"You guys made it!" Jack exclaimed as he opened the door to find his friends standing there with smiling faces. "Come on in, I'll show you guys around." He waved them in.
Andrew glanced over from the couch surreptitiously, trying not to be too obvious about it as he examined his brother's friends. There were five of them: three guys, two girls. They looked around in wonder as Jack showed them around the house, taking them to the rooms they'd be staying in, before showing them the various amenities their house offered.
"And this is my little brother, Andrew." Jack announced as they all came into the living room.
"So this is the infamous little brother, huh?" One of the guys grinned as he stepped forward, sticking his hand out. "Nice to finally meet you, I'm Kevin."
"Uh, nice to- infamous?" Andrew stood up to meet Kevin's greeting, before turning to Jack with a confused look.
Jack coughed, slightly embarrassed. "I may have told them a few stories… nothing too bad though, I swear."
Andrew turned back to Kevin with a serious look, pointing to Jack. "Everything he says is a lie and not to be trusted."
"So you didn't put a skunk in his room when you were nine, making him stink for an entire month, right when he started high school?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no, no, the skunk was in my room, but someone decided to hide a bunch of junk food in his, and the skunk just followed its nose. Then the certain someone decided to scream when he saw the skunk, startling it. Really, it was all his fault." Andrew explained.
"Why'd you even have a skunk in the house in the first place!" Jack protested, defending himself.
"She was injured! I was keeping her safe until she healed." Andrew retorted.
The group burst out laughing, before the others introduced themselves. The two other guys were Devon and George, while the girls were Kristen and Amelia, or Ames for short. Andrew greeted them all politely with a smile and a nod, before getting back to his game while Jack led the others off to see more of the house.
"Hey, Andrew, we're heading to the mall if you want to join." Jack offered as he finished with the tour, his friends waiting by the door.
Andrew glanced up, before shaking his head. "Nah, I'm good."
Jack rolled his eyes, walking over, speaking in a lower voice. "Come on man, when's the last time you went out somewhere normal. All you've done is go back and forth between here and the woods recently. Just come and hang out for a bit, alright? We'll go to the food court, look around the shops, buy some knick knacks, it'll be fun."
Andrew frowned, but considered Jack's offer for a moment, before sighing and nodding along. "Fine, you're right. Besides, it's been a while since I've been to the game store. I should see if they have anything new."
Jack chuckled and shook his head. "You freaking nerd. Come on, let's go."
"What's wrong with being a nerd?" Andrew shot back with a grin as he set aside the game he'd been playing and headed after him.
Everyone piled into Kevin's SUV, the car they'd all used to get there, and Andrew got shoved into the back, along with Amelia, for reasons of 'smaller butts, smaller seats'. Jack was sitting in the passenger seat, so Andrew felt a bit awkward, not really knowing how to interact with these mostly strangers he'd suddenly been shoved into close quarters with. "So… you're an animal lover, huh?" Amilia finally piped up after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"Huh? Oh, yeah… sometimes it's just easier to connect with animals." Andrew replied with a nod.
"Really? I've never had the knack for it." Amilia replied with a somewhat bitter grin. "Even my cat doesn't like me. She just ignores me all the time."
Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, cats are like that. Even I have issues with them. Cats just don't like to show affection unless they're really, really comfortable with the person."
"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one." Amelia smiled. "So, what's your favorite animal then?"
Andrew cocked his head, thinking about it. "Well, I've always been partial to Tigers and Monkeys… I can't really choose between the two."
Amelia shook her head. "Not like that, animals you can actually interact with, like dogs, cats, or apparently skunks." She elaborated.
"Oh… well, I've always found crows to be pretty good to hang out with. They're pretty smart, so they know how to reciprocate affection, and once you're their friend, they'll do almost anything for you. Plus, they're still pretty independent, so you don't need to give them constant attention, like with dogs or squirrels. Seriously, squirrels will not leave you alone once you've started giving them attention." Andrew replied.
Amelia's eyes widened slightly. "You've made friends with crows and squirrels? Like, multiple? Aren't they a little too… wild? Were they all injured or something?"
Andrew bobbed his head back and forth. "Yes and no. Any animal I've kept around for an extended period of time usually started out injured, just because healthy animals tend to have a territory and their own way of doing things, so they don't need my interference. But I can still interact with them and they'll get comfortable around me."
"Wow… you must have worked pretty hard to get that good with animals." Amelia commented, sounding a bit amazed.
Andrew grinned. "Less than you might think." He replied. "It's more of a… talent. I've just always been pretty good at getting my intentions across with animals. With humans… not so much. I guess it's kind of a trade off."
Amelia smirked. "You don't seem to be having too much trouble."
Andrew shrugged. "That's just cause you're talking to me about animals. Just change the subject and watch how the conversation falls apart."
"Alright." Amelia grinned. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Andrew's eyes widened, startled by the sudden shift, before grinning wryly as he realized he did technically ask for it. "I do, actually." Andrew nodded.
"And you think you aren't good with humans?" Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow. "You have to at least be somewhat decent if you can get a girl to stick around."
Andrew shook his head. "She's different. Not like other people. There's no way I could talk to anyone else like I talk with her."
Amelia snorted. "That sounds more like a you problem than a social skills problem. I'm sure if you actually gave it a shot, after a bit of awkwardness, you'd be able to mix with others just like you do with your little girlfriend. The problem most people run into is they hit that initial awkwardness, and then just stop. However, relationships are built through familiarity. If you don't push through the awkwardness, you'll never get to know anyone."
"I guess." Andrew muttered noncommittally. His issue wasn't really awkwardness though, it was that fact that everyone at school knew him as that guy who killed someone. Kinda hard to just push through that.
"So what's she like?" Amelia continued.
"Jing?" Andrew paused, thinking about it. "She's… well, she's just adorable, really. I don't really know how else to describe her, at least not in any way that would really do her justice. She can be shy, but she can also be bold. Fierce, but also subdued. Reserved, but not afraid to go after what she wants." Andrew paused. "I think trying to describe people always does them a disservice, like a caricature. We like to break people down into these easily definable traits, but people don't work that way. They're complex, flexible, situational. Trying to box all that up into a simple description… it just doesn't work."
Amelia gave him a weird look. "Are you sure you aren't good with people? That seemed pretty insightful to me."
"I'm good with theory, not application." Andrew shrugged. "Like a physicist trying to play football without any upper body strength."
Amelia snorted. "Right, fair. Still, I think you might be better than you're giving yourself credit for. Just try putting yourself out there for a change, see what happens. You never know, right?"
Andrew frowned, before letting out a sigh. "I guess… I just feel like I've burned too many bridges already. It's not that big a town, and once you get a reputation… I'm not sure I have a chance anymore."
"Hey, things can always change." Amelia assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe not with everyone, but with the right people? They won't care about your reputation."
Andrew snorted. "I'm not sure I want to be friends with the types of people who don't mind my reputation."
Amelia frowned. "What do you mean?"
Andrew froze. "N-nothing. Just- thanks for the advice. I'll- I'll think about it." He muttered, turning to stare out the window, shutting down the conversation.
Amelia gave him another weird look, but didn't press the issue. She'd only just met him after all. Best not to be too pushy.
*
"So, where do you guys want to head first?" Jack asked as the group headed into the mall.
"Food court!" Devon exclaimed. "I'm starving."
A chorus of 'yeah' and nods of agreement met his exclamation. Apparently the group hadn't eaten yet today, and after a long car ride, they were ready to dig into some food. Jack chuckled and led them all towards the food court, where they all split off towards their respective restaurants of choice to grab their meals before meeting back up.
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Andrew struggled to choose between which version of classic American burger he wanted to go with today, before finally settling on a refined royal taste over some clownish version. He got in line, staring at the menu as he waited, debating over exactly how much he wanted to get, whether he wanted a shake or not, etc. He was just deciding which shake he wanted to get when the cashier greeted him. "Hello! Welcome to- A-Andrew?!?" The voice suddenly cut off, sounding startled.
Andrew's eyes fell from the menu, widening slightly as he saw the cashier. "Cathryn? You- you got a job here?" He muttered in surprise, before shaking his head, stopping her before she could answer. "Wait, obviously. They wouldn't just let you stand back there for no reason."
Cathryn flushed, nodding slightly. "Er, yeah. Uh… how have you been?"
"Pretty good." Andrew nodded, before glancing at the other people in line as he noticed a rise of impatience. "Uh, I should probably order." He explained, gesturing towards the line.
"Ah! Yes, please, what would you like?" Cathryn asked, sounding flustered. Andrew gave her his order and paid quickly, before stepping aside to wait. Cathryn continued to shoot small glances his way every now and then as she dealt with the other customers, until finally his food was ready. She handed it over with a tentative smile. "H-have a nice day!"
"You too." Andrew replied with a nod, before heading back to the table, his mood slightly dampened. Cathryn had spent the whole time he was there feeling so nervous. It was like he was at school again. People were always looking at him nervously, as if he was some sort of bomb that would just go off if they weren't careful. He got it, but it still wasn't a comfortable situation to be in. He rejoined his brother and his friends, sitting down with a slight sigh.
"What's up with you?" Jack asked, glancing at him curiously.
Andrew shook his head. "Nothing. Just- nothing."
"Well that's a lie." Amelia interjected. "Come on, what happened?"
"It's nothing, really." Andrew insisted. "At least, nothing I can explain. Just… a shity situation." He finished with a grumble.
Jack eyed him with a grimace, before sighing and shaking his head. He knew what was up with Andrew, and that he couldn't do anything to help. Amelia, on the other hand, was still very curious, not knowing Andrew's situation. "Is this about your girlfriend? Is she here?" She asked, cocking her head.
"Girlfriend?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
"No!" Andrew protested, shaking his head. "She isn't- this is a different thing."
"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Jack asked, eyes widening.
"What thing?" Amelia asked curiously.
"Since when do you have a girlfriend?!?" Jack pressed.
"It's nothing!" Andrew protested, looking between both Jack and Amelia. "Just leave it, both of you." He declared sternly.
Amelia clicked her tongue, turning back to her food, while Jack eyed him strangely. "Do Mom and Dad know?"
"Jack." Andrew growled warningly.
Jack finally raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine, I'll drop it." He acquiesced, turning to his food, before sending out one last comment. "For now."
Andrew groaned, digging into his food with a scowl. He munched on his food voraciously, just focusing on eating it as quickly as possible so he'd have an excuse to go off on his own, when he noticed the rest of the table, besides Jack, looking at him with surprised expressions. "Wut?" He asked through a mouth full of burger.
"Has anyone ever told you you eat like an animal?" Kevin commented, raising an eyebrow, causing Jack to burst out laughing.
"Yeah, we know. This kid just can't get rid of his inner Beast." Jack replied, shooting Andrew a wink.
Andrew flushed slightly as the rest of the group chuckled, beginning to eat his food a bit more carefully. As his brother had mentioned, Andrew tended to incorporate a few of his Beast forms' tendencies into his eating habits. It wasn't anything too strange, but there was a definite bestial quality to his eating.
Soon the table settled into normal conversation, Jack and his friends falling into their usual pace as they joked and messed around. Andrew was just glad to fall out of the center of attention for a while, focusing on finishing his food. As soon as he did, he began to clean up, taking his tray to the trash, before telling Jack he was going to head to the game store. Jack shot him a glance that said he wished he'd stick around and hang out, but he could tell Andrew was uncomfortable, so he just sighed and sent him off with a pat on the back, telling him they'd meet back at the food court in two hours.
Andrew checked the time, before nodding and heading off, breathing a sigh of relief as he was finally on his own again. He headed to the game store, looking through the new releases, considering which ones he wanted. After about half an hour, he'd bought three games, and was done. He stood outside the store, considering where he wanted to go next, when he noticed something strange. Off in the distance, near the edge of his sensing, he noticed what looked like… *Is that a crystal?* Andrew wondered, frowning. It was an aura, but condensed like a crystal, except it was moving. *Why would someone bring a crystal to the mall? Did a mortal somehow pick one up? Or… is it some kind of tiny Beast?* Andrew thought to himself with a frown, heading towards the aura. As far as Andrew could tell, whatever it was, it seemed to be somewhere in the back halls of the mall, where the pipes and storage were. Andrew was getting closer, debating whether he should head into the employees only section, when someone interrupted him.
"Andrew?" Cathryn froze as he turned the corner with a serious look on his face. She was sitting in the small entryway to the employees only section while she was on her break, enjoying a small snack. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
Andrew froze, eyes widening slightly as he caught sight of her. "Uh…" Andrew looked between her and the door, where he could still sense the aura, not far away. He paused as the aura got closer and closer to them.
Cathryn shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, that was too accusatory. I-I'm actually glad you're here. I wanted to talk to-"
"Shhh!" Andrew shushed her, glaring at the door. He could sense the aura just on the other side, as if it was waiting. Narrowing his eyes, he approached the door carefully, fully releasing his own aura as he did, bringing himself back to full strength. "Move back." He told Cathryn, waving her away.
Cathryn frowned, getting to her feet but not moving. "What are you-" Suddenly, Andrew burst through the doors, looking straight at the aura that had begun to move away, but… there was nothing there. "What are you doing!?!" Cathryn exclaimed. "That area is-"
Andrew jumped forward again, trusting his aura sensing more than his eyes. He knew there were Beasts that could turn invisible, such as Snakes. Since it could be a friendly Beast, one of the Clans that was just curious or something, he simply went to grab it, taking hold of it so he could at least talk to them to see what was up, but instead of skin or even scales, Andrew found himself gripping cold, hard metal. "Eh?" Andrew grunted in surprise, before he was punched in the chest, sending him shooting out the door, past a stunned Cathryn, and into the opposite wall!
"What the-" Cathryn exclaimed, her head snapping to where Andrew had impacted the wall, leaving a significant dent in the concrete. She watched him as he let out a groan, climbing to his feet as he rubbed his chest. How was he not more injured?!? A hit like that would cripple someone, if not kill them! You don't just groan and stand up! Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something grab a hold of her, beginning to drag her off down the hallway, into the back hallways of the mall. Her head twisted back, her mouth dropping open in horror as she saw the metal hand of a large, dangerous looking machine gripping her shoulder.
"Oh no you don't." Andrew growled, rushing forward, grabbing the machine's arm and delivering a sharp kick to its abdomen with an added air burst, sending it flying down the hall, sans arm thanks to his hold, creating another dent in the far wall. "Payback, bitch!" He yelled, tossing the arm to the side, as he began to march towards the machine, talons extending, ready to rip it to pieces. Suddenly Cathryn grabbed him by the wrist with a panicked look.
"We have to ru-" Cathryn began, when suddenly, something clicked. Andrew snapped to look at her, eyes widening as he felt a jolt run through his very being, as if he was just carefully inserted into some sort of slot. Cathryn stood there, looking at him with a dazed expression as she felt something similar, a connection forming between the two. Thoughts began to drift back and forth, full of confusion, shock, and fear. "Wh-what-" Cathryn stammered.
"-just happened?" Andrew finished with a frown, before the sound of falling concrete and creaking joints interrupted them. "Shit." He cursed, turning towards the still relatively intact machine. "Priorities." He muttered to himself, pulling out of Cathryn's grip before an air burst sent him hurtling towards the machine. The machine raised its arm, palm glowing as a beam of light shot out, Andrew barely dodging as a second air burst pushed him to the side. He kicked off the wall, dropping into a slide, before a third air burst shot him up, clearing the machine as he turned in mid air, talons gripping its head, ripping it off its body!
Andrew landed, his momentum keeping him sliding backwards as he relaxed, thinking the machine dead, when the torso spun, the arm still glowing as it shot out another laser! Andrew cursed, dropping down to dodge the laser, scrambling to the side as it dropped with him, the beam following him as he moved. Another air burst shot him up, followed by another that pushed him in the opposite direction, throwing him over the laser. He landed and pushed himself forward with an air blast again, this time aiming for the machine's chest, straight for the aura he was sensing. Metal parted as his talons tore through, his hand coming out the machine's back, holding a small crystal as the machine finally died, losing power.
"Fuuuuck!" Andrew let out a groan as he pulled his arm back through the machine, staring down at the crystal. "I should have gone for you first! Always hit the aura! Aura is power!" He chastised himself, before looking back to where Cathryn stood, completely stunned, along with a growing crowd of confused shoppers who were looking between the dent in the wall and the damaged doors, wondering what was going on. "Ah, shit." Andrew groaned, collecting all the pieces of the machine he could, before waving Cathryn to follow him. "Grab that arm and follow me. We gotta get out of here." He explained, heading towards the mall's back exit.
Cathryn hesitated before doing as he said, picking up the arm, straining under the weight until Andrew took it from her, and following him down the halls and out of the mall. Along the way, Andrew found a small tarp, wrapping the machine up in it, before jumping up a nearby tree and hiding it near the top. Jumping back down, he grabbed Cathryn and brought her around to another entrance. Along the way, he pulled out his phone, before letting out another curse as it came out in two pieces. "Shit! How am I supposed to-" He paused, glancing at Cathryn. "Can I borrow your phone?" He asked. She nodded, handing it over. Andrew called his mom and informed her of the situation, including where he hid the machine pieces, and she assured him that someone would be by shortly to handle it. With all that settled, Andrew dragged Cathryn into a nearby coffee shop, breathing out a sigh of relief as he sat down and retracted his aura, finally feeling a bit of tension drain out of him as he knew everything would be taken care of soon.
Cathryn sat down across from him, giving him a strange look. "What-"
"Andrew!" Jack rushed over to him. "What-" Jack paused, looking over at Cathryn with a frown. "Who is this?"
"Cathryn." Andrew introduced her, before turning to her. "This is my brother, J-"
"Jack, right, nice to meet you." Cathryn nodded in greeting, before frowning as if she'd just encountered something strange.
"Uh huh… why is she here?" Jack asked, turning to Andrew with a frown.
"Because-" Andrew paused, cocking his head. Why had he dragged Cathryn after him? According to protocol, he was supposed to hide any evidence he could, and not interact with or try to explain anything to any witnesses. All explanations and cover ups were to be handled by the cleaning crew. Anything he did would just make their job harder. All he had to do was escape, then hide in or by the nearest coffee shop, where someone would meet him to work everything out. Dragging Cathryn along with him was the exact opposite of what he should have done.
Andrew looked over to see Cathryn staring at him with her eyes wide. "Protocols? Explanations? Cover ups? What are you trying to hide!?!" She asked in a mix of shock, confusion, and suspicion.
Andrew's eyes widened. "How did you-"
*Oh god, am I reading his thoughts?!? Why am I reading his thoughts!?! What is happening!?! What was that thing!?! How did Andrew fight it?!? Is he some sort of super hero?!? Super villain!?! Is that why he brought me here!?! To silence me!?! Oh god, what am I going to do!?! What about my mom!?! What about-* As Andrew focused on Cathryn, a stream of rapid, panicked thoughts flew into his mind as Cathryn panicked internally.
"Okay, you have got to calm down." Andrew groaned, rubbing his temple as he got a slight headache from her rapid fire thoughts. "Nothing is going to happen to you."
Cathryn froze, staring at him. "R-really?"
"Really." Andrew nodded, and Cathryn breathed out a sigh of relief.
Jack looked between the two of them with a confused frown. "Okay, what is going on with you two? Is this your girlfriend?" He asked, turning to Andrew and raising an eyebrow.
"Huh? No! She's- she's just this girl I know from school. Barely." Andrew shook his head.
"Then why is she here?" Jack asked, frown deepening.
Andrew froze. "I-I don't know. Something- we- It just made sense at the time. Don't worry, I'll deal with it."
Jack grunted, glancing at Cathryn, who seemed to shrink into her seat as her worries returned. "You better. If this gets out-"
"It won't. Trust me." Andrew assured him. "I think- I think it would have been worse if I left her. I- somehow we're in each other's heads. Literally." Andrew let out a sigh. It looked like he had to make another trip to see Elder Barry.