A Shadow in the Night [Open]

[Liadon]

Liadon sighed as he tossed and turned in his bed. Another restless night, it seemed. He had been having those lately...after several moments of debating and thinking, he finally got out of bed, dressing himself in one of his hand-stitched robes before turning on the lights for his room and looking oer his book collection. What to read, what to read...his eye was finally caught by a book he had read several times over, but never ceased to enjoy. Stephen King was one of the authors he truly could enjoy...save for IT and Dreamcatcher, he had the entire collection of works in his room. In this instance, his eye was caught by Pet Semetary. Turning the light off, he left his room as quietly as possible and began heading for the courtyard.

Upon reaching the courtyard, the guards eyed him suspiciously before letting him pass. It was unusual for mutants to be roaming this late at night, but it wasn't unheard of....at least not in Liadon's case. He always came to sit by the pool and read by the fake lighting that the courtyard had within it. He had often wondered if any of the other mutants did anything other than sleep at night, but had never seen any evidence of it before. He supposed there were those that did...he just had never seen them. He sat down cross-legged at the edge of the pool,taking a moment to close his eyes and listen to the soft rippling of the water. After a moment, he would open the book to begin reading. The courtyard was deserted at the moment, save for him and a couple guards...so he simply read in peace for the moment. It only took a few moments for him to get through the first chapter...he was a fast reader.

[Fox]

Fox was feeling extra energetic tonight, as he tended to be rather nocturnal. Yet he usually spent his night simply re-reading the same children books that he was allowed to have or staging elaborate scenarios with his small legion of stuffed toys. Tonight was different though, one of the officials of the asylum had said that Fox would have courtyard privileges...but with a few restrictions.

First he could only go out there late at night. While he wasn't told why that was a condition, and didn't ask, it was because they wanted to avoid giving him too much exposure to the other prisoners as they could easily fill his head with stories which could have disastrous results for the asylum in general. Fox's imagination could probably be classified as a weapon of mass destruction given the small fellow's powers.

Fox's tails swished rapidly as he stared at the clock on his wall, trying to will it to go faster. He had to wait till both hands were at the top before he was allowed to go out to the courtyard, at least that's what the official had said anyway. After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity to Fox, it was midnight. He let out a happy bark and sprang up from his bed and dashed out the door. Fox practically ran down the halls before he came to the courtyard entrance, there were two guards stationed there at all times and they eyed Fox for a few moments as they checked to see if he was indeed allowed out there. After a few moments they had confirmation on Fox's privileges and let him pass.

Fox ran out into the courtyard with childlike energy, doing a little cartwheel as he went. It felt nice just to be outside for a change, even if there were walls all around and a large metal mesh net over the area. "Yay! I'm outside, I'm outside, I'm outside!" Fox practically chanted the phrase as he bounced around like a hyper-caffeinated child. Even Fox's fox-fires were glowing a bit more brightly, mirroring his excitement. He was so caught up in being outside finally that he didn't even notice Liadon who was sitting quietly.

[Liadon]

He was so focused and lost within the storyline of his novel...he had managed to make it halfway through chapter ten by this moment in time....that he jumped and nearly ended up tossing his book into the water by accident when he heard the sudden and excited shout/chanting of Fox. After a moment of fumbling with his book to make sure it DIDN'T go in the water, he took a couple breaths to calm himself. That had startled him somewhat, hearing Fox barge into the courtyard. From how he was acting when Liadon turned to watch him in silence for a moment, he could come to no other conclusion than this must be his first time...it's the only thing that logically fit. Plus, he had never seen Fox in the courtyard at all until tonight. Thus, it was the ONLY logical conclusion he could come to. He gently folded a corner of the page he was on as he stood up...this was when he realized he had failed to remember the gloves he always wore. He sighed...he was not entirely fond of letting others see the burn marks upon his hand. He must be so used to being alone at night in the courtyard, that he felt comfortable enough to not need it...now he was keenly aware that one he might consider friend might see these scars, he felt a little uncomfortable. He doubted he'd be able to slink back to his room without being noticed...Fox likely hadn't noticed him yet, due mainly to the dark colors of his robes and how motionless he can be when reading. He slowly stood up, brushing any small bits of debris that may have stuck to his robes as he did so, before continuing to watch Fox's excited prancing. He had to admit...it was a little heart warming to see joy in such a pure state. His face wouldn't show any sign of a smile...maybe a slight smirk at most...but his eyes, if anyone were to lookg, would be slightly glittering. Normally noises bothered him...but this? He was witnessing something right now that was so incredibly rare to see in this place, he couldn't help but sit back and enjoy it.

[Fox]

Fox continued with his joyful frolicking for a few minutes, simply enjoying the fresh air and actually seeing the sky for the first time in more years than he cared to count. Since Liadon hadn't made much noise, Fox hadn't really seen him yet. When Liadon stood up though Fox's eyes went right toward his figure. The kitsune's eyes could see in even pitch blackness, so spotting Liadon was easy enough for him. Fox's eyes, which were already literally glowing in the night, seemed to glow even brighter for a moment.

"Liadon!" Fox called out happily, waving as he suddenly changed direction straight for his new friend. Fox's little balls of bluish light spun around him rapidly as he rushed toward his new friend. It took almost all his willpower to stop himself from simply tackling Liadon in a hug, but he managed to come to a stop about a foot away instead. Fox's three tails were wagging so fast that they were simply a fuzzy blur behind him. "I didn't think anyone would be out here, but you're out here! That's so awesome, cause they said I can only come out after midnight. Now I have someone to play with!" Even though he had managed to not glomp Liadon, he was still bouncing up and down in place. The little guy just seemed chock full of energy at the moment.

[Liadon]

Liadon blinked a couple times and tensed himself when Fox rushed at him...the only thing he could think right now was, "Oh, please don't knock me into the water..." Thankfully, Fox restrained himself enough to not do such, so Liadon let out a silent sigh of relief and relaxed. He pondered though, on the lights swirling about Fox...were they tied to his mood somehow? He would have to meditate on this later, and perhaps ask if later observations didn't reveal this. He couldn't help but smirk a little, and let out a small chuckle at Fox's enthusiasm and joy. It was a little contagious, but...Liadon never really was good at expressing emotions through his facial features. Save for when he was angry.

"Ah...hello, Fox. I'd ask how you were this evening but...the answer is fairly apparant by the blur your tails have become alone. I come out here when I can't sleep, and read by the fake moonlight provided."

The last part seemed to be a bit dry and sarcastic, much as if Liadon would rather be reading in the real moonlight...but when he continued, the tone was gone.

"That is good to hear they are allowing you to come out, Fox...I am glad for you. Though, erm...I'm afraid I don't really know how to 'play' exactly..."

With that, Liadon would kind of rub the back of his head a bit...if Fox looked closely or was paying enough attention, he might be able to see the burn scars on the back of this hand, as Liadon was not wearing his gloves he normally did. He wasn't quite sure how to take...well, anyone, being this happy to see him. This was a first, as no one at all ever had been happy to see him before, to his memory....and he had a very good memory. He even still remembered when he was about nine months old as if it were yesterday...

[Fox]

Fox giggled a little when Liadon mentioned not knowing how to play. That just seemed so silly to him and he decided to say as much. "You don't know how to play? That's just silly! There's no wrong way to play after all...at least as far as I know." Fox said, tilting his head to one side as he thought about if there was a wrong way to play. Since nothing came to mind he dismissed that train of thought nearly immediately.

"We could play a game... though we don't have anything like a ball or something. That limits things a bit. We could play tag, or hide and seek...but I'm unbeatable at hide and seek cause I can sniff people out." Fox said, laughing a little at the last part. It was true that he had a very unfair advantage when playing hide and seek. He wasn't bad at tag though by any means, as he was rather quick and generally hyper at any given time. Pretty much anything that required running around was something he excelled at.

"Or maybe you know a game?" Fox grinned as he asked, hoping that perhaps he'd be able to learn a new game tonight. Even if he didn't he still had someone to play with, or merely chat with if Liadon didn't feel like playing. All those options were fine with Fox who simply craved attention and companionship.

[Liadon]

Liadon nodded to his question, though he also raised an eyebrow when he mentioned it was silly to not know how to play.

"No...I'm afraid that my childhood didn't really allow for me to learn such...so I never really have played any games in my life..."

When Fox began listing off possibilities, a perplexed look would appear on Liadon's face, and would slowly grow.

"Erm....tag? Hide and seek....? I...I'm sorry, I'm not sure what those are, really..."

He sighed as he realized that, despite all the intelligence he had...he was unaware of howto be a child at heart and simply play around and enjoy life as it is. He supposed he had his parents, brother, and this place to thank for that.

"I'm...afraid I don't know -any- games Fox...not even the ones you mentioned. I'm sorry...but you'd have to teach me if you wish me to play with you."

He shifted a bit uneasily...he actually felt a little embarassed and disappointed in himself for not knowing how to play.

[Fox]

Fox's eyes went a little wide when Liadon stated he didn't know ANY games at all. The purple kitsune had to keep his jaw from dropping down in awe of such a statement. It simply boggled his fuzzy little mind to hear such a thing! How could someone not know any games at all? Fox wasn't going to let this deter him though, and made up his mind to teach his new friend how to play.

"Don't worry about not knowing... I'll just teach you how to play then! Let's start with 'Tag'. It's pretty straightforward, though it's more fun with more than two people it's still doable. Basically one person is 'IT' and 'IT' has to try and catch someone and tag them by touching them. Everyone else tries to stay away from 'IT'. When someone gets tagged by 'IT' that person becomes 'IT'." Fox was doing his best to describe the game of tag, and felt he was doing an admirable job of it.

"It's easier if I just show ya though. So, I'm 'it' right now." As soon as Fox finished that sentence he poked Liadon's arm and stated, "Tag, you're it!" Then he ran a short distance away, pausing only to look to see if Liadon was chasing him. "Now you have to try and catch me!" Fox called out happily, his tails a blur once again and his many lights flickering merrily.

[Kit]

Kit had spent most of her stay in this prison, looming about the cold dark hallways. When she had finally learned of the Court Yard, it was surely her favorite place to catnap and be forgotten. How long had she been here today? Not even she knew, or even realized she had overslept. Not even as Liadon entered and sat down near the pool to read his book, behind where she lay, did she stirr. It wasn't until she heard Fox's energetic greeting that she bothered to open her eyes.

The feline flipped her ears bihind her, in the direction of conversation. Slowly she rose, slyly and silently, her ears emerging from behind the tall grass as she continued with unnoticeable motion. When she had finally risen to point where her head was above the blades that blocked her, she didn't hesitate her own abrupt greeting, "HI, guys!" she shouted so near Liadon's ears as she stood behind his shoulder. "What's this?" she questioned, snatching a glove from the ground. She had seen gloves before, but never really cared much for them; this one was different somehow. She placed it on her head for no reason in particular except to be silly and stretched her arms towards the meshed sky. Resting them again, on the ground, she stood hunched over on all fours, tail swishing methodically in interest of this little powow.

[Liadon]

Liadon would listen intently to Fox's description of how the game worked...he felt he had an understanding of it from his decription of the rules and such. So...pretty much, you needed to touch other peopleif you were it, or simply avout the one who was it if you weren't. Seems pretty straightforward. He then allowed Fox to do his demonstration, and felt he had an understanding of the transferrance of "it" status...as he nodded in understanding, and just before he began the chase however....he heard a shout DIRECTLY in his ears. This made him jump, more so than last time, and this time he -did- drop his book...though, thankfully, it did not go in the water. He also let out a small yelp of surprise. After taking a moment to calm himself again, he took a couple deep, calming breaths before speaking.

"Hello, Kit...you startled me there."

That would be when his analytical mind kicked into full gear. If he was currently it...and Kit was closer than Fox...not to mention she didn't seem to be running. Hmm. Either she wasn't interested...or else was unaware of what was about to happen. A slightly mischievious glint appeared in his eyes as he allowed, for the first time, his more childlike side to come out. Sure, he was really smart...and powerful, he knew that too...but he had never been able to enjoy doing this sort of thing before in his entire LIFE. Why should he not take a bit of time to partake in some childish fun he had been denied thus far? It was logical that everyone should have some sort of fun...no matter how childish it may seem. As such...there was only one course of action he could see at this moment in time. He walked closer to Kit, and then sought to poke her left shoulder gently, but quickly.

"Now, if I understand this game correctly...you must be it now."

With that, he would dash off, the mischievious glint still in his eyes. He wondered how both Fox and Kit would react to this...and he wondered if he, himself, would find this as fun as they might.

[Kit]

"Huh?" Kit stood there perplexed. What was going on? What just happened? She was tricked! Kit had seen tag played before, but she was normally one to be chased for other reasons and would only chase that which would make a good snack. Tilting her head so much she nearly fell over, Kit looked at the two smug faced boys. She tossed a sly grin, "this means war," and ducked into the grass, slipping through it effortlessly. You'd have to have hearing and sight as Fox's in order to hear or see her coming. With that in mind, she aimed for the closest and "easier" target in her mind and crept closer to Liadon for a tag-back. Revenge was afoot and the feline would move quickly.

[Fox]

"Uh-oh, Kit is it!" Fox called out jokingly, happy to see Kit out here with them as well. That was just another pleasant surprise for his first trip into the courtyard. Now the game of tag would be even more fun since they had another participant! Fox backed up a few steps from where he'd last seen Kit before she started stalking them, sniffing the air. Now that he knew she was out here, Fox was quick to pick up her scent so that he might avoid her.

"This is going to be fun!" Fox exclaimed, bouncing up and down a bit. He had tons of energy to burn up on the game, and no intention of becoming 'it' if he could help it at all. While Fox had an unfair advantage of being able to track Liadon and Kit by scent, and see in the dark, his little fox-fires were like a constant beacon which sort of evened things out a little.

[Liadon]

[Post order: Liadon, Kit, Fox]

When he noticed Kit begin to hide and slink around in the grass, he figured the best idea was to find an area with -no- grass, and then just watch for her...so he began sprinting towards the basketball court area. The best way to handle this situation, from what he could tell, was to attempt to get to an area where he could more easily dodge the incoming Kit...provided of course she was coming after him...he couldn't actually tell, the grass did such a good job hiding her. However, it was best to play it on the safe side...had he successfully made it to the basketball court, he would enter the center of it and keep both his eyes and ears peeled for Kit. The lighting wasn't the best, sure....but it was enough to where he, theoretically, should be able to see movement heading his way, and hopefully make the dodge in time. He had to wonder where exactly Kit was though...it was unnerving not knowing exactly -where- the one who was it was located....

[Kit]

Kit snuck through the grass to hide behind a tree in order to confuse her prey. Climbing stealthily into its branches, she saught out a meathod of closing in on Liadon. He had gone to the basketball court, clever boy...THERE! Fox was vigilant, but much closer. Perhaps she could leap down and catch him off guard. Kit's attention shifted towards the excited fox as she waited a few moments to see if they'd do anything. Those little fires hypnotised her and she made a decision: jump down, dash towards Fox and nab him, being sure to zip away before getting caught. In a heartbeat, she lept down gracefully landing on her feet and jumped like a grasshopper towards Fox, hoping to tag him and make a quick escape.

[Fox]

Fox had been keeping track of Kit with his sense of smell, so she hadn't surprised him as much as one might have thought. As soon as Kit landed Fox bounced back a few steps as she jumped toward him, managing to stay just out of reach. "No, I don't wanna be it!" Fox cried out with a laugh as he turned and started to run, his little flames following him.

He decided to run toward Liadon, figuring that if Kit had an easier target to tag then she'd change her mind about tagging him. Fox's legs carried him rapidly across the span that separated him from Liadon, and he could hear Kit still behind him. He knew if he slowed down for an instant she'd likely catch him, and he couldn't have that happen too soon! "Weeeeeeee!" Fox let out his happy squeal as he came barreling in toward Liadon at top speed, a huge grin plastered across his face as he ran. It felt so wonderful to be outside again and have the air blowing through his fur, even if it wasn't exactly the same as being free it was a vast improvement for Fox.