Some Kind of Madness [Midori]

[Devon Wentsworth]

“I swear, I can't do this!” Devon anxiously ran his hands through his hair, grunting in frustration as his long fingers merely brushed over short spikes instead of running through longer curls as they had been doing earlier in the day. The feeling was markedly less comforting than it had been, adding an unusual level of stress on top of that he was already carrying. “I can't. I just can't. I'm done.”

There was an audible sigh from the direction of his computer, where Cade was on Skype and rolling his eyes. “You can, and you will. It'll be fine. You're not going anywhere too fancy, so you wont make a complete cock of yourself, so you'll be fine.”

“NOT helping!” Devon snapped at the screen, but was rewarded with nothing more than a chuckle from his older brother. He still couldn't quite believe this was happening, that Cade had managed to talk him into this. It was a dumb idea. Worse than dumb; it was downright moronic. There was no way this evening was going to go well, at all. He'd say or do something stupid or panic and rush things or panic and climb out of a window... Oh God, he should have checked the restaurant first to make sure there was no windows in the bathroom. “Cade, I can't. I can't. I'm going to fuck it all up. I can't.”

“Stop saying you can't, because we both know that's a lie. You can, and you will. It'll be okay. You look fine, you like her, she likes you, and you're not going to a fucking Michelin star restaurant. Just be yourself – but not too much – and it'll be a good night. I promise.”

Now it was Devon turn to sigh as he fidgeted with the hem of his black casual jacket. It was worn over a shirt with a subtle tribal pattern, paired with black jeans and converse. Nothing fancy at all, but that was the point, and something that he had stressed to Midori. Tonight was going to be tough enough without having to worry about how he looked or etiquette or any of that other nonsense... and yet he found he was worrying about them anyway. “Right... No, you're right. I just have to not fuck this up, and it'll be fine... It'll be fine... Oh shit, Cade...”

–---------------------

Ten minutes later and Cade had finally managed to persuade Devon to shut down his computer and actually leave the house so that he wouldn't be late. Devon walked through town to where he had arranged to meet Midori. It was a very pleasant evening out, a light snow falling but the air not too bitterly cold, so they had decided on a walk through the park to the restaurant to build up a bit of an appetite before dinner. The roads were peaceful and quiet, most people having already turned in before the snow risked getting any heavier. It was oddly pleasant. That pleasant feeling, however, turned into a quiet dread as he spotted Midori already at their designated meeting spot. Crap. There is no way this isn't going to go horribly wrong. Despite his anxiety Devon managed to give her a bright smile, though the edge of unease was probably evident in his voice as he once more fidgeted with the hem of his jacket. “Hey, uhh... thanks for coming. Sorry if I'm a bit late, and uhh... yeah, thanks. Wow, you look really pretty. I mean- can I say that? It's not weird is it? Sorry if it's weird”.

[Midori Hawkins]

“But Mommmmmy!” Tory reached for his mother from Eli’s arms. “Wanna go tooooooo!”

Perhaps her mistake had been to tell him where she was going. The past half hour had been spent reasoning with him that no, he couldn’t go to see Devon today, but that she promised they would do something fun to make up for it tomorrow. The toddler had pouted, but after a few more promises to do something fun now with Eli, and something fun tomorrow, he’d finally let his mother slip out the door.

When Devon had first called, she’d expected perhaps something along the lines of the trip to the zoo. Or maybe he needed someone to watch his cats for a weekend, which was only fair as Devon had filled in as a babysitter a few times.

What she hadn’t expected was... well, this. Devon was a wonderful friend, and she’d just... never expected this. Had she missed something? Some critical clues he’d dropped and she’d been oblivious to? Or was this new? So many questions had surfaced, but all she could really do was simply accept the offer to go out. Afterwards she had dwelled on it, trying to see what on earth she may have missed, but found... nothing.

And people said that women were confusing.

While it was snowy, the roads weren’t terrible, and it didn’t take long at all to reach the meeting place. Being that their plan was to walk around a bit first, she’d bundled up in a coat to ward off the cold.

There was no way to make this...date... thing at least a little bit weird. They’d been friends for over a year, and it was a change, but she was determined to roll with it. Worst case scenario was really, what? A laughably terrible experience they could giggle about as they went back to friends? Or was that middle ground? Worst case scenario, perhaps she’d lose a friend, but she was determined not to think about that. Who knew? Maybe this could be the start of something good.

She waited calmly for Devon to appear, watching the snow flutter to the ground. At the sound of his voice, she turned and returned his smile. “It’s okay! It’s fine, I was honestly worried about running late myself. Tory was, uh... a little put out he didn’t get to come.” Which was putting it lightly. For how good he could be, he was also well capable of throwing an epic tantrum when the mood struck. As for his compliment, she felt a blush creep across her face. “Thanks. You do too.” Oh God, what the heck was that? “Not pretty, I mean! Just... good?” She really hadn’t done this for a while. Dating with a baby, now toddler, wasn’t something she’d really done, so... she was out of practice, apparently. “Sorry, Devon. I guess it’s a little weird. Either that, or I’m spectacularly bad at this.” The walk was probably a really good idea if both of them were on edge. “So, um? Park?”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Even as he saw her standing there, Devon was convinced this was a stupid idea. Sure he liked Midori a lot and he had been thinking about her more and more recently, even though admittedly the activities he had been thinking about were not exactly romantic in nature. It had been almost a decade since he had last been on any kind of actual date, and with good reason. He had a frankly spectacular record of fucking things up, and the one time it actually had gone well and resulted in an actual relationship, he hadn't been able to handle it. All the pressures, all the demands to go places and do things and explain where he was going and who he was with... He couldn't live like that. He'd hurt Katie badly, and now... Oh Gods, now he was going to do it to Midori too...

Every fibre of his being was telling him to run. If he left now, he could pretend that this had been a mistake. He had been sick or banged his head or something, and didn't know what he had been doing. They could carry on as friends, no harm done. Cade would never let him hear the end of it, of course, but since when had Devon ever actually listened to his big brother? He could just go. Just go and run back home and calm down with a pizza and Game of Thrones. The new season was starting soon; he could use a refresher of the last season before it started.

But it was too late. He was already talking and she was already talking back and oh Gods, but how he wanted the earth to swallow him up so he wouldn't have to try and deal with this. It was a mistake, an awful mistake, and he was going to wind up losing the friendship of one of the most singularly amazing people he'd ever met. He could feel his hands getting clammy despite the cold, and any appetite he had before was well and truly gone. He tried to make light of the situation, though humour was far from how he was feeling. “It's, uhh... Not the first time someone's called me pretty, so it's okay.” Crap, did that sound like he was bragging? “I mean, no offence taken. Sorry.”

As Midori confirmed that it was weird, Devon merely nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, no, it is a bit weird. Sorry.” He knew he had to stop apologising every two seconds, but it was difficult not to when it seemed like every word out of his mouth was just making him dig deeper in the pit of idiocy. He nodded quickly when Midori suggested the park. At least then they would be moving and he'd hopefully have something to focus on other than just how badly he was fucking everything up. “Park sounds good.” He indicated in that direction before starting walking that way, glad to be moving as that seemed to help him focus more than he was doing standing still. Then he realised that it felt like a decade since anyone had last said something. The only thing he could think to talk about was the old British favourite. The weather. “We never get snow like this back home... I mean, when I was about thirteen we had about a foot of it, and that was enough to cripple the country for weeks. All the schools and airports and everythin' were closed, and everyone acted like the apocalypse was comin'. It hasn't snowed like that since; I think the world got pissed off with how much of a drama we made of it.” Because when in doubt, babbling inanely was always the answer.

[Midori Hawkins]

It was a good thing Midori wasn’t a telepath, or she might have felt even more awkward. The whole situation still confused her a little. After having Tory, her mind hadn’t dwelled on dating simply because being a mom, especially early on, was a full time job, complete with overtime. As he’d gotten older, she’d simply allowed herself to settle into the routine of working and being at home with her son and her best friend. She didn’t really need any more than that.

Yet she’d still said yes to Devon. Yes, it had been polite, but... Devon was a great friend. Yes, okay, he was good looking too, but that fact had been tucked away since they’d become friends. She was still firmly of the opinion that even if this was disastrous, they could laugh it off and go back to being friends. As for other outcomes... she wasn’t letting herself get that far. Start slow, yeah.

At least he hadn’t been offended by her slip in calling him pretty. Granted, in any other situation it might not have been weird. Teasing, but not weird. Now... well, thank heavens for small victories. “I guess that makes it true, then?” This wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped. Well, maybe the walk in the park would help.

She fell into step beside him, tucking her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. It was hard to know what exactly to talk about. Normally they had Tory around, and he was a fantastic ice breaker. Did she really rely on her son that much for social interaction? Maybe she needed this more than she’d realized.

Snow was something she’d always dealt with, even growing up out of Vermont. Really, it wasn’t that bad. At best it was pretty, and at worst... it was freezing cold and not very much fun to shovel. Tory’s delight with it was slowly bringing her back around to it, though. It hadn’t been a terrible amount so far this year, but time would tell. “I couldn’t imagine that. I mean, a foot here isn’t even enough of an excuse to not go to school or work.” She’d seen the news reports before, though. Reporting from London with everything put at a halt over a bit of snow. Though, really, she supposed if they didn’t get it often, they weren’t prepared for it. Unlike Vermont, which sometimes felt like the snow capital of the world. “Growing up I think I would have paid to be in England just for that. No school for weeks as a teenager? Awesome.” Yes, this was working. Maybe.

As they entered the park, she smiled and scuffed her boot over some of the untouched snow, watching it scatter. “The only time I really like winter is when I’m shifted. Tory likes it too, watching something like an arctic fox running around. It’s the warmest form I’ve found so far.” She shrugged and toyed with the lining of her pocket. “Sometimes it’s nice to be shifter in the cold. Animals deal with it way better than we do.” She adored the plush, thick fur of the arctic fox, and had tried to perfect that form fairly early in her training, if for nothing else to keep herself warm in the sub zero temperatures. “Do otters do the cold?” She knew Devon had a number of other animals in his range, but otters were the first to come to mind.

[Devon Wentsworth]

In truth, Devon actually had no clue how this had gotten this far. When he had phoned Midori up, never in a hundred years would he have believed that she would say yes. She was a classy, sophisticated, educated, elegant – and, quite frankly, gorgeous – woman. Why the hell would she have ever said yes to a date with a clueless dickhead like him? In what bizarre messed up world would that have been allowed to happen? And yet, somehow it had, and even as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets as they began to walk through the park, he still had difficulty believing this was actually happening.

He couldn't help but cringe slightly at Midori's utterance that, because she wasn't the first to say it, it must be true. He knew he could be a bit of an arrogant sod at times, but now of all times he was wishing that he actually had the ability to run things through his head before just blurting them out. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but this was far from a normal situation. Cade's main piece of advice had been to be himself, but not too much. That was proving far, far easier to say than it was to do.

Devon kind of wished Tory was there. The kid was entertaining and bright for his age, and it was always difficult to feel awkward or weird when a toddler was dragging you everywhere to look at every single thing in the world. On the other hand, if Devon was going to get over this.... whatever it was that had led to him phoning Midori, he couldn't do it with Tory there. Tonight would prove that this wouldn't work, that it couldn't work, and then all the confusing feelings he'd been having for the past few months would hopefully sod off. Perhaps then they could go back to just being friends.

“I get that. Before I came here, I always found it hard to imagine the storms they were always talking about on TV. Always goin' on about New York bein' under feet of snow and cars buried and stuff. I'd barely ever seen snow deep enough to bury a lego brick.” He gave a quiet breath of a laugh, a little of the tension easing now they were walking and talking and he had something to focus his mind on that wasn't just how badly he was going to ruin everything. “That was so rare, though. You'da hated it. Wakin' up to half an inch of snow, which'd be gone by the time you'd finished breakfast. Real snow doesn't happen there anymore, unless you live in, like, really remote Wales or Scotland on the hills.”

The crunch of the snow underfoot was somewhat soothing, a noise that was becoming more familiar to him the longer he spent in the states. He had always hated the cold, it made him cease up and ache something terrible, but he had always delighted in the sight of freshly fallen snow. It always made everything look so new and fresh and clean. Devon nodded in agreement as she spoke. “I get that too. In winter I spend so much more time shifted; it's just so much warmer and more comfortable.” As she asked about otters, Devon nodded again. “Mhmm. Rivers get pretty damn cold in winter. They've got guard hairs that trap air near their skin, like a furry duvet; even runnin' around in the snow it's always snug. Pretty much all the ones in my range are built to deal with it.” He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, wishing he'd had the sense to wear gloves, and possibly a thicker jacket. “Certainly better than I am, anyways.”

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori honestly hadn’t meant anything by saying Devon being pretty was true. He hadn’t struck her as someone that was easily offended, so the tiny cringe made her think twice. Why was this so difficult? Any other time he was so easy to be around. He was playful, sweet, and now it felt like they were both treading on eggshells. She really hoped that the walk would shake them both out of the awkward place they both seemed to be, otherwise the night would be, well... awkward. Times twelve.

“Yeah, the east coast always gets it pretty bad, but some years are worse than others. It doesn’t help if you come from somewhere it doesn’t snow a lot. I always feel for the kids coming from places like California. It’s hard to adapt to something you’ve never had to deal with before.” Her winters as a kid had been spent sledding and making snowmen in the yard with her brothers. Snowball fights, snow angels... the list went on and on. Adapting to Vermont as a Hammel student, and then an adult, hadn’t been much of a hardship. “You all probably thought we were like Alaska or Siberia, with all that snow on the news.” If the cold factor could be removed from winter, she’d love it. Grinning, she skimmed her foot along the snow again. “I grew up with snowball fights and snow forts in the yard with my brothers. No snow in winter would have been a little tragic.” Especially when she got to watch Corbin drop snow down Zack’s back in revenge for pelting her with snowballs.

There really was nothing better in winter when Tory was clamoring to go play in the snow than curling up as a warmly furred animal and being able to play without freezing. Granted, she had to be more mindful of her son and his own temperature, ensuring he didn’t freeze himself. So far it had worked well. She’d even been practicing at home shifting with her clothes, so that if she needed to shift on the fly and haul Tory inside to warm up, she could. It was far from perfect, but so far, so good. “We’re lucky, getting to shift and roll in the snow without freezing.” A particularly cool gust of wind kicked up, making Midori shiver slightly. Stupid winter.

And then, a thought. A quick glance at her phone showed they still had lots of time before dinner. Maybe... “If we’re already in weird territory, I suppose we could make it weirder.” It took some doing and some courage probably hauled up from her toes, but she managed a brave smile. “You did say you wanted to have another playdate in animal form.” There weren’t many people around, and even if there were, they could always dash somewhere quiet to shift so as not to scare anyone. “Some warm fur would feel really nice about now.” Besides, lots of the snow in the park still seemed relatively untouched, and it was just begging to be rolled in. “What do you think?”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon had never dealt well with awkward situations. He hated the feeling, and would usually resort to joking or fooling around to get the air of tension away. He couldn’t do that now, and it was eating at him. He had to be all grown up and sensible, and that just wasn’t him. Even in his classroom he was usually the biggest clown in there; he wasn’t designed for grown-up situations like this. If she had been just some random woman in a bar, someone who he didn’t care if he remembered her name tomorrow or not, it would have been different. That he could handle. This was a whole other ball game, and the rules of it were like a completely alien language to him.

As Midori spoke, he gave a small nod of his head. “Yeah, that must be tough for them. I mean, it’s one thing to go from a place that gets only a bit of snow to Vermont, but to go from somewhere where the only snow ever seen is on TV to Vermont… That’d just be a bit of an overload, I think.” Devon chuckled a little more easily, visibly settling a little now they were moving and talking but still most definitely guarded and on edge. “I’ll admit, I half expected to see penguins and reindeer when I got off the plane.”

For as much as Devon enjoyed the sights and smells of snowfall, winter in Devon’s body was not at all a pleasant thing. The cold made him ache and cease up, and over the years he had taken to staying in his shifted forms more and more when the opportunity allowed. Ferris had jokingly got a cat radiator bed in his house; he likely hadn’t expected Devon to actually use it half as much as he did. “Agreed. It’s fun to play in, but it’s always more fun when you’re not gettin’ frostbite or muscle cramps while doin’ it.”

While they were walking and talking Devon had begun to settle down, but Midori’s sudden suggestion made him pause in his tracks, a confused and slightly concerned look on his face. “You’re… you’re not serious, right?” In truth it was a deeply tempting suggestion, but it deviated so far from what he had been telling himself would be acceptable behaviour for tonight that his mind was struggling to catch up with him. He looked at Midori’s face fully for the first time that evening, and saw the openness there. “Wow, you are serious. Okay, umm…” He looked around for a moment, his mind slowly catching up with him. Slowly the concerned look changed into a small but honest smile. “Yeah… Actually, yeah, that sounds fun.” He gave a quick glance at his watch. “I mean, we have plenty of time, but umm…” He glanced around again. “Don’t you need somewhere to get changed, and put your clothes?”

[Midori Hawkins]

Being a recruiter, Midori had gotten used to awkward situations. There was never anything quite as discomforting as explaining about the meta gene to a family that hadn’t encountered it before, and how their child needed to go for training. Every time she thought she was getting better at it, a particular trip would send her right back to square one. She’d never been the most social person, with crowds often sending her to the very skirts of the room. Tory helped immensely, as she was learning now. Sigh. She had to stop using her son like a social crutch. At least now she knew Devon. It was weird, yes, but she supposed it could have been worse if she didn’t know him. Maybe.

Who the hell knew, really?

Devon’s comment about the penguins made Midori grin. “We don’t get those out for just anyone. If you were coming from the Bahamas or something, there’s a red, icy carpet and everything. Including the reindeer and penguins.” Was that okay? Was this going a little better now they were both moving? She hoped so, because if the whole night was spent like the first minute or two... No, no, it was going better than that.

“It really is. Though I’m starting to wonder if there’s something in a kid’s genetics that renders them incapable of being cold at a normal rate of time. Tory would probably spend all day outside if he could, no matter how cold it is.” Her son seemed to delight in Vermont winters, which... was, well... all she could say was that if that was the case, she couldn’t wait until he was old enough to play by himself.

Midori stopped as Devon paused, glancing up at him with a somewhat puzzled look. His question made her smile, though. Acceptable behaviour be damned, they were both cold, and they were friends for god sakes. “Yep, totally serious.” Being an animal seemed to ease the tension in a lot of situations, and when you had two together? Even better. Even more so, because she’d been practicing, his concerns were totally null and void. Shaking her head, she stepped away from him for a moment. “Not really.” And with that, she concentrated. Shifting with her clothes took a lot more concentration, as she’d discovered, but she felt it working as her body shrunk down and shifted. It took a few moments, but once it was done, Devon had a small artic fox at his feet. She stretched out her legs, working out the kinks, before wagging her tail and bounding away from him into the snow. Much like a dog might, she dropped into a play bow and yipped in a clear ‘come on!’.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon let out a quiet laugh, his first truly genuine one of the evening. “Are you tryna say I'm 'just anyone'?” The gentle teasing was clear in his tone, and he gave a roll of his eyes. “Wow, that makes me feel real special.” He was chuckling though, a little of the tension and unease almost visibly lifting from his shoulder. This he could deal with. It wasn't as awkward and weird, it was just... nice. No, that wasn't quite the right word. It was still tense and strange, but maybe not quite so bad as it was. Perhaps they could simply forget about the dumb mistake he'd made in arranging this, and just go out as just friends and nothing more. Perhaps that would be for the best.

Speaking about Tory seemed to help keep the conversation settled, though, and Devon was quite happy to go along with it. “It seems that way sometimes. I mean, I see all the kids walkin' around town in shirts and shorts and I'm buried under nine layers of fabric.” He gave a quiet, almost slightly bitter laugh. He'd been like that when he was a kid; playing out at all hours weather be damned. Now he couldn't leave the house in winter without a coat or he'd be so aching and sore that he'd be really paying for it the next day. Damn, but his power made him feel so old sometimes. “Hope he keeps a hang of that for as long as possible. Every kid needs a bit of magic, even if it is just playin' out late in the snow.”

Midori's suggestion had completely thrown him for a loop, and it took Devon a long moment to catch up with the fact that yes, she really did want to romp around in the snow rather than be a sensible and mature grown-up like they were supposed to be being. None of his preparations had prepared him for this possibility. No doubt he would find a way to blame Cade for that. When Midori said she wouldn't really need a place to change Devon looked confused for a moment, but the confused look turned to surprised shock when she suddenly just started changing in front of him. “OH! Okay then!” Devon turned around quickly so his back was to her, a very rare blush colouring his cheeks.” That he definitely had NOT expected.

However, after a few long moments curiosity won over, and he peeped around to look at, not Midori, but a small white fox. “Huh... You've been practising.” The shock began to wear off, and when she bowed and yipped he couldn't help but smile. Damn, that's actually really cute. “All right then.” Devon concentrated, feeling the familiar pops and clicks as he shrank down and morphed into a stoat in its winter coat. He shook himself lightly, stretching his now tiny shoulders, and then bounded a few paces towards the much bigger fox. He halted just short of her and sat up onto his haunches, giving a soft chirruping sound before indicating to the untouched snow on the other side of the path with one paw and looking back at her with a questioning head tilt.

[Midori Hawkins]

Unable to help it, Midori giggled at his mock offense. “Yes, that’s exactly it.” More giggles followed as she relaxed a little more. “I told you! Try coming from somewhere warmer next time.” It was an amusing thought, rolling out a slippery, ice covered carpet and lining it with alternating penguins and reindeer. “England’s not exotic enough,” she teased back. This made things so much easier, reverting back to how they normally were when they were together. They just... didn’t have Tory around to keep things at their normal balance. But that was okay! They could do this. ... Right?

“Ugh, I know. I remember telling my mom that no, I really didn’t need more than a sweater on to run to the store or something with my brothers when I was a kid.” Granted, by the time they got back, she almost always regretted it, but those were not the kinds of things you shared with mothers. “Cant’ do that anymore, though. And now it’s Tory telling me that he doesn’t need his mitts to make a snowman.” She shook her head slightly, amazed at how things could come full circle. Something he said did strike her, though. Eli was always so... well, he didn’t subscribe to the magic bit. Even when Tory was a baby, pretending that Santa left things for him was so part of what Midori had wanted to set him up with. Eli always rolled his eyes, but he’d gone along with it for Tory’s sake, even though he thought it was silly. It made her smile a little more. “Yeah. I really want Tory to have magic for as long as he can.” Even if it really was just getting to play in the snow for as long as possible.

Focusing on her shifting, Midori hadn’t really noticed Devon’s sudden turning of his back to her, but she did hear the bit about practicing. Nodding proudly after her stretch, she bounced into the snow. Already she felt better, the thick, plush fur keeping her well insulated from the cool breeze and the cold snow. Thankfully there weren’t many people around to witness their shifting antics.

Devon as a stoat was, to put it lightly, adorable. Thankful that the more predatory instincts of most of her range were absent, so he looked much less like dinner, and much more like a playmate. Wagging her tail, she bowed again as he came closer and tilted her head to watch him. She caught on quickly, and with a quick yip and a bound out of their current spot, she raced across to the new snow and dropped to her shoulder, rolling around in the pretty crystals and kicking up scoops of snow with her feet as she waited for Devon to join her. Rolling in the snow as a human? Twelve kinds of ridiculous, unless you had a child with you. Even then... it was a little odd. But a cute little fox having a ball in the snow? Adorable and acceptable.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Keeping up the air of mock offence, Devon pouted slightly and rolled his eyes but it was proving difficult to keep the edges of the smile off his lips. “What’cha mean, England’s not exotic enough? Where else can ya get a kebab with hot sauce and deep fried salad at 3am on a Tuesday?”

Devon nodded in agreement when Midori spoke about talking to her mum about the rules for going out in the snow when she was a kid. “I get that. Tory’ll learn, though. Once he’s snuck his gloves off a couple times an’ felt how much snow does actually burn if you’re buried in it too long, he’ll see your sense.” Devon gave a quiet laugh under his breath. “He’ll never admit that though, obviously.” Devon nodded again as Midori said she wanted Tory to have magic in his life for as long as possible. “That’s a good way to be, I think. He’ll have to leave the magic behind one day…” Devon trailed off slightly, scuffing the snow with the toe of his shoes at they walked. When he spoke again his voice was quieter, his gaze off into the trees nearby as he was deep in thought. “When I was teachin’ back home, there’d always be a couple kids in the class that’d clearly been brought up without it. They were twelve goin’ on eighteen, an’ I always felt kinda sorry for them. Kids should get to be kids until they’re adults, I think.”

Shifting out in public wasn’t something Devon tended to do very often, at all. In front of his friends and brother it didn’t bother him in the slightest, but he’d learned early on that not everyone appreciated seeing a scrawny kid morph and twist into an animal, and he never paraded his power round. Shifting now in the park was incredibly strange and felt wrong somehow… but he’d be lying if he said that also made it more appealing.

The stoat form was small enough and blended into the surroundings well enough that he could more than easily duck into hiding should anyone unfamiliar walk by, at any rate. While Devon retained his mind when he shifted some of the instincts of his animal forms did become present, and the urge to romp in the snow was like an itch under his skin that was just begging to be scratched. Thankfully it seemed to be that Midori had the same thought, and as she ran over to the snow Devon bounded after her. With his stumpy legs it took him a few moments longer to get there, but when he did he was quick to nose his way under the snow, half burying himself before rolling onto his back, twisting and turning and thrilling in the feeling. With his heightened senses everything smelled fresh and new and clean and it was absolutely exhilarating, and he suddenly twisted back onto his feet and made a few large bounding strides before dropping back onto his side, twisting and rolling in the snow, gleeful chirruping noises filling the air around them.

[Midori Hawkins]

Devon’s continued playful nature only served to further relax Midori. They were friends, after all, and this was far from the worst thing friends had ever done. Giggling, she waved her hand at him. “Not exotic enough. And I don’t even want to know what would possess someone to deep fry salad.” If that was England’s idea of exotic... she wasn’t so sure she needed to visit, thanks. At least not at 3:00 am on a Tuesday.

“No, boys seem to have an inherited immunity to admitting to their moms that they’re wrong.” She’d seen it growing up with her own brothers. Zach probably would have ended up with frostbite more than once for being stubborn enough to leave his mitts inside, all the while insisting that he wasn’t cold. It had usually taken Corbin to haul him inside physically, leaving Midori to once again wonder just what planet boys arrived from, as it clearly wasn’t Earth. As for kids and magic, she nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean. Zach decided one year to ruin pretty much everything for me. Tooth fairy... Easter bunny... Santa... he’s kind of a jerk that way. I’ve already told him that if he does it with Tory, he’s not allowed to be his uncle anymore.” It was a joke, sort of, but she’d had some serious words with her brother, as had Corbin when it came to his own daughters. At least so far, he’d been good.

Devon may have blended in with the snow, but Midori’s new keen sense of smell made it easy to keep track of him, as did her predatory eyes. She watched him skitter about, kicking snow everywhere, her tail began to wag again. She was in a good mood, and why shouldn’t she be? She’d finally let go of the whole being self-conscious thing, and was just having fun now. Rolling in the snow, she kept track of Devon by listening and by smell, smiling in a fox-like way as he burrowed around. After another good roll on her other side, she flipped over and sat up to watch him, head tilted slightly. After a moment of watching, she yipped in an excited manner and pounced forward, giving him a tiny nudge with her nose before racing off a few paces, bowing down again and wagging. It was easy to be outgoing in fox form, and she felt safe with Devon in her shifted form. Not only because he was a shifter too, but because the last time they’d done this, he’d saved her from drowning. Of course, there was no danger of drowning now, but still. It was a nice feeling as she yipped again, rolling sideways in the snow and kicking up another few pawfuls of white powder. It was silly, yes, but it was fun.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Kebabs were one of the things that Devon had come to sorely miss from home. Greasy and stodgy with unidentifiable meat, lank salad and far too much sauce. Unhealthy and often disgusting, but so perfect to round off a long night on the town. His stomach rumbled at the thought, and he smiled at Midori’s words. “Y’think fried salad’s bad? You’ve clearly never been to Scotland.”

Midori’s comment brought a genuine laugh from Devon, and he nodded in agreement. “We do; it’s genetic. Even if we’re stood there with all the evidence in the world stacked against us, nope, we’re still right.” That was obviously a gross generalisation and he didn’t believe that really, but it was only said in jest to help keep the mood a bit lighter. It had always been far, far easier for Devon to relax and settle when he got to be a bit of a clown, and it was certainly taking the edge off here. “From what you’ve told me of Zach, Tory’d probably just think he was being silly anyway.”

Devon wasn’t entirely sure why certain instincts of the animals crept in when he shifted, but it was something he was glad of. Sure it made him look utterly ridiculous sometimes, but anyone who actually knew him had likely seen worse even when he wasn’t shifted. Those urges gave him the perfect excuse to be playful and silly in ways that he really couldn’t get away with as a human, and from watching Midori rolling in the snow, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t the only one that revelled in it. The nudge took Devon by surprise and he squeaked at the contact, but the noise quickly returned to excited dooking as he chased after her. The snow was deep but his wide paws made skittering through it much easier, and though he was slower than Midori it didn’t take him long to catch up. Midori was rolling again when he reached her… and following his instinct, Devon pounced, landing on her tail before quickly spinning to take off again in the other direction. He knew he wouldn’t get far at all before she caught up again, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that this was hilarious.

[Midori Hawkins]

“Scotland... Scotland...” Midori tapped her chin with a gloved finger, pretending to think. “They’re the ones that invented haggis, right?” She couldn’t remember what went into the dish, but she did remember it was far from appetizing. “Okay, you win. Haggis trumps fried salad. But it’s still weird.” And she had no plans to try it. She wasn’t picky, but there was not being picky and there was not willing to subject yourself to something like... well... that. Still, she was grinning in a playful manner. This was definitely veering more into fun territory.

Truly, Devon was right. At least about the vast majority of men, from what she’d observed. Eli was generally the exception, because he was always about the facts, though they still had their arguments from time to time. Like if she was allowed to carry light things while grocery shopping and pregnant. The facts said it was fine, but Eli had been stubborn and not allowed her to carry anything. Zach was more in the category Devon had laid out. He’d claim ridiculous things and back them up with invented facts. At least Corbin was firmly from planet Earth, and actually behaved like a human being. The thought made her smile. “Right, most of you do. Which just proves most men are either less evolved, or just from another planet.” Her tone continued to be in jest, and she hoped he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. As for Zach, she could only hope. “For your own sanity, you shouldn’t ever meet him. Like, ever.” Corbin was the safe bet. Zach... was always, always the wild card.

Playing in the snow had been a good idea. She’d decided that the moment her paws had hit the cold powder. It was so much more appealing to do this than, say, make snow angels or a snow fort as a human. Something about the cold pressing against her warm fur made her happy, even as she got back on her feet and shook out her coat again. Dancing and rolling after nudging Devon, she listened for his happy noises. Following them, she kept rolling, careful to avoid him, then yipped out in mock surprise at the tail pounce. Launching to her feet, she took off running after him. She let him have the lead for a bit longer before moving to pounce right into his path, bowing down again and watching him with her dark eyes. Rolling was fun, but playing chase was better.

[Devon Wentsworth]

“I think in that respect haggis trumps pretty much everythin'.” He gave a small shrug of his narrow shoulders. “It’s a gorgeous place, but you do have ta be careful what you’re orderin’. If you ever go there and get offered a munchy box, run for the hills.” It was easier to relax when he got to be himself a bit more and not have to worry about the situation. Sure it was still there, a nagging reminder that this wasn’t supposed to just be hanging out with a friend, but he tried to shove it back as much as possible. If it turned out that this was nothing more than just hanging out with a friend then, well… it was sad, but he’d have to live with that.

The corner of Devon’s lip curled up into a slightly mischievous smile. “Less evolved or alien, huh? Which group d’ya think I come under?” His tone stayed light and playful, and he gave a chuckle when Midori mentioned that for the sake of his sanity he should never meet her brother. “Funny. My brother’d probably say the exact same thing about me.”

When Devon was shifted he didn’t always have much in the way of control of the noises he made. He could stay quiet or vocalise when he wanted to and put some thought into it, but the rest of the time they just kind of… happened. The playful chattering was the worst offender for that; several times Ferris and Rome had called him out on being noisy while running around when he hadn’t even been aware he’d been ‘saying’ anything. Such as it was now, as he chattered excitedly while bounding away from Midori. When she suddenly appeared in front of him Devon skidded to a halt, using a tiny paw to bat snow up at her before turning and careering for a nearby snow bank. The snow was fresh and loose, and within moments of scrabbling at it he’d dug in deep enough that only his black-tipped tail stuck out. A few moments more and he was completely inside his little tunnel.