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Malodore shook its head. "It is hardly your fault. I should have anticipated it - I had a human hand once, just the bones of one, obtained on one accidental and ill-advised journey to the Human World. When I returned, the hand was gone, even though I was quite sure I had secured it. I should have followed that through to its most logical conclusion and accompanied the group. The missed opportunities alone..."

Ah, well. It shook its head again with a sigh.

It frowned, mentally, at the mention of Hunter scientists, a disapproving tone in its voice when it spoke again. "I recall, in the dream the Horsemen gave us. They utilized strange technology, strange sciences..." Flickers of the dream passed unpleasantly through its mind. "Perhaps we must obtain one of these scientists, and allow Riley to slice through its brain." That was a pleasant thought.

Malodore's gaze narrowed behind the lenses. "Torture, is it? I wish I had come with you. I can be very... imaginative... when I wish to be, at least when it comes to causing physical pain." Its hands tensed for a moment, claws curling up as if ready to scratch hard through something. "I believe the members of DETH are correct - the natural order lies in a peaceful manipulation of our human flocks. But these upstarts... they defy their proper role. When there is an aberration, one eliminates it, and the experiment continues as designed."

It shook its head, sharply. "You did the right thing, to cull this one."

"How, ah... how was it done? Did you do the elimination yourself, or...?" It left the question hanging, leaning forward a bit with the intensity of its curiosity. It would love to know how much a human body could take before dying; it seemed the Hunters knew more about Halloween-kind than it did, to the point of being able to rearrange their bodies while preserving their minds. It would be nice to be able to do the same right back to them.

"Ah..." Malodore sighed and shook its head. "Well, I will see if I can speak with him for additional details. I would like to know."

Then the rest of what Jericho had said caught up with it, and it blinked. "Wait, Israfel... a traitor? How so? I am fairly sure Israfel doesn't have the... ah, the guile needed to be a traitor."

"I see," Malodore said, with another sigh. "That does not surprise me, actually - he is a gentle creature, ill-suited to complex machinations, but quite stubborn when he wishes to be. Should such an opportunity for action come to our attention again, the best thing would be to leave him out of it. For our sake, and for his."

"Si - it is simply too much for him. Keeping him on the side will be a kindness to him, I am sure," Malodore said; its face wasn't capable of grimacing, but the feeling came across in its tone. "Not everyone is suited for such things, after all. Knowing one's limits, and the limits of others, is important..."

It tilted its head to one side. "Why did you not take the kill, if you'll indulge my curiosity?"

"Fair enough. A burned corpse would have been more difficult to examine, as well." Oh, how it wished the corpse hadn't exploded... it could have been so fascinating! Another sigh, for missed opportunities.

"Grazie, my friend." It peered back at Jericho's wings. "As for the reason you called me here... I suppose the only true option is concealment. Perhaps you could obtain some stage makeup from the theater department? It would allow freer movement than a cloth covering."

"Of course. It is always my pleasure to see you," Malodore said, bobbing its head. "I only wish I could do more. To see such things and not be able to repair them, or to begin to know how to treat them... it is deeply, deeply troubling." Its tone was weary, and a little self-depreciating.