Co-operation

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"No. Absolutely not!" Ruby Lockhart's grey eyes were narrowed in defiance, despite the fact she was stood in her commander's office right then. "Bringing them in will only bring more questions and red tape!" She insisted, her slender fists balled up by her sides.
"This isn't a discussion, Lockhart. I have my orders, and now you have yours." The grey haired man told her, though he sounded somewhat weary, like he was all too accustomed to these childish outbursts. "You are to meet your new partner at 8pm and brief them on the case. The sooner we clear this whole mess up, the sooner I can go back to letting you do things your way, alright? Believe me, I don't want these blind fools involved anymore than you do, but this last case has made local news. We need to stop it before it goes national, or global."
Ruby's lips pursed together as she continued to scowl, seeming to be considering all this new information. There was a reason she didn't have a partner; no one could put up with her hotheaded, shoot first ask questions later attitude. It created mountains of paper work, but unfortunately she came from a long line of the divisions pure bred hunters, and her skills were... invaluable. 
"Fine!" She huffed at last. "But if this yokel ends up dead because they couldn't do what I said or panics when faced with the truth, I won't be held to blame!" Having said that, she stormed from the office, waves of dark hair swinging behind her before the door slammed shut.

“And yet here I am, having to babysit you.” Ruby replied curtly.

“As fun as this is, you still haven’t told me why you are here. Why you were alone in my home with Piper.” Jett replied, a note of jealousy to his voice.

"Funny. I was told I was the one babysitting." Bastion snorted. "Something about a dramatic witch with anger problems. I was also promised a hand job." He went on, just to get a rise out of her.

"I actually came here to warn you and Ruby. I figured I owe you both that much." Red said gently. "There is a new plan in place now..." He stopped speaking as Piper entered with her own bowl and sat down.

Ruby’s full lips quirked into a slight smirk as she lifted her hand, palm facing up, with blue flames dancing across it. “I’d be happy to.” She replied with false sincerity. 

“Plan? For what? Outside of the order, no one is supposed to care about anything happening here.” Jett replied, a hand resting over Piper’s knees beneath the table as she sat down, though it seemed more like an subconscious gesture than more than anything else.

"They told me you were a bitch. But I'm not seeing it." Bastion said, turning his head to look at something that had caught his eye. It was a silver dagger buried under a charred bar stool. He knelt to pick it up, frowning at the handle. "Do you know who this belonged to?" He asked, turning to Ruby.

"I can't talk here. You in the mood for a drink?" Red got up, nothing in his bowl had been touched.

“Give it an hour.” Ruby snorted, well aware no one wanted to work with her unless there was no other choice. She clenched her fist closed, putting out the magical flames as she peered past Bastion at the dagger he had found. “That shouldn’t be here... he would never leave it behind...” she murmured.

Jett frowned slightly, hoping Piper wasn’t offended that Red hadn’t eaten after she had gone to all this trouble. “Always. Unless it’s coffee.”

"It looks like a Hunter's knife." Bastion said, marveling at the ornate blade handle. It had an inscription, forever for her. 

"Then let's go." Red said, getting to his feet. "Forgive my rudeness gypsy." He said softly, heading for the door.

Ruby turned her face away when she felt a surge of emotion. “Damn hunters, can’t keep track of their own shit, never mind anything else.” She growled before finally snatching hold of the dagger.

“Her name is Piper, and you know it.” Jett didn’t know why he was being so hostile. Perhaps it was knowing that things had genuinely gone to shit the moment his sister had taken this human as her partner.

Bastion growled at her, showing his teeth. "There's no reason to snatch. You're acting like it was your boy friend or something."

"The Order has decided to let you mate with the gypsy. The child created from your joining will be forcebly taken from you. Gypsy blood mixed with scorcerer power...your power...can you imagine?" Red asked, peeling the label off his the beer he wasn't drinking.

The way Ruby now cradled the dagger close to her chest would betray that the owner did indeed mean something very much to her. “Men have little use beyond helping me relieve itches, and even then they aren’t vital.” She spat, trying to cover up her initial reaction to seeing the dagger.

Jett was staring open mouthed at Red, unable to accept what he was hearing. “How does anything the order decide have anything to do with a norm?” He finally asked.

"Then why not let me have that old thing? It's looking a bit rusted anyway." The Orc asked her, swatting at a tiny faerie that went by. 

Red couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Are you really so blind, boy?"

“Do I look like I’m in a giving mood?” Ruby snapped, purposefully keeping her gaze from the inscription on the hilt of the blade. 

Jett frowned, having not involved himself in order affairs the way his sister was. The male twin purposefully kept a distance from that sort of thing. “I do my job. What else is there to see?”

"And you're selfish?" Bastion snorted. "Why am I not surprised? Well I'm keeping the boot I saw earlier." Orcs were noterious for collecting things and keeping them for no reason at all. They were especially fond of boots. But then again so was Tobias.

Red rubbed at his chin, the hint of a five o'clock Shadow making a scritching sound. "I have helped you all I can. Take her virginity and you will be damned for it. It would be best for you if you were to let the girl go."

This was something else Ruby knew all too well. She had been in such misery for the past two months because everything in this town reminded her of Tobias. She even missed all the times they had argued in public... just so they could make up in private. “Shut up! If you think I’m so selfish, quit!” She huffed childishly, still clutching the dagger tightly.

Jett was staring at his own beer bottle now, having known what a Red would going to say before he said it this time. “I am blind.” He breathed. “Ten years ago my best friend had raped my sister... and I never even saw the signs. If I could see that, how can I see anything that will hurt Piper?”

Bastion angrily kicked her legs out from under her, slamming her to the ground. "You're just like everyone else! Your elf captain said you would be!" He roared. "You want me to fail! You want them to kill me!"

"Let her go." Red said, paying the tab for a beer he had once again not taken a drink of. "Even if you have to do it cruelly. If you love her, do it."

Ruby had the blade drawn the moment she was back on her feet, the wicked looking edge pressed to Bastion’s throat. “That’s what it want for everyone. Don’t feel special.” She told him darkly. 

“You have us confused... I’m not my sister, I’m not as strong as Ruby is.” Jett breathed, then instantly wondered why he had let that slip to someone he barely even knew. “I can’t do what is best, knowing it would hurt everyone involved.”

Bastion bared his teeth at Ruby. "I see why they put me with you. They want me to fail and you're tthe quickest way. It's a wonder you're still alive."

Red shook his head. "There is nothing I can offer you here, boy. I'm sorry for the heart break it will cause." That said, he disappeared.

“I’ve been wondering that myself lately too.” Ruby confirmed, scowling at Bastion a moment longer before she finally backed off. “You’re out of your league, orc. Stick around here and the order will bury you like they do everyone else.” She added, casting a glance down to the inscription on the dagger at last.

The bottle in Jett’s hand suddenly shattered as he stared at the spot where Red had been sat. “Should’ve known he wasn’t just some norm...” he muttered, a,ready blaming Ruby for apparently not seeing it either.

"I have no choice." Bastion snapped as he turned back toward the remains of the bar. "Now come on. Your captain has the first assignment."

Piper was sitting on the front porch when Jett arrived back at the apartment. It was well after midnight and she was looking more than a little worse for wear. "A demon showed up." She said softly. "He kept demanding to know where the Order was hiding the baby. He...had a blde of the eternal. I...I threw a potion at him and locked the door...but...it's too quiet in there. I think I killed him."

“Already giving orders?” Ruby growled as she pushed the dagger into her belt. Bastion would get to say little else as the two of them disappeared in a swirl of blue smoke.

“That would be too kind a fate for him.” Jett assured Piper gently ad he crouched before her and took her shaking hands in his own. “It’s my fault. I never should have left you alone.”

The captain was surprisingly absent when they arrived in his office. Instead a young fae sat behind his desk, pretending to be him. "You two are late. The demon already almost killed the gypsy. The captain is on the way over. You can go home."

"It's okay. It was important." Piper said softly. "I'm just not equipped to handle this type of thing." 
"Of course you're not." Aren said as he stepped onto the stairs and looked at the door behind them. "You didn't even seal it from an exit. And that's no demon. It's a werewolf. You're not too bright, are you girl?"

“I went exactly where he told me to, I had to pig this thing up!” Ruby huffed, jabbing a thumb in bastion’s direction. He needn’t feel offended, her attitude had zero to do with him being an orc.

Jett rose back to his feet and turned to glare at Aren, hating the elf almost as much as his sister did. “Piper doesn’t follow your orders, she didn’t have to do a damn thing to stop whatever that is!”

"Too bad for you." The Fae purred. "You have to go home like a little bad girl you are. Let the big girls handle this." 

"And where were you when the thing arrived?" Aren snorted. "Certainly not protecting her."

“Alright, let me know when you find a big girl.” Ruby replied with a false smile. 

“Doing my job.” Jett replied. “Or do you forget even Ruby and I can’t be everywhere all at once?” The younger man shot back.

The Fae got up and stomped out, shoving Bastion as she passed. "We're going to find that demon before the captain does." He growled, grabbing the file off the elf's desk. He read for a moment and frowned. "Why would he lie? It's a werewolf and the Order sent it to the Gypsy's apartment. They were trying to...the back page is missing...we should get there. Use that magic of yours. Here's the address." 

"Your job? At a bar?" Aren snorted. "That's probably true."
Piper noticed he had a hand in his pocket, fingering something inside.

Ruby didn’t even glance at the file, though she did scowl deeply at Bastion. “Oh, I’m sorry... it sounded like you were giving me an order for a moment there.” She growled, though did spirit the both of them away in a cloud of blue smoke, knowing it was a rather sickening experience for non magic users.

“Yeah, bars are just full of good girls looking for a night with a bad boy.” Jett replied, the same wicked tongue as his sister.

In a few moments the two of them appeared in Jett's apartment. Bastions stomach rolled and he threw up on the sofa, bending just in time to miss the leaping werewolf. 

"Then perhaps you should get busy. I hear you are lacking a bit lately." Aren snorted.

Ruby had been about to mock him for it until she saw the werewolf. “Shit!” She dec,aged, ducking herself just in time to avoid a swipe to her face. “Why the hell does Jett have a werewolf?!”

“You would know all about... lacking.” Jett sneered, though his his gaze flicked off to the side, about the sense the arrival of the magic that was just like his own.

Bastion barely got the gun out of his holster before the werewolf doubled back on him. It already had it's claws out and raked them across his chest' tearing his new uniform. He cursed as he fired a shot, missing the beast completely.

Piper jumped when she heard the shot and then the sound of a pain filled roar. Oddly, Aren didn't seem at all surprised.

“Shit, where did you learn to shoot?!” Ruby demanded, the bullet having grazed across her thigh before embedding in the wall behind her. 

Jett narrowed his eyes at the elf, knowing exactly why the other man wasn’t surprised. “Piper, no matter what happens stay right behind me, okay?” It was clear that Jett trusted a raging werewolf more than he trusted Aren not to try and hurt Piper if he left her outside.

"I didn't." Bastion wheezed as the werewolf whirled back for another attack. "You think they're going to teach an orc anything?" He hissed, managing to lower himself to the ground as massive talons soared over him. "They...want me...to die. Remember?" He grunted, tossing the vomit covered couch cushion at the beast. This only served to enrage it further. It went after Ruby, slamming her against the wall. 

Piper knew the moment they stepped inside she'd been wrong about the type of monster. The smell gave it away. "Werewolf." She muttered. "Damn. I used the wrong potion...I'll go get the right one..." She went on, forgetting what she'd promised Jett as she headed towards the kitchen.