Attor had spent the day at the local library, pointlessly grabbing any books out as they were all in a language he only understood the bare basics of communication in. A trick Wyvern had shown him years ago came in handy though—setting a computer’s language to English meant he could surf the web until his satisfaction was granted. There was something about the blonde woman from the window that made his skin prickle. The way she looked at him wasn’t normal. It was like she saw more, more than the normal, large human male he represented as. Attor had planned for an hour of research, and then he would go back to the Nest.
Eight hours later he emerged to the darkened sky above him and the heavy commuter traffic all around him. Tokyo was a bustling metropolis. He wasn’t one for large crowds and had planned to be gone before the after-work human tidal surge, seeking the comforts of a home cooked meal and a soft bed after a long day’s work.
Feeling a weird pull, he looked up, and across the street he caught a glimpse of a familiar messy bun he’d seen that very morning. Looking left and right, he took his life into his own hands, dodging and weaving through the traffic. He was honked and sworn at as he moved with the elegance of an elephant, bumping into bonnets and standing on tow bars as he climbed up and over. Attor kept his eyes on the bun as it continued moving quickly away from him.
“Taryn?” he called out over the sounds of a peak time city crush. With her head tucked down, she kept moving as fast as the crowd would let her.
“Taryn,” he called out a little louder this time but was left with the same lack of response. Deciding to catch up with her, he quickened his steps and drove his massive frame through the sea of people. They usually saw his determined look, and wall of muscle coming and moved all by themselves.
Attor was close enough to see it was, in fact, Taryn, and she had earphones tucked in. He nodded to himself. At least I wasn’t being ignored. She was just listening to tunes. I totally get that, he said to himself as he saw a spot in the crowd open up behind her. Attor stepped in and stood directly behind her. The smell of her shampoo floated up and nearly brought him to his knees right there and then as it caressed his nose and caused a mini-meltdown in the Neanderthal section of his brain.
Attor took a breath and reached out his hand, placing the full weight of his palm on her shoulder. In hindsight, this was a mistake of a cataclysmic proportion. In the time span of three seconds, Taryn placed her hand on his, grabbing it tight as she spun toward him, pulling his arm, causing him to take a step forward. Attor’s eyebrows lifted at the same time as her knee impacted in a fight or flight blow to his balls, and caused the air to shoot from his lungs faster than a missile launch. Attor’s body went rigid as his knees bent in, his hands immediately dropping to cup the area which was now silently screaming in agony. His face was frozen with pain, his mouth slightly ajar and his eyes glazed over.
“Attor?” Taryn looked up at the attacker she’d just junk-punched. Her father had taught her to fight dirty, and unfortunately being as pin-up beautiful as she was, there had been many times it had saved her from a situation which could have cost her, her life.
There was no movement from the large male that was frozen in a state of pain. The crowd started to move around her as it surged for the trains. Taryn didn’t know what to do, but she couldn’t leave him to fend for himself when he obviously couldn’t move, and she had done that to him. A small whimper bubbled from Attor’s lips as his eyes refocused on her.
“Attor?” she repeated softly as she stepped closer to him. She placed her hands on his arms and helped maintain his upright stance. She knew if he tipped over, she wouldn’t have a hope in Hades of holding him up. But still, it gave her some sense of control if she could at least give the impression of holding him. “I got you. It’s okay…”
He was hunched over, bringing his eyes to almost to her level. She looked straight into his soul as her words floated to him, “Breathe… just breathe it out.”
A short, sharp intake of air gave Attor the chance to speak, “Why?” The word was barely a whisper.
Taryn grimaced. “I’m so sorry. But shit, man…” She shrugged. A smirk on her face appeared that at least he was returning to the present time. “You just don’t go sneaking up on a woman and grabbing her.” A tiny laugh escaped. “Not all girls are brought up defenseless.”
Attor’s breathing began to return, short pants, but at least they were more frequent. “Sit, now,” he panted.
Taryn snorted a laugh. He flashed her an accusatory look at her weird sense of humor. Shrugging she said, “Sorry, just nice to know that no matter how big the opponent, I can still drop them.”
Attor snorted. “Nice… yeah…” He tried to straighten his back, and he mumbled, “Real fucking nice.” Looking around for somewhere to sit.
She spied a bench by a brick wall of a building, tucking her arm under him, she turned him gently, coming face to face with a group of men. Their faces showed they had no intention of moving. They were blank with a sole purpose of going home on their minds.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Taryn shouted. A group of eyes flicked up to see where the loud screech had come from. “I just kneed this man’s balls so hard he’s wearing them as earrings, and he needs to sit. So, move it, or your nuts are next!”
The surrounding men’s eyes went wide as they flicked between the small female with the loud mouth, and the large man still cupping his balls and sporting a look of profound pain. They parted like the legs of a cheap hooker on Freebie Friday, and gave the two of them an easy walk to the empty bench.
Attor exhaled as he sat heavily on the cold steel of the bench. He leaned forward, his arms crossed and elbows rested on his knees. In and out, he said to himself. In and out. Dropping his head, his eyes closed as he tried to regain communication with lil’T and his two-bed buddies.
“I’m really sorry, Attor,” Taryn’s voice came to him as she gave his arm a small nudge.
He’d forgotten momentarily she was there, concentrating completely on his own existence. He lifted his head, turning it slightly, finding his face only an inch away from hers. Attor groaned as his breath hitched, her scent made lil’T jump against the pain in his pants. “It’s okay, it was my fault,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Next time, give a girl some warning. Like I don’t know…” she suggested. “Call her name?”
Attor swallowed a laugh. “Yeah, helps when the girl in question isn’t wearing these.” Lifting his hand, he flicked the earbud that was hanging near her knee. He leaned back and stretched his arms up above his head. Taking a large full breath as his body started to regain normalcy enough to become mobile again.
“Oh…” Her smile flushed a red glow into her cheeks. “Dang, sorry.”
Giving his legs a small bounce, Attor could feel that he was indeed able to move again. He looked at the incredibly beautiful ball-breaker who sat beside him and said playfully, “Guess you owe me dinner now?”
“Drop me your address, and I’ll send you a pizza.” Reaching into her bag, she grabbed a notebook and pen. Looking back up at his expectantly she said, “Pepperoni man?”
“A pizza?” His look of shock was emphasized by his hand grabbing his chest in mock horror. “That’s it? You try and rearrange my manhood, and that’s all you think I deserve,” he added with a pout. “Noting I am… a completely innocent victim here. All I get is a pizza delivered by some pimply teenage boy on a pushbike?”
Taryn laughed at his dramatic performance. “Seems suitable to me. It’s not like I did a hit and run,” she added. “I stayed and cared for the ‘innocent’ victim.” She used her hands to place air quotations around the word. “I feel I’ve acted with an expected degree of public culpability. If you should need further assistance…” pulling out her cell, she looked up with a cheeky grin, “… I can phone for an ambulance.”
“Awe, no need for that. A simple dinner will be enough.” He saw her shaking her head, so he added quickly, “A drink? Coffee on the go? Let me walk you home?”
Taryn smiled as she stood up. “Okay, I think you’re fine, so I’m going to head home. Sorry again for the… um… accident.” Placing her notebook and cell back in her bag, she turned to leave. The streets were far quieter after having sat there for nearly an hour, waiting for Attor to feel okay again. At least I won’t have to fight for a seat on the train, she thought to herself.
Attor couldn't let her go. “A date?” he spurted out. She stopped and looked back at him. “Can I ask you out on a date? My shout. You don’t have to pay for anything.”
Taryn paused for a beat then shook her head. “I don’t date.”
“Not at all?” he asked.
Her head shook side to side slowly. “Not at all. No exceptions.”
“But, surely—”
She held her hand up to stop him. “Look, I don’t mean to sound like a total bitch here, but I don’t date. It isn’t personal. I mean…” she gave a little flourish toward his physical appearance, “… you are a very attractive man.” Seeing his smile as he heard her say he was attractive, she shook her head. “Trust me, my ‘not dating’ is for your own safety.” Taryn shrugged. “There’s nothing you can do or say to make me date you.” Having said her piece, she turned and walked off without waiting for any reply. The last man she’d dated ended up floating in a pool of his own blood. She wasn’t about to repeat that no matter how good he smelled. Taryn knew she was dangerous, and anyone around her was also in danger. She wouldn’t, no couldn’t, be the cause of any more deaths.
Attor watched her go, and he found his head swinging slightly in time with the gentle sway of her hips. ‘There’s nothing you can do to make me date you.’ Her words floated through his mind, and a grin crept across his face. “I accept the challenge.”
Attor’s cell pinged, so he pulled it out of his pocket and he read the text.
All DRNS 2 NEST. CODE 2
“Fuck,” Attor said. “Code 2?” He jumped up a little faster than his manhood was ready for. He grimaced and a moan escaped his lips, but he held it together and made the quickest path to the ocean. He knew with his partial change it would help the healing of his injury quicker, enabling him to travel fast to the Nest. ‘Code 2’ meant someone’s life was in the balance.
Diving into the water, Attor released his beast and fed off the burn. Within a split second his wings were released, and he vanished from the shoreline. His only hope was whoever’s life was on the line, it wasn’t a direct result of his female shaped distraction.