[Rabid]

Not a problem! ^-^

Persnickety nodded in understanding.

Ah yes, the grand tales that fly from the mouths of explorers do sound quite enticing, do they not? He began. But, I am not too fond of such adventures. I personally prefer to stay at "home" and relax. Perhaps go for a stroll in the early mornings before the others are awake to disturb the peace. He gave a soft sigh of contentment. That vivid imagination was at work once more. He shook his head a tad before refocusing on the two before him.

I know a small few of your sort. Wanting to go on adventures and whatnot. But, they're some of the more... Rambunctious of the inmates, so "the mistress" keeps them on a tight leash. She's afraid they'll do something horribly dangerous and get into trouble with some particularly unsavory characters. He gave a small chuckle at that. Indeed, they were the sort to anger some big-wig with their blunt comments and rash decisions.

{16}

[Leaftail]

For some reason, Momiji saw Persnickety and Atlas, a Draculi who lived at their residence, getting along great. Atlas liked the peace and quiet too, to the point where he actually went away once to get some. Came home a little fuzzed out, and sickly, but never spoke about what happened. But, then again, that was before Momiji showed up at The Garden, but Sakura told him about it once. He wouldn't let her help him, so Sakura suspected something went down.

As for Sakura, she was starting to like Persnickety. He seemed to be more rational then Momiji here, and she liked rational people. They were more, what was it, calm? They thought things through before they did anything, which she usually did. But, for her practice, Ushi always told her it was bad. Critical moments needed irrational decisions once in awhile, and that's what she lacked. She let out a inward sigh, remembering her faults. No one was perfect, right?

Momiji broke her out of her thoughts.

"I don't think we have anyone too bad, but...wait...did you say inmates?" he asked, tilting his head. Sakura had heard it too, but didn't say anything, knowing all too well Momiji would.

[Rabid]

Persnickety let out a mirthless chuckle.

Why, yes, I did say inmates. He said, as though it were nothing at all that he might live with psychopaths. Which he didn't, aside from the person in charge. Everyone keeps tight-lipped about it, but I don't see why. Really, why should we deny who we are or where we live? It's like a peasant claiming to be a knight; inexcusable, and worthy of severe punishment. Mind you, I'm not saying they should be executed, just given a light smack on the wrist. They probably thought he was crazy (perhaps that's why he was in the asylum)but that was just the way he was; he was Sir Persnickety the Evil Penticorn, not some silly big-wig who was perfect in every way imaginable.

[Leaftail]

Momiji and Sakura glanced at one another, for a second, it was quick, before looking at Persnickety.

They weren't sure whether to believe him or to go along with it, but right now, they were more curious if anything. Well, at least Momiji was the curious one, Sakura just wanted to leave. It wasn't like she wanted to be rude, she just...liked to keep her sanity and life if the matter was to come up. But who said Persnickety was dangerous? Ugh, and knowing Momiji, he was going to stick around for a while.

Taking this thought in,  Momiji was quiet for a moment. "Well, I have no right to judge you from where you come from, but I am very interested in hearing more, that is, of course, if you don't mind," he said, getting a slight glare to the back of the head from his companion. Now he was questioning the Penticorn? What the heck? Sakura knew she was being harsh, but seriously. He just called the people he lived with inmates, what else was she supposed to think? It was a concept that sent shivers down her spine. Who could live in a place like that? Now, Momiji was asking for details! What next, a sleep over?

[Rabid]

Persnickety noticed that the two were uncomfortable, especially Sakura. Of course, there wasn't really much he could do about that, now, was there? As Momiji alerted him to his curiosity, he shook his head.

Of course, I don't mind at all! What would you like to hear about first, sir? Although, before I begin, does the lady mind? He turned to Sakura, eyes questioning. She seemed fragile, and she might not want to hear about his "home". Not that there was anything extreme about it, nor did she seem like a delicate model made from sugar, but some just didn't have the heart for such things. It pulled at them in some way, though he didn't know how. Perhaps they felt pity? Or perhaps it was disgust? Whatever the case, some just didn't like to hear about such things, even if they were very mild compared to most.

[Leaftail]

Sakura blinked, not realizing that Persnickety was addressing her currently, and she had to think about this for a moment. Did she really want to hear about some of the residents? Not really, but she didn't want to leave Momiji alone, knowing full well he'd get himself into some trouble eventually. She let out a tiny sigh, lowering her head slightly, before looking back at Persnickety. "No, I don't mind, go on," she replied, trying to seem less uncomfortable than she was feeling. Wasn't working too well with her.

Momiji tilted his head, probably seeing for the first time Sakura's unease. He nudged the mare, giving a small smile. "You sure? If you don't want to listen you can head home first, or stay ne-" "I'm fine Momiji, really," She stared at him for a moment, before looking at Persnickety. Momiji didn't belive her. She had always been a sensitive creature, which was probably due to her position. Healers were always the more sensitive ones. Clearing her throat, Sakura took the chance to get the first quesiton.

"I would like to know, how many inmates are there?" Of course, if Persnickety had any questions about their household, they'd be happy to explain as well, but his household as by far more interesting.

[Rabid]

Persnickety noticed her unease, but she was the one to propose a question. No backing out now.

Well, that's an easy one, He said nonchalantly. All of us are numbered. Well, almost all of us. There are officially ten of us, but there are more. They say that they're being "assessed". Not entirely sure if I should believe them, but I've figured that I should just let sleeping dalmas lie. He gave a shrug as he finished, and looked expectantly at the two. He wasn't really curious about their home - really, what's more interesting than an insane asylum full of fairly sane creatures? - but he was more than willing to satisfy the curiosity of the two cavallions. Really, what else did he have to do? He couldn't be paged like the others, since he didn't have a collar, and he didn't have any plans. Might as well share his life with a couple of newly acquired acquaintances, right?

{19}

[Leaftail]

Wasn't the term let sleeping dogs lie? Oh well, Sakura had her curiousity dissipate. All that was left with questions was Momiji, and it seemed he was having a hard time figuring out what to ask Persnickety. When it seemed that he had a question, his eyes became less...spacey and more focused. "Okay, so how does one get assessed anyways? Is there like a process or something?" Oh yeah, such a good question there Momiji, Sakura thought. But in all seriousness, she still had respect for Persnickety, even due to this new found information that she was hearing. What was the term, don't judge a book by it's cover? Well, she had been doing a lot of judging and felt a tad guilty now. Great...and you're supposed to be the nice one.

[Rabid]

Persnickety gave them a shrug.

Well, I believe so. None of the others wish to talk about it, for whatever reason. It's not that bad, really. They just push your buttons to see what happens, but that's only on occasion. For most of the time they just locked me in a room with one other. They probably watched to figure us out. Again, I don't know what happened to the others, but I'm fairly sure it's a standard process. He shrugged again, his tail swishing lazily behind him.

[Leaftail]

Well now, that was very to the point wasn't it?

The duo felt like their curiosity was filled. "Well, thank you for sharing a part of your life with us" Momiji started, nodding his head. "Hm...now what shall we do?" Wait, there was more stuff to do? Sakura tilted her head, curious to see what Momiji was thinking about. A race, some talking, and Momiji wanted to do more? Was his energy ever spent? She sighed, letting the male think. What more was there to do?

Momiji thought. He glanced up at the sky, to check the time. Actually...there might not be anything else to do today. "Bah, scratch that...it's getting to be the time where Leaftail will want us back..." he trailed off, Sakura glancing back at Persnickety. She bowed her head. "Thanks again for the race and keeping us some company," she said, Momiji nodding next to her. "Yeah, if you ever want to meet up again, you can find us..." he trailed off and draw a tiny map of the world, before marking off where they lived. "There,"

Sakura bowed her head once again, before she turned, and walked off, Momiji following suit, after a head bow from him, and a smile.

[[and we're out :3]]

[Rabid]

Persnickety returned their head-bows with a small, polite smile. He watched as they left, the light of the fading sun casting odd, yet elegant, shadows off of them and the rock they had raced to. He flicked his tail one he could no longer see them on the horizon. He decided that, indeed, it was about time to head home. He gave one last look to his surroundings before turning towards the sun, ignoring the way it forced him to squint. He knew Rabid had planned something when setting up the Asylum. He chuckled to himself as he headed towards the sun, almost looking like a fancy painting without the brush strokes. A dramatic exit? He disliked to think so.