[img]https://i.imgur.com/hQWXcuZ.jpeg[/img]
[right][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/right][right][sup][color=#3b9ae1][b]#3b9ae1[/b][/color][color=2e2c2c]...[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]...[/color][url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/95/7b/0b/957b0b01364489a296679724020ddb04.jpg][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url][/sup][/right]

[indent][indent] [color=#ffffff]Rae’s brows lifted at the [/color][color=#667c0c]“don’t go running off.”[/color]
[color=#3b9ae1]“Where would I even run?” [/color][color=#ffffff]she whispered back, tapping the suitcase Wes had just parked beside her. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“Pretty sure you’ve got my getaway vehicle.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Still, she gave him a small salute, two fingers to her temple.[/color][color=#3b9ae1] “Take your minute. I’ll be right here.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]As Wes guided Trinity away, Rae exhaled, shoulders loosening the tiniest bit. She nudged her suitcase with the toe of her boot until it sat flush against a nearby log, then planted herself on the edge of the bench, close enough to keep her promise, far enough to give them privacy. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]From her perch, Rae couldn’t catch a single word, but the picture painted itself clearly enough. Wes’s palm rested against Trinity’s cheek with a gentleness Rae wouldn’t have believed senior-year Wes capable of. Not the Wes who smirked his way through hallway detentions, flirted with half the cheer squad, and treated rules (and hearts) like speed bumps on his way to the next thrill. Back then, affection had been quick, careless, almost performative, like the roses left in lockers he’d forget to claim or the sloppy kisses at parties he barely remembered the next morning.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]What she saw now, however, was something else entirely: steady shoulders, a soft thumb brushing just below Trinity’s ear, and words delivered slowly enough that even without sound, Rae could tell they were meant to land with the woman it was meant for. There was no swagger or showmanship here. [/color]

[color=#3b9ae1][i]When did the bad boy learn patience?[/i][/color][color=#ffffff] she wondered, feeling equal parts surprised and, if she was honest, relieved. It was strange, watching the reckless grin she once knew settle into an earnest smile meant for someone else, but it suited him in a way she hadn’t expected. Maybe Camp Athens had sanded off the rough edges of his persona. Or maybe losing an arm and gaining a purpose had forced the boy she remembered to shape up into the man she saw now. Either way, Wes Preston had finally learned how to hold something fragile without dropping it, ­and that was a version of him she could root for, even if it tugged a little at old feelings she’d thought long resolved. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]The moment Wes turned back toward her, Rae hopped off the log and strode after him, craning her neck to meet his eyes. [/color]

[color=667c0c]"Alright, short shit,"[/color] Wes teased while scooping back up her bag. [color=667c0c]"First thing you’re gonna need is a map."[/color] He nodded his head in the direction of the map bulletin board on the far end of the field. 

[color=#3b9ae1]“‘Short shit’? Wes, you’re six-two! You call basically [/color][color=#3b9ae1][i]everyone[/i][/color][color=#3b9ae1] short.” [/color][color=#ffffff]Rae gave his elbow a light nudge. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“I'm five-five. Textbook average height for a woman, thank you very much.” [/color][color=#ffffff] At the mention of needing a map, she started to lift the neatly folded one she'd taken earlier, but then hesitated. Instead, she slid it into her cargo pocket and patted it once like a secret. Let him lead. It had been a long time since she’d let herself enjoy Wes just… being Wes.[/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“Oh, my coat,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Rae remembered, doubling back two steps to snag the jacket she’d slung over an empty chair by the bonfire. She shook off a stray ember-spark and draped it over her arm, then rejoined him, matching her shorter stride to his easy pace as they made their way over to the board. When they reached the map board, Wes set down the bag and grabbed one of the pamphlet maps.[/color] 

[color=667c0c]"Not sure if there’s any trick to it,"[/color] he said as he pinned the paper to his torso and started working on unfolding it. Once it was open he stuck the map into Rae’s hand with a smile. [color=667c0c]"But knowing Andy, there’s probably some magic [i]something[/i] involved."[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Rae accepted the map Wes offered, her fingers deliberately avoiding contact beyond the necessary brush of paper. [/color][color=#3b9ae1][i]You already have one in your pocket[/i][/color][color=#ffffff], her practical mind nagged. [/color][color=#3b9ae1][i]Shut it[/i][/color][color=#ffffff], she silently retorted, clinging to the simple kindness of the gesture. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Wes’s single arm curved past her shoulder, fingertip landing on the west-side dot labelled[/color][i][color=#ffffff] You Are Here.[/color][/i][color=#ffffff] The heat of him, always a degree warmer than normal, which was saying something given her baseline, made it suddenly hard to focus on the paper. Rae cleared her throat.[/color]

[color=#667c0c]"Ok, so we’re here, and that’s my cabin,"[/color][color=#ffffff] he said, pointing to cabin 21, which also, coincidentally, had his name beside it.[/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“Cabin 21, got it,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Rae murmured, eyes tracking his route across the grid. Sure enough, as she watched, names shimmered into existence within previously blank cabin rectangles, glowing faintly before settling like ink drying instantly. It was seamless, effortless magic. [/color][i][color=#3b9ae1]Of course it is,[/color][/i][color=#ffffff] she thought, a mix of awe and exasperation warring within her. Cabin 36 materialized on the display, nestled in a bend of the path. Its position, half-hidden by dense pines, offered only one close neighbour and a direct path snaking down toward what was likely the beach. Quiet. Shaded. Deliciously isolated from the main camp bustle. The perfect spot for midnight tinkering sessions without curious eyes.[/color]

[color=#667c0c]"So, anything catching your eye?"[/color][color=#ffffff] Wes asked as he stepped aside, flashing her a smile as he picked up her bag.[/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“There,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Rae declared in answer, tapping the now-labelled square for Cabin 36. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“Thirty-six. Looks perfect.” [/color][color=#ffffff]The words were barely out when the distinct crunch of boots on packed snow sounded behind her. She turned to find a tall figure approaching. He held an unstrung bow loosely in one hand, his coat draped over the other arm. His expression was politely neutral, but his eyes had the look of someone carefully approaching a skittish animal.[/color]

[color=#d87093]“Hi,” [/color][color=#ffffff]he said, voice careful. [/color][color=#d87093]“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but did you say that device is how we pick out where we’re staying?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Rae’s eyes lit with a particular spark: the let me take apart this toaster and show you its gears spark.[/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“Yeah, here, let me show you,” [/color][color=#ffffff]she offered, unfolding the map with a snap. She then smoothly stepped around the newcomer's side, positioning herself so he could observe the shimmering grid. [/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“Okay, so,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Rae began, her fingertip landing on the parchment with precise intent. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“See all these blank squares?” [/color][color=#ffffff]She traced the empty cabin slots. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“They stay empty until someone physically touches one here on the map or directly on the big board over there, I think.”[/color][color=#ffffff] Her tone had seamlessly shifted into enthusiastic-instructor mode, the cadence quickening with genuine fascination, even though she'd only deciphered the system moments before herself and with Wes’s help. Explaining complex systems was simply her native language, and it was hard not to dive into it. [/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“The name appears simultaneously in both places, so it’s essentially a real-time, magically linked database except with no servers or lags it seems because, you know, magic.” [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Eager to demonstrate the seamless functionality of the map system, Rae pointed toward an unclaimed square: Cabin 32. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“Watch this,”[/color][color=#ffffff] she said, her finger brushing against the parchment right over the square. A rippling shimmer spread across the map's surface, and instantly, the words [/color][i][color=#ffffff]Rae Kowalewski [/color][/i][color=#ffffff]blinked into existence inside the outline of Cabin 32.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Rae froze. A wave of heat surged up her neck, painting her cheeks a bright, flustered pink. [/color]

[color=#3b9ae1]“Whoops! Didn't mean to actually [i]claim[/i] that one,” [/color][color=#ffffff]she stammered, her fingers darting quickly to Cabin 36 and tapping it firmly. With a soft ping sound, her name vanished from Cabin 32 and reappeared neatly inside Cabin 36, leaving the first square blank once more. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“See?” [/color][color=#ffffff]she added, her voice dropping to a slightly sheepish mutter as she avoided the man's gaze for a second. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“Self-correcting. Very… user-friendly interface.” [/color]

[color=#ffffff]Regaining her composure, Rae finally glanced up at the tall archer, offering the map toward him in a small, hopeful gesture. [/color][color=#3b9ae1]“Your turn. Just touch an empty one you like.”[/color]

[/indent][/indent][hr]Location: Party outskirts --> Near Camp Entrance  
Interactions: Wes ([@Mjolnir]), Idris ([@NoriWasHere]) 
Mentions: Trinity