singillatim | the other side of this mean twilight

Edward's been living amongst people again, no longer reclusively hiding himself away as much as he had been through the summer. The shift in seasons helps — the relentless daylight begins to ease, and the darkness inside of him can breathe more easily again. And he's been keeping himself fed. Never satiated, he's always at least mildly hungry, but he stays fed enough that he won't lose control.

Ever since the incident at Milton House, the girl has been on his mind. He won't dare go find her in the nighttime; he's too much of a predator in the moonlight. The sun keeps his darkness tempered, but he needs to be able to move around easily and stealthily. So he sheds man's skin, wandering as a beast.

It's easy enough to find her. The town is small, and his senses lead him right to her one day as she walks. But he's cautious, staying back at a hidden distance as he slowly follows her through town, haunting wherever she may go. He isn't planning to actually approach the girl, only to watch, to make sure she's all right.

.....But his animal's brain is taking over more quickly than it usually does, an unexpected side-effect for him now that the Darkwalker's curse runs through his spirit. And that animal's brain seeks what it needs in the immediate moment, which is relief from the sun. Even in this state it ails him, making him weakened, ill. If Edward were thinking altogether clearly, he wouldn't startle the girl by approaching her in this form, certainly wouldn't expect to be let into her home while he's like this. But the wolf wants relief, and when she seems to be heading back to where she lives, he finally approaches her.

He's slow, cautious, head and tail dipped low, stepping up as she moves up to her home: a large, fluffy black wolf with mournful eyes. Nauseated from the sun, he licks his lips every few seconds, feeling sickly. As he makes his appearance known, he also gives a low, pathetic whine. Don't you want to let him inside.....

Edited 2025-08-28 17:04 (UTC)

She's at the doorway when she hears the whine, nearly turning the doorknob when she pauses, looking for the sound's source. It's becoming reflexive to have her hand at her rapier when things are amiss. Her eye goes to Nova at first, diligently at her side, there's no indication from Nova that she made any sound at all besides the usual huffs of delighted pants. But then as Nova sees the wolf, Alicia's own head turns to him as well. Now Nova whines, wanting to greet and sniff at the new friend. It's a good sign, enough for Alicia to assume this can't be a wolf from the woods, it must be another one of the many, many dogs here. She takes her hand from her weapon, it seems silly she was even worried at all.

She turns and approaches while Nova takes that as permission to bound over as well. Once close, Alicia kneels and waits, offering her hand for a sniff.

"Are you lost?" She asks with a smile.

There isn't any aggression coming from the wolf, at least not to begin with. If this were night, if that deadly side within him were coaxed out so quickly and easily as it is under the moonlight, things might be different. But to begin with, even when the dog comes to him, he's not aggressive. His head doesn't lift but his ears perk as he lets the dog sniff him as much as she likes; he's nervous but welcoming to her.

Perhaps the wolf in him can express that longing that Edward, as a man, can swallow down more easily. The longing to be around others again, to be part of a collective, a pack. And the wolf knows that humans are helpful, that she can give it aide from what hurts it now. When the girl kneels close and offers a hand, he's finally lifting his head to her.

He stares, comprehending the words in a way that may seem disconcertingly human, and then dips his head almost as though in a nod. In the next moment he pushes his nose against her hand, and gives it a soft lick. He's not exactly lost, but it's more a general cry for help, and he gives another low whine under his breath.

Well, he seems friendly enough. A good enough sign as any considering how the wildlife behave around here. Her next assumption, naturally, is that he is probably hungry. She's managed some semblance of dog food from what few things she's traded. It'll have to suffice. "Come on, I think I have some food for you." She turns and Nova seems to peek up from all the sniffs to realize it's time to follow again.

Alicia opens the door to the house she's been staying in and waits for both Nova and the new friend to file in. Should she be letting in an unknown "stray"? Probably not.. but she's never been that diligent at perceiving danger. The house is simple, bare minimum. It's likely been picked clean long before she settled in. She heads to the kitchen and before long sets down a dish of dog food for each of them. Hopefully they can eat near each other in peace.

He is hungry. Right now, the issue of the sunlight is the pressing one for the wolf, whose mind is progressively becoming less capable of logical thought and nuance, and tipped more toward single-dose survival thoughts. First is get out of sun; sun hurts and second is stay with this little pack; pack is safe and third is—

Hunger; always the hunger, deep down in a place that Edward, the man, is never quite able to satisfy enough. The wolf will become more aware of that hunger. For now, he follows the girl in, tentative but willing, head still lowered almost submissively as he trails Nova indoors.

When Alicia places down some food, he hesitates only a moment before moving in on it. At first it's slow, a little nervous, unsettled by how ill he feels. But being indoors is slowly helping with that, out of the direct sunlight. Soon enough he's eating faster, more at ease, and when his dish is cleared he licks it, hungry for more. (Hungry for something that corporeal food can't satisfy, though he doesn't understand this.) He lifts his head, turning it to stare at Alicia: expectant but weirdly polite about it, waiting patiently as though to say More, please...

She smiles at him, relieved he's eating and isn't picking on Nova while she eats either. Maybe he was someone else's dog? Maybe he's lost? He's too well trained to be a stray. She picks up the bowl to fill it again before setting it back down.

Staying crouched she offers him a pat on the head, a scratch behind the ears, if he'll accept. "You really must've been hungry, huh? I can't really get you much more than that for now. But maybe for breakfast." She didn't really ration out the idea of two dogs.. it might need some recalculating for what to trade next time she can.

Again with that bright human awareness, really watching and understanding, the wolf stares at the girl as she fills the bowl and places it back down. And this time he's eating faster, more rushed, more.. desperate. He doesn't flinch from the scratch behind his ears — it feels nice, his wolf's brain is happy with this — but then something happens that makes him instantly unhappy.

The girl says there can't be much more than this. And as the wolf gulps down the last of the food, that displeasure ripples in his throat, a low growl as he casts his eyes sideways and up at Alicia. Ordinarily Edward — docile and gentle even in this form — would never growl at someone. But with the Darkwalker's curse within him, he's not the same as he once was.

The growl lifts one corner of his mouth, exposing a sharp fang. No more than this? But he's hungry.

Nova is quick to return the growl, but Alicia looks wholly unimpressed and clearly isn't thinking of this as a real threat. "You can eat what you have, or you can always leave." She gestures between the food bowl and the door, as if to make her point clearer.

She kneels close again, although this time to tug Nova back. It's a protective gesture to put herself between the two of them. She doesn't need them getting into a fight over food. "But if you stay.. you can still have breakfast." She'll dare to look him in the eye this time. Even if he doesn't really grasp her words, surely her demeanor is enough.

The growl from the other animal agitates him more, and the thick fur at the back of the wolf's neck begins to prickle. Fortunately, the girl averts his focus away from Nova, but now Edward's growing aggression is fixed on her. The tone to her voice, her body language — firm and unrelenting, clearly not about to back down and give him what he wants — makes that growl sharpen as the wolf lifts his head to stare at her.

His own bright, sharp eyes lock on to Alicia's, challenging. Maybe he attacks her, then. Maybe he eats her. Maybe that'd be enough to satisfy the hunger.

....But then Edward, or as much of him that's left, comes through again with a wave of sheer horror by the thought. Never before has he ever thought about hurting or eating someone when he's a wolf. He would never... he'd never do that. He wouldn't. (Would he?)

Suddenly, the beast loses his sharpening edges. He gives a keening whine, and moves back, ears and tail lowered. He needs to leave. He was supposed to be... checking on the girl, wasn't he? That's why he came here. To make sure she was all right. But he can't be trusted. He's not safe. He hurt Kate Marsh, and now he'll hurt Alicia.

Edward turns towards the door and whines again, pawing at it, wanting to be let out.

Her head tilts when he goes to the door. Did she scare him? Her best conclusion is simply that he's a strange one, but then, that seems quite obvious. What wolf here or even dog would come and go from a home just for one bowl of food? The wolves are feral, the dogs are seemingly well cared for. So where does this one fit?

She doesn't deny him. "All right, all right," she says as she opens the door again for him to leave. "You can come back in the morning. If you want to. I won't mind." It's more cheerful than her earlier tones. He probably has no idea what she's saying but even if he doesn't return, maybe he'll still be able to find food from someone else. He'll be okay, right?

As soon as the door opens, the wolf takes a breath of fresh, crisp outdoors air. It helps calm some of his anxiety of being trapped inside with the girl and her pet — not because he's afraid of her, but because he's afraid of harming her.

His remaining human side pushes forwards with an insistence he needs to distance himself from her, and he's hurrying out before Alicia's cheerful tone gives him pause. Unable to help himself, the wolf perks his ears, head turning back to look at her. His tail gives a slight jump, almost a wag; an animal happiness surges to the fact that her voice has shifted, that he hasn't made the human mad.

Then he remembers himself and moves on, running off down the road. Time to head home...

the other side of this mean twilight

— Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 spoilers in this thread!)

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