"Are you sure they said to meet them here?"

Mega Mouse Man nodded her head, squeaking her reply into Adeline's ear. {"They said they don't like going into the mansion unless they need to. Too many people, too many animals. They feel safer out here."} Adeline wriggled her nose, and kept and ear out for any soft rustlings or squeaks. She tugged at the grass underneath her, glancing up at the sky. It was a clear night, but Adeline couldn't see the stars very clearly, for all the light of the city. Only the moon, perched up nice and high.

She had been sitting out here in the mansion grounds for what felt like half an hour, though in truth it had probably only been about ten minutes. Mega Mouse Man sat on Adeline's shoulder, keeping vigil for any sign of Basil, Speedy, and their expected guests. Impatiently, Adeline gave a long sigh.

"And you're sure Speedy and Basil know where they--"

{"Adeline! Adeline!"} A familiar voice echoed out of the darkness, both interrupting and answering her question at the same time. Basil scampered out of the grass, and up Adeline's leg, a small bundle of nervous energy. {"They're on their way! Speedy is showing them the way!"}

Adeline smiled at her little friend, rubbed him on the head, and reached into her pocket to break off two small pieces of biscuit, one of which he was given for all of his hard efforts. "Good job, Basil."

Her ears pricked up as she heard three small squeaks coming from the same way Basil had come. Smiling widely, Adeline pulled out a biscuit from her pocket, one of the few that she had pilfered from the kitchen on her way down. Speedy came out of the darkness, coming to a stop in front of Adeline. {"This is her"}, Adeline heard him say. With him were two unfamiliar mice that Adeline had never seen before. They looked up at her, sniffing the air cautiously. They had come on the promise of food, but the promise had come from mice that were not from their colony. So caution was a must.

She smiled at her new acquaintances, offering a wave to the creatures. "Hi there!" Adeline snapped the biscuit in half, placing each segment in front of the two strangers, before giving Speedy his reward too.  "Tell them I can bring them more if they like. I would like us to be friends! And then they don't have to risk sneaking around the school so much."

Which which brings us to the reason Adeline was currently sitting out on the grass, after sneaking out in the middle of the night. Since arriving here,she had heard the scratching, and cries of fellow mice from the walls and cracks of the mansion, like she did in most buildings and houses. And like her school before her, Adeline decided that she wanted to make as many new mouse friends as possible. So she had sent the trio out, not without some worry on her part, to act as liaison between her and the wild mice of the school. Mega Mouse Man had returned with the message that the colony was interested, and that should she be willing to help provide for them, negotiations could be reached.

Sniffing their biscuits, and watching Speedy and Basil enjoy theirs, the house mice gave a tentative nibble. The food was good, and they squeaked happily.

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship...

The Mansion was a secure enough location, against normal invaders, however being close to the river, as well as a few sewer manholes actually made it somewhat easy for Sylar to sneak onto the grounds. Walls meant little to the Boogieman. Sylar crept out of of a manhole near the grounds, and made his way over the wall. His vision laid upon the building, a mass of shapes hard to make out but familiar after his previous trip here.

The Mansion was a secure enough location against normal invaders, however the creature crawling his way over the wall was quite unusual. A few different ways out of the sewer actually made it fairly easy for Sylar to work his way onto the grounds, though he could probably just walk through the front gate if he called upon those inside he knew. The monstrous form of the Boogieman made his way through the grounds, nearing the Mansion in a short amount of time. He figured he might be able to bum something from the mansion, and then enjoy a nap on the grounds before he made his way back underground for the coming day.

However as he crept through the grounds he caught a few scents that peaked his interest. Sylar lived in the dank musty sewers beneath Manhattan, the smell of rats was entirely familiar to him, however this smell, was a bit different. Field mice perhaps? A grin came across the teens face for the moment, though he preferred the taste of regular food, catching mice enticed his predatory nature, giving him something to do to alleviate his boredom. Sylar's movements grew even more inhuman, his form crouching low to the grass beneath him, clawed digits digging softly into the Earth as he began his approach towards the congregation of furry snacks.

His movements were quiet, his unnatural grace creating few noises out of the ordinary swishing of grass on the breeze. The moonlight seemed to wash around him, his form trying to hide from what little light there was. A soft hiss escaped his mouth as he neared Adeline and her furred companions. He circled a bit, staring at Adeline and her furry friends, his mind wondering why such a big heat source gave off a rodent odor. Far too large, even for a rat. However, he was too close now to just leave. He stopped, the faint sounds of his movement replaced a deathly silence.

Sylar exploded from his stance, sprinting on all fours like an otherworldly panther. His body seemed to blur, hiding his human nature behind his monstrous movements. He could hear the squeaks of surprise he knew was a response to himself, the mice having little time to react before he was upon them. He quickly grabbed one of the tiny treats, grasping it but not killing the creature yet, his attention broken as he advanced upon what had to be a human. He stood up, though taller than Adeline, didn't seem that much larger than the girl before him. His hood hid his eyes from her, revealing only a mouth laden with shiny fangs beneath the beautiful moonlight. "You...aren't a mouse?" Were the only words he said, his voice steady and with little emotion beyond a bit of confusion.

It all happened so quickly.

They were so engrossed in the food provided to them, that the mice were all too busy eating to notice anything. All except for Mega Mouse Man, who thought she heard a small hiss, and scurried up onto Adeline's head, trying to sniff out any possible cats in the vicinity. When she couldn't smell one, Mega Mouse Man settled slightly. Until she saw the glint of silver moonlight shine off something. Before she even had a chance to warn Adeline, the thing had pounced. Five mice all shrieked in terrified surprise, which in turn made Adeline give a tiny squeal. She felt the mice climb over her, onto her for safety, and she quickly jumped to her feet.

Her heart began to race, and Adeline felt her palms turn sweaty. Fear was gripping her, and panic. What had just happened? What was going on? Then she heard it. The panicked cries, and whimpers.

{"Adeline! Help me!"}

"Speedy!" Adeline's body went cold. It was then, that she saw it. A shadowy figure, with big, shiny teeth. And clasped in it's razor-grip was Speedy, crying in terror. Clenching her hands into tight little fists, Adeline bit down on her lip and felt tears prickling at her eyes. "Don't you hurt him!"

What sort of monster was this?

>>>"You...aren't a mouse?"

Adeline blinked as the monster spoke, flinching as it broke the silence. "N-No.." It...spoke to her? "I'm a person." She squinted against the darkness, trying to make out some detail of the creature. Other than the sharp teeth. And sharp claws. She noticed that the monster seemed to be wearing clothes, but the oddity of such a thing did not register in her mind. Speedy gave another fearful squeak.

"Let him go! He didn't do anything to you!" Adeline pleaded, pointing to the mouse in the monster's hand. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her friend!

Sylar's form was somewhat ironic considering his nature, a face desperately hidden away beneath a hood, the human parts of his body beneath his clothes, with only the monstrous growths of his hands, feet, and tail visible to all. Sylar sniffed the air again, smelling the scent of mice, and this odd girl before him. He realized though, that she wasn't normal, observing the large warm ears on her head. A mutant, made sense on the mansion grounds. His grip remained tight around the little mouse he'd nabbed, but not enough to crush the poor creature. Sylar looked at his claw, observing the panicked twitching ball of warmth in his claw. "Your pet?" He asked her, his voice showing no mercy or remorse so far.

His tail swayed a bit, glinting behind him, he blade reflecting the moonlight with an alien sheen. She was desperate for him to release the mouse, her fear half for this small creature than just herself. Sylar found it odd, to care so much for something that was essentially a snack food, but each mutant was very different from one another it seemed. "Here." He said, holding his hand out, only releasing the creature once she put up her hands to take it. "I didn't realize you were here, all I smelled was mice." He explained his sudden ambush on the girl as if such a thing were totally natural for him, and it was. If not for the girl begging for it's life, the mouse would have met a grim fate a midst metallic fangs.

What was she doing out here at night though, alone with mice? Sylar didn't quite comprehend such a feeling of secure safety. Always cautious, always afraid of what could spot him, he didn't have time to just feel comfortable like human looking mutants. Though this girl, was clearly a mutant with her ears. "I always thought girls disliked mice. But you're part mouse right?" He guessed, his vision only saw the shape of, and heat of her body, but her scent was similar, making him guess this girl's mutation was rodent like in nature. Sylar wasn't aware that he was probably still quite scary to the girl, a dark monster blending into the night sky, limbs all ending in sharpened daggers, the glint of fangs in his mouth the only part of his face showing under the moonlight.