"…okay", Pat was the first one to comment, raising an eyebrow, "that was quite the unexpected reaction."
"Why would anyone send somebody who has no idea who we are and what we can do?" Willow wanted to know, frowning as she poked the unconscious guy with her toe, making sure he really was out and not just faking it, "that's just senseless."
"Well", the demon gave back, eying the man with slight amusement, "if demons can't touch this thing without risking getting shocked, and vampires can't enter without an invitation, hiring a human is the only way to get that Staff by breaking into our home."
"Good point", the redhead had to admit, "but still, why not tell him?"
"Depends", Pat shrugged, surprising her moments later by moving to where she had hung her pants before going to sleep and pulling the belt out of the loops, then using it to bind the guy's hands behind his back, "if he's a hired monkey, they might have figured he wouldn't believe them anyway, or that he might not take the job, thinking they're a bunch of nutcases."
"Again I have to say, good point", Willow nodded, smiling at her partner, "but why would you call him a monkey? That's not nice."
"That's just a term", the taller woman shrugged, dropping him on the couch rather carelessly after she had finished tying him up, "it's what certain… circles call burglars for hire."
"Oh", the witch gave back, momentarily feeling a bit silly, "I see… Do they also have a name for people like you were before we met?"
"Several", Pat let her know, "metal man for those who wanted to sound cool, hitman in the traditional sense, or just assassin. A few also called us permanent problem solvers."
"Charming", Willow mumbled, then the tied up burglar on the couch let out a groan, his eyelids fluttering before they slowly opened – only for his eyes to widen moments later as he realized that he had been tied up, panic filling his gaze as he started to struggle weakly.
"Hold still", Pat snapped, her voice so cold and full of authority that it momentarily startled Willow, the surprised look she gave her partner unnoticed by their captive; for a few seconds, she wondered if maybe, this had been how the demon had talked to her victims, then shrugged it off as she looked at the burglar again as well, feeling a bit of pity for him when she saw the terror in his eyes.
"Please", he said before the taller woman could ask him anything, "I never meant to hurt you or something! I'm just a burglar, I just got hired to get this stick or whatever it is from you, it was just supposed to be a simple in and out job! Please don't hurt me!"
"Who hired you?" Pat demanded to know in reply, making him squirm and struggle on the couch by bending closer to him, until their noses were almost touching, her good eye flaring up red and making him cry out again, his eyes widening as he, apparently for the first time, got a good look at her ruined eye and had time to take in the scar tissue covering the empty socket, "spit it out!"
"I don't know!" he nearly sobbed in reply, looking as if he might start crying any second now, "just… some guy wearing a robe! He told me he'd pay me really well, if I'd just get that stick from you guys, that's all, I swear!"
"I think he's telling the truth", Willow decided to perform the role of good cop, giving him a hopefully calming smile – before he might remember that they were in an apartment building and might get the idea to scream for help, the witch figuring that, even though if he had broken into their home, the police might not look kindly at the two of them tying him up and keeping him there against his will.
"I am, I am", he nodded empathically, "I swear! And I didn't intend to take anything else! I just wanted to get that stick and get out again! Really!"
"I think we should let him go", Willow suggested, the grateful look he gave her almost pathetic, "he surely learned his lesson now. Didn't you?"
"Yes, yes", he nodded at once, so enthusiastically that it surprised the witch he wasn't getting whiplash; smirking rather maliciously, Pat briefly glanced at her partner, then looked at him again, her voice still cold when she replied, her words making the man cower in fear again.
"Not yet. There are a few more things I want to know", she stated, and for a moment, the guy looked as if he might pee his pants; then, she went on, and the immense relief which showed on his features in response nearly caused her to drop the façade of the cold and uncaring demon as she had to bite back laughter while she asked him how he had been instructed to deliver the stick.
"I can tell you that!" he cried out, shifting on his seat again, by now clearly getting uncomfortable from having his hands tied behind his back, "I was supposed to deliver the staff an hour from now, to a bar! I think it was called Wilhelm's…"
"Willy's", Pat corrected, raising an eyebrow, "and you're lucky you won't have to go there. It's a local demon and vampire hangout, you wouldn't have gotten out alive again."
"What!" the burglar squealed in reply, looking as if he might want to faint again, "demon and vampire hideout?! You can't be serious!"
"Oh, we are", Willow reassured him, "so be glad we caught you. Pat, a word please?"
Nodding, the demon followed her partner into the kitchen as she led the way, curious what this was about now; in the living room, the burglar was breathing slowly and deeply, obviously trying hard to not faint yet again.
"We should let him go", the witch told her lover as soon as the door had been closed behind them, keeping her voice low to make sure the man wouldn't hear them, "but perhaps we should make sure he doesn't remember any of this."
"A forgetting spell", the taller woman nodded at once, "good idea. Do you need anything for that?"
"Lethe's Bramble", Willow replied at once, "but I got that here. How much should we wipe from his mind?"
"The last four or five hours", Pat decided in reply, "to make sure he also forgot getting that job."
Nodding her agreement, Willow figured that this should be more than enough; for a moment, she worried if she'd be able to time the memory wipe like that, then told herself that surely, a witch with power as great as hers could do such a simple spell as exactly as she wanted to, pushing those doubts aside as she gestured at the door leading back to the living room, the demon nodding in response to her unanswered question.
"What are you doing?" the man asked as she moved to the cupboard where she kept all her magical supplies, looking and sounding slightly nervous as he shifted on the couch; smirking at him, the demon leaned against the wall and casually crossed her arms over her chest, making his gaze flicker to her when she spoke up.
"No worries", she let him know, her words obviously not reassuring him much though, "we won't harm you. We'll just make sure you won't come here again."
"I won't, I promise", the guy gave back at once, "please, you don't have to do anything. Really."
"It won't harm you", Willow replied, having found the Lethe's Bramble she needed for the spell and another herb she'd use to put the man to sleep, "I promise."
She gave him a smile, then her fingers closed over the herb and crushed it as she breathed "Forget", focusing hard on the time frame she had agreed on with Pat, not wanting to make him forget too much; and then, she added the spell to put him to sleep, his body slumping over on the couch surprisingly quick as he started snoring, the spell taking effect immediately.
"Good job", Pat complimented her, moving away from the wall and to their slumbering captive, "now let's drop him off somewhere and then go meet the nice man who hired him."
"We should take the Staff, too", Willow suggested, looking at said object, "just in case someone else comes by to steal it while we're gone."
Nodding her agreement, the demon moved to the couch and bent down to pick the slumbering man up; before she could do so, Willow spoke up again, reminding her of the fact that they both still were in their pyjamas and that they should probably change before heading out for Willy's, her words making the taller woman roll her good eye at her own stupidity.
"Good point", she then had to admit, making her partner giggle while she nodded; together, they made their way to the bedroom, quickly changing into clothes more suitable for going out there before they left the apartment, Pat carrying the snoring man over one shoulder while Willow was holding the Staff yet again, both of them confident that, at Willy's, they'd get the answers they needed.