Eddie Kale goes for a walk...
Eddie stepped out into the wilds of Vancouver and was happy to do it. Walking had always brought him a sense of peace and he had yet to figure out all the nooks and crannies of his new home, was still adjusting to the rainy life of the west coast as opposed to the snowy oblivion of Toronto.
The adjustment wasn't too bad. He liked the presence of the ocean, liked the rain and the wind and the trees. There was the sense of something elder here, older than man and his works. Eddie found that presence comforting, as only someone like he could. He liked the place he was staying, too, liked Elliot and Galeno and Kylie.
There was something off about the girl, but he kept his silence for the moment.
Elliot kept asking questions, though. Eddie supposed he couldn't blame the man - from what Eddie understood Elliot was some kind of lore master among his people and Eddie was the ultimate enigma. He'd tried to erase himself from existance three years previous, achieving some degree of success. While he himself still existed there were no traces of him, no records of anything he had done older than two years. The curiosity that Elliot was suffering was matched only by the suffering Eddie felt under the unending barrage of questions. Thus, the need to escape.
He looped into the woods, down and around Edgemont Village and lower, into the woods and across the highway and down Capilano Road. He wasn't heading anywhere in particular, just exploring and searching out the small paths and trails that no one else would know about. He was also trying to stave off the depression; the month was December, the same month that Andrea had betrayed him and Blair had died, the same month that he had tried to kill himself.
The scar across his neck itched. He ignored it.
Hunger and wind finally claimed him as he started making his way into West Van. Elliot had told him there was a mall there called Royal Park, or something like that. Eddie cared nothing for the mall but there was a good Chinese place there and Elliot had given him more than enough to grab a quick bite.
Cutting through another wooded path brought him to a bridge going over Capilano River and heading towards the place he could get food. The wind came, blowing his trenchcoat behind him like a cape, and he paused to enjoy the feeling of the chill against his face.
Movement from below caught his eye. He turned to look, checking the distance, caught it again and paused to try and see what it was. It took him longer than he would have liked - the thing was almost on top of him before he could do anything.
There was an eagle caught in the rushing tides below him. It flapped, desparate to get away, but one wing was crooked and both were water logged and the power of the mountian's overflow held the bord fast. It was all the eagle could do to stay afloat.
Eddie reacted without thought. He ran back across to the base of the bridge, stumbled underneath and ran for the water, trying to catch up with the tide and the eagle. He took his trenchcoat off, knowing that he'd need something to hold the eagle with; it would be scared and would not see him for the rescuer he was.
He waded into the raging water, battling the current as he moved further and further into the river, fighting not to become another a victim. He used the drift to carry him towards the eagle, using his feet to push off of rocks and direct him with an uncanny degree of luck.
Still, he did not save the eagle.
It drifted off to sea, and it was all Eddie could do to save himself.
He crawled onto the shore like a piece of driftwood, collapsed, panting and wretching, sucking in air that was cold and no longer so sweet. He closed his eyes, let his racing heart settle, and then pushed himself up.
There was a girl sitting beside him, with emerald eyes and raven hair and a furious look on her face. Eddie nodded a greeting to her that she did not return, fury touched by something that took him a moment to recognize as concern.
"You could have died," Vicky said.
"I'm already dead," Eddie panted, still short of breath, already shivering in the cold.
"Humor me," Vicky said, rolling her eyes. "You nearly gave your life to save an animal. Why?"
"I don't know," Eddie said, then paused, looking out to see. "Instinct. If it helps, I probably would have let a human drown."
"That's charming," Vicky said, the acid in his voice causing him to look back at her. "That's not what I meant, either. You could have trypped to save the damn bird. Water's one of your things, remember?"
"That didn't even occur to me," Eddie said. He sighed, fell back on the ground and huddled into the trenchcoat. The trenchcoat, inexplicably, was as dry as it had always been.
"You could have walking on the water and pulled the eagle out," Vicky "You could have used your thing with ghosts to pull it out."
"What do you want, Vicky?" Eddie said. "I failed, okay? I failed. The eagle is dead because of me."
"Death happens."
They were both quiet for a time after that. Eventually Eddie reached for his trypp and expelled the water from his clothing, drying himself out. He tried to make himself warmer and succeeded, felt his stomach rumble. He'd been about to get lunch and began walking once more.
"Where are you going?" Vicky asked.
"Hungry," Eddie said, not pausing.
"You're okay with this?" Vicky asked, falling into step beside him. Eddie hadn't heard her sit up or follow him, but she easily kept his pace.
"Don't want to talk about it," Eddie said. "Stories of failure aren't important. No one ever talks about them."
"Doesn't mean they don't need to be told," Vicky said. Neither of them said much after that. Neither of them needed to.
The adjustment wasn't too bad. He liked the presence of the ocean, liked the rain and the wind and the trees. There was the sense of something elder here, older than man and his works. Eddie found that presence comforting, as only someone like he could. He liked the place he was staying, too, liked Elliot and Galeno and Kylie.
There was something off about the girl, but he kept his silence for the moment.
Elliot kept asking questions, though. Eddie supposed he couldn't blame the man - from what Eddie understood Elliot was some kind of lore master among his people and Eddie was the ultimate enigma. He'd tried to erase himself from existance three years previous, achieving some degree of success. While he himself still existed there were no traces of him, no records of anything he had done older than two years. The curiosity that Elliot was suffering was matched only by the suffering Eddie felt under the unending barrage of questions. Thus, the need to escape.
He looped into the woods, down and around Edgemont Village and lower, into the woods and across the highway and down Capilano Road. He wasn't heading anywhere in particular, just exploring and searching out the small paths and trails that no one else would know about. He was also trying to stave off the depression; the month was December, the same month that Andrea had betrayed him and Blair had died, the same month that he had tried to kill himself.
The scar across his neck itched. He ignored it.
Hunger and wind finally claimed him as he started making his way into West Van. Elliot had told him there was a mall there called Royal Park, or something like that. Eddie cared nothing for the mall but there was a good Chinese place there and Elliot had given him more than enough to grab a quick bite.
Cutting through another wooded path brought him to a bridge going over Capilano River and heading towards the place he could get food. The wind came, blowing his trenchcoat behind him like a cape, and he paused to enjoy the feeling of the chill against his face.
Movement from below caught his eye. He turned to look, checking the distance, caught it again and paused to try and see what it was. It took him longer than he would have liked - the thing was almost on top of him before he could do anything.
There was an eagle caught in the rushing tides below him. It flapped, desparate to get away, but one wing was crooked and both were water logged and the power of the mountian's overflow held the bord fast. It was all the eagle could do to stay afloat.
Eddie reacted without thought. He ran back across to the base of the bridge, stumbled underneath and ran for the water, trying to catch up with the tide and the eagle. He took his trenchcoat off, knowing that he'd need something to hold the eagle with; it would be scared and would not see him for the rescuer he was.
He waded into the raging water, battling the current as he moved further and further into the river, fighting not to become another a victim. He used the drift to carry him towards the eagle, using his feet to push off of rocks and direct him with an uncanny degree of luck.
Still, he did not save the eagle.
It drifted off to sea, and it was all Eddie could do to save himself.
He crawled onto the shore like a piece of driftwood, collapsed, panting and wretching, sucking in air that was cold and no longer so sweet. He closed his eyes, let his racing heart settle, and then pushed himself up.
There was a girl sitting beside him, with emerald eyes and raven hair and a furious look on her face. Eddie nodded a greeting to her that she did not return, fury touched by something that took him a moment to recognize as concern.
"You could have died," Vicky said.
"I'm already dead," Eddie panted, still short of breath, already shivering in the cold.
"Humor me," Vicky said, rolling her eyes. "You nearly gave your life to save an animal. Why?"
"I don't know," Eddie said, then paused, looking out to see. "Instinct. If it helps, I probably would have let a human drown."
"That's charming," Vicky said, the acid in his voice causing him to look back at her. "That's not what I meant, either. You could have trypped to save the damn bird. Water's one of your things, remember?"
"That didn't even occur to me," Eddie said. He sighed, fell back on the ground and huddled into the trenchcoat. The trenchcoat, inexplicably, was as dry as it had always been.
"You could have walking on the water and pulled the eagle out," Vicky "You could have used your thing with ghosts to pull it out."
"What do you want, Vicky?" Eddie said. "I failed, okay? I failed. The eagle is dead because of me."
"Death happens."
They were both quiet for a time after that. Eventually Eddie reached for his trypp and expelled the water from his clothing, drying himself out. He tried to make himself warmer and succeeded, felt his stomach rumble. He'd been about to get lunch and began walking once more.
"Where are you going?" Vicky asked.
"Hungry," Eddie said, not pausing.
"You're okay with this?" Vicky asked, falling into step beside him. Eddie hadn't heard her sit up or follow him, but she easily kept his pace.
"Don't want to talk about it," Eddie said. "Stories of failure aren't important. No one ever talks about them."
"Doesn't mean they don't need to be told," Vicky said. Neither of them said much after that. Neither of them needed to.