unknownballad | Hybrid Kingdom PSL

(( Well. There's a bit of reassurance in hearing he holds the same belief in redemption as an angel of the Lord. The spike of pride is short lived, replaced by a curious peering into the display case of baked goods. ))

Black tea and a croissant.

(( Barely have the words left him and he's already looking around for the most advantageous place to sit. He doesn't even realize it's something he does, casing every place he plans to spend more than a handful of minutes in like that. ))

Shall we sit over there?

(( He nods toward a specific table he's picked out for the ease of a potential escape route in case of an emergency. ))

[While David may not know exactly what Emmanuel's doing, the intensity of his gaze as he scopes out the cafe doesn't go unnoticed. It's got to be exhausting, David thinks, living every second of every day at the steady burn this guy does, but he can also see why it makes Emmanuel so appealing to some people. Having his steely eyes fixed on you even for a second does do something strange to a person's heartbeat.]

Yeah, sure. [Looks as good as any other spot to him. He pays the barista, who says she'll bring their orders out in a moment, and then goes to sit at the indicated table.

Once they're both seated, David suddenly remembers that he's been holding onto something he wants to tell Emmanuel:]

Oh, hey! Your family name's Yoon, right? So's mine.

(( It's not something he realizes about himself (though it has been pointed out to him before). The intensity. So much of it is just an effect of how his life was prior to the present moment. Learning about monsters most people don't think are real before he could tie his shoes. Learning how to kill them before he could ride a bike. The years of debacle with his brother leading to his untimely death. His single-minded devotion to make sure that something like wouldn't happen to anyone else if it was in his power to prevent it.

Yeah, he's definitely a little intense.

Emmanuel cants his head to the side, then nods once. ))

Yeah. Emmanuel Yoon. My mother's... (( Another habit. Listing off his lineage when people inquire. Theirs is a long and distinguished line. )) Nevermind. It's not important.

[David has learned very quickly that there are a lot of questions better left unasked around here - everyone's got at least one tragedy, it seems, and a guy with eyes like Emmanuel's probably has a laundry list. But there's no air of tragedy about the way he cuts himself off there, so David presses him curiously:]

What? You guys famous or something? You can brag if you want, I did ask.

(( Famous? More like infamous... among a certain kind of person (and monster). He bows his head, then looks back up. He doesn't want this to seem rude since he's very sure David didn't know non-humans existed even before he met gods and angels. ))

Among a certain group, yes, we're well-known. My family have been monster killers for generations. They... We are very proud of it.

[David's not offended in the slightest. On the contrary, his mouth drops open in awe and his eyes shine as if he's just found out he's sitting with a celebrity.]

Holy shit... so you're like the Van Helsings. That's so fuckin' cool. [After a pause:] And we're definitely not related, 'cause there's nobody that cool in my family.

I believe Van Helsing was based on the Dutch branch of my father's family. I'm told they weren't very discreet in their dealings. We prefer to remain relatively unknown to the general public.

(( Whether they are or aren't related is a mystery for another day. ))

Yoon is a common name. We can research it when all this is over.

Shut. Up. So you're basically an actual Van Helsing! I can't believe you've been the coolest guy in the world all this time and we're only just talking now.

(( What? No! No one's ever accused Emmanuel of being cool before. This feels like pressure. ))

We've talked before...

(( Briefly. The night they met. ))

That doesn't count, I was too busy freaking out about my house being broken into and the GIANT BIRD in my office.

[Actually, that reminds him of another thing he's been meaning to say.]

Thanks for having my back that day, by the way. You were basically the only one who seemed to get how freaky that whole experience was for me.

It's easy to forget most people don't know about any of that stuff. Maybe even easier for them since they're not human like us.

Seriously, man, I'm glad I'm here being protected from the real crazy, but sometimes...

[Oh, wait, David knows the perfect story to illustrate his point. He laughs and leans forward, elbows on the table and fingers laced together.]

... okay, you'll appreciate this more than anyone. The other night I was at the bar and I had this guy come up to me and say "hey, that dude over there has been staring at you all night, you should make a move." Even left me the money to buy him a drink. And he's not bad looking, kind of has an intimidating aura but I'm getting used to that, so I do. And he comes over.

Now once he's closer, I start to notice a weird smell. Not human stink like B.O. or anything, more... charred? Like extreme campfire smell.

(( He's listening, but his expression changes at the 'weird smell' part. Emmanuel's eyes widen a little and he blatantly cuts David off. ))

You met Satan? Here?

Yeeeeeeeah.

And don't judge me, okay, I'm not sensitive to this shit or whatever makes it easier to tell who and what you're dealing with... so if Lucas hadn't clued me in and chased him off, I would've...

[David gestures meaninglessly with his hands.]

Well. I'll spare you the details.

(( Not sensitive??? How did every human in a mile radius not feel the Devil's presence? Well, maybe it makes sense. Lucas and many of the deities Emmanuel's encountered have ways of masking all that. How effective could the Devil be if he couldn't walk among humans?

Lock in, Emmanuel, David is speaking to you. ))

Too late. I do have enough imagination to figure out where this was going.

[Well no kidding, David thinks to himself, you've locked down TWO of the hot Egyptian gods and that takes some serious imagination - and just like that, the topic turns on a dime.]

Okay, listen, I have to ask. I won't be surprised if you just roll your eyes and I will accept that as an answer because this is in no way my business. But.

[Leaning across the table, voice down to a whisper:]

Is it true that you're dating both Horus and Osiris?

Hybrid Kingdom PSL

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