SERAPH - Demon Hunter

Chapter 2

Kurita adjusted her blue tie with both of her hands. "Not how I imagined my first job. A win is a win though."
"You call that a win?" Seraph began to walk down the hallway. Beads of sweat leaked down his face and his breaths were fast. His nostrils flared and his face had taken a shade of pink. "That was anything but a win."
Kurita followed him down the dim lit corridor of the underground facility. "Well that's all the more reason to enjoy this weekend. How about it? A drink to one less monstrosity in the world. A drink in memory of Mr. Howard? Actually, can you even get drunk?"
"I don't drink," Seraph said without looking at Kurita. "And you're a seeker agent now. Learning doesn't end with graduation. It would do you good to study or train in the gym, not drink."
Kurita's face sank and she bit her cheeks. "That's easy for you to say," she said and stopped walking with him. "You get a cut and suddenly it's gone in thirty seconds. This isn't second nature for humans, you know. We need these things called breaks. Obviously whatever you are doesn't."
Seraph stopped as well and turned around. "You're starting to sound like the rest of the agents. I figured you'd be different, seeing as how you chose to work with me."
    Kurita opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.
    "I'm going to the contract wall to see what the updated jobs are," Seraph continued. "I'm not your boss, I'm your partner, but I've been a seeker long enough to know what's good for you. Maybe you should listen to what I have to say, just a thought. But don't get hung up on it too much. I don't need you here to help me and I really don't care. Partners get in the way; they die on you and break their promises."
"Then I'm going to get a coffee," Kurita said. "Then I'll start enjoying my weekend. You should do the same, before you turn into a phantaur yourself. That much work isn't good for a person, or whatever you are. It's bad enough we're not allowed to be romantic with anyone; might as well kick our feet up and enjoy a tv show every now and again. Maybe I'm talking to a wall. You don't watch tv either, do you?"
    Seraph turned away with an aggressive adjustment of his kevlar lined jacket.
Kurita took a deep breath. 'What have you gotten yourself into Kuri? Coffee, on it.'
    The dark corridors started to light up as Kurita headed towards the offices. The ground was now carpeted and the air grew warmer. She passed through an arch where three gold plated words were centered at the top.
      DEFEND-SEEK-PROTECT
    She passed under it into an office space where other agents were gathered. Some of them worked on reports on the agency's advanced computers and others shuffled folders and took trips back and forth to the printers and scanners. Kurita could feel the room shift when she entered. She noticed three separate agents glancing at her. If she'd been given three guesses, her first would be that they were curious about her first job with the fabled Seraph.
    Kurita made her way through the office and into the kitchen area where the coffee machine was located. She took a styrofoam cup from the wooden cupboard and fumbled it out of its plastic wrapping.
    "How's working with the freak, Kuri?"
    Kurita heard a voice from behind her. She turned to see Ramirez, graduated peer of class 76: Kurita's class.
    "Do you ever mind your damn business?" Kuri sighed and faced the coffee machine.
    "I'm just wondering," Ramirez said with a smile. His jacket was off and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He leaned on the counter and reached across to grab a coffee cup. "My partner is great. We killed a gruff-troll by some woodsman's cabin. He made it look so easy! What'd you two get into? Is it true he can really heal? I mean we've all heard it but has he showed you?"
    "Yea, what's the deal?" A second voice came from the offices. "Why are his eyes yellow? Did he tell you yet?"
    Then another voice! "What happened to his last partner?"
    "Does he actually glow in the dark?"
    "Is his real name Seraph or did he make that up to sound cool?"
    "Alright guys, alright, chill out," Kurita replied with the shake of her head.
    "You volunteered for this when you picked him to be your partner," Ramirez replied with a smile and laughter.
    The clamoring went on until Seraph himself walked into the office space. He stopped in the doorway and the chatter came to an immediate halt.
    Seraph set the Manila folder and a large book down on one of the desks. Staplers punched, phones rang, and papers shuffled...but not a word was spoken.
He opened the folder, took out two pages, set them side by side and started to type on an obnoxious keyboard.
"Kurita," he said and shifted his focus up to the coffee maker. "Monday, if you could, please fill out a hunter's statement. We need both our sides for the case file. I'll review them before they're sent up."
"I guess I can finish it up now before I clock out," Kurita replied. "It shouldn't take too long. You did all the heavy work in the interview room anyway."
Kurita took a long sip of coffee and watched Seraph type away at the desk. She sighed, bit her lip and wandered over to him.
"Hey...I didn't mean to offend you. I know I came off as a lazy bitch back there and I promise I'm not. It's just been a long week with graduation and everything. If I did offend you earlier, I just wanted to say you're a person, just like me, wherever you came from, it doesn't matter. I just think that maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I don't want you to think that I don't care about this job-this LIFE that we've been put into. I do. I'm excited to work with you and learn whatever you can teach."
"Then act like it. I don't want to hear pity parties. Take your weekend, watch your tv, I've already told you I don't care. I don't want another partner. Don't grovel at my feet and apologize for something that had no affect on me in the first place. Write that report or go play pretend on the surface with the rest of the agents."
    Kurita grew red in the face. "Alright...in that case, I'll see you Monday, first thing. I trust you've already picked out a good contract for the two of us."
    "I've picked out a good contract."
    Kurita bit her tongue and walked away, her grip nearly popping the lid from the styrofoam cup.