[Smoke + Mirrors]

'It is fine,' Tou insisted and took the offered arm carefully, resisting the urge to flinch at the first brush of another's thoughts in his mind. His Master put a barrier between them when they walked together, so unless he had something to share there was silence. His suit was a partial buffer between them, so he was not overwhelmed by everything in Ed's mind. There were some thoughts never meant to be shared, after all.

It wasn't bad and, most importantly, Tou could see his surroundings better (and in color). Lengthening his stride, Tou smiled slightly at the strange feeling of stretching his legs after so long.

[Edward Crane]

Edward was pleasantly surprised to find them making decent time now that he was assisting Tou, though exactly how he wasn't quite sure. Well, yes, the obvious was just that, but it seemed more than just support. While he considered the possibilities, they neared his rendezvous point.

"Bright, this is me stop. Ay guess this is gewd-bye fe now," Ed sighed as he viewed the alley leading to his goal. Stupid Counsel making him travel so far away and in the same city as the bitchy Blake. She would undoubtedly tell on him to, at the very least, Zig and he would have to explain why he decided to walk with some dangerous stranger than a fellow Hunter. For some reason, they never heeded his complaints about Blake's abuse of position and power in the organization.

It was probably their idea in the first place, meddling bastards.

[Smoke + Mirrors]

'Good luck,' Tou offered, letting go of the kind male and stepping back. The grey view of the world returned and he had to fight back a persistent kernel of resentment. What many mistook as a blindfold was nothing more than a barrier to hide his mutilated eyes so that others didn't know and couldn't meddle with his punishment. It was his shield, his protection.

The shadows let him see his surroundings without having to touch anything, keeping him from the torment of viewing things long passed and immutable. In this city it was a particularly precious blessing.

Turning from Edward, he pushed onwards and had the shadows continue to put up the fliers as they had on the way to that point. It wouldn't take quite as long since he had Ed's help for a part of his path. Later, he would have to tell his Master about it, but he doubted that anything would come of this brief meeting and mutual assistance. The next time they meet, they could be enemies.

[Edward Crane]

Ed waved briefly before taking his own path, finding the door to use and entering. Slipping through the dancing crowd, he blended in with ease as he searched for his contact. Behind him, a brush against his hip and a whispered phrase in his ear, then the chip was pushed into his hand. All he had to do was dance a bit more, grab a drink, and get out.

It was only when he was ordering his drink that something went foul. Ed had no idea what had been the spark, but someone had started a fight and what had just been a pleasantly dancing crowd was now a solid brawl. Keeping to the edge of the room, he crept along, avoiding punches and kicks that would crack his bones.

He managed to slip out of the back with a couple cracked ribs and bruises, but Ed bore it silently. It was nothing worse than what he'd had to deal with as a sweeper. Taking a different route out of the city was practically mandatory, so he skulked off to a bus stop and made a decent show of minding his own business.

Skipping along the rooftops was for show-offs and arrogant arseholes that were higher up in the organization. It was pretty much like lighting a neon sign above your head, saying, "sodding Hunter, aim here" to the things you hunted, who also traversed the roofs and higher areas of the city. Most of the vampires that had made deals with the Association advised against jumping around like overgrown grasshoppers unless you were asking to be attacked.

Riding the bus was easier and less exhausting, though not cheaper. Ed didn't get paid near enough to purchase his own set of wheels and most Hunters used their own two feet to get around the Town, anyway, since it was cheaper and good training for missions.