The Exile

Always find time for a joke

Kayden grew tired of the conversations and invited Kearney to explore the city a bit while the ladies talked like "mature grownups". There were details he didn't want to repeat or listen to all over again.

"So are you going to smother me with some Royal Cross propaganda?" Kayden joked as he opened the door for the Exorcist.

"I feel Amy is doing a better job at it than I am." Kearney returned the witticism, "I do want to know about Catherine."

"An Exorcist interested in the opposite sex?" Kayden playfully gasped.

"You know what I meant."

"She and I have a wonderful partnership going on, but in this job," Kayden's mood shifted, "Anything more can kill you. Do you have doubts about your partner?"

"She's actually a lot more than I hoped for," Kearney sighed, "But I feel I'm way under-qualified to be helping her."

"Trust me," Kayden said, "She's going to need you more than you think."

They stopped by a market where Kayden skipped toward the fountain drinks. He grabbed the biggest cup and filled it with Sir Fizzle with a hint of vanilla.

"What's all this stuff?" Kearney picked up a bag of Cheetos.

"That my good Exorcist," Kayden popped the plastic lid, "Is the fall of mankind."

"You're joking."

"Want to test me?"

"I'd rather not." Kearney tossed back the bag of chips and continued following Kayden, "I always thought that the Hell Walker would be on top of a building destroying souls and not buying soft drinks at a store."

"That's pretty gruesome," Kayden walked up to the cashier, "What made you guys think that I wouldn't enjoy a cold drink?"

Kearney wasn't as tactical and cold as his partner, but even he expected a little bit of antagonism from the man that they claimed walked through the fires of Hell and was consumed by the evils inside. Instead, he's walking with a class clown who enjoyed vanilla-hinted drinks and possibly has a picture of a cat in his pocket.

This made Kearney comfortable to an extent, but not enough to put his guard down. This was a change of pace from being with someone who refused to refuge inside a furnished apartment for the sake of the mission. He understood the pressures of being the top student since he technically is one, but he knew when it consumed him and when he slacked off.

"Hey," Kayden snapped his fingers, "Are you still here?"

"Yeah." Kearney thought extremely hard about the situation, but he didn't think he actually spaced out. That was a rookie move and thankfully he wasn't in a battlefield.

"I bet you're wondering how I ended up here."

"I'm pretty sure I heard your story from three different mouths." Kearney kicked a pebble in front of him.

"I wonder which one's the truth." Kayden scoffed. A tap caught his attention causing him to look straight ahead. A man stood in front of them holding the rock Kearney kicked.

"Are you the one?" The man asked in a deep monotone.

"It was this guy," Kayden pointed at Kearney without a hint of consideration, "He has a thing for rocks."

"What are you trying to do?" Kearney pushed Kayden.

"Obviously, you hit him with the rock," Kayden jabbed his finger at Kearney's shoulder, "Just say that you're sorry."

"Are you the Hell Walker?" The man's voice grew more aggressive.

"I'm sorry?" Kayden squinted his eyes in confusion.