He followed her gaze, meeting the same riddle. The rage that bubbled off his bloodied riddles was unknown to him, but it was something Ruka would notice quickly, unknown to Eddie. He took a moment before smiling back at her, his arms swaying with a few steps towards her.

"Perhaps our typical foes hibernate otherwise," he said, joking. There was no use denying the pattern -- something he had noticed, too. It was uncomfortable, a constant that promised only further anxiety. But it was a whisper that was drowned by Eddie's own current concerns.

He watched her, watching his riddle.

"No matter, is it? We always tend to survive."