[center][h3] Jade Stone | Snowy Mountain Cabin [/h3]
[b]Mentions[/b]: [@QT] [/center]

Jade had been thoroughly surprised that Sano had not only acknowledged her, but was also responding to her and engaging in a thoughtful conversation. She would have gone in shock if it weren't for the fact that it was what he should have done from the moment they met. She was prepared for him to simply respond to her and shove her away like he always did. Yet, now he was motioning for her to sit next to him, which made Jade's cheeks turn slightly pink. 

The teenager walked over and sat next to him, taking a sip of her tea as she listened to him speak his mind. [i]'He watched us?'[/i] The thought of Sano intently studying the cadets made Jade feel small and unprepared. How had she not seen him assessing them? She always had a keen sense of knowing when she was being looked at, yet during the hike she had ignored everything but herself and her instinct to survive the freezing hike. She had began to put her thoughts together about Sano. He was definitely mature beyond his age, and showed great promise to be a leader worth following, but he was just too mysterious for Jade to be able to trust him. 

"I guess you could say I'm quiet because of choice too," she finally responded after mulling over his question. She knew it held more of a significant value, but was hesitant in whether she should allow the boy to know much about her. "I've got two loyal friends, and I love them very much, but I've had no choice. They helped me survive. I don't want to talk to anyone else because... because I don't want to get attached to anybody else and see them die right in front of my eyes." Her mind flashed back to the fateful day that changed her life which caused her bottom lip to pout a bit as her emotions got the better part of her. She cleared her throats before she looked back up at Sano and smiled a bit, quietly apologizing for being so serious with him before explaining her other reason to not speaking out in the hike, "I was also trying to focus on not letting the cold get to me. I would have had to been carried up here if i would've started to shake and shiver. I don't do well with the cold." 

She quietly studied Sano's facial features as she conversed with him, watching closely when he smiled to see if it touched his eyes, which it did. He was genuine with his feelings and letting them show, which made Jade feel a bit more comfortable around him. "Why don't you go out there and join them? You deserve to let your mind take a break too, you know. Overthinking can be pretty dangerous."