a game of hyde and seek

Chapter 1: The Search Begins

Gabriel Utterson leaned back in his chair, seated in front of his work desk. He glanced down, looking upon the desk to see the will of Dr. Henry Jekyll, with its strange clauses and all. Adjacent to the will was a small glass vial with an acidic green liquid within, glistening in the firelight.

Now, these two items may not seem to have any form of connection. Which could very much be the case. However, Mr. Utterson believed there to be something more to this. You see, the vial of strange and probably dangerous liquid had come from the lab of Dr. Jekyll, which Utterson had obtained. He now had this… potion?.. of unknown use, and hoped to find some way to connect this to his case involving Mr. Hyde. It was a stretch, to say the least, but it was something.

There was concern for his friend, due to this whole business with Mr. Hyde. He suspected some form of blackmail, something to force Jekyll to put him in this situation with the will. Utterson recently had an encounter with this man, hoping to shed some light on the subject, but was only left more confused.

His attempts to find information from Jekyll’s lab only led to finding a half full vial of some strange concoction. Why he had took it, he wasn’t sure himself, but maybe, just maybe he would find some way to make use of it, connect it to this case. There was a brief moment where he considered drinking it, but he quickly came to his senses that that was a horrible idea, so that was off the table. For now. 

Pushing himself out of his seat, he began pacing around the room, rubbing his temples, trying to get his mind to come up with something. The room was quiet, save for his steps upon the floor, echoing about.

Nothing seemed to line up. Why would Jekyll leave all his wealth and possessions to this strange and unknown man? In an earlier meeting, Jekyll had told Utterson that he trusted this man, and wanted Utterson to as well. While he couldn’t say he trusted Mr. Hyde, he promised to support him if ever the need ever arose.

As his mind drifted back to the potion, he still attempted to tie it to the bigger picture. While it could just be another one of Jekyll’s experiments, he had a feeling that it was more than that.

Stepping towards his desk, he lifted the vial to eye level, his reflection staring back at him through the glass. The green tincture swirled and bubbled within its container, as if trying to free itself from his grasp. The acidic color was only accentuated by the moonlight, making it appear as if it were glowing. Or perhaps it wasn’t just a trick of the light, and it truly did emit some light of its own.

With a sigh, he let his hands fall to his sides, potion resting in his grip. There was probably no point in this, whatever experiment this was was most likely completely unrelated to Mr. Hyde. He was just desperate for answers to this mystery, grasping at straws by now.

Absentmindedly, he fiddled with the cap of the vial, accidentally having wiggled it off. He soon became aware of the stench that filled the air around him, emanating from the tincture in his hand. 

He went to close it up again, before pausing for a moment, staring at the potion. All of his focus had been diverted to it, almost in a trance. The cold glass pressed against his fingertips, the smell of it bubbling up towards his nose.

Perhaps if he drank it, just a sip, it would reveal something that would make sense of this whole mystery. It seemed irrational, but… maybe, there was a chance. There was also a chance that this would kill him outright, but he didn’t seem to think of that in the moment.

Whatever was in this potion seemed to be compelling Utterson to drink it as he stared into it, watching it swirl around in circles within its containment.

He lifted the potion once again, against all reason, brought it to his lips. Before he knew it, the contents of the vial were gone. It was too late by the time it had slid down his throat for him to turn back, as he came back to his senses and realized this was a horrible idea.

Nothing had immediately happened, only the lingering taste of something salty on his tongue. The panic started to settle in as he stood in his study, staring at the now empty vial in his hand. Why did he do that? He had no idea what that tincture could do, how it could effect him. It could be poison for all he knew.

Once again pacing back and forth, footsteps increasing in speed, Utterson waited anxiously for something to happen. He was feeling fine enough, apart from the rising nausea, which he assumed was due to his increasing fear.

He soon noticed his legs shaking, struggling to hold him up. Collapsing into his chair across the room, he dropped the glass container to his side and waited for something, if anything, to happen.

Luckily, there wasn’t too much of a wait before the excruciating pain coursing through his bones to overtook him. Clutching his sides, muscles tense, he attempted to ignore the pain. Dear god, this was how its was going to end, wasn’t it? This is how he would die, alone, by his own fault. What would become of him, of his legacy?

While Gabriel was struggling against his own body, hands gripping the armchair for support, he wasn’t able to notice that his hair seemed to shift in color, limbs condensing in size, reshaping into a new form.

Why was he still writhing here, not yet gone? Was this fate’s punishment for his actions, to drag this torture out for at long at it could before he died? He was nearly on the floor by this point, waiting for it, either his life or this pain, to be over. His muscles had stretched, condensed, everything they aren’t supposed to do, leaving him in this unraveled state.

Then suddenly, it all came to a stop. Gabriel was sat there, still heavily breathing, yet alive. A wave of relief washed over him. All of the pain he had just experienced was now gone, almost forgotten, muscles relaxing as he sunk into his chair with a sigh.

How long did that last? The time stretched on for what felt like hours, but it couldn’t have been that long, could it? Quickly glancing over to the clock within his study, it appeared it had only been a few minutes, if he remembered correctly.

Attempting to stand, he barely made it up without a bit of a wobble. It seemed he was still quite effected from the previous events.

He still felt quite disoriented from this whole situation, and spent his time re-familiarizing himself with his surroundings. Everything felt slightly off, like a lucid dream. It all even seemed brighter than it had before.

Stumbling over to his desk, he fell into his chair and stared at what was laid upon his desk. So much for finding any evidence, now that he had consumed what he was hoping to use. He sighed, brushing off the problem as if it were nothing. Whatever had happened seemed to have made all of his stress about the situation vanish, leaving him without much of a plan.

There were some options he could think of, such as continuing his search for Mr. Hyde, though that may be a bit difficult after their first interaction. He drummed his fingers on the table, losing himself in thought.

It took much to long to notice, but he soon caught a glimpse of his hand, or at least what he assumed was his hand, since it looked nothing like his own. He stopped tapping his fingers to get a better look. They looked barely human, Gabriel noted as he inspected them, they were clawed, covered in some scaly like material.

They weren’t human, no, not at all. He tried poking it with his other strange looking hand, though didn’t feel much. He stared in confusion, mumbling to himself. Was that potion some kind of hallucinogenic?

Dropping his hands into his lap, he decided to ignore that for now. His eyes wandered around the room as he festered in his confusion from everything. This had to be some trick, he reasoned, some effect the potion had on his mind. Not that it mattered in the moment, there wasn’t anything he could do.

He stood, more stable than he was before, and wandered across the room. What was he to do now? Not with anywhere in particular he meant to go, he ended up at his window, staring out into the night. In the glass, however, he caught a glimpse of a face he didn’t recognize in the reflection.

Staring at this unfamiliar reflection, which couldn’t have been him, he knew what his face looked like, and that wasn’t it. Despite this, however, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was, somehow, his own face starting back.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he looked out into the street to distract himself, hands on the edge of the windowsill. The few lights still lit were scattered about, the moonlight blotted out by the fog. It was quite nice to behold, a striking difference to what had occurred within this building that night.

As he took in the sights of nighttime London, he soon caught himself starting to nod off, eyelids feeling heavy. All that had happened, paired with the late night, had exhausted him. He could probably fall asleep where he was standing if he didn’t catch himself.

Tearing his gaze from the outside, he stretched, letting out some noise that was somewhat akin to that of a birds chirp as he did so. Strange, but he didn’t have the energy to question it by now.

Exiting his study, he was once again hit with that odd sense of something off around him that he had become adjusted to before. Must be some side effect of the drug.

Every footstep he made cause some loud creak, scratch, or thump and he made his was to his quarters. The sounds seemed to pierce his ears in this state, giving him something of a headache.

Once he had arrived, he threw himself onto the bed, sleep nearly claiming him then and there, though he was able to keep himself awake for a bit longer to ponder the events of this night.

It was all quite strange, wasn’t it? This potion, this case, it all was, really. And yet he kept getting himself wrapped up in all this, even if it was in his better interest to keep himself away. He was to involved now to leave at this point.

Whatever was going on, he would deal with in the morning to come.

Chapter 2: Conversations and Transformations

“Good afternoon, Dr. Jekyll.”

Mr. Utterson stood in the entrance to the lounge of his close friend, who sat across the room from him, smiling.

“No need for formalities, my friend. Please, please, take a seat.”

The room was warmly lit by firelight, the faint setting sun casting rays through the window. It was always a comforting place to Utterson, the familiarity of it often improving upon his mood. This was one of the many places that the two often met, though this occasion might have been more on business.

As Utterson sat down in his usual seat, he stared across the room at Jekyll. He was a handsome man, in Utterson’s opinion, and had aged quite well. They had known each other for a long time, and had shared many joyful memories together. Meetings between the two like this were not uncommon, and were quite frequent if he was to be honest. They have enjoyed each others company many times before.

The two exchanged pleasantries before beginning in conversation. It was enjoyable, just the two of them, discussing their recent endeavors as always. They eventually arrived at a comfortable silence, where Utterson recalled the initial intentions of his visit.

“Jekyll, I have been meaning to discuss matters of your will. As you know, I never approved of it.”

Jekyll looked away, clearly harboring a distaste in the topic. “I am aware. I thought we agreed to drop this, Utterson.”

“Yes, however, I have come to learn a bit more about this Mr. Hyde fellow, and I fear that he is no good for you.”

“As I have told you, I could be rid of him any moment I pleased.”

“I’m worried for you, Jekyll.”

“You have no need to worry.”

Utterson sighed, defeated in his efforts. It seemed impossible to get his friend to listen to him. There was still his ongoing search for some information to convince Jekyll, but alas, he had dug up nothing on that strange man.

Jekyll soon changed the topic to that of one of his on-going endeavors, trying to revive the conversation. It seemed to work, as both men were met with the silent agreement to ignore their previous disagreements for now. While Utterson didn’t understand a word of what he was saying, he found his voice pleasant to listen to, as always.

The rest of there time together went on, and soon it was time for Utterson to make his departure. They said their goodbyes as he slipped his coat on, standing near the door. The two stared at each other for a few moments in silence.

“It was good to see you, Jekyll.” He nodded in his direction.

“You as well,” Jekyll smiled.

There was a pause, where both seemed to want to say something, but wouldn’t. They stood in the silence, the air thick with tension, with unspoken words.

Without a sound, Utterson stepped out the door with a glance back before he made his way back to his own home.

---

On his walk home, he pondered over his previous conversation. Jekyll, as he expected, was once again quite defensive over the subject of Mr. Hyde. Every time Utterson tried to get him to tell him something, so he could help him out of this possibly dangerous situation, he shut him down, insisting that he was completely fine how he was.

So, as anyone would do, Utterson turned to searching for something to convince his friend to listen to his words, though it seemed that there was little to dig up on this man. From what he had found, he had seemed to just appear out from nowhere, though that clearly wasn’t the case. That wouldn’t even be possible, by the laws of the modern world.

Since that hadn’t lead anywhere, he started trying to search places directly tied to Jekyll, such as places hidden around in his manor, assorted crevices and drawers around the place. While this was probably not the most ethical of actions, his goals were noble and would be a benefit to those involved.

However, the strangest place seemed to be his lab. And yes, Jekyll never did permit him to go in there. He was quite private with his work, never letting anyone into that place… though Utterson did what was best for him. Though this seemed to once again turn up nothing on Mr. Hyde. Utterson could have sworn there was some potion that he took, though it had seemed to have disappeared (and not to mention that strange dream he had some other night…). It wasn’t important in that moment, he though, shaking his head.

Among his pondering, it seemed that he had arrived at his place. It was nearly dark out by now, though not that it was that much brighter when he left. Inserting his key into the door, he pushed it open, placing his coat on the rack by the entrance. This whole situation was causing him much stress and worry. Hopefully he could get away from it for awhile, let his work distract him for a while as he made his way towards his study.

---

He wasn’t able to work for more than an hour before his mind began to wander, returning to his current problems. Not only was he busy in his thoughts about the mystery, but those memories from that strange dream had started to resurface. Something about drinking a potion…?

It didn’t matter then, as far as he was concerned, it had never happened. He stood himself up and started pacing, unable to focus his mind on his work, instead ending up making himself even more stressed.

What was he to do? Everything he had tried to get his friend to listen to him failed, all his attempts to get information had turned up nothing. All this had seemed like him struggling, drowning in the ocean of mystery with no sign of land. As he paced, he noticed his legs become a bit harder to balance on, and decided to collapse into his seat. This was really having an impact on him, wasn’t it?

Trying to divert his attention, he stared out the window at the nighttime streets. Some lights dotted the scene, though it was quite late by this point, not many people were awake by now.

His fingers were laced together, gripping tightly, as if bracing for some kind of impact. He felt quite odd in that moment… something was off. Normally, he would have just blamed it on the stress, though it seemed to be something else.

Deciding to ignore it for as long as he could, he continued gazing out the window, however this wasn’t enough of a distraction when the pain started gnawing at his chest. He shifted in his seat as his muscles contracted and stretched. This definitely wasn’t caused by the stress.

He tried to stand him self up, but found that he was much to weak to do so, falling back into his seat. It wasn’t long before he found himself nearly writhing in pain where he was, unable to move.

Clutching at his sides, he attempted to focus on something, anything else. He felt nearly consumed by the pain, like nothing else had before. Like something was ripping at his insides, and it wasn’t going to stop any time soon.

For all he knew, it could have lasted for seconds or for hours, though eventually, he was met with the sensation of relief as the pain started to die down.

After that all had subsided, Gabriel was awkwardly slouched in his chair, staring out at nothing in particular. Odd. He stood up, nearly loosing his balance, and stretched his aching limbs. He caught a glimpse of his arms in doing so, where he briefly noted that they appeared… off. It took a moment for him to acknowledge this, but he eventually though about it for longer, realizing this was not right.

Now that he though about it, they looked like how he recalled in that strange dream from a few nights ago. Was this a dream as well? Surely not, everything was much to clear for it to be.

Glancing around the room, he strolled around a bit, not really certain on what he was going to do. What was he just thinking about? Something to do with Jekyll? Whatever it was, he couldn’t find the ability to care too much of it, not very interested in those thought then.

He recalled his strange hands once again, and decided to spend his time observing them. Maybe he would come to some answer of this all from it. A closer look revealed that his hands (would it be more appropriate to call them talons?) were tipped with something akin to claws, and some sort of much thicker, almost scaly skin coating the topside of his arms.

Strange. The only thing he could reason from this was some form of lycanthropy, though he didn’t recall being bit by any birds recently. As he couldn’t really differentiate any other features of himself from where he currently was standing, he decided to investigate further on this, sneaking to his cheval glass that resided in another room.

Though most of his house was unlit, he managed to see perfectly fine on his journey across the building. He didn’t question it then, however, his mind focused elsewhere. Once he had arrived to his quarters, in which a tall cheval glass stood, he somewhat braced himself for what he might see. From what he was able to understand, it could be quite a drastic change from his regular appearance.

Quickly stepping in front, as if to get it done as fast as possible, he stared into his reflection. Was it his reflection…? His first though upon seeing what was supposedly himself was that it couldn’t be him. He looked nothing like the man standing in the mirror, though who else would it be? Despite this, it mimicked his movements as any regular mirror would.

Leaning in for a closer look, he observed what he was going to assume was his face. It was sharper than it usually was, his nose crooked. Running his hand through his hair, he noticed its odd texture, and from closer inspection, it seemed to be consisting of feathers. That bird-theory was starting to seem more plausible at this point…

It was also quite evident (though briefly unnoticed) that his eyes were a shade of vivid green, which nearly seemed to glow in the faint light. Those were… definitely not his normal eyes, once again feeling out of place on his form.

Breathing out, he realized that despite all this, he didn’t seem to… alarmed by it all. He was feeling quite great, actually. Like he could do anything. Caught up in this revelation, he attempted to dash off to somewhere else, though his foot caught on his slightly too long pants, causing him to fall over himself.

After he hit the ground, he concluded that he should probably try to fix that. Once half-hazard attempt at rolling his pants up, as well as some adjustments to his shirt, he was slightly more prepared to do… whatever it is he planned to do. What could he do like this? Would anybody recognize him? He could barely even recognize himself.

Whatever had happened to him had reshaped him to look like a completely different person… which in turn would mean he was unrecognizable… that anyone who saw him wouldn’t know who he was…

This could possibly be used to his advantage. There were many things which he bared himself from doing in fear of his reputation, of other people, though all of those fears had seemed to be thrown out of the window from this revelation, filled with all the ideas of what he could get up to.

Seizing this moment, he shuffled to his front door, tossed his coat onto his shoulders, still wearing his clothes from that evening. His outfit did closely resemble how he was dressed earlier that day, but he was sure no one would notice, or care if they did. His attempt to slip on his shoes only resulted in finding out his feet had the same strange features as his hands, which did make his shoes a bit uncomfortable. It was probably fine to leave those here for now…

Stepping through the door, he breathed in the cool air, reveling in this new experience. Sure, it was a bit odd, but its not like he was the pinnacle of normality to begin with. He could enjoy himself for awhile.

It was a foggy night, as it often was, a few light scattered along as he peered down the street. There wasn’t anyone else about, so he was safe to quietly leave. He felt like some sort of criminal, lurking around like this. It gave him some sort of thrill, in being unknown from his regular self.

He stretched his strange-looking arms, getting himself more comfortable in this new form as he sneaked around, searching for nothing in particular. Maybe he would come across something, but for now he just enjoyed himself as he strolled down the streets.

Chapter 3: First Meeting

Footsteps echoed throughout the streets, empty save for the few lost souls still wandering about that night. The moons faint light shined on the ground, streetlights dotting the corners. In the darkness, Gabriel Utterson (or whoever he was now, in this new form) was strolling down one of these streets.

Navigating the familiar paths, he ended up wandering aimlessly, without a goal in mind. Staring up at the cloudy sky, he took the time to revel in this newfound excitement, in this strange but thrilling experience, as it was like nothing he had known before.

Observing the stars, just visible through the blanket that shrouded the sky, he found some peace in this moment, in whatever euphoria that he found himself in from that… transformation, earlier. This should have been stressing him out more, worrying him about the side effects of what had happened, but he couldn’t bring himself to think about that much, opting to focus on the present.

There was never much time in his regular schedule to enjoy himself like this, as he was constantly aware of the pressures of keeping his reputation upheld. All those precautions had been ignored with the acknowledgement that he was completely unrecognizable, that he was nearly a whole new person.

Though… now that he thought about it, if he were a new person, then he would need a new name to call himself, wouldn’t he? If he ran into someone, there was no way he could use his real name, as that would reveal his identity.

He considered what he could name himself in this form, mulling over assorted options that occurred to him, other names that he liked the sound of. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, and this planning would lead to nothing, this form never being resumed. The thought gave him a sense of unease, so he decided to leave it for another time, distracting himself with ideas for this hypothetical name.

The first thing that came to mind was that pun he had thought of the other day, that play on Mr. Hyde’s name. Mr. Seek. He chuckled at his joke, though he did actually consider naming himself as such, at least for now. Would it be too obvious? What were the chances he would run into that Hyde fellow like this, anyways? He’d leave it on the table, for now, at least.

As he was about to continue his train of thought, he realized he had subconsciously walked himself to that door he had watched many times, in his attempts to see the face of Mr. Hyde. Halting in his tracks, he stared at the door, peered at how it was so out of place yet barely noticeable, blending in with all of the other buildings.

Maybe he could quickly take a look… no, no, he already did that once, there was no good reason in doing it again. Shrouding himself in the darkness of a corner, across the street from that strange door, he waited from the shadows, not for any particular reason, of course.

He’s not sure how long he stood out there, out in the cold, though at some point he was jostled out of his thoughts by the creaking of the same door he was just mulling over. Out of the building came the head of the aforementioned Mr. Hyde, who seemed to be exiting the lab of Dr. Jekyll. What was he doing in there, this late at night? Or was it morning now?

The other slowly stepped out through the doorway, glancing around before making his way out into the open. Gabriel watched as this occurred, planning his next move. He could try to speak with him again, try to coax information out of him, though based on his last attempt, that wouldn’t go well.

As Hyde started to make his way through the streets, he considered his options. While approaching the man was a possibility, it might not end all too well for him. Having heard what the other had done, he was very cautious to be alone with him, as he was not inclined to whatever damages he may cause.

On the other hand, he could follow Mr. Hyde out to wherever he went at night (as from what he could tell, that seemed to be a common occurrence), which may lead him to some answers to his dilemma. This could, however, end just as badly as speaking with him directly.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he stood there long enough for Hyde to nearly disappear into the fog that blanketed the city. What if he lost him, lost his chance to try something? In a moment of impulsiveness, he ended up trailing behind the man. Perhaps not the best of ideas, though if all went well, he wouldn’t be seen.

Once again filled with the thrill of secrecy, in his ability to do this, a shiver went down down his spine, maybe from the cold, maybe from the excitement, though it didn’t matter to him. There were things to be done.

From his distance, it seemed that Hyde was walking with some intention, though to where, he had no idea. Keeping himself in check to stay far enough behind to not get caught, but close enough to not lose him, he quietly followed behind.

The light faintly shone upon his path as he trod the ground, managing to keep up with the man in front of him. Gabriel strode with confidence, much more than he should have with his immoral deeds, though he brushed off all of his worries and qualms, assuring himself everything would go to plan.

His self-assurance soon left him, as he followed Hyde further into unfamiliar streets, ones Gabriel had previously tried to avoid. That was no longer an option, as he was wrapped up in this situation, dark buildings looming over his head as he glanced around. He had no clue where he was. In that moment, Mr. Hyde had turned himself around, stomping up to the other man.

Grabbing his collar roughly, pushing him against the wall, Hyde spoke, “What do you want?”

Gabriel made a quiet sound at the sudden movement, fear traveling through his body in a moment, hands pressed against the surface behind him. Dear god, had he been seen that whole time, or did he just go unnoticed until now?

“Pardon?” He barely managed to get out.

“I asked. What do you want? Money? Blackmail?” He repeated, voice nearly a growl as he shoved his hands higher. “You’ve been bloody stalking me since I left.”

Glancing around frantically, Gabriel looked for a way out. He didn’t plan for this. He didn’t have much of a plan to begin with, really. “I wasn’t stalking you, per-say.” He said, voice shaking as he waved his hand dismissively, as much as he could in this position, smiling awkwardly. “We just- we just happened upon the same route is all.”

“Likely story.” Hyde bared his teeth, glaring at the other. “No-one just follows good-meaning men at night, unless they want something. Give it up.”

Gabriel swallowed, unable to make eye contact with the other, looking out into the street as he tried to come up with an answer to his dilemma. Running away seemed out of the question, now that he had been seen. Not to mention the fact he had little to no idea where he currently was.

“I’m sure this really isn’t that important, sir,” he said, trying to stall for more time. “If you could please just let me be on my way now-“ His finger poked at Hyde’s hands, which still resided on his collar, much too close to his neck for comfort.

His grip only tightened, staring up at Gabriel as he did, discontent stricken across what was visible of his face. It was enough of a sign that he wasn’t getting out of this situation as easy as he had hoped. “Just give me an answer and we can both be on our way, alright?”

Scratching at the wall behind him, he tried to think of some excuse that would get him out of there. What could even work? As far as he knew, he was stuck here unless Hyde let him go. With a deep breath, he muttered, “Someone- someone sent me to gather information on you.” Close enough. “I’m just doing my job.” He was nearly shaking in fear at this point, surprised he was able to even say that much. Even if he didn’t believe it, he could hopefully get out of this situation.

Hyde scoffed, glaring at him as he did. It was unlikely he was convinced, but went along with it anyways. “Tell them to send someone better at your job next time, you clearly aren’t any good.” He finally released his collar, letting Gabriel go as gestured with his hands. A wave of relief washed over him.

The two stood in silence, Gabriel’s path still blocked and Hyde unmoving. They were like that for much too long, the only sounds those of the empty streets, with their faint breathing. Hyde seemed to be glaring a hole into the pavement instead of looking his way.

With a sigh, Hyde stepped back, and before Gabriel could dart away, asked, “So, do you have a name? Assuming you know mine, it only seems fair I know yours.”

Ah. Yes. Of course. It was common courtesy, after all. He stood for a moment, though as soon as Hyde gave him a strange stare, looking him up and down, he responded. “Seek. Oliver Seek.”

…

“Hm. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, ‘Oliver’, though you’ve taken up enough of my night now, and I must be on my way,” he hissed, stepping away. “Farewell.” Waving his hand, he turned his heel, walking away into the night, leaving Gabriel on his own.

Soon, he realized that in his so-called ‘stalking’ of Hyde, he had forgotten to pay attention to where he was, and found himself quite utterly lost in this part of the city. Hyde was nearly out of sight by then, leaving him to his own devices to try and find his way back.

With a sigh, he started to wander in the direction he vaguely remembered coming from, hoping that he would recall from where he came in doing so.

---

‘Oliver Seek’, was it? That sure sounded like a fake name if he ever heard one. Edward trotted the path as he made distance between him and that other man, almost desperate to end their interaction. Enough of his night had been wasted, leaving him irritated, more so than he usually was.

What did he even want from him? While what he said could have been true, it wasn’t that hard to see through his flimsy facade. There was something more to him, something strange, something Edward couldn’t be bothered to care about.

If all went well, they would never cross paths again, and he could continue how he always did without interruption.

He sighed, making a turn towards his apartment. Luckily, he knew these streets well, from his many escapades into the dark. He would just go to his place, get over this all, and maybe get some sleep, if time permitted it. There was enough of the night left. He could stop thinking about that strange man.

Arriving at his place, he blew the key into the door, which slammed behind him as he entered. Everything was fine, he could deal with it when the night was over, when he was more in the headspace to do so. Now was not the time.

---

He had no clue where he was, standing at some street or another, in the dark. He was most definitely lost by now. He had somehow gotten turned around at some point on his journey home, ending up at the same corner he had passed not too long ago. With a groan, he leaned against said corner, staring up into the gloomy sky that seemed to taunt him, adjusting his coat on his shoulders.

As he stared out, he got lost in thought about whatever had happened with Mr. Hyde. His plan had completely fallen apart, with nothing gained, and now Hyde knew of his second form as well, if you could call it that.

While investigating him was still a possibility like this, he would have a much harder time actually getting the man to speak with him. Even then, he didn’t seem inclined to share information with anybody in the first place. This was going to be much harder than he thought it would be.

Under the assumption that he would be able to resume this form in the future, he considered what he would even need to do. Would forging documents be of any use to him? Getting himself a new set of clothes? A place to stay?

Maybe this whole idea was a fruitless endeavor, only leading him down a path that he didn’t wish to travel. Though by now, he felt as though he was already too deep to back out now. He decided that if he was to become ‘Oliver Seek’ once again, he would put his time towards getting information on Mr. Hyde, still with the goal of helping his close friend.

Gabriel- or, well, Oliver, now, pushed himself away from the wall at this conclusion, which just as he did, he was hit with the exhaustion of not sleeping for the entire night. Rubbing his eyes, shivering from the cold, he managed to keep himself together a bit longer.

Glancing at the wall he was just standing by, he noticed some advertisement for a show that was being put on nearby soon. It had been a while since he had seen one of those, as he had in his youth often visited the theater, when he had just moved into the city.

…It could be enjoyable to visit it once again. It really had been much too long, and as he reveled in some of the old memories, he decided would come back around to it. Maybe in the form of Oliver Seek. He smiled at the idea.

Looking at the sky again, he was reminded of how long he had been out, the sky brightening with the rising sun. Sighing, he continued his journey back to his home. These roads did seem a bit more familiar, now that the sun was starting to light the streets. Hopefully he would stay on track this time, and find his way back. 

Chapter 4: Oliver Seek’s Day Off

The next morning had been nothing but an unpleasant one. Utterson had barely managed to get even the most minuscule amount of sleep, after his strange night out as Oliver Seek. He didn’t even have that much time to sleep before he had to begin his day, leaving him exhausted, dragging himself through the long hours.

Though, he was fortunate that he had nothing of too much importance planned, which did assist in making the day more bearable in his tired state. Eventually, the sun set once again, leaving Utterson to his night.

While it would have been reasonable for him to retire for the night, get some rest that he had failed to get previously, he was kept awake with the thoughts of before, thoughts of Mr. Hyde, and that strange but oddly euphoric experience of being someone else for a time.

He tossed around under his covers, thoughts racing through his mind, impossible to quell. This whole situation, with that strange potion (which he could only assume was the source of the transformations) and his new second identity was starting to weigh down on him. He had tried to avoid thinking about it since last night, though it all started to invade his mind as soon as he had a moment of peace.

What was he even doing? Was any of this a good idea, trying to use this unexplained force to his advantage, for his own benefit? Even if it was, ultimately, to secure the safety of his good friend, was it truly the best way to go about this? Surely there was some other method, but whatever had made that second form present itself seemed to prove itself quite effective.

What if something went wrong, and his identity was revealed? Or he was unable to resume his original form? What could he even do then?

In all of this spiraling, Utterson had made his way out of his bed, pacing around the room, face held in a grimace. He could feel the heavy exhaustion in his bones, trying to drag him to sleep, but his mind kept running despite his best efforts.

Trying to calm himself, he sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers digging into the mattress. He was almost at his boiling point from the stress, even as he tried his best to hold himself together.

He started to feel a sickness rising in his stomach, and it wasn’t too long before the (nearly familiar) wracks of pain coursed through his body, overtaking him once again.

Eventually he was laying on the bed, legs falling of the side, hands clutching the sheets. Now in the form of Oliver Seek, breathing heavily in the aftermath of the transformation.

Sitting up, he sighed through his teeth, mostly calmed down from before, as if his emotions had been watered down, though still as exhausted (if not more so). Rubbing his eyes, he reacquainted himself with his surroundings. Now, after all that, his mind had finally laid to rest, allowing him some peace.

What now? Really, the best solution just seemed to be trying to head off to sleep, now that his thoughts permissed it. Dragging himself back onto his mattress, he sunk in, the exhaustion quickly taking over.

Curling up under his covers, he quickly drifted off to sleep, with strange dreams of that Hyde and his second form filling his night.

---

When he awoke, he was faced with the sight of his strange hands that seemed to have persisted since the previous night. For a few moments, he laid in his bed, staring at his hands (talons?). The last two times sleep had seemed to wear the effects of the transformation off, but this night seemed to be different. Odd.

Gabriel (or, well, Oliver) pushed himself up to his feet, limbs still heavy with sleep. There was light peeking through his closed curtains. Must be morning by now. At least he got a full nights rest. Dragging his feet to the window, he peered out for a second, the sudden change in light piercing his eyes as he hissed quietly, quickly pulling it shut. He was fine without the light.

With a stretch, he ignored his current predicament and began on his regular morning duties, as usual. He managed to get by without acknowledging his state until he had to change into proper clothes, which clearly did not fit his smaller frame.

Grumbling in annoyance as the pants he pulled on fell over his feet, onto the floor, as did his long shirt, Oliver decided that he needed to remedy this problem. If he were to continue like this, there was no possibility that he would always wear these oversized clothes. But for now, he just put up with it, rolling up what he could. Not much he could do right now, he supposed.

Once he had ended up in his study, windows shut away from any leaking light, his eyes eventually landed on the clock that stood on the wall. It was… ah. Nearly one in the afternoon. He had overslept much more than he thought he had. It’s not like he had anything he was eager to do, though, so he was fairly relaxed.

Despite this, he found it hard to sit around for the remainder of the day, itching to get out and do something, though he wasn’t certain why. Might as well, then. Stepping out of his study, and towards the door, he remembered his current state. What would people think, seeing someone unknown man leave the house of Gabriel Utterson? It could raise suspicion, make someone question him, and he wanted to avoid that the best he could.

He could try to slip out from the front door, if no one were observing him, though that was a bit risky. Approaching the door, light glowing from underneath, he crack it open just the slightest. The sunlight beamed into his eyes, squinting as they adjusted. From was he could tell, eyes unfocused, there didn’t seem to be all to many people wandering nearby at this time. Just quickly…

He was out through the door before he knew it, strolling down the street. Nobody saw him, right? From what he could tell, it was all clear, but there could be someone hiding outside of his view, just around the corner, about to catch him and interrogate him. This fear brought him to step faster, trying to get out of the area quickly.

Only once he made it down the street, around the corner, and into another part of town, he felt like he was safe from any prying eyes. No one could recognize him, know who he was from his face, shrouded in anonymity.

It was then that he realized that he didn’t go out with a plan, with any idea what to do from there. With very little interest in heading back to his home, he began to wander the streets, taking in the sights through new eyes, though staying in areas that he found familiar. Best to avoid a case like last time.

In this, he passed by the shop of some tailor, glancing inside at the displays. Stopping in his tracks, he recalled how his current clothes were just a bit too large for his smaller form. Maybe he could drop by for a moment, get something more fitting…

Pushing through the door, he heard the bell ring, and a voice yelling from somewhere out of view. “I’ll be right there!” They must not get much business at this hour, the shop starkly empty. Better for him, he supposed.

As he browsed around at the displays, his eyes caught on one extravagant blouse, complete with all of its ruffles and frills, shirt puffing out at the sleeves. He had always admired those who wore those kinds of clothes, the dramatic nature of them. They were the kinds he had seen in the theater, in all of the shows he once enjoyed, though he never had dared to try himself, in fear of the judgment of others. It wasn’t the outfit of someone who was trying to present himself as a man of profession, to get clients to trust his services.

The stepping of light feet from somewhere behind him dragged him out of his thoughts, bringing his attention to them. “How can I help you?” asked what Oliver could only assume was the tailor, before she caught a glimpse of his face. She stared at him with a slight of disgust, though quickly covered it up with a smile.

Staring back without a word, the tailor quickly made conversation. “Were you looking at this here?” She said, gesturing towards the shirt he was admiring. Without waiting for a response, she added “This is a very fine blouse, I would say,” not surprising she would say that, as she was most likely trying to get some money out of him. “You do seem in need of a new wardrobe,” she ran her eyes over him, taking note of his oversized attire.

Quickly becoming self conscious of his appearance, he shuffled back a step, arms over his chest. By now he was quite eager to make his way out through the door and to anywhere else, but he had come here to get something done, and he didn’t want to make another trip.

Clearing his throat, he stuttered, “Yes, that, ehrm. I was looking for something new and this had caught my eye.” Hand tangled together, he continued, “If- if it’s available, I would like to purchase it from you.” He glanced away, not adept at these kinds of situations, as always. It didn’t help that he didn’t know this person, and wasn’t familiar with how they were. He should have just sent orders in to his regular tailor. What had even convinced him to do this, now of all times?

The tailor tilted her head. “That could be arranged.” She turned her back, making her way out of the room with haste. “I’ll be back in a moment!”

Oliver was left alone for a few moments at this, to ponder his thoughts. It was all very strange, wasn’t it? Going out with a different face, as someone else, temporarily shedding the identity he had his entire life. Sure, he had done this the previous night, but he had exclusively talked to Hyde, which felt a bit different than this, interacting with some civilian who would only know him by a face and name that didn’t fully belong to him, not yet.

Being dragged out of his thoughts by the clicking of the tailors heels from behind him, he turned his head to find her shoving a shirt into his hands. “Changing rooms are over there,” she said, jabbing her thumb to the right, and promptly leaving his area when he looked away. Did he say something wrong? Or was she usually this aggressive with customers?

Not finding it in him to care enough to stand there longer, he made his way into the changing rooms. It had been a long time since he found himself in this situation, unable to just make orders for his clothes, but have to go and make sure everything was fitting before purchase. That must be what comes with your whole form being reshaped in an instant. Not something he had ever expected to happen.

Once he pulled the blouse over his head and adjusted the sleeves, he turned to the mirror to get a better look. He was once again face to face with his unfamiliar form staring back at him, still not entirely accustomed to it. Trying to put that to the back of his mind for now, he got a good look at himself in the mirror.

It was much better fitting than his discarded outfit, sleeves falling to the correct place on his arms, shirt not too long. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it was an improvement. The white cloth of the fabric was lightweight, flowing quite nicely around him. It was… nice. He hadn’t ventured out of his usual style of clothing in a very long time, preferring to stick with what he found comfortable, though it was a good change of pace, just to go along with every new thing that had hit his life recently.

Spinning around for a moment, he briefly reveled in the enjoyment while it lasted. There may have been a quiet chirp from him, but he barely noticed. He soon recalled his intentions, and was soon reminded that he would need to talk to that tailor once again. Not something he was keen to do, but was necessary.

Changing back to his usual outfit, he made his way to the counter, where the tailor had resumed. Digging out some cash (of which he was relieved to have left in his pocket, as it could have been very awkward if he hadn’t), he was able to escape back to the outdoors.

The sky had darkened somewhat in the time it had taken. Or maybe that was just the dark clouds that had rolled over the sky. It was still a fine day out, and he had no intention of heading home, once again filled with excitement. Heading off in some direction, he began to make his way to nowhere in particular.

---

Walking down the street at a leisurely pace, Oliver was quite relaxed for his situation. Now that he thought about it, whatever was going on in his head when the transformations occurred had always seemed to relax him a bit. It did make everything more tolerable, though he was probably forgetting something important. He could worry about it later.

The wind blew past his ears as he strolled, blotting out much other sound. Looking up into the sky, the sun was almost setting, and what looked like rain clouds were quickly covering the sky. Hm. Best to avoid that as much as he could.

Lost in thought as he wandered aimlessly, heels clacking against the cobbled ground, he once again mulled over the whole Mr. Hyde thing. Truly, it was just stressing him out, and he would have just decided to ignore it (as he usually did with problems like this) if he wasn’t in so deep now. It was all because of that potion he stole from Henry’s lab, and his damned impulsiveness.

Now that he thought of it, why did Jekyll have a potion that reconfigured your very face as it was? Was it some untested drought? Was he using its effects for something? Testing it on others? On himself? No, no, that was absurd. Surely if Jekyll had invented something of the sort, he would have been informed by now, he would be the first to know of the sort. Yet the curiosity still lingered in the back of his mind, and he wondered if he could solve that mystery, though for now he was occupied with something else.

He let himself relax for the remainder of the night, trying to ignore the lurking thoughts of this whole mystery. There was plenty of time to sort it out later, for now he could have this time to himself. In this, he managed to make his way to one of the local theaters that night, catching whatever was ongoing then.

It was pleasant, to once again enjoy what he had held from himself. There wasn’t much time for an lawyer of his standing to indulge in trivial events of the such, though he wondered if staying away from such things was any good, starting to regret all the years he could have been indulging this side of himself.

Shoving that to the back of his mind, he finally arrived at his home, just a bit past midnight by then, and collapsed into his chair. He considered it a productive day, despite not getting any proper work done. Now feeling a bit more comfortable in his second form, he might actually be able to enact on some of his plans. There may be a few more things he would need to set up for his new identity, but for now, he let himself rest. He needed to catch up on sleep anyways.

Chapter 5: Friends and Not-so Friends

Over the next few weeks, Utterson had been making more preparations and such for his newly attained second form. He was able to forge some papers so he could more easily roam the world in the face of Oliver Seek without to much worry on that front. He set aside a few more sets of clothes, a bank account with a small amount of money he deposited, and cheap flat somewhere on the edge of Soho. That was mainly for convenience, so his investigations could go even a bit smoother, as that was where the supposed resistance of his case was.

He had yet to visit his new flat, or withdrawal from his bank account, as one of those transformations had failed to take place since the previous. After a few days of it happening daily, it was now paused, and without the know how on it, he was uncertain if he could trigger it again. This was only making him worry about both it not happening again, and that it could happen out of nowhere at the worst possible time.

The possibility of something going awry was constantly hanging over his head, and wasn’t particularly helping his situation. His time has recently been spent in attempts to flesh out his plan, on how he would exactly gather information on that Mr. Hyde.

As of now, his best idea was to try and… befriend the man, as much as it displeased him, and perhaps gain his trust enough to find out his true intentions. If he couldn’t get him to say anything, then maybe enough access to his place could be enough. Luckily his second form would cover himself in a way to not tarnish his own reputation from being seen around the man.

If everything went to plan, and it all worked out, he would be able to make sure his friend was protected from anything that man could do to him. Maybe he could blackmail Hyde, or show something to Jekyll that would prove him to be distrustful and no longer associate with him. That was what he was aiming for, at least. Anything to get Hyde out of his and Jekyll’s life.

All of that was put to the back of his mind, as he had a planned meeting with another friend of his that afternoon, and as soon as he got the few things left done, he started to make his way towards the home of Dr. Hastie Lanyon.

Soon he arrived at the ornate door that sat upon the entrance, and was welcomed by one of Lanyon’s servants. Waiting near the door, he took in his surroundings. Lanyon was a man who took pride in his well furnished home, with its many lavish decorations on every wall and shelf. It very cluttered, if you asked Utterson, being quite a lot to look at.

After a few more moments of waiting, Lanyon stepped out from around the corner, face lighting up when he saw the other man. “Mr. Utterson! It’s good to see you!” he said as he shook Utterson hand with a tight grip. A faint smile shown on Utterson’s face.

“You too, Dr. Lanyon.”

They navigated their way to another room in the large building, Utterson taking a seat in one of the chairs in Lanyon’s lounge. The occasionally met up like this, once a month or so, to catch up on the happenings of life, as they were both quite busy men. For a while they idly talked, Lanyon dominating the conversation, not that Utterson was opposed, though eventually he prompted Utterson to contribute.

“Have you been working on anything new, Utterson?” Lanyon asked, leaning back in his chair and swirling his cup of wine in his hand.

Utterson hummed. “Yes, actually. You recall that protege of Dr. Jekyll I mentioned, just the last time I was here? Well, I’ve been doing more… investigations on that man, Mr. Hyde, as I said. I fear he is not the best company for our friend, and I have been taking some action to secure his safety.”

Staring at him for a few moments, Lanyon let out a heavy sigh. “You’ve gotten caught up in one of your pet projects, haven’t you?” Utterson glanced away. “Utterson, truly, you needn’t worry yourself over this nonsense. I’m certain Dr. Jekyll is fine. Please, don’t get yourself all worked up.”

Gripping the arms of the chairs, Utterson exhaled sharply, pushing away every excuse he had in his mind, explaining that Jekyll could be in danger, and that he was his lawyer and this was just his job, really. Instead, he put on the best compliant voice he could as he sighed. “I suppose you are right, Lanyon. I’ll… try not to dig myself to deep, alright?” Well, he may have already dug himself much too deep by now, though he wouldn’t admit it to Lanyon’s face.

“Thank you, Utterson, truly. I wouldn’t want you getting yourself into a situation you couldn’t get yourself out of, would I?” Lanyon smiled. “Now, where were we?”

They continued their conversation into the night, rambling on about whatever seemed important in the moment. The sun was nearly set by the time Utterson made his departure, waving his friend goodbye as he stepped out the door, the cold breeze stinging his skin.

It was good to see him again, even if this was a regular occurrence. They had their disagreements, but how could friends of their age not? But there were somethings he would better not share, his current predicament being one of them.

As he didn’t care to mull on it too much, he focused on his walk home. It was dark out by now. Best he be careful. Stepping through the mist, shoes clacking against the hard ground, echoing though the empty streets, Utterson watched his surroundings warily, on edge. He felt as though someone was watching him.

Glancing behind, he didn’t spot anything, but the feeling still hung heavy over his head. He sped up a bit. He didn’t _need_to worry, he was certain it was fine. It was cold out, was all, and he wanted to return to the warmth of his home.

He could have sworn he heard footsteps behind him, but ignored it, assuming it was a figment of his own mind. He was proven wrong as he felt something tap his shoulder, provoking him to quickly turn himself around. In this, he was confronted with whatever had been following him, who’s face was shaded over by his hat.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Utterson.” spoke a gravely voice that he, unfortunately, recognized as belonging to one Edward Hyde. Utterson stared at the man from the side of his eye.

Utterson hummed, almost grating his teeth. “Hello, Mr. Hyde. What are you doing out this fine evening?”

“Well, I saw you out for a midnight stroll, and couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to see you again.” There was a displeasing smile on his face, just barely visible from below his hat. He propped his cane to the side, leaning on it in a way that looked like he could fall over at any moment.

“And what reason would you have to want to see me?”

Hyde leaned down, staring at Utterson’s face from below. He hummed, taking him in as he did so. “You are a sight to behold, aren’t you?”

Utterson stared at him questioningly, almost fearful, taking a step away from the man. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Utterson only grunted in response. As he silently started to walk away, Hyde followed, trailing besides him, eyes baring into his soul. Not a word was passed between the two, Utterson trying to keep his gaze away as Hyde did anything but the same.

Keeping his pace, Utterson turned his head to the other man, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling that washed over him. “Do you want something?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Why else would you be… here?”

“Can’t one just acquaint themselves with their fellow man?”

Utterson looked away. “I’m certain that you could have picked any better time.”

“Such as?”

Utterson grumbled. Was he really-? Hm. He glued his eyes ahead of him as he picked up his pace, done with this conversation. Unfortunate for him, Hyde was still pursuing him, only a few steps behind him.

“Truly, Gabriel, if you have some other time we could meet, I could leave you to be on your way, as you are.” A sly smile appeared on his face

How did he know his first name?- rubbing his face, Utterson sighed, complying to his demands. “I suppose that can be arranged.”

Smiling wider than he should have been able to, Hyde stepped in the path of Utterson. “How does a week from now sound? Afternoon.”

Did he have anything that day? He couldn’t recall, but in an almost desperation to get out of this situation, he muttered, “That can be arranged.”

Hyde tilted his head at him, stepping out of his path with a fluid movement, grin still plastered on his face. “I’ll see you then, Gabriel.”

Before Utterson could say anything, Hyde bounded away, leaving him, now relived of his unpleasant presence that he had such a distaste for. He couldn’t be far from his place now, treading down the stone paths, thankful for the streetlights that stopped him from walking in the dark.

After only a few minutes, he arrived at his door and quickly made his way inside, it great need of rest after the events of the day. Tossing his coat on the rack by the door, he dragged himself into the house.

Sat in one of his cushy chair, he had himself with a book in hand, though not completely focused on it. His mind had wandered to his conversation with Lanyon, and that strange encounter with Mr. Hyde.

Lanyon may have disproved his… investigations, though that wasn’t uncommon, and he didn’t need to know the full extent of what he was doing. Maybe he could be told once it was something he couldn’t have any influence over. For now he could… withhold information from him.

And… Hyde. What was his intention? What was he getting at here? Was this to do with Jekyll, or his will? Did he want something from him? God, he was going to be worried about their abruptly planned meeting all week now, wasn’t he? With a sigh, he set down his book, wondering what he would do next. Hopefully this second form of his would make answers more obvious with given time. Now sufficiently distracted from his book, he got himself up from his chair to see if there was anything to keep him occupied.