Cas hadn’t felt the need to free or kill Adrian and while there was an attraction to the man they were able to control themselves. Despite their declaration to question the man further they spent a long while just examining Adrian in silence. Straddling the restrained man their pink eyes scanned his visage making note of any scars and marks, of particular interest was a thick raised line about two inches long that started just below his hairline. Running their slender fingers through that wild hair they paused when they felt two small holes just behind the man’s ears. 

“Someone take a shot at you with your own weapon?” They asked. 

“No, those were made by a drill,” Adrian said. 

“Must have caught you sleeping to get the drop on you like that,” Cas said, returning their attention to the scar on his head. 

“I was asleep but I paid them to do it,” Adrian answered. 

 “And why would you do a thing like that?” Cas asked genuinely surprised. 

“Makes it harder for someone to get the drop on me,” Adrian explained, stiffening a bit as the demon shifted in his lap. Both their body and fur was soft, the latter feeling like cashmere as it brushed across his face and neck. 

“You certainly are an interesting one,” Cas said, rocking their hips in a teasing fashion after noticing how the man had tensed. 

“I could say the same for you,” Adrian quipped in return, shifting a certain way underneath Cas that made the demon feel warm in the cheeks. 

“Oh you could say a lot more than that,” they said. “But let's stick with you for now and you can tell me why I had such a hard time picking through your mind.” Their fingers traced over the scar on the man's brow as they spoke. “Does this have anything to do with it?” 

“Probably,” Adrian answered, enjoying the gentle touch. “Had an alchemist crack my head open and change a few things around.”

Cas furrowed their brow and regarded the man with some skepticism. “Why would you allow such a thing?”

Adrian shrugged, “Helped with my aim, I can track and hit two targets at once. It’s kinda like having two heads but with one mind.” He moved his eyes independently for emphasis much to the demon's fascination and concern. 

 “Messing with things like that is….unnatural.” Cas had hesitated to use the word. After years of hearing it hurled at them the concubus had developed a particular distaste. But they could think of no better description for what the man had described. “Cracking open a skull is a gamble and trusting yourself to someone eager to try is even more so. You’re lucky to be alive.”

Adrian grimaced slightly and shrugged, “Well I know the alchemist certainly seemed surprised when I woke up.” 

Cas fought back a smile at the comment. “Well hopefully your luck holds out.”

“Hopefully. How do you like my chances?”

Cas thought for a moment then gave a sigh. “I don’t think they’re terrible. We do what we have to, but we aren’t killers, not typically anyway.” 

“Well that’s promising,” Adrian said. 

“I said typically,” Cas responded curtly. “This situation isn’t typical.”

“I imagine not,but you have to understand that I’m not a threat.”

“Oh that’s certainly not true,” Cas replied with a scoff. “But I understand you aren’t a threat to us, at least not at the moment. I think Megra understands that but…”

“But?” Adrian inquired. 

“You scare her,” Cas said bluntly. “I don’t know why and I get the impression she doesn’t fully understand herself but you do and fear isn’t something she handles well.”

“Few really do,” Adrian said. 

“I read the notice,” Cas said, eager to change the subject. “It advises that he was last seen headed southeast toward the Broken Chain. And since you’re the only one who's passed through looking for him I can only imagine that every other bounty hunter is back east on their way to the archipelago. So why didn’t you fall for whatever subterfuge has the entire empire searching in the opposite direction?” 

Adrian shrugged, “Just got lucky as you said.”

Cas shook their head, “No that’s not it. It wasn’t luck and while you’re clever you’re not THAT much smarter than the rest of your peers. You must know something they don’t or you have an understanding that gives you reason to question the notice but how would you get such knowledge?”  The demon’s eyes lit up as the final piece clicked into place. “You've been on his trail since before that reward, haven’t you?”

Adrian fell silent at the question, his expression stonelike.

 “I’ve been tracking him for close to a year, since his bounty was fifty silver and a wheel of cheese put up by some goat farmer,” he said after a few moments. “Notice said he ‘wanted to make sure no one else had to bury their daughters.’ Since then I’ve seen dozens of fathers, mothers, and spouses do just that while I couldn’t do a damn thing.”

Cas listened quietly as Adrian spoke, their soft fingers absently stroking the man's hair. 

“That farm girl was worth more than any amount of silver or gold, so was the duke's daughter, so were they all. It’s a cruel joke that the prick's life is now worth a king's ransom.”

“If the money means so little to you, why did you try and take him alive?” Cas asked.

“It means little but not nothing, a small bit would have been enough to recoup my own losses while the rest could have acted as a small bit of restitution. I know of several who were buried without headstones and that much gold could have gone some way in rectifying that.” 

Cas raised an eyebrow at the statement, “Awfully altruistic for a bounty hunter,” they said.

“I suppose so, and who knows maybe once I had it in my hands the temptation would have won out. As it stands now I’d take the sound of him breathing blood over any reward of gold or silver.”

“Vivid image,” Cas responded, wrapping their arms around the man and burying their face in his neck.  “You’re quite good at those,” they whispered thinking back to the scene he had used to distract them. They considered questioning him about it but were distracted by the man’s scent. The brimstone odor had faded a bit under the Adrians sweat but they still found it pleasant. 

“I like your scent,” they whispered. “Reminds me of home.”

“Good memories?” Adrian asked. 

“Not at all, but we all have a soft spot for our home.”

“If you say so,” Adrian answered, goosebumps rising on his skin as he felt Cas’s warm breath against his neck.

“I take it you have no home then?” They asked before placing a gentle kiss against the man’s neck. His taste wasn’t of brimstone or fire but Cas liked it all the same. 

“Not since I was a child. Even then it was so brief I could scarcely call it a real home.” The gunman's mind flashed then to an old memory, foggy with time in the details but vivid in its emotion. For a moment he pictured his parents stricken with fever upon the thin floor mat long turned yellow with the seeping pus of their sores. He was grateful his companion could not see it. 

“What about you? How did you find your way from the infernum?”

At the question Cas leaned back with a bored sigh. “The same as any hell born,” they responded.

“A settler left behind after the invasion?” 

“A conscript turned defector,” Cas corrected.

“Ah,” Adrian responded with some intrigue studying the lithe demon, his attention drawn particularly to the horns that curled around their pointed ears. “You don’t strike me as a soldier.” 

Cas gave a bit of a scoffing laugh, “and you don’t strike me as a prisoner yet here we are.” They regretted the severity of their tone almost immediately and softened their words as they continued. “I wasn’t conscripted into the fighting. Some of the weaker demons were brought over as part of a pleasure corps. Basically serve as distractions and playthings for the ones doing the fighting.” 

Adrian nodded, continuing his inspection. His gaze was so close and intense that Cas actually began to feel self conscious and fought the urge to look away. 

“You don’t strike me as that either,” Adrian said, eliciting a chuckle from the lithe demon. 

“You met me in a  whorehouse love,”  Cas said smirking in a devilish manner. “You mean to tell me I don’t strike you as a pro? I don’t know if I’m meant to be flattered or insulted.” 

“No, I meant you don’t strike me as weak,” Adrian said, his expression guileless. 

It was an answer Cas hadn’t been expecting and they were caught off-guard. The smirk was wiped away as they met the man's eyes fully for the first time. 

 A call rose up before they could continue. The command echoing down the hall passed from voice to voice. 

“What’s that?” Adrian said. 

“Our goodbye,” Cas whispered nuzzling in close once more. That’s where the pair would remain until the door burst open and Miriana stepped inside flanked by two of the male workers. 

“This is it love, sorry it’s not more pretty,” Cas said as they stood their hands caressing the man’s cheek as they stepped away. 

“It’ll do just fine, ” Adrian said . A moment later the tip of Miriana's blade pressed against his throat. She held it there as the other two began to untie the ropes that held him to the chair. 

Cas watched from across the room and noticed how the man’s eyes flicked briefly to the vials that remained on the table. Slickly they moved their hand across the surface palming one of the tinctures as they did. 

“Tie his hands in front,” they said, earning Miriana’s ire as they did. 

“Like hell we are,” the woman snarled. 

“Miri what the fuck is he going to do? We’re already sending him to his death. Let's at least let him be comfortable,” Cas countered.

Miriana was ready to reassert her order but acquiesced. 

“Fine, tie 'em in the front. Let him be a problem for them.”

The other two guards did as asked then began to escort Adrian toward the door. Cas blocked their way momentarily taking Adrian’s hand as they leaned in to savor his scent for what might be the last time before planting a small peck on his rough cheek. The demon then fell in behind the group but not before observing the gunman stealthily tuck the tincture into the bindings on his wrist.