I'm Through Accepting Limits (Astrid)

[GWEN MORGAN]

ARCADIA, NEBRASKA

Darkness swept over the land, the sun disappearing in the distance and that awkward time between day and night occurred. The twilight was eerie, uninviting and covered the town with unease. It was times like this that Gwen got nervous. Hunting at a time like now was bad luck. Some might call it superstitious nonsense but Gwen had her own bad experiences during the hunts in her previous life. Well, life was not the proper term but Gwen hated referring to the body she had as only a vessel. Humans were worth more than just being a suit to change into for angels and demons alike.

Morgan, her current vessel, had rubbed off on her and now Gwen liked the Goth style of clothing that she had so famously wore. The whole small town of Arcadia nestled in Nebraska had known Morgan. A rebel without a cause they always used to say. And now Gwen seemed to be following suit as a rebel, though for very different reasons. No matter where she went everyone said hello to her and Gwen had to struggle to sift through Morgan’s memories in order to remember their names and how they knew each other. Morgan had been a wild woman in her days! Many of the men flocked over to Gwen and she flushed and stammered remembering images she really wished she hadn’t.

Her parents cried with joy at how she managed to now be a perfect little lady and was overjoyed to from the visit. Morgan’s parents anyhow. Sometimes Gwen found herself wishing for what Morgan’s life used to be. Other than her crazy streak she had known everyone in the town and had two lovely parents that only wanted her happiness. The Lord was her father and she always cherished that but being a human...it must be so nice. Her grace kept her from fully realizing what humanity could be, but it was also her last to Heaven and she wasn’t willing to give it up.

Most of the research Astrid and her had done got them nowhere. A bunch of children had disappeared from Arcadia without a trace and Gwen couldn’t find any rhyme or reason to it. Like they disappeared into thin-air. She bit her lower lip, finally returning to the diner that she was supposed to meet Astrid at. They had split up the past day to research and cover more ground so as to make sure they didn’t waste any time. But they hadn’t gotten anywhere. Gwen smiled, relieved the blonde was already there and sat down in the booth across from her. Her sister always brought her comfort and knowing she wasn’t alone in this oddly familiar town gave her more relief than she would admit. “I haven’t found anything. Tell me you’ve had better luck?” If neither of them had found a clue than this case was going to be even harder than Gwen had originally thought.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid tugged her jacket more tightly to her body, the air was cold and she felt a chill pass through her body and she sighed. Astrid was not a fan of the cold, she preferred the warm summer air in places such as California, or Florida. Even the dry heat of Vegas was more preferable to her than this cold night air. Still, they were here on a case, one that they kept coming up to dead ends on, but it was a case that she was very passionate about solving. Astrid had always had a soft spot for children, she had never actually interacted with one. They were God's creation's and they were beautiful. The angel found herself very much in awe of their child-like innocence and their ability to have an honest and untainted point of view of the world. She was positive that the world would be a much darker place without those wide and curious eyes there to shed light on everything.

Astrid sighed and walked down the dark empty streets of Arcadia, her eyes were focused and attentive as she tried to draw in the details of everyone and everything that she passed. All she needed was a clue, one simple clue and things could take sail. For now they were stuck with book that contained no answers and hysterical parents who were unaware of why their children were simply vanishing from sight. It was incredibly frustrating and Astrid felt like she was going to have to drag someone kicking and screaming to get her answers. At the very least she had expected to run into something of the supernatural essence, but whoever was responsible was doing a good job of covering their tracks.

She stepped through the front door of the diner and scanned the area for Gwen, she found her sitting down, two cups of coffee already sitting in front of her and Astrid slid easily into the booth and let out a sigh. They were going to have to pick up the pace on solving this case or things were not going to end well, Astrid had already decided that failing was not an option though, they were both perfectly capable of doing this job and doing it well.

"I think our research is going to have to be more hands on, I am not finding anything."

Astrid frowned and brought her coffee to her lips after sweetening it. She enjoyed the way it burned down here throat and sent a warm flush through her body, as much as she hated the cold it was always nice to feel the body react to the blanket of warmth that followed once the cold air was shut out.

"I want to do a more thorough search if that is at all possible, there has to be some hiding spots around here that we missed the first time around. I also feel as if we should keep our eye open for another disappearance, that may be our best bet. To keep the kids safe and try and get a lead on who is attempting to take them."

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen saw her sister’s face and felt her heart drop as well. Children were innocents. Although she hated when anyone was hurt, having a small human who couldn’t defend him or herself being attacked made her sick to her stomach and she was surprised she had been so tough about this case for so long. They were God’s Children and special in his eyes because they did not know about sin and vice yet.

She thought for a moment, taking a long sip of her coffee and letting the hot drink warm her insides and almost burn her tongue. Gwen had never been very patient when it came to food and drink though she was learning the hard way to let things cool off before shoving them down. “I have my cell phone hooked to the local police server so that if anyone else goes missing I’ll know within minutes of the report.” Gwen whispered for a moment, not trusting the people around them, before raising her voice just slightly once more. It was still low but not so painfully low that Astrid couldn’t follow along.

“I have a map of where most of them have last been seen but it’s what we started off with in the beginning after all the interviews with the parents.” The map was slightly wrinkled but Gwen took it out of her purse and unwrapped it, pushing down the edges and securing them with an assortment of condiments so that Astrid and herself would both get a clear view of the area. “Most are in forests. These three are near a lake and the girl was near a river. I’m thinking it has something to do with the water.” They’d have to pack up with their gear and go there to be sure but not knowing what they were both dealing with was disconcerting. What if they brought the wrong weapons? Or what if it was not related to the water at all and they were just about to go and waste their time? Her stomach churned as Gwen struggled to keep smiling and being positive. Those thoughts would not help them right now.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid carefully considered everything that Gwen was suggesting. It was a valid point to look into the connection with water, perhaps there was some kind of monster waiting for a moment to pick up an unsuspecting victim. The thought made her stomach turned, she hadn't been handling this case well emotionally. She kept a calm and cool exterior but this case had been harder on her than any other she had taken up during her time as a human. Astrid in most cases was able to do a quick job and not stop to think too much about it because that was not part of the job description. With this case however the despair of the knowledge that children were suffering was almost unbearable too her. She felt tears prickle the back of her eyes and she blinked rapidly trying to avoid it. Astrid was not well versed in dealing with crying, and she had yet to deal with her own permanent vessel's tears but she felt as if they were not far off.

"I want to check the area where they disappeared again, I know that we already did a run through, but I need to know it's not going right over our heads. Maybe we could find some of these kids, or at least get a clue on where they were taken."

After some considering Astrid did agree with the conclusion that there was no point in interviewing families again, they would come up with the same answers and Astrid didn't think she could handle seeing the fear and desperation pooling in their eyes again. Astrid took a deep breath and tried to figure out where they should start. She took a drink of her coffee again and closed her eyes for a moment. Astrid was trying to retrace her steps in her head, she had to think of anything she might have missed and formulate new ideas.

"I want to get in the water too"

The idea of swimming in the water during the months of the cold Nebraska winter was not one that ws all that appealing to Astrid, but they had searched around the forests and around the waters but they had not actually gone in to the source. Astrid had never encountered supernatural water beings, but in her experience everything was possible and she was not going to brush off the idea. What they had done so far was not working and it was about time they try something new. They were not going to have lost lives on their conscious if Astrid could help it, she felt fierce determination swell up in her and she met her sisters eyes across the table.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen had to hold back her nerves. This monster could be anything and if they weren’t prepared then more kids would have to suffer for their mistake. She gave Astrid a gentle caring smile to try to cheer her sister up. Astrid was taking this especially badly, unhappy and spinning down a spiral of worry. Gwen was trying to be strong for the both of them even though the thought of that many children in harm’s way was terrifying. So Gwen had to be the strong one. She was determined to be here for her sister.

“Sounds like a plan,” She nodded, taking another large gulp of her coffee and letting it settle at her stomach to give her some sort of liquid courage. The area was relatively deserted because of the recent disappearances and was close enough to town that they wouldn’t get lost in the woods in case anything happened.

With a start Gwen looked up and watched Astrid in shocked worry. “Are you sure? You might not be able to get any help if you’re down there. What if I can’t get down in time and something just…hurts you or something?” They hadn’t been traveling together for long but Gwen felt a strong bond with her sister and hated to even think of her getting injured in any way no matter how small.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid appreciate the comfort of her sisters presence, it was a comfort to the pit of worry that was buried within her stomach. She tried to go over some sort of plan in her head, it was true that without her powers it would be much harder for her to maneuver on her own into the water, she could not simply fly out of it, the water would weigh down her wings and she'd have to rely on just her vessel's abilities and strengths. Still, it would be worth it if it would get them somewhere, they were running out of options and it was something they hadn't tried.

"It could be dangerous, but I do trust you, if something were to happen to me I know that you would try and get to me. I'll do whatever it takes to get to these kids"

Astrid leaned back against the booth and allowed herself to relax momentarily. She still felt tense and unsure but she needed to allowed herself a bit of rest if they were going to do this. She enjoyed the water, she was not afraid of being able to swim, she knew that she could and well but still no one knew what could be working. She didn't want to be caught off guard by some kind of creature in the water.

"I will get some research done tonight, I want to see if there are any types of supernatural water creatures, it sounds like a reasonable idea considering that these disappearance have been near there, it's worth a shot at least"

Astrid offered Gwen a weary smile and continued to drink her coffee in silence.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen bit her lower lip, “All right but first let’s check the area out before you decide to go down into the water. I want to make sure what I think is false before we get hasty.” Finding the kids was the main priority but if either of them got wounded or hurt then that wouldn’t help their case at all.

“From what has happened so far and the fact that children seem to be the only victims I think it might be a Rawhead.” It was only a suspicion since Gwen had never actually run into one before. She had only heard of them from other hunters before and read them from a book of supernatural creatures once when investigating a while back. It seemed to be the only thing that fit.

A water monster that inhabits deep ponds and takes children back to its dwelling in order to eat them. Disturbing; so if it was a Rawhead then Gwen had to hold on to her hope that the kids weren’t dead and merely captured. The lair could be in an air pocket down below the water so maybe they could still breathe. “If so, I’m bringing a tazer I had so if we can figure it out before you go into the water or after you get out I can zap the water and electrify the bastard.”

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid considered what Gwen was saying for a moment. She had faith in her sister and she knew with out much hesitation that she was going to let her do what she needed too before doing anything to irrational. They had to go about this task carefully and Astrid was going to listen to whatever ideas her sister had. They were a team and it was very important that the two of them work together, if they did that they were going to be able to save a lot of lives and do a lot of good things together.

"I have heard of these before, I agree that we should consider this option first before jumping into anything. You have been doing this a bit longer than I have and I trust your judgment, what would you like me to do? I wish to help"

Astrid felt a small spark of hope settle in her system and she leaned forward in her chair so that she could listen carefully and make eye contact with Gwen. She listened intently and nodded her head in agreement. What Gwen was saying made perfect sense and the idea of a possible air pocket also made sense. Astrid leaned back in her chair and smiled, feeling a little spark that she hadn't felt the entire time that the two of them had been there.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen felt a bit sheepish. Sure, she had worked hunts longer than Astrid but that didn’t make her an expert. Everything she learned was from James and though he had once been a brilliant hunter it had been a year or so between this body and the last one. A couple of things she was still rusty at. “I just don’t want anything to happen.” Bad things happened on hunts but occasionally just but overly prepared kept them all safe. If her sister got hurt, Gwen would be both pissed as hell and worried. “I say we go along with our plan so far and change it up if the situation changes.”

She smiled again, this time more determined. They both were on the same page and were supporting each other…just like siblings. Well, just like human siblings even. It warmed her heart and her mind briefly wondered what it would have been like if Astrid and herself had been born as humans. Everything would have been so different. “For now, I think we should get something to eat to keep our strength up and finish our cups of coffee. It’s better to work on a full stomach than be starving.”

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid felt herself nodding along with Gwen. They were going to protect each other no matter what happened so she was not too concerned about either of their safety. Astrid was not the angel she had once been, but she still had many skills as a hunter and she knew the same went for Gwen. Not only that, but their opinions on things, and their reasons for being on Earth though slightly different were very much alike. It made hunting together enjoyable and Astrid was very glad that her sister had allowed her to hunt with her.

"I agree, for now we can keep our plans to the basics of what we have them and if anything changes we can make adjustments to it"

Astrid took her sisters advice however and ordered a large salad and another round of Coffee. She tried not to shovel all of her food down to quickly, she noticed during her time as a human that she had a tendency to eat faster than was necessary, especially when she was anxious or if there was a case awaiting them. Instead she observed Gwen and tried to match the slow movements of her bites. Sometimes watching Gwen made things a bit easier for her, they were both angel's in the past and were now working their way around as if they were humans, it was very comforting to have her there.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen had ordered a good old fashioned burger with everything on it. She couldn’t help but indulge herself when it came to food. The stuff was magnificent! Even though they weren’t required to eat it to survive she still strove to be as human-like as possible. Some of her brethren she had run into had asked her aloud why she didn’t give up her grace. Gwen knew, despite her longing to be a human, that it was because it was the last tie she had to Heaven and she did not want to relinquish it. Also, she still had the power of healing and to take care of another creature and fix them up after a battle made her feel as if she was following what the Lord would want her to do.

She smiled, slowly relaxing to try to be an example for her sister. If they could both relax, despite the urgency of the situation, this mission would go smoother and end up better anyhow. “Are you getting better at noticing emotional reactions and knowing how to respond to them?” They interacted all day long but as siblings it came easier. Gwen wanted to make sure Astrid felt comfortable talking to and noticing human-behavior since they were both stuck down here.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

After finishing off her food Astrid felt a bit less shaky and more ready for the job. It was impossible for her to push all of her emotions about the case off to the side, but she felt a sense of calm that she was lacking before settle over her and she was relieved. Astrid needed a level head for this and she was not going to let her emotions get the better of her. Once they were finish Astrid took enough bills to cover the meal out of her wallet and smiled at the waiter who brought them their check.

"I've got this, we should head back to the motel. Grab anything we need"

Astrid helped put all of their food on the table to the side and the two of them stepped outside into the evening air. The walk to the motel was a short one. It was just up the street and the car was over there. They walked in a companionable silence, one that Astrid could appreciate. There were times when she relished in the hustle and bustle of the city, she liked the sound of laughter and people around her, but there were times like this when she enjoyed the silence. Each extreme brought her joy, but with the mood the quiet wa exactly she she needed before going out on the hunt.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen was a bit surprised. Normally they split the meal but she guessed Astrid was just in a hurry to get onto this case. She watched her sister carefully, making sure Astrid didn’t over do it and end up hurting herself in some way. Astrid was a capable fighter but just like Gwen, she felt things deeply (probably even more so because of the empathy) and since this case dealt with children she was taking it especially hard. The blonde tried to discreetly keep an eye on Astrid without making that big of a deal out of it so she wouldn’t upset her partner.

“I think we should get some rubber gloves that kind mortals use to clean, for this mission.” If it was a rawhead and they needed to use electricity- having those gloves would most likely protect them at least from the brunt of it. “Maybe some rubber boots too. Just in case.” Gwen knew that her diagnosis could be wrong but there was no harm in trying and in being prepared.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

"I agree that would be a good idea"

Astrid nodded her head, her chest honestly hurt from all the feelings she was receiving from this town. They were obviously a close group of people, and it wasn't unnatural for a town to feel a loss so strongly. Especially in a case like this where it was just a child. Hear and the Astrid would feel a spike of intense fear, while she did not like the feeling, and she hated that someone was feeling this way, it actually gave her a small spark of hope. Fear like this could only come from someone who was stuck in a terrifying situation, and it gave her hope to think that maybe she was feeling emotions fromt he children. That would at least mean that they were alive.

"Do you anticipate what weapons we should bring? I have a feeling whatever we are chasing is going to need to be killed, I don't want us to be under an unexpected attack and we can both handle a weapon well"

Astrid found herself looking over at Gwen. She was struck with just how appreciative she felt towards the other angel again, it was always good to have someone their by her side and she was glad that it was her own sister. It was a member of her family that had not cast her out and was sticking close to her side.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen reached out to hold Astrid’s hand just for a second, squeezing it to try to give her reassurance. Although the blonde was having troubles with this herself, it was Astrid that was being hit the hardest with this case not only because of her gentle heart but also her empathy picking up the fears, hurt and sadness emanating from the town. Gwen could see it and emphasize…but Astrid could feel it in her very soul.

“Everything we can carry,” Gwen’s face turned grim. Since the girls weren’t fully aware of what they were dealing with it would be smart to bring an assortment of different weapons. Most of the signs pointed to electricity so the main thing would be a tazer. “Let’s bring a couple different types of blades, definitely a tazer and some other item we can use to set electricity into the water if we need it and some guns.” Better to be safe rather than sorry.