All the voices in the room started to simultaneously yell.
"Eddie! Stop wait wait wait!"
"Woah woah woah woah woah!"
"EDDIE- STOP, EDDIE EDDIE! It's me! It's Dustin! This is Steve!"
Things were going down hill fast. Daphne slowly approached the two. "Eddie. They're okay- he's not going to hurt you, right Steve?"
"Right, yeah," Steve whispered.
Daphne turned to Steve cautiously. "Steve, why don't you drop the oar?"
He did as suggested, but the loud thump must have frightened Eddie even more. He tightened his grip on Steve and pressed that glass closer to his neck.
"He's cool! He's cool." Dustin enunciated each word with clarity and composure.
"I'm cool, man. I'm cool." Steve had his hands up in surrender.
"What are you doing here?" Eddie whispered, not moving from his attacking stance.
"We're looking for you," Dustin said.
Robin chimed in from the back. "We're here to help."
"Eddie, these are my friends. The ones that I told you about last night- see? Dustin, Robin, Max and Steve. You know Dustin, they're not here to hurt us." Daphne looked at Eddie with calm eyes. Eyes that told him he was safe.
Dustin came forward. "Eddie, we're on your side. I swear on my mother- right guys?"
"Yes. Yes. We swear."
"Yeah, o- on Dustin's mother."
"Yeah, Dustin's- Dustin's mother," Steve breathed out.
