[center][img]https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/yq9c365gew4.jpg[/img][/center][hr][center][color=B300B3][b]#B300B3[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/4jdcvbwnje4.jpg][color=9b9b9b][b]day outfit[/b][/color][/url] -> [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ye3c2bjova4.jpg][color=9b9b9b][b]party outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]Cabin/Arena -> Party[/b][/color][/center][hr] 
Dawn was breaking, and the early rays of the sun were beginning to poke through the trees at the edge of the camp. Veronica lounged on the balcony of her cabin, wrapped up tightly in a dressing gown and heated blanket. She was sipping from a warm cup of hot chocolate pressed between her gloved hands as the honey-golden light warmed her face and the falling snow fluttered around her. She'd often been an early riser at home since it allowed her freedom around the house and usually let her leave before other members of her family stirred. She'd fallen out of step with the habit a little after she arrived at camp while recovering from some of the injuries she'd sustained in those opening days, returning to it again for much the same reasons she'd done so at home. 

While she had no real reason to view the other demigods with the same wariness that she had with her own family or her peers during school and college, she still wasn't sure where she fit. Everyone at camp seemed to have retreated outside of a few here and there, such as those who were busy bed-hopping, of course, and she could hardly blame them for seeking a little warmth. 

After all, that’s exactly what she was doing after a fashion, lying here in the morning sun. Though as the day grew brighter, she thought it best that she should shower and get ready for the day ahead, as she preferred to get some early exercise around camp to help with her recovery, even if she didn’t have anything else planned for the day. The only times she did was usually because someone else had organised something, usually Iliana, more often than not. Though she’d learned her mistake after the first time she’d watched the sunrise after showering and had almost frozen to death, which had hardly started that day well. 

Getting up and shaking some of the snow off her blanket, Veronica went back inside her cabin and closed the balcony door behind her. She downed what was left of her drink before taking it downstairs and putting it in the sink of the small kitchen area. Grabbing a bowl, milk from the fridge and some s'more style cereal from a cupboard, she made herself a quick and easy breakfast that she ate while looking at the snow-covered activity field beyond the trees near her cabin. She dropped the bowl into the sink alongside her cup so she could clean it up later or tomorrow. 

After she jogged up the stairs, she undressed, grabbed her phone and set music away on her phone before leaving it on the bench of the bathroom. As she stepped into the shower, she began singing along with the music, starting with [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3Liudev18]Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan[/url]. Once she was thoroughly clean and feeling refreshed, she exited the shower and grabbed a towel, which she first used to dry her hair before wrapping it around herself as she sat on the edge of her bed to use her hairdryer. There was rarely any need to actually comb her hair since she realised that she could just maintain it with her abilities, but she still found it calming to spend a few minutes doing so, all the same. 

Continuing to sing along to her music, Veronica picked out some clothes, settling on denim jeans with light brown knee-high boots, and a plain white shirt that she pulled a thick turtleneck over the top to complete the outfit. Once dressed, she went downstairs, making sure to pick up her phone and earbuds, which she quickly popped in before slipping a pair of earmuffs over the top. She almost forgot her gloves and had to dash back for them and was thankful for remembering, as it was still very cold outside and her face was already pinkening up. 

Leaving her cabin behind, she trudged a little through the snow, swaying to the beat of her music and musing to herself that she was starting her days later and later by watching the sunrise this late in the year. She cut up towards the back of the stables, turning left through the trees and passing near the arena when the camp was filled with the sound of Andy’s voice on the speakers. Veronica paused her music so she could hear what was being said more easily, though it was hard to miss. 

[color=bd1664]"Good morning, campers. It is currently 9 a.m., on December 31st, New Year's Eve. It's currently 15 degrees Fahrenheit, -9.4 degrees Celsius, and snowing. So be sure to wear your boots and winter coats when you leave your cabins today."[/color]

Veronica was thinking to herself that, thankfully, she was already ahead of Andy on that, but still, it would likely be appreciated by the other campers. 

[color=bd1664] "There was a note left at the main office for me to find… from the Gods. Exciting news, new demigods are expected to join us today."[/color] 

She stopped walking for a moment, her hand reaching out towards a nearby tree to steady herself. [i]More campers[/i], as if she wasn't struggling being around as many others already let alone the prospect of introducing more uncertainty, and temptation. 

[color=bd1664]"The note also mentioned a new leader and, quote, a rigorous training regimen. So, today will be the last day of these daily announcements… at least from me."[/color] 

Veronica felt herself slumping backwards against a tree, as memories of when she'd first arrived flooded her thoughts; back when they'd officially had a leader, if only for a short time and their initial training. And then the horrors that had followed, when one of the other campers had unleashed a nightmare upon them. Her own experience had left her barely able to move afterwards, her body bruised and by some miracle not broken when some winged monster had hauled her skyward before cutting her loose where she'd been sent crashing through the trees on her way to the ground. As painful as the branches had been and though her muscles still ached at times, though her daily walks had helped, she knew that if she'd missed any more of them, then she'd likely have died instead. The people who [b]had[/b] died, like their last leader [i]Nick[/i]. She smiled at the thought of him being so flustered when they first met, despite his mishap over the speakers.  

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed the final part of the camp announcement. 

[color=bd1664]"And last, but not least, tonight at sundown on the Activities Field, we will be having a New Year's Eve celebration. So, I'll be seeing you, and the new campers there."[/color] 

A party wasn’t exactly something she was thrilled about but perhaps it would help her to stop hiding behind Heath and Iliana, since she’d barely spoken to anyone else since her arrival, what with being actively shut inside her cabin wherever possible. Even when she ventured out, she usually tried to get to the main hall either late at night or before the sun had risen to scavenge supplies to maintain her hideaway. At least that's what she’d been doing once she’d no longer been bedridden and didn’t have her friends helping her by doing it instead. 

Sighing, she pushed herself away from the tree and carried on walking, her eyes flicking between the practice range or the arena, before settling on the latter. She headed in and proceeded to spend a couple of hours making use of the equipment that appeared and vanished as needed. Alternating between whacking a sword ineffectually against training dummies, light weightlifting and running around a roughly drawn track and obstacle course. She was utterly exhausted but felt better for having done what she was naively calling her own [i]“training regime”[/i]; even if she was a little embarrassed and hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else, usually resulting in her hurriedly leaving the arena whenever she spotted anyone else. She’d just felt so hopeless when they’d been threatened with real danger and wanted to fix that, but it had taken so long for her injuries to heal that she’d gotten the distinct impression of being treated like a baby bird with a broken wing at times. She’d hung up her turtleneck when she’d first arrived so as not to overheat even if she was barely keeping herself above freezing with the exertion, though her top was now drenched with melted snow and sweat. 

Finishing up at the Arena, she hurried back through the snow, doing her best to avoid patches of ice in her and others footprints as she made her way back towards her cabin, her damp clothes causing her to shiver. Glancing over at the activity field, she could see Andy and Trinity setting up various things ahead of the party that evening. She gave them a half-hearted wave that she didn’t think either of them had even noticed, which made perfect sense given they were on opposite sides of the field, and they were otherwise occupied. 

Once back at her cabin, she made herself another cup of hot chocolate and settled down in front of the fire with her guitar to relax for an hour or so before going for a nap. 

[hr] 
She could hear her alarm ringing out nearby, her arm flailing as she tried to locate her phone before bringing a return to blissful quiet. Which, of course, only lasted a moment before it returned with a vengeance, and then was silenced again.  

This repeated itself a few more times before she finally knocked the alarm off entirely rather than simply snoozing it. Her body was screaming at her, having decided her earlier activities were a terrible idea, but she had to get up as there was only an hour till the party, rather than the two she'd given herself. Apparently, she'd been far more drained than she had assumed. Looking at her phone, she'd actually snoozed at several alarms in the end but had obviously failed a few times. 

She flicked through her phone before settling on some different music from earlier, which she set to play at near full volume, starting with [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ScnT6UI3pY]Outlaws by Delta Rae[/url] as she jumped back into the shower for the second time. 

She dressed quickly, grabbing a fresh set of clothes similar to what she’d worn that morning with the same turtleneck in preparation for the cold weather, only to step out into something closer to a warm fall evening. Stumbling a little as she tried to make sense of the sudden shift in the weather, which still appeared to include falling snow, which was rather novel, she assumed that Andy had managed something magical along with the upcoming party as a whole. Pausing at the threshold of her cabin to think, she decided to take the turtleneck off and throw it back inside onto a nearby chair, and grabbed a denim jacket instead to go over her cream coloured shirt.

Arriving at the party a little later than she’d liked, she could see several of the other campers dotted around the activity field. They all seemed to be doing their own thing, which Veronica didn’t want to intrude on. Her earlier confidence and plans to [i]‘mingle’[/i] more with them had melted in this sudden heatwave that was overwhelming the camp, which was clearly preferable to the freezing weather it had been. 

Music from the dancefloor was drifting out through the air, and she could feel herself starting to bob along to it and was seriously contemplating just giving in to the beat and ignoring everything for a little bit. Instead, she spotted that there was an ice rink here as well, which lit up her face in delight, as a smile spread across her face. She jogged, almost skipping over to it, her thoughts half lost in memories of skating both on and off the ice as she’d grown up, as it was an easy hobby to keep up away from the house, though she couldn’t remember the last time she’d even skated. She was so caught up in the past that she’d almost completely missed the other two girls already out on the ice. 

It took her a minute or two to get the skates on and her own boots stuffed back out of the falling snow, so they’d keep dry. Gingerly, she stepped onto the ice, feeling her feet skid a little as she got her balance, her hands fastened tightly to the edge of the rink. 

Her limbs still felt stiff after her time in the arena, and overall ungainly as she slid away and out onto the open ice of the rink, feeling like a baby deer, a rising panic causing her to flail for a moment before she steadied herself. Slowly but surely, her movements were becoming easier the longer she was skating, though she kept her distance from the other two just in case either they crashed, or she did. Skating across the ice was exhilarating as she picked up speed, feeling laughter bubbling up while she was making herself spin and twirl as she circled around Nelly and Sofia, if at a reasonable distance, as her confidence had returned. She’d missed skating, both on and off the ice, and she felt like a duck having come back to water, wondering if she ought to try something more adventurous or not.  

Her breathing was a little erratic as she’d gone at full speed for a moment there, so she began slowing down to a leisurely pace as she approached the other two campers. Though part of it was also the increased heart rate from the panic of socialising, especially given she’d never met one of them. She was still panting a little as she spoke, flashing a half-apologetic smile at them. 

[color=B300B3]”Sorry, I just got so excited by this. It’s been too long since I was last on the ice, and I couldn’t help myself. Hello!”[/color] she waved at Nelly and held out her hand to Sofia before reconsidering [color=B300B3]”Sorry again, I was going to shake hands, but I'd worry we’d go tumbling. Nice to meet you, I’m not good at this but I’m Veronica. Hello, hi!”[/color] 

[hr][center][color=808080][b]Interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] Nelly and Sofia[color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]Mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] Andy, Trinity, Heath and Iliana[color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]Collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] None [/color][/center][hr]