003. KNOW YOUR ENEMY

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ know your enemy
mid-episode , present

▓*ੈ✩‧₊˚. . . . . "Grace, you can not be serious."

   Eveline spat with anger as she held her phone against her ear as her other hand carries a suit case of necessities she may be needing for the trip. Her reddish brown hair flowed gracefully to her elbows. She wears a burgundy leather coat that makes the end of her shoulders seem sharp, it also reaches to her knees. A dark crimson corset like top that hugs her waist, making it more visible. Along with black leather gloves to hide her hideous fingers.

   She walks away from her front porch and into the dead of night. Her long gravel ground in her front yard led to the baren road that had no evident direction of pathway. The yellow line was crippling and fading away due to no renovation throughout the past decade. Reminding her that she had settled down in a small town only housing approximately 55,000 residents. In the San Joaquin Valley and it would be quite a while until she returned home.

   She tried to bask in the vision as she walked to an idle Butcher waiting by a car. Leaning against the passenger door, hands crossing as he stared at her slow approach.

   "Look, it's one job. I know I ghosted you, but just bring me the supe, and you'll back in California."

   Eveline groans, her evident frustration was visible on her frowning expression. "But with him!?" She emphasizes. "The fuck that killed Stillwell. Why can't I do this on my own?"

   "Because I made a promise to him. And he did to me. I just need you there to see he holds his end and you bring the supe." Mallory says fast and swiftly.

   Eveline stops her pacing as she raised an eyebrow. It was the same as when Butcher told her his side of the story. They both spoke in a way as if they weren't telling the whole truth. Too fast it sounded rehearsed. They weren't telling her something. "You're not telling me the whole truth." She pointed out.

   "That because I can't tell you the whole truth. It's- it's personal. For me and for Butcher. But..." Mallory's voice halts for a split second as if she was tugging her next words back. "Butcher will probably let you in to some extent if you don't hassle him."

   Eveline scoffs as she resumed her walking. She also took noticed how  Butcher's eye never left her frame, he simply...observed. She met his scrutinizing gaze and remained eyes locked with him as she kept walking to him.

   She stayed looking as she continued to speak to Mallory. "Hassle him?" She spoke more louder, for him to hear. He did, and wore a sinister smile. "He's hassling me. He broke into my house, Mallory. Cut off my electricity. Who's gonna pay for that?"

   "I will okay- Eveline," She pleaded with anger. "Do the job and you can forget about his ass after. I'll pay you."

   Eveline took a moment to think as both ends remained quiet for a few seconds.

   "...Fine."

   "Thank you Eveline." At that, Mallory hung up.

   Eveline huffs and slams her phone shut. She finally made it to him. "Did the princess not get her way?" Butcher announces overhearing her conversation. Her attire made him think of some stuck up princess.

   "Stay out of my business." She commanded. Ignoring his name call.

   "Sorry to burst your bubble lass but you strut your way to me with a suit case no less. Gave the impression that anything from here on out is my business." He stayed leaning against the car.

   Eveline rolls her eyes and takes a breath in. She gets close to him and spoke lowly, pointing a gloved finger at him. "I swear, keep getting on my nerves and I'll-"

   He laughs dryly and threw her hand to the side. "You'll what? Pound a fist up me bum? Use your sparkling fingers to tickle me balls." He gestures with his hands. He then expressed a tense gaze at her as he didn't back down and stalked closer. "You are not gonna do shit and I'll prove it to ya."

   As quick as she blinked he tug her phone out of her grasp. "The fuck!? Give it back." She yells as she tried to reach for it but Butcher was taller than her by a mile.

   He smiled at her little temper and held it higher. "You act like you aren't a fuckin' supe terrorist, princess. Come on then, take it from my hand." He wiggles it above, taking pride in his taunting at her.

   "I don't have to rely on my powers for everything you brit fuck." She exclaims as she stares at him once more. Giving up at her attempts of getting it back. It was a temporary one anyways. Her real one is back in her house.

   He did as well. Raising his head above, to make it seem like he's has more power in the situation. He feels her fast breaths neat his neck. His top lip curled up in amusement. "Thought so." At that, he threw it on the ground and stomped on it.

   Eveline backed up and placed a hand on her hip. Looking at him with a displeased face.

   He sees her reaction and lets out a stiff laugh. "Oh, come off it. You're a supe terrorist lass, you don't think you've been tracked for these years after you went awol?"

   Eveline remains staring at him. While Butcher waited for a response from her, nothing came. He sighs and murmurs as he opens the passenger door for her. He may be a hard-headed and irrational man, but he had manners towards women.

   Sometimes.

   If they earned it.

   "Chop, chop, Miss. Ex." He beckons.

   She scoffs and throws her suit case and bends down to enter but stops mid way. She grasps the outter part of the passenger door next to where Butcher's hand stayed gripping it. "And my name's not lass, princess or Ms. Ex for your information."

   Butcher lets out a tsk and pushes her in with his palm on top of her head. He felt her restraint againt him but he pushes through. He knew she had power but he never met a supe who didnt use their powers as an advantage and it interested him. What was her play? To blend in with the unfortunates? He won't let her, he'll remind her what she is. "Don't care. You're a rubbish supe, that alone loses my respect towards you lot."

   Eveline doesn't budge against him and slumps in the seat. She didn't answer him. He was right and what she did before meeting him, literal terrorist acts, but she had reasons. Every terrorist has a reason, right? And she didn't think of herself as one but mainstreamed with it but everyone else did. She was too confusing to understand herself.

   She buckled up as he entered the car and drove away. Observing the car, she concluded it didn't really fit a man of his background. It looked and smelled like a rental. Like the smell that comes out of when opening a fresh new book. And it was too clean.

   She then looks at the seat belt that stayed unmoving from it original place. He didn't bother putting it on.

   Butcher sees from his peripheral, her head moving towards him then a bit to look behind him. "Bloody hell," He complains. "What is it this time?"

   "Your seat belt." She says nonchalantly as if it was common sense to put it on. But for him, common sense came after irritational actions.

   He bangs the steering lightly, amused at her obvious safety and concern for his wellbeing. "I've killed supes, nearly died. You've killed Americans, nearly died and your worried about me launching out of me seat and crashing through the fuckin' windshield?"

   She shrugs. "Yes?"

   "Aye," He shakes his head and remains focused on the road. "You're one weird terrorist, I'll give ya that."

   They share a glance, and they both smirk, interested in why they found common ground a few seconds. Butcher shakes the feeling away and continued to talk. "But don't worry about old me. This car is small for me to bowl around in not get thrown out of."

   "Don't matter." She smiles and uses her powers to get the seat belt and clasp it around and buckle it. The inside of the car shining from her red powers. "It's not even your car anyways."

   Butcher glares at her and unclips the seatbelt. He then uses his left hand to steer as he right one rest on his lap. He leans back and gives a glance to her. "And how would you know I don't ride in a hyundai?" He jokes.

   "Uh," She stammers. She places a strand of her reddish Burnette hair behind her ear. "Cause you don't see like the type."

   "And you just happen to know my type, yeah?" Butcher loved playing with the supe, it was entertaining. And it was honestly keeping him from falling asleep on the road.

   She felt a foreign feeling again but waved it off. She rolls her eyes and looks out the passenger window, not answering. "Well," He concluded. "I'll show ya a real beauty when we get to New York."

   Eveline didn't know why she got along with him right of the bat so well despite his hatred for her. It was like they hated eachother and were cool with eachother as the same time. Maybe because they already knew infomation about eachother beforehand. But it was nice to know someone who wasn't afraid of her, even if it was a anti-supe activist.

   "And just one thing you should know." She added. She was gonna have fun with this. She smirked and saw his reflection through the window. Seeing him glance at her.

   "Oh yeah? The hell could it be this time?" He questioned.

   She raises her gloved hand and stares at it. "I can potentially travel to new york right this second." She replied without looking at him.

    The sudden screech of tires made her go forward and bump her head against the inner end of the window. She moans and rubs it. She glares at him. "Dude are for real right now?"

   He smiles at the miniature pain she felt. He stops the car and turns his body to her. "Aren't you just daft. You didn't care to tell me this sooner?"

   She shrugs and fumbled with her fingers. "I only teleported once and I almost died." She murmurs.

   He hums. "How'd you go about that?"

   "Running from Homelander. I could of killed him but he somehow got Mesmer to help them that day. Plague my mind with...the past. Off my game after that." Her fingers grew a more darker color after her experience, she didn't know why. Maybe the over use of her powers she endure.

   His laugh at her unfortunate circumstance makes her glare at him. "So you were off your rockers? Did you at least knock one in Mesmer?"

   "Punch the living shit out of him?" She adds. "Yeah, found him days later. Wonder if he's still alive, with his two sided ass."

   Butcher looks awah guiltily but with no remorse for his actions. It was the right thing to do. Mesmer betrayed him an he'd do the same to her if she ever did. "Well..." He finally says. "he did get to meet yours truly. Popped a tooth outta him and thats saying it lightly."

   Eveline huffs and settles in the seat. Relaxing and crossings her arms. Her eyes felt heavy, her sleepiness coming back before Butcher interupted her. "Do I even want to know?" She tiredly says.

   He watched her relax in the seat. He needed to remind himself more than her that they were enemies and just worked with eachother because of their employer. After that, who knows. She might just kill him. "Nah, wouldn't bother telling ya. He's just a supe in general. Hate the cunt just like you." He finishes as he started the car.

   She exhales and turns her body away from him. Leaning against the window and begins to doze off. "Touching."