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[sup]    [i][color=A0522D]Tsk.[/color][/i] The thought rolled around in her head like her eyes in her skull. Tomorrow, really? The build up. The belting of steam and vigor pissed away at what boiled down to a basic punishment parade. [i][color=A0522D]Speak out of place and you'll be, blah, blah, blah.[/color][/i] This was not what she had in mind her first real day. She expected drills. Sweat. Tears. That old familar ache of her muscles pulsating after a particularly grueling workout. Instead all around her was the hissing relief of her shaken comrades. The faint echo of nervous laughter while the tension dispelled from the air. 

Well she supposed it wasn't that way for everyone. Her eyes flickered over to the small group whose heels now dug into the damp earth. Should she? [i][color=A0522D]No, I shouldn't.[/color][/i] The thought was as sour as her mood. Technically, Maurer hadn't forbidden anyone from joining the punishment crew on their run. But while her instincts pushed her to join the team her head planted her feet firmly in the ground. She had to listen. That was something her father had stressed the moment she opened her mouth about joining. She would need to learn to listen. Even if listening meant having to wait another day. 

Mora let her eyes slide away, scanning over the training field idly. Already people had begun to pair off; friends from the same district enlisting together. She recognized a few familiar faces from home. But none close enough that she would call a friend. No, Mora never really sought out to make those. Everyone was just competition in the end. A needless drive to push herself beyond them. Her fingertips pressed into the sides of her thighs. A subtle pressure to stop her head from spiraling into the mess that was the ache that missed her family. [i][color=A0522D]Focus.[/color][/i]

Something hard knocked her out of her thoughts, just a slight nump that send her body tettering momentarily. Mora shifted her head to glimpse over what looked to be slightly frayed raven [i][color=A0522D]Down,[/color][/i] her brain direcred her before her eyes followed suit, looking into the surprised face of a smaller girl. The girl's lavender eyes mirrored her own surprise before quickly shifting to embarrassment. [color=D25167]“I am so, so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention…”[/color]

Mora could feel the corner of her lip begin to peak in a small half smile. [color=A0522D]"It's fi--"[/color]

[color=D25167]"Wow! You’re so pretty."[/color] The smaller girl cut her off with a bright voice. Mora watched her face light up with a tinge of pink blooming across her cheeks, letting her own eyes drift off to focus on something off in the distance. [i][color=A0522D]Pretty?[/color][/i] She felt her face burn with embaressment at the word. [color=D25167]"Oh, I’m sorry for that too.”[/color] The girl's voice rattled her nerves and anxiety. Her laugh breathy and awkward. [Color=D25167]"“I’m Jade. This whole thing is a bit awkward.”[/color]

[Color=A0522D][i]Jade,[/i][/color] Mora made a mental note, her eyes sliding back to lock on with hers for a swollen moment. The name was [i]nice[/i] and very fitting for the girl. Mora quickly broke eye contact once again, digging the toe of her shoe into the dirt below. Jade was pretty in a delicate way Mora wasn't prepared for. And the bluster of her nervousness only deepened the burn she could feel creeping toward her ears. [Color=A0522D]"Nah, don't worry about it. I wasn't paying attention myself."[/color] Mora brushed off the apology, hoping to dispel the girl's worries while masking her own thrumming heartbeat. She jutted out a hand toward Jade, giving her best cocky grin. [Color=A0522D]"I'm Mora, it's nice to meetcha."[/color][/sup]
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[@wolverbells]