A few stops too far {Tsukiko/Edge}

[NightshadeVII]

The bus came to a shuddering stop, its engines rumbling for a few more seconds, alive and energized, warm after an entire day of driving, carrying people to and from, playing a brief part in so many different stories. The sound of clouds of exhaust became more obvious now, rhythmic and steady as they spread and faded into the midnight air.
Still the lights were on in the bus, a haven in the dark of night. The light flooded out of the window, waterfalls of brightness that created a distinct pattern on the floor.
Then the engine turned off.

But, despite appearances, the bus wasn’t empty. On one seat was a guitarcase, battered and hastily repaired again and again, the strap of it covered with different patches and badges, creating a confusing mural. It had personality, in that way, it seemed like something that belonged to someone. On the seat beside the guitar, sat the only passenger on the bus, a young man, tall, broadshouldered and seemingly immensely comfortable, judging by the position he was in. His arms were wrapped around himself tightly, as if he was hugging himself for warmth, or maybe trying to make himself seem smaller. Long legs were stretched and crossed in a casual manner and his head fell to one side, letting his halo of black and white hair fall away from his face.
And he was asleep. The young man looked incredibly peaceful as he sat there, half curled into himself. Maybe he was dreaming, or maybe he was fortunate enough to have a quiet, dreamless sleep, free from the figures of his mind. With his pierced lips parted, the soft sound of his breath could barely be heard, like a whispered secret in the empty bus. Still his chest rose and fell steadily, proving that he was indeed alive.

With a sigh, the chauffeur approached. She was used to dealing with drunks falling asleep in the busses all the time, but that didn’t make it anything to look forward to.
“Sir-“, she called out, still keeping her distance, just in case.
Edge stirred. His brows furrowed for a moment, but other than that, there was no reaction. So the busdriver tried again with another: “Sir?”
This time Edge blinked, dark lashes fluttering as the world slowly slipped into focus. The veil of sleep didn’t pull back from his mind instantly, leaving all his senses softened, words spoken to him were muffled as if coming from a distance, all the lights seemed too bright and the shadows appeared darker than they should be, painting a strange picture of the world, surreal even when he tried to rationalize and remember what everything really looked like.
An incoherent mutter sounded from behind his lips, and perhaps it was meant as a question of sorts, as he blinked up at the chauffeur, while the world became steadily clearer.

“Sir, the bus is at its final stop.”, said the middle aged chauffeur, a kind, yet apologetic smile touched her lips, reached her eyes, “It’s done for the the day, so I’m afraid I have to ask you to get off here.”
At this point in time, Edge was awake enough to fully register what the chauffeur said, and gave her a nod.
“That’s okay, thank you.” Edge said, smiling back, his every gesture still tainted by sleep as he rose from the bus seat, “have a good evening.”

Heavy boots thumped against the pavement as Edge stepped out of the bus with his battered guitar case slung over his shoulder. As royal purple eyes scanned his surroundings, it quickly became obvious to him, that he had no idea where he was. Didn’t recognize any of the houses, or the street names. Great. Even if he had lived in this city for three years now, he definitely hadn’t explored it all. But now, he supposed he had no choice but try to make his way home.

~~~

A forest of unknown buildings stretched out on either side of him, some more lopsided than others, falling over themselves after weather had worn them down over the years. Taking everything in, in the hope of finding something he recognized, Edge continued on his way while his thoughts wandered, reaching every corner of his mind.
Eventually he lifted his gaze to the sky, seeing the stars so clearly here among the darkened houses. He had given up on finding constellations he knew years ago, but he still looked up at the sky, finding some sort of comfort in the vast, velvety, star-freckled expanse. And perhaps, even if only for a moment, he dreamt of spreading some metaphorical, elusive wings and flying home. But he couldn’t do that. Not here.
Then he felt something against his cheek, a small dot of cold, that dragged down his skin. Then came another, and another, giving him temporary freckles. Rain? A smile broke out across pierced lips, and he closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying this gentle beginning, how calm it all was.
But it was probably best that he tried to find some shelter, should the rain get heavier.

After a little while, before the rain really kicked in, the punk finally managed to find an abandoned house where he could take shelter. Some of the windows were broken, the paint was faded, peeling in some places and the front door seemed like it could fall off its hinges at any moment. Still, it all seemed structurally sound. It would be more than enough to shelter him from the rain.
That’s when he heard something, coming from further in the building. His brows furrowed. He had thought he would be alone here.
Following the sound, Edge moved deeper into the abandoned house. His fingertips ghosted over the wall beside him, calming him with what he felt. How everything connected. The sounds became louder, until finally he reached a large room.
And what he saw, left him confused, at a loss of words.

[tsukikoko]

For what Edge saw, as he entered that room, was a giant wolf locked in ferocious combat with no less than three enormous spiders - each one at least the size of a man. The furred beast rolled across the ground, snarling furiously, kicking up dust and blood as arachnid creatures sought to sink their fangs or sharpened legs into it’s flesh. One such blow sank home, digging deep into the wolf’s chest, past fur and into flesh. Fanged jaws opened in a roar before the animal rounded on the leg now sticking out of it. Teeth sank home, cracking the hard outer skeleton and with a savage wrench of its own head, the wolf ripped the spider free of itself. But the beast didn’t stop there. Its head shook side to side, smacking the giant invertebrate around and into its comrades. There was another squelching crack and the leg tore free completely, leaving the spider to drop to the ground in a heap. Not that it had long to come to its senses. The wolf was upon it again in a second, snatching hold of another leg put up in front of the spider’s face to protect itself. Again the furred beast began to shake its head, just as violently as the last time.

The spider’s second leg tore free. Its body sailed through the air, collided with the far wall beside where Edge had entered the room, sliding to the floor in a smear of what might have been black blood. Now down to six legs, the spider nonetheless scrabbled upright, intent on rejoining the fight. Only to pause…

And look straight at Edge.

Where an arachnid face should be, instead was a freakish amalgam of human and spider features. Human eyes, eight of them, stared out from a flat, smooth face. Though where a human mouth should have been, instead chelicerae sprouted, both tipped with a lethally sharp fang. The creature took a step towards the newcomer, legs and head twitching as it seemed to assess which target was of more importance. Or perhaps just more easily killed and devoured. With an excited gnashing of fangs, the spider creature surged forward.

Still caught in combat, the giant wolf nevertheless noticed that one of its opponents had not yet returned. As jaws came down on the chitinous leg of another spider, golden eyes swivelled around the room, settling on the boy that had stumbled his way into the room and the spider now charging for him. A muffled, strangled cry of rage and alarm reverberated around the room. The massive, silvering animal kicked and writhed, claws dragging through the spiders and sending them sprawling to the floor in a hissing heap. A scrabble of claws and the wolf was charging. For Edge this time.

It barreled into him, an unstoppable force of shaggy fur and hard muscle that sent the two figures flying. The spider’s lunge landed on empty air. It spun to chase the wolf and boy with an irritated hiss. When the two landed, the wolf was no longer an animal. But a man. Admittedly a very, very large man, with pointed fangs, golden eyes, fur across his cheeks and a mane of silvering black hair that trailed down his back, but a man nonetheless. A man who had Edge slung under one of his muscled arms.

Tsu glanced down at him, blood streaked across the front of his face from an open wound on his forehead. Not that the injury, or any of the numerous others, seem to bother him any, if the wide grin and cheerful tone were anything to go by. He guessed this young man wasn't human, judging by how he hadn't run screaming or cowered in the corner at the sight of his near-wolf form. Still, he didn't know what he might actually be, or what he was capable of defence-wise. Hopefully he wouldn't turn out to be another enemy.
“Wandered into the wrong building I’m afraid, son.” The spider-creatures began to converge, mouthparts chittering. Tsu’s attention focused on them again, his mouth open in a snarl of warning. “How fast can you run?” He took a large step back, not wanting the creatures to close the distance too much. “I can keep you safe, but you’re going to have to work with me. It’s a lot to take in right now, I know, but they aren’t gunna wait I’m afraid.” Another step back, but he was swiftly running out of time. One spider lunged and Tsu was forced to leap back, though his grip on Edge remained strong. “If I put you down I need to know you’ll run. Are you ready?”

[NightshadeVII]

Within a few seconds, half a dozen emotions and thoughts flickered through Edge’s mind. The first was surprise, so profound and shaking, that for a moment, the darai couldn’t really process the entirety of what was happening. Then came the confusion. Scrambling his thoughts as he tried to make sense of the scene unfolding before him. Everything was a mess. A massive wolf fought and snapped and clawed at what appeared to be three giant spiders. Both parties managed to hurt each other in blurs of movement. The moment Edge saw a leg being snapped off, he flinched, feeling a sympathetic stab of pain, cutting deep.
Until now, he remained unnoticed by the wolf and the spider-like creatures before him, all hellbent on tearing each other apart, on wounding, maiming and killing. Then a spider was tossed across the room, slamming into the wall besides where he stood. And it saw him.

For a moment, everything seemed to stop as the arachnid’s eight dark, human eyes, all fixed on the darai, a few of them meeting Edge’s purple gaze. A cold shiver ran down his spine, spreading out through this body like ripples. Everything the creature was contrasted with itself. It was a paradox. What did this creature see in him? How did it see him? The darai had seen nothing like this himself, despite the vast variety of creatures he knew from home. This was unlike anything.
Time slowed down to cold seconds, ticking away ever so slowly, heavy in the still air around him. It felt like everything slowly crystallized, becoming a still picture, clear and detailed, but so easily broken at the slightest of movements. So easily ruined. All the could hear was the rush of blood in his own ears, the sound of his heartbeat making his body seem smaller, feeling more like a prison than anything else, pressing down on him
As the creature began to lunge, the darai’s reaction was delayed, as if he was underwater, his movements far too slow and he knew it. Still, he drew an arm up to defend himself, a flimsy shield if anything at all. He knew it wouldn’t do him any good, not against that creature

Then, before he even had time to react, or prepare himself, something barreled into him, the sheer force of it all sending him flying, ripped away from gravity in a few breathless moments. The world blurred and every instinct in his body screamed, tore at him to spread his wings, stretch them and use them, if anything to break his fall. But it would never work.
Edge, and whatever had pushed him aside, landed with a heavy thump, and the darai groaned weakly, as he tried to catch his breath again. Lungs burned from the temporary lack of oxygen and his chest ached after the sudden impact. And he didn’t even know what had really happened.

When Edge opened his eyes again, he caught a glimpse of golden eyes, his mind immediately jumping away from the situation, far away, to better places. But it wasn’t the golden eyes he knew. There was a flash of fangs and black, silvered hair, and then Edge was slung under a muscled arm, where he hung limply for a moment, as if nothing more than a rag doll. The pure shock of someone being able to lift and toss him around so easily, coupled with the sight of the arachnids and the entire situation in general, left him at a loss of words. Anything he thought about saying just didn’t seem to fit the situation.
When the person that had picked him up spoke, cheerfully, Edge snapped back into the situation, royal purple eyes turning to follow the sound of the other’s voice.
“Wandered into the wrong building I’m afraid, son.”, came the words.
To further his surprise, the darai was met with the broad smile and kind eyes of a man with an open wound cutting across his forehead. No doubt from the scuffle with the spider-creatures. Since the wolf was no longer anywhere to be seen in the room, Edge could only assume that the man holding him now and the wolf from before was one and the same. But still, he couldn’t help but wonder; who was this man? Why did he defend him? The darai was prevented from asking further questions when he noticed how the spiders stalked closer. All of them beginning to close in now, chittering, teetering on the edge of a lunge. Oddly familiar is their grotesque, twisted shreds of humanity, yet still so foreign. The golden-eyed man bared his teeth in a snarl.

“How fast can you run?”, continued the man, now keeping his eyes on the spider-creatures, “I can keep you safe, but you’re going to have to work with me. It’s a lot to take in right now, I know, but they aren’t gunna wait I’m afraid.”
One spider lunged, forcing the man to leap back, somehow still holding on to Edge. Yet the darai knew, that the other couldn’t keep this up forever.
“If I put you down I need to know you’ll run. Are you ready?”

Before he answered, Edge glanced around the room another time, scanning and processing quickly, handling and obtaining more information, different information than what others might get from a quick look. He took note of structural weaknesses, places where space folded in on itself, made notes to remember where matter seemed concentrated, places where he could use his abilities more ‘effortlessly’ and efficiently, if it came to that. Hopefully it didn’t.
Edge knew he could run, but not for long and especially not now, no matter how much he wanted to. But he probably didn’t have much choice in the situation. Finally he looked back up at the golden-eyed man and nodded.
“Right- right, I’ll run, yeah.”, he said, barely thinking about his words, “I’m as ready as I can be.”

[tsukikoko]

Tsu's smile was wide and pleased when his sudden companion answered him, glad that the boy was quick to respond. Yet in his eyes burned a different fire; an excited, wild flame and a lust to fight. He felt alive, powerful, fulfilling his most sacred of duties in sniffing out and destroying this infestion of his old enemy. None of them or their spawn would leave this place alive. The boy, however, he would live. Tsukiko would make sure of that if it killed him.

A final glance down, a look of encouragement and calm assurance, before Edge found himself placed on the floor feet first. The silvering man stood in front of him then, a wall of fur and muscle between the arachnids and their new target. The boldest of the creatures - ironically the one who had lost the most legs - leapt forwards in a flurry of gnashing mandibles and flailing legs as soon as the werewolf released his companion. Tsu's hands rose to meet it, snatching hold of the spider creature and shoving back against the force of it's charge and weight. He slid back, clawed feet scoring lines into the floorboards as his muscles bulged and fought against the creature's strength. But he held.
"RUN LAD!"
After his shout, the other two arachnids scuttled forwards, their legs a cacophony of scrabbles across breaking floorboards. Tsu knew he could not stop them all, but as his closest enemy tore at his shoulders and legs, the werewolf hefted it from the floor.

Before long, one of Edge's pursuers was sent flying, the body of the first spider having been launched into it at speed. Tsukiko leapt into the fray a second later, not wanting to give either spider a chance to find their footing again. But the third, the last, escaped his attack and continued to chase after Edge. He saw it, felt protectiveness swell in his chest, but locked in potentially fatal combat with the remaining arachnids, Tsu could do nothing else to help him. War form was too dangerous. He may well kill the very boy he wished to protect should he lose control. So instead, he just had to fight the two he had in his grip. Fight and hope that the boy would run, evade or hide until he could reach him.

[NightshadeVII]

Edge met the other’s eyes without fear, without being cowed by what he saw despite the other’s excitement, his fighting-high. Deep down, Edge knew he wouldn’t fully understand why others could get so into a battle, whether it be a short brawl or some kind of duel. Violence had never been his thing. Many times others had prompted him to learn how to fight, how to use a weapon, telling him he had potential. And he had never done anything about it, knowing he didn’t have the potential others saw in him. He could never be what people wanted him to be. Never had been.

Still this stranger, Ei’yan, this person he had barely met, looked at Edge, smiling, practically radiating reassurance and encouragement. Almost as a relfex, Edge returned the smile. It wasn’t as broad or energetic or calm, but it was filled with recognition and a kind of thankfulness, that revealed he didn’t believe himself deserving of the other’s encouragement.
Despite having been here for years now, despite having made friends and healthy relations, he hoped, Edge was still quite unsure of what to do with himself, when someone tried to encourage him.
How could someone believe in broken things?

An involuntary, low growl pushed past pierced lips as one of the spiders lunged, purple eyes widened and he stepped back without second thought, as if trying to shield himself. But nothing came. The gold-eyed man had already stepped in, a blur of muscle and fur, stopping the spider, easily matching it in strength. For a moment, he was pushed back, but he didn’t fall.
“RUN LAD!”

As if snapping out of a haze, Edge blinked, his movements delayed and his thoughts returning to the situation. The sound of the others voice, sudden and loud compared to the constant hissing of the spiders kickstarting the thoughts Edge needed. Then he nodded, quickly, uncoordinated, and headed off, not knowing if he should stay, object or try to help. But then again, that might just mess up the other’s plan, making everything worse.
The darai ran, exhibiting a short burst of somewhat inhuman speed, it wasn’t impressive, but it was enough to notice. With thoughts running faster than himself, Edge tried to put some distance between himself and the spider.

He hadn’t run far, before he felt himself getting exhausted, loosing his breath. Both pants and footfalls fell heavy, the sound of him running somehow made more violent by his boots.
His first thought was to get out of the building and as far away as possible. But that thing would probably follow him, and if it did that... it might find someone else, someone who was even more defenseless than Edge was. Just the thought of bringing that onto another person made his thoughts race, berating himself for even considering such a thing.
So if he couldn’t leave, he’d need to find the most advantageous position. Which shouldn’t be too hard. Already now, he was aware of what would meet him around the next corner, felt what stretched out behind it. And most importantly, he knew how to bend it.
Purple eyes fixed on what appeared to be a decently sized chunk of a wooden beam, broken off from somewhere. Useless to most a first glance, not the right size to use as a weapon in any way, too clunky to throw or wield. It would be perfect. A skidding pause in his running gave the darai enough time to grab the piece of wood, before continuing on his way. He wouldn’t need much to hold the spider-creature off, at least not from his surroundings, but already now, worry darkened his thoughts, shifted his focus and dragged him away from the present situation. Would he even be able to do anything, with the state he was in now? The urge to collapse had already made itself present in the back of his mind, and he wanted to give in. He was surprised he hadn’t yet.

Finally, Edge skidded to a halt in another room. It wasn’t far from where he had first encountered the golden-eyed man, but already, his chest heaved, his breath seeming way too loud in the silence. Then he heard the hissing of the spider, coming closer, the sound running like shivers over the walls, vibrating in the air. The darai clutched the chunk of wood in his hand.
By Eda, he hoped he was ready.

[tsukikoko]

The spider creature clattered, hissed and generally made a bit of a ruckus as it impatiently searched for Edge, at one point even throwing what remained of a cupboard against the far wall. Muffled by the walls, but still audible, came heavy thumps, the sounds of splintering wood and at one point, an impact so powerful it shook the walls of the building and made plaster dust rain down from above.

Tsu did not reappear.

Even when an eerie silence descended upon the building, when even the monstrous spider humanoid near to Edge fell quiet - not even chittering any longer - the werewolf did not come to find him. A few seconds of quiet. An unsettling, unnerving stillness.

The first warning Edge would receive was a slim, black leg, curling over the top of the door frame. Another followed a moment later. Then another. Before a chitinous, horrific blend of arachnid and human characteristics peered into the room from the ceiling of the previous one. Covered in thick, black hairs, a bead of venom dripping from viciously curved chelicerae, glared what might have once been a woman's face. The spider creature began to creep into the room, sliding its distorted, bulbous abdomen through the gap of the doorway to crouch upon the ceiling. It did not move any closer for a good second or two, simply watching Edge while the front two legs twitched with anticipation. Notably, one leg still remained stretched out of the room and a long string of silk trailed from the creature's abdomen back the way it had come. A slight twitch of that back leg, a soft hiss and a wide, unnatural smile.

The female spider creature dropped from the ceiling with a dull thud. Then she surged towards Edge with a rapid, sprinting scuttle.

[NightshadeVII]

Almost holding his breath, Edge listener keenly to what he could hear, hoping that some sound, any sound could tell him about what had happened with the golden-eyed man. Hoping to hear some kind of indication that he was at least alive. And yet, every sound, every crash and thud, so poorly muffled by the walls, indicated something other than victory. At least that was what Edge feared.
And then, as everything fell into silence, the Daria’s heartbeat seemed so incredibly loud, like a drum beating out of his chest. He was almost sure that everyone in the building could hear it. And still the silence remained heavy, crushing and oppressive. Without answers. Suspended in uncertainty, it seemed like time slowed down. Seconds dragging on into long minutes, and the dust in the air slowed its descent, preserving the moment as it was. The unknown became loud, insistent as it fed Edge uncertainties, clawed into his mind, at once both distracting I’m and helping him focus.

For every beat of silence that the golden-eyed man did not appear, Edge’s chest knotted itself tighter and tighter together, as worries took over, dark and oppressive as they led his mind away. The darai didn’t know the man that had protected him, hadn’t even asked his name, but still, the idea that he had gotten hurt or perhaps even died, trying to protect Edge was a heavy one. Irrational, unconfirmed guilt washed over him, making his exhaustion prominent.
The other seemed more than capable of defending himself, both strong and fast, with a natural drive in battle. But still, he had been wounded and he was outnumbered. Edge wanted to believe in the golden-eyed man, wanted him to be okay, but his mind circled, thoughts weighed down by a deep-rooted hopelessness. One person could only hold stand for so long.
A part of him wanted to go back and check, wanted to help instead of just running away and being useless. Edge knew he could hold them off, probably not for long in his current state, but still, not many seemed too fond of warping walls and distorting floors. The reality of what he could do, defying the laws of physics that so many found comfort in.

But all those ideas were torn away from him, as he saw the thin, black leg sneaking over the ceiling, followed by another and yet another, until he was face to face with the arachnid-creature, two purple eyes staring into a multitude of black ones, at once both wanting to look away and worried about what would happen if he did. It twitched, sudden unnatural movements adding to the wrongness of it all. At once it was both foreign and slightly familiar to Edge, the sudden, jerking movements reminding him of that of the unified,as they scuffled along, confused about where they were, debating who they were.
As the creature smiled, Edge tapped his finger against the chunk of wood in his hand. And, like clay, it morphed between his fingers. The movements themselves were almost indescribable, similar to that of a flower, blooming in reverse as atoms rearranged and refolded themselves, finding new slots to fit into. It imploded out of it self, bending inwards, moving in ways that didn’t belong in this perception of reality and yet, what happened was just as real as anything else. Edge felt himself calmed by the phenomena, recognizing it and finding some kind of peace in the concepts beyond the preset.
Finally, the chunk of wood settled, now a perfect sphere in his palms, smaller than before, but just as heavy, all the mass of its former shape concentrated, compressed.

As the creature lunged, Edge moved barely a heartbeat later, raising his arm and throwing the sphere of wood at the spider, hoping to hit its legs or its chest, to knock it off balance.
Whether it was or wasn’t knocked of balance, Edge already knew his next movement, ready to warp the floor underneath the spider and trap its legs.

[tsukikoko]

The arachnid monstrosity scarcely spared a glance at what Edge was doing with his hands, unafraid of the sphere or what it might be. After all, it wasn't a particularly big object and the male had thus far acted nothing but afraid - what could he really do? Aside from make an excellent host for more of the brood, a far more fitting use of his body and vitality than currently. So she ran at him, swiped at the retreating figure with one of her lethally sharp limb tips when he dodged the initial rush. Hissed with both frustration and the excitement of what was to come.

When the sphere was thrown at her, the spider woman didn't try to avoid it, instead lifting a leg to swat it as though a pesky fly. Therein lay her mistake. The sphere, far denser than it first appeared, crumpled the spider's leg beneath her. The leg lurched back, her momentum and weight toppled forward, she was so unprepared for the result none of her seven other legs coordinated to catch her. With a furious screaming hiss the creature landed heavily in a sprawled heap, long legs waving and slicing through the air, the wood floorboards, furniture, anything in her way as she scrabbled to right herself. When her gaze fell on Edge, there was a burning hatred and fury so powerful it had a physical weight, pressing down on the man before her as though it might kill him on the spot. A voice, mangled and barely recognisable, spat venom at him,
"Ffffilhh! Ysshou DARE! DIE!"
A multitude of legs rained down on him a moment later, each one trying to impale Edge through whatever body part she could. Should she manage it, or perhaps just snag hold of his clothes, the spider would drag him towards her, fangs gnashing a very clear threat of what was to come. She chased him, relentless, no longer keeping on leg attached to the strand of silk, as she had done before. Instead, all was focused upon the small, insignificant insect that had dared to hit her in such a way.

[NightshadeVII]

When he actually managed to hit the spider creature with the sphere and saw it fall, in a flailing mess of limbs and hisses, he breathed out, relieved. Only for a few seconds. He didn’t even have time to further immobilize the spider-creature before it was scrabbling to its feet again, hissing and snarling, furious. It looked at Edge with such malice and hate, that it almost made him wither. Instead the Darai gave a quick, panicky laugh knowing that he’d fucked up, he’d fucked up big time. Great.

He needed to get out of here, even if he hated the idea of leaving someone behind, someone who had tried to help him, but he couldn’t fight this thing off on his own, had no experience of combat, nor the stamina to actually fight. And he knew this thing would kill him, if he didn’t get out of here. It would kill him and he wouldn’t be able to stop it, unless he got away.
Blood was thundering in his ears, heart pounding in a way that he could only speculate wasn’t good for him. It was almost ridiculous how he was already thinking of how this would affect him tomorrow, when it all depended on him actually getting away from that creature and out of this place. He couldn’t even be sure that he’d manage that. But he still had to try.

So Edge began running again, despite his burning lungs. He broke into a sprint, attempting to put some distance between himself and the flurry of razor sharp legs, all trying to reach him. He was exhausted already, cursing at himself for being like this and cursing at his lack of energy for slowing him down. But he had to keep going, unless of course he wanted to find out what the spider would do to him, should she catch him. Some part of him doubt that she’d simply kill him and leave it at that.. Whatever else would happen couldn’t be good.
It wasn’t navigating through the halls that slowed him down, instead, his own body did, his feet dragging or skidding where they shouldn’t, making him stumble to regain his balance when he didn’t have time for it. And each time, his heart began beating just a little bit harder. Not once had he looked back at the arachnid and he had no intention of doing so, the last thing he wanted to know was how close it was.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his leg, filling his veins, splitting them and igniting his muscles. Then came the warmth of blood spreading over his leg, the skin immediately surrounding the wound and the fabric of his jeans, as the smell of blood filled the air, faint but undeniable. His vision blurred behind sudden tears, details disappearing as the world around him became nothing more than basic shapes. He groaned behind gritted teeth, trying not to cry out as he frantically attempted to regain both vision and balance, knowing that he couldn’t stop now, especially not now. But he looked back, looking down at this leg only to see that the spider had managed to impale it with one of her own sharp limbs. Fuck. He didn’t even think before he yanked his leg forward, violently enough for the arachnids leg to be pulled out, violently enough to worsen the damage, but he didn’t have time to regret that now. He had to move, so again, he began running, gritting teeth as muscles protested.
However, the moment he tried placing weight on his wounded leg, it buckled beneath him. Edge crashed to the floor within seconds, uttering a sound somewhere between a very human groan and a very inhuman growl as his shoulder slammed into the floorboards. For a moment that dragged on forever, his entire body was buzzing with numbness, all the while his mind protested, instincts screaming at him to get up and keep going because otherwise he’d die. And yet, it was like screaming into a void where there wasn’t even an echo to reply. His arms where trembling, legs heavy and unmoving,
But he had to move. Drawing on energy he didn’t have, Edge tried to push himself away from the arachnid, put as much distance between them as he could. Just in case, he allowed his tail to flick out, knowing that he might be able to use it to keep the arachnid at bay, which he would probably have to.

[tsukikoko]

The hissing, previously angry and aggressive, morphed into chitters of frantic excitement as the spider managed to sink her leg into her prey. She was sick of his running, sick of the games, but now... now she had him. The boy pulled free of her, but nearly instantly fell as the damage to his leg took the momentum out from under him. Mammals did always have such weak constitutions. The creature scuttled over him, grinning cruelly and watched as a tail flickered out beneath him. A clack of her chelicerae.
"Nooo moooree tricskssss."
With the speed of a striking mantis, one of the creature's legs stamped down on Edge's shoulder, piercing straight through flesh and sending a spray of blood arcing into the air. There was a dull 'thunk' as the tip of her leg hit the wooden floorboards beneath. Trapping him.

With the boy's shoulder well and truly impaled, the monstrosity turned her attention to that irritation of a tail. She struck out at it, trying to pin it down. Missed the first time, hissed, pulled back for a second attempt. She could have just speared him through the chest and been done with it, but the boy had annoyed her, she wanted to savour him. The grin spread wider on semi-human features, demented and sadistic.

The wall beside spider and man exploded.

Barrelling through the scattering brick and plaster came a monstrous blend of human and wolf characteristics, jaws wide, black fur splattered in blood and gore. Vaguely humanoid, with fangs as large as butcher's knives and jaws large enough to encapsulate a man's head with room to spare, the werewolf was, quite frankly, terrifying. So incredibly massive, it took up nearly all the space in the corridor and was visibly hunched so as not to have its wolven head go through the ceiling. The spider woman shrieked, but was not quick enough to move before the werewolf was upon her. A palm's spread of talons raked through the leg pinning Edge to the floor, severing it from her body and preventing her pulling it out of the impaled man and hurting him further. The beast came down on the freakish spider in a flurry of fury and destruction, slamming her back against a wall from a clawed hand to the human-like torso. Her body began to writhe and seethe, as though a million tiny creatures scurried beneath the surface. A silver glow beneath black fur, accompanied by a rumbling growl so deep it seemed to shake the very air. Fangs met her neck a second later, there were crunches of shattering bone and tearing flesh. Terrified, agonised screams mingled with the snarling wolf in a cacophony of violence. Her neck and chest tore open, another snap of the werewolf's maw had her head hanging off her shoulders by a thread.

A final twitch of one hairy leg and the arachnid monstrosity, mercifully, fell still.

The humanoid wolf turned, pieces of flesh and muscle hanging from it's jaws. The crinkled muzzle smoothed out, glowing shoulder returning to deep black fur; then it was coming forwards, enormous body shrinking.
"Sorry I was so long lad."
A human again mid-stride, the bare skin of his chest, arms and neck covered in injuries of various sizes, Tsu hurried to Edge's side and knelt beside him. His eyes flickered over the damage, brows creased with concern. Then Tsu was snapping the spider leg until it was closer to his companion's wound, but still embedded; he didn't know the extent of the damage, or whether the smaller man could heal without intervention, so he wasn't about to rip out the leg and potentially make the damage worse.
"I'll get you some help." With the visible damage to his leg, Tsu didn't reckon the other man could walk. "Hold on if you can. Sorry about the blood."
As carefully as he could, trying not to aggravate his shoulder, the werewolf slipped his arms beneath Edge and lifted him into his arms, resting him back against his chest. He wasted no time after that, striding through the house towards the exit.

Behind him, the spider's corpse began to fall apart. Scattering into many, many tiny pieces. Spiders. Dead spiders. Thousands of them.

[NightshadeVII]

The spider was above him instantly, sadisticallt excited, all too pleased with how the situation had developed. Edge’s heart was beating so fast and heavy against his chest that it almost hurt, and he was almost certain that the spider creature could hear him anyway, he wouldn’t be able to hide his fear, even if he tried.
Before he could even attempt to stop the arachnid, it had lifted one of its legs, weaponized for the occasion and brought it down just as harshly, piercing skin and flesh with sickening ease until it struck the wooden floor on the other side. Edge screamed behind closed lips and gritted teeth, head flying back in trying to handle the pain that soared through his veins like acid. Unbearable, it tore seconds apart stretching them out into minutes, lasting way too long, but at the same time always changing so he didn’t have time to adjust or relax in it.
As a delayed reaction to the pain, a ripple tore through the very space around the spider and him, somehow desolving physical space and reshaping it momentarily. It looked as if reality itself flickered, rising and falling like a waves, with Edge as the epicenter, the disturbance of nature that he was.

Instinctively, he grabbed at the spider’s leg, trying to keep it from pushing down further, as pathetic an attempt as that was.
“Please... don’t...”, he managed to gasp, even if he knew his words felt on deaf ears. Was it really over for him? Was this how he would die? Somehow, that idea almost made him want to give up and surrender, to just stop fighting. He couldn’t push the spider away, he was tired and wounded, not sure how much fight he had left in him or if it would even matter.
That was when he wall behind the spider exploded, becoming a rain of splinters and nails, but that didn’t manage to hide the creature that had barreled through as if the wall was barely more than paper. A massive creature, at once managing to look so inhuman, but still retain human characteristics, that even the fact that it was real, standing here, seemed to defy all laws of sanity. It was a sight than bordered on the edge of a fever dream, having escaped the realm of the darkest horrors. Still it stood here and it was very real. Glowing golden eyes were fixed on the arachnid with the singleminded intensity of an ancient hunter. Or an ancient enemy,

In an instant, the wolflike creature was upon the spider, snapping and tearing through her with animal ferocity. At some point the wolfcreature managed to snap the leg that was impaling Edge, but everything else was such a flurry of movement that he could barely keep track of it all. At some point, Edge looked away. But that didn’t mean that he still couldn’t hear everything that was happening.

Then silence finally fell, Edge tried not to think too much about the outcome of it all. At least not until he heard a familiar voice. One he had already heard this evening, belonging to the golden-eyed man, having just shifted back to something more human. The first thing that edge noticed, was the other’s injuries, and just how many there were of them, an entire mosaic of fresh crimson becoming a pattern across bare skin. Barely had the other sat down besides Edge, before he was snapping the spider’s leg. Again, Edge groaned, gritting his teeth to avoid making much noise, and again the space around them rippled, his head spun and his breath fell heavy. He had never been good with pain.

Then the golden eyed man spoke again, mentioning that he’d get help, apologizing for all the blood before he... picked Edge up? Normally the Darai would’ve protested, would have tried to walk on his own, but right now he knew it would be near impossible. The world around him bopped gently up and down as the other began to make his way to the exit, still carrying Edge.
“Get help? What? Where?”, Edge asked, his voice bleary and bordering on confused, but there was still a hint of worry. He was injured, still bleeding, so perhaps this person, this wolfman, was planning to bring him to the hospital. Just the thought of it sent a chill down his spine, the white halls and the smell of medicine, the confusing hallways, everything about it. He wanted to avoid going there if he could. And besides, these injuries weren’t too bad, they could probably be fixed up with the standard first aid kit people had at home, right?

Somehow, Edge managed to completely relax in this ei’yan’s arms, he didn’t fight or push away, didn’t feel threatened, or perhaps it was just because he didn’t have the energy to do much more right now. His eyelids where heavy and his limbs felt like led, fuzzy and weirdly numb, except for his shoulder and wounded leg, here there were these circles of warm and a throbbing pain, that most of all reminded him of an infected wound. Feverish. Unconsciously, Edge wrapped his tail around his wounded leg, a kind of makeshift bandage.

[tsukikoko]

Had Tsu been alone, there wouldn't have been a problem. Despite his skin being peppered with injuries of varying sizes and severity, the werewolf knew he would be healed, at the most, within a few days. He'd certainly had worse than this before. His companion, however, without knowing what he was or how he would react to such injuries, was of far greater concern. The... a blink. Now he thought about it, Tsu wasn't sure he knew what the other man was. He'd certainly never smelled something quite like him before. To say nothing of the sudden tail appearance.

The agent ran over options quickly in his mind; regular hospital was out, even if the physical differences hadn't been an issue, who knew how this super would react when someone tried to treat him - Tsu had certainly been on the receiving end of a frightened, injured super in his time. There was the WDSA, though that meant transporting himself and his companion through the inner city, while covered in blood, in a truck that didn't particularly hide the occupants from outside view. He could do it, b-

“Get help? What? Where?”
The rapidfire, slightly delirious questions drew Tsu's attention sharply. He glanced down at the super in his arms and quirked an eyebrow ever so slightly. He sounded nervous, this wounded man in his arms, as though afraid of what help might be provided him; bad past experiences, or an allergy to certain kinds of medicine, perhaps?
"Well I was planning to take you to a medical facility in the WDSA, specialised for supers." Tsu explained, carefully manoeuvring Edge though the doorframe at the front of the house. The werewolf took a quick glance around at the dark street, barely illuminated by a single, sickly streetlamp and lacking in any moonlight due to the clouds that had rolled in. No-one in sight. "Why, is that a problem? Nervous of hospitals?"
As he asked this, Tsu made his way quickly out into the street. His immense strides ate up the distance with ease and before long the two of them had rounded a corner and were stood in front of a rather large, rather nice-looking pickup. Shifting Edge's weight onto one arm with apparent ease, Tsu rested his companion against his shoulder and squatted down to push over a loose brick in the pavement. Beneath, nestled in a small space that looked made for them, sat a set of car keys. Hooking his forefinger into the key ring, he lifted and flicked them into his palm, then pushed the brick back into position. It moulded with the pavement, nestling and settling flush, as though there had never been any loose section at all.

The car clunked, lights within flaring into life as the werewolf unlocked the car. A careful arrangement of Edge and a deft series of hand movements had the door open and his companion laid in the passenger seat. Blood on the seats mattered very little to him, despite how expensive said seats clearly were. Edge would note, that the entire car smelled subtly like fur. The door closed again. It wasn't long before the werewolf himself had moved around to driver's side and settled himself in, though he made no effort to turn on the ignition. Instead, Tsu reached into a glove compartment and withdrew a phone from within.
"Name's Tsukiko Hemming, by the way. WDSA agent. Sorry for getting you dragged into all that, you never should have gotten hurt that way." The phone was in his hand, fingers hovering over the keys. Brown eyes turned to look at Edge, a gentle, knowing smile. "So.. no hospitals? I won't forcibly take you to the WDSA, but would you be alright being treated by a single doctor? I can't leave you like this, but my methods of treatment won't be... the prettiest. Not much practice you see." He gestures to himself, shrugs in a 'what can you do?' kind of way. "Werewolf healing, takes care of most of it for me."

[NightshadeVII]

As silence stretched on between the two, Edge could see the other retreat into his own thoughts, considering something, anything. The Darai wasn’t a mindreader and he had no wish to become one, however, he could tell the difference between idle, common thoughts and considering something, running over thoughts faster than normal.
All the while they moved, and Edge barely noticed it, almost unaware of the rhythmic swaying of someone walking. Some found it comforting, others nauseating, but right now, the Darai was just numb to it, his eyes closing before he could stop it. Still he waited for the other’s reply, waited to know what he had in mind. Deep down, he really hoped the other wouldn’t take him to a hospital, it would just cause more of a spectacle than anyone needed. But then again, the golden eyed wolfman might need the kind of treatment he could be provided at a hospital, and if that was the case, Edge didn’t really feel like he had much right to object.

When the other spoke again, Edge opened his eyes, latching onto the words. The name WDSA was something Edge recognized, he didn’t have much to do with them, but he knew what they did, or at least the basics of it. He was registered after all, had been all the time he had been here, it seemed like forever and an instant at the same time. Did this golden-eyed man work for the WDSA or was just registered like so many other ‘Supers’ in the city? When the other asked if the medical facility would be a problem, Edge wondered if he had been that obvious. Honestly, it was almost embarrassing, it had all happened so long ago, and he still... reacted like this.
While the other walked, Edge looked up at the sky, stretching out, endlessly, so impossibly deep that the entirety of it all couldn’t really be comprehended. It was just so vast, comforting in that sense. The clouds had moved across the city now, the grey, rolling masses illuminated from below by the golden lights of cars and buildings alike, absorbing the light and pulling it in, kind of like a subtle vortex of sorts, all part of the movements of the world. Above him, stars were beginning to wink through the dark.

It was only when he heard the other man unlock his car that Edge realized he hadn’t answered, snapping away from his own wandering mind and coming back to the physical world around him. More than a little embarrassed that he had just zoned out like that after the other had asked him a question and probably waited for a reply.
When he was inside the car, his tail had already disappeared, as if it had never been there as anything more than a fragment of their shared imagination, a debatable fact. Even if Edge didn’t doubt that the other had seen it. Still the tail wasn’t really suitable for small spaces such as the inside of the truck, despite how spacious the vehicle was. While he was alone in the car, he took it in, observant. It was expensive, no doubt about that and there was a fait smell of fur, which... Edge probably would have questioned if he hadn’t seen the other man transform from a massive wolf to a human minutes before. The punk really couldn’t deny that he felt a little awkward in such a fancy vehicle, bleeding and quite the mess to look at, it wasn’t the kind of place he could see himself, but now, here he was.

The car moved a little as the golden-eyed man entered as well, quickly fishing out a phone from the glove compartment and introduced himself, apologizing for the situation. Then he looked up at Edge, phone in hand as brown eyes meeting inhuman lilac counterparts. Tsukiko had kind eyes, inherently warm and calming, contrasting so sharply with what Edge had seen that he was capable of doing. The gentle smile came next, knowing and sympathetic when he asked about the hospitals a second time, and provided another option.
“Tsukiko... never heard a name like that before. It’s nice.”, Edge said, mustering a pained smile, that somehow still managed to be sheepish and genuine at the same time, “I’m Edge... and it’s okay, you didn’t force me into the building, yeah? But thank you... for saving me back there”, he paused, shuffled and continued, “that creature would’ve killed me if you hadn’t been there.”
And Edge wasn’t ready for an experience like that again.

“I’d... prefer not going to a hospital, sorry... I’m fine with a single doctor though”, he chuckled a little, obviously embarrassed by what he had admitted. Sure, he knew, logically, that there probably wouldn’t be a problem at the hospital, but at the same time, instincts screamed that it was a bad idea, that he should stay away if he could. Absentmindedly, he wondered who this doctor would be, even if he probably wouldn’t know them.
“Also... you don’t have to tell the doctor that I’m a super.”, Edge said, sending a little smile, “I can be treated just as easily as a human, and I can tell them what I am when I meet them, to avoid any mixups, you know?”

Hoping he hadn’t offended or disrespected the other, Edge maintained eye contact. Tsukiko might notice a certain... intensity to the Darai’s gaze. It couldn’t be described entirely, but it wasn’t necessarily something uncomfortable, it wasn’t the kind of gaze that drilled into you or looked through you, Edge simply saw the person sitting before him with eyes that was something other than human.
At some point, a thought struck Edge. Tsukiko was a werewolf. Even if Edge didn’t know much about the supernatural species native to this world, the word still struck a cord of recognition within Edge’s mind. A human capable of transforming into a wolf, or some mix between human and wolf. It had probably been mentioned in some kind of conversation with Connor, while he spoke about some of his favorite horror movies, which he described as old school.
A sense of respect for the other became apparent, as Edge realized that Tsukiko had just told him something that most didn’t reveal that casually.

[tsukikoko]

Tsu chuckled good naturedly at the comment about his name, his thumb flicking through his contact list until he settled on a particular doctor he knew very well.
“It’s definitely not something you’ll hear often in America, but my parents liked the sound of it, and I do too.” He glanced over and winked. “Even if it is a girl’s name. Not that they knew it. Can just call me Tsu though, if you prefer.”

Given the few nights they’d shared together, Tsu knew Faolan had his number, so as long as the doctor wasn’t busy, he should answer no problem. A dial tone filled the agent’s ears for a few seconds and then, as anticipated, a click, a connection and a familiar voice filtered through.
“Hello~”
Tsu grinned, unable to help himself. It was a lilting, pleased kind of hello, encapsulating casual flirtation within a single word. Unfortunately, the werewolf was going to have to disappoint him this time around.
“Hello gorgeous, got a favour to ask, so long as you’re not busy. It’s work, not pleasure though, I’m afraid.”
“That’s a shame… but I’m not busy. What’s the favour?”
After pausing for a half second to glance at Edge and debate how much he was going to say, the agent’s voice took on a slightly more serious tone.
“Got an injured lad here. I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you take a look at him? Got him in the truck, so I can drive him no problem; he’s conscious and has his wits about him, but he’s got two impalement wounds - shoulder and leg.”
At this point, Tsu anticipated the doctor querying why he hadn’t taken the patient to a hospital, since that would be the logical next step. Lo and behold, Faolan’s next words confirmed that assumption.
“Ah.. I mean- of course I’ll have a look. But the hospital would be far better - HQ isn’t far from my place, can’t you take him there?”
“I know, but he doesn’t want to go to a hospital and since he isn’t in immediate danger of death and is fully conscious, I can’t force him, nor would I want to.”
Since he was pretty certain Edge was going to feel uncomfortable about the reveal concerning his aversion to hospitals, Tsu mouthed a ’sorry’ at his companion. Not that he’d had much of a choice, Faolan may not have accepted any other kind of answer. A beat of silence, the faintest hint of a sigh at the other end of the line.
“Okay.” Faolan began, tone all business now. “If he doesn’t want to go, that’s fine. I have equipment here, so I can treat him. How long until you’re here?”
“Give the time and hopefully lack of traffic… 15 to 20 minutes. And Faolan, thank you.”
“No need to thank me, I’m happy to help. I’ll see you soon, yeah?”
“You can count on it.”

A tap on the screen to kill the call, the phone into a jeans pocket and then Tsu was returning his attention to the man in his car.
“Right then Edge, let’s drape this over you. Wouldn’t want anyone seeing all that blood.” As he said this, the werewolf pulled a woolen blanket from the rear seats into the front of the car and laid it over his companion’s body, obscuring his bleeding state from anyone who might happen to look through the windows. Then, a comment to himself as he reached back and began to rummage through the variety of items stashed there, slightly frustrated. “Need to start keeping medical supplies in the truck..”
Tsu dragged a leather jacket through, quickly shoved his arms through the sleeves and zipped up the front to hide his own healing injuries and blood stained skin. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaled, then flashed a lopsided smile at Edge again.
“Faolan isn’t too far away. I’ll try to go as steady as I can.”
He turned the car over, engine roaring to life like a caged animal finally released and pulled out of the alley. His driving was decidedly quick, but the werewolf navigated corners smoothly and drew to stops as gently as he could, not wanting to jostle Edge if he could help it.

[NightshadeVII]

Edge watched silently as Tsu carried through the phone conversation, for some reason, he always, unconsciously expected denial. But that didn’t seem to happen.
Both from Tsu’s tone when he had greeted the person on the other end of the line, and from what he could pick up in the voice of the other person, they seemed fond of eachother. Tsu’s grin confirmed that, almost cheeky in it’s sudden, unrestrained appearance. Perhaps it was some kind of partner? Edge wouldn’t know and he had no intention of prying into the other’s affairs or bombard him with questions about his personal life. They had only just met, and it wasn’t Edge’s place. Maybe he was just being ridiculous, thinking that the hints of the voice at the other end of the line sounded familiar.
Patiently he waited while Tsu spoke, grimacing just a little as the werewolf came to the part where Edge didn’t want to go to the hospital. The werewolf mouthed a quick sorry then, making edge send him a small, grimace-like smile, as if to say it was okay. Wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to go to hospitals that embarrassed him, it was why he didn’t want to.

As he heard the name of the person Tsu was speaking to, Faolan, something cold and oppressive worked its way into the Darai’s chest. It started out as a worry for the blonde having to see him like this, pathetic and wounded, a sorry sight, but it quickly became something more. Faolan shouldn’t have to see him like this, shouldn’t have to worry about him and knowing the blonde and his good heart, he probably would. Faolan had enough to think about already, so Edge didn’t want him to waste his energy on him. There was also the risk of Tsu telling Faolan that he wasn’t human. Would that just frighten Faolan and alienate them in the long run? Faolan was... a good friend, Edge didn’t want to risk loosing him over something like that. Edge hated situations like these, with all the things that could go so wrong. How would he even begin to explain all of this?

He was snapped out of thought by Tsu draping a blanket over him, realizing that he hadn’t even noticed that the werewolf had hung up.
“Oh, thank you...” Edge said with a tired smile, barely even moving as the blanket was draped over him. Soon after the car roared to life and the ride began. Tsukiko had said it wouldn’t be far, so he only had so much time to get his thoughts in order, and figure out explanations.

Normally the bumping of a car would be soothing to Edge, enough to make him doze of at most times, but what didn’t, really. This time it was different, thoughts were speeding ahead of him and he had no chance of catching up with them, let alone try to contain them. He felt like a leaf on a roaring river, tossed around from one thought to the next, one emotion to another, one worry and then one more.
And yet, there was always reoccurring themes, reoccurring feelings. At first he didn’t notice them, didn’t see the patterns even as it flickered in his mind. But with time, he could begin to see it, recognizing sequences. Slowly his worries morphed into something else, some kind of underlying current of hopelessness, or unimportance in a way. And even if it was by no means a new or unfamiliar feeling to him, it was still different somehow, heavier.
He kept it to himself, saying nothing for most of the car ride. It wasn’t important, just silly ideas and hopes he should know better than to hold on to. No, this was something he’d had to get under control on his own, his confusing, conflicting thoughts and emotions didn’t really matter to anyone else.