“Find me a way on to that property.”1
Caras bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, the motion going unnoticed as his goddess Asya continued her mini-rant. Time was running out, both for her, and for himself, since he knew that failure in this would result in his destruction. For all her benign attitude and serene outward appearance, Asya could be an absolute bitch when things didn’t go her way. 2
He’d been with her through the ages, first serving her husband, and after his death by his own wife’s hands, Caras loyalty easily switched to the one who now held the power. His devotion hadn’t gone unnoticed, but there was only so many chances a loyal demon got before it became one too many.3
As he’d mentioned before, if he went down, then Brin would be going before him. Straightening slightly as Asya stopped both her ranting and pacing, he kept his gaze to the floor.4
“Dark-Hunter’s have servants, do they not?” she demanded.5
“They refer to the human servants as Squires, goddess,” Caras replied.6
“Find out who it is, and threaten family, pets, friends, anyone,” she said. “Let it be known that anyone is a target unless Helen Vandis is handed over to me.”7
“Your order is my duty,” Caras said, backing out of the room. 8
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~9
Ash could feel a little sympathy for Brin and his predicament, but that was about as far as it went. Being used for one’s body was something Ash had intimate knowledge of, but where Brin had been pampered and revered, Ash had been used and abused. Maybe if he’d been raised in the matter in which he should have, then Ash could have been more understanding. As it was, the seemingly whiny attitude of the demon was getting on his nerves. 10
Having a semi-vast knowledge of demons also helped with understanding why Brin was willing to cast off Helen for his own gain, but Ash wished he had a little more insight into Asya’s relationship with the family line and being a goddess. The only person he knew that would know explicitly what was going on was also the one person who seemed to have vanished from the face of he Earth. Not that it meant much, since Savitar often pulled his island of Neratiti out of view and vanished for long periods. 11
With Savitar off pouting, surfing or just planning some future mayhem, Ash was left with no real other venues of information. Jared was stuck to the wall again, and Ash visiting was something that could never happen. Jaden was a possibility, but even the demon broker seemed a little pissy lately about basically everything in general. 12
Which sort of left Helen with the protection of one very young demon, a human Squire, one Atlantean god, and a Dark-Hunter that was faced with the possibility of having to die to make sure that a demon he’d basically just met could be free. 13
All in all, it was starting too look like Helen Vandis was seriously screwed. 14
Then again, maybe all concerned would surprise him, and this whole thing wouldn’t turn into some horrible debacle that Ash could sense heading his way. Working on Vaughn and his avoidance skills could go a long way to clearing the future and prompting the man into doing the right things… not just what he thought was right, but what he knew was the right thing. 15
The problem as Ash saw it was that Vaughn did honesty when it suited him. Things that directly influenced the Dark-Hunter were wide open, while inside he was full of enough secrets, that at times both venues clashed. He had taken a huge step by admitting to Helen that he was considering the possibility of becoming human again. Now all Ash had to do was see that it actually happened. 16
Unfortunately, and for some annoying reason, Vaughn’s future had become partly clouded to Ash. It could have been that the man would play a large part in Ash’s future, or even that Helen had something to do with upcoming events that would affect Ash.17
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~18
Panic was now setting in at an alarming pace as Brin realized that the countdown on his week was nearly up. He’d no more been able to goad Helen out of hiding as he had at finding a way on to the property. He was sure that there was a way, but had yet to discover it. 19
And now, Caras was hassling him hourly with update requests and not so subtle reminders that if Helen wasn’t produced, then Brin would take her place. And since Brin wasn’t from Asya’s bloodline, then the death would be ever so painful. 20
He’d already tried complaining to the police about noises coming from the property, and planned to sneak in when the police were admitted. That idea went as far as it took to discover that those working for Dark-Hunters had their fingers in most areas of the city’s government. One mention of the address, and Brin was suddenly under more scrutiny by the desk cop than he’d ever been. Not stupid enough to stick around when he was told that a detective would be right out to talk to him, Brin excused himself to the bathroom, then vanished once inside a stall.21
He’d even gone as far as tracking down and breaking into the Squire Council building to check out who the squire was for this Vaughn… only to finally find out that he was listed with the Squire Council as being ‘between squires’. That put the end to the possibility of threatening others to get Helen to come out of hiding. Caras had been severely pissed off when informed that there were no humans to hurt, which ended up with Brin gasping for breath when the other demon decided to hurt him instead.22
Other ideas came and went like that one, and each one ended up either stopping before it started, or with Brin standing there wondering just what the hell happened to a seemingly flawless plan. 23
Although… 24
Looking at pictures of the property on the table in front of him, he suddenly realized that there was one way to get over the fence. Or rather, under it. It would take a lot of work, which Brin wasn’t overly fond of, but by picking a secluded spot of the back perimeter wall, he may be able to dig a hole under. Since his demon form could shrink to about two feet in height, he might be small enough to enable him to worm his way through. 25
Bringing himself from his apartment to the property of the Dark-Hunter, he started walking around the perimeter again. If this idea failed, then he’d go with the last ditch effort of grabbing some victim off the streets and threaten to kill them unless he was granted access. He didn’t really want to do that, since it held more danger to him in the short run, but he was rapidly approaching the desperation needed to attempt it.26
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~27
Sighing in annoyance at the scene in front of him, Peter leaned back in his chair. “He’s out there again,” he said.28
“Whos?” Nim asked, looking from the Manga he was reading. 29
“That demon,” Peter replied with a nod to the security screen. “You sure he can’t get in here?”30
“No.” 31
That got Peter’s undivided attention. “What?” 32
“Wells,” Nim said, going back to his book, “technocality he shouldn’t be able too, but yous knows how technocalitises can change.” 33
Techno-what? Shaking his head slightly, Peter went back to the view of the outer wall. Watching as Brin made his way to the area that was the furthest point from the house, he frowned as the monitor jerked slightly, then returned to normal. Shit. 34
It could have been nothing more than a slight technical hiccup, or, it could have been the demon playing with the security camera. Willing to place his bets on the second explanation, Peter reached for his weapon holster in the top drawer and slipped it over his shoulder. 35
“Be back in about thirty minutes,” he said as he stood.36
“Want Nim to come?”37
“I’m just checking the inside of the wall,” came the reply. “Chances are that he messed with the camera so that someone would go out and check, which would be the same as laying the welcome mat out for him.” 38
Turning from the young demon, he hesitated, then turned back. “If you’d like, you can keep an eye on the cameras here and let me know if anything weird happens.” Walking out of the room as Nim sat in the chair, Peter pulled the small two-way radio out of his pocket. “You awake?” he asked as he keyed the mike. 39
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~40
Jerking slightly as someone’s voice broke through his sleep, Vaughn started at the bedside table in confusion for a few seconds as his mind registered what had spoken. Reaching over, he grabbed the two-way radio, and brought it to his mouth. 41
“What?”42
“Brin’s been poking around the perimeter again,” Peter’s voice said. “He went around the far wall, and the camera there jumped for a brief moment.”43
“You checking it out?”44
“On my way,” Peter replied. “Going to see what’s going on, from the inside at least, and make sure that the camera isn’t actually screwing up.” 45
“Sounds good,” Vaughn said. “Where’s Nim?”46
“Watching the cameras.”47
“Let me know if you find anything,” Vaughn said, then placed the radio back on the small table. “It’s too early for this shit,” he sighed.48
“It’s one in the afternoon.”49
Eyes flicked to the side at the woman who had spoken. “It’s early,” he repeated. 50
“You’re cranky in the daylight, aren’t you,” Helen teased.51
“To be precise, I’m fried in the daylight,” Vaughn said with a smile. “Daytime, however, merely pisses me off.”52
“Go back to sleep then,” she said. 53
“Can’t.”54
“You rarely sleep as it is, and you’re getting dark circles under your eyes.”55
Slightly offended in an amused way, Vaughn rolled over so that his back was facing her. Usually, a remark like that would have ticked him off, but bantering with her had a way of making him feel more at ease than he’d ever been… even back in the days when he and his wife had been happy. He’d loved his wife, and there may have been some love in her for him, but on the whole, they’d been at least friendly; until she destroyed all he knew, that is. 56
“Can I ask a question?’57
Smiling, Helen looked at him. “Could I stop you from asking?”58
“Probably not,” he admitted. 59
“Ask.”60
“Did you love your husband?”61
Staring at his back, Helen wondered why he asked. “No,” she told him. “Didn’t hate him, either. We were comfortable with each other, and got along, but that’s about it.”62
Nodding, Vaughn rolled over to face her. Reaching out, he absently started to play with the fingers of her left hand. “I loved my wife,” he finally said. “At least I think I did. It’s been so long that I’m not sure if it was love, lust, or just hoping.”63
“Hoping?”64
“Even though my father was a prick, he and my mother loved each other. You could see it every time they looked at each other.” He shrugged. “I wanted to find that in life, and maybe I saw that in her.”65
“Why are you telling me this?”66
“I don’t know,” he admitted. Glancing away as she studied his face, Vaughn closed his eyes to avoid her gaze. “For the past two thousand years, I’ve never really thought about another woman past a dark corner or an alleyway. Then I met you, and,” he paused with a small laugh. “And I’m actually thinking of a future beyond what Artemis has planned for me.”67
Pushing herself up to rest on one arm, she looked at him. “Dark corner or an alleyway?” she asked slowly. “So, when you kissed me in the alley…?” 68
Glad his eyes were closed so she wouldn’t see him rolling them, he was amazed at her sometime linear thinking. She seemed to pick the smallest comment and get him to admit something he’d rather not. 69
“Yes,” he said, opening his eyes to look up at her. “I kissed you in the alley with the plan of having sex right then and there.” 70
“Then why did you pull away and get pissed off at me?”71
Shrugging, he averted his gaze. “You deserved better,” he said in a quiet voice. “You’re not the type that I would approach or accept a tryst like that with.”72
Confused, Helen reached over and gently ran a finger over his chest. “Not the type?” she asked, not knowing if she wanted the answer or not. Although he had long stopped insulting her, she couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever happen again. 73
“You’re so far and above something as degrading as screwing in some dark alley,” he told her. “And I got pissed off at myself for forgetting that.”74
Surprised at his words, she blinked back unfamiliar tears. At times he said things that made her think of the possibility of actually being able to put this all behind her and be happy. 75
Watching as his eyes closed again, she was willing to let him avoid continuing talking about. Although he seemed to want the truth in things, he also tended to have excellent evasion skills.76
“Vaughn?”77
“Mmm?”78
“Do you think I’ll ever be safe from Asya?”79
“No.”80
Slightly annoyed at that habit of always telling the truth, Helen sighed. “Then why are you helping me?”81
“Because I want to,” he replied, eyes still closed.82
“Why?”83
Sighing, Vaughn opened his eyes and sat up so he was leaning against the headboard. “Helen,” he began, not wanting to get annoyed at the questions, “sometimes things are what they are. You’re being threatened, and it’s my job to keep that from happening.” Reaching out to stop her from replying, he smiled. “I realize how cold that sounded.”84
“Good.” Pulling back, she stared at him. “So nice to hear that you’re with me because it’s your job.”85
“And it’s so nice to see that you haven’t lost the ability to take everything I say the wrong way.” Raising an eyebrow as she stuck her tongue out at him, he couldn’t help but laugh. 86
Growling, she shook her head. “Why do you have to tell the truth?” she sighed.87
The laughter died, replaced briefly by a pained expression before the professional cloak covered his face. “I lost everything because of a lie I believed,” he said as he moved back down to a lying position. “I won’t do that to you, regardless how it hurts to hear the truth.” 88
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~89
Sleep was next to impossible for Jared as he leaned his head back against the wall. Most times he would be able to find some sort of semi-comfortable area where he would slip into a light sleep, but somehow it was eluding him. 90
He could already feel little whispers in the universe that signaled that something big was about to happen. Not able to center on the meaning due to his containment collar, Jared could only hope that he was able to help when the time came. But, not knowing when that would be was about as much torture as the harm Zephyra doled out to him on a daily basis.91
Front in center in his mind was the problem of Helen. Time was running out for Asya, and that would make the goddess desperate in her actions. For now, Helen was safe with the Dark-Hunter, but she couldn’t stay there indefinitely. 92
Artemis would eventually notice that one of her Dark-Hunters wasn’t doing her bidding and would put that together with the fact that Vaughn’s soul had been requested and already turned over to Ash. Not too bad of a problem, in theory. But one that could end up in big trouble if Artemis ever found out that her Dark-Hunter was guarding someone from Asya’s bloodline. Gods and goddesses from different pantheons didn’t exactly play well together. It could end up with Vaughn being permanently dispatched before Helen could return his soul to him. 93
And through all this, Jared had to literally hang around and do nothing to help one of his only friends escape nearly certain death. Knowing that he should have been less worried with anyone finding out his connection to Helen, and more concerned with saving her, he closed his eyes as helplessness covered him like a familiar old friend. He was used to the random feelings of inadequacy while being chained up, but had never let it bother him until now. 94
Most times it was his penance for sins of the past…but Helen was a basic innocent in his world, and he should have been able to see past his own worries and protected her like he once promised he would. And now, his hope for her future laid in the hands of a seemingly neurotic Dark-Hunter, a demon who argued and basically did nothing right, and an Atlantean god who had his own secret agenda for the universe. 95
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~96
Jogging by the perimeter wall, Vaughn kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Although Peter had checked, and cleared the area as questionable, Vaughn couldn’t shake a small troublesome feeling that he had regarding the area. To him, it was far too coincidental that the camera had experienced technical difficulties at the same time Brin was in the immediate area. 97
Slowing as he passed a lilac bush, he stopped, then walked back to a few feet before the plant. Studying it, he concentrated, then switched his attention to the wall just beyond. There was definitely the sense of demon close, more than likely on the other side of that wall. 98
Pulling his cell out, he hit the two-way function. “Peter?”99
“Yeah, boss?” came the immediate reply.100
“Can you see me on the cameras?” he asked.101
“Staring at the wall?”102
“What’s on the other side, directly opposite from me?”103
“Uh, nothing,” came the reply. 104
Staring at the wall, Vaughn’s eyes narrowed slightly. Something was amiss, he was positive on that, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on what that was. His gaze dropped to the grass where it ran along the wall, and briefly wondered if Brin was stupid enough to try to enter that way. 105
The security system ran for quiet a few feet under the ground, same as the wall, and only interrupted briefly in the area where his escape route was. Glancing to the south wall, he realized that the small underground tunnel he could use if needed was unerringly near where he was standing. If Brin somehow stumbled upon the opening, then he’d have easy access to the property. 106
“Vaughn?”107
Peter’s voice from the phone brought him back to the issue at hand. “Tell Helen and Nim to pack up,” he said in a quiet tone. “I’m going call Ash and see if we can get to another safe house.”108
“On it,” Peter replied, not even questioning the order. 109
Lowering the phone, Vaughn stared at the wall again, then took a step back. The idea that he may be over-reacting crossed his mind, but for a brief instant, he could see it all playing out in his head. One of his attackers would be in the escape tunnel, while the others somehow made it past the wall and went for the house. 110
Helen had already been instructed to get her ass out through the emergency exit, and while he, Peter and Nim were busy fighting, she would be grabbed somewhere in the tunnel. He couldn’t even get Nim to vanish somewhere with Helen, since they would be easy to track, and it would just put others in danger.111
Demons weren’t protected by the same places that offered a safe haven to Daimons, Were-Hunters and even Dark-Hunters, and taking her to one of those would be the same as parking her butt in the middle of Time Square with a ‘come get me!’ sign slung around her neck. 112
Vaughn was fairly positive that he didn’t have the powers of precognition, but one never knew when it came to the little ‘gifts’ that Artemis bestowed upon them when created. Most times a Hunter had to actually be in a specific situation to find out. The realization that he could sense demons and assorted beings on a higher level than others in his same position had been one of the first powers he had noticed. And so far, the only other one he was certain of was that when thoroughly pissed off, he had the ability to put his fist straight through a brick wall if he were so inclined. ‘Going Zarek’ had been how he described it to Ash… the instance of going completely psycho.113
Luckily though, that only happened in rare cases…unusually when annoyed at an ultra-personal level. The denting of the dumpster in the alley with Helen had been mild, as had been the fist through the wall with Jared. He hadn’t been pissed off enough in a few centuries to do the damage that he was capable of.114
So, if in the past two thousand years, he’d never actually experienced an ability to glimpse the future, it had to have been his imagination in overdrive. Willing to take that as a plausible reason for what he’d just seen in his mind, he once again scanned the wall in front of him. 115
Looking down as his cell phone sounded, he flipped it open. “Yeah?”116
“How’s it going?” Ash’s deep voice asked.117
Turning from the wall, Vaughn started to walk back to the house. “Not sure,” he admitted. “Might need a safer place.”118
“Why?”119
“Intuition.”120
“Fair enough,” Ash replied. “I’m ultra-busy right now, although I can be there in about an hour.”121
“Thank you,” Vaughn said. Feeling a little easier, since to him, that meant things would be fine until Ash arrived. 122
“Don’t mention it,” Ash said, disconnecting the call. 123
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~124
Finally moving, Brin shook his hand to get the circulation going again. He’d heard something, and went completely still as he recognized the muffled voice of the Dark-Hunter coming from the other side of the wall. Slowly glancing up at the camera again, and assuring himself that he and his actions were still invisible to it, he went back to standing completely still.125
It was hard, though. He’d managed to dig about five feet down through the hard ground, and was crouched over with his hands in the dirt when he’d had to basically freeze in place. Now, slowly standing as his hands still tingled, he clamped his mouth around the groan that wanted to escape at the pain in his back. 126
Standing silently for a few more minutes, he listened intently for any sign of the Dark-Hunter. A cell phone had chimed a few minutes previous, and that was the last sound he’d heard. Assuming it was safe to continue, Bring went back to trying to dig his way under the wall that was apparently sunk very deep into the ground. 127
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~128
“Ash’ll be here soon,” Vaughn said as he walked into the large living room. “Got everything packed?”129
“Yes,” Nim said.130
Vaughn looked at Peter. “You?”131
“Why would I pack?”132
“Because you’re not remaining behind.” Giving a hard stare, Vaughn motioned to the house. “You’re my squire, and where I go, you go.”133
“Sir, yes sir!” Snapping off a precise salute, Peter turned and marched out of the room. 134
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Vaughn turned to Helen. “You?”135
“I’m packed,” she said. “And if you’re expecting a salute, you can forget it.” 136
Smiling slyly, Vaughn approached. “No need to salute, but I hope you don’t mind me standing at attention for you.” 137
Raising an eyebrow, her gaze slid down his body, cheeks blushing slightly when she caught his meaning. Leaning forward so she could whisper in his ear, she gently cupped him. “I want you.”138
Vaughn’s reply was cut off as Peter came back and slung an already packed duffle bag on the couch. “All packed, your grace,” he said. “And if you’re going to start copping feels of each other, give a little warning next time. Nim’s too young to be subjected to it.”139
Blinking in confusion, Vaughn glanced at Nim, who was still sitting on the couch, ignoring everyone as he flipped though the channels on the television. 140
“Nim doesn’t cares,” the young demon said, not looking from the screen. “The looks they gives each others is kind of icky anyway, so Nim doesn’t even watch or listens.” 141
A rare blush crossed Vaughn’s face and he looked at Helen, who was trying not to laugh. “Great,” he muttered. “I’m corrupting a demon who’s probably older than I am.” 142
Taking a step back, he turned for the door at the same time Nim stood from the couch. Both Helen and Peter followed their direction of staring. Jumping as someone knocked at the door, Helen smiled to cover her discomfort. 143
“They wouldn’t knock,” Vaughn said, feeling relieved. 144
“You sure?” Peter asked, skeptical as he walked to the intercom that was by the living room phone. 145
“Yes,” Vaughn said. “They strike me as more of a ‘break the door down' type.” Titling his head slightly at the same moment Peter touched the speaker button, he headed out of the room. “It’s Ash.”146
Getting a nod of confirmation from Peter, he continued on through the room and towards the front door. Cracking the door open, just in case, Vaughn then pulled the door open when Ash returned his gaze with stony silence. 147
“Thanks for coming,” Vaughn said. 148
“Everyone packed?” Ash asked. 149
“Yes.”150
“Good.” He stood where he was for a few moments. “Are you sure you want to run?”151
Bristling slightly, Vaughn blinked in surprise. “Run?” Taking a step back, he shook his head. “I’m not running, Ash. If I knew that I could beat two demons and a goddess, then I would. But I know I can’t.”152
“Knowing your limitations is commendable,” Ash told him. “But sometimes we need to push those limitations far and beyond what we’re comfortable with.” 153
“Jesus,” Vaughn hissed. “I’m trying to keep Helen alive and you’re spewing mystical bullshit at me?”154
“It may be mystical, but it’s not bullshit,” Ash said, not the least bit offended. “I’ve watched you over the millennium, Vaughn, and you’ve got yourself convinced of your limitations… both physical and emotional.” 155
Staring, Vaughn growled, then turned and walked back to the living room. 156
Tilting her head at the look on his face, Helen was about to say something when Ash entered the room. As always, his mere presence momentarily took her breath away. 157
“Peter,” Ash said. “Go do something else for a few minutes.”158
Sketching a respectful brief salute, the Squire made a hasty exit from the living room. Ash looked at the remaining three, and decided on how much to actually tell them. “You need to stay.”159
“Why?” Vaughn demanded. 160
“Because you need to.” 161
“Well, thanks for clearing that up.” Vaughn walked to the window and pulled back the heavy drapes. Moonlight shone through, adding to the normally dim lighting. Taking a look up at the stars, he smiled slightly. “They haven’t changed much in the past two thousand years, have they?” 162
“Not really,” Ash replied. “Yet they’re always going through some sort of altering due to outside forces.” He paused. “And sometimes inside forces.” 163
“I know,” Vaughn whispered, knowing that Ash wasn’t referring to the stars.164
Ash watched as the Dark-Hunter grew silent. “Helen,” Ash said. “A few minutes, please?”165
Nodding, Helen motioned to Nim, who frowned as he looked at the television. “We can watch it in the den,” Helen told him. Sighing, Nim stood, then followed. 166
“I don’t want to hear it,” Vaughn said, still staring out the window. “I talked to Dom last year, after the Were’s attacked the two in his home, and…” he trailed off and tapped his fingers lightly against the window. 167
“I wish I could tell you that everything will work out,” Ash said in a low tone. “But the truth of it is that I can’t.” 168
“Perfect.”169
“Dealing with a goddess and demons is a trying experience most times,” he said honestly. “Dealing with a goddess attempting to prolong her own existence is unpredictable.” 170
“If there’s even the slightest chance that Helen can be saved by us remaining, then we’ll stay,” Vaughn said, finally turning from the window. “Peter has to go, though.”171
“That’s up to him.” Walking to the intercom by the door, Ash used his powers to push the button. “You can come back.”172
In the handful of moments it took for the trio to return, Vaughn went back to staring at the cloudless night sky. Helen entered first, and walked to him, giving a brief squeeze of his hand before going to grab her suitcase. 173
“Ready when you are,” she said. 174
“We’re staying,” Vaughn said as he continued to stare out the window. 175
176
In a list
Comments
-
Cool
As amazing as ever. I'm really interested to see just exactly how Vaughn is going to die and then be happy with Helen.
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
-
Xd nim is still sooooo cute. [ i mention that to much, but he acts it to much. lol]
------“All packed, your grace,” he said. “And if you’re going to start copping feels of each other, give a little warning next time. Nim’s too young to be subjected to it.”139
Blinking in confusion, Vaughn glanced at Nim, who was still sitting on the couch, ignoring everyone as he flipped though the channels on the television. 140
“Nim doesn’t cares,” the young demon said, not looking from the screen. “The looks they gives each others is kind of icky anyway, so Nim doesn’t even watch or listens.” 141
A rare blush crossed Vaughn’s face and he looked at Helen, who was trying not to laugh. “Great,” he muttered. “I’m corrupting a demon who’s probably older than I am.”-----
good nim. nevr watch or listens. it could turn out to be something VERY VERY scary. trust me i have seen the outcomes of it. and sadly i still have nightmares...maybe next time i should pay attention and knock.
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
-
-
People in the story keep forgetting how young Nim really is, so they act adult around him. (and yes, ignoring the icky looks is probably for the best)
-
Adding your comment:
