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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Sylas watched, silent and observing as Anissa’s demeanor slowly shifted. The tension in her arm ceased and a relaxed breath escaped her lips. [color=5a3e85]"Alright."[/color]

[i]Good.[/i] He smirked.

Anissa’s wrist shifted beneath his touch, rotating just enough for the tender underside of her forearm to now rest beneath the tips of his fingers. His gaze fell to observe it, momentarily, before looking back up and into her eyes. He didn’t pull away, not yet. Instead, he left his hand, gentle but dominating, on her. Sylas doubted he’d need to compel her further, but why break the connection when she was willing to remain under his thumb?

[color=5a3e85]"I only steal what isn’t mine when I’m nervous,"[/color] she confessed with a familiar, comfortable smile. Anissa then slipped her wrist from beneath his touch, turning his hand over and placing his handkerchief into his upturned palm. He watched the subtle adjustment of the white fabric as she aligned the initials to face him. Her gloved hand then closed his fingers around the small folded piece of cloth. [color=5a3e85]"So, I’m giving it back. Don’t lose it."[/color]

Sylas smirked as his little bit of puppetry did the heavy lifting. [color=0a6d6b]"You’d have a hard time explaining that to your boyfriend,"[/color] he mused and nodded his head toward the surfer. He then took the handkerchief and slipped it back into the front right pocket of his pants. His hands rested one on top of the other, on the table before him. [color=0a6d6b]"Even someone as skilled as you might struggle explaining the monogram."[/color]

[color=808000]"Pardon the interruption."[/color] Sylas froze, only his gaze drifting toward the direction of the voice. Heath, one of the camp's nosy members, stood beside their table. [i]The fuck did he want? Couldn’t Fabio see they were in the middle of a conversation?[/i] It took more self control than he cared to admit to keep his face blank. [color=808000]"Anissa, I just want to let you know that Anatoliy got his guitar back. So you don't have to worry about that."[/color]

[i]Wonderful. Fantastic.[/i] This [i]Anatoliy[/i], whoever the hell he was, had his guitar back. [i]Lovely.[/i] Now… Go away.

But, no. Heath then turned to face him directly, causing Sylas to raise a brow in slight curiosity. [color=808000]"Evening Sylas, nice to see you're doing well now."[/color]

His gaze fell to his hands, tilting the one on top back just enough to get a glimpse at his palm where the scar from a blade still resided. Sylas sighed. [color=0a6d6b]"Evening."[/color] He slowly looked back up at Heath, who lingered expectantly with a plate in his hand. 

[color=808000]"If it's okay, can I sit with the two of you? Have both of you ate anything yet?"[/color]

Sylas bit back every snide remark that he’d rather spit out and managed a monotone, [color=0a6d6b]"Sure."[/color] The [i]fuck[/i] was he going to do now? He had enough of all the nosy busy bodies around camp shoving their way into everyone’s business. It was difficult enough for him to have a decent conversation, let alone do anything actually [i]productive.[/i] Everything felt like it slipped into slow motion as his brain rapidfired any and all possibilities he could use to get Heath… [i]gone.[/i] Nearly half of his options were immediately discarded because they’d either make a scene or worse, paint him as the [i]exact[/i] type of person he actually was. It had to be subtle, something he could play off and not alert Anissa. 

[i]Bingo.[/i]

Heath’s plate was already set down and his chair pulled out. He rested his hands on the table and started to lower himself into the seat. Sylas’s arm reached out and his fingers lightly touched Heath’s hand like he had remembered something [i]very[/i] important that he had to share immediately. [color=0a6d6b]"I almost forgot,"[/color] he began, feigning concern and absentmindedness. [color=0a6d6b]"Blair was looking for you earlier. She said it was an emergency and looked pretty frantic."[/color] He shook his head before Heath could ask, having no further answers.. [i]obviously.[/i] [color=0a6d6b]"She wouldn’t tell me anything, just said she needed you."[/color]

The tips of Sylas’s fingers began to tingle as the buzzing returned to his head like the loud tinnitus after spending hours at a loud concert. His eyes dilated while holding Heath’s gaze intently. [color=0a6d6b]"[i]You should go see what she wants.[/i]"[/color] His compulsion wormed into the blonde’s mind like vines growing up between the stones of a cobbled pathway, as if it always belonged there, stubborn and rooted.

Once he knew his words [i]stuck[/i], Sylas pulled away, blinking as his pupils constricted while the static in his mind and hand subsided. He leaned back in his seat, waiting for the compulsion to click. When it did, Heath would eventually wander off leaving him alone with Anissa, once again. [color=0a6d6b]"[i]So[/i]… you were telling me your thoughts on this new leader,"[/color] he spoke up, turning their conversation back to the topic he was most interested in, hoping her new found ‘trust’ would shed more light on the man in question.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] anissa & heath [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] river & blair [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none[/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]She sighed softly and a relaxed, faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when Duke didn’t tell her to leave, nor had an issue with Rocco sprawled across his feet. Sloane was thankful he let her hide in his company and that he didn’t ask or pry about whatever was bothering her. It felt stupid and juvenile, it’d only make her feel more gullible if she said it out loud. She'd much rather talk about anything else if it distracted her mind… even Liam.

Part of her still regretted the terrible attempt at a conversation or the awkward shift to an equally as horrible topic, even if there was common ground. But Duke gave her a small smile which helped some of her anxieties fade. [color=851f1f]"Yeah, we’ve both been there too. It’s been intense."[/color] 

[color=c7b29b]"It has…"[/color] she replied quietly with a nod. They sat in silence for a moment. It was comfortable and Sloane didn’t feel the need to fill it with frivolous words. He didn’t have to answer her question. She understood without words. It was like looking in the mirror, the smiles that didn’t quite reach his eyes, sitting alone unless someone entered his space, the immediate tension whenever Ajax or Alex was mentioned… It was a painful loneliness, one where there’s a void somewhere inside of them that nothing seems to fill, leaving them with more questions than answers. 

Duke took in a breath then, surprisingly, decided to answer. [color=851f1f]"I’m okay but I’m not,"[/color] he began, drawing Sloane’s gaze from the table over to him, quiet but attentive. [color=851f1f]"You know there’s a sadness they left. A feeling of abandonment like it’s personal. Resentment. But I have to try not to let it hinder me."[/color] He shrugged.

[color=c7b29b]"That’s good,"[/color] Sloane agreed with a small nod of her head. [color=c7b29b]"Strength is important, but we also have to have the grace to let ourselves be weak sometimes too… And grieve what we lost."[/color] Something inside her told her that Duke wasn’t very good at the latter. He always presented himself strong and stoic and he said there was [i]a[/i] sadness. But did he let himself actually [i]be[/i] sad? 

His body turned a bit toward her before he continued. [color=851f1f]"Now, I know the Valises weren’t the best. They became destructive and unhinged and—"[/color] Duke waved a hand vaguely, [color=851f1f]"—a whole lot of stuff. I had their backs through that because I loved them and thought I owed them something. They were like family. But they chose Olympus."[/color]

Sloane hesitated for a moment before lightly resting her delicate hand on his forearm. There were no ulterior motives behind the touch beyond a gentle comfort. They didn’t know each other well enough to warrant a hug, even though some people, like Anatoliy, were comfortable hugging a stranger. She knew how awkward that made her feel and so she definitely wasn’t going to do that. But she felt the need to give him some sort of sympathy and reassurance. 

[color=c7b29b]"You’ve gone to Olympus with them before, haven’t you?"[/color] She vaguely remembered a window of time where he was gone along with the Valises. [color=c7b29b]"Did they not invite you this time?"[/color] It was another personal question, one she probably shouldn’t have asked but Sloane couldn’t help but wonder why he was still at camp if he had the freedom to go to Olympus with the people he loved. In the end, the answer was likely right in front of her… He wasn’t asked to join them or maybe… maybe after everything the Valises did, he couldn’t bring himself to run away like they did. She wouldn’t blame him for not being able to follow them any longer. You can only remain loyal to toxic people for so long before you start losing who you are.

Duke’s gaze fell to the table and he cleared his throat. [color=851f1f]"Did you…did you love Liam?"[/color] The fingers that rested on his forearm twitched before she slowly pulled away. He looked over at her with a frown. [color=851f1f]"You don’t have to answer that. Sorry."[/color]

She blinked a few times and gave his arm a gentle tap after she shook off the initial shock of the question. Sloane’s lips pulled into a tight smile. [color=c7b29b]"No, it’s ok,"[/color] she reassured him with a shake of her head. [color=c7b29b]"I guess I never really thought about it…"[/color] Her voice trailed off as she mulled over his question. Her fingers idly picked at a peeling splinter in the table, attempting to fidget in anyway that kept her from bouncing her legs and waking Rocco. 

[color=c7b29b]"I think I did,"[/color] she finally answered, her gaze fixated on her hands. [color=c7b29b]"He was the only friend I had since I came to camp. He looked after me."[/color] Sloane shrugged her shoulders. [color=c7b29b]"Only as a friend though. He left before it could grow into anything more."[/color] She didn’t feel the need to explain further. What did it matter that Liam and her decided to be a couple the same night he left? It mattered to her, but it was over before it began. It wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on… it only made it all hurt more. Her connection with Liam felt similar to how she imagined his relationship with Alex was. Sloane had noticed how the daughter of Zeus looked at Duke, flocked to him, and got protective whenever another girl showed interest. Just another way his own situation seemed to mirror hers. 

[color=c7b29b]"Did they at least say goodbye to you?"[/color] Sloane asked, finally looking over at Duke and meeting his gaze. If those were lifelong friends that felt like family they had to have said goodbye… [i]Right?[/i] Her brows furrowed slightly, painting the concern in her thoughts across her face. Whatever shitty things the Valises did or didn’t do… not saying goodbye? That is something that would cause a burning grudge inside her that no apology could put out. [color=c7b29b]"Liam was gone when I woke up… Just left a note behind,"[/color] she answered her own question first with a weak shrug. The words echoed in her mind in the faint memory of his voice that seemed to slip away more with each day. [i]I’m sorry. Please look after Rocco.[/i] Her gaze fell to the sleeping grey dog as she let her hand slip under the table and lightly stroke his fur. 

[color=851f1f]"At least it’s showed our perseverance."[/color] Duke complimented them both as an attempt to change the subject and she wasn’t going to argue. It was comforting enough knowing someone could sympathize, they didn’t need to rehash everything… At least not at a party that was supposed to be [i]fun[/i] or whatever. 

[color=851f1f]"I don’t think I ever found the time to thank you for finding the box, by the way. Those monsters were strong. I didn’t expect it to be easy, and you’d think it would have been a mismatch,"[/color] Duke commented about the box and looked down at his hands like he expected something to happen. [color=851f1f]"But I had some forest nymph and a leshen. The vines were like whips and constraining, they pinned most of my body. I almost didn’t get out in time."[/color] He then tilted his chin upward, exposing more of his neck and the faint line of scar that went across his throat. [color=851f1f]"See? Barely made it."[/color]

That was the second time someone thanked her about the box that day and this time there was a scar to match. The guilt felt like a stone in her gut. She didn’t deserve to be thanked. It was half her fault Pandora’s box was opened in the first place. It was her mother’s fault for giving her the box and her fault for giving it to her brother without knowing what it was. Most people probably wouldn’t blame her, but she did… Every minute. Duke was honest and nice. She should tell him the truth. Her brows furrowed as she looked back and forth between his eyes, the guilt churning in her stomach and fighting to break free. Her lips parted, preparing to confess… likely changing the way he looked at her and their conversation, but then he smiled. Duke tried to make light of everything with the box by making a joke out of his own injuries. The tension in Sloane’s face faded as she began to laugh softly. [i]Maybe… she could tell him later.[/i] 

She leaned in slightly, making a show of examining his scar. [color=c7b29b]"You’re lucky to be alive,"[/color] she teased. Sloane scooted forward, letting her left arm lay across the table and her chin rest atop her knuckles. [color=c7b29b]"What is it they say? [i]‘Chicks love scars’?[/i]"[/color] In the grand scheme of scars, it wasn’t that bad and the slight shadow of facial hair that faded down his neck hid most of it. The worst thing he probably had to worry about was someone thinking it was self-inflicted. She highly doubted someone would believe it was a leshen. [color=c7b29b]"Could say you got in scrape over a jilted lover or something. Really build up a tough, bad boy vibe. I’m sure some people here would be happy to add to your scar collection,"[/color] she joked with a soft laugh.

Sloane strummed the fingers on her right hand along the edge of the table. [color=c7b29b]"I had a harpy smack me into some trees and drop me in the lake,"[/color] she offered up her own [i]war[/i] story with a slight shrug. [color=c7b29b]"And something with [i]very[/i] sharp claws—"[/color] Her right hand reached up and brushed her hair aside, then pushed the collar on the back of her shirt down slightly. Beneath the cream colored fabric, the top of three jagged slash like scars were visible. [color=c7b29b]"—I didn’t get to see what it was."[/color] After a moment her hand released the fabric, letting it shift back in place, hiding the scar like it didn’t exist. 

The smile, while faint, still clung to her lips as her gaze drifted back over to his scar once again then back up to his eyes. [color=c7b29b]"No one warned me that camp is actually [i]the worst.[/i]"[/color] Sloane chuckled once more and rolled her eyes.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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