Daeron was so fed up with finals this term it was not funny. Every class had demanded a polished programming project, all due within two days of each other, and he wasn’t even getting a chance to rest after that. He’d been itching a lot recently, and his skin was even peeling in a few places… a medical condition, he was sure of it, but not enough to be debilitating. His close friends had taken to jesting with him about the matter, telling him his stress was causing him to shed. Whatever it was, it was annoying… At least until the hair began to fall out. He’d noticed a strand or two here and there and now he’d taken to wearing a cap because he’d developed a bald spot on the cowlick of his head before the week was out. A doctor’s appointment had been arranged but it was unfortunately after the majority of his projects were due… leaving him to stress about his body, complain about the sun (or lack thereof) and endure the ridicule of bemused friends. He’d already been ‘gifted’ with a box or two of Rogaine… He sighed as he basked in the sunlight and typed away at his laptop, it was, at least, almost over. Another week and he’d be free to return home – not that it was that much of an improvement but familiar territory and faces would at least soothe the academic panic that gripped most university students at this time of the year. Hopefully his skin allergy, as that is what he’d convinced himself his condition was, would be cured by then. Beyond him, the pond burbled merrily and the quiet-loud voices of exuberant students drifted on the wind, a pleasant backdrop to his work.
Topher was a little lost. Normally his sense of direction was quite good - but that required some knowledge of the area he was in, and this was nowhere near anything he knew. He still wasn't entirely sure why Darius had selected him - of all the Weres and all the more experienced hunters in their group - to fly out here for this little task. He was certain Daquiri would have done a better job, and that Lee had friends in the area (hadn't he friends everywhere?) but no, they'd chosen him - Topher Bier - to fly halfway across the continent in search of a specific Demon. He was still nervous about that. Though they had told him this particular Demon was on their side, and that she'd helped them in the past, he was still nervous. He'd only ever encountered Demons in a fray before, and then he'd had to either kill them or run for his life. So, what was this mission to be? He stopped, and shaded his eyes with one hand. He was hopelessly lost on campus, which was at least in the right direction, but past that he was unsure. He glanced at his watch: quarter past 2. If this kept up, he'd miss the meeting, and he hated being late for things like this. Glancing around, he caught sight of a student working away on a laptop in an adjacent building. He swung around the side of the structure to find the door and stepped inside. Immediately the cool of air conditioning hit him, and he was glad he'd brought his windbreaker. He shrugged it over his shoulders and strode towards the window where the young man had been working and lifted a hand in greeting. "Excuse me..."
Daeron flicked his gaze up at the words, but only briefly, in that side-long checking-if-it's-you glance most strangers give when addressed. A scan of the area near him revealed a lack of others to query so he tilted his head and looked from under thin brows at the man, "Need something? I'm in the middle of a project..." He gestured at his laptop, on which a wall of computing lingo marched across the screen in neat, colour coded rows. Absently, he scratched at his wrists.
Topher smiled apologetically and nodded in understanding. "Yes, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt. I'm trying to find the Eidon building? Could you point me in the right direction?" He noticed the scratching and tried to avert his gaze. He knew some people could be self-conscious about such things and didn't want to draw any more attention to the condition than necessary.
"Eidon?" He looked amused and shook his head, "You're on the wrong side of the campus, entirely. Eidon's with the business section not the computing technology buildings. Here, I'll show you the map." Tapping away several commands in the blink of an eye, he then closed his laptop and rose, a gust of wind nearly toppling his hat from its place and he grumbled as he clutched it to its spot, tugging some hairs loose at the same time. Realizing this, but not wanting to look like a freak before a stranger, he gestured with his free hand, "That way, just around the corner." He waited a moment then hastily dropped the hairs as he moved forward as if everything was normal, "Visiting a friend?"
Topher blinked a little, wondering if perhaps this student had leukemia and was undergoing treatments. He turned to follow the man's pointing hand and looked off across the campus to a walkway lined with trees. "I must've gone right past it..." He muttered to himself and then smiled back at the student. "Thanks a bunch, man." At his follow up question, Topher's smile faltered a little. "Ah, no... Not really. I'm supposed to meet someone, but it'll be a first for me."
"Nah, a lot of people miss it because it's tucked in behind the larger buildings and doesn't have any direct access - need to go through the buildings around it. See?" He stopped at the wall plaque that was just around the corner and tapped a finger at the gathering of four buildings in the area labeled for business studies, "Easiest way is to follow this corridor, hang a left at the McKinsman Theatre and follow that hallway to the Business Admin building then cross the gangway into Eidon. Most people get lost... it's an old campus. Even net hot spots are hard to find." He gestured back at where he'd been working. "One of the profs, maybe?" He quirked a brow at that, wondering if this was a poorly arranged net-date or something. Wouldn't be surprising, really. "There's maps dotted along the walls so you should be able to find your way...."
"Ah, well, the indoor maps should sort me out. I usually have a good sense of direction, so..." He trailed off as he studied the map and followed the path the other had voiced with his eyes. Ah, he wasn't so far off as he'd thought. He should be able to make it in time. "Ah, not a professor, actually. She uh....works out of one of the buildings. Like a liaison, I guess. Have you heard of Leithe Allusion?"
"Allusion..." He trailed off, biting his lower lip thoughtfully, "Oh! Yeah. Heard of, don't want to get involved with though... couple of my buddies says she's got this weird voodoo vibe about her." Daeron chuckled, "I don't know myself, the business side's not my thing. All I can say is general consensus is 'be careful'." His curiosity was piqued, however, and he wondered just what this man wanted with the somewhat infamous woman. Probably none of his business... but still. Curiosity was a hard thing to deny, though caution too had its place.
"Ah..." Topher replied dumbly as his smile grew a little wooden. "That's....encouraging." He took a quick exchange of breath and looked at his watch again. "Well, I'll be off to my doom, now. Thanks for showing me the road." He gave a soft chuckle and shook his head. Seriously, why had Darius picked him?
"Doom?" He asked, arching a brow, "You're an optimistic one, aren't you?" It was, perhaps, a sarcastic remark and he cast a sidelong look at his laptop then, seeming to come to a decision, slipped it into his satchel, "Less doom-likely if I come along? I've never met her... want to see if the rumours are true. If you don't mind? You won't get lost, then." Hoisting the strap over his shoulder, the slender student made a great show of 'preparing' for this escort.
Topher looked mildly surprised at the help, but after he registered what had been said he grinned full out. "Actually, that would be great. She'd probably be a little less scary if I was with a h--" He cut himself off with a cough and ended lamely, "an actual student, rather than a visitor." He glanced down the wall in the direction they were meant to go and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. "Shall we head out then? Er, I'm Topher, by the way." He extended a hand to the other boy in a firm handshake. "Thanks again, man."
"And a student knows these walls well enough to escape easily." He jested, "Just in case things go south." Winking, he took Topher's hand and shook it with a surprisingly firm grip, "Daeron. Daeron Hould, Computing Science Fourth Year, First Class Honours, at your service. Not much of a title now but it will be... when I get out into the 'real world'." He grinned, obviously a man with a dream.
Topher looked suitably impression. "I'm just Topher Bier." He replied, a little self-consciously. "I didn't go to college. Life took me down a different path, and dropped me at a garage. I'm training to be a mechanic now." It seemed a silly thing to offer, but he felt he had to say something to rationalize why he hadn't opted to enroll for four years of self-torment and debt. He began walking, the long-legged stride of an athlete and glanced sidelong at the Daeron as he went. "So, these friends of yours that went to see Miss Allusion...Why'd they go see her?"
"Hey man, there's as much money in cars as there is in computers. Besides, knowing how to program doesn't mean much if you can't fix an engine in the middle of nowhere." He chuckled, "Nothing wrong with being a mechanic." Walking alongside, Daeron shrugged, "Research, advice... whatever, really. I don't know a lot, I only know they're careful in their dealings with her... tit for tat, sort of thing." He made a helpless gesture. Such things weren't unheard of in university... but it wasn't something he actively pursued either, "Last time... oh! It was something to do with some high-level business theory or some such.... contracts and obligations and the like."
Oh, for the love of... don't tell me I'm meant to bargain over souls, or something? Topher visibly flinched. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that Darius was a good person, all lifestyle choices aside, and that this Demon was supposed to be on their side. "Well, I hope I can keep up with her legal jargon." He said aloud, quite bluntly. "I'm not very good at Machiavellian plots."
Daeron noted that flinch and frowned, "Why're you so uncertain? S'just another of the Business staff. And I'm not good with that sort of thing either... better at this stuff." He patted the bag at his side, "The superstitious mumbojumbo hasn't set you off has it?" The student chuckled, scratching at his neck as he teased the stranger then paused as he felt something come loose at the back of his neck. Swearing softly, he muttered a quick 'be right back' before ducking into a side-corridor and into the bathroom as he pulled away a sheet of skin, almost like a burn, save for the fact that it was textured.... scaley at the back of his neck. Stunned, he found a stall and sat down, belatedly scratching with some fervor.... but the only scaly patch was at the back of his neck... and yes, he could feel the bumps, smooth and surprisingly soft. He shivered, "What the hell?" Getting rid of the evidence, he checked the bathroom then leaned out the door and called down the hallway, "Uh.... Go on without me, something's come up." It was a lame excuse, even for him, but... weird skin conditions were more important than voodoo ladies.
Topher was thinking on a careful answer when Daeron ducked into the bathroom. He waited patiently in the hall, inspecting the vending machine, chunking coins in to get a package of dried apple rings, and was filling up his stainless steel water bottle when Daeron leaned out the doorway. Topher turned, screwing on the cap, in time to see Daeron duck back into the bathroom. "You alright?" he asked, obvious concern in his voice. Earlier thoughts of a serious illness jumped back to the fore and he was seriously concerned. What if this guy was going into some sort of chemo-induced shock and needed medical attention? Topher pushed the door open in the bathroom and followed him in. "Yo, Daeron...everything okay? You feeling alright?"
A door towards the end slammed shut when Topher entered, a nervous reaction on the student's part, "Uh... yah. Skin's been weird lately, I'm reacting to something... fine otherwise, really. Don't worry, just weird allergies. Don't wait up!" He called again, willing the other man away as he inspected his body and found he was rather hairless (not so bad) but his skin was peeling in several places, scaly at joints like his neck. "What is going on?" He grumbled to himself, picking at the skin in confusion. He was molting? Sick? Dying even? He had no idea... and his dorm sounded like a very good idea. Just needed to get rid of the stranger.
If there was one man who wasn't one to step away from a fellow being in need, it was Topher Bier. He was stubborn in his mild way, and genuinely cared about other people - even those he just met. Moreover, he was accustomed to consoling people who'd had weird things start happening to their bodies. He remembered still, all too clearly, how terrified he'd been when he'd started changing, and the alienation he'd suffered, first to his brother, and then to his mother. He had no idea if this was anything like it, but if there was something he could offer to help, he was ready to give it. In a soothing, non-confrontational voice he spoke as he stepped towards the final stall. "Allergies, you say?" He asked lightly, trying to calm the other through words alone. "Not severe I hope? Can I get you anything? A drink, perhaps, or something from the campus pharmacy?"
"Skin... irritations. Like... bad laundry soap." Daeron replied, distracted, offering the same excuse he'd given his friends time and again. His clothing had apparently rubbed his skin off... it was so weird, but he didn't feel ill! "Severe enough to... well. Never mind." Then he seized on the offer and nodded though the other couldn't see, "Something from the pharmacy would be good... some kind of moisturizer, maybe... Skin's all scaly. Thanks." 'Course, with the other gone it would give an opportunity to run... but he tried to hide that from his voice as he spoke. He'd never been very good at the whole deception thing.
"Irritations, eh? Like Eczema?" He asked, rifling through his pack as he replied. He fished out his well-loved bottle of Aveeno moisturizer and offered it over the stall. "My skin gets pretty dry when I'm doing courses in bad weather. This stuff always does a charm for me... Feel free to use as much as you want." He was still a little baffled by the other's insistence on hiding though. If it was just scaly skin, what was the big deal? "You can come out, you know. I'm not going to freak, or anything. Believe me," he added, conviction in his voice. "I have some weird friends. I doubt you can top them."
"Yeah... like that." He mumbled, silently cursing himself. "Ah... yes, yes you will. Don't worry. I'm fine, got a doctor's appointment next week anyway. I have some weird friends too... but shedding and molting hardly fall into that category. Man, I need a shower." He was itchy all over and the more he scratched, the more came loose.... He tried one last time to get rid of Topher, trying to put his most convincing tone into his speech, "You really don't have to worry about me. Go talk to your business friend, hey? Don't let me keep you."
Topher got as far as hearing the phrase "shedding and molting" and his brain jumped track. His sense of smell was pretty good as a human, but not quite as adept as some of his fellows at picking up that distinct aroma of the children of Gaea. He did a quick scan to make sure they were alone and then let his bear snout come out to better smell with... He breathed deeply, that distinct huffling sound of a big animal sniffing the air. He picked up the scent of reptile, and fear, and a mix of annoyance and distraction. He shook out the snout, and waited for his face to revert to normal before attempting to speak. "Ah, well, no need to worry about that, friend." He said, coming back towards the stall door and squatting down so that his arms and bent knees were visible to Daeron. "I know it's a bit scary at first, but you'll grow more comfortable with it in time. I did." He paused, not knowing how much to say if this guy hadn't actually made his first change yet. "But, you're not alone. There are a lot of people out there with...similar conditions as you."
Daeron stared at the door with a look of concern at the sound of huffed sniffing... what in the world? He shook his head, better off not asking. You were usually better off that way on campus anyway. "Grow more comfortable...? What are you talking about?" He eyed the arms and legs that became visible at the stall's bottom and frowned, "Hey. Don't be looking in now... I'm not that sort of fellow. And my condition is just some bad skin. Jeeze." He was getting irritated, now, snappish and he felt cornered. For a moment be considered kicking the door then remembered they swung inward rather than out and he'd only hurt his foot. "Look... just leave me alone, okay? Go talk to your girl. I'm fine." There was shuffling as he arranged himself, covered the bumps on his wrists and set his hat and shirt back in place then took a deep breath, and eyed the other as he opened the door, face to face, "Don't know what you're playing at, friend. But I'm fine. If you need my friend, his dorm's on the fifth floor, room two-oh-one." He neglected to mention it was his dorm too but he figured he'd just make himself scarce if this guy turned up again. "Just fine. See?" It might have worked if his eyes weren’t slits, and crystal clear where before they were sort of dull - though that was easily attributed to overly long hours of studying.
Topher stood up as the door opened and Daeron reappeared, defensive and angry. Topher raised his hands, palms open and spread. "Woah, now, hear me out... I can help... I, er, have a condition too... Look..." And he extended one open hand There he allowed a little of his bear fur to come through, glossy and darkest brown. But no matter how you looked at it, this wasn't body hair, it was clearly fur. He paused, keeping eye contact with Daeron. "I really think you should come with me. You're getting close to a full out molt, and it'd be better if you were in safe company when that happens..." He paused, realizing he didn't know a whole lot about reptiles, and secretly prayed that his friend didn't turn out to be poisonous. The last thing he wanted was a deadly bite and a demon on his case.
Daeron's eyes narrowed, his brow drawing down in a look of... repulsed recognition, "So... what? You're a hair-stealing demon now? That's not funny." Still, he could tell it wasn't normal hair... whose hair grew that fast anyway? He shook his head, "Full out molt? What do you think I am? Some kind of bird? I'm not going to sprout wings and fly away. Safe company is my dorm, but thanks. Life's weird enough without following a fuzzy stranger around... What makes you think my problem's.... whatever your problem is anyway, hm? You're a mechanic not a doctor." Irritation was plain in his voice as he rolled a shoulder, clearly itchy.
Topher winced a little under the verbal assault. "I'm trying to help you, honest I am... You don't know what it is that's happening to you, I know that. Could it be so strange that I do know what I'm talking about? That I went through something like this myself? Here, tell me if this sounds familiar at all: You started having this random itching, and then patches of you grew...well, in my case fur - in yours scales? And they seemed to flake off, to fall out. But it got worse at certain times of the month, and when they did, you got this urge in you, like right in the pit of your belly, like you had to do something - whatever it is you love most. Like a burning need for it, a focused passion where it was all-consuming? And you started to get a taste for strange foods you never used to crave..." He kept eye contact while speaking, in the same, calm voice, looking to see if the recognition was there. He thought hard, what sort of symptoms might a reptile experience that he - a mammal - had not? "Heat?" He asked, hope that he was striking the right chords. "You started craving heat? Finding yourself unreasonably cold unless you were in the sun, or near the heater, like no matter what you wore, you just couldn't warm up on the inside? And a sudden sensitivity to motion, like it just captures your interest for no reason?" He stopped. He was nearly breathless with the tension. But he couldn't let Daeron go, not in the condition he was in. He wanted to make a friend here, and he knew all too well what would happen if he had to restrain him by force. Hadn't he himself suffered a similar beginning? He needed to avoid it at all costs, and if that meant inducing Daeron to change, so be it....
No comments:
Post a Comment