Sunny shot awake, leaping out of bed at 5am on the clock. She looked around confused, before rushing outside, to find Zeke sleeping in the chair. The room cleaned and for once his long hair relaxed and over his face. She knelt by his side, finding a note on the arm rest beside him. 'Sorry, tired, won't be making breakfast. Brushing the hair out of his face, she admired his soft face. 'How can you be so kind?' She thought caressing his cheek. Her door swung open violently, with Stevens sauntering in. "Sorry Sunny, but captain wants you to-" He froze, locking eyes with Sunny cupping Zeke's face. The stared in silence, with Jones gasping behind them. "Before you say anything. This isn't what it looks-" "CAPTAIN!" Stevens squealed running out. "YOU MOTHER-" Sunny shouted sprinting after him. Jones and Stevens sprinted in opposite directions. Stevens went down the stairs with Jones running up. She stopped outside, watching the two of them sprinter faster than she had ever seen before. "CALL THE CAPTAIN!" They shouted. Zeke groaned and winced to the noise.
Sunny sprinted down the stairs tackling Stevens as he dialed the captain. "Hello?? Stevens? What's going on?" "Nothing captain! Talk to you later!" Sunny shouted dragging Stevens out the apartment. "Sunny? Oh, why is Jones calling me now?" She flew him up to the roof, throwing Stevens on top and tackled Jones into the wall. "Lieutenant, what's going on? Why are you both calling me?" "Nothing important!" Sunny shouted. "Sunny? What's going?" She tucked her wings back in, dragging them over the edge of the building, by their ties. "You're not gonna really drop-" She loosened her grip on Steven's tie. He squealed clawing at her arm. "What did you two see?" She growled. "Nothing. We saw nothing." Steven said shaking. "You were totally gonna kiss him." She loosened her grip on Jones's tie. He let out a girlish scream clawing at her arm. A jogger on the street screamed out. "MURDER!" The three of them turned to her. "POLICE BUSINESS! GO AWAY!" The jogger backed away confused. "Alright listen. Nothing was happening, alright. He had something on his face, and I was getting rid of it." "If that's the case, why did you chase us?" She threw them back onto the roof top.
"I don't have to explain myself to you two. It was the truth." "She's totally falling in love with him." "Totally." Jones said nodding at Stevens. "I AM NOT!" She yelled stomping down blushing. The three found Zeke just stepping out of the shower, his wet hair hanging over his face, and body steaming. Sunny's mouth filled with saliva, as Zeke brushed his hair up. "You guys are here early." He cocked an eyebrow at Sunny. "You alright? You're staring." "I just think you look better with your hair down." Sunny lied through her teeth. She found him attractive with both styles. "Really? Everyone's been telling me the opposite. I kinda miss having my hair down, I didn't have to look at people." "Oh, can I try something?" Stevens said. "Sure?" He brushed Zeke's hair back leaving a small lock of hair falling down the front. "Oooh he look GUD!" Jones cheered. Sunny felt her heart race at the sight, and quickly rushed into her room, getting changed.
"Give that shot a look. It's the same as her favourite Hunter." "And that would be?" "Peter Weaver, the Arachnid." "Oh really? I've met him a few times. Should I introduce her to him?" "Introduce me to who?" "Peter Weaver." Her eyes went wide, she marched over to him with a crazed look, grabbing him by the shirt. "Woah, okay real close." "Do not mess with me about this. Do you really know Peter Weaver?" She growled. "Yes. He's the one that got me and Moon to do our refresher course at Chiron Academy. He's across a Rift right now, but when he gets back, I'm sure I could give him a call?" "Really? You mean that?" She asked excited. "Yeah…?" Sunny's eyes lit up with joy and she hugged him tightly, with Zeke locking eyes with the other two. They were also stunned and perplexed at the sight. Realizing what she was doing, she broke away clearing her throat. "I mean, it's not a big deal, but I'd appreciate it. Alright let's go." She said with her voice breaking, and walking out awkwardly. "Okay I'm still learning her, but that was definitely super fucking weird right?" Zeke asked. The two nodded.
The two sat with the captain in a private briefing room, with two large men and a tall slender woman, with long white hair. She wore bright red lipstick that matched her piercing blood red eyes. Her black jumpsuit accentuated her curves, and her top was open exposing her ample porcelain skinned bosom. Stevens, Jones, and Carter all had trouble looking away, except for Zeke who stayed focused on her eyes. The two men behind her stood in the corner of the room, keeping their sunglasses on, even when they were inside a dimly lit room. Zeke noticed the way they stood. Not a proper stiff posture to look respectable and imposing, but slightly hunched, and leaning on their toes. They were ready for an engagement. "Mr Chen. Do you know who I am?" She spoke with a calm and aged demeanour. "Uh…am I gonna get in trouble for saying no?" She snickered. "I am Camilla Seres. I am the head of the American Hunter Agencies. I work closely with a friend of yours. Lillia Edelgard."
"I feel like I'm in trouble for not knowing you." "Quite the opposite. Captain Carter here has told me of your exploits in catching King Kalcifer. Lillia also holds you in a high regard. I have actually come here to discuss with you this." She placed a document onto the table. "A new contract?" He rifled through the stack. "You will be upgraded from your current contract, to working directly with the D.E.A. You'll be given a new partner, of course a pay rise, and given the same rank and authority as an agent. So what do you-" Zeke tore up the contract. The two looked at him deeply concerned. He tossed the pieces aside. "A simple contract swap, you wouldn't need to come down here personally, or have these four present. You want me to do something involving the drug Surge, but it definitely involves Sunny and you need permission from captain Carter here." "Maybe it was outlined in that contract you tore up?" Sunny asked. "It wasn't a real contract, look at the notary's signature."
Sunny and Carter inspected the half, looking closely at the signature, seeing nothing out of place. "Uhhh…Zeke, all I see is a signature from High court judge Richard Johnson." Carter said confused. "The signature says dick'n'dick." Sunny said. Camilla smirked. "I am glad you two spotted that. It is indeed a fake contract. In actuality I came down here to test you two." She said snapping her fingers. The men in the corner, summoned serrated daggers, lunging at them. Sunny pushed the captain back, with Zeke summoning his Spectre, catching both their daggers. The room was covered with a layer of frost and filled with a freezing cloud. Carter and Sunny looked on mesmerized at the Spectre, with the two Hunters attempting to free their weapons. Camilla eyed Zeke up and down. "That is impressive." She waved them down and Zeke returned to normal. He spotted how her skin was still smooth, while Sunny and Carter's were bumped. "May I ask how you knew?" "They're standing around as if they were waiting for the order to fight." "Lillia said your observation skills were quite amazing. Given how this meeting has gone, where do you think it will go next, Mr. Chen?"
"You're gonna take a crack at my durability, and see if my immunity to runes is true or not. Then you're gonna offer me and Sunny a new job. So I'll kill two birds with one stone. I assume you know about Sunny's powers." "Yes, I am." "Good." Zeke snatched Sunny's hand, making her jump and let out a cute squeal. He pressed it under his chin. "Hit me with your strongest blast." "Zeke, I'm not gonna-" "Your ass looks flat." Captain Carter said. Everyone in the room looked away as Zeke's face was engulfed in a blinding white light. "Zeke! Why did you make me do that!?" Sunny cried out, swatting the smoke. "Me? I just said your ass looks flat. I figured that would make you give him a love tap." Carter said coughing. Camilla waved her hand sending all the smoke up the gaping hole. With a clear view of the sky, several floors were damaged with the edges still singed and smoldering. Zeke sat in front of them without a scratch, his chin inflamed. "Good enough for you?" "What the hell are you made out of?" One of the Hunters asked. "Probably something from Hell."
"That's coming out of your pay check." Carter growled. Sunny lowered her head saddened. "That's a perfect display. I look forward to having you both in my employment." "What do you need them for?" Carter asked. "They will be recruited in taking down one of the major manufacturers of the red Surge. I believe you two had a run in with one of the man's collectors. Lazarus Kalcifer." "How is that stuff made anyway? It just looks like rock candy dyed a colour." Zeke asked. "They drain a Hunter's blood on a kind of drug, once it dries, it crystallizes and becomes Surge." Sunny said. "So, different Mana on different drugs. Out of curiousity-" "Green is marijuana, red is a mixture of crack and cocaine, and blue is meth." Sunny said. "Ummm-" "Yes, it was heavily inspired by the blue meth from Breaking Bad." Sunny answered. "Good to know." "What will you have us do?" Sunny asked. Camilla took out two folders, placing one in front of them.
"You Mrs Shinsei." "Mrs?" Zeke asked stunned. "The divorce is being finalized alright. Just move on." Sunny said blushing. "She will be-" "Uh, I have several questions." "About the job or my marriage?" Sunny asked. "The marriage obviously! I don't have any questions about the job" "Really!?" Sunny asked annoyed. "You have nothing to ask? About what we're life threatening thing, we might be doing?" "She wants you to quit or become a dirty cop, under the guise of you being salty at losing your S grade Hunter benefits. Then sell me to Lazarus, as a new source of red Surge, but with my durability. I should be able to infiltrate deeper, as they get desperate to crack open my skin. Am I right?" Camilla and her Hunter looked at him stunned. "See, I get the job. Now who are you married to?" "We're getting divorced. It doesn't matter. Now how long will this mission take?" "A few weeks at most. The other teams are already in place waiting to destroy the other manufacturers in one synchronised take down." Camilla said.
"I feel like it does. I mean what's his name?" "Actually it's her name." Camilla said. Zeke stared at Sunny completely taken aback. "Thank you...SO much!" Sunny said sarcastically. "You get three questions, and then we move on, and never speak of this again, and go read this contract together. Alright?" "What was her name?" "Eun-ji Song. Next." "How long were you two married for?" "2 years." "Why did you two not work out? Other than Jesus being against it." "We wanted different things in life. Okay we're moving on."
"Read the contract over carefully. Come back to me in one week. Call me on this number." She handed them both a card. To Zeke's confusion, she cupped his chin, pulling him in close. Sunny felt herself becoming agitated at the sight of another woman touching him. "Ummmmm…." Zeke blushed. Camilla stared into his eyes. "Lillia was right." "About?" "You have gentle soul for a Demon." She released him, and winked at him. "You can call me for other things as well, I know you have a type, and also because she's not interested." "Oh…" Zeke said taking a gulp. "I'm interested in her though." Sunny blushed at him. Camilla snickered and stopped at the door. "See if you can convince her to join us." She left with a sly smile. "Hey, Sunny on a completely unrelated note-" "It's not happening." She growled at Zeke. "Can't blame me for trying." She massaged her brow letting out a sigh. "I guess we should go over the documentation then." "Yeah, we'll do it at home." "Where are you going?" "Make us dinner." "I don't want your cooking."
"Alright fine. I'll make dinner for myself then, and if you want any, you have to say that you want my meat in your mouth." "Wow, that's never gonna happen." "We'll see about that." Zeke said strutting out. "Captain, how long have we known each other for?" "Going 7 years now." "And am I good worker?" "One of the best." "With that knowledge, could I ask you a tiny favour?" "No, you cannot kill or torture him." "I hate it here!" She pouted storming out. Sunny returned home after her shift to an absolutely mesmerizing and tantalizing aroma wafting from her apartment. Filled with invigorating spices and intoxicating scents. Her mouth filled with saliva instantly. "Alright, fine I want your-" Sunny froze seeing her entire family standing in her living room. Her entire family wore their church clothes, well dressed and proper. Her sister Skye, was a head shorter than her, with long flowing crimson hair.
She sat on the sofa, with Cloud beside her, both looking at Zeke's luggage. Her mother a stern middle aged woman with her fiery hair braided into long pony tail over her shoulder. She stood next to a short lanky man, with a fierce gaze and short black hair. "What are you all doing here!?" She hissed at them. "Told you it wasn't her in the shower." Skye said flipping through Zeke's notepad. "Mum, dad…What are you-" "I've asked you countless times to clean for our arrival, and you only do so after a boy comes?" Her father said with a cold demeanor, standing over the simmering pot. "They're totally banging." "We're!-" "I'm at least happy you've decided to learn how to cook. It smells wonderful." Her mother said standing over the pot. "I!-….." A squeak came out of Sunny's mouth. "Come set the table, let us eat together." Her father ordered. The sound of the bathroom door opening filled Sunny with absolute despair. "Hey, I know if you stole some of my…."
Zeke froze half naked in the living room, with a towel over his neck, covered in hot steam. Skye looked up him and down aroused and enjoying the sight. Cloud glared at him. Sunny's mother and father both locked eyes with him. "Food…" Zeke finished awkwardly backing up into the bathroom. "Where do you think you're going mister!?" Her father yelled. "Well, this looks like a family matter, and so I'll get dressed inside and leave." He approached Zeke staring him down, with his intense and ferocious gaze. "Skye, come here." "Coming!" Skye said excitedly leaping off the chair. She took Zeke's hand to his confusion. "Hi." She smiled at him. "Hi?" "Who are you, and why are you using her bathroom?" Zeke looked to Sunny, her face clearly uncomfortable. "Don't look to her, answer me." Zeke took a deep breath. "Could I wear a shirt first?" "No." Zeke summoned his outfit, startling the others except her father. "Zeke Chen, Demon Hunter doing a bodyguard contract for Detective Shinsei. I was using her shower because I spent all day cooking that pot of ramen."
Her father looked to Skye. "Don't look at her, look at me." Sunny slapped her mouth shut. "I'm guessing you're a Truth seeker?" "Actually, I'm trying be an accountant, Truth seeking is tiring. And dad, he's telling the truth." "You're a Demon Hunter that…cooks?" "I see the hate and skepticism towards Demons runs in the family." "What are your intentions with my daughter?" "Dad." He raised a finger to Sunny. 'Please don't say anything stupid. Please don't say anything stupid. For the love of Jesus, God, Allah, Buddha, Zues! Don't say anything stupid.' "Just know that Skye will be able to tell if you're lying." "I am simply here to fulfill my contract and keep her safe for 3 months. Go on, go to your fact checker." "He's telling the truth dad." Skye spotted a sense of disappointment from Sunny. "Where are you sleeping?" "On that chair there." "Sunny! How can you make your guest sleep on that chair. There's not even a blanket for him." Her mother scolded. "I!-" "She offered the bed, but I didn't want her sleeping on that chair, so I agreed to take the couch." "Still telling the truth dad."
Her father took Skye's hand. "Go on ask your questions. What do you want to know about me?" "Don't need to ask your anything. I know what I need to know already." "Really? What's my name then, Zeke?" "Let's see, you named your children in a pattern of things you find in the sky. Cloud, Sunny, Skye. You two are would have migrated from Japan at an early age, explaining your fluency in English, and lack of an accent. So you probably adopted similar names. You're probably Dawn Shinsei?" Dawn leapt up impressed giggling and clapping. "That was amazing." "And you're the big man of the house, Sunny being your second child means nothing, but she is your first daughter, so I guess you named her after yourself. Right Sun Shinsei?" The room was silent, with everyone else's jaw hanging, except Sun. "How did you do that?" Skye asked. "Your father isn't the only person with a weird obsession in naming his family after a pattern." Zeke moved past him walking over the simmering pot.
"Deducing our names from a pattern, does not mean you know me." "Given that's a Tuesday, and you're all dressed up. It means you still went to church, because you think it will make you a good person for an hour." Sunny cringed and grimaced. He and Cloud scoffed at him. "You don't believe in the Lord and his teachings?" "Nope!" Zeke said confidently, as he begun preparing the ingredients. "You know it's very rude to not look at someone, when they're talking to you." "Ah-huh, and where do you look, when God speaks to you?" Skye nodded impressed.
Zeke prepared himself a bowl of ramen, diligently slicing the ingredients and carefully preparing the bowl. "You're really good at that. Who taught you how to cook?" Dawn asked, happily watching over his shoulder. "I taught myself." "Dawn!" He scolded, making her skitter away. "I would like for you to leave, I need to talk with Sunny." "Cool, I want to do the same thing. Where do we go from here?" "Tsk. Why do I expect any respect from your kind?" "Why do I expect compassion from the kind that follow teachings of the bible?" Zeke shrugged, taking a seat with his food. "Guess, I'll never know." "What would you know about compassion Demon? You clearly cooked this food for yourself, and show me nothing but disrespect." "Oh, I'm sorry. I should speak your dumb language of hypocrites. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12. I gotta say Mr Shinsei, I'm REALLY feeling all those things coming from you, a child of God."
"What do you know about being a child of God, you worthless Demon." "I know any good father, would call her daughter, when she was a part of a hold up. Regardless of how powerful she is. I'm just speaking as one worthless Demon to a worthless Father." Sun slapped the bowl of ramen off the table and pulled Zeke in by his collar. Skye clasped her mouth seeing Sun clench his fists. "Ah the holy rage. Now that's the most religious thing you've done so far. Should I go and recite my exorcism for dinner again?" Sunny looked at Zeke filled with nothing but sorrow. Sun snarled at him. "Go ahead and smite me already, you're not the first father to try. If not, let me clean that mess you up made, and eat my dinner." "Dad…" Sunny said softly. Sun lowered his fist, releasing Zeke's collar. "Honey, hand me the rags." Dawn tossed him a rag, and he began cleaning the mess he made.
"Help your sister set up the dining table. We'll be eating together, for once." Zeke stood up straightening his shirt. "You're staying Mr. Chen. I think we would all like to get to know you more. Dawn help him prepare the ingredients." Zeke watched as everyone awkwardly shuffled into their tasks. He sat down with Sun sitting across from him, with a stern glare. "What the fuck is happening?" Skye whispered to Cloud and Sunny. Both of them shrugged shaking their heads absolutely baffled at the sight. "Your father respects him." Dawn whispered. "You quoted that passage perfectly. Have you read the bible before, or was it a passage you came across?" Sun asked. "It's one of my most hated books, and yet I've read it front to back several times." "Per your father's wishes?" "Ehh, he wished a lot of things would happen to me. He got pain and suffering, but never got that hat-trick of death from me." Sunny felt her heart wrench. "Did you make all these ingredients yourself?" Dawn asked. "Everything other than the noodles." "That's amazing! I can't wait to dig in!" Dawn excitedly prepared everyone's dishes, laying a large filled bowl in front of Zeke. "Thank you Mrs. Shinsei." "Oh please, call me Dawn."
The room went silent, with vigorous slurping sounds. Zeke and Sun locked eyes, staring each other down, with the others awkwardly sharing glances. "Are you not going to eat?" Sun asked. "I'll take your apology first." The Shinsei's all glanced over to Sun. A man in his entire life that had never apologised to anything or anyone. They entered into a telepathic conversation with each other. 'Is he really gonna apologise? That's impossible!!?' Skye thought. 'Seriously it's impossible. It's Dad.' Cloud thought. 'Look he's done a lot of crazy things, but even he couldn't do that.' Sunny thought. Sun cleared his throat. 'OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!' Dawn thought, her eyes bulging. "I apologise for my behaviour. I hope that we can start again on a better foot." The four of them stared at Sun completely stunned, dropping their chopsticks. Zeke smiled picking up his chopsticks. "Please help yourself, I hope you enjoy." "Thank you, it does smell lovely." The room fell silent again. "What the fuck just happened!?" Sunny exclaimed. "We don't use that kind of language at the dinner table." Sun scolded.
As everyone finished their meals, Sunny tried to rush the others out. "So tell me Zeke, what will you do after this contract ends?" Dawn asked. "Not sure, I'm running a freelance agency." "Oooh! That's so exciting, and impressive for someone so young. Are you hiring?" "Mum please." Skye said through her teeth. "What? A truth seeker would come in handy for anyone." "Mum, Zeke is really busy, and I don't think sending her to Australia is the right thing to do." Sunny said. "I'm not looking to hire a Truth seeker, but you said you were an accountant. I need someone to do our taxes." "Hey! Stay away from my sister." Sunny frowned. "What are you saying right now? He's offering me a job." "It won't pay well, and don't forget you'll be living in Australia. The accommodation is probably terrible-" "We're currently living in a two story six bedroom house. I pay six chips per month." Sunny lurched forward at a loss for words. "Do you have a contract I could sign?" "Dad! He's a Demon, are you seriously gonna leave her with him? Across the world no less?"
"I actually wouldn't be home most of the time. I would have to be on a contract to earn money to pay her. She would be staying with my secretary/receptionist, a stylist that I have for some reason, and my familiar." "See! That's just dangerous. His familiar is probably a fiery monster that-" Zeke slid his phone across the table to Skye, showing a picture of Red sitting on his shoulder. "That's Red, she's my familiar." "OH MY GOD! JUST GIVE ME THE JOB! SHE'S SO FUCKING CUTE!" Skye squealed. "Obviously, you would have to learn Australian tax laws, but-" "Deal! Deal! Deal! Mum! Dad! Can I? Can I?" Skye bounced up and down excitedly. "Can you ensure my daughter's safety?" Sun asked. Zeke leaned over swiping the phone showing a picture of Raven, behind the desk. "That's Raven Frost, she's choosing the civilian life, but she's strong enough to bench three tons." "Does she happen to be the daughter of-" "Yes, she's that Frost, but she want's nothing to do with them."
"I approve." "YES!" "DAD!" "I'll go pack my things!" "You will need to finish a course to practice accounting in Australia first." Dawn said. "Damn it! How long do those even take!?" Skye asked pacing around the table checking her phone. "Six months!? Would you be willing to wait for me?" "I'm not in any rush to find a new one." "YAY! I'm gonna go book the course right now." "Hey wait!" "Zeke, may I ask what your aspirations are? Is it actually being a Hunter?" Dawn asked. "Not really, I would love to just stay at home watching TV, and cooking things, but I have to work." "And if you met a person who was a breadwinner, you would happily adopt a housewife life?" "Without any hesitation." "Could everyone give me and Zeke the room please?" Dawn asked with a polite smile. "Honey, I think-" "I said please." Zeke felt a cold monstrous and deathly presence in her voice. The others terrified quickly stood up and shuffled out the door. "Uhh…am I in trouble? I don't have to offer her that job. I can find another accountant." She slowly approached Zeke. He reeled back in his seat looking at her unsettling smile, her eyes still scrunched. "How are you moving like that?" She knelt down in front of him taking his hands. "Please marry Sunny." "Huh!?"
"Please marry her. I'm begging you." "I….Whaaaa…Is this a prank?" "I'm being completely serious. Please marry Sunny." "I don't think she wants that." "But you do. You want the married life, and she wants to be independent. It's perfect. She clearly likes you, and you like her." "How do you know she likes me?" "I saw how she looked at you coming out of the shower. She had the same look when her 'best friend' Eun-Ji wore a low cut shirt." "How do you know I like her?" "Because you only ate one bowl of ramen, and prepared enough to feed a Hunter. This was for her wasn't it?" "I guess she got her detective skills from you." The four of them pressed their ears against the door. "Can you hear anything?" Skye whispered. "I hear a dumbass, asking if we can hear anything." Sunny said. Skye pinched her. She jumped and the two started to wrestle in the hallway. "So will you marry her?" "It's a little early to consider marriage, don't you think?" "Then just date at first, but I want grandkids, and I'm not gonna have all three of my children give me the excuse of I can't find anyone." "Even more early to think about kids."
"Okay, I know it's early to ask all of this for you, but could you do one thing for me?" "That depends on what it is." "Please don't give up on her. She's stubborn and stupid like her dad, but she just wants someone to always be there for her. I mean she cleaned this filthy apartment for you." "Actually…I did that while she was sleeping." A single tear rolled down Dawn's cheek. Zeke looked at her askance. "Are you…okay?" "I've been waiting for you." "Oi, seriously. Are you okay?" She shook his hand and held them tightly. "Please, don't give up on her. She may not be able to see it yet, but give it time, she will come around to you." Zeke awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I don't think she will, all I've been doing is teasing and annoying her." "Keep doing it. Trust me. Now to help you along. If Sunny ever gets sick. She's going to act tough and not want anything, but just give her a head pat." "You're talking like she's going to get sick, while she's here." "Oh she will." Zeke looked at her concerned. "Are you going to poison your daughter?" He whispered. "What? Don't be ridiculous. She always gets sick in Spring. She could be the strongest Hunter in the world, but she's not immune to allergies and pollen."
"Are you really okay with me and Sunny? I mean I am a Demon after all." "If you're a Demon. I'm a man with a ten inch black dick." "Uhhhhh-" "You're the furthest thing from a Demon. Keep being you and she'll be yours soon enough." "You are the weirdest mum, I have ever met." "Thank you. We should leave you two to it, it was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to meeting you again. Now, if she asks what we were talking about, you're going to say it was about this recipe." Zeke was speechless as she opened the door. "Okay dear, we're going to go now. It was great seeing you again." She gently nudged the others down the stairs, and shoved Sunny back into her apartment, slamming the door shut behind her. "What the hell did you two talk about?" "Recipe." Zeke said softly, walking over to the chair. "Look, I'm sorry about my family. I didn't know they were coming and-" "It's fine. You looked just as uncomfortable as I was."
"Well with them gone, we need to talk about what's going to happen on this mission." "Alright, what do you want to go over?" "You're gonna be thrown in the belly of the beast, and they're gonna do everything they can to make you bleed. If something goes wrong, we're gonna need code words. So I know when to pull you out." "What about help?" " Be serious here, this is your life we're talking about." "What do you have in mind?" "Best code words, come from stories and knowledge of each other." He gave her a sly grin. "If you want to get to know me better. You just have to ask. There's no need for this elaborate lie." She took a deep breath, composing herself. "You're giving my sister a job, so I'm not going to punch you for that." "She will need to do an audition on a black couch first though." "Mmmmmmm." She let out a growl. "I'm kidding." Zeke chuckled. "Ask away, let's develop our safe phrase." Sunny pulled a seat in front of him. "Although, I didn't think we were gonna get that rough tonight." She slapped him over the head with a notepad.
"Alright let's start with fears." "Spiders." She looked at him confused. "But you're Australian. The home of spiders." "Yes, I know. It doesn't change the fact they're an eight legged abomination that creep me the fuck out." She chuckled. "What, you don't have any fears?" "Nope." "Liar." "Well, you'll never find out now will you?" "Next question." "What the hell is that thing, you've been trying to translate this entire time?" "This? No idea, was left for me and it's written in an asshole language." "How can a language be an asshole?" Zeke showed her the tome. "See this weird lightning bolt in the corner here? It's the key that you use to translate each glyph. You place it over each glyph, and it gives you a letter." "And you've been struggling with that?" "I'm offended beyond belief, but I'll keep explaining my predicament." He rotated the key, on the glyph creating another letter. "Now each glyph spells out eight different letters." Sunny reached over flipping the lightning bolt, and begun rotating it, creating another 8 possible letters.
"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me." "Do you know the reading orientation?" "The what now?" "The reading orientation. Left to right is our standard version; but it could be right to left, down and up from left to right or vice versa." Zeke stared in complete silence at the tome. "Alright fuck this thing, I'll do it later." "I mean is there a clue of what this thing was for?" "From what I can tell it's only meant for me, and it's Demonic in nature." "Did you recently learn anything Demonic about yourself?" "Um well...I did that I'm apparently the son of a..." She watched him trail off, the gears in his head clicking into place. Rotating the key on the first glyph. She smiled watching his smile stretch, as he begun to decode the page. "What's it say?" "Sovereignty control... He cocked his head to the side. "That mean anything to you?" "It means, I might need to rethink a few things, but something for later. Let's just talk about the job." "Okay last thing before we turn in. Your dad...what was he like?" Zeke closed the tome taking a deep breath.
"Well there aren't enough words to describe, what a cunt he is, soooo let's go with he wasn't the greatest." "Was your immunity always so strong?" "You mean against, Hallowed ground, Consecrated items, Holy water, and every other religious act against a Demon?" "...Yes." "The answer is no. Use to feel like I was living in a fire for about one to two hours. You know depending if the father felt like a being an extra asshole. He finally let me stay at home, when I learned how to boil water for myself, and he could comfortably leave me at home. Although that didn't last long, when people thought bad of him, for leaving me at home." "You couldn't just wait outside?" "But Sunny, how could he torture me like that? No he needed me in there to suffer, and if I made him look bad, for complaining about my skin literally burning. He made me skip dinner and read an exorcism as punishment. Said Demons aren't allowed to complain, they should only be begging for forgiveness." Sunny felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Guess as I got older, my durability has gone way up, although that could be from having more Mana."
"And when did you-" "Run away? Hmmm. I think it was about 10 or 20 seconds, after I got handed the subpoena, from my father. I looked at my mother after he explained it to me in small word for me to understand." Zeke chuckled. "She looked me dead in the eye and said, listen to your dad, you deserve more than that. Be grateful it wasn't worse." Sunny felt tears rushing out. How could anyone be so cruel? She pulled Zeke in for a hug to his surprise. He heard her sniffling. "Oh hey, no there's no need for that. There's no changing the past. I am what I am." He chuckled awkwardly trying to push her away. "Just shut up and hug me." Zeke smiled and hugged her back. "I'm guessing after we break, this never happened?" "No one would ever believe you." The two sat quietly hugging for some time. "I'm not an expert, but I don't think hugs last this long." "Mine do, now be quiet." "Okay, but I would just like to warn, that I'm a hormonal boy, and you've had your chest on me for a while now." Sunny quickly broke away walking into her room. "We'll talk tomorrow morning!" She said through her door.