[RP Log] You Got 2 Black Eyes From Loving Too Hard

Another few feet, and she would have made it. That was the thought that sprung into Casper's mind, at least, as the silver chain struck her leg, wrapping around it and yanking her back.

A pained yelp escaped her lips as she fell to the ground. Asphalt dug into her palms as she pushed herself up, quickly tucking a small artifact she had been holding into her jacket pocket. She was so, so grateful for the jeans that were negating some of the effects of the silver- it still hurt, as any chain would, but at least the searing burn was kept at bay while there was a cloth barrier.

"Let's make this simple... you have something that belongs to us, wolf." The woman behind the chain sneered, tugging on it and dragging Casper a few feet closer to danger, a few feet more away from the light of the outside world- from safety.

"Wait, you lost something? Have you tried hiring out a sniffer d-" Casper's remark was cut short as there was another, harder tug, causing her to cry out.

"We want it back," the woman hissed. Casper's face went pale as several others stepped out from behind the alley shadows. "Give it to us, and we might let you off easy."

Two of the individuals stepped forward, grabbing Casper and hoisting her up from the ground. To Casper's detriment, she kept talking. "Can't give you what I don't have."

The woman's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Search her."

As the third person came forward, Casper decided to act. Pretending to sneeze, she stomped as hard as she could onto one captor's foot, yanking the chain backwards in the process, then quickly elbowing the second. Thankfully, the woman hadn't been expecting any resistance after the other two stepped in, and for a brief, blissful moment, she found herself free.

And then she got punched in the face.

--

Don't do it, Deli. Don't do it. Don't- she did it. It was in her very nature to help, and the sound of a pained yelp wasn't one that could simply be ignored by the woman. So she followed the sound from her safe spot on the bus stop bench down a back alleyway. She paused when she didn't hear another sound, contemplating whether to continue searching, but then she heard the clanking of chains and decided it was best to keep looking.

When she rounded the corner what she saw was a blonde woman stumbling back, hand over her face after getting punched. It wasn't a fair fight. If it was, she might have minded her own business. But that wasn't the case. "HEY," she called out loudly, attracting the attention of the small gang. "You all need to back up and walk away now," she warned in a low, harsh voice. She continued to step forward until she was between Cas and the others, who had paused to take in the new scenario.

--

Casper stumbled backwards, growling in annoyance as she tried to ignore the searing pain on her face. Before either side could make a move, however, a forceful shout caught everyone's attention. Four sets of eyes snapped to the newcomer who, somehow, somewhen, had gotten in between her and her attackers. Although she'd never been so glad to see a complete stranger in her life, she wasn't about to let this girl get the shit kicked out of her for playing hero.

"You gotta get out of here," Casper stressed in a low voice, eyeing the now approaching enemy warily. She did not like the look on their faces. "This ain't your fight."

"Whoa, hold up, fellas, we better listen to her," the woman with the chain cackled, a chorus of laughter from the others following. "She means business." There was a glint in the one man's hand, and Casper saw a choice. Wait and see what happens, or take a chance.

Given the stranger in front of her, she took the chance.

Rushing forward, she pushed the girl out of the way and told her to run before going after the closest opponent. It wasn't like she could run away with the chain still loose around her foot, anyways. As he swung- why was it always at the face?- she ducked, sweeping him off of their feet and stomping on his arm. With a horrific screech, his hand flung open, revealing a knife. So that was the glint. Scowling in disgust, she dodged another attack from the woman with the chain and grabbed the knife from the first guy, chucking it further into the alley. She didn't know how to fight well with one, and she wasn't too keen on having her face carved up, either. She smirked in triumph as she saw it disappear into obscurity, but felt the air rush out of her lungs as suddenly, she was slammed into the pavement, someone's fist in her gut. Someone was hovering over her- she opened her eyes just in time to see another punch come at her. This one she managed to just barely redirect; instead of her face getting pummeled again, the fist just grazed her, hitting the pavement instead. A string of curses escaped her opponent's mouth as she wrapped her hand in their shirt, moved her head to the right, and brought them down as hard as she could.

--

"Oh come on!" Deli grunted as she stumbled to the side, falling on her ass. She hadn't expected to be thrown to the side like that, and she certainly wasn't happy about it. Before she even had time to pull herself up, someone had done it for her. She slid up the wall being pulled by the collar of her shirt, face now on even grounds with the knife wielder. One arm- the one that Cas had stomped on- hung limply at his side. His other, better hand was the one that had found its way to her shirt. As she tried to wiggle her way out of the grip, the limp arm moved. She hadn't expected this.

As his left hand released her shirt, his right landed an uppercut right on the bottom of her jaw, and her head flew back and hit the brick wall behind her. In a moment of pride, the man laughed, and Delia took her chance. She brought her knee up between his legs, and the man crumpled to the ground almost immediately. Del, seeing red now as her head pounded stomped on his face once, twice, three times and took a moment to gather a deep breath. One down.

She turned just in time to avoid a left hook from the woman who had now dropped the chain. As the other lost her balance, Deli kicked and swept the unsuspecting woman's legs right out from beneath her. Though it was only momentary, she was down, and Deli turned her focus to Cas, just in time to catch her slamming the other person's face into the pavement. So she grabbed their collar and hauled them off of Cas as quickly as she could, attacker still writhing in pain.

--

Just as Casper was about to get this goon off of her, the weight was lifted seemingly on its own. Following the movement, she figured out why- the girl from before decided to stick around instead of run like a sensible person, but... well, they were both alive, so that was a plus. She look around, seeing the aftermath that this stranger had left behind.

Begrudgingly, she had to say that she was impressed. But there was more important matters to attend to right now.

"Why didn't you- nevermind, can you help me get this chain off my leg? It's silver," she asked, trying to shake it off in vain. As she saw someone stir out of the corner of her eye, she added, "Quickly."

She didn't dare touch the chain on her own- she'd only come in contact with it a handful of times, but she remembered the terrible burning sensation of silver. For some reason, it was a tissue irritant to werewolves- and used correctly, could be lethal.

--

Delia knelt down to do just that, untangling the chain from around the other woman's leg as quickly as she could- had the woman tugged it so it sprained? Was anything broken? Her mouth pressed in a tight line as she threw the chain to the side and looked up at the other woman. Standing up again, she reached out a hand to pull Cas up. Before she had the chance to follow through, however, the downed chain-wielder grabbed a fistfull of Deli's hair and, now that she was unbalanced, took the opportunity to throw the freckled woman into the pavement.

--

Casper breathed out a sigh of relief as the chain was removed, finally, from her leg. Blessed freedom!

Her foot might have been sprained for all she knew, but if it was, the rush masked it for the time being. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and made everything feel so alive, so immediate, so-

Dangerous. Delia's hand was ripped out of her own as the woman with- well, without the chain now- came back with a vengeance. As she was thrown to the ground, Cas brought herself back up, a feral twinge in her gut as she felt her fangs and nails lengthen, her senses heighten. Quick as a whip, she slashed, scoring the woman clear across the face before kicking her back down. Immediately after, Cas knelt down next to Delia, a hand on her shoulder as she hoisted her back up on her feet. No way in hell were they lasting much longer- they had to leave, while they still had the strength to.

"Get up, get up," there was a clang behind her, and a voice screeched out "GET BACK HERE, YOU FUCKING THIEF!" And suddenly Cas shoved Delia forward and they were running, fast as their legs could carry them. "Go go go go-" Blood roared in Cas' ears, a drumming that matched her sprint step for step. Footsteps echoed behind them, suggesting they weren't out of the woods just yet.

--

Delia's head spun as she was pulled back up onto her feet, and she stumbled again as Cas shoved her forward. Her head had hit the pavement pretty hard, and she was still trying to get her bearings as she tried her best to run alongside the other woman, though she was starting to fall behind fast.

--

Luckily for Delia, she was running in front of Casper, not behind, and, whether Casper liked it or not, Delia was involved now; so like hell was Casper about to abandon her now. Grabbing the other woman's hand, she kept running, kept pushing, determination blazing in her eyes as she surveyed her surroundings. There were several other alleys to hide in, an abandoned building, a large crowd to their left, a Macy's.... and with that, a plan was brewing. Time to do what she did best; disappear.

Veering sharply to their left, Casper and Delia dove into the crowd, forcing their way through until they were about halfway before quickly matching the flow of traffic. She glanced behind her, seeing that their pursuers had seen what she'd done, but if she could just lose them....

As the goons started entering the crowd, Casper continued to push forward, keeping her grip on Delia's hand. All the while, she kept her eye on the abandoned building that crept nearer, and nearer... She leaned in towards Delia. "Stay in the crowd, I'll be right back," she whispered in Delia's ear, and with that, Casper was gone, moving quickly to the outskirts of the crowd and leaving Delia behind. She caught the man who had wielded the knife's eye and made a face at him, hoping to draw his attention. Judging by his expression and shouts she couldn't here, it had worked. Once she knew he was headed her way, she ducked into the abandoned building, slipping in between the boards that, honestly, didn't do all that great a job of keeping people out. As soon as she did, she veered to the right, finding the nearest window in the hopes that they'd charge through the door and the entrance she just came in, and popped back out. What happened next was a waiting game- creeping away from the house, she listened and waited for signs that they had entered. Voices filtered through the boards, and she listened intently.

"You sure you saw her come through here?" "Positive- we got her cornered." "You better be right." "I'm positive, I'm positive!"

Bingo. Three voices- and perfect timing, at that. The crowd was just making their way past. Quietly, Casper snuck back in, looking through the faces of the crowd. Curly, hair, freckles, curly hair, freckles, curly ha- aha! She made a beeline for the individual she thought was Delia, only to realize shortly after that the person didn't have freckles- hell, they didn't even look like her after Casper got a good look at them. The idea crossed her mind to just call out the woman's name, but she realized all too late that she didn't even know the woman's name. How was she going to find her in the crowd?

She pushed her way through anyways, scrutinizing every curly haired person who came her way. She kept moving, kept looking, had the girl even stayed? Was she still in the crowd? ...was this even the right crowd? She was about to give up and move on when, finally, she found a familiar splash of freckles, and moved towards her. It was her, thank god.

"Back. Miss me?" she asked jokingly, grabbing the girl's hand once more. They were still in trouble out here, after all. "Come on, this way." Once again, they weaved through the crowd, this time moving ahead with the group and making a beeline for the Macy's nearby. Instead of barging into it, however, she veered off down the alley next to it, making use of the fire escape. "Think those bozos will think to look on the rooftops?"

--

Delia tried to maintain her balance and composure as, sure enough, her head stopped spinning and everything seemed to be coming better into focus. She started searching for the other woman. Sure, she could just leave and go home, but.... something about that idea didn't quite sit right with her. The other woman may have seemed tough but she- what even was her name? Did she not catch it, or had her scrambled up head made her forget?

Either way, it didn't quite matter at the moment. "Back. Miss me?" rang through one ear as a hand took her own. She had never been more relieved to see anyone in her whole life- but she was mostly just glad that it wasn't one of their attackers. She kept up a lot better this time, though she didn't let go of the other's hand as they made their way for the alley. Once the fire escape was down, Delia popped ahead of Cas.

"Don't mind if I do," she said, making her way up the fire escape now. This way, if she fell, there was at least a chance of her getting caught. She wasn't quite sure she was ready for all of this physical exertion right now. As she reached the top of the roof she took a deep breath and sat herself down, propped up against a little brick structure that was clearly the top of the store's staircase. She shut her eyes momentarily, hoping the pounding in her head would give her a break.

--

She supposed that was a yes. Casper followed Delia up the fire escape, her gaze periodically drifting down below to make sure those three goons didn't show back up- but thankfully, it looked like they'd lost them. As her feet touched ground at the top, she took in the view, or what she could- her left eye was starting to swell up now, so her vision out of it wasn't quite as pristine as her right, and... okay, maybe her stomach had taken a beating too, and god what was that pain on her right leg? Now that the adrenaline kick was starting to fade, Casper was becoming all too aware of what hell she'd just been through. She imagined the other girl couldn't have been any better off- green eyes flickered over to Delia, and a small panic set in as she saw the girl with her eyes closed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, no falling asleep. You gotta stay with me, okay?" Casper had knelt down beside her again, ready to shake Delia awake if she didn't answer right away. She wracked her brain for anything to say- she hadn't missed the severity in which Delia had knocked her head before. Concussions were nasty things. "You got a name?"

--

"Hey, hey, hey, who said anything about falling asleep?" she gave a little half smile, but still kept her eyes closed. "Name's Delia. Call me Lia if you want me to even out those black eyes for you" she joked. "What about you?"

--

Casper seemed to relax at that, settling against the wall a little distance away from Delia. She chuckled to herself at what she assumed was a mostly joking threat. "Aww come on, it's not that bad, is it?" she asked, but when she touched her hand gingerly to the space below her left eye and winced, she figured maybe it was, in fact, that bad. The more she let her leg rest, the more she thought that that might be twisted or worse, sprained, too. She was just a hot mess right now, wasn't she?

Instead of dealing with it, she focused on the other girl, instead. "Delia, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl. Mind if I call you Del?" When there was no immediate objection, she took that as a yes, and moved on to her name. "You can call me whatever you want. Usually go by Casper, though- y'know-"

"Like the friendly ghost." Casper stopped in her tracks as her and Delia said the last phrase at the same time. There was a brief moment of silence as Casper processed what just happened, before grinning back at the girl. "Guess you do know."

--

A mess- sure, maybe. But a hot mess? That described her much better. At least Del thought so as she turned her head towards the other woman. Even with the bruise nestling itself below her eye now, it didn't take a lot to notice that the other was attractive, to say the least. So she let her stare linger a little longer.

And then she called her pretty. And that had her melting. Not literally, of course. As a human, Delia clearly didn't have the ability to turn into a puddle of liquid. But trust her, if she could have, she would have. "Del's great," she said after a moment, but listened intently as the other went on. Casper, huh? "Like the friendly ghost?" she asked, before realizing what had just happened.

She looked slightly flustered for a moment, until she caught Cas' grin. Then she was really flustered. She looked away, hoping she wasn't being weird and trying to maintain her tough girl facade. "Do you live near here? We should really get some ice on it. I'm only like four blocks away if you think you can handle the walk...." she suggested, looking down at Cas' ankle.

--

"I live further downtown," Casper replied, glancing over at Delia again. She had missed the staring, but her face looked a little more flushed than before. Was she okay? She looked kind of out of it- then again, she did have her head smashed on the pavement twice. Maybe sitting on the rooftop waiting for the big bads to pass wasn't the best of ideas, in hindsight.

She let out a low whistle as she peered over the edge of the roof. She didn't see any sight of the three from before- that was good, at least. As for if she could make it.... well, it was a definite if she could only be a wolf. Three legs would be way more convenient than one, but like hell was she wandering around as a werewolf in the middle of NYC. She couldn't out herself to... whatever Delia was. Probably human? Definitely not a werewolf, if that silver didn't bother her. In any case, it wasn't like she could stay up on this roof forever, wolf or not. She'd just have to tough it out.

She shrugged, "Yeah, I'm sure I can make it." She sounded more confident about it than she felt, but what else was she going to do? "We just have to be careful that those three from before don't find us again. I don't think either of us are ready for another mad dash like that."

--

"Yeah hold on" she pulled her phone out and started texting rapidly. She sat without words for about five minutes. After five, she spoke up. "Yeah my girl saw them up on bridgewater- that's the opposite of where we're going. We should be fine," and with that she made her way down the fire escape, concentrating now. There was no time to be flustered. As soon as Cas hit the ground, Delia tucked herself under Casper's arm on her bad side, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Lean on me, it'll make it easier" and with that they set off.

--

Casper quirked an eyebrow at the phone, but said nothing as Delia typed away. She kept alternating between wanting to keep a lookout down below and not drawing any attention to their location by constantly poking her head out- thankfully, she didn't have to wait long before Delia had an answer for them. "Oh, cool," she replied. One of her girls? A pang of loneliness hit her as she remembered her old gang, which she stubbornly tried not to dwell on. Now was neither the time nor place. They had to get moving.

They descended the fire escape, with Casper struggling a little bit more than she had before. It was clear now that she was favoring her right leg, making it slow going compared to their escape prior. What she didn't expect, however, was Delia moving to compensate for her bum leg once her feet hit the asphalt, an arm wrapped supportively around her waist. "My, my, quite the gentlewoman," she chuckled, biting back a protest at needing the help. She supposed she could tolerate it given the circumstances, and given who was behind the help.

--

"I try my best," was what she responded with as she looked up with a little smile. It wasn't a very far walk, four blocks down and the seventh building in on the right side of the street. Del barely staggered, barely stumbled, she just kept her back straight and her walk consistent. As they neared the apartment, she reached out and punched in a code before the door unlocked with a buzz. There wasn't an elevator, but luckily Del's apartment was only on the first floor, so no stairs would need to be climbed.

Fumbling in her pocket momentarily, she finally produced a set of keys and expertly unlocked not one, not two, but three locks. Kicking the door shut behind her she helped settle Cas onto the couch.

It wasn't a big apartment, but it wasn't too shabby. The furniture didn't look new, and the television was still one of the old fat ones, but it was a comfortable temperature and it smelled nice. Like those clean linens candles maybe? Once she had Casper settled in, she handed her a remote and went to the kitchen, making herself busy with Advil and ice packs.

--

It was, admittedly, an easier trek with Delia's support. They were silent most of the way- Casper trying not to cry out from using her ankle to walk, and Delia, presumably, trying to focus with a head injury. Somehow, though, they made it to their destination. She took in her surroundings as they stepped inside the apartment building and, soon after, the apartment. The lack of stairs were much appreciated.

"It's like the 1980's in here," Casper commented, though she didn't sound upset by the revelation; just idly commenting. She plopped down onto the couch and held back a wince as her stomach briefly curled in on itself. She was sure that was going to bruise, too- but a smirk appeared on her face as she felt a lump in her jacket pocket. She still had what she'd stolen from them, at least.

Once given the remote, she started flipping idly through the channels, trying to peer into the kitchen periodically to see what Delia was up to. "Say, where'd you learn to fight like that, anyways?" she asked, curious.

--

"Hey, nothing wrong with the '80s," she responded, her smile showing through in her voice. It didn't take long for her to return with an ice pack, two bottles of water and a little bottle of advil. She settled on the small couch- really, more of a loveseat, and knocked back two of the advil. It was at that point she responded.

"Older brothers," she said. "And, well, I thought I was gonna be a wrestler. Come out, hit people with ladders and tables, grab the belt- all that good shit. A pipe dream, yeah, but still something I wanted. "

--

Casper went for the advil first, popping two into her mouth before chasing it with a bit of water. Only then did she take the ice pack and, grimacing, placed it on her eye. She didn't even want to look at her foot right now- she was afraid that if she took her boot off right now, she might not get it back on if it swelled anywhere near the amount her eye was doing. As of this moment, she could only open it about halfway.

Stupid fucking hunters.

She listened to Delia's response with intrigue, ditching the remote for now and letting whatever random channel she'd stopped on play. If she was being honest, she hadn't expected Delia to want to be a wrestler, but with moves like that, she could see it. "What made you change your mind?"

--

"The outfits," she gave another little smile, before regarding Casper's leg, ankle, foot. "Hey, listen, I think maybe you should look at that," she said, not wanting to come off as too pushy. "If you don't have anything else to do today, you can always hang here until you're feeling a little better. I could walk you home later to make sure you get in okay."

--

Casper couldn't help it- she laughed at that, a hearty, genuine laugh that filled the room. "Can't say I blame you- those outfits are awful," she replied, the remnants of the laugh still present in her smile. "Though between you and me, I think you could pull it off."

She sobered up, however, at the mention of her foot. Guess that wasn't getting past Delia, even if she'd tried her best to ignore it. Still, the concern was sweet- maybe even a little endearing. Her grin returned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like me or something," she teased lightheartedly. "But I can't impose on ya like that. I've caused ya enough trouble as is- how's your head feeling?"

--

"Oh I know I could pull it off. It's perverts like you that made me decide to wear 'em." for a second she sounded serious, before it was her turn to let out a genuine laugh.

"My head.... isn't feeling too hot. Truth be told, I might feel better if you stayed a little longer...."

--

"Hey, I resent that statement," she shot back, though judging by her lighthearted tone she knew Delia was joking. The ice was starting to freeze her fingers, so she switched hands, making sure to keep the ice on her eye. It wasn't like she was getting any use out of it right now, anyways.

Casper took the bait hook, line, and sinker. "Whoa, you okay? I know you hit the pavement pretty hard back there," there was concern clear on her face as she spoke, leaning forward as green eyes redirected back to Delia. "You need a doctor or somethin?"

--

"Noooo nononono no doctors. Come on, you've seen my TV, you think I can afford that?" she joked lightheartedly. "I just mean some company might make me feel safer. Just for a little while longer. And, since you're already going to stay, we could check out that ankle of yours."

--

Fair. Doctors weren't cheap, after all, even if you had insurance. There was a moment of hesitation, but she folded. "I guess I could stick around for a little while longer."

Although Casper backed off, Delia was relentless- she found herself conceding to the foot, too. "Alright, alright, you win," she grumbled, putting down the ice momentarily so she could undo the laces on her boot. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself, and took it off.

The compression from the boot had kept the swelling down, but there was still a decent amount of it around the joint. But that wasn't what had Casper concerned. Despite the jean covering, there were clear marks where the silver had made its mark on her leg. They weren't quite burn marks, but they were definitely more prominent than what would be on a human's leg. She quickly put her boot back on. F*ck, she thought she'd be good because of the jeans- the length of time it was on her leg must have done a number on her, though. She laughed nervously, hoping Delia didn't notice. "On second thought, might be best to just wait 'till I get home. That looks kind of nasty."

--

"Are you sure YOU don't need a doctor?" It was Del's turn to be concerned as she sat up straight- probably a little too fast, she though, as her head spun a little, and turned to Cas. She hadn't noticed the burns. In fact, she hadn't had time to notice much. But what she did notice was Casper's reaction, and that made her think that this must be bad. "Or I can walk you home- you really need to take care of that." she pushed, albeit a little more hesitantly this time. "Or I can get you a cab?"

--

"Easy there, Del, I'm fine," Casper replied, trying her best to sound casual. How much had she seen? "I'm just, uh.... queasy with this kind of stuff. S'fine." It was a lie, and not a very good one, but she was hoping it would be believable enough to a stranger, at least. She picked up the ice again, this time plopping it on her outstretched leg and over the burns. "You're in no condition to be ambling around right now, anyways. A strong gust of wind looks like it could knock you over."

--

There was that indignant look again- the one she had immediately given when Cas told her to run. This time it was cold, and concerned, and pointed straight at her. "Let me at least call you a cab then- I have another ice pack while you wait hold o-" as she stood up, her head spun, proving Cas' point plenty. But that didn't stop her. She straightened herself up and ambled back into her kitchen again, returning with a second ice pack. It might be a little obvious now that this isn't the first time she's gotten herself into trouble.

"I'm just sorry to have put you through all of this."

--

The glare was cold enough to stop Casper in her tracks for a solid few seconds- by the time she had recovered, Delia was already making her way to the kitchen. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, wait-," Casper was up on her feet faster than she probably should have been- pain shot up her leg as she hobbled over to Delia, who looked like she was going to fall over almost immediately after she stood up. She followed her into the kitchen, intercepting her as she came back out into the living room. Gods, this would be so much easier with three legs, she thought as she tried not to show she was out of breath just from that.

"Look..." she sighed, placing a hand on Delia's shoulder. "If anyone's sorry, it should be me. You didn't have to get involved back there, but you did. That's on me. Call me a cab if you want, I don't care, but at least have someone else come by to make sure you're okay, alright? Can't have someone getting fucked up because of me on my conscience."

--

She sighed, and accepted that this was probably the best option for her at the moment. "I'll call one of my friends right after I call for your cab," she relented, eyes avoiding Cas' now. "It's just.... three on one isn't a fair fight. I don't really care what you did to piss them off that much, there are better ways to deal with it than that. I wasn't gonna listen to someone get the shit kicked out of them and then get on the bus and go about my day like nothing happened. I'm not like that."

--

Casper seemed satisfied with that arrangement, letting her hand drop to her side. "Ah, don't be too hard on them. I have a knack for pissing people off," she replied, laughing to herself. It was half true- people either seemed to love her or hate her; regardless, there were typically strong opinions about her in general, not that she seemed to be bothered by it. "But I'd have been in some serious shit back there if you hadn't helped me out, so.... thanks. I owe you one."

--

"Nah, you don't owe me nothin," she replied with a little grin. "But hey, maybe we can exchange numbers?" she asked, getting out her phone and putting Cas' number in like it was nothing. She called her friend, then a cab, but the cab got there first.

"Hey, listen-" she said, seeming a little nervous now as Cas was about to head out the door. "I know this was a weird way to meet, but uh... do you maybe wanna get some coffee together sometime? This time without all the injuries and running?"

--

Casper seemed caught off guard by Delia's suggestion of swapping numbers, but nodded. "Yeah, sure." She relayed her number to Delia before adding Del's number to her own phone. If this was how these encountered ended, maybe she needed to get beat up more often.

The cab came quicker than expected, which was good and bad. Casper was eager to stop causing a former stranger all this trouble, but she was hesitant to leave Delia alone, even if her friend was on the way. She was stopped right before she was about to hobble awkwardly out the door, and spun around to face the other woman as she spoke. Again, she seemed caught off guard, but the smile she gave Delia was genuine. "Yeah, I'd like that." The cab driver honked his horn, jolting Casper a bit, and she turned back around. "Catch you later, then." She waved, descending the apartment steps and getting in.

She definitely needed to get beat up more often.