They left the restaurant and went straight to Aisling's house. The red haired girl remembered that she wasn't exactly discharge from the hospital. She planned on calling the hospital to let them know she's fine and that she didn't run or something.
“I’m sorry for… all the trouble….”
Aisling blinked and looked at Mari. What did she mean? About being chased by demons or running away? She wasn't upset or angry at all. She was glad that they were safe so she said,“It’s fine…”
She smiled reassuringly at Mari and looked forwards again. “This place has changed really quick…..” It has changed, one moment she was an ordinary girl working part time as a ghost hunter, then she was faced with demons and then became an angel...She shook her head and forced to smile. “But I’m sure everything will work out in the end… it should….”
“By the end of the war and everything,” Both Aisling and Mari jump and look back at Ohno, he had been quiet and Aisling had almost forgot he was there. “We’ll all be laughing and great friends, and then maybe….” Aisling sensed a sudden change from Ohno's emotions as his face turned red. She blinked and sort of understood what was going on and held by a laugh.
Mari was looking at him in a curious way and suddenly asked,“Ohno do you like someone?” Ohno blinked and laughed rather nervously. “You have that face like you do….”
“Just a friend…..She’s really special to me….” replied Ohno sighing “And what about you Miss protective?” The red head man smirked and elbowed Mari teasingly. “I saw you talking with this one.” He titled his head towards the sleeping Kaki on Ohno's back. Mari blushed and swiftly punch Ohno. He laughed after recovering quickly and Aisling laughed with them. They were almost to Aisling's house and continued walking.“If this war hadn’t been going on for ages…” Ohno sighed out loud.
Aisling thought about it.“But then none of us would know each other…” Aisling said smiling slightly. Ohno blinked at her and laughed, "True."
Ailing saw him becoming tense and froze for the moment. “Ohno? What’s wrong?”
Ohno shook his head and said a slight smile,“It’s nothing,”
Aisling frowned and wasn't convinced. Had he sensed something? She wanted to make sure by opening her psyche for a moment and sense if anything was suspicious was in the area.
"There you are!"
Aisling looked around and saw her grandmother, still in her true form of a red head angel rushing over to them. "Come! Come! Come!" She said impatiently and ushered all four of them inside the house. Aisling glanced back before the door closed and saw what look like a giant pale gold currant circling around the house and yard; a force field? Aine quickly shut the door and sighed.
"Is something wrong?" Aisling asked.
"Oh it's nothing you need to worry about know," Aine said. It appeared that she was speaking only to Aisling, Mari. But she looked at Ohno with a serious we need to talk look. Ohno stared back at her and silently nodded.
"What happened to Kaki?" Aine asked stepping over to Ohno and Kaki. She gently brush his blond hair out of his face and she suddenly frowned.
"He's just sleeping" Ohno said.
Aine said nothing then shrugged, "Will you take him to his room please. Mari please show you where it is."
Ohno nodded and followed Mari to Kaki's room.
"Why are you out of the hospital?"
Aine's suddenly darken tone made Aisling jump. "Well...it was dinner time and I didn't want hospital food. I think they're purposely making they're patients feel worse so they're force to stay longer and the bill goes up." She laughed nervously but Aine was clearing not in the mood for light hearted jokes.
"That medical staff are going to have a fit with they're patients suddenly going missing." Aine said running her fingers through her hair in irritation "And going out wasn't the wisest choices. With demons and HIM out there..." 'HIM' was obviously Merrick.
"Sorry Nana I'll go call...." Right at the moment the phone at the other end of the entrance hall rang. "Uh..I'll get it..." Aisling hurried across the room and picked up the phone at the third ring. "Hello this is the Alvey's residence."
"Hello little Ash!" Replied Merrick's voice. Aisling blinked in surprise.
"Um...hi uncle..."
Aine twitch when she realized it was that damn magician and was quickly next to Aisling but didn't take the phone from her yet.
"I was calling to make sure you made it home okay. I went back to the hospital and smoothed everything over for you. So you don't have to worry anything."
"Oh...thank you." Aisling said blinking. Aine sighed quietly, crossed her arms in front of her and glared at nothing in particular. "You didn't have to do that."
"Oh but I wanted to. You're my favorite brother's daughter and my favorite niece after all!" He said cheerfully. "Since I'm talking to you already I wanted to ask you if--"
Aine snatched the phone out of Aisling's hand and slammed it down on the handset cradle. "Nana?"
"Aisling do not talk to him," Aine said glaring intensely at Aisling.
"What? Why?"
"He's a dangerous man and a liar. He is not to be trusted whatever the circumstances understand."
Aisling stared at her and silently nodded. "Good...go to your room. I want to have a word with the shaman Ohno and then with Mari." Aisling blinked. With Mari it had to be about running away from the house but why did she want to talk to Ohno? She didn't question the angel woman and went to her bedroom passing Ohno at the hallway.
She found Mari closing the door to Kaki's room. Mari saw Aisling and asked nervously. "Is she mad?"
Aisling blinked then understood she was asking about Aine. "I don't think she's really mad at you. Well she's not in a really good mood but that's mostly because of my uncle."
"You're uncle?"
"I tell you about him while we wait for Nana. Don't worry she's most likely lecture you until you go brain dead." Aisling said lightly.
"Okay..." Mari said with a nod.
~*~
Aine and Ohno were back at the same sitting room that they were in before. Aine sat down in front of the red haired vessel with her arms crossed. She mind kept going over about Merrick, and the missing Unknowns.
"That's a very impressive barrier you have around this area." Ohno committed snapping Aine out of her thoughts. "It appears even the toughest demon could have a hard time breaking through."
"Yes but if several demon lords or high ranking demon servants were to work together..." Aine shook her head. It was very likely that will happen soon so she had to hurry to prepare for it. "I wanted to talk to you about Merrick Alvey. I'm sure you know of him."
Ohno nodded. "Of course I know that magician..."
Aine grimaced. She felt almost responsible for the terrible things that were caused by Merrick since he was her Son In Law's brother and she regretted not confronting Merrick years ago. "I'm aware that you're an informant."
Ohno raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you asking for information?"
"I am, you are probably unwilling to give information to angels so I'll pay you with information you might find interesting. It's about the Unknowns."
"Go on."
"I recently discovered that they were fifteen Unknown items hidden in this property." Ohno stared at her in surprise. "I swear I knew nothing of this until this morning. I wouldn't have been able to if I hadn't had an Unknown with me. But the problem is that they're gone; all of them. There is only one person that I am certain that could have done it."
"Merrick," Ohno said in more of a statement then a guess.
Aine sighed, "Yes. But no one saw him and it's hard to trace his spirit pressure but I can't think of anyone else. Demons could not have enter the property without causing some chaos that would have alerted me. So it has to be him."
"Considering of his hobby of collecting not only powerful Earth Spirits but objects that have spiritual connections like the Unknowns I have to agree with you." Ohno said after a moment.
Aine nodded, "I would like to ask you as an Informant to gather information about Merrick.
"Shouldn't you ask the Watchers,the Messenger Angels? I thought gathering information and spying is their job."
"I know but something has been killing the Messengers that had been recently sent to earth." Aine said sighing. "The Choir ordered that none of the remaining Messengers were to leave Heaven and they sent arch angels to scout out and investigate the cause of the disappearances." She looked at Ohno. "You do not have to help me... It's your decision."
***
okay I'm too tired to continue. Just for FYI sake Merrick has a lot of connections and friends in high places. It's not just demons but humans as well. He friends with very rich and powerful humans; like government leaders and criminal gangs like the Mafia, and the Yakuza O.o;
it's scary how many powerful people he knows. He uses this for his own advantage of course
