LET US CREATE!

I made her a nice meal. Gave her something to take with her as well. I think she was asleep at one point for about three hours? Unsure. About as long as it took to paint her. 

Aha! If she was treated to nice meal and friendly gift, she cannot be cross at me for making her drive to Texas after physically taxing assignment on no sleep. These are rules.

It was very impressive, actually. She was very aware of what I was saying while she was asleep, it seems. I eventually stopped talking to her so she could get rest and took the time to paint her portrait. She was a lovely woman. Very pleasant.

Ah, yes, I’ve noticed that a few times. Economical woman, gets sleep in where she can, very light sleeper. Somehow, does not impact her performance—I wonder how someone sleeps like that. Her sleep cycle cannot be like a normal person’s, or else she would never get REM sleep. Ah, but then again, there is much she has done that has raised much more pressing questions.

She was asleep at my home for a while. I had plenty of time.

There's absolutely no way that tapping is the owl, right? This is a completely different tactic from what it had been using previously. Why change after nearly 4 days? It had been nine hours and it clearly wasn’t alone.  He decides to chance it.  With a voice hoarse from dehydration, Crow mutters out a hardly audible, “Sure hope this is a friendly house call.” before pushing the paneling out and away, wincing at the sharp pain in his back and wings when they’re adjusted. He pushes his glasses back into place and looks up at the hunter before him, giving a two finger wave.  “What’s the chances you’d be willing to both help me out of here and also know how to pop appendages back into their proper sockets?”

The hunter extends a hand, and with one brusque motion yanks Crow out of his hiding spot. The motion is painful, but likely less than it would have been if he tried gingerly squeezing out. Sometimes, it's better to rip the bandage off.

That monstrosity has been slowly ripping apart ducts and framework. Systematically, one by one, working its way deeper and deeper into the nest of ventilation shafts. It knows he's here, and it knows he can't run. It's an inevitable outcome--he can hide, but eventually, there's not going to be anywhere left he can shelter himself. The moment he's exposed is the moment it closes on him.

His suspicions are confirmed when he hears it whisper. Once again, it acts as though it's right upon him, but he knows better. It's the same game it's been playing for hours, now. It's trying to bait him--trying to make him make a noise, any noise, so it knows where he's hiding. He's lucky the insulation is working in his favor, here. If its hearing is anything like actual owls, it could probably hear his heartbeat without it. Even so, he figures if he moves, if he makes a single goddamn sound, he's dead.

He hazards checking his phone, hoping that the tapping doesn't alert it. Nothing new. It's been nine hours. That hunter should be getting here soon, right? ...Right? There was that brief interlude, around a half-hour ago, where it sounded like the thing's interest was drawn away for a bit. Long enough to make a kill, if what he saw earlier was any indication. He's got to hope that wasn't her, or his goose is cooked.

He hears it start to whisper again, but it's interrupted by a scream. A yell in surprise, he'd figure--and it's cut off quick by a meaty thunk, followed by another loud thump, like something heavy hitting the concrete. It's quiet for a few seconds.

.. i do too. it’s scary to think about. great, cool, you should probably know before talking to your lawyer that i don’t legally exist anywhere, have no form of id or permit, and will probably have to pay you in gold coins. those are all relevant factors. that’s understandable, but i’ll definitely get back to you when i’ve got the details nailed down. potentially me and an enchanter friend can contribute to this one to get the magic side worked out a bit. could be interesting. 

...I’ll mark it down as “gift.”