A Monster: Now and Forever (Razgriz x kuro_bara)

"You are never discreet Agnis." She whispered back, feeling his breath against her lips. Perhaps it was the heat of the tub, or maybe the alcohol but Alexis was feeling equally playful as her partner and she had to admit she was curious to see where things would lead. She let her fingers slide over the skin of his chest, leaning in and pressing her lips to his, lightly teasing his lips with her tongue.

This should be good, he thought to himself, shivering ever so slightly despite the heat of the water as she trailed over his chest with her fingers. "So that means you saw through every little ploy of mine, hmm?" he teased her. It was an open secret that Agnis had a thing for Alexis, whether it was because she was attractive, his long-time cohort or both was up for debate. "Well then, this should come as no surprise" he managed to say between each time she licked his lips, pushing himself in for a more intimate kiss.

Smirking slightly she pressed the kiss deeper, teasing her tongue against his and cutting off any more talk. He would probably ruin the moment by rambling if she let him. The kiss sent an electric thrill through her, it had been a long time since she had enjoyed any physical intimacy from anyone and somehow the feel of Agnis' mouth against her own made it all the more enjoyable. Her fingers sank a little lower, down his chest and over his abs...all the way to the waist of shorts he so unwisely wore into the tub. She couldn't help but tease him, each small of his small reactions pushing her to tease a little more. One finger slid along the waist band, just low enough that it brushed past his cock every so slightly.

Agnis grinned as she returned it; true, he could have ruined it with words, but he knew when to cut short. Just wasn't something he did regularly. A hand traveled to her shoulder to help pull her in closer, the feel of her fingers drifting lower and lower towards his manhood making his heart race slightly. A silent chuckle rumbled from his throat as she deliberately brushed his length. "You little tease" he thought, one hand reaching down to grasp her supple breast.

And he was so close...Before there was a loud knock at the front door and a declaration "ROOM SERVICE!"

And just like that, the moment was gone. He pulled away a little, still lingering after the interruption. He gave Alexis a look as if to say, "We could always tell him to leave it at the door".

She gave him the most innocent, sweet smile as he pulled away. "Wow, awesome timing. I'm starving." Alexis pulled herself out of the bath and grabbed one of the fluffy towels to wrap around herself as she stepped onto the mat beside the tub. She cast a glance over her shoulder and smirked at him before sauntering out of the bathroom.

Agnis just shook his head, oddly smiling; that was the worst timing. But still, probably better that it didn't happen now. There would be time for that later, and who knows how long they would have gone at it. With that, he got out as well and stripped himself of his shorts to wrap the other towel around his waist and take both their glasses back out into the main room.

Agnis then answered the door and gave a tip to the one that brought in the food; he had some cash on him, and he saw the surprised look on his face. Normally people charged tips to the room, so to receive something in cash was quite nice. He informed the young man to keep quiet about it; he knew all too well what it was like to run around, doing a job that you probably didn't like all that much.

And with that, he brought their food in and placed on the living room table, saying "Order up" as a joke. A feature he found most handy. "I think you'll like what I ordered" Agnis added, taking the top of the serving plate off to reveal her dish. He wondered if she might be surprised at what he ordered, considering the only green he ever ate was between two buns with cheese.

While Agnis got the food, Alexis tossed on a tank top and a pair of black panties before throwing herself on the sectional. She switched on the flatscreen television and put something mindless on in the back ground as Agnis returned with the food. She gave him a pleased smile when he uncovered the dish. "Nice choices." She commented, her mouth watering at the smell of supper. After topping up their drinks she grabbed her plate and sat back on the sofa to enjoy the meal.

As they ate she, her mind wandered to business. "So any idea where we are starting with the Archne?" She asked, taking another bite of potato. It seemed whatever exchange had happened in the bath, Alexis had chosen to continue on as usual. Though she was certainly looking at Agnis in a whole new way.

Now he was absolutely convinced she was teasing him; if she wasn't careful, he might try to continue what was going on during their spa session, consequences be damned. But still, it was best if they move on for now.

"Don't rightly know. Arachne tend to stick to abandoned buildings and only feed at night. But, given they can assume a human guise, they certainly picked a hell of a feeding ground. What better way to snag prey than come into a city full of drunks and gamblers? Opportunity galore if they've gotten familiar with the landscape." he replied; it was hard to know everything, and they could only work off what other hunters had gathered.

"First thing we need to do is look at our newly found Slim Jim, see if anyone can identify" he then tacked on; they would need to see if anyone might recognize the victim, or if they even could. More often than not, Arachne never left much to be used for identification, so he was hoping they would get lucky.

"Hmm, sounds like its going to be interesting." They had both finished their food and put the plates outside the door for the room attendant to gather. Alexis felt totally relaxed for the first time in ages, despite the difficult mission they had ahead of them. She unfolded herself from the sofa and padded over to the bar fridge, helping herself to one of the beer inside. Fancy champagne was nice, but it didn't beat a cold beer by a long shot. Besides they had already polished off the bottle of bubbly. She brought a second one over and handed it to her partner.

This time it was definitely the booze talking but she couldn't help herself. Agnis was so much fun to tease and she was just as eager to see where things went as he was. Before he had a chance to open the beer, she slid onto his lap, straddling his hips and facing him. This put her face just slightly above his so she could look right into his eyes, with a devious grin. "We are in the City of Sinners..." She said, draping her arms lightly around his neck. "When in Rome?" The last was posed as a question, leaving it up to him to take the next step.

"Should be" was all he said as she handed him a cold one, adding "Appreciated" as he fished for the bottle opener he kept on his key chain. Even still, it seemed she was going to tease him yet again; just as he found that which would let him enjoy the amber liquid, Agnis found his partner sitting in his lap yet again.

Guess the beer can wait, thought Agnis, setting the bottle down and placing his hands on her waist so that his fingertips rested on the curve of her butt. He could feel the smoothness of her skin, the thin panties leaving little to wonder. "I can do the Romans one better" he playfully grinned, trailing his digits so teasingly up her back until they rested on her shoulders. And like that he pulled himself up a little, pressing her lips to his as his tongue sneaked out to join in on the action.

Alexis felt a small sizzle of heat travel through her as he pressed his lips to her, and his lips tasted like the beer they had just been drinking. Her tongue, teased his and she pressed her body against his. Hips to hips, chest to chest and deepened the kiss considerably. She couldn't help but love the way their bodies fit together so nicely. His fingers trailing over her skin made her shiver pleasantly and make an appreciative sound. Whatever business they had could wait, currently she was much more interested in getting to know her partner on a whole new level.

If it weren't for the towel around his waist being so thick, Alexis would have immediately noticed his excitement at the escalation of the situation. "I wonder how far I can take this...Ah, well, what's life without a few risks?" Agnis mused mentally as she pressed harder against him, deepening the kiss they shared. A thought passed that perhaps this wasn't the best time...But the other 'lizard brain' was practically shouting at him to go further. And like most men, he listened to it without question.

His hands trailed from her shoulders, keeping their lips connected before coming to rest on the sides of her flat stomach. They slowly moved their way up and down, rubbing gently for a little while before sensually slipping under the thin tank top, fingertips continuing to massage her and getting dangerously close to her naked breasts.

Alexis gave a small growl as his fingers explored higher, at an agonizingly slow pace. She shifted slightly, practically pressing her bare chest into his wandering hands. Her own hands traveled downward, over his chest and stomach to the towel that was hiding what she really wanted. She leaned forward slightly so his hands were pinned between them against her chest and teased the fabric around his waist loose, kissing along the side of his neck with the odd nibble.

Oh, she managed to get him fired up quite nicely; he didn't care now, his 'lizard brain' was telling him to pounce on her, have them both be sore by morning's light. His hands helped work the shirt off her body, revealing herself fully to him just as she worked the towel off his waist. He pushed her onto the sofa and began their long night together.

---

As morning came, Agnis was laying on his side with Alexis facing away from him on the sizable plush bed in their suite, an arm draped over her shoulder with their bodies under the comfortable covers. Letting out a slight moan, his eyes fluttered open to see the beauty laying next to him. He just hugged her closer, whispering, "Morning, beautiful."

Alexis mumbled sleepily and uncermoniously elbowed the warm body beside her as she sprawled under the covers. A few seconds later her eyes shot open and she rolled over to stare at Agnis. "Well fuck." She gave him a smirk and wriggled a bit closer, draping a bare leg over him. "Guess that ship sailed huh?" She asked, staring thoughtfully at her partner.

"And what a fantastic journey it was" he smiled back, giving her a caring kiss on the forehead. Well, she seemed to be in good spirits so far. That was a good sign. Still...He knew that as comfortable as he felt right here, with her, they couldn't stay like this forever. He reached behind him and grabbed his phone to check the time.

8:30am. Sometimes being a Hunter sucked. But evil never takes a vacation, or at least that's what their boss always said to new recruits.

"Guess we overslept a little" he joked with his characteristic silly grin, knowing that there was still a bit of a timetable to keep. Giving her another small peck on the lips, he then said, "I'll get some coffee started" before getting out of bed.

Alexis rolled out of the bed and stretched her arms above her head. There was some popping and few tender muscles and a sigh of relief as her back snapped. They had quite the romp last night, she could feel it all through her legs and arms as she wandered across the room and started tossing clothing on. She would have to attempt it again sometime without quite so much alcohol involved. Alexis peered towards the kitchenette, watching Agnis with thoughtful look while he made coffee. The bugger still had a silly grin on as he poured out two cups of coffee.

After getting dressed and gratefully accepting the cup of hot coffee, she dropped into a chair and started reading over the compiled notes one more time while waiting for Agnis to get ready.

Agnis' first priority was getting Alexis her morning brew, setting the steaming mug into her hands before going off to dress himself as well; he had a feeling today was going to be a bit of a goose chase. But with any luck, the ease of catching prey in this town would be too much of an allure for the Arachne to up and bolt. Of course, that doubly meant that there could very well be unlucky bastards who ended up in her snare.

He would then sit down across from Alexis, their eyes meeting for a few seconds in contemplation of each other. Seemed things would be a bit different between them, but was that necessarily a bad thing? Agnis didn't think so, and if the glint in his partner's eye was any indication, neither did she.

"Alright, so let's over what we have so far. Guy was found dead in a motel off the main strip. Witness describes him as basically a mummy, some friends say he was perfectly fine the night before. Didn't see who he went with after they went to the Pahrump in Nye County. No surprise there...That's a hell of a haul for an Arachne though. Usually they don't stray far from their nests." he then said to her, adding "First stop should be the hotel he was found at. See if our eight-legged friend left us any clues."

The pair departed their luxurious hotel and headed across town to motel where the victim had been found. Alexis wasn't surprised to see the motel was a rundown half a star (if it was lucky) by the hour pile of wood and peeling paint. Half the rooms had crooked air conditioners hanging haphazardly out of the one tiny window, the doors were ancient and still looked by actual key. Some of the room numbers were loose and hanging upside down. The whole place looked about one good sneeze away from collapsing. She glanced at her partner, and tilted her head as indication to take the lead.

Now, Agnis and Alexis had been to some fairly shady places. Hell, shady was the norm when it came to what they did; staying in a luxury suite was almost non-existent. But this...Christ, this place looked like it should be condemned! How this place even stayed open was a freaking miracle; even for a city like Las Vegas this was low.

"Talk about your bargain motels." the man joked, something between a grimace and a grin on his face. But nonetheless, he followed Alexis' signal and went ahead, making sure his partner was close behind him. The lack of a receptionist, or anyone nearby for that matter, didn't help make the atmosphere any less tense. And stepping through the door, he saw that the outside wasn't just a farce.

"Abandoned...Why am I not surprised?" Agnis groaned; of course it would be. Arachne weren't particularly fond of company, especially if it might mean being disturbed during breeding or feeding. He signaled Alexis to stay low and quiet, drawing his Beretta out in the process. Sure, firearms wouldn't really work to kill it, but these spider-freaks responded terrifically to overbearing and excessive noise. The louder the better, as he'd heard other Hunters describe it.

Soon enough, they arrived at a room that was marked off by police tape. And here Agnis had gotten all dressed in his 'monkey suit' for nothing. Donning a pair of gloves, he carefully removed the ribbon and slowly opened the door, only to find it empty with dusty light filtering in through the nasty stained window. And right in the middle was an opened cocoon, the body conveniently missing and the rest of the place covered in a thick tangle of sticky silk.

"Sonofabitch..." the man muttered, lowering his guard. Seemed the police already moved the body; he really should have figured as such. "Well, I already figured that we would be too late, but I was hoping they would at least have left the body here. Guess we're going to the police station next and talk to the coroner. But let's look around; maybe the thing left us a crumb. Something we can use to track what it might be using as a guise."

Alexis gave the webs a disgusted look and skirted around them as best she could. Using a piece of broken chair leg, she poked at the cocoon while her partner scanned around the room. Tilting her head she caught a flash of colour from inside the discarded mess of web. Making a distinctly grossed out face she reached in and pulled out what appeared to be a half digested wallet. "Like this?" She asked tossing the sticking mess at her partner.

Agnis didn't really time to react, his body jumping and a short yelp leaving his throat as he felt something sticky hit his jacket. Looking down, he saw the gooified mess clinging to his shoulder, his face shooting Alexis something of a glare. "Really?" he then asked exasperatedly, thankful that he was already wearing gloves.

"Gross" he muttered as he peeled the sticky mess off his jacket and tried to go through it; most of what was in there was heavily degraded from the acid-like fluids of the Arachne. What appeared to be credit cards and some cash were all globbed together, and there didn't seem to be anything regarding identification. However, after pulling one of the side flaps open, he found a largely untouched driver's license.

Nevada. Name: Josiah Bryant.

"Well...Think we found our victim's wallet; though without a body we can't exactly tell. Have to wonder how the police missed this." Agnis mumbled; still, they would need to investigate more into this.

"Hey, Alexis...Let's assume this is the victim's wallet. He's brought here by this Arachne, she offs him, feeds and gets the hell out. We're in Vegas, the City of Sin. Think it's too much to assume it took the form of a hooker?" he then asked her, already toying the very likely possibility in his head. Of course, who knew if he was right on it. But right now, it was the best shot they had.

Then again, if they were right...It wouldn't really make things any easier to track this beast down.

Alexis pursed her lips and looked around the room. Hard to believe anyone would willing follow a hooker into here. Even someone desperate had a bit of common sense. She glanced at Agnis and a bit of a smirk spread across her face. "You just want to go investigate the cathouses dont you." She teased. He was right though, there was a pretty decent chance the monster was masquerading as a woman in the sex industry...possibly drugs, though sex was certainly the easier of the two.

"Okay lets go with the theory she is." Alexis said, "Where do we start. I doubt she is stupid enough to work near where she feeds but you never know." She walked over to a decrepit table and wrenched open the drawer on the front. Inside was, just as she expected, a moldy bible and an even soggier phone book. After flipping through a few of the pages carefully, and making a few notes she tossed it unceremoniously onto the floor. "Alright, I have a few addresses. How do you wanna approach this?"

Agnis just smirked at her comment; figured she would go that angle. Then again, he did leave himself open to it...And at least she seemed to take his theory into serious consideration.

How to approach this indeed.

"It's going to be tricky...Even in a place like Vegas, they can't be TOO open about this sort of thing." the man commented, putting a hand to his chin as he wandered the room, his mind trying to work out the best way possible to lure out this Arachne. Of course, there was the option of live bait; needless to say, it was too risky at this point. They had no clue what guise this monstrosity was using, and with the kinds of clothing the street-walkers were wearing it was all too easy to conceal anything that would give away their true form.

"We need to do some research, find out which clubs offer private services. That's more than likely how she managed to get someone here of all places. Then we can check to see if Josiah here went on a 'special date', as they call it." he then said; of course, that would be harder to do if they went in as police officers or investigators. No way they'd get any cooperation if that were the case. And as much as he hated it sometimes, there was likely going to be some breaking and entering in their future.

Alexis scanned the room one more time for heading for the door. "I know we said she wouldn't come back here... but do you think one of us should stay just in case?" As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them. Of course it would be her that would have to stay, he was much more likely to make headway at the cathouses alone than with her tagging along.