Claire

One quick stop by her dorm room later, Claire and Ryu were ready to head to the cafeteria. Claire had exchanged the borrowed t-shirt for a teal cable knit sweater and found a jacket for Ryu. It swamped him, somehow making him seem even smaller. He wasn't that much shorter or thinner than her, but a couple inches apparently made a huge difference to her protective instincts. Go figure.

Being in the dorm room did bring up one problem Claire wasn't sure how to address: where was Ryu going to stay? She didn't have a roommate, so that wasn't a problem but her single dorm was tiny and had only one bed. Also, she was fairly certain someone would notice an underage boy living with her after a while. She didn't mention the issue to Ryu right then, though, because she worried he'd take it as a rejection when really it was just a matter of logistics.

She could see if Jacob and Josh were okay with him staying with them. Would he be okay with that? Or, if he had to stay nearby, she and Dare could maybe trade out letting him stay over, which would lower the chances of being caught. For that plan to work, though, she had to get Dare on board.

That solution would only work for so long. She'd have to mull it over for a while. First things first, get lunch and explain everything to Dare. Then she had to get to her afternoon classes. She'd have to figure out what to do with Ryu for that, too. They needed a cover story. Could she pass him off as a relative? A cousin maybe?

Dare was sitting in his favorite table in the cafeteria, in the far corner where he could watch everyone and draw without anyone coming up behind him. Claire waved and led Ryu over to the table, sitting in the booth across from him. Ryu squeezed in next to her, looking around curiously.

“Who's the runt?” Dare asked.

“Dare, this is Ryu. Ryu, my friend Dare. I've known him since we were both about five.”

Ryu nodded deeply enough it was almost a bow. “It is good to meet you.”

“Uh, sure,” Dare said. He looked at Claire. “Okay. Who is this guy, really? What's going on?”

“It's kind of a long, complicated story,” Claire said.

“Okay.” Dare stood up. “I'll grab us some lunch, then. It's easier to talk while we're eating. You like soup and sandwiches, kid?”

“I'm not... I prefer to be called Ryu, not kid.” Ryu looked down. “Please.”

“I think it's a thing,” Claire said, waving her hand vaguely. “Bad associations?”

“Oh.” Dare blinked. “Sorry.”

“You had no way to know,” Ryu said. “I have no aversion to 'runt' or any other appellation. Just not kid.”

“Got it.” Dare gave Claire her 'great, another stray' look, which was patently unfair. She did not pick up strays all that often. She just, occasionally, made sure that the lonely kids and the bullied ones had someone to sit with. It hadn't come up that much at college though. Just once or twice.

“So, um.” Claire glanced at Ryu. “Are you okay with me telling him the truth? I mean all it?”

Ryu looked uncertain. “He's unlikely to believe you.”

“He's my best friend.”

Ryu looked away. “I have no objection but... please. Tell only those you feel must know.”

“I kind of have half my classes with him, and we eat lunch together every day. He's gonna notice you hanging around, and he'll have questions.”

Ryu nodded. “It makes sense he should know, then.” He sighed. “Anyone else?”

“I'd say no, not if it bothers you, but, um.” Claire glanced around quickly. “Yeah, one more person. Dare has a girlfriend; she's awesome and will believe your story. Probably more than I do. I'd have waited to tell them both at once but she's at some big family event and won't be home until tomorrow. Her name's Natalie. She's likely the sweetest person you'll ever meet.”

Ryu crossed his arms over his chest. “I suppose if you must. Your friends will wonder who I am and why I am with you. But. It is not generally a good idea for people to know about me. Most mages don't tell anyone but their closest family, if even them, about their familiar.”

“Oh. Um. Okay. Just Dare, and Nat, and the guys because they, um, already know.”

“Fair enough,” Ryu acknowledged. He paused. “Why did you take me to Josh and Jacob, if Dare is your closest friend?”

“He lives in a dorm, too. On the fourth floor. So, um, yeah. Our other options were third floor, fourth floor, and out of town. The twins were the best bet. Also, they have power tools.”

“Ah," Ryu nodded.

Dare returned about then. He put down a tray with three bowls of soup and a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches. He passed the soup around and left the sandwiches in the center. Claire snatched one to dip in her tomato soup.

“It's cold as balls out, so I figured we'd all want comfort food,” Dare explained.

“Thanks,” Claire said.

Ryu glanced down at the soup for a moment and apparently determined he could manage a sip or two. Claire worried about his eating, or rather not eating. Did he really believe he didn't need food to survive?

“Funny, I'm already hungry, and I ate not that long ago,” Claire muttered. She took a bite of her sandwich.

“That's to be expected,” Ryu said.

Probably because of the magic energy feeding thing he'd mentioned. She needed to ask him about that. Was there something she should be doing? Or was proximity enough? His masters in the past must have done something to convince him they were providing for him. Should she do the same? Or work on convincing him to eat real food? She supposed it depended on whether she believed his story. Almost certainly she didn't. But.

Always that little bit of doubt.

He'd sounded so, so certain. And, well. He had healed from potentially lethal injuries overnight. That couldn't be ignored, or easily explained away.

But his story was so unreal.

“So. Who's this? What's going on?” Dare asked.

“Well. Um. Remember that storm last night?” Claire figured that was the best place to start.

“Yeah, wild. It came up out of nowhere. I thought the windows of the dorm were gonna crack.” Dare frowned. “You said you got caught out in that? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. It's, uh. I was caught out driving, so I pulled over because visibility was basically six inches in front of my windshield. And. Um. That's where I found him.”

Dare looked at Ryu, brows drawing down. “What? Like, in a gas station or a store?”

“No, out in the storm. He, well, he says he jumped out of a car. His injuries sure matched that story, so yeah.”

“Jumped. Out of a car. A moving car?”

“Yes,” Ryu said. “It was necessary.”

“Why?!” Dare squeaked.

“I did not want to go where the car was going,” Ryu answered.

“There are better ways, man!” Dare said. “What, were you being kidnapped or something?”

Ryu shook his head. “Not as such. Perhaps Claire should continue to explain.”

“Sure,” Dare looked back at her.

Well, she had to tell the whole thing now.

“Okay. So. I found him, on the shoulder of the road where I stopped. He was... hurt. Not just because of the jumping out of a moving car thing, either. Like. Really, really injured.”

Ryu dropped his eyes to the table. Claire winced. There wasn't a gentle way to tell this story, and doing it right next to him felt wrong, somehow. But. She needed him to corroborate what she said.

“Injured like an accident, or injured like... beaten?” Dare asked, eyes narrowing.

He was quick on the uptake, her friend.

“Abused.” Claire sighed. “I noted bruises, contact burns, lacerations... his back... someone took a knife to it, maybe a whip or a flail... I was too busy trying to manage the bleeding to really catalog anything.”

“I'm gonna assume you didn't get photos for evidence, either?” Dare asked, voice soft.

“No.” Claire winced. “I should have I just...”

“Hey, it's fine. We'll handle that later.” Dare looked at Ryu. “We won't let whoever hurt you get away with it.”

Should've figured the second it came out Ryu'd been abused Dare would jump to his side. He was good like that.

“Yeah, we, uh can't. Handle it later.” Claire sighed. “Okay. So. Found him in the storm. I tried to take him to the hospital and he tried to repeat the jumping into traffic strategy. Because. Um. Yeah.”

“Thought the hospital would send you back?” Dare guessed.

“Yes,” Ryu confirmed.

“Okay. So you took him to the guys,” Dare said, “I get this. Why can't we do the pictures and call your mom? I mean, dealing with child abuse is kind of her entire career?”

“Because... Ryu... says he's not human. And. He might not be.” Claire reached out and took Ryu's hand, pausing to make sure he was okay with the movement. He gave a slight nod, and she tugged the sleeve back, revealing the still fresh scar on top, and bottom, of his wrist.

“There were manacles, around both wrists. And. They had these... metal bars. Through his wrists, between the wrist bones. We. Uh, the guys, really. Cut the manacles off and I honestly thought he'd bleed out right there. But.” Claire shrugged. “I got him patched up and we all just kind of went to bed. I hoped I'd be able to get him help this morning, you know? But. When we woke up. He was, well. Healed. Mostly. I mean, you can see some traces of bruising, but. This.”

She pointed to the scar, careful not to touch.

“Claire, that wound's been healing at least a week. Two, maybe. Not one day," Dare said.

“More like eight hours,” Claire corrected. “And I swear. I put the bandages on him myself. I watched the guys cut and pull the bar out of his wrists. No tricks. No way to fake that.”

Dare sat back, soup forgotten. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure," Claire said.

“What about the rest of his injuries?” Dare asked.

“Same story," Claire answered. "I did the bandaging myself. Saw them under good lighting. It was real. And it was last night.”

“Whoa.” Dare looked at Ryu. “So. If you're not human. What are you?”

“I am a familiar. Claire's familiar, now. She has agreed to accept my service on a substitute basis until I can find someone in need of a familiar's service.”

“A what in the where now?” Dare tilted his head. “Familiar? Like... black cats and witches? Like Graymalkin from Macbeth?”

Ryu blinked and nodded. “Similar, yes. Although you'll note I am not a feline. Graymalkin was one of our more famous brethren.” He smiled. “I'm glad her name is still known, even if most think her only fiction.”

Dare shook his head. “You realize how insane this sounds, right?” he asked them both.

Claire nodded. “Yeah. But. You have another explanation?”

“He's an escaped mental patient with superpowers.” Dare suggested. “He's running from, say, whatever lab made him.”

That would match the fear of hospitals. But.

“That's just as unbelievable as his story. We don't have that kind of technology,” Claire said.

“I'm just saying. He could be lying," Dare said, "He could believe he's telling the truth, and this is all a self-referential delusion.”

“Or he's telling the truth. Or. I don't know. But regardless he needs help.” Claire said.

Dare nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you couldn't leave a kid... I'm sorry, you couldn't leave anyone on the side of the road in a storm, bleeding to death. And now that he's around, you figure you should keep him around until you're sure he's safe and happy.”

“Well. Yeah. Someone has to. Why not me?” Claire shrugged.

Dare looked at Ryu. “Just so you know? Yeah. She's really like this.”

“I... did find it hard to accept,” Ryu admitted.

Were people really that crappy to him? That simple human decency was unbelievable?

Well, probably yeah.

Dare sighed. “Alright. I think you're nuts, and probably he is too. But I can't talk you out of it, can I?”

Claire shook her head. She'd already promised.

“Didn't think so," Dare muttered, and then his voice strengthened. "Fine. What do you need from me?”

“I'm not sure, yet, I just wanted you in the loop,” Claire explained.

“Thanks for that.” Dare glanced at the clock on the wall. “You have class in like ten minutes. I'm free for the rest of the day. How about I keep an eye on our magic super soldier or whatever he is until you're done with school for the day?”

“Are you sure?” Claire hesitated.

“It's fine. Right, Ryu?" Dare asked.

“I...” Ryu looked from him to Claire, and back. “Why? I thought you didn't believe me.”

“I believe someone hurt you, and they'll have to go through me to get you. The rest of it doesn't really matter right now," Dare insisted.

“Ah.” The sound Ryu made was choked.

“Are you okay with this?” Claire asked.

Dare was a complete stranger to Ryu, after all. He looked uncertain. For a moment she thought he'd refuse.

“I did promise not to be a burden, more than I can help,” he said.

“That's not... you're not...” Claire choked out.

“I don't mind. I should know my master's friends." Ryu's voice was faint, like he was talking to himself not them.

“Your what?” Dare squeaked.

Claire decided she'd just let Ryu handle that question.

“Thanks, Dare. I'll see you guys in a couple hours, got to grab my books bye!”

And she ran out of there like her sweater was on fire. She was allowed one little act of cowardice. Besides. Ryu was the one who insisted on using that word. He could explain it.