It was another one of -those- nights. Will had spent an hour laying in bed with his eyes clamped shut, trying to fall asleep. He had been tired enough that it felt like he was thinking through a wad of cotton batting, but he couldn't manage to drift off to sleep, the cacophony in his apartment building hammering at his senses like a drummer in a particularly bad mood. The noise of the party three floors above him felt like it was set up just outside his bedroom door. The skunky, resinous stench of someone's night time indulgence that had blown in his window felt like it was choking him, and the normally silky sheets under his skin felt like sandpaper every time he rolled over.

The young man cracked open one eye enough to roll over and peer blearily at the clock on his bedside table. '11:04pm'. Will stared at the numbers for a long few moments, mentally weighing how he felt now and how likely it was he could get away with calling in sick to work again. With a defeated sigh he pushed himself out of bed, throwing on some comfortable clothes that he could run in, and threw a backpack over his shoulders before he made his way outside.

Half an hour later, Will's breathing came out in quick puffs into the cool night air as he jogged along the path looping around Central Park. The young man's sneakers beat a steady rhythm against the paved surface that curved the miles around the patch of greenery surrounded by so much steel and glass. He continued his run through what, to most anyone else, would have been relative quiet, save for the muted sounds of distant traffic and occasional yelled argument from the streets. 

Still too loud. Still too bright. His backpack bounced lightly against him as he kept putting one foot in front of the other. 

He probably should have been a bit more concerned about his safety in the park this late at night, but... It wasn't as though anyone was about to sneak up on him. Besides, he hadn't noticed anyone suspect, just the sounds of the occasional person or small group cutting through the park, on their way to or from parties and bars. Not to mention, he could tell he wasn't the only one taking a late night run, he could hear the foot falls of what he guessed was two or three others also jogging or running around the perimeter of the park, so he wasn't the only one being brave or foolish. 

Lee probably should have turned her siphoning off when she went to pick her son up from the airport. Probably should have because even with going for a run, there was a very good chance that Lee still wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. Even if she ran longer than her normal three laps around the entirety of Central Park, she might not be able to sleep.

And even though Lee had actually thought about turning her siphoning off a couple times while she was at the airport, she hadn’t. A sleepless night or two was far preferable for Lee than the anxious off balance feeling that she would have felt the entire time with that many people around but being unable to feel their energy.

The last few hours had been great. Lee had missed Kevin while he had been in Texas and Lee was very happy to finally have him back home. But at the same time, Lee was also practically vibrating with the energy she had. So once Kevin had gone to his room for the night, Lee had told Tarin she needed to go run.

Which found Lee running around the park much earlier in the night than was typical for her. But otherwise, everything about her running was the same. The petite woman was confidently running through the dark park by herself, music in her ears, her siphoning once again active. Not particularly paying attention to her surroundings by sight as with very few exceptions it was far easier for Lee to know if there were people nearby at night based on her siphoning.

And though it was still quite warm, the air in her skin exposed by her shorts and tank top felt nice as she ran at a relatively quick (for a human) pace.

At least Lee wasn’t paying much attention to her sight until she felt someone up ahead of her. Someone else who had to have been out for a run, based on how slowly she was actually closing the distance between them. Lee could tell that the person was straight ahead of her, on the same side of the path, so even before she was able to see that clearly, Lee veered over to the other side to keep as much space between them as possible when she passed.

Will could hear the 'pat, pat, pat' of Lee's shoes against the path as the distance between them closed. For a moment, he simply filed it away, another piece of noise adding to his frazzled nerves, but upon noticing how quickly the beat of her feet against the ground was closing he threw a glance over his shoulder in a bit of surprise. He couldn't help himself from feeling a prickle of concern at feeling like he was being pursued, his base instincts telling him he was being chased down.

Jeez, but she was making good time, wasn't she?

As he watched her shift to one side of the running path, he relaxed, grateful for the courtesy shown and returned the gesture, moving to the opposite side to give the both of them plenty of space. With the brief flicker of worry about his safety extinguished, Will couldn't keep from feeling at least a little competitive and as Lee closed the distance, he slowly sped up from his jogging to match pace with her, in a full run by the time she'd caught up and he tried to match her strides.

Will gave Lee a small nod of greeting instead of trying to speak and hoping he'd be heard. After all, he could faintly hear the muffled sound of music from her ear buds from his side of the trail, and beyond that, he was better saving his breath for running than using it in trying to hold a conversation. While he doubted he'd be able to keep pace with her for too long, it was reassuring to have someone else along for the run this late. Will knew well enough that the park wasn't exactly the safest, especially as the clock was pushing close to midnight, but also that you were much less of a target if you weren't alone.

As Lee moved to the opposite side of the path, she noticed something odd; the figure ahead of her had turned to look over their shoulder, to look back at her. Not that it was odd on and off itself that someone was looking at her as she ran. But in the dark, Lee had only just gotten close enough to see that the figure was a man.

How had he known to look back, unless it was something he did normally whether someone was behind him out not? Lee knew that she didn't make that much noise as she ran, no more than the average person. So she didn't think that he would have heard her, not at that distance.

Whatever, Lee thought as she continued running, the distance between her and the man ahead closing. It was probably just a coincidence she was thinking too much into, she decided as she watched the man move closer to the other side of the path, leaving the most space between them without stepping into the grass.

But the closer that Lee got to the man, the slower the remaining space between them was disappearing. He was speeding up as she approached.

Speeding up without looking back at her again. Yet by the time she managed to come up beside him, the man was running at the same pace that she was. All without him looking back again, without him seeing where she was.

Unless he had eyes in the back of his head.

It was unexpected enough that as Lee came up beside the man, she looked over at him with cautious curiosity. To see him looking over at her and giving a nod.

The few runners that Lee normally came across at night tended to keep completely to themselves. That was normally much later at night, though.

And he was still keeping pace with her. Impressive, as it looked like he had already been out for a normal length ‘while’.

So Lee gave a nod back, curious about how long this person was going to be able to keep up with her.

The average person doesn't really know how much you can read from someone else's face, even when someone is trying to hide it. Subtleties to the was muscles move, particular was they tension in the jaw, micro expressions that happened faster than the person making them was even aware of. It was an open book to those that could read it, but most people missed anything but the most obvious signs. Unless of course you were in a career where your life and livelihood depended on it. Detective. Debater. Therapist. Customer service. 

All those years of training, of picking up customers' moods before they were aware of it themselves gave Will the knowledge to read those sorts of tiny signs. The young man's enhanced senses would have let him pick up on even an practiced liar's earnest feelings from across the room. So when he met Lee's gaze as she nodded back, he could almost -feel- the suspicion radiating off of her.

Ah hell. Was acknowledging someone else on a run really that weird? Did he just give off the vibe of being a creep, or was it something else?

Will's expression quickly dropped into a safe, well-practiced customer service smile as she returned the nod, and his mind scrambled over what he'd done to deserve such suspicious. He turned his to face forward along the paved path again as he kept pumping his legs, trying to keep up with Lee's demanding pace.

Will managed to lose himself in the run for the next minute or two, as he pushed himself to fall into rhythm with Lee's strides. The burn in his legs, the soft slap of rubber soles on pavement, and a far off point to focus on gave him a brief reprieve from the sensory inundation he'd be struggling through. He was glad he'd had time to warm up with a long jog before going into a full run like this, but he knew it still wasn't a pace he could keep up for long. Yet, Lee there didn't seem to be struggling with the pace even slightly, even after running along side her for a few minutes.

Wait.

Will almost stumbled, a half-step that scraped the sole of his shoe roughly along the path as a realization crept into his head that his laboured breathing was the only breathing he could hear between the two of them. Lee wasn't struggling -at all-. 

Will's eyes flickered over to her, trying to watch her out the corner of his eye without being noticed, an expression somewhere between impressed and confused on his face. They'd been matching pace for a few minutes now, and with how he'd heard he closing in on him, she must have been moving this fast for at least a little while before then. Surely she should be showing -some- sign of fatigue, but...

After the nods of greeting, or acknowledgement, or whatever they were, the man faced ahead again, and Lee did the same. Fully expecting that his energy beside her would start falling back. Behind her.

Except that it didn’t.

The man wasn’t falling behind, she wasn’t running faster than him, he was actually keeping pace with her.

Thanks to her morning runs with Tarin over the last few months, Lee knew better than ever that she was running faster than people generally did in this park. Unless they were doing a short, quick sprint. But that’s not what this was. The song that had just started playing as she came up alongside the man ended, and he was still there, running beside her.

As the next song progressed and the man continued to keep pace with her, Lee looked over her curiosity growing. It wasn’t as though she was running at an inhuman pace, but all of the years that she had been running in the park like this, when she had run along with people, they had only really run side by side when she had run at their pace.

And Lee hadn’t even made it a full lap yet, so she was far from being tired.

Glancing over at the man again, Lee saw a similarly questioning look on his face. But he was having a far more difficult time keeping up with her it appeared than she was having at this pace.

”Is there a reason you’re trying to keep up with me?” Lee asked, taking an earbud out so she would be able to hear his response. Not that she felt much concern; she was able to feel his energy, so he wasn’t an adapted, and she still had plenty of energy. But it did feel a little weird.

Will had to admit, Lee asked an excellent question. Why was he trying to keep up? The bit of a competitive streak in him should have been satisfied with matching pace for a few seconds, giving the other late night runner a nod and then falling back to his usual pace. Should have taken 30 seconds, maybe a minute.

But here he was, still throwing his limbs forward in a full run to keep up. Why?

Turning his head to face Lee as he answered her, Will broke into a bit of a sheepish smirk, shaking his head as their feet beat the path in tandem. "No. Not a good one." He admitted, speaking in short sentences punctuated by his rapid breathing. "Bit competitive, I guess." Will's smirk grew wider and he gave what he hoped was an apologetic shrug at the flimsy excuse for his actions. 

It was foolish, he knew, to be so stubbornly competitive about this. It wasn't as though he was a professional runner or athlete. It wouldn't even be the first time he'd come across someone faster than him on one of these runs, or someone who could outdistance him. Still, something scratched at his brain. Will could practically feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as Lee continued to run alongside him, seeming to be completely unbothered by the pace. Even after minutes of hard running, she didn't sound the slightest bit winded when she'd spoken, while he'd struggled to get out more than a half dozen syllables between breaths.

Even when he'd ran along runners who were faster than him, or the ones who had more stamina by far, he could always pick up on some kind of fatigue at this point. Anything. 

"Gotta admit though," Will said, turning back to face forward, keeping his ear trained on her as he tried to goad his body into keeping up for another minute or two. "I think I'm outta my league."

The man claimed to be a bit competitive, and that was why he was working so hard to keep up with her running pace for so long. Lee gave a slight shake of her head with an amused smile on her face.

But at least even he had admitted that it wasn't a very good excuse.

Lee hoped that he didn't take ‘losing’ too badly. Though, with the fact that he was still matching her pace, Lee was starting to wonder how long it would take him to realize that he had never even stood a chance.

And yet, he was still continuing to run beside her, stubbornly keeping pace despite the fact that he was really struggling to do so.

As they crossed the point that finished Lee’s first lap of the park, she glanced over at the man again. He was not going to be able to keep up much longer. No matter how hard he pushed himself. Not with the way that he was breathing.

Finally, though, he seemed to realize that fact himself, and that same amused smile returned to Lee’s face. ”Tonight,” Lee replied to him, the smile still on her face. ”I can guarantee that you are. Far out of your league.”

As they crossed the point which informally marked the end of Lee's first lap Will could feel his form starting to break, the rubber of his heel scraping against the path in a second misstep, this one caused by his growing fatigue rather than being startled again by the person he was running along with. 

She said that he was out of his league. Given what his senses were telling him he'd say that was more than a bit of an understatement. But she was remarkably tactful in informing him how utterly outclassed he was.

"No kidding. You make this look... too easy." was Will's breathless reply to Lee's reinforcement that he was, in fact, well out of his depth in trying to keep up with her. The young man couldn't help but return her smile even while he began flagging, dropping behind her more and more as the run continued. 

Will slowed his pace, moving from a full run back to an easy jog, slower than before he'd heard Lee running up behind him and impulsively tried to out run the stranger. He raised a hand in a brief wave, calling out before she was too far out of earshot. "See you next lap then?" Will's words seeming to be as much a question as a statement.

With that, Will continued his casual jog, setting an easy enough pace he could start to catch his breath again. Watching the distance grow between the two of them, he mulled over his suspicions about the seemingly indefatigable woman as he continued moving through the dark of the night.

At least the man who was attempting to keep pace with her was taking the fact that he was so clearly out of his league well. He was even matching her amused smile.

”Some days I do,” Lee agreed about making the running lol too easy. Though after spending time at the airport that day was really why. ”When I've got energy to burn.”

The man was really starting to struggle now, and was starting to lag behind a bit. Then he was falling back faster. Glancing over her shoulder, Lee saw that he had dropped back down to a jog.

”See you next lap then?"

Lee laughed slightly to herself and shook her head. ”If you’re still actually out here,” Lee replied. Because her laps when she was out running at night were very different from when she ran with Tarin, and very different than most runners out there. Her laps were circling the entire park, all 6 miles of it.

”If you’re actually still here when I make it back around,” Lee replied over her shoulder. Because with how much the man had been struggling, Lee did not expect him to still be out in the park jogging in 40 minutes when she made her way back here.

Will nodded in response as Lee called back over her shoulder and gave a thumbs up to show he understood, rather than calling back out to her as the gap between them widened. He continued putting one foot in front of the other in an easy jog as she first ran out of sight as the path curved away, and then out of earshot as even his amped up senses stopped being able to hear her footfalls. 

Once Lee was completely off his radar, only then did he slow down to a stop, stepping off the side of the path into the grass to properly catch his breath. Will reached back blindly into one of the pockets of the backpack slung across his back to pull out a bottle of water, drinking deeply as he took a few minutes to recover from his ill-advised competition with the other late night runner. 

As Will's breathing slowed and heart rate began to settle back into something that didn't threaten to deafen him, he took stock of how he felt. Even with the time he'd spent out before coming across Lee and the hard push to try and keep up, his senses still felt raw and electric. Even with his pulse pounding in his ears, the night around him still seemed loud and bright.

Jamming the now mostly-empty bottle back into the backpack, he dug into his pocket for his phone, the screen illuminating with dim light as he checked the time. Nearly midnight. Central Park closed at 1:00 didn't it? Though... how strictly that was enforced was debatable.

Will let out a low frustrated sigh as he did the math in his head. He had hoped that he'd be able to burn himself out and get back in time to get at least a half decent amount of sleep before his shift in the morning, but it didn't seem like he'd be so lucky. 

Will slipped his phone back into his pocket and strode back onto the path, getting back into gear before he cooled down too much, quickly getting back into a comfortable jogging pace. As he moved through the dark, minutes passing by as he struck sneakers to pavement, he idly wondered how long it'd take until he heard Lee's footfalls coming up behind him again. It'd been a brief, strange meeting, but at least the weirdness of the encounter with Lee gave him something to puzzle over, rather than being too stuck in his own head. 

It had certainly been a strange encounter, the man struggling so hard to keep up with her as she ran. At a pace faster than she had ever run with Tarin. And even after all of the years that Tarin had been training and running, he was satisfied with that pace and distance. Except for the rare day when Lee needed to ask him to either slow down or end the run early. Though, it was possible that that had more to do with her not making sure she had the energy she needed than anything with the running itself.

It didn’t take long for Lee to put the encounter out of her mind. She was not expecting the man to still be out for a run when she made it back to that side of the park, and since she was out earlier than for her normal night time runs, Lee honestly never expected to see him again.

Since it was earlier, if you considered midnight-ish to be early, Lee did pass more people than she was used to, both those walking or running on the path around the park, as well as sensing people off the path, further into the darkness of the park. Meaning that Lee had to actually pay attention to her surroundings more than simply with her siphoning as she ran.

It was rather annoying, to be honest as she wasn’t able to just zone out and lose herself in the music from her earbuds as she ran or work through something she needed to think about.

About 40 minutes after she had left the man behind on the path when he couldn’t keep up any more, Lee finished her second lap of the park and started on to lap number three. Though, with how she was currently feeling, three laps might not even be enough to get to sleep that night. Damn airports.

As Will continued at his own slower pace, shifting between an easy jog and speedy walk the and back again as his protesting legs and lungs would allow, he could hear runners on other paths making their own way through the dark. Others made their way alone or in small groups, cutting through the grass and speaking amongst themselves. 

40 minutes after Lee had vanished from his sight, he was standing again on the edge of the path, catching his breath and finishing the bottle of water earlier, as he tried not to eavesdrop on a couple that were whispering to one another in the dark of the night as they made their way through the park, coming from some late night venue.

45 minutes after Lee and Will had parted ways, he was back on the path, moving forward once again, one foot in front of the other as he tried not to think too hard about having to be on his feet all shift tomorrow. Hopefully it'd be a slow day.

Some few minutes after that, his sharpened senses could pick up footfalls once again closing the distance to him. And from the sound of things, it was someone moving at least twice his speed. After only a moment, he glanced back over his shoulder, peering into the dark to confirm his suspicions and shook his head in mild disbelief as they were confirmed. There was Lee, running like she'd just gotten started, tearing down the path towards him.  

Will raised a hand in greeting, giving Lee a thumbs up as she closed the distance.

Well before she was able to see him, Lee sensed another person up ahead of her. Another runner, Lee guessed based on how quickly she was approaching them. At a much more rapid pace than if it was someone simply walking.

As Lee got close enough to actually see the person in the night, she was surprised to find that it was the same man who had tried to keep up with her on the last lap.

And as she was just able to make him out, he was looking back and already had a hand up in greeting.

Lee knew that she wasn't being loud enough for him to have heard her already with time to turn and recognize her. She had never seen another runner look back at her at that distance in all the years she had been running in this park.

At least no one with normal human hearing.

As she caught up to him, Lee slowed her pace down to match his this time, pulling an earbud out. ”I did not expect to see you still out here,” Lee said as she came up beside the man on the path. ”I have to say, you’ve piqued my curiosity. What has you out here running yourself into the ground like this?”

Will watched as Lee slowed her pace before she struck up a conversation. He was grateful for it, there wasn't a chance he'd be able to pull off another push to keep up with her. He didn't miss the hint of curiosity or suspicion on her face, but he also couldn't decipher why she kept giving him that look. 

Piqued her curiosity? Running himself into the ground? Well, it probably was odd seeing someone try to push themselves to finish the equivalent of a half-marathon in the middle of the night.

Will gave her a small smile in return and shook his head with a short laugh, "Ah, can't a guy just want to run a casual 10k?" He retorted, trying to brush off her question with a bit of humor, but both the direct nature of the way she'd asked, as well as the utter oddness of of the experience encouraged him to continue. "Insomnia, kinda." Will explained, fighting the urge to figuratively bite his tongue as he chose his words carefully. "Got a... thing. Condition." He stated, keeping things intentionally vague as he gave a noncommittal shrug. "Exercise helps."

Will let the words hang in the air for a few moments as he observed Lee as she jogged effortlessly beside him, seemingly showing no fatigue, or, at least far less than made sense to. Even a professional runner would be showing some signs after an hour at that pace, right? 

"How 'bout you?" Will questioned her back, trying to keep his voice conversational rather than accusatory or overtly curious. "Don't see many people as fast as you... You on a team, or training for a marathon or somethin'?"