The Hunter

Pizza and Parlay

Gloria closed her book and blinked owlishly. There was no clock in the room and her phone had died at some point. She set the book down on the low table in front of her and stretched her limbs, feeling a creak in her joints that told her she had been sitting reading a lot longer than she thought. She stood, a rush of blood to her head making her momentarily dizzy, and stared out the door to the library confused why the thudding hadn't stopped. After a moment she realized it was someone knocking at the door.

She stepped into the darkened hallway and looked towards the front door where a silhouette was visible. "Miss Finn?" Gloria called. There was no answer and the lights in the house seemed to be all out except in her library. A soft glow seemed to come from the walls and Gloria made a mental note if she survived whatever was about to happen to find a book about the house.

She moved carefully down the hall towards the door and listened intently.

"Pizza delivery." The voice from the other side of the door startled her and Gloria jumped. 

"I didn't order a pizza." Gloria called as she reached forward and locked the deadbolt. Laughter from the other side of the door made her back away quickly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. Look I can leave the pizza on the step and go if you want. There is a message to go with it though, would you be able to pass it on to Finn for me?"

Gloria licked her lips nervously. "I think you should just go." A shudder passed through the house and a yelp sounded from the other side of the door. The deadbolt disappeared and the door swung open revealing a man crouched with a box of pizza balanced on one hand, the other braced behind him against the wall that hadn't been there when Gloria came in the door.

"Hades preserve me that was a new one." The man looked at Gloria and nodded. "Glad it didn't just catch me by surprise. I meant it though, I can just leave this here and go if you don't mind passing the message on to Finn for me."

"I suppose if the house is going to let you in I can do that. Although I warn you I will light you on fire if you do anything strange." Gloria blustered.

"That's more than fair." The man set the pizza down and held both hands palm up. "In good health and good company."

Gloria stared at the stranger a moment, waiting for the message. When none was forthcoming she blinked. "What?"

"That's the message. In good health and good company. Finn will know what it means." He stood watching Gloria. "You don't have a clue what to do now do you." He said calmly.

Gloria took a step back, heat rising in her throat and positive she was about to be murdered. A hand on her shoulder made her shriek and drop to the floor. A soothing chill spread from where Finn had touched her as she stared panting up at her odd landlord.

"It's alright kid, he's one of the good ones. Usually." Finn raised her hands and made a motion as though receiving something. "Thanks."

"You okay Finn?" The man asked as he lowered his hands and relaxed his posture. "You look like shit."

"Why thank you. I'm fine, you can fuck off now." She waved at him and lifted the pizza off the ground. He opened his mouth as she turned to walk away and Gloria saw, for the first time, what looked like tear streaks through sweat and dirt. The door closed in the mans face, the deadbolt back in place and turned to the locked position.

Gloria stood and followed Finn into the kitchen where she watched as Finn scrubbed her face with water and a towel before she grabbed a knife and opened the pizza box. She pulled a piece from the box and turned to eat it without a plate while she leaned her hip against the counter. Gloria took a slice and nibbled at it, she was picky about her pizza, and then took a large bite with a groan of enjoyment.

After she had swallowed she wiped her mouth with her hand and looked at Finn. "I didn't realize you even had a phone. Sorry, I thought you were some sort of total non-tech person."

"I am, and I didn't order this." Finn wiped her hands on her disgusting pants and then seemed to realize what she had done and growled, turning to wash her hands. "It's a gift from a friend. She has the best timing and she always knows what to send me."

Gloria tried to chew and nod at the same time but found the pizza in her mouth impossible to ignore. When she had finally finished eating, three slices she realized, she took in Finn's appearance.

"He was right though. You are looking rough." Gloria said slowly, unsure how her host would take the comment.

"Nothing that a shower and washing the clothes won't fix. I found the training room and it was a mess, to put it lightly." Finn sat down across the table from Gloria. "We need to have a chat. For some reason the house seems to want you to stay, not for a few days but indefinitely. I need to find out what exactly that old witch was doing with you when you were at the café to learn, and we need to talk about the society that you are obviously not aware you are a part of."

Gloria swallowed. "That seems like a lot. I just met you yesterday."

Finn nodded. "It is, and I have something I need to finish with before I can really explain anything properly. I have to leave you here alone while I go do that. So we have to have some part of the conversation now." Finn glanced to the side a moment before continuing. "Probably best to do this in the library." She stood and led the way.

Gloria was surprised when the entered the room she had left less than an hour ago. Where there had been warm browns and soft lighting it was now bright white lights and steel shelves. 

"Don't mind the change, I'm more utilitarian than most." Finn went to a shelf labelled House Maintenance and ran her finger along the spines of the uniform books, before selecting one and handing it to Gloria.

"Basically while I'm gone you will have control of the house. This book is your basics about the house. Do not let anyone in while I'm gone, and stay out of my room. Remember the house exists wherever you need it to at any given time. Right now we're in Ireland and to anyone else we look like an abandoned old witches hut. You can move it anywhere and get it to fit in but I'll warn you now that there are places that I would not recommend asking it to go."

Gloria opened the book to its Times New Roman table of contents and flicked her eyes to Finn. "Like where?"

"Well I guarantee the Secret Service will notice a new shed on the Whitehouse lawn."

Gloria looked at Finn startled. "Wait, you really meant anywhere?"

"Of course. You can even put it on the moon but remember that outside the house there is more radiation and less atmosphere than you can survive." Finn reached into an out of place wicker basket beside the door and pulled out a sword belt that she swung expertly around her hips. The sword followed and Gloria frowned.

"Why do you need a sword? Aren't you magic?"

"I am, but one of the reasons I'm so good at what I do is that I don't rely on any single thing to do my job." Finn set a pair of earrings into her ears and her clothes changed from jeans and a t-shirt into black tights and a grey knit sweater over a black turtleneck.

"Is your room dangerous?"

"No, it's just mine and I don't like people in it." Finn pressed her lips together and then shrugged. "If you need anything you're kinda out of luck until I get back though."

"Is your job dangerous?" Gloria shut the book and looked at Finn concerned.

"Usually. Hasn't killed me yet though." She turned to leave and paused. "If this is the job that does though trust the house to look after you and find you the people you need to help too."

"How would I even know if you die?"

"So long as my room is there I'm alive. That's rather how the house works." Finn looked over her shoulder, her eyes travelling over the library that was already beginning to shift back to the warm wood and reds that Gloria preferred. "When I get back we will find out if you have been tapped for the position of Chronicler and if so, discuss if you even want it. In the mean time there is absolutely nothing in this house, besides my room, that is off limits to you. The training room is warded and cleaned so if you feel like you're going to lose control go in there. You'll be safe."

Finn walked out hoping she wasn't making another life altering mistake.