“I got it!”.
     Owen’s triumphant shout brought Jim and Kenrick from the A/V room to the living room, where Owen was standing holding a pay stub in front of him.
     Jim looked at it closely, shaking his head, and commented, “I don’t see anything.”.
     Kenrick just shrugged his shoulders.
     “A 5% raise!  Look at the difference!”.
     “So we celebrate with pizza and anime?”, Kenrick asked.
     “While that is the usual tradition, I have something else in mind.  We’re eating out tonight!”, Owen declared.
     “Umm, I can’t go.”, Kenrick said and then paused, “I have to wait for a phone call.”.
     “The answering machine can get it!”, Jim told him, “We have to celebrate!”.
     Owen shook his head, “If he can’t make it, he can’t make it.  There’s some money in the jar on the fridge, take some and order a pizza.  Jim, I’ll be back in a minute.”.
     “Where are you going?”, he asked.
     Owen winked at him, “I’m doing you a favour.  Call Cal and Matt, see if they can make it, too.”.
     He left the apartment and ran upstairs, guided by the sound of someone softly singing.  He knocked on Avrianus’s door and braced himself.
     She opened the door threw her arms around him.  Owen returned her hug and followed her into the apartment.
     “I haven’t seen you all week.  Where have you been?”, she asked him as she sat down on the couch.
     “It’s been a busy week at work.  I haven’t had a day off since the manager got the flu.”.
     “Oh, that’s okay then.  We’ll just have to make up for lost time tonight.”, she smiled at him innocently, “Would you like some tea?”.
     “Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”.
     “Oh?  What did you want to know?”, she was suddenly nervous, her speech became faster and her eyes darted from side to side.
     “My raise came through today, so I was planning on taking some friends out, and I was hoping you’d like to join us.  It’s nothing fancy, there’ll only be five of us, including you.”.
     “Are you sure you want me to come?  I won’t know anyone but you, and I’ll just get nervous, and…”.
     Owen interrupted her, “I’m sure I want you to come, and Jim will be there, too.  So you’ll know half of the group.”.
     Avrianus paused and thought for a moment, then nodded her head and said, “Okay!”.
     “I’ll come and get you in an hour, then.”.
     Owen excused himself, and went back to the apartment.  Jim was on the phone, and Kenrick sat on a chair behind him looking at a menu.
     Jim covered up the mouthpiece, and said to Owen, “Cal has a date tonight, but Matt can be here in forty-five minutes.”.
     “Cal has a date?  Anyone I’ve met?”.
     “Elaine, apparently.”.
     “Cal and Elaine?  That’s a bit of a shock.”.
     “Tell me about it.  Just a second.”, he uncovered the mouthpiece, “Yeah, sorry, Owen just got back.  We’ll see you when you get here.  Bye.”.
     Jim hung up the phone, and turned to face Owen, “So where did you take off to?”.
     “I invited Avrianus along.”, he grinned evilly, “I didn’t think you’d mind.”.
     “What?!”.
     “I know you like her, so I thought you’d like the chance to get to know her a little better.  It gives her a chance to get out, too.”.

     The five of them stood waiting to be seated, the three men towering over Avrianus, who looked decidedly uncomfortable among so many people.
     After a minute had passed, a waitress came to seat them.
     “I’m sorry about the delay, we’re a bit busy tonight.  Smoking or non-smoking?”, she asked.
     “Non-smoking.”, Owen answered.
     “Follow me, please.”, the waitress started to lead them to a table.
     Before they could make it more than a half dozen steps, a tall blonde woman stopped her.
     “I’ll take this group, Stacey.  Why don’t you take my table over there for now.”, she pointed at a nearby table where a group of four men in business suits were eating, “You know how well they tip.”.
     Stacey shrugged, “Sure, are these friends of yours?”.
     Beth smiled at Owen, “One of them is.  I haven’t met the others.”.
     Jim whispered into Owen’s ear, “Now I know why you chose this place.”.
     Beth led them to a nearby table and waited for them all to be seated before she passed out menus.
     “I wish I could stay to talk, but I’m really busy right now.  I get off in half an hour, so don’t eat too fast.  Let me know when you’re ready to order.”.
     Beth rushed of to the kitchen, leaving them alone.
     “So is that Beth?”, Jim asked as soon as she was out of earshot.
     “That’s her.”, Owen answered as his eyes followed her movements.
     “So how long have you know her?  She obviously wants you to ask her out.”, Matt questioned.
     “A few months.  I don’t get to see her that often.”, Owen defended himself.
     “So do it tonight.  She gets of in half an hour, it’s the perfect time.  You’re footing the bill?”, Jim egged him on.
     “I can’t ask her out in front of everyone!  And yeah, this is on me.  Just keep it under fifty each, and we’re cool.”.
     Avrianus lifted her head up from the menu, and stated to the group, “I like chicken.”.
     Owen, Jim, and Matt all stopped and looked at her.  Avrianus smiled and told them, “I’m going to order the chicken.”.
     All three of them started to laugh, and Avrianus sank into her seat.  She blushed and looked around at them.
     “Did I say something wrong?”, she asked quietly.
     Owen shook his head, “No, nothing at all.  Whatever you want to have is fine.”.
     Avrianus smiled and buried her face in the menu again, apparently to decide how she wanted her meal prepared.

     Beth did not disappoint, as exactly half an hour after Owen’s arrival, she slid into the seat next to him.  Jim and Matt both gave Owen sly looks, and kicked at him under the table.  Avrianus concentrated on her meal, carefully carving the last bites of chicken off the bone.
     “So, I think introductions are in order.”.
     “Everyone, this is Beth.  She lives on the first floor.  Beth, this is Jim, my best friend since Grade Two, and Matt, who I’ve known since… was it Grade Eight or Nine?”.
     “Grade Nine.  We were lab partners for a chem experiment.”.
     “Right!  And this is Avrianus.”.
     Avrianus swallowed the morsel of food she had been chewing, wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, and thrust out her hand.  Beth took it carefully, but Avrianus gave it a vigorous shake, nearly banging their hands on the table.
     “Avrianus lives in the apartment right above mine.”.
     “Oh, everybody has heard about her.  You’re the subject of much debate in the lounge.  As far as anyone knows, only Owen knows the slightest thing about you.”.
     Avrianus pressed her lips together tightly, and looked around her, obviously hoping someone would change the subject.
     “So, Beth,”, Jim started, giving Avrianus a quick smile, “how long have you lived in Hillview?”.
     “About two years now.”, Beth turned to Jim, and Avrianus let out the breath she’d been holding.
     The five of them continued with the small talk for an hour, and although Beth several times tried to ask Avrianus about herself, Jim would quickly distract her.
     “Well, I think we really should be going and free up this table.  Did you need a ride home, Beth?  There’s just enough room for one more in the car.”, Owen offered.
     “Sure, I missed my ride with Cindy, so I was just going to take a cab.  Let me grab my coat.”, Beth excused herself and left for the kitchen.
     “Why didn’t you ask her out?”, Jim asked, intentionally while Beth was close enough to hear.
     “I told you already.”, Owen kept his voice quiet, “I’ll ask her out when I have a minute alone with her.”.
     “And when will that happen?”, Matt pointed out.
     Avrianus sat silently, smiling to herself as if to some private joke.  Beth came back with a light jacket in hand, stood over the table and said, “Are we ready to go?”.
     Owen and company gathered their things and headed to the door.
     “Owen.”, Beth said as they reached the door.
     “Yes?”.
     “I really busy for the next week, but how would you like to go out for a movie and dinner next Friday?”, she smiled at Owen, who stood dumbfounded.
     “I… I’d love to.  I’m working until six that day.”, he stammered.
     “Great.  I’ll meet you at you’re place at 6:30.”, she stated, and kissed him on the cheek, then strode out the door to Owen’s car.
     Jim and Matt stood behind them, each smiling and giving a thumbs up.
     Avrianus walked up to Owen, took his arm, and said to him, “That worked out well, didn’t it?”.

     “This is the best night of my life!”, Owen shouted out as he reached his door.
     Jim remained with him, watching the stairwell door as he listened to Avrianus making her way up to the third floor.  He chuckled at Owen’s declaration, and said, “Now we celebrate with anime?”.
     “Damn straight we celebrate!”, Owen placed his key in the lock, and swung the door open.
     A large black and purple chicken flew towards his face.
     Jim gave a startled shout and leapt backwards, and Owen just stood still as an arrow pierced it’s body and it fell to the floor.  He kicked it into the room as he ran in, and found Kenrick in his lizard body standing in the living room with bow in hand.
     “What happened?”, Owen asked as Jim cautiously followed him.
     Jim took a look into the living room and shouted in surprise, “What the hell is that?!”, pointing at Kenrick.
     Kenrick ignored him and answered Owen, “I was getting some chips out of the pantry, when a portal opened and a flock of chickens came through.  I’ve killed a dozen, but I think I’ve only slain half of them.”.
     He reached down to his side and removed the broadsword Owen had found when he first came to the apartment, “You’ll want this.”.
     “That voice,”, Jim said in a voice barely above a whisper, “you’re Kenrick?”.
     Kenrick nodded, and Owen said to Jim, “I’ll explain later.  Find a weapon.”.
     Owen drew the sword and tossed the sheath aside, gripping the sword with both hands.
     “Ready?”, Kenrick asked him.
     “Not in the least.”.
     “Too bad.”.
     Kenrick drew back the bowstring and a blunted arrow appeared in the bow.  He shot it into a darkened corner and three chickens flew out, running towards Owen.
     Owen closed his eyes reflexively as he swung the heavy blade, and felt the sword collide with something.  He opened his eyes as he heard an arrow whistle past him, and looked down to see a dead chicken stuck on his weapon.  He shook it off, and turned to Kenrick.
     “I got one!”, he said proudly.
     “You got lucky.  If you close your eyes again while swinging that thing, you’re more dangerous to me than the chickens.”, Kenrick told him angrily as he loosed another arrow.
     “Fourteen.”, he stated.
     Owen heard a sound beside him and spun about, bringing his sword down on another chicken.  The sword hit, but lodged itself into the floor.
     “Two.”, Owen said, dislodging the blade.
     “Clumsy.  You’ve never had a day of training.”.
     “I’ve never lived in a place where I needed any.”.
     Jim came into the living room again, “I can’t find anything.  Now would someone please tell me what is going on here?”.
     Owen sighed and started, “Hillview is on the weak spot in the barrier between Earth and a demon dimension.  Sometimes a few things get loose.  Kenrick is a demon and not a dot com executive.  Any other questions?”.
     “Yes…”.
     “They’ll have to wait.”, Kenrick cut him off, “Get a knife from the kitchen.”.
     He loosed another arrow, hitting another chicken.
     “That makes seventeen we’ve killed.  I counted twenty, but I could be mistaken.  Always assume you’ve underestimated your enemy’s numbers.”.
     “Right.”, Owen replied.
     A sudden flurry of sound came from the back of the apartment.
     “The A/V room!”, Owen and Kenrick both said in unison, and ran together.
     Owen could hear Jim rummaging through a drawer, and the front door open.  He stopped, leaving Kenrick to handle the A/V room, and hurried back to the living room.
     Murray had let himself in, and was bleeding from a small cut on his forehead.  He braced himself against the closet door and caught his breath, a silenced pistol hanging loose by his side.
     “What’s happening here?”, he asked, panting.
     “A flock of demon chickens.  I damaged the floor with my sword.”, Owen replied, and gestured towards the slash mark in the floor.
     “We’ll cover the repairs, but we need you in the basement.  An assualt force has come through.”.
     Owen looked behind him, and could see Kenrick loosing another arrow.  The demon nodded to him, and Owen took in a deep breath.
     “Let’s go.”.

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