A Childhood to Forget (Davian)

[Deleted]

What had started as an attempt from Edmund to haggle down his debt at a casino had escalated into a bit of a predicament.

Everything was going well until the manager offered to cut the debt by two hundred dollars in exchange for Edmund's ring that once belonged to his mother. "I have some advice for when you are able to talk again." Ed said, prompting a confused look from the manager. Although infuriated by the gall of the manager he masked his animosity with a smirk. Before the man was able to understand what Edmund meant the normally tolerant shifter had grabbed him by the head. For a second Ed looked the man in the eyes, his smirk turning into a smile that showed the wicked enjoyment he was about to draw from what he was about to do before saying "Don't abuse the privilege of speech." He then brought the man's jaw down sideways to his knee, feeling a small, satisfying crack from within the manager's mouth, then slammed the completely defenseless man into his desk which he fell to the ground a small distance away from. Edmund checked for and found a pulse before leaving the room, and shortly after, the casino.

Around a block away it struck Ed that he had just beaten a man unconscious for no particularly good reason other than showing how damned greedy the were. While the motivation was somehow more justified, the results seemed all too familiar to him. Was he going to turn into his violent father? In what was possibly an attempt to avoid answering his own question Edmund caught the scent of what he was pretty sure was another shifter, and started searching for the source.

@davian

[Deleted]

i'm through accepting limits

Davian had just got done closing up the tattoo shop when an idea struck her. She had yet to explore the rest of the city. There were bits and pieces that were familiar to her because of her past, but it was extremely fuzzy. She ran a hand through her hair and shoved the key to the shop in her pocket - she never was one for purses - and started towards the casino district. She had always seen the lights from the shop but never actually went over to check it out.

The night was lively as she walked through the streets, and it was all she could do to not shove ear plugs in at all the sounds. Her ears were extremely sensitive, which came with the territory of turning into a cat on multiple occasions. Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the guy who seemed to be looking at her until he was almost ten feet away from her. Even through the hustle and bustle, she could definitely feel his eyes on her. She looked right at him, raising an eyebrow. Well, he seemed friendly enough. He had a familiar scent, though she couldn't quite place it. He smelled almost like her and her brother, but with a more woodsy scent.

She made her way towards the guy, then plastered a smile on her face. "Hi!" She wasn't usually so friendly, but his scent was calling to her. She couldn't just pass it up, especially if he was like her. Though she didn't see how that was possible, since she had never met anyone like her and her brother before.

@edmund ; this is repetitive

by Dee

[Deleted]

After a brief search, Edmund was pretty sure that the owner of scent was a light haired lady that seemed quite unaware of him at the time. At some point during his approach she seemed to notice him. To Ed's surprise the woman both approached him and started the conversation.

"Hey!" Edmund returned the woman's greeting with a smile before his face took in a more serious tone. "You aren't by any chance-" Edmund was going to make sure that he had been smelling her, but paused when he heard sirens rushing to the Casino. This reinforced his feeling that he should get off the streets. It was probably best not to ask somebody that question so blatantly anyway.

"I shouldn't be out here." Ed mumbled, his eyes flicking to the flashing lights of an ambulance in the distance. A smile graced his face as he turned his attention back to the new acquaintance. "I'm Edmund. You don''t mind if we take this inside, do you?" He said, not waiting for an answer to start towards a somewhat shabby restaurant a short ways away.

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@davian

Notes: Sorry it is a bit uninspired.

[Deleted]

i'm through accepting limits

Davian could hear the sirens, and by the look on the guy's face, they had something to do with him. She arched her brow at him again, wary of following him into a restaurant when he had just left a place that an ambulance was heading to. Had that really been his doing? He was acting suspicious enough, so it probably was.

She sighed, then nodded and followed him into the restaurant anyway. He really did smell familiar, and if the beginning of his question before meant anything, he knew what she was, even though she barely knew what she was herself. She stopped just inside the door with him, then leaned against the wall with her arms crossed tightly in front of her.

"Okay, Edmund. What were you gonna ask me before?" She didn't mean to sound so rude, but she wasn't quite sure if this guy was dangerous or not.

@edmund ; bleh

by Dee

[Deleted]

"Forget it, I already know the answer. And I have a hunch you know the question." Edmund said. He realized from the shifter's tone that she had figured out he was responsible for what the authorities were responding to. Letting a sigh out he looked between the window blinds and saw a small crowd a block or so down but, much to his surprise, no police were fanning out. While this relieved Edmund, it led him to think about his crime.

Battery. Ed had been the victim of abuse for so long. Now he was on the giving end of it, and the bestial thrill he'd felt at the time had gone, leaving only regret and a question he didn't want answered; Was he like his father? The fact that he had derived such pleasure from breaking a defenseless -though undoubtedly greedy- man's jaw further worried Edmund. Masking his unease with a hollow smile, Edmund turned away from the window to face the woman. "So, my fellow shifter, Might I ask your name?" He finally asked, offering a hand.

[Deleted]

i'm through accepting limits

Davian stayed against the wall, her arms still crossed across her chest. So it really had been his doing - the sirens, the police, the ambulance..he had done something. That's why he was looking out the window, making sure that no one had followed him. She arched an eyebrow at him, wondering why he would even ask her name, and if she should give it to him or not. "I don't think saying shifter in a restaurant is a good idea, Edmund," she said. "Someone might think you're crazy." Not that she didn't already. She stared into his face, trying to get a read on him. He didn't seem dangerous.

"My name is Davian," she finally said after a few moments. She uncrossed her arms, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. His hand was so much bigger than her dainty one. She pulled it back after one shake, and went back to her normal position of crossed arms. "Do I want to know what you did to cause you to go run and hide?" she asked. She ran a hand through her short blond hair, getting uncomfortable in intense gaze of his blue eyes. She forced herself to meet them, trying not to show that she was scared.

@edmund ; bleh

by Dee

[Deleted]

Tilting his head to the side and rubbed his temple, debating on if he should tell Davian what he had done. "I broke a man's jaw. Probably hurt his neck, too." He said with a sigh. A frown appeared on Edmund's face and he looked down at his feet. He knew that the facade he had put up fell apart. His regret and fear were too much to hide, even with his practice. To avoid having to meet Davie's gaze again, Edmund turned to face the wall and rested his arm against it.

For a moment Ed closed his eyes and focused solely on breathing. The rhythm of inhales and exhales usually calmed him, but could not in the face of these strong emotions. He could feel his eyes beginning to water when he turned back to the woman. "I have to confess something, if you don't mind." Edmund said, then paused in disbelief of what he was about to tell the stranger. "Around a decade ago my father and step mother were mauled by a bear. I was that bear." He looked Davian in the eyes before continuing. "I never wanted to hurt anyone this bad again but I dunno, I just snapped."

Realizing he had said far too much, Edmund broke eye contact, fell silent and awaited davie's judgement.

---

@davian
Notes: a bit scatterbrained when writing, sorry that it is kinda sudden

[Deleted]

i'm through accepting limits

Davie could feel her heart speed up when Edmund admitted to what he had done. She instinctively took a step back, but couldn't because she was already up against the wall of the restauraunt. "Crap," she mumbled. She watched him turn to face the wall behind him, and she knew that he had regretted what he had done. She could forgive him for attacking a guy if he felt remorse for it. With the kind vibe she was getting from Edmund, the guy probably deserved it.

What she wasn't okay with was what he said next. Her breathing grew quick, and she knew fear was rolling off of her in waves. It finally settled down when she heard his last words. "I never wanted to hurt anyone this bad," she repeated quietly. She nodded to herself. She knew the feeling, of never wanting to hurt someone. She didn't know where the feeling came from, but she could definitely understand where he was coming from. Her past was still a mystery to her, but she knew that feeling had something to do with it.

"Hey," she said. Before she knew it, her index finger was crooked under his chin, lifting his face so she could see it. "I'm not going to judge you for losing your temper. You're a fellow shifter. I think it's in the genes," she said, a smile spreading slowly on her face. She was never this touchy-feely with strangers, hardly even with her friends. But he seemed like he needed the reassurance. She understood that feeling, too.

@edmund ; i dont even know

by Dee

[Deleted]

Edmund avoided meeting Davie's gaze even after she tilted his head up. He knew that doing so would risk breaking down crying. Feeling a great weight lifted when it was obvious the girl wouldn't turn him in, Edmund had almost calmed down until Davie unknowingly misspoke.

I think its in the genes.

Any good Davie's reassurance did was undone with such an innocent phrase. Aggressiveness was in in Edmund's gene pool, that was certain. But not from a shifter. "My-" A distraught Ed began before a choking back tears. "My bastard father. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I just see more of him. " he finally let his eyes look back the Davie. "That is the worst punishment he could ever put me through."  That was when the floodgates opened, sending just a small stream from each eye.  Edmund quickly covered his face before throwing his back against a wall.

@davian

note:rusty!

[Deleted]

i'm through accepting limits

Davie had definitely said the wrong thing, that was for sure. She hadn't meant to make Edmund upset again, but that was exactly what she had done. "Oh, crap.." she mumbled. She put a hand on Edmund's shoulder, rubbing up and down his arm gently. "Hey.. I didn't mean it like that. I bet you're nothing like your father, sweetie." She didn't know how to really comfort people, let alone a complete stranger. She ran her hand up to his and pulled one away from his face gently and squeezed it. She used her other hand to wipe away his tears.

"Edmund. Now you listen to me. I don't know you very well, and I sure as hell do not know anything about your family or your father. But from what I gather, you are nothing like him. If you're this upset about doing something that he would do, you are nothing like him." She stared him right in the eyes as she said this, not blinking once. She was being serious.

@edmund ; sorry its late

by Dee