I always feel like somebody's watchin' me

She wondered where he went, getting a little nervous that maybe he had just left her there. Of course she wasn't making it easy for him, but she had just saved him - could he not do the same in return? Sitting there in the chaotic hallway, she looked at the nurses and doctors, moving around so fast it made her dizzy. When a doctor approached her she grit her teeth, trying to fight his grip, but there was something off; That being his scent. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at him, the slicked back hair and a face she couldn't recognize. But the smell she could. Maybe she was really losing brain function, but she was sat in the wheelchair, and it wasn't before he whispered in her ear that she knew that she wasn't just imagining things. But how?

Her breath was shivering a bit, trying not to act suspicious, but she guessed everyone was too busy to even notice the two of them slip away. Well at least until that doctor noticed them. It felt almost surreal, seeing that doctor and then knowing the face of the one pushing her wheelchair. The voice she heard now fit with the face it belonged to and she looked up at him. He was really willing to do this for her? Never had she doubted her own commitment to keeping Freddy safe, but now he was trying to keep her from harm's way. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her legs around his waist, she hid her face away in his shoulder as he started to run. Mostly from keeping her getting dizzier than she already was. "When you're outside ... Head to some shadows," she muttered, hoping he could hear her and that he wouldn't doubt her intentions.

Once he was sure that she held on for good, he drew in a deep breath, feeling almost a little nervous from the tension. He didnt know what would happen if they got caught but clearly it wasnt good, otherwise she wouldnt have been this much for getting out and not even going here in the first place. He hummed at the mutter but wasnt sure why; But he didnt question it either.
He sprinted for the nearest exit, hearing the doctor's from the floor they had fled from telling them to stop running and come back. But he continued and soon they were out on the street. He had a quick glance before turning right, heading to the first dark space that he could catch with his eyes. "I'm not sure we can actually hide here." he said as he let her down, heaving softly for air from all the running.

Hunter couldn't help but crack a small smile at his worry, feeling the ground beneath her feet that felt a little weird now. But the shadows helped her somewhat, in a way she couldn't really describe. The doctor along with some security came running in their direction, but she grabbed his hand, entangling their fingers taking a deep breath. They went right past them, even though anyone would've easily seen them. She couldn't hold it up for long, gasping softly as she had to let go of his hand, stabilizing herself against a wall. "You're not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeve," she muttered, her body shaking a little, but she was actually not doing worse than she had before going to the hospital. "C'mon, we need to go somewhere to wait this out," she reached out, hoping he would support her as they walked, going wherever Fred saw was easiest.

Yeah, there was no way they could actually hide here. Guess they just had to wait for the inevitable of them being spotted and then only the gods knew what would happen to them. Impersonating hospital personnel, kidnapping a patient? He was considering the few options that could put him away for a really long time until he felt her hand grab his and their fingers entangle. The people who were supposed to catch them just seemingly ran past them and he looked very confused. Her mutter made him realize that he had sort out outed his special ability. "Uhhh..." he voiced a little confused but she redirected his focus and he nodded. He supported her as they went away from the dark space. He decided that it was just easier to head towards his own home. It couldnt be far off. "What did you do?" he asked, frowning a little as he was still trying to figure it out.

As he lead the way she just focused on not falling over or leaning to much weight on him. It wasn't like she was heavy, but anybody would weigh a lot if it was just dead weight. He asked her a pretty fair question but she just shrugged it off, "Well how do you change your appearance like that," she retaliated. There wasn't really a cut throat answer as it was much more than that, wasn't it? Breathing out in a small sigh, she didn't want to lie to him, but she was also bound by some very specific rules that were out of her control. "It's just a thing I can do, blend in, not make myself noticeable," she said, putting it simply, but it wasn't just that. She was meant to work from the shadows, and hiding in this form on top of hiding him? Well it was going to take a toll on her body as soon as she got to rest. For now she kept moving, stubborn to stay alive and follow where he was taking her.

Her retaliation caught him a little by surprise and he frowned, thinking of what to even say. "I was born with it." he muttered, not sure how else to explain it. He had used it a lot for tricks when he was a kid but nowadays it wasnt quite the same. A thing she could do? Well he couldnt really argue with that. They reached his apartment and luckily there was an elevator in the building. He unlocked the door and opened it before pulling her in. He had a decent sized apartment with multiple rooms. He took her into the kitchen and sat her down by the small dinnertable. "Just sit tight. Do you need a drink? Something to eat?" he asked as he himself needed a glass of water. He would bring whatever she wanted or just sit down if she wanted nothing at all. He drew in a deep breath. "What was that thing in the train?" he asked now that they were alone.

Getting in to his apartment she felt a little weird about it. Maybe because she always wondered what kind of person he had grown to be. But she was muzzled, so there wasn't much she could really do. He sat her down, and she looked around as he asked if she needed something, "a cup of tea would be nice," not that she liked tea, but she liked the warmness of it. Even her drinking water she hated cold. As they waited for the kettle to cook, she just tried keeping her eyes open. Part of her just wanted to shift in to her hound form. Mostly because pain was more tolerable that way. But that was not an option right now. His question didn't surprise her, and she hummed, thinking of the best way to describe it. "Well, I do hope you're aware of what happened with that giant pillar a while back," she said, the kettle starting to whistle and as he poured her the warm water she placed her hands on the ceramic mug as she flipped through the small selection of teabags. Just something neutral, she thought, picking lemon tea as it was pretty standard. "Basically these creatures are corrupted ... Not quite themselves and are being controlled by someone," she knew it probably sounded crazy, but with everything going on this probably sounded rather normal.

A cup of tea? He put the kettle on and waited with the mug and selection while the water was warming up. She thought about the question and her answer made him shrug. "Aware as in knowing it happened, but not really the details of it. It didnt affect my life really." he shrugged. Maybe that made him an asshole but it was the truth. He placed down the cup with warm water. She explained the creation of the corrupted creatures but it just made him a little more confused. "Are people controlling them? How?" he asked with a weird expression on his face. How could they be controlled? Was it regular animals?

It hadn't affected his life. She bit her tongue. If only he knew. But his question made her frown, "well I don't know," she confessed, looking as the warm water got colored from the tealeaves. "Summoner daemons usually make a pact, sign away some of their soul or other in order to gain a kind of symbiotic relation with such a creature," maybe that was their answer, but she didn't really believe it to only be that. "But I don't believe that guy is a summoner," she shook her head no, "he didn't have the marks." Lifting her mug she pressed the edge to her lips taking a sip of the scolding water, but she barely seemed to bat an eye at the immense heat. In fact she looked more relaxed now. "All I know is that they carry an infection that are quite hurtful for anyone bitten," she pointed to her neck where a nasty dark rash had spread around where she was wrapped up. Breathing out in a small sigh, "I'll show symptoms for a few days, but it'll go away soon enough - I'm not immune, but the virus can't attack me for some reason." That was how she was going to explain it to him for now.

Summoner daemons? What did they have to do with this? And were they even real? He frowned at the thought. He hadnt seen a summoner before but had learned about them in school which felt like years ago now. The mention of the guy made him hum. "He looked like any regular guy. But he seemed very angry." he said, not forgetting the sense of danger that had radiated off the guy like wildfire.
She spoke of an infection and he did notice how she was just drinking scalding hot tea. He didnt comment on it. He was really clueless about it all wasnt he? "What symptoms?" he asked, taking a sip of his water while squeezing his shoulder a little and stretching it afterwards. He was sure his muscles would be sore in the morning. Carrying her hadnt been a problem but he wasnt really the type who worked out. So running with someone on his back and supporting her, that was going to make some sore muscles.

Yeah, he had seemed pretty angry, but she wasn't sure what that was about. She couldn't recognize him, and she hadn't even been able to understand what he was through his scent as all he smelled of was darkness and shadows. She was asked about the symptoms, "most people get a fever - I don't really have to worry about that - but I get a rather big rash and my joints will start to lock up on themselves," it was rather painful, but he didn't need to know every detail of it. The less he knew, the less he was obliged to help her further. Deep down she felt rather proud of him, how he had grown up from a trickster to a trickster with a big heart.
"It'll only last for a few days, sting like hell and then my body starts fixing itself, so there's really no need to worry," she said, taking a deep breath, "but I won't look too pretty during it ... My skin might start to look weird; But don't worry, I'll be gone so you won't have to look at it." No, the last thing she needed was for him to worry about her. She would be fine, actually having survived worse in her attempt to keep him safe.

"As I told you already, I don't like the doctors," how many times did she have to say it? She understood that he wanted to help her, but he had just done that by getting her out of the hospital. Emptying her cup of tea, she poured another glass, foregoing the tea bag and just drinking the warm water straight up. He left for a little while, and she could hear him stepping around the place. Leaning over the table she rested a little bit, her neck stinging like hell and the rash felt like it itched, although actually scratching it would just make it worse.
Freddy soon returned, and she sat up a bit, looking at the picture she was presented with, a slight smile on her lips as she reached forward to look at the kids smiling in to the camera. Some were missing teeth, some had scraped knees, but all of them seemed pretty happy. Her eyes went immediately to Freddy as a kid. Being around him back then was some of her fondest memories. He didn't remember her, she knew that, and it stung worse than the rash on her neck. "I wasn't allowed to come on picture day," she said, her smile fading a little. Back then she had been so excited. A picture with both her and Freddy on it would've made her life so much more joyful. But she had been told to fake sickness, and that picture was never taken. "Every year I couldn't go, even though I really wanted to," some evenings she had spent begging, hoping that she would be let there. Scoffing she touched the picture fondly. "See, my name is listed under not present," her name written beneath. Touching it lightly she thought maybe that was what the grown ups had tried to teach her. That she should always remain in the shadows, always be weary and never get too comfortable. "I don't think there's any pictures of me, at least not any that people wanted to save," pushing the picture back to him, she took a sip of her warm water, it having cooled by now, but it was still warmer than what a human could take heat wise.

Hunter knew that pictures would mean she could be memorable, but would one picture really have been that bad? At least now she probably looked more like a liar than an old classmate. Breathing out in a small sigh she leaned over the table again, resting her head on her arm as she felt quite tired.

Little Hunter was never far away when it came to Freddy. Or rather, she always kept an eye on him, never really playing with the other kids even if the adult supervisors tried to force her in to stupid games. She rarely spoke too, having a hard time figuring out her throat and how to make words sound normal. The day before she had had a tantrum at home, crying and screaming, wanting so badly to just be herself, be in her real form and let Freddy see her, convinced that he would recognize her. But of course it was denied. She was sitting in a sandbox, not even playing, just looking at Freddy from afar. It always felt like part of her was missing, but when she was at school, then she at least could be in the same vicinity as him.
Looking down she pushed a shovel with her feet, and as she looked up, Freddy was gone. She felt a little panicky. He was always within sight, and now he was gone! The little girl stood up, looking around confused, her eyes welling up as she looked everywhere for that blonde haired boy she cared so much about.

He moved away from the play area, because if he stayed then there would be a high chance that whatever kids face he was wearing would see him. And then there would be trouble. He waited till he was a bit away from everything, moving over to some trees before he rubbed the face off and brushed out his golden locks. "Phew." he sighed with a smile, moving on to start climbing the trees. At least then the adults wouldnt be able to put him back on the swing for his timeout. He looked out on the other children, holding himself stable on the big branch above the one he was sitting on.

Hunter looked around. Where had he gone? He was on the swings just a second ago! Rubbing her eyes, her tears evaporated on her skin as she was warm enough for it to just vanish on impact. She moved out of the sandbox, looking around before she decided that this was one of the times where she was allowed to use her abilities. Closing her eyes, focusing on the smell she soon enough found his trail. Following it, it didn't take long until she reached the tree. Opening her eyes, they were glowing a little as she shook off her focus to get her eyes back to normal. Looking up she saw a couple of feet dangling, knowing it was him by the shoes he was wearing.
Moving around, she hid behind another tree, knowing she wasn't supposed to be this close to him, but she couldn't help herself. "Hi," she said, her voice timid and shy as she hid behind the tree, her wild dark blonde hair poking out from the side of her hiding spot.

He was far too busy looking ahead to have noticed anyone getting closer. And he had no fear of being caught when he was up here. He could just tell them that he wouldnt come down! What then could they do? He heard a girl's voice, looking down to see her head or rather hair poke out from the trees. "Hello?" he greeted her, a little confused as to why she was hiding, especially since she was the one who was talking to him to begin with. "What are you doing?"

Hearing him actually talk to her filled her with glee, being a bit excited to hear his voice actually talking to her. She knew she would get a scolding if it was found out, but she couldn't help it. And it wouldn't be polite to just fade in to obscurity once more. "Same as you: Hiding," the grin could be heard in her still shy voice. She touched the bark of the tree, feeling the rough texture beneath her warm fingertips. "I'm very good at hiding," she added, almost sounding a little proud.

"Why?" he asked, tilting his head a little, before he tried to lean to get a glance of her. But then he realized that there might be a reason. "Are you in trouble?" he asked, because he sure was. Well, for now he was fine but eventually someone would notice that he wasnt on the swing anymore. He looked at her hair, seeing that he probably wouldnt get to see who she was. "I'm only hiding because they wont let me move off the swing."

"No," she chuckled, but she would be. But her biggest interest wasn't to worry him, quite the opposite, she wanted him as happy as could be. He made her so happy, she could feel it in her fingers, wanting to jump forward and show herself. Wishing so badly that she could just ignore the orders she had been given. He mentioned the swings and she hummed, still touching the bark, resting her forehead to it. "I heard you dumped sand on one of the teachers," that wouldn't be anything new. The playground was always circulating with the newest prank or thing that Freddy had done. She liked hearing about him. He sounded like a fun guy to be around. "I think that's pretty funny," she giggled. It wasn't often she giggled, in fact she couldn't recall ever doing so, but it made sense when he was the one bringing her joy.

She wasnt in trouble? Well that was good. He looked on ahead, seeing the teachers moving around as if they were looking for someone; Obviously him. He giggled at the sight. Then he hummed, realizing she had said what he did. It was funny how the word spread so fast. Her comment made him scoff. "Really? The teahcers dont agree." he said, before he looked down towards her again. "Who are you hiding from?" he asked, because now he was a little curious. And why didnt she let him see her?

She could hear pretty well what was going on a few feet away, but they weren't coming closer. He sounded really nice. She was so happy that she got to be his hellhound. But would she really have been able to dislike him even if she wanted to? Too big of a question for a kid her size. He asked who she was hiding from and her smile faded. She was hiding from him. Of course she knew it was her duty, but it was so hard when all she really wanted to do was rush up to him and tell him how happy she was to be just slightly connected to him. "I'll tell you some day," she promised him, her voice genuine, but it was clear she either wouldn't or couldn't talk about it any more. She could hear kids yelling, distracting the teacher for a little while and she knew she wouldn't have much time before he found them. "I have to go now ... Thank you for talking to me," she said, feeling so sad in her chest that she had to go, but she couldn't risk the teacher spotting both of them.