The Preserve; Sunday Evening

[ihuntkillers]

Skulking about in the preserve might not really be the best idea Jasper's ever had but it'd been something he'd wanted to do for awhile now. Most of this island was a mess of wide open spaces, water and small, dark alleys that were one cigarette smoking guy in a trench coat away from a film noir.

Comments

[rhymeswithtable]

It was an excellent evening for - what? For exploring! Mabel had knitted about fifteen thousand sweaters by now, and Waddles was napping back in her room, so she'd decided to put her adventuring skills to good use tonight by going for a walk in the preserve to check out the little green deer she'd heard about.

So, here she was, armed with a camera and a backpack that was mostly just holding her grappling hook, wearing a sweater with a funny-looking owl on it, and... mostly just wandering around lost. It was dark. Did deer even do things in the dark?

Well, too late for that now. Maybe she could find some other elusive Fandom species of the nocturnal persuasion, like a--

"Hi!"

-- Like an elusive 'guy against a tree.' Those were pretty rare this time of year.

[ihuntkillers]

If he'd been anyone else, he might have jumped in surprise but it'd been pretty easy to tell he wasn't alone when she'd gotten closer. With his mood the way it was, he wasn't sure whether a visitor was a good idea or a bad one.

But, civility.

"Hey," he said, tilting his head. "Didn't think anyone else would be out here."

[rhymeswithtable]

"Well, you know," Mabel chirped, gesturing broadly with one hand up toward the night sky. "It's a great night for this, and a little exploring never hurt anybody, right?"

Unless you ran into a creepy guy in the woods, maybe. But how likely was that to happen?

"I was looking for the deer, but I guess I lost track of the time. It is too late for deer now, isn't it?" A beat. "Prooobably."

[ihuntkillers]

So unlikely! Guess Mabel just had some good luck tonight. The one night a creepy guy hangs out in the woods, right?

"Probably," he agreed, nodding and not moving from his spot against a tree. "You out here hunting this late?"

Was there anything but hunting and watching that you could do with deer? He didn't see a weapon though.

[100leader]

Clarke was out with a flashlight, doing her now-weekly check of the portal that landed her here. Usually she never saw anybody so imagine her surprise when she turned her flashlight on Jasper.

Seriously, she was surprised, there was a shout and everything.

[ihuntkillers]

"You're being loud."

Or maybe he was just very attuned to things around him. Still, he didn't jump when the light hit him.

"Hi, Clarke. You're out late."

Did that sound creepy? He didn't mean it.

[100leader]

"The same could be said for you," she said. "What are you doing out here?"

[ihuntkillers]

"I told you I was going to come out here at some point," he reminded her. "I was just checking it out. Isn't it considered relaxing to take a walk through the woods?"

He tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

[hexentotchen]

Hanna was running through, intent on the music in her headphones, but always paying attention to her surroundings.

Think on your feet. Even when you're asleep.

She saw a figure slightly off to the side in her peripheral vision, and slowed down as she approached.

[ihuntkillers]

It was a busy night in the preserve, wasn't it?

Jasper heard the running first but didn't move. When he spotted someone, he stayed still and kept watching, expression unreadable.

[hexentotchen]

When she got closer, Hanna slid her earphones off, recognizing Jasper. "Hey." Taking out her water bottle, she took three gulps, then squinted at him. "Training?" Give her a second to get her breath back.

[ihuntkillers]

He shook his head. "Walking. Checking things out." His training took place elsewhere. "You out here exercising this late?"