Elizabeth remained unmoving, hardly even blinking, as she stared Carrick down. She sought that sweet spot between being a threat and showing submission, a too-tough-to-deal-with non-aggressor. Unfortunately gryphons weren’t a wildly studied creature and teenagers were even less understood.

She relaxed only slightly once she saw Carrick’s features change. True, they weren’t the same as a typical human’s, but she was attuned to the expressions of animals and she suppressed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t attacking.

“That’s right, Carrick, it’s over,” she repeated, extending a cocktail of serenity and calmness toward him, despite knowing full well she couldn’t impact him like that. It was just her reflex when dealing with animals. She tensed as he approached and quickly forced herself to relax, or at least appear relaxed.

Then Carrick started pulling the woman off her leg. “Ah, thank you,” she said warmly, able to feel her foot again. She pulled it away as soon as she could and settled into a crouch, to better stay close to Carrick’s eye level. Some creatures responded negatively to standing humans, as if they were threat displays. She didn’t want to trigger anything.

“No more fight,” she agreed, shaking her head slowly. “The fight is over. We won,” she said, not sure if he could really understand her. Certainly there was a keen mind behind those deadly eyes, but was it animal cunning and primal intuition? Or was Carrick in there, somewhere?

The monster cursed. Well that answered that. Liz started to smile, keeping her lips shut to avoid baring her teeth in case it was construed as an act of aggression. She saw the way his wing was looking. “Your wing looks injured. May I examine it?” she asked, spreading her hands slowly apart.

Liz spoke kindly towards him and it made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like this woman for obvious reasons and they very rarely interacted in the mansion. For better reasons. Carrick didn’t want to get kicked out of the mansion for being rude to the staff. Liz might have been the girl who broke his heart all those years ago but she was a teacher now so the best solution to his problem was to avoid her all together.

His beast form remained silent though prepared for any incoming attacks. His mismatched-colored, cat like eyes remained fixed on Liz while his pointed ears shifted around picking up sounds from all directions. She thanked him for removing the attacker she was under and he nodded his head slightly.

‘Mate?’ Carrick’s beast form wasn’t sure what was going on but Carrick shook his head trying to shake that thought out. ‘We only mate with royalty.’ he thought to himself. If his beast form was looking for that they could just as easily go find their girlfriend. Amythyst was always game and she was able to be around his current form easier than anyone else. She was his safe place.

”.... I won.” he growled nodding his head agreeing with Liz even though that wasn’t what she said. He was still Carrick despite having a furry exterior now and the capabilities of crushing a human skull in his mouth.

His eyes followed hers to his wing and he let out a low growl in response. It wasn’t directed at Liz, but rather the pain in his wing hoping it would be enough to scare the pain away. It didn’t work and his growling turned into a low rumble then to nothing. ”F-ine.”

The blonde moved warily. No matter that Carrick was showing clear signs of cognizance through his use of standard speech patterns (however gruff and limited they were), Liz was very well aware that bestial instincts could still wield untold influence over one’s actions. She knew what this particular form was capable of and she kept that at the forefront of her mind, even as she nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

Elizabeth stood just enough to easily and smoothly walk toward Carrick, staying as low and slow as she could. She kept her hands splayed out, and didn’t look him in the eye much. She was focusing more on his arms, legs, and tail for signs of his next actions. He was a wounded animal and in a split second he could turn on her, no matter what the human wanted.

“Good, good,” she said softly. Again, she poured serenity upon the beast despite her proven inability to affect shapeshifters. It was her standard action when dealing with injured animals. She crouched down beside the beast and slowly extended her hand toward him. “Okay Carrick,” she said softly, so as to not startle or arouse anger. “I’m going to feel along your wing now, just to see where you’re hurt.”

Elizabeth steeled herself and sank her fingers into the feather at the base of his wing, where she was pretty sure he wasn’t injured. She found the wing bone and every so gently, began slowly tapping up it, trying to find sensitive areas. She blocked off the bits of her mind that were in full panic over this proximity to the creature from her nightmares. It was Carrick. It was still the boy she’d baked so many birdseed-cakes for over the years. It was still the boy she’d shared a first kiss with. He wasn’t a monster, just a beast.

She exhaled loudly and managed to relax a smidgen. Her fingers continued tapping until she felt like she found the spots. She pulled away as soon as she thought Carrick was going to engage in autonomous reflexes, largely to avoid being knocked out by his massive wings.

“It might be broken,” she said, rocking back on the heels of her feet. “Do you think you can fly out of here?” she asked, looking into his feline face. She doubted he could. Even a sprain or a twisted wing made flying perilous, even to a tiny bird. A flier Carrick’s size would have an even rougher time. But hopefully she was wrong and it was just bruised. She wasn’t a vet, after all.

”G-ood” he mimicked in return to the blonde who seemed concerned for his well-being. He didn’t need pity he was the while his beast form waited patently his mismatched colored eyes focused on her then shifted to anything else. He didn’t want to make eye-contact less he’d see fear in her eyes or worse compassion.

”Feel...” his feral face turned into a slight smirk no doubt thinking of a thousand quips about he was taken. That she had her chance to ‘feel’ him. That he was happily smitten by another now. However he didn’t. Or rather couldn’t. A thousand words formed but he only managed one, ”Heh.” it was more of a low chuckle than anything.

She touched his wing and it recoiled slightly as she ran her fingers along it. There was a gruff sound that started as growl but then slowly started to turn into a purr. Only for a moment, it was still Liz and he didn’t like to be around her. Not anymore, it brought up too many memories. So he did what any Carrick would in this case and he growled slightly to mask what he was truly feeling. His teeth bared and then he slacked it into a smile.

The beast form rolled his eyes and flicked his tail in response. He knew it was broken. That was why she was checking it right? ”Br-oke.” he shook his head and then looked around for any other threats and he exhaled moving closer to a wall and the dumpster he was thrown into for a little more cover.

”Change.” that was the only warning he gave her before shifting back into his normal, sassy teenager self. However he was far more naked than before. Less fur to cover him.

Having withdrawn her hands from his wing, Elizabeth kept her eyes running clinically over Carrick, checking his face, legs, wings, and tail for signs of, well, anything. Pain, attack, tensing, relaxation, comfort. She didn’t really know what she was looking for but figured it would be in her interest to have as much forewarning of anything that she could get.

With the growling and the bared fangs, Liz decided time was up. She pushed herself to her feet, mildly certain Carrick wasn’t going to lunge at her. She patted dust and dirt from her knees, then she hurriedly looked away with widened eyes as Carrick gave an all-too-brief warning. That was not something she wanted to see.

What on Earth had she gotten herself into?

“You okay now?” she asked, her eyes focused on the street and well away from any direction that might possibly involve seeing the shapeshifter. The shift in focus triggered some thoughts. She looked down at the woman she’d tased, who was slightly moving, as if asleep. “Police might be on their way. You were roaring a lot.” It wasn’t a guarantee that anyone had called the cops, but Liz would rather not take a chance, especially with two guys suffering from multiple wasp stings and a tasered woman.

”That’s a loaded question....” the shifter said his singing voice marred with hoarseness. He didn’t like roaring that much, it made breaking into song difficult something that was expected of him given the pride of his profession.

His bare cheeks sat on the pavement while he got his bearings his head still swimming from the shift trying to recall everything that had happened. He fought people, clawed at them... looking to his fingernails he spotted some moist blood and he cursed. The taste of blood still in his mouth. Attempting to remove the flavor of pennies the Irishman spit to the side and shook his head.

”I didn’t kill anyone right?” he asked having a feeling he didn’t. It was like when he rescued Amythyst he remembered most of the stuff his beast form did but it was hazy. Like he was in control but only partially paying attention. He looked to the woman who was down, ”I know that was you.” ignoring the claw marks on her body. Carrick recalled Liz zapping the woman with the taser.

”Yeah, they do that.” he wasn’t exactly concerned about the cops. His moms would bail him out if things got bad, and he didn’t kill anyone so that was a plus. The shifter found a lid of a trash can and hefted it up to cover his naked body.

”Do ya normally carry hornets?” Carrick asked spitting again then eyeing his tender wing and trying to move it. It wasn’t broken but it felt like it was. Should he just tough it out and try to fly? He flapped once lifting himself off the ground then landing again. He wouldn’t get far, the pain was manageable for now but back to the mansion? It would take him a while.

Liz remained watching the street. “No,” she said confidently and authoritatively. “Nobody died today.” Liz exhaled quietly, tension draining from her shoulders as she spoke. Oh God, this was a mess, even without any deaths. Without looking, she knew there were three unconscious bodies on the ground, all suffering multiple wounds and various forms of damage. On top of that, Carrick was hurt, naked, and the police were probably on their way. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

She exhaled again, fighting back the worry and concern that was trying to make her shake. With her back firmly to him, she couldn’t tell what he was referring to. “What are you talking about?” she asked wearily. What was he trying to accuse her of now? At least now that he’d shifted back, the only attacks she’d need to expect from him would be strictly verbal and not physical.

“They’re wasps, not hornets,” she automatically corrected Carrick, a small quirk of her lips threatening to turn into a smirk. “And only when the need arises.” Let him make of that what he will. She didn’t think there was much of a downside if he started thinking she commonly kept stinging insects available at all times. Maybe he’d actually cut back on the snark sometimes.

But speaking of the bugs, Liz drifted her thoughts toward them and checked their moods. Mostly content and calm, now that everything had settled down. Good, good. Time for them to go, though. The zoopath called up ideas of their hive and queen and how good and important it would be to get to the hive right this instant. She poured the psychic brew into the bugs and kicked them into action with a mental jolt of eagerness. She felt the wasps suddenly leap into the air and begin swarming back into her purse.

“If you can’t fly, you’re going to need to get some clothes,” she said, working through what they needed to do to get out of the situation. She figured flying naked wouldn’t be any worse than most of Carrick’s antics, but running around the streets naked was a whole different matter. She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the exact direction of the guys she’d downed. “If your stuff is too damaged, maybe their clothes will work for you.”

”the big lady...” Carrick said tapping her with a toe of his but keeping his distance his pale legs doing a good job at reflecting the sunlight. He’d be putting on quite the show if it wasn’t for the garbage lid. ”Sure, looks like I scratched and bit her but I recall yer the one that dropped her. Technically not my fault.” he said making sure their stories match up. Carrick was good at talking his way out of trouble.

Her correction got an eye roll as he watched a few of the bees fly about then head back into her purse. Well, it definitely was more effective than mace or a taser. Well, maybe not all that effective seeing as she also carried the taser, which in turn dropped the biggest of the group.

”I can fly, just not fer very long. Don’t know what I did but it’s a bit tender....” Carrick started to crack up at his own joke while looking to his sore wing. He moved it around a few times and winced as he did so.

”What stuff ya talking about?” he asked knowing this situation was awkward for Liz. Awkward for both of them but he also enjoyed making Liz uncomfortable. ”Oh! Yer talking about me clothes!” he said snapping a finger walking over to the downed guys.

”Sure, make the foreigner steal the clothes off the hard working Americans backs.” he rolled his eyes looking to the pants. ”There’s no hole fer the tail.” he frowned wishing he had Zek’s power of storing clothing.

Oh, Carrick was talking about the woman Liz had taken down. “Correct, that was me,” Liz affirmed without needing to turn back. Her shoulders slumped a bit more. That was one more thing that might be explained. “Good thing I took her down, too. The last thing anyone needs is another torn-up body.”

Then a thought struck her and the blonde straightened up. She let the smirk stretch her lips. “By the way,” she said in an artificially off-handed tone, “I do believe that makes me responsible for taking down each one of our assailants, mine and yours both.” She tapped a finger on her chin as she stared down the street. “Hmmm, it’s almost as if I truly, really didn’t need your help whatsoever.”

Now that would be worth all of this, if that would actually shut Carrick up! Even if it didn’t, nothing was going to crush those embers of pride that had started burning in her. She was no longer the damsel in distress she used to be. Yes, she was a damsel. Yes, she had been in distress. But she could handle this. The embers burned bright and fiercely.

Liz rolled her eyes as Carrick for the umpteenth time, even if he couldn’t see them. His inane comments about the clothing were clearly designed to irritate her, and it was working for the most part. “You’ll survive,” she said blandly. She didn’t really care if his tail went down a leg or flopped over the top of the waistband, just as long as he had something on. “Just get some clothes on so we can get out of her. I think I see some flashing lights.”

”Think we can all agree on that.” he said nodding his head while looking over the stunned assailants.

Then smirked at her comment about not even needing him there. Well he might have been the one to give her enough time so she could handle everything. The shifter doubled down and spoke as he pants the nearest male assailant. ”Right well yer welcome helping you come to that conclusion.” he grunted as he flipped over his target undoing the button and belt holding the pants to the man’s waist.

”I knew ya could do it all along, just wanted to make sure you knew you could as well.” he said smugly now just talking in hopes it would upset the biology teacher even more. ”Proud of ya Lizzy, you and you alone beat the crap out of these guys!” he flapped his wings once and pulled the pants up in a quick motion. Carrick was obviously was the type of guy to not waste time putting his pants on one leg at a time.

”Now you want to wait fer the cops? I think I got my statement memorized.” flashing his teeth and flicking his tail behind him. It popped up over the waistband. Reaching into the back pocket and removing the wallet he pulled the cash out and pocketed it. Tossing the wallet he started to see what other goodies the borrowed pants had.

Liz decided this was an excellent time to work on her breathing exercises. If she was focusing on her breathing, she wasn’t focusing on the twit behind her and who knows what he was doing. She closed her eyes and inhaled, counting to ten, before exhaling in a slow, measured breath.

The blonde could hear rustling and moving. Wings those large were not silent, not when they followed an aquiline structure with stiff edges. Carrick’s voice also kept coming from different positions and presumably heights, indicating he was doing what she’d said. It might be torturous for the asker, but sometimes he eventually did what he was supposed to.

She didn’t bother hiding her deep breathing or the annoyed exhalations she was doing. Why bother? She did catch herself when she picked up flashes of similar annoyances flooding from the purse before she blasted them into psychic sedation once more. Finally it sounded like clothes were being pulled on and and felt air currents from the flapping wings.

Praying the wings were all that were flapping around, she finally turned and, doing her best to adopt tunnel vision, immediately oriented on her purse and made her way to it. “Actually, I’d rather avoid the cops entirely. I should think you would as well, your identification card notwithstanding,” she said archly, not even looking his way. She bent and snagged her bag, sliding the stun gun smoothly into it, careful not to jostle the wasps too badly, and stepped over the bodies.

“Well, since you seem to think you have it all worked out, I guess you can find your own way back to the mansion, or wherever you were going,” she said dismissively. “I really don’t care. Just try to leave the mansion out of it if you get arrested, okay?” She started walking in the direction of another bus stop.

The troublemaker stuck out his tongue as he awkwardly stretched in his new pants either his legs grew three sizes after the shift or he guessed wrong on which pair of pants to borrow without returning. ”Really?” Carrick cocking an eyebrow and a smug grin as he walked to the next person and searched for their wallet. ”Sounds a bit out of character fer ya. Feeling alright?” he asked pressing buttons.

”Hector.... Gal-aventiez.” Carrick said reading the name again trying to commit it to memory. He also pocketed the money. ”Got his?” he smirked, ”Also let’s be honest there isn’t a lot of fliers that look as good as me in the city, even less of them are Irish, and even fewer of them are interns fer S.U.P.E.R.” he said going over to the lady who was still downed from the taser. The one that gave Carrick’s beast form the worst time, she too had a wallet. One fatter than the others.

”Coraline Tawas.” he read as he pocketed the money and the I.D. ”Hmmmm? Oh sure!” Carrick called back waving, ”Just leave a student of the Xavier school alone to deal with the police and find a way home! After getting involved in a mugging.” he chuckled. Carrick never said who was robbed.

”Later Lizzy!” Carrick said flapping his wings once and then hefting himself onto a dumpster over looking the unconscious bodies. Knowing it would press more of her buttons.