35 Chapter 32: The Honoured One!!!

After finishing their meal, Jessica and Grim caught the bus, heading towards an old acquaintance of Jessica's for some much-needed information.

As Jessica explained, the man they were visiting was a bit of an oddball but an expert on all things occult.

Arriving in a relatively affluent neighbourhood, they walked to the end of the street, where one house stood out like a sore thumb.

Between the 'Welcome Aliens' banner, the wacky inflatable tube man flailing in the front yard, and the botched paint job, it was clear this was the home of someone who embraced weirdness.

Grim raised an eyebrow. "This the guy?"

"Yep," Jessica confirmed, heading towards the door.

She knocked three times but received no response. Rolling her eyes, Jessica tried the door handle and found it unlocked. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath as they entered.

Inside, the house was a shrine to pop culture, with snow globes, anime merchandise, and hot female Battlestar Galactica cutouts plastered around the rooms.

They made their way to a door leading to the basement, where loud music blared from below.

Descending the stairs, they found a middle-aged man, overweight, dressed in a Metallica shirt and camo shorts, absorbed in a game of Guitar Hero.

Without hesitation, Jessica grabbed a nearby cup and threw it at him.

The man yelped, shouting "Stranger danger!" as he ran, but Jessica caught him by the shirt and spun him around.

Recognizing her, he relaxed slightly. "Oh, it's just you, Jess. What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Her gaze landed on the mess of half-eaten snacks around him. Jessica couldn't help but roll her at the scene.

"Yeah...' busy'..." She air quoted sarcastically.

The man then noticed Grim and turned to Jessica. "Why is there a guy with you? I thought I said this was a babes-only zone. No dudes allowed."

Ignoring his protest, Jessica pulled out a document. "I need you to look at something."

She explained the situation and showed him the symbol. The man nodded. "Yeah, I can find it, but it'll cost you. How about a date with—"

Before he could finish, Jessica sucker-punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, gasping, "Totally deserved that."

They moved to another room filled with fantasy books and anime posters.

Jessica instructed Grim to wait and stand by as she and the man began searching for the symbol and its meaning.

It was clear that Jessica had a unique way of handling her contacts, and he was starting to appreciate her no-nonsense approach to getting things done.

As they delved into the books and notes, Grim stood guard, though as he did he suddenly spotted the Guitar Hero and got curious.

....

In the cluttered basement, the man's old computer hummed as it sifted through decades of records.

He was a collector of the arcane, especially the occult and otherworldly things, some examples being Thor, or even the Scrulls.

Within minutes, he found the symbol Jessica had shown him.

"Ah, here it is," he said triumphantly. "This symbol was used in a ritual about fifteen years ago. It was a summoning attempt for a powerful demon – part of Dormammu's army. Doctor Strange had to step in to seal up the portal. Nasty business."

Jessica leaned closer, examining the information on the screen. "Dormammu? That's way out of my league. What's the connection to these murders?"

The man shrugged. "Not sure about the direct connection, but these cultists, they love recycling old symbols for new rituals. Gives them a sense of authenticity."

'Could this murderer want to open up another portal.'

As the man relayed this information, music from next door caught their attention.

Curious, they went back up to investigate.

To their astonishment, they found Grim totally immersed in Guitar Hero, expertly playing "Through The Fire And Flames" by DragonForce.

He hit every note perfectly, achieving a perfect score on what was arguably the game's hardest song.

The occult otaku nut job stared at the screen in disbelief. "That's... impossible."

Finishing with a flourish, Grim turned nonchalantly and asked, "Are you done?"

"Yeah, I got what I need," Jessica replied, impressed yet trying not to show it.

As they left the basement, Jessica asked Grim, "Have you played before?"

"Nope, first time," Grim replied casually.

The man, still in shock, stared at the screen displaying Grim's perfect score, murmuring to himself, "Who was that godly being?"

...

Outside, Jessica and Grim caught the bus back to her office. The ride was quiet until Grim broke the silence. "So, what's the plan now?"

Jessica took a sip from her whiskey flask. "First, I need to inform my client about the graffiti. Then I've got some legwork to do. You stay put at the office."

Grim nodded in understanding.

Arriving at her office, Jessica kicked the stubborn radiator into life and made a quick phone call.

Before leaving, she turned to Grim and said, "Stay," as if he were a pet.

Grim settled into her chair, but soon, a growl from his shadow caught his attention.

Skia emerged, holding a demonic-looking rat in its mouth. The creature had red fur, black eyes, and a sinister black tail.

Grim examined the creature curiously.

Unsure what to do with it, he instructed Skia to keep it in the shadow dimension until Jessica returned.

Satisfied, Skia disappeared into the shadow as Grim leaned back and drifted off to sleep.

.....

His rest was unfortunately short-lived.

A teenage girl with beautiful caramel skin, wearing skinny jeans and a leather jacket, her hair styled in two big pom-poms, entered the office.

She scanned the room, her eyes landing on Grim.

"Hey, who are you, and what are you doing in my mom's office?" she demanded.

Grim opened one eye, gave her a lazy look, and then closed it again, completely ignoring her question.

"..."

The girl, taken aback by his indifference, raised her voice. "Hello? I asked you a question!"

Grim sighed and sat up, fixing her with an unimpressed gaze. "What does it look like? I'm taking a nap. Now, could you please be quiet?"

"..."

She was momentarily lost for words at his blunt response. "Who do you think you are, just sleeping in someone else's office? Where's my mom?"

Grim yawned. "Your mom's out. She told me to wait here."

The girl crossed her arms, eyeing Grim suspiciously. "And why should I believe you? For all I know, you could be some random squatter."

Grim shrugged. "Believe what you want. I'm just doing what I was told."

The girl seemed to consider this for a moment. "Alright, I'll wait with you. But I'm keeping an eye on you."

Grim shrugged nonchalantly. "Suit yourself."

They sat in an awkward silence, the girl glancing occasionally at Grim, clearly unsure of what to make of him.

Grim, for his part, seemed indifferent, lost in his own thoughts.

....

(One hour Later...)

After an hour of waiting in silence and still not seeing her mum, she looked at the clock nervously before signing in disappointment.

Grim watched as Danielle Cage, a hint of sadness in her eyes, handed him a letter meant for her mother, Jessica. "I need to go. Can you give this to my mom when she gets back?"

"Sure," Grim replied, taking the letter.

Before leaving, Danielle turned back. "I'm Danielle Cage, by the way."

He nodded. "Grim. Grim Mortimer."

With a reluctant smile, Danielle left the office.

Grim sat there, pondering the brief encounter.

The strained relationship between Jessica and Danielle was easy to figure out.

For the next two hours, Grim waited, but there was no sign of Jessica.

Then the office phone rang persistently until Grim finally picked it up.

"Hello...this is Jessica Jones's PI office, she's not in right now so please leave a message after the bark..."

Bark!!!

Skia barked momentarily coming out of his shadow before returning.

On the other end was an irritated Jessica.

"Why didn't you answer sooner?" she demanded.

"Oh it's you, well you said to sit. That's what I did," Grim responded with a shrug.

Jessica sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"By the..."

Before Grim could mention Danielle's visit, Jessica cut him off, instructing him to meet her at the location of the most recent crime.

Following her directions, Grim locked up the office and made his way to the crime scene.

The area was still cordoned off, with police officers keeping watch.

Arriving at the scene, Grim saw Jessica talking to a few officers. She noticed him and waved him over.

"What took you so long?" she asked, her tone a mix of annoyance and relief.

"Bus was slow," Grim replied casually.

Jessica rolled her eyes but didn't comment further.