Blue Kitsune: Hey everyone and welcome back to the Mummies Alive x Gargoyles crossover. Sorry about the way but I hope everyone will enjoy reading this and also like to give a shout out to Lohis who helped beta this piece and hope you guys like it. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. Read and review.
Disclaimer: Blue Kitsune does not own Mummies Alive or Gargoyles but OC and story are my original idea so yeah.
Chapter 03 – Maza Detective Agency, How May We Help You?
Rath was taking the shorter route through downtown as he rode the Jetcycle away from the club and getting to the Sphinx with no trouble along the way. He got there about an hour later and pulling in through the launch ramp the mummy headed straight for the lab, thinking what a night this turned out to be.
"I mean the last thing I would have expected was Nefertina not even showing up but I guess I'll find out soon enough when she does show her face." Yet he rather waited until much later as he didn't feel in the mood to be bother at the moment.
Right now all he wished for was to sit back and decompress before—suddenly he heard the door being thrown over and turning his head slightly to see a frustrated charioteer coming in and looking very ticked off.
"Rath where have you been?! You won't believe what happened!" Then she started ranting which Rath figured she would as she came in to gripe about tonight being so awful for her.
Well so much for that, he thought bitterly though he was also quite peeved with Nefertina since she was the one who had been late and not the other way around. If anything he should be the one asking her that exact question on where she had been all night.
"I can only very well imagine what an eventful night you have been through," He said with sarcasm dripping in his voice, "but I'm assuming you had reasons to be. I mean you somehow got caught in traffic. No wait was that before or after the Hot-Ra's engine got overheated, when I have told you many times not to put so much pressure on the throttle? No, well I'm sure you already took your sweet time fixing the problem and driving over the speed limit that's when you got the local's attention and had the constables chasing you until you managed to give them the slip but lost track of time."
He could almost see it in his head of what the Charioteer had gotten herself into, knowing her reckless driving behind the wheel as he had been with her so many times. If his heart wasn't already inside its canonic sacred jar, safe and sound, he was sure that it would have been feeling very pressurized by the ordeal.
"Yeah but they couldn't keep up with me, we both know that Rath." She said but the scribe could care less about what she thought of how she maneuvered those people yet listened as she continue to explain. "But by the time I got to the club, I saw another police car already at the scene and I just couldn't go in since I already had one on my tail tonight. Though I did notice they were putting these guys in their cars and that was it. I couldn't tell what went down over there but from what I figured they were being put in the 'slammers' for the night although they looked like they got their tuts handed to them."
Well if only you knew Nef, if only you knew. That should teach those hooligans a valuable lesson of not underestimating someone by trying to outnumber them.
He didn't say any of this out loud though and was pleased to hear that the ruffians wouldn't be bothering anyone else for some time now. Although they were probably busy tending to their bruised pride right about now, the scribe inwardly smirked to himself. Not to brag or anything, but he knew he still got it after three thousand years and bet they hadn't expected to be 'floored' by someone who could be almost considered their very great grandfather.
He turned to Nefertina and saw she was giving him that look, the one where she wanted to know what happened since he had been there at the time when it had occurred. He honestly wasn't in the mood to go explaining anything to her and frankly he was still ticked off for what she put him through and wasn't going to tell her a single thing. Let her cough up a hairball for all he cared, he thought to himself.
But then he had an idea pop in his head and considering that it would be payback for her forcing him to go with her plans and being stuck waiting for her to show up.
"I don't know Nefertina, I mean really I thought you were going to show as you said you were. I mean with your driving, you could have gotten there in under less than a couple of minutes."
That's it, I got something you very much want as I know something and you, like every woman, have to hear interesting tidbit. It's in your nature to want it.
He saw Nefertina's eyes narrow though the woman was trying not to let it show but she was like an open papyrus to him. She was like a very hungry pussy cat who saw that someone was keeping the best cream from them and would do just about anything to get it. Oh yes he knew just how to get under her bandages without needing to use such extensive force. He knew how to bait and reel better than Jakal himself could with the likes of her.
Here kitty, kitty, come on, don't you want it you overgrown furball. Come on I got a nice tasty treat you like to sink your teeth into.
"Hey don't blame me, I told you it wasn't my fault." Rath raised a brow, pretending to look skeptic while inside he was gloating as he acted out his part.
"Oh really are you absolutely sure? You know considering you're behind the wheel all the time and I mean one would have expected that the fastest charioteer in the Pharaoh's court would have gotten there without any trouble and we all know how you love to take things too fast."
He saw her frown and before she could say anything, he continued, wanting to make sure she didn't realize she was being played for a fool.
"Now, I would love to give you all the juicy details but I'm afraid I have other things preoccupying my thoughts at the moment. You know as well as I that tomorrow is my turn to do a certain chore and you know how grueling that can be which could very well have it slip my mind by then and I might even forget all about it within the next few days."
Ha, as if! He had to keep himself from barking a laugh when he said this. Him forgetting, that was highly unlikely as he was nothing like a certain Ram warrior with his one-track mind on gorging himself on food and the info would be stored inside his head without him forgetting a single thing about it. But he was keeping his expression neutral, knowing Nefertina couldn't stand not to be told something and would do just about anything to get it to leave his lips.
"Fine how about this, I'll do your share then. I'll clean the sacred cat's litter box for your week!" He had to resist smirking as she took it without hesitation.
Gotcha kitty and the award for pulling the wool over your eyes goes to yours truly. Oh Nef, if only you could see what you got yourself into.
"Well if you really insist, I suppose I can tell you. From what I know those men couldn't really hold down their liquor. The owner must've thrown them out. As for me, around that time I decided to go use the facility before I decided to take my leave. Yet one would assume that's when the police showed up because they were loitering or pissing on private property just to spite everyone. That's all I can tell you, now if you will excuse me, I'm going to turn in. Good night Nef and oh have fun tomorrow cleaning the sacred cat's box."
He faked a yawn and walking past her to head out, not failing to see the gobsmack look on the Charioteer's face as she realized she had been duped and now had two weeks of cleaning Kahti's litter box 'cause she was right after Rath's. He could hear her cursing as he exited the lab but she should have seen it coming and learned not to underestimate the likes of him.
Hmph, maybe that will teach you to be punctual next time and arrive on the designated clock instead of keeping everyone waiting like you're the Queen of the Nile.
Though he was slightly tired and ready to turn in as today had turn out to be a very long one for him, his mind was elsewhere at the moment. He was thinking about that young woman and recalling how they peered into each other's soul.
Though he kept his mind locked to keep anyone from breeching in to know his secrets, he found she had done the same and had a very strong aura around hers. He hadn't picked it up before but was now realizing there was something more to her than he had originally thought.
Whoever she was, she had very strong magic dwelling inside as he could feel it circulating through her body. He knew no ordinary mortal could have that much bountless energy yet couldn't quite figure as of why yet.
He could not stop thinking about her as he made his way to his sarcophagus. She continued to haunt his thoughts even when he closed his eyes and let himself fall into the blissful slumbers that sleep could provide for him. The last thing he thought before falling unconscious were those beautiful amber eyes of her…
Meanwhile around that same time as Rath was lying down for the evening back at the Sphinx, Jasmine was driving through the city and heading across the bridge so she could get back to her place. She was putting the bike into full throttle, not caring about any cops that were on patrol and which would probably come after her once they found her going over the speed limit down here. She didn't really give a hoot if they gave chase while flashing their red and blue sirens since she had other things on her mind and the least of her concerns was getting a ticket from those boys in blue.
Beside I like to see them try and catch me. There's no way they could keep up with her, not after the Nightwing had been upgraded with its' new modification that Lex had made sure she got before bringing the bike to the states. It had the horsepower that could almost be consider a mini sonic engine if she used it at its' true capacity.
They stood no chance against her and could easily spin circles around them and still have mileage to get her way around this town. But seemed like fortune was finally smiling upon her as there were no police around and she wasn't going to be pulled over anytime soon. She was making her way through traffic and since there weren't many cars around, didn't mind going at the pace she was and making sharp turns that would have had her tires screeching but knew how to handle this machine with no worries of losing control.
Lexington knew what he was doing when he came to designing this little beauty for her. It had the latest state of the art high-tech gears and a programmed AI interface that would only recognize her and allow no one else to ride it unless were given permission to input their data into its' database. The Nightwing was absolute perfection, she thought, with its' all black and blue chrome exterior, the Wyvern insignia shimmering silver in the moonlight. Not only did her baby have the finest engine Xanatos Enterprise could come up with, but it had been inlaid with a few magical incantations that allowed it to be nearly indestructible and the rider didn't have to worry about it getting broken down so easily.
It's like flying only on the ground, course she could've also activated the flier mode easily but wanted to just ride it out through here. She felt the cool breeze on her skin and had her hair flying behind her as she made her way to the other side without delay. It didn't take her very long as she was getting closer to her destination, seeing the industrial warehouse-like building up ahead. It was sitting on the outskirts of town but not so far from being isolated from civilization since she still had to get supplies every now and then but did have a great view of the island from across the distance.
Home sweet home. Not only that, but this was also her place of establishment, her working office. Sure, it didn't look exactly appealing what with its' seeming old-fashion construct exterior though written in plain white lettering etched in the glass pane on the door was 'Detective Jasmine Maza. Private Investigator' and underneath it was her hours along with the number in case they failed to reach her or if she wasn't in at the moment.
Although not many would have realized it but she did consider this place to be a representation of who she was in some way -more than others. They both share a likeness of them not showing their true selves and let them believe what they see on the outer appeal. That they fail to understand the concept of 'appearances can be deceiving' until they step inside and see for themselves and get a better idea of who she really was and that she took herself very serious when on the job.
Jasmine drove the bike towards the back of the building, making a sharp U-turn before heading straight for the wall without slowing down or putting on the brakes.
Now if anyone had seen this, they would have thought she had lost her mind but what they didn't know was that this wall was not fully solid and was an illusionary barrier that was set up for herself. It had a downward ramp that lead underneath the building and into what was a garage-storage unit.
The lights came on as the automatic sensor detected her arrival and would later shut off when she left but not before setting the security system as she had no plans on going elsewhere this evening.
She pulled the bike right up next to a dark green 1957Chevy Bel Air. It was a similar model to her mother's back home but with a few minor adjustments and some upgrades that kept its' motor running even if it would outlast maybe two or three of the newer models that would someday come to the showroom in the nearby future.
She stopped and kicking the prop stand out before turning the ignition and killing the engine instantly. She ran a tired hand through her windblown hair, mussing it up further but it didn't really matter as she thought how exhausted she felt after she finally got in.
Jalapeño, what a night this was. I hope Heather had better luck than I did today.She got off Nightwing and was heading for the steel ladder that was under the base of the building and climbing upward until she reached the trapdoor that was right above her head. She unlatched it and pulled herself through the small opening and was standing inside another room that had a dozen filing cabinets propped against the walls along with shelves stacked with binders, folders, notebooks, journals and other things that she kept in here.
This was where she had all her transitions, paperwork and other important documents filed away and categorizing them by date, client's name and information, everything that was absolutely necessary in her line of work.
With so many files on hand, one would think she had a hard time keeping track of everything there. But thanks to Owen, or should she say Puck, and him showing her a handy 'trick' she had no real trouble keeping tabs on what she had and 'the trick' was very useful in finding what she needed.
It came so easy as all she had to do was say the incantation while thinking of that particular piece, whether it was by name, date or some notes she had put down on it. Then shortly after this was said, the object would come flying right to her hands and having the information she needed on there.
She smiled to herself thinking how magic sure did provide such uses, especially since it kept things well organized and also kept her from losing her mind as she was not one to have the patience to be rummaging around all these papers without making a mess of things in the process.
She kicked the door close with her toe and then watched as the outline of it was already blending with the rest of the floorboard, making it completely invisible to anyone's eyes.
Call her cautious but she preferred to play it safe as she rather didn't want anyone coming into her home unless they were invited in by her or were simply someone who needed her help. This place was padded down and was like an impenetrable fortress when it came to the high wards she had on it and only someone with higher magic could be able to penetrate this place's defense though that person might come across some difficulties with the other neat gadgets she had set in for such an emergency.
She stepped into her main office-business room, seeing no need to turn on any lights since her eyes had already adjusted themselves the moment she got in. Her vision becoming more accurate and perceiving like that of any nocturnal being's and could see the outline of everything within the darkness. She was able to easily maneuver her way around and without knocking into anything while heading for the elevator that was on the far right side of the room.
She was waiting for the door to slide open before stepping in and then pressing one of the buttons in front of her, picking which floor she wanted to go to. She leaned her back against the wall while waiting for the car to start pulling her up. There were three floors to this building, well four if one were to count the underground garage -if they even knew about it.
The first was obviously where she conducted her business and it had the appearance of an ordinary office though she wanted her clients to be comfortable around her when they came in. She knew it was how one represented themselves and having acquired suitable taste when she pick out the furniture for it and wanted them to be moderate and impressive. The looks on her clients' faces were absolutely priceless and she could almost read the unasked question as they wondered if they had stepped into the wrong agency while Jasmine had to keep from laughing at the shock expression on them.
But really did they expect her to be anything like the people in those old black and white detective films her brother Broadway loved so much. This was the twenty-first century and she wasn't some second rate gumball average Joe. She was actually quite good at what she did when on the job as many of her clients complimented as did the prices she did for them.
Of course the people she had dropping in, well some weren't exactly normal but her motto was that she would take any case, whether from mortal or from magical beings and the most usually tended to be from the latter side.
She remembered how she used to dream of one day following in her parents' footsteps and being an officer of the law as well as a protector of the people just like her clan. But there was also her fascination with magic and after hearing the stories of her parents' travels around the world and helping the many people on their way, including a few of Oberon's children.
While she was working on earning her degree at the NYU, she thought what if she too could be of service for not just the mortals, but for the magical beings that were amongst them in this world.
She knew that even they had to deal with certain unresolved issues and couldn't very well go and ask the humans for their help since they couldn't quite grasp the concept of their existence or be of any absolute assistance to them.
She thought that everyone deserved a helping hand and who better than someone who used magic and was use to handling mortal's dilemmas. Not to mention with having some Fae blood in her and the backing of Lord Oberon and Lady Titania, that should help ease the tension should they not be so sure about her qualification.
It didn't take her very long for her to reach this decision and knowing what she had to do, and what she wanted to do. She started doing research and looking up certain areas around the continent, trying to find which seemed to be the most populated and was the local hot spot for the supernatural beings within the fifty-two states. Once that was done, all that was left was to discuss this with her clan and hoping they would abide with her decision and give their support.
She knew they were not expecting this when she told them her plans. They had figured that she would attend the police academy after college and join the NYPD where her mother's division was. Though she had admitted it had been something she once considered before but they deserved to know why she felt it might be a better alternative for her.
Listening to her as she explained her reasons for doing this, she saw her family was thinking over what she said and seeing it from her perspective. Not only would she still be one to uphold the law but it would benefit everyone as it wouldn't be fair not to consider the other race didn't have their share of problems and were not likely to open themselves to the mortals to do so. Her parents knew just how determined she was about this, seeing she had already made up her mind whether they liked it or not but understanding her reasons in all of it.
It was in her blood to help protect the people, her strong nature as a gargoyle, as well as to follow the Maza's line of thinking to uphold the law and bring justice to those who need it. They could see themselves in their youngest child who was very well committed to her decision in becoming a private investigator and moving cross-state. They didn't have much to worry about her, knowing she was fully capable of handling herself and would have no trouble on her own though they were going to miss her.
Everyone was on board with her as they consented to it, knowing that within a few months she would be moving to a place called California that was many miles from Manhattan. Her brotherly trio, seeing how their baby sister was going to be spreading her wings very soon and set up new roots elsewhere, decided to give her the shindig of a lifetime before she left.
It was quite a nice time and she did enjoy seeing her family and friends showing up to the Eeryie Building and coming to wish her the best of luck when they heard the news.
She saw Alex's grandmother, the Lady Titania along with her husband who heard of her plans and thinking her service would be very useful for their plight as they could use someone of her skill to provide aid to the Third Race.
The Xanatos also gave their well regards to her, her godmother hugging her and telling her to remember all she had showed her. Then when she saw her godfather he handed her a rolled up document and opening it to find it was a lease to a building that was under immediate construction and would be finished within a few more weeks, way before she would arrive there.
"Consider it a parting gift from us, we figure a private eye needs her own personal establishment to conduct her business, of course with a few adds on courtesy from yours truly."
He had found out about his godchild's plans before the clan was told and figuring what a better surprise than to give her a place to call her own and once the construction was finishes and with Puck's help, he would set a magic portal that would lead her there in no time flat. No hassle and it would keep things easy than to have her deal with the long flight.
She was very surprised though shouldn't have since she hadn't been sure of what place she could find or even an apartment she could use without giving herself away. Though she had to wait until construction was finished before she could go there, which was fine, as she was busy filling out the necessary paperwork to get her license and full registration complete and arranging for her stuff to be packed up and shipped over later on, when she got around to it.
This place might not seem like much grand or built elegant like the Taj Mahal but she didn't mind. She felt this was perfect and thankful for her godparents in providing her a place to make roots and also let her set up a shop around these part.
She had done some more looking into this area and learning about the magical communities that were in this area and once word got to some of the locals of her and the kind of work she was offering for their kind. Well let's just say it had been pretty hectic and left her with her hands full for the last few months and was well compensated for her services after she finished and then going at a more normal pace afterwards. Though financially speaking, money was not really an issue since she had a trust fund set up in her name by her godparents and had close to almost a quarter million in the bank.
She thought it was a nice gesture from her godfather though thinking he might have more or less did it just to peeve their folks off when he put money into hers and Bella's account. She was rather humble about her money and considered earning hers than having someone go and pay it from their own pockets. But at least she did use some of it to help pay for the electrical and utility bills while the rest was set-aside for a rainy day. Or whenever she came across a charitable event she would leave an anonymous donation to help the cause, feeling it was better to give back to the community and feeling pleased with herself.
That was her life in a nutshell and she enjoyed working as a detective and really had not much to complain about -well up until tonight, at least.
She was now passing the second part of the building and that floor happened to be her training room. She had to stay well in shape when on the job and it also was a great stress relief as she practiced some moves and also got to work on her other 'training' methods. The walls in that room were decorated with an assortment of different weapons, some she had used before on certain cases and proven to be most efficient against what she went up against. It never hurts to be prepared for anything in case she had a run in with someone who could prove to be more than she could handle hand to hand and wasn't exactly a normal being.
Then she finally arrived at her destination as she reached the third floor and exiting the elevator and stepping into the room. It was originally built as a single large two-story but after Xanatos brought the compound and had it converted into an apartment-studio for her, making it have a partial upper story on the side of the room opposite the main windows.
It was very spacious and running around the loft on one side that was an upper-level balcony, wider at either end as accessed by a pair of stairways, one located centrally in the room, and the other at the far end from the entrance.
A balcony ran along the wall, with a broader square extension at either end. The upper floor was where the bedrooms and bathroom were, one room for her and the others for guests or family members that should one day drop in and would need some place to crash for a while. At the end of it, the balcony extended further out into the loft than the internal walls of the room, providing a walkway that ran around the bedroom and above the kitchen area that also had a bar and a dinette set.
It was a nice pad for her, a bit over spacious and having all kinds of décor littering the place that looked more fitting for someone with loads of money with the fine art and lavish furniture about but all this was hers and she liked her privacy as much as the next person. Home sweet home.
She heard the TV was on and walking over to the end of the room to the entertainment area, she saw a female gargoyle sitting on the leather couch, flipping through the channels while munching away on some popcorn and grabbing the soda sitting on the table. Jasmine mentally shook her head before letting her presence be known as she hadn't even heard her coming in.
"Heather, if I told you once, I told you at least a dozen times, please use a coaster for your drink as I don't want you leaving any rings on that table. You know that cost four hundred dollars and was a home warming gift from my sister and Alex." The gargoyle turned and saw Jasmine standing behind her.
"Hey Jazz, welcome back!" She said as Jasmine came over and joined her side, "Wow you look really tuckered out. I take that this was a total dud like the last few."
She figured as much since Jasmine had been checking all the places and hoping her quarry was among one of them but judging from the tired expression on her face Heather knew it hadn't been going so well that evening.
Jasmine sighed as she leaned her head back and looking up at the ceiling, certainly thinking what a bust tonight had turned out to be and was no closer to finding Minos at all. "Yes but it was far worse than you can imagine Heather. Apparently besides being hit on by every male within the five mile radar of every guy in every bar and club, I had to fight these morons who just were a waste of time but still left me in a very bad mood."
Heather had not been expecting that though she should have seen it coming, knowing it was partly her doing as she was the one to have forced her cousin to dress in that get-up. Also the fact that Jasmine was a very attractive individual, whether in her normal form or her garg self but still sometimes those people needed to understand she was not that kind of girl to be played around with.
She was glad to hear she was all right, though probably not for the boys who dared to mess with her. They'll probably be wondering how someone like her had managed to whoop their asses so easily. They should consider themselves lucky that was all she did to them. Then again, they wouldn't have stood a chance since Jasmine was no pushover. She was a master blackbelt and also very formidable and wouldn't have hold back if they weren't simply human. They should be grateful that Jazz wasn't going to go all garg on them and probably scared the living daylights out of them. But Jasmine always did have better control over her inner being and made to keep it well under especially since the night was suppose to be theirs, not locked away under some enchantment like now.
"Wow that sucks but I'm sure you'll have better luck tomorrow. I mean the Council will understand and can't keep hounding you since you have been doing all you can all the time since you have been working for six days nonstop to find him."
Jasmine made an unladylike snort as she looked at her cousin with a bored expression, "Heather that won't make any difference to them. They won't be so thrilled to find out that I haven't found Minos yet especially since they wanted this to be done like maybe oh I don't know, two days ago."
Sometimes she hated those pompous high and mighty Faes at times. They just seemed to want her to do things within a certain timeframe and get them done underway. It wasn't like she wasn't trying to do her job; she was doing everything within her power to track Minos down. She was only one person, well half human half gargoyle anyway but she couldn't really make a complaint about it now can she?
Heather passed Jasmine some of her soda, figuring she liked something to drink thinking she really needed it more than she did and saw Jazz thank her for it.
"But it's not your fault. Seriously, you've been working hard to crack this case and I know cause I have seen you go down towards the areas he has been to, look at the damage done and then some. I mean there are like a billion night clubs, how are you suppose to find a single Minotaur among all of them? Well besides the obvious that he's half bull and wouldn't be hard to spot but still wouldn't it be fair they gave you a hand in this. Like if you had something of his, like a piece of cloth, a tuft of fur or whatever and then you can easily pinpoint him, no contest. But let's face it, this is San Francisco we're talking here, home and resident to the all supernatural and it would be like trying to look through a thousand haystacks for one single needle, course said 'needle' is a five hundred pound bull made of muscles and raging hormones and such."
The half gargoyle knew what Heather was saying but did little to ease her. "Yeah well it looks like I might just have to contact Sandra tomorrow and hope she can give me more insight than Willy did. Don't get me wrong, I trust the guy but then at least she'll be able to give me something, though her visions aren't always a hundred percent for certain but I guess it's better than naught and help me find Minos faster."
She then narrowed her eyes and the can in her hand was being crushed as she thought of what a day she'd been put through and wanting to get her hands on that no good half-bull immortal… An inhumane growl escaped from Jasmine's lips as she said snarling, "When I do find him, he's seriously going to regret ever coming to this town, I swear by Avalon, he's gonna regret tangoing with the likes of me."
After the night she had went through, she deserved some retaliation and wanted to pay that bull bastard.
Heather said nothing but taking the destroyed can from her cousin's grasp and set it down, seeing how mangled it was and knew she was pissed about tonight. She'd hate to be in Minos' shoes right this very moment. If there was one thing she learned while hanging around her cousin, it was never to go messing with the wrong Maza, especially since they can revert into a super strong creature and use powerful magic, and they know just how to use it.
Those who deal with Jasmine, had to learn to give her nothing but the honest truth or they'd be finding themselves in a whole new world of pain if they didn't cooperate.
The bronze-skinned gargoyle then went to pat her on the shoulder and was doing her best to try and calm her cousin down. She thought maybe if she told her what she found, that might help ease her tension, if not by a smidge since it was all they got going for them so far.
"Hey I know tonight seem like a total bust but while you were out checking around those places downtown, I manage to hack in and download the city's map landscape and checking the areas he has been at over the last couples weeks. I've been thinking it wouldn't be hard to figure where exactly his lair could be or which bank he might strike next if possible but we might need some more outlets and blueprints from city hall to further look into it." She pulled her laptop from under the table and showing the image she had uploaded as well as placing 'x's in which areas he had been at and seeing how far apart they were.
That seemed to do the trick as Jasmine was now staring at the outline on the screen before turning to Heather with a weary grin on her face. "Now that's something worth hearing. I want you to try to figure the exact pattern and also where it's most likely he's in. No doubt it has to be somewhere nearby unless he can run with hooves for feet with all that gold he's carrying. Keep up the good work."
"No prob Jazz and don't worry, you'll find him since you're a Maza and Maza always stop the bad guys, be it mortal or something otherwise."
"Yeah thanks for that, I really needed the pep talk but now let's just take our mind off work for the moment and see what's on tonight."
"That's the spirit, so let's take a look and see!" Heather grabbed the remote and started flipping channels, trying to find what was on at this hour until it came to an old episode from a show they saw last week but at least was something that could preoccupy them for a little while.
They finished watching it before it went to commercial and Jasmine seeing the time was close to one in the morning. Jasmine put her hand over her mouth to suppress the yawn that came out as she decided to call it a night.
"Look I'm going to turn in, don't stay up too late cause last time you did, you left the TV on and there was some action movie on and it was blasting at full volume. I almost thought we were under attack and nearly shot your head off when I checked out what it was."
Heather flushed and her cheeks turning a slightly darker shade of peach as she too remembered that since her cousin came rushing in, eyes aglow and her hands sparking with blue energy as she was ready to conjure a fireball before realizing what had happened.
"Oh yeah I should have known that I left something on, sometimes I'm so forgetful and I guess maybe it's a good idea to call it a night too. Although I might just simply go work out downstairs for a bit and burn some of the calories though with our high metabolism you wouldn't think we would need to work out. I mean thank Avalon you have those special tinted glass there."
One of the pros that Jasmine had for owning this area was that she had placed a special sort of tint glass on the windows to keep sunlight out, just in case, but then also shutters that helped to prevent anyone seeing who was down there working.
Last thing she wanted was rumors circulating in the tabloids of someone seeing a gargoyle doing aerobics or yoga. Yeah she could definitely see the headlines for that in the paper and it did give her something to laugh at after what she had been through tonight.
"No problem, take your time and you know since we already cast the spell that will simply turn you mortal and not stone when morning comes, so you shouldn't be so worried about that. By the way did you get any word from your folks yet?"
Heather shook her head as she hadn't but figured they would whenever they got the chance to. "Not yet but but father and mother are probably still traveling aboard and most likely recharging their batteries right now or something and I'm glad you're okay in letting me stay here while they're gone."
"Of course it's the least I can do since we're cousins after all and you're more than welcome to stay with me as long as you like. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready for bed, nite."
"Nite!" She watched as Heather left the room and heading for the second floor before she headed upstairs and reaching for the first door on the left. Opening the door, she tried to make as little noise as possible in case they were asleep, which she hoped as she wanted to go and lie down.
But as soon as she managed to pry it open half an inch, she found it thrown open and her toppling to the floor with two large gargoyle beasts sitting on top of her, both licking her face at the same time.
"Oh I missed you guys too, now Raj come on, don't do that. Bagheera, no that tickles!" She couldn't help laughing as both garpets were showering her with their undying affection, glad to see her home and been waiting ever so patiently for her to return.
She reached under Bagheera's chin, rubbing the spot he liked while patting Rajah on the snout to let herself get up. They were about almost the same size as Bronx though Bagheera was bigger than his brother and their coloring was different than both their parents. Bagheera was a much darker blue than his father, almost black with yellow glowing eyes while Rajah had taken on more the characteristic of their mother in body structure though bore dark stripe markings over his slightly reddish-orange body. She shooed them off of her and sitting upright while seeing they were sitting right next to her, their tails wagging as they barked and nuzzled her.
They were two special garpets that she got off from Avalon when she last visited there with her family as a child. She remember how excited she was after hearing the stories her parents told her about that place and when they arrived there to see all the gargoyles and meeting them in person.
Some had immediately recognized her parents and elder sister but when they saw her and Bella, they figured out who they were and were instantly welcomed to their home. She met the old couple that had been raising the gargoyles and were very nice as they went to show them around, explaining the history of Avalon as well as stories told about the legend behind King Arthur who once resided on this mystical island.
They even got to see where some of the most recently hatched gargoyles were including those two small ones that had been hatching as Jasmine went to see for herself when they came out into this world, all cute and yapping. She remembered having the two pups trail behind her as she continued to roam the castle. It had been a load of fun and they had become so attached to her that when it had been time to go home and the pups, not wanting her to leave and she didn't like having to go either.
Catherine and Tom had decided to let her take them with her, that was of course after she got her parent's permission since her father thought it all right as every child deserved to have a close companion while her mother wanted them housebroken so that they didn't leave a mess at the Eeryie building.
They were the best companions a gargoyle could have around, like guard dogs they were fiercely loyal to a point and always by her side when she needed them. They had been through thick and thin and shared many things together as the years went by. But when she had made the decision to head upstate, the thought of not only was she leaving her family behind but them as well. She knew it would have left them heartbroken and she didn't think she would have like it either but with a little help from her godparents, she was able to transport the two here and making sure the secured wards were set so that her pets would be let to roam around.
They were very good with keeping an eye on the place when she was out and even if someone dare try to get in, then they would have to face these two. They would not let anyone dare enter their mistress's home without her given permission.
"Okay okay I miss you both too, all right you win." Eventually they ceased though Jasmine now had their drool clinging to her in wet globs and didn't like the idea of going to bed like this. Especially when she knew she didn't exactly smell like fresh roses either. She decided to go shower first, figuring she could really go for one to help ease the tension in her body and make her feel more relax once she hit the sack.
She walked into the adjoin bathroom and went to turn the facet on and while she waited until the water was warmed up, she proceed to remove her clothes. She could smell the booze and cigarettes that cling to them, knowing that after hitting every bar and club in town that it was bound to get on her as well as some of the stink from the alley behind that club.
It made her gag and wrinkle her nose; she quickly tossed them into the hamper, shutting the lid close over it. She made a mental note to get them washed sometime tomorrow as the last thing she needed was to have that stinking up all her other clothes also that she didn't like the reminder it left of what a total bust tonight was.
She took her time getting cleaned up as she stood under the shower head, letting the water wash away the grime and dirt that cling to her and then lather herself from head to toe until the only thing that she could smell was the lavender scented body wash. She used another towel to dry her hair and then slipped into some comfortable clothes before heading back to the bedroom.
She saw Bagheera and Rajah lying down in their spots, waiting for her to show as she got out and made to sit on the bed. They knew she had a long day and would let her rest but they would be on their guard to keep watch over her as she slept. She smiled as she pat both beasts on the head, "All right boys, I'll see you both in the morning bright and early."
Yet even as she made to lie down and try to let sleep take over, she found herself unable as she was thinking back to what happen in the alley. Mostly about that person that had helped her, and she wondering who he was.
Those undeniable green eyes that shone like two emeralds, eyes that were so memorizing, that she had felt something stir within her that she hadn't felt before until that very moment. She wished she had gone and asked for his name. Now all she had to remember him by were those eyes.
Give it a rest Jazz, it's not like you're going to see him, I mean what are the chances you'll see him again?
Yet that didn't stop her from hoping that maybe, that somewhere along the line they'd meet again and soon she fell asleep dreaming about him unaware that another was thinking the same himself about her as well.
