#eatsouls

<3 looks around

the late winter chill is frigid against the joints of amber's hands and they're tinged a brutal red, the same shade that's creeping onto her nose. amber's fingers had long become numb at this point, but they remained steady upon the shutter button of her camera.

there was hope that something interesting would be caught, but as the afternoon slipped away into the evening and the sun retreated beyond the horizon, the only thing amber would be catching is a well - earned cold.

a sigh slips through chapped lips & chittering teeth when the unexpected voice comes, and it's startling enough to make amber whip around wide - eyed. the first thing she notices is how tall the stranger is, and though it's slightly intimidating, she doesn't cower by that mere fact.

amber spends a few more moments taking in the stranger's features, memorizing them. " thanks for the tip, " she nods, angling her body away slightly. " but i've been out here a hundred times and survived every time. "

there's an acute awareness of the wooded environment, how they're a good sprint away from anybody else, and the choice of greeting. together, these facts charge the air with unease. there is a soft click when amber flicks the flash button on her camera with attempted subtlety. she continues trying to play it cool.

if this person is strange, at least she can attempt to blind him momentarily with the light. " what brings you out here, aren't you afraid of being out here by yourself? "

blood, blood, gallons of the stuff starters, selectively accepting.

" then whose is it ? " eyes narrow at the blond, arms crossing over his chest. stefan can't tell what leo's thinking, while he can feel what he's feeling ... knowing what he's thinking is a totally different aspect. " leo, what did you do ? " he pauses & then, " or who did you kill ? is that what i should be asking you instead ? " arms drop to his sides, though concern is still pulled on his features. what would he even do with a proper answer ? what would even be considered one at this point ? he waits, wondering if the other male is going to ( attempt to ) lie to him or come right out with it.

Edwin Payne blinked, taken aback by the comment. It wasn’t often someone addressed him like that & even less often with such an air of confidence, as though they already knew everything there was to know about him. He shifted slightly, smoothing the hem of his coat, trying to buy himself a moment to think.

“ Have I, now? ” Edwin said, his voice tinged with an awkward sort of politeness. His brow furrowed, the words turning over in his mind. It wasn’t exactly a compliment, was it? Not the way the man said it — too sharp around the edges, too knowing. He tilted his head, studying him carefully. There was something unnerving about him, something that set him apart even before he’d spoken. “ I suppose that depends on who you’ve been talking to, ” Edwin added cautiously. “ Reputations tend to change depending on who’s doing the remembering. Not always flattering, if you catch my meaning. ”

His fingers brushed over the worn material of his lapel & he glanced off to the side as if weighing his own words. “ If it’s the detective work you’ve heard about, then I’d like to think it’s the good sort of reputation. Helping those who can’t quite rest, solving a mystery here & there — it’s not glamorous, mind you, but it’s . . . something. Something that matters, at least to the people we’ve helped. ” He paused, thoughtful, his voice growing softer. “ Though, I suppose there are those who’d say it’s not my place to meddle. That a ghost should stay in the past where he belongs. Maybe they’re right. But you’d be surprised how many people don’t want to be left alone with their unfinished business. ”