2/10 Instance: Behind the Mystique

[Starfish]

Timeline - A couple of days after 'Ctenizoidea'

Eddie released a string of webbing, slipping through the midday air with ease and precision. He knew he should probably be more careful - it was like Darren said, nobody would take kindly to seeing a jet-black humanoid swinging through the city's skyline. The black-borne figure landed carefully in amongst a group of gargyole statues overlooking the crowded streets below.

Ed let the tendrils encasing his face receed, feeling the soft wind blow onto his face. He took a breath and crouched into the shadow, drawing (from another string of tendrils dangling from his waist) the camera he'd borrowed from XU. Eddie clicked through some of the cityscapes he'd taken during his rooftop trip, he grinned wide - he almost felt like a monologue was appropriate, somehow.

The world deffinately felt like a better place out here. Eddie felt more...free, more 'clean'. He looked down at the city below, all the people going about their happy lives - exept for one, it seemed...

The man grabbed hold of the woman's handbag and ran, jumping and barging past everyone else in the crowded street as she screamed behind him. A man in a suit tried to aprehend him and he laid him out with a single punch without even breaking his stride as he ducked down a grime encrusted alley next to an old church, Oh yes! Still got it!

"Looks like the city needs policing...", Eddie smirked to himself - 'Oh God; I'm doing it...that was monologue', he thought, coating his face in its tar-like mask once more, he leapt from the tallest gargyole's head, catching a web on it's neck and swinging a U-Turn into the grimey alley, he landed about a meter behind the theif. "That yours, mate?", Ed muttered darkly. "'cause it...ah..isn't exactly complementing that outfit..."

The guy jumped, "Fuck!" and spun around ... but oddly enough didn't seem all that phased by the inhuman figure standing behind him, "Y' wan' it man? Y' can have it!" He tossed the bag at Eddie's face and turn on his heel, and though he looked like a homeless bum of about fifty he had a fair turn of speed.

Eddie snorted, catching the bag and carefully (albeit cockilly) lay it down, before raising his hand forth and releasing a spray of coarsing tendrils from his wrist to ensnare the crook. He smiled behind his mask of tissue - 'super-hero', was all he could think.

The guy yelped as something grabbed him and he was yanked back towards Eddie, but with suprising agility once he was close enough he flipped himself up onto his hand and kicked the boy in the face wih both feet.

Ed rolled onto the floor, taking the kick full-force. Anger built up inside him as he felt the mask he wore tear at the mouth, becoming sharp fangs. A lolling tongue ran across them once as he stood; growing just two inches taller - but becoming much more broad, Eddie raised a fist and struck for the man, immedieately dissipating his arm's mass into a million tiny tendrils he attempted to swat the man against the wall and ensnare him like a spider's banquet.

The mugger let out a decidedly unmanly shriek at Eddie's transformation and ran towards the wall, ran up a few feet before back-flipping over the tendril arm and running full speed down the alley and around the courner.

"Sonofabitch!", Eddie's large form gasped. He detatched his arm from the wall and gave chase, pausing a moment. Eddie allowed his form to condense once more and fired a zip-line of webbing to the rooftops above - he'd get a better view from there, and track this criminal down.

The guy ran down the back maze of alleys, jumping fences and dodgeing trashcans, not even bothering to check to see if he was being chased till he was about half a mile away.

Panting, he pressed his back against a wall, looking up and down the alley, listening for the sounds of persuit, and then glanced up ... couldn't see anything ... must have lost him.

His eyes closed and he sighed in relief, now that he was sure no one was watching ... his skin rippled, starting from the top of his head down and within a couple of seconds a tall, svelt young woman was standing in the alley way.

She poked her head out from the shadow of the dumpster and peered around, revealing bright blue skin almost like that of a snakes and short, blood red hair. Yellow eyes scanned the immediate area once again before the mutant woman ducked back down and shifted again.

A few seconds after that a figure that anyone would have recognised stepped out from the dumpster. With a slightly sly smile Ronnie tidied her hair back and made her way back to the main streets.

Eddie landed a hand on Ronnie's shoulder, spinning her abour and pushing her against the wall. "And, pray tell, do you call that shit you just pulled?!", He was back in his human form again; his furstration very visible.

"I can't even believe it's you, Ronnie! THAT is your power?!", Eddie growled more than he shouted, knowing he probably looked like a vindictive ex to passers by.

"Jesus H. CHRIST!" Ronnie shrieked, "Where the bloody fuck did you come from!?" She demanded, too shocked at his sudden appearance to get him off her or even to cover her natural accent and voice.

She realised that they were being looked at by people, "Shut up you damn fool!" She hissed, her voice that of an upper-class English woman's, "don't go spouting off about powers, niether of us are regstered and there's copper's about!" she grabbed his shirt and made to drag him back down into the alley for some privacy.

Once the two were at a safe distance down the alleyway, Eddie struggled free of the girl's hold. "Alright, fuck the cherades...", he hissed, leaning against a wall, arms folded and deep breath taken. "Who exactly are you? I'm willing to bet that 'Ronnie Lake' is a fake name by now; and you're a brit by the sounds of things also...". He paused again, this time wanting her to respond.

Ronnie cursed under her breath as they made thier way back into the alley, "Why the fuck do you care?" she demanded once they were out of sight, "it's none of your bloody buisness, your's or that fucking freak show of a school!"

"As a friend, it kind of IS!", Eddie snapped. "And that 'freak show of a school' is all people like us have left! The least you could do is acknowledge people wanna help you!". Eddie took another breath, sighing loudly and looking away.

"Friend?" Ronnie snorted, "Well, you just keep telling yourself that, all that place is for me as far as I'm concerned is a free roof and hot dinners, and I don't need help. Not from you, not from anybody, okay?"

Eddie shrugged and turned to leave. "Fine - I'll let XU know that their 'new' shapeshifter's missing. And I'll let the cops, hell, everyone know about you - let's see how many places you can stay then.", Eddie smirked to himself, "If you don't care, neither will I.".

"... What?" Ronnie paused, "What!?" she said again, her voice rising archly, "You can't do that! How dare you even suggest it! My power and who I choose to reveal it too is my own buisness, didn't it ever occure to you that I was hiding for a good reason, you ignorant arsehole!?

Eddie turned around. "Like what? And besides, how am I ignorant if I wanted to know, but you didn't tell me?", Eddie paused for a moment. "You're ungrateful, I am not ignorant."

Ronnie dragged her hand through her short hair, "Knobhead," she grunted ... but did she have a choice? "If I tell you, will you promise to keep it a secret?"

Eddie sighed, his face becoming more gentle. "Y-yeah...'course I will.", he said. "And ah...I'm sorry for getting so worked up, I just...", Eddie stopped; "...go on.".

She sighed, "Good, you'd better or ... or ..." to be honest there wasn't exactly much she could threaten him with, "you'd just better, alright?"

"And yes, the name Ronnie Lake is pure fantasy, and I am English, I was born in Canterbury."

Eddie smiled, "Canterbuty, huh? Sweet.", he scratched his head. "You know, you're kind of cute when you get all angry.", he grinned at the vunerable girl. "And what's your real name then?"

"... You know, don't say things like that, it's fucking creepy and before you get any ideas, no I'm not interested, and if you really, truely, honestly, badly need to know, it's Darkholme, Raven Darkholme, laugh and I slap you," she said with bad grace.

Eddie bit his tongue a little - that stang more than it should've, surely? Thrusting his feelings aside, he thought about the name; "'Darkholme'? As in, the construction company? Why'd you wanna hide that?"

Ronnie's face soured, fuck, why couldn't her father's name have been something like Jones? "... Yes, like the construction company," she gave him a midly curious look, "it's still successful?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, somewhat - they ran repairs along Blenheim Walk near my old Uni in Leeds.", Eddie tutted at his past, "Anyway; wouldn't you know? Don't you talk to your Dad anymore?"

"He's dead," Ronnie said, blankly, "died when I was fourteen."

"Ah, God, I'm sorry.", Eddie shook his head. "But yeah, the buisness is still around, at least. Hell, I guess it goes to you, right?", Eddie smiled, trying to look in the bright side.

"And what makes you assume that my father was the CEO?" Ronnie asked, with a roll of her eyes.

"Uhm...the name(?)", Eddie rolled his eyes. "Was he not?"

"Could be my uncle, a distant cousin?" Ronnie smirked, "You're just jumping to conclusions."

Eddie laughed. "Touche, but I reckon it's your Dad - it's textbook irony.", he approached 'Raven'. "Listen, d'you wanna get a coffee or something? My Dad's sent me enough money to get by, and besides, I don't want you stealing, so you stay close to me from now on, alright?"

"I'm not stealing because I have to, I'm just keeping in pratice for when things go tits up and I have to suvive on the streets again I won't be caught," she shrugged, "but hey, if you're paying sure I'll come for coffee."

"Just so long as you don't think that we're suddenly the bestest of friends 'cos of it, it's just when you've been living rough you get into the habbit of never turning down freebies."

Eddie nodded at her. "Yeah, sure.", Eddie gestured behind her. "There's a Starbucks down that way. And even if you don't think so, I class you as a friend.", Eddie smiled again.

Ronnie made a derisive noise, "Well if you want, Ed-boy, no skin off my nose," she smirked and dropped her right arm and something fell out of the wide sleeve of her shirt and she held it out for him, "you might be needing this though?"

Eddie span around, his hand already realizing his back pocket was somewhat empty; "You stole m-...!", Ed started, looking over at Ronnie's smirking frame. "Crafty bitch...", he laughed. "Alright, no more of that, ok?", he beckoned with his hand. "Gimmie."

She tossed it over, "Hey, at least I gave it back to you, how's your face anyway?"

Eddie caught it and rubbed his chin. "Fine thanks. Don't make a habbit of that, mind. Coming?"

"Really?" she looked faintly disapointed, "Then again it's not as if you have a brain to damage," she shrugged, "lead on then, good sir."

[Slarti]

Very good reveal, guys!