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[color=808080][color=667c0c][b]#667c0c[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/adYfcRI][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=66356a][b]#66356a[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://i.imgur.com/9X151DI.jpeg][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]main hall[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080][color=#04ed42]"Cut into someone’s dance without realizing it."[/color] Trinity grinned as if a joke had been said. Not that she was the best at keeping her own feathers in line but it sounded small and was clearly accidental. [color=#04ed42]"The night’s still young… I have a habit of attracting the wrong crowd."[/color] She thought about offering the poor guy an encouraging pat on the shoulder, a little ‘there, there’ gesture, and pro advice not to worry about it but they hadn’t established that rapport yet.

[color=66356a]"You’ll be ‘right,"[/color] she said, tactful and deeply considerate as ever. Not that he needed or sought advice anyway.

She had done her part in offering an out from behind the bar but when you were the mad scientist bar tender, prospects and socializing could come to you she guessed. Trinity spun around leaning her elbows on the bar to eye the rest of the party, tuning out the flirting fiasco happening around her. She wasn’t sure she could last in the party though and no activity other than drinking really spoke to her and apparently that wasn’t healthy. Much more, mixing alcohol with her tolerance and it was even worse.

Apparently she had just stayed there, people watching for a good few solid minutes more, blocking out whatever interactions floated around her. And right as she decided to take off, pushing off the bar, Iliana approached. [color=#4a766e]"Evening Trinity. I decided to get one more drink before midnight. Do you have any recommendations? I just can't handle anything too strong, nor do I want to risk it. In the past it was either a Bailey's Cream or Schnapps. I do like something sweet though. So um, how's your evening been?"[/color]

Trinity’s recommendations so far in the night hadn’t been the best, so while she wanted to recommend go out with a bang and have a shot anyway, she closed her mouth and pointed behind her in reference to the nifty bartender. [color=66356a]"Guy’s pretty good at pinning drinking needs. But evening’s been good,"[/color] she answered. She wasn’t about to delve into how average she found the night and all those little in between problems. [color=66356a]"Yours?"[/color]

She heard out Iliana’s response and patted her on the shoulder before shuffling by. Particularly because there was nothing else for her. Socializing wasn’t her forte, midnight was getting frighteningly close, and Wes wasn’t in sight to celebrate the new years together as a couple or whatever it was coupley people should be doing. Trinity closed her eyes and sighed out, trying to find her own chill button. If she busied herself she had less time to be snarky and think about it.

Trinity turned and wore that too tight smile once again. [color=66356a]"So Iliana, are you wanting to kiss anyone?"[/color]

Beyond that, Trinity didn’t last much longer socially because she didn’t really care. She was sure it would all be very cute and work out for Iliana along with the odd bout of others.

Fireworks whistled out and exploded in the air marking the time. She crossed her arms to watch the lightshow that Andy pre-arranged. It was sort of the universal main event and felt like the point of the party so she saw it through until the series of colors stopped shooting into the sky.

Trinity glanced around to those who had gravitated towards each other, then her feet. She wore ankle boot heels, boot cut jeans and a see through top, why? Frustrated with herself, she officially retired from the party, pacing to her cabin. She shut her cabin door and leant against it for a moment, grateful to be rid of party expectations. Inside though, without her usual roommate, she found it was eerily quiet. Dead quiet. She didn’t need to look around to know he wasn’t there, but she still walked through her cabin to be absolutely sure.

She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment waiting in quick debate with herself. Did she wait him out, give him space, or track him down? She looked at the empty space in bed and ran a hand down her face. [i]Erf, poor Rae as well.[/i] She was rather stand offish. That decided that then.

Trinity left her cabin pacing to Wes’s. Despite her woman on a mission mindset and speed, she walked with deft quiet feet up his stairs and opened the door narrowly to slip through the small gap and close it behind herself. She cringed, afraid the click of the door closing would be heard from upstairs. She did tell him she should make his door squeaky or get a draft stopper as something to drag against the floor but that was her battle ready paranoid mind.

She slipped off her boots at the door and crept up his spiral stairs to his bedroom, purposefully stealthy. Wes was stomach down in bed making her ambush all the easier. She crept closer, cautiously, then when he was in range, she pounced on him, sure for her knees to land either side of him. Trinity brought her head down to his. [color=66356a]"I’m sorry,"[/color] she whispered and laid a kiss on his cheek. The first of many. She kissed him again and again, littering his face in loving, tender kisses.

A groan and a soft [i]oof[/i] was muffled into the pillow as Wes felt a weight plop down on him, pulling him out of his half asleep daze. He turned his head to the side with squinted eyes just in time to be met with a flurry of kisses. While he was still grumpy, it was hard for him to fight the faint smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was difficult being mad at someone he loved when she was showering him with affection. He appreciated the gesture, but he still couldn’t flip the switch on his mood just like that. It was more complicated than that.

[color=66356a]"I’m used to having you to myself,"[/color] she admitted, sitting on his backside, running her hands up and down his irritatingly muscular back. [color=66356a]"I think,"[/color] she began carefully, squinting in thought to reflect internally on how she felt and why, [color=66356a]"It was sorta hard hearing how in kahootz you were. You know, cute bright girl keeps the stud in school and all the memories."[/color]

She shifted beside him, propping herself up on an arm. [color=66356a]"I know it runs deeper than that but…"[/color] she trailed off and shrugged with a purse of her lips. She just didn’t like it initially. That was it. 

[color=66356a]"I was stuck failing school. Didn’t have any friends believe it or not."[/color] Trinity grinned at her own joke then sucked in her bottom lip smacking her lips together. [color=66356a]"Then I got pulled from school and Ares said go to camp and you don’t fight with the god of war so the rest of my teen years were here."[/color]

Wes rolled over so he was on his back with his hand resting against his chest. He laid in silence, trying to make sense of his thoughts and her words, before he spared her a glance. [color=667c0c]"She’s [i]just[/i] a friend. Probably the only [i]real[/i] friend I had in High School."[/color] His gaze drifted back up to the ceiling as he tapped his fingers against his stomach. [color=667c0c]"Or maybe not. I don’t know with the whole [i]allure[/i] thing anymore."[/color] He sighed. [color=667c0c]"All I wanted was to introduce an old friend to the woman I love… To show how I’ve changed. But I ruined the night and messed up my plans, so…"[/color] He clicked his tongue, turning his head away slightly.

About to complain and whine that she knew they were just friends and he had his allure, Trinity gave enough time for Wes to add his last nonsense. Trinity rolled her eyes sitting up crossed legged instead staring at him expectantly. [color=66356a]"What exactly did you ruin and how?"[/color]

She poked his hard stomach before he could answer. [color=66356a]"Nothing."[/color] Wes hadn’t done anything wrong and she wasn’t about to let him pretend to be the bad guy.

[color=667c0c]"Damn it, Trin,"[/color] Wes huffed, pulling away and climbing off his bed before she could try to smother more of his feelings behind flippant remarks. While she might have been able to mask things behind humor and playfulness, the lack of seriousness frustrated him and only soured his mood more. [color=667c0c]"I’m being serious."[/color] His voice was deeper, lacking his usual levity and jovial tone as he met her gaze. Whatever hint of a smile that might have ghosted across his lips was gone. 

A visible frown tainted her features as he left the bed and she only rotated on the spot to track him and make sure he didn’t outright leave his own room. But it definitely warranted one of those times to shut up and listen. He was rarely one not to get a smile from. Usually he was warm and playful and now he was…unhappy.

Wes started pacing back and forth, keeping several feet between himself, the bed and Trinity. [color=667c0c]"I had been planning tonight for [i]weeks,[/i]"[/color] he admitted while running his hand back through his hair. [color=667c0c]"I asked Andy to include the fireworks. She helped me pick out an outfit. I even had what I was going to say memorized, although I was probably going to mess it all up… Like I do everything else."[/color] He sighed then ran his thumb and index finger across his eyes. 

[color=667c0c]"All this Aphrodite [i]shit[/i]..."[/color] His train of thought detoured, not daring to let himself utter the question he had been saving while he was upset and struggling to make sense of his thoughts and emotions. [color=667c0c]"I can’t help it and it doesn’t matter. [i]I’m only yours[/i]... I don’t know how else I can prove it to you and get you to trust me."[/color]

She held up her hands contesting innocence. She didn’t fully understand what he was going on about or what was wrong but she could testify to the last bit. [color=66356a]"I do trust you!"[/color] She argued, more shocked than defensive. [color=66356a]"I don’t think you’d do anything to jeopardize this."[/color] She threw her hand back and forth between them. [color=66356a]"And I know you got the Aphrodite curse and you can’t help it and it must be tricky for you but it’s hard for me too. Wes, people gawk at you, paw at you, shoot their shot or turn all giddy and weird and it’s hard to swallow. I’m—"[/color] a hand came to her chest [color=66356a]"territorial."[/color] Her eyes blinked at her own bluntness and self-reflection but she wasn’t wrong. Wes was hers, as far as she could see, and unfortunately it was all too easy to bug her.

Now did that make it right or okay? No. But it was their reality and maybe one day she’d grow immune to it but today evidently wasn’t that day. [color=66356a]"I’m sorry,"[/color] she tried again. [color=66356a]"I really am. I can find Rae later and apologize to her too? Heck, I can find her now and do it."[/color] Trinity’s thumbs gestured over her shoulder.

[color=667c0c]"No…"[/color] Most of Wes’s steam melted away with an exasperated sigh. It wasn’t fair for him to direct his frustration solely at Trinity when his problems stemmed from himself and his mother too. It was exhausting feeling like he was always in the same rut for something he couldn’t control nor did he have a choice in any of it. [color=667c0c]"I don’t [i]intentionally[/i] have only female friends. It’s just that most guys don’t want to be friends with someone like me,"[/color] he attempted to reassure her as best as he could. It wasn’t a new problem for him. Ever since High School, most guys were intimidated or jealous, and weren’t the biggest fans of being friends with someone who got all the attention, whether or not he wanted it. [color=667c0c]"I [i]tried[/i] to help Mason… But I’m pretty sure he hates me."[/color] He finally looked up and met Trinity’s gaze for the first time since he got out of bed. While he still wasn’t smiling, there was a subtle shift in his expression showing he was trying to get past his own shit. 

Trinity’s eyes shifted to the wall behind him dumbstruck. [color=66356a]"Mason?"[/color] She repeated as if a foreign name. He was in a huff because of Mason? [color=66356a]"Wesley. A. He’s an ass like 90% of the time, you know this. B. How—why—"[/color] She waved a hand across the space voiding whatever she was saying and tried again. It didn’t matter how or why he thought Mason hated him or other guys didn’t like him. [color=66356a]"Why does it bother you?"[/color] Trinity had a fleeting thought that it might be some Aphrodite complex; usually loved by all so hate was a wrong and foreign ball game but she quickly dismissed it. She felt like she was missing some important pieces of information along the way or not reading between the lines.

[color=667c0c]"[i]What?[/i] No."[/color] Wes shook his head and sighed. He rubbed his face again, frustrated as he found the more he talked the less sense he was making. [color=667c0c]"This isn’t about Mason. I don’t give a shit if he hates me."[/color] He killed that train of thought before Trinity could cling to it. Mason was only mentioned to show he [i]tried[/i] making friends, or at least being helpful, to people other than girls. He tried with Liam too. Both of them seemed to hate his existence. 

She patted the bed. Wes seemed defeated and she was unhelpful and bad at words so she felt defeated. [color=66356a]"I’m sorry your plan didn’t work out. I’m sure you can do it another day though right?"[/color] She offered instead. Trinity scooted up the bed to the pillows waiting for Wes to retire beside her where she could hug him.

Then, in thought and unable to help herself, beside the point as it all was, she spoke again. [color=66356a]"For the record, even if it was guys hanging off you I’d still be the same."[/color] Come to think of it she never bothered to pry if Wes swung that way as well but having gotten to know him, she was strongly betting he didn’t.

While Wes had heard everything she said, he was too hung up on her comment about his plan to really register, digest and respond to her second statement. He even noticed the way Trinity patted the bed, beckoning him to sit back down, but he didn’t. Instead he began pacing back and forth again as he started rambling. [color=667c0c]"I can’t do it a different day, not the way I had it planned. I had every detail figured out."[/color] Then, before he realized what he was doing, it all came pouring out of him, rapid fire, in a single breath of frustrated annoyance. [color=667c0c]"I was going to find you before midnight, make you dance with me even though I know you wouldn’t want to. Then when the fireworks started I was going to kiss you and tell you I love you and ask you to move into my cabin. But then you were mad at me or I was mad at you or maybe both. I don’t know. Because of stupid Aphrodite shit that I can’t control. I was too stupid to know that Rae was going to upset you. I should have known. You hated Alex—[i]for valid reasons[/i]—but that’s the only frame of reference you have for my friends and—"[/color]

[color=66356a]"Wait, wait, wait."[/color] Trinity held a hand up for pause. The guy was hitting an overload of information but one slice rang out louder on repeat for her. [color=66356a]"Move into your cabin?"[/color] A rollercoaster seemed to hit her all at once, varying from happiness to concern. On one hand it was completely sweet and progress in their relationship, on the other what if they had a tiff and needed their own space? But she found the latter thought pushed aside and something they’d deal with as they came to it. More importantly now was the matter of if he still wanted it or she completely ruined it with her famous temper. 

[color=66356a]"I mean if you still…"[/color] Trinity trailed off and shrugged. She didn’t know and she didn’t want to appear pushy about it. 

[color=667c0c]"[i]Fuck,[/i]"[/color] Wes muttered under his breath as everything he said finally caught up to him. He slowly looked over at Trinity, but her face wasn’t beaming or elated for his accidental slip up. She just seemed confused and unsure. The moment would have been perfect… The fireworks, a midnight kiss, the way the colorful lights would have reflected in her eyes as she smiled up at him. Serves him right for trying to paint a picture of a moment before it happened. His romanticized brain tried to build an image before it came to fruition. But it wasn’t supposed to be like [i]this[/i], not her uncertain shrug or her lack of a smile or his incoherent, frustrated monologue. 

Wes could feel his heart rate elevating as his own panic took root, pissed at their fight or whatever it was, pissed he messed up the night, pissed that he let his entire plan slip out. He inhaled a shaky breath as he walked around the bed. [color=667c0c]"I need air,"[/color] he mumbled before disappearing out onto his balcony into the cool air that was quickly descending back to the normal chill of winter.

Trinity crossed her arms, hands holding her own upper arms but not because she was in a mood but because things were taking a turn for worse the more she opened her mouth as the night went on. She even looked the opposite way like that gave him more privacy to himself. Looking at the entry way to his room she contemplated leaving his cabin because it was his space and she was doing no favors for his sanity. But up and leaving wouldn’t go over well either. 

Then something else took over. Something meaner and bolder that refused to act like a child that had just been scolded. With a tense jaw she left the bed, marching out to the balcony after Wes. [color=66356a]"Look, I’ve apologized one hundred times over tonight and I’ve meant it. Rae didn’t deserve that, sure. You’re a ladies man with not enough guy friends, whatever. You’ve got Aphrodite shit, fine. Plans don’t go exactly accordingly, so what. You wanna talk about these things, then talk. You want me to move in, I’ll move in."[/color] Trinity could see the offer being invalid since all the romance had been sapped but Wes only ever had to be straight forward with her. [color=66356a]"I wanna be there for you. I know we do each other’s heads in but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about you or don’t wanna be around you or anything."[/color]

Trinity took in a steady breath to calm right down and lose the firmness in her voice. [color=66356a]"Now. If you’ve got something to say, no matter what you can say it. If this is too much tonight I can go, I won’t take offense and I’ll still see you and love you tomorrow."[/color] Her eyes shot downcast to his feet as she made a half attempted stroke down his arm. She didn’t want to leave but she rarely saw Wesley irritated and upset so being the cause or making it worse, Trinity opted to remove herself. It was hard to see Wes like this and harder to be the cause.

Wes sighed, bracing his hand against the railing when he heard the door open and Trinity file outside after him. He took a couple deep breaths before looking over at her, holding her gaze as she spoke to him. But where he would have been calm, tender, and reassuring, her words were sharp and lacked the soft empathy he wanted. He swallowed as his gaze drifted down toward his fingers tight around the railing. Their entire circumstance was uncharted territory. He was always the one trying to calm her down or cheer her up, never the other way around. But her words were not a balm, they poked at his soreness and made him feel invalidated in his emotions. 

There was a long drawn out silence where he mulled over everything Trinity said, unable to form a coherent thought. [color=667c0c]"I don’t know what to say,"[/color] Wes confessed barely above a whisper as he watched the snow fall around them. He wanted her comfort but couldn’t end the tormenting cycle of her words replaying in his mind. [i]Whatever… Fine… So what… Then talk.[/i] He knew, deep down, that she didn’t mean for it to come off harsh and insensitive but it all felt like she was telling him to get over it, disregarding how he felt rather than trying to understand and sympathize. And at the end of it all, he wanted her to [i]want[/i] to move in with him… Not agree to it because she thought it’d slap a bandaid over his mood and pack it away. 

His thumb tapped against the railing, chest constricting at the words that were about to fall from his mouth like every letter and syllable hurt him to utter outloud. [color=667c0c]"I…"[/color] The lump grew and knotted in his throat, trying to trap the words and keep them from being spoken. [color=667c0c]"I love you… [i]but[/i]."[/color] Wes met her gaze briefly. His eyes sparkled, betraying his projected strength by highlighting the tears that started building. [color=667c0c]"I want to be alone."[/color] His voice cracked on the last word. He placed a brief, but tender kiss to her forehead before he walked back inside. 

It was an odd sting that came over her as she winced slightly at his words. A feeling she couldn’t quite shake for as sturdy as she was. He kissed her head and left while Trinity stood there trapped in thought and where she went wrong for a moment, feeling her eyes bubble up. She sucked in a breath and with it, gathered her senses again, raising her head. She left as quiet as she came, returning to her own cabin alone. 

Wes didn’t bother undressing. He simply pulled back the covers and slid into bed, burrowing his thoughts, emotions, and himself deep beneath the blankets.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] nate & iliana  [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] baxter, rae & mason [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] [@xNocturnax][/color]
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