Operation Blind Vanguard: Target Null Zone [Closed]

Pretty girls are the most distracting things, you know. Especially one that plays hard to get. He had seen her particularly alluring and oh-so-familiar figure in the nearby city, and she had left before he could get her attention. Not one to give up the chase, Xander decided to follow the booty.

The sun bore down on him this day, causing beads of sweat to drip down his forehead and evaporate before they even reached his nose. There was no real shade anywhere around--not that Xander expected it, seeing as this was a desert and all. He almost hoped to find some kind of oasis, but decided that it was more than likely that they were simply fairy stories, told to make travelers believe that they were approaching safety, when in fact their bones were going to be picked apart by buzzards beneath the burning sun. He could've bought one of those items that help people survive these harsh environments--he had gotten some rather strange looks when he started off towards the desert without protection--but they didn't need to know why he didn't. His powers made it impossible for Arcana to affect him negatively, but the side effect of all of that was that he could not be affected positively, either. With a soft sigh he trudged through the desert sands, keeping an eye on the people making the trip not a minute's walk ahead of him. They could probably have turned around at any point in time and noticed him, but if they had they didn't show it. "Ugh... Such a shitty heat." He grumbled to himself, but promptly shut up lest any additional exposure to the air dried his throat out further. He had water, and he had enough to last him a few days outside of trekking through the desert. In the desert, that might only last him until that night. He hoped that their destination was close enough that he wouldn't die of thirst before reaching it.

To his surprise, they did! The group he was following turned into a village that was definitely off the beaten trail. He couldn't entirely see it from this distance yet (they'd gained distance on him the entire time), but it was definitely off the beaten path. He could see the silhouette of the great volcano in the horizon. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he tried to hustle to the village. He didn't have any time to waste.

Stepping into the village he was immediately and instantly met with glares. These glares were not just the glares of people who were somewhat suspicious of outsiders--these glares were full of hatred. Xander guessed immediately that this woman had a lot to do with this village, and he commented it on under his breath, "Glad to see where Evelynn gets her stunning personality from." He approached one of the stalls and asked, in his most polite manner (in broken Zakatian), "Where can I get some water?" The woman of the stall pointed at a nearby well crank. He blinked, nodding his thanks, and approached it, putting his mouth right next to the crank and opening it. Reaching up to pull the crank down, he coughed loudly at what escaped the nozzle. A cloud of dust went down his throat, and he sat down, rubbing his throat and grumbling. He looked around and heard general laughter rising up from the group. Oh, so he'd been tricked. A vegetable of rather uncouth appearance hit his head, and a few more pelted him from the distance. "Ah shove off..." He was about to get up and leave, when he finally noticed her.

Pretty girls are the most distracting things, you know.

People were bowing to her as she passed by them. Xander immediately recognized that action as a sign of respect, and had to wonder to himself why such a woman commanded such a presence in this place. He'd seen people act like this around others before, though he'd seen them act like this both out of fear and respect--he had to wonder which of the two emotions this woman caused in the people of the town. Sighing softly, he got to his feet and wiped off his cheek, trying not to stare too much at Evelyn--but he couldn't help it. Every woman was beautiful to a degree. That was Xander's motto about it--every single woman had a reason to feel beautiful, or sexy, or anything along those lines. When Xander gave a woman a compliment, it was always a true and real compliment. Where this woman was involved, it was different. This woman wasn't beautiful in one way. She wasn't even beautiful in a few ways. She was the most attractive, alluring and sexy woman he had ever had the chance to see... and she hated him. At that moment, Xander wondered why he'd even bothered to follow her. He knew that she hated him, no matter what he tried to do to fix that problem. He had given her space, but had always gotten his share of glares when he walked into a room. He had tried being friendly, he had tried being aloof, he had tried being exactly what he thought she liked about him... but he had never gotten any more than a 'pah' from her.

"Ohhh, some foreigner like you has your eye on the mistress, eh?" He was nudged in the side by the woman who had pointed him to the water-less well. He turned slightly and gave her a bit of a blank look, but she proceeded to ignore him and ruffle his hair. "You could try it, I suppose. You don't seem like a horrible person--maybe a bit misguided from the looks of things, but you don't look like a bad person to me. Go on, say hello to her." He blinked and looked back at Evelyn, taking his first couple of steps forwards. A snickering came from behind but he ignored it. "Do it now." A whirring happened, and he felt something hit the back of his head. He lifted a hand and touched the spot where it was, but nothing seemed to be there. Confused noises sounded out behind him and another whirring happened, hitting him in the square of his back this time. He whirled around on the source of the voices and saw the woman standing there, next to another person, holding a glowing staff. Arcana, got it. They both looked at him with wide eyes, full of fear and ran off in Evelyn's direction--"Mistress! There is a strange man here who can't be touched by our Arcana!" He blinked and tilted his head to the side, feeling that rising sense of dread come up from the pit of his stomach.

He had suddenly remembered why Evelyn had such a distaste for him.

Aaaand apple. It hit him square in the face, eliciting laughter from pretty much everybody in the village around them, though this laughter died down when she started approaching him. "What the hell are you doing here!?" He had no response, though the villagers seemed to as they began to gather up weapons. Suddenly, this didn't look like such a good idea. He had basically risked life and limb by trekking through the desert for a full day without assistance, and it looked like all he was going to get for his trouble was a few sticks up his ass. "Enough, I know him." Sure, she was angry--but he really couldn't stop himself from watching her every motion as she moved towards him. The sway of her hips, the way that her legs stepped one after the other; even the anger in her eyes was attractive. Xander hated to admit it, but he honestly felt some strange attraction to that anger just as much as he felt attraction towards everything else about her. "I find everything about her amazing, even her anger. Is this love? Probably not. Seems closer to masochism." He watched her move towards him as he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Oh boy, was he in trouble. Sexy trouble.

"Come here!" Ow ow ow ow ow! She grabbed his ear and started to pull him along, the man complying as he knew that resisting would force her to pull harder--or pull his ear off. He didn't really feel the need to lose an ear. Asymmetry was not very attractive on a man's face, at least where ears were involved. Some girls founds facial scars sexy, though some would also balk at the thought. He sighed (mentally, since he didn't need to give her more ammo) as he was dragged down into an out-of-the-way alley and let go of. He looked towards her as she pressed a hand against his chest and forced his back into a wall, pushing her body up against his. He blushed a little bit as he felt her warmth squish up against him, her fingers lacing through his hair.

He could've kissed her, were she not a raging monster at times, but he wasn't scared. A little worried, yes, but she didn't scare him. She looked him in the eyes and asked angrily, "You followed me here, didn't you!?" He sighed audibly, "From Solai, sure. Before that, I was just there at the same time. It's not important." He snorted slightly, looking away from her before being roughly pulled back to look again, "What do you want from me? It's not like I'd be able to tell anyone anything. My word ain't that important. Though I do have to ask why you're here. Y'know, it doesn't seem like a village you'd just up'n come across, which means that it's out of the way enough that you have to want to go to. They all seem to think of you as their queen or something. Anything on that, or am I going to get a stick up my ass instead?" He really didn't know much about her--she was attractive, but Xander saw something more, he was certain. He saw it when she got angry at him for stopping her Arcana. He saw it in many other things as well. He wanted to know more about this mysterious, alluring woman.

"You just so happened to be in Solai?" He understood how hard that was to believe, but yes, he happened to actually have a fucking life. "I'm not their Queen or anything like that... I'm just the strongest person around this village and one of the few that actually show up in this hellhole." He gave her a reassuring smile, and one that Evelyn might actually be able to see as honest, "Believe me, it's better than the place I grew up. I might actually be able to stomach this 'hellhole' over... that." He frowned a little at the memories of slavery. "Why would you follow me all the way out here? Did you not have anything better to do, or are you just out to anger me?" He raised an eyebrow, "Didn't have anything better to do, was curious as to why someone like you would go out into the goddamn desert--which by the way is really hard to do when you're unaffected by Arcana--like that. Also, you interest me." He gave a little smirk at the end of that sentence. "I don't understand you... You're one of the few people that don't fear me and it's a pain in the ass. It's all because of that damn Arcana nullifying field that you've got." He tilted his head to the side, "It's not like I turn it on when you're ar--" He was interrupted by a change in tone.

"Tell me something..." Her tone had turned seductive. Xander, who had only really been used to being spoken to with anger and disdain was taken slightly aback, and definitely a little bit suspicious of her intentions. As she stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest, running her fingers down towards his crotch, he felt himself shuffle slightly to her touch. He knew that she was supposed to be threatening him, but by God did her hand feel amazing. He closed an eye as she cupped his balls and squeezed, causing just enough pain to show that she was serious, "Do you really think my Arcana is the only way I could harm you?" Came the seductive whisper into his ear, which was plainly returned with "There are a myriad of ways you could harm me, my dear. But do you really think I should be harmed?" He grinned at her, feeling any additional tightening around his balls and accepting it as a necessary pain. "Lady Priestess?" She immediately moved herself away, and Xander looked towards her with a curious expression, "Priestess, eh?" He could see it. Suited her. Priestess of the Goddess of Rage and Bitch. He was so glad she couldn't read his mind.

"Some of those men we were telling you about before... They've shown up again..." He raised an eyebrow and blinked as he felt her fingers slide into amongst his. He recognized this hand-hold and was immediately suspicious, once more. What kind of bullshit was she trying to pull here? She certainly wasn't fooling him, which meant that she was fooling everyone else. Got it. "Come with me." He didn't speak, merely following her instead. He didn't feel like being grabbed by the ear again. Apparently, her little trick worked--as Xander looked around, he noticed people looking at him with less disdain than before. He almost felt a sigh of relief flutter out of his throat when he was suddenly pulled towards a rather official--and pompous--looking man, who handed Evelyn a package. "Evelyn Blake? Here. It seems there is someone looking for your... artifact. Careful." Xander narrowed his eyes, but didn't pursue that one further. Artifacts were bad news, at least they were when he touched them. Sighing softly, he noticed her let go of him finally. He expected his hand to be throbbing, but it seemed that her grip had actually been rather gentle. Unusual. He didn't like it.

"Irritating..." His head tilted to the side, Xander watched as she flicked through a few pages and then turned away from him, beckoning for him to follow. The pair walked for a little while, until they came across what appeared to be the nicest house in the place. He rubbed the back of his neck and hesitated outside as she opened the door. Whether or not she noticed, he would turn around and look out over the village. Mothers tended to their children playing outside, while the elderly watched from a distance and laughed amongst themselves over jokes and stories. Even as the heat of the daystar beat down upon them, they lived their lives in happiness and freedom. He noticed one child in particular--a young girl, around the age of ten. She was running with her friends and a ball, before tripping over an errant stick and grazing her knee on the rough ground. Adults crowded around her and tended to her, but their voices were completely different in Xander's mind.

"What is that, a tiny little scratch? Get back to work, maggot. We're not going to sit around and watch you cry, kid. There are deadlines to fulfil." The sound of a cracking whip filled his ears and Xander flinched. He rubbed the back of his neck again and grumbled, and if she were still there she'd see it as he moved his hand away and through his hair; a long line of letters and numbers, crudely carved into the flesh of his neck, scarred over with time but still prominent. A mark of a time he'd rather have forgotten. With a sigh, he turned back to see Evelyn watching him from the door. The look in her eyes spoke of an interest, though it vanished back into general hostility when he met her gaze. He stepped up towards the door without speaking, and she followed suit.

The pair entered into the building, and Evelyn quickly moved over to a desk, putting the package down upon it. "If you need something to eat or drink, you can grab it..." He nodded in thanks before moving around the building and eventually taking a seat by her desk as she finished reading and put the package away. She seemed deep in thought, but he didn't want to traipse around her house without being watched. Even if she offered him food or drink, he didn't want to take it without knowing what he could or could not take. It was a complicated series of thoughts, but whatever. It worked for him.

And then it caught his eye. "Shit... get down!" Without warning, Xander dove over the table and tackled Evelyn over, pushing them both to the ground. He had to protect her from the arrow that was flying right at her back... which then snapped into the chair that he had just been sitting in, loudly splintering it. "What the fuck..." He rolled off of Evelyn and apologized to her, before reaching into his clothing and producing a small box of steel, pressing a latch on the side and grinning as the box unfolded into a long-barrelled revolver that he knew as Viper. "Someone's shooting arrows from behind. Not sure if they were after you... or me." His eyes travelled over towards the splintered chair in the middle of the room. "But I'm not waiting to find out who they kill. I know you hate me, but..." He looked at her, with a powerful and serious expression, "Can you please trust me to get us both out alive?"

"Oh, my hero. Do what you want, but it's probably just some of the villagers not happy about your presence." Oh shut the fuck up. The sarcasm was dripping, but Xander was not convinced at all--he didn't need her bullshit right now, either. He had to wonder why people had shot at her--or him, as it were. "They probably made a shot at you because you're in my home. Whether or not I approved of you or not, they don't like outsiders." He frowned quietly, watching her with care. The fuck was she on about? Wanting to shoot someone just for being an outsider? No, he wasn't into that thought. Grumbling to himself about 'fucking violent bastards', Xander made sure that his revolver was loaded. Just as he'd counted the sixth round, he noticed from the corner of his eye Evelyn's body rolling over and going onto all fours. She crawled up over him and got close, her breath touching against his cheek and her every movement seductive. He was pulled in closer, and felt the contact between them. "No one knows I'm here, but you... I cloak myself when traveling. I assume it didn't work on your because of your... frustrating abilities." He narrowed his eyes, her lips running across his cheek, "If anyone was after someone, it'd be you." He sighed, "But I don't have any enemies, so I don't know why anyone would..." He lost himself in his thoughts for a few seconds as Evelyn got off of him. He wasn't really paying attention to much until the sound of crossbow bolts snapped thrice. He noticed Evelyn lunch back to the ground, onto all fours once more.

"I stand corrected. Someone is out there. I could put my money on that fact that this is probably your fault!" He shrugged, looking rather blasé about the situation. Sure, he had few enemies. He was no stranger to being shot at, though, not by anyone. "Possibly. Doesn't matter now. What matters is that I--well, we--are being shot at by strangers. Counting at least three, which means they don't expect this to go smoothly. Need to get proper numbers, and a better vantage point. Can't do that if they have the house surrounded. Not in a good position at all." He frowned, tapping his right temple as he thought of ways to get out of their situation. There was silence coming from outside, though that was probably because of the assailants watching and waiting for them to move next. They were going to be patient, it seemed. "Alright Xander, what's the damn plan? I can't use any of my magic around your ass so, I'm fucked." He growled and opened his mouth, "If you'd--" She lunged forwards and roughly grabbed his head, pushing it back as the sound of another bolt whoosing past his head almost took him out. The bolt made a particularly loud 'thwack' as it imprinted itself into the wall. "Thank you." He would have said something like "Aww, you do care!" but this really wasn't the time for humor. He'd make with the jokes later on. Right now, it was time for seriousness.

"I counted seven, but those are the only one's I can see. They're on the roofs around us, so it's probably best not to be in sight, so close the damn curtains." He nodded in agreement, dashing through to the other two windows, surreptitiously (well, as much as he could) closing the curtains. He looked back over towards her and sighed, shaking his head in irritation and producing a couple more folded objects. "Looks like I brought the Dragon and the Bull as well. Bah, what I would do to carry something with more range for once..." He replaced the objects on his body and looked at Evelyn, narrowing his eyes. "As for you, fucking quit it with that 'I can't use my magic around you' whiney bullshit. You can use your goddamn magic around me. I don't always have the damn zone up! Rather than complaining, actually fucking ask me, damn you Banshee. We're allies, no matter what we think of each other. We should know each other's capabilities, and you should know that I don't always have a goddamn area of anti-arcana around me! I'll tell you when I have, so you can work around it. Just don't bloody complain!" He placed his hands on the table and grumbled, "Now, if we can take a damn moment to breathe, we can work out what to do. You counted seven guys, right? All outside each of the windows, with crossbows? They seem to know that I'm not very good at long range combat. They're keepin' their distance. I can probably duck out and get behind them, though that would probably be a death sentence. I'd say they're covering the door too... FUCK." He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, "What I don't understand is why they'd follow me through the desert, balls-deep into nowhere, rather than just killing me in the midst and letting me die there. I don't think this is an assassination... but I have to be sure. Banshee," They were in combat, he was referring to her by her Night Nine name, so help him God, "What do you have that is long range? Do you think you could take a couple of them out before they started firing on you, or would that be too much to ask? I'm not having you poke your head out only to get it filled with crossbow bolts." He actually showed genuine care when he said that.

She was staring at him. She was staring at him and it was fucking weird, especially since there was a curiosity in those eyes that Xander didn't understand and right now wasn't sure he liked. At the same time, however, it was kind of nice to see her looking at him with an expression that he didn't have to describe as utter hatred and contempt. He frowned a little bit, contemplating her staring, and almost forgetting about the fact that there were assassins outside looking to take his head off of his shoulders. "I have potions, but they're Arcanicly based, so I don't think they'll work on you..." He sighed and nodded at that, "I figured that would be the case... this shit hurts me just as much as it helps me at times." Looking around the room for anything to use, he grumbled about being unable to do shit where Arcana was involved, and instead decided to let Evelyn take the lead until it was necessary for him to do what he needed to. She knew what she was doing, he was sure. He watched her crawl towards a bookshelf with a raised eyebrow, taking note of her features as she did so. Even when she was crawling, she had a seductive quality to her. Xander had to wonder just how many men had been taken in by the body before being pushed away by the bitch within. "I do have an idea, if you're patient." He chuckled darkly, "There are men outside who want me dead, and I'm stuck in here with the one person who hates me more than my own younger brother. I've been in worse situations before. I can be patient."

"I'll send out a few of my friends..." He raised an eyebrow. She was a summoner? Summoning was one of the things his Null Zone had trouble with. He could stop a summoning before it began, but when the summoning was completed, his Null Zone only served to shorten the duration of the summon to its minimum time. If Evelyn had wanted him dead, summons were the way to go. He wouldn't tell her that though. She produced a spellbook and started to flick through it, opening it up to a page and thumbing through it, "I honestly doubt there are only seven out there; That's just all I could see..." She moved back towards him and sat against him, an action which prompted a slightly-surprised noise from Xander. This was the first time she'd touched him without an expression of disgust on her face. He regained his composure quickly, and listened to her leaf through her book, "What do you think would be best... a dragon, snake... maybe a Taerick? Or all three?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at what she had pointed out, tapping his chin lightly, "It might be a pain to sit here and just wait... I didn't think you'd be that type of fighter, but they're trained well... The snake is a Viridescent, so yeah... Also, it's a great dragon, though I can summon and ordinary or sprite too.. Oh, and wolf." She smiled sweetly at him, a move which Xander gave a small smile back at. Apparently this woman took great pride in her magic. It explained why he was so hated.

"Hmm, there could be a problem involved with summoning a Great Dragon above this village. It might call cause for too many questions. The Viridescent is too slow a death. Taerick might be the best bet, but at the same time it might end up turning into a glorified meatshield... I don't want that," He sighed softly, shaking his head, "I also want one of them alive for questioning if I can get him. Find out who sent them," He nodded, leaning forwards, "I have my Dragon, which might work in scaring them off, but it'd also burn down the entire damn village. Fuck me. This is an annoying issue... Ban--Evelyn. I... need to rely on you completely right now," he turned to her with a serious expression, "I trust you to get me close enough to do shit." He'd deal with the weird personality shift later. Right now, shitheads needed to die.

Xander noticed the little slip of the tongue that Evelyn had let go, but decided to think nothing on it. Something about being no longer interested after finding out that Xander didn't look like his brother. It was a good thing, too, since he had no intentions of being anything like Xavier. Twisted fucker was a disgrace to the name of de Angelus, and could go die as far as Xander was concerned. Put the Null to shame. Also, Evelyn disliked Xander's Null Zone--what would she think of Xavier? He shook his head and looked over at her when she spoke at him about plans, "If I summon my Ordinary Dragon in here and my Great outside, we could use the Great as cover and Ordinary as a horse... They'll get you on the roof so you can do your thing, and I'll cover your back from down here with my magic? Just don't activate your zone-thing and we should be able to do this." He tapped his chin, thinking about this for a few seconds, "Hum. That's a possibility. They don't seem to be using any Arcana, so the Null Zone isn't a necessity." He looked to the side, watching the billowing curtain that they were hiding behind. "Yeah, let's do this." He grinned, preparing himself to stand up. He was almost on his feet, when a variety of bolts shot through all of the windows at once. Xander almost managed to get into a defensive stance, but Evelyn's unlucky reaction stopped that. She pushed herself into him, the suddenness taking Xander off guard. He fell onto his back, Evelyn falling on top of him. They both made noises of surprise, and after the moment it took them to realize the position they found themselves in, Evelyn pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest. "That. Didn't. Happen." He could've teased her, but that would have been a mistake. Instead, he simply nodded and replied, "Agreed."

The woman produced her book and went back to the page with the summoning, and for the first time in a long time, Xander got to see an Arcana in use that wasn't aimed at him. "Maximus iumenta ad me fero. Lubeo videtur mihi adstitit et labores. Et in pugna auxilium." Ah, so she was a Scholar. He nodded to himself, keeping that in mind. It wouldn't really matter much in this situation, but knowing how the Arcana of an ally worked was integral for working together with them. In this case, keeping Evelyn's mouth free of interference was the best way for the two of them to work together. That was where her power was, after all. An Arcane Circle appeared on the ground, and from the circle appeared a Dragon. He blinked and tilted his head to the side. Summoning, huh? "Drake, you know what to do. Hop on." He was ordered to hop onto the horse-sized dragon. Of course he was. Sighing and muttering to himself, Xander tried a couple of times to get onto the creature. The first two times were a bust, and he almost fell off trying to stay on the third time, but after that little slip up, he was fine. He nodded to Evelyn as they moved towards the front door, Evelyn redoing the Summoning Ritual and producing a larger beast.

That's my girl Crane!" She named all of her summoned beasts. She might actually have a heart after all. "Be careful." She was probably talking to the Dragon. Yeah, that was it. Things happened, and Xander found himself on a nearby rooftop, under the cover of a Great Dragon. This was not how he expected this day to go, but at the same time? He was glad that Evelyn was around when they attacked. "Drake! Watch Xander's back. Crane, destroy anyone you deem an enemy." The larger dragon playfully bit at Xander--holding back those skull-crushing jaws--and Evelyn told him off. Oh, this would be fun. Xander reached out and patted Drake's head, "Hey, uh... Drake. Try get me behind them." The dragon huffed and while Xander wasn't sure it understood him, it took off from the rooftop and seemed to fly behind the men as they did so. Xander checked his clothing and found what he was looking for, tumbling off of the dragon's back and unfolding the Bull into its full-length form. There were five men aiming at the pair of dragons, who looked suddenly shocked when their target appeared with a semi-auto shotgun in one hand, and a revolver in the other. Xander's grin turned roguish, and he pulled the triggers, unleashing hell upon the assassins-to-be.

"Looking for me?"

"Oh, there are four more of you bastards, eh?" Xander grinned widely, watching the men with a preparatory expression. Unfortunately, it seemed that he'd been a little bit too hard on the weapons, and they were cleared of ammunition. The clicking noises that they made when he pulled the triggers told him that much. He grumbled a bit and folded them up, returning them to their places in his clothing, before producing a pair of sunglasses and putting them on his face. "Woah, woah, boys, boys. What's going on here? Why am I your target all of a sudden? Did I piss someone off?" He hadn't noticed the fifth man sneaking up behind him, but apparently one of the dragons had, as he was taken off of his perch behind Xander and dragged off to bumfuck nowhere--probably Evelyn's house--while Xander was left with four men in front of him. He sighed softly, shaking his head. "Put down any weapons you have, or we will shoot you here." Apparently, they wanted him alive? Who knew? Xander shrugged, gripping the top button of his shirt and suddenly pulling the two halves apart, revealing his naked torso in the light. "As you can see, gentlemen, I am completely unarmed!" He laughed loudly, reaching for his hip and pulling another box off--"Or am I? Watch this Drake--Dragons and Mages aren't the only ones who can make fire!" His laughter grew as the box unfolded into a... particularly large flamethrower; the Dragon. Immediately, Xander pulled the trigger, and a burst of flame spread out over the four remaining men, eliciting screams of pain as they burned. His chest glistened with sweat from the heat as he finished them off, folding the weapon back up and returning it to his hips. "That's why I wear sunglasses. I'm just too bright for you."

He chuckled and looked around, checking to make certain that nobody else was around. Confirming the situation, Xander then looked back at the house, watching Evelyn threaten the man for more questions. Ah, that's where he went. With little fear, he jumped down off of the ledge and landed without much effort at all, re-buttoning his shirt half-way up. He needed a bit of persuasiveness after all. His footsteps were quick and light as he approached the front door of Evelyn's place, opening it and stepping into the room. Drake was probably somewhere behind him, but that didn't matter too much. He entered the room where the two were to see Evelyn poised over him with a snake pointed at him. The man did not appear to be scared for his life, instead staring calmly when Xander walked in. "Anything?" Evelyn shook her head, "Of course not. Alright. I'll see what I can do." Kneeling down in front of the man, Xander gripped his shirt and pulled him up close. "Mind telling me what's going on with all of this?" Laughter. The man simply laughed at Xander's face and shook his head. "Let go of me. The snake's enough of a threat. I'll talk." Good man. Xander let go of his shirt, watching him fall on his ass and stare up at them both.

"Ain't much I can say, really. We were hired to kill you specifically," Xander's left eyebrow twitched, "And to use whatever tools we had at our disposal--whether conventional or Arcane. By order of The Blood Knight." Xander raised an eyebrow. Did they not know about his power? And who was the Blood Knight? "I'm surprised. You talked quite easily." The man grinned, "I don't expect you to get out of this alive." When he finished this sentence, he reached up to his chest and hit it--quite hard. He coughed loudly, and Xander had to take a moment. "What did you..." The bright red glow from the now-dead man's mouth made it clear what was about to happen, and Xander had to react as quickly as possible. "Evelyn, get down!" He reached out and pulled her in close, putting himself between her and the blast. He released a switch in his mind, and the Null Zone started to spread out over the pair--but it was only just quick enough. There was enough over the pair of them to keep them both safe as an expulsion of Arcane Energy spread out through the room in a bright light. The light took Xander's vision for a moment, and when it came back he realized that he was holding onto Evelyn quite tightly. There were scorch marks all around them, except for in a small area in which the Null Zone had extended, and the assassin's body was all but vaporized. "Shit... that's why he was so willing to talk. You alright there, Evelyn?" He asked, not willing--well, more like not recognizing the situation enough--to let go just yet.

After a couple of seconds it became clear that Xander was still being clung to. Another moment later, Evelyn pulled away from him, "That didn't happen either!" He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, agreeing with her. She asked him what the man was talking about, to which Xander described what he'd said. "People should know their targets befo-..." He blinked as she froze, wondering what she had noticed. Was there someone that they had missed? "Someone was watching..." He sneered, following Evelyn out of the building and watching her clamber up onto Crane's head. "See anything?" There was no immediate response, with Evelyn instead clambering back down and sighing at him, "They didn't know their target... Which means that's what the point of all this was..." He folded his arms, understanding what was going on almost immediately, "They needed to know their target, they wanted to know about your power, so someone had to have been watching. If we killed them all, there'd be no one to relay information. So whether that person was in the village and is now running off to send the message, or someone somewhere had the ability to watch from miles away... that had to have been their goal. There was no reason to attack you here. None at all..." He nodded, "That explains a lot. They didn't attack me in the desert because they wanted me at my fullest. Even if they didn't understand their job, their leader must have told them as such. I doubt that their leader was this 'Blood Knight' person. They're who we need to find out about." He sighed, shaking his head in frustration.

Evelyn said something, and the two dragons apparently had issues--they showed expressions that Xander didn't quite understand. "Oh my g-... Ugh. You know I don't meant it that way!" He started laughing himself, although he didn't entirely understand what was so funny about what she'd said. While he laughed, Evelyn paid attention to her dragons, showing a different side to herself that Xander had really never seen. This woman wanted him to fear her, and yet at this point she was doing nothing of the sort. She was showing a face that Xander shouldn't be allowed to see. A face that never saw the light of day. He would have to remember to never reference these events in public--hell, even in private, if Evelyn ever allowed him to speak to her in private again. Greater men than himself had died with secrets such as that. The smaller dragon took off while Xander was thinking about things, and he was suddenly made aware of Evelyn speaking to him, "You ever ridden a dragon before?" He blinked and tilted his head, "About two minutes ago, for about thirty seconds. That's my experience." He smirked, before looking up at the larger dragon, "Where are we headed?" "We need to get to Reaper." He nodded grimly, looking down at the village, and then back at the slightly-smoking house behind them. "Yeah. I don't think I was the only target."