Eridan, although possessing of sapience, even higher cognitive function on his better days, still came from a murkier corner of the gene pool than Eddie did. His hindbrain resembled that of larger sharks, eels, barracuda. Eddie held him momentarily with his reasoning, and certainly, he rethought his entire plan. Just for a second.

And then Eddie had to go and blink, and the shift in Eridan's demeanor was almost instantaneous. He stepped in, scalpel rolled between two fingers, expression caught between placid and determined.

"That's what I'm thinkin', yeah," he replied, moving in; the scalpel's edge hovered momentarily near Eddie's eye, then his cheek, his throat, eventually digging in just behind his clavicle. A quick dig, an upwards swipe, just enough to put some blood in the water.