It was strange that she was able to be a part of this talk, last time, she had no idea what was going on or what they were discussing. All she had known was that Sanctus Unum had been after her and Azrai and that they needed to stop them. Now, she could fully comprehend the severity of the situation at hand. She knew that everyone wanted to avoid another war at all cost and she felt slightly empowered at the fact that she was a part of stopping this. She didn't want things to get out of hand again. She didn't want to have to be shuttled around to different countries anymore. She would fight for her freedom once more but she knew it was best not to be reckless this time. In Israel, she had lost control of herself and she knew that it was possible it could happen again; especially when the people that she cared for were involved in this mess. No matter how long she meditated or how long she fought the never ending bloodlust, she knew that she could lose control in the matter of seconds. It just took that one moment and that terrified her. She knew that if she lost control this time, there was no telling the damage that would be done. There was no way she could guarantee the safety of anyone, enemy or not.<br/><br/>Taking another swig of her beer, she cringed at the bitter taste. Shizu, for one, was not much a drinker finding that she had a difficult time functioning afterwards. Elias and Lucian teased her, saying that she was a 'lightweight' but it wasn't like she understood what they meant. She set down her half empty bottle, already feeling the effects. She figured it would be best to stop drinking the alcohol now before she found that she was too tired to stay focused. This was an important discussion that they were having and she needed to be a part of it. When Azrai started speaking, she directed her attention towards him, taking in the signs of his uneasiness. She smiled slightly when he mentioned that it was her decision to make about the cameras.  It was nice to know that he was readily accepting her into this conversation.<br/><br/>When Azrai started opening up about Cassandra, she could feel a slight shift in the air around them. Ivan and Elias both looked slightly uneasy as Azrai spoke of Cassandra. It was obvious that this woman had been important to not only Levi but Azrai as well. The fact that she was dead and that Levi blamed Azrai made her realize that she was more important than initially thought. She shifted from her position on the arm of the couch, knowing that it was not in her place to ask for more details. She could sense that was probably a sensitive topic to discuss and Azrai was already uncomfortable opening up as much as he was now. A slight frown touched her face as he mentioned that Levi was using her. She glanced at Ivan, who nodded his head at the suggestion. She was probably missing something important though she continued to listen on.<br/><br/>She had always known Azrai for being rather serious about everything, well from the time that she had spent with him. It was odd that this time around he seemed far more serious than usual, or was she just imagining things? She tensed slightly when he glanced over at her, the growl laced in his voice. She glanced away, feeling slightly embarrassed. Why? She was still not used to people caring so much about her, she really felt like she wasn't important. Elias so easily doted on her and opened up his heart to her, so it made her feel uneasy, seeing how she never really expressed herself so openly. Now, Azrai was guaranteeing that this would never happen again, expressing his feelings about this situation. She was sure that the bottle in his hand would break if he gripped it any further.<br/><br/>"I agree with you about contacting Zachariah," Ivan mentioned, shifting to a more comfortable situation. "I will contact him as soon as we are finished here." Ivan glanced over at Shizu, staring at her intently. "Would you like to say anything, Shizu?"<br/><br/>When the attention was put on her, she glanced away from them, feeling self-conscious suddenly. Sucking in her lower lip, she bit down on it, trying to piece together her words. "First thing is first, I would like to express my gratitude for you all coming to my aid..." She knew that it wasn't necessary to thank them but she felt that it was wrong to always assume that someone would come save her. There may be a time when she was truly on her own. "I really do appreciate it." She glanced down at her fingers that fumbled together. "As far as the security system goes, I would only like them on the outside of my home, I feel uneasy with someone looking inside..."<br/><br/>"Alright, I'll set those up outside as soon as possible," Elias mentioned, a sheepish smile coming to his face. "Sorry about not telling you..."<br/><br/>Shizu shook her head slightly. "No, I think I understand why you did what you did, so there is no need to apologize." She touched her tangled locks, knowing that she needed to clean off when she got home. She was happy that no one really mentioned the current state she was in; it was enough to have it already on her mind. She wondered how long Elias had monitored her and what exactly he was looking for. Maybe it was just to make sure she was adjusting to her new life. That thought seemed to settle better within her than anything else. She knew that no one was probably trying to be invasive in her life but it showed that they all wanted what was best for her.<br/><br/>"Now, we need to figure out how to go about capturing Levi," Ivan mentioned. "There must be a way to get him. After we retrieve him, it shouldn't take too long to get him to start talking." Ivan finished the sentence with a sadist grin; after all, interrogation was one of the few things he loved about his job.<br/><br/>"Perhaps you might be able to lure him out somehow, in the midst of things," Shizu mentioned which caught Ivan's attention. He raised an eyebrow. "Allow me to elaborate," Shizu said, turning towards Ivan more. "Back in my village, when they wanted to..." Shizu paused slightly, as she looked back into the past. It had been a while since she last thought about all that they had done to her there, but she knew that she could provide useful information. Closing her eyes briefly, as if she were blocking out the trauma, she let out a heavy breath. "When they wanted to lure me out, my stepfather would always act like he would let me outside to play for the day. With the thought of being unsupervised, I would go and venture outside, not realizing that there was a trap. With my guard down, it was easy to be captured by the villagers."<br/><br/>"Now, say we do that to Levi. Let me act as bait, like I am unguarded and surely he will come out of his hiding area. It would be easy for us to act like we have won against him, causing him to believe that he can easily capture me. It would make him feel like we are underestimating him and that he would have the upper hand." Shizu figured it was a plan that they could work with, seeing how they didn't have many options. "Of course, it is natural that he will have back up and he will be cautious, but I feel that he desperately wants to capture me, therefore he will make a mistake along the way." Naturally, she was not about to mention that she was Oni in front of Elias, not really sure how he would take it. She had been trying to figure out ways to tell him but nothing had come up. For now, she would allow him to continue to think that she was anemic.<br/><br/>"However, there are different things to take into consideration. Seeing how everything played out at that building, he will definitely be more cautious and possibly more prepared," she stated, hoping that Ivan and Azrai would take the hint that Levi would look into her Oni abilities. "That being said, we would have to plan this out carefully and precisely, as to not give away the plan of action, which I assume will not be easy." She crossed her arms over her chest, her brows furrowing together as she spoke. When it came to people she knew and trusted she found it easier to talk. It showed how much she allowed her walls to fall since she came to Toronto. "From what I understand and from what I have seen, it is clear that Levi wants to go after Azrai as a personal vendetta. By using me as a hostage, per say, he is betting on Azrai coming to rescue me with a trap already set up for him."<br/><br/>It was hard to say how she knew all of this, maybe it was because she had been in this situation before, too many times to count. When she had been captured by someone, they were hoping that her stepfather would come and save her. In the end, no one ever showed up to rescue her, leaving her bruised and bloodied. They had left her to die countless of times but her stepfather knew that she wouldn't die. The Oni mentality that she had wouldn't allow her to die all because a few Humans decided to violently assault her. Of course, in this modern world, they had guns and drugs that would indefinitely take her down, which was something that caused her to worry. "What I think will happen next is that they will try to attack me again," Shizu stated, glancing at the three men in the room. "They will come with something stronger men and with more knowledge." She tilted her head as she tried to think about the situation more. "They will either want the element of surprise or they will use the fact that we know they are coming. I am unable to guess what they might use in order to attack, though it is not something that we should take lightly."<br/><br/>She stood up from her position, shaking her a bit. "This Levi person...he seemed desperate to have things go his way, therefore I assume his next attack will be soon." Letting out a heavy breath, as if signaling that she was finished speaking, she glanced at them. "So, we should start preparing ourselves as well." She glanced at them again; Ivan seemed to be taking in everything that she had said while Elias stared at her with his mouth hanging open slightly. It must have really shocked them to see her speak so much and especially about a plan that would possibly endanger her. She knew the risks of pretending to be bait but she also knew the danger that everyone was in at this point. She couldn't just sit around and watch the people she cared for fight for her and get injured again. She looked at Azrai, remembering how he looked in that hospital bed. No, she didn't want that to happen again.<br/><br/>"It does sound like a solid plan, however," Ivan said, a grimace coming to his face. "The idea of placing you on the front lines, does not sit well with me. We should contact Zachariah and run through a safer option."<br/><br/>Shizu felt a feeling boil up in her, one that she was not really comfortable dealing with. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Ivan. "What if we do not have enough time to formulate a plan, for all we know, they could be looking for us right now. They could attack us at any moment and we will be waiting for word on what we should do next. Someone could get hurt." Her eyes glanced over at the shoulder wound on Azrai, even though it wasn't severe, it still bothered her.<br/><br/>A surprised look came to Ivan's face as she came at him; he swore he could hear anger in her voice. Shizu scoffed a bit, feeling unlike herself but she knew why. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, not because of her. She was tired of always having to depend on everyone else to aid her in her time of need. This time, she wanted to be a part of the plan; she wanted to make these decisions regarding her life; even if it meant risking it. She clenched her jaw, trying to control the anger that was building up in her. She looked down at the floor, feeling vulnerable as she trembled in anger. "I cannot allow for you to get hurt again," she said in a gentle tone, despite the fact her voice was trembling. The statement had been directed towards Azrai, mostly, though she could not bring herself to look at him.<br/><br/>"Hey now, its fine," Elias spoke up, moving over to her. "We will figure things out quickly, there's no need to get so upset." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she flinched slightly though she nodded her head.<br/><br/>Poor Elias, he just couldn't understand why she was so upset with this situation. Her final moments in Israel played out in her head. The fear of Azrai dying because he tried to save her scared her. It terrified her really and she wasn't sure if she could go through it again. She closed her eyes, feeling herself calm down. "Forgive me, I was out of line," she apologized and Ivan waved his hand, as if he were used to people getting angry with him. "If you will excuse me," she muttered, heading off to the kitchen to clear her head.<br/><br/>Elias was about to follow after her, worried but Ivan's voice stopped him. "I wouldn't if I were you; she's ready to deck someone." The Russian mentioned, recalling the anger that had rolled off her body language. The hacker stopped glancing from Ivan to Azrai then back at the direction that Shizu stalked off to and he knew that it had to be something to do with what happened in Israel. He remembered that those memories haunted her and she still felt guilty, that was why she hadn't stayed with there. She had ran away from her guilty conscious and was still trying to recover, it didn't help that Azrai had appeared before she could accept what happened. "What should we do," Elias asked.<br/><br/>Ivan let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Let her cool down for a bit, these kinds of conversations are new to her I'm sure. I remember how ready I was to knock a few skulls when I joined, especially when I thought we weren't acting as fast as we should. However, we need to be careful in this situation, this ain't like Sanctus Unum. Levi...he's thirsty for blood while Raziel wanted to take over the world with his bio-weapons. Her plan has a few flaws, but it's nothing that we can't fix." Ivan stood up, pulling out his phone. "I'm going to call Zachariah and fill him in on everything, and then we'll go from there." Ivan excused himself as he went outside to talk to their leader.<br/><br/>Elias suddenly felt uncomfortable as he was left alone with Azrai. The man had blown up on him when he first contacted him and he knew that Azrai was probably still feeling angry at him. Elias sat on the couch, his leg bouncing slightly, not sure if Azrai was going to say anything to him. He could take it, he knew he could, he'd have to man up around Azrai one of these days. However, maybe he calmed down after seeing how much he cared about Shizu, who was like a little sister to him. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad, that is if Azrai decided to bring it up at all. Either way, he could handle either situation; the one thing he was worried about was Shizu. The fact that she was so scared that Azrai would be on his death bed made him wonder what exactly she would do in order to stay away from that situation.<br/><br/>She was being different than usual; normally he never saw her get so flustered or angry. She was always calm, no matter the situation. Well, maybe sometimes she would get annoyed with him but this was the first time he had seen her so riled up. Elias had been slightly scared of her angered state, feeling like she was about to hurt someone. Was it just his imagination or did her eyes seem to get brighter the angrier she became? Surely, he was just imagining things. There was still a lot he didn't know about Shizu and this was a side that he would have to learn about too. "Do you think she will be alright," Elias mused, hoping that Azrai might go talk to her. They seemed to be a like in a lot of ways. They were always calm and quiet, though when angered they were truly terrifying. It was hard to get them to open up but when they did, it was like a tidal wave of information at once. Maybe that was why they had been able to bond so easily, because they were so alike.<br/><br/>--------------------<br/><br/>The drive back to the base took little to no time or was it because his mind was so full of thoughts that he didn't even notice the time? Either way, David knew that he would have to apologize to Levi later, like the good dog that he was. Hopefully, he would be able to get back in Levi's favor. This time he wouldn't fuck up and they would get the girl. During the drive, he called a few contacts, who believed in mythological creatures and supernatural beings. The conversations had been a pain in the ass because his contacts would go on long tangents about shit he didn't care about. All he needed to know more about were Oni and he hardly got much from them. Still, it was enough to mentally prepare him.<br/><br/>Maybe somewhere along the way, Levi had mentioned that the girl was Oni and he thought that he was just trying to be funny. David was no stranger to skepticism and it was likely that he allowed that information to blow over. Now he regretted that he had, if such a conversation had happened. There were many things that Levi said that David chose not to remember, especially since that man was not all there. Maybe David thought that Levi was going through another fit of deranged behaviour. They were only human and they made mistakes. No matter how much his friend disliked mistakes and missed opportunities, they were bound to happen. However, this time around there could be no flaws or mistakes. His life was surely depending on a fool proof plan.<br/><br/>He parked his car and went into the dilapidated apartment building; he realized that Levi had gotten here before him. That man had been driving like a bat out of hell, David now realizing how much this mission meant to him. He came in to see Hank, nodding slightly. David liked Hank's 'I-don't-give-two-shits' attitude and always admired him for sticking up to Levi. David knew that one day that would all stop and Hank would be as submissive as he when it came to dealing with Levi. He grimaced slightly as Levi's cold voice cut into the air and he stood beside Hank, as Levi elaborated more on the mission that they were partaking in.<br/><br/>David eyed Hank's reaction from the corner of his eye, surprised that he was taking all of this so quietly. Then again, one does not freak out in front of Levi, he had already dealt with that situation and it was not one that he wanted to visit again. Clearing his throat as the ability to speak was now given; David looked at his leader and friend. "On the drive back, I called a few contacts that are into this sort of thing...supernatural things that is." He shifted his feet, standing in an erect position. "They gave a few words of advice on what to expect with the girl's abilities and one of them lives close enough, so I called him to assist us." He knew that Levi didn't normally like when he brought people in that were strangers.<br/><br/>"His named is Tyler and he specializes in Japanese mythological creatures and he knows of a few ways to suppress the girl and weaken her in order to guarantee her capture," David commented. "He should be here in a few minutes. Once we have him, we can set up a plan of action and get the girl immediately." David really wasn't a suck up when it came to Levi, it was just he knew the man well enough to know that he wanted this mission to go smoothly. That being said, he also knew that they needed someone who knew how to deal with the Oni and would be able to do things without being told twice. Tyler was a bit of a strange character but David knew that he would not let Levi down.<br/><br/>"If we need more man power, I will gladly gather a few more people in order to keep the Oni's guards distracted," David said with a malicious grin, knowing a few brutes who simply loved smashing skulls for the fun of it all. Although they did not seem like many, David knew that their crew was not something to be taken lightly. The poor girl and her companions simply did not understand what kind of Hell was coming after them. It would certainly be worse than Sanctus Unum.