The abridged party that Robert held went quite well but for Ed, it didn't. Although he wouldn't consider it as a disaster, he was rather uncomfortable on how the party went. Everyone had their share of drinking except for Ed who then established a limitation towards it just for the sole purpose of discipline. To be frank, he was drinking quite excessively over the past few months and the realization to it made him aware of his growing habit. He didn't want to be like his father back then nor did he want the old man to know how much liquor he'd drink every night. Perhaps the alcohol limitation that he implemented was a reasonable decision but there could be times that his temptations would rattle him out of control. The feeling of envy would kick in and that's the biggest problem Ed wanted to avoid. 

It was about 8 PM as Ed strolled throughout the streets, just a few blocks away from Robert's apartment complex and a several more to his dormitory grounds. He took his usual shortcut whenever walking back home from Robert's apartment. It was in-between alleyways, cramped from a nearby coffee shop called 'Voz'. Once exiting the alleyway, Ed would find his way to a narrow street which then led to the main road that connects directly to his university's dormitory grounds. The route seemed fairly uniform. It would only take less than 15 minutes for Ed to arrive at his dormitory. However, there were times when he felt unsafe while treading through that route, most especially at night. Gangs were known to loiter around alleyways, most of them would either exploit their drug-related negotiations or perform their violent rituals whenever a new member is recruited. Luckily for Ed, he haven't encountered one yet even after taking shortcuts between alleyways countless of times. But even when he haven't had close encounters yet, he was still watchful of gangs lingering around streets at night. 

A minute won't be complete if Ed didn't seek out for anything glinting with suspicion. He would look behind his trails, repeatedly setting his sights from left to right and sharpen his sense of hearing, all while passing through narrow spaces that were blocked by unused wood and piles of scattered garbage. Ed could smell a rancid blend of rotten food. The most noticeable ones were cheese and meat. Mice were scrambling together to find what they could eat and the sight of them alone made Ed's insides lurch. The alleyway's path ends with a large plywood hung between walls and is jutted on a ledge. Once after seeing it, Ed immediately grabbed his handkerchief and coughed violently. The vile smell was just unbearable and it seems that it won't be removed anytime soon not unless garbage men would consider on doing their work effectively.  

Once stepping out from the smelly alley and onto the narrow street, a distinct clattering sound was heard from behind. It immediately alerted Ed which then forced him to grab his brass knuckles from his pockets. A figure then appeared from the dim joint and yelled abruptly after seeing Ed. Ed then placed his brass knuckles back to his pockets once after the figure revealed itself.

[b]"Edrenn!"[/b] A female voice screeched from the silent and dreary night. It was the girl from the party, the one whom Ed recognized as his co-debater and a freshman to be precise. 

[b]"You."[/b] Ed hissed harshly apparently not wanting to alert any bystanders who could be nearby.[b]"You're taking this route too?"[/b] He then followed up with a question that seemed to be on the range of his curiosity. 

[b]"I don't know, I think I'm lost actually."[/b] The girl's reply made Ed roll his eyes in slight contempt

[b]"Oh man,"[/b] Ed sighed.[b]"Lost in the middle of the night and then taking a route which appears to be fairly unsafe for a girl like you. Do you have any idea how much risk you're putting yourself into?"[/b]

[b]"Hey! I don't even know what route I should take or was taking in the first place."[/b] The girl exclaimed but kept her voice lower [b]"And don't blame me. Besides, this is the very first time I was invited to your friend's place so it's fairly obvious that I don't know the way back because I took a ride on someone else's car. You do know my time on studying this place is quite limited if I didn't take---"[/b] 

[b]"Not an acceptable excuse. Your logic should have told you to take that ride on your way back."[/b] Ed said as he cut her between lines. For someone who is a trained debater, the girl has a complex way of stating her point but spoke a lot faster than anyone would comprehend. She didn't take any short breathing breaks between her words and she all uttered them rapidly. 

The girl sighed in annoyance as she narrowed her eyes to strike a piercing look against Ed.

[b]"Listen here genius, we either argue or you take me out of here because if we do argue, chances are, the risks that you're talking about will significantly increase since the time we will spend on arguing will prolong my stay in this dangerous district. Who knows, while we are arguing about why I should have took the ride on my friend's car, armed men will station themselves from behind and strike us with their weapons."[/b] 

Ed pressed his right hand against his forehead then dropped both of his shoulders as he heaved a deep, heavy sigh.

[b]"Fine. Follow my lead and don't make any noises."[/b] Ed suggested as he started walking. The girl followed seconds after with a bit of doubt written on her face.