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He ducked under the threshold of the door and scoffed. "Nobody wants a cancer patient look, Chel. Lina had it on that Sahara mission, and she looked like a mutilated Barbie doll," he said, in spite of Owain's murmurs about being more gentle. "You want to be edgy, fine, but a completely shaved head revokes your sex privilege from me as a warning."

He stood off to the side and set his things down as Chel interacted with the techs. Dear one, Owain put in a little worriedly, I am being frank here: there is something irregular in her behavior.

No s**t.

I really do wish you would tone yourself back in consideration of this fact. The ghoul has been through enough, and there is still more to come.

Jack didn't reply. He was intent on the exchange, wondering how exactly he was going to speak to a weapon locked in by the bracelet; it only then occurred to him now that the morning daze was gone. Briefly he considered stepping in and offering help, but golems weren't his forte and he'd probably just get in the way; everyone seemed intent on one thing or another.

Be mindful of what you say to him if this works. Please. If the giant couldn't work his charisma personally, then pushing his opinion on Jack was the only alternative.

"You provided an interesting challenge," Jack said with faint amusement. "What else did you think was going to happen? We live for new problems to solve." Or at least he did.

But he caught the subtle movement and wondered if the demon was going to be confrontational during this talk. A W-class golem wasn't a threat, but he really didn't want to tack on extra costs from property damage to his paycheck. The minutes ticked by easily to him as he waited by Chel, patient and inwardly bracing.

It was about what he had imagined: a barrage of the bow's symbols pasted on an eerie humanoid. The teeth, however, were an unexpected addition he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about. Jack was silent as he examined the golem, hands in his pockets, Owain humming thoughtfully as he watched through his hunter's eyes.

That is very much the gait of a confident demon, was his usual helpful commentary.

Jack had to repress a smile when Tenebrae walked off without a single acknowledgement. Passing Chel a glance (look at this guy, huh), Jack followed in the demon's wake at a leisurely pace, unperturbed. Her disquiet was registered; naturally this meant appearing at ease.

He joined in the communal silence as they walked, wondering why the grove was being revisited. Then again, it was the closest to natural seclusion as one could get without climbing the beachside cliffs.

As Tenebrae sat, Jack chose to remain standing for the moment. "Hostile" wasn't the right word apparently, but "irrritable" was close enough. Owain repeated his plea for caution, and Jack smiled.

"Let's start with the basics. How are you?"

There was a slight brow raise at their exchange, but he made no comment. Owain's was more verbal but less articulate and courteous.

"I remember she said you were a beholder," he said as though they hadn't been interrupted. "How many eyes do you normally have? Did you possess other types of vision? X-ray, darkvision, and so on?"

"Color me envious," he replied with a smile as he pushed his glasses up. "If there ever comes a way to restore you to your natural form, I'd love to see it. Now, she said you wanted to talk to me. Something in particular on your mind?"

There was a dangerous growl in his head. Calm, collected Owain was two steps from skipping past now see reason and straight to bash it until it stopped moving. He was a civil giant but a giant nevertheless: violence was in their nature, and this monster held no particular love for demons, much less ones that marked one of his favorite people. The courtesy Owain extended to all things vanished.

Let me out.

I'm not letting you brawl your way into trouble, you idiot.

I will not touch a hair on that thing, the giant said distastefully. My only concern is that someone is there with her, seeing as you've made your stance clear.

Jack's smile faded but he remained unmoved. If there was one thing he had picked up from his sporadic sessions under Ami, it was that showing an emotional inclination of any sort was not a good idea around their kind if business was the subject matter.

Later, if you still want.

Not afterwards, now! How can you abide by this, Jack?

He did tell her to stay quiet, he replied evenly, and Owain rumbled angrily with the weight of boulders he couldn't crush with.

But it was fascinating to see their particular bond out in the open. Jack wondered if this was the same control Tenebrae exerted normally, or if this arrangement was only happening as part of their physical interaction, taking advantage of what couldn't be done from within the mind. He had been given the impression that the weapon was mostly silent and strictly pragmatic, which said very little about Tenebrae himself. What he didn't understand, though, was why Chel had decided to avoid tagging along Owain when clearly being by her partner was proving disruptive.

He wants her there on her own, the giant muttered darkly, anger still coming off him in steady waves he was barely suppressing. There is something else going on, dear one. She has been put here for a reason, something they must have predetermined before coming to you.

Jack's gaze flickered towards Chel's back before returning to the golem, and his fingers idly traced the hilt of his runic dagger. "Go on."