Crossing Worlds (Minako2012 and Nekrosilisk88)

Josef ducked into the cabinet and pulled a pot out. It didn't take him much longer after that to get everything on the boil. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the chicken to finish cooking so they could eat. She didn't have any matzo meal unfortunately so he couldn't add in any matzo balls, but hey he was in goyim's house, couldn't expect them to have everything.

“How dangerous are the knives? In all honesty that would probably be the fastest option. I've got some training with knife combat already. Scythes and swords sound cool, but it does take time to learn how to use them properly.”

He stirred the pot of soup, and then turned the heat down and put the lid on to let it simmer. The scent of homemade chicken soup was drifting through the apartment. The perfect cure for all ills, or at least that what his imah always said. He pondered about the language she was talking about. He wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable about the supernatural as was becoming more evident by the minute.

“What's Enochian? Never heard of it before.”

"Dangerous enough that the Angels and Demons agreed that thay needed to be locked away with a neutral party" She said "The last time one of those things was out in the world...it was a massacre...just possessing one of those things..is grounds for execution...they're sealed in a secure vault...only Agents are actually supposed to know about them..."

She shouldn't have mentioned it but they weren't wieldable by Angels or Demons alike there was no threat of her father trying to wield them. As the scent of chicken soup filled the apartment she smiled it was actually the first time she'd eat homemade soup. Her mother had been too broken to do much more than lay still and her father had never given a shit about them. That thought made her feel a pang of loneliness it had just been Mark and her for so long. She was snapped out of her thoughts by his question and was grateful for the distraction.

"Its the language of the Angels" She said softly "Well a variant anyway...one spoken so humans and non-angels can speak with them...an angels true voice...is...indescribable...I heard it once...father spoke with it...to see if Nephilim could hear it without being driven mad...that's what it does to non-angels..."

She shivered at the memory it had been a beautifully haunting sound and it had made her see visions of what she wanted her life to truly be like. It had left her feeling like she had gonw mad but the feeling hadn't lasted long but she could remember the sound.

"Enochian is known to few humans...but its not hard to teach" She said before she spoke a phrase in Enochian.

The language rolled off her tongue as if it were natural to her which it was she had only been permitted to speak in Enochian even when Mark secretly taught her to speak english. Though it sounded more melodic than it would when spoken by a human or other mythic thanks to her Angelic blood.

Josef leaned against the counter as she started speaking the alien language. It seemed to flow like water, and it almost sounded like music. No wonder angels were always described as singing. Meager as it was it was the only comparison that could be made to what those words sounded like. He knew there was no way any human could make it sound so elegant.

After she finished speaking, he blinked a couple times. It had only been a phrase, but it was mesmerizing. He looked over at the pot, and then quickly moved to get it off the heat before it boiled over.

“You want to get the bowls?” He waited for her to get back before serving the soup. “Anything you can teach me would be good. I'd prefer to be alive at the end of this.” He took his bowl and sat down at the table and held his hands out, patiently waiting for her to take his so he could begin the blessing over the food.

“Baruch atah Adonay, Eloheinu Melech Ha’Olam borei minei mezonot. Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance. Amen.” After he finished the blessing he clapped his hands together and smiled. “Alright chow time. Not my best work, but it should at least be passable.”

She noticed his reaction she rarely used Enochian for that reason it did leave her feeling rather self conscious. Her father had beaten into her head that she wasn't really an angel so someone reacting as if she were was very troubling for her. When he mentioned bowls she nodded going to retrieve a pair of them.

"I would prefer you to be alive too" She said handing him the bowls.

She carried hers to the table and would have dug in until he held his hands out and she realised he wanted to bless the food. Biting back a sarcastic remark she just took his hand and let him do the blessing. Lina didn't mind even if she didn't find herself wanting to thank a higher power for something Josef had cooked. She repeated his Amen before she started to eat herself.

"Wow...this is great" She said "I've...never actually had homemade soup before..."

It was oddly normal to be sitting down with someone and just eating and she was actually really grateful for that. She smiled lightly as she continued eating wondering why he'd even wanted to cook for her.

Josef quirked an eyebrow when she said Amen. It wasn't something she had to do, and while he did appreciate the show of respect, he didn't want her to feel obligated to do something she didn't believe in.

“Thanks. It's a quick version of what Imah used to make.” He took a few bites. It hadn't turned out too bad for something he'd more or less thrown together. “You don't do this very often I'm guessing?” That thought seemed strange to him. He still had dinner with his family at least a couple times a month when he went to go visit.

"We don't...Mark and I...don't really do family dinners." She said with a shrug "Plus...we're often busy with cases..."

She went back to eating enjoying the soup wondering what it would have been like to have a close family. It would have been nice but really it was too late to even bother worrying about. She and Mark didn't have a family and she was used to that.

"What about you" She asked "You talk about your family...you must be really close to them..."

She steered the family conversation back to him he knew about her family and she didn't want to talk much more about it. That and she was interested in knowing more about him considering they werr going to be stuck together until her father was killed.

“Yeah, me Imah, Sara, Aunt Miriam. Grandma Goldie moved in with us after Granddad passed on. It got crowded in that apartment some days, but we made it work. Sara's out on the west coast right now, but we still talk a couple times a week just to see how things are going. I go visit Imah and Aunt Miriam on the weekend normally. If I don't I get an earful the next time I show up.”

Josef leaned back in his chair. God his mother and aunt must be worried sick with his apartment all over the news like that. They'd probably already called his sister. He was going to be busy on the phone tomorrow. His sister would probably understand why it took so long for him to start calling, his mother on the other hand, well there was a reason for that old joke about Jewish mothers and rottweilers.

He went back to eating. It might be easier to just stop by his mother's apartment rather than call. He looked over at Lina. He noted the irony of their situations. His father's death, harsh as it was is what had cemented his family together. Her father's presence was what destroyed hers.

"It sounds nice" She said softly.

She wouldn't admit she did feel somewhat jealous he had such a close family but her childhood had made her into who she was. It wasn't as if she could change anything it was there and she could never change it. Though she noticed he didn't mention a father and with his earlier outburst it was easy to figure out why. She wouldn't pry it was his personal life and he would share it with her if he wanted to.

"Tomorrow we have alot to do" She said "Do you need to do anything...we can make a detour...anything to postpone my meeting with Captain Kindrell..."

He was not going to be pleased at and she knew why she had broken so many rules. She really shouldn't think about that right now she had a case that was more complicated than finding a rogue mythic.

"Oh...I'll have Kindrell get someone to guard your family" She said "I don't think he'd go after them...but it'll be one worry off your mind."

Josef nodded his head. “Yeah I need to stop by Hell's Kitchen and Imah's apartment.” It was hard to believe tomorrow was the anniversary. He normally saw it coming and it made the week before that much longer. Afterward things were fine, but the looming remembrance of what had happened made for a heavy atmosphere.

He figured that with the current case he'd just been too distracted to think about it until recently. When she mentioned getting protection for his family. “That would be appreciated, but we're going to be wading up shit creek as it is, and I don't want to cause you anymore trouble than I have to.”

"We can do that" She said with a nod "Though I think I'll wait in the car...unless you want to give your family the wrong impression about this partnership."

She was making a joke but it was partially the truth she would much rather stay outside. The thought of meeting and being around a happy family made her nervous. She already felt out of touch around humans as it was but she wouldn't voice that out loud.

"Its no trouble to protect your family" She said "I wouldn't want anything to happen to your family because of this case...father's ripped apart enough families."

Josef leaned back in his seat and smiled, mildly amused. She really had no idea what tomorrow was going to be like. Not that he could blame her, she'd never seen his mother when she was angry. Hell had no fury like a woman scorned, but the Devil himself feared the scolding of a Jewish mother.

“You're more than welcome to wait in the car.” He paused for a moment trying to bite down his laughter. “But I guarantee you it won't make any difference to Imah, and you'll just end up getting chewed out on the street. You come in you'll at least get a decent meal for your trouble.”

She frowned she wanted to avoid meeting his family she considered just dropping him off and going to meet the commander.

"Th-then...maybe..." She ran a hand through her hair "I could go through that meeting...while you relax with your family..."

She was really a coward when it came to interacting with family and even humans on the worst of days. There was something about them that made her feel like she didn't belong with any of them. She could come off as confident with one person hell a small group might think she was but it was nothing but an act.

"I really don't think its a good idea..." She said "Call me paranoid...but my presence could draw unwanted attention to your family...I've done enough damage in your life...don't you think?"

She finished off her soup it had been delicious but she really was trying to find an excuse to not meet his family. There was no reason for her to meet them once this was over she and Josef would probably go their separate ways. Then of course she could be putting everyone he cares about in direct danger. She had lied when she said her father would probably stay away from his family. Her father was unpredictable really even after everything she couldn't guess his actions and movements.

"Besides..." She added wanting to insert a touch of humor "An atheistic half Angel isn't the kind of girl most men would write home about."

She went to take her empty bowl to the sink she wasn't up for seconds at the moment all she was thinking about was the next day. It would be beneficial to meet Kindrell alone anyway it might lessen the damage control she was going to have to do.

Josef leaned forward on to the table. He was smiling with that wide toothy grin that said nice try, but no dice. It was one of the few times that he legitimately looked creepy. He knew it too, and had used the effect to unsettle people and catch them off guard.

“I'd say that's a good plan, but there's a few problems. First both of my stops are on the way to St. Mary's. Second we're taking my squad car, and you can't drive that. Third, you are not going to deal with your boss alone. I'm as much to blame for recent events as you are, so I'm taking my fair share of the heat. Fourth, I'm the one your father is toying with currently, so my family is already marked. I highly doubt your presence there will make that much of an impact. And last but not least, if I don't bring you in, I'm going to have to even more to deal with Imah, and she's more terrifying angry than your old man.”

He chuckled a little and got up to clean the dishes. “Besides how would you know what kind of girl a man would write home about?”

She sighed softly he had her beat she couldn't argue with him but she wanted to. This whole meeting his family thing was not going to go well for her. She didn't answer him she wasn't sure how to actually but she was resigned to meeting his family. Then he made his comment about her not knowing what kind of girls guys wrote home about.

"Touche...that's a bit too normal...but I figured half angel atheists that hunt down rogue mythical creatures didn't excite parents" She said with a shrug "Especially ones with severe daddy issues and a bad attitude."

She was trying to make herself seem less nervous but she doubted that it was working.

Josef focused on cleaning the dishes. It wouldn't normally take him as long as it did, but his mind was wandering. So much had happened recently, and it had thrown him off. He wasn't paying as much attention as he normally did, merely accepting Lina's resigned compliance at face value.

“Well hazardous occupations that have a high tendency to shorten one's life expectancy not withstanding, I don't think I'd say you're a pretty good catch. I'm surprised you don't have to beat the guys off with a stick.”

"I'm not that good of a catch remember I'm a half breed" She said "Nephilim are actually considered worse than normal half breeds."

She stretched wincing when her shoulders cracked and goes to rub the bandaged area with a light sigh. They had a lot of work that they had to do for tomorrow and she was worried about MArk.

"You know...its actually nice not having to spend the full moon alone" She said "Having someone else in the apartment."

She let out a low sigh and leaned against the counter looking at Josef his company was welcome. If she'd had any doubts about including him in this case he'd pretty much proven he could handle it without a problem.

"Thanks for dinner by the way" She said "It was delicious."

Josef nodded. “Yeah It's been a while since I've spent the evening with anyone. Nice to have company for a change. Kinda got used to being by myself at night.”

Oddly he really hadn't ever felt alone. Sure there was that nagging feeling that he was missing something, but his family, and the few friends he had made sure he wasn't ever alone really. He shook his head when she complimented his cooking again. Honestly he didn't think it was anything special but then he was used to cooking for himself on a fairly regular basis. “Just some soup, but thanks.”

As he wrapped up cleaning he glanced over at the clock and blinked. It was getting close to midnight already. He hadn't seen the time going by, and he was still going to need to report in the morning. His ass was going to be on too many plates, and he didn't need to be short on sleep tonight.

“Late end, and early start tomorrow. Honestly not sure what else I was expecting.”

"I'm only alone once a month...its nice having someone here while Mark is gone" She said.

She stretched wincing when her shoulder is moved and she reaches to rub it with a low sigh. It was late and she wanted to get some sleep but part of her was nervous. She hadn't had a nightmare in a couple years.

"Well par for the course for me" She said with a yawn "I'm sure Mark won't mind you using his room while he's gone."

She had a lot to do tomorrow and she was honestly freaked out about meeting with her boss.

Josef nodded and made his way to the bedrooms. He figured he could shower when he got up in the morning, for now he needed to sleep. As he entered Mark's room, he closed the door and kicked his shoes off. The day had been long and hectic. His endurance finally gave out and he collapsed on top of the bed, his eyes closing almost instantly. But in sleep, there was no peace to be found tonight.

Despite his exhaustion, he was plagued by nightmares. The faces of those who had died haunted his vision, and everywhere he turned He could see them, and looming behind them, and ominous pair of wings, blacker than the deepest darkness. He couldn't escape from the visions, and though he slept, he could not rest.

She watched him walk to his room and sighed softly before going towards her own. Honestly she wasn't feeling so tired but she just wanted to lay down. She changed into some pajamas and slid off her necklace with a light sigh and got into bed. Despite her lack of exhaustion she fell right to sleep and into her own series of nightmares each one making her thrash in her bed. Memories of the horrors she'd suffered growing up fueling them.

It wasn't until close to dawn when a particular terrifying dream centering around her father attacking her and ripping her wings off made her sit up in bed with a loud scream. The dream had caused her wings to come out large feathered wings patterned in a way to remind anyone of falcon's wings.

"Just a dream..." She breathed covering her face with her hands "It was just a dream...damnit..."

A steady buzz filled Josef's dream, and as the flapping wings descended on him, his eyes snapped opened. Hhe sat up and saw his phone was lit up and vibrating on the dresser next to him. It read 5:45 AM. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Josef reached over and turned his alarm off. It was going to be a long day ahead.

He pulled a change of clothes out of his pack and got changed. It was still early for most people so he decided to get breakfast going before waking up Lina. Figuring pancakes and eggs would be a fairly good start to the day for both parties, he started raiding the fridge and gathering supplies. He was the first one up, might as well be useful.

She knew she wouldn't be able to return to sleep but that didn't stop her from curling into a ball on her bed. Her wings wrapped protectively around her as she let out a terrified sob. She was scared, no she was terrified this wasn't just some run of the mill homicidal mythic this was her father. Then there was Josef to worry about he was a mundane a human who got caught up in the wrong case.

She stayed curled up until she heard Josef in the kitchen and swallowed taking a deep breath. Slowly she climbed out of bed tucking her wings against her back with a light sigh. She ran a hand through her hair and left her bedroom grabbing her amulet on the way out.

"Hey" She said seeing Josef.

Josef looked up from the pancake batter and smiled. “Morning sunshine!” He was trying to put on a brighter face than what he was actually feeling. Between the nightmare last night, and what today was the anniversary of, he wasn’t in the happiest mindset, but he was going to do his best to keep from dragging anyone else down.

Once it was ready, he dropped the batter in to the pan. “How do you take your eggs?” He grabbed a spatula off the counter, and waited for her response and to flip the pancakes.

"Uh...over medium" She said going to lean on the wall "You didn't have to cook..."

It was odd to wake up to someone cooking breakfast, and she really wasn't sure how she felt about it. She was just so used to either being alone or grabbing a meal on her way to work. This was way too much like a normal family life it made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"But thanks...it smells great" She added.

“On it.” It didn’t take long for him to get the cakes out onto plates, and start on the eggs. He already had his whipped up in a bowl since he preferred them scrambled, but he could cook them almost anyway he needed to. The joys of a Jewish house. Had he walked out the door without learning how to cook properly he’d have never gotten his mother away from his apartment.

He could see the unease in her stance. Was it that unusual for someone else to be here? It seemed like her and her brother were close, but then the place barely looked lived in as well. Was it that unusual for them to actually cook a meal for each other?

“Sorry, just kinda used to my routine in the mornings. I don’t eat out that often.” He finished up with the eggs, and handed her her plate. “So what all do we have on the schedule for today. I can probably stop and see Imah this evening, but I need to swing through Hell’s Kitchen on the way in.”