[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qsCZpOI.png[/img]

[color=darkgray]"Hagan told me to ask you about my flask?"[/color][sub][sub][sub][hr][/sub][/sub][/sub][/center][right][indent][indent][color=#598865][b][code]The Campsite[/code][/b][/color] [color=dimgray]│[/color][@Surtr Inc][/indent][/indent][/right][center][sup][hr][/sup][/center]

[center][quote][b]From:[/b] [color=wheat]Brit[/color]
[code]I'm good - I just needed to go to the bathroom, and get away from them. I'll meet you there in a second.[/code]
[/quote][/center]

Dexter leaned up against his car and sighed, but decided not to push. Britney wasn't his responsibility, and she was a grown ass adult too. She could text him if she needed him. He shook his head and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He shivered again, and was very suddenly missing the warmth of the campfire. And his drink, if Hagan hadn't drank it or dumped it or whatever primates did when given inebriating substances. Dexter trudged his way back to the campsite, kicking a few rocks and mumbling the tune of some song he heard in the car that he couldn't quite remember the lyrics of. As he walked, the regular sounds of the forest were drowned out by the sound of shouting.

"Because you're a creep - not just any creep, but an entitled creep!"

"I'm gonna show you I'm good as everyone else you let in your pants!"

"Hey, let go of me!"

Dexter knew those voices- that was Scott and Claire. He picked up the pace to a brisk jog. He was close enough to them that he didn't have to worry about sprinting, he'd have to play this like he stumbled on them. He slowed as he rounded some trees, almost sliding and falling down in some leaves, but managed to right himself by grabbing onto the trunk of a tree. He steadied himself and trudged closer, and Claire, Zoey, and Scott came into view. He was off to the right and somewhat behind Scott, but not enough to be approaching directly from behind. Claire and Zoey would very easily be able to see him approaching. He would have to play this diplomatically- he was on good terms with Scott and he wanted to maintain that because you never knew when that could come in handy, but he couldn't let him have his way with Claire. He'd have to pretend he stumbled onto them by chance.

[color=gold]"Oh hey Scott!"[/color] Dexter said, announcing his presence from a a couple dozen feet away. Scott visibly tensed up, but released Claire and quickly returned the hand to his side. Primary objective completed. Dexter pretended not to have noticed that he had grabbed her at all. [color=gold]"Didn't know you were coming tonight. How's it goin' man?"[/color] he said as he got closer, lightly cuffing Scott on the right shoulder and pivoting around him, positioning himself within a comfortable distance from Scott but still positioning himself between Scott and Claire. He turned somewhat to pretend like he was trying to include Claire in the conversation, but kept them his shoulder-width apart. He spoke to Claire, trying to think on his toes. [color=gold]"Hagan told me to go ask you about my flask?"[/color]

That was a lie, he hadn't even been back to the fire yet. But it was believable enough- it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that Hagan had thrown it somewhere, or was busy drinking the whole thing and wanted to get Dex off his back, or had given it to someone else and told Dex to ask Claire to send him on a goose chase. But he also wanted to get them all out of the woods, literally. He had to get them back to the fire, and around people again where Scott wouldn't be willing to do anything brash again. Dexter's watch beeped, and he checked it. 9:00PM. He looked between the three people around him. [color=gold]"We should all head back to the fire, by the way. It's kinda chilly out here."[/color]