Peanut Butter #5, Chocolate Gelato #9 + gummy bunnies + fresh peaches
Story: Hand of Fate
Title: The Side Jobs
Prompts: Peanut Butter #5: wood, Chocolate Gelato #9: cave canum (beware of dog) + gummy bunnies (500themes #23: remember me) + fresh peaches (the trick is to be more strategic and less frantic)
Rating: PG13
Words: 2666
Summary: Part 5. From here on out the timeline is going to jump around a little bit while I hit the highlights of Indy's new life. Indy meets Teague and learns firsthand about the second culture
I pulled my phone out of my purse and checked to see who was calling me. I didn't recognize the number but it was local so I answered it. "Hello?"
"Indy Meyer?" A deep voice I didn't recognize said.
"Yeah?"
"This is Teague Delaroche. West told you about me."
My previous comfortable feeling vanished. It had been two days since my abrupt introduction to my new life, and I was still feeling a little bit raw from the whole encounter. West had been understanding and let me be, calling me only once to make sure I was okay. West had told me about Teague that morning after; he was a Hand of Fate as well. Teague and West, and I guess me now, were the three Hands that resided in New Orleans full-time. There were two more than he'd mentioned, Cherry Robichaux and Cosimo Falzarano, but Cherry lived over in Baton Rouge and Cosimo traveled around the world for his day job a lot.
However, West had not said anything about Teague contacting me. "How did you get my number?"
"West," Teague said. He seemed to be the economical type when it came to using words. "I've been asked to oversee a transaction between the local were-packs. West told me you don't know about the second culture, so you should come with me for an introduction."
Neither the wording nor his tone made it sound like he was an invitation so much as an order. "Teague, no offense, but I don't you from Adam. Why the hell would I go anywhere with you?"
I could practically hear his shrug over the line. "Your choice," he said neutrally.
Well this was a conundrum. If he'd pushed the issue then I would have had reason to tell him to piss off, but he just left it up to me, like he didn't care one way or the other. And if I was really going to have to be a part of this 'second culture' or whatever, then having someone introduce it to me would be preferable to the roughshod way I'd been introduced to the duties of a Hand.
"Fine," I sighed. "When and where?"
"Six thirty. I'll give you the address to my shop and we'll go to the meeting together."
I wrote down the address, repeated it back to him, and then Teague just hung up the phone without any sort of a goodbye. I shook my head. Were all Hands this socially inept?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The address he'd given me was to a warehouse on the docks. I would have been worried but there was a sign by the door that said "Delaroche & Volant Custom Boatbuilders". There was that Hand profession thing coming through. I baked bread, West made furniture, and Teague built boats.
I stepped into the warehouse and was assaulted by the smell of turpentine and heat. There was a half-finished hull turned upside down that dominated the middle of the workspace, and a few men scattered throughout the area working with wood and tools and other manly things.
One man in particular caught my eye. He was a big guy, made bigger by the tight muscle he had packed onto his frame. Objectively, I realized he was very attractive but that wasn't what made me focus so completely on him. There was a darkness within him. I recognized it because I'd just killed a man that had made me feel the same way. I waited for the daydream, for the clue from the goddess about how to destroy this vessel, but that whispered voice in my head was strangely silent.
The man must have felt me staring because he looked up from the piece of metal he was working on straight at me. His eyes weren't dark and I still didn't hear the voice but I couldn't stop focusing on him.
He put an end to it. He rolled his eyes and shouted. "Teague!"
A man with leaner muscle than the other stepped out of an office to the side and looked over at me. I assumed this was Teague. And the answer to my question about his social ineptness was a resounding yes, though Teague's social inadequacies were vastly different from West's and my own. I was cynical, and if you wanted to be honest, a bit mean. West was uncomfortable but kind of endearing once you got past the rampant awkwardness. Teague, on the other hand, was flat out dangerous. Everything about him, from his expression to the way he moved, screamed predator.
Teague made his way over to me, pausing only to speak quickly to the first man. He shook my hand in greeting. "Indy."
"Teague." My curiosity got the better of me. I nodded to the man that was watching our interaction out of the corner of his eye. "Who's that?"
Teague didn't give anything away, but I got the feeling that I was treading on dangerous ground. "My business partner, Joe Volant. We were in the military together."
"He's a vessel?" I asked.
"Joe's not your concern." The menace in Teague's voice jerked my attention back to him.
I gave him a squinty eyed glare. "Remarkably enough, I'm not that interested in cutting out another man's heart so soon after I had the pleasure of the last one so you can keep your thinly-veiled threats to yourself."
That made Teague's lips quirk upwards into something like a smile. He nodded his head. "Got it. You ready?"
He led me out the shop and over to a black truck with all the bells and whistles. "Nice," I couldn't help but admire.
"Being a Hand pays well," was all he said.
"Really?" I asked as soon as he got into the driver's seat.
"Yeah. We don't get paid for doing Fate's work but side jobs like the one we're going to pay."
"What exactly is this side job?"
"Tensions between two of the local packs has been escalating in the past weeks. It's about to be the full moon and they want to settle the problem before then."
"Why?"
Teague looked at me then. "You really don't know anything about supernaturals?"
"Do the vampires sparkle?"
"Only if you roll them in glitter."
"Then no."
Again he gave me that semi-smile. "Werewolves can change at will, but on the full moon they lose their humanity and become completely wolf. If they've got a beef that's been bothering them, then they'll take care of it any way they see fit on the full moon. And no one wants that kind of exposure and bloodshed."
"So there really are werewolves and vampires and shit running around in New Orleans?" I was just beginning to come to terms that I existed, but now I was supposed to believe in all the fantasy animals too? The mind boggled.
"Yep, but you shouldn't believe everything you read. There's nothing sexy about a vampire sucking your blood, the werewolves can get rabies, and the witches are all nut jobs. The dragons are cool though."
"Dragons," I smacked my forehead. "Wonderful."
"Just concentrate on this for now," Teague said. "The wolf packs are led by Caraby and John Purtell. Caraby's territory is primarily north of Lake Pontchartrain but he's taken a part of East New Orleans too. Purtell's the one that runs most of the city. They're always fighting about territory but recently a couple of their pack members have gotten physical about it. They're going to hash out a definitive line between their territories tonight. Our job is to make sure neither one of them tries to off each other."
I blinked. "Do you normally take jobs like this?"
"We all do," Teague said with a shrug. "The Hands have a reputation as being indifferent to the plights of life. We get a lot of requests to act as impartial referees for any disputes in the second culture."
"Is this that whole good and evil thing West was talking about?"
"Probably. Good and evil are products of existence, not ingredients. It's not our fight. We're the only ones besides the gods that can honestly say we are not involved in the fight between good and evil, so we can involve ourselves with just about any race without repercussion. Just don't get involved in the fight."
"And keeping these werewolves from killing each other is not getting involved?"
He shrugged. "We're not taking a side. Just keeping things on the up and up."
We drove for a little while longer in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I wouldn't say this was the safest place I'd ever been. Teague was harder to understand than West, but he was easier to be around. Teague had the confidence of a man that knew what he was doing and didn't have to brag about it.
Teague finally pulled the truck to a stop in front of a rundown bar in a not-so-safe part of the city. "Alright, I'll take the lead on this one but don't let them intimidate you."
I rolled my eyes. "Please. I shoot fire out of my palms. The only thing that can intimidate me at this point is a broken fire hydrant."
He laughed. Like all his other expressions it wasn't big, just a little chuckle, but it was real and it made me think better of him. He wasn't emotionally dead, just muted. "Come on."
I followed Teague into the dark bar. After my eyes adjusted, I saw two guys sitting together at a table. They had to be werewolves. They nodded at Teague, who jerked his head towards the backroom. He led the way, the two men coming in behind us. The backroom was brighter than the bar, with two similarly built men already seated at a large round table I knew was normally reserved for a poker game. They would be the other wolf pack then.
As soon as the door shut, the big guy in red plaid and worn out jeans following us pulled me backwards against him. "Have we met before, sweetheart?"
What was it about the supernatural world that made it impossible for anyone to use a good pickup line? I pushed out of his embrace and gave him a tight smile. "Petco, maybe?"
"This is the new Hand, Indy Meyer," Teague said before it escalated. He pointed at the man that had grabbed me. "That's Caraby and his pack beta, Louie Kline." Teague motioned towards the broad blond man at the table. "John Purtell and his beta, Sam Voigt."
"We didn't ask for a second Hand to be present," Purtell said.
"She's just here to learn the ropes. I'm the one you're answering to."
None of the wolves looked particularly pleased with the idea of answering to anyone but Purtell nodded. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."
The wolves sat at the table and Teague directed me to stand at the door. He posted up the wall next to me, his arms crossed over his chest and his attention on the table.
"Wolves won't use guns but watch for knives," he said under his breath. "And if any of them change, we isolate them."
"How long does this take?" I asked.
"Could be awhile. Purtell's older and he doesn't take kindly to Caraby moving into the city, but Caraby's got power and they both know it."
I watched the wolves with interest. It was definitely a new experience. There was as much growling as there was talking, and the male posturing was outrageous. There was no mistaking they were wolves, but they'd come here intent on being human and hashing out a deal. Purtell wanted Caraby to move out of the city altogether but Caraby laughed in his face when he said it. I got the distinct feeling that Caraby didn't respect Purtell, and that he intended to take over all of Purtell's territory. Purtell, on the other hand, was much more reserved than Caraby, though that was entirely relative. Purtell had experience on his side. This wasn't the first time he'd dealt with a rival pack with an aggressive alpha.
Finally the wolves came to an agreement. They had decided down to the sidewalk where one territory ended and the other began and they both swore they wouldn't allow any more bloodshed between their pack at least until after the full moon. Not exactly a peace treaty, but it seemed to be how they normally played things.
Teague finally moved from his post, the first movement other than his eyes that he'd made during the whole meeting. "We're done here?"
Purtell nodded. He shook Teague's hand and handed over a coin. "Thanks."
Caraby bypassed Teague and went for me. He took my hand in his and didn't let go when I tugged on it. My eyes narrowed as he leaned forward and kissed my palm then put a coin in there. "It's been a pleasure, cher."
"Well that makes one of us." I jerked my hand again and all he did was laugh and move closer to me.
"I like a bitch with some fire in her."
"Then you're going to love me," I snapped. Caraby hissed and jerked away from me as my hand was engulfed in a bright flame. I put out the flame as soon as he let go. "Aww, did the puppy get burned?"
"Why you little-"
"Enough," Purtell snapped. "Get the hell out of my territory, Caraby."
Caraby glared down at me, a low growl coming from deep in his throat. I smiled beatifically up at him. He snapped his mouth shut and pushed away from me then prowled out the door, his beta behind him. Teague and I followed them to the parking lot and watched them drive away. Teague cut his eyes over to me. "For future reference, wolves don't like being called puppies."
"And I don't like being manhandled. Looks like we all learned something tonight," I said offhandedly while I took advantage of the overhead light to look at the coin Caraby had given me. "Is this gold?" I asked incredulously.
Teague pocketed his own coin. "The second culture doesn’t like paper money. They either trade services or gold and silver. That's a 1/4 ounce American Eagle gold bullion coin. Last I checked it was worth about $550."
"Holy shit," I held onto the coin tighter. "Are you serious?"
"I told you these jobs paid well."
I tried to give the coin Caraby had handed me over to Teague but he shook his head. "It's your cut."
"But I didn't do anything."
"Neither did I," Teague pointed out. "Most of the time we're just there to keep people from getting any bright ideas."
"And the other times?"
Teague smirked. "The other times you get to burn more than Caraby's hand."
I would have replied but we were both distracted by a car that pulled into the parking lot with a squeal. It was a clunker of a car with only one headlight working and more dents than smooth spots on the sides. It jerked to a stop in the spot right in front of us.
I stiffened when I looked in the windshield. "Do you know who that is?"
Teague focused on the person in the car. "Theo Culvis. He's one of Purtell's wolves. An enforcer."
I glared at the man that hefted himself out of the car too small for him. "You know how I said I didn't have any ties to the supernatural world?"
Teague looked at me then. "Yeah?"
"Well I suppose I was wrong."
Theo noticed us and stiffened when he saw Teague. Then he looked at me and he stared for a long moment before the light bulb blinked on. His eyes widened to almost comical proportions. "Ana?"
I thought about burning the man on the spot. It would be oh so satisfying. Instead I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "Long time no see, Daddy."
Title: The Side Jobs
Prompts: Peanut Butter #5: wood, Chocolate Gelato #9: cave canum (beware of dog) + gummy bunnies (500themes #23: remember me) + fresh peaches (the trick is to be more strategic and less frantic)
Rating: PG13
Words: 2666
Summary: Part 5. From here on out the timeline is going to jump around a little bit while I hit the highlights of Indy's new life. Indy meets Teague and learns firsthand about the second culture
I pulled my phone out of my purse and checked to see who was calling me. I didn't recognize the number but it was local so I answered it. "Hello?"
"Indy Meyer?" A deep voice I didn't recognize said.
"Yeah?"
"This is Teague Delaroche. West told you about me."
My previous comfortable feeling vanished. It had been two days since my abrupt introduction to my new life, and I was still feeling a little bit raw from the whole encounter. West had been understanding and let me be, calling me only once to make sure I was okay. West had told me about Teague that morning after; he was a Hand of Fate as well. Teague and West, and I guess me now, were the three Hands that resided in New Orleans full-time. There were two more than he'd mentioned, Cherry Robichaux and Cosimo Falzarano, but Cherry lived over in Baton Rouge and Cosimo traveled around the world for his day job a lot.
However, West had not said anything about Teague contacting me. "How did you get my number?"
"West," Teague said. He seemed to be the economical type when it came to using words. "I've been asked to oversee a transaction between the local were-packs. West told me you don't know about the second culture, so you should come with me for an introduction."
Neither the wording nor his tone made it sound like he was an invitation so much as an order. "Teague, no offense, but I don't you from Adam. Why the hell would I go anywhere with you?"
I could practically hear his shrug over the line. "Your choice," he said neutrally.
Well this was a conundrum. If he'd pushed the issue then I would have had reason to tell him to piss off, but he just left it up to me, like he didn't care one way or the other. And if I was really going to have to be a part of this 'second culture' or whatever, then having someone introduce it to me would be preferable to the roughshod way I'd been introduced to the duties of a Hand.
"Fine," I sighed. "When and where?"
"Six thirty. I'll give you the address to my shop and we'll go to the meeting together."
I wrote down the address, repeated it back to him, and then Teague just hung up the phone without any sort of a goodbye. I shook my head. Were all Hands this socially inept?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The address he'd given me was to a warehouse on the docks. I would have been worried but there was a sign by the door that said "Delaroche & Volant Custom Boatbuilders". There was that Hand profession thing coming through. I baked bread, West made furniture, and Teague built boats.
I stepped into the warehouse and was assaulted by the smell of turpentine and heat. There was a half-finished hull turned upside down that dominated the middle of the workspace, and a few men scattered throughout the area working with wood and tools and other manly things.
One man in particular caught my eye. He was a big guy, made bigger by the tight muscle he had packed onto his frame. Objectively, I realized he was very attractive but that wasn't what made me focus so completely on him. There was a darkness within him. I recognized it because I'd just killed a man that had made me feel the same way. I waited for the daydream, for the clue from the goddess about how to destroy this vessel, but that whispered voice in my head was strangely silent.
The man must have felt me staring because he looked up from the piece of metal he was working on straight at me. His eyes weren't dark and I still didn't hear the voice but I couldn't stop focusing on him.
He put an end to it. He rolled his eyes and shouted. "Teague!"
A man with leaner muscle than the other stepped out of an office to the side and looked over at me. I assumed this was Teague. And the answer to my question about his social ineptness was a resounding yes, though Teague's social inadequacies were vastly different from West's and my own. I was cynical, and if you wanted to be honest, a bit mean. West was uncomfortable but kind of endearing once you got past the rampant awkwardness. Teague, on the other hand, was flat out dangerous. Everything about him, from his expression to the way he moved, screamed predator.
Teague made his way over to me, pausing only to speak quickly to the first man. He shook my hand in greeting. "Indy."
"Teague." My curiosity got the better of me. I nodded to the man that was watching our interaction out of the corner of his eye. "Who's that?"
Teague didn't give anything away, but I got the feeling that I was treading on dangerous ground. "My business partner, Joe Volant. We were in the military together."
"He's a vessel?" I asked.
"Joe's not your concern." The menace in Teague's voice jerked my attention back to him.
I gave him a squinty eyed glare. "Remarkably enough, I'm not that interested in cutting out another man's heart so soon after I had the pleasure of the last one so you can keep your thinly-veiled threats to yourself."
That made Teague's lips quirk upwards into something like a smile. He nodded his head. "Got it. You ready?"
He led me out the shop and over to a black truck with all the bells and whistles. "Nice," I couldn't help but admire.
"Being a Hand pays well," was all he said.
"Really?" I asked as soon as he got into the driver's seat.
"Yeah. We don't get paid for doing Fate's work but side jobs like the one we're going to pay."
"What exactly is this side job?"
"Tensions between two of the local packs has been escalating in the past weeks. It's about to be the full moon and they want to settle the problem before then."
"Why?"
Teague looked at me then. "You really don't know anything about supernaturals?"
"Do the vampires sparkle?"
"Only if you roll them in glitter."
"Then no."
Again he gave me that semi-smile. "Werewolves can change at will, but on the full moon they lose their humanity and become completely wolf. If they've got a beef that's been bothering them, then they'll take care of it any way they see fit on the full moon. And no one wants that kind of exposure and bloodshed."
"So there really are werewolves and vampires and shit running around in New Orleans?" I was just beginning to come to terms that I existed, but now I was supposed to believe in all the fantasy animals too? The mind boggled.
"Yep, but you shouldn't believe everything you read. There's nothing sexy about a vampire sucking your blood, the werewolves can get rabies, and the witches are all nut jobs. The dragons are cool though."
"Dragons," I smacked my forehead. "Wonderful."
"Just concentrate on this for now," Teague said. "The wolf packs are led by Caraby and John Purtell. Caraby's territory is primarily north of Lake Pontchartrain but he's taken a part of East New Orleans too. Purtell's the one that runs most of the city. They're always fighting about territory but recently a couple of their pack members have gotten physical about it. They're going to hash out a definitive line between their territories tonight. Our job is to make sure neither one of them tries to off each other."
I blinked. "Do you normally take jobs like this?"
"We all do," Teague said with a shrug. "The Hands have a reputation as being indifferent to the plights of life. We get a lot of requests to act as impartial referees for any disputes in the second culture."
"Is this that whole good and evil thing West was talking about?"
"Probably. Good and evil are products of existence, not ingredients. It's not our fight. We're the only ones besides the gods that can honestly say we are not involved in the fight between good and evil, so we can involve ourselves with just about any race without repercussion. Just don't get involved in the fight."
"And keeping these werewolves from killing each other is not getting involved?"
He shrugged. "We're not taking a side. Just keeping things on the up and up."
We drove for a little while longer in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I wouldn't say this was the safest place I'd ever been. Teague was harder to understand than West, but he was easier to be around. Teague had the confidence of a man that knew what he was doing and didn't have to brag about it.
Teague finally pulled the truck to a stop in front of a rundown bar in a not-so-safe part of the city. "Alright, I'll take the lead on this one but don't let them intimidate you."
I rolled my eyes. "Please. I shoot fire out of my palms. The only thing that can intimidate me at this point is a broken fire hydrant."
He laughed. Like all his other expressions it wasn't big, just a little chuckle, but it was real and it made me think better of him. He wasn't emotionally dead, just muted. "Come on."
I followed Teague into the dark bar. After my eyes adjusted, I saw two guys sitting together at a table. They had to be werewolves. They nodded at Teague, who jerked his head towards the backroom. He led the way, the two men coming in behind us. The backroom was brighter than the bar, with two similarly built men already seated at a large round table I knew was normally reserved for a poker game. They would be the other wolf pack then.
As soon as the door shut, the big guy in red plaid and worn out jeans following us pulled me backwards against him. "Have we met before, sweetheart?"
What was it about the supernatural world that made it impossible for anyone to use a good pickup line? I pushed out of his embrace and gave him a tight smile. "Petco, maybe?"
"This is the new Hand, Indy Meyer," Teague said before it escalated. He pointed at the man that had grabbed me. "That's Caraby and his pack beta, Louie Kline." Teague motioned towards the broad blond man at the table. "John Purtell and his beta, Sam Voigt."
"We didn't ask for a second Hand to be present," Purtell said.
"She's just here to learn the ropes. I'm the one you're answering to."
None of the wolves looked particularly pleased with the idea of answering to anyone but Purtell nodded. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."
The wolves sat at the table and Teague directed me to stand at the door. He posted up the wall next to me, his arms crossed over his chest and his attention on the table.
"Wolves won't use guns but watch for knives," he said under his breath. "And if any of them change, we isolate them."
"How long does this take?" I asked.
"Could be awhile. Purtell's older and he doesn't take kindly to Caraby moving into the city, but Caraby's got power and they both know it."
I watched the wolves with interest. It was definitely a new experience. There was as much growling as there was talking, and the male posturing was outrageous. There was no mistaking they were wolves, but they'd come here intent on being human and hashing out a deal. Purtell wanted Caraby to move out of the city altogether but Caraby laughed in his face when he said it. I got the distinct feeling that Caraby didn't respect Purtell, and that he intended to take over all of Purtell's territory. Purtell, on the other hand, was much more reserved than Caraby, though that was entirely relative. Purtell had experience on his side. This wasn't the first time he'd dealt with a rival pack with an aggressive alpha.
Finally the wolves came to an agreement. They had decided down to the sidewalk where one territory ended and the other began and they both swore they wouldn't allow any more bloodshed between their pack at least until after the full moon. Not exactly a peace treaty, but it seemed to be how they normally played things.
Teague finally moved from his post, the first movement other than his eyes that he'd made during the whole meeting. "We're done here?"
Purtell nodded. He shook Teague's hand and handed over a coin. "Thanks."
Caraby bypassed Teague and went for me. He took my hand in his and didn't let go when I tugged on it. My eyes narrowed as he leaned forward and kissed my palm then put a coin in there. "It's been a pleasure, cher."
"Well that makes one of us." I jerked my hand again and all he did was laugh and move closer to me.
"I like a bitch with some fire in her."
"Then you're going to love me," I snapped. Caraby hissed and jerked away from me as my hand was engulfed in a bright flame. I put out the flame as soon as he let go. "Aww, did the puppy get burned?"
"Why you little-"
"Enough," Purtell snapped. "Get the hell out of my territory, Caraby."
Caraby glared down at me, a low growl coming from deep in his throat. I smiled beatifically up at him. He snapped his mouth shut and pushed away from me then prowled out the door, his beta behind him. Teague and I followed them to the parking lot and watched them drive away. Teague cut his eyes over to me. "For future reference, wolves don't like being called puppies."
"And I don't like being manhandled. Looks like we all learned something tonight," I said offhandedly while I took advantage of the overhead light to look at the coin Caraby had given me. "Is this gold?" I asked incredulously.
Teague pocketed his own coin. "The second culture doesn’t like paper money. They either trade services or gold and silver. That's a 1/4 ounce American Eagle gold bullion coin. Last I checked it was worth about $550."
"Holy shit," I held onto the coin tighter. "Are you serious?"
"I told you these jobs paid well."
I tried to give the coin Caraby had handed me over to Teague but he shook his head. "It's your cut."
"But I didn't do anything."
"Neither did I," Teague pointed out. "Most of the time we're just there to keep people from getting any bright ideas."
"And the other times?"
Teague smirked. "The other times you get to burn more than Caraby's hand."
I would have replied but we were both distracted by a car that pulled into the parking lot with a squeal. It was a clunker of a car with only one headlight working and more dents than smooth spots on the sides. It jerked to a stop in the spot right in front of us.
I stiffened when I looked in the windshield. "Do you know who that is?"
Teague focused on the person in the car. "Theo Culvis. He's one of Purtell's wolves. An enforcer."
I glared at the man that hefted himself out of the car too small for him. "You know how I said I didn't have any ties to the supernatural world?"
Teague looked at me then. "Yeah?"
"Well I suppose I was wrong."
Theo noticed us and stiffened when he saw Teague. Then he looked at me and he stared for a long moment before the light bulb blinked on. His eyes widened to almost comical proportions. "Ana?"
I thought about burning the man on the spot. It would be oh so satisfying. Instead I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "Long time no see, Daddy."