spoilered mainly for length, but also some brief mentions of stabbing, fighting, and stuff i guess. nothing detailed though
It was mighty suspicious. Caelestis couldn't help but think such a thought as he noticed some very shady looking folks lead someone into a similarly shady building. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea, but it surely wasn't something he would simply ignore either, and he cautiously followed a short ways after them.
The first room after opening the door—which surprisingly hadn't been locked—was fortunately empty, as were the other rooms on the floor. The final door he opened appeared to lead down into what could only supposedly be a rather eerie basement. With one quiet step after another, Caelestis ventured down the rough concrete stairs, forming a dagger for each hand all the while. To not expect a fight at this point would be foolish, after all.
Once finishing the descent, he was met with a dimly lit, spacious room. Several of the men he had caught a glimpse of earlier were gathered around, quietly debating something he couldn't quite hear. Something about an experiment, and a sacrifice? No matter, as he snuck behind one of them, still unknowing of his presence and conveniently facing away, and the man soon fell from a swift stab to the heart, with chaos then ensuing. Caelestis wasted no time moving on to the nearest enemy, but this type of situation truly wasn't the most ideal and he internally lamented just what he'd gotten himself into.
When the farthest goon took out a gun—frustratingly difficult to dodge and far too easily fatal—Caelestis could barely let out a sigh amidst the slashing, kicking, and dodging, wondering whether he would even manage to make it through this. He hadn't been in this world for long enough to develop much defense at all, and his body was currently just about as, if not less durable than the average human body. It was then that the captive he had been attempting to save leapt into action, lunging at the armed man and knocking him into the floor with a thud, the gun skittering out of his hands. Relief seeped throughout Caelestis, and he made note to thank her later, having nearly forgotten about her presence entirely amidst the action. After making her first move, Andrea continued helping with the fight wherever she could, biting and clawing at anyone who met her way.
Once the enemies were thoroughly dealt with—a bit of a bloody scene, but nothing overly gruesome fortunately—Caelestis turned to Andrea, still attempting to catch his breath, but speaking nonetheless. "Are you alright? I have little clue as to what they were planning, but I do assume it mustn't have been anything good." Now that things had calmed down, he was finally able to get a good look at her. An animal hybrid of sorts, it seemed. Perhaps there was a relation as to why those men were after her, or perhaps there wasn't. He supposed he would never know for sure. "You certainly saved me there, by the way," he commented. "You have my thanks. And, I do think it would likely be best to leave now." Reinforcements were always a possibility to consider, and this wasn't the most pleasant place regardless.
This was… a bit embarrassing.
Caelestis sighed in defeat as he sat in what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. It was dimly lit, and judging from the many idle but alert murmurs of those outside, well-guarded as well. Now, this sort of situation would not typically be difficult at all to get out of, had his arms and legs not both have been thoroughly tied up and—as he attempted with naught to move his fingers—temporarily paralyzed as well, it seemed. His limbs certainly were, at least. Fantastic. But very thorough, he couldn't help but applaud.
It wasn't exactly surprising that he had pranced right into a trap, but he hadn't expected such a careful setup, leaving so little room at all for any potential escape. Although, considering how he had raided one of their main bases and managed to stealthily annihilate nearly everyone in it single-handedly, it was fairly reasonable that they likely held quite a grudge against him at this point, and weren't going to underestimate him either. However unfortunately…
Despite the severity of the situation, it wasn't the first time at all he had found himself wound up in such a predicament, so even though they very unlikely had any remotely pleasant plans for him, Caelestis simply sat and waited, pondering what he could possibly do. There were murmurs outside of waiting for someone to arrive, seemingly of high position, to deal with him, but as there was little he could do about it, he simply waited with subtle curiosity. Sitting on the cold floor, with his back against a similarly cold wall, and nothing to keep his mind or body entertained aside from his own thoughts, it was becoming increasingly difficult to resist falling asleep, however foolish of a thing it would be. As he continually began dozing off, only to desperately snap himself back awake at the last moment, transitioning back and forth between the two states for who knows how long, he did find himself hoping for a bit of help. Oh, indeed, that would be nice. He wasn't quite done in this world, after all.
(wow,, that was awesome ok shkfshjkhs)
At the sudden unusual noises outside and resulting reaction of the guards inside, Caelestis was finally wide awake. As several of them left the building as a result, he began listening intently for any clue as to what might have been going on outside. A savior, he could only assume? Whether intentionally or not, it was a relief nonetheless. When it was Wraith that soon entered the building, Caelestis was able to catch a vague glimpse of him from his position, and he had to hold back the urge to react too noticeably, feeling touched that the shifter had gone out of his way to help him. Although again, it could all just have been a convenient coincidence, he reminded himself—but somehow he had a feeling it wasn't.
As the guards were efficiently taken down one after another, he couldn't help feeling very impressed. He'd figured Wraith likely held some extent of skill in such a regard with how carefully and cautiously he carried himself, but hadn't quite expected to this extent. It was very similar to Caelestis' own preferred technique, and that only furthered his appreciation for the man's skill. He always felt a sense of satisfaction in the process himself, and it seemed observing it brought forth a similar feeling. The one falling right before him was a bit startling though, and he flinched slightly as the body landed. Well, as much as he could, at least.
Eventually Wraith approached the final guard, and Caelestis perhaps enjoyed the expression on the shifter's face a bit too much. Threatening and intimidating, but all he could think about was how much of a pity it was he likely wouldn't be able to ever see it directed towards himself without somehow ruining their relationship entirely. Which he wouldn't want, having already grown far too attached to the man.
The release from the ropes was a relief, but didn't end up changing much in the end, with how he was still frustratingly immobile regardless. Fortunately, it was indeed only his limbs that were affected, and he could still at least vocalize his thoughts, even without many of the typical bodily mannerisms that would go along with it. With the limpness of his arms and his lack of movement even after being untied, it was fairly clear what Caelestis' body was conveying. "Oh, I can't move anyway… Some sort of paralysis drug I believe," he pointed out with a soft chuckle.
Soon, the final guard was dealt with, and Wraith then proceeded to haul Caelestis up into a... fireman's carry. Nothing truly odd about it, aside from the fact that it was not very romantic in the slightest. The all too romantic celestial had no choice but to reluctantly accept the fact as the shifter rushed away in this manner. As much as he wanted to begin chattering on with praise and heartfelt thanks, it didn't seem the best time to do so while Wraith was sprinting out of the area and weaving to and fro through the city.
Eventually, Wraith stopped at an abandoned building, and judging from the few contents within it, quite possibly his home. Caelestis felt it was a great pity if so, to live in such a glum place... As the other laid him down and sat down nearby to begin partially undressing, he felt tempted to make a few flirtatious comments, but held back when he figured it probably wasn't the most appropriate timing. The man was injured after all—as a result of helping him, nonetheless. Do try to have a bit of self-control, please. He mentally scolded himself.
The scars were unsurprising at this point, considering the appearance of Wraith's panther form, but it did feel a bit different seeing them in the current manner. "You were amazing there, by the way. A gallant rescue, if I have ever seen one," he finally said with a carefree smile, looking away in an attempt to show some consideration. He had a feeling they likely weren't the type of scars to feel proud of, after all. "I'd have been swooning, if I were able."
Now that his limbs were free and the excitement was over however, it turned out not being able to move regardless was… very annoying. A helplessness that he did not at all enjoy, and he could only attempt to entertain the urge by absentmindedly fiddling with his golden leaves in the shadows behind him. They could have potentially been of use before, but the rope was fairly clearly far too strong of a material for there to be much point in attempting to saw through with them. As of currently, there were merely two thin vines with leaves on each end tapping against each other as if in a pretend sword fight, or something of the like. A silly thing, but still mildly satisfying in a way.
"…Oh, I can handle temperatures fairly well." Caelestis replied when the other threw his coat over him as a makeshift blanket, looking towards it then to Wraith. "I wouldn't want you to be cold, especially after everything you've already done." He was already so greatly indebted to the man, it was becoming all the more uncertain as to how he could even go about repaying him. "But truly, I'm not certain what I would have done without you… I can only give my greatest thanks for now, but I will attempt to make it up to you somehow." He meant every bit of it, but even without the latest events, he would likely be fine going along with nearly anything Wraith were to ask of him.