Play Time (Solo)

[black shadow]

"Daddy daddy daddy! Get up! Get up!" The voice of a little voice rang into Black Shadow's ear. His eyes slowly opened and his vision began to clear up.

It had been a long day for him the day before. He had returned home from another Wetworks mission assigned to him by the Ixian knights and hoped to get some rest. His beautiful daughter Espoir was not aware of his plans.

He rolled over say up, the blood rushing to his head caused his vision to go black again. "Daddy you promised we would go to the market! Please?" Espoir said smiling and giving Black Shadow the puppy dog eyes. He could never resist that.

"Okay fine." He said in sign language. "But you have to do one thing."

"Oh anything daddy, anything." She answered without hesitation.

"You have to put the groceries away when we get home." He said, a slight smile coming across his face. He knew she hated putting away the groceries.

Espoir's happy smile slowly went away for a second, and was quickly replaced with a fake smile. "Okay."

[black shadow]

Black Shadow watched as Espoir ran ahead of him, picking flowers and hopping over the puddles in the road. She was so cute, her blonde hair reaching mid-back and her bright blue eyes shining in the light. She had a cute laugh that appeared every now and again.

She was growing up fast, and Black Shadow could not believe that just a four years ago he found her on a ship, abandoned and no one to take care of her. The thought caused him to smile. She was just as cute now as she was then.

As the two entered the marketplace Espoir's mind began to race. "Daddy, can we look at the kitty? Please?" She said pointing to a tiger in a cage. Black Shadow nodded at Espoir, telling he yes. "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She said happily and giving him a hug.

He followed behind her, making sure she would not get too close. She walked as close to the cage as she could and locked eyes with the tiger. "She is so pretty." She said.

"Her name is Sara. What a beauty she is. I found her a few years ago, half dead, no mother to take care of her. Shame it was, I had to take her in." A man said walking up to her. "You wanna feed her?"

"Yes!!" Espoir shrieked turning to Black Shadow. "Daddy, can I?"

He sighed and motioned his hand towards the cage. She instantly followed the man to a staircase that climbed above the cage.

"Now take this." The man said, handing Espoir a piece of meat. "Now don't move, she can get it." The man said. Espoir did as she was told and held her hand out, the meat dangling over the edge. Black Shadow began to get a little nervous. He watched as Sara crouched and pounced, grabbing the meat from Espoir's hand. He flinched in fear, which instantly went away as he saw her grab just the meat.

Espoir began to laugh as she climbed down the staircase. "Did you see that daddy? I fed her! I fed Sara!" She said extremely happy.

[black shadow]

The two moved on, looking for a vendor that sold fresh cut venison. Black Shadow had become accustomed to eating deer, but had not had time to go hunting, and the two had quickly run out of venison.

Black Shadow turned to find that Espoir was missing. He began to panic. Where could she have gone? He stopped and looked around him, the fear evident on his face.

"Daddy, I'm right here, don't worry." Espoir said, peeking out from behind a stand.

He began to angrily speak in sign language. "What were you thinking? I didn't know where you were!"

"I'm sorry daddy. I just wanted to play hide and seek." She said softly.

"Than you should have asked, silly." Black Shadow replied. "Here, I'll seek first. I'm going to count in my head until twenty-five." Black Shadow said, now smiling. He turned his back to her and closed his eyes.

Espoir ran trying to hide. When Black Shadow counted to twenty-five, he reopened his eyes and began to search. He took a few steps, to his right, looking down the rows for Espoir to peek from behind a stall. As expected she did, but Black Shadow played dumb as If he did not see her. He couldn't be too hard on her.

[black shadow]

Black Shadow waked towards where she was hiding, hoping she would think he found her and give herself up like she usually did. This time was different, she did not move. Instead Espoir stayed put, not moving an inch.

Black Shadow continued to walk, walking right past her. He listened, hearing her laugh under her breath. He smiled, and took a step back. He placed his hand on the top of the stall and quickly moved his head around the stall. She was not there.

He moved his head back a little confused. He was sure she was there. He heard the soft laugh of Espoir again, to stalls down. He walked to the next one, moving his head around the stall like he did the first. He moved onto the next one, waited a few seconds, then did the same. She laughed as she watched him check the wrong stall over and over again.

When Black Shadow reached her stall, he paused, the sound of Espoir's laughter was gone, he smiled as he popped his head around the corner and his eyes met Espoir's baby blue eyes. She laughed and poked Black Shadow's nose.

"Your turn to hide!" She shouted. "One! Two! Three!..."

[black shadow]

Black Shadow thought fast. He did not want to make it too hard for Espoir to find him. He looked around and noticed a stand with a few mannequins, all dressed in different crazy outfits. He got an idea.

He ran to the stand and pulled out his bow. Thinking fast, Black Shadow struck a pose, his bow up in the air in a manner than made him look like he was chanting. To a normal person he stood out like a sore thumb, but to a four year old girl, that would be a different story.

"Twenty-four! Twenty-five! Ready to not, here I come!" She shouted, turning and looking for Black Shadow. He watched, trying not to laugh, as Espoir checked behind stalls and in crates. She was funny to watch.

She came to the stall with the mannequins and stared, looking for Him. Her eyes moved from mannequin to mannequin and stopped directly on Black Shadow. She stared at him, trying to see of it was really him.

"Nope! He didn't move." She said and continued I look. Black shadow laughed inside. What he expected to happen is exactly what did, she looked right over him.

She continued to search. Eventually beginning to shout, "daddy! Where are you?" Up and down the isles. She came back to the mannequin stall, looking at Black Shadow again. "Hmm..." She said, watching him. When she saw his chest move from breathing, she said "it really was you! And tagged Black Shadow happily.

[black shadow]

"Can I play?" The voice of another girl came from behind Espoir. She turned around and saw a young girl dressed in black and purple. She had black hair and bright purple colored eyes.

"Sure!" Espoir said smiling. "You can be the seeker. Close your eyes and count to twenty-five." She instructed.

"What is your name?"the girl asked.

"Espoir, it means hope. What is yours?" Espoir replied.

"My name is Lexi." The girl answered. She then closed her eyes and began to count.

"Come on daddy!" Espoir said, grabbing Black Shadow's hand and dragging him to another stall. "You hide in here." She said, lifting up the lid to a crate. Black Shadow climbed into the crate and watched as Espoir climbed into a barrel.

He watched to see where Lexi searched first. She checked inside barrels and crates before she checked behind stalls, and Black Shadow realized she would find him first. There was nothing he could do about it though. Lexi moved closer and closer, and when she reached The father and daughter's stall, he heard Espoir and Lexi talking.

"Aww man, you found me!" Espoir said playfully.

"Yupp!! Now I have to find your dad! She said, walking over to Black Shadow's crate. As she opened the top, Black Shadow jumped up, scaring Lexi.

"Daddy! That was not nice!" Espoir said. Black Shadow realized that she would not let it go. He bent over and said in sign language, "I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" Espoir translated from sign language to the common language.

[black shadow]

"That's okay, I wasn't THAT scared." Lexi said a smile returning to her face. "Your turn!"

Black Shadow turned around again and began to count to twenty-five again. When he turned around to seek he saw Espoir and Lexi climb into a moving cart.

He followed the cart hoping to would stop soon. The man driving the cart continued to move and eventually came to the edge of the market. He did not stop and continued to move. He was leaving the marketplace.

Black Shadow began to panic. He started to run, but the speed I the cart had escalated. He took a deep breath and began to sprint.

Running at close to sixty miles per hour, Black Shadow caught up to the cart within a few seconds. He lifted up the cover and grabbed Espoir and Lexi. He stopped and put them down.

Both girls were crying, afraid they would have never seen their family again. Black Shadow knelt down and gave the two girls a hug, comforting them and calming them down.

"Espoir, never hide in a moving cart again." Black Shadow said in sign language. "You are lucky I saw you climbing into the cart."

Espoir out her head down. "I won't daddy, never again." She said hugging him again.

Black Shadow picked her up and carried her while holding Lexi's hand. They walked back to the marketplace, still shaking from what had happened.

Once back in the marketplace, Black Shadow placed Espoir down. "Where is your family?" Black Shadow said on sign language. Espoir translated for Lexi to understand.

"My family owns the sword stall. Here, let me show you." Lexi answered, walking through the rows of stalls.

[black shadow]

Lexi led Black Shadow and Espoir through the marketplace, weaving through the people as if she had years of practice. Black Shadow was impressed, he had not known many people to have the ability to move through a crowd like this little girl could.

The two followed Lexi until she stopped at a stall with a talk, muscular man. He had a nasty act across his left eye and full sleeve tattoos. He did not look like a man to have a daughter.

"Finally, Lexi, I sent you out to get customers over an hour ago! Where have you been?" The man asked in a deep voice.

"I was..." Lexi spoke softly and with her head down. Her happy playful voice was now a timid and terrified one.

Black Shadow knew this man was not nice to his daughter. He took a step forward, having Espoir translate for him. "She was convincing me to come her and possibly buy a new weapon" he said, crossing his arms.

"Good work. You can get your pay for today." The man said, turning back to Black Shadow.

Pay? This man isn't her father. Black Shadow thought to himself. "Listen, the girl, I know she isn't really your daughter. How much do you want for her. I will gladly ale her off your hands." Black Shadow said.

"She's not for said, boy. She helps me bring in thousands of gold every day, there's not a price that could pay for her." The merchant said.

"You don't care for her. You don't deserve to take are of her." Black Shadow said angrily.

"You want her? You think you can take better care if her? She wouldn't go with you even if given the choice." The man said looking at Lexi. She picked her head up, no one ever stood up for her. "Make your choice, the man with who has taken care of you all your life, or the man you just met."

Lexi hesitated, looking at all the variables. The men watched, both hoping she would choose her. "I choose him! He would actually love me!" Lexi said, pointing at Black Shadow.

[black shadow]

Lexi ran and hid behind Black Shadow in fear of being slapped. The man that owned the stall grew angry. "I have taken care of you all your life and this is how you repay me? Death to you!" He said, grabbing one of the swords from his stall.

He slashed at Black Shadow, who unsheathed his sword and blocked the attack. He then kicked the man in the chest, stumbling him back and tripping over his chair.

Black Shadow grabbed Lexi and Espoir and began to run, at times jumping completely over some people. He did whatever he could to get away from that man. He could not stand to think about what that man did to Lexi every night.

When he reached a safe distance from the man and his weapons stall, Black Shadow put Lexi and Espoir down and had Espoir translate for him again. "You are safe now. I will not let that man, or any other man for that matter, hurt you ever again."

Lexi began to cry and hugged Black Shadow. He hugged her back, trying to keep his own tears down. When he comforted her, he picked her head up and began to speak again.

"I am a member of the Ixian Knights. I will be sure to get you a room there. You will be safe from now on."

[black shadow]

"Thank you. That man was mean, and everyone just watched him beat me, call me names, and sometime not feed me." Lexi said sobbing.

Black Shadow's heart sank. He knew that she was mistreated, but to be beaten, to be out down like she had, it made him sad. "I will make sure you are never treated like that again. You just tell me, and I will deal with it, I promise."

Lexi began to smile. She started to realize that there really were people who cared. She was happy to be saved.

"Now, how about a game of tag? Bring our spirits up." Black Shadow said smiling.

"Okay! Tag you're it!" Espoir said, poking Black Shadow in the arm. He shook his head and began to chase after Lexi.

OOC: Completed! :-)