather at their surroundings as if her and John was just a couple out for a nice walk after all of the Christmas dinners going on. As they entered the industrial area she frowned a little, but her facial features softened up quick enough as she saw the man enter the building. His words along with him holding the door for her made her smile at him. "Thank you, sir," she said in almost a flirty tone, but it was simply because she hoped to get a reaction. Walking inside she looked around briefly. It clearly looked like a small gathering of patrons of some sort, mixed with some normal workers. "What do you need?" she asked him calmly as she looked around.

Charlie was a bit disappointed as to not get a reaction, but perhaps him dismissing her was a reaction in it of it's own. Inside she looked around briefly, scoping out the room and listening to John. "Awe so you do care about me," she whispered teasingly before taking off her coat and tossing it to him. She adjusted herself a bit, making sure her clothes were sitting just right before she followed the tall dark man that they had tracked here. She wanted to skip this, just get straight to it, but Samuel had been very adamant about her temper needing to be kept under control. She walked to the tall guy, moving some of her loose hair behind her ear as she looked him up and down. It was strange how well she fit in between all of these thugs and mafia wannabes. "I've been looking for you," she whispered in almost a sweet voice to the tall dark man. The way he was dressed wasn't exactly too formal, so she didn't believe he was the one actually running all of this. He looked more like the type of guy that John was, a brute that could hit and keep danger away. "Dog," she whispered sensually.

Charlie couldn't help but chuckle, mostly because she could sense how this man and John was alike, however she had no knowledge about the stranger in front of her. "Only me?" she asked, reaching over to play a little with the collar of the man she spoke to. The witch had never been shy to be touchy, especially not when she needed to. As a woman, she knew that some things were alluring to men, although the man in front of her had barely glanced down her body. His words made her frown, placing over at John for a moment before turning her attention back to the man speaking. "Please indulge me; Who is this her?" she asked quite bluntly. Although she didn't expect an answer, but she did move closer to him. "Indulge me, please," she said in a seductive tone.