"So you mean to tell me that we're being watched?"
"Interlopers," Oberon growled.
Andy chuckled at the reply, "You're just the cutest little ball of anger, aren't you?"
Oberon cast a glare in Andy's direction and resumed his conversation with Lucifer. The fairy whispered while Lucifer made discrete grunts in reply. An hour or so earlier, Oberon had faintly noticed two figures making hasty movements to leave the town. At the time, he had brushed it off as a trick from the eyes, but Lucifer had begun to appear unsettled. Oberon, loyal as he is, questioned his master's uneasy appearance. Lucifer replied that he had the feeling that someone or something else was in the town with them. The day's visitors had been just a blip on Lucifer's sensory radar; he was so used to the smell of the dead that he assumed he was merely homesick, but there was another smell besides "dead." It was something he was familiar with, and it bugged him until he finally asked Oberon if the fairy had seen anything odd during the day. When Oberon had confirmed Lucifer's suspicion that something was in the town outside of the dead bodies, Lucifer buried his worry and replaced it with a deep rooted hatred. He became even more wary of his new partner, Andy, as he and Lucifer were the only two reasons anything would have ventured into the town that day. It was a small place at the end of a long road. They were the only good reason to go to the town. Lucifer's guard was up. He watched Andy's every move.
Andy, on the other hand, was laying back on one of the motel room beds, flipping through the pages of a novel, so relaxed that one might think he and Satan were long lost friends. Taking a look at his resume, it's surprising that thought isn't true. No, he and Lucifer hadn't been cohorts for very long, but Andy had taken a liking to the red skinned beast who both froze and burned everything he touched. From both a business and friendship standpoint, Andy found Lucifer to be ideal. He was a good listener and had offered substantial and relevant advice in their time together.
Andy had the usual amount of worry about the interlopers as he did whenever he made a kill: none. He didn't worry a lick because to him worrying was a sign of low self-esteem. He had pride in his work, and he intended to keep that pride so long as he was alive. It was his pride that kept him confident and effective in his work. He knew that he could kill anyone who tried to oust him. Whether he did so in front of or behind bars was of no concern to him. He could kill. He suggested that Oberon and a few of his fairies go out to find what they could about the intruders.
"A possibility," Oberon replied.
Andy glanced up from his book. " 'A possibility' ?" he questioned.
Assuming that Andy wanted clarification, Oberon repeated himself, "Yes, a possibility. We're subject to our own set group of predators, all of us are."
Andy pressed his tongue to the inside of his lip, then sighed. He motioned to Oberon, "Come here."
The fairy eagerly fluttered over to Andy.
"So, you're telling me that you won't go check on a few things for a few minutes simply because you are afraid?" Andy asked.
Oberon tightened his face. Words had been put in his mouth. He was not afraid, per se, but he didn't have the same kind of self-appreciation as Andy. He found it unnecessary to put himself and his fellow fairies in danger. They served as an important group of workers for Lucifer. Andy, however, had no mercy. Before Oberon could reply, Andy threw a hand up and grasped the fairy, from neck to foot. Oberon was stunned by the action, especially coming from a human. Lucifer made a step forward and bared his teeth. Andy gave the beast a reassuring look, but Lucifer did not move back to a relaxed position. The air grew colder and frost began to form on the window. Andy released Oberon, and the fairy darted back to Lucifer, cowering behind a crimson shoulder. Lucifer huffed a command to Oberon. Hesitantly, Oberon summoned three of his fairies to go searching with him. The three left. Two remained with Lucifer and Andy. They were silent for a while, but then Andy spoke.
