HE NOTICED THE LOOKS. The same looks fellow investigators and ghouls would give him during their meetings and first encounters. Haise was good at hiding that something went unnoticed however, as socially awkward as he was, so his expression remained unchanged while he scanned the path ahead. He was dressed in the Reaper’s combat attire consisting of a black skintight shirt with an armored belly and open back, as well as a black version of the Arima Squad’s coat. It was form-fitting and yet it was enough to conceal his true size, since Kaneki’s body was so short and his features delicate.
UNARMED AND LOST, Haise made for the perfect prey for those who didn’t know any better. And considering the fact he was the only of his kind within Runeterra, he had some element of surprise to him. The creatures and humanoid species here, they were all either elegant or terrifying, more impressive than the Quinx had hoped himself to appear… yet it was another thing that played to his strength. Having not even a drop of magic seemed to have saved Reaper a couple times already, especially when anti-magic devices were at play, entrapping even the strongest of magical beings.
“..I’ve been trying to find a way back to Ionia.” He tried to smile, arching his brows again. Truth be told he didn’t quite remember what happened, only making up a semi-coherent timeline from what the others been talking about. Haise hated it when the others were hiding things, excluding him from whatever was happening at the time. “I barely even remember what happened… There were explosions and a lot of screams and then I was in Noxus. Now I’m lost here, trying to find someone who would agree to take me back. But! It doesn’t matter right now, let’s take care of things.”
WITH THAT BEING SAID, Haise approached Pyke cautiously, turning his back to him as one knee bent down on the damp wood. It still shocked him that this place didn’t collapse on itself yet, with how brittle rotten wood was known to be. He looked over his shoulder and gave Pyke a reassuring smile, urging him to get on. He almost gave up, until he saw movement behind him. Once Pyke got on top of him Haise stood up and supported his legs with his arms, lifting him up as though he was but a bag with some groceries.
“Alright!” He adjusted his grip on the larger man, turning his head to look at him. “Point me!”
Pyke somehow managed to remain steady enough on his feet and not wobble too much, a deep frown on his face as he took in more of Haise’s behavior and mannerisms. The kid was smiley, friendly – overly so – and very socially awkward. It was as clear as the sun in the sky that Haise was a foreigner unaccustomed to Bilgewater’s mores, where meeting a genuinely friendly face was rarer than the precious saphilite Pyke used to harvest directly from the maws of Jaull-fish. All anyone really wanted to do in Bilgewater is to fill their pockets or their belly by any means, usually illegal and sometimes even immoral ones, and most of everyone Pyke got to know in his life lied or stole or killed in order to survive. Those who didn’t were the victims. How Haise didn’t end up with a gun to his head or a knife in his gut was beyond Pyke’s understanding.
Eleanor’s hysterical laughter snapped Pyke back to reality, pulling him out of the restful haze he apparently slipped into without noticing while he was supposed to be listening to Haise speak. Her laugh was sharp and sudden, which startled Pyke and forced him to blink the glaze away from his eyes in order to refocus on the strange-smelling boy, confused about what it was Eleanor found so funny. When he saw that Haise was now kneeling down before him Pyke’s confusion only grew, until he realized that Haise was offering to carry him on his back.
How fucking laughable indeed.
The sight made Pyke groan in unconcealed distaste. He didn’t wish to get any closer to Haise than he already was, let alone touch him, and Eleanor’s cackling annoyed him. He could hear Linus too, quiet and meek as ever, trying to argue that Haise was only trying to help, that he was being nice, to which Mortimer responded by barking that Haise could still have ulterior motives despite his apparent kindness. Pyke, who was already extremely sleep deprived and absolutely fucking exhausted from listening to the specters bicker amongst themselves, decided to take Haise up on his offer after all just so he could finally move on with his life. Sighing heavily, Pyke got on Haise’s back, surprised by how the latter hoisted him up like he weighed nothing. He didn’t know where Haise’s strength came from, nor did he really care. He wrapped an arm around Haise’s shoulders for grip and with the other he pointed in a direction.
“Go there.” Pyke sighed again. “And do me a favor, try to remain unseen.”
In his mind, while Eleanor still laughed like a drain, Pyke did his best to piece together whatever bits and pieces of information he did manage to catch from Haise’s narrative. So he was just trying to get back home... But having no memory of how he ended up in Bilgewater to begin with reeked of bullshit. Pyke was no stranger to memory problems, however. Trouble recollecting things correctly, trouble recollecting things at all – so much of his memory was distorted and even more of it was simply lost to the seas that Pyke didn’t bother thinking about it too much since all that did was make his head hurt. What mattered was what existed in front of his face in the moment, nothing else. His marks, a bloody steak, a purse filled with gold Krakens, a shoddy bed. It didn’t matter what came before or after, usually. Pyke was a haunted man troubled by his past, but said past was so choppy and felt so distant that he figured dwelling on it would be a waste of his time. Most days.
After some time walking, Pyke broke the silence with a hum. He wasn’t getting comfortable but he was also not as tense anymore now that his body was allowed reprieve, making him go limp in Haise’s grip.
“If Ionia’s your destination, I know a ship that might be able to sail you there. Friend of mine’s part of its crew.” Pyke said.
Why was he trying to help Haise again? Must be the delirium...
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