On my own

The raven made a harsh croaking sound, fluttering from the rusted fence and onto Samael’s shoulder as it ruffled its feathers. ”Do you even know what you’re doing?” It questioned in a tongue he understood, considering him with those disturbingly intelligent eyes.

”I do.” Was all he said, withdrawing a small stylus of red crystal from his jacket pocket, a long crystalline thing that pulsed with malicious energy. The sharp tip pressed against the skin of his wrists, sending a burning sensation through the flesh as markings began to form on contact. These strange red lines that formed along, ingrained like a tattoo. ”I don’t trust what some vampire says but cults worshiping evil gods probably shouldn’t be ignored. Especially when they supposedly sacrifice human children.”

”You’re half human yourself. I do hope you’re not letting that control your actions young prince.” The bird seemed to mock, causing him to frown slightly while sniffing the air.

”Stop bothering me ya damn scavenger.” The bird said nothing beyond another sound, flapping wings and taking off which left him standing there with the scent of blood on the wind. Now that was an interesting scent, something he had to look into at some point if there was any truth to rumors. Not that he expected there to be much to them, especially considering how many would lie to keep themselves from dying. Still, he followed the scent while painfully aware of the coming rain. That just meant it was most prudent to find the source of that smell before it was washed away. Someone had to have spilled this blood away from the prying eyes of the stupid masses, meaning he himself was also close.

What he came across was a few stray dogs and the corpse. Human child, mid teens with the heart messily removed right through the shirt. Possibly claws, considering the way the skin around the injury and the deep slices that came with it. His fingers hovered over them by a few inches, eyes taking them in despite the darkness of the alleyway. Even then he could still hear the sound of feathers rustling in the distance.

The damn raven didn’t have any intentions of leaving him be.

”Looks like another body with no clues...beyond the smell of...is that gasoline?” He muttered under his breath, rising from his crouching position and looking around. ”Looks like someone was short of torching this poor kid.” An amendment as he noted the dark stains in their clothes, now more obviously gasoline but that made even less sense. Did evil gods like their sacrifices torched in alleyways where someone would find them eventually? That seemed to have an obvious answer, still he didn’t have the bigger picture in things. That was when he noted something, tracks scratched into the ground as if by claws. Now that was an interesting find and he had to follow it. Which leads to him honing onto the deep groves, that lead to a nearby dilapidated building.

Vegas was not all glitz and glamour as he had come to find out since the last time coming here for Ashley. Stepping through broken wooden doors, he noticed the smell of blood, viscera and human waste. This caused his nose to crinkle, taking note of limbs thrown around the ground and the blood pooling across the wooden boards. This lead him to the extravagant circle of interlinking runes as the sudden demonic aura hit him like a wave. Hair raised on the back of his neck, and his fingers grasped for the dagger hidden under the back of his jacket. ”Dead bodies and now this. Just fucking brilliant.”

The world was changing. This place was delving farther and farther into sin. Despite how much this should excite him, empower him even, Asmodeus found himself little more than disappointed. Asmodeus was a very strange one. He seemed to hope for and wish for balance rather than actual power. It wasn't his power or desire for power than motivated him into becoming Hell's greatest general. To watch the Human spirit devolve to something little more than a human stain was...unpleasant to even him.

This was Las Vegas for you. It wasn't the best depiction of humanity or it's accomplishments, but if you wanted to find Sin...it was here, or California. The young man walked the streets with a smile on his face, his faithful companion staggered at his side as he let out little whines at some of the passerby's to indicate their metahuman existence. A form of trick he and his human "companion" had worked up. It was almost a cruel joke. To be a prince of Hell itself, owner of the greatest expanse under the throne, and to lower yourself to the form of a dog, simply to follow a mortal of interest. But this mortal was to be his brother-in-law, and had previously out-witted the Prince of Lies and foiled the Lord of Wrath's plans. It was sheer curiosity that turned into a form of attachment through the bonds of kindred spirits. They shared a horrible secret together, yet they couldn't recognize it. The thing that motivated them...

The thing that brought them here....

This pet human of is, yes, make no mistake. The Human is the pet here. The Human pays for his food. The Human scratches his ears. The Dog does what he pleases where he pleases. The Human is even a bodyguard. To the eyes of the world...and maybe even the human...this dog was the pet. But to the Dog, to Asmodeus, this human was the perfect servant. His servant thinking the reverse was just a convenient way to keep him around.Especially for investigations such as this one.

Demonic cults, the sacrificing of children and teenagers. That immediately took to his human servants attention. There was an aching in his heart. He couldn't rest until it stopped. It was something Asmodeus shared. But he found himself wondering which of his brother's could have been responsible for this. Even to a Demon, it made no sense to slay or sacrifice the youth. Youth are considered pure until a certain age, regardless of their actual sin. They could claim no souls this way, further their oh so tedious advances in no way. If it did not help in their motivation...Demon Princes and the Devil himself...Herself, had no true reason to act. It was a sad part of their selfish mentality.

The servant paid for a hotel and brought his four-legged friend with him. The dog perched up on the bed immediately and sat itself down, asserting the dominance over the bed. The Human just laughed a little and rubbed the dog on the head before setting a large duffel bag down on the ground. He wasn't sure if his human servant enjoyed sleeping on the floor...or if it was in his more- generous and selfless-serving motivation that won the day. Regardless, the human had taken to the kitchen and put a skillet to work as the intoxicating smell of meat sizzled to a half-cooked delicacy. The Human then chopped the half-cooked slab into four parts and dropped them to the ground with a large bowel of water.

"Alright buddy. I'm headed out again. You relax here. If I'm not back in three days...Well... I'm sure you'll find a way out." The young man chuckled as he continued to rub upon his canine companion's head, before pushing his forehead to the dog's. "Love ya buddy. Hopefully see ya soon...or never." He said with an almost sorrowful tone. Asmodeus let out a whimper and a whine inherently as the human excused himself from the room.

Hey! I didn't tell you you could go die...Don't you ignore me...you little shit. The dog protested within the confines of his mind. The mortal wouldn't hear it, but it was still a protest. Asmodeus knew that the boy still held to his paltry religion, despite being so broken and battered. So when he said "...or never" he was functioning over the childish hope that all dogs go to heaven.  Oh won't you be surprised? He asked, a slight snark echoing through his internal voice.

The German Shepard did everything until his heart was content. He turned the TV on, let the background noise fill the room. He bounced on the bed, and tried to play hide and seek with his tail in the comforter. He chewed through all four quarter-slabs of the half cooked steak. He guzzled down his water and then started to stare at the TV again. He looked to the clock and whined. .  Well that was a good fifteen minutes... He internally complained.  

The canine would not, in fact, remain here. He needed to get out of here. Especially if this was a threat that the mortal servant beleived would actually kill him. The Princes of Hell couldn't even kill him, so what on this damnable planet was he off to face?  Well...he couldn't lose such a valuable servant could he? Asmodeus quickly found his escape route. He first ran up to the window and began to bite at it. Putting two paws up and trying to push up on the window. Soon he found himself barcking, the barks were normal, but they were his attempt to speak, saying I curse whatever deity was sick enough to curse such lovable animals with a lack of opposable thumbs!

After having quickly shifted to a more humanoid form to open the windows, he propped it open a little and then shifted once more back to his canine form, only to leap out of the window and gracefuly land on the ground with a sickening crack. After a few moments and people looking on in horror, the dog's neck snapped back into alignment and it began gimping off before going full sprint. As he moved through the city, his nose keen in on his human, he felt an overwelming pressence not very far away. It wasn't long before the dog found himself trailing into an alleyway with blood and the corpse of a young man, one who didn't even have a chance. Then a familiar scent hit his nose. His eyes narrowed and he crept oh so silently, relying on preadtory instinct.

Malphas? He wondered, the faint and slightly changed smell made it too clear that this was someone working for his brother, at the very least. The dog began to bark, watching to see what he could elicit in response.

Anxiety worked over him, this creeping suspicion that someone was working here and had a hand within the murders. Were these the cultists killed by some righteous avenger or just more poor sacrifices to an unknown evil. Did his father have something to do with this? While the Raven Prince was reprehensible, he hated when people said he did things when that was not the case. Hell, he would own having children killed for him but he much preferred adults. Something about their souls being more palatable. Either way as he grasped onto the dagger, his senses focused on the area around him and any change within things. Cars driving, people laughing and the sound of something clicking against the ground like claws perhaps. A bark followed that, causing the half-demon to spin around with runed dagger at the ready. A few seconds and he had to remind himself it was probably just a dog.

What he found as he stepped back outside the abandoned house was, well exactly that. A german Shepard of all things. With a sigh he slipped the weapon back into its sheath and moved to one knee, arcing a brow at the dog. ”Hey big guy, you wouldn’t have seen who killed these people would ya?” Strange how dogs had the ability to make people act strangely, even talk to them without any real regard for what would be thought of them. Those friendly eyes tended to breed a form of trust with humans and he was half human. ”Probably not. Why am I talking to a dog like they understand what the hell i’m saying.” He muttered to himself while reaching out to scratch the dog behind the ears, still wondering what that sensation was. Thinking back, it felt demonic but there was something else to it that made him...even more worried about what it could have been.

What exactly was he dealing with?

Oh boy, this was definitely NOT Malphas. It was, however distinctly smelling of him, in a strange off-brand kind of way. It's like being able to smell the difference in the brands of garlic powder you buy. It's all garlic...but it's different. This was a hoppin' baby boy of Malphas if ever there was one, or two....thousand. Look, Asmodeus was the lord of Lust, but Malphas totally should have had that title. Granted Lust didn't always mean carnal, but spilling his seed into any pot he could find was part of him growing a half-breed army no doubt, or trying to make the ultimate weapon of some kind to advance and claim Hell for his own.

Lil' brothas neva change eh? He thought to himself, taking his more Australian accent to mind as he contemplated morphing. Of course Samael came around and started to do what he did to dogs. Pet him and give him affection, because for some reasons...Humans are subservient to dogs desires. It's really good to know. Of course the kid said about the dog not being able to understand him, and Asmodeus gave a little growl of disapproval before sniffing, and starting towards a trail. It was too clear that this might not have been a demonic ritual, but it was certainly something else. Bolting past Samael and into the house, the dog quickly began to look over the ritual area. The smell was gross, and it was causing him to whine, that's how much it got to him. Quickly, the dog began to search and rummage through the area. The dog then looked to one of the runic markings and found himself mystified.

One of the runic markings he saw was a depiction of a very rare thing. Something that didn't happen very naturally. In fact the only times it ever happened were one horrible rape that gifted him his younger sister, and something that gave him his son. The reasons of love, the only thing that made Asmodeus betray his father for his family. The runic marking was that of "Nephaelim" something that was rare to see, even in the most well versed in the occult languages. The canine began to bark at the symbol, hoping that Samael would take notice of it. Then Asmodeus just needed to find it. He ran outside and started to search the corpse of the teenager, looking through his wallet with only his fangs as he flipped it open. Nope...nothing. Nothing he could grab anyway. He had been hoping for a business card to be in there for a certain someone that delved in the underworld around here. If the victims were teenagers then it opened up a possibility that Asmodeus didn't like to consider, however he knew that if there was ANYTHING supernatural in Vegas...he knew this person would know about it. Asmodeus began to whine as he sat by the body of the teen, silently vowing revenge.

Oddly enough he had no reason to question why a dog was around a cult site, though typically animals tended to shy away from anything that could be called dark magic. This was one of those things that could be called dark magic, or something close to that. Maybe this was just one of those strange dogs that didn’t really find themselves chased off by a little evil mojo? Either way, it darted past him and he followed back into the house while the mutt began sniffing over the well defined circle. There were a myriad of runes in various languages, some of them he could understand and others he couldn’t. Those that he understood seemed to be for an invocation of some kind, though the ones he didn’t understand likely have insight into what that was. Something was important enough  for them to murder children, the more innocent of sacrificial pieces.

One of the symbols that both made sense and did not was one that held similar appearances to both angels and demons. The dog took an interest, so that had to mean something. Nothing that immediately made sense to him, but he had a feeling it was important to the ritual as a whole before something had happened. The cambion knelt over the matrix, eyes narrowed and trying to make whatever meaning he could out of the strange symbols. There had to be something spelled out within here that he could work with, anything really. A low hum worked from his throat, black eyes narrowing while his mind tried to put together pieces that had no place. Something big was happening, and yet here he was with just a dog. That dog ran off while he looked over a small bookshelf in the corner, a few novels, occult books and what looked to be an out of place comic book.

Turning back to follow where the strangely attuned dog ran off to, his eyes caught a dark shape within the half broken mirror. Turning back quickly, nothing looked back except himself with a strangely panicked expression. With a deep breath he calmed himself and followed the dog back to where the teens body had been dumped. He seemed to whine over the body, a wallet laying rummaged through beside him. He picked it up, and dug through it as if that would help any.  A little money, and what looked like a card though it meant nothing to him beyond possibly having something to do with this murder. There were so many things that he had to look into, to understand and yet not many clues about that. Settling the wallet back on the ground, he sighed and returned to the home that likely was a place for the cultists for a time.

Maybe they would have something that spoke about what their rituals did. This meant looking through a few of the books, opening the most occult looking ones and eventually coming upon one that was haphazardly shoved in there with the rest of them. Looked to be more notebook than anything else, with most of the pages being hurried scrawlings. A few of these words made sense, but the two that seemed to stick out with him was the name of a rite. Something called The Rite of The Black Beast.

What even the hell was the Black Beast? ”Damn cults and their weird  terms.” He muttered reading through the book as if that would give any insight. That meant he didn’t quite catch that familiar sensation.

The business card that was needed wasn't there. It took a moment before the Dog realized what he could do. While the cambion went back into the house. Without hesitation, the creature made it's own plans as the man went in to look for the books the cultists had. It made Asmodeus wonder what was going on here. Truthfully he was stunned. Why would cultists sacrifice a child, or rather a teenager just to dump it's body outside and then leave a ritualistic alter and books with the contents of their rituals about.

Without any cameras to witness the area, however, Asmodeus took ease as he shifted ever so slightly. His eyes were to the sky, watching and every wary of whatever may be witnessing him. Rather than give any spies or prying eyes the satisfaction, he released a small haze of miasma. It was brief, but it accomplished the goal. It would be a few more minutes as Samael watched over the book and made a comment about the black beast. It took a second, but the dog began to bark again and was bringing something back inside. The dog seemed to have picked up a small business card, or maybe even a calling card. The dog dropped it at Sammy's feet before sitting there and looking over the book. The card had some nice handwriting on it "Best of Luck, kid. Don't be a stranger." the initials G.V were on the card with a small heart and an address on it. Now yes...this was incredibly incriminating evidence, but Asmodeus couldn't very well risk his undercover identity as a dog. That would ruin all the fun. So instead what better way to get involved than to place yourself right on the detective's path?

The dog then began to whimper and scampered off frequently, bailing as far as he could. He needed to lose Samael and transform, hoping to find himself in a position to get into place, and into character! If he could get to The Hearts Casino quick enough, he might even be able to settle himself up a little and make it look like he had there all day.

Samael closed the book, staring at the cover for a few seconds longer before pushing it back into the empty space in the bookshelf. There had to be some importance to the book and why it needed the heart of a child to perform this ritual. However nothing popped out that said anything about that, not even vague illustrations that could give him a hint towards that. Maybe he was dealing with some obscure deity that was worshiped by those eldritch types that reach a little too much HP Lovecraft. None of this made senses, though it did put his family further and further from the potential culprits of this murder. Not that he had anyone that would be willing to tell him not to follow things like this, except perhaps Emilia. Then again she always had a thing against this dangerous delves into the occult. Granted that was just dealing with an overly concerned phoenix.

A bark ripped him from his thoughts, looking to see that the canine had brought with it a small card. His brows furrowed, picking the card and looking it over. Someone had contacted the kid, but who was this G.V person and what was with the heart? There was doubt that it meant anything, so instead he had to just make use of the information this gave him, The address however was something he could make use of and so he would. Slipping the card into his pocket, Sam  inhaled deeply while noting that the dog decided to run off. Not that he had any real reason to chase it, considering it likely would disappear if he tried. Magical dogs tended to do that, unless he was over thinking what it was. Luckily he parked his motorcycle close enough, so once he distanced himself from the body he took off after finding out where this casino was.

He really hated Casinos.

Last time he had been in one was with Ashley, and the man was dying. Apparently taking drugs from people in prison tended to screw you over more often than not. A lesson any television show would have told, and yet the hair brained guy decided to trust that. Even still, he couldn’t say he blamed him completely. He didn’t deserve to be locked away like that, unlike a certain person thinking to himself as he stepped through the threshold. No one stopped him, and he glamoured away any blood that might have stuck to his body. Runes had their uses, and passing through humans without raising eyes was one of them.

The air smelled of liquor and people’s shouts of annoyance or cheers as small victories. Once there he tried to find a small place to hole up, sit down and maybe try to ask the right people for a G.V. Despite how little he liked these places, he knew enough people to know how to get information and that was what he looked for. In the end however he was in a corner, nursing down some cheap bourbon while waiting. Luckily there was someone that he got to send word he was looking for this person.

Asmodeus had time to get himself prepared. His transformation was a fast one, though when he emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of thick, black smoke with the smell of sulphur he found there to be a man staring at him. Asmodeus walked past, clearing his throat and patting the man on the shoulder.

"Sorry mate. Chinese Food is a helluva laxitive." He said before excusing himself farther away into the casino. The poor man was left to watch as the horrible black miasma diasappated out from the area, leaving nothing behind but the faint scent of cologne. The liquid you spray, not the city in Germany. Asmodeus attempted to discern his brother's little detective by the skills he had displayed earlier. Asmodeus had left a small heart on the card, doing so intentionally as he would station himself at the "Royal Heart" station, which was the glowing overhead sign to the bar and betting station on the upper tier.

Quickly making his way to the mechanical automated stairs, Asmodeus began to wobble a little as he held onto the rubbery grip, staring at the floor awkwardly, contemplating how lazy humans must be in order to construct stairs that move for you. With that out of mind, however, he took to his rightful place at the bar. Going up to the betting station he placed some money down on one of the events. More specifically the "Meta-Mayhem" event where ten metahumans were all tasked with a goal in 3 events. Best of 3 wins. Asmodeus loved the chaotic nature of the challenges. It could be a race, it could be a brawl, it could be a glorified scavenger hunt. But no matter what, the odds were mostly fair, or balanced in some rights.

Of coruse someone betting a large course of money garnered attention. He brushed off his charcoal grey pinstripe suit as he walked past to the darkest area on the upper tier, appropriating a martini as he passed. The Detective would be here any minute, and Asmodeus was not bound to leave this investigation alone either. Whatever this may be, it had faint traces of the demonic, and heavy traces of something...else. Something the likes of which even Asmodeus had rarely seen in an entire existence.

Cheap bourbon burned as it went down, leaving him with that faint pleasant sensation that came with drinking. It made ignoring the people cheering and cursing their luck all the more bearable. How anyone dealt with this kind of place was beyond him, and yet here he was. Sitting down, waiting for the time to come when he would meet an unknown detective that had met with a teenage murder victim before their demise. There had been some hoopla about a meta-mayhem event hat people were throwing money down on like no ones business. Humans were obsessed with seeing what these powered brethren of them could do. Some could level buildings, and others could light birthday candles if they felt like it. Like demons, there was a power disparity that existed within this world.

Eventually he did look into the event and a put a little money on one of the contestants because the boredom eventually was too much to simply ignore. That was when he heard something about someone betting a lot of money, which would have been nothing to him but he was supposed to be looking for someone. Maybe this person was hoping that their client would be able to find them. This could have been nothing but he was looking into this. His gut stated that he should follow this, so he would got to what seemed to be the darkest section of the upper section.

Why these people were making this section of the casino dark was unknown, but it didn’t thwart his dark vision nonetheless. His eyes focused  on a single figure drinking a martini within the shadows, a low hum working from his throat as he approached the person. ”You’re G.V right?” He questioned, taking a seat and drinking more from the dark colored drink within his hand. ”Probably not the person you were expecting but lifes a bitch.”

”Those are initials, yes they are mine and quite the contrary...” The bearded man said as he took a sip of his drink setting ti down and looking right to Samael with his one exposed eye. ”You’re exactly the person I’ve been waiting for.” He wasn’t lying, so if this demon had any of his youngest sibling’s capabilities then he’d know it was the truth. If he didn’t well then he’d probably just assume that he was some arrogant prick. Granted, both of these are true…

From a quick splash of scent he could pick up that his Nephew had an affinity for liquor in a similar capacity. Asmodeus snapped his fingers over towards the barkeep, a small telepathic suggestion, a nice effect of combining the Miasma and the hellhound collar. He looked to Samael with a serious look as he took another drink, finishing his drink as the barkeep brought two other bottles, leaving both of them. The one was clear with an off orange amber colored drink, the other was concealed in a bright green bottle with a stag and a heavenly cross glowing between it’s large rack. Antlers, mind out of the gutter.

”You haven’t tasted bourbon until you’ve had Maker’s Mark. Pappy Van Winkle’s is by far the greatest I’ve tasted, but I don’t feel like saying that atrocious name...” Asmodeus began, wondering just how long he could get away with this small talk. He looked to his new drink, Jägermeister. He smiled as he tilted the glass with a slight nod and taking the shot. ”So I hear you’re investigating what happened to a nice young sprog. Not two years to scarfie yet and now...what? Pushin’ up daisies...”

The male with an odd accent stated that he had been waiting for the cambion. Black eyes narrowed behind tinted sunglasses, considering them apprehensively  Was he being played with or did this guy know a little more than he was willing to let on from an initial sentence. Their heartbeat didn’t shift, suggesting that he wasn’t lying, believed what he was saying or was a very good liar. His mind was willing to consider every single possibility until a true answer came.

With a snap a barkeeper brought over two bottles, one that he recognized as Jagermeister. An alcohol he had tasted a few times before, even if he lacked an actual invested interested in continually drinking it. ”I’ll keep that in mind.” He said considering the bottles, but making no movements towards them. Instead he kept an eye on him, making sure he didn’t do anything that put the young half-demon on edge. Everyone was a potential threat, which meant he had to be prepared to take on anyone.

”He wouldn’t be the first that’s happened to.” Was what he said, finishing the small glass of bourbon within his hand. It tasted bitter, yet he didn’t want to accept drinks from a stranger connected to a dead child. ”I’ve been following a cult that’s taken to sacrificing teeangers.” A single brow arced while speaking, just low enough that the other male could hear him without being something that anyone could just jump into. ”I have to ask what your connection to the victim was since I found your calling card there.”

"The boy was looking to accomplish something, and I guided him on the right path. Set him up with the right bloke. The boy was yappin' at me ear and I...couldn't help but enjoy it. Figured if anyone could make somethin of themselves it was 'im. Sent 'em on 'is way to see a friend of mine." Asmodeus said as he looked at his glass. He let out a small sigh, as if heavily irritated by the thoughts flooding his head. He just watched the light dance on the liquid in the shot glass before him. "Piss poor sprog. Didn' earn that wage, sin that's." He said as he gruffly slapped the shot-glass away and sent it over to the floor where it let out a little "ding" and rolled. Asmodeus took to the whole bottle itself, uncapped it and took a large, burning chug of the liquor. As the cool air rushed his throat, he let out a refreshed breath.

"So you think it's a cult? Well makes wee-ol Ez lookin' a bit sus. Can ya gizza minute? I'm going to pay my bill." He said as he excused himself, reaching into his sports-coat's breast pocket and withdrawing a wallet. Walking over to the bar, he would place some of the money he had acquired alongside a tip, making it clear that his drinks were officially to go. He doubted that Samael would leave without him, especially with only a partial name-drop. He seemed to need a little more to go on, which wasn't a horrible thing. It made Asmodeus useful to this man's investigation. Of course this man seemed to be more alert. Paranoid almost. Asmodeus smirked, recalling Malphas' incessent paranoia. He was the little brother you'd find in a treehouse that had a cork-board of conspiracy theories and manifesto after manifesto on tactics of war and defense. Asmodeus thoroughly enjoied their youth together. He could never recall if they were actually of the same mother, but Asmodeus always felt that they must have been. They were two, eternal instruments of war. The Strategy and the one who made it happen.

"Giovega. Giovega Pentighast. At your service." He would say to Samael before turning form the bar, if he needed to walk to him so be it. Either way, he was extending his gloved hand.

Most of what he was being told made sense. The young boy had been looking for something, and yet he didn’t know what that something was. It wasn’t likely some kid would be looking for information about something called The Black Beast was unknown. There were questions but no answers to the many questions. Unfortunately he couldn’t force anyone to answer him, because that actually involved torture and he wasn’t about that life. ”Only thing he did was get himself killed.” He said sharply, as the male continued to say more nonsense that likely meant something but he couldn’t make anything of it. Instead of saying anything immediately, he arced a brow and considered the male for a few seconds while his mind worked over everything else. What did this man have to do with the now dead kid lying in an alleyway?

”You keep saying words but I doubt most of it means anything.” Was what he finally said as the older male paid for his drinks, making it quite clear they weren’t staying here. It was hard not to be critical, and even suspicious about someone that had a connection to a murder. What that was, he would only find out later or maybe not at all. There were plenty of people that were willing enough to kill him that they would jump through a few hoops. His eyes scanned around the room, looking for anyone else that could be looking at him in strange fashions. Eventually he did come across a name for the initials, one that sounded almost over the top in form. Samael couldn’t help smirking as he shook the hand extended towards him.

He stood to his feet, burying hands into his jacket pockets. ”Samael. I hope you’ll be some help. I’d rather not have another knife in my back.”

"What? Lookin' sus? It means lookin' suspicious." He had haphazardly stated, trying to keep in mind that all of his vacation time over in good old New Zealand over the centuries may have had an issue with his vocabulary. Especially when he wasn't thinking about whom he was talking to, or their specific jargon. Giovega had done all he needed to do, and he then walked back. He couldn't help but feel a surge of something from deep within his blackened heart as the young man smiled and introduced himself as Samael. An angel's name if ever there was one, alas the poor boy was but a humble cambion. But there was something about this kid. He was a jammy bastard, he could feel it.

"Nah mate. If ever there were a dagger. I'd at least let ya see it." He said with a soft chuckle. It rang true, however. He would never stab an enemy in the back. He was a warrior...granted that was nothing this young man would know of. The legends and stories of him, perhaps, but not like this. He would lead the way, the way would take them across more than a few streets, eventually settling in at a razing area with fluorescent neon lights, blacklights and face paint. Giovega truly stood out amongst the crowd, but despite the place's entrance being a literal hole in the wall... the inside of it was exactly the way it needed to be. It had tarps that kept the outside out, but the rave and glowsticks continued through the dance floor and over to the bar.

"Right; since we're best mates now I figure I otta let ya in on a fun fact. Ez and I aren't on the best o' terms right now. Another fun fact, don't look in his eyes for longer than three seconds. Even behind those shades, he'll get something stirrin' in ya and...well it will get really tight situation and right awkward." He said as he made a motion for a small stairwell that lead to an open upper level a set of doors leading to another room. It was almost blatently apparent that this was the manager's office. the big burly bodyguards wore two different colored suits, one of them red the other white, while their skin complimented each other like Yin and Yang. A quick glance would give Samael more info and details he needed.

"Ez does favors for people, the real "Devil" type. If there's something you want... he gets it. Never seen it done better in all my years. So what's your play kid? K-kid?" Asmodeus asked as he looked for Samael, having lost him in the crowd but his scent still lingering. "Oh skull it!" He said as he quickly began to move through the crowd, pursuing Samael.

”Now I know.” Samael stated with an almost unamused tone, arcing a brow while considering if he was being messed with or if the man actually spoke in such a thick accent. If so then he likely had difficulty with other clients, or typically worked in New Zealand. That meant he was dealing with someone that had a deeper reason to leave their normal stomping grounds. So many questions, none of which he expected to have an answer to by simply asking. That was what made dealing with people difficult, and yet interesting at the same time. Hesitantly he followed the older man, keeping his senses peeled while the two walked. They were going somewhere, but for what reason he couldn’t tell.

Where they ended up looked to be some kind of raving area filled to the brim with bright flashing lights, face paint and just headaches. He couldn’t help the headache that came from sensitive senses taking in the sensory. Stepping past the flimsy tarps that served as doors, his expression shifted further into annoyance. This was so Vegas, but no in the way many would have expected.

In the end it just pissed him off.

”We’re seeing someone who probably hates you and has weird eyes. Got it.” Was all he said, silently processing the information and compartmentalizing it as best as possible. However what he found when looking to where G.V once stood was that he was gone. Instead he stared at a familiar face, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Asmoday.

Instantly he went on guard, reaching for one of his weapons but found the wrist arrested by one of her hands. ”There’s no need to be hasty little brother. If I wanted you dead, well we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” The red haired nephalem quipped, releasing his arm and taking a step back. ”I’ve just noticed we’ve been following similar leads, or rather similar cults. Our father doesn’t seem too pleased with their existence.” He had just noticed she was painted up on bright neon blue paint, bedazzled with glow stick jewelry.

”That’s great. Give him a round of applause for not being as bad as he could be.” Was all he said with venom apparent in his tone, eyes narrowed behind sunglasses like daggers.

”Well, I had been hoping we could work together on this matter but I did notice you were walking with an...interesting individual. Thought you would have your pet vampire with you.” She seemed to drink something from a cup. ”Whatever. Try not to  get yourself into anything too dangerous. What we’re dealing with is bigger than just a few bad vampires or wendigos.” Before he could ram the dagger hidden in his sleeve into her, Asmoday danced backwards into the crowd and seemed to vanish. That left him confused, and turning to see G.V looking for him.

”Let’s just meet this Ez person and get this over with.” Was all he said while motioning for him to lead the way.