If it could be avoided he would much rather not have Shizu taking any unnecessary risks. If they could come up with a better plan, instead of having her be used as bait, he would jump on that in a heartbeat. But he was seeing little choice but to go through with this and until they did come up with something better by chance he would keep supporting her. He was more than willing to keep fighting in order for her to have her freedom. He didnâ€™t care that she was Oni, yes he was wary of her now that he wasnâ€™t in one of those states of mind to block that out, but he was not about to go back on his word. Since he still felt that he had broken one promise to her he felt he needed to redeem that. He wouldnâ€™t say it, but he was not going to break this promise.<br/><br/>This he told himself and, ever the man of his word, he was not about to go back on that any time soon.<br/><br/>When she mentioned telling Elias about her true nature he couldnâ€™t help but be slightly caught off guard. He knew she would have had to tell them eventually, and understood her concerns, but he was more comfortable with her not telling them altogether. Like she had said, it would be harsh if she had to face rejection after everything she had been through. With that on his mind his thoughts were taken back to her coming back to Israel. But even there, he knew her presence caused some concern amongst the members of the organization. He had nearly killed someone because of everything that was being said about her. Zachariah had made sure that the talk died down, that man truly knew how to strike the fear of God into someone, but that didnâ€™t mean it was assured it would not start again. Once people were uncomfortable it tended to stay that way.<br/><br/>â€œAs much as I do not want you to have to go through that, perhaps it would be best that youâ€¦ tell him before we get started. The longer you wait, the harder it will be.â€ He said softly, keeping his voice low. He wasnâ€™t sure if he was helping, but he didnâ€™t want to just avoid even if she seemed to want to do so. When Shizu brought out the first-aid kit he felt his jaw tense, his hand absently going to his shoulder. Right now his injury was the least of his concerns. In his stubborn mind as long as he was still able to function he would be just fine. It barely hurt anymore anyway, though it was still a little sore whenever he moved or touched it. â€œDo not concern yourself with my shoulder. Right now, we must focus on keeping you safe.â€ He looked toward the living room and frowned a little.<br/><br/>Being reassuring really was not one of his strengths, when it came to emotional situations. From a professional stand point he was able to do just fine reassuring that someone would be safe. It was that side of him that agreed with her that he should be terrified instead of accepting. He would not deny that it would be so much easier to just turn away right now and forget about her, but on the other hand was he not involved in this as well? This was not just a fight for Shizuâ€™s freedom it was a fight for his own life as well. Levi wanted to harm him, that much was evident, the bullet wound was proof enough just how badly he wanted him, too.  Hell, he knew Levi wanted both of them just as badlyâ€¦ and he was going to make damn sure that he didnâ€™t get her.<br/><br/>â€œI do not blame you for becoming upset.â€ He continued, running a hand through his hair. Feeling the craving for alcohol claw at him again he decided to raid Eliasâ€™s refrigerator for another bottle of beer. This was something that would require him to keep his nerves in check or else his own emotions would pour out more than they already had. He opened it and took a swallow before he spoke again. â€œYou wish to have your freedom, do you not? Someone has tried to take it from you, and I am back in your lifeâ€¦â€ he paused for a moment. That had not come out the way he wanted but he hoped and what made it worse was that it slipped out before he could rethink it. To tell the truth there was a lot he wanted to tell Shizu as well, however this was not the time or place. He quickly pushed some of it out of his mind.<br/><br/>Suddenly he moved closer to her and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, â€œThis willâ€¦ not turn into a situation like the war in Israel, I assure you.â€ He grinned a little and gave a nod for reassurance. Since he was not really the type to be comforting, this was the best he could do. Before this became awkward he removed his hand and took a few steps back, â€œFor your sakeâ€¦ I will keep this promise.â€ It was out now so he might as well get it over with. He looked at the bottle in his hands and realized he was shaking a little. He was not terrified of her, even if he probably should be, but rather he was nervous. It was not like him to be this open, but perhaps it was necessary for this to go smoothly. He meant what he said, after all, he wanted to do his best to keep at least one promise to her.<br/><br/>Maybe it was a bit of his pride speaking but, again, he felt it was necessary. He did not want a repeat of what happened in Israel eitherâ€¦ he believed that Shizuâ€™s plan would work well enough to prevent that at least. They just had to go over it and smooth out the rough spots once Ivan was done speaking with Zachariah. It was just unfortunate that they may or may not be running out of time; she did have a point when she mentioned this being a race against the clock. Either they find Levi or Levi finds them, and if Levi had the element of surprise on his side, and they were not prepared, then they would be sure to lose. But if they could surprise Levi with something he would not expect maybe they would have a chance. Ideally, if they could, perhaps they could find a plan that would not require Shizu telling Elias and Lucian that she was an Oni.<br/><br/>But even if he did Elias would know something was up either way. This was a tricky situation they have found themselves in that was for sure. He knew it was better to wait for Zachariahâ€™s input before they proceeded with anything more than what had been discussed already. The man might not always be in the action but he was a genius, sometimes he felt lost without hearing how he would go about a situation like this. Being the lone wolf he was whenever he was on a mission he would never admit it openly, of course. Deep down, he knew that Ivan and Zachariah have always been his voices of reason especially since Cassandraâ€™s death. For once he really was considering listening to them. Looking back to what happened in Israel, there was a chance that wouldnâ€™t last long. In the end his stubbornness would always throw that out the window.<br/><br/>As seen with Japan, if he doesnâ€™t talk things over he gets into trouble. He really could not afford to make mistakes here. Not just because of Japan, but because the organization was still recovering even now. They were in no condition to be reckless. Though he was sure that, either way, Elias and Ivan would be making sure that he didnâ€™t do anything reckless, no matter how much heâ€™d promise not to be.<br/><br/>He looked at the floor, his brow furrowing a little in thought. â€œIf Levi is looking to suppress your abilitiesâ€¦â€ he said. â€œWe willâ€¦ have to act before he has a chance to seal them away completely.â€ Straightening a bit, he looked at her and took a deep breath. How they were going to do that, he wasnâ€™t sure. He was more than willing to cover her but if Levi had others with him then who knows what would happen. There was no way Levi was at this alone, he was sure about that. If he was working alone then he would be rather impressed by everything, but he might consider it in case he was. The other possibility was that Levi was working with some underground group. If that was the case, they might have to call in a few more people as well.<br/><br/>Not that he would want to, of course. It was better to just stick to what they had not to mention he trusted Ivan and Elias to get the job done right. In spite of what happened, Elias was still his friend and he has more than proven he was trustworthy. With Zachariahâ€™s words  guiding them the four of them would be just fine in taking Levi out, and making sure whoever he was working for, if anyone, was as taken out as well. Having another enemy crawl out of a hole was the last thing they needed. He had his doubts, but if this was the case then they would definitely need to play their cards right.<br/><br/>Then an idea hit him.<br/><br/>â€œIf you do tell Elias about your Oni abilities now, perhaps he will be able to find out what Levi could possibly be using to suppress you. That could give us an idea of how fast we would have to act.â€ He gave another nod and took a sip of his beer. This was taking a huge risk, but Elias could find out just about anything. It amazed him sometimes just what kind of information the hacker was able to dig up. If everything went well, this may very well give them an upper hand. It was worth a shot, right?<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>Zachariah rubbed a hand over his face and shifted his weight a little. It was good that everything was calm for the moment but there were some things that displeased him. He had expected Azrai to jump in and want to protect Shizu, especially because of how pissed he had been when he had first heard about Shizuâ€™s capture. There was no denying how attached that man was to Shizu. Deep down he was hoping and praying to God that Azrai would not fall into one of his states and do something reckless. He had a feeling the chances of that werenâ€™t very high, but with his aggression still a little unpredictable he was not willing to take risks. He was going to need to come up with something that would prevent that at all costs if he could help it. For everyoneâ€™s sake, he was hoping he could though not being on the frontlines was unfortunate.<br/><br/>â€œI agree that we should capture Levi and interrogate him.â€ Zachariah said as he went to close the door to the room when there was a bit of a disturbance in the hall. â€œI donâ€™t think I need to tell you twice that a repeat of what happened in Israel would be beyond unacceptable. If we do have a new enemy crawling out from some hole, I must know about it and we will act accordingly. Levi must be brought back alive. Donâ€™t rough him up too much once you do capture him.â€ He had said that mostly as confirmation that they were on the same page. Just because he was the whole way in Israel doesnâ€™t mean he was no threat to the enemy. There was a reason he was the leader of an ever growing organization. He was not going to allow someone like Levi to tear this organization apart.<br/><br/>Since the war, he had been convinced that it was Godâ€™s will to allow Shizu to have her freedom. She might not be part of the organization, but God had accepted her and that was enough for him. Whatever He decided, Zachariah would follow until the bitter end. Briefly, he could recall maybe seeing Levi once or twice, but he really didnâ€™t know for sure. He had barely known Cassandra when she and Azrai were together, and knew even less about her family life, aside from what Azrai had mentioned about her before she passed from this world. It was such an unfortunate thing. She had been such a compassionate woman who cared deeply for Azrai a lot like how Shizu seemed to care for him. In a way, Zachariah could see why he had become attached at least in that regard. It was not Godâ€™s will alone motivating him to see that this succeeded, but Azrai.<br/><br/>He was attached to Shizu and also wanted to see her living freely. That was why everyone was so worried after all, especially since Azrai and everyone else had fought so hard to make sure she would live happily the first time. It was a shame that she was being thrown into another situation like this, and now Azrai was hell-bent on protecting her again. It was going to take a miracle to get that stubborn mule to change his mind. If he were to fall into one of those states and he was not there to help out this time, things would certainly end in disaster. As much as he didnâ€™t want to think about it he had a feeling it would be worse than Israel if that happened. There was no telling what he would do, or if they would be able to get him out of that state because of his increased aggression.<br/><br/>â€œI believe the best thing we can do is keep Azrai focused on capturing Levi. I want you to keep an eye on Shizu.â€ Zachariah said in a low voice, pulling the phone away from his ear and a little closer to his mouth. He was also use to discussing serious matters in a lower tone. â€œI donâ€™t need him to be obsessed over Shizu, so itâ€™s up to you to make sure he stays focused.â€ Though he knew Azrai was stubborn, Ivan was probably better at getting him to listen better than anyone. If he were to talk to him personally, it wouldnâ€™t end well. Having Ivan talk some sense to him was a lot easier considering those two were such good friends. But even then he knew this was not going to be an easy task for him. He had a feeling that Ivan was right, Azrai would not part from Shizu easily.<br/><br/>After taking some more time to think, he said, â€œIf he happens to show any signs of aggression, even if it isnâ€™t that problematic, pull him away from the action as soon as possible. I donâ€™t care how pissed off he gets, I donâ€™t want him doing something reckless.â€ As brilliant as he was when it came to being a leader, he has been busy lately, which has been causing a bit of fatigue. Unfortunately because of that this was the best thing he could think of off the top of his head. He wished he could see Ivan and Azrai face to face. It was always easier that way, so he knew everything would go smoothly. But he had faith that God would guide them since he could only do so much. If time would allow, and if he didnâ€™t have so much to do here in Israel, he might consider heading to Canada.<br/><br/>He trusted that things would go well.<br/><br/>â€œIf worse comes to worse, I can always try to contact Maverick and see if he can come out there to help, but he has been MIA lately.â€ It would be risky, and he wasnâ€™t even sure if he would be able to get him to Canada, but it was worth a shot if he managed to contact the man. On the other hand he didnâ€™t want to have too many of his men out there at once; Ivan and Azrai were more than capable of holding their own. If the war had not been enough proof, those two are excellent marksmen. Also, sending another person out there would be risky. He could not afford to lose anyone else and knew that the chances of that would increase if he did send Maverick.<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>Waiting for David to go get Tyler was causing Levi to be even more restless than he already was. Not even punching Hank seemed to release any of his energy, and that only made things worse. Just looking at Hank made him mad right now but the man was going to be needed. It was a good thing that Hank was standing there quietly, like a good boy, while they waited. It really gave him some time to cool off and think. He was going to need a level head if they were going to get this right. The fact that he had allowed a stranger to come work with them was also making him uneasy. Hank had already stepped out of line and he didnâ€™t need anything else ruining his day right now. If he wasnâ€™t so short handed when it came to dealing with mythological creatures he might have turned this Tyler away.<br/><br/>He sighed, ran a hand over his face, and plopped on the couch while he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Letting out a slow breath, he leaned back and lit a cancer stick then took a nice, long drag. Years ago, he had promised Cassandra he would knock the habit, and he did keep his promise, but every now and then he needed to take a long drag. It wasnâ€™t something he normally did in front of people either. The stress of the day was really getting to him, giving him little choice but to either smoke in front of Hank or be all worked up. As much as he enjoyed being rough to keep people in line, he really didnâ€™t want to lose his cool again. He was about to smoke a second cigarette by the time David had returned with Tyler.<br/><br/>Levi stretched a little as he stood from the couch and glanced at Hank when he was introduced. Hank barely even smiled; the only reaction he gave was a curt nod. Even though he could tell he wanted to speak up, he was glad he decided to keep his mouth shut. Hank still needed polishing but occasionally he knew when to keep his mouth shut. Occasionally. Perhaps he was finally beginning to learn his place, or so he hoped, because if he stepped out of line again he was not getting off easy. The same went for Tyler. Though, Levi did have to admit that Tyler really did not look like much looking at him first glance. He really hoped David wasnâ€™t going to let him down and would keep Tyler in line. It was nice that David had made it clear to Tyler that he was in charge once he arrived.<br/><br/>That was one thing he liked about David. The man knew his place and made damn sure that everyone else knew theirs as well.<br/><br/>As he took in everything that Tyler had to say he had to admit he was little impressed. He briefly gave David a pleased look, and then looked to Tyler, â€œSo far everything sounds promising. Having her unconscious for a day or two will give me plenty of time to get everything done.â€ There was even a bit of a smile on his face. The tension in the room seemed to die down a little as well and, likewise, Levi also seemed a little more at ease. Having a solid plan that would ensure he girl would fall into his hands was one thing that pleased him. The sedative was perfect, and the talisman would definitely ensure that she was weak and powerless to do anything against him. Now all they needed was a plan to get at Azrai, and to do that he knew they needed to take care of his company.<br/><br/>While he thought about the Oni woman being powerless, there was an almost maniacal grin on his face and he seemed to drift off into his own little world for a few minutes. He started to pace the room and was imagining everything he was going to do to her before he caused Azrai pain. The pain he very much deserved. Rather than being worked up about his bad day, he seemed excited. He was confident that they would get the girlâ€¦ He was going to have her no matter what the cost, even if he had to make some sacrifices. There were bound to be things that would not go well, forcing him to fall back on other plans. He was not someone to rely on just one plan after all. If it came down to it, if he had to go to drastic measures, he was more than willing to take risks.<br/><br/>Hank rubbed his jaw, about where he had been punched, and cleared his throat, â€œWell, thatâ€™s out of the way.â€ He paused when he noticed the look on Leviâ€™s face; the man was coming back to reality and not surprisingly was displeased with Hank speaking up as he had. â€œWe may need some extra hands to distract her guards. Iâ€™m sure they will be watching her like hawks now. I have a few contacts I can call in necessary.â€<br/><br/>Levi really did not want to bring any more people in than were necessary. If he had more people, it would make him feel incompetent and he didnâ€™t like feeling like he couldnâ€™t get things done properly. Since they had already brought in one complete stranger, he didnâ€™t want to bring in anyone else regardless. He would much rather make do with what they had. On the other hand he really was not fond of the idea of having to do everything himself. Should this plan show signs of turning into that sort of situation, he would correct it immediately. The small group would not want that to happen. With how short his temper was right now, even Levi admitted he felt like a ticking time bomb ready to go off any minute. That was why he didnâ€™t want any fuck ups. That was why he was contemplating actually bringing in another person.<br/><br/>He looked between Hank and Tyler, and David again, and then looked out the window. â€œI have enough on my plate bringing in one complete stranger.â€ Sighing heavily he shook his head. He was about to speak again when Hank practically cut him off. That asshole really needed to learn his place.<br/><br/>â€œThese people are trustworthy, if youâ€™ll give them a chance.â€<br/><br/>â€œIâ€™m taking too many risks trusting one stranger.â€ Levi snarled. His full attention was on Hank now; he took a step toward him. Hank stepped back a little. â€œWe have enough people already, thereâ€™s no need to drag in any more. Weâ€™re dealing with an Oni. What if someone decided to open their fat mouth and she gets taken from us by some other group?â€<br/><br/>Hank just gave a nod, like he understood.<br/><br/>â€œNow that we have that established, why donâ€™t you wait in the background and grab her?â€<br/><br/>â€œIf you want her so badly, why donâ€™t you do it?â€<br/><br/>Levi raised his voice slightly, â€œBecause that isnâ€™t an optionâ€¦ Didnâ€™t you just get done saying it yourself? They know I want the girl, so seeing my face will not throw them off guard. A complete stranger would.â€ That made sense, right? He was hoping they would go along with something like that. Hank seemed wary, or perhaps wanting to take charge of this situation himself. He would definitely need to be monitored at all times if this plan was going to succeed. â€œDavid,â€ deciding he was fed up with Hank for the time being, he turned his attention to the dog that was more loyal, who he had a little more faith in, â€œYou and Tyler work on the sedative.â€ He gave them a â€˜donâ€™t you dare fuck upâ€™ look once more. It was only natural that he paired those two together for this. Tyler was going to be Davidâ€™s responsibility during this.<br/><br/>Now, all he had to do was figure out what he was going to doâ€¦ part of him wanted to go straight for Azrai or deal with his friend. Of course, that would be idea but he didnâ€™t have a death wish. He let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face, beginning to pace the room again. There was a lot he wanted to throw into this, mostly drawn up from his determination, but at the same time he knew better. Filtering out which ideas were the most appealing would take awhile, and the clock was ticking, he knew that they needed to move as quickly as possible.