[Mousen]

Solomon had been about to argue, but caught the look in Akkia's eyes and fell silent. "That's fine," she agreed, after a moment or two. What she wasn't telling Akkia was that the moment they were inside that house, Akkia was taking Solomon's silver pentacle. That point could be argued about later.

She sucked in the air through her teeth, before realizing how close to crying Akkia was. "Hey, don't panic, it'll be all right. We've still got a couple of hours I might be able to get rid of the creature before she's home. If not, I'll find a way to keep you two safe."

[MythicDusk]

Akkia nodded slowly, pushing hr hair from her face in a worried movement, tugging at the strands softly. She began to chew on her thumbnail again, her eyes glancing around to take in every detail, to try and keep her mind from her daughter being injured, thought the thought still rocked her and made her shoulders tremble. She tasted copper, and she pulled hr thumb away from her lips with a surprised blink, a smear of crimson across her lips and a drop of blood leaving a slow, lazy trail down her hand.

[Mousen]

Solomon noticed that Akkia was bleeding and her brow furrowed. "Miss Konnawtyst? Are you all right?" she put a gentle hand on her shoulder. The woman was obviously worried out of her mind. Solomon wasn't sure she could say anything else to reassure her. "Listen, I'm going to try and get this sorted for you. I'm not going to let anything hurt you or your daughter." She felt like she'd said that a thousand times, but perhaps Akkia needed to hear it. That, or her promises weren't being believed at all.

"If you're okay to walk, then we can get going, Miss Konnawtyst." Solomon's mind was already on the task at hand, and she was running through the possibilities of what this creature might be. Nothing could be certain, but already she didn't like the sound of what she was about to approach.

[MythicDusk]

Akkia inhaled slowly, in through the nose and out through the mouth. The heavy weight of the cross in her pocket and the presence of the exorcist seemed to steel her, her amber eye hardening as she stood, rolling her shoulders with another deep breath. "I'm fine." She lied, the taste of blood still lying on her tongue. She tucked her thumb into her fisted hand to hide the wound her own teeth had caused as she walked towards the door. "Thank you for this." She repeated, her throat hoarse from her sobs, her voice cracking as she opened the door, stepping into the hall before pausing to wait for her companion, running her free hand through her hair, pushing her bangs from her face as she breathed deeply again, trying to calm the fluttering panic that extended from the base of her throat to the pits of her stomach, filling her torso with moths and carrion flies.

[Mousen]

Solomon inclined her head slightly at Akkia's words, but didn't say anything. Instead, she opened the door to her office, gesturing for her client to follow her out. Solomon was going through lists in her head, the various things she'd come across in her time. Measuring up the manifestations, and seeing how far this creature went. She wouldn't have considered it a threat, often these things fed upon fear. The more scared you were, the better. They would cast shadows, give a feeling of dread. Maybe, just maybe, they'd even shake up the furniture a little. Really, they were nothing more than little leeches, tiny little fragments.

The bruises, however, indicated towards something more serious. Something that was more vindictive than a little shadow trying to scare a couple of home owners.

She followed Akkia, as the young woman lead her to her house.

[MythicDusk]

After a short trek, Akkia winced at a high-pitched squeal, taking off in a run, her breath burning in her chest as her legs and arms pumped, skirting around the corner and scooping up a small child from the front steps seemingly to her home, hushing the child, holding her close to her own chest as she sobbed. "Hush Innie, I know. It's okay, You're okay. Daddy got help. It's okay." She murmured gently into the child's hair, smoothing it down as the sobs turned to gentle hiccups. She glanced back at the other woman, her dark blue hair with colored streaks running through it, tied back into a messy bun. "You were meant to keep her safe." Akkia hissed. Parri rolled her eyes as she made sure the door was fully shut.

"Trust me, I tried to keep her from going inside, but she wouldn't listen. I had to chase her and she came bolting back out." Paranoia moved over to her side, inspecting their child, wincing at the large bruise on her arm. "I'm so sorry I didn't keep her safe, Akks." Parri whined, pulling both of them into a sight hug, biting back her own sobs as Akkia continued to murmur soothing words into Innocence's ear.

[Mousen]

Solomon followed after Akkia, keeping pace with her running. The other woman was obviously desperate to get home and see to her daughter and Solomon wouldn't keep her waiting. It broke her heart to see Akkia and her daughter so upset. She was going to have to do something for this family, regardless of what it cost her. With any luck, she'd be able to get rid of whatever was causing them trouble without it taking too much of a piece out of her.

She didn't interrupt the hugging family, but moved passed them, stepping onto the property. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end the moment she did so and she resisted an urge to step backwards, to get away, somewhere clean, somewhere safe. It made her wonder how they could have not noticed it sooner, but, then again, it was her job to be able to recognize these things. Solomon had a talent for it, unfortunately others weren't so lucky.

She ran a hand across the wooden door, trying to sense past it. The only thing she got was the same sense of dread that emanated from the property. "... Once you're sorted, I can start. Two things, before that, however. Firstly, I cannot recommend your daughter stays during this. If there's no other option I will give her the best protections I can give and then some, but even in that case I can't absolutely guarantee her safety. Equally, I'm going to need your permission for me and... certain associates of mine to enter the house. I have some, well, I suppose the best word for the best word for them is "demons". They work under my command entirely, and so are completely harmless." It wasn't a deal breaker, Solomon and the two creatures that often accompanied her could enter houses as they pleased, but it did make them slightly more effective if they were invited guests. It was traditional, anyway, and only right that Akkia should know exactly what she was letting into her house.

[MythicDusk]

Akkia nodded, digging the heavy cross out of her pocket and gently laying it around Innie's neck, her daughter looking up to her with wide, frightened eyes before she set her jaw. "Do whatever you need, take whoever you need in there. You have my full permission."

Akkia's voice was. Hard. Strong. Powerful, even. Edged with anger, with fury that this, this thing, even dared lay a hand on her daughter again. She turned her eye to Paranoia, who had also set her jaw, giving a slow nod.

"Innie, baby, we gotta go back to mine for a little while. Just until the scary thing is gone, okay? Daddy's gonna stay here until its fixed and then come pick you up straight away, okay?"

Innie licked her lips, jer bottom jaw trembling with her sobs, her voice wavering in a way that smashed Akkia's heart into tiny shards. "You'll be okay, right papa?"

Akkia didn't know. She had no idea. But all the same, she nodded with a warm smile, pushing some of Innocence's brown hair from her face, looking into those beautiful blue eyes that she loved so much. "Of course love. Of course I'll be okay. I brought help, didn't I?" She grinned, a wide, comforting sight to the child, who let out a slow, shaking sigh, anxiety still filling her.

But if papa promised, then it would be okay.

[Mousen]

Solomon nodded, looking between Akkia and Paranoia. She was going to do this right. It was painful to watch a family suffer like this. She moved away from the property for a moment and took a deep breath. She imagined a circle around her, first filled with fire, then a swirling gust of wind, then creeping vines, and finally a tide of rushing water. It was a cliche, one of the oldest in the book. But it settled her. It wasn't what she imagined, just that she went through the motions. She offered a prayer in her head to some god she'd once been told had a fondness for her. Then, reached out in the other direction, two names becoming clear in her mind.

They appeared in the circle with a fizzing sound and the smell of brimstone quickly carried away by the air. A tall, lanky cat, and a squat dog appeared by her feet.

"Nostos, Delos," she said, her voice not above a whisper. Their forms flickered like heat waves, like some sort of mirage. If Akkia or Paranoia were to look over now they'd catch the faint shadows by Solomon's feet and nothing more.

"Doin' things proper, Boss? Must be worried," the squat one said, scratching its ear with a strange-looking paw.

Nostos' orange eyes flicked over to the two women behind Solomon. "Women and children involved, Delos. She's being soft again. I bet she's not even taking a fee."

Solomon's expression hardened, and the cat's expression became even more smug. "Tut, tut, tut. What did I say?"

"Hush," she hissed. "I've got a job for you both. Delos, see if you can get a handle on what's in that house. Be careful. It's poltergeisting." Delos nodded and slipped out of the circle, vanishing into the house. "Nostos, stick by Akkia. If something goes for her I want you to stop it."

Nostos shook his head. "You need me."

She took a deep breath. "We'll see. Stay close, but don't you dare take your eyes off of her."

Solomon moved back towards the house, and towards Akkia. "I'm ready. Shall we begin?"

[MythicDusk]

Akkia pushed a hand through her hair as she watched her friend and daughter walk away. Parri gripping Innie's hand tightly as Innie kept looking over her shoulder, her lip trembling as she attempted to hold in all the powerful sobs her small, 10-year-old frame wanted to let out.

He gave a fake grin, one that didn't reach her eyes as she waved. When they turned the corner, Akkia bit her lip as she heard Innie howl out her sorrow. A heartbreaking sound.

She let her shoulders shudder with her own sadness, her own near-sobs as she ran her hand through her hair again - a nervous tic if anything - and shook her anxiety from her arms, gripping the strap of the satchel around her shoulder in a white-knuckle grip.

It was then, with hard eyes and a set jaw, and a snarl in her throat that Akkia nodded to Solomon.

"Just tell me what I need to do."

[Mousen]

"I'm being careful," Solomon said. "The thing that is most dangerous in this profession is to underestimate what you're dealing with. It's the thing that gets more summoners killed." She realised that she hadn't answered Akkia's question, but kept going anyway. She slipped her silver pentacle from her neck, and offered it out to the other woman. "Take this. No arguments."

She glanced over at the property, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. "Well... We'll try my good cleansing ritual first. Do you have a sweeping broom? I have a few things which are scattered over the floor of the room, and then swept out of the room, then the house. It normally takes the spirit or negative presence with it. If we come into problems I have other ideas."

Solomon could feel the presence of Nostos close by her, she watched as he looked from Akkia back to her and gave her a look. She didn't acknowledge it. "In short, stick by me and we'll see how this goes. I promise that I won't let anything happen to you."

[MythicDusk]

Akkia could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to refuse the pentacle, to dare whatever it was to harm her, to hurt her.

But she had a kid now. She couldn't take dumb risks anymore.

She inhaled sharply through her teeth, a shaky hand gripping the pentacle and carefully hanging it around her own neck. She nodded to Solomon's question, opening her mouth to answer, but only letting out a scared croak to begin with. She cleared her throat carefully, taking in another breath as she tried to soothe her constricting lungs.

"There's a broom in the kitchen, I have tile floors in the hall and kitchen. Easier to clean up when Innie comes in after playing."

Talking about her daughter, she felt herself calm, her shoulders beginning to relax. She was doing this for herl ittle girl. For the light of her life.

[Mousen]

Solomon nodded. "Then let's go in."

She took a deep breath before she entered the house, grounding herself one last time, finding a balance within herself. As she stepped through the threshold she reached out a little, to see if she could sense anything, but was surprised to find the atmosphere of the house itself more bland than anything. That couldn't be right. As she reached out further, she got a brief impression: a thousand pin-prick eyes watching her before vanishing into the paintwork. Oh, she didn't like this at all.

She stepped further into the house, into the kitchen and turned to look at Akkia. "We should hurry. I'm going to scatter this-" she reached for a large pouch filled with seeds, herbs and what looked like ash that was buried in her pockets and showed it to Akkia. "-Through the house. There's a ritual spell associated with it. I'll start from the top of the house and work down. Grab the broom and come with me. We might see some activity in reaction to this and I don't want you out of my sight."

[MythicDusk]

Akkia nodded, her jaw set and fists balled, as if she was going to fight whatever was haunting her, whatever was hanging over her door and her daughter.

She realised, after a moment, that she would.

She would fight demons and angels both for her daughter.

She grabbed the broom, holding it like it would ward away whatever was feeding from the fear in her bones. Well, she wouldn't let it feed any longer. She set her spine and tilted her jaw back, her eyes scanning over the walls and doorways.

She couldn't see anything, she couldn't even feel anything. But she wanted it to know that she was displeased at best.

[Mousen]

Solomon reached the furthest room in the house, up a small set of stairs. She paused. "I'm going to start the ritual spell. You can talk to me through it, but be aware that I might not say anything in response. The idea behind this is that I put down something holy and cleansing in each of the rooms, and you sweep the evil from the house. It doesn't matter if you don't actually sweep up the powder, it's more the motion."

She took a deep breath, steadying herself and began scattering the contents. She felt something rush through her, like a chill in the air and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She ignored it and kept going.

She began her spell, something in vaguely botched 16th century church Latin with a bit of Enochian thrown in for good measure. Something about cleansing and all unholy things being banished etc. She'd written it a long time ago, and it did the job.