Dante was very confused by that point. The man was talking about Trickster like he was a whole other person. He assumed it was either a trick to get out of it or something else was seriously wrong. “What do you mean? You’re him,” he pressed, head tilting to the side in a dog like manner.
When asked if the victim was ok, his lips parted slightly. Every one of Trickster’s victims had been killed, that he knew of, at least. He knew the one on the ground floor of the building was no different, judging by the amount of blood he had seen on his way in. “They’re dead,” he answered shortly. There was something wrong with the situation. He slowly put his phone away, wanting to get some answers as to what was going on before he handed the villain over to law enforcement.
"I-its complicated…" Tyler sighed, "I'm just… Tyler…not… hes… hes in my head with me… I cant control him…he scares me…" Tyler looked at the other with shock when he said the victim was dead, "y-you say that like Its not a suprise…are the others dead? Did he kill them all?" He was crying harder now, his voice breaking as he attempted to sit up.
Couldn’t control him? Dante was growing more confused the more Trickster, who revealed his real name to be Tyler, spoke. He wasn’t sure if this was a mental health issue or something else, but he would get to the bottom of it. Either way, Tyler was dangerous, and who knew when Trickster would be making another surprise appearance. He’d have to keep his guard up just in case, though he knew he had the upper hand due to their size difference and his strength.
“Stop, don’t try to sit up. You’re going to get dizzy if you do that too fast,” Dante said, not answering the question about the other victims. The upset look in his eyes was enough of an answer. He put his hand on Tyler’s shoulder to put him back down to a laying position. He moved his jacket away, looking at the cut now that it wasn’t bleeding so profusely.
Tyler let the other push him down, using his free hand to wipe the still flowing tears from his face. "I-Im sorry mister… I s-swear I dont m-mean for it to happen" he said shakily, he was terrrified he would be locked away, that something would happen and Trickster would finally take complete control, locking Tyler away. He was sure the fear showed on his face, and he was sure the hero didnt believe him, for all he knew it was a trick, a trap.
Dante didn’t reply for the moment, stuck in his own mind. He patted Tyler down with large hands, finding multiple knives on his person. He took those away and tossed them to the side out of reach. If Trickster didn’t have any weapons, he would be very easy to overpower. He would easily be able to grab and hold him there on the ground if need be.
“What do you mean you didn’t mean for it to happen? You were the one to do it,” Dante finally asked in response to Tyler’s words. With the weapons out of the way, he felt much better about having a conversation with the villain.
"F-for Trickster to come out… a-and hurt people… it-its one thing if its me…" Tyler took a shaky breath, "y-you dont understand" he started to cry more as his panic rose, "y-your going t-to call the c-cops and… and lock me away… a-and then hell be free…. I-I can barely fight him already" he shook his head. "Y-you must think i-its a trick… i-I dont blame you s-sir…" he covered his face with his free hand, embarrassed to be seen crying by a hero.
The man in front of him was the polar opposite of the Trickster that he knew and fought with practically on the daily. He reached a hand up and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He had quite the decision to make. He couldn’t just let the man go, or else someone could get seriously hurt if he decided to kill again. Arresting him didn’t feel right either.
“I can’t let you go free, you’ve killed so any people,” he said with a sharp exhale. “Do you understand that?”
Tyler nodded, a fresh wave of tears streaming down his face. He spoke, barely above a whisper, "I-Im s-scared". He knew he wouldnt go free, the hero wasnt that dumb. It wasnt as if he had a home to go to anyway, all the money he got from his job Trickster ended up spending on more knifes. Tyler didnt even have food most days, besides what he got from work. But even though he didn't have a home, he was terrified what the hero would do to him. He was visibly shaking with fear.
Dante frowned softly. Tyler seemed so vulnerable in that moment. Maybe now that Tyler was aware of the murders, he would be able to suppress Trickster better. Maybe he would have a stronger willpower to do so. He hoped he wouldn’t regret the decision he was making.
Dante got to his feet, pulling Tyler up to stand with him. He kept ahold of Tyler just in case he lost his balance. “Come on, let’s get you home,” he said. Walking Tyler home would at least give him an idea of where the villain lived, so he could go there if anything happened in the future to put a stop to it for good. He wondered if Tyler would be able to stay steady on his feet considering the blood loss and how he passed out previously. He wouldn’t have minded carrying Tyler, considering how light he was. “Are you able to walk?”
Tyler stumbled when the hero helped him up, a wave of dizzyness washing over him. "I….I d-dont have a h-home sir" he had momentarly stopped crying, only for it to start again. "I-I dont w-want t-to die sir…" he took a shaky breath, wiping his face. "I… c-can you grab the black knife… i-its… h-he wont be happy i-if I lose it." Tyler murmered, leaning against the hero.
Trickster had spent every dime they earned on knifes, but the black one was special. Tyler didnt know why, and was to scared to ask, all he knew was the one time he misplaced it Trickster had almost killed them both, something he didnt want to go through again. He had only survived then because someone had stopped Trickster before he finished the cut down the throat. Making it fixable.
Dante arched a brow as he looked down at Tyler. “You’re homeless? Do you have somewhere that you normally stay?” he asked. There went his idea, fully out the window. Where did Trickster go when he wasn’t out killing people? Surely there was some place where he would go to sleep. Even a common place on the streets would be enough for him to handle.
When asked to get the knife, Dante laughed dryly. “You’re not serious, are you? Why would I give you a weapon. Hell no,” he said, shaking his head. He let go of Tyler and walked over to pick up the multiple knives that were on the ground. “You’re not getting any of these back. I’m not letting you hurt anyone else tonight.”
Tyler shook his head. "I… there is an old house… b-but T… h-he keeps his other knifes there" Tyler looked at the ground "I am n-not asking f-for them…. j-just that y-you dont l-leave them" he didnt look at the hero.
Tyler had a place, an abandoned house that had a worn out couch and no door or window, so it was always cold. He kept his work clothes there, but Trickster kept all of his sharp things there, in a chest that he had stolen from a store after the first murder.
Dante gave Tyler a thoughtful look as he tucked the knives away in the waistband of his pants for safe keeping. That would keep them out of the way and out of Tyler’s grasp. “I’ll walk you to that house, then,” he said. He was sure Tyler had to be aware of his true intentions. While he did want to get the other home safe, he also wanted to see where those knives were kept. His plan was to take them away if possible, leaving Trickster weaponless. He knew that the villain would be nothing without those knives. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone.
Tyler nodded slowly, "I um…. ok… its just down the road" he didnt move forwad, sure he would fall over if he did, his head was swimming after all. Tyler held his arms close to his chest, insecurely.
The house was in fact just down the road, it was barely a house, it had holes in the walls and roof, as it had once caught fire. It was put out before it was totally destroyed, but it wasn't a safe place to live.
Dante saw how Tyler wobbled and it was clear that he would need assistance. He wrapped one arm under Tyler's arms and the other under his legs, swooping him up into a bridal style carry. He carried Tyler effortlessly out of the room, kicking open the door to the stairwell. Tyler was as light as he looked, which was no problem for him. It was clear the man was skin and bones, most of his power being found through the knives. He followed Tyler's directions to where the falling down house was. He paused outside of it on the sidewalk, glancing down at Tyler. "This is seriously where you live?" he asked, thinking that the villain had to be playing a joke.
Tyler had made a noise when the hero picked him up, and covered his face the entire time, he was embarrassed that he was being carried in such a way. When they got to the house and he was asked if he was serious he looked at the house sadly, "I-I cant a-afford anywhere e-else" he said softly, wrapping his arms around himself. It wasnt his fault Trickster had a habit if spending all the money they had.
Dante pursed his lips, frowning under the balaclava. He approached the house, still carrying Tyler, and nudged the door open with his foot. It smelled like ash from a previous fire, and as he looked around, it was clear that the home was barely suitable to be lived in. It couldn’t have been safe, and he was sure it got cold at nights. Now inside, he carefully set Tyler back on his feet, holding onto his arm in case of he were to fall. “You should really maybe go to a shelter. This place really doesn’t seem up to code…” he commented, taking a look around.
Tyler looked around the room, ashamed that this was where he lived. When the hero mentioned a shelter Tyler shook his head, "n-no…T…h-he hurt s-someone l-last time and w-we got kicked out". Well, little did Tyler know, Trickster had killed the person, who decided to take the bed Trickster had claimed. The other shelters had been warned about a violent person by their description, so he wasn't welcome at any of them. "I-It's f-fine here…n-no one b-bothers us o-or gets hurt… no o-one else" he said quietly.
Dante vaguely remembered that time. He hadn’t been aware that Trickster had been staying there. He had assumed that he had gone in and killed the other person. It was not something he had considered, though it made sense. Trickster lived on the streets and in this abandoned house, so it would be difficult to place him at a certain home address that could be tracked down easily.
“Show me where the knives are,” Dante said after a moment. He wanted to confiscate them as soon as possible. If Tyler wouldn’t show him where, he would look through the entire home on his own.
Tyler pointed to a small wooden chest, small enough to carry with one arm. It was sitting in a corner, next to Tylers work clothes that were flolded neatly. The chest had a small lock on it, a combination lock that Trickster had also stolen. Tyler didnt know the combination, and Trickster was determined to keep it that way.
Tyler knew that was where the other kept the knifes, and that there were a lot of knifes in the chest, at least 30 unique pocket knifes. Trickster liked those best. Tyler didnt know what the hero was planning on doing with them, but he didn't want to upset the man that had saved his life.
Dante walked over to the chest. He took a look at the lock, frowning as he looked back at Tyler. “What’s the code?” he asked. It wasn’t a huge deal if Tyler didn’t tell him. He was sure that if he got a good enough grip, he could break it off. His strength came in handy for things like that. “Tell me or else it’s getting broken open. I don’t want to have to break your things but I will,” he warned.
"W-why n-not just t-take the chest?" Tyler asked softly, he knew Trickster would be mad if anything had been broken, and he had a habit of either taking his anger out on others, or on Tyler. As Tyler didnt know the code, his only hope was to convince the hero not to destroy the chest.
Trickster didnt like when people touched his things, much less broke them. Tyler was sure that if the hero did break it then Trickster would come out and attack the hero, possibly getting himself killed.
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