In the Midnight Hour [Yuki/Teagan]

[Aiden]

The girls were taking the authority in this situation, leaving both Aiden and the shifter at their mercy. How willing were they to make a decision and kill one of them? The shifter was fairly certain that he could cause the end of that hunter, whereas Aiden was worried about the judgment of Yuki and Teagan. This was a high pressured, life or death situation, and he was on the chopping block.

#2 was up for questioning, and he looked at the girls who were now practically looking right through him for anything they didn't like. "I went out to the store, I was attacked by something, I didn't see. Next thing I knew I was here, without any of my stuff. I've been here for hours, and now you guys show up threatening to kill me. Come on, you should know that thing isn't me!"

#1 shifted his weight, looking at Teagan. "You can't honestly expect to believe that, can you? I'd never let someone knock me out from behind!" he complained, scoffing. "Give me some frickin' credit."

[Teagan]

Since his trip to the store? Teagan groaned in frustration. That had been hours ago, which meant there was a very big possibility that she and Yuki had spent the evening with a shifter. She mused on the consequences of this. If the shifter had played as Aiden and managed to safely infiltrate the Tavern, then why had it not just lured Yuki or herself away and killed them while it had the opportunity? What was the benefit of masquerading around as their faction leader? Surely it wasn't to just bring them together and kill them all at once. That made no sense. Three of them could overpower one...actually, it would come down to one on one: Aiden on Aiden. Which, even if one came out victorious, Teagan didn't know if there was a for sure way of making sure that the winning Aiden was the real Aiden.

So, if the one tied up had no motive, then was it safe to argue that he was the shifter? Did that mean they should kill him? And what if, by an unfortunate chance, that Aiden was actually the real Aiden and the shifter had some other motive? Teagan rubbed her face, trying to clear her muddled thoughts. None of it made sense!

The only sensible move was to remember the requirements of killing a shifter. Silver, if she recalled right. She wouldn't bet her life on that answer, which meant that she couldn't make any rash decisions, because Aiden's life was on the line. Unless....

Her eyes narrowed, and with every bit of anger she could muster, she glared at the Aiden standing next to Yuki. "It's you. You're the shape-shifter," she accused loudly, shaking her fist at him. "Yuki, deal with him." Probably astounding everyone in the room, Teagan rambled out a sentence in Japanese, trying not to cringe as she butchered the pronunciation of one of the words. "It all makes sense, doesn't it?"

In a flash she knelt down behind the other Aiden and took hold of the bonds tying back his hands. She fiddled with it, trying to see how it was tied. "If you don't want to grab his gun and do it, use your silver knife. That should get the message across."

[Yuki]

Sou ka. It was trickier that she had originally assumed. The switch could have been made hours ago. And to think that they may have spent all that time with a shifter. She shuddered at the thought. Then again, it was a little odd to think that Aiden would go down so easily. Unless the attack was completely by surprise...which, the other Aiden countered by stating Yuki's thoughts. But if they had indeed been with the shifter for that long, why didn't it just finish the job? It would have much easier to kill her and Teagan at their vulnerable state. It was the logical course of action. So why had it waited?

The other Aiden didn't offer much of a story. Either it was being vague to avoid distorting the story, or they were experiencing an example of typical Aiden behavior, with his blunt reply. Yuki let out a sigh of frustration. This wasn't going to get them far. They didn't have any physical evidence. How were they supposed to identify the correct one?

Suddenly, the girl made an overly loud accusation at the Aiden in front of Yuki. Yuki looked over at the girl, bewildered.

Nande?! Was that....Japanese?

Yuki blinked in surprise. How had she...? Aside from the fact that she had completely mispronounced several syllables, she had said it decently enough for it to be understandable. But disregarding that stunning fact, she listened to Teagan's next words. Of course. Yuki glared at the Aiden in front of her, drew out the silver knife, and pressed it against his forearm. She pressed into his flesh, aiming near the major artery.

She sincerely hoped this would work.

[Aiden]

Something was happening. Teagan said something in Japanese after accusing the Aiden standing without reason, at least verbal reason, and suddenly Yuki moved over and pressed the knife to his arm. Shit, it thought, feeling his flesh burn beneath the touch of the knife. Growling, he pushed Yuki backwards into Teagan, ripped his jacket off and threw it at the girls to block their vision, and then in one swift movement wrapped it around both of their heads while maintaining just enough distance to not get swiped by the knife.

He moved over, dragging the girls with him, and kicked the chair over, letting the girls go to rip the bonds off of the Aiden that had been sitting, and dragging him into the hall. He turned the corner and let the real Aiden go, disappearing into the darkness. Aiden had been reduced to his white undershirt and jeans, and his shoes had been taken as well, and while the shifter had been in the tavern, he'd gotten a replica of the clothing. He shed his tee shirt and shoes, and the jeans looked so similar it would be very hard to tell the difference.

By the time the girls got out of the room in an organized fashion, both Aiden's looked the same. One ran out into the light, holding up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't shoot!"

[Yuki]

Yuki had expected resistance, but she did not expect what happened after her aggressive action with the knife. Her vision became suddenly dark as the shifter threw his jacket onto her, and then subsequently wrapped it around her and Teagan. She heard the chair where Aiden had been sitting crash to the ground. In the confusion, Yuki attempted to swipe at the demon, but it had dodged all her attempts. By the time she and Teagan had removed the jacket, Aiden was gone.

"After them!" Yuki commanded, running outside the door.

However, outside, she was met with an all-too familiar voice, as well as a scene the echoed the one they had just seen inside.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't shoot!"

The two figures of Aiden before her now donned a white undershirt and jeans. Both lacked shoes. Both looked identical. Nameru ja nai! she spat in frustration, with an annoyed look upon her face. She was done with this shifter's little games. A small moment of deliberation passed before Yuki decided what to do next. Hadn't she read somewhere that a shifter could be indentified if they were viewed through...a different lens? A specific lens. It had to do with the retinal pigment epithelium in the eyes of shifter. They were essentially different from that of a human's. If that was indeed the case...with one hand gripping her gun, and the other one now free, she put the free hand in her pocket and wrapped its fingers around her phone, pressing the button on the side.

She had an idea.

Turning to Teagan, she said the same Japanese phrase Teagan had said earlier. Then, in one swift movement, and it had to be quick, or else the shifter would realze what was happening, she drew out her phone, and snapped a picture. "Gotcha," Yuki said, and with her gun pointed at the shifter, she fired one shot at his left shoulder. That should keep you from shifting again, foolish creature.

[Teagan]

For coming up with something on the fly, Teagan's plan was brilliant, and as she fiddled with the knot she couldn't help but take a little bit of pride in her work. Most of Aiden or Yuki created the battle plan, but this time it was her plan, and completely foolproof: there were only two plausible responses and either way they would come out victorious.

So it was perfectly logical to say that when her vision disappeared and a jacket bound Yuki and the girl together, she was extremely confused. Unfair! she mentally cried, twisting in an attempt to remove the accursed clothing item from her head. Yuki managed to remove it, but not in time: Aiden and the shifter had disappeared. Following at Yuki's heels, Teagan left the room and slipped her knife out from her sleeve.

"Woah, woah, woah, don't shoot!"

A look of disbelief crossed Teagan's face. "You've got to be kidding me." Deja vu, much? For the second time in the half hour, both Aidens stood before them, again identical in posture and expressions. She stood silently, unsure of what to do. Her plan had failed, and the only way to successfully kill the shifter would risk injuring the real Aiden. Was she really prepared to do that? Teagan's hand gripped the hilt of the knife tighter. No...

Yuki's voice interrupted her thoughts, and for a moment, Teagan paused, thrown off by the fluent Japanese directed at her. Why had the girl repeated the line Teagan had pronounced earlier? The plan had already failed; what would be the benefit of trying it again....? She mulled the idea over in her head. Wait a second-if they switched roles in the plan, it might be easier to pull off. And the Aidens certainly wouldn't expect it a second time.

Without another thought, Teagan rushed at the Aiden closest to her, ramming straight into his stomach and knocking him over. While she was on the smaller size, weeks of training had taught her well. They flew to the ground, tumbling. She struggled to put the knife to his neck, unsure if she could successfully pin him if it came to that.

A shot rang out and Teagan froze. Yuki had identified and nailed the shifter. Their plan worked! Now all she had to wait for was to figure out which Aiden the girl had shot. She tensed, waiting for either a backlash or a relieved sigh.

[Aiden]

Everything happened quickly. Out the door, into the hallway, and back towards the girls to be held at gunpoint. All Aiden wanted to do was get back to the tavern and have a shower, but this shifter had it in for him. After he'd been knocked out by it, it was stupid enough to tell him everything; it had been stalking him for weeks, making sure that it could get into the tavern, but it didn't need to learn his behavior; that could be learned when he downloaded his memories. His endgame? Break up the Portland faction of hunters by making them kill their leader. Once that was done, he'd kill the novices.

As if. Aiden knew better, but the shifter played a decent Aiden. As expected, since it was duplicating everything about him. Still, he had to be careful with what he said, because without guidance, the girls might mistake him for the shifter and shoot him. But now that the shifter looked like him, Aiden needed to tell him what to do. Now that he was free, he could fight it off in a second.

"Guys, use your--" he was tackled to the ground by Teagan, grunting in pain as he landed strangely on his arm. A shot rang out, and the shifter was flung against the wall. Aiden pushed Teagan aside, and then grabbed her gun, aiming it square at the shifter's chest, and squeezing the trigger three times. With a sigh, he looked back at the girls. "You couldn't use your cameras before? And you let that thing drive my car?" he asked incredulously. He rotated his shoulder trying to soothe his arm, and then looked at Teagan.

"By the way, can I have my jacket back, Teagan? I take it my phone call to Bobby worked?"

[Teagan]

Teagan experienced a moment of panic when the Aiden she had pinned to the ground effortlessly tossed her aside. Holy crap! Had Yuki seriously miscalculated her aim? Right then and there, in that moment, was certainly not the time for her to lose her game. She rolled over, a metallic object slipping out of her sleeve. She looked down and groaned, realizing the gun she had hidden earlier was now out in the open. The Aiden next to her grabbed it, proceeding to shoot the other three times in the heart.

Teagan stared, blinking back and forth between the two. Had the right Aiden survived...? Logically, yes, because Yuki hadn't fired at him yet. She was jolted out of her daze as Aiden started rambling on about Bobby and phone calls and jackets. Of which, the latter they had left behind in the other room.

The teen gave her leader and face that easily read 'not amused'. "'Thank you Yuki and Teagan for getting me out of there,'" she mimicked sarcastically. "Oh, no problem Aiden. Anytime." Her eyebrows narrowed. "You could at least show a small amount of gratitude. And your jacket's in the other room."

[Aiden]

For a split second, when Aiden grabbed the gun, he wanted to kill the shape shifter, rather than doing it out of safety for themselves and for others. And not because the thing impersonated him, drove his car, wore his clothes...just for the kill. He was very aware of this want, and it disappeared when the shifter was dead and gone for good. His eyes stared at the dead body for a moment, his face stoic as he tried to forget about that moment of...whatever it was. It was something the girls didn't need to know about either.

He rolled his eyes at the sound of Teagan's voice though, and turned to look at her. "Hmm, about your gratitude at camp, or at school?" Aiden said, raising his brows. "I figured my lack of berating you guys over something you did or didn't do in this...mission, I suppose, would show that I'm grateful. You guys know I'm not the best at thank you's," he said, walking back into the room, and retrieving the jacket.

He held it up to put it on, and noticed the slime from the shifter on it. "On second thought...it's time for a new jacket," he said, dropping it to the floor. He took back his belongings from the shifter, and headed out to the car. On the way he phoned Bobby to ensure that nothing had gone wrong, and then pulled into the tavern's parking area, dust from the dirt lot clouding around his tires.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower before I explain what happened," Aiden said, heading up the stairs to the bathroom.

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He couldn't even say how long it had been. He'd fallen right for it, which meant that they knew Aiden well enough to know that upon arriving home from wherever he was, he would want to take a shower, only in this case he really did need one; he was covered in dirt and grime, and probably shifter...gunk.

He stumbled out of the shower, now clad only in a towel wrapped around his waist. He had taken a shower initially, but never thought to check the pipes for any pranking material. Who would have thought that anyway? So he let the water warm up, and was soon doused with honey. He was going to rush Teagan's room, but when he stepped out of the shower, phase two was apparently in effect.

The fan that let the heat out of the bathroom had been set in reverse, and flour was fogging up the air in the room, which now stuck to his skin. Honey also coated the counter where he had laid his clothes, failing to notice it when he entered. At this point, he was so fed up, he just let the water run so the honey washed out, and re-took his shower, scrubbing his skin until it was a nice shade of red from a combination of the hot water and removing the honey.

So now, clean, and without clean clothes to immediately use, he stomped towards Teagan's room, still damp with water, and kicked the door open.

"You are going to die tomorrow. You know it'd be tonight, but fortunately for you, I'm sore from being bound all night because you two took your sweet ass time to come save me, and then figure out which one was me. So have fun sleeping tonight knowing that tomorrow I'm going to be able dodge everything you throw at me and beat you down ten times over."

He slammed the door behind him.

[Teagan]

After a rather sour return back to the tavern, Teagan headed straight to the kitchen to brew herself a nice pot of fresh tea. With the night the group had just (barely) survived, a relaxant was absolutely necessary. In her opinion, anyways. Making her way through the cabinets to see what spices they had, she sprinkled pinches of sugar and other herbs to the blend to ensure sweetness. Smiling, the girl took a deep breath, allowing the enticing scent to warm her cold fingers.

Light footsteps traveled up the stairway as the teen made her way to her room. Sighing, she placed the cup on her desk before quickly changing into looser clothing. Her computer hummed quietly as it booted, giving Teagan a peaceful moment to brush her teeth and hair before happily settling down into her chair and slipping headphones in her ears. Time for a nice, quiet, relaxing evening. It had become her habit, after freakishly-unnerving hunts, to unwind by allowing her mind to lose itself among the melodies of this day and age.

It was not unusual for her to go uninterrupted until around the midnight hour or so when she hit the sack. Unfortunately, she failed to remember the prank she and Yuki had spent a good amount of time setting up, so when Aiden burst through her door, nearly knocking it to the ground in his wet fury, Teagan jumped three feet in the air. The drink toppled off her desk, splattering everywhere.

She took out an ear bud. "What's goin-"

Teagan was interrupted by an onslaught of emotion, raw and unconstrained. Her face visibly paled, and she took it silently, not bothering to protest or interrupt the clearly fuming boy. Ending abruptly, she winced as Aiden slammed the door behind him.

If this trend continued, she'd need a new door weekly. Teagan wasn't quite concerned with Aiden's threats; she could rig something to get out of them. A text from Casey might suffice. And besides, at least he was giving her the night to prepare.

Besides, he had been facing the direction of the hidden camera in her room, wet and wearing only a white towel. All she had to do was edit the audio and she had blackmail to last her for months.