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[color=808080][color=86a8ad][b]#86a8ad[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/eVkcqfX][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=bd1664][b]#bd1664[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/VA8JIgR][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]around camp > arena[/b][/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]

[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Somewhere in the middle of the night, the gap between River and Anissa slowly closed until her head nestled into the curve of his chest and neck. Even with a blanket separating them, she curled and burrowed into the recesses of his body. He held her close, wrapped in his arms as his chin rested against the crown of her head, the soft scent of her floral shampoo filling his dreams with every breath. River could have slept half of the day away if he let himself. 

The rising sun peaked over the treetops and the rays of light poured through the blinds and splayed across the room. Self trained to rise with the dawn, the radiating warmth across his back and the increasing brightness slowly stirred River from his deep slumber. His eyes remained shut as he groaned and subconsciously tightened his hold on Anissa, tugging her slightly closer. It wasn’t until he pried his eyelids open and looked down at the familiar woman pressed against his chest that all the events of the previous night came flooding back into him like a startling wake up call. So… It wasn’t all a dream. That realization excited him and terrified him in the same breath leaving him frozen and at a loss for what to do, or how to act. 

River remained unmoving, lost to the revolving spiral of his thoughts for longer than he should have, going back and forth between attempting to fall back asleep or forcing himself out of bed. Both tasks seemed impossible. It was only when he caught a glimpse of the clock on the nightstand showing it was nearly 7 a.m. that he finally got the motivation to move. Slowly and carefully, he separated himself from Anissa’s grasp and replaced the gap from his absence with one of her pillows. He shifted until he sat on the edge of the bed, making sure to jostle it as little as possible while he quickly slipped on his shoes. 

He could have gotten up and left, but there was a nagging feeling in his gut that made him want to leave a note behind or [i]something[/i] that showed he didn’t regret it or want to leave. River thought back on how drunk she had been and while he knew little about hangover remedies, he wasn't completely ignorant to the side effects. He quickly got to work, brewing a pot of coffee, grabbing a fresh glass of water and even searched her medicine cabinet until he managed to find some aspirin. It took him a bit longer to find a spare piece of paper and a pen so he could leave her a note, but after a few minutes of looking he found a napkin which would suffice. 

[indent][indent][indent][indent][quote=Ocean boy][color=86a8ad]I’m sorry I had to leave. 
[s]First day bullshit.[/s] 
[s]I can’t hide from being the leader forever.[/s]
... I wanted to stay. 

There’s fresh coffee in the pot. Take two aspirin and drink lots of water… please?

Happy New Years, Beauty Queen[/color][/quote][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
Quietly, River walked back into her bedroom and set the glass of water, note, and bottle of aspirin on her nightstand for Anissa to find whenever she woke up. For a moment he hesitated, listening to the soft sounds of her restful breaths and studying the peaceful expression of her face. There was a growing urge to kiss her… one last time, like the magic of the night would come crashing down the moment he walked out the door and everything that transpired would fade away like a fever dream. But he didn’t. Instead he reached out. The tips of his fingers lightly ran along her forehead and down her temple before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. 

[i]Well… It was a good dream…[/i]

With a soft sigh, he pulled his hand away and walked out of her bedroom.

Given everything with the party and Anissa, River had all but forgotten that it was fucking winter and there was snow on the ground… Until he stepped out the front door and was hit with a frosty blast against his exposed arms and chest. If he wasn’t awake before, the frigid air was like a shock of sobriety to the soul. He crossed his arms and rubbed his biceps as he briskly hurried along the beach toward his cabin. He was outside for maybe a minute total and that was already more than his fill of winter… [i]forever[/i]. His Hawaiian blood wasn’t made for that type of weather. 

Back in his cabin for the first time since before the party, River wasted no time hopping into an exceptionally warm shower. He remained under the scalding water replaying his first day at camp, but more specifically his first night. He wasn’t able to fight the images of Anissa and the memories of their shared kisses, and almost more, that pushed to the forefront of his mind. He was thankful when the water ran cold for several reasons, but most importantly to pull him out of his mind and snap him out of his temporary haze. After finishing getting cleaned, he finally got out and dressed in more training appropriate clothing. He made sure to grab a coat and a hat to cover his wet hair, before braving the frigid weather for a second time.

First he stopped by the main office, setting the arena’s temperature to something far more tolerable and balmy, and grabbed a camp roster. River detoured past the map stand that definitely wasn’t there when he first arrived. He could find the arena easy enough, it [i]was[/i] giant and in the middle of everything, but a map would be helpful to navigate everything else. Then he made his way to the arena. Stepping inside he was met by a large coliseum with a plethora of seating encircling a dirt clearing in the middle. He quickly realized his plan for training couldn’t be accomplished without help. There wasn’t an easy button in the office to give him what he needed which meant only one thing… [i]swallowing his pride.[/i] 

Using the map as a guide, River found his way to a small glass cabin nestled deep in the woods in the northeast corner of camp. He slowly made his way up the curving path, pacing back and forth every few steps as he tried to figure out what the hell he was even going to say. Only once he realized no amount of overthinking would solve that, he approached the door before he could talk himself out of it and knocked. 

Inside the cabin, Andy and Mason were fast asleep, only having gone to bed a few hours before. Neither one of them stirred at the first knock. It wasn’t until the second louder bang that they both were startled awake with annoyed groans. Mason’s body curved around Andy’s, pulling her closer with an arm around her waist, lightly pressing her back against his chest. His face was nestled against the nape of her neck, warm steady breaths brushed her skin as he whispered, [color=b45f06]"Ignore it,"[/color] and placed a tender kiss against the back of her shoulder. 

Andy lightly ran her hand along his forearm and slipped her fingers between his. She gently pushed back into his embrace, finding warmth and comfort in the sensation of his bare skin caressing hers. There was a brief, fleeting moment where her fuzzy, sleep-addled mind forgot about the knock on the door. All she was aware of was Mason’s arms around her, his naked body against hers, and the way the tickle of his breaths sent a chill down her spine. She wondered if they had enough rest, contemplated climbing back on top of him, and even slowly turned beneath the blankets to face him…

[i]Knock. Knock. Knock.[/i]

Her entire face contorted into an annoyed grimace as she reluctantly pried herself from his embrace and slipped out from the warmth of her bed. Andy quickly grabbed the first piece of clothing she could find and pulled it on, which happened to be Mason’s blue dress shirt from the night before. She groggily buttoned it as she made her way toward the door, the entire right side skewed from being misaligned. She yawned and crossed one arm over her stomach as she opened the door. A large, heavy handed fist came swinging down to knock again just as she came into view and she barely managed to sidestep before she got hit square between the eyes. 

The early morning breeze was so cold against Andy’s bare legs that an involuntary shiver rolled down her body and tensed her muscles. Her face twisted into an obvious grimace as she rolled her eyes at the sight of River. [color=bd1664]"Are you lost?"[/color] She tightened her arms across her chest as if to keep in some of her warmth.

River sucked in a breath between clenched teeth, immediately regretting coming. He should have figured it out on his own or made do with whatever was at his disposal, but it was all irrelevant now. There was no turning back. [color=86a8ad]"Look…"[/color] He sighed. [color=86a8ad]"I am sorry for how I acted yesterday. I… There’s a lot of expectations on my shoulders and—you don’t care. [i]Right.[/i]"[/color] It wasn’t until his gaze fell to his feet that he realized how under dressed Andy was. His face flushed as he took a step back and focused his attention anywhere [i]but[/i] her. He didn’t see her in that way, if anything it reminded him of his night with Anissa, but he still felt bashful, uncomfortable, and now even more like he shouldn’t have bothered her. He could only imagine how frustrated he’d be if someone bothered him while he was… [i]indisposed.[/i] [color=86a8ad]"I didn’t realize."[/color] He awkwardly motioned toward her and her cabin as if that filled the gaps where his words failed. [color=86a8ad]"I shouldn’t have come. I’ll just—[i]yeah.[/i]"[/color] He pointed his thumb behind him, spun on his feet, and promptly tried to disappear and forget everything. 

Andy sighed and tucked her lips between her teeth in thought. Before she could think better of it, she reluctantly called after him. [color=bd1664]"What did you want, River?"[/color]

He sighed, slowly spinning back around to face her. [color=86a8ad]"I…"[/color] River sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. [color=86a8ad]"I was going to start training today,"[/color] he hesitated, letting his gaze bounce around before finally locking with hers. [color=86a8ad]"And I could use your help."[/color]

There was a long pause while Andy tapped the tips of her fingers against her biceps as she weighed his words. She didn’t want to leave her cabin and train. That was honestly the [i]last[/i] thing she wanted to do. Having to help River with whatever he had in store only made it worse. She had half a mind to refuse him, go back inside and close the door, but it was like Mason always said… She was too nice. And while she wasn’t a leader for long, she would have hoped someone would have been willing to help her if she needed it. Karma and all that. 

[color=bd1664]"Help with what?"[/color]

River genuinely looked a bit stunned that she was humoring him, let alone actually hearing him out. [color=86a8ad]"Ok, well,"[/color] he started and took a small step forward. [color=86a8ad]"I don’t really know where everyone stands—physically or whatever—so I was going to do a handful of assessment trainings to get everyone’s baseline."[/color]

Andy nodded her head, following along. [color=bd1664]"Makes sense."[/color]

[color=86a8ad]"I wanted to start with an agility course, kind of like what the military uses, and there are a lot of controls in the Main Office, but nothing for that."[/color]

It was ironic how the one person River sought out for help was probably the only person at camp with extensive military bootcamp experience. Andy still had little to no desire to help, but it was quickly becoming apparent that she was the only person who [i]could[/i] lend a hand. She sighed softly and held up three fingers. [color=bd1664]"I have three conditions."[/color] 

Surprised that she was agreeing in the first place, River nodded his head before hearing what she had to say. 

[color=bd1664]"Giant coffee. Breakfast—the more meat the better, I’ll need it for energy—and the promise you’ll never wake me up this early again unless it’s an emergency."[/color] With each condition Andy dropped a finger. Honestly, she probably could have gotten away with more, but she wasn’t mean… and she was running on only a few hours of sleep. [color=bd1664]"Deal?"[/color] 

The food was easy, but not waking her up early was going to be a harder promise to keep. River was always a morning person and believed in training or working out first thing everyday. But [i]maybe[/i] he could consider pushing training back to nine in the morning in the future or at least avoid coming to her for help that early. He’d cross that bridge when he got there. [color=86a8ad]"[i]Deal.[/i] Meet you at the arena in fifteen?"[/color]

Andy nodded her head in agreement and slipped back into her cabin without another word. She sighed and leaned back against her front door as it shut. Her gaze drifted over to Mason who she could tell had been trying [i]desperately[/i] to eavesdrop, but his exhaustion had won out. She knew he was going to be grumpy that she wasn’t coming back to bed and leaving before the sun had fully risen, so she opted to let him rest for the time being.

The soft thump of her bare feet against the floor echoed throughout the tiny cabin as she crossed the room toward her dresser. Her fingers lazily unbuttoned the shirt she borrowed, removed it and draped it neatly over the armrest of her small sofa. Even though she was inside, the chill of winter wasn’t lost on her as she sifted through her drawers, naked, looking for something suitable for training. It had been at least two years since she ran any military exercises, but the obstacle courses were always the easiest in her opinion, so she wasn’t all that worried. She settled on a simple set of athletic clothing that was snug but breathable. Shorts might not have been the most practical decision in the middle of winter, but knowing how hot she’d get, she would be thankful for it in the long run. 

As she started wiggling into the shorts, the familiar chime of the camp wide P.A. system played from the hidden speaker in her cabin and filled the silence. [color=86a8ad]"Good morning campers. This is your new leader, River, speaking. It is currently 7:30 a.m. on January 1st. Your first training will begin in one hour at 8:30 a.m. in the arena. Please arrive promptly and dress accordingly."[/color] River’s announcement lacked some of the friendly bedside manner hers had, but it got the message across… She supposed. While she had expected another leader to be sent to camp at some point, there was still the faintest sting from hearing him address everyone. It could have been her. She tried her best and thought she was doing a decent job, but it wasn’t enough… Or the Gods didn’t like her. She scoffed at the thought. Andy couldn’t help but wonder if Alex had any hand in dethroning her. It’d make sense. 

After she finished getting dressed, she threw her hair up into a messy bun and slipped on her sneakers. As her gaze fell back on Mason who was slowly waking and bundled in her blankets she realized that he not only came to her cabin with only the clothes on his back, but he didn’t have anything there for training or the cold. Andy waved her hand, gathering his clothes that were scattered around her room, telekinetically folding them and resting them in a neat pile on the nightstand beside him. Then her fingers did a little wiggle and a fresh set of men’s athletic attire, boxers, socks, gym shoes and a winter coat all materialized on her couch for him to find when he got up. 

She slowly made her way to his side of the bed and lowered herself to sit down beside him on the edge. Andy gently ran her fingers through his hair, smiling down at him with a sad contentment, happy to see him in her bed, but sad to leave him. [color=bd1664]"I have to go,"[/color] she whispered. She leaned in, turning his head slightly to face her, and gave him a tender kiss. [color=bd1664]"Don’t oversleep,"[/color] she teased against his lips, gave him one more kiss, then pulled herself away before she succumbed and fell back into bed with him. 

Andy grabbed a coat and disappeared out the front door. It didn’t take her more than a couple minutes with her brisk pace to reach the arena. Luckily, the second she stepped inside it felt like the entire coliseum had the heater running and was a comfortable temperature like the party the night before. River was already waiting for her in the stands with a heaping plate of food and a coffee big enough to keep her awake for a week or give her cardiac arrest. [i]Perfect.[/i] She pulled off her coat, setting it aside as she sat down opposite him and the food. Before getting down to business, she chugged half of the coffee and ate two links of sausage. [color=bd1664]"Alright,"[/color] she sighed and lightly patted her thighs. [color=bd1664]"So what am I making?"[/color]

River adjusted to sit beside her, holding out his clipboard for her to see. [color=86a8ad]"Ok, so here’s what I was thinking…"[/color]

After over half an hour of conjuring various obstacles to River’s [i]exact[/i] specifications, with an empty coffee thermos and no more food, Andy made her way back over to the stands. She bunched up her coat as a makeshift pillow and laid on her back along one of the benches. [color=bd1664]"Wake me up when it’s time for training."[/color][/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] anissa & mason [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] myself??[/color]
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