The other side of the project.

The tendril's spike buried itself into the trolls shoulder, but it didn't slow him down. At this point, he was nearly upon Eden.

He bellowed, the throaty sound echoing off the alley walls. At the last second before contact, the troll threw his shoulder back in the hopes that Eden may go flying. He put all his strength into this attack, leaving his entire mid-section open if Eden stayed in place.

The troll roared in pain, as close to the sound of a cry that it could get. He teetered forward, landing on his face as blade after blade dug into his skin and tore away the stony substance.

Blood pooled around him, for a short time he didn't move, but then he picked himself up. Half of his body was a gore mess of muscle and loose skin. His breathing was laboured.

When he turned and looked at Eden, there were tears in his beady little eyes and spittle covered his lower lip and chin.

Tentatively, the troll took a step back. Now Eden stood between him and the exit. The alley behind him led to a dark dead end that he had no desire to run down. He bared bloody teeth at Eden, but his body hurt too much to run forward for another attack.

The troll looked past Eden for a millisecond before he rushed forward in an attempt to break free of the alleyway and his oncoming slaughter. He, too, was surprisingly calm and quiet. Instinct had taken over, and all the troll wanted to do was hightail it out of there.

Catalina had returned to her glamoured form. She sat on the rickety railing of the stairs, oddly graceful, but then her real form was quite small.

"I was told you'd gut me," Cat mused coolly. There was no particular reason she had said it, at least not seemingly. There was no displeasure in her voice, nor was there any happiness. She was completely neutral.

A beat after her original statement, she said, "how much blood did you get on you?" The way she said this was casual, like talking about the weather.

The corner of Catalina's mouth pulled into a slight smile, but she refused to let herself laugh.

"What kind of sex have you been having that it could be considered in the same field as gutting someone?" She didn't give him time to answer the question. Flippantly, she waved a hand and jumped from the spot she sat.

Catalina knew enough about jumping off high places that she knew how to bend her knees and take the shock of the fall, so she didn't stumble of hurt herself. When she looked up, she took in the new cut he had created on his cheek.

"Why would you go and do a thing like that?" she said, deadpanned.

Again, without giving time to answer, she went on, "you are free to come to my residence and wash yourself. No need to walk around the streets a gore covered mess."