no seriously / original bones don't steal / or commit arson

[roc_on]

The news gets worse.

The police nailed down a pattern - the guy found with the missing bones was one thing, but there were other missing persons, alternating genders, late teens to early twenties, all taken from the same part of town. Cops, including cops of the relevant age range, stalk the area, and one of them gives chase to a man who proves to be a firebender. He burns out most of a liquor store, proving it, and the cop loses him trying to meet him on the other side and goes back to help evacuate the units above the store.

There's security footage of the fire and some of the chase, rescued from the liquor store, and the media gets ahold of it.

Chali says this still isn't an Avatar matter. Beila, who has no detective skills anyway, defers to his expertise, meditates, reads her book - turns up to her firebending lesson.

Comments

[in_silk]

But doesn't.

[thinklikethis]

...creepy. But helpful. But creepy. But, admittedly, helpful.

He's just glad it's dark enough down here that his blush is probably not visible, because that's just what this situation needs, right, a discussion of his inappropriate reaction to bloodbending, that'll help and will not in any way make the whole fucked-up situation ten times more awkward.

"Um. Thanks. I think I'm good now," he says.

[in_silk]

"Go on upstairs," says the bloodbender.

[thinklikethis]

So Dao goes upstairs. With the bone-stealing serial killer walking silently behind him. Which on the one hand is totally unfair and not something any reasonable person should have to do, and on the other hand, he's pretty sure he's genuinely less scared of this guy than this guy is of him.

[in_silk]

It's a small house, and every curtain or shutter on every window is firmly closed with only a tiny bit of morning sunlight leaking in around the edges, and the furniture is sparse and not well-organized. It looks... lonely and sad.

[thinklikethis]

Okay now Dao wants to hug the guy again.

But instead, something occurs to him: "Hey, um, what's your name? Or. A name, I don't care if it's like, your real one or whatever, I just," he shrugs.

[in_silk]

"...you can call me Spider," he says hesitantly.

[thinklikethis]

Well then.

"Sure," he says. "Okay. I'm Dao."

[in_silk]

"The kitchen's over here. Sorry I don't... have very much."

[thinklikethis]

"It's okay," says Dao. "I mean, you weren't exactly expecting guests..."

[in_silk]

"...I'm sorry I kidnapped you," says Spider, very quickly and quietly, like he's afraid of the words.

[thinklikethis]

"It's. Uh. Well. I can't really say it's okay, but - knowing what I know now, I'd rather have been kidnapped and met you than - not and not. So. Apology accepted."

The kitchen is as sad and lonely as the rest of the house. Dao finds the most uncomplicated breakfast food available, and sits down with it. He is dizzy and tired and hungry but at least one of those things is about to be solved.

[in_silk]

Spider stands uncertainly in the doorway and watches him.

[thinklikethis]

It's creepy and weird but, when he considers what he knows about Spider, also perfectly understandable. Unfortunately that doesn't tell him what to do about it. He finishes eating and asks, "Is there somewhere I can sleep...?"

[in_silk]

"Yes." There is, rather inexplicably considering Spider's blatant and extreme discomfort with other people, an impeccably tidy little guest room.

[thinklikethis]

Dao is too tired to try to figure that out. He flops into the guest bed.

He's not sure how long he sleeps for, but the room is a lot brighter when he gets up. He sits on the edge of the bed for a bit, and then feels a vague obligation to straighten things up in memory of how immaculately tidy the room was when he got here, so he does that, and then he sits on the edge of the bed again and feels very awkward.

[in_silk]

Spider knocks on the door.

[thinklikethis]

Dao gets up and opens it. "Hi," he says, awkwardly.

[in_silk]

Hesitantly: "I made lunch."

[thinklikethis]

Well, aren't they a pair. Dao smiles. "Thanks."

[in_silk]

There is lunch. It's unremarkable, not spectacular but not bad or anything.

Spider is quiet.

[thinklikethis]

Yeah, that seems to be how Spider works.

Dao waits until after lunch before he says, "So do you like... want to sit down somewhere and talk about stuff? With optional hugs?"

[in_silk]

He smiles a small and slightly heartbreaking smile at 'optional hugs'. "Yes."

[thinklikethis]

Owww, that smile.

"Okay, cool, let's sit on your couch, I will hug you."

[in_silk]

They do that. Spider doesn't quite collapse into a small miserable lump, but he does lean on Dao quite a bit.