back - words: 2,434 - publish date: 12 Oct 2025
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.