Aston Public Library The valiant taste of death but once

[Max Kuryakin]

Max angled an amused grin at Emily, arching an eyebrow as she listed off his enhanced senses. A fair point, sure, but he'd learnt long since to not simply rely on something and expect it to go right. You had backup strategies in case something went wrong. For the two of them, a flashlight was perfectly practical.

“Sure, and all still work when I'm holding a flashlight,” Max teased her back. “Having them doesn't mean I want to be walking around in the dark. C'mon.” He slipped his arm off her shoulder, slipping his hand down her arm to grab her hand instead as he stuffed the rest of his gyro into his mouth, pulling her down the hall, chasing the idea of the catacombs.

[Emily Reyes]

When he teased her, Emily couldn't help a laugh. “It's just-” The witch shrugged, trying to figure out how to put her thoughts to words. “It's so normal. We haven't done normal in a while.” A werewolf with a flashlight. Hilariously mundane.

As might be expected, Emily hadn't made a dent in her gyro. She'd focused on her onion rings, and even that pile was scarcely diminished. She realized how far behind she was when Max polished off his meal while she was still cradling two paper containers of food. Walking, talking, and eating did not go together for her.

When Max started hurrying them along, Emily made a little noise of protest. Hanging back for a second, she tucked her gyro into its foil wrapping and consolidated it with the onion rings. Then she tucked the whole thing in her freshly vacated pet carrier. There were already crumbs in there, it couldn't get any worse.

Ahead, Dulce was stretched out on the floor, peering through the crack beneath the door. Slipping one paw tentatively under the door, she pulled a little but only succeeded in dragging her body across the polished floor.

[Max Kuryakin]

At her noise of protest, Max let his grip loosen, giving her hand back as he turned and walked backwards, watching her with a grin. “Sure, we do normal every day,” Max said, tucking his hands into his pockets as he glanced behind him to the cat pawing at the door. “We're just looking at it with different eyes.”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily was reluctant to concede that point, but it was true. “Guess we have a new normal, by that logic,” she murmured with a tilt of her head.

When she finished tucking her food away, the woman picked up the pace to catch up with Max. One hand reached out to reclaim Max's hand, but only got as far as plucking at his sleeve. Dulce lifted her head and noted that they should take this door down to the catacombs. “Dulce says this is the door down to the catacombs,” she relayed as they stopped near the cat. Emily reached for the handle, asking, “Got that flashlight handy?”

[Max Kuryakin]

Max's 'new normal' had been in development since 2019, so he could also concede that he'd had plenty of time to adjust and normalise some aspects of being a werewolf. Max certainly felt he had plenty of normal in his everyday life, just dealing with work and family. The sparks of the unusual were memorable, contrasted to the normalcy he'd clawed to himself when he'd first left the army behind.

As Emily plucked at his sleeve, Max looked down and slipped his hand out of his pocket to take hers, turning his head to look at Dulce. It was still a little weird when she spoke for the cat, but he'd learnt quickly to roll with it. Often he didn't even need Emily's translations, the cat expressive enough without words.

“Yep,” Max confirmed, pulling his other hand out of his pocket with the flashlight in hand. It was rectangular and bulky for a handheld flashlight, far from a skinny Maglite, but small enough to fit in his pocket. He switched it on as Emily opened the door, the 10,000 lumens lighting up the stairwell brightly. “I've got a spare battery for it, so I think we'll be fine for a while.”

Max wondered if it might work as a small power source in a pinch, but he didn't voice that.

[Emily Reyes]

She smiled weakly, hoping they wouldn’t be down there ‘for a while’. But at least they were prepared with a spare battery.

The door opened on a switchback stairwell that led down to a half-landing before turning out of sight. A cool breeze drifted past them, smelling dusty and undisturbed. It wasn't an unfinished construction with bare walls and cobwebs, but Emily was still spooked knowing the lights were blown out at the bottom. That was assuming this was the same passageway.

As Max flicked on his flashlight, Dulce started down the stairs without a moment's hesitation. The cat paused on the half-landing, her eyes shining in the light as she stared down into the darkness. Her furry body was still, ears perked up as she listened to something beyond Emily's hearing, but she was tense rather than frightened.

Squeezing Max's hand, Emily forced herself to start after her familiar and was quickly locked in when Dulce went down the rest of the way. In a funny twist, rather than pull out a flashlight like the werewolf, the witch drew a little bag of marbles out of her pocket, ready to charm them with light.

“Look familiar to you?” Emily wondered tensely, her soft voice echoing in the stairwell. “It's been... A year and a half? Two?”

[Max Kuryakin]

Strike (Preternatural senses) Exceptional success

The bright flashlight gave the switchback stairwell a strangely washed out look, the bright lights creating bold shadows the few spots it couldn't shine. Dulce was a white furry beacon in the light, the eye shine flashing each time the cat turned her head back towards them. From the top of the stairs, they could only see the half-landing of the staircase, Dulce leading the way down.

Along with the cat, Max listened and scent the air. The rush of cool air was stale, but didn't smell bad. There was just the distinct sense than people rarely used this stairwell. Looking down, there was no thick film of dust on the steps, so someone came in and cleared at least this section. Max couldn't recall if the other way they'd gone was similarly clean or if it's been one of those hidden side-doors that went unused.

Beginning to step down the stairs, Max felt Emily squeeze his hand and the gentle clink of marbles behind him, glancing to spot her handful of them as he kept walking. “We could see the bottom from the top step last time, so I don't think this is the same stairwell,” Max answered her, turning his head back to face forward as he followed Dulce. “But I think it's at least the same floor? Smells like it.”

[Emily Reyes]

CHARM Light

Just before they slipped down into the darkness, Emily poked her head out into the hall. Sure nobody witnessed them tresspassing, she shut the door behind them, leaving them in the shadows with only Max's flashlight and the light from beneath the door. Squeezing a trio of marbles in her palm, she sparked them with light and let them float into the air, hovering behind her head.

Dulce, who was apparently fearless, chirruped from the bottom of the stairs telling them to hurry up. She said it was just a hallway, no dead bodies, so come on. It lightened the witch's mood considerably. Even if it was dark down in the catacombs, at least she had company.

“I don't sniff things anymore,” Emily whispered jokingly, though she didn't need to. Darkness tended to encourage quiet. There was a grin in her voice and she interlaced her fingers with Max's for security as they started down the stairs. “It's not my job. I leave all of that to you.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Aspect
Strike (Detect magic) Complete success

The click of the door closing carefully behind them felt loud in the darkness, but especially to enhanced ears. Max realised he could hear the sounds of the event through the door, but in all other directions, everything sounded muted. It only grew more distant as they walked down the steps. It was momentarily unsettling as he realised the rock and mortar around them were so thick sounds couldn't travel the way he'd grown so used to. Max couldn't decide if he liked it or not.

Emily distracted him, Max glancing her way as the magic shivered right at his back. He saw the glowing marbles float up behind her head, and he felt the distinct vibrations of the magic through the air. He wasn't sure if he could taste it or smell it, but he could've identified what they were with his eyes closed. A little distracted by the feeling of the magic, Max huffed a delayed chuckle.

“Oh, okay, I'll do all the sniffing,” he said, as if it was a great burden to bear, as they walked over the half-landing and started down the second section of the stairwell. “I'll make sure I tell you if anything smells dead, yeah?”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily laughed under her breath, ready to point out that it couldn't be that bad if he was always sticking his nose in things anyway. Before she could, he inspired another little jolt of nerves to go along with the idea Dulce planted. The detective had seen more dead bodies than she cared to recount, so she was sure it wouldn't phase her, but the uncertainty did. She would have to be inhuman not to startle if they came across a surprise dead body.

“That’ll either be a lot of paperwork or a fight,” she lamented with another barely audible laugh. Her free hand moved to the big werewolf's shoulder as she nearly tucked herself against his back. Standing on a step higher behind him, Emily looked down the hallway over the slope of his shoulder. She caught a glimpse of Dulce's white fur in the shine of Max's light. “But yes.” she went on, her tone dry. “Good. Let me know, things have been too quiet since New Years.”

Fortunately, she was wearing her rings on the hand tucked in Max's. She hadn't yet had the opportunity to use them, but she took comfort in knowing she wasn't defenseless.

[Max Kuryakin]

The way Emily stood close, her hand on his shoulder and a mere step behind him, didn't bother Max. It was better to stay close when going into the dark, following a white cat illuminated by his bright flashlight. They really didn't know what waited them down there, but it couldn't be anything worse than what he'd already run into.

Max reached out and knocked on the wooden railing after Emily spoke, chuckling into the silence of the catacombs below. Had it been quiet? Maybe a little, although the cold February had had something that'd definitely left a lasting impression.

“You're gonna jinx us, talking like that,” the werewolf teased, seeing Dulce reaching the bottom of the steps and soon after settling his feet on the cold stone floor of the very lower levels of the library. He had the gut feeling that they weren't supposed to be here, but if that was the case, they really had to improve their signage.

[Emily Reyes]

Max knocked on wood and Emily felt a thrill go down her spine, adrenaline slowly working into her bloodstream. She was working herself up more than anything else, letting her imagination get the better of her. The quiet darkness didn't help.

When Max reached the bottom of the stairwell, Emily stayed close on the step just above him. Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth against the back of his shoulder, breathing him in before giggling as he teased her.

“We have a good track record,” Emily declared, gung-ho despite her psychosomatic responses. Even if she was on edge, she was at least confident in their chances. “Let's hurry up though- Find that original room. Or a light switch.”

She glanced around squinting into the dimness to see if there were any lucky wall-switches right nearby.

[Max Kuryakin]

Sweeping the flashlight over the hallway they'd stepped into, branching off to the right and left of them, Max stood still as Emily pressed her face against the back of his shoulder. He felt her giggle more than he heard it, grinning out into the strangely washed out light of the powerful flashlight. There was still darkness, harsh shadows, but the light reached far.

When she lifted her face and looked around, Max stepped further out and aimed the flashlight at the surrounding walls. They were lime-washed walls, some cracks along the surface revealing the naked brick underneath. The light hit on a particularly badly cracked area, metal frame showing where a light switch should've been.

“Looks like we're out of luck on that light switch,” Max murmured, reaching out to prod at the cracked edges of the hole in the wall. It looked it'd got smashed in, nothing but loose wires inside the space where the switch should've been.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily stared at the hole where the light switch should've been. With no faceplate, she could see the wires inside, framed by cracks in the wall. Max's flashlight made the damage look starker than it likely was, but none of it boded well. She felt a frisson of nerves, but even as her heartbeat sped up, she laughed softly.

“Well, I wouldn't say I like the look of that,” she whispered, tense but, despite herself, intrigued. They were prepared, after all. While she wanted to think there was nothing but darkness and dust in the catacombs, she was much wiser about the way the world worked. “Does it look fresh?”

Stepping off the step, she crept past Max as he inspected the light fixture, following Dulce. The familiar took that as the go-ahead to move on, tail twitching and flicking as she crept down the hallway. Emily hesitated, and glanced back at Max, not quite as brave as her little sidekick.

[Max Kuryakin]

As Emily crept past, Max reached out to touch the edges, testing the give of the mortar and finding it crumbled up when his fingertips brushed over it. The metal frame to hold the faceplate was relatively new–newer than the brick it was fastened to–but it was still worn and rusted. In the torchlight, he could see signs of bare metal, scratches where maybe screws had worn it down.

“Difficult to tell,” Max murmured, rubbing the white mortar dust between his fingers as he checked out the immediate area around the switch. There was a little pile of white dust just beneath, but it said little about how long it'd been there. “It's recent, though.”

The entire scene made Max wonder who didn't like the light down here, but he kept that thought to himself, turning to follow Emily and the cat. He directed the torch downwards towards the ground, with Emily in front of him, not wanting to blind her with the torch. A few long strides and he was catching up to her, reaching out to touch her forearm gently as she waited.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily exhaled audibly, and then tittered nervously. “Recent” was... troubling. But interesting.

When Max got close again, she reached for his hand and interlaced their fingers before pinning his arm to her side. Shoulder to shoulder with the werewolf, she felt secure, enough to note, “Now I’m really curious.” She was a detective, after all, and the mystery was the better part of her job. After chewing her lip for a moment she reluctantly asked, “Think we should keep going though? I think we’ll be fine… can’t be worse than the hydra.” Even as the witch said this, she was already walking further into the gloom.

Ahead, Dulce scrunched her head back to peer down at her collar, before batting at one of the charms. A moment later, the little pendant took on the same glow as Emily’s marbles. It also tried to float away, but only traveled along the loop to rest between the cat’s shoulder blades, marking her out in the darkness.

[Max Kuryakin]

Strike (Preternatural Senses) Exceptional success

Max could hear Emily's nervousness in her tone and in her heartbeat, letting her take his hand and interlace their fingers. He gave her a crooked smile and squeezed their clasped hands, understanding her worry with a world of unknowns stretching in front of them, where before they'd been sceptics.

“I can't hear anything big moving around,” Max murmured into the dark, turning his torch ahead of them, lighting up Dulce's white rear and drowning out her charmed light that bobbed along. “Just rats and mice.” The implied statement was that they didn't have much to worry about, but he didn't say that outright, a part of him a little cautious to make claims.

[Third on the Match]

The vampire of the catacombs

DC 4

Murderous

Vampirism, heightened strength

Cinder 5d6

Strike 5d6

Luck 4

They are not alone in the catacombs, however silent it may be. A man wanders in clothes that would have been fashionable in the roaring twenties, hands flexing as if he longs to have something in his grip. There is a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth, the man unheeding as manic eyes search for a next victim.

If engaged, he will be more attentive of a woman than a man, and act irritable towards a man. If he becomes hostile, he will attempt strangling first, and then bludgeoning with whatever is nearby.

Talking:
- The characters can debate, delay, or befuddle the Encounter in a flavour that fits the Encounter and their preferences.
- Should the players fail two social rolls in a row or experience a critical failure, the Encounter will turn hostile, forcing the characters to run.
- Should the players commit any action that could be interpreted as hostile, the Encounter will turn hostile, forcing the characters to run.

Escaping:
- The characters can run, hide, evade, or delay (through magic or force) the illusion's progression towards them.
- The illusions cannot be killed unless the source is targeted; therefore, the aim is to outrun and hide from the illusion until its Luck runs out.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Social (6/5), Exceptional success

Emily nodded at this information, solemn and focused as they proceeded into the darkened corridors. The witch wished she had something quippy to say, to cut the tension she felt, but she only gripped Max’s hand tighter when he squeezed her fingers. Where some might talk their way to relaxation, Emily was much happier quietly thinking and observing. She would not mind if Max filled the space with quiet conversation, though.

Although she stayed right next to the werewolf, soaking up his solid presence at her side, she found herself trying to walk a little quicker, leading the way if he allowed it. She just wanted it to be over with, her head on the swivel for signs that might lead them to the exhibit room they’d found two years ago.

Dulce seemed to know the way somehow—perhaps an effect of knowing the spell that summoned her?—and trotted her way through the corridors ahead of them. However, when she suddenly came running and wound her body around Emily’s ankles, the witch paused. In the flash of Max’s light, she spied a male figure in the shadows.

The light played off the looped handles of a pair of heavy metal scissors, the blades tucked in his pocket. His clothing was anachronistic, as was his hair cut. His gaze, which had been hungrily fixed on Dulce, lifted from the cat to Emily, and the witch paused in her tracks, an uncomfortable weight settling in the pit of her stomach. The man smiled, the expression pleasant enough, but Emily did not return the greeting—the way he looked at her was like a violation in itself. She’d seen that evil look on a man before, and now her body was flush with adrenaline, her heart thumping soundly in her chest.

The man spoke, undaunted by her less-than-friendly expression.

“I am glad to find others down here,” he said with a thick German accent. “I have been wandering for some time.”

At that, Emily finally offered the man a watery half-smile, her hand tense in Max’s. “Ah… Well, if you’re looking for a way up, we can tell you the way we came.” She glanced over at the werewolf, trying to read him to get a measure of the man in front of them.

The Vampire’s Luck 3/4
Emily’s Luck 4/4

[Max Kuryakin]

Strike (Detect magic) Complete success
Cinder (social) Partial failure

Max didn't mind the quiet, finding the dark lended itself well to silence. Out of habit, he kept his footfalls as quiet as he could while still matching Emily's pace. He didn't feel tense or worried, not anticipating anything worse than a particularly big rat. He watched the crumbling walls around them, an eclectic mix of brick, lime-wash, and occasional actual blocks of stone. He had to assume it was based on how old the area they were wandering through was, changing with the decades, or how badly it had decayed to reveal the older parts of the construction.

For his part, Max was listening for movement and trying to recall what the section they'd been in before had looked like. Had it been the solid stone blocks? He felt like they'd been in the central part of the older section, closer to the main building and entrance, right where everything had started out. The cat seemed to have a goal in mind, and as Emily followed her, Max was content to do the same.

A few moments before Dulce ran back to them, Max heard movement. It was sudden, not the usual fade in of someone coming into range. Scuffing feet on stone, closer than it should've been with Max's hearing. He immediately tensed up, surprised and suspicious. Then, in the bright light, a figure of a man stepped forward.

Out of habit, a max aimed the flashlight down to the floor, even as he narrowed his eyes at the figure and almost held his breath as he took the man's measure. Magic shivered in the air, Max's trained sense feeling it emanating from the man, but it felt... broader than that. He didn't have enough experience to know exactly what it meant, but this magic felt distinct, a particular feeling to it.

But he didn't need magic to know the man was a creep and a dangerous one, his own instincts telling him even as he heard Emily's heartbeat thundering next to him.

“Yeah, go straight until you come to an intersection, then turn left. Should take you to the base of the stairs,” Max spoke after Emily, falsely pleasant as he jerked his flashlight down the way they'd came. He smiled, but it held a false note of suspicion and caution that most wouldn't catch.

As he spoke, he moved towards the wall, herding Emily to one side to open up space. It had the simultaneous bonus of letting him place himself partly in front of her.

"Ah," said the man, German accent thick, narrowing his eyes at Max. It was clear it was mutual dislike between them. "Can we not wander together? It would be... such a pleasure." His eyes slid back to Emily.

Vampire's Luck 3/4
Max's Luck 4/4

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Social (3/3 passes), Complete success

Catching the notes of caution in his tone, Emily let Max herd her toward the crumbling wall. She didn’t know exactly what Max’s tone meant but when she looked at all the evidence—the sudden appearance, the wardrobe, the evil looks—she was willing to classify the threat as supernatural. Because of this, she was relieved that he placed himself between her and the strange man. Of course, she immediately felt a bit guilty for feeling relieved, but the fact was that the werewolf was far more durable and physically capable than she was. Perhaps the stranger only had a pair of scissors and his hands but the tool looked heavy, and she didn’t trust him with it.

The guilt beneath the guilt was a gentle swell of affection, the woman grateful for Max’s protection. Especially when the stranger went on, his disdain for Max all too clear. Emily peered at the shadowy man from around Max’s shoulder, and resisted the urge to look away when he met her eyes. The way he said the word “pleasurable” promised anything but—at least for her.

“No, we can’t,” Emily replied curtly. “I don’t think it would end well.” Her voice came out for more confident than she felt, and then she punctuated what could potentially be read as a threat with a stale smile.

“Oh?” The man hummed, his tone saccharine. “What is the harm in a little friendly exploration?”

Encounter Luck 2/4

[Max Kuryakin]

Cinder (Social) Complete success
Cinder (Concordance) Complete success

Max was thankful Emily went with it, moving when he did and letting him shift in front of her. The sparks of relief--followed rapidly by guilt that Max couldn't make sense of--told him he'd made the right choice by deciding to act protective. The underlying affection to it all, as faint as it was beneath the rest, said more than words as far as what Emily felt about it.

The most pressing thing was that he knew the both of them wasn't buying whatever crap this guy was trying to sell them. Emily's outright denial, polite but straightforward, let Max's tension ease out. He wasn't worried or concerned anymore, now he was focused. Shifting his stance to prepare for possible attack--or even for them to run, if the man whipped out some fucking magic.

“Your whole creepy act, for one,” Max pointed out, tone unimpressed. The man acted offended, hand lifting to his chest, even as he turned an angry look Max.

"Creepy act? You insult me, you cur," the man retorted, haughty and closing in on angry. He looked to Emily, chin tipped up. "You keep company with such rude individuals?"

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Social (6/5 passes), Extraordinary success

Despite the situation, Emily’s mouth twitched as she experienced an unbidden bite of amusement. She glanced at the side of Max’s face, chewing the inside of her lip to keep a straight face. Additionally, she absently thought he was very handsome even when he was getting “rude”.

Seeing this, the stranger’s scowl deepened, clearly disliking the way Emily wasn’t taking him or his question seriously. However, with Max between them, Emily saw no reason to placate him, whatever he was. “Better rude than creepy,” she opined with a little shrug.

The man's expression blackened, curtailing any further amusement from Emily. However, if he was going to get aggressive, he seemed to think better of it after another glance at Max. Instead, he muttered some invective in German and turned to walk away, the edges of his form quickly growing indistinct in the shadows.

Vampire's Luck 0/4

[Third on the Match]

As the illusory figure of the Vampire of Dusseldorf is rebuffed, unable to gain a foothold against them. Perhaps the magic placing him there instilled enough caution to not test the temper of a wandering werewolf and arcanist.

As he leaves, they hear his footseps for a few more steps through the darkness before they suddenly disappear, the illusion dispelled. In the place where he stood, shining in the torchlight of Max's torch, lies the pair of ornate scissors he'd been holding. They look ordinary enough, but those with the ability to sense magic can tell some manner of enchantment is connected to it.

On a successful Cinder roll, the scissors can cut through anything. These scissors edged with light are especially adept at cutting away supernatural shadows, but this power also applies broadly. They can only cut three times before the scissors go inert and become an ordinary, if still ornate, pair of scissors.

[Max Kuryakin]

Strike (Detect magic) Exceptional success

Max shifted more in front of Emily when the man's expression went dark. His own hackles were up, baring his teeth without thinking and a low growl came from deep in his chest. More vibrations than sound, but even that seemed to work in dissuading the man who felt like he was made of magic rather than flesh.

Sharp ears didn't miss the German insult, Max slinging back with one of his own, “Der Mistkerl, schleich dich,” but even before he'd finished the harsh German words, he felt the magic fading out and there came no sound from the direction the man went. After a beat of silence, he muttered a quiet, “What the fuck, the dude's just gone,” even as he swung the torchlight to the shining thing left behind in the man's wake.

It vibrated intensely with magic, much like the man had, and Max felt it clearly even standing a little further away. The distinctive signature of this manner of magic felt different from the man, but Max couldn't hope to pin down how. Max knew it felt closer to Emily's magic, even if nothing could match her unique signature.

[Emily Reyes]

Standing as close as she was, Emily could feel Max's growl in her chest cavity. She forced herself to breathe as the moment stretched out, tense and hostile. However, rather than snap into aggression, it lost steam, and the man strode away.

Max had some choice words for his retreating back, and to Emily's surprise, responded in German as well. That shouldn't have been more surprising than the fact that the shadowy man simply disappeared before their eyes. However, they lived lives practically steeped in magic. A disappearing man was just something that happened. Max speaking German was, well, another fun fact about someone she actually cared about.

The pair of scissors lying in the middle of the dusty corridor was a creepy reminder of the encounter, but she was impressed. “Wow,” she whispered, tipping her head down and grinning with admiration at the werewolf. “I didn't know you spoke German.”

As she said this, with a cautious look up and down the hallway, she crept out from behind Max to peer at the shadowy man's leavings. Adjusting her purse on her shoulder, she crouched next to the pair of ornate blades, her charmed lights dipping low to illuminate the metal.

[Max Kuryakin]

No more sound came from up ahead, or behind them. The man was simply gone, no footsteps, shifting fabric, or even debris on the ground shifting. Despite all the evidence saying no on was there, Max still felt too on edge in the aftermath, so as Emily moved, Max followed. At her back, near enough breathing down her neck, he forced himself to relax bit by bit, drawing in a breath and catching Emily's scent, free of fear even if she was acting cautious.

Max didn't miss Emily's admiration, even if he didn't expect it in the wake of cussing out a guy in German. He allowed himself a huff of a laugh, more tension dropping from his shoulders as he crouched down to join Emily as she looked at the scissors.

“Yeah. Picked it up while I was over there, always had an ear for languages,” he said, looking up at her and trying for a grin, even as the scissors on the floor felt like it was vibrating intensely with magic. He gestured to it and added, “That's enchanted.”

[Emily Reyes]

For the first time in her short career as an arcanist, at Max's assessment, Emily regarded the enchanted scissors with a look of disgust. Whatever the shadowy man was, it wasn’t good, and she was reluctant to interact with anything he might’ve carried, even magical. It was far different from the beastly creatures they’d fought before. They seemed to be working on instinct. The shadow man was nothing but conscious ill intent.

So she left them on the ground and looked up at Max. It wasn’t hard to see the tension in his body—Emily was feeling it herself, the muscles between her shoulder blades and up her neck aching with it. Her breathing was even despite her speeding heart but that was only a result of training and experience as a cop. In a few minutes, when the adrenaline passed, she would fully process the danger.

While they crouched there, she reached for Max. She curled her hand around his elbow, and hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for standing up for me,” she murmured gratefully, words muffled as she nuzzled his shoulder.

[Max Kuryakin]

Emily didn't reach for the scissors like Max expected. Instead, she reached for him. He felt her hand curling around his elbow and turned his head to watch her hug his arm, smiling gently as she spoke and nuzzled into his shoulder. He lifted a hand, settling it on her forearm and squeezing. Tilting his head, Max pressed his cheek against the top of Emily's head, nuzzling her back. He drew in a breath, catching her perfume, shampoo, and other scents.

“Hey, of course,” Max murmured, tipping his head and pressing his lips to her forehead. “Dude gave me the creeps the moment I heard him.”

[Emily Reyes]

“Yeah,” she breathed, finding immense comfort in the way he nuzzled her back. “If you hadn't been here...” Emily trailed off, making an uncomfortable humming noise. With the way the shadowy man had been looking at her, the possibilities were obvious and vile. She had the feeling things could've gone much much worse if he'd managed to separate them.

However, it wasn't worth talking about or dwelling on. That hadn't come to pass and she felt confident concluding that if he left his scissors, he was probably, in some mysterious way, dispelled. Rather than try and work it out, Emily tucked herself closer and lifted her head to kiss Max on the mouth. “I'm glad he knew better than to mess with you,” she concluded with a faint grin as she pulled back.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max let out a breath as Emily lingered on the 'what if.' Purposefully, he didn't let himself think too hard on that, already feeling worked up enough. Instead, he settled a hand on her back, rubbing along her spine to both self-soothe and soothe her.

As Emily tucked herself closer and kissed him, Max let out a pleased hum and closed his eyes against the bright flashlight and darkness warring around them. When she pulled back, Max opened his eyes slowly, grinning crookedly at her.

“Well, I am the big bad wolf,” he teased, leaning in to rub his nose against hers.

[Emily Reyes]

Max’s hand on her back steadied her, comforting in the wake of a very uncomfortable possibility. If they’d been in a better position, she would’ve escalated their touching into a proper hug.

With their noses touching, Emily closed her eyes and sighed, calmly aggrieved but smiling. “That shouldn't sound sexy,” she lamented, shaking her head. “It really shouldn't. But it does.”

It was a corny line, but maybe it got by on association. It seemed like every time Max made claims like that, they were actively building up to something filthy and now he'd rewired her brain to find it unbearably sexy. The dangers of familiarity, Emily could only fondly conclude.

[Max Kuryakin]

Emily caught him by surprise, the admission bringing him back to all the times they'd joked around and played around, and Max laughed right in her face. Grinning broadly, he leaned in to nuzzle her cheek, laughter ebbing into chuckles as his crow's feet crinkled.

“Aww, baby,” he cooed, unable to wipe the grin off his face as he brought a hand up to cup her chin to tilt her face up. Kissing her, still grinning, he couldn't help snickering a little as he realised they might've accidentally done some classical conditioning as far as the Red Riding Hood story went.

[Emily Reyes]

Max’s sudden laugh made Emily’s eyes pop open, inspiring a helpless smile. Chuckling into the kiss, she leaned in, enjoying the way he cupped her face in his hands. Then the cooing made her blush—he sounded sympathetic but unrepentant for what he’d done to her and she felt a wave of amused indignation.

Still, as she gently wrapped her fingers around Max’s wrists, Emily’s lips parted, inviting a little passion into the lip lock. Not so much that she couldn’t surface for a moment, and accuse, “This is your fault, Max.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Grinning still, Max didn't even try to deny the accusation. After all, it as true, even if it hadn't been an end goal he'd imagined at all the first time he'd wrapped Emily's t-shirt around her wrists and initiated a little role play. He leaned into the kiss a little, before he drew back just enough to look at her through his eyelashes, biting his bottom lip.

“Entirely accidental, I promise,” he defended, although not repentant at all. “Don't see the harm in taking advantage, though. You like me playing big bad wolf.”

The claim could be taken several ways, both the first way they'd taken it into use and the one now, where he'd fallen into defensive instinct when meeting a threat. She'd thanked him, so he assumed she didn't have any discomfort about it being... too aggressively masculine or whatever.

[Emily Reyes]

The kiss was enough to bleed what remained of her stress from the encounter and she lingered in it. When he pulled away, she exhaled softly, satisfied, eyes fluttering open to admire the way Max bit his lip.

Emily’s flush deepened at Max’s return volley but her grin remained as she tipped her cheek into one of his hands. She sighed. “Guilty,” she admitted, playfully begrudging. After working in emergency services, she wasn’t any stranger to men showing off their tendency for either heroism, or macho showboating. She unquestionably admired the first, and if they were good-looking, secretly enjoyed the second. Max could do both and Emily wouldn’t have a single complaint.

She did, however, lament realizing that she’d developed associations between her sexuality and some goofy fairytale references. It was just… silly to get her blood up over thinking about Max as the “big bad wolf”, but here she was, feeling a little ruttish. Perhaps the adrenaline rush had something to do with it as well.

“Don’t abuse it or anything,” she went on to warn sternly, narrowing her eyes at the werewolf.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max resisted the urge to just make-out with her right there, hovering over a pair of enchanted scissors and fresh out of a near-miss of a fight. It was a perfect storm of adrenaline and feeling protective in the aftermath, but the location was hardly ideal. Or appropriate. He would've tried for it if they were above and in private, but the dank, dusty basement was too much. Instead, he rubbed his thumb against her cheek as she tipped it into his palm, grinning at her.

“No promises,” Max said, grin tipping into a crooked one, honest to a fault. He knew he'd take advantage of it, might even abuse it even if he wouldn't think of it as abuse. He enjoyed having the advantage, but he also suspected he wouldn't have to try too hard with Emily.

[Emily Reyes]

That was the answer Emily expected, which earned Max another glare, if a terribly weak one. He was right to think he wouldn’t need to try too hard with her. Leaning in again, she kissed him softly, but didn’t linger. She was also aware of their surroundings, and dreaded the idea of touching anything around them with anything but the soles of her shoes.

“That’s what I get for getting tangled up with a big bad wolf,” she teased, as she lifted her head from Max’s hand to start rooting around in the spell bag he’d gotten her. Teasing out a handkerchief, she dropped it over the pair of scissors so she could gingerly pick them up.

[Max Kuryakin]

Aspect

Emily's kiss was soft and brief, enough that it didn't temp his self-control. He let her pull away enough to reach into her bag, letting out a deep chuckle at her words. He hummed in agreement, watching with interest as she pulled out a handkerchief. Max wasn't convinced that'd stop any magic, but it was a good enough measure if that was all they had. He hadn't picked up anything bad from the scissors, so he didn't stop Emily.

“Still wanna find the spot we were at before?” Max asked as he watched her lift the scissors up off the ground. He felt the shiver of magic from it as it came close, and once again decided it didn't feel dangerous.

For his own sake, pursuing where they were before wasn't as interesting as luring Emily back home right now, but he would not interrupt for the sake of his libido.

[Emily Reyes]

To the witch, they only felt like heavy, antique scissors. Anything extra sensory was incidental or mental association since they naturally reminded her of the vile shadow man who’d dropped them. She didn’t want to touch them with her bare hands, so she very carefully tucked them away in her bag for later examination.

Though she was feeling randy, a little hopped up on adrenaline and powerfully attracted to Max, going home didn’t even cross her mind. So, unaware of his desires, when he asked if she wanted to continue their quest, Emily grinned gamely. “Yes, I’d like that. I can’t imagine there’s anything worse than that… thing down here?” she mused, looking over at the werewolf for his assessment.

There was a strong possibility that there was something worse, but for Emily, the ice was broken. It wasn’t a matter of if, just a matter of when.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max angled a doubtful but still amused look at Emily when she looked at him. If there was one creepy dude walking around, there was probably more weird shit to be found. Maybe not the same thing, but it spoke little to the place being empty and abandoned, with everything happening in the floors above.

“I can imagine a lot of things,” Max said, rising from his crouch now that Emily'd picked up the scissors. “Keep walking?”

[Emily Reyes]

“Yeah. And stop imagining,” she ordered as she stood, the scissors tucked away. As Emily adjusted her bags, she grinned and playfully batted her eyelashes. “Don’t jinx us. Imagine pleasant things.”

It wasn’t as though she thought that would change anything. It was only that half of her nerves had come from overthinking the whole trip.

[Max Kuryakin]

“Well...” Max began, cocking his head and smirking at Emily, giving her a considering once-over. “We'll have a completely different problem on our hands then.”

He didn't linger where they were, even referencing an engorged problem for future consideration or dismissal. Tugging on Emily's hand he started them down the hallway their dark ambushed had gone.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily met Max’s once-over with a surprised look, her eyebrows springing up, but she only blushed and glanced away to grin at the ground. It was odd to think that she liked it more now when Max checked her out than when they started fooling around and everything was novel, but she was really pleased. Their close intimacy and familiarity heightened her enjoyment rather than made things dull. It seemed almost counterintuitive, until she gave it some thought: of course the familiarity made it better. It took out all the stressful guesswork.

“That’s fine,” she chuckled. “I like that problem.”

As they started walking again, Dulce ran on ahead of them, her little charm bobbing in the shadows. Emily attached herself to Max’s side, hugging his arm, and humming softly, pleased simply to be with him now that her nerves were spent.