Goliath stood atop the stone walls of the castle, his handsome face thoughtful as he looked out over the clouds high above New York. At times he still found it strange, living in this era, but he had gradually come to adapt to it's many changes. Hearing a movement nearby he turned slightly, his lips lifting in a slight smile of welcome. A smiling Eliza Maza walked along the battlements, looking rather out of place dressed in her modern street clothes. Still, she was a familiar sight to Goliath as well as a good friend to him and his clan. "I didn't notice the others," Eliza noted, her long black hair fluttering in the breeze as she zipped up her jacket, "are they out on patrol?" "Hudson is leading them tonight," Goliath acknowledged, "I'm hearing rumblings of a new Pack." He shrugged slightly as he confessed, "I'd like to trust that Xanatos' intentions are good, but our experience says otherwise." "I'm not his biggest fan, either," Eliza agreed wryly. They stood together a moment, looking out over the city as she added, "I had a talk with Owen, too." "Oh?" Goliath raised a eyebrow questioningly. Owen was Xanatos' primary employee and second in command, in charge of handling many of his company's day to day affairs. He was also Puck, a son of Oberon and a being of power himself as Goliath and the others had discovered to their regret. Eliza smiled as she explained, "Apparently Fox went to see Demona. She's hoping to broker a truce between her and the clan." Goliath looked down at her in surprise. "I'd like that," he conceded, "but would she really be willing to?" "It's worth a shot, I think," Eliza grimaced slightly as she added wryly, "as long as it isn't me getting shot." Demona had sensed the closeness between Eliza and Goliath almost as soon as they met, and her jealous rage had nearly killed Eliza several times. Any peace between them would have to deal with that, too. "She will not harm you," Goliath vowed. "That, I promise you." "Thanks, big guy," Eliza smiled back. Moving closer she gently tugged him down into a lingering kiss. Pulling back only reluctantly she sighed, "Gotta go. I'm on shift in a hour." "Be safe," Goliath sighed as he watched her walk away. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Demona sighed happily as she crouched on top of the townhouse, her wings pulled in close to her body. It was such a relief to shed her human form and return to her true identity as a gargoyle. It felt better than shedding the business suits she wore during the day, and even better than those cinnamon treats that Alicia so liked to tempt her with. 'Alicia,' Demona bit back a surge of irritation at herself. Back in her gargoyle form less that a half hour and she already found her thoughts turning to the young woman/ She should be focusing on other matters, but somehow the girl intruded on her thoughts. And in truth, Demona had something very serious to consider. Fox Xanatos' visit had raised difficult questions for Demona, ones that made her examine her decisions more harshly than before. If she was truly committed to saving the gargoyle race, then their declining numbers meant she could no longer risk harming Goliath and the others. There were too few of their kind left as it was, they could not risk losing more. With a soft snarl of frustration Demona extended her bat-like wings, thrusting powerfully with her legs and throwing herself up into the air. Her wings caught a updraft from the street below and she glided away, soaring on the warm winds of the city. With a almost supernatural ease she soared through the city's steel and concrete canyons, navigating the air currents with the skill of long practice. A scuffle in a alleyway caught her eye, and Demona hesitated for a moment. 'Well,' she mused as she shifted course, 'I could use a bit of exercise....' With a roar she swept down, making the mugger leap back in alarm as she dove at him. With a shaking hand he pointed the gun at her as he yelped, "Stay back!" Before he could fire the gun Demona was upon him, slapping the weapon right out of the smelly man's hands. His battered clothing hung on a thin frame, and his eyes were wild on some kind of drug as he turned to try and run. 'No challenge,' Demona sighed, casually knocking him out with a single blow. "Well, lass," a surprisingly familiar voice drawled from up the alley, "This is not what I'd be expecting you to do." Demona turned as she faced Hudson, the old gargoyle looking at her thoughtfully, stroking his grey beard. Once the leader of their clan he had stepped down in Goliath's favor, becoming a trusted advisor. "Don't read too much into it," Demona said to him flatly, "I was just out looking for something to do." Hudson nodded gravely, his mostly bald head glinting in the street lights. "Aye, I see," he said as the mugger's victim gawked at them a moment before fleeing the scene as fast as his feet would take him. 'Your welcome,' Demona thought wryly. Hudson tilted his head to the side as he asked her casually, "And will we be fighting tonight?" "No," Demona smiled back slightly, "I have no feud with you tonight, old gargoyle." She looked curious, "And where are the others?" "Looking into something for me," Hudson shrugged. 'He doesn't trust me,' Demona thought, 'not that I can blame him for that.' Quite deliberately she turned her back to him and began climbing the brick wall, digging her talons in for a better grip, "Good luck, then." "An' to you," Hudson nodded as he left. Standing on top of the building and watching him go part of Demona was tempted to follow him, but as she stood there she firmly quashed that instinct. If she wanted to maintain the peace between herself and Goliath's clan, she needed to avoid antagonizing them. She thought for a moment of her daughter, Angela, then firmly quashed that emotion. She hadn't raised Angela, in truth she barely knew her.... Casting aside useless consideration Demona took off once more, letting warm winds carry her up through the air. She wanted to fly randomly, to simply soar over the city blindly, but without thinking about it she felt herself soaring down familiar roads to perch nearby her home. Alicia Sevarius moved about her apartment, the beautiful blonde smiling happily as the bathrobe swirled around her. Her hair was damp from having been recently washed, and her movements had a cheery bounce to them. She carried a carton of Chinese take-out to a couch and plopped down, eating as she watched something on TV. 'She's cute,' Demona thought with amusement from where she crouched, gazing in at a life very different than her's. She had rarely worn anything so casual, not to mention having never tried take-out food. 'I wonder, would I understand humans better if I did?' she thought to herself mockingly. As Alicia turned in her seat she froze, her eyes widening. She walked up to the window, and Demona felt a sinking feeling as she realized the woman was staring right at her. 'She's spotted me?!' Demona nearly panicked. Alicia pushed open the screen door and stood on her porch, beckoning to Demona to come down. "I wanted to thank you," she called. Demona hesitated, knowing the wisest course would be to simply fly away. Still, she extended her wings and soared down across the gap between the buildings, carefully landing nearby her. "You're welcome," Demona answered, glad that her voice was a bit grittier in her gargoyle form. Alicia looked up at her, the blonde smiling slightly. "I never really thought you'd come over," she confessed. She laughed suddenly, "I've spent days thinking of what to say to you, but now my mind is blank." Demona had to smile, careful not to expose her fangs too much. "I'm not too used to talking to humans, too," she conceded, realizing it was true. The last human person she had talked to in this form had been that damned Maza. Alicia smiled, "Do you want to come in?" Demona knew she should say no, that just being here talking to her was a bad idea. Yet surprisingly she answered, "I'd like that."
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