Back in his youth, Leon remembered being a very active person. He loved sports, especially playing football. He had played in high school, and would have continued if he could. Then he had sprouted red fur and spines, and that dream died very quickly. It wasn't easy having everything you loved cut out of your life all at once with nothing to fill in, and years on the street left little to aspire or look forward to.

Then he had ended up here. A palace in comparison to hoping to find a cardboard box for the night. Three square meals a day, and some form of safety and security. He should be happy, but honestly, he was still trapped. Not that the institute was trying to keep him anywhere, but he was still trapped in his own body, one that was dangerous, venomous. He still couldn't return to his original sports outlet due to the dangers his quills presented. At least, maybe, he may find a new one here.

The library was equally as impressive as the mansion. Not that he had a lot of examples to go by. The last library he had been in was a school library in high school. Books were everywhere, he doubted there was anyone who could read all of them in their lifetime. Well, he should probably take that back, for all he knew there were some immortal mutants here, or ones who could super memorize or something else equally impressive. Point was there were a lot of books.  He walked to the first row he came across, looking over titles. He hadn't done much reading, mainly just newspapers, so he wasn't sure what to look for, really just looking for anything to jump out at him.

In the few days that Kendra had been here in the mansion she still felt alone.  She was young, beautiful.  She had no visible mutation.  Yet, somehow even among her own kind she still felt alone.  She was in the presence of some of the most remarkable people she had ever seen.  Not mutants but people.  They were all just.... People.  She couldn't manifest her powers like others.  Her power only happened when she was asleep.  It wasn't something she controlled. 

Kendra was to old to attend classes, being twenty-one.  She was searching for answers.  Searching for ways to explain her power.  It was foolish to think that she could find anything about her dream walking mutation in any of these dusty old tombs, but she hoped.  She was good at that.  Hope.  The stupid bubble headed optimism that was as much a part of her DNA as her mutation.  Kendra was wide awake.  She was having one of her bouts of insomnia.  She hadn't slept in two days, it was excruciating.  Though Kendra's tolerance for sleep deprivation was slightly above average.  Still it was affecting her.  Maybe if she was lucky she'd find something in one of these books; there were literally thousands of them.  At the very least one might help her fall asleep.  Great then I can spend eight hours wandering around the mansion in my dreams.  She thought rather annoyed.

Kendra was looking through the pages of a book about mutation.  It was captivating.  It was talking about DNA and the X-Gene.  She didn't recognize the author, but he seemed to be brilliant.  Kendra was so enthralled with the pages of the book she rounded the corner and almost literally ran right into Leon.  How she managed to miss someone so imposing is a mystery, but she ran smack into him.  Her first reaction was surprise.  Kendra looked up to see who it was she almost bumped into when her mouth hung open.  He was so large, imposing.  The thick truffs of red fur the lion-like features.  Kendra had met a few with visible mutation before the mansion and many more after.  But, she had not met anyone like Leon in her brief time here so far.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry ....I should have looked where I was going."  Kendra was rambling, she was embarrassed and taken aback.  He was monstrous, but he wasn't a monster.  Kendra looked into his eyes.  They were kind and soft.  She could see in them haunting sadness, even if he wasn't intentionally trying to look sad.  She knew the bounds of human cruelty.  She herself was an outcast her whole life.  Even if she was just more of a social outcast and never out right outted as a mutant. 

"I'm sort of clumsy."  Kendra apologized again.  She reached up and tucked loose strands of red hair behind her ear and smiled nervously at Leon.  Maybe her answers could wait.  Maybe it would do her some good to make here first real friend her in the mansion.

Anyone who knew Leon, and few did because of his isolationist tendencies, would have known if there was one thin that he did not react well too, it was physical contact. He should have been paying more attention, it was a public space after all, but Leon was not used to trying to find a book among so many books, and thus his usual paranoid demeanor had been distracted enough, and the shelves so overwhelming, he didn't catch the woman rounding the corner, who ran right into his arm.

Leon jumped, perhaps an understatement, as he literally threw himself back, knocking a number of books off the shelves. His heart rate was up immediately as he checked his arm, searching for any signs of holes or blood, the look in his eyes one of panic. Had a spine slipped out? Had he just poisoned someone? Those few seconds for him felt like an eternity his mind wheeled over the worst case scenarios, even while he pawed at his jacket looking for signs of penetration.

He didn't find any, and the lack of screams of pain seemed to confirm that the worst had not happened, at least not yet. It was only then that he finally calmed down enough to look over the person that had almost had the worst day of their lives. He had missed everything she had said, too caught up in the near disaster to have noticed. "I could have killed you," he said, voice still carrying a bit of the panic that still had his pulse racing. "My spines are poisonous, don't come near me." It was something he did whenever he met anyone in the mansion, informing them about the nature of his mutation to keep them from getting too close or relaxed in his presence, though in this particular case he was much more agitated in his explanation, since there was almost an accident before he had a chance to warn.

"Sorry."  Kendra said as little more than a whisper as she looked down. She hadn't noticed the poisonous spines before, but now she saw them.  The spines weren't the poison that hurt her.  It was the venomous bite to his words that had just about slapped her.  She understood why he was upset.  Kendra rubbed her arm absentmindedly, thankfully she was unharmed. 

In her hand she was still holding the book.  She had it by her side.  Her grip on the book was so tight it turned her knuckles white.  Kendra stepped back but she wasn't afraid.  She wasn't afraid that this guy would rip her limb from limb.  He could if he wanted to.  Kendra had no power to stop him.  "Who's to say I wouldn't have killed you first?"  Kendra said in a flippant tone as she bent over pick up the few scattered books.  She didn't want to seem rattled or taken aback by him.  He didn't know what her mutation was.  For all he knew she could shoot radioactive flames from her eyeballs. 

"So..."  Kendra said changing the topic.  "What were you looking for?  This one's not a bad read."  She handed Leon the book on genetics after standing up holding the books in her arms.  She realized that they were completely alone in the library.The wool sleeves of her beige sweater covered up most of her hands as the sleeves were just a little to long.  Her sweater fit her big and Kendra was glad for the loose fitting clothing.  Her sweater's sleeve had a tear in it where it snagged on a spine.  "Dang! I liked this sweater."  She said momentarily sidetracked.  Kendra was optimistic, and a bit naïve.  She was clumsy by nature and  had a tendency to let her mind wander sometimes, like now for instance.  She realized she was rambling again. 

"I'm Kendra.  Kendra Dillenger.  I just got to the mansion a few days ago."  She said cheerfully.  The defiant flippant tone was gone.  She was just the sweet simple country girl who had finally decided to try and connect with someone here.  Leave it to her to want to make friends with the paranoid, antisocial walking porcupine.  Awkward introduction sure, but she was always socially awkward.  It was part of what made her a social outcast.

 

Leon was still on damage control mode. He had moved quite suddenly, and he was very agitated, meaning his spines would have reactively raised. He had to check to make sure that they weren't sticking out through his jacket. He felt over his shoulders, and quickly found a few spines had punched through. Grumbling, he carefully pulled his jacket off, sliding it back, and felt several small pulls where his spines caught on the material. He payed attention to anything that felt like a snap, as it would mean a spine had broken off, which would need to be removed and disposed. Luckily he was well practiced in this particular maneuver, and felt the spines release from the jacket before settling back down. After he was sure none were visible anymore, he pulled the jacket back on, covering them up once more.

He didn't pay much heed to Kendra's comeback, nor did her lack of fear impress him, since by now several people had shown him that his appearance was a non-factor in their reactions. It was a mutant school, enough said. Kendra's up beat attitude had little effect on his mood, which was starting to settle back down after the near crisis. His heart rate began returning to normal, and he looked at the book Kendra offered. Genetics. Not really his interest, if anything genetics had cursed him, he had drawn the short straw and gotten the worse possible outcome it could hand him. He made a somewhat disinterested growl, leaving the book in Kendra's hand. He looked at the remaining mess of books on the floor. Kendra had some already, but he went ahead and gathered the rest, placing them on the empty spot his recoil had caused.

"I'm Kendra. Kendra Dillenger. I just got to the mansion a few days ago."

Leon wasn't a conversationalist, but he had a few people ask his name, and his response was rather brief and to the point. "Leon... same..." he said, his tone not as agitated, but a bit blunt and unsociable. It wasn't that he was trying to be rude or anything, but he didn't entertain thoughts of friendship or the idea of getting close to others, since it had always ended in disaster for him.

Kendra watched as he carefully removed his jacket. He seemed agitated still. Kendra heard him say his name was Leon. He didn't seem interested in socializing. He didn't seem much of anything except carefully examining himself. Kendra didn't know what was so important about them, she figured he was over exaggerating, but he still seemed upset about it.  Kendra wasn't one to push herself onto people normally but something made her stay.  Call it naivety, call it bubble headed optimism.  She wanted to reach out to Leon.

Kendra might've been a bit thin skinned.  His harsh sharp words were hurtful.  Even the simple act of refusing the book made her feel a little slighted, but she smiled.  She was ever the optimist.  She rained sunshine and rainbows.  So she wasn't tough, and she had no power that was going to be as intimidating as poisonous spines.  He wasn't impressed.  He didn't even seem curious about her at all, this random girl who seemed to be so interested in him.  She thought he seemed lonely.  Maybe that was the reason he was so blunt and abrupt.  He probably didn't have many friends, he didn't know how to talk to people anymore.  She could relate to that, she had only met a few people so far that she felt like she could connect with.  She was a bit of a social outcast herself. 

She wasn't shunned because she was ugly or a freak.  She was shunned because she was seen as weird.  She kept to herself mostly she didn't try and talk to many kids in high school.  She was trying to stay under the radar because she was a mutant and most kids just labeled her as the weird girl.  She emphasized with Leon. 

"I thought that maybe...."  There was a harsh "shhhh" from the librarian sitting behind a counter in the center of the library.  She blushed a bit.  She probably imagined they were making more than enough noise to be considered a disturbance.  Kendra looked back at Leon once more.  "I didn't mean to bother you.."  Kendra rolled her eyes and moved past him with her genetics book still in her hand.  She set the rest of the books on the shelf and moved over to a table to read through it again.  She gave a glance back at Leon and shook her head lightly and opened her book.

Kendra wanted to reach out to him, to make a new friend.  She also didn't want to be a bother.  She stole another quick glance at him.  He was still standing by the shelves; presumably still looking for whatever book he was looking for before she scared him half to death.  Looks like i'm still a weird social loser.  She thought rolling her eyes and flipping the page on her book. 

 

Leon spared Kendra a glance as she walked off to read her book, leaving him alone with his thoughts again. It was better this way, he knew. Nobody was safe around him, he had seen the effects of his venom, had seen people pass out, convulsing and screaming from pain. He wasn't human anymore, he hadn't been for a long time. What was left of him was a cold heart, any hope long dead. He was not totally unaware of the light shining in Kendra's eyes, but all he had in him was the darkness of despair and self loathing. He was a monster, nobody needed that in their lives.

He looked at the shelves, but it felt hallow. What was he looking for? He was just fooling himself, this wasn't going to change anything. It was paper and words, what could they do? All he had managed was to almost kill someone. Nothing could fix that. nothing could shift that burden or shield him from reality. His life had ended a long time ago, he was just going through the motions.

Kendra was in the library trying to discover a way to help her understand her powers. She was a dream walker. She couldn't control it. She would go to bed and find herself in a dream, only it wasn't a dream.  She would walk around the world as if she were still awake. Only she would be invisible to everyone around her. The only way someone could see her in her dream state was in a reflective surface like a mirror or a pond.  It was exhausting.  She could sleep ten hours and still feel like she barely slept.  She just wanted to get it under control. This book might help.  She flipped through another page.

Certain mutants can not control their abilities.  Some mutations are physical, mental, elemental.  Others may change the inflicted's appearance.  There is currently no definitive cure for mutation....

It was getting late. Kendra stood up and readjusted her bag on her shoulder.  She walked over to the librarian with her book.  She took the time to take one final look at Leon as she readied herself to leave.  "Just the one book please ma'am."  Kendra said as she handed the librarian the book.   She checked out her book and headed out of the library.  She was tired as ever.  Another night of wandering around in her dreams..... She headed up to the adult wing and pulled her key from her pocket.  Sliding it into the lock she turned the latch and opened her door.  Kendra set the book on the table by the door and peeled her shirt off over her head and tossed it casually on the floor. 

Pulling on a new shirt, a more comfortable shirt she slipped out of her jeans and boots.  Kendra put on a pair of shorts.  Kendra put on a pair of running shoes.  They were dirty and worn and had seen a lot of road.  Kendra crawled into her bed with a sigh and slipped under the covers.  She was so tired.  It wouldn't take her long to fall asleep.  20 minutes later she was sleeping. 

20 minutes later.....

She was asleep.  Looking down at her body she took a moment to note how peaceful her body looked.  She looked at the clock on the table.  9:42pm.  Well I guess I might as well explore.  She thought somewhat reluctantly.  She would do anything to get a peaceful night's sleep and just not have to dream walk.  She used to.  She used to sleep and have dreams about all kinds of things and never dream walked until she turned into a teenager.

Kendra left her room and made sure that the door was closed fully before heading out into the common rooms.  There were a few wandering around most have retired to their rooms for the evening.  She wandered around for quiet some time.  She quietly hummed a song she didn't know the words to as she looked at hanging pictures and awards locked away in trophy cases.... Nothing she hadn't seen already in her first few nights here. 

She was already bored.  That's when she thought she saw Leon..... She started to follow him.  He wouldn't be able to see her.  He wouldn't be so defensive if he didn't know she was around.  Perhaps it was wrong to spy on him, but what else was she going to do?  She'd just be wandering around until morning anyways trapped in a dream.  Stuck in a constant state of conscious awareness.  Might as well learn about the man she had practically made a fool out of herself in front of.  Kendra edged her way down the hallway and followed him careful not to make a sound. 

When she was filling out her paperwork to stay here at the mansion they asked her about her powers.  Her mutation determined where her room was located.  She figured the less dangerous mutations were kept separated from the more dangerous or uncontrollable ones.  She didn't know where the dangerous mutants slept, but she mused she was about to find out. 

Kendra crept around the edge of the hall and peered around the corner.  She could see Leon now.  What is he doing? Kendra wondered as she continued to watch him curiously.  Through no fault of his own he had peeked her interest.  Kendra was perhaps doing something reckless or dangerous, but she didn't care.  She had to know more about him.

Leon walked the hall back towards his room. He had never found anything he wanted. He guessed he was just not able to bring himself to enjoy it. There were so many options, but he just couldn't muster the interest. It was pathetic he knew, and should have been easy, just grab a book and go, not hard at all. But he had manage to screw it up again, almost kill someone and probably ruined their day as well. He gave a depressed sigh, before opening his door and walking it, closing it slowly and pulling at his jacket until he had gotten it off.He felt a spasm in his left side, but ignored it as he examined the damage to his jacket. several new holes, as well as a few quill tips that had managed to get lodged over the course of the day. Growling, he brought it over to a large empty soup can, and started pulling the spines out, placing them in the can, Eventually he would burn the content, the only way he knew to dispose of them. He winced as he stuck himself. His fingers, or paws as they resembled, were not all that graceful, thus trying to handle the sharp points was arduous at best, especially when he tried removing the barbed spikes, which clung to his wound. Eventually he used his teeth to pull then lose, biting it in half in the process, leaving the rancid taste of his poison in his mouth.

Then he felt the side of his back, and felt a few quills that didn't belong, embedded in his back. That was the problem with covering up, Sometimes the quills broke off, and got lodged in his skin, being unable to fall out naturally. He was immune to his own poison of course, but pulling them out was a pain. He could feel the sharp tips, which would work their way deeper if left to it's own devices. He went to the bathroom so he could look in the mirror and try to pull them out. They were hard to reach, but Leon was pretty flexible. He grabbed one and tried to pul, feeling a sharp burning sting as the barbs resisted.

Kendra intended to follow him, but it seemed he was going into his room. Well that stinks. She thought. She was hoping he would do something exciting, interesting. She couldn't snoop if he was just going to bed what was she going to do just have a pajama party with the guy? Well.... She bit her fingernail while she mulled it over. She decided she would give up. After all she had troubled the poor guy enough for one day.  She was about to turn around when she heard some growling from inside his room, like he was in pain. 

Kendra paused.  I could be a nosey parker and find a way into his room and just ya know chill out with the guy for most of the night.  Or I could be a good little girl and wander my ass somewhere else.  Somewhere where I'm not likely to get mauled to death for being.... Well, for being a nosey parker!  Kendra thought to herself.  She shifted her weight to one side and placed a hand on her hip.  She was still debating in her head.  Screw it!  She thought.

The hell with it!  She thought.  She was already being a pain in the ass might as well go for the gold medal.  Kendra quickly moved along the hallway and up to his door.  She looked around to make sure no one was looking.  When he opens the door just slip inside.  Invasion of privacy didn't even begin to cover what she was doing, but he would never know and she would at least find and interesting way to kill an evening.  She could always sneak out if he fell asleep or something.  She wasn't a creepo!  She just wanted to see what he was up to when no one was around.  Did he dance like no one was watching?  She very highly doubted he danced, but he had to do something interesting right?  He couldn't just be a grump with no hobbies.

Kendra was satisfied that no one was around and she knocked on the door loudly enough for him to hear it.  The knock at the door almost seemed to echo off the baron lonely hallway walls.  Kendra swallowed hard.  When he opens the door just slip inside girl.  She knew she was invisible, but she was still always nervous when she resorted to stealth.  She wasn't exactly graceful.  There was always the chance she'd be discovered due to her own reckless clumsiness.  She did feel sort of bad about spying on people, but it was better than watching paint dry.

Leon gritted his teeth as he pulled harder to remove the quills, a bit of blood seeping from the wounds, though it was hard to tell with the blood red fur. Then he heard someone knock on the door, distracting him enough to where his grip faltered. His fingers were thicker and not the best suited for fine dexterity. The quills snapped back and Leon winced from the sting. He didn't know who would be visiting him. Scratch that, it was probably one of the staff members checking in on him. He had been here a while, they would likely want to see how he was doing. He wasn't all that thrilled at the idea, but supposed he couldn't avoid it. He left the quills where they were for now, he would try again after he dealt with this.

He walked over to the door, wondering if he should put his jacket back on. He decided against it, he didn't plan on letting them stay long, and he didn't want to push the spines in deeper. He cracked the door open a little and looked out. He only saw an empty hallway. He opened the door more, confused, until it was all the way open. He stepped out for a moment, looking down the hallway to see if he could see anyone running off. He didn't, and he hadn't heard anything. Weird. He guessed it was some sort of mutant ding dong ditch, and that some students were trying to mess with him.

He went back inside and closed the door, turning his attention back to the quills. If the door knocked again he would just ignore it. He found them again, and tried to grasp them again. By now they had blood on them, making them slightly slick in his grip. He then pulled, feeling it sting again, but pulled harder, wincing and growling. He was used to the worst of this, but it still hurt like hell. Finally there was a release as the quills pulled free, leaving s few nasty looking holes that oozed blood, mixed with a yellowish green fluid from the venom that had seeped in. He put the quills in the soup can and went to the bathroom, using a paper towel soaked with water to squeeze out the remaining venom and blood before cleaning it.

Kendra waited for him to move out into the hall until she made her move.  She slipped behind him and into the room. The personal rooms were quiet big.  It was a mansion after all, but still she would be stuck in a pretty enclosed space with him.  She would have to make sure to move out of his way whenever he moved to her side of the room.   Kendra knew that he didn't like to be touched.  This guy freaked out bad in the library.  Imagine if he bumped into something he didn't even know was there he'd flip.  Kendra still didn't realize the danger she was putting herself into.  She didn't realize that one prick from one of those poisonous spines could do some serious damage.  She still thought he might have been over exaggerating a little bit when he said he could have killed her. 

Kendra was to nosey for her own good.  She saw an empty space of floor and she grabbed a seat and got settled in before he came back in the room.  She glanced at the watch on her wrist.  It wasn't super late, but still she found herself wondering.  What a guy like this did for fun.  She was trying to get to know a little something about the real Leon.  The one that wasn't constantly paranoid about accidentally hurting someone.  She waited for him to come back in the room and took a glance around the room.  It seemed to be decorated mostly like her own room.  The bed was even in the same spot along the wall, though her window was open.  Her body back in her room was getting a cool gentle breeze right now from the open window.  She'd have to remember to close it when she got back later.  No sense in catching a cold during the night.  She had nothing but time she could swing by later and close the window while she slept. Kendra fell asleep with her cell phone in her pocket.  Meaning she had her cell phone with her in the dream world.

She had an exit strategy.  If things got uncomfortable or she found herself trapped in this room at any time all she had to do was simply pull out her phone and call the number to the phone in her room.  She was a light sleeper and the ringer would wake her up and she would disappear from Leon's room almost instantly.  She had discovered his trick not to long ago and it was pretty handy for getting back to her body in a hurry.  Kendra sighed when Leo came back in, but she did it quietly as she watched him.

She saw him going back to work on pulling the things out of his skin.  Each time he winced in pain and seemed to take great care in where he placed the discarded quills.  Were those things really that dangerous?  She thought.  She sort of felt bad that he was going through this.  He probably wouldn't have to if she hadn't almost bumped into him and caused him to violently jerk away.  That's probably how this happened.  Kendra's eyes narrowed as she watched him until he was finished and she remained quiet on her spot on the floor by the bed wondering what he would do next....

There were many things in Leon's room that hinted at his maladjustment to his mutation. Aside from the can of poisonous quills was the bed. It was untouched. A person examining it could probably find dust that had accumulated from lack of use. Leon didn't use it, as he feared his quills getting embedded and lost in the sheets and mattresses, which would no doubt find their way into the backs of whomever used the bed next, or attempted to do laundry. Instead there was a worn spot on the floor, where the carpet had been repeatedly slept on. There were a few snags, where either quills or Leon's claws had gotten caught while he slept, making it visible to anyone who payed attention to such things. There were no personal pictures anywhere, the room seem un used for the most part in terms of personal decore. The closet was empty, Leon had little more then the clothes on his back, and nothing to hint of his former life before he had turned into a beast. However it was clear that Leon made good use of the Mansions kitchen, as there were plenty of remnants of food in the room, mostly in the bin by his bed which had fruit cores and banana peels, as well as cans and wrappers. Leon didn't see the room as a home, or even his. Life on the streets had shown him that nothing belonged to him, thus the room wasn't his to get comfortable in, it was just a place to sleep and seek refuge.

Kendra sat quietly in her spot over by the bed. The bed looked untouched.  Honestly everything looked untouched. The room looked unused except for the wrappers and discarded food. Kendra didn't notice the little things like the worn spot on the floor or the layer of dust over a perfectly made bed.  Kendra wasn't as observant as all that.  She did noticed the surprising lack of pictures, books or personal affects that usually littered rooms. 

She couldn't judge.  Her room had a messenger bag draped over the head board and a camera on the desk and that was all.  She didn't come here with many belongings.  It hadn't really sunk in to her that she might want to get some things to make the place more homey.  Though she didn't plan on staying forever.  She had met a few here that she liked.  An empathy named Emily, and A curious girl named Ghost.  Leon was one she was more curious about. Her interaction with him was the first one she's had here that could be considered unpleasant on any level.  Leave it to her to want to snoop and find out way.

She didn't care if he didn't like her.  That was fine, not everyone had to like you, but part of her wanted to understand him more.  Get to know how he came to be so secluded.  So lonely.  She was jumping to conclusions, but she wandered a lot of places.  Seen a lot of people in her dream walking when they thought no one was watching.  She got very good at reading people.  Kendra watched him a bit longer before finding herself uncomfortable on the floor.  She wanted to get up.

Kendra went to stand.  She never took her eyes off Leon.  She was watching him intently absolutely sure that he was going to do something that would give her more insight into him a person.  She tried to stand and without thinking she place her hand on the bed to push herself up.  The bed cried out a tortured squeak as the spring compressed.  Shit!  Kendra thought. She froze in her place.  He didn't hear that. He didn't hear that.  He didn't hear that.  She preyed. 

Kendra's eyes fixed intensely on the big red behemoth.  She only hoped that she didn't just give herself away.  He had no mirrors or anything.  The room was inherently bare actually.  Not a lot of reflective surfaces to give away her position, though she just gave away that she was near the bed if her did indeed her that.  Kendra held her breath, literally waiting for his next move.

Leon stopped as the bed made an unexpected noice, apparently all on it's own. Quickly he washed the bold and venom from his hands and turned the sink off, then looked out to the room. He generally never thought to use his enhanced sense of smell, it wasn't an instinctual process for him, but he had had a few reminders from other encounters with people here that had brought it up. He sniffed, thought all he picked up was the usual smells of his room. Still, something had made a noise, and he remembered where he was. A new paranoia was starting to fill him, was someone in here? He had thought this would be the one place he wouldn't have to worry about someone coming in unannounced. Now he wasn't so sure, and his eyes darted frantically about, looking for signs of disturbances. Combing through the carpets for quills had left him with an eye for the minute details of his room. His eyes fell first to the bed, where the noise had come from. At first glance it looked undisturbed except a few wrinkles. Except Leon had never user it, he looked at the irregularities and saw they converged around a single spot, like someone had pressed onto it, and he knew it wasn't him. Closer inspection revealed a bright patch, a small area where the dust had been disturbed, and the natural color of the comforter were uncovered. In that shape of a hand.

"Who's there!" he said, his tone a mix of emotion. Anger for someone sneaking it, which he could only assume had been when he had answered the door. Fear that someone was so close without him knowing it. What if they had been poisoned. He couldn't smell anything, but with mutants he may not be able to tell, it could be someone who was able to be completely undetectable, what if they were lying somewhere on the floor screaming in pain, but he couldn't hear it? It was a reach, he knew, but his habit was to imagine the worst possible scenario and fixate on it, and he couldn't help but look for signs of a body. It was then he noticed a depression in the carpet, or rather a pair.

Immediately he reached for his jacket, pulling it on before anything else so whatever happened there would be less chance of his quills ending up somewhere they should not. He then looked at the space "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he yelled at the spot. He still didn't know who, if anyone was there, but his half roar was likely to scare anyone, especially when it revealed several rows of shark-like teeth. He didn't like scaring people, but he had little other recourse when people people lacked the common sense to stay away from him.