Checkout Anytime You Like, But You Can Never Leave

[Yuki]

The Crossroad's Tavern. Located on the outskirts of tavern, the establishment had its regulars as well as newcomers, passer-bys, tourists--just like any other tavern in any other city. It had its employees, its alcoholic beverages, occasional barfights and karaoke, the town drunkard, etc. However, this tavern was not like any other tavern. True, it did have the same features as a typical tavern--bar, kitchen, eating area, TV, as well as a few rooms. But this tavern was situated in front of a crossroads, well known to the supernatural realm as the location where red-eyed demons make deals with humans. As such, it had become the go-to spot for hunters in the area, a place to get the scoop from employees working the pub, most importantly from its owner--Aiden Wood.

Over the months, the tavern gathered a few more occupants--the optimistic prankster Teagan, cold-hearted Yuki and eventually, newcomer Elle. The bartender, Lori, also frequently stayed at the tavern, as she and Aiden Wood were lovers of a sort. Needless to say, the accumulation of women at the place did not go unnoticed. Though the reality of it was that all residents were hunters of the supernatural, and it was just by mere coincidence that they so happened to be girls, the regulars of the Crossroad's Tavern did not know this. And it's common knowledge that people talk when given something to talk about.

Yuki was walking towards the kitchen to prepare one of her self-proclaimed delicious meals, when she caught a glance of a police car pulling up to her home. Nande?! What the hell were the police doing here?! The faction had been clean in their latest hunt. They always were, never leaving a hint that they were behind any scene. Credit card scams, fake IDs, guns, occult objects--the tavern harbored it all. This couldn't fare well.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, rushing to find her faction leader. "Aiden! Aiden!" She called, unsure of where in the tavern he was located. When she did finally find him, she uttered but a few words. "Cops are here. What do we do?"

[Aiden]

Aiden's life had been interesting as of late. Well, one could suppose it had always been interesting. Being dragged into the life of hunting as a child didn't always shape the best people, in fact, by the time that some reached legal adulthood, many were crazy from what they had seen, what had scarred them. Aiden had his scars, physical and mental, and he always received slack for them. Moody, bipolar, emo, childish--there were many terms that he knew his faction mates used for him. Lori understood, at least somewhat, but no one understood more than Malcolm.

Malcolm was now a person whose death Aiden had moved past, believe it or not. Staring at the urn everyday hadn't helped, so he made a personal decision to get over it. He thanked Malcolm for giving up his life that day so that Aiden hadn't been dragged into something worse, for teaching to be the hero in the dark--a modern day super hero, he thought at times. Because someone had to protect people from things that went bump in the night.

He was a considerably happier person now, especially should Teagan and Yuki look back over the past year. They had changed him. Hunting had changed him. Ariel had changed him. The supernatural baddies avoided Portland and a fifty mile radius of the city because the status of the group was apparently well-known. Portland had begun trips into neighboring states to fight off evil.

There wasn't a day that went by where Aiden wasn't aware of the location of his tavern. The crossroads was tempting for many, at least for the many who knew its power. Only Aiden knew of the small box he had ready just in case he needed to make an impromptu deal hidden beneath the floorboards beneath his bed, a place he knew Teagan hadn't touched. She might say otherwise, but he had his devices, and that floorspace remained hidden, the box and the other things there.

Hunters began realizing just how adept Aiden was at the job, and word of Casey had spread through the hunting community. It was partly Aiden trying to figure out who he was, and partly because other hunters had been contacted, but never joined up in a faction, or created one. Most had the opinion that people that weren't hunters should remain civilians, but Aiden knew that sometimes they needed more force, and there was only one way to get that force.

Unbelievably, it had been a while since another hunter had frequented the bar. It seemed like a lot were dropping off the map, either by dying or disappearing like the Winchesters. When the tavern had been repaired, Aiden ensured that there were tons of security measures in place; hidden pentagrams, occult objects and symbols, salt lines, iron supplies, Holy water sprinkler systems, the works. If any hunters were safe, it was in the tavern.

There had been no luck with Art missing, little word from Deacon. Miles was sick, and Teagan didn't know either bit of information. Yuki had been informed so she could be a fresh set of eyes on the trail of Art, but honestly, Aiden hadn't gone much out of his way to find the kid yet. A hunter had rolled in looking for help, and Aiden had gone with him.

The ruguru hadn't stood a chance against the two, and the man thanked Aiden and had gone on his way. But during the whole ordeal, they had been followed. Somehow the other hunter hadn't realized it, but Aiden was sure that their tail was a demon. More specifically, one affiliated with Ariel. He had snapped a picture, and was now adding it to the back of the picture that hung on his wall. He was just finishing up replacing the large frame on the wall when Yuki was knocking on his door and calling his name.

The police? There was no way they could track the ruguru back to him. He frowned and stashed the weapons in his room in his hidden safe, and hid a few more concealed weapons on the way to the door. If the cops could even pass into the threshold it meant that there was a low chance they were supernatural beings, so he wasn't too worried there. He met them at the door, with his fake ID in hand that would indeed prove to them that he was old enough to be working in the tavern.

They entered the main bar area of the tavern through the door, and took a look at Aiden. He knew that they were sizing him up just in case something happened, but Aiden was well prepared nonetheless should something like that occur.

"Evening, officers. Is something wrong? I don't recall anyone dialing out," Aiden said calmly, knowing that Yuki was nearby, and that Lori was watching from behind the counter.

"Mr. Wood, I take it? No one called us, not from here, anyway." The man, a tall Hispanic man that worked out daily in order to be strong and quick enough to subdue any trouble, motioned Aiden over to an empty table and had him sit down.

"We've received a few heads up that is likely to lead into an investigation, and we're here to inform you about it. If you cooperate and the search yields nothing, then we'll leave you be. I know most of the guys on the squad can vouch for you, since you helped them out with something a few years back, apparently, so we'll make this quick.

"The accusations against you are that you are using this building as a front, and instead running a, well, in layman's terms, a brothel, whorehouse, whatever you want to call it. People complain of women that live here, sometimes sitting with other men here in the bar, and several that don't leave. Can you explain and tell us that they're wrong?"

Aiden blinked a few times. People....customers honestly thought that he was pimping out Yuki and Teagan? What?! At first he sat there, in a confused silence, and then couldn't help but smile and laugh to himself. "Officers, this is a huge understanding. The people living here aren't...they can't even...they'd probably castrate a man that thought they were...listen. The people that are always here live here with me. About a year ago, my cousin was going to go to school out here and came to stay with me so she could have some place to stay. That'd be Teagan. The other person from a year ago, well," Aiden paused, trying to think up a logical situation.

"Yuki is my girlfriend, she moved in here because it was just more affordable than buying a place of her own, y'know? Real estate prices out here are insane. Lori," he said, pointing to the mentioned girl, "is an employee here, a bartender. I can give you the address to where she lives. And Elle is Teagan's step-sister, who came out here for a job," Aiden said, calmly, smoothly, and in his own opinion at least, a highly believable fashion.

[Yuki]

Weapons concealed, she went down with Aiden to meet the officers. Perhaps this was a health inspection of sorts, or maybe a customer had called complaining about noise. It simply could not have been about anything supernatural. A year had gone by, and not once had the police ever showed up at the tavern. Still, she was a bit concerned. If they thoroughly searched the tavern, or even Aiden's car, she wondered if they would find all the hidden compartments. The guns kept in any part of the tavern, if discovered, would be a rather questionable sight. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

As Aiden talked to the officers, Yuki stood by his side, unmoving as ever. Where we the other girls? Lori was present down by the bar, as she usually was. It wasn't as if she kept tabs on Teagan or Elle, so she really hoped that the two weren't doing anything that could get them in trouble if the tavern was searched. For once, she hoped they were doing anything but training, should a weapon be inadvertently discovered. True, the had the right to bear arms, but how would they respond to a minor firing off a shotgun at a dummy?

Teagan better be plotting a prank or something, because if anyone's going to get us caught, it'd be her.Two officers, though more could be in the car. Possible more on the way. Frankly, she wasn't completely sure how the police system worked in the United States. Honestly, she had been more involved with a shadier, non-official group of people to know the characteristics of the United States' law force.

However, the first impression was a lasting and not favorable one.

A BROTHEL?! Yuki's countenance visibly flared. How dare they suggest that she, Yuki Oshiro of Okinawa, Japan, was living at this residence as a whore! The nerve! She'd beat him up and show him who he was dealing with! It took all her effort to restrain herself from pinning the man to the ground. For the sake of them being officials, she had to.

But as Aiden spoke to supposedly clarify the situation, he only made it murkier. She shot him a glare, one that said, since when am I your girlfriend?! Oh yes, his explanation made things so much better. She let him finish, then turned to the officers.

"He's right, Officer...Hernandez," she said calmly, reading off his nametag. "Right about everything, save one detail. I'm not his girlfriend. You see, you calling this a brothel has probably only inflated his ego. In all honesty, he's a bit of a desperate fellow. Keeps thinking I'm on romantic terms with him," she said, rolling her eyes. "Men."

"However, as a resident of this tavern, I say you proceed with the inspection, if that's what it will take. You'll find we have nothing to hide here."

Except a stash of guns, knives and ammo, as well as several credit cards under several aliases. But they didn't have to know that.

[Aiden]

This whole situation had gotten strangely out of hand. Aiden had been well aware that Portland had become an estrogen fest, but now they had CJ...though, the kid was a frickin' recluse just like Elle. Maybe they'd get along together, if she was into minors. ...then again, maybe not, because he didn't want the cops coming back for legalities of relationships within the tavern. He made a note to prevent that relationship for two more years.

The officers stood in silence, looking at each other as if to talk it over when Yuki spoke again. Aiden looked at her, and he was kind of ticked that she wouldn't just roll with it. Of course not, she had been his girlfriend this time around, but how else was he supposed to explain her relation? A cousin, sister, those didn't quite work as well.

Ah, well. Maybe a bit of theatrics would deter the cops.

"Oh, so you pick when I'm in front of the cops to break up with me?!" he said in a raised voice, standing up from his chair and facing her. "Real freakin' original Yuki. What is it? Jealous of me and Lori over there? Huh? Just because she has a thing for me? Not a fan of work-based relationships? Fine. Have it your way. Start paying for your room. Regular rates. And I'll just take Lori out tonight."

The officers suddenly looked very confused, and very lost. Should they continue their Q & A, or leave them to their lovers quarrel? There was still one unaccounted for, so Hernandez cleared his throat. "Can you explain the other male that now lives here with you?"

"Chris? You think that--frickin' customers, God! Chris is a family friend, his parents are on vacation overseas, and he is starting school soon, so they needed a place for him to stay, since they can't leave him enough money for him to manage for three months alone. I offered, like the nice family friend I am. Jeez, I help people out, and you accuse us of whoring ourselves out? I thought you said that the other officers could vouch for me!"

"...W-well, they can. We just had to check it out, a formality. But if you insist on us running an invest--"

"Oh, just because Public Humiliation over here wants you to? All she wants to do is justify herself, she doesn't want to clear her name. Look, is this really necessary? If we were a brothel, wouldn't we have regulars?" Aiden inquired.

"A young man, college age, named Will?"

Will? Who the heck was Will? "Alright, look. This is a tavern. Bar and inn. I rent rooms out to family. I was just broken up with, can you please give me some time to sort this out?"

[Teagan]

Teagan chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pencil, gaze intently focused on the blueprints scattered about the desk in front of her. It was one of those days where the real work got done. Not the 'save the world from demons' sort of thing, but more along the lines of creating beautiful examples of projects found in 'Brilliant Pranks for Dummies'. Not that anyone had actually sat down to write the book yet, but once they did, Teagan wanted to ensure that her name was at the top of the works cited page.

Yuki's shouts from below interrupted her scheming, causing her eyes to flicker toward the door. She drew her breath and listened carefully for the sound of pounding feet down the hallway. Nope, seemed like Yuki had found Aiden and was discussing whatever emergency had arisen with the leader. Of course, as a good faction member, Teagan probably should have immediately raced down to see if some creature was causing havoc in the town...but the last piece to the puzzling contraption rested tauntingly on the tip of her tongue, completely erasing any desire to leave her current position.

"If the notch goes here, then the trigger..." Emerald eyes traced the lead across the paper. Theoretically, it should be in a subtle location in case any thick--headed idiot felt an urge to set off the device before the appropriate time, but that was a small sacrifice she would have to pay. Soft jazz music floated in the background. It was the only thing she could listen to while plotting, unless the prank was an act of revenge (at which Aiden-style loud music was more appealing). For the next few minutes, she peacefully scrawled notes along the margins of the blueprints, perfection nearly within her reach.

Shouting from below once again startled her thoughts. The dark-haired girl glared at the door. Couldn't they keep quiet for ten stinkin' minutes? Reluctantly she dropped her pencil and pulled up the live stream from below on her computer. Perhaps they were 'discussing' dinner again.

Her eyes widened in curiosity.

Or perhaps they were chatting with a room full of cops. Without a second's hesitation she picked up all of the documents on her desk and crammed them in the secret panel below the floor. Her eyes scanned the room as she put the plank back in place, double checking that nothing obvious lay strewn in open view. Nope. Clear. Grabbing a book she kept in the first drawer of her desk but never opened, Teagan put on a frustrated face and rambled loudly down the stairs.

"Aiden? Can you help me with this passage? I swear I can't understand Shakespeare for the life of me. Why do they even bother teaching it in scho-" She burst into the room, freezing in her steps like a surprised teen as she soaked in the scene. Aiden and Yuki looked pissed at each other, surrounded by a group of lost officers. Well, something seemed to be working. "Um, hello officers...Aiden? Another fight in the bar or something?"

[Yuki]

That insolent, pea-brained Aiden would choose now of all moments in the space time continuum to act like a total idiot. Yuki knew that he was trying to throw the cops off, but as he raised his voice, she couldn't help but to subtly give him an exasperated look. He was cause a huge scene in front of the officers, and though she could pull off acting, she was not an actress for a reason. Being a very direct person, she hated theatrics, feigning emotions and the like. Doing it was easy, but she never overdid it either. And what Aiden was doing now, that was overdoing it.

She sat there with her mouth slightly gaping, honestly left speechless by his rant. Yuki knew none of it was true and that the story he was spewing was all lies, but she couldn't help but feel insulted, angry, confused and dumbstruck all at the same time. Who did Aiden think he was?! The nerve of that child! Yes, they needed to create a diversion, but was it really necessary to proclaim her as the jealous one and then proceed to charge her supposed "regular rates"? As if he could ever do that to her in reality.

Composing herself, she glowered at him. "You know, you're really pushing it," she seethed, an underlying tone of 'what-the-hell-are-you-doing?' in her voice. At least she'd be convincing to the officials.

Folding her arms across her chest, Yuki stared angrily at the cops before her, waiting for the next move. Just as Aiden was finishing up and Yuki gave an eye roll to his words, Teagan bounded up to them, freezing at the sight of the officers, but playing it cool at the same time. Ignoring the girl's inquiry, Yuki turned towards the two men before her. "Officers, if I may say, now is not a good time to be here. Things are about to get ugly, and I don't mean physically ugly--I mean emotionally. I suggest you leave the premises before you two are sucked into it as well." She was formal enough in her address, but her scowl should've made it perfectly clear that a "lovers' quarrel" \verbal battle was about to occur and she wanted to be alone to take out her anger on Aiden.

"Miss..." Officer Hernandez said, getting up from his seat and his partner doing the same. Then he turned to Aiden. "Sir," he paused, clearing his throat, "I can see that something is about to happen here that maybe we shouldn't be a part of." He glanced nervously between Aiden and Yuki, and then held his gaze with Aiden. "I-I'm sorry for the confusion. It does seem you are telling the truth, but we will have to investigate the premises. Our sources indicate that the people we discussed are here all the time, so we can't just let them go without at least asking them a couple questions, but obviously right now, you're b-busy. "

The two officers began heading out the door, then turned around awkwardly to a depressing sight of the faction. Or at least, a depressing Aiden and Yuki. "Um, I wish you two the best of luck, whatever happens," he stated, averting his gaze with either of them. "We'll be back at some time this week to finish the investigation."

[Aiden]

By now the patrons of the bar were staring, not to mention Lori looked confused as hell. The cops were shifting around uncomfortably, and now Teagan entered the fray. Yuki looked genuinely angry...well, the type of anger that she didn't usually carry with her on a daily basis, this was a legitimate seething. Something about her tone told him she wasn't happy with his acting, so he had to really try to conceal the amused smile while the cops were still watching. Oh, Yuki. She was entertaining sometimes, with her lack of social understanding.

The cops backed off, but they still wanted to conduct an investigation. "Look, I can give you a copy of the security tapes right now if you want," he said, walking over to the bar and reaching over it. He pressed a button, and the files of the digital feed were written on a disc. "Past week," he said, handing the disc to Hernandez. Of course, there were no cameras on the back door where they entered and left with weapons and all beat up, and there were no feeds in the rooms.

"I'm not responsible for what the customers do in their rooms, but if you watch those files, you'll see that people don't stay here long, mostly single nights. We're on the outskirts of town, so most people that are staying long term stay closer to the center of the city. Here are the last two weeks before that, too," Aiden said, handing them two more discs. "This is a stretch of a claim. I seriously doubt a modern day brothel would be in such a public location. There is a meth lab on 52nd street though," he said with a shrug.

The cops left, and Aiden grabbed Yuki and Teagan gently by the arms, and lead them into another room, away from the patrons of the bar. "Alright, who slipped up, huh? Who the heck is Will, because apparently someone is whoring themselves out to him. I can call in a favor and make this go away, but seriously? Yuki, play along next time. Its not like we'd really be dating."

[Teagan]

"What?!" Teagan's face turned bright red as Aiden pulled them aside to explain the police presence. They thought...seriously considered that...she and Will were...her eyebrows pressed together in concern and deep thought. No way anyone else would have slipped something like that. There was no reason to take anything seriously yet. Did he have the nerve...?

Perhaps he did, because in front of her stood two very pissed off people, and -to be honest- she didn't like the implications herself.

"I know a Will. He's this guy that I talk to twice a week or so. A regular. Met him on your birthday. But we're not serious!" Teagan protested, knowing that Yuki and Aiden might take her the wrong way. "He's been bugging me the past few weeks about a relationship, but I'm not stupid enough to drag a reggy" -her term for regular citizen- "into the lifestyle. I've turned him down five times this month so far."

Her embarrassment turned into anger. "If he had the nerve to call the cops in retaliation, then he clearly has no idea who he's been flirting with." She sent Aiden a look that in no way hid her malicious intentions.

Unless he could come up with a decent excuse, this kid would pay...no matter how sweet his kisses were. This was taking it a step too far.